ã€ŠMy Players Are So Fierceã€‹


 Chapter 1:

    Kadman City was as peaceful as ever today, although the dark clouds of war were looming nearby. Considering that the damned war had been going on for nearly ten years, the people who had long grown ustomed to rationing remained emotionally stable today.

    What else could they do if not remain stable?

    Rebel?

    The vampire lords in the city had been waiting for them to try that, didn¡¯t they know? Those bastards who drained people¡¯s essence in the literal sense must be vexed that no good cannon fodder was being sent to the front lines, so the wise civilians naturally couldn¡¯t indulge their desire.

    ¡°Look, that poor vampire is mooching relief aid again!¡±

    ¡°Shh shh shh, keep your voice down, don¡¯t let him hear you. After all, he is an official member of the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to fear? I heard from the aunt who works as a kitchen hand at the restaurant in the city hall, whose neighbor is the third cousin of my neighbor¡¯s granduncle, that this guy and his elders are infamous ¡®Blood Vulture good-for-nothings¡¯. Rumor has it he¡¯s just one step away from being expelled from the n. What can he do even if he hears us? The vampires don¡¯t want him either, so why should we poormoners give him face?¡±

    ¡°Exactly! A full-fledged vampireing to snatch relief aid from usmoners, how shameless! Even the servants of the destitute knights who fled here from East Prussia know to cover their faces when collecting relief rations, unlike him openly showing his face without any sense of decency!¡±

    ¡°But you have to admit, the guy is quite handsome.¡±¡°Of course, or else how could the ¡®money-hungry Tris¡¯ have taken a fancy to him? I heard this guy used to be a pretty boy who made countless girls swoon. Uh oh, he¡¯s looking this way, quick! Smile!¡±

    As Murphy turned his head towards the crowd, the whispering group immediately switched to shing sweet and ttering smiles at him, just like they did when greeting other Blood Vulture n members, full of deference and insincerity.

    ¡°Good morning, you idle babbling fools!¡±

    Murphy returned an impable smile, and greeted them in his ¡°hometown dialect¡± as well.

    Though the sight of them nodding and bowing in deference was rather satisfying, bullying these other-realm bumpkins who didn¡¯t understand thenguage wasn¡¯t actually that fun.

    Mainly because even the most amusing game gets dull if you y it for a whole month straight.

    But his draped ck hair, his starkly contrasting ck and white eyes that seemed to speak, and his androgynous features made the youngdies and married women in the crowd swoon. It was just a pity that his unnaturally pale skin and the tinge of blood in his eyes made them hesitate.

    A vampire.

    The legendary supernatural being.

    A dark creature that slept by day and prowled by night, always fond of doing horrible things like imprisoning, torturing, and drinking blood. This gave them an extremely bad reputation across the entire continent. But this was the Transia region of the Portia Federation, a territory controlled by vampires, so their reputation was slightly better here.

    Well, by ¡°slightly better¡± I mean the civilians wouldn¡¯t openly curse at them and greet them with pitchforks, but being bad-mouthed behind their backs like just now was still inevitable.

    After all, the Blood Vultures¡¯ deep roots here of over four hundred years had directly led to this region having the highest number of ghost stories on the continent, with the number of missing persons around Kadman City alone enough to form a reinforced battalion each year. Under such circumstances, it would be a miracle formoners and vampires to get along.

    Murphy was used to the whispers around him.

    Maintaining the aloof demeanor befitting a vampire, he ignored the mixture of malicious and benign gazes around him, queued up quitewfully, patiently waited his turn, he even let ady holding a hungry child go ahead of him.

    This little detail made a few schr-looking people in the crowd view this young vampire a bit more positively, though Murphey himself didn¡¯t know what use their goodwill would be.

    Hmm, whether useful or not, earning goodwill could be considered a good thing for now.

    ¡°Two portions of Type A relief rations, please.¡±

    When it was his turn, he politely made the request to the soldier distributing the food supplies, his manner impable, as courtly as if he were being received by the king himself.

    Elegance was his forte.

    However, the ¡°king¡± before him simply scowled, tossing two rough packages at Murphy without even looking at him again, despite the insignia on the soldier¡¯s uniform indicating he was a ¡°blood servant¡± bound to serve a vampire lord respectfully.

    Unfortunately, Murphy was clearly not on his list of masters to respect.

    ¡°Little Murphy, your ¡®good days¡¯ with Lady Tris are about to end.¡±

    Just as Murphy turned to leave, a mocking whisper rang in his ear like a voice beside him. He nced back to see the vampire lord overseeing the food distribution from the shadows giving him an insincere smile as well.

    Murphy didn¡¯t recognize this fellow, as he had only ¡°arrived¡± here a month ago.

    Perhaps there was information about him in the lingering fragments of memory, but Murphy couldn¡¯t be bothered to look for clues, because his new identity was rather awkward.

    As the idental progeny of the ¡°infamous good-for-nothing¡± Lady Tris from a serious drinking incident, Murphy¡¯s standing within the Blood Vulture n was truly heart-wrenching and tear-inducing to behold.

    In the one year since bing a vampire, this poor sod could count on one hand the number of times he had entered the ¡°Blood Vulture Halls¡± of Kadman City, let alone received party invitations from other nmates.

    It would not be an exaggeration to say that in the month since he came here, he had seen more plump rats in Tris¡¯s dpidated manor than vampires.

    Yet despite his ¡°hermit¡± existence, Murphy was actually quite renowned in the Blood Vulture n. Even the blood servant old grannies in charge of sweeping and cleaning the Blood Vulture Halls knew him, for Murphy was the first nsman in Kadman City who did not abandon the ¡°Queen of Waste¡± Lady Tris.

    From the time he was turned into a vampire until now, one year of living in and serving Tris in her rundown courtyard like caring for family.

    Such a heartwarming tale was quite ¡°legendary¡± amidst the scheming and violence of a vampire n, its fame even included in strange stories like the ¡°Seven Mysteries of Kadman City¡±.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Murphey kept his mouth still to maintain his demeanor, but his voice carried back to the vampire in the shadows.

    Ventriloquism!

    The most basic application of the inborn dark spiritual ability of vampires.

    ¡¾Sessfully used a minor spiritual skill, dark spiritual perception and control proficiency increased, currently at ¡°Novice¡± level.¡¿

    The moment he finished ventriloquizing, this prompt appeared before Murphy¡¯s eyes, but he was long used to it, only feeling once again how difficult it was to level up this skill.

    An entire month, and still only Novice.

    ¡°Nothing, just wishing you a pleasant ¡®journey¡¯ toe.¡±

    The vampire replied with an ambiguous tone.

    Probably feeling that the mockery wasn¡¯t enough, he made a gesture, and the blood servant distributing the rations immediately fawned over Murphy by stuffing three more ration packs into his arms.

    What was that about?

    Murphy blinked, not visibly reacting as he bowed slightly to bid farewell to his nmate, who returned the obligatory n courtesy just as perfunctorily.

    On the way back to the manor, Murphy looked at the five ration packs in his arms and couldn¡¯t help thinking:

    ¡°Does this mean ¡®eat your fill before the journey¡¯? Lunatics! I¡¯m already this low-key and pathetic, who would still bother me? These damn vampires really need to be disciplined!¡±

    With such grumblings, he soon slipped through the shadows along the walls towards his ¡°manor¡±, though every hundred meters a prompt would appear before his eyes.

    ¡¾Sessfullypleted a shadow walk, stealth and infiltration skill proficiency increased, currently at ¡°Proficient¡± level.¡¿

    One might think he was practicing his skills, but in reality he was doing this out of necessity. After all, who would willingly slink along the walls like a thief if they could walk openly on the street?

    It was nearly 9 o¡¯clock, and the sun had be vicious. For a vampire, the most excruciating time of day was approaching. To avoid being scorched by sunlight, with no money to purchase expensive sun protection products, Murphy had no choice but to move along the shadows.

    Normal vampires would never be active during daylight hours, night was when their day of merriment began. But Murphy did not have such a luxurious habit.

    On one hand, his current impoverished situation and struggle to make ends meetpelled him to hurry and collect food supplies early, lest he and his good-for-nothing esteemed elder go hungry that day.

    On the other hand, the other-realm soul within this vampire body stubbornly kept to its regr schedule.

    He had tried the vampire habit of resting by day and prowling by night out of curiosity when he first ¡°came over¡±, but ended up like a 30-year-old man pulling an all-nighter at an inte cafe ¨C it took him three days to recover.

    He could stay upte, but only a little.

    ¡°Sigh.¡±

    Although it was just morning, this was Murphy¡¯s 17th sigh of the day.

    He pushed open the iron gate to the ¡°manor¡± while carrying the food, but used too much force, causing the rusty, long-neglected iron gate to m against the ¡°garden¡± wall overgrown with vines and weeds, kicking up dust in the process. Themotion startled three plump rats, sending them scurrying away.

    ¡¾Sessfully carried out scene destruction, closebat and physical attack skill proficiency increased, currently at ¡°Novice¡± level¡¿

    The familiar prompt popped up again, leaving Murphy feeling weary.

    This novice-level closebat skill was partly thanks to this poor iron gate providing practice over the past month, so shouldn¡¯t he thank Uncle Iron Gate?

    Murphy looked at the ¡°manor¡± he had been living in for a month. From the dpidated buildings, one could vaguely make out its former glory, a very ssic ¡°secluded amidst the hustle¡± mansion, with a meticulously designed garden spanning the nearly 1000 square meter courtyard.

    There was even a hidden wine cer and a towering observatory, while the main house boasted an elegant style adorned with unknown deity statues.

    Unfortunately, that grandeur was at least a century ago.

    Now this run-down manor was little more than a condemned building unfit even for vagrants to visit. It was hard to imagine this being the dwelling of a self-proimed 500-year-old former vampire elder.

    ¡°Revnor Murphy Lessenbra!¡±

    A cold call suddenly came from behind him.

    Murphy, who had just finished securing the gate with practiced ease, turned to see a shadow gathering on the wall, apanied by the sound of pping wings. A slender silhouette emerged before him.

    This was clearly an advanced spiritual technique, but more importantly, the person before him drew his gaze.

    It was a vampire wearing luxurious crimson robes, holding a short staff. The exquisite insignia on his chest identified him as a Blood Vulture Guard who answered directly to the patriarch¡¯smands.

    They rarely appeared, and each outing represented the will of the Blood Hawk Patriarch, Lord Salrokdar Lessenbra.

    An ominous foreboding immediately arose in Murphy¡¯s heart.

    Yet he still greeted this kinsman with the utmost perfect decorum. The guard gave a curt nod in response, retrieving a sealed velvet pouch from his robe and handing it to Murphy.

    In an all-business manner, he said:

    ¡°The war front is in urgent need. The pioneer forces of the Goldflower Kingdom have approached the borders of the Transia region. War ising to Kadman City, and every Blood Vulture member must contribute to the defense of our territory.

    This is your next mission.

    Deliver this encrypted order from the patriarch to the Midnight Hunters¡¯ camp thirty miles east of Mon Vige. You have three days toplete it!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Taking the pouch, he said softly:

    ¡°But I¡¯ve heard the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s witch hunters have already infiltrated that area.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± the Blood Vulture Guard nodded in exnation.

    ¡°Those dogs under the Banner of the Circle Tower are carrying out tactical blockades. This means you¡¯ll have to risk crossing their hunt encirclement at midnight.

    But for a noble Blood Vulture, this task should not be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Hey, your ¡®not difficult¡¯ conclusion applies to normal vampires, right? Open your two eyes and take a good look at me! Besides being especially handsome, what about this vampire before you could be considered ¡®normal¡¯?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s heart was raging.

    But he took a deep breath, maintaining his expression that was straining to stayposed, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll need armor and weapons. And if possible, I could also use some assistance.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    This request made the patriarch¡¯s guard blink, looking over Murphy¡¯s overly ¡°humble¡± appearance with a strange tone:

    ¡°You seem to have been turned for some time now, but still don¡¯t have your own blood servants? You even need armor and weapons¡­ wait, is this Tris¡¯s manor? Your revered elder is that waste of¡­ I mean, the former elder Tris?

    Ah, no wonder then.

    I have heard some rumors about you in the Blood Vulture Halls, but I thought they were just absurd jokes. After all, how destitute could a vampire truly be?¡±

    Saying this, the vampire gave Murphy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and said meaningfully:

    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve had it tough too, kid.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is quite different from what I imagined vampire life would be,¡± Murphy could no longer keep hisposure.

    He could tolerate mockery and malice from others, but this vampire¡¯s sympathetic gaze made him sigh deeply, his face full of sorrow.

    Seeing this, the patriarch¡¯s guard didn¡¯t feel it appropriate to say more. With a sigh, he said:

    ¡°At dusk today when you set out, there will be enough blood servants bringing you the supplies you need. Additionally, if you don¡¯t return, others will¡­ err, I mean other reliable people will take over caring for Elder Tris.

    So, go bravely.¡±

    With that, he turned and dissipated into fluttering bats that disappeared into the shadows, leaving Murphy standing there holding the mission item.

    ¡°Is this them assuming I¡¯m already doomed? Hey, when sending someone to their death, could you not spend a few seconds masking your expressions and words?

    Tsk, luckily I have cheat codes!¡±

    He muttered sarcastically, then habitually nced at therge progress bar upying most of the strange semi-transparent interface before him:

    ¡¾Dpression progress of¡¶Reality Realm¡·test version admin system instation package: 99.87%, please wait patiently.¡¿

    ¡°After over a month of waiting, it will finish dpressing this afternoon,¡± Murphy bit his lip, the face that had developed muscle memory for maintaining an elegant posture now showing a genuine smile.

    Humming a tune, he bent down to gather the relief rations and walked into the courtyard, thinking:

    ¡°Once I get these cheat codes that can defy the heavens and rewrite my destiny, I¡¯ll make all you bastards pay. I¡¯ve kept a little notebook of everyone who¡¯s been rude to me, I¡¯m not a generous person at all.

    Heh, just you wait, the good days areing.¡±

 Chapter 2:

    Although they had been in this other world for a month, the fact that Murphy¡¯s cheat system still hadn¡¯t fully dpressed was a bit embarrassing. However, Murphy felt quite good about himself.

    He felt that this might be some kind of damned ¡°test¡±!

    For example, allowing him to adapt to the feeling of being an ¡°otherworlder¡± for a month before obtaining the cheat abilities to change his fate, so he wouldn¡¯t rapidly reveal his true nature and be a ¡°superhero¡± like Avengers after suddenly gaining transcendent powers.

    Of course, perhaps all of the above were just his own delusions, or perhaps the real reason was simply that he was too weak.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    Murphy carried the food into the main house, and as soon as he opened the door, he was hit by an overwhelming smell of alcohol.

    Following the smell, he could see a long-haired drunkard curled up on a dpidated sofa, with various empty bottles strewn around her feet, still clutching a half-empty bottle in her hand.

    The tarnished mechanical clock on the wall ticked away with a crackling sound, and a few crimsondies¡¯ robes were draped over the broken balcony. Aside from the annoying speckles of mischievous sunlight, a soft, rhythmic snoring echoed through this ancient house.

    The clean nket on the sofa had been depressed into a human shape, and a long-haired, drunkendyy on it in a very unbing posture, snoring loudly, asionally scratching her slender waist with her finger.If you added a bubble of snot, this ce would look more like the boudoir of a century-old witch.

    Murphy was used to this.

    He first tidied up the room, sending today¡¯s empty bottles down to the basement. Then he rolled up his sleeves, went into the kitchen for a busy period, and eventually brought out a bowl of bread porridge with meatballs and duck blood.

    In theory, vampires didn¡¯t need to eat anything but blood to survive, and might even live better that way. But given Murphy and Lady Tris¡¯ household conditions, not to mention keeping a dedicated blood servant for their master to draw blood from periodically, they could barely get a taste of fresh blood on special asions.

    See those plump, free-roaming rats in the yard?

    Those were the ¡°blood packs¡± that Lady Tris had prepared for herself before living together with Murphy!

    During this month, she had rmended this ¡°energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and self-sufficient¡± lifestyle to Murphy several times, but he had politely declined each time.

    He didn¡¯t mind being an exotic eater in this magical other world, but high-end ingredients like rats were a bit much.

    To be honest, before meeting Lady Tris, Murphy could never have imagined that a distinguished Midnight Aristocrat could fall to such straits in a city ruled by vampires.

    ¡°Wake up, Tris, time to eat.¡±

    He ced the bowl, which was old enough to have been his grandfather¡¯s, on a table at least six times his age, and bent down to help his elder up from the sofa.

    ¡°Elder¡± referred to the vampire who had initially turned a human.

    In their culture, this word was simr in meaning to ¡°parent,¡± and strict, ancient, sacred rules governed the initial turning process for both the Blood Vulture n and other ns. It was not merely the means of vampire reproduction, so ¡°elder¡± held a rather formal significance in vampire culture.

    Unfortunately, Murphy¡¯s elder was quite unusual, causing the newly-arrived Murphy to develop a severe misconception about the entire vampire species.

    These creatures who lurked by night must have be so unreliable due to chronk of sleep and biological clock disorder!

    ¡°Ah, little Murphy, let me sleep a bit more.¡±

    Tris in his arms mumbled sleepily, nuzzling against Murphy¡¯s broad chest like a cat before trying to go back to sleep, leaving Murphy feeling helpless.

    ¡°Mmm, let me tell you, I dreamed about when I was young. I dreamed that I was still a genius elder of the Blood Vulture n, with Salrokdar himself pouring me drinks, and the handsome Lord Payne inviting me to an evening banquet.

    That damned old Edward avoided me¡­¡±

    To be honest, this drunken vampiredy¡¯s appearance was quite stunning, possessing a mature, sultry charm mixed with the bewitching allure characteristic of the Midnight Aristocrat.

    Her long, cascading ck hair was smooth as a waterfall, with a slender waist and smoldering eyes that would make her the focus of any man¡¯s attention wherever she went.

    However, a terrible scar, like a horrifying centipede, extended from her slender neck into her chest, oozing out from her slim, pinchable waist at her hips before stopping, nearly impaling her body like an unfortunate crack in exquisite porcin.

    Not only did it severely mar her beauty, but it also impaired the powers a vampire relied on to survive.

    Other vampires called her a ¡°waste¡± not as an insult, but because Tris had indeed lost most of her abilities. She had never told Murphy the origin of her scars, and he had never asked.

    After all, when two people lived together, some boundaries were necessary.

    ¡°Wow, the taste is as great as ever! It seems making you my progeny was the most correct decision I¡¯ve made in myst hundred wasted years.¡±

    The tipsy Tris took a sip of the porridge and immediately showed a satisfied expression.

    After a drunken sigh about how right she had been, she was about to dig in when she noticed the luxurious velvet pouch on the table that seemed out of ce in these ¡°humble¡± surroundings.

    Especially the Blood Vulture insignia pinned to the pouch, which immediately made Tris narrow her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    She red at Murphy, rapping her spoon angrily as she demanded:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to associate with those other Blood Vultures? They¡¯re all a bunch of shameless bastards! Did you forget how their damned summoning spell nearly killed you and me? You disobedient child, do you want to vex me to death?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to either.¡±

    While Murphy went to the balcony to take down and fold the dried clothes, he exined what had happened to Tris:

    ¡°I cannot disobey the patriarch¡¯s orders. Even if ordered to go to my death, I would have to do so with a smile, right?¡±

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t as simple as going to your death.¡±

    The fuming Tris quickly downed the rest of her porridge in an udylike manner, took the pouch, opened it, and took out a slender scroll with an enchanted encryption device, as well as a seal used for decoding.

    She yed with the two objects, saying:

    ¡°Who would include a decoding seal when sending coded orders? Little Murphy, Salrokdar is using you as bait.¡±

    ¡°Huh? So this message is fake?¡±

    Murphy wasn¡¯t surprised by this, and in response to his question, Tris shook her head, saying:

    ¡°No, the message is real! But it¡¯s definitely encoded. If you can deliver it to the Midnight Hunters, they can trante the true message. If you die at the hands of the Witch Hunters, the surface message of these coded orders would be enough to lure them into the Blood Vulture n¡¯s trap.

    Simultaneously pursuing two coexisting possibilities and benefits, ssic Salrokdar style.

    The only sacrifice is you, my poor, lovely progeny.¡±

    Tris paused here.

    She nced at Murphy, who had his back to her, rolled her eyes, and then said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°However, since you¡¯ve epted the mission, it¡¯s toote to back out now. As your renowned waste of an elder, I don¡¯t have much to give you. But in recognition of your year of service to me, there¡¯s a hiddenpartment beside the third pir in the basement where I kept some of my old things.

    You should be able to make use of them.

    I need to sleep this off, my head is pounding. s, to think that I, a renowned elder, have been so devastated by alcoholism. This is uneptable! So starting now, I¡¯ll quit drinking!

    Ugh.

    Never mind, I¡¯ll drink for one more day.

    Tomorrow, I¡¯ll definitely quit!

    Yes, that¡¯s a happy decision. Little Murphy, give me money! I need to buy alcohol!¡±

    ¡°¡­Just sleep for now, I¡¯ll buy some for you when I go out for a stroll tonight.¡±

    ¡°Wow, little Murphy, you¡¯re so sweet! Come give me a hug¡­ wait! You¡¯re leaving tonight? To buy alcohol? You little liar! Don¡¯t run away! I¡¯ll beat you up!¡±

    The basement of the Tris manor was quiterge, still bearing the marks of the spiritual power explosion that had urred a month ago, with rubble strewn everywhere and shadows on the floor that seemed impossible to wipe away, giving Murphy a chill down his spine as he entered the darkness.

    After all, the true owner of this body had died here.

    This was an ominous ce.

    ¡°If we had really switched bodies, you should be sitting in an air-conditioned office exploiting corporate ves, while I suffer here in your ce, even having to support that monsterdy.¡±

    Murphy sped his hands and said softly:

    ¡°Since you couldn¡¯t stand being ordinary and have inherited the position I worked ten years for in that resource-abundant world, living without want for food or clothing your whole life should satisfy you. Don¡¯t be a ghost tormenting me in this ce with real supernatural powers, or I won¡¯t be polite! You¡¯re a dead ghost, and I¡¯m a vampire.

    Since we¡¯re both ghosts, who¡¯s afraid of who?¡±

    After performing this rigmarole ¡°ritual¡±, Murphy found the hiddenpartment under the third pir as Tris had instructed and took out a bundle of items.

    A set of exquisite dark red body armor including boots and gloves, a crimson cape embroidered with patterns, and a cool, dexterous cage sword. All were the refined creations of a vampire elder, probably Tris¡¯st memento to reminisce about her long-gone glory days.

    So she really took out the coffin goods this time?

    ¡°The spiritual power loss is quite serious, it must have been a few hundred years since these were maintained?¡±

    Murphy grabbed the dexterous sword and stylishly performed a sword flourish. His remaining muscle memory contained remnants of the Blood Vulture sword techniques, but unfortunately these original spirit items had now degraded into meremon iron.

    At least they were still sharp enough.

    He donned the body armor, fastened the cape¡¯s sp, put on the apanying ck vampire mask, and pulled up the hood of the armor.

    A mysterious vampire figure immediately took shape.

    Though there was no mirror, it goes without saying he looked dashing and heroic.

    After all, after crossing over, this handsome face that could effortlessly devour hot meals without lifting a finger was the only thing Murphy could take pride in now.

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡·Test Version Admin System Dpression Progress: 100%! System Instation Starting, Please Wait!

    Character Card Module Installing¡­Testing Permissions, Releasing Alpha Database, Binding Information Resonance & Spirit Projection Module Activated¡­Authorization Complete, Personalized Extension Mode Embedded, Newbie Guide Module Activated¡­

    The Test Time Has Come!¡¿

    The moment Murphy finished donning his equipment, the semi-transparent character card in front of him abruptly burst into dazzling rays of light, engulfing Murphy¡¯s entire vision.

    For a moment, he felt like he had been thrown into a mysterious sea of stars, surrounded by twinkling starlight in every direction. The originally simple, almost hopelessly in character card was also constantly being loaded with new modules, quickly bing extremelyplex.

    In this situation, it was difficult to urately discern the passage of time, but the feeling wasn¡¯t unpleasant, it was like waiting for a newly downloaded program to start up in front of theputer, filled with anticipation.

    As the background starlight faded, a brand new interface appeared before Murphy:

    Name: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra

    Race: Vampire ¡¾Blood Vulture n ¡¤ Descendant of Desire¡¿

    Temte: Dark Spirit Alignment ¡¤ Ordinary Individual

    Profession: Blood Vulture Apprentice / None / None

    Talents: Dark Spirit Perception & Maniption ¡¾Novice¡¿, Stealth ¡¤ Shadow Walking ¡¾Proficient¡¿, Close Combat ¡¤ Physical Attack Specialization ¡¾Novice¡¿

    Specialties: Otherworld Creature Summoning ¡¾0/2¡¿

    Skills: Blood Vulture Sword Arts ¡¾Novice¡¿ / Spirit st ¡¾Novice¡¿

    Equipment: Blood Vulture Elder Armor ¡¾6/6¡¿, de of the Desire n ¡¾Spirit Power Depleted¡¿, Crimson Midnight Cloak

    ¡°Though I know I¡¯m weak, this whole series of ¡®novice¡¯ level stuff is still a bit much to take.¡±

    Murphy looked at hisprehensive data and covered his eyes, unable to bear looking at it any longer.

    Although he knew performing various corresponding actions could increase his skill proficiency, he had still tried for a month, so how could this character sheet be so underwhelming?

    Could the rumor that even children in the city knew be true?

    That because ¡°Queen of Waste¡± Lady Tris herself was useless, any vampire she initially turned, no matter how powerful before, would be a waste after the transformation?

    Hmm, it probably wasn¡¯t that mystical.

    Moreover, he had waited a whole month, so how could this be all there was to it?

    Just expanding the character card?

    Where was the promised cheat ability to change his fate? With such a gloomy story opening, not giving him an ability like summoning a dragon or summoning a titan was a bit hard to ept!

    Just as Murphy was scratching his head pondering this ¡°admin system¡± that sounded powerful, he noticed a separate section below the character card.

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (1/6): Complete Initial Summon, Begin Test Program.

    Quest Description: Heh, don¡¯t make that face, I know what you¡¯re thinking. Unleash your summoning ability and grasp true power. Afterwards, you¡¯ll know that I¡¯ve given you the best, Alpha.¡¿

    ¡°So cryptic, my name is Murphy, what the heck is Alpha?¡±

    Murphy frowned as he finished reading the quest description, ncing at the ¡°Summoning Specialty¡± on his character card. The ¡¾0/2¡¿ indicator showed he could summon two ¡°otherworld creatures¡±.

    ¡°Well then, let your lord take a look at what sort of medicine you¡¯re selling in this broken gourd!¡±

    The ill-fated vampire gripped the hilt of the cage sword with his left hand and extended his right hand elegantly in a casting motion.

    He didn¡¯t know what he would summon, but even if a raging dark titan burst out roaring in the next second to cut down this world with one sword stroke, it didn¡¯t matter.

    On the contrary, he would think that was really cool and would be ready to gluttonously devour its ashes after the world burned.

    After all, given how miserable his situation was now, he relied entirely on this thing to reverse his fate and really couldn¡¯t consider anything else. And had this city been good to him?

    Why should he care so much for those people who still spewed malice at him even when he smiled at them?

    He didn¡¯t owe them anything, right?

    Skill activated.

    Murphy felt like he was being ground up, squeezing out what little spirit power remained within him. When he felt about a quarter of his dark spirit power had been extracted, two flickering points of light finally took shape.

    It was like the most exquisite tailor using threads of spirit power to weave distinct outlines from nothing. Under Murphy¡¯s expectant gaze, a tall and a short human figure appeared before him.

    Ordinary builds, ordinary faces, ordinary life auras ¨C even a waste vampire like Murphy could probably beat several of them.

    What¡¯s this?

    They¡¯re just ordinary humans?

    What use is this?

    In that instant, the vampire¡¯s disdain for these cheat abilities reached its peak. But just as he was about to routinelyin, a very familiarnguage rang out in his ears.

    So vivid that even the vampire felt a chill.

    ¡°Damn, these graphics are dope! Look at those lighting effects, look at those details, look at those bricks! Damn, those floor tiles are realistic as fuck! But the application said this ¡¶Reality Realm¡· is still in development? Looks finished to me.¡±

    ¡°Shh, shut up! Look, that NPC is staring right at us. Yo, nice modeling on that pale-faced guy, pretty handsome. Say, why can¡¯t I make my face look like that?

    Hey!

    This game actually lets you take your pants off!¡±

    ¡°F**k! Don¡¯t take off your pants!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Did that NPC just swear? I didn¡¯t mishear that, right? He definitely said ¡®F**k¡¯, didn¡¯t he? Even the localized trantion is this down-to-earth? I love it.¡±

 Chapter 3:

    When he heard that slightly ented ¡°hometown dialect¡±, Murphy immediately understood what kind of things he had summoned. A surge of wild joy rushed into his heart.

    Although they weren¡¯t the zing, world-destroying Titan he had hoped for, these two fellows represented an existence even more terrifying than the Titan in a sense.

    But they called me NPC?

    So in their eyes, this was a game?

    Heh, such mortal wisdom!

    Murphy had been living here for a month, and he could confirm that this ce was definitely not a virtual game, but the very real Other World. Theoretically speaking, these two little yers had also experienced a journey across worlds.

    And the most amusing part was that they themselves were unaware of this fact.

    In that instant, with narrowed eyes, Murphy had already outlined over tens of thousands of words for the subsequent storyline in his mind. But he immediately calmed himself down.

    The most important thing now was to keep these two steady and further deepen their preconceived notions, lest they be frightened by the truth.Just like the first conversation with a new employee!

    Painting a big, round pie was the basics. Going further, one could talk about ideals and aspirations. As someone who had scrambled in society for over a decade, Murphy was an expert at this.

    ¡¾Novice Guide Quest (1/6): Initial Summon (Completed)

    Reward: Test Invitation Codes replenished to 10.

    Hint: Currently 2 invitation codes have been used, do you want to send out the remaining codes?

    Developer¡¯s Note: Some things aren¡¯t better in greater numbers, just like how some things aren¡¯t better at arger size. Sometimes small can be cute too. More often than not, you need to take it step-by-step, and not rush headlong into every hole you see.

    I could go on, but I think you get my point.¡¿

    ¡°Send them! Why not send them?¡±

    Seeing the prompt, Murphy immediately chose to send out the remaining 8 invitation codes. What could he do with just 2 little yers? He couldn¡¯t even clear a dungeon!

    If the locals saw this, they would think Murphy couldn¡¯t summon any more sentient little yers. Moreover, he was currently shouldering a suicidal mission, so the more help the better.

    However, after confirming the send, Murphy¡¯s ¡°Otherworld Creature Summoning¡± disy was still at ¡¾2/2¡¿.

    It seemed that recruiting these ¡°testers¡± also took time. Although he didn¡¯t understand how this worked in the yers¡¯ world, that was obviously not something Murphy needed to consider right now.

    ¡¾Novice Guide Quest (2/6): Direct test subjects toplete basic operation testing (walking, jumping, attacking and daily actions), test duration: 30 minutes.

    Reward: New feature unlocked.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Projects always encounter all sorts of bugs and whiners in the early stages. But don¡¯t panic when you run into problems, take a deep breath first, you can¡¯t solve them anyway, so just feed them some lies and move on.

    That shouldn¡¯t be too hard for you, right?¡¿

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Murphy gave a cough to draw the attention of the two little yers, who were jumping around looking curiously at everything.

    He really had to take charge of these two!

    The short one was rather reserved, trying to take off the four-corner underwear that came with ¡°entering the game¡±, while the tall one had already run off to rummage through the basement¡¯s trash cans.

    What the hell did he expect to find there besides the various bottles left by the ¡°Queen of Waste¡± Tris? Was he nning to collect seven broken bottles to summon the Queen of Waste and fulfill his wish of bing an Other World bum?

    Don¡¯t lose hope, brother, you already have a miserable living example right in front of you!

    ¡°Kekeke, not bad quality for this batch of summons.¡±

    Murphy let out a cold, gloomy vampireugh.

    His eyes flickered with light in the dark basement, the pulsing crimson making the short yer shrink his head and mutter something about it being creepy.

    Well, duh?

    An ordinary person would have been scared stiff meeting the very real vampire Murphy in a dark basement. Only the fearless little yers would still have the nerve to poke fun.

    ¡°Rude and vulgar fools, stand at attention!¡±

    Murphy put on the demeanor of an NPC, ced his hand on his sword hilt, and with a flick of his right hand, a small cluster of dark spiritual energy coalesced into a spark that shot out, startling the yer rummaging through the trash can.

    ¡°Listen up! I¡¯m preparing for a great undertaking, but regrettably this world is full of fools, so I have to explore other realms. You two may be a bit weak, but you seem smart enough.

    Perhaps you can be of help.¡±

    The vampire pulled his hood lower, trying to exude a dark creature vibe.

    He stroked his chin and said:

    ¡°But I need to see if you¡¯re healthy first, if you have enough vitality, if you¡¯re sharp enough. I don¡¯t want any defective goods. If you fail my test, then I¡¯ll have to offer you as ¡®backup blood bags¡¯ to that terrifying vampire princess upstairs.¡±

    He tried to intimidate the two little yers, but couldn¡¯t sense any fear from their expressions, which left him deted. He then waved his hand dismissively and turned to say:

    ¡°Move around here for now. This dpidated ce is barely livable, but I don¡¯t have time to personally explore the secrets it has hidden for over 300 years.

    Go find them.

    Put your wits to use, and bring me the most valuable things you find in 30 minutes.

    This is the first test.

    Oh, and remember my name, remember the one who summoned you from another world into this vibrant realm.

    I am Murphy!

    Revnor Murphy Lessenbra.

    I am your guide, your protector, your beginning and your end!¡±

    With that, Murphy didn¡¯t bother with the still dazed little yers and swiftly vanished like a ghost into the basement entrance.

    The door mmed shut, and the hapless vampire ying NPC for the first time also took a deep breath.

    ¡°That acting tough then running away is quite thrilling.¡±

    He said, then crouched down and peeked through the gap under the basement door to watch the two little yers now busying themselves searching around the vast basement.

    Murphy hadn¡¯t lied to them.

    This basement, like the manor itself, was incredibly ancient, its history spanned not just 300 years but far beyond that. However, there was definitely nothing of value to be found.

    But their activity would satisfy his second novice guidance quest.

    Murphy soon had another headache, how was he going to exin the origins of these two ¡°Otherworld Creatures¡± to the mistress of the manor, Lady Tris?

    Maybe he could just say they were his blood servants?

    But the yers¡¯ behavior and speech were so out of sync with this world, and theirnguage, were major issues. Maybe he could have the two yers pretend to be mute?

    Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t even asked for their names yet.

    How rude of him!

    As an NPC, that was totally unqualified. Theoretically, even if a yer named themselves Xie Te, he should still greet it with a smile and praise like ¡°what a great name.¡±

    Well, he could make up for thatter.

    Murphy hurried back to the main building to tidy up, but as soon as the vampire entered, he saw that Tris was not resting as usual. Instead, she was uncharacteristically standing by the window.

    She stood like a statue, staring nkly out at the scenery of Kadman City, not even noticing the annoying sunlight burning her fingertips.

    Wisps of gray smoke were rising from Tris¡¯s pale fingers, the first sign of a vampire being burned by sunlight.

    ¡°What are you doing? Have you finally realized how much of a failure your life is, so you¡¯ve decided on a creative way to kill yourself and reroll? Toote! Five hundred years toote, so please just live properly.¡±

    Murphy rushed over, yanking Tris away from the window and quickly closing the blinds, casting the room into darkness.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡±

    Violent coughing came from the startled Tris. Murphy used a handkerchief to wrap her burned fingers while softly asking:

    ¡°The wounds hurt again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Lady Tris was nonchnt, as if already used to this pain. She tried to bandage herself but was too weak, needing Murphy¡¯s assistance toplete the action.

    Murphy was well aware of the reason behind Tris¡¯s weakness.

    It was a month ago.

    The real vampire Murphy, unwilling to be a mere waste of existence, attempted a dangerous spirit summoning ritual in the manor¡¯s basement with some unknown spiritual energy device.

    The raging spiritual energy from the star realm nearly tore him apartpletely.

    That fateful night, the sober Tris happened to be there and desperately rescued her progeny from the explosion of spiritual forces, but at the cost of her already poor physical condition worsening further.

    To be precise, the real Murphy who had sought to defy fate and change his destiny had gotten his wish. He died in that failed ritual.

    Tris had rescued someone else.

    But without her, Murphy would have be history¡¯s first unfortunate vampire to die of blood loss on the very night he crossed over into this world.

    For that reason, over the past month, Murphy had been utterly devoted to caring for Tris, understanding the debt of gratitude he owed her for saving his life.

    As they say, adversity reveals true feelings. This month of ¡°impoverished cohabitation¡± after Murphy¡¯s inauspicious entry into this otherworld was enough for him to develop a sense of ¡°interdependence¡± with this unreliable elder. After all, putting it bluntly, though dpidated this house at least provided Murphy shelter from sleeping on the streets, right?

    Now, the former Blood Vulture elder gazed at Murphy dutifully bandaging her fingers, and a silence fell over the ramshackle house, so quiet one could almost hear heartbeats.

    Vampires did have heartbeats, just much slower than humans.

    After more than ten seconds, Tris spoke:

    ¡°I was just reminiscing about my life over the past hundred-plus years, little Murphy. I had turned so many in the beginning, but most were driven out of Transia to fend for themselves. A small portion struggled to survive in the Blood Vulture n but went to great lengths to disassociate from this waste that I am. Yet misfortune always found them.

    There was a period where I survived by turning those afraid of death in exchange for avish lifestyle, so they called me ¡®money-hungry Tris¡¯.

    I¡¯ve seen all sorts of people, but you¡¯re the sole exception.

    Little Murphy, only you have stayed by my side like a blood servant caring for me, making me feel like I¡¯ve experienced the mundane yet cozy life that foolish mortals crave.

    Yet, you should leave.

    You¡¯ve grown up.

    You need to learn to stay away from danger, and misfortune.¡±

    ¡°But how can you travel far in this state?¡±

    Murphy immediately caught Tris¡¯s underlying meaning, but this cunning social creature chose to y dumb. ncing at Tris, who could barely even stand, he shook his head and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve requested some blood servants from those who sent me on this suicide mission. When I leave, I¡¯ll leave some behind to take care of you. Don¡¯t worry about me.

    The task is dangerous, but I think I can make it back alive.

    Once you¡¯ve recovered, we¡¯ll discuss where to go next.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s response made Lady Tris¡¯s eyes go wide before she covered her mouth andughed out loud.

    She had meant for Murphy to leave alone, but this naived actually nned to bring her, a huge burden, along. So cute and innocent.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    Murphy asked gruffly. Tris waved her hand and said:

    ¡°Nothing, I just thought of something amusing. Hmm, you look quite dashing in that outfit. What¡¯s all that noise downstairs? Burrs?

    Excellent!

    Dinner is served!

    Ah, thank you Mother Night for your gift! Let¡¯s celebrate the Feast of Blood early tonight.¡±

    Excited by the sounds from the basement, Tris even bared her vampire fangs. But Murphy immediately stopped her with a dismissive wave.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just some blood servants I¡¯ve summoned to clean up. Don¡¯t worry about them, you should rest. I¡¯ll have your dinner ready before I leave tonight.

    I¡¯ll be back in a week at most, I promise.

    And don¡¯t drink too much.¡±

    He helped Tris back to her upstairs bedroom, secured the window coverings, then went out to pack his own belongings.

    Thirty minutester, Murphy stood at the basement entrance as the two little yers proudly presented their findings.

    Two sealed bottles of dwarven ale.

    Thebels showed they were over 250 years old, perfect for toasting Lady Tris.

    A set of exquisite drinkware in a decaying box, its origins unknown but with an elven artistic style, likely left behind by a previous manor owner.

    Lastly, a dented, battered old pocket watch.

    Murphy recognized this item.

    It was the one real Murphy had dropped in the basement the night he was sted by spirit forces, still stained with blood.

    But those three items were not the most outrageous part.

    He nced down at the pile of coins at his feet, besides the rusted coppers and dull silvers, there were even a few shining Portia gold coins.

    This made Murphy eye the panting little yers suspiciously, truly wondering where they had found all this?

    In his month living here, he had not discovered even a fraction of what these two had scrounged up in just half an hour.

    So this was the terrifying talent of yers?

    ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve done well! I¡¯m quite impressed with you, otherworld warriors.¡±

    Murphy pulled back his hood, revealing his handsome face, and said warmly to the two yers:

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your keen potential, you are precisely the assistants I need! Now return to your realm and prepare yourselves!

    Once I am ready, I shall summon you again along with the otherworld spirits I have chosen. At that time, you will have the profound honor of participating in my grand n!

    Heh heh, I eagerly await our reunion.

    Oh, and what are your names?

    Please understand, but I must record this moment for the bards to sing of the beginning of our legend in a century¡¯s time.¡±

    Faced with Murphy¡¯s inquiry, the two yers nced at each other, puffed out their chests, and dered in unison:

    ¡°I¡¯m ¡®Meow King¡¯!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ¡®Leading Pigeon¡¯!¡±

    ¡°As expected of yers chosen by me, such delightfully nonsensical names! Full of abstract beauty.¡±

    Murphy gave them a mentalment as well as a thumbs up, but outwardly he nodded in satisfaction, smiling as an NPC should, and said:

    ¡°Splendid names indeed, befitting your sharpness and bravery. Then, my warriors, until we meet again.¡±

    He raised his hand, dismissing the summons.

    The two yers¡¯ bodies rapidly dissolved into motes of light before his eyes, reversing the process of their spirit-woven arrival, until only a swirling point of light remained, spiraling around Murphy before descending.

    ¡¾Novice Guide Quest (2/6): Basic Operation Test (Completed)

    Reward: Perception Scanning unlocked.

    Hint: You can now scan targets to obtain information, but this action can be perceived and has inherent danger.

    Developer¡¯s Note: There are two prerequisites for using this ability well. First, you can¡¯t be a Pdin! Second, you can¡¯t have a habit of kicking down tavern doors.

    Of course, if you¡¯re badass enough and don¡¯t mind the asional ount reset, feel free to disregard the above.¡¿

    ¡¾Novice Guide Quest (3/6): First Combat, direct test subjects in basicbat operation tests (including but not limited to attacking, dodging, charging, dying and soul release, etc.)

    Reward: +5 Test Invitation Codes, new feature unlocked.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Since you¡¯ve learned to walk and jump, why not go y a dragon for practice?¡¿

    ¡°?! The quest difficulty just spiked, and what kind of note is that? Heh, I¡¯m in a good mood, so I¡¯ll humor you this time.¡±

    Murphy scoffed, looked around, then bent down to scoop up the pile of coins. Humming a tune, he headed out of the manor to purchase some food and drink, lest the ¡°Queen of Waste¡± Tris starve herself in his absence.

    The hapless vampire walked briskly in the shadows along the walls to avoid sunlight, nodding politely at every passerby.

    Projecting the utmost elegance.

    Yet in his heart, Murphy was grinning wickedly:

    ¡°These little yers are so useful, truly essential tools for traveling and murder. Though I don¡¯t know the details of my grand n yet, with you all around, how could this mighty one fail to achieve great things? Muahaha!

    Tremble, world!

    A legend shall rise from this very night!¡±

 Chapter 4:

    Murphy easily found the underground ck market in the city under rationing and made some purchases, spending all the money he had acquired. He bought a bunch of things and brought them back to the manor.

    The reason he didn¡¯t leave money for Tris was simple.

    That woman would definitely use it all to buy alcohol, then resist hunger by relying on a vampire¡¯s ultra-long battery life while being drunk and unconscious. She had proudly said that she had lived like that for sixty years.

    Murphy strongly suspected that this was the main reason why Tris was so weak.

    Such a beautiful girl, yet she ended up starving herself silly.

    At this time, Tris was still resting upstairs, and Murphy didn¡¯t disturb the patient. He put the sliced bread and some canned food into the creaking mechanical refrigerator.

    If Murphy remembered correctly, this stupid, bulky thing was nicknamed the ¡°Steam 800¡±. It was said to have been invented by a dwarven mechanic in the 800th year of the era, a unique creation of this world¡¯s ¡°steam machinery¡±.

    To be honest, Murphy could understand the principle of using steam to heat food, but how exactly did it use steam for refrigeration?

    Of course, now was not the time to ponder the fantastical physics of another world and turn his brain into a porridge pot.The unfortunate vampire put enough food for three days¡¯ use and some misceneous items into his backpack, and also left a note with detailed instructions on how to prepare the dishes he had made, so detailed that as long as Tris didn¡¯t drink herself silly, she should be able to cook the dishes.

    Finally, he took out his worn pocket watch to check the time.

    It was almost dusk, time for him to set out.

    With no need to turn on the gasmp that was older than him, Murphy slowly walked out of the ce he had lived for a month, in the dim light.

    The vampires¡¯ sense of punctuality was fully evident at this moment.

    As Murphy reached the door and the bell rang, a ck carriage pulled out from a small alley across the street and stopped in front of the manor gate.

    It was nothing luxurious, just an ordinary four-wheeled carriage used by merchants. Inside the wagon were eight vacant-looking, skeletal blood servants, making Murphy frown.

    ¡°Blood ve¡± would probably be a more appropriate term.

    They clearly looked like the severely ill people who had been penned and bled so much that they became witless. Forget executing missions or going to war, it would be a great sess if they didn¡¯t die in front of Murphy before dawn.

    The driver was a burly but hooded man, the only one among those ¡°kindly¡± provided by the patriarch¡¯s guards that Murphy could stand.

    Healthy, tall and big, just looking at him made one feel safe.

    Upon seeing Murphy, the man greeted him proactively:

    ¡°I pay my respects to you, Mr. Murphy. We are the servants Lord Jed has sent to assist you. The armor and weapons you need have been ced in the wagon. Shall we depart now?¡±

    ¡°So that guard is called Jed.¡±

    Murphy made a mental note of the name.

    Although the man had probably taken pity on him to provide this ¡°help¡±, help was still help. Despite his unfortunate state, Murphy did not owe anyone a favor.

    If he could make it back, he would definitely have to find a way to repay this kindness.

    He nodded to the driver but did not get into the cramped wagon. Instead, he took the bags containing armor and weapons.

    Lastly, he sat in the seat next to the driver.

    The vantage point was good, and it was well-ventted. If any danger arose, he could make a quick getaway.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Murphy pulled up his hood to cover his face and said to the driver, but thetter did not crack the whip. Instead, he said in a low voice:

    ¡°Milord, your elders are there!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Murphy turned his head in surprise to see Tris, who had been resting earlier. Now she was standing by the flowerbed of the dpidated courtyard, barefoot and wearing a red cloak, silently watching him as if bidding farewell to a departing traveler.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Murphy said to the driver, then jumped off the carriage and walked briskly to Tris. Frowning, he said:

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put on shoes whening out?¡±

    ¡°So, this is what you most want to say to me before leaving?¡±

    Tris brushed her long hair aside and rolled her eyes.

    She shook her head, reached out to adjust Murphy¡¯s hood and mask into ce. In this close proximity, Tris looked at him with an unusually serious gaze, her crimson eyes flickering with an unfamiliar light.

    She patted Murphy¡¯s chest and whispered:

    ¡°Don¡¯te back once you leave! Take this opportunity to leave Kadman City andpletely get away from the Blood Vultures¡¯ territory!

    Whether you head north to take refuge with the Thorn n in the Kingdom of Nordtov, or go south across the Dark Mountains to join the Blood Dread Fleet on the Misty Coast, or even seek out the wandering Blood Pact Knights who skirt the Dark Mountains.

    No matter where you go, it¡¯s better than staying here! Of course, remember to avoid those thugs and riffraff from the Wolfbane n.

    Once you get there, give my name to the patriarch or elders.

    I¡¯ll only say this once!

    My full name is Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra.

    Although I¡¯m just a forgotten waste in Kadman City that everyone thinks is dead, I still have some reputation among the other ns. If those old men and women from my era are still alive, they will ept you.

    Little Murphy, listen carefully!

    The Blood Vulture n is beyond saving.

    We have vited the ¡®Code of Istion¡¯ that all bloodlines have to follow since the Holy Blood Crusade. We stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight, brazenly triggering a conflict with civilizations and kingdoms. Even the most tolerant Blood Pact Knights will no longer bother with us.

    And that¡¯s just the most minor of all the sins we¡¯vemitted.

    Go, little Murphy.

    Don¡¯t bother with that order which is just sending you to your death.¡±

    This speech was something the usually drunken queen of waste could never have said, and it indeed surprised Murphy. He looked at Tris in astonishment.

    She shook her head to indicate he shouldn¡¯t say anything more, then turned and left without hesitation.

    Not giving Murphy any chance to ask further questions.

    Murphy pondered her warnings.

    He watched Tris return to the manor, then got back into the carriage himself. Soon the ringing of the horse bells faded as they disappeared down the deste street at dusk.

    He could feel eyes watching him from behind.

    He knew Tris must have been seeing him off from the balcony, and at that moment, Murphy felt a strange reluctance to leave.

    Although he had only lived here for a month, this experience was indeed quite memorable. After all, when had he ever suffered so much in the thirty-odd years he had lived in another world?

    But that reluctance was real.

    Lady Tris was truly a unique person, and her final warning seemed to shroud her in even more mystery, making Murphy wonder. But leave?

    Don¡¯t be ridiculous!

    He wouldn¡¯t slink away like that!

    Even if he had to escape, he would take Tris with him. Down on his luck in another world or not, Murphy was not ungrateful!

    At this time, standing in the shadows on the balcony of the manor, in the glow of dusk, Tris narrowed her bewitching eyes. Her pale fingers, wrapped in a handkerchief and concealed by her cloak, were clenched into fists.

    Alone in the dpidated courtyard, she gritted her teeth and said softly:

    ¡°Was it really necessary to go this far? Salrokdar! It wasn¡¯t enough that you deliberately gave this child the wrong summoning ritual and nearly killed him? Now you want him to risk his life again after barely surviving.

    You really don¡¯t allow me to get close to anyone, do you? That filthy old dog is just afraid I¡¯ll reveal your despicable secret.

    But you have already vited the taboo!

    I¡¯m not going anywhere, Salrokdar. I¡¯ll stay right here! I¡¯ll remain in this kennel you have me locked in, and I¡¯ll watch as you and your n fall apart.

    Heh.

    It won¡¯t be long now.¡±

    After Tris could no longer sense Murphy¡¯s carriage, she turned and dragged her increasingly severe coughing body back into the dim room. She immediately noticed the paper and detailed ¡°cooking guide¡± Murphy had left on the table.

    That strange handwriting made Tris shake her head. She remembered that when she had picked up this boy on a snowy night over a year ago, his writing hadn¡¯t been this illegible.

    s, such a handsome boy, yet he ended up starving himself silly too.

    Tris, oh Tris, you truly are a sinful woman.

    She berated herself as she opened the creaking steam refrigerator and saw the bread and half-prepared dishes inside. That boy must have bought so much food out of fear that she would starve herself.

    This mundane yet warm concern made Tris roll her eyes again, but in the next instant, an indescribably intense feeling of loneliness enveloped her.

    She could have endured all this!

    Just as she had for over a hundred solitary, maddened years prior.

    She really could have!

    She was resolute enough and not some five-hundred-year-old coward!

    She could do all this, if there hadn¡¯t been that year-plus of codependency.

    ¡°s, in the end, I¡¯m alone again.¡±

    A long sigh.

    Extinguished in the shadows.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Murphy rode off into the night to his supposed death, carrying eight undead husks in a rickety wagon, an equally ¡°grand adventure¡± was unfolding in another world.

    In a college dorm room, five roommates had gathered around ¡°Leading Pigeon¡±, who was holding a screwdriver and preparing to disassemble the ck, somewhat high-tech looking spherical helmet in front of him.

    ¡°Leading Pigeon¡± was one of the two little gamers who had justpleted the first round of testing for the game¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    That¡¯s right!

    The short, vulgar guy who had tried to take off his pants in front of Murphy but was stopped.

    ¡°Damn, how do I get into this thing?¡±

    The senior student who had achieved the lofty status of ¡°Dorm Chief¡± at such a young age, with limitless potential ahead of him, looked at the screwdriver in one hand and the ¡°game helmet¡± in the other, and said with a grimace:

    ¡°There¡¯s not even a single screw hole. Do I really have to smash this thing open with a stick?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, if you can¡¯t bear to take it apart, then don¡¯t pretend!¡±

    Having lived together for four years, how could his roommates not see through Leading Pigeon¡¯s real thoughts? They teased him:

    ¡°We all understand the feeling of finally getting something that looks awesome. Good son, we don¡¯t mind you ying with a motorcycle helmet, just don¡¯t keep bragging about ying some insanely realistic game.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we all fill out that weird game test application at the same time, right? Howe only you got this thing?¡±

    The bespectacled fat boy snorted, pushing up his sses in a washing machine-like motion. With an all-knowing tone, he said:

    ¡°So this is your self-directed prank, right? I knew that application interface looked so crude. If they really had such mature virtual reality technology, they wouldn¡¯t have made even the website so poorly, right?¡±

    ¡°F*ck! Everything I said was true!¡±

    Leading Pigeon couldn¡¯t hold back from the barrage of ridicule any longer. Hugging the ck game helmet, he shouted:

    ¡°If this is fake, I¡¯ll let you guys spank me tonight without a word!¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    The other five brothers stared at each other wide-eyed, then took a step back from the angry Leading Pigeon in unison. One of them said in a low, frightened voice:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Leading Pigeon. We¡¯re just joking when we talk about spanking and stuff. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Of course, of course, we don¡¯t discriminate against sexual minorities.

    Don¡¯t take off your underwear. We¡¯re still brothers.¡±

    ¡°You ungrateful brats!¡±

    The esteemed Dorm Chief¡¯s face flushed with rage as he grabbed a nearby broomstick and swung it, shouting:

    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you brats to death!¡±

    ¡°Room 2149! You¡¯ve got a delivery! Come get it!¡±

    Before Leading Pigeon could finish his outburst, his phone rang. Opening it, he heard the voice of the delivery guy, who was also mocking:

    ¡°Do prestigious university students nowadays group-buy motorcycle helmets? Buying five at once, is there some kind of discount?¡±

    ¡°Heh! Jackpot!¡±

    Leading Pigeon immediately grinned, hung up the phone mboyantly, and instructed his obedient ¡°sons¡± to go get the delivery.

    A few minutester, the six roommates each looked at the same ck helmet in their hands, identical in design. The bespectacled fat boy gulped as he felt the strange, matte material of the helmet.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°Damn, so this is for real, huh? I¡¯m getting a bit scared. Leading Pigeon, tell me honestly, is that game really that awesome?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I tried it myself. I¡¯ll just say one thing, you can take your pants off in that game! How awesome is that?¡±

    ¡°666! Let¡¯s go try it out then, see if we can get some action going.¡±

    ¡°F*ck, there¡¯s a pervert here! Someone quick, call the cops!¡±

    ¡°Oh wait, why does it say ¡®Testing time TBA¡¯ here? And there¡¯s no forum or anything either. This thing doesn¡¯t even have abel.¡±

    ¡°There is! Inside the helmet, look closely, it¡¯s called the ¡®Alpha¡¯pany. Now that you mention it, the name and logo do seem pretty fancy.¡±

    As the roommates joked boisterously, in another city thousands of miles away in the same country, two middle-aged men squinted their eyes at the ck helmets they had just unpacked from a delivery box in their spacious office, where they were drunkenly drinking.

    The two men stared at each other wide-eyed.

    ¡°That weird domain name website? The game test that old Yang forwarded a few days ago? Didn¡¯t that website get 404¡¯d?¡±

    One man felt the helmet and asked. The other man drained his cup, looking gloomy as he waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Whatever, if we can y it then y it, if not then forget it. Damn it, it really pisses me off to have to hand over the factory I¡¯ve worked half my life for.

    I¡¯m rich now, but I¡¯m still pissed!

    Cheers!

    I guess I¡¯ll justze around and live off my savings for the rest of my life now.

    I just heard old Yang call and say he went in to try it out, and this game is damn awesome. He told us to add him as a friend, something like ¡®Meowmeow¡¯ or whatever. He also said this game is just like real life.

    If it really is real, that would actually be better.

    What are you raising fish for?

    Come on.

    We¡¯ll punish ourselves with a drink first, then go for another round.¡±

    On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, in a student apartment, a long-haired girl who had just finished her thesis rubbed her head wearily, staring nkly at the ck helmet unpacked from a box in front of her.

    Rubbing her eyes, shemented:

    ¡°What weird thing have I bought again this month? My allowance is almost spent. If this keeps up, how will I get by? Oh, does this thing light up?

    It feels quitefortable to wear though, must be custom-made.

    But could someone please tell me, what the heck is this thing?¡±

 Chapter 5:

    Mond Vige in the southwest of Kadman City, being close to the trade route, has be a stopover for merchants traveling to and from the Transia region. The whole town has developed quite well by riding on the tertiary industry.

    Murphy had never been here before.

    He had never even left Kadman City, but from the words of the aide driving beside him, he learned some inside information about Mond Vige.

    For instance, this was the fief of a vampire elder, and the vige chief was an old blood servant who secretly did some unsavory deeds in the eyes of humans and made money for that vampire elder.

    The whole vige had arge number of vampire worshippers, so it was considered a ¡°safe zone¡± for the Blood Vulture n.

    ¡°However, you still need to go thirty more miles east, my lord. That area is not safe.¡±

    The tall aide, whip in hand, said softly to Murphy who was munching on a dry bread:

    ¡°Lord Jed told us before we set out that there were several Witch Hunter squads active in that area. They are the hounds of the Pioneer Legion and have destroyed quite a few viges that worship the vampires.

    The Lim Vige where I was born, well¡­let¡¯s not go into that, it was horrible.¡±Murphy did not respond.

    While eating the bread, he pricked up his ears sharpened by the night and tried hard to perceive any potential danger around with his vampire senses enhanced by the darkness.

    Although the ¡¾0/10¡¿ summons tag on the character card gave him great confidence, necessary precautions were still needed.

    Seeing Murphy not responding, the aide did not continue either, but Murphy had actually been observing him secretly.

    This guy¡¯s getup was quite bizarre.

    Like a vampire walking under the sun, he had wrapped himself up from head to toe, almost like a mummy, only exposing his eyes.

    But Murphy could tell it was definitely not just out of reverence and imitation for his vampire master by a blood servant.

    Because even this guy¡¯s eyshes were white.

    By human standards, that was clearly abnormal.

    ¡°You know, Lord Jed sent you all out to ¡®help¡¯ me with a hidden intention, right?¡±

    Murphy finished the bread, dusting off the crumbs from his hands and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Are you mentally prepared?¡±

    After a few seconds of hesitation, the young aide clenched his fists and nodded:

    ¡°Yes, Lord Jed did not hide the dangers of this journey, and the nine of us chosen were not random, or perhaps¡­¡±

    He paused, as if he had made a great determination beforepleting the next words:

    ¡°Or perhaps this is just a ¡®waste disposal¡¯. Ah, my lord, I don¡¯t mean that! I¡¯m not calling you a waste, I just mean, as you can see, we nine are the crippled and weak among the blood servants.¡±

    ¡°No need to exin all that, even if you were ndering me, I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Murphy was big-hearted.

    Over the past month in Kadman City, he had heard much more vicious insults, and his mind had already toughened to the point of near nerve ending necrosis.

    He just waved his hand and curiously asked the aide:

    ¡°Those eight in the carriage, I don¡¯t care if they all die on the road, they¡¯re actually already dead, their frail hearts just don¡¯t know it yet. But you¡¯re different!

    Your life force is very robust and strong.

    Even stronger than ordinary people, you should be the ideal candidate for a blood servant warrior.

    Don¡¯t doubt my judgment!

    I¡¯m a vampire, discerning life force is my instinct.¡±

    Facing Murphy¡¯s inquiry, the aide hesitated for a moment, but eventually took off his hood and face covering under Murphy¡¯s curious gaze, revealing aplexion even whiter than a vampire¡¯s.

    As well aspletely white eyebrows, beard and short hair, and the skin on his neck was so pale that the blue veins underneath were clearly visible.

    Albinism?

    Murphy blinked.

    In this extremely closed and superstitious region ruled by vampires, such a condition would indeed be considered an anomaly or some kind of ominous sign.

    No wonder he kept his face covered all this time.

    ¡°I¡¯m also a defective product, they all call me a ¡®monster¡¯.¡±

    The aide said bitterly:

    ¡°I was abandoned by my parents as a child, and it was Lord Jed who took me in. Now that the lord needs me to contribute to the n¡¯s cause, I have no second thoughts.¡±

    ¡°But you still feel a bit unwilling, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Murphy smiled and shook his head, asking:

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Maxim! My lord, my name is Maxim Cena d.¡±

    He immediately replied:

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, I will escort you to the mission destination no matter what, even if I have to sacrifice my life!¡±

    ¡°A master who sends you to die and doesn¡¯t even try to hide it, is he really worth such loyalty from you?¡±

    Murphy muttered to himself.

    Seeing this guy¡¯s fanatical look, he could tell this was a ¡°hardcore blood-worshiper¡±, a true vampire devotee, one of the ¡°specialty products¡± of the Transia region.

    There were many such people among the blood servants, some influenced by spells, some craving power.

    And some, like Maxim, were indoctrinated with distorted beliefs from childhood.

    However, Murphy had no heart to correct this zealous blood servant right now. The idea of an orthodox vampire lecturing a fanatic blood servant not to blindly believe vampires just sounded like he would be trolling.

    After pondering for a bit, Murphy took the armor and weapons that Lord Jed had provided as support and tossed them to Maxim, saying:

    ¡°Put those on, out of you nine, you¡¯re the only trained warrior, so you¡¯ll have to put in effort if real danger arises.¡±

    ¡°No, Lord Murphy, this is a gift from Lord Jed for you, I cannot¡­¡±

    Maxim immediately declined, but Murphy opened his cloak, pointing at the obviously more luxurious and higher-grade elder armor he was wearing, and said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it, so just put it on. I also dislike it when gifts I give out are returned to me, it¡¯s like insulting the rare goodwill of a vampire.¡±

    With Murphy putting it that way, Maxim could only change into the old leather armor quickly, then strap the sharpened quick sword to his waist, and finally cover himself with the cloak again.

    His attitude towards Murphy also became more respectful. Looking at the vige ahead, he said:

    ¡°We¡¯re almost at Mond Vige now, my lord. It¡¯s only two hours until dawn, so we can rest here and set out again at dusk.

    Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m very familiar with this route. We¡¯ll reach the Midnight Hunters¡¯ camp tomorrow evening.¡±

    Murphy nodded.

    He himself did not have high expectations for this suicidal mission.

    He would just sit at the front of the carriage like a pirate king, looking around, and toss the perception scouting skill he had just acquired into the vige to gain some familiarity.

    But that casual toss immediately caused trouble, a faint red glow appeared ominously before Murphy¡¯s eyes, framing two houses at the edge of the vige.

    Murphy was startled, then narrowed his eyes.

    With the change in vampire pupil structure, his vision quickly zoomed in, and the faint red glow coalesced into four humanoid forms.

    ¡¾Unknown Hostile Targets Locked, Threat Level Unknown.¡¿

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Murphy grabbed the whip Maxim was raising.

    Thetter looked at Murphy in puzzlement, while Murphy grasped the hilt of his sword and pulled Maxim off the slowly moving carriage, even giving the old horse¡¯s rump a hardsh.

    ¡°Hey, you guys go set up the forward station in the vige first.¡±

    Murphy yelled at the eight emaciated, half-dead blood servants in the wagon:

    ¡°I still have some business, I¡¯ll join youter.¡±

    These blood servants, reduced to walking corpses by prolonged blood draining, showed no reaction, but the old horse pulling the carriage sped up under the urging of the whip, slowly charging towards Mond Vige ahead.

    Murphy pulled his aide into the bushes outside the vige and stared in that direction.

    Maxim now sensed something was amiss, but he clearly hesitated, about to say something when Murphy raised his hand to stop him.

    ¡°As you said, this is a ¡®waste disposal¡¯, so let¡¯s make full use of it! It¡¯s more dignified for them to die cleanly than to live like this.

    Less talk, get ready!¡±

    As soon as the words fell, the approaching carriage was struck repeatedly by crossbow bolts fired from the left and right, making ttering sounds. The horse pulling the carriage was killed by a bolt and copsed, while people shed out from the houses on both sides and rushed into the wagon, cutting down mercilessly.

    The low agonizing wails of the eight thralls before death tore through the night¡¯s tranquility, making both the oldrades in the bushes shudder.

    ¡°This is less than a day¡¯s journey from Kadman City!¡± Maxim said in a trembling voice. ¡°How dare they?¡±

    Murphy was also scared.

    But he maintained hisposure better than Maxim, after all, even as a supposed ¡°waste¡± supernatural being, his physical abilities could still crush human veterans.

    ¡°They dare! It seems the so-called midnight authority of the Blood Vulture n can no longer scare anyone, just a paper tiger.¡±

    The unfortunate vampire rebuked Maxim beside him, then narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the vige entrance.

    Those Witch Hunters who had ambushed them rushed out of the vige to search outside when they realized there were no targets in the carriage.

    Fortunately, there were only four of them.

    Murphy breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously crouching down and making spell-casting motions.

    That¡¯s right, he was going to ¡°unleash his ultimate move¡±.

    The same experience as high noon surged within Murphy, but this time summoning more minions almost instantly drained his meager dark spirit energy. Then six shing beams of light rapidly wove together, coalescing into humanoid forms that materialized beside Murphy in the blink of an eye.

    The Leading Pigeon who had made an appearance already gave his body a practiced stretch.

    The other five dorm mates looked around dazedly after regaining consciousness, all standing there dumbfounded, clearly stunned by this ¡°ultra-realistic game graphics¡±.

    The pigeon wasn¡¯t lying!

    This game looks exactly like reality!

    ¡°Holy shit! Awesome!¡±

    One guy eximed excitedly and then reached for his pants, looking like he was about to do something very inappropriate. But thismotion could not escape the notice of the four approaching Witch Hunters.

    Although it was nighttime, that excited shout pinpointed their target location.

    Without hesitation, the leading Witch Hunter raised his hand crossbow and pulled the trigger. With a ¡°poof¡± sound, the guy who had just yelled ¡°awesome¡± and grabbed his crotch was hit straight in the head.

    He copsed without a sound, crumpling into a pile of scattered light particles.

    This stunned both Murphy and Maxim.

    Damn!

    Just entered the game for less than 3 seconds and got fragged.

    Brother, are you kidding me?

    Is it really that hardcore?

    Themotion also startled the other summons, who instinctively hit the ground, narrowly avoiding the crossbow bolts shooting out of the darkness.

    ¡°Why did only six of my warriorse?¡± Murphy counted in shock.

    He had clearly summoned ten, but the Leading Pigeon crouching beside him and covering his head heard the NPC¡¯s surprise and turned toin:

    ¡°This is office hours, brother! Not everyone has as much free time as us poor students, you know. By the way, what¡¯s going on here? Who are those people? Why are they trying to kill us?¡±

    Hearing his ¡°otherworld warriors¡± mention they had to go to work, Murphy nearly lost hisposure. I¡¯m telling you about the grand n to save the world! And you respond by saying you have to go to work?

    Aren¡¯t you guys ashamed?

    Work, work, what kind of work? Can any work be as fun as ying games?

    But the vampire took a deep breath and quickly reframed his mindset, speaking in the tone of an NPC giving a quest:

    ¡°It¡¯s the grand n!

    More precisely, the first step of the grand n!

    I must let you brave but inexperienced otherworld warriors get familiar with the brutalbat of this savage world.

    Before truly embarking on the grand n, I must train you into warriors capable of taking on ten foes alone. However, your performance in this first battle has disappointed me.

    Perhaps being ¡®mobile blood packs¡¯ is your ultimate destiny.

    Get up!

    My warriors, don¡¯t lie there shivering like a little chick, it¡¯s too disgraceful and unbing.

    Listen!

    My servant and I will charge straight in, you disrupt them from behind!

    Otherworlders, this is yourst chance. If you are this useless, I will have to give up on you and seek other more qualified warriors.

    Now!

    Go forth, for our grand n!

    Warriors, charge!¡±

 Chapter 6:

    Ah, time!

    In the chaotic initial battle, Murphy realized he had neglected this important factor.

    His little yers couldn¡¯t just idle for 24 hours waiting for him to summon them to the other realm for great deeds. In their own world, they had to work jobs to earn money, buy baby form for kids, cosmetics for wives, support parents and care for younger siblings.

    Damn it!

    He must consider this important factor next time!

    But now was not the time to make up for oversights. After encouraging his ¡°otherworld warriors¡± with an NPC phrase, Murphy turned and patted Maxim¡¯s shoulder.

    Although he reminded himself to be careful and cautious, Tris was still waiting for him in Kadman City and that queen of waste would definitely starve on the streets without him, when the yers hadn¡¯t grown strong yet, he had to take the lead if something happened!

    Fortunately, it was nighttime now.

    The Night Mother, with both merciful and indifferent faces, blessed all vampiric abilities, allowing the well-equipped Murphy to fearlessly engage inbat.Receiving Murphy¡¯s hint, Maxim, who had braced himself before departing, gulped down a small vial of red liquid.

    Instantly, his eyes burst with bloodshot veins. Panting like a raging bull, he gripped his weapon and let out an intimidating battle cry as he charged the nearest Witch Hunter.

    Murphy followed closely behind.

    Employing his skilled-level Shadow Walking honed from wandering alleys, along with novice-level Blood Vulture Sword Arts, Murphy engaged the enemy. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget he was also a spirit user.

    So under Maxim¡¯s meat shield, Murphy released a Dark Spirit st.

    It sounded mighty, but in reality he just gathered the remnants of his internal spirits into a spherical form to hurl out, with no real intimidating force.

    Fortunately, the engagement distance was close enough!

    The moment Maxim shed with the Witch Hunters, a short one was struck square in the face by Murphy¡¯s Dark Spirit Ball, aided by his height advantage.

    Reacting swiftly, the downed foe let out a scream and in the same motion fired an arrow at Murphy¡¯s heart, which bounced harmlessly off his breastte without leaving a scratch.

    No wonder it was the Blood Vulture Elder Armor once worn by Tris!

    Its defense was formidable!

    Seeing his counterattack failed, the Witch Hunter with a ¡°bloody smok makeup¡± look drew his battle knife to resist. But the vampire kicked his wrist, then mounted him and thrust his longsword into the foe¡¯s eye socket.

    With muscle memory and speed enhanced by the Night, this maneuver was smooth and lethal, like a striking venomous snake.

    Warm liquid sshed across Murphy¡¯s cheek, yet the scent didn¡¯t disgust this first-time killer.

    Instead, the smell of blood became a strange sweetness in his breath, as if tempting some dark desire within, making his breathing grow heated.

    In an instant, four specialized blood-drinking fangs emerged beneath his lips.

    Blood!

    He craved blood!

    It was like ants crawling over his body! Ah, just a little more!

    Pitifully, having refused Tris¡¯s offers of plump elderly rats, Murphy had never truly indulged in a vampire¡¯s ¡°blood banquet¡± despite being turned a year ago.

    The young man didn¡¯t understand how fresh blood tempted vampires, so he was unprepared when this first taste plunged him into the dangerous ¡°bloodlust¡± state.

    His crimson pupils could no longer be concealed. A true battle-ready vampire needed no eyes to urately lock onto ¡°delicacies¡± through instant perception alone, their movements also bing swifter and more savage.

    The ancient predator¡¯s instincts began to awaken within Murphy, stripping away his elegant guise to reveal the true Midnight Ghoul.

    In this form, he was a real vampire, not the affected posturing of those hypocritical Midnight Aristocrats.

    The vampire n survived and thrived across the hateful continent for nearly a thousand years not just through their conspiratorial ways.

    Strength!

    Power!

    The true power bestowed by fresh blood was the foundation of this dark race¡¯s endurance. And now, Murphy had tasted that power, bing a true Midnight Power-person!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Likewise a first-timebatant, Maxim entangled two Witch Hunters with drug-enhanced bloodlust, but was quickly struck in the arm and kicked away. However, the blood-frenzied Murphy pounced on the nearest foe like a ghoul.

    Snapping the enemy¡¯s retaliating fingers with a crunch, he drank deeply of the sweet ¡°wine¡± amidst grunts and screams by mping his fangs down.

    The remaining two Witch Hunters saw this monstrous sight and bared their fangs.

    Experienced against vampires, they didn¡¯t try to kill this bloodsucking monster, instead retreating rapidly. But they were surrounded from two sides by five little yers.

    The little yers charged without technique, just brimming courage, hands empty. They should have felt battle fear, but ¡°fear¡± is an emotion yers never experience!

    In a game, there is nothing they dare not attempt!

    After initial confusion passed and the NPC provided hints, the little yers¡¯ innate audacity was unleashed.

    The enemy had damaged health bars, using underhanded ambushes that killed one of their own. Did they expect to get away with it?

    Under the Leading Pigeon¡¯smand, they fearlessly assaulted the two surrounded Witch Hunters in a male mass-attack frenzy, overwhelming them to the ground.

    ¡°Crack!¡±

    One little yer had his neck cleanly twisted by a grounded Witch Hunter. Seeing this instant kill, the kicked-away Leading Pigeon bared fangs and eyes.

    ¡°Damn it! Snail! Ah!! Give me back my brother¡¯s life!¡±

    He roared with reddened eyes, grabbing a dropped hand crossbow and hunting knife, then charged the Witch Hunter who killed hisrade, brutally stabbing into his heart before venting in a frenzied stabbing frenzy.

    Hisbat skills were toocking!

    Completely devoid of technique!

    Simply iling around like a deranged newbie.

    But he had spirit!

    Vicious enough!

    For newbie little yers, that was sufficient.

    The other three yers also shrieked as they dogpiled and restrained thest struggling Witch Hunter until the injured Maxim dragged over to sever his neck with one sword stroke.

    But even outnumbered four-to-one, this Witch Hunter¡¯s final dying breath took one more little yer with a concealed dagger thrust.

    His ferocity and tenacious will to fight was evident.

    This short but intense encounter ended.

    The yers lost three. The Blood Servants lost eight. Maxim was injured and the carriage lost. But the good news was all four Witch Hunters were killed.

    And as a vampire, Murphy finally tasted the delight of fresh blood for the first time.

    ¡°Thump.¡±

    The desated corpse of the half-drained Witch Hunter hit the ground at Murphy¡¯s feet.

    Recovering from bloodlust, Murphy wiped the viscous liquid from his lips, his expression odd as he savored the lingering taste, before his face contorted violently. Like a viral video tosser, he suddenly vomited under everyone¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Damn! They poisoned the blood. Witch Hunters, you sure are crafty ones!¡±

    Murphy cursed inwardly as he wiped his mouth.

    A Witch Hunter¡¯s blood may smell delicious, but these spirit-enhanced monster hunters actually ingested special alchemical potions before facing vampires, filling their veins with chemicals that weaken vampires.

    Such potions surely harmed their bodies, but no one gets something for nothing when hunting monsters, in any world.

    The only upside was that these poisons only weakened inexperienced vampires who identally imbibed the tainted blood, not fatally harming them.

    ¡°My lord, are you alright?¡± Maxim hurried over, offering Murphy his waterskin with his injured, bleeding arm.

    The sight and scent of this healthy blood made the weakened, sitting Murphy¡¯s throat move.

    Maxim noticed this detail. Gritting his teeth, this loyal Blood Servant extended his own arm towards Murphy.

    He said softly, ¡°Drink, my lord. This healthy blood will help you recover swiftly.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Murphy said hoarsely, waving off Maxim¡¯s kind offer.

    On one hand, this experience gave him some psychological aversion to drinking blood. On the other, the little yers were still watching, so he couldn¡¯t tarnish his glorious image.

    If word got out that he treated his own like blood packs, maybe a 25-yer justice brigade would descend on Tris¡¯s doorstep one day.

    ¡°Check the vige,¡± Murphy said while drinking water to clear his throat and suppress the unpleasant weakness. He addressed Maxim, ¡°See if any of them remain. I recall rumors that a basic Witch Hunter squad has six members, so the danger isn¡¯t over yet. Take my warriors with you!¡±

    He pointed to the three little yers exchanging battle stories. ¡°My warriors have proven their strength and courage. They are trustworthy. Now, distribute the spoils to them, arm them, and share any found valuables as rewards.

    Of course, you can keep a share for yourself too, Maxim. Your loyalty deserves a reward.¡±

    ¡°It is merely my duty, my lord!¡± Maxim grinned, tearing off his tattered cloak to bandage his wound. He then picked up his sword and went to the little yers.

    To his surprise, these other-worldly warriors summoned by Lord Murphy had already started looting the four corpses uninstructed.

    They chatted excitedly in their uniquenguage, their heroic demeanor making Maxim respect them. They had just lost threerades, yet they could treat death with such indifference?

    Truly befitting the warriors Lord Murphy favored!

    Though theirbat skills werecking, willpower and courage were a warrior¡¯s finest qualities after all.

    The three surviving little yers stood obediently aside when Maxim the NPC approached, eyeing him expectantly for rewards.

    However, thenguage barrier was a major issue.

    Unable tomunicate verbally, Maxim could only act out gestures, stripping the leather armor off corpses to hand to the yers, and then making an open-handed offering motion.

    The little yers understood, this NPC meant these items now belonged to them.

    ¡°So generous, I thought he¡¯d keep the lion¡¯s share,¡± the Leading Pigeon remarked while fiddling with the hand crossbow.

    Though worn, thepact weapon felt solidly crafted, its modeling exceptionally realistic and weighty in his grip, utterly unlike the garish low-polygon junk from other games.

    The quarrels loaded in the firing mechanism glistened coldly in the moonlight ¨C clearly well-made lethal instruments that delighted him.

    Even better was the genuine tactile sensation, as if he had truly traversed into another reality, his mindpletely synchronized with this game avatar without anyg!

    Zerotency, awesome!

    His two dormmates felt the same way.

    One was admiring the two hunting knives he had secured to his belt with stripped weapon straps, while the other shouldered a half-sword, cosying as the Cotton Quilt King, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

    What grown man could resist the allure of authentic weapons after all?

    Usually even finding a decent stick was treasured enough to crave field testing on some hapless veggie patch. How could they ignore tools capable of cracking skulls?

    As for the bloody armor pieces, the yers dly epted them.

    This was equipment!

    Though unsure if stats could be added, everyone knew the benefits of high armor.

    However, it was quite troublesome to put on, and after a few minutes of the three yers helping each other, they still hadn¡¯t gotten the leather armor¡¯s straps properly fastened. Maxim couldn¡¯t watch any longer and came over to personally demonstrate how to secure it.

    The albino blood servant felt these three warriors were quite naive, like countryside kids arriving in the city for the first time and finding everything novel.

    Once they sorted out the equipment situation, the Leading Pigeon noticed Maxim gesturing for them to follow as he headed towards the silent vige ahead brandishing his rapier.

    The three little yers exchanged nces, ultimately deducing this meant a ¡°new quest.¡±

    ¡°Damn, this game is extremely realistic and adequately intense, but howe there¡¯s not even a yer interface? No quest prompts either?¡±

    The Leading Pigeonined, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be an exmation mark hovering over his head that only we can see?¡±

    Hisrade ¡°Ah Yuen¡± next to the Leading Pigeonined:

    ¡°Maybe that part isn¡¯t finished yet? But that¡¯s basic functionality.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I¡¯m clueless too.¡±

    The Leading Pigeon rolled his eyes, following Maxim into the vige. Seeing the wrecked carriage and gruesome remains, he averted his gaze queasily and muttered:

    ¡°We still can¡¯t understand this NPC¡¯s speech, only that handsome new yer guide NPC canmunicate with us. Who knows what this gamepany was thinking.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not at that testing stage yet?¡±

    Their other dormmate ¡°Spicy Gugu Chicken¡± swaggered along shouldering his half-sword, feeling like a hero. He said:

    ¡°Game testing naturally progresses step-by-step, right? Just look at this awesome VR tech, adding a yer interface is child¡¯s y inparison.¡±

    ¡°True enough.¡±

    The little yers nodded in agreement as they followed Maxim deeper into the vige.

    Speaking of which, this sizable vige seemed unnaturally quiet for thete night hour¡ª

    ¡°These noobs¡­even my solo streaming runs of chaotic high wind games didn¡¯t get this messy. Do today¡¯s yers control with their feet?¡±

    Outside the vige, Murphy rested whileining.

    He had just checked, the yer respawn time was three days!

    This meant even if those four ¡°disconnected¡± little yers came back online, he could onlymand seven people temporarily, instantly losing a third of his forces, which pained Murphy.

    It seemed the rush and attack approach didn¡¯t work well, so he¡¯d need to y with more finesse going forward.

    ¡°But at least the first livebat test isplete. Might as well check the rewards.¡±

    Murphy sighed in relief, intending to reward himself.

    But before he could check his character sheet, a chill ran down his spine, making him jolt upright.

    As he turned around, a thunderous boom erupted, instantly engulfing one-sixth of Mond Vige in an explosive fiery ze.

    What¡­

    What in the hell was this situation?!

 Chapter 7:

    ¡°Ah Yuen! Ah Yuen, are you okay? Still alive? If you¡¯re alive, at least make a sound!¡±

    At the ¡°ident scene¡± of the zing Mond Vige, the dusty Leading Pigeon crawled up from the ground, feeling dizzy.

    This was definitely a mild concussion.

    The symptoms were exactly the same as thest time he was hit in the head by a ¡°idental¡± flying ser ball while trying to pick up girls on the yground!

    Damn, this experience was too realistic!

    His first reaction was to call out to his two brothers. When the explosion happened earlier, he felt like he saw the unlucky Spicy Gugu Chicken closest to the st get blown away?

    s, he had probably kicked the bucket and be roast chicken.

    However, the reality was slightly better than what Pigeon imagined.

    Gugu Chicken wasn¡¯t dead yet. He was thrown by the violent explosion and crashed right into a wooden door across the vige street.Although he felt like his waist was about to break, at least he was alive, just inflicted with a¡¾Blindness¡¿and¡¾Deafness¡¿Debuff. He was lying on the ground, groaning for a long time before he could crawl up.

    Ah Yuen was in the best condition.

    This lucky guy was further away,municating with Maxim using their rudimentary signnguage skills when the vige warehouse exploded. Maxim had pushed him down, so not a single hair on his head was hurt.

    But the scene before the four of them was tragic.

    Mond Vige only had this one street. The warehouse at the east end of the vige waspletely blown open by the Witch Hunters¡¯ alchemy bombs. Some substance added to it like ¡°zing Glue¡± was released, causing the mes to burn extremely fiercely and quickly igniting the surrounding buildings. The craziest part was that there were vigers on fire, screaming as they ran out of the warehouse.

    However, there was no saving them.

    Some kind of oil was poured on their bodies, and most of them only struggled for a few moments before copsing in the fire.

    Logically speaking, no matter how horrific a scene urred in a game, it was just part of the storyline and cutscenes for yers. But for these three innocent college students, the ¡°game¡± they were in was too realistic. The intense scene left them stunned on the spot, not knowing how to help even if they wanted to.

    Ah Yuen tried to rush over but was held back firmly by Maxim. With the intensity of the mes, anyone getting close would be burned.

    The pure-hearted little yers couldn¡¯t understand why the Witch Hunters had locked the vigers in the warehouse, or why they had detonated bombs in their own hiding ce.

    But Maxim had heard of such things before.

    He got up from the ground and told Ah Yuen in a hateful and disgusted tone in the Transianguage:

    ¡°The Witch Hunters judged this vige to be a gathering ce for vampire worshippers and sentenced these vigers to ¡®death by fire¡¯. Those lunatics locked the innocents in the warehouse, nning to execute them after killing Lord Murphy.

    But we won.

    Knowing there was no way out, the Witch Hunters chose to go down together.

    Truly despicable!¡±

    Maxim exined in detail, but the inexperienced little yers couldn¡¯t understand his Transianguage. However, from Maxim¡¯s sad and angry expression, they could roughly guess the situation.

    Especially after the copsing burning warehouse wall revealed the still burning skeleton of a Witch Hunter, Leading Pigeon became indignantly enraged and cursed loudly:

    ¡°F**k! If you want to fight, just fight! Killing vampires is one thing, but killing civilians? What¡¯s the difference between these Witch Hunters and those demons deserving of hell?¡±

    ¡°I think this scene is a bit disgusting,¡± Ah Yuen said softly, turning his head away.

    ¡°But did it have to be so realistic? Wouldn¡¯t a few images be enough? If everything is done like this, there¡¯s no way this game would pass inspection after testing is done.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I can¡¯t see right now,¡± the temporarily blinded Spicy Gugu Chicken said softly while panting.

    ¡°But from your descriptions, I feel this blindness situation might not be a bad thing. Amitabha Buddha, it¡¯s too tragic.¡±

    Maxim was born in a simr vige, so witnessing this tragedy, he couldn¡¯t help but go forward and kneel down in front of the silent fire to pray softly.

    The biggest joke of all was that even though the people of this vige were massacred by the Old Faith¡¯s Witch Hunters, the prayers Maxim used were still from the Old Faith¡¯s scriptures.

    There was no other choice. Since vampires had no gods or churches of their own, the vampire worshippers could only use the teachings of a religion that had disappeared ten years ago when mourning the dead. The other human civilization¡¯s faith, the Winter Wolf Church of the northern Kingdom of Nordtov, had never been able to spread its doctrines in the Transia region where the environment waspletely different from theirs.

    The three little yers also fell silent.

    ¡°Do you see now?¡± Murphy¡¯s voice came from behind them.

    Seeing this evil and crazy scene also dampened the vampire¡¯s mood. To the yers, this was just a game, but to Murphy, it was all real.

    Taking advantage of the emotion, with the fire¡¯s glow illuminating him, Murphy lowered his voice and said half-truthfully to the yers:

    ¡°Such tragedies happen every day in this cruel and barbaric world, but others turn a blind eye! The fallen ones are already immersed in the dreams of desire, power, and war, yet remain silent about the real suffering of life.

    This is why I summoned you warriors from another world.

    This is the grand n I want to prepare and execute.

    If we unite, perhaps we can reverse all of this!

    I firmly believe so!

    Your powerbined with my wisdom can create a world where such tragedies will never ur again.¡±

    Murphy stood before the burning mes. Like the determined main NPCs, he turned his back to the three little yers. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at them and said:

    ¡°Such a journey towards the light should not be undertaken by a vampire, yet no one else is willing to step forward! This world has alwayscked true heroes, so they can only make do with me, a blood n member.

    Warriors.

    Will you help me?

    After witnessing the brutality, ignorance, and darkness firsthand, will you join me in this grand n?¡±

    ¡°There should be a quest window popping up right about now,¡± Leading Pigeon turned and quipped to his two brothers, who both nodded. But the next second, Pigeon got up resolutely and shook Murphy¡¯s outstretched hand.

    He said earnestly:

    ¡°Of course, we righteous ones cannot turn a blind eye to such dark evil. Lord Murphy, we wanderers from another world shall board your ship towards a new, beautiful world today!¡±

    ¡°Wow, did you really have to get that into character? Why are you better at acting than me? Why don¡¯t you be the NPC instead?¡±

    Murphy looked touched on the surface, but was actually feeling awkward inside.

    This guy is still just a chuunibyou teenager!

    Sure, you look righteous, but don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you¡¯re referencing that meme about hitting on White Beard! Don¡¯t think that just because I look so young and handsome now, this old uncle wasn¡¯t a veteran game nerd before transmigrating.

    ¡°Good.¡± Murphy suppressed his urge to roast the yer, withdrew his hand, and said to the three little yers:

    ¡°Then our cause begins now! I¡¯m very weak at the moment, and my servants need rest. I ask that you search the vige to see if there are any survivors who may also join our cause.

    To buy suitable armor and weapons for you brave warriors, we need money. So I hope you can collect any unimed currency to serve as operational funds for our organization.

    I know this is a bit mundane.

    But a righteous cause always needs practical support, we can¡¯t fill our bellies with just ideals.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, this NPC is quite the character.¡±

    Ah Yuen squinted at Pigeon and Gugu Chicken:

    ¡°He makes looting sound so nice. This guy is quite the pragmatist, not as disconnected from reality as those typical heroic NPCs.

    That¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go loot.¡±

    Leading Pigeon shrugged as he and Ah Yuen supported the still dazed and blinded Gugu Chicken, heading into the vige, leaving just Murphy and Maxim behind.

    ¡°Leave the searching to my warriors, you should rest too.¡±

    Murphy said, sitting on a copsed door as Maxim finished praying:

    ¡°You also need to learn how tomunicate with my warriors. They are all very good people, kindhearted and hardworking. Whatever you need, you can tell them, and they will do their best to find it for you.

    Of course, when dealing with them, rewards are necessary.

    This is the tradition of their warrior world, if no reward is given, they will see you as an enemy.¡±

    ¡°But I have no money.¡±

    Maxim said in embarrassment.

    A defective blood servant like him being able to speak was already fortunate. They themselves were Lord Jed¡¯s personal property, why would they need money? Were they nning to hire soldiers and rebel?

    But Murphy shook his head and exined:

    ¡°Not just money, they are interested in everything from our world. They even have a severe hoarding habit. You can pay them with actual items, anything works, but currency, weapons and armor are their favorites.

    If you can get some handsome warhorses or rare, exotic treasures as rewards, they¡¯ll be even happier and see you as a closer, more trustworthy person.¡±

    ¡°It sounds a lot like mercenaries, the same disregard for death, the same heartlessness. Neither emotions nor sorrow can affect their actual actions, only motivated by profit.¡±

    Maxim summarized. Murphy was satisfied with theparison said:

    ¡°They are mercenaries from another world! Pure and opportunistic yet just. When benevolent, they rival the most selfless angels. When malevolent, even hellish demons would tremble. I¡¯m grateful now that they are on our side.

    But enough about them.

    I¡¯ll rest for a bit, then we can discuss how to proceed towards the Midnight Hunters¡¯ camp.¡±

    With that, he closed his eyes as if napping, but was actually checking the rewards for the newbie guide quest:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (3/6): Basic Combat Testing (Completed)

    Rewards: 5 Test Invitation Codes, Game Forum Feature Unlocked.

    Developer¡¯s Note: The forum is not just a ce to share gossip and vent over tea, but also a gathering ce for the lovely little yers to share their feelings.

    They need the forum like adventurers need a tavern. Now you have your own tavern, use it wisely.¡¿

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (4/6): Advanced Combat Testing, instruct test subjects to conduct a qualified battle. Requirement is to annihte or drive off the enemy while sustaining no more than one-fifth casualties of current manpower.

    Win Condition: Current manpower is 15, suffering more than 3 losses is considered a failure.

    Rewards: 5 Test Invitation Codes, New Feature Unlocked, additional rewards based onpletion.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Would you really use such adorable little yers as cannon fodder? Well it¡¯s not impossible, but at this stage we suggest properly allocating each precious manpower. In other words, you must first learn the finesse of operation management before executing bold blitzkrieg tactics.¡¿

    ¡°Are these difficulty settings serious? I feel like there¡¯s a whole world of difference between three and four! Are you trying to force me to transition from roleying to an RTS yer? Should I just gouged out my eyeballs now to get the job change over with?¡±

    Murphy inwardly roasted the quest objectives fiercely.

    But the rewards were still enticing.

    He saw the newly unlocked game forum feature under his character card. Using his consciousness like a virtual mouse cursor, he tapped on it, causing a brilliant glow to sh before his eyes. A translucent panel then appeared, like sitting at aputer browsing the web.

    This was the main forum interface.

    Admittedly quite rudimentary, but it had basic functions like private messages, posting, discussion groups, etc.

    Murphy checked his ount information skillfully and saw his ID was not Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, but the cryptic¡¾Alpha¡¿.

    This reminded him of when the test n management system activated and the first guidance quest referred to him as ¡°Alpha¡± in the content description as well.

    ¡°What does this name mean?¡±

    Murphy pondered inwardly but found no answer. He continued checking his ount info which showed he had been granted sole admin privileges for this forum.

    Just as he was the sole admin interacting with yers in this ¡°game¡± under testing.

    ¡°Maybe I can try forcing the yers offline sometime? To flex my admin dog privileges a bit.¡±

    This slightly evil thought entered Murphy¡¯s mind, making the hapless vampire eager to try it. He then turned his attention to this unusually minimalist yetplex forum.

    There were currently no posts, as the feature had just unlocked. But the¡¾10/15¡¿yer count showed that the five newly obtained test invitation codes were somehow being circted and finding suitable test subjects in the yers¡¯ world by means Murphy couldn¡¯t imagine.

    Speaking of which, what were the standards for selecting yers anyway?

    Was it really just based on luck?

    As Murphy pondered these questions, he was about to enter the forum to vent and maybe make an introductory post to ease his tense and perplexed mood. But before he could act, a sudden gunshot made him jump up, with Maxim also gripping his sword nervously beside him.

    The people in this vige were probably all killed by the Witch Hunters.

    Where did that gunshote from?

    More importantly, were his adorable little yers already dead?

    Damn it!

    How dare anyone kill my cute little yers! You¡¯re really asking for it!

 Chapter 8:

    Although dawn was approaching and the environment would soon enter the daytime which severely weakens vampires, it was still the darkest moment of the day. The blessing of night enhanced Murphy¡¯s senses far beyond normal.

    After hearing the gunshots, he and Maxim immediately rushed towards the source. As they got closer, their supernatural senses allowed them to detect slight movementsing from a cer below, where a body was pinning down the entrance.

    There was someone hiding there!

    A woman!

    In the vige filled with the stench of blood, Murphy caught a faint whiff of perfume. Though not overpowering, it made him narrow his eyes as his left hand rested on the hilt of the crimson cage sword at his waist.

    This weapon his mother Tris once used was imbued with the intricate artistic sense that vampires harbor, the cage guard intricately carved with vulture patterns.

    It was the symbol of the Blood Vulture, one of the seven major vampire ns.

    Its name was the ¡°de of the Desire n,¡± and ¡°Desire¡± was the original sin of the Blood Vulture n.

    A rather peculiar concept in vampire traditional culture, each of the seven major ns had a corresponding original sin to represent their identity as the ¡°Eternal Sinful Progeny.¡±¡°Bang!¡±

    Murphy heard another gunshot.

    The deep boom came from inside the cer, wood splinters flying as three small yers shouted nearby, having taken cover.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this supposed to be a fantasy game? How can there be such an outrageous thing as a gun?¡±

    The Leading Pigeon covered his bleeding forehead, having narrowly avoided being hit by the bullet. His luck was truly good to have dodged it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, who am I supposed to ask? This is my first time ying such an intense game too. It¡¯s like jumping straight from The Witcher into GTA! Just awhile ago we were fighting Witch Hunters with des, and now we¡¯re having to do some American quick-draw thing.¡±

    Ah Yuen spat out a cynical remark from the other side of the cer, having just regained his vision. The Spicy Gugu Chicken was about to rashly charge in half-sword drawn, but Ah Yuen firmly held him back.

    The enemy had guns, they couldn¡¯t just brute force it!

    They needed to be smart.

    ¡°My naive warriors, do you think our world is ruled by some primitive folks?¡±

    Murphy approached and signaled for his newbie yer-warriors not to panic. As he pushed aside the body pinning down the cer entrance, he exined to the three novices:

    ¡°The Dwarven records show they had already started using firearms when theyid the first brick for the Bronze Citadel in the year 400. The Western Kingdom that these Witch Hunters belong to had also fully adopted Dwarven weapons during their military reform in 1040. That one-year reform gave the country steel fangs, allowing them to quickly absorb another nation and form the current Goldflower Kingdom.

    What I¡¯m saying is, this world is far moreplex than what you¡¯ve seen.

    You should be more humble.¡±

    ¡°What year is it now?¡±

    The most diligent student among the dormitory six, Ah Yuen, couldn¡¯t help but ask. Murphy nced at him and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s the 10th year of the Decade War, August of Year 1111 in the Age. But we¡¯ll talk about history lessonster, shh.¡±

    He made a gesture for silence, then stood by the cer entrance and drew out his words as he spoke downwards:

    ¡°Girl, are youing out yourself? Or do I have to drag you out?¡±

    The weak, raspy voice imbued with the poisoned blood made him sound sinister in that moment, like an evil cat about to torment a poor, captured mouse.

    But the next second, Murphy¡¯s keen senses picked up the sound of a gun being cocked from below the cer, making the unfortunate vampire jerk back two steps in reflex.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Another muffled boom as the cer door was struck again by a scorching copper bullet, wood chips flying amid a panicked, furious shriek from the woman.

    It was clear she utterly despised vampires.

    Murphy didn¡¯t immediately advance. After waiting several seconds for her to reload, ensuring the timing, he continued knocking on the cer door to bait her shot, then charged in during the interval.

    Leaping through the dpidated entrance into the darkness, the retreating woman appeared to Murphy¡¯s eyes as red infrared dots.

    Her blood had to be clean.

    It made the vampire feel a pang of thirst.

    He licked his lips and pounced, not even needing to draw his sword as he batted away the heavy hunting rifle she gripped. Seizing her throat, he pinned her against the cer wall.

    Dust flew as the supernatural strength was undeniably disyed.

    Though not very effective against Witch Hunters, it was as easy as cutting vegetables when used to oppress ordinary humans. Just Murphy¡¯s rapid movements in the darkness would have been impossible for the girl to track.

    At such speed, even guns and bullets in human hands could provide no protection.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The young woman Murphy had by the throat let out a shriek.

    Her face was smeared with soot, dress tattered. Murphy nced around, noticing a Witch Hunter¡¯s corpse in the cer as well.

    Thetter¡¯s trousers were down around his knees, a dagger protruding from his chest while half his head was blown off.

    Hmm, it seemed some rather unsavory events had urred here before their arrival, no wonder only five of the six Witch Hunters appeared.

    Thest one must have gotten into trouble trying to have his way with the girl.

    The stench of blood in the cer stimted Murphy¡¯s eyes to glow faintly red as he felt the girl¡¯s struggles. He could almost see with his eyes the hot blood coursing through her pale skin, making his vampiric fangs ache to extend.

    His weakened body craved fresh blood.

    But upon noticing his three small yers watching from above, Murphy immediately regained his senses. With a wave of his hand, he flung the girl out as she scrambled frantically from the cer, only to be caught by the three ¡°warriors¡± blocking the exit.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Amid shrill screams outside, the crisp sound of a p rang out as Murphy¡¯s bloodlust receded. Crouching in the darkness, he picked up the hunting rifle and searched the Witch Hunter¡¯s corpse for usable ammunition pouches.

    ¡°You are not a monster, Murphy!¡± he reminded himself silently.

    ¡°Drinking the blood of an innocent will make it impossible to turn back. I don¡¯t think you want to see the 25-yer raid knocking on your door in the future, do you?¡±

    As he was convincing himself, his hand brushed against something in the dead Witch Hunter¡¯s pouch.

    The bloodstained scroll unfurled before his eyes, depicting a handsome portrait of himself with details listed below. The bold words made Murphy¡¯s brow furrow:

    High Priority Target, Kill on Sight?

    ¡°F**k!¡±

    The portrait made Murphy realize the severity of the situation.

    Although he knew the Patriarch had sent him out as bait and cannon fodder, the Patriarch¡¯s malicious intent was one thing. But for his urate portrait to end up in the Witch Hunters¡¯ hands just one day after leaving town was quite another matter.

    Without considering unpredictable spirit magic, if calcted by time alone, it meant the Witch Hunters already knew Murphy¡¯s identity, specific information, and route even before he set out!

    Otherwise, there was no exining how they could haveid an ambush in Mond Vige ahead of time.

    Tonight¡¯s events were not just Murphy¡¯s bad luck, this was a calcted trap set specifically for him! Had it not been for the small yers¡¯ heroic intervention, his life would have ended right here!

    There was a traitor in the Blood Vulture n!

    Moreover, it was a traitor with direct ess to the Patriarch¡¯smands.

    ¡°No wonder Tris told me to hurry and run. The Blood Vulture n may seem to have the upper hand on their own turf, but they¡¯ve practically been infiltrated to the core. What¡¯s even the point of fighting?¡±

    A surge of anger rose within Murphy.

    Suppressing his rage, he emerged from the cer with a cold expression. After instructing the three yers to continue searching the vige for valuables, he signaled to Maxim, who had tied up the unfamiliar girl.

    The two of them, plus one ¡°spare blood pack¡±, entered a house that was still standing.

    The fire on the other side of the vige had died down, with only a few dozen minutes left before it extinguishedpletely. But no one paid attention to those mes anymore, not even the small yers.

    Murphy handed Maxim the Witch Hunter¡¯s scroll bearing his portrait. Maxim¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at it and eximed:

    ¡°There¡¯s really a traitor in the n? It¡¯s hard to imagine.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s words made Murphy roll his eyes.

    Hey, brother, you haven¡¯t even gone through the Embrace ritual yet, you¡¯re still human. Why are you constantly going on about ¡°the n¡± as if you¡¯re more loyal than an actual Blood Vulture like me?

    ¡°The situation has taken a delicate turn, Maxim.¡±

    Murphy said, sitting on a chair with a broken leg. He massaged his temples, methodically analyzing the current circumstances, trying toe up with a solution using the life experiences he had umted over a decade of struggling.

    He told the tense Maxim:

    ¡°The Witch Hunters, those vicious bastards trained by the Old Faith, are notorious across the continent for their ruthlessness and precision in hunting. They¡¯ve caught my scent, and won¡¯t give up until they¡¯ve torn out my throat. If I run now, I¡¯ll be ying right into their hands. The surrounding Witch Hunters may already be closing in on this area.¡±

    His pale fingers lightly drummed on the ash-covered table as the jumbled information in his mind gradually unraveled through his thoughts, like a database sorting and extracting the key data.

    This was not difficult for Murphy, a former professional software tester. In his past life, he was ustomed to untanglingplex architectures to find those hidden, miraculous bugs. Fortunately, this habit carried over to the other world after his inexplicable transmigration.

    After contemting for a moment, Murphy made up his mind and addressed his loyal vampire servant:

    ¡°Dawn is breaking, and I¡¯m extremely weakened right now, unable to travel during the day. But the Witch Hunters areing hard and fast. The only option is for you to take the Patriarch¡¯s sealed orders to the predetermined rendezvous and deliver them to the Midnight Hunters on my behalf, requesting reinforcements.

    My portrait is in the Witch Hunters¡¯ hands, making me their primary target, so I can¡¯t leave.

    Take the small path heading east towards Prussia first, then loop around the Anderma Hills from the northwest. It¡¯s longer but safer that way, you shouldn¡¯t encounter any obstacles.

    But you must be swift.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Maxim looked hesitant.

    He was no fool.

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s portrait carried by the Witch Hunters made him realize that staying would likely be a death sentence. He had already prepared himself to be abandoned as bait, but never expected Murphy¡¯splete reversal.

    This left Maxim utterly astonished. His thoughts at the moment were: Could the great Lord Murphy truly be the legendary Vampire Saint, willing to use himself as bait to protect a lowly Blood Servant?

    ¡°No, my lord,¡±

    The albino servant immediately shook his head.

    ¡°You should depart first, I will remain and dy them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish!¡±

    Murphy rebuked:

    ¡°You witnessed the Witch Hunters¡¯ viciousness firsthand. Those bastards are formidable! Staying here, you couldn¡¯t possibly dy them for long. If you are truly loyal to the Blood Vultures, then you should know obeying my orders is the only way for both of us to survive!¡±

    He tossed Maxim the hunting rifle he had retrieved from the cer, along with the ammunition pouches.

    The weapon¡¯s shape resembled the ssic old Winchester, but with an overall bulkier, exotic ir. The intricate patterns on the barrel and the short axe de beneath the muzzle identified it as a dwarven musket, a high-powered firearm produced by the armories of the Brass Dwarves on the Genoa Penins.

    In this region of Transia, such a weapon was synonymous with formidable power.

    Even stronger vampires than Murphy would be incapacitated for a while if hit by one. With specialized ammunition piercing the heart, it could even temporarily render them unconscious.

    ¡°Take it! Depart immediately, my life is in your hands now.¡±

    Murphy tucked the Patriarch¡¯s spirit-inscribed sealed orders into Maxim¡¯s hands. Patting the shoulder of this servant of another family, he said:

    ¡°Maxim, you have proven your loyalty. Now I need you to summon your wisdom and courage. Although you are Lord Jed¡¯s Blood Servant, I hereby swear to you in the ck night name of the Lessenbra Blood Vulture n, if we both survive this, I will perform the Embrace ritual for you.

    If you are willing, I will handle the situation with Lord Jed¡¯s side.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Maxim¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with passion.

    He was a true vampire worshiper. Ever since Jed picked him up as a child to serve the Blood Vulture n, bing a true vampire had been his ultimate career goal. But he knew his circumstances, if Lord Jed truly valued him, he wouldn¡¯t have sent him on this suicide mission.

    So Murphy¡¯s current offer was something he could never refuse. No matter how infamous Murphy¡¯s elder Lady Tris the ¡°Queen of Waste¡± was, what did that matter?

    Even the weakest vampire was still a vampire!

    For ¡°blood servants¡± like them, just having that status was a victory. Their standing within the n was a matter to strive forter.

    ¡°I depart immediately, my lord.¡±

    Maxim shouldered the rifle, secured the Patriarch¡¯s sealed orders on his person, gave Murphy the Blood Vulture salute, and then strode out.

    After seeing the loyal servant off, Murphy settled ounts with the three small yers still in the vige ruins, ¡°booting them offline¡± to end this test round.

    With only himself and the human captive remaining in the decimated vige, he began strategizing anew.

    The Witch Hunters would likely return soon. He would regroup in the ruins of Mond, his forces consisting of three novice small yers and four ¡°disconnected¡± small yers. Thanks to the ¡°gifts¡± from the Witch Hunters, he was notcking in weapons or armor. With proper preparation, perhaps they could put up a fight.

    It would also serve as an opportunity toplete the fourth Newbie Guide Quest.

    He sat on the broken chair and reopened the forum, intending to chat with his yers, partly to better fabricate¡­no, devise his test ns based on their feedback.

    But also, he had many questions that required answers from the yers, most crucially: just how did these small yers manage to enter the game?

    Was it truly through keyboard and mouse controls?

    Judging by their agility ¡°in-game¡±, there was probably more to it.

 Chapter 9:

    The cunning Murphy entered the game forum with an ulterior motive. He found that a very active shitposting thread had already appeared on this newly opened forum.

    However, shitposting without gaining experience is meaningless. Why would a sensible person chat in the posts?

    So he ignored the thread in typical vampiric cold and elegant fashion, and carefully studied the various functions of this forum first.

    In the backend, there was an ¡°Application Area¡±.

    Here, one could view test applications and allocate test slots.

    The five test invitation codes Murphy just obtained could be used here. He could also edit the questionnaire for the¡¶Reality Realm¡·game test application himself. Unfortunately, there were no new test applications yet.

    However, he could copy the questionnaire link to veteran yers, who could then invite neers through it.

    Uh, this process sounded a bit like a pyramid scheme, didn¡¯t it?

    If he wasn¡¯t currently in a real otherworld, he would suspect himself of trying to start some dangerous organization, and report himself to the nearest police officer while he was at it.With such strange thoughts, he also discovered a ¡°Feedback Area¡±.

    ording to the forum rules, this was where the¡¶Reality Realm¡·test yers, that is, the gamers, could provide feedback to the game production team about existing problems in the game.

    Inyman¡¯s terms, it was called a ¡°suggestion box¡±.

    ¡°But this is just for show, right?¡±

    The vampire nced at this well-designed feedback andint area, and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly mock:

    ¡°The admin system clearly states that even if there areints, it can¡¯t solve any problems. After all, this real world is not a game, and I¡¯m just a poor test admin, not a creator god. I have no way to patch bugs from the void.

    So this feature is specifically to test my skills at misleading and making excuses, isn¡¯t it?

    Hey, you saw right through me.¡±

    Within minutes, the few yers still on the forum almost simultaneously received an invitation to an internal forum group from Murphy.

    The LeadingPigeon, who was about to take off his headset to eat, saw that the invitation was from an ID called ¡°Alpha¡± marked as the forum admin, so he immediately epted it.

    After entering the group, he saw that the 10 yers who had received invitation codes were all here.

    Alpha: ¡¾Yo, hello everyone, I¡¯m the little newbie from the¡¶Reality Realm¡·game testing team. I¡¯ll be responsible for interfacing with the test yers and collecting your feedback on this game, as well as moderating the forum a bit.

    Feel free to speak your mind, don¡¯t be reserved. Voice any opinions you have about this game or submit feedback posts, and I¡¯ll promptly ry them to the production team.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Hello, admin! ¡¿

    The pigeon immediately went to greet him, and the others followed suit.

    The atmosphere instantly became cordial.

    MeowKing: ¡¾Damn! You guys had fun with thebat test today, didn¡¯t you? I was at work then, and I feel like I missed out on a million bucks!

    Come on, someone tell your brother what it feels like to sh people in this game!¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾I don¡¯t know what shing feels like, but I can tell you what being shed feels like. It was so stupid, the game experience was extremely bad! Negative review!¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Shut up, you noob. You just logged in and got one-shot by an arrow to the head, and you still have the nerve to jump around? You pathetic waste, you¡¯re embarrassing our dorm! As the dorm head, I can¡¯t even show my face to the NPCs.¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾Damn! You dare talk to your dad like that, you ungrateful brat? Dad won¡¯t bring you food today! And you can forget about attending the morning roll call tomorrow, (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Noooo! Dad, I¡¯m sorry.¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾Good boy.¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurCar: ¡¾Good boy +1.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Good boy +10086.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾@MeowKing you¡¯re Old Yang right? I remember your game name is this. Last night after drinking with Old Lin, we suddenly received two headsets, followed the instructions to the forum, and we¡¯re still confused.

    Can you tell us two what¡¯s going on with this game?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Hey, are you suffering from middle-aged inte syndrome or what? Don¡¯t reveal my real name, you mutt! Call me by my ID or just Brother Meow, the rest in private chat!¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾@Alpha Are you nitpicking? Hmm, let me think, I previously saw the three noobs who died turn into light particles after death, and the white-haired NPC nearby looked dumbfounded. This made me feel that our ¡®exit method¡¯cks that role-ying vor.

    This game is so realistic, having such a w really breaks the immersion.

    I strongly suggest that yers should leaveplete corpses behind after dying in the future.¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾Brother Yuen, be honest, what do you want to do with our corpses? Horrified.jpg¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Evil grin, of course brother Yuen wants to do some ¡®terrible¡¯ things, like draw little turtles on your noob faces or spam crouch and insult emotes.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾This one¡­ you do make a point we didn¡¯t consider before. I¡¯ll submit the feedback to the dev team and see if they can make some modifications.

    Additionally, there¡¯s some bad news.

    The dev team wasn¡¯t very satisfied with the effects from that justpleted basicbat test.

    They felt the test yer reactions weren¡¯t professional enough, resulting in a lot ofbat data not being collected, so they may conduct anotherbat test soon.

    This time, we hope the participating test yers can perform in a more professional manner, at the very least not having the embarrassing situation of dying right after logging in.¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾!!!So you could see our performance in the game? Admin, no need to publicly execute me like that!¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾No need to be so dejected. In my opinion, your arrow-to-the-head earlier looked quite dashing. In all my years doing this, it was the first time I saw someone take an arrow that urately.

    Also, if possible, we suggest not posing with your hand clutching your crotch when dying next time.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾LOL, officiallybeled as a noob, flips table whileughing hysterically.jpg¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾Hey, stopughing! That was just a mistake, can you give me another chance? Admin, I¡¯ll definitely perform better this time! I won¡¯t embarrass myself again!¡¿

    KonoMaomaoShark: ¡¾Yeah, give us a chance, I want to be a good yer too sir!¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurCheche: ¡¾Cheche also wants a chance, it¡¯s too rough having to wait three days to revive after dying. And there are too few people, invite some more.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾@DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees Not possible, this game aims for a hardcore+realism style hardcore MMORPG experience, and death penalties are an important part of that experience.

    We don¡¯t want to create a game mode where yers can treat their lives as consumables to ovee nearly any challenge.

    The dev team is conveying their vision to the yer base in this way, that you¡¯re in a real otherworld, so you should cherish your life like true otherworlders.

    Of course, there may be some improvement measurester, but strict adherence to the game mode is a must during testing.

    As for expanding the test scale, I can¡¯t make that decision, but the production team decided to use an invitation system before testing began to avoid degrading the test environment.

    But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve applied for a batch of free invitation codes from them.

    If you have friends who want to y, have them fill out a test application, but I can¡¯t guarantee they¡¯ll be epted.

    Application link below.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Hooray! Long live the great admin! I¡¯ll send messages to some good bros right away!¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Tsk, Ah Yuen you brown-noser, this time get us a burly jock, we¡¯ll be relying on him forbat.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Leave it to me, don¡¯t worry.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾It¡¯s about time for me to get off work. This chat with everyone will have to end here. The next test time will be announced 10-30 minutes in advance in this group.

    After a while, we¡¯ll enable yers to freely log into the game at their discretion, because the dedicated test server has just finished setup and we hope everyone can ovee the inconvenience until the stress test ispleted.

    Feel free to voice any suggestions in the Feedback area of the forum.

    Lastly, thank you all for choosing¡¶Reality Realm¡·, and wishing you all smooth sailing in your gaming careers!¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Bidding the great admin farewell!¡¿

    Another chorus of parroting followed.

    Murphy, however, sneakily eavesdropped invisibly, but didn¡¯t participate in the small yers¡¯ subsequent discussion about the current storyline. After confirming they had no more questions, the vampire finally exited the forum.

    In the dpidated hut in Mond Vige, he stroked his chin, pondering. The question the pigeon had raised earlier seemed niche but was actually quite valuable.

    In his view, yers disappearing into particles of light after dying was no problem, but to other otherworlders this scene would undoubtedly seem bizarre. With the current small number of yers it didn¡¯t matter, but if there wereter thousands or tens of thousands of yers, even if Murphy revealed his identity as a summoner, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it.

    After all, what kind of summoner are you to simultaneously summon thousands or tens of thousands of otherworlders at once? Are you really a summoner? Or an otherworld tour guide?

    Are you really saying such vampire nonsense!

    But how should the corpse issue be resolved?

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Just as Murphy was deep in thought, a pained groan from beside him snapped him out of it.

    The vampire nced at the corner to see the unfortunate girl Maxim had tightly bound with rope. He immediately felt amused.

    Ah yes, he got so engrossed chatting with the small yers that he forgot about her.

    Fortunately he remembered in time, otherwise this poor girl who just escaped the Witch Hunters¡¯ clutches would have suffocated.

    What a sin. Although he was also quite unfortunate himself, seeing this true NPC even more unfortunate than him immediately relieved some of the pressure he felt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll untie you, just don¡¯t bite me.¡±

    Murphy squatted down and said to the enraged but weak unfortunate girl.

    After she red at him but couldn¡¯t hide the fear in her eyes, and finally nodded, the vampire untied the rope gagging her mouth.

    It had been so tightly bound that it left bruises on her fair cheeks, lending the scene an 18+ vibe.

    This girl had a head of short, fiery red hair that she had styled in a tidy, boyish manner. Her beautiful face was full of youthful vigor, and her tender skin showed she wasn¡¯t a vige farmwife. Though her dress wasn¡¯t extravagant, it had a schrly air, with a unique pendant hanging from her neck, a small copper gear-shaped charm at the bottom.

    Murphy took it in his hand and saw the inscription on the little gear:

    Year 4, Administration Department, ss 1109, Shaldor Engineering Academy, Admitted Fall 1109.

    ¡°Well, a third-year university student, quality talent. No wonder even that crude Witch Hunter couldn¡¯t control himself.¡±

    The unfortunate vampire calcted the time in his mind, grinned wryly and put the small gear back into the girl¡¯s cor, looking at the fearful, angry and sorrowful young woman before him as he said:

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be the ce you belong, does it?¡±

    ¡°This is my home! You vile vampire!¡±

    The girl shrieked:

    ¡°It¡¯s you who ruined my home, my father, my fellow vigers¡­They¡¯re all gone, we didn¡¯t provoke anyone! It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    ¡°First of all, it was the Witch Hunters who burned down your vige and killed everyone here. I hadn¡¯t even arrived when theymitted their evil deeds,¡± Murphy shook his head.

    ¡°Mond Vige and the surrounding areas of Kadman City have been traditional Blood Vulture n territories since the 720s after the Second ck Catastrophe.

    This is our home too, who would make a mess in their own home?

    Whether you believe it or not, the Blood Vulture n even has an official ¡®Protector of the People¡¯. So please direct your hatred and anger to the right ce.

    Secondly, I don¡¯t have much time to console you, girl.

    As you overheard earlier.

    The dangerous Witch Hunters are hunting me down, and they won¡¯t spare you either after you killed one of their own. So whether you¡¯re willing or not, you¡¯ll have to follow my arrangements if you want to survive.

    Now tell me, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    Faced with Murphy¡¯s inquiry, the girl showed some resistance, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she obediently lowered her head and sighed:

    ¡°Miriam.¡±

    ¡°Hm? No family name?¡±

    Murphy raised an eyebrow in surprise and said:

    ¡°An aspiring girl able to attend university thousands of miles away on the Genoa Penins shouldn¡¯tck even a family name, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the vige chief¡¯s illegitimate daughter.¡±

    Miriam said softly, a bit embarrassed.

    ¡°This return was for an arranged marriage set up by my father to the son of a wealthy merchant in Kadman City. The inheritance from myte mother is what allowed me to attend university.

    But my father has been a bit short on funds recently¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s gaze became subtle as he said:

    ¡°So that anger earlier was just an act, wasn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t actually have any feelings for this ce.

    Alright, no need to exin, I¡¯m not interested in family dramas.

    I can see you¡¯re a clever one, and that¡¯s what I need now.¡±

    He stood up, drew the de of the Desire n and with a flick of his wrist, swiftly sliced through Miriam¡¯s ropes in a practiced arc. Then he pointed outside and said:

    ¡°Go find weapons and armor from those corpses to protect yourself. And gather enough equipment for ten people to use. I need to think about what we should do next.¡±

    Without a word, Miriam lowered her head and walked towards the exit.

    Her legs were trembling slightly, her fists clenched. Just as she neared the door, Murphy said in an ominous tone from behind:

    ¡°Your heart is racing, are you plotting something dangerous? As a native of Transia, you should know that vampires like me can track life by scent up to three miles away, Miriam.

    Need me to exin to you the principle behind the spirit mark that forms on the killer when a Witch Hunter dies?

    I hear that marksts at least seven days, and all Witch Hunters who pass the Hunting Rites can see it and will go to any lengths to avenge theirrades.

    It¡¯s their tradition!

    From the start of the Ten Year War until now, the number of ¡®vampire cultists¡¯ killed by Witch Hunters is astronomical. And unfortunately, from any angle, you now belong to this group.

    So, do you truly understand your predicament now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I can!¡±

    Miriam clenched her fists and shouted back at Murphy without turning around.

    She strode out of the dpidated hut, but made no attempt to run on her two legs. Instead, she obediently began gathering the equipment Murphy needed.

    Inside the house, Murphy¡¯s hand also moved away from the hilt of the sword at his waist.

    He would not be deceived by Miriam¡¯s seeming meekness!

    A young woman capable of lethally ambushing and killing an aroused Witch Hunter one-on-one with her beauty alone could hardly be harmless. And this one was even a third-year student at the prestigious Shaldor Engineering Academy.

    That was one of the three great academies on the continent!

    Who knows what kinds of thoughts and self-defense techniques those cunning and mysterious halflings instill in their students?

    Perhaps that Witch Hunter¡¯s death held more to it, but now was not the time to dig to the root since Murphy needed Miriam¡¯s help.

    Murphy nced out the window at the annoying dawn light, representing his uing vampiric torpor.

    Staying up all night left him a bit fatigued, and the lingering weakness from the Witch Hunter¡¯s poison blood made him drowsy. However, the exhration ofbat and his first kill seemed to have awakened some vampiric dark traits in Murphy, he found himself disying an unexpected coldness towards death, especially the deaths of others.

    He didn¡¯t know if this was normal, but with the constant threat of vengeful Witch Hunters, Murphy felt he should prepare early.

    Most importantly, he had reaffirmed his next objective:

    Beforepleting this troublesome journey to return to Kadman City and see Tris, he had to finish his Newbie Guide Quest, unlocking all possible functions to allow the small yers to reach their full potential.

    Only by them growing stronger could he and Tris stay safely away from the ever-present danger.

    The young vampire squinted at the outside sunlight. In that moment, Murphy actually looked forward a bit to the potential hunt the Witch Hunters mightunch.

    Gradually realizing the true usefulness of the test admin system, he no longer had much to fear. Now he only hoped the storms of life woulde with greater ferocity, to water and nourish his little leeks, helping them grow strong and tall.

    Though the leveling function was still locked, without ying monsters, where would experience for levelinge from?

 Chapter 10:

    The daylight was always vexing. Under such ¡°full exposure¡±, vampires easily grew fatigued, and as the scorching noon approached, Murphy had already retreated indoors for a light sleep.

    ¡°Ding dong¡±

    The notification sound from the forum roused Murphy from his half-asleep state. ncing at the forum, he saw there were new messages in the application area.

    New trial application links just went out and there were already greenhorns showing up?

    So eager?

    Murphy opened the application and saw the applicant ID ¡°Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties¡± with a tag¡¾Athlete¡¿. This immediately amused him.

    It was clearly one of Ah Yuen¡¯s dormmate¡¯s friends that the good student had specially recruited. That kid was really diligent.

    He looked over the applicant¡¯s questionnaire answers and preliminarily judged them to be purely innocent college students without much social experience, like the dormmates, so he approved them.

    Murphy the old fox just loved these pure youths, they were so easy to lure into doing things.But in the application area there was other information too. Those bizarre IDs really opened Murphy¡¯s eyes to the weirdness of the world, just look at the bizarre names these idioticizens used?

    ¡¾ck Stockings Under the Keyboard¡¿ was still rtively not abstract, but the rest made Murphy¡¯s eyes hurt.

    ¡¾Led More Than Three to Five Pecks¡¿,¡¾Day One No Fap¡¿,¡¾Electronic Subus Old Tune¡¿.

    Abstract galore!

    Too abstract!

    The ¡°Introduced By¡± field in the questionnaires for these few also had Meow King¡¯s ID written, so they were likely his real-life friends.

    True to the promiscuous boot-licking man¡¯s reputation, his social skills really were top-notch. Murphy was truly curious about Meow King¡¯s circle of friends now.

    But honestly, the questionnaire results for these few guys were all really good, rich gaming experience, loved roleying, eager for challenges and hardcore gamey,w-abiding. They were perfect rookie candidates in Murphy¡¯s eyes. As if!

    Such consistent results must have been filled out under Meow King¡¯s ¡°careful guidance¡±, right?

    Murphy felt a bit like trolling them.

    But then he thought about how he had absolute control over the yer ounts and could ban them anytime, plus he urgently needed to fill out the roster now. He could appropriately lower the screening standards.

    If worse came to worst and he confirmed these guys weren¡¯t suitable, he could just throw them into the ¡°cannon fodder group¡± and make them take on the most dangerous missions.

    A terrible gaming experience would scare off these misfits eventually.

    He just didn¡¯t know what would happen to those mysterious gaming helmets if the yers got banned. Surely they wouldn¡¯t spin 360 degrees and self-destruct, right?

    Hmm, probably not going to explode, right?

    Murphy shrugged and also approved those four. With that, he had twelve avable troops filled out, plus himself and the ¡°temporary assistant¡± Miriam made fourteen in total.

    That was already enough for a battle!

    Provided the Witch Hunters didn¡¯t ¡°respawn¡± on his face right now.

    Based on the conclusion Murphy had sneakily peeked from the yer group, it would take some time from application approval to helmet distribution, even using the fastest logistics channels everywhere. The average was probably 6-12 hours.

    It had been over two hours since Maxim set out. Factoring out detours, plus vampires being unable to rapidly move en masse during daylight, Murphy concluded:

    If all went well, the powerful reinforcements would arrive earliest this evening. That meant, in the most optimistic scenario, he just had to endure through this day to bepletely safe.

    As for whether this abandoned piece would be given up by the vampires?

    Murphy didn¡¯t worry about that at all.

    When Maxim departed, he had already left a contingency n. As long as that loyal blood servant survived to deliver the message, those Midnight Hunters would definitelye rescue him!

    ¡°I¡¯ve put all the usable weapons and armor you requested in those still intact rooms at the vige entrance, as instructed. Anything else you need me to do?¡±

    Having donned an old leather armor and carrying a Witch Hunter light crossbow on her back, Miriam walked in and asked Murphy, her tone not too friendly.

    Murphy didn¡¯t mind, saying:

    ¡°If the Witch Hunterse during the day, I won¡¯t be able to fight in the sunlight, so I need you to act as bait.¡±

    ¡°You want me to go die?¡±

    Miriam¡¯s expression changed as she clenched her fists, but Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°No, just help draw their attention so my summons have a chance to ambush and divide their forces. Like how you baited and killed that Witch Hunter in the basement, you should be familiar with that.

    Don¡¯t be afraid, Miriam.

    I¡¯m their first target, you¡¯ll be absolutely safe until I¡¯m dead.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s all, then I¡¯m willing to help.¡±

    Miriam exhaled.

    Though she didn¡¯t have much affection for her family, this was still the ce she was born and raised. Seeing her homnd burned down by crazed Witch Hunters, with even herself nearly vited, left her feeling indignant.

    Though the Transia region was superstitious and insr, the harsh environment also bred the fierce Transian temperament, with even the women having fiery personalities.

    Miriam was also an erudite schr-in-training!

    This made her both fierce and intelligent, one of the most formidable Transians.

    Seeing Miriam was willing to help, Murphy immediately told her his n. At the end, he looked her up and down and said:

    ¡°Lastly, I need your blood.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡±

    The wary Miriam immediately stepped back, drawing the light crossbow from her back and aiming it at Murphy as she yelled:

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have trusted you! Damn vampire! You¡¯d sell out everything for just a bit of blood!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, hear me out.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand dismissively, making a ¡°small¡± gesture as he said:

    ¡°I only need a little, enough to revitalize me and stimte my spirit energy recovery. One vial is sufficient. Miss Miriam, you don¡¯t want to see me die before your eyes either, only to then be cruelly burned by the Witch Hunters yourself?

    You see, I¡¯m negotiating with you right now.

    But I could also choose not to.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The unfortunate residents of Mond Vige had provoked no one, yet war and destruction rained down on them regardless without reason. The geographical concept of this ce was erased byst night¡¯s inferno, with only a decaying and soon-to-be forgotten corpse remaining to attract the carrion vultures pursuing death.

    It was now twilight, the transition between day and night. Outside the ruins, a squad of Witch Hunters rapidly approached the vige on warhorses, remaining vignt.

    The squad members with spirit talents continuously scattered powders to block potential enemies from using spirit perception on them.

    This trivial trick was useless against true spirit masters, but it was the most effective anti-scouting measure avable to these Witch Hunters who had lost organizational support.

    ¡°Thest trace of Marus¡¯s squad is there.¡±

    The grizzled veteran lowered a rusty 675-model monocr telescope.

    This device dated back over 400 years to the Unification War on Greenleaf Ind, designed by halflings for the soldiers of the Avalon Church. ssic designs never fade with time.

    Regrettably, that former Avalon Church would not even have its name spoken now, only referred to as the ¡°Old Faith¡±, an understandable oblivion.

    The veteran straightened on his saddle, cocking the hand crossbow at his hip, quietly telling the hoodedpanion beside him, clearly a woman carrying a heavy leather pack:

    ¡°They lost contact over 8 hours ago. Seems they¡¯re done for. I strongly suspect this burned vige may have even been Marus¡¯s own doing.¡±

    The female Witch Hunter squad leader did not respond. The one-armed old hunter coldly said:

    ¡°Besides him, who else?

    Of the ten squads roaming near Kadman City to hunt, they were the maddest, most depraved lot who had lost their devotion to Avalon and let evil consume their souls.

    The innocents killed by those fallen ones are already beyond-¡±

    ¡°Silence, Porter!¡±

    The armed veteran frowned in rebuke:

    ¡°Those are the orders, no unnecessary talk! And stop invoking Avalon¡¯s name, we don¡¯t want the Circle Tower¡¯spdogs overhearing.¡±

    ¡°You think I fear them?¡±

    The one-armed hunter Porter bared his teeth. His years of hunting had given him a bad temper. He retorted like an aggressive hound:

    ¡°I could take down ten of those spirit-dabbling fake Hunters on my own! Pah, imitators of what we trained.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯d be dissected into chunks not even a dog would eat by ten real spirit masters. Don¡¯t provoke the Circle Tower, they¡¯re our ¡®masters¡¯ now. It¡¯s thanks to their protection that we¡¯ve survived this long decade.¡±

    The female leader finally spoke, her tone cold, hoarse and tinged with weariness. She raised her left hand in a small wave, and the remaining seven immediately dispersed into an assault formation.

    Gripping the ornately carved wood handle of her hunter¡¯s sword, she said to the two squad leaders on either side:

    ¡°Regardless of what Marus did to this vige, it¡¯s certain he shed with that bounty-hunted vampire messenger here.

    I trust Marus and his men¡¯sbat ability, that vampire messenger is either dead or heavily injured at least. We must obtain the message in his possession.

    At all costs.

    What about the other squads in the area, Norman?¡±

    ¡°Checked in with hawk signals around noon, all other squads besides us are retreating from the border. This tactical interdiction has achieved its objectives.¡±

    The veteran hunter secured his crossbow and surveyed the silent vige, even able to see the overturned carriage and bloodve corpses at the entrance.

    He answered:

    ¡°After bagging that vampire messenger, we¡¯ll also be leaving Transia, perhaps forever this time. I detest this ce and hope this is our final mission here.¡±

    ¡°But this vige gives me an ill feeling.¡±

    The one-armed hunter sneered, ¡°Now it¡¯s twilight, even if that bloodsucker is hiding here, he wouldn¡¯t dare face us directly. And two hourster it¡¯ll be night. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m not keen on hunting a vampire powerful enough to kill the madman Marus after sunset.¡±

    The huntress hesitated briefly before gesturing:

    ¡°Second squad remains outside on watch, first squad follows me in.¡±

    Order given, the previously tense subordinates fell silent.

    The one-armed Porter affixed a mechanical wed gauntlet over his stump, flexing the wicked blood-stained tri-ded talon, then followed behind the huntress with three others dismounting into the vige.

    However, the stench of charred and sunbaked corpses immediately caused even these hardened warriors intimately familiar with the hells of man to recoil.

    This scene was not the aftermath of battle, this was one-sided ughter and butchery!

    ¡°Marus should count himself lucky to be dead!¡±

    The one-armed veteran spat, coldly said:

    ¡°If he still lived, I¡¯d strangle him myself. The Battlemaster explicitly prohibited such acts time and again.¡±

    ¡°But I heard the Circle¡¯s spirit masters were unhappy with the Battlemaster¡¯s leniency in enemy territory. Those cold fish clearly preferred madmen like Marus who know no restraint.¡±

    One of the spirit-talented hunters mumbled under her breath.

    Unable to stomach the carnage, she stepped forward and smashed a special vial on the ground.

    The azure particles mixed with the ambient spirit energy to generate a gust of wind sweeping through the vige, dissipating the foul odors slightly.

    ¡°Avalon above, when will this hellish ughter end?¡±

    The scout murmured, kneeling with palms to the earth as the other three stood guard, her mediocre spirit talents manifesting in a pulsing emerald light. In the next instant, her senses expanded like radar through the earth beneath the ruins.

    As she swept her perception over the devastated vige, she told the vignt sword-wielding leader:

    ¡°No living people in the vige. Marus¡¯s body is in the basement behind the vige, skull sted off and no pants on. I can guess what he was up to before dying, a truly vile beast.

    Wait, no!

    There is a living person!

    A young injured woman bleeding in a house at the far left end of the vige!

    She¡¯s badly weakened, no threat.¡±

    The huntress nodded, gesturing forward with her fingers.

    The wed veteran and a middle-aged rifleman immediately advanced in a two-man stack towards the indicated position, while the remaining two kept scanning and guarding.

    This entire scene did not escape Murphy¡¯s eyes.

    The vampire was currently hiding in the shadow of the tallest water tower, carefully observing this formidable-looking group.

    He shrank back further into the shade, confirming the enemy had split into three groups, before entering the forum and opening the group chat:

    Alpha: ¡¾@all members guys, get ready to log in! Test time!¡¿

 Chapter 11:

    It was dusk for Murphy, but likely early morning in the real world where the yers resided, conveniently being a weekend. So at the admin¡¯smand, the entire group immediately became lively.

    A bunch of people frantically typed ¡°1¡± to indicate they were ready, even those few lurkers who hadn¡¯t spoken before joined in.

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Online! Let¡¯s do this! Ah, my pigeon blood is boiling, this time we must make a big fuss!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾@All Members Don¡¯t be disorderly! When we go onler, everyone must remain calm, just follow our previous n. We need to act calmly and try to show our alpha tester spirit to teach that disrespectful dev team a lesson.¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Wuwuwu, o(¨i©n¨i)o, it¡¯ll be 2 more days before I can revive. This time I can only provide spiritual support. But if anyone gets killed for being a noob, we¡¯ve got great spectator seats.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Tsk, you ungrateful son, say something luckier! If I die in the game, I¡¯ll spank you in reality. Ah, we can go online now! Quick! Charge!¡¿

    At this point, Murphy had activated his Otherworld Creature Summoning, and just likest night, the dark spirits within his body seemed to be squeezed out, with dim flickering points gathering in the shadows and transforming into a beam of light that shed into Miriam¡¯s house below.

    But this time Murphy used a strategy, not summoning all 12 yers at once, only summoning six yers over there.

    This intense spirit fluctuation was immediately sensed by that scouting Witch Hunter.She suddenly looked up with widened eyes, in the flickering glow of her eyes, what was originally an empty vige house at the end now had several unknown lifeforce auras appear.

    ¡°It¡¯s a summoning! An ambush!¡±

    She cried out in rm.

    The female leader beside her holding a hunter¡¯s sword reacted even faster, charging towards the position her two previouspanions were sent to patrol. But in the shadows of the water tower, Murphy,pressed into a ball from spirit exhaustion, looked up and poured Miriam¡¯s vial of pure blood into his mouth.

    The sweet liquid entered, the crimson thirst was quenched and bloodlust arose, the power of blood greatly increased Murphy¡¯s fighting spirit and even replenished his depleted spirits.

    Summoning, second wave!

    Swish

    Six more flickering beams of light appeared upstairs in the vige entrance house, like an RTS yer using the box A-move trick, immediately surrounding that unprotected scout left in Murphy¡¯s trap.

    Leading Pigeon, appearing in the house, immediately saw the hunter¡¯s crossbows and a set of armor that the NPC had left there earlier, the weapons he had looted before being kicked offlinest time.

    The good pigeon wasted no time putting on the armor haphazardly, grabbed a crossbow and rushed to the window, spotting Gugu Chicken and Ah Yuen charging out from a neighboring house to surround that lone female scout.

    Ah Yuen wildly shed with his hunting knife, while Gugu Chicken treated his short sword like a warhammer.

    The slender scout struggled to fend off the two noob yers¡¯ attacks, but was shot in the thighs by Leading Pigeon¡¯s surprise archer attack from the high ground, screaming as she fell, and pummeled by Gugu Chicken.

    ¡°Amber! Damn it!¡±

    The female Witch Hunter leader, who had been charging towards the ambush house, saw her scout beaten down by the enemy summoned militia and immediately turned back to support her. But an eerie shadow unexpectedly leapt out from behind a wall, its whip-fast sword shing like a striking viper forcing her back a few steps.

    Standing in the shadows, Murphy elegantly swung his de of Desire and said to the Witch Hunter, though mockingly:

    ¡°Ah, an ardent pursuer is always hard to refuse. Since you¡¯vee for me, let us dance together, fiery gray-haireddy. Yourrades¡¯ wails shall apany our duet.¡±

    ¡°Get lost, vampire!¡±

    Realizing she had fallen into an ambush trap, the enraged Witch Hunter gripped her hunting sword and charged forward. The de seemed to activate some special spirit energy, green-blue mes swirling around it, its purifying power immediately putting Murphy on alert like needles pricking his back.

    Not good!

    This one¡¯s gonna be tough!

    ¡°There are still people at the vige entrance! They¡¯re trying to break in! Quick! All archers, fire arrows! Fire arrows!!¡±

    From behind Murphy, the middle-aged man¡¯s hoarse shout made Leading Pigeon, who had been about to provide crossbow support to the NPC, shudder in shock.

    He rushed to the other side and saw the four veteran Witch Hunters originally guarding the vige entrance now charging in, making him panic a bit, until he suddenly heard his NPC¡¯s gloomy voice beside his ear:

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! The wagon blocking the entrance has been doused in oil, there are Witch Hunter bombs inside too. There¡¯s a gasmp prepared beside you, twist it open and throw it down! Let these madmen experience being engulfed in mes!¡±

    Damn, these vampires are devious enough!

    I like it!

    The good pigeon grinned, grabbed the prepared gasmp, twisted it haphazardly until the me sparked, and hurled it down with all his strength.

    The shatteredmp spilled onto the fallen wagon igniting it, a gout of me like a rising wall that blocked the four charging Witch Hunters.

    The bombs inside were also ignited!

    The explosive st knocked down the one in the lead, setting his cloak aze, while the other three quickly dragged him back to avoid bing live targets for follow-up arrows.

    But they were being too cautious.

    With the yers¡¯ current noob aiming skills, they couldn¡¯t shoot threatening volleys!

    Being able to randomly shoot arrows out was already a win.

    ¡°It was them who massacred this vige, these Witch Hunters are the bad guys! Brothers, don¡¯t hold back! Shoot them full of holes!¡±

    Leading Pigeon shouted excitedly, the tragic scenes he witnessed in the vige yesterday fueling his pent-up rage.

    The two other middle-aged yers hiding upstairs also turned their crossbows to fire in that direction. Their aim was a bit better than the good pigeon¡¯s, actually providing some suppressing fire in the chaos.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    A scream came from behind the female Witch Hunter chasing Murphy.

    She paused and looked back to see the door of the previous ambush house smashed open.

    The one-armed veteran Porter was being pinned down by two pitchforks pressed against his abdomen, two tall militiamen shouting excitedly like they were spearing a wild boar, with another short militiaman hacking at him with a hunting knife.

    Two went in, but only one came out.

    The fate of the other Witch Hunter was already clear from the blood on those excited militiamen, these damned vampire cultists!

    This part of Transia, gued by vampires for 400 years, was beyond saving!

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me! Little Natalie! Run!¡±

    The pinned one-armed veteran Porter yelled at his team leader through gritted teeth. He reached for a bomb, intending to take the vampire worshippers with him in a final st, but was quickly disarmed with a kick by the sharp-eyed ¡°Led More Than Three to Five Pecks¡±, before being bludgeoned on the head by a shrieking Miriam wielding a wooden staff.

    Her home burned, her vige ughtered, in this moment, Miriam¡¯s fury was fully unleashed, making the young Transian woman as ferocious as a mother wolf relentlessly bashing the staff down on the veteran.

    The bloodied Meow King also charged out of the house.

    His leg had been shed, slowing him to a limp, but he was exhrated, clutching a captured hunting rifle and taking an almost proper kneeling firing stance.

    ¡°Damn! Big sniper rifle! 98K! The small fry dropped gear!¡±

    Gugu Chicken, who had beaten the scout Amber bloody, turned his head while catching his breath and eximed in shock at Meow King¡¯s stance.

    Bang

    Meow King pulled the trigger, the round lead ball flying out of the barrel, only tond three feet away from the female Witch Hunter in front of Murphy¡¯s speechless gaze, kicking up a puff of dust.

    What terrible aim!

    Missing a 10 meter target with a rifle?

    ¡°Cough cough, it¡¯s not my fault! This thing doesn¡¯t have any sights!¡±

    Meow King knew he had embarrassed himself, frantically reloading while making excuses.

    He had a point!

    Usually in FPS games he was a quickscoping pro, who knew real guns would turn out like this? This must be some physics engine issue, right? How could it be his legendary aiming skills at fault?

    I¡¯m a Tier 6 sniper god after all!

    ¡°You suck, Meow King, let me!¡±

    The only girl among the 12 small yers could watch no longer.

    She rushed over and snatched the long hunting rifle from his hands. Expertly working the lever-action, she pushed the bloody lead ball down the barrel, then looked down the sights from both sides in a professional manner.

    ¡°ssic middle-barrel design, at least it¡¯s not a flintlock musket, I¡¯ve never used those. But why are these bullets still round? What kind of ballistics does that give?

    Is this really that unscientific?¡±

    The girl muttered under her breath, holding her firing stance for a few seconds. The moment Murphy and the female Witch Hunter separated again, she decisively pulled the trigger.

    Bang

    A spray of blood erupted from the Witch Hunter¡¯s back, causing her to stumble.

    The sly Murphy seized the chance to lunge forward with a sword strike, knocking aside the dangerous ming oak sword from her hand. This prompted cheers from the surrounding small yers.

    ¡°Hey sister, what do you do in real life?¡±

    His face flushed, Meow King stared wide-eyed at the dashing ¡°Lumina Yanghen¡± beside him and couldn¡¯t help but ask. She rolled her eyes, working the lever to reload, and muttered with a shrug:

    ¡°Just a student. I go to the range to practice twice a week. What, didn¡¯t you guys have any hobbies in school?¡±

    The ambushed and surrounded female Witch Hunter realized she was in an absolutely losing position. Seeing that damned vampire lunging at her again, she had no time to draw her sword, so she retreated a few steps and grabbed something she had kept on her back with both hands.

    It was heavy, requiring both hands even for a veteran Witch Hunter to wield properly.

    A metal ring housing arrows was fixed onto a wooden body, with a small internal steam boiler igniting and pressurizing, vaporizing sh powder propent into the firing channels. As white superheated steam vented from the exhaust pipes, silver gears spun rapidly, elerating the entire precise mechanical structure with a shrill whirring noise.

    She aimed this ck maw of an automatic repeating crossbow at the approaching Murphy.

    Thetter shuddered and agilely dodged aside. At this moment, one of the middle-aged duo shooting from upstairs, ¡°Bulldozer Man Charging¡±, looked back, went pale and cried out in rm:

    ¡°Gu-gu-gatling gun!¡±

    But it was toote.

    The bolts flying out like a storm advanced under Natalie¡¯s adjustment, easily punching through the walls to riddle the three yers providing overwatch fire from the high ground, before swinging around to rake those damned vampire cultist militiamen.

    The small yers immediately scrambled for cover, diving and rolling. Their crude n hadn¡¯t ounted for the Witch Hunters having such an unscientific ¡°gatling gun¡± weapon.

    ¡°Get inside! Quick!¡±

    Miriam dragged the leg-wounded Lumina Yanghen into the house. Thetter felt the pain but it wasn¡¯t as bad as imagined, it seemed pain suppression was in effect. She struggled to ready her rifle to return fire, but Miriam firmly held her down.

    Hearing the howling automatic crossbow outside, Miriam, as an Engineering Academy student, knew that with this weapon Murphy¡¯s ambush n was hanging by a thread.

    If Murphy and his summons were defeated, their fate would definitely not be merciful.

    So gritting her teeth, Miriam made up her mind, reached into her bodice to take something out, and stuffed it into the hand of a nearby burly yer, gesturing a stabbing motion towards the female Witch Hunter outside.

    The athlete ¡°Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties¡±, brought into the game by his buddy Ah Yuen, looked at the object in his hand, then at the frantic NPC gesturing urgently outside.

    He immediately understood, taking a deep breath and charging out carrying the vige¡¯s hope.

    Pinned down by the relentless automatic crossbow, Murphy was left running typical anime or movie evasion tactics, forced to employ a vampire¡¯s agility in the shadows as the deadly line of bolts pursued him.

    Wood chips flew, dust clouds erupted.

    Murphy could only desperately dodge, not daring to stop at all.

    The Witch Hunter adjusted the crossbow¡¯s aim, the steam-powered quiver rotating to loose over ten bolts per cycle, rivaling the fire rate of an automatic rifle.

    To Murphy it felt like he was frantically weaving through a hail of gunfire, any slight misstep meaning being riddled full of holes by the mechanical monstrosity.

    But he also noticed the small yer charging out of the house.

    Thetter¡¯s face was contorted with exertion, eyes bloodshot, nostrils ring as he charged like a raging bull, raising something gripped in his upraised hand.

    It was a metal cylinder like a pen, rounded without looking handmade, with a button on the top end. As Precipitation Niuniu frantically pressed it, a slender needle shot out from the other side, glinting ominously in the evening sun.

    The Witch Hunter sensed the movement behind her.

    But she couldn¡¯t stop suppressing fire, for Murphy had also changed direction to charge at her.

    She raised her wrist.

    The gunsight was locked on Murphy.

    All she had to do was pull the trigger, and this cunning evil soul would vanish from this world.

    Time seemed to infinitely extend in that moment, then instantly resumed its normal flow.

    Click.

    The empty spinning of the crossbow¡¯s cylinder rang out, making Natalie¡¯s eyes go wide, as Precipitation Niuniu¡¯s attack alsonded simultaneously.

    Pffft, an almost inaudible soft sound like a mosquito¡¯s sting, as the needle stabbed into her neck.

    In the next instant, horrifying dizziness and numbness exploded from her naturally spirit-enhanced body. Natalie gritted her teeth and swung the crossbow at the vampire, only for him to nimbly avoid it and deliver a kick in return.

    Thud

    She copsed face-first in the dirt, her spinning vision catching a final glimpse of the vampire raising his sword towards her in the evening sunlight.

    The hunt ends, but she has failed.

    How shameful!

 Chapter 12:

    Meow King was holding a bloody pitchfork, standing in the ruins of Mond Vige, staring dumbfounded at the fierce huntress lying on the ground after being attacked by Precipitation Niuniu and his own NPC.

    Although this wasn¡¯t his first time participating in a test, and he wasn¡¯t a neer to the world, Meow King¡¯s heart was still pounding rapidly.

    There were two voices arguing in his mind.

    The rational one told him that this was just a game, so he needed to stay calm! But the more excited voice was grasping at his brain, roaring.

    Look at everything in front of you!

    The bloody sunset, the copsed ruins, hisrades standing with him after the bloody battle, and finally, the defeated powerful enemy. The scent of war was wildly provoking the most primitive wildness deep within this man¡¯s heart!

    He could feel his heart skip a few beats when that dangerous figure fell to the ground.

    It¡¯s true!

    He had just fought a battle with these extremely vicious enemies!And he won!

    So screw rationality.

    ¡°We won, we won!¡±

    Meow King raised his pitchfork and shouted excitedly, almost cracking his voice. The surrounding yers snapped out of their daze and joined in the cheers. Even the tough sister Lumina with her broken leg raised her dwarven hunter¡¯s rifle with Miriam¡¯s support.

    This scene was like a team celebrating their first clear of a raid, but the immense sense of aplishment and satisfaction they got here could never be obtained in those paper games.

    The cheers from behind made Precipitation Niuniu, who had just delivered the ¡°final blow,¡± feel unreal.

    He looked at the captive huntress squad leader he had knocked down and the heavy, strange steam-powered mechanical weapon that had fallen to the ground. It felt like the adrenaline was wearing off, leaving him dizzy and panting as he plopped down on the ground.

    That surprise attack was too intense, what was the difference between that and rushing a tower under AK fire?

    He didn¡¯t expect himself to run that fast. He was clueless when he first logged in, but in the blink of an eye, he became the hero.

    This game is really amazing!

    Little brother Precipitation Niuniu looked at his hands in the game, exactly the same as his real ones. Then a shadow fell in front of him, and he looked up to see the handsome NPC reaching out his hand.

    ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve experienced this feeling?¡±

    Murphy, standing with his sword against the backdrop of sunset and dusk, asked softly. His crimson cloak swayed behind him, as if trying to block out thest ray of light.

    The athlete was stunned for a moment.

    Damn, this real-time rendered CG animation is too impressive!

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu replied dumbly.

    He didn¡¯t quite understand what this NPC was saying, but he epted Murphy¡¯s help and was pulled up from the ground.

    Then he heard Murphy say:

    ¡°What I mean is, the feeling of savoring the sweet taste of victory, the desire to indulge in it, the feeling of staying alive. My warrior, look, yourrades are hailing you as a hero!

    Just as I see you as a heaven-sent miracle soldier.¡±

    ¡°Heh heh.¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu instinctively turned to look at the yers who were still standing behind him. Led by Meow King, the guys were whistling and making strange noises at him.

    This scene made him feel like when he had broken a record at the school sportspetition and stood on the winners¡¯ podium. He felt a bit embarrassed but also proud as he gave a thumbs up and wiped his dusty nose.

    ¡°This feeling is really great, Murphy¡­ uh, Lord Murphy!¡±

    He replied, then watched as Murphy bent down and pulled an exquisite hunting knife from the huntress¡¯s waist, presenting it to him with both hands in a respectful manner.

    ¡°Today, you are also a hero of this destroyed Mond Vige. The dead will thank you for your grace. Take it, it is your deserved reward.¡±

    ¡°Uh, thank you.¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu immediately took the weapon with both hands.

    He felt like he was receiving a trophy. Although this was just a virtual reality game, well, the atmosphere had built up to this point, right?

    ¡°Lord Murphy! The four lousy hunters at the vige entrance escaped!¡±

    Spicy Gugu Chicken came running over, dragging his sword, and excitedly reported to Murphy with an awkward salute:

    ¡°Should we chase them?¡±

    ¡°Can any of you ride horses, brave warriors?¡±

    Murphy raised his voice to ask. The yers who had just been cheering immediately fell silent, looking at each other. Finally, Meow King said with an odd expression:

    ¡°Dump Truck is quite fond of that stuff, he should know how to ride.¡±

    ¡°Where is that brave warrior now?¡±

    Murphy followed up, and Meow King shrugged, pointing to the copsed ¡°sniper tower¡±.

    ¡°Probably been sted into a sieve.¡±

    ¡°Well then, forget about it.¡±

    Murphy swallowed his urge to make a sarcastic remark, as an NPC should beposed. He shook his head and said:

    ¡°It seems we cannot pursue them. The Witch Hunters¡¯ warhorses are specially bred for speed and endurance. At this hour before nightfall, I cannot catch up with them either.

    But this is still a victory worthmemorating. You have once again proven your courage and potential.¡±

    His gaze swept over the surviving yers. Of the original 12, 9 remained. This made Murphy feel some regret.

    Although he had adjusted his tactics, the gap between the novice yers and the Witch Hunters was still a bit toorge. Losing three yers had already reached the failure threshold for this fourth Newbie Guide Quest.

    But it didn¡¯t matter.

    If a bunch of rookies could do this well, with a little more practice against another Witch Hunter squad after nightfall, they might just pass.

    At that moment, Ah Yuen¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind:

    ¡°Quick, someonee over! Leading Pigeon is still alive, though just barely.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the mobile yers immediately ran over to help. Like an earthquake rescue effort, after a few minutes of scrambling with their hands and feet, they pulled the blood-soaked Leading Pigeon out from the copsed second floor.

    His injuries made everyone who saw him gasp in horror.

    It was too gruesome!

    He was a mess of blood and flesh, like he had been dragged out of a coal kiln.

    ¡°Damn! The pain feels too real!¡±

    The bloody Leading Pigeon was shouting and looking around frantically:

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this game have a button to turn off pain perception? I¡¯m gonna die from the pain.¡±

    ¡°The pain has already been reduced, noob.¡±

    Meow King, leaning on his pitchfork, nced at Leading Pigeon and said:

    ¡°In reality, with injuries like that, you¡¯d be dead or at least unconscious. The fact that you can still hop around screaming is proof enough of that. But you should have been disconnected for protection with wounds this severe. How are you still alive?¡±

    ¡°Ow, there were a few times I felt like I was going to pass out and disconnect.¡±

    Leading Pigeon said honestly:

    ¡°But then I thought about having to wait three days to revive and didn¡¯t want to be mocked as a noob, so I just gritted my teeth and endured it, hoping you guys could rescue me.¡±

    ¡°Damn, did you have to go that hardcore? My poor Leading Pigeon.¡±

    Ah Yuen half-knelt beside him, patting Leading Pigeon¡¯s head half-jokingly:

    ¡°You were really brave to avoid being called a noob. Dad is impressed, my son has grown up. Dad will treat you to lunch! Whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Ow, then let¡¯s have chicken for lunch, at least a whole big roasted chicken.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sheesh!¡±

    Murphy, standing outside the group, was stunned by the tenacity of his silly little yers.

    But this was certainly a good thing. When Leading Pigeon was brought back, a questpletion prompt popped up in front of Murphy:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (4/6): Advanced Combat Test (Completed)

    Evaluation: 2 casualties, questpletion rating is Excellent.

    Reward: +5 test invitation codes, item identification function unlocked.

    Bonus for excellentpletion: Experience and leveling function unlocked early.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Although you have good vision and no ability to predict, I still think you would be well-suited for the RTS yer profession. Have you considered a career change?¡¿

    Murphy showed a satisfied smile.

    He turned to look at his little yers. The experienced Meow King and Leading Pigeon saw his expression and knew this round of testing was about to end. Meow King stepped forward earnestly and said:

    ¡°Lord Murphy, I know this request is somewhat excessive, but we hope to linger in this world a little longer to better adapt to it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Murphy, this vige is too tragic,¡± Gugu Chicken and Ah Yuen chimed in pleadingly.

    ¡°We can stay and help scavenge¡­uh, I mean, help that poor redhead girl bury her rtives and friends. It¡¯s the least we can do for this vige.

    As for Leading Pigeon, just let him go back, he¡¯s been through too much.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t need to look closely to know what the little yers wanted to do. They just felt that since the open beta hadn¡¯t started yet, every chance to log in was precious, so they wanted to stay a bit longer. This was understandable.

    So he pretended to hesitate, and after ¡°difficult deliberation,¡± told the yers looking at him expectantly:

    ¡°Then you can linger a while longer. But I must leave here at nightfall to regroup with myrades. By then, you¡¯ll have to return to your world. The grand n cannot be revealed yet!

    Before we have our own forces, I must act with caution, to protect myself and you.

    I hope you understand.¡±

    Hearing the NPC allow them to stay longer, the little yers immediately cheered in delight, especially the few who were logging in for the first time, they found everything novel.

    The environment was just too realistic!

    If they couldn¡¯t log out normally, it would truly feel like they had entered another realm, making them linger and forget to leave, even though it was just an ordinary little vige. It would be enough for these innocent little yers to spend a long time here.

    Murphy stood by the mud wall, watching these naive and lovely little yers surround thenguage-barriered Miriam, trying tomunicate with gestures. He felt a rare sense of rxation since he had crossed over.

    But this rxation didn¡¯tst more than a few seconds before a new prompt appeared before his eyes:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (5/6): Comprehensive Assessment ¨C Lead your current manpower, from nning to preparation to final execution, toplete aplexbat operation!

    Specific requirements are as follows:

    1.Alpha must strategize with the lovely little yers in-game and formte a n.

    2.The mainbat operation must be carried out solely by Alpha and the yer forces.

    3.Alpha or the yers must personally kill the leader chosen as thebat target, and ensure at least one-fifth of the current manpower survives by the end.

    Reward: +10 test invitation codes, new functions unlocked, additional rewards based onpletion.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Keep it up, there are only six stages to the Newbie Guide Quests. Once youplete them all, it means you are a qualified test admin capable of handling most contingencies.

    Although, that also only means the true beginning of your long service life.¡¿

    Murphy fell into contemtion looking at this quest.

    Although he didn¡¯t know which idiot had designed this system and imnted it in his body, he could basically confirm that person was a moron.

    Is this really a quest a ten-year corporate ve like himself couldplete?

    Damn, and this is just the beginner¡¯s quest, but the difficulty level is already so insane. If I be a formal test adminter, what the hell are you going to make me do? I dread to think about it.

    Tch!

    The good mood is gone.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°We cannot leave!¡±

    On the road away from Mond Vige, the burned Witch Hunter on the saddle grit his teeth and shouted to the veteran soldier Norman ahead:

    ¡°Norman! We have to rescue little Natalie! We cannot abandon that child, her life is far more precious than ours.¡±

    The veteran Norman did not respond, only spurring his warhorse forward with his spurs. In the increasingly gloomy night falling around them, he said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°Calm down, Monde. This was a trap from the start, that vampire yed uspletely. Stay calm, and trust Natalie! Nothing will happen to her.

    Have you forgotten the prophecy Elder mo made about her at her birth?

    This child will be a true leader under Avalon¡¯s protection, she will aplish feats beyond ordinary reach. She absolutely will not die here!

    Avalon protects her.¡±

    These words silenced the hunters around him.

    They could not refute Norman¡¯s reasoning, for almost all of Elder mo¡¯s prophecies over these hundreds of years hade true, including the rebellion ten years ago that turned the Avalon Church into the Old Faith.

    In this world where gods existed, prophecies were not vague and unsubstantial.

    Moreover, in their current state, any attempt to return and rescue Natalie would only increase casualties. They had to leave first, gather forces, and then kill their way back.

    ¡°The mission to intercept the messenger has failed.¡±

    The veteran grabbed the reins and said solemnly:

    ¡°We must immediately regroup with the battalionmander to determine our next n of action. Buck up,ds, our hunt is not over yet!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s over!¡±

    A chilling voice, like encroaching shadows, suddenly appeared beside the four escaping Witch Hunters, causing their warhorses to whinny uneasily and stop in their tracks.

    The lead veteran Norman looked up to see a pair of massive blood-red wings unfurl before him.

    Those enormous blood-red bat wings bore a petite silhouette hanging like a specter in midair. Behind her stood four Blood Vulture Midnight Hunters wielding spears, swords, and ded whips.

    And higher above, a crimson firework was bursting in the sky.

    The light points converged into the spread-winged emblem of the Sacred Blood Vulture, the signal of the Blood Vulture n, indicating the roaming Midnight Hunters would all gather here tonight.

    ¡°Shua!¡±

    Old Norman drew the sword from his waist.

    The three Witch Hunters behind him made the same motion. Facing the elite Midnight Hunters of the Blood Vultures, whose power was generally in the upper ck Iron realm, they knew they could not win.

    But that was no reason to abandon the fight, much less surrender.

    ¡°37th Witch Hunter Squad of the White Oak Battalion!¡±

    The veteran thrust his de forward, pulling his reins to calm his restless mount. Facing the mocking gazes of the Midnight Hunters appearing in the darkness one by one, he shouted expressionlessly:

    ¡°Charge!¡±

 Chapter 13:

    In Mond Vige, the small yers were huffing and puffing as they dug holes.

    They were nning to bury the innocent vigers killed by the Witch Hunters. Originally, it was just a show in front of Murphy to demonstrate their ¡°reliability¡±, but after Miriam gestured and gave a pile of bloody coins to these ¡°enthusiasts¡±, the nature of this taskpletely changed.

    Although the yer interface has not yet gone online, the small yers stubbornly believe that this is a quest.

    Look, the beautiful NPCdy gave them money, right? She is also babbling about something, though they can¡¯t understand it, but it must be words of overflowing gratitude, isn¡¯t this the routine for an NPC to issue a quest? As yers, it would be too much to not take a quest delivered to their doorstep.

    However, the real truth is¡­

    ¡°Murphy, can you manage your otherworld heroes?¡± Miriam said embarrassingly to Murphy, who was currently enjoying the night.

    ¡°I said I wanted to pile up these corpses and burn them to prevent them from turning into vengeful spirits or ghoulster! Such a massacre is most likely to produce those terrible things.

    But they can¡¯t understand me and insist on digging a big pit. This seems to be some kind of custom from their world, but at this rate, when will they finish digging?¡±

    ¡°Let them dig if they want to. I told you, my heroes are very warm-hearted people, passionate and stubborn. If you stop them, they will just get unhappy.And if they are unhappy, someone will have a bad time.¡±

    The unfortunate vampire didn¡¯t want to bother with these matters.

    He was currently quite interested in watching Meow King and Precipitation Niuniu fiddling with that automatic crossbow.

    Meow King, sweating profusely, picked up the heavy machinery, and with Niuniu¡¯s help, opened its self-deployed tripod, aiming it outside the vige.

    Their sly smiles showed they clearly intended to ¡°have some fun¡± before being kicked offline.

    But after all their fooling around, the two idiots could not understand the operating principle of this thing. It had some simrity to real-world machinery, but the underlying design logic waspletely different.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the safety?¡±

    Niuniu, the athlete, kept pulling the trigger but could not activate the exquisite steam boiler.

    Meow King was also at aplete loss.

    As a senior social drone doing software outsourcing, he had never had a chance to deal with such a device that could both punish and torture. Perhaps if his two middle-aged friends Dump Truck and Bulldozer Man, who had worked in machining for half their lives, were here they might have figured it out. Unfortunately, those two unlucky guys had already been killed by this thing earlier.

    As the two fiddled blindly, Miriam finally took action.

    She squatted next to Meow King, nimbly inspecting the automatic crossbow, then opened a hidden safetytch underneath.

    The steam boiler restarted with a hissing sound, and the metal bolt magazines began rotating with a clicking noise.

    ¡°The catalyst gold in the steam boiler is enough for a long time, but the self-contained fuel gas is running low, so use it sparingly.¡±

    As an outstanding student from the Shaldor Engineering Academy¡¯s administrative department, although not specializing in mechanics, Miriam had taken extracurricr internships at the halfling factories, so she could operate these steam machines to some extent.

    However, she and the small yers could notmunicate verbally.

    She babbled at Niuniu, who was holding the automatic crossbow, but he could only stare back with a look of pure iprehension.

    ¡°What is this NPC saying?¡±

    Niuniu turned and asked, and Meow King rolled his eyes, saying:

    ¡°She said you¡¯re very handsome.¡±

    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s right! I was the most handsome guy in the athletics department back then, with the nickname ¡®Niuniu the Maple¡¯. Looks like this NPC has pretty good taste.¡±

    The simple-minded athlete immediately became delighted, but then realized that Meow King could not actually understand what the NPC was saying either, so this guy was probably just making it up.

    Damn, this sly social animal!

    ¡°Can you fix that thing?¡± Murphy asked in a low voice, obviously noticing Miriam¡¯s ¡°hidden ability¡±. Thetter nced at Murphy, as if seeing through his intentions.

    She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not from the mechanics department. Besides, this type of automaton is too old ¨C the halfling engineers at Shaldor long ago stopped using this single-boiler structure for weapons. Although the Witch Hunters have maintained it well, they must have acquired it at least 100 years ago. You¡¯d need to find a specialized old mechanic to repair it¡­ Huh? What¡¯s that?¡±

    Miriam pointed in surprise behind Murphy.

    When the vampire turned around, he saw the crimson smoke signal of the Blood Vultures hovering in the night sky behind them, that familiar pattern made Murphy narrow his eyes.

    ¡°The rallying signal of the Midnight Hunters. That¡¯s the direction the Witch Hunters fled¡­ They¡¯re done for!¡±

    Seeing that smoke signal, Murphy knew that the message he had dispatched Maxim to deliver had seeded. He let out a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifted from his mind.

    He then called out to the busy little yers:

    ¡°My dangerous and reckless brethren areing. My heroes, you must return to your own world and rest well! Await my next summons and great ns. Of course, to celebrate today¡¯s victory, when youe here next time, I will have prepared the rewards worthy of heroes for you!

    This is Murphy¡¯s promise!¡±

    The yers felt some regret, they wanted to y a little longer. But those who were tired of digging the pit secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    They imitated Miriam¡¯s gestures, awkwardly using the gestures of this world to politely bid Murphy farewell, before disappearing in dispersal summons¡¯ rays of light.

    The armor and weapons they had been wearing dropped to the ground without their bodies to support them.

    Thismotion made Murphy shake his head.

    Sure enough, no matter how you looked at it, the yers¡¯ departure effects were too mboyant.

    However, this situation was due to being forcibly kicked offline by the administrators, so when yers could freely connect in the future, they would probably be able to temporarily log off while retaining their physical forms.

    At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t need to re-equip gear every time they logged in. But the death effects were still an issue that needed more thought.

    This scene also made Miriam blink in surprise. The smart but cunning girl looked at Murphy suspiciously, but didn¡¯tment.

    ¡°Bandage them up. It¡¯s best if they live, but if they die, it¡¯s just their bad luck.¡±

    Murphy pointed at the tied up and unconscious female hunter and her two subordinates.

    Although brave, the small yers didn¡¯t yet have the guts to actually kill anyone in this fully realistic game, thanks to their upbringing in a civilized society. So when it¡¯s said they routed a squad, in reality only one person actually died.

    And that was from blood loss.

    The leading ¡°Gray-Haired Huntress¡± Natalie had been injected with a sedative, while the scouts Amber and one-armed veteran Porter survived, just severely injured. It was actually the four Witch Hunters who fled who had the misfortune of running into the Blood Vultures¡¯ Midnight Hunters.

    Their fate was truly life or death.

    Tsk, if they had known, it would have been better to defect and surrender respectfully, no?

    Soon, the whinnying of warhorses sounded in the night. Murphy stood at the ruined entrance of the vige and immediately saw his loyal servant.

    Maxim, riding over on his horse, wept tears of joy upon seeing Murphy. This loyal and fanatical vampire worshipper quickly approached.

    He struggled to suppress his excitement and said loudly to Murphy:

    ¡°I have not failed in my mission, Lord Murphy! I delivered the Patriarch¡¯s secret order to the contact, and requested their assistance. I am overjoyed to see you unharmed.¡±

    Murphy did not say much, only wearily extending his hand to pat Maxim¡¯s shoulder after the battle.

    He could now be certain that this albino servant was someone he could trust and rely on, even though Maxim was still nominally a Blood Servant of someone else. Murphy had already decided that after returning to Kadman City, he would find that Lord Jed and take Maxim over. A capable and loyal person like him, Murphy could never have too many.

    After a brief chat, the vampire noticed five ¡°people¡± descending from the sky behind Maxim.

    From their wide, elegant crimson cloaks and exquisite, luxurious night hunter outfits, he could tell these five were the elite huntsmen of the Blood Vulture n, formally known as ¡°Midnight Hunters¡±, essentially abination of hunters and assassins.

    Just standing there, they seemed to merge with the night itself, far more skilled than this novice.

    As Murphy observed these vampires, they too were observing him, ultimately reaching the conclusion that this guy was pathetically weak.

    To bungle even a simple messenger mission so badly was a disgrace to the Blood Vulture n.

    However, the short, leading Midnight Hunter did not directly insult him, maintaining some dignity. She first surveyed the situation in Mond Vige, her eyes narrowing when she saw the burned corpses, before regaining her calm demeanor. In a cold and even tone, she said:

    ¡°Congrattions, brethren. It appears you have sessfullypleted a hunt, achieving a significant victory. You have effectively eliminated the vile invaders who dared to encroach upon thends of the Blood Vultures and ruthlessly ughtered our subjects. On behalf of the n¡¯s current Protector, I must thank you.

    Perhaps I should not disturb you as you savor the sweet wine of victory. However, there is one thing you possess that I currently need.¡±

    A woman?

    Murphy blinked in surprise.

    He then took out the small spirit decoding seal from his clothes and handed it over.

    The Midnight Hunter then retrieved the Patriarch¡¯s sealed order that Maxim had previously delivered, cing the seal on the scroll to release the spirit device¡¯s encryption.

    Seeing this, Maxim standing beside Murphy suddenly realized the deeper strategy, and his heart filled with admiration for Murphy¡¯s supreme wisdom.

    Lord Murphy had only given him the sealed order scroll, but not the decoding seal. So these Midnight Hunters, despite their reluctance, had toe assist Murphy lest the seal fall into the Witch Hunters¡¯ hands.

    Murphy noticed the change in Maxim¡¯s expression and gave him a meaningful look, letting Maxim fill in the nks himself.

    Indeed, to these cold-blooded vampires facing a war threat, an unconnected weakling messenger and a nameless junior n member were utterly expendable.

    Though Murphy had not been a vampire for long, Tris¡¯ teachings had made him properly wary of dealing with his ¡°brethren.¡±

    Tris often told him when drunk that when fighting alongside other vampires, guarding against betrayal from behind was far more important than defending against outward enemy strikes.

    These haughty Midnight Hunters did not engage Murphy much further after opening the Patriarch¡¯s sealed order. They seemed to be waiting outside the vige for more huntsmen to gather before carrying out Blood Vulture Patriarch Salrokdar¡¯s secret mission.

    But Murphy did not care about that at all.

    What he really hoped was that afterpleting the messenger task, he could be allowed to return to the safe Kadman City and discuss getting the hell out with Tris.

    He had not realized it before going out, but after this experience made him aware the Blood Vulture n had been thoroughlypromised, he did not want to stay a day longer in this shithole Transia.

    Tris had said she had some clout in other vampire ns, so he nned to take her and let the slowly growing yers escort them as bodyguards.

    The world is vast, where could they not go?

    ¡°Revnor Murphy Lessenbra!¡±

    Lost in thought, Murphy turned at the sound of that cold voice calling out. He saw the short, hooded female leader of the huntresses had silently approached him.

    After staring at him piercingly from under her crimson cloak for a moment, she said:

    ¡°I need to enlist you and your servants to carry out the Patriarch¡¯s secret mission critical to the war situation in the Transia region and the entire Portia Federation.

    Therefore, I hope¡­¡±

    ¡°Before ordering me around, mydy, shouldn¡¯t you at least let me know who you are?¡±

    Murphy yawned, interrupting the female vampire¡¯s long-winded speech.

    He stared at her, mimicking the vampires¡¯ characteristic gloomy tone as he said:

    ¡°Though I am but a nameless member of the n, I was still personally Embraced by the former elderdy Tris. Surely I have a right to know which great personage I will be serving?¡±

    ¡°Tris is a disgrace to the n! Every Blood Vulture knows this.¡±

    The huntress leader scoffed coldly, shamelessly insulting Murphy¡¯s ¡°elder.¡±

    ¡°I must know who you are!¡±

    Murphy could not refute the ¡°fact¡± that Tris was a disgrace, but he said quite seriously and stubbornly:

    ¡°Only then can I confirm that my servants and I will not just be treated as cannon fodder and discarded. In theory, my messenger mission is already over, mydy. As you well know, I could return to Kadman City now.

    We Blood Vultures have our rules, unlike those unruly ruffian wolves of the Wolfbane n.¡±

    These words gave the huntress leader pause. Perhaps convinced by Murphy invoking n rules, after a few seconds she pulled back her hood, revealing an extremely young, even ¡°childish¡± face.

    ck hair like Murphy¡¯s.

    But crimson red eyes, along with her short, petite stature and baby-faced cheeks, the very image of a half-grown child.

    No wonder she had been so thoroughly bundled up, that dignified appearance trulycked any sense of gravitas on the battlefield.

    However, Murphy immediately recognized her from his own memory, and politely bowed in the standard Blood Vulture manner to the short girl.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°Ah, it is you, Lady Femis. Then my servants and I are willing to diligently serve your father¡¯s cause and yours.¡±

    ¡°Not for me and my father!¡± Lady Femis Cecilia Lessenbra wrinkled her cute little nose, correcting him sternly:

    ¡°This is for the existence and continuation of the Blood Vulture n! Though my father is the Patriarch, you need not show me such deference, for I too am but an ordinary member of the n.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, yes, you¡¯re absolutely right, mydy.¡±

    Murphy replied dismissively. This noble child, was she really that naive? Or a naturally cunning?

    But as the youngdy turned to leave after speaking, Murphy¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up.

    He cleared his throat and said:

    ¡°Mydy, wait a moment please. My servants and I are most willing to serve ¨C ahem, not you, but the n¡¯s great cause. However, I still hope to secure some small benefit to inspire their loyalty, pride and drive.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Lady Femis turned back, puzzled. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, I hope to receive something from you to stir my servants¡¯ enthusiasm, self-respect and ambition. Don¡¯t misunderstand! It¡¯s nothing important, and surely something you¡¯d be willing to give.¡±

 Chapter 14:

    Murphy now really wanted to go back to Kadman City and discuss escaping with Tris.

    Unfortunately, he had already been conscripted by Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, and without orders from the huntressmander, he, as a messenger, could only remain here.

    He was well aware that the other party had conscripted him and his two servants not because she saw potential or brilliance in him, but purely as cannon fodder for another mission.

    But Murphy could not refuse, for the youngdy¡¯s father was the Patriarch after all.

    Salrokdar Collins Lessenbra, the Patriarch of the Blood Vulture n, one of the most ancient vampire nobles.

    It is said that he has lived since the ancient era of the ¡°Holy Blood Procession¡± when vampires first appeared and spread across the continent, which was a thousand years ago at the beginning of the current era!

    Over this millennium, the Blood Vulture n developed from a small force to its peak and then declined to its current state, but its authority has never wavered, firmly grasped in Salrokdar¡¯s hands.

    That guy is the Midnight King of the entire Transia region, and even in the entire power structure of the Portia Federation or the whole continent, the Blood Vulture Patriarch is among the top echelon.

    Murphy obviously could not defy such a figure, even if the one before him was only Salrokdar¡¯s daughter.However, vampires cannot reproduce, so Femis, like Murphy, was a human initially turned. Although she appears to be a pampered lolidy, who knows if this little girl is actually another centuries-old monster?

    It was now nearly midnight.

    By the bonfire outside the vige, the hooded Maxim was cooking oats porridge for a midnight snack, while Miriam was helping to grill meat skewers to fill their rumbling stomachs.

    Although the two were cooperating, their rtionship could not be called harmonious.

    There was little for a vampire cult fanatic and a rational schr-in-training to discuss, as their life experiences were worlds apart.

    The little yers had left hours ago, probably already eating delicious hot takeout by now, making Murphy sitting far from the bonfire chewing on nd oat porridge feel quite envious.

    After the intense battle, he really wished for an ice-cold refreshing gamer¡¯s drink to moisten his throat.

    Thinking this, his face remained expressionless as he pulled his hood down further and set his bowl aside.

    The flickering bonfire cast sparks that danced about, and although the heat from the mes made Murphy ufortable physically, the human soul within him craved the illumination and protection of the night fire.

    This conflict between body and spirit was what gave Murphy an inconsistent, contradictory air in the eyes of other vampires.

    Highlighted by the firelight, Murphy picked up the vampire hunter¡¯sbat dagger that every Witch Hunter carried and held it before his eyes, intending to test his newly acquired Identify ability on it.

    Under his gaze, a semi-transparent information tag soon popped up beside the dagger:

    Name: Acolyte¡¯s War Dagger

    Quality: Standard ¡¤ Veteran

    Properties: Standard Sharpness ¡¤ Spirit Imbued

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This is a self-defense weapon made by the Avalon Church for the faithful of the Isa Kingdom during the Greenleaf Ind Unification War in 675. Its streamlined de gives it excellent bnce while also possessing the ability to cleave inbat, and the sacred oakwood grip tempered by natural spirits provides these weapons additional damage against dark creatures.

    After the emergence of Witch Hunters, the Acolyte¡¯s War Dagger became their standard issue equipment. However, following the Avalon Church¡¯s deplorable rebellion against the Goldflower Kingdom in the early Ten Year War, this ssic design has be a mark of treachery.¡¿

    Murphy stroked his chin as he examined the entry.

    Unable to urately judge its value for now, he picked up the clearly more ornate oakwood grip hunter¡¯s de that belonged to the female Witch Hunter Natalie.

    This time, the entry was different:

    Name: Avalon¡¯s Blessed Sacred de¡¾Replica¡¿

    Quality: Masterwork ¡¤ Commander

    Properties: Extreme Sharpness ¡¤ Extreme Spell Breaking ¡¤ Enhanced Spirit Imbued ¡¤ Purifying me

    Special Category Tag: de of Faith ¡¤ Only usable by¡¾Avalon¡¿faithful, heretics invoking spirit bacsh

    Item Description:

    ¡¾When the Avalon Church converted to the faith from the druids of the Castilia Penins in 500, the original council of elders was bestowed three sacred miracle des whose manufacturing techniques can no longer be replicated in this era. However, during the Avalon Church¡¯s long tenure as the state religion of the Isa Kingdom, the Elder Council of mo produced over 150 replicas of the blessed des and awarded them to saints.

    It should be noted that this blessed de does not belong to Natalie Finochia Lawson, but was inherited from her deceased rtive, so she cannot fully unleash its potential as a de of Faith.

    Perhaps you should be grateful for that.¡¿

    ¡°Natalie Finochia Lawson?¡±

    Murphy toyed with the silent blessed de in his hand and nced at the grey-haired fierce woman lying unconscious nearby, stripped down to her undergarments and bound.

    For her to be carrying such an impressive weapon was evidence enough that this Witch Hunter was no ordinary individual.

    Furthermore, byparing the two weapons, Murphy had also figured out the item grading system of this world.

    ¡°Masterwork¡± was clearly better than ¡°Standard¡±, likely referring to the craftsmanship. ¡°Commander¡± was surely better than ¡°Veteran¡±, probably indicating the item¡¯s quality tier.

    It made more sense than having the items glow purple or orange, fitting for a game that prided itself as realistic and hardcore.

    With this understood, Murphy proceeded to sort through the captured equipment.

    He set aside the best masterwork pieces for himself and Maxim to use, leaving the standard weapons toter arm the little yers.

    These capable and adorable little yers were his core base, so equipping them well was crucial when his personal strength wascking.

    He would also need to give them their ¡°closed beta rewards¡± after this round of testing.

    While the yers¡¯ actions were goofy, they werergely predictable, so he needed to get along well with them. Besides maintaining gamey, amazing loot was also a vital part of the game experience.

    This couldn¡¯t be half-baked, the rewards needed to meet a few conditions:

    First, they had to be rare enough.

    yers dislikedmon items.

    Second, they needed to be eye-catching and distinctive.

    Ideally eye-catching enough to attract attention, they had to have ir.

    Lastly, they should ideally have somememorative value!

    Like items with highlighted text in their descriptions, maximizing their collector¡¯s value.

    Such items weren¡¯t easy to find, but the clever Murphy had already secured part of them during his earlier conversation with Lady Femis.

    It was like an unequal exchange.

    Although he couldn¡¯t get them all now, Murphy had obtained a portion that he could use to surprise the little yers when they came online.

    ¡°Murphy,e here!¡±

    Lady Femis¡¯ summons interrupted Murphy¡¯s thoughts. He immediately put down the sacred de, got up and walked towards the figure concealed in the night behind him.

    Maintaining an ¡°tiny stature, big attitude¡± pose, she didn¡¯t waste time and stated directly:

    ¡°In three days, a Goldflower Kingdom transport convoy will pass through Transia near the area of the Foul Swamp to the south, specifically through that long strip of Smuggler¡¯s Woods.¡±

    The youngdy produced a highly detailed military map of the Transia region and drew a line in the southernmost area adjacent to the Dark Mountains as she told the attentive Murphy:

    ¡°The directives from the Patriarch outline the contents, these are special military supplies purchased from the Shaldor Halfling by General Loren, whomands the invading force, and meant to supply his Goldflower Pioneering Legions.

    Once the Pioneering Legions obtain these goods, their ravenous military might will be even harder to contain, so we need to seize this shipment!

    Of course, considering your failure as a messenger that exposed yourself and drew pursuit from the Witch Hunters, the enemy has probably caught wind of this by now, so the operation objective has changed to destroying the cargo.

    We need to reach the Smuggler¡¯s Woods within three days and carry out this inevitably difficult ambush. I need every bit of hunting force avable, which means you and your blood servants will be counted in as well.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Murphy nodded, looking at the military map handed to him. His mind processed the key words in the youngdy¡¯s speech, and after a few seconds he said:

    ¡°As far as I know, the war between the Goldflower Kingdom and the Portia Federation has dragged on for ten years, leaving both sides exhausted and stuck in the mud, so to speak. So I¡¯m quite curious, what kind of military supplies could have such an immediate impact on an army bogged down like that?¡±

    ¡°You ask too many questions, and I don¡¯t know the answers either,¡± Femis coldly replied, waving her hand with a decisiveness contrasting her small stature and looks.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to know those details. Midnight Hunters act when given a target! You need to bring your servants as a harassment force to dy that transport convoy. Defeating two Witch Hunter squads proved you have that capability.

    I don¡¯t need you to engage deeply in battle! Just harass them, attract them, divide them! Create opportunities for me and my hunters to ambush them, that¡¯s all.

    Once this is done, you can take amendation order back to Kadman City. Lady Tris will be proud of you, and the family will reward you.¡±

    ¡°Look at you, tiny as a middle schooler, but spewing nonsense without blinking an eye, you wicked little brat!¡±

    Murphy inwardly cursed.

    Did this seasoned social veteran really think he¡¯d fall for such child¡¯s talk?

    So he directly countered:

    ¡°So in your n, me and my servants are just bait and cannon fodder, right?¡±

    The youngdy didn¡¯t answer, only staring at him with her crimson eyes calm in a frightening way.

    Murphy snorted and shook his head.

    ¡°As expected of father and daughter, inheriting the same coldness and ruthlessness. I see you¡¯re well aware that as an outsider, I have no right to bargain with you.

    Fine, I¡¯ll ept this suicidal job.

    But I need a little help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already given you all my spare family ritual cloaks, and promised to provide you at least thirty sets of the finest family robes when you return to Kadman City!¡± Femis said in an odd tone when this was brought up.

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re collecting these useless things for, I¡¯ve given you the help you need, Murphy. Don¡¯t get greedy.¡±

    ¡°Collecting luxuries is just a personal hobby, and those aren¡¯t even weapons! Did you think I wanted that stuff to stun dangerous enemies with fabulousness?¡±

    Murphy spread his hands, replying in a slightly mocking tone:

    ¡°Look at this outsider willingly sacrificing his life for your cause, and you won¡¯t even grant this final bit of charity? Is this how your father taught you to treat us midnight nobles?

    Moreover, what I want isn¡¯t much at all!¡±

    He raised two fingers before the youngdy¡¯s eyes and stated his conditions:

    ¡°Twenty sets of family retainer leather armor and apanying weapons, both melee and ranged, nothing too special needed. I need to arm my servants so they can hold out longer against the enemy.

    And don¡¯t think this is asking for the sun and moon.

    Look, if we all die, you can just reim and reuse those materials.¡±

    ¡°Take back your vile jokes! The disrespectful Murphy! Are you treating me like a roadside beggar? How could I allow my subordinates to use things you¡¯ve soiled?

    To take things from the dead bodies?

    Truly unbing!¡±

    The decorum-conscious youngdy said with disgust:

    ¡°Besides, with just two servants plus three Witch Hunter captives, why would you need twenty suits of armor?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve recruited many loyal and enraged blood servants along the way who were victimized by the Witch Hunters. They will hurry to my side once I issue the summons.¡±

    Murphy blinked, gesturing towards the elite vampires huddled whispering in the night nearby.

    ¡°And I personally need a capablemander¡¯s outfit to assert my standing before my servants. Perhaps I could borrow one from them.

