More than ten minutes later, a luxurious carriage pulled by four pure white horses, adorned with several flags at its top, stopped at the entrance.
Olthagia, accompanied by the female housekeeper and two beautiful maids, stepped inside.
The interior of the carriage was not only lavishly decorated but also spacious, easily accommodating five or six people.
However, while Olthagia sat casually, the other three appeared somewhat reserved, kneeling respectfully by his side.
He paid no mind to this and calmly instructed the coachman, "No specific destination, just take a casual stroll."
Through the carriage's curtains, Olthagia caught glimpses of bloodstains on the roadside. For once, he wasn't pondering any spells or future plans.
Instead, he simply enjoyed the scenery, which somewhat resembled the medieval Western cities of his previous life.
As a nation with a thousand-year history in a magical world, the capital of Maddon Duchy was undoubtedly more majestic than ancient cities on Earth. Its walls stood nearly 25 meters high, and the roads were neatly paved and regularly cleaned, a stark contrast to the filth and waste that littered the streets of medieval Europe.
In terms of culture and civilization, it held a significant advantage over ancient Earth. However, due to the suppression by supernatural forces and various complex factions, technological development had not progressed much. After seven or eight thousand years, it had barely reached the level of the Renaissance period.
But since the seeds had already been sown, Olthagia foresaw a future where technology would flourish and suppress the supernatural forces.
The supernatural power system of this world, limited by energy concentration, was relatively weak and couldn't exert absolute dominance over mortals. Once mortals absorbed the nutrients of progress, the supernatural forces would lose control over the course of history, becoming mere pebbles in the torrent.
Olthagia himself held no particular bias or admiration for technology. However, he believed that in its initial stages, the technological path, leveraging the collective wisdom of the masses, was indeed easier to navigate than the magical path.
The supernatural path, compared to the power of the collective, placed greater emphasis on individual talent and innate abilities.
It was a matter of capability—either you had it or you didn't. A single spell formula could yield entirely different results in the hands of different individuals, making large-scale expansion difficult. The technological path, on the other hand, was entirely different. The meaning of a mathematical formula wouldn't change due to someone's talent; at most, there might be differences in intelligence and comprehension.
In this regard, technology had the upper hand in terms of accessibility.
Even the Bottomless Abyss had its share of beings following the technological path, such as the Nuclear Reactor Demon and Mechanical Flesh Abomination from his inherited memories. It was perfectly normal for them to wield guns and go "biu! biu! biu!"
However, one issue with the technological path was that when crossing into different worlds, it could easily lead to data chaos or the invalidation of computational formulas due to differences in fundamental world rules. Those with good luck might only face temporary inoperability, while those with bad luck could be instantly obliterated by the world's repulsive force.
For example, a physical formula that originally had an output of 1 in World A might have an output of 15 in World B. This is completely unacceptable for precision-engineered technological products.
Thus, while the idea of piloting a spaceship to explore other worlds is appealing, it's also prone to sudden crashes, leading to death right at one's doorstep.
Only a very few factions at the pinnacle of technological civilization possess the power to disregard the rules of different dimensions, freely altering the fundamental laws of worlds to expand their colonies, treating the Multiverse as their own pasture.
Although Olthagia, with the help of his system, has the confidence to venture into the technological path, his interests lie elsewhere.
After all, he only needs to take care of himself and maintain his own well-being. There's no point in pursuing the technological path, which focuses on group development and building civilizations. The thought of climbing the tech tree in the chaotic, rule-defying environment of the Bottomless Abyss feels somewhat absurd to him.
Those amiable fellow Demons wouldn't give him the chance to develop slowly. In comparison, it's far more practical to take the path of transcendence, using brute strength and magic to crush all obstacles in his way.
The carriage traveled through the various streets of the royal capital, occasionally drawing curious glances from the common folk.
Not once did they encounter any troublemakers. On the contrary, everyone politely and respectfully made way for Olthagia's carriage, showing due respect to the royal flags displayed on its roof.
Feeling somewhat bored, Olthagia could only slightly narrow his eyes, resting his cheek on his hand as he idly observed the diverse crowd outside through the curtains.
'This is tedious. I want to find someone to fight…' he thought with a hint of frustration.
Noticing Olthagia's evident boredom, the female housekeeper thought for a moment before respectfully asking in a soft voice, "My lord, would you like to visit Zenith Hall or the Beast Fighting Arena? These are the two places most favored by the nobility of the capital."
Zenith Hall was the finest establishment of its kind in the capital. Its staff mostly consisted of women from once-prosperous families that had fallen on hard times. Their beauty and refinement far surpassed that of ordinary courtesans, and they typically only served nobles and wealthy merchants. The Beast Fighting Arena, on the other hand, was akin to the Roman Colosseum—one of the most primitive and brutal forms of entertainment, where the lives of prisoners and slaves were used for amusement. It was, however, one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the capital.
