----

Brakar was astonished by the ease in which Apollo relinquished his hold over his items.

'So young yet willing to part with over 1,000 Fragment of Sins without flinching? Either his image of the item is absurd, or his pockets are immense. Either way, this deal isn't harmful to us since this particular stronghold is within reason. Though, I can't say the same for him.'

Immediately, Brakar likened Apollo's confidence to a misunderstanding of his own strength. After all, the household he intended to give Apollo carried a Winged Insignia, meaning its ruler was a genuine Archdemon.

As far as he saw, Apollo was no more than a Greater Demon, and the three by his side were mere Lesser Demons. So, never in his wildest dreams would Brakar assume that he possessed an Archdemon by his side to outclass the members of the stronghold.

Nevertheless, since this was an easy deal for him, he wouldn't be asking questions, especially about a matter that possessed worries that numbered close to zero.historical

After receiving the payment and verifying its contents, Brakar snapped his fingers before whispering a message into one of the waitresses' ear who approached the table. Once she received her message, she disappeared in a puff of crimson smoke.

Meanwhile, Apollo took the time to take a sip of the Liquid Ira drink. Surprisingly, when the drink touched his lips, Apollo was alerted by a message.

?System: An impure Sin presence has been located. [Now starting the purification process.]?

Ding!

?System: Purification process complete. [Ira's purity has increased by 0.01%]?

'Hoh? So this drink is actually made from Ira, albeit impure. Despite it being a small sip, a 0.01% is a negligible increase. Plus, I doubt this method can be used to increase the purity infinitely.'

Although it was a viable method of increasing purity, it had its limits. For example, Apollo absorbing a Fragment of Sin granted by Ouroboros digesting the Inferior Crystallized Chaos would, on average, increase his Sin Purity by 0.3%

That was the equivalent of taking 300 sips of this Liquid Ira. However, even the Fragment of Sin suffered from diminishing returns the more he absorbed them. As such, the second absorption wouldn't be equivalent to the same 0.3%.

Though Apollo possessed a nifty ability that allowed him to forcefully reset the value rewarded, however it required two prerequisites. One, he needed to engage in difficult combat that required him to use a Sin generously.

Second, he needed to exhaust ALL of his Sin Energy so that the value granted by the Fragment reset itself. However, with 7 unique vessels, doing so was tedious work. It would require him to engage in nonstop combat. It wasn't ideal for him, so Apollo's next course of action was to browse through the resources given to him and see if any of them produced any stronger effects.

In the meantime, while he was lost in thought, watching the Liquid Ira swirl around in his cup, the waitress who left not too long ago returned with an envelope in her hand.

"For you, Boss Brakar," she said before walking away from the table. Brakar didn't open nor check its contents and merely handed it over to Apollo.

"I'll leave the verification to you. We guarantee 100% customer satisfaction here at the Nautilus."

As he received the envelope, Apollo opened it without delay and peered at its contents. In addition to a set of coordinates, there was information regarding some members of the household, as well as some other in-depth information. However, since it was meaningless to Apollo, he didn't peruse the information thoroughly.

All he wanted was an established land. As far as the members went, he couldn't decide if he wanted to gather some effortless experience. While the idea was enticing, it wouldn't be optimal for an entire stronghold worth of staff to disappear.

It wouldn't just raise some questions, but it would also be noticed within due time. This was because following the edict to stop the registration of new households, strongholds were mandated to report their condition to the Lord's staff every 3 months.

Prior to reading a bit of crucial information in the letter, this was unknown information to Apollo, "The next routine evaluation is in approximately 2 weeks?"

"Correct," Brakar nodded.

'Hopefully, this odd situation within the tower disrupts that matter. But, that could also be my wishful thinking since this matter isn't handled by Saehtyn himself. It's fine; I'll just have to make do,' Apollo internalized before raising to his feet.

"I appreciate your deal and perhaps we can conduct business in the future," Apollo said before gesturing for Jorgun and Elaia to follow him. Once they exited, both Brakar and Balrog looked at each other.

"What are the odds of that fellow taking over that stronghold completely?"

"Next to zero. Not only is he only a Greater Demon, but that household is led by a demon of the royal faction. While it's disgraceful to take advantage of the foolish. This transaction was basically a free fee," Brakar answered before tossing Balrog the ring.

"I just don't understand. Outside of the Lord's circle, getting your hands on this resource is hard, so where did he acquire so much that it doesn't pain him to release it?"

"Unfortunately, you're asking questions that I don't have the answers to. However, what I do know is that he needs to be careful and not just of that stronghold," Brakar said in return.

"Agreed," Balrog answered.

----

While Apollo proceeded with the matters inside the central hub, a much different situation took place in a remote tavern in Ashiraem.

Geneva glanced around a populated room before extracting some important details. Pinpointing her target, Geneva sauntered up to one of the open seats before releasing a heavy sigh. Afterward, she flicked her finger and ordered a drink.

A demon beside her dressed in olive armor that possessed a distinct engraving on its left shoulder looked in her direction after noticing her actions. Then, his eyes scanned her body before filling with interest.

"What's a pretty lady doing sighing so heavily?"

"What else, troubles. My attention has all but vanished," Geneva said while shaking her head. A quick glance to the side gave her all the information she needed. Because this wasn't a haphazard decision to enter this place.

Apollo had changed her directions after learning of some trivial yet seemingly useful information. One of the members of the stronghold he intended to target was a frequenter at this tavern. So, her task was simple—use her allure as an Infernal Succubus and play the fool!

Thus, she continued to play her part well, inching closer, "Care to show me some attention?" Geneva whispered. But, if one looked closer, they'd realize there was a faint pink color laced into her breath as it wafted into the demon's nose.

It was fleeting, but a pink sheen appeared in his eyes before dissipating. He had fallen under Geneva's spell without being all the wiser.

"For you~? I'll be more than willing to do so. The name's Zirim, from the Dakea Stronghold," Zirim replied with a faint smile.

"Geneva," she said with a light chuckle before leaning next to Zirim's ear and whispering something indistinct. But, her actions were a misdirection as her focus wasn't on what she said, it was her action done with her finger.

Doused in a pink aura, Geneva dipped her forefinger into Zirim's drink.

"We've just met, but I can tell you're a feisty one," Zirim chuckled with an apparent look of excitement. Whatever Geneva said to him, it riled him up.

But, to seal the deal, she winked and continuing to whisper in a lulling voice, "Drink up. We can leave once you're done~."

Not only did Zirim not suspect her of anything, but he even mindlessly gulped his drink before jumping to his feet. He took the lead in leaving, but Geneva followed him with an alluring yet mischievous smile.

Upon exiting, she directed him to follow her. Outside of being overly attracted to her, the intoxication she infected Zirim with had no other effect. Still, it was extremely effective.

What awaited him after following Geneva, however, was a greeting from Fuhrer, who looked at Zirim before tossing him against the wall.

"Sleep," Fuhrer said before covering Zirim's face. Eventually, his body went limp as Fuhrer's overwhelming energy robbed him of his consciousness.

"Did I do well?" Geneva smiled while asking.

"You've accomplished your task well," Fuhrer nodded before taking the next step in the plan. All of his armor receded into his body, leaving a layer of thin under armor.