Baator Hell Promotion

Hopper clenched the box in his hand, listening to the shrill screams, feeling the warm breath of the nearby flames, and his thoughts drifted back to dozens of days ago.

"You don't know yet, do you?" the Inquisitor said as he pushed open the door and took off his coat. The coolness of the autumn night and the chirping of insects rushed into the room, making everyone feel refreshed. "Niya Tiehuan is dead."

"What?" Yaron asked in confusion. "When did it happen? How did he die?"

"He died face down in a ditch in the surf zone and was found at noon today." Igor hung up his coat carefully, took the bottle on the table and poured himself a large glass of beer.

"From the day of the trial to today, assassinations, bribery, and even fights in parliament. What hasn't happened? I've heard it all so many times that my ears are callused." Edim's face emerged from the darkness. His beard, which had covered his entire cheeks, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look as pale as a drowned corpse.

Igor couldn't help but look at him carefully. The once righteous young knight had disappeared in this body. The amber eyes of the Stigmata Knight looked like two pieces of weathered slate, having lost the light of ideals and beliefs.

"Is Ms. Hopper not here?" The Inquisitor decided to change the subject. Outsiders could not help with matters such as the collapse of faith.

"I'm here," the voice of the succubus came from the deepest shadow near the fireplace. "Has the day for the burning been set?"

"It's decided. It will be the day after the red moon disappears."

Hopper emerged from the shadows, still maintaining her Miss Zoe persona. She walked straight to the table, sat upright, and propped her cheek with one hand. "That's great! This means the nobles have finally redefined their spheres of influence. We can finally put an end to this messy life."

"But at least dozens, or even hundreds of people died in this turmoil." Yidimu said sullenly.

"I believe you've done your best," the demon falsely consoled him. The knight was still too young to accept that the church he was loyal to had given up investigating the cause of death of an archbishop for the sake of profit.

The news arrived last week. The Golden Dome Church withdrew its accusations, announcing to everyone that the Perfect One had spoken divinely: Archbishop Eichmann had not died at Rachel's hands, but rather that the Perfect One, taking pity on his toil, had summoned him to his side in advance. He had simply ascended to heaven through the hand of the devil.

At the same time, the Golden Dome Church announced the promotion of Bishop Navon to the new Archbishop. The new Archbishop's first order was to declare that in order to better serve the great Golden Guard, he would reorganize the church. This would greatly consume his energy, so he had to withdraw from the Noble Council and recall all priests.

At the inauguration ceremony of Archbishop Navon, the rarely seen Xavier Monte not only attended but also gave a brief speech. Lord Monte emphasized his condemnation of the devil's defamation of the Golden Dome Church and stated that the Monte family would appeal to the presiding judge to restore the church's reputation.

But all this was only on the surface. In less than thirty days, bodies were found almost daily in the canals or on the docks—all the nobles intensified their investigations, and were willing to execute any suspects. This was not to mention the nobles' council, where many of them united to put pressure on Speaker Verinster, with both sides drawing knives and nearly resulting in a bloodbath.

The residents of Emerald Harbor were naturally not so easily fooled. However, as residents of a city that originated from smuggling and piracy, they had long learned to turn a deaf ear to matters that had nothing to do with them.

Another high-pitched, piercing scream interrupted Hopper's recollection. She carefully observed her surroundings, confirming that her illusion was still standing outside. If it were an ordinary person, standing so close to the stake, they would have burned up long ago. But to the devil, these flames were as warm as a lover's breath.

The succubus took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of burning wood, and then stepped into the flames. She was grateful to the nobles who had made peace with Rachel. To prevent anyone from discovering their deception, they had erected a fence with a thirty-foot radius around the stake, citing safety as a pretext. Anyone wishing to observe the execution had to watch from outside the fence. From this distance, protected by the illusion and the flames, no one would notice her stepping into the flames.

