Chapter 1897: 530 Shadow Demon Army_2

Matthew’s current state of Founder Energy was quite abundant.

Not only could he reincarnate some of the lives lost in Lost Paradise, but he could also create members of the Angel Race to help him with tasks.

Compared to Vampire Moson and Sener, who had been living outdoors, these newly created lives naturally yearned for freedom.

The lives created by Matthew were indeed more suitable for pioneering and maintaining the operation of Lost Paradise.

It was just that he had not yet taken the time to start such endeavors.

After hearing Matthew’s promises,

Vampire Moson was deeply moved.

Although everything was still just a plan, when Matthew left Lost Paradise, he found Moson not only taking the initiative to plant trees but also becoming noticeably more vigorous in doing so!

“This is the power of trust,” Matthew couldn’t help but reflect.

Just as he had said to the Purgatory Merchant Char,

he couldn’t afford to trust others anymore.

He could only make others trust him.

Accordingly,

Matthew had no intention of betraying any trust placed in him.

Even if it made his shoulders heavier,

he was resolute.

…

After dealing with the Purgatory Merchant Char, Matthew returned to the carriage.

Upon informing his companions that everything was handled, they continued their journey towards the higher point of Wind-Supporting Slope.

It had to be admitted,

for any caravan traveling through purgatory,

it was a classic example of a difficult path that seemed easier from afar.

On this steep planar slope,

besides the stunning gales and countless wild creatures,

all travelers had to face extreme gravity conditions–

each step upwards required more stamina than usual.

What made things worse,

this depletion couldn’t be mitigated by spells or any other means.

Even though the carriage they were riding in was conjured by Camela using Divine Spells,

it couldn’t escape this law.

The closer they got to the upper part of Wind-Supporting Slope,

the stronger the gravity they faced from Blood Abyss and other lower planes became,

slowing the carriage significantly.

This feeling was very uncomfortable.

However, even the local tyrant Sandrine could do nothing about it.

This phenomenon, created by the differential in planes, couldn’t be removed by ordinary methods.

They could only grit their teeth and continue climbing.

In the last tenth of the route,

even the powerful Camela could no longer maintain her composure using Divine Spells.

The group had to dismount and proceed on foot.

Under the effect of the gravity laws,

their progress was slow.

At this rate, they would need at least three more days to traverse Wind-Supporting Slope,

which was much slower than Matthew had anticipated.

To solve the problem,

Matthew simply released the Purgatory Merchant Char, hoping he could come up with a way to alleviate some of the difficulties they faced.

Char, as a merchant often traveling through various parts of purgatory,

immediately understood the intent behind his release from Lost Paradise as soon as he hit the ground:

“Wind-Supporting Slope?”

“Haven’t you guys collected any treasures from the Wind Demon Inns along the way that gradually reverse the wind direction and gravity?”

“Moreover, most of those inns offer flying services, yeah it’s a bit pricey, but it’s certainly better than struggling against purgatory’s gravity, right?”

With these words,

everyone exchanged glances.

Matthew coughed and quickly changed the subject–

how was he supposed to know that Wind Demon Inns offered such services?

To avoid further complications,

they had skipped all the inns along the way!

No wonder the number of merchants and caravans they saw decreased as they ascended the slope!

And no wonder they had seen some Wind Demons flying over their heads these past few days!

It turns out they weren’t just flying for fun but were actually attracting customers!

He couldn’t help but glance at Sandrine,

who wore an innocent expression, clearly just as unaware of the local situation.

“Is there any remedy now?” Matthew asked bluntly.

Char shook his head with a wry smile:

“We either just have to keep climbing with effort, it’s going to take a lot of strength.”

“Either we head back to the nearest Wind Demon Inn and have them carry it up for us.”

“The Wind Demons, like Purgatory’s Son, are rare neutral units in purgatory. They only care about money, but they are quite efficient at what they do. In fact, the gravity field on Wind-Supporting Slope is related to the Wind Demon Lord…”

Char rambled on endlessly.

After Matthew had understood the detailed information about this particular area,

he decisively chose to turn back–

It was indeed a pity to lose the sunk cost.

However, the subsequent decisions were clearly more important.

“I remember passing one this morning; it should take no more than half an hour to get there now,” Lorraine recalled.

Matthew nodded.

The group immediately turned and headed downward.

Going down was indeed much easier, but they had to be careful not to walk too fast and fall–

The Wind-Supporting Slope was really too steep.

A slight misstep could result in rolling down hundreds of meters!

At this juncture,

The shrewd Char was not only fawning over Matthew but also presented a welcome gift to each of his companions–it looked like he truly didn’t want to stay in the Lost Paradise planting trees anymore.

Matthew glanced over.

Char had given Camela an extremely exquisite piece of jewelry, a necklace.

“Deceiver’s Devotion: You can maintain your devotion to a god in whom you have no faith at all. The power of faith generated by this devotion is indistinguishable from that from normal devotion.”

He gave Lorraine a stiff charcoal pencil.

“Takov’s Pen: Biographies and amusing stories written with this charcoal pencil will spread several times more than under normal circumstances.

People will find it easier to understand, accept, and even actively spread the stories written by this pencil.”

The merchant had given Sandrine a small piece of water sulfur.

“Water Sulfur: After taking it, you can slightly enhance the power of Dragon Breath for a short period.”

The value of these three gifts was quite evident.

“Typical of the merchant.”

“This guy really knows how to cater to others…”

Matthew couldn’t help but comment internally.

As for himself,

he received a gift that was completely useless to him, yet was quite valuable–

“Practice Gloves (spellcaster exclusive weapon): By wearing these gloves, you can repeatedly practice Tier 3 and lower spells until you master them.

During this period, you will not be affected by spellcasting restrictions or spell addiction mechanisms.

You can use these to train all your super-magic abilities or magic-related abilities…”

Matthew couldn’t use this item, but it was a super divine artifact for novice spellcasters!

Char was quite straightforward about it:

“I don’t have any suitable items for you, but you always have students or juniors. This little gift would be perfect to give away.”

His words were quite true.

But as Matthew pondered who he could give it to, he realized he didn’t actually have any proper students.

Whether from the mage camp or young Druids from the Earth Society,

Matthew had always treated them as mutually beneficial tools.

Even his most interacted with assistant, Henry, had no talent for spells, not to mention others.

“With all my strange abilities, I am not suited to train students. I can’t exactly create a system for someone else, can I?”

Upon thinking this,

Matthew simply let it go.

He never really cared much for the merchant’s gifted item. After fiddling with it briefly, he tossed it into his backpack.

The group continued downhill.

It seemed they would soon reach the Wind Demon Inn they had missed earlier.

But just at that moment,

Behind them, on the slope where they had ascended, a sudden gust of wind stirred up dust.

Within the dust,

A series of dark figures on horseback charged down furiously.

Matthew squinted–

Those weren’t horses.

Those were the Shadow Nightmares, unique mounts of the Purgatory Shadow Demon Clan!

The group of Shadow Nightmares soared down the steep slope as if on flat ground.

Within just a few seconds, they had rushed up to the party.

“Who are you?”

From atop one of the Shadow Nightmares, a man in thin armor asked condescendingly.

Matthew calmly responded,

“We come from Blood Sand City, we’re merchants heading to Baron Territory for business.”

The man “oh”ed.

Two seconds later,

he said coldly,

“I am the captain of the Third Legion under Phantom Baron’s Shadow Demon Army.”

“Your goods are being requisitioned.”

“And you folks…”

“are being drafted by the Baron himself!”