“Ding!”
Meow King, who was strolling the streets with his four heavenly kings and old pal, ambushing and collecting heads, had just taken down an injured Blood Vulture traitor when he suddenly heard a notification sound from his character interface.
He was wondering if he had triggered some strange quest, but when he looked down, a row of eye-catchingrge text popped up on the entire interface:
“Congrattions to tester ‘Sword Saint Ashina’ forpleting the achievement 【Server First! Ruthlessly crossing the ck Iron Realm!】”
“???”
Meow King’s eyes were instantly filled with question marks.
Sword Saint Ashina?
Isn’t that the 155cm shorty who’s always acting yful and immature like a middle schooler?
That girl seems to be the weakest in the girls’ team no matter how you look at it, right? And if Meow King remembers correctly, that girl only reached level 10 this afternoon, so she simply didn’t have time to farm equipment and prepare for the trial!Is there something wrong with the achievement system?
Developers!
GM!
Are you there?
Your system has a problem, hurry and show yourself to fix it!
“Holy shit! Awesome!”
“6666”
The brothers beside him didn’t have as many thoughts as Meow King. Upon seeing this “server-wide announcement”, they immediately expressed their appreciation and recognition with profanity.
Electronic Subus Old Tune even flipped through the achievement list for a while, then eximed in surprise:
“This girl didn’t level up by farming normal ck Iron monsters! She directly challenged an elite! This is a unique achievement for sessfully challenging an elite!
It’s hidden!
It can’t be found in the achievement list at all!
My god, how did she do it?”
“She’s offline, private messages show she’s AFK.”
Don’t Need Hands to Show Off said with equal amazement:
“The girls’ team must have discovered another bug! Sister Pomegranate is in their team, right? Sister Pomegranate was the first person in the game to sessfully exploit a bug, maybe she did it again this time.”
“Right, are we even able to fight that elite monster now?”
Meow King said with a sigh:
“I almost got eaten alive by that Astral Tiger a few days ago. It’s hard to imagine someone being able to do this, and shepleted this achievement in Bataxin City! The only elites that can be farmed here now are vampires!
Solo an elite ck Iron vampire while enhanced by the night?
Holy shit!
This is definitely a cheat, right?”
It wasn’t just Meow King’s group of six who were shocked. The student faction’s side was also in an uproar.
They stopped fighting monsters, stopped picking up equipment, and surrounded Precipitation Niuniu, urging him to quickly ask Sister Pomegranate how exactly did little Ashina do it? But Sister Pomegranate only gave a simple exnation, after all, little Ashina’sbat method wasn’t particrlyplex or unique.
The essence is just one word!
Whale!
Whale like crazy!
“She bought a whole twenty ‘Vampire’s Requiem’ bullets alone.”
After hearing this, Niuniu turned to the student brothers beside him with a sense of disappointment:
“That thing is a rare ammunition that can only be purchased after reaching a certain reputation level with Lady Tris. Each bullet costs 10 gold coins! Let’s disperse, we simply can’tpare with just this one item.”
“That’s not right! little Ashina was in the third batch to enter the game. At most, it’s only been a week until now, where did she get so much money to buy ammunition?”
Ah Yuen counted on his fingers:
“Moreover, as soon as she entered the game, she encountered the Blood Vulture Halls dungeon event. Even if she leeched off a team quest with Lumina, it’s impossible for her to raise Lady Tris’ reputation. Did Lumina help her buy it?
But a whole 200 gold coins is just the ammunition cost. There are only four people in the girls’ team, they definitely can’t gather that much.”
“Uh, do you remember yesterday when Rich Guy was collecting materials at high prices on the forum, he also collected a batch of gold coins?”
Spicy Gugu Chicken said with a strange look in his eyes:
“I exchanged all the few dozen gold coins I had saved up. Got myself a new phonest night. Holy shit, don’t tell me Rich Guy also has a thing with her?”
“Don’t make wild guesses. Even if we give you bullets, can you hit anything?”
