Item Name: Frostfang – ssic Noble Ceremonial Sword


    Quality: Standard – Sovereign


    Traits: Transcendent Piercing – Exceptional Swiftness – Exceptional Spirit Protection – Winter Essence Enchantment


    Special Effect: This item has an extremely high chance of inflicting the 【Freezing Slow】 effect on targets it hits, which can stack. After triggering this effect three times, the target will bepletely frozen and afflicted with the 【Suffocating Cold】 status.


    Current Bound Owner: Andre Alexei Romanov Torrez


    Crafter: Nordtov Royal Court’s Commissioned Grandmaster Seleucus Coda


    Item Description:


    【This sword is a tribute and replica of the “Holy Wolf Fang” sword wielded by “Hero King Boris”, the founding monarch of the Kingdom of Nordtov. It was a gift bestowed upon followers by Her Majesty “Wolf Queen” Angelina Alexeievna Romanov after bing the Queen of all Nords.


    Every owner of a Frostfang de has been an important figure in the Nordtov court.The political symbolism imbued in this sword far exceeds its mere existence, but that does not prevent it from being a masterpiece among weapons. It onlycks a touch of essence to be considered a true top-tier war art forged from steel.】


    “Theoretically, this should be the first Sovereign-level weapon I’ve obtained personally, right?”


    Murphy caressed the luxurious hilt of the Frostfang de, feeling the chilling coldness emanating from the weapon.


    He felt quite satisfied. Although he already possessed Necessary Evil, an artifact that could be used until “the game servers shut down”, Murphy still felt the need to equip himself with a secondary weapon.


    There were two reasons for this.


    First, Necessary Evil’s weapon traits determined that its greatest strength lies in coborativebat rather than being wielded directly by its bearer. Once this Desire Demon de entered its active hunting state, Murphy would be empty-handed.


    Although he had formidable abilities like Night ws, he could not summon this power during the day. Did he really want to resort to fighting with his bare fists?


    It wasn’t impossible, but for a vampire swordsman to be reduced to fisticuffs would be rather unbing.


    Second, and more importantly…


    Although Necessary Evil had not been in Murphy’s hands for long, the mischievous little demon had clearly discovered a second use for it.


    “Swish!”


    Frostfang left its sheath, and the slender de vibrated rapidly with a flick of Murphy’s wrist before swiftly returning to a straight line.


    This spirit de could not be fully mastered by Murphy through spirit resonance due to its bound wielder, but he currently did not care about its special effect. He nonchntly took up this perfectly bnced noble ceremonial sword and assumed the opening stance of the Tomb Guard Sword Arts.


    The Necessary Evil hanging from his waist let out a resigned hum.


    Under Murphy’s gaze, it levitated and floated a step away from him, de pointing down in a rather peculiar opening stance despite being ungripped.


    “No, we won’t practice ‘Wolf’s Kiss’ today. Let’s try the ‘Midnight Assassin’ from the Thorn n. I’ve heard it’s one of the finest assassin sword arts among the blood n techniques. Considering our uing dealings with them, I’d like to see it in action.”


    Murphy instructed.


    The “reluctantly working” Desire Demon de hummed again, quite unwillingly changing its de position. This time, the hilt was up and the edge was down, hovering at a standard 90-degree angle to the ground, as if an invisible hand were gripping the demon sword.


    “Come!”


    The vampire lord crooked his finger, and the Desire Demon de immediately charged forward with 【Grandmaster】 level Midnight Assassin sword art, only to be met by Murphy’s Frostfang de.


    One man, one sword, they exchanged blows. Murphy was clearly at a disadvantage… no, scratch that. Ever since starting this “sword art special training”, he had barely won at all!


    Even when using his own Blood Vulture Sword Arts, which had reached the Grandmaster level, and Necessary Evil, he still couldn’t win.


