CHAPTER 103: 103 REAL FREEDOM! (3/3)

"Is that so..."

Flora tilted her head back, squinting slightly as she scrutinized Herbert, nodding ambiguously.

Clearly, this Demon Sage did not fully trust Herbert.

She truly did not sense greed and desire from Herbert, which was quite different from the mortals she had encountered before.

But as someone who knew humans very well, she understood that humans were complex and not one-dimensional.

Their emotions were sometimes more chaotic than those of demons.

Even without such negative emotions, they might still commit cruel acts for other reasons.

For instance, in the name of love and justice they spoke of.

Or like that old man so powerful he seemed like a god, who nonchalantly captured her...

Flora looked at the handsome white-haired youth and slowly spoke, "Young Prison Warden, I’ve told you so much about myself, shouldn’t you talk about yourself now?"

"What... do you want to get from me?"

"Get from you?"

Herbert raised an eyebrow, chuckling as he said, "That’s a question more fit for a demon, rather than a devil."

In some stereotypes, only devils would cunningly sign contracts with people, making tricks in seemingly fair agreements.

But demons... Ha, they simply act without thinking, going straight to action.

"Are you taking me for those idiots?"

Before the demon could frown and get angry, Herbert waved his hand and continued, "Miss Flora, you misunderstood, I don’t want to get anything from you right now."

"We’re not in that kind of relationship."

He smiled slightly, raising an eyebrow, "Instead, it’s about what you, as a prisoner, can offer? And what do you want in exchange from me, the Prison Warden?"

Friend, understand your own position.

You are the challenger.

"You..."

Flora was initially furious upon hearing this, but soon calmed down, frowning as she thought for a moment and quickly accepted this reality.

Indeed, she had not positioned herself correctly, assuming this Prison Warden was as weak and useless as the previous mundane ones.

Perhaps this young man’s strength wasn’t as formidable as those previous Wardens, only at Middle Tier, but he had a unique charm that set him apart from others.

Lush and graceful, yet sharp and deadly.

Seemingly gentle and calm, but in truth proud and cold.

At the moment, he wasn’t asking submissively from a weak position, seeking some reward from the strong.

Instead, he stood high above, dispassionately overlooking the ants beneath his feet, extending a hand like a benefactor, sprinkling a few drops of dew.

Such a lofty demeanor is incomparable to those people.

So Flora did not question but asked outright, "What can you offer me?"

Seeing her straightforwardness, Herbert did not beat around the bush and laid out his cards.

"I can offer you a lot."

"I can give you unknown knowledge, ancient skills, and lost legacies."

Herbert himself might not be good at these, but as long as there is someone who understands, it’s enough.

Whether it’s the Harmonious God he carried with him or the vast treasures within the library guarded by the Ashen Bishop, precious knowledge abounds.

He could freely avail himself of all these.

"I can also grant you limited freedom, reduce the power of the sealing array in this area, or..."

Herbert raised his hand and pointed behind him to the still-suspended demon, "stop that pesky guy from disturbing you."

"In short, if you are willing to cooperate with my work and make efforts at reform, one day, I can indeed set you free from this prison."

"Granting you true freedom."

After saying all this, seeing Flora’s lackluster response, Herbert revealed his real trump card.

"If you perform well enough, I might even teach you how to completely suppress your chaotic nature."

!!!

The petite Enchanting Demon suddenly raised her head, staring intently at Herbert.

"What did you say!?"

Very good.

Seeing her expression, Herbert felt even more confident inside, nodding with a light chuckle, "You did not mishear."

"Perhaps you can disregard other conditions, but this one, isn’t it what you’ve been pursuing?"

"I will give you true... freedom."

"Not the unrestrained freedom of the body, but the genuine freedom of the soul."

Exactly.

The previous conditions were just the icing on the cake, this was the real trump card!

Before officially conversing with Flora, Herbert had always been pondering a question - how should he handle this Miss Demon?

As an outstanding Demon Sage, Flora’s intellect certainly surpassed that Hungry Dragon by quite a bit, possibly three dragon intellect or even two!

Among the prisoners encountered so far, perhaps only Svanni could match her.

In short - hard to deceive!

Not even possible to deceive.

For intelligent people, the best approach is not to play low-level tricks.

Rather, directly lay out the cards on the table straightforwardly, let the other side make the choice.

I can offer you these, what can you offer in return?

"You..."

And after hearing this last sentence, Flora’s previously excited expression gradually faded, looking quite calm.

She narrowed her eyes, intently watching Herbert, trying to find evidence of falsehood in him - but she failed.

The other side did not lie.

This young Prison Warden indeed had a method he believed effective.

However, he certainly didn’t tell the whole truth, definitely intentionally holding something back.

This was quite normal and understandable.

"Do you really have a solution for my nature?"

"Truly."

Flora pondered for a moment, then lowered her head slightly, calmly saying, "...if you truly can help me as you claim, I am willing to temporarily serve you as master."

That simple?

Herbert was a bit surprised, stating with a somewhat strange expression, "You are calm, and quite... pragmatic."

Are you a little too perceptive?

But Flora seemed very composed, without any resistance or shame, calmly saying, "A wise person should know how to make the right decision."

"Since you are willing to trust me, then I..."

Herbert stood tall, expression serious, placing his right hand on his chest, solemnly swearing, "I swear by the name of the Divine Spirit, I will definitely keep my promise."

The next second, a cheerful voice rang in his mind.

["Alright~"]

Seeing Herbert’s oath to the Divine Spirit, Flora’s expression visibly relaxed.

Since he dared to swear to the Divine Spirit, then it should be true...

"So, my master... what do you need me to do for you?"

Flora still did not know what Herbert desired from her.

"Very simple, I need you to provide me with some assistance..."

Herbert took a step forward, now just a step away from the petite Enchanting Demon in the Magma Pool.

He said:

"I want you to assist me in my cultivation!"

Flora: ?