Of course, she couldn’t possibly be Nameless’s little wife; it’s just that Nameless occasionally comes here for a drink, and he always gives this succubus bartender due respect, never once has he slaughtered any fool blind enough to pick a fight in this tavern. So anyone who frequents this place knows this, and calls her such, but anyone who truly believes it must be the biggest fool in Mark City and the Ninefold Prison. Using her to threaten Nameless, Ails might as well believe Nameless would slaughter that fool and this succubus together. "Damn it, don’t mention that damn name, especially you fools running errands for that gentleman, how many people do you want to honestly suspect my involvement with that gentleman? For heaven’s sake, use your nonexistent brains and think it over, how could I possibly be?" · Yeah, right, you won’t survive till that gentleman’s pleasure is over. Ails’s old adversary sat beside him. · Ails, my old friend, I never expected you’d be groveling to this one someday. Come on, tell us, so we can all enjoy the fun. · Since you’re all so invested in this, alright, my question today is: how can a deity truly sever the connection between Subspace and a universe? These reckless fellows laughed uproariously, but Ails noticed that both his old friend and the demon behind the bar froze their expressions simultaneously. The former finally shook his head, responding to Malin with an unusually serious tone, entirely different from his usual jocular manner: "That’s impossible; as far as I know, no one has ever broken free from Subspace’s intrusion." Yet among those unreckless fellows, one or two with a bit of brain tissue realized what’s going on ahead of time — Ails was working for a deity. "Aside from that gentleman, I’ve never seen anyone capable of blocking that evil thing." whispered a devil from Barto Hell, then seemed to flaunt his abilities: "Though we devils are not afraid of them, just like you, Ails." If Ails had a face, he surely would have smiled at this young devil. On another table, demons from the Bottomless Abyss had divergent opinions: "We demons fear not Subspace; it’s like another home. Curious, what is the deity you speak of fearing, surely a weak deity?" Upon saying this, the demons at his table burst into laughter again. Ails was about to say something when he saw a rift behind that demon. A small hand appeared from it, grasping the demon’s horn, and the next second, another small hand extended, pulling off the demon’s head from its neck right before everyone’s eyes. Then, a child-like figure walked out of the rift, surveying the surroundings: "Now, you should understand what truly weak means!" · Malin, Your Highness! This is not the place to kill... Ails didn’t finish speaking before he saw Malin draw the World Tree Sapling and turn another enraged demon into an abstract painting on the wall. Then he stretched out his tiny hand, and the third demon instantly compressed into a ball by Spiritual Energy. Malin released the World Tree Sapling, pulled the demon’s soul out with a swipe, and pinched it into a freshly minted Gold Coin. Ails watched as Malin tossed the Gold Coin onto the counter. "Hey, that’s not enough money." The succubus slapped the table. "Give me a moment." Malin chuckled, reached out to extract the imprisoned demon’s soul from its head, and did the same to create another Gold Coin, tossing it onto the table. "How much are two damn demon souls’ Gold Coins worth!" The succubus was about to lose her mind. Ails quietly tapped his knuckle on the counter. At that moment, Ails felt he should speak up; otherwise, if this greedy succubus got killed by Malin, and Nameless asked, Ails couldn’t possibly say, "Sorry, Nameless, your little lady just got slaughtered by your own son." As the Southerners say, this would be like a flood washing over the Dragon King’s temple. The succubus first snorted, then turned her head to glare at Ails: "Why didn’t you say earlier!" She had just said this when they heard a guest’s screams from the tavern. Ails and the succubus turned their heads — Malin was floating in the air by a Heart-snatcher Demon’s table, one hand grasping the elder among the three Heart-snatcher Demons by the neck, pinning it against the wall, the other pulling the elder’s soul out. An abstraction of the two Heart-snatcher Demons, muzzle of the two shotguns made from World Tree Sapling branches against their faces — one can see from under the table that the two adult Heart-snatcher Demons were shaking like quails. Noticing Ails, the succubus, and all the guests watching him, Malin smiled, somewhat shyly: "Sorry, but Ms. Succubus, do you think this guy’s soul compressed into Gold Coins would be enough to compensate for your losses?" "Please don’t do that, they’re my guests! I don’t need you to compensate! Let him go! I beg you in whatever name!" Ms. Succubus was tearfully desperate. Ails sighed: "Mr. Malin, Mark City’s patrol is coming." As soon as Ails spoke, a group of men in yellow vests burst in. "Who’s violating the laws of this city!" the burly leader shouted, then focusing his attention on Malin, who was pressing the Heart-snatcher Demon elder’s soul back into its shell, as testified by the whole tavern. The burly man roared, Malin glanced at Ails. Ails gave a very strong look, hoping Malin understood it, considering Ails had no eyeballs. Over there, Malin nodded, released the grip on the Heart-snatcher Demon elder’s neck, kicked out its octopus face, then turned with a punch to the burly man. Ails watched the big guy, famed in Mark City for handling deities with ease, but today after this punch, Ails felt it was like watching a terrifying bipedal primate being punched away by a kitten — he only saw him fly across the tavern, toppling three patrons, finally getting himself stuck on the tavern wall. "Anyone else." Floating in the air, as if just swatting a mosquito, Malin glared around. The patrol pulled their captain out from the wall and turned to leave. The Heart-snatcher Demon elder approached with a thud, kneeling at Malin’s feet: "I fell by myself just now!" "Quite smart, I’ll spare you this time, scram." Malin nodded. The Heart-snatcher Demon elder darted away with its subordinates. "Your boss is too strong." The succubus patted Ails’s head, her face full of post-disaster relief. If Ails had a face, he likely would be filled with solemnity — for Ails noticed his boss had become even stronger.