In order to prevent Rachel from being discovered unharmed, the nobles built a circle of two-person-high racks around the stake. The flames burning from the outside in would block out any prying eyes.

"Would you like to take a break, Professor Uti?" As Hopper stepped into the fire, her clothes gradually burned away, and she gradually transformed back into her true form. Uti, tied to the pillar, remained unharmed. The flames and heat stirred her face, but not even her delicate eyelashes were singed. "Screaming all the time is really tough on your voice."

"I should have guessed it," Youdi said coldly as she watched Hopper transform from the ordinary Zoe back into the devil, "You really are in cahoots with that Inquisitor."

"Who told you not to guess it?" Hopper retorted with a smile, "otherwise you wouldn't be so passive, right?"

"So how did you convince Gray to let you be the prison warden? Did he even sign a contract with you?"

Hopper stretched her wings and slowly walked towards the center of the stake. She was not worried that Yuti would escape. The nobles might have reached an agreement with her, but they were definitely not so worried as not to tie her up with silver-plated chains.

Udi's words reminded Hopper of the unsigned note that was handed to him. The note asked him to kill Udi at all costs, and the owner of the note would provide conditions for getting close to Rachel.

The next day, she received a commission from the presiding judge, appointing the judge and his agent as supervisors of the burning at the stake.

"What are you talking about~? Wasn't it you and the others who reached the agreement?" Hopper responded, "It's just that Master Gray discovered my special talent and decided to give me a chance~"

"But I must say, this move of yours wasn't very good. Even if the nobles could pressure the Chief Inquisitor into making a ridiculous ruling to burn a demon at the stake to fool everyone, how can you believe that the Chief Inquisitor wouldn't have a backup plan?"

"A backup? You?" Yuti sneered. "As a backup, besides being unaffected by flames like me, what else do you have? You know very well that even if I die here, I'll just be banished back to Bartor."

Hopper tilted his head, pouted, and let out an annoying shrill voice: "Oh my, Professor Uti. You really haven't learned your lesson at all. Since I can destroy your plan and that of your dear Eichmann, how can you be sure that I haven't obtained a weapon powerful enough to completely nail you to the material plane?"

Only then did Youdi notice the stone box that Hopper had been holding. Her expression changed.

"Oh~ Looks like you finally noticed it." Hopper covered his mouth and chuckled, like a hamster stealing food. "Have you forgotten that the Inquisitor and the two knights who are chasing you are all closely related to me~"

"You don't expect me to believe that an Inquisitor and a Knight would trust a succubus with a blade of this power, do you?"

"Of course not! For an Inquisitor, eradicating all evil is essential." The succubus smiled and placed her hand on the box. "As you said in class, mortals always judge people by appearances. Knights are very willing to believe in stories of beautiful women redeeming themselves."

Hopper flung open the lid, and Yudi's pupils constricted. Atop the black velvet lay an ancient, even crude, dagger. Four arrowheads, carved with runes, joined end to end formed the blade, while the handle was a simply hewn piece of wood, looking like the work of an apprentice.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Hopper's perfect smile looked extremely ferocious in Youdi's eyes. The demon carefully reached out to grasp the hilt of the knife, not daring to touch the blade at all.

Just as Hopper was looking at the dagger, Yuti, who had already quietly broken free from the chains, pounced on him, aiming at Hopper's right hand holding the knife, without noticing the cunning smile on the demon's face.

"Wrong again, Professor Uti."

While Youdi was still in mid-air, Hopper's left hand, which was holding the stone box, loosened and the box fell over. The dark green gem that Lord Monte had prepared for the knights rolled out from under the black velvet.

"Milphene!"

The gem, which had not yet fallen to the ground, burst out with a dazzling green light, causing the people outside the execution ground to scream in surprise.

After the green light, only the still crackling pillar remained in the center of the fire.

Epilogue

Another volume completed.

