Nonsense

"I think you're aware that the war between the Upper Realm and Lower Realms has never ceased."

Having revealed her true identity, the Queen seemed much more relaxed. She waved her hand, dispelling the protective magic around her, and then sat down in a chair nearby.

"Every year, a few dim-witted fools rush through the portal, thinking they can bring light and justice to the Lower Realms. Although their efforts are as laughable as ants trying to impregnate an elephant, it's undeniable that some of them possess considerable power and charisma. Aside from the paladins who are somewhat short-sighted, angels have always been frequent visitors to the Lower Planes. To be honest, we've always welcomed them. Not only are angels young and beautiful, but they're all virgins, and they're the most sought-after commodity in Hell. If you could capture one and take it home, you'd be making a fortune. And frankly, their souls taste far purer and more delicious than humans'... um... especially their soft, pudding-like skin... Sorry, I digress."

At this point, the Queen greedily licked her lips and apologetically spread her hands towards Li Lin.

"I know that without you telling me."

Li Lin impatiently interrupted the other person; he had no liking for someone with a penchant for two-pronged plugs.

"I'm not some stupid, ignorant Baphomet from the Prime Material Plane. I don't need you repeating these meaningless common sense facts to me. Get to the point."

"Alright, alright, no need to rush... To put it simply, recently, the Upper Planes a stronger offensive against us, even showing signs of encroaching on our plane."

"Occupation?"

Hearing this, Li Lin was genuinely surprised.

"This is truly rare. Angels from the Upper Planes should be strongly suppressed in the Lower Planes, which are the opposite of themselves. How could they possibly invade your land? That barren land, devoid of anything but blood and corpses, should hold no appeal for angels. They certainly wouldn't want humans to build frontline positions there."

"As expected of Arcane Mage, you grasped the key point so quickly."

Upon hearing this, the Queen clapped her hands and smiled smugly.

"Indeed, that's exactly right. This time, the angels didn't just assist those brainless adventurers in eliminating evil; they even learned to make deals with them. According to the information I've gathered, this time it's not about faith, but about using rewards to gain human support and loyalty. As you know, humanity's resistance to the Lower Planes is not low. At least, apart from the paladins, the rest of humanity isn't significantly suppressed after entering the Lower Planes and retains most of their power."

"This leads to another question."

Li Lin calmly pointed out the flaws in the other person's words.

"Humans can't replenish their resources there, while demons in the Lower Planes are endless; they don't truly die... Right? I don't believe you'll be overwhelmed by a mere tens of thousands of adventurers."

"Don't rush... The important part is coming up. According to the information I've obtained, it seems that the Upper Realm and the King of the Nine Levels of Hell have reached an agreement this time?"

"Absurd."

Li Lin snorted coldly, noticing a shift in his emotions. Angela, who had been standing quietly beside him, now narrowed her eyes dangerously. This was very likely a prelude to an attack.

"Although I've heard that you're the most devilish of devils, you're still a devil after all; your chaotic nature is truly impossible to change."

"I was just saying it casually, believe it or not is up to you. Anyway, I know better than you what the reputation of us demons is like."

The Queen did not react to Li Lin's words and replied calmly as usual.

"We were relentlessly pursued by the combined forces of demons and angels, which led us to this predicament. To prevent those guys from discovering my precious palace, I had no choice but to flee to the Prime Material Plane for refuge... It's definitely more interesting here."

"What utter nonsense. I'm so foolish to expect answers from you."

As Li Lin spoke, he turned to leave the room. He didn't believe what the other person said, and besides, such a chaotic situation couldn't possibly happen in the Lower Planes. Although it seemed chaotic there, absolute order controlled everything—evil and good were natural enemies, which was the embodiment of rules and order, and also a form of expression that Li Lin quite liked. This metaphysical method of control was once the goal he pursued.

Demons have never been favored by Li Lin. Their frenzied thinking and chaotic actions do nothing but worsen the already bad situation, only adding to the chaos. Compared to the strict hierarchical system of the devils, the devils' system appears chaotic and unbearable to look at. It's like someone stewing cabbage, radish, human flesh, and bedbugs together until they rot and stink, making it impossible to even discern what the mushy mess actually is—disgusting and nauseating. Apart from strength, they have no other means of recognizing superiors and subordinates. The reason they have been able to maintain a balanced war with the devils for so many years is precisely because their overwhelming numerical advantage has offset the shortcomings of their chaotic nature. This is how they have been able to contend with the elite, cunning, and disciplined devil army.

The uncontrolled chaos and the lack of hierarchy in the system were the real reasons why Li Lin hated the demons.

"Oh, right... I forgot to tell you, actually, this magical beacon... is a trophy obtained from those angels."

The Queen's words made Li Lin stop in his tracks.

"They rely on this to communicate in the Lower Planes. To be honest, I'm also curious that they would abandon divine magic and use a magical artifact, so I took it and tried it out."

"Utterly boring."

In the end, Li Lin didn't turn around. Instead, he coldly uttered those words and then disappeared into the light of the teleportation magic.

