Elias lay half-reclined on the ground, amidst shattered stones and glass shards.
His back still burned with a searing pain.
Hearing the infernal demon’s apology, Elias was utterly bewildered.
'A demon’s repentance?'
'Crocodile tears?'
Yet, the 【Malice Perception】 that had been screaming frantically in his mind had completely quieted down.
That couldn’t be faked.
It was also why he ultimately didn’t blow the bone flute.
But... why?
Just in case.
Elias’s eyes hardened.
He made to bring the pale bone flute to his lips again.
“Wait!!!”
Seeing Elias’s movement, Guss’s face actually showed terror.
“Fifty percent!”
Guss’s massive body suddenly recoiled half a step.
It pointed to the cabinets and safes still faintly glowing with spirituality amidst the thick smoke in the ruins of the treatment room building’s first floor.
“All the soul coins inside, we’ll split them fifty-fifty!”
Guss’s words tumbled out like a machine gun, as if terrified Elias would blow that deadly thing at any moment.
“Truly!”
“You’ve even taken out the Shuowang Beast bone flute; how dare I deceive you!”
“I swear by the will of Calovius, I speak not a single lie!”
The demon eagerly pledged its loyalty, its dark yellow vertical pupils filled with apprehension.
“To show my sincerity, I can immediately sign an absolutely fair Abyssal contract with you!”
Upon hearing this.
Elias’s hand, holding the bone flute, finally paused slightly in mid-air.
Through his mask, his gaze quickly swept over Guss’s sweat-soaked face.
Only at this moment did Elias truly feel it.
This evil creature, which moments ago had been arrogant and regarded human lives as dirt.
It had genuinely done a complete one-hundred-eighty-degree turn in its attitude towards him, solely because of the inconspicuous bone flute he had pulled out!
“Shuowang Beast?”
Elias narrowed his eyes, slowly lowering his arm.
He raised the pale, smooth bone flute in his hand, his tone a test.
“What’s wrong?”
“You, a mighty infernal demon of Calovius, are you afraid of such a small item?”
Hearing Elias’s question.
Guss’s ferocious face actually managed to force out a fawning, awkward bitter smile.
“You... you jest.”
Guss rumbled, its voice imbued with deep reverence.
“That is a holy artifact made from the bones of a Moon Lord spirit world attendant!”
The demon’s massive body hunched slightly, trying to appear less threatening.
“Even if you gave me all the courage in the world...”
“I wouldn’t dare to provoke the might of the Lord of the Spirit World!”
“Let alone me.”
“Even Calovius’s Archdukes...”
“Wouldn’t dare to act rashly upon seeing this token!”
After listening to Guss’s rapid-fire explanation.
Elias’s outward expression remained cold as ice, but deep within him, a storm raged.
Moon Lord?
Attendant?
The Moon Lord again!
Elias’s brain raced, piecing together all the fragmented clues.
That meant.
The mysterious lady who refused to reveal her name also had a deep connection with the Moon Lord!
To casually give away such an item, her existence level must be terrifyingly high!
“But...”
The more Elias thought about it, the more his scalp tingled.
He was just an ordinary lighthouse keeper, and in his previous life, merely a miserable corporate slave.
What kind of completely unrelated connection did he have with this great Moon Lord?
If that noble and imposing lady was truly connected to the Moon Lord, wielding such terrifying power.
Then why did she sneak into the Ascetic Society’s territory?
And why did she specifically use spiritual hijacking, just to meet an insignificant person like him?
Elias felt it.
As he delved slightly deeper into this transcendent world, instead of solving mysteries.
The more he pondered, the more questions arose before him, entangling him like a chaotic mess.
And the beginning of all this.
Seemed to have started entirely after his first “Audience.”
Elias sighed deeply in his heart, forcefully suppressing these complex thoughts into the depths of his mind.
At this moment, with severely insufficient information, any further wild speculation was futile.
It was more important to first resolve this life-and-death issue at hand.
He took a deep breath of the murky air, slowly tucking the bone flute back into the tactical pocket inside his trench coat.
Elias supported himself with The Roaring Cane.