    Additionally, I¡¯ve been studying otherworld creature summoningtely. If there are any spirit tomes or familial sword art tomes, perhaps I could be allowed to peruse them.¡±

    This made Femis give Murphy a strange look. After a few seconds, she said:

    ¡°What¡¯s the point? You only have three days to prepare, Murphy. You¡¯re no genius, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be so unsessful. Of course, in my view the family¡¯s poor evaluation of you may be somewhat biased.

    At least that ambush you led in the Mond Vige ruins was passable.¡±

    The youngdy¡¯s words were indeed quite venomous.

    But she was fair enough to not look down on Murphy¡¯s victory like other vampires, so after some thought she nodded and said:

    ¡°Very well, I will provide you with what you need, but you must hand over your Witch Hunter captives to me.¡±

    She pointed at the three Witch Hunters tied up by the bonfire.

    ¡°We previously captured one, but it¡¯s not enough.

    My interrogators need to extract everything about the White Oak Brigade from their minds. Those scoundrels unleashed into Transia by the Circle Tower and General Loren to wreak havoc have be quite a nuisance.

    Consider it an exchange, Murphy.

    Deal?¡±

    Without much hesitation, Murphy nodded.

    ¡°Deal! Thank you for your kindness, mydy. A beautiful and generous woman like you is sure to be rewarded; the Dark Mother will bless you.¡±

 Chapter 15:

    Miss Femis may be arrogant and cold, but she kept her word.

    In less than ten minutes, one of her guards brought Murphy everything he needed.

    A basic spirit technique manual and a Blood Vulture sword arts manual.

    These were the youngdy¡¯s personal belongings, and were insights she wrote down herself when she was a beginner. It was clear the youngdy was truly the ¡°genius¡± she imed to be.

    Additionally, there was an exquisite small pouch containing twenty sets of Blood Vulture retainer armor made by the best leathersmiths and tailors in Kadman City.

    Though they were lighter regr leather armor, they still had considerable decent defenses.

    At the very least, they were much better than the worn battle armor used by the Witch Hunters, and most importantly, they looked cool enough with their unified style that the little yers would definitely like!

    Murphy fully understood their aesthetics.

    Weapons had to be big, exaggerated, and cool enough to glow if possible.Armor had to be edgy and revealing, preferably a bikini with ck stockings.

    Although he currentlycked the means to satisfy the yers¡¯ peculiar tastes, these armor pieces and apanying weapons were made by skilled artisans and included several masterwork items, which would be enough to arm them.

    These items surpassed the level of ordinary retainer armor, clearly prepared in advance by the youngdy for the Blood Servants she would recruit in the future.

    She casually handed them over without batting an eye, fully demonstrating her wealth.

    It seems the Patriarch also understood the path to spoiling his daughter.

    Looking at hervish preparations and then at his own situation, Murphy couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected for a moment. The difference in how capable the elders were was on full disy.

    The unfortunate vampire sighed in self-pity as he fastened the pouch containing the armor and weapons around his waist under the disdainful gaze of the guard.

    ¡°You¡¯re so poor you don¡¯t even have your own spirit pouch?¡±

    The tall, crimson chainmail-d Midnight Hunter sneered:

    ¡°It seems you and your elder are both a disgrace to the n! A rat in a muddy pit. The wise youngdy truly understands how to make the most of things.¡±

    But the thick-skinned Murphy was long used to such taunts. He simply looked the guard up and down, eyeing his cool chainmail, longsword, and coiled whip at his waist.

    Murphy stroked his chin, and after thetter finished unting his arrogant sense of superiority, he snapped his fingers and said:

    ¡°Take it off, I¡¯ll have that outfit.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The elite Midnight Hunter¡¯s eyes widened.

    He took this as a challenge, but as his hand touched his sword hilt, Murphy said in a hollow voice:

    ¡°Your noble youngdy just promised me a set of elite armor to save my life. Surely this arrogant sir wouldn¡¯t want to see his esteemeddy go back on her word and act in an unbing manner?¡±

    ¡°You can refuse to give it. I¡¯ll just ask someone else.¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡±

    Involving the youngdy¡¯s reputation made the arrogant guard immediately clench his fists.

    He turned to look at Femis.

    The youngdy waved dismissively, clearly not caring about this trifling matter.

    The guard could only swallow his anger and, under Murphy¡¯s subtle smile, remove his chainmail, padded leather armor, and weapons and toss them to Murphy. He then returned to his mistress with a cold expression amid the muffledughter of the other vampire elites.

    However, Femis clearly had ways to handle this.

    She seemed to have anticipated this and casually took off her cloak and draped it over her loyal guard.

    However, due to their height difference, the tall guard had to kneel for the noble youngdy to perform this act.

    In the strict hierarchical vampire system, such bestowal from a superior was the highest disy of overt favor, so the guard who had just been humiliated by Murphy immediately became arrogant again.

    ¡°What a good dog. It seems our little loli has a knack for training beasts too,¡± Murphy inwardly sneered.

    He didn¡¯t take this incident to heart at all. How could a mature member of society be as petty as these immature vampire brats?

    ¡°Maxim!¡±

    He called out to his loyal servant and tossed the chainmail to him.

    Thetter was flustered.

    This was elite armor meant for Midnight Hunters. How was a lowly Blood Servant worthy of it?

    Yet Murphy urged him to put it on quickly. He himself had Tris¡¯s Elder armor, durable enough to withstand a Witch Hunter¡¯s Blessed Sacred de, so this wasn¡¯t meant for him to wear.

    Murphy valued his own life greatly, especially after shing with Natalie and realizing he couldn¡¯t afford the risks of directbat right now.

    So unless necessary, he¡¯d rather not be so reckless as to charge into battle himself.

    He should leave such heroics to someone more suitable.

    ¡°Excellent, full of spirit!¡±

    Murphy pped Maxim on the shoulder.

    Clothes really make the man. This white-haired, albino Blood Servant looked formidable and imposing in the badass crimson chainmail. Add a midnight cloak borrowed from the youngdy, and he looked every bit the impressivemander.

    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be my ¡®Shadow Warrior.''¡±

    Murphy extended his arm and tapped Maxim¡¯s shoulders left and right, as if bestowing an honor, and said:

    ¡°Before we safely return to Kadman City, you must learn to impersonate ¡®Murphy¡¯. It¡¯s dangerous, but I believe in you.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Lord Murphy! Leave everything to me! I won¡¯t let you down!¡±

    Maxim loudly thumped his chest in response.

    Though foolishly loyal and suffering from the bad vampire habit of zealous worship, he wasn¡¯t stupid. He immediately grasped Murphy¡¯s intent and felt honored instead of afraid.

    Murphy had promised to perform the initial Embrace on him after returning, so protecting his elder was only natural as his progeny.

    Moreover, Maxim had his own motives.

    Overlooked for so long and merely observing Murphy¡¯s victory in Mond Vige made him firmly believe that while currently disadvantaged, his lord would surely achieve greatness eventually.

    Pledging loyalty now meant he would share in Murphy¡¯s future glory.

    For someone yearning to make a name for himself, this risk was nothing to fear. What truly terrified him was continuing to be ignored and living another gloomy, hopeless life.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Crossed swords!¡±

    Murphy beckoned Maxim over as the two headed towards a deste area.

    He wanted to verify the specific effects of the experience and temte upgrade functions he had unlocked, while also taking the remaining three days to practice.

    After deciding to implement the ¡°cannon fodder mission¡± as the fifth phase of the Newbie Guide Quest, Murphy was determined to give his full effort and stage a brilliant ambush with the little yers¡¯ help.

    Their equipment was settled, and he would summon them into the game tomorrow to discuss tactics. Besides this, he could not let his personal strength stagnate. With the upgrade function unlocked, he had to seize the opportunity to practice and consider the worst-case scenario.

    If the yers failed, he had to be able to escape on his own.

    As long as there were still mountains, he would notck firewood to burn!

    This was not Murphy being cowardly and fearing death.

    The main thing was that there was a ¡°Queen of Waste¡± waiting for him back in Kadman City. If he died, that solitary former vampire Elder Tris with her wretched living habits would likely starve herself to death without him.

    Just imagining that was too tragic.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Under the pitch-ck night, two figures shed swords back and forth.

    Both wielded the standard swift rapiers of the Blood Vulture n, causing the slender and sharp weapons to make whooshing sounds as they cut through the air, trailing arcs of cold light with each offensive and defensive move of the wielders.

    This was the standard one-handed sword fencing style that emphasized speed, uracy and ferocity.

    Striking like a viper, defending like a vulture. Combined with the Blood Vultures¡¯ various ingenious uses of their blood wings, it allowed for a perfect melding of offense and defense.

    Now, with the vampires¡¯ preternatural speed bestowed by their supernatural nature augmenting their midnight swiftness, Murphy¡¯s sword strokes werepletely untraceable in the night to regr eyes. But Maxim, who was sparring with him, was also quite familiar with the Blood Vulture sword arts, so he didn¡¯t find it too difficult to respond.

    Although the Blood Vulture sword arts were practical but not considered a profound skill in the continent¡¯s martial arts circles, and did not incorporate any mysteries of spirit power usage, with a vampire¡¯s preternatural physical abilities enhancing them, Murphy could still spar evenly with a Blood Servant.

    This fully demonstrated that while Murphy¡¯s swordsmanship looked very cool, it was actually quite poor.

    After all, it was only an ¡°entry-level¡± level skill, so one couldn¡¯t expect it to be too miraculous.

    ¡°nk!¡±

    After a parry, Murphy¡¯s swift rapier was tapped on his shoulder by Maxim¡¯s viper-like swift de, signifying another of Murphy¡¯s failures.

    The unfortunate vampire sighed, sheathing his sword in a very cool pose, while Maxim looked a bit awkward but still grinned widely at his lord, saying:

    ¡°Your swordsmanship has improved again, Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°You might as well just say I still have plenty of room for improvement instead. I can take criticism.¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes and waved Maxim off, signaling his servant to practice while he went to sit under a tree and yawned.

    His stubborn human habits still affected him, requiring more time to adapt to the vampires¡¯ peculiar biological clocks.

    He nced at his character card, where the ¡°experience bar¡± at the bottom had increased during their crossed swords, filling him with a sense of excitement.

    This proved that one didn¡¯t just gain experience from killing enemies.

    The character card¡¯s exnation of the experience bar was clear.

    This ¡°experience bar¡± simply represented one¡¯s strength in data form for rity, with two disys for ¡°character level¡± and ¡°job level¡±.

    The character level truly represented the degree to which Murphy understood and controlled his own power at each level of strength, while the job level represented his mastery of a certain job and its main skills, rted to the job change requirements.

    The former represented the absolute level of one¡¯s strength, while thetter was tied to its specific manifestation.

    Therefore, to ¡°level up¡±, besides tempering his skills inbat, Murphy also needed a deeper understanding of his own power.

    If Tris were around, it would be easy since the former Blood Elder, though retired, could easily guide a novice. But in this situation, Murphy had to find other ways to rapidly level up.

    He took out the sword arts manual Femis had given him and began reading it.

    The dark night with only moonlight was torture on the eyes for reading, but a vampire¡¯s unique eye structure allowed Murphy to read unhindered by the darkness.

    As he flipped through the thin manual, he pondered his current skills in his mind.

    No need to dwell on the Blood Vulture sword arts, this was his only closebat skill that he had to work hard at mastering.

    From their crossed swords earlier, he could basically tell that Maxim was a decent sparring partner at this stage. This retainer loyal to the Blood Vulture n for three generations had at least mastered the sword arts.

    That arrogant Elder Jed truly failed to recognize talent. Hepletely overlooked Maxim¡¯s potential in this area and his almost suicidal training intensity.

    But this was for the best, as Murphy had at least acquired a treasure.

    Besides swordsmanship, Murphy also had some spirit technique skills.

    But the issue with this supernatural power was that its improvement was not as straightforward as swordsmanship. It represented the application of knowledge, like how using a ruler to measure a triangle¡¯s perimeter worked, but using the Pythagorean theorem was much faster.

    Brute force was the most foolish approach for improving spirit techniques.

    In the over one month since his reincarnation, Murphy had organized the foundational knowledge about this world in his mind.

    He knew that so-called spirit power was a special force drifting between this world¡¯s heavens and earth, said to originate from the more mysterious spirit realm oveying the physical world. But some theories stated that spirit power¡¯s true originy in the even more dangerous and unknown sub-space beyond the spirit realm.

    That was the region outside the outermost spirit realm, which even the most learned spirit masters had very limited understanding of.

    Most importantly, this world¡¯s mystical theories had established that a living being¡¯s spirit talent was fixed at birth.

    No amount of future practice could raise the upper limit of one¡¯s spirit talent, one could only work hard on technique.

    It was like a bucket¡¯s maximum capacity being set when crafted. The only thing affecting its weight was the state of the water inside.

    Murphy didn¡¯t know if his own spirit talent was good or bad, but considering his marginal status in the n, he could probably surmise.

    If he were truly a genius, he would never have been consecutively given two cannon fodder missions.

    The harsh reality made him feel depressed.

    This character was pretty much screwed!

    Murphy thought that if not for the little yers being his trump card, and Tris the useless waifudy still waiting to be fed back home, he would have considered just deleting his ount and rerolling his character by now.

    He shook his head to calm down and carefully reread the thin sword arts manual, not just skimming it but carefully studying the genius youngdy¡¯s insights while practicing the sword arts through her elegant writing.

    The youngdy¡¯s fundamentals were truly solid.

    Though the text was not lengthy, her manual did record several key points about the Blood Vulture sword arts and summarized them in straightforward yet profoundnguage.

    This just made Murphy feel worse.

    Looking at her innate talent, then at his own.

    Sigh, maybe he really should just delete and reroll?

    As he was thinking this, a prompt suddenly appeared on the translucent character card:

    ¡¾Through repeatedly reading Femis Cecilia Lessenbra¡¯s sword arts manual, your Blood Vulture sword arts skill proficiency has greatly increased, now at ¡°Proficient¡± level.

    Note:

    The writer of this book has mastered the Blood Vulture sword arts to the ¡°Master¡± level, so by reading this book and practicing, you can raise your own sword skill¡¯s limit to ¡°Master.¡±¡¿

    ¡¾Blood Vulture sword arts skill has reached ¡°Proficient¡±, unlocking the ¡¾One-Handed Weapon Mastery¡¿ talent! Effect grants a slight increase to your attack speed when using one-handed weapons.¡¿

    ¡¾With Blood Vulture sword arts skill reaching ¡°Proficient¡±, your primary job ¡°Blood Vulture Apprentice¡± can change to ¡°Blood Vulture Swordsman¡±. Change job? Yes/No?¡¿

    ¡°?¡±

 Chapter 16:

    Under the moonlit night, Murphy¡¯s eyes widened.

    He stared intently at the newly added talent on his character card and the job change notification, and after being dazed for five seconds, a surge of excitement burst in his heart.

    Well, he was justining about hisck of talents, and in the blink of an eye, he was given a surprise!

    So this mimicry and learning formed through umting experience is the true essence of the experience system and temte upgrades?

    ¡°Job Change!¡±

    Murphy made his decision, and his character¡¯s ¡°Blood Vulture Apprentice¡± was changed to ¡°Blood Vulture Swordsman¡±, after which a series of prompts popped up:

    ¡¾Blood Vulture Swordsman job change sessful!

    Job trait bonus: Blood Vulture Sword Arts proficiency limit increased from ¡°Master¡± to ¡°Grandmaster¡±, damage dealt increased when using Blood Vulture Sword Arts inbat.

    This damage bonus is rted to Sword Arts proficiency.New Talent ¨C Gale Storm: Each sessful melee hit streak increases attack speed until physical limits, attack speed bonus disappears after hit streak is broken.

    New Talent ¨C Lightning Reflexes: Every sessful melee parry allows a counterattack, counterattack sess rate increases with Sword Arts skill proficiency.

    New Talent ¨C Midnight Swordsman: The ghostly footwork unique to vampire swordsmen enhances swordsmanship uracy and evasion at night.

    Job information updated, current main job is Level 1 Blood Vulture Swordsman. When either main/sub job reaches Level 10 and character level reaches 10, can trigger Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body.¡¿

    Murphy read through these pop-up prompts.

    He didn¡¯t immediately try out the changes to his sword skills, but instead realized another issue:

    If sword skills can be improved by reading technique manuals, then can the innate spirit talents that were rumored to be fixed at birth also be broken through in a simr way?

    Murphy narrowed his eyes, immediately putting away the Sword Arts manual, and took out the Spirit Technique manual written by Lady Femis.

    This was much thicker than the Sword Arts manual.

    Rather than being notes, it was more like Lady Femis¡¯ study notes when first learning spirit abilities, more akin to a rtively basic spirit magic tome.

    He flipped open to the first page, and was immediately given a headache by theplex spirit models depicted that looked so intricate.

    This mysterious supernatural power did indeed seem different from sword skills, and reading this really did require patience and brains. But Murphy was no fool and understood the current situation, so he patiently continued reading.

    The first chapter detailed the most basic technique ¡°Spirit st¡±.

    Murphy could use this too, but Lady Femis clearly had guidance from a renowned master.

    She described in detail the seven different release modes of Spirit st taught by her mentor, making Murphy break out in a cold sweat.

    When he used this skill, it was always in a crude manner, grabbing a ball of dark spirits and smashing it towards the enemy, with a posture like a gori¡¯s dung throwing attack,cking any technique whatsoever which made him look down on himself.

    Next to him practicing sword arts, Maxim had wanted to remind his master Murphy that it was time to return.

    But seeing Murphy seriously poring over the book tome, this loyal blood servant didn¡¯t disturb his master, silently grabbing his swift sword to continue practicing.

    Although he himself was a superstitious half-breed born in the Transia region with the nickname ¡°Monster¡±, even he knew that reading more books was never a bad thing.

    About half an hourter, Murphy closed the book, his head spinning and feeling drained of spirit energy.

    Rubbing his head, he examined the prompts that had appeared on his character card:

    ¡¾Repeatedly reading the Spirit Technique manual¡¯s first chapter by Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, Spirit st skill proficiency greatly increased, currently at ¡°Proficient¡± level.

    Note!

    Because the writer of this book has ¡°Mastered¡± the Spirit st technique, by reading this book and practicing, you can raise this skill¡¯s proficiency limit to ¡°Master¡±.¡¿

    ¡¾New skills mastered ¨C Spirit st technique branches: Dark Ray, Protective Orb, Bind, Suffocate, Shockwave, Energy Burst, Raging Gale.

    Note!

    Branch skills are extensions of the main skill, their proficiency increases as the main skill¡¯s proficiency increases.¡¿

    ¡¾Due to raising Spirit Technique to ¡°Proficient¡±, sub-job ¡°Empty¡± can change to ¡°Spirit Apprentice¡±. Change job yes/no?¡¿

    ¡°Now this is awesome!¡±

    This series of prompts made Murphy clench his fists.

    All of his previousints about poor talents vanished in an instant.

    To put it nkly, Murphy didn¡¯t really dislike reincarnating, he was just afraid that having his talents limited would make all his efforts fruitless.

    But now the facts proved that in this other world, all his investment would be converted into visible results.

    The uncertainty about the future was dispelled once more.

    Heh, in a world where efforts directly lead to growth, why not just go all out?

    I¡¯ll work my ass off!

    ¡°Confirm!¡±

    Murphy took a deep breath, and just like before, when the sub-job change to ¡°Dark ¨C Spirit Apprentice¡± wasplete, another long string of prompts popped up:

    ¡¾¡±Dark ¨C Spirit Apprentice¡± job change sessful!

    Job trait bonus: Spirit perception increased, dark spirit utilization increased, spirit recovery rate increased.

    New Talent ¨C Dark Spirit Maniption: Using dark spirit techniques increases destructive power, extends duration of sustained effects, all spirit attacks inflict minor mental shock on enemies.

    New Talent ¨C Spirit Feedback: Dark spirit resistance increased, light spirit resistance decreased.

    New Talent ¨C Blood Spirit: The vampire racial talent allows rapidly recovering spirit energy by draining blood from living beings, temporarily increasing spirit capacity and technique destructive power.

    Job information updated, current sub-job is Level 1 Dark ¨C Spirit Apprentice. When either main/sub job reaches Level 10 and character level reaches 10, can trigger Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body.¡¿

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Seeing his character¡¯s freshly updated job card, Murphy grinned, putting away the Spirit Technique manual he had taken from Lady Femis into his rucksack, drawing his crimson hand-sword and beckoning his servant over with his fingers.

    He nced at the moon overhead, inwardly grateful for the Night Mother¡¯s gift, then stretched his neck and said to Maxim:

    ¡°We only have three days left, whether it¡¯s you or me, we have to put in our full effort to grow stronger, or we really will die on that wicked littledy¡¯s suicide mission.

    We need to survive, Max!

    We need to survive by any means necessary!

    We need to make it back alive to Kadman City together! Rise above together! Aplish great deeds together! Complete our grand n together!¡±

    These words made the blood servant, who had always yearned for sess, clench his fists tightly as well.

    He nodded firmly, gripping his swift sword and charging at his master Murphy.

    Of course, he was prepared for his master¡¯s poor swordsmanship, so he intentionally slowed this strike.

    But the instant the sword swept in, Murphy nimbly dodged back, then flicked his wrist tounch a precise counterattack, the whistling, vibrating de stopping right at Maxim¡¯s throat.

    This brilliant parry and riposte made the blood servant freeze in ce.

    Next, he saw his master forming a pulsing spark of spirit energy in his palm, giving Maxim an intriguing smile.

    He said:

    ¡°You really thought you were impressive just holding back a little? Max, don¡¯t go easy on me, and don¡¯t underestimate your master!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Three hourster, the darkest time of the night arrived, signaling theing dawn.

    His armspletely numb and his spirit energy totally drained, the exhausted Murphy dragged himself back to the campfire.

    The battered Maxim behind him was even more bedraggled, barely able to walk in his heavier chainmail.

    After all, hecked a vampire body¡¯s rapid recovery, and all he wanted now was a good sleep.

    But Murphy felt ted in his heart.

    Because those three hours of bitter training had raised his Swordsman level to 2, fully proving that killing monsters wasn¡¯t the only or even main way to gain experience.

    Miriam, hugging herself, was rubbing her eyes by the campfire.

    She had not slept well at all that night, various vampire horror stories she had heard since childhood ying out like mini dramas in her mind, leaving her yawning constantly.

    ¡°Where did this carriagee from?¡±

    Murphy noticed the all-ck four-wheeled carriage stopped by the campfire. It wasn¡¯t fancy, just the kind small merchants used for hauling goods, but its advantage was arge enclosed space. An old horse was munching on feed at the front.

    ¡°Lady Femis¡¯ human servants brought it when they converged here. There was also a cold-speaking olddy who imed to be Lady Femis¡¯ Maid delivering a message,¡± Miriam said through a yawn.

    ¡°Lady Adele said we depart at first light and must reach the ambush point within three days. But she didn¡¯t prepare a coffin for you to rest in, I think it was intentional spite.

    The other vampires all have exquisite coffins to sleep in, only you don¡¯t have one.

    You really lucked out, Murphy.

    Your status among the Vampire n is really awkward, like a bullied and isted freshman.¡±

    Murphy was unfazed by her teasing. He examined the carriage, then turned to Miriam and said:

    ¡°Maxim and I will need to train intensively in the time ahead. Can you drive a carriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I grew up in a vige after all. Although I¡¯m the vige chief¡¯s illegitimate daughter, I wasn¡¯t exactly pampered. My mother was a formidable traveling merchant who even went to Greenleaf Ind and North Fort in her youth.

    Her only failing was poor taste in men.¡±

    Miriam confidently punched her fist, and Murphy nodded, saying:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you. Once this miserable affair is over, I¡¯ll let you leave, and if needed I¡¯ll even provide funds for you to further your studies.¡±

    ¡°Vampires can be so kind?¡±

    Miriam looked at Murphy skeptically, severely doubting he was telling the truth. But Murphy had already stopped paying attention to her.

    ¡°Master, more people areing!¡±

    Maxim suddenly spoke up in warning, making Murphy turn to look.

    In the distance under the night sky, pulsing blood-red lights were rapidly approaching like crimson meteors. As they drew near, Murphy saw that they were a pack of vampiric hunters soaring on blood-red wings.

    They materialized bat-like wings of crimson and descended like a flock of scavenging vultures, elegantlynding amid swirls of crimson cloaks. They bowed respectfully yet insincerely to Lady Femis, like a gathering of midnight aristocrats attending a party.

    Over thirty elite vampires had quickly assembled, but this was just the first wave of those converging here. It seemed Lady Femis was determined to handle a major operation.

    As for those fancy bat wings¡­

    Those were the symbol of the Blood Vulture n!

    Each of the seven major vampire ns had their own unique powers. Although other vampires also had exquisite decorative winglets, in the arrogant eyes of the Blood Vultures, those could at best be called gliding or pathetic pping!

    Only the Blood Vultures¡¯ wings wererge and powerful enough to truly control the skies.

    ¡°So cool.¡±

    Murphy felt a pang of envy.

    Although he was also an official Blood Vulture n member, his strength was still toocking to manifest blood wings, as Tris had exined to him. Manifesting blood wings required at least reaching the ¡°ck Iron Body¡± level, which he had not yet attained.

    For now, he was just a fledgling adept, still a ways off from that realm.

    But he nced at the unlocked ¡°experience bar¡± on his character card and inwardly scoffed, with this ability, it was only a matter of time before he sprouted his own awesome wings.

    He climbed into the carriage intending to sleep a bit before dawn, but as soon as he sat down, he saw Miriam leaning against the back.

    ¡°You really are a crafty one, deceiving that loyal fool Maxim to revolve around you, making him serve you as master and even willingly risk death for you.¡±

    Miriam said in a low voice:

    ¡°Are all vampires as afraid of death as you, Murphy? This is quite different from what I¡¯ve read in books.¡±

    ¡°This is called wisdom.¡±

    Murphy nced sidelong at the cunning woman and lightly said:

    ¡°And you had best put on that midnight cloak I gave you. This isn¡¯t a suggestion.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Miriam huffed, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯m not your blood servant, I only cooperated with you out of a mutual hatred for Witch Hunters.¡±

    ¡°I can tolerate your rudeness, Miriam, because I see your intelligence and cunning shining through.¡±

    Murphy said, pointing behind him at the whispering vampires lurking in the night. He blinked his red glowing eyes and told Miriam:

    ¡°But my kinsmen may not share that perspective.

    Perhaps you don¡¯t know, but the popr saying in Kadman City these days is that the blood of clever virgins tends to be more fragrant and worth collecting.

    Why don¡¯t you guess how long you¡¯d survive this night if they knew you weren¡¯t my servant?¡±

    Murphy stroked his chin and said:

    ¡°One hour? Three hours? Ah, I¡¯ll be optimistic and bet five hours! Five hours from now, you¡¯d just be a ¡®midnight snack¡¯ to relieve the vampires¡¯ boredom. Some deviants looked down on for ¡®dallying with livestock¡¯ might even take an interest in your youthful charms.

    But that¡¯d be good for you, it means you got a ¡®new master¡¯.

    How about this, I¡¯ll bet you a gold coin!

    Hey Maxim, want to y?¡±

    Hearing his voice, the loyal servant turned with a grin, producing a blood-stained gold coin from his pocket and saying:

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m interested, master. I¡¯ve seen this plenty of times, so I¡¯ll bet this cunning rude wench won¡¯t evenst twenty minutes!¡±

    This exchange made Miriam¡¯s face turn pale.

    She had thought to rebut that Murphy was just trying to scare her.

    But ncing past the carriage into the surrounding night, she could see pairs of pulsing crimson lights, the eyes of those vampires staring at her, filled with cruelty and desire.

    Although she had read the Shaldor Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s ¡®Vampire Secrets¡¯ in the library, and knew her homnd¡¯s various bizarre legends about the Midnight Aristocrat, only by truly facing these supernatural beings of the night could she sense the dread those authors must have experienced to pen such warnings.

    In truth, she also knew she was just making excuses to stay close to Murphy because she felt that pervasive malice in the darkness.

    She was well aware that in this situation, only Murphy could protect her.

    So under Murphy¡¯s gaze, Miriam wordlessly epted the midnight cloak from Maxim and tightly wrapped it around herself.

    This action made the malicious eyes watching her from the night vanish one by one.

    Though Murphy was a rookie, the Blood Vulture n adhered to rules!

    Until a blood servant¡¯s elders passed away or abandoned them, other vampires could not casuallyy a hand on them, or they would be severely punished.

    Murphy let out a satisfiedugh.

    He reached out and patted the trembling little head, whispering in a soft voice:

    ¡°Now you¡¯re safe, sleep. They won¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡±

 Chapter 17:

    As Murphy rested during the approaching dawn, he opened up the game forum and found that the discussions about the ¡°Mond Vige Ambush¡± were still hot.

    Apart from the two middle-aged unlucky guys ¡°Dump Truck Iaido¡± and ¡°Bulldozer Man Charging¡± who were taken out because they were too high and had terrible luck, the other 10 yers survived the intense battle, which was seen as a great victory by the little yers in the game.

    Adding to the special nature of¡¶Reality Realm¡·, thepletely immersive and realistic feel made yers feel aplished even after logging off.

    However, there were always people who weren¡¯t satisfied.

    For example, the two unlucky guys who died right before victory. Although the real situation was that Dump Truck and Bulldozer Man were indeed quite unskilled and unluckily encountered Natalie the female Witch Hunter wielding the ¡°Steam Gatling¡±, no one wants to admit being unskilled in the online world.

    So it must be an issue with the game difficulty!

    A bug!

    A serious malicious bug!

    It really impacted the gaming experience too much, they had to give feedback!Give harsh criticism!

    They even teamed up with the student yers Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees and Kono Maomao Shark who were taken outst test, frantically posting in the feedback area from various angles to argue that their deaths were due to game bugs, strongly rmending the dev team give them another chance.

    The middle-aged men grasping at straws for their dignity in their gaming careers.

    The constantly refreshing posts in the feedback area made Murphy feel annoyed, so he simply closed the new post notifications and snuck into the built-in forum group to secretly screen-peek, wanting to see the small yers¡¯ feedback on this battle. Others were refreshing messages at a rate of two or three per second.

    Of course, this excluded special groups.

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾You guys can keep chatting, I can¡¯t stay up any longer and need to log off to sleep for a bit.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾It¡¯s only noon, sister, is your schedule that irregr?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾But it¡¯s already dawn over here, o(¨i©n¨i)o, if I stay up much longer I¡¯ll probably see the sun rise. It¡¯s a rare rest day, just let me go, will you? But hey, this game is really fun, if there¡¯s another test remember to call me in the group.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾I just looked at the map and calcted the time difference, you must be in North America right? No wonder you y so well with guns, an international student?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾That¡¯s right, I¡¯m in grad school. If I cane back during summer vacation maybe I can y with you guys. I¡¯m logging off now, good night everyone, bye~¡¿

    The international student girl logging off didn¡¯t affect the lively discussion of the others in the group.

    Meow King and the shameless employee friends he pulled into the game started reviewing the details of the Mond Vige sniping battle, with a bit of an armchair general vibe.

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Damn it! The admin isn¡¯t paying any attention to us at all, the feedback posts we sent up were all deleted, and we even got a ¡°no spamming¡± warning. Ah, without¡¶Reality Realm¡·I¡¯m gonna die, can someone tell me when the next test is?¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾We probably have to wait for the noobs to respawn first? The plot has reached the point where our NPCs and other vampires regroup, so this operation is probablying to an end too. If I had to guess, I¡¯d guess the next test might be a new scene?

    Like that Kadman City the NPCs keep mentioning?¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Damn it! Ah Yuen, why don¡¯t you just say it clearly, who are you calling noobs?¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾The dog barks again? We didn¡¯t die, you died, if you¡¯re not the noob then who is? And you three only have one more day until you respawn right? Don¡¯t cause trouble, pissing off the admin and getting your ount deleted, I¡¯ll see how you deal with that.¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾You ungrateful brat! Cheche will definitely spank you after respawning!¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Good brother, I just promoted this awesome game hard to my dorm mates, and we¡¯re all waiting to get into the game and wreak havoc. Who can give me a reliable estimate of when invite codes will be sent out?¡¿

    ElectronicSubusOldTune: ¡¾Just wait patiently, they only send out five each time, who knows when it will be your turn, but Niuniu, you did fight that female Witch Hunter head-on before right? Come tell bro, just how realistic is the modeling in this game?¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾??What do you mean? I think the modeling in this game is pretty realistic.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Evil grin.jpg, Hey, this innocent student seems to still not understand the essence of this game. Since it¡¯s said to be fully realistic with real physics collisions, then you must havee into contact with her when you mmed that female BOSS before logging off. I even watched it specifically, that female BOSS is actually quite pretty.¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾A slim-waisted, long-legged big booty gray-haired huntress! Drool drool, damn this developer is too skilled!¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Hey hey hey! Bring me back you bastards, weren¡¯t we just discussing the game plot? How did it end up on the female NPCs again? Argh, so this is what male yers focus on?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Cough cough, Lumina is also very pretty actually. Sigh, didn¡¯t you log off already?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾I can¡¯t sleep, every time I close my eyes I just see Mond Vige, it¡¯s like I really went to another world for a battle, so exciting. This is way more exciting than any roleying or full-contact fighting. ¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾I strongly agree! But speaking of, why can¡¯t we create female characters in this game? The modeling is so realistic, not ying a trap would be such a waste.¡¿

    BulldozerManCharging: ¡¾What are you trying to do MeowKing!? Shocked.jpg¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾@MeowKing Let us brother know if you make a trap character, let the brother have some fun first, evil grin~¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Yo, the little yers¡¯ spirits are pretty high eh! Looks like you¡¯re all very satisfied with thest test. The dev team is also very satisfied, they finally passed us through this round of testing. But there¡¯s still a big task ahead.

    @All Members

    Figure out a time when everyone is free, I¡¯ll adjust the schedule, then we¡¯ll all log on together to find the Newbie Guide NPC for a quest. The dev team needs to test aplex battle scenario and NPC AI, so everyone needs to participate.

    Oh, and here¡¯s some good news, this is the second-tost round of testing for the first closed beta.

    Thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts, many small bugs have been fixed, so we¡¯re one step closer to the next round of testing.¡¿

    Alpha¡¯s sudden message livened up the already sparsely active group, and those who had just finished lunch started popping in.

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Sure, I¡¯m free anytime, admin, can you let me stay in the game 24/7?¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾We all have plenty of free time, and the admin saidst time that the active connection feature for the game helmets won¡¯t be enabled until we reach the next stage of testing. You clueless guy.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾The main thing is just to coordinate our online times to make it easier for the admin to schedule. Their test team¡¯s work is moreplicated than you imagine, even when I do outsourced software testing I have to book time in advance, not to mention a huge project like¡¶Reality Realm¡·.¡¿

    ckStockingsUnderTheKeyboard: ¡¾The other yers probably won¡¯t have any issues, the main problem is Lumina¡¯s side since she has a time difference from us, that¡¯s pretty inconvenient.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾The inconvenience is only now. Once the free login feature is unlocked, Lumina¡¯s side will actually have the advantage of being able to take over testing the game¡¯s night environments. By then, this will be her unique edge.

    Don¡¯t forget, our main storyline NPC is a vampire, a true creature of the night.¡¿

    Oh, he didn¡¯t even think of that himself!

    At this moment, lying prone in the swaying carriage, Murphy blinked his eyes.

    The little yers¡¯ perspectives really were open-minded.

    He was wondering before why there was an international student like Lumina among the testers, but now it seems she didn¡¯t just get the invite code by luck.

    Testing the night environments is indeed a very important part as well.

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Damn it, using the natural environment as an exploit like this is too sneaky! No, Cheche can¡¯t lose to the international student sister, I¡¯ll start training my ability to stay upte right now! I¡¯ll try to reverse my biological clock!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾How about tonight then? It will be early morning on Lumina¡¯s side, everyone can get online, and tomorrow is still a rest day so it won¡¯t affect our normal schedules.¡¿

    BulldozerManCharging: ¡¾But we five haven¡¯t respawned yet, how can we go get quests? Sigh, worrying.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Don¡¯t worry, this test sequence will take at least 2-3 days of in-game time to finish, you five will definitely make it in time. I heard tonight¡¯s task is for you all to discuss tactics with the main storyline NPCs. That¡¯s what the dev team said.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Discuss tactics with the NPCs? Are they really that intelligent?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾The main NPCs in¡¶Reality Realm¡·are portrayed by the most advanced AIs. They have deep learning programs and are smarter than a lot of real people. And the more you interact with them, the smarter they get. This is also a major selling point of our game. Take the Mond Vige ambush for example, trying the same tactics again probably won¡¯t work as well.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Damn, that sounds so awesome! @Alpha, are you really just making a game? This kind of technology being used, I feel like you¡¯re up to something big eh? Sideways grin.jpg¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Well let me tell you a secret, we¡¯re actually trying to take over the world in secret. Sigh, but even if that¡¯s true, what does thepany¡¯s grand n have to do with me, just an employee?

    The online time is set for 9pm tonight, no issues with that right?

    @MeowKing

    Meow King, can you take charge of organizing everyone?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾No problem.¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Admin, I want to ask, does our game have a ¡®Favorability¡¯ setting?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾?? What made you think that?¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Because after I helped the NPC subdue the female Witch Hunter today, her attitude towards me was clearly different. Not only was her tone much friendlier, but she even gave me a weapon. So I¡¯m wondering if there¡¯s a hidden Favorability design?

    If there is, can we grind it through quests?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾You guess?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Of course there must be then! What a game-changer! So not only will there definitely be a systematic factional reputation system in the future, but we also have to maintain personal reputations with NPCs?¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾Drool drool, I only care if maxing out reputation will make thedy NPCs treat me better than others? Being able to date a paper person would be awesome.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Your wife with a thousand close female friends is impressive! Sideways grin¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Your wife is impressive! Bullhead yeah.jpg¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾F**k! You damned thief, taste my de!¡¿

    The small yers started their routine nonsense chatter, while Murphy exited the forum. He sat up from the swaying carriage headed to the Foul Marsh, stroking his chin and looking at the annoying sunlight outside, unable to hold back an oddugh.

    ¡°A favorability system, exactly. What better setting could there be to make the little yers obediently listen and not cause trouble than a hidden favorability system? True genius!

    My idiot gang of friends are all little geniuses, this excellent self-management ability is amazing.

    Excellent, it¡¯s decided!

    I, Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, will officiallyunch my personal Favorability system today!

    And Maxim¡¯s favorability will need to be set up too.

    Hmm, I¡¯ll need to create a persona for him first, a taciturn but aspiring warrior and strength-seeker white-haired loyal servant? Ummm, this ssic persona setup shouldn¡¯t cause any issues right?¡±

    Thinking this, Murphy was about to close the forum when he suddenly noticed a new post had been posted in the feedback area that had just been cleared of spam posts. The poster was ¡°Meow King¡±.

    This was one of the key little yers Murphy was focused on, so he opened up this feedback post and saw it was actually quite a formal game feedback submission:

    ¡¾Summary of issues I discovered during my ytest of¡¶Reality Realm¡·:<ol><li>I¡¯ve confirmed the game has a robust day/night cycle, which is cool, but there seems to be a 12 hour time difference between the two realms, which is extremely anti-human.</li></ol>

    I rmend the dev team synchronize the game time to real time, so yers can enjoy the game during the day as well.

    P.S: I checked the built-in features of the game helmet recently and found there is a ¡°Sleep Connection¡± mode, but it¡¯s currently locked. So the time difference may not be a bug but rather a way to make it easier for yers to schedule time, or perhaps it¡¯s rted to the dev team¡¯s testing n.

    If that¡¯s indeed the case, please disregard this first point.<ol start="2"><li>I strongly rmend adding a yer interface!</li></ol>

    At least include a quest log interface.

    I understand the dev team may want to create apletely realistic game environment, but having no UI is too hard. I can¡¯t be expected to carry a notebook in-game to track my quests right?<ol start="3"><li>Please speed up the testing process! Best tounch open beta immediately.</li></ol>

    yers not being able to actively log in and only being able to wait for fixed testing times is too painful. Your game is addictive, the other games are unyable now!¡¿

    Seeing thatst point, Murphy immediately burst outughing.

    It seems the ¡°game¡± he was in charge of testing really was quite appealing, though Murphy couldn¡¯t resolve any of the three issues Meow King raised.

    ¡°But how did they end up with the game helmets used for ¡®mind transference¡¯ in their world?¡±

    Murphy stared at MeowKing¡¯s feedback post, pondering:

    ¡°Could there really be a¡¶Reality Realm¡·game operations team in the world they¡¯re in? Or is this actually just another function bundled with my ridiculous admin system?¡±

    A few minutester, Murphy¡¯s vampire eyes spun as an idea came to him, and he edited a reply post.

    As the forum admin and test lead, although it wasn¡¯t a role he volunteered for, he still had to give a positive response to the little yers¡¯ enthusiastic feedback.

    Hey, that¡¯s professionalism.

    That¡¯s called loving your work!

    On the other side, Meow King, who had just gotten off work, was sitting in his apartment. Having just experienced the Mond Vige ambush, he was still in an excited state, scratching his head awkwardly with his game helmet on, praying to every god he knew for the new testing round to start soon. But the godspletely ignored him.

    So the bored and cunning working adult could only refresh the newly opened forum in the virtual interface projected in front of him by his game helmet, which looked extremely simr to a VR device, to kill time shitposting.

    As he was happily chatting away in that spam thread, he suddenly heard the forum¡¯s private message notification. Opening it up, it was actually a feedback reply from ¡°Alpha¡±.

    The content was quite concise:

    ¡¾Report sent by tester ¡°Meow King¡± has been received, content detailed, issues precise, submitted to dev team for consideration to fix.

    Additionally, the game helmets used to y¡¶Reality Realm¡·also need usage evaluations from testers. We hereby invite tester ¡°Meow King¡± to fully explore and evaluate the functions of the game helmet in your possession.

    P.S:

    Testers have the right to refuse this invitation, butpleting the helmet evaluation and submitting aplete test report can earn you a rare physical reward in-game.

    Finally, thank you for your valuable feedback. Ourpany wishes you an enjoyable gaming experience.

    Alpha,¡¶Reality Realm¡·Test Team Member¡¿

    ¡°What? Is this a mistake? I was just venting myints, but you¡¯re giving me a task? Working for the NPCs in-game, and now working for yourpany in reality too?

    And who wants those lousy rewards! I just want to y the game right now!¡±

    Meow King cursed vehemently:

    ¡°Besides, you have time to personally reply to feedback but can¡¯t you hurry up the development progress instead?

    He clicked his tongue, but the mention of a rare in-game reward did pique his interest a bit. He took off the game helmet and looked over at theputer off to the side.

    That fancy-looking rig with the cool RGB lighting had cost him tens of thousands, and he used to love it, but now it had be an abandoned cow, scorned along with all the games installed on it.

    What era is this? Still fussing over ray tracing and graphics quality with traditional keyboard and mouse!

    Don¡¯t give ourpetitors ammunition to mock us,e on!

    The single man clicked his tongue again and started fiddling with the game helmet more vigorously. A few minutester, a strange yell rang out in the bachelor apartment:

    ¡°F**k! This thing even has airflow cooling and massage functions? What¡¯s this bioelectric energy? Sounds high-tech. And it even supports plugging into 220V outlets or even using AA batteries?

    Is it so down-to-earth?¡±

 Chapter 18:

    At noon, the caravan that had already departed from Mond Vige towards the Foul Swamp was dead silent.

    The thirty-odd Midnight Hunters summoned by Lady Femis had fallen into a blissful slumber in the luxurious coffins inside the ten carriages.

    For these orthodox vampires, it was absolutely forbidden to go out under such damned sunshine.

    The sunlight would burn their overly ¡°delicate¡± skin. Although resistance to sunlight would increase with growing strength, the aversion to light was a tradition, and the more noble the bloodline, the stronger this aversion.

    This formed a strange scene.

    In the entire caravan, only the Blood Servants driving were active. The elite forces of the vampires were being led by a group of humans, even mixed with an outcast lurking in thest carriage, earnestly studying a handbook.

    Murphy¡¯s stubborn human habits allowed him to be energetic during the day, giving him the perfect opportunity to openly summon yers for a meeting without his vampire peers noticing.

    ¡°Stop the carriages, eat and rest. We¡¯ll depart again in an hour.¡±

    The Blood Servant driving the carriage at the very front, a woman in an elegant maid¡¯s uniform holding a ck parasol with a cold expression but quite attractive figure, gave orders to the carriage drivers. The entire caravan stopped in the wilderness.This intimidatingdy was named Adele, addressed as Lady Adele by the Blood Servants.

    It was said she was Lady Femis¡¯ only personal Blood Servant and most trusted human ¡°friend¡±, currently in charge of the caravan¡¯s logistics.

    Miriam and Maxim were sent by Murphy to eat from therge pot, while he slipped away under a hood to summon the yers in a nearby forest.

    Unfortunately, as Murphy was still a novice, the dark spirit energy within him was insufficient to summon all the small yers at once, so he had to summon them in two batches.

    The small yers obediently gathered around Murphy. Having heard about the ¡°hidden favor¡± in the game group, their gazes towards this main quest NPC were now even more eager.

    Being stared at ¡°affectionately¡± by a group of men made Murphy quite ufortable.

    Damn!

    These guys are too realistic, aren¡¯t they?

    ¡°Ahem, before our formal talk, I must fulfill my promise.¡±

    Murphy maintained the elegant demeanor of a vampire noble. Under the yers¡¯ watchful eyes, he took out a folded crimson cloak from his spiritual bag and personally draped it over the shoulders of the ¡°high favor¡± Precipitation Niuniu. He fastened it at the neck with an exquisite sp.

    The luxurious cloak was of excellent quality. Wrapped around Niuniu¡¯srge frame with the upright embroidered golden cor, he gained a fantasy viin vibe after putting it on, instantly bing the most dashing in the group. Murphy also had a crimson Midnight Hunter mask in his hands.

    Made of metal in the same aesthetic style as the cloak, it could be fixed to the upright cor to protect the throat. It should have been a very cool essory, but Niuniu was just a novice yer wearing only ¡°newbie underwear¡±,pletely out of ce.

    To describe it inly, it was like a penniless hip-hop brother robbing an evening gown. This luxurious cloak of midnight noble style looked like ck bear spirit stealing a monk¡¯s robe on him, the perfect embodiment of the phrase ¡°like a monkey wearing a crown.¡±

    Beside him, Spicy Gugu Chicken¡¯s eyes were wide open. He eximed in shock:

    ¡°Holy shit, that¡¯s clearly a VIP+8 premium costume at least! Are they finally adding a cash shop to the game?¡±

    Murphy nced at him and replied with the solemnity an NPC should have:

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, warrior. I¡¯ll take it as praise from another realm.

    This cloak is a reward I got for you all from the cunning and cold Lady Femis. Although it¡¯s just decorative, having it means you are officially under the Blood Vulture n¡¯s protection.

    Each of you has one!

    Even those warriors who haven¡¯t recovered yet.

    But since you don¡¯t have your own spiritual bags yet, I¡¯ll keep them for you first.¡±

    These words made Meow King blink his eyes. He whispered to a few little yers beside him:

    ¡°So this is a ¡®costume¡¯? And it looks like the ¡®closed beta reward¡¯ the admin mentioned before?¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡±

    Ah Yuenu was quite jealous when he saw Niuniu waving his cloak proudly. He stared at the low-key elder armor on Murphy and said excitedly:

    ¡°I reckon this might be part of a set. We¡¯ll probably get the full thing after finishing the initial test phase.¡±

    ¡°But the stats on this beginner gear are probably average,¡± Electronic Subus Old Tune said quietly beside Meow King.

    ¡°However, if this game gets a transmog systemter, we¡¯ll be super cool. This is definitely a limited edition item that would be insanely stylish on the streets.¡±

    Murphy observed the small yers tugging at Niuniu¡¯s cloak appraisingly, a smile appearing on his face.

    Ah, his cute little yers are so easily satisfied.

    Look, they don¡¯t even want money! A set of clothes alone can cate them. This is truly an admirable quality worth promoting, fully proving that he really understands what small yers like.

    His previous request to Lady Femis for the cloak and robes was the right move.

    This kind of ceremonial attire exists in every high-ranking vampire¡¯s wardrobe, their shared obsession with extravagance means even the fallen Tris still has several sets of formal wear that she won¡¯t let Murphy hand-wash for fear of damage.

    For Lady Femis, these ¡°costumes¡± were merely a casual gesture, but for Murphy they could serve as ¡°carrots¡± to motivate the small yers.

    However, while this little trick works asionally, yers ultimately pursue strength endlessly.

    So Murphy still needed to find a way to stockpile more powerful equipment as real quest rewards.

    ¡°Alright, my warriors, let¡¯s talk business now.¡±

    Murphy gestured downward slightly, and the yers quieted to hear the next course of action from their main quest NPC.

    However, Murphy was only aware of what Lady Femis had told him about this operation.

    He didn¡¯t know about the cargo being transported or the numbers and scale of the enemy force. But Lady Femis only summoning Midnight Hunters suggested the enemy wasn¡¯t so formidable as to require the full n¡¯s might.

    The enemy might be formidable.

    But their numbers probably wouldn¡¯t reach a true army¡¯s scale! Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t need to take the long-abandoned smuggler¡¯s route.

    The Foul Swamp bordering the dangerous outskirts of the Dark Mountains was no easy path for arge force to escape from. So Murphy guessed the transport team was probably between 100-200 people.

    ¡°Damn, so we¡¯re just cannon fodder here!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s good friend with the ID ¡°ck Stockings Under the Keyboard¡± cursed loudly:

    ¡°Even with our three NPCs, our whole team is only 18 people. Going up against a 200-person transport is no different from suicide! The Witch Hunters are tough enough already, a proper military force would ughter us like chickens! And it¡¯s not like other games where you can revive quickly, three days is way too long to wait.¡±

    The other little yers didn¡¯t look too happy either. Even the socially inexperienced Dorm Six Brothers could sense the danger and difficulty of this quest.

    ¡°Ahem, let me exin, my warriors. The Witch Hunters actually aren¡¯t as weak as you think.¡±

    Murphy spoke in a low voice to supplement their foundational knowledge of this world.

    ¡°Although at a disadvantage against vampire warriors, the Old Church¡¯s Witch Hunters have already stepped into the realm of supernatural power. These guys are battle mages raised from a young age by the senior councils in various regions using all kinds of ancient secret arts. Their vitality and destructive power far surpass ordinary soldiers.

    But even the finest veteran soldiers of the Goldflower Kingdom are still within normal human limits. What I mean is, the gap between you all and veteran soldiers is far smaller than that between you and Witch Hunters.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that makes sense!¡±

    Lumina Yanghen eximed, smacking her hand in realization.

    ¡°I knew that Witch Hunter yesterday was off. At that range, being hit by a lead ball from a smoothbore musket of that caliber should have done more than just make them bleed, that¡¯s not very scientifically urate.

    For a normal person, even a bone would have been shattered.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    ck Stockings eximed, waving his hands and said:

    ¡°Me and Meow King stabbed that one-armed old guy repeatedly with pitchforks, but we couldn¡¯t finish him off. I thought his health bar was unrealistically thick, turns out he¡¯s a ¡®spirit-enhanced human¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t get too excited.¡±

    Murphy poured some cold water on them in a timely manner, narrowing his eyes and said:

    ¡°The Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s escort soldiers are easy to handle, but that powerful human nation has more than just soldiers. Their official spirit organization, the ¡®Circle Tower¡¯, has thergest number of spirit mages on the continent.

    If this transport mission is as important as Lady Femis says, there will certainly be spirit mages leading the way.

    And just as the Blood Vulture n aids the Portia Federation against the Goldflower Kingdom, the enemy side also has another vampire faction operating in the shadows.

    Those bastards¡¯ n is called ¡®Wolfsbane¡¯.

    They are the most vile, violent and unruly bunch in the entire vampire society. They can¡¯t soar through the skies like the Blood Vultures, but they excel at closebat and can summon star wolves to aid them in battle.

    I¡¯ve heard their Patriarch, Edward, has a secret pact with General Loren, the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s frontlinemander. The Wolfsbane n serves as his best scouts and assassins.

    So I have good reason to believe we may encounter those Wolfsbane brutes.¡±

    Murphy paused, looking around at the small yers with a serious tone:

    ¡°So we cannot overpower them, only outwit them!

    I must reaffirm to you, my warriors. Although your spirit essence in this world will not truly die, I will not treat you as expendable cannon fodder either.

    I will not jeopardize all our futures for the selfish interests of the Blood Vulture n alone.

    They are not worth it!

    I have witnessed your courage and strength. Now, I need your wisdom, put your heads together and find us a strategy to minimize losses.

    Are there any career soldiers or experiencedmanders among you?¡±

    ¡°None, sir.¡±

    Meow King said with an exaggerated bow, clearly trying to raise his favor. He stepped forward and whispered mysteriously to Murphy:

    ¡°But I have professional friends back home with some military knowledge. Perhaps I can consult them for tactics.¡±

    ¡°We have some too.¡±

    Pigeon and Ah Yuen said,ing forward and said:

    ¡°Some of our ssmates went to military academies. We can ask them, sir. Leave this to us, we¡¯ll definitely have a suitable strategy before the operation begins.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡±

    Murphy said with satisfaction, nodding.

    He did have his own n, but since this was a game, he wanted to cater to the yer experience. With two more days until reaching the Foul Swamp, he decided to let the small yers take the lead.

    He could participate in real-time under another identity on the forum as they proposed and executed their strategy.

    This way, as long as they won, his difficult Newbie Guide Quest Phase 5 would bepleted smoothly.

    ¡°You may prepare then, my warriors.¡±

    Murphy said with a sweeping gesture and said:

    ¡°I have secured the best armor and weapons for you. Leave the logistics to me. Show me the mes of your wisdom! In the name of the Grand n, we must ovee this challenge!¡±

    ¡°For the Grand n!¡±

    The ten small yers cheered in unison, waving. After reconfirming the time with Murphy, they disappeared from his sight as the summon dissipated.

    Murphy bent down to retrieve Niuniu¡¯s dropped crimson cloak, humming a tune as he strolled back to his carriage. But midway, he suddenly stopped.

    Murphy felt like he was being watched, but saw no one around after looking left and right. Recalling when the feeling appeared, and confirming the observer likely hadn¡¯t seen the yers manifest and vanish, he hurried back to the carriage.

    This was a caravan of vampires and Blood Servants, it would be weird if Lady Femis didn¡¯t have spies around.

    For these fellow nsmen, Murphy was always 200% vignt.

    After Murphy returned to the carriage, the cold-faced but voluptuous Lady Adele silently emerged from the shadows near where he had met the yers.

    This mature human tracker scanned the area professionally, but the crafty Murphy had used spirit sts to wipe away all traces before leaving. Even an expert would find nothing useful.

    Frowning, Lady Adele decided to record this discovery in her notebook to report to Lady Femis that evening.

    Murphy, this seemingly ordinary and unthreatening member of the n might have some issues. Herdy must raise her guard ordingly, though knowing her entric personality, she would likely not care much.

 Chapter 19:

    The little yers start arguing on the forums after going offline, all eager to express their thoughts and views on this matter.

    Murphy¡¯s military map in his hands was also recorded by their helmet¡¯s camera function. While the student faction and chatterbox faction were showing off their ingenious ideas, those who were prepared had already started making phone calls.

    If there¡¯s a key difference between working adults and students, it¡¯s that those beaten down by reality understand to leave professional matters to professionals.

    Everyone sits in an office normally, and they could argue over strategies just from the threenes of a MOBA game. Clearly, they don¡¯t have the professional knowledge and skills to n an excellent ambush operation in a 100% realistic game.

    Not to mention the huge disparity in strength between the two sides.

    Fortunately, the best thing about this era is that the inte connects all kinds of people. It¡¯s like how you never know if the person advising you online is human or a dog.

    In the deceptive online world, there¡¯s never a shortage of hidden talents.

    Meow King took off his game helmet, put on a Bluetooth headset, took a carton of milk from the fridge, and walked out to the balcony to turn on the treadmill.

    Watching the bright lights of the night outside, he stretched his body and began his daily slow jog. Although he always calls himself an ¡°old corporate ve,¡± Meow King is actually one of those with some family wealth.He has his own software outsourcing studio. The four rowdy guys he brought into the game are his co-founders and close employees. Of course, they asionally go out together for ¡°foot massages and food tasting.¡±

    Ten secondster, the call connected.

    ¡°Hey?¡±

    A drowsy male voice came through the headset, amusing Meow King, who joked as he jogged:

    ¡°Hey, big shot, it¡¯s this early and you¡¯re already asleep?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, get to the point! I just finished a stupid sand table exercise with a bunch of idiots. I¡¯m exhausted. I swear if I y with idiots again, I must be a damn dog!¡±

    The other side was quite rude, clearly an old friend¡¯s impatient but not malicious tone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something I need your help with, to work out a tactical strategy. You¡¯ll definitely be interested. The situation is like this¡­¡±

    Meow King maintained his steady jogging pace and exined his current circumstances to the other side. After a few seconds of silence, the sound of a lighter and smoke came through the headset, then the man asked:

    ¡°Are you crazy or what? Fully immersive virtual reality technology? Are you kidding me? There¡¯s no mature technology that has been implemented yet, right?

    Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s going on in the AR and VR circles now?

    It¡¯s impossible, you¡¯re a professional in this field!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first either. I thought it was a scam until reality gave me a hard p. The truth is, there are always incredibly capable people in this world.

    It¡¯s hard for me to describe the feeling of this game to you right now, but I can tell you that it can definitely shatter your world view.¡±

    Meow King said with a sigh, then brought the topic back, asking:

    ¡°So can you handle this or not? You said you¡¯re tired of doing empty drills with idiots all day. Wouldn¡¯t it be more fun to y with real stakes?¡±

    ¡°Okay, so for this 18 vs 200+ situation, from my professional perspective, I have two suggestions for you.¡±

    The guy on the phone blew a smoke ring, then said mockingly:

    ¡°The easier one to achieve would be for you all to be Spartans, or for one of you to suddenly gain the Saiyan transformation power and st them with a spirit bomb.

    The more difficult option is for you all to be good boys, make tactics, and exhaust all means to try to turn the situation around while praying to some deity that you¡¯ll somehow win.

    Just kidding, brother!

    That¡¯s a tenfold difference in forces! And you all don¡¯t even have superior individual strength!

    If this had anything to do with reality, you¡¯d know there¡¯s no way to win, okay? This isn¡¯t something tactics can solve anymore.

    Even if you resurrected Han Xin or Xiang Yu, they¡¯d tell you this mission is impossible and crawl back into their graves to seal their coffins.¡±

    He went on to mock:

    ¡°Plus, it sounds so mystical with the cold weapons and guns you mentioned. Even if I wanted to help, I¡¯d need to go check out the terrain and whatnot in person. Here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do, send me that map first so I can take a look, and get me an invite code to check it out too.

    Money is no object.¡±

    ¡°What invite code do I have? I can only ask about that for you,¡± said Meow King.

    Hearing the other side had relented, Meow King grinned, knowing his buddy was interested now.

    He got off the treadmill, put on the helmet to connect to the social software, and sent over the map of the Transia region he had saved. He also sent a private message to the admin on the forum.

    Alpha¡¯s reply came quickly.

    Alpha: ¡¾You want an invite code for your friend?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Yes, he¡¯s a professional at tactics nning. Used to be an instructor in Africa¡­um, now he does sand table exercises and is quite famous in that circle. I was thinking bringing him in could help us betterplete this test phase. If not, at least give him a trial ount to check things out on site.

    I want to progress the game faster so we can go into open beta soon. I can¡¯t stand just getting little tastes of this great thing over and over.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾I¡¯ll need to apply to the dev team for that. This temporary server should be able to add a few more testers for now.

    Have your friend fill out the application. Just remember not to ¡®guide¡¯ him with answers this time. Faking it will lower the weight of his problem reporting.¡¿

    Murphy pondered this in the carriage.

    He actually had five tester invite codes left from thest quest reward, but Murphy had nned to save them for emergencies.

    15 little yers was suitable enough already. Too many would just cause chaos.

    At this stage, quality was more valuable than quantity.

    However, after careful consideration, Murphy decided to give one of the invite codes to Meow King¡¯s friend.

    If he really was a professional, that meant this little group had at least gained a potentialmander candidate. Even a third-rate one would impress Murphy himself.

    A third-rate professional was still better than aplete amateur like himself. He understood leaving professional matters to professionals.

    A few minutester, Murphy saw a long detailed review of the game helmet from Meow King in his private messages. Not only did it exin the helmet¡¯s operation process and sub-program functions, but it even covered the built-in air conditioning and various power modes in detail.

    It seemed like the only thing left was to take the device apart and reassemble it. Murphy silently praised Meow King for being so professional. Hearing he did software outsourcing in reality, he might even be a former software tester like Murphy himself.

    Alpha: ¡¾Very good, I¡¯ll submit this report to the hardware dev team. If they approve it, they¡¯ll use it as a temte for an official guide, and the in-game physical reward will be sent to you in the next phase.

    But Meow King, you¡¯re so professional. Why don¡¯t you quit ande work in game testing with me at ourpany? Haha¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Really, is that possible? What are the requirements? I¡¯m sort of in this line of work too and really interested in yourpany¡¯s technology. Can I get a tour?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Um, a tour is definitely not possible. For employment, you¡¯d need to sign a non-disclosure agreement + lifelong nonpete use, relocate to thepany headquarters, and strictly follow the internal military-style rules and schedule. Also, remember to say goodbye to family first, you might not get leave for two or three years, but thepensation is good.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾sweating About what I expected, sounds just like a state project. I get it, no need to ask more. Thank you for the offer.¡¿

    Just as Meow King was frantically trying to get inside information from the admin, and the two were engaged in a tug-of-war, the haggard-looking Lumina Yanghen, having stayed upte the previous night, had just made herself a cup of coffee.

    Wearing her pajamas, she brushed her hair back and nced at the battle n she had listed on herputer. After staring nkly for a few seconds, feeling that she must have been crazy when writing this nonsense, she deleted the whole thing. She then opened a special friends groupbeled ¡°Mensa.¡±

    ¡°My clever darlings, your cute little Lumina has encountered a problem, specifically like this¡­¡±

    She posted the problem to this group of only seven people. A few minutester, someone with the ID ¡°Concrete Heart¡± replied:

    ¡°Give up!

    Strategies and tactics can only y their maximum role when the two sides are evenly matched or the gap is not too big. If these so-called ingenious ns were that formidable, the entire human history wouldn¡¯t have only had a few ssic battles written about extensively.

    With the 18 vs 200 forceparison you listed, if you really execute the bait mission, suffering losses or even total annihtion is the most likely oue. Tactics are useless for you now.

    But I think you could try a different approach.

    Like working on the solution itself.¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Lumina¡¯s eyes widened, and she quickly put down her coffee cup to humbly type:

    ¡°@Concrete Heart

    Sister, can you exin that in more detail?¡±

    ¡°Heh, why should I exin it to you? You can still leisurely y games while I¡¯mpletely frustrated right now. The three new grad students under me are all idiots, they can get five different results from the same experiment. Revising one paper drags on for over a week.

    I¡¯m really fed up.

    I¡¯m not a trash can! Don¡¯t send me garbage.¡±

    This hot-tempered ¡°Concrete Sister¡± joked with Lumina:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be one of my grad students? Little Lumina, your IQ may be the lowest in the group, but you¡¯d definitely be more than enough to be a grad student.

    Just ying games all day is such a waste of time. Your advisor ispletely squandering your talent.¡±

    ¡°Sister, can you be normal please? I¡¯ll be graduating and going back home in a year. Let¡¯s talk properly, quickly tell me your thoughts? I¡¯ll treat you to a meal someday.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, like I need that meal from you? Alright, let me say a few words.

    You¡¯re overthinking this and going down the rabbit hole. Try elevating to the decision-maker¡¯s level now. In the game, your task is simply to destroy the target.

    That¡¯s very clear.

    Although there¡¯s a bait team and execution team, there¡¯s really no difference. Instead of trying to solve the impossible with your own strength, keep it simple.

    Redirect the crisis eastward!¡±

    Although responding by typing, the carefree tone of ¡°Concrete Sister¡± was clear as she patiently exined to Lumina:

    ¡°Switch the roles of the friendly sides. Attract the enemy¡¯s attention to the stronger execution team, then your light cavalry can advance and turn the tables by sabotaging the main target.

    Backstab!

    That¡¯s the optimal solution to this problem.

    If you do it cleverly enough, you can even bury the truth whilepleting the mission. Think about why the dev team arranged such a powerful NPC group for you?

    They¡¯re guiding you in this direction to heighten the so-called realism and freedom of this creepy game. If it¡¯s as amazing as you say, then you can¡¯t approach it with the mindset of ying a regr game.

    I think I¡¯ve said enough. Use your brain for the rest.

    We don¡¯t want your intelligence to degrade into being a brainless bimbo.¡±

    ¡°Concrete Sister is awesome!¡±

    Lumina felt her thinking had been opened up and excitedly replied in the group:

    ¡°As expected of the smartest one in this group of seven!¡±

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯d have to subtract at least 55 points from my IQ to ssify me as ¡®smart¡¯. As for you, just subtracting 15 to 20 would be enough.

    I feel including you in this group was a mistake, as you can¡¯t help the rest of us progress together. But considering everyone else in this group besides me has basically be a waste already, I suppose this little mistake doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Concrete Sister disdainfully said:

    ¡°Learn more while you¡¯re young. Even through theputer, I can sense the pitiful hollow echo your head would make if tapped. Alright, I¡¯m going to happily ck off in theb now.

    Talk to you next time.¡±

    ¡°Concrete Sister, why don¡¯t you fill out this application?¡±

    Lumina didn¡¯t want to let go of this resource, so she sent over an application, exining:

    ¡°The game I¡¯m ying right now is really different. It¡¯s not just to pass time, you¡¯ll be interested once you try it. It¡¯s that crazy-advanced ck technology! Super ck!¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡±

    The other side coldly reply:

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to y house with a kid like you. Honestly, have you considered bing one of my grad students? Just give me the nod and I can talk to your advisor. That olddy should give me some face.

    You can set your own expected sry, just don¡¯t go overboard.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m going back home. Please excuse me.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Two dayster at noon, Lady Femis¡¯ caravan arrived at the designated location. After scouting the terrain tonight, they would begin operations tomorrow.

    At this time, Murphy also gathered all the little yers he currently had for a meeting.

    He nned to first hear the yers¡¯ tactics, and if those didn¡¯t work, go with his own ideas.

    This time there were 16 people present, including the 5 unlucky ones who had just respawned and the first-time online ¡°Onboard Joy Stick¡±, the abstract ID belonging to the professional friend Meow King had pulled in through connections.

    But such an abstract ID made Murphy start doubting his professionalism.

    ¡°Holy shit! This lighting! This resolution! Holy shit, this immersion, holy shit, this stench, this pungent stench, are we by a swamp?

    This smell reminds me of the rainy season in Central Africa.¡±

    The new guy immediately started shouting upon spawning in the scrund by the Foul Swamp, even crouching down to examine the bushes in detail.

    The other yers paid no mind to this.

    They had basically reacted the same way on their first logins. Since they had embarrassed themselves before, they had to let the neers go through this ¡°signature program¡± too.

    ¡°You guys discuss first, we¡¯ll take him to check out the terrain and pick an ambush spot. We¡¯ll work out the tactics tonight.¡±

    Meow King felt a bit embarrassed and quickly pulled his friend up from the ground, escorting the newbie with his four bodyguards and two middle-aged male friends.

    Once that group left, only eight student yers remained.

    The roommates looked at each other nkly, clearlycking the confidence to have discussed an optimal solution at their dorm room meetings.

    The tall and muscr Niuniu didn¡¯t seem to mind though.

    As an athlete, his job was just to charge and fight. He knew the others wouldn¡¯t trust him with the thinking part.

    ¡°Um, Lord Murphy!¡±

    Lumina looked around and, seeing no one speaking up, walked over to Murphy and said softly:

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a suitable tactic or n, but I feel our approach to solving this has an issue. With our strength, even ying out perfect tactics won¡¯t prevent casualties. So, I have an immature little idea here.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Murphy looked at the only female yer in the closed beta, wondering what medicine this little yer was selling?

    Showing an interested expression, he waved his hand:

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

 Chapter 20:

    Murphy had to admit that he had indeed underestimated his adorable little yers.

    After listening to Lumina¡¯s thought process, even he, an orthodox vampire, stood dazed in the woods for more than ten seconds beforeing to his senses. At this point, his gaze towards the innocent-looking Lumina became quite strange.

    He knew that yers liked to do some abstract activities, but this one, even by the moral standards of a great viin, seemed to have crossed the line.

    However, ording to the negative moral standards of a vampire as a member of the Midnight n, it was just right. This seemingly sunny foreign student girl might be a natural ck heart? Or maybe even a little yandere?

    She went that far?

    Murphy only hesitated for a few seconds before making up his mind.

    ¡°Your suggestion is a bit risky, I need to consider it carefully.¡±

    Murphy said to Lumina with the solemnity an NPC should have, then took out the weapons and armor from the spirit bag at his waist and let the little yers try them on and familiarize themselves with their performance.

    This also included some alchemical bombs and a powerful but heavy immovable automatic hunter¡¯s crossbow seized from the Witch Hunters.¡°Why are they all cold weapons?¡±

    Twenty minutester, the Meow King and his party came back escorting the professionals.

    The notebook provided by Murphy already had many parameters written and drawn on it by Onboard Joy Stick, who had found a very suitable ambush terrain in the woods. But when he came back and saw the weapons and armor on his side, he couldn¡¯t hold back.

    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with cold weaponbat.¡±

    Joy Stick picked up a vampire-style swift sword and waved it in his hand, saying somewhat clumsily to the Meow King:

    ¡°But I know a few guys who y shock troop melee battles, their skills with heavy greatsword techniques are top-notch.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thatter, just tell me if these things work or not?¡±

    The Meow King waited for the result, and after inspecting the current equipment situation, Joy Stick¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw that automatic hunter¡¯s crossbow.

    He quickly walked over, fiddled with it for a bit, and after hearing from Niuniu about the rapid-fire performance of this thing, he pondered for a moment, pped his thigh, and said:

    ¡°Mount this thing on a cart! Make a simple armored carpartment to serve as a fire tform, that girl over there! I heard from Meow that you¡¯re a good shooter, right? Then you can be the sniper.

    I can also y long-range support, and we can use these ck bombs to set up somend mines and such.¡±

    Joy Stick sat down on that big knife and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°If we start the action tomorrow, then we have to start digging fortifications now. The enemy has armed soldiers, even if it¡¯s just World War I level firepower, we need a few foxholes.

    If possible, we also need to dig a trench line! Since they¡¯re delivering military supplies, they¡¯re not going to shoulder it or pull it by hand. Since they have vehicles, a trench line would be very useful.

    The road through that grove of trees has been abandoned, so they only have one path to take.

    It¡¯s a pity we don¡¯t have enough gunpowder, otherwise we could make some cannons or something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more brutal as you go on.¡±

    The Meow King rolled his eyes, but then had a bright idea and immediately reported to Murphy. When he heard that the yers were going to stay up all night to build fortifications here, Murphy was stunned.

    He didn¡¯t mind the yers staying here as freebor, since he had already reported the matter of the blood servants to Lady Femis.

    He was just surprised that the little yers were more eager about this than he was?

    But on second thought, they weren¡¯t actually going to die, and it was just a military game, which was a lot more fun than his situation.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Murphy nodded and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some tools, do what you need to do.¡±

    After saying that, he left the little grove and handed the rest of the matter over to his little yers. He brought Maxim back to his own carriage and called Miriam onto the carriage.

    ¡°I have a task for you.¡±

    Murphy took a deep breath and said softly to Miriam:

    ¡°I¡¯m going to lure away Lady Femis¡¯s servants, and you take the opportunity to go to the carriage holding the Witch Hunter prisoners. They¡¯ve been tortured and interrogated by vampires for the past two nights, but they should still be conscious at this point.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Miriam looked horrified.

    She had realized that things were not right, but Murphy didn¡¯t give her a chance to refuse, and then he didn¡¯t move his mouth but used his ventriloquism skill to transmit the next words directly into Miriam¡¯s ears.

    The more she heard, the wider her eyes grew, and when she finished listening, she was so terrified that she covered her ears and screamed:

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! If they find out, we¡¯ll be¡­¡±

    ¡°So don¡¯t let them find out! Don¡¯t worry, this is how we vampires do things. Even if it gets out, other vampires will only praise me for being cruel enough, and I¡¯ll take that as apliment and dly ept it.

    The problem is, you have to act immediately.¡±

    Murphy covered Miriam¡¯s mouth with his hand and said to her:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. At high noon, when the sun is at its most scorching, even a vampire like Lady Femis has to sleep in her coffin.

    As long as you¡¯re not stupid enough to open their coffin lids, no one will jump out and hurt you.

    All you have to do is deliver a message!

    Think about it carefully.

    Even if the Witch Hunter prisoners don¡¯t agree to cooperate, they won¡¯t betray you! Even if they say something, the vampires will just see it as a malicious attempt to sow discord.

    Tomorrow is the day of action!

    If they don¡¯t seize thisst chance, what awaits them when they return to Kadman City will be a fate worse than death.

    In the face of the spirit interrogation masters¡¯ methods, their willpower is useless, and those secrets will eventually be dug out, bringing death and destruction to theirrades.

    Believe me, Miriam, this is an opportunity for all of us!

    I promise you, no matter what the oue of tomorrow¡¯s action is, you will gain your freedom! After returning to Kadman City, I will personally send you off to join a merchant caravan heading to the port of Shaldor.

    I swear by my Elder Lady Tris!¡±

    Miriam stared at Murphy intently, and after nearly a minute of silence, she gritted her teeth and asked:

    ¡°Why are you doing this? They¡¯re your own kind! You¡¯re pushing them into the fire pit.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not.¡±

    Murphy closed his eyes slightly and gestured with his hands, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ve shown them smiles, and they¡¯ve responded with scorn. These past two nights, didn¡¯t you hear how they referred to me? A rat in the mud hole, the trash of Kadman City!

    I¡¯m rtively gentle, but I¡¯m also not so tolerant that I can pretend not to have heard all this. And I don¡¯t intend to entrust my fate to that youngdy¡¯s potential mercy.

    My only kindred in the night is still waiting for me to return to the manor in Kadman City.

    If I die, Tris will surely be very lonely and sad. And have those vampires treated you well? Miriam, why bother considering their future?¡±

    ¡°Why not let Maxim go?¡±

    Miriam said fearfully, hugging herself:

    ¡°He¡¯s more loyal, you should trust him more.¡±

    ¡°Maxim is very loyal, but he¡¯s not good with words, and you, you have the wisdom in your mind to persuade those prisoners.¡±

    In the dim carriage, Murphy extended his hand to Miriam¡¯s trembling shoulder and said softly:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never asked, and you¡¯ve been very tactful in never bringing it up, but we both know that you have something in your hands that can help those Witch Hunters escape.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re responsible for getting me safely to the port of Shaldor after all this is over! And give me enoughpensation for a lifetime without worries!¡±

    Miriam bit her lips until they bled, but in the end, she made up her mind, raised her head and grabbed Murphy¡¯s cor, and scolded him:

    ¡°I will nevere back to this godforsaken ce of Transia in my life, and this is what you owe me, Murphy! You listen carefully. You owe me a huge favor!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I promise I will repay it, and do everything in my power to ensure you benefit from it for the rest of your life.¡±

    Murphy grinned and took out his worn pocket watch to check the time, saying:

    ¡°There¡¯s still an hour until the sun¡¯s most intense moment, when the vampires¡¯ senses will be dulled to the extreme. Move swiftly and decisively, I¡¯ll have Maxim assist you.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Lady Adele, my blood servants have gathered in the woods and have begun digging fortifications for Lady Femis¡¯ action tomorrow.¡±

    Thirty minutester, Murphy, fully wrapped in a cloak that covered him thoroughly but still left him wilted by the sun, came to Femis¡¯ blood servant next to this maturedy dressed as a maid with a cold indifferent look, and said:

    ¡°But they need tools and manpower, so I need to reassign all the human servants from your caravan to go help.¡±

    ¡°This is not in ordance with the regtions, Mr. Murphy.¡±

    Adele nced at Murphy as she rested beside the carriage, her stark ck and white eyes full of scrutiny and vignce.

    She had been observing Murphy these past two days.

    But the more she observed, the more she realized this guy was different from every other vampire she had seen. If it weren¡¯t for confirming that Murphy was truly of the Blood n, Adele would have thought he was a genuine cunning human.

    Seeing Adele refuse, Murphy didn¡¯t waste words with her.

    He turned and pulled open the door of therge ck carriage where Lady Femis was staying, reaching out to knock on the little walnut coffin where the youngdy was resting.

    This action startled Adele.

    She couldn¡¯t even maintain her cold genteel demeanor, jumping up and grabbing Murphy¡¯s wrist while ring at him furiously.

    ¡°You see, either you obediently send people to help! Or I¡¯ll wake the youngdy at this uncivilized hour and discuss this issue with her.¡±

    Murphy shook off this deep and inscrutable maiddy¡¯s hand.

    That precise action just now let him judge that thisdy maid¡¯s strength was definitely above his own, even stronger than some of the vampires in the squad.

    This might be a human assassin or wanderer at the ck Iron Body realm, but Murphy wasn¡¯t afraid of her, because the two didn¡¯t have the same ¡°status position.¡±

    He straightened his cor and pointed at Adele¡¯s exquisite nose, saying:

    ¡°I am a member of the Blood Vulture n. Even if the youngdy wants to punish me, she¡¯ll have to wait until we return to Kadman City. But for a maid who has made her master lose face, perhaps the rotten mud of the Foul Swamp matches your maid dress better.¡±

    ¡°Forgive my bluntness, but you are doing something dangerous, Mr. Murphy.¡±

    Adele¡¯s tone grew even colder.

    She could feel that Murphy was deliberately provoking her, but she didn¡¯t know why this weak vampire would do such a thing. Was it really just for some tools?

    ¡°But I¡¯m quickly losing interest in continuing to talk to you, a brainless human bitch!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s lips revealed his vampire fangs, and he said to the maid before him in a gloomy tone:

    ¡°Be mindful of your position, you bitch!¡±

    This sentencepletely made Adele¡¯s face turn an ugly color.

    Her hand was already on the hand cannon secured to her leg under her long dress, but after a few seconds, this loyal maid took a deep breath to calm herself down.

    She realized that she was being led by the nose by Murphy, and now was clearly not a good time for infighting.

    So she stepped back and took out a silver handbell. With an icy re at Murphy, she then rang the bell to summon the human servants of the caravan.

    This littlemotion perfectly concealed the movement from the carriage at the back of the caravan.

    Maxim, wearing a mask, stood guard beside the carriage. His expression was unseen, but his breathing revealed his tension. He didn¡¯t know what Lord Murphy was doing, but he knew this was the moment to test his loyalty!

    Inside the carriage, Miriam was carefully making her way around the two coffins ced in thergepartment.

    On her knees, she approached the female Witch Hunter Natalie, who was bound by horrifically cruel instruments and covered in blood, clearly having suffered inhumane torture. But when Miriam reached out to touch her cheek, she struggled to open her left eye.

    Her right eye had already been beaten into a bloody pulp.

    ¡°Shh!¡±

    Miriam made a gesture for silence to Natalie in the dim light, then carefully looked at the coffin beside her, afraid the vampire interrogator inside might suddenly jump out.

    Then she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it in front of Natalie¡¯s eyes, activating the seemingly ordinary metal bracelet on her wrist to make it glow, illuminating the words on the paper.

    The female hunter¡¯s bloody face was initially dazed, but after reading the words on the paper, her eyes widened.

    Miriam didn¡¯t linger too long.

    She had onlye to give a signal this time. After seeing Natalie nod to her, she wrote another sentence on the paper and held it in front of the hunter¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Surprise attack tomorrow night, target the Goldflower supply convoy! Endure through tonight, I wille to release you tomorrow.¡±

    After she left, Natalie looked at her threerades in the dim carriagepartment. They had all been tortured beyond recognition.

    Blood servants could not be trusted!

    She was convinced of this. This was surely Murphy the vampire causing trouble in the shadows.

    However, the infighting among the vampires had nothing to do with them, the Witch Hunters. If this battle could deal a major blow to these gathered Midnight Hunters, then the Witch Hunters were willing to be used as cannon fodder.

    Her squad members were already dead, so the vampires must also die!

    Only then would it be fair enough.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    With all her strength, the female hunter kicked over the barrel of bloody water beside her feet.

    Letting the blood stter to conceal Miriam¡¯s lingering scent, then she closed her eyes to enter a meditative rest and umte what little strength she could.

    Tomorrow night.

    The final showdownes tomorrow night!

 Chapter 21:

    ¡°Your blood servants have been diligent and tactically astute. The traps they constructed are crude but serviceable.¡±

    After nightfall, Lady Femis personally led a few Midnight Hunters to inspect the ambush site. Her servant, Lady Adele, must have given her some ¡°gossip,¡± yet upon seeing the efforts of the sixteen small yers in nning and the day¡¯s work by the blood servants, thedy did not admonish Murphy harshly.

    Especially after seeing the trench the blood servants were widening and deepening, as well as the automated ballistae mounted on Murphy¡¯s carriage, thedy nodded in satisfaction.

    This effective work proved that Murphy, an outlying member of the n, was indeedmitted to his decoy and ambush mission. Despite being assigned a sacrificial role, his diligent attitude greatly improved thedy¡¯s impression of him.

    Since they were all serving the n¡¯s interests, there was no need to overreact to minor unpleasantries.

    This was thedy¡¯s philosophy and what her patriarch father had taught her.

    ¡°I am merely doing my duty, mydy.¡±

    Murphy replied humbly. He then suggested:

    ¡°These traps are still quite crude, as my blood servants are but vengeful civilians gathered from the massacred Mond Vige.Their will is strong, but their skills arecking.

    Perhaps your professional hunters and spirit adepts could assist in camouging these traps to enhance their effectiveness.¡±

    ¡°That is precisely what I had in mind.¡±

    Lady Femis nodded and quietly instructed her guards. Soon, elite Midnight Hunters and adepts arrived to assist in concealing the preparations.

    Thedy then gripped her exquisite blood whip and discussed the next evening¡¯s attack with Murphy, pointing towards the Foul Swamp.

    ¡°My hunters and I will conceal ourselves there. The swamp¡¯s miasma will provide excellent cover. After you sessfully dy the enemy, we willunch a sudden attack from the nks and rear to swiftly destroy those military supplies.

    At that point, we will engage the enemy while you and your servants retreat. The blood servants in the caravan will also join the attack, but the carriages will stop at the swamp¡¯s entrance. Thus, you need only retreat there to escape.

    Afterward, we will proceed directly back to Kadman City.¡±

    ¡°I see. A simple yet effective n befitting your wisdom, mydy.¡±

    Murphy ttered, though inwardly scoffing.

    Easier said than done!

    It¡¯s like cating a child to run an errand.

    However, his current force could never hold out until thedy¡¯s n came to fruition. It was evident she intended to expend Murphy and his servants as disposable assets.

    If Murphy had harbored any residual guilt about deceiving thedy and her hunters, it had now vanished upon hearing her make such naive ns again.

    Still spinning tales at this hour?

    Good!

    Don¡¯t me me for undermining you thoroughly.

    ¡°You have already assembled forty-five Midnight Hunters, a formidable force. But for prudence, perhaps you could summon more reinforcements this evening?¡±

    Murphy suggested softly:

    ¡°Your esteemed status warrants caution, lest any mishap befall you during the operation.¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡±

    A guard rebuked him:

    ¡°Thedy¡¯s safety is our responsibility. Focus on ying your decoy role properly instead of running your mouth.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it seems I was overcautious.¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes, maintaining a polite smile as he bowed to thedy and rejoined his servants working at the perimeter.

    Watching Murphy leave, Lady Femis wrinkled her refined nose and told her two burly guards:

    ¡°Sir Murphy is also a Blood Vulture nsman who has served the family. Mind your words.¡±

    ¡°We have been courteous, mydy.¡±

    The guard protested:

    ¡°With the worsening war, you have longmanded the Midnight Hunters in mobile defense operations away from Kadman City. You are unaware of how our kinsmen in the city deride him and his elders.

    Even humans mocked them.

    If I was the pathetic Murphy, I would have walked away long ago.¡±

    ¡°His elder is Tris¡­¡±

    Thedy recalled the debauched former elder she had encountered a few times, shaking her head at Tris¡¯s poor reputation before changing the subject.

    However, she then told the guards:

    ¡°Murphy¡¯s suggestion has merit. We are uncertain of the enemy¡¯s exact escort strength for these supplies. It is best to be cautious. Summon more Midnight Hunters to the swamp!

    Bring our numbers up to sixty before tomorrow night¡¯s operation.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, mydy!¡±

    Meanwhile, Murphy approached the foxhole where the small yers were resting. Sixteen of them had logged off eight student yers, as it was the final day before sses resumed.

    Of the remaining eight, the magnanimous Meow King had granted leave to four members of his studio. The middle-aged Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man Charging did not need to worry about work. The recently arrived Onboard Joy Stick was a frencer. They were discussing the uing battle and making final preparations.

    Seeing Murphy approach while chewing on a red wild fruit, Meow King stood up to report.

    ¡°Lord Murphy, we havepleted the defensiveyout. The blood servants can handle the rest. We have also synchronized our timing. Please summon us at dusk and 8 PM tomorrow for your valiant warriors to join your great endeavor.¡±

    ¡°Well done, my warriors.¡±

    Murphy nodded and said:

    ¡°I stillck certain materials to sustain prolonged summonings that would allow you to remain in this world indefinitely. But worry not, for I have received news of those materials.

    Perhaps soon, you will no longer be limited to passive summoning.¡±

    Deftly painting that prospect, Murphy joined the yers, who became somewhat awkward since NPCs clearly could notprehend their conversation topics.

    However, a few minutester, as Meow King finished boasting about his recent ¡°foot washing¡± exploits, eliciting knowing chuckles from the other men, Murphy suddenly asked:

    ¡°¡®Foot washing, exploring shops¡¯, what do those terms mean? Are they customs from your world?¡±

    ¡°!!!!!¡±

    Theughing yers stared wide-eyed in disbelief at this overly intelligent NPC who could not only understand but also inquire about such matters.

    How could one respond to such an awkward question?

    Seeing their pained expressions, Murphy inwardly guffawed while maintaining his customary NPC solemnity. He gave a slight smile and said softly:

    ¡°Your reactions make the answer quite clear. Matters that can unite conflicting men in such heartyughter must rte to those few subjects.

    Kadman City also has simr establishments, from low to high-end, where uninhibited vampire courtesans may indulge patrons of ample means and good fortune, for a ¡®price.¡¯

    Perhaps such an opportunity will arise for enlightening cultural exchange in the future.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely a must to broaden our horizons, perhapspiling an epic tome like ¡®The Otherworld Courtesan Illustrated,''¡±

    Meow King grinned, tossing aside the fruit core as his expression shifted, rubbing his belly and said:

    ¡°My stomach¡¯s a bit upset. Say, where are the restrooms around here?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere around you is a restroom. Find a spot and take care of it yourself. Or should I manifest a chamberpot for you?¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido snorted, watching Meow King rush off clutching his stomach before saying wryly:

    ¡°This game even have excretory functions?¡±

    ¡°Though I do not understand this ¡®game¡¯ you refer to, I can confirm that your corporeal forms in this world are spiritual emanations akin to other summoned otherworld beings.¡±

    Murphy exined, his tone lengthening as he nced at the discarded fruit core:

    ¡°Stray anima coalesces into full simcra to grant you sensations such as pain and intact senses. Naturally, you may also suffer certain afflictions.

    I was about to mention it, the fruit Meow King found will likely induce severe dysentery upon consumption, from my recollection.¡±

    He eyed the yers¡¯ horrified faces and said softly:

    ¡°Thus, refrain from consuming any wild-gathered foods until ascertaining wilderness survival proficiency, for dysentery is among the more manageable consequences.

    My warriors, you should return to your world now, lest my poor warrior Meow King endure further agonies of gastric and pathogenic torment.

    Rest well and prepare thoroughly.

    We shall reunite on the battlefield tomorrow evening, in the name of victory.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    After a night of busyness, when the sunshine fell the next day, Murphy was still in the woods urging the blood servants toplete the final earthworks.

    Considering the possibility of enemy cavalry, Murphy had also instructed the blood servants to dig pit traps for horses, greatly increasing their workload and fueling their resentment towards him as an outcast of the n.

    However, that dubious Lady Adele who has at least an E-cup did not sh with Murphy again today.

    Likely instructed by Lady Femis, she even came to the woods personally to oversee the blood servants¡¯bor, greeting Murphy cordially and making small talk.

    This yed right into Murphy¡¯s hands.

    During the hottest part of the afternoon, just like the previous day, Miriam was escorted cautiously into the captured Witch Hunters¡¯ carriage by Maxim.

    Today, Natalie and the other three Witch Hunters appeared more wretched than yesterday.

    Clearly having endured another round of interrogation overnight. When the red-haired blood servant Miriam roused the female hunter, she retrieved a cylindrical object from Natalie¡¯s bosom and handed it to her.

    The huntress was all too familiar with this innocuous little item.

    It was what had incapacitated her in Mond Vige. However, she shook her head and gestured with her mouth towards the mangled veteran in the corner.

    Indicating that Miriam should also give one to him.

    In her current condition, she could not sessfully ambush both vampire interrogators simultaneously.

    Miriam grimaced, reluctantly retrieving herst potent tranquilizer.

    These were a parting gift from her mentor at the Shaldor Engineering Academy when she dropped out, each one a halfling masterwork.

    Had she not shown such promising grades and clever conduct, her mentor would never have bestowed these upon her for self-defense. There were only two, with three doses each, originally intended to deter the ¡°local specialties¡± of Transia, the vampires. Yet now they were all expended on Witch Hunters instead.

    How vexing!

    But recalling the current circumstances and Murphy¡¯s promise, Miriam steeled herself and crawled over to slip thest dart into the hands of the veteran called Norman.

    This man was far more ravaged than Natalie, his upper body was virtually yed, his shed throat crudely sutured, and it seemed a rib had even been extracted from his chest, conveying the depravity and madness of these vampires.

    The sight made Miriam¡¯s gaze tremble.

    She knew that had she fallen into vampire hands, this would likely be her fate as well. Inparison, Murphy seemed almost gentle for a vampire.

    Perhaps the very reason he was scorned by his own kind forcking sufficient malice, gloom, and guile befitting a proper vampire.

    So Miriam mused as she loosened the captives¡¯ bindings slightly to facilitate their nned ambush that evening.

    As before, she then took out paper and pen, writing down Murphy¡¯s intelligence on Lady Femis¡¯s battle n for Natalie to read:

    ¡°The vampires are lying in ambush near the Foul Swamp. You will be left at the swamp¡¯s entrance. Create amotion to attract the supply convoy¡¯s attention. We will prepare two cans ofmp oil outside the carriage.¡±

    After ensuring Natalie understood the message, Miriam hurried away, her heart pounding.

    She could sense that everything was rapidly approaching its decisive climax.

    ¡°Give me a weapon!¡±

    She told the escorting Maxim, the loyal blood servant looked at her perplexed and said:

    ¡°Lord Murphy instructed me to protect you, for you are unskilled inbat.¡±

    ¡°I have no intention of entrusting my life to a vampire worshiper who needs to count on his fingers for basic sums.¡±

    Miriam clutched her crimson cloak tightly, saying softly:

    ¡°I want a weapon not for harming others but so that, should you and your lord fail, I can at least choose to end my own life and avoid a more wretched fate.¡±

    ¡°You should have some faith in us.¡±

    Maxim unshouldered the dwarven hunting rifle he had kept, handing it to Miriam and said:

    ¡°Have faith in Lord Murphy. He is a sage emerging from the shadows, soon to forge his own legend.¡±

    Miriam gave Maxim an incredulous look and snorted:

    ¡°What legend? Let¡¯s focus on just surviving first. If he does be legendaryter, I¡¯ll be sure to pen his biography myself. Aye, the chance to struggle for survival alongside vampires, my arrogant ssmates would never believe such a tale.

    Who could believe it?¡±

 Chapter 22:

    On the evening of August 21st, Year 1111, at the entrance to the Foul Swamp in the southern border region of Transia.

    Sixty Midnight Hunters led by Lady Femis, and twenty fully armed Blood Servants, had already left the camp and headed towards the edge of the swamp to set up an ambush.

    At the same time, Murphy and his two servants, along with sixteen small yers, were also lying in ambush at the predetermined meeting point in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods on the edge of the swamp. They were hiding in a small section of a pre-dug trench, peeking out and looking at the unsettling forest shrouded in darkness before them.

    Even the most carefree small yers had stopped fooling around at this moment.

    The dorm six-person group and athlete Bull were arranged in the forward foxholes. They held hand crossbows and hunting crossbows acquired from the Witch Hunters, with various handy cold weapons beside them.

    They were the first wave of assault troops.

    The dorm six expressed dissatisfaction with this, but this tactical arrangement was the result of drawing lots, and no matter how unhappy they were, they could only me their own bad luck.

    Up in the high branches of the trees, Lumina Yanghen, who had been chosen as the sniper, imitated a scene from the war movie she had watched and put a wreath of grass on her head. She was lying on a wooden board set up at the fork of the branches, searching for targets.

    She had no idea how many people she could hit in this pitch-ck night.But she knew this was the gentlemanly courtesy and favor from the men, the position she was in was basically the safest spot in this tactical arrangement.

    ¡°Wish I had some gum to chew.¡±

    In the crooked trench, Meow King muttered aint, and Dump Truck Iaido next to him handed him a de of grass, suggesting he put it in his mouth to help ease the tension a bit.

    But because of yesterday¡¯s idental ingestion incident where he almost became the first yer to log out in the wilderness, Meow King had developed a psychological aversion to these wild things.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I asked an NPC. It¡¯s not poisonous. By the way, did you rush to the bathroom after logging off yesterday? I¡¯m really curious if that mental anguish would actually transfer to the physical body.¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido grinned as he chewed on the grass, but Meow King, with a grumpy face, punched him. Dump Truck Iaido then stopped smiling, adjusted the brim of his leather armor helmet, and said with a look of longing:

    ¡°Our NPC said there¡¯s an Adventurer¡¯s Association of halflings on this continent that goes on adventures everywhere. They have a lot of survival experts, each as skilled as a wild Bear Grylls. We definitely have to go and experience it if we get the chance in the future.¡±

    ¡°When would that be?¡±

    As the overall actionmander, Onboard Joy Stick crawled over from behind, gripping a dwarven hunting rifle andining to Meow King:

    ¡°We don¡¯t even have any reconnaissance means and can only wait passively. It¡¯s so annoying. Ah, if only I had a re right now.¡±

    ¡°What would you want that for?¡± Bulldozer Man Charging, next to Dump Truck Iaido, asked curiously, ¡°Use it as a signal re?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Joy Stick made a motion of shooting towards the sky and said with a grim expression, ¡°I¡¯d fire that thing into the air above the ¡®friendly¡¯ camp, then we wouldn¡¯t have to wait around miserably like this. We were too hasty in our preparations this time. We need to seize the initiative in the future!

    Seriously, we can¡¯t always be so passive in fighting. Look at this great virtual reality, this great backdrop of war, it would be a waste of technology if we didn¡¯t make a career out of it here.¡±

    Then he went on with a bunch of iprehensible talk about ¡°leveling artillery¡± and ¡°neutron extermination¡± that left the nearby small yers bewildered and chilled to the bone.

    After Joy Stick walked away muttering, one of Meow King¡¯s ¡°Four Heavenly Kings¡± subordinates, Led More Than Three to Five Pecks, tapped his boss on the shoulder and said softly:

    ¡°Meow King, what does this guy do in reality? He seems kind of scary.¡±

    ¡°Works with sandboxes, likes to y Paradox games.¡±

    Meow King was also a bit regretful. Was it a good or bad thing to bring this war maniac into the group?

    ¡°Oh, so he¡¯s a Paradox war criminal! That makes sense then.¡±

    The others suddenly realized it. It seemed Joy Stick¡¯s abnormal behavior had a reasonable exnation.

    Though Joy Stick spoke with confidence in front of others, after inspecting the battle deployment arrangements, he gasped heavily when he was alone at the back.

    He looked at the notebook filled with various detailed ns, taking deep breaths to psych himself up.

    All the arrangements tonight were his doing, but in reality, he was absolutely the most nervous one in the group. Whether he truly had skill or was just talking big would likely be revealed soon.

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A shadowy figurended silently behind him and patted Joy Stick¡¯s shoulder, making him turn around to see Murphy staring at him in the darkness.

    ¡°Lord Murphy.¡±

    Joy Stick tried to address Murphy the way others did, but Murphy shook his head to stop him.

    Murphy said to Joy Stick:

    ¡°You¡¯re themander, you should be with your soldiers!

    Don¡¯t be nervous, my brave one. You¡¯ve all done your best, I¡¯ve seen it. We¡¯ve exhausted all our efforts, now let¡¯s leave the rest to fate.

    I think fate is a b*tch, but she¡¯ll still favor the brave tonight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±

    Encouraged by Murphy¡¯s words, Joy Stick instinctively stood at attention and saluted. Then he saw Murphy wave at him before disappearing silently into the night.

    The vampire was also very nervous himself.

    But when he nced at the ¡°Proficient¡± level Blood Vulture Sword Arts and level 8 job rank on his character sheet, he felt a surge of confidence.

    In thest two days and nights, except for sleeping and interacting with the small yers, he had spent all his time improving his sword skills, finally oveing thest obstacle and proving his potential was being unlocked.

    As long as he could survive tonight¡­

    Murphy narrowed his eyes at the forest in the darkness and clenched his fist, punching his chest firmly.

    No, he would definitely survive!

    He had to return home victorious, Tris was still waiting for him.

    ¡°Maxim, get ready!¡±

    Murphy said to his loyal servant guarding the front:

    ¡°Once we get through this, no one can stop us from making a name for ourselves.¡±

    The tall servant said solemnly:

    ¡°Yes, my lord, I never doubted that for a moment.¡±

    Meanwhile, at the entrance camp of the Foul Swamp, the two vampire interrogators of the Blood Vulture n were also prepared to begin their ¡°entertainment¡± for the night.

    The scrawny fellow grabbed a pointed dagger used for dismembering bones from the carriage and stared at the panting female hunter Natalie, pressing the de against her filthy abdomen. In a grim tone, he said:

    ¡°You mutts sure have tough bones. It¡¯s been three days and you still won¡¯t open your mouth, but you know what? I actually don¡¯t hope for you to surrender. The more stubborn you are, the more delighted I be.

    Because the truth and answers aren¡¯t in my expectations. I only enjoy your suffering.¡±

    ¡°Puhh¡±

    The dagger pierced flesh and blood, precisely reopening the scabbed wound, causing Natalie¡¯s body to convulse. The smell of fresh blood also made the interrogator lick his crimson lips.

    He leaned close to Natalie¡¯s face and said hoarsely:

    ¡°Persevere, little girl. The night is still young, and I crave more fun.¡±

    ¡°Squad¡­squad ising.¡±

    Natalie muttered a few words, seeming to be unable to resist revealing information any longer.

    This weak gesture made the interrogator show disdain, but thedy was still waiting for news, so he leaned closer to Natalie¡¯s mouth to hear more clearly.

    ¡°p¡±

    Natalie¡¯s bloodstained left hand broke free from the loosened shackle, and the halfling tranquilizer clutched in her palm switched on, with the long needle darting out and plunging into the vampire interrogator¡¯s neck in the next second.

    Natalie had mustered all her strength to drive the needle into this vampire interrogator¡¯s vein, causing him to let out a scream before staggering backwards. But the halfling-made tranquilizer took effect extremely quickly, without any reduction on supernatural beings. It instantly caused the interrogator¡¯s muscles to go limp, making him kneel to the ground.

    Thismotion immediately drew the attention of the other guy at the door.

    He rushed in and, seeing this scene, tried to strangle the struggling Natalie, but unexpectedly the veteran hunter Norman attacked him from behind. With hisst effort, Norman also drove the second tranquilizer into the vampire¡¯s spine.

    Though vampires are supernatural beings, their bodily structures are very simr to humans, and the spine is also a fatal point. The tranquilizer took effect even faster, causing that guy to flop down to the ground.

    Natalie had already unlocked her right hand¡¯s shackle.

    Shey limp on the ground but then gritted her teeth, pulled out the bone-breaking dagger from under her ribs, and pounced on the two vampires, silently stabbing them over and over.

    The blood sttered everywhere, dyeing her entire body crimson, like a demon crawling out of hell.

    A few minutester, the four captives supported each other out of the blood-reeking carriage. Natalie found two cans of oil intentionally left beside the carriage.

    She nced at the carriage behind her.

    Without any anti-magic materials, mere des could notpletely kill vampires. Those two vicious creatures would soon recover, and in their current state, there was no escape.

    ¡°Use fire! Burn them to death!¡±

    Porter, the one-armed veteran with a broken leg, gritted his teeth and shouted loudly:

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here, you guys go! Norman, Amber, take little Natalie and go!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    The female hunter scolded, struggling to unscrew the oil cans¡¯ lids and pouring the oil onto the carriage behind her. She limped forward, weak but determined, saying:

    ¡°Not a single one left behind! Either we go together or die together! Hurry! Set this aze, the bigger the fire, the better. The Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s transport convoy is passing through the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, and the vampires are going to ambush them!

    Give them a warning!

    The fire must be big for them to see!

    Do it!¡±

    The other three didn¡¯t argue further, enduring the pain to gather kindling.

    Only the Witch Hunters¡¯ exceptional physical fitness and natural affinity for spirit energy could elerate their healing, otherwise normal people with such severe injuries would have died long ago.

    Soon, a ze erupted at the entrance camp of the swamp.

    The mes licked the oil-soaked canopy, instantly rising into the air and illuminating the entire camp. The two vampires trapped inside the burning carriage let out shrill screams as they struggled to crawl out of the inferno, only to be kicked back in by the veteran outside.

    Old Norman watched in glee as these evil beings screamed in the fire, the mes lighting up his face covered in wounds.

    Behind him, the three Witch Hunters stood there, as if mourning their fallenrades.

    The ze was too conspicuous in the night.

    The instant it ignited, it made Lady Femis at the edge of the swamp whip her head around, a hint of bewilderment shing across her loli doll-like face. She seemed confused about what was happening there, but in the next moment, she realized it was serious trouble.

    ¡°Prepare for the assault!¡±

    With a grimmand from thedy, the other Midnight Hunters rose from their hiding spots.

    The convoy had just passed through the swamp and had not yet entered the ambush zone Murphy had set up further ahead in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods. But unless they were blind, it was impossible not to see the mes behind them.

    The original ambush n had been foiled.

    They had no choice but tounch an all-out attack.

    ¡°Adele!¡±

    Thedy turned and yelled at her Blood Servant maid holding the Thorn spear:

    ¡°Take the Blood Servants and find Murphy! Tell him to enter the battlefield from the rear to support us! Hurry!¡±

    ¡°No! This is rted to Murphy, this is his¡­Don¡¯t go, mydy! Danger!¡±

    Adele had already figured everything out from the mes rising from the camp, but she couldn¡¯t stop thedy and the hunters from charging into battle. She could only stamp her feet and rush towards the rear with a few Blood Servants.

    At the edge of the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, the Goldflower convoy with hundreds of escorting soldiers that had just emerged from the Foul Swamp had also halted their advance.

    On the central carriage, a spirit mage from the Circle Tower cast a spell to survey the scene where the mes had ignited. But in the next moment, he saw the crimson bat wings rising from the darkness at the edge of the swamp.

    ¡°Blood Vulture ambushers! At least sixty!¡±

    The spirit mage grabbed his battle staff and loudly warned:

    ¡°There¡¯s an ambush! Squad one, two, three! Prepare for battle! Squad four, escort the supplies away from the battlefield.¡±

    Several other spirit mages immediately stood up and cast spells, summoning dazzling sunlight spirit energy like daylight shining in the night to fend off the vampires¡¯ assault.

    The leading and trailing carriages were unhitched, halting in ce, with their massive fuel tanks connected to cold machinery.

    As the levers linked up and flywheels spun, the heavy steam-powered machine guns stored in the carriages were aimed towards the ambush. The roar of the steam boilers and the mechanical nking created an atmosphere of solemn killing.

    Well-trained soldiers quickly formed ranks, rifles loaded, with the Witch Hunters among them drawing their des in preparation to counterattack.

    The central ck carriage carrying important supplies separated from the formation, continuing forward under the escort of twenty armored cuirassiers.

    ¡°You have to protect these things!¡±

    The spirit mage who first spotted the Blood Vulture attack knocked on the carriage window, saying to the person inside:

    ¡°You know these are General Loren¡¯s private property. If anything is lost, your Patriarch will also be implicated.¡±

    ¡°Tch, who are you trying to scare?¡±

    A disdainful voice replied from inside the carriage:

    ¡°You should watch your own backs. Even from this distance, I can smell the stench of rot from those bald vultures. I hope you don¡¯t get eaten as carrion by them.

    Happy hunting, sir.

    As for me, you don¡¯t need to worry.

    A starving wolf bat like myself will always take care of itself.¡±

 Chapter 23:

    ¡°Sizzle! What was that, why was it so bright?¡±

    The sudden burst of light in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods caused a stir among the tense yers.

    That light and me werepletely different. If one had to describe it, it was more like the blinding beam of a powerful searchlight illuminating an entire area, making the surroundings seem even darker by contrast.

    But Murphy was clearly able to see more.

    He was also a spirit user of sorts, and Lady Femis¡¯s notes recorded simr things.

    ¡°Sr Spirit! The most effective method against dark creatures, and one of the most mysterious and rarest forms of spirit energy. It seems thedy has run into a formidable foe.¡±

    Murphy spoke in a low voice, and the other yers, realizing their nefarious strategy had seeded, immediately erupted in celebration, behaving as if they were fishermen watching ms and cranes fighting. They acted as if they only needed to wait for the two sides to exhaust each other before rushing in to seize any leftovers, and everything would be fine.

    However, this joy did notst long. Only a few minutester, Murphy¡¯s keen senses, honed in the darkness, picked up faint signs of movement.

    ¡°Shh!¡±He hushed the yers, cing his hand on the ground and infusing it with spirit energy. Soon, the clear sound of hoofbeats entered his perception.

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing, move in quickly, they¡¯ll arrive in about five minutes. Prepare to ambush!¡±

    With a sweeping gesture from Murphy, the yers quickly scurried back to their assigned positions. The vampire retreated into the darkness but gave Maxim a hand signal before disappearing.

    The white-haired servant took a deep breath, pulled down his mask, and strode toward the yers in the ambush circle.

    He knew his duty.

    He had to y the role of ¡°Murphy¡± to ensure his master¡¯s safety and seize this opportunity.

    He had noints about this, while Murphy himself hid in the ever-present darkness, as the strongest fighter in the yers¡¯ group. He had to patiently wait for the most critical moment to appear.

    Soon, twenty Goldflower Kingdom cuirassiers appeared on the abandoned trail in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods. They were not wearing full armor, maintaining a lighter and more agile stance, each holding a cavalry rifle. They were leading the way cautiously.

    Behind them was a heavy ck wagon drawn by two horses, with armed footmen guarding the front and rear.

    As they rapidly approached the ambush circle, the sniper Lumina, lying in the branches, began taking aim. Lady Femis¡¯s spirit practitioners had camouged this area, ensuring that ordinary people could not detect their presence.

    But just as the cuirassiers were about to reach the pit trap area, a voice suddenly rang out from inside the wagon:

    ¡°There¡¯s an ambush ahead! You fools! Stop!¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Seeing the well-trained cuirassiers slowing down, Lumina panicked but did not fire recklessly. Instead, she immediately swiveled her gun and pulled the trigger.

    The bullet did not hit anyone but viciously struck the rump of one of the draft horses pulling the wagon.

    The spurt of blood and excruciating pain startled the horse, causing it to neigh and charge forward. The driver could not control the suddenly frenzied animal and could only watch helplessly as the wagon crashed through the cuirassiers and careened down the dimly lit path.

    The poor draft horse stepped into a pit trap, tumbling head over hooves and getting impaled by the vicious wooden stakes within. The heavy four-wheeled wagon also violently overturned in the jarring impact, spilling the boxes it carried everywhere and tragically crushing several footmen beneath it in a muffled explosion.

    ¡°Got it! Quick! Open fire!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick, whose heart was in his throat, could no longer wait and shouted at the top of his lungs. Hisrades in the trenches and the Six Dorm Brothers in the foxholes immediately poked their heads out, unleashing a chaotic barrage of bullets and crossbow bolts.

    Their blind firing was unsurprisingly inurate!

    But the sheer volume was enough, and the volleys from over a dozen people managed to bring down a few cuirassiers.

    From the side wagons where Dump Truck and Bulldozer Man were stationed, the two old buddies grinned and activated their heavy automatic crossbows, taking advantage of the scattered cuirassiers to unleash a satisfying barrage of bolts.

    These old-fashioned weapons were incredibly intimidating.

    The hail of crossbow bolts swept across the convoy like a raging storm, ripping apart the unprotected warhorses and forcing the well-trained cuirassiers to take cover behind the overturned wagons.

    Everything was proceeding ording to Joy Stick¡¯s tactics, finally allowing the anxiousmander to rx.

    He emptied his lead ammunition, grabbed a halberd nearby, and with a howl, leapt out of the trench, yelling excitedly amid the echoing volleys of the crossbows:

    ¡°Everyone, charge with your knives! Brothers, follow me!¡±

    ¡°What knives are you talking about? Can you be a little more sensible?¡±

    Meow King also grabbed a pike and jumped out, mocking the overly enthusiastic Joy Stick while following his charge. He turned to Subus Old Tune and ck Stockings, saying:

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel right without a battle cry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯scking that vor.¡±

    ¡°Next time, let¡¯s get one! Find a brother who can blow the charge call!¡±

    The group of men, their adrenaline surging, charged along the foxholes toward the copsed wagon. Seeing theirrades¡¯ bravery, the young Six Dorm Brothers in the foxholes decided they couldn¡¯t fall behind. They grabbed their gear and joined the fray.

    ¡°Quick! Niuniu, meat shield up front!¡±

    Ah Yuen shouted, grabbing his twin des. The well-prepared Niuniu seized the battleaxe and crimson cloak gifted by their NPC ally, donned his leather armor, and with a howl, leapt out.

    The tall and muscr athlete was swift, quickly overtaking the charging and howling Joy Stick to be the first to engage the enemy.

    His bold swagger, entuated by the crimson midnight cloak, made him the most dashing figure in the crowd.

    The dismounted cuirassiers, pinned down by the crossbow barrage, immediately engaged the approaching force. As veteran elites of the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s pioneer corps, they were not afraid to grapple with the enemy at close quarters.

    But as the cuirassiers charged out from behind cover, one was immediately taken down by Lumina, the waiting sniper. The charging Niuniu witnessed a head explode right in front of him, startling him momentarily.

    But the atmosphere was already heated, right?

    He simply closed his eyes, shouting wildly while swinging his de. With his height advantage, he bashed his shield against the second cuirassier, knocking him to the ground.

    The unfortunate soldier tried to get up, but Joy Stick, who had charged out from the side, let out a howl and executed a standard killing move, stabbing him through the chest with his pike.

    The double kill boosted the yers¡¯ morale tremendously.

    Driven by Meow King and others¡¯ relentless assault, they fearlessly charged and engaged in meleebat, decisively driving the resisting cuirassiers out from behind cover with their des.

    The cunning Pigeon and Ah Yuen even picked up dropped cavalry rifles and fired wildly, sowing confusion and pushing the enemy deeper into the ambush circle¡¯s final trench.

    With its depth, any ordinary soldiers who fell into that pit would be unable to climb out for some time!

    ¡°We won!¡±

    Murphy, hiding in the darkness, was relieved to see his yers fighting so skillfully. He thought having a strategy made a real difference, much more effective than a disorganized melee.

    With sixteen against over twenty, theirbat prowess was overflowing.

    But at this juncture, a dark figure suddenly burst from the overturned wagon, charging toward Dump Truck and Bulldozer Man, who were firing relentlessly.

    The two middle-aged buddies, lost in the heat of battle, didn¡¯t realize what was happening until they saw crimson light shing through blinding, crisscrossing w marks, tearing Dump Truck and his armor into three pieces. With a crunch, he bid farewell to this savage, thrilling world.

    Bulldozer Man was dumbfounded.

    He instinctively looked up but was immediately seized by the throat and lifted into the air. With the flickering light of Sr Spirit from afar, he saw their attacker clearly.

    Dressed in an Europe-style suit with a tall ck hat, the pristine white shirt and green vest painted an image of a refined gentleman. His well-groomed mutton chops and the wolf-head bloodstone ring on his finger suggested he was someone of status, hardly the type expected on a battlefield.

    Yet his left hand¡¯s slender fingernails extended into wolf-like ws, dripping fresh blood.

    ¡°The Blood Vultures trained their dogs well.¡±

    The man said through gritted teeth:

    ¡°Such lively blood servants are rare in this age.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is this NPC babbling about? I can¡¯t understand a single word!¡±

    The choked Bulldozer Man struggled, cursing inwardly.

    Seeing death approaching, he grew reckless, pulling out a dagger from his waist and stabbing at the figure in his struggle.

    Unsurprisingly, he missed.

    The power gap between the yers, who had not yet unlocked upgrades, and the NPCs was too vast. Bulldozer Man¡¯s desperate counterattack didn¡¯t even graze his opponent¡¯s clothes before his neck was twisted with a crunch.

    Bulldozer Man¡¯s corpse hit the ground, disintegrating into light particles, causing the assant to widen his eyes in realization that something was amiss.

    These were not Blood Vulture blood servants!

    These were summons!

    Damn it!

    The enemy had a summoner hiding in the shadows?

    Another trap?

    Sensing trouble, he resorted to his family¡¯s special ability. Under the twinkling starlight and a haunting howl, two massive pale Astral wolves from another realm appeared at his feet.

    With a wave of his hand, the ferocious otherworldly beasts charged toward the yers ughtering the cuirassiers, snarling.

    Then, a de thrust at him, forcing the assant back. After blocking a few strikes with the staff at his waist, he drew his sword with his left hand, catching the staff de in his palm to engage the enemy.

    The arriving Maxim stood with sword in hand, eyeing the figure warily.

    The pierced tall hat slid off and wobbled to the ground. As it settled, the assant grinned, his eyes glowing eerie green in the night.

    He appraised Maxim¡¯s luxurious mail and weapons, nostrils ring as his fangs protruded. Licking his lips, he said:

    ¡°You¡¯re the Blood Vulture¡¯s dog! A true loyal blood servant, I can even smell your beating heart. Your blood must be delicious? State your name,mander!

    I¡¯ll include it in my battle report.¡±

    ¡°Maxim Cena d!¡±

    The servant knew what this meant.

    He recognized the assant as a vampire, but not of the Blood Vulture n. So, following his teachings, he responded solemnly:

    ¡°Jed¡­no, progeny of Murphy!¡±

    ¡°Murphy? Never heard that name, must not be important in the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    The assant scoffed, adopting a unique sword stance, eyeing Maxim like a starving wolf spotting prey, and said darkly:

    ¡°Joban Marci Gongreau! Greyw Faction of the Wolfsbane n, progeny of Cndo!¡±

    Announcing one¡¯s bloodline was a vampire custom.

    The ancient tradition ensured every bloodline death was urately ryed, with the survivor responsible for delivering the message.

    As the words fell, the two attacked simultaneously.

    Maxim¡¯s swordsmanship was decent, but his physical attributes were clearly inferior to a true vampire. After just a few exchanges, he was on the defensive.

    Yet Maxim remained unfazed, his attacks growing more vicious. Relying on his sturdy mail, he weathered the blows like a wolf pup on its first hunt, determined to inflict wounds despite injuries.

    Maxim¡¯s sword was soon knocked away, but he charged recklessly, grappling with Joban at the cost of broken bones.

    The Wolfsbane bloodline realized something was amiss and kicked Maxim away. However, the chilling spirit binding that manifested behind him made retreat impossible.

    ¡°Poof¡±

    At the moment Joban was restrained by the ¡°proficient¡± level Dark Spirit st: Bind, the de of the Desire n, wrapped in cold spirit energy, fell from above as Murphy descended, its impact-enhanced thrust piercing deep into Joban¡¯s back.

    Completing the sneak attack, blood lingered at the corner of Murphy¡¯s mouth, freshly consumed from an unfortunate cuirassier. The sated bloodlust made him even more vicious andbative.

    This sneak attack would not kill an elite vampire.

    Far from enough.

    But it drew this dangerous foe¡¯s attention, giving the yers more time to handle the chaotic battlefield.

    ¡°Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, Blood Vulture n, Fringe Faction, progeny of Tris!¡±

    His voice rang in Joban¡¯s ear, following the ancient bloodline dueling custom of introduction, but then mocked:

    ¡°Why put on such airs of ancient bloodline, you pathetic Wolfsbane runt? You even botched the courtesy when fighting my servant earlier. No fancy clothes can conceal your wretched lower-ss stench.

    Come with me! Disgraceful brute.

    Let the blood of eternal sin reach Heaven¡¯s ears, witnessed by the Night Mother in this eternal eclipse.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    The stabbed Wolfsbane brute¡¯s face contorted as his human guise shattered, revealing his true inhuman Wolfsbane vampire form.

    A grotesque hybrid of bat and wolf, the ¡°Wilderness Transformation¡± unique to the Wolfsbane n.

    Joban¡¯s wolf-like gaze followed Murphy¡¯s movements in the darkness. Gripping his staff de, he spread his small wings and glided over.

    One bloodline had challenged another to eternal eclipse!

    No self-respecting vampire would refuse, let alone with the centuries-old feud between the Blood Vultures and Wolfsbane. Plus, that guy was the summoner behind these summons.

    Kill him!

    This crisis would then resolve itself!

    So, let the hunt begin!

 Chapter 24:

    The ambush battle has entered the second stage.

    The surviving cavalry of the caravan have been driven into the anti-tank trenches, unable to climb out for the time being, but the troublesome Wolfsbane vampire Joban Marci, who summoned two Astral wolves, has be a new threat.

    These true Otherworld creatures are muchrger than ordinary wolves, fierce and loyal, moving swiftly like the wind, charging through the night like calves at their master¡¯smand, causing a group of small yers to flee in all directions.

    The unfortunate Day One No Fap and ck Stockings Under the Keyboard had already been tragically killed by the wolf¡¯s kisses, while the Meow King, who was targeted, could only lead his remaining two Protectors to flee towards their trenches, intending to y a game of hide-and-seek.

    Since these two creatures are Astral beings, long-range attacks like bullets do little damage to them. Just looking at their star-glowing skin, one can tell that this thing probably needs to be dealt with in closebat.

    However, while the small yers are not afraid to engage in hand-to-handbat with dismounted cavalry, they still have some apprehension about charging at giant wolves half a person¡¯s height.

    It¡¯s like how some brave warriors dare to slide tackle tigers, but when faced with arge house goose, they would still scream and run away. This is not a matter of courage, sometimes, the source of human fear is whimsical and unreasonable, like how some people would go to clowns for balloons, while others would be scared to the point of wetting their pants by clowns. It¡¯s the same logic.

    Not to mention, these are wolves, and they bite!

    ¡°Quick! Niuniu, it¡¯s your turn as an athlete to slide tackle!¡± shouted Leading Pigeon as he was knocked down by an Astral wolf, screaming.He kept making strange squawking sounds like a chicken being killed, desperately holding the wolf¡¯s head to prevent it from biting his neck, and shouting at the nearby Precipitation Niuniu, hoping the athlete would save him, or at least serve as a decoy if necessary.

    ¡°Slide tackle my ass! This is not a tiger!¡±

    The blood-covered Niuniu shouted, mustering his courage to grab his hunting knife and pounce on the Astral wolf¡¯s back like a bullfighter, stabbing it frantically.

    The other members of the Dormitory Six Brothers also rushed forward, trying to subdue the wolf through sheer numbers by locking it down.

    However, the sight of seven people failing to control a single wolf made the passing Onboard Joy Stick shake his head, feeling that the next generation of flowers in the country had truly been spoiled in the greenhouse.

    Speaking of which, haven¡¯t you seen how pigs are ughtered during the New Year?

    Relying on brute force alone won¡¯t work!

    ¡°Damn beast!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick shouted, deciding to teach these youngsters a proper lesson. He charged forward with his spear in both hands, seizing the opportunity when the Astral wolf shook off the screaming Leading Pigeon to thrust his spear into the wolf¡¯s mouth. He then kept stabbing relentlessly, causing the beast to thrash about in pain. The dusty and disheveled Niuniu then pounced on it again, stabbing its belly several times before finally killing the calf-sized wolf.

    However, there was still one Astral wolf chasing the Meow King and his group, with wails echoing from the trench.

    The panting Onboard Joy Stick pulled out his bloodstained spear, feeling a bit drained. He cursed under his breath about how realistic and hardcore this game was, making him feel like he was back in the chaos of Africa, though unfortunately he didn¡¯t have an AK rifle that wouldn¡¯t explode in his hands.

    It just didn¡¯t have that vor.

    The old man caught his breath and nced at the seven students beside him, asking:

    ¡°Can you still fight?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Leading Pigeon, who had been dragged back, refused to be defeated, shouting fervently despite nearly having his neck bitten off by the Astral wolf:

    ¡°A man can never say no! That¡¯s what my old man said!¡±

    ¡°Good! Your old man has spirit!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick gave a thumbs up and waved his hand, shouting:

    ¡°Guys, follow me, let¡¯s go wolf hunting! Hey, Lumina girl,e down from the tree, it¡¯s safe on the ground now.¡±

    ¡°Woo, I¡¯ming down right away, I can¡¯t climb trees, you guys catch me down there, ah!¡±

    Lumina¡¯s voice came from the treetop.

    But this girl seemed inept at tree climbing. She had been brought up by an NPC earlier, and now she was clumsily hugging the tree trunk, intending to slide down like a monkey.

    However, as soon as she stood up, her foot slipped.

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh¡­bang!¡±

    Under the speechless gaze of the Dormitory Six Brothers and Onboard Joy Stick, the sniper girl who had made great contributions in this battle iled her arms and legs as she fell headfirst from a height of five or six meters, hitting the ground motionless.

    A few secondster, tragic light spots flickered in the night.

    Lumina Yanghen, the first archer under Murphy, has fallen.

    Cause of death: Too slippery.

    ¡°Damn! That¡¯s just too unlucky, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Leading Pigeon, being carried on Spicy Gugu Chicken¡¯s back, couldn¡¯t help butment. However, after surveying the battlefield again, aside from the recently deceased Lumina, there were also ck Stockings Under the Keyboard and Led More Than Three to Five Pecks killed by wolves, as well as Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man Charging killed by the Wolfsbane vampire.

    Out of the remaining 11 people, all had survived.

    Hmm, it could be considered a great victory, albeit a narrow one.

    As themander of this battle, Onboard Joy Stick calcted for a moment and decided to define the first battle he led as an ¡°epic triumph.¡± However, if they didn¡¯t go to support the others, the Meow King¡¯s group, who were ying hide-and-seek with the ferocious wolf, would probably be wiped out.

    Onboard Joy Stick quickly led the students to kill the second wolf, saving the Meow King from the wolf¡¯s jaws. But before they could catch their breath, Niuniu came running over, carrying the severely injured Maxim on his back.

    The athlete eximed:

    ¡°This NPC is speaking anguage I can¡¯t understand! But he seems urgent. Our main quest NPC and the small BOSS who took out Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man Charging have disappeared!

    I now suspect the NPC is helping us lure away that small BOSS.

    Should we go help?¡±

    ¡°Damn, we have to help! If the main quest NPC dies, won¡¯t the game have to restart?¡±

    The blood-covered Meow King kicked the corpse of a Astral wolf beside him, took the Goldflower soldier¡¯s rifle handed by Ah Yuen, and cocked it with a click.

    Onboard Joy Stick observed the surviving brothers¡¯ conditions, hesitating for a moment before saying:

    ¡°Push up that automatic hunting crossbow! Also, gather all the bombs from the cavalry¡¯s saddlebags. We can¡¯t even touch that small BOSS¡¯s cor. That guy is too fast, so we can only provide fire support to aid our NPC.¡±

    ¡°Brother Stick! There are still five or six cavalry with broken legs in the anti-tank trench, what about them?¡±

    The cyborg snail from the student group asked in a low voice.

    Onboard Joy Stick nced at him and said:

    ¡°Who are you calling Brother Stick? Where did you learn that? Call me Brother Joy! Those enemy cavalry have their health bars lit, what do you want to do with them? Kill them all! Hurry up, then go support our NPC.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    The student group immediately became restless.

    In other games, killing monsters would not cause much psychological pressure. But in¡¶Reality Realm¡·, these monsters were modeled so realistically.

    In the heat of battle when adrenaline is pumping, killing doesn¡¯t weigh much on your conscience when it¡¯s you or them.

    But now, killing the downed and defenseless cavalry¡­

    ¡°Just leave them there to fend for themselves.¡±

    The Meow King, sensing the tense atmosphere, spoke up:

    ¡°Anyway, they can¡¯t climb out. Those Blood Servants dug the trench too deep.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t they form a humandder? You think a mere four-meter-deep trench can trap anyone? Those are all veterans!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick let out a coldugh, saying:

    ¡°You say this game is realistic, with intelligent NPCs, but in the end, it¡¯s you who look down on them. This is war! Do you really think you¡¯re just ying house?

    You don¡¯t have to kill them, but don¡¯t shoot yourself in the foot.

    It¡¯ll beughable if you take all their stuff only for them to steal it back. Give those cavalrymen in the trench a shot to the legs each, then let¡¯s go!¡±

    At Brother Stick¡¯s order, the student group turned around with their guns, but then the Meow King pulled him aside and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring your ways here! This is a game, we need to stay united.¡±

    ¡°Orders must be followed, understand?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick let out a long sigh and criticized:

    ¡°Never mind, you guys are not professionals after all. When we have more people, I¡¯ll form my own team and bring back my old buddies! For now, hurry up and push the cart to rescue the NPC.¡±

    The group of small yers rushed over, pushing the ¡°fire support tform¡± under Maxim¡¯s guidance, following the direction where Murphy had disappeared into the woods. Soon, they encountered Miriam, who was hiding here, hugging her head and trembling.

    The red-haired girl had not joined the battle but witnessed the entire ambush. She only rxed upon seeing Maxim.

    Although she usually disliked this vampire worshiper, at this moment on the chaotic battlefield, seeing a familiar face was much better than encountering an enemy.

    ¡°Murphy went towards the swamp!¡±

    Miriam hurriedly came over to report:

    ¡°He might be trying to lure that vampire to where the Young Lady is, but he¡¯s not as fast as that guy. You need to put in more effort.¡±

    ¡°The hunting crossbow seems jammed.¡±

    Maxim said to Miriam, enduring the pain:

    ¡°You go fix it. The brave warriors will push the cart over. The Lord must hold on until we arrive!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Puff¡±

    Murphy¡¯s battered body was struck by a tremendous force, spinning in the air before crashing unceremoniously to the ground.

    Maxim had great faith in him, but it could not change the current dire situation. Although his proficient Blood Vulture Sword Arts allowed him to hold his own against Joban Marci in a sword fight, ultimately, skill is built upon strength.

    As hey on the ground, he looked towards the now inhuman Joban, with the scouting effect he had cast earlier still active, allowing Murphy to see the information floating before his eyes:

    Name: ¡¾Greyw Elite¡¿ Joban Marci Gongreau

    Rank: Elite Temte ¡¤ ck Iron Body ¡¤ Silver Trial Unlocked

    Profession: Level 12 Wolf w Hunter / Level 9 Wilderness Wanderer / Pastry Chef ¨C Cookie Specialization

    Status: Bleeding ¡¤ Unrestrained Frenzy ¡¤ Wilderness Transformation

    Evaluation: Overwhelming Strength ¡¤ Extremely Dangerous

    Murphy was currently just a Practitioner without even the ck Iron Trial activated, but Joban had already unlocked the higher Silver Trial, meaning this Wolfsbane descendant¡¯s absolute strength was at least two levels higher than Murphy¡¯s!

    Moreover, this guy had a conspicuous ¡°Elite Temte,¡± far superior to Murphy¡¯s pitiful standard temte.

    In a one-on-one fight, he could easily defeat even elite Midnight Hunters, and perhaps even the talented Young Lady Femis would need some time to deal with this guy.

    No wonder the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s transport convoy had saved Joban as their trump card.

    In battles among mortals, if high-end forces do not intervene, the appearance of a superhuman vampire close to the Silver Body rank during the night would essentially be a massacre.

    ¡°Judging by your boastful attitude, I thought you were a formidable character, but you¡¯re just a waste who hasn¡¯t even perfected the ck Iron rank!¡±

    Joban flicked his w-like hand disdainfully, flicking off the drops of blood he had drawn from Murphy. Although this guy¡¯s summons were somewhat interesting, the summoner himself was utterly unremarkable.

    He had lost interest in Murphy.

    The Wolfsbane pastry chef admonished that the weak were merely whipped cream decorations in the lives of the strong.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    Murphy¡¯s de of the Desire n was kicked aside, and he was pinned down by Joban, who contorted his ghastly, pale, twisted face into a vile smile.

    He licked his sharp teeth with his tongue and said:

    ¡°You were recently turned, right? I bet it hasn¡¯t been more than a year. Your elders must be very weak, unable to truly pass down the strength of the Blood n to you, leaving you a half-baked failure as well.

    But I think you have potential!

    Your exquisite swordsmanship and peculiar summoning abilities represent your potential to be a rising star in the Blood Vulture n in the future. The best part is that you don¡¯tck courage, daring to brandish your sword against a superior foe!

    Truly a pity, truly a shame. The Wolfsbane¡¯s duty is to break the spines of the Blood Vultures, trampling you into the mud, never to rise again.

    So, the future star Murphy

    We can bid farewell now!

    I will follow the ancient tradition and send news of your death back to your elder, and tell her of your despair and struggle in your final moments, forging new hatred to add to the old grudge.

    I am honored.¡±

    In response, Murphy reached out and grasped Joban¡¯s ankle, channeling his inner spirit energy into a Spirit st ¡¤ Dark Burst, unleashing a corrosive spirit orb that exploded in his hand, tearing Joban¡¯s skin and sttering blood everywhere.

    The attack was painful enough to make Joban twirl his staff and thrust it down, pinning Murphy to the ground.

    However, such an attack could not kill a vampire.

    These near-immortal dark superhuman beings had virtually no obvious weaknesses except sunlight. To execute Murphy, Joban had one more step to take.

    Drain his blood!

    Seize his power!

    Grant him eternal slumber, never to awaken in the darkness again.

    ¡°Die, little vulture!¡±

    Joban¡¯s ws dug into Murphy¡¯s skin.

    The vampire felt his blood starting to flow in reverse, gathering at the wound. At this critical juncture, a gunshot rang out, sttering Joban¡¯s forehead with blood and interrupting the eternal slumber ritual.

    The ferocious Wolfsbane ruffian turned to see Lady Adele, one of the Young Lady¡¯s Blood Servants, holding an exquisite revolver and firing at him repeatedly, her other hand drawing a crimson rapier from under her skirt.

    She disliked Murphy.

    She even guessed Murphy¡¯s unsavory role in tonight¡¯s events, but for now, Murphy¡¯s forces were still rtively intact, and she needed him to join her in supporting the Young Lady!

    This guy must still have some tricks up his sleeve, and the Young Lady needed his wisdom now.

    Lady Adele was an excellent marksman, with her second shot hitting Joban¡¯s throat, tearing his vocal cords and causing him to let out a deep howl before abandoning Murphy and charging towards this bold mortal like a ghost.

    His ferocious w strike was parried by Lady Adele¡¯s rapier, and after a few seconds of shing as equals at the ck Iron rank, the human held her own in terms of skill, but was ultimately outmatched by the frenzied Joban.

    She was knocked aside, her rapier pinned down, and Joban¡¯s sharp fangs then sank into Lady Adele¡¯s slender, fair neck.

    She let out a tragic wail.

    Joban wasughing maniacally.

    He felt joy in drinking a virgin¡¯s blood and saw it as a sign of good luck.

    But soon, he regretted it.

    For the tragedy that had urred to Murphy reyed on this Wolfsbane ruffian.

    As Lady Adele¡¯s blood entered his belly, an indescribable nausea and weakness soon enveloped the frenzied Joban. He realized he had been tricked, pushing the cunning woman to the ground, staggering back while shaking his head as if drunk, and then clutching his stomach two secondster, vomiting.

    ¡°Only tasteless brutes would go crazy at the sight of blood. Unfortunately, we had just captured four Witch Hunters, does my blood taste good? Mister Brute.¡±

    Lady Adele rose from the ground, one hand covering her bleeding neck, her face pale and expressionless as she retrieved her crimson revolver, struggling to maintain her dignity as a maid. She then pressed the muzzle against Joban¡¯s forehead and unloaded the remaining four bullets into his hard skull.

    The risen Murphy, still impaled by Joban¡¯s staff, also stepped forward, brandishing the de of the Desire n, cooperating with Lady Adele¡¯s assault by stabbing and shing from behind, severing Joban¡¯s limbs and piercing his heart.

    This guy¡¯s wounds, like those of a legendary monster, immediately began healing.

    ¡°Woohoo! Our NPC is in bad shape! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Rescue! Rescue!¡±

    The small yers¡¯ moring voices arose from behind, and Ah Yuen, crouched behind the rotating automated hunting crossbow, excitedly shouted:

    ¡°Watch us use bombs and fire to take down this monster! Victory is ours! Victory for the grand n!¡±

    Murphy straightened his body with effort, watching his beloved small yers, each holding a bomb.

    The Meow King was even waving a torch to light them, the pungent smell wafting as they formed a formation reminiscent of knights charging, or a group of gun-toting rioters performing some hellish cult ritual.

    The vampire knew he would never forget this scene for a long time, and thus he owed his beloved small yers another great favor.

    He stepped forward and embraced the swaying Lady Adele, shing away from the area where Joban and his severed limbsy.

    Amidst the gale storm sted by the high-speed rotating crossbow and the roar of the yers¡¯ thrown incendiary bombs, the entire area was engulfed in the rising mes, leaving only Joban¡¯s hateful roars echoing within the fire.

    Tonight, an ancient grudge was added to the tally, and the Night Mother also witnessed an eternal slumber.

    Hmm, those raging mes represented the shadows rejoicing.

 Chapter 25:

    Just as Joban wanted to grant Murphy eternal rest by draining his blood, severing his power, even after being repeatedly bombed by more than a dozen explosions and pierced by the arrows of Witch Hunters, the elite rioter of the Wolfsbane n did not die under the night sky.

    His body had been charred ck, but as crimson cracks erupted from beneath the charred skin, amidst the hair-raising sounds, Joban¡¯s weak moans and venomous curses could still be heard.

    Physical exorcism methods are ineffective against vampires.

    At the very least, in most cases, they can only make them feel pain. If the force cannot reach the point of crushing bones and scattering ashes, then ¡°traditional methods¡± must be employed to solve the problem.

    ¡°Grant him eternal rest! Quickly!¡±

    Adele, who had lost a quarter of her blood to Joban, was now swaying. ced by Murphy under a tree, she still held his wrist and reminded him:

    ¡°Execute him! Then go help the youngdy! I know what you¡¯ve done, but she needs your help now, Murphy!

    You may detest the Blood Vultures, but she¡¯s the only one in the squad who has been kind to you!

    You must help her!¡±¡°I will, Lady. Rest now.¡±

    Murphy responded rather perfunctorily, then summoned Miriam to help Adele stop the bleeding and treat the wound on her neck.

    She had been bitten by a vampire, and not in the ¡°gentle¡± form of initial embrace.

    This meant she would suffer moreter.

    ¡°I apologize for my reckless words and actions earlier, Lady.¡±

    Murphy pulled out the Wolfsbane staff sword embedded in his chest and tossed it into his spirit pouch, saying softly to Adele, who stared at him unblinkingly:

    ¡°I will do everything I can to help you recover.¡±

    ¡°I can die, but the youngdy must survive! Murphy, I helped you, now you go help her! A life for a life, quickly!¡±

    Adele almost pleaded, but she really couldn¡¯t hold on much longer.

    Murphy nodded at her, then signaled to Maxim. The loyal servant stepped forward and knocked the excited maid unconscious with a thud to the back of her head, making it easier for Miriam to stop her bleeding.

    ¡°Protect her.¡±

    Murphy said to his two assistants, then propped himself up with the de of the Desire n and limped away.

    The little yers had formed a circle, their eyes wide as they watched the vampire recover after being severely injured.

    It must be said that this process was truly filled with an indescribable sense of horror and disgust, especially watching fresh flesh grow out from beneath the charred skin.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have nightmares tonight.¡±

    Ah Yuen said, covering his eyes. The Joy Stick older brother next to him also gagged and said:

    ¡°I won¡¯t want to eat steak for a month.¡±

    ¡°Man! Stick Brother, what kind of family are you from that you can just eat steak whenever?¡±

    They started their usual banter, treating the scene before them like a horror movie. However, when they saw Murphy approaching, the little yers politely cleared a path for him.

    ¡°To truly kill a vampire is very difficult. We are born with a certain ¡®eternal¡¯ dark quality, and you will soon witness a scene that, in most cases, only exists in legend.¡±

    Murphy said softly to his warriors:

    ¡°I am about to execute him, granting him eternal rest. May the Night Mother have mercy on his ruthless, homeless soul.¡±

    ¡°The Night Mother? Is that your deity?¡±

    The ever-curious Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche asked in a low voice. Murphy, now half-kneeling by Joban¡¯s charred bones, shook his head and replied:

    ¡°No, my warriors, vampires are the ¡®Eternal Sin Descendants¡¯. No deity will cast Its gaze upon us, whether merciful or cruel.

    Only darkness will embrace us, giving us our final refuge. Thus, we revere the night as our mother.

    We do not dare hope to have our own god.¡±

    Murphy extended his hand and, following the steps Tris had once drunkenly told him, enveloped his fingertips in dark spirits, then tore open Joban¡¯s charred bones and gripped his weakly throbbing, regenerated heart. He then forcefully pulled it out.

    This scene was not insane.

    At least for the yers watching, its impact paled inparison to the horrific process of Joban¡¯s revival from charred bones. Perhaps it was because Murphy¡¯s hand was swift enough, not intending to inflict too much suffering on Joban, who had nearly killed him.

    The removal of the heart stopped his self-healing.

    Amid Joban¡¯s agonized, wolf-like howls of despair, his own fresh blood was drawn out as well, wreathing the vampire¡¯s heart in Murphy¡¯s hand like a red aura.

    A vampire¡¯s poweres from blood.

    When this blood, symbolizing power, was drained, it marked the eternal death of a vampire. But this process not only represented the advent of eternal rest but also the night¡¯s reward for the victor.

    Under Murphy¡¯s gaze, as Joban¡¯s blood gathered, the still-beating fleshy heart rapidly transformed into a blood-red stone, growing cold and hard.

    The charred bones at his feet underwent the same transformation.

    At the moment when thest breath waspletely expelled from Joban¡¯s lungs, he took his final breath in this world.

    He turned into a cold, faded stone statue, his expression frozen in the despair of his death.

    Murphy looked at the crimson petrified vampire¡¯s heart in his hand, containing Joban¡¯s essence and power. He could bestow this stone upon his own blood offspring or trade it with other vampires.

    Or he could simply keep it as a rare, beautiful collectible.

    Of course, he could also absorb this power without any guilt, in the name of the victor.

    ¡°In the name of victory!¡±

    Murphy did not hesitate.

    Under the gaze of the little yers, he raised the crimson stone as if toasting, then crushed it with his five fingers. Joban¡¯s petrified body simultaneously crumbled into swirling dust at its original spot.

    This is the death of a vampire.

    Eternal and decisive departure, leaving no trace in this world.

    That cluster of crimson light particles was then absorbed by Murphy through his mouth and nose. As he closed his eyes, a red glow traveled through the blood vessels beneath his pale skin.

    He desperately needed this power, he had to be stronger!

    Not just for himself.

    There was also a powerless, abused monster girl waiting for him to protect her, a group of lovely, loyal, and useful little yers waiting for him to lead them.

    And there was an entire savage yet mysterious otherworld waiting for him to experience, unravel, and conquer!

    The character card popped up with a prompt:

    ¡¾Blood Essence ¨C Wolfsbane Fusion, this essence is from Joban Marci Gongreau. Random abilities will be extracted from the opponent¡¯s power characteristics and bestowed upon the user.

    Since the opponent¡¯s strength far exceeds the user¡¯s, the number of extracted power characteristics increases, but the newly acquired power characteristics will degrade to the initial level.

    Extracting power¡­

    1. All attributes increased!

    Character temte updated from ¡°Standard¡± to ¡°Rare¡±, race initial attributes increased to 150%.

    This temte can be replicated and inherited (bloodline only).

    Character temte traced back to¡¾Vampire Race Branch Blood Vulture n¡¿. This race¡¯s exclusive trait is: Flight Mastery. This trait will be activated afterpleting the Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body and acquiring the biological characteristic ¡°Blood Wings¡±.

    Rare temte obtained!

    Bonus racial trait transformed into¡¾Sky Mastery¡¿, making your blood wingsrger, heavier and more agile, allowing forprehensive defense while greatly increasing your flight speed (maximum speed increased to supersonic during midnight flights).

    Exnation of biological temte terms:

    ¡¾Standard Temte¡¿: Individual¡¯s initial attributes meet or are lower than the race¡¯s average, with no special enhancements.

    ¡¾Rare Temte¡¿: Individual¡¯s initial attributes reach 150% of the race¡¯s average, granting enhanced racial traits.

    ¡¾Elite Temte¡¿: Individual¡¯s initial attributes reach 200% of the race¡¯s average and possess the ¡¾Warrior¡¿ achievement, granting enhanced job skills.

    ¡¾Leader Temte¡¿: This temte has no attribute requirements but requires the achievements¡¾United as One + Far-Reaching Fame + Ruling Lord¡¿. This is the¡¾Faction Exclusive¡¿temte, granting enhanced leader aura skills.

    ¡¾Sovereign Temte¡¿: Possesses the¡¾Leader¡¿temte and the achievements¡¾Turning the Tide + Fame Across the Lands + Forming Alliances¡¿. This is the¡¾Race Exclusive¡¿temte, granting enhanced racial decree skills.

    Hidden/special character temtes are not introduced.

    Due to the achievement system not being unlocked yet,¡¾Elite¡¿and above temtes are currently unavable.

    2. Extracted skills:

    Summoning I ¨C Astral Wolf¡¾Wolfsbane n Exclusive Racial Talent¡¿. Current skill proficiency is ¡°Novice¡±.

    Since the user possesses the talent Otherworld Creature Summoning, this summoning effect is enhanced to: Summoning II ¨C Astral Dire Wolf¡¾0/1¡¿. Current skill proficiency is ¡°Novice¡±.

    Power extractionplete!

    Note!

    Since the user has not passed the Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body, the remaining blood essence cannot be absorbed. Re-solidify it? Yes/No?

    Note!

    Each blood essence can only be used once by the same user.

    Note!

    Frequent use of blood essences in a short period may trigger a series of negative effects such as bloodline disorder, mental breakdown, memory confusion, etc. Once acquired, these negative effects cannot be dispelled.¡¿

    ¡°This is truly saddening. I¡¯m still too weak, after all? I can¡¯t even continue absorbing the experience dropped by my enemies!

    And the Blood Vulture n¡¯s racial talent only activates now? Is this for real?

    So the rumors were true!

    Because Tris is too weak, all the vampires she turned are as weak as her, so feeble that they can¡¯t even activate their n¡¯s innate talents by themselves!

    She¡¯s a vampire from a renowned noble n, yet she¡¯s been stuck with a standard temte that¡¯s not much stronger than ordinary people until now, when she barely leveled up.

    This is too difficult for me.¡±

    Feeling his all-around 50% power surge, Murphy was suddenly filled with sorrow.

    The poor, unfortunate Tris had really done herself in. But thankfully, he had finally be ¡°rare¡± now.

    Even the semi-transparent outline of his character card was now wreathed in a silver frame, representing Murphy¡¯s departure from the pitiful rank of ordinary monster to the noble and extraordinary rank of rare monster.

    ording to the exnation of biological temtes, the next temte upgrade would probably be ¡°elite creature¡±, right?

    Hooray!

    A cool golden dragon avatar frame awaits!

    These good times were still toe.

    But then he realized, if he was a rare monster, would little yers try to knock him out and steal his exclusive drops when he walked around?

    Speaking of which, this Elder Armor he wore was both expensive and rare¡­

    But then again, in their eyes this was a game, so as long as he maintained control, didn¡¯t act recklessly, and didn¡¯t disy his health bar, it would probably be very difficult for yers to obtain his exclusive drops, no matter how covetous they were, right?

    Murphy smiled and quickly dismissed these random thoughts, reconstituting the remaining blood essence into a translucent blood crystal in his hand.

    This thing could still be absorbed by other vampires once more. Murphy could happily trade it with other vampires, but in the next moment, he casually tossed this precious blood essence to Maxim behind him.

    The albino blood servant waspletely dumbfounded.

    He had only heard of this powerful thing called a blood essence but had never actually seen one before.

    ¡°Burning loyalty should be rewarded, to distinguish it from cowardly betrayal.¡±

    Having fully recovered to a healthy state, Murphy stretched his elbows and said to Maxim:

    ¡°After I help youplete your initial embrace, you can absorb it. That way, you won¡¯t have to follow in my footsteps and will be stronger than other new vampires right from the start.¡±

    ¡°Sir! This is too precious, this¡­¡±

    Maxim wanted to refuse.

    But Murphy didn¡¯t give him the chance, gesturing to stop his loyal servant¡¯s words. He then nced back towards the direction of the Smuggler¡¯s Woods with narrowed eyes.

    He could just leave now.

    But after thinking it over, he looked back at his cute little yers and asked them very seriously:

    ¡°Well then, my warriors, what do you say? Shall we go assist that youngdy now?¡±

    ¡°Man! Branch storyline iing!¡±

    The little yers immediately understood.

    They realized that through their efforts in advancing the plot, they had now reached a branch point in the story, equivalent to a free choice where their NPCpanion would make different decisions based on their choice.

    In this current situation, if they chose not to help, that poverty-stricken noble loli would probably perish.

    ¡°Please allow us to discuss, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Meow King said, and Murphy nodded:

    ¡°Of course. The glory belongs to you, my warriors. Without you, there would be no victory today. You certainly have the right to enjoy all of this.

    But time is of the essence, so please make your decision quickly.¡±

    The little yers moved aside and began a heated discussion, while Murphy watched them with an odd expression.

    Well, well.

    These guys were really getting into character.

    Giving them a bit of agency and letting them y around might effectively enhance their gaming experience. As for whether the youngdy lived or died, to be honest, Murphy really didn¡¯t care much.

    Come on!

    Her old man was the Patriarch, you know.

    The youngdy had lived in luxury. Did she really need Murphy, an outcast, to worry about her? That was basically as ludicrous andughable as a proletariat empathizing with a capitalist, right?

    Moreover, when the youngdy had thrown him and the little yers into the battlefield as cannon fodder, no one else hade to pity them.

    However, his cute little yers were probably just too excited and didn¡¯t look at their own strength. All in all, with Murphy¡¯s recent temte upgrade, he was the only one barely capable of fighting. Even if they did go now, they would just be watching a cutscene while respectfully collecting the youngdy¡¯s remains¡­

    ¡°Lord Murphy! We have made our decision.¡±

    Behind him, Meow King, representing the little yers, stepped forward and performed a decent Blood Vulture bow to Murphy. He said seriously:

    ¡°We should not abandon the youngdy. After all, she has helped us before, so our decision is that we will go and help her!¡±

    It sounded noble and righteous.

    But in reality, the little yers¡¯ thoughts were quite understandable and not unexpected by Murphy.

    They simply didn¡¯t want to miss out on any side storylines worth experiencing! Moreover, this was a poverty-stricken noble loli vampire, a perfect two-dimensional ape bait, right?

    Heh heh, this dog nner was really good at setting things up!

 Chapter 26:

    The little yers who wanted to see the story and exploit the rich lolidy have already made a ¡°storyline branch choice¡±, so Murphy, as an ¡°NPC¡±, naturally has to satisfy their wish.

    He left his two assistants here to take care of Lady Adele and guard the ¡°quest items¡± they robbed from the Goldflower transport team, and then with amand, he led the 11 excited and fully armed little yers, who had physically swapped their weapons for guns, towards the area where the Midnight Hunters and the main force of the transport team were battling.

    Although in this world, the development has only reached bolt-action rifles, which are not necessarily better than cold weapons in small-scale battles, the little yers clearly trust these ranged weapons that can pull the trigger more.

    For example, Onboard Joy Stick wasining that the firepower in this battle was too unscientific in the magical world, while teaching others how to use these bolt-action rifles, as if finding the happiness he had when he was an instructor in Africa.

    But as he went on, Joy Stick, this former professional, just like Miss Lumina before, quickly noticed something was off.

    ¡°Hey! Wait a minute! This gun is different from what I know! There¡¯s no firing pin, is there? And this ball-shaped bullet looks so strange! Why is it this color?¡±

    He eximed, putting the disassembled parts in front of him for a closer look. He could be sure that those old antiques he had seen in the past did not have these weird-looking things.

    This also caused surprise among the other little yers, and Murphy rolled his eyes inwardly as he listened to their chatter.

    Hey, steam technology, kid!This is an otherworld with spirit energy!

    If you want to live happily here, you¡¯d better discard your original knowledge of physics and your worship of Newton like he did.

    Although he didn¡¯t know much about the ¡°technology tree¡± of this world, Murphy knew that the technology here was absolutely not the same as the technology he was familiar with after seeing that outrageous automatic crossbow!

    He could still exin the miniaturization of steam engines with advanced craftsmanship, but the fact that such a small device could maintain the power to drive a revolver cylinder and fire automatic rifle rounds¡­

    If steam engines were really that good, internalbustion engines and the like would never have appeared, right?

    Miriam has a lot of authority in this regard.

    The Shaldor Engineering Academy where she studied was the origin and core of mechanical knowledge in this world. Although she was not a mechanical engineering student, she had told Murphy a bit about the principles of the halflings¡¯ steam engineering.

    She repeatedly mentioned something called a ¡°Combustion Gold Catalyst¡±, saying that it was this thing that transformed steam engineering, and Murphy can confirm that this did not exist in the original world.

    The group moved forward noisily along the Smuggler¡¯s Woods towards the battlefield, and after leaving the ambush area, Murphy finally saw the prompt he had been waiting for:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (5/6): Comprehensive Assessment (Completed)

    1. Alpha mustplete tactical discussions and form strategies with the lovely little yers in the game. (Completed)

    2. The mainbat action must be carried out solely by Alpha and the yer faction. (Completed)

    3. Alpha or the yers must personally kill the leader of the chosenbat target faction, and ensure that at least one-fifth of the current manpower survives at the end of the action. (Completed)

    Evaluation: At the end of the operation, 11 people remained,pleting the quest with: Outstanding!

    Reward: +10 Test Invitation Codes, in-depth Data (Combat Record) function unlocked.

    Outstandingpletion bonus:

    +10 Test Invitation Codes, Tester Active Login function unlocked, limited to 6 hours/day, this function requires manual activation by the test administrator.

    Developer¡¯s note: Outstanding! It¡¯s hard to imagine anyone could achieve such a high rating, just one step away from perfection.

    Ah, it seems I set the strict quest limitations too low.

    By the way, you cheated, didn¡¯t you? You must have, right?¡¿

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Upon seeing the reward for the fifth Newbie Guide Quest, Murphy punched the air violently.

    At this moment, the reward of 20 reserve manpower was nothing. The prompt that allowed him to manually confirm and activate the yer active login function was what he wanted the most!

    If the yers could not actively control the game time, no matter how good the game was, it would seriously dampen their gaming enthusiasm. But now, this problem that had been guing him and the yers was finally solved!

    He, the game tester in charge, could finally go to the forum and report this good news to the little yers who had been eagerly waiting, while boasting about how hard the virtual development team that only existed on the forum had worked.

    Rejoice, brothers! You no longer have to wait for my summons to go online. This way, it¡¯s convenient for you, and I don¡¯t have to make up test content on the forum anymore.

    Then, as usual, a new guide quest popped up:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (6/6): Reach the beginning and the end, return to Kadman City, pass the Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body, and obtain your own exclusive territory.

    Reward: +10 Test Invitation Codes, all remaining basic functions unlocked, additional advanced function rewards based on the scale of your exclusive territory.

    Developer¡¯s note: You have finally reached this step. ording to my estimation, it should have taken at least a year for you to reach this new beginning. In this year, you have had enough experience to temper your will and polish your character. You will take the final step, and then, you will shed the mundane and be a truly qualified test administrator.

    Let the lovely little yers take pride in you, and let you take pride in your lovely and loyal little yers!¡¿

    ¡°A year?¡±

    Murphy sneered and said:

    ¡°I finished your damn challenge in just one month and five days! Excluding the one month it took to unpack and install your shit, I speedrun your broken challenge in five days.

    Most of this is thanks to the bravery and wisdom of the little yers, but I also did a little bit of trivial work in it.

    Anyway, don¡¯t underestimate me! Bastard.¡±

    In that instant, he felt extremely proud and aplished, but Murphy soon noticed the ¡°in-depth Data¡± function in the reward for the fifth guide quest, which made him very curious.

    Hasn¡¯t his character card already been digitized?

    Then he switched to the character card, and indeed, a prompt had appeared, asking whether to enable in-depth Data? It also said that this function could be turned off and switched back to ¡°simple mode¡± at any time.

    This made Murphy roll his eyes again.

    So the character card he had been using was actually the ¡°idiot mode¡±?

    Alright, let me see what your real professional character temte looks like.

    In a good mood, he casually confirmed the switch, thinking it would just be a refresh, but the next moment, a violent headache erupted from Murphy¡¯s brain, as if his skull was about to be cut open.

    He stumbled backward, dazed, and was quickly supported by the little yers.

    ¡°Quick! The NPC is injured and unconscious! Who knows first aid?¡±

    ¡°Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! Mouth-to-mouth, quick! Call Lumina over here. Oh, Lumina identally died? Never mind, let Ah Yuen, the sluttiest one,e.¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, we should still do chestpressions. Traditional medicine advocates a point-to-stop approach. After all, giving mouth-to-mouth to a vampire sounds quite fantastical.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s equally fantastical for you topress the chest of a vampire?¡±

    The group of idiots argued back and forth, while the experienced Electronic Subus Old Tune was already doing chestpressions on Murphy in a professional manner.

    But in reality, their NPC was neither sick nor weak.

    He had justpleted the temte upgrade and could kill an ox with one punch, well, physically kill, he was just a bit dazed by the constant flow of data into his mind.

    The character card in front of him had changed into a form he couldn¡¯t understand at all under the in-depth Data mode:

    ¡¾Name: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra

    Race: Vampire¡¾Blood Vulture n ¨C Descendant of Desire¡¿

    Temte: Dark Spirit Alignment ¨C Rare Individual

    Rank: Level 8 Professional

    Profession: Level 9 Blood Vulture Swordsman / Level 7 Dark Spirit Apprentice / None

    Talents: Dark Spirit Perception & Maniption¡¾Proficient¡¿, Stealth ¨C Shadow Walking¡¾Master¡¿, Close Combat ¨C Physical Attack Specialization¡¾Master¡¿, Swordsman Job Talents (Omitted), Spirit Apprentice Job Talents (Omitted)

    Expertise: Otherworld Creature Summoning¡¾16/40¡¿

    Skills: Blood Vulture Sword Arts¡¾Master¡¿/ Dark Spirit st¡¾Proficient¡¿/ Summoning II ¨C Astral Dire Wolf¡¾Novice¡¿

    Detailed Character Card Data as follows:

    Strength: 7 ¡ú 7 + 3.5 (150% initial attribute boost from Rare Creature Temte)

    Agility: 10 ¡ú 10 + 5

    Endurance: 9 ¡ú 9 + 4.5

    Intelligence: 5 ¡ú 5 + 2.5

    Perception: 8 ¡ú 8 + 4

    Charisma: 1 ¡ú 1 + 0.5

    Exnation 1:

    The meanings of the attributes are as follows:

    Strength: Determines attack/destruction power, defense sess rate, environmental destruction, and weight-lifting limit.

    Agility: Determines movement speed, attack speed, and dodging sess rate.

    Endurance: Determines carrying capacity, constitution, wound healing, and stamina recovery speed.

    Intelligence: Determines spirit affinity and learning speed,prehension of books and scrolls, and spirit recovery speed.

    Perception: Determines detection range, hostile perception, environmental observation, and reaction speed.

    Charisma: Determines the sess rate ofmunication, persuasion, deception, intimidation, and first impressions on others.

    Exnation 2:

    The initial value total for vampires is 40, and for other supernatural races, it is also 40.

    Without undergoing the Trials of Strength at each stage, the racial base values will gradually weaken or strengthen with age, rted to the characteristics of each race, but natural changes will not exceed 10% of the base limit.

    Afterpleting the Trials of Strength at each stage, the character will receive attribute increases. The base increase is 12 points per stage, allocated ording to strength and job orientation, and cannot be freely distributed.

    Furthermore, when the character¡¯s temte changes, their attribute values will also change significantly.

    Temte changes only ur for creatures in this world, and testers do not enjoy temte bonuses, uniformly using the standard creature temte.

    Exnation 3:

    The base human temte (tester/yer) has an initial racial value of 30, with each attribute initially 5 ¡À 3. This base temte adopts the average value of the¡¾Human ¨C Nord/Ket/Sn¡¿races in this world and is slightly adjusted based on the individual tester¡¯s biological characteristics.

    Testers cannot upgrade their character temtes, but they have 1.5x growth potential and learning ability.

    After the test administrator and testersplete each stage of the Trial of Strength, the total attribute increase is 18 points per stage, with 12 points allocated ording to strength and job orientation, and the remaining 6 points can be freely distributed.

    The content of each stage¡¯s Trial of Strength for testers is designated by the test administrator, but the test administrator must first pass that stage¡¯s Trial of Strength.

    Exnation 4:

    In in-depth Data mode, all racial traits will also be digitized. Taking vampires as an example:

    Vampire ¨C Blood Vulture n Racial Traits:

    Night¡¯s Blessing: When in a dark environment, closebat and spirit skill checks +1, agility increases by 20%, intelligence increases by 20%, life, stamina, and spirit recovery rates greatly elerated.

    Can perform Blood Wings flight (0.5x speed of sound) during the night.

    Day¡¯s Curse: When fighting in a bright environment, damage dealt is reduced by 30%, life recovery rate reduced by 50%, and continuously suffers from¡¾Sunlight Burn¡¿which is treated as a negative effect. This effect can be negated by spells but cannot be dispelled.

    Vampire¡¯s Touch: Each attack has a chance to drain the enemy¡¯s life force to replenish or enhance one¡¯s own attack, and when the power of blood reaches its limit, it can be used to enhance the next attack.

    This racial ability will be activated upon reaching the ck Iron Body rank.

    Bat Heritage: When a vampire is near death, they can dissipate their physical form and transform into a bat swarm to escape mortal danger, usage limit¡¾3 times/night¡¿. Using this ability multiple times in a short period will cause the vampire to suffer¡¾Mental Strain¡¿and¡¾Physical Copse¡¿negative effects.

    This racial ability will be activated upon reaching the ck Iron Body rank.

    Reclusive Blood n: The seven vampire ns have a unique andplex prestige system, causing vampires to have reduced goodwill and difficultymunicating with other factions.

    Eternal Sin Descendant: Vampires, bearing the original sin, are abhorred by all other life forms, making it difficult to increase charisma.

    Exnation 5:

    In in-depth Data mode, detailedbat records can be viewed.

    But please note that thisbat record is only a digitized interpretation of the originalbat. To obtain more information, professional data analysis skills are required.

    Engaging inbat in in-depth Data mode will introduce a¡¾Dice Roll¡¿option, adding more fun and unexpected elements to otherwiseckluster battles.

    Warning!

    It is not rmended to use this advanced function at low power levels to avoid unexpected instant deaths.

    Continue enabling in-depth Data? Yes/No¡¿

    This long string of numbers popped into Murphy¡¯s eyes, making him feel immense pressure just from reading it.

    Now he could be certain that no matter which idiot handcrafted this admin system, that guy must be a hardcore RPG campaign lover. Just look at his nonsensical suggestion!

    Rolling dice!

    You wish. If I roll six 1s in a row in a duel, wouldn¡¯t even a favorable situation suddenly turn disastrous for me? That¡¯s way too exciting!

    What sane person would use this?

    ¡°Disable!¡±

    Murphy muttered.

    Theplex data disappeared from his sight in an instant, and the character card returned to the pleasing, concise, idiot mode. His headache immediately subsided, and he was instantly revived to full health.

    Surrounded by the little yers, he stood up and thanked them for their help, while batting away Ah Yuen¡¯s hand that was still pinching his chest.

    However, he was pondering that considering the attribute exnations earlier, the reason he couldn¡¯t withstand in-depth Data was most likely because his intelligence attribute was still not high enough?

    In other words, he wasn¡¯t smart enough?

    Ugh, that was a bit too hurtful, wasn¡¯t it?

    The vampire sneered.

    But when he looked at the little yers in front of him, he felt amused again. No wonder these guys were so weak ¨C their initial character values were all 5, at most fluctuating by 3, with a measly total of only 30.

    Tsk tsk, they were definitely bottom tier scrubs.

    If they remained this weak, it would indeed be worrying. However, the little yers¡¯ growth potential was 1.5 times that of the natives. Considering that even the initial racial values of supernatural beings like vampires were only 40, even a single attribute point was very important. Yet these guys could get 6 more attribute points than the natives every time they crossed a power threshold!

    This meant that after just two Trials of Strength, their total attribute value would surpass that of natives at the same rank. Most importantly, the natives only had one life!

    But the yers were not afraid of death.

    This meant their leveling speed would definitely be more than ten times faster than the natives!

    Perhaps in less than a year, Murphy could have a super army with everyone at the Silver Body rank! By then, conquering the world would be a piece of cake.

    Of course, the yers¡¯ inability to upgrade their character temtes meant they could only be evaluated using the standard temte. At the same rank, theirbat power would probably be ranked at the bottom tier. But that didn¡¯t matter.

    When the numbers wererge enough, quantity was a quality of its own.

    No matter how powerful an elite temte was, it couldn¡¯t withstand a group battle against 25 standard temtes of the same rank.

    Thinking of this, Murphy¡¯s gaze towards the little yers became increasingly gentle and affectionate. My adorable little leeks, you really do have a promising future!

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Just as Murphy was pondering this wonderful future, a familiar scream suddenly rang out from ahead, causing him to frown and turn his head immediately.

    What on earth was Lady Femis screaming about? Is this the kind of scream a vampiredy should make? That¡¯s way too unbing! Screaming so miserably, did she see a ghost or something?

 Chapter 27:

    While Murphy and his little yers were ambushing the transport team and battling to the death with the elites of the Wolfsbane n, the rest of the battlefield was also making simr progress.

    The moment the camp caught fire, Lady Femis dispatched Lady Adele with a few elite Blood Servants to return, mainly to deliver a message to Murphy and also to see what the hell was happening in the camp.

    Lady Adele, already aware that the situation was bad, went alone to Murphy¡¯s defensive area, while the few Blood Servants under hermand returned to the burning camp, where they collided head-on with four Witch Hunters who were nning to leave.

    ¡°Kill!¡±

    The five elite Blood Servants made no extra moves, charging at the enemy with their spears as soon as they saw them. Although they served vampires like Maxim, being brought along by the Midnight Hunters was proof that they were carefully trained ¡°reserve forces¡± of the Blood n, withbat powerparable to the elites of a human army.

    They had even been empowered by their vampire masters¡¯ dark spirit abilities, and were not afraid of the Witch Hunters.

    At the same time, a rather dark humor was that due to the terrible weakening vampires suffered in sunlight, these armed Blood Servant armies were actually the true main force in Kadman City and the entire Transia region.

    ¡°Bloodsuckers¡¯ dogs! Die!¡±

    The four Witch Hunters had been tortured badly, but they were now dead set, so they battled the Blood Servants amidst the raging mes of the camp.¡°Little Natalie! Run! We¡¯ll hold off these dogs.¡±

    The one-armed veteran Porter putbat ws on his hand, charging to knock down a Blood Servant.

    The two fought like starving beasts in the firelight, determined to sink their fangs into each other¡¯s throats, while beside them the other veteran Norman did the same, his skin torn open but seemingly numb, silently battling with his shattered body.

    But they were not just fighting for the sake of fighting.

    The veteran¡¯s raspy shouts made the female hunter Natalie¡¯s heart tremble. She knew everyone was protecting her, shielding her escape even in this dire situation.

    However, such protection was a burden.

    From the start of the Ten Year War until now, she had lost too many friends andrades, surviving death countless times.

    She was well aware that the current battle was hopeless, but she no longer wanted to flee. Perhaps dying here would be a decent end.

    Curse this damned world!

    Here, peace was just a boring illusion that would never be realized!

    She tilted her head back, her half-open left eye catching the flickering of Sr Spirit energy from the edge of the swamp.

    That zing light was like the scorching sun in the night, representing that the Midnight Hunters had encountered a formidable foe, the enemy had high-ranking spirit mages from the Circle Tower on guard!

    The flickering of that sun barrier alone was enough to torture those denizens of darkness.

    If it could wipe out nearly 60 elite vampires at once, that would undoubtedly be an outstanding achievement.

    If the Avalon Church still existed, Natalie and her teammates would likely be canonized as revered Warrior Protectors after this battle.

    Unfortunately, the Avalon Church had already be a forgotten relic in the people¡¯s minds.

    That organization which had nurtured her and which she saw as her soul¡¯s haven had vanished into smoke ten years ago, taking with it those warriors who fought to hunt fiends and protect humanity, leaving them as stray dogs.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The violent sh of weapons snapped Natalie out of her daze, reminding her that she was still engaged in a brutal battle.

    Such absent-mindedness should not happen to an elite.

    For it to ur meant her spirit-enhanced body had reached its limit.

    She thought she could still fight, but her body was already copsing.

    The grotesque Blood Servant in front of her kicked her injured abdomen, making her spit blood before falling to the ash-strewn ground. It raised its de to take her head, but in the struggle on the ground, through her blurred vision she could see the veteran Porter sinking his ws into an enemy¡¯s throat, a broken spear piercing his own abdomen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡±

    The raspy shout came from the other side, making Natalie turn with difficulty to see the frail Amber leaning against the wagon, both hands gripping a hand crossbow.

    This slender, sensitive but determined scout girl must have found the weapon in the vampires¡¯ wagon.

    She was trying hard to aim.

    But her right eye, blinded by poison, made it difficult for her to shoot as urately as before.

    ¡°Putt¡±

    The flying bolt shot out, downing the Blood Servant raising its de. Two others turned to kill Amber.

    She had no chance to reload her crossbow.

    Natalie and the old Norman mustered theirst strength to tackle the two wounded Blood Servants, grappling on the ground with fists and teeth until the bloodied Amber crawled over and stabbed thest two in the eyes with a dagger.

    Four doomed Witch Huntersy amidst the ravaged, burning campsite.

    They were dying.

    Even after securing another precious victory, the advancing fire left them without the strength to crawl out of this vortex of death.

    Amber wanted to drag Natalie away, but copsed beside her captain after just standing up, only able to fix her remaining left eye on her, cracked lips moving faintly to convey a message.

    She meant to say sorry.

    But there was no need to apologize.

    Dying in such a battle was the best fate for these now-homeless Witch Hunters.

    Better than living to face the looks of loathing and fear from those they once protected, being cursed as traitors and callously sent to another battlefield of death by the cold, unfeeling mages of the Circle Tower.

    Their lives had be mere fuel for war, or perhaps that had been their purpose from the start.

    Natalie closed her eyes.

    She felt so tired.

    She just wanted to sleep well now.

    Perhaps in slumber she could meet death and reunite with her mother in another world, for her memories of that loved one seemed polluted and blurred by the ck nightmares of war, which should not be.

    The distant sound of hoofbeats approached through the night, apanied bybored horse snorts and uneasy whinnies, until the tall knight who hade from afar jumped down and quickly walked into the silent campsite.

    The gruesome scene before him moved the hooded knight, who carried arge oak sword on his back.

    Realizing what had happened here, he bent down and carried the nearest Natalie and Amber out of the camp, then turned back for the veterans Porter and Norman.

    These two were already dead.

    But they had expired only minutes ago, their souls not yet departed for the underworld, so there was still a chance to save them!

    ¡°May Avalon bless them, the mission of these loyal warriors is not yet over.¡±

    The knight murmured the divine name, taking emerald seeds from his pouch and stuffing them into the mouths of the two veterans.

    As his fingers glowing with emerald specks struck their hearts firmly, the life-representing seeds fused with their hearts, which started faintly beating again in this odd state.

    Whether they could be revived was 50-50 at this point, but tonight¡¯s night truly favored warriors.

    Natalie was soon awakened by the surroundingmotion.

    She could feel warm liquid flowing into her mouth, tasting strangely herbal, instantly relieving her utterly exhausted spirit. With difficulty she opened her eyes to a familiar face.

    Wrinkled, seeming saddened, gray hair extending from under the hood, with a scar remaining above the left eye and nose bridge, while those aged eyes showed a glimmer of worry.

    ¡°Father¡­War Chief.¡±

    The female hunter gripped the old knight¡¯s hand with a start, coughing as she said with difficulty:

    ¡°We¡­failed toplete¡­¡±

    ¡°Rest, child, you all did well.¡±

    The old knight called the ¡°War Chief¡± consoled her:

    ¡°Your Hunting Falcon Swift Shadow delivered the message to headquarters, and led me here too. You lured nearly a sixth of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s hunters into a trap, that¡¯s already an outstanding achievement.

    I¡¯m here now.

    I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°For¡­for our fallenrades! Please¡­¡±

    Natalie finally let go.

    Her weary spirit could no longer support her, and she drifted off to sleep.

    Then a small but ferocious and intelligent gray hunting falcon flew down anxiously,nding beside Natalie and hopping about, keening mournfully towards the old knight.

    ¡°She¡¯s alright, Swift Shadow,¡±

    The old knight stood, pulling his hood down to obscure his face as he told the falcon:

    ¡°Look after them, I¡¯ll go deal with the remaining trouble.¡±

    He whistled, calling his towering red warhorse to charge into the camp, then grabbed the reins and swung up in one fluid motion without slowing, trampling through the burning campsite towards the winding path into the Foul Swamp.

    The fire behind elongated his silhouette.

    As he drew nearer to the vampires¡¯ battlefield, the oak greatsword on his back with its sacred white oak hilt and decorations began an eerie humming.

    ¡°Mm, you sense the fiends ahead too, good.¡±

    The White Oak War Chief felt the rising fervor in his weapon, murmuring:

    ¡°After the old faith¡¯s downfall, it¡¯s been a while since you were this active. Still remembering the humiliation the Blood Vultures dealt you back then? Perfect!

    My anger also burns high now!

    With the vampires¡¯ oblivion and a forest vengeance as offerings, holy de, lend me your strength.¡±

    The humming of the oak greatsword wrapped in tattered sword cloth transformed into an eerie howling of a forest gale, making the surrounding trees shiver and part a path for the charging knight.

    Vines receded, branches raised, boughs tilted, as if responding to the old knight¡¯s nearing assault, while the piercing sword hum seemed both answer and urging cry.

    Finally, he saw the Midnight Hunters retreating through the night ahead.

    Those vile crimson specters were withdrawing under the blinding nighttime sunlight, thinking the night¡¯s protection would let them escape.

    How naive!

    ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Lady Femis struck the few remaining gunners ahead with a vicious dark spirit lightning bolt.

    Her hunters had suffered heavy losses impeding those damned mages, though they had also killed four times their number in human soldiers and Witch Huntersbined. But realizing the transport wagons had gotten away, the Lady knew continuing the ughter here was meaningless.

    Defeating that high-ranking Circle Tower mage wasn¡¯t impossible.

    But pointless!

    Kill one here, and the Circle Tower would send three more, as humanity¡¯s central spirit user headquarters, none knew how many deployable mages they truly had.

    Humans¡¯ learning ability was too horrifying.

    These short-lived beings¡¯ lifespans were like pitiful fireworks, yet their growth rate stirred envy in every vampire, no, every supernatural being.

    The Lady had ordered retreat.

    Having lost over ten hunters, the Midnight Hunters withdrew decisively, their absolute speed advantage ensuring the enemy¡¯s depleted pursuit force couldn¡¯t stop them.

    No one could block their exit.

    But as the vampires turned back, they saw the previously cid Smuggler¡¯s Woods had instantly transformed into a malevolent ¡°maze¡±.

    Writhing vines like snakesshed up into the canopy, dragging airborne hunters into the woods, while the shadowed ground showed disturbing, looming outlines.

    They were trapped.

    Then bluish-green mes suddenly erupted, forming a descending longsword in the darkness that cleaved the Midnight Hunters unable to evade, splitting them in two.

    As the red warhorse and its knight thundered past, the bisected Midnight Hunters screamed, zing into kindling that red crimson embers swirling and dissipating among the howling woods.

    The sight made Lady Femis¡¯ blood-red pupils instantly constrict.

    That was an elite Midnight Hunter advancing to the Silver Rank, killed so easily in one strike? Without even a chance to recover or flee?

    Who was the attacker?

    And that strange sword!

    What was that thing?

    As if sensing the hovering Lady¡¯s shock, the iing old knight raised his head amidst the dissipating embers after felling another Midnight Hunter.

    His aged eyes held no more worry or softness, reced by a piercing, bone-chilling gaze of death.

    ¡°Old Faith Pdin, Lord of Oak, White Knight Captain Finoch Lawson salutes the Blood Vultures! The knell of eternal silence has tolled! Fiends, repent!¡±

    He shouted thus.

    With a casual swing of the purifying oak sacred de wreathed in cleansing me, an ambushing vampire behind was bisected in a brighter crimson burst, prompting the Lady to turn and flee without hesitation or response.

    She had heard that name, long ago when she was just a child.

    The Oak Knight Finoch, one of the Old Faith¡¯s three Pdin Saints at the Golden Rank!

    Damn it!

    This 200-year-old human monster should not be here at all!

    Night Mother, have you forsaken us?

 Chapter 28:

    The Young Lady was fleeing in the woods.

    She was not someone who would abandon her kin and escape alone. The most orthodox education she received from a young age had instilled in her themanding presence befitting a Midnight aristocrat.

    She was well aware of what fleeing without a fight would mean in the n under such circumstances.

    But she could not turn back and choose to fight.

    For she no longer had any kin left. When faced with an intruding enemy of the Golden Rank on the battlefield, the annihtion of the Midnight Hunters had already been sealed.

    The enemy was a White Knight skilled in natural spirit tactics and capable of using divine arts. This was forest terrain!

    It was simply a perfect setup for death.

    For a Vampire Spirit Mage like herself, who had yet to pass the Silver Body trial, to escape from such an enemy was an undeniable victory.

    However, a massive question was echoing in Femis¡¯ mind.Even if these old faith remnants were unwee in the Goldflower Kingdom, even if the Witch Hunter groups were treated as expendable cannon fodder thrown into the Transia region, a powerhouse of the Golden Rank should still be under someone¡¯s control over their actions.

    Even if Finoch was now truly serving the Goldflower Kingdom, he should have been kept by General Loren, themander of the pioneer army!

    Unless that general had lost his mind, he would never dare to let such a ¡°humanoid monster¡± roam freely.

    Most importantly, if Finoch had been active in the Transia region before, why was her fatherpletely unaware of it?

    White Knights were not a profession known for stealth.

    As long as old Finoch had shown himself, the Blood Vulture n¡¯s undercover agents would have definitely caught wind of it. His sudden appearance defied logic, unless¡­

    ¡°There¡¯s a traitor in the n! The local intelligencework has beenpromised.¡±

    A terrifying guess appeared in the Young Lady¡¯s mind, perfectly exining why she had ended up in such a predicament. The Blood Vulture n¡¯s control over Transia had been disrupted, and the n had failed to detect the real threat.

    Powerhouses of the Golden Rank had been mobilized. Their target was obvious.

    Kadman City.

    They were going to attack Kadman City!

    Coming to this conclusion made the Young Lady hold her breath for an instant. Upon realizing the n was in danger of annihtion, Femis¡¯ determination to escape intensified.

    She had to immediately notify her father of this news, or the entire Blood Vulture n would soon suffer devastating losses.

    However, the oue of fleeing was never decided by the one fleeing.

    All she could do was constantly use spirit tricks to scatter more illusions in all directions to confuse her pursuers. But minutester, just as the Young Lady was about to break out of the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, a zing sunlight erupted from behind, sweeping across the entire forest like a cascading beam of light.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Femis let out a cry of pain.

    It was as if she had been tossed into a boiling pot. She could feel the Sr Spirit waves searing her skin, causing it to char and burn. In that moment, she lost even the strength to maintain flight, crashing to the ground in a trail of ck smoke.

    This level of spirit burst hadpletely drained the life force of that high-ranking Circle Tower Spirit Mage, who hadunched a final, suicidal attack.

    But the effect was satisfactory.

    The battered Young Lady crashing to the ground didn¡¯t need to sense anything.

    She could confirm that the Midnight Hunters she had gathered had suffered a pitiful annihtion just then, and now the question was whether she still had a chance to escape this forest that was meant to be her executioner.

    The answer was no.

    After taking a few minutes to recover from the burns and paralysis, before the Young Lady could spread her Blood Wings to take flight, that figure wielding the oaken greatsword appeared before her eyes.

    Yes!

    In front of her! Not behind.

    This proved that the Young Lady¡¯s earlier attempt to break through had also been under the masterful control of this White Knight. The entire forest had misled her, causing her not only to fail in nearing the border, but to venture even deeper into the heart of the woods.

    Like desperate prey toyed with by a skilled hunter, in the face of overwhelming strength, even the noblest of bloodlines could not save her from this inescapable predicament.

    Old Finoch approached Femis while carrying the burning oak sacred de. The surrounding trees twisted with his steps.

    The branches and vines intertwined, forming a dense ¡°cage¡± that even wove together above their heads, blocking the path to the sky.

    ¡°What a lovely little girl. It¡¯s a pity you were born with a wicked heart, just like the other vampires. You should hide in your night like rats and live that life.

    But you always want to taint the world under the sun.¡±

    The old knight spoke with a tone of disgust:

    ¡°It was you who started this war, throwing the whole world into chaos. Now it¡¯s time for you to pay the price, so don¡¯t give me that victimized look, child.

    This is what you brought upon yourselves!¡±

    Lady Femis knew there was no escape.

    In her final moments, she refused to face oblivion as a coward, resolutely deciding to engage in the kind of battle to the death that she actually disliked.

    Drawing her ceremonial dagger with her left hand, her right hand flexed its fingers to draw stray dark spirits from the night, crimson light flickering at her fingertips as she rapidly crafted a spirit javelin with thorns twining at both ends.

    This was also an advanced extension technique of Spirit st, not recorded in the Young Lady¡¯s manual that Murphy had learned.

    It wasn¡¯t that the Young Lady was unwilling to teach, but rather that this trick belonged to an advanced application that a spirit novice like Murphy clearly could not master in a short time.

    She took a deep breath.

    Her ck hair whipped about in the chaotic forest winds, but she stared unflinchingly at old Finoch across from her, taunting in her cool voice:

    ¡°Remnant of the old faith, don¡¯t put on that hypocritical air of being forced to fight! Didn¡¯t you end up in this state because you betrayed your vows and turned your weapons on the people and nation you swore to protect ten years ago?

    The state religion actually colluded with those brainless idiots from East Prussia to incite a rebellion!

    After you were suppressed and became stray dogs, was it us who secretly instigated your King Louis?

    The entire Portia Federation was also dragged into the Ten Year War because of your foolish rebellion!

    What were you, who im righteousness, doing at that time?

    Did you join in the ughter of the people of Iceport and the Sax Mountain that the rebels reveled in? Or did you lead the rebels into Bourbon and burn the Pearl of Sn to the ground?

    Your words rebound upon you!

    Everything you¡¯re suffering now is what you brought upon yourselves!

    Do you know why the Blood Vulture n deliberately tortures captured Witch Hunters?

    It¡¯s not because we¡¯re cruel by nature, but because the Sn nobles secretly paid us to do it! Didn¡¯t expect that, did you? The ones who hate you most are not us, but your own people.

    And you¡­

    Deserve it!¡±

    Though the Young Lady usually didn¡¯t like to talk much, her verbal ability was truly impressive.

    Hitting at the core of the issue with just a few sentences left the old knight speechless. He could only remain silent, raising his holy de to charge forward, intending to end this meaningless debate.

    The Young Lady threw her crimson javelin but it was sliced down by the White Knight¡¯s sword. In the face of that sacred de burning with purifying mes, all of Femis¡¯ skills and knowledge lost theirbat effectiveness.

    It took less than a minute of resistance before old Finoch severed her arm, and the White Knight then bound her to the tree trunk with summoned vines.

    ¡°Sharp-tongued girl, rest in peace.¡±

    He said in a low voice, then swung his sacred de down in a strike.

    Femis closed her eyes in despair.

    She could feel the searing purifying mes pouring down upon her head, perhaps about to extinguish all her vitality in the next second.

    However, the expected pain did note. The surprised Young Lady opened her eyes to see that oaken sacred de steadily halted right in front of her head.

    The purifying mes wrapping the de¡¯s edge were rapidly fading, revealing the smooth sword body inscribed with elven runes and the ancient, sacred oak crossguard.

    ¡°Are you mocking me? Just kill me!¡±

    The Young Lady¡¯s pale cheeks flushed with anger as she swallowed hard, thinking this shaggy-browed old knight was just ying cruel games.

    But the truth was not so.

    Though Finoch¡¯s face was expressionless, he too was surprised inside.

    This was not him deliberately toying with the little vampire before him. The purifying mes on the holy de had subsided of their own ord, and the de that had just emitted hateful howls at vampires had also inexplicably fallen silent in that instant.

    As if the holy de itself was hesitating, unsure whether to harm this Midnight monstrosity.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡±

    The old knight was exceptionally shocked now.

    The oak sacred de in his hand was the Watcher, one of the old faith¡¯s Three Sacred des, a divine gift passed down from the elves. It was supposed to hold the utmost loathing for ¡°Eternal Sin Descendants¡± like vampires.

    Just then, ughtering the Midnight Hunters had been like killing chickens, so how could it now voluntarily withdraw its power?

    He stared at the petite vampire before him, then sheathed his sword thoughtfully. Again under Femis¡¯ wide-eyed gaze, he took out a ck seed and forced it into her chubby face, making her swallow it.

    ¡°Cough cough¡±

    The seed melted in her mouth, its strange taste causing the Young Lady to cough violently.

