Lin Lei and the other two left the Demon Castle and headed back to their residence.
"Hmph!" Bei Bei threw his straw hat onto the courtyard table and said furiously, "This Hell really is suffocating. That bald coward doesn't dare mess with anyone strong, but he mocks us instead. If we were outside the city, I'd fight him tooth and nail, no matter the cost."
Dilia teased with a laugh, "Fight him tooth and nail? Bei Bei, that bald guy is a High God. You think you can take him?"
"So what if he's a High God?" Bei Bei tossed his head up, then immediately drooped and mumbled, "Ugh, a High God..."
Seeing Bei Bei like that, Lin Lei and Dilia both burst out laughing.
"My grandfather is the same way. He has a High Godspark but won't let me use it. He insists I comprehend and break through on my own. Otherwise, I'd already be a High God." Bei Bei looked at Lin Lei. "Anyway, let's not talk about that. Boss, when are we taking the Demon Trial? In a few decades?"
Lin Lei nodded. "Going to take the Demon Trial right now — I'm not confident about it. No rush. Within a few decades, I should be able to reach the Mid-God realm with my Laws of the Earth. Then my odds will be much better." Lin Lei couldn't help but think about his Laws of the Wind Elements.
He hadn't slacked off in his cultivation of the Wind Element Laws either. But by now, he had only comprehended portions of the two Grand Mysteries — "Fast" and "Slow."
"The Pulse of the Earth I mastered long ago, and Earth Elemental is one of the simplest Mysteries within the Laws of the Earth. Once I start merging them, the speed will naturally be fast. But for the Mystery of Speed, I need to comprehend two Grand Mysteries and merge them — that's much slower."
Lin Lei sighed to himself.
If he could cultivate both the Laws of the Earth and the Laws of the Wind Elements to the Mid-God realm, his strength would naturally increase tremendously.
"Just a few decades, no rush," Bei Bei said with a grin. "Besides, there's no danger in Diyi City. The city's huge — I want to explore it properly. Oh, right, Boss. When we were in the Black Dragon tribe, I kept hearing people say how amazing the food in Diyi City is. Want to go try it tomorrow?"
At the mention of food, Lin Lei felt a bit of anticipation too.
The delicacies of Hell were prepared using precious ingredients and crafted by true masters. The quality was naturally outstanding.
"Sure, let's go try some tomorrow."
An occasional indulgence was warranted.
Outside a restaurant in Diyi City.
"This one looks good." Lin Lei and the others examined the restaurant's exterior decorations and pushed the door open with satisfaction. As soon as they stepped inside, a restaurant attendant came to greet them. Bei Bei glanced at the attendant, then soul-transmitted to Lin Lei: "Boss, this attendant is a Mid-God."
Lin Lei found it somewhat absurd.
A Mid-God serving them?
But in Diyi City, Mid-Gods were indeed commonplace. There was nothing strange about an attendant being a Mid-God.
"Please, follow me," the attendant said with a pleasant smile, leading the three of them inside.
"Gurgle~~"
Inside the restaurant, an artificial rockery fed a flowing spring whose murmuring waters naturally divided the entire space into distinct areas.
Lin Lei's group was led to a table and sat down. The attendant flipped his hand, and a book listing all manner of delicacies appeared in his palm. He placed it on the table with a smile. "Once you've decided on your dishes, just call me."
With that, the attendant stepped aside.
"I haven't even seen what the prices are in Hell," Bei Bei said excitedly, opening the book first.
Lin Lei was also curious.
"Wow, these are really expensive." Bei Bei kept flipping through the pages. "Boss, the cheapest dish so far is twenty blackstone coins." Bei Bei's eyes widened as he kept reading. "The descriptions here are incredibly detailed — every dish has its characteristics spelled out clearly. Ooh, this one costs over seven hundred blackstone coins. The most expensive one."
After finishing, Bei Bei sheepishly handed the menu to Lin Lei and Dilia.
Lin Lei and Dilia browsed through the various dishes together.
"Hey, Lin Lei, look — this one is made with the liver of a Hellfire Phoenix. Thirty blackstone coins. Not that outrageous." Dilia pointed at one of the dishes.
Lin Lei flipped through the menu and couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Doesn't matter if it's a Holy Domain magic beast or even a divine beast — as long as it's from some other plane, you can eat it here as long as you have the money," Lin Lei said, looking at the thoroughly detailed descriptions. "Dilia, you and Bei Bei pick. I'm fine with whatever."
So they settled on six dishes.
"Bei Bei, you keep picking the most expensive ones," Lin Lei laughed.
The six dishes came to 215 blackstone coins. Keep in mind, in Hell, even a low-grade divine artifact cost less than ten blackstone coins, and selling a Low Godspark would net less than a hundred. Yet six dishes alone came to 215.
Fortunately, the three of them had several million blackstone coins combined, so they really didn't mind.
"There are two dishes that will definitely take longer to prepare, especially this one — it needs to be simmered over low heat for six full hours," the attendant explained with a smile.
"Understood," Lin Lei nodded.
Each dish in the menu had its own notes. It wasn't like Lin Lei and the others had anything urgent to do — sitting here all day was fine.
"Boss, having money in Hell is really comfortable," Bei Bei sighed contentedly. "Back home, how could we ever eat something like this?" Bei Bei felt genuinely blissful — food was his greatest love.
Lin Lei, however, was looking out the window.
The restaurant's metal walls were transparent, offering a clear view of everything on the street outside.
"The city — it's the only safe place in all of Hell," Lin Lei thought to himself. "Here in Diyi City, I can sit in peace, savoring fine food without a care. But outside the walls, danger lurks at every moment. You never know when you might lose your life."
The vast Yemu Prefecture stretched for a billion li in every direction.
But it had only ten cities.