Splitting the Spoils

After pondering for a moment, Roland turned to Wallace and said, "Lord Wallace, when we first entered the palace, I proposed that we split our discoveries equally, and I have no intention of going back on my word."

Wallace’s eyes lit up, but he immediately waved his hands in a flustered manner and said, "Roland, I didn't contribute much inside the palace. I wouldn't dare to be so greedy, so I'll pass on this. Just give me a small commission fee after you sell off the magical artifacts you don't need."

Although Wallace wouldn't dare greedily demand the artifacts, Roland had harvested so much this time that keeping everything for himself would be unreasonable.

It would invite jealousy from others.

As the team's tank and MVP, it was indeed acceptable to have priority in claiming certain items, and even pocketing a few things secretly was somewhat tolerated.

However, when exploring a dungeon together, even if someone got instantly killed by the boss, you couldn't just monopolize all the loot. Besides, Wallace had provided him with plenty of tactical advice and even given him a final push before parting ways temporarily.

This time, Wallace had been instantly killed by the boss and rescued by Roland.

Next time, if there was a chance to team up with him again and Roland ran into trouble, he would still be counting on him to save his life.

Reasonable distribution of loot was the only way to maintain a long-term relationship.

Therefore, without further ado, Roland immediately brought out the various mystical artifacts.

He frankly stated that the pocket watch, the wizard's hat, the magic wand, the lantern, and the demon stone were his personal spoils of war, rightfully earned after he single-handedly slain the demon.

Thus, he would not include these items in the shared pool.

As for the slumber cauldron, Roland did not take it out, and Wallace, being extremely smart, refrained from mentioning it.

There were still quite a few items left—eight in total. Roland told Wallace to pick three.

Wallace took a liking to the "Reaper's Altar" (a small silver basin) and couldn't bear to put it down, indicating that he would be completely satisfied with just this one.

"Actually, there are a few other good ones... Are you sure you only want one?"

A trace of hesitation flashed across Wallace's eyes, but in the end, he insisted that he didn't dare to be greedy and would take only this single item.

"Very well." Roland tossed the remaining seven items to Wallace and said, "Keep all of these with you. Once we sell them, we'll split the magic stones fifty-fifty."

Wallace was overjoyed.

To be honest, Wallace was indeed a bit envious of Roland's harvest this time. Although he claimed he didn't want any magical artifacts, he loved money!

Therefore, even though he had only chosen one item, he actually wanted more in his heart. It was just that he knew he had no right to ask for them, which was why he didn't dare take them.

He had originally thought Roland would just toss him some piece of junk and brush him off. He never expected Roland to split the remaining items equally. This greatly exceeded Wallace's expectations. He immediately declared that brother Roland was a man of great loyalty, and he had officially decided to consider him a lifelong friend.

"Brother Roland, to be honest with you, I've exhausted my savings in recent years for the young lady's sake, and even had to dismantle my own altar! I ought to be too embarrassed to accept this money, but I desperately need a sum to make a comeback... You've truly rescued me from a desperate plight."

Wallace was thrilled. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this? I won't be greedy about this Reaper's Altar either. Let's count all eight items as split equally, and I'll compensate you separately with another item for the altar."

With that, Wallace fished out a Hell Mark and tossed it to Roland.

"You still lack a servant by your side, and this mark contains an imp. Take it as a gift. Although it's not particularly valuable, it's very hard to buy on the open market. Besides, this is a demon with a proper bloodline, not one of those brainless crawlers from Hell. As a servant, this little imp is quite decent."

Roland held the mark, contemplated for a moment, and tossed it back to Wallace.

He said, "It's not that I look down on this servant, but I have a rather bold request—that Book of Demons... could you lend it to me for a few days?"

Wallace mused for a moment and said, "You certainly have a good eye. That book records quite a few secret arts for detaining, sealing, and banishing demons... Compared to a ready-made servant, that knowledge is the most precious thing of all."

He pulled out the Book of Demons and said, "Roland, strictly speaking, this book isn't a book of knowledge filled with secret arts, but rather a 'blank book of subjugation'—it can be used to enslave demons."

A Hell Mark could enslave weak demons, but powerful ones required the Book of Demons.

That was why this book was worth a fortune.

"Actually, I've sold this book to others many times," Wallace laughed. "But no matter whose hands it ends up in, I can always summon it back to my own hands—so even though I gave it to you back then, you couldn't really take it away... Hahaha."

Wallace's slick merchant speech left Roland dumbfounded.

"Haha, don't worry, Roland. I'll lend it to you now, and you can use it however you like. Even if you lose it, I won't make you pay for it—because you can't lose it."

Wallace added, "However, we must make one thing clear beforehand: if you accidentally use this book to capture a demon, I won't be able to sell it repeatedly anymore. When that time comes, you'll have to buy this book outright!"

This demon merchant became dead serious whenever money was mentioned, calculating things with Roland down to the smallest detail.

Roland carefully accepted Wallace's Book of Demons, resolving to copy the contents as quickly as possible and return the book to Wallace.

The two of them set off shortly after.

Wallace cast a few spells to speed up their journey, and by afternoon, they had left the Fern Forest.

When Roland and the others first entered the Fern Forest, they had gone in through the eastern side. Now, as the two of them emerged, they came out from the western side. According to the map given by his mentor, that magic formation was located in the mountains just outside the western forest.

They entered the mountains that afternoon. As they neared the magic formation, Wallace suddenly brought up the subject of the demon stone.

"Roland, a demon stone is priceless and unavailable on the open market. Whether you use it to exchange for magic stones or academic credits, you're losing out. So the best choice is to exchange it for demonic servants."

Wallace said, "Unless you have connections in Hell, it's very hard to get your hands on top-quality demonic servants—and I can help."

Roland grew vigilant and asked, "Brother Wallace, we've been through life and death together, so speak your mind directly. I don't suppose you're offering to help for free."

Wallace chuckled. This crafty merchant had indeed set his sights on that demon stone.

"Roland, this time, the young lady's servants all suffered misfortune, leaving only me behind. Activities in the academy will become very inconvenient for us in the future."

"Although I hold a position in the academy, I have privileges but no real strength."

"You know, I have restrictions in the mortal realm, and advancing is very difficult. That's why the young lady gave me two items."

Catherine had given Wallace two items in total: one was the flesh and blood of an abyss demon, and the other was a voucher to claim a demon stone at a specific location. Each item allowed Wallace to advance once, and together they would allow him to advance to an official wizard.

Wallace said, "Although I have the voucher for the demon stone, demon stones are in high demand and short supply, so I have to wait in line... If I go wait in line, I'm afraid it will take me a year or a half."

Chattering about this with Roland now meant he intended to acquire Roland's demon stone. However, this fellow had no intention of paying cash; he wanted to buy it on credit.

"Roland, to be frank with you, I've had my eye on the demon stone in your possession for a long time. It matches the abyss demon's flesh and blood perfectly!"

"Don't worry, Roland! I won't let you get the short end of the stick!"

Wallace looked at Roland with a very sincere expression and said, "My true body is in Hell. Once I gather the materials and rebuild my altar, you can pick any commodity from Hell you like!"

"I have some backing in Hell. As long as you sell this demon stone to me on credit, I will definitely help you pick a demonic servant that is both high quality and obedient!"

Roland was tempted. Yesterday, when he was fighting desperately against the abyss demon, if he had had a little minion to help out, things wouldn't have been so perilous.

"Can you really help me pick an excellent demonic servant?"

Wallace said mysteriously, "I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

...

There's an extra chapter today, and the next chapter is coming right up. Also, everyone, please throw a few red hearts Roland's way.