    She cursed, ¡°You¡­what did you make me eat? Vile scoundrel! How dare you treat ady¡­ah¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you see?¡±

    Finoch ignored the Young Lady¡¯s strugglespletely. The old knight pressed down on Femis¡¯ head and interrogated:

    ¡°Tell me, what do you see now?¡±

    ¡°Get lost! Shameless beast, I would never¡­ah!¡±

    The Young Lady gritted her teeth, refusing to respond.

    However, the seed seemed to have a powerful hypnotic and disorientating effect, causing hallucinations to bloom before her eyes, as if the whole world had been inverted and distorted. She could only vaguely hear old Finoch¡¯s interrogation.

    ¡°Tell me, child, what do you see? Describe what you¡¯re seeing! This is important for both of us!¡±

    He continued questioning.

    Femis felt her mind wandering through a chaotic scene, vaguely able to see herself walking among intertwining starlight.

    She shook her head in a daze, saying disjointedly:

    ¡°Blood¡­I see a tree of blood¡­growing from an endless sea of blood¡­no leaves, only branches¡­what is that?¡±

    ¡°p¡±

    This answer made the old knight narrow his eyes. He then decisively waved his hand, releasing the Young Lady from the blood vine bindings and tossing her away onto the distant ground.

    The violent impact freed her from the strange hallucination.

    She weakly raised her head to see the old knight had sheathed his sword and was walking deeper into the forest.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She called out weakly:

    ¡°Why did you spare me? Are you mocking me?¡±

    This question made the old knight pause in his steps.

    Without turning back, he spoke in a muffled tone tinged with a sense of resignation:

    ¡°Go ask your father when you return home, poor girl. I did not spare you, your future fate is grim enough that letting you live is punishment itself!¡±

    These words only raised more questions in Femis¡¯ mind.

    But she was now drained of all strength, only able to watch helplessly as the monster who had single-handedly ughtered her entire team disappeared into the forest shadows.

    Such humiliation and bitter failure made the Young Lady clutch at the dirt beside her in anguish. After a few seconds of silence, she let out a scream of frustration.

    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±

    Then, to her own surprise, this scream summoned unexpected help with an effect as miraculous as a pet trainer¡¯s whistle.

    ¡°Yo, Young Lady, are you alright?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice rang out from nearby, and the little yers soon rushed out from the now-normal forest.

    They ran over and surrounded the Young Lady, lying prone in an undignified, defeated posture on the ground. But instead of helping her up, they began appraising her appearance, chattering in strangenguages she couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You bastards! Murphy! Control your rude servants!¡±

    When had the Young Lady ever suffered such indignity?

    Already injured and weak, being mocked by a group of little yers made her furious with Murphy. Murphy sauntered up, helping her rise while saying nonchntly:

    ¡°These servants of mine are just rude, boorish but warm-hearted fellows. For now, don¡¯t get angry, Young Lady. You need rest. Oh, you¡¯ve fainted. What a frail Young Lady.

    My brave warrior Niuniu,e here!

    I hereby appoint you as the Young Lady¡¯s official knight!

    Carry her on your back.

    Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s up ahead.¡±

 Chapter 29:

    Murphy led the little yers through the woods behind them and soon arrived at the ce where the Midnight Hunters had engaged with the transport team.

    There were still traces of the Sr Spirit energy explosion here. The flowers and grasses on the ground were left with scorch marks, and the corpses of the transport team¡¯s escort soldiers were strewn about haphazardly.

    Dismembered remains, soldiers fallen by the carts, the terrible corrosion left by Dark Spirit energy on their armor, and the drained corpses on the ground allowed the yers to feel the intensity of the main battlefield.

    Compared to this, their ambush skirmish was child¡¯s y. Speaking of which, there were still five or six cavalrymen with broken legs thrown into the trench of the ambush ring, weren¡¯t there?

    ¡°Damn! This is simply a massacre!¡±

    Meow King cursed heavily.

    The two remaining giants beside him, ¡°Electronic Subus Old Tune¡± and ¡°Led More Than Three to Five Pecks¡±, roughly counted the heads and said in astonishment:

    ¡°How could the sixty vampires under the Young Lady wipe out more than two hundred and forty soldiers and Witch Hunters and emerge unscathed? Theirbat power is too exaggerated, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. We can beat ordinary soldiers in closebat. Vampires are supernatural beings to begin with, and the ones led by the Young Lady are elites. Vampires have various enhancements at night. It¡¯s not surprising that they turned out like this when they attacked in groups.But they definitely couldn¡¯t havee out unscathed!

    Maybe the vampires took the bodies away?¡±

    As Onboard Joy Stick was pondering while circling around on this grassy field ravaged like a storm had passed through, he saw Ah Yuen squatting down and picking up a handful of red ash from the ground.

    The student looked at the others with a strange expression and said:

    ¡°Look at this ash! Doesn¡¯t it look like the bone ash of that bastard vampire we drained earlier?¡±

    This question made everyone shudder. They immediately spread out and began searching around in these woods.

    ¡°I found two piles here!¡±

    ¡°Over here too, a lot of it. I also found some half-charred vampire clothes.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s ash like this everywhere! Woah, you don¡¯t think those vampires were all killed, do you? Not a single one managed to escape?¡±

    As the information was gathered from various ces, this battlefield, which had already fallen silent, suddenly seemed ominous.

    The little yers huddled together, looking around warily, fearing that a fire-breathing monster might charge out from the shadows at any moment.

    The Young Lady on Precipitation Niuniu¡¯s back had already fainted. With her arm cut off and undergoing self-healing, it was unlikely she could wake up anytime soon. Murphy also felt a chill down his back.

    Ever since approaching this ce, he had a feeling of being watched from the dark, which made him extremely ufortable.

    He understood better than the little yers the destructive power of these elite Midnight Hunters gathered together, and thus could betterprehend how terrifying the unknown force that had trapped and killed these Midnight Hunters in this patch of woods must be.

    Perhaps there were entities in the Transia region that vampires could not contend with, but ones that prevented them from even escaping and only allowed for hopeless waiting for death clearly exceeded Murphy¡¯s knowledge and imagination.

    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    Murphy decisively told his little yers:

    ¡°Gather up anything that can still be used. Let¡¯s leave! Search carefully through the Midnight Hunters¡¯ remains and try to find their spirit pouches so we can carry more things.¡±

    ¡°Spirit pouches? What are those?¡±

    The newbie Onboard Joy Stick bumped Meow King¡¯s shoulder and asked. Thetter exined in a low voice:

    ¡°It¡¯s like a space backpack! Our NPC had one on his waist, and all our equipment came from that thing. I reckon these lost spirit pouches of the vampires are probably the quest rewards for our mission this time. They¡¯ve got to give us some small bags as newbies, you know?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick nodded and turned to rummage through the ash piles.

    He indeed found a dirty blood-red pouch in there. Unfortunately, this thing was spirit-locked by its previous owner and needed to wait for the spirit imprint to dissipate before it could be opened.

    Apart from nearly forty of these spirit pouches left behind by the vaporized vampires, the yers also found dozens of usable rifles and severalrge ammunition boxes from the annihted transport team soldiers.

    The diligent little yers not only found the spooked pack mules in the woods nearby but also wanted to take the intact armor off those soldiers, leaving nothing behind like a swarm of locusts.

    But Murphy felt they shouldn¡¯t linger in this ce.

    So after simply loading a carriage with their findings, he quickly led them away from there with the unconscious Young Lady.

    It was only after they had all left that a grey falcon the size of a plump pigeon silently took off from a branch at the edge of the woods at night, nimbly turned and disappeared.

    At the entrance to the Foul Swamp, the white knight Finoch Lawson ced the sole two surviving spirit channelers from the battle into one of the carts left by the vampires. One of them, still conscious, was emitting smoke from his high body temperature.

    This was an aftereffect of rapidly gathering arge amount of Sr Spirit energy. But he had only been an assistant caster for that zing sun spell, the true caster had incinerated himself amidst the intense spirit energy.

    Just like those purified vampires, reduced to ashes.

    This was the consequence of trying to master the sun.

    The sun was cruel to vampires but hardly merciful to humans either.

    This surviving spirit channeler took big gulps of water and said hoarsely to the old knight:

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Finoch. Without you, we would not have survived tonight.¡±

    ¡°I did note for you.¡±

    The old knight had no goodwill towards these Circle Tower spirit channelers, coldly saying:

    ¡°It was just a chance urrence. I will send you to the Transia border, but you will have to make your own way after that.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Mr. Finoch.¡±

    The spirit channeler pleaded:

    ¡°The cargo we were escorting is still in the woods. Please help us recover it, and I promise! As long as we can return to General Loren, I will do my utmost to put in a good word for the White Oak Battalion.¡±

    ¡°The mission has already failed!¡±

    The old knight was unconcerned about these matters, waving his hand as he said:

    ¡°You made too much noise in vampire territory. Consider yourselves lucky to be alive. If I were you, I would not fret over goods doomed to be lost, but rather ponder how this supposedly covert escort mission was discovered by the vampires in the first ce?

    They even knew your arrival time and route!

    ¡°This is no longer just an issue that can be exined by a leak.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    The spirit channeler was rendered speechless.

    But he realized the old knight¡¯s advice was correct.

    Promptly notifying General Loren about the importance of the possibility that the Pioneer Corps had been infiltrated by the Blood Vultures was now far more crucial than retrieving those lost goods.

    ¡°I understand. Thanks for the trouble.¡±

    He no longer insisted. The old knight lowered the cart¡¯s curtain and used his own crimson warhorse to pull the cart towards the Transia border. The falcon named ¡°Swift Shadow¡± swooped down from the darkness,nding precisely on the old knight¡¯s shoulder, chirping something to him.

    Old Finoch kept nodding and took out a handful of seeds from his pocket to feed the falcon, who called out happily, seeming to express gratitude.

    For the white knight, understanding animalnguage was only a basic ability.

    He narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself:

    ¡°To clean up this mess, it¡¯s just a vampire apprentice and his human blood servants? What the hell is Salrokdar up to?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°My warriors, I have good news to tell you all!¡±

    After returning to the temporary camp near the ambush ring, Murphy wasted no time gathering the little yers together and loudly announcing:

    ¡°Just now, from arade¡¯s spirit pouch, I finally found the crucial material to perfect my summoning ritual. With just one more day of patient waiting, you will be able to establish asting connection with this world, allowing you to remain here almost permanently without relying on my summons!¡±

    The little yers were stunned for a moment, but the quick-witted Meow King and Leading Pigeon immediately cheered.

    ¡°The active login feature is going to be unlocked!¡±

    Meow King shouted to the others:

    ¡°The useless dev team at AlphaCorp has finally passed the stress test for the test server! Hell yeah, we don¡¯t have to camp in front of the helmets for test notifications every day anymore.¡±

    Understanding his words, the other yers also burst into cheers. Meanwhile, the furtive Ah Yuen sidled up to Murphy and said in a low voice while rubbing his hands:

    ¡°We are most willing to pledge our loyalty to you, but Lord Murphy, your grand n clearly requires more warriors as excellent as us. What I mean is, I have some absolutely trustworthy brothers in my world. How about¡­¡±

    ¡°I too wish to summon a great army, my warrior.¡±

    Murphy sighed theatrically, saying:

    ¡°However, although I have your help, I am still just a weak vampire summoner for now. I must first return to Kadman City to prepare for my Trial of Strength. I understand your eagerness to make achievements and serve the grand n, but you must learn patience.¡±

    ¡°Got it, more test slots will open in the next phase, right?¡±

    Ah Yuen snapped his fingers.

    He got the information he wanted, while Murphy answered impassively like a true NPC:

    ¡°I do not understand what you are saying. The ng from other worlds is truly profound.

    Alright, my warriors. I know you all feel joyous about this news, and so do I. But for now, I must send you back to your worlds first.

    Once I have adjusted the summoning ritual, we can embark on the journey back to Kadman City together.¡±

    ¡°Lord Murphy, you seem so happy when mentioning Kadman City. Is there ady waiting for you there?¡±

    Meow King dared to crack a joke, only to be red at by Murphy, who flicked his wrist lightly. The grinning Meow King instantly dispersed into particles of light before everyone¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Damn, he really can force-kick us offline! Is this GM mode?¡±

    The Spicy Gugu Chicken standing next to Meow King let out a startled cry.

    Although everyone knew this was just the ¡°game¡¯s portrayal¡± of ¡°logging out¡±, this game¡¯s NPCs were too intelligent, giving the sense they were ¡°real people¡± after interacting for so long.

    ¡°We shall meet again tomorrow, warriors.¡±

    Murphy nodded gracefully to the little yers in a vampiric manner. In the next instant, ten beams of light dissipated into the night, instantly quieting the previously lively temporary camp.

    He looked around, suddenly feeling a bit lonely, like being the only one left to clean up after a happy event.

    But he quickly remembered he was about to set off on his return journey. At most three days of travel, and he would see Tris again, filling his heart¡¯s solitude with anticipation.

    If Tris saw him like this now, she would definitely be greatly surprised, wouldn¡¯t she?

    ¡°Lord Murphy!¡±

    Maxim¡¯s call snapped Murphy out of his imagination. He turned to see his loyal servant hurrying over and saying to him:

    ¡°I helped Miriam pry open the transport team¡¯s cargo boxes. She recognized those goods and insisted I must request you toe over immediately! She said those things are extremely, extremely important, and you must decide right away how to dispose of them!¡±

    From Maxim¡¯s grave tone, Murphy sensed an issue and asked:

    ¡°What exactly are those things?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize those intricate mechanisms,¡±

    The blood servant ryed:

    ¡°But Miriam stressed that those things could bring us utter cmity!¡±

    Hearing this, Murphy was greatly rmed and immediately followed Maxim over.

    Thatrge cargo cart was still overturned, but one of the spilled crates had been opened. Miriam sat there with a worried frown. Seeing Murphy approach, she handed him something from her hands.

    The vampire felt its substantial weight as he took it.

    This thing was only pendant-sized but exquisitely made.

    A pyramidal silver-grey metal base with a square gemstone set on top, like an entric pendant. But the overall design was strikingly minimalist, with almost no extraneous decorations or scratches visible.

    The Patriarch¡¯s intelligence clearly stated this transport team was carrying military supplies. So this ¡°jewelry¡± in Murphy¡¯s hand was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    He eyed Miriam while holding it.

    She sighed and said softly:

    ¡°The third-generation Spirit Computation Bead developed by the Halflings, the pinnacle of steam engineering, strictly military-controlled goods in the port of Shaldor.

    After the Ten Years¡¯ War began, their export has not been permitted. Attempting to take even one across the border is grounds for immediate execution without question.

    But here we have at least 3,000plete sets of these gemstones. If assembled into aputation matrix, it would be enough to arm an entire army.

    Murphy¡­

    Whether you believe it or not, we¡¯ve really stumbled into a huge affair this time.¡±

 Chapter 30:

    When Murphy transmigrated to this world and saw that broken steam-powered 800 refrigerator in Tris¡¯ courtyard, he knew that this world contained some ¡°unique technologies¡± that were difficult to exin throughmon sense.

    Later, in Mond Vige, he saw the steam-powered repeating crossbows. He had thought that using steam power for war was probably the most vicious thing the steam engineers coulde up with, but the facts proved that the words he used to persuade the young yers to be more humble in recognizing this new world could also apply to himself.

    ¡°Spirit Computation Beads?¡±

    Murphy looked at Miriam with an expression that was one-quarter puzzled mixed with three-quarters curious and three-quarters confused.

    He could understand those three words individually, butbined he had no idea what they meant.

    Beside him, Maxim also lookedpletely baffled.

    Miriam only told him that this matter was serious, but the loyal vampire worshipper¡¯s understanding of ¡°steam engineering¡± was also limited to just those two words themselves.

    He and his master were both true novices in this regard.

    ¡°Ah, let me exin from the beginning.¡±Miriam knew from their nk expressions that they simply did not understand her concern.

    She took out another bead array from the box under her butt and held it up at a special angle above her eyes, saying to Murphy:

    ¡°Look at the bead from this angle and tell me what you see?¡±

    Murphy held up the bead array ording to Miriam¡¯s instructions.

    Vampires have quite good night vision, and when the gems were turned to a certain angle, he immediately saw unique structures reflected inside the semi-transparent beads.

    It looked very much like tiny gears and mechanical structuresbined into an extremelyplex system, densely packed together yet arranged in an orderly and visually appealing industrial manner. There were exactly three such systems inside the transparent bead, which was only a little bigger than a thumbnail, interconnected by a geared lever system into onerger whole.

    ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    Murphy immediately refuted:

    ¡°If I¡¯m not seeing things¡­ no, I must be seeing things! No matter how advanced the industrial level of the Halflings, they could not possibly makeponents this precise on such a micro scale!

    There are at least tens of thousands of partsbined here.

    Is this some kind of illusion?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s a third-generation triple-linked micro spirit differential engine with 44,327 partsbined, updated to thetest version.

    It¡¯s said to have extremely fastputing speed!¡±

    Miriam shrugged smoothly as she said a ratherplex phrase in Transian that made Maxim¡¯s head spin a little.

    But Murphy understood.

    He continued looking at Miriam with a questioning gaze, and she exined:

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, I don¡¯t understand how it works in detail either. I¡¯m just a liberal arts student. Those terms are from old Professor Bach Gamp¡¯s writings, which I read just to get credits for the Mechanical History elective course. I never expected it woulde in handy in this kind of situation.

    Anyway, the micro differential engines inside the Computation Beads aren¡¯t real, of course!

    The prototype took up an entire exhibition hall that big in the underground museum of Shaldor Engineering Academy. But the halfling mechanics got inspiration from the ¡®spirit erosion¡¯ phenomenon found all over this world.

    They and their dwarven brothers used special techniques to manipte spirit energy, using spirit forms with the help of Circle Tower¡¯s spirit mages to coordinate the spirit factors widely present in nature into some kind of esoteric art, eventually simting the operating principles of differential engines on a microscopic level.

    After that, microputational beads were born, and the halflings¡¯ steam engineering entered a new era.¡±

    Miriam shook the bead in her hand and said:

    ¡°All the automata in Shaldor Harbor have these things. This is a pureputation type without control attachments. You just need to infuse it with spirit energy and it can help the user do many things.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Maxim asked naively.

    His brain, too muddled from excessive exposure to the ult from a young age, simply could notprehend everything Miriam had just said. But his question came at just the right time.

    The red-haired girl rolled her eyes and patiently exined:

    ¡°Like tranting an entire book of elvish poetry in a minute, or nning how to spend your sry next month and how much you¡¯ve spent this year in a few seconds.

    If necessary, it can even make you an ie statement. Just activate the spirit projector and you can see the calction results with your own eyes.

    When I enrolled at the Engineering Academy, I was also issued a second-generation Computation Bead the size of a fist as part of the student welfare.

    Now many campuses at Greater Shaldor University are undergoing a ¡®storage reform¡¯, where those professors n to use spirit beads and databases to rece ancient paper documents.

    It¡¯s really convenient!

    You only need an area the size of a castle to store all the information in an old library as big as Kadman City, and if you need a book, just tell your Computation Bead and it can retrieve and copy it for you.

    If you¡¯rezy enough, you can even have it read it out loud for you.

    Of course, an external spirit microphone costs extra, and only those rich noble boys would use that service. I heard they use Computation Beads to read some really vulgar stuff at certain gatherings for entertainment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡±

    Murphy had a general understanding of what these Computation Beads were. Although not necessarily exactly the same, he could basically view them as this world¡¯s puters and operating systems.¡± But for now, they seemed to have only sprouted and been put into use in the halfling territories of Shaldor, without spreading to other parts of the continent yet.

    So he asked:

    ¡°The point is, why is the Goldflower Kingdom making a huge effort to smuggle Computation Beads back from the Shaldor halflings? And marking them as military supplies?¡±

    ¡°Because they can indeed be used for war, Murphy.¡±

    Miriam sighed and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s what I heard from my halfling tutor when I first entered the academy, supposedly because the Circle Tower took the side of the Goldflower Kingdom in the Ten Years¡¯ War.

    When the situation was unfavorable in the early stages of the war, the spirit mages proposed utilizing Computation Beads for military purposes. They also participated in the development of Computation Beads and were second only to the halfling mechanics in understanding them.

    They modified the internal logic and simtion algorithms of the Computation Beads, and in three months built amunication andmand system covering the entire Greenleaf Corps, using each Computation Bead and its user as amunication node and even calcting artillery firing positions, dramatically improvingmand efficiency.

    In the first two years of the Ten Years¡¯ War, the old theocratic rebels and their allies took sixteen months to conquer two border provinces of the Goldflower Kingdom. But after Computation Beads were deployed in the war, the refitted Greenleaf Corps and old Royal Guards took only three months to drive the rebels out of the country.

    I cannot imagine how they used these things for war, but after that, the Steam Lords immediately ordered a ban on the outflow of Computation Beads.

    It was clearly the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s use of their life¡¯s work for war that angered the mechanics. It¡¯s said that because of this incident, they alsopletely cut off joint research and development with the Circle Tower afterward.

    The 3,000 bead arrays we seized were ordered by the Pioneer Corps, perhaps that legendary General Loren also wanted to emte the reforms of the Greenleaf Corps and upgrade his own troops.

    But if I had to guess, these beads probably didn¡¯te from the Shaldor halflings.¡±

    The red-haired girl looked over the bead array in her hand a couple times and said to Murphy:

    ¡°There¡¯s no production serial number on this, and the style is a bit different from the official ones I¡¯ve seen. These things were likely made by someone else.

    But honestly, apart from the halfling craftsmen, I can¡¯t think of any other force on the continent that could make something this precise?¡±

    Murphy nodded.

    Miriam had told him all she knew. As she said, this batch of goods was of great significance to the Goldflower Kingdom and was indeed a hot potato.

    That General Loren likely wouldn¡¯t let it go easily.

    However, Murphy was still a bit puzzled. He pinched the bead array in his hand and used Item Appraisal. A secondter, an information tag popped up before his eyes:

    Name: 3rd Generation Spirit Computation Bead ¨C Cracked Version

    Effect: By resonating with higher nodes, can build regional spirit encryptedmunicationwork, preset standard permission tree, enable simple information transmission between parallel and upper/lower nodes, multiplemunication modes and rtive position calction, custom coordinate marking and sharing, simple spirit projection, multinguage simple trantion, etc.

    Note!

    This Computation Bead¡¯s encryption lock has beenpletely cracked, so it supports user custom edited additional functions.

    But this operation requires some understanding of microscale steam engineering, spirit erosion phenomenon, binary information storage theory, 3rd generation spirit differential machinery, and control theory.

    Note!

    Please find the upper node to activate and initialize the same batch of Computation Beads.

    Manufacturer: Ryuk Flywheel

    Item Description:

    ¡¾After I left Shaldor Harbor, the steam engineers¡¯ research into wondrous machinery ground to a halt. Especially when I saw the so-called 3rd generation Computation Beads, I could confirm the depravity of those idiot colleagues of mine. Breaking their vaunted sevenyer encryption was no harder than tricking thest piece of meat out of a cannibal goblin¡¯s pot.

    The fact is, I not only cracked it, I upgraded it too!

    They want to monopolize this wonderful technology, but I insist on giving it to everyone who needs or doesn¡¯t need it, while earning myself a little pocket money along the way.

    Ah, thank goodness I was born into this world where smart people make the rules and gobble up the fools! ¨C Ryuk Flywheel¡¿

    Murphy narrowed his eyes.

    He immediately thought of the best use scenario for these Spirit Computation Beads and began to thank fate for its blessings in his heart.

    ¡°Find it!¡±

    He looked up at Miriam and Maxim and said:

    ¡°Search the cargo! If that General Loren ns to use these to build his ownmand system, there should be a higher node, themander¡¯s bead for his own use. Find it!¡±

    ¡°Oh right, how did I forget that!¡±

    Miriam immediately jumped up.

    Murphy was correct, the Spirit Computation Beads had a strict permission tree design, and the whole system couldn¡¯t be activated without the higher node.

    She instructed Maxim to lift up the overturned wagon, but it was too heavy and the injured blood servant couldn¡¯t do it. Murphy shook his head and stepped up, gripping the wagon¡¯s edge with both hands.

    Exerting his rare 10.5 strength temte boosted by the night, he easily lifted one side of the entire wagon.

    The two assistants immediately crawled inside, first pushing out the crushed soldiers before removing all therge and small boxes from inside.

    In the deepest part of the wagon, Miriam found an exquisite brass box.

    She carefully brought it out and ced it before Murphy. There was a metal panel on the lock area with just 0 and 1 buttons.

    ¡°It¡¯s a binary encryption lock, I¡¯ve seen these safes in books! A rather traditional pure mechanical structure, but very useful. It has inert materials inside so it¡¯s unaffected by spirit spells. They¡¯re usually configured with acid vials or masterworkbustion gold bombs, powerful enough to destroy anything within ten meters.¡±

    The red-haired girl rubbed her head and said:

    ¡°This is tricky now, entering the wrong code could destroy whatever¡¯s inside.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t speak, only cing his hand on the brass box.

    Item Appraisal activated! The information tag popped up:

    Name: Ryuk Flywheel¡¯s Self-Destructing Safe Model 400

    Use: Storing valuables.

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Ryuk Flywheel was a brilliant halfling mechanic from a prestigious family who went rogue. He had many bad habits! Like using a uniform passcode for all his lockboxes, one of the countless little secrets of that genius madman now living in the Dark Mountains.

    People still don¡¯t know the background of the arms dealer Ryuk Flywheel, but there are rumors that his favorite girl¡¯s birthday was April 14th.¡¿

    ¡°Click click click¡±

    As a former professional software tester, Murphy unhesitatingly entered the binary string 110011110, making Miriam look at him in horror.

    She thought Murphy was just randomly pressing and quickly backed away, crouching with her head covered in case the safe exploded.

    But a miracle happened!

    As Murphy lifted his fingers, the little brass box clicked open, revealing the round Computation Bead inside.

    Larger and more exquisite than other spirit beads, about the size of a baby¡¯s fist, with the halfling mechanics¡¯ factory serial number on the decorative silver-grey base.

    This was actually an official product?

    But why did its appearance differ so much from regr Computation Beads?

    With this puzzlement, Murphy reached in and took out the core Computation Bead serving as the higher node. But the moment he touched it, his semi-transparent character card blurred for an instant, like TV static interference.

    It returned to normal a secondter.

    Then, to Murphy¡¯s surprise, a prompt jumped out before his eyes:

    Special tech item¡¾4th Generation Spirit Computation Bead Prototype ¨C Codename 003¡¿detected. Its spirit tech level is sufficient to partially recreate simplified test admin system functions!

    Please designate functions from the currently unlocked list for simplified recreation by Alpha.

    Note!

    Due to this item¡¯s outdated manufacturing process and convoluted principles as an early stage of this tech tree, its data memory is limited, so do not designateplex functions for recreation.

    ¡°My luck today is just fantastic!¡±

    Murphy whistled, his face beaming with double joy.

    Although he still didn¡¯t understand how this thing worked orprehend the strange level this world¡¯s entric steam engineering had developed to, that was unimportant!

    Because the yer interface he had longed for was now here, wasn¡¯t it?

    Ah, thanks to nature¡¯s blessings!

 Chapter 31:

    Name: 4th Generation Spirit Computation Bead Prototype ¨C Codename 003

    Effect: Possesses all the functions of the third generationputation beads, withrger memory, fasterputation, and more diverse functions.

    Its internal ultrarge spirit differential engine matrix with quintuple linkage is equipped with a dual-core mode, capable of processing multipleputational threads simultaneously, further enhanced by the finestbustion gold catalyst optimizing spirit energy, granting it the unique ¡°remote control¡± privilege.

    The wielder of the fourth generation spiritputation bead can, when necessary, lock and terminate theputational process of third generation spirit beads.

    When forming a massiveputational matrix, the fourth generation bead, as the superior node, can bypass any information encryption to view and copy information flowing within the matrix, but activating this function will consume more of the wielder¡¯s spirit.

    Note!

    This item is a theoretical verification prototype. Its performance has room for further improvement. Please visit the manufacturer.

    Note!

    This is a spirit wielder¡¯s exclusive auxiliary item. Using it requires a certain spirit talent (Usage requirement: Intellect ¡Ý7)Manufacturer: Shaldor Engineering Academy Steam Lab Precision Instrument Development Team

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The halflings only made three of these things, and have no ns for mass production in the short term. One has now fallen into your hands from over a thousand miles away.

    You can exin it as justpleting a standard, or even unintentional, case of ¡°ck-on-ck¡±, but I don¡¯t think those battle mechanists with their heads full of thorns and steam walkers loaded with explosives would be willing to listen to your excuses.

    Long story short, you¡¯re in big trouble, kid.¡¿

    Special Tag: Loot (This item was obtained through illegal means and is considered loot. This tag does not affect usage, but when interacting with relevant factions and individuals associated with this item, carrying items tagged as ¡°Loot¡± will decrease their affinity and trigger a series of uncontrolled subsequent affairs.)

    Note!

    This item is undergoing internal program upgrades and preparing to simplify and replicate the test administrator system functions. Do not interrupt spirit supply!

    Currently designated functions for simplification and replication: Character Card Interface, Job & Experience System, Creature Detection, Item Identification.

    ¡°What are you doing to it? Why is it glowing red! Hey, that light color doesn¡¯t seem right! Normal operation should be yellow or green!¡±

    At the side of the crate filled with confiscatedputation beads, Miriam saw Murphy holding the fourth generationputation bead in his hand.

    She didn¡¯t know the specifics of this thing, but when she saw Murphy activate it, the red-haired girl was horrified and rushed forward to stop this foolish vampire from carelessly ying with a power he clearly didn¡¯t understand.

    But before she could get close, Maxim pushed her away.

    The loyal blood servant stood with his sword drawn, loudly rebuking her:

    ¡°Master Murphy has his own ns. It¡¯s not your ce to lecture him in that tone, you rude one. Don¡¯t disturb the master.¡±

    ¡°You brainless dog! You have no idea what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    Miriam immediately retorted:

    ¡°Regr people need at least a month of training to learn how to useputation beads. To someone who has never been exposed to them, this thing is like something from another world!

    Your master is just a superstitious vampire living in a secluded area! He hadn¡¯t even seen an automated hunter¡¯s crossbow before!

    Oh god, he¡¯s going to get us killed. Computation beads explode when overloaded!¡±

    ¡°Enough, Miriam. I¡¯m not as immersed in bloodlust and barbarity as you think. I¡¯m willing to learn the things I don¡¯t understand, if they can truly help me.

    And luckily, I¡¯ve always been a quick learner.¡±

    Murphy spoke up to stop his two assistants from arguing over these trifles.

    He nced at theputation bead in his hand, which was drawing spirit from his body to perform ¡°initialization¡±. The progress bar crawled slowly, estimating it would take six to eight hours toplete the replication of the administrator system¡¯s functions.

    With the fourth generation bead in his possession, he could activate the remaining subordinate beads as the core of a massiveputational matrix. At that time, he would need to perform an information synchronization initialization on the other beads.

    This way, his little yers could have their own yer interfaces.

    There were over 3,000putation beads here!

    Giving each yer one and leaving a batch for recement and emergency use, it would satisfy his consumption needs for a very long time.

    This was truly an unexpected delight.

    Murphy¡¯s mood was as ted as if he had just guzzled three pounds of chocte.

    He shed a genuine smile at Maxim, then nodded at Miriam, and finally ced his hands on both their shoulders.

    He spoke solemnly:

    ¡°We¡¯ve been through difficulties together! We killed our way out of the abyss to get to where we are now. I don¡¯t ask that you two love each other, but the fact is, we¡¯ve be a small group worth relying on.

    So don¡¯t argue, learn tomunicate. Goodmunication can solve 99% of life¡¯s problems.

    Miriam, I understand your anxiety.

    But today, there are no outside observers. As long as you don¡¯t say anything, no one will know these beads ended up in our hands.

    Even if the halflings doe looking, they¡¯ll only make trouble for the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    Murphy put a finger to his lips, making a silence gesture to Miriam, and said:

    ¡°Once we return to Kadman City, you can set off to continue your studies at Shaldor Port. I¡¯ll grant you enough wealth to livefortably for the rest of your days. That¡¯s my promise, and I¡¯ll keep it!

    But you have to forget about tonight¡¯s events!

    You know, it¡¯s for your own good.¡±

    The red-haired girl looked down at the crate ofputation beads by her feet.

    She gritted her teeth, her heart extremely conflicted. Once the halflings found out she was involved, her unfinished studies would definitely be ruined, and she might even face imprisonment, not to mention the future she had nned for herself.

    So after a few seconds, Miriam looked up and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Lady Adele and the Young Lady¡¯s condition. Tonight, I didn¡¯t see anything, I don¡¯t know anything. Hey Murphy, your new jewelry is not bad.

    Just hide it well.

    Wouldn¡¯t want it stolen.¡±

    With that, she wrapped her cloak around herself and walked away.

    Maxim stared at Miriam¡¯s retreating back until she disappearedpletely. The loyal blood servant then spoke in a low voice to Murphy:

    ¡°Master Murphy, if these things I don¡¯t understand are important to your endeavors, then keeping this wench around is a liability. She¡¯s clearly been brainwashed by those heretical halfling schrs and wants to flee her homnd.

    She cannot be trusted.

    Why don¡¯t we just¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t finish, but the downward cutting motion of his hand conveyed his thoughts.

    ¡°I too dislike those who would abandon their homnds, Maxim. But I believe every person has obligations and responsibilities to their home, that is, unless that home looks like the wreck that is Transia. Then it¡¯s another matter entirely.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said to Maxim:

    ¡°You were raised as a blood servant, so you¡¯re well aware of the suffering ordinary people endure in thesends. Miriam is luckier than most, she got out, gained wisdom and knowledge, and is simply unwilling to return to the darkness and kneel before vampires. That¡¯s perfectly normal, so don¡¯t hold hostility towards her for it.

    She¡¯s very smart.

    She knows how to choose what¡¯s best for herself.

    We¡¯re a team, we have to trust each other, Maxim, at least for now!¡±

    ¡°I admit Miriam is very intelligent, perhaps the most intelligent human I¡¯ve ever met, Master Murphy. But I feel you¡¯re being too indulgent with her.¡±

    Maxim nodded, but emphasized:

    ¡°If you appreciate her, then grant her the honor of bing a blood servant. A leader like yourself is destined for great things, it wouldn¡¯t demean her meager wisdom to serve you.

    Though I¡¯ve never been to the halfling cities, I¡¯ve seen the ambitious young girls in Kadman City trying to climb their way up in life. I imagine other ces are much the same.

    I admit wisdom is a good thing, but for someone of Miriam¡¯s lowly birth with no background or wealth, she can hardly make use of it!

    In this world, her looks are more useful than her wisdom.

    Without enough luck, the best fate for her is to be the mistress of some old, foolish noble, or like her mother, having seen the wider world, yet only able to marry a foolish, shortsighted blood servant chieftain after her youth is spent.

    Or worse.

    If you truly value her, you should help her escape such a pitiful fate.

    Just as you gave my life hope.¡±

    These words surprised Murphy. He looked at his loyal servant and said:

    ¡°I never expected to hear this from you, Maxim. It seems I don¡¯t know you well enough either. But loyalty has always been a two-way street, just like you and I.

    I don¡¯t want a servant forced into obedience, that¡¯s like burying a ticking time bomb for myself.

    She¡¯s not like you. Bing a vampire is clearly not in her life ns. Even if I did try to recruit her, I¡¯d need to first understand what Miriam truly wants.¡±

    ¡°Enough of this topic for now.

    Get these crates loaded onto our wagon. You must guard them constantly, don¡¯t let anyone near!

    These things are extremely important to our endeavors. I can only entrust this crucial task to you.¡±

    Thump

    Maxim pounded his chest and said solemnly:

    ¡°I will guard them with my life, Master Murphy. Please leave everything to me!¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Murphy nodded, hanging theputation bead still drawing his spirit by a rope around his neck and securing it close to his body. He then turned to walk away, but after a few steps looked back to Maxim:

    ¡°The knights in the pit¡­¡±

    ¡°Have been taken care of, master.¡±

    The loyal blood servant spoke without turning, in a low voice:

    ¡°Such trifles should not upy your precious time.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Murphy nodded again, waving his hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let my warriors know about this. Their kind hearts would only be saddened by it.¡±

    With that, Murphy strode away briskly from the silent woods. After the deadly struggle and victory over Joban Marci, the vampiric side of his nature had revived considerably.

    Death.

    That word could no longer stir much in Murphy¡¯s heart, especially for these strangers hardly connected to him.

    Murphy still didn¡¯t know if the revival of this dark instinct was good or bad.

    But one thing was certain, it would help him better survive this cruel world.

    Just as a finger recoils from me, just as an ant flees danger, the survival instincts umted over hundreds of years would not harm him.

    A few minutester, Murphy arrived at the edge of the woods.

    Bonfires burned here, with Lady Adele and Lady Femis lying in tents nearby. Miriam was helping Lady Adele change bandages and medicines.

    As a maid serving vampire nobles, Lady Adele¡¯s spirit pouch was well-stocked with emergency supplies.

    ¡°You have a spirit talent too?¡±

    Murphy saw Miriam take out some potion bottles from Lady Adele¡¯s spirit pouch and said from several steps away from the bonfire:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you cast spells.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t cast spells. My spirit talent is too poor. Being able to open a spirit pouch and activate aputation bead is my limit. But then again, isn¡¯t that true for most people in this world?¡±

    Miriam said irritably:

    ¡°More or less having some spirit talent, dreaming of bing a spirit wielder when little. But then someone tells you can¡¯t even pass the novice examination to be a spirit apprentice. So you end up with a belly full of useless knowledge, unwilling to return to some small ce to marry a stranger.

    You can only grit your teeth and ept being reassigned, ultimately ending up in some profession you don¡¯t even understand.

    Anyway, what I¡¯m saying is, some professors at the halfling side studying the ¡®spirit erosion¡¯ phenomenon have written papers.

    They say ordinary people like us, like metals and objects long exposed to spirit environments, are also permeated and eroded by spirit, causing changes.

    Maybe in a few thousand years, everyone in the world will be able to freely release spirit.

    But not now.

    The rate of spirit erosion on human bodies is too weakpared to transcendent beings like you who are born able to connect with spirit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily a good thing. Every time I release spirit energy I hear strange voices, sometimes even seeing strange visions in dreams.

    They say it¡¯s the call from the source of spirit, some say ites from sub-space.¡±

    Murphy shook his head.

    ¡°Immersing oneself too deeply in the mysteries of spirit can lead the mind to madness. This supernatural power has never been a simple blessing. How are those two doing?¡±

    ¡°The Young Lady is fine, her severed hand has regrown. But Lady Adele¡¯s condition is dire.¡±

    Miriam sighed:

    ¡°That wolfsbane vampire injected some kind of poison into her body. She¡¯s been running a high fever for hours now, nearly dehydrated. I have no idea how to treat her.

    Perhaps¡­¡±

    She looked up at Murphy, saying a little irritably:

    ¡°Perhaps you could turn her into a vampire here? In your words, the Embrace? Using a vampire¡¯s power to counter another vampire¡¯s malice used to harm her.

    She¡¯s not a bad person!

    She even saved you, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Lady Adele is not my blood servant. I have no right to do such a thing, those are not the Blood Vulture¡¯s ways.¡±

    Murphy shook his head, ncing at the tent where the Young Ladyy. He said:

    ¡°It seems it¡¯s time to wake her up.¡±

    ¡°That Young Lady must be very tired¡­¡±

    Before Miriam could finish, her eyes went wide as Murphy casually flicked a dark spirit st right onto Lady Femis¡¯ face.

    Thetter instantly sat up, eyes still closed but taking skilled defensive moves.

    ¡°You¡­you¡­you¡­¡±

    Miriam was stunned, eximing:

    ¡°But she¡¯s your master! How dare you¡­¡±

    ¡°First, I have no master! And even if I did, it wouldn¡¯t be her.¡±

    Murphy corrected her, looking at the disheveled Young Lady rubbing her eyes awake.

    A subtle smile curved his lips in the darkness as he nced at Lady Adele, who had previously saved his life but now suffered greatly. He cleared his throat and said solemnly:

    ¡°Second, such moving loyalty deserves reward, as you said. We need one vampire¡¯s power to counter another.¡±

 Chapter 32:

    Lady Femis was fully awakened after Murphy hit her in the face with a Dark Spirit st.

    She was indeed very weak, but after resting for several hours, she had recovered significantly.

    A vampire of the ck Iron Body rank has an extremely strong recovery ability, especially during the night. Even the arm that had been severed before had regrown.

    However, it was evident that the Young Lady had objections to the way Murphy woke her up!

    Without a hood covering her face, those pearly white little fangs biting down,bined with the icy gaze from her crimson eyes, in any other scenario, Murphy would definitely not be able to escape this beating.

    He might even be directly executed for assaulting a superior.

    Fortunately, this was not an ordinary scenario.

    ¡°Luckily spared, mydy. Thanks to your valiant efforts on the front lines, my servants and I were able to sessfullyplete this important task. However, there is some bad news.

    Your loyal blood servant is going to die.¡±Murphy bowed elegantly to the Young Lady in the vampire way, then pointed to Lady Adele, who was running a high fever and suffering, saying:

    ¡°The malice left behind by the Wolfsbane brutes is tormenting her, and my assistant has proposed a rather risky n.

    She believes that only by embracing Lady Adele now might we be able to expel the malice from her body and allow her soul to linger in this realm of darkness.

    However, she is your servant, mydy.

    Her life, her being, and her future can only be decided by you.¡±

    Upon hearing Murphy¡¯s exnation, the Young Lady first showed delight at thepletion of the mission, but then became anxious. She lightly leapt andnded next to Lady Adele as if stepping on air.

    She ced her hand on her maid¡¯s forehead.

    The scorching heat from the skin made the Young Lady frown, then she released what seemed to be a life-viewing spirit technique. The feedback made Femis¡¯ expression even more troubled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard from my father about the crazed Wolfsbane brutes applying venoms and gues to their ws and fangs to enhance their destructive power. It¡¯s an extremely vile Dark Spirit magic. Humans infected with this venom won¡¯t be vampires, but after their life force is depleted, they¡¯ll be undead creatures like walking corpses.

    Their gradually decaying bodies will be prisons for their souls, eventually tormenting them into half-living, half-dead blood-eating abominations.¡±

    The Young Lady stood up and said to Murphy:

    ¡°It seems the dark rumors were true! My poor Adele has fallen into this predicament. Embracing her would indeed help by bestowing upon her new life through the Blood Vulture n¡¯s sin-descended power.

    But I cannot do it.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    This answer made Murphy blink.

    This always cold and indifferentdy who showed little humanity, wasn¡¯t this her most loyal and trusted human servant?

    Didn¡¯t she herself say that Adele had served her for many years like family? Now that her family member is about to die, she simply says she can¡¯t do it?

    Ha!

    As expected, this seemingly cute Young Lady is rotten to the core, just like her ruthless n patriarch father, a heartless monster.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think!¡±

    Seeming to sense Murphy¡¯s thoughts, Femis immediately coughed a few times and exined:

    ¡°I am the blood descendant of my father, a continuation of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s most ancient bloodline source! Without my father¡¯s permission, I cannot casually embrace others, even Adele.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s going to die!¡±

    Miriam, standing by the campfire, was somewhat afraid of the Young Lady, but upon hearing this terrible exnation, she couldn¡¯t help but speak up:

    ¡°She was bitten by that brute because of your orders. She is dying for your goals. Since she is a loyal blood servant, she would eventually need to be embraced anyway.

    This is just happening sooner!

    Is your father¡¯s permission really more important than the life of a devoted servant?¡±

    ¡°Silence! Human, you have no idea about the details.¡±

    The Young Lady coldly rebuked the rude Miriam, then turned to Murphy. After hesitating for several seconds, she made up her mind, waved her hand, and said:

    ¡°You do it!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Murphy, who was watching from the side, didn¡¯t expect this bystander to suddenly be involved.

    He suspected the Young Lady was still confused from her weakened state, so he made a weird expression and said:

    ¡°But she¡¯s your blood servant. Your master-servant rtionship hasn¡¯t been dissolved yet. If the nsmen find out I embraced another nmate¡¯s blood servant, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be tied to the top of Blood Vulture Castle and suffer the sunlight punishment as soon as I return to Kadman City.

    Aren¡¯t you putting me in harm¡¯s way?

    I can¡¯t take on this task. You¡¯d better do it yourself.

    As my assistant said, this is an emergency situation. Theplete annihtion of your Midnight Hunters is proof enough of the dire circumstances.

    I believe the n Patriarch is not unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°I cannot do it!¡±

    Lady Femis seemed to be constantly avoiding this issue. She stomped her feet in frustration and said to Murphy:

    ¡°Since you¡¯re being told to do it, just do it! What¡¯s with all the nonsense? Save Adele, Revnor Murphy Lessenbra. This is my order!¡±

    ¡°But she is your-¡±

    ¡°Not anymore!¡±

    In a hurry, the Young Lady made a rather peculiar Blood Vulture hand gesture with her left hand, pointing it toward the night sky overhead. She shrieked:

    ¡°I, Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, hereby dissolve my master-servant rtionship with Be Bernice Adele, restoring her freedom of life, being, and soul.

    Witnessed by the Night Mother, I swear it!

    The contract of allegiance has been fulfilled to its end. For her devotion, I grant her rebirth!¡±

    As she made this vow, not just Murphy, but even Miriam by the campfire was stunned.

    As a girl born and raised in Transia, even without much experience, she knew the significance of this vow for a blood servant. So was this entric Young Lady, in order to allow Murphy to save her servant without viting Blood Vulture n rules, dissolving her master-servant contract with Lady Adele first?

    Hey!

    Do you really have some unspeakable secret?

    Would you rather gift your cherished one to another vampire than embrace her yourself? Are these vampires brain-damaged or just innately cold-hearted?

    What Miriam could think of, Murphy could naturally think of as well.

    Unless this Young Lady¡¯s brain was damaged in battle, then perhaps there was only one exnation.

    He suspiciously looked up and down at the flustered Young Lady, realizing that when she kept saying ¡°I cannot do it,¡± she might really mean it literally.

    She may truly be unable to do it, and not just because of orders from the n Patriarch.

    But Murphy didn¡¯t pry into this.

    Which vampire doesn¡¯t have some harmless little secret?

    The current problem was that the Young Lady before him had taken such an extreme stance. If he refused to help again, this powerful loli might just draw her sword and attack.

    Moreover, the words Lady Adele said when she came to help him earlier were rather ambiguous. This human blood servant seemed to have glimpsed Murphy¡¯s little scheme in the vampire massacre incident.

    This was a hidden threat.

    To conceal the truth, either he had to let the woman who saved his life, Adele, suffer and die, or make her physically be ¡°one of them.¡±

    After some thought, Murphy said to the Young Lady:

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to help you with this and save Lady Adele¡¯s life, but I must first discuss it with my servant, for I had promised to embrace him. I need to obtain his understanding.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t object, and besides, that¡¯s not even your servant! That blood servant called Maxim still bears Jed¡¯s spirit imprint.¡±

    The Young Lady shook her head mutely, saying:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got involved with Jed, but I advise you to give up. That hypocritical guy Jed is a hopeless control freak.

    From what I know of him, he would never allow his possessions to be taken away by others.

    Even if he doesn¡¯t need them at all.

    I assure you, Murphy.

    Adele is the best and finest servant you can acquire in the Transia region. If¡­if I had a choice, I would never give her to you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I need to consider, mydy. Please wait patiently, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    Murphy elegantly nodded farewell to the Young Lady, then turned and swiftly walked into the woods. At his summoning call, Maxim soon appeared before him.

    This loyal servant was still transporting those beads. At the moment, he only wore a single garment, with sweat on his shoulders and forehead.

    ¡°Master Murphy, is there anything?¡±

    He asked.

    Murphy didn¡¯t hide anything and briefly told him about Lady Adele¡¯s situation. The vampire looked towards the flickering campfire behind them and said to Maxim:

    ¡°This matter is clearly rted to the Young Lady¡¯s secrets. Now she has put me in a difficult position. Lady Adele has also saved my life, so I want to save her.

    But I previously promised to embrace you, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    Maxim looked at Murphy in a daze. He scratched his head and asked in return:

    ¡°Do I really need to be consulted about this? Master Murphy, your promise to help meplete the embrace is already a great honor. How dare I demand more?

    Besides, although Lady Adele appears frail, she is actually much stronger than me.

    She is definitely already a formidable stealth expert at the ck Iron rank. For you to gain such a blood descendant as my futurepanion would be an honor for me as well.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Murphy looked at Maxim¡¯s frank expression and felt like he might be overthinking things. This loyal servant¡¯s emotions did not seem as delicate as he had imagined.

    He suddenly felt like he was saying all this to a deaf person, so he sighed and said:

    ¡°So, you have no objections and won¡¯t resent me for breaking my promise, right?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, I have absolutely no objections!¡±

    Maximughed, then said in a slightly embarrassed low voice:

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been wanting to find an opportunity to talk to you about this.

    When I was training under Lord Jed, I heard some seniors say that if I could rely on myself toplete the ck Iron trial, fully master my bodily functions and unlock my own potential, and then receive your embrace, I would have a brighter future as a blood n member than an ordinary vampire.

    So I intended to dy my embrace for a while. This is a good opportunity. If you would allow my little wish, I would¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, juste find me. I won¡¯t hide it from you, Lady Tris¡¯ fresh blood power is indeedcking at its source, and I¡¯m also looking for ways to make up for this power.

    It¡¯s better for both of us to act prudently.¡±

    ¡°Then I have no problem, Master Murphy.¡±

    Maxim nodded, saying:

    ¡°May I observe your embrace of Lady Adele?

    Although I¡¯ve lived as a blood servant, I¡¯ve never actually witnessed this ritual. I want to see it with my own eyes so I can be preparedter and not disgrace your glory.¡±

    ¡°Thene, be my guardian!¡±

    Murphy patted his loyal servant¡¯s shoulder and brought him back to the campfire. He nodded to Lady Femis, who immediately let out a sigh of relief.

    She said:

    ¡°You must begin immediately. The malice of the Wolfsbane is flowing through Adele¡¯s veins. She cannotst until dawn without losing her consciousness¡­be gentle!

    Don¡¯t be so rough. After all, it¡¯s the first time for both of you.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Mydy, your words can easily cause misunderstandings.¡±

    Murphy felt that thisdy of his sometimes really did speak without thinking, yet she herself didn¡¯t seem to realize there was anything wrong with her words.

    She didn¡¯t act like a centuries-old monster. Maybe she was intentionally feigning innocence due to a split personality?

    He ced the feverish Lady Adele, whose body was scorchingly hot, in a spot away from the campfire. His two assistants were observing from the side, and even Miriam took out her notebook, intending to record the embrace ritual she was about to witness.

    This was a rare experience!

    Even in Transia where vampire culture was prevalent, there were very few ordinary people fortunate enough to observe an embrace ritual.

    This ritual was equivalent to human reproduction in vampire society, an incredibly sacred process.

    ¡°What should I do?¡±

    Murphy took a deep breath and looked towards Lady Femis, who was presiding over the ritual.

    Although he was prepared, he was still nervous for his first time.

    The Young Lady did not answer immediately. She leaned down and kissed Lady Adele¡¯s forehead, then whispered something in her ear before standing up with a solemn expression and saying to Murphy:

    ¡°The embrace ritual is most often a blessing bestowed by the powerful upon the weak, but your strength is weaker than Adele¡¯s, so you must be very careful during the ritual to prevent her powerful blood from invading your body in reverse.

    That would be disastrous and could endanger both your lives.

    But the ritual itself is simple.

    Apart from the traditional ceremonial steps, the true core is just one thing!

    You must drain all of Adele¡¯s blood, then merge one-third of your blood into it before reinjecting it into Adele¡¯s body. Through the sacred connection formed by the merging of blood, the sin-descended bloodline you¡¯ve inherited will also be shared with Adele.

    At that point, she will shed her mortal shell and be part of the Blood Vultures.

    In theory, you should notify your elders and obtain permission for such a ritual, but given Tris¡¯ situation¡­it¡¯s an exception.

    Begin!¡±

    The Young Lady gestured, and Murphy took a deep breath.

    He sent a simple prayer to the Night Mother, then leaned down, his fangs extending from below his lips. As he approached the slender, feverishly hot neck of the deathly pale Lady Adele with protruding veins, he suddenly looked up at Lady Femis again.

    She seemed unable to bear watching this scene and had turned her head away.

    This made Murphy¡¯s strange feeling even more apparent. The Young Lady clearly had deep feelings for Lady Adele, and now if he did this, wasn¡¯t it akin to a brazen actmitted in front of her?

    Damn!

    The more he thought about it, the more twisted it became. He really shouldn¡¯t dwell on it!

    He was supposed to be an upright vampire.

    Suppressing the slight palpitation in his heart, Murphy¡¯s fangs pierced Lady Adele¡¯s neck.

    In her agonized unconsciousness, she let out an involuntary moan, and then her scorching hot blood surged into Murphy¡¯s mouth as he drank it.

    Mmm¡­

    Exceptionally sweet, with a faint aroma reminiscent of dark woods¡­

    Wait!

    This scent is off, brother!

    The woody aroma of blood?

    If Murphy wasn¡¯t mistaken, this should mean¡­

    This Lady Adele, how does she have a one-fourth elven bloodline?

 Chapter 33:

    When Murphy tasted that there was another vor in Adele¡¯s blood, it was already toote, as the initial embrace ceremony cannot be stopped midway once it has started.

    Because essentially, it is not simply an exchange of fresh blood.

    This involves the unique reproduction mode of the vampire bloodline, and as is well known, any behavior rted to reproduction is very difficult to stop midway.

    Murphy suppressed the doubts in his heart, and after drinking threerge mouthfuls of virgin blood as an ¡°gift¡± offered to the elders for his progeny, he raised his left hand and used his index finger to touch the bite mark on Adele¡¯s neck, using the vampire¡¯s control over blood to continuously extract her blood from her body.

    His finger wrapped in dark spirit energy prevented those scalding hot blood from falling, instead making it swirl in his palm like a non-Newtonian fluid, changing its shape.

    This looks cool, but actually requires 100% submission from the one being initially embraced. If she resists even slightly, this blood extraction process will not be so smooth.

    The unconscious Lady Adele could not resist at all, and could only be weaker and closer to death as her blood continuously flowed out.

    Her originally plump, fair skin became withered and dull, and even the shocking size of her chest rapidly shrank. Under Miriam¡¯s covered mouth in horror, the once cold but tall Lady Adele quickly became like a ¡°desated corpse¡±.

    The gue poison instilled in the blood by the Wolfsbane n also rapidly dissipated at this moment due to the blood leaving the body.Murphy raised the ¡°blood sphere¡± that had be purified under the night sky, and at the gesture of Lady Femis, bit into his own right hand finger to make his vampire blood, which was clearly thicker and more crimson than ordinary human blood, well out drop by drop.

    He fused the two together, like a ¡°dyeing¡± process when the ratio of the two was precisely controlled at 1:3, Adele¡¯s blood waspletely dyed the same color as Murphy¡¯s blood.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Inject it back in.¡±

    The Young Lady prompted.

    Murphy brought the blood sphere to his mouth, swallowing all the blood just like a huge meal, and then repeated the first step, biting into the corpse-like neck of Lady Adele and using his fangs to re-inject the renewed blood back into Adele¡¯s body.

    It was at this moment that a special prompt suddenly appeared before Murphy¡¯s eyes:

    ¡¾Please select an inheritance temte for the progeny ¡®Be Bernice Adele¡¯.

    Currently avable character temtes: Standard/Rare.

    Character temte inheritance rules are as follows:

    1. If you choose to inherit the standard temte, the progeny will haveplete vampire traits and normal racial base values. This option has no additional cost.

    2. If you choose to inherit the rare temte, the progeny will haveplete vampire traits and 150% racial base values, and will randomly inherit one of the talents and specialties you possess.

    This option will additionally consume 30% of your blood, and will create a deeper blood connection between you and your progeny.

    Note!

    A deep blood connection is not always good for vampires! Please consider carefully.¡¿

    ¡°So character temtes have such a wonderful use?¡±

    Murphy blinked his eyes, without much hesitation choosing the second option.

    He did not intend to have too many progeny, so quality was very important. And since he was doing this favor for the Young Lady anyway, he might as well go all out!

    He thought that after he had put in so much effort, even the Young Lady would not want to dig too deep into some previous ¡°idents.¡±

    ¡¾Rare temte inheritance selected!

    Additional cost activated!

    Extracting inherited ability for the progeny¡­Inherited ability is: Summoning ¨C Astral Dire Wolf. This progeny has no summoning talents, so this ability is downgraded to: Summoning ¨C Astral Wolf.¡¿

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Murphy groaned in pain, causing Lady Femis who was presiding over the ceremony to be stunned.

    From Murphy¡¯s pained expression, she could tell that this family¡¯s outsider was actually dividing out a portion of his own fresh blood essence to give to Adele as well.

    For a vampire, this was an immense gesture of generosity, not only allowing the progeny to gain greater power, but even helping them bypass the long ¡°adaptation period¡± after bing a vampire.

    This act did indeed cause the Young Lady¡¯s perception of Murphy to change subtly at this moment.

    Murphy was a capable person!

    When it mattered, he truly went all out!

    His skills were admittedlycking, but he was generous and willing to go the extra mile, had a good head on his shoulders, was decisive and had strong execution ability, he was truly worthy of forming a deep connection and being cultivated.

    For example, if it weren¡¯t for him, intercepting the transport team would definitely have failed.

    So¡­favorability increased!

    The other two observers did not know what had happened in those few seconds. They could only see Lady Adele¡¯s body rapidly recovering from its withered state to her original voluptuous, coldly alluring figure, like inting a balloon. However, the effects of the blood had already begun to change Lady Adele¡¯s life form.

    Her skin became even more fair while her pupils began to emit a scarlet glow, and her heart started beating again but at only one-tenth its original speed or even slower.

    But more in-depth changes still needed time toplete.

    Generally speaking, it takes at least five to seven days to awaken after the initial embrace, though this is not absolute.

    If an elder particrly favors a certain blood servant and is willing to give more power, then during the initial embrace process, they will use their own strength to simultaneously transform the blood servant¡¯s blood and body.

    For example, Murphy¡¯s situation now.

    In this case, it is ¡°surgery today, work today¡±.

    However, the vast majority of vampires are selfish bastards, they would never waste their power on blood servants, not giving even a tiny bit extra.

    ¡°Not disgraced by fate.¡±

    Murphy took a step back.

    He swayed weakly and was supported by Maxim. Nodding to the Young Lady with aplex expression, he then turned and left.

    The prominent ¡¾Anemic Weakness¡¿ status on his character card showed it wouldst 48 hours. The loss of one-third of his fresh blood meant Murphy could not engage in strenuous activity for the next three days, and it would likely take even longer to fully recover.

    But he did not actually lose out.

    In addition to selling a favor to the Young Lady and gaining a rare temte progeny at the ck Iron rank, he also had other gains:

    ¡¾Blood Descendant Shapingplete, you now have your first progeny!

    Be Bernice Adele Lessenbra has established a deep, mysterious connection with you based on blood.

    Vampire Racial Exclusive System ¨C Blood Pact Covenant unlocked!

    Your current strength rank is: Professional, you can form ¡¾1/1¡¿ Blood Pact Covenants.

    The specific terms of the Blood Pact Covenant are as follows:

    I. Symbiosis Covenant:

    For each additional progeny, the progenitor¡¯s maximum life will increase by 10%/15%, with the specific increase depending on whether the blood connection between progenitor and progeny is profound. This bonus is not counted in character attributes.

    For each additional progeny, the progenitor¡¯s self-healing, stamina recovery and spirit recovery speeds will increase by 10%/15%.

    For each additional progeny, when other progeny are in jointbat, their maximum life, maximum spirit pool, andbat resource recovery speed increase by 5%/10%.

    II. Command Covenant:

    The progenitor has the right to issue anymand to blood descendants except ¡®suicide¡¯ and ¡®harm yourself¡¯.

    The progenitor has the right to suppress a blood descendant¡¯s blood essence at any time, putting them in a ¡®weakened¡¯ or ¡®bloodthirsty¡¯ state.

    The longer the connection between progenitor and blood descendant, the weaker the blood descendant¡¯s will to resist the progenitor, until they eventually wholeheartedly uphold the progenitor¡¯s authority. The time for this effect depends on whether the progeny resists fiercely, but the progeny will ultimately view the progenitor as their sole master.

    III. Death Covenant:

    When the progenitor dies, blood descendants will immediately suffer 90% maximum life damage and permanently lose 30% vitality, be afflicted with the ¡¾Soul Weakness¡¿ status, with all attributes reduced by 50%, and this weakness cannot be lifted until they have a new progenitor.

    When a blood descendant dies, the progenitor will immediately suffer 20% maximum life damage and permanently lose 10% vitality.

    Note!

    When the blood connection between progenitor and blood descendant is ¡°profound¡±, if the progenitor dies, the blood descendant will immediately die.

    Note!

    When the blood connection between progenitor and blood descendant is ¡°profound¡±, if the blood descendant dies, the progenitor will immediately suffer 70% maximum life damage and permanently lose 30% vitality.

    Note!

    The above damage takes effect immediately, without any restrictions, and cannot be exempted by any means.

    Note!

    Drinking the n¡¯s source blood can dissolve the Blood Pact Covenant, but currently there are no other confirmed ways to dissolve it.¡¿

    ¡°It¡¯s really a use that makes one despair, luckily my progenitor is the friendly and gentle Tris, otherwise I would truly be scared to death already. This is even more excessive than a ve contract!

    It¡¯s practically devouring people.

    Speaking of which, my current abnormal adoration for Tris in my heart¡­could it also be because of this?¡±

    Murphy looked at the Blood Pact Covenant tab in front of him, with every word behind it full of the progenitor¡¯s control and maniption over blood descendants.

    Under such an unequal covenant, blood descendants had no way to resist the progenitor¡¯s will.

    But blood descendants would develop new blood descendants, causing this unequal covenant to constantly extend, eventually weaving arge covering the entire vampire civilization.

    However, looking more closely, this covenant could also be seen to not only represent an oppressor-oppressed rtionship, but had other manifestations of symbiosis. For example, under the instructions for unlocking this vampire racial ¡°special gamey¡±, he saw another prompt:

    ¡¾Initial Embraceplete!

    During this process, Be Bernice Adele Lessenbra fed back part of her power to you, specifically manifesting as:

    Agility +1, Intellect +1, Perception +1

    New Skill ¨C Shadow Elf Secret Technique ¨C Mejeva Family Sword Arts obtained, you can now learn this advanced sword art from the Shadow Realm.

    New Talent ¨C Marksmanship Mastery obtained, greatly increasing your uracy with ranged physical attacks.

    New Talent ¨C Shadow Affinity obtained, fusing with your original Dark Spirit Maniption talent into the new Shadow Mastery talent, slightly enhancing your dark spirit perception, and making you swifter, faster and silent when shadow walking.¡¿

    See, this initial embrace process does not only benefit the blood servant!

    Through the fusion of the blood connection, the progenitor also gains ¡°power feedback¡± from the blood servant, like some damn ¡°service fee¡±.

    ording to vampire family tradition, this ¡°initial embrace tax¡± ratio between one-fourth to one-third is quite appropriate.

    But some ck-hearted vampires even take away half the blood servant¡¯s power, directly causing the newborn progeny to have neither power nor potential, and can only be a fringe member of the family, bearing the name of a vampire but without the abilities to match.

    Eh, why does this situation sound so ¡°familiar¡±?

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know Tris is truly a weakling, I would even think she¡¯s also a ck-hearted vampire.¡±

    Murphy inwardly grumbled heavily, returning to the bonfire with Maxim¡¯s support and using a handkerchief to wipe the blood stains from his mouth.

    He felt he really needed to rest now, taking this chance to browse the forums and bring a little New Year¡¯s treat to the small yers.

    But at the moment he closed his eyes to rest, his previous grumbling about Tris transformed into a barely audible longing.

    It had been six days since leaving home.

    The longer the time, the more he missed the dpidated yet stable life in that manor, or perhaps his and Tris¡¯ blood pact covenant was truly taking effect, making his impression of that useless queen Tris better and better.

    But in reality, Tris was indeed the most generous.

    She would not even collect any ¡°service fee¡± from blood servants, probably because the blood servants she chose had no power to speak of in the first ce?

    As for that kind of affection called ¡°longing¡±

    Ummm, it probably wasn¡¯t just because of the blood pact covenant, right?

    Probably.

    ¡ª¡ª

    On the forums, in the game group chatting and messing around, a message suddenly caused an uproar.

    Alpha: ¡¾@all members, I¡¯m excited to tell you all some good news! After several days of hard work and debugging by the development team, a better and greater new test server has been set up! Therefore, the¡¶Reality Realm¡·Alpha 1.0 test version will officially go online in 16 hours!

    Please refer to the official post on the forums for details!

    The development team has invited an experienced Taoist elder to bless our new server. I need to hurry and go watch themotion while getting a talisman, and burn some incense to pray it doesn¡¯t suddenly have issues.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Dammit! Another surprise attack? Does thispany have any rules at all!¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Don¡¯tin, Brother Meow, quickly look at the post! Tons of fresh stuff! Everything you could want, it¡¯s like New Year¡¯s!¡¿

    Brother Meow disbelievingly exited and refreshed to the homepage, where sure enough a new official post had been made under Alpha¡¯s ID. The name was very simple, but the content was not:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡·Alpha 1.0 Closed Test Version Update Announcement:

    After getting the test team members to collectively go camp out in the development office for five days, our first official test version has finally seeded in going online before the DeadLine triggered, and has sessfully resolved several issues that the current testers have concentrated feedback on.

    Specific information:

    1. With the help of the development team, the main line NPC Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, this handsome guy, has finally gathered all the materials needed to improve the Otherworld Summoning ritual.

    After the update isplete, the yer active login function will be open!

    Considering the server load and the orderly progress of testing and bug fixing work, the current open time is 6 hours/day, so yers please reasonably arrange your ytime.

    While the game is great, don¡¯t be too greedy.

    2. Forced by the repeated pressure from tester feedback, our development members had to urgently contact the halfling mechanics of the Genoa Penins, and through a series of PY transactions, sessfully obtained thetest crystallized products of steam engineering.

    After the update isplete, the yer interface system will be online!

    In pursuit of a truly realistic and hardcore gaming experience, the development team has specially written a reasonable origin and exnation for the yer interface functions. Specific details await the testers¡¯ personal experience and submission of precious evaluation reports.

    3. Although development progress is very tight, we still took some time to conduct an overall evaluation of the current game helmets, to better guide new testers on getting started. This evaluation post has been pinned on the forums, and we want to especially thank the tester ¡°Meow King¡± for his enthusiastic help.

    The development team has also carefully prepared a gift for him, please go to the main line NPC after going online to collect it.

    4. New map ¡°Kadman City¡± and new force ¡°Blood Vulture n¡± online, rted quests await testers¡¯ self-exploration.

    5. Closed test yer rewards implemented, please collect from the NPC afterpleting the Kadman City exclusive quest line.

    6. Optimized more realistic physics engine, and added more interactive intelligent role-ying NPCs and random events.

    7. Fixed minor bugs.¡¿

    The post content was very straightforward, but the small yersmenting below were concerned about another matter.

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾@Meow King, is your butt sore?¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾@Meow King, need some lube? I¡¯ll order it online right away, is ten bottles enough?¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾@Meow King, Old Yang worked hard ah, please keep it up and maintain a good rtionship with the dev team, everyone¡¯s gaming experience relies on you, slyeye.jpg¡¿

    KonoMaomaoShark: ¡¾@Meow King, electronic fairy Brother Meow!¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Damn! Why does Brother Meow always find the PY route, Cheche also wants to PY ah, Cheche also wants special rewards ah!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Facepalm. Enough from you all! There¡¯s no such thing as private PY, I just randomly took a quest from the admin, damn! Stop PMing me, I said there¡¯s no route! No photos! And I don¡¯t like men either!

    Enough already!

    If you keep it up I¡¯ll block you all!¡¿

 Chapter 34:

    Murphy had slept for a full seven hours. When he woke up, it was alreadyte morning of the next day. Fortunately, there was no sun in the forest, otherwise the intense sunlight alone would have been enough to turn him into a pile of ash.

    The more ustomed he became to the life of a vampire, the more he could feel the limitations of this race. This fatal weakness to sunlight alone was enough to negate all the advantages vampires possessed.

    Terrible gaming experience!

    Bad review!

    If he could change races, Murphy would definitely switch to a regr human or another race, like an elf.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Murphy quickly freshened up and drank the virgin¡¯s blood that the Young Lady had brought to ¡°replenish¡± him. He didn¡¯t want to know where the entric vampiredy had obtained these ¡°supplies.¡±

    Thedy herself probably didn¡¯t know either, given her abnormal personality.

    He gestured to Maxim and Miriam, and then the two carriages set off one after the other, heading towards Kadman City.The front carriage was loaded with misceneous items, including the 3,000putation beads, the firearms, weapons and armor collected by the yers, as well as some blood-stained money. These were the startup funds for Murphy¡¯s enterprise, guarded personally by the loyal Maxim.

    The rear carriage was driven by Miriam, carrying two coffins, one for the Young Lady, and the other reserved for the still unconscious Lady Adele.

    Murphy thought that with the Young Lady¡¯s lifestyle as an orthodox vampire, she had probably taken refuge in her coffin once the sun came up. However, when he entered the carriage, he found that the Young Lady was not resting, but rather adorning Lady Adele¡¯s coffin.

    Sheesh¡­ the scene looked quite poignant.

    Dressed in a crimson robe, Lady Adeley motionless in the ck coffin, her hands folded on her t belly, appearing to have stopped breathing. The Young Lady stood beside her, cing a few dried white roses around her and sprinkling some light, fragrant perfume.

    The scene looked like a final farewell.

    But in reality, this was just a ¡°daily routine¡± for vampires.

    As an orthodox vampire, such meticulous attention to detail was essential to showcase their elegance and nobility as ¡°midnight aristocrats.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to the essence of fresh blood you provided her, she will only need two days to regain consciousness, sparing her the arduous transition that other vampires require months to adapt to their new life.¡±

    The Young Lady, veiled behind a ck shawl and cloak, remained fully covered even in the dim carriage to avoid the irritating heat from the sun¡¯s rays.

    As she arranged the settings in the coffin, seated on her own coffin board, she said to Murphy:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thanked you yet, Murphy. Not just for the victory against the transport team, but I know the extra effort you made for Adele. You didn¡¯t have to go that far, and I owe you a personal favor.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite, Young Lady. After all, I did it for myself as well.¡±

    Murphy sat at the rear of the carriage, watching the Smuggler¡¯s Woods grow more distant. Leaning against the wall, he propped his chin with his left hand and said softly:

    ¡°Given my current status, I can only ept this one progeny. Although I am from the Tris lineage, it doesn¡¯t mean I can tolerate my first progeny being as useless as I once was.

    I just want to give her the best.

    However, given Lady Adele¡¯s loyalty to you, she and I will need some time to gradually be ustomed to each other.¡±

    ¡°You are her elder.¡±

    The Young Lady said in a low voice:

    ¡°Whether she is willing or not, she must obey you! The blood bond will change her mind, and one day she will forget all emotional connections to me.

    Yes.

    One day¡­

    She will only fight for you.

    To be honest, I regret it a little now, Murphy.¡±

    Murphy wondered if the Young Lady was trying to back out and renegotiate terms. So he didn¡¯t respond, waiting for her next words. But instead, she fell silent for half a minute, leaving Murphy quite perplexed. As he marveled at the Young Lady¡¯s unpredictable ways, he changed the subject and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with Adele¡¯s bloodline? Why does she have one-fourth elven blood? Where did you find this oddity? There haven¡¯t been any elves in the Transia region for hundreds of years, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah? She¡¯s actually a half-elf?¡±

    The Young Lady, who had been reaching to cover Adele¡¯s coffin board, was taken aback by Murphy¡¯s words.

    Her reaction made Murphy¡¯s eyelids twitch.

    Good grief!

    This is your most loyal and only blood servant, yet you didn¡¯t know about her hidden race? You brought her along without knowing anything about her?

    That¡¯s awfully reckless!

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve never tasted Adele¡¯s blood, nor have I allowed any other vampires to do so. Combined with herpleteck of elven traits and her usual silence, that¡¯s why I¡­¡±

    Probably seeing the surprise Murphy couldn¡¯t conceal, the Young Lady exined:

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important. She¡¯s loyal and capable enough, and in the face of excellent work ability, one¡¯s origins are a trivial issue. Besides, Adele has been with me for twenty years. I¡¯ve watched her grow up day by day.

    She¡¯s like a daughter to me.

    Therefore, I hope you can guide and protect her the same way I have cared for her.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    After hearing this, Murphy almost couldn¡¯t keep a straight face.

    He looked at Femis¡¯ petite frame and youthful doll-like appearance, which made her seem like a sixteen-year-old lolita, then at the fully ¡°matured¡± Lady Adele in the coffin, who was at least thirty-five in all aspects.

    To anyone seeing this scene, it would appear as if the daughter was bidding farewell to her mother, but the reality was the opposite.

    Adding to that the Young Lady¡¯s utterly serious expression, clearly oblivious to the impression her unique appearance would create, Murphy had to bite hard on the tip of his tongue to avoid blurting out a sarcastic remark.

    At this point, he waspletely convinced that this solemn and aloof Blood Vulture Lady, who maintained a stern demeanor in public, was simply clueless about manymon senses deep down, it was hard to imagine how she developed such a personality.

    But then again, wasn¡¯t this the norm for a long-lived race whose perspective became warped from their longevity?

    Didn¡¯t his own household have a five-hundred-year-old alcoholic vampire wretch who was still addicted to booze?

    Compared to Tris, the Young Lady before him merely exhibited some entricity.

    Overall, she was still quite capable.

    However, for a fleeting moment, Murphy wanted to ask the Young Lady exactly how old she was.

    But after some hesitation, he didn¡¯t.

    Asking such an offensive question to a woman he wasn¡¯t familiar with could easily get him killed on the spot.

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested in Adele¡¯s background, you can ask her yourselfter. You¡¯re her elder, she shouldn¡¯t hide any information from you.

    All I can recall is that I found her twenty years ago when I was traveling through the Dark Mountains, in a vige in southern Transia.

    She was alone then, surviving by stealing, but her skills were poor and she almost got beaten to death.

    I took pity on the scrawny little monkey and gave her some food. After that, she followed me.¡±

    The Young Lady shook her head and yawned, then opened her own coffin and said to Murphy:

    ¡°Do you have anything else important?¡±

    Murphy promptly stood up, bid the Young Lady good night, and took his leave.

    Although the sun had just risen.

    For a vampire, it was time to say goodnight!

    It was a matter of etiquette.

    Murphy had onlye to test the waters and gauge the Young Lady¡¯s stance on the annihtion of the vampires. Unexpectedly, she hadn¡¯t even brought up the matter, behaving as if the deaths of sixty Midnight Hunters meant nothing to her.

    But this could also be the Young Lady¡¯s disguise.

    In the worst case, once Murphy returned to Kadman City, he might be captured and thrown into the Blood Vulture Halls for betraying his kin, to face the Sunburn Punishment.

    Perhaps he should prepare ahead?

    After ensuring Femis hadin down in her coffin, Murphy pulled his hood over himself and jumped off the carriage, fully covered. He then ran to the front carriage and fiddled with theputation beads.

    Four hourster, during the hottest part of the day, Murphy manually confirmed the yer self-login prompt at the exact time the new version update was announced on the forum during Maxim and Miriam¡¯s lunch break in a small roadside grove. He clutched his broken pocketwatch, timing it to the second.

    Almost simultaneously, in another world, the eager little yers saw the previously locked self-login function light up on the VR interface inside their gaming helmets.

    This was their first time attempting self-login.

    A gentle light enveloped the view inside the helmet, and in a daze, they saw the swaying dark nebe once more. Then, the spirit-woven solid projection flickered into existence before Murphy¡¯s eyes. Without needing to activate his summoning talent, the adorable little yers reappeared by his side.

    It was as if they had opened their eyes from a dream.

    Just like their previous login experience, the sunlight filtered through the trees, shining on their faces and bodies, making them feel the same warmth as the real world.

    ¡°Whoa! So cool! Awesome!¡±

    The lively Ah Yuen jumped up first, performing an ¡°otherworld style¡± shoulder shrug on the spot, his handscking only a basketball.

    After confirming their ability to self-login, the other yers also showed delight, as this meant they finally controlled their own gaming time.

    No more passive waiting!

    From now on, they could log in whenever they wanted.

    ¡°My warriors, I have finallypleted the improvement of my summoning spell. Now you are free!¡±

    The still weakened Murphy spread his arms wide with a grin towards the yers.

    At his feety their previous equipment. These fellows, all d in ¡°newbie underwear,¡± walked over and donned their guard armor, then draped the cloaks they had received as ¡°closed beta rewards,¡± instantly transforming into a retinue that looked at least outwardly formidable.

    Once they had changed, Murphy took out a box and handed out theputation beads one by one to his little yers, exining as he did so:

    ¡°These are the rewards you deserve! Theye from the transport team we interceptedst night. I never expected they would risk offending the halflings by smuggling theseputation beads.

    But perhaps it was fate.

    These items, originally intended for killing and war, can undoubtedly serve a more valuable purpose in our grand n!¡±

    The little yers didn¡¯t know what theputation beads were, but this didn¡¯t stop them from picking up hints from the NPC¡¯s words.

    Combined with the update notes on the official forum, they easily guessed that the beads were the ¡°yer interface¡± temporarily added to the game by the developers.

    ¡°So, we even had to reim our own yer interface?¡±

    Meow King toyed with the jewel-likeputation bead,ining to Onboard Joy Stick beside him:

    ¡°Damn! This is too hardcore, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite good,¡± Onboard Joy Stick rolled his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s more immersive than just being handed an interface for no reason, right? This game really takes immersion to the extreme. But logically speaking, how do we use this thing? Voice control? Or mind maniption?¡±

    ¡°Theputation bead is a wonderful crystallization of steam engineering. It needs activation. Wait a moment, my warriors.¡±

    Murphy took out the fourth-generation prototypeputation bead hanging from his neck and infused it with spirit energy. A red light flickered on the smooth gem surface as the internal spirit differential engine¡¯s gears began to turn.

    An invisible, specially tuned spirit energy emanated from Murphy¡¯s coreputation bead, resonating with the subordinate beads. In an instant, the ¡°yer interfaces¡± in the little yers¡¯ hands finally activated.

    Leading Pigeon stared dumbly at theputation bead in his hand.

    He could feel the small object emitting a soft humming sound like a precise instrument. Then, a semi-transparent spirit energy screen projected in front of his eyes, hovering above his palm, with text flickering:

    ¡¾Computation Bead Activated!

    Initializing, please wait

    User Information Scanned, Mind Binding Complete!

    yer Attributes Loaded!

    In-Game Communication Channels Grouped!

    Friend List Loaded!

    Trantion Module Loaded!

    Information Recording & Map Functions Loaded! Subsequent features still in development, stay tuned. Enjoy your gaming experience.¡¿

    ¡°This little thing is so smart!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche stared at the semi-transparent screen in his hand.

    He tentatively tapped one of the listed modules, and his personal information was projected in a refreshed interface reminiscent of the XP system.

    ¡°Strength 5, Agility 5, Endurance 5, Intelligence 5, Perception 5, Charisma 5¡­ why are they all 5? Is this a glitch?¡±

    Cheche snorted in displeasure.

    He felt the official team was mocking his measlybat power of 5, then turned to look at Niuniu beside him. Upon seeing Niuniu¡¯s yer interface, he burst outughing, unable to contain himself.

    ¡°Ha! Intelligence only 2! Niuniu, are you serious? The official team has ssified you as mentally handicapped! Bwahahahaha!¡±

    Seeing Cheche clutching his stomach,ughing until his sides hurt, the unamused Precipitation Niuniu clenched his fists, knocked Cheche over, and shouted:

    ¡°My Intelligence might only be 2, but did you not see my Strength is 8? You trash with 5bat power dare to mock me! If I don¡¯t spank you today, I¡¯ll write my name backwards!

    A few people,e here!

    I¡¯ll strip Cheche¡¯s pants, you guys find a tree!

    That one over there looks good, thick and big enough, let¡¯s use that!

    Come on, let¡¯s do the Aruba Walk!¡±

    Upon seeing the screaming Cheche stripped of his pants and hoisted up for the ¡°traditional performance¡± of the Aruba Walk, the other unscrupulous yers burst intoughter, marveling at how realistic the game¡¯s physics engine truly was.

    Even Murphy beside them wore an amused aunt¡¯s smile, feeling that the little yers were indeed passionate. If he didn¡¯t have to remain dignified as an NPC, he would have loved to join and reminisce about his long-gone youthful days.

    But the next second, he saw Meow King slink up beside him and say shyly, twisting and turning:

    ¡°That¡­ forum reward¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Murphy deadpanned.

    This made Meow King¡¯s eyes go wide, using the NPC of withholding his reward. But then he saw Murphy rub his forehead in confusion and say:

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know why I should reward you, it seems there is a voice in the back of my mind telling me that you have indeed made efforts towards the grand n that I am unaware of.

    Soe, my warrior Meow King, I happen to have something suitable for you here.¡±

 Chapter 35:

    Meow King was very excited to learn that he had received a physical reward in the game for his review of the game helmet. He wanted to know what the official reward would be?

    A cool mount?

    Or a rare collectible, or perhaps a cosmetic outfit like the closed beta reward?

    It was like having a shiny treasure chest or a box of choctes with different vors in front of you, but unless you opened it, you wouldn¡¯t know what was inside.

    This feeling of anticipation was the most tantalizing.

    This feeling of imaginationsted until Murphy took out a sheathed oak hunting sword from his spirit pouch and handed it to him.

    ¡°Damn! Equipment reward? Boring.¡±

    Meow King suddenly deted.

    It¡¯s not that special equipment was bad, but mainly because he was also a veteran gamer. Everyone was still at the beginner stage, having just opened the game interface and not even embarking on the proper path of killing monsters and leveling up.At this stage, no matter how good the equipment the NPC gave, it would have to be discarded once the level increased.

    Under such circumstances, even if he was given the best sacred sword in the vige, it would not be as good as giving him a permanent cosmetic outfit.

    However, his disappointment onlysted a moment. Since the NPC had given it to him, he couldn¡¯t very well return the equipment, could he?

    ¡°You seem a bit disappointed?¡±

    Murphy noticed the change in Meow King¡¯s expression. He shook his head and assumed a mysterious pose, lowering his voice to his little yer:

    ¡°You¡¯d better take a close look at this sword.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Meow King blinked.

    At the NPC¡¯s suggestion, he began to examine the oak hunting sword with a crossguard, and then he felt a sense of familiarity. A few secondster, he eximed:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the weapon of that gray-haired witch huntress before? I remember it can ignite mes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is a replica of a blessed sacred de from the old faith, a weapon of faith that only followers of Avalon can use and activate its special abilities.¡±

    Murphy gently exined:

    ¡°Perhaps some secrets of the legendary gods can be uncovered from this sword, but as you can see, I am a vampire, an innate sinful descendant, no divine being will ever look upon us.

    Therefore, I can only select from my brave warriors someone like you, who is courageous, wise, and has an exploratory spirit, to seek out its mysteries on my behalf.¡±

    Murphy grasped the coreputational bead in his hand.

    As soon as he finished speaking, theputational bead that Meow King wore around his neck emitted a soft sound, prompting him to lower his head and activate the yer interface. He then saw a prompt:

    ¡¾Special Hidden Quest Triggered!

    Quest Name: Shadow of the Old Faith

    Quest Description: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, a vampire from Kadman City, acquired a replica of a sacred relic from the old faith in battle. This mysterious, night-dwelling being with an important mission is interested in the legendary gods.

    He hopes you can use this rare replica of a sacred de as a starting point to help him investigate the secrets of the old nature faith and the god Avalon.

    Quest Reward: Unknown

    Quest Time Limit: Unlimited time.

    ept this quest? Yes/No¡¿

    ¡°Hey, this is more like it! I like it.¡±

    Meow King grinned when he saw the familiar quest trigger and description. Previously, without a quest panel, he had to follow the NPC¡¯s instructions, which was realistic enough, but it always felt like something was missing from the feeling of ying a game.

    Now that this quest function was online, the familiar feeling came back all at once.

    He immediately chose to ept the quest and, with the now quite familiar Blood Vulture courtesy, bowed to Murphy and said:

    ¡°As youmand, my lord. Your will is the direction I shall proceed. I will do my utmost to uncover the secrets of this sacred de and that damned god for you.¡±

    ¡°Shh!¡±

    The audacious little yer¡¯s unrestrained words startled Murphy.

    He hurriedly raised his hand and pressed it against Meow King¡¯s forehead, saying:

    ¡°Do not be so disrespectful, my warrior. There are deities in this world, and your impiety may bring you misfortune! The followers of Avalon are spread across the continent, and they will not let a sphemer go unpunished.¡±

    ¡°Er, thank you for your reminder, my lord.¡±

    Meow King immediately replied, but in his heart, he didn¡¯t really care.

    Could the god in the game really strike him down with a lightning bolt in the real world?

    So what if he cursed? What could this Avalon do to him?

    Born under the red g, he had been a firm atheist from childhood, right?

    Meow King held the rewarded sacred de in his hand, and as he turned to leave, he heard Murphy remind him:

    ¡°Theputational beads you have can trante, so with them, you can converse with my assistants and servants. In your spare time, you might as well greet them and see if they have any troubles that need your help.

    The journey back to Kadman City will take two to three days. Perhaps you can learn some swordsmanship from my loyal Maxim?¡±

    ¡°This is giving action hints.¡±

    Meow King¡¯s heart stirred.

    It seemed the development team had added the newbie guidance as well. He decided to follow the NPC¡¯s prompts, visit the other NPCs to get acquainted, and see if he could activate a few more quests.

    While Meow King was trying his luck with the caravan to get quests, the other little yers gathered to discuss the attributes and character traits they had just seen on the yer interface.

    ¡°I just calcted, and although our initial attributes are all different in the six categories, the total sum is 30!¡±

    Electronic Subus Old Tune, one of Meow King¡¯s four heavenly kings, chewed on a de of grass as he spoke to the others:

    ¡°There are special notes under these attribute cards, saying that these attributes are based on the scan of our original physical fitness by the game helmet, and there is no such thing as random character creation.

    From my observation, each of our initial character traits is also listed based on reality. My trait is ¡®Gunslinger,¡¯ which reduces ranged attack uracy penalties and increases reload speed.

    This is obviously a shooter talent.

    What about you guys?¡±

    ¡°Cheche¡¯s trait is that a certain part of his body is particrly long!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, one of the six noble brothers of the dorm, immediately chimed in with a suggestive joke, only to be ridiculed by the other brothers.

    When he got bamboozled by Aluba earlier, no one saw anything particrly long about him.

    ¡°Tsk, not funny. Okay, Cheche¡¯s character trait is ¡®Optimistic,¡¯ which reduces the duration of various negative status effects. At a nce, it¡¯s a divine skill!

    So, Cheche, I¡¯m truly the well-rounded, all-capable child of heaven, with perfect bnce in intelligence, wisdom, physique, beauty, andbor, right?¡±

    This college student, who liked to joke around and always referred to himself in the third person, gave a thumbs up and looked smug. The others then shared their own character traits and generally agreed that the traits were quite urate.

    For instance, the one named ¡°Led More Than Three to Five Pecks¡± had the¡¾Endurance¡¿trait, which matched his name¡¯s implication of some hobby. The respected dorm leader, Leading Pigeon, had the¡¾Mystic¡¿trait.

    The most bizarre case was Kono Maomao Shark, one of the six noble brothers of the dorm.

    His trait was¡¾Pet Expert¡¿, which increased the favorability of various animals towards him, but only small and medium-sized animals would be affected.

    These traits almost all corresponded to certain living habits or preferences of these little yers, and since they were all positive traits, no oneined that it was bad. That is, until Niuniu, the athletic student who had not participated in the discussion, finally spoke up, shocking the others.

    ¡°Damn! Niuniu, how do you have two character traits?¡±

    Ah Yuen¡¯s exmation immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention. Niuniu was also a bit confused as he scratched his head and said:

    ¡°This¡¾Athletic Master¡¿I can understand, since I exercise all day long and am better at sports than you bunch of couch potatoes. But I don¡¯t know where the second trait¡¾Pugilist¡¿came from. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m good at punching?¡±

    ¡°Which kind of punching?¡±

    Cheche slyly approached and asked:

    ¡°The XXN Labyrinth Fist you do online?¡±

    ¡°Go away, it¡¯s a proper fist, like martial arts, you know?¡±

    Niuniu pushed Cheche away and solemnly clenched his fist as he exined:

    ¡°I specialize in sanda. It¡¯s a family tradition, I started practicing in middle school, and in high school, I represented the school inpetitions. To win more awards, I also practiced some misceneous styles, like Tai Chi and Muay Thai.

    Perhaps this is why I have this trait?¡±

    ¡°Whoa! No wonder you fight so fiercely, Sanda Brother!¡±

    For a moment, the others were amazed, finally feeling relieved about Niuniu¡¯s disy of superhumanbat prowess in the game. After all, he was a professional.

    ¡°Yo, bros, what are you guys chatting about so happily?¡±

    While they were chatting, Meow King had finally strolled back, and upon seeing the oak hunting sword he was smugly wearing on his waist, the other yers knew this bastard had definitely engaged in some PY with the NPC.

    ¡°Did the official really give you a weapon reward?¡±

    Three to Five Pecks looked enviously at the weapon in Meow King¡¯s arms. The rustic and grand oak crossguard clearly indicated that it was no ordinary item. Hemented:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they worried about imbnce?¡±

    ¡°What imbnce? This is a quest item! Use your item appraisal function to take a look and you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Meow King plopped down beside him and sighed:

    ¡°Although the quality is high, without a supporting faith system, it cannot unleash its true power. This is a hidden quest reward from our NPC, asking me to investigate the old faith and the Avalon belief, and although this sword looks cool, it¡¯s actually not as good as the in ones you guys have.

    I just went to learn swordsmanship from that white-haired NPC Maxim with this sword, but he warned me that as a newbie, I shouldn¡¯t use weapons that require special techniques, lest I cut my own fingers.

    Damn!

    To be looked down upon by an NPC while ying a game is really something. But I¡¯ve figured it all out!¡±

    He told the other yers:

    ¡°The white-haired NPC Maxim in the caravan is responsible for teaching the Blood Vulture Sword Arts. At the red-haired NPC Miriam¡¯s, you can buy food and daily necessities, like tents, torches, and needles and thread.

    I checked at the female merchant¡¯s shop, and she even sells guns, the ones we scavenged and resold to us, which is really shady!

    But she said she maintained those guns herself, so it¡¯s not exactly ripping us off.

    The second carriage has two coffins.

    They should be the youngdies we rescued and her servant. They don¡¯t spawn during the day, following the vampires¡¯ living rules, so they may not spawn until night.

    I reckon the youngdy might teach us some basic spirit skills, that is, magic.

    This game doesn¡¯t have such strict ss skill divisions. I see our NPC is a swordsman but can also throw dark orbs, so I estimate proper job changes may not happen until after level 10.¡±

    ¡°Awesome! As expected of the electronic fairy Meow King, you¡¯vepiled all this information in just one round trip. Why don¡¯t you post it on the forum and get some rewards?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick chuckled, but before Meow King could respond, they heard the sound of ringing bells. The yers turned their heads to see the red-haired NPC Miriam standing atop a carriage, vigorously ringing her hand bell, indicating that they were about to depart.

    ¡°Quick, follow along.¡±

    Meow King pped his butt as he stood up and said:

    ¡°I just heard from the NPC that it¡¯ll take us three days to get back to Kadman City. He said he¡¯ll arrange two separate carriages for us to rest at the next vige.

    The time for Maxim to teach the Blood Vulture Sword Arts is during dinner. We can juste up then.

    Now that we only have 6 hours of free game time per day, we need to allocate it properly. I suggest we split into four groups and maintain yers online in the caravan at all times. If random quests pop up, just shout it out in the group chat.

    I reckon after three days of returning to Kadman City, we¡¯ll be able to explore freely.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, this game being too realistic is actually not that great.¡±

    Three to Five Pecks couldn¡¯t help butin:

    ¡°In other games, you can just ESC and skip this travel process, but here we have to follow the NPC for three days of travel.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡±

    The agile Onboard Joy Stick climbed onto the carriage and looked at the incredibly realistic scenery around him. He sighed:

    ¡°If they simte even the travel process this realistically, learning skills is going to be tough, I reckon. Learning a set of sword arts isn¡¯t as simple as you guys think.¡±

    Niuniu nodded vigorously beside him. As an athlete, he understood this all too well.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t sword techniques and moves just for show?¡±

    Spicy Gugu Chicken poked his head out and said. Onboard Joy Stick immediately sneered:

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say such foolish things if you¡¯ve ever seen those real military drills. In the future, if anyone tells you that, give them a full windmill sword technique right to their face! Take my advice, never waste your breath arguing with idiots online. You can state facts and reason, but they can dismiss it all with just ¡®I think.''¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how could something present across all eras and cultures be a lie?¡±

    Niuniu also patted Gugu Chicken¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve also seen how our NPC uses a sword inbat. It¡¯s not something you can just swing around and sh at random.

    To be honest, I¡¯m quite interested in this game¡¯s content.

    I want to see just how realistic this game can get!

    To be honest, I don¡¯t believe the developers could actually hire a group of realbat sword masters to do motion capture.¡±

    The eager athlete rubbed his hands together, full of anticipation.

    Hourster, at the campsite during dinnertime, after being knocked down by the Swift Sword for the seventh time and seeing the disdainful look on Maxim¡¯s face, Niuniu, feeling no sensation in his wrists, was on the verge of tears.

    Whoa!

    These NPCs are ying for real!

    The fancy sword moves he had learned were absolutely worthless in this person¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s just a game, why make it so hardcore?

 Chapter 36:

    While Murphy led the spoils of war and survivors back to Kadman City, the subsequent ripples caused by the sessful ambush were subtly changing many things.

    In the pioneering outpost of the Eastern Prussia region bordering Transia, amander wearing the uniform of a lieutenant colonel of the Goldflower Kingdom strode quickly to the frontlinemander¡¯s office, clutching a document and straightening his bearing.

    After confirming everything was in order, he knocked on the closed door.

    This was not just due to good upbringing and personal habit, but also because the lieutenant colonel was about to meet General Loren, amander who demanded strictness in all matters.

    From the post-action review of every military operation to the patrol routes of the military police in the outpost, even the seating arrangements of the officers¡¯ asional gatherings.

    If the small andrgemanders of the Pioneering Corps, or even the rank and file, did not want to be reprimanded or punished by the stern general, it was undoubtedly the right attitude to do their best in their duties.

    General Loren had a famous saying: ¡°Death will always favor those faithful to their duties.¡± This saying gives a glimpse into the general¡¯s character.

    ¡°Enter!¡±

    A low voice came from the office.The lieutenant colonel entered, crisply saluting the general seated at the desk examining a map, and loudly reported:

    ¡°Reporting to the General! The frontline special service report has arrived, including an encrypted message that requires your immediate attention!¡±

    He then lowered his voice and said:

    ¡°The content is about those ¡®cargo¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The general, who had been examining the military map, looked up at the sound, revealing a face in the prime of life with sharp features.

    Not exactly handsome, but his chiseled features like those carved by an axe, his ssic square jaw, and his well-trimmed sideburns gave him a rugged, old-fashioned, and stern air of gravity.

    He tossed aside the pencil he had been holding, stroked his proudest possession, his mustache, jumped off his chair, straightened his general¡¯s shoulder boards, and strode over to the lieutenant colonel.

    Finally, the general looked up at him.

    Well, everyone had heard the rumors that General Loren Fredrick had a courage and strength disproportionate to his height, and this was not just ttering praise.

    It was actually a statement.

    The suprememander of the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s armies, the most trustedmander of King Louis, the rising war star from the Old Guard, the absolute pride of the Greenleaf Corps ¨C General Loren, who had built the Pioneering Corps from nothing and trained it into the kingdom¡¯s premier military force during the Ten Years¡¯ War, was a Halfling!

    He had half Dwarf blood.

    This meant that while the general towered among Dwarves, he was utterly tiny next to the 1.93 meters-tall lieutenant colonel.

    But no one would underestimate General Loren because of it!

    Just as no one would dare underestimate the lethal battleaxes wielded by Dwarves on the battlefield.

    Those who dared to mouth off about his height probably wouldn¡¯t live to see the next day¡¯s sun. Additionally, there was an unwritten rule in the Pioneering Corps to avoid using the word ¡°short¡± in official matters and private conversations as much as possible.

    Note that this was not a request!

    Although the general had announced on the first day of founding that he did not mind the soldiers discussing his height, that half-Dwarven blood flowed stubbornly within him nheless.

    And as is well known, Dwarves had a reputation for being petty on the continent.

    In the third month of establishing the corps, after a brave acting lieutenant was thrown to the frontlines for drunkenly cursing the enemy as ¡°cowardly little rats¡± in front of the general, everyone understood where the line was drawn.

    Although that acting lieutenant was lucky enough to survive four bitter battles and eventually get promoted all the way to colonel, it was still a sad story.

    Now in the office, General Loren stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at this subordinate who was exceptionally tall and annoying, but also exceptionally capable and influential. The lieutenant colonel maintained his military bearing, staring straight ahead without any disrespect the general could find fault with.

    So General Loren asked in a deep voice:

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with my cargo? ording to the schedule, they should have arrived in the Anderma Hills area by now.¡±

    ¡°The transport convoy was ambushed, Your Excellency.¡±

    The lieutenant colonel walked briskly to the military map of the Transia region on the wall, precisely pinning a red tack next to the Foul Swamp.

    Pointing there, he said to the frowning general:

    ¡°The incident happenedst night, around 9 PM. Sixty elite Blood Vulture Midnight Hunters and their armed Blood Servants attacked the convoy just after it left the Foul Swamp. The Spirit Mage in charge of the convoy put up a decisive defense and ordered the Wolfsbane n warriors guarding the cargo to retreat first.

    But the cunning vampires had alreadyid an ambush at the end of Smuggler¡¯s Woods, and our brave soldiers ultimately failed. The cargo is confirmed lost.¡±

    ¡°Then how did this information get back?¡±

    Instead of dwelling on the loss of the expensive cargo he had procured, General Loren asked:

    ¡°So the convoy didn¡¯t suffer total annihtion? If some of them survived, why am I only getting this poor report? Who was the enemymander in charge of the interception? And who was thest vampire to have contact with the cargo?

    Most importantly, what about the battle process?

    Are they just glossing it over with the two words ¡®decisive resistance¡¯?

    That convoy¡¯s escort alone was 240 men!

    Veterans who had seen at least three major battles. I had even specifically sent skilled Witch Hunters from the White Oak Battalion to assist in defense, and high-ranking Spirit Mages from the Circle Tower as magical support.

    A force like that could take on 1000 armed Blood Servants on the battlefield! But they couldn¡¯t even stop 60 vampires?

    There must have been amand issue!

    The convoymander had better actually be killed in action, or I¡¯ll have him court-martialed!¡±

    ¡°Regarding this matter¡­¡±

    The lieutenant colonel was used to the general¡¯s strictness for details. He nced at the file in his hand and reported:

    ¡°Only three Spirit Mages from the convoy survived. The rest of the soldiers were killed in action, but they eliminated all the invading vampires and Blood Servants. Lord Finoch, themander of the White Oak Battalion who went to support them at thest moment, confirmed this.

    On the enemy side, except for themander, all members are dead. Additionally, we can confirm that the attackers were the elite Midnight Hunters from the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    ¡°Wiping out 60 Midnight Hunters in one battle? That¡¯s like taking out two entire elite Night Raid squads of Salrokdar¡¯s forces at once? Good!¡±

    The general raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying:

    ¡°My troops did not disappoint!

    Well done! Write down the names of these soldiers to report their military merits to the army. Apply for ¡®Warrior¡¯ pensions for their families, and if their children want to enlist, send them to the Loyal Heir Academy. Also, in the name of the Pioneering Corps, give their families an additional three months¡¯ military pay as a death gratuity.

    I¡¯ll cover 90%, themanders of forces directly involved will cover 10%.

    You¡¯ll handle this personally.

    Additionally, why was old Finoch at the Foul Swamp? Shouldn¡¯t he have been leading his Witch Hunters in tactical interdiction along the Anderma Hills to Kadman City?¡±

    ¡°It was to rescue prisoners, General. In a previous encounter at Mond Vige, a few veteran Witch Hunters were captured by vampires. Lord Finoch went to rescue them.¡±

    The lieutenant colonel immediately exined:

    ¡°ording to the intelligence Lord Finoch sent back, the reason the convoy was able to detect the vampire ambush in advance was because these prisoners, with a mindset of facing death, broke free of their bonds and set fire to the vampires¡¯ rear camp at the cost of their lives. It was the fire that alerted the convoy, allowing them to avoid being ambushed in the dark.

    The surviving Spirit Mages emphasized in their report that this attack was due to a leak, as the vampires were able to urately pinpoint the convoy¡¯s timing and route.

    This proves there is a mole within the Pioneering Corps.

    After assessment by the staff, we believe this threat does indeed exist, Your Excellency.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fighting a war on the vampires¡¯ turf. The Blood Vulture n has been entrenched in the Transia region for over 400 years. Is it not normal for them to have cultivated some human traitors?¡±

    General Loren waved a dismissive hand, saying:

    ¡°Sniffing out and executing traitors is not something us frontline soldiers need to worry about. The military courts will handle it. Did their report mention the final whereabouts of the cargo?¡±

    ¡°No, General. Lord Finoch is currently escorting seven wounded back to the Eastern Prussia region. The White Oak Battalion¡¯s tactical interdiction and reconnaissance has also beenpleted.¡±

    The lieutenant colonel answered:

    ¡°The Witch Hunters suffered heavy losses, but if you insist on retrieving the cargo, I believe they would be willing to risk another pursuit. It¡¯s a three day journey from the Foul Swamp to Kadman City. At the Witch Hunters¡¯ travel speed, they can catch up before¡­¡±

    ¡°No, abandon it.¡±

    General Loren thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively:

    ¡°If it were before, I definitely wouldn¡¯t ept this loss. But now the situation has changed. Frayzer, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯ve been at the front for three years. Missing home?

    Missing that fianc¨¦e you¡¯ve never met?¡±

    The general¡¯s sudden change of topic caught the lieutenant colonel off guard.

    He rarely heard the general discuss personal life in the military camp. After a second¡¯s thought, he answered:

    ¡°Serving for King Louis¡¯ victory and the glory of Goldflower is my duty, General. My family supports me, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me titudes!¡±

    The general red at him, then shook his head and said:

    ¡°Write a letter to your family. At most half a month, and you can return home to reunite with them.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    The lieutenant colonel was truly shocked now, but he reacted quickly, eximing:

    ¡°General, you mean the war is going to end? But¡­but we haven¡¯t invaded Transia yet! Our intelligence gathering on the Blood Vultures has only just finished!

    New recruit training is just one month away. Once everything is prepared, we canunch a decisive and devastating attack at any time. Those depraved superstitious Transians won¡¯t be able to stop our forces!

    It took us ten years to get this far, General!

    This is thest step in King Louis¡¯ n to absorb the Portia Federation. How can we give up here!

    There must be treacherous ministers around the King and in the Great Council!¡±

    The young lieutenant colonel cried out indignantly:

    ¡°How can thosecent bastards at the rear end the war just as we¡¯re about to win? No, those greedy fools have betrayed and sold us out!¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡±

    Hearing his subordinate officer go too far, General Loren barked sharply. He took out a dwarven pipe and toyed with it, ncing at his subordinate before drawling:

    ¡°Yearning for war is the nature of the young. Mastering war is the duty of amander. Enjoying war is the privilege of veterans. But seeking war without considering the consequences, tsk, that is pure folly.

    The entire nation has been in a state of war for ten years. His Majesty¡¯s pace of reforming this newborn country has been dyed for too long.

    It is fitting for this muddled war to end now.

    As for the reason, it is not what you think, Frayzer.¡±

    General Loren sighed, lit his tobo, and through the haze of smoke, handed the lieutenant colonel the half-drawn military map from his desk.

    Thetter took it, scanned it, and his eyes widened.

    He eximed voicelessly:

    ¡°This! The Kingdom of Nordtov has sent troops?¡±

    ¡°Yes, on the eastern front of the Portia Federation. As we speak, that young but ferocious ¡®She-Wolf¡¯ Queen¡¯s elite Winter Wolf Corps has crossed the military buffer zone from the Ice Bay all the way to the Transia line.

    They will strike this decadent giant hard from behind Portia, per the king¡¯s pact with the She-Wolf forged just two months ago after the Third Saxony Campaign ended.¡±

    The general puffed on his pipe, exining slowly:

    ¡°The Pioneering Corps doesn¡¯t even need to advance further. We just need to garrison and maintain the kingdom¡¯s upation of Eastern Prussia, Saxony, and Cato. Leave the rest to those barbaric, warlike northerners.

    They¡¯ll help us crush Portia¡¯sst resistance. Of course, the Ice Bay region and Kafhoka ins will be theirs as spoils tossed to the hungry wolves.

    The entire Portia Federation will be history after this battle.

    As for Transia¡­¡±

    The diminutive general turned to look at the map hanging on the wall.

    The Transia region on it was long and narrow, bordered by the Ice Bay to the north and the Dark Mountains to the south. Situated in the very center of the continent, it was like a ¡°natural barrier¡± separating the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s newly acquired territories from the two mighty human nations of Nordtov and Goldflower.

    General Loren stroked his mustache and chuckled coldly:

    ¡°The domains of two lions cannot directly border each other, as that would only provoke fiercer conflict. But neither side is ready for the next war yet.

    Therefore, the Transia region will be carved out as an autonomous territory, perhaps even a duchy. Who knows?

    The next war will be fought at the negotiating tables of politicians, with their tongues and the pens in their hands deciding victory.

    But Frayzer, the war for us soldiers is already over.¡±

    The lieutenant colonel listened in silence to the general¡¯s exnation.

    He knew General Loren intended to use him to pass this news down to the Pioneering Corps¡¯ middle ranks, to preemptively cate bellicose, glory-seeking officers.

    He himself was quite satisfied with the oue.

    After so many years of warfare, truth be told, he was sick of fighting too.

    When the war began, he had been a student studying at Shaldor Harbor. But now he was of marriageable age, the most ludicrous part being that the bride chosen for him by his family was reportedly excellent in every way, yet the problem was that he had virtually no say in this arranged marriage at all!

    He felt absolutely no involvement!

    However, outwardly the lieutenant colonel still said indignantly:

    ¡°But just let them go like that? General, those damned vampires just stole your cargo and trampled all over the Pioneering Corps¡¯ honor. End it like this, and the soldiers won¡¯t be satisfied.

    As you¡¯ve taught us, a soldier¡¯s honor is paramount!

    We can lose our heads, but not our knees!¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t let them off so easily. I only said the two kings n to dismember Portia. I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d allow those vampires to keep lording over this benightednd unchecked.¡±

    General Loren shed a cold smile, picking up a pen from the desk and toying with it. With a casual flick of the wrist, it struck the map with a thunk, pinning itself right on the location of Kadman City.

    He said:

    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer, help me contact the Circle Tower¡¯s dispatched Spirit Mages and the Patriarch of the Wolfsbane n. I want to initiate D-n!

    We may not be able to march into Kadman City as victors, but I will make those insolent vampires realize their era has ended.

    Ended by my corps personally!¡±

 Chapter 37:

    After three days and two nights of rapid travel, Murphy¡¯s caravan finally approached Kadman City once again. At their current speed, they would reach the city in half an hour.

    The outline of therge city, built between hills not far from a river on a in, was already visible.

    During these two days, the small yers had gotten used to freely logging in and reasonably arranging their game time. They would leave a ¡°sentinel¡± online, and when the caravan reached a vige or stopped to rest, the others would log in to avoid wasting precious game time on boring travel.

    The posture of the yers when logged off was also quite peculiar.

    Murphy had specifically gone to see them lying like corpses on the tworge tbed wagons reserved for them at the back, just like sleeping people, asionally snoring or rolling over, mimicking sleep vividly.

    This proved that after the free yer ess function was enabled, these guys could maintain a physical presence in this world for a long time.

    Although he didn¡¯t understand the working principle of this function, Murphy guessed that these ¡°physical projections¡± should be able to automatically absorb the wandering spirits in the world to maintain their existence.

    The analysis of summoning in Lady Femis¡¯ spirit notebook exined these in detail. Although it couldn¡¯t be directly applied to yers, these special summons, Murphy guessed that the general principle should be simr.

    ¡°After spending two days with my warriors, what impression did they give you?¡±Today was an overcast day without the annoying sun, so Murphy, hooded, sat on the advancing carriage, casually chatting with Maxim, who was driving.

    Hearing Murphy¡¯s question, Maxim frowned and said:

    ¡°Not very impressed, Lord Murphy. I admit your warriors are very energetic, as if they never feel tired, but they¡¯re too annoying and crazy.

    Yesterday they even followed me to the bathroom, as if they wanted to confirm that I also excrete.

    And no matter what time it is, as soon as I¡¯m idle, those guys surround me and ask me strange questions with those damnputation beads.

    They seem particrly interested in my private life and my gray hair, which I find very annoying.

    I had no choice but to use the method you taught me and have them run errands for me to get a little peace and quiet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how they are, full of curiosity andcking caution.¡±

    Murphy sighed helplessly:

    ¡°No matter how many times I reminded them not to bother thedy,st night there were still a few reckless ones who went to tease Femis, and Lady Femis ended up binding them with spirit and hanging them in the air for half an hour.

    But you have to admit, they are quite talented at running errands, right?

    They always find the quickest way to get what you want using all sorts of crazy methods.

    How is their progress in learning swordsmanship from you?¡±

    Mentioning this question, Maxim, who had been annoyed, suddenly sighed.

    He said worriedly:

    ¡°Master, when I was learning the Blood Vulture Sword Arts, it took me half a month just to get started, and I practiced for three years before mastering the techniques of various weapons.

    But your warriors have only been learning from me for two days, and their attitude was not serious at all.

    Yet they have all grasped the essentials of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts.

    Last night I even saw them use clumsy but properly styled sword arts to drive away a few wolfen bandit scavengers lured by food. Compared to their learning ability, I feel like a mentally handicapped idiot.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone from their realm is that smart, luckily we don¡¯t need idiots.¡±

    Murphy responded casually.

    The small yers¡¯ fast skill learning definitely wasn¡¯t because they were all martial arts prodigies, but purely due to their 1.5x super growth rate and learning ability.

    This should be an adjustment made by the test administrator system when creating the yer temtes. Otherwise, if it really took several months to learn a set of sword arts like Maxim, the gamey would essentially be a drag.

    The realism and harshness that yers expect is not actually ipatible with the convenience andziness they want. How to properly bnce these two aspects is the core of whether a game can attract people.

    If this world really is a game, that is.

    ¡°I just learned a new sword art.¡±

    Murphy stood up and patted Maxim¡¯s shoulder, saying:

    ¡°When we get back to Kadman City, let¡¯s practice it. We¡¯ll be there in half an hour, so don¡¯t rest! Speed up and let¡¯s get back as soon as possible. I¡¯m sick of eating and sleeping outdoors.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯m also looking forward to returning to the city.¡±

    Maxim smiled and flicked his whip, elerating the carriage again.

    Meanwhile, Murphy walked casually on top of the carriage, then after a light jump,nded on Miriam¡¯s carriage.

    The red-haired girl had also been bothered by the ¡°enthusiastic¡± small yers searching everywhere for hidden trigger quests these past two days. Now she was enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

    As Murphynded, she suddenly asked:

    ¡°Murphy, can I hire your warriors to escort me to Shaldor Port?

    They really are enthusiastic, it¡¯s as if no matter what I ask them to do, they¡¯ll do it energetically. I prefer them to those gloomy mercenaries.

    They¡¯re simple yet lively, passionate yet kind.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll scare you when they get wicked, Miriam, and for now it¡¯s not possible.¡±

    Murphy replied:

    ¡°My warriors haven¡¯t fully adapted here yet, they¡¯re too weak. Butter they might be able to be your private guards, as long as you can afford the price.

    Oh, and Miriam, don¡¯t spread their true identities when we return to the city, just say they¡¯re from Mond Vige.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    The red-haired girl waved her hand and said:

    ¡°Your summoning technique is clearly a secret skill. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t b about it everywhere. Andpared to Mond Vige, saying they¡¯re mountain folk from the northern regions is more fitting.

    No one would doubt the entric behavior of mountain folk, and theirnguage is cryptic and hard to understand anyway.

    Perfectly matched to your warriors.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Murphy opened the carriage door and jumped inside.

    He knocked on the ck coffin board inside, and after a moment, the coffin board slid open, revealing Lady Femis¡¯ displeased face.

    She rubbed her forehead and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s daytime now, Murphy.

    I understand you¡¯re an entric deviant, like the legendary ¡®Day Walker¡¯ anticipating dangerous sunlight, but I am an orthodox child of the night, I don¡¯t like being woken up at this hour.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an overcast day, mydy, there¡¯s no sun you dislike. Perhaps you should try appreciating the world outside of night for once. But I came here to actually ask you a professional question about summoning and spirit maniption.

    Considering we¡¯ll be returning to Kadman City soon, with your status, it may not be so easy for me, an outcast, to seek your guidance again.

    So please forgive my rudeness.¡±

    Murphy apologized sincerely. The reluctantdy waved her hand and said irritably:

    ¡°As long as you keep your rude servants in line, I¡¯ll be thankful enough. The way they look at me like a rare animal every time, and call me strange names like¡­loli, I don¡¯t know what that means, but the look in their eyes really makes me want to wring their necks.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just their way of showing they like you, mydy. You may not know it, but you¡¯re really popr among them.¡±

    Murphy smiled, looking at the ¡°dark loli vampiredy¡± repeatedly mentioned on the forum. He cleared his throat and asked seriously:

    ¡°In reading your notebook, I found it records the technique of summoning ¡®death ravens¡¯ from other realms for scouting. I tried having them deliver things, but every time my summon dies, it instantly vanishes, causing anything I had it carry to go missing midway.

    So I¡¯m curious, is there some trick to allow summoned creatures to leave a physical trace in this world even after dying?

    Like being able to remain as a corpse for a short time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stressing so much just to have death ravens deliver things for you?¡±

    Thedy gave Murphy an inscrutable look, and he nodded. Then with an ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡± expression, she said softly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense, I won¡¯t pry into your little secret. As for your question, it¡¯s easily solved.

    Have you heard of ¡®Warlocks¡¯?

    Those dabbling in the dark arts love to summon demonic spirits to possess their enemies, slowly devouring their mind and flesh, until the demonic spiritpletely reces the enemy¡¯s existence.

    The secret of how Warlocks¡¯ summons can exist for a long time is that they create ¡®Blight Cores¡¯ to help stabilize the demonic spirits¡¯ physical projection.

    Borrow their methods and make a core for your summons. That way, when they stop being active, the spirits forming their physical body won¡¯t instantly dissipate.

    In your words, it leaves a ¡®corpse¡¯, but it can onlyst up to a day at most.¡±

    Femis¡¯ answer made Murphy see the light. He asked further:

    ¡°Are there any requirements for making such a core?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± thedy yawned again, her ¡®dismissive¡¯ expression growing more obvious as she said:

    ¡°Any spirit-sensitive material will do, and it¡¯s not hard to make. If you really want to learn, once we return to Kadman City, I¡¯ll write you a letter with the instructions.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll express my thanks in advance.¡±

    Having gotten what he wanted, Murphy stood up and nced at the coffin beside him, saying:

    ¡°Lady Adele will awaken in her vampiric form tonight. I want to take her to meet my elder, Tris. But don¡¯t worry, mydy, if she wishes to return to you, I won¡¯t stop her.

    Think of it as a temporary work assignment.

    I¡¯m ¡®renting¡¯ my progeny to you for a while.

    You just need to pay a token hiring fee, and if you need, I can even sign an official bor dispatch¡¯ contract with you.¡±

    ¡°No need, Murphy.¡±

    Thedyy back in her coffin, closing the lid as she said:

    ¡°Adele is already your progeny. Though I¡¯m reluctant, as the daughter of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s patriarch, I haven¡¯t fallen so far as to need to snatch a kinsman¡¯s progeny.

    She will follow you!

    Whether she wants to or not, for that is the family rule.¡±

    The carriage fell silent again.

    Murphy stood speechless before the two coffins.

    After these two days of contact, he gained a deeper understanding of Femis¡¯ character.

    Thisdy was practically the embodiment of family rules. All her actions were based on the ancient ts of the Blood Vulture n, she could ept anything within the rules, even if they were truly wed.

    Murphy could understand why thedy took a dismissive attitude towards the sacrifice of the sixty Midnight Hunters.

    In her view, it was a necessary offering to the family, and an adherence and tribute to the ts and rules.

    She wouldn¡¯t even consider the unsavory role Murphy yed in the matter.

    Because Murphy had brought a valuable victory for the family.

    That was enough for her to ignore the unreasonable parts.

    Dealing with someone so principled was pleasant. At the very least, Murphy no longer resisted thisdy as before, he even felt it wouldn¡¯t be bad to serve under her.

    After all, as long as he acted by the rules, thisdy was quite reasonable.

    Moreover, in her worldview, there seemed to be no concept of ¡°taking shortcuts¡± or exploiting loopholes in the rules, this was behavior thedy could ept.

    Therefore, if he could get through to Femis, his and Tris¡¯ situation in the Blood Vulture n could perhaps greatly improve.

    Murphy exited the carriage and gazed towards Kadman City.

    He could vaguely make out the outline of the city under the gloomy clouds, a smile forming on his lips.

    It had been eight days away from home now, a dayter than his promised return.

    Tris would definitely nag him again when he got back, but he hoped that good-for-nothing hadn¡¯t actually starved herself to death while he was gone.

    Though knowing Tris¡¯ asionally erratic and mostly unreliable nature, she could probably get along well with his small yers.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Coordinates locked, target direction confirmed,munication channel clear! D-n entering Phase One!¡±

    With the resounding report, in themand hall of the pioneer fortress in the Eastern Prussia region, a general in military attire watched as the spirit mage before him began casting. With the pulsing light from the spiritputation bead on his chest, a scrying spell giving an aerial view was activated and reflected like a mirror before the general and hismanders.

    The scrying spell was reflecting an aerial image of the capital of the Transia region, the Blood Vulture n¡¯s headquarters Kadman City, nearly three hundred kilometers away.

    The spirit mage continuously adjusted the angle, allowing the general andmanders to clearly see the entirety of the city.

    Beside them, a group of Tower mages in ck robes were busy working through the massive spiritmunicationwork linked byputation bead, issuing new orders asionally.

    ¡°Target information ryed to White Cliff, Shaping Towers 01-03 in position! Shaping Masters on standby!¡±

    ¡°Corresponding astral coordinates for Kadman City calcted! No interference in bi-directional mapping! Next phase shift in six hours, plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°¡®Astral Rift¡¯ grand ritual prepared! White Cliff headquarters awaiting final D-n confirmation, General! Please give the order.¡±

    A spirit mage in military attire called out to General Loren, who stared at the city¡¯s reflection.

    He squinted without immediately giving orders, instead turning to a well-dressed old man beside him, holding a ck staff and wearing a tall hat.

    He said, ¡°What¡¯s it like to witness the legacy your kinsmen took 400 years to build copse in an instant?¡±

    ¡°The Blood Vultures are not my kin,¡± the grim-faced old man showed no respect for General Loren like the others, staring fixatedly at Kadman City bathed in the overcast light as he muttered:

    ¡°Their shameful betrayal 225 years ago that sparked the Second Night War nearly destroyed my n, even risking dragging the entire vampire race into oblivion.

    And the schemes these conspirators hatched in the shadows will face retribution in the next few minutes.

    If you must ask my opinion¡­

    Then I¡¯ll tell you, I anticipate theing events more than anyone.¡±

    ¡°For this revenge, you even abandoned your blood feud from the Night War, vited your reclusive principles, and chose to cooperate with the Circle Tower? As I know it, your kinsmen killed by the Tower¡¯s hands in thete Night War and subsequent ¡®Wolf¡¯s Blight¡¯ numbered in the astronomicals.¡±

    General Loren raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Is forgetting one grudge for an ancient hatred really worth it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Patriarch Edward of the Wolfsbane n revealed a chilling smile from under his tall hat.

    Gripping his skull-adorned staff, he said softly, ¡°As long as the Blood Vultures are destroyed today, any sacrifice is worth it. You simply don¡¯t understand what the Blood Vultures have been doing, and the nightmare Salrokdar¡¯s current madness will bring us.

    I wouldn¡¯t even call it destruction, it¡¯s worthy of being called ¡®salvation¡¯ or ¡®deliverance¡¯, words ill-fitting for vampires.

    But I¡¯ve said enough teasing. General Loren, you know what I want.

    Let me see!

    Let me see what the Wolfsbane n¡¯s submission to the brilliant King Louis will bring us.¡±

    ¡°Order confirmed!¡±

    The dwarf general grunted.

    He turned, stroking his beard, and swept his arm down as if gripping a battle axe, saying gruffly:

    ¡°D-n initiate! Let us bury the Blood Vultures in history forever andpletely!¡±

    ¡°BOOM¡±

    Minutester, a muffled roar came from the image.

    The terrifying spirits temporarily tore apart the gap between the material world and astral realm. The sky andnd shuddered in that moment as the power of the gloomy astral clouds poured forth. In the second before the spirit scry was disrupted and dissipated, General Loren and the elder Edward saw with satisfaction half of Kadman City being utterly submerged and torn apart.

    The two smiled at each other, then raised the fine ale brought by a duty soldier.

    ¡°To victory, gentlemen!¡±

    The general shouted:

    ¡°The war is over.¡±

 Chapter 38:

    As they got closer to Kadman City, the two ¡°sentries¡± Ah Yuen and Three to Five Pecks who remained on the cart were chatting happily when they saw their own NPC jump over. They immediately stood up and ran over to join Murphy.

    The vampire¡¯s eyes rolled, and then he addressed the two small yers in the tone of an NPC giving a quest:

    ¡°In ten more minutes, we¡¯ll reach Kadman City.

    Perhaps I should exin to you the taboos about that city, to prevent you from encountering unnecessary risks there. Additionally, you muste with me to have an audience with my elder, Lady Tris.

    She is a rather ¡®unconventional¡¯ vampire, so I must rify some things in advance.¡±

    The ¡°ding¡± sound triggered the quest ¡®One Day Tour of Kadman City¡¯, causing the two small yers to immediately perk up. They then followed the prompts to start shouting in the game group for the other yers toe online.

    The main quest for the new area had been activated.

    Stop cking off, hurry up ande do the quest!

    Their call was extraordinarily effective, and within five minutes the small yers had risen from their slumbering state. Eleven small yers surrounded Murphy, ready to listen to the NPC¡¯s boasting.The five who had died in the ambush battle in the woods would be able to revive tonight, allowing them to appear directly in Kadman City and saving the two-day, two-night rush, causing a momentary pang of envy.

    It was evident that the yers had a great interest in the first ¡°main city¡± to appear in the game.

    One by one they stood on the cart, taking out the looted monocr telescopes to gaze at the city, asionally offering their own opinions.

    Murphy had intended to take this time to lecture the yers on the local culture and customs, but before he could open his mouth, the second carriage in front suddenly shook.

    To Murphy¡¯s surprise, Lady Femis, who should have been sleeping ¡°beauty sleep¡± in her coffin, had actually appeared on her own, jumping onto the roof of the carriage in a manner unbing of her elegant demeanor.

    ¡°Look! The rich loli has respawned!¡±

    Electronic Subus shouted in the crowd, and the yers clicked their tongues in admiration.

    Over the past two days, they had figured out the respawn patterns of these NPCs. Because she was a proper vampire, Lady Femis would only appear after nightfall.

    This NPC¡¯s personality was very cold.

    However, if you behaved properly, humbly, andplimented her beauty, she would casually guide the yers in using spirit abilities. Several yers who were good at acting had already learned the basic ¡°Spirit st¡± skill from the Young Lady.

    Although a person¡¯s spirit talent was determined at birth in this world, the yers clearly belonged to the ¡°cannot be exined bymon sense¡± category.

    Not only could they clearly perceive spirit energy, but they also learned spirit techniques very quickly, which made the Young Lady inwardly click her tongue in admiration.

    Although it didn¡¯t show on the surface, she had actually be interested in Murphy¡¯s unique group of servants.

    Murphy said that these warriors were mountain folk from the north that he had gathered in Mond Vige, but the Young Lady didn¡¯t believe a word of this nonsense. However, since Murphy was unwilling to exin, she wouldn¡¯t ask directly.

    In any case, the existence of these people posed no danger to the Blood Vulture n.

    When Murphy saw the Young Lady appear on her own, he knew something had happened. He quickly went over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Spirit energy is abnormally converging! The speed is very fast, a massive amount of spirit energy has already enveloped the surroundings of Kadman City and even formed tides. The spirit connection between me and the Blood Vulture Passage has been continuously disrupted or blocked these past two days, perhaps due to this.

    Something must have happened in the city!¡±

    The Young Lady¡¯s expression was very unpleasant. Feeling unsettled, she spread herrge blood wings in the overcast environment and hovered in ce. She then looked down at Murphy and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and check first. You all, speed up!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s expression turned serious as he nodded. He watched as the Young Lady folded her wings in midair, then made a jumping start to elerate into subsonic speed, disappearing from everyone¡¯s sight in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°The rich loli flew away!¡±

    ¡°Wow, her wings were so cool! This dog developer is too skilled, right?¡±

    The small yers caused an uproar.

    Some even tried to record this segment using the built-in recording function of their game helmets, while Murphy had already rushed to the front cart and shouted to Maxim:

    ¡°Hurry! Speed up, something¡¯s happened in the city!¡±

    The loyal servant immediately changed expression, cracking the whip to urge the horses pulling the cart to go faster. However, less than a minuteter, Murphy also sensed what the Young Lady had meant about the spirit energy disturbance.

    As a spirit apprentice, he could clearly feel that the ambient spirit energy in the surrounding environment was converging and increasing at a terrifying rate, like an invisible storm brewing to its final stage, it would be a tornado-like catastrophe powerful enough to destroy and tten everything!

    For those who could sense spirit energy, the direction of Kadman City felt like there was a huge, spinning atmospheric pressure.

    The force of that power was so oppressive that it made Murphy¡¯s breathing heavy.

    ¡°Wh-what the hell is this?¡±

    He endured the pressure brought by the chaotic surge of massive spirit energy, panting as he looked towards the city, his ominous feeling growing ever more real.

    He actually didn¡¯t have any special feelings for this city.

    But the problem was that Tris was still inside, so no matter what¡­

    ¡°Damn it! The sky is falling!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s bizarre shoutpletely shattered Murphy¡¯s fantasy.

    The vampire and his loyal servant abruptly looked up to see that the overcast sky today seemed to have been ripped open.

    Indescribable ck energy, like wisps of smoke, gushed out from the fissure that had suddenly appeared in the sky. Those strange things took physical form in the material world, with flickering starlight still vaguely visible within them.

    It was like a dark neb appearing in broad daylight.

    Murphy didn¡¯t know what it was, but the Kadman City before his eyes was now enshrouded by that ck material from the sky, like physical objects being dragged in a ck storm.

    The vampire expanded his field of vision to the maximum.

    He could even see that the statue of Salrokdar at the top of the tallest Blood Vulture Spire was being disintegrated into chunks of rubble that defied gravity, swirling in the dark purple light storm.

    But this was only the beginning.

    Half a minute after the sky cracked open, a meteorite wrapped in ck mes came screaming down from the horizon.

    Amidst the shocked shouts of the small yers, it smashed heavily into the center of Kadman City. One chunk after another of dimensional meteorites continued to fall, causing the dark neb pouring down from the sky to ignite towering mes as it engulfed everything.

    In just a few minutes, the medieval-style mighty city before the yers¡¯ eyes looked like a third of it had been wiped off the ground by a child¡¯s hand.

    ck fissures were generated in the quaking earth and viciously shed through the city, swallowing the copsed buildings down below, as if taking them entirely into this doomsday scene of the gates of hell gaping open.

    The thunderous impacts of the meteorites brought terrifying muffled booms, along with raging winds kicked up by the massive collision and annihtion of spirit energy, causing the horses pulling the carts to panic tremendously.

    Murphy could see many frantic vampires pping their wings fleeing from the city, but they would quickly be entangled and enveloped by the dark wispy energy from another realm, like tiny insects crashing into a spider¡¯s web, struggling feebly before beingpletely devoured by the powers from beyond.

    ¡°Tris¡­¡±

    Murphy uttered her name softly, then clenched his fists, rising to charge towards the horses but was blocked by Maxim.

    The loyal servant could not simply watch Murphy rush headlong into this catastrophe that no human force could possibly stop. However, the vampire used an uncanny yet nimble sidestep to break free, jumping behind the horse and swiftly drawing his sword to slice through the harnesses.

    He firmly pped the old horse¡¯s neck, causing it to whinny and charge forward.

    Murphy knew he had to get back before the situation further deteriorated! He had to enter that city, no matter what demonic force was causing this havoc.

    Because Tris was still in there!

    That wretched monster girl who had saved him over a month ago, and depended on him for survival during his most vulnerable time alone in this other world¡­she was still in the city.

    He could convince himself it was him taking care of Tris, but the fact was, Tris had protected him through those most helpless times after first arriving in this realm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡±

    Murphy gritted his teeth and screamed inwardly:

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you die! I¡¯ming back, I¡¯ll be by your side soon! Hold on!¡±

    ¡°The dog nner is messing around again!¡±

    The small yers watching this ¡°cut scene¡± were dumbstruck. The leading pigeon in the crowd bit his fingernails and screamed:

    ¡°We just got here and haven¡¯t even entered the city yet, and they¡¯re pulling this? It¡¯s obviously that opening CGI taste! An entire city just gets wiped out like that? So intense.¡±

    ¡°The graphics are insanely amazing, I feel like this is a real-time rendered CG scene, with money burning up every single frame.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I recorded it. I¡¯ll post it on the forumter so those five unlucky guys can drool over it properly.¡±

    ¡°But with the promised main city gone, what are we supposed to do next?¡±

    The yers erupted into a mor. Then the eagle-eyed Cheche suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Look! NPC! Lord Murphy rode off on a horse towards it!¡±

    They turned to see Murphy riding the old horse charging towards the beleaguered Kadman City being ravaged before their eyes. He was then swallowed up by the ck raging winds carrying power from the Astral Realm that surged forth, disappearing as if into a blinding sandstorm.

    ¡°Quest! It must be triggering a quest! Maybe even the main quest line!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick shouted, saying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Who can drive a cart? Hurry and follow him! Damn, looks like we¡¯ll need to learn how to ride horses after this.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    At this moment, in the chaos like the end of the world engulfing Kadman City, Tris¡¯s dpidated manor had already copsed into the fissures in the ground.

    d in a red jacket, Tris¡¯s hair was disheveled as she gripped a spirit-imbued de of light, clutching her abdomen, struggling to move her steps outward along the wall.

    Behind Tris were two grotesquely misshapen beasts. The in corpses, as they fell to the ground, began dissipating into ck and gray spirit energy from the Astral Realm, intensifying the foul stench in the quaking, dust-filled manor.

    These true denizens from the other realm had been flung into the material world when the Astral Realm rift opened. In the midst of Kadman City being crushed and pulled towards the Astral Realm, these ferocious creatures were taking full advantage of the chaos to gorge themselves.

    Unfortunately, these two had chosen the wrong opponent.

    Though a good-for-nothing before, Tris used to be an elder, so dealing with two mindless beasts was no pressure. However, the spirit energy going out of control caused Tris¡¯s old injury to re up.

    With each step she took, her whole body trembled.

    ¡°Thump¡±

    Tris¡¯s feet gave out and she fell in front of the kitchen.

    She leaned against the dust-covered wall, gasping for air, looking at the city outside the copsed walls of the manor, nowpletely enveloped in ck smoke and mes.

    ¡°That little brat promised toe back in seven days. I opened a bottle of wine to indulge myself, counting down each day. But here we are on the eighth with still no sign of him¡­I¡¯m about to die here!

    Without even anyone to collect my corpse.¡±

    The wretched monster girlined bitterly.

    She dissipated the spirit de in her hand, reaching to grab the steam-powered 800 refrigerator that had fallen beside her, struggling to retrieve thest half bottle of wine from inside.

    Verbally cursing little Murphy¡¯s disloyalty, Tris actually weed this development. With Murphy¡¯s cleverness, he must have heeded her parting advice before leaving.

    Perhaps her dear Murphy had already fled north, crossing through the northeast of Transia into the Kingdom of Nordtov. Though living in those northerners¡¯ homes with miserable weather was no pic, it was still better than staying in Transia to die.

    ¡°Hmm, he must have left, right?¡±

    Tris took a deep swig of alcohol to dull the searing pain of her wound.

    But then she turned to see the bread Murphy had left for her scattered everywhere from the earlier quake, revealing a hint of sadness on her pale face:

    ¡°It¡¯s good that he left.

    Only by getting far away from this good-for-nothing harbinger of misfortune could that little guy fully enjoy the life he fought so hard to reim. From now on we¡¯ll go our separate ways. I¡¯ll be content if he can manage to send a letter my way sometime.

    If there¡¯s even a postman who can deliver letters to the Astral Realm, that is.¡±

    She made a little quip, then tilted her head back amidst the crumbling ruins of the manor to look at the sky, nowpletely covered by the ck wispy spirit energy.

    Flickering starlight-like dots could still vaguely be seen, the mysterious chaotic Astral Realm having opened a passage to the material world.

    Tris could clearly feel the foundation of Kadman City being destroyed.

    This city would either be pulled into the Astral Realm, or worse, entirely torn apart at the boundary between realms. But this was an attack that had been brewing for a long time.

    After all, the Astral Realm had remained stable for hundreds of years, so these kind of cataclysmic disturbances could not happen without warning.

    To aplish this, the perpetrators must have devoted unimaginable manpower and resources. And the ¡°Nocturne¡± barrier meant to protect the city had failed to activate, so something major must have happened within the Blood Vulture n itself.

    But who¡­?

    Tris¡¯s pained expression turned contemtive, then quickly became indifferent.

    Who cares who did it!

    Today, Kadman City was doomed to face cmity!

    The Blood Vulture n would also suffer devastating losses, perhaps even total annihtion. The scene she had awaited for over a hundred years was now unfolding without any warning.

    ¡°Ha, which passing astral deity is venting their anger on me, Tris! Hahaha¡­¡±

    The decadent Tris tilted her head back and gulped down a huge swig of wine. Staring intently at the changes in the sky, she muttered:

    ¡°This is retribution! Salrokdar, are you watching? This is the retribution you damned creature deserves! Everything you built over the past 400 years will be destroyed today, in just a few minutes.

    You have earned all of this!

    Yes, yes!

    I know I can¡¯t escape either.

    I too will die here. But what does it matter? I¡¯ve gotten to witness all this before my death, and the only one who cared about my miserable self over the past hundred years, my dear little Murphy, has already left.

    My darling little Murphy¡­

    Live well out there in the world.

    When you receive news of my death, don¡¯t be too saddened. For your miserable elder, it is only a release. A clever, adorable little guy like you will surely find others to rely on.¡±

    ¡°Boom¡±

    Another thunderous roar, and the ground beneath Tris¡¯s manor was torn openpletely.

    Amidst the surging ck and gray wisps, the clear whimper of some creature could be heard from beneath the copsed ruins. Covered in dirt, Tris struggled to pull her legs out from under the bricks. She wanted to move but was sealed off by the polluted spirit energy on all sides.

    There was nowhere for her to go.

    So Tris rxedpletely.

    She raised thest bit of wine in her hand, as if bidding farewell to the entire city.

    ¡°Good night, Kadman City. Farewell, Blood Vulture¡­little Murphy¡­if you can hear me, whatever you do, don¡¯te back! This city¡­is already beyond saving.¡±

 Chapter 39:

    After the astral rift waspletely opened around Kadman City, the surrounding spirit energy dissipated rapidly, or perhaps it¡¯s more urate to say it was crushed by the more ferocious astral spirit energy.

    At this moment, the entire city was being dragged from the material world into the astral realm.

    This process might be slow, but it was progressing steadily. The impact of spirit energy, coupled with the constant bombardment of dimensional meteorites, caused frequent and unpredictable earthquakes andndslides in the surrounding area.

    The old horse Murphy was riding refused to go any further as they approached the city¡¯s edge. Guided by its beastly instincts, it feared the rapidly changing city more than the whip in Murphy¡¯s hand.

    Under these circumstances, Murphy decisively chose to dismount and proceed on foot.

    Before him, the massive city gate of Kadman City had already been torn apart by the rift cutting through the city. Chaotic astral spirit energy converged into ck smoky tendrils, entangling the ruins on both sides of the streets like spider webs, shrouding the entire city in darkness, as if a massive sandstorm had swept across the desert and blocked out all light.

    Astral spirit energy was still spirit energy, so it did not affect the mages¡¯ ability to cast spells. In fact, because of its chaotic and disorderly nature, it even enhanced the destructive power of their spells.

    The premise was that the ¡°pampered¡± spirit mages from the material world could withstand the mental corruption that came with the astral spirit energy.

    Murphy grasped the de of the Desire n and strode forward, sweeping away any obstructions with an enhanced Dark st spell.But the deeper he went, the more he could hear eerie hissing sounds in his ears.

    Such illusions had existed before when he cast spells, but now these echoing sounds were clearer, and in the deep shadows around him, some twisted beings not of this world were watching this young vampire.

    They had been ¡°flung¡± into the material world when the astral rift opened, and although they would eventually return to the astral realm, they didn¡¯t mind getting an ¡°extra meal¡± during this idental trip and tasting the ¡°vors of another realm.¡±

    However, there were panicked crowds of people all over this chaotic city.

    Compared to those delicious souls filled with terror, this vampire with a burning fire in his heart was clearly not an easy target. After weighing the options, the gazes watching Murphy from the shadows diminished.

    But this was not a good sign.

    The departure of the jesters often signaled the arrival of true danger.

    Given the current scale of the astral rift overhead, the creatures flung into the material world could not possibly be just these small fries.

    The only good news was that Tris¡¯s manor was not far from the city gate.

    The fact that they had been unable to reside in the inner city districts upied by vampires due to their fallen status had now be an advantage. This meant that as long as Murphy acted swiftly, he could escape with Tris before the situation deteriorated further.

    ¡°Aroo!¡±

    A deep, soul-piercing howl apanied by an evil wind came from behind. As Murphy turned and thrust out his sword, he also dodged the attack with a sliding evasive step.

    This flowing and agile swordsmanship was clearly not in the style of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts, but the ¡°Shadow Steps¡± derived from the unique sword techniques of the shadow elves was indeed well-suited for dealing with ambushes.

    The vampire stood still and looked at his assant.

    It was an all-ck panther.

    But instead of eyes on its face, it had two bizarre tentacles extending from its neck, covered in chitin scales. These tentacles opened like a Venus flytrap, their tips glowing as they locked onto Murphy¡¯s position.

    This bizarre skeletal creature was clearly not something that could be born in the material world.

    Murphy had no intention of tangling with it. As he retreated, he hurled a Spirit st, manifesting as a Raging Gale that swept up dust and debris from the street, then shed back to a safer distance.

    The strange ck panther failed in its ambush and was struck by Murphy¡¯s sword. Realizing its prey was not easy to deal with, it wisely chose to back off as well.

    ¡°This won¡¯t work!¡±

    Murphy frowned as he surveyed the dim ruins around him.

    The astral spirit energy was still pouring into the material world, and at this rate, the monsters in the city would only be more numerous. Even if he rescued Tris, it would be difficult to leave the city safely.

    He needed to clear a safe escape route ahead of time.

    With this thought, Murphy immediately grasped the core bead hanging from his neck and infused it with spirit energy to activate themunication between the beads.

    Before he could speak, Miriam¡¯s shrill voice rang out:

    ¡°Murphy, what kind of hellish luck do you have? Why did this happen as soon as you arrived in Kadman City? Where are you now? Maxim wants to enter the city to find you, and I can¡¯t stop him!

    Those crazy warriors of yours are poking the fire next to him, constantly urging us to go into the city!

    Are they insane?

    What normal person would go to a ce being destroyed like this?¡±

    ¡°Calm down!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s head ached from Miriam¡¯s piercing voice, and he couldn¡¯t help but shout. The other side immediately fell silent.

    ¡°Now listen to me! Give Maxim a bead to help him activate it. I need him to maintain a safe passage on the east side of the city gate. The city wall has copsed there, so it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. My warriors will assist him.

    Once I find Tris, I¡¯lle over and join you.

    Remember, under no circumstances should you enter the city rashly!

    There are many astral creatures hiding in the shadows, ambushing the living. They¡¯re very difficult to deal with and extremely dangerous, my warriors can¡¯t handle them right now.

    Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±

    Miriam was still reliable at crucial moments. She responded with an affirmation and went into action.

    Meanwhile, Murphy had also operated on the core bead. A few secondster, the little yers who were still outside the city in the ¡°ck Storm¡± and raring to go, heard a soft ping sound from theputation beads on their bodies.

    A quest trigger from Murphy had arrived.

    ¡¾Main Quest Prologue: The Last Night of Kadman City

    Quest Phase One: Escape Alive!

    Description: The leisure vacation of the warriors from another realm has been ruined, as Kadman City has been struck by a cmity from the astral realm for unknown reasons.

    There¡¯s no time to rest now, you must take action immediately!

    The Summoner Murphy, bearing a mysterious destiny, hopes his warriors can establish a temporary safe passage at the copsed city wall under the leadership of his servant Maxim, so that Murphy can safely retreat after rescuing his elder, Tris.

    Warriors unwilling to surrender before disaster, report to the loyal Maxim at once!

    Objective: Guard the safe passage and hold out until Murphy and Tris return safely.

    Reward: Some money, subsequent main quests unlocked.

    Warning!

    This is a main quest, failure will result in severe consequences.

    Note!

    This is a series quest, the final reward is: Cosmetic ¨C Blood Vulture n Midnight Hunter Formal Attire Set [9/9]¡¿

    ¡°Damn! The main quest is here, with a limited edition costume reward, brothers! Charge!¡±

    Brother Meow waved his blood-red longspear forward.

    Eleven yers then excitedly ran over to the anxious Maxim like unleashed wild dogs. The loyal servant didn¡¯t say much, leading them to charge toward the copsed section of the city wall in the dimly lit environment.

    Miriam didn¡¯t want to get involved in this mess.

    But staying alone was practically a death sentence, so she could only follow the yers as a ¡°support NPC¡± with her hunting rifle.

    However, these guys were in such a hurry that they seemed to have forgotten something.

    In the carriage they left not far from the city gates, the coffin containing Lady Adele was making cracking noises, as the ferocious astral spirit energy had caused Lady Adele to awaken prematurely.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    After a muffled sound, the entire coffin lid flew off.

    The immense force even broke through the carriage¡¯s canopy, and Lady Adele, who had been lying in the coffin, sat up while rubbing her forehead.

    Herst memory was of the battle with Joban Marci in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods,pletely unaware of what had happened over the past two or three days, with only vague recollections of the initial embrace process.

    She blinked her now crimson eyes, her heightened senses scanning the surroundings. Unable to find her elder or Miss Femis.

    Had she been abandoned here?

    What was going on with these rampant spirit energies?

    Adele stood up and stepped out of the shattered carriage. Her pupils then dted in shock as she saw Kadman City being dragged into the astral realm and the absolutely abnormal surrounding environment, realizing that something serious was amiss.

    Although she had not yet fully adapted to her new powers, she knew she had to set out.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    As Adele retrieved her rapier and handgun from the coffin, she suddenly felt that some knowledge had been added to her mind, seemingly bestowed upon her by her elder, the summoning arts.

    This fiery yet cold-faced maiddy hesitated for a moment, then attempted her first summoning.

    She thought it would be difficult.

    But in reality, shepleted the entire process as naturally as eating and drinking, apanied by a resounding wolf howl. An Astral Wolf the size of a hunting dog appeared at her feet.

    This ethereal creature circled Adele twice, even affectionately licking her fingers.

    ¡°You came at the right time.¡±

    Lady Adele took the youngdy¡¯s notebook from the nearby coffin, letting her Astral Wolf sniff it, then waved her hand forward,manding:

    ¡°Lead me to her.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Cough cough¡±

    Lying amidst the ruins of the manor, Tris coughedboriously, spitting out viscous fresh blood, indicating her dire condition.

    Beside Trisy a massive dposing corpse, a bizarre creatureposed of horrifying tentacles, ckish-gray chitin armor, and crab-like stalked legs.

    Alive, it had been ferocious and eerie enough. Dead, it continued to release a polluting energy that assaulted the minds of nearby life.

    Defeating this creature had nearly depleted thest of Tris¡¯s spirit energy, leaving her barely able to move.

    Tris felt she was about to die.

    Of course, for a vampire, this might just be a hallucination caused by ¡°anemia.¡±

    Her body had already gone numb from the stinging pain, made worse by the fact that ¡°ck snow¡± was now falling from the sandstorm-like dark sky.

    One ke after another fell to the ground, then dissipated into residual spirit energy.

    As a former spirit Master, Tris knew this was a bizarre environmental phenomenon caused by the astral spirit energy assimting with the material world, signifying that thisnd was being merged into the mysterious and dangerous astral realm.

    She had to leave quickly, or else face the tragic fate of being assimted.

    However, Tris had no strength left at the moment.

    Shey face up in the ruins of the ck snowfall, her disheveled hair framing those bewitching red eyes staring up at the swirling, vortex-like splendor of the sky above.

    Such a sight was rarely seen in the material world.

    Perhaps because of the mental impact from the astral creature earlier, at this moment Tris had some strange associations.

    She vaguely remembered

    Over a year ago when she had found the young Murphy, it had also been a cold, snowy day.

    That day, she had justpleted the Embrace for a wealthy merchant traveling between the local area and the Port of Shaldor. She had granted the man¡¯s long-desired ¡°immortality¡±, and in return, he had gifted Tris a third of his fortune.

    Tris had nned to use this windfall to buy a wine cer and renovate her manor.

    Afterwards, she came across the starving Murphy on the city streets.

    It was snowing that day, bitterly cold. The 18-year-old Murphy, wearing only light clothes, had copsed on the road. It was the 8th year of the Ten-Year War, and refugees like Murphy were everywhere. People were starving to death every day in Kadman City.

    Tris had forgotten why she took Murphy in.

    Perhaps it was just a drunken whim that night, or perhaps a sudden pang of kindness.

    Perhaps she couldn¡¯t bear to see such an adorable life taken by death. In any case, it seemed that in the blink of an eye, she had gained another progeny.

    As before, the money she had earned was quickly spent.

    But this time, this little guy seemed different from all her previous progeny. He didn¡¯t leave her, like an endless, gentle dream from which she would never awaken.

    ¡°Tris. Tris, are you alright? Don¡¯t scare me, open your eyes! It¡¯s me! Tris.¡±

    The familiar voice seemed toe from the horizon, gradually bringing Tris¡¯s wandering consciousness back to the material world.

    In her daze, she saw Murphy¡¯s handsome, adorable face again.

    But she knew this was just the lingering mental pollution from that astral creature, the final vision her life would see being this little one.

    But Murphy had left!

    That child had listened to her and left Kadman City for a safer ce long ago. He had escaped from her, escaped from this ill fate. So how could he possibly appear by her side now?

    The ck snow from the sky grew heavier.

    A sign that greater danger was approaching, but she had given up resisting this ursed fate.

    Her life had never gone smoothly!

    Unlucky from a young age to old age, she had truly endured over four hundred years of ridicule from fate.

    ¡°Tris!¡±

    Another call rang out, greatly irritating Tris, who wanted to close her eyes amidst the snow.

    She struggled to raise her hand, wanting to dispel the illusion before her eyes. But in the next instant, her raised hand was grasped, and her whole body was embraced in arms warmer than any vampire¡¯s.

    He knelt in the ck snow, holding her tightly, as if embracing the most precious treasure of his life.

    ¡°Thank goodness, Tris, you¡¯re alive. I¡¯m back, Tris. Murphy is back. I¡¯m sorry I came backte, I¡¯m so d you¡¯re alright.¡±

    This vivid, almost ufortable sensation of being embraced caught Trispletely off guard.

    She shook her head vigorously, feeling her body being lifted from the ground. She finally understood everything, but then a surge of anger welled up inside her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave? Why did youe back? You foolish child! You never listen.¡±

    She scolded him, reaching out to p Murphy¡¯s face, but ultimatelycked the strength toplete the motion. She could only let Murphy drape the Crimson Midnight Cloak over her and carry her on his back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll get you out of here. Hold on!¡±

    Murphy softly said to Tris on his back.

    He strode forward through the intensifying ck snowfall towards the copsed city wall. Behind him, the weakened Tris buried her head in Murphy¡¯s shoulder.

    Unfortunately, it seemed some sand had gotten into her eyes during the earlier battle, causing difort and a desire to secrete some vulnerable substance.

    Fortunately, vampires do not shed tears, so no one could see her unsightly expression at this moment.

    Otherwise, others would surely mock her, right?

    After all, the vampire world she was familiar with was far from as gentle as the midnight¡¯s blessing or thisforting embrace.

    ¡°Little Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I want to drink.¡±

    ¡°At a time like this, you still want to drink! Bear with it for now! I¡¯ll find you something better once we¡¯re out.¡±

    ¡°No. If I don¡¯t drink, the wounds will hurt.¡±

    ¡°So this is why you became an alcoholic? Why didn¡¯t you tell me before? Okay, I¡¯ll try to find something for you on the way. Hang in there.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Under the gloomy, chaotic, and perilous sky, the astral spirit vortex shone like a ck sun, casting an eerie glow through the cascading ck snow that stretched Murphy¡¯s advancing silhouette into an elongated shadow, almost merging Tris behind him into a single form.

    As if they could never be separated again.

    Well, it seemed this final progeny in Lady Tris¡¯s long life really was different from those other heartless ones.

    Perhaps all the luck she had umted from her lifetime of misfortune had been used up on that cold night a year ago?

 Chapter 40:

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Miriam pulled the trigger, letting the scorching lead bullet shoot out of the muzzle and hit the giant spider that pounced towards her, its body covered in eyes.

    That thing was as big as a millstone, and its fast attack from the shadows looked terrifying, but its greatest threat was probably just its formidable appearance. After being shot through the body, it dissolved into a gloomy wisp of smoke on the spot.

    But before Miriam could rejoice, that puff of smoke quicklybined with the dense surrounding shadows, turning into a gray four-legged snake lunging towards her.

    Scared, Miriam¡¯s expression paled. This was not something ady and reserve schr should deal with!

    ¡°Get back!¡±

    Niuniu, who had just shot dead a phantasmal wolf with his hunting rifle, let out an angry roar. He grabbed the vampire emblem shield beside him, stood up, and swatted the pouncing four-legged snake away. Beside him, Cheche yelled and charged forward, wildly shing with his two rapiers, cutting that strange creature into several pieces.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± the redhead girl said softly to Niuniu, but she doubted he even understood, because the tall and strong figure was soon excitedly going to find those astral realm monsters with his halberd.

    For a moment, Miriam found it hard to understand the thought processes of these Murphy warriors.The past ten minutes of defense and clearing had already proven that these monsters couldn¡¯t be killed. They didn¡¯t have physical forms, as if they were just projections of chaotic forces in the material world.

    Normal people would know to conserve their strength and retreat in such a situation, but these guys seemed to enjoy sticking to this position, fighting any monsters they could see.

    Some even went into closebat with those dangerous things using cold weapons instead of hunting rifles.

    Often, several people had to work together to take down a wave of monsters, without any reward, but they looked excited as if they had found treasure.

    Miriam wondered if these people summoned by Murphy were all incurable battle maniacs by nature.

    Of course, the truth was not that simple.

    Small yers wouldn¡¯t be enthusiastic about fighting without any loot, but if they could endure having no dropped items and keep fighting in the same ce, it proved they could benefit from this process.

    For example:

    ¡°Proficient! My Blood Vulture Sword Arts reached proficiency! My character level also leveled up to 3, ahahahaha, Cheche knew Cheche was definitely a one-in-a-million martial talent!¡±

    Waving his twin swords, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, who had just taken down another illusion monster under Niuniu¡¯s cover,ughed out loud. Just then, his yer interface had notified him that his only closebat skill had reached proficiency, but before hisughter reached the third note, another pop-up notification made Cheche¡¯s eyes widen.

    ¡°Damn! I can change jobs now!¡±

    He excitedly shouted to Gugu Chicken and Niuniu beside him:

    ¡°The interface told me that since one of my skills reached proficiency, I became a professional, and it prompted me to change jobs to ¡®Swordsman¡¯. What about you guys?

    Did you get any prompts?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still level 2, just a bit away,¡± Gugu Chicken nced at his yer interface. The experience bar representing his strength mastery was at 70% of level 2. Shouldering his short sword, he told Cheche:

    ¡°I reckon I¡¯ll be able to level up in another ten minutes of hacking.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just swing blindly! This isn¡¯t like other games where you get experience for killing mobs. In this game, killing doesn¡¯t give experience,¡± Cheche, being the ¡°forerunners¡±, immediately became smug and instructed Gugu Chicken:

    ¡°You have to use the sword techniques taught by the white-haired NPC to kill monsters, understand? Your proficiency will naturally increase the more you hack.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I got one too!¡±

    Just as he finished speaking, Niuniu, who had stabbed a giant spider to death with his knife and shieldbo, also received a prompt. However, after carefully reading it, he told Cheche:

    ¡°But my job change prompt isn¡¯t ¡®Swordsman¡¯, it¡¯s ¡®Shield Bearer¡¯. Damn! Do I really have to go down the tank path?¡±

    ¡°You three,e back here!¡±

    As they wavered, Meow King¡¯s voice came from theirputation beads. As the temporary ¡°team leader¡±, Meow King gave instructions in a measured tone:

    ¡°You¡¯ve charged too deep, quickly fall back! Lord Murphy ordered us to hold the city wall position. There are dangerous things inside the city, don¡¯t go too deep.

    By the way, did you get the job change prompts?

    Don¡¯t change jobs hastily!

    Come back, we¡¯ll discuss it together. We seem to have found some patterns.

    Especially you, Niuniu! You have two character talents, don¡¯t randomly change jobs and ruin your character. This game doesn¡¯t have a reset option.¡±

    ¡°Alright, mission over, let¡¯s go idle.¡±

    Niuniu slung his shield over his back and grabbed another war dagger in his hand. Together with his two brothers, he quickly passed through the city wall breach they had already cleared and returned to the yers¡¯ position.

    At this point, the small yers had basicallypleted Murphy¡¯s defense mission. Although the monsters turned into ck smoke and transformed back into other forms after being killed, killing them repeatedly was too much for these strange creatures. The gloomy shadows near the torn city wall breach were noticeably thinner than other areas.

    This was the result of the small yers¡¯ ¡°frenzied ughter¡± in the previous thirty minutes.

    ¡°Whew, finally we can freely grind mobs. Even though there are no drops, it¡¯s good to gain skill proficiency.¡±

    Leading Pigeon, who was resting at the position, had just personally killed many monsters, satisfying his urge to shoot guns. He was currently basking in the joy of reaching level 3.

    Like others, his swordsmanship rapidly improved during the intense battle, and he even unlocked the ¡¾Novice Marksmanship Mastery¡¿ character talent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush into changing jobs!¡±

    At the position, Meow King sat on a stone, loading his hunting rifle while addressing the yers who had rotated out to rest:

    ¡°I just discussed with Onboard Joy Stick. He¡¯s yed shooters before, so he always practiced marksmanship in the game, which gave him a ¡®Gunner¡¯ job change prompt! Along with Niuniu¡¯s ¡®Shield Bearer¡¯ and Cheche¡¯s ¡®Swordsman¡¯, this already shows that the job system in this game isn¡¯t fixed.

    The system absolutely assigns job change prompts based on our strength and skill proficiencies. Although we all have three job slots, in my experience from years of gaming, the first job is still very important early on.¡±

    This cunning social creature stroked his cheek and said to the small yers watching him:

    ¡°If you just want to have fun, then choosing any is fine.

    But we¡¯re the first batch of yers, and we¡¯ll definitely have to tackle instances or bossester. Distributing roles now will give us a significant strength advantage.¡±

    ¡°You mean, do jobposition?¡± Cyborg Snail, squeezing a water pouch, looked up and asked Meow King:

    ¡°Are you nning to form a guild? Or be a pro yer?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. Since you¡¯re all beta testers, don¡¯t you guys want to strive to be top streamers?¡± Meow King made no attempt to hide his ambition. He cocked his hunting rifle and told the others:

    ¡°The difficulty rating the test team assigned us is very high, you all know that. So I think we should be cautious and make good use of our advantages, even if we don¡¯t form a pro team.

    For example, Niuniu has the¡¾Pugilist¡¿talent and 8 points in strength. If he became just a pure shield bearer, wouldn¡¯t that be a waste? I suggest Niuniu capitalizes on his strengths and starts practicing close-quartersbat from now on. Maybe he can unlock a hidden job like Monkter.

    And Cheche¡¯s¡¾Optimist¡¿talent.

    That¡¯s clearly tailor-made for a spellcaster ss, with anti-resistance innate abilities. Although your mentality is only 5, with such a good talent, why are you ying as a swordsman instead of using spirit magic?

    Didn¡¯t you learn Spirit st from that Young Lady NPC?

    Why don¡¯t you use it when fighting monsters?¡±

    Scolded by him, Cheche and Niuniu just rolled their eyes indifferently. As students, they didn¡¯t care about such calctions and just wanted to have fun.

    However, some others did re-evaluate their in-game ns and development after Meow King¡¯s advice.

    Although the social creature¡¯s words were pragmatic, they were correct. In any case, to stand out, one must first identify their advantages.

    ¡°What about you? Meow King, what are you nning to switch to?¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks couldn¡¯t help but ask. Meow King grinned mysteriously and said:

    ¡°Me? I won¡¯t change jobs for now. I¡¯ll level up my character and work on NPC affinity first. I n to be a vampireter, the Dark Night Blood n, how cool is that?¡±

    ¡°What? We can change races too? Where¡¯d you get this info?¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks immediately jumped up, raising his hand and saying:

    ¡°Coach, I want to be a beastman! Big, ck, thick and burly, the kind that always bullies elf girls into crying!¡±

    ¡°As if. I said I want to be a vampire because our NPC is a vampire. I specifically asked Maxim. Vampires are an initial choice in this game.¡±

    Meow King clicked his tongue and said to the other small yers with disdain:

    ¡°Think about it, if vampires weren¡¯t a yable race, why would they arrange for a vampire to be our guide NPC?

    If it was just for poprity, wouldn¡¯t it be better and more enjoyable to have a busty beautiful woman instead?

    For such a major game, they must have put thought into these little details, get it? Like that red-haired NPC Miriam.

    Don¡¯t underestimate her. I asked around too.

    In her background, she¡¯s a student at the halflings¡¯ university. Halflings are the race best at machinery in this game, so if you raise her affinity, you might be able to be something like a mechanic among the halflingster on.

    You guys!

    You have to use your brains when ying games, understand?¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it. Meow King is awesome indeed.¡±

    Some small yers immediately showed reverence, greatly satisfying Meow King¡¯s vanity. Just as he was about to go into lecture mode, Joy Stick¡¯s strange shout came from overhead.

    This guy had climbed halfway up the copsed city wall and was using a monocr to observe the surroundings. He shouted out now:

    ¡°Quick! A few peoplee up and defend! Meow King, stop bbering and bring people up here! Kono Maomao Shark and Pigeon, you two have ranged talents now, open your automatic hunting crossbows and prepare suppressing fire!

    Our NPC is here, and he¡¯s carrying someone!

    Lots of NPCs from the city are running with him, probably civilians he rescued. Damn! I knew there had to be a reason we were told to hold this safe passage, it turned out to be a rescue mission all along?¡±

    ¡°Old Tune!¡±

    Meow King called over Electronic Subus, the best marksman in his team. He gave him his and Led More Than Three to Five Pecks¡¯ guns and ammunition, instructing quietly:

    ¡°We¡¯re a fixed five-man team. With your highest agility, you¡¯ll be the shooter. Three to Five Pecks with high endurance will tank, ck Stockings with high strength will be the swordsman, Day One as the dual de, and I¡¯ll sub as the mage.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Electronic Subus was dumbfounded.

    Staring at Meow King skeptically, he said:

    ¡°But your mentality is only 4! Lower than me, are you sure you can be a mage? Hey, you¡¯re not nning to ck off, are you? cking during work is one thing, but cking while ying a game?¡±

    ¡°You talk too much!¡± Meow King was unhappy, putting on an ¡°I¡¯m the boss, I¡¯m right¡± expression, saying:

    ¡°Low mentality doesn¡¯t matter now. Once I sessfully be a vampire, won¡¯t my mentality increase? Just like that Young Lady NPC, I¡¯ll grow wings to fly you guys aroundter, you¡¯ll see.¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Overhead, Onboard Joy Stick at the vantage point opened fire first. Currently a solo yer not in a team, he had gone ahead and switched to the ¡°Gunner¡± job.

    With the ss talent bonus, his firearm marksmanship became more precise and lethal. His bullets grazed Murphy¡¯s shoulder, blowing the head off a swooping bird-like creature behind him, slightly increasing his skill experience.

    This gunshot was like a signal.

    The small yers at the position immediately opened fire, driving back the non-corporeal monsters chasing Murphy.

    Murphy strode forward carrying the weakened Tris, apanied by an Astral Dire Wolf the size of a calf. This beast was extraordinarily fierce, attacking left and right to protect Murphy, preventing the twisted creatures emerging from the shadows from getting close.

    As for the nearly hundred panicked civilians following Murphy, that was purely an ident.

    Murphy hadn¡¯t intended to look after them.

    But when he found alcohol to dull Tris¡¯s pain, he identally discovered a few refugees in the grocery store. Being neighbors, he couldn¡¯t just drive them away. As a result, more and more terrified citizens joined them on the way to the city wall breach, leading to the current situation.

    With so many fearful souls gathered, their emotional turbulence naturally attracted those astral creatures feeding on mental energy. Twisted beings constantly emerged from the shadows.

    From time to time, they would snatch an innocent away to feast, scaring the others from straying far from Murphy.

    Originally exhausted from the disaster and terror, when they reached the city wall passage and saw support up ahead, these innocents finally saw hope.

    Mustering theirst strength, they quickened their pace and escaped the hell Kadman City had be under the yers¡¯ covering fire.

    ¡°Miriam!¡±

    Murphy rushed out of the city wall breach without a chance to rest.

    Observing the astral energy dissipating outwards from the city, he turned to Miriam, who was hiding behind the small yers pretending to be a powerful DPS while actually cking off, and shouted:

    ¡°Take these people to safety! Tris told me astral creatures feed on their mental state and emotions. Staying here will only attract more danger.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    Miriam, relieved to leave the battlefield, still asked for appearances. Murphy nced at the small yers still fighting behind him and said loudly:

    ¡°I cannot abandon my warriors. I must stay and continue fighting with them.¡±

    Sounding lofty and noble.

    While also conveniently raising the small yers¡¯ affinity.

    In reality, not only did the small yers need skill proficiency, Murphy did too!

    Seeing the yers frantically grinding mobs here, how could Murphy miss this opportunity?

    ording to what Tris said on the way, it would take at least seven more days until Kadman City was consumed by the astral realm and this catastrophe ended. So he decided to grind hard here, leveling his dual jobs and character level to 10 first.

    Although iming experience from the yers didn¡¯t sound good, it was unavoidable. How could he lead the small yers to conquer the astral realm without leveling himself up first?

    So, this city wall grinding spot was booked by Lord Murphy tonight!

 Chapter 41:

    Tris, who was carried on Murphy¡¯s back, drank a few bottles of wine to suppress the pain from her wounds while fleeing, so she was still a bit dazed when they reached the ¡°safe zone¡± outside the city.

    After sensing the decrease in the concentration of astral energy, Tris opened her eyes with difficulty and looked puzzledly at the small yers beside Murphy. She couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°Little Murphy, who are these¡­¡±

    ¡°They are my servants, I¡¯ll exin the detailster,¡± Murphy said softly to Tris, and instructed:

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my assistant take you to a safer ce now. Wait for me there and tend to your injuries. I¡¯ll join you after dealing with the troubles here.¡±

    Tris looked around.

    Noticing the dazed survivors who had escaped the city crying in anguish, she thought Murphy stayed in this dangerous ce to try to rescue more people.

    This made Tris admire her little Murphy for being such a kind vampire. She didn¡¯t stop him, but refused to leave.

    She said to Murphy:¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Don¡¯t rush, listen to me! You know nothing about the dangers of the Astral Realm. I have some experience and can tell you that the current situation in Kadman City is very, very special.

    It¡¯s so special that nothing simr has happened on the entire continent for nearly a thousand years. You have no relevant experience, Murphy.

    If you re-enter the city, you¡¯ll have to improvise. As for my injuries¡­ I¡¯m a vampire, and you¡¯ve just rescued so many people.¡±

    Tris blinked and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s reasonable for them to pay a ¡®blood tax¡¯, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t worry, I only need a little blood to recover, so I won¡¯t be a burden to you at the very least.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Feeling Tris¡¯s insistence, Murphy hesitated for a moment, but instead of refusing, handed Tris over to Miriam to lean on while collecting the ¡°rescue blood tax¡± from the survivors.

    For the civilians who had lived in Kadman City for a long time, vampires¡¯ demands were nothing unusual. Moreover, they had to rely on Murphy and the Blood Servant army to survive the current situation. So when Tris asked for the virgins among the crowd to offer their blood, several young girls were immediately pushed out.

    No one dared to defy Tris at this moment.

    Seizing this opportunity, Murphy also assigned scouting to his useless elders.

    He nned to take the chance to satisfy a long-standing doubt in his mind, just what level was Tris¡¯s strength?

    He hadn¡¯t forgotten that when rescuing Tris from the manor ruins earlier, there was also the corpse of what looked like a formidable BOSS-level astral monster lying beside her in terms of size and aura.

    This fully proved that Tris was definitely not as useless as she appeared.

    When Murphy¡¯s Scouting hit Tris, who was currently embracing a young girl and absorbing her blood to recover, she immediately noticed it. Turning her head and finding it was little Murphy staring at her, she gave him a friendly and charming smile, made even more seductive by the blood stains around her mouth.

    Just like the legendary vampire enchantress.

    The nearby small yers were dumbfounded.

    They had noticed this female vampire being very intimate with their NPC Murphy when she was slumped on his shoulder earlier. Now they were wondering about the rtionship between Murphy and Tris.

    But when they saw this, all the small yers were almost instantly captivated by Tris¡¯s bewitching and mature demeanor.

    ¡°Damn! This woman is too seductive. With that modeling¡­ I have a feeling the 3D area may see a storm of blood and lust.¡±

    Meow King murmured in a low voice. The other small yers nodded in agreement.

    As regrs and ¡°art connoisseurs¡± of the 3D area, they highly approved of Meow King¡¯s judgment. The only pity was that the terrible wounds extending from Tris¡¯s neck downward severely marred the stunning beauty she should have possessed.

    At this moment, Murphy also received specific feedback about Tris. A semi-transparent information tag appeared next to her:

    Name:¡¾Crimson Witch¡¿Tris Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra

    Level: 40 Golden Body Regr Temte¡¾Lost Elite Temte due to Dried Blood Essence¡¿

    Profession: Level 30 Dark Spirit Sovereign/Level 30 Grandmaster Alchemist/Historian ¨C Theology Specialization

    Status: Soul Weakness, Severe Wounds, Ominous Aging

    Evaluation: Dangerous, Friendly Intimate¡¾Dependent¡¿

    ¡°?!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s pupils contracted at this moment. So Tris was a Golden-level vampire? And those two professions sounded formidable too.

    No wonder she used to be an elder of the Blood Vulture n and always called herself the most talented elder. When drunk, she would reminisce about her wonderful past life and how she had conversed with a bunch of bigwigs in the Blood n.

    Murphy had thought it was just the delusional rambling of this drunkard.

    But judging from the glimpse of her identity he got now, Tris did seem to have an unknown past shrouded in mist, a life full of secrets.

    However, just the three severe Debuffs in her status bar showed how bad her current state was. Not to mentionpared to Joban earlier, Tris¡¯s realbat strength now probably wouldn¡¯t exceed the limit of a ck Iron vampire.

    Calling her useless wasn¡¯t wrong at all.

    Meanwhile, the small yers took this opportunity to quietly ask about Tris¡¯s identity from Maxim, who was resting by the camp.

    After hearing that this beautiful, sexy, and charming maturedy was the legendary elder Murphy spoke of, their exchanged nces became even more peculiar, and they began whispering among themselves.

    ¡°No wonder our NPC rushed into the city recklessly, he was hiding a beauty!¡±

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t understand. An elder is like a parent in vampire culture, so Tris is actually our NPC¡¯s mom.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think dirty thoughts!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know shit! They¡¯re not blood-rted! At most she¡¯s a foster mother¡­ Wait, isn¡¯t this the currently popr ¡®young stepmother literature¡¯ genre?¡±

    ¡°Our NPC looks stern, but he¡¯s really ying the flirtatious game.¡±

    ¡°Not just that, I think this is the Xiao Longn¨¹ version of the story, life-or-deathpanions, both teacher and mother, both sister and wife! The devs are so good at this! I¡¯m shipping this CP, you do you.¡±

    The small yers thought only they understood the lewdness they were spouting, but they didn¡¯t notice Murphy¡¯s increasingly strange gaze.

    Stare

    So it¡¯s you guys making vulgar jokes, huh!

    Alright, noted in the little book!

    If it lets you all yfortably, I, Murphy, will write my name backward!

    Shipping whatever CP will only backfire on you dimwits.

    Murphy nned to give the small yers a little treat, while also providing a reasonable exnation for his next action of upying the ¡°grinding spot¡±.

    So he rolled his eyes, took out arge bag of silver coins he had looted from the city, and tossed them at the small yers¡¯ feet.

    This was the reward for the first stage of their quest series.

    ¡°Ahem, my warriors, you¡¯ve also seen the dire situation in Kadman City. My elder tells me that this city is being drawn into the mysterious and dangerous Astral Realm, and the whole process won¡¯t take more than a week.¡±

    Murphy put on an expression of grave difficulty and said to his small yers:

    ¡°In this situation, we should leave, but there are still many innocents in the city, and Lady Femis is also missing without a trace. I find it hard to make a choice.

    Thus, I seek your wisdom.

    Should we stay and make what little contribution we can to this doomed city, while also risking danger to search for our friend?

    Or should we evacuate in the name of safety now?¡±

    He looked at the yers.

    The small yers immediately became noisy. They had encountered such an inquiry before in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, so they knew another branch of the storyline choicey before them.

    But this time the yers made their decision much faster than before. With almost no discussion or hesitation, they told Murphy in a cacophony:

    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll stay! We have to go scavenge¡­ err, rescue people! This is the warrior¡¯s way.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, we finally made it here, how can we just circle the city walls and leave? There are still so many monsters here, it¡¯s rare we can level up freely.¡±

    ¡°We hope to contribute to your cause, Lord Murphy. If we retreat at such a small difficulty, how can we execute greater nster?¡±

    Seeing their unified opinion, Murphy nodded and smiled inwardly.

    Very well, this is your own choice. Don¡¯t goining on the forumster that I pushed you into the fire pit!

    ¡°Well said, you are indeed the warriors I favored,¡± Murphy nodded.

    He took out a map of Kadman City from his spirit pouch and spread it on a nearby rock. With the help of Tris, who had recovered somewhat after feeding, he divided the map into three zones and exined to the surrounding small yers:

    ¡°The outskirts of Kadman City are still rtively safe. The astral spirit is pervasive here as deep shadows, hiding objects from the Astral Realm inside, but nothing too difficult to deal with.

    Venturing into the city center means extreme risk. Astral rifts have opened there, and dangerous dimensional meteorites have struck the ground below. Whatever is there, you cannot handle it currently.

    So you can only operate in the outskirts, do not cross that rift boundary.¡±

    He emphasized:

    ¡°I will stay with my elder and servants guarding this safe passage. You must search for survivors as quickly as possible and bring back any supplies we need!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, theputation beads of the yers let out a soft ¡®ding¡¯, indicating a quest update:

    ¡¾Prologue: The Last Night of Kadman City

    Phase Two: Disaster Day!

    Details: The warriors from another realm have decided to rescue the innocent citizens of Kadman City before it is dragged into the Astral Realm, and have persuaded Murphy to assist them. But your actions must be swift, as the situation continues to worsen.

    Objective: Rescue innocents and scavenge for necessary supplies.

    Requirements: Rescue no less than 600 survivors total. Each yer must collect no less than 200 pounds of food, medicine, ammunition and valuable misceneous items.

    Time Limit: 72 hours.

    Rewards: Some Portia Gold Coins, unlock next quest stage.¡¿

    The small yers who epted the quest set out immediately in squads. The Dorm Six Brothers and Niuniu were naturally one team, while Meow King and his two bodyguards went another way, with Joy Stick as their ¡°attachment¡±.

    It was evident that even in the early testing phase, different factions had already formed among the small yers.

    ¡°Any thoughts on this quest?¡± Electronic Subus asked as she sidled up.

    Meow King pondered and said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste time on the streets. Let¡¯s go to those fancy-looking residences, the environment in this game isn¡¯t just t textures. In reality, the nicer the residence, the more valuables inside.

    We can definitely find stashed good equipment and such in those ces.

    We¡¯re outnumbered, we can¡¯tpete with the students in quantity. We¡¯ll take the efficiency route. What do you say, Brother Stick?¡±

    ¡°You said it all, what¡¯s left for me?¡± Joy Stick rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stick to this area and not go further. I¡¯ll find a high point to keep watch while you scavenge. Remember to find some carts or something, shoulder-carrying won¡¯t let you haul much.

    We¡¯ll split the profits evenly in the end?¡±

    ¡°No problem! Move out!¡±

    Meow King waved his hand grandly and led his two bodyguards, zeroing in on the tallest, most luxurious house on the street to smash their way in.

    In contrast to their small team¡¯s clear objectives, the more numerous student faction didn¡¯t have many ideas. They just advanced down the main road toward the city center.

    Chatting andughing merrily along the way, like they were on a field trip. Foolish, but truly reckless.

    After Leading Pigeon suggested skirting the dangerous astral rift area, they quickly reached a consensus. Crossing through copsed buildings, they picked up some coins and portable supplies, soon reaching therge rift Murphy had expressly forbidden them from crossing.

    ¡°Whoa, so grand! Just like a giant pit!¡± Ah Yuen eximed in awe, and the other small yers also hurriedly took photos.

    This rift that a dimensional meteorite had violently gouged across the entire city was nearly a hundred meters wide. Instead of a dark sunken pit below, peering over the edge revealed what looked like a ¡°gxy¡± hidden within.

    Those points of light flickering with an ominous violet radiance against the gloom, like dangerous radiation.

    Cheche stood at the edge, squinting down as he could hear unsettling screeches emanating from below.

    ¡°This is definitely a high-level map!¡± he said resolutely to his good friends.

    ¡°I bet we¡¯ll have to be at least level 20 before we cane back and explore it.¡±

    ¡°People! Look, there are people across the rift! Lots of them!¡±

    The short but eagle-eyed Cyborg Snail raised his hand and pointed.

    The student yers all looked over, vaguely making out strangely stiff, wandering silhouettes in the smoke and sandstorm-like obscurity on the other side.

    Then secondster, a dark figure flew out from among them, drawing an arcing trail that had the yers gaping before crashing right in front of them.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    The yers jumped back in fright, forming a tight circle, as the daring Niuniu prodded the smoke-shrouded pile with his spear.

    As the dissipating smoke revealed two figures clutching each other like mother and daughter, Niuniu suddenly eximed:

    ¡°It¡¯s the Young Lady! And her maid! Hey, didn¡¯t we leave the maid in the carriage? How did she get here? They¡¯re badly injured.¡±

    ¡°Quick! It must have triggered a story event. Take them back to Lord Murphy!¡±

    Leading Pigeon whistled smugly, ¡°See? I told you all, take a walk around and open up the map a bit before doing quests, and good things happen!¡±

 Chapter 42:

    While the little yers were in action, the NPC group was also carrying out their own tasks.

    Miriam led nearly a hundred people rescued by Murphy in a mass exodus towards a safer area outside the city. Murphy asked them to set up a temporary base there, and they would discuss distribution once the little yers brought back enough supplies.

    He originally wanted to send Maxim over to maintain order, but Miriam said she could handle it alone.

    This girl knew the situation was urgent, and she had studied administration, specializing in the art of management and governance. She felt this was a great ¡°internship opportunity¡±, and her current status as a ¡°Murphy blood servant¡± was enough to intimidate these civilians long ruled by vampires.

    After she left with the people, the safe passage at the ruined city wall suddenly became deserted. Murphy and Maxim took over the little yers¡¯ spawn point, continuously clearing the twisted creatures crawling out of the shadows.

    While resting nearby, Tris casually tossed a few spirit spells to clear the area, while also exining the origins of these things to the two novices.

    ¡°These are not creatures from the Astral Realm.

    They are merely impure astral energy coalesced in the material world, attracted into form by the fear and various emotions of living beings in this city. You could say they represent the intangible dark thoughts harbored in Kadman City, just their numbers alone show how much evil is buried here.

    The true number of astral beasts currently present in this city is far less than you imagine.¡±Tris said as she rested with her eyes closed:

    ¡°In the countless tales of the Astral Realm, it is never described as a hospitable ce. Thus, the monsters flung into the material world each have their own signature deadly skills, you must never underestimate them. The astral energy has already seeped beneath the surface of thisnd, and before it is depleted, spawns of despair and fear like these will continue to emerge endlessly.

    So many died this time, and the lingering anguish will prevent their souls from resting peacefully. We¡¯ll likely see troublesome things like haunted graveyards and ghouls¡¯ nests emergeter on.¡±

    ¡°But how did this happen in the first ce?¡±

    As Maxim used the Blood Vulture sword arts to ughter the embodiments of despair before him, he respectfully asked Tris:

    ¡°Lady Tris, why has such a cmity befallen Kadman City?¡±

    ¡°It was obviously an enemy attack!¡±

    Tris nced at Maxim, then at her little Murphy.

    She could sense other vampires¡¯ spirit imprints on Maxim, marking him as someone else¡¯s property. Yet he treated little Murphy with the reverence of serving an elder, so it was not hard to guess that little Murphy must have other intentions.

    Tris did not intend to get involved in such matters, but for Murphy¡¯s sake, she treated Maxim well and exined:

    ¡°An astral realm breach of this magnitude could never be a natural phenomenon. In my five hundred years, I can definitively tell you that thergest scale of astral fluctuations was at most an unlucky vige being swallowed up. What happened to Kadman City must have been the result of a spirit mage calcting this region¡¯s coordinates in the Astral Realm beforehand!

    They used some grand ritual to temporarily force open a breach between this area and the Astral Realm, thereby triggering this disaster.

    But¡­¡±

    Tris hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stated directly:

    ¡°There was a traitor in the city!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy flicked out a few sword strikes, killing the embodiments of despair lunging at him, then unleashed a wide-range spirit st around the street corner ahead, shattering the astral shadows there.

    This precise and lethal attack sessfully raised his Spirit Apprentice job level to 8, while his Blood Vulture Swordsman level reached 9, indicating his understanding of the Blood Vulture sword arts was transcending ¡°master¡± towards ¡°grandmaster¡±.

    He nced at his own experience bar, also at level 9, only one step away from activating the ck Iron Trial to surpass the job ranks.

    ¡°What do you mean there was a traitor in the city?¡±

    The vampire stepped back, allowing his loyal servant to handle the ¡°spawn point¡±, and returned to Tris¡¯ side, asking in a low voice:

    ¡°Did you sense something?¡±

    ¡°Did I need to sense anything?¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes, took out a small bottle of liquor and drank, then said to Murphy:

    ¡°To open such a precise astral breach, a grand ritual alone is not enough, little Murphy. They needed a guiding set of coordinates, in other words, when the astral breach opened, there must have been one or more traitors in Kadman City directing its position.

    Moreover, the ¡®Nocturne¡¯ spirit barrier forged by the Blood Vulture n in this city over 400 years did not activate when danger arrived, which in itself indicates something was amiss.

    The Blood Vulture n led by Salrokdar is riddled with holes! Even without this attack, it would eventually crumble at the hands of these traitors.

    Disaster was inevitablying, just in a different form.

    But if you insist I name the mastermind behind the scenes, I¡¯ll tell you that in the human world, only the Circle Tower has the capability to unleash such a grand ritual. And those able to cultivate spies in a vampire-ruled ce could only be our kindred dwelling in the night. So¡­¡±

    Tris reached out and stroked Murphy¡¯s cheek.

    She nced at the ferocious yet obedient astral giant wolf behind Murphy, and said softly:

    ¡°Wolfsbane! It must be them, you¡¯ve had contact with them, right? This wolfen-bat power, is it the ¡®spoils¡¯ you obtained?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I took down a troublesome Wolfsbane punk.¡±

    Murphy did not conceal his battle. He recounted his fight with Joban to Tris, who after listening, tilted her head in thought and said:

    ¡°A descendant of Korando? I¡¯ve never heard of anyone by that name in the Wolfsbane n. Perhaps a recent upstart, not worth noting. But my little Murphy is truly formidable, without me bestowing true blood n power upon you, you still defeated a Wolfsbane warrior who unlocked the Silver Trial.¡±

    Tris pinched Murphy¡¯s cheeks, smiling as she said:

    ¡°I underestimated you. But what about those ¡®blood servants¡¯ of yours? I can sense they have no true corporeal form in this material world. So they are your summons?¡±

    Tris saw through the little yers¡¯ true nature immediately, but this did not surprise Murphy, she was a level 30 Spirit Sovereign! Though shecked power with just levels, her insight was clearly still present.

    So Murphy gave the prepared exnation he had ready, speaking in a nostalgic tone:

    ¡°Remember that failed summoning that nearly killed us both? It did not actually fail, Tris. That ritual allowed me to form a connection to another realm as I was near death. I was imbued with certain knowledge.

    After recovering, I experimented with summoning creatures from that world, resulting in my warriors.

    But this is a secret, so¡­¡±

    ¡°So you need better ways to conceal them!¡±

    Tris said sternly to Murphy:

    ¡°This is your own secret art, you cannot let others understand its principles. You must devise better disguises for your otherworldly warriors, at the very least not allowing people to see through them at a nce.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already had some ideas about that.¡±

    Murphy ryed to Tris the methods he learned from the Young Lady, but his esteemed elder just scoffed at them.

    Crinkling her elegant upturned nose disdainfully, she said:

    ¡°Does that slightly talented girl Femis understand the true essence of spirit power? A trickster indeed, howughable! Don¡¯t consort with such fiends. I have a simpler method.