    After all, the Desire Demon de made its living through its mastery of spirit de techniques. Each sword art engraved within was a true Grandmaster-level skill. It was impossible for Murphy, who had only been in this world for a little over a month, to suddenly surpass the pinnacle of such supreme skills, even if he was a sword genius.


    However, this did not prevent Murphy from seeing it as an effective means of rapidly improving his swordsmanship.


    Tris had previously told him that advancing one’s ck Iron power level had to be done “slowly” because this level was aboutying the foundation.


    It was like the simple principle that a bucket’s capacity is determined by the shortest nk. Rushing through the ck Iron Body’s tempering would inevitably leave him with terrible ws. As a long-lived vampire, he would typically spend several years, or even over a decade, perfecting his foundational skills at the ck Iron level until they were wless.


    Even short-lived human ck Iron warriors would choose to journey across the continent, challenging formidable foes to perfect their skills.


    In any case, Tris’ advice was worth heeding!


    Therefore, Murphy nned to learn all the advanced sword arts engraved within Necessary Evil’s de to at least the 【Master】 level before attempting the Silver Trial to advance his power.


    This was an extremely arduous and time-consuming n.


    Fortunately, after dumping the management of his territory on his Crimson Regent and tossing n affairs to Tris, Murphy’s only remaining tasks aside from patrolling his domain and interacting with the little yers werepleting his own ns.


    However, tonight’s sword art guidance from the “cruel mentor” was soon interrupted by an unexpected event.


    “Ding!”


    The core bead on Murphy’s chest let out a soft hum, prompting him, who was struggling to parry the elusive strikes of Necessary Evil’s de like a midnight assassin, to raise his hand in a pausing gesture.


    Almost simultaneously, the chilling demon sword de also “gently” caressed Murphy’s neck like a shadow’s hand.


    “This Midnight Assassin sword art is quite formidable, clearly tailored for surprise attacks and assassinations. It’s worth learning!”


    Murphy sheathed the Frostfang de and nced at the unconscious Count Andrei, casually casting a Detection spell on him while activating his core bead.


    Maxim’s deep voice resonated from within:


    “Master, the traitors in Bataxin City have been cleared out!”


    “Good, leave the post-operation matters to Lady Palen. I want my ‘Business Knight’ to establish a ‘Bataxin Administrative Committee’ in this city belonging to Transia.”


    Murphy said offhandedly:


    “Let her appoint the internal members. Also, inform Lady Palen that I have taken note of her contributions and efforts. After resolving the food security issue in my territory, I will grant her Bataxin City as a non-hereditary fief.”


    “Understood, Master.”


    Maxim acknowledged.


    But Murphy knew his loyal servant would not disturb him for such a trivial matter, so he patiently waited for Maxim to report the truly important news.


    “Your warriors captured a rather peculiar group of traitors while assisting with the cleanup.”


    The Baron of Leim’s voice also turned strange as he softly told Murphy:


    “That group of traitors surrendered to us voluntarily, and their leader said she knows you, that she was once your friend and provided necessary assistance to you and Lady Tris.”


    “Huh? I have friends in Kadman City? Howe I don’t know about this?”


    Murphy was genuinely surprised this time.


    He didn’t recall receiving any help from vampire families while he and Tris were struggling to survive in Kadman City. Those bastards would have been rather lenient if they didn’te and kick them while they were down. However, these surrendering traitors were quite intriguing.


    Murphy rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment and said:


    “Disarm them, I’ll be there shortly.”


    “As youmand, my lord.”


    Maxim acknowledged and ended themunication. Meanwhile, Murphy bent down and picked up the injured, unconscious Count of White Mountain. He then summoned the well-fed Astral Direwolf George, ced the captive on George’s back, and had it carry the prisoner as he made his way to the city.


    It wasn’t until then that the Detection spell he had cast on the Count of White Mountain finally disyed the identity tag, clearly hindered by some interfering force.


