Chapter 180 Corrosion Everywhere

In the camp outside Beifeng City, in the snow-covered forest, more than thirty caravans formed a circle, and the guards and employees of the Sokoto Chamber of Commerce camped in the middle.

A full day had passed since their boss entered the camp at the foot of Beifeng Mountain.

During the past day, everyone's heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

Somewhere in the camp, in front of a fire, the guards sat together and whispered to each other.

"...I didn't dare to tell you yesterday. Guess what I saw? A demon! The kind with horns on its head and wings on its back!"

Everyone around gasped and looked at each other, exchanging shock and fear in their eyes.

"demon?!"

"Didn't the rumor say that... that guy is a necromancer?! Why is he related to the devil?"

"It's not surprising actually. After all, the mine in Beifeng Mountain is one of the entrances to the maze... it's just a less popular entrance."

"you mean……"

"That's right, that guy's identity might be..."

Devil!

The title that existed only in legends shook the hearts of everyone present.

Fearing the various rumors about its reputation, they didn't even dare to utter the word.

After all, they are right under the nose of the devil.

Looking north from here, one can even vaguely see the cave on the North Peak Mountain over the layers of pine trees! They were afraid that if they spoke louder, they would attract the attention of the man who must not be named.

Panic spread silently, and the increasingly outrageous rumors were often the best breeding ground for chaos and corruption.

It's a pity that there is no God's Chosen One of the Weird Mist here, otherwise he would definitely be able to raise an army of Mad Talkers on the spot.

Of course, this is just a joke.

To please Novel, you can't just spread a few gossips, you have to at least make the people of a city live in fear.

Hearing the whispers in the camp, the leader of the caravan guards couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but shout.

"Just shut up, can't you expect anything good? If that guy dies, will you pay me?"

Upon hearing these words, the people who were originally whispering suddenly fell silent, shut their mouths, and stopped talking.

really.

If Suokeduo died, the entire Chamber of Commerce would basically be disbanded, and they could at most divide the goods in the caravan. However, with their experience and eloquence in doing business, it was questionable how much of the cost they could recover.

Most of the business organizations in the Kingdom of Ryan are sloppy, but they are not sloppy when it comes to money.

More than two hundred years ago, banks within the Kingdom of Ryan were already able to make cross-regional withdrawals throughout the territory, and since then, caravans doing domestic business would hardly carry too much cash on them.

This can prevent thieves on the road from plotting, and on the other hand it can also prevent internal traitors.

If the caravan guards cannot get their escort safely to the next town, then no one will get paid, and the past few months will be in vain.

It was for this reason that he opposed Sokdo's risk of contacting the settlement at the foot of the mountain from the very beginning. However, it seemed too late to say this now, and he could only pray that his boss would return safely.

Just at this moment, two figures on horseback walked on the snow in the distance.

The musketeer standing on guard on the roof of the caravan saw two people approaching from afar, and an expression of surprise immediately appeared on his face, and he shouted towards the camp behind him.

“It’s the boss!!”

The captain of the guard was slightly stunned, then immediately walked towards the direction where the sound came from and climbed up to the roof of the caravan along the ladder.

really!

One of them was his boss!

Just as he saw Socteau, the latter also saw him standing on the roof of the caravan.

After saying something politely to the man accompanying him, Sokdo dismounted and returned the reins to the man.

The man on the horse stepped on the stirrup without saying a word, and led the other horse back the way they came.

Sokodo walked towards the camp, smiling, waving and shouting as he walked.

"It's me! Stan! Haha, the rumors are true, that's a damn good place! We found a treasure!"

That excited expression was as if he had discovered a new world.

Seeing that his boss was safe, Stan, who was standing on the roof of the caravan, finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted to the guards who were on high alert behind him.

"Move the caravan away!"

Several guards worked together to push open a gap in the caravan that was surrounding it like a wall.

Looking at the boss who stepped in through the gap, the captain of the guard named Stan immediately asked.

"What's going on there?"

He's not the only one concerned about this issue.

The guards around were equally concerned and all looked at their leader curiously.

Sokdo grinned, but did not satisfy their curiosity. He just waved his hand and said.

"I can't finish explaining it in a short while. You'll know when you come in with me later."

He believed that the shock brought by language was far less intense than what one sees with one's own eyes.

Instead of describing what I saw, I'd rather let these guys see it for themselves.

They'll be able to see it soon anyway.

However, after hearing what the boss said, Stan and the guards around him were stunned.

"Let's go in together?"

"Yes, I have obtained the right to do business in the local area!"

Sokdo looked at his men with a smug expression and continued.

"The respected Demon King said that as long as I pay taxes according to the rules and abide by local laws, I can do any business I want in Beifeng City without having to ask for his opinion!"

