Ball of Nothing

A week passed in Half Moon village with still no news from Baal or the party escorting Zero to the abyss. Hua Tuo was getting slightly worried. Only Lovina was still in contact with the party. The witch was his only thread of connection and that made Hua Tuo regret not following them. The physician sighed and looked up at the sky. Nothing much had transpired in the time Zero had left. The fortification works were progressing smoothly but the sombre atmosphere hung in the air like stubborn old mould. Nobody wanted to talk about the elephant in the room, not even Zenobia.

He was slightly startled when he heard someone knocking at his door. Recently, Karris was experiencing contractions more frequently. It wouldn't be long before she was due and Hua Tuo really wanted his student present for the delivery. Unfortunately, this was something beyond his abilities. He only hoped that Baal would be able to do something about it like he claimed he would.

Setting his work materials to a side, Hua Tuo went to welcome his visitor. He wasn't quite expecting the oldest villager to pay him a visit but offered her tea anyway.

"Thank you," Grandma Moppo smiled as Hua Tuo handed a steaming cup of green tea.

"I see that your health is getting better," he noted.

The half fae grinned and laughed heartily. "It's all thanks to young Zero."

The silence in the room was suffocating and Hua Tuo didn't know how what he should be doing. He could definitely bring up his grievance with the old lady and the matter would be very quickly resolved. After all, even Zenobia had a certain level of respect for the pioneer of Half Moon village. Sometimes, Grandma Moppo's words were the law. Hua Tuo knew that very well. However, the physician understood that whatever good relationship he had with the village before this would be completely destroyed if he did so. Rebuilding destroyed trust was a lot harder than earning someone's trust.

"Say," Grandma Moppo smiled. "Wouldn't it be nice if this became young Zero's home too?"

Hua Tuo blinked and considered her question seriously. With a frown, he admitted that the thought had never crossed his mind. Zero was his apprentice, shoved into his arms after Buddha dropped the news on him. Hua Tuo grew to like his apprentice more than he thought was possible and as a teacher, he wanted what was best for the brunet. However, the physician was rather hopeless when it came to caring for Zero's mental well-being. He had been harsh and strict on the brunet, trying to discourage him from walking the painful path of becoming a doctor. Zero prevailed and showed Hua Tuo how brightly he shone in the desolate land. He paved the way for all doctors with the magic he possessed. Sicknesses that were previously impossible to cure and treatments that were unheard off came tumbling out of that small apprentice, how could Hua Tuo not be proud? Still, there was always something lacking. Hua Tuo knew it well. He saw it in his student's eyes sometimes. Zero would sometimes become very withdrawn and quiet, a very vast difference from how he usually was. Behind the curious and optimistic personality was a very wise and troubled soul. Hua Tuo didn't know how to help his student whenever he was in one of those moods.

"That's a very generous offer. However, I don't know if Zero wants to stay here permanently. He is still young and wishes to travel. I'm afraid I can't make this decision on his behalf," Hua Tuo apologised.

Grandma Moppo waved it off casually. "That's fine. We could work things out. I'm sure you know the reason for my visit today."

The physician became grimmer. It wasn't very hard to guess. The village was split into two camps. Nobody truly hated Zero but the reactions they had were very contrasting. Hua Tuo didn't know which was better. There was a camp that supported Zero and wanted to support him by treating him the same as before. Lovina, Cleo and the small party that escorted him to the abyss were some. It was clear as day that Zenobia was in that camp but as the chieftess, she had to play it neutral. On the other hand, there was a camp that respected and feared Zero. Clowis and Leon, in particular, said very harsh things. They didn't want Zero in the village at all. Most of the lab members felt betrayed, Raj, in particular, felt depressed while Tambolt spent his most his time drinking ale, trying to forget the blow to his pride. Hyelin was torn. She liked Zero as a person but for someone who left magic for science, she simply couldn't accept how powerful Zero was. The pixie felt utterly betrayed even though it wasn't Zero's fault. Wiser stormed out on them after a heated argument when they took a vote to keep or remove Zero as a lab member. The pixie regretted saying such hurtful things but she couldn't bring herself to forgive Zero who had done no wrong.