    However, the administrator system proved reliable as always, providing Murphy with the information he sought:


    Character Name: 【Count of White Mountain】Andre Alexei Romanov Torrez


    Character Temte: Level 17 – ck Iron Rank – Rare


    Special Bloodline: Winter Direwolf Kin – Hero King’s Blood – North Wind Descendant


    Current Professions: Level 12 Frost Spirit Swordsman / Level 10 Thorn Nightwalker / Lyric Poet – Mncholy Specialization


    Strength Evaluation: Novice – Neutral


    Note!


    Your Detection spell has attracted the attention of the Guardian Deity of Nordtov – Lord of the Great Wilderness – Astral Realm Great Spirit – God of the North Wind – Winter Wolf God【Su】


    “Damn it! First it was Avalon of Nature, now it’s the Great Wolf of Winter. I’m freaking done!”


    The final note made Murphy’s hair stand on end.


    He instinctively looked up and cursed fiercely:


    “Could that old knight’s strange prophecy before his death actually be true? Do I really have toe into contact with every god on the entire continent? The problem is, I’m an Eternal Sin Descendant vampire! Shouldn’t I be a piece of sh*t in your eyes?


    Are you Astral Realm Great Spirits all eating fancy cakes or what?”


    ——


    “Phew, it’s a good thing I held back that strike. This guy really does seem like a special storyline character.”


    At the entrance to the basement of a manor in Bataxin City, Meow Gang and the student party were keeping guard. ck Stockings, the Witch Hunter greatsword wielder, felt a bit unnerved.


    He was the first to discover a group of weakened and imprisoned Blood Vulture traitors hiding here. Excited at the prospect of iming their heads, he was about to strike when one of them suddenly called out Murphy’s name, causing him to hold back his killing blow, leading to the subsequent events.


    “I reckon these traitors might have some hidden story.”


    Ah Yuen squatted on the ground, ying with ants while looking up at the others:


    “Look at how severely malnourished they are, like they’ve been drained of blood. And they were imprisoned in the basement. I think these NPCs are probably rebelling loyalists who might get recruited into the Blood Vulture n as our NPCs.”


    “It’s not that certain.”


    Meow King leaned on his beloved Crimson Witch Staff and said:


    “Lady Adele’s Quest Description was very clear. Keep only ten to be brought back for the Sunscorching Punishment, the rest are to be crushed, to demonstrate the authority of this new grand duchess, Lady Tris. These vampires are truly ruthless towards their own kind. In one night, including the blood servants and vampires, they took out nearly over a hundred traitors.


    This can be called the ‘Bataxin Massacre’ for fuck’s sake.”


    “Hey, when the situation is unstable, you gottae down hard. I see no issue with using harshws in chaotic times.”


    Don’t Need Hands to Show Off, chewing on a de of grass, said with a pout:


    “Besides, if we don’t kill off all the traitorous NPCs, where will the positions go for us yers? I heard the number of people in a vampire n is strictly controlled, with a dedicated n responsible for keeping track. Those secretly developed ‘ck households’ don’t count.


    So, dear yer sir, you wouldn’t want to go through the trouble of changing your race in the game only to not even get an official ID card, would you?”


    “Swish!”


    As the little yers were chatting, a familiar figure descended from the sky.


    Massive bat wings unfurled, allowing Murphy tond steadily before them. The little yers immediately stepped forward to pay respects and get reacquainted.


    “My warriors, your performance tonight was outstanding! Once again proving your efficiency and reliability. Now go find Adele to receive your well-deserved rewards.”


    Murphy smiled at his adorable and hardworking little yers:


    “Additionally, there is a special prisoner who needs to be escorted back to the Crimson Citadel. His identity is quite important, so be sure to keep a close watch on him!”


    “As youmand, my lord!”


    Upon hearing about rewards, the little yers’ eyes lit up with delight.


    The base reward for this two-day quest was a spirit ring with built-in protection. Now that Lord Murphy had spoken, there might even be hidden rewards.


