This ridiculous scene made Fanny burst out laughing. Even the staff nearby joined in, and for a moment, the entire hall was filled with laughter.
The person being teased was not angry either. He added, "Since everyone wants to buy them, if anyone still has extra fruits, please speak up. How about we discuss a price together?"
"I really do have two extra fruits. I won't overcharge you. How about eighty-six thousand Inkstones, the final price you offered?"
"Sure, sure." The two people who had called out bids hurriedly took out their Inkstones to buy them. All three were satisfied after the transaction.
"I have three fruits left too. Who still wants to buy?" said a burly man in black robes.
Three more people immediately stepped forward to buy them.
"I have one left too."
This time, it was a tall beauty with short purple hair who spoke.
But no one came forward to buy it. They could only stare longingly. Clearly, only a small number of Midgods had that kind of money, while most were short on funds.
"Tsk, tsk. Why is my luck, Lona's luck, so terrible? I finally got one extra fruit, and I can't even sell it. Hey, you in the white robe, weren't you the one who called out a bid at the start? Why haven't you made a move either?"
The young man in white flushed red. "I... I don't have enough money. Even after emptying my pockets, I only have eighty thousand Inkstones. They bid eighty-six thousand. How about you sell it to me for eighty thousand first? Once I, Napote, earn money later, I'll pay you back the remaining six thousand."
"Hmph. You want to take advantage of me?"
Lona sized up Napote, the young man in white, then suddenly said something.
"It's not impossible if you want to take advantage of me. As long as you follow me on missions after we return until you've paid off the Inkstones, can you accept that?"
Acquaintance
Napote, who had already given up hope, never expected such a good thing to happen. He hurriedly agreed.
"Of course, of course. I, Napote, never go back on my word."
At first, Simon watched the spectacle with a smile. He felt that if Napote really followed Lona on missions, he might not have a single Inkstone left on him in the future.
However, after hearing the name Napote repeated over and over, Simon felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered that Napote had appeared when Linley participated in the Plane War.
Although that Napote had been a Commander with considerable strength, he had drawn too much attention during the decisive battle at Star River. In the end, he had the misfortune of attracting massive hostility from the enemy. Hundreds or even thousands of Six-Star and Seven-Star Fiends had focused their attacks on him twice, instantly killing him. Even with a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact, he had failed to save his life.
He just did not know whether the Napote before him was the same person as Commander Napote.
If they were the same person, then this was undoubtedly before Linley's birth, and quite a long time before it at that.
If they merely shared the same name, then he would have to keep watching.
For the rest of the journey, Simon did not remain in secluded cultivation the entire time. Instead, he used the breaks to become acquainted with Napote.
After a brief period of contact, Simon felt that this young man in white had a fairly good character. He was just somewhat disconnected from society, like the sort of cultivation fanatic and shut-in who focused solely on training and cared about nothing else.
Simon was also a cultivation fanatic, but thanks to the social experience from his previous life, he did not come across as awkward in his dealings with others. He was more like a worldly old hand.
It was just that this worldly old hand could not be bothered with meaningless socializing now.
Fanny and Lona also became familiar with each other.
Lona was straightforward and did not beat around the bush. She was not restrained just because Fanny was a Highgod. Instead, she got along extremely well with the innocent and kind Fanny, and within a few days, the two had become close sisters.
The Metal Lifeform on the return journey was much livelier than it had been on the way there. Even the staff members who had initially seemed aloof were now chatting and laughing with everyone.
After all, more than twenty people here would become One-Star Fiends after returning. Whether they had bought their fruits or earned them with their own strength, they could more or less be considered colleagues in the future.
There was naturally no need to keep a cold face around colleagues.
Those fortunate enough to survive had not gained nothing either. At the very least, they learned that if they participated in another assessment and it was still an item-collection mission, there was no need to desperately fight from the beginning. There would be plenty of opportunities later.
Even if there were no opportunities, as long as they earned enough Inkstones, they could buy the item at the end.
This counted as a form of experience. After all, the saying that money could make even ghosts turn the millstone was even more fitting in Hell. Fiends needed money too.
But then again, for a Midgod to earn at least eight hundred thousand Inkstones was no easier than completing the mission directly.
