The Paladin in the Abyss

(I apologize for updating the wrong content today; I've added an extra chapter as compensation! The previous chapter should have been Chapter 126, and the content has been corrected, though the title can't be changed at the moment. If readers find the content doesn't connect, re-downloading it should resolve the issue.)

"I was merely holding on by a thread," Lancelot revealed only part of the truth. "At that time, we had just emerged from the secret passage when a Succubus spotted us from afar and instantly saw through my... disguise.

While the Succubus was chasing after me, a strong magical fluctuation suddenly erupted from the direction of Oasis Fort, and a red light beam shot up into the sky, which immediately made the Succubus leave via a portal."

"A red light beam, huh..." Tijana narrowed her eyes. "Was that beam also filled with chaotic, destructive aura?" Continue reading at empire

Lancelot nodded and asked,

"Do you know what that was?"

"It was just a portal on the ground, leading to a plane nearly inside a volcano," Tijana waved her hand dismissively. "It must have been Molo who came back just in time. It seems the Demons largely returned without success this time. That's quite a blow for those Bartez folks, hehehe..."

Tijana stood up and waved to Lancelot.

"Next is the military meeting for Twin Bridges Town, you mercenaries can leave now."

The group bowed to Tijana and walked out.

Phil and Old Reap also bid farewell to Lancelot; they were natives of Twin Bridges Town, eagerly discussing which pub to go to that night for drinks, and afterwards, which Succubus to visit in the 'Seventh Heaven's Basement' to properly unwind.

The entertainment venues in Twin Bridges Town were not cheap, and the reason these two were so brazen was naturally because Lancelot had given each of them a pouch filled with gold coins. When they received the pouches, their faces were full of surprise, but Lancelot simply said they were spoils from the Succubus Palace, and they immediately kept quiet and happily accepted the gold.

As they were parting, these two jokers even gave Lancelot several flattering compliments, promising to be ready whenever he called for the next job, and to never forget their brother.

Lancelot, along with Alamir, Koula, and Eckmond, headed straight to the Mercenary Hall to register themselves as mercenaries and to pay the Head Tax, a task specifically ordered by Tijana. Having just raided the treasury of the Succubus Palace, Lancelot certainly didn't plan to cut corners here.

However, the six-armed Serpent Demon wasn't at the reception of the Mercenary Hall, which allowed a visibly tense Koula and Alamir to relax a bit. Not everyone has the courage to face a notorious High Rank Demon like the six-armed Serpent Demon, and not even Bruto's repeated assurances that Ms. Sonam was actually a very good client could help.

Taking Sonam's shift was Vidia, the Succubus salesperson who had assisted Lancelot when he was buying Hagrid Manor before. Seeing Lancelot made this Succubus very happy, but her attention quickly shifted to Alamir.

This elf, with pointy ears, light golden hair, and a pair of emerald eyes, seemed to perfectly fit the beauty standards of a succubus. Just now in Tijana's castle, the maids couldn't help but steal glances at the elf, but thankfully, Tijana seemed uninterested in elves. This let Lancelot breathe a sigh of relief, while also feeling somewhat happy.

Vidia explained that Sonam had been summoned by Lady Tijana to attend a military council. Only then did Lancelot learn that Sonam was one of Tijana's four generals, and that her usual front desk role in the Mercenary Hall was purely out of boredom—being a Neutral Town, Twin Bridges Town didn't see much warfare, so scaring people in the Mercenary Hall was essentially her daily pastime.

Once Vidia understood the purpose of Lancelot and his group's visit, she promptly helped them with the procedures, and when it came to paying the Head Tax, she generously suggested that the three could continue to deduct this from the 'goods' Sonam owed Bruto.

After Alamir thanked her politely, Vidia shyly lowered her head, her face flushing with redness, which shocked Kalalin, who thought he understood demons well, to the point where his eyes nearly popped out.

"When people talk about succubi, they either focus on their seductive bodies or are filled with dreadful tales related to them," Alamir explained to his companions on the way to the market area, "but they are also females, and their hearts can be ignited just as well. This is precisely the display of Ms. Shuni's supreme power."

The group pondered this, especially a certain human knight. However, he quickly decided to put those thoughts aside for now and focus on shopping in the market.

Koula was eager to show off her cooking skills to her new companions; the halfling's way of life was to ensure that everyone around her liked her, so she was very serious in choosing ingredients in the market area.

Her time cooking in the Succubus Palace had taught her how to handle many ingredientes that were characteristic of the Abyss.

She recognized many ingredients that Lancelot and his companions had never tried before, such as dried giant monster tentacles, flammable-looking chili peppers, tough skins suitable for making armor, and highly suspicious cheese with worms crawling on it—all of which she insisted on buying.

The only thing that slightly comforted Lancelot was that the owners of these goods seemed to really like halflings, appearing genuinely pleased as if they had found a customer who truly knew their goods. When Koula carefully bought a dried fish that smelled like a sour mop from a Tiflin, the expression on the Tiflin's face was as if he was parting with his own child.

"This is a Stygian River Memory Carp; it may look like it's been dead for hundreds of years, but once you soak it in tears, it'll start bouncing around again," Koula said happily. "You can imagine, catching a fish that lives in the Stygian River is nearly impossible, but occasionally a few jump ashore and are picked up by those who know their stuff."

"But this fish grows in the Stygian River, is it really edible?" Bruto asked skeptically, looking at the fish which was almost taller than a halfling. "Moreover, how many tears would it take to soak it entirely? We don't really have many sentimental folks here…"

"If it's prepared properly, its flesh is fragrant and tender, and it can even help spellcasters remember an extra magic spell the next day. It's said to feed on the memories in the waters of the Stygian River. As for the tears..." Koula walked over to an alchemy materials store, looked around, and quickly spotted a block that looked like black glass, "this is it."

"What is this?" Lancelot asked, handing over a thousand gold coins for a brick whose use he couldn't discern, already feeling a bit of financial pain.

"This is a brick, extracted from a place called the Fortress of Regret, made entirely of solidified tears. Just soak this brick in water and a whole bucket of water will turn into tears," Koula shrugged. "What did I tell you? If you want to be a top chef, you've got to know a bit of alchemy."

"Alright then," Lancelot shrugged, "let's buy whatever other materials you need, consider it from our team funds. Let's not buy weapons and gear here; we'll ask Bruto's dad if he's free later."