Chapter 406: Chapter 408: Like a Fish in Water

Leon had long since put the matter of the Hunting Demon behind him, neither going on a killing spree nor continuing to tangle, and instead followed Bell straight away, heading to his office on the top floor of the Forging Factory.

Climbing the spiral wrought-iron staircase upward, the scale of this Factory, which supplied weapons and equipment for the Blood War and forged Hell War Machines, was astounding, far grander than Leon’s factory in the outskirts of Watchtower Port. Indeed, after quite a walk, they finally reached Bell’s office.

Bell gently clapped his hands, and immediately a charming and enchanting Succubus Maid served red tea and delicate pastries before respectfully withdrawing.

“What can I do for you, Lord Red Dragon?” Bell elegantly sipped his red tea, exuding a noble demeanor, courteous and polite, as if a gentleman from high society.

By contrast, Leon looked a bit like a rogue, lounging carelessly in the chair, crossing his legs, and responding nonchalantly, “It’s not about what you can do for me; it’s about mutual benefit—we’re discussing a deal, aren’t we?”

Bell did not reply, simply watching him quietly, waiting for his next words.

Leon gazed at Bell.

Sly, ruthless, perhaps the most tactical mind in the Nine Layers of Hell, Bell excelled at betrayal, selling out, and ambushes, consistently outsmarting his opponents with his keen intellect.

In fact, there’s another way to describe Bell—a cool-headed and cunning military genius, adept at cautiously assessing risks and rewards, and a schemer at that.

As a thorough-going realist, Bell was quite aware of the endless supply of Demons, more than willing to accept any possible beneficial assistance, even from mortals.

If an adventurer presented him with a reliable proposal for countering the Demon legion, Bell would listen genuinely and might promise assistance and protection. Those who continuously aid him may even receive a safe passage certificate, treasures, or intelligence as a reward.

Bell is difficult to deceive, but if approached with respect in negotiations, he could be a trustworthy ally. He wouldn’t attempt to corrupt the souls of truly useful adventurers, but it must be remembered that his passion for corruption and torture is no less than any other Devil.

To sum up, for other Devils, Bell might not be a great trade partner, but for those non-Devils who cannot challenge Bell’s status in the Nine Prisons, Bell might indeed be quite reliable.

Leon remained silent for a moment, lightly tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair, and then spoke, “I originally just wanted to check out the Forging Factory, but after seeing you, Lord Bell, I changed my mind… I want your blood.”

“My blood?” Bell’s expression remained unchanged, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the teacup, “May I ask what for?”

“For forging weapons.” Leon said straightforwardly, without hiding, “Of course, it doesn’t necessarily have to be your blood. So long as it is the blood of a substantial Great Devil, it’s acceptable.”

Bell nodded thoughtfully, “Zarriel once forged a weapon, using refined gold to make the blade. To imbue the sword with power, she quenched the newly forged sword in the blood of a powerful Celestial Creature, Demon Lord, and Devil Duke…she contributed one portion herself and sent her servants to collect the other two.”

“Since Zarriel’s blood can be used, mine certainly can too,” Bell’s mouth tightened slightly, clearly competing with Zarriel, “The question is…what price can you offer?”

“What about Zarriel’s life?” Leon smiled meaningfully, “Of course, I’ll need you to lend a hand.”

“I’m afraid I can’t.” Bell shook his head, “I am a loyal advisor to the Lord.”

“Is it Asmodis’s decree?” Leon deliberately stretched his tone.

Bell’s pupils suddenly contracted, “I suggest you do not invoke the name of the great ruler of the Nine Prisons directly.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Leon shrugged, having undergone Bone Shedding and Rebirth, his strength certainly not comparable with Asmodis, yet he wasn’t intimidated by him as a quasi-Divine Power.

Leon knew he wouldn’t get anything out of Bell and said, “To put it practically, I can cause chaos in Avernus, drawing in the Demon Lords to attack Avernus…If Zarriel loses in the Blood War and you emerge as the military genius, rallying to save the day, you could surely replace Zarriel.”

This was originally Leon’s plan, to escalate the Blood War, watching the Demons and Devils consume each other, finally reaping the benefits, and it served well as a bargaining chip with Bell.

“Chaos in Avernus…Are you sure, Lord Red Dragon, you have the capability?” Bell gave Leon a glance, he had to admit that he couldn’t see through the other party.

“You’ll pay me the blood afterwards if I succeed,” Leon said, “If I fail, you lose nothing.”

Bell suddenly laughed, and said, “I am a military genius, but Zarriel is no less than me. Her enthusiasm for war is unparalleled…If Zarriel can’t handle the Demon army, if even she cannot block the Demon tide, I would also find it hard to turn the tide.”

“It can be done.” Leon said confidently, “I will help you, not her.”

“You are overly confident.” Bell looked at Leon with surprised awe at his audacity, “This is the Blood War, not a children’s game between two mortal city-states on the Material Plane.”

