Chapter 278 - 224: Historic Cooperation Between the Red Dragon and the Church (2)

Chapter 278: Chapter 224: Historic Cooperation Between the Red Dragon and the Church (2)

The two dragons interacted as if no one else was around, and a large crowd of onlookers was taking it all in.

The elders of the Mage Guild were unfazed. They were old and had seen far more dramatic things than this.

Only Elsa looked uncomfortable.

Even though she knew her boss and her teacher were fooling around, seeing it in person was still a bit sickening.

"Ugh, were they always like this?" Elsa asked Doudou, who was standing beside her, her face contorted.

"More or less, but their interactions used to have a different flavor. It was usually Furin chasing after Zog."

Doudou pulled a small bag of snacks out of nowhere and started munching as he watched. ’An old dragon’s pure love story... it’s actually pretty interesting.’

"Want a chip?"

Elsa pictured her teacher chasing her boss.

It was even more sickening.

"Never mind, I’ve lost my appetite. Thanks, though. I didn’t expect you to be so handsome in your true form, Doudou."

"Really? Hehe, compliments like that won’t make me too happy, you know. By the way, how did your blind date go?"

The moment he said that, Elsa didn’t say a word. She just got up, walked to a corner, and curled up, leaving Doudou standing there, completely baffled.

Doudou scratched his head innocently, not understanding why Elsa suddenly seemed angry. ’Living people of the opposite sex, regardless of race, are just too hard to understand. The beautiful girls in manga are a much better fit for me.’

Not long after, the Church’s Priest Corps teleported into the city and took over the care of all the victims of the Illusion Technique.

Compared to the Guard Corps and Zog’s ex-bandit subordinates, the Priests were far more professional when it came to caring for the injured.

They counted the injured, treated their wounds, confirmed their identities, and contacted the families of those affected by the spell. A semblance of order was quickly restored.

Zog, meanwhile, followed a member of the Judgement Army to the largest Gate of Hell.

The gate didn’t look like Zog remembered.

The Gates of Hell he remembered appearing on the Continent would just show up suddenly, like a rift torn out of thin air that connected two planes.

’Strictly speaking, you couldn’t really call it a gate. "Rift to Hell" would be more accurate.’

But now, the Church had built this largest rift into something that actually resembled a gate.

’They actually changed the shape of the rift?’

’Looks like the Church has done its fair share of research over the years.’

Floating Runes and roaring machinery made the magnificent, giant gate a visually striking spectacle.

It was surrounded by a large number of researchers and Judgement Army Guards.

’So the Church is into science now.’

"What’s this made of?"

Zog extended a claw and tapped the Gate of Hell.

"Please don’t touch that!" a researcher said nervously.

"Huh?" Zog quickly retracted his claw. "Is this gate dangerous or something?"

"No, it’s that *you’re* dangerous to the gate. I’m afraid you’ll break it."

’What’s that supposed to mean?’

’Are you treating me like some destructive little brat?’

Zog put his claws on his hips, displeased. "I was going to Hell and back before your grandpa was even born!"

"Apologies, it’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s just that the Gate of Hell is primarily made of Obsidian, which is rather fragile compared to your strength."

The researcher explained hastily, taking two steps back after he finished, as if Zog were some terrifying creature.

’I wonder how the Church’s records describe me.’

’Changing my public image is going to be a long, uphill battle.’

"RAWR!" Zog let out a mock roar to scare him.

"AHH!" the researcher shrieked in fear.

Zog smiled, satisfied. With a mental age of eight at most, he loved this kind of thing.

"Oh, esteemed Mr. Zhuoge, please spare this poor believer." A Bishop Zog didn’t recognize walked over, putting an end to his prank.

"You seem quite interested in the Gate of Hell?"

"I just didn’t expect it to be made of Obsidian."

"Is there something special about Obsidian?"

"Not really. It just gives me a reference for my game."

’Who knew the game *Minecraft* would have a real-world reference on the Feilin Continent.’

"Oh, then we are truly honored."

The Bishop cut the pleasantries short and said with a serious expression, "Do you need to make any further preparations? If not, can we proceed with the operation to cross into Hell?"

"No preparations needed."

