"Those fools! How could they possibly know how powerful Hermes is?"
Several Volcanic Giants chimed in.
They were Middle Gods too, but they didn't have Hermes's perseverance. They wouldn't dare become Middle Gods by fusing Profound Mysteries.
They were afraid of getting stuck at a bottleneck.
For the Volcanic Giant clan, quickly mastering the Fire Element Law and becoming High Gods was more important.
After all, in the vast Volcanic Giant Tribe, Salasis was still the only High God.
The tribe
desperately needed more High God clansmen to protect them.
"Since you've decided to leave, then please allow me to offer you the friendship of the Salasis Tribe."
A crimson crystal suddenly appeared in Salasis's hand.
"What's this?" Hermes asked in surprise. He could sense the dense flame elements emanating from it.
"It's nothing especially precious. It's just the Flame Crystal that our Volcanic Giants are born with."
The red-bearded old man really did seem a little sad.
"It carries the aura of our Volcanic Giants and can make the surrounding flame energy several times denser."
Salasis was utterly sincere.
"Besides, only Flame Crystals willingly offered by my clan have this effect."
Increasing the energy several times over wasn't exactly a treasure.
After all, this was the Supreme Plane.
Aside from Destruction, the Seven Great Elements and the three types of Law energy were all evenly distributed.
In Hell!
If one was willing to search, one could always find places where a single type of energy was dozens or even hundreds of times denser.
But such places were often fiercely contested by powerful beings.
For the weak,
the cities of the God Plane were indeed good places to ensure their safety.
But for the strong, or those determined to become strong, cities had never been their first consideration.
If one wanted to grow stronger, battle after battle was unavoidable.
Besides, a cave paradise suited to one's needs was also indispensable.
"Hahaha, thank you."
Hermes had no reason to refuse a crystal like this, especially one related to both earth and fire.
"If I carry it with me, it'll be like having a little flame paradise wherever I go?"
Compared to his Earth Clone, which had become a God by naturally comprehending the Mysteries of Power, Hermes had a weaker talent for fire.
Not only that, he still hadn't dared to become a God by comprehending any of the Fire Element Law's Profound Mysteries.
Naturally, he was worried about weakening his soul. Now that he had the Flame Crystal, it wouldn't improve his talent, but it might still be somewhat useful.
"I'd heard you also had talent for the Flame Law. This severalfold increase in energy is only a small help, but better than nothing."
Salasis accepted Hermes's thanks only modestly.
"That's still very good!"
Hermes said.
"I'll visit other continents and even other God Planes in the future. I can't expect every place to have energy as dense as Hell's."
That was true.
"You're free to go wherever you like!"
Salasis sounded a little envious. With an entire tribe to shoulder, he couldn't go wherever he wanted.
Unless another High God was born among his people, he could only remain in the Bis Volcano Group.
It was only natural to envy him.
The vast stretch of volcanoes covered a million miles. Everything was dark red, and wisps of White Mist hissed up from where underground rivers met the magma.
The dense smell of sulfur could be detected from far away. Here and there lay the bones of magical beasts and humans.
Not a blade of grass grew here.
The environment was harsh beyond measure.
Apart from the dense flame energy, there was almost nothing good about it.
Only a few life-forms adapted to volcanic conditions could survive here.
These weren't ordinary volcanoes in a Material Plane. This was the volcanic range in Hell, the Destruction Supreme Plane.
Its power was not to be underestimated.
More than a hundred million miles west of the Bis Volcano Group stood a city that had endured since time immemorial.
Yilan City!
After bidding farewell to the Salasis Tribe, Hermes arrived at the nearest city, Yilan City.
Salasis, the Volcanic Giant chieftain, had pointed him in the right direction.
Though the Volcanic Giants enjoyed living in the Bis Volcano Group, they weren't completely cut off from the outside world.
Every so often,
whether once every thousand years or once every ten thousand, Salasis would bring his people to Yilan City to purchase supplies.
Inside the Demon Castle in Yilan City,
Hermes calmly selected the items he needed.
"Shadow of the Cold Moon. I'll take a hundred of this model."
For flying through the wilderness, the best option was still to use a Metal Life.
Traveling with divine power was faster, but riding a Metal Life could save more than ninety percent of his divine power.
"And ten Starlights like this."
The prices of different models of Metal Life varied enormously.
Since Hermes's Golden Space had swallowed most of his Ink Stones, he wasn't particularly wealthy either.
Shadow of the Cold Moon was an old model. Since many alchemists could produce it,
its price had long since come down.
But the Starlight was different. It was the latest creation of a renowned Alchemy Master in Hell.
Other alchemists weren't yet capable of copying it.
"Fifty percent faster, and it costs more than ten times as much?"
While praising the new Metal Life's fine quality, Hermes also grumbled about how greedy that Alchemy Master was.
Well, he wasn't wrong.
The people who nitpicked were the real customers.
Besides, he couldn't find anything wrong with the Starlight. Its only flaw was probably that it was expensive.
"Who would've thought that even Old Black would complain about something being expensive?"
Hermes mocked himself.
Since bandits were always trying to rob him, his Golden Space had gradually accumulated a great deal of wealth.
If it weren't for the fact that it had swallowed most of that wealth, Hermes wouldn't have batted an eye at buying Metal Lives.
After emptying a Space Ring, he still had no intention of leaving.
He wouldn't leave until he'd spent all his Earth Crystals and Ink Stones this time.
Who knew when he'd get to shop here again?
Hermes continued selecting the supplies he needed inside the Demon Castle in Yilan City.
His eyes swept over the dazzling array of goods on the shelves before finally settling on a row of exquisite magic scrolls.
"Are these Teleportation Scrolls?"
Hermes asked the merchant beside him, who had a pair of demon horns.
The Demon Horn Merchant nodded and bowed, a fawning smile on his face:
"That's right, sir! These Teleportation Scrolls can instantly transport you anywhere within a designated range. Whether you're fleeing a battlefield or traveling quickly, they're truly rare treasures!"
Though he didn't look down on Hermes for being a Middle God, the Demon Horn Merchant's smile was clearly practiced. Even so, Hermes could sense his dedication to customer service.
"You know how to do business. You're sure to make a name for yourself in Hell someday."
People liked to flatter one another. Anyone could say something nice, especially in a world like the Coiling Dragon World, where the strong ruled.
Without strength, it was far too difficult to get ahead through business alone.
If one had a special skill and happened to buy a house in the city, one could still live comfortably as a wealthy man.
Even a Seven-star Demon wouldn't dare attack anyone inside the city.
"May I take a look?" Hermes pointed at the Teleportation Scrolls. This was a field he had never encountered before.
It even involved knowledge he knew nothing about.
"Of course!"
The Demon Horn Merchant gritted his teeth and agreed to Hermes's unreasonable request.
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