Ever since that trip to the Blacksand Castle, where Linley saw the fake ‘red caltrop diamond’ and ‘pentametal crown’, he had an additional goal in his mind. While adventuring through the Infernal Realm, every few years, Linley would make a trip to the Fiend Castle while in a city and investigate the intelligence reports regarding the Overgod talismans.
Each investigation cost him ten million inkstones.
This price seemed to be high, but generally speaking, only true experts would be interested in this sort of report, as well as a few powerful Highgod merchants. Ten million inkstones, to such powerful experts and such wealthy merchants, wasn’t a very high price.
Jadefloat Continent. Coldcalm Prefecture. Goodhope City.
Linley’s group was wandering the streets of Goodhope city. Linley laughed as he glanced at Bebe. “Bebe, Goodhope City is Nisse’s old home. Supposedly, her elder brother, Salomon, resides here within Goodhope City, and is in charge of managing the entire city’s administrative matters. Now that Nisse has taken Yina to go see Salomon, why don’t you go as well?”
“Hmph. Salomon? I can’t be bothered to go visit him.” Bebe said disdainfully.
“Are you still holding a grudge over what happened that year at the volcano range?” Delia laughed with a wry twist to her lips.
Salomon’s behavior back then did, indeed, cause Linley, Delia, and Bebe to cease considering Salomon a friend. Not long after Bebe and Nisse had wed, however, Bebe had accompanied her to meet Salomon.
“Last time I went to see Salomon, it was because I was worried that Nisse would feel unhappy. Unless it is necessary, I can’t be bothered to go see him. I look down on his sort of person.” Bebe said.
“That Salomon is indeed unworthy of befriending.” Yale spoke as well. Yale and Reynolds both knew of some things that had happened in the past.
“Let’s go. The Fiend Castle is up ahead.” Reynolds chuckled.
Everyone knew that upon entering a city, Linley would generally insist on going to the Fiend Castle.
The Fiend Castle was fairly empty, and even in the main hall on the first floor, there were few people present. Linley, in quite a familiar manner, headed straight to the stairway towards the third floor.
“Help me make an investigation into any news regarding the Overgod talismans.” Linley walked to a nearby counter on the third floor, then handed over his Fiend emblem. In the Fiend Castle, whether one wished to accept a mission or to engage in an investigation, one had to first be a Fiend. An ordinary person, even a rich one, wouldn’t be qualified.
“News regarding the Overgod talismans?” The skinny elder with short black hair who stood behind the counter raised his head, glancing sideways at Linley, then snickered, “One Star Fiend. ‘Linley’. You are a merchant?”
The short-haired elder had investigated and realized that Linley was a ‘One Star Fiend’. Naturally, he came to this conclusion.
“No need to concern yourself.” Linley laughed calmly.
“Kid, making a fake Overgod talisman to swindle others won’t be that easy.” The short-haired elder snickered, then pulled out a scroll. “This is the most up-to-date collection of information on the Overgod talismans in the entire Infernal Realm. The price to read it once is ten million inkstones.”
Linley casually tossed out ten fist-sized azurites.
These large azurites were equivalent to a million inkstones.
“When reading through this scroll, if you desire a scryer recording which pertains to something in the scroll, just tell me.” The short-haired elder was quite lazy; he didn’t even bring out the scryer recordings.
Linley didn’t mind, instead flipping through the scroll.
The scroll was divided into sections pertaining to the ‘pentametal crown’, the ‘nine soul pearls’, the ‘red caltrop diamond’, and the ‘Overgod decree’. They were arranged by date. Linley flipped directly to the section on the ‘red caltrop diamond’ and began to read, starting from the latter sections. After all, he had read much of the earlier parts previously.
“While holding the red caltrop diamond, this person’s wounds instantly healed? And there’s a scryer recording?”
“When holding the red caltrop diamond, this person was able to sense the Edicts of Fate and was able to immediately become a Highgod? There’s a scryer recording proving this as well?”
Linley, seeing these reports, couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh.
There were many fake stories.
