"Please follow me."
Glasya turned around, showing her back to Caesar. She didn't seem to care about the Black Dragon's attack at all. Her bare feet floated in the air as she led the Black Dragon into the depths of the shadow plane.
The path slowly turned from horizontal to vertical. With the help of the shadow ore's light, one could see that the walls of the tunnel were smooth and complete. It was as though thousands of small knives had been carved out. Under the guidance of the Eros Queen, Caesar found Olivier's lair. Rather than calling it a cave, it would be better to call it a vast underground world. An underground river ran from one end to the other, and the cave was so high that one couldn't see the ceiling. More than a dozen tunnels lined the walls.
This wasn't the work of a shadow dragon that had yet to reach the legendary realm. Caesar had reason to believe that the devils had taken over this place without the deceased Olivier noticing.
Countless corpses filled up half of the space. Under the influence of negative energy, some of the incomplete corpses swayed back and forth, cold flames burning in their eye sockets. Translucent vengeful spirits roamed the space, opening their mouths wide to the point of tearing, but not making the slightest sound. These low-ranked undead wandered aimlessly, looking for their own corpses or any other living creatures.
The underground space wasn't deathly still. A type of cave dweller known as the Dementors were here to collect corpses or hunt ghosts. They didn't have eyes. In such a dark cave, if one didn't have night vision, there was no need for them to exist. The Dementors had tentacles longer than their bodies, and their claws were covered in cilia. Through their sensitive sense of smell and touch, they could sense the changes in their environment. When Caesar walked through the tunnel, all the Dementors stood in a daze, not knowing what was going on.
There were other creatures as well. Caesar saw a large undead flashing by. An ecosystem of undead creatures had already formed in this underground world. They relied on negative energy to provide nutrients and flourished in the demiplane.
The Black Dragon observed these ignorant undead creatures until the scenery in front of him changed into a tall and majestic palace.
This wasn't a temporary residence. The spacious hall was filled with magnificent candles. On the cold rocks soaked in blood, there were many treasures that the devils loved. These were the souls that had been sold. The greater devils would constantly squeeze the value out of these souls to maintain their eternal lives.
In Baator, these souls were the foundation of the economy. They were also known as' lambs' or 'coins'.
There was a dense barrier of light, a magic barrier, and a negative energy field.
"Are you interested?"
Gracia sat down on the Throne of Blood and noticed that Caesar was looking around. She rested her chin on her hand and said to him calmly, "If you have time, you are welcome to travel to hell at any time. I can volunteer to be your guide."
"If I rashly go to Baator, I might be eaten by you greater devils." Caesar sneered.
"No, no, no. I'm afraid you have misunderstood the Hell of Baator. Hell is a place of absolute order. We abide by laws and rules, and follow every written contract. If you accept my invitation to tour hell, I promise that even my father, the Master of Nine Hells, will not do anything illegal to you as long as you don't violate any rules."
Gracia's expression was solemn as she explained, "Please don't lump us together with filthy demons."
These two races really like to slander each other … Caesar chuckled inwardly. He remembered that the Flame Devil King had once cursed the devils in front of him. He didn't want to discuss this matter and changed the subject, "You said that we aren't enemies."
"Of course."
Gracia pointed at the soft couch beside her, and the three little devils immediately ran over. They grabbed the sides of the couch and stretched it so that the Black Dragon could lie down on his side. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. When the worm-eroded tunnel reaches the material plane, the number of demons arriving in Airadia will surge. According to our investigation, you don't seem to be willing to give up this world to the demons. Neither do we."
"Airadia is my home."
Caesar frowned, "And to you, it's just a pasture for lambs. The so-called gods are jackals of the same tribe. One of you thirsts for souls, while the other thirsts for faith.
I hate demons, but that doesn't mean I'll accept you. "
"The problem is that we're on the same side."
Gracia looked at Caesar, "Trust me, the Blood War has been going on for a hundred thousand years. No one understands how strong the demons are better than us. The Three Pillar Gods are great existences on par with my father, and there are hundreds of other lords and monarchs.
With such strength, it's hard for me to imagine anyone being able to defeat an army of demons alone. Without our help, Airadia will definitely fall into the demons' hands. "
"Don't try to scare me."
Caesar waved his claws. "When it comes to material planes, demons only carry out meaningless conquest and destruction. The Blood War is the main battlefield that they truly value. Not to mention the Three Pillar Gods, even the Lords of the Abyss might not come."
"You're right," Gracia admitted.
Glasya admitted, "But demons are chaotic and have low intelligence. If they suffer a setback, they'll continue to pour in their forces until the world is destroyed."
"Just tell me your plans." Caesar didn't like this kind of dialogue.
"In the future, this place will become a stronghold for the devils. The troops of Baator will disembark here and resist the demons' invasion together with the creatures of the material planes, the allied gods, and the celestials. If we win, we hope to borrow Airadia's worm-eaten passage to attack the Abyss," said Gracia.
