Chapter 698: Lilith goes exploring.
"What the hell is this?"
Lilith was looking at the seven prominent skyscrapers in the distance, reaching into the dark clouds of Hell, each positioned as if they were a carefully planned structure.
"T-This is Hell?" Lilith looked towards the area closer to the castle and saw several smaller buildings, not the size of the giant skyscrapers but still tall enough to be 10 to 20 stories high. She noticed several smaller Demons walking up and down the street, talking and laughing together.
Laughing Demons! For God's sake! They were laughing and eating something out of their hand that she couldn't identify!
She didn't know what she was looking at, but this was definitely not the 'Hell' she knew.
The image that Lilith was looking at now was as if she was looking at a very urbanized Human City, but unlike those cities, it was immaculate and carefully planned.
It was like Victor took an ideal city built by Humans and put it in Hell.
Even though she hadn't left for the City yet, Lilith could clearly see all this with her eyesight. She also noticed that the Demon King's Castle was in a secluded area. She could see the 'land' on which the Demon King's Castle and the Demon King stood. Clearly, the new King didn't want any trouble for himself.
"This doesn't make any sense. How the fuck did they build all this so fast?" Lilith suddenly remembered Victor's words and looked at the Orb in her hand. Then, putting in some Energy, a screen appeared before her.
Looking closely at the screen, she noticed it had several sections, just like Victor said.
Selecting the City section, three big cities appeared. Lilith chose Abbadon City, and soon several sub-sections appeared, sections that ranged from the destruction and reconstruction of the City and buildings to the creation of skyscrapers.
"Fuck, this is very detailed. He didn't lie when he said this would help me." Lilith realized she was saying a litany of inappropriate words that she didn't usually use, but she was just so shocked that she didn't even care anymore.
She just desperately wanted knowledge.
A feeling that she had utterly forgotten due to falling into the
'boredom' that accompanied 'immortality'.
Choosing the skyscrapers, she heard the explanation in her head.
[Skyscrapers of Abbadon City, a structure created in cooperation with General Helena Gremory and the Demon King, Victor Alucard...
Counting over 70,000 rooms in total, The Seven Pillars of the new society as it came to be called among the Demons. These are where the most meritorious and Highest-Ranked Demons in society live.
Skyscrapers are a symbol of the new society. As long as you had talent and enough merit, you could live in one of those rooms. The higher up you lived, the more 'opportunities' were open to you.]
Seeing that the voice stopped talking, Lilith opened her mouth in shock.
'Each structure like that has 10,000 rooms each? How high is it? I can't even see the top because of the Miasma Clouds!"
Thinking about what she had just heard, she said, "... The description is quite vague and informative ... But I can understand its intentions. Actually, it's quite obvious." Lilith looked up at the skyscrapers again.
"He's encouraging competition... Those skyscrapers are where the new 'Elite' who control Hell through the King will be born... That's smart." Just from this text, she could understand what kind of society he had created and the reason behind the seven structures: "I am 100% sure that those structures are a way for the King to keep an eye on the Demons."
By making The Seven Pillars an 'honorable' and 'valued' location, he instilled into the minds of the Demons that it was a privilege to live in that location. Any new Demon that rose high in society would automatically go to that place, where they would be monitored without knowing it.
'Keep your friends close... And your enemies even closer, huh.'
Lilith looked around, specifically at the shop owners. Weak Demons who, despite bearing the heavy Miasma of the Lowest Hell, still weren't as strong as the Elite Demons. Demons who, in the old society, were at the very least slaves to the Great Families, but here, had an opportunity to prosper.
Victor Alucard created a society based on merit, a place where even the weakest Demon could thrive. As long as they put in the effort and were useful to the King in some way, they would be able to profit.
'Interesting.' Lilith's eyes gleamed with interest; this approach differed significantly from the approach of the Kings of old.
Looking back at the screen in front of her, she saw two sub-sections, one explaining how the towers were created, and the other explained how you could get into that place.
