The events happening in Maryland were unknown to Su Ming and the others, while Albella's teleportation array first took them to Hell.
Now, they were standing on a street in Hell. If correct, this used to be Lucifer's territory, but now it's overseen by his woman, Maggie Ken.
This street was bustling and prosperous, at least for demons. Here, chaos and flames were everywhere, and the smell of sulfur filled their noses and lungs.
The demons, seeing the sudden appearance of three humans on the street, were visibly surprised, but those that reacted faster had already started drooling.
Albella took a drag of smoke and cursed a few times in Demon Language, causing many demons to grudgingly leave. Still, more of them merely hid in the shadows, continuing to covet the souls of the three.
"My teleportation magic doesn't have a direct flight, this is a layover—Hell."
"Ha, if it were a bus, this should be the terminal." Su Ming observed the many demons around and the various goods on their stalls.
Although souls were the most valuable currency in Hell, the majority of goods here were actually various human organs.
For example, some human black hearts.
It's said that not only are they crunchy but also excellent casting materials.
"So, what now? Do we fight a way out, or..." Diana touched her treasure sword, disliking the way these demons looked at her.
"No need for that." Albella went to a nearby stall, casually picking up an unknown fruit to eat: "Even though Lucifer is no longer a monarch, his prestige remains, and I'm his contract holder. Who would dare covet the souls he fancies? Hehe..."
In the wilderness far from the block, two enormous doors stood there out of nowhere, one black and one golden.
"The gates to Dreamland. If I remember correctly, they should be the Sharp Horn Gate and the Ivory Gate." Su Ming took off his helmet and tried a fruit, the purple juice filling his mouth.
And the stall owner, just a Little Demon, could only glare angrily without saying anything about their actions.
The fruit's taste was very strange, like an oversized fish ball.
"You sure know a lot, for a mercenary." Albella shoved all the fruit into her mouth, sticking her little tongue out to lick her fingers one by one: "They are all doors to the Dream Realm; however, few can see both doors at the same time."
Su Ming nodded, frowning as he swallowed the fruit. This thing left a strangely satisfying feeling, the size of a regular orange yet enough to fill him up.
But the problem was a voice in his soul was screaming for more, wanting to eat more.
Su Ming forcibly suppressed the desire and continued Albella's line.
"When you believe dreams are real in your heart, you can see the Ivory Gate; when you believe dreams are false, you see the Spiky Gate."
Albella gestured for the two to come closer; they had rested enough in the rest area and eaten their post-meal fruit; it was time to leave.
"So, those who can see both doors at the same time are either gods or mental patients, haha."
"Nice joke, it makes me feel like I really am a bit like Batman, huh." Su Ming expelled a short breath from his nostrils: "Can we leave now, Miss Colorado from the Children's Section?"
"Don't call me that!"
Albella's hair stood on end like a cat's.
As a wielder of dark power, participating in beauty contests as a child and saying her wish was 'world peace' was about the most embarrassing thing ever.
The key issue was, she said this for fourteen years straight, and people bought it year after year as everyone fabricated one big lie together...
Too hypocritical, she was unwilling to recall her hypocritical past.
"Alright, how about I treat you to a grand meal as an apology when we get back. But for now, we need to leave here quickly." Su Ming shrugged, knowing that unless Albella was made to be serious, she would dawdle all over the place.
He knew she was unwilling to recall these things, which is why he deliberately used the name.
Albella sighed, looking around at the bustling street filled with smoke: "Since you seem so well-informed about the Magic Realm, why not choose our next course of action?"
Su Ming, of course, needed command.
"For now, what we need most is information, so we're going to the Forgotten Bar."
The Forgotten Bar is a secret place located in a pocket dimension, a spot where mages love to stop in for a drink during their leisure time.
Almost every city has a small alley with a teleportation gate leading there.
Albella didn't visit often; the drinks there were too expensive, and they didn't provide free snacks. The former Master of the Dark Night wasn't very welcoming of her, either.
During the last confrontation with the threat of Barbatos, the 'Shadow Contract' squad leader, Master of the Dark Night, who was also the owner of the Forgotten Bar, was where he rescued the heroes, yet it attracted the Dark Knight Order.
The Master of the Dark Night opened a teleportation gate to let the Justice League leave; he stayed behind to cover them and was later killed behind the bar counter.
After the incident, Detective Bo Bo received the legacy of the Master of the Dark Night, the magic sword 'Night Blade,' as well as this bar.
However, going to a place where mages gather now was a great choice for gathering information.
Diana could have thought of this place; she was just driven blindly by the urgency to seek the truth following the deaths of many familiar faces.
Since the client paid a deposit and had their own ideas, Albella naturally didn't mind saving her brain power, hoping that everything could be resolved before she finished her pack of cigarettes.
She led the two through left and right turns within the Demon Market, casually finding a door. After some magical verification methods, they pushed the door open and entered.
Warm orange lighting, soothing music, and glasses floating in the air, polishing themselves.
Apart from the last item, everything here reminded Su Ming somewhat of his own Peace Restaurant.
The bloodstains of the Master of the Dark Night had already been cleaned away, and at this moment, there wasn't anyone else in the bar, as if it really had been forgotten, with only Bo Bo sitting at the bar drinking, the other small round tables empty save for candles.
And, of course, the recent punk girl Trish who came to apply for a new bartender position. Since the glasses cleaned themselves, she leisurely flipped through a black magic book.
Her power came from Heaven, and for now, all seemed to operate smoothly while her reading of the black magic book was simply out of curiosity.
The only reason she read it here was also because only here could she ensure her father wouldn't suddenly break in and burn everything to ashes.
The Forgotten Bar was just like that, the owner dies, and the bartender takes over.
If one day Bo Bo were to die, she'd be the new owner of the Forgotten Bar, and it would carry on in this way.
But hoping for Bo Bo's death would be quite challenging. Though he dressed like Sherlock Holmes, he was a gorilla, and he was claimed to be the Batman among animals, with a very sharp mind.