The Devil’s Cage

The smiles of the councilmen were weird yet bright.

That’s right! Who said the Mist was their enemy?

Should it be the enemy of your enemy is your friend?

They were very familiar with this kind of trope, even more so when they had God of War as their target.

After all, compared to them, the Mist, who was almost a true God, must be more concerned about his own ascension and the God of War, who occupied Edatine Castle.

“But we would have to pay a great cost, and more danger might pop up in the negotiation process. Is Kurtzargert even willing to do it?” said the hot-tempered councilman with furrowed brows.

Although hot-tempered, the fact that he was able to become a councilman had proven that he wasn’t an idiot.

“Oh, he will be willing. He won’t simply give up on everything he has right now because he’s like us. We know how he thinks, likewise him us,” said the friendly councilman.

“So we need to give him more ‘aid’?” asked the gloomy councilman.

The gloomy councilman was very calm with his tone right now, there wasn’t any anger in it.

Everything was just a disguise.

If someone had chosen to be the bad guy, another person must have chosen to be the good guy and there must also be a middleman to balance things out.

As for the rest, the role assigning had been done, all they needed to do was sit and watch.

“Mm. It’s a necessary move. After all, we need Kurtzargert to put in all his effort,” the friendly councilman nodded. The rest of the councilmen also followed.

Then, the communication under the table came to an end.

All of them returned to the council hall once more.

“Kurtzargert, don’t be so anxious. We won’t let anything happen to you, we can provide you with more support and you can use the resources to persuade the Demon Hunters!” said the friendly councilman.

“Persuade the Demon Hunters? Are you kidding me? If those bastards are so easily persuaded, the incident back then wouldn’t have happened,” Bloody Mary chuckled coldly.

“It all depends on the person! Back then, it’s the Wolf Sect Demon Hunters and now… it’s the Snake Sect Demon Hunters! Both of them worked in different ways, so we are determined to accomplish some results. Besides, are you willing to give up on everything you have now?” asked the friendly councilman.

Bloody Mary played along and kept quiet.

Its silence aroused ridicule in the southern councilmen’s hearts. They knew Kurtzargert was moved.

Now, all they had to do was figure out how great of a cost they’d pay, which wasn’t worrisome for them.

Similar to how it was difficult for a commoner to imagine the income of a lord, the leaders of the supernatural forces that ruled almost all the places in the south had unimaginable resources as well.

However, they also underestimated Bloody Mary’s ambitions.

“I want at least 300 pieces of magical items and equipment. Quality goods, don’t try to fool me with fakes!”

Bloody Mary’s demand caused the southern councilmen to skip a breath.

They were prepared to spend a fortune on this but they never expected Kurtzargert would demand such a huge amount.

300 high quality magical items and equipment were not some small amount.

In fact, 300 high quality magical items and equipment in most people’s mind was a substantial cost. As for after the enchantment? Even a lord like the late Viscount Sicar could not provide such an amount.

Only a lord with an open port could consider that amount, but even if said lord could provide the ridiculous amount, he’d go broke.

Therefore, the councilmen rejected en masse.

“No!”

“Impossible!”

“It’s too much!”

The councilmen were loud and stern.

Bloody Mary crossed its arms and sat back down, chuckling away.

“There’s 14 of you, not 1. What’s gathering 300 magical items and equipment to you? Don’t think I haven’t heard of your shady deals in Qitar Bay,” Bloody Mary lightly tapped on the table.

They did not doubt that Kurtzargert would find out something. similarly, they too knew about Kurtzargert’s own shady deals. It was a mutual understanding, but asking them to collaboratively fork out 300 high quality magical items and equipment was still too much.

Unconsciously, the southern councilmen shifted all their gazes to a single point.

As the owner of Qitar Bay, the friendly councilman received all the questioning gazes. He deeply thought about it for a while before he said, “Kurtzargert, that’s a little much! 150 is all we can do!”

150?

Bloody Mary squinted its eyes, it was more than what it expected.

The amount that it was expecting was 100, but now?

