The Paladin in the Abyss

"Ha! If I knew that, would I need you?" Pakos took a small emblem out from the table and tossed it in front of Lancelot, "The only known piece of information right now is that the Divine Artifact definitely hasn't fallen to somewhere deeper than this city, otherwise some of the old monsters in the tower would have sensed it."

"What's this for?" Lancelot picked up the emblem, discovering it was a pure gold ring with a dragon-wing symbol on it.

"This is my emblem. In certain situations where you need to show it, it can prove that you are my agents." The Halfling leaned back into his chair in a comfortable position, "The guards of Kai-Oine are waiting for the person holding it to show up; I suggest you set off as soon as possible. Who knows, if you're late, some other guy might find it, right?"

Lancelot, with a hint of suspicion, stared at this individual who was far more dangerous than he appeared, but ultimately nodded and turned to walk towards the door.

"Oh, and one more thing." Pakos's voice rose from behind them, "If you're lucky and do find that thing, don't take it lightly. Some folks may not wish for the Divine Artifact to return to this city."

Lancelot turned his head, looking once again at the deceptively adorable Halfling, then silently walked out.

"What was that last remark about?" A few seconds later, Bruto couldn't help but speak up first.

"Think about it, without the assistance of a mole, how could a bunch of outsider shapeshifters steal a Divine Artifact that's guarded so heavily just by having an Anti-Magic Stone?" Kalalin explained to the Dwarf, "It's very likely that there's a traitor among the high circles of this city; it could well be one of the Lords of Withering."

"So it means that if we do find the Artifact, a Lord of Withering might suddenly pop up, clamoring to kill us to silence us?" Bruto scratched his head, "So we still have to take one down, right?"

The group exchanged glances; what was Bruto's plan again from yesterday? It indeed contained such content. Everyone initially thought his idea was too crazy, and even after a thorough discussion, they only considered it a last resort...

"We don't fight battles unprepared; let's take some time first to gather information on a few of the current Lords of Withering." Lancelot spoke up.

"But by now, probably everyone in the city has heard about what happened at the Tears of Lazaka." Elothysia said with a frown, "You'll be easily recognized. Under such circumstances, inquiring for information might attract a lot of unnecessary attention."

"That problem is easy to solve." Lancelot pulled out his Succubus Transformation Ring, "You can accept the fact that for the time being, you're not the most beautiful in the team, right?"

"Ah?" Elothysia looked at Lancelot with a puzzled face, then her confusion turned into shock, and the shock into some kind of bizarre smile.

"I can accept that," the Succubus Paladin seemed to be struggling not to burst into laughter, "Although there is still a tiny bit of disappointment, that's indeed the fact."

The investigation went much smoother than everyone anticipated. Due to the method with which a Lord of Withering came into being (just kill the current one), news about these Lords was the most favorite gossip among the citizens. Many believed that at some certain opportune moment, they too could become a Lord of Withering. People didn't even need to ask around intentionally; all they had to do was listen carefully, and they would hear enough information.

The Governor of Sprayfield was 'The Great Arbitrator' Satugura, an Abyssal fox-headed Demon noted for its shapeshifting and linguistic abilities. It was said that before becoming a Lord of Withering, he had been an intelligence trafficker, always friendly to merchants, mercenaries, and adventurers who came to the Abyss, willing to pay a reasonable price for any manner of things.

The Governor of Blood Abyss Outlook was 'Shapeshifter' Lady Akama, who had held the title of Lord of Withering the longest among all current incumbents. Rumor had it that her true form was some kind of aquatic Demon with hard carapace and lobster claws, who took pleasure in seducing attractive men. At a special moment during the act of lovemaking, she would transform back into her true form and devour her partner's brain in one gulp. Lancelot was sure he needed to stay vigilant around this Shapeshifter.

The Governor of Hive Valley was 'The Impaler' Dugba, a beetle Demon who had just acquired the title of Lord of Withering and was seen patrolling his domain daily with a big group of minions. The skin-stripped corpse of its predecessor was hanging on the fences of the Hive Valley bazaar, believed to deter any potential challengers. Many citizens thought this brutal dimwit had, at most, another two weeks to live.

And the Governor of Beggars' Cliff was 'The Digger' Vagramore, a Fireburn Demon. By finding a powerful Magic Wand in some ruins, he seized control of Beggars' Cliff. After his successful ascension, Vagramore hardly ever left his lair in Beggars' Cliff, leading many to speculate that the Magic Wand had lost its power—yet they all expected someone else to go and confirm this firsthand.

Among these four current Lords of Withering, was there really someone who had betrayed the city? Who was the most likely candidate?

With such questions in mind, they arrived at Blood Abyss Outlook. The foundation of Skeleton Tower at Kai-Oine was here.

Blood Abyss Outlook was Mogrondale's 'wealthy district,' unlike the city's other broad districts, it expanded in a vertical direction. Along one entire cliff face, there were luxurious caves and majestic high towers. The caves mostly belonged to those cunning and wealthy Abyssal fox-head Demons, while the high towers were owned by winged Demon Races like the Kas Demons, bulky Demons, or Necaross Demons.

Across the chasm of the Great Abyss, on the opposite side of the district was Sprayfield, offering a prime viewing angle. The Demons residing here could admire the majestic scenery of the Blood River waterfall from their homes while counting the wealth they had accumulated over countless centuries. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Naturally, this place was heavily guarded and strictly forbade entry to outsiders. But thanks to the pure gold Emblem given by 'The Immortal' Pakos, they were still able to enter the district smoothly—just with a whole team of humanoid beetles eagerly trailing behind them, hoping for these Outsiders to make any untoward move.

Lancelot did not indulge these sadists. He led the group straight through the only narrow path in Blood Abyss Outlook and came to the base of Skeleton Tower at Kai-Oine.

When they had first come to the city, the giant waterwheel beneath the Blood River waterfall had already proven the engineering capabilities of the Demons, but it paled in comparison to the foundation of Kai-Oine. Countless Abyssal Metal cables and struts secured the gigantic spine to the cliffs of the Great Abyss, stretching for miles.

But this was not enough to support the tower over twenty miles high. The true structural supports were the countless Bone Spurs that penetrated deeply into the cliff. Looking at the nauseatingly spine-like silhouette of the Skeleton Tower, Lancelot suddenly had an intuition that the tower was actually some kind of living thing, and the huge, tangled metal apparatus surrounding its base served only to anchor the structure securely within Mogrondale.