Schemed to Such an Extent

In Avernus, the first layer of Hell, ever-burning flames and ceaseless battle were the defining themes of this infernal realm. As the lord of the first layer of Hell, Zariel's personal inclinations greatly influenced the culture of the place. Of course, it also had to do with the geographical position of the first layer. In theory, the first layer of Hell served as the gateway in and out of the infernal plane. Any devil wishing to leave Hell in their true form had to pass through the first layer. The battleground of the Blood War between abyssal demons and devils was located right here at the Blood River Fortress. That Zariel could become the master of the first layer of Hell was precisely due to her bellicose nature. Any other hell lord would truly have struggled to endure the ceaseless attrition of the endless Blood War. Yet lately, Zariel, who treated war as daily entertainment, had not visited the Blood River Fortress for quite some time. Corpses of demons and devils piled high as mountains there, but so long as the battle lines remained unchanged, this Archduke of Hell could not be bothered to spare a glance. She had far more important business to attend to: finding a way to repair a shattered soul. Inside Zariel's residence, three Archdukes of Hell were fretting around a broken soul. The soul was fractured into pieces, barely retaining a vague humanoid silhouette among the fragments. This was the lich's soul. After dying upon regaining a human body, the sinner's soul had automatically plunged into Hell. According to the contract previously signed, the defaulting Anbaixiu naturally fell into the hands of Zariel and Tiamat. At first, the two Archdukes of Hell were ecstatic, nearly turning on each other over who would claim the soul. Everyone knew Anbaixiu possessed the power to forge soul coins. He was Hell's money-printing press, and now he had fallen into Hell as a prisoner. Whoever possessed him practically commanded an inexhaustible supply of souls. It was a temptation that even the Lord of Hell would find hard to resist. Yet before the two could actually fight over him, they discovered that Anbaixiu's soul was so badly damaged that it stood on the brink of total collapse. It was hard to even call this thing a soul anymore. Because of this, neither Zariel nor Tiamat dared inflict any punishment on Anbaixiu's soul. It was like broken glass tenuously held together by cobwebs; the slightest pressure would shatter it completely. That simply wouldn't do. If this lich were to be utterly extinguished, they would suffer a catastrophic loss. The Bank of Hell had already begun drumming up publicity. If their reserve capital fell short, they wouldn't just lose face—they risked losing their entire investment. Yet repairing Anbaixiu's soul was no simple task. In theory, one could simply rewind time to restore Anbaixiu's soul to a complete state. In practice, however, it was impossible. One reason was the Dragon Blood Curse left by the time dragon; the curse itself contained the power of time. Even if they rewound Anbaixiu's soul, the Dragon Blood Curse would follow like a shadow and tear his soul apart all over again, with the likely result that even his current fragile state could not be sustained. The second reason was that Hell did not permit such manipulation of souls. A matter of rules was involved here: the soul of a sinner could not be pardoned through simple shortcuts. Did rewinding time equate to unwinding the sins he had committed? That method erased memories along with time, essentially leaving the sinner unaware of their crimes. Naturally, many hell lords could do this with exquisite precision, rewinding to whatever point they wished. Unfortunately, the Lord of Hell had made it clear: once this door was opened, there would be no end to it. As the Lord of Hell, how could he not know what this bunch of devils would do? Rewinding to wash away sin would become their newest service, pushed aggressively by every single devil. Hell would descend into utter chaos, creating endless trouble. Therefore, Hell's rule was an absolute, blanket prohibition. Whatever condition a sinner was in when they plunged into Hell was how they stayed. Whatever sins they carried were the sins they bore. Under the authority of a devil archduke, one could punish, exploit, or even release at their discretion, but one could never perform an act that absolved sin. Pardoning sinners was the exclusive prerogative of the Lord of Hell; no other devil could encroach upon it, lest it be deemed rebellion. Both Zariel and Tiamat were deeply frustrated. Without rewinding time, Anbaixiu would forever remain in this fragile state where the slightest touch could destroy him. Let alone putting him to work, they actually had to constantly supply him with nourishment to keep his soul from extinguishing entirely. Under these circumstances, Zariel couldn't even be bothered to watch the Blood