Chapter 245 Chapter244-Valerie's Astonishment
"What did you say?! An Abyssal Devil?!"
Valerie bolted upright from his chair, knocking over the water glass on his desk.
His voice cracked with disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at John.
Yet John remained unfazed, seated as if the shocking revelation hadn't come from his own lips.
"Yes, my lord, you heard me correctly," John affirmed, nodding, "Based on our findings, the Abyssal Devil residing in the Thousand Streams Cave is none other than one of the 72 devils of the Abyss—ranked thirty-third, the Desire Devil, Mammon."
Valerie sank back into his chair, his body quivering involuntarily.
"My God... just how unlucky must I be to hear one thunderbolt after another in such a short span?"
He muttered, his lips trembling.
"Why would a being of that caliber even appear here?"
His eyes flickered with incredulity, as if he couldn't trust his own ears.
John and the others—Blue Sea and Adam—simply sat quietly, waiting.
Soon enough, Valerie regained his composure.
One had to admit, as the Lord of Storm City, this middle-aged man had a formidable psychological resilience.
He began to ponder the veracity of John's earth-shattering revelation.
After all, such an outrageous claim could easily be embellished.
The trio before him didn't look like top-tier warriors capable of escaping an Abyssal Devil unscathed.
"Young man, are you certain that the information you've provided is accurate?" Valerie's eyebrows furrowed deeply, skepticism etched across his face.
With a faint smile, John nonchalantly reached into his backpack and pulled out an unassuming, pitch-black scepter.
While its exterior was simple and lacked any apparent luster, the eyes of everyone in the room were inexplicably drawn to it, as if magnetized, all landing on the scepter in unison.
"What is this?" Valerie asked in surprise.
"My lord," John replied with a soft chuckle, "this is the combat weapon of the Desire Devil Mammon, a trophy of my battle."
Valerie's face flushed with astonishment.
He quickly cast a Detection spell:
[Origin of Desire (Divine Equipment)]: Born in darkness, this scepter is the companion weapon of one of the 72 devils of the Abyss, the Desire Devil Mammon. Essentially, it is more like a physical manifestation of the Desire Devil ORDER—an evil and powerful equipment. Originally, it was bound to the divine power imprint of the Desire Devil, making it unusable by others. However, due to the imprint being destroyed by a special force, the scepter has automatically converted into a universal piece of equipment.]
There was no room for doubt now.
The attributes of the scepter spoke for themselves.
Valerie drew a deep breath, his face growing dark. "So, the Desire Devil has silently descended upon the Godslayer Continent. Is the Abyss preparing for a full-scale invasion against us?"
John rubbed his cheek, replying, "It's not that severe yet. The northern barrier remains intact; for the time being, it's unlikely that the Abyssal army will be able to cross the Sunset Mountain in its entirety. In reality, Mammon's presence here has more to do with an internal strife within the inner layers of the Abyss."
Valerie's interest was piqued. "Oh? It seems the three of you young people have gained quite a lot from this journey. Do elaborate."
John offered a faint smile, speaking softly, "From what I understand, the 72 devils of the inner Abyss have unified. Leading them is Bael, who has taken over the former Demon Emperor Azazel, using the pretext of war..."
As John recounted what he'd learned from Mammon, he deliberately omitted any mention of the looming fusion of the two worlds.
After all, that otherworldly secret was only known to deities, and not something to share lightly with those present.
The expressions of Valerie and Blue Sea Adam grew increasingly enigmatic as John spoke.
Valerie found it odd that this young man before him seemed privy to many secrets of the Abyss—information that even he, as the Lord of Storm City, had only a vague understanding of.
Yet, this youth spoke with a casual ease.
Blue Sea Adam's puzzling expressions had a different origin: they were shocked that John had managed to extract such a trove of high-level secrets from the Abyss during his battle with Mammon. They wondered what exactly had transpired in that fight.
"In summary," John said, finishing his revelation, "the Abyss has achieved complete unity, and the day of war's onset is no longer a distant eventuality." He picked up a cup of water brought by a servant of the City Lord's Mansion and moistened his throat.
