NOVEL NEXT Chapter 191: Layered Outsourcing
The sixth level of hell, Malboggi, outside the Maggot's Nest underground fortress, on that boundless rocky slope.
Dragons, including Attilicia, whom David had retrieved from the Maggot's Nest, were now staring, dumbfounded. The legendary Devil Duchess Glaciya, with a mere wave of her hand, effortlessly levitated a copper-fortified fortress from the landscape table of her sandbox into midair.
Above them, the copper fortress twisted and transformed according to her will. It became a gloomy cluster of a city, filled with floating towers, twisted staircases, and columnless halls. Witnessing this, Attilicia and the others instantly looked like country dragons who had never seen the world, completely dumbstruck.
"So, you just directly asked the Chromatic Dragon Queen for a Sky City? And She just gave it to you?"
He had never imagined, nor had he ever heard, that the legendary Chromatic Dragon Queen Tiamat could be so generous!
David, however, replied with Arrogance, his head held high:
"It's not a real Sky City, just a knock-off."
Just as David's words fell, seemingly to express her dissatisfaction with his 'knock-off' assessment, the Devil Duchess let the counterfeit Sky City—now at least appearing to be full of Nesseriel Arcane style—descend in front of them.
Accompanied by a thunderous rumble like mountains falling, the entire Malboggi plane, dominated by endless slopes, seemed to experience an avalanche as a grand torrent of rocks thunderously tumbled down.
"Should I then declare to the Bronze Citadel of Avernus that the 'Underworld Miner Dragon'—David Uthos, transferred from Evil Scale Fortress, is also a knock-off?" Glaciya retorted.
"No, no, no, Your Highness Glaciya has excellent craftsmanship; at least it now looks indistinguishable from a real Sky City."
David and his guests from Evil Scale Fortress had no choice but to rise into the sky en masse. They nervously watched the rock torrent, theoretically capable of crushing anything in its path, slam into the knock-off city, only to be diverted to both sides as if encountering a pillar in the middle of a stream.
"If you hadn't rescued my distant kin Yolanda this time, I would be loath to engage in such tedious and tiresome tasks, even with my father's instructions," Glaciya said. "Besides, you, a Red Dragon, truly have an absurdly long list of troublesome requests."
The seemingly nonchalant words from the Devil Duchess took David by surprise.
Damn it! Had Tiamat actually gone to the Lord of the Nine Hells for my harebrained scheme?! And His Majesty actually agreed?!
David, only now realizing the implications, felt his scalp tingle.
It looks like I'm really in deep this time. If it weren't for my mom, who's already a goddess, looking out for me, and the fact that this is just a minor survey mission, I'd be tempted to make an excuse and run for it.
But Tiamat was a deity in her own right. She had stationed her Divine Realm in Avernus, one of the Nine Layers of Hell, and had even served as the Duchess of Avernus for a time. She must have some 'deal' with Asmodeus, the ruler of the Nine Hells. It was almost impossible to think otherwise.
Considering the identity of this young Succubus lady, and fearing that he might offend Glaciya—who seemed rather impatient with the work her father had 'drafted' her into—David dared not show any further negligence, smiling broadly as he said, "Thank you very much for your hard work, Your Highness."
Although Glaciya said no more, David could clearly see from the side that the Devil Duchess continued to devote herself entirely to the creation of this knock-off Sky City. She seemed just like a child who had stayed home for too long, finally getting a chance to make something handcrafted, eagerly awaiting her father's approval.
As the sky-covering dust settled, Viola, the young Black Dragon with the keenest eyesight and greatest curiosity, suddenly exclaimed, "What is that?"
The dragons looked into the distance and saw a large number of devils of various kinds, their eyes somewhat vacant, pouring out from the Maggot's Nest underground fortress. They seemed to find some long-missed familiarity and hurriedly scrambled up the slanting sides of the knock-off Sky City.
It was only then that Devil Duchess Glaciya slowly turned around, looking at David, and solemnly explained, "These thirty thousand souls from Nesseriel are all I could gather from every layer of Barto Hell using my authority. They will 'resurrect as spirits' once you officially enter the Shadow Plane.
"But you must remember this: the vast majority of them died 1,700 years ago in the destruction of Nesseriel. Due to the death of the original Magic Goddess, they fell into the lower planes. Their memories have been washed in the Styx River and extracted on the Scaffold of Despair.
"So even though I temporarily return those 'sacred energies' to them, do not expect them to retain much useful memory or fighting ability. Away from Hell, in other planes, they are mere mortals.
"Also, these souls are lent to you in my name. Therefore, upon 'falling' in battle or dying, they will be immediately recalled to Barto Hell. So, do not hope to revive them with the Resurrection Spell."
With that, she tossed David a 'lending agreement' as thick as a dictionary. "These are the main points. If you understand, then sign your claw on this tripartite agreement."
David flipped through the so-called agreement. He first noticed the 'astronomical figure' that made his vision darken. Fortunately, it was just as Tiamat had said.