Logically speaking, Caesar should not have any reason to reject the demon's offer of help. However, from the words of this great demon, the black dragon smelled the scent of a conspiracy. If they wanted to counterattack the Bottomless Abyss through the worm-eaten tunnel, they would have to gather their forces in Eladia.
With such a huge military force, the devils were fully capable of conquering Eladia before they invaded the Abyss, merging this world into a part of the Hell of Baator. To them, this was the best of both worlds. Not only could they harvest countless souls, but they could also stabilize their rear base.
Even if they signed a contract, the Lord of the Nine Hells would have his ways to bypass them. After all, the devils were experts in this field.
None of them are trustworthy … Caesar concluded. However, he didn't intend to take any measures against the devils. After all, the demons of the Abyss were the greatest threat to Airadia. The devils and the gods were a matter for the future. After thinking it over, the Black Dragon nodded. "Alright."
He then asked an unrelated question, "How do you devils bewitch other creatures into signing contracts?"
"Not bewitchment, but digging."
Gracia smiled as she explained, "As devils, our most basic innate ability is to listen. We can sense the calls of other creatures, and when we discover that they intend to sell their souls, we'll appear before them and dig into their deepest desires to make a deal.
That's why there's a saying in the material planes that devils are born from the human heart.
This reasoning is foolish and laughable, but it seems to have some basis in the material planes. "
"You said 'appear before them'."
Caesar ignored the Erinyes' joke and asked, "Are there any other methods?
For example, whispering in one's ear, or appearing repeatedly in one's dreams?
Also, does this bewitchment have any side effects? For example, losing one's mind, deforming the body, or going completely insane? "
"You've encountered this type of bewitchment before?"
The Erinyes' voice suddenly turned serious, revealing an expression that Caesar had never seen before. The Black Dragon noticed that she had unsheathed the Whip of Sin and was in a battle-ready state.
"That's right."
The Black Dragon nodded, "I once came into contact with a human who was able to use some kind of incomprehensible power. Even now, I still find it very strange that I haven't been able to find the source of that power."
Caesar had never forgotten about Roy, not only because he was his first enemy after stepping into this world, but also because of the mysterious power of the Brendel Family. After killing Roy and destroying the Brendel Family, that strange and crazy thing had sought out Caesar more than once. But he was too weak at that time and had always kept a respectful distance from such things.
But now was different. The Black Dragon was gradually entering the Realm of Divinity. Even though he was still wary of the shadow of the past, he was no longer fearful. Instead, he was curious to find out more.
The reason why he asked the Erinyes was because the method of bewitchment was similar to the demons that everyone knew. Caesar wanted to see if he could get some inspiration from the demons, but because he did not have much of a relationship with them, he did not say that it was something that happened to him. He simply described the Brendel Family's situation.
The Erinyes relaxed after listening to Caesar's words and revealed a thoughtful expression, "It's a power that doesn't belong to the Material Plane. It doesn't even belong to the current Astral Plane. It's said that only beings with 'potential' can maintain a stable state under its influence, and this' potential 'has nothing to do with one's level of life or strength."
She suddenly covered her mouth and giggled, "Sia doesn't know much about this either. The relevant information is in my father's hands. If you're interested, you can request a trade with my father, but the price is likely to be great."
"Forget it."
Caesar shook his head. He did not have any plans to face the Lord of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus. Since the relevant information was in the hands of a being of this level, it was best not to come into contact with it for the time being.
He stood up and prepared to leave. The situation was urgent, and he had to become stronger as soon as possible. Next, he had to go to the Central Trade Federation, hunt down the descendants of the Goddess of Magic, digest the Divine Fire, and start an all-out war with the Unfalling Empire.
"Don't you want to talk for a while?" Grasia's voice was clear and crisp as she called out to him from behind.
"Is there anything else?" Caesar turned his head back.
"According to the principle of fair trade, we have shown our sincerity by showing this secret base to you and answering your questions.
Now, Sia hopes to see your sincerity. A small, simple, and symbolic sincerity. "
Caesar looked at her and gestured for her to continue.
"Currently, a Great Evil Demon has arrived in Eladia ahead of time. The Lord of the 606th level of the Abyss, the Flame Demon King Azriles, has been defeated by you and imprisoned in an underground prison called 'Black Rock Mountain'."
Grasia revealed her true demonic appearance, "If you can cut off its head and give it to us, Sia will be honoured in your favour. Every Duke Of Hell will view you as their most sincere friend."
At this moment, the Flame Devil King's Heart of Flames surged in the depths of Blackrock Mountain. It suddenly opened its mouth and yawned, spewing flames everywhere.
Caesar looked at Grasia with an incomprehensible gaze and shook his head, flapping his wings as he turned to leave. His voice drifted over from the other side of the cave.
"Azliers is useless, arrogant, and shameless. He's terrible at cards and likes to cheat, but he's still one of my few friends. You want me to kill him? You think too much."