The Paladin in the Abyss

The companions returned to the house in Hagrid Manor amid joyful laughter, after which Lancelot handed over the mithral cage to Barrend. The old dwarf's eyes widened at the sight of the 'luxurious' cage, and when Lancelot told him he hoped to use the mithral to craft a set of full body armor for himself, the dwarf blacksmith's expression became as excited as if he had found a dragon's treasure.

In addition, Lancelot also ordered a set of mithral chainmail and a pair of cold iron shortswords for Little Isha. He originally considered a mithral breastplate, which would offer the same level of protection but be one third lighter, but due to Isha's vampire constitution, any contact with silver would cause her a burning pain. Thus, he had to settle for the slightly less protective chainmail.

Of course, it was Lancelot who was footing the bill for these items, and he didn't mind that at all. Beyond the feeling of satisfaction, ordinary money held little meaning for him, and now that he had amassed enough spirit stones, these could be considered a 'graduation' gift from a brother to his sister.

Speaking of spirit stones, Lancelot knew he had to mention his Foundation Establishment preparations. He was aware that such matters could not be hastened and was thankful for Tijana's assistance. Without her help, gathering such a large number of upper grade spirit stones would have been a tremendous endeavor.

Thus, he had to be utterly confident before making an attempt to break through to the next realm, to ensure success on his first try.

After achieving Foundation Establishment, his strength would undoubtedly greatly improve. Then he could seek Tijana out and spar with her...

In the quiet of the night, harboring such thoughts, Lancelot started his daily meditation and qi cultivation exercises.

The path of spiritual cultivation is like accumulating sand to form a tower, where perseverance pays off and not a single day should be taken lightly.

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Seven days later.

Tijana flew alone high above Twin Bridges Town, watching Lancelot wave at her incessantly from below until he finally disappeared under the distant horizon.

She recalled the words of the succubus that left with the human knight, realizing she was increasingly fitting the description mentioned. Perhaps she should have a proper talk with Lancelot, like that Succubus Paladin did?

"No, Tijana, remember the hatred and enemies you bear," the Succubus Lord said loudly to herself, dispelling the confusion in her eyes. She flapped her beautiful demonic wings and turned away from the place where Lancelot was no longer visible.

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"So what exactly is the situation between you two now?"

Bruto watched Tijana's figure fade away and turned to ask the human knight. The dwarf was sitting just behind Lancelot, perched on top of the intimidating nightmare warhorse.

"Ahh, what do you guys think?" Lancelot sighed. He was dressed in his brand-new mithral plate armor and wore an overcoat bearing the emblem of Twin Bridges Town.

"What else could it be, you fancy her," interjected the elf riding beside him, astride a date-red steed. This was the mount he had summoned through the Divine Arts bestowed by Shuni; having learned from his experience at the instant fortress, Alamir had prayed for a summoning spell for a mount from his deity as soon as he returned, and Lady Firehair had generously obliged her exemplary priest.

According to Kalalin, except during significant ceremonies and rituals, it is rare for deities to respond directly to a priest's prayers—most of the time, their divine servants grant the Divine Arts on their behalf. In other words, Alamir must have caught Lady Firehair's attention for some reason.

She seemed to be quite interested in the elf who had been causing a stir in the Abyss, probably spying on their adventures as Lancelot had guessed. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

"I think she probably likes you as well," interjected Elothysia, riding on the other side. Holy Warriors have an ability known as the Covenant of the Steed, which allows them to summon a strong and loyal mount to serve in the righteous cause against evil. The steed she rode was an imposing, heavily armored warhorse, eliciting Lancelot's envy.

"Do you really think so?" Lancelot asked the succubus with hope in his eyes, considering her background, Elothysia's words bore significant meaning for him.

"I think so," nodded the beautiful Holy Warrior. "But I feel she has reservations, just like you do."

"I don't have any reservations…" Lancelot tried to sound firm, but his tone betrayed his unease.

"How could you not? We are succubi, capable of arousing the most primal desires in mortals and experts at toying with emotions. To have no reservations at all would be foolish," Elothysia shook her head, "But what her true feelings towards you are, I believe you are well aware."

Lancelot did not reply, riding forward silently, but in his heart, he already knew the answer.

Three days later, the group caught sight of the walls of Volcano Fortress. Built within the mountain, the fortress drew its energy from searing magma. Watchtowers and battlements protruded from the ridges, surveilling any potential invader.

This was one of the front-line fortresses in the Blood War, commanded by Visuvius, the Flame Demon General, who was loyal to Lord Wu'an, Grazzt. At the trade fair in Twin Bridges Town, Lancelot had met Prince Kailon who represented the Volcano Fortress, a demon with dark skin and six fingers. He'd left a good impression on the human knight and even offered Lancelot an invitation for employment.

The group was soon stopped by a demon patrol nearby. Since they were flying the flag of Oasis Fort, the demons didn't attack them outright. After examining a token given by Tijana (along with a Cold Iron Longsword as a 'gift' for the patrol captain), the demons gestured them through.

But they were not here to accept the employment invitation today. Instead, they turned southwest and entered the Desolate Wilderness. Unlike the region around Twin Bridges Town, the land here was deep red, as if it had been soaked in blood. Considering the endless battles between demons and devils throughout countless centuries, this description might well be the truth.

Alamir's Divine Arts played a substantial role in their journey. Although their Dimensional Bags were loaded with supplies, the priest's Third Circle Divine Art 'Create Food and Water' could produce enough sustenance to last them two days—although the taste was not ideal, they had Koula with them.

Lancelot was convinced that even a piece of bark would be exquisite under Koula's touch; the Halfling chef himself claimed that this was the power of alchemy.

The most delighted about this adventure was a vampire dwelling in Lancelot's Dimensional Bag. She had now become able to tolerate the glow of the sunset. In the evenings, little Isa would eagerly crawl out of the pocket at Lancelot's waist, transform into a tiny bat, and hang on the pauldron of the human knight, gazing curiously at the desolate yet magnificent landscape of the Plains of the Abyss.