Choosing a Path

With no demonstrably better options available, Paul and the girls decided to shack up in a hostel operated by the Adventurer's Guild. The room was a complete mess, looking like it hadn't been cleaned in months, but it was nothing Magic couldn't solve. Far more troublesome was the fact that the beds were little more than straw covered in a thin monster hide.

Fortunately for Paul and the rest, they didn't have to pull out their bedrolls and sleeping bags. The moment Paul commented on the less-than-stellar accommodations, Ganyu calmly suggested, "There isn't a lot of space, but I can transform into my Qilin form and let everyone sleep on my back."

As tempting as Ganyu's suggestion was, Paul didn't immediately accept it. He wanted to, but he felt compelled to question, "And what about you? It would be pretty messed up if we got to sleep comfortably while you were made to sleep on the ground..."

Adopting a squinty-eyed smile, Ganyu unhesitantly replied, "Thank you for your concern. However, I actually enjoy sleeping on the earth. Back in Teyvat, I would often find a warm stone or a clearing in the forest to relax. Qilins have a strong connection to nature, so I have absolutely no qualms about sleeping on the ground."

Though he scratched the back of his head out of awkwardness, Paul didn't try to convince Ganyu further. Instead, he said, "Thanks, Ganyu. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say I appreciate your kindness and consideration..."

While everyone else either nodded their heads or offered polite words of gratitude, Venti joined the conversation with all the finesse of a wrecking ball as she asked, "How are we going to have sex? I don't mind abstaining for a day or two, but I'll wither and turn into a skeleton if I have to abstain for three whole years..."

Before Ganyu could even think to suggest it was okay to have sex on her back, Paul interjected to say, "We'll worry about things like that when they matter. For now, our focus should be on getting our bearings and deciding the best course of action. If you're that..."

Interrupting his chastizing of Venti, Paul smacked his head and shouted, "The IOF! Duh...!"

Thinking Paul was going to lock her away in the IOF against, a wry smile marred Venti's face as she said, "It was just a joke...mostly...maybe fifty percent..."

Shaking his head, Paul grinned as he said, "We can use the IOF to have sex. I've done it in the past, and it gives us the greatest privacy. The only problem is..."

Shifting his attention to Lilia and Ghislaine, Paul's smile gained a hint of wryness as he added, "Not everyone can enter..."

In an effort to make up for her earlier comment, it was Venti who said, "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Besides, it's not like you have to do it with everyone, every night. Now that we're in a region like the Demon Continent, a bit of restraint is to be expected."

Unable to resist the urge, Xinyan flatly replied, "That's pretty rich coming from you..."

Poking out her tongue, Venti responded with a playful wink before adding, "At the very least, I imagine it will be difficult to go at it for seven to eight hours like we usually do. Speaking of routines..."

Shifting her gaze to Paul, Venti asked, "What are you going to do about your training? Also, how are we expected to spend our time? I don't mind if we all stick together, but distance makes the heart grow fonder. If we're around each other 24/7, tensions are bound to build."

Nodding her head in approval, Jean appended, "Lady Barbatos is correct. One of our priorities should be establishing a garrison of sorts, a place we can deploy from and return to if we're ever separated or need to split our forces."

Offering a nod of his own, Paul revealed, "I already considered that. The Demon Continent is a place I've been looking forward to visiting for a long time, so we've got four, well, more like three options available to us..."

Holding up his index finger, Paul explained, "If Roxy had come with us, I would have suggested we stay in the Migurd Village near the Capital City, Rikarisu. One of my motivations for coming to the Demon Continent was to track down the former Demon Empress, Kishirika Kishrisu, so I figured starting near her former castle made sense..."

Raising a second finger, Paul added, "Roxy was pretty insistent about me not meeting her parents without her, so our second-best option is to head to Wind Port, the largest and southernmost town in the Demon Continent. It's the most developed city on the Continent and functions as the central hub for Merchants and Adventurers. The only downside is that it's host to a sizeable human population and is widely regarded as the most corrupt and lawless city in the world. As for the third option..."

Adopting a wry smile, Paul revealed, "When I was younger, long before I gained access to the Intersection of Fate, I seriously considered seeking out the Demon Lord that grants strength, Atoferatofe Raibaku. She has a habit of kidnapping strong and talented people, imprisoning and training them for ten years before giving them a few years off. Most people don't come back, but those that stay make up one of the most powerful military forces in the world. With Atofe's strength exceeding even the second and third generation North Gods, she was the best option if I wanted to grow powerful..."

"The problem is that Atofe is known to be a complete musclehead with little to no inhibitions. She is also immortal to the point of being able to regenerate from apparent disintegration, so, while it remains an option, going to Fort Necross as a group probably isn't the wisest option..."

Holding up his fourth and final finger, Paul's smile regained its vigor as he said, "The last one is something I'm not entirely sure of. You see, there is a borderline omniscient Demon Lord by the name of Betobe who records all knowledge in the world. And I mean 'all' knowledge. Anything that has been written down, be it a confidential letter or a personal journal, can be found within his Library."

