Sadly we did not encounter anything else worthwhile on our trip. So we returned with only the berries for our troubles. But maybe I could use them in a ritual. They certainly were not from a tree. But what if I used the magic inside and fused it with a type of tree? They might not be particularly powerful but they were tasty.

We returned to our home in the evening and went straight to hell the next morning. Kira and Lily joined me and Lucy as we made our way to the portal. The portal hall had been improved during our train adventures.

A lot of pillars had decorative vines growing on them. A lovely fountain had been added to the hall. The basin was round and made of black marble. The piece in the centre was shaped like a weeping willow and made out of green marble. Water poured over the tree crown into the basin below.

Decorative plants had also been added to the hall. They were not in normal planters. The floor had patches of dirt where flowers grew. My eyes widened as I recognized some of them: Delphinium.

It was a rather nice gesture. Besides the decorations we had some new merchant stalls. None of them seemed open but people were working to get them ready. We would have a nice market at the sides of the hall with a nice roomy centre for travellers. Although I did wonder how many people were interested in visiting hell. Then again, we had the train station next door. Maybe the portal would simply be a tourist attraction.

"They did a lot of work, it's gorgeous." I said, looking around.

"Indeed. We should give them a raise." Lucy added.

I nodded. "I will talk with Sandra about it. She is managing the finances."

"So this the portal to hell. I expected it to be more sinister." Kira observed.

"Who… who is this?" I heard a familiar voice ask. It was Elisee. She looked exhausted. There were bags under her eyes.

"Elisee, this is Kira. She is a storm dragon and has joined us. Kira, this Elisee, a royal knight." I introduced them.

"Dragon…" I heard her mumble.

"You really should get some sleep." Lucy advised. "Maybe use the baths, they are very relaxing. Just have a maid nearby to make sure you don't fall asleep inside the bath, it can be dangerous."

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Elisee's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, dangerous. I shall be careful." Then she hurried away.

"She really needs to learn how to relax." I said as I watched her go.

"I shall look after her." Lily offered. I nodded and Lily followed the exhausted elf.

After the short distraction we marched through the portal.

"Greetings visitors, welcome to hell!" An excited succubus said.

I looked around. Lilith had certainly improved her side as well. While it was not indoors, Lilith had built a roof over the portal. It was a dome made from a white stone, sitting on four pillars. It contrasted the black plaza nicely. It covered the portal and small area next to it where the enthusiastic succubus had a small stand. The sign above said tourist information.

"Oh, my ladies!" The succubus bowed.

"It's fine. So you offer information for visitors?" I asked, being curious.

"Yes! Queen Lilith has begun preparations for mortal visitors! We offer maps showing dangerous regions, give advice for hunting and can show people to accommodations fit for mortals! Hopefully we can build a market soon as well. Lady Shani has been hunting a lot and since she mostly likes the blood there have been a lot of things left we can hopefully sell."

Oh, I had not really heard much of Shani in a while. But I remembered her making plans with Lilith to go hunting some time ago.

"Is Lilith here?" I asked.

"The queen should be in her residence. It's the big palace over there." She pointed at the largest building. It reminded me of Roman architecture. Or was it more Greek?

As we approached the building, servants rushed towards us. There was a lot of bowing as they guided us to Lilith. She welcomed us in a luxurious office. Besides her massive desk she also had a sofa with a large couch and two chairs.

"Amaya! Lucy! Good to see you." She greeted us. "Care for a drink?"

"Always!" I replied with a smile.

"Who is your companion?" She asked.

"This is Kira, a storm dragon." I introduced her.

"An honour meeting you, Queen Lilith." Kira said with a small bow.

"The pleasure is mine! No need for formalities here. Have a seat." Lilith replied.

I took the couch with Lucy while Lilith and Kira took a chair. Beverages floated towards us from a cabinet. Lilith serves us an amber liquid, I sniffed it. It tasted rather smokey. I took a sip. Ah, a nicely peated whiskey.

"So, what brings you here?" Lilith asked.

"Food, obviously." Lucy replied with a smile.

Lilith laughed. "Naturally. Shani has been quite busy hunting. She has made my cooks quite happy, although some of the meat she collects ends up rather dry."

"Besides food, I want to grow a dryad here for the grove. I have some magical berries. I am thinking of doing a ritual. Maybe we can use a local tree and empower it." I suggested.

"That could work, since you are a master of rituals. It might also be a nice demonstration. The other lords have started sniffing around. We caught a few spies but I have no illusion that we will get them all. Especially since I want to open up access to the portal, for a fee, of course." She said.

"You said a demonstration, are you planning on inviting someone?" I asked.

Lilith nodded. "I think I can convince Meluza to work with us. We should invite her and you can perform one of your rituals. It would be a nice demonstration of power. Then we serve her some good food and make her a deal."

"Sounds like a good idea." I replied and took another sip. It was a great whiskey.

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