"He has no patience at all; I don't like men like that."

As the light of the teleportation magic dissipated in the room, the queen shook her head, then put her veil back on.

"So, I'll have to rediscover what it feels like to be a queen... Hmm, that should be it?"

As she spoke, the calm male voice suddenly changed, transforming back into that beautiful and haughty female voice.

"Well then, I should rest now. I wonder if the Arcane Mage is satisfied with my answer?"

Li Lin was certainly not satisfied with his answer.

"The God of Justice has stolen the civilization of our Magic Empire?! This is no laughing matter at all!"

"But, Master, do you really think so?"

Angela, who had been following behind Li Lin without saying a word until just now, finally spoke up and asked.

"To be honest, that's what I think."

After hearing Angela's question, Li Lin finally calmed down. He took several long breaths before regaining his composure.

"If what that transvestite said is true, then it means that the God of Justice did indeed participate in the attack on the Magic Empire. But what I find suspicious is that if a god really intervened, it's impossible for us Arcane Mage to have been completely unaware of any divine power. I remember everything that happened back then very clearly; there wasn't a trace of divine power, and we didn't receive any intelligence or warnings from the Mystic Realm. The only unusual thing was that those guys were reckless..."

At this point, Li Lin stopped, his eyes widening as if he were recalling something.

"That's strange, I think I'm remembering something, but I can't quite recall it..."

Li Lin slowed down, tapping the table, frowning, trying to find any clues in his old memories. But the strange feeling he had just experienced came and went quickly, and even after patiently thinking it over several times, Li Lin couldn't find a satisfactory answer. It wasn't until a pair of cold little hands touched his cheek that Li Lin was pulled back to reality from his memories.

"What's the point of thinking about all this nonsense now, Master?"

Angela stared intently at Li Lin with her blood-red, fiery eyes, without blinking.

"Since the God of Justice is already your enemy, why not just kill it, slaughter all its followers and subordinates, and then get the answers from it? Don't always try to rely on your own wisdom to find the answers; that will only lead you astray. The world is so big; things can't always turn out the way you think. Besides, the Magic Empire has already been destroyed; there's no point in investigating what happened during its destruction, is there? Just because it wasn't involved in the destruction of the Magic Empire doesn't mean you're not going to be its enemy."

"That's impossible."

Angela's words were like a chilling wind, quickly calming Li Lin's feverish mind. Indeed, pursuing whether the God of Justice was "involved" in destroying the Magic Empire was pointless now; it was already an enemy he needed to defeat, so the so-called "just cause" was unnecessary. Angela's simple and direct logic could be quite useful at times.

Li Lin embraced Angela's petite body and pulled her into his arms.

"It's just one of my bad habits, don't worry about it... Also, thank you for reminding me."

"Then, may I ask for a reward?"

I'm sorry, tonight we can only sleep together, nothing else.

The magic ship departed the royal city early the next morning. Now that he knew the other party's true identity, Li Lin had no intention of lingering in this country, which was actually controlled by demons. He had done what he needed to do. Although he couldn't verify the information he got from that pervert, it didn't matter to Li Lin. Frankly, he even regretted wasting time in such a meaningless place—in Li Lin's view, even chatting with demons for a second was a desecration of life.

However, he had to admit that he couldn't ignore the devil's so-called madness.

The King of the Nine Levels of Hell is not someone to be trifled with. Even in his previous life, Li Lin had to be extremely cautious when dealing with him. The King of the Nine Levels of Hell has no interest in the Prime Material Plane. Due to its nature, it is more concerned with how to secure its foothold against those who are eager to climb up, how to strengthen the demons, and how to eliminate those damned demons. So from this perspective, the demons' madness is not without reason, which is one of the reasons why Li Lin hates demons. If a demon speaks, it is almost certainly a conspiracy. But if a demon speaks, it is impossible to tell whether it is sincere or not. It may be providing information, it may be playing a trick on you, or it may be talking nonsense. The most troublesome thing is that this kind of madness without any conspiracy background is the most difficult to judge. They may even sincerely reveal their weaknesses to you because of their madness.

I really don't know how these guys, who make absolutely no sense when it comes to doing evil, have survived this long.

After his conversation with Angela last night, Li Lin decided to put aside these pointless thoughts. Since the King of the Nine Levels of Hell was willing to send Anna back to the Prime Material Plane from the Lower Realms, it meant that he was at least not willing to stand against Li Lin. Although his actions might be hiding a conspiracy measured in centuries, it was not something beyond Li Lin's control. Even if what the demon said was true, Li Lin had no interest in helping it to "set things right." After all, no matter how fierce the fighting was in the Lower Planes, it wouldn't affect the Prime Material Plane. What did it have to do with him?

As for the only problem that bothered Li Lin, it wasn't really a problem.

"Master, what are you going to do?"

Angela watched with curiosity as Li Lin drew the magic circle on the deck and asked him a question.

"I have some questions I'd like to ask a few people, and I think this will be a good opportunity."