Blinking in surprise, Eula asked, "How is that possible? If such a Demon Lord existed, I can't fathom how humanity could weather multiple wars against Demonkind. They couldn't possibly rely on word of mouth to relay information..."

Nodding his head, Paul replied, "Yeah, I know what you mean. When I was researching the Laplace Campaign and the histories of the Great Human-Demon Wars, many things didn't add up. Most people, at least nowadays, simply believe Kishirika was an idiot. However, if that were true, how could she wage war for a combined total of more than 1800 years if she was half as inept as people make her out to be?"

Shaking his head, Paul speculated, "Considering how much Laplace was able to accomplish in a comparably short period, my guess is that most of the information about the First and Second Great Human-Demon Wars is entirely made up. Wars don't last a thousand years when there are Mages capable of leveling mountains and swordsmen fast enough to cross entire Continents in hours. As for Demon Lord Betobe...I'm reasonably sure that most people simply aren't aware of his existence."

Shifting his attention to his side, Paul asked, "Ganyu, mind handing me the map of the Demon Continent?"

Without hesitation, Ganyu reached into her pouch and pulled out a fairly detailed map of the Demon Continent. The Adventurer's Guild had D-Rank Adventurers constantly gathering information to try and forecast the next Miasma outbreak, so maps of the Demon Continent were readily available and updated frequently.

After spreading out the map for everyone to see, Paul pointed near the exact center, a peculiar green 'lake' that covered hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.

"For those of you who aren't up to date on the Demon Continent's terrain and features, this green splotch isn't a lake. It's a giant Slime colony, and, if my theory is correct, the location of the Labyrinth Library, Demon Lord Betobe's home..."

Asking the question everyone was thinking, Xinyan inquired, "What makes you think that...?"

Adopting a fairly cheeky smile, Paul replied, "Because the true identity of Demon Lord Betobe, the most mysterious and enigmatic Demon Lord...is a Slime. More accurately, he is the Slime God."

"Ah..."

Nodding his head, Paul maintained his smile as he added, "Slimes are E-Rank monsters by default, but they are immediately elevated to S-Rank once they form a colony. Like Goblins, Slime Colonies can rapidly expand to consume entire nations if allowed to grow unchecked. Yet, despite this fairly common knowledge, this particular Slime Colony exists as a feature on maps dating back to the Laplace War. Ordinary Slime Colonies sweep across vast swaths of land, consuming everything in their wake. This one, however, just sort of minds its own business..."

Understanding what Paul was getting at, Jean remarked, "It's certainly suspicious, but it doesn't explain why Kishirika or Laplace would simply ignore such a useful Demon Lord. In war, information is arguably even more important than the war potential of both armies. If one side knew what the other was up to at all times, they would have a nigh-absolute advantage..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul adopted a mock helpless expression as he asked, "What do you want me to say? I know for a fact that Demon Lord Betobe exists. As for why the Demon Empress and Laplace didn't make use of him during their respective campaigns, that's a question you would have to ask them. The only reasons I could come up with were that they either didn't know about him, or they were unaware of his power. I mean, he is a Slime. Most Slimes are regarded as monsters, wholly incapable of thought. As far as I know, Demon Lord Betobe is the only sapient Slime in the entire world."

Adopting a slightly apologetic expression, Jean lowered her head and said, "Sorry...I didn't mean to-"

Raising his brows, Paul interrupted Jean's apology, asking, "Seriously, Jean? You haven't done anything meriting an apology, and I'm not angry with you or anything. I simply don't have all the answers. That's kind of the whole reason I want to try searching for Betobe's library. If we could convince him to let us browse his collection, we would have that absolute advantage you were referring to. I mean, just imagine what someone like Ningguang could do with the personal diaries and ledger of every King and Queen..."

Giving voice to the thoughts of nearly everyone present, Xinyan uttered a faint, "Yikes..."

Nodding his head, Paul parroted, "Yikes, indeed..." before adding, "The problem is gaining access to the Library. I know of one surefire method, but that involves encountering the Dragon God, Orsted. So long as he doesn't kill us on the spot, I'm fairly certain I could convince him to take us there. If not me, Ningguang definitely could..."

Immediately shooting down such an idea, Ei stated, "We should avoid an encounter with Dragon God until I have acquired my fifth, preferably sixth Constellation. At the very least, you should not be the one to meet him..."

Though he was more than willing to wait, Paul shook his head and shot back, "If I sent someone on behalf, he would never trust us. Orsted is a 'very' superstitious person. The only way to deal with someone like that is by laying everything bare. So, if and when he appears before us, do me a favor and try not to attack him immediately. I understand that might be your best chance to defeat him, but there is a real possibility we'll need his help if we're to complete our objective..."

Nodding her head, albeit reluctantly, Ei replied, "Very well...if that is your command, I will abide it. However-"

"Leave it at that. Orsted isn't a murderer. Unless we give him a reason to kill us, he is more likely to investigate and interrogate us than try to kill me outright. We just need to make it unambiguous that we're not his enemies, and he could very well become our greatest ally..."

As Paul was more familiar with the specifics of Mushoku Tensei and the people who inhabited it, Ei only hesitated for a moment before nodding her head a second time and replying, "Understood..."

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