In the Name of Empress

Chapter 732 406: Can't Pay, Not Buying

After scanning the room, he fixed his gaze on the table in the corner and walked over.

"Can I join you at the table, my friend? I'll pay for your drink," the chubby man tentatively asked.

"I'll pay for your drink, but disappear immediately," the guest, whose face was partly concealed by a mask, croaked out, his attitude exceedingly hostile.

"Sorry, I misspoke. How about this?" The chubby man took out a few gold coins and placed them on the table.

The guest across the table felt the texture of the coins, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Deal. I won't disturb your enjoyment."

The guest collected the coins and swiftly rolled away, lifting the chubby man's spirits slightly.

It was a common transaction, as this bar was the best in the Netherworld and seats were scarce. It made sense to pay a price to get those occupying the seats to lift their heavy rumps.

In the Netherworld, if you're willing to pay enough, there are few things you can't buy.

The chubby man did not notice that the mysterious customer quickly slipped into an unoccupied corner with his gold coins and skillfully melted them in a crucible.

The gold coins quickly transformed into gold bars.

The mysterious guest breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, the world's gold purity was similar to Theia's.

After confirming there were no issues, the mysterious guest melted all the gold he carried into coins indistinguishable from those given by the chubby man.

Melting gold is not a sophisticated technique, especially for a Tier Three Transcendent.

Once the coins were ready, the mysterious guest skillfully aged the coins and, after multiple confirmations to ensure there were no flaws, he left the alley and bought a delicate milky white pendant at a roadside jewelry shop.

Roland was surprised to find a necklace with such pure divine attributes available for sale in the Netherworld.

Though he couldn't understand why a weathered man bathed in Holy Light would come to the Netherworld to sell Holy Light jewelry, that wasn't important. The important thing was the shop offered good quality at an affordable price, perfect for picking a gift for Christine.

Giving girls a formal gift, jewelry is naturally an excellent choice.

But choosing what to give is crucial.

The best magic jewelry is naturally a ring, but giving it to Christine was impossible.

Clergy members don't wear rings, and rings are hardly exchanged between non-romantic heterosexuals.

Bracelets are also an excellent choice but likewise unsuitable for clergy members.

Clergy often wear pendants, pocket watches, brooches, and simple necklaces.

Necklaces function similarly to rings, thus immediately ruled out.

Pocket watches hold special meaning for Roland, and thus are the second to be ruled out for gifting.

Brooches might work, but the ones here all had non-mainstream designs, not quite fitting.

Roland's gaze quickly focused on the pendant.

The milky white divine attribute pendant had no additional attributes; it simply stored vast quantities of refined divine energy.

Christine could freely use this divine energy, and it was truly beautiful.

With a drop-shaped appearance resembling a teardrop and a smooth glossy surface, it felt very comfortable to touch. When placed against the chest, it gave a unique cooling sensation, refreshing the mind and incredibly soothing.

This thing could be worn around the neck or placed against the chest; how to use it was entirely up to Christine.

Before setting off on the adventure, he promised Christine a gift, and he wouldn't break his word.

He understood well that unless it was a divine artifact, Christine did not care much for the gift itself; she was more eager for Roland to return alive.

Only by coming back alive could he bring gifts.

Thanks for your support; I'll definitely return!

Roland took a deep breath, then prepared gifts for Alina, Lisa, and Sofia.

He didn't prepare a gift for Sif.

Not that the old couple lacked love, but...

What gift could be more precious than crossing the tiers of death to save you?

I'm coming!

Roland spent all his gold coins, swapped his last change for a bottle of strong liquor, downed it heavily, and strode towards the entrance to the Sea of Annihilation.

Though he didn't understand why, he did indeed descend from the dream world to the Netherworld, entering the Death World.

Perhaps guided by Sif's soul fragment, he could faintly perceive the correct direction.

It's foggy.

This was the Netherworld's most common ill-fated mist, with extremely low visibility. Prolonged exposure to fog can bring misfortune, hence it's called ill-fated mist.

Patrollers quickly returned to the city, hid in rooms, and bid farewell to that damned mist.

The bustling street instantaneously became devoid of people.

Roland, walking alone on the street, stood out slightly. Fortunately, the mist was quite dense; nobody saw him, which kept him unnoticed.

The Sea of Annihilation drew ever closer, and Roland's heartbeat kept accelerating.

While he couldn't fully grasp the methods of entering the Netherworld, he could still fathom its possibility, but Sofia's entrance shook his worldview.

The living cannot enter the Netherworld; this is an ironclad law.

After death, the soul is awakened from its shell by a Guide and enters the Netherworld in the form of a soul body.

No matter how powerful one is in life, as a soul body, their strength is reduced to less than one ten-thousandth, leaving them powerless and at the mercy of the Netherworld's minions.

Through dreams, Roland transformed his complete soul and consciousness into a spirit body, entering the Netherworld as a Void Spirit, retaining most of his power and control over it.

A Void Spirit Body straddles the line between life and death. Without close observation, it's indistinguishable from a soul body, but with careful scrutiny, it reveals a physique more substantial than a soul's, distinctive in its own right.

Roland initially believed that Sofia, like him, used a dream passage to enter the Netherworld; he hadn't imagined she had brute-forced entry with her flesh and blood by some unknown means.