Teest said it quickly, but his actions showed he still cared deeply.
Visibly deflated after losing the newly acquired gold wheel gift, even the delicious peach cake couldn't lift his spirits. Whenever someone in the street pulled out a gold wheel, he couldn't help but look twice.
"Why don't I make you a better one?" Nol couldn't bear it any longer.
It was likely that Billy sensed the residual fluctuations on the gold wheel, which was why he specifically stole it. Nol was confident that even if the other side studied it back and forth a thousand times, they wouldn't find anything—
He didn't think much of it at the time and just casually made a common gold wheel. There was no blessing from the God of Creation on it, nor any powerful magic as a fallback.
"I only want that one," Teest wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth and said in a firm tone. "It has to be that one."
Nol's expression twitched, and he suddenly understood the feelings of those parents who watch their children cry in the street, insisting on their old toys.
"Alright, let's go see the General."
Nol couldn't help using a tone one might use with children, "Let's take care of Enbillick first, and get it back as soon as possible."
"Do you think I'm childish?" Teest raised his eyebrows high.
"Ah? No." Nol slowly shifted his gaze away.
"Your deception needs practice."
"..."
The two exchanged banter as they made their way to the Black Glove Tavern.
As the air cooled, such small taverns often became livelier. Indeed, the tavern was packed, with not a single chair empty. The smell of roast meat grew richer, mixed with the pungent odor of alcohol.
"After every date, we end up here." Teest led the way. "Shall we eat first, or meet our old acquaintance?"
"Old acquaintance." Nol said, eyeing a rough wooden pillar not far away.
There was a new batch of wanted posters, except for the one for Painter's arrest, whose familiar face was now covered with doodles. Logically, there should have been a notice from the Alva Merchant Group about the pursuit of Golden Sword Billy. But a few days after Ship Island sank, those notices disappeared.
It was hard to say whether the General was too well-informed, or if the Star Stealer Sol's actions were too swift.
After giving the bartender the secret signal, they once again entered the luxurious Black Glove Exchange.
Last time they were here, they encountered Golden Sword Billy at the entrance. They had used "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to hide their presence… Nol couldn't help but wonder if "A Midsummer Night's Dream" had any real effect on Billy. If not, the Star Stealer Sol was probably laughing at them.
Thinking about it, Golden Sword Billy had many opportunities to kill them.
The only reason he didn't act was that he was in the midst of reversion, unable to interfere with the flow of fate.
The thought of Enbillick specifically coming to observe them gave Nol a chill. He grabbed Teest's hand and led the way to the reception desk. "We're here to see the General. We don't have an appointment and don't mind going through the 'regular guest' channel. Could you please pass on a message. Ask if the General minds. From what I see, the last time, she was quite heartbroken."
He rattled off in rapid succession.
The reception desk's armor remained silent for a long time, finally creaking into motion. "Please follow me."
This time, they didn't take the regular guest channel filled with monsters. The armor personally led the way, turning right into the "VIP" channel.
"Why is it you guys again?"
After closing the door, the General greeted them cordially. "Cough, I mean, you could have made an appointment…"
She set down her glass, looking somewhat disinterested.
"We just went on a date but couldn't get the timing right." Teest used his infuriatingly innocent tone. "I thought we were good partners, not bothered by such details."
"By the way, my honey brought you some sweets. You can enjoy them with wine."
The General's forehead bulged with veins. She looked like she really wanted to roll her eyes, but she politely restrained herself. She gently raised her hand, and the brawny monster behind her respectfully took the basket of sweets.
"So, the reason for your sudden visit?"
"Sell some items, buy some information." Teest stood up, tapping the necklace hidden under his clothes. A downward black hole opened in mid-air, and the private collection of Old Duke Alva fell onto the carpet with a clatter—these items were carefully selected by the Mad Monk for their collection value over their power, better suited for sale.
As the treasures fell, the General's face turned pale.
"So it was you two who destroyed Ship Island." She forced a smile. "Old Duke Alva…?"
