Chapter 210 - 207: Stimulation
Sang Mo still hadn’t appeared after a long wait, and the surrounding crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Tsk, tsk. Hades looks so pathetic."
"It looks like Lord Sang Mo has no intention of forgiving Hades. He won’t even show his face."
"I don’t know what the grudge between them is, but I’m just happy to see Hades suffering so much lately. It feels like I can finally breathe after all the years of being oppressed by him and his people."
"Of course he can’t forgive him. If it were me, it’d be a miracle if I didn’t kill him to vent my anger."
"You have no idea how glorious the Black Domain was back when Lord Sang Mo founded it. Just think about it—Lord Sang Mo built the Black Domain from the ground up, only for disaster to strike at its peak. Who wouldn’t believe that Hades and his cronies had a hand in it? The grudge from having his position stolen, from nearly being killed, from having to escape with his life... Anyone else in his shoes would be doing far worse than Lord Sang Mo is now."
"Putting that aside, my husband earned several hundred thousand Star Coins from Hades’s side this time and quit two days ago. Good thing he got out quick, or else I’d be collecting his death benefits. I heard Hades pays out a lot for that, but I’d still rather have my Beast Husband alive. Ever since we came to the Black Domain a few years ago, I’ve only managed to get two Beast Husbands. If I lost one, I’d only have one left."
"A lot of Beastmen died this time, but the compensation is really good. If my Beast Husband’s level was high enough, I’d have definitely sent him in for a few days."
As the conversation went on, the tone started to shift.
Hades heard every word from the crowd behind him. His expression was terrifyingly dark, but he didn’t make a sound, merely standing ramrod straight.
He knew Sang Mo was watching from one of the floors above. He could feel one gaze that was different from the others. If he didn’t show the proper attitude, Sang Mo would never agree to see him, let alone negotiate.
The climate in the Black Domain wasn’t like the Federation’s, which had freezing weather. It was only a few degrees in the Federation now, but here in the Black Domain, it was still over twenty degrees Celsius during the day. The temperature would drop a bit at night, but it would still be in the teens.
Hades had no idea how long he’d been standing there when the sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. Seeing this, everyone else scattered and ran for cover, leaving Hades standing alone.
SPLASH—
The rain came down hard and fast, hammering relentlessly against Hades. He was already injured, and as the downpour soaked him, blood from his wounds dripped to the ground. The crimson streaks stood out starkly in the clear puddles forming around him.
The moment it started to rain, Yue Junxiao and the others went back inside.
Whether Sang Mo went down to see him was Sang Mo’s business. No one would say a thing. They all went about their own tasks. At most, when the rain came up, someone might wonder aloud if Hades was still standing down there. But beyond that, not even Yue Junxiao paid it much mind.
Since it was raining and there wasn’t much else to do, Bai Zhi glanced outside and suggested, "Let’s have hot pot for lunch. It’s not like we can go out anyway."
At the mention of hot pot, Yue Junxiao licked his lips, his mouth already watering. The last time they’d had hot pot was after defeating the Insect Clan. He immediately raised his hand in agreement. "Yes, yes! I can help prep the ingredients!"
Yan Yichen’s eyes lit up astonishingly. He raised his hand and said, "Wife-master, I want to eat those... uh... meatballs."
Bai Zhi gave a small wave of her hand and agreed with a smile, "Of course! You got it!"
She and Hu Yan then started preparing the hot pot base while the others prepped the other ingredients. With everyone working together, they were twice as efficient, and by noon, they had a hot pot feast ready for six people.
Since Beastmen have huge appetites, they always had to prepare a large amount of food to make sure there was enough for everyone.
The aroma of their hot pot was so rich that it filled their entire floor of the hotel and even drifted downstairs. With the wind picking up from the rain, this overpowering fragrance was instantly carried far and wide.
Down below, Hades smelled it too.
A Beastman’s sense of smell was already sharp, especially for an aroma as strong as this one.
Hades looked toward the source of the scent. It was coming from the same direction as the gaze he’d felt earlier.
It was Sang Mo’s room.
Hades was already seriously injured and had been standing in the rain for a long time. The realization made his entire body sway.
The next moment, Tina approached under an umbrella, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Are you alright? He still won’t see you?"
Hades said nothing, his dark eyes fixed on one of the hotel rooms.
Tina’s face was all smiles as she said softly, "I came to tell you something. My father has agreed to an alliance with another clan. I’m going to be taking a Beast Husband, so my uncle probably won’t be able to protect you anymore. Consider this umbrella a parting gift. You were good to me while we were together. It’s just a shame you couldn’t secure the top position. Otherwise, I actually quite liked you. Take it. Who knows how much longer you’ll have to stand here."
At her words, Hades whipped his head around. His eyes, already bloodshot, now bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. He grabbed Tina’s arms, his face twitching ferociously. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice.
Tina was frightened by his expression. The pain in her arms made her flinch, and she frowned. "Hades, you’re hurting me."
Hades’s eyes were wide with fury. "How could you do this?!" he snarled. "This wasn’t your attitude when you were seducing me! Now that you see I’m about to lose everything, you can’t wait to kick me to the curb and find my replacement?! Tina! I’m still in power! I, Hades, still call the shots in the Black Domain! Do this, and see if I don’t move against your family!"
He heard Tina cry out in pain, but his mind was consumed with a single thought: Tina was kicking him aside without a moment’s hesitation. It was infuriating, and utterly humiliating. This meant everyone knew he, Hades, had already failed.
Coming here to beg for a truce had already been a sign of weakness, but as long as Sang Mo was willing to forgive him and Tina’s family continued to support him, he still had a chance to get back on his feet.
But now, even Tina was stabbing him in the back and pulling her uncle’s support!
Tina struggled, trying to break free from his grip, but she couldn’t budge him an inch. Furious, she decided to provoke him further. "You can’t even save yourself right now, so how can you say my father is wrong? Are you blind to your own situation? My father already looked into it. One of the people Sang Mo brought back is the Third Prince of the Federation, and they say he’s SSS-level. Sang Mo is SSS-level now, too! Even the other Beastmen with him are SS-level at the very least! How are you supposed to fight him? Pissing off Sang Mo is a death sentence! You can’t expect me to stay chaste for you when you’re about to be killed, can you? We aren’t even bonded! You don’t even count as my betrothed Beast Husband. At most, you’re just a lover."
Her words drove Hades over the edge. He tightened his grip on her arms before viciously slapping her across the face.
His breath came in ragged gasps. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his chest heaving as his expression turned terrifyingly grim.
The force of the slap sent Tina sprawling to the ground, sending up a huge splash of water. The umbrella flew from her hand, tumbling a few meters away in the wind.
"THUD—"
"CLATTER-SCRAPE—"
Due to the heavy rain, almost no one was outside. But the aroma of the hot pot was growing so strong that it couldn’t be ignored, and soon, many people caught a whiff.
"What’s that smell? It’s amazing!"
"I think it’s coming from upstairs."
"I’ve never smelled anything like it. It smells so good, my mouth is watering."
Many people started coming out of their rooms, trying to follow the scent to its source. As more and more people gathered outside under umbrellas, their attention was drawn to Hades and Tina’s argument.