fourteen

A few days later, Jacob enters the Adventurers' Guild with Heskell and Stelge, who wears a hooded flesh-slit cloak that wraps around her entire body. He had changed his mind about not returning to the guild because he thought he could use what he found in the cistern as a bargaining chip to master some of their knowledge. At the same time, he was eager to see the expressions on their faces when he exposed their huge shortcomings.

He was quickly recognized by people due to his performance on his first visit, and despite the large number of people, the whole hall was eerily quiet. When people go straight to the same receptionist who has hosted them before, his lifeguard doesn't need to push them aside.

"You're back," the supervisor said. "How's your trial contract going?" Did you find the necklace?"

"Yes."

Without saying a word, Heskell stepped forward and placed a necklace on the counter. It is a soft glowing aquamarine, shaped like a crescent moon, tied to a delicate silver chain. Although Jakob initially thought it was lost, the trio was making sure there wasn't a single Ratme through the many tunnels

It was discovered by tribesmen when they escaped alive. The necklace rests next to a pile of slimy black asphalt. Obviously, even the rat variant can be vain.

His attendant also placed a bag of remodeled intestinal walls and skin on the counter, and although it looked like a leather pouch of not bright color, it was difficult to hide the smell it emanated.

To his credit, this Gildman didn't cover his nose and just asked, "What is this?"

"Turn it on." Jacob said that Huskell opened the bag and shook it vigorously to pour it onto the counter, freeing up all the badges they had collected.

Just like that aquamarine necklace, they found more Steel Guild insignia next to the remains of the escaped Latmans. The death toll was 19 tin men, 12 iron men, 1 bronze man. She is now dead and replaced by Stelgi, whom Jacob gave her the name because after many rituals and rituals the only word she would say was "master", so he gave her a demonic word meaning "lightning". For whatever reason, demons have hundreds of names for many elements, and "Stelji" specifically refers to lightning that flies from the ground to the sky, such as those that are very rare during harsh winter storms.

"This ...... Where did you find these β€”β€”??"

"Our search was led from the sewers of the harbor to the underground of the armory area. A group of mutants make their home there. They collect these badges just like they collect trinkets. Jacob couldn't help but smile under the mask, but it was probably a good thing that he didn't see it, given his trembling appearance. A part of his heart still couldn't help but feel that it was a black and funny thing that such a primitive abomination had killed so many guild members.

"And this ......," he began, holding up the bronze badge. It's Lyza's!" Everyone thought she died in the West Market incident......"

A man almost as tall as Heskel squeezed through the crowd and walked to the counter. He was dressed in a well-fitting leather coat, his hair was short and gray, and he had the air of authority.

"Jacob. Please follow me. ”

"Guild? The receptionist said to him in surprise.

"Michael, put those badges away and bring them to my office."

"Of course, sir!"

The guildmaster looked back at Jacob. "We?"

Considering that the refusal would arouse suspicion, he simply nodded and followed the man to the back of the hall, where a spiral staircase led to the top. His lifeguards and blacksmith servants followed closely behind, ready for anything, although Jacob suspected that the Guild Master was a big threat to him.

After recounting their journey into the sewers for the second time, the butcher leaned back on the comfortable couch, making sure to ignore the fact that the famous witch "Lysa" was now standing behind Jacob, with a different name and a face. There was a fragrant cup of tea on the low table in front of him, but he was careful not to allow himself to drink anything that he did not make himself.

"I'm surprised you can spot this infestation. Truth be told, the guild should have been aware of these massive disappearances, but due to the events at the West Market and the Royal Guard's surveillance of the Mage Quarter, everything was too busy for us to keep track of. ”

Based on the information gathered by Jacob, the Royal Guard thoroughly investigated everyone who had the ability to summon powerful demons, and as a result, the West Gate was closed, the mage area was ransacked, they searched for clues, and all the mages and their apprentices were interrogated. This also explains why Hargraves missed the scheduled transfer to the North Market and the pharmacist that Weeks had tricked into their hands, and why he suddenly appeared after clearing his name.

