5 General Valion's Quest

~Chapter 5: General Valion's Quest

A long winding staircase spiraled along the walls of the demon castle's northwest tower.

Anyone trying to sprint through such staircase would definitely pant breathlessly as soon as he or she would reach the top. A demon, inside a room at the topmost part of the tower, sat adjacent to a study table, flicking through the pages of a robust black book. A knock suddenly rang outside,

"Come in," the demon beckoned. A tall gremlin in a formal suit then entered the room, "Apologies for the intrusion, Your Excellency Maldor. A letter from Sir Valion came this morning." The gremlin reported and handed over an ash-colored envelope with the insignia of the Valion Avarice Fleet.

Maldor received the letter. He then ran his fingers through the insignia, pouring a 'drop' of magic power onto it— A reddish-brown droplet entered and spread throughout the tiny cracks of the insignia. The letter was then unsealed and the ash-colored envelope burned into fine dust,

"Hmmm, it is indeed a letter from Valion," Maldor confirmed, shaking off the dusty paper.

Formalities aside— Seals using unique magic-imbued insignias are necessary for letters being handed over by the higher-ups of the demon society. This way, an assistant or adjutant could never peek through confidential information; demons with weak magic could not undo seals.

Maldor read through the letter, his long grey hair fluttering from the winds blowing from the opened window. The sun provided adequate lighting— perfect for a casual afternoon read.

After reading the letter, Maldor sighed, "It would seem the young general chewed more than he could swallow." Maldor's face formed a tired smile, the old demon's wrinkles clearly showing. He then opened a drawer underneath his study table and took an empty parchment.

The gremlin butler patiently waited as he studiously observed the old demon general, his eyes filled with awe and wonder. After a few minutes, Maldor handed the gremlin an envelope, now sealed with the insignia of the Pride Armada, General Maldor's very own demon army.

"Please send this to the young general. I do believe his fleet is currently resting in Mauve Island right now. It won't take you long. You could personally attend to this matter. And do ask for an immediate reply, I'll be waiting." Maldor carefully instructed.

"I will do as you instructed, Your Excellency." the gremlin bowed and left.

---

The docks of Mauve Island immediately became busy as soon as the Avarice Fleet arrived.

Although it was just one-eighth of the entire fleet, the fact that the main ship, the Valion, arrived in the port meant the renowned General Valion was with them. The local lord of the town hurried to meet the respected general. In the town hall, the elite members of the Avarice Fleet gathered.

General Valion sat at the far most chair in the banquet table, unbothered by the awed looks of the people around. A few local demon nobles and lords attended the gathering. At first, they weren't paying much attention when the fleet's arrival was announced, assuming as the fleet would only be a portion of the entire Avarice Fleet, but a soon as they heard the respected general was also with them, they hurried to prepare and contribute for a grandiose gathering.

Naturally, the nine great generals of Horai held more power and authority than any of the nobles or lords, be it actual strength or political power. Besides this, the nine generals are the only people with direct contact and relationship to the Majesty, the Demon King Vel. If I could butter myself up to any of the nine generals, then I could aim to expand my lands or even wish for a bigger one with the king's blessing. — this would be the thought of every nobility attending the gathering.

Valion knew this, and he couldn't care less about these people.

The local lord of the Mauve Island, Daimon Lavender, coughed and cleared his throat to disperse the awkward atmosphere. "Why don't we have a good meal first before having a talk?" Daimon said as he beckoned the maids to serve the exquisite meals prepared beforehand.

Nobles coming from different regions of the Mauve Island unhesitatingly dove in the feast of freshly prepared food. Although they were called "nobles", they are nothing more than commoners with titles to dictate that they own more lands than an ordinary demon working in a mine or a farm.

The lords, on the other hand, were more reserved. They have more lands and control dozens of workers under them. Compared to the common nobles, they were indeed much better off.

"Your Excellency, have some," Daimon beckoned Valion to eat.

Valion threw a glance at the middle-aged demon lord and briefly replied, "I am not in the mood." He then slouched back on his chair and sighed, "I am just here to wait for old man Maldor's reply."