When I started this volume, I thought it would be finished in 50 chapters, but I later realized there were so many side plots that the conclusion alone took almost 20 chapters. I'm so sorry, readers, for being so long-winded and lazy.

I feel this volume is better than the previous one. This is my first attempt at weaving together multiple plot lines, and I'd give it a 50. I've omitted many areas I'd like to elaborate on, such as Judith's subplot, the church's oppression and conspiracy, and the intertwining of the nobles. Even so, the protagonist occasionally drifts outside the story, and the main plot isn't very clear.

Personally, I think this volume isn't just water, it's more like porridge (shame on you). It has substance, yes, but it's bland and tasteless, not a real dish.

This volume also received strong support from readers. Thank you all for your rewards, votes, messages, and selfless bug-catching.

For the next volume, I will open a small copy and try to finish it in 50 chapters (hopefully, I hope so).

Volume Four

Chapter 1 Ancient Inhabitants

Quite a number of poets have sung the praises of the beauty of the arcane. In their descriptions, teleportation means that the world and you are highly overlapped, and it is an incredibly wonderful experience to travel a thousand miles in one step.

If a poet said that to Hopper right now, Hopper swore to Mephistos, the Arcane Crown of Baator, that he would stuff those bastards, spouting nonsense, headfirst into the ass of a lemure.

Ms. Milfennie is a very experienced wizard. The exile gems she makes are neither sophisticated nor cheap, but their greatest advantage is their great power.

When Hopper used it, she had no idea that this gem could make teleportation so painful. She felt like an octopus stuffed into a jar and then thrown down a rocky hillside. In the darkness and bumps, the only thing she could do was to hold on to everything she could and never let go.

The succubus straightened up, feeling a tearing pain in her back. Turning around, she saw a blood-stained rock standing on the ground. She couldn't help but picture herself falling on the rock's fierce sharp corner with a thud, and shuddered.

This shivering is not just a psychological effect, it is also real cold.

She was currently standing on a small cliff by the water, the sky low overhead, the wind carrying huge hailstones and stinging rain coming from all directions. The inclement weather greatly affected visibility, and looking around, Hopper could only see the gray rain curtain and the endless mud.

"Looks like I've landed in Minaunos," Hopper thought agonizingly. Bitter Rain was arguably the lowest demonic layer in all of Baator. On the one hand, Minaunos was indeed home to merchants and mercenaries from various planes, making the demons seem less noticeable. On the other hand, Bitter Rain's harsh climate and humid air kept most demons away. Grand Duke Mammon, obsessed with business, didn't even create vassal demons adapted to this layer, as some other grand dukes did.

Hopper sighed and looked down. His left hand was still holding the dagger made of four rune arrows, and his right hand was holding a pale wrist.

Professor Uti lay on the ground, life or death unknown, unresponsive to the pouring rain. During this exile, the Devil of Delight's clothes were shredded, revealing a truth she had been hiding: the damage inflicted by the maze hadn't fully healed, as evidenced by the smooth, white wound on her side. And now, after the backlash of the shattered magic circle, the forced expulsion, and the fall from the sky, Hopper felt that her continued survival was a formidable feat.

However, Hopper had no intention of letting her go. The Devil of Lust dragged the boneless Devil of Pleasure towards the water without mercy, holding her with one hand while dangling her over the shore, saying, "Professor Yuti, I'm going to let go."

The cliff was not high, and Hopper's actions had already attracted the interest of underwater creatures. Under the waves stirred by the strong wind, a pair of yellow lanterns emerged faintly.

Yudi groaned and slowly woke up. She must have a great talent for acting, because even though Hopper knew she was pretending, he couldn't see any trace of her deliberateness.

"I've come to this point, what difference does it make whether I wake up or not?" The professor refused to open his eyes, allowing his body to hang on the rope and sway in the strong wind.

"Perhaps, you can answer questions to save your life? You know, in Barto, exclusive information is always valuable."