Over the past half month, as Simon came to understand Lona and Napote better, he learned that Napote's experiences were very similar to his own.
Both were genius youths from Material Planes, both had immersed themselves wholeheartedly in cultivation, and both had been born into great families on Material Planes.
This resulted in Napote being tens of thousands of years old, yet having social experience comparable to a university student who had just entered society—the shut-in kind, at that...
Lona, on the other hand, was much more inspiring. Born into a fallen royal family on a Material Plane, she had displayed astonishing talent for cultivation from a young age. She had become a god before reaching a hundred years old by cultivating the Law of Fire, then led her family in restoring their kingdom.
She was practically the pinnacle of powerful women on a Material Plane.
However, uninterested in power, she passed the throne to her nephew and came to Hell without hesitation.
Lona had come to Hell as a Lowgod and had never lacked admirers, but she had rejected them all, always focusing on cultivation.
Over several thousand years, Lona had moved through several tribes, gradually accumulating wealth and strength. Finally, through astonishing perseverance and decent talent, she had become a Midgod not long ago and even fused two Profound Mysteries of the Law of Fire!
Feeling that her strength was sufficient, she signed up for the Fiend assessment.
Napote and Lona came from the Kara Material Plane and the Light Material Plane respectively. These two Material Planes were similar to Simon's home plane: vast landmasses, huge populations, and countless magical beasts, but very few God-Level experts. A Midgod was already the strongest being on the plane.
But Napote was not as fortunate as the people of the Rayast Plane. The Plane Guardian there was not as kind as Fanny either, and instead constantly tried to fool people into going to Supreme Planes.
He made every Supreme Plane and Divine Plane sound as though the air was sweeter than on a Material Plane. Once there, one's cultivation would soar even while sitting still, treasures of every kind would be everywhere, and everyone one met would be friendly.
The simple, shut-in Napote had been fooled. Fortunately, his family was not so foolish and insisted that he reach God-Level before going. They were also afraid that someone with his personality would be bullied in a place full of strangers. Besides, having greater strength could never hurt.
After arriving in Hell, Napote finally understood the cruelty of society and deeply admired the wisdom of his family patriarch and elders.
If he had truly come here at the Saint Realm, he might very well have become material for someone else to make Soul Golden Beads.
In Hell, Saints were regarded as food ingredients. The only difference was how they were eaten.
Even Lowgods could only struggle to survive, while Midgods could barely live as normal people.
Fortunately, the tribe Napote had stayed in had not suffered any major upheavals for ten thousand years. After working as a slave for the tribe for over ten thousand years—raising Hell Fire Phoenixes for all that time—Napote decided to live differently.
After a long time, Napote finally saved enough Inkstones and successfully fused Earth Element and the Profundity of Strength from the Laws of Earth. Then, he resolutely signed up for the Fiend assessment.
This was also why Napote and Lona had been able to survive the melee. Among the Midgods, both of them ranked near the top in strength.
During the melee, Napote had also luckily picked up quite a few Spatial Rings, managing to scrape together eight hundred thousand Inkstones. Otherwise, after paying the assessment fee and becoming penniless, how could he have taken out so many Inkstones?
After all, such an honest person was practically the ideal worker in the tribe. Even the ten thousand Inkstones for the assessment fee had only been secretly saved after he suffered many losses and finally grew wiser. Otherwise, the black-hearted tribal steward would never have allowed him to keep even a single extra Inkstone.
But Napote's bad luck seemed to have never left him. Although he was quite strong after fusing two Profound Mysteries, his speed was simply not very good. He could only barely follow behind the fastest group. By the time he reached the valley, he had not even seen a trace of a Thousand Illusion Fruit, much less participated in the fight for one.
The people who obtained the fruits later had fled incredibly quickly as well. Napote could not even see their shadows. After wandering around blindly for more than ten days, he had merely picked up quite a few Spatial Rings and barely gathered enough Inkstones.
Lona, on the other hand, was far more formidable. With her speed and strength, she forcibly snatched two fruits from others. After successfully completing the mission, she did not arrogantly continue robbing others. Instead, she took a roundabout route back to the Metal Lifeform.
First Fiend Mission and Romance
During the rest of the journey, the four of them often chatted together and soon became friends.
