At the far edge of the Myriad Hollowâs outer circle, an inn stood, a place where the bustling chaos of Myriad Hollow thinned just enough for breath to feel less heavy.
By the standards of any other city in the abyss, the structure was an ostentatious marvel. Its entrance was carved from black onyx stone, doors bound in runic metal, and windows lined with polished obsidian that refracted glimmers of abyssal light. The hallways gleamed with runic lanterns, and the scent of aged spirit wine lingered in the airâluxury by most measures.
Yet here, in Myriad Hollow, it was nothing more than a âsmallâ inn. Surrounded by towering fortresses, colossal compounds, and clan estates that rose like mountains, this place looked almost humbleâan ant resting in the shadow of titans. Its âsmallnessâ was a cruel reflection of the scale of the capital itself.
Inside, one of the innâs upper rooms was cloaked in silence, its walls soundproofed with runic inscriptions. A faint shimmer of distortion revealed a protective barrierâwhoever dwelled here clearly desired privacy.
Inside this room, five figures sat around a low, circular table carved of abyssal wood.
Four of them were demons, with thick, brown skin, their muscles taut as sculpted iron. Each bore a jagged shape of horns upon their brows, marking their lineages. Their eyes gleamed faintly crimson, exuding a restless hunger, and the surrounding aura pulsed with suppressed brutality.
However, among these towering demons, the fifth was...smaller. It was a Shadow Imp, barely reaching the height of their knees. He was grotesquely disproportionateâhis head too large for his wiry frame, his eyes bulging with mischievous light, and two thin, twisted horns jutting from his skull.
His skin was an ashen gray, etched with faint lines that resembled cracks glowing with dim darkness.
The demons and the imp grinned as their sharp little teeth flashed like a row of daggers. The surrounding air seemed charged with exaltation because in front of them, on the table, were shimmering storage rings of different colors!
One of the demons couldnât help but praise, "Brother Scamp, we really never imagined you would successfully emulate the Evil Venerable Angelâs methods! We are going to be filthy rich!"
"Right, right, just as Eldest Brother said, we are going to be filthy rich, and no one can stop the rise of Scamp Gang!" Another demon with a slightly frivolous demeanor chimed in.
The Shadow Imp, named Scamp, grinned with pride as if enjoying the praise of those demons, and with a hint of arrogance, he sneered, "Why of course! It was only a matter of time before I figured out E.V.Aâs tricks! Just as I said, sheâs nothing special, and merely a fragment of the past!"
Those demons instantly nodded in agreement as if completely agreeing with Scamp, feeding to his vanity.
At that moment, the third demon spoke, greedily looking at the storage rings on the table, and said in a worried tone, "Brother Scamp, although you have successfully stolen these rings, how should we remove the abyssal marks on them?"
Scampâs grin suddenly turned into a frown as the other three demons also wore a worried and helpless expression since this was truly a big problem. After all, as long as they couldnât remove the abyssal marks on those storage rings, they were nothing but ordinary accessories to them.
"Second Brother, weâll figure out a way. After all, as long as we have money, I donât believe anyone would be unwilling to help us remove the abyssal marks on those storage rings." The frivolous demon confidently stated.
Scamp also nodded in agreement, "Old Fourth is right! Iâve heard of some talismans and treasures that can remove abyssal marks. Although they are rare, I donât believe we can not find them."
At this moment, the last demon, with a clever look in his eyes, suddenly raised a question, "Brother Scamp, youâre right, and if I found a treasure, then I would be nothing but marvelous. However, if we discover a talisman, this means itâs only a one-time use item, so how could we decide which ring to use it on?
"Even if we found a source to buy them, what if the ring we opened didnât have enough treasures to cover our costs, not to mention that what we are doing is extremely dangerous, and we are literally staking our lives here.
"Donât forget this is the territory of the Dread Duchess, and once she gets the wind of this, with E.V.A as a deterrence, they wonât sit still and let us continue in peace."
His words changed everyoneâs expression as they almost forgot about the danger involved in what they were doing. They were all blinded by successes and dreams of riches, even the proud Scamp grimaced.
"Old Third is right!" Scamp stated in a grave tone, "We only started this venture in the Myriad Hollow because anyone who can enter this city is essentially rich and has some background. It wonât be long before the law enforcement starts to take notice of us, and they might even connect us to E.V.A.
"Furthermore, just as Old Third stated, we need a permanent method to solve the abyssal mark problems, or the gains will be insignificant against losses unless we can rob those big shops in the city, which we donât have the ability to do yet."
The Eldest Brotherâs mood turned heavy as he knew he had started to dream too soon, and only now he understood that even if they could figure out one of E.V.Aâs methods, there was still a long road ahead of them to become a proficient thief like her. He secretly admired that thieving angel even more.
He said solemnly, "Then what do you suggest, Brother Scamp? Should we leave the Myriad Hollow for now? After all, if the law enforcement took notice, we might be in trouble. We can retreat to a smaller city and figure out the method of abyssal marks first and then return."
However, unexpectedly, Scamp directly rejected the idea as he said, "No, we mustnât retreat now. Currently, the commotion isnât as great, and law enforcement hasnât taken notice yet, as we are only in the outer circle. As long as we are careful enough, we can still steal hundreds of more storage rings before quickly leaving the city.
"Even if we canât open them, as long as we have them, it means the moment we find a method to get rid of abyssal marks, weâll be drowning in treasures!
"Not only that, but weâll never come back to the Myriad Hollow again and let E.V.A take the blame for all of this. Moreover, there is another point you guys have missed..." Scampâs gaze suddenly turned mysterious as he looked at his sworn brothers.
The demon brothers became intrigued as he looked at Scamp with impatience, as if telling him to spit it out quickly.
Scamp suddenly grinned, which was extremely hideous as he said proudly, "If we can cause a huge commotion here, and wonât get caught, if the E.V.A were to hear it, what would she do?"
The demon brothersâ eyes widened as the frivolous fourth brother exclaimed, "Sheâll hunt us down and kill us!"
The other three brothers and Scampâs expressions instantly darkened, and the Eldest Brother instantly smacked his head, making the fourth brother aggrieved.
Scamp solemnly stated at this moment with arrogance, "Fool, as a thief, sheâll probably come searching for us, but not to kill us, but to join our Scamp Gang!"