"General Maldor!? W— What for, your Excellency?" Daimon asked. The other nobles and lords turned their heads out of curiosity as soon as they heard the name of another general. "Nothing that'll concern any of you," the young demon general replied, glancing at the people around the table. "If you have nothing important that concerns me, I'll be heading out to the harbor. The air here is chokingly dry." Valion stood up and left without even hearing any of their replies.

…

At the harbor, Valion supervised the loading and unloading of supplies for the ten ships he brought along with him. Besides the Valion, he brought along nine other ships, five of which were the same type as the Valion— airborne warships. After crossing the borders of Horai, Valion called upon the first division of his fleet to assist him in sending a crucial message to the other generals.

The first one he decided to contact was his former mentor, General Maldor. Of course, he couldn't directly bring the Avarice Fleet or even the Valion ship towards Honey Chime Island without prior notice as it would be seen as a provocation to the Pride Armada, so he decided to land and stay in neutral territory. Mauve Island was the closest one with a decent harbor to accommodate the fleet.

"You don't seem to like meeting nobles that much," Daimon said as he appeared behind Valion.

Valion turned to see the town lord, "And you seem to be too eager to talk to me. You're just the same as them," he shrugged, "I am just here to restock my supplies, I'm taking my leave as soon as possible." Although Daimon was older, Valion held a higher authority due to his position, and so he couldn't be bothered with formalities. Mutually, Daimon, as a veteran lord, doesn't take formalities into consideration when talking to a younger demon, no matter the position they hold.

"Ah, then if that is what you want, so be it.," Daimon shrugged, "By the way," he then tossed a bronze locket towards Valion, which the latter instinctively caught. "I could feel that you're anxious about contacting the other eight generals. That locket is a special heirloom of the Lavender clan, which is related to General Lakios. He'll probably talk to you if you present it to him." Daimon explained.

Valion inspected the locket and looked at Daimon in confusion, "You know Lakios?"

"Know him? He came from the Lavender clan, we're blood-related. How do you think the Lavender clan held the power here in Mauve Island for so long amidst dozens of other lords present?" Daimon frankly answered, "Just return the locket afterward. Traveling back here wouldn't be a problem for you."

Valion paused for a moment, "Thank you."

…

It was the third and last day of the first division of the Avarice Fleet staying in Mauve Island.

The crew finished resupplying and were now set to travel to the different regions of Horai to contact the other generals according to the commands of their own, General Valion. The young general walked along the docks, overseeing the preparations before the departure. His youthful look and vigor betrayed his extreme position in the demon society's hierarchy. Even though he was the youngest among the nine general, he wasn't the least bit inferior to any of them. He may lack a certain aspect, such as experience, but he makes up for it with raw and unparalleled talent.

His purple hair, fluttering from the blows of the sea breeze, matched the lilac scent of the island. His ash-colored skin, as ghastly as it looks under the shadows of the gigantic ships, still glimmered beautifully when illuminated by the bright morning sun. Valion was rather a handsome demon, his charisma has been what led him to command the Avarice Fleet with such ease and grace.

"Your Excellency Valion, a reply from Sir Maldor has arrived!" Barka ran towards Valion, panting. Behind him was a lanky gremlin. Valion knew the gremlin; he was his former mentor's personal butler— Pale. Valion nodded, "Greetings, Pale."

Pale greeted, "It's good seeing you, Sir." He then handed over the letter with the Pride Armada's insignia. "His Excellency Maldor wanted to know your thoughts and has instructed me to remain here until you could provide an adequate reply," Pale added, "Worry not, I will leave as soon as I have something to report. I won't be staying long and bother your fleet's expedition," He smiled.

Valion opened the letter in the same manner as what Maldor did. The envelopes' ash disappeared with the cold sea breeze. "I'll be taking my leave, for now. I have to read this elsewhere. Barka, tell the fleet that we're going to delay the departure. We'll leave this evening." Valion instructed.

He then left for the town hall. There, he could read in private and write a letter of response.

