Though Lin Lei and his companions were not stingy, they had no intention of wasting money recklessly. They left that hotel and spent a good while exploring Emperor Wing City, visiting over a dozen inns and lodgings before finally settling on one that was elegant, quiet, and modestly sized.
A one-year stay cost two hundred and ten inkstones.
After paying the two hundred and ten inkstones and receiving a black identification token, Lin Lei and his companions entered their quarters. Pushing open the courtyard gate, they found an elegant courtyard spread before them, with flower beds occupying roughly a third of the space.
Behind the courtyard stood a quaint two-story building.
Lin Lei and Dilia looked at it with evident satisfaction.
"Boss, this place is pretty quiet," Bei Bei said with a grin. "Boss, I'm taking the room upstairs!" He leaped straight up to the second floor. After only a moment he flew back down, pouting. "This hotel really is stingy — there's nothing here except a bed, a table, and chairs."
"An environment like this is already quite good enough."
Lin Lei nodded with satisfaction, then took out two bluestone slabs and handed them to Dilia and Bei Bei respectively. "Bei Bei, Dilia, here's two hundred thousand inkstones each for now. If there's anything you want to buy later, just decide for yourselves."
"Heh heh." Bei Bei raised his eyebrows and snatched his slab up immediately.
Dilia nodded and accepted hers as well.
Lin Lei looked up at the sky. It was still only afternoon, and the blood-red sun still hung high overhead.
"There's still plenty of time — it isn't even dark yet. Emperor Wing City has a curfew, but that only means you can't be out on the streets after midnight. Let's go out and have a look first." The Demon Castle was the first thing on Lin Lei's mind. "Let's head straight to the Demon Castle and see what this demon examination is all about."
"The Demon Castle?" Dilia and Bei Bei both perked up with anticipation.
Wasting no time, the three of them set off at once for the Demon Castle!
The ancient Demon Castle was a deep purple-black throughout. Its most iconic feature was the enormous sculpture — that indistinct face and its eerie, glowing red eye. Once you saw it, you could never forget it.
Far fewer people were heading toward the Demon Castle than toward the "Wistaria Castle" or the "Black Sand Castle."
Yet those who did walk toward the Demon Castle, though few in number, carried themselves with a quiet confidence. Most of them wore demon medallions on their chests. It was clear —
They were all demons!
The elite of Hell!
Lin Lei and his companions climbed the steps and entered the first-floor hall of the Demon Castle.
"So quiet," Bei Bei whispered.
The first-floor hall was vast and nearly empty, holding only a few hundred people at most. In such a spacious hall, that number gave the impression of a sparse, scattered crowd. Lin Lei and his companions spotted the "Demon Application" counter at a glance.
A green-haired beauty sat behind the counter, with shelves of fine wines displayed on the wall behind her.
"Una, pour me an Olei — the red bottle!" A bald man in black armor tossed a bluestone onto the counter casually.
"Hey, can't you see I'm busy? Wait a moment." The green-haired beauty ignored the burly man entirely and continued speaking with a dark-haired young man standing before her.
"Angie, how many times do I have to tell you? Last time, during the demon examination, out of a thousand participants, only fifty-three succeeded. Another twenty-eight survived despite failing the exam. The other nine hundred-plus all died! You've already failed the examination twice in a row. You were lucky — you kept your life both times. But can you count on that luck a third time?" The green-haired beauty urged him anxiously.
Lin Lei and his companions walked over as well.
The dark-haired young man spoke in a low voice. "Una, I know the first two times were just luck, but I don't want to give up. Both times I was just barely short. This time I'll definitely make it."
"Can't you go back and train some more? Come back when you've grown stronger?"
Una sighed. "I'm the one in charge of demon applications here. I don't know how many people like you I've seen who want to become demons. But the demon examination has an extremely high death rate. Out of a thousand people, only a few dozen usually pass, and the survivors rarely number even a hundred!"
"Angie, go back and train. Once your strength has improved significantly, come back. I promise I'll sign you up then," Una pleaded.
"Improved strength?" The dark-haired young man shook his head. "I'm already a middle-level god, and I've comprehended three types of divine insights. But I know that even if I keep training, I have no idea how long it would take to comprehend a fourth. And even if I did, so what? My strength wouldn't increase dramatically. Unless I reached the Highgod realm — but that's too far away."
"Would you have me refine a divine spark to become a god? I'm not willing. Besides, I don't have enough money to purchase a Highgod divine spark."
The dark-haired young man looked at the green-haired woman. "Una, please don't try to stop me."
"Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, the bald man in black armor burst into laughter. His booming voice echoed through the entire vast, quiet hall, and many demons turned to look. The bald man in black armor turned toward his companions. "Brothers, come take a look! There's a little fellow here who kept his life through two demon examinations in a row. Lucky bastard. And now he wants to take the exam a third time! Ha ha ha!"
"Oh? Survived twice in a row, did he?" Several people from that group walked over. Every one of them wore a demon medallion on his chest.
"Survived twice by the skin of your teeth and you still want to come back? Tired of living?"
The demons walked over, trading jokes and laughter freely.
The dark-haired young man lowered his head, his brow furrowed, his entire body trembling slightly.
This was humiliation!
"Una," the bald man in black armor said with a laugh, "this little fool wants to go get himself killed. Why bother trying to convince him otherwise? Let him take the exam. If he dies, he dies."
"Shut your mouth, Krumpトン!" Una glared at him sharply.
The bald man in black armor blinked in surprise, then flew into a rage. "Una, how dare you speak to me like that!"
"What about it? You think I can't?" Una lifted her chin slightly and stared coldly at the bald man. "Krumpトン, I'll speak to you however I please. What are you going to do about it?"
"Damn it!" Krumpトン slammed his hand on the counter in fury, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Una.
Una flinched but gathered her courage and spoke firmly. "Krumpトン, what do you think you're doing? This is the Demon Castle!" Una actually knew of this Krumpトン — he was a fairly powerful demon, already a Highgod in strength.