Ball of Nothing

Truen had to leave to oversee New Moon Village's trade with some of the clients Mitchnew found in Smargdas. Zero didn't join him. Instead, he left his clones in the pool to recover his mana while trying to activate more Parallel Minds so that they could wake Wii up. Mii recently recovered all her functions in the mindscape and was working hard to clear all the outstanding work with Lily's help who finally returned in tears when she received Zero's system summon.

He was finally able to leave Half Moon Village for a while for the meeting with Mammon and Ruth but he never thought that his combat teacher would make such an arrangement.

"You know, I thought that we would be going to Finest Taste for such meetings as per tradition," he said. "What happened?"

Ruth didn't look apologetic in the slightest and Zero frowned at the room's decoration. Sure, this might be VVIP treatment but is the hospital really the best place for an important meeting with a Demon Lord?

"I'm not responsible for this," Ruth replied. "Your shifu heard about it and insisted that we hold it here. Fear not, food arrangements have been made. You don't have to eat bland hospital food. The cooks here aren't as good as those from Belles and Begonia."

When Zero heard about the small cafe that Coux, Amaraline and Qin Yun managed, his eyes brightened up. "Will I see someone I know?"

With a fangy grin, Ruth nodded. "Possibly. You'll have visitors too after the meeting. Oh, your shifu said that he was going to give you a thorough check-up once this is over. Don't say I didn't warn you. You gave us all quite the scare."

This time, there was no retort. Zero had to admit, Hua Tuo was being kind by only insisting on a check-up. If he was serious, Zero would probably be forced to remain in the hospital until he was 'fully recovered'. There should be a lot of rehabilitation going on according to the usual medical procedure but Zero was glad his shifu wasn't going to force him to go through that.

Mammon knocked on the door and entered the isolated ward. Zero was sitting on the hospital bed with Ruth on a chair beside. The Demon Lord blinked.

"Are we holding a meeting like this?" he asked Ruth who shrugged.

"It's a hospital. There really aren't many things we can bring or do in here. Food is on the way, at the very least, that's settled. How about you lie down on the bed for a while? Some of the interns here are looking for spare furniture."

Taking Ruth's suggestion, Mammon went over to lie down beside Zero who scooted over a little more towards the edge. Being in a small body had its advantages and Zero learnt that Mammon didn't mind cuddles. Hence, he took advantage of that, amusing Ruth to no end.

The hospital interns who managed to find some spare tables and chairs came into Zero's private ward to a strange sight. Nobody could believe how Lord Mammon was able to sleep so soundly with someone cuddling up against him. Ruth didn't care about their expressions and told them where to leave the furniture. For good measure, the vampire gave them a glare and reminded them that nothing they saw should leave the room.

Terrified of the domain owner, they bowed hastily and left.

Ruth checked his communicator. It was almost time for the representative from Belles and Begonia to arrive. He looked over to Mammon who was sound asleep. The eye bags beneath the Demon Lord's eyes were very prominent and Ruth felt slightly bad for needing to wake him up for their meeting. Zero couldn't remain in the abyss for too long because he had many visitors and many places to be. The trip to see Axel the spriggan at the Tree of Life has been arranged and Ruth wondered if Zero could take it easy for a few days in Hell. He looked like he needed a break too.

Amaraline arrived and Zero's face brightened up. Ruth didn't disturb them and remained by Mammon's bed while Zero exchanged hugs with the fortune-teller. Ever since Coux and Qin Yun became busier, Belles and Begonia rested solely on the cockatrice girl's shoulders. She couldn't leave the cafe to return to Half Moon Village because business was booming. Hence, she didn't hesitate to leave her shop for a few hours when she heard that Zero would be coming to Hell.

"It's been a while," Amaraline smiled. "How have you been? I heard from Coux that you were badly hurt."

Zero laughed. "I was. I'm recovered now but the village would be even busier than before. When are you going back? Clowis and your uncle miss you."

Amaraline sighed. "I don't know. The cafe is too busy, I cannot leave."

"What about hiring staff from the demons to manage the cafe?"

The fortune-teller nodded. "I did that after Hua Tuo suggested it. However, someone still has to be there to monitor the finances and logistics. Coux isn't always available to check so I have to do it. Back when I was out on an errand with the Chieftess, someone stole a huge sum from the shop. We've yet to recover it entirely."

Zero thought about it and weighed the pros and cons after consulting Mii about business. Eventually, they came to the same conclusion. Compared to the measly amount that Belles and Begonia earned, he needed Amaraline more for something else.

"Sell it," he told her.

"What?"

"Sell it."

Mammon who was just woken up heard Zero's decision and raised a brow. Belles and Begonia was doing extremely well at the moment. If Amaraline kept it up and managed it for a few more years, Zero would be able to repay his loan for the shop rather quickly.

"But why?" Amaraline couldn't understand.

Zero looked at Mammon and Ruth. He had a bigger fish to fry and not as many capable people to help him oversee the operations.

"I need you for something more important. You can sell Belles and Begonia to the highest bidder and hand them the recipes for the new owner to manage. Let Coux and Qin Yun know. Today, I'm going to discuss introducing a new kind of work for demons to Mammon. If this goes well, I need you to manage this new project for me. Being in the abyss for so long, you must be very familiar with all sorts of demons."

Amaraline nodded. She was confused and couldn't understand what Zero was thinking but she didn't doubt him even for a second.

"If you need me elsewhere, I will follow. Lord Mammon is up now, I will take my leave. It's nice to see that you're doing well, Zero."

Zero smiled. "It's good to know that you're doing good too. Clowis would never forgive me if something happened to you while working in the abyss."

They chatted for a little longer before Amaraline left the three important people to discuss more important things over her handmade lunch.

Zero drooled at the smell and tried not to let his stomach distract him from the important conversation. Needless to say, Zero wasn't the only one failing to focus and all three of them called it a truce to enjoy the food before they talked.