After cleaning the traces of the battle and relaxing for a little while, Liora didn't stay in the mansion for long.
Having spent the last few days studying Devil Runes, upgrading her abilities, and fighting in the Life and Death Arena, she really needed some time to relax.
At the same time, the sudden influx of Devils in the city had caught her attention, prompting her to go out and seek information.
Liora didn't take Alpha with her.
Alpha's strength was quite weak—barely reaching that of a Little Devil—and her primary purpose was to take care of the mansion.
Liora didn't want her first subordinate, one she could fully trust, to die in an accident.
Walking out of the mansion, she silently observed her surroundings.
The rippling shadows, the whispering sounds, and the faint scent of blood in the air assaulted her senses, reminding her once again that despite its deceitful appearance, this was still a city of Devils.
She had expected that the wandering Devils near the mansion would attempt to kill her once she left. But even after walking all the way out of the city's center, none of them appeared, much less attacked her.
"Are they too cautious, or are they wary of each other?", Liora wondered before shaking her head lightly.
No matter why, as long as they didn't mess with her, she wouldn't seek trouble from them.
Of course, if she were low on Evolution Points, she wouldn't hesitate to "enrich" herself.
While she was deep in thought, Liora's footsteps didn't pause.
She navigated through the city's narrow streets and alleys with familiarity before finally reaching her destination.
It was the inn where she had stayed not long ago, the place her two "friends" owned.
Glancing at the sign hanging above the door, she didn't hesitate, pushing open the door and stepping inside.
--
A little while later, Liora found herself in a familiar bar.
The smell of booze and hazy smoke drifted through the air.
Unlike its atmosphere of just two weeks ago, the bar had returned to normal and was tightly packed with people.
Most were new faces, and only a few among them were old customers.
The fate of the previous customers was evident—they must have died in the underground maze.
Liora perked her ears and listened to the conversations around her, and was not surprised to find that no one was talking about the Soul Devil.
More than two weeks had passed since her last sighting, and by now, the news of her fatal injury had become old news.
As for the sudden disappearance of a large number of Devils?
Such occurrences were fairly common in the Crucible, and as long as they didn't happen inside a city, few would notice. Among those few that did, even fewer would actually care.
After all, the Crucible was dangerous, whether because of its harsh environment or its residents.
While she was lost in thought, her drink finally arrived.
A familiar humanoid Devil, wearing a black and white tuxedo and holding a damp towel, approached her, placing a glass of red liquid before her.
"Here's your order.", the bartender said. After taking a glass out of nowhere and beginning to wipe it, he added:
"It's been a few days since you last visited the bar. I almost thought that you had died in some ditch somewhere."
He sounded concerned, but his words held the opposite meaning, while a smug expression formed on his face, filled with schadenfreude.
Resisting the urge to materialize a club and smash his face, Liora remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
With the large number of customers in the building, she didn't believe that he came here just to chat.
Sure enough, not long after, her suspicion proved to be correct.
Still holding the glass and the towel, the bartender leaned against the counter and spoke in a low voice.
"You visited at just the right time."
"The Inn Keeper is going to hold an exchange in a couple of days. He's already invited most of the notable Devils in the city. Fortunately for you, I managed to obtain a few invitations."
Pride flashed across his eyes, as if he had accomplished something extraordinary.
He reached into his clothes and produced an envelope, placing it gently beside Liora's drink.
"This is the invitation. As long as you come here the day after tomorrow at 10 o'clock and bring it with you, you'll be allowed entry into the gathering."
After explaining, he hurried off. He seemed to be merely completing his duty as a messenger.
Liora ignored his strange antics and focused on the envelope.
It was pitch black and medium-sized, with a single word written in Devil Language across it—one Liora instantly recognized: "Invitation."
The letters were beautifully written in cursive, appearing to be both letters and Devil Runes at once.
But the effect lasted for only a moment.
The moment after Liora blinked, that duality vanished, as if the letters had lost their power and reverted to ordinary Devil Language.
Yet she was certain that her earlier impression hadn't been a mere illusion.
"Devil gathering... Interesting...", Liora whispered.
The bartender's words, combined with the surging demonic energy and Alpha's earlier warning, piqued her curiosity.
She knew that gatherings of Devils were rare.
Rather than meet and discuss with their peers, most Devils would rather kill each other and devour their opponents' souls.
Since the Inn Keeper was hosting a gathering—one that many notable Devils had agreed to attend—there must be something important they wished to discuss.
It could be a deal, an exchange of valuable information, or even an alliance.
At the same time, the invitation confirmed some of Liora's earlier guesses.
The Inn Keeper was indeed a powerful Devil; otherwise, he would have neither the power nor the courage to host such a gathering.
Many thoughts raced through Liora's mind, but she didn't dwell on them. After a few moments, she decided to attend the so-called gathering.
She hadn't forgotten that she had learned of the Soul Devil's injury in this very place.
Perhaps, the same location would provide her with clues about the next major event.
Most importantly, Liora felt that there were very few things that could threaten her in the City of Embers.
Even if she were to meet a Devil ranked in the Crucible Ranking, she was confident she could at least escape, if not hold her own against them.