Commoners and nobles alike often placed bets on the arena's matches, with many losing everything they had.
After a moment of consideration, Olthagia said, "Let's go to the Beast Fighting Arena. I'm not particularly interested in places like Zenith Hall. If I have needs, it's more convenient to use you all."
While the Demon race didn't care much about concepts like loyalty or chastity, memories from his previous life as a human had left him with a certain degree of mental fastidiousness and a peculiar sense of possessiveness. Thus, he wasn't particularly interested in the idea of "public property privatization." If he had desires, weren't the female housekeeper and maids around him there for that purpose?
After all, they had been specially arranged by Jem.Woz. Their quality was undoubtedly top-notch—how could they be inferior to those high-class courtesans?
After hearing Olthagia's words, the female housekeeper's face turned red, but she didn't say much. Although her status as a noble housekeeper was much higher than that of a commoner, she had no ability to resist her master, as all her authority derived from Olthagia, and she had long been mentally prepared for this.
As a woman, and a beautiful one at that, what was her greatest advantage?
She knew it well.
When she was selected to undergo housekeeper training, she had prayed to the gods more than once, hoping to encounter a good master.
And Olthagia, whether in terms of demeanor, appearance, or the status that even the crown prince had to deliberately curry favor with, could be said to be the best target!
Even far exceeding her initial expectations, she often couldn't help but thank the gods for their favor, so she had no reason to resist anything...
However, what she didn't know was that if Olthagia knew her thoughts, he would surely say that her gods were either blind or dead, allowing a demon like him to sneak in and pass muster—there was simply no hope!
Not long after.
The carriage stopped in front of a giant marble-carved archway.
Several young men dressed in servant attire, upon seeing the carriage's grandeur and the familiar flag it bore, immediately straightened up!
With flattering smiles more affectionate than those they would show their own parents, they respectfully brought over a small redwood step and placed it beside the carriage for the visitor to step on.
The carriage door opened, and Olthagia looked down at them for a moment before descending the small step.
The female housekeeper and others followed closely behind, standing respectfully by his side, making it clear who was in charge.
A well-dressed, slightly plump middle-aged man approached with a smile, about to greet them.
But upon seeing Olthagia's handsome yet sinister appearance, he was momentarily stunned!
The crimson hair, the red eyes with golden pupils—even someone as worldly as he had never seen such features.
But soon, his smile returned, and he said to Olthagia, "Sir, I am one of the managers here, named Manan. Ottos. You seem unfamiliar; is this your first time here?"
Olthagia tilted his head slightly, catching a scent he liked, and asked with interest, "Yes, any recommendations for something fun?"
Seeing Olthagia's interest, the man enthusiastically replied, "I was wondering why I hadn't seen you before—you're far too striking to forget once seen! But you've come at the perfect time. There's a duel between the Qiya Magic Lion and a Grand Knight starting soon. Both are top-notch fighters we've spent a fortune to acquire, each capable of taking on over a hundred men. It's definitely one of the highlights of the year!"
Nodding, Olthagia casually said, "Oh? That sounds good. Arrange a seat for me, the best one available."
"Certainly, we'll ensure you have the best seat. However, since this is a major event, the price will be slightly higher than usual—700 gold coins..."
"No problem."
Olthagia waved his hand indifferently, signaling the female housekeeper to pay.
Watching Olthagia being led into the Beast Fighting Arena by the attendants, Manan Ottos, whose face had lit up with a smile from closing another deal, furrowed his brows almost imperceptibly.
'A hybrid? Or something else?'
'I hope it doesn't affect the plan...'
He had never heard of any humanoid race with red hair and such peculiar eyes, almost like the legendary dragon eyes. Just being gazed upon by them gave an indescribable sense of unease, making him want to avoid any contact.
However, the royal flag hanging on the carriage, along with Olthagia's demeanor and posture, exuded an inexplicable nobility. This made Manan Ottos dare not arouse any suspicion, forcing him to treat Olthagia like any other ordinary guest and usher him in.
Walking through the lavishly decorated corridor, Olthagia hummed a terrifying nursery rhyme from the Maddon Duchy, feeling quite pleased.
'Such a dense aura of sin, it feels like I've returned to the Abyss. How familiar and comforting~'
In his eyes, this place had two appearances.
One was the visible splendor, a luxurious display with a deep cultural heritage, evidently shaped by history. The other was a landscape where every inch of the ground exuded sin, as if painted with countless layers of blood. Innumerable resentments lingered here, clinging stubbornly to the very fabric of the place.
Even many sacrificial grounds of cults did not possess such characteristics. Only through years of accumulation could such a level be achieved.
The sin and cruelty here even reminded Olthagia of his simple-minded brethren in the Bottomless Abyss.