Chapter 20: The City of Free Trade

  Justinian stood frozen, staring at the figure materializing from the smoke. The bold words, attacking the very nature of hell, still rang in his ears.

  "Isn't he afraid of the wrath of the ruler of hell?" he thought.

  The entity resembled a human but was semi-transparent. Its attire looked like priestly robes, though torn and marked with traces of long-dried blood.

  "Who... who are you?" Aldona stammered, trembling with fear.

  Next to her, Franciscus, with a stone-faced expression and a slightly bleeding nose, was diligently noting every word spoken by the ghost.

  The apparition turned its intelligent gaze upon her.

  "Vaniloquus Totius, a humble doctor of philo-metaphysico-socio-ecology," he announced in the voice of a learned man.

  None of those present had any idea what any of those fields were. However, the ghost spoke with such grace and self-assurance, and the moment was so urgent, that they dared not ask any further questions. The travelers hastily packed up their camp, fleeing the raging storm.

  Soon, they managed to reach the nearby fields, where it was much calmer. Aldona had already regained her composure, Justinian had managed to forget the unpleasant task he had to perform in the bushes, and Franciscus, as usual, remained indifferent to the chaos surrounding him. Only one thing had changed: a delicate, almost invisible wisp of mist now rose from Justinian's pipe.

  They were all grateful to the ghost for saving them, yet the whole affair remained strange and unsettling. When the boy felt Aldona's gaze on him, he decided to clear things up.

  "Ahem... Doctor Totius?" he began uncertainly.

  The ghost immediately materialized before him.

  "I am listening attentively," he said with his usual expression, radiating intelligence.

  It was difficult for Justinian to put into words what he wanted to ask, so he started with the basics.

  "Can you tell us what you are?"

  Aldona nodded in support, and Franciscus, with a glint in his eye, readied his notebook.

  "Naturally. Starting with the simplest matter: I am a metaphysician, which is to say, one who establishes the ontological participation of being," he replied as if it were completely obvious.

  His modest introduction was met with silence. Even Franciscus hesitated before he began to transcribe this monologue. Aldona stood with wide eyes, and Justinian, who had received a modest home education, forgot to breathe. Relief came only when he realized that his devilish peer was just as bewildered.

  "Meaning?" he finally asked, embarrassed by his own ignorance.

  Totius looked at him as if this question were nothing new.

  "I am an architect of ontic foundations, for whom existential dread is a favorite color in the spectrum of the metaphysical rainbow."

  This time, an even longer silence answered him. Aldona was beginning to wonder if Totius was some strange demonic creature and shot Justinian a look that said, "do something about this."

  Justinian had no idea what to do. However, he remembered that this learned man was a ghost, and a maimed one at that. He gritted his teeth and decided to steer the conversation to familiar ground.

  "Master Doctor, regarding what you mentioned earlier... about justice being an inherent feature of this world?"

  As soon as he asked the question, the storm clouds, which had been distant just a moment ago, immediately shifted toward them and multiplied.

  "That is a proven fact," Totius stated, paying no attention to the sky.

  "How did the Doctor end up in a pipe?" Aldona, pragmatic as always, quickly changed the subject, having no desire for an early death.

  "Naturally, because my soul was sealed within it for eternity."

  A cold shiver ran down Justinian's spine at these words. He had heard of the wickedness of devils, but something like this?

  "What did you do to deserve such a fate, Doctor?" he asked, feeling a rising anger.

  The apparition sighed heavily, as if reminiscing about past centuries.

  "For preaching justice, of course. Millennia ago, I arrived in the 61st hellish dimension and proclaimed the truth of the Great Order..."—he had barely uttered the words when the cloud above them flashed menacingly—"...and I showed the devils how to live righteously."

  "And what happened?"

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  "As one might expect, I died under torture."

  Before he could finish his story, Aldona pointed to the sky.

  "I think it would be better if we drop this conversation for now."

  Everyone agreed.

  "Agreed," said the apparition. "If you need advice, call upon the good Doctor Totius. Due to my curse, however, do not count on it before tomorrow."

  Although the matter required clarification, for now, they had to flee.

  Later, before sleep, Justinian examined the pipe from which the delicate mist was rising. He analyzed the moment he had received it from Rudnicki.

  "I doubt the nobleman knew there was a ghost inside," he assessed. He knew Rudnicki well enough to know that the devil was direct. He played pranks on his enemies, but he didn't hold grudges against his own.

  However, something else interested him more than the demon's intentions. "Is justice truly inherent to this world?" he wondered. This is what the teachings of the Church of Justice proclaimed: even suffering is nothing in the final reckoning when justice triumphs. "If not in this life... then in the next."

  These reflections brought back the memory of his pact with Ignatius, made to avenge Teresa and Zonik. He had been certain then that he had no choice, but now, seeing Totius's faith, he began to have doubts.

  "No. My revenge is not up for discussion," he cut the thought short.

  Nevertheless, the doctor's faith had moved him. He began to wonder if he could make this hell more just. Wouldn't such a mission accelerate his cultivation? He quickly abandoned the thought, however. His priority was revenge, and he himself was too weak.

  "I am only at the third level of Ki Gathering. A whole host of devils are stronger than me," he sighed, postponing these considerations for later.