"We killed him," Teest admitted readily.
"Unfortunately, it seems we won't be able to trade information about this." The General sighed deeply. "I'll take care of these discreetly, but the fee will be 40%. The Alva Merchant Guild is very strict. No one but me can handle these properly."
"100%." Nol spoke up. "As long as you can sell them, the profits are all yours."
The smile vanished from the General's face. "It seems you have a new request."
She didn't believe the Mad Monk would come knocking for charity.
Nol sat up straight. "Our request this time is a bit special. I need all existing information on 'Golden Sword' Enbillick Alva."
"Please note, existing information. I don't need you to conduct any new investigations."
"…Strange request."
The General's twisted face turned towards Nol. "Normally, people would want me to send everyone out for this kind of money. Are you sure you don't want a new investigation?"
"I have my reasons." Nol smiled.
The General wasn't only Teest's half-friend but also an important partner for Paradise. Currently, Paradise's output and dungeon spoils were all handled by the General for resale.
If the General were to send someone to investigate the Star Stealer Sol, it would be tantamount to seeking death.
"Alright." The General took a sip of wine without asking further. "That guy's data is quite abundant, both publicly and in the shadows. I'll have someone compile it and hand it over to Paradise for your people to go through. But…"
"But?" Nol was about to stand up but sat back down.
"Given your attitude, 'Golden Sword' seems even more dangerous than I thought. So, I'll handle the Alva Merchant Group's collection and not charge any fee—putting it bluntly, I don't want to be involved in this at all."
The General put down her glass, her deformed face showing a smirk. "I want to change the condition."
Nol and Teest exchanged glances, and Teest shrugged. [Her intuition is indeed terrifying.]
"As long as it's within my capabilities," Nol responded cautiously.
The General stood up and walked to Nol. Despite her blindness, Nol could still feel a strange gaze from those prosthetic eyes.
"Please treat me," she said.
Nol was taken aback. "You mean…"
"You know, like that guy, I too am a Supplement Demon." The General openly stated, "Since you two are, cough, intimate, you must be familiar with my past."
Nol, of course, remembered the Supplement Demon who escaped the Eternal Church with Teest.
The problem was, since coming to Tahe, he had been busy with his compatriots and struggling against the Star Stealer Sol, never really considering the recovery issue for Supplement Demons.
"That's a bold request," Teest interjected. "This is much more excessive than gold wheels. Where did this idea come from?"
The General laughed. "Mad monk, your abilities were stuck at a bottleneck before. After staying with him for less than a year, your powers have transformed. Now, I can't even guess your level."
"Since you two didn't immediately call me a fool, it seems the Master of Paradise is indeed powerful."
The General's "price" was indeed unexpected. Nol remained silent, giving Teest a look to continue.
"Of course, I know how you figured it out. I'm just curious, why do you want to give up the identity as a 'Supplement Demon'? Isn't your ability quite effective?" Teest continued understandingly, "After all these years, you've found a replacement for your sight, and you don't seem to care about your appearance."
The General quietly returned to her seat and took a slow sip of wine.
"Because I'm dying," she said calmly. "I just want to survive and try my luck with you guys."
Teest's mocking words were stuck in his throat, and he showed a rare expression of surprise. "You're dying?"
"Don't be so surprised. It's not that soon. I can still live for a year or two. This isn't something that happened suddenly. Unlike the famous White Demon, my body has been gradually weakening."
The General spread her hands, her tone as calm as if she were talking about someone else. "There aren't many free monsters like me, and all of them are short-lived cannon fodder. I've looked for other treatments, but the cases are too limited."
Nol remained silent, quietly activating [Creator] to inspect the General's physical condition.
Indeed.
Teest had Player privileges and was in excellent health. The General's body, however, was riddled with holes, almost like a centenarian. Her Supplement Demon ability was "recovery", yet her organs were gradually weakening and deteriorating.
Nol narrowed his eyes, analyzing even harder—
Finally, he saw more clearly.
