Chapter 969 – Stop Raising Flags
“Well, that was easier than I expected,” William muttered as his group passed through the gates of the Fortress City that guarded the Demonic Continent’s borders.
He had underestimated the special privileges that slave traders had in the Demon Lands. As long as they brought in slaves of other races, the doors of the fortress would always open for them.
Although this was a very ridiculous notion, he somehow understood that they had nothing to fear. After all, the one overseeing the fortress was a Demigod that guarded the Demon Realm.
‘Stronger than Takam, but weaker than Vlad,’ William thought as he and Optimus felt the energy that was coming out from the tall tower that stood at the center of the fortress.
In the past, the Half-Elf would have cowered to such existences, but times had changed. He had plenty of things in his arsenal that could fight them on even terms—his Heroic Avatar, summoning Sun Wukong, his Vampire Progenitor at full power, and of course, his Einherjar Job Class.
Out of all of these options, William didn’t want to use his Einherjar Job Class because his memories of Belle were only few. He was afraid that if he used it one more time, he would forever forget his wife, whom he had left back on Earth.
This was why, if possible, William didn’t want to have a confrontation at this moment. His priorities were to find Celine, and take her back to the Central Continent. He couldn’t afford to fight against such an existence before he could find his first Master, who was somewhere in the Northeastern regions of the Demon Continent.
“Where is the best inn in this stronghold?” William asked one of the Demon guards that were patrolling the area.
The black-haired teenager didn’t forget to sneakily give the guard a few gold coins, which made the latter smile in satisfaction.
“Near the plaza, you will see a three-story tavern with a black horse sign hanging above its doors,” the guard replied. “That is the Nightmare Tavern. It is the second best inn and tavern in this stronghold.”
“Why not tell us where the first best tavern is?” William inquired with curiosity.
The patrol guard moved closer and told him the reason why he didn’t tell him where the best inn was located.
“Right now, the Grand General has reserved the best inn in this city,” the guard replied. “If you want to keep that head of yours on your shoulders, it is best to just settle for the second best. Our Grand General is known for having a short temper.”
The Demon Guard then glanced at the slaves that had been locked up in the cage and smirked.
“If he saw your merchandise, you would definitely suffer a loss,” the guard added. “He is known to seize any men, women, or slaves that he comes to fancy. You’re pretty good looking yourself, make sure to stay out of his sight.”
“Thank you, Friend,” William replied as he handed five more gold coins to the Demon guard as an added bonus. “You’ve been a great help.”
The Demon chuckled as he took the gold coins offered to him. He then gave William a brief nod before walking away in good spirits. A few gold coins was enough for him to enjoy some good wine and food after his shift, which gave him a good impression of the black-haired vampire, whom he had met for the first time today.
“Zhu, Sha, sorry, but stay with the Elves tonight and guard them properly,” William stated.
Zhu and Sha nodded in understanding. All of them were on the same team. The least they could do was offer protection to their comrades as they completed their mission.
William then took out a black blanket from his storage ring and used it to cover the cage, so the Elves would be hidden from plain sight. The Elves were his maids, and he would not allow any scum General to have his way with them.
As they traveled towards the center of the city, they eventually arrived at the Nightmare Tavern. Zhu and Sha led the carriages to the stable, while William entered the tavern alone. At first he wanted to travel with Charmaine walking alongside him, but the guard’s advice had reminded him that showing his merchandise out in the open might not be the best of ideas while inside the Fortress City named Amberfang.
William sat on the stool in front of the barkeeper and placed a few gold coins in front of him.
“Send your best food, and wine to my two guards in the stables,” WIlliam said. “Also, I’d like you to give me one of your best rooms available.”
The barkeeper nodded as he took the gold coins from the counter. He then presented a mug of mead to William as he relayed his orders to the kitchen.
The Half-Elf took a sip of the sweet and spicy mead that was surprisingly delicious, as he scanned the Demons that were present in the tavern.
After meeting Zhu, Sha, and his wife Chiffon, he no longer had any bias for this race. For him, they were just like ordinary people, with just different appearances. Some Demons could easily take Human form, which almost made them impossible to identify when they mingled themselves in Human Lands.
Chiffon was Half-Dwarf, and Half-Demon, but she looked like just an ordinary Human girl, if you looked past the part that she could swallow an entire city if her Divinity surged out of control.
Several of the Demons inside of the tavern were observing William, just as much as he was observing them. Most of them were regulars in the Nightmare Tavern, and new faces were certainly something that they paid extra attention to.
After several minutes, the Barkeeper told William that he had already sent his men to bring the food he ordered to the stables, and handed the black-haired teenager a key to his room.
William thanked the Barkeeper as he made his way upstairs. It didn’t take long before he found his room, so he entered it without a second thought.
“Not bad,” William muttered as he scanned the spacious room. This was the first time he was spending the night in a Demonic City and noticed that their standards for good accommodations were similar to Humans, but without the luxurious decorations.
Even so, the Half-Elf found his room to be comfortable enough to stay in. It also had a balcony that allowed him to have a good view of the plaza.
William observed the Demons that were walking the streets, minding their own business.
It was at that moment when he saw a green-haired beauty walking in the plaza with steady steps. She had a long tail that resembled that of a lizard that swayed as she walked. As if sensing someone was staring at her, the young lady glanced in William’s direction and arched an eyebrow.
Although they were dozens of meters apart, both of their eyes met, and William felt a sudden surge of electricity run down his spine.
The green-haired beauty smiled, and even winked at William, before continuing to walk in the direction she was headed. Only after her figure disappeared in the distance did the Half-Elf move away from the balcony and return inside his room.
The reason why he felt a tingling sensation on his body was because the lady that he saw somehow felt familiar.
It was at that moment when William suddenly remembered the memory he had in the Deadlands while he was in a comatose state. He had seen the green-haired beauty alongside Haleth, Amelia, Pearl, Priscilla, a beauty with a single horn on her head, and a Half-Ling that looked like a doll.
Back then, the Half-Elf had no idea who the lady was. But now, things had changed. For some reason, he felt that this brief meeting of theirs would somehow lead to things that were not part of his plan.
‘Will, stop raising flags,’ William thought as he lightly tapped his forehead. The guard earlier had already raised a flag about the Elves, and him, so adding more to that queue would definitely not be a good idea.
Just as William was trying to regain his composure, he heard a soft rustle coming from the balcony. He thought that it was just his imagination, but when he turned his head to look in its direction, his body stiffened when he saw the same green-haired lady, who he had seen not long ago, sitting on the railing, and looking at him with an amused smile on her face.
