Chapter 13: Want to Make a Move?
Linley bought ten amethysts and left that counter, heading toward another one. The counter occupied a large area, displaying all kinds of goods, and many people were browsing beside it, with quite a few paying to make purchases.
This was where defensive artifacts were sold.
“Linley, do you want to buy a defensive divine artifact?” Delia looked at Linley with confusion.
“I don’t need one.” Linley smiled at Delia. “Delia, your defensive armor is only a low-level divine artifact—too weak. Buy a set of mid-level defensive artifacts.” Since they were preparing to participate in the demon trial, it was only natural to boost everyone’s strength a bit.
This strength, aside from personal ability, also included divine artifacts as part of the equation.
If they were to take the demon trial, Linley’s greatest worry was actually Delia. As for Bebe... when they left the Yulan Plane, Lord Beirut had given Bebe quite a few treasures. As for himself, he possessed a soul-defense sovereign artifact, even if it was somewhat damaged.
“Alright.” Delia didn’t refuse. She understood that if she grew stronger, Linley could rest easier, and she could better help him.
“These defensive artifacts really cost much more than offensive ones,” Linley remarked with a sigh.
A mid-level offensive artifact cost around a thousand inkstones, while a mid-level defensive artifact typically demanded five to six thousand inkstones. To Linley and his group, that was nothing.
The main entrance of the Purple Thorn Castle was bustling with people, but beside the steps of the castle, a man stood there, constantly watching the front gate.
“Those three are really slow. Isn’t it just shopping?” the mid-level god muttered under his breath. “They’ve never been to Diyi City before; they’ll probably wander around for ages. They’re enjoying themselves inside, while I have to wait here forever.”
Linley and his companions were indeed curious.
Many items in the Purple Thorn Castle opened their eyes to new things, so they naturally wanted to browse thoroughly and broaden their horizons.
The mid-level god suddenly caught sight of a figure in the distance and immediately stepped forward respectfully: “Lord Edmund!”
Edmund nodded faintly and said indifferently, “They haven’t come out yet?”
“Yes, not yet,” the mid-level god confirmed.
Edmund frowned, turned to look at the main entrance, and thought, “They’ve already sold their things. I reckon they’ll still come out through this front gate.” He wasn’t in a hurry and simply waited outside.
“It’s Lord Edmund.”
Some residents of the Black Dragon Tribe, after leaving the Purple Thorn Castle, saw Edmund standing there and mostly gathered behind him.
“Hmm. Here they come!” Edmund’s eyes lit up.
“That metallic lifeform was really expensive,” Delia remarked with a sigh.
Linley nodded as well: “The most ordinary metallic lifeforms cost millions, while advanced, powerful ones go for tens of millions... and those giant ones are priced at over a hundred million inkstones. Bebe, your grandfather is truly impressive.” Linley praised, glancing at Bebe beside him.
“Of course!” Bebe raised his head proudly.
Lord Beirut’s metallic castle was the highest-grade metallic lifeform. Purchasing one in the Purple Thorn Castle would cost over a hundred million inkstones.
The three of them chatted as they left the first-floor hall, heading out with the bustling crowd.
“Linley.” Suddenly, someone called out.
Linley turned to look. It was Debra.
“Debra.” Linley smiled and said, “Oh, sold your stuff?” As he spoke, he noticed a large group around Debra, all from the Black Dragon Tribe.
Debra chuckled: “I just sold a mid-level artifact. But I heard you went to the third-floor hall. Whew, you’re the impressive one.” As Debra said this, many Black Dragon Tribe residents looked at Linley with envy or jealousy.
In hell, accumulating wealth was incredibly difficult.
“Oh?” Linley smiled faintly, carefully noting the expressions of those from the Black Dragon Tribe.
Actually, going to the third floor to sell things, Linley didn’t think he could escape the notice of everyone in the Black Dragon Tribe. It might be discovered... but so what? After all, he had no intention of returning to the tribe.
“Alright, let’s move out.” Edmund, at the front, spoke and led his men forward.
Edmund didn’t even glance at Linley.
The group had only walked about a few dozen meters when the Black Dragon Tribe crowd naturally headed toward the main road, following the path they’d taken to enter Diyi City. But Linley’s trio turned directly and went in another direction.
“Linley, where are you going?” Debra asked in surprise.
At the same time, Edmund and many others stopped and turned to look.
“Oh, I’m not going back to the Black Dragon Tribe,” Linley said with a smile.
“Not going back to the Black Dragon Tribe?” A gentle voice sounded as Edmund approached with a few subordinates.
Linley saw it was Edmund and sneered inwardly: “This old bastard. The moment I say I’m not returning to the tribe, he, as Steddon’s head steward and an upper-level god, immediately comes over. Does he think I can’t see through his scheme?”
This spot was less than a hundred meters from the main entrance of the Purple Thorn Castle, and there were still many people around. Linley’s group gathered here wasn’t conspicuous.
“Lord Edmund.” Linley smiled politely.
“You’re Linley, right?” Edmund said with a faint smile. “Your two friends are both mid-level gods, elite members of our Black Dragon Tribe. It’s a real shame for you to leave the tribe. By the way, I find you quite agreeable. I’ve recently been short-handed. How about you follow me?” Linley remained humble and courteous: “Thank you for your kindness, Lord Edmund, but there’s really no need. My wife, my brother, and I came to the Black Dragon Tribe as newcomers to hell. Still, I’m grateful for the tribe’s care during this time.”
Edmund was momentarily speechless.
Looking at the humble smile on Linley’s face, he felt a surge of anger: “This guy!”