After hearing this, Professor Youdi snorted coldly, with a cold smile on his lips.

"Don't bother with that, Miss Hopper. I've taught hundreds of succubi and seen even more. Your tricks won't work on me."

"What a shame! I'll have to leave you to Ms. Strict. I'm sure she'll be very happy to have you back at school."

These words seemed to have touched the pleasure demon. She coughed and laughed again: "Do you really want to know? This secret is so big that not only you, but even the strict lady can't bear it."

Hopper held her up and shook her with an expressionless face. "It doesn't matter. I've already been implicated in this matter. No matter if I say I know or not, no one above me will believe me. Rather than let this happen, I'd rather actually know so I can be more prepared."

"Gracea and Asmodeus were once a couple. Are you satisfied with this secret?" Yuti coughed again, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth, and a relieved smile appeared in her eyes. "Gracea wants to surpass her father and mother and become the Queen of Hell."

The succubus frowned. This news was truly shocking to Hell, and it also explained many seemingly illogical things. For example, why did Asmodeus turn a blind eye to Gracia's frequent offenses? Why did he forcibly separate Grand Duke Mammon and Gracia? Why didn't he promote a new Queen of Hell? Explaining these events with the King of the Nine Hells' twisted possessiveness clearly fit Bartor's logic better than assuming he harbored any affection for his only daughter.

But Hopper didn't believe it, at least not completely. Rumors of a possible secret relationship between the King of the Nine Hells and his princess had been circulating for centuries. Yuti's words merely confirmed the rumors, and she didn't even have any concrete evidence to back them up.

"What? Don't you believe it? Or are you still not satisfied?" Yudi also noticed the giant creature waiting at the bottom of the cliff. She stared at the yellow eyes in fascination and didn't even want to pay attention to Hopper. "The rest of the information needs to be exchanged for something."

"what do you need?"

"I need a quick death. For example, being eaten by something below would be a good option."

Hopper was quite surprised; she had expected Yuti to ask her to let her go. The Devil of Pleasure noticed Hopper's surprise and slowly shook her beautiful head. "Young Devil," she said, "I've failed my mission twice because of you. Gracia won't give me a third chance. You should know what that means."

The succubus understood the meaning of "demotion". For the residents of Baator, demotion was a more horrific punishment than eternal extinction. After extinction, there was nothing left, while demotion to a lower form could mean eternal suffering and torture.

"I promise you."

"Very good. Do you know why Gracia wants a bloat demon? I've told you before that bloat demons are the most primitive inhabitants of all of Bator. Haven't you ever wondered why bloat demons never advance or grow larger?"

Hopper shook her head hesitantly, regretting hearing this.

"The bloated demon you saw in the cave was an adult that survived the passage of time. The King of the Nine Hells has always carefully concealed the existence of other native races in Hell. Its existence is clear proof of this fact."

"Gracie intends to use the power of these ancient survivors to overthrow her father. Her spies are gathering information from libraries and ancient beings throughout the lower realms."

Yudi paused, more blood flowing from her mouth. Being forcibly expelled from the material plane further damaged her unhealed internal injuries, and she was already very close to death.

"If you want to know more, ask Banaros about the legend of the void, or seek out the King of the Corrupted Ooze and follow the footsteps of the Returned. This is all I can say. If you mention any name, both the king and the princess will come to us simultaneously. Consider this as dying advice, forget it in the deepest part of your heart, and don't utter a single word, even to the empty air."

At this point, the Devil of Pleasure could no longer contain herself, and with a grumble, she spat out blood mixed with visceral fragments. But her eyes burned with excitement and gloating. "I will return to the quiet darkness, and you, little devil, this secret is enough to make you taste the punishment of hell."

Hopper shook the rope expressionlessly, and the activated rope woven from hair loosened the dying professor, and the Devil of Joy fell down with a smile.

