Chapter 245:


    As night fell, when little yers were most active, a ghostly Blood Vulture Spirit was silently gliding over thend of the Count of Kadman.


    From its high vantage point, the darkness of night couldn’t obscure its spectral vision.


    At the edge of its sight, it could see figures running wildly in the night, chaotic like a startled herd as if fleeing from unseen dangers, though there were no visible threats pursuing them.


    This was a group of gnolls, quite numerous with about 50-60, apanied by an equal number of kobolds. It was clearly a tribe in rapid migration.


    The gnoll chieftain, riding a dire wolf, led his nsmen westward from the Baron of Leim’s domain. Their destination was already clear.


    “Another gnoll n migrating towards the Anderma Hills, that’s the 4th one observed tonight.”


    In the office of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, who was reviewing documents sent by Miriam, switched to Revnor’s perspective. He wasn’t at all surprised by the scene before him.


    Though savage, the gnolls had their own loose social system and information channels.


    Therge-scale official actions in the Baroness of Shadows’ domain by the Crimson Citadel and the Witch Hunters’ killings in the Mond baron’s domain couldn’t be hidden from these creatures. Although their brains weren’t bigger than walnuts, some astute leaders had already sensed the approaching danger.Additionally, the warlord Kenport in the Anderma Hills was constantly sending envoys to gnoll ns elsewhere. Weighing these factors, it wasn’t surprising that more and more gnolls were fleeing to join the Great Beast Den.


    In the minds of these savage creatures, bing part of the Great Beast Den seemed to mean they no longer had to fear those fierce hunters who appeared to have spawned overnight.


    This was also the direction Murphy hoped things would take.


    There were too many wandering gnolls on Transia’snds. Although the yers’ actions were very decisive, cruel, and swift, if they had to uproot one stronghold after another, the hope of ending this bandit suppression operation within 30-40 days would be impossible to achieve.


    He needed an opportunity!


    An opportunity topletely crush the spirit of the gnolls on thisnd, making them flee at the sight of humans.


    Murphy didn’t expect to kill all the gnolls, he just needed to reduce the number of gnolls in Transia to below a certain threshold. This way, the gnolls fleeing to surrounding areas could give the “neighbors” a taste of the intensity, letting them truly feel the threat of the “ck Disaster approaching.”


    Incidentally, it would serve as a reminder for them to be more generous when aiding Transia.


    This was a n that achieved three goals at once.


    If you add in military training and the level increases of little yers, it would be achieving four goals at once.


    Of course, to realize Murphy’s scheme, he couldn’t just wait for opportunities to fall from the sky. He knew he had to actively promote factors favorable to him.


    “Adele,e to me.”


    The vampire lord called out through the blood connection between elders and descendants. Soon, Lady Adele pushed open the door and entered, her hands crossed over her abdomen, waiting for her master’s instructions.


    “How’s the situation with Hog?”


    He raised his head and asked.


    “That gnoll has exchanged 15 diators from Dorothy in the past 7 days. It has instilled the idea of ‘rescuing their brethren’ in its members, making them follow it to constantly clear out ghouls near the 3rd level of the sewers.


    As of this morning, ording to Dorothy’s report, this gnoll strike team, with the help ofbustibles provided by the Blood Rat Gang, has killed hundreds of ghouls.”


    Adele reported in the manner of the most excellent intelligence officer:


    “In terms of results alone, this is already very impressive, butpared to the killing efficiency of your warriors, they are still far behind. After all, no matter how savage gnolls are, they still fear injury and death, and they need rest and recovery from injuries.


    All these seriously slow down theirbat efficiency.


    However, ording to the secret observations of several of my subordinates, although Hog is small in stature, its cunning wisdom is definitely first-ss among gnolls.


    It manages its n very well and knows to actively learn from the structure and action patterns of the Blood Rat Gang. They are trying to adopt action patterns simr to assassins.


    Decisive, swift, and quite destructive, striking and retreating without lingering in battle.”


