The Paladin in the Abyss

"Don't be nervous, everyone," the Tiflin merchant said with an extremely insincere smile, "My name is Eckmond, and I am here to talk business with you."

"We don't have anything you want, and I believe you don't have anything we want either," Lancelot said cautiously, while others glanced indifferently at someone with the same name, only to find that the latter was lying motionless in the shadow of a corner just like an ordinary skull.

"That might not be the case," the Tiflin said as he casually sat down in front of the campfire, "Hmm! What is this, it smells really good!"

"Stygian River mixed fish soup, with my secret seasoning." Koula ladled a small bowl and handed it carefully to the visitor, "Would you like to try some?"

"Of course!" The mysterious merchant accepted the bowl eagerly, tilting his head back to gulp it down, and then gave Koula a thumbs-up in approval, "The soup tastes even better than it smells. Now, since I have eaten your food and shared your campfire, according to the laws set by the gods, we cannot harm each other in this cave. So, can you put away your weapon now, Mr. Knight?"

"The gods have no interest in meddling with the affairs of this dump," Lancelot's Spirit Perception was going off frantically, but at that moment he could only pretend to stay composed and say, "I accept your good will, but we are under no obligation to promise you anything."

"I was hoping for a warmer welcome," the Tiflin shrugged indifferently, "Since that's how it is, I'll get straight to the point. You are here for the Succubus Paladin, right? There's no need to deny it, there are more competitors within a hundred miles than you can count on both hands, but I am not one of them."

"Then why are you looking for us?" Lancelot inquired, though he had a clear idea why.

"I told you, I am here to negotiate," the deep-red-skinned uninvited guest said, the insincere smile returning to his face, "Suppose, just suppose, if you are lucky enough to capture that Succubus Paladin, how do you plan to deal with her?"

"Naturally, we will hand her over to whoever offers us a reward that satisfies us the most," Lancelot answered ambiguously.

"So what would satisfy you? Endless riches? Powerful weapons? Exquisite beauties?" The smile on the Tiflin's face grew even more resplendent, "We can provide all of these, as long as you hand her over to me…"

"We don't even know who you are, why should we believe you have the ability to fulfill these promises?" Bruto interjected from the side, "We were just discussing those tricks of seducing demons…"

"Oh! You say that, but we can sign a contract, with our souls as the guarantee for fulfilling the contract!" The Tiflin was almost too eager as he pulled out several Parchment scrolls from his pocket, "You can read these terms carefully, just write down whatever reward you want, and sign your name in the corner!"

"We don't need a contract, we would rather compare which party makes the most suitable offer when the time comes," Lancelot said even more cautiously, already having a rough idea of the visitor's identity thanks to Kalalin's usual enlightening talks, "It's too early to talk about this now. We don't hold out much hope ourselves; we just want to try our luck."

"Understandable, but you'll soon find that our offer is the most generous," the Tiflin merchant said as he stood up from the campfire, bowing to the group, "Well then, goodbye, you adventurers. I wish you good luck!"

The Human Knight watched him silently, maintaining a reasonable level of vigilance. The other strolled away from the cave's entrance with an easy gait and, just as he was about to step out of the cave, turned around to look at Lancelot again.

"Ah, I nearly forgot."

Lancelot tensed up, fixing his gaze firmly on the other.

"Don't be nervous, I just wanted to remind you all," the Tiflin said with a smile, "The caravan transporting that Succubus is set to pass through Flail Rift tonight, then head straight for the fortress. If you rest until morning and then set off, just head against the sun, and you'll be able to intercept them perfectly."

Lancelot remained silent, offering only a polite nod.

"Well then, good luck to you."

As the alarm's bell tolled, Tiflin vanished as abruptly into the darkness outside the cave as he had arrived.

"Lancelot, what was that?"

Kalalin began to speak, but the latter didn't answer and instead sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Scholar knew that Lancelot was using his special ability to survey the environment, so he didn't hurry him and patiently waited for Lancelot to finish.

A moment later, Lancelot finally opened his eyes slowly and nodded slightly in response to the inquiring glances from the group.

"That Tiflin has left, and it's the same one I saw yesterday."

"Just who is this guy?" Bruto scratched his head, "And his name... Hmm? Where's Eckmond?"

"Right here." The skull's weak voice came from the corner, "For some reason, I felt extremely scared of him, the kind of fear I couldn't control."

"Did any memories awaken for you?" Kalalin asked with concern, aware of the skull's memory situation.

"That's what's strange, not at all," Eckmond's eyes showed a puzzled look, "but I'm sure I know him..."

"Maybe you do know him, just not in that form," Lancelot conjectured, "When he took out those parchments, I couldn't help but make some associations..."

"Don't be so sure; maybe that's what he wants people to think," Kalalin shook his head, "Everyone knows that Demons fulfill their contracts, and Devils sometimes pretend to be agents of Demons, those words hold no sway over them."

"After we rescue Elothysia, we must leave immediately, without wasting a moment," Lancelot said as he took out the amulet bearing the emblem of Twin Bridges Town, ensuring the magic item was functioning properly. "Our answers just now were okay, right? We didn't inadvertently agree to any terms, did we?"

"Shouldn't have, right?" Scholar responded subconsciously before confirming with certainty after a moment, "Shouldn't have."
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"Boss, your answer was perfect," Eckmond interjected, "Saying to pay with what pleases you the most sounds very specific, but in fact, you didn't mention what would please you. He thinks you're after wealth or treasures, but you could just say that seeing the Succubus returned to her lover would be the most satisfying outcome."

"That's exactly what I meant," Lancelot nodded, "But his last sentence might have been his real intent. He wanted to lead as many mercenaries as possible to attack the convoy escorting Elothysia, simply using these mercenaries as cannon fodder to exhaust the escort's strength and magic."

"Then his wishful thinking is wrong," Bruto raised his hammer and roared, "We may not be the first to launch an attack, but we will definitely be the last!"