“So...”
Elias remained silent for a long while. Facing this infernal demon who had just been full of polite pleasantries, he finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.
“How much are you asking for?”
“Heh-heh!”
Upon hearing money mentioned, Guss's hideous demonic face immediately squeezed out an extremely mercenary smile.
Heh-heh my ass! Elias cursed inwardly.
“Not much.”
Guss stretched out his large, dark red hand and waved it in front of Elias, making a gesture for five.
“Five coins.”
“Why don't you just rob me!”
Elias directly retorted, clearly annoyed.
One had to know that these soul coins in his pocket were obtained from his and Guss's joint raid on Mester's safe.
In other words, they were the loot from plundering the Mist Veil Society's minting order.
In total, there were only about a hundred or so coins.
When they divided the loot, they had agreed on half each.
Of course, Elias knew perfectly well that this sly infernal demon, Guss, had certainly taken advantage of his large hands to secretly grab a few extra coins for himself.
Regardless, by the time the coins reached Elias's hands and were counted, only fifty-four remained.
What did fifty-four soul coins represent in the supernatural world?
A normal transcendent might not even use that many soul coins in an entire year.
It was well known that the primary use of these coins in the supernatural world was to pay the messenger fees at a spirit world station.
Generally speaking, a single secret delivery only required one coin.
It sounded like these consumables would be used frequently, right?
But that wasn't actually the case.
Don't forget that normal post offices existed in the real world as well.
Transcendents didn't always have top-secret messages or dangerous items that absolutely required the help of spirit world creatures every single day.
Therefore.
When Elias heard Guss ask for nearly one-tenth of his net worth, he had such a painful instinctive reaction.
“Your Excellency might not be aware,”
Guss withdrew his hand, his tone remaining respectful as he began to explain the Inferno's fee standards with a straight face.
“Normally, our employment fees for accepting a summons are strictly calculated based on the enemy's strength and danger level.”
He pointed his finger at the massive mountain of flesh in the distance, which was currently in a state of impotent fury.
“The trouble you've encountered here is quite thorny, to say the least.”
A hint of gravity flashed in Guss's red vertical pupils.
“Look, I just fired consecutive fire rays at that thing, and the effect was practically like tickling it...”
Hearing this.
The mystic hiding in the cover behind them, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, suddenly widened his tired eyes.
You call that tickling?!
The mystic looked at the massive, charred hole on the mountain of flesh that had been vaporized instantly.
He fell into deep self-doubt.
If that was called tickling.
Then what were the spells that they, the Seventh Agency investigators, had fought so hard to cast earlier—the ones that couldn't even scratch the surface of its skin?
Mosquito bites?
They weren't even as good as bites!
You blew such a huge hole in it and you're telling me it's tickling?!
However.
Guss clearly didn't think there was much exaggeration in his description.
He continued to vent his grievances to Elias:
“Moreover, that guy's physical level and spiritual reserves have already reached the Scale Five level!”
“Even among Scale Five aberrations, it's the kind of troublesome, hard-to-solve stitched monster.”
“Asking for five coins is truly a fair price.”
“I'll give you three.”
Elias didn't follow the other party's rhythm.
He quickly recovered from the shock of the quoted price, and the expression under his mask became steady and calm again.
He began to haggle on the spot.
“Because I don't need you to help me solve this heap of meat.”
He raised his The Roaring Cane and pointed at the Scale Five mountain of flesh in the distance, which was re-accumulating its aura of death.
“Because inside that stone wall of the convent, there's still a Scale Four alchemy puppet embedded.”
Elias quickly issued tactical division orders.
“As for this heap of meat, I have my own way of dealing with it.”
“You help me take care of that annoying alchemy puppet.”
“If possible, after you're done, try to keep a close eye on the exit of the convent.”
Elias's gaze grew cold; he hadn't forgotten Luke, who was hiding in the shadows.
“There's a very cunning fellow inside.”
“He's looking for a chance to ambush us at every moment.”
“Just like how he backstabbed others while undercover in the Seventh Agency.”
“So I don't want him reaping the rewards of others' conflict, and I certainly don't want him to just walk away in one piece after watching the show.”
Guss listened to this request.
His massive head nodded slightly, as if he were quickly calculating the cost-effectiveness of this deal in his mind.
Fighting a rigid Scale Four puppet and blocking a door.
Three soul coins.
Not a bad deal.
“Deal.”
The demon agreed readily.
“However...”
Guss's tone shifted, and that mercenary smile appeared on his hideous face once more.
“If Your Excellency truly cannot handle that big guy when the time comes.”
“Calling me for help is also possible—for an extra fee!”
Hearing this.
The corners of Elias's eyes twitched violently.
“Another upcharge?!”
He was starting to lose his composure.
“Of course,”
Guss answered as if it were only natural.
“The alchemy puppet is one price; the mountain of flesh is naturally another.”
“...”
Elias was completely speechless.
He couldn't help but think of the famous character from a movie before he transmigrated—Sir Upcharge.
Translating it into the local terms of the Velen Continent, the infernal demon in front of him was practically a living, breathing Sir Upcharge.
He absolutely wouldn't do any extra work without being paid.
If that's the case...
Elias prayed silently in his heart.
He still hoped that the thunderclap bullets and charms he had left in the living corpse Finn's head would actually work.
Unless it was a moment of absolute necessity or a life-or-death situation.
He didn't want to spend all the soul coins he had worked so hard to obtain on such expensive mercenary services.
The man and the demon quickly negotiated in a very short time, settling the price of this cross-realm transaction.
Then.
Taking advantage of the fact that the mountain of flesh hadn't fully recovered from the previous blow.
Elias grabbed The Roaring Cane and his revolver in one hand.
Together with Guss, who was carrying the flaming greatsword, they charged rapidly toward the massive mountain of flesh ahead.
Behind the cover.
The Scale Two mystic was now completely dumbfounded.
He leaned against the stone wall blankly, watching the two charging figures—one red and one black.
He clearly felt that.
After experiencing this series of absurd, terrifying, and dramatic events tonight.
Even if he saw Branch Manager Guardian again in the future.
He would no longer hold that kind of blind and pure admiration as he had before.
In just this short while.
His horizons had been completely expanded by this mysterious informant.
This person could even hire a demon as an enforcer and haggle with him on the spot!
“By the way.”
While moving, Elias pointed toward the mountain of flesh where John's head was located and turned to ask Guss.
“Do you have any way to get me up there?”
“Sure,”
Guss glanced upward and said.
“Should I just throw you up?”
“Uh...”
Rate on N.U.