Hua Tuo sighed. "I understand. I'll talk to Zero when he comes back. If Half Moon needs any medical help at all, send Roovan over. I'll make a trip personally. I'll keep him away from the village in future, sorry for causing so much trouble."

Grandma Moppo blinked and choked on her tea. "It's not like this!" she quickly clarified. "I'm here to apologise on the behalf of Half Moon village. Zero has done such wonderful things for us and yet we can only repay his kindness with ingratitude."

Continuing quickly so as not to leave Hua Tuo in further suspense, the half fae explained how she had a talk with Zenobia. It took a while to understand everyone's feelings and for the fears to blow over. Leon and Clowis were the hardest to convince. Leon felt unworthy of becoming Zero's friend and acted out like how any child would after such a huge shock. Clowis was livid when he heard how Zero let the traitor go so easily. Nobody could tell him that his fears were unfounded. Douglas might be human now but who's to say he wouldn't come back with an army to attack the village? Not everybody was as kind as Zero and this kindness Zero showed Douglas might end up biting them in the back one day.

"The chieftess and I have decided that Zero should become the official owner of this village. It is the only way to put everyone at ease."

Hua Tuo didn't speak for a while as the information sank in. For Zero to become the owner of Half Moon village would mean two things. One, the brunet now had to become its protector. Two, the brunet would have a platoon of the most skilful and talented professionals of every known field at his beck and call.

Half Moon village wasn't just a village for the outcasts. It was a village to hide one of the most wanted people on Earth for various reasons. Grandma Moppo took them in one by one despite knowing the risks and now, Zero would inherit this danger when he became the owner. If he could, the physician didn't want Zero to shoulder such a burden. Fighting a war against humans is one thing. Fighting multiple wars against different races was another thing. As an aspiring doctor, this wasn't a good thing for Zero. However, it wasn't something Hua Tuo could decide on behalf of his disciple.

"I understand," he bowed. "I will talk to Zero about this when he returns. However, I would let you know in advance not to get your hopes up."

Grandma Moppo smiled gratefully. "That is all I ask for. Even if Zero refuses, we shall always consider him as one of our own although our paths might be unlikely to cross again."

Hua Tuo only watched as the healthy half fae left. He didn't have the heart to escort her out, feeling both tired and sad for Zero. Parting was never an easy thing and Zero had gotten rather attached to the villagers. He didn't know what the brunet wanted but he knew that he didn't want Zero to be burdened by the responsibilities of protecting the village.

***

Seated at one end of the thirty feet long table was Baal in his pyjamas as he yawned. Zero had finally shown signs of recovery. Although the brunet was still unconscious, the Demon King witnessed the completion of Zero's chakra and mana channels. He would be able to recover mana and qi on his own now even without the extra boost from the Spring of Vitality. Baal decided to bring Zero back to his castle to recuperate while he attended to official business.

On the other end of the ridiculously long table were Demon Queen Lilith and Demon King Mammon. The succubus queen wore a revealing leather outfit that exposed her cleavage and outlined her womanly shape. Black leathery wings on her back fluttered occasionally as she moaned obscenely at the taste of the dessert in her mouth. Her thin black tail swayed from side to side hypnotisingly, waving the heart-shaped barb end teasingly.

Mammon showed no outward indication of his thoughts about the new dessert. The Demon Lord was dressed very conservatively. An oversized hooded cloak much like Hades' covered most of his body. If one looked closer, they would find horrifyingly dark circles underneath Mammon's eyes and very sickly pale skin. The Demon Lord looked as if he would keel over at any moment. His long bony fingers gripped onto the silver spoon steadily and his forest green eyes sparkled at the thought of investing in Baal's new business venture.