    We¡¯ll steal from the n¡¯s underground vault in the outer city¡­

    Ah, no need to steal now. Go get some secret silver ingots, and I¡¯ll also need a full alchemist¡¯s tools, they should have those too.¡±

    Tris shed a coquettish smile, stretchingzily, then tapped Murphy¡¯s nose as she said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll help my little Murphy solve this issue, but you need to distance yourself from Femis in the future, understand? That little girl has¡­some very scary shadows around her. I don¡¯t want you getting pulled into that vortex.¡±

    Tris spoke very seriously. Murphy had many questions but did not urgently ask. Instead, he took out aputation bead and handed it to Tris, saying:

    ¡°Use this tomunicate with my warriors. You can assign them errand quests, they are very curious about this world and full of energy. If utilized well, they can be the best assistants, fiercest soldiers, and craziest butchers.¡±

    Tris epted theputation bead.

    But she kept staring into Murphy¡¯s eyes, until he felt ufortable, only then did she avert her gaze with a sigh:

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, little Murphy. Perhaps this brush with death unveiled more of the thoughts hidden in your heart. I don¡¯t know if this is a good thing¡­vampires like us live in darkness, and we so easily fall into the night. I¡¯ve seen too many such cases in my life.

    Even myself¡­¡±

    She touched the terrible wound on her neck, representing her worry over these changes in Murphy.

    ¡°But you¡¯ll pull me back, right?¡±

    Murphy took Tris¡¯ cold hand, joking:

    ¡°Before I do anything terrible, you¡¯ll pull me back and never abandon me, right? You¡¯re my elder after all, guiding my future is your responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will.¡±

    This query stunned Tris for a moment, then she broke into a radiant smile, teasing:

    ¡°Well, I do owe you a life, little Murphy. Until that debt is repaid, I¡¯ll take good care of you. Your warriors have returned, and it seems they¡¯ve brought back something interesting.¡±

    Murphy immediately stood up and turned toward the end of the safe passage.

    The Precipitation Niuniu came running back, dragging a nk cart of unknown origin piled high with disordered supplies, and two unconscious figures lying atop it all.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Young Lady! Lord Murphy, we found her and her maid at the edge of the astral breach.¡±

    Niuniu reported loudly:

    ¡°Pigeon found an underground cer full of people down another street. We¡¯re rescuing them, but the ck snow in the city grows heavier, and those invisible monstrosities grow more frenzied.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t go too deep into the city for now.¡±

    Murphy cautioned, then after Niuniu left, he bent down to check on the Young Lady and Lady Adele on the cart.The two were covered in scaly wounds, seeming to have been mauled by some dangerous beast. Such injuries were not fatal for vampires, but they had stillpsed into a prolongeda.

    Murphy extended his spirit-imbued fingers and pped the Young Lady¡¯s cheeks hard, yet failed to rouse her.

    ¡°They¡¯ve inhaled too much rampant astral spirit energy.¡±

    Tris came over, nced them over, and immediately saw the issue. She told Murphy:

    ¡°That raw, impure spirit energy unfiltered by the material world has disrupted their psyches, trapping their minds in nightmares of the Astral Realm¡­wait!

    This voluptuous half-elf is your progeny?

    Why choose her?¡±

    Tris looked very displeased as she appraised the unconscious Lady Adele, scanning her up and down before saying coldly:

    ¡°As your progeny, she actually injured herself rescuing another vampire, how disloyal. Murphy, you need to discipline her properly.

    Teach her the traditional virtues of vampires. Teach her who her true master is.

    A stray bitch running around not knowing her master needs a good beating to the head!¡±

    ¡°Adele¡¯s situation isplicated, Tris. It¡¯s not something that can be exined in just a few words.¡±

    Tris¡¯ sudden harshness made Murphy feel this matter involved him, but he decisively chose to y dumb. He simply exined Lady Adele and the Young Lady¡¯s rtionship. After hearing that this disloyal blood progeny had saved Murphy from a Wolfsbane warrior, Tris¡¯ expression softened somewhat.

    She went to examine the two women, shaking her head as she said:

    ¡°They¡¯ll need a strong mental shock to awaken. You go take care of your business, I¡¯ll handle them. Also, your Blood Vulture sword arts are already masterful, no need to waste more time on such basic techniques.

    The n¡¯s vault number three should have advanced sword arts and other useful things. I¡¯ve marked the location on your map, you can go search with Maxim.

    And bring back some secret silver ingots while you¡¯re at it.

    Go on!

    Don¡¯t worry about me, though weakened, mere spawns of despair cannot harm me.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Murphy nodded, gesturing to Maxim, and the two headed towards the Blood Vulture n¡¯s hidden underground vault following Tris¡¯ marked location amidst the ruins.

    After they left, Tris¡¯ expression suddenly turned cold and sinister.

    She red intently at the unconscious Lady Femis before her. Her left hand¡¯s nails extended into crimson-etched talon-like weapons, pressing against Femis¡¯ neck.

    Perhaps just a light scratch¡­

    ¡°Salrokdar¡¯s ursed spawn, root of all evil!¡±

    Tris muttered with disgust:

    ¡°Stay away from my little Murphy! Ominous wretch.¡±

    p!

    In the end, Tris did not plunge her ws into Femis¡¯ neck, instead pping the two women with a few powerful spirit sts.

    A Spirit Sovereign¡¯s strikes were naturally extraordinary. Though absolutely weakened in power, her masterful spirit maniption allowed her to subject the twodies to a short but intense mental shockwave, jolting them awake secondster as they clutched their chests, coughing.

    Amidst the blood were twitching ck ash-like particles, contorting into bizarre, maddening insectoid shapes amidst the gore.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    Tris said coldly to the weakened, bedraggled Young Lady with folded arms:

    ¡°What happened in the inner city?¡±

    Before the Young Lady could answer, Lady Adele stood to try helping her up, only to be red at fiercely by Tris.

    As Murphy¡¯s elder, though she could not overstep Murphy to control his own progeny, her inherited bloodline still gave her dominating superiority over Lady Adele.

    ¡°Stand aside! Clean up those spawns of despair.¡±

    Tris barked icily:

    ¡°We¡¯ll have a little chatter about your ¡®propriety¡¯ as a blood progeny, insolent girl!¡±

    Adele did not know why she felt totally incapable of defiance before this weakened vampire, but she knew staying would not help the Young Lady either.

    Under Tris¡¯ stern, critical gaze, she could only twist her waist to retrieve her weapons from the ground and silently walk towards the passage.

    Meanwhile, the Young Lady finally regained her senses, seemingly after receiving a potent shock. Looking at the famous ¡°n disgrace¡± Tris, with whom she previously had little interaction, she now showed a weak, desperate expression.

    She said mournfully:

    ¡°The dimensional meteorite pierced the Blood Vulture Citadel. The ck polluted mes are everywhere. Though I could not enter the Blood Vulture Halls, I could sense our sacred pool has been contaminated, no new nsmen will be born. The n elites all perished here¡­

    Corrupted into monstrous Blood Vultures by the invading astral forces¡­¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Tris scoffed at this, ying with her ck hair as she said coldly:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that better?

    But I don¡¯t want to discuss that now, little girl. Let¡¯s talk about those things inside your body¡­you¡¯ve already guessed part of the truth, right? Your earlier reckless entry into the Blood Vulture Halls was to find answers.

    But tell me, are you truly prepared to face the truth?¡±

 Chapter 43:

    ¡°My lord, I feel the rumors seem to have some bias.¡±

    In the city ruins shrouded by the Astral Shadow, Murphy and Maxim hurried through one lifeless street after another towards the family vault in the outer city.

    As they proceeded, Maxim, gripping a war pike, cautiously surveyed their surroundings for potential attacks while softly saying to Murphy:

    ¡°Lady Tris does not seem as rumored. I mean, she is very domineering! Even more domineering than Lord Jed. After you rescued her from the city, she seems to have regained her former dignity as an elder.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either, but one thing is certain. Tris absolutely hates this city.¡±

    Murphy sighed:

    ¡°She sees it as a constraint. To put it bluntly, after witnessing the devastation of Kadman City, Tris and I are probably the only two Blood Vulture members who feel relieved.

    Does this make you ufortable?¡±

    ¡°No, my lord, my loyalty lies with you, not the Blood Vulture n.¡±Maxim answered in a low voice:

    ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t find much joy in serving the Blood Vulture n either. I must repay Lord Jed¡¯s kindness, but apart from that, this n doesn¡¯t seem to have given me much else to cherish.¡±

    ¡°I feel the same way, no wonder we get along so well.¡±

    Murphy replied.

    The two then fell silent, quickening their pace. After passing through an alley upied by a group of Astral Slugs that did not actively attack, they reached the location of the n vault marked by Tris.

    It was underground.

    On the surface, it was concealed as the human fire station of Kadman City.

    There were three simr underground vaults in the outer district, but apart from this rtively remote one, the other vaults were located in densely popted areas, which had undoubtedly been upied by fear-spawned creatures and predatory Astral beasts from the Astral Shadow.

    Murphy nned to designate the remaining three vaults as ¡°challenge sites¡± for the little yers.

    Tonight, the five deceased yers would be revived, giving him a force of 16. This would allow him to split them into three groups for simple ¡°dungeon testing.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to recruit another batch.¡±

    As Maxim searched through the ruined fire station for the underground passage, Murphy gazed at the gloomy and overcast environment beyond the copsed walls and the bizarre sky overhead, still swirling with flickering purple lights. He thought:

    ¡°Currently, I have a total force of 40. No need to keep more. I¡¯ll send them all out at once.

    After Kadman City was dragged into the Astral Realm, there are many areas worth exploring in these remaining ruins. With too few people, it won¡¯t be enough. Plus, there¡¯s thest Newbie Guide Quest.

    This quest requires me to acquire my own territory.

    I initially thought I could rely on the connections of the youngdy, but now there seems to be a better yet more difficult option.

    The Blood Vulture n is beyond saving!

    Although this ce is now just ruins, we have people, resources, and sustainable ¡®spawn points.¡¯ This may be the best ¡®starter vige¡¯ I can find in the Transia region!

    But how exactly to operate it still needs careful nning.¡±

    Murphy pondered his next steps, then logged into the forum.

    In the application area, he saw many test applications, mostly from word-of-mouth among the existing little yers.

    ¡¶Reality Realm¡·had no publicity in the yers¡¯ world, and Murphy had no intention or means to do so. He briefly browsed the nearly 80 test applications he had received and selected the 24 with the best overall qualifications from their test application scores. He then sent the test invitation codes to them.

    This way, at thetest in 12 hours, a batch of new adorable little yers would enter the Kadman City ruins and serve as the ¡°footmen pioneer team¡± descending from the heavens in times of crisis.

    Oh, right!

    To make this whole process seem more like a gradualunch of an official test game, Murphy felt he needed to post a more formal announcement on the forum.

    He would do that after dealing with this underground vault!

    ¡°Lord Murphy! I¡¯ve found the entrance, but it requires the blood of a Blood Vulture n member as a beacon to enter.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s voice came from the records room amidst the ruins. Murphy immediately rushed over, bit his finger, and ced his blood at the center of the dark red sigil on the wall.

    With a creaking sound and flickering light, the passage leading underground opened.

    He and his loyal servant entered, one after the other.

    This was not the true n vault. As one of the seven major vampire ns, the Blood Vulture¡¯s n vault could not possibly be this shabby, no matter how fallen they were.

    This ce was simply used to store important yet not scarce resources, so itcked stone guardians or spirit sentries, those ¡°professional security¡± constructs found throughout the continent.

    The area below was notrge, roughly the same size as the fire station above.

    It was divided into different rooms storing various resources, mostly raw materials for crafting weapons and armor, as well as some finished products arranged in cabs.

    Murphy casually opened a cab and pulled out a vampire stiletto adorned with blood rose patterns, examining it in his hand.

    Item appraisal activated, information tag popped up:

    Name: Warden¡¯s Battle de

    Quality: Masterwork ¨C Recruit

    Properties: Enhanced Sharpness ¨C Enhanced Piercing ¨C Durable ¨C Insidious Blood Slot (Can be Poisoned)

    Usage Requirements: Talent ¨C One-Handed Weapon Mastery, Agility ¡Ý 6

    Item Description:

    ¡¾A premium weapon crafted by the Blood Vulture n¡¯s forgemasters specifically for new recruits. Sharp and deadly, it is well-suited for blood servants skilled in Blood Vulture Sword Arts and advanced de techniques. This weapon has consistently topped theint list of the ¡®Kadman City Finger Protection Association¡¯ because using it does require some skill.¡¿

    Murphy pulled out another Blood n-styled hand crossbow and examined it.

    Also a masterwork recruit weapon, which satisfied him with a nod.

    These property-imbued masterwork items were clearly superior in both craftsmanship and materialspared to the nk conscript weapons the yers currently used.

    They would serve well as quest rewards or new gamey rewards for the yers.

    In another room, Maxim discovered a whole crate of unfinished elite recruit armors, further pleasing Murphy. Since the Blood Vulture n was now a thing of the past, he might as well repaint these items to break from the past.

    He tossed four spirit pouches to Maxim, indicating for him to pack these items, then continued exploring deeper into the vault.

    The elder armor given to him by Tris was a masterworkmander-grade advanced spirit armor, meaning Murphy would struggle to find better equipment than ¡°Lady Tris¡¯s Original Elder Armor¡± for a long time. So his next goal was to find usable gear for Maxim, Miriam and Lady Adele.

    The three of them were now Murphy¡¯s ¡°Three Generals¡±, and needed to be properly armed.

    Tris also mentioned there might be skill manuals for the n¡¯s elites to learn advanced skills, which was another important objective for Murphy.

    The Blood Vulture Sword Arts was just the most basic skill, he couldn¡¯t rely on that to lead the little yers forward. Fortunately, the vault didn¡¯t have any hidden special rooms, so Murphy quickly found the library, with several ancient-looking tomes on one shelf.

    He took them down and flipped through:

    ¡¶Tomb Guard Sword Techniques¡·, ¡¶Blood Inquisitor Manual¡·, ¡¶Nightwalker Secrets ¨C Volume I¡·, ¡¶The Way of Midnight Hunting Exined¡·

    These few handwritten books clearly represented the career paths the Blood Vulture n had developed over its long history..

    Murphy could discern that they represented the swordsman, spirit mage, assassin and hunter professions. Of course, in this real world, there were no such clear and strict job divisions.

    As long as one had enough spirit, a swordsman could also study spirit techniques.

    However, these ¡°job change¡± books held great significance for the little yers. Murphy was well aware of their passion for researching game professions and builds.

    He could perhaps trante portions and post them on the forum to whet the appetites of the ¡°spectator little yers¡± who had passed the test application but not yet received an invitation code.

    Wait!

    Why bother tranting himself?

    Murphy blinked.

    The little yers had so much energy, and now hadputation beads. They could totally handle this themselves.

    It would deepen the game¡¯s stickiness and save him the trouble of them getting bored and causing mischief.

    A win-win situation, how wonderful?

    ¡°Hehehe¡±

    Murphy chuckled in the dark vault, then ced the precious skill books into his spirit pouch. Gripping¡¶Tomb Guard Sword Techniques¡·, he continued searching for valuables as he read.

    A few minutester, a new prompt appeared:

    ¡¾New Skill ¨C Advanced Sword Art ¨C Tomb Guard Sword Arts acquired!

    Note!

    This sword art is a physical/dark spirit type skill requiring certain spirit talent (Intellect ¡Ý 5).

    It is an advanced skill building on the Blood Vulture Sword Arts, requiring mastery of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts as a prerequisite.

    Current proficiency cap is ¡°Proficient¡±.

    Upon reaching ¡°Proficient¡± proficiency in Tomb Guard Sword Arts and crafting a ¡°Tomb Guard Badge¡±, you can change vocation to the advanced ¡°Tomb Guard¡± job from the ¡°Blood Vulture Swordsman¡± base job, unlocking new skill proficiency caps.¡¿

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Murphy exhaled.

    He knew the Tomb Guards were the Blood Vulture n¡¯s ¡°unique unit¡±, specializing in bncing offense and defense while gaining dark spirit enhancements to be very versatile.

    Of course, being a jack-of-all-trades meant being a master of none. But as aposite specialized physical+magic profession, what more could one ask for?

    The Tomb Guards also held a special status within the n.

    They were the Blood Vulture¡¯s elite force, and the previous Lord Jed was likely an exceptional Tomb Guard.

    The other vampire ns had their own unique units too, essentially covering all the martial paths on the continent. Yet there was no interaction between them.

    This was the peculiarity of being Eternal Sin Descendants.

    United, they would be a formidable force. But over the past thousand years, they governed themselves separately, asionally even causing trouble for each other, as if their entire race was truly cursed by some foul entity into neurotic behavior.

    ¡°My lord! I found something powerful!¡±

    Maxim¡¯s excited shout came from behind Murphy.

    When Murphy went over, he found his loyal servant had discovered a hiddenpartment behind an emptied cab and broken through the wall to drag out two long dusty boxes.

    ¡°I learned this from your warriors. I¡¯ve specifically observed how they always manage to find strange things in strange ces,¡±

    Maxim said softly in an odd tone as he stood beside Murphy:

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve been around them too much and caught this strange habit too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, Maxim, scavenging is an essential skill for bing strong.¡±

    Murphyughed.

    He and Maxim opened the boxes together to find a whole set of vampire-styled long and short weapons, numbering over thirty pieces.

    Frommon swords and shields to rare knuckle dusters and ils, they had it all.

    Their appearance marked them as a set, and the faint glow they emanated in the darkness revealed they were rare spirit weapons.

    Murphy drew an ornate sheathed longsword, unsheathing it to reveal a brilliant green-tinged de shing coldly in the darkness. Its item tag also appeared before his eyes:

    Name: Ambition and Dreams ¨C Vault Guard Mick¡¯s Battle Sword

    Quality: Masterwork -¡¾Elite¡¿Veteran

    Properties: Extreme Sharpness ¨C Enhanced Piercing ¨C Enhanced Spirit Perception ¨C Permanent Poison

    Creator: Blood Vulture Weapon Master Segul

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Vault Guard Mick was an ambitious vampire outcast who, despite being averagely talented, still yearned to make a name for himself in the n. To this end, he secretly stashed a set of spirit weapons meant for the n¡¯s elite guards, taking advantage of his job.

    Mick nned to use his collection to seize an opportunity to stand out!

    He prepared for this until one day when dispatched to scout the outskirts of the Dark Mountains. He brought all the supplies he could carry, but in his excitement, forgot about the hidden weapons.

    Oh, that happened one hundred and ten years ago.¡¿

    Note!

    The¡¾Elite¡¿tag is a special item tag that appears only on weapons and armor with a certain pedigree, far exceeding the quality of their rank yet not reaching the next tier.

    Such items often possess special ¡°collector¡¯s value¡±.

    Other simr special tags include ¡¾Shadow Forged/High-end Replica¡¿, ¡¾True Forged/Unique¡¿, ¡¾Form Over Function¡¿, ¡¾Artisan Craft¡¿, etc.

    ¡°Ugh, what a sad story. Let us mourn the ambitious Mr. Mick.¡±

    Murphy inwardly sneered.

    The quality still did not match Tris¡¯ masterworkmander-grade de of the Desire n, so he shook his head, tossed the poisoned sword to Maxim, took a crimson poisoned hunter¡¯s crossbow for himself, and stood up saying:

    ¡°These are yours, I have no use for them.

    Pass a few to Adele and keep the rest as your collection. Oh, and let me teach you a little trick for getting along with my warriors.¡±

    ¡°Please share, my lord, I¡¯ll remember.¡±

    Maxim happily packed the two weapon crates into his spirit pouch, as warriors naturally love fine weapons. So he listened attentively to Murphy¡¯s advice as they walked out of the vault.

    Murphy gently guided him:

    ¡°When you be a vampire, you¡¯ll have your own subordinates, right? Why not start selecting the most talented of my warriors now, and constantly test their growth in strength and skill?

    Hmm, say every three days or once a week, wait for them to challenge you to a spar.

    If their progress meets your approval, gift them these quality weapons as rewards and proof of their future subordinate pacts.

    This way, you¡¯ll gain potential subordinates, and I¡¯ll see my warriors progress faster.

    But one thing!

    Maxim, you cannot go easy on them, understand?

    Since it¡¯s a test, you must go all out. You know they won¡¯t truly die, so let loose. If they understand the risks yet still ept the challenge, even if they die through their own weakness, it¡¯s on them.

    Trust me, my warriors relish the feeling of challenging formidable foes.

    The stronger you are, the more they¡¯ll like you.

    Here, take this¡¶Shadow Elf n Secret Sword Art¡·.

    I just copied itst night. Recopy it thirty times to reinforce your memory.

    If a warrior defeats you three times in a row, feel free to teach them this unique foreign sword art as well, but be mindful of your own safety.

    Wear your best armor!

    Stop in time before you¡¯re about to lose. I don¡¯t want to lose my best assistant and friend for some ridiculous reason. And don¡¯t underestimate my warriors either, they¡¯ll always try to devise ways to snatch victory from you.

    Battling their wits and valor is its own pleasure, or so I believe.¡±

    ¡°It does sound like a rigorous selection method, my lord.¡±

    Maxim nodded approvingly, caressing the sword named ¡°Ambition and Dreams¡± on his waist as he said eagerly:

    ¡°If this is your will, then I am more than willing to be an opponent for your warriors!¡±

    Murphy grinned as he walked in the darkness.

    Hey, wasn¡¯t this another unique gamey element emerging? Want the best equipment avable at this stage? Warriors,e challenge my ¡°Strongest Man¡± then!

    Even if you can¡¯t win, it¡¯s fine. There will be more and more of such gamey in the future, something to satisfy you all eventually.

 Chapter 44:

    At this time in the game forum group, Meow King was sharing how they managed to scavenge a small bag of coins and rescue a merchant¡¯s family from the basement of a ruined mansion in Kadman City.

    Of course, there were some artistic exaggerations mixed in, but yers didn¡¯t care about those when bragging, so the atmosphere was quite heated.

    Now, Meow King and a few other yers had used up their 6-hour game time for today, and had stopped their characters in a safe zone at a crack in the city wall guarded by NPC guards before logging off.

    They were still eager for more.

    Electronic Subus Old Tune, one of the Four Heavenly Kings under Meow King¡¯smand, was at this moment still sharing some ¡°game experiences¡± that sounded quite sinister from all angles.

    ElectronicSubusOldTune: ¡¾It¡¯s true! Absolutely true! I¡¯m not lying to you guys, when we heard the cries for help and rushed into the basement, the rich fat merchant NPC¡¯s few beautiful wives almost pounced on us.

    I can assure you, brothers, the modeling in this game is truly amazing!

    The big ones are big, the small ones are small, and it¡¯s extremely, extremely realistic.

    So realistic that it¡¯s almost excessive.¡¿AhYuen: ¡¾Yo, you even got handsy? Despicable.¡¿

    LedMoreThanThreeToFivePecks: ¡¾Hehe, everything goes without saying, it¡¯s just a pity that in the game, they only modeled that organ for us as a skin pipe for excretion.

    I seriously suspect this game may be hiding an R18+ feature.

    It can even simte diarrhea, so I don¡¯t believe it can¡¯t do what we all really want, it¡¯s probably just that the stage for that depth of testing hasn¡¯t been opened yet. But¡­the feeling is really good!

    Hehe, hehe.¡¿

    KonoMaomaoShark: ¡¾Geez! That¡¯s too sordid, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m not talking about you guys, but as gentlemen, we enjoy food and desire, but hearing about such things sounds too greasy.

    Even if the targets are NPCs.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾What are you thinking? Are we that kind of people? Though we like sexy stuff, we were all born under the red g as civilized people, okay? Throughout the whole process, we behaved very well.

    Moreover, the test team staff were watching, who would dare misbehave?

    It was those female NPCs who kept trying to get close to us.

    You know that fat merchant was almost scared to death.

    Although the trantion from theputation bead was quite vague at the time, I can confirm that the guy wanted to offer his wives to us so that we would escort him out of the city.

    If you really want to talk about shamelessness, you have to look at the NPCs.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Indeed, it¡¯s fortunate that you few were quite obedient. I just finished doing a ¡°misconduct identification¡± with some colleagues, watching your escort process almost frame by frame. If any of you had made any coercive or inappropriate behavior, you would have had to say goodbye to your ounts right now.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Damn! That strict?? Scared.jpg¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾We must be strict! We have to consider thews and traditional morals of various countries and regions. Besides, there are female yers among you. In ensuring apletely realistic game experience, the first step is harassing NPC, then what would you all dare to do next? The development team doesn¡¯t even dare imagine.

    Let me emphasize this again!

    @all members, any harassment behavior towards yers and NPCs of the opposite sex is strictly prohibited, regardless of gender. Please cherish your ounts.

    Once you do something irreversible, you¡¯ll not only lose your testing rights but also be handed over to the local public security authorities.

    We will actively provide evidence to the officials. This is really not a joke.

    Don¡¯t reach out your hands, or they will be caught.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Thumbs up to the dev team! I talked about this with a few of my friends, and they¡¯re also very interested, but definitely have concerns in this regard.

    After all, the game is made too realistically, even if we don¡¯t need to consider yers, it would also be difficult to define certain harassment from intelligent NPCs.

    Currentws in all countries arepletely nk in this area.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾You don¡¯t need to worry about that, right? If an NPC harasses you, doesn¡¯t that just mean their health bar shows up?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Haha, that¡¯s right! Once the health bar shows up, you don¡¯t even need to take action yourself. Just give a shout, and we brothers would be happy to help you solve the problem.

    Speaking of which, are you trying to recruit new yers, Sister Lumina? Consider joining my group?

    I¡¯m nning to start a guild.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾No, no, thanks for Meow King¡¯s kindness, but we¡¯re just casual yers, not aiming for intensity. Anyway, I¡¯m not going to say more, my resurrection time is up, logging in to experience the new storyline.

    I previously saw the CG you guys shared of the destruction of ¡®Kadman City¡¯, truly made my blood boil to see such a huge city just disappear in an instant.

    When ites to making a scene, you still have to give it to the officials. I was dumbstruck watching that part. It¡¯s a pity this game doesn¡¯t have a rey function for the storyline, really a shame.

    Admin, please hurry up and urge the dev team to implement this feature!

    It really affects the new yer experience, doesn¡¯t it?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾It¡¯s being worked on, it¡¯s being worked on, don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t rush.

    Kadman City was actually just a test map, it¡¯s not us deliberately making a scene. In fact, it was to facilitate the storyline progression that we systematically pushed it out as arge-scale test scenario, while also showing off the tremendous strength of the dev team to the yers.

    And didn¡¯t I just bring you all good news?

    Regarding the few storyline gamey additions through the online hot patch, I¡¯ve summarized them for you all, the post is already on the forum homepage, read it carefully.¡¿

    After writing this sentence, Murphy went into stealth mode, while the little yers swarmed to the new post to check it out:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡·Today¡¯s Online Update & Next Round of Test Content Announcement:

    1. Large-scale destruction & item search testing enabled!

    The inner city district map of Kadman City, which was polluted and consumed by astral energy, willpletely fall into the Astral Realm within about a week. Please have any test personnel with relevant questsplete them quickly to avoid losses.

    The outer city district has currently been designated as a ¡°free exploration area¡± for testing the free exploration gamey.

    Test personnel can travel freely in it without restrictions and can interact with all environmental objects to obtain hidden items concealed within the city district.

    The main storyline NPC Murphy and hispanions will also issue relevant quests as exploration Notes.

    Additionally, any NPCs trapped in the city district can be rescued, and the number of rescued NPCs will impact certain details of subsequent storylines.

    2. Large update to side quests!

    Personal quests for all NPCs that yers can currently interact with have now been implemented. Test personnel can go to the ¡®Survivor Camp¡¯ outside Kadman City to interact with and ept side quests from NPCs.

    Note!

    Some side quests have rtively high difficulty, so test personnel should carefully consider their capabilities.

    3. Group and special scene testing now online.

    Murphy has obtained the locations of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s three secret vaults from his elder Lady Tris, but he is shorthanded and urgently needs brave warriors to take on the task of exploration.

    Note!

    The three new areas are special scene areas, with monster strength and numbers far exceeding other regions. Please gather into groups and venture forth carefully, test personnel.

    This test will continue until the Kadman City event concludes.

    4. Special event ¡°Trial of Strength ¨C Season One¡± online.

    Murphy¡¯s loyal servant Lord Maxim, after witnessing the disaster of Kadman City, deeply felt the weakness of his own strength. He wishes to find like-minded brave warriors to temper their martial arts together and better serve Murphy¡¯s cause.

    Test personnel who also crave strength can go and challenge Maxim.

    Note!

    This is an initial trial of PVP gamey.

    After epting a challenge from a yer, Maxim will enter abat environment with them, but due to his abundantbat experience, yers may face risks including death.

    After a victorious challenge, the yer will gain Maxim¡¯s favor and receive exclusive rewards, unlocking an exclusive quest line.

    This quest is single-yer content and cannot bepleted in a group.

    5. Quest series ¡°Lady Tris¡¯ Special Supplies¡± online.

    Lady Tris, rescued from Kadman City by Murphy, has a mysterious past and an unusual rtionship with Murphy. She is currently busy with a series of alchemical works to support her progeny, and urgently needs capable assistants to help, for whom she has prepared generous rewards.

    Note!

    Lady Tris has a very entric personality and is extremely wary of strangers. Therefore, yers need to firstplete a series of quests assigned by her to gain her trust.

    Note!

    asionally in this quest series, special events requiring multiple people¡¯s cooperation toplete may ur, with the probability mainly depending on Lady Tris¡¯ mood at the time.

    Therefore, for the sake of your gaming experience, the development team does not rmend that test personnel provoke Lady Tris.

    6. Quest series ¡°The Camp Manager¡¯s Troubles¡± online.

    Miss Miriam has just been appointed by Murphy as the manager of the ¡®Survivor Camp¡¯, but the camp is now in dire need of repairs, and she needs help from all aspects. She will also provide appropriate rewards to those kind-hearted people who offer help to the innocents.

    yers who dislikebat content can go and talk to Miss Miriam to experience another gamey style.

    Note!

    After entering the Survivor Camp, please have yers be mindful of their behavior, or else they may scare the civilians and be cklisted by Miss Miriam.

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Whoa, a huge gamey update! Almost every major NPC has their side quests open now, just missing the youngdy. This next week will definitely be very busy, suddenly feeling that 6 hours a day is not enough to y around!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾How could it be enough? This ¡°Last Night of Kadman City¡± is clearly an event-type test. I estimate there will be more time-limited special events like this in the future, so in situations like this everyone can only choose where to focus.

    Wanting to fullyplete all the quests is basically impossible, not to mention the time factor, our current levels and equipment can¡¯t support exploring the center of the city ruins.

    But if the event time is extended to 15 days, then it would definitely be enough.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Well said, I¡¯ll go make a post in the feedback area right now! 7 days is definitely not enough time, suggest extending it!¡¿

    The replies under this post were immediately liked by many people.

    Even Murphy went and gave it a like, but it was useless, he didn¡¯t have the ability to forcefully extend the time before Kadman City was consumed by the Astral Realm to half a month.

    ording to Tris, seven days was already conservative, and if there were any other issues on top of that, it would be hard to guarantee that this time wouldn¡¯t be shortened again.

    After all, the Spirit Mages of the physical world still have very little understanding of the Astral Realm, and no one could be certain of the impact this sudden incident would cause.

    Murphy exited the forum, stretched his neck, and turned to look at Tris performing spirit imbuing on some secret silver ingots at her alchemy workbench. Both these materials were taken by Murphy and Maxim from that family vault earlier, and were now being used by Tris.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know before that you also have the skills of a Grandmaster Alchemist?¡±

    Murphy quietly said as he sharpened the de of the Desire n in his hand with a whetstone:

    ¡°How many more abilities do you have that I don¡¯t know about?¡±

    ¡°Quite a few more,¡± Tris snorted and tossed him a spirit-treated whetstone, saying:

    ¡°For now, don¡¯t disturb me. Although this is just a basic alchemical treatment, I haven¡¯t practiced it for decades, so if you¡¯re really bored, why don¡¯t you take another trip around the city?

    I see you seem quite interested in rescuing people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in rescuing them, they don¡¯t treat you or me well, I¡¯m also not interested in them, I just need them,¡± Murphy said in a low voice, then told Tris:

    ¡°Remember what I told you before? When my warriorse to find you, don¡¯t actually send them to their deaths, you still need to give them some incentives.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lived for five hundred years, little Murphy!¡± Tris rolled her eyes, deftly working on the secret silver ingot in her hands, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how to toy with people¡¯s hearts, I¡¯m just usually toozy to bother. But are you sure that no matter what I make them do, they¡¯ll obediently do it?

    Doesn¡¯t that sound like some kind of mind control sorcery?

    Have you been learning bad things behind my back these past few days?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just naturally like that, always attracted to pleasure and benefit. As long as you can make them feel happy, they¡¯ll be your most loyal vanguard.

    They would even willingly overturn the world or reshape order for you,¡± Murphy squinted as he said, then sighed:

    ¡°If you interact with them for long enough, you¡¯ll find that they¡¯re truly an adorable and innocent group of adventurers. By the way, what did you tell the youngdy? Why is she so depressed? And Lady Adele, why is she avoiding you?

    It¡¯s like a mouse seeing a cat.¡±

    He looked at Tris suspiciously and said:

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything bad to them, did you? Tris, you didn¡¯t learn any bad habits behind my back, did you?¡±

    ¡°You guess?¡± Tris brushed aside a lock of hair falling in front of her eyes, giving Murphy a mysteriously alluring nce, and then ignored him. At this moment, the five little yers who had disconnected earlier also appeared not far from Murphy.

    In the current absence of a fixed respawn point, Murphy was the ¡°mobile respawn save point¡± for these 16 people.

    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Murphy reminded Tris.

    ¡°More people wille tomorrow morning. I¡¯ve run the errands for the things you wanted, Tris. I hope you have fun ying.¡±

    Saying that, he smiled and handed attributeputation beads to his five little yers.

    Beside him, Tris snorted, and after the five yers activated the trantion function, she gave a coldugh and said to the bewildered Lumina closest to her:

    ¡°So you¡¯re the brave warriors serving my adorable and innocent progeny? You don¡¯t look like much. Perhaps Murphy trusts you greatly, but I¡¯m different, I¡¯m a very strict person!

    Little Murphy hasmissioned me to make some protective trinkets for you, but I now need a few bottles of strong alcohol as spellponents.

    Why are you still dazed?

    Go into the city and find them for me.

    Remember, anything less than 10 years old is uneptable substandard goods to me.¡±

 Chapter 45:

    Lumina and the other four newbie yers had just logged on, looking confused, when Tris greeted them and handed them a quest.

    Fortunately, they had seen the update announcement on the forum before, so they knew that this seductive and sexy NPC was an important story character. Without hesitation, they epted the quest and also took the main Disaster Day quest from Murphy. Afterwards, they followed the route suggested by their group mates and began exploring the city.

    It was already evening in the real world. Apart from these five yers who had just logged on due to special circumstances, most yers had already used up their allotted game time for the day and were collectively lying in the shabby shelters along the city wall defense line.

    This made the five newbies feel a sense of loneliness, but soon they had no time to be lonely.

    Because there were so many things to do in the city ruins!

    Although the few blocks near the city wall had been ransacked during the day by others, Lumina, with her keen eyes, quickly found the aged wine that Lady Tris needed in a half-copsed shop. She also rescued the shopkeeper¡¯s family from the basement, which had been blocked by debris.

    They had been trapped for over 6 hours, exhausted, hungry, and scared. When Lumina and her group rescued them, they were nearly kowtowing in gratitude.

    ¡°The NPC interaction in this game is so realistic. I just saw that little girl wiping tears in her mother¡¯s arms. Other games don¡¯t have such details.¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido, carrying a gun, was rummaging through the street as he said to Bulldozer Man Charging:¡°Say, is it possible that all the NPCs in this game are AI performances? Bulldozer, what are you staring at so intently?¡±

    The questioned Bulldozer Man snapped his gaze back from a pile of rubble and said softly:

    ¡°This city has been plunged into disaster for over 6 hours now, right? People like this shopkeeper¡¯s family could still be alive if trapped, but who knows if they had been trapped longer. Remember those disaster response proposals we did for the fire department?

    They said after 24 hours, the chances of survival be¡­¡±

    ¡°This is a game!¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido waved dismissively:

    ¡°For them to stay alive is just a line of code. You¡¯re overthinking this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know it¡¯s a game, but this game ims to be fully realistic. Don¡¯t ignore that! If the developers really can achieve 100% realism and are willing to design it that way, then the NPCs buried in the city would absolutely not survive until tomorrow night!¡±

    Bulldozer Man stubbornly shook his head, saying:

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt they have the technology to achieve the realism they want. I doubt, well, just doubt, if you read the quest description carefully, it clearly states that the number of NPCs we rescue will affect the subsequent story development.

    I¡¯m starting to suspect this is a trap set by the developers, you know what I mean?

    They deliberately didn¡¯t spell it out, probably wanting us to discover it ourselves!¡±

    ¡°Damn! When you put it that way, it does seem like that.¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido pondered the main quest description again, then pped his knee hard, saying:

    ¡°We might be onto something big here. Let¡¯s quickly ask around the NPCs. Call the other three over too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Bulldozer Man repeated his guess to Lumina, Day One No Fap, and ck Stockings Under the Keyboard. The two rough guys thought the old man was overthinking it, but Lumina didn¡¯t agree.

    This brilliant girl felt that Bulldozer Man¡¯s guess was probably correct.

    So the five of them hurriedly escorted the shopkeeper¡¯s family back to the city wall safe zone. Afterpleting the quest and receiving high praise from Tris, they ran over to Murphy, who was hunting the spawned fear creatures alone, and told him their guess and concerns.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you noticed this. I¡¯ve overlooked this important situation too!¡±

    Murphy was taken aback.

    He suddenly realized that in recent days, he had been too immersed in the yer mindset and ignored the truth of this world. For him, this damn thing was not a game at all! Those civilians trapped in the city ruins, suffering from hunger, thirst, and Astral energy corrosion, would definitely not survive two more days.

    And he, a real vampire, needed yers to remind him of this, it was truly a strategic failure.

    Although Murphy had little concern for the lives of unfriendly people in this city, the unexpected perspective brought by these five cute kids inadvertently gave him a new inspiration.

    Just like his earlier thoughts in the secret vault, the final stage of the Newbie Guide Quest required Murphy to obtain his own domain. Now, with the Blood Vulture n ambushed and its governing systempletely copsed while Kadman City was about to be devoured by the Astral Realm, the manpower and resources in the city could be utilized by him!

    He could take this rescue as an opportunity to employ the native manpower currently at his disposal, starting from this rescue to establish his own prestige and governance system among the survivors of Kadman City.

    After all, what could be more worthy of allegiance than a leader who could guide everyone out of the disaster and into a new life?

    Murphy blinked.

    He was still an official member of the Blood Vulture n.

    In this situation, as thest member of the vampire n that had ruled this region for over four hundred years, it was only natural for him to inherit the Blood Vulture n¡¯s dominion over thisnd and its people, right?

    So, if everything was handled properly, the disaster that had befallen Kadman City might not be a problem for him personally, but rather the absolute key topleting the Newbie Guide Quest and breaking the deadlock!

    Yes.

    This approach and n werepletely feasible!

    The premise was that he could truly lead the survivors out from the ruins and save more lives, letting them directly witness his capabilities, wisdom, and strength.

    In these brief seconds, Murphy became determined, and the traces of contemtion on his face were noticed by the yers, reinvigorating them.

    Could there really be a hidden quest?

    ¡°Ding¡±

    As Murphy grasped theputation bead hanging on his chest, the beautiful quest trigger sound a few secondster made the five yers quickly look down at their yer interfaces:

    ¡¾Major Hidden Quest ¡°City in Peril Rescue¡± has been triggered!

    Quest Description: Thanks to your keen perception and kindness, the outwardly cold but inwardly kind vampire Murphy has finally realized the greatest danger in the city. He has decided to take immediate action, and he hopes you will join this race against death.

    Quest Time Limit: Until the outer city ruins are fully searched and rescued.

    Quest Reward: To be awarded based on questpletion.¡¿

    ¡°Damn! It¡¯s real!¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido clenched his fist tightly, whispering to Bulldozer Man beside him:

    ¡°It was hidden so deeply. Good thing you kept an eye out.¡±

    ¡°It just urred to me suddenly.¡±

    Bulldozer Man scratched his head shyly, then said seriously:

    ¡°The biggest problem now is that we have no professional tools to locate those trapped people. If we rely only on manpower, even with all sixteen yers, we can¡¯t rescue many.¡±

    ¡°No, my warriors, you¡¯ve overlooked a very important point.¡±

    Murphy, now determined and ready to act, shook his head and told his little yers:

    ¡°There are powers in this world beyond yourprehension. Leave confirming the survivors¡¯ locations to me. Immediately head to the survivor camp! Convey my orders to the supervisor Miss Miriam there, demand that she gather all able-bodied adult males.

    I need them to participate in this rescue of their kinsmen.

    Maxim!

    Escort my warriors there and assist Miriam in assembling those men.¡±

    Murphy also told his loyal servant and the little yers:

    ¡°Restoring order is not simple. In the current situation, we must learn to use violence.

    Those causing trouble at the camp, defying management, challenging Miriam¡¯s authority, or nning to escape! Those unwilling to abide by the rules in this disaster, in my name, execute them on the spot!

    I need them to know who can lead them through this!

    I also need them to know that obeying my orders now can help them escape this nightmare faster.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±

    Maxim found Murphy¡¯s words very reasonable and epted the order without any psychological pressure. He had always viewed spreading Murphy¡¯s authority as his duty and mission. He then brought a few horses for the little yers.

    Dump Truck Iaido could ride, so he took Bulldozer Man ahead first. The other three weren¡¯t very skilled, but these were gentle old horses, and under Maxim¡¯s guidance, they set off smoothly.

    Miriam¡¯s survivor camp was some distance from the city to avoid the impact of Astral energy.

    During this time, Murphy found the mncholic Young Lady at the defense line edge and Lady Adele beside her. Thetter¡¯s expression was veryplex upon seeing Murphy, with a voice in her heart demanding her to pledge total allegiance to him, but her own rational self seemed to resist this call.

    But Murphy didn¡¯t care about the hesitation of his first progeny now.

    He looked at the apathetic Young Lady, organized his thoughts, and said to her:

    ¡°There are many people trapped in the city, unable to escape on their own, and I¡¯m nning to organize manpower to rescue them. Not because they are important to me, but because Kadman City is the domain of the Blood Vulture n, and we Blood Vulture members are responsible for them.

    I hope you can join me!

    A vampire¡¯s keen perception of life can easily pinpoint survivors, and there are still 5 hours until dawn. If we¡¯re fast enough, we can rescue at least a few hundred people.

    I remember when we first met, you praised me for carrying out vengeance for the Blood Vulture¡¯s subjects, and you also believed protecting the subjects was your duty, right?¡±

    The Young Lady didn¡¯t respond.

    She sat listlessly on a rock, as if she had lost all light, maintaining this state since talking to Tris, surely because she had witnessed something unbearable in the inner city that had dealt her a terrible blow.

    Murphy waited a few seconds. Seeing the Young Lady not respond, he shook his head, stood up and said to Lady Adele:

    ¡°I demand you join this operation! In the name of an elder.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Lady Adele¡¯s expression changed.

    She clenched her fists, but then rxed them, bowing her head obediently and saying in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°As you wish, Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    Murphy gestured and walked over to Tris with Adele.

    He needed to n three routes to maximize efficiency before taking action. His only constion now was that the city¡¯s chasms had split it in half, leaving only a quarter of the original city area for Murphy and the little yers to explore.

    Though it sounded a bit cruel.

    With the remaining three-quarters consumed by the terrifying Astral energy, plus the ravaging of Astral beasts and spawned fear creatures, that area basically didn¡¯t need checking.

    Unless a miracle urred in this darknd, it was impossible for ordinary people to survive in such conditions.

    ¡°Murphy!¡±

    Just as Murphy turned to leave after a few steps, the Young Lady¡¯s dry, hoarse voice came from behind him. The ragged and lost loli stood up straight, looking at Murphy, this outcast of the n, with despairing eyes.

    She said:

    ¡°The Blood Vultures are finished. Literally! Our n¡¯s sacred pool has been polluted. I saw it with my own eyes, the entire Blood Vulture Halls is shrouded in a dangerous energy I can¡¯tprehend. Our elite nsmen are suffering in the Astral filth, unable to leave the halls¡­

    They¡¯re beyond saving!

    It¡¯s just us few left, Murphy. We¡¯re thest of the Blood Vultures.

    We have no home anymore!¡±

    ¡°No wonder she was struck so hard.¡±

    Murphy instantly realized that the Young Lady, who always prioritized the n¡¯s interests, must be having a hard time epting the fact that their home was gone. But unfortunately, not everyone could understand her emotions.

    Like Murphy.

    He nced back at the Young Lady and said with emphasis:

    ¡°Does that have anything to do with what you need to do now? Does it have anything to do with those civilians trapped in the city, scared and facing death at any moment? Young Lady, you¡¯re free to fly far away, no one can stop you.

    Or you can do onest thing for those who contributed blood and taxes to the prosperity of the Blood Vulture n in this city.

    In my heart, I¡¯ve always felt you were out of ce among the other vampires, though I don¡¯t know why I had that thought. But I can sense your attitude towards humans is truly different from other vampires.

    Maybe we can cooperate?¡±

    ¡°But what exactly are you nning to do?¡±

    The Young Lady suddenly erupted, grabbing her hair and screaming:

    ¡°I heard what you ordered your servants to do, you¡¯re deliberately spreading your authority and strength among the survivors. What are you trying to do? Win their hearts? Are you going to trample on the bones of the Blood Vultures to establish your own n?

    You¡­ambitious traitor!¡±

    ¡°Was I so transparent that she saw right through me, or is this Young Lady just that perceptive?¡±

    Murphy was a bit puzzled.

    He thought he had concealed his intentions well enough, but considering his opponent might be a centuries-old wily fox, it all made sense.

    His meager skills were indeed no match for her, so Murphy simply admitted it honestly.

    He nodded and said:

    ¡°I do intend to do that! I¡¯ll be frank with you, Femis. The Blood Vulture n you cherish and are willing to sacrifice everything for lookspletely different in my eyes. I have no ns to join it in extinction, but I do want those who call you ¡®masters¡¯ to survive.

    If you¡¯re unwilling to help, it¡¯s fine!

    Just don¡¯t make trouble. With Tris here, I¡¯m not afraid of you.

    Also, a traitor?

    Heh, I don¡¯t know what you encountered in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, but how did you actually survive? Young Lady, why did that terrifying being that massacred the entire Midnight Hunters spare you? Surely not because you¡¯re cute?¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes and countered:

    ¡°So before standing on the moral high ground of the n to use me, how about you clear your own suspicions first?¡±

    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t you dare nder me!¡±

    Femis¡¯s face flushed red.

    She was about to retort when she noticed Tris standing ominously in the darkness not far away, gesturing at her heart with a strong threatening implication.

    The once furious Young Lady immediately deted like a punctured ball, her spirit and vigor draining away as Murphy looked on in surprise.

    She waved her hand weakly and said:

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help you. But I have my own demand! After the Astral tide recedes, you must go with me to the Blood Vulture Halls. I need to get to the bottom of some things!

    And in this matter, apart from the final Blood Vulture members, you and Adele, I cannot trust anyone else.¡±

 Chapter 46:

    Murphy gathered all the vampires around him.

    Including himself, there were only four of them in total. Fortunately, it was nighttime, and there were still four to five hours until dawn. Their enhanced perceptions in the darkness allowed them to easily lock onto the civilians trapped in the outer city ruins.

    Before the survivors at the camp could be organized, the Young Lady and Lady Adele first spread their wings and flew a circle over the outer city ruins, braving the astral spirit energy and the ominous ck snow.

    They brought back crucial intelligence.

    Since Kadman City was devoured by the energy of an astral rift rather than a true earthquake, there were not many people trapped under the rubble. The main reason the surviving civilians could not escape was the spawns of despair constantly emerging from the astral shadows, as well as the astral beasts prowling within those shadows.

    After receiving this intelligence, Murphy quickly adjusted his n.

    ¡°Use fire!¡±

    Relying on her profound research into spirit energy, Tris proposed a solution. Looking at the shadows within the copsed city walls before them, she told Murphy:

    ¡°The astral shadows in the outer city are just diffused from the inner city, far less in both concentration and numberpared to the core area devoured by astral spirit energy. These peripheral shadows can be quickly driven back by mes.The simplest method is to burn the entire outer city. This will immediately cleanse it.

    But if you want to rescue people, you can¡¯t be so brutal.

    Ordinary people carrying alchemical fire torches can also drive back the spawns of despair, giving those frightened people enough time to escape.

    The biggest trouble is the astral beasts lurking in the shadows.

    All astral beings can sense the emotions of living creatures. They can tell who is the easiest prey to hunt, so you don¡¯t need to go along to rescue people. While they use the fire torches to clear a path, you need to deal with the dangers hidden in the darkness.

    To be honest, there are not many people who survived the first wave of the astral invasion in the outer city area. If all goes well, most of the unfortunate souls should be rescued before dawn.

    As for those too close to that rift covered in astral corruption, our current strength is simply insufficient to cleanse that area.

    My suggestion is to strategically abandon it.¡±

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t your servants risen yet?¡±

    The Young Lady had no objection to this n, but she noticed the small tents and the fallen yers lying inside them near the defensive line at the city wall breach. Puzzled, she said:

    ¡°In this situation, shouldn¡¯t they join in as well?¡±

    ¡°My warriors are too exhausted.¡±

    Murphy snorted and waved his hand dismissively:

    ¡°The survivors you see are those they rescued earlier. They are utterly spent. Let them rest. I believe those fearless ones will shoulder the most difficult tasks again tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    From within the massive blood-red bat wings as they folded, a plump figure descended from the sky,nding precisely and lightly beside the Young Lady and Murphy.

    Lady Adele, who had already mastered the Blood Vulture flight techniques and seemed quite adept at flying, said to them in a low voice:

    ¡°The people from the survivor camp areing, about 140 of them.¡±

    ¡°Prepare torches for them.¡±

    Murphy turned to Tris and said:

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go with them. Stay here and help us hold the line.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as helpless as you imagine, little Murphy.¡±

    Tris was somewhat dissatisfied with this arrangement, but the intelligentdy knew it was not the time toin. She began crafting simple but long-burning torches with the alchemical materials on hand.

    As for weapons, they were notcking.

    The yers had scavenged many things from the city before logging out. They had also brought back plenty of cold weapons.

    Murphy would certainly not give firearms to these survivors.

    He knew that people would do foolish things when desperate and afraid. It was better to control firearms until his authority was established.

    ¡°We¡¯ll each take responsibility for one side.¡±

    Murphy pointed to three spots on the map of the outer city area and told the Young Lady and Lady Adele:

    ¡°We¡¯ll advance simultaneously on three fronts, hunting down those astral beasts. My servants and warriors will lead the survivors in the rescue and act as battle supervisors.¡±

    The Young Lady and Lady Adele were both ck Iron-rank vampires, and they had no objections to this arrangement. However, Femis nced at Murphy and hesitated before advising:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m belittling your strength, Murphy, but it¡¯s better to have Adele stay by your side.¡±

    ¡°No need!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand dismissively and rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking that the Young Lady could really be hurtful sometimes.

    Isn¡¯t that just belittling my strength?

    But his character level had already reached 9, just one step away from triggering the ck Iron trial. How could he possibly let someone elsee and share hisbat experience?

    This wasn¡¯t really an instance dungeon with a boss. In this crappy real game, he had to fight every battle and swing every de himself. It was no time to ck off in the early stages of his enterprise.

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s determination, the Young Lady took out a few scrolls from her spirit energy pouch and handed them to him, saying:

    ¡°Then empower yourself with these spirit energy enhancements. Bravery is a virtue, but arrogance and recklessness are not.¡±

    Murphy did not refuse. He took the scrolls and examined them in his hand. The information tags quickly popped up:

    Name: Femis¡¯ Spirit Enhancement Scroll X5

    Effect: Unseal the spirit technique, granting the user the temporary states of ¡¾Novice Mystic Eye ¨C Perception +1¡¿, ¡¾Novice Midnight Swiftness ¨C Agility +1¡¿, ¡¾Novice Night Owl¡¯s Guard ¨C Endurance +1¡¿, ¡¾Novice Power of Darkness ¨C Strength +1¡¿, and ¡¾Energy Burst ¨C Increased Destructive Power¡¿.

    This scroll is a novice-level scroll produced by a formal Spirit Mage. The effectsts three hours.

    Note!

    Spirit enhancement scrolls will increase the user¡¯s mental strain. Frequent use may cause the user¡¯s spirit vision to heighten, making them more susceptible to malicious attention.

    Creator: Femis Cecilia Lessenbra

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The art of crafting scrolls to seal Spirit techniques is aplex and mysterious alchemical skill. In the Circle Tower¡¯s teaching system, scroll crafting is often viewed as an important milestone for Spirit Mages and Spirit Apprentices.

    However, the technique inscribed on a Spirit scroll can be quite violent when activated, an unbearable burden for ordinary people¡¯s minds. Thus, it is not rmended for the weak to use them.¡¿

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Murphy did not use these scrolls himself. After the five yers brought the survivors, he gave the scrolls as ¡°quest rewards¡± to his adorable yers, enhancing their gaming experience.

    ¡°Murphy, letting these people re-enter the dangerous city is a risky move.¡±

    Miriam, who hade along, was still rubbing her eyes. She hopped off her horse and came over, whispering to Murphy:

    ¡°Most of these people were forced toe here. They have no will or courage at all. They¡¯re just a frightened rabble now. If they encounter danger, chaos could easily break out.¡±

    ¡°How many did Maxim kill?¡±

    Murphy ignored Miriam¡¯s warning and instead nced at his loyal servant. Catching a strong scent of blood from Maxim, he asked.

    Miriam¡¯s face turned a bit pale as she said in a low voice:

    ¡°Seven! He killed them on the spot for disobeying Lord Murphy¡¯s orders. These people were only brought here because of that ughter. It terrified them. But you can¡¯t keep suppressing them with violence. Their spirits are already very fragile.¡±

    ¡°Now they¡¯re going to rescue their own kind! To rescue your human brethren, Miriam.¡±

    Murphy said sternly to his red-haired assistant:

    ¡°If they¡¯re unwilling to lend a hand to their own people, do they deserve a vampire like me to rescue them? You¡¯re the camp supervisor. Soothing them is your responsibility, unless you admit that you learned nothing in your three years at the Shaldor Academy.¡±

    He beckoned to Lady Adele beside him.

    Understanding Murphy¡¯s intent, she handed him her luxurious and effective crimson revolver, along with a bag of ammunition.

    Murphy then shoved these two items into Miriam¡¯s hands and told her:

    ¡°You¡¯ll be leading the team! Maxim and my five warriors will assist you. I don¡¯t want to pressure you, Miriam, but if these people cause trouble and harm themselves or others, that pitiful fate will be of their own making!

    My advice is to treat this as an administrative internship. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡±

    With that, Murphy turned and leaped onto arge boulder.

    He cleared his throat.

    His gaze swept across the haggard survivors forcibly brought here and gathered below the city wall breach. One by one, they looked wretched, their faces ashen, their eyes wandering, visibly terrified of this city that had nearly devoured them.

    ¡°You all probably know me. Even if you haven¡¯t seen me, you must have heard the strange tales about me in Kadman City! That¡¯s right, I¡¯m the worthless vampire Murphy you¡¯ve heard about.

    I don¡¯t want to waste anyone¡¯s time, so listen up now!

    My warriors rescued you and your families from the city. You should be grateful to me and them. But the fact is, you¡¯re the lucky ones, because there are many even less fortunate than you who are trapped in these ruins.

    Their lives are fading away. I need you toe with me now and bring them back from the approaching death!¡±

    Murphy shouted to everyone:

    ¡°I¡¯ll issue you torches!

    These spirit torches made by vampires will help you drive away the shadows of fear. As long as the torches don¡¯t go out, those invisible monsters won¡¯t bother you.

    You only need to enter the city in groups and bring out those who are just as unfortunate as you. They are yourpanions, friends, or acquaintances. Even if you don¡¯t know them, they are your human brethren.

    You should lend them aid.

    As for the dangerous beasts lurking in the night, my kindred and I will take responsibility for clearing them.

    My vampire kindred and I will uphold the ancientws of Transia tonight, protecting those who offer us their blood tax. We will ensure you are not harmed.

    We will fulfill our duty to lead and protect you.

    But you must also do your part!

    I¡¯ll emphasize this onest time, anyone who disobeys orders and acts on their own will be executed!

    If you think obeying vampires is more dangerous than entering Kadman City now, then feel free to run offter. But mypanions and I won¡¯t waste time on foolish idiots.

    That¡¯s all I have to say. Does anyone not understand?

    If anyone has objections, step forward and tell me what you think!¡±

    He looked at the slightly restless crowd before him. Maxim with his sword was on Murphy¡¯s left, camp director Miriam on his right, and the yers were now gripping weapons beside him, their shadows stretching long.

    After waiting a few seconds, Murphy waved his hand expansively:

    ¡°Since there are no objections, take the torches and follow me!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°There are three hiding in a house basement up ahead!¡±

    As Murphy led a search and rescue team down the street, he twitched his ears, precisely catching the sound of cryinging from the nearby ruins.

    He waved his left hand forward, and Lumina and ck Stockings, carrying torches, immediately ran over, followed by a few bold survivors gripping cold weapons cautiously eyeing their surroundings.

    ¡°We¡¯vee to rescue you!¡±

    ck Stockings shouted into the blocked basement entrance while knocking on it.

    Those inside couldn¡¯t understand, but it didn¡¯t stop them from realizing help had arrived. Shrill cries rang out again, making the surrounding survivors wince.

    The others began clearing the rubble trapping the basement entrance but couldn¡¯t move it for the time being. Below, the mother wailed, her daughter apparently injured and in dire condition.

    ¡°There¡¯s a broken venttion shaft nearby, but it¡¯s too narrow for me to fit through.¡±

    ck Stockings brought back the awkward news.

    He was one of therger-framed yers. Lumina peered at the narrow vent before tossing her torch to ck Stockings and rolling up her sleeves to crawl in, only for him to grab her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go! Let the NPCs do it!¡±

    He advised:

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what the situation is in there. If you die, it¡¯ll be three days.¡±

    ¡°If we die, we wait three days. If they die, that¡¯s it for them.¡±

    Lumina nced at the few timid NPC survivors around them and said with a pout:

    ¡°I know they¡¯re just lines of data, but this is too realistic for me to be heartless. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t have the guts to rescue people like this in reality, right? That doesn¡¯t prevent me from being a hero in the game. Keep an eye out for me!¡±

    With that, she tore open the scroll Murphy had given her and boosted her Agility, then crawled into the dark, narrow vent.

    ck Stockings watched the determined girl.

    He felt his cheeks burning a little, so he turned to the few hesitant NPCs beside him and shouted for them to quickly clear the stones blocking the basement entrance, joining in to help too.

    A few minutester, strange noises came from the vent.

    ck Stockings ran over and saw Lumina covered in soot, crawling out while cradling a baby. She handed the swaddled infant to him, then without a word crawled back in and rescued another four or five-year-old girl.

    But after the third time she went in and waited several minutes, there were no more rescues. When Lumina emerged again, her eyes were brimming with tears.

    She covered her mouth, her voice full of regret as she kept ncing back, telling ck Stockings:

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save their mother. She was hit in the head by bricks earlier and didn¡¯t make it. She begged me to take care of her children and gave me thest of their money. I couldn¡¯t save her, s.¡±

    For that moment, ck Stockings didn¡¯t know what to say.

    He looked at the baby peacefully sleeping in his arms, sucking on its own fingers, seemingly oblivious to what was happening around it. The other rescued girl was clinging desperately to Lumina¡¯s leg.

    She had been terribly frightened.

    In that instant, the soot-covered ck Stockings felt a tightness in his chest.

    This damned game was too freakin¡¯ realistic. Did it have to be so hardcore with these details?

    Couldn¡¯t they just have fun grinding monsters and y the game?

    ¡°F**k!¡±

    He swore and viciously kicked a piece of wood beside him.

    The action startled the baby, who began crying, leaving the man in his mid-twenties at a loss. A few secondster, a middle-aged NPC came over and gestured to ck Stockings.

    He took the wailing infant, gently rocking it in his arms, then deeply bowed to the teary-eyed Lumina. Turning back, he loudly berated the others.

    The NPCs who had been dithering before now seemed transformed. They fell silent, taking up torches and beginning to search more actively, as if the baby Murphy¡¯s warrior had rescued had infused them with some strength, allowing them to inwardly resist their fear.

    ¡°Keep going!¡±

    Lumina wiped her face and said to ck Stockings:

    ¡°This game is so realistic, right?¡±

    ¡°Too realistic.¡±

    ck Stockings bent down, hoisting a pickaxe as he murmured inint:

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to miss my keyboard and mouse, and those crappy, poorly modeled games. Really, I¡¯m not kidding you.¡±

 Chapter 47:

    Under the guidance of the vampires, the rescuers split into three teams and finally entered the city. Since the survivors on the outskirts had mostly been led out by the small yers, these people needed to venture deeper into the outer city districts.

    This was undoubtedly a dangerous act.

    But with over a hundred people brandishing bright torches and advancing under the vampires¡¯ lead in the dead of night, they cut quite an imposing figure. At the very least, those formless spawns of fear lurking in the shadows dared not randomly jump out anymore.

    These invisible beings were manifestations of astral tainted energy guided by mortals¡¯ emotions. In other words, as long as the collective emotions of fear and despair subsided, the number of spawns would rtively decrease as well.

    To put it simply, the more you fear them, the more of them there will be.

    But now, the flickering mes cutting through the rubble and night air of Transia rekindled the people¡¯s courage. In their culture, fire was sacred, just as a traveler¡¯s campfire in the night would always deter evil things lurking in the darkness, preventing them from running rampant.

    Of course, Murphy and the other two vampires, as well as Maxim and the small yers, asionally had to y the role ofbatants. The spawns of despair were merely a negligible nuisance, it was the astral beasts that emerged from time to time to terrorize people that posed the real danger.

    For the twodies, Lady Tris and Lady Adele, these creatures that could only hunt in the outskirts were not difficult opponents. But for Murphy, they were quite a challenge to deal with.

    He was currently at the outskirts of the area he was responsible for, battling a pack of astral wolves.Compared to their physical world counterparts, these beasts were far more ferocious. In their ethereal state, one could even see their inner skeletons, and their eyes burned with a dim glow in the night. Their fangs and ws were imbued with tainted energy, and being struck by them would inflict a minor mental shock.

    These were traits unique to astral beings.

    They existed outside the material world, born and raised amid the tainted spirit energies of the astral realm, making them adept at inflicting spiritual harm on material life.

    The good news was that Murphy was not fighting alone.

    The astral direwolves he had summoned were also formidable allies, loyal and vicious enough to take a considerable load off his shoulders.

    The vampire was not using the Tomb Guard Sword Arts he had just learned or the Shadow Elf Secret Sword Arts he had ¡°leeched¡± from Adele for this battle. Both were advanced sword arts, powerful but requiring time to gradually improve.

    The Blood Vulture Sword Arts he had mastered and could use in a wild and unrestrained manner were more suitable for the current intense battle.

    With the direwolves¡¯ cover, Murphy swiftly took down four of the six astral wolves with his sword and hand crossbow. The remaining two, seeing the situation turn against them, tried to flee but were viciously pounced on and torn apart by the ferocious direwolves, leaving only one survivor.

    Thatst one fled into the night, but Murphy did not give chase. Instead, he calmly drew the permanently poisoned spirit hand crossbow from his belt.

    This was one of the few times he had used a ranged weapon, but he showed no signs of inexperience.

    This was probably due to the Marksmanship Mastery that Adele had imparted to him. Coupled with a vampire¡¯s precise and undisturbed night vision, he easily locked onto his target and squeezed the trigger a few secondster.

    ¡°Shwip¡±

    With a faint hum, the short but razor-sharp crossbow bolt glowing faintly green streaked out, blowing out the fleeing astral hound¡¯s brain from behind. The entire body flew out and crashed to the ground, quickly dissipating.

    ¡¾Shooting Skill ¨C Hand Crossbow Proficiency increased, currently at ¡°Novice¡± level.¡¿

    A prompt shed before Murphy¡¯s eyes, letting him breathe a sigh of relief.

    He actually had a dwarven hunting rifle taken from a Witch Hunter in his pack, but that thing was too loud, not befitting a vampire¡¯s stealthy style. Moreover, it didn¡¯t match Murphy¡¯s understanding of ¡°firearms.¡±

    However, its power was decent and could be paired with close-range crossbows.

    ording to Miriam, these hunting rifles fired lead bulletsced with a special engineering powder called ¡°Combustion Gold,¡± giving them considerable medium to long-range destructive power. Apparently, dwarven high priests even had a special ¡°Dragonfire¡± round that could ignite all dark malignancies at close range.

    Priests carryingrge-caliber guns to physically exorcise malignant entities?

    Very good, very dwarven, very martial in spirit.

    ¡°Lord Murphy, this district has been searched. We¡¯ve rescued another 37 people. Shall we proceed further?¡±

    ck Stockings, his face and armor covered in soot as if he had just crawled out of a coal pit, came running with a report.

    He was carrying an iron shovel, his standard infantry longsword slung across his back.

    He looked quite energetic. Murphy nced back at the crowd behind him. Those men brandishing torches had proactively shielded the rescued women and children in the center, while others were still scavenging through the rubble.

    Compared to their departure, their morale had gradually recovered.

    ¡°Fall back to the city wall defenses first. There¡¯s water and food there,¡± Murphy replied. ¡°Rest for 15 minutes, then we¡¯ll head back in. Also, make note of the most active individuals. Miriam will issue them weapons, and Maxim will recruit them into the militia. Before dawn, we¡¯ll conduct one more sweep, going even deeper and into greater danger.

    Hmm?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s keen vampire senses picked up something, and his ears twitched as he turned to face the night ahead. He told ck Stockings:

    ¡°You all head back first. There¡¯s a ¡®big one¡¯ up ahead!¡±

    ¡°I can fight alongside you!¡±

    ck Stockings immediately straightened his posture and said something nice, obviously trying to take the opportunity to increase his favor. Murphy nced at him, his expression gentle as he patted his shoulder and encouraged him:

    ¡°Wait untilter. Your potential needs time to be realized. Precious warrior blood cannot be wasted here.¡±

    His favor increased!

    ck Stockings¡¯ favor definitely increased!

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s gentle expression, ck Stockings felt a surge of joy in his heart. He then obediently retreated back.

    Watching ck Stockings¡¯ joyful expression as he left, Murphy deeply felt that his acting skills were soaring daily through interactions with the small yers. At this rate, he would probably soon be the best actor among the Blood Vulture n vampires.

    The rescue team brandishing torches soon withdrew towards the city outskirts under ck Stockings¡¯ and Lumina¡¯s escort, while Murphy clutched his swift sword and hand crossbow. He patted the crouching astral direwolf by his feet, then ventured ahead into the night with it.

    He cast an area scan, and soon a vague reddish tag floated in the darkness:

    ¡¾Astral Lynx ¨C Hunting State ¨C High Danger¡¿

    ¡°Is this thing invisible?¡±

    With his vampire night vision, Murphy could barely make out the existence ahead. It seemed to be an amorphous mist, prowling back and forth amid the ruins.

    The astral direwolf at his feet let out a low whine like a dog, clearly sensing the dangerous presence.

    ording to Tris, astral wolves were not particrly powerful among astral beings. Their individualbat strength was poor, but their keen senses and outstanding hunting talents meant they often had to form packs to face greater dangers.

    This astral lynx clearly belonged to the ¡°more dangerous¡± category.

    However, Tris also said that a full-fledged astral wolf pack was truly a dominant force in that realm, so every life form likely had its own way of survival.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Murphy crouched down, stroking the agitated direwolf¡¯s head as he said softly:

    ¡°We¡¯re just a pack of two wolves, and I¡¯m your alpha. Follow me, let¡¯s hunt it.¡±

    The astral direwolf seemed to understand Murphy¡¯s meaning.

    It calmed down, licking Murphy¡¯s fingers with its rough, ethereal tongue, then followed Murphy¡¯s directions to scout the surrounding darkness.

    Seeing Murphy alone, the stealthy astral lynx immediately perked up. It began circling closer to Murphy, making the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with a needling sensation.

    The vampire was no longer a novicebatant.

    He adjusted his breathing, gripping the de of the Desire n at his waist while his other hand silently squeezed the crossbow trigger.

    This was a ssic weapon. Its power was decent, but it needed to be reloaded after firing.

    He may need a more flexible ranged weapon, like the crimson hand cannon Lady Adele wielded that could fire six shots. But that thing definitely looked like a custom weapon thedy had made for her maid.

    In this closed, conservative Transia, such firearms would be seen as cowardly by the fierce people and not weed by their customs.

    Perhaps sensing Murphy¡¯s wandering thoughts, the hiding astral lynx soonunched its attack from behind.

    Like a wisp of mist, it swiftly pounced down, aiming to instantly kill Murphy with the signature throat-lock of felines. But in that split second of descent, the vampire gracefully sidestepped with a flowing evasion.

    Shadow Elf Secret Sword Arts ¨C Stealthy Steps.

    Though he hadn¡¯t had time to thoroughly study this elven sword art imparted by Adele, Murphy had been secretly practicing its evasion techniques. Now, with his rare temte granting 16 points of agility, he seamlessly transitioned into a counterattack upon evading.

    The de of the Desire n transformed into a striking viper, viciously biting into the astral lynx¡¯s ethereal hide as the hand crossbow fired, only for that cunning beast to eerily phase through the bolt.

    The vampire did not hesitate, immediately engaging the vicious lynx in a one-handed sword fight.

    Despite being called a lynx, this thing had no rtion to normal lynxes in size, it was more akin to an erged clouded leopard, nearly as big as a tiger.

    Aside from the telltale ethereal hide, burning eyes and tainted fangs of astral beings, this creature had three tails, each ending in a scorpion-like barb.

    ¡°Thwack¡±

    One barbed tailshed out like a throwing knife, grazing Murphy¡¯s cheek before embedding in the wall behind him, cracking the bricks and demonstrating its destructive power. But then Murphy swung his de, severing the tail and causing the astral lynx to retreat in pain with a low growl.

    However, the direwolf that had rushed out earlier now came charging back at full speed, mming into the lynx¡¯s midsection and knocking it to the ground.

    The two astral beasts tore viciously at each other with howls and snarls as Murphy seized the opportunity tounch a brutal two-hitbo on the lynx.

    The astral wolf¡¯s individual weakness was soon exposed as the lynx, fighting for its life, mped its jaws around the direwolf¡¯s throat in a death grip. But like a wolf following its alpha, even as its material projection faded, the direwolf retaliated with ws and bites, ripping the lynx¡¯s left paw clean off before dissipating.

    At this point, Murphy¡¯s victory was assured.

    Murphy did not grieve over the astral wolf¡¯s death, not because he was cold-blooded, but because astral beings in the material world were merely projections, just like yers. Once the skill cooled down, he could resummon them back to life.

    They would only truly die if killed in the astral realm itself, which was ironically simr to certain demons in another cosmology.

    ¡°Splurch¡±

    With a flick of his wrist, Murphy¡¯s quivering swift sword thrust forward, gouging out one of the astral lynx¡¯s eyeballs in a spray of blood. The agony drove the beast into a frenzy, butcking eyes, ws and tails, it could only await death before Murphy.

    Two minutester, Murphy stabbed his sword into the lynx¡¯s ear, scrambling its brain for a clean, decisive victory in this hunt.

    Besides the sense of aplishment, there were more tangible rewards:

    ¡¾Blood Vulture Sword Arts proficiency increased to ¡°Grandmaster¡±!

    This sword art¡¯s proficiency has reached the limit and cannot increase further!

    Blood Vulture Swordsman job level reached 10!

    This job has reached the limit, cannot advance further. Seek a promotion method.

    Note!

    The standard promoted job for Blood Vulture Swordsman is Blood Vulture Tomb Guard. You currently know Tomb Guard Sword Arts, please raise it to ¡°Proficient¡± and craft a Tomb Badge toplete the promotion.

    You currently know the Shadow Elf Mejeva Family Secret Sword Arts, optional promotion is: Shadow Elf de Chanter.

    This promotion requires raising the Mejeva Secret Sword Arts to ¡°Proficient¡± and visiting the Mejeva Family Temple,pleting the promotion with the Fate Maiden¡¯s aid.

    Character level reached 10!

    ¡°Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body¡± triggered! Please read the Strength Tiers and Trial rules in detail, thenplete this Trial of Strength.¡¿

    The long string of prompts delighted Murphy.

    Though not from regr monster grinding, this intense battle with the astral lynx had undoubtedly allowed his foundational Blood Vulture Sword Arts to naturally break through their final bottleneck.

    This was not actually difficult, since no matter howplex, it was still just basic techniques.

    What surprised Murphy was that this elven sword art he had ¡°leeched¡± from Adele could actually trigger a special job promotion. This gave him a bold idea.

    Perhaps

    This foreign sword art could serve as a ¡°hidden reward¡± for the small yers¡¯ outstanding contributions?

    And if there were hidden rewards, it wouldn¡¯t be enough vor to not also have a lucky turntable or blindbox package with other cherished items. This ¡°game¡± couldn¡¯t have pay-to-win mechanics of course, otherwise they might as well put out this supremely enigmatic elven sword art as a VIP 3 membership reward.

    With these regretful thoughts, Murphy found the details on the ¡°Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body¡± in his character¡¯s Strength Tiers section:

    ¡¾Term ¨C ck Iron Body:

    An extension from ancient elven traditions, this division of individual strength is categorized into stages: Mortal -> Professional -> ck Iron Body -> White Silver Body -> Transcendent Golden Body -> Transcendent Perfect Body/Demigod Threshold.

    These respectively represent the ancient elven descriptions of life¡¯s strength at different levels.

    The ck Iron Body can be understood as an ordinary person, through rigorous training and constant battle, mastering their physical form to the utmost and unleashing its inherent destructive power. The purpose of the ck Iron Trial is to challenge powerful foes, unlocking and continuously excavating the individual¡¯s hidden potential.

    Throughout the entire ck Iron Body tier, the individual will have their potential continuously unearthed, undergoing a powerful reshaping of their life form, before facing the true White Silver Trial of embracing transcendent spirit power.¡¿

    ¡°Not bad! Not too hard to understand, and the elves¡¯ division system really does have that game strength system vor. It¡¯s perfect enough that I don¡¯t need to modify it to use directly as game lore.¡±

    Murphy gave this exnation a thumbs up.

    Then he looked over the details of his own ck Iron Trial, and his expression immediately darkened:

    ¡¾Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body ¨C Vampire Race Exclusive: Independently hunt andpletely drain the blood of ck Iron tier enemies until potential is unlocked, or independently challenge ck Iron tier Elite beings to unlock potential.

    This trial must bepleted solo, any outside interference will be considered a trial failure!¡¿

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Murphy cursed in the darkness:

    ¡°So it¡¯s just simply grinding higher level monsters? To be ck Iron I have to kill a ck Iron elite first? And it has to be a living, blood-bearing creature?

    So astral beings don¡¯t count?

    Crap!

    In this chaotic wartime situation around Kadman City, where am I supposed to find a ck Iron tier living enemy?

    Why don¡¯t you just spawn one for me out of thin air?

    That old saying really is true, reality is a crappy game!¡±

 Chapter 48:

    While Murphy was leading the survivors to rescue people in the ruins of the outer city of Kadman City, in another ce that directly caused the disaster in Kadman City, inside the pioneer army¡¯s fortress in the East Prussian region, Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer was standing hisst guard shift.

    He was still wearing a crisp military uniform, with the military insignia on his cor neatly arranged. He was currently on duty in the vital intelligence room of the fortress, with a neatly packed suitcase ced at his feet.

    There were still four hours until the end of tonight¡¯s shift, after which he would be able to return home with the first batch of soldiers recalled from the country.

    As General Loren¡¯s trusted aide who was personally promoted during the Ten Years¡¯ War, Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer had not been shortchanged. Yesterday, the general had spoken with him, and after a three-month rest at home, he would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel upon his return.

    With such a rapid promotion, coupled with the support of his family, he might have the opportunity to be a brigadier general before the age of fifty.

    It was like riding a rocket.

    Unfortunately, such a rapid promotion opportunity might note again, because the war was over.

    ¡°I wonder if the youngdy arranged by the family would like these military stories?¡±

    The lieutenant colonel¡¯s thoughts wandered a bit as he flipped through the files.No matter howposed he was, he was still a young man. Moreover, the letter from his family had clearly stated that he had an important mission during his three-month return.

    That was to hurry up and find a partner for marriage!

    It was best to marry within a month and resolve the issue of offspring within three months. That way, even if something happened to Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer of the ancient Sn nobility on the battlefield, his family would not face the risk of the main lineage being cut off.

    The lieutenant colonel was very helpless about this.

    He was a man with ambition, and after being ¡°trained¡± by General Loren during the Ten Years¡¯ War, he deeply believed that spending his thoughts on anything other than bing a brigadier general would be a waste of his life.

    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, there is an urgent military matter!¡±

    The messenger¡¯s call interrupted Frayzer¡¯s wandering thoughts. Upon hearing the words ¡°urgent military matter,¡± the lieutenant colonel immediately straightened his body like a spring, picked up his military cap, and quickly followed the messenger to the adjacent Spirit Communication Room.

    At this moment, on the surface of the instrument powered by Spirit Beads but with a veryplex base, blurred reconnaissance images were being projected.

    A young Spirit Mage dressed in a ck military uniform was sweating profusely as he adjusted the angle, desperately trying to filter and enhance the hopeless image, so that this unsalvageable mess of pixels would be clearer.

    However, the young Spirit Mage¡¯s efforts were clearly failing.

    ¡°What happened? Where is this?¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer, who was specifically in charge of intelligence work, asked in a solemn voice. The Spirit Mage immediately replied:

    ¡°It¡¯s Transia, Kadman City, Lieutenant Colonel. The Spirit Tide there weakened to an observable level an hour ago. Following the general¡¯s orders, we conducted a remote reconnaissance.

    But you see¡­¡±

    He pointed to the blurred reconnaissance spell image in front of them.

    However, it looked like a pile of pixels umted together, causing the lieutenant colonel, whose Spirit talent was not particrly outstanding, to frown deeply.

    Obviously, he could not understand what the Spirit Mage wanted him to see.

    But the lieutenant colonel had been working in intelligence for more than just a day or two. Even without seeing the specific image, he could sense the Spirit Mage¡¯s meaning. His expression changed, and he asked:

    ¡°Has there been a problem in Kadman City? Did the Astral Realm Tear not achieve the intended effect?¡±

    ¡°No, the Astral Realm Tear was absolutely sessful!

    That city is beyond saving. It will be floating rubble in the Astral Realm within a week at most. But Lieutenant Colonel, the problem is that we have discovered a strange group of people gathered at the edge of Kadman City.¡±

    The military Spirit Mage gave up trying to restore this million-post-credits pixted mess and, using his professional knowledge, pointed to a few ck dots on the image and reported:

    ¡°Here, here, and here! Although the severe interference from the Astral Realm Spirit energy prevents us from obtaining an urate image, I can assure you, based on my expertise, that there are at least 400 individuals¡¯ movement trajectories here.¡±

    ¡°400 people?¡±

    Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said:

    ¡°Is it possible they are survivors from the Astral Realm Tear? Kadman City had a total of 150,000 Blood Servants. Even if the entire city was destroyed, it¡¯s possible for a few hundred people to survive, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible, but their movement patterns are off!¡±

    The young ck-robed Spirit Mage shook his head stubbornly:

    ¡°If they were civilians, their projections in Spirit detection should show scattered and disorderly escapes. However, as you can see, these people are moving together!

    It seems they have even established a camp in the safe area outside the Astral Realm Spirit influence range.

    Lieutenant Colonel, please allow me to speak bluntly. This is definitely someone organizing them.

    Even worse, it could be remnants of the Blood Vulture n!

    Perhaps the Blood Vulture n was notpletely destroyed!

    The more terrifying spection is that this is very likely a self-rescue operation by the Blood Vulture n!¡±

    Upon hearing this conclusion, Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer¡¯s expression became serious.

    He stared at the indecipherable pixted mess in front of him and said with some frustration:

    ¡°I will report this to General Loren immediately. You prepare yourself, Heru. The general may need to hear your report. I remember you¡¯re from Antania, a very promising reconnaissance Spirit Mage. So, within 20 minutes, do your best to restore this mess to a state where even an ordinary person can see it clearly!

    As a promising Spirit Mage, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to be rebuked by General Loren for being unprofessional, do you?

    This could leave a very negative evaluation on your internship record in the army corps. You understand what I mean, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The Spirit Mage¡¯s expression changed as he nced at the Spirit disy beside him, and his face darkened.

    He could fully understand the importance of this matter, but the problem was, how could he possibly adjust this pixted mess that directly impacted his professional career?

    ¡ª¡ª

    Nearly an hourter, another important figure within the pioneer army corps was led into General Loren¡¯s office by military police.

    The old knight Finoch Lawson, who had already returned to the pioneer fortress from Transia for rest, wore a simple linen robe and gave off a faint smell of alcohol, but still carried therge oak greatsword wrapped in a cloth sheath on his back.

    The diligent military police should have confiscated his weapon, but the weary-faced General Loren waved his hand, indicating that they did not need to bother.

    These stubborn old believers of the ancient church, as hard-headed as dwarves with limited weaknesses, would not give up their weapons.

    Moreover, the weapon Finoch carried on his back was no ordinary weapon.

    It was their sacred de, proof of their faith.

    ¡°Finoch, I know I promised to arrange for the remaining old soldiers of the White Oak Battalion after the war ended. I am still willing to fulfill this promise, but I¡¯m afraid you must depart immediately.¡±

    General Loren was seated in his chair, his hands resting on the desk in front of him. Standing beside him were Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer and the ck-robed Spirit Mage who had struggled with enhancing the image.

    The stern half-dwarf general said to the silent old knight:

    ¡°The situation in Kadman City has taken a turn. Intelligence suggesting Blood Vulture remnants has been discovered. To prevent further troubles, I need you and your most elite hunters to reach there within three days andplete the reconnaissance.¡±

    ¡°Three days is no problem, but I need to know what you want to aplish,¡±

    Old Finoch raised his head, looking at General Loren, and asked:

    ¡°Specifically, who is the target?¡±

    ¡°Who else? Blood Vulture Patriarch, Salrokdar Collins Lessenbra!¡±

    The half-dwarf general lit his pipe with some irritation. He had previously announced the defeat of the Blood Vultures as the end of the war. However, the stubborn situation in Kadman City now seemed to be slipping out of his control, which greatly displeased General Loren.

    After expelling a puff of pungent, dense smoke from his nostrils, he said solemnly:

    ¡°If the Blood Vulture Patriarch is dead, bring his body back! If he¡¯s not dead, then send him on his way! The pardon application for the White Oak Battalion is already on its way to the Misty Capital. ording to the normal council process, you and your withered old soldiers may need two to three months to receive a reply.

    And it will most likely be a watered-down resolution.

    But if you can bring back the Blood Vulture Patriarch¡¯s insignia for King Louis¡­

    With this merit, I believe your group, which has made great contributions to the country during the war, will definitely receive a special pardon document from the Golden Flower Pce.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    The old knight agreed without much hesitation. He nodded to the general and turned to leave, but General Loren called him back.

    ¡°Wait, Finoch, this Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer will apany you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, General Loren.¡±

    The old knight spoke bluntly:

    ¡°I will only take thirty elite hunters. Most of the old soldiers will remain in the camp as hostages, so you don¡¯t need to worry about us deserting. Secondly, this lieutenant colonel is just an ordinary person.

    He cannot endure the hardship of crossing the Anderma Hills to reach Kadman City within three days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you! Finoch, we¡¯ve known each other for over forty years, damn it! I thought we were friends.¡±

    General Loren mmed his fist on the table, as if hurt by his old friend¡¯s words. He then waved his hand, and Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer and the Spirit Mage left the office.

    After they left, General Loren jumped off his chair and walked up to old Finoch, exining to him in a low voice:

    ¡°You are good hunters, but not skilled in summarizing and reporting. Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer specializes in intelligence work. He will help you prepare a nice mission report that will reach King Louis¡¯ desk directly.

    Believe me, in your current situation, this is important for you.

    Secondly, Frayzer is from the Carpe family, the most steadfast royalists. They and their allies hold seventeen seats in the Grand Council, and they currently have factories in every province of the kingdom, continuously supplying resources for the pioneer army corps.

    If things take the worst possible turn, the friendship and protection from the Carpe family would be enough to save you poor souls caught up in this from beingpletely wiped out.

    Do you understand?

    To be honest, Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer is there to add some gilding.

    The promising young talent I¡¯ve taken notice of needs a nice military achievement as a wedding gift from me, while you¡­ After the war ends, you have lost your usefulness to the country, and I can no longer protect you.

    You need a new pir to safely live as free people in the kingdom.

    The reputation of the old faith¡¯s remnants is not good.

    Even if you don¡¯t care, think about your hunters.¡±

    When no one else was around, the old knight was no longer so cold. He sighed and said softly to General Loren:

    ¡°But we are loyal, you know, Loren! You witnessed the whole absurdity ten years ago. You know we have been loyal from beginning to end.

    I don¡¯t care about myself, but these kids should not have to suffer all this!¡±

    ¡°I know, I believe you, but others don¡¯t see it that way,¡±

    The half-dwarf general shook his head:

    ¡°The old faith¡¯s betrayal was already settled ten years ago, Finoch. You must ept this fact. Listen to me, do a good job on this mission! The wise majesty will see it, and he will give you loyal ones a chance.

    I firmly believe this.

    Be sure to protect Frayzer!

    This young man is very talented, unlike those stubbornly sickening Sn nobles.¡±

    Outside the office, Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer saw the ck-robed Spirit Mage covering his face and crying. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, consoling him helplessly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Lord Heru. The general may be strict, but he also praised your acuity.¡±

    ¡°But the general said I was unprofessional, and that my reconnaissance spell was worse than his thousand-one-hundred-year-old grandfather¡¯s eyesight. I definitely won¡¯t be able to graduate smoothly now, wah wah wah.¡±

    The young Spirit Mage cried sadly, saying in despair:

    ¡°I¡¯m the hope of the whole vige. This is so embarrassing. Lieutenant Colonel, you¡¯re a good person, but you don¡¯t need to console me. My life is beyond saving now. I¡¯m going to find my fellow vigers and drink heavily.

    s, I hope my little aunt doesn¡¯t make fun of me.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Captain! The Battalion Commander has just summoned all the veteran captains! It seems there¡¯s an urgent mission!¡±

    In the camp outside the pioneer fortress, Scout Captain Natalie, who had justpleted her restorative training, was eating a cold midnight snack when her bunkmate, the scout Amber, hurriedly limped over to her.

    Amber, who had suffered an eye injury during the previous interrogation, wore a ck eye patch and looked serious as she leaned over and said in a low voice to her captain:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard somerades passing messages privately. The Battalion Commander may be selecting elites toplete another mission.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Where to?¡±

    Natalie put down her spoon and brushed her hair back, revealing scars on her cheek and eyes. But to be honest, these scars did not ruin the overall look of her face ¨C rather, they made her look more formidable.

    The gray-haired huntress, as yers called her, asked in a muffled voice. Amber hesitated for a moment, then said softly:

    ¡°I have a young fellow viger who is a reconnaissance Spirit Mage with the pioneer army corps. He was in a bad mood after being rebuked by General Loren for being unprofessional, and when he was drunkenly rambling, I overheard some details.

    The mission should be to return to Transia!

    Specifically to Kadman City. It seems General Loren wants to confirm the defeat of the Blood Vulture n, but we¡­

    The Battalion Commander didn¡¯t summon us.¡±

    ¡°We must participate!¡±

    Natalie immediately clenched her fists. The events in Mond Vige and Smuggler¡¯s Woods ignited a fire within her. She said solemnly:

    ¡°We must personally resolve the grudges with those vampires! I¡¯ll go find the Battalion Commander. You find Norman and Porter. We must join this operation!

    That Murphy¡­

    For the sake of old Joe¡¯s spirit entering the sacred hall of Avalon, I must capture that culprit!¡±

 Chapter 49:

    The noisy rescue operation continued until the first rays of dawn.

    The good news was that because Kadman City was shrouded in chaotic astral energy, sunlight could not prate, allowing proper vampires like the Young Lady to move freely. Andst night¡¯s rescue was very sessful!

    After three consecutive searches, they managed to rescue an astonishing 409 people, more than doubling the number of survivors in the camp.

    The bad news was that the simple and easy stage was now over.

    The next areas were heavily shrouded in astral shadows, which Murphy¡¯s yers called the ¡°monster wild zones¡±. The concentration of astral shadows lurking there was so dense that it could extinguish torches, making it impossible for ordinary people to enter on arge scale.

    Even worse news was that ording to the Young Lady¡¯s in-depth reconnaissance, she could confirm that in that area of dense shadows, there were at least 200 life forces in the outskirts alone.

    In other words, at least another 200 people were still waiting for rescue from the outside.

    So a choice was presented before Murphy.

    ¡°Being able to rescue this many people is already enough,¡± said Miriam, yawning repeatedly after not sleeping all night. She whispered to Murphy, who was looking at the map:¡°I just talked to a few of the appointed militia captains. The survivors are extremely grateful for your rescue efforts. Last night, they witnessed firsthand those dangerous astral beasts and shadow entities.

    Venturing deeper into the city would be very dangerous. Plus, reports say many people fled into maze-like sewers, makingrge-scale rescue efforts impossible in this situation.

    So they can understand the choice you might make.

    A nun even asked me to tell you not to be too hard on yourself.¡±

    ¡°Morale?¡±

    Murphy asked. Miriam nodded vigorously:

    ¡°Higher than I ever expected!

    I thought this kind of operation would make them more terrified, but in fact, rescuing more of their kin not only didn¡¯t make them uneasy, but actually instilled courage in them and stabilized everyone¡¯s state of mind.

    Some young people even volunteered to join the search and rescue team, those who still have family left in the city and are unwilling to give up.¡±

    ¡°This proves that our actions were correct, Miriam. The initial collective identity has been formed. It would be a pity to give up now.¡±

    Murphy nced at the three marks on the map.

    Those were the locations of three family warehouses he had heard about from Tris earlier, perfectly ovepping with the unrescued areas. This immediately gave Murphy an idea.

    He said to Miriam:

    ¡°Have your militia captains select those with the most resolute fighting spirit and organize them into the ¡®Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯ under Maxim¡¯smand.

    Rest assured, I won¡¯t let them go to their deaths.

    I n to burn through the areas we¡¯ve already searched topletely eliminate any residual astral shadows. I need them to establish a defensive line outside those areas to receive my warriors after their assault operation.

    Those people surrounded by monsters are still alive!

    We¡¯re going to attempt one final rescue for them.

    Exin the purpose and process of this operation to those people. Make sure they understand their duty.

    If they retreat before my warriors do, they will be executed as deserters! There is no room for discussion on this point.¡±

    He nced at the crimson handgun on Miriam¡¯s waist.

    The thing didn¡¯t firest night, but that might not be the case going forward.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Miriam let out a long breath, saying:

    ¡°I know time is precious. I¡¯ll have everything ready within two hours. Let me get some rest first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡±

    Murphy patted Miriam¡¯s shoulder encouragingly, then called Maxim over.

    This guy took the lead duringst night¡¯s operation. His face was covered in scratches from astral beasts, with cuts on his neck and cheeks. But thanks to his decentbat stats and better armor and weapons, he wasn¡¯t in mortal danger.

    ¡°Maxim, I need you tomand the ¡®Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯ that Miriam is organizing and set up a defensive line at the edge of the explored areas.¡±

    The vampire drew a line on the map as he spoke to the weary Maxim:

    ¡°You must hold this position until my warriors have finished their assault on the ¡®monster wild zones¡¯, and secure any people they rescue behind the defensive line until the operation ends.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±

    Maxim responded with a standard Blood Vulture salute, but then frowned and said:

    ¡°I have absolutely no doubt in the will and courage of your warriors, but their strength is still somewhatcking. And with so few of them, sending them in there is practically a death sentence.¡±

    ¡°Young Lady, Lady Adele, and I will be joining them.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°My warriors are destined for greatness, and they must quickly adapt to this kind of intensebat. I also want to see their limits.

    Look, here theye!¡±

    The vampire pointed to the ramshackle shed, where the Meow King and his student gang were getting up.

    They were online now, just as Lumina and her group¡¯s game time was about to end, perfect for a shift change.

    ¡°Yo Sister Lumina, what are you up to? Where¡¯d these little mud monkeyse from?¡±

    The Meow King came over rubbing his eyes, carrying a halberd. He happened to see the disheveled Lumina ying with a group of children.

    She was holding a grimy little girl in her arms.

    Thetter seemed to have been frightened and was clinging tightly to Lumina, refusing to let go.

    Facing the Meow King¡¯s inquiry, Lumina looked up with a very proud expression, gesturing towards the few children beside her and loudly proiming:

    ¡°I rescued all of them myselfst night, impressive right? A whole 13 of them.¡±

    ¡°666! Awesome! This heroine has my respect!¡±

    The nearby Joy Stick immediately gave a thumbs up.

    They had already learned aboutst night¡¯s massive rescue operation in the group chat. The ck Stockings brother even wrote a emotionally rich essay detailing how the brave Lumina crawled through the air vents to save two kids.

    This made the brothers greatly revise their impression of this courageous and capable foreign student sister.

    ¡°You¡¯re not one to let the men outdo you, Sister Lumina.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in awe, Cheche is in awe. No wonder getting into graduate school is child¡¯s y for you. From now on, you¡¯ll be Cheche¡¯s idol, Sister Lumina!¡±

    ¡°Sister Lumina, gimme a hug!¡±

    ¡°Get lost, you pervert!¡±

    Pigeon and his dormmates came over, joking andughing with Lumina.

    Being students of simr ages, they easily became friends.

    Gugu Chicken and Maomao Shark squatted down, wanting to greet the kids, but thetter huddled around Lumina, looking at these ¡°big uncles¡± with a mix of curiosity and fear.

    With modern nutrition, none of the yers¡¯ game characters were shorter than 165cm, especially Niuniu¡¯s towering 194cm height made him seem like a giant to these children.

    With Transia¡¯s poor productivity and the vampires¡¯ exploitative rule, malnutrition was the norm.

    ¡°Ah, my time¡¯s up, gotta log off.¡±

    Lumina looked regretfully at her remaining 2 minutes of game time for the day. She yawned, set the little girl down, patted her head and said:

    ¡°Call me sister!¡±

    The girl looked reluctant to see Lumina go, speaking in an odd ent:

    ¡°Jiejiejie.¡±

    ¡°Haha, good girl. I¡¯lle y with you again tomorrow.¡±

    Lumina booped the girl¡¯s nose, then turned to the Meow King and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving them with you guys. Even though they¡¯re NPCs, they seem too intelligent. Don¡¯t do anything bad, alright?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Though the Meow King was an old bachelor, he wasn¡¯tpletely heartless. He¡¯d asionally participate in charity events when in the mood. Seeing the lively expressions of these mud monkey-like NPC children, he patted his chest and said:

    ¡°You rest up. We¡¯ve got this covered. Us big men won¡¯t let a Young Lady like you look down on us.¡±

    ck Stockings and No Fap were also exhausted, telling their boss they were taking the day off to rest.

    The Meow King happily approved.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was an unqualified boss who would work them to the bone. It was mainly because the market was slow recently and their software outsourcing studio hadn¡¯t received any new contracts. So it was reasonable to let the brothers rx and enjoy themselves. Plus, for a small business owner, having employees stay home gaming costs less than going on team building activities, right?

    ¡°Meow, the hidden quest we triggered can¡¯t be shared.¡±

    Before logging off, Dump Truck brother specifically reminded the Meow King and others:

    ¡°But based on our experience, you¡¯ll need to dig deep into the quest details.

    The development team for this game is pretty sly, hiding a lot of clues. If you can find them, you¡¯ll naturally be able to ess the hidden quest. We don¡¯t know the reward yet, but I estimate it¡¯ll be better than regr quests.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for sharing, go rest up now. You guys basically pulled an all-nighter.¡±

    The Meow King and Dump Truck were friends in real life, so they spoke casually. Next to them, Bulldozer rubbed his back whileining:

    ¡°Hey, are they not adding more people to the test team? With so few of us, what can we really do? If we had fifty fearless bros joiningst night, we could have at least explored two more districts.¡±

    ¡°Having fewer people is better,¡± the Meow King squinted and said.

    ¡°Look how great the game atmosphere is now. If a few dumbasses who like to act up came in, it¡¯d be disgusting. Not to mention, people who enjoy shing at NPCs just for shits and giggles in a game like this are extremely unstable bombs waiting to go off.

    Besides, I bet the officials will take action eventually. Let¡¯s wait patiently.¡±

    A few minutester, the 11 newly online yers received three exploration quests from Murphy.

    ¡¾Test Quest: Explore Secret Vault 001

    Quest Description: This is part of game testing and not counted as a main quest, but rewards can still be obtained.

    The mysterious Lady Tris shared with you the locations of three secret Blood Vulture n vaults in Kadman City¡¯s outer districts. However, they are situated in densely popted areas which have been overrun by astral beasts and fear entities after the disaster.

    Murphy has decided tounch an assault operation to reim the vaults¡¯ resources and search for any survivors. This operation will be led by thest three Blood Vulture scions simultaneously at the three locations.

    Quest Objectives: Reim Dungeons¡¾0/3¡¿, Rescue Trapped Survivors

    Quest Rewards: Blood Vulture n Recruit Armor Set¡¾6/6¡¿

    Note!

    This quest requires forming groups. Please go to the three NPCs after assigning squads to begin the operation.¡¿

    ¡°I¡¯ll group with Three to Five Pecks, and Old Tune. you guys give Niuniu to our team.¡±

    The Meow King immediately discussed with the lead student Pigeon:

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Why should you?¡±

    Pigeon rolled his eyes, saying:

    ¡°Everyone knows you¡¯re trying to farm favor. Plus Niuniu is our strongestbat force right now! No way, unless we swap! You guys go with the Young Lady, we¡¯ll go with Lord Murphy. Isn¡¯t a powerful yet adorable loli with no baggage irresistible?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to fight over?¡±

    Ah Yuen beside them couldn¡¯t help butment:

    ¡°Other than Lady Adele who just joined, the other two are important NPCs whose favor we¡¯ll definitely need to max out eventually. So what¡¯s the rush to hog them now?¡±

    The short Cyborg Snail next to him made a motion of pushing up sses, even though his character didn¡¯t have any.

    Seeing the Meow King and Pigeon bickering, he suggested:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we draw lots? With eleven of us in three groups, one is bound to be shorthanded.¡±

    ¡°You threee with me! The rest report to Femis!¡±

    Just as they were noisily dividing into groups, Murphy directly assigned the Meow King¡¯s trio.

    This made the Meow King secretly delighted, thinking his group must have higher favor for Murphy to personally choose them.

    But soon they had no time to be happy, because the abominations near Vault 001 were simply overwhelming!

    Their numbers and density were at least five times that of the border areas. Amid theplex terrain of the ruins, those rolling ck plumes looked like a miniature ¡°monster siege¡±, endlessly pouring out.

    However, these formless entities no longer bothered the yers as much as yesterday.

    Their skill proficiencies had generally reached proficient levels, and after their initial job changes, their ss talents and teamwork allowed them to often take on multiple foes.

    As for the dangerous astral beasts, not a single one was found from start to finish.

    Murphy guessed this was likely rted to the day/night cycle.

    Though there was no sunlight in the city now, those astral creatures were still affected by sr spirit energy and unlikely to leave their ¡°nests¡± during the day.

    Under these circumstances, entering the vault was not as perilous as Murphy had imagined.

    Of course, this ease applied to Murphy, who had already triggered the ck Iron Trial.

    For the small yers whose character levels were still only 3-4, facing abominations swarming from all sides put immense pressure on them right from the start.

    Meow King roaredmands as his two enforcers held up shields, fending off the hordes left and right, while he continuously unleashed spirit sts, it seemed he was determined to go the caster route.

    They held on with great difficulty.

    Like a taut spring at risk of snapping at any moment, but Murphy would only step in to help when they could no longer endure, not solely to enjoy the sight of yers struggling, but because he had to rapidly harden his small yers.

    Before departing, he had given the Young Lady and Lady Adele the same instructions, requiring them to properly fulfill an NPC¡¯s basic integrity, not to meddle unless absolutely necessary, and certainly not overly interfere with the yers¡¯ actions.

    ¡°We have reached the vault location. I need to cast spells to break this seal, a process that cannot be disrupted!¡±

    Murphy said sternly to the three battered yers:

    ¡°So you must withstand the relentless assault of the abominations.¡±

    Damn!

    Sure enough, this escort quest is the most hated type in any online game! But thankfully Murphy isposed enough to not run around screaming and aggro everything.

    ¡°We can¡¯t hold out, my lord,¡± the Meow King wiped sweat from his face.

    He realized he had underestimated the difficulty of this game¡¯s early dungeon testing. With their current gear and level, they werepletely overwhelmed by this scale of abomination attack.

    ¡°Pah¡±

    Three bagsnded before them, as the vampire told the small yers:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching your performance. You have now qualified to be Blood Vulture recruits. I¡¯ve brought you better armor that will help you endure longer in this dangerous ce.

    When you can no longer hold out, break out. Maxim and his ¡®Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯ will receive you.¡±

    Hearing this, the three yers immediately perked up, opening the bags to find a full masterwork recruit armor set, instantly delighted.

    Their battered leather scraps had been torn to shreds in the constant fighting. This better gear with various minor enhancements would effectively boost theirbat ability.

    ¡°Persevere, warriors,¡± Murphy said as he entered the vault passage, addressing the trio behind him:

    ¡°The longer you hold out, the more supplies I can obtain from the vault, and the smoother our endeavor will go.¡±

    But what he really thought was:

    The yer stress test has officially begun!

    Weren¡¯t you always moring to raid dungeons?

    Well, here¡¯s your dungeon, this time you¡¯ll raid until you puke.

    Also, you three have been posting lewd jokes about Tris and me on the forums and writing dirty stories, right? Sure, the story was quite thrilling and well-written, but that¡¯s beside the point!

    Lord Murphy can really hold a grudge!

    So learn to enjoy theing battle, little ones.

 Chapter 50:

    The testing operation in the dungeon ended half an hourter when Murphy left with the entire harvest from the underground vault, while the Meow trio was almost overwhelmed by the spawned abominations andpletely exhausted.

    They were carried out of the ¡°Monster Wild Zone¡± by Murphy, one in each hand.

    The other two teams were in simr situations.

    Under the ¡°protection¡± of the Young Lady and Lady Adele, the little yers did not suffer any casualties, but they copsed after being thrown back to the forward defensive line established by Maxim and the Self-Rescue Army.

    The distribution of recruit armor and matching weapons improved theirbat capabilities, but unfortunately, this small boost did not fundamentally change the difficulty in the face of the massive onught of monsters. However, due to the unique experience and leveling system design in¡¶Reality Realm¡·, the more intense the battle, the more it increased the yers¡¯ skill proficiency and control over their abilities.

    After a round of dungeon clearing, each yer leveled up on average.

    This efficiency cannot be called unimpressive.

    The Young Lady and Lady Adele¡¯s side also had astonishing gains. Though there were no armor or weapons in these three n vaults, they contained vast quantities of various materials.

    From sturdy and durable rolls of cloth to leathers specifically for making armor, and evenmon Dwarven gunpowder for explosives and all sorts of metal fittings obtained from ck-market dealers.ording to the Young Lady¡¯s calctions, the resources from the four vaults were just enough to support the long-term operations of two hundred-person teams.

    This must have been the original n of the n!

    After Kadman City was invaded, they dispatched n guards to engage the invaders in street battles in the lower city districts. Unfortunately, man proposes, but God disposes.

    The invasion of Kadman City did indeed happen, but there was no such thing as street battles.

    The enemy directly employed weapons of mass destruction, instantly wiping out the Blood Vulture n.

    What era is it now, still fighting traditional street battles?

    That¡¯s so outdated!

    ¡°Time was pressing, so some resources were left behind in the vaults before they could be taken away.¡±

    Murphy stood at the defensive line and said to his yers, who were sitting on the ground eating dry rations and drinking water:

    ¡°If you have energy leftter, you cane to me for Blood Vulture n members¡¯ blood to unlock the secret vaults, then try going back to search for any supplies you can use.

    I know this is difficult, warriors.

    But in this current difficult stage, we must learn to make proper use of all avable resources.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    This statement made Meow blink his eyes. He nudged the Joy Stick next to him, who was maintaining his firearms, and whispered:

    ¡°This sounds like the rhythm of a daily dungeon, it seems the dungeon testing went smoothly.¡±

    ¡°Smoothly, my ass! These NPCs are so stingy, we escorted them in, but they won¡¯t even let us into the vaults to scavenge,¡± Joy Stickined ruefully.

    ¡°How are we supposed to replenish all the ammo we expended this time? I really regret choosing the gunner job now. I just talked to Maxim and found out that besides a ce called West Cove in the northern part, firearms are rarely used in the rest of Transia.

    People in the Kadman region mostly prefer bows and crossbows, damn it.

    Thankfully Miss Miriam can maintain and make simple modifications to hunting rifles, otherwise I¡¯d be dead worried.¡±

    ¡°Meow, stop whispering over there, hurry up,¡± Three to Five Pecks, the ¡°stamina freak¡± who benefited from his character¡¯s rapid recovery trait, had already shouldered his crest shield and called out to his boss:

    ¡°The vault mission is done, but the rescue mission isn¡¯t. While the area hasn¡¯t respawned after we killed that wave of monsters, let¡¯s go in and take a look. Our main storyline rescue mission has a time limit, only 48 hours left.¡±

    ¡°Damn, don¡¯t we get to rest?¡±

    There was amotion among the student group as they cursed about how realistic this game made even fatigue, but they still picked up their weapons to regroup and re-enter the area near the vaults to search for any survivors while the forward area had not ¡°respawned¡± monsters yet.

    Meanwhile, at the defensive line, a young militia member stared wide-eyed as Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors joked and chatted as they walked into that ominous area. He gulped and whispered to the person next to him:

    ¡°These mountain folk from the north¡­aren¡¯t they afraid of death at all? They just fought their way out of those monster hordes, yet they don¡¯t even rest and¡­¡±

    ¡°They are Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors!¡±

    The low voice of Maxim,mander of the ¡°Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡±, came from behind, making the young militia member instantly shrink his head.

    He still remembered the scene fromst night when Maxim, this peculiar and cold-blooded vampire blood servant, executed seven deserters at the survivor camp, leaving everyone with a very fearful impression of him.

    But at this moment, Maxim did not rebuke the militia under hismand.

    Leaning on his spirit-imbued poisoned de named ¡°Ambition and Dream¡± found in the vault, he watched the yers¡¯ figures disappear into the roiling astral shadows with a strong sense of admiration and a tone of respect as he said to the young militia member:

    ¡°Their disdain for death is worth learning from all of us. They are true warrior role models! I have fought side-by-side with them, but I still do not have a clear understanding of the limits of their will.

    They seem to never feel fear.

    Only such people are worthy of being called ¡®warriors¡¯. Compared to them, we fall far short.

    You all continue guarding here!¡±

    Maxim had rested for a while after fighting all nightst night and felt somewhat recovered. He told his squad leaders:

    ¡°I¡¯m going in to search for survivors. If I return and see you retreating, go ahead andmit suicide! Lord Murphy has no need for cowards under hismand!¡±

    With that, the vampire warrior grabbed a sturdy veteran¡¯s shield and, under the reverent gaze of the militia, also disappeared into the swirling astral shadows following the yers¡¯ footsteps.

    Since following Lord Murphy not even fifteen days ago, although a short time, the scale and intensity of the battles Maxim has experienced already surpassed those of many self-proimed veterans.

    He was a naturally talented swordsman, and years of trainingbined with his reinforced will allowed his progress to be on par with the yers.

    He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the ck Iron Body rank, and although he imed to be indifferent about Lady Adele bing Lord Murphy¡¯s progeny, the joining of that powerful and colddy still put immense pressure on Maxim.

    He had to be Lord Murphy¡¯s most loyal and sharp sword, so naturally, he could not fear any danger.

    He had to learn from the yers!

    ¡ª¡ª

    At noon, in a secluded location below the ruined city wall defensive line, Tris, wearing a fresh red cloak and having changed into a fitted red dress from somewhere, looked on with curiosity as Murphy prepared to cast a spell.

    She was interested in the ¡°Otherworld Warrior Summoning¡± that Little Murphy mentioned.

    After hearing that Little Murphy had once again established contact with beings from another realm and would summon them to this world today, she ran over to observe.

    Of course, it was not just mere observation.

    Tris held an exquisite ¡°dog tag¡± in her hand, fashioned into the ssic soldier badge design under Murphy¡¯s guidance, suspended by a silver chain and adorned with some vampire-style runes.

    These were spirit items Tris had just crafted.

    They were alchemical objects meant to provide life-force camouge and physical projection stabilization for Murphy¡¯s otherworld warriors. The principle was notplicated, but required extremely high alchemical mastery to produce.

    At the very least, the Young Lady would not have been able to make so many spirit dog tags in such a short time.

    This fully demonstrated that beneath Tris¡¯ unassuming demeanor, she was indeed a former expert, casually solving problems that had Murphy stumped.

    ¡°These things will actively absorb stray spirit energy to help your warriors better stabilize their physical projections. They can also maintain their bodies in a corpse-like state for at least three hours after death to prevent anyone from noticing.

    The attached spell will alert them when others try to detect them, and they will bleed more when injured, but it won¡¯t actually weaken them further.

    As per your request, everything is designed to make them appear more ¡®real¡¯, so I¡¯ve sacrificed the protective spells these should have.¡±

    Tris handed Murphy one of the dog tags.

    She said, ¡°They can carve their own names on it, which isn¡¯t difficult. They¡¯re also easy to recover, but if destroyed, they¡¯ll need to be remade.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Murphy said softly.

    Tris lightly tapped his head in response and pouted, ¡°Say ¡®thank you¡¯ to me again and I¡¯ll hit you! You¡¯re my blood descendant, this is what I should do for you. Now enough talk, let me see how your summoning works so I can identify any potential risks.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s heart raced a little.

    He knew this was not actually a summoning at all, but a cheat code from the system admin, yet he could not refuse Tris¡¯ request.

    He could never reject Tris¡¯ demands.

    Whether spending money on booze or whatever she wanted.

    Murphy took a deep breath and made the casting motions typical of a summoning spell. He then activated his summoning talent to summon the 24 fresh, rosy-cheeked newbies from another world who had already received invitation codes and game helmets, all at once before him.

    The process was no different from before.

    Spirit lines danced and traced out the yers¡¯ forms, tall and short, fat and thin. To him, everything seemed normal, but Tris¡¯ gaze from beneath her hood grew ever deeper.

    Just now, she had truly felt Murphy¡¯s spirit energy open a connection to an unfamiliar dimension in a way she could notprehend at all.

    The smoothness of it was unprecedented in her life!

    This fully proved that Murphy¡¯s im of not understanding the principles behind this summoning was likely true. Such a level of summoning had already surpassed the scope of what could be contained within the definition of ¡°otherworld summoning.¡±

    It could even be called a unique talent!

    Perhaps his ¡°blessing¡± from the astral realm, or an even more mysterious and profound sub-space, was indeed a fortunate consequence of that evil incident meticulously set up by Salrokdar.

    ¡°You must conceal your ability!¡±

    Tris ced her hand on Murphy¡¯s shoulder and said in a solemn, hushed tone:

    ¡°Others cannot be allowed to see it.

    Maxim¡¯s loyalty to you can be confirmed, but Miriam is a threat! I suspect that girl Femis has probably already guessed the truth. Her spirit talent is not as high as mine but still formidable.

    You must find a way to make them keep your secret.

    Your life depends on it!

    The Circle Tower, the Castilia Great Tree, the Winter Wolf Church, even the Sun and Moon priests of the distant Sanghai Empire, those draconic mages living in the eastern ancient Karlem nation¡­

    Any sufficiently capable spirit practitioner on this continent would have immense interest in your talent.

    You are almost the only person I¡¯ve heard of capable of establishing such a stable connection with other realms, an excellent, truly unique specimen.

    This alone puts you in danger.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Murphy ced his hand on Tris¡¯ hand on his shoulder and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect myself. Now I need to have a conversation with my new warriors, and I¡¯ll speak theirnguage. Do you want to continue listening in?¡±

    ¡°I have this to trante,¡± Tris grabbed theputation bead Murphy had given her, but Murphy just shrugged.

    The bead¡¯s trantion function provided vague trantions.

    Murphy had modified its parameters using the powerful system admin abilities, ensuring vague trantions would filter out anything ¡°NPCs¡± should not hear.

    Especially information about the true nature of the other world.

    So unless Tris suddenly learned thenguage of these ¡°otherworlders¡± from scratch, she would not be able to fully understand their origins, habits, and traditions.

    To learn Chinese and Mandarin from nothing, without a dictionary or teacher¡¯s guidance?

    Tsk tsk, the difficulty would beparable to bing a Spirit Sovereign!

    The 24 little yers¡¯ forms had finished taking shape, including 23 males and 1 female.

    As the gentle white light from the game helmets dissipated, the yers opened their eyes in this world for the first time. After that instinctive first breath, they became fully awake.

    What met their eyes was the broken gap of a city.

    Further away, the roiling, ominous astral shadows covered the horizon, blocking out all sunlight. The oppressive atmosphere and polluted spiritced winds battered them, causing the yers in front to instinctively raise their hands to shield their eyes.

    Then they saw the true-to-life details on their fingers, the wrinkles in their skin, the feeling of their nails, even distinct body hair.

    They could block the wind and sand simply by raising their hands, that utterly realistic tactile sensation and world perceived through their senses made all their doubts about this so-called 100% realistic world disappear in an instant.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    ¡°66666¡±

    ¡°Damn hot!¡±

    All sorts of screams and exmations rang out, to which Murphy was long ustomed.

    Feeling the weakened spirit force within, he looked on with satisfied amusement as the little yers frolicked about like kindergarteners on a field trip, appearing utterly disorderly. He did not see anything wrong with them, but rather thought the quality of this batch of new yers was quite good.

    At least none of them immediately dropped their pants like Leading Pigeon did.

    For Murphy, who urgently needed manpower, this was enough. As long as they could run, jump, and talk, each one brimming with energy like fresh sprouting leeks, it filled him with the urge to cultivate their growth.

    What more could he ask for?

    But to Tris, this scene exuded an iprehensible strangeness. Like that tall guy lying on the ground licking dirt over there¡­

    This¡­ is an otherworld warrior?

    Uh, it felt rather unreliable.

 Chapter 51:

    Nowadays, the game¡¶Reality Realm¡·has gained some fame through word-of-mouth from ¡°closed beta testers¡± in certain niche social groups.

    Especially after Cheche shared the few dozens of seconds of CG footage he recorded with his game helmet showing the ¡°Destruction of Kadman City¡± to his social circles, the number of beta tester applicants surged rapidly. Murphy now has nearly 100 ¡°initial selection¡± applications in hand.

    The 24 people in front of him are those he has carefully handpicked from that pool.

    They all came through ¡°internal rmendations¡±, having the in-game IDs of existing veteran yers listed in the referral section. They filled out basic information and put effort intopleting Murphy¡¯s modified 66-question application test, demonstrating their earnest attitude.

    For those who just randomly filled out the questionnaire to try and sneak in, Murphy would not give them a chance to muddy the waters.

    As a former professional software tester and a mid-to-high level leader who has managed many projects and is familiar with HR workflows, the questionnaire he personally designed has its own systematic approach.

    Just a quick nce at the answer patterns and total scores can reveal the applicants¡¯ attitudes.

    At this stage, Murphy is indeed short-handed, but he won¡¯t go crazy and let in a bunch of troublemakers just looking for fun.

    His career has just begun, and he hasn¡¯t even taken the first step yet. Thosecking a sense of collective honor, who don¡¯t follow orders and always like to go rogue will have to wait a bit longer.The specificposition of these little yers in front of him is also quite interesting.

    Out of the 24, 13 are real-life friends of ¡°Onboard Joy Stick¡±, fully demonstrating that Paradox war criminals can organize at lightning speed anywhere, but also showing that Brother Stick does have strong mobilization ability within his own circles, bringing Murphy a batch of ¡°quasi-professionals¡±.

    Just looking at their uniform IDs shows they often y together.

    The 9 men of varying heights and builds all have their IDs prefixed with ¡°Tiger Leopard Rider¡±, with their specific names differentiated by the 9 over-the-top words ¡°Rank and File at the Vanguard of Battle¡±. One can tell they are close gamer buddies who often y together.

    And being able to show up together in a Western fantasy magic game with such chuuni IDs fully demonstrates there must exist some kind of ¡°wondrous bond¡± between them that Murphy cannotprehend but is certainly quite rare.

    Besides the 9 ¡°Tiger Leopard Rider¡± brothers, there are 4 more burly men who are clearly another small group.

    The first three are named¡¾East River Lion¡¯s Roar¡¿,¡¾South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl¡¿, and¡¾West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl¡¿, all quite powerful sounding. But whenbined with thest guy¡¯s ID, it takes on a ck joke vibe.

    Because thest guy calls himself¡¾North Forest Dog Paddle¡¿.

    Well, it does rhyme perfectly and there¡¯s nothing overtly wrong with the wording, but¡­hey, are you from Minnan? You must be, right?

    With that name of yours, you¡¯ve totally ruined the majestic aura of your ¡°Lion Tiger Wolf Dog¡± little group!

    They must have agreed beforehand on IDs with this style, but this ¡°Dog Paddle¡± brother yed a prank on his other three buddies in the end.

    The reason Murphy is so sure of this is because this ¡°Dog Paddle¡± brother is currently being pinned down and beaten by the other three, while the 9 Tiger Leopard Rider brothers are surrounding them, eating melon seeds and cheering on asionally. It makes the summoning scene look like some street performance, leaving Trispletely baffled.

    She can¡¯t see yer IDs, so naturally she can¡¯t understand why these ¡°Otherworld Warriors¡± are fighting each other?

    Did Murphy¡¯s summoning spell go wrong?

    Did he summon a group of Otherworld mental patients or some bizarre performance artists?

    Murphy uses his gaze to signal to Tris that all is normal, this is just gamer vor, so there¡¯s no need to worry at all.

    He then continues inspecting his little yers.

    ¡°Lion Tiger Wolf Dog¡± these four brothers, though goofballs, are indeed ¡°professionals¡±. Their application questionnaires detailed their airsoft interests, even listing awards they won in professionalpetitions.

    Joy Stick had mentioned before in Smuggler¡¯s Woods that he knows some very professional airsoft brothers, which must be referring to these four.

    Lastly, there¡¯s the one female yer.

    At 180cm, she stands out prominently in the crowd. With a slender build, long legs, and long hair draped over her shoulders, she looks like a graceful crane among the generally shorter male yers. Her ID is¡¾Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows¡¿.

    The name is easy to understand, having an abstract silly beauty to it.

    Her referral on the application questionnaire was listed as Precipitation Niuniu, noted as Niuniu¡¯s cousin and senior from the same university as the Six Dorm Brothers.

    Moreover, this statuesque beauty is the most low-key of the 24 applicants this time.

    When Murphy saw her application questionnaire, he was stunned by the ¡°National First-ss Athlete¡± certificate she attached.

    If Niuniu is considered a junior martial artist, then this tall girl counts as an advanced one.

    A real deal.

    Among the remaining 8 little yers are Meow King¡¯s cousin ¡°Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off¡±, one of the middle-aged duo¡¯s old friend ¡°Half Off With Full Coverage¡±, as well as some ssmates of the Six Dorm Brothers from different majors.

    There are also two guys who are Niuniu¡¯s juniors from the Physical Education department, who Murphy figured might be useful, so he went ahead and pulled rank to bring them in as well.

    Speaking of which, the differences between students and working adults are quite obvious.

    On one side, Tiger Leopard Rider brothers and the Airsoft Four are already addressing each other as brothers and arranging offline meetups while loudly quarreling. On the other side, the six students are secretly eyeing Sister Pomegranate¡¯s long legs, faces reddening when she nces their way.

    You guys are blushing like a teapot!

    Tsk!

    Are college students this innocent nowadays?

    You should be going up to assert dominance and slobber all over her right now, what are you waiting for?

    ¡°Ahem!¡±

    Seeing that if he didn¡¯t say something, these little yers would start moving freely, Murphy coughed a few times to draw their attention to himself, putting aside the wondrous thoughts in his mind.

    Just as he was about to open his mouth, Tris discreetly cast a spirit spell on him from behind. As soon as Murphy spoke, a powerful mental shock was exerted on the little yers¡¯ heads.

    A few unprepared students cried out and fell to the ground.

    Murphy turned his head in surprise to look at Tris, who struck a ¡°hidden depths¡± pose and gestured to him.

    Indicating this ¡°Lion¡¯s Roar Skill¡± is just for show, no need to worry, it won¡¯t hurt Murphy¡¯s little warriors.

    But the deterrent effect is good, making the little yers not dare to underestimate this guide NPC anymore, obediently staying put to listen to Murphy speak.

    ¡°Warriors from another world, as you can see, a disaster has befallen my homnd, and the entire Kadman City is being dragged into the Astral Realm! Meanwhile, innocents in the outer city are still trapped, with Astral Realm monsters coveting mortal blood and souls. We have less than a week left.

    I demand you take action immediately!

    Join your vanguardrades in helping this wailingnd.¡±

    The vampire¡¯s gaze swept over the little yers, and he emphasized:

    ¡°The grand n I¡¯m preparing requires more participants, but I¡¯m also not taking just anyone. I hope you can prove yourselves to be from the homnd of heroes.

    My warriors have rmended you, so I hope you won¡¯t let them down!

    Now,e receive your identification andputation beads. These two things will help you integrate faster into this cruel, savage and merciless world.

    As for me,

    My name is Murphy!

    Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, your summoner and executor of the grand n, your protector and leader, and I will also be your beginning and your end.¡±

    While Murphy was lecturing, the other little yers also received prompts about new yers entering the game. They all ran back from the city to meet their friends and brothers.

    These guys had previously been fighting spawn creatures and rescuing survivors in the city, so when they came running out, they still bore intense battle scars.

    Full of awe-inspiring vigor, though a bit rough around the edges, they had already be capable vanguards in the current Kadman City.

    ¡°Damn it! I told you guys not to use such chuuni names! It¡¯s embarrassing if others see it.¡±

    Joy Stick was furious to see the group name his referrals had chosen, his nose twisted as this big brother whose ID is ¡°Onboard Joy Stick¡± shrieked at the nine Tiger Leopard Rider brothers:

    ¡°Can¡¯t you all just be a bit more mature and low-key like me? Damn! You¡¯re gonna be aughingstockter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote, we¡¯re already aughingstock now.¡±

    The Airsoft Four came over to shake Joy Stick¡¯s hand, as they also know each other in real life. Brother Stick managed to hold it together for the first three names, but immediately broke intoughter at thest one.

    But he didn¡¯t want to say too much, just cupped his hands and said:

    ¡°Brother Dog¡¯s mind is as expansive as ever. Alright, might as well embrace the embarrassment since we¡¯re in. Not gonna dwell on this, let¡¯s go buy weapons. Since Brother Dog excels at the Insane Dog Great Wheel Sword Style, you want a German greatsword, right?

    We¡¯ve got those here.

    Not to brag, but this game really nailed this aspect. You¡¯ll see when we get there, the front line NPC Swift Sword techniques are just godly, let me tell you!¡±

    Brother Stick led his crew towards Miriam¡¯s ¡°little shop¡± in high spirits. This scene made Meow King, who came to greet his cousin, goggle in shock.

    He could already sense the impending crisis.

    He had nned to establish an early advantage by getting into the game first, but Joy Stick had quietly assembled a whole team, damn it. These Paradox war criminals really can find organization anywhere, simply unstoppable.

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡¾Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off¡¿called out to Meow King from the crowd, his ID fully demonstrating they are indeed from the same family tree.

    The preupied Meow King just waved his hand silently, signaling his little brother to follow him. They needed to hurry and level up, or they might really get swallowed up by that bastard Joy Stick in the future.

    But if there¡¯s a prize for the most dramatic ¡°greeting of rtives¡±, it undoubtedly goes to Precipitation Niuniu.

    The 194cm tall, muscr in-game first-ratebatant first said hi to his two juniors¡¾Dirt Road to Oil¡¿and¡¾Khaki Tony¡¿, only to immediately get taken down with a rear choke by his cousin, who then mounted him and started raining down strikes.

    This scene left the other little yers stunned!

    Damn, not only is this long-legged sister fierce, she¡¯s really fierce!

    ¡°You little brat got cocky, didn¡¯t you? I told you toe stay with me this summer and I¡¯d get you a job, why didn¡¯t youe? Look down on your big sis now?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you just found a job too, I didn¡¯t want to trouble you. Plus the family¡¯s been rushing you to get married soon, I was afraid I¡¯d get dragged into that too if I stayed at your ce.

    It was better for me to spend summer break alone.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit! I think you¡¯ve just been gaming like a madman.¡±

    The fierce Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes and pulled the extremely timid Niuniu up in front of her, patting his shoulder as she said:

    ¡°Let me tell you, sis found the perfect gig this time. Some dumb rich kid got kicked out and started his ownpany. I embellished my resume a billion times, you know what happened?

    I¡¯m his CEO¡¯s secretary now, second only to him but above a hundred others.

    You should hurry over too, I¡¯ll get you made security team captain, earn a bit of pocket money while you¡¯re at it. The kid¡¯s family is loaded, but he¡¯s absolutely not cut out to actually work.

    I reckon hispany will go belly up within a month tops, but getting paid for cking a month is still a good deal, right?¡±

    ¡°Sister, this is a game, don¡¯t talk about real stuff.¡±

    Niuniupletely ignored her attempt at conversation.

    He took out the weapon and armor he had used previously from his spirit pouch and equipped them for his big sis, then casually asked:

    ¡°Sister, take a look at your yer interface, get a grasp of your character¡¯s talents so you can pick a development path. This game is very open-ended, you can do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Oh, let me see.¡±

    Following Niuniu¡¯s guidance, Sister Pomegranate opened theputation bead in her hand. After some contemtion, she asked:

    ¡°Why do I have four character talents? Is this character busted or something?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Niuniu, who was busy strapping a leather armor belt for his sister, was so startled he nearly choked her. This earned him another beating from the formidable big sis.

    But the implication in this fierce sister¡¯s words was a bit scary.

    Currently, the yer with the highestbat stats, Niuniu, only has two character strengths, which already astounded yers. Yet Sister Pomegranate has four talents right off the bat, she¡¯s undoubtedly a ¡°chosen one¡±.

    ¡°How can there be four!¡±

    Niuniu leaned over to look and found that his sister¡¯s four strengths were quite fitting, the same as his¡¾Athletic Master¡¿and¡¾Pugilist¡¿, plus¡¾Swift as a Rabbit¡¿which increases attack speed, and¡¾Supple Dancer¡¿which increases passive evasion rate.

    Although little yers all have a starting attribute total of 30, and Sister Pomegranate can¡¯t just randomly add points no matter how powerful she is, with just these four character talents herbat prowess is almost unmatched among all current little yers, with huge potential that even made Murphy take a few extra nces.

    yers only get an 18 point attribute increase per major level bracket, with levels within the same bracket not increasing absolute strength. Given the current highest yer level is only 7, aside from skills, everyone¡¯sbat power doesn¡¯t actually differ qualitatively.

    If Sister Pomegranate really went all out, she could probably take on four opponents barehanded without breaking a sweat.

    ¡°This character sheet is just too absurd!¡±

    The former student-athlete was shaken.

    But then he recalled that this is a realism-focused game, and his big sister was a former national first-ss athlete, so having such exaggerated initial strengths was understandable.

    ¡°Yours is a chosen temte. Come, let me get you familiarized with thebat system first. As strong as you are at fighting, sis, this game is very realistic, so get mentally prepared.¡±

    Niuniu led his sister towards the city. As she walked, Sister Pomegranate looked around and quickly noticed two sheds nearby, four people lying in one, and a girl in the other.

    ¡°Huh? In this game, are there actually other female yers besides me?¡±

    She asked curiously. Niuniu immediately introduced:

    ¡°That¡¯s Sister Lumina, a very cool and formidable international student, wicked with guns. She rescued 13 people in the cityst night and has already been hailed as the ¡®Heroine¡¯ by the militias.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, she does seem worth getting to know then.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate became interested right away, rubbing her hands eagerly as she followed her little brother to hunt monsters.

    As a high-quality human female, she originally had no interest in ying games. Filling out the application was purely out of boredom, plus her little brother¡¯s incessant hyping.

    But aftering in, she found this game to be unexpectedly decent.

    At the very least, the realism aspect is on point!

    Since she¡¯s getting paid at that dumb boss¡¯s ce anyway, might as well treat this as a reward for some leisure time.

    The first 28 years of her life were a bit tiring, so it¡¯s only right to rx now.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Murphy was busy.

    As soon as he sent the little yers off, he slipped away into Vault No.1 in the outer city, taking out a few things he had prepared from his spirit pouch and casually cing them in the corners of this now emptied treasury.

    After finishing, Murphy pped his hands, satisfied with the arrangement before him.

    ¡°These will be the ¡®drops¡¯ for the instance dungeon tomorrow. For the remaining five days, I need to prepare ¡®random drops¡¯ for the three treasury instances two to three times per day, and also give them proof tokens to open the doors.¡±

    The vampire took out three blood vials, letting a drop of blood from his fingertip split into three and slide into the vials to give to the yers to open the treasury doors. At their current monster clearing speed, this area should be mostly clear of Astral Realm shadows in three days.

    These masterwork recruit-grade gear and weapons casually ced in the treasury are meant as a ¡°surprise¡± for the newly joined little yers. If all goes well, each will get two pieces.

    Of course, what they get each day depends on Murphy¡¯s mood.

    This is normal.

    In instance dungeons, what kind of true ¡°random drops¡± are there?

    It¡¯s all just NPCs secretly carrying extra weight, the stuff in those treasure chests you paid exorbitant prices for in the ck market was just snuck in ahead of time by NPCs, right?

    Murphy¡¯s backroom operations here are just paying homage to his industry predecessors. Of course, if the little yers run their mouths and provoke Murphy, then don¡¯t me the vampire lord for being ruthless and just putting a bunch of junk in here instead.

    He did say he¡¯s quite petty!

 Chapter 52:

    The new yers logged in just as the veteran yers¡¯ game time for the day was ending, so whether it was Joy Stick or Niuniu, they couldn¡¯t spend much time ¡°leveling up¡± with their good buddies and older sisters.

    They could only tell the newbies about the various settings and gamey of this hardcore game as much as possible before logging off, and remind them to absolutely not go get themselves killed.

    The death penalty in this game is indeed a bit heavy.

    However, when they saw the newbies wielding broken weapons, wearing tattered recruit armor, and rubbing their hands in anticipation, the veteran yers had an ominous premonition.

    Perhaps the ¡°tragedy¡± of the Cyborg Snail was about to be repeated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Brother Stick¡± Meow King consoled the worried Joy Stick before logging off:

    ¡°You have to die once in this game or you¡¯ll never really understand how to y it. They¡¯re still approaching it with the mindset of ying a regr game, so of course something is going to happen no matter how much you exin to them in an environment this hardcore and realistic.

    Just look at how clever Lumina was and she still died from slipping, that really illustrates the issue.

    There¡¯s no stopping it!Rx, it¡¯s just three days. We¡¯ll still make it in time for the tail end of the Kadman City event, and your buddies need time to level up anyway. I got some blood vials from Murphy, shall we do the vault dungeon together tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s set a time to log in tomorrow,¡± Joy Stick sighed.

    He had brought too many people this time and found he couldn¡¯t really manage them all, feeling a bit regretful at first. But he quickly regained his senses and looked at Meow King in surprise, asking:

    ¡°Where did you get those blood vials? Are those the ones that unseal the vault? Why don¡¯t I have any? You sly Meow, you got a hidden quest and kept it to yourself, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not from a quest,¡± Meow King said proudly, patting the dirty spirit pouch at his waist. ¡°Murphy only made three blood vials total. He gave one to me, one to Niuniu, and maybe the third one is for those five ¡®night shift¡¯ guys.

    I suspect it might be a yer benefit given after raising your affinity high enough?¡±

    ¡°Damn, we really have to butter up the NPCs?¡± Joy Stick put on an ¡°I¡¯m a man of dignity, I won¡¯t be apdog¡± expression, but when he saw Meow King had actually obtained tangible benefits, his mind started turning too.

    But this guy is quite sly.

    He knew Meow King and that student clique had been circling around Murphy all this time, so their affinity was probably already sky-high. If he went over now, wouldn¡¯t that just make him a beggar?

    No way!

    Can¡¯t let them look down on me!

    Need to find a different NPC to bu¡­er, no, raise affinity with.

    Is it really called ¡°buttering up¡± if it¡¯s part of the game mechanics? If you don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t y, simple as that.

    With these thoughts in mind, Joy Stick logged out from the male yers¡¯ barracks safe zone. As the game world faded to ck, the view seamlessly transitioned to the VR live view mode of his game helmet.

    Joy Stick didn¡¯t immediately remove his helmet, but habitually browsed the forums for a bit first.

    As a former professional, he was used to gathering scattered bits of information from various channels, never knowing when he might stumble upon some surprise. A few minutester, just as he was about to take off his helmet and go for a run outside, he suddenly noticed there was a new thread on the forum that had not only been immediately pinned, but also marked as essential reading.

    ¡°Geez, are they doing RMT trades openly now?¡±

    Joy Stick made a quip, then clicked on the thread, realizing there was a reason it had been pinned and marked essential.

    It even had an odd title,¡¶Under the Moon¡·, with ¡°Volume One¡± noted after in a proper style, seeming to indicate ns for a series.

    As for who wrote it, the name made that clear.

    ¡°Yo brothers and sisters still battling in Kadman City, let out a roar for your dear brother Ah Yuen! Since the new yers joining the game might encounter all sorts of issues, I¡¯ve decided to summarize the information I¡¯ve gathered so far to help rify things.

    First, the game¡¯s background!

    The setting of¡¶Reality Realm¡·takes ce in a quasi-magical ultra-medieval world, and why is it called ¡®ultra-medieval¡¯?

    Because not only does this world have spirit abilities, but it also has very cool fantastical engineering factors, or you could call it steam engineering.

    My buddies and I discovered steam-powered mechanical refrigerators, auto-sweepers, kitchen assistants, and even something like a three-wheeled walker motorcycle in the ruins of Kadman City. We spent some time ¡®investigating¡¯ their inner workings (ok, we took them apart, but I hope their owners don¡¯t suddenly pop out looking for us).¡±

    Anyway, we can confirm that those strange-looking things aren¡¯t just superficial textures, their internal structures follow certain mechanical principles.

    See images below.

    Picture, picture, picture.

    After seeing these frighteningly intricate inner workings, everyone should have a clearer understanding of the game world we¡¯re currently in.

    There is technology here, even if it¡¯s different from what we¡¯re used to.

    So Joy Stick, don¡¯t lose heart if you chose the ¡®Gunner¡¯ job. Maybe in the future you¡¯ll really be able to use an ultra-advanced steam sniper rifle to take a BOSS¡¯s head from 800 miles away, haha.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing Ah Yuen mention him by name in the post, Joy Stick immediately flipped him off in his mind¡¯s eye.

    But after looking at those inexplicable images Ah Yuen posted, he did agree with the spection about this ¡°steam engineering.¡±

    Since the game offers the Gunner advanced job, there¡¯s bound to be corresponding in-game content that will unlockter. The current difficulties are only temporary, the future and tomorrow are bright.

    Hey, the good times are still ahead.

    Joy Stick encouraged himself this way, then continued reading:

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s talk about our current main NPC Murphy and his ¡®harem crew.¡¯

    Murphy¡¯s background is that he¡¯s from the outcast of the Blood Vulture n of Kadman City. ording to the details we learned from the new NPC Lady Tris, she found him in the city in the autumn-winter of the game era year 1109 and turned him into a vampire.

    He was only 18 at the time, but had already seen enough of the world¡¯s sufferings, so he vowed to change this damned world.

    In other words, our brilliant, heroic, and handsome Murphy is actually a ¡®baby vampire¡¯, who appears 19 but is only 1 and a half years old in reality!

    But he was deeply disgusted by all the barbaric atrocities in this world and believed there was a way to eliminate all the cruelty and darkness. To this end, he deeply studied otherworld summoning magic and achieved unprecedented sess!

    He summoned us!

    Fearless warriors from another world, and invited us to participate in his grand n (which maybe even he can¡¯t fully exin since the devs probably haven¡¯t fleshed it out yet).

    Based on Murphy¡¯s past statements and attitudes, he probably intended to develop in an underhanded way with our assistance. But the sudden Kadman City disaster shattered those ns.

    This directly led to his current actions bing more proactive and goal-oriented.

    Hmm, that¡¯s not my own analysis, those were the words of Miss Miriam, the manager of the Survivor Camp.

    I¡¯m just summarizing them.

    It¡¯s quite clear that Murphy represents the yer faction¡¯s forces in the game, and he will certainly take this opportunity to permanently break away from the Blood Vulture n, or rebuild a new Blood Vulture n!

    Because ording to some information I got from Lady Femis, in the current game¡¯s background, all members of the Blood Vulture n were wiped out in this attack.

    So irresponsible Ah Yuen spectes that after the ¡®Last Night of Kadman City¡¯ special event ends, yers may usher in a period of peaceful development, and our true newbie vige will likely be built using the current city ruins and survivor camp as a foundation.

    What¡¯s a real hardcore game, you ask?

    Even the damn newbie vige has to be built by the yers themselves! Now that¡¯s top-tier torment, isn¡¯t it?

    And the current main NPCs will likely be core figures in the yer faction, so it¡¯s absolutely necessary to get on good terms with them.

    Which brings us to the core exnation of this post:

    Affinity levels!

    It can currently be confirmed that there is a hidden affinity system in the game, which is evident from Murphy¡¯s differing attitudes toward us veteran yers versus the new yers who just joined.

    The three yers currently spected to have the highest affinity with Murphy are probably Meow King, Niuniu, and Sister Lumina.

    Here I must call out that waste of space Brother Pigeon for criticism!

    Even though he was one of the first two test yers, he wasted a great opportunity, resulting in a less distinct impression on Murphypared to the above three. But it¡¯s not a big deal!

    Because after lurking in observation for several days, I¡¯ve discovered the secret to affinity.

    Our current NPCs all have ¡®preferences¡¯!

    For example, the white-haired NPC Maxim favorsbat and admires warriors. Fighting alongside him or actively sparring can effectively raise his affinity, and there¡¯s even a ¡®Challenge Mode¡¯ dialogue option.

    I was too chicken to try it.

    But I suspect it¡¯s probably a more realistic deathmatch mode.

    So the best way to raise Maxim¡¯s affinity is to just fight him.

    Miss Miriam favors reason and appreciates fair trades and the collection of knowledge-rted items.

    Our squad found an antique hardcover book called¡¶A Brief History of Transia Vampires¡·in the city ruins. Miriam bought it from us for 2 gold coins, we were definitely ripped off, but it didn¡¯t stop her from being very pleased.

    So it can be confirmed that finding rare books is definitely one way to raise Miriam¡¯s affinity.

    Additionally, she currently manages the Survivor Camp, so if you¡¯re willing to go help with chores andplete the camp¡¯s nonbat quests, that should also raise her affinity.

    However, Miss Miriam¡¯s current positioning among the NPCs is actually quite awkward.

    From her attitude, you can tell she has a strong aversion to vampires. In the current story development, she¡¯s also been portrayed as an outsider figure. So whether to raise her affinity or not is up to each person¡¯s own judgment.

    Next is the highlight!

    The ¡®rich lolidy¡¯ Lady Femis and the ¡®beautiful maturedy¡¯ Lady Tris.

    The former¡¯s identity has been confirmed as the daughter of the current Blood Vulture n Patriarch, the Blood Vulture Princess.

    And thetter is even more incredible. It can be confirmed she is a close rtion to Murphy, and most importantly, she is currently the only character explicitly portrayed as intimately rted to the main story NPC.

    It can be assured that in the subsequent story, Lady Tris¡¯ role may even surpass that of Lady Femis, if Murphy truly chooses to break away from the Blood Vulture n and forge a new faction.

    The loli Lady Femis¡¯ standoffish personality must be very familiar to veteran yers by now. Simply put, she¡¯s a tsundere rich loli ¨C cold and prickly, always looking down on you, ready to harshly rebuke you if you say one wrong word.

    However, the way to raise her affinity is surprisingly simple.

    Mypanion Shark found some relics of vampires in the ruins, and after presenting them to Lady Femis, received her gratitude. So currently, the most effective way to raise her affinity is to go ¡®grave-digging¡¯¡­er, I mean search the ruins for any items rted to the Blood Vulture vampires.

    Additionally, Lady Femis is an extremely professional spirit mage and excellent teacher, so if you can humbly discuss spirit-rted topics with her, or find some spirit tomes to present her, that should also raise her affinity.

    Based on the current situation, Lady Femis¡¯ reputation basically makes her a must-raise for any yers aiming to walk the path of a spellcaster.

    Because she is the only one who will explicitly teach spirit skills to yers.

    ¡°This guy seemed unreliable at first, but turned out to be surprisingly impressive!¡±

    Reading up to this point, Joy Stick immediately gave the post a like.

    To summarize such aprehensive post on reputation and affinity rtionships in just the first 10 days of the game¡¯sunch shows this Ah Yuen guy really did notice many of the unrevealed details in the game and offer his own analysis.

    Just this alone made Joy Stick take a liking to thed, who doesn¡¯t love a solid, hardworking young man?

    He grinned, switching his game helmet to ¡°eyetrack¡± mode and setting the floating VR interface to semi-transparent, like wearing a motorcycle helmet. He stepped out onto the balcony, lit himself a cigarette, and continued reading the final part of Ah Yuen¡¯s post.

    Thisst part was simple:

    ¡°Lastly, let¡¯s discuss raising affinity with the ¡®beautiful maturedy¡¯ Lady Tris. Let me say upfront, Lady Tris is the most alluring character I¡¯ve seen in the game so far, I don¡¯t think anyone would disagree, right?

    Compared to the prickly Lady Femis and the outsider Miriam, Lady Tris has only just appeared but her attitude toward yers can already be described as indulgent, second only to Murphy¡¯s enthusiasm.

    To raise Lady Tris¡¯ personal reputation, there is a prerequisite, you must firstplete the cycle of twelve retrieval quests she gives you to gain her initial trust.

    These twelve quests arepletely random.

    The seven of us in our team received sevenpletely different quests, but none were very difficult, all the items could be found in the city ruins.

    Now here¡¯s the key point!

    Lady Tris once suffered severe injuries, and she needs strong liquor to numb the pain. Therefore, the main way to raise Lady Tris¡¯ affinity is to give her alcohol!

    Yes, you heard that right!

    The highest-end method of raising affinity is just that simple and mundane.

    This isn¡¯t just Ah Yuen¡¯s personal spection, it has been verified!

    Brother Pigeon, that siscon, spent five hours scouring the ruins of Kadman City and found nearly 40 bottles of various fine wines. Before logging off, he gifted them to Lady Tris. Guess what happened?

    Not only did Lady Tris praise Brother Pigeon¡¯s wisdom and enthusiasm, she even gave him a physical reward!

    A personal alchemist¡¯s journal she wrote in her youth (at least 350 years ago).

    Brother Pigeon is now the first alchemist apprentice in the game.

    That¡¯s right!

    This game has a ¡®skill book¡¯ system!

    Carefully reading that journal allows you to take the Alchemist secondary job. Most importantly, it¡¯s not a consumable item, you can re-read it repeatedly to increase your skill proficiency.

    The only downside is that without Lady Tris¡¯ permission, the book cannot be loaned to others to read. It¡¯s basically bound.

    Of course, if Brother Pigeon is willing to risk resetting his affinity to zero by trying to do some underground RMT with other yers, I didn¡¯t say anything.

    This game is quite free.

    But it does have a set of unseen rules constraining us. They aren¡¯t hard rules, meaning we can cross those lines anytime, provided we can bear the cost of breaking the rules.

    Hah, that covers everything for Volume One of¡¶Under the Moon¡·. Hope it helps the new yers! See you all, until next time!

    As for whether there will be a Volume Two, that depends on if people keep reading. Bye~¡±

 Chapter 53:

    It hadn¡¯t even been five minutes since Ah Yuen posted his thread before it became the hot topic of the day. All the yers who were offline or hadn¡¯t logged on yet were going crazy discussing the ¡°Affinity Form¡± that Ah Yuen had summarized in the post.

    They had no issues with the ways Ah Yuen listed to increase affinity with other NPCs, but they did take issue with him omitting ¡°Lord Murphy.¡±

    MeowKing: ¡¾You didn¡¯t list Lord Murphy¡¯s preferences? Quick, add another ten credits worth, I¡¯m waiting to see it.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Ah Yuen must want Lord Murphy¡¯s affection all to himself, wow what a sly young rascal.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾You guys shouldn¡¯t talk nonsense. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to write it, it¡¯s that up until now Lord Murphy hasn¡¯t shown any particr fondness for certain things.

    If I had to say, he does seem quite interested in some of the customs from our side.

    Whenever some of our buddies say something strange, he¡¯ll question them back, making it really awkward. I guess this is because he¡¯s using some kind of unique AI?¡¿

    LedMoreThanThreeToFivePecks: ¡¾Wrong! Lord Murphy does have things he likes, you just haven¡¯t noticed!¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾???Impossible! I¡¯ve been secretly observing him the whole time, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d miss such a big oversight. Tell me, what does Lord Murphy like?¡¿LedMoreThanThreeToFivePecks: ¡¾Heheh, this is simple? He likes Lady Tris, doesn¡¯t he! Haven¡¯t you seen how Lord Murphy is as obedient as a baby when those two NPCs are together?

    So I guess their personal reputations must be linked.

    Or perhaps after Lady Tris¡¯ affinity reaches a certain level, an option to gift Lord Murphy will be unlocked.

    At the very least, we could probe Lady Tris for information since Lord Murphy is her blood descendant. Who could know a child better than their own mother?¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾!!!Right, I did overlook that point. The NPCs in this game are quite intelligent, so increasing affinity with Lady Tris may really let us get some key information.

    But one thing is for sure, no matter which NPC route the yers n to taketer, we¡¯ll definitely need to grind Lord Murphy¡¯s reputation to the max.

    He¡¯s the main storyline NPC!

    Without him, we can¡¯t progress the story at all.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾@all members, we found a new skill book! It¡¯s in the Survivor¡¯s Camp, unlocked as the final reward after starting Miss Miriam¡¯s Camp quest line, called ¡®Blood Vulture Sword Arts: From Proficient to Master.¡¯ But the requirement ispleting at least 30 side quests in the camp, with a finalpletion rate of at least 70%.

    Are any brothers able to get online?

    Come help us do quests, there are way too many here for just the three of us to handle.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Can¡¯t get on brother, I used up my game time for today. You guys go on ahead and explore the path for us.¡¿

    BulldozerManCharging: ¡¾What exploring, these quests are one-time only! Aside from the main story quests that can be shared and a few dailies, we do them and you guys won¡¯t be able to do them again. But there are more and more NPCs in the camp now, me and Dump Truck just tried it, basically every NPC can trigger dialogue.

    A lot of people have quests, mostly going to the city ruins to find people or find things. We only took a portion, the rest are left for you guys.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Got it brother! I¡¯ll log on tomorrow and go be aborer in the camp. But I remember you two were always acting as a pair, how¡¯d you suddenly get a third person?¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾Ah, I brought my old partner in too. coolguywithshades.jpg¡¿

    KonoMaomaoShark: ¡¾So this is the game world of middle-aged men? So terrifying.¡¿

    At this time, in the Survivor¡¯s Camp safe zone outside of Kadman City, the evening glow of sunset shone upon thend. Brother Dump Truck closed the forum, stretchedzily, turned to look at the newbie looking around behind him, grinned and said:

    ¡°How¡¯s that? Didn¡¯t swindle you this time, did I? Didn¡¯t expect it to actually be real, right? This is really a game that current cutting-edge technology can make? The effects are way too realistic!¡±

    The newbie ¡°Half Off With Full Coverage¡± jumped up and down on the spot, but couldn¡¯t take off flying.

    Clearly in this game world, even Mother Nature was afraid her child would get seriously injured, so she bound him with gravity. While feeling the various sensations from his body, the neer said to his old partner:

    ¡°To be honest, my understanding of games was still stuck in the WOW Sunwell era. Technology has advanced way too fast now!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I think this game is a pretty nice ce to just kick back and retire leisurely.¡±

    Dump Truck patted Half Off¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°There¡¯s a river not far from these city ruins, it¡¯s a tributary of the main river in the Transia region. I heard there are lots of amazing, delicious fish there. You can get yourself a fishing rod and sit there all day, no one will bother you. Saves you from your wife nagging at you too.¡±

    ¡°Who wants to argue with her, it¡¯s so annoying. I¡¯m not neglecting providing for the family, I¡¯ve been busy my whole life, can¡¯t I just enjoy myself a bit?¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage grumbled, then followed Dump Truck as he pushed a cart loaded with wood towards the nearby Survivor¡¯s Camp.

    These logs as thick as arms were just chopped down by the two of them, part of Miss Miriam¡¯s camp construction quests.

    In theory, with the monster clearing in Kadman City progressing smoothly, a new yer like Half Off With Full Coverage should be going to grind levels. However, he, Dump Truck, and Bulldozer were all over forty years old, not really interested in fighting and killing. They were ying this game with the intention of a leisurely retirement.

    Compared to the ferocious monsters and mysterious storylines, they preferred scenes like this that had a living atmosphere without being dull. All three of them were ¡°industrialists¡± in the machining trade for the first half of their lives, far more passionate about manufacturing and construction than destruction.

    ¡°Hurry up you two!¡±

    As soon as they entered the camp, they heard Bulldozer urging them:

    ¡°How long does it take to just chop some wood? It¡¯s not like I told you two to actually go cut down trees. Quick, get these fences set up, I found some NPCs to help. After this we still need to set up their tents, there¡¯s a lot to do today.¡±

    ¡°Dammit, I came to y a game, not be aborer. Why are you rushing us?¡±

    Dump Truck cursed, feeling like Bulldozer¡¯s professional habits were kicking in, treating them like manual workers again.

    But when Half Off turned his head, he saw a chaotic group of NPCs hauling stuff, but many others just idling. Some were arguing over food distribution issues. All the male NPCs in the camp had been redeployed to the city ruins area, leaving only women and children behind.

    But it was still just as noisy.

    ¡°This camp is a mess!¡±

    Half Off immediately shook his head, walking over to help set up the fences while quietly telling Dump Truck and Bulldozer:

    ¡°There¡¯s no order at all, and no clear nning! Even though they removed the males more prone to causing trouble, even the women here are going to stir up incidents if this continues unchecked. I reckon there could be bloodshed tonight.

    Aren¡¯t the NPCs in this game supposed to be intelligent? Why hasn¡¯t the person in charge here stepped in?¡±

    ¡°Intelligence doesn¡¯t mean omnipotence.¡±

    Bulldozer rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°The person in charge here is a youngdy, at most twenty-three or twenty-four years old. Supposedly she¡¯s a halfling college student still in university. With your twenty-plus years in HR, you know what college students are like.

    No matter how smart she is, she¡¯s just a youngdy encountering this type of situation for the first time. How much experience could she possibly have? This is just what 100% realism looks like.¡±

    ¡°Right, this little girl Miriam hasn¡¯t even grasped the priorities.¡±

    Dump Truck nted the chopped logs deeply into the holes he dug, swinging the iron shovel expertly as he spoke:

    ¡°In a situation like this, we need to first use overwhelming force to subdue these refugees. Then, take advantage of that to establish rules, assign capable people to be in charge of specialized tasks, one group just handles distributing food, another is solely responsible for allocating supplies.

    Most importantly is the living situation.

    The past few nights everyone could just make do since they just escaped. But if things aren¡¯t handled properly tonight, there¡¯s definitely going to be chaos.

    Lord Murphy had Maxim execute seven unruly rabble-rousers before, already granting Miriam legitimacy and authority. But that girlpletely failed to seize the opportunity.

    I suspect she doesn¡¯t even realize why a vampire absolutely has to let the camp see bloodshed.

    Aiya, she¡¯s too young, only thinking about doing her own tasks properly while overlooking that not everyone is rational. She just hasn¡¯t suffered any setbacks yet.¡±

    ¡°A fight broke out! Holy crap so exciting! Quick look! They¡¯re pulling hair!¡±

    Half Off eximed in rm. Dump Truck, who was instructing some NPCs on tasks, and Bulldozer turned to look.

    Well well, a group of female NPCs at the food distribution point had devolved into a screeching, hair-pulling p-fest, screaming like pigs being ughtered. A crowd of idlers were gathered around instigating further.

    ¡°So intelligent, pretty much exactly like what I¡¯ve seen before.¡±

    Bulldozer gave a wry smile, casually picking up a hunting rifle nearby and raising the barrel towards them.

    The gunshot cut through the chaos, immediately silencing the crowd. Bulldozer calmly lowered the smoke-trailing rifle, using hisputation bead to trante what he wanted to say, then had a teenager nearby shout it loudly:

    ¡°Everyone! Return to where you¡¯re supposed to be! Keep your hands to yourselves, or you¡¯ll be sent back to the city if you disobey the rules again!¡±

    This blunt threat had an astounding effect. The women with bloodied faces immediately lowered their heads and meekly dispersed.

    They had all escaped from the city, clearly understanding what being sent back implied. The people with silver dog tags around their necks were Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors, they didn¡¯t dare provoke these vampireckeys.

    Just like the living habits back in Kadman City.

    ¡°Nice one, Bulldozer!¡±

    Dump Truckughed heartily, punching Bulldozer¡¯s shoulder.

    The two of them didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives, just acting on impulse. But for the newly joined Half Off, seeing this scene gave him a clearer understanding of the game¡¯s supposedly ¡°absolute realism¡± in NPC intelligence portrayal.

    The NPCs¡¯ reactions to this random event were godlike!

    Nearly molded from the exact same temte as the real-life troublemakers.

    ¡°Say, you two gentlemen, why don¡¯t we offer some advice to this camp¡¯s manager?¡±

    After thinking for a few minutes, Half Off quietly said to Dump Truck and Bulldozer:

    ¡°Even just some suggestions would help, right? Didn¡¯t Ah Yuen¡¯s post say this camp is going to be our newbie vigeter? So it would definitely be better if it¡¯s safer. We can¡¯t just let it remain so chaotic, can we?¡±

    ¡°Offer suggestions? How do you n to do that?¡±

    Bulldozer rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Thenguage system these NPCs use is fully formed. There¡¯s no way we can learn it anytime soon. Theputation bead¡¯s trantion has limits too, it can only trante up to 200 words at once, max. I heard from Miss Miriam that this thing can install a microphone module, allowing mutualmunication through real-time voice trantion.

    But that¡¯s high-end gear, only circted in halfling territories. This poor Transia region doesn¡¯t have any.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to speak to her directly!¡±

    Half Off shook his head, pointing at the teenagers assigned to assist them, saying:

    ¡°They can handle tranting. We just need to list out the rules and regtions, just a few sentences. Whether she adopts them or not is up to that NPC herself.

    Besides, I really want to see just how realistic this game can get?

    If her intelligence level is truly high, then after we submit these suggestions, she¡¯ll definitely provide us feedback.

    We might even get item rewards.

    Although we don¡¯t hunt monsters, since we¡¯re ying a game, having decent equipment is an important part of the experience too, right? I heard they¡¯re organizing dungeon runs, shall we try joining them tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense!¡±

    Dump Truck¡¯s eyes lit up.

    The three middle-aged men immediately huddled together, whispering furtively. Using Bulldozer¡¯s note-taking function, they listed out a 500 word outline. Finding a literate young girl, they had her copy it down to deliver to Camp Manager Miriam.

    After settling this, the three friends cheerfully continued helping the NPCs set up fences.

    Bulldozer even nned to make a simple barbecue pit to grill some rabbits for tasting.

    This game had aplete food and excretion system ¨C not eating for long periods would weaken the character. This gave Bulldozer the insightful realization that running a catering business in-game also had great prospects.

    Speaking of which, bing a barbecue chef was actually one of his childhood ¡°career ns.¡± Who could have imagined this little wish woulde true under these circumstances?

    Meanwhile, in the main tent of the camp, Miss Miriam was gloomily staring at some red strands of hair in her hand due tock of sleep and the increasing difficulty of managing the growing camp poption causing intense stress.

    It had only been two or three days, but the pressure had already caused her to start losing her hair.

    She now understood why graduates from the administration program tended to go bald, this line of work really did cause hair loss!

    Moreover, she clearly felt the professional knowledge she learned at Shaldor University¡¯s administration program had obvious limitations when applied practically. It felt like everything in the camp was a mess, leaving her unsure of where to even begin addressing it, like an impossibly tangled knot.

    Most importantly, shecked qualified assistants.

    The few under Lord Murphy were scattered in the city, with no time to help her manage the camp.

    That unlucky vampire had even be an absentee proprietor, handing management of the Survivor¡¯s Camp to her. If she failed, it would mean thest shred of dignity she had worked hard to maintain would shatter.

    She might even get mocked behind her back by that despicable Maxim! Then knowledge and reason would truly be defeated by superstition and blind loyalty!

    Could she ept that?

    Just as Miriam felt her head might explode, the three middle-aged men¡¯s suggestions arrived before her. Putting it mildly, it was like a desert traveler seeing a spring of clear water.

    These three were Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors, right?

    Then their loyalty was undoubted.

    Moreover, their written suggestions were concise and clear, with a logical structure and strong feasibility.

    This showed they definitely had prior management experience.

    Wasn¡¯t this exactly what she needed?

    Miriam¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Suddenly recalling Lord Murphy¡¯s previous advice to fully tap into the courage and wisdom possessed by his warriors. Ah, so that was what the vampire meant?

    Miriam felt like the fog had lifted in an instant!

    Looking at these suggestions, her eyes grew brighter. She immediately stood up, straightening her appearance and striding out of the tent.

    A few minutester, the three middle-aged men stared dumbfoundedly at their yer interface disying the quest the earnest-looking Miss Miriam had just issued them:

    ¡¾Quest Name: Desperately Seeking Talent!

    Quest Details: Camp Manager Miriam has seen your astounding talents. Extremelycking in assistants, she has decided to grant you the privilege of ¡°Survivor¡¯s Camp Administrators¡± to help her improve and manage the entire camp, living up to Lord Murphy¡¯s expectations of her.

    Quest Objectives: Formte rules and regtions for the Survivor¡¯s Camp, assist inpleting the town construction.

    Rewards: Temporary Commander Authority ¨C 100-150 Manpower / Camp nning Rights / Law Establishment Rights / Imprisonment & Punishment Rights (limited to survivors only)¡¿

    ¡°Holy crap!¡±

    Half Off couldn¡¯t help swearing. He turned to his old partner, quietly asking:

    ¡°Are we¡­holding office now? Does this game really have a construction mode? Just how much stuff did they stitch into this? Isn¡¯t this going way too far?¡±

 Chapter 54:

    In Kadman City, around the defense line of the militia forces led by Commander Maxim, a group of new yers who had just entered the game were resting here.

    Including ¡°Heaven¡¯s Chosen Woman¡± Sister Pomegranate who had four character talents, all the yers were in a ragged and miserable state, and the original 24 small yers were now reduced to only 19.

    Just a moment ago, the ck snow in the city suddenly increased violently, as if some strange omen had caused the spawns of despair tounch a counterattack. Caught off guard, five small yers were overwhelmed by the sea of monsters.

    If it weren¡¯t for Maxim leading people to their rescue, the remaining yers would have struggled to retreat alive.

    ¡°You were too reckless!¡±

    Maxim, gripping a Computation Bead, coldly berated the small yers in front of him:

    ¡°With your current strength, you should never have approached this ce! You certainly have courage, but your sacrifices should be more valuable! Your lives belong to Lord Murphy, and you just wasted the Lord¡¯s time.

    Go to the rear safe area and temper yourselves. Come back after you have mastered truebat skills.¡±

    With that, Maxim turned and left without hesitation.The small yers, however, were not bothered by the NPC¡¯s scolding.

    They only felt that this was the NPC reminding them that with their current level 1-2 characters, they indeed could not recklessly roam this ¡°monster wilderness¡± area.

    In other words, it¡¯s not unusual for low-level characters to identally enter a high-level map and lose a few people, right?

    ¡°This real battlefield is different from squad battles.¡±

    The leader of the four-man squad,¡¾East River Lion¡¯s Roar¡¿, said to his two brothers:

    ¡°We do need more practice, but did you pick up Ah Dog¡¯s dog tags and Computation Bead? We don¡¯t have money to get him another set right now.¡±

    ¡°Got them back, Ah Dog dropped them when he died.¡±

    ¡¾South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl¡¿replied, ncing at their Tiger Leopard Rider brothers. They had rushed in too quickly earlier, relying on their numbers, resulting in four of the five deaths being from their side.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stick to gathering quests first, and raise our sword art levels to proficient before anything else.¡±

    The third oldest brother, ¡¾West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl¡¿, rubbed his scruffy face and said to his brothers:

    ¡°Tomorrow, let Brother Stick lead us. But that Sister Pomegranate girl over there is impressive, I saw her take on three monsters alone and rescue two NPCs, all level one characters. How can she be so strong at that level?¡±

    ¡°She has four character talents, if she wasn¡¯t strong with that, this game¡¯s bnce would be screwed up.¡±

    Lion¡¯s Roar snorted, stood up and dusted off his pants, saying:

    ¡°No use being jealous, the total of our character attributes is the same, so there¡¯s no bnce issue.

    As for talents, those are things she trained herself. I dare say if we met this girl in reality, even if she was just holding a clothesline pole, she could beat the three of us alone.

    A real man admits when someone is better at a skill!

    Don¡¯t talk trash.

    Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s search the ruins first, and maybe find some booze to raise Lady Tris¡¯ reputation along the way.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you know, this crappy game is pretty interesting.¡±

    The second and third brothers stood up, following their eldest and heading towards the safer ruins, chatting as they walked:

    ¡°I think the physical training we do offline can totally be applied online, it¡¯s realistic and we don¡¯t have to hold back since there¡¯s no blood involved.¡±

    ¡°No kidding, online we can practice techniques but not build muscle, so we still have to train offline. Let¡¯s train hard for a couple months and then gopete overseas. I have a feeling that if we can knock Maxim down before thepetition, we¡¯ll definitely cause a huge uproar at the tournament!¡±

    As the martial arts brothers left, the Tiger Leopard Rider brothers, having lost four members in one fell swoop, also dejectedly prepared to leave this frontline position. Only a few student yers remained, looking at each other hesitantly, not intending to waste any more time here.

    However, Sister Pomegranate was full of enthusiasm.

    Especially after everyone else had left, she grabbed her Swift Sword and walked up to Maxim, using her Computation Bead to trante for her:

    ¡°Mr. Maxim, I want to challenge you to a fight!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Maxim had gone in and out of the ¡°monster wilderness¡± three times today and was quite tired at this point.

    But seeing this gant warrior girl challenging him piqued his interest. He stood up and stretched his shoulders, saying:

    ¡°If it¡¯s a challenge, then I won¡¯t go easy on you, warrior! But you don¡¯t seem proficient with the sword, so use the weapon you¡¯re most skilled with instead.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Sister Pomegranate shrugged, tossed aside her sword, and then clenched her fists and lowered her stance into a standard boxing guard. Seeing this, Maxim calmly dropped his own sword and made fists, readying himself for hand-to-handbat.

    Although he had always studied Blood Vulture Sword Arts, the Blood Servant warrior training also included close-quarters fighting, so he was not afraid of this sort of fist and foot engagement.

    ¡°Western boxing, huh.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate squinted at the NPC¡¯s movements, then grinned, thinking to herself that this game did a great job with such details.

    She didn¡¯t care about story equipment. Having rarely yed games before, this time out of professional habit, she immediately recognized the NPC¡¯s movement style with just a nce.

    Quite authentic.

    In terms of motion capture, she was willing to call this game the strongest!

    At the rear of this position, a student yer curiously watched the intense close-quartersbat between Sister Pomegranate and the white-haired NPC, his eyes full of envy.

    Look at her, then look at himself, they were both yers who had just entered the game today, yet the gap between them was so vast.

    If not for Sister Pomegranate casually pulling him aside earlier, he would have been devoured alive by those pouncing monsters. This game rmended by his good buddy Ah Yuen was indeed not bad.

    But it was a bit too realistic, which wasn¡¯t great. Seeing those monsters pouncing over earlier, he felt a warmth down below and almost wet his pants¡­damn! If he had soiled himself in front of all these people, his gaming career¡­no, his entire life might have just ended right there.

    ¡°Sigh.¡±

    The small yer¡¾Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¿sighed.

    In reality, he wasn¡¯t particrly adept at socializing, and in the game, he couldn¡¯t instantly be a social butterfly either. He was considering whether to just go solo and scavenge some trash from the outer ruins when a friend request popped up in his private chat interface.

    ¡°Dump Truck Iaido?¡±

    Grayman blinked his eyes.

    He had heard his buddy Ah Yuen previously brag that this was supposedly one of the middle-aged uncles ying the game, right?

    Why was he adding him as a friend?

    Though puzzled, he still epted the invite. But before he could figure out how to greet the other yer, Dump Truck Iaido immediately blurted out:

    ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re that research student prodigy from Pigeon and Niuniu university, right? The one from the Civil Engineering Design program that Ah Yuen mentioned? I heard you even won some awards for your designs?

    Impressive, you¡¯re clearly a talent among men, achieving so much at such a young age!

    No wonder you passed the test to apply.¡±

    ¡°It was just some small award, you¡¯re too kind.¡±

    Grayman instantly felt his face flush, inwardly berating Ah Yuen for running his mouth and saying whatever came to mind. But he also felt a bit ttered by the enthusiastic praise from the older gentleman.

    As a student, he was thin-skinned, and just a fewplimentary words had instantly maxed out his goodwill towards this sly middle-aged man.

    ¡°Um, why don¡¯t youe over to the Survivor¡¯s Camp?¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido then sent an invite, saying:

    ¡°There¡¯s a perfect opportunity for you to put your skills to use! Come over, you absolutely won¡¯t regret it, trust me!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman was truly bewildered now, cautiously asking:

    ¡°Are there any special quests over there?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see when you get there, it¡¯s a good thing! We¡¯re all gaming brothers who were chosen for the test together, why would I lie to you?

    Hurry over, I¡¯ll make you an official, and even get you a couple of girls as assistant secretaries, shotas work too, whatever you like.

    I¡¯ve already picked out the people for you, two girls from fallen wealthy families. Juste over quickly!

    We¡¯re in a hurry over here.¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido casually sent a party invite, urging a few more times.

    Grayman waspletely dumbfounded, not understanding what Dump Truck Iaido meant at all.

    Be an official?

    What kind of ng was that?

    Could you really be an official in this game?

    And what was that about fallen wealthy girls as assistant secretaries?

    Did this game really have such exciting gamey?

    Damn!

    Ah Yuen didn¡¯t mention any of this before. Could it be that even the seemingly confident Ah Yuen himself didn¡¯t fully understand this aspect of the game?

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Miriam appointed three small yers as camp administrators? This girl really did figure out how to y the game clearly.¡±

    Outside the ruined defense line of Kadman City, Murphy, who had been resting with his eyes closed, released the core Computation Bead in his hand.

    This item, as the superior node of themunication matrix between yers, allowed Murphy to browse all private conversations between yers and record the sending andpletion of every quest within the matrix, all without being detected.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t call it ¡°invading privacy¡±, this was merely ¡°necessary protection¡± for the small yers.

    After all, this otherworld was truly dangerous, and the small yers¡¯ current abilities were not yet sufficient to wander about freely.

    He had actually noticed the changes at the Survivor¡¯s Camp much earlier.

    He had originally thought the schrly but inexperienced Miriam would surely be flustered and eventually humbly request his aid. But as always, the red-haired girl¡¯s mind was sharp, without any guidance from him, she had independently grasped the proper way to utilize the small yers.

    ¡°Look at her methods, then look at you, Tris.¡±

    He said softly to Tris, who was leaning against the alchemy table resting:

    ¡°My otherworld warriors have great potential, you need to learn the right way to deal with them. Don¡¯t just have them fetch you booze all the time, that¡¯s a terrible waste.¡±

    ¡°Piss off and let me rest a bit, Little Murphy.¡±

    Tris looked utterly exhausted.

    She wasn¡¯t cking off, but had just finished an alchemy operation, leaving her drained. Not far from Tris, there were severalrge crates of specially colored fuel oilid out on an empty field.

    That was the special material that the small yers had scavenged from all over the city, which Tris had then added alchemical zing Glue to, allowing it to burn more violently, rapidly, and sustain arge area for a long duration.

    This was only the first batch.

    Murphy¡¯s n was to produce enough fuel oil to set the entire outer ruined city aze, meaning Tris would be kept busy for the next two days.

    ¡°You really want to burn through the whole outer city?¡±

    A few minutester, Tris stretchedzily and opened her eyes. She casually grabbed the booze that a small yer had ¡°gifted¡± her, twisted off the cap, took a savory sip, and said to Murphy, who was reading the Tomb Guard Sword Arts manual:

    ¡°This is my first time encountering an astral energy invasion into the material world on such arge scale. The advice I¡¯m providing you is just my own conjecture based on my understanding of spirit energy.

    I can¡¯t guarantee that after the fire burns through, the astral shadows in the city will definitely recede.

    It may even trigger more dangerous situations, like provoking the astral taint that has already stabilized after devouring the inner city and begun to ebb, causing it to expand outwards.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this is just a show for the survivors. To them, the knowledge of spirit energy is too esoteric. The Transians firmly believe that only areas purged by fire will see darkness and evil properly dispelled.

    They want to see a result that gives them peace of mind, and we should fulfill their wish.¡±

    Murphy looked at the text describing the Tomb Guards¡¯ power in the secret manual in his hands and said softly:

    ¡°Moreover, even if we do nothing, the inner city will bepletely pulled into the astral realm in a few days, right?

    That¡¯s already the worst case scenario, how much worse could it get? But I am curious, Tris, can you confirm that the underground structures won¡¯t be taken away by the astral spirit energy?¡±

    ¡°That chaotic astral spirit energy is not some all-powerful divine art released by the Star Gods themselves. Since it is spirit energy, it must still follow the most basic rules. It can indeed erode all materials and physical structures in the material world.

    But that takes time.¡±

    Tris exined:

    ¡°After the city on the surface is dragged into the astral realm, the underground structures of the inner city will definitely be preserved. But beingpletely saturated by such an immense volume of tainted spirit energy will cause changes to the material properties there. It will be a ce fundamentally ipatible with the real world, and you may need to expend tremendous manpower and resources to reim it.

    By the way, Little Murphy, don¡¯t hide it from me, what is the true goal behind this series of actions?¡±

    ¡°Thump¡±

    Murphy closed the Tomb Guard Sword Arts manual in his hands and turned to meet Tris¡¯ inquisitive gaze. He gave a gentle smile and said:

    ¡°Thedy was correct in her previous usation. I do indeed n to establish my own domain over the ruins of Kadman City. Since the Blood Vulture n is gone, this masterlessnd naturally goes to whoever ims it first.

    As for how we develop from here, I don¡¯t have any concrete ideas yet.

    But if I can obtain the leadership of the Blood Vulture n, I will definitely make you the new ruler.¡±

    ¡°Tch, who cares.¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and drawled:

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any more ties to the Blood Vultures. Perhaps we could leave, Little Murphy. I still have some old friends in other ns who would take us in. Your warriors will be the strength that establishes your reputation far and wide. You are destined to¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Murphy grasped Tris¡¯ hand.

    Looking at the terrible scars extending from her neck down into her chest garments, he said softly:

    ¡°These wounds that have tormented you for nearly 200 years were inflicted by Salrokdar, right? This is the debt he owes us! He must apologize andpensate for causing you such prolonged suffering.

    If he refuses to give it, then we¡¯ll take it ourselves!

    Like true Transians, we¡¯ll seize whatever we want!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s adamant words left Tris in silence. She took another sip of booze and said:

    ¡°The you from before would never have said such things, Little Murphy. The power gradually manifesting within you is luring you down the path of vampires¡¯ destiny, and that concerns me.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible that I¡¯ve always been this way, but only dared to show my true face after gaining power?¡±

    Murphy grinned, turned to look at the outer ruined city still shrouded in astral shadows, exhaled deeply, released Tris¡¯ hand, and said:

    ¡°This is our home in this world!

    It is not gentle, in fact quite savage and brutal. Yet no matter what misfortune, disdain and neglect we¡¯ve suffered, who would disdain their own home?

    We¡¯re not going anywhere!

    We¡¯ll start our new lives right here!

    Say goodbye to the past weakness,promise and self-pity! From now on, your life and mine can only be grasped in our own hands.

    Just like my warriors, we too must live in freedom!¡±

 Chapter 55:

    In a graduate student dormitory of a certain university, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman took off his ck gaming helmet.

    Although he had been wearing it for six hours, it wasn¡¯t ufortable because of the built-in air conditioning system. In fact, his shoulders even felt a bit of pleasure due to the activated bio-electrical massage function. Moreover, after exercising vigorously in the game for six hours, though his physical body hadn¡¯t moved in reality, the mental activity left him feeling energetic rather than tired. After taking off the helmet, he actually felt hungry instead.

    However, there was a look of bewilderment on his face.

    Just in the game earlier, Dump Truck, Bulldozer Man, and Half Off With Full Coverage took him to meet Miss Miriam, and in front of that NPC, they exaggeratingly packaged him as a ¡°genius architectural design master¡± from another realm.

    That over-the-top hyping made the thin-skinned Grayman unable to bear listening to it himself.

    But Miss Miriam seemed to buy into it. After asking a few entry-level questions in the architectural field, she granted him the authority to n, design, and supervise the construction for the survivors¡¯ camp.

    By the time he logged off, Miss Miriam had allocated 100 people for him to use, with the camp¡¯s logistics led by Dump Truck providing full support. The condition was that he had to submit a concrete n for discussion within three days andplete the subsequent design for the camp within half a month.

    This was just the appetizer!

    That clearly inexperienced first-time leader Miss Miriam was still making promises, saying that if the camp construction went well, he could even be fully in charge of the rebuilding work for Kadman City!This series of events left Grayman feeling dazed and confused.

    How did he end up getting a contractor job just by casually ying a game? Could it be that while others were ying¡¶Reality Realm¡·, he was actually ying¡¶Otherworld Construction Foreman Simtor¡·?

    Most exaggeratedly, in order to facilitate Grayman¡¯smunication and coordination with the workers, Dump Truck kept his promise and selected two young sisters from wealthy merchant families who could read and write to be his assistants in the survivors¡¯ camp.

    Okay, although it felt like ying house, to be honest, having two soft and fragrant virtual paper girls as assistants was quite appealing. However, the problem was that it was impossible to produce a design within three days, right?

    Grayman was a professional!

    He was well aware of the manpower and resources required to produce a design.

    Even for just a vige housing a thousand or so people, it would be difficult for him toplete it alone. After pondering, he went to Ah Yuen and the others¡¯ dormitory to discuss with them.

    But he was shut down by one sentence from Cyborg Snail:

    ¡°Who said you had to design it yourself, brother! There are so many ready-made temtes online. Just randomly find one, modify it a bit, and it¡¯ll be done, right? Dump Truck and the others found you because you¡¯re a professional. This way, at the very least, you won¡¯t have basic problems like building crooked houses or forgetting to install doors when implementing it.

    This is a game, dude. Although you¡¯re called Grayman, you¡¯re not really being asked to goy bricks!¡±

    Oh right!

    Grayman suddenly realized that while he was given a task, no one said he couldn¡¯t giarize or, ahem, borrow ideas. So this was the true way to y this game?

    The freedom in this aspect really exceeded his imagination to an unimaginable degree.

    ¡°While we¡¯re still toiling away killing monsters in the game, you¡¯ve been made an official, managing 100 NPCs and even getting two soft and fragrant girls as your secretaries to give you massages.

    Tsk, having professional knowledge is really something.

    Even though we¡¯re also professionals in international trade and finance, it¡¯s a pity we can¡¯t put those skills to use right now.¡±

    Ah Yuen sat up from the bed, grinning mischievously as he pointed at Grayman and shouted:

    ¡°Hey, you traitor who has left the masses behind! You¡¯re treating us to dinner this afternoon! Brothers, pin him down! If he doesn¡¯t treat us, we¡¯ll pants him.¡±

    ¡°Brother Yuen, don¡¯t!¡±

    Grayman let out a miserable cry.

    Then he was pounced on and pinned down by his dormmates as he fell victim to a group pantsing attack. Just as this was happening, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

    Niuniu, who had just finished ying basketball and was sweating all over, barged in. Seeing the scene before him, he fell silent. He sighed, covered his eyes, and turned to leave.

    s, the vile atmosphere at Nantong University was as overwhelming as raging beasts, poisoning the upstanding youth of the nation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave, Niuniu. What¡¯s up?¡±

    Ah Yuen hurriedly pulled up his pants and asked in a very proper manner, but the wailing Grayman being pinned on the bed behind him and the dormmatesughing weirdly while shouting ¡°cancanneed¡± made the whole scene look improper no matter how you looked at it.

    ¡°Nothing much, just passing on a message from my older sister.¡±

    The tall and sturdy Niuniu nonchntly spun the basketball skillfully on his fingertips, then said to Ah Yuen and the half-awake Pigeon:

    ¡°My sister is nning to hire you guys to take her level grinding, monster hunting, and gearing up these few days.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Pigeon and Ah Yuen exchanged nces, rubbing their eyes with a yawn, ¡°Does our sister really need to hire us for leveling? That¡¯s too distant. Tomorrow when we go raid the dungeon, we can just bring her along, right? Besides, how would Sister Pomegranate have umted enough in-game currency when she¡¯s just started ying?

    She¡¯s not thinking of hiring us with RMB, is she?

    I mean, it¡¯s not impossible.

    But still, it feels too distant considering our rtionship. Who¡¯s who, you know?¡±

    ¡°My sister has no intention of paying. She can be quite the schemer in this regard.¡±

    Niuniu put away his basketball and sighed, saying:

    ¡°She currently has a Master-level sword technique manual. That thing isn¡¯t bound but can only be viewed by 10 people before having to return it to Maxim.

    She has already read it herself, so she ns to use this as payment for you guys to help her level up these two days.

    The rewards will be split evenly, but she gets priority in choosing the loot.¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Hearing this, Pigeon and Ah Yuen were stunned. The dorm mates who were just teasing Grayman behind them were also stunned. They crowded over and asked:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Sister Pomegranate a newbie? Where did she get a Master manual? Isn¡¯t this the first high-level skill book in the game? Don¡¯t tell me it dropped from killing monsters? Is there such a good thing?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, she won it.¡±

    Bringing up this matter made Niuniu even more vexed.

    He heaved a long sigh, pulled up a chair, and sat with the other seven guys who had pulled up their pants, chatting away:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the announcement say Maxim¡¯s personal quest line was opened, that challenge mode? Have you guys tried it?¡±

    ¡°Cheche tried!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche raised his hand, then awkwardly pulled a wry smile, ¡°Went up and got three-hit by that guy. That white-haired Maxim really doesn¡¯t hold back. Absolutely unbeatable. Meow King also tried but onlysted five seconds before being defeated. He said at least Master swordsmanship is needed to block Maxim¡¯s viciousbos.¡±

    ¡°Master isn¡¯t enough! At least Grandmaster level. Because I¡¯m at Master swordsmanship and also tried, but onlysted twenty seconds.¡±

    Niuniu propped his chin, looking gloomy as hebed his handsome hair and said with closed eyes:

    ¡°But my sister won! Just before she logged off, she beat Maxim, surviving with a sliver of health in a brutal victory. Not only did she trigger the hidden quest ¡®Maxim¡¯s Warrior¡¯, she also got this sword technique manual from Maxim, plus a pair of Veteran-level Masterwork Crimson Nightwalker Knuckle-ws with the rare ¡®Elite¡¯ prefix.

    I saw the screenshot she sent me.

    That ¡®Vault Guard Mick Series¡¯ weapon is basically the best in the game right now, with five prefixes and a permanent venom effect.

    Maxim said it¡¯s enough for her to use until the Silver Realm without needing to rece it, but it needs frequent maintenance, otherwise it¡¯ll lose its spirit enhancement. Anyway, it¡¯s really powerful.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Our sister is that badass?¡±

    The group of young yers were all dumbfounded, before eximing that not only was Sister Pomegranate beautiful with a great temperament, but also incredibly powerful inbat and undefeatable. However, the cunning Ah Yuen soon noticed something amiss and squinted, saying:

    ¡°But why were knuckle ws rewarded? Didn¡¯t our sis beat him with swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my sister, not yours! If you want to get close to her, better see if your scrawny self is even worth her beating up first. She¡¯s been practicing martial arts with my grandpa since she was little. We¡¯re from Cangzhou, so it¡¯s a family tradition.

    My grandpa didn¡¯t even teach me, said I had no talent. So pissed off.¡±

    Niuniu red fiercely at the group trying to get chummy, then exined:

    ¡°My sister kind of exploited an unintended bug. She¡¯s not skilled with swords, but her fist techniques are truly masterful. Maxim has a weakness there but insisted on fighting her with fist techniques. In the end, he was thoroughly defeated in skill and promptly admitted loss.

    It gave me an idea.

    Perhaps we can learn from my sister¡¯s way of clearing it.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that useful?¡±

    Kono Maomao Shark said dejectedly,

    ¡°Your sister was a former national athlete, a pro among pros. With our fitness levels where we get winded just from running 800 meters, we can¡¯t exploit any bugs, can we?

    Only Niuniu has a chance.

    But I think at an NPC¡¯s AI level, this bug will probably be fixed quickly. So Niuniu, you better hurry if you want to try!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was thinking too. I¡¯ll log in to challenge right after midnight tonight.¡±

    Niuniu punched his fist, saying:

    ¡°Once I beat it, that skill manual is yours for free. But about my sister¡¯s hiring offer, let me be honest with you guys, she¡¯s definitely messing around. My sister ys games just for pure fun. Think it over carefully.

    She may seem cheerful and bubbly, but she¡¯s actually hard to get along with. Herpetitive spirit is really strong, she can¡¯t stand losing to anyone. She didn¡¯t have many friends growing up either.

    I had it even worse.

    When we were little, she¡¯d beat me up whenever she was unhappy.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ll think about it,¡± Pigeon said to Niuniu. He then checked the time and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat. Today¡¯s dinner is on Master Grayman.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t agree to that!¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to announce to everyone that you got two virtual sweeties as assistants in the game? Count your blessings

    Alright, I¡¯ll pay for it then..

    We¡¯re all from the same school, let¡¯s support each other in the game. Ah Yuen, call out the guys from other majors who also y.

