The moment the Inn Keeper entered the hall, every voice fell silent.
As the Devil Runes around them flared to life, the Devils shifted their gaze toward him, waiting for his words.
The Inn Keeper didn't let the guests wait for long.
For the first time since Liora had met him, he actually spoke.
"Welcome, my honored guests."
His voice was hoarse and rough, like someone who had not spoken a single word for decades. His words were uneven and awkward, as if he were just now learning how to speak.
"I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight.", the Inn Keeper said before adding:
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I invited everyone here today. The reason is actually fairly simple."
With a casual wave of his hand, a sea of Devil Runes sprang to life before him.
The Devil Runes writhed continuously, as if alive, before merging together and transforming into a map. The map was massive, rising upward to loom over the gathered Devils.
Crude marks covered its surface, each holding a different meaning and purpose.
The Inn Keeper paused briefly, giving everyone a moment to study it before continuing.
A wooden pointer stick appeared in his right hand, which he used to indicate on the map. More specifically, he pointed at some of the marks.
"As everyone here already knows, the City of Embers is one of the only one hundred cities with a Crucible Ranking, making it one of the most popular cities in the entire Crucible."
"Exactly because of that, many cities have been established near it.", he said, and the stick pointed at a few of them.
"Ash City. Thorn City. Fang City. Vein City...—all of them lie close to the City of Embers.", Liora heard the Inn Keeper say.
Thinking back to the bits and pieces of rumors she had overheard in the past few weeks, she began to understand the Inn Keeper's purpose.
And, as she suspected, her hunch soon proved to be correct.
"However, the observant among you must have noticed that some changes have occurred over the past couple of months. All the cities I just mentioned have been destroyed, all of the Devils staying there dead or fleeing."
As he spoke, the Inn Keeper traced the cities with the pointer stick, making the sequence in which they were destroyed clear.
"Are you implying that someone or something is attacking Devil Cities? And that the City of Embers is next?", the Armored Devil, who had previously been embarrassed, suddenly asked.
In response to his question, the Inn Keeper nodded his head lightly.
"According to the information I've gathered, the person responsible for the Devil cities' fall is the 46th—no, it should be the 23rd now—ranked Devil in the Crucible Ranking."
Getting the answer he wanted, the Armored Devil pursed his lips, refraining from speaking any further.
Most of the Devils remained silent, lost in thought.
No one asked why the 23rd-ranked Devil suddenly started slaughtering Devil Cities. The reason was abundantly clear to everyone—they wanted to collect Slaughter Points while growing stronger by devouring souls.
However, some of them doubted the authenticity of the news. After all, while the Inn Keeper was strong, he didn't command such respect among the Devils.
"Mr. Inn Keeper, since you've gathered us here today, it means that you have a purpose. Otherwise, telling us all these things is meaningless."
"Although there have been rumors that you and the City Lord are close, I refuse to believe that you expect us to stay here and fight for the city."
A Devil seated at the corner of the room suddenly spoke up. He looked mostly human, except that he seemed to be extremely old. Tufts of white hair grew on his head, and he had a long white beard, while his face was covered in dense, deep wrinkles.
If it were not for his powerful aura, people might have thought that he was going to exhaust his lifespan and die at the very next second.
Yet, surprisingly, a few Devils looked at him with respect—a respect they hadn't offered even to the Armored Devil, the Inn Keeper, or the bartender.
"Mr. Elder is right. I would, of course, not call you here to discuss saving the city."
The Inn Keeper tried consciously to soften his tone, but this only served to make his words even more awkward and eerie.
"The reason I called you over is simple: I wish to sign an Alliance Pact with you. When the ranked Devil arrives and the City of Embers is in danger, I want us to take advantage of the chaos and grow stronger."
"Think of it—all the powerful Devils in the city are gathered here today. As long as we agree to stay out of each other's way, all of us will be able to collect a large amount of souls."
"If lucky, a few may even be able to advance, becoming Lesser Devils."
The Inn Keeper's voice grew stronger with each word, and his words infected several of the Devils, who couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
Liora stared calmly at the hungry, predatory eyes of those Devils, her expression unchanged.
The words of the Inn Keeper didn't make her lose her composure. Unlike other Devils—whose goal was simply to become Lesser Devils and escape the Crucible—her goal was different from the very start.
She knew very well that only by completing the Demon World's challenges would one be eligible to receive its blessings.
The Devils who didn't leave the Crucible through the Crucible Ranking and the Life and Death Arena would only end up as cannon fodder once they entered the real Demon World.
Even if everyone was a Devil and at the same stage, the difference between those who received the Demon World's blessing and those who didn't was bound to be incredible.
In fact, Liora was not the only one who thought that way.
Most of the Devils ranked in the Crucible Ranking, and those who had reached nine hundred consecutive victories could all advance and become Lesser Devils if they wished.
The reason they didn't was simple: they yearned for the Demon World's reward and a chance to grow stronger.
Having said that, Liora didn't interrupt the Inn Keeper's speech. She wanted to see how the other Devils would react, and most importantly, if the Inn Keeper would succeed in convincing them.
"Inn Keeper, you claim that a ranked Devil is destroying cities and that their next target is the City of Embers. But all we have for it is your word. How can we believe what you say?"
"That's right! Moreover, even if everyone here agrees, how can we ensure that someone won't stab us in the back amid the chaos?"
A barrage of questions assaulted the Inn Keeper, some doubtful, while others mocking.
However, the Inn Keeper kept his cool. He waited for everyone to finish speaking before answering their questions.
"You don't have to take my word for it. You only need to wait and see if the ranked Devil actually comes. I only implore you to take action if they arrive."
"As for whether someone will break the alliance, I have a way to ensure they don't...", he said, and reaching into his clothes, he took out a withered parchment.
The parchment was yellow and mottled, evidence of its old age, while countless tiny Devil Runes squirmed across its surface, like bugs.
"All we need is for everyone to sign this Devil Contract. The terms are simple: if chaos arises in the City of Embers, everyone here is prohibited from attacking each other. If anyone tries to break it, they'll be punished by the Will of the Demon World."
As soon as the Devil Contract appeared in the Inn Keeper's hands, Liora instinctively shifted in her seat, her eyes narrowing.
She instantly recognized this mysterious parchment, and fragments of information regarding it surfaced from her inherited memories.
The Devil Contract was an item that Lesser Devils could create, and, as its name suggested, it functioned as a contract. It's just that, unlike ordinary contracts, a Devil Contract had absolute binding power.
Because of its deep connection with the Demon World, if any of the contract's parties were to break its terms, they would be punished directly by the Demon World.
Liora didn't know if there were beings capable of bypassing its power, but she was certain that Lesser Devils, True Devils, and even Greater Devils could not.
This meant that no one in the hall, herself included, could break it.
"It seems that this guy came prepared...", Liora whispered.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she leaned back in her seat, her eyes flashing with calculations.