Chapter 214 Fifth Stop - Envy 1

"Zero... what are you reading?" Baal asked. They were finally in the carriage after Baal managed to snag a few warmer clothes.

Zero didn't seem to feel the cold thanks to the temperature regulating clothes he wore. Instead of that weird fas.h.i.+on combination, the teen decided to dress down and slipped on his tracksuit. Baal cautioned him about the thick snow and gloomy weather in s.h.i.+ttomi's domain. The Demon Lord also added a brief introduction to one of the older Demon Lords. s.h.i.+ttomi was also known as the snow queen not because her domain was perpetually winter but because of her icy demeanour.

In addition to being the first female Demon Lord, s.h.i.+ttomi was also the leader of the Hannya Investigation House who provided some of the best-known spies and information brokers. Lilith's information trading network was modelled after s.h.i.+ttomi's but according to Baal, n.o.body could beat s.h.i.+ttomi when it came to information gathering. She had eyes and ears in every corner of the abyss and beyond. When compared to the snow queen, even Lilith appeared as an amateur.

Zero didn't appear to have heard Baal the first time so Baal asked again. After all, it was quite rare to see the doctor-in-training to take interest in books when he could easily enjoy the scenery in the comfortable carriage. This got Baal curious.

"Oh, it's just something Bob helped to translate. The book that Amon gave me was a little too complex for my understanding. It looked like a series of moves that could easily be practised on my own but there was a section that contained a manual full of philosophical riddles. Bob rewrote it in a way that I could understand and these are a replica of his original notes."

Baal didn't know what to say. Didn't Amon warn him about the last section of the book? Why did Zero choose to tackle that part first without anyone to guide him? It's not that Baal didn't trust Bob. he knew that the Eternal Dragon would never do anything deliberately to out his master in harm's way. However, Zero didn't have a very good track record of listening to his mentors. Baal wasn't convinced that the teenager was able to read it without pulling off anything funny.

"What does it say?"

Zero hummed. "I don't really understand it but there are some really weird metaphors that I can't understand. 'Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water' is one of the translated notes I have problems understanding. How does becoming water help in a fight?"

Baal blinked. "Are you sure Bob translated that correctly?"

Zero nodded and pa.s.sed Baal his poorly bound book. The Demon Lord looked through Zero's terrible scrawls and frowned in distaste at the horrible penmans.h.i.+p. The first line of that made the Demon Lord scratch his head. While he was literate, the translation made no sense. The Eternal Dragon was a wise being. Surely there had to be a reason for the cryptic message. Zero was right for once. The translated notes didn't make much sense. On the bright side, if Zero was having difficulty understanding the notes then the chances of him getting into trouble were lower.

As the two friends debated on the meaning of becoming like water, the carriage drew closer to s.h.i.+ttomi's freezing territory. Baal was kind enough to cast a heat regulating magic barrier so that their coachman wouldn't freeze. It was a long journey from Amon's burning domain to s.h.i.+ttomi's freezing one. The Lord of Laziness didn't want to know why two extremely contrasting domains existed side by side. All he knew was that the journey back from s.h.i.+ttomi's domain to his would be a long trip.

"It's getting late. We should stop to get some rest for the night," Baal told Zero and the coachman demon who disappeared into the shadows at once to recuperate mana. Zero was thankful that the Scorpion-Lizard Monster King was huge and there were plenty of leftovers they could take with them. Baal complained about the cold while they ate but other than that, dinner was a quiet event.

They decided to sleep in the carriage instead of Zero's lamp after Baal cast some camouflage magic and defensive barriers around. The Demon Lord told Zero that he should experience camping out in the wild every once in a while. The teenager didn't know how sleeping in a carriage in the cold and a blizzard was considered living it the humble way. Still, he didn't complain. Zero enjoyed it when Baal snuggled up to him and they fell asleep quickly.

The blizzard had died down by the next morning. Zero and Baal decided to get into the lamp to freshen up. They were going to see a Queen after all and unkempt appearances didn't cut it. While Baal was normally sloppy around others, he knew when to show respect to a lady when he saw one.

"Change into something more appropriate," the Demon Lord told Zero as they got closer to s.h.i.+ttomi's ice palace.

Zero gave him a strange look but complied. He chose to go with the stiff formal suit that Baal insisted on. Baal also transformed into a young gentleman decked out in the regular aristocratic attire instead of his pyjamas.

When they arrived in the winter zone, Zero was amazed by how beautiful it looked. The demons that resided in the freezing domain had thick furs or weren't affected by the cold. Most were undead species and Zero blinked at how some ghosts just pa.s.sed through walls. Of all the domains he'd been to, the Envy domain has to have the grandest sight. Initially, he thought that Mammon had the best castle with the pristine white walls, gla.s.s windows and beautiful city skyline. Then Zero visited the Academy and thought that Lucifer had one of the best designs. He then saw Lilith's unique castle build that was on par with Lucifer's Academy but s.h.i.+ttomi's ice palace was on a whole new plateau above Lucifer and Lilith's castles.