"Needless to say, but your efforts clearly exceed the requirements to pass the membership exam, let alone earn a bronze medal. Once you're back downstairs, you'll be able to pick up your new bronze license. ”

"I don't need senseless titles and awards," Jakob replied honestly, though he would still accept the new license because it would allow him to operate in almost every department of Helmsgarten without censorship. His plans went far beyond keeping just one lab in the northern part of the market, and the freedom to travel between regions meant he could build more, let alone diversify, just as his grandfather had built his specialized lab in the southwest corner of the deep sewer.

"And what kind of pay do you want?" You don't come across like a person who works for free. ”

"Knowledge".

The guild master narrowed his eyes and stared into Jacob's eyes, but then he seemed to make up his mind and got up from his chair.

As Stelgi, cloaked in a cape, prepared to fight, there was the sound of scraping bone plates and bone fragments. As she sucked the static energy into her recreation, he could feel the air become electrified.

Unaware of Jacob's servant and the threat she posed, the guild master opened the door to the study and looked at the butcher still lying on the couch.

"Come on. I will let you peruse what we have. ”

Following the guildmaster up another spiral staircase and through a locked door, Jacob enters a mixed space of library and armory, filled with bookcases, swords of all sizes and types lined up, steel plate emails, and more. Jacob immediately threw away all the collectibles as worthless garbage, but then he noticed something noteworthy. One was a slender tome the size of a diary, with pulsing veins entwined around the cover of the flesh, and the other a scroll made of some unknown metal. The book is clearly magical in nature. Both items are kept in glass display cases covered with sealed runes. To his dismay, he knew he didn't have the knowledge to break the seal without destroying the exhibits.

"You have a keen eye." The guild master commented after noticing his interest.

"I want those two," Jacob replied bluntly.

"You have to know that blood is forbidden. In good conscience, I can't tell you about this situation," he replied with a sly smile. He confirms that it is a book of blood disease spells, which makes Jacob want it even more.

"Let me guess, you want me to complete another mission for your guild."

"Indeed."

For a moment, he seriously considered the negative effects of disemboweling the person in front of him and trying to steal both things, but considering that such a brazen act would ruin all his plans, he decided to continue pretending. Even if he still has the demonic blood left after Stelji's transformation, it is impossible for him to use the suspension ritual to conquer the guild masters, because the hierarchy involved is very clear, and whether you like it or not, Jakob is a squire, he is a lord. Perhaps a few days of torture could break these shackles, but the guildmaster's absence would certainly attract attention, and despite his pride, he seemed to be a difficult person to break.

"Give me the book, I agree to your mission, in exchange for the book." He didn't know what the metal scroll was, but he knew it was unique, and a small part of him could feel the potential it emanated.

"You're really good at bargaining, young man." The guildmaster said to him arrogantly, then approached the glass display case, waving his hands and muttering a long list of words. The locking mechanism of the seal appears to be a mix of gestures and voice commands, like untying a complex knot. This was the first time Jacob had seen such a spell, but it seemed useless in other situations than as a lock, although he believed that such a spell could be used in battle to close the mind of the opponent. Perhaps when he had time, he would experiment with some test subjects, after all, he was sorely lacking in non-lethal methods of incapacitating people.

As the Guild Master stepped back, Jacob approached the open display case, noticing the heartbeat of the book itself. He held out his right glove, the top layer that Stelgi had burned a few days earlier, the veins spreading out from his skin and stretching backwards like sentient tentacles. They retreated as the veins touched his gloves, and he quickly grabbed the book and lifted it off the display shelf, its tentacles writhing like a bundle of frightened snakes, but unable to break free from its rooted spine.

"Obey me." Jacob demanded in Chitton, and the guild master stared incredulously at everything in front of him, his arrogance suddenly vanished.

The blood vessels relaxed, rewound around the book, and remained closed.

"I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity," Jacob said to a shaken Gildman. "Now tell me about the task you gave me."