War—after all, it had remained the same for countless years, with neither devils nor demons ever achieving total victory. Yet even after staring at Anbaixiu's shattered soul for a long time, the two Archdukes of Hell could not devise any solution. In the end, they had no choice but to seek out Mammon. This hell lord was not the strongest among the devils, but he was unquestionably the best-connected and the wealthiest. Perhaps an ancient, pureblood devil like him would have better ideas than two outsiders. Upon hearing of the situation, Mammon had rushed over in a feverish hurry. Mammon was well-traveled and knowledgeable, possessing a deep understanding of souls, and had initially been brimming with confidence that he could repair Anbaixiu's broken soul. Yet when he laid eyes on the state of Anbaixiu's soul, he too was left looking utterly helpless. "How... how could anyone save this? It's like using a red-hot branding iron to engrave words on a single strand of hair without burning it through. Even among the gods, very few could pull off such a feat." Both Zariel and Tiamat felt the metaphor was apt. Saving Anbaixiu's soul was roughly at that level of difficulty, something even Archdukes of Hell were entirely incapable of doing. Thrusting his large belly forward, Mammon paced back and forth anxiously before Anbaixiu's soul. After circling multiple times, Mammon finally spoke: "There aren't many options if we want to save his soul. You had better prepare yourselves." Hearing this, Tiamat quickly said, "Do you want to awaken Asmodeus?" Mammon nodded. As long as the Lord of Hell gave his consent, saving Anbaixiu's soul would become vastly simpler. As it stood, the methods available to the hell lords were ineffective, and they dared not employ forbidden methods. Zariel shook her head at once, refusing flatly. "No. Disturbing his slumber will bring consequences that none of the three of us can bear." The Lord of Hell's temper was exceptionally terrible. Mammon and his daughter had once been a fine couple, but he had torn them apart on a whim. Archduke of Hell or not, master of the third layer though he was, when his former father-in-law chose to punish him, Mammon didn't dare make a peep. If he flew into a rage, Tiamat could still flee back to the Dragon Gods to scrape by, but Zariel would certainly suffer a catastrophic fate. At the thought of the Lord of Hell's terrors, past memories stabbed into Zariel's soul like blades, making her tremble from head to toe. Mammon did not press the matter, knowing all too well how terrifying his former father-in-law was. Instead, he offered two other names. "Either we seek out Oghma—the Lord of Knowledge is all-knowing, and he is bound to know how to repair this soul. Or we go to Kelemvor. The God of Death can bring an end to any death; with his assent, this lich could be restored to life even with a shattered soul." Both Oghma and Kelemvor were far easier to reason with than the Lord of Hell. At the very least, if negotiations broke down, they wouldn't slap the archdukes to death on the spot. The trouble was that neither of them was easy to meet. Requesting their aid was even harder. Tiamat could not help but chime in: "Are the two of you trying to take an even bigger loss? How high a price would we have to pay to enlist those two? That damned lich owes us a debt, and now we have to pay a massive price just to resurrect him? Doesn't something strike you as completely backwards?" Her words gave Zariel and Mammon pause, but Mammon sneered in response: "What else do you suggest? If we save him, we at least have a chance to make our money back from him. If we don't, it's a total loss. We've already signed loan agreements with quite a few hell lords. If we can't produce the soul coins when the time comes, do you plan to default on your debts?" Zariel and Tiamat both fell silent. Mammon was a businessman through and through, far more decisive than the other two Archdukes. He raised his hand and declared, "Let the three of us vote: double down on our investment, or cut our losses?! I'll cast my vote first—I say we save him, and then ruthlessly squeeze every last drop of value out of him!" Zariel and Tiamat struggled internally for a long while before finally raising their hands as well. "Excellent. Unanimously approved. I'll go work my connections." Mammon eagerly teleported away. Neither Oghma nor Kelemvor would be easy to reach, and doing so would likely cost a few substantial favors. Once Mammon had departed, the two Archdukes of Hell could not help glaring furiously at Anbaixiu's shattered soul. Curse that wretched lich! Could this have been part of his calculations all along? He clearly knew he was doomed, so he intentionally stalled on paying the final installment, forcing them to join forces to resurrect him? Had he truly schemed to such an extent?! Once he was resurrected, they would squeeze him until not a single drop of blood remained!