    They cheerfully left the manor, while Murphy extended his hand, using his spirit power to pull open the basement entrance and slowly descend inside.


    Maxim, gripping a ceremonial ck de, was guarding the prisoners here. Murphy scanned the area and found quite a few people still in the basement, over twenty weakened vampires trapped inside.


    They had chains on their hands and feet.


    Murphy immediately noticed that these fellows had a portion of their blood essence extracted, which was the main reason for their inability to escape the basement.


    It seemed even among the Blood Vulture traitors, there were factional divisions.


    This tradition of infighting was truly endless, with infinite subdivisions, just like you describe, right?


    “Who imed to be ‘my friend’?”


    Murphy scanned the dark basement but didn’t recognize any familiar vampires. Angered by the deception, his tone turned cold. In the crowd, an extremely weak female vampire struggled to stand with the help of others.


    Although Murphy had never seen her before, this female vampire took the initiative to lower her head and introduce herself:


    “My name is Mary, Lord Murphy. I have never met you, but I did not deceive you by iming to be your friend. My close friend… well, my lover Mork told me your story. He said he had seen your difficult living conditions and instructed his blood servants to provide you with additional relief supplies.”


    “Mork?”


    Murphy blinked, familiar memories surfacing as he said:


    “Oh, I remember now. The guy who wished me a smooth journey to death and generously gave me three extra relief ration packs, wishing me a full stomach for the road?”


    “Shing!”


    Upon hearing his master insulted like this, Maxim immediately drew his de halfway, startling the other vampires in the basement.


    Even the standing Mary trembled like a sieve.


    She truly didn’t know that her unreliable lover’s “help”, which he joked about, was actually in such circumstances?


    Damn it!


    Her soul was about to return to the Night Mother.


    But Murphy did not unleash a massacre.


    He waved his hand, signaling Maxim to sheathe his weapon. Looking at the fearful and miserable Mary, whose tattered clothes and once alluring body were covered in scars, clearly having suffered a lot recently, he asked:


    “So, where is my ‘dear friend’ Mork? I intended to properly repay that ‘meal’s kindness’.”


    “Mork, he’s dead.”


    Mary answered fearfully but honestly:


    “Not in Bataxin, but at the hands of the true n traitors. This is the hidden story I wanted to tell you! Lord Murphy, I know who was behind the Kadman City disaster! Mork and I witnessed the omen before the cmity struck.


    My lord!


    Those of us vampires hiding in Bataxin City are at most a group of disloyal individuals seeking to leave the abnormal situation, but the true traitors are others!


    The Blood Vulture n was notpletely destroyed in the disaster.


    3,000 people!


    Yes!


    At least!


    At least 3,000 people had already secretly defected to the vile Wolfsbane n before the cmity struck! It was they who shut down the Nocturne Barrier before the Astral Realm rift erupted, and it was they who, under the despicable old Edward’s instructions, devastated our n.


    I witnessed it with my own eyes!”


    “Hm?”


    This information made Murphy narrow his eyes. He was definitely interested as he asked:


    “So, who is the leader of these true traitors you speak of? And where are they now?”


    “They fled Kadman City twenty minutes before the Astral Realm disaster struck, perhaps already under the protection of the Wolfsbane n.”


    The vampire Mary said in a low voice:


    “As for the leader, Mork and I didn’t see them, but we heard the name those guys shouted before killing Mork, Baroness Cecilia! Yes, that’s the name!”


    “!”


    Murphy’s fingers clenched tightly behind his back.


    He knew that name!


    That was the name of Lady Femis’ mysterious human mother, and the title matched too. So this was the human vixen Cecilia, abandoned by the old scumbag Salrokdar, who under the instructions of the neighboring old king Edward, dealt the fatal blow to her former lover and Femis’ father?


    Damn it!


    I’m speechless.


    Mydy, your parents are truly entric enough. An unhappy marriage could even cause a nation-destroying family feud. This vampire family drama of yours is indeed “deadly” spectacr!