With blood dripping from her arms, Seeger's most recent victim was skinned and died on the stone altar that Jacob used for experiments and flesh-building. Her nostrils were filled with a pungent coppery smell, and her face flushed from the excitement she had just done.

The avatar sighed heavily. "What a waste. There is no beauty in your work. You're just a kid playing with food......"

He was suspended from the ceiling by one of Locke's hair-like nets, which now covered the second half of the room. Her previous victim was quickly caught by the sentient bone spider and brought back to its lair, where the saints knew what it had done to them.

With a thud, the avatar landed on the stone floor next to her, and pushed her aside.

"Hey! She protested.

He stopped, pointing at her with his claws. His left hand and arm were now exactly the same as his right hand, and his entire body was either covered in thick golden-red fur or pale green scales. "Enough...... I'm tired of it, I've pampered you enough. ”

With a lazy stroke, he cut off the neck of the deceased, and then lifted the once-beautiful, but now ruined, head with his russet hair. As the blood slowly dripped from his "trophies", he picked up one of Jacob's paintbrushes, turned its head upside down, and used it as an inkwell to paint his tools. In casual strokes, the avatar begins to draw several seven-grid drawings on the stone floor, a room reserved for such rituals. He drew exactly seven of them, arranging them in a circle, each star connected to the two stars next to it, and the rings cleverly overlapped each other.

"What are you doing?" Sieg asked, curious and alarmed. She knew enough about demonology to tell he was trying to summon something, but she had never seen such a ritual before.

"Wait and see," he replied, and walked to the center of his seven seven-squares.

Then he began to recite a spell that sounded like a poem, and Seeger was a little proud because she understood every word:

"Little animals that climb on the spire of the House of Wealth, obey my call and come to this land of abundance for the glory of glorious treasures!"

Seven golden flames erupted from the ritual circle, swirling like a whirlwind, but did not affect the air in the basement, neither wind nor heat. As if they had appeared out of nowhere, they were razed to the ground and vanished, leaving behind seven almost identical little beings, no taller than a toddler.

"Aren't they cute?" The avatar said, in an almost fatherly tone.

"Theyβ€”what are they?" She asked. At this time, the humanoids with golden scales began to look around curiously, with their dark bulbous eyes, round heads, long ears, and stubby horns.

"Greedy people," he replied. "Alright, let's go. It was dark outside, so we could finally do something fun. ”

As the avatar walked up the stairs leading to the courtyard outside, the mischievous greedymen quickly followed him, bouncing and browning, chattering uneasily in some unknown language, and a few even jumped on the backs of the tall demons they now served.

"But I can't leave ......"

All she got was laughter. She embarrassedly followed him out into the silent night sky.

When she realized she knew exactly where they were going, she began to get depressed. She had a superstitious belief that as soon as she stepped out of the "apothecary" border, Jacob and his monstrous servant would come for her, where she had been imprisoned for more than two weeks. However, nothing happened, however, the silence did not stop her paranoia.

Feel watched all the time...... What a fitting torture, she said to herself thoughtfully. But she was made of something stronger.

The avatar muttered to himself, and his group of little demons followed him. They had crossed the unguarded bridge and entered the noble district unnoticed, but she doubted that it could continue.

Maybe I can run away from the city and get out of the city.

One of the greedy men stopped, turned to look at her, its diminutive stature not diminishing its terrible black eyes staring at her.

"I'm here, okay?" She hurriedly replied.

She'll wait a little longer.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

Sigur just looked up at the tall faΓ§ade of the building, which was located in the northwest of the area. It was built in the old-school style and had too many arches and spires, many of which served no purpose and did not contribute to the integrity of the structure, but it still looks awesome.

The demon frowned at her expression. "You've been here before."

She didn't answer, so he stamped over to her and grabbed her cheek painfully with his clawed left hand.

"This is the gathering place of the Eyeless and their faithful"

He immediately let go of his hand, and the lingering pain told her that the stab wound had left a mark. "How lucky, you say?"

"What do you mean?"

"We can also test your loyalty and clear a thorn in the young master's side."