Lilith was more interested in how skyscrapers were built.
[Using the power of the Gremory Bloodline, Helena Gremory can increase and decrease the size of an object. Bearing this principle in mind, Aline Valefar and her subordinates from Abbadon's Development Department created seven identical structures made from the most robust materials in Hell. Victor Alucard 'donated' his abundant Energy to power the structures, making them virtually indestructible. Upon accomplishing this feat that only His Majesty could do, His Majesty, Victor Alucard, placed The Seven Pillars in their specific locations in Hell...]
The voice stopped talking, and soon a video appeared before Lilith.
She saw Victor and the two women she saw at some point behind him. She watched as Victor nodded to Helena, and in the next moment, the skyscrapers began to 'grow’.
Lilith opened her eyes wide in shock. As someone who knew how the Powers of the 72 Demonic Pillars functioned, this demonstration, in her opinion, should be impossible. After all, previous Gremory could not enlarge or shrink structures with large amounts of Energy or very difficult-to-handle materials; it was one of the limitations to their Power.
For example, the previous Gremory couldn't just touch The Last Hell Gate and 'shrink' the structure; it was impossible.
If the Orb wasn't lying, Lilith deduced that the same material used in The Last Hell Gate was also used to create those structures.
"That girl surpassed the former Gremory..."
[Thus, The Seven Pillars of the new society, created by His Majesty, the Demon King, Victor Alucard, were born. ]
"This... This is incredible..." Lilith couldn't help but speak. She was impressed; this Orb, this City, the seven skyscrapers, everything was impressive to her.
The Demon King took a backward society and practically pulled all of them into the modern era, thus creating technologies of his own made by Demons and for use by Demons.
This Orb was an excellent example of that. Of course, she noticed the Orb's subtle 'influences'.
With each explanation of the Orb, using phrases like; 'His Majesty' and 'Powers that only the Demon King could use' were heard, it was obvious that this Orb was subtly influencing the loyalty of the Demons who use it.
Lilith understood subtle manipulations like that, but even if she didn't, his accomplishments were indisputable, which was undeniable.
The Demon King was clearly competent, as were his subordinates.
"Haah ... I can't stay here. I need to see it for myself." Lilith stopped feeding the Orb, opened the window, and jumped out.
Dropping in the middle of an urban center, she retracted her wings.
She looked around curiously.
"Stop right there, criminal scum!"
Lilith looked back and saw three Demons fully armed with armor and swords in hand:
"... Scum... Are you talking to me?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously, but the guards didn't seem affected.
"Are you deaf? Of course, we are talking to you!"
'...The audacity of these vermin..." She snarled in annoyance.
"You've violated the law, pay the court a fine or serve your sentence!"
Lilith raised her eyebrow when she heard the word 'law', and Victor's conversation came to mind. Then, deciding to be more cautious, she asked:
"...Law? What are you talking about?"
"...Oh... A country bumpkin."
"Excuse me!?"
"Haah, I thought those Demons outside would at least have the slightest decency to learn about the rules."
"Right? This is a disgrace to His Majesty; he tried so hard."
"Indeed, this is why our work is so important."
"Anyway, it's obvious you're new around here, so we're going to be nice, and we're not going to charge you, and we're not going to put an infringement on your name, lady... But, hmm, wait, let me check the log." The man touched his gauntlet, and a red beam swept over Lilith's body, and soon a screen appeared in front of the guard.
"Huh? She is not registered."
"I guess she hasn't been to the registration center yet."
"That's impossible. If she just came from one of the Hells, General Lily would have registered her; she wouldn't fail His Majesty like that."
As the three guards argued with one another, Lilith narrowed her eyes.
"What's with this lack of reaction? Don't they know me? This does not make any sense."
"Okay, enough! This is clearly an irregular situation! I'll talk-... Huh?" The Demon put his finger to his ear, and a small Rune Circle appeared on his finger.
"Yes?...Oh... I see, very well."