Valerie sat quietly in his chair, his face gradually becoming vacant.
He realized the situation had exceeded his scope of control.
If the secret behind Cowherd Cave truly involved the Abyssal Devils, then it was not something he, a mere city lord, could manage.
Before Valerie could fully collect his thoughts, John dropped another bombshell. "Moreover, from what I know, the Abyssal Devils that have descended upon the Godslayer Continent are not limited to just Mammon."
Valerie suddenly looked up, his eyes intensely focused on John. "Young man, can you stand by your words?"
John spread his hands, answering with an air of indifference, "I've already shown you Mammon's scepter. What more is there to doubt?"
Valerie fell silent. The evidence was there; he had no choice but to believe.
"So, if I understand correctly, after defeating Desire Devil in collaboration, he retreated back to the Abyss?" Valerie spoke in a grave tone, "Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily doubt you. After all, the quest contract indicates that you've successfully completed your mission, and you've offered compelling evidence. But I'm still curious—how did you manage it?"
Valerie noticed that when he voiced this query, both of John's teammates exhibited peculiar expressions.
This deepened his skepticism.
Was there a grain of truth in what this young man claimed?
Had the Abyssal Devil truly retreated back into the Abyss?
The peculiar expressions on the faces of Blue Sea and Adam were due to the inconsistency between what John had told them and what he was telling Valerie.
Back in the Thousand Streams Cave, John had said that he banished Mammon to a place called the Void.
Now, in Storm City's City Lord's Mansion, in front of Lord Valerie, John claimed the devil had fled back to the Abyss.
For a moment, the two were unsure which version was the true one.
But when they looked up and saw the unperturbed profile of John, they chose not to press for the truth.
Knowing John as they did, they were certain he was not a man to boast unnecessarily.
He had no reason to exaggerate his combat accomplishments to win others' admiration.
So, deep within their hearts, they chose to believe what John had initially told them in the Cowherd Cave—that he had banished Mammon to the Void.
As for why John had told Valerie that Mammon had escaped back to the Abyss, both men felt John must have had his reasons, and they simply chose to follow his lead in silence.
Valerie had barely finished speaking when John calmly responded, "In any case, this is how things stand. We've completed our quest and have come only to claim our reward. Whether or not my lord chooses to believe me is inconsequential to us."
Valerie did not bristle at John's tone.
After a moment's careful consideration, he answered cautiously, "Of course, you've done exceptionally well in fulfilling your quest. I will arrange for your reward to be delivered shortly."
"As for the matter of more Devils descending upon Godslayer Continent, if true, this is a calamity for all the lawful and just races here."
"The matter is too grave to be dealt with by me, a mere City Lord of Storm City. Please wait a moment, I need to report this to higher authorities."
It was clear that Valerie had come to believe the information John had brought to the table.
His tone shifted, becoming markedly polite.
After securing the agreement of John and his companions, Valerie hurriedly exited the council hall.
Within the spacious chamber, John casually fiddled with the cup of water in his hand.
Blue Sea and Adam were not as composed.
They kept murmuring amongst themselves, and finally, Blue Sea whispered, "Galewind, why did you say the Devil had returned to the Abyss?"
John offered a slight smile and answered softly, "Do you think Valerie would have believed this affair if I hadn't? Isn't the notion of a wounded Devil retreating back to the Abyss more plausible than us defeating and banishing one?"
Blue Sea nodded, finally understanding. Adam, grinning on the side, remarked, "I suppose Galewind doesn't want to reveal his true strength, eh?"
John's smile remained unfazed, neither confirming nor denying Adam's suggestion.
After about fifteen monotonous minutes in the council hall, they heard the hurried footsteps approach.
Turning their heads, they saw Valerie rush back into the hall. Before he even took his seat, his voice echoed in the space.
"I just received a response from higher authorities. They are taking this news very seriously. There may be a need to summon you to the imperial capital to discuss the matter. Would you be willing to go?"
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