The Broken Halo

Inside the carriage, Simon’s sky-blue eyes became utterly still.

Earth?

The one thing Simon did not expect was to hear a few demons mention Earth in this place.

He thought he had heard wrong, but he knew that his ears were working properly which led to him not knowing what to think.

For a moment, the sound of the queue, the beasts, the merchants, and the guards became distant.

’Earth.’

The place where he had been born.

The place where he had fought for more than sixty years.

The place where he had died.

Or rather, the place where he had been betrayed.

Simon’s expression did not change, but Sonya opened one eye and looked at him.

Akaza also glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.

Both of them noticed the slight change in Simon.

It was not killing intent.

It was not anger.

It was something colder.

Mira also noticed it, and her expression became slightly confused.

’Why did he react to Earth? What’s going on?’

The demon outside continued speaking in a low voice.

"I heard the recruitment will not be limited to Velmora. Other cities under the Darkness Kingdom might also send demons, but Velmora will be one of the first to gather forces."

"Why Velmora?"

"Because a rift is going to appear close to this place."

The other demon sucked in a breath.

"Close to Velmora?"

"That’s what I heard."

"Is it confirmed?"

"Not completely. But if it was fake, do you think the guards would be this serious? Look around you. There are more patrols, more inspections, and more guards at the gate and border of the city. Even the atmosphere of the city is a little bit different."

The demon paused for a moment before continuing.

"And besides, the rewards are too good for a normal recruitment. They are preparing for something big."

Simon listened silently, then he opened the small window of the carriage and looked at the group of demons who were speaking.

There were four of them.

Two were Fiends.

Two were Archfiends.

They looked like wandering demons, the type that moved from city to city searching for opportunities. Their clothes were not too poor, but they were not rich either.

The demon who had been speaking noticed Simon’s gaze and frowned.

"What?"

Simon looked at him calmly.

"Come here."

The demon’s expression changed.

"Why should I?"

The other demons with him also frowned.

They did not know Simon, and they could not sense much from him. However, there was something about Simon’s gaze and eyes that made them wary.

It was a gaze that seemed to hold no regard for life.

Simon did not respond to the demon’s question.

He only took out a pouch from his spatial ring and threw it through the window.

The demon caught it instinctively.

Clink

The sound from the pouch made his eyes flicker.

He opened it slightly, then his expression changed.

The other demons beside him quickly looked into the pouch, and their expressions also changed.

Fifty low grade hell stones.

It was not a huge amount, but for ordinary Fiends and Archfiends like them?

It was not something they would casually ignore.

The demon who caught the pouch looked at Simon again.

"What do you want to know?"

Simon spoke calmly.

"Tell me more about the recruitment and the invasion."

The demon hesitated for a second, then he moved closer to the carriage.

His companions also followed.

Mira, Devia, Brukk, and Orven looked at Simon with strange expressions. Even Sonya opened her eyes slightly.

Akaza however, remained silent.

The demon lowered his voice.

"I don’t know everything. We only heard some things before coming here."

Simon said nothing, and the demon continued.

"From what we heard, a rift is about to form somewhere close to Velmora City. Nobody knows exactly where, or maybe the city knows but they are keeping it a secret."

"When?" Simon asked.

"I don’t know. Some say it could be in a few weeks. Some say a few months. Some say it has already started forming but is not stable yet. Nobody knows the truth except the higher-ups of the city."

Simon remained silent.

The demon quickly continued, afraid that Simon would be dissatisfied. From what he could see, Simon was not to be messed with, and he didn’t want to lose his life just because of something so stupid.

’He might be a prince or something with those eyes of his.’

The demon thought, then he continued.

"Velmora City is already preparing for the invasion. They want to recruit Fiends and Archfiends first. Greater Demons can also join, but their recruitment should be different. The rewards for Greater Demons are on another level."

The demon who took the hell stones paused, then another demon quickly added.

"The recruitment and invasion is why a lot of demons are coming to Velmora. Some want to join the invasion. Some want to trade with those who will join. Some want information. Some want to sell weapons, medicine, armor, beasts, and strange artifacts. That’s also why the guards are being strict. They don’t want spies, criminals, or rebels entering at a time like this."

Simon glanced toward the direction where the chained demon had been dragged away earlier.

A thought appeared in his mind at that moment.

’Mira said that demon might have been a rebel or a criminal trying to escape the Darkness Kingdom. If he was, then it’s a little bit understandable sense that he would try to enter Velmora now.’

’Maybe he wanted to use the huge influx of demons in the city to hide.

’Maybe he wanted to reach the rift.’

’Or maybe he had another reason.’

Simon shifted his gaze back to the demons.

"What is the recruitment process?"

The demon with the pouch of hell stones shook his head.

"That, I don’t know. I only heard that it will start soon. Maybe in a few days. Maybe tomorrow. There should be a registration point in the city, but I don’t know where. The information is not hidden though, so it should be easy to obtain."

Simon looked at them silently, and the demons could not help but become nervous.

After a few nerve wracking seconds, Simon finally spoke.

"You can go."

The demon holding the pouch looked relieved. He quickly nodded.

"Thank you."

The four demons moved away almost immediately, but they continued glancing at Simon’s carriage from time to time.

Simon closed the carriage window, and the atmosphere inside the carriage was strange.

All eyes were on Simon, but Simon had his eyes on the ground outside the carrage as he pondered on the information he just obtained.

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