    Instead of others forming guilds to recruit us, we might as well do it ourselves.

    Let¡¯s treat this dinner as our ¡®covenant feast¡¯! We¡¯ll make our mark together in this game!¡±

    ¡°Wait! What¡¯s this about virtual sweeties?¡±

    Niuniu immediately widened his eyes and asked with a mischievous grin:

    ¡°Looks like my sister wasn¡¯t the only one who had an adventure today. Come on, Grayman, spill the details on the way! I heard this game¡¯s modeling is extremely ¡®realistic,¡¯ so you, bushy-browed kid, have already gotten a taste?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wronged! I only know the two girls are both surnamed Palean, and we barely said a few words, okay?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    After the yers logged off, in the administrative tent of the survivors¡¯ camp, Miriam, who had just gotten some rest, was now holding the detailed n for camp management that Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Half Off With Full Coverage submitted before logging off.

    Judging from the handwriting, it seemed to be recorded andpiled by their assistant. As Murphy¡¯s earliest recruited ¡°assistant¡±, Miriam was well aware of the young yers¡¯ backgrounds. She knew these guys couldn¡¯t understand thenguage of this world or write their text, and currently allmunication relies on the trantion function of the Computation Bead.

    But this report was quite detailed, providing Miriam with several suggestions from the three aspects of logistics, security, and human resources:

    1. The camp will immediately implement a curfew.

    All camp members except the militia must return to the camp before 6pm. There will be a roll call at 7pm dinner time. After dinner, no one is allowed to leave the camp, and from 9pm no one is allowed to move freely within the camp.

    The curfew willst until 6am the next morning when work begins.

    2. Establish a Survivor Management Department led by Miriam.

    Complete survivor information registration and documentation as quickly as possible, identify professionals from various industries, and organize ordinary civilians into basicbor units for easy deployment and management by different departments.

    It is suggested to use the recording function of the Computation Bead to input data and make real-time adjustments.

    3. The camp will immediately implement a rationing system.

    The camp¡¯s logistics department will centrally manage all food distribution, resource reception, and storage. There will be three unified food distributions at the same location at 7am, 1pm, and 7pm daily. No private cooking fires are allowed to avoid safety hazards.

    At the same time, establish specialized chef, medical, collection, construction, and camp guard teams directly managed and assigned daily tasks by the Survivor Management Department.

    4. The camp can immediately implement a ¡°Labor Credit¡± system.

    Members under 14 and over 60 can be properly assigned simple tasks. All other members, regardless of gender, mustplete their assigned daily tasks and earn a certain amount ofbor credits.

    These credits can be exchanged for various resources and extra meals at the store set up by the camp management. Failure toplete daily tasks will result in no credits earned. Three consecutive days of substandard work performance will lead to being enlisted in the militia and sent to the city frontlines.

    ¡°Hmmm¡±

    Reading through this set of suggestions left the young Miriam with mixed feelings.

    At Shaldor Engineering Academy¡¯s administration program, she had studied simr knowledge, but it was clearly not so easy to trante textbook knowledge into practice.

    She had her own private ns too.

    But those were just patchwork, dealing with details in a headache-inducing, whack-a-mole manner, without being able to directly tackle the organizational structure and establish simple, practical systems from the top-down like these three guys¡¯ suggestions.

    Miriam felt she had an epiphany, and she could confirm that these three were indeed very talented.

    ¡°These four points are great, but they overlook the current bewilderment of the survivors about their situation. The people of Transia are brave but ignorant, they must know who they are serving and what kind of protection they can get.¡±

    The red-haired girl scratched her head, carefully pondered for a while, then added another point below the suggestions:

    5. Establish a Propaganda Team led by Miriam.

    The Propaganda Team¡¯s task is to announce the daily work assignments to the survivors, identify and persuade disgruntled members, collect issues and provide feedback, and use all means to ensure the basic order of the camp is not disrupted, while promoting Lord Murphy¡¯s authority and leadership.

    ¡°Sigh, although I don¡¯t like that vampire either, he is currently the only one who can take on this great responsibility.¡±

    The camp administrator read through the ¡°new management rules¡± repeatedly, sighed again, shook the bell beside her to summon her assistant, handed over the rules, and asked her to immediately convene a meeting with those currently managing the camp.

    Miriam knew she had to maintain order and guide these survivors to not do anything foolish.

    Vampires rarely hadpassionate ones like Lord Murphy.

    Compared to the vampirews that once governed Kadman City, these five rules already seemed unimaginably lenient to Miriam¡¯s assistants.

    But if the rescued people were ungrateful, the vampires might just make them remember how thisnd had been ruled by the midnight nobility for the past 400 years.

    Hopefully, things won¡¯t develop to that point.

 Chapter 56:

    ¡°These NPCs are efficient! It¡¯s only been one night and they¡¯ve already set up the department structures,¡± said Dump Truck Iaido.

    The next day when Dump Truck Iaido¡¯s trio logged in at the survivor camp, they found that Miriam had already arranged tents for them to use as offices based on their respective management responsibilities, along with a few experienced subordinates.

    Outside, the entire camp was bustling with activity.

    Miriam¡¯s assistants were registering the survivors¡¯ information, while a squad of militiamen d in leather armor and wielding weapons maintained order, clearly personnel borrowed from Maxim.

    Most of the survivors at the camp were illiteratemoners, but a significant portion of the second batch rescued by the yers were literate and from affluent backgrounds.

    After all, when the astral rift opened over the city and spawns of despair and astral beasts ran rampant, only the sturdy mansions of the wealthy could protect them until the yers¡¯ rescue operation began.

    To the middle-aged trio¡¯s surprise, establishing basic rules in the camp from scratch was not as difficult as they had imagined.

    Particrly implementing the rationing system caused almost no bacsh, with everyone calmly epting the strict management.

    Dump Truck Iaido even specifically asked his assistant about it, only to learn that rationing had been in ce for years during the war in the original Kadman City.Everyone was already ustomed to this system, and even felt a strange ¡°sense of reassurance¡± seeing the familiar rationing return.

    It meant they knew their current leader, the vampire called ¡°Murphy,¡± would not abandon them, and that they needed to take on sufficient work going forward, otherwise there would be no need to allocate them daily rations, right?

    The people of Transia were not afraid of hard work, only of being worthless.

    The veteran residents were well aware of a worthless human¡¯s status in the eyes of vampires on thesends.

    ¡°The people of Transia are said to have been fighting vampires all this time, but anyone with a basic understanding of history knows that we¡¯ve already epted these rules of governance over the past 400 years. We¡¯re just stubborn and unwilling to admit it,¡± sighed Dump Truck Iaido¡¯s assistant, a former tutor for wealthy merchant and noble families, exining to his new boss:

    ¡°These people are like a flock of brave but ignorant mountain goats. They need to know they are being protected in order to find courage. If their protector shows a little more kindness, they will be grateful.

    I do not mean to mock my countrymen. For I am one of them. 400 years of dark rule has changed many things.

    s, sir, perhaps we should start today¡¯s work.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, right. Let¡¯s get to work!¡±

    Through the trantion function of hisputation bead, Dump Truck Iaido understood his elegant, amiable, and personable assistant. Pondering the matter, he waved hisrge hand and said:

    ¡°Alright, the first task for the logistics department is to ensure all our supplies are properly recorded and used judiciously. We need a warehouse, a few dedicated guards, and professional cooks and doctors!

    Robert, go find Miss Miriam immediately!

    I need those people assembled within an hour. I don¡¯t have time to wait for them.

    We also need a schedule and a ledger tracking our daily supply needs to coordinate with the manpower department. They can then publish specific work assignments and calctebor credits ordingly.¡±

    He kept talking nonstop, hands on his hips, just like when he was managing his own machinery factory, an air of vigor about him.

    His words were tranted into concise local text by theputation bead and disyed as spiritual projections on his wrist.

    His assistant named Robert immediately jotted it down in his notebook, with simr scenes unfolding for Bulldozer Man and Half Off.

    Though not as formidable inbat as the younger yers, nor as enthusiastic about fighting, the extensive life experience and superior management skills of these middle-aged men were exactly what the survivor camp desperately needed now.

    With their assistance, by noon Miriam had the camp registry listing 300 individuals¡¯ detailed information, which she inputted via theputation bead to elevate her and the city-dwelling Murphy¡¯s oversight and control of the camp to a new level.

    Since there was not much to record, the work could bepleted by evening without much difficulty.

    If this were truly an internship, Miriam felt she would easily earn an A grade based on her current arrangements.

    In her eyes, the previously chaotic survivor camp was now functioning properly.

    Though still a bit rough around the edges, with many processes prone to issues, it was far better than the previous idleness. Moving forward, she would follow the veteran yers¡¯ rmendations and fill the survivors¡¯ days with work.

    As long as people stayed busy, they wouldn¡¯t have time for idle thoughts!

    This principle applied in any world.

    Everyone remained in high spirits until Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman logged in.

    After joining and stifling a series of yawns, he had stayed up all night studying ns for the survivor camp construction, the design student presented a conclusion that made the middle-aged trio¡¯s eyes bulge.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±As the recently gathered cooks prepared the first munal pot¡± meal at the camp and were about to serve it, the gathered middle-aged trio stared at Grayman in disbelief. Dump Truck Iaido eximed:

    ¡°You thought about it all night just to give us this surprise? What do you mean ¡®can¡¯t build¡¯? Exin yourself clearly! Are you nning to quit?¡±

    ¡°I mean exactly what I said ¨C can¡¯t build,¡± Grayman shrugged, looking at themunal pot meal without any appetite.

    He had just eaten takeout before logging in, so he passed the porridge filled with wild vegetables and a few seasoned meat strips to his two ¡°secretaries¡± beside him, telling the Palean sisters to find a ce to eat ande backter.

    After the two young girls left with the ¡°sumptuous administrator¡¯s lunch,¡± the design student exined to the other three:

    ¡°Last night I examined the terrain and discussed it with my roommates. The conclusion is this ce ispletely unsuitable forrge-scale construction.

    First, it¡¯s too far from the local water source, the Kadman River. Second, the terrain is unfavorable. Finally, weck sufficient manpower.

    Do you know you need to dig pits first to build a permanent outpost?

    I mean a proper underground drainage system!

    What¡¯s hidden underground and unseen is the key to a location¡¯s longevity. So my conclusion is, don¡¯t build extensively at the camp!

    Use tents for the survivors. I found a simplified version of Arabian tents online, they¡¯rerge,fortable, and since I asked around, it doesn¡¯t rain much here with suitable temperatures, tents will suffice.

    We need to conserve resources. I already have a better n for our newbie vige.¡±

    Grayman habitually went to push up his sses but awkwardly grinned when he grabbed at empty air. Then pointing towards Kadman City, he said:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Lord Murphy want to reim the outer city? We can just build the newbie vige there!

    For that city to exist 400 years in the backstory, its underground drainage and other designs must be decent. We can take it over directly.

    Unless the devs simply never considered such details.

    But given this game¡¯s realism and hardcore nature, such a major oversight seems unlikely.

    Secondly, the city¡¯s disaster was an energy invasion, not an earthquake. There are many remaining intact structures in the outer city that can be directly repaired without needing clearance.

    This will undoubtedly save a massive amount of manpower.

    Finally, I asked my two assistants.

    They clearly told me the city has underground water sources connected to thergest local river.

    There¡¯s even a natural underground cave in the inner city that served as a water reservoir ¨C during droughts over the past 400 years, locals drew water directly from there. So the water source is solved too.

    From my current level of understanding, that city¡¯s choice is actually quite perfect. The devs clearly put a lot of effort into this aspect, I suspect they hired professional designers for the modeling.

    How skilled, I don¡¯t know, but definitely far beyond a mere student like me.

    So we don¡¯t need to bumble around ourselves. We just need to clear out the city¡¯s debris, then repair and patch things up.¡±

    ¡°When you put it that way, it does make sense,¡± said Bulldozer Man, sipping a spoonful of soup.

    This game¡¯s taste simtion was quite realistic, letting him sample the peculiar vor as he smacked his lips and said:

    ¡°But you still need to provide a design! Even if we do use the old city ruins as the newbie vige, people can¡¯t just move in directly. It¡¯s our first newbie vige after all.

    No need for opulence, but it can¡¯t be embarrassing at the very least.¡±

    ¡°I need to go check it out on-site first,¡± said the young Grayman with a shrug.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just draw blueprints from nothing. I need to see the underground tunnelyouts to designate different zoning on the ns. Ah, if only we had Kadman City¡¯s original designs, a few modifications and they¡¯d be usable.

    An authentic medieval city like that would definitely interest my advisor. Maybe I could even get him to provide freebor.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that?¡± Bulldozer Man rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Just tell the NPCs. This game already appointed us as officials. Whatever you need, just tell them and they¡¯ll find a way to get it for you. Have faith in NPC intelligence.

    Eh, Dump Truck, lend me a few guards from your warehouse.

    The first curfew starts tonight and I¡¯m worried the camp guards won¡¯t be enough.

    I¡¯m logging off first but will be back online tonight. I don¡¯t quite trust leaving it to them, the first two days need personal oversight. As long as the start goes smoothly, I can hand it over to themter.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Outside Kadman City, Murphy was reviewing a special request sent by Miriam on hisputation bead, asking him to help locate Kadman City¡¯s design ns. Before Murphy could figure out Miriam¡¯s intentions, he was surprised to see a sheepish Maxim report his own failure.

    ¡°You lost? How is that possible?¡± Murphy asked in astonishment.

    ¡°To a level 1¡­ I mean, you were defeated by a girl who just entered our world? You must have held back.¡±

    ¡°No, my lord, I gave it my all,¡± Maxim said solemnly. ¡°But thedy known as ¡®Sister Pomegranate¡¯ possesses astonishing skills in close-quartersbat. I suspect she was once a warrior nun!

    But I lost honorably.¡±

    ¡°If you admire her so much, then let her join your ¡®Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯ with the rank of Decurion,¡± Murphy said.

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Miriam has already fully tapped into the wisdom of my warriors. You should follow suit and learn to utilize their strength. I¡¯ll grant you twelve warrior positions, plus one ¡®Champion Warrior¡¯ as the leader.

    You may recruit those otherworld warriors you deem promising into your own ¡®retinue¡¯.

    The challenges ahead will only increase. You need to start establishing mechanisms for training and selecting warriors now. If you cannot do this independently, you can seek Miriam¡¯s advice and experience.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Maxim nodded, then reported:

    ¡°But currently, nearly all survivors in the ¡®Monster Wildernesses¡¯ have been rescued by your warriors. Only spawns of despair and lurking astral beasts remain in those areas.

    The ominous ck snow grows heavier, driving those malicious beings into greater frenzy.

    The situation grows dangerous, my lord. Perhaps we should elerate our ns and purify all this with fire!¡±

    ¡°Give them two more days,¡± said Murphy confidently, having seriously considered this aspect.

    ¡°Two days is enough time for my warriors to remove most valuables from the outer city. After that, we shall burn away the darkness with mes, giving the survivors new hope.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, your warriors are exceptionally gifted at searching and scavenging. Though it sounds unttering, I must insist they all possess a dog¡¯s nose and a squirrel¡¯s insatiable hoarding instinct,¡± Maxim said in a low voice, prompting Murphy tough heartily.

    The crude analogy was quite apt.

    But Murphy¡¯sughter soon stopped when Lady Adele silently appeared nearby. Thedy, now d in a vampiric crimson hunting attire, bowed her head and said to Murphy:

    ¡°The Young Lady Femis wishes to request¨C¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Maxim interrupted with a rebuke before Murphy could speak.

    ¡°Do you not even know who your elders are? Adele, Lord Murphy may not mind, but your behavior is far too disrespectful even in the eyes of a mere blood servant like myself!¡±

    Adele did not retort against Maxim¡¯s scolding, only lowering her head further.

    She dared not look Murphy in the eye, not out of fear, but for another reason.

    ¡°Enough, Maxim! Do not speak words that undermine unity.¡±

    Murphy ced his hand on Maxim¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°Go take a rest. News of my warrior Sister Pomegranate defeating you will spread quickly. I expect the other warriors will soon emte her in challenging you.

    You¡¯ll be quite busy ahead.

    This little bug also needs fixing. I think there¡¯s no need for you to be so stubbornly disadvantaged. Use your sword to teach them, the path of strength tolerates no cunning!¡±

    ¡°I will not let them pass easily, my lord. It is my duty,¡± Maxim bowed to Murphy while grasping his sheathed sword¡¯s hilt. He then red at Lady Adele before turning to leave.

    After he departed, Murphy shook his head:

    ¡°Maxim is a blunt man. He never conceals his loyalty and cannot abide any sign of disloyalty. Pay his words no mind.

    I do not object to you maintaining your prior rtionship with the Young Lady.

    Your initial embrace was merely a desperate act to save you. I wished to repay you for saving my life, as well as a reward to request you forget certain unpleasant matters.

    You know what I refer to.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Adele nodded, whispering:

    ¡°I will happily stand in Your shadow eventually, Lord Murphy. I only pray for this final period to settle the Young Lady¡¯s affairs, to repay the kindness she showed me in rescuing me in my youth.

    I hope you can understand my choice. It is not betrayal or disloyalty!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said I do not mind,¡± Murphy waved a dismissive hand.

    ¡°What did the Young Lady seek me out for? And about the one-quarter elven blood within you¡­¡±

    ¡°That is not a topic for the present, Master Murphy,¡± Adele¡¯s body trembled as she spoke.

    ¡°My bloodline stems from the perilous dark depths below the Dark Mountains, a sinister and ult curse from the Eternal Chasm. When appropriate, I shall reveal all my n¡¯s burdens to you.

    I can also assure You it will not cause trouble.

    For now, you have more pressing matters. Regarding your n to purge the city¡¯s shadows with fire, the Young Lady has an immature idea she believes may aid you.¡±

 Chapter 57:

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the spirit nexus powering Kadman City¡¯s great barrier wasn¡¯t damaged?¡±

    When Murphy saw the haggard-looking Young Lady, he immediately raised an eyebrow at the news she told him.

    He asked skeptically:

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very likely. If that super barrier called ¡®Nocturne¡¯ was still operational, why didn¡¯t it activate when the astral rift opened? I know a city¡¯s spirit defense barrier can¡¯t block a rift of that level, but at the very least it could have bought the Blood Vulture n some preparation and evacuation time.

    We observed the whole process.

    The legendary Nocturne never activated from start to finish.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the traitors inside the city disabled it beforehand,¡± said the Young Lady. ¡°Tris should have reminded you there are traitors in the city.¡±

    She took out an ancient map from her spirit pouch, nced at Murphy, and then unfolded it before the vampire. The map was quite old, though well preserved, but the ravages of time had left unmistakable marks on it.

    ¡°Kadman City was built 400 years ago by my father, who led the Blood Vulture n and the first settlers to construct it with their own hands. When founding the city, he had already prepared ample expansion space for the great spirit barrier.This city was established to defend against the ck Cmity, so after 400 years of continuous fortification, the Nocturne barrier system¡¯s defensive strength alone is top-tier on the continent. The third ck Cmity devastated half the continent, but Kadman City held out until the end, which is a testament to Nocturne¡¯s power.

    The Goldflower Kingdom never attempted a direct assault here during the Ten Year War, precisely because of Nocturne¡¯s existence.

    The entire barrier is formed by 7 underground nexuses and a core nexus ced beneath the Blood Vulture Halls. Once activated, it can forge threeyers of spirit defenses as thick as city walls. Enemies cannot drain the ambient spirit energy in Transia, making the barrier unbreakable.

    However, Murphy, the exact locations of the seven underground nexuses are top secret, known only to a handful of people including myself. Yet before the astral rift opened, they were nearly all shut down simultaneously.¡±

    Femis¡¯ expression was impassive.

    But Murphy could clearly sense the Young Lady¡¯s inner turmoil and pain, though her face remained expressionless. She then marked three locations on the map and said:

    ¡°While you and your warriors were busy thesest two days, I managed to enter three of the underground nexuses in the outer city. I can confirm that the city¡¯s barrier was deactivated before the astral rift opened, which is why the nexuses inadvertently remained intact instead of shing with the astral energies.

    In theory, if you can find the core nexus, the entire barrier can be reactivated.

    It may no longer be able to protect all of Kadman City, but safeguarding the outer city ruins will be no problem.

    That thing was designed by the original blood mages of the Secret Blood n during the Holy Blood Procession era. It operates by absorbing ambient spirit energy between heaven and earth, requiring no extra power source.

    With it, your new city and your newly born power will have a foothold that will not fall!¡±

    The Young Lady was clearly trying to entice Murphy with the ¡°strategic asset¡± of the Nocturne barrier system. But the vampire did not take the bait immediately. Instead, he carefully thought for a few minutes to organize his thoughts, then held up two fingers and asked:

    ¡°First, you said the locations of the seven underground nexuses are only known to a handful of people including yourself. That means the traitor within the Blood Vulture ranks must be highly ced. Do you have any suspects?

    Second, if I follow your suggestion and send people to take control of the three outer city underground nexuses now, it means I¡¯ve taken your bait and already sunk costs into this.

    If I don¡¯t want my time and effort to go to waste, I¡¯d have to go along with you on a subsequent dangerous expedition into the heavily polluted Blood Vulture Halls to obtain Nocturne¡¯s core nexus.

    This is the second time you¡¯ve made such a request of me, so what exactly is in the Blood Vulture Halls?

    What could possibly make you, as the Blood Vulture Young Lady, not only hand over your n¡¯s strategic asset to me, an ¡®traitor¡¯, but also help me by lending personnel and resources for the expedition into the halls?¡±

    Under his gaze, Femis remained silent for a long time before reluctantly saying:

    ¡°I need to go back and retrieve some things rted to my ¡®parents¡¯. I¡¯m powerless on my own and need your fearless warriors to clear the way for me. That¡¯s all I can tell you. So, Murphy, just tell me straight, do you want the Nocturne barrier or not?¡±

    The Young Lady was clearly not adept at achieving her aims through bargaining.

    She was not used to this style of back-and-forth negotiation.

    But she was still trying her clumsy best to entice Murphy with good stuff while also pressuring him.

    She said earnestly:

    ¡°Just give me the nod, and I¡¯ll hand this over to you. I¡¯ll also help you perfect your ¡®Great Burning n¡¯. I know you intend to use mes to burn through the entire city district to dispel the astral shadows. It¡¯s bold and practical.

    But Tris alone cannot prepare enough fuel in a short time.

    Although I¡¯m not a professional alchemist, spirit mages tend to pick up some alchemy knowledge. Combustion oil and firegels aren¡¯t high-level materials ¨C I can help with those too.

    Consider it carefully.

    If you don¡¯t extract the underground core before the widespread burning, the mes shing with astral spirit energy could easily cause misalignment and imbnce in the spirit fields.

    An artifact of that level is durable but also precise. If impacted and thrown off bnce by the shock, you currentlyck the power to quickly realign it.¡±

    ¡°I definitely want something that good,¡± said Murphy, ncing at the map in the Young Lady¡¯s hand. ¡°You can go help Tris now. Let me reiterate, after the astral rift closes, I will definitely deploy all avable personnel and resources to help you enter the Blood Vulture Halls. But in your capacity as the Blood Vulture Young Lady, you must also help me stabilize the situation afterward.

    The Blood Vulture n has ruled here for 400 years. With your endorsement, the superstitious and fierce people of thesends will be more willing to submit to the new order.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± The Young Lady let out a long breath, very satisfied with this oue. To Murphy, she said, ¡°Onest step, make a vow.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Murphy raised a finger quite nonchntly and said, ¡°By the Night Mother¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you have no true reverence for the Night Mother. So I demand you vow in Tris¡¯ name, using that most dreadful but solemn vow for vampires.¡±

    Femis stared at him, making her final demand. This caused Murphy¡¯s gaze upon her to turn unfavorable.

    But the Young Lady did not budge an inch.

    This silent but clever loli had astutely noticed Murphy¡¯s co-dependency with Tris, and clearly understood what was most important to him.

    ¡°I, Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, hereby vow that if I fail to honor my promise to Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, then my elder Lady Tris shall suffer the Punishment of the Burning Day until her soul departs forever.¡±

    Murphy enunciated this short but solemn vow word by word. The Young Lady promptly handed him the map, then walked past Murphy towards the alchemy station where Tris was.

    After taking a few steps, she stopped and turned back to Murphy, saying:

    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about my presence affecting the new power you seek to establish, Murphy. The n has withered to this extent, I have no desire to conflict with you.

    This is what¡¯s in my heart.

    The truth is, I can assure you that after I¡¯vepleted my business, I will depart!

    Thisnd will belong to you afterwards. As long as you can defend it amidst the circling wolves, perhaps for the rest of our lives, we may never cross paths again.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The former Mond Vige had be a silent grave. Considering the young yers had buried all the corpses in pits before leaving, this description was apt. Yet even though barely a week had passed, this vige that had experienced such horrors was still undergoing some unspeakable events.

    The Old Finoch and his thirty elite Witch Hunters were resting and regrouping here after their relentless march.

    Over the past three days, they had traveled nonstop on swift warhorses. Enhanced by natural spirit energy, the Witch Hunters could control their organs and physiological cycles, eliminating the need for restrooms, eating and napping were done in the saddle.

    This was not difficult for them, but for Lieutenant Frayzer it had been a rather arduous journey, despite his ten years of war experience.

    He was now sitting by the campfire, rubbing his sore thighs incessantly, too distracted to maintain decorum despite the mocking gazes of several female Witch Hunters around him.

    ¡°Ah, damn it!¡± The lieutenant cursed under his breath.

    He had thought he¡¯d experienced all sorts of hardships in the war, but he had underestimated the routine endurance of the Witch Hunters.

    ¡°Use this.¡± The old knight tossed a small vial to the young lieutenant, munching on tasteless but nourishing hard tack while saying in a low voice, ¡°Find a private spot and apply it to your legs and your staff. It¡¯ll reduce swelling and prevent chafing quickly. Don¡¯t worry, lieutenant, we¡¯ve arrived at our destination. No need for such exertions from here on.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re still a day¡¯s journey from Kadman City,¡± said Lieutenant Frayzer, wincing from the sting in his inner thighs. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being overly cautious by camping here?¡±

    ¡°No, this spot is perfect,¡± exined the old knight. ¡°The demon-hunting warhorses can bring us near Kadman City within four hours. Our next step is reconnaissance, not a direct assault. We¡¯ll also rest here for a day or two to regain our vigor.¡±

    ¡°Of course, as a nonbatant, I¡¯ll assign someone to guard you specifically.¡±

    ¡°Battalion Commander! Ghouls have appeared in the vige.¡±

    The veteran Norman approached the campfire and addressed the Old Finoch in a solemn tone:

    ¡°Those amateurs recklessly buried hundreds of corpses in pits, causing the ghoul nest underground to spread extensively. This ce needs to be thoroughly cleansed, doused with alchemical solutions and then purged by fire.¡±

    ¡°There are no congregations of death spirit energy in Transia! Where do these ghoulse from?¡±

    The old knight said in surprise:

    ¡°Confirm they arose naturally and were not summoned by foul creatures?¡±

    The veteran wearing an iron mask to conceal terrible facial scars nodded and said:

    ¡°Natalie and Amber have inspected them, no traces of dark arts remain. Porter found Old Joe at the entrance to the ghoul den. He wasn¡¯t turned, but his remains have already¡­¡±

    ¡°Old Joe, I remember him, a formidable marksman, quiet and taciturn. He lost his family in the early years of the Ten Year War.¡±

    The Lord of White Oak sighed and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°We have a mission at hand and can¡¯t waste too much time on ghouls. Destroying their den should temporarily seal them away.

    Second Squad! Scout around Kadman City. If possible, capture a couple of tongues to gather intel on the situation.¡±

    A few seasoned hunters silently rose from around the campfire¡¯s perimeter. With the sound of warhorse hooves stamping the earth, they soon vanished from Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s view.

    This wasn¡¯t the lieutenant¡¯s first time in the Transia region or fighting alongside the Witch Hunters, but it was his first exposure to the kind of threats they routinely dealt with.

    On this continent, an ordinary soldier like the lieutenant was always separated from true transcendent powers by a ¡°gap¡± that protected them.

    This ¡°gap¡± was formerly called the Avalon Church, now known as the ¡°Circle Tower.¡±

    ¡°Ghouls sound quite dreadful, don¡¯t they? There are simr tales in the Andrey region, they¡¯re said to crawl out of graves at night, stealing and eating corpses while pursuing any poor soul who sees them to devour as well.¡±

    The lieutenant sat beside the old knight, speaking in a low voice:

    ¡°Do you regrly contend with such things?¡±

    ¡°Ghouls that merely feast mindlessly can hardly be called dreadful, lieutenant. When alone, their threat pales inparison to the roving bandits.

    Especially on the darknds of Transia, a brave farmer could dispatch a lone ghoul with a rake.

    On this ursednd beset by misfortune and cmity, nothing besides vampires dares call itself dreadful.

    Except for the foul things lurking in the southern Foul Swamp, that is.¡±

    The old knight chuckled softly, staring into the campfire.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here before in my youth, over a hundred years ago now. The Blood Vulture n was at its peak then, you cannot imagine the madness we experienced that night.

    Five hundred strong when we arrived, only seventeen remained by the time we departed.

    And I was one of them.

    The Transia region has always been the festering heart of this continent!

    Superstitious, dark, maddening, insr and savage, yet it maintains its own twisted order. Truly, I¡¯m d to witness the Blood Vultures¡¯ downfall.

    Besides, don¡¯t indulge unnecessary curiosity about the absurd, maddening world we upy, Frayzer.

    The dark abominations will scent your curiosity and follow, leaping forth from your nightmares to make a mess of what should be a perfect life.

    You don¡¯t belong here, or in our domain.

    So treat this as a fantastical adventure in your life, record it, then return to the sunlit world and live well. Decadester, by the fireside, you can recount this tale to your grandchildren.

    That¡¯s the life a young man named Carpe should have.¡±

    ¡°I think you underestimate my courage, old man!¡± Lieutenant Frayzer said with some annoyance. ¡°My past experiences tell me there¡¯s nothing a bullet can¡¯t solve, be it ghouls or vampires.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±The old knight patted his shoulder with a smile.

    ¡°Everyone thinks that way until they witness madness no bullet can stop. Quickly, apply the salve! Don¡¯t mind appearances.

    If you ever want to have children in this life¡­¡±

 Chapter 58:

    ¡°Mr. Porter, you said that three workers who went out loggingst night have gone missing?¡±

    On the fifth day of the special event in Kadman City, Miriam received some bad news early in the morning.

    She was holding a cup of strangely vored but invigorating tea, looking at the captain of the camp guards in front of her. Thetter was in his forties and had previously been a police officer in the outer city of Kadman City. He was now tasked withmanding a total of 30 camp guards.

    At this moment, this slightly balding fat man was wiping sweat in front of Miriam.

    Although Miriam was young enough to be his daughter, his life and the new position he had just obtained were at her mercy, which was enough to make him full of reverence towards the red-haired girl.

    This emotion was keenly sensed by her.

    She didn¡¯t dislike this feeling of being respected, so she imitated the mannerisms of the administrators she remembered and slowed her speech as she asked:

    ¡°Could there have been an error in the records? Many of the guards in the camp are doing this kind of professional work for the first time. Have you gone to check?¡±

    ¡°I personally went to the shelters where the three workers were assigned and asked the people around them, ma¡¯am.¡±The fat captain said seriously:

    ¡°It can be confirmed that they are truly missing! They also didn¡¯t go to work today, and the squad leader in charge of tallyingbor credits hasn¡¯t seen them sincest night.¡±

    ¡°Could they have run away?¡±

    Miriam¡¯s assistant, a clever maid from a wealthy merchant family, couldn¡¯t help but ask when she saw her mistress deep in thought:

    ¡°Although most people in the camp have epted the management, we all know that there are some stubborn ones who are unsatisfied with the order Murphy has brought.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    Guard Captain Porter exined:

    ¡°Those three loggers were young men rescued by Lord Maxim. They¡¯ve been working very hard these past two days since being assigned jobs, and two of them even have family members in the camp.

    People who know them say these three fellows are very honest and dutiful. They have no reason or ability to run away at this time. They didn¡¯t even bring any food or clothing, so how far could they run?

    From my many years of investigating cases, my guess is that they may have been carried off by wild animals after getting off work and wandering around the camp¡¯s surroundings. That patch of forest nearby has had wolf activity for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I feel that something is off about this.¡±

    Miriam shook her head and said to Mr. Porter:

    ¡°First, take some people and look around the area, but don¡¯t make a big deal of it to avoid causing panic. I need to report this matter to Lord Murphy. Fortunately, the curfew has been in effect for two days, otherwise this incident might not have been discovered so easily.¡±

    A few minutester, Murphy learned about the ¡°missing workers incident¡± in the survivor camp through the link of theputation bead. At the moment, he was still preparing for the ¡°Great Burning n¡± to reim the city ruins and couldn¡¯t spare himself at all. But as he looked up, he saw two little yers chatting andughing while carrying weapons out of the city district.

    He remembered these seemed to be Niuniu¡¯s two junior sworn brothers?

    Two jocks!

    Perfect to send on an errand.

    Murphy¡¯s eyes shifted, and after clearing his throat, he said to the two cheerful little yers:

    ¡°My warriors,e here quickly. I have an important task for you.¡±

    The two little yers looked at each other, then excitedly ran over and even gave Murphy a proper local courtesy, having learned it from others.

    ¡°We are willing to offer you our loyalty, Lord Murphy.¡±

    The two pledged their allegiance.

    But from their appearance, it was obvious they were just trying to gain some favor.

    Murphy ignored the two little yers¡¯ overeager expressions with the solemn demeanor an NPC should have, and said in a low voice:

    ¡°There has been an incident at the survivor camp. Three diligent and reliable workers we have been protecting disappearedst night. Although it is possible that wild beasts were to me, we cannot be careless.

    I hope you two can investigate and help Miss Miriam resolve the trouble she is facing.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The quest triggered, and the two little yers immediately looked at their yer interfaces:

    ¡¾Random Event ¡°Trouble at the Camp¡± has triggered

    Quest Description: An unsettling anomaly has urred at the survivor camp. In the current situation of manpower shortage, Lord Murphy has decided to dispatch his most loyal and trustworthy warriors to eliminate any potential threat.

    Quest Objective: Thoroughly search the area around the camp and find clues about the missing workers.

    Quest Reward: Unknown, eliminating the threat will earn additional rewards.

    Quest Time Limit: Before dusk today.

    Note!

    Random events differ from quests, often having time limits and random rewards. Pleaseplete this event within the time limit.¡¿

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Once weplete this quest, you¡¯ll see our strong and reliable Lord Murphy¡¯s favor towards us skyrocketing.¡±

    The two young yers didn¡¯t look back after epting the quest, rushing towards the stables at the edge of the defensive line, where they could rent docile old horses to travel conveniently between the camp and the line.

    But they had clearly never ridden horses before, and could only climb onto the horses¡¯ backs with difficulty with the help of an old handler specifically assigned to tend to the horses, progressing at a turtle¡¯s pace towards their quest objective.

    This whole process gave Murphy a headache just watching, especially the poor posture of the two students lying boastfully on the horses.

    He felt he really needed to train the little yers¡¯ vehicle skills, because in this current continent full of swords and magic, it was a bit hard to justify being an adventurer if you couldn¡¯t even ride a horse.

    But Murphy quickly put this minor issue out of his mind, soon re-focusing on searching deep into the outer city ruins to eliminate those Astral Realm beasts.

    Although he could notplete the Trial of Strength for now, and his Blood Vulture Sword Arts were already at the master level, he still needed to practice the Tomb Guard Sword Arts and Shadow Elf Secret Sword Arts, improving these two advanced sword arts was no easy feat.

    Tris was still training him in the use of various spirit skills, making Murphy¡¯s days ¡°exceedingly full.¡±

    To put it bluntly, he was much busier than the little yers chasing thrills.

    Twenty minutester, the two little yers¡¾Path of Mud and Oil¡¿and¡¾Khaki Tony Tai¡¿finally arrived at the ce where the workers went missing. They dismounted the old horses, tied up the mounts to a tree, took up their weapons and began aimlessly searching.

    However, as junior sworn brothers of Niuniu, the two jocks had no professional scouting skills to aplish this task, and their initial ss wasn¡¯t even Hunter, but Warrior.

    Murphy sent them purely on a chance, relying on the yers¡¯ fearless exploratory nature to handle areas the natives couldn¡¯t deeply investigate.

    The two soon encountered the camp¡¯s guard captain cking off in the woods. Aftermunicating with him through theputation bead, they were pointed in a possible direction and continued exploring further outside the camp area along the woods.

    ¡°This game doesn¡¯t even have any highlighted clues or anything.¡±

    Carrying a war spear, short but stocky with obvious muscr outlines on his arms, quite skilled with the javelin and shot put,¡¾Path of Mud and Oilined:

    ¡°At least give us a skill like Hunter Vision, how are we supposed to find anyone blindly wandering around like this?

    Speaking of the storyline where workers or farmers get abducted, shouldn¡¯t it end up with them being killed by beasts, triggering a subsequent revenge quest?¡±

    ¡°What, you nning to bring back a beast¡¯s head to the camp for a reward?¡±

    Next to him, thenky figure of ¡¾Khaki Tony Tai¡¿ with his long legs clearly a professional track athlete, kept one hand on the hilt of the kilij at his waist while carrying a heraldic shield on his back. Squinting around, he joked with his dorm buddy:

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of running into a tiger, are you?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re unstoppable jocks. If we run into a tiger, watch me slide tackle it!¡±

    His buddyughed,pletelycking any sense of crisis.

    They had only entered the game two days ago.

    Unlike the previous batch of veterans who had gone through repeated battles, the most dangerous thing they had faced so far was just the spawns of despair in the city, so they weren¡¯t very familiar with the various mechanisms in this game.

    The saying is ¡°the fearless know no danger.¡± So naturally, they failed to notice the Witch Hunter crouched on a branch nearby, looking down at these two greenhorns.

    This elite scout was also quite surprised.

    They had just captured three campborers for interrogationst night, but it had already raised the other side¡¯s alert this morning, causing them to send people out searching.

    In theory, the general management level of a post-disaster camp of this scale shouldn¡¯t reach these heights.

    ¡°It seems the information those three vampire cultists provided was true.¡±

    The hidden Witch Hunter scout thought to himself:

    ¡°The vampire leader who has gathered survivors in Kadman City is quite formidable, with fierce warriors under hismand and ns to thoroughly reim the city.

    But are these the soldiers he has sent out?

    So unprofessional!

    However, the armor they are wearing is clearly in the style of the Blood Vulture n, so they must know more.¡±

    With that thought, the scout mimicked bird calls to send information through the woods. Meanwhile, down below, Path of Mud and Oil and Khaki Tony Tai remainedpletely oblivious to this anomaly, continuing their bold search until a few minutester when they blundered straight into an ambush set by three elite Witch Hunters.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    A smoke bomb suddenly dropped from above and exploded at the two little yers¡¯ feet, the billowing smoke startling them.

    After realizing they were ambushed, their response was remarkably calm, immediately going back-to-back with weapons drawn in a defensive stance instead of panicking.

    This came from the habits instilled in them over the past two days of urbanbat under Niuniu and Maxim¡¯s tutge andmand.

    But seeing the three elite Witch Hunters leaping down from the trees to surround them, taking in their strange attire and arsenal of deadly weapons, the two little yers realized they were likely trapped today.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off!¡±

    The shield-bearing, sword-wielding brother Khaki Tony Tai was at least loyal, telling his dorm buddy behind him:

    ¡°You break through and escape! Post the coordinates on the world channel, call for help!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, you hang in there!¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil knew this was no time for dramatic brotherly affection.

    He let out a yell while thrusting his war spear forward, charging recklessly at the Witch Hunter behind, only to be nimbly dodged. Meanwhile, Khaki was being brutally beaten by the male and female Witch Hunter warriors in front.

    The gap in strength was toorge.

    The battle ended within five seconds.

    Path of Mud and Oil, who refused to cooperate during his attempted breakthrough, was stabbed in the back and died on the spot. Khaki, on the other hand, was knocked out by a poison dart and taken as a prisoner.

    Since they had already alerted the people at the camp, the Witch Hunter squad wasted no time, quickly leaving with their four captives and heading back towards Mond Vige.

    They thought they were in the clear.

    After all, killing the rookie soldier trying to break through would ensure the message couldn¡¯t get out.

    However, in less than 20 seconds, the game forum group exploded.

    PathOfMudAndOil: ¡¾Dang dang dang! We encountered ghosts in the random event! Why would elite monsters spawn near the newbie vige? And three of them at once!

    I valiantly resisted but still got stabbed to death in the end. Khaki Tony Tai got knocked out and captured!

    Dang! What¡¯s up with this game, there¡¯s even a captured yer function?

    What if Khaki gets tortured, what then?¡¿

    KhakiTonyTai: ¡¾Tortured my ass! When I got knocked out I was forcibly logged out, okay? The game helmet notified me my character is in a ¡®special state¡¯ and needs 4 hours before reviving and logging back in.

    At least this doesn¡¯t count as game time consumed.

    Dang!

    What new mechanism is this? Why wasn¡¯t there any exnation?¡¿

    TigerLeopardRiderSoldier: ¡¾That¡¯s not bad at all, brother! Since you can log back in, it means you triggered a special storyline, heh heh. Maybe it¡¯s testing a special game feature, like R18 S&M stuff.¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾This game has such thrilling functions? nosebleed.jpg bigthumbsup.jpg¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾You two don¡¯t panic first, this game is still in testing. This might just be testing a small feature. Why don¡¯t you tell us about those elite monsters first? New monster type?¡¿

    KhakiTonyTai: ¡¾Humanoid monsters! Super strong! They dress just like the Assassins from Assassin¡¯s Creed, wearing hoods and carrying all sorts of weapons. Theirbat skills are extremely powerful, my proficient swordsmanship and 7 endurance were useless against them.

    I even took screenshots!

    picture.jpg¡¿

    He uploaded two pictures taken hastily during the intense battle. The first was quite blurry, but the second clearly showed their opponents¡¯ appearance.

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾!!!Those are the old faith Witch Hunters, right? We dealt with them plenty in previous tests, those guys are formidable, no wonder you two newbies couldn¡¯t handle them even with guns.

    But how did they appear near Kadman City?

    And sneak right up to the camp? Is this a new storyline unlocking? Seamlessly transitioning from Kadman City¡¯s special event?¡¿

    PathOfMudAndOil: ¡¾Sister Lumina, give us the details, so these guys are Lord Murphy¡¯s enemies then? They¡¯vee for revenge?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Not necessarily, the Witch Hunters¡¯ backstory hasn¡¯t fully opened up yet, who knows what they¡¯re up to. But I suspect it has to do with Kadman City¡¯s disaster. Did you two get that random quest from Lord Murphy?

    That would exin it.

    A main line NPC issuing that kind of story quest is to be expected, maybe he¡¯s already discovered traces of these Witch Hunters.

    Don¡¯t worry, your encounter may have been scripted deaths.

    But I¡¯m puzzled.

    In theory, scripted deaths shouldn¡¯t actually kill yers, so how did you end up dying for real? @Path of Mud and Oil¡¿

    PathOfMudAndOil: ¡¾I figured I¡¯d valiantly resist to the end, can¡¯t let us yers be humiliated, ya know? But thinking back carefully, it does seem like that Witch Hunter yelled something at me before stabbing me dead. Might have been telling me to surrender?

    Dang!

    If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have resisted!

    But this still counts as a ¡®work injury¡¯ right? A three-day revival cooldown is brutal, it¡¯s kinda unreasonable to notpensate that.¡¿

    At this point, Murphy, who was screen-peeking, was dumbfounded and inwardly shaken. He never expected randomly issuing a quest could uncover such intel.

    Those damn Witch Hunters actually came to kill again?

    This bullying of the honest folk never ends!

    Hmph!

    Just wait until my little yers grow up, I¡¯ll make sure to wipe you all out!

    I¡¯ll scatter your ashes everywhere.

    However, those poor sods captured prisoners?

    Tsk tsk, they probably still don¡¯t know what they¡¯ve captured, do they? Might as well take this chance to infiltrate the Witch Hunters and scout them out a bit, the little yers¡¯ ¡°sacrifice¡± would bepletely wasted otherwise.

    Murphy pondered as he hijacked Khaki Tony Tai¡¯sputation bead with his core bead, feeling like he had discovered yet another use for his adorable little yers.

    It¡¯s a good thing they¡¯re on my side, tsk, otherwise this would be truly unpreventable!

 Chapter 59:

    ¡°Lady, Lord Murphy demands your immediate presence. He has important news to convey.¡±

    Lady Adele hurried into a secluded tower in the city center and spoke softly to Lady Femis, who was studying some ancient scriptures.

    Thetter was so engrossed in her reading that Lady Adele¡¯s words startled her, causing her to instinctively cover the book in her hands. This action made Lady Adele blink, but she did not react further.

    ¡°What is it again?¡±

    Femis seemed to be in a foul mood, and her tone was somewhat unkind as sheined:

    ¡°I have never seen a vampire as troublesome as Murphy before. He is truly an oddity among us, not at all like a vampire, but rather like a human turning into a scheming, calcting plotter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about the current threat.¡±

    Lady Adele did not express her opinion on this statement. Instead, she said in a low voice:

    ¡°Lord Murphy seems to have discovered a new danger approaching, and he needs you to be aware of everything. Lady Tris and he are already waiting for you at the front line.¡±¡°You actually want to call him ¡®master¡¯, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The youngdy emerged from her hiding ce, looking up at the oddly gloomy sky above as she spread her Blood Vulture wings. She said to Lady Adele:

    ¡°I think you have already felt thepulsory obedience of the blood pact.

    Do not resist that instinct. Vampiric society operates this way, with superiors exerting control over inferiors that is difficult to resist. All I can be grateful for now is that Murphy is not a shameless, vulgar person. Otherwise, it would be as if I had personally pushed you into the fire pit.

    Would you me me for that?¡±

    ¡°My life was given to me by you.¡±

    Lady Adele blinked her crimson eyes and shook her head, saying:

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have died twenty years ago. Why would I me you? But mydy, why don¡¯t you¡­ I mean, if I were to be your blood descendant, I would¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discuss this issue right now, Adele.¡±

    The youngdy was clearly intentionally avoiding this subject.

    She waved her hand, folding her wings in preparation for flight, and said to her former maid:

    ¡°You must get used to the existence of such an elder as he is. Do not resist him because of me!

    It¡¯s for your own good.

    I don¡¯t want to see you put on a shameful dog leash. Murphy may not do that, but Tris¡­ she will not go easy in that regard.

    I only just learned from reading the family scriptures what a crazed, vicious person the young Tris used to be. Compared to those spine-chilling stories, her present self seems like an unreal, decadent shadow of her former life.

    Remember, Adele.

    Your situation is already improving, so don¡¯t provoke her under any circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Lady Adele nodded, following the youngdy as she spread her wings and flew into the dim sky, descending minutester at the foot of the city wall defenses.

    Murphy was discussing something with Tris, and when Adele saw Murphy¡¯s back, she was suddenly overwhelmed by an inexplicable ¡°urge to pledge allegiance.¡±

    She longed to kneel before this great man, offer him her loyalty, and receive his praise, though it was only a fleeting thought. Still, it proved that she was indeed being influenced by the blood pact.

    She could only maintain her usual silence and coldness, striving to conceal her mind behind her expression.

    Upon seeing the youngdy approach, Murphy did not waste words.

    ¡°The Witch Hunters havee!¡±

    He said gravely:

    ¡°Two of my warriors encountered them in the woods outside the camp. One is dead, and one is captured. We cannot yet confirm their numbers, but we can be certain their intentions are not good.¡±

    The youngdy was also somewhat troubled by this sudden news.

    She sat on a nearby stone and, after a few seconds, looked up at Murphy and said:

    ¡°Can¡¯t you establish a mental connection with your warriors? They are your summons, after all. In the material world, you have the power tomand them.¡±

    ¡°So you do know!¡±

    Murphy snorted and said:

    ¡°The youngdy certainly knows how to feign ignorance. Under that seemingly innocent exterior, what kind of soul is hidden?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is truly a very innocent soul.¡±

    Tris raised her hand to stop Murphy¡¯s words. Looking at the youngdy, she said:

    ¡°You must conceal this secret. This is not a request!¡±

    ¡°I swear it.¡±

    The youngdy did not argue with Tris, simply raising her finger and taking a vow, which finally put Tris¡¯s mind at ease regarding this matter. She turned back to Murphy and asked:

    ¡°Where is the captured warrior now?¡±

    ¡°In a ce that left a memorable impression on me.¡±

    Murphy studied the coordinates and rough map projected by the core bead in his hand, saying:

    ¡°Mond Vige. I thought I would never have anything to do with that ce again in this lifetime, but it seems the Witch Hunters have set up camp there, quite cautiously.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough strength, no, we have no strength to attack that ce.¡±

    The youngdy raised her hand, saying:

    ¡°As long as the number of Witch Hunters exceeds two squads, we must consider avoiding their wrath.

    Don¡¯t expect the civilians to be of any use in confronting them. The ughter of vampire-worshipping civilians by those people during the Ten-Year War has already be a grotesque tale.

    We need to figure out why they¡¯vee here, and we need to elerate our actions.¡±

    ¡°We can leave.¡±

    The ever-silent Lady Adele suddenly spoke up:

    ¡°We can migrate towards the Dark Mountains!

    I know that between the Foul Swamp and the outskirts of the Dark Mountains, there is a secluded mountain valley rarely trodden by humans that can serve as a hiding ce. We can even bring all the survivors here with us.

    It¡¯s big enough.

    If you need me to, I can lead you there.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Murphy and the youngdy simultaneously rejected this proposal. Although their motivations differed, they were both clearly unwilling to abandon their base in Kadman City.

    This synchronicity made Tris roll her eyes as she said:

    ¡°If we¡¯re not leaving, then we¡¯ll have toe up with another n.

    However, if I had to guess, I would tell you that this situation is probably not as dangerous as you think. I suspect those Witch Hunters¡¯ target is not us at all.

    They may be after certain things hidden within Kadman City, as well as certain evidence, let me put it bluntly. I suspect they havee to confirm Salrokdar¡¯s death and the utter downfall of the Blood Vultures.

    So, if handled well, there may not be any conflict between the two sides.

    We might even be able to pretend the other doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Are you joking, Lady Tris?¡±

    The youngdy said in a low voice:

    ¡°In my view, those Witch Hunters have already gone mad. They are the war hounds chasing all destruction and ughter. They were originally created by the Old Church to oppose us.¡±

    ¡°I understand this better than you, Femis. You don¡¯t need to emphasize to me who they are! The first batch of Witch Hunters took action right before my eyes when I was very young, even younger than you are now.¡±

    Lady Tris snorted:

    ¡°So don¡¯t unt your pitiful knowledge in front of me. You should know that the rapid decline of the Witch Hunters began after the Old Church rebellion was suppressed in the early years of the Ten-Year War.

    For hundreds of years before that, they saw themselves as the guardians of the Isa Kingdom, with moral standards and military discipline surpassing most organizations on the continent.

    So, if the one leading them this time is a rational veteran who has experienced the former glory, then there is a possibility of negotiation between us.

    After all, Salrokdar can no longer control us, and on this matter, we are free enough.

    Of course, that is only a possibility!

    Given the wretched state of Kadman City and the Blood Vulture n, destroying us would be like cutting butter for them. As for how to choose, it¡¯s up to little Murphy.¡±

    The gazes of the other three women fell upon Murphy.

    The vampire yed with the core bead in his hand, and after a moment, he shrugged and said:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Ding¡±

    Aftering back online, the unlucky captive Khaki Tony Tai had just opened his eyes when he heard a light sound from theputation bead tied to his wrist. Then, a floating prompt popped up on the yer interface:

    ¡¾Random Event ¡®Camp Troubles¡¯ Completed! Subsequent Hidden Quest ¡®Emissary of Blood and des¡¯ Triggered

    Quest Description: Lord Murphy has learned through his mysterious connection with you of the predicament you now face. But every crisis conceals an opportunity, and the merciful Murphy would never demand that his warriors risk their lives.

    Quest Objective: Persuade the Witch Hunter leader to establish contact with Murphy.

    Quest Reward: Blood Vulture Veteran n Outfit ¡¾6/6¡¿, Vault Guard Mick¡¯s Ambition Weapon Series ¡¾2/2¡¿

    Note!

    This is an optional quest of extreme difficulty!

    Developer¡¯s Tip!

    Testers can abandon this quest at any time and enter the death process via the ¡®Forced Disconnect¡¯ option if they feel they are about to be harmed, without any additional penalties.¡¿

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    When he saw the optional quest pop up, Khaki was delighted. Then, upon seeing the bountiful reward, his eyes turned into gold coin shapes.

    He had only been in the game for 2 days as a novice, but he knew that even veteran yers couldn¡¯t currently gather a full ¡°Veteran¡± series armor set. The Vault Guard¡¯s Ambition weapon series was even rarer.

    Not only did these items have godly attributes and cool appearances, but they also came with backstories and yellow text descriptions. Their collectibility and coolness were maxed out.

    The only known way to obtain them so far was through Maxim¡¯s ¡°Trial of Strength¡± drop. In the entire game, only the hugely popr Sister Pomegranate had managed to obtain a pair of Vault Guard¡¯s Ambition ws through a ¡°bug exploit.¡±

    Now, all he needed to do wasplete this random event to get a full set of high-level gear and even snag a good weapon to console the unfortunate Path of Mud and Oil after his numerous setbacks, while also making that guy cover his lunch for the next week.

    This was a total jackpot!

    However, while the jock was a bit reckless, he wasn¡¯t stupid. Such a bountiful reward implied that the risks he would face were far greater than fighting wild monsters in the city ruins.

    But he was a yer!

    No matter what antics he got up to, he couldn¡¯t actually die. At worst, he¡¯d hang in there for 3 days before bing a hero again. So what were these so-called risks and difficulties? Just do it.

    He made up his mind, then observed his surroundings.

    Khaki quickly realized he was tied up next to a burning campfire, with three equally bound and terrified-looking camp workers beside him. Guarding them were three intimidating ¡°Assassin¡± Witch Hunters whose gazes from under their hoods felt like cold knives sending chills down one¡¯s spine.

    ¡°I want to see your leader!¡± Khaki shouted, but no one paid him any attention.

    On one hand, the Witch Hunters were used to the screams of their prey.

    On the other hand, who the hell could understand your otherworldlynguage with that Northeastern ent?

    While Khaki Tony Tai was racking his brains trying to establish contact, in a cleared house amidst the ruins of Mond Vige, the old knight Finoch Lawson was receiving a report from his subordinate hunters.

    ¡°Battalion Commander! That captive who was brought back bound is one of Lord Murphy the vampire¡¯s otherworldly summons! Although that guy put a spirit camouge on his summon, I can confirm this!¡±

    Scout Captain Natalie said gravely to her superior:

    ¡°My squad and I have fought them in this vige before. Theirnguagees from another realm, a trait they cannot disguise.¡±

    Old Finoch did not respond. He looked at the spirit dog tag belonging to Khaki Tony Tai, clearly sensing the effects of a few spirit techniques on this dog tag, corroborating Natalie¡¯s im indirectly.

    After a moment, he looked up and asked:

    ¡°So Murphy the vampire, whom you have been ¡®concerned¡¯ about, is the core presence of these summons in the material world? Meaning through these summons, we can contact the mastermind behind the series of supernatural phenomena basically confirmed to be urring in Kadman City?

    Natalie, I have not asked how you and your squad escaped from the Midnight Hunters, but I¡¯m guessing that for you all to have escaped alive from that dire situation, there must have been some ¡®external factors¡¯ involved.

    Does this have to do with this mysterious Murphy?¡±

    The Battalion Commander¡¯s questioning made Natalie bite her lip. Very reluctantly, she nodded and said:

    ¡°It was one of his Blood Servants who delivered the message, and his Blood Servant who gave us the chance to retaliate at thest moment. But I don¡¯t think this stemmed from vampirepassion, it¡¯s just another plot!

    We were merely used as a sword to harm his own kind by that Murphy.

    He exploited us, which makes me hate him even more.¡±

    ¡°Why would you hate someone who saved your life? Even if he is a vampire. Meaningless hatred is a luxury in life.¡±

    Old Finoch shook his head. Holding the spirit dog tag in his hand, he said to Natalie:

    ¡°Bring that captive to me. I want to interrogate him personally.¡±

    ¡°Battalion Commander!¡±

    Natalie immediately realized things were going awry. She took a step forward, mming her hand on the table as she said gravely:

    ¡°You cannot make private contact with vampires! It goes against the rules! They are our enemies! They must be exterminated¡­¡±

    ¡°The Witch Hunters have no enemies, Natalie!¡±

    Old Finoch cut off the young scout captain¡¯s words in an even deeper voice, staring intently at the female warrior before him as he said emphatically:

    ¡°The Blood Vulture n is an enemy of the Goldflower Kingdom in this war, not ours! After the fall of the Old Church, past grudges have lost their meaning.

    We have now joined the Ten-Year War as mercenaries. This does not mean we have truly be war hounds enved by hatred and war.

    You experienced the time when the Old Church still existed. In all the training you received from childhood, was there ever a divine proverb telling you that you must kill every vampire in this world?

    Killing has never been Avalon¡¯s will, even for the Red Knights symbolizing cmity and conquest.

    You have been changed by war, Natalie.

    I think the one who needs to calm down is you.

    You are satisfied being an angry warrior, even indulging yourself in that anger. But you know very well that you cannot only be a warrior! You must consider the future for yourrades as well.

    That is also why I agreed to bring you four here.¡±

    ¡°The future?¡±

    Natalie lowered her head, letting out a bitterugh before saying hoarsely:

    ¡°We have no future left, Battalion Commander.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you do!¡±

    Old Finoch narrowed his eyes and said softly:

    ¡°The future is an inextinguishable thing. As long as you open your eyes, you can find traces of hope. But before making your final choice, you must carefully consider every possible path.

    This Murphy once defeated you, but he also once saved you.

    This shows he is no ordinary vampire, you need to pay extra attention to such individuals.

    Natalie, I did not just bring you out here to have youplete vengeance for yourrades. You need to learn to be a leader!

    Start learning now!

    This is an order!¡±

 Chapter 60:

    Poor Khaki Tony Tai was utterly despairing.

    He shouted himself hoarse for a long time but no one paid him any attention. Finally, the Witch Hunter guarding him got annoyed, came over and pped him on the ear, then stuffed a dirty rag into his mouth.

    The young yer was dazed.

    Although it didn¡¯t hurt, this humiliating treatment dealt a huge psychological blow to the young man.

    When had he ever suffered such indignity? His northeastern hot-headedness red up and he struggled, wanting to headbutt the witch hunter. But the witch hunter just nimbly dodged backwards, perfectly evading Khaki¡¯s attack.

    The three other captured, bruised and batteredborers watched dumbfounded.

    Hey man, are you really that brave?

    This is their territory, you know. The four of us against their thirty, tsk, we¡¯re still slightly outnumbered.

    Brother Khaki, let¡¯s just drop it. No need to tangle with these barbaric Witch Hunters.On Khaki Tony Tai¡¯s side, he was getting anxious too.

    He only had six hours of gaming time per day, he didn¡¯t have time to y tie-up games with these Witch Hunters. Seeing that no matter how much he shouted, no one came to his aid, heaven and earth remained deaf to his pleas.

    He was thinking maybe he should just kill himself and reincarnate, since in three days he¡¯d be a free man again. Then he could bring his family¡¯s invincible Brother Niu Niu and other brothers to kill their way here and bury all these bastards!

    While he was having this internal struggle, he suddenly saw a gray-haired female Witch Hunter stride out from the vige, say a few words to the guard, thene up and grab his rope to pull him up.

    When Khaki Tony Tai saw her draw a short de to cut his ropes, he immediately realized his chance hade!

    The cool counterattack scenes from all the cop shows and action movies he¡¯d seen kept reying in this jock¡¯s mind. So the instant his hands were freed, he went to grab the female Witch Hunter¡¯s throat.

    But Natalie didn¡¯t pay any attention to this novice¡¯s counterattack.

    She leaned her upper body back, then lightly swept with her left foot. The inexperienced Khaki Tony Tai trying to attack fell straight on his face with a thud, and Natalie then stepped on his back.

    As everything went ck before his eyes, his yer interface performed a ¡°disappearing health bar¡± trick right in front of him.

    With a swish, only one-fifth of his health remained.

    Of course, his digitized body wouldn¡¯t have that much reaction, but this standard and deadly backhand strike had thoroughly cowed Khaki Tony Tai. He realized he probably couldn¡¯t handle just any random Witch Hunter in this camp.

    Oh man, had he just wandered into some kind of team dungeon instance?

    ¡°Stay still!¡±

    Natalie dragged the disheveled Khaki up from the ground and stared into his eyes, saying:

    ¡°I know your master is Murphy. I¡¯ve seen him! The Battalion Commander wants to see you, so don¡¯t try any more tricks.¡±

    This line was presented to Khaki through his yer interface¡¯s trantion. He gritted his teeth, convincing himself thatpleting the quest was more important. Besides, how could a real man like him pick a fight with a girl?

    So he obediently nodded and followed Natalie into the vige.

    Along the way, he didn¡¯t forget to record the locations of the visible sentries he saw, and tried his best to assess the strength of this Witch Hunter faction, in order to fulfill his role as an ¡°undercover worker.¡±

    But the more he saw, the more hopeless he became.

    If each of these Witch Hunters in the camp were elite monsters, maybe even his side¡¯s NPCs wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if they attacked together.

    But everyone on the forum had been saying that Murphy¡¯s elder matriarch, Lady Tris, was actually a skeleton-level faction leader. If the rumors were true, the two sides might still be able to fight it out.

    But thinking carefully, since the NPCs on his side could give him quests to act as their envoy, it meant these neutral mobs were probably open tomunication. And realizing that his uing conversation with their leader would directly impact the next main story quest line, Khaki Tony Tai couldn¡¯t help his heart racing with excitement.

    No matter what young people think, they do tend to have active minds.

    Just as he was thinking about how to match wits and courage with the enemy leader, and how to present himself as Lord Murphy¡¯s envoy, bold and unyielding, Natalie pushed him into the room where themander was located.

    A bright gasmp sat on the table in front.

    Old Finoch sat behind the table, the great oak de at his side.

    He raised his head to look at the young yer, showing a gentle smile like a world-weary barfly uncle with many stories.

    Khaki Tony Tai wanted to put on airs of politeness, but the moment their eyes met, he saw the old knight casually pinch and snap one of the oak seeds he was toying with.

    Natural Spirit ¨C Mind Enthrallment!

    Instantly, Khaki felt an invisible force press down on his thoughts, a heavy whispering voice speaking to him.

    He suddenly felt dazed and muddled, knowing this state wasn¡¯t right, but found it very difficult to focus his will to resist.

    Willpower check!

    The yer¡¯s willpower is too low, critical failure!

    Mind Enthrallment great sess!

    Khaki Tony Tai¡¯s consciousness was instantly trapped in inescapable mental domination.

    But since it was a harmless, suggestive spell effect, instead of being forcibly disconnected, he strangely entered a third-person perspective, as if hovering outside his own body, watching himself dazedly walk up and sit across from the old man.

    Just like a marite on strings.

    Oh no!

    The opponent was cheating! No honor in battle!

    Khaki was freaking out.

    But at this point, besides venting into the void, he couldn¡¯t do anything at all. He could only watch helplessly as the kind-faced but crafty old man asked him:

    ¡°How many of you are there?¡±

    ¡°Over a thousand people, all rescued from the city by Lord Murphy and settled in the survivor camp. The strongest and most loyal were selected to be members of Lord Murphy¡¯s ¡®Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯, while the rest will serve as basicbor for Lord Murphy.¡±

    Khaki saw his character involuntarily telling the truth, while his yer interface was somehow still operating, projecting a trantion of his words into the localnguage with spirit energy.

    Old Finoch was no stranger to spiritputation beads like this.

    He carefully read the spirit text projected on Khaki¡¯s wrist, nodded, then asked:

    ¡°In your view, what kind of person is Murphy?¡±

    ¡°Very handsome, very steady, very good to us, just like our big brother leader.¡±

    Under the mind control, Khaki obediently voiced his most genuine thoughts, while his self watching helplessly from the third-person perspective stamped his foot in frustration.

    He seemed to know he was about to say some really strange things.

    Now he could only pray that Lord Murphy couldn¡¯t hear any of this!

    ¡°But he¡¯s also very effeminate, always speaking in a pretentious way. He looks just like a scheming goblin. Rumor has it he even has an ambiguous rtionship with his own elder.

    Tsk, doesn¡¯t seem like a good guy at all.

    To put it in our Northeastern ng, that guy is a crafty little bugger.

    We¡¯ve all been guessing what Lord Murphy is nning to do. Brother Meow says he wants to be the number two son of the Blood Vulture n, but Brother Stick supports Lord Murphy taking it over.

    After all, a real man was born between heaven and earth, how could he wallow beneath others forever?

    Anyway, the Blood Vulture n is almost extinct now, only a couple mangy cats left. Our talented Lord Murphy is so good to themoners, he might as well just do it, dammit!

    Lead the loyalists big and small from the survivor camp to kill our way into Kadman¡¯s inner city. We brave warriors will be the vanguard, seize that stupid Blood Vulture Patriarch¡¯s throne, save the great house from copse, rescue the people from ruin, and restore order to thisnd of Transia.

    Then Brother Murphy can be the big leader, Lady Tris the second-inmand, and we¡¯ll push that good-for-nothing rich loli princess out to be a puppet emperor.

    All us brothers will get official ranks, wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡±

    Under the mind control, Khaki Tony Taipletely lost control of his character¡¯s nonsensical ramblings and stand-upedy routine. His consciousness could only hover helplessly in the third-person view, covering his eyes in despair.

    He was doomed.

    And after his words were tranted into the localnguage by the yer interface, the old knight stared nkly, probably having never in his life heard such a fresh and elegant way of describing shameless betrayal and kicking someone when they¡¯re down.

    But after a few seconds, Old Finoch suddenlyughed, as if many of his doubts had been answered at once.

    He slowly stroked the hilt of the great oak de at his side and continued asking:

    ¡°Did Murphy himself say he wanted to establish his own power base? Or was that just you brave warriors guessing?¡±

    ¡°Did I need to guess?¡±

    Under the mind control, Khaki fully disyed his talent for rambling incoherently, muddled and dazed as he pped his lips:

    ¡°With Lord Murphy¡¯s way of doing things, anyone with eyes can see what he¡¯s up to, he¡¯s just ying coy about it himself.

    All he has to do is give the order and we¡¯re willing to be the vanguard. And you Witch Hunters who can¡¯t see the bigger picture, what good does it do to oppose the main storyline NPCs?

    I advise you to see the situation clearly! Don¡¯t stubbornly resist the inevitable.

    The old saying goes well, ¡®The heavens are ever changing, and divine instruments naturally return to the virtuous.¡¯ This is the way of nature! If youy down your arms and surrender respectfully, you can still keep your lord¡¯s fiefdoms, wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡±

    This trantion activated some key words, so it was fuzzily tranted, omitting the words ¡°main storyline NPCs¡±, but it didn¡¯t prevent the old knight from understanding what this ¡°Murphy warrior¡± meant to say.

    He wasn¡¯t angered by the arrogance, but instead stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then rapped his knuckles on the table.

    The mind control effect ended.

    Khaki¡¯s consciousness hovering in the third-person perspective was suddenly whirled back into his own body.

    Feeling dizzy and nauseous, he tried to get up and run away, but as he turned his head, he vomited a rainbow in front of Natalie¡¯s disdainful gaze at the door.

    ¡°This is the result of experiencing mind control for the first time. But I didn¡¯t expect your vaunted ¡®Murphy warriors¡¯ to have such weak willpower.

    I¡¯ve seen people stay silent when controlled, I¡¯ve seen people lie, but to have such a glib tongue when controlled¡­that I¡¯ve truly never seen before.

    It seems Murphy made a very good choice in sending you as an envoy. The only regret is that your actual strength is a bitcking.¡±

    The old knight smiled and offered the young yer a handkerchief.

    Khaki took it and wiped his mouth, ring fiercely at this old fox.

    He wanted to stand up and deliver a righteous rebuke, cursing this grizzled old ruffian for hisck of honor. But one look at the imposing great oak holy de by the other¡¯s side quickly cooled his anger.

    ¡°We didn¡¯te here for Murphy or you survivors this time. The Blood Vulture n has copsed, with only a couple mangy cats left that won¡¯t affect the bigger picture. We¡¯re here under General Loren¡¯s orders to confirm Salrokdar¡¯s death.¡±

    Finoch told the young yer:

    ¡°Take my words back to your Lord Murphy. Three days from now, when the astral rift closes, that¡¯s when we¡¯ll enter Kadman¡¯s inner city.

    Don¡¯t get in our way then. We can easily pretend we never saw you.¡±

    The old knight¡¯s words were tranted by the yer interface for Khaki to read. He blinked, then asked:

    ¡°But isn¡¯t the gathering of over a thousand vampire worshippers here a threat to you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe to the Goldflower Kingdom, but not to us.¡±

    Old Finoch waved his hand dismissively, saying:

    ¡°Take yourpanions and leave. Don¡¯t doubt our sincerity, with your paltry strength, if we wanted to take action we¡¯d just steamroll right over you. No need for any tricks.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    A questpletion notice popped up in front of Khaki, along with a prompt to return to camp, report to Murphy, and im his reward.

    This fired him up, making him wish he could sprout wings and fly back right away. But before leaving, Khaki Tony Tai suddenly remembered a post he¡¯d seen on the forum, so he turned back and asked:

    ¡°Um, well, a friend of mine has a replica of an Avalon holy de, and he¡¯s been trying to find the secret behind this replica, which apparently was seized from you guys. So, could you give him a chance to inquire about it?

    It¡¯s really just to ask, no other intentions.

    With your overwhelming strength, you¡¯re not afraid of a weakling warrior like him, right? Just academic discussion, don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    After this request was tranted by theputation bead, the White Oak Master was truly surprised. Where did that wondrous vampire Murphy find these equally wondrous ¡°summons¡±?

    These guys looked human, but their gall was more voracious than a man-eater¡¯s appetite!

    Letting you keep your life was already great magnanimity. Instead of hurriedly thanking me and running off, you turn around and want to find an ¡°academic exchange¡± opportunity for your friend to bring a seized holy relic replica to us?

    Aren¡¯t you afraid that once hees in, Natalie will give the signal by smashing a cup, then five hundred axe-wielding thugs will take turns asking if you¡¯d prefer wonton noodles or chopping block noodles?

    The old knight nced at Natalie.

    She had already clenched her fists, feeling these Murphyckeys were clearly mocking her.

    If The Battalion Commander wasn¡¯t here, the scout captain might have drawn her de to hack them down.

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    The White Oak Master didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he showed a subtle smile, stood up and nodded to Khaki Tony Tai, saying:

    ¡°We wee Lord Murphy¡¯s brave warriors to visit here anytime, as long as you have the courage toe.¡±

    ¡°Hoo, got it.¡±

    Khaki grinned and gave the old knight a thumbs up, saying:

    ¡°You¡¯re not a bad guy, you know!

    I¡¯ll go tell this to Brother Meow, maybe he¡¯lle by tomorrow, might even bring gifts. Hey, I can see you guys are busy, no need to see us out. We¡¯ll just be going then.

    Bye now!¡±

    So under the hawkish res of the Witch Hunters ¡°seeing them off¡±, Khaki Tony Tai boarded a rickety cart gifted by the Witch Hunters with the threeborers who had been terrified into jelly, and soon disappeared into the night.

    After he left, Lieutenant Frayzer emerged from a nearby house.

    He was clutching a notebook, having taken notes from the old knight on his conversation with that Blood Servant, though since he couldn¡¯t understand their otherworldlynguage, he could only record the old knight¡¯s side.

    The lieutenant looked at the old knight with a peculiar gaze, saying in a low voice:

    ¡°Your words just now really surprised me. I know you have no loyalty to the kingdom, but such tant disloyalty is unexpected. It seems the people¡¯s disdain for you is not without reason.

    But do you truly n to let those vampires and their followers go?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not our target.¡±

    Old Finoch leaned on the oak holy de, saying softly:

    ¡°The war is over, and des should be sheathed. But if they don¡¯t know their ce, I don¡¯t mind shedding more Blood Vulture blood on thisnd they¡¯ve tainted.

    But we should prepare for that possibility.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The lieutenant didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Then he saw the old knight shake his head, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you wonder why Murphy and hispanions have to recapture the city no matter what? Salrokdar isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯s still in the city, perhaps wounded, or worse.

    But he should still be alive.

    How fortunate¡­¡±

    Leaning on the great oak de, the old knight broke into the frigid smile of a golden champion.

    He gazed into the ominous night distance and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Finally a chance to personally settle that ancient personal grudge with the Blood Vultures. But that strange little fellow just mentioned ¡®Tris¡¯.

    Surely not the ¡®Tris¡¯ from my memory?¡±

 Chapter 61:

    It takes about a day¡¯s slow walk from Mond Vige to Kadman City, so Khaki Tony Tai went offline shortly after setting off, leaving the driving work to three unluckyborers.

    Thetter, remembering the kindness of Khaki ¡°rescuing¡± them, naturally worked diligently and did not dare to ck off. However, even so, when these ordinary people returned to the camp at the risk of being snatched by wolves on the night road, it was alreadyte morning the next day.

    After returning to the camp, these three bruised and battered fellows were immediately brought before Miss Miriam by the guards, and they described everything that had happened in a muddled way.

    They also tried their best to praise the ¡°warriors of Lord Murphy¡± with clumsy but sincerenguage.

    However, since the little yers were in a state of deep sleep that could not be woken up no matter what when they were offline, Miriam could only send the soundly sleeping Khaki Tony Tai to the city wall defense line, waiting for him to ¡°awake¡± and report to Murphy in person.

    At the same time, the Leading Pigeon was leading the dormitory brothers to grind the second Blood Vulture Vault, a ¡°test instance dungeon.¡±

    In addition to the six brothers, there was also the Precipitation Niuniu carrying a shield in front as a shield tank, blocking the attacks of the increasingly ferocious spawns of despair that kept rushing in from all directions under the cover of ck snow.

    However, after two days of clearing, the astral shadows in this area had already thinned out a lot, so thebined danger was not as great as when they were ¡°pioneering.¡±

    In the center of the student party¡¯s team, the beautiful and tall Sister Pomegranate was strolling leisurely like an idle person on this crisis-ridden battlefield.Just like a typical ¡°carried for achievements¡± boss.

    She herself had no awareness of being on the battlefield, after all, she had paid ¡°money¡± for it.

    The sword manual she got from Maxim had been given to Ah Yuen of the student party to read, and since it was won as a spoil of war, Maxim did not restrict the cirction of this manual within a certain team. So after Ah Yuen read it, he could also share it with the other brothers.

    From this point of view, the student party had also made a good profit.

    Although this thing required that it could not be given to more than 10 people, and theirputation beads would record the number of times it was passed on, so it was difficult to cheat in the game, the student party had alreadye up with a countermeasure and was nning to find an opportunity to implement it.

    If you don¡¯t let everyone see it in the game, then we¡¯ll trante it and post it on the forum, and no one can stop us, right?

    ¡°Niuniu, you¡¯re really bad.¡±

    The slender and long-legged big sister taunted her little brother as she enjoyed the pleasure of ¡°auto-grinding¡±:

    ¡°I gave you the correct answer, but you couldn¡¯t even copy it correctly. I was just wondering, we practiced the same fist, why can¡¯t you beat Maxim?

    Did you ck off after going to college because no one was supervising you?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t mention it, sister. That BUG of yours has been fixed.¡±

    Niuniu rolled his eyes andined:

    ¡°I went to challenge Maxim eagerly, but he just swung his sword at me without any intention ofparing fists and feet, and even mocked me for being sly.

    You just took advantage of the early challenge time slot.

    Ow, shit!

    There¡¯s an astral wolf over there! I saw its tail!

    Quick!

    Gather up, brothers, it¡¯s a rare dungeon monster!¡±

    ¡°The spawn rate of these rare monsters today is really damn high! The dog nner must have secretly changed the spawn rate after seeing our feedback post! This is what it should be.

    Listen to advice to be civilized!¡±

    The Kono Maomao Shark carrying a hunting rifle immediately aimed and fired, forcing the astral wolf hiding in the shadows of a short wall toe out, and then the dormitory brothers surrounded it skillfully.

    They had already learned that in the third vault instances, these ¡°rares¡± would asionally spawn. They had encountered them while grinding the instances yesterday and today.

    Although killing them often did not drop anything, Brother Stick¡¯s squad squad killed an astral wolf yesterday afternoon and picked up some rare alchemy materials, which they exchanged for a¡¶Spirit Perception¡·skill book from Lady Tris.

    Astral beasts were certainly much more dangerous than spawns of fear, but facing this group of ¡°high-level yers¡± whose levels were mostly above 5, it couldn¡¯t do much either.

    Soon it was beaten until its scales were severely wounded, and then the Invincible Tyrannosaurus Chechended a well-angled spirit burst that took it down directly.

    ¡°Loot dropped!¡±

    The Spicy Gugu Chicken let out a shrill cry, then got up holding a dull, star-speckled wolf bone, and the whole student party immediately beamed with joy.

    But before they could fully enjoy it, Sister Pomegranate reached out and took the drop that Gugu Chicken was about to hand to the Leading Pigeon.

    She yed with the item and said to the student party:

    ¡°Did you little brothers forget that this instance was booked by your sister? I get to pick the loot first.¡±

    ¡°Sister! You can¡¯t do this!¡±

    Niuniu shouted angrily. He had always felt that his elder sister was unfairly exploiting hispanions, but Sister Pomegranate then waved her hand and said lightly:

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay youter, and you can take them out for avish meal today, eat as much as you want, sister will treat you. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s more than enough, sister.¡±

    The easily satisfied student party was immediately bought off.

    They were just ying around on this instance trip anyway, while also bringing along Sister Pomegranate, this ¡°super newbie¡± who was not only Niuniu¡¯s cousin, but also their alumna.

    Her graduation photo is still hanging in the school¡¯s outstanding alumni section.

    This face had to be given.

    A few minutester, the Leading Pigeon, as the team leader, took out a blood vial containing Murphy¡¯s blood and opened the door to the second vault. After scavenging inside, they sessfully obtained two veteran weapons and a fewponents of a veteran armor set. Sister Pomegranate even lucked out and found a¡¶Spirit st: Bind¡·technique manual in a corner of the wall.

    It could be considered a super jackpot, a very fruitful trip.

    But on the other side, the situation in the first vault was gloomy.

    The Meow King leading the team was squatting in a farmer¡¯s squat pose at the vault entrance, looking at the three recruit staves and two blood-veined spearsid out in front of him, and then at theposition of his own team.

    He himself was a spirit apprentice, Dump Truck Iaido was a shieldhand, ck Stockings Under the Keyboard was a two-handed swordsman, Day One No Fap was a dual-wielding swordsman, and thest, Electronic Subus Old Tune, was a damn gunslinger.

    After working so hard on the instance, not only did they not see the astral beasts which were instance rares, but the rewards they got in the end were not a single usable item, which was outrageous.

    This was just too dark!

    It was almost as if they were being targeted intentionally by the development team.

    As these five were feeling resentful, they saw the Leading Pigeon¡¯s team boasting about Sister Pomegranate¡¯s jackpot on the ¡°world channel¡± in theirputation beads, causing the self-proimed professional yer Meow King¡¯s face to darken further.

    Damn!

    We were definitely targeted!

    ¡°Take these junk back and hand them over to Maxim to grind some favor, let¡¯se back and grind again tomorrow!¡±

    The Meow King stood up and kicked the now closed vault door fiercely, saying ferociously:

    ¡°There are still two days left until the event ends, I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t get lucky just once!¡±

    They left cursing and grumbling, but failed to notice Murphy quietly slipping out from the shadows around the first vault, carrying a spirit bag.

    He nced at the departing backs of the Meow King and his group, a hint of relief showing on his lips.

    Heh, you think you can get lucky?

    As long as those vulgar stories you made up about me and Tris, me and Lady Adele, me and the Young Lady, and even me and Maxim don¡¯t disappear from the forums for a day, you few culprits won¡¯t see any luck for a single day!

    I told you, Mr. Murphy holds quite a grudge!

    ¡°Let me see, who¡¯s the next teaming?¡±

    Murphy checked the screen in his core bead.

    After confirming that the next teaming to the first vault should be the Dump Truck Trio and the new little brother Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, he carefully took out weapons, armor, and a basic spirit manual written by Tris that matched their job requirements from his spirit bag and ced them in the vault, while looking at the jobs of the Dump Truck group.

    Considering that these four little fellows who had started the ¡°administrative gamey¡± had performed quite well in the Survivor Camp, he would reward them today.

    With Murphy¡¯s current dexterity, it wouldn¡¯t even take five minutes to finish this and slip away, while the ¡°loot¡± in the other two vaults was handled by Lady Adele.

    Thetter could fly, so her speed would be even faster.

    Murphy hummed a tune as he returned to the area below the city wall defense line. At that moment, Khaki Tony Tai, who had just gone through a ¡°representative negotiation,¡± also came online. He stretchedzily as he got up, looked around and saw that he was back in the safe area, so he let down his guard. But when he looked up, he saw Murphy walking towards him with his hands behind his back.

    Khaki immediately felt a pang of anxiety.

    The stuff he blurted outst night in front of the Witch Hunters, his own NPC didn¡¯t hear that, did he?

    And he was charmed by the insidious and cunning Witch Hunters at the time, so thosements didn¡¯t represent his true thoughts!

    He was absolutely loyal to Mr. Murphy!

    After psyching himself up, Khaki Tony Tai went up to Murphy and recounted the events ofst night.

    He added a billion little artistic embellishments.

    Including but not limited to him debating the group of schrs, him remaining dauntless in the face of threats, him berating the Witch Hunters forcking martial ethics, and so on. Something that could be said in one minute was dragged out by him to five minutes.

    Listening to this, Murphy was quite puzzled.

    That¡¯s not right,d. What I heard when I took over theputation bead to eavesdropst night wasn¡¯t like this at all!

    Are you trying to deceive me like this to get on the ¡°cklist¡± as well?

    But as a noble NPC, Murphy did not expose Khaki¡¯s boasting. Since there wasn¡¯t much entertainment in these ruins anyway, listening to his solo stand-upedy was quite interesting.

    Especially Khaki¡¯s northeastern ent, which was quite nostalgic, Murphy vaguely remembered having a northeastern girlfriend he spent half a month with a few years ago.

    After Khaki finished, Murphy stroked his chin in a pensive manner, then patted the little yer¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, warrior!

    Perhaps I should consider appointing you as a dedicated ¡®negotiator¡¯, but regrettably, we are not yet extravagant enough to have such a position set up specifically.

    So, go to Maxim and im your well-deserved reward.

    I will remember your outstanding contribution to the greater n!¡±

    Leveled up!

    Definitely leveled up!

    Favor must have increased!

    The little yer was overjoyed, but did not forget to profess his loyalty:

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Murphy. It is my honor to serve your great cause.¡±

    He politely bowed in salute, then bounced away as if the floor was burning hot to im his generous reward.

    Murphy shook his head watching his back, this guy ran off at the mouth a bit too much to be fully reliable. But his luck was indeed not bad, and he did bring back the information Murphy needed.

    Though Murphy had known all thisst night already and discussed it with Tris and the Young Lady.

    The unanimous conclusion they reached was:

    Can¡¯t beat them, can¡¯t escape them, so let them do as they please.

    The golden old knight said their goal was to confirm Salrokdar¡¯s life or death and the final fate of the Blood Vulture n, how coincidental?

    This happened to also be one of Murphy¡¯s gang¡¯s goals.

    Of course, the Young Lady had a different opinion on this, but in the current situation, she couldn¡¯te up with a better response either, so she could only adopt the traditional ostrich tactic of pretending not to see that pack of Witch Hunters eyeing them ravenously.

    Tris had said before that Salrokdar might not be dead, and no one knew the current situation in the inner city. The elite Witch Hunters attacking was actually a good thing for Murphy and Tris.

    It meant that in an extreme scenario, they wouldn¡¯t even need to scheme in secret, those Witch Hunters would actively help them eliminate a major nuisance in all sorts of ways.

    On Khaki Tony Tai¡¯s side, when he came to Maxim for the reward, the loyal servant prompted by Murphy had already prepared it for him.

    A rough wooden box contained a full set of standard masterwork veteran armor, next to a twin-handed night bat battleaxe glowing greenish and a uniquely shaped stone gargoyle crimson wing de, all spirit weapons left behind by Vault Guard Mick.

    This scene happened to be witnessed by the Meow King¡¯s group who came to grind favor. Seeing the newbie who had just entered the game three days ago obtaining such a high-level set of equipment from the NPC, these veteran yers¡¯ eyes nearly popped out.

    ¡°Damn! Did you sell your ass?¡±

    The Meow King went up to Khaki Tony Tai and said:

    ¡°How did you get this? Got any insider tricks? Share with your brother, will ya?¡±

    ¡°Oh well, just good luck. I took a random event that triggered a hidden follow-up.¡±

    Khaki waved dismissively as if it was no big deal, but his face beamed with pride, exuding a Versailles air. Upon hearing the words ¡°good luck¡±, not just the Meow King, but the faces of his four heavenly kings also darkened.

    Hey brother, don¡¯t hit the sore spot so precisely!

    ¡°Oh right, Meow King, I got some information for you.¡±

    While donning the veteran armor, Khaki did not forget the main point either. He turned to the Meow King and said:

    ¡°A very powerful Witch Hunter group spawned at Mond Vige. That¡¯s where I did my hidden quest. I asked the neutral NPCs there before leaving.

    They said you can ask them about that sword in your hand. You posted your hidden quest on the forum before, didn¡¯t you?

    I just casually helped you out a bit.

    They said they wee you anytime, but that bunch of bastards have no martial ethics anymore, so this is definitely dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    After Khaki Tony Tai finished rying this information, the Meow King¡¯sputation bead sounded a quest update notification. He looked down and saw that the hidden quest he took from Murphy had updated to the next step:

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¡®Shadow of the Old Faith¡¯ Step Two Updated:

    Quest Name: Lone Sword to the Meeting

    Quest Description: You, entrusted with a mission by Lord Murphy, have once again heard information rted to the Witch Hunters from yourpanion. This may be a good opportunity for you to unravel the history of the Old Faith and the secrets of Avalon. However, from yourpanion¡¯s description alone, you know this will absolutely be a dangerous undertaking.

    You may even have to pay with your life, or worse.

    Quest Objective: Go to the Witch Hunter base in Mond Vige, find the replica of the Sacred de of Avalon and the secrets of the Avalon Church.

    Quest Reward: Unknown.

    Note: This is an optional quest, choosing to reject it will be considered giving up the entire hidden quest chain.¡¿

    ¡°Damn, does the dev team have some problem understanding the word ¡®optional¡¯? Did the PE teacher who taught younguage skills used to sell spicy hot pot on the street corner as his previous job?

    In this situation, I basically have no choice, right?¡±

    The Meow King rolled his eyes while cursing out the dev team¡¯s whole family.

    But he was also a bit curious and eager, hidden quests had proven to give very generous rewards, and the equipment obtained from quests couldn¡¯t have any luck factor involved, right?

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to hire some people to take me over there before I log off.¡±

    The Meow King tapped his cheek, quickly forming a n. He nced at the newly equipped Khaki Tony Tai and snorted inwardly.

    He was a noble veteran yer!

    It was time to show these newbies who only knew how to rely on luck what real skills looked like. He had to put up a brilliant fight to turn the situation around, otherwise where could a veteran yer like him put his face?

 Chapter 62:

    During the night when most yers were offline, Murphy wandered to the front lines of the ¡°Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡± within the city. Maxim immediately came forward to report the situation to him.

    This loyal servant had been holding this position for the past few days, experiencing many battles that had clearly changed his demeanor. He was moreposed and solemn than before, his gaze sharper, his whole being like a drawn sword.

    ¡°It seems you¡¯re approaching the ck Iron rank.¡±

    Murphy looked him up and down and said:

    ¡°Are you ready for your trial of strength?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no suitable opponent at the moment, my lord. There are no ck Iron-level individuals among the Astral beasts in the outer city, and your fearless warriors have already nearly exterminated them.¡±

    Maxim sighed and said:

    ¡°My challenge trial will have to wait, but Murphy, my lord, your warriors have already scoured most of the outer city aside from some of the most remote corners.

    Thanks to their markings, the scavengers managed by Miriam in the survivor camp have also been able to find arge amount of still usable resources from the city ruins.I believe the search operation cane to a halt for now.¡±

    He pointed to the incessant ck snow falling around them.

    This bizarre phenomenon that urred when Astral spirits came into contact with the physical world was the same as before, the kes would dissipate uponnding, making these ruins look as if they were enveloped in a thick snowfall, with a somewhat deste feel.

    He said:

    ¡°Lady Tris says the intensifying ck snow signifies the ebb of Astral spirits, and this catastrophe will soon be over. Perhaps we should move to the next step and burn away these shadows to allow your grand n to progress.¡±

    Lowering his voice, Maxim said to Murphy:

    ¡°The survivors are now grateful to you. Once they see the devastation of the inner city with their own eyes, they¡¯ll realize they¡¯ve lost their old master and will need a new one.

    My lord! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy looked at Maxim in surprise and said suspiciously:

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like something you¡¯d say. Who taught you that?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡±

    The loyal servant felt a bit deted as he said:

    ¡°It was Miriam. I discussed the current situation with her, and she exined your strategy to me so I could understand your thinking.¡±

    ¡°So the two of you are finally getting along instead of being at each other¡¯s throats, and have learned to cooperate.¡±

    Murphy grinned and looked out at the shadowy city ruins. After a few seconds of silence, he said:

    ¡°Tomorrow night, we¡¯ll begin the next round of operations. Maxim, there¡¯s nothing on these ruins right now, but they¡¯ll soon be the starting point for our new endeavor. We¡¯re going to make a big name for ourselves, be world-famous!

    It all starts here.¡±

    ¡°I have no doubt of that at all, Lord Murphy.¡±

    The loyal Maxim bowed his head and said solemnly:

    ¡°Any enemy that tries to obstruct your grand n will be eliminated by my own hand. That is the glory that belongs to the faithful.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Meow King¡¯s charactery on the wagon all night. The next day, after he finished his routine daily tasks at his smallpany and logged in, the wagon driver he had hired from the survivor camp had already delivered him to the road outside Mond Vige as requested.

    This was still some distance from the vige, but the driver refused to go any further.

    Witch Hunters had a terrible reputation in the Transia region.

    Although they imed to be eradicating vampires, their merciless ughter of vampire worshippers made the local people see them as even more terrifying than vampires themselves.

    ¡°You can rest here. I¡¯lle pick you up when you¡¯re done. Don¡¯t worry, the Witch Hunters won¡¯t bother you.¡±

    Meow King jumped off the wagon and casually handed the driver a few coins.

    The generous tip delighted the old driver.

    He had already heard people in the camp saying that Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors had no concept of money, and would happily reward someone with a few gold coins just to please them!

    Seeing it for himself today, these few silver coins may not have been much, but they were enough for him to get a new wagon and an old horse.

    After reassuring the driver, Meow King straightened his armor and weapons, but stopped after taking just two steps. Frowning in thought for a moment, he ended up leaving his armor and weapons on the wagon. Wearing only a simple linen outfit, he boldly walked towards Mond Vige while openly carrying the Avalon Blessed Sacred de replica marked as a quest item.

    The few Witch Hunter sentries outside the vige quickly noticed him approaching.

    He raised his hands and moved closer, shouting in the broken Transian dialect he had just learned that he meant no harm.

    Hidden scouts already had their hunting crossbows aimed at him, ready to bring down this vampire worshiper with a volley of bolts. But soon, Natalie came walking out of the vige.

    This female hunter immediately recognized Meow King!

    He was the one who had injured Porter with a pitchfork before, and Old Joe¡¯s death was likely rted to them too!

    A surge of anger red up for an instant, but remembering the expedition leader¡¯s instructions, Natalie took a deep breath and suppressed her hatred.

    Meow King also recognized Natalie and was surprised to encounter her here.

    This gray-haired witch huntress seemed to be an important NPC, and her icy gaze made Meow King¡¯s heart race. He immediately used the trantion function of the Computation Bead to exin:

    ¡°Your fallenpanion wasn¡¯t killed by us. He died from excessive blood loss. We considered him a warrior, so we specifically buried his body separately in the vige and made him a simple gravestone.¡±

    He said, ¡°After asking Miriam, we followed your traditions and buried his weapons with him.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Natalie said ominously, ¡°Otherwise you¡¯d never have made it this far. But you idiots nearly caused a disaster by burying the bodies together. Didn¡¯t your vampire master tell you not to bury the dead carelessly in a war-tornnd?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Meow King was confused by this neutral NPC¡¯s scolding, but as he entered the vige, he quickly realized what had happened.

    Although the nest of ghouls caused by burying bodies in the vige had been destroyed, the piles of distorted, decaying pale bodies covered in strange ws immediately turned Meow King¡¯s face white.

    Mostly because of the stench.

    ¡°War-tornnds allow temporary gatherings of death spirits. Carelessly burying the dead in such conditions creates monsters like ghouls. This is new information!

    Quick, note it down and make a forum post about it.¡±

    He turned away, not looking at the bodies, and made a mental note of this information. Then he saw Natalie open a door and gesture for him to enter.

    Meow King immediately realized the hidden quest triggered by this Avalon Blessed Sacred de he had taken from Natalie would likely need to bepleted with her.

    He smirked and sauntered into the house.

    There he saw three ¡°old acquaintances¡± cracking their knuckles, Natalie¡¯s squad members Norman, Porter and Amber were in the room, giving Meow King very unfriendly looks.

    Sensing trouble, he tried to flee. But the door behind him mmed shut.

    Natalie was blocking the exit, fists clenched. In the next instant, the previously ¡°neutral¡± NPCs all had their health bars appear.

    Just like a ssic horror story cliche.

    ¡°Damn! You have no honor!¡±

    Meow King shouted, only to be punched in the face.

    He tumbled dizzily to the ground, where Amber climbed on top of him and began raining blows.

    Although the expedition leader ordered them not to harm this vampire worshiper seeking answers, it didn¡¯t mean the Witch Hunters couldn¡¯t vent their anger first.

    Natalie¡¯s squad was down to just the four of them because of Murphy, so not stabbing Meow King on sight already showed great restraint.

    However, Meow King wasn¡¯t totally unprepared either.

    This cunning society man had turned his pain perception down to the minimum through his game helmet before entering the camp. So while he was screaming piteously, it just showed his great acting skills.

    Several minutester, his battered and bruised face barely clinging to a sliver of health, he finally dragged himself up from the floor as the four Witch Hunters stopped their assault, having judged the beating perfectly.

    ¡°Damn, this messed up game keeps being weirdly realistic in the strangest ces.¡±

    He spat out a harsh critique, wiped the blood from his nose, and with his pent-up bachelor frustration unleashed, red viciously at the four.

    I¡¯ve taken your beating and vented your anger, so let¡¯s get down to business, shall we?

    p

    The Avalon Blessed Sacred de replica wrapped in cloth was pped onto the table. Through swollen lips, Meow King said:

    ¡°Who can tell me what exactly this thing represents to you people? Did your god really bless it? And what do I have to do to be able to use it?¡±

    ¡°You still want to use our sacred de?¡±

    The scout Amber let out a coldugh. The petite girl said, ¡°The sacred des personally crafted by the Elder Council¡¯s artisans may not be miraculous, but only recognized warriors can wield them. You¡¯re just delusional.¡±

    ¡°If you really want to use this sacred de¡­¡±

    The one-armed veteran Porter¡¯s throat had been injured in thest deadly battle, leaving his voice raspy like grinding stones as he mocked, ¡°Then join the old faith first. But you¡¯d probably have to go back ten years for that.¡±

    Ding

    Before Meow King could respond, his yer interface disyed a new prompt:

    ¡¾Collected important information, prerequisites for using the Avalon Blessed de rified, please continue exploring.¡¿

    ¡°Hey, progress!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s heart lifted as he asked, ¡°So what are the requirements for joining your group? Is there a special ceremony?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The veterans looked bewildered by Meow King¡¯s reaction.

    They exchanged nces, wondering if they had gone too far and addled this vampire worshiper¡¯s brain for him to actually show interest in this information. Weren¡¯t you afraid your vampire master would light you up like a beacon?

    ¡°Well? I¡¯m waiting to hear it! Why¡¯ve you all gone mute?¡±

    Seeing everyone staying silent, Meow King immediately urged them on.

    ¡°Come on, spit it out, I¡¯m waiting to hear it too.¡±

    Far away in Kadman City, Murphy, holding the core bead for ¡°shameless screen peeking¡±, also urged inwardly.

    He didn¡¯t care what career path his little yer would choose in the future.

    After all, the ¡°disconnect¡± privilege was in his hands. If Meow King could really obtain the old faith¡¯s profession system and job change information this time, Murphy would give him a huge reward.

    For an absolutely realistic game to provide yers with enough career choices was the only way to reflect its ultra-high freedom. Currently, the ¡°developer team¡± represented by Murphy was still quitecking in this aspect.

    Mainly because the Blood Vulture n¡¯s power system waspletely unsuitable for yers. Murphy didn¡¯t mind turning some minor yers into vampires afterpleting the main storyline¡¯s prologue.

    But they didn¡¯t even have physical forms, so how could they change races?

    Vampires¡¯ initial embrace even required fresh blood, was he supposed to cross over to another world, find their original bodies, and give each of them a mouthful to stage an ¡°Urban Legend: I Am a Vampire¡±?

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Natalie, with arms crossed, looked at Meow King and said derisively:

    ¡°The old faith is a dead rat being beaten on the continent. No one wants to join us, let alone a vampire worshiper like you. You need to understand your situation!

    I don¡¯t care if you came to provoke us or actually n to defect, but you¡¯ve taken this step. Heh, there¡¯s no going back now.¡±

    ¡°I am absolutely loyal to Lord Murphy. Defection ispletely out of the question. As long as that premise doesn¡¯t change, then any power I use is just a tool to achieve my loyalty.

    It¡¯s people who harm people, not des that harm people, right?

    So if you dare teach me, I dare learn!¡±

    The battered Meow King spouted off like a bitter bachelor,ying out his thoughts and inciting the Witch Hunters to grit their teeth in rage.

    To these devout people, Meow King¡¯s treatment of faith as just a tool was even more detestable than vampires.

    It was sphemy.

    However, Natalie looked at Meow King with a peculiar gaze. After a moment, she untied a small wooden figurine from her waist and tossed it to him, saying:

    ¡°Find a grove, prepare some incense, bay leaves and a basket of berries. When the crescent moon¡¯s starlight appears, light the incense and bay leaves, offer up the berries, and call upon Avalon¡¯s divine name with the nature figurine.

    I¡¯d very much like to see if Avalon will bless you.¡±

    Ding

    Another prompt made Meow King nce at his interface.

    ¡¾Acquired a key job change item, hidden quest ¡®Shadow of the Old Faith¡¯ progressed to the next stage. Please have yourself or another testerplete the corresponding job change ording to the instructions.

    Hidden quest final reward: Unlock testing for a brand new in-game profession system!¡¿

    ¡°Holy crap!¡±

    Meow King eximed inwardly.

    He marveled that he had absolutely discovered something incredible here. Sure enough, this was a hidden quest, and a damn powerful one too, unlocking an entire job change tree!

    This game really had special backgrounds and storyline progression for even these small details.

    Detailed!

    The dev team was so meticulous.

    He stood up and pointed at the Avalon sacred de replica on the table, saying to Natalie:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take this back? It must be extremely precious. You want it, just take it. I can¡¯t use it anyway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the one Murphy stole from me! You¡¯re just hisckey. Getting it back from you would just be me bullying the weak with strength.¡±

    Natalie waved her hand dismissively.

    ¡°Take my sword and get lost. After I kill your master, I¡¯lle get it from you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, if you want to harm Lord Murphy, you¡¯ll have to get through us first, you gray-haired defeated minion!¡±

    The battered and bruised Meow King threw out a harsh retort, grabbed the sacred de replica and limped away rabbit-like from the house, then left the vige under the resentful gazes of the other Witch Hunters.

    ¡°Why, Natalie?¡±

    The scout Amber asked in puzzlement,

    ¡°We were already merciful by not killing him. Why give that damned vampire worshiper the nature figurine?¡±

    Natalie didn¡¯t answer immediately. She only watched Meow King¡¯s figure disappear at the vige entrance. Then, draping an arm around herrade, she said softly:

    ¡°Avalon has long stopped responding to us.

    For ten whole years, our numbers haven¡¯t grown at all. We¡¯re on the verge of extinction. What¡¯s the harm in trying? You know these people¡¯s true nature behind their disguises.

    If it fails, we lose nothing. But if it seeds, how could a vampire allow his servant to wield the powers of nature? That vampire Murphy would mercilessly kill him!

    It would drive a wedge between him and his otherworldly warriors.

    I¡¯m not being merciful at all, Amber.

    I¡¯m being cruel.

    I¡¯m using this arrogant fool¡¯s little life as a gambit to carry out my petty revenge against the vampires. I hope his soul finds peace.¡±

    Through Meow King¡¯s Computation Bead still within range, this entire speech was overheard by the screen-peeking Murphy, leaving the vampire with a rather ambiguous expression. Well, you Witch Hunters are quite the bunch, aren¡¯t you?

    You¡¯re almost making me feel guilty about screwing you all over before. Almost, but not quite!

    Bullying the naive may be hical, but for a boundless vampire like myself, it¡¯s delicious.

 Chapter 63:

    While Meow King went off alone for the meeting, the other yers were not idle either.

    They had pretty much scavenged all the garbage in the outer city area, but the small yers soon discovered new ways to entertain themselves.

    For instance, afterpleting Lady Tris¡¯s twelve-circle scavenger hunt, they could take the opportunity of delivering wine to hear from Tris many ¡°insider stories¡± about the outer city area.

    Such as which households were rumored to have hidden formidable items, which cksmith shops excelled in crafting certain special things, and even the former headquarters of the city¡¯s underworld gang that once dominated the outer city area.

    Like urban legends, these stories seemed trivial, but upon closer inspection, Lady Tris¡¯s insider information actually contained hidden clues.

    The special areas she mentioned were all very well concealed. Without a local guide, it would be difficult for small yers to pinpoint the locations precisely within the unrecognizable city ruins.

    However, if they could piece together the truth from various details, the rewards they could obtain would be bountiful.

    For example, just yesterday afternoon!

    The student trio of Cyborg Snail, Gugu Chicken, and Ah Yuen followed Lady Tris¡¯s insider tips to discover a masterwork veteran-grade ranger ceremonial rifle from the basement ruins of a local retired major¡¯s house.This event went viral on the forum.

    Joy Stick and his buddies had also been busy with thistely.

    They exchanged wine for information from Tris, inquired extensively at the survivor camp, and actually found a ce that might contain arge quantity of good stuff.

    It was in an abandoned passage under the seventh sewer entrance in the outer city area.

    Rumor had it that this used to be the secret base of the outer city¡¯s underworld gang, possibly housing a gangster treasury, and not far from there was also arge cksmith shop.

    So if they were lucky, they could score a hefty sum to serve as the team¡¯s startup funds. Maxim had even given them a quest to find a way to bring back the equipment from the cksmith shop.

    For the cash-strapped Joy Stick, this was an opportunity he could not afford to miss.

    The reason Stick was so desperate for cash was very practical.

    He was broke!

    Mainly because he had not expected that the thirteen friends he had rmended would all join the game in the same batch. Aside from the five who had died foolishly or due to bad luck and had to revive, he now had 8 mouths to feed under hismand.

    The ammo consumption for each of their outings was a huge burden, and mere scavenging could hardly meet their daily needs.

    Desperate for a side hustle, the loyal Stick had no choice but to take a risk for his brothers¡¯ sustenance and venture into the only area of the outer city that had not been thoroughly explored yet.

    The sewer area.

    ording to local residents, the city¡¯s sewer area was a vastbyrinth harboring many dark and dangerous things. Of course,pared to the cmity brought by the astral realm¡¯s fissure, those things could hardly be considered dangerous.

    This exploration was also part of Murphy¡¯s n.

    He had arranged for the ¡°Great Burning¡±ter tonight, intending to officially wrap up this special week-long event.

    However, before issuing the next main quest to the small yers, he had one very important task to attend to.

    ¡°Swish¡±

    With a sweep of her blood-red bat wings, Lady Adele¡¯s figurended precisely before Murphy.

    With her hands folded over her abdomen, she spoke softly to her elder:

    ¡°Thest local life force in the outer city ruins has disappeared, near the area where your servants went to explore the sewers.

    In three days, they worked in rys, tirelessly searching to bring over 460 people back from thisnd of despair. No matter how you look at it, your servants truly deserve to be called warriors.¡±

    ¡°They have always been so, and I have never doubted them.¡±

    Murphy was quite satisfied with this oue.

    Although they had failed to rescue all those trapped deep in the ruins, he had witnessed the small yers¡¯ efforts. Their three-day search had more than doubled the number of survivors in the camp, and those who had been saved from despair were grateful to these foreign-tongued warriors.

    By extension, Murphy¡¯s image among them had also be very positive.

    This was exactly what Murphy had hoped to see.

    The first step of uniting hearts had been perfectly demonstrated, allowing him to smoothly proceed to the second step. As the key yers who had yed a decisive role, the small yers deserved to be handsomely rewarded!

    Especially the first five small yers who had triggered this ¡°hidden quest¡±.

    With this in mind, Murphy decided to test the waters on the forum. He instructed the waiting Lady Adele:

    ¡°You and the Young Lady prepare yourselves. At dusk we¡¯ll go to the underground ¡®Nocturne¡¯ sanctum and unearth those three underground nexuses from the ruins.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, Master Murphy.¡±

    Lady Adele retreated two steps, spread her bat wings, and flew into the sky, disappearing into the dim light.

    This taciturn half-elf blood descendant truly enjoyed flying. Ever since bing a vampire, Murphy had never seen her walk on solid ground if given the chance.

    She would definitely choose to fly whenever possible.

    ¡°What an odd quirk.¡±

    The fledgling vampire elder who had yet to sprout wings grumbled sourly. He then found a spot to sit down, summoned the forum interface, and skillfully infiltrated the game group to screen-peek.

    After the autonomous login feature was enabled, the yers¡¯ online times had also be fixed. They would choose to enter the game during the transition between day and night, so as not to miss the activities of the vampire NPCs while also being able to pick up a few quests from the human survivors at the camp.

    At this hour, the only ones not online, apart from Lumina due to the time difference, were the five small yers who had just logged in yesterday only to be killed by the spawn of despair.

    They were currently chatting idly in the group.

    Murphy did not join them but instead opened a private chat with Lumina and sent her a message:

    Alpha: ¡¾Just now, the system backend showed that therge hidden quest you all triggered has beenpleted. The dev team is quite satisfied with the result. To be honest, when they designed this hidden quest, they never expected it to be triggered so quickly, so they only left a ceholder for the quest reward.

    Now they¡¯ve sent me to ask if you have anything in particr you¡¯d like.

    As the first yers to trigger a major story-driven hidden quest in the game, the dev team can give you a small ¡®easter egg¡¯ tomemorate your outstanding performance.

    This kind of ¡®custom reward¡¯ opportunity is rare, so think it over carefully.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Wow, is that a thing? But doesn¡¯t that count as a serious oversight on the dev team¡¯s part? Will they get docked pay? SlySmile.jpg¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Wipes sweat.jpg Well, there¡¯s no helping it. The dev team has a heavy workload. Thanks to your active participation, many bugs that weren¡¯t discovered during internal testing keep popping up, but under such intense work, some oversights are normal.

    Just don¡¯t go bbing about it, okay?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Hmph, so this is the legendary ¡®hush money¡¯, huh? Then can I make an outrageous demand, like having my character transported to the elven realm? I found a storybook in the ruins yesterday, and after the yer interface tranted it, I confirmed that there are elves in this game, right?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾There are, the Castilia elves are quite a powerful force in the background. But that high-level map area is far from Transia, this ¡°newbie area¡±, thousands of kilometers away, so it¡¯s not really fleshed out yet, basically just a folder created.

    Let¡¯s go for something more realistic, do you really like elves that much?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Hey, brother! You can tell from my game ID, right? I always choose elves in every game I y, so it¡¯s a bit disappointing that we can¡¯t customize appearances at the start of this game.

    But let me guess, the dev team giving us five ¡®custom rewards¡¯ isn¡¯t just tomemorate this major hidden quest, right?

    I¡¯m guessing the dev team wants to use excellent rewards to guide the current yers to change their gamey mindset, encouraging them to actively seek out the details woven into the fabric of the game to drive its progression?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Hm? Why would you think that? borate.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾It¡¯s simple, I¡¯ve noticed that although Meow King and the others are very invested, they¡¯re still using traditional gaming mentalities to wander aimlessly in¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    Like that gangster sewer base they¡¯re going to explore today, I actually discovered its existence on the very first night, no exaggeration.

    The scattered newspapers in the city asionally reported news about that ce. If they had paid attention to these ubiquitous sources of information while scavenging, they wouldn¡¯t have needed to deliver wine to that insatiable but pretty alcoholic Lady Tris just to get the key information.

    Their approach clearly stems from the traditional gaming mindset of ¡®NPCs driving the plot¡¯. Although they appear diligent in action, they cannot conceal their mentalziness!

    This game is made to be extremely realistic.

    It adheres to the underlying logic of the real world in constructing its game world. My current feeling is that to truly understand this game, you can¡¯t treat it as an ¡®imaginary world¡¯!

    Hehe, brother Alpha, am I right or not?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾You really are a clever little thing, I admit you¡¯re right on all counts. But the official stance won¡¯t be so overt in guiding yers, we don¡¯t want to teach them how to y the game.

    We also have no right to deprive yers of the joy of exploring this ¡®new world¡¯.

    So, you¡¯re confirming that you want elf-rted item rewards, right?

    Looks like the dev team will have a headache on their hands. In the background lore, the Transia region has no connection to elves whatsoever. But we¡¯ll leave that headache to the dev team, I¡¯m just here to ry the message.

    You should quickly coordinate with the other four online, then summarize the rewards you all want and give them to me. The dev team will try their best to fulfill them.

    But once again, this matter must be kept confidential.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾OK, leave it to me. Erm, brother Alpha, when is our next round of invitation codesing? I just convinced two friends, and they¡¯re really capable, much smarter than me.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Have them go through the internal rmendation process when filling out applications. When recruiting new test yers next time, they¡¯ll be given priority consideration. But I can¡¯t give you a specific time, the testing n will be micro-adjusted based on the current story progression pace.

    So if you want more buddies to y with, you can¡¯t ck off during the game¡¯s testing phase.¡¿

    After concluding the forum exchange with Lumina, Murphy rose from his spot. He casually drew the rapid sword from his waist, gave it a flourish, and with the imbued stealth of the unique dark stride, his entire figure slid eerily forward a few steps before sheathing his sword gracefully.

    Like elves, do you?

    Well, isn¡¯t that convenient?

    I just so happen to have a secret sword art from the shadow elf Mejeva n waiting to be taught. Perhaps Lady Adele¡¯s blood lineage secret, that ¡°hidden quest¡±, can also be assigned to Lumina to drive its execution.

    That ¡°elf fanatic¡± probably wouldn¡¯t refuse, right?

    Speaking of which, should I recruit more deep role-yers like Lumina? These RP yers might just be the most suitable group for Transia¡¯s current situation.

    Around half an hourter, as Murphy roamed the city ruins hunting astral beasts to practice the Tomb Guard Sword Arts, he paused in his tracks. A forum private message from Lumina had arrived.

    Opening it, he found that the other four didn¡¯t have such fanciful ideas.

    Day One No Fap and ck Stockings were quite pragmatic, wanting skill tomes or weapons and equipment that could enhance their characters¡¯ strength.

    The middle-aged Dump Truck and Bulldozer didn¡¯t have such pursuits. Not chasing power, they seemed to have immersed themselves in camp management, savoring the joy ofmanding hundreds of people in the game.

    What they wanted were tools that could help the camp quickly restore its productivity.

    ¡°What humble demands, what great yers! Where else can you find such wonderful workers who don¡¯t even ask for money?¡±

    Murphy sighed in admiration.

    He took out the map from his spirit pouch, scanned it, and changed direction, leading his astral dire wolf towards another part of the ruins.

    There was a small alley there that specialized in selling various farming tools and seeds, where he would surely find what the two old fellows wanted.

    As for weapons, equipment, and skill books, those were even easier to obtain.

    Day One No Fap was a dual-de swordsman, while ck Stockings was a greatsword swordsman. Giving them mastery tomes of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts along with fine weapons from the warehouse guard series would do the trick. Though not high-tier, the Blood Vulture Sword Arts were the foundation of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s physical job system, not randommon goods.

    And at this stage, mastery tomes that raised skill caps could only be obtained through Maxim¡¯s ¡°Trial of Strength¡±. In the entire game, only Sister Pomegranate had identally acquired one due to a bug, they were truly raremodities.

    Based on the small yers¡¯ current ¡°leveling¡± speed, in two days¡¯ time when this special event ended, the most talented batch would probably reach around level 8, just a hair¡¯s breadth away from triggering the ck Iron Trial.

    The small yers¡¯ growth rate did surprise Murphy.

    If not for the game¡¯s time constraints, these tireless folks would level even faster.

    He knew he had to elerate andplete his own Trial of Strength first. An NPC who couldn¡¯t stay ahead of the yers would be disdained. But finding a ck Iron-tier enemy with blood in the current Kadman City would be no easy feat.

    Those Witch Hunters might be ideal targets, but they had a Golden-tier White Knight guarding them. Unless Tris regained her full strength overnight, for his own wellbeing, Murphy would have to y it safe and steady.

    No matter!

    Taking it slow was fine.

    He wasn¡¯t bound by game time limits, so walking slowly wasn¡¯t an issue. As long as he walked steadily enough¡­ Ah, just starting out in this world, he absolutely couldn¡¯t afford to stumble now.

 Chapter 64:

    As soon as Lumina logged in today, she received a notification that she hadpleted a hidden quest, and was instructed to go to the survivor¡¯s camp to collect her hidden reward.

    This was the first time a major hidden quest had beenpleted, and other little yers were also very interested in this unique reward. So when Lumina, Day One No Fap, and ck Stockings Under the Keyboard excitedly went there, arge crowd of spectators trailed behind them.

    They even rented two tbed trucks from Maxim, adhering to the principle of not wasting trips and maximizing time efficiency. They also took on a ¡°Deliver Supplies¡± daily quest.

    Coincidentally, the ones receiving the supplies were Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man Charging.

    These two brothers were already quite famous among the 40 little yers, as the others were still tediously ying monsters while they had already be officials.

    Everyone exchanged some banter when they met, but the two brothers didn¡¯t mind, grinning as they instructed the NPC assistants to receive the supplies since they were also participating in the quest to receive rewards.

    However, when the yers arrived, they saw quite a grand scene!

    Not only was Murphy there, but Camp Manager Miss Miriam was also present, with basically all the important NPCs of the camp in attendance.

    Over a thousand people had gathered together, truly giving a sense of a massive crowd.Among the camp survivors, many were still bandaged or using wooden crutches. When they looked at the little yers before them, their eyes were filled with gratitude.

    They would never forget that when they were waiting in terror to die, it was these heroes who had rescued them.

    These tireless heroes had escorted them out of the dark city while being pursued by monsters, and delivered them safely to this ce. They also continuously collected and sent supplies to allow the survivors to live through the disaster.

    This was a kindness that must be remembered!

    ¡°We all know who rescued us from the city of despair, who pulled us back from the brink of hell when we had already lost hope.¡±

    Seeing that the little yers had all arrived, at Murphy¡¯s signal, the crimson-cloaked Miriam stood on a rock and addressed the people around her, following a prepared speech:

    ¡°But we have not truly expressed our gratitude to these saviors and heroes. The people of Transia may never forgive their enemies, but we also never forget kindness.

    We have put together some things from the camp¡¯s supplies to represent our appreciation.

    We will forever remember the names and stories of these saviors, until the day we die, until their great deeds are permanently passed down across thesends!

    Cheer for our saviors!

    Pay them the highest respect!¡±

    The crowd immediately erupted into enthusiastic cheers, those who had survived shouting out their gratitude.

    Even though the yers could not understand theirnguage, the Computation Bead¡¯s trantion allowed them to feel the sincere gratefulness from these NPCs.

    This scene was so overwhelming that not only the student yers, but even the worldly Meow King was stunned.

    This was the concerted cheering of over a thousand people, the momentum was astonishing.

    ¡°Well said,¡± Murphy smiled and apuded, then quietly encouraged Miriam, ¡°Just like a retired bureaucrat, steady andposed. It seems you¡¯re quite suited for this line of work.¡±

    This praise made Miriam roll her eyes.

    However, Murphy was not entirely wrong, she did not dislike this feeling of being a manager, and deeply understood the concept of ¡°power¡±, even if she was currently only managing a ¡°refugee camp¡±.

    ¡°Come forward, my heroes!¡± Murphy called out, and the five yers who hadpleted the quest nced at each other. The two middle-aged members, Dump Truck and Bulldozer, stepped forward first. They saw a middle-aged NPC with a bandaged head walk over from beside Murphy, holding something and handing it to them with repeated words of gratitude.

    It was a shop sign that read ¡°Nur Hardware Store¡±.

    This ¡°NPC¡± was the owner of the store, and he wished to gift the yers the store, its deed, and the inventory of tools inside.

    He did not feel sadness about this.

    Because Miriam had privately given him arge sum of money, enough for him and his family to leave Transia and livefortably elsewhere once everything settled down.

    In the ruined city, anything but ownerless money and wealth was in short supply. During his ¡°hunts¡± in the city over the past few days, Murphy had already obtained a great deal of it.

    ¡°What, they¡¯re just giving us this store?¡± Dump Truck hugged the sign and deed, somewhat bewildered. But as always, Bulldozer was grounded, scoffing, ¡°The store is still in the city, probably in ruins now. We got the business rights, but it¡¯ll be a long way before we can actually operate it. Still, not bad, the devs are being generous. I reckon there¡¯ll definitely be simr shop trading mechanics in the future. This is them doing an advanced test run with us.¡±

    ¡°This is what you deserve,¡± Murphy smiled at them. Dump Truck and Bulldozer also showed appropriate smiles, like elementary students epting awards on stage, stiff and proper.

    Although they were clearly aware this was just a game, seeing the grateful gazes of the NPCs whose lives they had saved with their quick thinking still stirred some emotion in the two middle-aged men.

    There was no helping it.

    The game was made so realistically that one would unconsciously blur the line between virtual and reality at times.

    As the two camp managers returned to their NPC assistants, who straightened their backs with a sense of pride, even those selected assistants seemed to share in the glory.

    This made the recently joined Full Coverage Half Off and Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman quite envious since, as gamers, who didn¡¯t want a taste of glory?

    In other games, obtaining a good piece of equipment would require half a day of showing off in the main city to bask in envious stares, let alone this ¡°center of attention¡± scene.

    Next, the emcee, who was already hoarse from calling out names, summoned ck Stockings Under the Keyboard and Day One No Fap forward.

    As Meow King¡¯s employees in reality, the two men in their twenties had never experienced such a scene before. Especially when four girls presented them with skill manuals and two sets of weapons, the young men immediately reached out to ept their rewards.

    But that wasn¡¯t all.

    To the astonishment of ck Stockings Under the Keyboard, Day One No Fap, and the other watching yers, the four girls left grateful kisses on the cheeks of the two little yers.

    This immediately prompted wolf whistles and cheers from the surrounding little yers and observing NPCs.

    Hey hey, more of that, that¡¯s what I like to see!

    This fully proved that regardless of which world they came from, all grown men shared a consistent pursuit of certain ¡°lowbrow interests¡±.

    But as the ¡°protagonists¡± of this moment, ck Stockings Under the Keyboard and Day One No Fap were far from enjoying the girls¡¯ gratitude, their minds had gonepletely nk. This¡­

    This, this, this¡­was this the devs¡¯ ¡°hidden easter egg¡±?

    Damn!

    Wasn¡¯t that a bit too exciting?

    But there were too many people around, quite embarrassing. Also, could we get a french kiss? I..

    I¡¯ve lived over twenty years and never experienced that, ahem.

    ck Stockings Under the Keyboard had a good memory and immediately recognized that these four girls were the two neighboring families they had rescued while doing quests.

    The girls clearly remembered them too, whispering thanks.

    The bolder one even slipped a note into Day One No Fap¡¯s palm, prompting even more hooting from the surrounding yers and NPCs, causing the two flustered young men to flee with their items in hand, faces flushed red.

    But after taking a few steps away, he turned back very proudly and waved to his brothers, provoking another round of wolf whistles and catcalls.

    ¡°Come forward, hero who single-handedly saved 20 lives. I feel honored to receive your loyalty!¡±

    Finally, Murphy looked towards Lumina.

    Her reward was the most significant.

    Although she was not the first to discover the hidden quest, she had rescued the most people during the three-day operation, thirteen children and seven adults. She had encountered danger at least three times while rescuing people. If not for her luck, she would likely have perished.

    Over those three days, Lumina barely leveled up, spending all her time on this hidden quest.

    She herself was not a power gamer.

    But in Murphy¡¯s view, a yer like Lumina, who had her own ystyle and couldmit to a task, meant far more to him than power gamers.

    Such ¡°hardcore role-yers¡± were the yers closest to being NPCs. In the future, they might truly be a bridge deeply connecting the yermunity and NPCs. Many tasks unsuitable for ordinary yers could be entrusted to them.

    Murphy had already decided to ce Lumina Yanghen on the priority cultivation list, to be given the same attention as special talents like Sister Pomegranate and Niuniu.

    He had a feeling this youngdy would definitely surprise him in the future.

    Her reward was also the most special.

    It did note from the camp NPCs, but rather from the mysterious Lady Adele in the yers¡¯ perception.

    This ever-aloof newly-turned vampire stepped forward. With her blood-red eyes fixed on the much shorter Lumina, she looked her up and down before speaking:

    ¡°I hear you¡¯re interested in elven culture?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    The youngdy waspletely dumbfounded. Was this the devs¡¯ arranged easter egg for her?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so interested in them! Elves of any race are not as perfect as you imagine. In fact, most are quite dangerous.¡±

    Lady Adele shook her head and handed Lumina a handwritten copy of the ¡®Mejeva Family Secret Sword Arts Manual¡¯. As she left, she uttered something in a very special tone and rather peculiarnguage that Lumina¡¯s yer interface could not immediately trante.

    Until Murphy softly told her:

    ¡°That was a warning in the elven tongue.

    She hopes you¡¯ll abandon your pursuit of dangerous things. In our world, hero, elves are not just a byword for elegance, but also synonymous with power and mystery.¡±

    ¡°But how does she know the elvennguage? And this book¡­¡±

    Lumina looked at the manual in her hands, a surge of delight rising within her as she marveled at the devs¡¯ attention to detail.

    Meanwhile, Murphy showed a mysterious smile, telling her:

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to slowly explore that yourself. My fledgling Adele has a mysterious background. To earn her trust, you¡¯ll need to put in more effort.¡±

    With that, Murphy turned to face the crowd of camp residents behind him. This small ceremony had built up the atmosphere, and his gaze swept across the survivors¡¯ faces and eyes.

    In them, he saw fear and respect, as well as distance and warmth.

    But regardless of how these people felt or perceived him, Murphy could now be certain that everyone present knew his name and understood the significance of his existence in their current situation.

    So the once outcast member of the Blood Vulture n, now the leader of the survivors, spread his hands and loudly addressed the crowd before him:

    ¡°Survivors of Kadman City, we have aplished what was once thought impossible, we¡¯ve rescued everyone trapped within the city.

    But this can hardly be called a sess.

    Because the polluted forces from the Astral Realm are still contaminating our city. Until they are eliminated, you cannot return to the homes you long for.

    I am preparing an operation to eliminate the dangerous spirit energy still leaking out, but this operation requires everyone¡¯s participation!

    In Transian tradition, we are ustomed to using fire to protect ourselves and drive away the dangers of the night. Now, we must revive this tradition!

    My heroes havepleted their work, and now it is our turn as locals to do our part! Starting tonight, we will burn the ruins with fire, driving back the monsters that nearly killed us back into their Astral Realm.

    I need the aid of the physically strong!

    If you too harbor hatred for those monsters, I hope you will volunteer! When the mes are lit, the homnd that was taken from us will be reimed, as is the Transian way!

    Your houses, your ancestralnds, and your memories of the past will return to your hands.

    In the name of the protectors of the Survivors¡¯ Camp and the cleaners of the Kadman ruins, I, Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, hereby dere the ¡®Great Burning¡¯ operation has officially begun!¡±

    As Murphy¡¯s words fell, the yers¡¯ Computation Beads chimed in unison with a crisp notification, indicating a quest update:

    ¡¾Prologue: Kadman City¡¯s Final Night

    Quest 3: Let the mes purify everything!!!

    Description: Through your hard work and selfless rescue efforts, the survivors of Kadman¡¯s outer city have been evacuated. However, the Astral shadows still lurking within the city remain a formidable challenge. To counter these otherworldly forces, Murphy, now the leader of the survivors, has decided to strike back.

    Objective: Assist the survivors in clearing and purifying the Astral shadows lurking in the city ruins through burning.

    Time Limit: 48 hours.

    Progress: Currently 0% of outer city ruins cleared.

    Rewards: Activate yer Safe Zone, open new ¡®Kadman Ruined City¡¯ area, unlock next main quest chain.

    Quest Countdown: 3 hours.¡¿

    ¡°Oh man, we¡¯re not gonna have enough game time today.¡±

    Upon seeing the new quest trigger, the little yersmented.

    It was alreadyte in the day¡¯s game session. Aside from Lumina, whose sleep schedule was reversed due to the time difference, the others were nearing log-off time.

    ¡°No worries, the quest says ¡®assist¡¯!¡± Joy Stick was the first to notice the loophole, telling the other worried yers on ¡°World Chat¡±:

    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t participate, the NPCs will actively push the purification progress forward themselves. We just need to log in early tomorrow to join in.

    Ah, we didn¡¯t manage to clear that underground gang hideout today. There seem to be ghouls lurking in the sewers, and those cunning water gremlins were causing chaos too.

    Our gear and levels are still a bitcking. Clearing the outskirts onlyted us some materials and subpar weapons.

    But I think this is a good opportunity, if there are monsters there, there¡¯s bound to be loot!

    When the fires spread that way, we might just get a chance to swoop in and snatch some spoils. Meow, log off and pull up a group chat, let¡¯s discuss this properly.¡±

    ¡°Sister Lumina, help summarize the experience for us tonight.¡±

    Before logging off, the brothers teased Lumina, the diligent and good-natured foreign student readily agreeing.

    But at the moment, her mind was upied by the mysterious connection between Lady Adele and the elves. She wondered how to raise Adele¡¯s favor, showing little interest in this new quest.

    After all, she wasn¡¯t a pyromaniac.

 Chapter 65:

    TigerLeopardRiderSoldier: ¡¾Damn! New quest again? Some of us are still waiting to resurrect. Brothers, take it slow, leave some soup for us to drink.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRider: ¡¾Yeah, yeah. Brother Onboard Joy Stick told us toe do some business, but this? Very poor gaming experience. All the fault of the ipetentmander, can¡¯t even prepare basic equipment for us, just making us tank monsters with our physical bodies?

    @Onboard Joy Stick, where is your conscience!¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾Strongly rmend offline PK against Brother Stick. Brothers who want to join, sign up with me!

    I know where his house is, already buying tickets.

    Let¡¯s charge, brothers! We¡¯ll ambush him at themunity gate and give him a beat down!

    If we move fast enough, we can still make it for the resurrection in a day and a half.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRiderLin: ¡¾I¡¯m in! I can provide lube too, but Brother Dog, can you reimburse the travel expenses? It¡¯s a bit far for me to get there.¡¿

    In the new group pulled by Meow King and Brother Stick, the unlucky guys who died came in swinging curses, giving Brother Stick a huge headache, though he was also at fault.The reasoning is simple.

    When you invite brothers to y a game, preparing some startup funds for them is basic etiquette, right?

    The brothers gave you face by filling out applications to join, but ended up being scammed to death. Don¡¯t me the brothers for ming you then.

    However, the group Brother Stick had Meow King pull wasn¡¯t for discussing this.

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Quiet down! This group is for discussing serious business. @Meow King, I suddenly feel our mindset for this game is wed. The guild experience from other games can¡¯t be applied to¡¶Reality Realm¡·at all. If we keep doing this, the two of us will probably suffer big time.

    We need to change our thinking quickly.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾I have the same feeling. Ever since we started preparing for a team, everything has been going wrong. Brother Stick, borate on your thoughts.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾The reasoning is simple. Right now, who is the biggest force among our group of yers? Not me, not you, but Dump Truck Iaido and his two friends.

    The NPCs under their control add up to over 400. If each of them just grabs a stick, they could bury us ten times over.

    So I think at this stage when there are still few yers, we can put our recruitment ns on hold. Let¡¯s build up our own reputations first. Even if there are more yerster, establishing arge force would still be inseparable from NPC support.¡¿

    EastRiverLion¡¯sRoar: ¡¾That¡¯s not right, is it Brother Stick? NPCs can¡¯t resurrect after dying, so they¡¯re bound to be no match for yers.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾What you¡¯re talking about are the ¡®artificial idiots¡¯ from other games that can¡¯t even path around terrain. Not the smart, astute NPCs in this game.

    The NPCs here, although they can¡¯t resurrect either, their behavior logic is even more precise than us yers.

    I heard you guys got terrain-blocked by two water ghosts in the sewers today and almost got team wiped.

    Just from this you can see that the NPCs and monsters in this game are not stupid at all. As long as logistics and protection are ensured, the NPCs won¡¯t die easily.

    But this also means you can¡¯t treat them as cannon fodder to zerg rush mobs. If pushed into a corner, they might even rebel and turn against us on the battlefield. So I think the futurerge guild mode should be abination of yers + NPCs.

    NPCs handle the ordinary and low-intensity confrontations, while the hard battles and vanguard rely on the fearless yers.

    This means we need to startying the groundwork now.¡¿

    EastRiverLion¡¯sRoar: ¡¾Be more specific, Brother Meow, give an example.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾This is exactly what I mean. In the current situation where the faction reputations haven¡¯t opened yet, we urgently need to raise Favor with some key NPCs.

    Like Maxim¡¯s civilian militia, like Miriam¡¯s survivor camp, I estimate once we reach a certain Favor level, we can recruit NPC soldiers from them.

    Though with how hardcore this game is, I bet even if we recruit them we¡¯ll still have to train them.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Right! That¡¯s the idea. For high-level NPCs like vampires, we¡¯ll probably have to recruit from the youngdies or Lord Murphy.

    My suggestion is to stop the guild preparations for now and push the story progression!

    The faster we progress, the quicker the game function testing will go, and the quicker our personal strengths will improve. At the very least we can¡¯t fall out of the T1 ranks, otherwise we won¡¯t have any influence among the yer group.

    Additionally, that Sister Pomegranate is an enigma.

    She¡¯s pulled all the student yers to her side. But those pure-hearted students are single-mindedly grinding monsters, so their strengths are high.

    So let¡¯s divide the work.

    Brother Stick, your buddies are low level, go to the survivor camp and do some grunt work. I¡¯ll take my brothers to grind Favor with the civilian militia.

    Let¡¯s cooperate for now instead of scheming against each other.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRiderSoldier: ¡¾Come on! We didn¡¯te here to do grunt work in-game! How are we supposed to getbat experience without fighting?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Facepalm. Brother Stick, could you at least exin this game¡¯s basic mechanics to your brothers? Always thinking about fighting, fighting. This game doesn¡¯t give experience for killing monsters.

    Hmm, wait, I think I know why you guys died so quickly.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾It¡¯s my fault! All my fault. Let me exin to these newbies right now. @all members, in this game, leveling up doesn¡¯t rely on killing monsters. Your job level increases based on the proficiency of your main skills.

    Your character level increases based on your current mastery of your respective strengths and skills. In other words, the speed at which you randomly swing a sword around won¡¯t be slower than mindlessly hacking away at a monster pile.

    If you practice wholeheartedly, it might even be faster.

    Doing chores andbor can also help you better control your character¡¯s strengths. Theoretically, this is actually a good, safe and fast way to level up.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Reading books is important too!

    I just asked ck Stockings and Day One No Fap. They said the Mastery-level Sword Manual doesn¡¯t work by just clicking it. After you get the book, you have to read and memorize the sword technique points, then practice ording to the recordings.

    Most crucially, they got Mastery Manuals, but the sword technique points are different!

    The two manuals are tailored with experience prompts based on the different weapons they use. The development team really made these numeric systems extremely, extremely detailed, making it hard for us to find exploits.

    As for the nice dream of double-clicking to throw fireballs, you might as well wash up and sleep on it.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRiderSoldier: ¡¾It¡¯s that hardcore? Have to read books to y a game? Then wouldn¡¯t it be faster for my son to y instead? I¡¯m already in my thirties, brother!

    At night when turning in my rations, I get sleepy just reading a little yellow book for fun, where would I have the energy to read?¡¿

    ckStockingsUnderTheKeyboard: ¡¾If you don¡¯t want to read books, just practice. Although without a Mastery Manual the sword skills will only show up to Proficient on your panel, you can actually continue improving. It¡¯ll just be slower without anyone pointing out techniques.

    Also, do you know what reward Sister Lumina got from the NPCs?

    An Elven Sword Manual!

    Damn, I just found out too. That sword manual is for an advanced skill! Way better than the Blood Vulture Sword Arts we¡¯re using now. But Sister Lumina¡¯s current sword level is too low to learn it.

    You¡¯d need at least Master in basic swordsmanship to learn that.

    I heard her bragging that the Shadow Elf Sword Arts evenes with an ¡®Evasion in Darkness¡¯ active dodge skill, and an ¡®Sword Chanter¡¯ hidden job transition, plus a hint to go to the Dark Mountains.

    Probably a high-level map that¡¯s not open yet.

    @Meow King, we¡¯ll need to find a way to get hidden quests too. The rewards are too good!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Hidden quests? I have those! Remember the replica of Avalon¡¯s Blessed Sacred de that Lord Murphy entrusted me with? I¡¯ve got it done.

    Isn¡¯t it just a hidden job?

    Watch your brother get you one tomorrow. It¡¯s just that the materials are hard to find. I¡¯ve asked Dump Truck Bro to help me find incense and bay leaves. Once we find them, I can transition jobs.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Then why are you talking crap now? How about something practical, like having your two brothers share the contents of their Sword Manuals to the group? Share the wealth.

    I know in-game we can¡¯t gift these manuals to each other without NPC permission or it¡¯ll drop Favor. But in the real world, what are you afraid of?

    Or should I just buy it?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾We¡¯re brothers, what¡¯s with the money talk hurting feelings? You guys practice first. Once everyone reaches Proficient, we¡¯ll share. Rest assured, I always follow through on what I say.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Bullshit! You must be plotting something bad.¡¿

    WestValleyWolf¡¯sProwl: ¡¾@all members, there¡¯s a new forum post by Ah Yuen. Those student yers tranted part of the Master Manuals and posted it on the forum.

    But they only posted a third of it, saying to contact Sister Pomegranate if we want to see the rest.

    Brothers, don¡¯t panic!

    South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl has gone to add her WeChat. Once we get the full version, we¡¯ll share it.¡¿

    Meow King & OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Damn!¡¿

    Where did this girle from!

    What kind of scheme is this Illusive Fist trying to pull? Starting to undermine us without any warning? This is too dishonorable, right?

    ¡ª¡ª

    While the adorable little yers were busy with their intrigues, the ¡°Great Burning¡± n in Kadman City was proceeding smoothly.

    After Murphy¡¯s call to arms, in the three-hour preparation time, over a hundred people signed up besides Maxim¡¯s civilian militia, even without Miriam¡¯s mobilization. This fully demonstrates that Murphy¡¯s prestige had been established among these survivors.

    They were willing to risk an adventure following this vampire.

    The remaining little yer Lumina in the game stubbornly took on the role of ¡°vanguard.¡± She carried two jars of alchemical fire oil into the city, nning to test ording to Murphy¡¯s map divisions whether the fire oil could have a purifying effect on the Astral Shadows.

    However, Lumina¡¯s luck was quite poor today.

    She had just reached her designated spot following the walls, preparing to pour the fire oil, when she came face-to-face with a ferocious-looking Astral Wolf snarling and baring its teeth at her in the alleyway ahead.

    ¡°Sss!¡±

    Lumina¡¯s heart jumped in fright as she clumsily drew the Masterwork Veteran¡¯s Sword she had obtained from Lady Adele.

    But she had no confidence at all.

    Because she had been busy rescuing people these past few days, she had no time to practice swordsmanship. Adding to that, although the Astral Wolf ahead didn¡¯t rank highly inbat strength among Astral beasts, it still required two to three yers working together to take down at their current levels.

    This was clearly a dangerous ¡°Rare Monster¡± that had unexpectedly spawned right in front of her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to die this time!¡±

    Lumina had already started involuntarily pondering what manner she would perish in.

    Mainly because most of the little yers were offline now, she couldn¡¯t find anyone to help. She could only hopelessly send her coordinates on the ¡°World Channel¡±, praying for a kind soul to swoop in dramatically.

    However, the Astral Wolf knew nothing of this human¡¯s thoughts.

    After confirming Lumina hade alone, it let out a howl and pounced without hesitation. Although a newbie, Lumina was still a fearless little yer. With the monster charging at her face, even if she died, she would die standing!

    So she let out a scream to psych herself up, raised her sword and rushed forward, only to unsurprisingly be batted down by the Astral Wolf¡¯s paw.

    She had already closed her eyes awaiting death when she suddenly heard a whistling object smash into something nearby, followed by the Astral Wolf¡¯s pitiful whimpers.

    Lumina opened her eyes, dusted herself off and looked up to see the towering figure of Precipitation Niuniu jumping down from a nearby wall, his crimson crest shield having mmed into the wolf¡¯s feet.

    But this was no ¡°heroic rescue.¡±

    Because behind Niuniu followed a slender, long-legged girl with long hair wearing strange crimson knuckle-dusters.

    ¡°Lumina Yanghen?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate confidently walked over to Lumina, friendly extending a hand to pull her up and getting straight to the point:

    ¡°As the only two female yers in the game, I think we should get acquainted.¡±

    Lumina didn¡¯t say anything.

    She brushed the dust off herself while observing Sister Pomegranate. From this girl¡¯s demeanor, she could tell she was definitely no ordinary person in the real world either.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Lumina politely responded, but was thrown off in the next second when Sister Pomegranate shrugged and said:

    ¡°No need to thank me. Niuniu and I were about to log off anyway. We came over after seeing the coordinates on World Channel specifically to rescue you. I quite like you, Lumina. Why don¡¯t you join my team?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no thanks.¡±

    Lumina waved her hands and said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t do guilds, I¡¯m just casually ying this game. Plus I have friends who might join in the next batch, we agreed to y together.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then how about I join you guys?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate hit her with another line, then remarked with pursed lips under Lumina¡¯s surprised gaze:

    ¡°ying with a bunch of half-grown kids offers no gaming experience at all. They¡¯d even blush if I told a dirty joke. If your girls¡¯ team is still recruiting, I could join you all.

    I don¡¯t actually want to do any guilds either, I just find this game quite interesting.

    Interesting in every way, if you know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh, a troublemaker, I get it.¡±

    Lumina hesitated briefly.

    She nced at the dashing Sister Pomegranate, then asked a very strange question:

    ¡°What¡¯s your IQ?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Now it was the usually unpredictable Sister Pomegranate¡¯s turn to be thrown off. She gave Lumina an odd look and said:

    ¡°What? There¡¯s an IQ requirement to join you guys?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Lumina nodded seriously:

    ¡°It¡¯s a basic requirement. Don¡¯t look at me like that, when I joined them before I also had to take a test. It¡¯s not a rule I made, I¡¯m just a pretty ordinary person among us.

    Sister Concrete requires us not to y with idiots, even in a game.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh, sounds interesting!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate grew more interested, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never tested my IQ, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m dumb.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you a test after logging off.¡±

    Lumina happily extended her hand to Sister Pomegranate:

    ¡°135 and above can join us. I¡¯m trying to convince Sister Concrete to y with us too. If shees, she¡¯ll be the leader of our little team.

    If she doesn¡¯te, then it¡¯ll be me.¡±

    ¡°Then let me lead you all instead.¡±

    Sister Pomegranateughed heartily, extending her hand to forcibly pull Lumina into an embrace using her height advantage, making the little girl blush as she pushed her away.

    She wasn¡¯t used to such close physical contact with the same gender.

    ¡°Hey, Sister Lumina,e over and finish it off!¡±

    Ahead, Niuniu had beaten the Astral Wolf to an inch of its life with his fists and called back to Lumina:

    ¡°This is the rare monster you found. Hurry up, maybe you¡¯ll even get lucky and loot materials. Sis! Let go of her, reign in your crazy antics, you¡¯re going to scare her.

    Every time Ie out with you, it¡¯s so embarrassing.¡±

 Chapter 66:

    ¡°Huff¡±

    Following the orange-red mes of the torch Lumina threw down, the fire spread rapidly like a writhing fire snake along the alchemical fire oil she had previously spilled.

    This fire oil was clearly enhanced with additives.

    The mes spread at an abnormal speed. Fortunately, Lumina had thrown the torch from far away. If she were closer, she might not have had time to run with that ignition speed.

    In the blink of an eye, the two alleys in front of her were engulfed in bright mes. Under the flickering fires, the shadows of obstacles stretched long, but Lumina could also hear faint explosions, like something crying out as it was ignited by the mes.

    This made her eyes widen as she grabbed her hunting rifle again.

    The earlier Astral Wolf attack reminded her of her true advantage, she might be better suited to shooting from a distance rather than closebat fighting, though it was a pity about the elven sword arts she had just acquired. She wondered if there was a job that could bnce ranged and closebat abilities?

    ¡°Awoo¡±

    A shrill howl interrupted Lumina¡¯s imagination. She immediately aimed her rifle at the mes and saw the formless shades of despair spawned from the burning smoke, struggling to escape the raging fire as if fleeing.But they didn¡¯t get far before a lead bullet from Lumina shattered their forms into ck ashes, swallowed again by the zing fire.

    ¡°Effective!¡±

    Lumina watched as the Astral shadows in the alley were consumed by the spreading mes, leaving only pale gray ash in their wake.

    It seemed Lord Murphy¡¯s n had a sessful foundation. All they needed to do was douse the entire outer city ruins with this alchemical fire oil, then set it aze for total victory.

    She nced at the ¡°Burn Test¡± quest now showing asplete on her yer interface, shouldered her rifle, humming a tune as she carried the strange bones she had collected from the Astral Wolves, heading back to the defense line to turn in the quest to Lady Tris.

    Lord Murphy wasn¡¯t around, she didn¡¯t know where he had gone.

    ¡°Hmm, the quality of this Astral Wolf Pte Bone is not bad. Seems you¡¯ve had quite the lucky find, little girl.¡±

    Lady Tris maintained her signature half-drunken posture, sitting by the alchemy table. After examining the special material Lumina handed over, she nodded in satisfaction and asked:

    ¡°Is there anything you want? I can trade you the secrets of spirit magic for these materials.¡±

    Lady Tris looked both alluring and kindly at the moment, but in reality her heart was delighted.

    The crystals of raging Astral spirit energy contained in the remains of these Astral creatures were considered rare materials in other spirit circles. But now she only needed to offer a bit of basic spirit knowledge to easily obtain them from these adorable little warriors.

    As her little Murphy had said, after getting familiar with the way these little warriors operated, she really was growing fonder of these eternally energetic, fearless, insightful but easily satisfied little cuties.

    Their courage clearly needed to be directed in more reasonable ways, like obtaining fine wines or rare and expensive materials for her.

    Lumina had previously known she could exchange rare drop materials with Lady Tris for manuals on spirit skills. But as a solo yer who didn¡¯t raid instances, she hadn¡¯t expected to have this opportunity. Hearing Tris¡¯ inquiry now, she felt a bit lost.

    After a moment¡¯s thought, she carefully asked:

    ¡°Do you have any books on elven-style spirit magic here?¡±

    ¡°Elves?¡±

    With the Computation Bead¡¯s precise trantion, Tris understood Lumina¡¯s intent, but frowned and said:

    ¡°Why would you be interested in those conservative, exclusionary people? They are not kind characters. The war between the Castilia elves and the Sanghai people 300 years ago at the ¡®Bridge of Heaven¡¯ shocked the continent, that was our first realization of the immense power held by those reclusive Avalon nature-worshippers.

    Little girl, you should be more cautious.

    What I mean is, stay away from those dangerous things.¡±

    But seeing Lumina¡¯s unchanged expression, Lady Tris knew her warning had fallen on deaf ears.

    Recalling that little Murphy had asked her to secretly look after this bold but careful girl, Tris pondered for a moment before retrieving a scroll and elegantly beginning to write.

    Nearly five minutester, the scroll was rolled up and handed to Lumina.

    ¡°This is an elven spell from my memory, but you won¡¯t be able to use it for now.¡±

    Hearing Lady Tris¡¯ words, Lumina excitedly epted it and activated her yer interface¡¯s item identification. Soon, a simple description appeared:

    Name: Lady Tris¡¯ Magic Manual ¨C Eye of the Wilderness

    Effect: Learn the natural spirit skill ¡®Eye of the Wilderness¡¯, summoning a spirit scout owl. This allows the user to control the owl for long-range observation, maintaining this state until spirit energy is depleted and allowing cement of up to three spirit markers in the target area.

    In terrain rich with natural spirit energy, Eye of the Wilderness is enhanced with reduced energy consumption and can support short-range mentalmunication with the target by the user.

    Note!

    The summoned scout owl has¡¾Natural Concealment¡¿and¡¾Spirit Shielding¡¿, making it difficult for enemies to detect.

    Please be aware that this advanced scouting spell can be disrupted byplex spirit environments.

    Requirement: Learning this skill requires Intellect ¡Ý 12

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This spirit spell is a special variant originating from the elven ranger ¡®Wilderness Sentinel¡¯ skill. Its greatest advantage, thanks to Lady Tris¡¯ modifications, is a much lower chance of being detected, significantly enhancing the user¡¯s safety.

    But you¡¯d best not inquire in detail where Lady Tris learned this foreign spell, it rtes to a certain experience from her youth.¡¿

    ¡°Intellect 12 to learn it?¡±

    Lumina nced at her character sheet, her current Intellect stat was maxed at 8. ording to the game¡¯s Power Realm exnations, she would not only need toplete the ck Iron Trial, but also invest precious free attribute points into Intellect after raising her Realm in order to meet the learning requirement.

    But wouldn¡¯t that mess up her nned job progression?

    ¡°Is there anything else troubling you?¡±

    Seeing the little yer¡¯s worried look, Lady Tris casually asked.

    Lumina ryed her thoughts through the trantion function, she didn¡¯t want to give up her shooting skills or the elven secret sword arts, and also wanted to learn elven spirit magic. Hearing this, Lady Tris showed an exasperated expression.

    What was wrong with this child?

    Had her head been kicked in by an Astral Ox? On the Path of Power, trying to have everything usually resulted in ack of specialization, even great talent couldn¡¯t make up for that mistake!

    But out of respect for little Murphy, she tried to impart some ¡°wisdom of her elders¡±, suggesting to Lumina:

    ¡°Based on your requests, the most suitable job for you that I can think of is the ¡®Bard¡¯.

    Ites from authentic elven heritage, not outstanding in any area, but a ssic jack-of-all-trades. Though human bards are not quite authentic, if you could find someone willing to teach you those skills, you might just get your wish.

    However, child, I advise you not to abandon the path of spirit magic or the ranger.

    Your talents may be more suited for those.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Lady.¡±

    Lumina felt enlightened. She immediately took out a few bottles of fine wine she had scavenged and gifted them to Tris, who smiled cheerfully. Her impression of this clever and sensible little girl improved further as she offered one more reminder:

    ¡°I recall there is an olddy at the ¡®Blood Fang¡¯ tavern in the inner city district who is always full of energy. In her youth, she apparently traveled to the elvennds and also sang a fine song.

    She¡¯s quite likely a bard with a hidden identity, but that was over a hundred years ago.

    If you could find her relics or notes, you might just uncover some clues.¡±

    Lumina quickly recorded this information on her yer interface. She now truly realized the importance of ¡°affinity¡± in this game, as this effort in collecting and gifting wines to Tris had not been wasted.

    However, the inner city district¡­

    That area was still covered by Astral energy, so she estimated the new area wouldn¡¯t open until after the outer city ruins of Kadman City were reimed.

    With a satisfied haul, Lumina left and nned to wander the city again.

    After she departed, Tris sipped her wine and waited until Murphy, along with the Young Lady, Maxim, and Adele, stealthily escorted three horse carriages out of the city.

    ¡°Did you get them?¡± Tris asked.

    Murphy nodded and patted the carriage next to him, saying, ¡°The three underground cores of the Nocturne spirit grand barrier, retrieved without incident. Check their status.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Tris wavedzily. ¡°Strategic spirit items of that level only have two states, intact or broken. They aren¡¯t as fragile as you think, as long as they¡¯re not shattered. Now that we have them, are you going to burn the city next?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Murphy nodded. ¡°Over the next two days, the militia at the survivor camps will gradually burn the city district with fire oil, eventually pushing to the Astral Rift to secure the new border. The hard-to-reach areas on the outer ruin edges will be ¡®air-dropped¡¯ by the Young Lady and Adele.

    ¡°Only by burning away those shadows can this ce truly belong to us again.

    ¡°Also, the dire situation you prophesied has emerged. ording to my warriors¡¯ scouting in the sewer regions, ghouls and their ¡®cousins¡¯ the waterlogged undead have appeared in droves under the ruins.

    ¡°The death spirit energy in Transia isn¡¯t converging, so this rate of transformation is too fast, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Too fast? I think it¡¯s too slow,¡± Tris snorted, adopting the cold arrogance befitting a Spirit Sovereign.

    ¡°The spirit energy of the physical world is filtered through the Astral Realm. In the face of that primal, raging spirit energy, further ssification is meaningless, they inherently possess shared characteristics across spirit types.

    ¡°The appearance of ghouls is just the first step; more troublesome wraiths await.

    ¡°After burning away the city¡¯s surface Astral shadows, we¡¯ll have to deal with those specters next.

    ¡°But it seems your warriors implemented some rather special management methods at the camp. I overheard them hotly discussing something called a ¡®big pot meal¡¯ today.¡±

    Tris sounded a bit concerned as she knew the little yers¡¯ backgrounds, so she asked, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to just let them do that?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a proven effective method, then we have no need to worry,¡± Murphy said with a nuanced tone to Tris.

    She paused, then realized Murphy meant their warriors might be employing methods from other realms.

    She nodded, not asking further.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Battalion Commander! There¡¯s a problem in Kadman City!¡±

    A few hours after nightfall, a White Oak scout rushed into Old Finoch¡¯s tent at the Witch Hunters¡¯ temporary camp, loudly telling the Battalion Commander who was carefully polishing his Great Oak Holy de.

    ¡°There are mes rising from the ruins! The glow prates even the astral shadow shroud, allowing us to see it from the observation point. We suspect something happened in the city to set the whole ce aze.

    Perhaps a conflict erupted between that strange vampire and the civilians he¡¯s oppressing?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The old knight, d only in a simple tunic, raised his head in surprise.

    Slinging his sacred Great Oak de across his back, he followed the scout out to a vantage point overlooking Kadman City through a surveying telescope.

    The burning mes stood out starkly in the night.

    But the war-seasoned old knight immediately judged it was not an entire citywide congration. He was quite familiar with such things from his long life of campaigns, not just once, but many times.

    ¡°No! The mes are too small and not intense enough, at most a small district is burning. This is an intentional, nned arson.¡±

    The old knight lowered his telescope and said gravely:

    ¡°It seems they are using fire against the overflowing Astral shadows, a decent substitute in the absence of professional purifying spirit mages.

    But I never expected vampires to willingly use fire, that truly surprises me.

    I recall the rural folk of this Transia region passing down an ancient tradition of using mes to purify corruption and darkness, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander. Such customs are indeed passed down locally, said to be methods concluded by their ancestors from conflicts with vampires long ago,¡± replied a scout versed in the local traditions.

    ¡°This approach can¡¯t be wrong, mes are indeed employed in many exorcism rituals. But should we really allow those vampires to reim their city uncontested? Perhaps we should seize the opportunity tounch an attack while they¡¯re vulnerable?

    With the intelligence we currently possess, under your leadership, those vampires can¡¯t possibly stop us!¡±

    ¡°We shall advance, but not attack,¡± the old Finoch shook his head solemnly.

    ¡°Those vampires and their blood servants cannot escape from our grasp! The astral rift will close tomorrow, and that is when we will act.

    But remember our mission, Hunters.

    Those scattered vampires and servants are inconsequential, confirming Salrokdar¡¯s death and the Blood Vultures¡¯ destruction is of utmost importance!

    I know those who have survived this war have bloodied their hands, some more than others. But if I find any of you losing control of the destructive urges in your heart, raising des against those survivors, don¡¯t expect any leniency from me!¡±

 Chapter 67:

    On the seventh day of the special event in Kadman City, as soon as the yers logged in, they saw that the city ruins they had explored over the past few days had undergone a dramatic transformation.

    In the distance, mes covered the ruins, burning fiercely, as if casting ayer of scorching fire over the gloomy city. The rising heat distorted the light, making it hard to see clearly, while nearby were three districts that had already burned the previous night.

    ck ashes covered the ground, reflecting a deste scene.

    ¡°Burning, it¡¯s really burning.¡±

    Meow King eximed as he stood amidst the ashes with his Four Heavenly Kings and his old buddy Little Hands.

    Behind them, they dragged tworge carts filled with fiery oil made by Lady Tris¡¯ secret recipe. Their mission was to deliver these supplies to the front lines for the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force NPCs, who would then set up the next district to be burned.

    This arson operation was proceeding ording to n. ording to Murphy and Tris¡¯ calctions, by midnight today, the entire outer city district could be purified by fire.

    ¡°Hey, you know, there really aren¡¯t any of those weird astral shadows in the areas that have been burned, and even the ufortable ck snow is gone.¡±

    Meow¡¯s old buddy ¡°Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off¡± prodded a pile of ashes nearby with his battle spear, shattering a y pot and scattering a few copper coins, which the nimble novice quickly pocketed.He then looked up at his determined cousin and said:

    ¡°Brother, about your job change¡­¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow!¡±

    Meow waved his hand grandly and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Dump Truck to help me find the materials at the camp. Tomorrow, after the event ends and we get the rewards, and the starse out, I¡¯ll go try it out in the woods.

    Once weplete this hidden quest, we¡¯ll all have new jobs to switch to!¡±

    ¡°No, brother, I mean, are you sure you want to switch to that weird job?¡±

    Don¡¯t Need Hands added worriedly:

    ¡°What if you ruin your character? There¡¯s absolutely no information about the new jobs right now. Aren¡¯t you worried it might be some bottom-tier job?¡±

    ¡°This is a main quest given by the NPCs, how could it possibly be a bottom-tier job? It¡¯s clearly part of the side story for yers to explore the new job system. That¡¯s true immersion.¡±

    Meow didn¡¯t seem worried at all as he grinned:

    ¡°In other games, we¡¯re just footmen, but here it¡¯s different. We¡¯re pioneers zing new trails! Come on, let¡¯s stop talking and finish this quest first.¡±

    The six of them pulled the carts swiftly through the ash-covered streets, still able to spot some scavengers from the camp searching the nearby ruins for usable items.

    As Meow and the others passed by, some of the younger people or those who had benefited from their kindness would greet them or bow to them from afar. This treatment made the little yers feel pleased.

    At least these native NPCs weren¡¯t treating them with disdain, people who understood gratitude always made one feelfortable.

    When they delivered the fiery oil to the front lines, they happened to see Lord Murphy inspecting the fire lines with his ¡°harem squad.¡± Meow¡¯s group immediately went to greet him and gain some favor. Murphy casually gave them a ¡°Wildfire Assist¡± quest, sending the overly enthusiastic yers to help set fires.

    After dismissing the yers, he turned to Tris behind him and said:

    ¡°I can feel the astral energy receding at an elerated pace. Even the ck smoke shrouding the sky has dissipated. I estimate we¡¯ll be able to see the moon and stars tonight.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just because of the fires.¡±

    Tris shook her head in exnation:

    ¡°The astral energy is ebbing overall. That rift is going to close. Tomorrow! By tomorrow evening at thetest, the inner city that has been trapped for a week will reappear in the physical world.¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be anything left there,¡± the Young Lady continued hoarsely.

    ¡°A week ago when I ventured inside, I already sawrge swaths of buildings being dragged into the astral realm. A full week of encroachment and devouring would have been enough to turn the inner city into a nk te.

    But for you, that may be good news.

    It means all traces of Kadman City¡¯s past will be wiped clean, like a nk canvas for you to leave your own colors on.¡±

    ¡°Be a little more optimistic, girl,¡± Tris chided.

    ¡°Have a little more faith in our wicked and cunning kindred. The rate of astral erosion on life is slower. If they managed to hide underground when the disaster struck, then after tomorrow we might just see a bunch of vampiric monstrosities driven mad by astral corruption.

    And whether you like it or not, you¡¯ll have to deal with them yourself then.

    So don¡¯t be too pessimistic until then.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Tris,¡± Murphy said, feeling Tris¡¯ words were too harsh.

    He reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her, but the Young Lady¡¯s already paleplexion turned even more pallid.

    It was clear Tris had discerned the root of her greatest fear.

    Murphy was perplexed by the inexplicable hostility between Tris and the Young Lady. He guessed it must have something to do with the Young Lady¡¯s secret, as Tris had never been so cruel before. Yet she seemed unable to tolerate any of the Young Lady¡¯s actions, even though Femis had been quite cooperative over the past week.

    One could even describe her as ¡°obedient.¡±

    ¡°The sky! Look at that thing, it¡¯s shrinking!¡±

    A shout came from the crowds of busy workers, immediately drawing everyone¡¯s attention.

    They looked up towards the inner city¡¯s sky, where over the past few days an ominous purple glow had enshrouded the horizon. Now, suddenly, the ck smoky haze had parted.

    As if disturbed by the outer city¡¯s fires, it finally exposed the true situation within.

    Murmurs arose from the crowd as people who deeply reviled this disaster used various derogatory terms to describe the swirling astral vortex in the sky.

    Some called it the ¡°Devil¡¯s X Eye¡±, and this crude yet vivid term quickly gained eptance among the others.

    But Murphy could clearly see more.

    Although he was only a Level 9 Spirit Apprentice, the repeated practice of spirit skills over these days meant he was no longer limited to appearances.

    He stared at the swirling astral vortex in the inner skies, and after a few seconds said to Tris beside him:

    ¡°I can feel its weakness, like an empty husk drained of power. The exterior still seems stable, but it would only take a slight disturbance for it to copse inward. At that point, the astral rift will closepletely, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it seems you haven¡¯t been cking these past few days and have indeed been studying the basic knowledge manuals I gave you.¡±

    Tris nodded in satisfaction and exined to her offspring and apprentice:

    ¡°The spirit ritual that formed the astral rift is nearing its end, but it still possesses immense destructive power. In this situation, allowing it to dissipate naturally is the best choice. If disturbed prematurely, it would trigger an explosion of spirit energy, forming a shockwave that would engulf everything around it.

    This is the most dangerous stage it can maintain.

    Around midnight today, its energy will drop to the minimum threshold, after which the stable shroud will transform into a copse back into the astral realm, taking with it anything it can.¡±

    At this point, Tris looked maliciously at the silent Young Lady beside her and drawled:

    ¡°So if there are any surviving vampires in the inner city, tonight will be their only chance to escape. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Tris!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice grew stern as he frowned.

    Lady Tris pursed her lips, but sensing Murphy¡¯s mood, she didn¡¯t continue her taunts.

    The day passed busily with the little yers and survivors pushing forward with the burning efforts, with no major surprises. But having witnessed the true effects of the purifying mes, the survivors¡¯ enthusiasm was high.

    Their desire to reim their homnd drove them to move faster than Murphy had anticipated.

    Byte afternoon, as yers logged off one by one, the survivors continued setting fires everywhere, pushing forward. And after thest district was set aze with fiery oil, those soot-covered survivors who had toiled for a day and night finally advanced behind the protection of the mes to the edge of the outer city.

    Without the obstruction of astral shadows and despairing clusters, they could finallyy eyes on the true state of their city after the disaster.

    The massive chasm over a hundred meters wide gouged by the dimensional meteorite, and the flickering polluted light points of the other district still shrouded by the astral spirit storm, it represented how the old Kadman City had been utterly consumed, shattering the final fantasies in many survivors¡¯ hearts.

    This harsh reality before them made it clear that everything they knew from the past no longer existed.

    Many even fell to their knees before that great chasm, weeping soundlessly.

    They were not only crying for themselves, now without support and having to continue into an uncertain tomorrow, but also mourning for the countless souls buried with this city.

    Kadman City had over 150,000 people before, and now only this thousand or so remained, meaning the 400-year dark history written on thends of Transia had also copsed with this disaster.

    But they had wronged no one.

    They were ignorant of the Blood Vulture vampires¡¯ feud with the Goldflower Kingdom, and had no stake in the spoils reaped by the powers manipting the war. Not just the civilians in the war zones suffered, they too had not livedfortably during the decade of conflict.

    Yet they had to bear the consequences of others¡¯ mistakes.

    ¡°This is a lesson,¡±

    Murphy said softly to Tris as he stood amidst the ashen ruins of an extinguished fire behind the weeping survivors.

    ¡°Salrokdar and the Blood Vulture n have given me a vivid lesson with their demise on the consequences of making too many enemies. No matter the night or the 400-year spirit barrier they built, it could not stop the force of hatred.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Tris remained nonchnt.

    Having lived 500 years, she was long used to such things.

    She knew it wasn¡¯t as simple as Murphy¡¯s summation, but for now, she only wanted to hear her dear progeny¡¯s ns for the future. So she uncorked her exquisite wine bottle and took a small sip.

    The elven-style bottle had been found in the ruins and gifted to her by a little yer.

    Toying with her prized possession, she looked at Murphy and asked:

    ¡°So how do you n to establish your reign over these ruins? Be kind to all? Or shift from Transia¡¯s ferocity and try to be a littlemb instead?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll probably try to eliminate the hatred between vampires and Transians, as I see vampires are not inherently evil, nor are humans spotless white lotuses.

    Everyone has a dirty ass, so let¡¯s just get along.

    Of course, it will be in a more equal way that can unite everyone.

    Not just vampires and humans!

    This future city will wee all, the liked or disliked, the praised, the abandoned, everyone will find their ce here.

    They will follow my rules, and I will use their strength reasonably.

    Unite all against those with malice.¡±

    Murphy had always been frank with Tris about his thoughts, and he said candidly:

    ¡°I won¡¯t actively make enemies, but if others think the son of a Blood Vulture is easy to bully, I don¡¯t mind biting them hard in return.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do it with just these people.¡±

    Tris coughed and said:

    ¡°Your warriors are your greatest asset. You need to find a way to arm them quickly. Their courage alone is not enough, far from enough.¡±

    Murphy nodded.

    Increasing the number of yers was indeed a headache. He guessed yer manpower growth wouldn¡¯t juste frompleting his ¡°quests.¡±

    That would be too slow.

    Perhaps afterpleting his sixth introductory quest, the admin system would give him a surprise. But now that he had territory and subjects, passing the ck Iron Trial required forpleting quests had be the biggest problem.

    How was he supposed to find a suitable target in the dpidated Kadman City?

    As Murphy pondered, in one of the burning districts far away, the recently logged-in Lumina was hauling thest batch of fiery oil with Sister Pomegranate.

    Due to the time difference, Lumina could only log in at this hour, but Sister Pomegranate had specifically adjusted her schedule to y together with her.

    ¡°Give me another chance, will you? Don¡¯t be so strict, little Lumina.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate pleaded with Lumina:

    ¡°I messed up that test yesterday, but you have to believe my intelligence is far greater than that.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it either, Sister Pomegranate,¡± Lumina sighed.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re very capable, but those rules weren¡¯t set by me. Don¡¯t worry, when the next batch of yer slots open up, you can ask my friends who get in.

    I¡¯m personally in favor, but just my approval is useless. Huh?

    What was that?

    Look! Sister Pomegranate, something is crawling out of that huge chasm!

    It looks like a person?

    How can they look so wretched? As filthy and ragged as beggars.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®one¡¯? There¡¯s at least a whole group! Their eyes are still glowing, yikes! They¡¯re charging this way, run! Something¡¯s not right!

    Lumina! Blow the whistle, quickly! Call the NPCs!

    We can¡¯t handle so many crazed vampire beggars!

    Where did these lunatics evene from?¡±

 Chapter 68:

    Murphy could onlyment that his little yers always managed toe up with new activities for him.

    Just a moment ago, he received a report from the soldiers under Maxim that a group of ¡°beggar¡± vampires who had crawled out from the Great Rift had been discovered by Lumina and Sister Pomegranate, and were now under control.

    Upon receiving the news, Murphy and Tris immediately rushed to the ce where those vampires were being housed.

    On the way, Tris kept ¡°self-reflecting¡±:

    ¡°I was just saying it, trying to provoke Femis a little. I didn¡¯t expect it to actuallye true. This isn¡¯t right, with the concentration of Astral Spirit in the inner city, even if they weren¡¯t dragged into the Astral Realm, there¡¯s no way they could havested seven days!

    Something¡¯s not right, Murphy.¡±

    Murphy also looked helpless.

    Although he knew that the ragged vampire beggars suddenly appearing at this time couldn¡¯t be because of Tris¡¯ cursed mouth, he still took this opportunity to say to Tris:

    ¡°You know you have a cursed mouth, so don¡¯t just blurt things out about things like this, or maybe it was your poisonous mouth that even made some passing deity unable to bear it, so they prepared this surprise for us.¡±¡°Tsk, what deity would care about vampires? Do you really think our status as Eternal Sin Descendants is a joke? The Astral gods avoid us like the gue.¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes, and seeing Maxim waiting ahead, she didn¡¯t say anything more and just followed behind Murphy, while the loyal servant¡¯s expression was very strange.

    When he saw Murphy approaching, he immediately came forward and said in a low voice:

    ¡°The ones who escaped were several n patriarch¡¯s guards and their servants, with Sir Jed at the lead.¡±

    ¡°Ah? What a coincidence?¡±

    Murphy was also taken aback.

    As far as he knew, the Salrokdar n patriarch had about 1,500 personal guards, the elite of the elites of the n. That Jed was only one of the 30 squad leaders, and he managed to still be alive and escape in the current situation.

    The probability was just too low.

    He also noticed Maxim¡¯s strange expression, and knew what his servant was worried about, so he reached out and patted Maxim¡¯s shoulder, saying in a low voice:

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it clear to him, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Maxim nodded, watching as Murphy entered the house behind him, while Tris, who was coldly observing everything, took a sip of wine and suddenly said to Maxim:

    ¡°Are you prepared?¡±

    This question made Maxim turn back in confusion, and then he heard Tris say:

    ¡°What if that Jed doesn¡¯t agree to your leaving? What if he¡¯s not going to give my little Murphy this favor?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    The loyal servant clenched his fists.

    He was full of struggle in his heart, and then he saw Tris show a smile and say to him:

    ¡°You have to understand, in the current situation, the Blood Vulture n is essentially defunct, taking those rotten rules along as they¡¯re half-buried in the grave.

    My little Murphy is going to do something big, and as his servant, you need to be more flexible in your thinking.

    You can¡¯t always expect others to grant what you want.

    You know what to do in a situation like this, being a local from Transia, right?¡±

    Tris¡¯ words hit the mark.

    But Maxim already understood what the Lady Tris meant, he nodded, retreating to the side and pulling up his hood, hiding his expression and thoughts behind the mask so that no one could see them anymore.

    Meanwhile, inside the house, the Young Lady who had rushed over after receiving the news had finished checking the bodies of the seven n patriarch¡¯s guards, seven men and women, but they were all truly miserable.

    Their armor was tattered and showed severe energy corrosion, and their bodies were emaciated to the point of being skin and bones, clearly not a result of normal consumption, but as if something had forcibly drained their life force.

    Each of them had haggard faces, withered hair, sunken eyes, and filthy bodies that gave off a rotten smell.

    Lumina and Sister Pomegranate¡¯s reports had no issues, these were indeed a group of vampire beggars who had suffered for seven days before finally escaping from the inner city.

    Their dozen or so servants were in a simr state, but it¡¯s worth noting that there were no human Blood Servants among them, they had all already undergone the initial embrace and be vampires themselves.

    Obviously, ordinary humans couldn¡¯t possibly have endured in the harsh environment of the inner city until now.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±

    Murphy asked.

    The Young Lady shook her head, using her handkerchief to wipe the stains off her fingers as she said in a low voice:

    ¡°It¡¯s all very bad. They¡¯ve experienced prolonged blood draining, leaving their physical state quite exhausted, their very essence of blood almost depleted.

    Several of them have even had their minds severely tainted by the corruption of the Astral Realm, showing signs of dementia and insanity.

    This is irreversible mental damage!

    Even if they recoverter, they¡¯ll have to remain in this half-crazed state until their final rest.

    Tris¡¯ cruel words earlier were right.

    Tonight, when the Astral Rift¡¯s Spirit vortex shifted, was their only chance to escape, and they did indeed seize that opportunity to flee from the inner city.¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure they escaped from the inner city? I feel like things aren¡¯t that simple.¡±

    Murphy expressed his doubts.

    He narrowed his eyes, looking at the miserable seven n patriarch¡¯s guards before him, and said in a low voice:

    ¡°You and Tris¡¯ professional knowledge both confirm that even higher vampires couldn¡¯t survive in the inner city, so I suspect they must have hidden in some area that could temporarily withstand the Astral Spirit pollution.

    Although I¡¯ve never been there, I also know the Blood Vulture Halls is right in the center of the inner city area, and there are vast underground areas beneath the surface castle structures.

    The family¡¯s Holy Blood Pool is also deep within the halls, right?

    Young Lady, the issue you¡¯ve been worried about seems to have an answer. The Blood Vulture n doesn¡¯t seem to have perished, at least not as tragically as you thought. There may still be other surviving nsmen in the halls.

    Perhaps even your father.¡±

    ¡°No, the n is finished! I can confirm this.¡±

    Femis sighed.

    Seemingly unwilling to discuss this with Murphy at the moment, she left behind a few alchemy potions and turned to leave the room, but Adele did not follow the Young Lady this time, instead standing guard at the door.

    Obviously, Murphy¡¯s descendant was worried about the elders¡¯ safety.

    These seven n patriarch¡¯s guards were all feeble, but their strength was at the White Silver realm, even weakened they were the absolute elites of the n. And having their minds tainted by the Astral Spirit made them even more dangerous.

    Murphy came to Sir Jed¡¯s side.

    He looked at Jed lying on the wooden board before him. This n patriarch¡¯s guard no longer had the powerful and graceful bearing he once exhibited when issuing orders to Murphy.

    Not to mention his tattered armor covered in bloodstains, even his demeanor was no longer normal, now looking as if he had aged a few hundred years.

    His once handsome forehead was deeply wrinkled, his ck hair already turned white.

    He looked quite miserable.

    Murphy opened one of the potions the Young Lady had left and poured it into Jed¡¯s mouth. Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard a weak mumbling voice by his ear:

    ¡°Let your descendant leave first, I have something to tell you, Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy blinked.

    That was Jed¡¯s voice, was this guy awake?

    Or had he been pretending to sleep all along?

    But why?

    ¡°Adele, go check on Tris¡¯ situation.¡±

    Murphy turned to instruct his descendant:

    ¡°Also, take a few rounds patrolling around the Great Rift and see if there are any more brethren who broke through. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m safe among my own people.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    Lady Adele turned and left, the ash-covered room door closing at that moment.

    As the room fell into darkness, the feeble figure lying on the wooden board immediately sat up.

    Jed opened his eyes, showing his weariness and relief. He tremblingly released a Spirit spell, and Murphy could feel an invisible force sweep through the room, enveloping all sounds within it.

    ¡°No one else is here.¡±

    Jed panted, saying to Murphy in the darkness:

    ¡°We few are thest Blood Vulture members to escape! I must tell you, something terrible happened in the halls, even before the Astral Rift opened, and I dare not speak of it out loud.

    What urred in the night in Kadman City was not just the disaster of the Astral Realm, far more than a natural cmity, there were also man-made disasters.

    But the Night Mother has blessed me!

    The midnight blessing allowed me to meet an old acquaintance, little Murphy.¡±

    He looked Murphy up and down with a gaze of surprise mixed with appreciation, and said:

    ¡°I was not unconscious. Before my servant Maxim brought me here, I was observing the situation around me in my own way. I saw those survivors who obey you, those delicious humans! Not only did youe back alive, but you¡¯ve already rallied quite a decent force amidst the ruins.

    It seems everyone underestimated you, Murphy.

    Everyone also underestimated Tris.

    Tell me, was your previous low profile a disguise she asked you to maintain?¡±

    ¡°It seems my disguise was not good enough, to be discovered by you, Sir Jed.¡±

    Murphy responded evasively:

    ¡°I always remember your kindness. Without your help at the beginning, I absolutely could not have survived that suicide mission. I am also grateful to the Night Mother for allowing me to see you again after this disaster.

    Do you need blood?

    I¡¯ll have some sent over immediately.¡±

    ¡°Of course, mypanions and I urgently need blood to recover, but don¡¯t let those stupid, cowardly human cattle in, we are not in a very presentable state right now.

    It would ruin the majestic image of the great Blood n in their stupid minds.

    Have their blood collected, then secretly send it over. Let Maxim deliver it, he is someone we all trust.

    But be warned!

    Never!

    Never let that little bitch Femis find out.¡±

    Jed¡¯s throat moved up and down, clearly thirsting for blood but giving Murphy extra warnings, making Murphy sense something was amiss.

    He frowned and asked:

    ¡°Why hide it from the Young Lady?¡±

    ¡°Because it was her father who started all this. The once wise and powerful Salrokdar has fallen into madness, he is the n¡¯s sinner and the monster of the race!¡±

    Jed spoke in a low voice filled with intense disgust and a hint of fear he couldn¡¯t hide:

    ¡°It was he who started the horrific events in the halls. That madman who personally buried the n no longer deserves to be our patriarch. As for Femis, heh, you don¡¯t know yet? When the city was devoured by the Astral Realm, the fool charged into the closing Blood Vulture Halls, but escaped again due to her status as the family heir.

    We begged her to take us with her.

    But she cruelly abandoned us, leaving us as sacrifices for her father¡¯s ugly deeds!

    I guess she didn¡¯t tell you any of this.

    Obviously, she has hidden many things from you, proving she is only using you.

    Murphy, listen to me!

    I have a n now that needs your help. It seems you have already won Femis that little viper¡¯s trust, good! This shows the Night Mother is blessing you and me.¡±

    He took out a small crystal vial from his Spirit bag and handed it to Murphy. In the darkness, he said hoarsely:

    ¡°Give it to that little bitch, just a few drops is enough. You¡¯ve already reached the threshold of the ck Iron realm, I can sense it. You need a prey toplete your ascension in strength.

    I¡¯ll help you, Murphy.

    Femis is the perfect prey.

    After you execute her by your own hand, Salrokdar¡¯s bloodline will be severed, and you and I will have true power.¡±

    ¡°True power?¡±

    Murphy took the small crystal vial without hesitation, but he clearly craved to hear more. Jed needed Murphy¡¯s allegiance at this moment, so he was being quite generous, speaking with an inexplicable excitement:

    ¡°Yes, true power!¡±

    As Jed¡¯s fingers twitched in the darkness, something appeared at his fingertips.

    It looked like an irregr stone b glowing with a crimson light in the darkness. Murphy was immediately drawn to this object, as if a voice in his mind was calling him to touch it.

    He subconsciously reached out his hand, but immediately pulled it back, as if burned by an invisible me.

    ¡°Heh heh, don¡¯t be afraid, touch it, touch this treasure we barely survived to retrieve, one-third of the Lord¡¯s Sigil!¡±

    Jedughed softly:

    ¡°With your position in the family, in the era when Salrokdar ruled, you could never haveid eyes on it in your lifetime. But the times have changed, Murphy.

    Listen to me, whoever holds this is the next Blood Vulture Lord! Even the most strict Blood Pact Knights cannot deny the transfer of power.

    However, the prerequisite is that Femis must die!

    Salrokdar¡¯s bloodline must be extinguished. Yourmoners will be the first members of the new Blood Vulture n led by me! Yes, although the Holy Blood Pool has been polluted, we can still rebuild the n through mass initial embraces.

    You see, I am being so frank with you, but Femis would never tell you her true intentions and ns.

    As I said, that little bitch has only been deceiving you.

    She is as cunning and callous as her father.

    But I am different, I will generously share all this with you. We both climbed up from the bottom, Murphy. We understand the sweet ambition of wanting to make a name for ourselves.

    We are meant to stand together by nature.¡±

    Murphy did not respond, nor did he heed Jed¡¯s somewhat manic persuasion and temptation.

    He seriously doubted that this guy might also have had his mind tainted by the Astral Spirit, or perhaps he was truly desperate and needed Murphy on his side at this moment?

    Regardless of which truth it was, it meant Murphy could exploit the needy Jed in return.

    His attention was focused on the crimson stone b in Jed¡¯s hand. The moment his finger touched it, the information tag popped up:

    Name: Civilization Tablet ¨C Vampire ¡¾1/7¡¿ ¨C ¡¾Desire¡¿Fragment

    Quality: Miracle Artifact

    Effects:

    1. Holding the tablet andpleting binding will grant the holder the title of¡¾Blood Vulture n Patriarch/Blood Vulture Lord¡¿, nominally granting control over all Blood Vulture vampires, and inheriting the Blood Vulture family¡¯s im to rule over the Transia region.

    2. Holding the tablet andpleting binding will grant the holder the special power keyword¡¾Primal Sin Ability ¨C Desire¡¿, bestowing the special talent¡¾Desire Perception¡¿.

    3. Holding the tablet andpleting binding will qualify the holder to participate in the vampire race¡¯s special event ¡¾Holy Blood Seal¡¿.

    4. Gathering all tablet fragments can reforge the¡¾Civilization Tablet ¨C Vampire¡¿, giving the scattered Blood n the possibility of integrating into aplete civilization.

    Status: Currently bound to Salrokdar Collins Lessenbra, first heir is Femis Cecilia Lessenbra.

    Creator: ¡¾Data Deleted¡¿

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The seven cardinal sins of the vampire ns are not just edgy conceptual ims, but special powers on the level of the soul granted to their race at the source of their birth!

    The tablet fragment before you is not only a symbol of power, it represents the unknown secret origins of the vampire race!

    As the skills used to create it can no longer be investigated or replicated, it is called a ¡°Miracle Artifact¡±, and every Miracle Artifact that still exists in the world possesses wondrous powers beyond mortal objects.

    Get it!

    Alpha!

    Obtain it, and you¡¯ll get an admission ticket to participate in the deepest upheavals of the world¡¯s changes.¡¿

    ¡°Truly a splendid and great object! I cannot imagine how many sacrifices you and yourpanions had to make to obtain it.¡±

    Murphy pulled his hand back and took a deep breath.

    He leaned forward slightly in the darkness, speaking in a fawning tone to Sir Jed:

    ¡°Then, please allow me to volunteer as your sword in the darkness, my respected Lord Jed.¡±

 Chapter 69:

    Murphy left the house.

    He carried the ¡°Daylight Potion¡± given to him by Jed, specifically for inducing weakness in vampires, and pledged to join Jed¡¯s faction vying for the final power over the Blood Vulture n.

    However, Jed did not truly trust him. Murphy could sense that the man was merely using him as a pawn, tempting him with future power to betray his current friends.

    This was normal reasoning.

    Especially in traditional vampire society, it was absolutely impossible for one vampire topletely trust another.

    Their veins did not flow with the lowly substance of blood, but with a poisonous concoction of intrigue and malice fermented in darkness, in equal proportions.

    A touch was deadly, blood-curdling.

    Several tens of minutes after Murphy left, the door to the house opened again.

    This time, it was Maxim who entered.He kept his hood down, shielding his eyes and face, carrying a bottle and seven stemmed sses.

    It was not easy to find these form-over-function items in present-day Kadman City. Fortunately, Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors excelled at scavenging, and Miriam also had stockpiles of supplies.

    ¡°My lord, have a drink.¡±

    Maxim poured the deep red liquid from the bottle into the sses, then handed one to Jed. The weakened vampire moved his throat, unable to maintain the pretense of etiquette any longer.

    In this moment, he was like a crude, greedy drunkard, tilting his head back to drain the fresh blood like fine wine.

    ¡°Mmm¡±

    As the blood entered his mouth and transmuted into true strength, infusing his parched body, Jed let out a long moan, as if drinking jade nectar, the wrinkles and aging visibly fading from his face.

    Only that head of gray-white hair could no longer return to its original deep ck.

    Damage to the essence of fresh blood was not something a vampire could recover from overnight. It was like an unfortunate man suffering from kidney deficiency.

    Haste does not solve the problem!

    Injuries to the root always required slow healing and recuperation.

    ¡°You did not inform Murphy that I had already awakened. It seems you remain loyal, Maxim.¡±

    Jed said in a low voice.

    His voice no longer sounded as parched as before, now carrying the malice and gloom befitting a vampire. With his head bowed, Maxim did not reply, merely refilling Jed¡¯s ss with the sweet blood taken from a virgin at the camp, handing it to him again.

    ¡°He trusts you greatly.¡±

    This time, Jed was not as crude as before.

    He seemed to have regained the proper bearing of a midnight aristocrat, gently swirling the sweet substance in his hand, observing Maxim¡¯s expression through the ripples of the blood.

    He said:

    ¡°He also told me about you, hoping I would gift you to him. He truly thinks highly of you.

    And I

    I suddenly realized that I had misjudged.

    Just as I failed to notice Murphy¡¯s hidden talents, I also failed to notice that among my servants, there was an outstanding individual like yourself. So, Maxim, would you be willing to follow Murphy?¡±

    ¡°I am your servant.¡±

    Maxim said in a deep voice:

    ¡°I still owe you a life, a debt I cannot forget. I must repay it with this life!¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡±

    This answer greatly satisfied Jed.

    Maxim did not conceal his admiration for Murphy and desire to follow him, but he also honestly expressed his thoughts. The vampire, deeply versed in the human heart, knew such conflicts were the natural state of these fragile creatures.

    The more resolute or loyal Maxim was, the more it would make Jed suspicious.

    ¡°Then I need you to do onest thing for me as my servant, a certain ritual necessary to gain your freedom.¡±

    Jed took a small sip of the blood, then with a flick of his finger, a familiar Daylight Potion dropped into Maxim¡¯s hand.