Miaomiao Shark raised his hand to stop this irresponsible spection.
He himself is a hunter ss, so he is even more clear about the difficulty of hitting an elite vampire with bullets in this pitch-ck night.
As they say, only an expert can see the trick. Miaomiao Shark waved his hand with a sigh and said:
“little Ashina only fired three shots when fighting the final boss Salrokdar in the dungeon before, but all three shots hit! That was a gold-rank boss. I’m telling you, this is talent! An ordinary person really can’tpare.
This shorty is probably one of those legendary natural-born sharpshooters. This method of soloing elites can only be used by her. Even if others know the principle, they won’t be able to replicate it.
Sigh, I give up.
However, although fighting vampires won’t work, if we change it to elite ghouls or slow-moving elite astral beasts, we can indeed try this kind of ‘long-range one-hit’ style.
As long as the first sniper shot hits, we can deal a big chunk of damage!
The rest is left to Lady Luck. After praying, wear the best armor and go up to hack and sh.
Damn!
I’m a bit tempted, what should I do?
Brothers, want to apany me back to Crimson Citadel for a trip to the sewers?
If it works, I’ll treat three days of meals!
Drinks and booze, go wild!”
“No problem.”
The dorm brothers were very loyal. Under the temptation of three free meals, they set their next course of action. Only Ah Yuen and Cheche were discussing something quietly on the side.
The two of them seemed to be inspired by little Ashina and also had some clever ideas they wanted to try out.
——
In the night, Maxim tossed the chains in his hands to his descendant, and said to Lady Adele whonded with her wings folded:
“Watch these prisoners! The master said to capture ten and take them back to Crimson Citadel for the sun burning punishment. We’re still short two. I’ll go make another round in the city. There must still be some hidden remnants of the traitors here.”
“Mm.”
Adele nodded. She asked with some concern:
“Does the master not need help on his side? Is it really okay for him to hunt a silver-rank traitor alone?”
“Just a silver-rank, it’s not like the master hasn’t dealt with them before. The leader of the traitors here is just a mediocre fellow. In terms of threat, he can’tpare to Jed at all.”
Maxim waved his hand and said:
“Master Murphy didn’t say he needed help, so we only need to do our own tasks well.
After tonight, there will no longer be any traitors upying Bataxin, but the master hopes this ce will continue to be Transia’s trading gateway. So you still need to mobilize the merchants in the city to clean this ce up a bit before the sunes out.
Wash the grounds and such.
Too many of our kin died in the city tonight. Thisnd has been defiled once again. May the Night Mother forgive their sins of stupidity and blind obedience.”
“What’s with the way you’re talking?”
Adele said in a strange tone:
“I know you’ve been studying recently. The question is, what exactly have you been learning?”
“Oh, a spy taught me that feigning piety while killing can be extremely effective in creating more fear in the enemy.”
Maxim replied.
Adele rolled her eyes and said:
“And you believed that? He wanted you to pretend to be a religious zealot? Or a madman?”
“That’s exactly what he meant.”
Maxim nodded and said:
“And I think what he said makes a lot of sense. I tried it just now. Loudly reciting the Night Mother’s admonitions during the ughter did indeed make those traitors turn and flee in terror upon seeing me.”
“Uh…”
Adele was rendered speechless.
Then, looking up and down at the fully armed Maxim who truly seemed like a monster, his armor covered in bloodstains as if he had stepped out of hell, she said faintly:
“Actually, if you don’t say these weird things, perhaps the oppressive feeling would be even stronger. Really, Maxim, trust me, silent ughter is more effective in creating fear, especially with yourbat style and image.”
“Is that so? It seems I’m indeed not proficient enough in this aspect. I must study harder! So as not to let down the master’s kindness.”
On the other side, in the woods outside the small city of Bataxin.
The Count of White Mountain suddenly opened his eyes after being unconscious for several hours.
He immediately sat up from the ground, only to see Murphy by the bonfire when he turned his head.