“280! Every one of you can simply give 20 each!” Bloody Mary said in a calm way, as if it was negotiating about two biscuits, not wealth amassed from several lands.

“Impossible, Kurtzargert! You…”

“Then the negotiation is off! I’ll go to Mozaar right away! I’ll leave the rest to you guys! If we still can meet in the future, I’ll throw you a toast—thank you, foolish ones, who made things the way they are and were still able to survive and also, thank me for staying alive.”

Bloody Mary then stood up again, walking out without stop.

“Kurtzargert!”

“Kurtzargert!”

“Wait!”

The calls sounded furiously behind him, yet Bloody Mary turned a deaf ear.

Act until the very end. Bloody Mary knew the saying.

Therefore, after it stepped out of the council hall, it shut the door straightaway.

Then, it headed to Horlaika, who had packed everything and was ready to go.

Baggage that could fill a whole wagon was very eye-catching in Silent Night Town.

A lot of Silent Night Secret Society members gathered around, looking at Horlaika in confusion.

Due to the ranking system of Silent Night Secret Society, these normal members dared not simply ask, but they knew things were different after the Council Meeting was held.

Then, Bloody Mary came by.

The normal members even had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Bloody Mary walked to the baggage and paused its steps, turning around to the normal members around itself and looking rather down and unwilling.

A quick hesitation later, Bloody Mary spoke after a sigh.

“I’m sorry everyone. A crisis that puts everyone’s lives on the line happened earlier. It involves everyone and the whole organization, so Colipo and I initiated the Council Meeting, but it still happened, which puts us in a very passive side. Things were further exacerbated when the representatives of the southern councilmen acted on their own, it made our passiveness even more fatal. I’ve decided to leave Edatine. If you all wanted to leave, please do. I assure you this isn’t betrayal and none of you will be hunted down! Be it to the north or to the south, hide and alter your identities, do whatever you like. Remember, live!”

The sorrow on Bloody Mary’s face went out of control, its voice was heavy and it sounded like… it was choking up on its words.

“Councilman, what happened?”

“Yeah, councilman, what happened?”

“Why are you leaving Silent Night Town?”

The gathered crowd asked one after another.

Humans were social animals, especially towards their ‘home’, which they had unsevered sentiments for.

Now, someone told them to leave their home, no one would be able to accept that, especially when the reason was caused by outsiders!

That’s right! Outsiders!

The southern councilmen, in the eyes of the residents of Silent Night Town, were outsiders.

They were not responsible for the resident’s lives, neither would they protect them from harm, even bringing tremendous trouble upon them. What were they if not outsiders?

Unconsciously, many of them looked towards the council hall with killing gazes.

The killing gazes that hated one into their core!

Their home was at risk, anyone would risk their lives for it. More so, the residences of Silent Night Town weren’t a bunch of weak, bulliable people.

Everyone of them had outstanding bodies, combat techniques, and many of them mastered mystical techniques too. Their presence was naturally different from other commoners.

Right now, every single one of those presences gathered and it made Horfe, the leader of the southern councilmen representatives, numb at his scalp.

They knew if Silent Night Town broke down, they wouldn’t make it out alive either because before the residents left the town, they would surely skin the representatives alive.

Instinctively, the representatives reported to their respective councilmen.

The councilmen looked at each other.

They weren’t as resolute as Kurtzargert, he didn’t even want to compromise… no, he did compromise but that step that he took was too small.

“What should we do now?” asked the hot-tempered councilman.

“Things are much worse than we thought. Kurtzargert’s attitude made me feel like he was purposely putting us in a difficult situation, then he could leave Edatine Castle reasonably. Just listen to his voice just now, unnatural and false!” replied the gloomy councilman.

“I know! I’m asking what we should do now! And didn’t you order your men to create a mess?” The hot-tempered councilman waved his hand.

His question seemed to agitate the gloomy councilman.

The gloomy councilman did say something similar when his men left for Edatine Castle, therefore he really had no idea whether it was his men who caused trouble for Kurtzargert.

His men were dead after all, who would he go to for answers?

However, deep in his heart, he acknowledged that it was almost certain that his men caused the trouble for Kurtzargert.