    “It seems you have a high opinion of it.”


    A smile appeared on Murphy’s handsome face as he yed with the broken pocket watch in his hand, saying:


    “My spirit vulture tells me that many gnoll ns in the Baron of Leim’s domain have heard the news and are starting to flee towards the Anderma Hills.


    This is a good opportunity!


    Perhaps you can activate the n we’ve already prepared.


    The key is to ensure that Hog and its nsmen escape from the Crimson Citadel in a way that’s within reason but beyond expectation. At the very least, they can’t escape mboyantly under the attention of a group of vampires, otherwise, not just other gnolls, even Hog’s own nsmen wouldn’t believe it.


    Gnolls may be stupid, but they still have brains.”


    “You don’t need to worry about that, master.”


    Adele took out a hand-drawn map from her sleeve and ced it before Murphy. She pointed to the winding terrain of the 3rd level of the sewers marked on the map, saying:


    “Dorothy said she heard from Zweig that in the river channels of the underground caverns, there’s a hidden waterway that leads directly to a secret underground cave upstream of the Kadman River. Professor Chen also confirmed this with his knowledge. The newly recruited riffraff of the Blood Rat Gang have been searching there for the past few days, and they’ve really found it.


    I sent Deanna, the best swimmer among my descendants, to personally traverse it.


    She reported that one only needs to hold their breath and swim along the current for a few minutes to enter the narrow underground waterway, after which it’s smooth sailing.


    Its final exit is near the river bay between the Baron of Leim’s domain and the Anderma Hills. There used to be a vige there, but it’s now abandoned due to war. They canplete a spectacr prison break by taking this route.


    Of course, after they leave, I will immediately destroy this passage.”


    “Why destroy it? Such a good secret passage for infiltration and sabotage operations should definitely be kept.”


    Murphy shook his head.


    He looked at the terrain map with interest, and after pondering for a moment, said:


    “A small dock can be built at this exit bay.


    The Kadman River has a strong current, we can use this to develop the transportation industry. Going upstream can reach the Kafhoka ins, and downstream leads directly to Lake Shulps in the Cato region. This river indeed needs a few docks.


    After it’s built, let the Blood Rat Gang manage it.


    However, I guess before that, this secret passage might be useful for other purposes.


    Also, can you still embrace descendants?”


    Murphy asked.


    Although his administrator system only gave him 3 embrace slots at the ck Iron Rank, as far as he knew, NPC vampires didn’t have such restrictions. As long as they could handle it, they could embrace many people even at the Professional stage.


    Of course, due to the mutual influence of the blood contract, when vampires are not very powerful, abusing blood contracts to have too many descendants is often not a good thing.


    “At my current stage, having 3 descendants ensures the best coordination, but I understand your meaning.”


    Adele nodded and said:


    “I will give Dorothy an ‘arrangement’.”


    “Thank you for your trouble.”


    Murphy said, and Adele didn’t respond specially.


    Obviously, she didn’t view this as a burden.


    As an intelligence chief, she could see the enormous potential of the Blood Rat Gang, this small groupposed of riffraff.


    It’s not umon for various powers to use thieves and petty criminals to gather intelligence. Even the peace-loving halflings have quite an ambiguous rtionship between their Steam Lord Council and the Thieves’ Guild that walks in darkness.


    Adele was very clear that Murphy’s forces needed such a power.


    Moreover, even by the most critical standards, “Razor” Dorothy was indeed an excellent candidate for a descendant in all aspects.


    If she were to receive the Midnight’s Blessing, she would surely be a deadly sword in the darkness, thus serving Lord Murphy and the Blood Vulture n better.


    ——


    Tonight was again the day for the “Great diatorial Contest” at the Fight Club.


    After being taken over by the Blood Rat Gang, this ce that was originally ignored opened every night, especially after the camp’s curfew was lifted. The 7th sewer entrance became the best entertainment spot for workers and subjects who had been busy all day.


