Chapter 796 Great Devil Conference (7)
Chapter 796 Great Devil Conference (7)
Out of all the votes, Balmodan and Helcan's choices weren't surprising after everything that had been said.
However, Mephistopheles's choice was the most unexpected, given his favorable reaction to Hecate's suggestion.
"Mephistopheles, you seemed quite favorable of Hecate's suggestion. Why did you disagree?" Astarte inquired with a frown before adding, "If you are just messing around, you better quit it now. We aren't here to entertain you."
Although Astarte knew a Great Devil Conference would never end quickly, she despised those who intentionally prolonged it.
It just so happened that Mephistopheles, the Trickster, was always causing trouble at every Great Devil Conference.
"Kekeke, don't get me wrong, Astarte. I'm not messing around this time," Mephistopheles chuckled before saying, "I'm naturally in favor of promoting the Soul Master to the position of Great Devil. However, there has to be some conditions."
"The Great Devil position isn't just some cheap cabbage we can just pass around on a whim," Mephistopheles added.
In the first place, they initiated the Great Devil Conference to get some benefits from Hecate and the Evernight Territory.
As such, how was it acceptable to just promote Abaddon's killer into the position free of charge?
Moreover, they would also have to try to please the Soul Master to improve their relationship and extinguish any potential conflict. Such acts would require them to cough out their own resources.
As such, if Mephistopheles let the Soul Master smoothly ascend to the Great Devil position, he would not get any benefits and would even lose them.
"Oh? Then what do you propose, Meph?" Thanatos asked with interest.
Mephistopheles's lips twitched profusely.
Out of the Great Devils present, he was the only one given a baby name by Thanatos. This was no longer about Thanatos being lazy due to long names.
'Do you think you can just bully me like this, Thanatos? …Yes! Yes, you can! Goddamnit!' Mephistopheles inwardly cursed.
Shortly after settling his inner turmoil, Mephistopheles replied, "Great Devils represent the strongest powers of Gehenna. Thus, my condition is that the Soul Master must have the cultivation of a Peak Rank 6 Divine Being or the combat prowess of one."
"My second condition is that he must have complete legitimacy and approval. If he wants to be the Evernight Territory's Great Devil, he must possess the vampire bloodline and gain the acknowledgment of the vampire race."
"If he wants to be Pangea Territory's Great Devil, he must unify it and get the acknowledgment of its countries. He can only pick one, not both. Great Devils have always ruled a single territory, so how can we give two to a newcomer? That's unprecedented," Mephistopheles stated.
"What do you mean by those words, Mephistopheles?" Hecate's eyes narrowed dangerously after listening to the conditions.
Her original plan was to make Vaan the Great Devil of the Evernight Territory. But if he had to give up Pangea for it, he would definitely agree to it. However, if Vaan kept Pangea, which he most likely would, he would only be a Great Devil in name.
Mephistopheles's plan was to divide the Evernight Territory and get a piece for himself.
He was certainly quite a schemer to try and make Vaan a Great Devil without giving him anything.
Hecate solemnly asked, "Do you think Pangea can still be considered its own territory after it merges with other territories?"
"Indeed, Pangea can't be regarded as a territory," Astarte agreed.
"Part of it has already merged with Balmodan's Wolf God Domain. Now that a connection has been formed in the Great Ratholos Empire, the Evernight Territory will also gain parts of Pangea."
"If more connection points appear, Pangea will be increasingly divided, becoming a part of every territory. In that case, wouldn't Soul Master Vaan Raphna have joint authority over everyone's territory in the future if he chooses to become Pangea's Great Devil?" Astarte asked.
Mephistopheles's mouth opened like an 'O' shape, but no words came out.
"You have a point, Astarte. We definitely can't allow that. The joint authority will cause problems in decision-making and efficiency," Mephistopheles acknowledged.
"In that case, I suggest the Soul Master can only be the Great Devil of the Evernight Territory. However, until he is qualified, everyone will co-govern the Evernight Territory."
"As for Pangea, it's not impossible to let the Soul Master keep it even if it ends up in another great Devil's territory; he just needs to win that Great Devil's agreement or offer acceptable compensation."
"Of course, the exact details will be negotiated between the concerned parties," Mephistopheles suggested.
In any case, he would still get his hands on a piece of the Evernight Territory, even if he couldn't keep it forever.
How long would it take the Soul Master to become qualified for the Great Devil position?
No matter how fast the Soul Master grew, he believed he should be able to exploit the Evernight Territory for the next couple of hundred or thousand years.
"Meph's suggestion is also reasonable," Thanatos acknowledged.
Meanwhile, Helcan's expression continuously darkened as he listened to the Great Devils' discussion.
It was clear that none of them were trying to persuade him to agree so they could reach a unanimous decision sooner. They were only concerned about dividing up territories for their own benefit.
Thanatos noticed the negative emotions growing in Helcan's eyes and said, "Helcan, you are forbidden from doing anything that would harm the Soul Master or antagonize him during this period."
"Then, are you telling me to wait for death, Thanatos?" Helcan asked grimly.
"Of course not. I'm merely telling you to have some patience," Thanatos corrected coolly before saying, "Since Hecate said the Soul Master isn't narrow-minded, we will all help mediate between you."
"However, the Soul Master won't suddenly become powerful, so there's no need to rush this matter. We are also giving you time to figure out how to make peace with him and absolve your grudges."
"More pressingly, the Evernight Territory cannot stay in Hecate's sole control while we wait for the Soul Master to become qualified," Thanatos stated.
Helcan immediately fell silent with unreadable thoughts.
Meanwhile, Hecate softly sighed after hearing Thanatos's statement. He had made his stance clear to everyone.
In truth, it was quite easy to convince Thanatos.
After all, Thanatos was the most nervous about the Skymagia Star Kingdom's Realm War out of the Great Devils since his Death Law would undoubtedly dominate the battlefield and attract much attention.
A nail that stuck out would be hammered down.
That aside, although Hecate managed to secure Vaan's safety for the time being, she also failed to keep the Evernight Territory.
Furthermore, she couldn't say this result was unexpected either.
However, it was difficult to guess what would remain of the Evernight Territory by the time Vaan achieved the qualifications to inherit it.