As he spoke, Li Lin nodded to Yi Aier, and the blonde maid quickly took her place as a guard. After confirming that the magic circle had been drawn and that there were no errors, Li Lin walked up to Angela, lowered his head, and whispered something in her ear.

Is this really true!?

Upon hearing Li Lin's words, Angela's eyes widened in excitement.

"Of course, as long as you don't mistake the person for someone else."

With that, Li Lin walked into the magic circle, closed his eyes, and began chanting incantations.

Unlike the language of the Magic Empire he had used before, Li Lin was now speaking a light and pleasant language. However, this language made Angela frown. Although she didn't understand the language, her instincts urged her to pounce on him and silence him. Nevertheless, Li Lin restrained Angela, forcing herself to focus on the magic circle.

As the chanting began, Li Lin's body began to radiate a pure white, bright, and holy light, so intense that it was identical to the holy light Catherine had unleashed during her battle with the Shadow Dragon. Soon, Li Lin's aura changed; he now resembled a saint who pitied humanity, kind, sacred, and inviolable, brave and full of perseverance. This was not the Li Lin he had always seemed to be.

"..."

Angela bit her lip. Through the bond of the contract, she too could sense the divine power that disgusted her, but the real show wasn't about to begin yet.

"It's a success."

After confirming that his body had been forcibly converted to the good side, Li Lin did not hesitate at all. He immediately spread his arms and made a prayer gesture.

If Catherine or the two sisters were here, they would be so surprised their jaws would drop, because at this moment, Li Lin was using Holy Summoning that only bishops were qualified to use.

The magic circle beneath Li Lin's feet now emitted a faint yet reassuring holy light, from which the aura of the Upper Realm slowly emanated. As Li Lin prayed, Yi Aier raised his right hand, warily watching the empty sky.

Then, the power of light erupted from Li Lin's body and shot into the sky. A vague figure slowly emerged from the pillar of light in the sky.

It was a beautiful, holy angel. She held a spear and wore magnificent armor. Behind her, a pair of pure white wings were slowly fluttering. Then, the angel slowly opened her eyes.

"Who has summoned me! The champion of justice...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Angela, who had been waiting impatiently, leaped up and pounced on the angel before her.

The angel, still reeling from the dimensional shift, hadn't even had time to identify her enemy when she felt a tidal wave of malevolent energy wash over her, suffocating her. Startled, she hastily raised her spear to defend herself, but Angela's fan struck the angel's spear at that moment. The immense force sent a numbing sensation through the angel's hands, and the spear of light was flung into the air. Before she could react, Angela's right hand gripped her neck, slamming her to the ground.

"Boom!!"

If Li Lin hadn't quickly cast a hardening spell upon realizing the situation was dire, Angela would likely have pierced through the airship.

"Excellent, a complete success."

Seeing that Angela had captured the angel's physical form, Li Lin breathed a sigh of relief. The white light emanating from his body gradually disappeared, and he returned to his original form. Li Lin slowly walked forward and saw Angela sitting on the angel's body, forcefully choking her throat. A crazy and evil smile appeared on her face, as if she quite enjoyed the angel's desperate but futile resistance.

"Okay, let's play again later."

Li Lin patted Angela's head. "Divinity Conversion" is a spell that consumes a great deal of power. Although it can grant Li Lin the same power as a high-ranking priest for a short time, the price is also considerable. Originally Li Lin did not intend to use such a spell that would interfere with the Upper Realm, but now, after hearing the rumors about that demon, he finally made the decision to confirm it himself. So, after Angela stopped torturing him, Li Lin stretched out his right hand and pressed it against the angel's forehead.

A powerful mental force surged into the angel's brain in an instant, and accompanied by the angel's screams, Li Lin began to carefully examine her memories.

Although this spell's power is limited, only able to summon low-ranking messengers of the same faction, fortunately, the Upper Realm are quite enlightened in some respects. If the magical beacon was indeed used by angels, then similar information should circulate among them. It was with this thought in mind that Li Lin specifically used this spell, disguising himself as a high-ranking priest to summon divine messengers in order to obtain the information he desired.

As expected, Li Lin obtained some residual memories about the magic beacon in the angel's mind. Although they were not clear, they definitely referred to the magic beacon. Moreover, according to the memories in the angel's mind, it seemed to be a gift bestowed upon them by the God of Justice. Only the highest-ranking angels were qualified to use this magic beacon, known as the 'Call of Justice'.

"How interesting..."

Li Lin withdrew his hand from the forehead of the angel, who was now dazed from the severe shock, and muttered to himself, while giving a cold laugh.

"This seems quite interesting."

With that, Li Lin stood up, turned around, and left the deck.

"Angela, you can play with her as you please."

"Understood, Master!"

A scream erupted.

The excruciating pain pulled the angel back from the trauma, only to discover that one of her wings had been ripped off by the little girl riding on her. She stared in horror at those blood-red eyes, and all she heard was laughter more cruel and evil than that of a devil.

"Hey, hen with glowing wings, the game has only just begun!"