    The enterprising Blood Rat Gang even set up a small tavern here, allowing customers to quench their thirst for alcohol while watching the exciting diatorial fights.


    To be honest, it’s only because Lord Murphy currently has few people under him and can’t mess around, and the consumption capacity in this godforsaken ce Transia isn’t very strong, with residents having no money in their hands. Otherwise, with Dorothy’s shrewdness, dancers and such would definitely have been arranged already.


    As the saying goes, “wine, women, and song all in one, wealth rolls in and fortunees”, Lady Razor’s goal was clearly to build Fight Club into the future “Den of Debauchery” in Crimson Citadel.


    But tonight’s “Great diatorial Contest” was different from the usual small skirmishes.


    After consulting with Maxim, the real manager of Fight Club, Dorothy adjusted the yer participation from 3 times a week to twice a week, but the intensity and scale of the battles were maxed out, evolving directly from “exciting” to “bloody” levels.


    For yers, especially neers to the game,ing to Fight Club for diatorial fights was also a very good choice. Not only could they grind skill proficiency, but they could also spend money to buy their own victories and thus earn a little extra ie.


    The Blood Rat Gang also adjusted the positioning of yers in the arena.


    Now, after spending money to purchase entry tickets from the Blood Rat Gang and registering as diators, yers had quite ample choice of battle modes.


    There were not only ordinary matches of singlebat against monsters, but also elite matches prepared for the ck Iron Trial, as well as the “Honor Three-Person Team Battle” that the Blood Pact Knights team’s reserve knights would participate in.


    And there was also the “PVP” mode between yers, which wasn’t yed by many people currently.


    The variety was plentiful, and due to the yers’ fearless and fierce characteristics, the spectacle of the great diatorial contests held every 3 days was more than a notch above ordinary diatorial fights.


    When the audience enjoyed watching, they naturally paid up, and with double betting temporarily allowed during the great contests, it naturally attracted many gambling dogs toe and try their luck.


    The little yers were already flexing their muscles in the diator preparation area, exchangingbat tips with each other.


    Among the 17 little yers who signed up for tonight’spetition, apart from Brother Mao, Sister Pomegranate, and Niuniu, these 3 battle enthusiasts who came to refresh their “winning streak record”, the other 14 were all participating in the ck Iron Trial.


    They asked Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate for advice, and the two were not stingy with their guidance.


    But no matter how well-prepared they were, a few unreliable ones were likely to die tonight. After all, not everyone was good at fighting, and the difficulty of challenging elites was apletely different concept in the eyes of ordinary yers and experts.


    However, this was the wild and unrestrained life of yers. Death was but a small embellishment of pleasure.


    “Why did that Witch Huntere here too?”


    In the preparation area, Sister Pomegranate nced at the audience seats and, unsurprisingly, saw Miss Amber sitting among the crowd, holding a roasted rat meat skewer and looking around.


    She turned back to her brother very displeased and said:


    “You seem to be getting closer and closer to her. I told you to go and improve your rtionship, not to do these weird things in the game!


    What?


    Do you like paper wives too?”


    “What are you talking about?”


    The tall and strong Niuniu retorted defiantly:


    “Can’t I make a friend in the game? Don’t you often y with those little beans in the camp with Lumina? The NPCs in this game are so intelligent, isn’t making friends with them no different from reality?”


    “Are you pretending to be dumb or do you really not know?”


    Sister Pomegranate said with her hands on her hips:


    “Pay more attention! Niuniu, I don’t want to watch you be an ‘electronic waste person’. Find a girlfriend after graduation, go on blind dates if you have to.”


    “Oh, you’re so annoying, I’ve never seen you nag like this before.”


    Niuniu was extremely annoyed, but when he saw Brother Mao opposite him, his eyes suddenly rolled, and he chuckled a few times, saying to his elder sister:


    “Tell me, why did our route to visit uncles and aunts suddenly change in a few days? Why do we have to go to the southwest? What are we nning to do? Who are we going to meet? Do you need me to prepare some cosmetics or something for you?


