Ball of Nothing - Chapter 131
Chapter 131
"Is everyone ready?" Coux asked .
It didn't take them two days to finalise Zero's escort party . Zenobia was very firm about who to send . Coux was in charge of the expedition and nobody disagreed . The party of five consisted of Coux, Amaraline, Qin Yun, Sekkin and Wiser . Hua Tuo was worried when Wiser volunteered to go with them . The strategist had no means of protecting himself, much less Zero . The oddball was human through and through .
"Don't worry," Wiser smiled . "Demon Lord Baal gave his word, nothing will happen . Besides, I don't feel like hanging out with a bunch of wussies in the village who cannot see past some flimsy stereotype . "
At that, nobody protested further . Mitchnew was unhappy that she couldn't accompany Zero to the Spring of Vitality . However, she didn't have much of a choice . Sekkin managed to convince her to stay behind to look out for threats . The half-demon was a much better candidate for the escort party for obvious reasons .
Amaraline chose to leave the village for a while for the same reasons . She couldn't put up with her brother or uncle for much longer . Lovina wanted to go but was still recuperating . The witch also had the responsibility to keep Soon and friends 'alive' so she sent the small party off with a sad wave .
Zenobia wished the small party luck and entrusted the brunet to them . Cleo tucked a small four-leaved clover in Zero's hair for good luck and blessed them before they stepped into the hell chariot . The dark horse neighed and snorted smoke before kicking off into a gallop once the party settled in the carriage behind . The familiar Baal sent sat in the coach seat and whipped he dark horse twice before the beast ran straight into the portal, leaving a trail of fire behind when the portal closed .
It was over too quickly and reality hasn't quite sunk in yet . Zenobia continued to stare at the empty spot for a little more before snapping out orders to the remaining villagers, assigning tasks for everyone to resume the rebuilding project . With Coux gone, there was little left to do . The materials the needed to continue fortifying the village would have to wait .
The chieftess sighed . It wouldn't be long before the villagers started voicing their discontent, opening the can of worms about Zero's identity . She only hoped that the matter would be resolved before the brunet returned . Leon and Clowis were especially hard to reason with and Zenobia wished she didn't have to choose between her village and the brunet who'd done no wrong .
***
As the portal closed behind them, Coux peeked from behind the blood-red velvet curtains in the carriage . The scenery changed immediately into one that she wasn't familiar with . As a trader, Coux was well-travelled but the trip to the abyss wasn't anything she could compare it to .
Firstly, the chariot was not touching any form of ground . They seemed to be moving in the direction of where the dark horse was bringing them to above the sea of darkness . The half-succubus was nervous as she peered into the never-ending pit of black . At the back of her morbid mind, she wondered how long the fall would be before they hit the ground if they fell .
Sekkin wasn't familiar with the abyss . Despite having demon blood in him, hell remained a myth to him until Zero introduced Demon King Baal to them in the most astonishing manner . In a way, this was his motherland . However, it didn't put him at ease . If anything, he was more concerned about the familiar Baal sent . The coachman and their only form of contact was a small rat demon with sinister red eyes . The coachman didn't speak common and nobody else in the chariot knew how to speak demon tongue so that was awkward .
Amaraline held Zero's hand throughout the journey . She wasn't too concerned about the darkness outside or the restlessness of her comrades . The only thing on her mind was how she could convince her brother and uncle to not see Zero any differently . After Zero had given her eyesight back, the fortune-teller had decided to dedicate her life to him . It didn't matter if Zero was a demon or god, she would stand by him . Sadly, her family didn't share the same sentiments . Clowis kept saying that they were unworthy of Zero's attention and shouldn't be disrespectful by speaking to him or bothering him in such a casual manner when he woke up . Clowis kept insisting that Zero couldn't be trusted after he revived the bastard called Douglas and let him go scot-free after betraying the village . Amaraline didn't know what to do .
Qin Yun was equally quiet . Of everyone present, she was the most relaxed . The fox demoness didn't think that she would be returning to hell so soon . In fact, she was amused by how fate worked . Grandma Moppo confided in her last night that she wanted Zero to become the next head of Half Moon village . She was even more insistent that Zero became the successor after finding out that Zero was an immortal and a powerful one who could use divine spells . The old lady begged Qin Yun to convince Zero to consider her proposal and the fox demoness couldn't say no . Being the village's second-longest occupant, Qin Yun had certain attachments to it . It would be lovely if Zero was in charge, she would love to see the things Zero would accomplish .