    He said:

    ¡°Murphy is an outstanding junior. I suppose his ready agreement to cooperate with me was just to cate me. He likely expects offers from both sides before naming his price.

    If I were him, I would do the same.

    But now, circumstances do not permit it. I must ¡®help¡¯ him make up his mind. Go and put this drug into Lady Tris¡¯ drink, then hide her away.

    Do not harm her until this is over.

    I do not need you to get involved in this matter, Maxim.

    I only need Murphy to feel a bit of pressure. After our cooperation isplete, you will obtain what you desire. We, we will all get what we want.¡±

    Maxim nodded.

    He seemed unable to understand, and finally asked:

    ¡°My lord, you clearly have the advantage. Femis is alone with no family. Her ck iron level strength is no match for any of yourpanions.

    Why must you still¡­¡±

    ¡°This is not for you to know, Maxim. You are not yet one of us. The secrets of the night are not for mortals to perceive!¡±

    Jed gave this servant a cold nce.

    Thetter immediately bowed and withdrew. Before leaving, Maxim told him:

    ¡°I have already selected ¡®food¡¯ to your taste. It will be delivered to you first thing tomorrow morning. Please bear with it for now.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Jed watched Maxim leave. Once the room was quiet again, he dragged his heavy body up and took the blood bottle Maxim had brought. After surveying the dozens of progeny lying on the ground behind him, he finally poured the blood over a tall,rge-framed progeny.

    The recipient quickly revived under the nourishment of the blood, then heard Jed murmuring in the darkness:

    ¡°Arthur, my finest progeny. Go! Watch over Maxim. I recall you two were well acquainted. If hepletes my orders, you will take over guarding Lady Tris and let him return to report to me.

    But if he does anything untoward

    Eliminate him!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Maxim walked along the ash-covered ground of Kadman City.

    He regretted being too honest and failing to ask where Jed¡¯s concerns about Lady Femis originated.

    He didn¡¯t believe Jed¡¯s orders for Lord Murphy to execute thedy were harmless. That cunning old thing must want Lord Murphy to bear the terrible responsibility.

    Perhaps there were other, more dangerous factors involved.

    He needed to find a way to secure more benefits for Lord Murphy in this sudden situation.

    Unfortunately, his mind was ill-suited for such contemtion. Just a few minutes of thinking made his head feel like it would burst. At that moment, Maxim suddenly stopped, looking left and right.

    He heard an exaggerated cooing sound, then spotted Lord Murphy¡¯s warrior Lumina Yanghen gesturing for him to approach from a dark alley ahead.

    After confirming he was not being followed, he swiftly went over.

    ¡°Jed ordered me to poison Lady Tris!¡±

    He said in a low voice to Lumina:

    ¡°Immediately inform Lord Murphy. Jed wants to use Lady Tris to force his hand. She must be moved immediately.¡±

    ¡°But doing so will expose you!¡±

    Clever Lumina immediately understood, whispering:

    ¡°I came to convey Lord Murphy¡¯s orders. He says he trusts your judgment and you are free to act until this is resolved. Do not contact him to avoid endangering you.

    He also said not to worry about Jed, just protect Lady Tris.

    This is an opportunity to get you out.¡±

    Lumina rather admired this loyal blood servant warrior. She told Maxim:

    ¡°You should seize this chance to remove Lord Murphy¡¯s vulnerability from the vortex of this familial conspiracy. Do not let her fall into the hands of that Jed who clearly looks untrustworthy.¡±

    ¡°This is not enough.¡±

    Maxim shook his head, saying:

    ¡°The pressure on Lord Murphy is too great. Jed and hispanions are formidable. I must¡­hmm, perhaps your inconspicuous group is more suited.

    Ah, my foolishness finally understands what the lord often meant by learning to use your true strength.¡±

    He looked at Lumina Yanghen before him, then handed her the Daylight Potion Jed had given him, whispering:

    ¡°Go to the survivor¡¯s camp!

    Dilute this with water and put it in the ¡®food¡¯ prepared for those vampires, but not too early or toote, they are vignt. Then gather the other warriors, there are 40 of you! You are brave enough and unafraid to die. An ambush should be enough to severely cripple those already weakened ones.

    Lord Murphy¡¯s great undertaking cannot be stopped!

    Whether Witch Hunters or vampires, eliminate anyone who stands in the way!¡±

    A ferocious light shed in Maxim¡¯s bloodshot eyes as he told Lumina:

    ¡°Find my soldiers. Open our armory and take out the best weapons to arm yourselves. If you win, those masterwork weapons and armor will be yours!

    Lady Tris will be guarded by me.

    She will not be harmed, I will stake my life on it!

    I know now that I do not need Jed to grant me anything!

    I am a Transian.

    So what I want, I will take myself!¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    At that moment, a quest prompt appeared on Lumina¡¯s yer interface:

    ¡¾Shared Group Quest ¡®Loyal Fangs¡¯ has triggered¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Thud¡±

    The milky white Daylight Potion was ced on the corner of the table.

    In the tower where Femis had been hiding these past few days, Murphy stared at thedy who had her back to him, engrossed in a book.

    Lady Adele stood guard outside the passage to the highest floor of the tower.

    She knew she should not involve herself in the conversation between the two inside.

    She only needed to do her duties as a progeny and maid.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding many things from me and Tris! You! Not a shred of honesty.¡±

    Murphy bluntly told Femis:

    ¡°You confirmed long ago that your father was not dead, right? You also knew exactly what happened in the Blood Vulture Halls. If not for Jed¡¯s unexpected appearance, I would have remained in the dark.

    I suppose you had to go to the Blood Vulture Halls because the shard representing the n leader¡¯s position is there. Once you obtained that stone tablet, you could rebuild the n!

    iming to help me establish a new power base, iming just to confirm the truth, all lies!

    Perhaps you and Jed are cut from the same cloth. He was not wrong to call you a ¡®little whore¡¯ and ¡®little vixen¡¯.

    Perhaps your dedicated efforts to help me take in these survivors was nothing more than to turn them into the n¡¯s new members once everything was over.

    Let me ask you, Femis. Is the Blood Vulture n really that important to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important!¡±

    Femis no longer pretended to read. She tossed the book aside and turned to face Murphy, her crimson eyes fixing on him as she took a deep breath. Knowing the time for openness hade, she said in a deep voice:

    ¡°The n is important to every vampire! Only oddballs like you and Tris would be unconcerned about your n¡¯s demise, solely focused on establishing your own power.

    But you¡¯ve overlooked this world¡¯s malice towards vampires. Only by sticking together can we survive the night!

    The n is the embodiment of this survival philosophy.

    But you were mistaken, Murphy.

    I do not see you and those poor souls in the survivor camp as sacrifices. My desire to go to the Blood Vulture Halls truly was just to uncover my origins.

    I know you¡¯ve been specting, so I¡¯ll just tell you!

    I¡­am not a vampire!

    At least, not an ordinary vampire!

    I cannot turn Adele, only ask for your help. With your intellect, you must have noticed this point long ago. You were just ying dumb, like a crafty schemer waiting for this moment to me everything on me, righteously berating me for dishonesty.

    However, have you not also concealed things from me?

    I don¡¯t believe someone who has been the outcast of the n for over a year could undergo such a drastic transformation in just a few days. You have secrets too! And your secrets are buried even deeper than mine.

    To use your words, cleanse your own suspicions before insulting me!

    But I don¡¯t care about such things. We children of the midnight should not actively seek out others¡¯ secrets they are unwilling to share. Crossing that line is a promation of malice, a deration of war.

    Let me tell you the truth!

    Right now, I only want to know the truth!

    And only my father knows that truth. Perhaps your elder Tris also knows, but the Crimson Witch has no intention of telling me. She is tormenting me!

    She knows exactly how to torment me better, like an outstanding blood inquisitor, knowing how to inflict more suffering on her captured prey.

    But I don¡¯t even know why that malicious woman you cherish hates me so much?

    We¡¯ve barely met a few times.

    As for the tragedy in the Blood Vulture Halls, I admit I saw some things, but that¡¯s not something you need to worry about!

    You can¡¯t resolve it either.

    These past few days hiding here, I haven¡¯t been cking off.

    I¡¯ve made difficult contact with the Blood Pact Knights through the heirloom of the Blood Vulture n. Lord Payne¡¯s blood knights are already on their way to Transia.

    I assure you, Murphy!¡±

    Thedy took a deep breath and said solemnly:

    ¡°The horrific events in the Blood Vulture Halls are not troubles you need worry about. I will help you resolve them! This ce will also be your domain, as I promised, no one can take it from you.

    But now, Jed is our shared problem!

    He should never have escaped!

    I saw with my own eyes my father¡¯s loyal servants draining them of their blood. I don¡¯t know what my father was doing, but he sealed the secret door to the Blood Vulture Halls with the shard of desire.

    Since they escaped, it means they stole the Lord¡¯s Sigil from my father and chose to betray the n.

    I don¡¯t want to know the reason, but they must die!

    That is the rule, unbreakable.¡±

    She nced at the Daylight Potion Murphy had ced on the table corner and said:

    ¡°He made you an offer, didn¡¯t he? You came here hoping I would make you an offer too?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Murphy drew the de of the Desire n from his waist and stabbed it into the ground with a thud.

    The rapier¡¯s basket hilt vibrated with a low hum. Murphy stretched his neck, his eyes flickering crimson in the dim light.

    He said:

    ¡°This is like a story choice.

    If I must choose a partner between you and Jed, I need to be more cautious. I need to know who is trustworthy! Truth be told, I already have a n underway.

    I¡¯m considering whether to continue cooperating with one of you duplicitous sides.

    Or perhaps I should seize this opportunity to eliminate you both, since you clearly cannot be anything good!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Thedy stared at Murphy.

    She wondered if this guy had cracked under the pressure. How could a rookie vampire who hadn¡¯t even passed the ck iron trial have such arrogance? Even with Tris¡¯s help, it was absolutely impossible¡­wait!

    A crazy possibility shed through the youngdy¡¯s mind.

    She widened her eyes and rebuked:

    ¡°You want to cooperate with those Witch Hunters? Murphy! You¡¯ve gone mad!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t just start cooperating with them now. You, who personally experienced that night in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, should understand that better than anyone!

    But am I not the ¡®oddball¡¯ you speak of? Should an unwee oddball do anything insane, it would hardly surprise one of your ¡®noble bloodlines¡¯, would it?¡±

    Murphy revealed an amused, chilling smile in the darkness.

    Pointing to the sword embedded in the ground before him, he said to Femis, who had grasped the spirit sword at her waist and was retreating:

    ¡°Either you stake all your honor by cooperating with me and the Witch Hunters to eliminate Jed¡¯s group, letting us both stain our hands with the blood of our own kind and be the ¡®traitors¡¯ others call us, forging a despicable but trusting unity!

    Or I will have toplete my ck Iron Trial here using your noble blood, then use your grisly death as bait to send Jed¡¯s group to where they belong.

    You¡¯re right.

    That arrogant fool should not have appeared at this time, thinking to tempt me with clumsy words after barging uninvited into this game.

    How utterly tactless!

    Just like a certain dishonest littledy who fails to grasp her actual situation, still clueless about who the true leader is even at this point.

    Utterly tactless.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being far too arrogant.¡±

    Femis said through gritted teeth:

    ¡°A mere professional, and you dare¡­¡±

    Her words trailed off midway.

    Because she saw Lady Adele slowly emerging from the darkness behind Murphy, her left hand gripping a Thorn piercing sword, her right clutching a crimson hand cannon, strategically positioned to block all exits from the tower.

    Adele¡¯s body was trembling.

    She inwardly resisted what she was about to do with every fiber of her being.

    Yet how could a blood descendant refuse an order from an elder?

    Murphy pulled out a chair and sat sideways on it, even casually propping up a leg.

    Staring at the silentdy before him, he spread his hands and said:

    ¡°Femis Cecilia Lessenbra! Recognize your situation! And time is passing like precious life itself. Now, make your choice!

    My patience is wearing thin.¡±

 Chapter 70:

    In the forum game group, the little yers who had logged off for the day were chatting and sharing some new information from the game¡¶Reality Realm¡·. They had developed this habit, especially after getting used to ying¡¶Reality Realm¡·for six hours every day like it was a job.

    The saying ¡°love me, love my dog¡± applies here.

    However, just as everyone was about to vote on the female NPC with the best figure in the game, LuminaYanghen, who should have still been toiling in the game at this hour, suddenly popped up.

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾@all members, look at this quest! picture.jpg¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾!!!! A group quest? And it can be shared? Awesome! The rewards are masterwork recruit-grade weapons usable by all jobs and a full set of veteran armor?

    That¡¯s so generous!

    Where did you pick up this godly quest, Sister Lumina?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾It¡¯s a special event that spawn after you all logged off. A group of evil Blood Vulture vampires escaped from the inner city and are going to cause trouble! I can confirm they are hostile NPCs, and they will definitely be part of the uing story development.

    Maxim gave me this quest and told me to get as many people as possible toplete it.I estimate the difficulty will be quite high!

    So hurry up and schedule a time for everyone to log in together. Remember the final deadline for starting the quest is tomorrow morning in game time.

    I just calcted the time difference, that¡¯s about this afternoon your time.

    Come on everyone!

    I just analyzed it a bit.

    If we fail this quest, the settlement and outer city we¡¯ve reimed may be upied by these hostile vampires.

    It won¡¯t go so far as aplete reset, but all the work we did over the past week will be wasted!

    Plus, these vampires aren¡¯t like Lord Murphy, they really see drinking human blood as entertainment. If they gain control, the NPCs we risked our lives to rescue will probably die.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Damn! Is it really that serious? Maybe it¡¯s just a side story choice?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Sneer, does Brother Meow still doubt the realism and hardcore nature of this game?

    At least 80% of what Sister Lumina guesses is probably true!

    A big part of the current story progression in this game relies on us yers taking the lead role.

    In other words, I bet this is the dog nner messing with us again, just like the Smuggler¡¯s Woods ambush before. The dev team tests us ¡®beta testers¡¯ with high intensity challenges from time to time.

    So we should discuss strategies quickly.

    Especially you newbies!

    Listen tomands after logging in tomorrow. Don¡¯t just charge in recklessly. It¡¯s no big deal if you die, but if you cause the whole team to fail the quest and waste our week of efforts, be prepared for the brothers to spank you offline.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Maxim also gave me ess to the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¯s armory. The masterwork recruit weapons and veteran armor we¡¯re borrowing are from there. The key is in my bag now. Should I log off first?

    I can leave the game time for when you guys log in this afternoon to raid together?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Yeah, you log off and get some rest first. It¡¯s best if we log in an hour before the quest start time to prepare as a team. Calcte the time, you¡¯ll need to wake up around dawn. This time difference is killing us, set an rm!

    Or private message me your phone number, I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s time.¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidOfDifficulties: ¡¾@LuminaYanghen, is my sister online too? Isn¡¯t she with you?¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Sister Pomegranate got a hidden quest from Lord Murphy, she¡¯s urgently escorting Miss Miriam to Mond Vige right now.

    And that¡¯s my second point!

    The next story development will likely involve those Witch Hunters outside the city too. Plus Lady Tris said the astral vortex over the inner city will dissipate tomorrow, so I estimate whether we canplete tomorrow¡¯s team quest may directly affect whether the new map area opens up.

    Just like the Ahn¡¯Qiraj opening event in WOW, it¡¯s yer-driven game progression again.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Damn! Don¡¯t bring that up, my wasted youth is attacking me again. Code it, I¡¯m fired up! Damn!¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾What¡¯s got you fired up? You old geezer better get to work, reserve your energy. If you ck off during the raid this afternoon, just watch if the brothers spank you or not, sneer.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾Brothers, I¡¯m wondering, can we bring NPC allies to assist in tomorrow¡¯s raid? With over 400 NPC brothers under ourmand, if each one grabs a shovel we can bash those vampires to death, right?¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾Damn! The foreman calls in a mob for a beatdown, a truck full of goons at war would be a spectacle! Badass!¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾@Dump Truck Iaido, probably not a good idea. The people of Transia have a deep-rooted fear of vampires. Regr NPCs on that battlefield would just be moving blood bags for the vampires!

    Did you forget what happened in Smuggler¡¯s Woods?

    It¡¯s better not to let ordinary NPCs get close, but I think the militia could provide ranged fire support from the perimeter.

    Lead shots can slow down vampire movements, especially when they take to the sky. Volleys from hunting rifles could shoot them down.¡¿

    BulldozerManCharging: ¡¾Got it! I¡¯ll bring the camp guards tomorrow! As the security chief, I think I have temporary authority over them. Sister Pomegranate is also a sergeant in the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, so she should be able to lead a militia squad to assist, provided she can make it back in time.¡¿

    DoesTheCyborgSnailDreamOfElectronicTrees: ¡¾You got it, brother!¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾@all members, log in promptly at 5:30 pm, meet at the survivor settlement for a strategy meeting before battle. Attendance mandatory!

    Speak up if you have any questions now! If not, log off and rest up.

    Joy Stick, Pigeon, brief the newbie brothers on how raids work in this game so they don¡¯t run around like headless flies embarrassing uster.¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Why is it me again! Why does contacting the Witch Hunters always fall on me? I¡¯m really baffled, couldn¡¯t Murphy have chosen someone else for once?¡±

    At this moment, heading from the survivor settlement towards Mond Vige, a war horse was galloping rapidly through the night carrying two youngdies.

    The one controlling the horse was Miss Miriam, the settlement manager. Riding behind her was the yer Sister Pomegranate, who had received a quest from Murphy to escort Miriam to meet with the Witch Hunters and discuss cooperation.

    Sister Pomegranate had no issues with this quest, but Miriam was grumbling non-stop.

    Previously in the Battle of Foul Swamp, she had been the errand girl, and now it was her turn again. But in reality, with Miriam¡¯s intellect, she understood clearly why Murphy had assigned this task to her.

    First, Murphy didn¡¯t have many capable subordinates he could rely on for major tasks.

    Secondly, she had rescued Natalie and her team, which counts as a favor in the eyes of the Witch Hunters, so having Miriame to discuss cooperation at least wouldn¡¯t put her life at risk.

    Now, the redhead girl was very suspicious, was all of this Murphy¡¯s n from the beginning? Did he already know that these Witch Hunters woulde to Kadman City?

    Sister Pomegranate heard the NPC¡¯sints and marveled at how well-made this game was.

    The NPCs¡¯ emotional responses felt so real. Look at this redhead girl¡¯s grumbling, tsk, she really sounds just like an employeeining about being sent on errands by the boss.

    Moreover, what those yers said was true, the character modeling in this game is fantastic and ultra-realistic.

    She was now holding Miriam as they rode on the horse, and could clearly feel her body contours bouncing up and down with the warhorse¡¯s galloping pace, as well as her slightly elevated body temperature from nerves, it really felt like she was riding a horse at night with another girl.

    Add in the oppressive, prating night darkness surrounding them and the sense of a major event approaching, and the immersion in this lone diplomatic mission was maxed out.

    This is what ying games is all about!

    ¡°Lady Miriam, instead of justining, I think you should quickly consider how to negotiate with the Witch Hunters.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate gave a soft reminder. Miriam had to read the trantion text from the Computation Bead to understand her. While pulling on the reins, she sighed and said:

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to get you spirit microphone modules soon, thismunication method is too troublesome. Don¡¯t worry, Murphy has already advised me on how to negotiate through the bead.

    I hear you¡¯re the top female fighter among all the warriors, remember to protect meter.

    If the situation goes south, don¡¯t stubbornly fight on, we¡¯ll just surrender.

    This is also part of Murphy¡¯s strategy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mydy, my fists will fight for you tonight!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate grinned and indulged in a bit of melodrama herself when no one was around, mimicking the flowery loyalty phrases that some chuunibyou yers use when speaking to NPCs.

    But these NPCs really eat that stuff up.

    Lady Miriam in her arms nodded in great satisfaction, the look of fear seemingly gone.

    The warhorse they were riding was the best mount in the settlement. At this pace, it would take at least five hours to reach Mond Vige.

    By then, Sister Pomegranate¡¯s game time would be just about used up. She was considering whether to log off first when suddenly, a few minutester, Miriam abruptly pulled hard on the reins, causing the warhorse to rear up on its front legs with a whinny.

    It almost threw the not-so-skilled rider Sister Pomegranate off.

    But it was a necessary reaction!

    Because right in front of them, four silent Witch Hunters had emerged from the shadows of the woods on warhorses, blocking their path withbat weapons already drawn.

    ¡°Wee to negotiate! We mean no harm!¡±

    Miriam cried out nervously:

    ¡°Ie representing Lord Murphy¡¯s will. Let Natalie and her teame out to see me! I saved their lives, they owe me a life debt!¡±

    This shout made the Witch Hunters about to charge stop in their tracks.

    They murmured among themselves, then three of them stayed behind while one wheeled their horse around and galloped back the way they came.

    ¡°Damn! They¡¯re already making a move.¡±

    Miriam whispered to Sister Pomegranate beside her, who had spiked knuckles extended in readiness for battle:

    ¡°This ce is less than 40 minutes from Kadman City. They must have set out even before we did, are they nning to raid the camp? Or head straight into Kadman City?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate didn¡¯t respond.

    As a warrior, she had enteredbat readiness mode, all her focus on the three remaining Witch Hunters in front of them.

    Their grim and sharp auras weighed heavily on her, she felt that even one-on-one, she would struggle to take down any of them.

    ording to her cousin¡¯s exnations of game knowledge, these Witch Hunters were definitely far stronger than ordinary humans, but their strength didn¡¯t seem toe from training alone.

    So was it an amplification from some supernatural power in this game world?

    As a yer herself, would she eventually be able to surpass human limits through a simr power boost?

    After a few suffocating minutes of this standoff, the sound of whinnying warhorses came from up ahead in the night. The scout who had ridden back to send word was returning with another member.

    Not squad leader Natalie, but her veteran subordinate Norman.

    His face was hidden behind a mask but scarred beyond recognition, yet he clearly still remembered Miriam, addressing her in a raspy voice:

    ¡°Follow me, the Battalion Commander is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Miriam and Sister Pomegranate both breathed a sigh of relief.

    She urged her horse forward, and as she neared Norman, he took two small objects from his saddlebag and handed them to the redhead girl. Only then did she realize they were the two halfling tranquilizer darts she had previously given them.

    ¡°Although I know, to you it was just your master¡¯s errand.¡±

    The veteran rasped to her:

    ¡°But you undeniably saved us from death and gave us a chance for revenge. That is a debt of gratitude, thanks kid. Don¡¯t worry, Natalie and I can¡¯t guarantee this so-called negotiation will go smoothly, but we can ensure your life is safe.

    Not just here, but in the events toe as well.

    Natalie told me to remind you, do not lie to the Battalion Commander under any circumstances.

    As a white pdin of my god, he can smell falsehoods.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Where exactly are you taking me?¡±

    At the same time, in another direction outside of Kadman City, a ck carriage was traveling through the night.

    The fully armed Maxim was driving it himself, while Lady Tris¡¯ dissatisfied voice came from inside the carriagepartment, She said with implications:

    ¡°Is this Murphy¡¯s instruction? Or Jed¡¯s? I advised you to make this decision before, it seems you¡¯vepleted your contemtion, I just don¡¯t know what price you¡¯ll have to pay for it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mydy.¡±

    Maxim was now wearing the vampire mask of his masterwork veteran armor set, concealing his inhuman features. His resolute voice came from beneath the mask:

    ¡°I know what I must do!

    Before myst drop of blood is spent, you will not be harmed. Lord Murphy is leading us to do something dangerous, he does not wish for you to be involved.

    As for me¡­

    I cannot contribute more to him, but even taking out one more enemy would be good.¡±

    Silence reigned in the carriagepartment for a while, then Tris¡¯ soft sigh was heard.

    She said:

    ¡°My little Murphy really is an anomaly. While other vampires are used topelling obedience through blood lineage power, he takes the opposite approach.

    Just like the human hero king Boris I witnessed in person, he tries to earn his subordinates¡¯ loyalty through the charm of his personality.

    The terrifying thing is, he seeded!

    He has already gained his first knight, which means he is destined to walk a path utterly different from other vampires.

    Very well then, loyal Maxim, I entrust my life to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will not let you down!¡±

 Chapter 71:

    Sister Pomegranate is a girl with a tenacious personality and strong mind. She rarely admits defeat proactively, just like when facing those elite Witch Hunters earlier. Even though she knew she couldn¡¯t win, she would actively think about how to entangle them to create an opportunity for Miriam to escape, and how to strike to deal maximum damage.

    However, when Sister Pomegranate saw the fully armed Lord of White Oak, the golden knight Finoch, she immediately realized that this was someone she truly couldn¡¯t defeat!

    It wasn¡¯t because she was cowardly.

    Rather, it stemmed from the terrifying difference in strength between them, which was evident enough from external appearances to make her lose all will to fight.

    She followed beside Miriam, staring at the old knight in his peculiar white wooden armor, carrying the Great Oak de on his back. To her, he felt like a sleeping tyrannosaurus rex while she was just a hissing little kitten before it.

    This description was not an exaggeration.

    ¡°Is this the level of background strength currently in the game?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate pondered in her heart:

    ¡°If his health bar was revealed, he¡¯d at least be a world BOSS, right? Just not sure if such golden-level monsters will be running around everywhere after future version updates?Hmm, given this game¡¯s rigorous nature, such a severe power imbnce situation probably won¡¯t happen, right?¡±

    ¡°My respects, Battalion Commander.¡±

    Miriam, on the other hand, behaved quite properly.

    She took the initiative to greet the old Finoch standing beside the red war horse, though her tone was tense to the point of nearly biting her tongue, her performance was still passable.

    This stemmed from Miriam¡¯s recent experiences as a manager overseeing over a thousand people. Although just a novice, her habits and demeanor cultivated from her work allowed her to maintain basic decorum even before such a prominent figure.

    This was the change in personal demeanor reflecting the improvement in perspective and experience, just like how after chatting amiably with a high-ranking city official, one would no longer be nervous when facing a county magistrate.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the blood servant who rescued my subordinates?¡±

    This time, the old Finoch didn¡¯t use his wondrous oak sorcery, but simply looked Miriam up and down while holding his oak war helmet.

    As for Sister Pomegranate beside her, the old knight deliberately ignored her.

    She was a fighter with potential,

    But only potential, not worth much attention in the current situation.

    ¡°Speak, what message does Murphy want you to convey? You¡¯ve seen that my time is limited, so you only have these few minutes to convince me!¡±

    The old knight said in a low voice:

    ¡°Start your ¡®performance¡¯, red-haired youngdy.¡±

    The other Witch Hunters beside them looked at the two vampire worshippers with varied gazes.

    They marveled at the courage of these two girls, but sneered at their choices.

    It was only because the Battalion Commander was present here; if they were free to act, on such a night these two vampire worshippers could be silenced without a second thought during the operation.

    These scum who entrusted their lives, souls, and faith to vampires were undeserving of pity!

    Miriam felt the gazes around her.

    But she was long ustomed to it.

    Ever since she entered the Shaldor Engineering Academy to study, her ssmates from all over would reveal the same expressions upon hearing she was from the Transia region.

    s, regional discrimination was also a serious problem in this otherworld.

    ¡°Esteemed Battalion Commander, Murphy wishes to engage in cooperation with you and your warriors.¡±

    Miriam tried to make her voice sound serious enough.

    She didn¡¯t waste time on rhetoric, but cut straight to the point:

    ¡°Just like the previous unspoken understanding between him and Miss Natalie, wiping out sixty elite Midnight Hunters in one fell swoop. Facts have proven that when there are shared interests, vampires and Witch Hunters can cooperate!¡±

    ¡°When the interests are great enough, even angels and demons can sit at the negotiation table and chat amicably. I understand this principle, but the premise is ¡®shared interests¡¯.¡±

    The old Finoch sneered and said:

    ¡°However, I fail to see any interests worth discussing between myself and your lurking Murphy.¡±

    ¡°There are many! Quite a number!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s heart lifted when she heard the old knight didn¡¯t outright refuse.

    She nced at the brief but not simple negotiation points sent to herputation bead by Murphy before she departed.

    After a few seconds of organizing her thoughts, she raised her head, looked straight into the old knight¡¯s eyes, and said:

    ¡°Through the previous messenger, Murphy has learned that your goal is to confirm the death of Patriarch Salrokdar. The information we can share is that after the Kadman City disaster, the Patriarch and thest batch of Blood Vulture members hid in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    It has now been sealed by secret arts!

    A seal capable of withstanding an Astral Tear, said to be designed by the Midnight Elders of the Blood n, the most outstanding sages of vampire civilization.

    Frankly, I don¡¯t think you have enough power to break through it from the outside, but the key to unlocking it is now in the hands of Murphy¡¯s enemies!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The old Finoch¡¯s eyes narrowed immediately.

    He waved his hand, and the surrounding Witch Hunters dispersed outwards.

    It seemed the old knight didn¡¯t want the following conversation to be known by more people, but the gray-haired huntress Natalie remained, evidently valued by the old knight.

    ¡°Are there other vampires besides Murphy¡¯s group in those ruins?¡±

    Finoch said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Where did theye from? And what¡¯s their purpose? Exin clearly!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m about to say.¡±

    Miriam took another deep breath andid out the reasons for Jed and his team¡¯s appearance, as well as the events from the past few hours.

    She remembered the veteran Norman¡¯s previous reminder and didn¡¯t mix in a single lie, but some details were also not made entirely clear. However, for the war-experienced old Finoch, it was enough for him to judge the overall situation.

    ¡°You said earlier that Murphy and the survivors¡¯ camp he protects weren¡¯t your targets because our side is indeed weak in strength.

    Though somewhat shameful, we admit this! In the current situation, weakness is indeed our camouge.¡±

    Miriam emphasized:

    ¡°However, now that Jed and his sixpanions have arrived at the ruins, they are all silver-ranked patriarchs¡¯ personal guards, with sixteen ck-iron-ranked servants.

    I believe this is already a force you cannot afford to take lightly.

    Murphy does not wish to conceal the purpose of this negotiation visit from me.

    He simply wants to borrow your de to achieve his wish. He doesn¡¯t want to be Jed¡¯s subordinate, nor does he want to see the situation he has painstakingly cultivated treated as a delicacy to be freely enjoyed by these night dregs who revel in bloodsucking and oppression.

    He wants those scum crawling back from hell to roll back into their hell, neverying a hand on this already grievous human realm.

    So, he needs your help.

    Murphy¡¯s warriors willunch the first charge, but our warriors can hardly annihte so many vampires. Murphy hopes you can fulfill your duty as Witch Hunters and y these creatures of the night to thest!

    For this, both sides can proceed to further cooperation.¡±

    ¡°You still want further cooperation?¡±

    The old knight sneered:

    ¡°The sphemous words you just uttered, if known to other ns, would be enough for even the Blood Pact Knights, regarded as the most friendly and fair to other races, to denounce your Murphy and ruin his reputation among the vampire kind!

    Plotting schemes against each other is normal for vampires, but colluding with outsiders, cooperating with us Witch Hunters is a whole different matter.

    I¡¯m quite curious, is your Murphy driven to the end of his rope with no path left, or does he truly not care about his fame among his kin?¡±

    ¡°That is not for me to answer, Battalion Commander.¡±

    Miriam lowered her head and said in a gentle tone:

    ¡°But I believe Murphy has his own considerations. Additionally, I must emphasize that although you stubbornly view me as an incurable blood servant, I am not actually one.

    My personal loathing for vampires is enough to make me an oddity in the Transia region, and my rtionship with Murphy is not one of allegiance, at least not yet.

    I am only¡­

    Hmm, I am only hired by him to manage the survivors he rescued from the city.

    Mying here tonight at the risk of my life to negotiate with you is not out of my unconditional obedience to a vampire¡¯s orders. As Murphy dered to you, he and I also sharemon interests.

    And these interests are enough to drive me to risk my life.

    I am now full of courage, forcing my trembling legs to stand before you to discuss this, not because I am brave enough, but because I know the survival of over a thousand survivors hinges on whether my negotiation tonight seeds¡­

    Lady Tris once told me that in her memory, the Witch Hunters have always considered themselves the guardians of the Isa Kingdom.

    Even after the Isa Kingdom merged with the Sn Kingdom to be the Goldflower Kingdom, you remained noble and highly cultured. Perhaps it was her persuasion that made Murphy determined.

    If even a tenth of Lady Tris¡¯s description is true, then I believe you can make the right judgment!

    What follows is no longer my role as Murphy¡¯s emissary negotiating with you, but merely my plea as an ordinary person born and raised in the Transia region:

    Please, for the sake of those over a thousand lives, help us!¡±

    The old knight did not respond immediately.

    He turned to look at Natalie beside him, as if waiting for her judgment.

    After a few seconds of silence, the gray-haired huntress Natalie pulled back her hood, pointing to the not-too-unsightly scars on her eyes and face, and said to Miriam:

    ¡°These wounds are from the torture and abuse by vampires, originating from that ambush in Mond Vige, representing the enmity between myself and Murphy.

    Old Joe died at your hands!

    Along with Matt, John and Mond, I remember the name and face of every one of my subordinates I¡¯ve lost, right on this detestablend.

    What I¡¯m saying is¡­

    Listen well, emissary of the vampires!

    The enmity between myself, Murphy and other vampires will not be so easily extinguished. What I¡¯ve lost, I will take back with my own hands. But I will also prove through my actions!

    Lady Tris¡¯s description of us is true.

    Witch Hunters were not born as ughter and war-mongers, we were once noble too.

    And tonight, we shall regain that nobility!

    Those at the survivors¡¯ camp, we will protect them from the vampires¡¯ threat. But this does not mean we will join hands in friendship with Murphy¡¯s group.¡±

    ¡°This is something you must do!¡±

    Miriam pointed fiercely towards Mond and said:

    ¡°If it was someone else saying this, I might not be able to refute it. But you¡¯re different, look over there! That¡¯s where I was born, Natalie. You witnessed firsthand what your fallenrades did there, how my father, my family, mypanions died, you know better than I!

    That wasn¡¯t the vampires we both despise who killed them!

    You said Witch Hunters were once noble, so prove to me that you¡¯re different from those maniacs who came from you!¡±

    Mentioning the tragedy of Mond Vige, Natalie¡¯s tone immediately hardened.

    After all, that tragedy did originate from her fallen, destruction-revelingrades.

    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve reached a consensus, although different from what I imagined.¡±

    The old knight, observing this exchange, said gloomily:

    ¡°Natalie, you really need to practice your eloquence, or perhaps this fiery redhead can truly trample you in that regard. Fortunately, you can make up for it in other ways.

    Now, Imand!¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    Natalie immediately stood at attention.

    The Witch Hunters in the darkness also stood in military posture, listening to the Battalion Commander¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Squads one to five will temporarily be under Captain Natalie¡¯smand. You will join in the protection of the survivors¡¯ camp and the hunt for the vampire fanatics.

    I can hear the thirst for war in your hearts, now you need not suppress yourselves.¡±

    The old knight gestured and said:

    ¡°After your operation concludes,e to the inner city and rendezvous with me. I will operate separately¡­Lieutenant Frayzer, who will you be following?¡±

    Upon hearing old Finoch¡¯s inquiry, Lieutenant Frayzer, who had been hiding in the back, stepped forward. When Miriam saw this tall,nky man in the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s military uniform appear, her expression immediately turned sour.

    She could reconcile with the Witch Hunters because they were only mercenaries, but a lieutenant from an enemy nation was an outright foe.

    Though she didn¡¯t have much genuine feeling for her homnd, even studying far away on Genoa Penins, she had heard of the damage the Goldflower Kingdom inflicted on the Portia Federation during the decade-long war.

    ¡°My personal strength iscking, I wouldn¡¯t want to cause you trouble, Battalion Commander.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer looked at the red-haired girl with interest.

    This Transian woman was truly fiery-tempered,pletely opposite from the frail youngdies he had seen since childhood, practically like a lioness brandishing her ws and fangs.

    He had never seen such a fierce woman before. While finding Miriam somewhat uncouth, he was also filled with curiosity.

    The lieutenant said softly:

    ¡°I will follow Miss Natalie, and document your annihtion of the Blood Vulture n¡¯sst remnants along the way. I believe His Majesty the King would enjoy hearing tales of such intense battles and humanity¡¯s heroism against evil during his leisure.¡±

    ¡°And I shall be His Majesty¡¯s eyes and ears.¡±

 Chapter 72:

    In the unsettling night of Kadman City, Lady Femis had just changed into a very formal spirit armor forbat, a form-fitting robe style, but also with an outer leatheryer for physical defense.

    Her usual spirit sword had been reced with a more formal crimson spirit staff, the top shaped like a bat with outstretched wings, looking both mysterious and dark.

    There was also a full set of scrolls ced on herbat belt, as well as a few alchemy vials to substitute for spell attacks.

    Such fullbat readiness meant the youngdy had prepared for an intense fight to the death.

    Behind her, Lady Adele was also loading her spare crimson handgun with specially made alchemy bullets, while her Thorn piercing sword had just been temporarily enchanted by the youngdy herself.

    The slender, sharp de was coiled with faint searing heat, able to inflict continuous burning damage on opponents when struck.

    For creatures weak to fire and light like vampires, it was a targeted counter-preparation.

    Before them was the unsettling night, from this tower they could see the shrinking spirit vortex in the sky above Kadman City¡¯s inner city. By tomorrow, that thing would disappearpletely from the physical world.

    Provided, of course, that they were able to live until then.¡°Are you certain your warriors canplete the ambush on Jed¡¯s group? Are you certain those witch hunters will cooperate with you? Are you certain this won¡¯t be discovered by Jed in advance?¡±

    The youngdy leaned on her spirit staff and asked.

    Behind her, Murphy was putting away the armor and spirit sword the youngdy had just taken off.

    Don¡¯t misunderstand.

    This wasn¡¯t some perverted act of collecting a ¡°lolita battle outfit fragrance.¡±

    He was just preparing the quest rewards in advance for the little yers after theypleted the ¡°Main Line ¨C Prologue¡± chapter, as a main line NPC he had to consider these things ahead of time.

    The system wouldn¡¯t just spontaneously generate this equipment for gifting, he had to figure it all out himself. His little yers would never imagine the cool Murphy actually having to act as a lowly ¡°trashman¡± when their backs were turned.

    s, it was too difficult.

    Murphy sighed, tossing the collected items into a special spirit bag for quest rewards.

    Facing the youngdy¡¯s uneasy questions, as he drew and sheathed the polished de of the Desire n at his waist, he answered calmly:

    ¡°I have faith in my warriors. They may be weak but they are notcking in courage or wisdom. They canplete the ambush, though perhaps unable topletely wipe out those vampires, but the witch hunters will help them finish it off.

    As for cooperation,

    I do not doubt this.

    Those witch hunters can be reasoned with.

    My warriors have visited them twice already, proving this point. Their leader is a wise person, not just a reckless sher.

    They have no reason to refuse such a mutually beneficial arrangement.

    As for whether Jed will discover this,

    I think your question is rather superfluous and a waste of time. You don¡¯t really think Jed would entrust the task of executing you to me, an insignificant nobody, do you?¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m just the smoke bomb he tossed out, mydy.

    Whether I can take your head or not has no real impact on Jed. He¡¯s only creating this feigned threat to buy time for hispanions¡¯ recovery.

    The constant flow of fresh blood from the survivor¡¯s camp being sent to their location was enough for those vampires crawling out of hell to recover six-tenths of their strength overnight.

    You don¡¯t think you, a genius, could directly face seven silver-ranked n patriarchs¡¯ personal guards and actually kill them in return, do you?

    Jed was already prepared to take you out himself.

    He wouldn¡¯t entrust this task to anyone without being cautious.¡±

    ¡°You know they¡¯re recovering, and you¡¯ll even use the blood of your own civilian subordinates to nourish them?¡±

    The youngdy looked at Murphy, saying indignantly:

    ¡°You just see them as expendable too?¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±

    Murphy retorted bluntly:

    ¡°If I don¡¯t give them incentives, how can I get them to willingly drink that poisoned blood wine at thest moment? The daybreak poison may be colorless and tasteless, but don¡¯t underestimate Jed¡¯s caution.

    They¡¯ll keep sipping that delicious fresh blood and indulging in it, until the very end. s, those addictive things are often harmful. I must remember that.

    Let them drink.

    When walking the path to the yellow springs, one should at least eat their fill, no?¡±

    ¡°What about Tris?¡±

    The youngdy questioned again:

    ¡°You¡¯re so confident leaving Tris with Maxim? That fool¡¯s loyalty is a double-edged sword. Jed raised him for twenty years, aren¡¯t you worried he¡¯ll turn traitor? You seem to care so much about Tris.¡±

    ¡°You think Tris is easy to handle? It seems my elders¡¯ pretense as a queen of waste was quite effective.¡±

    Murphy snorted.

    Walking to the edge of the tower, gazing at the brightening sky, he touched the ancient walls and looked down at the ash-covered old city below, saying softly:

    ¡°Let me tell you, when I found Tris in the city ruins, there was a in Astral Realm beast beside her. I don¡¯t know how strong that thing was, but I think it could have eaten you with no problem.

    Tris is a golden-ranked spirit sovereign, although she lost most of her power due to your father¡¯s dark deed, she still has the ability to defend herself.

    If Jed went mad and attacked her, Tris would definitely give him a surprise.

    She knows exactly what she¡¯s doing.

    Intelligent women always find clever ways to help the men in their family, but in this regard, you are both oblivious and arrogantly unwilling to face your shorings.

    You really fall far too short. It makes me worry for your future partner.¡±

    This slightly teasing response made Femis fall silent.

    After a few seconds, she sighed and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m asionally envious of your strange rtionship with Tris, it¡¯s different from how I know most vampires interact. It¡¯s more like those human families.

    Father once demanded I stay away from Tris, saying she would bring disaster.

    But facts have proven otherwise.¡±

    ¡°My warriors have set out!¡±

    Murphy nced at the nearly 40 little yers who came online on his core bead at almost the same time. He let out a breath, estimated the time, and said:

    ¡°Prepare for action in an hour! Protect yourself, mydy, but there¡¯s no need to worry excessively. If you unfortunately die, I¡¯ll prepare a tombstone befitting your status and make offerings to you annually.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you say something more auspicious?¡±

    The youngdy criticized harshly, then looked towards the silently waiting Lady Adele beside her and said:

    ¡°Adele, go with him. With your meager strength, you¡¯ll easily get yourself in trouble.¡±

    ¡°No! This is a hunt.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°We are a united wolf pack, about to fight a pack of crazed tigers and leopards for territory and food. It¡¯s life or death, with blood to be spilled!

    As one of the strongest members of the pack, Adele has her own targets and tasks.

    I don¡¯t need protection!

    This is just the light breeze before the raging storm arrives. If I can¡¯t even get through this, then being granted eternal rest may be the merciful ending I deserve.¡±

    He turned back, holding up three fingers to the silent Lady Adele, saying:

    ¡°Your task is three! This is the minimum requirement, can you do it?¡±

    Lady Adele raised her head.

    Those blood-red eyes flickered with a certain light. She swiftly drew her piercing sword, making a sharp ringing sound, then holstered her crimson handgun on herbat belt.

    In her distinctive husky voice, she said:

    ¡°If I take down five, my lord, may I make an impudent request?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how you perform. For outstanding ability, Lord Murphy is always generous with rewards.¡±

    Murphy shrugged and grinned, his bared teeth making his handsome androgynous face take on an unusual ferocity in the night. He crouched down, gripping the woodendder descending the tower, saying:

    ¡°Well then,dies, remember to stay safe at the dance. We¡¯ll meet againter.¡±

    ¡°Shh, shh¡±

    Two gusts of wind whistled overhead, the pping of blood-red bat wings nearly blowing Murphy away.

    Watching the two slender figures disappear into the night sky, the sourly envious vampire who had yet to grow his own wings pursed his lips. As his cloak billowed, he began climbing down the woodendder, inwardly grumbling:

    ¡°Big deal being able to fly! Once Iplete the ck Iron Trial and grow my own wings, I¡¯ll fly even when going to the bathroom! Tch.¡±

    Meanwhile, as they silently flew side-by-side above the dim clouds of night, Lady Adele reached out and pulled her hood tighter, hoarsely saying to the youngdy:

    ¡°Just now¡­I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Adele. This is a path you must walk.¡±

    Femis¡¯ ck hair blew in the cold night wind as she softly said, gripping her staff:

    ¡°Don¡¯t resist the call of your heart. Although it¡¯s hard to let go, fate has given its warning. Lingering on the past is harmful for both of us. We must part ways here and walk different paths in life.

    I wish you an enjoyable hunt in the night¡­progeny of Murphy.¡±

    Lady Adele let out a choked sob.

    After a few seconds, she flew ahead and embraced the petite youngdy, nting an icy kiss on her brow amidst their spinning as the youngdy looked on in surprise.

    As if it were a final blessing and farewell, she responded in a trembling voice:

    ¡°I also wish your rebirth goes smoothly, my only friend, Lady Femis.¡±

    Then with a forceful push, Lady Adele separated their figures in the clouds, both streaking off in different directions with a howl.

    Never to intersect again.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°This is thest batch of fresh blood being sent to Jed¡¯s group, provided by some virgins from the survivor¡¯s camp.¡±

    Inside arge tent at the survivor¡¯s camp, Dump Truck Iaido looked at the crystal vials of fresh blood with disgust, saying:

    ¡°These damn bloodsucking leeches really know how to drink, no old ones, no men, no married ones, just pure virgin blood.

    To satisfy their deviant demands, the poor girls in the camp have suffered injustice. A few of the frail ones are nearly anemic.

    And these were NPCs we rescued with our own hands!

    These bastards deserve to die!

    Disgusting! Depraved!¡±

    ¡°Burn them to death!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, clutching a battle spear and a hunting rifle on his back, had just witnessed his two paper servant assistants also having their blood drained. His heart was filled with unbridled rage as he said viciously:

    ¡°Absolutely can¡¯t let them die that easily!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    From the side, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche chimed in disdainfully:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we say our lord Murphy is upright and righteous? As a vampire, he never wantonly drains blood, and if he can¡¯t resist, he only drinks the hot blood of enemies.¡±

    ¡°Lady Tris is even better, drinking wine but not blood, yet so alluring and beautiful. Compared to them, these ugly, decrepit leech vampires really deserve to go to hell.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty, as the righteous ones, aren¡¯t we about to personally send them to hell?¡± Meow King said with a sinister look, uncorking several bottles of fine wine into arge cup. He then took the daybreak poison Lumina received from Maxim, opened the lid and evenly poured it into the wine, shaking to mix.

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle, a part-time chief bartender at a tavern, took over the remaining work.

    This tall Minnan brother rolled up his sleeves and professionally poured the wine into the blood, shaking it repeatedly using a special technique, and finally garnishing it with fresh raspberries and lemon slices.

    ¡°Done, fresh blood cocktail!¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle set the prepared blood wine in an ice bath, then watched as it was loaded onto a special cart and rushed toward Kadman City.

    The other little yers were already waiting in strict formation outside the tent. In front of them were masterwork weapons and armor that Lumina had just brought over by cart.

    These were the masterwork recruit-level weapons that Maxim and Murphy had scavenged from the city over the past few days.

    They had all received minor enchantments, far better than the standard recruit weapons the little yers currently equipped. This was basically a power-up for the yers right before battle, but Maxim made it clear that these weapons and armor were just lent to them, only to be kept if they won the team battle.

    In other words, these were all ¡°trial versions¡± of good stuff.

    ¡°Let me say it one more time, listen up.¡±

    With only 30 minutes of game time left, Sister Pomegranate stood before the little yers and shouted:

    ¡°The witch hunters have already scattered outside the city. Ourbat objective is to drive Jed¡¯s group out of the city. Kill if you can, but don¡¯t force it if you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°The crucial thing is to absolutely not split up. Our strength is rtively weak, and if we separate it will be easy for those guys to instantly kill us.¡±

    Not to be outdone, Onboard Joy Stick again took charge as the actionmander. He even made himself a board with a hand-drawn bat area¡± terrain map by Grayman.

    Brother Stick pointed at three positions on the map with a wooden stick, saying:

    ¡°Meow King, Pigeon and I will eachmand in three directions. Use theputation beads tomunicate. When you receive the signal, attack simultaneously. Our individual strength is weak, our only advantage is daring to fight recklessly and able to catch them off guard to kill some. So tactics and such are unnecessary, just charge in wildly swinging when the timees!

    The key is to force them into buildings and not let them fly around. Then force some of them to split up!

    Bulldozer!

    Are your camp guards in position?¡±

    ¡°30 musketeers! No problem!¡±

    Bulldozer Man responded with a raised hand:

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead them to provide sniping support from the outskirts. The Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force in the city has also received orders. They¡¯ll find their own positions led by their own sergeants.

    Us casual yers can¡¯t charge in with you.

    Our skills aren¡¯t enough, so we¡¯ll only provide ranged fire support, no closebat.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick nodded in satisfaction, saying:

    ¡°Have our marksman expert sister Lumina operate that advanced hunting crossbow the witch hunters supported us with. Set it up at a high point and shoot wherever there are more enemies! As long as we drive out those powerful silver-ranked vampires, we win.

    Any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Me me me!¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai, d in veteran armor and leaning on his cool big axe, waved hisputation bead and shouted:

    ¡°I¡¯ve imported a ¡®battle music¡¯ segment into my personal interface, so we can all fight with BGM now! Big power-up!¡±

    ¡°Frivolous stuff!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick rebuked:

    ¡°A unified charge horn is enough. Alright, let¡¯s do it this way, brothers! Those dumb bloodsucker bastards dare block our path, we¡¯ll just kill them today!

    This territory we fought to take is ours! Anyone who dares stick their ws out gets chopped!

    Now, follow mymand!

    Move out!¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The familiar quest update sound rang out simultaneously on the little yers¡¯ character interfaces.

    ¡¾Prologue ¨C The Last Night of Kadman City

    Quest 4: Fang of the Night

    Details: Lord Murphy¡¯s rule over Kadman City has been challenged by the ignorant, but this may also be fate¡¯s design. No legend can smoothly progress to its conclusion, and so-called heroes must bravely stand atop the peak and face the raging winds.

    The storm has risen, and you who march into the wind have no other choice.

    Either win!

    Or die!

    Warriors, dere with your des whose territory this is to the foolish! Be a wolf pack devouring them, let them wail loudly for having mistakenly entered your forest!

    Objective: Attack and dy Jed¡¯s group until Murphypletes the beheading of their leader.

    Reward: Standard Veteran Armor Set [6/6], Masterwork Recruit Weapon [1/1], unlock next quest stage.¡¿

    ¡°For Lord Murphy and our grand n! Charge charge charge!¡±

    ¡°Awoooo, kill them all!¡±

 Chapter 73:

    ¡°My lords, the fresh blood cocktails have arrived.¡±

    At the break of dawn in Kadman City, as Maxim¡¯s ttering servant pushed open the door, the fresh blood cocktails ced on crushed ice were delivered to the vampires in the room.

    The crushed ice was made by a steam ice maker recovered from the ruins by the small yers, and the iced blood wine made the vampires in the dark lick their lips in anticipation.

    They could smell the virgin blood contained in the fine wine, the pure blood emanating a fragrance that made the somewhat recovered vampires begin to partake of this rare delicacy.

    Especially those few whose sanity was somewhat clouded by the invasion of the astral spirit energy, they could hardly wait to guzzle it straight from the bottle.

    They had just barely escaped death, and after a round of encouragement from Lord Jed, they were convinced that they would have a great future ahead of them.

    In addition, fromst night until now, a steady stream of fresh blood had been delivered, allowing them to ovee their weakness. Although theck of blood essence could not be made up overnight, the return of their strength had filled them with confidence.

    ¡°Jed, do you really believe that damn Murphy can kill Femis?¡±

    A white-haired female vampire sat down next to Jed with two sses of wine, eagerly handing him a ss of the delicious fresh blood cocktail with ice cubes.Jed epted it without a word, clinking sses gracefully with his alluringpanion.

    Even among this group of leeches, there was still a hierarchy.

    Jed and the other six silver-ranked patriarchs¡¯ guards naturally held higher status, while the other fifteen servants stood on the outskirts, fawning over their masters and celebrating the impending victory.

    They had all been turned into vampires after the astral realm tore through Kadman City, extremely talented blood servants but having only recently ¡°joined the circle¡±, they could not yet shake off the servile mannerisms of blood servants.

    Serving and pleasing their masters was the purpose of their existence.

    Several female vampires were casually embraced by the rxed patriarchs¡¯ guards, but they were not shy, instead boldly and passionately speaking words of celebration, making the atmosphere in the dark room more rxed.

    However, Jed did not participate, he was a rather restrained person, err, vampire.

    One of his servants had been sent out earlier, and while others were enjoying themselves, he had been calmly pondering. Only when hispanion inquired a second time did he take a sip of the quite tasty iced fresh blood cocktail and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Murphy is a very talented and cunning little fellow.¡±

    ¡°A mere fringe outcast.¡±

    The female vampire next to him downed arge ss of wine disdainfully, seductively wiping her lips as she said:

    ¡°Even if he was talented originally, he became useless after Tris initiated him. I¡¯ve never understood why the Patriarch, um I mean, why Salrokdar had to keep that former elder around? He could have easily gotten rid of her.¡±

    ¡°Tris is a person with a story. She and Salrokdar have a secret past that others don¡¯t know about.¡±

    As one of the Blood Vulture Patriarch¡¯s most trustedmanders, Jed had some knowledge of these secrets, and he briefly exined:

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Tris, she is no simple matter. I can sense that Salrokdar doesn¡¯t want to deal with her, not because he can¡¯t, but because he is wary. Do you understand?

    Perhaps Tris has some leverage over Salrokdar. Hmm?

    Who made this fresh blood cocktail? The taste is a bit off?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it was sent by your servant.¡±

    The female vampire downed the ss, telling Jed:

    ¡°That albino cattle, called Mark something, his servant has been sending fresh blood for us to recover quickly. I must say, Jed, you have always had a good eye for choosing servants, this kid is quite capable.

    And there¡¯s nothing wrong with the wine, I am a professional wine taster after all.

    It¡¯s well made, with the sourness of raspberriesplemented by the citrus fragrance of lemon, and the crushed ice allows the wine and blood to blend perfectly, masking any odd scents.¡±

    Upon hearing this praise from a vampire wine taster, Jed¡¯s eyes suddenly widened.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    His ss of fresh blood cocktail shattered on the floor, the shrill sound causing the dark room to fall silent, until the vampires btedly realized that it seemed the outside had be too ¡°quiet¡± a while ago.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem¡±

    Jed grabbed the ceremonial tomb guard¡¯s ck de at his waist and had just stood up when he heard several cracking sounds, and round, ck objects were smashed through the windows into the room.

    The alchemy bombs, a ¡°friendly gift¡± from the Witch Hunters, rolled across the floor, the round bombs crudely painted with grinning skulls in red by the self-proimed childhood art student Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche.

    But that wasn¡¯t the point, the point was that the hissing fuse had already burned down to the end.

    This attack also broke through the concealment barrier surrounding the dark room, and in an instant, every vampire clearly sensed more than thirty distinct life signals around the house.

    ¡°Under attack!¡±

    The female vampire leaning against Jed instantly gathered spirit energy into her hands and screamed, immediately followed by a thunderous roar as the bombs exploded in the confined space.

    As professionals dealing with vampires, the Witch Hunters had specially ¡°added ingredients¡± to their moon dust bombs, causing the room full of vampires to wail and howl in agony. Worse still, the power of the daylight potions mixed into the fresh blood cocktails began to take effect, causing the vampires to go limp.

    Although they did not immediately lose their fighting ability, the perceived reduction in agility, reflexes and strength made them realize the grave situation they were in.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Jed, who had barely taken a few sips of the fresh blood cocktail, was in the best condition and reacted the fastest.

    His strength was among the top of these patriarchs¡¯ guards. Seeing the unfavorable situation, he transformed into a swarm of shadow bats, bursting through the window into the air, only to be struck head-on by a crimson spear, tumbling several times in the air before finally stabilizing when his wings opened.

    He looked up, his bloodied cheek raised to see the outstretched Blood Wings high above, along with the dark-haired Lady Femis wielding a spirit staff, her hair whipping wildly in the wind.

    Thetter was looking down at him coldly, her chubby cheeks revealing the same indifference as Salrokdar, as if from the same mold.

    Murphy!

    Bastard!

    That damned¡­

    ¡°Traitor!¡±

    The youngdy forced the word through gritted teeth.

    Jed¡¯s mind shuddered, then he heard a shrill, eerie yet rhythmic musicing from below.

    He looked down to see, apanied by the strange ¡°didida dididi~ dridada drididididi¡± music, more than thirty fully armed, ferocious-looking fellows charging towards the dark room from three directions, shouting and yelling in an iprehensible strangenguage as they charged.

    But even from their ferocity alone, it was clear this group truly did not fear death!

    They actually dared to directly charge at vampires far more powerful than themselves, were these people insane?

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Another fierce spirit st exploded in front of Jed, forcing him to cross his bat wings like a shield to protect himself from the impact.

    The youngdy¡¯s cold, chilling voice drifted down:

    ¡°Do you still have time to look at others? You should not be here¡­but since you¡¯vee, then don¡¯t bother going back!¡±

    While the youngdy and the stronger Jed battled in the sky, the fight on the ground was even more ferocious.

    The familiar battle cries rang out in different world settings, yet it did not seem out of ce at all. Instead, it made the already frenzied small yers look utterly ferocious, as if under the effects of a bloodthirsty and valiant buff.

    They charged in three groups from three directions, directly shing with the dazed vampires who had stumbled out after being hit by the alchemy bombs. The moment the two sides met, Niuniu, acting as the vanguard, roared as he battered his shield forward, the loud bang knocking down a vampire who had just unfurled his bat wings in an attempt to break through.

    Immediately after, four or five spears ruthlessly stabbed down, pinning the unfortunate fellow back against the wall.

    However, even weakened, vampires of the ck Iron rank were still formidable foes. Niuniu¡¯s crest shield was quickly batted away, and the bloodstained ws, frenzied shing, and various eerie shadow and spirit magic spells pummeled him, nearly crippling him with focused fire.

    Yet a tank¡¯s duty was to create opportunities for hisrades.

    Niuniu seeded!

    As he fell heavily wounded, an agile and sharp figure mmed into the front line of vampires, it was Sister Pomegranate, enraged with only ten minutes of game time remaining.

    Although she knew it was just a game, seeing her younger brother beaten like that had triggered her ¡°blood rage¡±.

    Only I can bully my little brother!

    You bastards can all go die!

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Her ferocious cannon punchnded squarely on a female vampire¡¯s face, the three bloodthirsty spirit de talons gouging out her eyeballs. Another whipped kick sent the vampire flying as Sister Pomegranate¡¯s fists thrust forward, disemboweling another weakened vampire.

    Such injuries would not rob vampires of theirbat ability.

    It could hardly even be called effective damage, given the foundation of these transcendent beings.

    However, after witnessing Sister Pomegranate¡¯s ferocious fighting stance, the student yers let out wolf-like howls and charged forward as well, actually forcing the few vampires back into the house.

    This was tactics!

    They had to restrict these creatures¡¯ ability to fly, flightless Blood Vulture vampires were half as threatening.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The missed close-range gunshot immediately drew ridicule from the other students towards Ah Yuen.

    But the brave Ah Yuen just smirked, reloading as Gugu Chicken used his short sword to knock down a bewitching short-haired vampire, he pounced, stepping on her protruding chest to jam the thick, hard barrel directly into the alluring vampire¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Open wide! Take it!¡±

    He growled in a sinister tone, then at this ¡°negative range¡±, pulled the trigger.

    With a muffled bang, half of the female vampire¡¯s head exploded in front of Ah Yuen¡¯s eyes.

    Warm fresh blood sttered across his face, but Ah Yuen remained utterly nonchnt as he withdrew the smoking barrel, giving a thumbs up to the stunned Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil, calmly and in an overly casual Versailles manner:

    ¡°No need to aim precisely, right? Getting close enough does the trick, that execution move was awesome, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It was awesome, but I suspect this scene might not pass review.¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil was about to say something else as he gripped the single-handed wing de his good friend had obtained for him, when he saw Ah Yuen posing in front get pounced on from behind by a vampire. Two agonizing screams and he fell silent.

    Damn!

    Down already?

    Are you a three-minute superhero? Dead right after your ultimate move?

    ¡°What are you gawking at? Get him!¡±

    Khaki reacted faster, swinging his dual poison axe des glowing green at the crazed vampire tearing into Ah Yuen¡¯s corpse, Path of Mud and Oil quickly following suit.

    Although the yers were exceptionally vicious, their reckless and self-destructive fighting style allowed them to pin down a third of the vampires inside the house at the cost of heavy casualties. But the remaining vampires had already escaped with their agile serpentine movements.

    They were not at full strength to begin with, further weakened by identally drinking the daylight potions, and caught off guard by the ferocious spirit of the ¡°Murphy Warriors¡± during the ambush.

    At this point, they had no intention of continuing to fight.

    After seeing their leader Jed upied by the youngdy, these cunning ones hardly needed verbalmunication, each fleeing in different directions with their servants.

    Daylight wasing soon!

    These crazy blood servant bastards had picked the perfect time to ambush them!

    They had to find a hiding ce before the vicious sun rose, waiting for the next night when it would be their domain again.

    However, the moment these fellows barely broke through, gunfire erupted from all directions,pletely shattering the tranquility of this ashennd. The lead bullets fired by the gunners stationed at vantage points danced wildly in the air, shooting down a few unlucky ones from the sky.

    And at the high ground outside the dark room, Lumina spat out the grass root she had been chewing, raising the automatic hunting crossbow she had primed, aiming at the dazed group of vampires in the air.

    This was not the old one they had lost in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, but an enhanced version ¡°gifted¡± by the Witch Hunters under Natalie.

    As the steam boiler pipes expelled scorching fumes, apanied by the rattling sounds of levers and gears, Lumina fitted the circr scope to her target. She licked her lips, finger on the trigger.

    After taking a deep breath, she forcefully pulled the trigger down!

    ¡°Shhhhhhhh¡±

    The razor-sharp bolts instantly transformed into streams of deadly feathers, shooting out under the control of the marksmanship master Lumina, relentlessly pursuing the vampires. Within just ten seconds or so, three were shot down, crashing to the ground to be surrounded and captured by the small yers and the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force militia.

    Amidst the ashes, the alchemical torches were lit!

    The ferocious and superstitious wargoats had been assigned targets by the cunning and ruthless shepherds. In thisnd of Transia, blinded by misguided loyalty and centuries of pent-up hatred, they feared nothing at this moment and eagerly wished to cut something with the des in their hands.

    Even if it were vampires.

    ¡°Take out that firebase! Otherwise none of us can leave!¡±

    The vampires under the barrage of bullets and hunting bolts immediately reacted, three of them instantly charging towards Lumina¡¯s position. But the youngdy remained unperturbed, swiveling her crossbow to rapidfire, quickly downing another vampire who failed to evade.

    Kill count +1.

    She was undoubtedly the ¡°Queen of Aces¡± in this intense battle.

    She could see the fresh blood spurting from the hideous vampires when struck, could see their disheveled plummet after their wings were crippled, and could hear their wretched wails.

    All of this caused Lumina¡¯s adrenaline to soar, making her react faster, her heart pounding harder.

    She had grown fond of this feeling.

    No!

    She had fallen in love with this feeling.

    In that instant, the dark ashennds shrouded in violence and death made her heart throb.

    Hmm, was this the feeling of being in love?

    Two vampires charged through the barrage towards her. The heavy hunting crossbow was too sluggish to react in time, so Lumina stepped back, snatching up the already loaded hunting rifle by her side amidst her swirling hair, executing a precise hip shot in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The vampire extending its ws in front of her had its head flung back, blood spraying everywhere as it screamed and fell from the high ground.

    However, thest one had alreadynded before her. Lumina dropped the still smoking hunting rifle, drawing the short sword at her waist and taking a starting stance of the Shadow Elf Secret Sword Arts.

    She knew she could not defeat this dangerous ck Iron monster.

    But she had already scored enough by downing five vampire rats in one go, before taking up the firebase role, Brother Stick had exined the risks to her.

    Yet she did not care.

    It was just a game.

    Overthinking would only kill the fun, we¡¯re all first-timers at being human. No need to restrain ourselves, just go wild!

 Chapter 74:

    ¡°Come on!¡±

    On top of the ash-covered city dome, Lumina, who had already activated her abilities, arrogantly made a taunting gesture towards the vampire in front of her after dropping her hunting rifle.

    Thetter was almost instantly provoked, baring its fangs and pouncing towards her with movements too fast for her to even perceive.

    At this stage, the individual strength of the little yers is still not enoughpared to the servants of these patriarchs¡¯ guards, even if weakened by the Daylight Potions. These guys, at the ck Iron rank, can overwhelm the yers with their attributes and absolute strength.

    Ah, I am going to die again.

    But this time, being dragged down is less embarrassing than thest time when she disgracefully fell to her death.

    Thinking this, she simply closed her eyes and waved her sword randomly. But the next second, three consecutive gunshots came from midair, causing her to open her eyes again. She then saw a huge pair of bat wings descending from the sky.

    After that, an elegant and graceful sliding assault left afterimages, allowing the crimson stabbing sword to bite into the opponent¡¯s neck like a venomous snake.

    It was simply an elegant yet breathtaking ughter.In less than five seconds, the ferocious but weakened creature fell in front of her. Lady Adele, having retracted her wings, executed it brutally by driving her ws into its chest and digging out its heart.

    Originating from the rare temte given by Murphy during her initial embrace, Lady Adele was far superior to ordinary warriors at the ck Iron rank. Not to mention her half-elf bloodline granted her greater night agility than ordinary vampires.

    The vampire at her feet turned into a twisted statue amidst its dying screams. After this cruel permanent execution, thisdy, holding the pulsating crimson heart, stood up, nced at the stunned Lumina, and shook her head, saying:

    ¡°You still need to practice your sword skills, warrior. If the Shadow Sword Chanters of the Mejeva family saw your unsightly form just now, they wouldugh their teeth out.¡±

    ¡°Wow, was that just the elven sword art? It¡¯s so cool with the built-in blink!¡±

    Longing appeared in Lumina¡¯s eyes.

    But Lady Adele had no time to talk more with this ¡°elf fanatic¡± now. She stepped back, retracted her wings, and leapt down from the fire tform like a Leap of Faith.

    This was her first kill.

    To make a request to her lord Murphy, she needed at least five.

    Hopefully, dawn woulde a littleter, allowing her to fulfill her ownst wish beforepletely bing Murphy¡¯s descendant.

    Inside the Dark House, the vampires were being badly beaten, not only were they struck down from the sky, but they were also surrounded and kicked by the excited little yers who had triggered battle frenzy.

    However, this was only the surface.

    The yers and the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force could only stop the lower-ranking vampires. The true higher-ranking vampires, that is, six out of the seven patriarchs¡¯ guards besides Jed who was being kept upied by the littledy, had already fled.

    These guys had unlocked more racial powers at the White Silver rank.

    The boost they received in the night was far stronger than individual ck Iron ranks. In fact, as long as they were determined enough, the little yers¡¯ formation could not harm any of them.

    But the more powerful these guys were, the more they cared about their lives.

    Especially since they had just escaped from the hellish Blood Vulture Halls and be like startled birds. It was impossible for them to go back and fight desperately again.

    They decisively sold out their own subordinates to buy time for their safe escape, since those servants were meant to be used as cannon fodder when being turned in the Blood Vulture Halls anyway.

    Would any vampire elder really be willing to put themselves in danger for the safety of their subordinates?

    Probably not, right?

    However, their escape was not smooth sailing either.

    As soon as a few of themnded outside Kadman City ruins, intending to sneak into the survivor camps for some ¡°snacks¡± to recover a bit of strength, they were immediately entangled by the eruption of natural spirit magic.

    The spirit illusions of the forests and green woonds enveloped them in an instant, dragging them into the hunting illusion set up in advance by the Witch Hunters.

    ¡°The hunters have been waiting for a long time!¡±

    Natalie, acting as the temporarymander, drew the two war daggers from her waist with crossed arms.

    Her wrists moved, producing a whistling sound, while the other elite Witch Hunters hid within this natural spirit illusion formed woond, their home turf. Such arge-scale spirit illusion would only be used when hunting high-ranking vampires like these.

    ¡°Kill them!¡±

    The white-haired vampire who had previously flirted with Jed waved her hideous ws. Three of the higher-ranking vampires beside her immediately charged in different directions.

    She went straight for Natalie.

    This gray-haired Witch Hunter, a mere ck Iron small fry, dared to talk big!

    ¡°Bang¡±

    A gunshot rang out from the woond illusion behind Natalie, and the scorching deer bullet swept across a wide area in front, forcing the charging female vampire to agilely retreat several steps in surprise as she looked ahead.

    Then, she saw Major Frayzer, dressed in the uniform of a Goldflower Kingdom lieutenant colonel, stride out from the illusion with a cold expression.

    He was still holding a gray-gold double-barreled trench gun that was clearly a dwarven masterwork, a brutal weapon with two gun barrels and an axe-de bay, each barrel wide enough to fit an infant¡¯s fist.

    ¡°Click¡±

    The major coolly loaded the deer bullet with a slick motion. Under Natalie¡¯s bewildered gaze, he shrugged and said:

    ¡°Battalion Commander Finoch insists bullets can¡¯t deal with vampires. I beg to differ. General Loren taught us to find answers through actualbat, so, sorry. May I borrow your prey for a firepower experiment?¡±

    ¡°Why are you in the hunting illusion?¡±

    Natalie asked sternly:

    ¡°You¡¯re a nonbatant!¡±

    ¡°Ah, you guys activated the illusion too suddenly. I couldn¡¯t get out,¡± the major said with a headache.

    ¡°Also, I¡¯m not the only one identally pulled in.¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    Seeing the two in front casually chatting and not paying her any heed, the white-haired female vampire let out a howl and pounced again.

    This time even faster, intending to take out this insolent human before he could shoot.

    But¡­

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Another gunshot knocked her back again.

    This time, Natalie looked to her left, where the unlucky-looking Miss Miriam also came out holding her own crimson hand cannon,cking the poise of Major Frayzer.

    The bold Transian girl cursed while holding her gun:

    ¡°You bastards, can¡¯t you give a warning before activating spells? I¡¯m the real nonbatant here!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A distance away from Kadman City, Maxim, sitting in front of a carriage and eating dried rations, looked up.

    In the darkness before dawn, a figure swiftly descended, struck an odd pose as itnded and retracted its wings, then strode towards him.

    ¡°Maxim? Ah, my ¡®monster¡¯ brother, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    The guy made a warm gesture, opening his arms as if greeting an old friend, while Maxim put down his rations, stood up, lowered his face mask, and said in a raspy voice to the visitor:

    ¡°Hello Arthur, it has indeed been a long time. Congrattions on bing the vampire you¡¯ve dreamed of.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just one step ahead of you. My loyalty and potential caught Lord Jed¡¯s eye, and in a dire time, our generous master bestowed upon me the new power of rebirth.

    But don¡¯t rush.

    Haven¡¯t you also found a new master for yourself?

    Although Lord Murphy¡¯s reputation in the n¡­ heh heh, it doesn¡¯t matter. He suits you well.

    A monster and a waste.¡±

    The tall vampire Arthur seemed familiar with Maxim, freely cracking malicious jokes while wrinkling his brows suggestively.

    He stood a few steps away from Maxim, his crimson eyes sizing up the ¡°brother¡± who seemed different from before, then nced at the carriage behind him.

    He could sense a weak vampire inside the carriage.

    That must be Lady Tris that Lord Jed wanted.

    ¡°You did indeed bring her as ordered by the lord. Good, Mark! I¡¯m d to see you still uphold your prized loyalty. Lord Jed will be pleased and reward you for this.¡±

    Vampire Arthur waved his hand, telling Maxim:

    ¡°You can leave now. I¡¯ll take over from here.¡±

    ¡°Is it Lord Jed¡¯s order?¡±

    Maxim asked.

    This redundant question annoyed Arthur, who suppressed his impatience and said:

    ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t I just say you could go? You never used to ask so many questions.¡±

    Maxim surveyed the surrounding night.

    It was the darkest moment before dawn, and the area around this deste vige was eerily quiet, perfect by a tomb¡¯s standards. His fingers twitched as he said:

    ¡°Did youe alone? Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! Max, obey and go.¡±

    Arthur was no longer willing to waste time chatting with his old ¡°hard times¡± buddy. He stepped past Maxim towards Tris¡¯ carriage.

    Behind him, Maxim lightly gripped the ¡°Ambition and Dreams¡± rapier at his waist and said hoarsely:

    ¡°Arthur, do you remember this ce?¡±

    ¡°This ce?¡±

    Vampire Arthur nced around, very impatiently answering:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just some abandoned broken vige? There were ces like this everywhere during the Ten Year War. What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve forgotten. What a pity.¡±

    The de slowly left its sheath.

    The green-glowing sword scraped against the scabbard¡¯s edge, making a sound like an eerie wail.

    Behind the vampire, Maxim rolled his shoulders and said softly:

    ¡°This is the ce where we were both born, grew up together, wandered together, were taken in by Lord Jed, became Blood Servants together, and fantasized about the future together in dim shacks.

    They called me ¡®monster¡¯, they called you ¡®strongman¡¯.

    Those distant times feel like a previous life, don¡¯t they Arthur?¡±

    ¡°Max! Put your weapon away!¡±

    The vampire had realized something was off.

    He gripped the rapier of the same style at his waist and turned to face Maxim, who had taken the opening stance of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish!¡±

    Maxim¡¯s response to this final warning was¡­

    To charge!

    ¡°ng¡±

    The two des shed in an instant.

    Maxim¡¯s charge was easily blocked by the vampire Arthur, who was renowned for his brute strength even before the initial embrace, and had clearly been enhanced in power after bing a vampire.

    The immense force of their crossed weapons sent sparks flying along the des as they faced each other just outside the deste vige.

    Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Those crimson eyes stared at the masked face before them, but could still see the disappointed yet fiery eyes through the gap.

    ¡°You rigged the lottery, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Maxim said hoarsely:

    ¡°It should have been you leading the eight Blood Thralls to support Lord Murphy. You know in Jed¡¯s eyes, we lower Blood Servants are less than human. You know the oue of that trip.

    But you still chose to push me out!¡±

    He was met with silence and a sudden surge of killing intent.

    As Arthur thrust his arm forward, Maxim was pushed back. He then shifted his stance to steady himself again, sword tip lowered.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t surviving a good thing?¡±

    Arthur¡¯s Blood Wings spread and folded behind him. In the increasingly cold wind, a few tumbleweeds rolled carelessly past the two as the now fully-fledged vampire Arthur said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Why dwell on unpleasant things? You don¡¯t know how happy I was to see you alive, my monster brother.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t me you.¡±

    Maxim advanced again to attack.

    The Blood Vulture Sword Arts he had broken through to master in life-and-death battles shed deadly brilliance in the night, but it was not fatal to a vampire.

    After all, it was only a basic sword art. And now, still empowered by the night, Arthur, though only a ¡°vampire baby¡± born seven days ago, could easily react to Maxim¡¯s sword strikes through sheer instinct.

    ¡°I should even thank you! It seems like stabbing your ¡®monster¡¯ brother in the back allowed us both to find what we craved.

    You gained Jed¡¯s favor.

    And I found a true lord worthy of my loyalty, giving value to my devotion that had nowhere to be pledged.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s voice grew louder, his attacks more frantic.

    Across from him, Arthur remained silent until Maxim had vented his thoughts. He then suddenly broke through Maxim¡¯s sword stance with one strike aimed at his shoulder, as if intending to stop Maxim¡¯s ¡°suicidal actions¡± with this blow.

    However, this seemingly inevitable strike was dodged by Maxim¡¯s bizarre sliding steps. In the next instant, he blinked to Arthur¡¯s side and struck, the whistling de knocking off Arthur¡¯s borate crimson helmet and sending it spinning away to hit the ground.

    A strand of Arthur¡¯s vampire hair and a few drops of fresh blood also flew out.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t me you, brother.¡±

    Maxim retracted his stance.

    Before Arthur¡¯s astonished gaze, he gripped the sword in one hand and held it level in front of his body. Behind him, the first rays of dawn slowly appeared, and the still cold wind howled past their armor and hair.

    ¡°This battle has no personal vendettas. You simply have toplete Jed¡¯s orders, while I must remain loyal to my lord. That¡¯s all.¡±

    The loyal servant adjusted his mask and said deeply:

    ¡°Arthur, only one of us brothers will leave here alive. Please, take this seriously!¡±

    ¡°You monster!¡±

    The instant the vampire saw the dawn, he realized Maxim had lured him into a trap. This guy had been stalling with strange words to negate Arthur¡¯s night advantage.

    Arthur felt deceived, Maxim had never been so cunning before!

    It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only one who had transformed over the past seven days.

    The anger from his heart, perhaps mixed with guilt and humiliation at having his trick exposed, finally made him hold nothing back.

    Drawing his sword, he advanced with the more dangerous Tomb Guard Sword Arts, confident he could kill Maxim with this style personally taught by Lord Jed. However, after five consecutive strikes missed their mark, Arthur¡¯s premonition of doom grew stronger. In the next instant, Maxim countered with the same Tomb Guard stance but clearly more skilled, piercing Arthur¡¯s left shoulder with one strike.

    The de slid, and blood gushed out.

    ¡°You! How can you¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, Lord Murphy taught me! He values me and has nurtured me to his fullest, giving me not only hope but wisdom. My lord is far more generous than that dog Jed, I told you Arthur.

    Get serious! My brother.

    Otherwise¡­

    You will die!¡±

 Chapter 75:

    The blood-stained mask was shed by the de and flew to the ground amid a howling noise. The shing of des brought about brief but intense ngs, the fatal rhythm of life-and-deathbat.

    The dawn¡¯s sunlight was rising, the red dots of light radiating heat to herald the departure of the Night Mother.

    She took back her blessing with some regret, leaving those creatures that could only be active at night in a weakened predicament, while the scorching light turned into mes, beginning to ignite those creations that did not belong to the day nor favored by the light.

    Arthur felt like he was about to catch fire!

    Even though he was wearing armor that could withstand sunlight, the inherent repulsion and resistance to heat and light from the vampire tradition caused his every swing of the sword to lose power during this morning hour.

    In contrast, Maxim across from him, though covered in wounds, had not been defeated by the umted pain. Instead, emboldened by his opponent¡¯s weakness, he began to rally his strength, pushing the battle to a counterattack climax.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    The rapiers in both their hands, sharing the same stance, almost simultaneously pierced through each other¡¯s armor, which was already riddled with holes. Maxim was forced to take a step back, clutching the fresh blood gushing from his chest.

    His body swayed, but the vampire opposite him fared worse.Not only was the sunlight burning through the cracks in his armor and scorching his skin, but the umtion of spirit poison from being struck too many times by the poisoned de had finally reached a threshold. Weakened by the sunlight, the vampire could no longer resist.

    He staggered backward, continuously spewing ckened fresh blood from his mouth.

    Arthur felt the powers of the night draining away, the shadow of failure growing ever thicker as Maxim raised his sword and advanced, enveloping him!

    Leaving him nowhere to go, sparking panic in his eyes.

    No!

    It shouldn¡¯t be like this!

    Lord Jed had granted him true power!

    This monster before him was just an ordinary human, how could he be stronger?

    It¡¯s not fair!

    ¡°I betrayed everything for this! How dare you?¡±

    Arthur roared.

    He swung the rapier wildly and weakly, screaming hysterically:

    ¡°I risked life and death for him so many times just to earn his attention and favor. I even sacrificed you, my brother who grew up with me, for this.

    You should be dead! Max!

    You were already dead, right? What appears before me now is just an unwilling ghost!

    That¡¯s why I can¡¯t beat you.

    I can¡¯t possibly beat you, because you were already dead so how can you die again?

    You monster!

    Go to hell!¡±

    The vampire mustered hisst strength to lunge at Maxim, his body already emitting wisps of smoke in the sunlight. But Maxim nimbly sidestepped with a shadow step, swung the rapier named Ambition and Dreams to disarm his opponent, then followed up with a kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

    ¡°I am! Not a monster!¡±

    Maxim¡¯s mask had been shed open across his face and nose bridge, fresh blood covering his unnaturally pale skin.

    But his eyes burned with a fire.

    He loomed over and straddled his former brother¡¯s waist, de at the heart, roaring:

    ¡°You! You¡¯re the monster! I used to feel inferior about being different from you, feeling innately lowborn. But now I know!

    Being different from you is my uniqueness. To be like you would make me feel disgusted!

    You!

    Arthur, you¡¯re just like those who mocked me!

    Drawing petty joys from others¡¯ misfortunes to sustain your clinging to life amidst hardship, indulging shamelessly in that contemptible desire.

    You

    You!

    Are the real monsters!¡±

    ¡°Poosh¡±

    The de plunged down with the weight of a thousand pounds.

    Piercing through Arthur¡¯s armor amid the mingling green and crimson light, slicing open his heart and embedding in the earth behind his back. The vampire¡¯s struggling convulsed violently at this moment, then lost all strength as his mangled hand fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Huff, huff¡±

    Severely wounded but having seeded in taking down a vampire, Maxim panted heavily.

    At this moment, he felt all the forces sustaining his battle draining away. But conversely, it seemed a new power was continuously welling up from the hollowness of his body.

    He had crossed that threshold!

    The boundary between the ordinary and the transcendent realm, finally unleashing his hidden potential to sculpt a stair ascending from ¡°mediocrity.¡±

    Maxim staggered to his feet, extracting his weapon and retreating a few steps while clutching his chest.

    He shakily took out a roll of bandages and medicine from his spirit bag, failing to notice that behind him, the ¡°dead¡± Arthur had suddenly opened his eyes.

    As the smoke-emitting body struggled to rise, his crimson eyes grew ever more savage and bloodthirsty.

    ¡°You fool!¡±

    He berated:

    ¡°I am a vampire! I am the undying descendant! I am the creature that drinks fresh blood to live forever! You won, but you will die!¡±

    Maximpletely ignored him.

    As if he hadn¡¯t heard a thing, he removed his own armor and unrolled the bandages.

    This arrogant attitude enraged the unsightly Arthur under the sunlight, causing him to stagger forward, about to drink blood and revive himself, but in the next instant.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    The crimson ws easily pierced his heart from behind, leaving him frozen in ce.

    Looking down, he saw five razor-sharp crimson ws adorned with mysterious spirit patterns moving before his chest. As they closed, his own midnight heart that was healing was clutched in their grasp.

    ¡°As one about to die, you are truly unqualified, Arthur. You havepletely disgraced the dignity of the ancient n!¡±

    Lady Tris¡¯s displeased, low voice came from behind.

    ¡°No, no please¡­I gave everything¡­please¡­¡±

    Arthur begged.

    But Lady Tris would not spare him for a few pleadings. In her mysterious past life spanning ages, mercy was a luxury she could ill afford to grant so generously to a worthless life seeking to imprison her.

    She had lived far too long.

    Kindness was something that had long drifted away like the wind.

    As the ws ruthlessly retracted, Arthur¡¯s body with its gaping chest wound knelt powerlessly, ultimately staring fixedly at Maxim before crashing to the ground, petrifying into a faded statue in the sunlight.

    Lady Tris examined the heart crystallized into a blood essence in her hand. She stood in the sunlight but with a lingering shadow around her body to prevent further damage from the sun¡¯s rays.

    Though she had lost most of her power, as a Golden Rank veteran, Tris still possessed necessary self-defense measures.

    She was truly weak.

    But not as weak as others imagined.

    She approached the struggling, bandaging Maxim and handed him the blood essence, praising:

    ¡°It has been too long since Transia had a thrilling tale of an ordinary man single-handedly ying a vampire through sheer force. But you¡¯ve bid a rather decent farewell to friendship.

    It seems my little Murphy has found a treasure.

    Take it.

    It is your due reward.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, mydy.¡±

    Maxim did not refuse this gift. Tris looked him over and said:

    ¡°Afterpleting the ck Iron Trial, you need to wait a period before feeling the unrestrained liberation of your potential. Don¡¯t be so eager toprehend your new power.

    Especially in your current condition.

    I suggest you find a spirit-active area to meditate in for the time being. This will enhance your spirit perception and maniption, allowing you to better grasp the spirit-using aspects of the Tomb Guard Sword Arts.

    Your innate spirit talent is not outstanding, not even mediocre.

    But no matter.

    Once little Murphypletes your initial Embrace, Midnight¡¯s blessing will make up for your shorings.¡±

    With that, Lady Tris walked towards her carriage, yawning and waving her hand to Maxim:

    ¡°Gaze upon the sunlight more, for these will be yourst few times appreciating the dawn so freely.

    From now on, you shall step into the night;

    From then on, you shall tread eternity.¡±

    Tris¡¯s poetic reminder made Maxim raise his head to the newly risen morning sun. He could feel its warmth shining upon him, like a victor¡¯s blessing and celebration.

    But secondster, Maxim closed his eyes.

    He refused the sun¡¯s calling and lingering gaze, taking onest look at the faded statue on the ground.

    Arthur remained frozen in his pose before death, eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.

    ¡°Loyalty is the greatest grace.¡±

    Maxim coughed, saying softly:

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity your passion was misguided, rest now my brother. I never med you.

    This was not a personal grudge.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The skies over Kadman City were also gradually filled with light.

    The expulsion of astral shadows from the Great Purge allowed the ck smoke shrouding the outer city ruins to dissipate until it was barely visible, the light permeating through not as scorching as outside. A true vampire should not venture out in such conditions.

    But now, the youngdy and Jed were engaged in their final battle under this light-permeated sky.

    Overall, the youngdy was at a disadvantage.

    Well.

    She was getting beaten quite badly.

    Jed himself was already a Silver Rank master, a whole rank above the youngdy who had begun her Silver Trial but not yetpleted it.

    Though he had consumed a Daylight Potion, the dosage was not high. And being the bastard possessing Daylight Potions, he also had the corresponding antidote on hand. The only true problem was his loss of blood essence in the Blood Vulture halls.

    That was the truly dire issue. If one had to say, it probably reduced his character temte from elite to rare, a weakening at the source level.

    But even so, Jed was still far stronger than the youngdy.

    Femis could only persist because she was a spirit user, she faced a battle-crazed swordsman opponent. Through arduous kiting and keen distance control, she barely prevented Jed¡¯s lethal sword thrusts from piercing her heart.

    But that was it.

    Counterattack?

    Sorry, it was impossible before the Tomb Guard, famed in vampire society for dual mastery of physical and spirit arts.

    ¡°You little bitch! Stop for me! This day shall be your deathday!¡±

    Jed roared with rage.

    A fire zed in his heart.

    He had clearly nned everything, but fate did not favor him. Instead, it pped him hard, telling him your ns are worthless, this world has its own ideas.

    This sense of his schemes copsing from the start enraged Jed even more than the failure itself.

    But it didn¡¯t matter.

    Weak teammates and foolish servants be damned!

    As long as he had the Desire Fragment in hand, he could still im the inheritance by taking out Femis!

    Facing Jed¡¯s insults and provocations, the youngdy paid no heed. She simply continued evasively fleeing towards the depths of this ash-coverednd while deflecting the energy des flung behind her with even greater speed.

    This was not fleeing!

    The brave and ancient bloodline never flees!

    The youngdy told herself as the arrogant enemy pressed his attack. This was all part of the n!

    Indeed!

    All of this was part of Murphy¡¯s n.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    At that moment, on the ashen grounds below, the old knight Finoch, casually riding a red warhorse through the silent ruins, looked up to see the young and old vampires darting across the city skyline like children ying hide-and-seek.

    The old knight pursed his lips, ncing at the two petrified Blood Vulture skulls hanging from his saddle, considering acquiring another worthy trophy from his hunt.

    Though already a Golden Rank veteran, this was Kadman City, their of the Blood Vulture, one of the seven major vampire ns. ying vampires here was naturally morememorative than elsewhere.

    Old Finoch felt himself a two-hundred-plus year old genius at that moment, so he took a ck oak seed from his saddlebag and aimed straight at the sky with one arm.

    ¡°Forces of nature, heed my call! des of gale, answer my summons! Avalon, your great power shall manifest here!¡±

    He murmured a line.

    In the next instant, the oak seed¡¯s spirit spell was triggered¡­

    The ck vines rapidly bursting from the seed grew along the old knight¡¯s fist, forming a gnarled green war bow with vines and blooming flowers in the blink of an eye.

    Finoch drew the bowstring, a green spirit arrow of pure nature energy appearing at his fingertips. As a top warrior of the old church, archery was a basic skill.

    ¡°In my god¡¯s name, descend!¡±

    As the old knight invoked the divine name, a faint mist rapidly enveloped the emerald bolt¡¯s tip, which, after a brief aim, he loosed with his fingers.

    ¡°Shiii¡±

    The spirit arrow shot skyward at far greater speed than any normal arrow, directly piercing at the youngdy¡¯s face. Femis barely dodged with a ssic ¡°leaf on the wind¡± evasive flying technique at thest possible moment.

    But the closely pursuing Jed was not so lucky.

    By the time he sensed the threat of the needlepoint arrow, it was already before his eyes, forcing Jed to desperately swing his sword in an attempt to cut it. But at the very moment he swung, the old knight on the ground snapped his fingers with a subtle smile.

    ¡°Shaaaaa¡±

    The originally solitary green arrow instantly multiplied into seven identical spirit shafts filling Jed¡¯s vision, then elerated in a sudden second gust of wind to pierce straight through his body in an instant.

    Like a bursting blood sack, crimson whirling chaos.

    Too fast for even a Silver Rank vampire to react.

    This was no ordinary spirit spell

    This destructive power!

    This was divine magic!

    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±

    Agonized cries rang out over the ruins. Under the youngdy¡¯s stunned gaze, Jed, over half his wings torn away, spiraled down in a spray of blood like a bird with clipped wings, crashing into the somber ruins below.

    ¡°BOOM¡±

    His body mmed into the ground, kicking up disheveled ash.

    But old Finoch wanted his head, so that arrowcked true divine force, only inflicting grievous but not fatal wounds on the vampire.

    Though unable to fly, Jed could still stand. But then he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

    The battered Jed whipped around to see Murphy, holding the de of the Desire n and draped in a cloak, emerging elegantly from the shadows.

    His handsome face wore that trademark refined, dignified smile.

    Yet to Jed in this moment, that smile looked so evil and insane.

    ¡°You! You actually coborated with Witch Hunters to betray your own kind!¡±

    Jed clutched the green arrow piercing his chest, wrenching it out as the n patriarch¡¯s guard roared:

    ¡°Murphy! You despicable traitor!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I coborated with Witch Hunters. I n to bury you fools who barged nonsensically into my game.

    By vampire customs, I am indeed a traitor.

    This is not the first time I¡¯ve done this either.

    I must say, witch hunters really are quite useful as des to eliminate dissidents.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s fingers gripped the hilt as the Desire de slowly left its sheath with a ringing sound. Giving Jed an even more elegant, dignified smile, he said:

    ¡°What? You¡¯re not satisfied? How about this, I¡¯ll send you to the Night Mother, you can follow proper procedure to file aint against me, sound good?¡±

 Chapter 76:

    It has been several days since Murphy triggered the Trial of Strength, but in the struggling Kadman City, he has been unable to find a suitable target.

    After Jed appeared, Murphy had threatened the youngdy that if she did not cooperate, he would use her as his ¡°proof of ck Iron¡±, but that was only an artistic exaggerated threat. In fact, the moment Jed appeared and tried to use Murphy, this self-important guy had already beenbeled in Murphy¡¯s heart.

    Although using a White Silver vampire as the target for the ck Iron trial is obviously too exaggerated and inted.

    But in the current situation, Murphy felt that he was not without a chance of sess.

    In this remote area of the outer city ruins, the dim sunlight continuously sprinkled spots of light from the cracks of the thinyers of ck smoke. Among the winding ashes on the ground, Murphy holding the de of the Desire n tossed a probe towards Jed in front of him, who was dragging his tattered wings.

    The feedback information formed an information tag in front of his eyes, moving along with Jed:

    Name: Berna Jed Lessenbra

    Level: 30 White Silver Body ¨C Blood Source Weakness (All attributes reduced by 30%)

    Profession: Level 15 Tomb Guard / Level 15 Midnight Hunter / Painter ¨C ssical Painting SpecialistStatus: Fragile Vulnerability ¨C Mental Strain ¨C Physical Copse ¨C Natural Entanglement ¨C Deepening Pain ¨C Day¡¯s Curse

    Evaluation: Extremely Dangerous

    ¡°You really seem to have suffered quite badly. Although I don¡¯t understand what kind of torment you endured in the Blood Vulture Halls, just looking at your wailing body and terrible wrinkles, I can tell that you¡¯ve had a miserable time.¡±

    Murphy stared at the few wounds on Jed¡¯s chest that had been pierced by emerald hunting arrows,pletely unable to heal and continuously dripping fresh blood. He twisted his wrist, showing off a sword flourish, and said in a low voice:

    ¡°However, we are all respectable midnight nobles. Instead of engaging in a boring and vulgar battle, why don¡¯t I help you end this prolonged suffering?

    You don¡¯t have to go through the indignity of struggling any longer, and I can save some precious time as well.

    What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Heh heh, so beneath the mundane disguise lies such an arrogant and insane soul? Tris really was blind!¡±

    Jed wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

    Leaning on the ck ritual de of a tomb guard, adorned with ck ebony flowers and bats, he retracted his tattered blood wings behind him. Although each step caused fresh blood to drip, this guy¡¯s aura was rising in anger.

    His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Murphy as he said hoarsely:

    ¡°I am very weak! I feel like I¡¯m about to return to the midnight, to eternal silence, but that¡¯s still no excuse for a worm like you to insult me!

    Come on, Murphy, you¡¯d better find a few more people.

    Like that wench hiding in the shadows, that vile bitch Femis, let here too!

    That way you might stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°How unbing! Sir Jed, a gentleman as elegant as yourself should not speak such vulgar words. As for what you said, I would very much like to find help.¡±

    Murphy sighed and said:

    ¡°Unfortunately, this is the ck Iron trial I have chosen for myself, which I mustplete alone, to truly step onto this path of power by offering your noble blood to the midnight and the zing sun as a sacrifice.

    You are the perfect offering I have chosen in pursuit of power.

    So, from now on, please carry yourself with the awareness and dignity befitting a sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Upon hearing Murphy say this, Jed felt deeply insulted again.

    This bastard!

    How dare he view him as a trial of strength?

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Jed roared.

    The chilling dark spirit condensed on the ritual de at the tomb guard¡¯s summons, forming a sinister edge. With almost flickering skill, heunched a suicidal strike to cut down Murphy right in front of him.

    He was confident!

    Such a small fry who had not even reached ck Iron would never be able to withstand this decisive blow thatbined centuries of experience and power!

    Murphy indeedcked confidence in overpowering Jed in directbat, but after repeatedly studying the rules of the Trial of Strength, he realized that this seemingly inflexible rule actually had ¡°loopholes¡± to exploit.

    ¡°p¡±

    With the aid of the Gloomy Steps, he continuously retreated using sliding steps while waving his left hand backwards. Femis, hiding in a high ce behind him, saw this agreed signal.

    She hesitated for a moment.

    Because this kind of interference didn¡¯t seem to conform to the principles of the ck Iron trial, but upon careful consideration, she indeed wasn¡¯t truly intervening in the deadly battle between the two below. She was only¡­

    The youngdy was very hesitant, but still followed Murphy¡¯s previous instructions, gathering her remaining spirit into the Spirit Staff, then pointing the bat-carved staff head towards the sky.

    Spirit st ¨C Raging Gale!

    Release!

    ¡°Bang¡±

    In a muffled boom, like an air cannon, the heavy spiritual force shot straight up into the sky, then exploded in the thin ck astral haze above with the youngdy¡¯s precise control.

    As if a pair of roughrge hands tore open the curtain obscuring the sunlight.

    In the next instant, dazzling golden rays poured down like a waterfall through therge hole torn in the haze.

    The golden beams, like stage spotlights shining through the torn smoky haze, illuminated the entire street area below. The unprepared Jed and the ready Murphy were both caught in this moment under the sun¡¯s rebuke:

    This is the world of light, no evil shall tread here!

    ¡°Hiss¡±

    It was like hot oil being poured, or raging mes burning.

    Smoke rose inyers from beneath Murphy¡¯s skin, protected by the Blood Vulture Elder Armor, causing him such pain that even his defensive movements werepletely distorted in that moment. The Shadow Steps beneath his feet also lost control, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. He could barely support himself by leaning on the sharp sword in his hand.

    But this was already considered good.

    At least he didn¡¯t have so many terrible negative statuses on himself, while Jed in front of him, burdened with a total of six fatal Debuffs, was miserable.

    His entire being looked as if it had been doused in acid.

    With ack of blood essence and repeated bat transformations to escape leading to physical copse, even the slightest direct sunlight would make him wish for death.

    Not to mention that this was the zing sun ripping through the night at dawn, the moment when the sr spirit was most active in nature during the day.

    ¡°Ah!!!¡±

    A drawn-out, banshee-like wail of agony echoed throughout the deserted ruins. Kneeling under the sunlight, Jed was in such pain that he could no longer even hold his sword.

    He crawled on the ground, trying in vain to shield himself from the sunlight with his hands.

    The skin exposed to the light was blistering and carbonizing. He struggled, desperately trying to channel the dark spirit within to create shadows to block the sun.

    But Murphy slid forward.

    Biting into his own broken pocket watch to avoid crying out in pain.

    Amid the billowing white smoke from his body, he swung Tris¡¯ Elder¡¯s de, mercilesslyunching a fierce attack with grandmaster-level Blood Vulture Sword Arts against the ¡°sunlight-weakened¡± Jed.

    This was his only chance of winning!

    This was the battle n he had formted when he viewed Jed as the target of his trial, exploiting the terrain to find a bug and enable an unfair challenge against a superior foe.

    But no matter how much he tried to cheat, Jed¡¯s overwhelming strength was undeniable.

    Realizing that he might very well be killed in the shadows here by Murphy, Jed immediately lost his will to fight. He knew this was not the time to save face!

    He had to run!

    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±

    The burst of power from his White Silver level caused the wretched, scorched-looking Jed to howl as he swept Murphy away with a shing w strike, then darted towards the nearest shadow to hide.

    But the moment he took off, Murphy raised his left hand in a binding gesture, and the Spirit st ¨C Suffocate technique, which he had practiced to master under Tris¡¯ repeated guidance, was released in the next instant.

    Murphy even added a little ¡°ir¡± to this ordinary technique.

    His dark spirit manifested as invisible hands gripping Jed¡¯s throat, choking him until he couldn¡¯t breathe, while Murphy¡¯s upraised left hand channeling spirit continuously dragged the struggling Jed up from the ground into the air.

    Like an invisible noose hanging the condemned in midair.

    The victim¡¯s frantic struggling would deepen and hasten the suffocating effect, lending this ordinary technique a sense of cruel beauty and ritual fitting an execution. This vulgar disy also caught the interest of the youngdy observing the battle from the shadows high above.

    Ah! Not a bad execution move!

    Simple yet stylish, a touch of ir added to an ordinary technique, let¡¯s call it the ¡°Midnight Noose¡±.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    The de of the Desire n pierced Jed from behind through the shoulder, then with a flick of Murphy¡¯s wrist, severed the bone. His left hand then transformed into crimson ws reaching for Jed¡¯s heart, intending to take his life while he was weakened.

    But it wasn¡¯t that simple.

    A shrill crow¡¯s shriek exploded around Murphy.

    Jed wasn¡¯t just a tomb guard, he was also an elite midnight hunter.

    Summoning death crows to peck at enemies was one of their specialties. Naturally, at the risk of death, he didn¡¯t hold back on spirit when summoning, so in the next second, Murphy waspletely engulfed by a flock of fatal ck crows.

    Dozens of spirit piercing attacks in an instant turned Murphy into a ¡°bloody man¡±.

    Just like in a souls game, when greedily going for an attack gets you pped by the BOSS, resulting in an instant loss of health bar. Even more tragically, this momentary dy allowed Jed to break free from the Midnight Noose.

    But he didn¡¯t turn back to counterattack, instead stumbling towards the nearest shadows.

    ¡°Tear him apart!¡±

    While swinging his sword to deal with the spirit crows, Murphy whistled amand.

    A spectral astral wolf howled and pounced out, following its ¡°wolf king¡¯s¡± order to chase after Jed and knock the wretched superior vampire down with a w swipe from behind.

    Amidst the frenzied mauling that left Jed screaming incoherently in agony, with no shred of dignity left, it was clear that under the true fury of the noble sun, the children of midnight had no face to maintain.

    Jed¡¯s entire skin was nearly carbonized as he struggled, leaving a trail of miserable bloodstains in the sunlight, before finally crawling into the life-saving shadows.

    He kicked the astral wolf away and stumbled to his feet, continuing to charge towards the dark room ahead.

    Meanwhile, Murphy shed down thest crow.

    A savage expression shed across his handsome face as he wiped the blood away, then gripped his sword and limped forward with his injured astral wolf, charging into the dark room.

    He wouldn¡¯t give up!

    Just like facing Joban Marci in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, when it was time to fight for his life, Murphy never held back!

    Even though he now had an admin system that could summon adorable yet ferocious yers to fulfill almost any wish, for yers this was just a game they could AFK from anytime. But for Murphy¡­

    This was his everything!

    This was his life!

    What normal person treats their life with the same casual attitude as ying a game?!

    ¡°Swish¡±

    The youngdy Femis pped her bat wings, gliding down from above tond on the blood-soaked ground where Murphy and Jed were fighting desperately.

    The surrounding carnage caused her to clench her fists involuntarily. Born into the nobility of the Blood Vulture n, she had never experienced putting everything on the line to secure a victory like Murphy did. This battle would leave an indelible impression on her.

    She knew she shouldn¡¯t interfere. This was Murphy¡¯s Trial of Strength, but in that moment she couldn¡¯t help but lean on her Spirit Staff and walk towards the dark room.

    ¡°Well, well, little girl, we meet again.¡±

    A familiar voice came from behind, causing Femis to stop and turn around. She saw the old knight Finoch Lawson riding a red warhorse, d in oak armor and carrying therge oak Great de of Avalon on his back.

    Her gaze narrowed as she immediately raised her staff, feeling she had seemingly fallen into the same situation as Murphy, facing an opponent she could never possibly defeat in a fight for survival.

    ¡°While men battle for survival,dies should stand aside and quietly observe, prepared to bestow blessings and kisses upon the victor,¡± the old knight said softly.

    ¡°This is not something you should be involved in. Step back, do not let the vampire Murphy¡¯s intricate setup go to waste. Heh, I thought you would be the biggest hidden threat in these ruins that I should watch out for, but after witnessing that scene, I suddenly realized¡­

    Even within your little group, you are far from being the leader!

    Murphy!

    Well done, I¡¯ve remembered that name.¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The wall of the dark room behind the youngdy copsed in a massive explosion of spirit force. Through her narrowed pupils, she watched as Jed, covered in blood and turned into a ¡°charred monster,¡± limped out from the darkness.

    Murphy!

    Could it be¡­

    She watched as the creature that was once Jed raised his staff.

    But in the next instant, after taking just two steps out, the n leader¡¯s bodyguard legs gave out and he copsed to his knees with a thump, the ritual ck de ttering into the bloody pool.

    Behind him, Murphy was missing an arm but clutching Jed¡¯s weakly pulsating vampire heart in his remaining hand. At his feety the headless corpse of his loyal astral wolfpanion, while his other hand still gripped the de of the Desire n tightly.

    ¡°I actually¡­ cough cough¡­ didn¡¯t need to show up at this point.¡±

    Coughing up blood, Murphy said to Jed, who knelt on the ground struggling to raise his head and re at him:

    ¡°There were many ways I could have put you to death, sir. But you once helped me, whether out of sympathy or pity, I owe you a debt.

    I just wanted to give you a final dignity by sincerely attending your funeral rites.

    Rest in peace, Sir Jed.

    Through this passing of death, your ambition has been added to my path of conquest.

    I will make good use of the power you have left behind.¡±

    ¡°Puff¡±

    Jed tried to say something but only coughed up blood.

    Then, amid violent convulsions, he copsed to the ground. The sunlight washed over him, turning him into a faded statue, allowing this ambitious man to find eternal silence on this ashennd.

    As for Murphy¡­

    He raised Jed¡¯s heart high.

    On his face smeared with blood, lips still stained with traces of blood not his own, he managed to give Femis an elegant and dignified smile befitting a midnight nobleman.

    Yet in this grisly scene, the smile was somewhat unsettling.

    It even caused the youngdy to instinctively take a step back.

    She had rarely seen such a savage vampire, as if this was the true posture their kind should have on this malicious continent.

    It stripped away all elegant and false exteriors to reveal their innate ferocity and viciousness in the form of a bloodthirsty beast.

    Femis suddenly realized that despite being a vampire for so many years, she did not understand the power of midnight¡¯s gift as much as this ¡°newborn¡± vampire, barely over a year old.

    But behind her, the old knight suddenly started apuding while mounted on his horse.

    He shouted loudly:

    ¡°Congrattions, vampire Murphy! I give the victor my apuse, or perhaps I should ring the death knell for the fiend! You are a potential threat, I must stop you from¡­¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    Something was kicked by Murphy towards the knight¡¯s horse.

    The object glowed crimson in the sunlight, causing Finoch to squint and dismount to pick it up.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the key for you! But without the help of thest few Blood Vulture Descendants, you¡¯ll never get back into the halls.¡±

    Murphy coughed and said:

    ¡°Will this buy our lives?¡±

    The old knight didn¡¯t answer.

    He picked up the Desire Fragment from the ground and, after confirming it was genuine, took onest look at Murphy and the terrified Femis before riding away in silence.

    ¡°Ha¡±

    Murphy grinned wryly.

    In his dizzying weakness, he copsed to the ground but was caught in the youngdy¡¯s arms. He could no longer hear her frantic calls, but before losing consciousness, he saw what he had always wanted to see:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (6/6): Return to the beginning and the end,pleted!¡¿

 Chapter 77:

    Murphy passed out due to excessive blood loss.

    If it weren¡¯t for the youngdy by his side, he might have be the first vampire in the history of Transia, no, the entire vampire history, to die an ignoble death from excessive blood loss.

    Hmm, this wasn¡¯t the first time he had found himself in such a predicament, was it?

    Although Murphy¡¯s body could no longer withstand the ravages of sunlight plus Jed¡¯s final counterattack and was forced into a deep slumber to recover, his spirit was unusually active at this time.

    He found that in this unconscious state, he could still connect to the game forum through his consciousness link, but this time it was not to share the good news with his lovely and ferocious little yers.

    Because he himself had not yet seen his own gains.

    ¡°Good! Let me take a look!¡±

    In his conscious activity, Murphy summoned his admin interface, and with the joy of opening a loot box, he looked at the long string of prompts floating in front of his character card:

    ¡¾Newbie Guide Quest (6/6): Return to the beginning and the end,pleted!Details:

    Complete the ck Iron Trial! (Completed).

    Trial target is Silver Rank, evaluation: Perfect!

    Own your own territory! (Completed).

    Current territory is the outer city area of Kadman City, current poption is 1078, current territory status is Neglected ¨C Roughly Stable, evaluation: Perfect!

    Overall evaluation: Perfect!

    Rewards: +10 test invitation codes, remaining basic admin system functions: dungeon snapshots, reputation system, world map system, save point function etc. all unlocked.

    Perfect evaluation bonus: Achievement system unlocked, territory management system unlocked to advanced level, ¡°Spirit Convergence Stone¡± blueprint unlocked.

    Developer¡¯s note:

    Perfect!

    Perfect?

    Are you sure?

    You little rascal must have cheated, right?

    You better not have, or I¡¯ll ban you!

    But well done, congrattions onpleting all the newbie guide quests, you are now a mature and qualified test admin. Apart from the main storyline, there will be no more deliberate challenges for you.

    I guess you must be dying to know the secret behind all this now.

    Well,e on then.

    I¡¯ve put everything at the beginning and end of all things.

    As long as you can get there by yourself, you¡¯ll know it all.

    Enjoy the rest of the game, my alpha.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Love from¡¾DATA REDACTED¡¿.¡¿

    Murphy blinked his eyes.

    His character card had now be veryplicated, with the newly unlocked functions taking up two new pages as they couldn¡¯t fit on one. But the vampire didn¡¯t immediately go to read those verbose function exnations.

    Because after the six-cycle newbie guide quest ended, all that remained was a fairly simple ¡°main storyline quest¡±.

    ¡¾Test Admin Main Storyline Quest (1/N): The Dawn of Transia

    Quest Objective: Be the de facto ruler of the Transia region before the next imminent danger arrives.

    Time Limit: Six months.

    Quest Reward: ttery from subordinates and love from subjects.

    Developer¡¯s Note: Ha, didn¡¯t see thating, did you? I¡¯m back again, that farewell just now was me joking with you. I wouldn¡¯t miss recording your entire growth story for the world.

    This feels like an old father watching his son grow up step-by-step into a man, getting married and having kids.

    Uh, don¡¯t flip me off, it¡¯s just a metaphor.

    But I advise you to be on your toes.

    Really, the sooner the better! Because you¡¯ll soon realize what kind of cruel world you¡¯re in, and then you¡¯ll know that everything you¡¯re experiencing now doesn¡¯t even qualify as the light breeze before the storm arrives.

    Oh, and to take care of your ¡®gaming experience¡¯, I¡¯ve left you some ¡®admin assistance tools¡¯.

    But I seem to have forgotten where I put them.

    Go find them yourself, after all, treasure hunting is fun too, isn¡¯t it?¡¿

    ¡°F**k!¡±

    In his consciousness, Murphy flipped a mighty middle finger at the sky.

    Especially thatst reminder made him realize that no matter who made this admin system, that guy was definitely an ultimate troll. Isn¡¯t this like telling me you left me a 10 billion inheritance in the bank, but you forgot the password so I have to try onebination at a time?

    This is definitely messing with my mentality!

    It has to be, right?

    F**k!

    Murphy cursed again.

    But he was already used to this test admin system¡¯s way of not ying by the rules, so he quickly calmed down and carefully observed the changes in his character card¡¯s attributes.

    He had risked his life toplete the ck Iron Trial, if you don¡¯t give me a super powerful upgrade for that, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to the hand I lost!

    He took a deep breath and opened the in-depth data view of his character card to observe his attribute increases:

    Name: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra

    Race: Vampire¡¾Blood Vulture n ¨C Descendant of Desire¡¿

    Temte: Dark Spirit Oriented ¨C Rare Individual

    Rank: Level 10 ¨C ck Iron Body

    Profession: Level 10 Blood Vulture Swordsman / Level 10 Dark Spirit Apprentice / None

    Talents: (Omitted)

    Specialties: Otherworld Creature Summoning ¡¾40/50¡¿

    Racial Specialties: Sky Mastery, Vampire¡¯s Touch, Bat Heritage

    Skills: Blood Vulture Sword Arts¡¾Grandmaster¡¿ / Tomb Guard Sword Arts¡¾Proficient¡¿ / Mejeva Family Secret Sword Art¡¾Proficient¡¿ / Spirit st¡¾Master¡¿ / Summon ¨C Astral Direwolf¡¾Proficient¡¿

    Detailed Data:

    Strength: 10.5 ¡ú 12.5

    Agility: 16 ¡ú 20

    Endurance: 13.5 ¡ú 14.5

    Intellect: 8.5 ¡ú 10.5

    Perception: 13 ¡ú 16

    Charisma: 1.5

    ¡°Not bad, the 12 fixed attribute points are distributed towards agility, strength and perception ording to mybat style, and it¡¯s normal for charisma to be unimprovable due to my Eternal Sin Descendant vampire status.¡±

    Murphy examined his newly refreshed attributes, and nced at the 6 additional free attribute points he gained, enjoying 1.5x growth as a test admin perk.

    After some thought, Murphy decided to continue enhancing his advantages while also boosting his endurance to avoid being one-shot due to high attack but low health.

    After some adjustments, Murphy¡¯s full attributes at the ck Iron rank changed again:

    Strength: 13.5

    Agility: 22

    Endurance: 15.5

    Intellect: 11.5

    Perception: 17

    Charisma: 1.5

    The final result satisfied Murphy, and he could confirm that his current attribute panel was top-tier for the ck Iron rank.

    A total of 81 attribute points!

    50% higher than a normal 52 point ck Iron vampire, and only 11 points below the 92 point elite ck Iron vampire temte. The weak disadvantage ¡°inherited¡± from Tris was nearly caught up. If he could obtain an elite temteter, he would definitely be the most dazzling at this rank!

    By then his total attributes would reach 101, already rivaling the attribute totals of elite creatures at the Silver rank!

    Punch above his weight?

    Heh, by then such higher rank battles would be a fair fight for Murphy!

    Of course, as a former professional software tester, Murphy knew numbers could rarely directly trante tobat power in most cases, not to mention in this real world, even elite Silver ranks like Jed could be killed in unfavorable terrain.

    But seeing his attributes far exceed ordinary creatures, he still felt a sense of pride swell in his heart.

    ¡°The new starting point has finally arrived. Next I¡¯ll have to carefully n my job tree progression and find a way to learn some cooler spirit tricks from Tris.¡±

    Murphy rubbed his chin in his consciousness, imagining the future while casually opening the new functions he just unlocked.

    The reputation system was nothing special.

    Any well-developed MMORPG has this feature that yers love to hate but must engage with.

    Unfortunately, the reputations Murphy unlocked were only ¡°Blood Vulture n¡±, ¡°Pioneer Army (Goldflower Kingdom)¡± and ¡°White Oak Witch Hunter Battalion (Avalon Church)¡± as respected, hostile and neutral respectively.

    This showed that only factions he had interacted with would appear in the reputation system.

    However, the world map system unlocked alongside it finally showed Murphy the full extent of the continent and world he was in.

    But when Murphy opened the world map, he cursed out loud!

    Because everywhere on the entire map was covered in unexplored fog areas. The Kadman region he was in didn¡¯t even cover 1% of the map. Even the long, central region of Transia only covered about 1/40th of the world map.

    This fully demonstrated just how vast this world was!

    At the very least, it wouldn¡¯t be smaller than Murphy¡¯s homnd from his memories.

    What really surprised Murphy was the ¡°Dungeon Snapshot¡± function.

    Its exnation stated that by crafting a grand illusion, it could generate a virtual experience based on the ¡°game records¡± of Murphy and all the little yers, allowingters to participate in those events.

    yers could choose what ¡°roles¡± to y in the generated snapshot instance, or simply join as mysterious adventurers.

    The prerequisite for generating a dungeon snapshot was that Murphy or the yers had to fullyplete the event flow and survive. Based on this condition, there were currently three event options that could be snapshot instances:

    The ¡°Mond Vige Ambush Battle¡±, the ¡°Smuggler¡¯s Woods Interception Battle¡±, and the ¡°Jed¡¯s Group¡± event.

    However, generating this illusion-like dungeon snapshot required the blueprints for the ¡°Spirit Convergence Stone¡± unlocked alongside it.

    Murphy checked the blueprints, finding it was a rather sophisticated spirit artifact. Even withplete manufacturing instructions, it required a Grandmaster Alchemist to craft.

    You know, isn¡¯t this convenient?

    It just so happens to give the idle, perpetually drunken monsterdy Tris something productive to do, while also allowing me to show off a bit to the little yers on the forum, letting them realize that this ¡°development team¡± of mine is actually working hard behind the scenes.

    See, haven¡¯t I alreadypleted andunched the much-awaited dungeon feature you¡¯ve all been craving?

    So stop pestering for development progress on the forum! Your nagging demands are life-threatening, but the problem is, we, this ¡°development team¡± that currently only has one person who also has to double as the entire Alpha Company¡¯s tester, hardware, and maintenance staff, are already working really hard!

    Finally, there¡¯s the save point function.

    This feature allows little yers to choose Murphy¡¯s currently owned core territory buildings to bind their location, so they don¡¯t have to revive right next to Murphy after dying.

    Of course, the description makes it clear that the prerequisite for enabling save points is that Murphy must have a territory. At this moment, Murphy¡¯s consciousness was frowning at the territory system specifically listed on the third page of his character card:

    Territory Name: Kadman City Outer Ruins and Survivor Camp

    Territory Size: 1078/30000

    Territory Evaluation: Neglected

    Camp Allegiance: Portia Federation / Transia Region / Blood Vulture n / Kadman County

    Lord: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra

    Administrator: Miriam

    Secondary Administrators: Dump Truck Iaido, Bulldozer Man Charging, Half Off With Full Coverage

    Functional Positions:

    Camp Architect: Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman

    Camp Guard Captain: Phil Portman

    Camp Head Chef: Franks Chowan

    Camp Chief Physician: Sister Juliette

    Camp Warehouse Supervisor: nche Pallen Fedor

    Subordinate Territory Forces:

    Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force¡¾51/60¡¿- Commander: Maxim Cena d

    Key Camp Personnel:

    Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, Be Bernice Adele Lessenbra.

    Current Territory Manpower Feedback: 1%.

    The entire territory system was concise and clear in summary, but what caught Murphy¡¯s attention the most was this ¡°Territory Manpower Feedback¡± at the bottom. He realized this was an extremely important function, so he immediately opened the detailed exnation:

    ¡¾Term Exnation ¨C Manpower Feedback:

    For every territory owned by the Alpha test admin, he will receive a certain reserve of test personnel manpower based on the territory¡¯s conditions.

    The feedback level for different territory states is:

    Neglected ¨C 1%

    Stable ¨C 2%

    Prosperous ¨C 3%

    Since test personnel are living beings, they cannot be split into fractions, so this manpower feedback is rounded down based on the current total manpower.

    Note!

    Each territory has a maximum poption limit based on area and resources. Once the limit is reached, the poption can continue increasing, but the total feedback manpower will not increase. Therefore, the lord should make appropriate arrangements based on each territory¡¯s situation.¡¿

    ¡°A 1% feedback level, so the abandoned Kadman City ruins and survivor campbined can give me a feedback manpower of 1% of 1078 people? Which is 10 people?

    But why round down?

    I feel rounding up would be more reasonable?¡±

    Murphy scratched his head and nced at his reserve manpower, which had changed from¡¾40/50¡¿to¡¾40/60¡¿, filling up with the 10 spots awarded forpleting the sixth newbie quest.

    It was at this moment that the vampire lord truly understood this demonic system¡¯s main means of recruiting test personnel.

    The good news was, he had guessed correctly.

    He really wouldn¡¯t need to painstakingly do quests to recruit test personnel in the future.

    The bad news was, his understanding of this ¡°game¡± had never seemed quite right.

    For example, when he first transported over he thought he was ying The Witcher. When he could recruit adorable little yers, he felt it was Mount & de. But now the truth was finally revealed!

    Turns out he was goddamn ying Civilization 6 all along!

    F**k!

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it be a chill beach building game? Why couldn¡¯t I start with mech suits and deathray cannons? Why can¡¯t I have a toggle for summoning neutron sweeps?¡±

    Murphy tilted his head back, cursing the heavens. At that moment, he felt a summons from his physical body on the spiritual ne, causing his soul to return in the next instant as he painfully opened his eyes once more.

    What entered his vision was a soft, tender¡­

    ¡°Tris! Let go of me¡­cough cough, you¡¯re suffocating me!¡±

    ¡°Ah, little Murphy, you¡¯re finally awake! You little brat, you scared me to death, did you know that? I just knew sending me away meant no good coulde of it!

    Just for this little patch of ruins and those people who have nothing to do with you, you¡¯re risking your life?

    Could you bear to leave me suffering all alone?

    You naughty child! You scared me to death!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, it hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°Mmm, it doesn¡¯t hurt, it doesn¡¯t hurt. Good Murphy, it doesn¡¯t hurt, I¡¯ll blow on it and it won¡¯t hurt. Drink some blood and it won¡¯t hurt. Good boy, open wide, ahhh¡­¡±

 Chapter 78:

    ¡°F**k, this is too tragic.¡±

    After the battle ended, the luckily surviving Brother Stick led the four-man strike team to patrol the battlefield. Seeing those yer corpses whoseputation beads had been retrieved, he sighed with a regretful expression.

    Because Murphy had done a disguise, the bodies wouldn¡¯t immediately turn into light particles after death. Thanks to the stabilization of the spirit dog tags, the corpses could remain for a few hours. This allowed the 17 surviving small yers to witness the bizarre deaths of theirpanions.

    The most normal deaths were caused by vampires in various ways, while the lessmon ones involved vampires taking the victims to the sky and dropping them to their deaths.

    The most rare and shameful case was Spicy Gugu Chicken. When executing a vampire, this guy was given a ¡°Heaven and Earth Longevity¡± w attack by the opponent.

    His death was utterly tragic.

    ¡°The Tiger Leopard Riders are essentially wiped out with only two survivors left. Damn, they were truly fierce. Half of the in vampires were killed by them alone.

    But the casualty rate is too high, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Walking behind Brother Stick, East River Lion¡¯s Roar said with a frown:¡°We sent them as the vanguard, not a suicide squad. I just saw that Old Lie guy embraced an alchemy bomb and did a mutual strike with a one-armed vampire. That tactic is way too reckless.¡±

    ¡°You know jack shit.¡±

    From the other side, West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl snorted and prodded the vague bloody mess of a vampire cut into eighteen pieces but still slowly regenerating in a blood pool with his battle spear, saying:

    ¡°They fought so desperately for the battle spoils. Didn¡¯t we agree before the fight started? Whoever kills a monster gets to keep the loot. The Tiger Leopard Riders wiped themselves out but took down at least seven of those rare monsters fully armed.

    It may seem like a loss to you, but they actually scored big this time.

    In just three days, those guys will transform into the best equipped among us.¡±

    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s just a game. Did they have to go that hard?¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle mumbled aint but failed to notice the smug smile on the walking Brother Stick¡¯s face.

    That¡¯s right!

    This suicidal tactic was secretly fed to the Tiger Leopard Rider brothers by him.

    And now it seemed his strategy was wless. The Tiger Leopard Rider brothers dared to fight and risk everything. Through his ingenious scheme, they had obtained a batch of at least ¡°Standard Veteran¡± level equipment. Coupled with the uing team quest reward,

    This Joy Stick subordinates had almost overnight upgraded their gear, essentially reequipping themselves with far better arms.

    After all, death in this game didn¡¯t cause experience loss, and leveling up didn¡¯t increase attributes either. Only rank promotions granted attribute points for allocation. So level gaps within the same rank were basically negligible.

    This meant equipment was far more important than levels in this game.

    The ¡°dungeon¡± sewer that had trapped them before would definitely be cleared smoothly after this battle. Obtaining those resources would be like rolling the first snowball, allowing them to keep rolling it bigger from then on.

    When the wolves outnumbered the meat, they had to be ruthless to themselves in order to get ahead!

    This was the life principle Joy Stick had concluded from his previous life, and it proved effective in this other world too.

    ¡°Collect our brothers¡¯ dog tags andputation beads.¡±

    Joy Stick waved his big hand, instructing the four brothers beside him:

    ¡°Dig them a pit too. Even if it¡¯s a game, we should still have some ceremonial feeling.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    The other four brothers didn¡¯t object.

    They had just had an exhrating battle, their warrior hearts burning fiercely. Soldiers were always so straightforward, when they were having fun, they¡¯d do anything.

    While Joy Stick calcted the battle results, Meow King¡¯s team was also conducting simr actions.

    But the path they chose was entirely different from Joy Stick¡¯s.

    Of the 17 survivors, Meow King¡¯s team of 6 werepletely unharmed, clearly having taken the sneaky route. As for obtaining spoils, Meow King had his own n in mind.

    ¡°Tie them all up!¡±

    Holding a captured Masterwork Veteran-grade Crimson Spirit Staff taken from a vampire Spirit Mage, Meow King pretended to be a powerful wizard, grinning widely to show his big fang.

    He told his weary yet energized brothers:

    ¡°Load them onto the truck and deliver them to Lord Murphy!

    I reckon Lord Murphy¡¯s faction has just started and might need these kin. We could probably exchange these captives for a huge reward from Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Meow King, you make a good point. But what if Lord Murphy doesn¡¯t want them?¡±

    The exhausted, bloodied shield-bearer Led More Than Three to Five Pecks sat on his shield, looking up at Meow King and saying:

    ¡°From what I know, Lord Murphy isn¡¯t on the same path as these evil vampires. If he rejects the captives, won¡¯t we end up losing big time? ording to the previous loot distribution rules, we got nothing this time.¡±

    ¡°What are ya afraid of?¡±

    Meow King stared at the four vampires still in their regeneration phase, his narrowed eyes flickering with a cold light.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°If Lord Murphy doesn¡¯t fancy them, there¡¯s still the Witch Hunters¡¯ side. How could the monster hunters tasked with ying evil refuse materials delivered to their doorstep?

    The Old Faith fellows are actually better trade partners.

    Don¡¯t forget, those high-ranking Silver-rank vampires were taken down by them. They have plenty of good stuff, even giving us a small portion would be enough!

    Trust me, brothers, we won¡¯t lose out on this deal either way.

    Day One No Fap, go ask the Student Squadter. They seem to have captured two vampire prisoners too. If they¡¯re willing, we could do this trade together.¡±

    ¡°Why not join forces with Brother Stick instead?¡±

    ck Stockings Under the Keyboard and Electronic Subus Old Tune exchanged a nce, humbly asking Meow King for guidance. Thetter pursed his lips and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve known Joy Stick for nearly seven years. That guy is an old military mutt. Don¡¯t be fooled by his constant grinning. I reckon he¡¯s probably itching to swallow us up with his military unit tactics.

    The Student Squad is obviously more reliable, and they suffered heavy losses this time.

    If it¡¯s really Sister Pomegranatemanding them from behind, I believe they won¡¯t refuse this proposal.¡±

    Meow King appeared to have calcted things ingeniously. However, the envoy Day One No Fap soon returned with a strange expression, telling Meow King:

    ¡°They don¡¯t want to trade!¡±

    ¡°Ah? Why not?¡±

    Meow King was shocked. Had the Student Squad already been swayed by Joy Stick?

    But that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°They say they want to keep the two vampire prisoners.¡±

    Day One No Fap made an odd expression as he spoke:

    ¡°Leading Pigeon said it himself. They want to learn from Lord Murphy and cultivate their own NPCs. But I think they definitely have other ideas.¡±

    ¡°Damn! What are those students even thinking?¡±

    For a moment, Meow King couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    He eventually stopped pondering and, humming a hunting return song with his brothers, went to trade the four captives with Murphy for goods.

    Meanwhile, the Student Squad was still ¡°mourning the graves.¡±

    ¡°Wuu wuu wuu, poor Cheche, poor Ah Yuen, poor Snail, poor Maomao. You all died so tragically, my poor children. White-haired people sending ck-haired people away.¡±

    Leading Pigeon had made a small grave mound in front of him, burying the tattered armor of his four fallen dorm brothers inside, creating a rather ceremonial burial mound.

    This scene left Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman utterly baffled.

    He nced at the panting Precipitation Niuniu, who rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, that¡¯s just how his dorm mates are, crazy and overly immersed in character. Rumor has it finance majors all end up like that.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean, why are you keeping those two vampire prisoners?¡±

    Grayman looked at Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil, who were enthusiastically making a wooden cage, then at the tightly bound two female vampire prisoners.

    With an odd expression, he said:

    ¡°You¡¯re not actually nning to do anything lewd, are you? You even specifically captured two female vampires.¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking!¡±

    Niuniu was amused by his roommate¡¯s vivid imagination. Rubbing his aching chest, he exined in a low voice:

    ¡°It was my sister¡¯s idea.

    She heard about some vampire¡¯s initial embrace rule from somewhere. ck Iron-rank vampires have three progeny slots, but neither Lord Murphy nor Lady Adele have filled theirs yet. So she wants us to capture these female vampires and offer them as progeny.

    It¡¯s just exploring the gamey anyway.

    If they refuse, we¡¯ll just kill them and turn the vampires¡¯ hearts over to Lady Tris for some reward. Or trade them to the Witch Hunters as ast resort.

    Isn¡¯t that exactly what Meow King and his group are nning?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Sister Pomegranate to think so far ahead.¡±

    Grayman realized it made sense. Rolling his eyes, he whispered to the grave-mourning Leading Pigeon:

    ¡°The Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force seems to have captured two or three as well. Should I ask Dump Truck to see if we can get one or two from them?¡±

    ¡°Hey, that would be great!¡±

    Leading Pigeon was delighted, then coughed and stated his demand:

    ¡°Our team has ss. We don¡¯t want males, only beautiful ones, you know? Pet vampires must also have elegance, the kind of elegance Lord Murphy exudes. We can pay them in gold coins!

    We scavenged quite a lot from the city earlier, and there aren¡¯t any proper stores open yet, so we have money with nowhere to spend.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Murphy, your warriors have brought four vampire prisoners, saying they want to hand them over to you.¡±

    Inside the Survivor¡¯s Camp, Lady Tris entered the tent, holding an unmixed fresh blood cocktail as she spoke to the just-awakened Murphy.

    ¡°What do I need them for? They are servants of Jed¡¯s group, I don¡¯t feelfortable keeping them.¡±

    Murphy replied softly.

    Only to receive a contemptuous look from the gorgeously dressed Tris.

    Tris stepped forward, pouring him a drink and bringing it to his lips. She said in a low voice:

    ¡°After all this time, are you still not ustomed to being a vampire? For us, loyalty means nothing, except for someone steadfast like Maxim.

    They are indeed servants of Jed¡¯s group.

    But the elders are dead! The shackles of the blood pact leave them in agony, practically crippled. Without finding a new elder, they will remain this way. So as long as you give them a path, they will offer you everything.¡±

    ¡°Not interested.¡±

    Murphy closed his eyes, took a sip of the icy cold blood wine, and said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°I¡¯m not a trash can, I don¡¯t collect trash!¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t need them, you can give them to Adele or keep them for Maxim,¡±

    Tris said softly:

    ¡°In the Blood Vulture n¡¯s current state, Adele won¡¯t be able to find suitable Blood Servants to cultivate for a while. She might as well make do with them. You can doubt Jed¡¯s group¡¯s wisdom, but their eye for selecting elite guards for the Patriarch is unquestionable.

    These ones brought out from the Blood Vulture Halls were truly one in a hundred Blood Servant warriors. Take my advice, little Murphy, you need to learn to consider issues with a vampire¡¯s mindset.

    I also don¡¯t think Adele would refuse. A vampire with progeny has status, it¡¯s an established custom.¡±

    ¡°Sigh Alright, let her decide then. Please notify her.¡±

    Murphy eventually epted Tris¡¯ suggestion and said casually:

    ¡°Also, I know what my warriors want. Please let them know that processing the prisoners will take time. Tell them to wait patiently.¡±

    ¡°What processing?¡±

    Tris asked in surprise. Murphy waved his hand dismissively:

    ¡°Don¡¯t look too deep into it, just say that. They¡¯ll understand.¡±

    ¡°Okay then, my little Murphy should rest well. Havingpleted the Trial of Strength, you¡¯ll experience an unlocking of potential, and your wounds will heal quickly. But don¡¯t be in a hurry to move around.¡±

    Tris caressed Murphy¡¯s face with a loving expression, then left the tent.

    Murphy did feel rather weak at the moment.

    He nned to sleep for a bit.

    But as soon as he closed his eyes, his ears twitched, and he turned his head toward the corner of the tent where Miss Femis¡¯ figure was emerging quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯vee to notify you, Murphy.¡±

    Femis still had the appearance of a loli without the three allowances, but the light in her eyes had softened considerably as she said in a low voice:

    ¡°I¡¯ve just received a reply from the Blood Pact Knights. A Knight Lord,manding a squad of elite knights, has just crossed the Deste Mountains and entered the Foul Swamp. They will arrive at the Kadman City ruins within three days at thetest.

    You need not worry about the Witch Hunters breathing down our necks.

    As long as west three days, we won¡¯t have to watch our steps around them, and the Desire Fragments can be¡­¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    At that moment, the tent p was suddenly flung open.

    Her face icy cold with furious anger, Tris rushed in like a shing crimson shadow, grabbing Miss Femis by the throat and lifting her petite body into the air.

    ¡°What did you just say! Who ising? The Blood Pact Knights? You summoned them on your own?¡±

    Faced with Tris¡¯ interrogation, Miss Femis broke free from her control amidst the scattering shadows and reappeared farther away. Knowing Tris had always harbored inexplicable hostility toward her, she said without a smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s a privilege from the Patriarch¡¯s bloodline. Requesting aid from the Blood Pact Knights when one¡¯s own n faces a crisis is perfectly normal, isn¡¯t it? Especially given our current situation requires their help.

    Whether dealing with the Witch Hunters or entering the Blood Vulture Halls, we need assistance from the Blood Pact Knights.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for normal circumstances, you foolish girl! Don¡¯t you look at your own origins before daring to summon them! Are you afraid of dying too slowly, so you n to hurry the process with the Night Mother?

    You clearly know you¡¯re not a true vampire, so you should be more cautious. Now you¡¯ve really done it and gotten us all killed!¡±

    Tris clutched her head, wailing in anguish. She grabbed the clueless Murphy from the bed, hastily packing his belongings while shrieking:

    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here! Quick, little Murphy, pack your essentials and run with me!

    We must leave Kadman City before the Blood Pact Knights arrive. No! We have to leave Transia and go to Shaldor Port. Take the next ship from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and hide on the other side of the world, in the new continent!

    This wretched ce will soon be razed to the ground by the fully deployed Blood Pact Knights. Any life involved in this matter will be mercilessly massacred by Lord Payne until everything here is buried in history.

    I¡¯m not wrong!

    This Femis is just a troublemaker! An ill-fated chosen one! Whoever gets close to her will meet misfortune!¡±

    Tris clutched her head, shrieking:

    ¡°Let her walk the path to her own death. Let¡¯s get out of here quickly before her blood stters on us!¡±

 Chapter 79:

    After Murphy finished off Jed, this campaign to wipe out the shameless bastard vampires was also aplete victory. Including Jed, six out of the seven patriarch¡¯s guards were taken out.

    The old knight Finoch alone took down two, and the remaining three died in the pursuit by the group of Witch Hunters.

    Thest one left alive didn¡¯t survive because of luck or him running away.

    It was because that guy had already gone crazy due to the Astral pollution invading his brain. He was fighting the Witch Hunters when he suddenly fled, and ended up crashing straight into Lady Tris who was returning to the city. After an exchange whose content is unknown to anyone, that patriarch¡¯s guard named ¡°Bonnie¡± actually defected on the spot and was casually taken in by the vastly powerful Tris.

    The Witch Hunters also chose not to continue pursuing her because of their temporary cooperation with Murphy.

    The spoils they obtained in this battle were already quite bountiful.

    The heads of six Silver-tier vampires were enough to hold a rite for their fallenrades. Under the current situation where the Blood Vulture n exists in name only, letting go of one who had already gonepletely insane was not a big issue.

    That Silver-tier female vampire called Bonnie was now standing guard like a model outside Murphy¡¯s tent.

    Just like how she used to guard the Blood Vulture Patriarch.Her eyes were wide like copper bells, with lightning-fast alertness. With her disheveled hair, she leaned on her Tomb Guard ck de, fiercely guarding the tent and not allowing anyone not approved by Lady Tris to approach.

    Because inside the tent, a conversation crucial to the lives of everyone present was taking ce.

    ¡°Tris!¡±

    Seeing the usually calm Tris suddenly so frightened, Murphy realized something was wrong. He feebly got up and grabbed Tris, who was frantically searching for something, and asked:

    ¡°Calm down a bit! Even if we have to run, you should at least tell me what¡¯s going on? I knew about the youngdy summoning the Blood Pact Knightsst night. Is there really a problem with that? Aren¡¯t the Blood Pact Knights the ¡®arbiters¡¯ and ¡®protectors¡¯ among the seven major vampire ns?

    Even an outsider like me knows that!

    As the youngdy said, when a n falls into dire straits, they can seek help from the Blood Pact Knights, who will always do their utmost to respond to such a desperate plea from their kindred.¡±

    ¡°What you said is all correct,¡± Tris snorted as she threw away the clothes in her hand and plopped down next to Murphy.

    She first pushed him back onto the bed to let him rest properly, then red fiercely at the clueless youngdy. After pouring Murphy a cup of blood wine with ice cubes, she sighed and said in a low voice like an elderly person lecturing ignorant youngsters on important knowledge:

    ¡°The Blood Pact Knights are indeed the saviors for all vampires in despair. For example, the ¡®Holy Blood War¡¯ 811 years ago, the ¡®First Night War¡¯ 500 years ago, the ¡®Second Night War¡¯ 225 years ago, the ¡®Blood Dread Apocalypse¡¯ 200 years ago, and the ¡®Wolf¡¯s Cmity¡¯ 170 years ago.

    Almost every major event affecting the vampire race on the continent had the Blood Pact Knights intervene in the end to clean up the mess.

    That ¡®Ancient One¡¯, Lord Vernon Payne Cappadocia, who has lived since the era before the calendar, is indeed the most respected uncrowned king of the entire vampire race.

    However!

    The most important point is that you naive youngsters have only seen Lord Payne¡¯s lofty prestige and his selfless protection of vampire kin, but you arepletely unaware of the other side of the powerful Blood Pact n as the ¡®arbiters¡¯!

    They not only save their kindred who have fallen into dire straits!

    For those nsmen who have vited the ancientws, the Blood Pact Knights will execute them themselves before they can cause greater disasters, without even needing other forces to step in.

    Like the Blood Dread n.

    Did you really think that n¡¯s extinction 200 years ago was the doing of the Avalon Church?

    Don¡¯t be stupid!

    The Old Faith believers can only defeat us! Only vampires can truly exterminate vampires!

    It was in the year 911 of the calendar, exactly 200 years ago.

    The Blood Dread n, entrenched in Saxony and the Ice Bay region, was being driven back by the attacks of the Avalon Church. The then Blood Dread Patriarch, Charlemagne Laine Giovanni, took the risk of performing a ritual to summon chaos forces from the sub-astral realm to intervene in the war, but it went out of control, killing 300,000 people overnight and shocking the entire continent!

    Seven dayster, Lord Payne himself led the three lords of the Blood Pact Knights and 300 Blood Knights out of the Dark Mountains, rallying the elites of other ns for a punitive expedition!

    In just one month!

    Only one month, the Blood Dread n, from the Patriarch down to 37,000 people, was executed down to thest 99, and Lord Payne personally carried out the sun-scorching punishment on the insane Blood Dread Patriarch Charlemagne, who had been driven mad by the sub-astral influence.

    At that time, Salrokdar and I, along with the other three Patriarchs and their confidants, were watching.

    No one dared to look directly at Lord Payne in that state. Salrokdar and old Edward, as well as Sophie the Patriarch of the Thorn n, were trembling throughout the ritual!

    It was out of fear.

    I saw it clearly.

    Of course, I had no right to mock them. At that time, I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t even say a word. It was after that day that I realized my so-called ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯ title meant nothing before Lord Payne!

    You poor young people truly do not know how terrifying the Ancient One can be when he gets serious.

    Thest 99 Blood Dread Descendants were exiled from the continent, and as long as Lord Payne still lives, they are not allowed to set foot on the continent¡¯s soil again.

    This is a secret of the vampire ns. Everyone thought the Blood Dread n was exterminated, but they still exist as the ¡®Blood Dread Fleet¡¯, thergest pirate gang in the Misty Sea.

    The sea area they operate in is called the ¡®Vampire Coast¡¯, the southernmost region of the Dark Mountains where few people tread.

    I¡¯m telling you all this just to let you know that Lord Payne¡¯s formidable reputation was definitely not built solely on the monument of saving others. Beneath his crimson iron throne also lies a path of kindred bones paved with blood.¡±

    Hearing this, Murphy suddenly shuddered. He recalled the warning Tris had given him when they left Kadman City, so he gripped her cold wrist and said:

    ¡°You told me before that the Blood Vulture n vited the Reclusive Laws by participating in the wars between civilizations and kingdoms, so that¡¯s why the Blood Pact Knights won¡¯t manage us?

    Was it our mistake first?

    But that shouldn¡¯t make them point their weapons at us, right?

    After all, the Blood Vultures are essentially extinct now.¡±

    ¡°Silly child, that was just a lie made up to get you to leave,¡± Tris said, caressing the scars on her neck with a bitter smile.

    ¡°We, or more urately, the sin Salrokdar has trulymitted now is far more serious than viting the ¡®Reclusive Laws¡¯, evenparable to the Blood Dread n¡¯s foolish move back then.

    It¡¯s so dangerous that if the Blood Pact Knights catch even a hint of it, it will directly rm Lord Payne.

    Believe me!

    That Ancient One will immediately drop everything in his hands, gather the Blood Pact elites scattered across the Dark Mountains, summon the main forces of other ns to form a vampire coalition army, and personally lead them to kill their way to Transia.

    It will be the second ¡®Punitive Expedition¡¯ in vampire history.

    As I just said.

    Anyone involved in this sin, whether vampire or human, will be mercilessly ughtered until thest ripple of this event is buried deep in the ground, until everyone involved ispletely forgotten by time.

    I dare say that after that war, there will no longer be a name called ¡®Transia¡¯ in this world.

    You want to know the reason?

    Heh, the reason is right in front of you!

    The name of that cmity that will bring about the apocalypse to thisnd is Femis Cecilia Lessenbra! This very unfortunate soul you see as apanion!¡±

    As Tris¡¯s icy words fell, the youngdy¡¯s body trembled.

    She seemed to have understood the reason for Tris¡¯s panic, all the previous omens rted to her now strung together, like a hammer striking her heart, instantly draining all color from the youngdy¡¯s face.

    She realized she had done something stupid that would instantly shatter all her hopes, and even copsed to the ground,pletely losing all semnce of dignity she had tried to maintain, her voice hoarse as she said:

    ¡°You¡­ you knew after all! Tris, please tell me what¡­ what am I?¡±

    Tris remained silent.

    This silence seemed to represent a truth so heavy that even a vampire who had lived for nearly 500 years dared not reveal it in its entirety at this moment.

    Murphy held Tris¡¯s fingers and said softly, ¡°Tris, tell us the whole truth. Were the injuries on you caused by this too?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t know, it will bring you apocalyptic cmity,¡± Tris said solemnly as she looked at Murphy.

    ¡°You must leave now! Take your warriors and leave this forever. That buried foolishness must have someone take responsibility. Salrokdar alone is not enough to appease Lord Payne.

    I¡­

    I will also answer for what happened back then¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Murphy interrupted her as he sat upright, stating firmly:

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, and I certainly won¡¯t hand you over to anyone! Now please tell me the truth, I have to know where the problem lies so I can think about how to solve it.

    Femis is ourpanion.

    Though she is cunning, dishonest, and has different goals from us, she has indeed fought alongside us against powerful foes.

    She sacrificed her reputation to help us take down Jed. I promised her I wanted to see true unity, I can¡¯t just turn around and sell her out! My warriors won¡¯t agree to her hasty exit either.

    Tris, tell me!

    I know you want to protect me, but I¡¯m already in the whirlpool.

    You are my elder. If this Lord Payne will truly destroy everything, then after you die, I cannot survive either.¡±

    ¡°Why must you ask! This is something others would avoid at all costs!¡± Tris shouted angrily, but after shouting she also became dejected.

    Murphy was right, from the moment she turned him into a vampire, little Murphy was bound to Tris¡¯s past secrets.

    Ah, she really is someone who only brings misfortune to others.

    Ah, if only she had drunk herself to death over a hundred years ago!

    The tent fell into an anxious silence as Murphy waited. Tris bit her lip, made up her mind, red at Murphy, then turned to look at Femis, who was also waiting for the truth, and asked a very strange question.

    She said:

    ¡°Femis, tell me your age.¡±

    ¡°174 years old!¡± The youngdy was very confident in her memory and immediately reported a number, also causing Murphy to look strangely at the rich lolita who clearly only had the appearance of a sixteen-year-old.

    His guess was indeed correct, this youngdy was an old demoness deliberately pretending to be young!

    However, in the next moment, this answer that should have been absolutely correct was shaken and denied by Tris.

    She stood up next to Murphy, gazing at Femis with a subtle gaze, as if seeing through Femis¡¯s body to something hidden inside it.

    She said softly:

    ¡°No! You¡¯re only 30 years old this year. Most of your memories were woven from spirit energy by Salrokdar, and that spirit spell was created by me in my youth.

    As you can see, I just used it to create a set of pleasant memories to soothe Bonnie¡¯s madness.

    So in fact, the moment I first saw you, I recognized your true identity!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Femis scrambled up from the ground, her eyes wide as she shouted:

    ¡°Shut up! Witch, I don¡¯t believe it! I clearly have such vivid memories, from when I was first Embraced to when I traveled the Dark Mountains, and the twenty years I spent with Adele, that can¡¯t be fake!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Tris let out a coldugh.

    She stretched out her fair fingers and made a unique casting gesture, guiding her intricate spirit energy to gradually dispel some spell effect ced on Femis.

    The Crimson Witch looked into her eyes and said softly in the tone of a psychologist guiding a patient:

    ¡°Think carefully again, what was the situation when you first met Adele?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Swish¡±

    At the edge of the survivor¡¯s camp in the twilight, Lady Adele returned from ¡°hunting¡±, retracting her Blood Wings andnding silently. Her movements were elegant and graceful, but her spirit pouch now contained six fresh Blood Essences.

    She was covered in wounds.

    These were the marks left after six consecutive hunts, painful and leaving her feeling weak, but the exhration from within left Lady Adele in a pleasant mood.

    She had kept her promise to Lord Murphy!

    A total of six enemy hearts were now enough to satisfy her elder¡¯s final request, as a perfect farewell to her past life.

    As she walked with elegant steps towards Lord Murphy¡¯s tent, Lady Adele touched her protruding chest, then somewhatboriously pulled out an old silver locket from the snowy crevice pressed by her armor.

    Holding it in her hand, she pressed the intricatetch, causing the locket to spring open and reveal the small spirit image stored within.

    It was the only image she had with the youngdy, taken after being rescued and picked up by her as a child.

    It was a memento from their travels in the Dark Mountains.

    In that tiny, still vivid image, two young girls of simr age stood hand-in-hand.

    One plump, one thin.

    One smiling happily, one hiding her expression behind indifference, but their hands tightly sped together. They wore simr style dresses, and behind them was a human nobledy with a gloomy expression on her face, holding a folding fan and bearing a seventy percent resemnce to the youngdy.

    ¡°Youngdy,¡± Lady Adele, who was usually silent and barely spoke a sentence a day, caressed the locket in her hand.

    She said in her heart:

    ¡°As your onlypanion from childhood until now, I will fight for your safety and freedom at any cost, even if it takes everything I have.

    Although I cannot understand why your memories differ from mine, why Lady Cecilia has never allowed us much interaction, why you always forget my half-elf identity no matter how many times I remind you¡­

    But it doesn¡¯t matter.

    I¡¯m still grateful to you and Lady Cecilia.

    Grateful that you gave me hope in my dark life, grateful that you saw me, always beset by cmity, as your only friend.

    You used to protect me.

    Now, it¡¯s my turn to protect you!¡±

    At the same time, near the great chasm close to the inner city of the Kadman City ruins, the old knight Finoch stood alone before the fading astral energies.

    In his hand was the Desire Fragment that Murphy had previously given him.

    He knew this was one of the seven stone tablets of vampire civilization, symbolizing the Blood Vulture Patriarch¡¯s midnight power.

    He was now hesitating whether to hand this over to those shadowy figures lurking about, who seemed very interested in such things.

    The old knight really was hesitating.

    He knew the weight of this thing in his hand.

    Especially after personally experiencing the copse of the Old Faith and the ten-year war that changed many things, he did not know what consequences would arise if he handed this over.

    He did not even dare to think about it.

    He forced himself to stop considering this matter.

    Afterward, his thoughts turned to another matter. Looking at the scene of devastation faintly appearing in the astral mist before him, the old knight¡¯s Great Oak Holy de on his back began to hum agitatedly, as if it had caught a whiff of something it greatly detested amidst the ruins.

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re thinking about those things again,¡± the old knight said as he took down the holy de and leaned on it, as if advising an old friend:

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, we¡¯ll soon meet Salrokdar who left you that humiliation. What he owes us from back then will be repaid double! But I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t get back what the Blood Vultures stole from us.¡±

    Finoch sighed deeply.

    He put away the Shard of Desire, grumbling very gloomily in a low voice:

    ¡°Who could have imagined that the seed dormant for hundreds of years could actually blossom and bear fruit? And grow into the form of a vampire girl no less. With her ignorant and innocent appearance, who could bear toy a hand on her?

    The poor child has lived her whole life amidst borate lies. Quiet now! Don¡¯t howl in my mind! And don¡¯t curse me, you violent and hypocritical thing!

    Didn¡¯t you also go soft back in the woods before?

    Shut up!

    If not for the fact that you are a holy relic of my faith, I would have thrown you into the Astral Realm long ago! What proper holy relic nags its wielder for vengeance every day?

    Aren¡¯t you supposed toe from the divine?

    Why are you so petty?

    Someone insulted you two hundred years ago and you¡¯re still holding a grudge, huh?

    Carrying you around has cost me a hundred years of lifespan.

    At least!¡±

 Chapter 80:

    ¡°Thud¡±

    The youngdy in the tent copsed to the ground for the second time due to dizziness.

    This time, she appeared in an even more wretched state, like a disheveled ck-haired defeated dog, gasping for air, her heart pounding more violently than ever before.

    It even rivaled the heart rate of a human.

    This was the physical difort caused by the resurfacing of true memories striking her mind.

    Beads of sweat covered her pale forehead, her blood-red eyes were wide open, and her pupils dted.

    The muscles on her entire face twitched,pletely shattering her emotional control.

    But this was not the time to worry about such things.

    Because she remembered!After Tris cast a spell to remove a certain mental illusion from her brain, the truth woven into the crevices of her false memories began rapidly resurfacing.

    In a daze, she saw herself opening her eyes for the first time in her life, greeted by the stern and gloomy face of her father, and beside him, a seductive woman she had ¡°never met¡± but had always been by her side.

    Her¡­mother?

    She also saw her younger self, as a little girl, bouncing and prancing as she handed an exquisite pastry to a malnourished, scrawny little girl curled up on the ground, covered in wounds.

    At the edge of this scene, where she and Adele truly met, was an entire squad of the patriarch¡¯s personal guards mercilessly ughtering an entire border vige in the night, filling the air with wails and the stench of death.

    The reason for all this was simply because her immature self disliked the ignorant vigers who had bullied little Adele.

    So her mother, with a doting smile, had issued the order for extermination.

    The scene then shifted, and she saw herself sitting in a chair amidst a ratherplex and borate ritual, while her father was casting an abstruse spirit spell.

    She was crying and wailing.

    Because in front of her, her mother was reaching out to her in tears, but two of the patriarch¡¯s personal guards were dragging her away from the chamber.

    That was thest time she saw her mother.

    Cecilia.

    Yes!

    That was her name.

    ¡°Who is she? Where is Cecilia?¡±

    The youngdy looked up in a daze.

    Her sweat-covered face and those bewildered eyes were filled with pleading questions.

    Tris ced her hands over her abdomen.

    She looked at this ¡°child¡± in the truest sense with aplex gaze, as the cursed wound on her body throbbed faintly, as if touching upon an ancient memory she had decided to seal away forever.

    Facing Femis¡¯ pleading and questioning, Tris shook her head and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never met her.

    I only know that Salrokdar found a human lover for himself forty years ago, but it was not out of love. He spent over a hundred years searching all of Transia just to find the perfect ¡®vessel¡¯.

    Meeting her, loving her, doing those vile and filthy things with her, none of it stemmed from genuine emotion.

    It was all part of a cold, calcted n.

    And you!

    Femis, you are Salrokdar¡¯s ¡®masterpiece¡¯.

    The first vampire in history to be born naturally like a human, without relying on the initial embrace, rather than through childbirth.

    Although your inherited abilities are notplete.

    But this is not a deficiency, but an ¡®evolution¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Is her inability to initially embrace Adele a manifestation of this ¡®ipleteness¡¯?¡±

    Murphy, also bewildered by the truth, asked. Tris shook her head and corrected him:

    ¡°The so-called ¡®ipleteness¡¯ or ¡®imperfection¡¯ is judged based on the standards of being a vampire. Little Murphy, as I said, Femis is the ¡®perfect¡¯ vampire when viewed by other races¡¯ standards.

    She possesses all the strength and talents of a vampire and can receive the full protection and blessings of the Night Mother. She can even endure sunlight for longer than ordinary vampires.

    She has a vampire¡¯s midnight powers, yet has not lost the extraordinary learning ability of humans.

    She is the advantageous offspring of the two racesbined.

    The only issue is her inability to produce offspring.

    But this is precisely the root cause of our vampires being hated and loathed by other races, in the past, the only way for us to maintain our family¡¯s size and reproduce was through plunder and conversion.

    Every new vampire meant one less life for the other races.

    This was the fundamental conflict that could never be reconciled, but Femis¡¯ existence perfectly solves this problem!¡±

    Tris sighed, stepped forward, and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from the dazed youngdy¡¯s forehead.

    She said softly:

    ¡°Salrokdar¡¯s experiment is not over yet. You, his outstanding creation, still have one final trial to pass. You must fulfill the mission you were given at birth.

    Child, you must give birth like your mother did after coupling with other male vampires, using your body as a vessel to deliver another healthy vampire.

    By doing so, you will prove that the ¡®advantage¡¯ you possess can be passed down!

    If you aplish this, it means the eternal conflict between vampires and other races may find a resolution, and you will be the progenitor of all new vampires.

    Salrokdar is truly insane!

    His entire life has been devoted to trying to solve this problem, and you are his ¡®ultimate answer¡¯ to this world and the entire vampire race.

    But you need not feel disheartened by this.

    I believe Salrokdar loves you, with a love so deep he would sacrifice anything.

    But perhaps not the kind of love you desire.¡±

    The tent fell silent again. Regardless of the youngdy¡¯s psychological state upon learning the truth, Murphy, the onlooker, maintained hisposure on the surface, but his heart was screaming, ¡°What the hell!¡±

    What kind of ridiculous interdimensional, cross-species,rge-scale biology and cold-blooded madman manufacturing his own biological daughter plotline is this?

    But then again, Tris¡¯s answer did perfectly resolve all of Murphy¡¯s doubts about the youngdy¡¯s previous irrational behavior.

    However, Murphy was now more concerned about another issue.

    He looked at Tris¡¯s back and asked:

    ¡°What about you? Tris, what role do you y in all this? You sustained an injury two hundred years ago, but the youngdy was born thirty years ago. The timing doesn¡¯t add up.¡±

    ¡°Did you think creating the perfect vampire would be that easy?¡±

    Tris snorted and pointed her thumb at herself rather proudly, drawling:

    ¡°But Femis¡¯s birth is also thanks to the brilliant ideas of the great Tris! Let me put it this way, everything Salrokdar has done over the past two hundred years has strictly followed the theoretical n I formted back then, even the timing of the youngdy¡¯s birth was precisely calcted by me.

    This fully proves that the great Tris is a true genius of the blood n! The most formidable and sagacious mind that the vampire race could ever produce.

    Heh, I¡¯ve always believed I shouldn¡¯t have joined the Blood Vulture n. My true destiny should have been the Secret Blood n, which gathers the wise and worships knowledge as their faith.

    Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of encountering Salrokdar when I was still a human on the verge of death from illness during his travels across the continent.

    Alright, Murphy, I know you¡¯ve always had doubts.

    About my elder¡­¡±

    Tris turned to look at Murphy, lowered her head, and said softly with regret:

    ¡°It¡¯s Salrokdar! Eh? Why are you making that expression, little Murphy? This is not how I imagined it at all. Shouldn¡¯t you be so shocked that you let out a shrill scream?¡±

    ¡°Tch, I figured it out a long time ago, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Apart from thepulsory orders of the blood pact, I couldn¡¯t think of any other reason why, even in your sorry state, you would stubbornly remain in Kadman City suffering.

    With your abilities, or even just your looks, you could have lived a much better life.

    But you didn¡¯t do that.

    However, what concerns me now is your injury. If Salrokdar is your elder, why would he hurt you like this?¡±

    Tris did not answer.

    She looked at the kneeling Femis, the youngdy, with a mournful expression tinged with regret, which was mingled with traces of long-subsided anger.

    Then she reached out and ced her hand on top of Femis¡¯s head, her expression unexpectedly gentle.

    Sensing that familiar power, she said:

    ¡°Because the seed of life requires sufficient spirit energy to nurture its germination! And it can only bloom and bear fruit when nted in flesh and blood. Femis¡¯s human mother, Lady Cecilia, served as the vessel for that blooming and fruiting.

    As for me¡­

    I contributed all of my power, talents, and even my entire essence of fresh blood, allowing this seed to sprout.

    I¡¯m probably one of the rare cases in the entire n¡¯s history where my heart was dug out, my power was squeezed out, and yet I didn¡¯t die. My weakness stems from this.

    This shriveled heart that was put back into my body can no longer offer me any protection.

    But theoretically speaking, this little girl is sort of like half my daughter¡­

    Hmm, at least a quarter, if we¡¯re using human reproductive standards to describe it.

    As for this wound, I inflicted it upon myself.

    I once thought it was borne out of my pursuit of truth and perfection as a Spirit Sovereign, leading me to willingly sacrifice everything for the theory and n I designed.

    But it wasn¡¯t until I was discarded on the outskirts of Kadman City, left to fend for myself, that I realized this overly radical sacrifice and devotion was likely just a vivid illusion woven by Salrokdar through the blood pact¡¯spulsion.

    I was used.

    I was a fool!

    No one else is to me, as it was my own doing.

    I was so crazed back then, narcissistic, evil, and insane, practically an irredeemable madwoman.¡±

    At this point, Tris shook her head.

    She turned back to Murphy and said softly:

    ¡°Little Murphy, do you remember the warning I gave you before about how vampires will always be tempted by the darkness and fall into the abyss? That wasn¡¯t just idle life experience from a bored old person, my dear silly boy.

    That was a warning distilled from your pitiful elder¡¯s over four hundred years of agonizing life experience!

    You must remember this.

    Do not heed the dark summons in your heart, do not let it goad you into taking irreversible actions, and do not let it lead you to plummet into the depths of the abyss and smash into the filthy mud.

    Just like me back then.¡±

    Murphy fell silent.

    Tris spoke with great solemnity.

    Murphy also believed that Tris¡¯s warning at this moment was truly sincere.

    She did not wish for Murphy to follow in her footsteps, but Murphy found it difficult to reconcile the serious Tris with the wretched, drunken dreamer she usually appeared to be.

    Hey, your style ispletely unsuitable for this kind of heart-to-heart persuasion, isn¡¯t it? Shouldn¡¯t you be seriously discussing with me which brand of wine has a smoother taste right now?

    ¡°That seed!¡±

    Just as Murphy was pondering whether his own elder had developed a split personality due to the memories being stirred up, Femis suddenly raised her head. She grabbed Tris¡¯s wrist and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the seed you mentioned!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    Tris whipped her head around in vehement denial:

    ¡°That seed of life is something Salrokdar and I sacrificed fifteen family elders to steal from the sacred mo Ind of the old Nature¡¯s Teachings two hundred and twenty-five years ago!

    It was precisely that overly sessful theft that sparked the ¡®Second Night War¡¯ andpletely ignited the already existing conflict between vampires and the human old teachings.

    The massive direct confrontation between the three ns of Blood Vulture, Wolf¡¯s Bane, and Blood Dread against humans also began at that time.

    It was that conflict that led to the extermination of the Blood Dread n, the migration of the Wolf¡¯s Bane, and the decline of the Blood Vultures. The undying hatred between the Wolf¡¯s Bane and Blood Vultures also took root then.

    The truth behind this matter was known by very few people back then, let alone having actually seen that seed of life with their own eyes.

    It had already sprouted one hundred and ny years ago after I nourished it with my own blood essence.

    ording to my calctions and considerations, it would need at least one hundred years, at most one hundred and sixty years, to grow to the point where it could bloom and bear fruit, and it would need to be nourished with enough fresh blood every year to prevent it from withering.

    This was not the proper way to use that seed of life, said to have been bestowed upon the elves by the Avalon gods, but we eternal sin descendants could only catalyze it using these vampiric dark arts.

    Over the years, the humans who mysteriously disappeared in Kadman City were captured by Salrokdar and had their fresh blood squeezed out as sacrifices to further this n.

    My calctions were obviously correct!

    He followed my instructions and nted that seed within your mother, then through the filthy act of conception, using her as a vessel to ultimately give birth to you!

    You are the new form of that seed of life and blood!

    How could you have possibly seen it?

    You are it!¡±

    ¡°I really did see it!

    Back in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, when I encountered the White Knight Elder Finoch, that guy was originally going to kill me. But it seemed he discovered some clues and made me ingest a ck seed, putting me into some kind of trance state.¡±

    Femis waved her hands as she exined in a stuttering voice:

    ¡°I remember it clearly. In that trance, I saw the vast starry expanse stretching endlessly beneath my feet, and I also saw that tree at the center of the sea of stars!

    The withered blood-formed branches extended outward, not a single leaf, twisted like a monster that had grown from the gloomy abyss!

    I really did see it!¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? A Gold-tier White Knight let you go? Old Finoch? Who is that?¡±

    Tris asked in astonishment.

    Behind her, Murphy had also sensed the second crisis and exined:

    ¡°The reason we managed to kill Jed this time was relying on that old Finoch¡¯s judgment. It was he who led this elite group of Witch Hunters to confirm Salrokdar¡¯s death.

    He¡¯s currently in Kadman City, but the less than forting youngdy has never shared her experience in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods with me.¡±

    ¡°This is troublesome now.¡±

    Tris¡¯s head ached even more.

    The wound on her body also began to throb, causing her to groan in pain as she clutched her chest and copsed, only to be caught in Murphy¡¯s embrace. He quickly grabbed the blood wine from the bedside and poured some into Tris¡¯s mouth, suppressing the eruption of pain within her body.

    With a weak tone, she instructed Murphy and the approaching Femis:

    ¡°Leave the matter of old Finoch aside for now. The biggest problem at the moment is the Blood Pact Knights. If they see any trace of Salrokdar in the secret chamber deep within the Blood Vulture Halls, they will likely discover that he has broken taboos.

    There¡¯s no way to conceal such a transgression from them. Those arrogant descendants are all experts in dealing with taboos.

    You must quickly find a way!

    Either flee, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Purge the Blood Vulture Halls before they arrive!¡±

    Holding Tris in his arms, Murphy looked at Femis and said solemnly:

    ¡°Salrokdar can die at the hands of the Witch Hunters or by our own, but we absolutely cannot let the Blood Pact Knights discover those past secrets.

    Three days!

    We only have three days!

    Femis!

    This time, you must follow my orders to the letter. If you cannot, then leave this ce and find your own path.¡±

 Chapter 81:

    The ¡°bodyguard¡± Bonnie, who was recruited by Tris, blocked Lady Adele from approaching the tent until Murphy and Femis came out.

    ¡°Protect Tris at all costs!¡±

    Murphy said to the female vampire in front of him, whose demeanor was frenzied yet appeared very loyal and reliable, with disheveled hair and no semnce of decorum.

    Thetter eyed Murphy with a malicious gaze from her blood-red eyes and twitched her high-bridged nose, as if she had caught a whiff of Murphy¡¯s scent simr to Lady Tris¡¯. She then pped her chest with a thud.

    Amidst the quivering oscitions of her protruding features, she said hoarsely:

    ¡°I will not fail my mission!¡±

    ¡°Good, I leave it to you then.¡±

    Murphy nodded, giving Lady Adele a look, and the three vampires turned to leave.

    Tris said she had woven new memories for this crazed Bonnie using her mental illusions. The fact that the youngdy hadn¡¯t been able to undo those false memories for thirty years fully demonstrated Tris¡¯ exceptional talent in this area, so Murphy wasn¡¯t worried about this insane white silver vampire losing control.What preupied him now was the trouble surrounding the youngdy.

    ¡°Lord Murphy!¡±

    As they walked out of the camp into the woods, Lady Adele took out six blood-red, glossy vampire hearts from her spirit pouch and suspended them in the air, presenting them respectfully to her elder.

    Seeing this harvest, Murphy was also slightly surprised.

    He had originally only given Lady Adele tasks to collect three, but his blood descendant had truly proven herself capable, which also indirectly proved the dominance of the half-elf rogue + sin blood on the night battlefield.

    ¡°It seems you do have an urgent wish you want to fulfill.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t mince words with his blood descendant.

    He took five of them and pushed the remaining one with the most vigorous blood aura back to Lady Adele, as this blood essence could further enhance her strength.

    As he said, he was always quite generous when dealing with subordinates who were faithful to their duties.

    ¡°Speak, your wish.¡±

    Murphy asked.

    Lady Adele gave the distraught youngdy a puzzled look but didn¡¯t have much time to ponder. She then turned to Murphy and said earnestly:

    ¡°I have decided to ept my new life and be a de in your shadow, dedicating everything to your cause. But as Lady Adele¡¯s final wish, I still long for it to be fulfilled.

    I hope¡­

    You no longer harbor hostility towards Lady Femis!

    I believe she will not pose a threat to your endeavors. I hope you can view her as an equal partner! If possible, I hope you can treat her as kindly as you treat your warriors and your subjects.¡±

    Lady Adele¡¯s wish sounded quite preposterous.

    But considering that blood descendants and elders could always sense each other¡¯s thoughts more keenly than strangers due to the sacred blood link between them, Lady Adele¡¯s request wasn¡¯t entirely off the mark.

    She must have sensed Murphy¡¯s underlying hostility and wariness towards Femis, which forced her to resort to this plea.

    ¡°s¡±

    This request wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected to Murphy.

    Just as blood descendants could sense their elders¡¯ thoughts, as an elder, he was even more attuned to Lady Adele¡¯s emotional changes.

    He could feel Lady Adele¡¯s feelings towards Femis, which contained gratitude, loyalty, and a kind of¡­ well, let¡¯s call it ¡°admiration.¡±

    Given that Lady Adele had now be his blood descendant, it was understandable for this loyal maid to hope to win a precious friendship for her former mistress.

    But the problem was, it was no longer a question of whether Murphy harbored hostility towards Femis or not!

    The trouble that had been sown within Femis over two hundred and twenty-five years ago had now dragged everyone into an inescapable vortex of death.

    ¡°Listen to what I have to say first.¡±

    Murphy ced his hand on Lady Adele¡¯s shoulder and used concisenguage and ventriloquism techniques to exin the situation Femis was currently facing. Lady Adele¡¯s cold yet charming face was filled with shock.

    Especially when she heard about the potential threat of death from the Blood Pact Knights, she instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword.

    She said hoarsely:

    ¡°We must kill them! We cannot let them approach Kadman City! They are currently entering the Foul Swamp, which is an opportunity! I can contact my mother¡¯s¡­ forces left there. In any case, we still have a chance!

    But we must be resolute.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Lady Femis leaned against a tree.

    Hugging her arms like a frail mortal, she said hoarsely:

    ¡°That is a knight lord leading elite knights, with the leader being a Golden Rank powerhouse, and the elite knights under hismand are all Silver Rank! The core members of the Blood Pact Knights number only 300, but they have be the most powerful arbiters among the seven great ns, relying on martial prowess unmatched by blood tribes or even the entire continent.

    Such a force is impossible to be ambushed and destroyed hastily. We must find another way.¡±

    ¡°Join forces with the Witch Hunters, storm the Blood Vulture Halls! Resolve this within three days, wipe out all traces, and make it seem like the destruction was caused by an Astral Realm rift.

    This is currently the only viable option.¡±

    Murphy stood with his hands behind his back, raising his head to gaze at the twinkling starlight in the dark woods.

    He said in a deep voice:

    ¡°You must follow this tactic. I have no intention of abandoning my ns here. I don¡¯t want my efforts during this time to go to waste.

    I believe you each have your own reasons to fight. I don¡¯t have the time or interest to convince you.

    But I will go meet with the Witch Hunters in three hours.

    Tris will apany me.

    If you cannot make up your mind, then leave. I can pretend I¡¯ve never met you.¡±

    After speaking, Murphy turned and walked deeper into the woods.

    He caught the scent of his little yers over there and nned to see what mischief they were up to in their hiding ce.

    After he left, Lady Adele looked at the pale-faced Lady Femis with concern. She had learned why the youngdy¡¯s memories differed from her own, but instead of feeling betrayed, she was filled with pity.

    The youngdy¡¯s first thirty years of life had been a carefully constructed lie, and her own birth father had masterminded it all.

    By the Night Mother, just thinking about it was terrifying.

    ¡°Mydy!¡±

    Lady Adele stepped forward, wanting to say something, but Femis only waved her hand and walked alone towards the other side of the woods.

    She said wearily:

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me, Adele. Let me be alone for a while¡­please, my friend.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hurry, hurry! The waning crescent moon stars have risen! We specifically set aside 30 minutes of game time for this moment.¡±

    Deep in the woods of the survivor¡¯s camp, Meow King¡¯s group was busily setting up something around a strange tree stump.

    They were all atheists born under the red g, so performing this kind of feudalistic superstitious ritual was their first time.

    ck Stockings was holding a thick stick of incense, cing it on a silver stand.

    Day One No Fap and Led More Than Three to Five Pecks were carrying a basket of freshly picked berries and a bundle of dried bay leaves respectively, while Electronic Subus Old Tune held a candle for lighting.

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off was carrying a bucket of strange powder bought from the Witch Hunters, sprinkling it around the tree stump in a circle while muttering incantations.

    The whole scene resembled an amateurish cult ritual!

    Murphy, hiding in the shadows of a nearby tree branch, found it quite intriguing. He could roughly guess what Meow King¡¯s group of six were trying to do, likely an attempt at the nature ritual Meow King had learned from the Witch Hunters.

    Under his watchful gaze, Meow King, the main protagonist of this ritual, had changed into a linen robe as required, probably taken from the camp¡¯s warehouse.

    He was also wearing a strange woven grass wreath on his head.

    This was indeed a requirement of some ancient nature teaching ritual, but that grass wreath looked odd no matter how you looked at it. Perhaps these rough fellows had woven it themselves?

    The craftsmanship was truly poor, even a kindergarten girl would be more dexterous than you guys!

    ¡°This ritual seeding would be a miracle!¡±

    As a ¡°feudalistic superstitious creature,¡± Murphy didn¡¯t have much experience with feudalistic superstitions either. But as a vampire, a transcendent being, he could spot at least seven mistakes in these six little yers¡¯ ritual with just a nce.

    This made him deeplyment how crude his otherworld warriors were at their first attempt at such practices.

    But it was worth a try, no big deal.

    If the little yers could stumble upon a new job system, Murphy would consider it a huge gain.

    However, it would take them some time to fumble through the preparations for this ritual. Murphy took out arge, blood-red vampire heart from his spirit pouch.

    This was not one of the five blood essences offered by Lady Adele, but rather from his own spoils of hunting.

    It was Jed¡¯s blood essence.

    He looked at the vampire heart in his hand. Its swirling crimson glow emitted a mysterious and lingering aura in the darkness, but no matter how you looked at it, you could sense a certain deficiency and weakness within it.

    The blood essence of a deceased silver-rank vampire should have been more brilliant, yet these unfortunate souls must have encountered some nightmare in the Blood Vulture Halls, leaving them in an irreversibly weakened state, resulting in Murphy¡¯s war trophies being less than full.

    But this was not a bad thing for Murphy.

    As a vampire who had just entered the ck Iron Rank, absorbing the blood essence of a silver-rank being could have resulted in the embarrassing situation fromst time.

    The power might not have been fully absorbed before he himself copsed.

    Now that his ck Iron Rank potential was beginning to be unleashed, that ¡°deficiency in replenishment¡± situation should not ur. Moreover, he had received a hint thest time he absorbed blood essence that frequent use could have severe aftereffects.

    Murphy had also obtained specific instructions on its usage from Tris.

    In summary, vampires could use no more than one essence at each power stage, otherwise there would be problems. After all, this essence was essentially seizing power from other vampires, and asionally it might also take some strange things.

    For example, certain obsessions or sinister thoughts from the heart¡¯s original owner. Tris said she knew of at least seven unfortunate blood tribe members who wentpletely insane from indiscriminately absorbing unverified blood essences and had to be mercifully destroyed by their respective ns.

    This warning may have contained some exaggeration, but it was clear that Tris did not want Murphy to rapidly gain strength by killing his own kind in this manner. This unique mechanism was probably an evolutionary taboo developed by vampire beings to prevent infighting and self-destruction.

    It was the same principle as the madness virus in the human brain.

    ¡°Snap¡±

    The swirling crimson vampire heart shattered in Murphy¡¯s tightly clenched fist.

    He elegantly inhaled that blood mist-like essence into his nose and mouth. A prompt quickly popped up in front of him:

    ¡¾Blood Essence ¨C Blood Vulture¡¿Fusion. This essence belongs to Berna Jed Lessenbra. Random abilities will be extracted from his power characteristics and bestowed upon the user.

    Due to his strength far exceeding the user¡¯s, the number of extracted power characteristics increases, and the newly acquired power characteristics will decay to the initial level.

    Power Extraction in progress¡­

    1. Racial Talent¡¾Crimson Wings¡¿enhanced.

    The blood wings manifested by the user will be stronger and more powerful, able to withstand more attacks without dissipating, allowing the user to traverse the skies at greater speeds.

    Since the user already possesses the Rare Temte ¨C Enhanced Racial Talent¡¾Sky Mastery¡¿,¡¾Crimson Wings¡¿enhancement effect is further increased.

    In daylight environments, flight speed increases to¡¾1.25x Speed of Sound¡¿.

    In night environments, swift flight speed increases to¡¾2x Speed of Sound¡¿.

    2. Racial Talent¡¾Bat Heritage¡¿enhanced.

    The user¡¯s bat transformation skills will extend an additional branch as¡¾Swift Bat¡¿, allowing the user to temporarily turn into a bat swarm to dodge attacks inbat, nullifying that strike.

    This skill has no proficiency level but must be actively triggered!

    Cannot dodge unperceivable attacks.

    Cannot dodge wide-area spirit attacks.

    3. Skill extracted:

    Summon ¨C Carrion ck Crows¡¾Midnight Hunter Special Skill¡¿, current skill proficiency is ¡°Novice¡±.

    Due to the user¡¯s expertise in Otherworld Creature Summoning, this summoning effect is enhanced to: Summon ¨C Carrion Murder Crows, allowing the user to summon a group (¡Ý5) of vicious, bloodthirsty carrion crows to attack enemies at the cost of dark spirit energy. These creatures¡¯ attacks carry a minor spirit attack and inflict the¡¾Bleeding¡¿effect.

    The number summoned and duration depend on the total spirit energy consumed by the user.

    4. Skill enhancement:

    Tomb Guard Sword Arts skill cap raised to¡¾Master¡¿, current proficiency is¡¾Proficient¡¿.

    Reminder!

    Before officially changing jobs, the penalty for improving this sword art¡¯s proficiency is 3x learning time cost, so please create your own Tomb Guard badge andplete the Tomb Guard job change as soon as possible.

    Power Extractionplete!

    ¡°Four power enhancements? Cool!¡±

    Murphy opened his eyes with satisfaction, feeling an itch on his back near his ribs.

    ording to Tris¡¯ previous reminder, vampires needed a month after passing the ck Iron Rank before their blood wings could fully grow. But with Jed¡¯s essence, Murphy felt he could have his bat wings in a day or two.

    Although these were illusory spirit organs that could retract into the body at any time, they did need to physically manifest the first time.

    Supposedly that process wasn¡¯t painful, and many vampires felt nothing while growing their wings.

    But it represented the vampire regressing towards their ¡°true bat form¡± as eternal sin descendants, just like how Joban Marci had shed his human guise to enter a more ferocious wolf-bat form inbat.

    The higher a vampire¡¯s power rank, the further they deviated from the human form towards their racial origins, essentially a ¡°return to roots¡± phenomenon.

    This was Tris¡¯ conclusion, which Murphy firmly believed.

    He would never doubt Tris.

    Down below, the little yers finallypleted the ritual preparations after Murphy absorbed the blood essence¡¯s power.

    Under Murphy¡¯s watchful gaze, Meow King stepped forward and knelt before the wooden stump.

    He looked nervous.

    But following the Witch Hunters¡¯ instructions to the letter, he cupped the lit bay leaves and ced them on the incense, igniting the strangely colored mes under the starlight¡¯s illumination. The incense fragrance then spread all around.

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks quickly handed over a basket of berries, which Meow King raised high before slowly cing it before the incense.

    ¡°Oh, great Avalon deity, I beseech your blessing¡­¡±

    Meow King shouted in his broken voice, almost making Murphyugh out loud.

    Although vampires didn¡¯t fully understand the nuances of the ancient nature teachings and elven natural heritage, he could tell that the prefix ¡°great¡± should not be used to address the Avalonian nature deity.

    That astral deity did not like its followers calling it ¡°great¡±.

    ording to Tris¡¯ mother, the historian specialized in theology, each deity had its own unique personality, often reflected in the prefixes of their titles.

    Meow King was probably in for trouble this time.

    Murphy thought as he lost interest in this doomed ritual and was about to turn and leave, when suddenly his body froze.

    Because from behind, he felt an invisible yet immense gaze descend upon them, making the vampire¡¯s heart race with the urge to flee. In the next instant, Meow King excitedly shouted as if in a frenzy:

    ¡°Hey! I made it, brother!¡±

 Chapter 82:

    Murphy was very willing to call the vampire execution battle that took ce in Kadman City a great victory.

    His little yers performed remarkably well in this battle. Although they did not directly confront stronger silver-rank vampires, almost all of Jed¡¯s unlucky servant vampires were defeated by the little yers.

    Just the ones that were cut down and captured numbered 8.

    It seemed like a total victory, but if only counting the little yers¡¯ side, then this victory was somewhat imperfect.

    40 little yers ambushed 12 servant vampires, but 23 were killed in return. Even with a surprise attack and numerical advantage, ending up like this shows that at the current level, if little yers numbering less than five encounter ck iron vampires that can fly, it¡¯s pretty much a death sentence.

    But this also indirectly shows that each little yer who survived such a horrific battle is a ¡°koi,¡± theirbat strength may be poor, but their luck is absolutely good.

    Murphy has no doubt about this.

    But in the current situation, it¡¯s already difficult to describe Meow King¡¯s circumstances as just ¡°luck,¡± right?

    In a wed ritual, a standard atheist casually called out divine names, and even got the prefix wrong!You knew it was a job change ritual going on here, not some special event to spheme!

    But still!

    It actually worked?!

    Damn!

    Is this Astral Realm deity Avalon, the legendary deity of nature and elves who stopped responding to their prayers after the Old Church¡¯s betrayal in the Ten Year War, blind or something?

    Murphy felt that obscure gaze disappear in an instant, and turned his head again to observe Meow King below, now enveloped in the verdant green wind of the forest.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about being noticed by the ¡°divine gaze¡± himself.

    He¡¯s a vampire, an eternal sin descendant, an existence that all deities avoid.

    Of course, this isn¡¯t to say vampires are powerful.

    Uh, to use an inappropriate example, it¡¯s like when you¡¯re walking down the street and see a pile of dog poop, you wouldn¡¯t go out of your way to inspect it closely, right?

    Unfortunately, no matter how unwilling vampires are to admit it, and how resolutely they attack other races withnguage and physical force for holding this view, in the eyes of the deities they¡¯re pretty much seen that way.

    It has to be said, from every aspect this does sound like a tragedy.

    But now is not the time to reflect on the status of vampire civilization!

    Murphy widened his eyes observing the twitching Meow King below, who was currently surrounded and enveloped by the verdant green wind emerging from the forest. It was clearly some supernatural force materializing in the physical world. As theurel leaves on the incense burner continuously released a certain fragrance, the fresh berries in the basket were rapidly decaying.

    What reced them were quite wondrous changes happening to Meow King¡¯s body.

    As a test administrator, Murphy could more clearly sense the spirit energyprising Meow King¡¯s physical projection being ¡°changed in nature.¡±

    The verdant green force of nature energy was filling his body, paving a unique career path for him.

    Murphy could kick Meow King offline to forcibly interrupt this process.

    But he didn¡¯t do that.

    Instead, he even opened the core bead, retrieving Meow King¡¯s yer interface on hisputation bead that was currently shing scrolling text, intending to peek up close at the changes to the first official job changer among the little yers:

    ¡¾Avalon is watching you!

    Your talents, your sacrifices, and your pure sincere character have attracted the God of Nature, who has decided to grant you some power and guide you onto the right path.

    Nature spirit enhancement in progress¡­attribute recement activated!

    Strength: 6 -> 3

    Agility: 6 -> 4

    Endurance: 5 -> 6

    Intellect: 4 -> 8

    Perception: 5 -> 5

    Charisma: 4 -> 4

    Job change activated!

    Current job ¡®Spirit Apprentice¡¯ can change to ¡®Avalon Church ¨C Oak Apprentice¡¯, ept/decline?

    Can ept auxiliary job ¡°Farmer ¨C Breeding Specialization¡±, ept/decline?¡¿

    ¡°F**k f**k f**k! I made it¡±

    Meow King had clearly also noticed the changes happening to his yer interface.

    His attributes were readjusted. Although the total was still a pitiful 30 points, his attribute panel was obviously adjusted to a temte more suitable for a spellcaster, satisfying Meow King¡¯s small wish to be a noble mage to some degree.

    Faced with this job change prompt that was possibly a ¡°hidden job,¡± he didn¡¯t hesitate at all, shouting in a mannerpletely unbefitting of clergy:

    ¡°Change change change! Change dammit!¡±

    ¡°Shua¡±

    The verdant green wind surrounding him cheered as it surged into Meow King¡¯s body, causing his vision to go ck as he copsed to the ground. His interface also changed again:

    ¡¾Avalon Church ¨C Oak Apprentice job changeplete! Currently level 1 Oak Apprentice.

    New talent ¨C Basic Nature Affinity obtained!

    You are more sensitive in perceiving nature spirits and gain nature resistance, but perception of other spirits is weakened.

    New talent ¨C Heart of the Woods obtained!

    You view forests, jungles, ins and other natural environments as ¡®preferred terrain¡¯. In such terrain, all your attributes except Charisma are temporarily increased.

    New talent ¨C Breeding obtained!

    You can now learn and select different seeds to cultivate with natural spirit energy, giving them different effects to be your unique spellcasting resource.

    New skill¡¾Thorn Spells I¡¿obtained!

    Can summon spirit thorns with mild poison to entangle yourself or allies, granting physical defense equivalent to padded armor and increasing nature resistance, while dealing counterattack damage to melee attackers.

    In preferred terrain where thorns exist, spirit thorns will be reced with physical thorns, increasing physical defense effect to¡¾leather¡¿level.

    New skill¡¾Root Bind I¡¿obtained!

    Can summon spirit roots to entangle your target, immobilizing them and applying a slow effect that is not interrupted by attacks and persists until the caster¡¯s spirit energy is exhausted.

    In preferred terrain with vines, spirit vines will rece physical vines, upgrading the¡¾slow¡¿effect to¡¾immobilize¡¿, and increasing the number of entangling vines.

    New skill¡¾Spirit st ¨C Nature¡¯s Fury I¡¿obtained!