"It's incredible! I've been doing business for so many years and this is the first time I've seen such a generous owner! You don't even have to pay for the business rights!"

"I plan to open a food processing factory there. The skeletons there told me that they have a way to keep freshly baked bread for a whole year without going bad! If this is true, we can even sell the bread produced on the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea to the coast of the North Sea!"

While Sokdo was chattering excitedly, the guards around him couldn't help but change their expressions, and the look they gave him gradually turned into fear.

"Wait... the Devil?" Stan looked at him with a slightly changed expression. He had not heard the second half of his sentence. He swallowed and said hurriedly, "That necromancer... is he really the Devil?"

"Yes! I saw him with my own eyes!"

Sokdo nodded excitedly, looked at the astonished faces of the crowd and continued.

"I know you may be surprised, or even think I'm crazy. Actually, I was the same as you at first... until I actually met that lord! I immediately understood why those refugees from the Dusk Province trusted and even admired him so much!"

"But he is the devil..." Stan looked at his boss nervously, his voice trembling, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

"Of course I know what I'm talking about! Although he is a demon king, he gives me the same feeling as a human being... In fact, he is more polite and well-spoken than most of the lords I have met!"

Sokdo's eyes were filled with reverence, and his voice was even a little carried away.

He even subconsciously forgot that he was standing on the land ruled by the Church of Saint Sith, and even subconsciously forgot his original beliefs.

Or maybe his faith wasn't that devout, but he just hadn't realized it until now.

"...If that guy is the Demon King, then there's nothing wrong with being ruled by the Demon King. At least I think those people are living well! Don't look at me like that, I'm serious...If you've ever seen him, you'll know why I say that!"

Stan could no longer bear the blasphemous words.

Saint Sis is above.

If it weren't for their many years of friendship and the fact that he still relied on this guy's salary to support his family, he would have tied this guy up and sent him to a nearby church!

etc--

Maybe this is the right thing to do!

Stan suddenly thought of a possibility. It seemed that his boss became like this after meeting that devil!

"Maybe it's a charm spell!" A guard looked at him nervously, swallowed his saliva, and whispered, "I remember seeing little demons there... They are best at mental spells! Oh, and since this is the Demon King's territory, there might be succubi there..."

Succubus!

Hearing this word, everyone's faces changed instantly, and the way they looked at their boss became unusual.

"Listen, calm down for a moment." Looking at his boss who was talking nonstop, Stan reached out and held his shoulders, and continued in a serious voice, "I know this may be a little hard for you to accept, but the way you are now... it's like you've been charmed."

Sokdo was stunned at first, then he raised his brows and said angrily.

"Charm?! Are you crazy?! You are simply insulting that adult! What reason does he have to do this?"

"Who knows... How can I know what the devil is thinking? Maybe it's for money?" Stan avoided his gaze and really couldn't come up with a suitable reason.

"If it's for money, he can just rob us! We are not even enough to fill his teeth!" Sokdo's face turned red with anger, and he shouted, "And I told you, he is a human! He doesn't have horns on his head, and he is a man!"

"I heard that powerful demons can hide their horns and tails, and... I heard that succubi are not all female, there are males too." Stan stammered, then looked at the other guards beside him and said, "What are you waiting for? Go get the rope!"

The crowd who were originally watching the fun suddenly came to their senses and ran to the caravan nearby and took out a hemp rope from it.

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Seeing the people approaching him with ropes, Sokdo suddenly panicked and backed away while shouting loudly.

"What are you doing?! I'm your boss, are you trying to rebel?!"

"We didn't mean that. We just wanted to help you. You'll thank us... Sorry!"

Stan held Sodok's arms with both hands to prevent him from escaping, and worked with his men to tie him up and throw him into the caravan.

Looking at the people pulling the curtain of the caravan, Sokdo, who was tied up like an earthworm, shouted angrily.

"Let me go! You bunch of traitors! If you let me go now, I will pretend nothing happened! Otherwise, when we get to Thunder City, you will suffer the consequences!"

The roaring sound made everyone shrink their necks, but no one dared to go up and untie him.

Stan turned over and mounted his horse, then gave orders to everyone in the camp.

"Pack up and break camp. We have to go to the nearby town! We should be able to find a priest there!"

A suppressed roar came from the caravan.

"I'm not sick! You guys are crazy!"

Ignoring the roar, Stan looked at everyone who was standing there at a loss, and continued shouting with gritted teeth.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack your things!"

After hearing what the captain of the guard said, everyone finally stopped hesitating, extinguished the fire on the ground, picked up the things and put them back into the caravan, and drove the packhorses back the way they came, toward the southern part of Silverpine Forest...

