The Paladin in the Abyss

"Damn it!!!" Molo let out an angry roar, his figure flashed, and he rushed towards Lancelot like lightning.

"Enough!" Tijana intervened, her wings suddenly shooting up, her eyes emitting a strong magic light.

She employed her ability to cast spells instantaneously, and a large, thick, and sticky white spider web appeared out of nowhere, into which the furiously charging male succubus slammed head-first, becoming entangled and unable to move.

"Tijana! Let me go!" Molo yelled from within the web, "Are you planning to lay a hand on me?"

"Perhaps, but not now. You'd better calm down and look at yourself," Tijana answered in a threatening tone, "Do I need to remind you whose territory this is? You are just a customer who wanted to see the performance of the weapons you intend to buy in actual combat, and I have obliged you. If you have any complaints, it's best not to vent your anger on my subordinates."

"Hmph!" The male succubus, reminded thus, realized his own impropriety. He looked around only to see the Minotaur, the Arachne Elf, and the six-fingered Prince all watching him with a particularly peculiar gaze.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It was a gaze he was all too familiar with, one that contained mockery, contempt, and schadenfreude—it was the same look he had faced almost incessantly when he was a low-rank lieutenant under the Queen of the Succubus, Mekanshut.

When he could no longer endure and killed a Zoel Elf who enjoyed tormenting him and was also a plaything of the Queen of the Succubus, nobody looked at him with that gaze anymore.

His act of murder was witnessed by the Queen of the Succubus herself; perhaps she construed it as a lover's quarrel between two male pets, which exceedingly excited her lascivious nature. As Molo plunged the dagger into the heart of that Zoel Elf, the Queen of the Succubus appeared beside him, between her legs as wet as a beer barrel stabbed with a blade.

For the following three hours, he used all his craft, even burning away most of his Demon Essence, to successfully sate the Queen of the Succubus's insatiable desire, if only slightly.

Although Mekanshut quickly lost interest in him, Molo had succeeded in earning the appreciation of the Queen of the Succubus. He gained a low-level noble title, was appointed as an Official on Special Assignment to the Plains of the Abyss, responsible for establishing an outpost, collecting gold, treasures, and any valuable information for the Queen of the Succubus.

Due to its proximity to Twin Bridges Town, this small outpost quickly flourished into a very wealthy town, and his status rose with its fortunes.

He had nearly forgotten his humble origins and sordid past until he saw that gaze again—after all, it seemed to penetrate through his pathetic adornments, reminding him of exactly what kind of creature he was.

"Put me down! I don't want any of this junk!" the male succubus snarled hatefully.

"Very well." Tijana waved her hand, and the spider webs vanished into thin air, dropping Molo who was ensnared within to the ground.

"How dare you be so disrespectful to me!" Molo glared at Tijana, "From now on, not a single one of Twin Bridges Town's trade caravans will be allowed to pass through Oasis Fort!"

"You are more than welcome to try," Tijana's tone turned icy cold, "I have always found Oasis Fort to be something of an eyesore."

"I will make sure the Queen hears of this!" Molo said venomously, glancing at Kailon, he sneered, "It seems Volcano Fortress will receive the lion's share this time. To the Queen, it would appear as though you, General, have openly sided with Grazzt..."

"All because of you. Now you can start thinking about how you're going to explain this to her," Tijana waved her hand dismissively, "It looks like your business in Twin Bridges Town is done. Get out now."

The male succubus spat angrily on the ground and, with his followers, stormed out.

"Sonam, you take some people and watch them leave," Tijana ordered the Serpent Demon beside her, who hissed subconsciously and set out to obey.

"Lady Tijana, we shall take our leave as well. Once I return, I will report immediately to Madam Arachne," the Arachne Elf Kavalan also spoke up at this time.

"Mm, go ahead, I won't see you out," Tijana waved her hand, "Remember what I said earlier, you have three days."

"Hmph, Pami is leaving too!" the Bull Demon followed, not wanting to let his lord be the last to receive the report about Cold Iron Weapons.

After Tijana dismissed two groups of people, only Kailon and his entourage remained. Lancelot then put all his effort into operating the Concealing Breath Technique, and although he stood to the side, his presence was as inconspicuous as a rock.

"Thank you, Lady Tijana," Kailon, who had been silent for a while, spoke up again, "As you promised, the Volcano Fortress has received Twin Bridges Town's production for the next three months, which will be of great help in our war against the Demons."

"You don't need to remind me of the significance of Volcano Fortress," Tijana waved her hand, "Besides, you have acquired only two-thirds. After learning of today's events, the Bull Demon and the Spider will certainly gather enough gold one way or another."

"That's not a small amount either, and there are also ordinary iron weapons. What about their prices?"

"As before, Twin Bridges Town's production capacity is 3000 military melee weapons per month, uniformly priced at 300 Gold Coins each."

"That means, I now owe you..." Kailon paused, wincing at the number he was about to reveal, "1.5 million Gold Coins."

Tijana said nothing, just watching him with her bright, sparkling eyes. Lancelot silently cursed to himself on the side; it really was a huge business deal.

"Can I get a discount?" the Prince with six fingers could not control the twitching of his facial muscles.

Tijana answered him with silence.

Kailon helplessly exchanged glances with his Fireburn Demon attendants, who gave him a slight nod.

"So be it, then. As for the payment method..."

"Same as before, grain or minerals are fine, and the exchange rate hasn't changed; we'll trade money for goods on the spot," Tijana sat up straight, "Let's talk about something useful. How's the front line looking?"

"I am not the one suited to answer this question." Kailon turned his body to the side, pointing to a Fireburn Demon attendant, "Surely, you are already quite familiar with Felbank, Supreme Commander Visuvius's chief of staff."

"I've heard much about you," Tijana nodded her head, "It's said that Destruction Flame trusts you greatly."

"An honor to meet you, the Pearl of Twin Bridges Town," the Fireburn Demon's flames seemed to burn even more vigorously in Tijana's presence, "The situation is not optimistic. Ever since the Fallen Angel Zariel became the Demons' Supreme Commander again, their tactics have become increasingly aggressive..."

Felbank then spent fifteen minutes briefly explaining the state of the battle. Lancelot, standing by, hardly understood anything and only vaguely grasped that the Demon army's offensive was extremely fierce and, despite the great sacrifice by the Demons, they were still being driven back.