Chapter Three Saturation
Blue Maple City of the Rainbow Sun Prefecture sat in the southeastern corner of the entire Purplejade Continent plate. From Blue Maple City, one need only fly for a short while to reach the shores of the vast Starfog Sea.
Of all the cities on the Purplejade Continent, Blue Maple City was the closest departure point for anyone heading east to the Jade Floating Continent or southeast to the Blood Peak Continent. Enormous numbers of people passed through here, and many large merchant caravans maintained outposts in the city. All of this contributed to a level of prosperity that far exceeded any other city on the Purplejade Continent.
"There are even Purplejade Army soldiers stationed at the gates of Blue Maple City. That's quite remarkable," Olivia remarked with a light smile of approval. The four of them had already passed through the gates and were walking along one of the city's main thoroughfares.
"Blue Maple City is an extremely prosperous hub of trade. That prosperity draws countless caravans through here, and plenty of powerful individuals hoping to reach other continents also depart from this city. Given how important the location is, it's only natural that some Purplejade Army troops would be stationed here," Lin Lei said, glancing around as he spoke.
Taking in Blue Maple City's style, so different from Imperial Wing City, Lin Lei felt in high spirits.
How could his spirits not be high? After all, their journey to the Azure Prefecture had already advanced a great deal.
"Lin Lei," Dilia said through a quiet soul transmission.
"Hm?" Lin Lei looked over in puzzlement. Dilia glanced meaningfully toward Bei Bei, and only then did Lin Lei notice something was off with the little guy.
Normally the most spirited of them all, Bei Bei hadn't said a single word since arriving in Blue Maple City.
Wearing his straw hat, head bowed low, he paid no attention to the surrounding buildings or people, simply walking along in silence. It was hard to read his thoughts from his outward appearance, but seeing him like this, Lin Lei had a pretty good idea what was going on.
The only thing that could affect Bei Bei like this was probably Nina.
"Bei Bei," Lin Lei called out.
Bei Bei startled awake, lifting his head to look blankly at Lin Lei. "Boss, what do you want?"
"Thinking about Nina?" Lin Lei asked, looking down at him.
"Yeah." Bei Bei nodded slightly, looking melancholy. "Nina must have left from this very Blue Maple City when she went to the Jade Floating Continent." Arriving here had stirred up memories he couldn't push away. He let out a soft sigh. "But that was several hundred years ago."
Then Bei Bei raised his head and cracked a grin. "I'm fine, Boss. Nina's been in the Jade Floating Continent for centuries now. Finding her would be a hassle even if I tried. Maybe someday when the chance comes… Come on, let's head to the Demon Castle." With that, he strode forward ahead of the group.
Lin Lei and Dilia exchanged a glance and followed after him.
Olivia, however, hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. By the time the other three had gotten far ahead, Lin Lei called back, "Olivia, what are you thinking about?" Olivia snapped out of it and hurried to catch up.
"Olivia," Lin Lei said.
"Hm?" Olivia looked at him.
"Have you really decided to go with us to the Blood Peak Continent?" Lin Lei asked with a smile. On the way to Blue Maple City, he had already discussed this with Olivia. "The Starfog Sea is vast, and who knows what dangers we might run into along the way."
Olivia gave a calm smile. "Lin Lei, I have no particular goal in this Hell either. Traveling with you is as good as anything. Besides, if there are dangers in the Starfog Sea, isn't there a powerhouse like you to rely on?"
Powerhouse?
The two of them were chatting on the street. Given the density of foot traffic on Blue Maple City's main road, plenty of people nearby overheard. Those passersby cast glances at Lin Lei—some dismissive, some amused—but it was clear enough… none of them considered him a powerhouse.
Because Lin Lei was a Mid-stage God.
In the vast expanse of Hell, a Mid-stage God was nothing more than an ordinary person. Hardly what anyone would call a powerhouse.
Noticing the looks from those around him, Lin Lei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Olivia, how did you start talking like that?" Olivia was supposed to be the serious, reserved type—not someone who made jokes like this. But Lin Lei understood deep down that it simply meant Olivia truly considered him a friend.
In a foreign land, fellow countrymen naturally felt a special kinship.
In Hell, sharing a common origin on the Yulan Continent only deepened that bond.
The Demon Castle. Every Demon Castle across the land looked exactly the same.
Following the usual routine, they headed to the second floor of the Demon Castle. Along the edge of the second-floor hall was a row of rooms, all designated for Rank-1 Devils to accept missions. The four of them walked directly into one of the empty rooms.
Inside sat a golden-haired woman in a purple robe.
The purple-robed woman looked up at the four of them and said flatly, "Go ahead. What mission are you looking to take?"
"The four of us. Four Rank-2 missions. We're hoping for ones that take us from Blue Maple City to Nishan City on the Blood Peak Continent," Lin Lei said.
Nishan City was situated in the northwestern corner of the Blood Peak Continent. Travelers from the Purplejade Continent typically arrived there.
"The Blood Peak Continent? One moment." The purple-robed woman's blue eyes flicked toward Lin Lei, then she closed them briefly. When she opened them again, a thick ledger had materialized in her hands. She flipped through it while speaking. "Missions from Blue Maple City to the border city of Nishan City on the Blood Peak Continent—within the next month, there are 13,043 missions in total. Of those, 1,836 are Rank-2. Choose for yourselves." She set the thick ledger down in front of Lin Lei.
All four of them stared.
Over ten thousand?
"Lin Lei, when we came from Imperial Wing City, there were only eleven missions in total, and just three Rank-2 ones," Dilia exclaimed in amazement.
The purple-robed woman replied casually. "Every day, large numbers of people travel from Blue Maple City to the Blood Peak Continent, the Jade Floating Continent, or the Starfog Sea. However, most of them already belong to merchant caravans and don't need to post missions. The actual number of posted missions isn't that large. Even so, having over ten thousand is perfectly normal."
Lin Lei began scanning through the Rank-2 missions one by one.