Wiser felt nauseous the first five minutes into their ride . He turned a deep shade of green after the dark horse lurched into a mad gallop after they entered the portal . Half of him regretted coming aboard but the other half remained stubborn . He had an argument with Tambolt and Raj about Zero's identity . Raj and Tambolt refused to recognise Zero as a lab member stating that he was too much of a magic person who shouldn't be tied down by their shabby presences . Wiser insisted that they should have Zero involve himself more with their activities for it could help them overcome the technological barrier with his magic capabilities . The djinn and dwarf kept insisting that it wasn't right to pull Zero into their crummy group and burden him with their nonsense but Wiser disagreed . Things got heated up and the strategist ended up calling them prejudiced fools with double standards . He got booted from the lab and spent his days sulking before choosing to volunteer for the escort mission .
"Wiser, are you alright? You're looking a little green," Qin Yun commented .
The human shook his head and the fox demoness chuckled . "Here, this is some motion-sickness medicine Hua Tuo packed for us before we left . He thought that you might need it . "
Wiser accepted it gratefully and swallowed them . As expected of Hua Tuo, the medicine worked quickly . Wiser found himself sighing in relief and was curious as to how none of the other passengers in the carriage didn't feel ill .
"That's because we have demon blood to a certain extent in us . The abyss isn't a place that humans could easily waltz in and out of . If it wasn't for Lord Baal's protection, you would've been ripped apart by the lesser demons the moment you entered . "
At that, the strategist looked out the windows and shivered . Even in the darkness, he could see thousands of red glowing eyes were staring at them from a distance as the passed . His whimper caught Sekkin's attention .
"Why did you volunteer anyway? It would have been fine with just the four of us . "
Wiser scowled . "I had my reasons alright? Also, who's to deny such a rare opportunity to tour hell? It's like she said, with Lord Baal's word we would be safe . "
Amaraline giggled . "Is it because of the argument with Raj and Tambolt?"
Wiser didn't answer but Amaraline knew she hit the mark . "Don't worry," she told him . "If it makes you feel any better, I'm here for the same reason . Clowis and Lowis are stubborn fools who wouldn't listen . "
Coux frowned . "Let's hope that Zenobia would be able to resolve everything before we return . "
Qin Yun sighed . "The chieftess is capable but she isn't infallible . In the worst case, we should brief Zero about the situation before we return . In fact, I think we should speak to him about it . "
Sekkin agreed . "Do you think we should inform Lord Baal about it? Just to know what he thinks is the best for Zero . . . "
Qin Yun and Coux made a face . Lord Baal cared for Zero, there was no doubt about it . However, a demon's way of showing concern was very different from the other species on Earth . Sekkin was only a half-demon who lived like a human so he wouldn't understand the implications . Coux knew that it wouldn't be as simple as giving the villagers a slap on the wrist . If Baal was feeling generous, the entire village would be cursed . If he wasn't, Half Moon village would burn .
"Let's keep this to ourselves and place our faiths in the chieftess for now," Qin Yun reasoned . "Lord Baal is a busy person, no need to trouble him with our business . "
Sekkin nodded . "I guess so . Well, Mitchnew is still in the village . Whatever the chieftess cannot accomplish, I'm sure she would take care of it before we return . How long do you think the journey will be?"
Qin Yun shrugged . It had been some time since she last visited the abyss . Many things have changed . Then again, she was in a new district so there were many things unfamiliar to her . The fox demoness observed the rat familiar and sighed . If only it was a fox, she would've been able to communicate with it and manipulate it . Then again, Demon King Baal wasn't a fool . There was no way he would send a familiar that they could manipulate . All the party could do was sit tight and wait .
Time passed very slowly in the abyss . It was quiet with nobody having anything much to say to each other . Coux glanced out of the window often enough to know that she wouldn't be seeing anything more than darkness below and the occasional pairs of red glowing eyes . It was boring . Amaraline had long spaced out on them, probably attempting to peer into the future . Sekkin was snoring away and Wiser was trying to keep his eyes peeled . Qin Yun looked the most comfortable in their party of five . She was playing with fox fire magic, shaping the blue flame into different shapes to amuse herself and pass the time . Coux sighed to herself . With nothing much to do, her thoughts returned to the brunet in comatose .
What was she going to tell Zero when he woke up?
Uneasy about the future, she could only sit tight and wait as they pulled closer to their destination . Demon King Baal's castle could be seen from a distance . It was no less magnificent than what Coux had seen during her travels on Earth . It was built with a touch of death and screamed creepy just like everything else in hell . Still, the dark horse and their coachman remained undeterred, heading straight for the looming fog surrounding it .
Swallowing her nervousness, Coux braised herself to meet the infamous Demon King . Zenobia put her in charge of their party for a reason and she wasn't going to fail her secret mission . Demon King or not, business was business .