    After all, meeting an online friend, you should dress up a bit. I’m not saying this for no reason, the family is almost dying of anxiety over your affairs, they’re all arranging blind dates for you.


    I guess they won’t need to worry anymore.”


    “Shut up!”


    Sister Pomegranate angrily kicked Niuniu and turned away. Although Niuniu was kicked, he finally got the peace he wanted.


    He snorted, flexing his body and waving again to Amber in the audience seats. Thetter returned with a gesture of encouragement. But while they were preparing, there was a scene of gloom and despair in another contestant preparation area.


    The gnoll diators staying here all knew about the tragic situation of the great diatorial contest three days ago.


    Of the 15 gnoll diators sent up, only 3 survived in the end. The warriors under Vampire Murphy were so fierce that even these elite gnolls felt fear.


    How many of these guys would survive today?


    Just as they were most frustrated, a small hooded figure silently emerged from the shadows. Hog was still in his ssic head-hidden-tail-exposed attire. He made a strange sound and said to the gnoll diators before him:


    “How have you considered? Tonight is thest chance. Last time we lost 13rades, those were the most elite warriors among the Transia gnolls. I guess you might not survive tonight either.


    So, do you want to escape with me?


    Give me a straight answer!”


    “You’re just ackey of the vampires! Get lost.”


    A burly gnoll berserker roared and tried to pounce on Hog to fight, but was held back by several other gnolls.


    This guy had terrible wounds on his body. He was one of the 3 gnoll diators who survived three days ago.


    He extremely hated these vampires, but he hated the guy in front of him even more.


    “You dog, you cane and go freely in the Blood Rat Gang’s territory, you must have already knelt at Vampire Murphy’s feet and kissed his toes.


    You are a disgrace to our race!”


    The berserker cursed loudly, but the other gnolls didn’t respond.


    After these days of precipitation, Hog didn’t care about this ridiculous mockery at all. He let out the strangeugh of gnolls in the shadows.


    He said:


    “Say whatever you want, but the fact is I’ve saved many people! I’m just asking if you want to live? My nsmen and I have done our best for your lives. The best part is, in the process of hunting ghouls, we found a small path to escape.


    I’m not lying to you, this is destined to be a nine deaths, one life situation!


    But if you still want to return to the wilderness and be free, rather than being abused and killed for entertainment here like dogs, think about it yourselves.


    I’ll only wait for you in the 3rd underground level for 10 hoursses!


    If you don’te by midnight, I’ll run away with my nsmen. King Kenport is gathering arge army in the Anderma Hills, I’ll go back there. Then I’ll bring the army back and bite all these vampires to death!”


    After saying this, Hog didn’t say more, retreating and disappearing into the shadows.


    He was small in stature, and his spirit talent was quite ordinary, but his perception and use of shadows had progressed rapidly under Dorothy’s training.


    He was now a qualified gnoll thief and assassin.


    Hog moved forward silently in the shadows, soon arriving at Dorothy’s tent. He saw Lady Dorothy, clothes in disarray, covering her face and kneeling on the ground.


    In front of the Blood Rat Gang’s boss, Lady Adele was gracefully wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.


    An embrace had just beenpleted.


    Judging from their postures, Dorothy had resisted, but regrettably, her resistance didn’t serve much purpose.


    This scene made Hog’s hair stand on end.


    He was a sage among gnolls.


    He knew that this scene was deliberately shown to him by the vampire before him, to make him realize that the Blood Rat Gang that supported him was nothing but a toy to be manipted at will in front of the Blood Vulture n.


    “Are you ready?”


    There was some weakness in Adele’s voice.


    Just as Murphy had bestowed blood essence upon her, she had injected Dorothy with the true blessing of midnight.


    Looking at Hog nodding frantically, trying hard to appear obedient, she said softly:


    “Very good, you can start now. For the secrecy of this operation, Lord Murphy has given you a code name. From tonight until Kenport’s demise, remember, your name is ‘Pangolin’.”