After Huo Ling flew away, he no longer paid attention to the minor incident of running into an acquaintance.
This time, after returning to Purgatory and hearing the accounts of Sali and the other greater devils, Huo Ling took back his count's scepter.
The moment he obtained the scepter, he finally understood completely what had happened on Avernus, the first layer of Purgatory.
Zariel, Archduke of Avernus, had been deposed and vanished without a trace.
Her former devil general, Bael, had successfully seized Avernus's Bronze Citadel.
He had become the acting Archduke of Purgatory for Avernus.
Huo Ling recalled the enormous interconnected camp stretching for thousands of miles across the Plain of Infinite Portals in the Abyss.
He thought of Bael, that strangely shaped devil general.
Back then, Huo Ling had felt that this devil general might resort to Backstab, so after Zariel promoted Sali and the other two, Huo Ling hurriedly fled.
Before they had even escaped, they encountered the demons' massive counteroffensive. It was then that Huo Ling left the Plain of Infinite Portals through the demi-plane gates.
That gate was still on the Plain of Infinite Portals. Huo Ling had never dared retrieve it.
How Bael had Backstabbed Zariel was something Huo Ling had no way of knowing, nor would anyone reveal such news.
Even if Bael truly had Backstabbed Zariel, as the victor, Bael certainly would not publicize how he had used schemes to successfully stab Zariel in the back.
Likewise, in Purgatory, no one would feel regret or pity for the loser, Zariel, and reveal how Bael had Backstabbed her.
All of this was merely a political game in Purgatory.
In recent years, Avernus had changed Archdukes three times in succession.
The Archduke before the previous one had been Tiamat, Mother of Evil Dragons. This