The Butler

What shocked Hector Boy was that he could tell Lord Aier hadn't used any Laws and Profound Mysteries—not when he blocked the direct attack, nor when he slapped him. Lord Aier had stopped his attack and shattered his High-God Defensive Artifact armor through sheer physical strength alone.

What did that mean?

Divine beasts!

Even super divine beasts!

Or perhaps a special lifeform?

Only those three could raise their physical strength to a level greater than that of a High-God Artifact.

"When it comes to fusing Laws and Profound Mysteries, I'm in no way inferior to the Asura Prefects of Hell."

"And I imagine you now have some idea of my physical strength."

"Well, Hector? Are you satisfied with my sincerity?"

"Satisfied? I'm more than satisfied!"

Hector Boy hurriedly answered, his grin making him look a little comical.

But at that moment, his heart was brimming with excitement.

He had no doubt that Lord Aier had the strength to challenge a Prefect.

Divine beasts and super divine beasts all had Innate Divine Abilities.

Even if Lord Aier was a special lifeform, his physical strength alone would make him considerably stronger than an ordinary Prefect.

Of course, what pleased Hector Boy even more was that with Lord Aier's absurd physical strength, even if he failed to challenge a Prefect, he couldn't possibly be killed!

That meant the Boy Family's investment wouldn't go to waste.

As long as Lord Aier lived, the Boy Family would have the protection of a powerhouse on the level of an Asura Prefect.

Hector Boy immediately took off the Space Ring from his hand. After removing its owner-binding, he respectfully offered it to Aier.

"Lord Aier, most of my family's assets are in this Space Ring. Please accept it."

"I'll have the rest of the family's assets sold as quickly as possible and bring the proceeds to you, Lord Aier."

Aier accepted Hector Boy's Space Ring and claimed it as his own. Even though he'd expected this, he was still surprised by what he found inside.

"Very good, Hector. I accept your sincerity."

With a thought, Aier removed the Godheads from Hector Boy's Space Ring and put them in his own. Then he released the ring from its owner-binding and tossed it back to Hector Boy.

"There's no need to rush to sell your family's assets. First, use all the Inkstones in your Space Ring to buy Earth Element High-God Godheads for me."

"Yes, Lord Aier."

There were more than thirty billion Inkstones in Hector Boy's Space Ring alone.

At ten million Inkstones per High-God Godhead, that was enough to buy over three thousand.

Hector Boy didn't know why Aier wanted to buy so many Earth Element High-God Godheads. But since he'd decided to follow Aier, he would naturally do as he was told.

After Hector Boy left, Aier turned his gaze to Eric.

As the first person to follow Aier, Eric knew that the more followers Aier gained, the less important Eric's role would become.

In time, Aier might even forget about him and leave him tucked away in some corner.

Even so, Eric had always worked hard on Aier's behalf. He'd even brought the Boy Family to pledge their allegiance.

Aier was very pleased with him.

"Eric."

"Lord Aier."

Eric bowed respectfully, with no trace of discontent on his face.

It was as if he wasn't worried that Aier would overlook him now that Hector Boy had appeared.

"You've done well."

"I'd originally planned to have you provide me with a large amount of Inkstones to help me cultivate while I pursued a hundred consecutive victories."

"But I didn't expect you to do such an excellent job."

"What the Boy Family has offered will be enough to support my cultivation for a while."

"So, Eric, would you be willing to become my steward?"

"What?"

Eric had known in his heart that Aier wouldn't abandon him, but he'd never expected Aier to ask him to become his steward!

In Hell, powerful beings devoted themselves to cultivation and rarely concerned themselves with family affairs.

In those circumstances, a trusted steward served as a powerful being's representative.

Stewards handled all kinds of matters on their behalf. They might not be very powerful themselves, but their very position represented the powerful being they served. Their status and standing naturally depended on their patron.

If Aier really became the Prefect of Liang'an Prefecture, then when Eric went out, even a Seven-Star Fiend would have to show him some respect.

Of course, some families treated their stewards as mere servants, keeping them in a lowly position.

Outsiders would naturally adjust their attitude toward a steward according to how his family treated him.

"Lord Aier, I'm willing to become your steward."

Eric clenched his right hand and pressed it to his chest. Then he knelt on one knee and bowed to Aier. "I, Eric, swear by the Supreme God of Destruction that I'll serve Lord Aier for the rest of my life. I won't deceive him, hide anything from him, or betray him. I'll devote myself wholeheartedly to serving Lord Aier!"

"If I break this oath, may my soul be scattered and my life and family destroyed!"

Seeing how solemn Eric was, Aier's smile faded. He went to stand before Eric and placed a hand on his head.

"I, Aier, accept Eric's allegiance in the presence of the Supreme God of Destruction and grant him the right to act in my name."

"Thank you, Lord Aier."

Eric was overwhelmed with emotion.

When Eric had first begun following Aier, Aier had already allowed him to use his name.

But that had only been permission to "borrow" it.

He could use it only when the merchant association was in grave danger.

If he borrowed Aier's name too often, he might even incur Aier's displeasure.

Now things were different.

Eric was Aier's steward, and Aier had granted him the right to use his name freely.

That meant Eric could use Aier's name as often as he wished, without any cost.

If Eric was ever wronged while out in the world, Aier would personally step in for him.

From this moment on, Eric was bound to Aier!

Their fortunes rose and fell together.

Bauer and the others were free, but not entirely free.

The Boy Family had a Metal Lifeform.

After deciding to follow Aier, Hector Boy had given it to him. He then personally led his clansmen to the cities along the way, exchanging their Inkstones for Godheads.

So Bauer and the other three had gone from flying under their own power to serving as living batteries, supplying divine power to the Metal Lifeform.

"Absorb!"

Inside the cultivation chamber formed by the Metal Lifeform, Aier focused his mind. Six clusters of yellow light merged into his soul.

"Buzz—"

In that instant, the six types of Laws and Profound Mysteries of the Laws of the Earth formed clearly distinct Oceans of Laws within Aier's soul. The Oceans of Laws, each a different color, collided and intertwined.