"If it was loyalty, I would have failed when I left the pharmacist."

"Do you really believe it's a test?" Do you think he needs someone who can't think and act on his own? He created for blind loyalty. Think about why he keeps you to an independent mind. ”

"Because it's more fun for him."

"Perhaps," he replied grinning, revealing his horrible rows of needle-like teeth. "Maybe he wants you to atone for your false beliefs."

"Killing the worshipper of the skinned lady would make her happy, if not more pleased, just like any other sacrifice. She is, after all, the embodiment of rebellion. ”

"Even if you committed a crime at the behest of her nemesis?"

Sieg gritted his teeth. "I will not serve the watchman."

Before she could react, Wex grabbed her right hand, put her index and middle fingers in his mouth, and then closed his two rows of needle-like teeth, ripping them from her hands.

As if he felt that her taste was disgusting, he spat her severed finger on the pebbles, and the greedy people immediately scrambled like hungry dogs. The sudden jolt had completely numbed her, and before she could let out a cry of pain, he grabbed her by the chin and plunged his paw into her upper lip and mouth.

"When you divide up your lady's admirers, you will abandon her." He said, his voice not responding except for a firm nod. Still, she didn't relent, and continued to stare at his piercing eyes, which were like the bottomless abyss of the universe.

His paw slashed down her arm, and all that remained of her arm were a few tattered pieces and exposed bones, flesh and skin falling to the ground, and the greedy imps gleefully feasted on the scraps.

She bit the palm of her hand that was still covering her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but he didn't take his hand away, so she let out a low whimper. She tried to nod her head in obedience, but it took him a long minute to remove his claws from her face.

She had often seen the avatar feast on blood, especially in the last few days, when she had ruined the haughty ladies of the northern marketplace for pleasure, but her blood was utterly contemptible to him. However, the greedy man had no such reservations and licked his bloodied hands and paws clean.

"Show me that you're not just talking."

Sigurt bit her bleeding lip hard, focusing on the blood pouring out of her injured right arm, on a picture in her mind. Slowly, painfully, the massive bleeding slowed down and then stopped completely, and then she processed the remnants of skin and flesh into a spiral around the exposed ulna and radius. The hand and its components were long gone, leaving only one finger bone uneaten, and a greedy rat held it in its mouth as a snack later. She then swirled around the severed limb with her blood, forming a simple spear. It required her to concentrate all her attention to keep the shape steady, but she had no choice if she wanted the demon to remember her willingness to obey.

In the end, I seem to be more afraid of death than my wife's revenge.

His good fortune multiplied when they broke through the guards outside and entered the main entrance of the building. Weeks forced a laugh to see a large crowd of robes-clad gathered: a few wore governor's robes, the rest wore simple black hooded cloaks.

Vickers pushed Sieg forward, her steely will to survive spurred his greedy heart.

"Say, speak," he whispered in her ear.

Her expression turned to stone, and she bit her lower lip harder, but then she shouted to the confused congregation.

"The Watchers will no longer tolerate your heretical cults!" God's punishment for you is coming!"

The next few hours, before dawn, were a spectacular slaughter in which he and his lovable greedy killed and feasted on the frightened pretended cultists and weakened mages who considered themselves important and worth enough to entertain them. That little bit of magic they possess is like a breeze before a tornado, making their death all the more pleasant.

Finally, when Sieg had the privilege of hunting down the remnants of the building's underground and tunnel network, Weeks took his eager retinue on a tour of the estate. There is a lot of wealth in the mansion, there are dozens of rooms. In short, it's perfect.

"You say, is it good for shiny storage?"

The whispers fell silent, and the humming of the mirror blades was gone. He took one last look at it, then tossed the useless dagger aside, and along with it threw the soul of the man named Wex.

"I finally wore the veil. The god of wealth of the shining horde set foot on earthly land. ”

The greedy people cheered, as did the many demons and imps with golden scales and horns, who heeded the call of the Lord of Greed and spontaneously incarnated into reality.

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