The General's magic circuit was poorly integrated, like a broken pipeline that has been neglected for years. Her monstrous part was rejecting her human part. They were forcibly integrated by the Supplement Demon Potion, and as time passed, the potion's efficacy weakened.
Nol had a similar feeling when he urgently treated Little Piel last time. Those Supplement Demons all had something akin to a "rejection" reaction.
The General's monstrous trait was "recovery", meaning her body's monstrous part was inherently more active and harder to balance.
He could treat her, just as he had treated Piel before, by finding a way to adjust her magic circuit.
Nol transmitted the findings to Teest through telepathy, also explaining the rejection reaction. He thought Teest would easily steer the conversation, but his knight suddenly froze, staring blankly at the General.
[What's wrong?] Nol asked curiously.
[…Nothing. I just suddenly thought of something.] Teest still had that contemplative look. [You continue the talk. Whether to treat her or not is up to you.]
"I can treat you, but as you said, there are too few cases, and I can't make any promises."
Nol cautiously took over the conversation.
The General's body trembled slightly, but her tone turned a little more eager. "I know, my request this time is unfair. I will make it up slowly in our dealings with Paradise. I—"
"No need." Nol raised his hand. "You're becoming my test subject, and I'm gaining experience."
Speaking of doing business, the General had always been good to Paradise, even sending them extra supplies at the beginning. "Treatment" was indeed a good bargaining chip, but Nol didn't want to bargain with lives.
And the thought that the Supplement Demon Potions might be made with his own blood made Nol somewhat uncomfortable.
"If you don't mind, we can start the treatment now."
After saying this, Nol looked at the two monstrous giants behind the general.
"They are just mindless flesh. They won't leak your secrets."
The General snapped her fingers, and the room's door locked itself. "Do I need to lie down, or should I sit as I am? If you need any treatment materials—"
"Just sitting is fine."
Nol moved his fingers, setting up layers of defenses against magical fluctuations within the room. He then approached the General, placing one hand on her grotesque head.
[Creator] was activated, and a breeze stirred up, rustling Nol's robe.
He needed to reorganize and optimize the crudely patched-up deformed circuit, just like when he treated Little Piel… No, not quite the same.
Nol frowned slightly.
When he treated Little Piel, Piel was in the process of transforming into a Supplement Demon. For example, one second Piel had a stomach ache, and the next second he was under the care of top experts, receiving the highest level of medical service.
Of course, recovery was easy then.
The General's situation was entirely different.
She had been a Supplement Demon for too long. It was more like a condition that had been dragged on for too long, where ordinary inflammation had turned into cancer.
The poor magic circuit barely functioned and leaked everywhere. Perhaps it violated the natural laws of Tahe, generating destructive forces every moment, causing irreversible damage to her body.
Now, those forces were entrenched in her body, pulling one string would move the whole body, making it difficult for Nol to act rashly.
Without clearing these "years of dirt", treatment couldn't start. But forcefully removing them could likely overwhelm the General's body.
Nol scanned the room, then his gaze settled on a point.
If the essence of the "old dirt" was destructive force and it couldn't be erased on the spot, what about "transferring" it?
He motioned and a bulky flesh puppet obediently approached. Nol extended his other hand, touching the puppet's chest. He packaged those deadly forces, transferring them into the puppet's body.
The next moment, the puppet couldn't withstand it and exploded into a fireworks of flesh and blood. Some destructive forces remained, dispersing on the spot, turning the nearby sofa and coffee table black and red, collapsing into a soft heap.
Teest suddenly drew his sword, and the dark power of destruction enveloped and eroded the remaining forces.
Nol withdrew his hand, starting to adjust the General's magic circuit.
Teest sheathed the "Betrayer", watching Nol's back expressionlessly.
According to Nol, the essence of Supplement Demon was the violent mixing of species, leading to "rejection". Mixed creatures possess stronger power but were doomed to perish in a short time.
As the God of Creation, Nol could treat such wretches.
But who could treat that "Corpse of All Gods" Nol he saw in the memory seal—the one sewn together from fragments of countless gods?