    You can now release natural spirit energy in the form of a spirit st, dealing spirit damage to enemies along with mild poison and force impact effects.

    This is a branch skill of the Spirit st skill, inheriting its proficiency which is currently¡¾Proficient¡¿.

    New skill¡¾Winds of Rejuvenation I¡¿obtained!

    You can now convert your natural spirit energy into healing power to apply healing effects to yourself or allies, with the speed depending on your Intellect attribute.¡¿

    ¡°Damn! I¡¯m awesome now! I can deal damage and heal, I feel invincible!¡±

    The excited Meow King jumped around like a monkey, but soon noticed the other brothers giving him strange looks.

    ¡°Huh? What are you looking at? Never seen such an awesome Oak Apprentice?¡±

    Meow King smugly struck a cool pose, but Murphy hiding in the treetops was already covering his belly, nearlyughing out loud.

    He¡¯s green, he¡¯s green!

    Meow King is green.

    Probably due to his nature spirit affinity, the grass circlet on his head had actually sprouted new buds, making Meow King¡¯s head a lush green, no wonder the other bros had speechless looks asking the heavens.

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Soon realizing something was off, Meow King took off the grass circlet and angrily threw it to the ground, cursing loudly:

    ¡°This damned deity¡­¡±

    ¡°Boom¡±

    Before he could finish, a verdant beam of light descended from the sky, striking Meow King¡¯s forehead and sending him crashing to the ground like he was struck by lightning.

    ¡°Is this divine punishment? Hey, Lord Avalon,are you serious?¡±

    He opened his mouth, spewing a wisp of ck smoke.

    Just now¡¯sck of respect resulted in severe punishment, leaving him feeling unwell all over and afflicted with a¡¾sphemy¡¿weakness debuffsting two hours.

    This was probably some kind of warning from Avalon?

    ¡°Hey brother, you alright?¡±

    The Four Heavenly Kings stood thereughing like idiots.

    Only his buddy Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off rushed over to help Meow King up. Thetter shakily patted his cousin¡¯s shoulder, feeling grateful for family¡¯s reliability.

    Afterward, he took out the replica Avalon¡¯s Blessed Sacred de from his spirit pouch, finding the faith requirement had been met so he could finally use this masterworkmander-grade divine weapon.

    This thing was absolutely the most powerful weapon in any yer¡¯s hands currently!

    Meow King gently rubbed his finger along the hunting sword¡¯s de, igniting a faint blue purifying me that burned along the length, making the others exim awesome.

    However, not even ten secondster, Meow King¡¯s face went pale as he tossed the replica sacred de back into his pouch.

    No choice, the spirit cost was too high!

    This thing wasn¡¯t meant for his level to use, burning for just ten seconds was enough to drain all his natural spirit energy.

    In the end, even when the Old Church still existed, an Oak Apprentice was just the lowest tier of that faith system, so being weak was expected!

    ¡°But it gave me three talents and four skills in one go! Although the job level was reset, my character level was preserved, so it¡¯s a gain!¡±

    Meow King snapped his fingers proudly and said to the other five brothers sitting on a tree stump:

    ¡°What about you guys? You wanna change too? We¡¯ve got all the stuff here, why don¡¯t we do it together?¡±

    ¡°This is obviously a spellcasting+healing hybrid job.¡±

    The Four Heavenly Kings all shook their heads.

    They actually had a pretty clear n for their job paths and knew healing sses were meant for sweeping dungeon floors in raid parties, they¡¯d rather be tough tanks.

    ¡°Uh, brother, I still prefer more violent jobs.¡±

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off also scratched his head with an awkwardugh:

    ¡°Maybe next time.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, uncultured.¡±

    Meow King didn¡¯t really mind either way.

    He just wanted to be a spirit mage, not caring which type.

    What¡¯s wrong with being a healer?

    Didn¡¯t they know during raids, a reliable healer with sufficient healing output is treated like a grandpa being doted on?

    He rolled his eyes at his brothers and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, since it¡¯s proven we yers can switch to jobs from the Old Church¡¯s system, then the Witch Hunters must also be an option. Didn¡¯t you hear Khaki Tony Tai talk about that powerful old knight?

    Apparently he¡¯s some kind of ¡®White Knight¡¯, just the name sounds impressively strong!

    I suspect that¡¯s the peak job from the Old Church system, this storyline specially spawned one just to tease us about the prospects of the new job system.

    Anyway, I¡¯m also a member of the Old Church now, ah no, the Avalon Church, right?

    Avalon folks don¡¯t lie to Avalon folks!

    Tomorrow when I log in I¡¯ll go chat up those Witch Hunters, see if I can find out the specific requirements to switch to the Witch Hunter job.

    Then we can all switch together!

    Let¡¯s all be happy together, hahaha!¡±

    ¡°However, Meow King, this nature-based Old Church really had a tragic background story.¡±

    The nearby Electronic Subus Old Tune said worriedly:

    ¡°If we switch to that path, won¡¯t we get dragged into it too?¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Three to Five Pecks nonchntly patted Old Tune¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°Are we yers afraid of that? Isn¡¯t being the world¡¯s enemy even better? There are red-name mobs everywhere to freely ughter, no? But Meow King, didn¡¯t you always say you wanted to pledge your loyalty to Lord Murphy, be a vampire and all?

    Now that you¡¯ve switched to an Oak Apprentice, doesn¡¯t that mean you can¡¯t be a vampire anymore?

    In the background story, the Witch Hunters go around killing vampires.¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The previously smiling Meow King suddenly froze, the smile quickly dropping from his face.

    ¡°Damn! Got too excited about the new job, forgot about that! Reputation points? Will the reputation points be reset too? Shit!¡±

    He felt like pping himself.

    His face was full of the anguish of losing five million dors.

    But Murphy hiding in the treetops just shook his head, vanishing into the night like a ghost.

    How could he reject his fierce yet adorable little yers?

    Never mind switching to Witch Hunter, even if you switched to a Deep Sea Mud Monster, Lord Murphy would still love you~

    Three hourster, Murphy supported the agonized Tris as they walked towards the Witch Hunters¡¯ nearby camp, while Lady Adele also joined up with the youngdies.

    Femis¡¯ eyes were swollen.

    Although vampires cannot shed tears, it was obvious she had just cried bitterly.

    s, no choice.

    Having to unite with outsiders against their own father, even if their father was an unscrupulous schemer and huge asshole, anyone facing this shitty situation would cry.

    Murphy didn¡¯t console her.

    He knew no words could empathize with Femis now.

    Putting himself in her shoes, if one day Murphy was forced to kill Tris with his own hands, he estimated he might die of heartbreak.

    They quickly reached the ce where the Witch Hunters had gathered in the night, with no standard camp, just a bonfire lit under the city wall on the other side of Kadman City.

    A group of people surrounded it, tallying their gains.

    Upon noticing the four vampires approach, thirty Witch Hunters cast cold, malicious nces at them, especially Captain Natalie.

    Seeing Murphy, she gripped the hilt of her sword, while the frightened Miriam at her side breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over towards Murphy¡¯s group.

    ¡°What are you all standing around for? Guests have arrived, is this how we treat guests?¡±

    The full-bodied voice of the old knight Finoch rang out from the darkness, and the Witch Hunters withdrew their gazes, no longer paying attention to them.

    But secondster, as old Finoch came striding over with therge Oak Sacred de on his back, the troubled Tris suddenly froze, giving the old Finoch a strange look. The golden old knight also stopped in his tracks.

    He looked at Tris before him with equal uncertainty.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s you? I feel like I¡¯ve seen you in my memories before.¡±

    Tris rubbed her brow, her tone strange as she said:

    ¡°What was your name again? John? Hans?¡±

    ¡°So it is you, Lady ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯.¡±

    The old knight swallowed, amid the fierce humming from the Oak Sacred de on his back, he narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°It seems your memory is poor, to have forgotten the person who almost took your life over a hundred years ago. Lawson! My name is Lawson.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I remember now!¡±

    Tris pped her hands, then casually stepped forward.

    Under the dumbfounded watch of Murphy¡¯s group and the Witch Hunters, she casually patted the shoulder of the old Finoch, who was two heads taller than her and already gripping his sword hilt, saying:

    ¡°So you¡¯re that little brat disciple who came challenging me to a duel back then. I took pity and spared your life, but now you¡¯vee back to die again?

    Who gave you the courage? Your Avalon god?¡±

 Chapter 83:

    The campfires of the Witch Hunter camp flickered and burned in the night, like stars in the darkness.

    But this night was not peaceful.

    Especially in the ruined outer city area just a wall away, there were still many scavengers from the survivor camps busy at work.

    After Jed¡¯s group perished, Murphy had announced the next n to the people of the survivor camp. They would soon move back to thisnd that had been purified by mes, no longer needing to gaze upon their homnd from the camp.

    The survivors felt encouraged.

    Especially since Murphy had allowed the militiamen to participate in the hunt for Jed¡¯s group!

    Although this act itself was not exined much, it did not prevent the smart people in the camp from discerning Murphy the new lord¡¯s view of his vampire kindred.

    Many stories about Murphy and Tris were dug up and pored over repeatedly. From the former plight of this pair of elder and progeny vampires rejected as trash by the Blood Vulture n, an inurate but absolutely credible conclusion could be drawn.

    That is,pared to the Blood Vulture n vampires, Lord Murphy was more like a midnight traitor, he clearly preferred to stand with these loyal humans!Whoa!

    Even in the exploding realm, this conclusion was quite explosive, let alone here in Transia!

    As a dark region ruled by vampires for four hundred years, almost never before had a vampire like Murphy appeared.

    And rarity always represents attention.

    If Murphy continued to act differently from other vampires, he would likely soon gain the favor and loyalty of those long dissatisfied with vampire rule.

    Of course, that was for the future.

    Murphy pulled his gaze back from the Witch Hunter camp¡¯s campfires, ncing at the equally awkwardly silent Femis and Lady Adele, as well as Miriam rolling her eyes and looking around.

    Maxim should have been here too, but the loyal servant was still unconscious from weakness.

    As for the gray-haired huntress Captain Natalie standing across from Murphy, she currently had little leisure to deal with her enmity towards him.

    Her eyes were fixed on the battalionmander by her side.

    Listening with some disbelief as the vampire woman Tris rambled incoherently while hugging a bottle of alcohol from across them.

    The Witch Hunter battalionmander, an adherent of the old faith, the Lord of the White Oak, was able to sit so calmly chatting about family matters with a group of vampires.

    This itself was no small miracle.

    ¡°Are you all just going to keep chatting about family matters? Didn¡¯t you just call for fighting and killing a moment ago?¡±

    Murphy couldn¡¯t help but urge:

    ¡°I think everyone here shares amon question, and if no one dares to ask, then let me. Tris, how exactly did you meet Lord Finoch two hundred years ago?

    That doesn¡¯t seem right, does it?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, not two hundred years,¡± Tris said with a pout, not answering, as the old knight sitting on a dead log maintained the chill around him, saying in a low voice:

    ¡°Around one hundred and ny-five years ago, the winter of year 916 of the Era.

    At that time, the Avalon Church had fought to a standstill single-handedly against the second ¡®Night War¡¯ of the continental blood ns, and although the Blood Dread n had gotten themselves killed off by your Lord Payne, the situation was still unfavorable for us.

    However, the Nordtov Kingdom happened to be strategically expanding into the Ice Bay region that year, causing great concern in the Sn Kingdom and the Isa Kingdom, leading them to form an alliance.

    So we and the blood ns also quite cooperatively ended our killing of each other in our state of exhaustion.

    But it was also that year that the Grey Knights under the Elder Council of mo finally uncovered the truth behind the theft of our holy relic ¡®The Seed of Life¡¯ in the autumn of 885.¡±

    Saying this, old Finoch nced at the nonchnt Tris.

    He said:

    ¡°We learned that The Seed of Life was stolen by the Blood Vulture n Patriarch Salrokdar leading the Blood Vulture Council of Elders, and not the joint theft by the three major ns as we had originally thought. In their fury, the Council assembled 500 martyrs, passing through the Antani region to prepare a sneak attack on Kadman City to take back our holy relic.

    As for me back then, I was just a newly enlisted Oak Knight.

    I was honored to join that crusade of faith-fueled retribution, and fortunate enough to catch the trail of the instigator of it all, the ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯, in the very first sh.¡±

    ¡°Little Finoch was stupid back then, so naive and foolish, letting himself be tricked by his Elder Council intoing here to die,¡± said Tris, drunk.

    ¡°Salrokdar had known about the Avalon Church¡¯s movements in advance, so we set an ambush at the edge of the Anderma Hills.

    As soon as they came in, they were hit head-on.

    But even when outmatched, those fanatics of faith wouldn¡¯t give up, their counterattack while invoking their god¡¯s name in the night ignited the entire Anderma Hills.

    The battle was horrific!

    Of the Church¡¯s 500 holy warriors, only seventeen survived.

    Sixteen of them barely made it through on their own strength, the only lucky one who managed toe back fully intact owing to my showing mercy in battle was little Finoch here.

    He was a greenhorn, rushing at me yelling the name of Avalon to challenge me to a duel.

    But I was quite formidable back then, casually banishing him to the Netherworld ne. Ironically, that allowed him to avoid the entire night¡¯s battle.

    When dawn came and he returned to the material world guided by Avalon, the battle was already over.¡±

    ¡°So you had a rebellious streak two hundred years ago?¡±

    Murphy said in an odd tone:

    ¡°Or are you saying that the ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯ back then was truly vile in character, as you said, a vampire fanatic fallen into darkness?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pry into events from back then, lest my ¡®reputation¡¯ from that time scares you,¡± said Tris, rolling her eyes.

    ¡°Besides, by then I was already preparing to offer my own fresh blood essence for that damned seed, under Salrokdar¡¯s insidious temptation.

    Five years after little Finoch left alive, I was dered ¡®dead¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes, upon receiving news of your death, I was relieved that the Church had one less formidable enemy. That day I prayed to the Avalon God in thanksgiving for the divine¡¯s blessing,¡± sighed the White Oak lord.

    ¡°No wonder the divine did not respond to me that night¡­you never died!¡±

    ¡°Battalion Commander, so your miraculous ¡®unscathed victory¡¯ that night was actually a lie thatsted for two hundred years?¡±

    Beside him, Captain Natalie asked in astonished realization of the truth, as the expressionless battalionmander across from her said:

    ¡°195 years ago on the Crusade, everyone spread rumors of how ferociously you fought the vampires, finally emerging unscathed under divine protection!

    But the truth was actually¡­¡±

    ¡°Not only that,¡± Tris added ominously.

    ¡°From the start of the ambush, he singled me out and charged, after which I banished him, basically the whole time without any effective attack, his only contribution probably being startling me a bit.

    I thought he was a crazed believer nning to take me with him in a belief-fueled self-destruction.¡±

    ¡°That was just for the Church¡¯s propaganda needs.

    After all, the ¡®Crusade¡¯ was an irrational decision by the Elder Council from the outset that reaped an undue massacre. The faithful should not have known the cruel truth.¡±

    Old Finoch remained unruffled by honor or disgrace.

    He calmly exined to Natalie:

    ¡°The fact is, I did experience that war, though not in the way you¡¯re familiar with. I admit, it was not a soldier¡¯s deed. But Natalie, you must understand, persevering to survive in the midst of despair is itself an embodiment of courage!

    Just as we are now experiencing all this.¡±

    ¡°You make a fair point! But how can we now forgive this dangerous vampire before us? It was she who stole our holy relic!¡±

    Natalie red at the drunken Tris, gripping the hilt of her sword as she shouted:

    ¡°That Seed of Life¡­

    Even as a child, I heard the Oak Sages praise the wonders of that seed!

    They say when that seed was still at the mo Ind sanctuary, the entire ind enjoyed eternal spring, with Avalon God¡¯s blessings spreading through the Seed of Life to all corners, allowing those with sincere hearts to be cured of disease, healed without medicine.¡±

    ¡°All made up, little girl, all twisted by theter Church for propaganda purposes and to depict us vampires as vile,¡± said Tris, tossing aside the emptied bottle and stretchingzily to disy her perfect curves before yawning at the furious Natalie:

    ¡°The fact is, when we went to steal the seed back then, that thing had already been worshiped at the mo Ind altar for three hundred and fifty years. But it was utterly useless!

    The Elder Council at the time had determined the seed was merely a puzzle left behind by the Avalon God in the mortal realm, worshiped solely as a sacred object, its actual use was less practical than the three sacred des secretly held by your old faith.

    At least those three swords could cut people.

    That seed was neither attractive nor divine. Otherwise, do you think we could have stolen it so easily from the Avalon Church headquarters when they were at the height of their power?

    I admit, our theft was wrong.

    But your Church¡¯s defenses back then were sox that we basically walked right in, hardly worth the risk we took.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Natalie was momentarily speechless, but she simply did not believe the cunning vampire, twisting to look at the battalionmander, as old Finoch stared silently at Lady Femis in the night.

    After a moment, he nodded and said:

    ¡°Lady Tris speaks the truth. Ever since the Seed of Life was gifted to the Elder Council in 530 by the elven druids of the Castilia Penins, it represented a revtion of fate. It was gifted together with the three oak sacred des, symbolizing the Avalon God¡¯s hope and blessing for human faithful.

    However, when the elven sages gifted the Seed of Life, they said that if it did not take root and sprout within 500 years, it would mean we had failed the Avalon God¡¯s test of faith.

    After the Avalon Church was established as the state religion in the Isa Kingdom, it was moved to the new holy site of mo Ind, but three hundred and fifty years passed in the blink of an eye without the seed showing any change.

    As I know it, the Elder Council at the time had indeed be disillusioned with it and regarded the elven sages¡¯ warning as a symbolic metaphor.

    The Church¡¯s furious reaction after the Seed of Life was stolen was not out of reverence for the relic itself, but anger at the vampires¡¯ defiance of natural faith, the faithful roared for vengeance and retribution, which then sparked the thirty-year Second Night War that spread the fires of faith across the continent.¡±

    ¡°That was even a good thing! You clueless little girl.¡±

    Tris nced at the great Oak de beside the old knight and snorted, saying:

    ¡°It was precisely because I stole the useless Seed of Life that you gained the right to wield the three Oak Sacred des, like this sword beside little Finoch, I still remember it. Hah, the famous ¡®Watcher¡¯ de of the White Knights.¡±

    As she spoke, Tris actually boldly reached out to touch the great Oak Holy de beside the old knight.

    This action made Femis¡¯ eyes narrow.

    She had witnessed the brutal power of this holy de firsthand, and was about to stop Tris when she realized in astonishment that facing this vampire¡¯s touch, the holy de did not ignite its Purifying me.

    It only grumbled, as if expressing displeasure.

    It even felt a bit tsundere.

    ¡°Well well, 225 yearster and you still have that habit of cursing, huh?¡±

    Tris snorted and withdrew her fingers, saying to the great Oak de:

    ¡°What kind of holy relic has such a foul mouth as you? Remember to reform, will you. Have you forgotten how you insolently insulted Salrokdar back then and nearly got destroyed by his ¡®necessary evil¡¯?¡±

    This scene before her eyespletely shattered Natalie¡¯s worldview.

    Especially when she saw an unholy thing chatting casually with her own holy relic, the world before her eyes felt unreal.

    She stammered to the head-shaking battalionmander:

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this Oak Sacred de be a weapon to eradicate the unholy? Why¡­why is it so friendly towards a vampire? Battalion Commander! You¡¯re just watching?

    Didn¡¯t you say the sacred des utterly loathe all evil, especially vampires?¡±

    ¡°It does loathe the shame brought upon it by vampires,¡± said old Finoch impassively, ncing at the holy de beside him.

    ¡°But Lady Tris is not among them. Back then, the three holy des, like the Seed of Life, were worshiped as holy relics and would not truly be used. Because of their powerful natural spirit energy, they were used as guardians nurturing the Seed of Life.

    It was the theft of the Seed of Life that allowed the three holy des to break free from having their power extracted.

    So in theory, the three Oak Sacred des should indeed thank those shameless vampires¡¯ misdeeds for preventing them from gathering dust unused.

    As for the ¡®Watcher¡¯ sacred de¡¯s hatred of vampires¡­

    You heard it yourself.

    Back then it nearly got destroyed by Salrokdar who went to steal the seed, and it holds grudges, two hundred yearster and it still hasn¡¯t forgotten that incident. So¡­in any case, don¡¯t attribute human emotions to the holy de. It has no feelings, and its thoughts arepletely different from ours.¡±

    ¡°No!!! This can¡¯t be the truth! This is not the glorious history of the Avalon Church that I know!¡±

    Natalie cried out in anguish, clutching her head.

    At this moment, she felt her faith in the Avalon God severely challenged.

    She needed to take some time to calm down, and to ept this truth that had been portrayed as utterly sacred but was actually not sacred at all, even a bit ridiculous.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Murphy found this piece of history damn interesting.

    He also gained some small insight into his own waste vampire elder ¡°eventful¡± past. He actually wanted to hear more, but s, time truly was insufficient.

    So he took the initiative to speak:

    ¡°If we¡¯re done chatting about the past, shouldn¡¯t we envision the future a bit? Lord Finoch, since you and Tris have this unknown history together, I¡¯ll treat you as one of my own for now.

    About the cooperation we proposed¡­¡±

    ¡°One of your own? Cooperate?¡±

    The old knight gave a coldugh and said:

    ¡°You think too highly of yourself, Murphy. What you¡¯re proposing now is not the same as joining hands earlier to strangle your kinsmen! You¡¯re now talking to me about borrowing my hand to eliminate your patriarch!

    Do you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°p¡±

    Murphy ced his hand on the drunken Tris¡¯ shoulder.

    He looked at old Finoch very seriously and sincerely, saying:

    ¡°It seems that after two instances of cooperation, your understanding of me remains superficial. Allow me to reintroduce myself then. The patriarch in my heart is only one, she has always been by my side. Salrokdar?

    Tsk, who¡¯s that?

    Sorry.

    I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t care.

    If that mongrel who experimented on his own daughter is destined to die, I¡¯ll only p in approval and apud you.

    Sorry again.

    I shouldn¡¯t have used such vulgarnguage, but this is indeed what I mean to say.

    Do you have any other doubts about my resolve?¡±

 Chapter 84:

    Murphy had his reasons foring to negotiate cooperation with the old knight.

    Now, the key to enter the Blood Vulture Halls, that Desire Fragment symbolizing the position of the Blood Vulture Patriarch, is in the hands of old Finoch. However, using it requires Lady Femis of the Blood Vulture n, as well as several Blood Vulture vampires, as assistants.

    But the current situation is that after a sudden ¡°battlefield family reunion¡± twist on Tris¡¯s side, the two parties have formed a cooperative foundation that cannot yet be called ¡°trust¡±. As Murphy once again emphasized his determination, the old knight discussed the details of their actions with them very seriously.

    ¡°General Loren and that King Louis of the Goldflower Kingdom want to confirm the annihtion of the Blood Vulture n, after all, you yed a rather pivotal role in the confrontation between the Portia Federation and the Kingdom.

    Especially two years ago when General Loren breached the capital Xike City of the Portia Federation, almost all the state leadership and higher-ups were captured. However, the central resistance force of the entire federation quickly shifted to Kadman City.

    In the following two years of war, it was almost the Blood Vulture n that fought bare-chested against the Goldflower Kingdom.

    This is the headquarters of the resistance forces!

    That¡¯s why General Loren executed that ¡®D-n¡¯ that even I felt was inhumane, he can¡¯t let a war that hassted ten years truly end without confirming the enemy¡¯s true annihtion.

    So our goal on this journey is also very clear.Salrokdar¡¯s head.¡±

    The old Finoch said to the leader of these vampires, Murphy:

    ¡°And, if possible, the eternal annihtion of the Blood Vulture n!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I wasn¡¯t nning on inheriting a family title that I don¡¯t even like in the first ce. It doesn¡¯t matter whether we¡¯re called Blood Vulture or something else in the future.¡±

    Murphy shrugged and said:

    ¡°The most important problem now is that we only have three days left.¡±

    ¡°No, the remaining time is more ample than you imagine.¡±

    The old knight dropped the branch he was using to stoke the campfire and said with firm conviction:

    ¡°You all have been trapped here without ess to news from the outside world. The real situation is that on the day Kadman City was attacked, the Winter Wolf troops of the Nordtov Kingdom had already crossed the eastern line of the Portia Federation.

    In the past seven days, they have made furious advances in the Ice Bay region and the Kafhoka ins, and the southernmost Crimea Fortress in the Transia region was also taken over by the Winter Wolf vanguard two days ago!

    The more than ten thousand elite armed Blood Servants and core family members stationed there have already surrendered to the Northerners, probably because the events in Kadman City shocked them into believing the Blood Vulture n is doomed.

    In any case, the entire Foul Swamp area is currently under military administration. With the Northerners¡¯ brutal nature, if the Blood Pact Knights choose to pass through there, they will undoubtedly be dyed for a while.

    Therefore, you have more time for action than you imagine.

    My suggestion is to take one or two days for our two sides to prepare our forces, and also, I need a detailed map of the Blood Vulture Halls!¡±

    Murphy and Tris immediately looked towards Lady Femis, whose throat moved and her expression became tooplex to describe with words. After a while, she nodded silently and said:

    ¡°No problem, since we¡¯ve decided to cooperate, we will provide you with the necessary information. But I want to keep the ¡®Blood Vulture¡¯ name! Even if not as a family, just as an internal faction of a new family.¡±

    She looked at Murphy, her swollen eyes full of an unprecedented pleading.

    ¡°You¡¯re just creating trouble for yourself. Inheriting that name full of grievances will only add more turmoil to your already unfortunate life.¡±

    Tris said in a low voice.

    It sounded like aint, but was actually more of a dissuasion.

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t dwell too much on this issue. He turned to the old knight and said:

    ¡°Tris will stay in the ruins of Kadman City to help me manage the survivor camp, and incidentally stall and dy any Blood Pact Knights that may arrive! My assistant Miriam will stay behind to assist her.¡±

    ¡°But I was nning to¡ª¡±

    Tris didn¡¯t want to avoid this battle, but Murphy turned to look at her and took her hand, feeling the force in her fingers. Tris fell silent.

    She knew the source of Murphy¡¯s concern.

    The blood pact has too domineering influence on vampires. If the blood descendant Tris were to see the elder Salrokdar, it could cause unnecessary ripples.

    Murphy clearly didn¡¯t want her to suffer further harm from past events.

    ¡°One more thing!¡±

    After seeing that Tris was no longer insisting, Murphy breathed a sigh of relief, then emphasized to the old knight:

    ¡°Do you remember that warrior who went to visit you before? The warrior under mymand who wielded the Avalon¡¯s Sacred de, who very politely went to seek knowledge but was rudely beaten by you.¡±

    The old knight didn¡¯t answer, only staring at Murphy as if waiting for him to continue speaking.

    This vampire, though young, did not seem tock experience in negotiation and bargaining. Finoch didn¡¯t think he brought up this incident just to tell a joke.

    ¡°Three hours ago, he gained Avalon¡¯s recognition and became an Oak Apprentice. I witnessed it with my own eyes.¡±

    Murphy said in a low voice.

    This news startled old Finoch into standing up abruptly, and even Natalie, who was murmuring self-affirmations beside him, widened her eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    The old Finoch said in a deep voice:

    ¡°After the Old Faith Rebellion directly triggered the ten-year war, Avalon has not responded to the summons of any human followers other than me, the bearer of the Sacred de!

    Do you know what this means?

    This is not a topic to be joked about!¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would joke about matters of faith at a time like this? Do I really seem that humorous to you, Knight Finoch? My warrior is a human. But he is not a human from this world.

    He is my summoned creature.

    This is certainly no secret from you, after all, Lady Natalie has witnessed those truths herself.¡±

    Murphy spread his hands and said:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then when they ¡®return¡¯ to this world tomorrow, you can see for yourselves! What I mean is, if my warrior can be an Oak Apprentice, then that means the remaining warriors can also be Witch Hunters like you.

    We are cooperating!

    So, my demand is that you must assign specialists to teach them how to use the power of natural spirits!

    In two days, my sixty fearless warriors will be prepared, along with my loyal soldiers, and we will enter the Blood Vulture Halls together with you to take down Salrokdar.

    I don¡¯t mind if my warriors be cannon fodder at the vanguard, but I must secure treatment befitting their identity and sacrifice.

    Therefore, I demand that you open your armories and provide some tricks andbat manuals to quickly enhance their strength. We can pay with anything you want.¡±

    ¡°Little Finoch, you and your disciple must swear to Avalon! You will help my little Murphy keep this secret about the otherworldly warriors!¡±

    After Murphy finished speaking, Tris added, emphasizing:

    ¡°You have also witnessed how those brave children fought against vampires far stronger than themselves. Such a group of fearless vanguards can greatly reduce your casualties.

    There is no harm in this for you.¡±

    ¡°We need to discuss this issue, after all, it concerns matters of faith that you bloodsucking infidels cannotprehend at all.¡±

    The old knight did not directly respond, his face stern.

    But at the very least, he did not refuse, indicating there was still room for discussion.

    ¡°They must join the Avalon Church!¡±

    The Natalie beside him was not soposed, almost immediately proposing a condition:

    ¡°If your warriors gain Avalon¡¯s recognition, they must be a part of us after learning this power! This is non-negotiable!¡±

    Natalie had expected Murphy to refuse this demand.

    After all, who would hand over their powerful and infinitely promising forces to others? She had even prepared to bargain with Murphy.

    But to her surprise, after she made her demand, Murphy nodded without hesitation, as if it were natural:

    ¡°Of course, this demand is reasonable. You can not only require my warriors to join the Old Faith, but even require them to be new recruits of your White Oak Battalion. I have no objection to my warriors having new identities.

    Of course, you cannot force them to ept your doctrines.

    You can preach, you can guide, but you cannot force!

    What I want to emphasize is that theye from an atheistic world, so I hope you¡¯ll be prepared in advance for some of their sphemous behaviors and words when you interact with them.¡±

    ¡°Avalon above! They are as pitiful as those tinkering Halflings and you eternal sin descendants.¡±

    When she heard the three words ¡°atheistic world,¡± Natalie¡¯s expression was even more vivid than when she saw vampires.

    These people who had lived with faith since childhood could not imagine what life without faith would be like.

    In their understanding, having no faith meant the soul had no protection, and after death, it would be a stray ghost with no ce for the soul to go.

    This deviation was difficult for Murphy to exin, and he was toozy to do so.

    But he knew that Natalie¡¯s thinking was the mainstream in this world.

    Look, even vampires, as hated as ghouls, had a phrase like ¡°Night Mother,¡± didn¡¯t they? Now even Murphy could smoothly say ¡°May the Night Mother bless us¡± to enhance his NPC image in the yers¡¯ minds.

    Well, that¡¯s called going with the flow when in a different ce.

    ¡°Two days, is that enough time for your warriors to grow?¡±

    The old knight asked before leaving.

    Helping Tris walk, Murphy immediately looked at old Finoch like he was an idiot and said in a mournful tone:

    ¡°They are otherworldly people, not otherworldly gods! How could they possibly grow into elite veterans in just two days? But their learning ability is indeed very strong, two days is enough time for them to transform.

    On the condition that you provide some real things.

    But I believe that the very fact of ¡®humans regaining Avalon¡¯s blessing¡¯ will have an impact among the scattered and demoralized Old Faith followers that is far more valuable than whatever you provide.

    You should be able to understand this.¡±

    After speaking, Murphy boldly led his people away, disappearing into the night.

    After leaving the Witch Hunter camp, Tris said softly to Murphy:

    ¡°There is terrible hesitation in Finoch¡¯s heart. I can feel it, he is not as simple as he appears, constantly talking about earning General Loren¡¯s favor and a pardon from King Louis, but he does not believe those political tricks.

    He has lived for two hundred years.

    A life long enough to give him insights far beyond his peers. I guess he must also be seeking a way out for hispanions.

    I mean, a way out other than bing cannon fodder for the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s war.

    Little Murphy, this is an opportunity!

    They have nowhere to go, while you have no one to use.¡±

    Tris grabbed Murphy¡¯s wrist and whispered:

    ¡°If you can ept having a group of Witch Hunters in your territory who think about how to kill you every day, then maybe¡ª¡±

    ¡°I understand, but now is not the time,¡± Murphy nodded in response.

    ¡°We need to prioritize things. Let¡¯s resolve the issue of the Blood Vulture Halls first. You go back and rest, let Bonnie and Adele apany you back.¡±

    ¡°Miriam, take care of my elder.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± The redhead nodded.

    This time, apanied by four vampires, she didn¡¯t n to show her true feelings towards vampires. To be honest, Miriam herself thought Lady Tris and the other vampires were different.

    She was just that kind of strange, um, vampire that was hard to describe.

    In any case, with Lady Tris looking so infatuated, no matter how she was before, the current her definitely couldn¡¯t be a bad person.

    Moreover, based on Miriam¡¯s secret observations, she realized that the gossip circting fiercely in the little yer circle about Murphy and Tris¡¯ rtionship was probably not baseless.

    These two did seem to have a peculiar rtionship.

    After they left, Murphy stood in the wilderness outside Kadman City, looking up at the slightly dimmer starry sky than before. Secondster, he turned his head and said to the silently standing Lady Femis:

    ¡°It must be hard for you to ept all this now. Either ally with outsiders to kill your father, or face being killed by your own n under the name of ¡®taboo.''¡±

    ¡°To be honest, mydy, I used to really dislike your arrogance that came out of nowhere and was so disconnected from reality. But now, I almost feel sorry for you.¡±

    ¡°Noble blood does not need to be pitied!¡± Femis answered hoarsely.

    ¡°I will ask my father myself, to rify everything from back then and my mother¡¯s ultimate fate. Thank you, Murphy, thank you for helping me make up my mind when I was lost.¡±

    ¡°I have thought about it. Your strategy is indeed the optimal solution now.¡±

    ¡°I used to dislike your disrespect for elders and your deviant behaviorpared to your peers. But now, I think you will definitely be an excellent lord.¡±

    ¡°I need to be alone for these two days. Let¡¯s meet again when the action begins.¡±

    ¡°Finally, I know I¡¯ve said it before, but I still hope you can take care of Adele.¡±

    ¡°After my false memories were dispelled, she is no longer just a loyal servant in my heart, but more like a sister who grew up with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Murphy responded with standard courtesy.

    ¡°But you also know, the path I have chosen is bound to be full of crises, so Lady Adele cannot possibly enjoy peace either.¡±

    ¡°So, I will give you this.¡±

    Thedy took something out of her elegant and luxurious spirit bag and handed it to Murphy with both hands.

    The vampire took it and found it was an uncarved ck Ebony Stone, translucent and shimmering with a dim but mysterious glow in the night.

    She said:

    ¡°This is the material for making a tomb badge. It used to only be issued to the patriarch¡¯s guards. I happen to have one here. Do you know how to make it?¡±

    ¡°Tris told me,¡± Murphy examined the stone in his hand and said:

    ¡°I need arge tomb to better perceive the true essence of dark spirit on the ne of death. The current Kadman Citycks everything except tombs.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity to appease the lost souls, so terrible things like resentful tomb apparitions don¡¯t appear in our territoryter.¡±

    ¡°Our?¡± Thedy suddenly raised her head.

    She looked at Murphy and said softly:

    ¡°In the territory and family you want to establish, there is actually a ce for me? Have you gone mad? Do I, a ¡®remnant of the old regime,¡¯ not need to be utterly eradicated?¡±

    This question made Murphy look at her like an idiot for the second time tonight.

    He examined thedy who hadpletely shed her former cold and aloof air, sighed and said:

    ¡°Mydy, when will you recognize your own identity? You are clearly a ¡®seed spirit¡¯ that is just sprouting.¡±

    ¡°It just so happens that you took the form of a vampire.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think after knowing your identity, you would dare ept the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ kindness and run to take refuge with them. How is that different from a sheep entering a tiger¡¯s den?¡±

    ¡°Since we have barely survived, then let¡¯s live properly.¡±

    ¡°After all, there are only a few of us left in this family.¡±

    ¡°Love or hate, that¡¯s all in the past. You see, I¡¯m quite open-minded in this regard.¡±

    These rather offensive words made thedy lower her head. Just as Murphy felt he may have made an inappropriate joke and was about to apologize, he heard Femis say softly:

    ¡°Thank you for epting me, so I don¡¯t have to journey alone. So I don¡¯t have to wander helpless in this unfriendly world. Murphy, thank you.¡±

    ¡°This time, from the bottom of my heart.¡±

 Chapter 85:

    The youngdy has a reserved personality.

    Although her heart has been cracked open after a series of setbacks, she did not continue to reveal more of her true thoughts. After exchanging a few heartfelt words with Murphy, she decisively left to prepare for what she had to do next.

    Murphy understood Femis¡¯ conflicted mindset at the moment.

    At least until the trouble in the Blood Vulture Halls was resolved, don¡¯t expect her gloomy aura to recover.

    After all, this was a ruthless act of killing her own father!

    Unless her mother¡¯s surname was Proudmoore and she was nning to change her name to Jaina, even a slightly normal person wouldn¡¯t run around with a smile on their face to sharpen their des.

    Murphy himself didn¡¯t have much energy to focus on the youngdy¡¯s journey of the heart.

    In the two days of preparation, he had many things to do. First, he needed toplete the crafting of his Tomb Badge so he could undergo a second job change.

    The basic job of Blood Vulture Swordsman was no longer powerful enough for the current version, he needed to increase his strength. As for the sub-job of Spirit Apprentice, Murphy wasn¡¯t worried about that job change.Tris, being a Spirit Sovereign, would help him get it done.

    However, before going to the now quiet ruins of Kadman City to search for the Great Tomb, Murphy first spent some time on the forumpleting the ¡°new version¡± announcement.

    After all, the uing task was a major one, and he needed to let his little yers prepare.

    Of course, there was also the recruitment of new yers.

    The 20 test slots Murphy had just received were gone in less than a day, and there was no choice, the current situation required more cannon fo¡­err, more otherworld warriors to fill the ranks.

    Let¡¯s solve this life-and-death problem first, then we can talk about the meticulous training of the little yers.

    The new announcement from the development team and the test team naturally received enthusiastic discussion from the little yers after it was released, especially from the 27 little yers who had tragically died in the vampire extermination battle this morning.

    Still in the resurrection process with nothing to do, they were almost the first to discover the official post.

    It was still in the usual formal and concise style:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡·Alpha 1.1 Closed Beta Version Update Announcement:

    Yo, passionate and professional testers, how¡¯s it going? Thanks to you guys constantly creating trash posts in the feedback area day and night, putting pressure on the test team members, they have finally taught themselves to view putting a knife to the developers¡¯ necks as an effective way to improve work efficiency.

    Under such fresh and unconventional ¡°encouragement to update¡±, the development team has finally managed to implement a new batch of game content.

    Specific update details are as follows:

    1. Faction and Reputation system implemented.

    As you yers venture deeper into¡¶Reality Realm¡·, all sorts of characters and forces have started to notice you greedy yet brave little fellows.

    Try to interact with them.

    Gain their goodwill or view them as enemies, learn and plunder new powers to arm yourselves, so you can go further in this cruel and barbaric world.

    But please note, yers, that the reputation system in¡¶Reality Realm¡·isplex and realistic, and the official team will not provide a guidance manual. All secrets rted to reputation must be explored by yourselves.

    The reputation factions open in the current version are:

    Kadman City Survivor Camp, Blood Vulture n, White Oak Battalion, Goldflower Kingdom.

    2. The initial setup of the closed beta job system has beenpleted.

    The remnant forces of the Avalon Church AKA the ¡°Old Faith¡±, the White Oak Battalion of Witch Hunters, have entered the recently disaster-stricken Transia, carrying the mission of King Louis.

    Not only do they help yers eliminate potential threats after setting foot in this disaster-strickennd of darkness, but they also intend to spread the ancient powers and conservative doctrines of that faction, which has been extinct for ten years, among the new groups.

    From the time the new version goes online, yers who reach¡¾Neutral Friendly¡¿reputation with the White Oak Battalion can go to their camp and learn the true essence of natural powers from these Witch Hunter warriors.

    But please note, yers, that¡¶Reality Realm¡·does not have the unrealistic game mechanics of re-spec or re-rolling, which goes against the principles of realism and hardcore gamey. So please choose your job path carefully.

    However, the development team can guarantee that there will be no such thing as ¡°underpowered¡± jobs in this realistic world.

    So, if you don¡¯t know what to choose, just boldly go and PY with those Witch Hunter brothers and sisters. The powers you¡¯ve painstakingly acquired will definitely not let you down in future battles.

    Of course, with subsequent version updates, more job and power systems will be added to the game, so the innately environment-destroying pyromaniac Naisinvari Madmen who sh with the nature faction can lie dormant and wait patiently for now.

    Developer Tip!

    Although the ssic job system may not be as cool as the exclusive job system, their power in terms of performance and destructive force, whenbined with exquisite skills, will not be inferior to exclusive jobs.

    3. Instance and group instance testing process initiated.

    Instances!

    Since this wonderful concept was born, it has quickly be a standard feature of all sessful and unsessful games.

    Although we strive to make¡¶Reality Realm¡·infinitely close to the real world in every respect, in order to ensure the gaming experience for yers, after constant feedback, the development team has finally decided topromise and modify the original n.

    For this, I will announce to our lovely little yers with an excited and grateful heart that the instance feature will be officially added to the game in subsequent versions.

    Currently, this system is still in the design testing phase, and test yers need to follow the footsteps of the main storyline NPCs to continuously advance the plot, so as to help the development team better design instance values.

    To this end, we are speciallyunching arge-scale test instance¡¶Advance into the Blood Vulture Halls¡·in two days!

    Please don¡¯t get too excited yet, dear little yers. The information that can currently be revealed about thisrge-scale instance is¡­it¡¯s very difficult! No, extremely, extremely, extremely difficult!

    Although our very principled development team was forced to adjust the original n, this does not mean that this cunning and wicked bunch of programmers will give up so easily.

    They n to adopt the ¡°Epic Story Mode¡± to design the instances of¡¶Reality Realm¡·!

    This means that before you can officially unlock instances that you can infinitely grind, you must first help the storyline NPCsplete the initial raid of the instance.

    Only when an event is sessfully recorded in history canters use the mysterious spirit magic to relive the experiences of the forerunners.

    Because the little yers who sessfully raid the instance will be interactable NPCs in the official instance, in order to avoid causing adverse effects and incorrect guidance for subsequent yers, the development team kindly suggests that little yers please dress appropriately when doing instances, thank you~

    4. Achievement system implemented.

    There¡¯s not much to introduce about this. Since instances have been added, implementing an achievement system to record the game lives of little yers seems quite reasonable, doesn¡¯t it?

    Oh, yes, we¡¯ve made a very thoughtful change!

    The rare achievements little yers obtain in the game will be disyed as icons on the forum and group chat. After you¡¯ve earned enough honors, you can customize your achievement icons ording to your preferences, just like a certain chivalric order.

    Such a thoughtful feature not only satisfies the desire of veteran yers to show off their achievements but also allows new yers to instantly recognize the true experts in a crowd, killing two birds with one stone.

    Shouldn¡¯t you hurry up and thank the programmer monkeys in the development team?

    It¡¯s said that scars are a warrior¡¯s medal, and now, you can finally have your own medals too!

    5. Optimized for a more realistic physics engine, and added more interactive intelligent role-ying NPCs and random events.

    6. Fixed a small number of bugs.¡¿

    This official post sincerely announced the new content that will be released, making veteran yers excited and encouraged. On one hand, it was because the increased yable content would enhance the gaming experience.

    On the other hand, it was because in this ¡°war¡± between yers and the development team, they seemed to have won a small battle.

    Was it because their constant feedback finally made the stubborn development teampromise?

    Cool!

    While the veteran yers were leaving messages of celebration under the post, the new yers who had just obtained test qualifications but had not received the game helmets were bewildered.

    That¡¯s right.

    Without Murphy¡¯s knowledge, the game forum of¡¶Reality Realm¡·had be essible through devices other than the game helmet connection.

    In a sense, this was the true ¡°major game update¡±. It was as if an invisible hand had quietly patched the entire system.

    But only those who had received test invitation codes could ess this page. Otherwise, no matter how they tweaked the elerator or messed with theirputer settings, they could only get a 404 error message.

    This strange phenomenon naturally drew the attention of some curious little fellows. At this moment, in Lumina¡¯s private group, a few super-intelligent girls were fervently discussing the matter.

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾¡±@Lumina Yanghen, I got a test slot! I¡¯ll be able to see the so-called next-gen super game you¡¯ve been raving about soon.

    Wait for me to get online, and you, the pro, can show me around then.¡±¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾¡±??? How did you get a slot? I¡¯m still reading the update announcement here. Don¡¯t rush, let me summarize the content of the new version first.¡±¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾¡±I just read that post, o(¨i©n¨i)o, I haven¡¯t even entered the game but already behind you guys by one version, crying.

    But what¡¯s the deal with this game¡¯s server? Why can we only ess that weird URL after getting a test slot?

    Also, a few of my friends tried to hack it a few days ago.¡±¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾¡±Damn! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to mess around? If you guys break the server, how are we going to y?! Hey, don¡¯t think you can act recklessly just because your family is rich.

    Just by looking at the developer¡¯s strength, you can tell this game is a super project. Be careful your hacking activities don¡¯t get you into trouble.¡±¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾¡±Rx, rx, little Lumina, how could I possibly do such a dangerous thing myself when I¡¯m so smart? I tricked some weird strangers online to do it, so even if they trace it back, it won¡¯t lead to me.

    But those unlucky guys¡¯ devices are pretty much ruined.

    Apparently, as soon as they started trying to hack, theirputer systems started having issues.

    One guy¡¯sptop battery even exploded, luckily no one got hurt. Oh, and after that failed intrusion attempt, this URL became what it is now.

    Only test yers can log in, while others entering the URL can only get a 404 message.

    I really suspect that the developers must have used some sort of advanced identity encryption to achieve this. Hey, if my parents didn¡¯t forbid me from overworking recently, I¡¯d still be interested in thoroughly investigating it.

    By the way! @Everyone, who else in the group got an invitation code? Let¡¯s get online and y the game together!¡±¡¿

    LadyAqua: ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t be silly, I still need to pick up my son and daughter from school, and I need time to make my loving husband¡¯s breakfast, lunch, and dinner too. When do I have time to y games with you kids? What about Concrete?

    Haven¡¯t seen her online for several days.¡±¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾¡±Seems like Concrete Sister has been working on a project recently, I haven¡¯t seen her online for a few days either.¡±¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾¡±@Sword Saint Ashina @Lumina Yanghen, weird, why did I suddenly get an express delivery? After opening it, it¡¯s a strange ck helmet, is this the game connection device you were talking about?¡±¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾¡±You got one too? Wow, Orchid is really lucky. Just like before, but is it strange to get an express delivery? Official peripherals like this definitely have to be sent through logistics channels to reach you.

    Anyway, enough of that, hurry up and put on the helmet so we can y together.

    I¡¯ve been lonely enough by myself, and I have to deal with that muscle freak Little Pomegranate clinging to me all day. You guys hurry ande help me.

    That¡¯s it, see you in the game!¡±¡¿

    At this moment. Orchid, who had just said she got the game helmet in this high IQ group, put down her phone.

    She adjusted her snow goggles, pulled up the cor of her cold weather jacket, carefully checked the professional camera hanging around her neck, and then stared nkly at the vast whiteness before her.

    At the end of her field of vision, she could still see a bunch of adorably clumsy penguins queuing up to jump into the floating ice.

    In this icy Antarctdscape, Miss Orchid, a professional photographer, world traveler, and writer, looked at the recently opened express package and the ck game helmet inside with a nk expression.

    Damn it!

    Of course I know express deliveries are a thing!

    But could you find me a logisticspany that can deliver to the Antarctic expedition camp?

    This wasn¡¯t her first time traveling to Antarctica, but this kind of weird situation was the first. She had juste out of her tent and saw an ordinary express package sitting in the snow, nearly scaring her to death!

    ¡°This Alphapany¡±

    Miss Orchid bent down, picked up the helmet, and said in a puzzled voice:

    ¡°What¡¯s their background?¡±

    At the same time, on the other side of the ocean in a certainboratory, ¡°Concrete Heart¡±, who hadn¡¯t been online in the social group for several days, was also frowning in confusion as she pushed up her gold-rimmed sses.

    In front of her was a professional-grade data tracking and positioning device, and this expensive military-grade equipment was currently emitting strange noises and puffs of smoke.

    Its disy screen was reflecting a 404 page tag with a snowy interference view.

    ¡°This Alphapany¡±

    Sister Concrete covered her eyes, her head aching terribly, and said:

    ¡°What¡¯s their origin? Damn, I¡¯ll have to add another item to this month¡¯s equipment loss.¡±

 Chapter 86:

    ¡°Ah¡±

    A low groan sounded from inside the tent, and Maxim, who had been unconscious for an entire day, finally opened his eyes after the intertwining nightmares receded.

    The loyal servant¡¯s body was covered in sweat, even soaking through the linen undershirt, but as his consciousness awakened, the wounds that should have existed on his body had already healed considerably.

    At the very least, it would no longer affect his movements.

    This abnormal self-healing came from the hidden potential that began to be unleashed from his physical body afterpleting the ck Iron trial, truly allowing this tempered body to shed its mediocrity and begin to step into the ranks of transcendent power.

    For a warrior, this was only the most insignificant change.

    The entire journey through the ck Iron realm was about unleashing one¡¯s individual potential, and after all of one¡¯s personal potential had been fully excavated, they would naturally enter the strength trials of the White Silver Body.

    In the next stage, there would naturally be new and more difficult goals to achieve, but that was not something a ck Iron-level warrior needed to consider.

    The system of power levels summarized by the elves was not just a few random cool and edgy names, each stage had things that must be aplished at that stage.¡°It seems you¡¯ve recovered well.¡±

    Just as Maxim sat up from the bed, Murphy¡¯s voice suddenly came from the shadows of the tent, causing the loyal servant to immediately stand up.

    But as the de cut through the wind, an exquisite, sturdy, spirit-tempered and ebony-adorned tomb ritual ck de was handed to him.

    Maxim¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.

    He immediately recognized this ck de as Jed¡¯s sidearm, with Jed¡¯s personal emblem still on the hilt, so it could be called the ¡°Jed¡¯s de¡± for now.

    But this de was now in Lord Murphy¡¯s hands, so¡­

    ¡°Jed and I havee to an agreement, Maxim, although the process was not ¡®pleasant¡¯.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s figure stepped out from the boundary of the shadows, and he said to Maxim in a gentle tone:

    ¡°From now on, you no longer need to worry about being entangled by the past, and can finally open your arms to embrace a new and unrestrained life.

    I should congratte you, loyal one.¡±

    ¡°I too feel joy for this, Lord Murphy, and I congratte you on your brilliant victory as well!¡±

    Maxim epted the tomb guard¡¯s ritual ck de with an open heart and without psychological burden. He had already paid back what belonged to Jed.

    He looked at Lord Murphy standing before him with an elegant smile and demeanor, and then sensed from the change in Murphy¡¯s aura that he too had just gone through a trial like Maxim¡¯s and emerged victorious.

    Combined with the relic belonging to Jed in his hand, it wasn¡¯t hard to deduce who Murphy had chosen as the target for his Trial of Strength.

    Befitting of Lord Murphy!

    Maxim marveled inwardly. To use a Silver-realm enemy as a stepping stone to enter a new realm,pared to the small victory he had achieved, it was hardly worth mentioning.

    ¡°Perhaps I should also fulfill my promise to you.¡±

    Standing at the boundary of the shadows, Murphy looked at the¡¾1/3¡¿blood covenant number on his character card and said to Maxim:

    ¡°I have gained new power and can transform you into a midnight being like myself, leading you to tread the path of eternity. But I hope you can wait a little longer, Maxim.

    The weakness stemming from Tris¡¯s bloodline has still not been properly resolved.

    But I think, after we tread the Blood Vulture Halls and thoroughly eliminate those lurking in the darkness, this trivial problem will also be resolved.¡±

    He paused, emphasizing as he spoke to the silent Maxim:

    ¡°I want to give you the best, for your deeds deserve the best!¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lord, I obey your will.¡±

    Maxim bowed his body and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°I have already entrusted my soul, persona, and will to you. My fate should also be decided by you, and all I need to do is to keep swinging my sword for you, cutting down those enemies obstructing your great cause.

    Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°I have no doubt about this.¡±

    Murphy smiled, sping his hands behind his back as he said to the servant he trusted most, second only to Tris:

    ¡°Now, get dressed ande with me to the city.

    I need to create my own tomb badge, and you will assist and learn the process. That way, once youplete the initial embrace and be one of us, you can immediately receive that boon of midnight power.¡±

    ¡°It is my honor, my lord.¡±

    Maxim smiled in the darkness.

    After Murphy left, he immediately got up and changed out of the soaked linen robe, deftly donning the padded armor underneath.

    As he was about to put on the tattered chainmail, he noticed a set of cleaned tomb guard¡¯s leather armorid out on the table in the tent.

    This was clearly also part of Jed¡¯s ¡°inheritance¡±.

    Representing the high-quality spirit garment that the tailors and artisans of the Blood Vulture n could produce, the luxurious and obscure Blood Vulture crest was spread all over the armor.

    Only the patriarch¡¯s personal guards were qualified to wear such armor, its very existence being a reward for loyalty.

    Maxim flexed his fingers, not rejecting Murphy¡¯s generosity.

    He donned the armor properly, then took the vampire mask beside him and put it on his face, concealing his inhuman features and hiding himself under this ck light armor. He also equipped Jed¡¯s ritual ck de and attached his own spirit poison de ¡°Ambition and Dreams¡± to the other side of his weapon belt.

    The Blood Vulture Sword Arts included dual-wielding techniques, which Maxim was proficient in.

    ¡°Not bad, you have the air of a strong one now.¡±

    As the loyal servant stepped out of the tent, he received praise and affirmation from Murphy.

    A deepugh came from behind the mask as Maxim said in a pleased tone:

    ¡°Still iparable to you, my lord. You have begun transforming from a formidable warrior into a great ruler. This is no ttery.¡±

    ¡°I seriously doubt the ck Iron trial first unleashed the potential of your silver tongue. You were never this talkative before.¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes, waving his hand forward.

    The master and servant swiftly disappeared into the night, leaving the survivor¡¯s camp still under curfew. Both had entered the ck Iron realm, and their movement speed had increased significantly with the growth of their power.

    Ten minutester, they arrived in the still ash-covered ruins of Kadman City. The slightly winded Maxim looked up toward the inner city, and after a few seconds, he said in a low voice in the dim night:

    ¡°The obstruction there has been removed, my lord. We can enter now.¡±

    ¡°We can, but there¡¯s no need.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t even look at that ¡°new map¡±, saying:

    ¡°Let the Witch Hunters explore the path first.

    Over the next two days, we have many things to busy ourselves with. Though I don¡¯t want to dampen your enthusiasm, the fact is, we have once again reached the brink where we must struggle to survive.

    The old troubles have just been resolved, but new troubles are already on the way.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that just the constant nature of your turbulent life, my lord?¡±

    Maxim followed behind Murphy, joking:

    ¡°Since knowing you, I haven¡¯t had any easy victories or easy survivals, but that¡¯s actually a good thing.

    Without pressure, where does strengthe from?¡±

    ¡°Your optimistic attitude is really great. Can you tell me where you bought it? I¡¯d like to get a few pounds for myself, to keep my precarious sanity from being destroyed by the terrible pressure.¡±

    Murphy smirked.

    He walked through the ash-covered city ruins, gripping the Ebony Stone gifted by the youngdy to use his heightened night senses to search for theirs permeated by the aura of death.

    The job title ¡°Tomb Guard¡± itself contained the word ¡°tomb¡±, fully proving that this advanced job¡¯s power came from death under the midnight hour. Therefore, the job change process had to bepleted in ces saturated with the atmosphere of death.

    It was a profession with the ominous vampire characteristic, with even the job change process being enough to chill one to the bone.

    ¡°Found it!¡±

    A few minutester, Murphy detected an area where the aura of death was abnormally concentrated.

    It was even colder and more chilling than the graveyard outside the city, and it was right under Murphy and Maxim¡¯s feet, or more precisely, in the dark area deep beneath the city.

    In the sewers.

    ¡°My lord, this ce is too filthy!¡±

    Seeing Murphy about to lift the manhole cover at their feet and jump down, Maxim immediately stepped forward to stop him:

    ¡°Even when the city still existed, the sewers were notorious as a den of filth and depravity. I can hardly imagine how much unspeakable human disaster has umted down there after the cmity.

    An esteemed one such as yourself should not set foot in this ce. Why don¡¯t we go to the graveyard outside the city instead?

    Or find an already perished vige?¡±

    ¡°Dignity means nothing before strength, Maxim. Besides, time! We don¡¯t have that much time to be picky.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t mind the sewers¡¯ filth.

    In fact, he could even guess that the environment of Kadman City¡¯s sewers wouldn¡¯t be that bad, because as Maxim said, even when the city still existed, the intricate sewer area was already notorious as a den of filth and depravity.

    Various evil forces operated in the sewers, and they would create their own undergroundirs.

    This meant that it wasn¡¯t actually that dirty there.

    At most, it was just a bit run-down.

    Murphy had visited the underground ck markets before. Kadman City previously had many such areas upied by underground gangs, and those ces were generally located in the sewers.

    The vampires in the city all knew about the existence of the ck markets, yet no one wanted to shut them down. During the most difficult periods of the war, even the vampires had to obtain some living supplies through the underground ck markets.

    This was the Blood Vultures¡¯ territory, and the original sin of the Blood Vultures was desire. From those two words alone, one could imagine how frenzied these Descendants of Desire could be when indulging themselves. It was fortunate that this world had no faith of debauchery, otherwise the Blood Vulture vampires would absolutely be among the first batch to be corrupted.

    Thinking about it this way, it seemed even Murphy felt his ¡°kinsmen¡± had gone too far with their desires.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The vampire nimbly jumped into the vertical shaft leading to the sewers, with Maxim following closely behind.

    The twonded steadily in the dim passage after dropping nearly five meters, and guided by the aura of death, proceeded one after the other toward the area ahead without a single point of light.

    ¡°Poof¡±

    Maxim took out a small gasntern containing tinder and lit the torches ced on both sides of the ancient sewer walls along the way.

    They walked in this narrow, dark ce, still able to hear the sound of flowing water.

    ¡°The underground water system is still active, that¡¯s good news.¡±

    Murphy walked in the darkness without feeling fear, instead having a sense of reassurance. Ignoring the foul smell around him, he said to the alert Maxim gripping his sword behind him:

    ¡°Although Tris and the youngdy have exined to me that the Astral shadows in the outer city are not enough to pollute the groundwater, it still puts me at ease to ensure that my subjects will not have to worry about fetching water in our future base of operations.¡±

    ¡°They should be grateful for your concern.¡±

    Maxim responded:

    ¡°I have not seen any esteemed vampire care about such trivial matters. This alone proves that you will certainly be a wise ruler, my lord.

    You possess a benevolence that other vampiresck. It is a supreme virtue.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m now confirmed that the first potential unleashed in you was indeed your silver tongue, Maxim. Perhaps after we establish our power, I should give you the nickname ¡®Smooth-Talking Max¡¯.

    In the following decades, this nickname might just be a term specifically referring to tterers in the Transia region.¡±

    Murphy snorted, causing the trailing Maxim tough deeply once more.

    But then, as they passed through the narrow passage and entered the area where the aura of death was concentrated, Murphy and Maxim almost simultaneously drew their weapons.

    Before their eyes was clearly a three-dimensional rectangr space that had been excavated by human effort over a long period of time, simr to arge ¡°underground ck market¡± area, with nearly a hundred corpses strewn about haphazardly.

    Their deaths were tragic, both men and women.

    There were even some teenagers.

    Their attire didn¡¯t resemble the gangsters who would wander and gather in the sewers. They were just ordinary civilians who had taken refuge in the sewers after the Kadman City disaster.

    But they had failed to escape death.

    ¡°Spawns of despair and Astral beasts, my lord.¡±

    Maxim went forward to examine the mangled bodies that had crawled out farthest, resting his spirit poison de as he said in a low voice:

    ¡°These people must have emanated too much despair in the darkness, attracting those monsters. This narrow space left them with nowhere to escape, only to face a desperate ughter here.

    As for those beasts¡­perhaps alligators? Or some kind of amphibian.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no longer here.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s vampire senses allowed him to discern more details in the darkness. He said:

    ¡°It left at least three days ago. There¡¯s no trace of its presence within my perception range. Perhaps the great fire that burned the surface drove it into hiding deeper underground, or it may have already returned to the Astral Realm.¡±

    His gaze swept over the corpses in this three-dimensional area, seeing the despair on the decaying faces, and after a few seconds, he shook his head and said:

    ¡°How tragic, we were a step toote.¡±

    ¡°This is not your fault, my lord. You and your warriors have done enough.¡±

    Maxim immediately reassured:

    ¡°They fled into the sewers, and were difficult to locate under the cover of the Astral shadows.¡±

    ¡°No, Maxim, I¡¯m not as fragile as you think.¡±

    Murphy shook his head, his tone low as he said:

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about how many bodies like this are in the entire sewer system? Three thousand? Five thousand? No, originally there were at least a hundred thousand people living in the outer city, but we only rescued over a thousand. Excluding those unlucky masses swept into the Astral Realm, the number of people who died in the sewers is bound to be high enough to make you despair.

    What I¡¯m worried about now is that as the Astral energy fades, the spirit energy in this ce will recover. Just imagine the death horrors that could be spawned by so many tragic deaths, it makes one¡¯s hair stand on end.

    Each person is a potential ghoul, and Kadman City had countless locations used by gangs for hiding bodies from their crimes.¡±

    He sighed, looking toward the maze-like underground tunnels before them.

    Gripping his sword, he said:

    ¡°A ghoul nest and resentful spirit tomb shrouding the entire outer city is forming. Just the number of ghouls alone is conservatively estimated to be no less than ten thousand.

    I dare say, Maxim, the sewers beneath our territory will absolutely be thergest and most terrifyingir of evil spirits ever formed on this continent.

    Afterward, ah, my warriors will likely be quite busy.¡±

 Chapter 87:

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    After hearing Murphy¡¯s concern, Maxim¡¯s expression also became unpleasant. As someone born in the Transia region, he had seen no shortage of ominous tales since childhood.

    This closed and ruggednd was nevercking in ghost stories of this kind.

    Including but not limited to ghouls that would crawl out of graves at night to feast on the remains of the dead, resentful spirits that would possess the bodies of the unfortunate and shred their souls to devour them, and midnight vampire visitors that would quietly arrive on some ill-omened night, among others.

    Compared to these horrifying beings, the werewolf bandits roaming the mountains and hills, robbing homes, and the dog-headed petty thieves always craving candles seemed so tame.

    In other regions, werewolf and various beasts might be considered dangerous, but in the hauntednd of Transia, they had no standing whatsoever.

    They were at the very bottom of the dark creatures¡¯ food chain, not even feared by children over ten years old.

    This was not a bad thing.

    At the very least, it tempered the notorious thick skin and ruggedness of the Transian people, allowing even farmers to dare wield pitchforks against ghouls stealing their livestock.But the problem was, if the numbers of these creatures reached the thousands or tens of thousands, that would be a full-blown super disaster that no pitchfork could solve.

    ¡°Master, I think we might want to change our camping spot.¡±

    Watching Murphy ce the Ebony Stone amid the corpses, preparing to absorb the death spirit essence andplete the job change ritual, Maxim suggested in a low voice:

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m not scared!

    Master, as long as you give the word, I¡¯ll stand guard here and y every ghoul and resentful spirit I see. But I¡¯m not afraid only because I¡¯m used to death. Our people can¡¯t deal with this horrific ghoul nest under our feet.

    For the sake of your reign, perhaps we should move the survivor camp away from here.

    I mean, to a nearby vige.

    Like Mond Vige.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you, Maxim. Remember that big pit my warriors dug in Mond Vige?¡±

    Murphy turned his head and looked at Maxim with an odd expression, saying:

    ¡°The Witch Hunters just told me they had a ghoul outbreak there too. They had to blow up half the vige to seal that nest. But those ghostly things can hibernate for at least three years without food or water, so while we¡¯re clearing out the underground troubles in Kadman City, we¡¯ll also have to send people to deal with those things.

    And the Smuggler¡¯s Woods too.

    You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you?

    There are two hundred veteran corpses there. Those well-trained elites left unburied could spawn something even more troublesome than ghouls, like a skeleton army.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this!¡±

    Maxim was speechless for a moment.

    He was feeling more and more that outsiders¡¯ aversion and prejudice towards the Transia region wasn¡¯t unfounded. Even as a local, he was starting to think his homnd was a veritable hauntednd.

    How was it just like a dpidated house, leaking everywhere?

    But if you tried to kick it, a bunch of flirtatious vampires would jump out and gangbang you.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much about it. Let¡¯s just get the task at hand done first.¡±

    Murphy had ced the Ebony Stone and stepped back, drawing the de of the Desire n. He took out the alchemical sword oil made by Tris and lightly applied ayer to the de. Upon contact with the spirit essence in the air, the oil imbued with special materials immediately began releasing warm sparks of light, as if the weapon had been temporarily enchanted with a burning effect.

    It would be most suitable for dealing with the resentful spirits and ghosts that would appear shortly.

    He tossed a bottle of the alchemical sword oil to Maxim, who caught it and applied ayer to Jed¡¯s ritual ck de as well.

    There was no need for the spirit venom de, though.

    Precious spirit weapons were already capable of harming spiritual bodies.

    ¡°The Ebony Stone can absorb the death essence of spiritual bodies and store it. Once it¡¯s full of essence, adding fresh blood allows thepletion of the tomb badge.

    This isn¡¯t just the symbol of a Tomb Guard¡¯s identity, it¡¯s also the medium for their spellcasting.

    By absorbing and storing death energies through the tomb badge, Tomb Guards can imbue their sword skills with dark or death spirit essence during attacks, enhancing their destructive power.¡±

    As Murphy prepared to deal with the enemy, he exined to the watchful Maxim beside him:

    ¡°As the Blood Vulture n¡¯s exclusive elite unit, Tomb Guards are simr to the spirit knights the Circle Tower sent charging into the fray during the Ten Year War, masters wielding both physical and spirit martial arts simultaneously.

    But their greatest strength lies in using the tomb badge to designate the enhancement of certain skills.

    Like Jed.

    That guy enhanced his sword skills to unleash lethal energy sword waves, but unfortunately, his tomb badge was destroyed by the sunlight¡¯s burning.¡±

    Maxim immediately picked up on the disdain in Murphy¡¯s words and asked:

    ¡°You mean Jed used the Tomb Guard¡¯s power incorrectly?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say it was wrong.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s ears twitched.

    He heard faint moans rising from the surrounding horrifically in corpses, making him aware that the Ebony Stone¡¯s death summons had begun.

    He took the starting stance of the Tomb Guard sword art and said to Maxim:

    ¡°The ordinary person¡¯s idea is to either enhance offense or defense, which is a decent approach but too mediocre.

    In my view, the greatest advantage of a hybrid job like the Tomb Guard lies in versatility. In realbat, no matter how strong your attacks are, they¡¯re useless if you can¡¯t hit the enemy.

    So if it were me,

    I would use the power of death to enhance my control skills, thereby firmly grasping the initiative in battle.

    Here theye!¡±

    ¡°Swish swish swish¡±

    Following Murphy¡¯s warning, streams of eerie green spectral shadows surged out from the surrounding corpses.

    They all had vague humanoid forms but no sense of tangibility, like oddly colored stic bags floating around, letting out death shrieks that could attack the mind whileshing out with icy ghost ws at the oblivious intruders before them.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Murphy raised his left hand, his proficient Spirit st ¨C Raging Gale striking the sky. Thepressed dark spirit essence burst out like a shotgun st, deterring the onught of resentful spirits and allowing him to step forward, shing his de in a flurry to pierce through several ghostly bodies.

    They let out chilling wails as they tried to return to the corpse piles and reconstitute their spiritual forms, only to be devoured by the gaping Ebony Stones on the ground.

    Within those night-like brilliant crystals, green specks of light appeared.

    ¡°At least sixty!¡±

    Murphy said to Maxim:

    ¡°The production of tomb badges also has quality levels. The rich youngdy¡¯s casually provided Ebony Stone is extremely pure, meaning it can absorb more death essence. Consider this some sword practice while taking care of a minor trouble for our future territory, Maxim.

    y every resentful spirit spawned from these corpses, then burn this ce down.

    My warriors will need a foothold when they enter the maze-like sewerster. I think this spot is quite suitable to be their ¡®underground save point¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Is that some otherworldly term, Master?.¡±

    As Maxim swung his twin des to continuously y enemies, he asked:

    ¡°Perhaps you could exin it in terms I¡¯m familiar with? I never understand the strange words your warriors like to use. They like to call me ¡®baimao¡¯, which I feel is some kind of insult.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a term of endearment for you.¡±

    Murphy dodged the resentful spirits¡¯ ghost w strikes shing towards him with graceful, agile dark strides as he said in a rxed tone:

    ¡°They call Miriam ¡®redhead¡¯, address Captain Natalie as ¡®grayhead¡¯, refer to the youngdy as ¡®rich loli¡¯, address Tris respectfully as ¡®beautifuldy¡¯, and call Adele ¡®sister E¡¯.

    They¡¯re used to addressing you all by your most obvious traits.

    Believe me, it all stems from their most sincere and passionate feelings. After all, in their circles, only the closest brothers would use nicknames to address each other.

    Hmm, this is probably what¡¯s called a cultural difference.¡±

    ¡°But they address you as ¡®handsome guy¡¯ or ¡®sir¡¯.¡±

    Maxim shrugged and responded:

    ¡°I just feel like they¡¯re treating us differently. That¡¯s not good. I care about them too and always hope they don¡¯t waste time wandering the ruins. Why not practice swordsmanship instead?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possibly because you¡¯re not generous enough?¡±

    Murphy let out a heartyugh and said:

    ¡°If you increase the rewards and bonuses you give them each time, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll quickly and respectfully address you as ¡®Sir Maxim¡¯ too, even willingly letting money and equipment blind them into adding ttering nicknames like ¡®honorable¡¯, ¡®great¡¯, ¡®handsome¡¯, and so on.

    As I said before, they¡¯re really pragmatic.

    But isn¡¯t that precisely why theye across as adorable and straightforward?¡±

    Amidst the casual banter between master and servant, nearly half of the close to one hundred resentful spirits in this underground space were quickly in. With the right counter-techniques, these things weren¡¯t hard to deal with, especially for two seasoned ck Iron-ranked swordsmen.

    This Reality Realm was always pragmatic when it came tobat power.

    Weakmoners might be resentful spirits or ghouls after death, but they wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to handle. The true threats were the former professional gang members in the sewers below.

    The undead creatures they became would be far more dangerous, not only enhanced by death spirit energies but even retaining somebat skills and tactical thinking from life.

    Like the sewer exploration previously led by Joy Stick¡¯s group, which nearly resulted in a team wipe due to two water ghouls utilizing ¡°terrain killing¡± tactics.

    Fortunately, Murphy¡¯s tomb badge only required death essence, which arose from the convergence of death spirit energies with no hierarchy.

    About twenty minutester, thest resentful spirit was shot dead by Murphy¡¯s hand crossbow, and the entire chilly underground area quickly fell silent and calm.

    Maxim took out fire oil from his spirit bag to prepare for burning, while Murphy picked up the nowpletely green-hued Ebony Stone from the ground.

    Ice-cold to the touch like gripping a thousand-year frost, the item¡¯s information tag also rapidly popped up before Murphy¡¯s eyes:

    Name: Death Stone / Ebony Stone Full of Essence

    Effect: Excellent alchemical material and Tomb Guard job change item. Please add fresh blood toplete spirit binding and resonance.

    Item Description:

    ¡¾For some particr vampires, they always like to make their tomb badges look luxurious and intricate, engraving them with useless mottos and runes that do nothing but look good.

    But in reality, even a poop-shaped stone can still be called a tomb badge.

    The essence of power is truly this unadorned.¡¿

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m too sensitive, but I always feel like you¡¯re implying something. Although I¡¯m not too particr about these things, I wouldn¡¯t make my tomb badge poop-shaped either. That would be a bit too ¡®avant-garde¡¯ for a young vampire like me.¡±

    Murphy pursed his lips, took out the alchemical engraving knife supplied by Tris from his spirit pack, and trimmed the icy Ebony Stone in his hand with a few swishes, shaping it into a decent diamond snowke form.

    This was good enough.

    If he really wanted to add some artistic processing, he could take it back to Tris for some decorative embellishments. As a Grandmaster Alchemist, Tris was quite dexterous with her hands.

    Hmm, he felt that praise sounded a bit odd too.

    Murphy shook his head, pushing the strange thoughts from his mind, then bit his finger and dripped his sticky red blood into the icy Ebony Stone.

    The death spirit essence within immediately resonated with his blood drop, this blood connection then applying itself to Murphy in the next second.

    ¡°Shua¡±

    A prompt popped up before his eyes:

    ¡¾Tomb badge bindingplete, death spirit energy pool unlocked!

    User is a Blood Vulture n member, user has mastered Tomb Guard sword arts to ¡®Proficient¡¯. Tomb Guard job change conditions met, change job yes/no?¡¿

    ¡°Confirm.¡±

    Murphy said in a low voice in his heart. Then a long string of prompts appeared before his eyes:

    ¡¾Tomb Guard job change begins.

    Level 10 base job ¡®Blood Vulture Swordsman¡¯ reced by Level 1 advanced job ¡®Tomb Guard¡¯.

    Tomb Guard sword art mastery cap increased from¡¾Master¡¿to¡¾Grandmaster¡¿.

    Destructive power of Tomb Guard sword arts increased.

    In terrain with ample dark/death spirit energy, life and spirit recovery speed increases and temporary strength, agility, and perception bonuses are gained.

    New talent¡¾Death Assault¡¿acquired!

    Each of your attacks will inflict¡¾Breath of Death¡¿on the enemy, weakening their strength and reaction while dealing minor mental shock damage.

    New talent¡¾Death Summon¡¿acquired!

    Upon enteringbat, each corpse you kill can temporarily summon a resentful spirit to join the fight. The spirits disappear after battle ends.

    Note!

    This is a passive skill that consumes death essence from the tomb badge with each trigger. It will not function when the death essence is depleted.

    The summoned resentful spirits retain half their strength from life, capped at the summoner¡¯s rank, and maintainbat experience and tactics.

    New talent¡¾Essence Devour¡¿acquired!

    Allows you to extract death essence from corpses or tombs to replenish your spirit energy pool.

    Note!

    This is a passive skill that cannot affect the living or constructs.

    New skill¡¾Death Enhancement¡¿acquired!

    Allows you to enhance one of your skills with death spirit energy ording to your design, extending it with different effects. This enhancement can only affect one currently mastered skill and scales with skill proficiency.¡¿

    ¡°This is exactly what I wanted!¡±

    Murphy smiled and casually applied the Death Enhancement from the Tomb Guard job to his Spirit st skill. He then extended his left hand and threw a Spirit st ¨C Bind towards the nearby pile of corpses.

    In the next instant, to Maxim¡¯s astonishment, those corpses were hoisted into the air as if bound by an invisible noose around their necks. As Murphy released more dark spirit energy, cracking sounds rang out from their throats and spines.

    ¡°The youngdy gave this move a name ¨C ¡®Midnight Noose¡¯.¡±

    Murphy stood beside the hanged corpses, stroking his chin as he said to Maxim:

    ¡°But I always felt that name was too artsy. ¡®Primordial Force Bind¡¯ or ¡®Primordial Force Strangle¡¯ sounds much better. Ah, nevermind, let¡¯s just call it ¡®Death¡¯s Grasp¡¯.

    Incidentally, in memory of my departed youth.¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand what your youth experienced, Master, I must admit this name does have gravitas.¡±

    Maxim ttered him from the side before igniting the gasmp to set the oil-doused corpses aze, the dark sewers lit up by roaring mes.

    Murphy watched as the mes consumed the corpses, reducing them to scattered ashes.

    Amidst the crackling of the dancing mes, he murmured:

    ¡°As an ipetent lord, I cannot give you precious lives, but I can allow you dignified deaths. Rest now, people not my own. Perhaps lingering with resentment among these ruins, you will eventually see the living rebuild an even grander city upon thisnd.

    And then, you shall disperse all resentment and depart in contentment.

    I firmly believe this.¡±

 Chapter 88:

    Vengeful spirits are traditional ¡°ghosts¡± in a sense.

    They are tormented by the despair and pain at the time of their death, unable to rest in peace, yet they crave that rest.

    This conflict in their form of existence causes these vengeful spirits to be hostile towards all living beings from the moment of their birth, while viciously desiring for new souls to join them in experiencing the same suffering.

    Vengeful spirits are difficult to deal with.

    They have no physical form, making them hard to harm with bullets and des unless using spirit energy or mes. For more advanced spirits that retain all their intelligence but still hate the living, even mes may not be very effective.

    Another threat from vengeful spirits is that these things never appear alone.

    They are born in the ruins of massacres or ancient, long-neglected tombs, and once they appear, it¡¯s absolutely arge group, meaning you have to face the soul-hunting pursuit of over 20 vengeful spirits at once.

    With such numbers, just the aura of death from the vengeful spirits piling up would cover the ground in an ominous white frost, while their shrill cries could make even veteran human soldiers tremble in terror.

    But Murphy is a vampire!Whether on the ¡°Dark Creature Power Rankings¡±, the ¡°Notorious Entities Rankings¡±, or the ¡°Most Reviled by Other Life Forms Rankings¡±, their race ranks far higher than vengeful spirits.

    As the saying goes!

    Even among evil beings, there are levels of evil.

    When Murphy and Maxim emerged from the sewers, it was already dawn, and there were even diligent little yers moving about and scavenging on the ash-covered streets.

    And in front of Murphy as he poked his head out of the sewers, Sister Pomegranate stood gaping at him.

    Her expression showed that Murphy¡¯s ¡°popping in and out¡± here had left quite a psychological scar on this graceful youngdy. It seems that even a handsome vampire like the great Murphy isn¡¯t dashing 24/7.

    He crawls into sewers too?

    Wait!

    If even the great Murphy crawls into sewers, doesn¡¯t that mean there must be a lot of good ces worth scavenging in the underground areas?

    Sister Pomegranate¡¯s eyes lit up.

    She felt that her clever and beautiful self had discovered another incredible hidden clue.

    ¡°Ahem¡±

    Seeing Sister Pomegranate¡¯s expression, Murphy knew what this little yer was thinking.

    He climbed out in a dashing pose, dusted himself off, and summoned a dark spirit wind to swirl around him and Maxim, dispelling the unpleasant odors from their bodies.

    Only then did he speak to the Sister Pomegranate in front of him, who was holding a bup sack ready to begin her daily scavenging:

    ¡°I have just conducted a reconnaissance of the city¡¯s sewer system, my beautiful warrior. The situation is not optimistic! The ebbing of the Astral Shadows means new dangers are emerging. On any other day, I would ask you brave ones to help my subjects deal with those dark threats, but now is not the time.

    You still need further practice to adapt to more dangerous situations, and now I require you to immediately proceed to the Witch Hunters¡¯ camp for their training and evaluation.¡±

    As he spoke, Murphy rummaged through his spirit bag, took out paper and pen, scribbled something down, and handed it to Sister Pomegranate, saying meaningfully:

    ¡°You are one of the few warriors I value most. Your precious time should not be wasted exploring ruins. Go now, Lady Pomegranate, and create your own miracle.¡±

    With that, Murphy strode off into the dawn with Maxim, sessfully diverting Sister Pomegranate¡¯s attention from the fact that he had just crawled out of the sewers.

    Meanwhile, Sister Pomegranate clutched the ¡°letter of introduction¡± in her hand and stared wide-eyed at the quest that had just triggered before her:

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¡®The Great Murphy¡¯s Favor¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: It seems your outstanding performance has caught the Great Murphy¡¯s attention. He has identified you as a warrior of potential and personally written you a letter of rmendation. Hurry to the Witch Hunters¡¯ camp and report in.

    Note!

    With ¡°Murphy¡¯s Letter of Rmendation¡±, you can skip the apprentice evaluation at the Witch Hunters¡¯ camp and directly seek tutge from the formidable White Knight Sir Finoch Lawson.

    Quest Objective: Trigger andplete the Trial of Strength: ck Iron Body within the shortest time (15 days) to not disappoint the Great Murphy¡¯s high regard for you.

    Quest Reward: Reputation with Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, Blood Vulture n, Survivor Camp, and the favor of the Great Murphy.¡¿

    ¡°???¡±

    Sister Pomegranate was utterly baffled.

    Didn¡¯t the veteran yers say hidden quests were difficult to trigger? Why had she already triggered three in less than five days since starting the game? Was it because the others had ugly faces?

    ¡°Little Pomegranate, where are you? My two friends and I are online now. We¡¯re at the ruins frontline, want to join us?¡±

    Just as Sister Pomegranate was about to leave, her yer interfacemunications suddenly lit up, and she saw the cheerful message from Lumina.

    Because she had to meet new friends to y together today, this poor little girl who usually had to stay upte due to time differences had broken her routine and logged in during the day.

    ¡°I¡¯lle find you guys.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate still valued her clever new friend very much.

    She skipped along, turning to run towards the frontline, and sent a message to Lumina:

    ¡°Oh my gosh, I just saw the Great Murphy and Maxim crawling out of the sewers, and then to avoid embarrassment he gave me a hidden quest!

    Tsk, the incurable pride of men.¡±

    ¡°??? Was it ¡®The Great Murphy¡¯s Favor¡¯?¡±

    Lumina immediately replied:

    ¡°You got that quest too? It popped up right when I logged in. I asked in the group, and it¡¯s not just you and me, all 16 veteran yers from the first test batch got it, but so far from the second batch it seems only you have.

    But the Great Murphy crawling into sewers and stuff, are you sure? Would such a dashing and elegant NPC do that? Don¡¯t lie to me!¡±

    ¡°No way, I took photos as proof!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sent a sly grin emoji, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ll post them on the forumter!¡±

    ¡°Crack¡±

    Murphy, who had by now returned to the frontline, darkly crushed the apple in his hand.

    Having obviously screen-peeked and seen the chat log between Sister Pomegranate and Lumina, he then took out a handkerchief, elegantly wiped his hand, and produced a small ck notebook.

    ¡°Spreading ckmail material about me, huh?¡±

    The Great Murphy narrowed his eyes, cursing inwardly:

    ¡°I advise you to be good, little Pomegranate! If I really see that damn photo on the forum, be ready to be a member of the ¡®ckhand Gang¡¯!¡±

    On the other side, below Kadman City¡¯s frontline, this area hadpletely be a safe zone.

    Not only was there Lady Tris¡¯ alchemy workshop, but also a supply point from the Survivor Camp. A few cksmiths and tailors had been dispatched here by Miriam, specifically to provide equipment repairs and resupply for the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and the Great Murphy¡¯s warriors active in the city ruins.

    Also, because yers had scavenged massive amounts of money from the ruins with nowhere to spend it, leaving them with no real concept of its value, the ¡°NPCs¡± stationed here were all raking it in hand over fist.

    Naturally, their attitudes towards the little yers were extremely friendly. Even if they couldn¡¯t understand their words, normal transactions could be handled through gestures.

    ¡°Wow, this apple tastes exactly like in reality, and that crisp texture, how is that possible? Wuuu, I feel like I¡¯ve really been transported!

    My childhood dream hase true in this way!

    Mom, Dad, I¡¯m not going back to that boring reality!¡±

    Next to Lumina, an adorable, short girl in beginner gear was munching on some apples.

    She had a cute round face and a lively, energetic ponytail. Just her height was quite unfortunate, probably the shortest of all the current yers.

    At most 155 cm tall.

    This was ¡°Sword Saint Ashina¡±, one of the two lucky ones from Lumina¡¯s private social group who got test slots. Her name alone showed this girl yed dangerously.

    And next to her was a tall, long-legged girl.

    Her features were much prettier than Lumina¡¯s or Ashina¡¯s, at least 178 cm tall, about the same height as the striding Sister Pomegranate. Compared to the energetic Ashina still marveling at the realism of the game, the seasoned traveler ¡°Fatal Orchid Huahua¡± appeared much moreposed.

    She observed the various fruits the NPC had arranged in a basket, studying the overly detailed facial expressions of the NPCs around her.

    Finally, her gaze settled on the ruins of Kadman City, now bathed in sunlight again after the Astral Shadows had receded.

    ¡°Typical medieval style, with different functional areas spreading out from the castle as the center. The towering city walls were to prevent enemy invasions and better protect the lord¡¯s property. The lower city housedmoners and shops, while the upper city was structured into different residential areas based on hierarchy of power.

    It¡¯s practically identical to some European ruins.

    No, this is evidently even more logical!

    Damn!

    Why no camera!

    These photos would be enough for me to get a good few frence deals.¡±

    Orchid murmured to herself, prompting Ashina, who had finished her apples and taken up a handful of malt candies, to roll her eyes, thinking the traveler¡¯s upational habit was showing again.

    ¡°Yo, two new friends, how are you both!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate came running up, first hugging Lumina tightly and vigorously ruffling her silky long hair, amid thetter¡¯s shrieks, then greeting the other two new friends.

    The gathering of four girls naturally drew the attention of the other 18 people who had entered the game this time, but no one came over to chat.

    This wasn¡¯t reality, so there was no urgency for flirting or anything.

    This batch of 20 people inserted into the game by Murphy still employed ¡°internal rmendations.¡±

    However, unlikest time, Murphy did not include any rmendation slots from the original veteran yers this time.

    They already showed a tendency to form cliques. While some healthypetition was good, Murphy currently needed to deal with the Blood Vulture Passage issue, so he couldn¡¯t let the little yers waste time on jealousy and infighting.

    ¡°So you¡¯re little Pomegranate?¡±

    Orchid looked Sister Pomegranate up and down, her gaze finally resting on thetter¡¯s buxom chest as she muttered:

    ¡°Where is she small?¡±

    ¡°Yo, hello there, little Pomegranate. I¡¯m¡­ahem, can¡¯t use real names in-game, alright, just call me Ashina.¡±

    The petite girl was quite outgoing, immediately shaking Sister Pomegranate¡¯s hand, but her 155cm height meant she had to look up to see Pomegranate¡¯s pretty face, which annoyed her a bit.

    The next second, though, Sister Pomegranate let go of Lumina and scooped up Ashina, giving her a fright as her legs kicked in the air.

    ¡°Wow, this littledy is so cute!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate eximed wide-eyed:

    ¡°So the smarter the brain, the prettier the face that grows from it? Those doll-like strange eye colors, hey, cutie, are you mixed race?¡±

    ¡°Put me down! You weirdo strong woman!¡±

    Ashina yelled fiercely, prompting Sister Pomegranate to shrug and set her down. Lumina immediately exined:

    ¡°Ashina¡¯s family is settled domestically now, but don¡¯t underestimate her. This girl¡¯s marksmanship is really formidable, probably because her mother has Texas blood and they actually have a farm, so it¡¯s a family tradition of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡±

    Hiding behind Lumina, Ashina squinted her eyes, made a finger gun gesture at Sister Pomegranate and mimicked firing sounds. This mischievous personality made Sister Pomegranate even more pleased.

    This was the kind of teammate she wanted.

    ¡°And this one? Not going to introduce her?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate turned to Orchid.

    No need for Lumina¡¯s introduction here, as Orchid stuck out her hand openly to Sister Pomegranate:

    ¡°Just call me Orchid. I¡¯m a photographer. Heard you want to join our little group? I don¡¯t mind, the others probably don¡¯t either. We all hope for fresh blood, but Sister Concrete isn¡¯t very approachable.

    She¡¯s the group leader, and currently has no ns to enter the game.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, do I need an interview?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate scratched her head, saying:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I fly over to you guys? Getting leave from this new job is pretty convenient.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯te, awoo.¡±

    Ashina gestured seriously:

    ¡°Orchid is traveling in Antarctica, her parents won¡¯t let me and that weirdo meet. As for Sister Concrete, if you went to her, you wouldn¡¯t being back out.

    It¡¯s just on the outskirts of research, but it¡¯s still in a military restricted area, awoo~¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the group right now you can only meet me out of the seven of us.¡±

    Lumina sighed:

    ¡°I¡¯m the most useless of the seven. These girls are all hidden talents. Even the self-proimed ¡®perfect housewife¡¯ Lady Aqua has at least two bodyguards following her when she goes out to buy vegetables.

    Ah, marrying into a wealthy family is just different!

    We¡¯re all equally smart people, so why is there such a big gap in our lives?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Ashina scoffed, hugging her arms as she snarked:

    ¡°We¡¯re not as dumb as you! The average IQ of us five is 10 points higher than yours! If we count Sister Concrete, it¡¯s 15 points!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you rude little beansprout are going too far!¡±

    Lumina clenched her fist and bopped Ashina on the forehead, making her yelp and jump up. Sister Pomegranate justughed as she led the three towards the Witch Hunters¡¯ camp.

    At the frontline, Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil were ¡°lecturing¡± the newbies, really they¡¯d just taken a ¡°New Recruit Guidance¡± quest from Miss Miriam, requiring them to provide an orientation for the new yers.

    ¡°Listen up, you lot better be grateful, got it?¡±

    The veteran-looking Khaki Tony Tai, d in a slick soldier¡¯s armor and shouldering his double-ded spirit axe, clearly an elite model, shouted at the 18 little yers gathered around him:

    ¡°The newbie vige you see, theputation beads you¡¯ll soon get as yer interfaces, even the new job system you can learn right when entering the game, we senior predecessors had to painstakingly shit and piss out all that for you neers!

    So hurry up and thank your seniors!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re getting more and more outrageous, don¡¯t say such gross stuff.¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil just wanted to finish this quest quickly so he could go scout the Witch Hunters¡¯ camp.

    Rumor was they had loads of ¡°Witch Hunter self-used, 90% new¡± equipment for sale over there.

    Seeing the ranting Khaki Tony Tai about to channel his inner Underachiever Senpai, he immediately cut him off, smiling at the curious new yers:

    ¡°Come on, each take a bup sack, go scavenge the ruins, then trade that trash with Brother Dump Truck in the Survivors¡¯ Camp for some starter funds.

    Make that circle and you¡¯ll learn everything, aye aye aye! Don¡¯t grope me!

    You¡¯re a guy, I¡¯m a guy too! And I must stress, I don¡¯t like guys!¡±

    ¡°No, I just think your weapon looks really cool, glowing and all. Bro, can I touch your weapon?¡±

    ¡°No way! I traded my life for this. Don¡¯t touch the armor either! You there! Don¡¯t take off your pants, damn it! NPCs will fine you if they see!

    New yers, you don¡¯t want to start the game already in debt sweeping streets, do you?¡±

 Chapter 89:

    As soon as Meow King finished today¡¯s work and came online, he saw this batch of newbies wandering aimlessly in the ruins of Kadman City under the guidance of Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil. Whenever they encountered an NPC, they would surround it, trying to ¡°trigger¡± a quest, leaving the collectors from the survivor camps who came to gather items utterly confused.

    They had grown ustomed to the unusual enthusiasm of the warriors under Murphy¡¯smand and were no longer afraid of these people protecting them.

    But the problem was¡­

    There¡¯s really nothing!

    You tell me, as an ordinary disaster survivor, where would I have so many random things for you to help me with?

    A few days ago, I even had to ask the warriors to search for something as trivial as missing my cat, and there¡¯s nothing good I can reward you with. Now you¡¯re looking for work from me, there¡¯s really nothing!

    The NPC surrounded by the little yers looked miserable. After being pestered enough, they stopped paying any attention and turned back to their own business.

    Currently, the camp enforces abor credit system, and they must find enough resources before the end of the workday.

    Seeing that this NPC had no quests, the little yers were undeterred and continued to wander the streets, gambling their luck to see if they could find the next one.¡°What a great time to be here.¡±

    Meow King sighed like an old man on the spot.

    Back then¡­

    Well, it was just 20 days ago when they first entered the game, there was nothing at all. Even conversing with NPCs required guessing with gestures, and they couldn¡¯t even control their free game time.

    Now, new yers can directly ept quests and y, a world of difference in treatment.

    Moreover, these newbies haveputation beads to enhance their gaming experience, which he and his team had retrieved.

    ¡°Hehe, you guys should all be thanking me.¡±

    Meow King smirked and proudly leaned on his beloved Crimson Spirit Staff, hurrying towards the new NPC base, the Witch Hunter Camp, as instructed by the hidden quest ¡°Murphy¡¯s Favor.¡±

    But when he arrived, well, the 17 little yers who had survived the previous action were basically all here, and a few had alreadypleted their job changes, bing Oak Apprentices or Witch Hunter Apprentices like himself.

    However, some had not chosen to change jobs and were simply rummaging through various weapons on the carpets of a few deadpan Witch Hunters.

    His four employees and his old buddy were mixed in among them, making Meow King furious.

    He angrily went up and pped Three to Five Pecks on the shoulder, saying:

    ¡°ying games so early, I suppose the bugs you were fixing today are almost done? And you, ck Stockings, a requirement report revised three times, are you really okay with such a low-level mistake?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my fault.¡±

    The one named ck Stockings retorted defiantly:

    ¡°Just look at the requirement report I wrote, what¡¯s wrong with it? It¡¯s just those little brats nitpicking!

    I told you not to take their jobs! Low pay and too much work, why bother?

    It¡¯s not like we¡¯re really that broke.

    Why don¡¯t you take a vacation this month instead? Look at all the great new game content with this update, don¡¯t you want to experience it?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    Three to Five Pecks yawned and chimed in:

    ¡°I stayed up all night fixing those bugs, and they¡¯re running smoothly now. If those jerks nitpick again, I¡¯m quitting. It¡¯s off-hours now, Meow King, don¡¯t bother me with work.¡±

    ¡°Look, I just learned some skills from the Witch Hunters, all general skills for shielders.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, am I the boss or are you the boss?¡±

    Meow King frowned, wanting to say a few words, but then he realized his employees were right. He had indeed been out of his mind epting that brat¡¯s lousy job recently, and it was toote to regret it now.

    Then he changed the subject, leaning towards Three to Five Pecks and asking:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Witch Hunters offering job changes? Why are they teaching general skills? And where did you get this shield? It even has the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s emblem on it!¡±

    ¡°Traded with a veteran Witch Hunter, using some materials we found in the city. They definitely ripped us off, but there¡¯s no point arguing in this market.¡±

    His old buddy leaned over and exined:

    ¡°As for general skills, they teach those too. Someone just asked, and these Witch Hunters were all mercenaries or soldiers from various trades before joining the old church.

    They know some basic general skills and have skill manuals to choose from.

    I just changed to ¡®Wanderer¡¯ and got a few books. It felt like a good deal. ck Stockings learned ughter and Sunder, No Fap learned Whirlwind and Slice, and we also bought a bunch of smoke bombs and sh powder for ambushes or retreats.

    There¡¯s all kinds of stuff here. You should hurry up and change jobs too, buy some useful things for the next dungeon run.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you guys wait here. I¡¯m going to do a quest.¡±

    After understanding the general purpose of the Witch Hunter Camp, which was essentially an ¡°equipment market,¡± Meow King said a few words to his brothers and went to find Sir Finoch Lawson, the Golden Knight, to ept a quest.

    On the way, he happened to run into Sister Pomegranate and Lumina Yanghen, who were leading two newly arrived girls and browsing the weapon stalls.

    ¡°Yo, Lumina girl, aren¡¯t you going to introduce me to these twodies? Hey, why is there a middle schooler? Isn¡¯t this game R18+?¡±

    Meow King was startled when he saw Ashina.

    To his surprise, thetter grabbed a revolver from the stall and angrily turned towards Meow King, firing three shots at him in quick session, knocking off the grass wreath on his head but not hitting his skin or causing friendly fire damage.

    Most importantly, this 155cm girl didn¡¯t take the time to aim, firing three shots instantly!

    Although the distance was close, such deadly precision not only scared Meow King, but even made the deadpan Witch Hunter behind the stall blink, before drawling:

    ¡°If you used it, you have to buy it. This gun is 20 gold!¡±

    ¡°20? Why don¡¯t you just rob me?¡±

    Lumina¡¯s fur bristled when she saw the trantion on the yer interface.

    Unlike other little yers who didn¡¯t pay much attention to game prices, she was well aware of the prices at the survivor camp. Seeing this cunning Witch Hunter trying to rip them off, she immediately mmed the stall, shing the price in half.

    ¡°10 gold! Not a coin more.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡±

    To her surprise, the Witch Hunter at the stall didn¡¯t even blink before epting the deal.

    He even extended tworge bags of bullets as a bonus, leaving the nearby Fatal Orchid and Sister Pomegranate covering their eyes in despair at their teammate¡¯s ¡°bargaining genius¡± performance.

    Who knows which unfortunate soul Lumina would fleece in the future, but hopefully that person¡¯s family was well-off enough to withstand her ways.

    ¡°Middle schooler? Your whole family are middle schoolers! I¡¯m 24! Is being short my fault?¡±

    The enraged Ashina waved her gun and shouted, leaving Meow King embarrassed.

    Okay, he had to admit he was in the wrong here. A woman¡¯s age is taboo, no matter how old.

    That was an impolite question indeed~

    However, the cunning Meow King lived up to his social persona, using his Oak Apprentice status to bargain with the veteran Witch Hunter. The other party quoted 10 gold, and Meow King didn¡¯t even blink before countering with 50 silver. Through back-and-forth haggling, they settled on 2 gold, and he also bought another revolver of the same model as a gift for the Sword Saint Ashina.

    Consider it an apology and rtionship-building gesture.

    Upon receiving the gift, Ashina¡¯s mood instantly brightened, and she cheerfully chatted with Meow King.

    Meanwhile, Lumina, who had observed the whole scene, had a face as ck as a pot. She wasn¡¯t dumb, justcking somemon sense in daily life, being a student after all.

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you guys going to change jobs?¡±

    Meow King asked curiously:

    ¡°Especially you and Sister Pomegranate, these Witch Hunters definitely wouldn¡¯t reject you two for a job change, right?¡±

    ¡°Not changing.¡±

    Lumina waved her hand dismissively and stubbornly said:

    ¡°I already have a career n, and I¡¯ve got some key intel. Sister Pomegranate said she¡¯s not really interested in all this religious mumbo-jumbo, and thinks being a regr person is fine.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I was nning to wait and see if they¡¯ll open new jobs or racester.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate said with her hands on her hips:

    ¡°I suspect we might get a chance to join the vampires after the prologue ends, otherwise there¡¯s no reason to arrange Murphy as our main story NPC. From my observations, the old church faction the Witch Hunters belong to is likely in conflict with the vampires.

    It¡¯s highly probable that if you choose one, you can¡¯t choose the other.

    Although the official post clearly states that there¡¯s no strength difference between unique and regr jobs, just different ystyles, who doesn¡¯t want more choices?

    Besides, Meow King, I want to try that achievement you got too.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Achievement?¡±

    Meow King looked puzzled.

    He had been busy with work today and hadn¡¯t seen the forum announcement about the achievement system being implemented. It was only upon Lumina¡¯s reminder that he opened the achievement system in the yer interface.

    To his surprise, he found that he already had an unlocked achievement:

    ¡¾Server First! Avalon Lost Church Faction Unlocked & Power Seeker! Reward: ¡®Shadow of the Old Church¡¯ Title & Badge. P.S: This title will take effect after the title system is implemented. It will be recorded in the ¡®Hall of Fame¡¯ after that feature is opened.¡¿

    ¡°Woohoo!¡±

    Meow King immediately broke into a wide grin.

    All the unpleasant encounters of the day were cast into the clouds.

    Regardless of the achievement content, even if it was for being the first to eat poop, just having ¡°Server First¡± at the beginning was enough to make him feel prestigious.

    Plus, it came with a unique badge he could use to show off on the forums and groups, which was enough to satisfy his vanity as a man and a gamer.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so awesome, uncle! You must be a pro!¡±

    Beside him, Ashina also saw Meow King¡¯s unlocked achievement and her eyes widened as she eximed:

    ¡°You¡¯re way better than that idiot Lumina. I¡¯m really sorry for shooting at you earlier.¡±

    ¡°No worries, you have good aim, you could definitely be a sharpshooter.¡±

    The magnanimous Meow King wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against a girl ten years his junior. He picked up his green grass wreath from the ground, put it on his head, and bid farewell to the girls under their strange gazes, happily going to find the NPC.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate checked the in-game time and saw there were four hours left for the day. She said to the three girls behind her:

    ¡°We¡¯ve got all the equipment and supplies we need. Since you guys aren¡¯t nning to join the old church system, let¡¯s find a ce to practice our skills. I just learned a hand-to-hand assassination art that uses w des. Let¡¯s find some monsters to practice on.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, Murphy emerging from the sewers proves there must be something worth checking out down there. There aren¡¯t any powerful monsters left in this area, so why don¡¯t we go take a look?

    Exploring unknown areas might even trigger some quests.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! My twin guns are itching for action!¡±

    The petite Ashina excitedly pulled Lumina and Fatal Orchid forward, unable to wait any longer to im the first kill against monsters in this incredibly realistic game.

    ¡°Wait, let me pick out some more stuff for myself.¡±

    Fatal Orchid stopped her. A few minutester, Sister Pomegranate looked at Fatal Orchid with a strange expression as she strapped a heavy tower shield onto her back, and asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Hey, can you even move with that huge thing? What are your strength and endurance stats? What are your character traits?¡±

    ¡°This thing feels super safe! If you¡¯re going to explore unknown areas, you have to ensure safety first. As for my stats, strength 7, endurance 8, three character traits.¡±

    Fatal Orchid opened the yer interface and read out:

    ¡°Reducing endurance consumption by one-third, increasing health by one-fifth and life recovery rate is ¡®Freak Stamina¡¯, reducing negative status and slowing effect durations is ¡®Climbing Stride¡¯, and increasing weight limit by 50% and outdoor movement speed is ¡®Wayfarer¡¯.

    Huh?

    Why are you two looking at me like that?

    For someone who travels the world, isn¡¯t it normal to have good stamina?¡±

    ¡°Hey! Look at your stats and your three character traits! This is just ¡®good stamina¡¯?¡±

    Lumina eximed:

    ¡°You stamina monster! A natural tank, who would have thought such a slender frame could be so durable? I think I know why you¡¯ve been single all this time.¡±

    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re making an innuendo, but I have no proof! Please continue with such vulgar humor, but don¡¯t let me catch you, or you¡¯re dead!

    And I¡¯m not single for those damn reasons!¡±

    Fatal Orchid frowned and shrugged, saying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, monster hunting. Let me see how realistic this game¡¯sbat system really is. Ah, it¡¯s been several months since Ist had a good workout after earning my ck belt sixth dan.¡±

    ¡°You! Caw caw! Come here! Thedy wants to see you!¡±

    Just as they were leaving the Witch Hunter Camp amidst their banter, a strange call made the four girls turn their heads in unison.

    Then, they saw a grotesque-looking crow perched on a branch, cocking its head to scrutinize them.

    The crow itself wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.

    They were plentiful in the Transia region, almost to the point of being a gue, but the problem was¡­

    ¡°It has three eyes? And they¡¯re red! Hey! This must be a rare monster! Eat my bullet!¡±

    Ashina the Sword Saint, with the character traits¡¾Quick Draw¡¿,¡¾Hundred-Pace Shot¡¿, and¡¾Lightning Reflexes¡¿, immediately aimed her gun but was pushed down by Lumina.

    She warned:

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! This is Lady Tris¡¯s familiar, I¡¯ve seen it once in her alchemy cottage.¡±

    ¡°Caw caw! Thedy has a quest for her warriors! Lumina! Lumina! Hurry up! Don¡¯t let the Crimson Witch get impatient, or someone¡¯s going to be in trouble.

    Caw caw, caw caw.¡±

    The three-eyed crow screeched and pped its wings as it flew away, leaving an indelicate dropping on Ashina¡¯s hunting leather armor.

    Clearly this little creature held a grudge and knew exactly what Ashina had tried to do earlier.

    ¡°Ah, nasty thing! These are my new clothes!¡±

    The 155cm girl stamped her feet angrily, but Sister Pomegranate asked in surprise:

    ¡°When did you be Lady Tris¡¯s warrior?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡±

    Lumina shrugged and said:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also Maxim¡¯s warrior? I¡¯ve been grinding Tris¡¯s personal reputation. I think among the yers now, she should have the highest affection for me.¡±

    ¡°By your logic, the three middle-aged Dump Truck men should be Lady Miriam¡¯s warriors. So, is this ¡®warrior¡¯ title determined by affection level?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate looked ponderingly at the Witch Hunter Camp.

    As she followed Lumina to ept Tris¡¯s quest, she also sent a message to her cousin Niuniu.

    ¡°Huh? My cousin wants me to stay at the camp and grind the important Witch Hunter NPCs¡¯ affection to get the ¡®Warrior¡¯ title? What does that mean?

    The update notes didn¡¯t mention this gamey.¡±

    Niuniu, who had just changed to a Witch Hunter Apprentice, was baffled by Sister Pomegranate¡¯s message, but knowing his cousin was smart, he didn¡¯t ask further and turned back to look for an important NPC at the camp.

    ¡°Hey you,e here!¡±

    A call made Niuniu, carrying a shield, turn around to see Lady Amber the Scout riding on a horse, with two veteran scouts behind her. Looking down at him, she ordered:

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who knocked out Captain Natalie before, right? Looks like you¡¯ve got some skills. I need to go handle the ghoul nest in Mond Vige and need a capable shielder for protection. Want toe?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    Niuniu looked at the dashing and friendly NPC before him.

    He recognized her as one of the Witch Hunters they had captured in Mond Vige, called Amber if he remembered correctly.

    She even got a second appearance with followers, and had such a cool pirate eye patch, clearly an important character, perfectly fitting his cousin¡¯s advice.

    Hmm, no need to look further, she¡¯ll do.

 Chapter 90:

    Tris was busy in her alchemy cottage. Ever since Murphy rescued her from the city, she had been living in seclusion. Unless she needed to participate in important events, she would stay here.

    Outwardly, it was said that she was recovering, but in reality, she spent her days indulging in the various fine wines supplied by the little yers, living a leisurely life of drunken dreams.

    Although the unfortunate ce where she now lived had been invaded by the Astral Realm¡¯s shadows and burned by fire, it was still much better than Tris¡¯s previous manor.

    And when your house is more dpidated than a pile of ruins, this fact bes a tragic ck humor in an unspoken way.

    Of course, the little yers had never seen Lady Tris¡¯s destitute state before, so their hearts were filled with ¡°awe¡± towards the mysterious and ¡°powerful¡± Lady Tris, as one would feel towards a high-level NPC.

    This modeling!

    Add to that her unique rtionship with Murphy, and she must be a leader-level NPC, right?

    Finally, with Tris being a noble mage and having a rather entric personality, she was an existence that the yers in this ¡°newbie vige¡± absolutely couldn¡¯t provoke and absolutely didn¡¯t want to provoke.

    Lumina and herpanions were summoned, and they soon followed the guidance of the three-eyed crow to Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage.The resentful and noisy crow nimblynded on a withered tree in the courtyard of the cottage, tilting its head and staring fixedly at the girls while cawing incessantly, acting like an old lecher, with intermittent mental frenzy being its most prominent feature.

    Perhaps it was because this poor fellow hadn¡¯t been summoned by Tris for nearly two hundred years, and the spirit familiar crow brother had been suffering in the Astral Realm.

    He even doubted whether the crimson witchdy, who had once ughtered far and wide, had forgotten about him, her ¡°messenger¡± from the Astral Realm, until the recent Astral Realm invasion of Kadman City when she suddenly remembered.

    Hmm, this was a strange crow from the Spirit Realm, and not just a ¡°low-grade¡± raven that Murphy would summon to deliver messages.

    It had a great pedigree, just like its master, except that now it seemed a bit crazy and frenzied.

    ¡°Lumina,e in with your friends.¡±

    Lady Tris¡¯szy voice sounded from inside the house. Lumina immediately pushed open the door and entered, with the others following in a line. They then saw Lady Tris rolling up her sleeves, carving a ck stone in the center of the room under the bright illumination of a gas crystal chandelier.

    The stone had already been roughly carved into shape.

    An irregr cone shape, with one-third of its surface covered in engraved spirit symbols. The little yers, of course, couldn¡¯t understand what Tris was doing, but seeing the mysterious runes with a certain pattern on the stone made them once again feel the ¡°mystery¡± and ¡°power¡± of Tris.

    What is thedy doing?

    The girls exchanged nces, not daring to ask about this imposing scene, for fear of causing an explosion if they interrupted the casting.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Tris said without turning her head, holding a spirit engraving knife and chisel:

    ¡°Wait until I finish this line. Little Murphy needs me to create this special spirit device for you to use. He truly cares for you in every detail. Of course, this is also the first time I¡¯ve seen such a wondrous summoning stone and memory storage device with such a unique principle.

    Capable of supporting a grand illusion for 5-40 people, it is truly marvelous.¡±

    The little yers obediently sat on the chairs nearby, listening to Tris say things they couldn¡¯t understand at all. They then saw a floating teapot and teacups tinkling as they floated over, pouring fragrant red tea for each of them.

    Although it was only a very simple spirit enchantment activation technique, it was still filled with a sense of having mistakenly entered Hogwarts.

    It¡¯s the same old saying: at this stage, the little yers were all spirit apprentices, so don¡¯t expect them to see through the practical application of such a simple technique. And Tris had clearly noticed this, so she used a bit of ir to enhance her mystique, in order to better control these little yers.

    After all, how else could one say that Lady Tris¡¯s five hundred years were not lived in vain?

    An old fox knows the tricks, doesn¡¯t she?

    ¡°I¡¯ve been studying your life forms recently.¡±

    After a few minutes, Tris spoke.

    She seemed busy with the mysterious work in front of her, running her hand over the runes she had just engraved, while saying:

    ¡°My little Murphy hopes to share the power of midnight with you, to reward your bravery and loyalty with the best he has to offer. But this is a bit different from the true ¡®initial embrace¡¯, since you don¡¯t have physical forms in this world, only spirit projections.¡±

    The newly joined Ashina and Orchid Huahua werepletely lost, unable to understand what this seductive NPC, whose mystique was so alluring that even as women, they couldn¡¯t help but admire her, was saying. But Lumina and Sister Pomegranate were both startled.

    They nced at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other¡¯s eyes.

    Previously, the forum had been specting whether yers would have the option to join the vampire storyline after the prologue chapter ended, and now this had been presented right before their eyes.

    Hidden quest!

    And it was definitely a massive one!

    It was about the important hidden quest concerning yers¡¯ storyline choices, and it might even involve creating a new race or something equally significant!

    Sure enough, Ah Yuen¡¯s analysis on the forum, which loved to dissect the storyline, was correct. Lady Tris, who had a rather intimate rtionship with Lord Murphy, was indeed a heavyweight storyline NPC. And as everyone knew, in this kind of background story movie, the ones who could cause the most trouble were always this group of researchers with a death wish.

    ¡°Do you mean that we do indeed have the possibility of epting Lord Murphy¡¯s grace and bing vampires, er, midnight nobles?¡±

    As Lumina, the warrior of Lady Tris, asked in a low voice, the trantion through the Computation Bead allowed Lady Tris to understand her meaning, and she then nodded and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not very feasible in the conventional way, but there is a slim possibility. If your bodies areposed of pure spirit energy, then we might be able to work on it from this angle. The sacred blood pool possessed by vampires is not only a racial sacred relic that sustains the existence of the n and perfects the blood pact, but it is also a miraculous spirit item of immense power.

    It can react to any stimtion of spirit energy, and the theory I have designed may allow us to use it as a medium to interfere with your spirit projections in this world.

    What I mean is, instead of the traditional initial embrace, we borrow the phenomenon of spirit erosion to transform you into a quasi-vampiric state of being.

    However, the sacred blood pool is hidden in the depths of the Blood Vulture Halls, which are now upied by the fallen and crazed Salrokdar and hisckeys.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a team dungeon quest!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate immediately reacted, whispering to Lumina beside her:

    ¡°This aligns perfectly with the new dungeon instance publicly discussed on the forum. It seems ¡®Advancing into the Blood Vulture Halls¡¯ is not just a test of dungeon mechanics and monster values, but it¡¯s also a very important turning point in the storyline.

    But this is also very reasonable.

    To introduce a major gamey innovation like joining the vampires and changing races, it¡¯s worth driving it forward with a major, phased storyline.¡±

    ¡°This is likely to be the finale of this closed beta test, or at least the finale of this testing phase.¡±

    Orchid also voiced her opinion.

    She said in the team channel:

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know much about the game testing industry, simr storylines have also been retold in certain racial mythologies, where heroes and warriors defeat the corrupt dark rulers, ushering in a new era. Doesn¡¯t this fit the background story for a game¡¯srge-scale release?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean it¡¯s going to open beta test soon? Or officiallyunch?¡±

    Little Ashina shook her head and asked in the channel, but Lumina responded rather pessimistically:

    ¡°Given the intricacy of this game, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that soon. I asked an adminst time, and they said the map for the Elven Kingdom wasn¡¯t ready yet, so I estimate the maps for other races are probably still in the folder stage too.

    After all, with the level of realism in this game¡¯s modeling, the development team should be thankful if they can finish the entire Transia region for now.¡±

    ¡°My warriors!¡±

    Tris suddenly raised her voice, causing Lumina to instinctively stand up.

    She saw Lady Tris turn her head and stare at her, saying:

    ¡°I have exined my research to you, and I hope you understand the significance of my research. If you also wish to share the power and blessings of midnight, then help meplete this task.

    I need a sample of the sacred blood pool, and I need Salrokdar¡¯s noble blood. Of course, I estimate that the madman who has lived for over a thousand years may not willingly hand these things over.

    This is a terrifying challenge!

    However, with the assistance of the Witch Hunters and the Golden Oak Knights, dealing with a crippled and abandoned vampire lord is not impossible.

    To help you aplish this great feat, I have prepared this for you.¡±

    Tris waved her hand.

    An exquisite wooden box was then delivered before Lumina, levitated by spirit energy. The intricate lock automatically opened, revealing its contents.

    It was an entire box of pure white, custom-made lead bullets, ced in a velvet box. Just looking at the flickering spirit glow on the surface of the bullets, one could tell they were something extraordinary.

    ¡°Bullets made from a thirtyfold concentration of daylight potion using spirit extraction and alchemy, with a bit ofbustion gold powder added to enhance destructive power. If they hit, they can send Salrokdar into a brief state of weakness.

    I call them ¡®Vampire¡¯s Requiem¡¯.

    These were not easy toe by, and in my current state, I have no way to make more.¡±

    Tris exined, then asked:

    ¡°I know it sounds like I¡¯m sending you to your deaths, but I have witnessed your courage and wisdom, which is why I chose you as my warrior. I believe you can ovee these difficulties.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The beautiful sound of a quest trigger rang out on Lumina¡¯s yer interface. She looked down:

    ¡¾The ¡°Cavendina¡¯s Warrior¡± quest series triggered!

    First Quest: Salrokdar Must Die!

    Quest Content: Lady Tris hopes her warrior can contribute to her research, and for this, she has offered a generous reward in anticipation of victory.

    Quest Objectives: Obtain a sample of the Blood Vulture Sacred Blood Pool, Salrokdar¡¯s Noble Blood.

    Quest Rewards: Tris¡¯s Favorite Midnight Gown ¨C Unique Costume, ¡®The Crimson Witch and the Castilia Elves¡¯ Story Notes, Tris¡¯s Elven Spell Primer ¨C Randomly Given, Tris¡¯s Enchanted Treasure Chest X5, Free Enchantment Order for Tris¡¯s Alchemy Cottage X5.

    Substantial Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force Renown, Substantial White Oak Battalion Renown, Substantial Survivor¡¯s Camp Renown, Substantial Goldflower Kingdom Renown.

    Note!

    This is a series quest, with the reward forpleting the entire series being the ¡®Cavendina¡¯s Warrior¡¯ title.

    Quest Failure Penalty: Lady Tris will be very disappointed in you.

    Note!

    This quest is extremely difficult and has only one chance forpletion. This quest can be shared with squad members, do not attempt it alone.

    ept/Decline this quest?¡¿

    ¡°Whoa! These rewards.¡±

    Lumina¡¯s eyes instantly turned into dor signs.

    In the nearly twenty days she had been ying since the closed beta, she hadn¡¯t seen any quest rewards this generous, the rewards alone were almost a list!

    But thinking carefully, this was a team quest, so these rewards were probably meant to be split among teammates. That¡¯s why there were five enchanted chests and work orders given at once.

    ¡°ept!¡±

    Lumina didn¡¯t hesitate for even a few seconds, disying the fine virtue of a small yer.

    Although the risk of failure meant the goodwill she had painstakingly built with Lady Tris could be reset to zero, do small yers who decline quests really exist?

    ¡°Good, you have once again proven your courage. I did not misjudge you.¡±

    Tris nodded in satisfaction, then took out a spirit bag filled with spirit scrolls and handed it to Lumina, instructing:

    ¡°You had better find some capablepanions to prepare for this with you. There are still two days until action begins, so you must quickly enhance your skills and strength. Go to the sewers!

    Signs of ghouls and wraiths have already appeared there, a decent challenge for neers. But do not go too deep, the shadows beneath Kadman City are far more dangerous than you imagine.¡±

    After speaking, Tris turned back to continue busying herself around that stone, and the little yers politely took their leave.

    Outside Tris¡¯s courtyard gate, Lumina shared her warrior quest with herpanions. The challenge-loving Sister Pomegranate was raring to go.

    She even had a whole n ready:

    ¡°In two days, our character levels need to be at least 10! Job levels need to be maxed too, that¡¯s the only way to survive to the end. Little Ashina and Orchid at least need to get to 8, especially the defender Orchid!

    Her equipment absolutely must be updated. I¡¯m going to see Lord Maxim now about getting some elite veteran-level gear.

    After that, we¡¯ll train properly in the sewers.¡±

    ¡°Guns! I need powerful guns. These powerful bullets must have powerful guns to maximize their effect. I can take care of the sniping!¡±

    Little Ashina patted the single-action revolver at her waist, saying:

    ¡°A shotgun would be best, for area-clearing. I saw the Witch Hunter camp selling alchemical bombs before, that stuff is awesome, I really like it.¡±

    ¡°The problem now is we¡¯re one person short.¡±

    Lumina said hesitantly:

    ¡°Should we find someone from outside to fill in? We don¡¯t have a spirit mage among us four.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy, just have Meow King join the group. That Oak Apprentice can both deal damage and heal, really versatile and useful. One-fifth of these rewards would be enough to motivate that cunning social climber.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate decided with finality:

    ¡°But Meow King has his own team. Having him help out asionally is fine, but long-term, we need our own spirit mage. Don¡¯t you guys have four more in your group? Quickly bring them in!

    I think it¡¯s more fun ying games with the girls, so casual.¡±

    ¡°I wish,¡± Lumina sighed.

    ¡°The problem is the remaining four are really hard cases.¡±

    ¡°Especially Sister Concrete!¡±

    The great traveler Orchid also sighed:

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what could possibly lure that genius freak into gaming for work. She¡¯s too busy, and her level is truly exceptional.¡±

    ¡°Lady Aqua is also possible,¡± Little Ashina squinted her eyes and said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her before, that chosen healer, her healing output is absolutely overflowing to the point of bursting! More than the three of usbined could ho-¡±

    Pa!

    Orchid¡¯s fist struck the 160cm shorty¡¯s head as she said unhappily:

    ¡°No dirty jokes! You little runt, and don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand your vile insinuation! What¡¯s wrong with being small? It¡¯s about the shape, get it? Don¡¯t underestimate gravity, you jerk!¡±

    ¡°Before going to the sewers, I n to go to the inner city first,¡± Lumina ignored her friends¡¯ squabble, telling Sister Pomegranate: ¡°That¡¯s where my job change lead is, also given by Lady Tris. I know the exact location.¡±

    Meanwhile, back in the cottage, Tris set down her engraving knife and sighed:

    ¡°Who knows if these rookies can handle it, but they are certainly brave enough. It¡¯s said courage can ovee any cmity, and the lives of Little Murphy, myself, and over a thousand survivors now rest in your hands.

    Hm?

    Did I engrave this line wrong?

    Damn!

    I knew multitasking would lead to trouble. s, I¡¯m old and useless now, Weber! Weber, you noisy thing,e here. Help your master go find a few things outside the city.¡±

 Chapter 91:

    The sister squad was highly efficient. After deciding to set out, it only took them a dozen minutes to cross the crevasse within the city through the stair-like path formed by the copsed city walls along the edge, arriving at the inner city area. Apart from the four of them, the invited Meow King also joined as a temporary healer.

    His four Vajra warriors and his old buddy Little Hands happened to form a five-man team to explore the sewers and grind levels, so they didn¡¯t dy each other.

    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s intel about a job change here?¡±

    Wearing a green spirit wood wreath, Meow King grasped his spirit staff, dressed in a provocative vampire mage robe despite being an Oak Apprentice.

    It wasn¡¯t that he deliberately mismatched on purpose; the equipment he had confiscated from a vampire spirit mage had attributes that increased spirit perception and maniption, which he couldn¡¯t bear to rece.

    Besides, for yers, mixed styles were the norm.

    Which male character in games hasn¡¯t worn a dress with te armor before?

    Especially when you yed a healing pdin who had to pursue healing output, that provocative blue dress with an open chest and back was a top-tier item you couldn¡¯t miss. Although a bald human male wearing a dress and holding a flower offhand was truly an eyesore, you had to admit this mixed set screamed power.

    Meow King was clearly a powerhouse yer, so he didn¡¯t mind his overly bizarre appearance at the moment.This cunning social creature stood at the base of the half-copsed city wall, looking at the deste inner city area ahead, and said to Lumina:

    ¡°This ce looks way worse than the outer city area. At least some buildings were intact over there, but here¡­sheesh, it¡¯s beenpletely ttened.¡±

    The facts did confirm this.

    What should have been a magnificent inner city area was now reduced to a pile of rubble and debris, with no standing building remnants within the five¡¯s line of sight.

    The ground was clearly eroded by energy, turning the soil into a sandy powder-like state. Some buildings even exposed their foundations, and even the sturdy bricks looked devastated, let alone any remnants of human remains.

    Kadman City¡¯s 400 years of history had been wiped out by the polluting forces of the Astral Realm within seven days, stripping this ce of all life force and leaving only a shriveled, pale ¡°corpse.¡±

    And these five people now stood atop that corpse.

    A gust of wind blew, scattering the gray sandy powder like a gray desert scene, and such a tragic sight left the five looking at each other in dismay.

    They gazed into the distance.

    They could barely make out the remnants of the Blood Vulture Fortress¡¯s base, looking like it had weathered a thousand years. Even if the best scavenger yers were dispatched, they would struggle to find anything valuable on the surface.

    After witnessing the devastation of the inner city area, Lumina¡¯s heart sank halfway.

    Although Lady Tris had kindly shared all the information she knew about the suspected wandering bard olddy with Lumina, even drawing her a map, everything had been leveled, making it almost impossible to pinpoint the exact location.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here anyway.¡±

    Noticing Lumina¡¯s dejection, the sociable Meow Kingughed and took a step forward, saying to the four girls behind him:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look. Where was that ce?¡±

    ¡°A tavern called ¡®Blood¡¯s Fang.''¡±

    Lumina also perked up and checked the record document in her yer interface, telling the others:

    ¡°Lady Tris said that olddy would always perform there in her memory, but that was over 100 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Over a hundred years ago?¡±

    Meow King blinked and said:

    ¡°Then that olddy must be long dead, right? And this ce has been so polluted, how could any tavern still be around? I think we should check the inner city graveyard instead. Coffins and stuff are buried underground, so they can¡¯t be as devastated as the surface, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Uncle Meow is right!¡±

    Little Ashina adjusted the witch hunter¡¯s hat she had specially bought with her revolver, strutting with an exaggerated cowboy walking stance while rubbing her hands, saying:

    ¡°So we¡¯re about to enter the ssic evil act phase of the fourth cmity ¨C grave robbing? Awesome! So exciting, let¡¯s go, go, go! We only have an hour of game time left, let¡¯s get this done before logging off!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Orchid grabbed the tower shield on her back and decisively tookrge strides forward.

    A skinny girl carrying a tower shield as tall as herself was truly a visually striking sight, making Meow King reflexively shrink his head.

    He felt that if he encountered such a brawny girl in real life, she would probably beat him to death with three punches. Well, to be safe, maybe just one punch could knock him out, a high-level office worker like him who never exercised and only asionally washed his feet.

    So what was the deal with Lumina¡¯s mysterious little squad? Why did they keep producing such bizarre rarities unseen by ordinary people?

    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s something off about the spirit fluctuations ahead.¡±

    A few minutester, Meow King suddenly frowned.

    As an Oak Apprentice, his perception of natural spirits was extremely keen. Although the inner city had been ravaged to this extent, the wind still carried natural auras warning him of danger ahead.

    ¡°Be on guard!¡±

    He raised his staff, clumsily performing the spellcasting motion.

    Amid the emerald radiance swirling at the staff¡¯s head, he summoned spirit thorns to bind the shielddy Orchid, while Sister Pomegranate swiftly extended the triple des on her knuckle dusters. Lumina raised her hunting rifle, aiming ahead.

    The four girls protected the healer Meow King at the center, and this feeling of being ¡°protected¡± by four girls made Meow King¡¯s sense of security skyrocket.

    He thought to himself that choosing the healer profession was the right choice.

    They cautiously advanced towards the graveyard, and after passing through the corroded and shattered metal fence, they saw a group of armless and legless skeletons aimlessly wandering on the deste graveyard grounds.

    Some still dragged the weathered burial clothes, while others looked recently buried, but their flesh and blood had also been utterly corroded by the Astral Realm¡¯s spirit energy.

    ¡°Lady Tris said the Astral Realm¡¯s spirit energy is untyped and may cause imbnces in the death spirit energy in certain areas, reviving the deceased like we see here.¡±

    Lumina exined in a soft voice, while also casting an area scan ahead.

    The feedback information popped up in her yer interface:

    Name: Restless Lost Souls

    Status: Decaying ¨C Restless ¨C Fragile Limbs ¨C Vulnerable to Positive Energy

    Evaluation: Simr Strength ¨C Hostile

    ¡°We can fight!¡±

    She dered.

    The next moment, the cheering Little Ashina raised her dual guns like a Sister of Battle using her ultimate ability, rapidly firing pew pew pew, shattering the skulls of four skeletons at near the maximum range of her revolvers.

    An average of one and a half shots per skeleton, hitting moving targets no less, and most importantly, this little midget hit their skulls.

    Those were tiny targets.

    This precise marksmanship left Meow King awestruck. While binding the charging skeletons to the ground with vines, he said to Little Ashina:

    ¡°Wow little sister, your aim is so urate. Have you practiced?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been ying with guns since I was five.¡±

    Little Ashina snorted and said:

    ¡°Back then, my great-grandparents taught me. My great-grandpa was a renowned gunslinger in their area. I can even ride horses, you know the pedigree of a cowboy family? The doctor told me not to ride anymore though¡­¡±

    ¡°Cough cough! Don¡¯t talk about real life!¡±

    Orchid reminded the unrestrained Little Ashina to shut up. She then took a deep breath, stepped forward with her tower shield raised, blocking the skeletons¡¯ wing attacks.

    Under Lumina¡¯s precise shooting and Sister Pomegranate¡¯s closebat assault, the five-person squad steadily advanced forward.

    Meow King had wanted to show off his Winds of Rejuvenation healing, but these four girls coordinated so well that they didn¡¯t need him at all. He could only cower at a distance like a despicable caster, spamming Nature¡¯s Fury to grind his skill levels.

    Indeed, every morous healer¡¯s heart harbored the wild soul of a DPS!

    A cluster of small green orbs flew out, weaker than direct bullets but with the advantage of inflicting severe poison, not that it mattered against undead creatures like skeletons.

    ¡°There¡¯s a weird one over there! Lumina, look! She¡¯s holding a saxophone! That could be the olddy you¡¯re looking for!¡±

    Making full use of her height advantage, Sister Pomegranate jumped onto a nearby copsed tombstone while Orchid kept blocking the skeleton swarms, quickly spotting an odd skeletal figure deeper in the graveyard.

    Lumina¡¯s heart leapt with joy as the squad immediately adjusted their direction.

    There were quite a few grave skeletons, but they moved slowly and were fragile. Meow King¡¯s basic Spirit st shockwave branch could slow them down, allowing the squad to break through the restless souls¡¯ encirclement and reach their target within minutes without issue.

    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t attack, she won¡¯t attack us.¡±

    Lumina held back Little Ashina, who was about to attack with her guns. She looked at the skinny skeleton holding a golden saxophone-like instrument with its bleached bone hands in front of them.

    It seemedpletely oblivious to the living beings around it.

    It truly did not initiate any attacks either, only absentmindedly cing the mouthpiece between its constantly moving jaw bones, as if performing some bizarre behavioral art.

    ¡°She wants to y this instrument, but she can¡¯t.¡±

    Orchid said softly.

    Then she pushed Lumina beside her, saying:

    ¡°Go on! This should be part of the quest chain, help her fulfill her final wish.¡±

    ¡°But¡­but I only learned a bit of music when I was forced by my parents as a kid, I might not y it well.¡±

    Lumina hesitated,cking confidence, but Sister Pomegranate gave her butt a hard p, saying:

    ¡°I can y it, but is it you or me getting the job change? Hurry up, don¡¯t dilly-dally.¡±

    ¡°Oof.¡±

    Lumina was forced to step forward.

    She was a bit nervous, gesturing at the skeleton to hand over the instrument it held.

    The skinny skeleton seemed to understand Lumina¡¯s intention. It caressed the instrument rather ¡°reluctantly¡± before finally passing it over. It then stood quietly, its hollow eye sockets fixed on Lumina in front of it.

    As if waiting for something.

    The eerie purple dots in those sockets expanded and contracted, as if some residual emotion truly lingered within those bones.

    Lumina adjusted her breathing and examined the exquisite golden saxophone from top to bottom. However, she realized it only resembled a saxophone in appearance but had a different structure. Fortunately, the general principle of wind instruments was consistent.

    Following Sister Pomegranate¡¯s guidance, Lumina took some time to familiarize herself, then ced the rosewood-studded mouthpiece to her lips. With somewhat clumsy movements, she blew into it under the skinny skeleton¡¯s ¡°gaze.¡±

    It was just the most basic tunes she had learned in tutoring ss as a child, but she managed to put together a melody.

    The rhythm was quite lively, contrasting sharply with the swaying, snarling white skeletons staggering towards them.

    A few secondster, under everyone¡¯s astonished gaze, the skinny skeleton seemed to be joyful upon hearing the music.

    At first, it only swayed its pale skull, nodding as if finding the beat. Soon its swaying grewrger, even dancing its loose body to this unfamiliar music from another realm.

    As if performing itsst dance to the lively apaniment a century after death.

    Although a dancing skeletoncked any sense of beauty, even appearing bizarrelyical and creepy, at that moment the others seemed to see an elegant middle-ageddy gracefully swaying to the music.

    It waspletely immersed.

    Growing more and more joyful as it danced.

    As if forgetting the sorrow of a second death, allowing its disrupted rest to return to that warm eternal silence.

    It even apanied Lumina.

    The rhythmic cking of its swaying bones sounded like drumbeats, continuing to dance after Lumina finished the first tune, utterly absorbed in this otherworldly music.

    ¡°Keep going! Keep going, she wants to dance till the end, fulfill her wish.¡±

    Little Ashina softly urged, so Lumina switched to a smoother melody.

    This time, the skeleton¡¯s movements became graceful with the changing music, and the skinny skeleton¡¯s ¡°dance¡± also seemed to affect the other deceased.

    In the stunned perception of the squad¡¯s spirit mage Meow King, he could feel a special force spreading from Lumina¡¯s increasingly passionate ying, calming the mindless restless souls.

    They stood dumbly in ce, quietly surrounding the five-person squad and the wildly dancing skeleton, like an audience watching a bizarre concert performance.

    Amidst the music, the skinny skeleton¡¯s dance grew more and more agile, as if regaining its former lively state. It spun and leapt atop the little burial mound where it was buried, even striking an advanced single-leg pose, making this revisited death seem gentle.

    However, as it danced, its bones began emitting plumes of blue smoke in the nting sunset rays.

    Just like the scene when vampires burned.

    By the end of the second tune, its entire body was shrouded in swirling bone mist, like stage smoke set by prop masters.

    The dance ended.

    It gracefully and properly bowed to the apanying musician, opening its jaw as it raised its pale skull, as if showing the most satisfied smile.

    Then in an instant, the entire skeleton copsed into drifting ashes.

    Leaving only a rusted, tarnished key on the ground.

    It had defied death¡¯s generosity, finding enough fulfillment to return to peaceful rest.

    The surrounding skeletons also seemed to awaken, finally realizing their abnormal state. At Meow King¡¯s exmation, they one by one chose to abandon the cursed power they had enjoyed, copsing on the spot.

    In just seconds, the entire uneasy graveyard returned to the tranquility a realm of death should have.

    The sunset glow bathed the ravaged grounds, leaving the five in a dreamlike state for a moment.

    Lumina fell silent.

    She didn¡¯t know how to describe that feeling.

    She felt like she had witnessed an illusion.

    But the fact was, while ying the tune to apany this ancient skeleton, she truly seemed to see a graceful, beautiful dancer swaying contentedly to her less-than-ster music before walking toward oblivion once more.

    Her final wish was fulfilled. The otherworldly music had soothed her restless soul. And as Lumina bent to pick up the rusted key from the ground, a line of prompt text entered her yer interface:

    ¡¾Special Music Score¡¶Requiem ¨C Otherworld¡·has been recorded. Obtained job change item ¡¾Nis¡¯ Music Box Key¡¿. Sub-job ¡®nk¡¯ can be changed to Bard ¨C Elven Music Score Specialization, change jobs yes/no?¡¿

    ¡°I got the job change prompt.¡±

    Lumina turned to look at Sister Pomegranate, saying softly:

    ¡°But I¡¯m not feeling happy about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be melodramatic!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes, came over and patted Lumina¡¯s shoulder, whispering:

    ¡°You just fulfilled a century-old lost soul¡¯s dying wish, allowing her and her neighbors to rest. Don¡¯t make that sad face. Back in our world, you¡¯d be hailed as a mage for this.

    Cheer up!

    Games are meant to be yed with a smile.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Lumina pursed her lips. She stood up, looking at the key in her hand, then at the freshly dug grave mound at her feet, saying:

    ¡°Nis¡¯ music box is underground, it¡¯s her parting gift to me. We need to dig it out.¡±

    ¡°Yay, finally the long-awaited grave robbing phase!¡±

    Little Ashina squealed, pulling out a few iron shovels from her spirit bag, leaving Meow King staring in surprise:

    ¡°Why do you have those in your bag?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t grave robbing a basic move for a greedy adventurer?¡±

    The 155cm sword saint grinned, giving a thumbs up in the sunset that made her white teeth gleam, shouting:

    ¡°Always be prepared, uncle! Come on, start digging, we might even find a treasure chest!¡±

 Chapter 92:

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A map was ced on the table inside the tent.

    It marked the internal structure of the Blood Vulture Halls, intelligence provided by Lady Femis to aid the Witch Hunters, which was then transcribed to the little yers.

    Onboard Joy Stick was once again the chosenmander of the yer army, graciously epting the weighty trust of his brothers and sisters.

    But now, he had toe up with a basic tactical n.

    The few yers with military experience were gathered around this map in silence.

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s so big?¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage, who had been abat engineer in his youth, looked at the scale marked below and couldn¡¯t help butment:

    ¡°This is an underground structure, right? The area actually upies one-third of the inner city district?Doesn¡¯t that mean nearly half of the entire city is suspended underground?

    Outrageous!¡±

    ¡°Spirit power, it¡¯s the mysterious spirit power.¡±

    South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl snorted from the side. He had also been a soldier, though his experience wasn¡¯t as dramatic as Joy Stick¡¯s, but he had participated in drills, so he had some military experience.

    He carefully studied the map and said to Joy Stick:

    ¡°It¡¯s not very realistic to gather together in such arge ce. Including the battalionmander, the Witch Hunters only have 31 people. With both sides plus the NPCs, there are no more than a hundred of us in total, utterly incapable of covering everywhere at once.

    So we have to split up!

    Those who clear small fries clear small fries, those who push forward push forward, and let us elites handle the BOSS.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Rushing in all at once definitely won¡¯t work.¡±

    Joy Stick crossed his arms and squinted, saying:

    ¡°Based on our previous raid experience, this game absolutely won¡¯t have such a stupid thing as an ¡®alert range.¡¯ Meaning, as long as we¡¯re discovered after entering, all the monsters inside will attack us together.

    Establishing a defensible line is a must!

    Since it pursues 100% realism, a 400-year-old vampire sanctuary definitely can¡¯t be cleared in a single day by us. I estimate it will take at least two days.

    Maybe even longer.

    Here!¡±

    His hand lightly traced the map as he said:

    ¡°The second great hall past the entrance, the location is great and there¡¯s only one path forward. The enemy can only attempt to stop us by attacking through here. With a narrow battlefield, it favors our smaller numbers.

    After maintaining a stalemate on the front line, we can dispatch elites for a decapitation strike, the Witch Hunters will undoubtedly take the lead, and on our side we¡¯ll need to select yers above level 9 to participate.

    ¡°But to prevent the line from copsing, we¡¯ll need a lot of manpower.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage shook his head, then said a few secondster:

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to mobilize the NPCs! And prepare arge quantity of expendable ranged weapons. Fighting those crazy vampires with des is not something we can even think about right now. Previously 40 of us faced 7 and 23 were killed in return, that gap is really huge.¡±

    ¡°I just went to check the Witch Hunters¡¯ armory.¡±

    Joy Stick said with certainty:

    ¡°Weapons are absolutely enough. Plus, they¡¯ve been constantly fighting vampires so they¡¯re totally specialized in this, add that to the supplies in the camp, and as long as we don¡¯t care about losses, it¡¯ll be enough to hold them off.

    But we¡¯ll need at least 100 NPC militia as manpower reserves, and we have to be prepared for casualties.¡±

    ¡°The four of us have all joined the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, Lord Maxim said he¡¯ll support us fully!¡±

    South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl patted his chest, saying:

    ¡°Their roster has expanded to 120 people now, all militia withbat experience, so no need to draw from the camp guards. So where should the elites attempt their breakthrough?¡±

    ¡°Here!¡±

    ¡°Ling¡±, the leader of Tiger Leopard Rider beside Joy Stick, pointed his finger at a narrow passage on the edge of the map and said:

    ¡°We asked Lady Tris, this is a natural underground cavern in the city, she said there¡¯s a secret river here that only a few know about. From here we can reach the servant¡¯s quarters of the Blood Vulture Halls, then go straight in to the Crimson Great Hall.

    The Blood Pool is there.

    And the final BOSS Salrokdar is there too.

    If all goes well, after the second phase, we only need a few dozen minutes to find it. That¡¯s under the condition that the devs don¡¯t go insane and add more BOSS and tons of small fry to the secret passage. And this operation seeding relies on the front line being able to hold off the enemy¡¯s main force.

    I have no doubts about our yers¡¯ willpower, the problem is game time.

    There¡¯s only six hours a day, if it drags on too long I¡¯m afraid the NPCs won¡¯t be able to hold out.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do it in stages.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Fight for one day first, let both sides get riled up, then make the breakthrough.

    Weren¡¯t those guys hit by Astral spirit energy and became crazy because of it? I think it should be easy for them to get riled up, just use some spiked blood as bait, same tactics as when we fought those braindead vampires.¡±

    ¡°The tactics have beenid out to this point, more or less. We¡¯ll still need to see the actual situation, next is preparation for battle.¡±

    Joy Stick stretched his body and said:

    ¡°The other Tiger Leopard Rider brothers will be resurrected tomorrow. I n to have them take the new yers into the sewers for a tour. At the very least, before the instance starts, let them level up to 6 or above. Otherwise their basic skills are just at the novice level and they can¡¯t handle real battles.

    They can also get some equipment down in the sewers.¡±

    ¡°Big brother, you really can¡¯t let go of that underground gang den, can you?¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage smirked and said:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this abuse of public resources? Using the new yers¡¯ manpower to help you clear the instance.¡±

    ¡°What instance, it¡¯s just a challenge area.¡±

    Joy Stick didn¡¯t even deny it, grinning as he said:

    ¡°Look at it this way, the new yers can get equipment and practice their skills. I can get the gang¡¯s resources to build up the team. Lord Murphy can get a batch of trained soldiers. It¡¯s a win-win, benefiting all three parties, how can that be called abuse of public resources?

    Speaking of which, you bureaucrats have had it too easy. It¡¯s time to return to your roots as yers. Join this training session, level yourselves up too.

    Don¡¯t get caught cking when the real battlees, that would be embarrassing.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Members of the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force can all participate in this operation, sir.¡±

    In a spacious and dark underground room amid the city ruins, Maxim, who had just sparred with Murphy and happily epted five losses, leaned on the ceremonial ck de in his hand and reported to Lord Murphy, who was practicing the Shadow Elf Secret Sword Arts:

    ¡°If needed, the guards from the Survivor¡¯s Camp can also be mobilized. Miriam has already notified the survivors about this matter. After learning that members of the Blood Vulture n are still entrenched underground and have degenerated into dangerous monsters, the survivors reacted quite intensely.

    They strongly request that we eliminate those dangers.

    Of course, it¡¯s unknown whether there is any lingering hatred towards their former rulers mixed in, after all, the 400-year rule of the Blood Vulture n over thesends can hardly be called sessful.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about that, just focus on the objective.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s figure flickered in the darkness with gliding movements, elusive as falling leaves.

    Lethal, elegant, and dangerous. This was the essence of the Elf Secret Sword Arts, truly in sync with the vampire racial traits. While practicing the rather useful Shadow Steps, he said to his loyal servant:

    ¡°The Witch Hunters obviously n to treat our warriors as expendable cannon fodder, but I don¡¯t think my warriors will resign themselves to that fate. So this time, let¡¯s be a bit bolder. Hand over your militia to bemanded by them!

    Youe with me to participate in the focused elimination of the dangerous enemy.

    For those at the ck Iron rank, the best way to quickly unleash their potential is through battle, battling stronger foes provides sufficient pressure.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt the warriors¡¯ courage, but their manding arts¡¯ are a bit too wild.¡±

    Maxim said with some worry:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too risky? What if it causes heavy casualties and impacts the morale that the survivors have painstakingly umted under your leadership?¡±

    ¡°Be more open-minded, Maxim.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°If we fail and the Blood Pact Knights discover the youngdy¡¯s forbidden secret, these people will die regardless. I believe Tris wouldn¡¯t joke with us about something like this, so this time not only is pressure being applied to us, but their very lives are also at stake.

    Moreover, for our territory to develop, we can¡¯t solely rely on my warriors.

    Their numbers are a big problem.

    Defending the territory and homnd, isn¡¯t that the duty of those living on thesends?

    If they¡¯re unwilling to protect their own homnd, then they¡¯ll never develop a sense of belonging to us.¡±

    ¡°You make a fair point.¡±

    Maxim nodded, no longer fixated on casualties, but he soon asked in a low voice:

    ¡°My lord, why must you side with the youngdy? Allow me some dark thoughts, if we took the initiative to inform the Blood Pact Knights of this information, perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Tris was deeply involved in Salrokdar¡¯s vition of the taboo, that¡¯s a crime she can¡¯t escape responsibility for. And your suggestion is for me to abandon Tris?¡±

    Murphy cut him off, his tone turning somewhat colder.

    Maxim shuddered, realizing he had touched upon the topic Murphy held most sacred.

    He immediately exined:

    ¡°I was thinking too simply. Of course Lady Tris cannot be abandoned. What I meant was¡­¡±

    ¡°No, Maxim, no need to exin. I understand your loyalty and that you proposed this n out of concern for my interests.

    I won¡¯t me you.¡±

    Murphy sheathed his sword and said:

    ¡°No need to be so apprehensive either, we are nominally master and servant, but what we¡¯ve experienced together is enough for us to establish deeper friendship. I simply cannot abandon Tris, can you understand? Perhaps it¡¯s the mysterious connection between a blood descendant and an elder that makes me wholeheartedly devoted to and fond of her.

    But the fact is, she did give me a second life.

    Abandoning her would be like abandoning all the principles, ambitions and desires I¡¯ve umted so far. Ambitions and desires are important, but if the price to obtain them is for us to be heartless monsters, then I¡¯d rather not have them and be content being a happy weakling.

    What I mean is, this time, we must fight!

    The oue of the battle in the Blood Vulture Halls will directly decide whether our little group has the ability to control thesends we stand on. If we want to have our own territory in this war-torn era, we must get past this hurdle!

    If I wanted to run, honestly, when Adele originally said she could lead us to a secret refuge near the Wilderness Mountains, I would have followed her then.

    But that¡¯s not what I want!¡±

    The vampire gestured in the darkness as he said:

    ¡°I once promised you that we would make a name for ourselves, be renowned. This is the first step! Just as I won¡¯t be satisfied being an ordinary member of the Blood Vulture n, I believe you won¡¯t settle for being just my offspring.

    We both have ambitions.

    Even including Miriam who keeps her distance from us. Have you noticed? Miriam is bing more and more ustomed to the role of camp warden.

    She never says it.

    But I can affirm that she has already started enjoying and learning how to wield the little power in her hands.

    We all have pursuits!

    This is what we¡¯ve won with our own hands!

    So we won¡¯t allow it to be casually snatched away, whoever dares reach their ws out will get them chopped off!¡±

    ¡°But those Witch Hunters, my lord.¡±

    Maxim lowered his voice again as he said:

    ¡°Do you really trust them? They hold the advantage, and after killing Salrokdar, they might even¡­ anyway it would be easy for them to deal with the likes of us too. If I were those Witch Hunters, I don¡¯t think I would miss this opportunity.

    The Blood Vulture n is already a hollow shell, why not give it that final push into being buried in history?

    They can absolutely do it.¡±

    ¡°Of course they can do that, and they most likely will indeed do so.¡±

    Murphy revealed a subtle smile and said:

    ¡°On the condition that they can make it back alive from the Blood Vulture Halls.

    This is what I¡¯m going to tell you next. The youngdy and Tris both told me there is a self-destruct device in the Blood Vulture Halls, a secret ce Salrokdar set up over two hundred years ago during the Second Night War to ensure the final dignity of the Blood Pool and Blood Vultures.

    After we begin our operation, you will break away with Adele to reach that ce.

    Then act at the critical moment!

    Our warriors do not fear death, their holding action can create the illusion, and we also can¡¯t let the Blood Pact Knights discover we are cooperating with the Witch Hunters.

    That would be the grave crime of collusion with the enemy.

    Do you understand what I mean? I can¡¯t entrust this to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°I will not fail in this mission, my lord.¡±

    Maxim unhesitatingly took on this task and received the marked map with the location of the self-destruct device from Murphy.

    After he left the underground room, Murphy once again drew his sheathed sword into the reassuring shadows. With a flick of his wrist, he shed forward in a lunge, settling into a slight crouch in the darkness.

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A pair of youthful but already massively outlined crimson bat wings suddenly unfurled from his back, the focused wind buffeting outwards before closing inwards like a shield before himself.

    For a Blood Vulture, their immense crimson bat wings were far more than just tools for soaring the skies!

    They had their own set of tactics for reasonably using their wings inbat, the youngdy and Jed had both demonstrated simr skills to Murphy.

    Amidst the sudden uplift from the pping wings, Murphy¡¯s sword form changed, the darker and deadlier Tomb Guard Sword Arts tracing out a crimson and gloomy trajectory.

    He was hastily practicing, but his mind was also deeply calcting gains and losses.

    He had to take the Blood Vulture Halls in order topletely solidify his control over Kadman City and the surrounding areas, allowing his newly born territory to gain security to absorb more residents.

    The addition of residents would rapidly increase the number of yers he could acquire. A city of thirty thousand at full capacity and prosperity could provide a feedback of nine hundred yers, and this number would continue rising as the territory expanded.

    If he could take control of the entire Transia region in a short period of time, and then expand outwards¡­

    ¡°Ah, a yer army unafraid of death and rapidly growing! That will truly be the manifestation of the Fourth Cmity.¡±

    Murphy sighed in the darkness:

    ¡°Making a name for ourselves, bing renowned? Where is that even at? Me and my lovely yers will be true legends, leaving a brilliant mark in history, and that is merely the beginning!

    Dear other world, I suddenly realize the ambitions I¡¯ve nurtured are truly grand, so please bear with me for now.¡±

 Chapter 93:

    On the eve before entering the Blood Vulture Halls, the Witch Hunter camp was solemn and deadly silent. From Finoch Lawson, Lord of White Oak, down to all other members, everyone was preparing various items needed for the battle tomorrow.

    The Witch Hunters who could be brought to Transia were the elites among those who survived the decade-long war, with the fewest missing arms or legs.

    Err, except for Natalie¡¯s squad who joined at thest minute.

    These Witch Hunters no longer had any special feelings about war, viewing it as a daily routine, so they couldn¡¯t be described as tense or anticipating it.

    Around several bonfires, silent warriors were sharpening their weapons, mending their armor, and categorizing alchemical sword oils, potions, and bombs to be stored with members of different responsibilities.

    Some chose to take a walk in the night.

    Under the starlight, they prayed to Avalon, who no longer responded to them, or spent what could be theirst night with theirpanions.

    This was normal.

    The Witch Hunters were human too.They had their own emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. Naturally, they would develop feelings for therades they fought alongside. The luckier ones did not need to go through the ¡®Verdant Trial¡¯, so most of them still maintained normal fertility.

    Unfortunately, due to the rebellion of the Avalon Church, they were stripped of their social status, making them no longer dare to pray to their god for a new life in this world that was no longer friendly to them.

    By the deepest bonfire in the camp, old Finoch was carefully wiping therge Oak deid across his knees with a cloth.

    Excellent weapons always required special maintenance. Plus, this sword had a ¡°temperamental¡± nature, so to ensure no issues during tomorrow¡¯s battle, he had to appease the sacred de¡¯s restlessness in advance.

    In the past, this was certainly a sacred process.

    But in this chaotic year, there was no meditation room withurel incense and purification pools for him to use with the Great Sacred Holy de.

    ¡°Battalion Commander, you were looking for me?¡±

    Natalie¡¯s voice came from the edge of the bonfire.

    The gray-haired huntress had juste over while maintaining her weapon, still holding abat longsword in her hand that gave off a slightly pungent smell of freshly applied sword oil. Her hip quiver was stuffed with alchemically-treated arrows that had be even more lethal.

    The way Witch Hunters fought involved reasonably using all kinds of alchemical items and tools, a very importantbat technique for them.

    ¡°Sit!¡±

    Old Finoch said curtly, and Natalie sat across from him by the bonfire.

    This action made the old knight nce at her, then shake his head and pick up a box beside him to hand it over. Natalie took it with some puzzlement.

    Opening the box, she was astonished to find a pair of intersecting silver war daggers inside.

    The des were extremely long, a straight-edged style suited for chopping and shing. They had finely polished ck wooden handles and oval oak hand guards, one dagger was long while the other was short, clearly meant to be used as a paired set.

    There were mysterious runes engraved on the dagger bodies, and the gleaming edges had beautiful cloudy patterns. The cold light they reflected under the moonlight showcased their formidable killing power.

    But their beautiful yet chilling appearance wasn¡¯t the focus.

    The point was that Natalie could discern the weighty aura of these war daggers, they were undoubtedly among the 150 replicas of the Blessed Sacred des made by the Elder Council of the Avalon Church over a long period in the past.

    In this current age, they were one of the few remaining ¡°relics¡± of the old faith.

    ¡°The Blessed Hunting Sword your mother left you was confiscated. I know you would not let it end up in others¡¯ hands, as to you it is more than just a simple sword. But tomorrow¡¯s battle will undoubtedly face death head-on, so I am temporarily lending you the weapons I used before recovering the Oak Sacred de.¡±

    The old knight continued wiping the sacred de in his hands.

    The fire zed between them, illuminating his face that was no longer youthful. In the flickering firelight, he said:

    ¡°These paired daggerse from a realm beyond our understanding. During the Fourth ck Cmity that opened in Year 1000 of the Calendar, I was tasked by the Elder Council to lead the Gray Knights in ambushing the Gnoll tide in the Dark Mountain Range. There I happened to meet a Sword Saint from the Western Army of the Ancient Calum Kingdom and learned a special forging method from him.

    These war daggers were forged through my coboration with the Brass Dwarven cksmiths of the Yellow Citadel.

    Perhaps they are not perfect, but they were my final impression of that terrible ten-year ck Cmity.

    They have their own names.

    The shorter one is called ¡®Guardian¡¯, the longer ¡®Punisher¡¯, symbolizing my duties in the Church. Yet now, I no longer have a reason to wield them.

    You use them instead.

    Hopefully you¡¯ll find something worth guarding in the future.¡±

    Natalie listened silently to old Finoch¡¯s descriptions, neither choosing to refuse nor ept as she closed the wooden box and slung it on her back. She bowed her head to thank the Battalion Commander before leaving.

    After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at the old knight still sharpening his sword by the bonfire behind her.

    She said:

    ¡°What about Murphy? How do you n to deal with him?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he our ¡®partner¡¯? What do you mean by saying that?¡±

    The old knight asked back without lifting his head.

    ¡°He¡¯s a threat! If we let him be, even if we destroy the current Blood Vultures, a second Blood Vulture n will still be born from his hands!¡±

    Natalie said decisively:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never met Salrokdar or other Vampire Patriarch, but I¡¯ve confronted vampires before, and none of those other Midnight Fiends have given me a feeling like Murphy did.

    He.

    He doesn¡¯t seem like a typical arrogant vampire of the night n. Beneath that humble appearance hides a soul that is difficult for me to describe.¡±

    ¡°He has the appearance of a vampire, yet also possesses the thirst for knowledge, ability to learn, and understanding of unity like humans. He knows how to unite his subordinates.

    He even allows someone like Femis to join his little organization.

    Though his way of ruling is still immature and has many hidden dangers, he does not exclude those survivors nor treat them merely as livestock to be penned for food.¡±

    The old knight took over from Natalie¡¯s words.

    As he wiped the Great Oak de, he said in a deep voice:

    ¡°The humans in the Survivor Camp!

    In these two hundred years, I¡¯ve never seen a group of humans ruled by vampires as lively as them. Not only did Murphy give them safety, but he gave them something else too.

    It¡¯s that ¡®something else¡¯ driving the currently still-weak camp to unite and even actively resist their former masters, and will eventually lead them to build a new city atop the ruins of Kadman with their own hands.

    I have no doubt about this.

    And I can confirm that city will be more united, formidable and dangerous than the city-state the Blood Vulture n took 400 years to establish!

    For Murphy, this may just be the beginning.

    After all, in my memory, Tris was a rather picky, arrogant and dangerous vampire elder. But you also saw Tris¡¯ attitude towards Murphy, she is not the leader, he is!

    Natalie, your hunter¡¯s intuition warning is correct.

    Murphy is dangerous.

    He is not evil at all, but more dangerous than any arrogant, vicious vampire born on this darknd. He is just a spark now, but if left unchecked, he will quickly be a wildfire that burns away everything in Transia.

    Either illuminating the fallen history of thesends, or burning to ashes what little remains of this closed-off ce.

    Your growth pleases me. Though personal grudges are certainly involved, you have indeed realized the true source of danger and learned to reasonably employ your innately keen talents.¡±

    ¡°So you see his threat too!¡±

    Natalie seemed emboldened as she said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Then I believe you must have a n! Salrokdar is indeed our target, but I feel we should not stop after hunting him down, but eliminate the threat while it¡¯s still just a risk.¡±

    ¡°Then the questiones, Natalie.¡±

    The old knight smiled.

    He stopped wiping the de in his hands and looked towards the flickering mes before him. After a few seconds of silence, he said:

    ¡°If Murphy is truly as dangerous as we described, what makes you think he would be unprepared for any actions we might take afterwards? You keep stressing that you¡¯re vignt of him, but to me, you still seem to underestimate him.

    Moreover, do you really think he would be merciful enough to let us walk out of the Blood Vulture Halls alive?

    That¡¯s the sacred ground those vampires have cultivated for 400 years!

    Even if Murphy¡¯s n has ws, I believe that lurking Crimson Witch would not let us leave alive either.

    You¡¯re still young, you haven¡¯t heard of the Crimson Witch¡¯s infamous reputation.

    But I have personally experienced those horrors.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Natalie¡¯s expression changed abruptly as she realized her naivety.

    ¡°So, I will give you and your squad a special mission.¡±

    The old knight picked up a twig from beside him and prodded the bonfire mes in front of him. Amidst the crackling sounds, he said deeply:

    ¡°Tomorrow, I will personally watch Murphy. You and your squad keep an eye on his subordinates, especially that silent big guy, the one called Maxim. When I look at him, I¡¯m reminded of the bloodthirsty hyenas that Gnoll hunters would tame!

    The same loyalty, bloodlust and madness.

    Murphy has put a dog¡¯s leash on him.

    But he will be most dangerous when ordered, given a clear target, and freed from that leash¡¯s constraint.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Battalion Commander.¡±

    Natalie bowed her head to ept the mission.

    Compared to other elites, her squad was indeed weaker inbat, very suitable for carrying out the Battalion Commander¡¯s mission.

    But the two then fell into another silence.

    Just as in their usual interactions, old Finoch undoubtedly valued Natalie greatly, but Natalie always seemed to avoid the Battalion Commander¡¯s concern.

    As if it were a me that would scorch her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±

    Amidst the flickering fire, old Finoch broke the silence, saying:

    ¡°After your mother died, it seems we haven¡¯t talked about anything other than war for a long time, almost like strangers or a perfect superior-subordinate rtionship, not at all like the bond we¡¯re supposed to have.¡±

    Natalie continued her silence.

    As if using this attitude to resist something intangible, her stubbornness made the old knight sigh deeply in his heart.

    He changed the subject, saying:

    ¡°When you were born, the Elder Council determined you were a child blessed by Avalon. Their prophecy proimed you would be a leader. At that time, I thought a solemn but glorious life awaited you.

    No one could have foreseen the situation rapidly deteriorating afterwards. The copse of the Avalon Church left your fate unclear and made me unable to see the future¡¯s direction.

    But if the Elder Council¡¯s prophecy still holds true, then Natalie, that means you must fulfill your duty amid increasingly difficult circumstances!

    The Church is gone, but the warriors remain.

    I have strained every effort to keep them from sliding into darkness, yet many have still embraced dangerous temptations after losing their faith¡¯s protection.

    Now including myself, only 1419 people remain in the White Oak Battalion, thest three hunter Battalions. We are the final organized remnant of the old faith¡¯s military, and you must prepare yourself! If anything happens to me, you will have to lead them and continue protecting them from the darkness¡¯ encroachment.¡±

    Old Finoch finally voiced the concerns in his heart.

    In this piercing night, he looked towards the Goldflower Kingdom and said to Natalie:

    ¡°General Loren is trustworthy, he is my friend and I trust him. King Louis is a talented sovereign, his pardon may spare us demise, but the king¡¯s orders cannot help us find a new life.

    I¡¯ve been searching for our final destination as thest Witch Hunters, but see nothing beyond the fog of war.

    Natalie.

    I could not find a way out for us, I¡¯m sorry.

    Perhaps this duty should fall to you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you¡¯re about to die!¡±

    Natalie finally spoke up.

    She interrupted the old knight, saying:

    ¡°You drank water from the Holy Grail in the Avalon stone circle on mo Ind. You can live as long as an elf! You still have enough time to find what you seek!

    Be it hope or a destination.

    Time has been so generous to you yet so harsh to others, and you seem immersed in that generosity, viewing life¡¯s passing as mere tragedy, your only desire eternal service to your god.

    Just as when my mother passed away, you were still fighting for the so-called faith¡¯s duties!

    In your eyes, she and I were never important!¡±

    The gray-haired huntress finally erupted, disying an anger she hadn¡¯t even shown when captured, interrogated or tortured. She raged at the old knight by the bonfire:

    ¡°The day the Avalon Church was disgraced by the king for rebelling.

    I thought you woulde back, but you didn¡¯t!

    I was dragged off mo Ind like a prisoner, forced as a fresh recruit into a war I didn¡¯t belong in. Myrades and I fought aimlessly like beasts for six years before you reappeared,

    Carrying that damned sacred sword you somehow recovered, appearing suddenly like a savior trying to pull us out of the wartime mire!

    But you had aged!

    As if time was no longer generous to you either.

    You seemed to shift from that cold-hearted zealot back into a troubled human, but what use was that? My entire childhood memories have no ce for you, while my mother was begging me to forgive you on her deathbed.

    She said you had your difficulties!

    But what difficulties could you have?

    That your god abandoned you so you suffered more than others? Could that sufferingpare to my mother waiting thirty years without even a letter?

    I know what you want me to do!

    But forget it!

    I have no father!

    He died when I was three years old.¡±

    Intense panting represented the agitated emotions of the usually calm and reserved Natalie Finochia Lawson.

    As a Witch Hunter required to remainposed at all times, such an outburst was clearly harmful to her mind and judgment. Years of training allowed her to quickly regain control, reverting to her curt, silent demeanor.

    She turned away to wipe her eyes, standing up straight like an elite soldier to loudly tell the old knight:

    ¡°Then, Battalion Commander, I¡¯ll go prepare for tomorrow¡¯s battle. My squad and I will surelyplete the mission you¡¯ve instructed!¡±

    With that, she turned and disappeared into the night.

    The bonfire still burned.

    The Great Oak de in the old knight¡¯s hands also fell unusually silent, as if sympathizing with its wielder¡¯s current dire situation. But old Finoch did not seem too saddened.

    He appeared to have known it would turn out this way.

    ¡°God, if this is all Your trial.¡±

    He closed his eyes and said softly:

    ¡°I shall continue upholding that Holy Grail vow, devoting everything to You. I only ask that You protect my poor daughter as You¡¯ve protected me, allowing her to safely weather the storm that is about to arise.

    Ah, I have truly aged. No longer the courage of my prime, merely facing the light winds before this storm¡¯s arrival already burdens me unbearably.¡±

 Chapter 94:

    Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

    On the third day, which was a rest day, the little yers managed to log in during the morning hours.

    They all gathered between the outer ruins and inner city district of therge crevice outside Kadman City, forming a full 60-person team this time.

    Everyone gathered together still had an impressive presence!

    Especially those veteran yers who had entered the game earlier, most of them had a full set of veteran armor and matching weapons. Their uniformly styled equipment made them exude an ¡°elite vibe¡± when standing together.

    The second and third batches of yersgged a bit in this regard.

    Apart from the thirteen buddies under Joy Stick who scored decent equipment by sacrificing themselves in one go, the others were still wearing the follower¡¯s garb or recruit battle armor provided by the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and the Survivor¡¯s Camp.

    It couldn¡¯t be called bare-bones equipment, but it could only provide the most basic protection.

    But there was still good news.Yesterday, Joy Stick, under the pretext of leading a training session, brought a massive team of nearly thirty people to the gangster¡¯s den in the sewers. After four hours of steady pushing, he had managed to clear out that ce which had be a nest of ghouls.

    Apart from still failing to find the legendary gangster¡¯s treasure trove, the other gains were not bad.

    The battle against more than 30 ghouls not only allowed the third batch of little yers¡¯ characters to basically reach levels 4-5 andplete their standard job advancement, but also brought them an unexpected windfall.

    That criminal den not only had a few boxes of scattered coins but also a batch of firearms secretly hoarded by the underground gang.

    The quality varied, mostly consisting of soldier-issued rifles and hunter¡¯s firearms that had flowed into Kadman City during the Ten-Year War, but it was enough to arm the little yers and provide them with sufficient ammunition.

    With two guns per person and some left over, Joy Stick handed the extras to Maxim in exchange for a batch of masterwork recruit-level weapons.

    This was just in time before the team dungeon test began, allowing the third batch of new yers to be armed to a level suitable forbat.

    Although everyone knew this was a sword and magic otherworld where bullets might not be more powerful than des, these little yers born under the red g stubbornly believed these pew-pew guns would give them more of a sense of security.

    After all, who would run up and fight dangerous monsters de-to-de when you could snipe them from a distance?

    ¡°Ah, my great axe is already ravenous!¡±

    Decked out in a full set of masterwork veteran armor and carrying the shining ¡°Vault Guard Mick¡± series twin-ded greataxe on his back, the athlete Khaki Tony Tai followed behind his ¡°boss¡± Precipitation Niuniu, pounding his fists as he said to his good buddy Path of Mud and Oil:

    ¡°When we enter the dungeon, you need to protect me and use your heavy shield to create an environment for me to deal damage. Let¡¯s coordinate better this time and go crazy killing everything.¡±

    ¡°You guys should take it easy.¡±

    The one walking in front, Precipitation Niuniu, shook his head and said:

    ¡°This is a team dungeon, so the monsters will definitely be formidable. Last night, Brother Stick exined the strategy very clearly in the group chat. Our task is to distract and stall, don¡¯t just charge out of the defense line to hack away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just talking big, Boss. You¡¯re making me look like a fool by being so serious.¡±

    Khakiined, then said in a low voice:

    ¡°Those punks from the neighboring dorm keeping over to loaf around on ourputers and hang out on the forums. You can tell they all want to y. Why don¡¯t you ask the admin when they¡¯ll issue new slots, Boss? Us athletes need to stand out too. We can¡¯t fall behind Brother Meow and Brother Stick¡¯s teams, right?

    Look, Even Brother Pigeon and the others have started forming teams. We can¡¯t be left behind either.

    Sister Pomegranate can be the big sis, you can be the grand marshal, and we¡¯ll be able to make our mark too.¡±

    ¡°How do you want me to ask about that?¡±

    Niuniu sighed and said:

    ¡°Brother Stick has repeatedly emphasized that this game needs to progress through the storyline quickly to unlock more testing slots. And if we can¡¯t get through this dungeon, we¡¯ll all be left homeless. So let¡¯s just focus on fighting well.¡±

    ¡°Hey Boss, where did you get this hunting crossbow? Looks really powerful.¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil had sharp eyes.

    He noticed the red hunting crossbow hanging on Niuniu¡¯s weapon belt, different from the ones the yers were using. This thing looked intricate andplex, like some kind of self-cocking ck tech device.

    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s a reward from doing an NPC¡¯s personal quest yesterday.¡±

    Niuniu grinned and openly shared the information:

    ¡°Those Witch Hunters are actually quite generous and magnanimous. As long as they acknowledge you, you can trigger quests like this. Big Sis told me to raise my favorable impression with important NPCs to get the ¡®Warrior¡¯ title. I guess what she meant was doing these NPCs¡¯ personal quests.

    There are real benefits, but of course, there are also major risks.¡±

    Saying this, Niuniu touched the new scar on his neck and sighed:

    ¡°I spent two days following three elite Witch Hunters in the underground tombs of Mond Vige, killing more than eighty ghouls. The stench was truly disgusting, enough to make one numb.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us about this sooner?¡±

    The two followers immediately became displeased, arguing:

    ¡°If we had known, we wouldn¡¯t have messed around with Brother Stick in the sewers. Apart from gaining a level, we basically didn¡¯t get any real benefits. The equipment dropped there is useless to us, it¡¯s all for the neers.¡±

    ¡°Shh shh shh, Murphy is here, the event is about to start. Hurry and find a spot to stand!¡±

    Niuniu saw from afar that war horses were galloping, apanied by 120 militiamen from the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force rushing over, so he knew the event was about to start. He quickly took his two followers and stood at the edge of the crowd.

    But when he turned around, he was stunned to see Lumina carrying a guitar case:

    ¡°Are you hiding a machine gun in that guitar case?¡±

    Niuniu joked in a low voice:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you carry a weapon? Are you nning to follow us into the dungeon and sing rap?¡±

    ¡°Take my advice, girl, this is no ce for dancing.¡±

    ¡°These are my weapons. I¡¯ve changed jobs to be a bard. The guns and such are in my spirit bag.¡±

    Lumina proudly patted the elven short flute tucked into her belt, saying:

    ¡°Just wait and see me buff you guyster.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, a hidden job, how impressive.¡±

    Beside her, little Ashina was chewing on malt sugar she had bought from an NPC, rolling her eyes as she said sarcastically:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who it was that came to metest night asking for flute music scores and made me pitifully push my wheelchair to my mom¡¯s music room to help find them, almost making my dad think there was a burr in the house. You¡¯re really outrageous.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you! Didn¡¯t I empty my and Little Pomegranate¡¯s savings to buy you powerful new weapons from Lady Adele?¡±

    Lumina scolded:

    ¡°You¡¯re so ungrateful!¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Little Ashina pursed her lips and continued chewing her malt sugar.

    She had never eaten something so coarse in real life, but chewing it in the game had a unique vor, bitter at first then sweet.

    The little midget touched the two exquisite crimson revolvers on her belt and no longerined.

    She truly loved the style of firearms in this game.

    Especially these mysterious yet intricate weapons that really appealed to her tastes.

    These two masterwork veteran-grade revolvers were bought by Lumina ¡°face-rolling¡± from the enigmatic Lady Adele. It was fortunate that Lumina had entered the game early and built up ¡°personal reputation¡± with Lady Adele, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have been able to purchase these customized weapons.

    These two revolvers were actually weapons used by Lady Adele during her professional career.

    She no longer needed them now and only kept them as collectibles, but they were elite weapons she hadmissioned for herself at the weapon workshop in West City back then.

    Even the bullets were custom-made.

    It was only out of respect for her elder Murphy that she sold them to the little yers, but the price was outrageously high. To be honest, if they didn¡¯t truly trust little Ashina¡¯s marksmanship, Lumina and Sister Pomegranate would never have emptied their in-game savings for this.

    ¡°My warriors!¡±

    Mounted on a war horse, Murphy bundled himself up tightly to avoid the scorching sun burning his ¡°delicate¡± skin. That set of elder armor and his signature crimson cloak drew the gaze of all the yers.

    The Witch Hunters had now entered the inner city district from the crevice on the other side of the city, so Murphy didn¡¯t give a long speech. He simply pulled on the reins and shouted loudly:

    ¡°Today¡¯s battle is but a small step in the remation of Kadman City, yet a great stride in the grand n! Over the past period, you have proven your valor and will to this world. Now, the defiant fate has ced a great test before you and me.

    If we fail to break through, this ce shall be our grave.

    But if we achieve total victory, then this will be the starting point for our legendary, undefeated fame that will spread across thends!

    Warriors, I am honored to enter the battlefield alongside you, to fight together for our future and that of all Transia. I also believe that we shall be able tough in the face of death at hell¡¯s gate and toast to our victory together!

    Now, Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force!

    In my name, as the sole sovereign of thesends¡­

    March!¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    As Murphy made the ssic motion of drawing his sword while seated on his horse and pointing it toward the inner city district like a king, a storyline quest issued by the main NPC popped up simultaneously on all the little yers¡¯ interfaces:

    ¡¾Prologue ¨C The Last Night of Kadman City

    Quest 5: Finale ¨C Drowned in the Bloody Past and Tomorrow¡¯s Victory in Sight!

    Description: The warriors havepleted all possible rescues amidst the ruins of the disaster and with their courage and sacrifice, have defeated the shameless rebellion of the ambitious. It is time to delve underground and extinguish thest remaining taint on this darknd, thereby helping Lord Murphy truly and permanently gain dominion over thisnd.

    March forth with an open heart and utmost confidence like the undefeated knights loyal to their king! Strive to win theurels of ¡®victory¡¯ for your sovereign.

    Objective: Advance into the Blood Vulture Halls,plete the dungeon walkthrough, and y the fallen Blood Vulture Patriarch Salrokdar.

    Rewards: Massive faction reputation, Blood Vulture Family Warrior Treasure Chest x1, new storyline unlocked.

    Failure Condition: Task is considered failed when the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and Witch Hunters are depleted of manpower.

    Failure Oue: Survivor¡¯s Camp exterminated, server reset and data wiped.¡¿

    ¡°Woah!¡±

    Upon seeing that failure oue, almost all the yers cursed inwardly at this moment, especially the veteran yers who had been ying since the start of testing and immediately felt the pressure.

    The good news was that the little yers¡¯ guess was correct ¨C this game was indeed driven by the yers progressing the storyline.

    The bad news was, since it was yer-driven, then if the yers encountered a shameful major failure, it would be natural for all their current efforts and established rtionships with NPCs to faceplete annihtion, right?

    ¡°The failure penalty for this main quest is really severe, even more outrageous than a three-day death penalty.¡±

    Meow King furiously mmed his staff on the ground and said to the brothers beside him:

    ¡°It seems the NPC manpower is the key. Each one that dies reduces their numbers, so we¡¯ll have to take over, but we can¡¯t suffer too many losses either. Three days is not enough time for revival. Once the yer group suffers too much damage, the NPC team wipe is only a matter of time.

    We really have to risk it all this time.¡±

    ¡°This is all the dev team¡¯s fault, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks said unhappily:

    ¡°If they had just opened more slots earlier, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess. Not to mention anything else, if there were 500 yers here¡­¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯d start fighting amongst ourselves!¡±

    Beside him, the frail-looking but actually quite wild Electronic Subus Old Tune sneered:

    ¡°At a university, even a student union meeting with a few dozen people can turn into an argument, let alone a bunch of random people ying a game together. Who the hell would listen to you? Who would admit to being unskilled in a game?

    To be honest, if Brother Stick hadn¡¯t led us into realbat situations and won a few times, would you have obediently listened to him in a situation like this?

    Let me tell you, their arrangement makes sense.

    Less people is better!

    Unity is prized, quality over quantity.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right! I¡¯d rather go with ten reliable buddies to fight a hundred vampires than form a team with a hundred idiots to do a dungeon.¡±

    Day One No Fap said in a low voice:

    ¡°This is the best MMORPG gaming environment I¡¯ve ever seen. We¡¯re really like brothers and sisters. Don¡¯t let arge-scale recruitment bring in some low-quality idiots to ruin things. I¡¯ll be the first to object!

    If you ask me, Meow King, why doesn¡¯t your crappypany just shut down? Let¡¯s switch our focus to specializing in this game.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, brother.¡±

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off also chimed in to Meow King:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I discuss this with you when we were soaking our feet together before? You believe my professional eye, I told you this game is definitely profitable! Even without trading game currency, there¡¯s money to be made.¡±

    He secretly pointed to Fatal Orchid Huahua walking at the front of the girls¡¯ team, crossing therge crevice at the edge of the city wall, and said to Meow King:

    ¡°See that masterwork Witch Hunter kite shield and matching spiked hammer behind Sister Huahua, familiar? That¡¯s what I bought with your personal reputation points from the Witch Hunters.

    I turned a profit of that much just yesterday.

    Those girls are really rich. I deliberately raised the price but they didn¡¯t bargain at all. In the end, I even gave them a partial refund, as a gesture of good faith to leave a good impression for these big clients.¡±

    He gestured with his fingers, making Meow King¡¯s eyes twitch violently.

    He scolded in a low voice:

    ¡°Who the hell told you to do off-market equipment trading? What if the admin catches us and bans our ounts?¡±

    ¡°Who would report a consensual transaction?¡±

    Seeing his bookish but actually quite wild old buddy give a subtle smile, he struck a pose like a crafty tactician and said softly:

    ¡°This market objectively exists. We have the ability to obtain what the clients need. It¡¯s simply amercial activity, not breaking any game rules. I¡¯ve read through the yer handbook on the forums several times.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if the official rules don¡¯t explicitly prohibit it, then it¡¯s permitted. And in a 100% immersive game, can¡¯t yers engage in economic activities to mimic reality?

    If there were too many restrictions, it wouldn¡¯t be considered 100% realistic anymore.

    I¡¯ve calcted it!

    As long as we operate well, the profits will definitely surpass your crappypany.

    The situation in your industry isn¡¯t good these days. If you dropped a brick on the street, you¡¯d probably hit eight programmers out of every ten people. What¡¯s the point of struggling in that red ocean market?

    Also, remember that project you took from Little Brother Ba recently that made you lose money, right?

    Take my advice and switch careers, brother.

    You can make money now and enjoy the thrill of making your way in an otherworldly game. Why not do it?

    Of course, the prerequisite is that our team must consistently remain at the T1 level and strive for excellence in all aspects, only then can we ess the truly good stuff in the game.

    This way, we can differentiate ourselves from Brother Stick¡¯s team too.

    He¡¯s clearly going for therge guild army route, while we¡¯ll be a small-scale mercenary group!¡±

    ¡°But where are there so many buyers?¡±

    Meow King¡¯s business instincts were immediately piqued.

    He secretly calcted the profit margins and was a bit tempted, but still hesitant. Then Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off next to him scoffed and said:

    ¡°Given the currently extremely high quality of yers in this game, apart from the student crowd, who doesn¡¯t have some money? Even the student crowd like Brother Pigeon, they¡¯re just broke now since they¡¯re students from prestigious universities, but they¡¯ll have money in the future.

    And afterrge-scale testing begins, it¡¯s only a matter of time before wealthy big spenders join in.

    Just set your heart at ease and trust me. Let¡¯s try it for two months first.

    If we lose money, it¡¯ll be on me! I¡¯ll cover the losses, how¡¯s that?¡±

 Chapter 95:

    The Blood Vulture Halls was beneath the Blood Vulture Citadel in the inner city district. That was originally andmark building of Kadman City, but over 400 years of continuous expansion had transformed what should have been a vampire-style castle into an oversized church-like structure.

    Including the grasnds, gardens, and auxiliary buildings, the Blood Vulture Citadel alone upied one-fifth of the entire area of Kadman City.

    However, now everything was gone.

    The astral realm rift had almostpletely swallowed thendmark building, leaving only a deste remnant of broken walls. The good news was that the stairway leading down to the underground Blood Vulture Halls was still there andrgely intact.

    The bad news was that the intense astral spirit energy lingering here had yet to dissipate.

    By the time Murphy arrived with his little yers and militiamen, the Witch Hunters had already lit a fire on the descending stairs to dispel the remaining astral shadows.

    ¡°There¡¯s a nest of Astral manticores down there. They didn¡¯t get pulled back when the astral rift closed, and the mother manticore has made a den here. With plentiful food, she may have evenid eggs. mes alone cannot kill them.¡±

    The fully armed old knight, wearing a bucket-style full helm, spoke. His special oakwood heavy armor was covered in various religious proverbs and runes, looking very thick and cool, immediately drawing the attention of the little yers.

    However, the old knight¡¯s news made Murphy frown.The heavily hoodeddy beside him nced at the still burning spiral staircase and said in a low voice:

    ¡°This connects to the city¡¯s sewer system below. Your fire is useless and will only cause the dangerous manticores to escape through the passages, bing yet another big problem in this disaster area.¡±

    ¡°Then I truly worry for the future safety of your domain, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Old Finoch said in a teasing tone.

    Judging from the expressions of the Witch Hunters beside him, these people who constantly dealt with evil creatures definitely knew the situation below and had deliberately nted a problem in Murphy¡¯s chosen domain.

    But now was not the time to discuss this.

    Several minutester, after the mes had died down, the Witch Hunters entered first, having purified the stairs with fire. Murphy and hispanions, along with the little yers, followed closely behind.

    They passed through the underground spiral corridor and reached the corridor¡¯s great hall several minutester.

    The crimson stone door before them flickered with a faint fluorescent glow in the darkness, indicating it was a spirit-made object and had been sealed from the inside, unable to be opened without a key.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    The old knight gestured with an outstretched hand, offering the youngdy the desire fragment he had kept.

    She took it in her hand, stepped forward, and Murphy and Adele, two members of the Blood Vulture n, stood as assistants with her before the three-ring seal on the great door.

    She raised the scepter of the sovereign high, her fingers pierced by the rough edges of the shard of desire.

    A few drops of viscous midnight blood oozed out, then transformed into crimson beams of light under the ritual, pointing directly at the heart of the Blood Vulture insignia at the center of the door¡¯s seal.

    Behind her, Murphy and Adele pricked their fingers with ritual daggers, maintaining the same posture as thedy.

    Their Blood Vulture blood was also drawn into beams of light by the ritual, illuminating the two eyes of the Blood Vulture insignia. Amid the restless stirrings of the eager little yers behind them, the stone door before them let out a low groan like an old man¡¯s sigh, then slowly slid open in a cloud of dust.

    What came into view was not a dark, foul passage, but a corridor as luxurious as a museum or noble mansion.

    The red carpet from the entrance stretched all the way to the progeny¡¯s great hall ahead, while exquisite stone statues lined both sides, along with opulent murals and gem chandeliers that glittered with a jewel-like aura at that moment.

    ¡°Hell yeah! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡±

    The joy stick among the crowd said excitedly:

    ¡°An ancient family that ruled a region for 400 years better have some treasures stored away, or else it¡¯d be disappointing, boys. If we y our cards right this round, we¡¯re gonna get rich.¡±

    ¡°Those gems on the chandeliers are real!¡±

    A new yer with the ID ¡°Schr Xiao Zhou¡± carefully observed the chandeliers in the corridor, then said to the person next to him:

    ¡°Judging from the transparency and the angle of light refraction, they don¡¯t look like fakes. These vampires must be loaded! Or maybe in this world, these gems are worthless?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I knew you¡¯d be the expert on this, Zhou-ge.¡±

    Ah Yuen reached over and put his arm around Xiao Zhou¡¯s shoulder, his eyes sparkling as he whispered:

    ¡°When we take this ce, I¡¯m counting on you to help us identify the loot. Say, how¡¯d you end up being the only one from the geology department?¡±

    ¡°You think that department goddess woulde y games with a bunch of geeks like us? I bet she¡¯s off ying with some simp right now.¡±

    The schr Xiao Zhou leaned on his bay-fitted soldier¡¯s musket, rolled his eyes and grumbled like an old man:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her changing boyfriends every week?

    Tsk! Shame on me for being blind before. I spent over a grand taking her out to dinner, buying her flowers and whatnot, but once we got to the hotel room, she knew her way around better than me. That night, I felt like a damn escort.

    Ah, the more I talk about it, the more it hurts.

    But my dormmates are all waiting, not that they can do anything without an invite code.

    Let¡¯s stop wasting breath. You veteran yers take the lead!

    We can¡¯t just let us cute noobs get killed, right?¡±

    ¡°Tsk¡±

    Ah Yuen gave an unsatisfied snort as he gripped his weapon and followed Lord Murphy into the Blood Vulture Halls.

    As the little yers moved forward, the Witch Hunters beside them merely watched coldly. It was obvious they needed these pathfinders to scope out the situation inside the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Murphy led with his sword.

    He was the first to set foot into the corridor. Shamefully, although he was indeed a member of the Blood Vulture n, this was actually his first time entering the n¡¯s sacred grounds. So the good news was that Murphy¡¯s knowledge of his family¡¯s holy site was about the same as the excited little yers behind him.

    The bad news was that their experience here was basically zero.

    As Murphy stepped onto the luxurious carpet, a prompt suddenly popped up on his character card:

    ¡¾Entered Special Area ¨C Blood Vulture Halls, Achievement Challenge Triggered!

    Special Achievements Avable:

    Proof of Elite: Fairly challenge and defeat one n elite without third-party interference.