The Demon looked at Lilith strangely: "I'm sorry for being rude, Lady Lilith."
The two Demons around him visibly froze and looked at Lilith.
Lilith snorted, 'They really hadn't met me, huh?"
"Now that you understand who you are talking to, I will—."
"Wait a sec."
"Huh?"
"Before you go, know that unauthorized flying in shopping malls or areas near The Seven Pillars is against the law."
"The minimum penalty is 100 Knull, which can reach up to 1000 Knull. In addition, if a repeated infraction occurs, a prison sentence or community service may be meted out as punishment."
"Flying close to The Seven Pillars has even more serious consequences, which can even lead to death."
"So keep that in mind, or the next guard who finds you won't be so kind and will charge you."
"... Are you still going to charge me even though you know who I am!?"
"Obviously." He spoke as if it were natural in a respectful tone.
"The law is His Majesty's will, and His Majesty's will is absolute.
You broke the law and, therefore, will be punished, Mother Goddess or not."
"..." Lilith went through a ridiculous amount of complex feelings now.
She didn't know whether to be angry or find the situation amusing; she couldn't believe the audacity of this man.
"Lady Lilith seems to be having difficulty understanding our posture." The Demon beside the leader spoke.
"...Yes...?" She responded, uncertainly.
"The thing is, you're not the first to act like this with us."
"Several Ancient Pillar Rank Demons from the past did the same thing."
"But one thing you Demons who had authority in the previous government hundreds of years ago need to realize is that; this is no longer your reality."
"..."
"His Majesty is The Supreme Authority of Hell, and all Demons answer to him, and him alone."
"The Law is personally written by His Majesty, the law is his will, and no one goes against his will."
"I suggest you quickly understand that even if you are a Goddess, it means nothing to us."
"Have a good day, and please pay attention to the signs. They will indicate whether or not you can fly in an area."
"..."
Lilith just stared in utter shock as the three Demons walked away from her and went back on patrol. In that man's little speech, she could see in the man's eyes the feelings of respect, fear, and idolization. However, Lilith was sure these feelings weren't for her but for the new King.
"...Just what the fuck is going on?"
Hell seemed so foreign to her, like she couldn't recognize it anymore. Just how far did the new King's influence reach?
Looking around, Lilith realized that when the Demons passed around and looked at her, some of them recognized her but didn't do anything else. Instead, they just gave a polite nod and went on their way.
It was like she wasn't even important!
It was a bizarre feeling... Lilith was thinking that maybe she couldn't get used to the new Hell...
"Hmm?"
Lilith smelled a delicious smell in the air and felt her stomach rumble, demanding food. She looked towards the scent and saw several Demonic Beast meats being roasted on a skewer.
She started to salivate.
"...Hmm, I can think about it later. First, I'll eat!"
"Welcome -... Oh, Lady Lilith, it's an honor to have you in our humble establishment!"
"How much is the meat?"
"Skewers range from 8 for small size, 20 for medium size, to 50 Knull for the large size."
"Since this is your first time shopping with me, and you are our Mother Goddess, I can give you a 50% discount."
"Give me a big one, then!"
"Aye, that'll be 25 Knull!"
A few hours later.
Lilith was walking around the mall with five large skewers of different meats. She wore black glasses with a bat symbol and a tiara with cat ears. Initially, she was annoyed by the guards' treatment, but that feeling quickly washed away when she realized that everywhere she went, she got some sort of discount for just being her.
Apparently, being Mother Goddess and Progenitor of Demons still had its advantages.
Despite being content now, Lilith didn't ignore the irregularities.
Clearly, some of the Demons previously didn't know of her, but suddenly everyone did. After the 'meeting' with the previous guards, they all knew.
'Just how is that possible? How does information travel so fast? Is it because of that strange Rune?' She knew that in the Human World, information traveled instantaneously, but this wasn't the Human World, and they still didn't have the means to do so thanks to the Miasma in the air that prevented that kind of communication, but it clearly wasn't the same now.