But…

‘That damn bastard! Doesn’t he know the priority of things?

The gloomy councilman cursed in his heart.

Meanwhile, on the outside, his voice grew gloomier.

“Everyone agreed on that, including you!” he retorted.

“Hmph! So? Are you trying to hold us responsible for your mistakes?” asked the hot-tempered councilman.

“You want to back off now? Do you think you can run?” mocked the gloomy councilman.

“You wouldn’t know if you didn’t try,” the projection of the hot-tempered councilman stood up.

Although the projection only showed the councilman’s body, based on his movements, he must have kicked the table in front of him away.

The gloomy councilman sat down without budging, but the aura on his true body distorted even the projection.

Both of them were on the verge of breaking out.

There was a temporary alliance from the start, there were no solid conditions to begin with, let alone both of them fighting on the bright and dark side for the gains in the south.

In that particular moment, it was as though every grudge they had in the past was about to erupt at once.

“Enough!” said the friendly councilman.

It was hard for him to keep his friendly look anymore in this kind of timing. He knew what these guys were trying to do, it was none other than trying to avoid bearing the expensive cost.

They wanted him to be the one to do it.

The argument between the gloomy and hot-tempered one?

It was all an act, for the sake of benefits.

Kurtzargert did the same, the two of them also did the same and even himself.

He really wanted to spit on their faces and tell them it was delusional of them to think as such, but… he couldn’t do that.

An unknown God, a guy nearing divine status.

These were all unexpected happenings that he had to deal with, and even if he couldn’t deal with it in a clean way, he ought to stall his enemies, so he needed Kurtzargert for that.

Qitar Bay could not fail! The place was his crucial base!

Hu!

Inhaled deeply, the councilman spoke, “I’ll fork out 20%, and you guys settle the rest? Don’t push it, this is my limit.”

After the other councilmen heard what the friendly councilman said, they heaved a sigh of relief but at the same time felt a little pity.

They were too straightforward?

Should they be more mild and indirect?

It was all Kurtzargert’s fault, he left in a hurry and didn’t even give them space to turn around.

Criticizing in their hearts, the councilmen started to give new orders to their men.

Horfe ran out of the council hall right away.

Under many hostile gazes, he ran up to Bloody Mary.

“Councilman Kurtzargert, the councilmen had agreed to your terms.”

“They agreed?” Bloody Mary feigned surprise.

Its reaction made the councilmen who watched the situation through their projection chuckle coldly deep in their hearts.

‘As expected, he was just trying to find an excuse to run away! Well, you can’t just run away like that!’

Another quick exchange of gazes later, the southern councilmen had an answer in their mind.

They wouldn’t drag this out!

They’d send 280 magical items and equipment to Edatine Castle, and after that, they wanted to see the representative of Snake Sect Demon Hunter right away for negotiation.

Under the gazes of the residence, Bloody Mary returned to the council hall.

It didn’t show any expression on its face but the southern councilmen could make out a trace of unwillingness in Bloody Mary’s eyes. Therefore, they did not hesitate at all.

The friendly councilman signaled his men, Horfe, with his eyes.

Horfe was the last one who came in and he purposely left the door of the council hall open.

“We agree to your terms, Kurtzargert. We will use 280 magical items and equipment to trade for the forgiveness of Snake Sect Demon Hunter. Now, we need to see their representative. Can you go contact the Snake Sect Demon Hunter?” said the friendly councilman.

He was loud, to the point that the residents of Silent Night Town outside the door could hear it properly.

“I want high quality goods!” Bloody Mary emphasized, though its words, in the ears of the southern councilmen, were nothing but a dying struggle.

Unknowingly, the southern councilmen who felt a little unwilling earlier suddenly eased up and felt a lot better.

“Of course, I assure you,” said the friendly councilman, looking at the other councilmen at the same time.

“We assure you too,” the other councilmen said, going along with the assurance.

“Fine,” Bloody Mary clenched its teeth and waved at Horlaika.

Its reaction made the southern councilmen more and more comfortable, sitting back down at their seats and waiting patiently