For example, while holding a fake red caltrop diamond, one might swallow a pill concocted by an expert of the Edicts of Life, then allow others to attack one’s self. At the same time one was being injured, the effects of the pill would activate, and one’s wounds would naturally heal. From the scryer recording, however, it would appear as though it was being done by the fake red caltrop diamond.
“This one is interesting. While holding the red caltrop diamond, one would have an indestructible body. Only, there is no scryer recording.”
Linlgy glanced at the last one, then laughed. “This report is really ridiculous. While holding the red caltrop diamond, not only does one have an indestructible body, but anyone who touches him will die?” As Linley saw it, the Crown of Life should be a healing, curative item. After all, that was the type of energy held within the pentametal crown as well.
The nine soul pearls were also designed to save others. Linley thus came to the subconscious conclusion that the same was true for the red caltrop diamond.
But he had forgotten…
Experts of the Edicts of Life were able to save others, but also able to harm others. Since the Crown of Life was able to save others, of course it was able to harm others as well.
“Oh, and this doesn’t even have a scryer recording. This comes from the Muja Continent? A God who wielded this red caltrop diamond was able to kill a group of Gods and a Highgod? There isn’t even a scryer recording. Anyone can make this sort of story up, and there is no way to verify it. Not credible.” Linley’s gaze swept past it, then he continued to read the reports below.
Only if Linley felt a report to be credible would he bother to see the scryer recordings.
“Hey, are you done yet?” The short-haired elder said with a frown.
“Why are you rushing us?” Yale, not too far away from Linley, couldn’t help but snap back as he stared at the short-haired elder.
“I’m just asking you all to hurry up.” The short-haired elder glanced sideways at Yale. “Also, this is the Fiend Castle. Don’t make a fuss here.” The short-haired elder was a Highgod as well. Given that it was forbidden to fight within the castle, generally speaking, this elder didn’t treat customers with a great deal of courtesy.
Given that Linley was a One Star Fiend, he would be all the more looked down upon.
“Don’t be in a rush. Wait a while.” Linley glanced calmly at the short-haired elder, then continued to leaf through the intelligence reports.
Right at this moment, footsteps rang from upstairs, making their way down below.
“Oh, quite a few people have come to buy intelligence reports today.” A gentle voice rang out from far away. Linley turned his head to glance at the speaker, and in total there were three figures walking over. The leader was a gold-haired, blue-eyed middle-aged man, who had two green-robed women following behind him.
The short-haired elder behind the counter, upon seeing this person, was badly startled and hurriedly bowed. “Governor!”
“Sit.” The gold-haired, blue-eyed man laughed calmly. “Right. Give me a report and scryer recordings regarding the various challenges to the Lord Prefects the Infernal Realm has recently seen.” In the Infernal Realm, for Seven Star Fiends to challenge Lord Prefects was a commonplace event.
“Yes, Governor.” The short-haired elder was very meek.
The gold-haired, blue-eyed man glanced at Bebe, then frowned, somewhat puzzled. Then he walked to the counter and accepted the scroll that the short-haired elder handed him, along with the many scryer recording crystal balls that were now on the counter.
At this moment, Linley and the governor were reading shoulder-to-shoulder.
The gold-haired, blue-eyed man glanced at the nearby Linley out of the corner of his eyes. His face suddenly changed, and he cried out in surprise, “Are you Lord Linley?”
“Hrm?” Linley turned to glance at him. “Who are you?” Linley didn’t recognize this person at all.
“Governor…” The short-haired, skinny elder, upon seeing the governor act so respectfully towards Linley, couldn’t help but say hurriedly, “His name is Linley, but he is only a One Star Fiend.”
“Shut your mouth.” The gold-haired middle-aged man gave an icy glance to the short-haired elder.
“One Star Fiend?” A look of surprise flashed through the gold-haired man’s eyes, then he looked at the Fiend emblem in the short-haired elder’s hands. “Seiya [Sha’ya], hurry up and go exchange that Fiend emblem for a Seven Star Fiend emblem!”
The short-haired elder was shocked.
A One Star Fiend…had just become a Seven Star Fiend?