Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2041

After entrusting Killia to a saintly-looking beauty with long blonde hair, a phenomenal figure, and a pitch-black dress that bloomed out near her feet, Vahn explored the Pocket Netherworld alongside Seraphina, who, after walking for a short while, found another group of Prinnies to carry her around.

From the outside, the Pocket Netherworld resembled a series of purplish platforms linked together to form a vaguely palatial structure. Purple and pink were apparently Seraphina's favorite colors so the floor was comprised of dark and light purple stone that tiled in a checkered pattern while most of the other decorations, including lavish carpets and stone pillars, were various shades of pink.

If he was being honest, Seraphina's aptitude for interior decorator was comparable to a child, so, when he learned that the 165cm woman was somehow 1724 years old, Vahn had been genuinely surprised. Even more surprising, however, were some of the facilities available within the Pocket Netherworld, several of which defied common sense...

"And this here is the Recruiter. So long as you have enough HL, you can basically recruit any type of demon, monster, or other Netherworld inhabitants you can think of. They say money is the root of all evil but it also makes the world go round. In the Netherworld, everything has its price, even the Senators of the Dark Assembly. Thus, so long as you have enough HL, you can even influence the Laws that govern the entire Netherworld. Of course, without the power to protect yourself, those tyrants are bound to just rob you blind before devouring you down to the bone."

Though he was still actively listening to Seraphina's explanation, Vahn was far more focused on the remarkably complex magic circle generated by the Recruiter, a demon resembling an excessively thin cowboy garbed in a blue hat, chaps, and a poncho.

Despite being much smaller than the ritual magic circles designed to alter the structure of the multiverse back in Toaru, the magic circle casually manifested by the Recruiter was among the most advanced Vahn had ever seen. It possessed the ability to convert HL, the currency of the Netherworld, into the vessel of any living creature. To make matters even more convenient for the user, there were a series of small spell circles encircling the larger spell formation. Each of these produced a three-dimensional hologram of the entity you would be summoning, and, so long as you had the HL to support the transaction, you could freely modify their attributes and growth rates to make them as powerful or as weak as you pleased...

Waving his flipper, Vahn navigated to the hologram depicting his fellow Prinnies only to find that they required a measly 10HL to summon. It was possible to spend even more, drastically increasing their power, but, inversely, it was also possible to reduce the cost down to a single HL. This resulted in a Prinny that was completely useless, yet, despite purporting herself as the wealthiest Overlord in all the Three Realms, discount Prinnies made up the bulk of Seraphina's forces...

Looking over at the demoness sitting upon a 'throne' formed of Prinnies, Vahn maintained the impassive expression emblematic of his race as he asked, "If you're serious about confronting the Lost Army and defeating Void Dark, why not use some of your vast wealth to fill your army with more powerful allies? Sure, they're a little expensive, but there are even a few Overlords listed among the options..."

Though there was an awkward pause before she answered, Seraphina quickly recovered her haughty visage as she cheekily replied, "Oh my! You really don't know anything about the way things work here in the Netherworld! To think you would make such a foolish proposition with such a straight face~! Oh-hohohohohoho~!"

Deadpanning in response to Seraphina's remark, Vahn held up his left flipper in a threatening manner. This brought her laughter to an immediate end, her cheeks turning noticeably red as she cleared her throat and went on to explain, "You don't become the richest person in all the Three Realms by spending money. Also, even a baby imp knows that the demons summoned using Recruiters have their growth limited by the summoner. I'm not one to brag, but I've very little combat experience."

Resisting the urge to ask how that was considered bragging, Vahn continued to cycle through the options listed around the inordinately complex magic circle. There were even listings such as Hero, an unsurprisingly heroic-looking youth, and Future Final Boss, a surprisingly cute girl that looked like something Azathoth might produce if he ever decided to have children.

Though he was somewhat tempted to try and summon some of the more interesting-looking options, Vahn didn't have a single HL on his person. He could always purchase some from the system shop, but, despite his current appearance, he wasn't actually a demon. He didn't want to arbitrarily generate negative karma, and, more importantly, he didn't think it was fair to the creatures summoned to be bound to their Master. After all, unlike the Hero Summoning back in the Nasuverse, the beings summoned within the Netherworld were bound to subservience unless they could somehow surpass their summoner...

Since he seriously doubted Seraphina would lend him any HL, Vahn stepped out of the spell circle that designated him as a potential Master and allowed him to navigate the Recruitment System. Then, before she could introduce him to even more ludicrous systems, Vahn decided to get straight to the point, asking, "How are you planning to defeat Void Dark? If not for mine and Killia's arrivals, you would have been defeated in the previous battle."

With an unabashed look of pride and haughtiness, Seraphina raised her chin, arms crossed in a manner that overtly emphasized her ample bosom as she explained, "Why, it's simple, really. You see, be they man, beast, or even Overlord, it is the fate of all men to kneel before me. All I need to do is get in range and my Balor Gaze will have Void Dark eating out of the palm of my hand. Besides, now that I have you and Sir Killia on my side, those jerks in the Lost Army don't stand a chance."

"Right..."