The walls were white, the windows had a bluish tinge to them. Everything was made up of sparkly solid ice or packed snow. There wasn't much light there but whatever little light was captured and reflected in an artistic manner that reminded Zero of Lucifer's radiant Academy. The castle build was very similar to Lilith's castle but a lot grander. The courtyard was ma.s.sive and the paths never-ending. There were many smaller villas on the castle grounds as the carriage pa.s.sed by them and Baal explained how s.h.i.+ttomi had a very strict hierarchy in her domain. The ones they saw in the outer town were commoners and refugees while the ones residing on the inner grounds of the palace were servants working for the Demon Lord. The further they were from the main palace, the lower in ranking they were.

"Does anyone live in the main palace aside from s.h.i.+ttomi?"

Baal shrugged. He didn't ask as it never intrigued him. "Maybe, maybe not. She's not someone easy to talk to and deal with. s.h.i.+ttomi is a lot older than I am. She was Lilith's mentor and often helps Lucifer from behind the scenes. The Hannya Investigation House has a long history under her leaders.h.i.+p and they've never once failed their missions."

Zero gulped. No wonder Baal had so much respect for the Winter Queen. From Baal's introduction, s.h.i.+ttomi would be somewhere on the same level as Lucifer. Her importance in the abyss could never be replaced. Zero wondered what it took to get to that level. From what he understood after knowing Baal for a while now, the higher a person climbs, the lonelier it becomes. Baal still had Mammon and Lilith with the occasional interference of Lucifer but what did someone like s.h.i.+ttomi have? From what little Baal knew about her, Zero didn't think that s.h.i.+ttomi had many friends or family. Even if she did, they wouldn't be able to share her sufferings.

"We're here," he told Zero and alighted with Zero following behind him. The main palace was raised very high from the ground. There had to be at least a few thousand steps to the very top of it. Zero thought Baal would use magic to fly past the long flight of slippery stairs and was surprised when Baal proved him wrong.

The Demon Lord started climbing the long flight of stairs one step at a time. Zero was stunned and stood rooted to the spot. Baal noticed the lack of footsteps behind him after twenty-odd steps and turned around to see a dumbfounded Zero looking at him with the most confused expression.

"What are you waiting for?"

Zero blinked. "You're not going to fly or teleport?"

Baal blinked and then chuckled. "Nice one. Are you sure you want to fly and teleport within the domain of Envy full of undead? While they aren't the strongest foot soldiers, they are very skilled in soul magic. If s.h.i.+ttomi doesn't want to welcome anyone, they will not make it past her barrier."

Zero raised a brow. "I thought soul magic wouldn't affect you. Your soul is bound to the plane."

Baal chuckled. "I wouldn't die but it can be very uncomfortable. Besides, there's a shortcut. We're not climbing the full four thousand and seventy-eight steps to get to the main door. We're using the side entrance."

Zero didn't know how to take Baal seriously. Where was the shortcut on this long flight of never-ending stairs? Still, the young doctor followed closely. He wasn't complaining about having to climb the stairs especially if Baal was taking the initiative. The lazy Demon Lord needed exercise even if he was all-powerful and eternally healthy.

By the two-hundredth step, Zero was beginning to see no end to the climb. There was virtually no visible progress towards the top. The young doctor wondered if soul magic would affect him if he cheated a little. He shook his head to rid the thoughts quickly. Baal was influencing him way too much!

It was about a quarter of the way through that Baal suddenly vanished. Zero panicked and then remembered that it was the shortcut the Demon Lord mentioned earlier. He took the leap of faith and trusted his friend, stepping on the same spot he saw Baal disappear from. Nothing happened at first and Zero was ready to activate the party call when he felt the world turn upside-down on him.

An involuntary scream left his throat when he felt cold hands grip him from the dark. he plunged into what felt like cold water and slowly sank to the bottom, unable to move his limbs. What was going on?

[Dimension crack detected. Would you like to activate Beacon Blessing?]

Zero took a look at the system prompted notification and declined. Baal wouldn't lie to him, this must be temporary. Mii must have upgraded because the system has gotten a lot better at being proactive. Zero wondered what happened to the strawcherry fairy. He hasn't heard from her in a while now.

Zero eventually broke free of that slow fall and landed on the equally cold ground with a thump. There was something soft and slushy cus.h.i.+oning the impact and Zero guessed that it was snow. He opened his eyes and wasn't disappointed to find some shaved ice.

"Welcome to my castle, Zero."

The young doctor stood up and tried to balance himself on the slippery foothold. s.h.i.+ttomi was as he remembered her to be with red eyes, black hair and white-bluish skin. Remembering the basic etiquette when dealing with royalty, Zero bowed and introduced himself.

"Greetings, your majesty."

s.h.i.+ttomi had a faint smile on her lips but it was barely visible. Zero brushed it off as a trick of the light. He had questions to ask the snow queen but held his tongue. He looked around discreetly trying to find Baal but he did not sense the Demon Lord in the same room.

"It's an honour to meet the true saviour of the abyss. Shall we head to the tea room? Your friend Baal is waiting for us."

Zero nodded, not trusting himself enough to speak in a formal manner. Little did he know what tea room meant.