Ball of Nothing - Chapter 134
Chapter 134
It was surprisingly easy to understand the territories in the abyss . Firstly, Hell didn't have many civilisations . Even if they did, it was still a lawless zone . Those with power create the rules . Qin Yun had to give Amaraline and Coux a rundown about the basic do's and don'ts when visiting a demon town .
"They call it a town but think of it as a huge gathering of demons meeting up to do business . Laws do not exist . Demons don't work for livelihood, they don't play fair and they certainly won't go easy on you . If you show them any weakness, you can trust them to stab you where it hurts and drain every drop of your blood they can get . I don't mean it in just the literal sense… they will do it figuratively as well . "
Amaraline shuddered and Coux's expression closed off . "In other words, it's a huge black market with many syndicates running the show?"
The fox demoness nodded . "My influence only reaches so far . We are currently in the Sloth Domain that happens to be Baal's territory . Of course, many other territories exist but there are six major territories in the abyss everyone has to be careful about – Sloth, Lust, Envy, Wrath, Pride and Greed . "
"I read about it," Amaraline agreed . "Sloth is Lord Baal's territory . I think Lust belongs to Lilith, Envy belongs to Shittomi, Pride belongs to Lucifer, Wrath belongs to Amon and Greed belongs to Mammon . "
Coux hummed thoughtfully . "Well, it doesn't really matter . We're here to buy a few things and understand the situation a little more . There are only so many things we can read about from that library . As a trader, it is important to understand the ground situation . Books cannot tell me what I need to know . "
"In that case, I suggest we walk around the black market . Oh, we should also head to the bank to withdraw some money . I'm sure we can use Baal's name to withdraw some . Just show them the seal for verification purposes . "
Amaraline was impressed . "They have such an efficient system?"
The fox demoness grinned . "Considering how there is only one bank controlling the finances in the entire abyss, they should be . I visited it a few hundred years ago so I'm not too sure if things have changed . "
"What else is there in town?" Amaraline couldn't help but ask . Even back on Earth, she'd never been to town . It certainly was quite an experience .
Qin Yun grinned and told the girl about how demon towns worked .
"The town is called Listless Town for lack of better naming sense . I haven't been to this part of the abyss before but I'm sure they would have the standard things in it . For starters, there should be an inn for travellers . If I remember correctly, Indolent Inn is one of the bigger businesses ran by Lord Baal . Souls & Sins United Bank is founded by the six Demon Kings of Hell . To be more precise, Mammon actively manages it as the director and the others are merely investors . Then we have the Grimoire Gallery which should be the equivalent of a library back on Earth . In major towns, there will be an Academy . Most the time, you'll be able to find Morning Star Academy founded by Lucifer . However, the place we really want to go to is Mammon's Auction House . It's a VIP only thing so I've never been there . However, I know that they deal with many interesting items from across the dimension . "
"Dimension?" Coux raised a brow .
"Yes . They co-own the Inter-dimensional Travel Agency as well as part of their trade route . One thing is for sure, Mammon is a very powerful financial figure in Hell . Everybody has heard of his name at least once and has used their products or services somewhere in their lifetime . "
That got the succubus' attention . "Do you think we can negotiate business terms with Mammon on Lord Baal's behalf? I know that we have the covenant symbol but would that be enough to arrange a meeting with another Demon King?"
Qin Yun frowned . "I have no idea . However, I think that it might be better to find Lilith's contact and arrange a meeting with her fist . After all, you have her blood in you . "
At the mention of the Demon Queen, Coux froze . Amaraline noticed it and gave the succubus a questioning look .
"I prefer to keep it professional . As a Van Doux, I will approach the party that will give me a more lucrative deal . "
"I've been meaning to ask this for a long time now," Amaraline started . "Nobody else in the village has a last name . May I know what the Van Doux name came from?"
Qin Yun was also curious . Her fox ears twitched in anticipation as Coux contemplated if she should tell them her story . Other than Roovan, nobody else in the village knew about her origin . The succubus didn't know if she should give details or a simple summary .
"If you're uncomfortable, we won't pry," Amaraline apologised after Coux's long silence .
Qin Yun didn't say anything but Coux noted their disappointment . Maybe, just maybe . . . she could tell them a little more about herself . After all, it wasn't really a secret outside of the village . The Van Doux family was fairly well-known after all .
"I was born to the Van Doux family about eighty years ago . They are a fairly wealthy merchant family who had ties with almost every royal family and country . However, the Van Doux family had a strange tradition . They always married inside of the family to keep the blood pure . I was an exception when my mother had an affair with her bodyguard, a descendant of a Lynx beastman . My father found out and the affair was brought to light . My mother was locked up in the dungeon as punishment and I was brought up differently compared to my cousins under the watchful eye of my grandfather and the patriarch of the Van Doux family . I was given a better education than my cousins and was taken on business trips that my grandfather made . I was expected to do well but not allowed to inherit the family business . "
Qin Yun was fascinated . The Van Douxs she knew in the abyss were brilliant succubi and incubi with very pure blood . They were direct descendants of Demon Queen Lilith after all . Some hatchlings decided to leave the nest and pay Earth a visit . That was around the time tales about blood-sucking monsters with good looks and dream demons started to circulate .
"Do you need to return to your family?" Amaraline asked .
Coux smiled . "If they were still alive, I would be required to go back and assist the next head of the family . There was a plague that infected everyone in the family . I don't know who decided to sleep with a descendant of the dying stars . The curse from that one-night stand took every Van Doux's life except mine . The impure blood in my veins saved me but it wasn't over . As the last Van Doux, I wasn't short of suitors trying to marry me for my money . "
Qin Yun sighed . She knew how humans were . Truth be told, they weren't very different from humans .