Though he wasn't too surprised by Seraphina's behavior, this was the Netherworld, after all, Vahn couldn't help shaking his and body in mild exasperation. This was simply the way things were in the Netherworld, and, even if he did want to make changes, the only way to 'convince' people was to become an existence similar to Void Dark. He could also wipe out everything in the Netherworld, purifying the spirits of everything he encountered, but, from the perspective of the people he was attempting to 'save', this would make him the most terrifying monster in existence...

Shaking both his head and body, Vahn decided not to worry about things that didn't truly concern him. He had resolved himself, quite a number of times, to only intervene in matters that were taking place right in front of him. After all, his participation wasn't 'required' in the resolution of events, and, even if he just sat on the sidelines, things would either work out or they wouldn't. Either way, life would go on, and, no matter how powerful someone like Void Dark became, there would invariably be someone who came along to depose or defeat him.

Having made up his mind, Vahn nodded his head, an action that resembled a bow from the perspective of others, before looking towards Seraphina and saying, "I'll follow along, but not because I'm agreeing to become your subordinate. Rather, I've decided to either educate you or convert you into a good girl, whichever comes first. Either way, I'm not going to just sit idly by as you behave like a spoiled Princess and freely exploit others. Now, stop sitting atop those Prinnies. You'll never get anywhere relying on others to carry you."

Though she was prepared to gloat when she heard Vahn mention following along, Seraphina literally transformed into a stone statue when she heard the rest. This wasn't an exaggeration either. Everything from her hair down to the tips of her toes had turned stone grey, and, for a brief moment, there had even been a visible crack near her head before she spontaneously returned to normal and shouted, "You can't just decide that on your own...!"

Adopting the haughtiest expression he could manage as a Prinny, Vahn intoned an amused, "Oh?" before failing to cross his arms and stating, "This is the Netherworld. Power and wealth are the only things that matter. If you live your life forcing others to obey, you have no right to complain when others do the same. Now, I've already told you once. Are you ready to find out what happens if I'm forced to repeat myself...?"

Though she had one of the most indignant looks Vahn had ever seen, Seraphina promptly hopped to her feet the moment he finished speaking. This earned him a hateful glower from the Prinny she had been sitting on but the rest looked at him as if he were a God. One even went as far as the mutter, "So cool. I never knew us Prinnies could be so badass, dood..."

Ignoring the Prinny's reverent remarks, Vahn nodded his head and body in acknowledgment of Seraphina's obedience before levitating up to her head and giving her expectedly smooth and surprisingly springy hair a few light pats. This caused her to grit her teeth from shame and embarrassment, but, feeling the relaxing energies transmitted from his flipper, her vexed look quickly morphed into one of confusion as she inquired, "Eh? What's this? Were the flippers of Prinnies always this soft...?"

Retracting said flipper from her head, Vahn answered, "I am no mere Prinny. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up in this form, but my true identity is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the man once and soon to be known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. Right now, I am trapped in the form of a Larval Prinny God, but, once my power increases, I will reveal my true form."

Though he could forcibly remove it if he wanted to, Vahn decided to hold on to the [Anomaly] skill that had been imposed upon him. The idea of starting off as one of the weakest creatures in a verse was rather novel, and, while his very existence broke all the rules, most of his harem could attest to the fact he was into role play. He was also rather fond of the idea of stepping in at the final moments of a climactic battle, stunning both allies and enemies alike as he casually deflected an enemy's ultimate attack with a single flipper...

Unaware of what Vahn was thinking, Seraphina touched the spot where he had previously pat her before asking, "You didn't put anything strange in my hair, did you? It took me hundreds of years to come up with this particular hairstyle. If you messed it up, I'm going to be pissed."

Rolling his eyes, Vahn decided to shift the topic back to the tour, asking, "So? Where are we off to next? You've already introduced me to the hospital and the various merchants. Are you going to show me the Dark Assembly next...?"

Crossing her arms in a 'no' gesture, Seraphina unhesitantly replied, "No way, no how. Only an Overlord is allowed to access the Dark Assembly and I have no desire to associate with those smelly old farts. Only fools and ambitious idiots attempt to involve themselves with that group of devils. Besides, without any HL, what could you possibly hope to accomplish by visiting the Dark Assembly?"

Since he had only mentioned it because Seraphina brought it up numerous times, Vahn rolled his eyes a second time before directing his attention to the inordinately thin yet adorable girl who had been watching them for quite some time. She had spiky blue hair that extended to her shoulders, blood-red eyes, and an apathetic expression despite resembling a young girl in a white sundress. He remembered seeing a variation of her listed as a Mascot among the potential creatures that could be recruited, but, more importantly, she was standing in front of a massive vault door with the words 'Dark Assembly' flashing overhead.

Noticing Vahn's gaze, Seraphina's expression paled slightly as she forced herself to stand in front of him, arms spread wide as she said, "I'm telling you it's not a good idea! At least level up before you do something that puts all our lives in danger...!"

Blinking in surprise, Vahn tilted his head and body to the side, asking, "Can you actually see my level...?"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Money is power...!','The origin of Saintess Seraphina...','Could it be...? Seraphina isn't completely useless...!?')