…

"… Dear Reverend, may I ask how our boss is doing? Is he feeling better?"

In the church of Silver Pine Town, a crowd of people stood in front of the statue of Saint Sith.

Looking at the priest performing the Holy Light spell, Stan nervously asked about the results of the treatment.

After leaving Silverpine Forest, he brought his boss here immediately.

Turning off the Hades flashlight in his hand, Father Matt remained silent for a long time with an expressionless face, then he sighed slowly and said.

"Your boss was fine to begin with... and you saw that there was no evil energy coming out of his body."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and they whispered to each other with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Not contaminated by evil energy? How is that possible!

Stan also couldn't believe it, but when facing the priest with a cross on his chest, he instinctively couldn't question the glittering authority.

Especially under the gaze of Saint Sissi, he never thought that the priest in front of him could lie to him.

But he still couldn't get around the hurdle in his heart. He always felt that this was wrong.

"But……"

Looking at the lost lamb in front of him, Father Matt spoke slowly in a gentle tone.

"It is true that Hell is the enemy of the Church, including those self-depraved demons. These are all written in the Book of the Holy Word. However, the Book of the Holy Word does not define the identity of the Devil. Many people subconsciously think that the Devil is the enemy of Saint Sith, but in fact Saint Sith never said this."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone looked at him in surprise.

Including Sokdo, who was lying in front of the statue, opened his mouth in surprise, as if a fist could be stuffed in.

The Book of the Holy Word does not define the identity of the Devil?

Is this true or false?

He had read the scripture in its entirety, and vaguely remembered that the word "devil king" did not seem to be mentioned there.

But it's normal even if it's not mentioned.

After all, when the Book of Holy Words was written, the Oss Empire had just driven the old subordinates of Hades to the underground world. The biggest purpose of the whole book was to label the latter as demons and strengthen their own legitimacy. As for the forces of Hell using this to launch a counterattack on the surface, that happened later.

It is for this reason that Father Matt did not lie, and at most his words could only be considered sophistry.

But even if he was quibbling, no one could expose him.

After all, Sokdo had read the original text of the Book of the Holy Word, but the caravan guards he hired couldn't even spell a few words, let alone have their own opinions. All their knowledge about Saint Sith came from the priests.

Looking at everyone standing there in a daze, Father Matt continued in a gentle voice.

"The Demon King is the lord of the labyrinth, or a secular identity, just like the lord who rules Silver Pine Town... that's all."

"But most of the time, these mazes are controlled by Hell and ruled by demons, so we think that the Demon King is as evil as the demons."

"But what's the difference?" Stan couldn't help but ask, "Sorry, I didn't question your meaning... It's just that according to what you said, the maze is ruled by demons. Doesn't that just prove that the Demon King is our enemy?"

"It's most mazes, not all." Father Matt looked into his eyes, smiled faintly and continued, "The demon king who once ruled the maze like ours did bring great disaster to Thunder County, but that demon is dead. The ones who rule there now are not demons, but humans like us."

"But... does this alone prove that he is a good person?" Stan still couldn't accept this statement, but there was an obvious struggle in his eyes.

What if Mr. Sokdo was not bewitched by any supernatural power, but made his judgment based on his own experience?

With that gentleman's intelligence and foresight, he would not be fooled by a few sweet words.

If that's the case, I might be the one who made the mistake...

Looking at the guards who were beginning to waver, Father Matt continued in a soothing tone.

"Just because he's a human being doesn't prove he's a good person, but we can't assume he's evil, can we? If I were you, I would use my eyes and ears to confirm, rather than relying on subjective intuition."

"Moreover, as stated in the Holy Book, we can accept demons who return to the embrace of Holy Light. Even if they have committed unforgivable sins, they only need to be baptized by Holy Light and Holy Water to cleanse the sins in their souls and obtain the forgiveness of Saint Sith. Their souls will then ascend to heaven and escape the cycle of hell."

"…Since we can accept demons who embrace the light, why can't we accept humans who are just like us? This is obviously a kind of prejudice, and it is exactly what we who serve God should avoid."

"Saint Sixtus, please forgive my sins." Stan, who had completely come to his senses, confessed to the statue.

In fact, he still felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was.

As the feeling of awe rose in his heart, he quickly suppressed it as if it were the anger in his heart.

The same goes for the other guards.

No one dared to doubt the priest's correctness. At least here the priest in front of them had the indisputable authority to interpret the scriptures.

However, Sokdo, who was lying in front of the statue, showed a strange expression on his face after listening to Father Matt's explanation.

I didn't say that the demon king was a human, so how did the priest know that? Could he have seen him too?

No way...

After all, this is the church of Saint Sixtus.

If the Demon King's power has even infiltrated this place, it would be too scary...

(End of this chapter)