The Devil Wasn't the One Holding the Upper Hand

This time, the devils led by Ahli had come to the Material Plane in their true forms.

The advantage was that they could wield their full strength, making them far more efficient when carrying out tasks assigned by higher-ranking devils.

The disadvantage was that, unlike projections, which merely lost power when killed, their true forms would truly die.

Hearing the two mages' conversation and feeling her life hanging by a thread, Ahli immediately cried out, "No, don't kill me! Spare my life, and I can bring you greater benefits!

I know about the mind flayers' plot. Aren't you interested?

If you kill me, I'll alter my own memories with magic before I die, so that you'll only get riddled with errors when you use [Speak with Dead].

And as long as you spare me, I'm willing to offer up treasures I've cherished for years!"

Having rattled off such a long string of words in one breath, Ahli was nearly out of strength.

She lay sprawled on the ground, covered head to toe in purplish-red blood, awaiting fate's final judgment.

She had only just completed the proudest scheme of her life today and acquired an interesting new toy. She was unwilling to die on the Material Plane like this, ambushed by despicable humans.

She still wanted to assist Archduke Zariel and accomplish a feat no devil had ever imagined—winning the Blood War once and for all.

Ahli watched nervously as Marvin and Miss Wuke leaned close together and discussed matters in low voices, nodding one moment and shaking their heads the next. Her emotions rose and fell like a roller coaster.

At last, the two mages reached a consensus.

Although [Speak with Dead] looked convenient, it had severe limitations.

The caster could only ask five questions. The questions were limited to what the corpse had known in life, and the answers were usually brief, vague, and repetitive.

Using this spell to obtain comprehensive, accurate, detailed intelligence was simply impossible.

Miss Wuke and Marvin naturally knew this.

Their earlier conversation had merely been meant to frighten Ahli.

After discussing it with Miss Wuke, Marvin was ultimately certain that they could keep this cambion completely under control, so he decided to spare her life.

Marvin walked over, pried Ahli's mouth open, and poured in a bottle of healing potion. Then he roughly bandaged the severed tail stump and the tears at the roots of her wings.

Cambions were hybrids born of mortals and fiends, so healing potions worked on them as well, though at half effectiveness.

After this round of treatment, Ahli's life was saved, but she remained extremely weak.

Marvin deliberately kept her in that state. It made her easier to control.

Ahli had not yet realized that she had already fallen into the trap set by the two cunning mages. Forcing herself upright, she took the initiative to speak.

"Sir Mage, I know devils do not have the best reputation on the Material Plane. We are always accused of deceiving mortals into signing contracts and harvesting their souls. But we are also the race with the strongest respect for contracts, and we will absolutely abide by their terms.

I want to stay alive, but I do not trust you.

You want intelligence, but you fear I may lie.

Therefore, the best solution is for both sides to sign a contract, restraining each other's actions and ensuring that everyone ultimately gets what they want."

"Well said, Ahli." Marvin expressed his agreement.

Seeing Marvin agree, Ahli was overjoyed. At the same time, she secretly sneered, Stupid mortals. We devils are born lawyers, the best at scheming and manipulating words. As long as you dare sign a contract with me, I'll have you spinning in circles!

She secretly glanced at Marvin and found the human mage exceptionally appetizing, a toy even better than Eruien.

If I can trick him out of his soul, that bitch Mizora will be completely beneath my heel!

With that thought, Ahli pleaded sweetly, "Sir Mage, could you untie me? My body is so weak that I have no ability to fight at all. You needn't worry about me running away.

I need my hands free to draft a contract for both sides."

Marvin looked Ahli over with an amused expression. "Miss Cambion, don't you think you've misunderstood something? You are a prisoner now. Naturally, the right to draft the contract lies with me.

I know quite a bit about contracts and agreements.

And this powerful mage beside me is proficient in conjuration magic. She is very familiar with the laws and powers of the Lower Planes, as well as the habits of all kinds of fiends.

The contract we draft will certainly conform to devilish standards and receive the recognition of the Nine Hells' laws."

Ahli was utterly stunned.

Her thinking had long been shaped by habit. She believed that when devils signed contracts with mortals, devils should naturally hold the initiative, draft the terms, and bury all manner of traps in the wording to toy with mortals in the palms of their hands.

But this time, the ones taking the initiative to play word games were two mortals.

Ahli was shocked and helpless, but she could only accept it.

Because she was trapped and had no other choice.

Afterward, Marvin and Miss Wuke gathered together to discuss every aspect of drafting the contract.

Marvin was cautious and meticulous. Even back on Earth, when he played mobile and online games, he would read every line of the player agreement and study it thoroughly. Even those evil Penguin capitalists could never use the various unfair clauses in an agreement to cheat him out of money.

Miss Wuke, meanwhile, possessed the Fennar Family's experience accumulated over centuries and was extremely familiar with devils and their contractual tricks.

More importantly, after learning from their ancestor Nie Rong's lesson, the Fennar Family had reflected deeply and invested enormous effort into improving their theory of contract magic. Now, whenever they dealt with devils, they could ensure absolute safety.

Demons, of course, were another matter. Their nature was too chaotic for any pattern to be found.

With Miss Wuke drafting the specific terms and Marvin filling in the gaps, the two spent more than half a day producing the first version of the contract.

Unfortunately, after reading it, Ahli shook her head with a resolute expression.

"You should just kill me. If I truly fulfill this contract, it would be equivalent to betraying Archduke Zariel. I would still have only one path left: death. No, my final fate would probably be a hundred times more terrifying than death."

"It's fine. We're in no rush. Even if we spend another three or five days refining the contract, it doesn't matter." Marvin smiled as he took the contract back.

And so, three days passed in a flash.

During that time, Marvin and Miss Wuke carefully revised every clause of the contract, perfecting each detail.

Whenever they grew tired, they would chat and exchange insights about magic.

They ate well, slept well, and lived relaxed, comfortable days.

After releasing the civilians captured by the devils, the three members of the Goddess Body Fragrance Squad also settled into a slow-paced life of gathering herbs and hunting during the day, then eating meat and drinking at night.

Oh, right. There was also the Sacred Eternal Sun Squad.

After Eruien woke up, the devastating blow had left him utterly dazed and witless, so he was locked up.

As for his tiefling childhood sweetheart, her freedom was restricted as well.

After Ahli was captured, she sensibly surrendered and stated that she only held a grudge against the Shining Blade Family and bore no hostility toward anyone else.

However, given the tiefling girl's history of colluding with devils, Marvin and the others discussed it and still decided to keep her imprisoned. What to do with her would be decided later.

The fourth member of the Sacred Eternal Sun Squad, that female drow, was instead an outsider who had been accidentally caught up in the devils' scheme.

After they released her, the female drow said that she had nowhere to go anyway and voluntarily stayed behind. She often went hunting with Slicked-back Hair and the others, showing signs of becoming the squad's fifth official member.