NCCnovel Chapter 555 - 321: An Unpalatable Soul (Double-Length)
Chapter 555 - 321: An Unpalatable Soul (Double-Length)
Hearing Rogel’s words, Freya was a bit dumbfounded.
"A beast demon in human form... such a being shouldn’t exist... or maybe I’ve just never seen one."
Freya dared not speak in absolute terms.
Rogel didn’t say much upon hearing this, just smiled.
Then, he slowly began to descend downward.
This was a volcanic island in the Sea of Magma, aside from the central volcano, there was also a black rocky mountain nearby, with some special metals exposed on it. Without a doubt, this was a mining mountain.
And at the base of the mining mountain, two demons, resembling goblins and holding small forks, were dozing off.
Due to the shroud of mysterious power, Rogel and Freya’s arrival did not catch the attention of the two goblin demons at all.
Rogel boldly walked into the cave.
Freya quickly followed.
...
Clang... clang...
The sound of an iron pickaxe striking hard stone echoed rhythmically, wave after wave.
Alongside it was a hoarse counting voice that rang out after a long while.
"Thirty-eight thousand six hundred and twelve..."
Rogel came to his side but didn’t speak immediately, instead leaning against the wall to observe the man.
Without a doubt, this was a demon with human traits.
His body had essentially become a demon’s, and a low-level demon at that.
Rogel also noticed that the man wasn’t counting the number of times he mined.
He was counting how much ore he had mined.
It seemed he needed only one type of ore.
[Blood Red Hard Stone]
[Type: Material]
[Explanation: A common ore in the Sea of Demons, capable of emitting a trace amount of curse power, usually used by demons as floor tiles.]
Rogel picked up a piece from a nearby mining bag, examined it for a moment, and then tossed it back.
Clang...
Meanwhile, after several digs, the man again found a Blood Red Hard Stone.
Seeing this ore, a spark returned to his tired and numb face, and he reached out to pick it up and place it in the mining bag behind him.
"Thirty-eight thousand six hundred and thirteen..."
The number increased.
Rogel withdrew the mysterious power surrounding him and patted the man’s shoulder.
"You, you are human, right?"
Feeling Rogel’s touch and question, the man stiffly turned around.
Upon seeing Rogel’s appearance, a flicker of disbelief appeared in his numb eyes, as if having difficulty believing what he was seeing.
"Who... are you?"
His expression remained numb and bewildered, his mental state worrisome.
Rogel shrugged, thought for a moment, and then waved his hand in front of the man’s eyes.
The power of faith turned into a clear stream, awakening the man’s stiff and numb thoughts.
His clouded eyes gradually became clear.
After a while.
Rogel learned the man’s background.
His guess was correct; this man was indeed a human.
Or rather, he was originally a human, named Jovi.
By coincidence, he was also from the Sea of Confession, a sea merchant with a wife and two children, living a happy and fulfilling life.
His hometown was not in a region familiar to Rogel but under the rule of the Extreme Night Stars.
Jovi’s life was quite pleasant.
Until an unexpected event occurred.
His wife and two children all suddenly fell gravely ill in one night and would soon pass away.
This left Jovi in deep sorrow, drunkenly frequenting taverns.
Until a friend gave him a strange scroll.
A contract from a demon.
In despair, Jovi opened the contract.
The demon Promius appeared and offered him a deal.
It would cure Jovi’s family’s terminal illness.
The price was that Jovi had to sell his soul and mine one million Blood Red Hard Stones in the Sea of Demons for it.
Once he collected the one million Blood Red Hard Stones, Jovi would redeem his freedom and return to the human world.
Obviously, Jovi agreed.
His soul now belonged to that demon.
Quite a cliché story.
"Still nine hundred sixty-one thousand three hundred eighty-seven Blood Red Hard Stones short..."
"Once I collect the stones, I can go home and leave this dreadful place..."
"I can do it!"
Clang!
Jovi’s spirit was rekindled, and the mining pick in his hand rose and fell, sparks flying as it collided with the stone.
Indeed, he seemed much clearer under Rogel’s influence.
However, he directed this clarity to calculate how many stones he still needed...
Rogel withdrew his gaze and asked Jovi about the location of the demon with whom he had made the contract.
"I don’t quite remember, Lord Promius seems to reside in the fortress over there..."
Jovi pointed in a direction.
Having received the direction.
Rogel glanced at him curiously, then left the cave with Freya.
This guy had indeed come to the Sea of Demons because of a demonic contract.
However, Rogel could see through his shell and observe the fragmentation of his soul.
Then, that fragmented part was stitched together by a force of curses.
Clearly, his soul was incomplete.
"What kind of souls do demons favor the most?"
Rogel casually asked Freya beside him.
"Most favored souls?" Freya pondered for a moment upon hearing this: "It should be those that are pure, selfless, kind, and unblemished..."
"Oh..."
Rogel nodded slightly.
At this point, Freya noticed something amiss, frowning slightly: "Hmm, something’s not right. If that human just now was truly as he claimed, then this demon called Promius should have devoured his soul completely..."