A dark red ancient door gradually materialized.
An evil aura washed over him, carrying a certain ancient will. An indescribable gaze projected through the slowly opening Gates of Hell, bringing a familiar feeling of peering eyes as if observing him. After a long moment, a majestic yet angry voice sounded, and words not belonging to this world began to project.
“Arrogant human, how dare you alter the words of the prayer without permission.”
“You even dare to use that personage's name.”
Roland’s expression did not change in the slightest. He merely looked toward the Gates of Hell and said, “Tsk. As a grand Demon Duke, are you truly unable to tell, or are you just playing dumb in front of the King of Pride?”
“...”
The other party fell silent.
“Why don't you try signing a contract with me?” Roland smiled, without any panic on his face. On the contrary, he showed unprecedented excitement. “The stench of Hell is as foul as ever... What, after staying in that kind of place for so long, can't you even recognize your own master?”
“Pride?”
Roland released a sliver of mana.
“The instant my ritual began, you already knew the answer, didn't you?”
“No... You are not him, at least not who he once was.” A raspy, unpleasant voice penetrated the Gates of Hell. “However, this familiar feeling indeed reminds me of some... not-so-pleasant memories. I will not sign a contract with you. I shall take the sacrifices—that is the rule. Beyond that, I will give you a gift, considered as... congratulating your return in advance.”
Toward the end, the other party's words clearly took on a tone of respect.
“Then thanks. What is your true name?”
“Agares.”
“So it's you... I'll remember that.”
“The honor is mine.”
After the voice faded, a drop of pitch-black blood drifted out from behind the door—the essence blood of a Demigod-rank Demon Duke. Containing the source power of a Demigod, it was truly a major sacrifice on his part, at least far more precious than the corpses Roland sacrificed. It happened to be perfect to add while refining the 【Undead Puppet】.
“A net gain.”
The Gates of Hell slowly closed.
The magic array beneath his feet lost its original luster.
And that tide-like malice gradually faded away as well.
Possessing an all-encompassing God's perspective, Roland had long anticipated this situation. Agares was far from a stranger to him; it was just that currently, apart from trading, there were no other points of contact.
In fact, according to his thoughts, it would most likely draw an Eighth-Rank demon.
He hadn't expected a Demon Duke to intercept that faint aura belonging to Pride.
The other party had given him, the King of Pride, quite a bit of face.
Storing this drop of Demigod demon blood, Roland temporarily stopped the operation of the aura isolation array.
Time passed quickly. Counting today, he hadn't shown his face in the Duke's Mansion for three days.
If it went on any longer, even with his orders, Scott would worry and even actively search for him.
“Refining the Undead Puppet can be pushed back for now. We still have plenty of time anyway.”
Roland passed through the bronze doors, muttering to himself as he walked.
...
Eternal Calendar, August 16th.
Drank tea, read books, and appreciated Count Wayne's taste.
Eternal Calendar, August 17th.
Drank tea, practiced swordsmanship, and teased the maids in the Duke's Mansion.
Eternal Calendar, August 19th.
Drank tea, read newspapers, and chatted with Scott about the recent widely rumored news of the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess infiltrating the Northern Territory and blood-sacrificing several small villages under the Avalanche Domain.
“Young Master, what do you think about the recent rumors?”
“I watch while sitting down, of course.”
Roland let out a bored yawn. In fact, regarding the matter over there, the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess had already sent him news long ago. As for their specific plan, he wasn't clear about it, nor did he have any interest in knowing.
“Speaking of which, the Avalanche Domain is already remote. It would be effortless for Marquis Barton to seal off the news. But now... even the commoners on the streets know about it, causing widespread panic.”
“Does Young Master mean they did this intentionally?”
“They probably reached some secret cooperation and intentionally lured some people over. Who knows what they want to do? If Uncle Scott went, he could probably just roll right over them.”
“...”
In reality, not only did Roland know.
He even knew the exact composition deployed by the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess down to the finest detail. If Marquis Barton wasn't factored in, Scott going there could indeed roll right over them. In fact, just as Roland had told Philip before, a Sixth-Rank Great Warrior could directly roll right over the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess.
Because the opposing side's highest combat power was merely a Sixth-Rank Grand Mage.
A Great Warrior versus a Grand Mage—anyone thinking with their big toe knew which side would win. Even if the opponent was the Church of the Fallen Mother Goddess with mysterious and unpredictable methods, your Warrior Uncle would just chop them down with a single sword strike.
Of course, this rule definitely didn't apply to Roland himself.
“Relax, relax. They wouldn't dare come to Lucifiel.”
If they came again, Roland, as their financial backer and investor, would really have to have a serious talk with their cult leader.
Eternal Calendar, August 20th.
Roland had a long-overdue deep sleep. From ten o'clock last night until noon today, he hadn't had such a refreshing rest in a long time. Although the bodies of a Fifth-Rank Mage and a Fifth-Rank Warrior were powerful, they were ultimately still within the scope of mortals; necessary physiological rest was still required.
“Ah, comfortable.”
There were still five days left until the appointed date with Philip.
He had to create the Undead Puppet during these few days.
“Can't be this lazy anymore.”
His original plan was to prepare a few forbidden rituals to leech talent caps for free, but there were no such books in the treasury at all. That made sense—how could anyone in the Lucifiel family be a mediocrity? Naturally, there wouldn't be books related to that. Now, he had no choice but to refine them into an Undead Puppet.
In fact, Roland had even considered using 【Pride · Soul Forge】 and 【Pride · Feast】 to directly "eat" them, but after thinking it through carefully, he gave up the idea. Setting aside the fact that these remains had been stored for an unknown number of years, the life energy and souls within them had already largely dissipated.
It would be difficult to extract much power from them.
It would also waste the remains.
It was far better to refine them into an Undead Puppet. Now, with this drop of Demigod demon essence blood, plus various precious materials in the treasury, he was confident he could refine an Eighth-Rank powerful enforcer.
That way, even at the St. Romanvia Imperial Academy, facing those old fellows, he could walk sideways, and at critical moments, it could even carry him away.
“I'm looking forward to meeting you more and more, my dear... characters.”
Eternal Calendar, August 21st.
After a day of preparations, Roland began creating the Undead Puppet, dragging all the remains of the powerhouses into the forbidden refining ritual. In the center directly above, the pitch-black blood floated, emanating a demonic aura, while a dense, evil atmosphere of death enveloped the entire treasury.
“Mm... It really is a bit difficult, tsk tsk.”
Roland frowned slightly.
Whether it was the Demigod demon essence blood or those powerhouse remains, all were extremely rare and precious materials. Combined with some items in the treasury, the difficulty of controlling it went without saying.
Fortunately, he was Roland; if it were another Seventh-Rank Paradox Apostle, they might not even succeed.
“Try to finish it within four days.”
Rate on N.U.