"Thank you for your cooperation. But before you enter Hell, I must remind you of one thing: the Church has always hoped for peace and wishes to gradually end hostilities with the Hell Plane. Therefore, please do your best to agree to any requests made by the Lord of Hell. If you encounter any real difficulties, please don’t refuse on the spot. The Church will do everything in its power to help."

The Bishop explained in great detail.

’It seems this trip to Hell is a very important mission for the Church.’

"I’ll do my best." Zog shrugged, leaving his options open.

’There’s no way I can agree to every single demand. Sure, I might not be able to beat the Magic Goddess, but my status as Zog is that of a partner, not a subordinate.’

’I can’t lose face.’

’I’ll cross that bridge when the Goddess actually shows up.’

’Zog never would have thought that the Church founded by one of the most warlike gods of old would now be pursuing peace.’

’What’s the deal with that?’

’Could the rumors of the Goddess’s decline be true? Is she not as strong as she used to be, now having to turn old enemies into friends?’

’Can gods get old, too?’

Filled with questions, Zog walked up to the Gate of Hell.

Hundreds of Runes glowed with a magenta light, Gears spun rapidly, and the heavy gates swung open.

Zog walked through without a moment’s hesitation.

’To be honest, the experience of crossing through it felt no different than when it was just a rift.’

’Still makes you dizzy and nauseous.’

’Getting gate-sick... I must be the only one.’

’I have no idea what the Church has been researching all these years. What’s the point of all this contraption they built? They gave zero thought to improving the user experience.’

’Bad review.’

Zog took a deep breath.

"Ah, the familiar smell of sulfur."

He looked around. It was a barren wasteland, with red sand and dirt everywhere.

’Hell hasn’t changed a bit.’

’I can see why the Devils here are so desperate to invade other planes. If it were me, I couldn’t stand living here either.’

’Teleportation between Feilin and Hell isn’t exactly stable. The destination is selectable in theory, but only in theory.’

’In practice, there’s a high probability of ending up miles away from the intended destination.’

’And it looks like this teleportation went off course, too.’

’Since the Lord of Hell was the one who wanted to see me, there’s no way he’d set the destination in the middle of a wasteland.’

’So it seems the Church’s whole setup really didn’t improve a single key user experience pain point.’

’Not as good as my corporation.’

Zog concluded.

Although he was in a wasteland, Zog wasn’t worried. First, he was capable of long-term survival in Hell. He could live, it would just be a little unpleasant.

Second, whenever a powerful being arrived in Hell, Asmodis, the local top dog, would be able to sense it.

So, before long, the Lord of Hell would probably send some Devils to come and get him.

Since he didn’t have much free time, Zog decided to take a little stroll and see if Hell had changed at all.

Zog fished a shoe out of his Treasure Chest Monster, casually tossed it on the ground, and then flew off in the direction the toe was pointing.

’A traditional technique: letting a shoe decide the way. It has no scientific basis, but it’s an effective cure for indecisiveness.’

’After all, in this godforsaken wasteland of Hell, every direction looked exactly the same.’

After flying for a while in the direction the shoe had pointed, he hadn’t seen a single living thing. Zog was starting to suspect he had just flown in a circle and ended up right back where he started.

’Useless trivia time: without a point of reference, it’s very difficult to travel in a straight line. You’ll unconsciously veer to one side and end up walking in circles.’

’I’ll fly for a few more minutes. If I don’t see anything alive, I’ll take a break and just wait for the Lord of Hell right here.’

Zog planned to himself.

Heaven does not fail the determined dragon.

After flying an unknown distance further, Zog suddenly spotted some shadows moving about two kilometers ahead.

’Good eyesight. I can see for kilometers.’

Zog stopped, landed, and steadied himself to get a better look at the shadows.

He quickly realized what was wrong.

They weren’t Devils, but a horde of Demons.

’Many people confuse these two types of creatures, thinking they’re the same thing.’

’But in fact, they’re not.’

’Although both are of the evil alignment, you can at least communicate with Devils. They have their own codes of conduct and logic.’

’Demons are different. They’re pure lunatics who only know how to fight and kill, even crazier than goblins before they got into science.’

’Theoretically, Hell should be Devil territory, while Demons belong in the Abyss.’

’Demons appearing in Hell is not a good sign.’

’Could it be that the current Lord of Hell is so weak he’s been taken out by this bunch of brainless lunatics?’

’Then who is it that wants to see me?’