She'd totally forgotten about the Orb in her pocket.
"Hmm? What is that!?" Lilith's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked into a toy store.
Of course, the Demons' 'toys' were quite brutal; it was a weapons shop.
Lilith looked at some weapons and saw firearms with extraordinary designs.
"What is that?"
"That is a Demonic Firearm." The shop owner spoke as she approached the counter.
"Demonic Firearm?"
"It's not an official name yet and is in the design stage. For now, we just use it to play target shooting. With a Demon's physique, having melee weapons is still better than ranged weapons."
"Abbadon Development Department has allowed them to appear in stores."
"Interesting... Can I try?"
"Of course, that's 39 Knull."
"Do I have a discount?" She asked in an innocent tone.
The Demon laughed, "You are already paying at a discount. The regular price is 69 Knull."
"Yay! Thank you, old man! I'll get that one over there." Lilith pointed to a spot as she placed all the items in her hand on the counter.
The shop owner winced.
'0ld...? You are The Mother Goddess of Demons, you know? I'm a child in front of you!' He felt like snapping back but decided to keep his mouth shut for the sake of his own life.
A distance from the establishment, in one of the buildings in the distance, Helena and Lily were looking at the image of Lilith with big smiles on their faces.
"This is unexpected. I never thought she would get a discount at all stores. Did you talk to them, Helena?"
"Of course not, His Majesty said not to interfere, and so I didn't."
"Did he foresee this? Did he predict the Demons would 'spoil' my Mother?" Lily asked.
"Probably. His Majesty understands a lot about the psychology of Beings. Even though Lilith has no real power in today's society, it is still a fact that many Demons love her."
"So it wouldn't be impossible to imagine a scenario where everyone treats her with respect wherever she goes."
"She is an idol to everyone, huh," Lily said.
"Indeed, in a way, Lilith is the most popular person in Hell, second only to His Majesty, of course."
"Popularity... And not respect?" Lily asked.
"Respect is different from popularity, Lily."
"Hmm ... Isn't that basically the same thing?"
"It may seem like it, but it's not."
"Tell me, what has Lilith done for these Demons in the past?"
"Nothing."
"Correct ... But she is still The Mother Goddess and The Progenitor of Demons, a woman most of Hell's Demons have heard stories about and few have had the opportunity to interact with."
"What did His Majesty do for us?"
"Everything."
"Correct. He changed our society, and the absolute respect of the Demons will always be with him, especially the Lesser Demons, like those who owned the businesses that Lilith went through. Demons that, if it were in the past, Lilith wouldn't even talk to or even look at them."
"That's the difference between the two, and everyone understands that, especially Lesser Demons."
"...By letting Lilith loose and allowing her to interact with the Lesser Demons, it serves to increase his own reputation..." Lily opened her eyes in surprise, "Did he plan this?"
"By letting Lilith loose and seeing The Mother Goddess walking around buying things, everyone will understand that it was the 'King' who allowed her to do this, which will automatically increase his reputation as a side effect."
"On a normal occasion, these Demons could never interact with Lilith, but they can now because of the King."
"...Pretty sneaky tactic, splendid," Lily chuckled.
Helena laughed with her: "What happened was; The Demon King looks at Hell broadly, not just the big things, but also the little things like that trade owner."
"Having The Mother Goddess liking your wares is good , isn't it?" Helena's smile grew: "Not to mention that the more Lilith enjoys the 'luxuries' of our new society, the more she will be afraid to try to change it, and consequently, she will support the new King."
"How does the saying go? Killing two birds with one stone? Something like that." She laughed.
"Haah... I knew it was something like that. These manipulation games you and the King play are very tiring."
"Ara, didn't you do this before? After all, you taught me some of the tricks of this wonderful art in the past, Lily."
Lily's smile grew, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not exhausting, which is why I'm taking care of Hell, and I've left this part to you.
I've spent my entire existence planning the next move. So I just want to put that aside for now and enjoy it."
"Understandable."
