Chapter 86 (continued)

Why does it look like a sickle for harvesting wheat when I sculpt it?

A mage wielding a scythe to slay undead—that's so unseemly!

Luckily, no one could see me here. I could only look at the thing in my hand with a sense of frustration and resign myself to my fate. I knew my artistic skills were lacking; I wasn't as wealthy as the ancient mages who could casually create golems to practice with. So, I had no choice but to wield the ugly scythe made of Hellfire and start hacking away at the undead along the way... Because there were so many! My hand was getting a little sore, so I luxuriously used my mental power to control the Hellfire scythe, letting it float around me to continue harvesting wheat... hacking away at the undead!

Heaven knows how long this demon lingered in the ruins, and how it could have spewed so much soul debris.

Hmm... so it seems that the reason why Radiant Fortress has always been a famous mystery that archaeologists have been searching for but unable to solve is probably because of the devil's influence!

At that moment, the devil in my hand finally let out a soft "whimper"... I'm not exaggerating, it really made that terrifying sound! It woke up with a soft whimper and said eerily, "Ah... am I still alive?"

I pinched it a couple of times, and it snapped out of its daze, howling, "Aaaaaah! Help! Please don't experiment on me! I'll do anything except experiment on you!"

I...

I tried to speak to it gently (instead of squashing it): "I don't do experiments. Look, I don't have any experimental equipment on me. Don't worry, let me out now."

The demon shuddered, then inexplicably swelled into a black sphere, floating beside me. The sphere twisted and shook violently. I looked at it in bewilderment. It seemed to be using all its strength, and finally... squeezed out two red dots from its surface... Could those be its eyes?

"Respected Master!" The black ball demon floated up and down. I couldn't resist poking its round body. The black ball lost its balance in the air and started rolling. The demon cried out in pain. I had to think for a moment, then used my Mage Hand to grab the big black ball and pull a thin black thread from its bottom (I assume that the part with the red dots and eyes is the face), and wrapped it around my wrist.

The demon calmed down, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "My lord, it's not that I wanted to trap you in the Inner World, but I'm trapped too! A powerful magical artifact is supporting this plane, so if you want to get out, you have to obtain that artifact!"

Ritual implements?

"You mean, a magical artifact left here by an ancient spellcaster who couldn't take it with him?" I questioned.

Why does this sound like the devil's trap? I pondered deeply. The devil stared at me expectantly, and I could actually see pleading and ingratiation in its little red eyes. The devil chuckled, sounding incredibly obsequious...

This doesn't fit the devil's character at all! Should I now question whether the "Compendium of Abyss Creatures" I read before was a fake? Therefore, I'm convinced that this devil is probably lying to me.

"So what's in it for you?" I asked casually.

"I've waited so many years, and finally I've met a powerful Dark Mage! My lord! If you take that artifact, I'll be free! The artifact's former owner branded me. If you can gain the right to use that artifact, you can erase the brand and let me go home! It's a win-win situation!" The balloon bounced around, seemingly inflating even more.

... I lowered my head and remained silent...

... Because this sounds like a classic devil's trap! It's practically a textbook example of devilish seduction! Mutual benefit and win-win? The devil's interpretation of this term is completely different from human understanding! All the ancestors who made deals with the devil saw their souls become the devil's delicious meal. No one can profit from a deal with the devil; even if they do, it's just bait thrown out by the devil to reel in a bigger fish in the long run.

Moreover, what I find most jarring is actually:

--Falling into strange ruins and then finding a divine artifact-- This wasn't written by Anna and the others.

Refreshing novel

Is that the plot? Don't think I don't know just because I haven't read web novels. As a mage, I should be knowledgeable, so I was definitely listening when Moli was talking about this kind of novel!

But the problem is, I haven't transmigrated into a wish-fulfillment novel, so how could a devil come knocking on my door begging to give me a divine artifact?

So, I couldn't help but wonder, what exactly is this devil plotting?

What kind of surprising schemes and plots could a demon, assimilated by the Prime Material Plane, possibly come up with?

This is something to look forward to.

I poked the devil's body... Hmm... It feels really good! The devil spun around as I poked it. I thought and thought, but I couldn't figure out how the devil would trick me. If I could figure it out, wouldn't I be thinking the same way as the devil? So, I might as well go along and see. At worst, I can just beat it up again.

"Then you should know where that magical artifact is, right? Lead the way," I said.

The demon was overjoyed and floated forward. I grabbed its rope and followed it using my Flight Spell. Ever since the demon awoke, the dead had avoided it, probably because the fear it had left behind when it was eaten. I could finally throw away my hideous scythe.

The demon led me through various strange corridors of the underground ruins. It occasionally passed through rooms that had been modified by Machine Zealots. The entire ruins were indeed very large, and the Machine Zealots only occupied the upper-level buildings. However, because we were in different dimensions, I did not see any Machine Zealots. Otherwise, I could have scouted out the enemy forces. It was a bit of a pity.

Hmm... wait, that's strange!

I pulled the devil back with all my might, but the devil was charging forward with such force that it stretched its own body into the shape of a winter melon.

"Grown ups?"

I stopped in the room, looking ahead with great interest, and said, "The Inner World can actually receive television signals?"

This room was modified by Machine Zealots. In front of it is a large curved high-definition television screen, which is currently turned on, displaying a clear image and changing channels.

"My lord... this was formed by my direct projection onto the Prime Material Plane, so apart from people, everything else reflects the current state of the outside world," the devil explained.

Oh, so in the normal universe, those Machine Zealots are comfortably watching TV? Our cell phones don't even have a signal, and they've got TV connected! That's a bit much.

No, it wasn't watching TV. I suddenly realized they were doing a live broadcast!

It seems the live stream location is not far from here, because I noticed the room styles are very similar.

I stared intently at the screen, where Reynold's video was playing as usual. Reynold looked terrible in the video, almost as badly injured as when we found him. He was slashed all over and bleeding profusely, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and he was shivering slightly. He seemed unable to even struggle.

The scene shifts back to the masked man among the Machine Zealots. I'm not sure if it's the same one as before, but he says, "Oh dear, Chairman Reynold doesn't look like he can hold on much longer. How about we rest tomorrow and have His Majesty the Dragon Emperor play with him instead?"

A low, hoarse moan escaped Reynold's throat, drawing jeers from the kidnappers.

Oh, and there's the Dragon Emperor. I rubbed my temples, wondering if I was forgetting things; how could I have forgotten about saving the Dragon Emperor again...?

No, of course not because I have money to save Reynold but not to save the Dragon Emperor!

"Hahaha!" The masked man laughed in a deep, muffled voice. I think his laughter wasn't even as good as a devil's; it was completely unremarkable, dry, and a bit like one of those stiffly acted villains in a third-rate TV drama. After finally finishing his laugh, he said, "Oh, just kidding! Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor is so beautiful, how could I bear to harm her! So, how about we switch to this one tomorrow?"

Um?

Then I saw something appear in the camera's view...

Green things???

I stared in disbelief. That masked man... that masked man pulled out a... slightly dehydrated... disgusting green... slime???

This color looks so familiar...

Five-star slime?

No way? Who would kidnap someone as disgusting as him... Um, I mean, why was he kidnapped too? Is kidnapping a common practice among high-ranking Federation officials now???