Marketplace, Freedom, Decision!

"So you fled all the way here from that trading district?"

The lesser imp Sibya explained that he had once lived in the northernmost part of the mountain range where Er Dongsheng resided. Near the edge of the forest stood a huge marketplace, established jointly by several powerful demons and several large races, specifically for trading Abyssal Species within this vast forest.

Because the Lesser Imp had offended several powerful members of his own kind, he had been driven from his cave and hunted down, fleeing all the way into Er Dongsheng's territory!

"A trading market? Interesting. The Abyss actually has something like that!"

He had been in the Abyss for three or four years, yet he knew almost nothing of the outside world. The few Abyss Demons he had encountered from outside had either fought or slaughtered each other; there had been no chance to learn anything at all!

Poor Er Dongsheng still knew nothing whatsoever about the outside world. Even the little Succubus was foolishly indifferent, neither caring to ask nor wanting to understand. The brother and sister seemed to have been living in single-player mode all this time!

"Then tell me everything you know about the marketplace. The more complete, the better. If you speak well, it might not be impossible for me to spare you!" Of course, that depended on whether I admit you spoke well or not! Er Dongsheng silently added.

Trusting an Abyss Demon’s words was less believable than trusting an Abyss Tutu Beast to climb a tree!

Based on what the Lesser Imp said, Er Dongsheng roughly came to understand what the Abyss Trading District was like.

Here, because several powerful demons and some large Abyssal clans maintained order, all demons could trade relatively safely. They did not need to worry about being robbed or stolen from. As for what might happen to them after leaving the trading district, perhaps only the Abyssal Will knew!

The goods traded in the district came in every shape and form; there was everything one could imagine.

From living creatures to dead animals, ores, plants, food, water resources, and more—if demons needed it, demons traded it!

Most transactions were barter, though some valuable items could serve as hard currency. Metal was one of them! Of course, the most universally welcomed goods were food, water, and hides! Those were the favorites of the gregarious races!

Er Dongsheng carefully analyzed the information Sibya had brought him. He understood that this marketplace had originally been a place spontaneously organized by demons to exchange goods and information. It had gradually expanded, and the transactions within had become ever more complicated and diverse. In Er Dongsheng's eyes, this was the embryonic form of a city.

Though this so-called city was rather shabby!

"Oh, right, there's more!" The Lesser Imp's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said mysteriously!

"I heard that the trading district occasionally has some good things appear, such as mysterious demon weapons, or skill books cultivated by demon lords, and so on!"

"Skill books?"

"Yes, yes! Some demons organize the skills they have cultivated and put them up for sale! Of course, I heard that the overwhelming majority are fake! But sometimes, demons discover the nests of Ancient Demons and suddenly become powerful! They must have cultivated those mysterious skill books!"

"I see." Er Dongsheng nodded thoughtfully. "Anything else?"

"There's also..."

After this conversation ended, Er Dongsheng felt he had gained greatly. As the ancients had said, one could not build a cart behind closed doors in anything one did—cultivation even more so!

Although the Lesser Imp Sibya did not know much that was truly useful, and much of it was hearsay, it still opened the eyes of Er Dongsheng, a country bumpkin of the Abyss!

"Now then, I'll give you a chance. Offer up your true name! From now on, I will protect you!" Er Dongsheng decided to take in this Lesser Imp as a servant, but he needed Sibya to offer his true name!

"W-what?" The Lesser Imp was suddenly stunned!

"What? You unwilling?" Er Dongsheng decided that if this fellow failed to appreciate his favor, he would kill him and be done with it once and for all!

"No, no, no! How could I be? It is this lowly one's honor!" As if afraid Er Dongsheng might change his mind, the fellow rattled off his true name right before Er Dongsheng's astonished eyes!

This left Er Dongsheng extremely surprised. He could not understand how this fellow's attitude had changed so quickly!

In Er Dongsheng's memories, the true names of Abyssal Creatures were exceedingly important and could not be known by others. Once someone learned them, one's power of life and death would be entirely held in another's hands. How could proud, savage, and brutal demons possibly accept that?

Take Er Dongsheng and Lulu, for example. Even people as close as them only knew each other's name-codes. Er Dongsheng's true-name code was Baal, while the little Succubus's code was Lulu. As for their true names, neither knew the other's!

Even Er Dongsheng's name from his previous life was known by no one, because the Abyss System had completely locked away his true name. Er Dongsheng could not tell it to anyone, not even a single Abyssal character from the name Er Dongsheng!

This showed just how important true names were in the Abyss!

But why had this Lesser Imp agreed so readily?...

In truth, this was because Er Dongsheng did not understand the Abyss's real circumstances!

True names were important, yes, but comparatively speaking, cruel and cunning demons valued their own lives even more! If one's life was gone, what use was keeping one's true name?

Consider that the lesser imp was merely a useless Abyssal Species. He had no strength, no abilities, and not even much physical power. Aside from eating, what else could he do? Staying alive was itself a huge problem. Every day, he trembled with fear for survival! Now that he could steadily become the servant of a powerful demon, who would be unwilling?

He had also wanted to find a demon to protect him, but in the Abyss, no demon had looked favorably upon such a useless servant. Thus, after all these years, he had still wandered alone!

For a powerful Abyss Demon like Er Dongsheng, as long as he was willing to put in a little effort, there would definitely be a great number of Abyssal Species coming to pledge themselves to him! When that time came, in order to receive better protection, certainly more than one or two would offer their true names!

Thus, true names were not quite so precious. Many weak Abyssal Species would often choose a demon, offer up their true names, and seek protection!

Even among gregarious Abyssal Species such as Abyssal Fairies or Succubi, if the entire clan pledged itself to some powerful demon, several people from the race would be selected to sign contracts with that demon and offer up their true names, binding both sides more closely together!

This might seem inconceivable to creatures of the Sunlight Plane, but when facing the Abyss, where danger lurked at every moment, some of the Abyss's weaker races had no choice but to do this!

Otherwise, they would be eliminated! Death was the most common word in the Abyss, yet also the heaviest!

Better dead than unfree? What a joke!

When we faced even greater pressures of survival, bowing and scraping, dragging out a shameful existence—those were our only choices!

"Even I am only a tiny ant beneath the Abyssal Will! How extravagant is something like freedom!" Looking at the true name slowly forming before him, Er Dongsheng snatched it under the Abyssal Will's gaze, opened his mouth, and swallowed it!

"I will absolutely transcend you! Better dead than unfree!"

At this moment, the question that had lingered in his heart for days was finally decided!

Death was not frightening. What was frightening was living in humiliation until the very moment of death!