Wryly smiling, the rchant wiped his forehead. "Good sir, I am just a humble rchant, but…"
"But?" Azmodeus's eyes narrowed.
"B-But… there was a deal that I decided to have a part in not long before we t your Almighty self," the rchant said with a shaky tone. "On order of Duke Fern from the Azureflask Empire's Capital, we, the Jade Dragon Store Association, were asked to transport so 'special' goods across the border and into the Moonlord Empire."
Azmodeus's brows raised. "The Moonlord Empire?"
"Yes, good sir," the rchant answered. "It is an Immortal Empire on par with the Azureflask Empire and is within the bounds of the Moongod Province, which lies just adjacent to the Saberspire Empire."
"I see," said Azmodeus. "And your Store Association was asked to deliver what sort of 'special' goods?"
The rchant's face lost a little color. "Well, good sir," he stuttered. "Our cargo was of the resource variety. Specifically, we were carrying King Crystals."
"You an the kind that assists one in breaking through to the Immortal King Realm?" Azmodeus asked as his interest piqued.
He could use sothing like that.
"Yes, sir," responded the rchant. "It was the most expensive and luxurious cargo that we, the Jade Dragon Store Association, had ever received. However…"
"However?" Azmodeus parroted.
The rchant clenched his fists. "However, those goods were never ant to reach their destination," he muttered. "Those Sand Scorpion Thieves — they were set up by our employers as guards and were ant to protect us. Instead, they betrayed us as soon as we passed the midway point."
"Before you got there, two Immortal Kings with overwhelming might took away the King Crystals by force and ordered their subordinates to dispose of us…"
"I see," Azmodeus said as he pondered. "Does this an that they were targeting you? But why go through so much trouble for a still-growing Store Association? Sothing isn't adding up…"
He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
The rchant practically pissed himself in fright. Sweating, he got on his knees right outside his building. "Good sir!" He shouted. "The truth is that our Jade Dragon Association is a subordinate faction of Duke Fern. He has many enemies, and as such, one of them sohow planted spies in our Store Association and set up those Sand Scorpion Thieves."
"The King Crystals were supposed to reach the Moonlord Empire's Royal Family on order of our Lord, Duke Fern. However, with the interference of an unknown third party, those King Crystals were stolen."
The rchant's gloomy aura perated the air, attracting the attention of a few busybody passersby.
"Though it is not our fault the King Crystals were stolen, it still creates bad blood between Duke Fern and the Moonlord Empire, who had paid for the goods beforehand," he said as his voice beca lower and lower. "If we don't find a way to get the requested King Crystals to the Moongod Empire within the next three days, then the tension between our Lord and the Moongod's Royal Family will begin to exponentially intensify."
Azmodeus entered a brooding state.
"Tell ," he said as he peered into the rchant's soul. "Who, in a high position, would be able to benefit from a political scuffle like this one?"
The rchant felt compelled to answer. "T-The other Dukes of the Azureflask Empire, or soone controlling them from outside the Empire," he stamred. "Ma-Maybe a directly unrelated outside source as well, but that is less likely…"
Azmodeus's brows raised. "And why do you believe it to be one of the other Dukes?" He asked.
"W-Well, Duke Fern is the only Duke on the side of the Azureflask's Royal Family," the rchant answered nervously. "As such, the other Dukes are the ones to gain the most if Duke Fern falls out with the Moongod Empire."
"How cliche," Azmodeus said under his breath. "If Duke Fern loses favor with the Moongod Empire, or sothing even worse, then both he and the Royal Family are likely to suffer. The other Dukes and nobles can then swoop in and take advantage of the situation, enabling them to vie for the throne."
"Precisely, good sir," the rchant said with a surprised tone.
He never would've expected the good sir to figure out the hypothesized gist of the situation so quickly.
"I know there are four dukes in this Empire," Azmodeus said as he looked to four distinct castles in the distance. "That ans I have three Dukedoms to personally investigate on the Fourth Layer."
His grin widened.
The rchant had an extrely bad feeling about what was to co, but with his ass also on the line if those King Crystals weren't delivered on ti, he had no choice but to reluctantly follow the lead of the good sir.
"Could I assist you, good sir!?" Aflon asked with an excited gleam in his gaze. "I don't an to brag, but I possess quite the large assortnt of skills. Skills that allow to perform very specific—"
"Yeah, catch," Azmodeus said as he tossed a bag of storage rings to the enthusiastic young man. "Hold onto the first round of goods that this young master has acquired from the opps."
"The first round…?"
Both father and son looked at each other with the sa ominous feeling.
Azmodeus's eyes creased into crescent moons as an evil intent flashed past them. "Yes," he said coldly. "Round one is over, and now it's ti for round two."
As he and the dumbfounded rchant pair traveled toward the first of the four massive castles in the South, a terrifying system interface appeared above the True Enigma.
BLING!
—------------
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: 2nd Order Loot God - 43.6% Nourishnt]
[Lifespan: 19 Immortal Years/Infinite]
[Cultivation: Grade 9 Immortal Venerable (Limit)]
[Battle Power: Grade 9 Immortal King (Peak)]
[Grade 4 Immortal Power: 10,500]]
[Evolution Essence Bank: 6,400 Grade 4 Immortal Evolution Essence]
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Cultivation Talent: Black Tier Immortal (Late)]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
[Singularity Coalescence: Black Tier Immortal (Middle)]
{[Immortal Physiques:]}
[Immortal's Resilience: Peak-Black Tier]
{[Immortal Lines:]}
[White Tier Lines: 85 sextillion (x70 Sextillion)]
[Orange Tier Lines: 700 trillion (x1.4 duodecillion)]
{[Loot Halos:]}
[Red Tier Loot Halos: 75 sextillion (150 Sextillion%)]
[Purple Tier Loot Halos: 800 trillion (1.6 duodecillion%)]
—---------------
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