The mage still tried to walk in the shadows, which made him feel a bit safer inside. In his view, the shape of the Bronze Fortress was fully revealed: circular walls combined with streets radiating outward like spokes, making the place resemble a gigantic spider web. Lynch tried not to imagine where the predator of this web—the spider—might be lurking, because such thoughts made him shudder, feeling like a moth trapped in this place, desperately flapping its wings to escape. Lynch hated spiders, and this became a personal taboo when he left Ratris City.

The Desire Demon walked silently behind the mage, not daring to fall too far behind. Even though she should have been leading the way in front, the master seemingly could see what was behind. As long as the Desire Demon pointed left or right, the mage would head in the correct direction. The Desire Demon's gaze held tightly on the red mage robe; she wanted to see through that thin barrier and see Lynch's body, see into his heart. Unknowingly, Eryies began to become interested in the mage's past, pondering where he came from and what he had done. This was very rare among Desire Demons, as these soul-enticing masters always looked to the future, only planning the best ways to gain benefits.

"Eryies, have you passed through that Teleportation Gate?" Lynch slowed his pace, walking side by side with the Desire Demon. Ever since gaining an advantage in spells, Lynch began to appreciate rather than worry about Eryies' charm. "What kind of fee should be paid there?"

"Oh, my dear, there's no definite answer to that." The Desire Demon half-turned, facing the mage. She took a deep sniff, letting the strange herbal fragrance imprint deeply in her memory. "In terms of value, the blue diamond you brought last time was enough to cover the cost. But Piffed often demands items of equal value but different kinds. My dear, he might even ask for three hundred tons of water in exchange for the right to pass through the gate."

"That would be quite troublesome then." Lynch closed his eyes to think. It was merely a habit because possessing the Eye of Insight allowed the mage to see everything around him whether his eyes were open or not. He could maintain his pace without bumping into anything.

After passing another gate, the space here suddenly widened. A flat plaza replaced the crowded passages, with no more street vendors hawking their wares or low-level devils rampaging around. This was already the inner circle of the Bronze Fortress, a place only those with a certain level of strength dared to enter. Huge devils, such as Quasits, Horror Demons, and Hama Demons were the primary travelers here, so the houses built for them were all large and sturdy. Occasionally, an Abyss Demon passed in front of the mage, the immense heat radiating from it forcing Lynch to continuously retreat, unable to withstand even a moment. And this was just in its restrained state; in the infernal war, it would spew flames continuously outward, burning away all enemies, weapons, land, and opponents' confidence one after another.

The Abyss Demon stopped, bending down to examine the mage before it. Compared to this king of Bator, Lynch appeared quite small. He looked like a stick that could easily be broken, with only the mage robe on him giving him some semblance of resistance. The Abyss Demon and the mage stared each other down, both assessing each other's capabilities. However, Lynch was definitely not a match for the Abyss Demon now. With the help of a special scroll he had prepared in advance, the mage had managed to deal with a Flame Demon. But in Bator Hell, the devils' domain, the mage had no confidence that he could defeat the opponent before him. Perhaps, if fortunate, he might escape alive from the demon's enormous hands.

It could have been that the Abyss Demon had other important matters, or perhaps it considered the mage before it not worth its while. In any case, after staring him down for a moment, the devil chose to leave. He walked past the mage with heavy footsteps, his tail provocatively whipping up a gust of wind in Lynch's ear. The mage merely sidestepped to avoid its momentum. Once the Abyss Demon left his line of sight, Lynch took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"It's best if things like this don't happen again," Lynch thought to himself. "It does nothing but shorten my lifespan."

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