He rose somewhat stiffly from the debris-strewn flagstone ground.
He brushed the dust from his black trench coat.
“So, our contract, it’s still on?”
Elias looked calmly at Guss through his mask, asking indifferently.
Although he now held something that could deter the other party.
Elias still maintained an appropriate restraint and politeness towards Guss.
After all, while the demon claimed it wouldn’t dare to trouble him.
He actually knew nothing about the true use and power of that bone flute.
He didn’t even know if blowing it would backfire on him.
With his own information severely lacking, being too arrogant and pushing this demon into a lose-lose situation.
That would truly be counterproductive.
When bluffing, it was best to maintain due caution.
“No problem!”
Hearing Elias was willing to continue cooperating, Guss seemed as if pardoned.
Its huge head bobbed like a pestle, answering decisively, its tone even carrying a hint of relief at having escaped a disaster.
“Everything as you say!”
“I’m counting on you, esteemed believer, to help open those troublesome cabinets upstairs!”
It said fawningly.
And then very proactively turned around, using its massive body to clear a path.
Leading Elias back into the barbershop ruins.
Guss began to explain the situation to Elias in a torrent of words.
“That damned Mester used the Moon Lord’s holy emblem and runes to put magic locks on all these cabinets and boxes filled with soul coins.”
The demon’s voice was laced with grinding hatred.
“What’s even worse is that!”
“These magic locks are directly connected to the Origin Web.”
“They perform an extremely strict, absolutely pure identity verification against the spirituality of anyone attempting to open them.”
Guss extended a finger, pointing at the intact cabinets in the ruins ahead.
The surface of the cabinets faintly glowed with cool, watery moonlight patterns.
“If it’s not a Moon Lord believer with genuine blessings.”
“The moment they touch the metal of the box, they’ll be incinerated by Moonfire.”
“And they’ll also be blasted away by the powerful repulsion glyphs inherent to them.”
As it spoke, the two had already reached the faintly glowing cabinet.
Elias stopped.
He stared at the intricate moonlight runes on the cabinet’s surface.
But his mind was on something else.
His brows gradually, deeply furrowed.
Seeing Elias’s grave expression, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Guss, who had been observing his every move, felt its heart sink.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
Guss cautiously probed.
“Did you get hurt from that fall just now?”
“Do you need to find a place to rest for a while before we continue unlocking?”
Rest?
Rest my ass!
Elias wanted to shove The Roaring Cane directly into this damned infernal demon’s mouth!
Just now downstairs, he had talked himself hoarse, haggling and negotiating.
He had risked being cleaved in two, desperately stalling for half a day.
For what?
For a chance to live!
His original plan was to rely on Ms. Cecil of the Seventh Agency.
He hoped she would finish dealing with Mester’s alchemy puppets and quickly return to save the day!
Who would have thought!
He had spent so much effort stalling for half a day, nearly losing his life.
And now, the problem was easily resolved because of this bone flute in his pocket!
It was simply too absurd!
And although the crisis was averted.
Now that the situation had reversed, he needed to quickly resolve the cabinet-opening matter and then beat a hasty retreat!
No delays whatsoever!
Otherwise, if Ms. Cecil returned with a large contingent from the Seventh Agency to investigate at this very moment.
And saw him being chummy with a massive infernal demon.
He’d never be able to clear his name!
Admittedly, he wasn’t entirely sure how infamous Calovius’s infernal demons were in the orthodox transcendent world.
But setting that aside.
Just consider Guss’s appearance right beside him.
Would anyone from the Seventh Agency think it was a good demon?
What’s more!
Just now, Guss had put away that soul coin press.
That thing was used to refine and forge coins from the lives and souls of innocent living people!
That was a definite anti-human capital crime!
Even Finn, who called him brother, would absolutely lose faith in him.
'Can’t delay!'
Thinking this.
Elias couldn’t help but feel an extreme surge of irritation.
He abruptly turned his head.
Looking at the demon, which had been fierce and menacing but was now forcing a fawning smile onto its face.
“I still prefer you when you were unruly and arrogant.”
“You should go back to how you were.”
Rate on N.U.