"I decided to run away from the pressure of becoming the last heiress to the Van Doux family . I gave away all my family's wealth to the poor and needy before leading a wanderer's life . The skills I learnt from my grandfather proved handy on my travels and I became a merchant of my own making . I met Roovan during my travels and we eventually settled down in Half Moon village . "
Amaraline pouted . "Not fair! You can't just skip on the heart-pounding love story!"
Coux stuck out her tongue . "You asked about my last name and not my love story . Too bad! Besides, we're here already . "
Qin Yun chuckled while they bickered . The carriage had indeed stopped and they could now here the bustling outside . Listless Town wasn't as listless as its name suggested and Qin Yun found the irony amusing .
The rat familiar disappeared after they alighted and the girls decided to pay the bank a visit . It wasn't too difficult to locate the bank . It was the only building in the area that looked remotely secure . Coux had to drag Amaraline away from the street stores just so they could reach the bank . Qin Yun wasn't too hurried . While Coux withdrew the money, she had some things to settle of her own . It had been far too long since she last visited the abyss . The fox demoness wondered if it was possible to send a message back to her village .
Before she could do anything, she heard Coux's furious yell at the counter .
"What do you mean you can't? Like I said, I have Lord Baal's covenant mark here . You can authenticate that I'm making an errand on his behalf . "
The poor counter assistant couldn't help but cringe at Coux's outburst . "I'm sorry . According to the bank's policy, Lord Baal would have to make the trip personally . His account has been closed due to lack of funds for more than two decades . It's a new procedure meant to reduce identity fraud . We have his registered magic traces to verify his identity . As Lord Baal hasn't appointed you as his authorised proxy, we cannot allow you to access his account . "
Coux was positively fuming and Amaraline had to pull the succubus away before she started making a bigger scene . Qin Yun walked over calmly .
"Is it possible for us to take a loan under Lord Baal's name?"
The assistant shook her head . "Lord Baal's account has to be open before we can process any transactions under his name . "
Coux fumed . Qin Yun was calm . "Could you check if the account under Qian Qiu?"
Amaraline watched as the counter girl used magic to activate a thick book .
"There is a matching name but the account is outdated . I would need to verify your identity before proceeding . Please place your hand on this stone and pour your magic through it . "
Coux watched as Qin Yun activated her magic . The stone glowed bright blue and the bank assistant smiled .
"Thank you, would you like to update the information of your account?"
Qin Yun took a look at it and made a few changes . Coux watched as the fox demoness withdrew some money and tensed when she noticed how some demons were lurking outside the bank with their eyes on them . Qin Yun didn't lie when she said that the town was still a lawless zone .
"Is there a way for me to send a long distance message out of the six major domains?"
The assistant pulled out a very long parchment and unfurled it . "These are the regions we currently have contact with . The charges are listed beside the region . If the region you wish to send a message to isn't listed here, we can arrange for a special courier service but it would be costly . "
Qin Yun smiled . Her fox village was way up in a snowy mountain and many demons do not go near it due to the climate . Very few demons were immune to cold . Most were gifted in dark magic or fire magic . It was rare for a pure-blooded demon to be anything other than these two affinities . She wasn't too surprised to see that it wasn't on the long list .
Amaraline stiffened when more people began to eye them . Coux flexed her fingers and flashed the covenant symbol nonchalantly as if to give them a warning . Some of the less confident demons backed off when they recognised the mark . However, the few tougher ones ignored the silent threat . Qin Yun continued to chat leisurely with the counter girl . There was no doubt that getting out of the bank would prove challenging .
"Also, can I buy a travel insurance policy for while we are in the Sloth domain?"
The counter girl nodded happily and brought out a chart explaining the different packages . "I'll take the basic package under my name for six people . "
"That will be five intermediate-grade magic stones or twenty low-grade magic stones . "
"Amaraline," the fox demoness called out . "I need your help . "
Surprised, the fortune-teller walked over . "Yes?"
Qin Yun didn't explain much and shoved a small stone in her hand . "Infuse that stone with your magic . "
The fortune-teller was puzzled but didn't question much . Once the stone was infused with magic, she handed it back to Qin Yun who inspected it before holding it up for the counter girl to see . Coux wasn't expecting for the assistant to stutter at the sight of that stone .
"I would like to meet with the manager of this bank's branch if possible . We are here on official business on behalf of Lord Baal . "
The counter girl looked at Qin Yun back to Amaraline and finally at Coux before dread reflected in her eyes . "I'm terribly sorry for my mistake earlier . Please forgive me!"
Qin Yun waved her off . "Just get the manager here . We're not here to idle . "
Apologising profusely once more, the counter girl left . Coux crept up to Qin Yun and asked her in a whispered voice demanded to know what was going on in a whispered voice .
Qin Yun grinned . "Amaraline's magic is really rare in the abyss . She created a magic stone that can earn us many free passes . As a trader, I'm leaving negotiation terms to you . We need to get into that auction house to check out what's going on . Also, I'm going to get us some a favourable loan . "
"I thought they mentioned that Lord Baal's account was closed?"
Qin Yun nodded . "It is . I'm going to use my account as a guarantor that you are an official representative by using Amaraline's stones as a down payment for the favour . We don't want too many of these going around yet, scarcity creates value . "
Coux grinned . "I got your back . We will earn back the money you loaned with interest and have some balance even after buying all the grocery we need for the feast . "
The fox demoness smirked in approval . If there was anything she learnt about the succubus, it was what the glint in her eyes meant . So far, Coux was unmatched when it came to negotiations . Nobody could win against her when it came to business . Behind them, Amaraline looked worried . It was just an ordinary stone infused with mana . Was it really alright to scam others even if it was in Hell?