Chapter 233
“You know about other human slaves in the city?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes, I am familiar with most of the slave merchants in the city,” the merchant hurriedly answered. He was confused as to why the inquisitor was interested in that topic.
The smile on Vasoth’s face broadened slightly. “Good,” he said. “How much time would it take for you to gather all the human slaves in the city in one place?”
“This… um, it would normally be impossible to gather all slaves from other merchants so quickly, but if we use the inquisitor’s authority, then it shouldn’t take more than a few days,” the merchant thought and shared his estimation.
“Do it,” Vasoth ordered.
“Yes, sir, but may I ask why respected Inquisitor is interested in livestock?” The merchant couldn’t help but ask despite his fear of the inquisitors.
If it had been Drul instead of Vasoth, he wouldn’t have dared to ask such a question, but Vasoth seemed more approachable. He had even helped stop Drul from killing his property.
So, he hesitated but asked in the end.
“To catch a big and clever rat.” Vasoth laughed and left, leaving behind a confused fat merchant.
“A rat…?”
The merchant didn’t quite understand what the inquisitor meant, but he quickened his pace as he dragged the slave away to meet with the other merchants of the city.
No matter what, since the inquisitor had ordered it and with the recent sealing of the city, there was definitely something going on behind the scenes. Perhaps he could get a hint or two from his merchant friends.
He knew it wasn’t wise to delay, and that perhaps he might learn something valuable from his fellow merchants.
Even the city lord had to give face to an inquisitor. He couldn’t imagine any merchant disobeying the order to hand over their human slaves.
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A few days passed in the blink of an eye as Oliver surveyed the customs and practices of the demons.
The demons of this city lived in a strict hierarchy where the weak had to obey the commands of the strong. It was a brutal world of fighting, violence, and madness.
The demons came in all sizes and shapes, which helped him blend in with just a simple cloak.
Although he couldn’t truly disguise himself, his modified appearance and careful use of Abyss energy helped him move unnoticed in the city’s darker, more chaotic corners.
His scent, which almost gave him away, was properly masked by using mud. Of course, such a cheap trick wasn’t enough to escape the sense of smell of that red-haired inquisitor, so he carefully used Abyss energy to keep his scent hidden.
He felt relying on Abyss energy wasn’t the best solution. If he could learn alchemy properly, he would be able to produce a scent-neutralizing potion. At that point, even the most skilled demons would have a hard time detecting his scent.
‘I’ll need to track down some alchemical ingredients when the time is right,’ he noted, silently adding it to his growing list of objectives.
“Hey, did you hear the rumors?”
Oliver’s ears picked up the sound of a conversation taking place. He was currently in a cheap, inconspicuous bar filled with shady, poor demons, sitting quietly in a corner.
“What rumors?” a demon asked.
“It seems the inquisitors have ordered the gathering of all the slaves around the city for some reason,” the demonic companion whispered, but Oliver heard it clearly, his senses far beyond normal.
“All the slaves in the city?” the demon asked in surprise.
“No, not all, but all the human slaves.”
“What are they going to do with the livestock?” the other demon asked, sounding idiotic. “Could it be that they have a really big appetite and want to feast on all the slaves at once?”
“Ha! As if they would want to eat something as lowly as slaves! They’re used to delicacies.”
“HAHA! I heard that the skin of exorcists is especially delicate. I wonder how they taste!”
“Keep dreaming. Be grateful if you even get the normal stuff.”
“Hmph, what’s wrong with being a little greedy?”
“It’s not about greed. Those exorcists would kill demons like you and me in the blink of an eye.”
The other demon scoffed. “You think? Let me face one, and we’ll see if I don’t tear them apart with my claws!”
The demon boasted, showing off his black, dusty claws. “I heard their bones are especially delectable!”
“Heh. If only! They say eating an exorcist can give us extensive vitality and even great powers!”
The two demons laughed and ate, unaware of the cold gaze lingering on their backs.
Oliver’s eyes coldly stared at the two demons.
One demon had three arms and one eye, while the other had a charcoal-like body.
His eyes glowed slightly under the darkness of his hood as he pondered.
‘The demons abduct humans and use them as slaves, or worse. Humans serve as food for the demons, suffering the worst kind of treatment. It’s basically torture. The inquisitors are gathering all the humans in one place? It’s obvious what they’re planning—to lure me out… hmm.’
Obviously, Oliver wasn’t the type to fall for such a simple bait. If he were a righteous exorcist with a strong sense of morality and justice, he would have walked right into this obvious trap to save the slaves.
He was reminded of Evelyn, the kind of protagonist who would have gone out of her way to fall into such a trap to save everyone.
But he was not her, and his ambitions stretched far beyond that.
However…
‘Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to get the highest quality hearts?’
A thick, dark aura clouded behind Oliver, making all the demons present in the bar involuntarily shiver.
A sinister smirk appeared on his face.
‘Since you want to provoke me, then don’t blame me for being cruel.’
His decision was swift—if they wanted to draw him out, he’d give them exactly what they wanted. But not on their terms.