"I must say," Mammon admitted. "That this is very good. I'll be more than willing to partake in your business venture. Let me know what resources you require, I'll come up with the capital. It looks like you finally found capable followers."

Lilith grinned. "Oh! That reminds me... is this wonderful thing called ice-cream made by my beloved child?"

Baal groaned. Coux was supposed to be here an hour ago. Unfortunately, something happened at her little shop and the trader had to attend to urgent matters personally, leaving him to attend to his two guests alone. Qin Yun was busy in the kitchen and Amaraline was tending to Zero in the room. Wiser was still cracking his head over the mystery of those stones while Sekkin was making trips to the village for the strategist. They were making slow progress and Baal couldn't help but feel a little anxious. A month had gone by already in the abyss and the only thing that significantly improved was his bank account.

"Coux will be here later. She has some important business to handle personally on short notice. Also, I didn't call the both of you here just to talk about this. There is something of far more importance that has come to my attention lately. It's best to stop the fire while it is still small."

Mammon trained his eyes on Baal who looked uncharacteristically serious. Lilith stopped fooling around and sat up straight.

"Is it regarding the magic draining stones in circulation?" Lilith asked.

Mammon sighed. "To think that it has already reached you... I was trying to contain it within our territories too."

Baal shrugged. "What's done is done. Why don't you fill me up on the details since I've been asleep for a long while now?"

Mammon and Lilith started recounting how they discovered the first unusual magic signature in their underground market. Gangs have gotten rowdier than usual and many strange casualties were reported. The first death happened in Mammon's territory and the findings were shocking.

"They had no mana in their mana channels. Their cultivated essences were also drained completely. Normally, it would be impossible to drain mana and qi completely in a demon due to our natural physical constitution. In our exhausted state, we fall back into our original forms. However, these demons that died didn't revert. In fact, their bodies were in their prime. It's very strange."

Lilith agreed. "I personally went to see one of those bodies. It was strange. Although there was no mana left in them, there was a strange trace of something foreign. We tracked that back to the cursed stone. It's very similar to a lich's curse but deadlier. We haven't been able to identify where all the harvested mana and qi were going to. They seem to be sucked into a void within the stone."

Baal frowned. He'd seen some of those stones after Coux attended an auction and met a dealer. The succubus and fox demoness did their best to get information from the dealer but there was a strong memory sealing spell. When they tried to pry further, the informant died. They later discovered that there was a binding contract mark on the dealer. Whoever it was working behind the scenes, they certainly knew what they were doing.

"I have some of my family working on this case. The dealer we met was killed. We found a binding contract mark and a strong memory sealing spell. Whatever that stone is, the curse isn't a product of magic. Or at least, not completely."

Mammon grunted and Lilith pouted. "Is there no way to trace where all the mana is being syphoned to? Also, where did all these stones come from? Can't we do anything about it?"

Baal stared at the stone on the table. "It's not from the abyss for sure... the stone doesn't look like anything I know in my domain."

Mammon stared at it. "You're right about that. It's not from mine either. It's too smooth as if it had been sitting in a river for many years."

Lilith blinked. "Hold on a second... river? There are no rivers in the abyss."

That caught Baal's attention. From Coux's report, the stone stole mana and enslaved low-tier demons to milk them for everything they had. It was no coincidence that Mammon's bank decided to value magic stones either.

"I know this may sound like a silly thing to ask but I've been asleep for a long time now. Mammon, does your bank accept anything other than cursed coins and notes for payment?"

The Demon King raised a brow. "Unless there is devil gold involved, I don't think anyone can afford to pay using any other currency."

"What about magic stones?"

At that, the Demon King snorted. "That trash commoners sell in the flea markets? Forget it! Why would I accept such a useless thing?"

The last piece of the puzzle fit. Baal grinned sinisterly and Lilith became curious. "You know something?"

The Demon Lord chuckled. "Looks like we need to visit a certain employee of yours, Mammon. We will have the answers we seek in no time at all."