“If I can create chaos in Avernus, naturally I have the ability to fulfill the subsequent promise.” Leon said, “If I fail at the first task, there is no point discussing the latter, you won’t need to worry about Demon invasions of Avernus.”

Leon and Bell discussed for quite a while, and finally, Bell raised his hand to outline a Purgatory Contract blazing with a sulphurous light in the air.

Leon just glanced at it and said, “Remove all the patterns… everyone knows demons love to play tricks with patterns, hiding miniaturized Purgatory Language sub-clauses within them.”

“I assure you these patterns have no special meaning,” Bell swore.

“Heh, I’ve heard too much of this kind of talk,” Leon said, “‘As long as you confess voluntarily, it will be treated as surrender,’ ‘This is not a big deal, after confessing clearly you can leave,’ ‘No need to review the record, it matches what you said, just sign and go’… Even uncles can’t be trusted, let alone demons.”

“If you, Red Dragon, don’t trust me—” Bell waved his hand, erasing all the complex patterns on the contract, “Are you satisfied now?”

“Not done yet,” Leon’s finger tapped on the Purgatory contract, “My Purgatory Language is limited, don’t play word games with me—replace all obscure professional terms.”

“This is the standard contract form,” Bell said, “All Purgatory contracts use this format.”

“Stop with the act, don’t play pretend in front of me. I’ve seen fools in HR before.” Leon said, “Standard contracts can’t be changed? They can be changed, with persistence… Since we’re negotiating, show some sincerity. It’s a two-way choice, if you don’t want to change, then no deal.”

“As you wish.” Bell scribbled with his finger, and the words on the Purgatory contract began to twist and reorganize.

Leon re-examined the contract, his vertical pupils moving slowly along each line of text.

“What is meant by quality service, who defines it, all promises must be quantified, like the compliance rate must reach ninety-nine percent, must respond within twenty-four hours.”

“I do not allow the word ‘etc.’ to appear in the contract, a complete list must be provided, I hate subsequent repeated additional fees… You have no idea how many cases I’ve seen, winning contracts at low prices, constantly asking for additional investment.”

“If Party B breaches the contract for any reason, it must compensate Party A for all losses… Also, isn’t this an outright no-liability clause? No, there must be a limited compensation range here, or a compensation ceiling.”

“This has missing appendices. It says specific standards see appendices, but without provided appendices it won’t do… I require all appendices to be attached, and noted in the contract, that appendices have equal effect as the main contract.”

“And this, what is meant by force majeure, policy adjustments, market changes?”

“Who accepts ‘disputes must be litigated in the court of the opposing party’s location’? Who’s being biased… You want the final right of explanation, I also want the final right of explanation. This final right must be held by a neutral party, I propose Tassera to undertake it, or Cecilia could also… they are impartial like singularities.”

Leon eloquently proposed a series of amendments and suddenly noticed Bell staring at him with a peculiar look, asking, “Is there a problem? If these conditions are not changed, I refuse to sign this Purgatory contract.”

Bell slowly leaned his elbows on the armrest of the chair, fingers interlocking under his chin, asking, “Red Dragon… doesn’t seem to be a resident of the Nine Prisons? Otherwise, I wouldn’t not recognize.”

“This is my first time in the Nine Prisons,” Leon said, “I’ve always lived in the Material Plane.”

“So, Red Dragon, have you studied contract law before?” Bell continued to inquire.

“No time for that.” Leon chuckled, “Relying entirely on experience accumulated as a corporate drudge.”

Leon really didn’t expect that those years of being exploited by unscrupulous bosses would now become a weapon to see through the traps in demon contracts.

Bell couldn’t recall which number of contract revision it was, grinding his teeth, asked, “Now, are you satisfied?”

Leon was certainly not satisfied; he hadn’t even set his trap yet, and said, “Just one last thing, the cost of breach must change.”

“If I breach the contract, I’m willing to give up my 500,000 gold coins, which is everything to a giant dragon.” Leon paused, watching the gleam flashed in Bell’s eyes, and showed a grim smile, “As for if you breach, how about being reborn as an Inferior Demon?”

Bell nodded slightly; for a giant dragon, losing treasure gold coins is a very harsh condition, everyone knows a dragon is a creature that values money over life, and even if Tiamat could receive a single gold coin offered by a dragon, it would make her happy for a long time.

“A two hundred-year term, isn’t that a blink of an eye for you? How about we set the time limit within two hundred years?” Leon pursued his advantage.

He couldn’t wait to finish the contract by tomorrow, but if things changed… he couldn’t imagine how strong he’d become in two hundred years, he might crush Bell like an ant by then.

Bell fell into contemplation.

In the eternal river of time of the blood war, two hundred years are truly insignificant, even if able to replace Zarriel, a millennium would still be worth it.

The former Avernus Lord’s fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the contract… this time it was his turn to repeatedly scrutinize the clauses of the Purgatory contract, afraid of being outsmarted by this Red Dragon.

He hadn’t tricked the Red Dragon, feeling instead the Red Dragon was tricking him, yet couldn’t see where the problem was.