137: Chapter 137 Painless Lending

Mephisto's cloudy eyes rolled slightly, his gaze first landing on the back of Qin Ming's head.

There, although it was deliberately hidden, the keen perception of a Hell Lord could still detect that extremely piercing, extremely pure holy fluctuation.

The old man took off his tattered top hat, crossed his hands over the end of his silver-headed cane, and bowed slightly toward Qin Ming, performing impeccable old-school aristocratic etiquette.

"Good evening, Son of God." Mephisto's voice carried an extremely unsettling echo.

He felt no fear.

This was the mortal realm, where dimensional barriers suppressed all supernatural powers.

Even if this projected clone was destroyed, it wouldn't matter much.

Qin Ming had no intention of returning the greeting.

Seeing that Qin Ming remained silent, Mephisto did not feel awkward.

He straightened up, his cloudy gaze passing over Qin Ming to land on Emma, who was half-squatting nearby.

At first, he only gave her a casual glance.

But in the next second, the old man's movements froze.

His nostrils twitched slightly, as if he were savoring some peerless vintage wine.

Beneath that petite and cute shell lay an incredible soul.

No guilt, no conscience, not a shred of reverence for life.

Only the purest innate malice, viewing slaughter and violence as being as natural as eating or drinking.

There wasn't even a trace of impurity or internal struggle.

Exquisite. This was tens of thousands of times more advanced than those human souls who fell due to greed or jealousy.

"What a delightful surprise." Mephisto's withered lips curled into an extremely exaggerated grin.

He looked at Emma, his tone full of temptation. "Little girl, your soul exudes an extremely rare purity.

Before you die, if you're interested, you might consider signing a contract with me.

I will grant you a supreme position in Hell, second only to one."

Emma stopped tossing the cross in her hand and tilted her head, her large, bright eyes curiously sizing up the old man.

"But I don't want to die right now. However, if you let me stab you once, maybe I'll consider it." Emma gestured with the cross in her hand.

Mephisto was stunned for a moment.

"What a prickly little beauty." Mephisto laughed even more happily.

"Enough, stop acting crazy here, old man." Qin Ming took a step forward, directly blocking Mephisto's view of Emma.

"The famous Mephisto being in the mortal realm... surely you're not here to hawk tickets to your shitty Hell, are you?"

Qin Ming asked, knowing the answer.

Mephisto pulled back his smile.

He tapped the ground lightly with his cane, and the few remaining wisps of Hellfire in the alley were instantly extinguished.

"Since the noble Son of God has asked, there's no need for me to hide anything."

Mephisto sighed, putting on the appearance of a father worried sick over family matters. "As you can see, my son, Witch-Heart Demon, has recently entered his rebellious phase.

He not only escaped to the mortal realm but also wants to seize the Contract of San Venganza, intending to turn this place into his private Hell."

"Oh?" Qin Ming raised an eyebrow. "Then you, in your vigorous old age, aren't going to personally break his legs, but are instead here fooling a motorcyclist into going to his death?"

"I am restricted by an ancient contract; my true body cannot descend to the mortal realm." Mephisto shook his head. "I can only cultivate a Rider to clean up the mess for me."

At this point, Mephisto paused, his deep gaze fixed on Qin Ming.

"However, I've just placed a massive bet on this new Rider. I need to ensure he completes the task. If you could..."

"I'll help you."

Qin Ming didn't even wait for Mephisto to finish his long-winded probing; he cut him off directly and cleanly.

This unhesitating promise left Mephisto speechless.

The King of Lies, who had lived for countless eons and signed innumerable filthy contracts, had for the first time encountered a member of the 'righteous faction' who was so cooperative and actively took on work.

This was the Son of God.

Logically, shouldn't he be shouting about killing on sight or using Holy Light to purify him, the source of evil?

"You... are willing to help me deal with Witch-Heart Demon?" Mephisto asked tentatively, a flash of wariness in his eyes; when things are too good to be true, there's usually a catch.

"Of course." Qin Ming spread his hands. "Learning from the past to avoid future mistakes, curing the sickness to save the patient. I've always been happy to help with such disobedient brats. But, even brothers keep clear accounts, let alone us being from different factions—we need to sign a contract."

Mephisto smiled.

Negotiating terms was good; negotiating meant there was something to talk about.

As long as the other party had desires, they couldn't escape his control.

"What do you want?" Mephisto opened his arms, his voice filled with seductive power. "Be it endless wealth or eternal life, as long as you sign your name, all of this..."

"I want a shred of your recognition."

Qin Ming's flat voice once again interrupted Mephisto's casting animation.

"What?" The old man was stunned.

Wealth? Lifespan? Power? He had ready-made price lists for all of those.

But what was 'a shred of recognition'? It wasn't even a concrete, physical object; it was a completely ethereal emotional concept.

"What, is that hard to understand?" A 'kind' smile curled at the corners of Qin Ming's mouth. "The Son of God helps you send that unfilial, rebellious son back home.

As payment, you, Mephisto, Lord of Hell, give me a 'like' in your heart, sincerely recognizing my strength and assistance. It's that simple."

Mephisto stared intently at Qin Ming.

He tried to find traces of a conspiracy on the ten-year-old boy's face.

But there were none; the condition was so loose it was practically charity.

Giving 'recognition' would result in no material loss for him, the Lord of Hell.

It wouldn't deplete his magic, sell his soul, or cede his power.

It was just a verbal check on a spiritual level.

But as the King of Lies, his naturally suspicious instinct still made him hesitate.

Qin Ming looked at the silent Mephisto and clicked his tongue impatiently.

He reached casually behind his head with his right hand.

"Hum—!"

A solid, physical golden halo, condensed to the extreme, was gripped directly in Qin Ming's palm.

The moment the halo appeared, the entire back alley was illuminated as bright as day.

A terrifying holy pressure, like a materialized tsunami, slammed into Mephisto.

The old man's body suddenly sank, and his cane even pressed several cracks into the concrete ground.

The surface of his tattered gentleman's suit even began to emit sizzling white smoke.

Qin Ming casually weighed the heavy golden ring in his hand, then held it out in front of Mephisto.

"Come, hold it, and we shall conclude the contract with this." Qin Ming's tone brooked no argument.

Looking at the holy halo emitting a deadly radiance, Mephisto took half a step back.