The vampire lord sat behind the burning mes, allowing the leaping fire to lengthen his shadow on the ground.
The swordsman’s light armor that once belonged to Salrokdar had traces of battle remaining on it, and beside his hand was a vampire heart ced in a box.
From the size and the luster of the blood essence gathering, this was definitely the heart of a silver-rank vampire, and there was only one silver-rank vampire in Bataxin City!
Hatham Joel Lessenbra.
He was the representative of the Blood Vulture n stationed in Bataxin City.
He was the first to actively contact the Thorn n after the disaster in Kadman City, and was also the head of this group of Blood Vulture traitors who were ughtered tonight.
The Count of White Mountain from the Thorn n narrowed his eyes.
He gained a more intuitive understanding of Murphy’sbat power. There may be quite a few at the ck iron rank who can defeat a silver-rank individual, but there definitely won’t be many who can aplish this almost unscathed.
Murphy noticed the Count of White Mountain’s awakening. He reached out and took the silver vampire heart from the box, cing it in his hand. A blood vulture spirit swooped down from the sky, then pped its wings and lightlynded on Murphy’s arm.
The fierce spirit vulture red at the Count of White Mountain, as if considering from where it should strike to gouge out this fellow’s eyes. Then it started pecking at the still-beating, not-yet-petrified heart in Murphy’s hand.
Pecking at the spiritual power contained in that flesh and blood to please itself.
And in the shadows beside the bonfire, the astral direwolf Georgey there quietly. Its eyes were fixed on the vampire heart in Murphy’s hand.
It patiently waited for the first diner to finish eating, and didn’t mind eating Revnor’s leftovers. Anyway, that foolish blood vulture doesn’t eat meat, so this entire power-filled heart is its ownte-night snack tonight!
Phew, following Murphy surees with meat to eat!
“When I cruelly dug out old Hatham’s heart, that wimp wailed and told me all this was from your instigation. He said he originally nned to lead the vampires back to Crimson Citadel to swear allegiance to Grand Duchess Tris.
But, you people stopped them.
Is this true?”
Murphy fed his spirit pet with this mediocre silver heart while casually asking a question.
This action made the Count of White Mountain feel immense pressure.
Not only because of the “extravagance” contained in Murphy’s actions, but also because this vampire before his eyes was so ruthless even to his own kind, making it not hard to imagine how forceful his methods would be when dealing with other races.
Faced with Murphy’s inquiry, the Count of White Mountain coughed and replied in slightly ented Transian:
“Believe it or not, sir, it was Hatham who contacted us on his own initiative, and it was also him who gathered the nearby Blood Vulture members. That’s why I dispatched my servant Vesta to venture to Bataxin City to receive these kin who voluntarily left the Blood Vultures.”
In the letter he sent me, he said that a terrible disaster had erupted in Kadman City, where the Blood Vulture n was upied. He also asserted that from Patriarch Salrokdar on down, the n’s elite had all perished in battle. He had nowhere to go and begged us to take them in for the sake of our ancient kinship blood.
But now it seems that old bastard deceived us. Not all of the Blood Vulture elites died in the disaster.”
“You’re very honest.”
Murphy said with a hint of banter.
Just now, his ears had been moving slightly in the darkness, using desire perception to listen to the innermost thoughts of this Thorn member before him.
The other party was very guarded, so the information he could hear was limited, but he could basically confirm that he wasn’t lying about this matter.
“I will personally apologize to the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess for this matter. It was due to my misjudgment that caused the two families to break out in this meaningless conflict tonight.”
The Count of White Mountain took the initiative to say:
“In fact, when I saw the chaos in Bataxin City, I knew that the operation to receive this group of exiles had already encountered an ident. And my sole purpose for entering the city was to rescue my loyal servant Vesta. Even among vampires, loyalty is a virtue worthy of praise.”
Faced with the prisoner’s glib tongue, Murphy appeared nomittal.
