Chapter 570: Chapter 288: Devil of the Nine Prisons_2
He didn’t want to stir up more trouble.
"Six."
A faint magical ripple, undetectable even to a professional, swept across the gaming table, revealing the dice in the cup as if through x-ray vision.
Saloyan, as he had repeated countless times over the past three days, reported the dice number to the naive young man he was attached to.
Then he watched the other pretend to hesitate and ponder, pushing half of the chips onto the table, and after the results were revealed, feigning calm while in reality, he was overjoyed as he swept the doubled chips into his arms.
A "pitiful" soul who harbored hope for the future but was gradually sinking under environmental influence.
In terms of pure soul value, there were far more delicious souls to be found all over River Valley Town.
Saloyan didn’t care.
His purpose for projecting his consciousness into the Material Realm this time wasn’t to collect souls.
What he needed was an obedient, inconspicuous vessel to help him complete his plan. Of course, once the goal was fully achieved, this Purgatory Baron wouldn’t mind taking an extra soul either.
Saloyan’s purpose for coming personally to this remote town had nothing to do with any adventurer.
His target was a goblin nest located deep in the Mist Forest.
The Lord of the second layer of the Bator Nine Prisons, "Dic," was a renowned arms dealer among many planes.
This Great Duke of Purgatory possessed numerous weapon manufacturing workshops operating day and night, providing countless weapons and equipment for the devils in the Blood War.
Severe paranoia led him to create a vast and precise information network, and to forge for himself a set of metal armor with many powerful enchantments, as solid as iron walls.
Saloyan, with his low status, could only occasionally glimpse the mysterious figure sitting steadily upon the crimson throne in the Metal Palace at the center of "Iron City" during celebrations.
Trying to establish a connection with his superior’s superior’s superior was undoubtedly a fantasy.
But he hadn’t given up hope; instead, he did everything he could to gather information about this Duke of Demons.
Including but not limited to daily habits, the types of souls he liked, unique hobbies...
Until during a break at a certain ball, while chatting with a noble who was a commander in the trusted brigade of Duke of Demons’ confidant "Birut," Saloyan obtained some sufficiently credible information.
The Duke Dic recently (in devil’s time concept) developed an interest in the Divine system of goblins—apparently because of a few small things accidentally discovered by cultists in the Material Realm and sacrificed to Purgatory.
Seemingly, the object was some kind of weapon forged with metal and of considerable craftsmanship.
Saloyan didn’t know how the green-skinned goblins, with their brains full of chaos and desire, managed to create something that interested Lord Dic.
But without a doubt, he seized this opportunity.
Through the intelligence network he had established in the Material Realm over the years, he learned that an ultra-large goblin clan deep within the Mist Forest had recently been annihilated by a reckless group of professionals.
And there had been cases of similar craftsmanship circulating from this Goblin Tribe.
—It was said to have been awarded by the Divine during unique local events called "Hunting Day."
Previously, even with his Duke of Demons’ power, an attempt to crush these green-skinned goblins would have been easy even as a projection.
Fear of drawing the attention of the goblins’ main god, "Magrubie," would surely have stopped him.
But now, since the goblin clan was already destroyed, he had no more scruples.
As long as he got the young man sitting by the gaming table now to take his conscious projection to the former goblin nest, he believed that with his magical mastery and Perception Ability, something could be gained.
If he indeed found something interesting following the clues and teleported it back to the Lord, perhaps the Lord, in a good mood, might just promote him or bestow upon him treasures he could never hope to touch otherwise.
Saloyan was not in a hurry initially.
After all, "patience" was said to be one of the rare virtues of devils.
But after encountering that "Gray Sword" during the day, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency, with an ominous premonition that his plans might be disrupted.
"Perhaps... it’s time to speed things up."
Thought the Demon Baron silently to himself.
On the surface, there was no visible movement, but the faint magical ripple covering the tabletop quietly extended around, searching for a suitable target.
...
...
Gold!
In just one night, Abi had won a full two hundred Gold Coins!
His right hand gently caressed the unmarked Crystal Card inside his pouch, feeling its satisfying rigidity through the cloth exterior.
Standing at the entrance of the casino, Abi took a deep breath.
At this moment, the cold late-night air felt even fresher and cleaner than it did at dawn.
The reminders from the male voice in his mind clearly let him know the result under every dice cup and card on the table.
If he weren’t worried about drawing unnecessary attention for winning too much, he could have added a zero to those 200 Gold Coins in one night.
The intense stimulation inside the casino, combined with the bright lights and warm environment, had kept him awake for nearly three days.
Although his physical fitness had improved considerably since he first started, he now found it hard to maintain, as tiredness swept over his consciousness like a tide.
"Go book the most expensive, luxurious room at the inn, and get a good night’s sleep."
"Once you wake up tomorrow, buy the earliest ticket to Neum City."
He pictured the bustling sights of that city he had never visited, only heard about from other adventurers.
The youth walked alone down the late-night streets, with a somewhat sickly smile on his sleepy face.
Perhaps too exhausted, losing the vigilance he should have constantly maintained, or maybe his lethargy dulled his Perception.
Abi didn’t notice the large, robust figures following him out of the tavern not long after, pushing through the casino’s door.
They looked around, saw his silhouette, and quietly followed.
Tailgating...
Eventually, at a secluded street corner, they quickly surrounded him.
A sharp pain exploded from the back of his head.
A heavy, foul smell of half-orc body odor poured into his nostrils with each breath.
His consciousness blurred, and his hands instinctively protecting his pouch were forcibly pulled apart, and the pouch was snatched away.
Thanks to the physically robust body of his race, plus the advantage in numbers, the exhausted Abi had no capacity to resist the attack.
He didn’t last even five seconds before collapsing, unconscious, to the ground.
Under normal circumstances, tonight would have indeed been the last night of his life.
But then, the hard object beneath his shirt pulsed with a magical glow on its surface.
The surrounding half-orcs were completely unaware, just like when they spotted the lucky young man in the casino. They didn’t frisk him or finish him off, only grabbing his Crystal Card before leaving in a hurry.
Due to the manipulation by the Magic Particles, Abi never wondered why neither had he faced trouble nor had he been questioned despite winning so much money in the casino over the past three days in River Valley Town.
And now, awakening from pain on the cold street, he had no suspicion cross his mind, only blaming himself for not being cautious enough.
His waist was empty, the "hard-won" Gold Coins vanished into thin air.
Abi appeared momentarily at a loss, sitting absentmindedly in place.
A deep, magnetic male voice, in a subtle, enticing tone, reverberated quietly within his skull:
"All your Gold Coins got stolen? No worries, with me around, you’ll earn it back soon enough."
"Besides, don’t you still have some seed money on you...?"
Saloyan’s deliberate manipulation precisely steered Abi’s emotions.
He suddenly trembled as if recalling something.
"Yes, yes!"
"I still have money... I still have money!"
He forcefully tugged open his collar and reached inside with his right hand.
Pulling a bulging envelope from his chest pocket, it was originally intended as a family allowance.
Now, it became his seed money for making a comeback.
Haphazardly emptying the Gold Coins from the envelope, he crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it aside.
He got up with difficulty, his pale face still dirty, and stumbled towards the nearest casino in a flurry.
The skinny, forlorn figure was swallowed by the night, much like his mind gradually losing itself to the voice’s enchantment.