He knew that Linley must be carrying a fortune. Even for Edmund, accumulating wealth wasn’t easy. After all, he had only become an upper-level god by refining a divine spark, which was why he’d stuck with Steddon. Steddon took the lion’s share; Edmund only got the scraps.
“Then we’ll be on our way.” Linley smiled, then turned around.
“Swish!”
Very abruptly, six mid-level gods appeared in front of Linley’s trio.
“Trying to leave?” one of the mid-level gods said coldly.
Linley froze, his gaze turning cold.
“Damn it. What, want to make a move?” Bebe’s voice suddenly rose sharply, instantly spreading through the area. The originally bustling crowd mostly turned to watch, and Bebe shouted, “Honored lords of the Purple Thorn Army, they’re about to hit someone! They’re starting a fight!”
This spot was less than a hundred meters from the Purple Thorn Castle’s main entrance.
At such a distance, the bored Purple Thorn Army soldiers at the main gate naturally heard Bebe’s voice. Though they were stationed to maintain order, no one usually dared to cause trouble, so they were bored stiff. Hearing someone call out to them, they became quite interested.
“Oh, something’s happening?” a purple-robed, black-haired burly man said. “I’ll go check it out.”
“Brothers, let’s all take a look.”
A dozen or so Purple Thorn Army soldiers curiously walked over.
Seeing the Purple Thorn Army approach, Edmund’s face turned ugly.
He was an upper-level god, yes! But only by refining a divine spark. In hell... there were far too many experts stronger than him. As a tribe steward, he could throw his weight around within the tribe.
But in Diyi City, he was nothing!
“What’s going on?” The dozen Purple Thorn Army soldiers arrived, and the burly leader barked, “I heard someone’s starting a fight? In Diyi City, who dares to start a fight?”
With a few shouts from the Purple Thorn Army, the previously arrogant Edmund and his group were cowed into silence.
“Honored lords of the Purple Thorn Army, these people are from my tribe, and I’m the leader of this expedition. I was just scolding them. Nothing else is going on,” Edmund quickly explained. The purple-robed burly man frowned: “Oh, they’re from your own tribe?”
“Yes, they’re from our Black Dragon Tribe,” someone beside Edmund chimed in.
“Damn it, joining a tribe means you can leave whenever you want. What right do you have to force us to go with you?” Bebe shouted.
“Edmund!” Linley stared at him. “I was respectful to you earlier, calling you Lord Edmund. But you should at least know your place. This is Diyi City, not the Black Dragon Tribe. I’m telling you now—the three of us are officially leaving your Black Dragon Tribe.”
Edmund’s face was ashen.
But with the Purple Thorn Army nearby, he didn’t dare act arrogantly.
“Oh, interesting.” Another purple-robed, silver-haired young man with a single silver horn and a handsome face laughed. “In hell, killing and fighting are common. But still, everyone has their own freedom. A tribe can’t force someone to do something, can it?”
Edmund and his group dared not speak.
Bebe bowed to the Purple Thorn Army soldiers and grinned, “Thanks a lot, lords! Otherwise, this old man would keep making a fuss.”
“Don’t worry.” The purple-robed, silver-haired young man smiled faintly. “This is Diyi City. Diyi City has its rules. Here, whether you’re a lower-level god or an upper-level god, no fighting is allowed. Whoever dares to fight... haha, we brothers are pretty bored anyway.”
The Purple Thorn Army group looked at Edmund and his men.
Edmund had cold sweat on his forehead. A small tribe wouldn’t dare offend the fearsome Purple Thorn Army!
“Honored lords of the Purple Thorn Army, no, we were just reluctant to see them leave and exchanged a few more words. We didn’t block them. If they want to leave, we welcome it. Everyone knows that. In a tribe, no one stops anyone from leaving,” Edmund quickly said.
Linley listened and had to admit—Edmund had some thick skin!
“Oh, so that’s how it is. Alright, all of you can go now,” the purple-robed, silver-haired young man said with a faint smile.
Edmund and his group breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and left one by one, casting a glance at Linley as they went.
“A threat?” Linley also glanced at Edmund.
This was Diyi City. Linley had never cared about Edmund.
“That old geezer. Just thinking about how scared he looked in front of the Purple Thorn Army makes me want to laugh. Haha...” Bebe was very pleased. Seeing Bebe like this, Linley and Delia couldn’t help but laugh too.
“We should find a place to stay first,” Linley said.
Delia frowned: “Linley, do you remember? Debra said that staying in Diyi City costs several hundred inkstones per night.”
“Let’s go check it out first.” Linley was also puzzled. If a single night cost that much, it would be terrifying.
Linley and his group first went to a luxurious-looking hotel reception near the Purple Thorn Castle. The decorations inside the reception area made even Linley marvel—some carvings were no less skilled than his own.
“How much is it to stay here?” Bebe asked loudly.
The beautiful woman with purple hair and pointed ears smiled: “Here, one stay costs eight hundred inkstones.”
Linley, Delia, and Bebe were startled.
“As long as the stay is within a year, no matter how long, it’s counted as one stay. If you stay for a year and a day, you’d need to pay one thousand six hundred inkstones,” the purple-haired woman explained with a smile.
Linley and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Unlike the Yulan continent, stays here weren’t calculated by the day, but by the year.
That made sense...
Divine-level experts often spent months in a single meditation session.
“Even so, eight hundred inkstones a year. In ten thousand years, they’d make eight million inkstones? And that’s just for one suite—this hotel has many suites.” Linley was secretly shocked. “Running a hotel is really profitable.”
Every hotel in Diyi City offered individual, secluded courtyards for lodging. After all, divine-level cultivators preferred tranquility.
“The three of you, would you like to check in?” the purple-haired woman asked, looking at Linley’s trio expectantly.