He raised his hand, and the spirit vulture that had feasted on dark spiritual power squawked and pped its wings, flying into the night sky. Immediately after, with a flick of his finger, the somewhat shriveled vampire heart was tossed to George, who had long been waiting.
The astral direwolf leaped up with a howl, doing a marvelous somersault in the air and precisely catching the delicacy in its mouth. Afternding, it wagged its tail and went to the woods on the side to enjoy it alone.
Murphy took out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers and nced at the Count of White Mountain.
He said:
“I very much agree with your point about loyalty. Also, your skill at trimming your sails is praiseworthy, especially your art of speaking. A foolish adventure that could have triggered a great war between two ns, with a little embellishment from your mouth, turns into a ‘minor friction’ in the name of rescue and loyalty.
You really know how to talk, sir.
What did you do before bing a vampire? A politician who specializes in being a smooth talker?”
“Something like that.”
The Count of White Mountain sighed.
This proud man lowered his head. After hesitating for a moment, he finally confessed his identity to Murphy, saying:
“I am the leader of the ‘White Mountain Faction’ within the Thorn n. It is a very young faction. Unlike other Thorn vampires who desire to reim everything they lost in history, my faction and I focus on more practical political issues.
This indeed stems from my identity before bing a vampire.
Please allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Andrei!
Andrei Alexei Romanov, that was my name as a human.”
“Oh? Romanov?”
Murphy narrowed his eyes.
He put away the handkerchief and asked:
“That is the surname of the Nordtov royal family! So, the ‘Wolf Queen’ who currently sits upon the Winter Wolf Throne is your…”
“Sister!”
The Count of White Mountain Andrei said softly with aplex expression:
“A half-sister with the same father. I am the illegitimate son of the previous Nordtov king. When my sister ascended the throne eleven years ago, I was only eight years old at the time and was sent to the Blood Thorn Duchy as a ‘symbol of the traditional friendship’ between the royal family and the Thorn n.
I lived among vampires for ten years. Last year, when I was eighteen, I formally became a vampire of the Thorn n.
Your previous assessment of me was correct, sir.
In vampire terms, I am indeed aplete newbie.”
He raised his head to look at Murphy and answered very seriously:
“Please believe that I am not using my background identity to threaten you. But the fact is, it’s good for both of us to treat this matter as a minor friction in the name of rescue and loyalty, sir.”
Murphy fell into contemtion.
The flickering thoughts on his face made the Count of White Mountain Andrei think for a moment that his negotiation strategy had worked. And just as he was pondering how to defuse this failure with political means, Murphy suddenly looked up and asked a strange question:
“What a coincidence, I also only became a vampirest year. So, Andrei, when were you ‘born’st year?”
“Huh?”
This question waspletely beyond all the thoughts in the Count of White Mountain’s mind, surprising him so much that he subconsciously answered:
“November, inte autumn and early winter.”
“Hmm, I was in January, on the coldest and most desperate night in the depths of winter. It was also that night’s deathly cold wind that made me understand that even the most beautiful words are not as real as a piece of bread or a warm, fragrant embrace.”
Murphy grinned.
He stood up and walked in front of the Count of White Mountain, flexing his fingers. Looking down at his gray eyes from above, he said:
“Unlike you who was born of noble blood, Ie from very humble origins, so I know nothing about politics. What I mean is, you should save these pretty words to say to Grand Duchess Tris. However, your identity is so special that I think if I use you as bait, it might lure out something incredible.”
“Use as bait?”
“Fishing, little fellow. Don’t tell me that as the queen’s brother, you don’t even have this personal hobby?”
“You! You can’t do this! This is too undignified! I can pay a ransom! Your foolish actions will bring big trouble to your n and yourself! All of Transia will be…”
Bang!
After a heavy blow, Murphy bent down and picked up the luxurious aristocratic sword beside the once again unconscious Count of White Mountain. He held it in his hand, examining it from left to right.
He said in a low voice:
“That’s the problem I need to consider. No need to trouble yourself, sir ‘bait’.”