Napote and Lona, in particular, hit it off intensely, as though they had fallen in love at first sight.
Their activities had previously been limited to a few tribes outside Timbu City. They had yet to witness the true face of Hell.
Now that they had met Simon and Fanny, especially after learning that Fanny possessed the strength of a Five-Star Fiend, the two decided to follow Fanny and Simon for the time being.
After all, in dangerous Hell, only following the strong was safe.
During this time, Lona also invited Fanny to carry out missions together after they returned. Simon and Fanny happily agreed.
How could they come to Hell without making more friends?
Moreover, Napote and Lona had great potential and were highly likely to become powerful experts in the future. It was necessary to befriend more strong people.
Napote especially. If he really was the Commander from the original story, then the boy's future strength could not be underestimated.
Amid laughter and conversation, the Blue Bird Metal Lifeform quickly returned to Timbu City. After everyone handed over their Thousand Illusion Fruits and went through a series of procedures, the four of them finally officially became One-Star Fiends!
In vast Hell, they could be considered to have secured official positions and could make a living under an organization backed by a Chief Sovereign.
"So the end of the universe really is getting an official post."
Simon had not expected that even after being reborn and transmigrating to Hell, he would still be striving to pass the civil service exam.
After resting for several days, the four returned to the Fiend Castle. This time, they planned to take a Two-Star escort mission, with Lier City at the edge of the Starry Fog Sea as their destination.
Simon and Fanny planned to complete Fiend missions all the way back to Fenglan City on Bifu Continent.
That way, they could temper themselves while raising their Fiend ranks.
Timbu City, where the four currently were, lay in Main Prefecture in the middle of Kaluosha Continent. To the east, they would need to cross Fenluo Prefecture, Brook Prefecture, and Mons Prefecture before reaching Lier City.
The straight-line distance alone was close to three billion li. If everything went smoothly, the journey would take around six years. If they encountered special circumstances such as bandits, the time would have to be extended.
After making inquiries, Simon and the others discovered that this distance could only be considered a short-to-medium journey among escort missions. There were many missions covering far greater distances, but after discussing it, the four decided not to accept such missions for now. After all, this was their first mission, so it was safer to choose one that did not seem too dangerous.
Thus, following the Fiend Castle staff's recommendation, they chose a mission to escort a merchant. This Midgod merchant had hired thirty One-Star Fiends, twenty Two-Star Fiends, and one Three-Star Fiend.
If they successfully completed the mission, each One-Star Fiend would receive forty thousand Inkstones as payment. According to the staff, this reward was considered quite cost-effective.
But it was still not as much as everyone had imagined. Earning Inkstones in Hell was indeed difficult. After risking one's life to complete a Two-Star mission, the reward could not even buy half a Soul Golden Bead.
Simon now understood the value of the Soul Golden Beads Fanny had casually given him. As for the Earth Heart Milk he had not even heard of after coming to Hell, it was surely even more precious—so precious that it was not even circulated in ordinary markets.
The mission was set to depart a month later.
"Finally, I can take Fiend missions and become a real Fiend. Before this, I only hired other Fiends."
Fanny cheered happily.
Simon and the other two smiled at her words. They had all been looking forward to this day for a long time as well.
During this time together, Napote and Lona had also learned that Fanny came from a great family somewhere in Hell and had joined the Fiend trial to experience life. As for why Fanny had not brought bodyguards, the two guessed that Simon might be her bodyguard, even though Simon only displayed the aura of a Midgod.
Having spent so many years in Hell, they knew that true experts were usually skilled at concealing their auras. Judging someone's strength by their appearance was extremely unreliable.
But Simon did not seem to be merely a bodyguard. The two could tell that Fanny relied heavily on Simon. Whenever a decision had to be made, she would instinctively ask Simon first, then follow his opinion.
And after spending this time together, the innocent shut-in Napote had, without any suspense, been won over by the straightforward and mature Lona.
The unlucky Napote even bragged about it to Simon.
"I've become a prisoner of love. Just be jealous, Simon."
Simon merely smiled without saying anything. It was clear that Napote was not only unlucky, but also a perfectly qualified henpecked man.
Immersed in love, Napote and Lona were openly affectionate the entire way.
"Simon, why do you think they got together so quickly?"
Before you continue