The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 334: 348

“Seeking a child?” Lancelot’s face was full of surprise, “You mean…”

“Exactly. Among the common Tanari, only Succubi can bear offspring, but nearly all Demons possess the ability to impregnate females,” Elothysia said in a very calm tone, “Many females from the material planes come to the Abyss to copulate with powerful Fiends, to give birth to half-blood offspring, bringing power and prestige to their families. Notably, the most famous is the child of Grazzt and the Witch Queen Iguervor who reached the Demi-Divine Realm, although it seems like Lord Wu’an was summoned and imprisoned in the material plane by the Witch Queen…”

The Human Knight opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. The world he came from seemed somewhat different—were interspecies relations…all permissible?

The group had forgotten that there was a minor girl among them. Little Isha blushed and unconsciously used her stealth skills, following silently behind everyone like a quiet kitten.

They quickly returned to the ‘Goblin in the Plane’ inn located at the edge of the square and took two cage lifts back to their rented room.

Koula was preparing dinner for everyone. The Halfling was very pleased to have found the kitchen, although she didn’t plan on using any of the inn’s cooking utensils; Alamir was taking a bath, having created a localized rain in the bathroom using Divine Arts; the Dwarf had found a less peculiar rocking chair and seemed to have already enjoyed a meal.

Kalalin was the only one unaware of their return. The Scholar was absentmindedly staring out the window, clutching a piece of parchment in his hand. Lancelot walked over and patted his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing much, just the city itself.” Kalalin showed Lancelot the parchment in his hand, which had a simple sketch on it, outlining the tower-filled streets of Gaomendikolia and a square with a statue of Cang Ye.

“We need to keep this window open,” Acheron walked over, “I’ve left a message for that spy in code, telling him that we are waiting here for him. I believe he will see my message soon, and maybe we will have a visitor come through this window tonight.”

“Through the window?” Kalalin was taken aback, “Can’t they come up using the lift like we did?”

“Uh, they probably could, but wouldn’t that take away the mystery of covert operations?” Acheron scratched his head, “Anyway, if something comes through the window, let’s not attack immediately…”

“How do we know it’s that spy? Maybe it’s just some thief trying their luck.” Bruto joined in, “Remember those Quasimodo Demons when we first entered the city? They could transform into centipedes, bats… they could sneak in from this height too…”

“Uh, the spy is a Dark Elf.” Acheron gestured to his own body, “Like a genuine male Zoel, except he’s the real deal, and I’m just disguised.”

“A true Zoel?” Elothysia also got interested, “Has he, like me, renounced the path of evil?”

“Yes, learning from him, I know evil nature is not unchangeable,” Acheron smiled, “That’s also why I am willing to trust you. In you, I’ve observed traits similar to his, qualities that cannot be feigned and belong only to those who have truly comprehended the value of kindness.”

“Then why is this Dark Elf acting as a spy here?” Lancelot raised an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me Melanthan’s protectors aren’t willing to accept him?”

“No, not that.” Acheron quickly explained, “It’s just that he still finds it hard to trust others, so he took on the task of infiltrating the enemy’s base alone. Despite having left the cruel society of the Zoel, all Zoel are taught from a young age not to trust anyone, a habit unrelated to good or evil, and it’s very hard to change.”

“Alright,” Lancelot nodded, “I hope we meet this honorable spy soon…”

However, contrary to their wishes, that night Lancelot woke up several times from his Qi Cultivation, slicing incoming Demons into pieces and throwing their shattered corpses out the window, but he did not see the Dark Elf. Eventually, he gave up on Cultivation altogether and started reading insights on Spiritual Cultivation from a small bamboo slip.@@novelbin@@

Though he was an experienced warrior, he was unfamiliar with how Cultivators should fight, and the bamboo slip contained many records of famous Cultivators in battle. While there was much Lancelot could not understand, he still read with great interest.

Due to realm limitations, Lancelot could only read about the Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages. The Golden Core Stage was still far off, so he focused mainly on the battles among Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

According to the records in the bamboo slip, Low-Rank Cultivators heavily relied on weapons called ‘Magical Treasures’ during combat. Unlike swords, Magical Treasures required the use of Spiritual Power to operate, and their effects varied wildly— from direct attacks, stealthy poisoning, seizing one’s mind, to dissolving an enemy’s flesh—each with limitless power.

Magical Treasures are usually crafted by higher-ranking Cultivators and are much more powerful than spells cast by Low-Rank Cultivators using their own Cultivation Power. In a world where Cultivation predominates, many Magical Treasures end up in the hands of Low-Rank Cultivators through awards, auctions, or being lost—something Lancelot could only envy.

Furthermore, crafting Magical Treasures also required Alchemical Fire, something only Golden Core Stage Cultivators possessed, another thing he couldn’t obtain for the time being.

But Lancelot didn’t feel disappointed; Magical Treasures were also a kind of weapon, and what mattered in combat was strategy. After going through the slip, the most crucial aspect of battles among Cultivators was ‘surprise’, and as the only Cultivator in this world, he already had this unique advantage.

Despite this universe being filled with all kinds of magical magic, since Cultivators belonged to a completely different system of powers, Lancelot was fully capable of bringing various surprises to his enemies.

Unbeknownst to him, the sky gradually brightened outside, little Isha quietly burrowed into the Dimensional Bag at Lancelot’s waist, while the scent of heated bread wafted from the kitchen, and the sound of water issued once again from Priest Shuni’s bath.

A new day in Androlina had arrived, but the spy they were waiting for did not show up.

“Maybe he didn’t get a chance to check the Emblem, or something must have held him up,” Acheron walked to the window, looking outside uneasily, “As a Zoel Elf, he wouldn’t be active during the day; we might have to wait another day.”

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