Actually, rather than being the headquarters of the Demon Cult, the Hellish Plains was the region within which the headquarters were located. Although they were the strongest power in the entire region, they weren't it's absolute overlords.
That's why, the boat of Adam and his group could stop at a port without a problem. Once on land, Adam and Thalia got on top of Neith as she walked straight through the little village they had landed in.
The Hellish Plains was known as the closest place to Hell for a reason, and that was the overwhelming Hell Aura that existed in this place. This Hell Aura would strengthen and allow demonic beings to prosper.
That's why one could find monsters from Hell like Hell Tigers, but also plants, minerals and other specialties from Hell.
Adam had already inquired about Hell Tigers, and found out that if one wanted to find them the best spots were small mountains, they would gather there in groups that could be relatively small or big, depending on one's luck.
It didn't take long for Neith to arrive to one of those small mountains, and start slaughtering Hell Tigers. Those were only Level 60 Monsters after all, even though they were Elder Rank Monsters, they were far from Neith in term of strength. Neither Adam nor Thalia had to lend a hand to kill the fearsome tigers.
After all, during their trip on the water, or rather underwater, although Adam had hunted some monsters and leveled up to Level 40, Neith had killed and eaten many more than him, and she had reached Level 45.
For the Level 45 Neith, a Level 60 Elder Rank monster was nothing to fear, she could kill them easily despite them having two million HP each. A single attack of hers would wipe out almost half of their total HP, if she used a skill of course. Even when they attacked her in groups they wouldn't be able to do anything more than a little damage.
Adam himself had also grown a lot stronger, as he had gathered Level 50 equipment from some of the monsters in the Canal, and now that he had turned Level 40, thanks to the Godslayer's Heart he could equip them.
Adam had now replaced his entire Massacre Set, but he did not throw it away because he had grown attached to the set, he would store it in a safe bank when he had the time, he didn't want to just throw it away.
Now Adam's Helmet, Chestplate, Gauntlets and Boots were all Level 50 Rare Equipment, and even though they didn't make him much stronger, it still allowed him to feel a small increase in his strength.
Anyway, now that this had been handled, Adam had already gathered half of the materials for his set. However, the remaining half was the one harder to get. One would be very dangerous to get, and the other might be as dangerous, and he didn't even know of to get it.
While he traveled, Adam had thought about which material he should go for, and after some thinking he had decided he would send a message to King Slayer, to ask him whether he knew where the Land of Eternal Night was.
After all, this friend of his always seemed to know a lot of things, so Adam bore the faint hope the assassin would also know where the place the Vampires called home was.
And Adam wasn't disappointed when King Slayer replied to him.
'I know how to get there, and I even intend on going there… However, I will probably cause a ruckus once there.'
This made Adam smirk as he replied 'I'm about to shake the entire world, some ruckus isn't going to scare me.'
King Slayer replied 'Good. However, I am kind of stuck in a dangerous place, and I will only be able to leave in a week. Make sure you are free in a week's time.'
Adam told him he was cool with this, and closed his chat. In the end, he didn't have to choose. It would be the Dragon Scales first, and then the Blood Iron Ore.
But as he thought about what he was going to do, Adam couldn't help but feel some apprehension. He was going to piss off the entire Dragon Clan, and that may bring big trouble to him, to his guild, and maybe even his allies.
However, he did not falter in his decision. Adam would sooner or later lose Gaya's protection, meaning losing his immortality. If he didn't want to die in this world then he had to get as strong as possible. He couldn't just hole up just to stay 'safe'.
His confidence burning hot, Adam looked at Thalia and said "I think this is where our paths will separate from each other."
Thalia looked at him shocked, but Adam said "I am going to do something very dangerous, that will piss off the entire Dragon Clan."
Thalia, who knew what the materials for his armor were, naturally understood what he wanted to do. She sighed and said "It's time for me to return to my family then… I can give you a lift to Eleyrius, the capital of Aldeneid. I have a teleportation crystal."
Adam nodded, that would be more convenient than walking out of here. He could also take the canal, but whatever way of travel he used it would probably take him around a week to get to Dragon Valley, and he didn't want to waste too much time.
Adam looked at Neith, and seeing her nod he and Thalia jumped from her back, and he put her in the Pet Space.
Then, he saw Thalia take out a crystal that shone with a white light. She showed her hand to Adam and said "We need to be in physical contact to both be teleported."
Adam nodded and took her hand, and the two disappeared from the Hellish Plains.
A moment later, Adam and Thalia appeared in a dark room. The crystal in Thalia's hands turned into powder and fell to the ground through her fingers. Thalia looked at Adam and said "This was fun… I will message you when I am finished with the [Star Chains] skill book."
Adam nodded so Thalia said "Come, I will get you out of the castle." Adam dropped her hand and she led him out of the room.
The Imperial Palace of Eleyrius was as beautiful as it was big, and that was something to say. Although one may think otherwise, art was something very respected in this world, and as they walked in the corridors of the huge palace Adam saw the most beautiful masterpieces of his life.
No piece on Earth could rival with anything he was witnessing, not really because of a difference in talent but more because artists in this world had extraordinary means to make their paintings or sculptures better, say magic, enchantment and such.
But Adam wasn't an art connoisseur, although it looked beautiful that was it for Adam. He couldn't understand the deeper meaning in those pieces, if there was any.
As they walked through the palace Adam also saw the looks of surprise on the faces of the guards on patrol, but none of them dared to say anything more than 'Your Highness' as they knelt down.
Soon, Adam and Thalia reached the wide doors of the palace, and as they stopped Thalia took out a small token. Adam immediately pocketed it, he didn't need to be told what it was to understand.
However, he didn't give her his own token. His token was for strangers, but she had him as a friend with the system so if she really needed something she could directly ask. And he didn't think she would need his help for something her family couldn't resolve.