Pale looked and smiled at Barka and said, "Guess I'll be in your care for now."

…

"... Although the problem of the great orb's retrieval is none of the eight general's business- and is a burden you must carry alone- I would gladly lend you a hand, not because I'm a kind general, but because you are a student I personally care for. However, you should know and have learned by now: Every good thing… comes with a cost— "

What happy emotion Valion had when reading the letter immediately turned sour as soon as he read through the conditions given by his former mentor, Maldor. 'Does this old man think I'm still the gullible child I was back then!?' Valion inwardly retorted. However, the unreasonable cost of having a demon general's assistance was something only another general could afford.

" — First, I am willing to lend you the first battalion of my Pride Armada. In return, all ships procured by me, Maldor, in the future that comes from your harbor, would be free of charge. Worry not, I am not going to suck your resources dry. It takes more work to provide and sustain a crew for those ships, and I myself don't have any plans in having idle boats floating around my territory,"

"Second, every first quarter of the year, Honey Chime Island shall reserve an exclusive trade to the Avarice fleet, and vice-versa. Lastly, every soldier lent by the Pride Armada who does not return from battle —either deceased or a defector— shall be compensated by the Avarice Fleet: three sailor crew for every missing soldier." Albeit the entire request wasn't long, the absurdity in it was what turned Valion's mood sour.

One does not need to take a second look to see how ambiguous those request seemed.

'An asset, economic, and military compensation. The old man is still as cunning as ever.' Valion pondered. No matter how absurd things sounded, Valion was still the one who asked for help in the first place. Although he, technically, could decline; what would he do next? The other generals were obviously not as 'giving' as Maldor. In fact, they could be a lot greedier than him.

'No matter what… the orb is worth all this risk,' Valion affirmed. He took a parchment atop the desk and wrote a reply, agreeing to the demands of his former mentor and one of the nine demon generals— Maldor.

---

Vani City, Heron Kingdom

Kirin carried the sack full of iron swords toward a building at the far north side of the central district. "This is the place?" Kirin asked Jeremiah who was obediently standing behind him. "Yes, it should be this place… sir." Jeremiah replied in a rather low and meek tone.

'What's up with this guy? One moment he was pouring out killing intent, but now, he's all timid?' Kirin wondered. However, he soon dismissed the thought and glanced at the signboard of the building, "Miyena's 'Cast and Craft' Shop. This is the place you intend to authenticate the iron swords?" Kirin asked. Jeremiah nodded in reply.

Back then— As soon as Jeremiah said he wanted to bulk purchase the iron swords, Kirin felt ecstatic. However, Jeremiah was still unsure whether they were authentic swords of the olden, so he wanted them authenticated and verified before he would decide. Kirin had no problem with this and calmly complied. A short ten-minute walk and they arrived at a blacksmithing shop.

*Cling-clang*

The tiny bells atop the wooden door sounded, Kirin and Jeremiah entered the shop. The shop owner, Miyena Fleen, was shocked to see the thirteenth hero randomly come without prior notice, "L— Lord Jeremiah!? What brings you here? Is there anything wrong with your Grand Claive? Is it broken? Does it need repair? I— I can fix it for you, free of charge!" From her tone alone, it was apparent that this Miyena owed Jeremiah… a lot. Her panicked tone did not hide her feelings.

'Emotions like that are bad for business...' Kirin inwardly commented. However, emotions such as gratefulness seemed important to have a great and everlasting relationship, something which Kirin lacked. 'Or is it? This place doesn't look too shabby,' Kirin thought. Perhaps his perspective should change for the better. Things he learned from the past could ultimately be useless here, besides, his aim in this world had become far different from what he used to have back then. Forget aiming to be the most powerful tycoon, he needs to make friends here and live a worthwhile life!

"Ehem, My weapon is fine, Miyena. I'm here to authenticate something that needs your expertise." Jeremiah coughed and frankly replied. Kirin took the hint and placed the sack of iron swords atop the counter. 'Perhaps the ridiculous pricing is justified, we will just have to see," Kirin thought.