Chapter 849: Chapter 850: Branded Elite Layer Damon was full of surprises. He had mentioned earlier that he was imprisoned in Eidolon, but Evangeline hadn’t imagined he was trapped in the deepest layers with a literal god. Did that mean his threat level was equivalent to a being who had destroyed the very foundations of the world. The thought alone made her chest tighten. Naturally, she milked him for every ounce of information she could get out of him, questioning him until her voice grew hoarse and his answers turned shorter. After a while, she simply lay there on the mat next to him, staring up at the dim ceiling. "So... now what?" she asked quietly, unsure of anything anymore. Damon didn’t feel the cold desert winds as sharply as she did, but he could feel his mana draining slowly. A dull hunger stirred in his stomach, brought on by the oppressive dryness of the land. "Now we find the others," he said. "I hate this as much as the next guy, but we pretty much have to work together if we want to survive." Her brows narrowed slightly. "With demons, you mean." "If it comes down to it," Damon replied, eyes half-lidded, "so be it." Evangeline bit her lip. Was their situation really that desperate? As far as she knew, Damon hated demons. He despised them. He hated them relentlessly and killed them whenever he crossed paths with them. And now he was openly willing to work with them. This was the same man who would rather brave the Whispering Forest than let himself be captured by a demon army. A wise decision, considering that army had later been turned to ash by the draconic flames of the great dragon Ashergon. Even remembering it sent chills down her spine. "Will they even agree to that," she asked, "not after you defeated the Unknown Ruler... Amon." Damon’s eyes twisted slightly. Right. Evangeline didn’t know he was Amon, but she wasn’t wrong. The demons would hesitate to ally with him. And yet, technically speaking, they would. Damon was powerful enough to defeat the demon most suspected to be Ashcroft. Evangeline silently listed a few pros and cons in her head, but in the end, they weren’t getting anywhere. Damon eventually stood and set up a small meal. Calling it small was generous. At least seventeen dishes appeared, steaming and fragrant, and the two of them ate until the hunger finally subsided. When Evangeline eventually fell asleep, her breathing slow and steady, Damon quietly stood and walked into the other room. He pulled out a file Lazarak had once made for him. Without hesitation, he pressed it against his head, where a small demon horn was beginning to grow. Without mercy or consideration for the pain, he began to file it down. His jaw tightened, fingers trembling slightly, but he didn’t stop. When he finished, he returned the file to his shadow storage and lay back down. This secret of his head could be told to no one. ...... The next morning, Damon and Evangeline found themselves heading toward the more elite part of the city. This was the middle tier. The branded elite. The area partially overlapped with the high bastions where the wardens lived. Damon gritted his teeth as they paid their way in with mana cores. Evangeline wore a soft white sundress that reached past her knees, allowing her freedom of movement if they were attacked. Damon wore a light black tunic with a sword resting openly at his side, enough to display his warrior nature. They looked almost like one of the wealthy couples who inhabited this district. Damon lifted his head slightly, surveying the surroundings. This layer of the city was better than he had imagined. It wasn’t segregated. Branded citizens and chained people lived together. The houses were larger, well kept, and beautiful. The roads were paved, and there wasn’t a single beggar in sight. Evangeline’s expression didn’t change. "I’ve been trying to get in here for a while," she said. "I never managed to save the amount needed." The amount she meant was seven hundred rank three mana cores. "That can’t be true," Damon replied. "Couldn’t you hunt outside the desert." She nodded slowly. "I did. But every time I came into the city with that amount, I ended up giving it away to people who looked like they’d die without any mana. So I never have enough when I reach this place. It’s a vicious cycle." Damon gave her a deadpan expression. She couldn’t be serious. Her problem was giving her mana cores away. He paused. "Hey... it can’t be because of what I said before, could it?" She glanced at him in surprise. "What. Did you say something." Damon smiled softly and shook his head. He had once told her how many people she passed by who were poor and dying without helping them. It seemed that lesson had lodged itself deeper than he intended. He sighed. "You’re so dumb." She elbowed him lightly in the side. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞 "Well, it’s a good thing I have you to pay for me, isn’t it." She smiled slyly and leaned closer, whispering into his ear. "What’s family for?" Damon scoffed. "So blood ties are now a reason to scam me. I’ll have you know I charge an eighty percent interest rate." She rolled her eyes. "Great. I’ll take the ’looking after me is now your responsibility’ discount. And how about I pay you... nothing." He winced slightly. This was on him. He was the one who chose to reveal they were family. "I’ve only been in this family for a few hours and I’m already starting to regret it." "If you’re looking for a way out, I’m sorry," she said sweetly. "But you’re in till death." "Sounds like a cult," Damon replied, waving his hand over her head and gently pushing a loose strand of hair back. She glanced up at him, her golden eyes meeting his, a soft smile forming. "Ptuiii." Someone spat nearby. "Get a goddamn room." A man walked past them with a disgusted expression, his face twisted with jealousy at the sight of the young couple. "All these goddamn couples showing off everywhere." Evangeline’s face reddened. "We... we aren’t a couple," she tried to call out, but her voice faded as Damon burst into laughter. She gritted her teeth. "Come on," she said sharply. "Let’s go. We still have to find our friends."