  The next day, as they were finishing their journey through the mountain range, Aldona began to daydream about the wealth of goods at the local markets.

  "After you saved me, you have to buy me something pretty," she joked, winking at Justinian.

  She had so much charm that the boy blushed, noting to himself that the temperament of his female peers was much more pleasant in this dimension.

  As they made their way along the coast, Franciscus shared his knowledge.

  "Ukuun is the capital of Redland."

  The little devil explained that the rest of the dimension's access to these lands had enriched them. Particular growth occurred when the nobility began using the local river's mouth to export grain to other dimensions.

  "Did they tax the transport?" Justinian asked.

  "Quite the opposite. They abolished all tariffs."

  "So how did they get rich?"

  "Since there were no tariffs, everyone wanted to do business here. This not only streamlined trade but also gave the local devils a reason to unite," he explained with a twinkle in his eye. "It is said that a famous monument to poetry is located in this city."

  Perhaps Justinian would have asked about the monument, had Doctor Totius not joined them.

  "Ah, how wonderful it is to walk under the blessed sun again."

  "Why does he still not have an ear and the tip of his nose?" Aldona whispered suspiciously to Justinian.

  The boy just smiled, not knowing what to answer.

  "Have you been here before, Doctor?" he asked aloud.

  "Unfortunately, no. However, during the tortures that preceded the ripping out of my soul, I heard the devils praise this place highly."

  He replied, then began to examine the river with interest. The beautiful views were marred only by the large number of wooden ships sailing from the direction they were heading. They were noble transports laden with grain and fishing boats.

  "All things considered, a peaceful sight," Justinian thought. In this idyllic scenery, only Aldona was narrowing her eyes, observing the ships as if she sensed trouble.

  In the evening, they made camp in the forest.

  Justinian, as usual before going to sleep, practiced with the saber he had won in the duel with Aldona's father. Touching the beautifully decorated hilt, he could feel the power Borowiak had accumulated in the saber over the years.

  'When the soul-smith reforges this weapon for me, I will gain a powerful tool for my revenge...' he smiled to himself inwardly.

  He estimated that with the use of the artifact, he would become much, much stronger.

  After his training, he decided to check if the rest of his team was alright.

  He noticed that Franciscus was again working late, composing poetry. The scale of his effort amazed the human. "He must really want to follow in his famous uncle's footsteps," he thought. "It's strange, though, that he never shares what he writes down..."

  Ultimately, he didn't want to disturb him, especially since he heard the sounds of an argument coming from Aldona's tent. He grabbed his saber and ran in that direction, expecting an attack. When he arrived, he saw her... arguing with Doctor Totius.

  "...a mockery!" she was shouting.

  The ghost, in his majestic pose, just shook his head with the expression of a professor listening to a naive student. He said something Justinian couldn't quite hear, but it enraged her even more.

  The boy quickened his pace. He ran, the worst-case scenarios racing through his mind. Had Totius insulted the ruler of hell? Or perhaps criticized the chaotic rule of this dimension?

  "Be silent and don't make an idiot out of me!" she yelled.

  Using all his strength, Justinian burst between them just as the doctor was reaching his punchline.

  "Nothing of the sort. Beavers are nothing other than fish and were naturally created to be eaten during fasts. This is confirmed by a papal bull from thirty-two thousand years ago."

  Before Justinian could process these arguments, Aldona lunged to stomp on the magic pipe. At the same moment, she ran into the human who wanted to get between them, and they both fell to the ground.

  "Let go! He's mocking my hono—" she shouted, but then suddenly turned red, realizing the boy was holding her in his arms.

  Justinian, slightly dazed from the fall, realized it a moment later too. He immediately let her go, got up, and tucked the pipe into his pocket.

  "Is everything alright?" he asked, offering a hand to Aldona, not noticing the hidden disappointment in her eyes.

  "Yes... that damn ghost was making a fool of me," she replied.

  Justinian smiled apologetically when the topic of their discussion suddenly hit him. He instantly paled, and a cold sweat appeared on his temples.

  He remembered that the Church of Justice really did consider beavers to be fish, and just a decade ago in the Kingdom of Peace, people were burned at the stake for disagreeing with this dogma.

  "It's nothing... it's time for me to go!" he blurted out, all red, and headed toward his tent.

  "About tomorrow's trip..." she stopped him.

  "Yes?"

  "Maybe it would be better if we bypass Ukuun."

  "What happened?" he asked, frowning.

  "When we were looking at the river earlier... The grain is imported through Ukuun to other dimensions."

  "Mhm," he nodded.

  "All the ships were fully loaded and sailing in the opposite direction," she announced.

  The next morning, they held a council with Franciscus. The young devil agreed that the situation was strange but also explained that such incidents do happen, for example, when ports are overcrowded. His words calmed Aldona, and ultimately the group decided not to change their destination, but to proceed with caution.

  A few hours later, they reached the borders of Ukuun. What greeted them made everyone freeze in astonishment.

  Before the city known for its limitless freedom, on its main road, now stood a section of an impressively high, albeit very short, wall. Strange orange banners fluttered proudly from it.

  And on the banners was the crest of the Mount of Swamps and Darkness.