When Melina arrived at Zariel's residence once again, she had a strange feeling.
This place seemed to have changed.
The palace was still the same palace, but through Melina's golden eyes, something looked bizarre, as if the entire structure might collapse at any moment.
This eye of Melina's was quite special, capable of seeing through all illusions and disguises—its mechanism, in truth, was discerning the unique flow of magical energy.
Formidable magic saturated the palace everywhere, but none of it was stable, looking as though it could detonate at any second.
Yet when Melina blinked, everything seemed to return to normal. She could not confirm whether the magic had actually shifted or if she had simply hallucinated under Zariel's overwhelming pressure.
Still, Melina paid it no mind. Her father often said that mortals should never presume to deduce the actions of deities, for flawed intelligence all too often led to dire consequences.
Melina knew she wasn't smart, so she never tried to act clever. What she didn't understand, she didn't dwell on, leaving it to those who were smart to figure out.
For this audience, Melina had turned over a vast quantity of soul coins to "purchase" permission to freely enter the Blood War.
She had expected Zariel to haggle a bit; after all, it was free profit, and by devilish habit, an archduke would surely demand an exorbitant price. But Zariel had agreed readily without hesitation, barely even glancing at the soul coins Melina handed over.
Not only did Melina obtain authorization to freely enter the Blood River battlefield, but she also secured Zariel's approval to receive the same treatment as an elite legion of the Blood River Fortress, allowing her to purchase various equipment directly from the fortress.
Melina hadn't thought much of it at the time, but when she returned and told Anbaixiu, his face registered utter shock.
"Has Zariel lost her mind? Would Bel ever agree to this?"
Anbaixiu was truly shocked. An uncontrolled force entering the battlefield was already headache enough for Bel; even if Melina had to give him advance notice of her movements, it would still add to Bel's operational strain.
And on top of that, she could directly purchase equipment! One had to realize that even Bel's own subordinates had to redeem gear through merits. Blood River Fortress's storehouses were hardly bottomless; every bit of supplies inside was dug out of the Nine Hells' own pockets. They were exceedingly precious—how could they possibly be sold off so casually to outsiders?
What was more, Zariel hadn't placed any restrictions on it. If Melina bought the gear and turned around to resell it, she might even turn a profit.
"This isn't normal. Zariel's recent behavior has been completely bizarre."
Anbaixiu already sensed something terribly off. Had Zariel lost her taste for soul coins? Or did she want Bel dead so badly that she was letting Melina run rampant?
It didn't add up. No matter how he looked at it, something was wrong.
If not even soul coins could pique the interest of a devil archduke, what on earth was she plotting?
Anbaixiu pondered for a long time without finding an answer and had no choice but to consult Paluriel.
Though that madwoman was quite twisted, after spending so many years in Hell, she certainly understood devils far better than he did.
Paluriel, however, thought for a moment and then shook her head at Anbaixiu. "I can't guess. I spent all those years in the sixth layer of Hell and know nothing about Zariel. Still, devilish schemes and intrigues always boil down to three things: what they want to steal, whom they want to kill, or where they want to go."
Anbaixiu rolled his eyes. "That summary of yours is completely useless. It's not just devils—almost everyone's schemes boil down to those three things."
Paluriel grinned. "That's why far more mortals end up in Hell than in Heaven. It's the common nature of malice."
Anbaixiu couldn't be bothered to debate human nature with this madwoman. Even without knowing Zariel's thoughts, their plan had to advance steadily.
First, enter the Blood River battlefield and use the magic mirror to test the demons' combat strength. By promoting the mirror's influence and turning it into a crucial piece of equipment for the Blood War, Anbaixiu would gain the leverage to sway the war at pivotal moments.
Second, enter the Blood River battlefield and find the true tributary of the River Styx.
This task was immensely difficult and required bypassing both Bel and Zariel.
Legend had it that the River Styx traversed countless universes, and the segment in Hell was merely one of its larger tributaries. Through the Styx, abyss demons endlessly flooded into Hell, forming the Blood River battlefield.
However, the visible River of Blood was not yet the true River Styx. Whether the actual river was buried deep underground or hidden within the void and other planes remained uncertain; in any case, it required a thorough investigation. If a way to sever the River Styx could be found, so much the better—it would resolve the issue once and for all.
The difficulty was astronomical, and Melina certainly couldn't manage it, so Paluriel had to handle it.
"Infiltrating the Blood River battlefield... now that really is dangerous work." Paluriel turned to Anbaixiu and asked provocatively, "You don't expect me to work for you for nothing, do you?"
"You already agreed to cooperate with me to end the Blood War. Raising the price halfway through isn't your style," Anbaixiu said, perplexed.
Paluriel said matter-of-factly, "I just flipped a coin, and the Goddess of Fate gave me a wink, telling me to jack up my price on the spot."
Anbaixiu mocked mercilessly, "Ha. The Goddess of Fate wouldn't even spare you the sleep in Her eye."
That goddess detested clingy, good-for-nothing pests the most. Any divination wizard who abused the power of fate just to lie around doing nothing would get kicked to death by Her, let alone a shameless leech like Paluriel trying to rub up against Her; the goddess wouldn't deign to give her a single glance.
Paluriel, however, looked as though she had Anbaixiu right where she wanted him, smugly declaring, "That's the result of the coin toss. You can disbelieve it if you want, but then I won't do the job."
Anbaixiu truly had no leverage over her and asked, "What's your new price?"
Paluriel blurted out eagerly, "I want Harvey! Hand that boy over to me! After attending two of his lectures, I feel like I've already brushed the hem of the Goddess of Fate's skirt! Give Harvey to me, and I'll help you!"
Anbaixiu said with absolute finality, "Piss off. He is my student, not my merchandise."
"Heh, Arthas, what kind of gentleman are you pretending to be? He worships you unconditionally and would gladly lay down his life for you. By devilish standards, he is your possession, and you can dispose of him however you please—including his soul."
Parents could sell the souls of their young children, and children could sell the souls of their elderly parents. Such was the law of devils: not measured by mortal morality, but by the simplest and most cost-effective reality. If you could hold something firmly in your grasp, it became your property, ready to be traded away at any moment.
For Anbaixiu, selling Harvey's soul would be effortless. As long as he dared sign the contract, Paluriel could carry Harvey's soul away right now—that was the law of devils.
Anbaixiu sighed and said to Paluriel, "Paluriel, if you never learn to respect the destiny of others, you will never understand what destiny truly is. You always believe you can pluck the strings of fate at will, but in truth, those threads will only tighten, binding you fast when you least expect it. By the time you come to your senses, your only destination will be the Abyss."
Paluriel frowned and asked, "What does 'respecting the destiny of others' even mean?"
Anbaixiu rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Aren't you an erinyes? Go seduce him yourself!"
Paluriel's eyes widened in astonishment. Did respecting someone's destiny mean that? Fate truly was profound!
Chapter 586