The restless black figure beneath the water could no longer contain itself and leaped out, its huge jaws biting Udi in two mid-air. The splash of water from the monster's fall doused Hopper's face.

The worried succubus tasted blood in the water.

Chapter 204 Return to School

It's hard to think clearly, and even harder to find your way to Emberhold.

Hopper flew for an unknown amount of time in the pouring rain before he finally found a yew tree and was able to perform a ritual to summon the Shadow Horse Carriage to Ember Castle.

"Ms. Hopper!" Hopper had just stepped onto the outer ring of the floating castle when a female voice that was so familiar that it caused her physical reaction sounded from the side.

"Good day, Lady Silver Eyes!"

The brown-skinned tiefling hurried over, still trailing behind him a procession of maids carrying various instruments. Emberhold hovered atop the mountain, the gusty mountain breeze causing the skinny housekeeper's clothes to flutter. Hopper was genuinely curious about how the housekeeper, barely thicker than a staff, managed to stay above the ground.

The silver-eyed lady stopped three steps away and knelt in greeting. Hopper had been away from the school for so long that he almost didn't react. He hurriedly returned the greeting, convinced that he had made at least three mistakes.

"Ms. Stern is here today. She's sensed your imminent return." The silver-eyed lady was shorter than Hopper, but that didn't stop her from sizing him up and down. "I've prepared a new dress for you. I believe it will enhance your perfection."

Hopper's heart skipped a beat; his clothes had been soaked through by the heavy rain, and after being huddled in the carriage all the way, they now looked like a pile of seaweed hanging on his body.

"Since you haven't officially graduated yet, the bedroom is reserved for you." The silver-eyed lady was very professional and didn't make any comments on Hopper's appearance. "Hot water and food are ready for you. Or a cup of Avernus's blood?"

"Thank you very much, Ms. Silver Eyes."

"Also, a number of letters arrived while you were away, and they've all been placed in your room," the housekeeper said in a stern voice, like a golem reciting a thesis. "But I suggest you change your clothes as soon as possible. Tolerance is a rare virtue for a strict lady, and laziness is a mistake you shouldn't make."

Hopper apologized profusely and quickly slipped back to his dorm, nearly getting lost twice. But the housekeeper was right; it was best not to keep the principal waiting too long; it wasn't a good habit.

Before the sun reached its highest point in Torchhold, Hopper was already standing outside the carved wooden door of the principal's office.

She was wearing a plain black robe with a double-breasted front, her hair neatly tied back, and a little floral dew sprinkled on her crown and veil. After checking, Hopper took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in"

The door slid open silently, revealing the interior as it had been when she left. Midday sunlight streamed through the open window onto a desk piled high with parchment, while the stern lady, her face hidden behind an iron mask, leaned back in her chair, gazing at Hopper with a leisurely expression.

"Greetings, Lady Harsh. Mistress of the Torchhold, the Masked One, Teacher of Enreyes."

The headmistress drew her finger in the air, and a high-backed chair with carved patterns flew over from the wall.

"Please sit down, Ms. Hopper. Since you have returned to school on your own initiative, can I infer that you have successfully completed the task I entrusted to you?"

Hopper sat down silently, took off the space bag from his neck, and took out the bloated demon's body, which had been dehydrated with lime and shriveled up. In order to stuff it into the bag smoothly, Hopper cut it into many pieces.

Click. The window closed, and the transparent glass turned into a hazy pearly white.

"I think it's best to maintain some privacy." The Stern Lady reached out and picked up a shrunken tentacle, examining it carefully. "Tell me about your adventures on this journey."

Hopper didn't stop narrating until the sun was setting. Throughout the long story, Yan Ke remained absolutely silent, not responding at all. Only then did she speak for the first time: "So, you and Yudi were expelled and returned. Where's Yudi?"

"The power of the repelling gem is too strong. Both Yudi and I were injured." Hopper said without hesitation, "She was bitten in two by the giant beast under the water."