    Proof of Warrior: Fairly challenge and defeat five n elites without third-party interference.

    Blood Vulture Traitor: Directly or indirectly kill one corridor guardian.

    Blood Vulture Scourge: Directly or indirectly cause the deaths of ten corridor guardians.

    Blood Vulture Shadow: Directly or indirectly cause the deaths of fifty corridor guardians.

    Blood Vulture Nemesis: Directly or indirectly clear out 70% of the corridor guardians.

    The One Who Drinks Fresh Blood and Lives Forever: Drink the primordial blood from the Blood Vulture n¡¯s sacred blood pool and gain a bloodline enhancement.

    Kinyer: Directly or indirectly cause the death of the Blood Vulture Patriarch Salrokdar Collins Lessenbra. This achievement rewards the ¡®Kinyer¡¯ title, whose effects will be activated upon equipping once the title system is unlocked.

    Hidden Achievement ¨C Treasure Goblin: Discover the Blood Vulture family¡¯s secret treasure vault and im it for yourself.

    Note!

    This special achievement list will be permanently closed after the Blood Vulture Halls is destroyed. Achievements obtained by test administrators can be replicated into the instance snapshot function for repeated challenges by testers.¡¿

    ¡°?¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t expect this pop-up, but he quickly schemed.

    As he led the little yers into the silent, luxurious hall towards the progeny¡¯s great hall, Murphy clutched the core bead hanging from his chest and copied the achievement list, except for ¡°Treasure Goblin,¡± sending it to the yers¡¯ interfaces.

    The dinging sounds caused the tense little yers to nce around.

    Once they realized how the game¡¯s achievement system worked, a smallmotion broke out among them.

    Although they didn¡¯t know what the ¡°Kinyer¡± title was for, it was a title nheless!

    An essential for street showing off. Weren¡¯t they yers if they didn¡¯t go for it?

    Donning the best, coolest, hottest gear, wearing the rarest titles, riding the most unique mounts to strut and hit on the game¡¯s girls or traps, this was the most important part of any role-ying game!

    ¡°Stay focused! Follow the n and set up defensive positions in the second hall!¡±

    The joy stick yelled in the team channel, telling the yers not to get carried away. He then had the shield-bearers take the front as they continued following Lord Murphy through the deserted progeny¡¯s great hall towards the second hall.

    But the moment they left the progeny¡¯s hall, an eerie rumbling came from the surrounding darkness.

    The youngdy beside Murphy¡¯s expression changed slightly as she immediately warned:

    ¡°Constructs! The stone gargoyle guardians used for corridor defense have been activated. Someone must still be operating the alert chamber! Hurry, apprehend them before all the constructs are deployed!¡±

    ¡°You go! I¡¯ll hold here while my warriors adjust.¡±

    Murphy drew his sword and instructed his assistants.

    The youngdy immediately spread her bat wings and charged towards the upper area of the second hall. Lady Adele also grabbed Maxim¡¯s arm and flew up with him.

    ¡°Warriors, be alert!¡±

    Murphy shouted as he unleashed a Spirit st in the form of a shockwave, knocking back the animated stone statues charging from the darkness.

    The Witch Hunters behind reacted swiftly. Scout Amber fired scorching arrows that scattered ming light when theynded, illuminating the dark passage and revealing the fearsome stone gargoyles leaping down from their pedestals, pping stone wings as they swooped towards the yers¡¯ formation.

    These guardians weren¡¯t veryrge, their bodies curled up like monkeys, but they were crafted entirely of stone imbued with spirit energy to animate them. Red spikes covered their ws, mimicking vampires with sculpted wings and devil-like triangr tails. Bat and wolf features were molded onto their faces, and their gem-like red eyes made them look particrly ferocious.

    However, thebat strength of these guardian stone gargoyles wasn¡¯t very strong, at least not strong enough for Murphy now.

    He slid forward and, using the Tomb Guard Sword Arts, made a diagonal shing strike that cleanly shattered a gargoyle¡¯s neck. This scene ying out before the yers made the little cuties inwardly exim how cool, handsome, powerful, and strong Lord Murphy was!

    The shield-bearers at the front raised their shields to receive the charge, but three of them were furiously battered aside by five gargoyles, crashing into the unfortunate spear-wielders behind them who were about to takezy stabs.

    Besides the veteran yer Niuniu, the only one still standing their ground was the slender but incredibly enduring Orchid.

    ¡°What are you spacing out for? Open fire!¡±

    Joy stick raised his hunting rifle and pulled the trigger, snapping the little yers out of their daze. Soon, gunfire was echoing through the progeny¡¯s great hall.

    The five charging stone gargoyles were quickly shattered by the hail of bullets.

    But constructs weren¡¯t afraid of physical attacks. They continued crashing through the crowd, prompting four warrior yers to step up, wielding greataxes and halberds in a furious barrage to finally stop the onught.

    ¡°Damn! The mobs in this instance are brutal! Those weakling ghouls outside can¡¯t evenpare.¡±

    The three shield-bearers who had been knocked away rejoined, covered in dirt andining as they helped their brothers smash another stone gargoyle. But before they could catch their breath, more gargoyles and humanoid constructs charged in from the second hall.

    The Witch Hunters behind showed no intention of intervening. Murphy rejoined the group to protect his little cuties, a scene that made the Meow King blink.

    Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea.

    ¡°Why are we wasting time beating on these stone freaks?¡±

    He grabbed the nearby Niuniu, who was about to charge forward, then yelled to the student yers:

    ¡°Pull them! Get aggro on the gargoyles, but don¡¯t attack right away. Kite them over to the NPC and let him deal with them! His attack power is way stronger than ours.¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡±

    The struggling little yers immediately brightened.

    Several shield-bearers, covered by musket fire, immediately charged the emerging construct group.

    Of course, there¡¯s no such thing as ¡°aggro¡± in the real world. The helpless constructs could only mindlessly pursue and attack the nearest intruders. Through the yers¡¯ snake-like kiting and a round of circling the pirs like the Qin king, they actually managed to pull seven or eight constructs over.

    The other little yers made way, howling as they coordinated wlessly, causing the observing Witch Hunters to exchange puzzled looks.

    What were these guys doing?

    Were they trying to take out Murphy by luring the constructs to their leader using the monsters?

    Hey, isn¡¯t this mutiny?

    This is definitely mutiny, right? I can¡¯t believe you swarthy blood servants hate your own leader more than us Witch Hunters do. Well done, you lot!

    ¡°Meow King, slow them down! I can¡¯t hold much longer!¡±

    Niuniu, fending off three constructs, cried out. The Meow King immediately released Binding vines to save him from being crushed.

    Murphy¡¯s expression was rather strange.

    When he saw the shield-bearer yers kiting the constructs towards him, he realized what these sly bastards were trying to do.

    Well, if I were truly an NPC, you¡¯d have fooled me.

    But I¡¯m not some braindead AI, am I? You dare try to bug me? You guys are pretty bold!

    Seeing the eager yers around him, ready to swoop in for kills once the ¡°NPC¡± softened up the mobs, Murphy felt annoyed. But with a shift of his gaze, he didn¡¯t immediately lose his temper. Instead, he yed along like a true NPC, pretending ignorance.

    After seven or eight gargoyles and humanoid constructs clustered around him, Murphy grabbed the Tomb Guard insignia on his wrist, intending to open the little yers¡¯ eyes and show them his true power.

    Murphy¡¯s Skill ¨C Mass Death¡¯s Grasp, activated!

    ¡°Shua¡±

    Cold, gloomy death spirit energy surged from Murphy¡¯s left hand, creeping like shadows along the ground and up the bodies of the surrounding constructs, coiling into nooses around their necks. Despite their struggles, these constructs below the ck Iron rank were hoisted into the air.

    Then, with a powerful sweeping arc, his de of the Desire n hummed as it traced a crimson sword beam around him.

    In the next instant, he sheathed his sword in a dashing pose.

    The second he turned back towards the yers, the seven or eight constructs suspended in the air simultaneously had their chests shatter, their construct cores destroyed as they fell lifeless to the ground.

    ¡°Damn! So powerful and fierce!¡±

    The Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche eximed in amazement as the nearby yers nodded vigorously.

    Feeling the little yers¡¯ praise, Murphy inwardly scoffed.

    Laugh it up while you still can, because soon you won¡¯t beughing anymore.

    ¡°Femis, did you apprehend the one in the alert chamber?¡±

    As Murphy led the yers onward into the second hall, he asked with a voice technique. A few secondster, thedy¡¯s voice responded:

    ¡°I have him captured. It¡¯s a core construct, only following my father¡¯s orders. But I can banish it easily enough.¡±

    ¡°No need to rush. What¡¯s its strength level?¡±

    Murphy asked, and thedy replied:

    ¡°ck Iron rank, tougher than regr stone gargoyles and can use some basic spirit spells, but just as dim-witted.¡±

    ¡°Good. Listen to my instructions, toss it down here in a bit.¡±

    Murphy nced back at the little yers still trying to kite mobs towards him.

    A subtle smile crossed his lips as he added:

    ¡°And if possible, make its entrance as cool-looking as you can.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

 Chapter 96:

    Under the ¡°BUG¡± tactic developed by Meow King, the ¡°dangerous¡± constructs constantly pouring out from the second hall were being ughtered in batches with the mighty assistance of Lord Murphy.

    The coordination between the two sides was so seamless, that even the Witch Hunters idling in the rear thought this must have been a tactic prepared in advance by the cunning vampires. It had to be said that luring the strong enemies by letting the weak attract their attention and lead them near one¡¯s own strong forces was indeed a simple but effective battle strategy.

    Moreover, the yers¡¯ snake-like movements and asional erratic actions also left quite an impression on this group of Witch Hunters.

    However,

    ¡°They¡¯re just ordinary guard constructs, why go to such great lengths?¡±

    Among the Witch Hunters, the scout Amber adjusted her eye patch and said softly to the squad leader Natalie:

    ¡°It seems Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors are not concealing their weakness, they really are just weak! Only slightly stronger than regr soldiers, although these guys have indeed grown much strongerpared to when we first met them.

    Their growth rate is surprising.¡±

    ¡°However, you forget how we were defeated in an ambush by this group? I admit there was an element of luck involved and we were too careless back then.But you have to acknowledge that when they¡¯re desperate, they don¡¯t hold back at all. That fearlessness towards death is their greatest advantage.¡±

    Natalie shook her head and said:

    ¡°Stay vignt, Amber! Insulting the enemy is insulting yourself, especially when they¡¯ve defeated us before.¡±

    ¡°Alright, the monkey show is over!¡±

    The old knight Finoch Lawson took the ornately engraved metal kite shield and emerald holy wood one-handed mace passed to him by a Witch Hunter, and said to his squad members:

    ¡°There¡¯s arge unstable dark spirit flux up ahead, those maddened vampires are hiding beyond the second hall. Move forward, prepare to take over the battle! We can¡¯t rely on these vampire underlings, I knew these kinds of troubles always have to be resolved by ourselves!¡±

    The little yers were unaware of whaty ahead.

    While following the immensely powerful Lord Murphy forward, they also took the opportunity to scavenge some ¡°loot¡± from those constructs, even managing to find a few ¡°Unrepairable Gargoyle Cores¡±.

    Identified as construct cores, these spirit items could be used to create new constructs ¨C clearly a rare material that only drops in dungeons, making the yers who obtained them overjoyed.

    But they soon realized this was a raid dungeon!

    Although there were no set distribution rules, it was obvious these spoils would have to be distributed collectively after the battle.

    Before the fight began, everyone had agreed that for suchrge dungeon activities in the future, they would adopt the DKP system to distribute loot, which was the fairest and most reasonable method.

    So the diligent and oldest Dump Truck Iaido, who everyone trusted, was nominated to keep track of the DKP records.

    ¡°Howe we¡¯ve only been fighting small fries and haven¡¯t seen the BOSS yet?¡±

    The confused Pigeon in the crowd asked while grasping his staff. As soon as he finished speaking, Lord Murphy, who had been leading the charge, suddenly stopped in his tracks and adopted a perplexed yet wary expression, saying:

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right! I smell a terrifying dark aura¡­be careful!¡±

    He shouted while also giving orders through voice imitation to Young Lady, who was on standby in the guard room above:

    ¡°Now! Drop it down!¡±

    ¡°To be honest, sometimes I really don¡¯t understand what goes through Murphy¡¯s mind.¡±

    Young Lady murmured aint to Maxim and Adele beside her. Then the three of them nodded at each other and used theirbined strength to hurl the core gargoyle construct bound by spirit energy down below.

    ¡°Woosh¡±

    The faint spirit bindings burst open in mid-air, allowing the ck gargoylemander statue to break free.

    Its gigantic stone wings emzoned with bloody gems spread open, and its body twice the size of a regr construct smashed down onto the floor of the second hall in a ferocious, brutal posture, creating a resounding crash.

    The beating of its massive wings stirred up howling dust clouds, forcing the yers in front to raise their hands to shield their eyes.

    Once the dust was dispersed by Murphy¡¯s spirit st, the chandeliers in the second hall lit up, allowing the yers to see the BOSS that had appeared before them.

    Entirely ckened, with a pair of horns on its head.

    Though sharing the gargoyle appearance, its metal armor and the radiance surrounding its body clearly marked it as extraordinary. Most importantly, this guy was huge, ugly and ferocious enough to undoubtedly be the gate guardian BOSS of the Blood Vulture Halls dungeon.

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯ve been severely injured, I must retreat immediately.¡±

    Murphy clutched his chest and feebly cried out, then unfurled his massive blood wings and disappeared from the hall in a sh, leaving behind a group of bewildered yers and the equally dumbfounded gargoyle leader that had been dropped in front of them.

    The scene fell silent for a moment.

    ¡°Dammit! I knew it! Every BOSS fight has to have this kind of drama, these NPCs are such goddamn actors! Acting their asses off! You¡¯re the leader NPC, how could you possibly get injured by some petty guard? You were a raging beast mowing down those small fries earlier, nothing like this supposed weakness!¡±

    Meow King harshly criticized with a sneer.

    But the other little yers showed stable emotions.

    Hey, it¡¯s just the NPCs acting, what¡¯s the big deal? Look at the super holy knights like Guangwei holding divine artifacts, wouldn¡¯t they also get CC and pretend to ck off?

    Our NPC is a cunning vampire, so it¡¯s normal for him to tactically retreat when the situation looks unfavorable, right?

    Even putting that aside, Lord Murphy didn¡¯t say you¡¯re invincible, did he?

    ¡°Shielders forward! Ranged to the rear, mages prepare, BOSS in 10 seconds!¡±

    The overallmander Joy Stick shouted, and the yers immediately perked up in spirit.

    This was their first BOSS battle in¡¶Reality Realm¡·, they had to take it seriously.

    At the same time, Murphy, who had already flown back to the second floor guard room using his vampire speed, looked on approvingly at the little yers¡¯ actions below. He snapped his fingers at Young Lady, who had fully taken control of the hallway¡¯s construct core, and said:

    ¡°You stay here and operate the core, remember to send in two gargoyles every minute, and when that big ck one is about to die, unleash six gargoyles at once.¡±

    Young Lady was utterly perplexed.

    She asked in bewilderment:

    ¡°Why? Why are you arbitrarily increasing the difficulty for your warriors?¡±

    ¡°Because Lord Murphy¡¯s forces have no need for the weaklings!¡±

    Maxim immediately gave the standard answer.

    This quick response and this always-correct answer satisfied Murphy, who nodded and said to Young Lady:

    ¡°They are 60 fully armed professionals. If they can¡¯t even handle such a stupid, clumsy gargoyle leader, what can I expect from them? Don¡¯t worry, Young Lady, my warriors only grow braver in battle, they won¡¯t me you or me.

    They must rapidly grow stronger.

    Maxim, Adele, proceed as nned!¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡±

    Maxim and Lady Adele immediately left the guard room, heading to the self-destruct core area hidden within the halls ording to the map Murphy had previously marked.

    As for Murphy, he pped his wings to hover in the air and reminded Young Lady:

    ¡°Seal this ce! Don¡¯t open the seal until my warriors have defeated the powerful enemy. I¡¯ll go have a chat with the Witch Hunters. They¡¯ll have to press on into the depths of the halls next, are there still many of my nsmen lurking inside?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to tell you, their numbers are far fewer than we expected.¡±

    Young Lady said with a puzzled expression:

    ¡°Even less than what I saw when I previously entered the halls!

    Judging from the spirit aura from the depths, there are at most five hundred here. But when Kadman City was devoured by the astral energy, at least thousands or even tens of thousands of nsmen escaped the first astral wave and safely took refuge in the castle and hallway.

    I know my father ¡®sacrificed¡¯ some nsmen for reasons I can¡¯t understand, but their numbers shouldn¡¯t be so few!

    So I suspect there are other things lurking in this halls. You all need to be careful, whatever it is, it can wantonly ughter our elite nsmen.¡±

    ¡°Useful information, I understand.¡±

    Murphy nodded and flew into the darkness.

    The little yers below had already dispersed throughout the second hall to find their attack points, and the shielders were starting to ¡°tank¡± the gargoyle leader using snake-like movements under covering fire.

    As he glided back to the Progeny Hall from the second hall, the doors to the second hall also began closing under Young Lady¡¯s control, just like how a ssic BOSS battle requires sealing the area to prevent yers from fleeing.

    ¡°Your warriors seem to be in trouble?¡±

    The old knight stared at Murphy as he was surrounded by Witch Hunters outside and said:

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you help them deal with it? It¡¯s just a Masterwork ck iron-tier construct, don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even handle that.¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    Murphy¡¯s massive blood-red bat wings,rger than regr Blood Vulture vampires, slowly folded behind his back. He replied expressionlessly:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this exactly the responsibility you want my warriors to shoulder? To clear out the rabble for you so you don¡¯t waste time. I have my duties, just as my warriors will never stop here. You should also fulfill your own tasks!

    Follow me, we can bypass the second hall through the side corridors and enter the main halls, where my maddened nsmen are lurking.

    But ording to my reconnaissance, there are even more dangerous things inside.¡±

    The old knight waved his hand forward, and the elite Witch Hunters immediately poured out in an orderly fashion.

    Natalie, who had new weapons at her waist and five knives strapped to her back, nced at Murphy as she passed him, and then disappeared into the darkness with her squad.

    However, upon entering the deeper passageways, they took a detour in apletely different direction from the other Witch Hunters.

    ¡°What is Lady Natalie¡¯s rtionship to you?¡±

    In the now empty Progeny Hall, Murphy quietly asked:

    ¡°You seem to pay a lot of attention to her?¡±

    ¡°Are you looking for my weaknesses?¡±

    Old Finoch stepped forward gripping his one-handed mace and kite shield, coldly replying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t try any tricks, Murphy. Tris should have warned a vampire like you that when you¡¯re weak, you should learn to stay away from dangers like me.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, I just have bad luck, filth always seems to find me on its own.¡±

    Murphy curled his lip and beckoned with his finger, pointing to a wall nearby and saying:

    ¡°Come with me! The dark tunnel passage that leads directly to the depths of the hall is here. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside, no one has entered there for hundreds of years. But with your formidable strength, I don¡¯t need to worry too much.

    Please.¡±

    Just like when the old knight previously invited Murphy and others to open the door, the vampire made a polite ¡°invitation¡± gesture in the dim light.

    Old Finoch stepped forward and touched the luxurious wall, his natural spirit perception quickly allowing him to sense the hollow space behind it. But this wall was three to four meters thick, not something that could normally be broken through by human power alone.

    However, such obstacles meant little before the golden-tier old knight.

    ¡°The power of nature, be my vanguard.¡±

    He ced a metallic-lustered oak seed into a crevice in the wall, then stepped back and chanted a spell.

    The seed quickly germinated and grew, its sharp vines piercing into the crack and steadily advancing inward. With a teeth-grinding cracking sound, merely ten-odd secondster, the thick wall was brought crumbling down by the relentlessly growing ironwood tree.

    A putrid stench wafted out from the ancient cavern before them. The old knight¡¯s eyes narrowed beneath his barrel helm as he gripped his one-handed mace and shield, entering with Murphy following closely behind with sword in hand.

    As the sound of trickling water echoed from the darkness, old Finoch suddenly twitched his nose, then said in a low voice:

    ¡°Seems I¡¯ve identally dug us into quite a predicament.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How so?¡±

    Murphy leaned on his sword and asked.

    Old Finoch shrugged, pointing at the emerald green firelight now illuminating from the abnormallyrge cavern ahead, and drawled:

    ¡°Remember how I told you the spiral passage was upied by an Astral Manticore before we came in? The one driven out by the mes is right up ahead now, and it seems to have recognized us.

    Hmm, it¡¯s really furious and ferocious, reminds me of the royal winged lions from the northern part of Greenleaf Ind.

    But these old bones of mine are suddenly feeling rather weary.

    So Sir Murphy¡­

    Please!¡±

    ¡°Shraaa!¡±

    Having just put on an act for the little yers, Murphy turned to find himself being performed at by this ¡°true NPC¡±. Hearing the deep roars resounding from the cavern and the rapidly approaching ferocious aura, Murphy sighed and leveled his longsword.

    s, it¡¯s best not to cause too much trouble.

    ¡°Those who act will always be acted upon¡± is probably the reasoning here.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hurry! We should be into the execution phase now! Watch out for enraged low health!¡±

    In the second hall, Joy Stick fired his gun whilemanding his teammates over voicems to pour on the damage output.

    Therge ck gargoyle leader¡¯s armor had been peeled away by the relentless attacks, its stony body now riddled with cracks.

    To endure nearly five minutes under the concentrated fire of nearly 40rge-caliber hunting rifles showed just how ridiculously durable this thing was.

    Under Joy Stick¡¯s coordination, any boulders thrown by the gargoyle were agilely dodged by the surrounding yers, their snake-like movements drawing great satisfaction from Young Lady observing on the second floor.

    Young Lady watched intently for a full five minutes!

    She had never realized how bored she could get, but now she vaguely understood why those human nobles always enjoyed watching diatorial battles.

    This spectacle of the weak battling the strong was truly interesting.

    Especially seeing the 60 yers forming an ingenious cohesive unit undermand, operating with mechanical smoothness to utterly batter the superior gargoyle that would have been unbeatable for them one-on-one, the whole process gave Femis deeper insight into Murphy¡¯s otherworld warriors.

    Their individualbat abilities were very poor.

    But their grasp and understanding of teamwork was far beyond that of ordinary soldiers.

    ¡°Now there are 60 of them, if you had 600¡­¡±

    Young Lady narrowed her eyes watching the little yers ¡°perform¡± below. She couldn¡¯t help thinking, no wonder Murphy never recruited his blood servants from the survivor camps, he truly looked down on ordinary people. His warriors were indeed far superior to regr blood servants in every aspect.

    More terrifyingly, these guys all obeyed Murphy¡¯smands!

    This meant that once their numbers breached a certain threshold, the destructive power of Murphy¡¯s organization would increase exponentially.

    So this was the source of Murphy¡¯s fearlessness?

    As Femis pondered this, Khaki Tony Tai roared and swung his greataxe down on the battered arms of the gargoyle leader below, shattering the stone with a thunderous boom.

    ¡°Victory is decided!¡±

    Young Lady stood up and casually tapped the control core beside her, following Murphy¡¯s instructions.

    Amid Joy Stick¡¯s enraged roars, the final six gargoyles took flight from their pedestals, pping their wings to join the fray like onest ¡°surprise¡± trial for the victors.

    ¡°Maxim and Tris, even Adele, have all taken a liking to certain warriors.¡±

    Young Lady murmured as she quietly took flight, leaving the guard room towards the deeper hallway:

    ¡°Perhaps I should also pick out some warriors for myself from among Murphy¡¯s, following his wishes. If I n to remain in Murphy¡¯s new n, then it may be time for me to learn their way of doing things.

    I¡¯ll have to carefully choose the warriors I favor.¡±

 Chapter 97:

    ¡°Damn! The design of this BOSS is too absurd. Instead of having a hard enrage mechanic at low health, it switches to a soft enrage?¡±

    ¡°Six masterwork stone golem elites spawn all at once in the final phase? Who can withstand that?¡±

    In the second hall, amidst the debris, the still bleeding Joy Stick was sitting on the shattered remains of the stone golem boss¡¯ corpse.

    Seeing the recently recovered yer corpses in front of him, he felt somewhat dejected.

    ¡°How many died?¡±

    He caught his breath, epting the Winds of Rejuvenation tossed by Meow King to heal his wounds, and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Seven died, two critically injured. Fortunately the Tiger Leopard Riders reacted quickly, barely withstanding the nking charges, otherwise we¡¯d have more casualties.¡±

    Meow King patted his shoulder and said:

    ¡°The ones who died were all new yers, with subpar gear and skills, and couldn¡¯t keep up. Health bars in this game are paper-thin, they thought they could tank a couple hits but were taken out by the adds in a few swipes.Not your fault.

    Yourmand was solid enough, it was purely the boss mechanics being unclear that caused this.

    This damn game has too harsh a death penalty, over-emphasizing realism so there¡¯s no concept of time flows, relying entirely on improvisation.

    But in truth, the first phase difficulty isn¡¯t high, I reckon 20 people could handle it, not just 60, provided their gear, skills and levels are up to par.

    Our current strength is still a bitcking.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Joy Stick nodded, ncing behind him.

    The infamous ¡°newbie¡± Sister Pomegranate was looting corpses, constantly searching the copsed stone golem boss remains for usable materials, while Dump Truck beside her, in charge of DKP tracking, was openly packing those items into a spirit container.

    The upside of a truly realistic game!

    No gear has binding restrictions, so loot distribution can be discussed after clearing the dungeon.

    The downside of a truly realistic game is also here!

    This massive stone golem BOSS wouldn¡¯t possibly drop weapons or gear that yers could equip.

    Being made entirely of stone, its drops are just some armor scraps and weird rocks that can only be exchanged with Tris¡¯ alchemistdy for some pocket change.

    ¡°Stick! There¡¯s a construct control switch in the watchtower on the second floor!¡±

    Leading Pigeon, scouting the upper level, leaned over the railing and yelled down:

    ¡°The youngdy left simple operation instructions, hurry and bring up the spirit stone golem core the BOSS dropped. We can now control all the stone golem constructs in the entire dungeon!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Stick¡¯s eyes lit up as he stood, saying:

    ¡°With the stone golems assisting, we have more tactical options. Everyone rest a few minutes and prepare to proceed, I reckon the elite Blood Vultures required for the achievement are in the next area. If the uing BOSS is around this difficulty level, our current team should have no issue clearing it.¡±

    Joy Stick made this optimistic assessment, and they subsequently activated the remaining dungeon constructs, assigning them as temporary minions to each small yer group.

    These constructs required spirit maniption.

    Regr yers could only give vaguemands viaputation beads, but specialists like Meow King, Cheche and Pigeon could control them more precisely, even handling two at once.

    They felt their strength had increased significantly.

    So after the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force NPCs took over the second hall¡¯s defenses, the confident yers advanced into the main Blood Vulture Halls. But within ten minutes, those erratic elite vampire nsmen had ambushed and in eight more yers, forcing a hasty retreat.

    ¡°Damn! The monster stats are definitely bugged, right?¡±

    Joy Stick was almost dumbfounded.

    He angrily jumped up and down, cursing:

    ¡°How can the adds in the second area match the first area¡¯s BOSS strength? Those vampire adds are all ck Iron tier in power!

    Plus the insane Astral Spirit enhancements, we can¡¯t even keep up with their speed, get touched and it¡¯s an instant kill. How are we supposed to fight that?

    The devs must be sick in the head! This is clearly a failure in encounter design!¡±

    ¡°Is there a chance, Stick¡­¡±

    The equally filthy Leading Pigeon sidled up, with a strange look on his face as he pointed at the ck rubble in the hall, and said:

    ¡°That stone golem we just fought might not actually have been the BOSS? More like a rare mob or something.¡±

    ¡°Ah, now that you mention it, that¡¯s quite possible!¡±

    Stick was stunned.

    But after some thought, he realized and said while stroking his chin:

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m suddenly aware of an issue, perhaps this is another lose-lose situation like Smuggler¡¯s Woods, where the devs want us to realize we can¡¯t approach this realistic dungeon through normal thinking.

    Speaking of which, there shouldn¡¯t be so many allied NPCs in a normal dungeon instance, but here we have not just militia but elite Witch Hunter units too. So our real mission may not be to simply brute force it.

    The strength gap is toorge!

    I think our true role is to assist the NPCs, which is why the devs deliberately ced a gear check boss here to equip us with the stone golem construct minions, making our support roles easier.

    Yeah, that makes sense!

    Meow King, quickly re-organize the teams, we¡¯ll take the Witch Hunters¡¯ route, use the stone golems or our bodies to pull aggro, same tactics as before!

    Lure those crazed vampires over to the elite Witch Hunter squads and let them kill them, we¡¯ll just chip in assists and leeroy for kill credits!

    Ah ha!

    This is the correct approach for this dungeon!¡±

    ¡°Got it, brothers follow me.¡±

    Meow King wiped the wound on his forehead and went with his Four Heavenly Kings and old buddy to scout the path through the other side¡¯s passage.

    The other yers took the chance to rest and grab a bite.

    This game had one downside.

    Not eating would make you hungry, and being hungry for too long would weaken and faint you, yet there was no satiety meter, it all relied on the yer¡¯s own perception.

    The immersion was there, but it was rather inconvenient duringbat, and the worst part was that yer taste senses were fully simted, who could stand just eating bread every day? Seems learning some cooking skills would be very useful in the future.

    As they rested, the team channel in the yer interface suddenly had the ¡°Blood Vulture Traitor¡± achievement unlocked. Meow King then shouted in the team channel:

    ¡°Come help with the achievement! Stick¡¯s guess was right, pulling mobs over to get assist credits also lights up the achievement! But the Witch Hunters have taken casualties too, a fewe help drag them back to the second hall¡¯s safe zone for the militia medics to treat.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Lads, time to hunt!¡±

    Having finally figured out the dungeon mechanics, Stickughed heartily as he led the reinvigorated yers charging over in a disorderly group.

    At first, the elite Witch Hunters battling at the front looked down on these newbies, but they soon realized these vampire cultists had their own devious tricks.

    They used the stone golem minions to ¡°lure¡± everywhere, drawing those frenzied Astral Spirit-possessed Blood Vulture vampires over to the Witch Hunter lines.

    This saved the elite hunters from going out to find targets themselves, only needing toy ambushes on the defense line.

    With both sides cooperating, Witch Hunter casualties dropped sharply, so the squadmanders immediately epted this ¡°unsportsmanlike¡± tactic. Through yer and Witch Hunter teamwork, the front line steadily advanced rapidly.

    Injured Witch Hunters were carried back to the second hall by yers, a few low-level Oak Apprentice yers staying behind to heal them.

    They initially hadints, but soon found that the Witch Hunters rejoining battle after their healing also counted as their assists.

    Now everyone was satisfied.

    Under this good cooperation, Khaki Tony Tai carried a Witch Hunter struck down by an ambush towards the rear, throwing the guy to the ground in the second hall before preparing to return for more assist farming.

    But he soon realized this shed Witch Hunter looked a bit familiar, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡°p!¡±

    A few secondster, Khaki suddenly bent down and pped the weakened Witch Hunter¡¯s cheek.

    Leaving him stunned, staring wide-eyed at the vampire cultist, while Khaki Tony Tai waved his hand and said after the p:

    ¡°Back in Mond Vige, it was you who hit me first! I remembered you, now we¡¯re even.¡±

    Having avenged himself, the athletic guy hummed happily as he ran back to the front line, leaving a bewildered Witch Hunter clutching the palm print on his face.

    He had thought these cunning bastards were taking the chance for a sneak attack and was ready to draw his sword, but that was it?

    Did I really p you days ago for you to still hold that grudge?

    Are these vampire cultists sick in the head?

    On the yer side, luring mobs was still risky, especially for the melee yers unfamiliar with ranged weapons. Unable to shoot urately, after their assigned stone golem minions were depleted, they had to resort to the dangerous ¡°body pulling¡± tactic.

    But vampire speed was no joke, this high risk move basically meant ¡°one misstep and it¡¯s the afterlife¡±.

    ¡°Damn! Three vampires are targeting me, they¡¯re blocking my path, I might be a goner here.¡±

    Spicy Gugu Chicken had gotten into trouble while pulling mobs.

    He wailed in the squad channel, clearly having hit the ¡°jackpot¡± by being targeted by three frenzied vampires, unable to run back to the Witch Hunter lines and forced to flee erratically.

    Concerned for their ¡°stepson¡±, Ah Yuen and Cheche immediately decided to go help.

    Though the game¡¯s death penalty was severe, just watching Gugu Chicken get ughtered would cause dorm conflicts after logging off, maybe even an enraged Gugu Chicken ganking them in real life.

    ¡°You two take him and exit left! Follow that passage straight ahead without detouring to reach the second hall.¡±

    After studying the dungeon map, Pigeon instructed Ah Yuen and Cheche:

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Snail and Shark reinforce you there. The second hall has 120 militia plus the recuperating Witch Hunters, concentrated volleys should handle three vampires, but you must be fast.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Ah Yuen replied, raising a light kite shield to protect the spirit apprentice Cheche as they rushed towards Gugu Chicken¡¯s location.

    Most vampires along the way had been lured and killed by yer and Witch Hunter teamwork. They soon found the bloodied Gugu Chicken.

    As a greatsword user with high endurance, he wouldn¡¯t die so easily. Seeing his dorm soning to his rescue, he was touched to the point of nearly shedding tears amid the heartfelt moment.

    After the three regrouped, Cheche tossed a smokescreen alchemical to cover their retreat towards the second hall as nned.

    But the three frenzied vampires would definitely not let them go, giving chase to ughter them, quickly forcing Ah Yuen, acting as their defender, into a difficult battle.

    They should be grateful the vampires in this ¡°dungeon¡± had their blood essences extracted by Salrokdar¡¯s spirit arts, leaving them in an inherently weakened state. Otherwise, facing three ck Iron tier vampire hunters head-on would probably get them instantly killed.

    ¡°Damn, there are more ahead!¡±

    As a Spirit Mage, Cheche soon sensed the dark spirit disturbances blocking the exit ahead, indicating more vampires closing in from the front.

    The three small yers immediately fell into despair.

    They realized they couldn¡¯t possibly escape.

    But in the next moment, that despair transformed into the yers¡¯ trademark determination to go down fighting. Cheche cursed as he handed out alchemical bombs from his bag to Ah Yuen and Gugu Chicken, deciding to take at least one or two with them even if they perished here.

    Though not exactly soulmates, these dormmates had lived together for over three years, developing an unspoken understanding.

    Through silentmunication, they formed a defensive formation back-to-back. As the frenzied vampires¡¯ roars approached, the three small yers were ready.

    But just as they steeled themselves for mutual destruction, a sudden scream echoed from the corridor ahead, startling the three yers.

    It was a vampire¡¯s scream!

    Were there Witch Hunters on this side too?

    No, their lines should be on the other side, right?

    Could it be the elusive Murphy hade to rescue his beloved small yers?

    As they stood dazed, the three maddened vampires chasing from behind also charged in with roars.

    Ah Yuen and Gugu Chicken immediately moved to parry their difficult assault, while Cheche continuously unleashed Spirit sts to try binding the hyper-fast elite mobs.

    Just as the three fought desperately, a formidable blood shadow shattered through the wall, swinging a crimson greatsword onto the battlefield.

    To Ah Yuen and Gugu Chicken¡¯s astonished gazes, that towering figure took down one frenzied vampire with a sword strike, then blitz-grabbed another vampire¡¯s neck and mmed it to the ground like a chicken before executing it with blood ws.

    Swiftly killing the two downed frenzied ones, thest vampire, scared witless, immediately turned to flee but was caught by this brawny man and smashed with the greatsword.

    Impaling it through the chest, it crashed through one wall before pinning it dead to the second wall.

    ¡°Holy shit! So powerful!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche was totally dumbstruck watching from the side.

    The elite vampires who could ughter yers like him as easily as cutting melons had been casually butchered like chickens by this brawny man appearing out of nowhere.

    This strength was insane.

    Just from the effortless disy of power, this guy was probably even stronger than Murphy and the youngdy.

    But the question was, who was he?

    He definitely wasn¡¯t among the allied NPC forces they¡¯d seen.

    ¡°Pffft¡±

    This suddenly appearing brawny NPC coldly executed thest ambushing vampire with blood ws. As the other disintegrated into crimson ashes with an agonizing scream, he finally hoisted his greatsword and turned to look at the three small yers.

    His face covered by a Blood Vulture war mask already caked with thick bloodstains like a ghoul¡¯s visage, and just being stared at by this guy made the three yers¡¯ legs shake.

    Damn!

    Isn¡¯t this a BOSS?

    ¡°Citizens! Why are you wandering outside in such danger? Come with me quickly! There are crazed beasts everywhere. I am the Blood Vulture Civil Protector, I must keep you safe!¡±

    To their surprise, the NPC spoke a line, showing up tranted on the yer interface that left the three small yers exchanging confused looks.

    Blood Vulture Civil Protector?

    What sort of title is that? Sounds like some kind of official position?

    ¡°Hey, this guy¡¯s not all there upstairs.¡±

    Gugu Chicken whispered to his two brothers:

    ¡°See the insignia on his body? The one on his breastte, it¡¯s exactly the same as the youngdy¡¯s cloak insignia! So who the hell is this guy?¡±

    ¡°Hurry and follow! Citizens, it¡¯s dangerous out there, I must protect you! Quickly!¡±

    The unstable brawny NPC kept urging them to follow as he led the way.

    Figuring they must have triggered some hidden storyline, the students obediently followed him. Rounding various disguised walls, he brought them to a sealed hall deeper inside and demanded they enter immediately.

    ¡°Get inside! Don¡¯te out!¡±

    The brawny NPC braced his greatsword like a statue, barring the entrance as dozens of executed, faded vampire statuesy around him.

    His deep, raspy voice came from beneath the mask:

    ¡°I¡¯ll notify you once it¡¯s safe. You won¡¯t be harmed before I fall, this is my duty as Civil Protector!

    Go in!¡±

    The three small yers looked at each other in confusion.

    They didn¡¯t quite get what this NPC was ying at, but were afraid of angering him by disobeying, so they pushed through the door behind him.

    The next instant, all three froze on the spot.

    ¡°Damn! Why are there so many people in here?¡±

 Chapter 98:

    Ah Yuen, covered in blood stains, stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

    This was originally supposed to be three interconnected underground warehouses, but the middle wall had been dug through, connecting them into a single shared area.

    Wooden crates could still be seen stacked in the corners, but the space was crammed full of people. From the small entrance tforms where the yers were, one could overlook the entire terrain of the area.

    It had been turned into a rather cramped yet orderly refugee zone, densely packed with people. It seemed incredibly noisy, but in reality, they appeared ustomed to this cramped living condition.

    Some men were using tools to dig into the corner walls, creating more usable space. Among the crowd, dismantled crate boards had been used to construct crude ¡°shacks¡±, separating individual partitions and maximizing use of the limited space.

    They had even hung crate-like ¡°treehouses¡± from the ceiling area.

    Those were designated as the ¡°living quarters¡± for children, with hand-woven softdders for them to climb up and down.

    Near Ah Yuen, Gugu Chicken even spotted an area with pots set up for cooking something.

    If not for the out-of-ce setting, it would have seemed like they were back in a survivor¡¯s camp.Just from their clothes and appearance, it was clear these people living in this massive underground warehouse were civilians from Kadman City. Just like in the outer city district where many fled into the sewers when the astral fissure attacked, the inner city residents had made the same choice.

    But evidently, they were far luckier than those who escaped underground in the outer districts, likely found by that formidable vampire male who brought them here.

    ¡°Damn, just how many people are here?¡± Cheche asked in a low voice, somewhat startled.

    The calmer Ah Yuen used elementary school math estimation skills to scan the area and said:

    ¡°Judging from the number of those shacks, at least 1,500! The situation here is really odd, this has to be some kind of super powerful hidden storyline! We must report to Lord Murphy immediately!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The vampire lord had just finished dealing with that mother Astral Manticore after expending quite an effort.

    In certain legends, this creature was also called the scorpion-tailed lion.

    It was a fusion of lion, bat, and scorpion features, said to live deep in the Dark Mountains south of Transia, with mutant offshoots in the great deserts of the faraway Sanghai Empire.

    Adult manticores were huge beast-type creatures. As they aged and grew stronger, some powerful ones would ascend to the realm of ¡°legendary creatures¡± that defied conventional wisdom.

    But the Astral Manticore was clearly more dangerous than its ¡°kin¡± in the physical world.

    Its danger came not just from its body being three timesrger than a normal lion and its brute force, but also from the vicious, venomous scorpion tail that allowed it to use some spirit magic and assault enemy minds, like all its astralpatriots.

    If Murphy hadn¡¯t grownrge bat wings to take to the skies, he really wouldn¡¯t have had a good way to deal with this ferocious, dangerous creature that had taken a liking to living flesh and blood.

    This thing could easily reach supersonic flight speeds. Here in the underground cavern severely limiting its performance, it couldn¡¯tst five minutes against Murphy¡¯s ghostly onught before rejoining the stars.

    Like other astral beings, after its physical projection was destroyed, it began rapidly dissipating, but left behind a little ¡°memento¡± for Murphy.

    Its grotesquely shaped, venomous scorpion tail impaled the ground by Murphy¡¯s feet.

    Though biological, it was icy cold to the touch like an alien metal artifact, glimmering with starlight specks in the darkness ¨C clearly prime material for crafting an exquisite short de or dagger.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just as Murphy picked up his spoil of war, he sensed a proactive reporting from the yers through his coreputation bead.

    Based on theputation bead architecture¡¯smunication system, yers couldn¡¯t initiate contact with Murphy as a higher-level node. They could only submit ¡°reports¡± following a fixed format like sending letters in this world.

    Most yers rarely used this function since it was a hassle during active dungeon raids.

    But he narrowed his eyes upon opening Ah Yuen¡¯s brief yet striking report.

    Huh?

    Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer?

    At least 1,500 survivors?

    A hidden refuge with the corpse of a crazed vampire? Wasn¡¯t this connected to the youngdy¡¯s earlier spection and reminder?

    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±

    He gestured to the old knight Finoch who was about to press forward, then sent amunication request to the youngdy¡¯sputation bead.

    Secondster, the call connected.

    The youngdy¡¯s cold voice came through from the other side:

    ¡°What is it? I¡¯m rather busy here.¡±

    ¡°Who is the current Blood Vulture n¡¯s Civilian Protection Officer?¡±

    Murphy asked.

    As a n member, he should know the answer to this question.

    But being an outcast left Murphy unclear and uncaring about such organizational structures. His sudden inquiry did catch the youngdy off guard for a moment.

    She replied:

    ¡°Kudel Feodoro Seville Lessenbra, my brother¡­nominally speaking, was once a wandering knight in the Anju region of the Sn Kingdom over a hundred years ago before bing a n member in the Dark Mountains.

    He was personally embraced by my father.

    It¡¯s normal you¡¯re unfamiliar with him. In fact, even after being embraced, Kudel resisted the midnight call through sheer willpower.

    He never really fit in with most of the n, and many have never even met him.

    Kudel strongly opposed vampires treating humans as food sources. To better serve the n, father appointed him as the Civilian Protection Officer until now.

    Why are you asking about him?

    Kudel should have died when the astral fissure opened.¡±

    ¡°He did not die,¡± Murphy stated inly.

    ¡°My warriors unexpectedly found him in the halls and he took them in as Kadman City civilians to a ¡®refuge¡¯. That ¡®brother¡¯ of yours rounded up at least 1,500 civilians during the disaster and hid them in warehouses beneath the halls.

    It can now be confirmed that the many crazed vampire deaths in the corridors were his doing.

    If you¡¯re acquainted with him, please go handle this!

    I¡¯m temporarily transferringmand of my warriors to you. Announce that today¡¯s battle is over, then send those survivors out!

    Miriam will organize personnel to receive them on the outside.

    But be prepared, ording to my warriors¡¯ reports, your brother seems to have had his mind corrupted by astral energies and gonepletely insane.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    The youngdy fell silent upon hearing Murphy¡¯s exnation. Several seconds passed before she said softly:

    ¡°Well, that does sound like something Kudel would do. Alright, leave it to me. How are you progressing on your end?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve entered the underground dark river and just dealt with a manticore. Finoch and I will keep pushing forward. Once we find the correct exit, I¡¯ll contact you.¡±

    After a few more words of advice, Murphy cut themunication.

    As he turned back, the old knight Finoch asked:

    ¡°This Civilian Protection Officer you mentioned¡­how did he manage that? Sheltering that many people under such a massive astral fissure doesn¡¯t sound like something a vampire could do. It¡¯s more akin to a religious miracle.

    And Kudel¡­

    That name, I feel like I¡¯ve heard it before.¡±

    ¡°I too would like to meet this kinsman. He seems an outcast like myself in the n. I feel we may find somemon ground,¡± Murphy said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°But that¡¯s forter. Sir Finoch, has your back and leg recovered? I seem to hear some strange noises ahead. You see, I just battled that manticore.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, so a young pup can¡¯t even handle a single manticore?¡± The old knight scoffed.

    ¡°You sorelyck the vigor of your elder Tris in her prime. The Crimson Witch could ughter a town or two in a single night with ease back when I was but a child. Tris¡¯ name alone could terrify the lord of a principality into maintaining a curfew for years on end.

    As her descendant, you¡¯re rathercking, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±

    ¡°I can hardlypare to you venerable elders still in your prime,¡± Murphy replied with a grin before following the old knight deeper into the winding dark river.

    He wasn¡¯t just saying that either.

    There were indeed disturbances up ahead, and the cold, ominous spirit tremors emanating from there suggested a rather formidable group of¡­things.

    Wraiths.

    No, higher-level spectral beings!

    And in astounding numbers too.

    Meanwhile, the youngdy, who had already neared the hall central region, doubled back through a secret passage only she knew about, following Murphy¡¯s instructions toward the lowest warehouse area.

    She knew that ce.

    It was where the Blood Vulture n stored supplies for n members operating in the hall region, serving the same purpose as the family¡¯s secret vault in the outer city, ensuring elite members wouldn¡¯t be stranded without provisions if under outside attack.

    Located at the very bottom of the halls nearly a hundred meters underground, it was unsurprising this area remained intact even as the astral fissure opened and poured massive spirit energies onto the surface.

    Faced with Kadman City¡¯s cataclysm, this warehouse was undoubtedly the safest ce in the entire city.

    As the youngdy headed for the warehouse area, she used the authority granted by herputation bead to summon nearby yers. They had already been battling in the halls for over four hours, with little game time remaining for the day. Murphy¡¯s arrangements clearly ounted for this.

    He intended to give the yers a safe ce to log out while also having them escort the survivors away from the increasingly hazardous Blood Vulture Halls.

    In Murphy¡¯s n, the entire hall was meant to be destroyed in the end. For these survivors to remain was a dead end.

    ¡°So many faded stone statues! Just how many Blood Vulture vampires died here?¡±

    The gathered yers followed silently behind the youngdy through the spirit-camouged passages, quickly discovering the bizarrely posed dead vampires along the way.

    These had their hearts removed, turning them into statues.

    ording to Lady Tris, as long as the statues weren¡¯t shattered, there was a small chance of ¡°reviving¡± the vampires by reinserting their hearts within a certain timeframe.

    Commotion broke out among the group.

    The yers had personally witnessed the destructive power of these crazed vampires today, yet these feared elites had been ughtered here like cattle.

    This was clear proof of the presence of someone extremely formidable.

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t go any further,¡± the youngdy warned, sensing the killing intent and familiar aura ahead. She signaled the yers to halt as she strode forward, leaning on her crimson spirit staff.

    ¡°Halt!¡± A rebuke came from ahead, and Femis immediately stopped in her tracks.

    Then, in view of the scene transition watched by the yers, a tall heavily-armored knight emerged from the shadows before them.

    d in a crimson vampire-styled heavy armor with a vulture-like face mask and wide cloak, the once-splendid armor and mask were now drenched in horrific blood, the crimson cloak in tattered ruins like shattered, powerless wings drooping down.

    Yet this was not a pitiful sight.

    For the armor¡¯s owner stood ramrod straight like an unwavering pir after countless battles, grasping a blood-red greatsword just like theirs.

    Clearly a hardcore badass character.

    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Femis looked at the man before her.

    She lowered her hood and addressed the one coldly appraising her:

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Femis. I¡¯ve returned with reinforcements! I know what has happened here. I need to send the survivors you¡¯ve sheltered to safety now¡­¡±

    ¡°CLANG!¡±

    The heavy greatsword mmed violently into the ground, cracking visible fissures.

    ¡°The citizens cannot leave! It¡¯s too dangerous out there! I must protect them, it¡¯s my duty!¡± The Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer rasped.

    ¡°The sky has shattered, the Astral Realm is invading! Monsters howl in the darkness. Salrokdar went mad, said he heard the call. The vampires went mad too, trying to escape only to be ensnared by the whispers in the dark.

    Up ahead!

    Unimaginable evils are unfolding!

    But I must hold this ground.

    I was given this duty, I must protect the citizens! None shall pass!

    You shall not harm them!

    You shall not harm those under my protection!

    Begone!

    Vampire!

    You are not wee here!¡±

    Rebuked, Femis bit her lip, tasting the former wandering knight¡¯s true feelings towards the Blood Vulture n in his rebuke, even after over a hundred years, he still referred to them as ¡°vampires.¡±

    This proved Kudel himself did not consider himself a Blood Vulture member, despite bing one of the undying midnight creatures himself.

    ¡°The astral fissure is closed, Murphy has established a survivor camp outside! Father is doing dangerous work, Kudel. I know how strong your will to protect the people is, but you must lead them out now!¡±

    Femis gripped her arcane staff tightly.

    Though Kudel strove to maintain his imposing presence, the youngdy could keenly discern the officer¡¯s underlying weakness.

    He may have been deliriously fighting nonstop for nearly 10 days now. Even as a high-ranking Silver-tier vampire, he was likely running on fumes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say this onest time!¡± The youngdy raised her voice.

    ¡°Kudel! I did note to harm your people, but to aid them. Please regain your senses!¡±

    ¡°You! Shameless vampire!¡±

    Kudel gripped the monstrouslyrge crimson greatsword, his entire being radiating murderous cold intent as he rebuked:

    ¡°Leave the ce I have sworn to protect! Final warning!¡±

    Completely unable tomunicate!

    Only his obsession with protection kept him going.

    Perhaps it was this very obsession that helped him resist the corrosive foul energies assaulting his mind, sparing him from descending into total madness like the other vampires.

    The youngdy shook her head.

    She gripped herputation bead, issuing orders to prepare for an assault to the yers behind her. Then, raising the crimson spirit staff, she said softly:

    ¡°I know I was unqualified to say this before, but now, I too wish to rescue these people we once viewed as mere sustenance, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Forgive my impudence, Protection Officer.¡±

 Chapter 99:

    Facing a silver-tier elite vampire heavy sword knight, even with the youngdy as the main damage dealer and controller, it waspletely unrealistic for the little yers to rush up and ¡°massage their feet¡±.

    The crimson greatsword wielded by the civil protection officer before them could not be withstood by any yer at the current stage, even without any skills and relying solely on its sheer weight.

    Under such circumstances, even the most stubborn and wildest melee fighters had to reluctantly take out the hunting crossbows or firearms from their bags and y the role of a sneaky old men, scattering into a circr formation in the not-soplex terrain under themand of the Joy Stick, arranging themselves into three rows to carry out alternating volleys.

    The goal was to fill up the damage meter in the shortest time possible.

    From the conversation between the youngdy and this ¡°second BOSS¡±, it seemed that this was probably a friendly NPC who had gone rogue.

    Following the standard instance mechanics, reducing the health to a certain level would trigger a storyline event.

    However, even shooting from afar like cowards with firearms was notpletely safe, although the youngdy¡¯s spirit control spells were quite powerful, able to erect spirit walls at critical moments to block the civil protection officer¡¯s deadly yet spectacr ¡°Bat Charge¡±.

    After all, there was a gap in tiers, and the youngdy would asionally miss a teleportation, resulting in quite terrifying consequences for the little yers.

    Fortunately, this skill had a noticeable ¡°pre-motion¡±.The crimson bat swarm would flicker, causing Kudel¡¯s figure to vanish from his original spot, randomly choosing a densely popted area to emerge from the shadows and deliver a 720-degree super-deadly whirlwind sh.

    ¡°Tsk! Getting hit means death! I can¡¯t help but ask again! With such an insta-kill mechanism, does the development team really think this BOSS battle design is reasonable?¡±

    As the healer, Brother Meow trembled as he hugged his Spirit Staff.

    Just a moment ago, Kudel the civil protection officer¡¯s Bat Charge + grounded whirlwind instantly took out 7 people, and he lost his healing targets before even finishing the cast bar for Winds of Rejuvenation.

    Within less than two minutes of this battle, the little yers had already suffered 13 casualties, causing the Joy Stick to jump up and down, shouting:

    ¡°Dodge! Move around! Don¡¯t just stand there like idiots, reposition! Reposition, you understand? This isn¡¯t asking you to attack a stationary target! He¡¯s charging, Niuniu! Quick, get out of the way!¡±

    As soon as the words left his mouth, the civil protection officer, trapped within three spirit walls, transformed into a swarm of fluttering bats, screeching as he crashed into the group of yers.

    His towering figure reformed from the bat swarm, gripping his sword with both hands and delivering a 720-degree super whirlwind sh, unleashing a storm of crimson sword des that utterly destroyed everything in the surrounding area.

    However, this time, apart from Niuniu being hit and sent flying after his shield shattered, the rest of the yers were unharmed.

    The Joy Stick took a closer look.

    He found that the cunning student faction seemed to have figured out the BOSS mechanics, taking cover behind the faded stone statues that were once the in vampires, using their destruction to shield them from the insta-kill attack.

    Aha!

    So that¡¯s how it is!

    So these vampire statues are used like this!

    ¡°Climb up! Quick, everyone climb up the pirs!¡±

    On the other side, Little Ashina and Lumina were also helping each other climb up the broken stone pirs surrounding the battle area. Once their feet left the ground, this civil protection officer, who didn¡¯t seem to fly much, temporarily posed no threat.

    As the main damage dealer, the youngdy was also feeling anxious.

    Although she knew that Murphy¡¯s warriors would not truly die, these brave little ones would still have to take on the task of pushing forward, and losing too many here would affect the progress of the entire hall¡¯s battle. Seeing two little yers climb up the stone pirs, she immediately cast a spell.

    Amidst the surging obscure spirit energy, she levitated the yers scrambling on the ground and tossed them towards the nearest broken pir.

    ¡°Boss has transitioned phases! Everyone find a shooting position!¡±

    Brother Stick nimbly climbed up a nearby short pir, took aim with his gun at the civil protection officer, and fired a shot with incredibly lucky uracy, hitting his shoulder armor.

    The battered armor shattered upon impact, ttering to the ground.

    Having finally found the correct ¡°strategy¡±, the little yers regrouped, unleashing a barrage of gunfire, crossbow bolts, and arrows. After a second pir was destroyed by the civil protection officer¡¯s greatsword, this beast-like second BOSS finally reached the ¡°execution threshold¡±.

    The youngdy cast her hands, using Murphy¡¯s ¡°Midnight Noose¡± to bind and levitate the nearly defeated civil protection officer, then unleashed a spirit st shockwave to knock his crimson greatsword from his grasp.

    In the next instant, over twenty bullets exploded in a burst of blood on his body.

    However, before the little yers could put in extra effort to drain his health bar and knock him to the ground, the door to the warehouse he had been guarding suddenly burst open from behind.

    A group of civilians of various appearances, led by a bespectacled, limping middle-aged man, charged out, waving crude weapons and charging into the battlefield amidst a few gunshots.

    The youngdy¡¯s expression changed slightly upon witnessing this scene.

    She released her control and stepped back, once again summoning a spirit wall in mid-air to block the bullets and crossbow bolts fired by the little yers.

    ¡°Get back, you disgusting vampires!¡±

    A tall, butcher-like man wearing a leather apron and wielding a war spear stood before the fallen civil protection officer, with more civilians rushing to join him behind.

    They formed a circle around the weakened Kudel.

    The youngdy could clearly see the fear on the faces of these civilians, yet they did not retreat, instead stubbornly guarding around the civil protection officer.

    This was a rather rare scene.

    Especially in the Transia region, which had been gued by vampires for 400 years, it was umon to see civilians other than blood servants actively protecting a high-ranking vampire. And based on Femis¡¯ understanding of Kudel, she knew that this brother of hers had not had a true blood servant since he was initially embraced over a hundred years ago.

    He strongly opposed this vampire-exclusive servant culture.

    So these civilians were not running out to protect him in this perilous moment out of loyalty or admiration.

    These non-soldier civilians, gripping crude weapons, trembled in the face of the youngdy, a true vampire, their hearts pounding rapidly, this tangible fear could not be concealed from her eyes.

    But under her gaze, those frail civilians still formed a wall with their bodies, while the young women behind dragged the nearly unconscious civil protection officer Kudel, retreating towards the warehouse.

    However, Kudel himself struggled, unwilling to leave.

    ¡°Go back! All of you, go back! I¡¯ll protect you!¡±

    Nearly ten days of unceasing battle had pushed him to his limits.

    In his muddled thoughts, he weakly waved his hands, rebuking these disobedient civilians.

    He was the civil protection officer of the Blood Vulture n, this was his duty. Before he fell, those he protected should not join the battle.

    ¡°Get back!¡±

    The morous shouts grew louder as more people poured out of the warehouse, and the Joy Stick and Brother Meow on the pirs even saw housewives wielding frying pans join this ¡°guard force¡±.

    At this point, even without the youngdy¡¯s orders, the little yers voluntarily lowered their weapons.

    ¡°The storyline has progressed.¡±

    Lumina said to Little Ashina beside her:

    ¡°I¡¯m really impressed by this crazy game! Every time they make the cutscenes so realistic, it¡¯s like being there in person.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just real-time rendering, nothing too advanced, just higher pixel counts,¡± said Little Ashina, blinking nonchntly.

    ¡°But the difficulty of this instance is too high, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a unique instance concept?¡±

    Lumina pondered, tilting her head:

    ¡°After all, ording to the official post, the development team originally didn¡¯t n to have an instance system, it was only added due to strong yer demand, so the design is bound to differ from other games.¡±

    ¡°ng¡±

    The youngdy¡¯s spirit staff struck the ground.

    The piercing sound of the spirit collision echoed like a bell, silencing the noisy square in an instant.

    ¡°I did note to kill your civil protection officer or any of you. I represent the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and the Survivor¡¯s Camp, bringing you the orders of your new lord, Revnor Murphy Lessenbra!

    You must immediately evacuate the dangerous Blood Vulture Halls and return to the safer surface! There, administrators will be responsible for caring for and protecting you.¡±

    Femis announced in a concise tone:

    ¡°The Astral Realm cmity in the outside world has ended. We have reimed the outer city and are preparing to rebuild our home there. You can join us or leave, no one will force you. But now, your shelter is situated in the midst of our battlefield against the crazed vampires.

    The civil protection officer Kudel cannot protect you forever.

    You must make a choice immediately!¡±

    Her words caused a stir among the crowd.

    Upon hearing that the surviving outsiders had established a camp and reimed the outer city, many in the crowd immediately cheered.

    Those hiding here did not alle from the inner city; some were outer city residents that Kudel had brought back through the sewers. Although the Blood Vulture Halls had been sealed during the cmity, if the Astral Manticores could crawl in through the underground caves, it made sense for Kudel, more familiar with the terrain, to lead people in as well.

    However, some civilians still eyed the youngdy with suspicion.

    Obviously, apart from Kudel, who protected them from the Astral beings and insane vampires, they did not trust any vampires.

    Some even stubbornly believed that the cmity in Kadman City was a divine punishment for the vampires¡¯ misdeeds.

    At this moment, the leading civilians were whispering among themselves.

    Among them were burly cooks, schrly types, and well-spokendies.

    It was evident that these few held significant prestige among the survivors.

    Over the past ten days, they had likely been the ones truly managing this shelter, as Kudel¡¯s frenzied state made him incapable of providing concrete leadership.

    After a few minutes, the survivors¡¯ representative, a middle-aged schr with a broken round-framed sses on his nose bridge, approached the youngdy and said:

    ¡°You mentioned earlier that Lord Murphy established a survivor¡¯s camp and became the new lord of the ruins? Is this Murphy you speak of the same vampire lord who would join us in receiving relief supplies?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    The youngdy was taken aback.

    Although she knew Murphy and Tris had a rough time in the city in the past, had they really fallen to the pitiful state of receiving relief supplies?

    ¡°It should be, I suppose. I¡¯ve been active outside the city for a while now, so I¡¯m not too familiar with the happenings inside,¡± Femis replied vaguely with a casual nce.

    ¡°But if it¡¯s Murphy, he would indeed do something like that. He¡¯s a pragmatist, and like Kudel, he doesn¡¯t see vampires as superior, treating all life equally.¡±

    ¡°That must be the young sir, then,¡± the bespectacled schr smiled.

    He turned and gestured to the civilians behind him, and many in the crowd rxed, lowering their raised weapons.

    The atmosphere eased up immediately.

    ¡°If it¡¯s Lord Murphy, then we¡¯re willing to ept his leadership. Truth be told, the shelter can barely hold out any longer, even the children can only eat one meal a day.¡±

    The middle-aged schr sighed.

    But his reaction greatly surprised Femis, and she curiously asked, ¡°Why did you so easily relinquish leadership after confirming it was Murphy? Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him! But for the past month, I¡¯ve been collecting food from the same relief point as Lord Murphy,¡± the slightlyme middle-aged schr softly said, adjusting his sses.

    ¡°I observed his various behaviors, intending to use them as anecdotes in my memoirs, but I saw the polite lord greeting everyone, voluntarily giving up a spot for women holding children, stopping petty thieves from taking thest bit of money from the downtrodden.

    He even took the initiative to maintain order so everyone could receive their share of relief supplies.

    This wasn¡¯t just a whimsical act one day.

    For over twenty days straight, he behaved this way.

    A vampire has no need to put on such a performance in a ce like Kadman City, so I can confirm that Lord Murphy is indeed one of the rare good and kind vampires.

    Such a lord, in this dreadful environment, is the greatest constion we could hope for.¡±

    This speech left the youngdy Femis silent once more.

    As she said, in the past she paid little heed to human thoughts or the impression vampires left on these ¡°food sources¡±.

    But then, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What if Murphy was just pretending? What if he¡¯s simply a natural drama queen?¡±

    Drama queen

    The youngdy had heard this term from Murphy, and it was quite fitting in this context.

    The middle-aged schr was also briefly taken aback by this question, but then he reached up to adjust his cracked round sses, revealing a rather subtle smile as he softly said:

    ¡°What difference does it make? If a bad person can y the good person their entire life, then they are an indisputable good person. Moreover, Lord Murphy is at least willing to put on that facade in front of us, the other vampires don¡¯t have that interest.

    So how should we cooperate with your actions?

    Over these ten days, we¡¯ve also been collecting some supplies in the passage under Lord Kudel¡¯s leadership. It would be too wasteful to simply discard them.¡±

    ¡°Supplies¡­can be used as rewards!¡±

    The youngdy nced back at the little yers who had gathered behind her.

    She rolled her eyes and issued them a quest to help with the transfer, distributing the supplies from the warehouse as rewards.

    Seeing the expressions of delight on these warriors who had just experienced battle and death, Femis felt she might have grasped the key to getting along with them.

    But at the same time,ints were also spreading among the yers.

    ¡°Only 40 minutes left, damn it, it¡¯s always like this, just getting into it and then it ends! It¡¯s as frustratingly unfinished as edging.¡±

    Leading Pigeon leaned on his staff, loudlyining to a group of buddies, and others chimed in, joining the criticism of the game¡¯s time limit.

    Though six hours of free time per day wasn¡¯t exactly short, after all, apart from those making a living through gaming, most normal people couldn¡¯t guarantee ying six hours every day.

    But it still wasn¡¯t enough!

    There was so much content in¡¶Reality Realm¡·that six hours a day was barely enough time to y. Most importantly, from Brother Meow¡¯s game helmet review, yers knew this game had an incredible ¡°sleep connection¡± feature!

    But the officials just wouldn¡¯t enable it!

    Hey, were they just teasing? Could you stand for that?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go spam the forums when we log off!¡±

    The Joy Stick waved his hand fiercely at the surrounding little yers, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s all post threads in the feedback section. Since the development team listened to suggestions and added instances, if we provide enough feedback, maybe they¡¯ll extend the game time too?¡±

    ¡°Give them feedback! Really let them have it!¡±

    Brother Meow also raised his arm and shouted, spurring the group of little yers into cheers and howls.

    The youngdy looked on bewildered. Even with the Computation Bead¡¯s trantion, these guys¡¯nguage was still hard to understand. She couldn¡¯t make sense of what was going through their little heads at all.

    However, Murphy seemed able tomunicate with them unhindered, so did Murphy¡¯s inner world match these otherworldly warriors, just as delirious yet happy-go-lucky?

 Chapter 100:

    ¡°Even if you flood the forums with posts, the game time cannot be extended, it just cannot! I¡¯ve already said I¡¯m not the Creator, how can I change this real world ording to your whims?¡±

    In the dark river passage of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy grabbed the core bead and listened to the wailingints from the little yers inside.

    He sighed himself.

    If possible, he would actually prefer for the cute and useful little yers to be online 24 hours a day, not only would he have helpers avable anytime, but it would also solve thebor shortage.

    He might not even feel the loneliness and coldness of being alone in this other world.

    However, he was currently just an ordinary test administrator, and the game time and unlocked helmet functions would not obey hismands to be immediately opened.

    This depended on the ¡°game progress¡±, so in the end, instead ofining here, the little yers should work harder for the vampires!

    ¡°What are you doing there? Mumbling to yourself, are you going to perform some facial art for me? The expressions you just made were like you saw a debt collector ghost.¡±

    The old knight Finoch¡¯s displeased voice came from ahead.This golden-tier White Knight was currently standing amid the ruins of ghosts destroyed by the azure purifying mes.

    Just now, while the little yers were challenging the second BOSS, the Protector Kudel Feodoro Seville Lessenbra, Murphy and the old knight also cleared out this ghost encampment that had existed for at least 300 years.

    The specific process was the old knight charging ahead ughtering the elite ghosts, while Murphy hung back.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was intentionally cking off.

    The main reason was that as a ck iron-tier novice, when facing these ghosts of hatred who were also ck iron-tier but numbered over 50 and were known for being troublesome, hisbat strength was indeed slightly inferior.

    However, Murphy did participate in the battle.

    When a horde of ghosts swarmed, he did defeat three of them in singlebat, letting his Tomb Guard Sword Arts experience bar painstakingly rise by one segment. If the old knight hadn¡¯t used arge-area advanced AOE nature spirit technique that forced Murphy to keep his distance from the battlefield to avoid ¡°friendly fire¡±, his sword arts might have advanced another segment.

    Speaking of advancing these sword arts, it was really quite difficult,pletely unlike the smooth progression from novice to grandmaster within half a month for the Blood Vulture Sword Arts.

    ¡°Why are there so many elite ghosts here? And right in the secret passage of your Blood Vulture holynd, do you vampires manage your ownir so casually?¡±

    The old knight walked through the scattered ashes, the cold remains of purified ghosts as well as materials for casting some dark spirit spells.

    Therefore, Murphy was currently using a spirit bag to collect these ashes, and after circling this dark ruin, found nothing except a bag of ancient gold coins.

    Faced with Finoch¡¯s inquiry, Murphy rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m entering the Blood Vulture Halls for the first time too, I don¡¯t know more about this ce than you do. But if you must ask for a reason, I guess these were probably the pioneers from before Kadman City was established 400 years ago.

    Tris once mentioned to me when she was drunk that she participated in the design and construction of Kadman City. She said there used to be some mysterious ancient ruins here, and some ces were not without strange forces.

    Initially, Salrokdar wanted to level those ruins, butter due to the ck Disaster leading to abor shortage, they just built Kadman City on top of the ruins.¡±

    Murphy crossed this lifeless ruin and exined to the old knight:

    ¡°This may be one of those traces from before civilization emerged. The souls of those unlucky ones from a few hundred years ago were apparently trapped here.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± the old knight nodded.

    ¡°The conditions for forming resentful ghosts aren¡¯t harsh, butrge gatherings of ghosts are another concept entirely. Transia is indeed not an area where death spirits congregate. I sense a change in the spirit energies, the exit is probably ahead.

    This path is really long, no wonder the vampires didn¡¯t deal with it.

    Just this one group of ghosts obstructing it would be enough to stop any unprepared invaders.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, who would expect an ambush down the sewers from a golden-tier expert?¡±

    Murphy said in a teasing tone:

    ¡°Are all the other golden-tier experts on the continent as easygoing as you, Old Finoch?¡±

    ¡°You can go ask them yourself, I imagine before using various methods to kill you, they would be happy to patiently answer the strange questions of an endearing little vampire like you.¡±

    The old knight replied in an equally casual tone.

    At this moment, the two didn¡¯t seem like hunter and hunted, but more like travelingpanions gradually getting to know each other¡¯s sarcastic ways.

    They continued trudging in the darkness, and after passing a 90¡ã vertical dark river waterfall, the thick walls of the Blood Vulture Halls appeared again ahead.

    This meant this secret passage journey had reached its end.

    ¡°We should rest for a bit,¡± Murphy suggested.

    ¡°My warriors need a break, and your witch hunters have been fighting for most of the day. It¡¯s better if we don¡¯t act rashly before they break through the central corridor into the great hall.

    I believe in yourbat strength.

    But I also believe Salrokdar wouldn¡¯t obediently wait alone in the depths of the hall for you to behead him.¡±

    ¡°Fair point, let¡¯s rest for now, then scout ahead.¡±

    The old knight had also expended quite a bit of spirit energy annihting that group of ghosts earlier.

    Although his tier gave him an overwhelming advantage, the costs to himself were real, so he didn¡¯t reject Murphy¡¯s suggestion.

    He took out some wood from the edge of the underground dark river and casually summoned purifying mes to create a simple travel campfire.

    But then, to the old knight¡¯s surprise, Murphy, who as a vampire should have loathed the light, flew over and sat across from him, even taking out some ¡°lunch boxes¡± he had prepared earlier and heating them up over the fire.

    As the aroma of food wafted out, Finoch¡¯s gaze became even more peculiar.

    He said, ¡°These things¡­you made them yourself?¡±

    ¡°What? Never seen a vampire with cooking skills as good as mine?¡± Murphyughed and tossed a few of the boxes to the old knight, saying, ¡°I specifically prepared these vegetarian dishes, feel free to eat, there¡¯s no poison.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, after all no one would be stupid enough to poison a high-ranking member of the Avalon Church. Those of us protected by nature are basically immune to most biological and nt poisons. In fact, if your poison blend is creative enough, I might evenpliment its unique vor.¡±

    Finoch said dimly. He imitated Murphy by cing the meal boxes on the fire to heat up, then took off his oak bucket helmet and fetched water from the nearby river, purifying the underground water source with nature spirit energy.

    After that, he saw Murphy nimbly taking out fruits, peeling them, and making a sd for himself across the campfire.

    Staring intently for over ten seconds, and seeing Murphy ceremoniously take out a wooden fork, he finally couldn¡¯t help but say:

    ¡°Murphy, you really don¡¯t seem like a vampire! Not in any aspect. Were you a human chef before being initially embraced by Tris? Or an excellent traveler?¡±

    ¡°Ah, those things feel like they happened a lifetime ago, let me think.¡±

    Murphy scooped up a te, using a wooden spoon to put the mixed fruit into his mouth as he ate and reminisced:

    ¡°I think I was born into a minor noble family in a small town bordering the Cato region in southern Prussia. I remember we had a decent manor and windmill mill back then. My parents wanted me to grow up following the traditional, ssical noble lifestyle, and when I was older they nned to send me to the Bourbon Military Academy in the Goldflower Kingdom to pursue a career.

    Then¡­¡±

    The vampire tossed a handful of nuts into his mouth and said indistinctly:

    ¡°The Ten Year War broke out! Suddenly, everything that had been nned just blew away in the wind. The Old Faith rebels entered eastern Prussia, and my father took our family to flee to the Portia Federation but we unfortunately encountered a pack of gnoll bandits on the road.

    Heh, a Transian specialty.

    That night was truly dismal, and for the first time in my life I became a deserter amidst my family¡¯s cries of anguish.

    My memories after that are quite hazy.

    I recall joining a group of refugees heading east, ending up in Kadman City¡¯s outer city being bullied by gangs, doing odd jobs to feed myself, and in one winter sumbing to starvation, going to join my parents amidst theughter of death.

    Tris saved me.

    To this day I don¡¯t know why she saved me, but after that she became my only family.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re talking about someone else¡¯s story,¡± the old knight said quietly.

    ¡°It seems the past isn¡¯t something worth reminiscing or memorializing for you. Additionally, I must warn you that you¡¯re being influenced by the blood pact! You clearly have an abnormal closeness to Tris, the vampiric affliction is eroding your will.

    It will turn you into Tris¡¯spdog, wagging your tail and begging for her praise.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pry into me and Tris, that¡¯s none of your business, and don¡¯t try to drive a wedge between us! Or should I ask about your story instead?¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes as he opened the now heated meal boxes, holding up a steaming serving of pork fried rice as he stared at the old knight across from him, saying with some displeasure:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the rules? I told my story, now you should tell yours, that¡¯s only fair.¡±

    ¡°My story has nothing worth telling, just your story stretched out tenfold, especially the life after sixty, it¡¯s all just boring repetition until one day a surprise arrived.¡±

    Old Finoch smiled, opening his own meal box to reveal a fragrant vegetable stew over rice, picking up a spoon and slurping it down ravenously.

    A powerful warrior¡¯s appetite is as unstoppable as their strength, and soon the two servings were devoured. The old knight wiped his mouth with satisfaction, then took out a wooden liquor sk from his spirit bag.

    He drank a sip himself, then tossed it to Murphy.

    The vampire wiped the mouth disdainfully before taking a drink himself.

    Not the potent liquor Tris preferred, just a mellow, sweet and sour fruit wine like a juice.

    ¡°The question you really wanted to ask was that one from before, right? About me and Natalie¡¯s rtionship.¡±

    In the flickering firelight, the old knight took out a dwarven-style pipe, filling it with fine Shaldor tobo leaves and lighting it by the campfire. Surrounded by swirling smoke, he said softly:

    ¡°Alright, she¡¯s my daughter.¡±

    ¡°Cough cough, pffft!¡±

    Murphy immediately choked, pounding his chest before guzzling another swig of fruit wine to recover.

    He was truly shocked.

    His eyes shining red in the darkness looked to the old knight in disbelief as he said:

    ¡°But you¡¯re over two hundred! Natalie is at most forty years old!¡±

    ¡°Thirty-five, for a pure-blooded Ket who generally lives to 140, that¡¯s just the beginning of life.¡±

    Old Finoch blew out a smoke ring and shook his head, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with those lecherous eyes, or I¡¯ll punch you!

    The truth isn¡¯t what you¡¯re thinking!

    Natalie¡¯s mother was also a white silver-tier Avalon Church saint, and though she didn¡¯t drink from the Holy Grail like me, the advancement of her life form and nature¡¯s blessings allowed her lifespan to easily reach 200 years.

    My wife was actually 11 years older than me.

    As for only having a daughter in the twilight years of our lives, that can only be seen as Avalon¡¯s blessings manifesting.

    With our power tiers, it¡¯s very difficult for our union to produce offspring afterbining. The limitations of power are immutable by human means, those powerful beings are always rare, that¡¯s nature¡¯sw.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, your Avalon sure governs a lot. Maybe it even has a fertility divinity role.¡±

    Murphy muttered quietly under his breath.

    Under the old knight¡¯s re, he continued:

    ¡°But her rtionship with you seems bad, I can tell she treats you like a superior with little personal emotion involved. So even golden-tier experts have family issues?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my fault, unrted to Natalie.¡±

    The old knight didn¡¯t want to discuss this issue further.

    His silence was a hint for Murphy not to ask more, so the vampire rolled his eyes and changed the subject:

    ¡°Tris told me the witch hunters¡¯ current situation is dire. As creations of the Avalon Church, you were undoubtedly implicated by the Old Faith¡¯s rebellion. To avoid execution, you had no choice but to serve as mercenaries for the Goldflower Kingdom in the Ten Year War.

    And from what I know, they used you in extremely brutal ways.

    As the leader of the White Oak Battalion, have you considered your subordinates¡¯ future?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    The old knight set down his pipe, giving Murphy, holding the meal box, a peculiar look.

    He said, ¡°So what are you getting at? Don¡¯t say anything strange, Murphy, I¡¯ve only just slightly changed my impression of you.¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, if you have nowhere to go, you might as well stay here,¡± the vampire stated his thoughts.

    Old Finoch reached up to cover his eyes in exasperation, saying:

    ¡°Oh Avalon above, you really said it, like the ramblings of a delusional madman.

    In the Ten Year War, the number of vampires and blood servants killed by witch hunters is incalcble, and our reputation in the Transia region is utterly foul.

    I know you were born defiant and hold no love for the Blood Vulture n, but what thought process or mental state allowed you to have such an idea? What makes you think witch hunters and vampires can shake hands and make peace?¡±

    ¡°But our recent cooperations have all gone pleasantly, have they not?¡± Murphy grinned.

    ¡°The Smuggler¡¯s Woods, Jed¡¯s gang, and now clearing the Blood Vulture Halls, facts prove the two sides don¡¯t even need to let go of grudges as long as we havemon interests to work together. The best part is, even if you bring Salrokdar¡¯s head back to King Louis, all you¡¯ll get is a pardon paper.

    But you¡¯ve already been branded as rebels for ten years.

    You can¡¯t be so naive as to think the king¡¯s orders would allow you to live peacefully in your homnd, can you?

    The war has already changed many things, and it will continue to bring change!

    This is not something that can be moved by your will.

    Finoch, your subordinates have nowhere to go, while the Transia I have nned will open its embrace to all who are homeless.

    As long as you are willing to start your new lives on thisnd.

    I know,pared to King Louis and General Loren, my offer holds little appeal. But for the current witch hunters, having one more choice is always better, right?¡±

    Murphy set down his meal box and said dimly:

    ¡°Or would you rather believe the king who has treated you as cannon fodder for the past decade, instead of a vampire opening his arms in friendship?¡±

    ¡°Listen to what you¡¯re saying, Murphy. Your brain must have been damaged by Tris¡¯s evil magic. Why must I choose between two wrong answers?¡±

    The old knight scoffed, no longer responding.

    Murphy had the courtesy not to ask further. Until nearly thirty minutester, when the old knight put away his pipe, stood up to stretch, and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, continue scouting.¡±

    Murphy stood as well, belting on the de of the Desire n. But just as they were about to set off, the old knight suddenly said:

    ¡°Have you ever considered it?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    The vampire looked to old Finoch with a puzzled expression.

    Then he heard the old knight putting on his bucket helmet as he said in a gloomy voice:

    ¡°Why did the Avalon Church suddenly rebel without any warning? As the state religion of the Goldflower Kingdom, when did they ally with those warmonger nutcases smaller than a kernel of the Portia Federation?

    Even the Westerosi savages from the Ice Bay region joined that rebellion, and their beliefs arepletely different from the Old Faith! Their conflicting contradictions are no less than between the Old Faith and vampires.

    Yet they seemingly became friends overnight.

    Too many irregrities are hidden beneath the surface.

    Murphy, you need to look past this Ten Year War to see those hidden things.

    You think you¡¯re safe, but you¡¯re not! The lurking shadows are calling a storm, and the countless deaths appearing before us are just a light breeze.

    War!

    This ugly thing is only the most insignificant link in everything happening.

    Remember to keep this in mind, and by the way, tell Tris. I think she¡¯ll understand what I mean, but you must remember not to b about it everywhere or investigate those truths, especially when you¡¯re still weak.¡±

 Chapter 101:

    The old knight clearly belonged to the traditional category of ¡°riddlers¡±.

    He always disliked talking halfway, perhaps thinking Murphy couldn¡¯t handle the threats he left unsaid, or perhaps he trusted more in the power once held by the ¡°Crimson Witch¡± that he had faced directly, rather than Murphy¡¯s potential for the future.

    Murphy hoped to know more, but he also knew very well that if old Finoch didn¡¯t want to say it, there was no way for him to pry open the other¡¯s mouth, with the power disparity leaving him so helpless in the current situation.

    Using the same method as before, the old knight quickly opened up the thick wall above the Blood Vulture Halls¡¯ waterfall secret passage, revealing a door leading deeper into the hall.

    The two of them jumped out from it andnded in the luxurious corridor interior. Murphy opened the map in his hand to observe the surrounding structure, saying to the vignt old knight:

    ¡°Perfect for an ambush! This is the servant¡¯s quarters, only the final corridor¡¯s distance from the Blood Vulture Sanctuary where the Sacred Blood Pool is located. From here we can open up the currently sealed central area to allow your subordinates to reach here faster.

    Or we can scout ahead to confirm Salrokdar¡¯s position.¡±

    ¡°Our forces on both sides are resting in the second great hall for now, needing time to recover their fighting strength.¡±

    The old knight calcted the time in his mind before saying to Murphy:¡°At least eight hours of rest before they can recover to their peak! They also need to replenish their personalbat supplies. Your witch hunters are just tenacious, not tireless, and those otherworld summons of yours also need some time to re-establish their connection to the material world, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they need a bit longer.¡±

    Murphy took out his pocket watch to calcte the time difference between the two sides, concluding:

    ¡°About ten hours.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to find a way to clear a path for them, but I hope you ate your fill earlier, because the expenditureing up may be a bit much, especially for you as you are now.¡±

    The old knight narrowed his eyes, looking down the corridor leading to the Blood Vulture Sanctuary, a strong sense of unease stirring within him.

    Everything ahead was too quiet!

    He believed that even if Salrokdar had truly gone mad like the other vampires whose minds were invaded by astral spirit energy, he wouldn¡¯t bepletely unresponsive to the current situation.

    The witch hunters and yer army had already cleared a third of the halls, so no matter how insane he was, he should have made some response, but the Blood Vulture Lord had remained as steady as a rock without even showing himself. Either that madman nned to surrender, or he was plotting something evil that could instantly destroy the invaders.

    ¡°You take the left, I¡¯ll take the right!¡±

    The old Finoch grabbed a one-handed hammer and kite shield, saying to Murphy:

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many vampire guards up ahead, clear the left side and meet me at the front of the sanctuary. If you can¡¯t handle it, fall back, and I¡¯ll take over the right after clearing the left.¡±

    ¡°Who are you looking down on? You old man with family issues.¡±

    Murphy curled his lip, gripping his sword in his right hand and raising his hunting crossbow with his left as he shed forward first.

    It wasn¡¯t just for appearances that he took the lead.

    The vampires in this corridor had all been driven mad by the astral spirit energy and were in an odd state of primal weakness, judging from the escaped Jed¡¯s condition after whatever terrible events had urred here.

    So for Murphy now, these higher-ranked vampires were no longer unbeatable foes, and he just happened to need to light up the ¡¾Proof of Warrior¡¿ achievement in his system.

    ¡°Hey, use this! Be careful not to get it on your fingers, I don¡¯t have any antidotes.¡±

    The old knight called out to Murphy, tossing him two bottles of green sword oil.

    Murphy caught them and scanned the information tag:

    Name: The White Oak Lord¡¯s Combat Supplies ¨C Vampire yer

    Effect: When applied to a weapon, temporarily grants the¡¾Holy Force¡¿and¡¾Natural Edge¡¿effects. The ointment contains alchemicalpounds that specifically counter vampires, granting an additional¡¾Purifying Burn¡¿effect on contact with vampire blood.

    This is a poisonous item, do not ingest!

    Each applicationsts 120 minutes.

    Requirement: This item usesrge quantities of high-grade alchemical materials and will severely corrode weapons, so it can only be used on Commander-grade or higher weapons. Using it on lower-grade weapons will cause irreversible damage.

    Maker: Finoch Lawson

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The witch hunters will take any viable measures whenbating the unclean, and the Avalon Church¡¯s exceptional alchemical research often gives them a powerful edge.¡¿

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, twisting open the cap and using a handkerchief to apply the thick green ointment to Tris¡¯ former elder sword, the de of the Desire n, quickly turning the de a slimy green color.

    He even sneakily soaked the bolts for his hunting crossbow in it as well, making every preparation before stepping into the gloomy corridor on the right, while the vampires¡¯ shrieks had already started ringing out from the left side.

    This old man may be a riddler, but his strength really is extraordinary! ughtering these weakened vampires is no harder than killing chickens.

    Murphy took a deep breath and entered the corridor.

    Two gaunt ck shadows immediately pounced towards him, opening their blood lineage jaws in the darkness to reveal the twisted, hideous true forms of vampires. However, their skeletal, emaciated state and skull-like faces showed that nearly all the blood had been drained from these creatures.

    As if mirroring how they would gorge themselves on their ¡°food¡±, something lurking deep in the corridor seemed to be feeding on the very blood of these vampires.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Murphy¡¯s massive, powerful blood wings unfolded like a shield in front of him, deflecting the four raking blood ws that struck them. His wings then swept outward, knocking the attackers away, while one was caught by the leg and dragged back with ¡°Death¡¯s Grasp.¡±

    ¡°Spurt¡±

    His shadow steps slid forward, the slimy green de piercing the heart of his kinsman.

    The de of execution showed no mercy, as if the one before him was an enemy rather than a fellow nsman.

    As Murphy pulled out the sharp de, the crazed vampire thrashing on the ground shrieked as if thrown into a fire pit, clusters of blue-green purifying mes leaping from his wound, making him convulse and curl up in agony before Murphy coldly pressed down with his sword.

    The de slid smoothly into the eye socket, easily ending this wretched midnight life and allowing Murphy to harvest a shriveled vampire heart.

    This vile thing, polluted by foul spirit energy and drained of its essence, no self-respecting vampire would consume it, but conversely, this mediocre scrap was just right as dog food for Murphy¡¯s Astral Dire Wolf.

    ¡°Awoo!¡±

    The Astral Dire Wolf that leapt out in a scatter of stardust bounded over and snatched up the vampire heart, crunching it down a few times before swallowing, its bared fangs showing it enjoyed the taste of blood.

    However, defeating this elite of the family did not trigger an achievement popup.

    Murphy frowned slightly, but quickly epted it. The so-called ¡°elite¡± who was weakened to the point he could take them down with abo attack could hardly be considered a true elite.

    To light up the ¡°Proof of Warrior¡± achievement, he estimated he would need to take down at least three foes like Jed before it counted aspleted.

    Speaking of which, there should still be a few elite guards like Jed¡¯s former n patriarch bodyguard rank around here, right?

    Thinking thus, Murphy¡¯s blood wings snapped open from his back as he lightning-fast charged the enemies lurking in the gloom ahead. He had a strong feeling that after clearing this corridor, his Tomb Guard Sword Arts should advance to ¡°Master¡±, and his character level could rise to 12-13.

    Leveling up past the ck Iron Body was quite arduous, but once he grasped the proper method it became simpler, his only regret being that levels in this ¡°game¡± meant little beyond looking impressive.

    Only by passing the Strength Trials every 10 levels could one gain a true increase in power.

    And Murphy had already realized that umting battle experience and honing one¡¯s skills was an equally crucial part of personal strength, arguably even more important than simply raising one¡¯s power level.

    ¡°Tssk tssk tssk¡±

    The crossbow boltsshing out from the shadows made Murphy¡¯s body jolt, his wings snapping shut, only to be punctured as expected. Fortunately, the non-physical blood wings didn¡¯t actually tear with pain when pierced, only needing to be reshaped with spirit energy to recover, temporarily depriving him of flight.

    The vampire¡¯s reaction was swift. Upon sensing the lurking assassin¡¯s danger, he immediately retreated into the shadows with the Astral Dire Wolf, muting his aura as he cautiously scanned the surroundings.

    He saw a peculiarly shaped vampire striding out from the depths of the passage, guarded by four scrawny, raving kinsmen.

    This one was several times fatter than the svelte, slender build typical of vampires, his obvious potbelly straining against the opulent robe like a woman ten months pregnant. A fat vampire? Truly a rarity among the generally vain bloodkin!

    And this fellow¡¯s attire was equally extravagant, his pudgy fingers adorned with numerous bejeweled rings, positively dripping with riches. A tiny crown studded with crimson gems sat atop his small head.

    He looked like a walking treasure chest.

    The fat vampire held a crimson hand crossbow, far superior to Murphy¡¯s basic model.

    The intricate bat wing-styled piece had an integrated core body that could be heard whirring with gears, allowing it to rapid-fire without needing to be rewound.

    The three bolts that nearly pierced Murphy¡¯s skull hade from this guy.

    Yet he too was raving like the rest, swaying drunkenly as he walked in apletely undignified manner, with a jingling set of keys hanging from his belt.

    Like a cat¡¯s cor bells, warning the mice lurking in darkness of theing danger.

    Murphy narrowed his eyes, casting an area scan, with the information popping up:

    Name: ¡°Miser¡± Zuckerberg Ter Lessenbra

    Rank: White Silver Body ¨C Blood Weakness (All stats -30%)

    Status: Mind Muddled ¨C Mental Instability ¨C Pampered ¨C Sluggish Reflexes ¨C Duty-Bound

    Job: Level 13 Midnight Hunter / Level 15 Vault Guard / ountant ¨C Usury Specialization

    Carrying Special Item: Blood Vulture Treasure Vault Seal

    Evaluation: Dangerous

    Character Description:

    ¡¾As the Blood Vulture family¡¯s treasure vault custodian and the patriarch¡¯s most trusted ountant, over a hundred years Zuckerberg quintupled the Blood Vulture fortune, while his own little vault increased fourteen-fold in that time.

    Of course, it would be hard to call Zuckerberg a bastard for that, as his reputation in Kadman City¡¯s usury circles is quite good.

    For those who can¡¯t repay their debts, he never takes their lives, only sending them to toil to the death in the sinful dwarves¡¯ mines of the Dark Mountains, extracting thatst bit of profit.

    This vampire gentleman has no interest in the base pleasure of physically draining blood.

    He is clearly a tasteful vampire risen above lowly pursuits, arguably even a qualified capitalist.¡¿

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s eyes lit up.

    It seemed the Proof of Elite and Treasure Goblin achievements could bepleted simultaneously, though at a cost.

    He barely hesitated before, sensing his scan being detected as the crimson hand crossbow raised, Murphy chained three dashing slides straight into Zuckerberg¡¯s space, his Tomb Guard badge fully activating in that moment.

    Mass Death¡¯s Grasp released!

    The chilling death spirits seized all five raving vampires, including Zuckerberg, snatching them off the ground. In the blink of that lightning attack, Murphy severed both legs from two skeletal guards, then executed the third weakened vampire by ripping out his heart. The Astral Dire Wolf also pounced, savagely tearing out half the throat of one grappled target.

    Afterpleting thatbo, Murphy unhesitatingly retreated.

    He precisely calcted the remaining death spirit energy in his Tomb Guard badge, confident he couldunch two more such strikes.

    Zuckerberg was clearly a vampire skilled at ranged attacks, and his clumsy reaction in close quarters made Murphy certain he could defeat him.

    Tsk, what else can you expect from creatures like capitalists?

    Calling them bullies to the weak and cowards to the strong is giving them too much credit, especially when he had a loyal hound helping him!

    But what did that matter?

    Starting with just one dog, all gear scavenged?

    Fifteen minutester, when the old knight arrived at the left corridor wielding hammer and shield, he saw Murphy guarded by four resentful spirits, humming an odd tune as he emerged from a mysterious closing structure nearby.

    A crimson bat-winged hand crossbow hung from his waist, while he tossed an exquisite seal up and down in his hands. The Astral Dire Wolf at his feet now wore a luxurious spiked crimson cor that looked like an advanced spirit item.

    Not far behind in the shadows, a unique stone statue of a fat vampire remained frozen in a pleading stance before death, but the cruel chest wound showed Murphy had executed him without mercy.

    Soon the four resentful spirits summoned by the Tomb Guard¡¯s power faded with the battle¡¯s end into the chill air.

    ¡°You seem in good spirits, did something fortunate happen?¡±

    The old knight asked, and Murphy pointed to the closing vault entrance behind him, saying:

    ¡°I found the Blood Vulture n¡¯s family vault, filled with all sorts of good stuff. Want me to share a fifth?¡±

    ¡°Money and treasures are useless to me.¡±

    The old knight shook his head, saying:

    ¡°Since this area is cleared, we should continue forward. However, I underestimated you, your own kin underestimated you as well, Murphy. Does your elder Tris know of these abilities you¡¯ve hidden, exceeding most of your kinsmen?¡±

    ¡°No, in her eyes I¡¯m just a fortunate but weak outlier member of the n.¡±

    Murphy shrugged, his tone nonchnt yet mysterious as he said:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t told her about this yet. I fear startling her, she is quite fragile now and should be well-protected without added burdens. So I can share more treasure with you, if you¡¯ll keep this secret.¡±

    The old knight ignored the vampire¡¯s joke.

    He turned and strode swiftly to the door at the corridor¡¯s end, opening it to the location of the Blood Vulture Sanctuary. He and Murphy grasped the heavy doors¡¯ edges, heaving them open a crack.

    The next second, a terrifying and frenzied spirit aura gushed out.

    Not the astral spirit energy they expected!

    Far from it!

    This was a primordial aura ten times more wild and chaotic than astral energy!

    Exposed to these realm winds, the old knight¡¯s face drained of color as his oak armor flickered with colorful spirit wards like a LED marquee, while the unprotected Murphy fared worse, stumbling back as if struck by a hammer, wheezing as his aura sputtered out.

    The Astral Dire Wolf had it worst, banished back to the astral realm with a yelp.

    It didn¡¯t die.

    But this spirit energy expelled it!

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Old Finoch desperately shut the doors, cutting off that damned, heart-pounding frenzied aura from continuing to spill out.

    He leaned against the doors gasping for breath, shaking his head repeatedly and even pping his helmet, trying to clear the haunting visions and sounds ensnaring his senses, as the holy oak armor¡¯s glow slowly dimmed, the danger seemingly past.

    In the dead silence of the corridor, punctuated only by the two men¡¯s ragged breathing, Murphy clutched his nearly exploding head and looked up at the old knight.

    He asked:

    ¡°What was that? I think I saw all the stars in the sky smiling at me? Dark nebe whispering to me?¡±

    The old knight nced at him.

    The shaken golden warrior fumbled to retrieve his dwarven pipe, clenching it in trembling fingers as he struggled to strike a me three times before lighting the tobo.

    ¡°Damn it! The astral realm rift ritual¡¯s spirit upheaval masked the truth buried below. I knew the events in Kadman City were not as simple as they appeared on the surface. We were used! The Goldflower Kingdom and General Loren were used!

    This was their true aim.

    A sub-dimension rift being opened in the material world, with the Blood Vulture Sanctuary as its beacon, and even Salrokdar was just a sacrifice!¡±

    With the tobo¡¯s aid, the old Finoch calmed himself, forcefully rubbing his forehead as he said in a low voice:

    ¡°Murphy, things have be troublesome!¡±

    At the same time, in a hidden chamber beneath the corridor¡¯splex structure, Maxim and Adele stood guard with swords drawn beside an ancient spirit apparatus rising from below.

    Before them, Natalie and her team members were advancing.

    The gray-haired witch huntress slowly drew the strangely shaped silver war dagger from her waist, her voice harsh:

    ¡°I knew you bloodsucking dogs couldn¡¯t be trusted! Step away from that, now!¡±

    Maxim and Lady Adele exchanged a nce, then answered the threat before them with action, raising their weapons as the four witch hunters drew des in unison.

    With no further words, the two sides shed.

    As all the stories over thousands of years about witch hunters and the unholy, lies cannot conceal the truth, only des are the onenguage they understand.

 Chapter 102:

    ¡°I can hardly imagine how so many people managed to survive in the dangerous Blood Vulture Halls? And they lived for ten whole nights, where did they get their food from?¡±

    In the destend of the inner city district of Kadman City, upon receiving the news, Miriam, who hade with the camp guards and a group of officials to take charge of the underground survivors, asked skeptically while riding a horse next to Tris:

    ¡°Are the Blood Vulture Halls really that vast?¡±

    ¡°The Blood Vulture n has been nesting here for 400 years, my child. If the vampires didn¡¯t mind being local rats, we could have easily dug out a new Kadman City underground with our ws. The Halls are so vast that you can¡¯t even imagine. There are also some special spaces distorted by concealment spells.

    Nowadays, the younger generation of vampires has no idea how many secret rooms are hiddenyer uponyer underground.

    Ah, and while I¡¯m on the subject again, I used to have my own luxurious private room in the halls too, you know? Just the bedroom was bigger than my ill-fated manor!¡±

    Tris still had that drunken look.

    Being rejected by Murphy and not allowed to join him in the dangerous halls had left Tris quite disheartened. A few hours ago, when she received news from beneath the halls, she had already drowned herself in alcohol, continuing her drunken slumber.

    It was Miriam who had to drag her out of bed.After all, with Murphy gone to war, the only one left to keep the camp in order was Tris.

    Although Miriam was the camp supervisor, the red-haired girl was sensible enough to maintain her judgment of the truth, which was that her current authority came solely from Murphy¡¯s appointment.

    That¡¯s just how the power structure worked in the Transia region.

    At least for now.

    ¡°Your camp is designed to amodate 1,000 people. Although you¡¯ve already established a rudimentary order, suddenly taking in twice as many survivors will put an extreme strain on your governance system.

    I¡¯m pessimistic about this.¡±

    Next to Miriam, Frayzer, a lieutenant wearing a Goldflower Kingdom military uniform, was fulfilling his duty as the ¡°king¡¯s eyes and ears,¡± meticulously recording everything he saw and heard during his travels in Kadman City in a notebook.

    Facing his assessment, Miriam crossed her arms in dissatisfaction and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s precisely the problem we need to face, Lieutenant. No need for you to worry about such matters. Everyone here has enough reasonable hatred towards the Goldflower Kingdom, so I suggest you worry more about your own personal safety.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Miss Miriam.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer answered matter-of-factly:

    ¡°As you say, that is indeed the problem I need to concern myself with. I believe King Louis will be surprised by everything that has happened here, especially regarding the ¡®Knight of Nantes¡¯ Sir Kudel, who has been missing from the Anju region for nearly a hundred and ten years.¡±

    The lieutenant looked at the civilian protection officer Kudel, who was being carried out of the halls on a stretcher by several strong survivors, already put into a slumber by the youngdy¡¯s spirit spells.

    Those civilians he had protected were afraid Kudel would be burned by the sunlight, so they had thoughtfully rigged up a simple canopy over the stretcher.

    ¡°You know him?¡±

    Miriam looked curiously at Lieutenant Frayzer, who did not hesitate to exin:

    ¡°My family has lived in the Anju region for generations. When I was a child, my favorite folktale was about the ¡®Nantes Ranger¡¯ Kudel.

    He was active nearly two hundred years ago, born amoner but exceptionally gifted. He was a famous prodigy knight in the Anju region. Even in his youth, he participated in the Avalon Church¡¯s expulsion of vampires and performed many remarkable feats in the ¡®Second Night War,¡¯ which mainly took ce in the Saxony region. He also took part in the Church¡¯s devastating attack on the Blood Dread n.

    It was Sir Kudel and countless acolyte warriors¡¯ relentless efforts that drove the vampires guing Saxony and the Ice Bay region down to the southern Misty Coast.

    To this day, a fourteen-line poem about Sir Kudel the knight is still passed down in the Saxony province.

    He was a true folk hero. Apparently, he once had the opportunity to receive a peerage, but unfortunately, during the Fourth ck Cmity that erupted in the year 1000, he went missing while leading a squad of ranger knights against the Gnolls in the Dark Mountains.

    Some say he died in battle.

    Others say he simply grew weary of conflict and chose to live in obscurity, but no one could have imagined that this legendary figure, who had spent his life fighting vampires, would end up in such a predicament. Fate has truly been cruel to him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like we¡¯re the evildoers here.¡±

    Tris, riding her horse, pursed her lips. She snorted and added:

    ¡°Lieutenant, you seem to have forgotten that every time a ck Cmity urred, Transia was on the front lines against the Gnoll warlords, and the Fourth ck Cmity, whichsted a full ten years, turned half the continent into scorched earth.

    It was precisely because the vampires you despise, the Blood Vulture n, fought to the death on thisnd that those frenzied Gnolls were unable to charge into your prosperous homnd.

    The Anju region isn¡¯t that far from here.

    And the knight Kudel you mentioned also fought side by side with us during the Fourth ck Cmity. Well, I was already a wreck by then, so I don¡¯t know how he became one of the Blood Vulture n.

    But I guess in those circumstances, even Salrokdar couldn¡¯t have turned a renowned human knight into one of us without drawing the attention of the heroes from multiple races.

    So the truth is probably that Kudel was ¡®saved¡¯ by us when he was on the verge of death.¡±

    ¡°You turned a human hero into a vampire, depriving him of the ability to return to his homnd or even bask in the sun¡¯s warmth, and you shamelessly call that ¡®saving¡¯ him?¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer was enraged, and the brave soldier shouted loudly:

    ¡°How shameless of you to speak in such a way! You twisted witch!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, this is how us vampires operate. If you¡¯re not happy about it, you can go challenge Salrokdar to a knight¡¯s duel in the halls right now. The fact is that a human legend who should have faded away a hundred years ago is still alive today, and whether you want to admit it or not, you should be thanking us that you get to see your childhood hero in person today.¡±

    Tris did not even look at this ¡°little brat.¡±

    She raised her hand above her eyes, gazing at the halls entrance that was still sending out survivors, and yawned before saying to Miriam:

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you, little Miriam. I need to go get some sleep. Wake me up when little Murphy returns.¡±

    With that, she patted the neck of her warhorse and used a bit of ¡°witchcraft¡± to make the warhorse obediently turn around and carry her back to the survivors¡¯ camp, with her devoted lunatic vampire guard, Bonnie, guarding her ¡°mistress¡± closely.

    And Tris wasn¡¯t just cking off when she said she was going back to the camp for a good sleep.

    She really did sleep through until the evening, only waking up in a daze around midnight. She casually grabbed the bottle by her bed and took a swig of ¡°hangover soup.¡±

    This lifestyle was the proper way for a vampire. As night fell, Tris became energized. She stretched herzy limbs, got up to change into a long dress, and nned to take a stroll around the camp under the cover of night.

    After all, little Murphy had entrusted the camp to her care. Although she had been a waste for over a hundred years, she still didn¡¯t want to disappoint little Murphy.

    Under the escort of her devoted lunatic vampire guard, Bonnie, Tris left her tent.

    She looked at the chaotic yet orderly situation in the camp and nodded in satisfaction. It seemed the integration of the two groups of survivors was going smoothly, and the cries andughter of reunited families were quite thought-provoking.

    ¡°Bonnie, do you have any family?¡±

    Tris asked casually.

    Behind her, the mentally unstable Bonnie tilted her head in thought, then nodded and said hoarsely:

    ¡°Three mistresses.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Tris twitched the corner of her mouth and couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean three lovers? That¡¯s quite a rich love life.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    The lunatic Bonnie shook her head stubbornly and seriously held up her fingers to trace the curves of a female body, saying:

    ¡°Mistresses.¡±

    ¡°Oh my!¡±

    Lady Tris paled in an instant.

    She suddenly realized that her decision to take Bonnie in as a guard might have been a bit risky. s, little Murphy was right, she really needed to break this habit of picking up random things.

    ¡°From now on, keep your distance when I¡¯m bathing or changing clothes.¡±

    Tris said ufortably. Bonnie nodded and pulled up her mask, lost in thought.

    However, just as the two were approaching the edge of the camp, Tris and Bonnie almost simultaneously looked up at the night sky outside the camp, sensing a peculiar aura approaching through the darkness. Three sturdy warhorses d in crimson battle armor emerged from the night, carrying their heavily armored knights at a speed nearly grazing the ground as they closed in.

    ¡°Scout knights from the Blood Pact n?¡±

    Tris narrowed her eyes. They were a day and a halfter than expected, but little Murphy hadn¡¯t finished things on his end yet. She needed to stall them!

    ¡°Blood kin ahead, identify yourselves!¡±

    Tris raised her hand and cast a dense spirit spell like a to block the warhorses¡¯ path.

    The three knights, clearly skilled riders, instantlypleted their deceleration maneuvers. Amid the neighing of their tank-like sturdy warhorses rearing on their hind legs, they responded:

    ¡°Three scouts from the Blood Pact Knight Order! And you are?¡±

    ¡°Tris, the former elder of the Blood Vulture n!¡±

    Tris answered briefly. The other side immediately eximed:

    ¡°Lady Tris? But weren¡¯t you dead for over a hundred years? Our lordys roses at your mausoleum every year on the day he met you.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Tris¡¯s eyes widened, quickly recalling some ufortable memories before asking in a somber tone:

    ¡°Who is the knight lord you serve under?¡±

    ¡°The First Lord, Pnno Gaerci Cappadocia!¡±

    The scout responded with pride:

    ¡°Nicknamed ¡®The de of Dignity.¡¯ Lady Tris, the lord is currently bantering with themander of the Winter Wolf Legion at Fort Crimea. He will arrive in Kadman City in two days and will undoubtedly be delighted to see you.

    After all, he has emphasized many times that you are the muse in his heart.¡±

    ¡°So it really is that madman! But what about the original First Lord, my good sister Lily Hugo Bartoli? Why has her former deputy be the knight lord? And please, there are already enough lunatic vampires in Kadman City.

    I beg him not toe.¡±

    ¡°Um, Lord Lily unfortunately perished in thest ck Cmity. After that, Sir Pnno was appointed by Lord Payne to take over her banner and troops.¡±

    The scout knight reported:

    ¡°I must also defend my lord a bit. Although he may seem like a phnderer, he is actually a pure-hearted man¡­¡±

    ¡°I know that madman better than you do! If it¡¯s Pnnoing, then I¡¯d rather request support from old Edward and his wolf pups! This is unbelievable!¡±

    Tris was aghast once again, and then scolded angrily:

    ¡°That out-of-tune lord of yours hooks up with dozens of women each year. Being viewed as a goddess by that indiscriminate scoundrel is simply lowering my standards. Can I request Lord Payne to send a different knight lord to assist?

    The Second Lord or the Third Lord would do, even though they have their own issues. But at least during the Third ck Cmity, I addressed those two little sisters as such.¡±

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m afraid that might not work.¡±

    The scout knight from the Blood Pact Knight Order dismounted and quickly approached Tris, performing a standard knight¡¯s bow before saying:

    ¡°We¡¯vee here not only in response to Lady Femis¡¯s invitation, Lady Tris, but also to issue a warning. The Fifth ck Cmity ising!¡±

    ¡°A ck Cmity? At this time? Are you joking? No! Is the world ying a joke on us? What have the Blood Vulture n done to deserve such cmitous treatment?¡±

    ¡°Tris? Are you there?¡±

    Just as Tris was rendered speechless by the bad news from the Blood Pact knights, theputation bead tied to her wrist suddenly vibrated. She stepped back angrily and held the thing to her ear.

    Murphy¡¯s voice came through, tinged with weakness and resignation:

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to drag you into this, but we¡¯ve just discovered a sub-dimension rift opening at the very bottom of the Blood Vulture Halls.¡±

    ¡°A sub-dimension rift? At this time? Here? Oh Night Mother, no wonder we¡¯re in such a terrible situation, it¡¯s all our own doing! Tsk, I must have had too much to drink and am hallucinating. How could I be this unlucky?

    Or perhaps I haven¡¯t had enough to drink.¡±

    Tris sighed and brushed the hair from her forehead.

    She took a deep breath, sensing Murphy¡¯s weakness and worry in his words, and said softly:

    ¡°Hold on! I¡¯ming right away! Don¡¯t worry, little Murphy, Tris is here.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Murphy made a nasal sound before cutting offmunication. Tris exhaled and tied her loose hair into a simple, practical braid at the back of her head.

    This was the ssic hairstyle of the ¡°Crimson Witch¡± back in the day. She then turned to look at the three fully armed Blood Pact knights behind her.

    She snapped her fingers and said:

    ¡°Immediately send word to that dog Pnno. I don¡¯t care who he¡¯s bantering with, he has three hours to get to the Kadman City ruins!¡±

    ¡°Um, madam.¡±

    The scout knight replied calmly:

    ¡°As an ancient one, you should understand the impact a ck Cmity has on the situation across the continent. ording to the Blood Pact Knight Order¡¯s duties and knight¡¯s covenant, the First Lord must personally ry our discoveries in the Dark Mountains to themanders of various forces.

    In the face of such a major event, the internal affairs of the Blood Vulture n should be postponed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not requesting this, soldier!¡±

    Tris said coldly:

    ¡°I understand the knight¡¯s covenant better than you do. I was present when Lord Payne revised it for the third time, and the three new uses added in that revision were all my suggestions!

    What I¡¯m talking about now is not the ck Cmity that may destroy the continent months from now, but rather a sub-dimension rift that has opened beneath the ruins of Kadman City!

    My blood kin has just discovered its existence.

    And it¡¯s highly likely that it had already anchored itself in the physical world ten days ago. With my shallow understanding of astral spirit energy, the time until it fully opens is estimated to be no more than three days.

    So I¡¯m ordering you to immediately report this matter to Pnno and Lord Payne!

    Remember!

    You have only 3 hours. If the First Lord cannot make it, then we will handle this problem ourselves and bear all the consequences.

    Ourselves alone!¡±

    After speaking, Tris wrapped her braided hair around her neck and let it hang over her chest. She slightly bowed to the dumbfounded scout knight, then turned and summoned her three-eyed raven familiar, Weber. Amid its ominous cawing, she strode off with Bonnie.

    The scout knight watched Tris disappear, then suddenly snapped back to his senses.

    He immediately took out the knight order¡¯s rune from his pocket and crushed it. In the next instant, the Blood Pact Knight Order¡¯s spirit smoke signal shot into the sky and exploded at the edge of the night.

    Sub-dimension rift.

    He hadn¡¯t heard that term in a long time, as distant as some experiences from a previous life. After all, thest time one of these appeared, the direct result was the overnight disappearance of 300,000 people and the extinction of an entire vampire n.

    Indeed!

    Lady Tris was right, this thing was far more dangerous than the ck Cmity currently brewing and set to hit the continent in a few months.

 Chapter 103:

    Tris threw harsh words at the scout knights of the Blood Pact Knights, then quickly returned to her own tent and packed up everything she could use. But this time, she wasn¡¯t nning to escape, but rather to go rescue her little Murphy.

    She summoned Bonnie to call over Miriam and Lieutenant Frayzer, who had been resting at the time and came over with sleepy eyes.

    ¡°Huh, Tris, you changed your hairstyle?¡±

    Rubbing her eyes, Miriam looked at Tris in surprise, her long braid now hanging over her chest.

    She curiously looked at Tris in this style. Compared to her previous long, loose hair, she looked less delicate and charming, but had gained a sense of capability and coldness. Especially when her hair didn¡¯t cover the corners of her eyes, unexpectedly giving Tris¡¯ charming face a somewhat ufortable chill.

    Making one instinctively stand up straight in front of her, not daring the slightest impropriety.

    ¡°I just suddenly missed the old days, does it look good?¡±

    Tris picked up a bottle of wine beside her and gulped down a few mouthfuls, squinting her eyes as she asked. This familiar action immediately dispelled all of Miriam¡¯s doubts.

    Well, alright.This was still the same unreliable Tris as before.

    ¡°Listen, Murphy discovered an opening sub-dimension rift deep in the Blood Vulture Halls.¡±

    As soon as Tris opened with that, Miriam and Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s bodies tensed up as if struck by lightning, instantly shaking off all their drowsiness.

    It was clear they had heard of this term before.

    ¡°How could there be a sub-dimension rift in Transia?¡±

    Miriam widened her eyes and said:

    ¡°Thest time this thing appeared was during the end of the Second Night War two hundred years ago, right?

    ording to the stories, the Blood Dread n performed evil rituals to summon a sub-dimension rift in a small town in the Ice Bay region, wiping out an entire small kingdom overnight. It directly led to the annihtion of the Blood Dread n too.

    In our history textbooks, it¡¯s criticized as a negative example.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer didn¡¯t say a word.

    But as one of the heads of the Goldflower Kingdom Pioneer Army¡¯s intelligence system, he clearly knew more details that ordinary people weren¡¯t privy to.

    Which was precisely why he was more wary of what Tris had just said.

    ¡°We must immediately report this to the Circle Tower!¡±

    The lieutenant said sternly:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something the remnants of the Blood Vulture n can handle on their own!¡±

    ¡°Say that again, young man of the Carpe family, who are you nning to report this to?¡±

    Tris narrowed her eyes and nced at Lieutenant Frayzer.

    The aura gradually awakening from the ¡°Crimson Witch¡± made the lieutenant¡¯s heart skip a beat, and quickly sobered him up, only to leave him chilled to the bone.

    ¡°Got it now?¡±

    Tris gave a coldugh and said:

    ¡°Do you know why that sub-dimension rift was able to secretly operate deep in the Blood Vulture Halls for ten days before being discovered? It¡¯s because the massive Astral Breach ritual performed by the Circle Tower mages in Kadman City perfectly masked the chaotic spirit resonance that would be emitted while the sub-dimension rift was building up.

    I even suspect this whole thing was nned by the Circle Tower!

    Who¡¯s to say those crazed human spirit mages didn¡¯t intend to create this very sub-dimension rift here from the start?

    Listen carefully, Frayzer of the Carpe family!

    I knew your grandfather.

    The first pot of gold he earned when he was young and wandering in the Cato region, I gave it to him. He helped me out a small favor, I don¡¯t know if he wrote about this in his memoirs, but he was something of an old acquaintance to me.

    And you¡¯re an acquaintance after him, so I¡¯ll say a bit more.

    If you want to make it back to the Goldflower Kingdom alive and keep living your life, then keep this incident rotting in your heart!

    You can investigate it privately on your own.

    But you¡¯re smart enough to know that confronting them directly will only backfire.

    Alright, I need you two to bring at least 30 Computation Beads with me into the Blood Vulture Halls. Since Frayzer is an intelligence expert, he should be familiar with these. You¡¯ll be in charge of linking the 30 Beads into aputation matrix.

    Miriam will assist me in calcting the Kadman City¡¯s current Astral projection coordinates.¡±

    ¡°But¡­but I¡¯ve never learned any of this. I¡¯m just an administrative student,pletely ignorant of spirit matters.¡±

    Miriam flustered, but Tris shook her head:

    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of plugging in a series ofplex spirit forms, the rest is just mechanical, massive calctions. That matrix will help you through the process. And you¡¯re a university student, if I don¡¯t ask you, should I randomly grab a farmer from the camp to do this instead?¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    The tent p was lifted and the panting youngdy rushed in.

    She must have just finished washing up, her long hair still damp with droplets, pale cheeks flushed red. But she didn¡¯t have time for anything else, staring at Tris and asking:

    ¡°I just received Murphy¡¯s transmission, what¡¯s this about a sub-dimension rift appearing underground? Why would a sub-dimension rift show up here? The material world and Astral mapping here aren¡¯t nearly chaotic enough for that!

    The Astral Breach ritual in Kadman City was certainly shocking, but it¡¯s still at least ten times short of the energy needed to tear through to the Astral boundary!

    This is simply impossible!¡±

    ¡°Good news is your general Astral knowledge is solid. Bad news is what use is yelling all this at me? Why are you shouting so loudly? If you¡¯re unhappy, goin to the Circle Tower that caused all this!¡±

    Seeing the flustered and diposed Femis, Tris berated her:

    ¡°The fact is it has appeared! Right in the Blood Vulture Sacred Pool Hall, old Finoch has confirmed the Sacred Blood Pool is serving as an anchor, providing a beacon into the material world for the sub-dimension rift, and your father has be the physical projection vessel for the chaotic shadow in the material world.

    He has be the ¡®sacrifice¡¯!

    I now suspect the Circle Tower¡¯s Astral Breach ritual was only to mask the tremors when the sub-dimension rift opened, thereby blinding other forces from monitoring the chaotic spirit energy.

    This incident runs much deeper than we imagined!

    Kadman City being consumed by the Astral Realm is only the beginning of the disaster, not the end.

    Prepare yourself, Femis.

    I know you¡¯ve never overseen such arge-scale countermeasure and purification ritual, but I¡¯m too weakened now, possessing only knowledge but unable to transform it into power.

    You must shoulder this responsibility!

    After I calcte Kadman City¡¯s specific Astral projection coordinates, you¡¯ll cast the spell to push the entire Sacred Blood Pool Hall into the Astral Realm, allowing the sub-dimension rift¡¯s umted energy to dissipate. Otherwise, we¡¯ll all die the moment it opens.

    And the most tragic part is, in this affair, our deaths won¡¯t even count as punishment.

    I told you the fate of the Blood Dread n before when you were being foolish!

    Back then, all they did was open a rift between the Astral Realm, the material world, and the Void. The surging chaotic energies devoured a quarter of the Ice Bay region, while incidentally reshaping the entire coastline of the Saxony area.

    Over three hundred thousand people paid with their lives for that foolish ritual.¡±

    Tris stared at Femis and said gravely:

    ¡°And the sub-dimension rift opening beneath our feet has been operatingpletely undisturbed for ten whole days! Guess what kind of result its true opening will cause? The entire continent may be split in two from Transia being torn apart.

    And this is only the best scenario I can imagine.

    Our sole advantage now is that due to the Circle Tower¡¯s previous Astral Breach ritual in Kadman City, the astral mapping here in the material realm has yet to fully rebuild.

    This means we only need to pay a far smaller cost than usual to reopen the Astral rift and inversely channel those destructive energies into the Astral Realm.¡±

    ¡°But this will bring unforeseeable consequences.¡±

    Femis was clearly stunned by Tris¡¯ insane n, hoarsely saying:

    ¡°But the Astral Realm is the isting zone between the material world and the Void, what if we mess this up¡­¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, the Astral Realm that can birth gods isn¡¯t as fragile as you think.¡±

    Tris sighed and said:

    ¡°The worst oue is just tearing a rift in the Astral Realm, but that¡¯s absolutely a hundred times better than allowing the sub-dimension rift to directly open in the material world. Moreover, little Murphy is still in there, only I can save him!

    So no more questions, take action immediately!

    What are you two dawdling for?

    Get moving!¡±

    Under Tris¡¯ stern rebukes, Miriam and Lieutenant Frayzer solemnly exited the tent to make preparations, while Femis bit her teeth in the tent and said to Tris:

    ¡°I just saw the Blood Pact Knights release distress res outside the camp, did you tell them about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Tris replied without turning back as she strapped on herbat belt:

    ¡°Should I not get a Blood Pact lord up front so you don¡¯t have to directly face your father who has been ¡®chosen¡¯ by the Void?

    Salrokdar is also an ancient golden-rank expert. Empowered by the Void, even with a sacred de in hand, old Finoch alone can¡¯t resist him. We need another golden-rank expert to create an opportunity for you to sever his connection to the Sacred Blood Pool.

    I know you¡¯re worried.

    But don¡¯t be afraid, this is actually a good thing for you.

    Your father has been tainted by the Void¡¯s will, meaning anything he says or does will never be believed by anyone again.

    In this new situation, your secret will be buried even deeper.

    Provided we survive this incident.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that, Tris. In this situation, my little secret is the least of my concerns.¡±

    Femis massaged her forehead, saying:

    ¡°I just feel the suspicious points in this affair are piling up. The more we unravel it, the more it feels like this couldn¡¯t possibly be a coincidence. It seems we¡¯ve been used, and not just us! Even the Goldflower Kingdom and Circle Tower¡¯s attack on Kadman City may have only been one link in arger conspiracy plot.

    But we simply can¡¯t see the full picture.

    What I want to know now is, what role is my father ying in this? Tris, is there a possibility that my father¡­

    That he did this willingly?

    That he willingly became the physical vessel for the Void¡¯s will, sealed off the Blood Vulture Halls to conceal his secrets, all to bring about utter devastation?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s Salrokdar¡¯s style. He¡¯s not noble enough to be willing to sacrifice everything for a goal, good or bad. So I suspect he was deceived!

    Ruthlessly defeated in his area of expertise, and this absolutely wasn¡¯t part of my n from back then. No matter how it was extended, it couldn¡¯t possibly be connected to the astral void.

    Unless Salrokdar modified it.

    In a way I can¡¯t possibly guess.¡±

    Tris turned to nce at Femis.

    She moved her left hand, clusters of crimson light flickering on her slender fingers, and she said:

    ¡°You can perhaps go ask him yourself, but I need you to jump into the Sacred Blood Pool and sever its connection to the Patriarch. Only then can the continuously umting Void energies go out of control.

    If the connection isn¡¯t severed, that thing will only keep operating stably.

    This is basically me sending you to your death!

    And your chances of survival are negligible. If you¡¯re unwilling, tell me now and I¡¯ll find a way to make you ¡®willing¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not unwilling.¡±

    Femis lowered her head and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve walked out of the lies of my life, so I won¡¯t continue living blindly! I want to get to the bottom of all this, no matter the cost!¡±

    ¡°Good, it seems you¡¯ve finally be resolved. At least I didn¡¯t waste the chance at life I sacrificed everything for to obtain for you back then.¡±

    Tris nodded in satisfaction and handed her a sealed scroll, saying:

    ¡°This records how to sever the Blood Vulture Lord¡¯s connection to the Sacred Blood Pool. Don¡¯t ask me how I obtained such a terrible secret. Just learn it, and of course, keep this forbidden knowledge rotting in your heart!

    If others find out you¡¯ve learned this¡­

    Believe me, not even Lord Payne could protect you.

    We set out in 10 minutes!¡±

    Femis nodded and turned to leave the tent, but at the entrance she suddenly turned back to look at the braided Tris, softly asking:

    ¡°So this is the true face of the ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯?

    Sharp, decisive, wise, cold and merciless. Back then you must have put immense pressure on my father, even made him feel severely threatened, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have given up such an outstanding blood descendant just to obtain me, someone not particrly outstanding.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, you tter me. You¡¯re actually better than you imagine, but still can¡¯tpare to me back then.¡±

    Tris waved her hand and said:

    ¡°My current self has only a tenth of the ir I had back then. Otherwise this little incident would have been handled by me alone. The astral void threat is nothing new to me. What we yed with back then was far more formidable than this.

    As for the Crimson Witch¡­

    That was over a hundred years ago.

    I buried her long ago. To be honest, after over a hundred years of suffering and depravity, I actually prefer my freer, morefortable current self.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve already buried her, why let her resurrect tonight?¡±

    Femis squinted and said softly:

    ¡°Is it for Murphy? You two are really something. Murphy dared charge into a city invaded by Astral spirit energy for you, and you¡¯re even more outrageous! Daring to directly face the Void threat just for him, what enviable affection.¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business!¡±

    Tris snapped:

    ¡°Hurry up and prepare!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam Witch.¡±

    Femis gave a slight bow.

    Having made her decision, she seemed to have loosened up, no longer as restrained and uptight as before. As she stepped out of the tent, she murmured:

    ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be the one to remind a senior like yourself, but vampire society does indeed have certain taboos between elders and blood descendants. I think you understand these better than I do, so¡­good luck to you both.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Bang¡±

    A muffled gunshot echoed through the dim area, the scorching direct bullet grazing the forehead of the gray-haired witch hunter Natalie as it flew out of the muzzle.

    It wasn¡¯t that the shooter hadn¡¯t aimed properly, the witch hunter had instinctively dodged.

    This was clearly abnormal.

    Especially at this range.

    So Lady Adele had sufficient reason to believe the dual de-wielding witch hunter before her must have employed some special technique.

    But she no longer had time to ponder this.

    The straight longswords ¡°Guardian¡± and ¡°Punisher¡±, wreathed in Purifying mes, shed through the gales, the first one cleaving Lady Adele¡¯s rapier in two, the second slicing down her neck, parting her long hair from beneath her chin.

    Outside this deadly duel, Maxim was already drenched in blood.

    He was at a disadvantage against the three ferocious witch hunters before him, but still battled on like a bloodthirsty hyena, unwilling to retreat.

    All because of Lord Murphy¡¯s orders!

    They had to guard this self-destruct core toplete Lord Murphy¡¯s two-birds-one-stone n.

    But both sides had already fought tenaciously for nearly twenty minutes, fueled only by willpower and terrain advantage. Even the mightiest couldn¡¯t hold out much longer, not a single one of the six remained unscathed, the blood spilled on the ground already enough to form a pool.

    It was almost over.

    Both sides were nearing their limits, victory and defeat about to be decided¡­

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A crimson spirit transmission portal opened silently at the edge of the chamber, and Tris led in arge group of people. The Tris beneath the ¡°Crimson Witch¡± nced this way, shook her head and made a gesture.

    Lieutenant Frayzer behind her drew an astonishinglyrge trench gun and fired a shot upwards, the buckshot shattering debris from above and interrupting the deadly duel in that moment.

    Natalie and Adele almost simultaneously turned their heads back.

    The former¡¯s des at thetter¡¯s neck, thetter¡¯s gun against the former¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Are you done yet?¡±

    Tris said coldly:

    ¡°If you¡¯re done,e over here! I need you all to cooperate now. Hopefully you¡¯ve warmed up enough just now, because nobody in this area will have time to rest from this point on. Hopefully you canst until we resolve this trouble¡­

    Or we can all hold hands and die together.

    I¡¯m taking over here now, everyone follows my orders!

    Maxim!

    Raise that self-destruct core!

    Begin modifying it immediately, it must be done within six hours!¡±

 Chapter 104:

    Murphy put down the core bead and picked up the crimson hand crossbow beside him.

    This thing was confiscated by him from the ¡°Miser¡± Zuckerberg, the guardian of the secret treasure vault from before. This was a very nice weapon,bining elegance, beauty, and power, greatly making up for Murphy¡¯s current long-range attack weakness.

    As the vampire hung it on his waist, the item¡¯s information tag was still flickering in his eyes:

    Name: Miser¡¯s ssic Mechanical Hand Crossbow

    Quality: Standard -¡¾Elite¡¿Commander

    Traits: Extreme Piercing, Enhanced Spell Breaking, Enhanced uracy Correction

    Effects:

    1.Triple Fire

    2.This hand crossbow has the¡¾Magic Bolt¡¿technique engraved within, allowing the user to infuse spirit energy to form light arrows in an unloaded state, with reduced destructive power but carrying special effects of different spirit energy types.Creator: A certain usury victim

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Compared to battle, the greedy Zuckerberg preferred doing business. He treated everyone who borrowed money from him equally, hardly ever giving up on recovering any defaulted payments.

    Except for this one time.

    A gambling-addicted halfling mechanic managed to escape the vampire creditor¡¯s clutches through his talents and skills.

    But the next day, he couldn¡¯t control his hands and borrowed arge sum again, trying to recoup his losses. Unfortunately, Zuckerberg no longer needed a second hand crossbow.¡¿

    Getting a new weapon and also obtaining the¡¾Elite¡¯s Proof¡¿achievement just now brought Murphy a sliver of joy, but after witnessing what was brewing in the deepest part of the Blood Vulture Halls, that bit of joy quickly turned into a tinge of bitterness.

    Murphy knew this ¡°instance¡± journey would certainly be dangerous, but he never imagined he would directly face something like a sub-dimension rift of this level.

    Although he himself was not a grandmaster in spirit knowledge and only understood theplex triple mapping of sub-dimension, the astral realm, and the material world to the extent an spirit apprentice should, he had still heard of the formidable reputation of sub-dimension rifts.

    Even if he knew nothing, just looking at the worrisome and grave expression on the side of the old knight Finoch, he would know how dangerous that thing in front of them was.

    It was now two hours after thatst contact, and the two were resting to the left and right behind the door leading to the Sacred Blood Hall.

    Murphy felt his unbearable headache had diminished a lot, and his will was recovering.

    As for the old knight, he was clearly making the final preparations for ast-ditch effort.

    He kept murmuring divine names in a low voice, applying various spell-casting gestures to cast blessings called ¡°divine arts¡± on himself, while Murphy was also preparing, but he did not apply any enhancements. Instead, he took a deep breath and opened the deep data analysis on his character card to review the battle record from just now.

    Before shing with the unknown force, he had to figure out what he was going to face first.

    The seemingly useless in-depth battle record of the data analysis that he felt before turned out to be surprisingly useful at this moment.

    The upgrade of his temte and realm allowed his thinking to be enhanced as well. This time, opening the deep data analysis did not make him almost faint likest time. With just a flicker before his eyes, his character card transformed into an extremelyplex form.

    Murphy checked the detailed battle record in the appendix, with the text descriptions precisely pinpointed to the moment he and old Finoch pushed open the door and were struck by the sub-dimension aura.

    The vampire then secretly marveled at how meticulous these battle records truly were:

    05:35:21 ¨C You and neutral golden-realm target Finoch Lawson performed the¡¾Open Door¡¿action together.

    05:35:22 ¨C You sensed an unknown force impact!

    Aura of sub-dimension washed over you, the chaotic will took notice of you.

    Mental check initiated!

    The caster is a¡¾medium-sized¡¿sub-dimension rift, with a weak chaotic force field, releasing a mental shock every second to anyone approaching, with a base check value of 25.

    Your current mind attribute is 11.5, perception attribute is 15, no mental defense bonus, no mind weakness, your current mental shock defense saving throw value is 11.5+1D15!

    05:35:23 ¨C First roll.

    Saving throw value is 11.5+7, less than 25.

    Save failed!

    You stared directly into the sub-dimension rift.

    You saw¡¾illusion¡¿of myriad stars smiling at you.

    05:35:24 ¨C Second roll.

    Saving throw value is 11.5+2, less than 25.

    Critical save failure!

    You stared directly into the sub-dimension rift.

    You heard¡¾illusion sound¡¿of dark nebe whispering to you.

    Your mental strain increased!

    You gained the¡¾Spirit Sight¡¿effect, perceiving chaotic forces more clearly, while your mental strain doubled.

    05:35:25 ¨C Third roll.

    Saving throw value is 11.5+15, greater than 25.

    Great sess!

    You suddenly remembered Tris was still waiting for you, this wonderful memory gave you strength, allowing you more courage to persevere until the contact ends.

    The power of the blood pact helped you, your mental strain weakened.

    05:35:26 ¨C Fourth roll.

    Saving throw value is 11.5+14, greater than 25.

    Sess!

    You thought of your lovely little yers who still need you to gain a foothold in this other world, they are with you, giving you more courage to persevere until the contact ends.

    Your mind stabilized.

    05:35:27 ¨C Yourpanion, the neutral golden-realm target Finoch Lawson, gave you a hand by sessfully performing the¡¾Close Door¡¿action!

    05:35:28 ¨C The aura of sub-dimension weakened! Mental check ended.

    The¡¾Spirit Sight¡¿effect disappeared.

    You gained the¡¾Mental Fatigue¡¿effect.

    After fully viewing this battle record of only 8 seconds, Murphy was almost scared out of a cold sweat.

    The two failed saving throws caused him to gain an effect called¡¾Spirit Sight¡¿that didn¡¯t sound too good. If he failed again on the third second, something quite terrible might have happened.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The vampire rubbed his slightly aching head and said to old Finoch:

    ¡°It was a close call just now. I almost got entrapped by the aura of sub-dimension. I finally understand why the vampires here are so frenzied, they couldn¡¯t withstand this temptation and beckoning from chaos.¡±

    The old knight did not respond.

    ¡°Of course they couldn¡¯t withstand it! Because this is not something the ck Iron and White Silver realms can face.¡±

    Old Finoch looked at Murphy with a rather subtle gaze, and after a few seconds, he said:

    ¡°Did you know? With your realm¡¯s mental strength, it should have been impossible to withstand the assault of sub-dimension, you should have been entrapped into madness within the first four seconds of gazing at it. Especially since you¡¯re a vampire, a natural dark descendant, your resistance to these chaotic forces would be even worse.

    How did you manage it?¡±

    ¡°The love and light in my heart gave me the strength to resist the chaotic beckoning, I suppose.¡±

    Murphy touched his chest, tilting his head as he said to old Finoch:

    ¡°Could you imbue me with some spirit defense spells? I just saw there are many higher-level vampires worshiping the sub-dimension will inside. They are thest threat we must face before confronting Salrokdar directly.

    I cannot leave these chaotic maniacs for my warriors to deal with, as they would suffer losses and demoralize them greatly.

    We must eliminate those chaotic maniacs before they regroup.¡±

    ¡°Most people would choose to avoid such an experience, but you¡¯ve surprised me, Murphy. My impression of you has changed again.¡±

    The old knight took out three wooden scrolls from hisbat pack and handed them to Murphy.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°Any life that faces madness from sub-dimension and remains unbroken deserves respect. In the doctrines of the old faith, the demonic forces from sub-dimension are the great enemies of all living beings in this world, the same enemy my god Avalon has been fighting in the astral realm.

    Now I can finally view you as a coborator andrade for more meaningful reasons, beyond just interests.

    We must put aside all gaps and work together now, Murphy. If a sub-dimension rift of this magnitude opens in the material world, everything you¡¯re familiar with and love will instantly turn to ash and smoke.

    We¡­

    We will also be sinners to the entire world!¡±

    ¡°Think of it this way. If we win, we¡¯ll be heroes of the world.¡±

    Murphy grinned and took the scrolls, cing them in his hands as the information tag popped up:

    Name: Avalon Saint Secret Scroll Reproduction Copy x3

    Effect: Reading the stories of Avalon saints battling vile things and being inspired by their will, greatly invigorating the reader¡¯s spirit (Mind +5, Perception +5) for a short time and applying the¡¾Mind¡¯s Fire (Increased Chaos Resistance)¡¿effect.

    Creator: ¡¾White Oak Lord¡¿ Finoch Lawson

    Item Description:

    ¡¾It is said that Avalon was a kind and benevolent order deity who especially favored the elven races uponing to the astral realm, bearing goodwill towards all elegant and beautiful beings.

    Therefore, before using this item, you¡¯d best tidy yourself up to look presentable, lest Avalon take offense at your slovenliness.¡¿

    ¡°Tch, a meaningless warning. How could a dashing and elegant vampire like me possibly be taken offense at?¡±

    Murphy smirked and unrolled the scroll.

    The instant he read the text, a surge of power flowed into his body. As the scroll in his hand burned away to nothing, he could feel a force enveloping his mind, like a flickering me warming his soul, no longer fearing those cold, creeping things.

    And in the deep data analysis¡¯s battle record, the details of what happened in those few seconds were recorded:

    07:27:38 ¨C You used the¡¾Avalon Saint Secret Scroll Reproduction Copy¡¿, reading the saints¡¯ stories. Natural spirit imbuing begins!

    07:27:39 ¨C A boundless will took notice of you!

    It began to scrutinize you!

    From the perspectives of various races, you look very dashing.

    It granted you its blessings, satisfied!

    Your Mind +5,sting 30 minutes.

    07:27:40 ¨C It continued scrutinizing you!

    The elegance you¡¯ve maintained pleased It even more!

    Your Perception +5,sting 30 minutes.

    07:27:42 ¨C Itstly scrutinized your soul!

    Your secret adoration and devotion to a certain vampiredy let It praise you as a pure flower born in the night. Your care and protection for the otherworld warriors made It affirm you were not forged from darkness as an evil being.

    You were imbued with the¡¾Mind¡¯s Fire¡¿effect, increasing chaos resistance, lowering your mental shock saving throw baseline to 20.

    07:27:45 ¨C It blessed your love and ambitions.

    You were granted the¡¾Avalon¡¯s Affirmation¡¿effect, slightly and permanently increasing your natural spirit resistance. You learned the passive skill¡¾Beast Tongue¡¿.

    07:27:48 ¨C That boundless will lost interest in you, turning its gaze away, for now.

    ¡°???¡±

    This string of prompts made Murphy¡¯s eyes go wide, while old Finoch beside him was even more stunned, his jaw dropping.

    As a natural saint, handing a scroll with a slight divine nature to a vampire certainly had some ¡°ulterior motives¡±, he intended to use this method to remind Murphy not to cause any more trouble with his future actions.

    But the imagined scene of Murphy being burned by the fires of nature never appeared. Instead, he saw a faint illusion of gathering green leaves around Murphy.

    Did this mean the god Avalon acknowledged this vampire?

    How was that possible!

    My lord, You are a deity of order, how could You acknowledge a creature of darkness?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something unseemly on my face?¡±

    Murphy noticed the old knight¡¯s stunned expression and asked. Thetter cleared his throat, dropping his one-hand hammer and natural kite shield, then drew the great oak de from behind his back, saying in a low voice:

    ¡°Nothing, I just saw something unthinkable. It seems the god Avalon quite likes you.¡±

    ¡°I rather like Him too, generous enough, a great deity.¡±

    Murphy grinned and gave a thumbs up, then picked up the one-hand hammer and kite shield the old knight had dropped and put them in his bag, before unsheathing his de of the Desire n to reapply vampire-ying sword oil and holding the Miser¡¯s Mechanical Crossbow in hand.

    He then took a deep breath and exchanged a nce with old Finoch.

    This vampire really knew how to be ¡°frugal and diligent¡±, but the problem was that when I dropped my weapons and shield on the ground, I didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t want them anymore, I just didn¡¯t need them temporarily. But you just took them right in front of me.

    Your thick skin is real! That scavenging manner made me feel too embarrassed to ask for them back.

    The old knight grumbled inwardly.

    In the next instant, the two kicked out at the same time, kicking open the wooden door blocking the aura of sub-dimension.

    This not only alerted the dozen or so frenzied children kneeling in worship towards the slowly rotating, brewing unknown disaster of the sub-dimension rifts above the holy pool in the great hall ahead, but also made Murphy feel that same mental shock once more.

    But this time, the battle record was vastly different:

    07:29:27 ¨C You sensed a mental force impact!

    Aura of sub-dimension washed over you, the chaotic will took notice of you, mental check initiated!

    The caster is a¡¾medium-sized¡¿sub-dimension rift, with a weakened chaotic force field, releasing a mental shock every second to anyone entering or approaching, with a check value of 20 due to¡¾Mind¡¯s Fire¡¿being applied.

    Your current Mind attribute is 11.5+5, Perception attribute is 15+5, with¡¾Mind¡¯s Fire¡¿mental bonus, no mind weakness. Your current mental shock defense saving throw value is 16.5+1D20.

    07:29:28 ¨C First roll.

    Saving throw value is 16.5+16, greater than 20.

    Great sess!

    You gained the¡¾Iron Will¡¿effect, increasing intimidation against chaotic beings!

    07:29:29 ¨C You fearlessly stared directly into the sub-dimension rift. Those chaotic vile things could no longer shake your zing mind, so you flipped it off.

    You taunted the sub-dimension will.

    07:29:30 ¨C The sub-dimension will showed no reaction to your provocation, however, its servants were enraged.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Heeeheeeheeeh¡±

    The piercing whinny of a war horse echoed in the night as a lone rider shot like a crimson meteor across the darknds of Transia.

    Rushing from the southernmost Fort Crimea on Transia¡¯s border all the way to Kadman City in just three hours¡¯ time sounded like an impossible feat, that was over 100 kilometers. Yet to the knight lord galloping at full tilt, this was but a small challenge.

    The constraints of space and distance were always rather lenient to experts of the golden realm.

    ¡°Ah, what a pity. I had just established a pure and praiseworthy friendship with the beautiful wife of the Winter Wolf Regiment¡¯smander, not even having a chance to present thedy with night-blooming roses to express my admiration.¡±

    The heavily armored knight astride the warhorse rode without his helmet, letting the wind from the breakneck speed whip his golden hair in the night.

    That resolute face paired with a pair of gentle, lover¡¯s blue eyes made this tall bloodknight lord appear extraordinarily dashing. Even at such high speeds, the ck and red night roses adorning his breastte were undisturbed.

    He raised his head to the ruins of Kadman City now in view, and the hint of mncholy in his passionate eyes was reced with zing fervor.

    ¡°But think positively, I am about to meet the muse I haven¡¯t seen for over a hundred years. Ah, the beautiful and aloof Lady Tris, you can even rank in my top twenty goddess rankings in my heart.¡±

    ¡°Pnno!¡±

    Just as the dashing knight was getting carried away, a low rebuke sounded in his mind, immediately sobering him.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned of everything happening in the Blood Vulture Halls. You must stop the sub-dimension rift from opening in the material world at all costs! I will grant you authority to wield the Crimson Holy Lance¡¯s power of judgment!

    Use this eternal silence force well.

    Additionally, after this is over, bring Femis Cecilia Lessenbra back to the knightly order¡¯s base!

    I need her to personally report to me the full process of the Kadman City incident, and I have a few small questions to ask her.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, Lord Payne! Your will is the direction of my sword.¡±

    ¡°Sober up, Pnno! You never use a sword.¡±

    ¡°Er, a figure of speech, just artistic speech, my lord. You really have no sense of humor.¡±

 Chapter 105:

    When the little yers came back online, it was already several hourster.

    They had slept very soundly and sweetly in another world, except for those unlucky ones who had been knocked out during the dungeon raid earlier. The remaining 39 came online simultaneously at the agreed-upon time.

    It was the weekend today, so everyone could enjoy ying again.

    However, when they woke up in the underground warehouse, which served as the ¡°dungeon save point¡±, even the most dimwitted little yer could sense that the Blood Vulture Halls was vastly different from yesterday.

    It was clearly much more solemn here than the day before, as if a sense of unease permeated even the air.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally awoken, warriors.¡±

    Greeting them in front of the warehouse was Murphy¡¯s loyal servant, Maxim.

    This white-haired swordsman still exuded an intense aura of battle, but he maintained his frigidbat stance as he announced to the little yers through the Computation Bead:

    ¡°Thanks to your efforts and excellent coordination yesterday, we have now cleared the central part of the corridor. Lord Murphy has opened the final path to the Sacred Blood Pool. The most arduous challenge lies just ahead.However, there is one bad news you must be aware of!

    The fallen Salrokdar is plotting something even more terrifying than we imagined. A sub-dimension rift is hidden in the Sacred Blood Hall, and it could open into the material world at any moment. If it sessfully opens, the entire Transia region will instantly copse and be torn apart.

    Currently, we have received aid from the Blood Pact Knights. Lady Tris is making the final tactical adjustments.

    I do not wish to conceal how difficult the uing battle will be. The fact is, none of us may live to see tomorrow¡¯s moonlight.

    However, we have no path for retreat!

    Therefore, by Lord Murphy¡¯smand, I must immediately lead you to the final battle. The stingy Witch Hunters have finally been persuaded by the grave reality to bring out their reserves from the bottom of the chest.¡±

    Maxim pointed to therge quantities of vampire-ying sword oils and a series of mind protection scrolls ced nearby, and said to the little yers:

    ¡°Three each! They can only be used in the most dire circumstances. Once the scrolls¡¯ protective effects are exhausted, you must immediately retreat from the battlefield, or it will result in rather severe consequences.

    This is the first time for you, and for me, to engage in battle with sub-dimension abominations. We must be prepared to die!¡±

    The little yers immediately became solemn.

    On the team channel, everyone had already started discussing in chaos.

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Whoa! How did the story progress so deeply just from not being online for one night? What is this sub-dimension rift thing? It sounds really powerful, more dangerous than the astral rift that devoured Kadman City?¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾This stupid Cheche is justme, didn¡¯t you hear what the NPC said? That thing will tear apart the entire Transia region if it opens!

    This is clearly a story kill!

    It¡¯s to match the final part of the prologue quest about the server restart, right? Obviously the dev team has thoughtfully written a background story for this story kill restart after a failed raid. I really appreciate their whole family!¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾No no no~ It¡¯s not just randomly made up. Yesterday I saw Lumina¡¯s trantion post on the forum with some in-game texts, and it clearly says:

    The spirit mages of this world have concluded that sub-dimension is the boundless dimension beyond the astral realm, the source of all spirit energy, but also the chaotic source of all evils in the world.

    They believe that all sins and disasters in the material world are triggered by the mysterious fluctuations of sub-dimension. Although it sounds unbelievable, if you look into it carefully, after introducing the unscientific factor of spirit energy, the underlying logic of this system actually makes sense.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾£¡£¡£¡Is this the time for you to discuss the depth of the story and the worldview architecture? Brothers and sisters, hurry up! The NPC has already cleared the path to the final BOSS for us. Shouldn¡¯t the next step be the enjoyable BOSS fight?

    Take it seriously!

    You experienced the difficulty of this dungeon yesterday yourselves. The final BOSS can¡¯t possibly be weak.

    Speaking of which, isn¡¯t the dungeon flow a bit short, with only three BOSSes?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾It¡¯s five! The remaining two BOSSes are hidden. I just saw the battle report released by Maxim. Yesterday when we were raiding number one and two, Lord Murphy and the old knight took a secret passage and struck deep into the halls.

    They dealt with an Astral Manticore and a group of ghostly bandits in the secret passage.

    It¡¯s obvious!

    This is the dev team¡¯s remedial story after collecting our real-timebat data and realizing they made the monster stats too outrageous, so they let the NPCs step in and help us defeat the BOSS we currently can¡¯t beat.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾That¡¯s too cunning! Doesn¡¯t that mean the loot from those two BOSS is gone?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯sChosenGrayman: ¡¾You¡¯re still thinking about loot at this point? Have you forgotten how we were ground into the floor by the BOSS yesterday? It¡¯s obvious that this dungeon design is a bit outrageous and will definitely need adjustmentster. I reckon the official version of the dungeon will have loot drops, but not this time.¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾Okay, enough arguing. Let¡¯s hurry and follow the NPC to the final hall. I want to see what this sub-dimension rift looks like with my own eyes.¡¿

    Urged by Sister Pomegranate, a group of yers rushed after Maxim towards the final hall. They passed through the central corridor that had already been cleared by the Witch Hunters, but the closer they got to the Sacred Blood Hall, the more NPCs there were.

    In front of that final door, they saw Murphy and old Finoch.

    At this point, the two story leaders both bore visible marks of battle.

    The old knight¡¯s white oak armor bore ck corrosion marks, while Murphy¡¯s cloak had be tattered and torn. He, who usually paid close attention to his demeanor, was now sitting on a chair panting, with the de of the Desire n by his side still dripping strange ck fresh blood.

    Just thirty minutes ago, he and old Finoch had jointly dealt with thest dozen or so patriarch personal guards who had been seduced by the sub-dimension. Those fellows were true White Silver ranks, powerful individuals like Jed. It was only due to mental instability, sub-dimension corrosion, and blood source weakness that allowed Murphy to ambush them sessfully.

    Admittedly, it was rather shameful. Out of just fifteen enemies in total, the formidable old knight single-handedly took down thirteen, while Murphy only managed to im two heads and ended up in a sorry state himself.

    This Murphy was truly pathetic!

    However, it didn¡¯t matter much. For his current rank, being able to achieve this was already quitemendable, and the¡¾Proof of Warrior¡¿had also been sessfully obtained.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived, my warriors.¡±

    Murphy opened his eyes, and under the protection of Maxim, Lady Adele, and the youngdies, he stood up and looked towards his warriors.

    Out of the original 60 people who had set out, only 39 remained, which showed the ferocity of the battle.

    But the little yers who had survived such brutalbat were Murphy¡¯s elites among elites. He had great confidence in them, even though their next opponent was one they were powerless against.

    ¡°The final battle is about to begin! I need you to escort the youngdy with me towards the Sacred Blood Pool.¡±

    Murphy said solemnly:

    ¡°The youngdy will take on the responsibility of severing Salrokdar¡¯s connection to the Sacred Blood Pool. Only afterpleting this process will Tris¡¯ n to banish the chaotic forces to the astral realm be possible. Lord Finoch and I have cleared the final obstacles for you.

    We also discovered that as long as we approached the polluted Sacred Blood Pool, sub-dimension fiends would emerge from within, for they do not wish to see their chance of setting foot in this world extinguished by us.

    But that is precisely what we need to do.

    You must establish a defensive line around the Sacred Blood Pool and hold out until the veryst moment.

    It will be extremely difficult!

    Almost a suicidal act, yet we must do it!

    For thends we have painstakingly obtained, for the future we have sworn to establish, for the grand n we have already set in motion!

    This time, I will fight alongside you to the very end!

    Either we win everything, or we descend into hell together.¡±

    The little yers sensed the resolve imbued in Murphy¡¯s NPC lines. Although not everyone enjoyed deep role-ying and empathizing with NPCs like Lumina did, they had been together for over ten days, and under Murphy¡¯s guidance, they had taken down one enemy after another and resolved one problem after another.

    Now, seeing their NPC¡¯s unwavering determination to die, even the most rational Joy Stick couldn¡¯t help but tighten his grip on the gun in his hand. Of course, a rational guy like Brother Stick wouldn¡¯t be incited by just a few words.

    What concerned him more was that if the main story NPC died, wouldn¡¯t his hard-earned save file be gone?

    Could he ept that?

    ¡°You will not die here! We will not allow you to die here!¡±

    The best actor, Ah Yuen, stepped forward and, like the knights dering oaths in movies, he raised the veteran¡¯s sword in his hand and shouted:

    ¡°Murphy must prevail! Transia must prevail!¡±

    But the imagined scene of everyone joining in his oath did not materialize. Ah Yuen turned around to find everyone looking at him like an idiot.

    ¡°Come on! Cooperate a little! I¡¯m recording this.¡±

    Ah Yuen shouted, and then scattered calls echoing the same words arose from the crowd. Brother Meow King halfheartedly raised his staff and waved it.

    At this moment, the cunning society people¡¯s attention was on the half-open door before them.

    Malicious auras seeped out from within, giving this oak apprentice a strange feeling of having his heart gripped.

    He tentatively reached out and pushed forward on the wooden door, peeking inside. At first nce, he saw the energy vortex dotted with dark purple lights hovering above the crimson holy pool.

    It already had a physical presence in the material world.

    Its constant, steady rotation was a dark singrity opened to the material world, or like an ominous eye wide open, ready to devour all light.

    Brother Meow King¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the vortex. He felt as if his very spirit was being pulled into it.

    The world before his eyes soon became distorted.

    Strange mists and flickering wraiths seemed to extend from the darkness, while in that formless realm, terrifying spiritual forms also drifted, coldly watching him. It was as if a thousand voices simultaneously resounded ovepping phantasmal echoes in his mind and ears, speaking in anguage he could notprehend at all.

    He wanted to see the true reality.

    He wanted to hear those calls proiming the truth.

    He also wanted to immerse himself in the warm, tranquil, elegant yet boisterous sea of dark celestial bodies before him and indulge in unrestrained wandering.

    Brother Meow King¡¯s gaze became vacant, as if his spirit and will were being extracted from this shell of a body and cast into another unknown realm. At this moment, in another world, the game helmet he was lying in bed with was emitting a piercing rm.

    The connection program had entered the countdown to disconnect.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    A rebuke came from behind, startling Brother Meow King.

    Before his brain, as if rusted, could restart, a tremendous force extended from his back, pulling him, who had already stepped halfway into the Sacred Blood Hall, back into the rear corridor.

    In the moment Brother Meow King blinked his eyes and regained his senses, what greeted him was an ever-erging armored fist with intricate gauntlets and knuckle spikesing towards his face.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    A muffled sound, and Brother Meow King was knocked to the ground.

    Had Murphy not pulled him back at thest second, that punch would have been enough to cave in the little yer¡¯s skull.

    ¡°He has been seduced by chaos! A threat that must be eliminated.¡±

    The one who pulled Brother Meow King back into the corridor was one of the three Blood Pact Knights who had previously arrived at the Kadman ruins, a t-chested vampire girl at the White Silver rank. She said coldly.

    Murphy, however, shielded the still dazed Brother Meow King behind him, looked at the Blood Pact Knight before them, and loudly refuted:

    ¡°My warrior will not be seduced. Just now he only underestimated the situation recklessly. The same attack cannot be effective against them twice! I can guarantee it!¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, Lord Murphy, your courage is moving, but your warriors are not qualified to join such a battle!¡±

    The Blood Pact female knight before them said coldly:

    ¡°They are too weak. Entering the battlefield would only make them servants of the sub-dimension and in turn be a nuisance to us. The current situation is already dire enough, please do not add to our difficulties.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    The old knight Finoch, who had remained silent until now, raised his head at this moment and said to the three Blood Pact Knights who hade to aid them:

    ¡°Their presence is necessary. Murphy¡¯s decision is not wrong. Apart from those who do not fear death like them, I do not trust any other reinforcements.¡±

    Old Finoch knew that the yers were spirits from another realm.

    They did not fear death, so when necessary, they would have no burden striking down temptedrades. Their disdain for death when confronting chaos would be the most precious gift.

    This was an advantage that even the most outstanding Witch Hunters did not possess.

    Even the most resolute will would waver in the face of death. Once the will wavered, the chaos of the sub-dimension would seize upon that weakness. Unless you never regarded death as a big deal from the very start, beneath such lofty magnanimity, the sub-dimension will would naturally find it difficult to influence you.

    After all, if you didn¡¯t even fear death, there were so few things in this world worth fearing.

    ¡°I¡¯m puzzled, why are we quarreling amongst ourselves before the battle has even begun? Is it because the sub-dimension has influenced even you beautiful ones?¡±

    As the three sides were at an impasse, a somewhat exaggerated andnguid male voice rang out from the shadows of the corridor.

    This voice seemed to carry a certain maism, drawing everyone¡¯s gaze towards the rear.

    Under their watchful eyes, a nearly 2-meter tall, golden-red armored knight with a lion-head helmet tucked under his arm, carrying ance and heavy shield on his back, strode forth.

    Handsome, dashing, and gentle were the first impressions this fellow gave everyone. The tinge of crimson in his blue pupils and his overly pale skin, however, were symbolic of his race.

    Most audaciously, this guy even had a night rose fixed in ce by spirit energy on his chest te, exuding a roguish aura. Upon seeing him, the three Blood Pact Knights immediately stood at attention and saluted their knightmander.

    ¡°The de of Dignity,¡± the first knightmander of the Blood Pact Knights, waved his hand.

    He surveyed his surroundings and upon seeing Lady Femis, Lady Adele, and the gray-haired demoness hunter Natalie, his eyes immediately lit up.

    A beautiful rose glided forward, as if by magic producing three gorgeously blushing roses from his hand, which he presented to the threedies.

    Lady Femis was clearly aware of this one¡¯s character and sighed as she reached out to ept the rose, giving Lady Adele a look as well. As for the Witch Hunter side, the old knight Finoch, who had also heard of Lord Pnno Gaerci Cappadocia¡¯s great name, covered his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

    Although she didn¡¯t quite understand, Natalie also epted the rose with an odd expression.

    Then, his eyes fell upon Sister Pomegranate, Lumina, and Orchid Huahua among the little yers, and lit up again as he once more produced three roses to present to them.

    The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became awkward.

    The yers¡¯ expressions varied, but for some reason, the Ruthcium brothers suddenly felt a liking for this NPC who appeared rather formidable, tsk, this guy was a fellow connoisseur of beauty!

    Only little Ashina gritted her teeth and drew the handgun from her waist.

    These were all the girls here!

    You gave one to everyone except me!

    Tell me!

    What¡¯s the meaning of this?

    Just as she was about to erupt, Pnno turned and produced a rose, handing it to her, delighting little Ashina.

    But then she realized the rose in her hand was smaller in size.

    A whole circle smaller than everyone else¡¯s!

    This vile and malicious implication made her nose crooked with anger.

    Meanwhile, Murphy looked at this one who could be called handsome in every sense, and felt a slight threat from him. The biggest doubt floating in his mind was, does this guy have some kind of condition?

    Where did he get so many roses?

    Is it really okay to carry so many of these useless things on you?

    But before Murphy could speak, that deranged knightmander turned and drew a blue rose different from the others, smiling as he presented it before Murphy¡¯s eyes.

    He said admiringly:

    ¡°I never expected to find someone of the same race so handsome that even I feel threatened. I have also heard your story from Lady Tris. Come, Murphy, ept this, as my tribute to you!

    From one perfect gentleman to another.¡±

    For a moment, Murphy stood stunned, but then he epted the blue rose with the most gracious smile and elegant demeanor, nodding to the other in acknowledgment.

    Although he still didn¡¯t quite understand what was happening.

    But to be praised as handsome by such a dashing fellow, well, this guy wasn¡¯t so bad after all.

 Chapter 106:

    Murphy had already learned from Tris that the first Lord of the Blood Pact Knights woulde to aid in this battle. He was a powerful golden-rank Blood Knight, adept at both offense and defense, perfect to form a frontline assault team with the veteran knight Finoch Lawson.

    The two of them would be enough to contend with Salrokdar, currently in the Sacred Blood Pool. Everyone else¡¯s target was just one!

    That was to do everything possible to disrupt the connection between the fallen Blood Vulture Patriarch and the Sacred Blood Pool when he was entangled, causing the sub-dimension rift being guided by the spirit energy of the Sacred Blood Pool to be unstable.

    It had not yet opened in the material world, meaning it could still be destroyed.

    It was like the ¡°reality¡±yer hadn¡¯t broken yet, you could y as perversely as you wanted, but if there was a pinhole, even the gentlest action could lead to loss of life.

    Once the sub-dimension rift became unstable, the core of the n was for the youngdy to immediately cast a spell within it at the cost of destroying the Sacred Blood Pool, reversing the chaotic forces of the sub-dimension and banishing them back to the Astral Realm.

    The final step would bepleted by Tris herself.

    Since the Astral rift in Kadman City had only just closed and was still fragile, this would not be difficult.

    This three-step n made Murphy full of admiration. His elder, the former Crimson Witch, were truly not to be trifled with when serious.However, no matter how much he calcted, he never expected that the first Lord Knight who came to reinforce them would be such a fool.

    Yes, a handsome, gentle, narcissistic, and powerful fool.

    Just looking at the nearly endless array of roses he carried, you could tell this guy was definitely not a serious person! What serious person would carry so many of those around?

    But at the moment, Murphy had no choice.

    ¡°Shua shua shua¡±

    One natural scroll after another was torn open.

    Spirit spells enhancing mental faculties and perception were cast on the yer characters. Drop after drop of vampire-killer sword oil was applied to weapons, diluted potions soaking arrows and bolts.

    The spirit-using yer characters hurriedly learned the techniques of¡¾Chaos Guard¡¿and¡¾Mind¡¯s Fire¡¿under the veteran knight¡¯s final tutge.

    Normally it would be impossible for anyone to learn these in just a few dozen minutes, but the yer characters¡¯ 1.5x growth rate allowed them to quickly grasp the two skills.

    Though clumsy, and likely to fail at releasing them due tock of proficiency, considering their role as expendables in this battle, it was enough.

    To be honest, Murphy himself had little confidence putting the yer characters on the battlefield after his ownbat record. Even with all the enhancements, their current perception and mental attributes would have difficulty withstanding the chaos¡¯ assault for long periods. And if they were captured by the sub-dimension, no one could guess what would happen.

    What if the sub-dimension corruption spread through the mysterious game connection to another world?

    What if they were truly driven mad by the evil forces of this world?

    Wouldn¡¯t that be purely evil?

    ¡°Are you worried about your warriors?¡±

    The First Lord Pnno attached his magnificent lion-headed helmet, solidifying his knightly heavy armor¡¯s defenses. He asked in a very maic voice.

    Murphy did not hide his concern from this question.

    He answered:

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m personally sending them into hell. No, being captured by the sub-dimension and having their minds taken over is a fate worse than death.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for me to see a kinsman show such concern for humans,¡±

    Pnnoughed, this very amiable First Lord said:

    ¡°Indeed, as Lady Tris said, you are a unique kinsman. No wonder my goddess is so fond of you.¡±

    ¡°Your goddess?¡±

    Murphy looked at Pnno in surprise.

    Thetter nodded seriously, even taking out a fragrant, exquisite notebook from his spirit bag, flipping it open to check something before saying:

    ¡°My muse goddess ranks 17th!

    But this was recorded over a hundred years ago. Tris has been bestowed with a more carefree and mature allure by time, though that terrible wound has severely marred her stunning beauty, so I guess I¡¯ll have to push her ranking back out past 30th ce.

    But she is still a goddess in my heart! A rare beauty in this world.

    There is no doubt about that.

    Ah, fate has been so generous to me, sparing me the agony of longing for a goddess who has passed away.¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    Murphy replied with a deadpan expression.

    He didn¡¯t think Tris would be inferior to the other women in that little book. But this guy was actually a secret yboy? Just looking at the thickness of that notebook, he clearly had no less than fifty ¡°goddesses¡± in his heart.

    Hey, there must be some technique to this, right?

    If the situation wasn¡¯t so serious right now, it would really be worth asking for pointers.

    ¡°But what I mean is, you don¡¯t need to worry. Lord Payne is aware of the threat in this battle. He has bestowed upon me the power of the Holy Lance through our blood connection, allowing me to summon the projection of the Holy Lance ¡®Eternal Silence¡¯ here.

    As the sacred artifact that has fought the sub-dimension the longest in this world, it can shelter the warriors¡¯ resolve.

    Of course, the premise is that they are truly fearless.¡±

    Pnno probably saw Tris¡¯s status in Murphy¡¯s heart, and heughed, putting away his notebook and taking out his crimson knight¡¯snce to lean on.

    With his crimson-gauntleted hand, he stroked the edge of this heavy weapon, activating row after row of crimson runes. Then, to Murphy¡¯s surprise, a sphere of blood spirit light blossomed from the knight¡¯snce.

    At the same time, a prompt appeared before him:

    ¡¾Eternal Silence Holy Lance Projection ¨C Judgment Aura¡¿Applied!

    Under this aura¡¯s effect, all non-chaotic life within 120 feet will be granted the¡¾Redemption¡¿status, increasing damage to chaotic beings and greatly enhancing mental resistance.

    Vampire descendants within this aura¡¯s effect will additionally increase life and spirit recovery rates.

    Chaotic beings within this aura¡¯s effect will suffer continuous corrosive damage until destruction.

    Not only Murphy sensed the activation of this aura, the yer characters were also stirred up.

    This was the first time they had witnessed such a high-end manifestation of power in the game, and they couldn¡¯t help but crowd around Lord Pnno to gaze at the crimson radiance emanating from the knight¡¯snce in his hand, discussing in confusion things like the devs must be bullshitting again.

    The youngdy, silently preparing for action, turned to look at the knight¡¯snce in Lord Pnno¡¯s hand and said softly:

    ¡°The Crimson Holy Lance ¡®Eternal Silence¡¯! The miraculous creation of the Blood Pact Knights, the divine weapon wielded by Lord Payne, and one of the seven original sin sacred artifacts of vampire civilization. I have read stories about it in countless legends.

    In this era, the Holy Lance has be another representation of the vampire descendants in the eyes of the world.

    It represents the good side of vampires.

    Just as all other vampires besides the Blood Pact Knights represent the dark and fallen side in the eyes of the world.

    Lord Payne is undoubtedly one of the great figures our kind can produce.¡±

    ¡°As it should be.¡±

    The First Lord Pnnoughed.

    He extended his hand towards the wooden door blocking the cmity, turning back to say to the others who were ready for battle:

    ¡°Actually, within the knights, the debate over whether the Crimson Holy Lance or the other original sin artifacts is more formidable has never stopped. Unfortunately, Lord Payne is not a warlike person, and apart from the punitive expedition against the Blood Dread n a century ago, there are no records of him truly battling other lords.

    But today, we may get a tangible answer.

    The Blood Vulture sacred artifact, the Desire Demon de ¡®Necessary Evil¡¯, is still in Salrokdar¡¯s hands. Although the Lord himself did note in person, I, his descendant, will represent the great patriarch in battle.

    Perhaps we can also write a fine tale today.

    So let the beautiful and romantic war begin!¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The wooden door in front of him shattered under the impact of Pnno¡¯s shield bash, the cold, gloomy aura of the sub-dimension rushing forth, only to be blocked by the blood spirit radiance of the holynce projection in his hand.

    As Pnno raised his weapon high, the collision of the material world and sub-dimension auras in this dim hall formed a substantive burst of energy, whipping up raging winds that made the unsteady yer characters cry out.

    The veteran knight Finoch at his side was not to be outdone.

    He shouted the name of Avalon, leading the Witch Hunters forward, the great oak de in his hand seeming determined to rival the crimson holynce¡¯s projection, igniting a ghostly blue purifying me without needing its wielder¡¯s call.

    The elven runes along its de emerged under the spirit power¡¯s support, transforming into dancing natural glyphs that fell upon the Witch Hunters and yer characters.

    Like mischievous children provoking a fight.

    Pridefully, almost smugly, he made a gesture towards the fully manifested crimson holynce projection, as if to say: you can only protect these people with your aura, but I can greatly increase their strength!

    So there¡¯s no need to debate who is more formidable, right?

    ¡°I did not expect you to be a sacred artifact wielder as well, my apologies. The famed ¡®Watcher¡¯, one of the three Oak Sacred des, truly an immense power! Just like the legends say, too arrogant and crude.¡±

    Lord Pnno looked at the veteran knight in surprise, who coldly said:

    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice in the dozen or so minutes I was standing beside you? Are the eyes of you arrogant descendants blind?¡±

    ¡°Ah, my apologies, old sir.¡±

    The First Lord advanced, shattering the volley of foul spirit energy with hisnce, casually saying:

    ¡°I only ever pay attention to beautiful things. Ugliness does not enter my eyes, so naturally I feel no sorrow for those self-resigned to unsightliness.¡±

    This remark was clearly pointed.

    Old Finoch snorted, holding his sword diagonally forward, ncing at Pnno raising the holynce in his right and shield in his left, saying:

    ¡°What did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Just what it says on paper!¡±

    The First Lord Pnno, so friendly and gentle towards Murphy and the others, whispered coldly from behind his visored helmet:

    ¡°I am a descendant of pride. We can scent sins beneath the night, and you! White Knight Commander, the stench of sin you give off is more pungent than everyone else in this citybined, except Tris. Only the remnant sin aura on her can match yours.

    You havemitted abhorrent sins!

    Were this not an inopportune time, I would take you back to be interrogated thoroughly by Lord Payne, no doubt uncovering many shocking revtions.

    You havee into contact with the sub-dimension more than once!¡±

    ¡°Heh¡±

    The veteran knight let out a coldugh, a spinning sh shattering the foul energy surging from the sub-dimension rift ahead during his charge forward. Amidst the ominous hum of the great oak de as if facing a formidable foe, he looked ahead and said softly:

    ¡°I do not deny this, but I think your Lord Payne may not have the chance to taste my sins.¡±

    ¡°Boom¡±

    A massive surge of life entered the Sacred Blood Hall, finally provoking the ultimate enemy. A scattered cluster of violet star radiance enveloping a human form slowly rose from the rapidly boiling Sacred Blood Pool.

    The intensity of the chaotic onught within the entire hall instantly increased in that moment.

    Several elite Witch Hunters immediately clutched their heads, crying out, only to be swiftly pulled into Lord Pnno¡¯s increasingly brilliant Judgment Aura by the quick-acting yer characters, just barely saving their precarious minds.

    Before everyone¡¯s eyes, the figure risen from the blood pool had shed itsst drop of viscous blood, revealing its true form.

    A ssic Blood Vulture ceremonial garb.

    Over the sleek, well-fitted red and ck hunting attire was a crimson cape slung across the left shoulder, secured by a vulture sp, head lowered as if sleeping or dead.

    Gray-white hair streaked with violet starlight spilled over the shoulders, clearly once a handsome man in his youth, yet now resembling a desated corpse as if drained of all blood.

    This horrific visage stood in stark contrast to his dignified attire.

    His ck-gloved hands were crossed before his chest, the right gripping a crimson longsword in a reverse hold.

    The double-edged longsword had bizarre serrated teeth along one side, its most striking feature being the hand guard below the de in the form of a spread-winged hybrid bat-vulture monster. The ancient, dark runes along its length, bordering on excessive embellishment, embodied the perfect vampire¡¯s gloomy style.

    If one had to describe its appearance, it was probably somewhat reminiscent of a certain Sword of Mourning, but that was a two-handed sword, while this was a true one-handed sword, and thus more slender.

    This was likely the Blood Vulture sacred artifact ¡°Necessary Evil¡± that Pnno had mentioned earlier.

    Unfortunately, this midnight holy de and its wielder had now be vessels and agents for the chaotic will surging from the sub-dimension rift, causing anyone who looked upon it to feel an immense, crystal clear oppression.

    The weight of chaotic power on the mind, truly scorching reason like a lit candle held in one¡¯s palm.

    Pain, rending, torment, screams.

    It yearned for all the world¡¯s beautiful sins and the crawling denizens of the abyss.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    The youngdy cried out in shock.

    The surrounding yer characters could now understand without need for trantion that this desated vampire was Salrokdar Collins Lessenbra, the reigning Blood Vulture Lord!

    Only his current state was clearly not normal.

    The youngdy¡¯s cry seemed to have the opposite effect in that moment, causing the floating desated vampire to slowly open his eyes at her call.

    No longer the blood-red irises of a vampire, but ck eyes mottled with violet starlight.

    He mechanically, stiffly moved his neck to survey the surroundings, finally locking onto the pale-faced youngdy. His body moved unnaturally, like a marite, that corpse-like face twisting into a horrifying ¡°gentle smile¡±.

    In a withered, creaking voice like iron grinding, he said:

    ¡°Ah, Femis, the midnight bell has tolled your fate toe. My dear daughter, the Night Crown of the Astral Realm is being forged, and the time of ascension has arrived! The eternal original sin of us sinful descendants shall be cleansed, our most ancient desire shall be fulfilled.

    Come!

    My daughter.

    My most wondrous creation!

    Embrace your duty with pride and glory,plete my shorings, be the ¡®Night Mother¡¯, shelter us, merciful embodiment of the night.¡±

    ¡°What the hell? What ¡®Night Mother¡¯?¡±

    The yer characters erupted into amotion.

    Lumina gripped her hand cannon, ncing at the trembling youngdy clutching her chest, and eximed:

    ¡°What is this old pervert trying to do to his own daughter?¡±

    ¡°The ¡®Night Crown of the Astral Realm¡¯ refers to the constetion representing night in the stars, a legendary omen of vampire cmity! ¡®Night Mother¡¯ is the godhood he has chosen for Femis. ording to the myths I know, the existing gods seem to have been born from the first projections in the sub-dimension.¡±

    Tris, who had been monitoring the frontlines through the yer characters¡¯putation beads, now interjected in an ¡°off-screen voice¡± using rather awkward Mandarin to exin to the yers:

    ¡°All the mysteries are finally revealed. Salrokdar intends to personally create a ¡®god¡¯! A god of midnight for all vampires! He wants to make the ¡®Night Mother¡¯ we have spoken of in legend into reality.

    My n from back then has indeed been corrupted!

    He has extended it to a higher, grander level. What a lofty ambition, but s, it has been exploited.

    How regrettable.

    Go forth, warriors!

    In the name of the great n, ughter this overambitious viin!

    Um, yournguage is really quite difficult to learn, but I¡¯m clearly a bit smarter than little Murphy imagined.¡±

 Chapter 107:

    ¡°Oh my goodness! The NPC learned how to speak!¡±

    At this moment, Brother Dump Truck exmation rang out in the team channel, clearly due to the shock caused by Lady Tris¡¯ preceding segment of non-standard Mandarin speech, akin to that of a beginner.

    However, Brother Meow remained unfazed.

    While raising the crimson spirit staff in his hand, he said:

    ¡°That¡¯s an intelligent AI roleying as an NPC. It¡¯s normal for her to learn how to speak, isn¡¯t it? In fact, I think if it wasn¡¯t for emphasizing the game¡¯s sense of realism and immersion, the NPCs here should have spoken Mandarin from the start.

    Now is not the time to be marveling at such things.

    The minions have respawned, quick!

    Open fire!¡±

    A precise st of natural fury spirit orb flew out from the tip of his staff, knocking down a ¡°monster¡± that had crawled out from the constantly rotating sub-dimension rift behind Salrokdar, emerging from above the sacred blood pool.That thing waspletely ckish all over.

    As if a distorted humanoid form was covered in ayer of ¡°oil¡±, with its features indistinct but its wide-open mouth roaring at everyone visible.

    It was as if a signal for battle.

    In the next instant, even more ckish monsters crawled out from the rift!

    They had no fixed form, with humanoid, bestial and even winged alien shapes all screeching as they charged towards the yers¡¯ formation.

    Like Salrokdar, these beings were vessels for the chaotic will, like sources of pollution entering the physical world. As they approached, the mental strain the yers were enduring instantly increased.

    Little Ashina, who had just fired a shot sting a monster¡¯s head, clutched her own in pain, clearly failing a recent ¡°SC check¡± which caused her ¡°spirit sight¡± to spike.

    Even with the protection of nature scrolls and arbitration auras, their impoverished minds and souls only barely reached the threshold value, with bad luck resulting in devastating strikes on the spiritual ne.

    The good news was that the holynce projection from Knight Lord Pnno brought a highly damaging aura of light, allowing the little yers¡¯ attacks to temporarily disperse the ¡°darklings¡± into melting sludge if they hit their heads or hearts.

    Although they would re-form in a few dozen seconds, at least they weren¡¯tpletely helpless in retaliation.

    ¡°Hold on! I¡¯ll give you all a BUFF!¡±

    The flustered Lumina opened the guitar case on her back and pulled out a golden trumpet. Seeing the battlefield white-hot from the momentbat started, she knew it was time for this newbie bard to take the stage.

    The long-haired girl took a deep breath, shielded by Orchid and Sister Pomegranate with their heavy shields, before putting the mouthpiece between her lips.

    In the next instant, the majestic main melody of ¡®The Sacred War¡¯, not the smoothest but still grand, rang out on the intense battlefield. Of course, this was not a song from this world, as Lumina the little yer had not even left the ¡°beginner¡¯s map¡± yet, let alone collect music scores native to this realm.

    However, the appreciation of music was likely universal across dimensions, and the bard¡¯s skill of inspiring teammates through music did not hinge on which specific piece was used.

    The emotions imbued in the music were what mattered most!

    Hearing the BGM from their homeworld while fighting filled the little yers with heroic vigor. As Lumina¡¯s performance deepened, their character panels were simultaneously supplemented with short-duration but constantly refreshing positive BUFFs like¡¾Soaring Courage¡¿,¡¾Battle Frenzy¡¿and¡¾Unstoppable Charge¡¿for as long as the music yed.

    Though only basic Level I enhancements, in this wretched battleground requiring an SC check every second, solidifying one¡¯s will undoubtedly yed an immense role.

    Not just them, even the witch hunters¡¯ silent hunting became more valorous.

    Clearly, Lumina¡¯s song of courage and war was also a ¡°battlefield effect¡±.

    ¡°Such beautiful yet bold music that pierces the soul, representing a pure maiden¡¯s admiration for victory and warriors, I have felt this emotion, how could I disappoint the hopeful maiden?

    Fallen abominations! Feel the power of this burning love!¡±

    At this point, Lord Pnno, already locked in battle with the frenzied Salrokdar exchanging blows between hisnce and heavy shield, was so emboldened by this rousing melody that he felt struck by lightning. As someone inherently romantic chasing all that is beautiful, he was swept up with even more bravado amidst this anthem, his overly dramatic shouts symbolizing a counterattack beginning.

    The heavy shield engraved with the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ crest blocked forward, parrying Salrokdar¡¯s single-handed chaos-imbued sword.

    Red spirit and dark spirit energies shed, shattering the brick floor beneath before the crimsonnce thrust forward with a ruthless, vicious piercing strike that forced the fallen Blood Vulture patriarch to retreat.

    Simultaneously, the aged knight wielding the great oaken de ¡°The Watcher¡± invoked visions of woond hunts, calling upon Avalon¡¯s name as he brought down the burning greatsword in a mighty overhead cleave towards the vessel of chaos from the nk.

    Knowing he could not evade this strike, Salrokdar dispersed his form into a swarm of fluttering dark bats that regrouped on the other side of the hall.

    The old knight¡¯s blow struck empty air.

    But he felt no regret.

    For the tactical goal had been achieved!

    Seizing this opening from the two golden elites¡¯bined assault driving Salrokdar outside the blood pool¡¯s sphere of influence, Murphy and the youngdy instantly unfurled their blood wings, flying over the battlefield straight for the unguarded, bubbling blood pool.

    Murphy took the lead, the youngdy following behind.

    As they neared the boiling blood pool, even more ¡°darklings¡± crawled forth from the sub-dimension rifts, these incarnations evenrger and with more detailed ¡°humanoid¡± forms.

    They even came equipped with ckbone-like weapons.

    At a nce, they were elite monsters.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go! You do your thing!¡±

    Murphy spoke those words to the youngdy.

    In mid-air, he suddenly elerated like an unsheathed night de, descending into the midst of those chaotic elites crawling out of the rift. Uponnding, he unleashed the Blood Vulture n¡¯s wing battle techniques in a wide sweeping arc, followed by a group death¡¯s grasp.

    Binding them in ce with the icy death spirit energy like a noose, the de of the Desire n coated in vampire-killer sword oil swung down, cleanly decapitating one of them.

    Murphy coldly observed that creature¡¯s agonized screams as pale mes engulfed it, well aware these not-quite-human, not-quite-ghoul things were likely the ¡°missing¡± members of the Blood Vulture n.

    The Blood Vulture n had been rooted in Transia for four hundred years. Even with vampires¡¯ difficult breeding process, through generational siring, by the time Murphy arrived in this world, the n had already grown to nearly fifty thousand!

    Even if most were peripheral family members scattered across Transia, and some were marginalized outcasts like himself, the number of core elites remaining in Kadman City should absolutely exceed fifteen thousand!

    Admittedly, a portion of the unlucky ones were dragged into the Astral Realm when the rift opened over Kadman City, while the rest likely took shelter in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    However, from the moment Murphy led the witch hunters and little yers into this ¡°instance¡± until now, including the mad vampires killed by the civil protection officers, the total number of vampires they¡¯ve encountered could not possibly exceed six hundred.

    In other words, nearly all the remaining n elites had been sacrificed by Salrokdar to this burgeoning sub-dimension rift, transforming into these not-quite-human, not-quite-ghoul things before them!

    That¡¯s nearly ten thousand vampires!

    The essence of their fresh bloodbined would be enough to defile the entire n¡¯s sacred blood pool. No wonder even the patriarch¡¯s personal guards like Jed would rather betray and escape from here than stay!

    This was truly an ending more cruel than eternal oblivion.

    Tris was adamant that Salrokdar intended to create a vampire ¡°god¡± here. Perhaps this brutal, maddened mass sacrifice was part of the ¡°deity creation¡± n?

    ¡°Bang bang bang¡±

    Murphy¡¯s mechanical crossbow Miser fired three bolts in rapid session, downing another tainted vampire before he turned away, his astral direwolf at his side as he engaged the other elite ¡°darklings¡± endlessly pouring from the rift.

    The melee yers beside him naturally would not miss this opportunity.

    Led by the veteran East River Lion¡¯s Roar, they charged forward, stabbing wildly with their sword oil-coated weapons. Even the cheeky Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off joined in, dual-wielding defleshing knives to plunge into the felled tainted vampires and tear out their hearts.

    Though these vampires had been corrupted by chaos, as long as they were still vampires, this ¡°heart-digging¡± tactic remained effective against them.

    Such intensebat was a knife dance on the razor¡¯s edge, allowing the little yers¡¯ skill experience to skyrocket, visibly driving up their character levels.

    On Brother Meow side, he bound a serpentine ¡°darkling¡± with vines before casting his pitiful Level 1 Thorn Spell on Murphy, excitedly shouting the moment the incantation ended:

    ¡°I hit Level 10, hahaha!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to get excited about? I was already Level 10 just now, it¡¯s just a pity I didn¡¯t trigger the Trial of Strength.¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu scoffed disdainfully from the side, when it came to leveling skills, who was he afraid of?

    ¡°Swish¡±

    The youngdy did not let Murphy¡¯s efforts to stall the enemies for her go to waste. Her ck hair whipped around as she unhesitatingly dove straight into the bubbling sacred blood pool.

    She originally had many questions to ask her father.

    However, upon witnessing her father¡¯s current state, the youngdy felt utterly desperate yet utterly resolute. Her sole thought now was to let her father rest in peace.

    No matter what this monster before her was, it could never be the person from her memories.

    Let alone some ridiculous ¡°deity creation¡± n!

    She waspletely unaware of it!

    Nor did she want any part in this mad scheme that required the extinction of the entire Blood Vulture n as the final price.

    She did not want that!

    The moment the youngdy sessfully entered the pool, Salrokdar seemed to sense an impending threat.

    He began retreating back towards the sacred blood pool while under the pincer attack from Pnno and old Finoch. But how could the two golden elites let him have his way?

    The First Lord had already assumed a full defensive stance, the holynce projection¡¯s vessel acting as a wall by bracing behind his heavy shield, firmly barring the Blood Vulture patriarch¡¯s path to the sacred pool. The White Oak Lord, freed to cut loose, was even more ferocious. Originally a pdin skilled in protection and spirit magic, he now fought like a frenzied red knight or barbarian.

    His great oak sacred de ¡°The Watcher¡± carried two centuries of enmity with Salrokdar, unleashing its full might.

    It would even replenish the old knight with more natural spirit energy, allowing him to physically sculpt a constraining ring of divine thorns in this cepletely devoid of nts through sheer natural spirit force.

    Though Salrokdar had already been captured by the sub-dimension will and descended into true madness, hisbat instincts remained intact.

    This battle was bing increasingly stifling. Clearly, the enemy hade prepared, raining heavy blows targeting all his weaknesses, a sure sign there was a traitor among his ranks who sold his intelligence to these two.

    And considering the patriarch had spent a millennium carefully concealing his vulnerabilities, Salrokdar could only think of one person capable of seeing through his strength so thoroughly.

    ¡°Tris!¡±

    The Blood Vulture patriarch¡¯s delirious and chaotic mind was filled with immense regret.

    Leaving behind this ambitious, upromising lunatic descendant had been a mistake!

    But he had a countermeasure!

    Realizing he could not easily break free from the two holy relic wielders in a frontal confrontation, Salrokdar immediately decided to open up the nks.

    He began channeling the power of that sub-dimension rift floating above the sacred pool, allowing the permeating chaos aura to double in intensity over a dozen seconds.

    The effect was immediate.

    Though the golden elites were unaffected, the witch hunter elites soon could not withstand it.

    Rapidly overwhelmed by the intensifying chaotic onught, several witch hunters had their mental defenses breached, undergoing the same sort of transformation Brother Meow experienced earlier.

    Their willpower was crushed by the chaotic will, eyes now listless and vacant as they turned to attack their ownrades.

    But with a few shes of silver, those witch hunters subverted by chaos were in on the spot, their blood spattering across the emotionless Huntress Captain Natalie as she flicked the crimson from her des, long and short replicas of sacred des.

    Her eyes flickered with pain and resignation.

    But she knew it was necessary.

    They had to eliminate any polluted, subvertedrades, or face even worse consequences.

    Directly facing a sub-dimension rift like this, the best oue for those whose minds fell to the chaotic invasion was the same miserable half-life as the maddened vampires they¡¯d killed, guided only by delusions and insanity.

    For a warrior, that was worse than death.

    And for witch hunters so ustomed to death, even their exit needed to be a dignified one!

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m red! I¡¯m red!¡±

    On the little yers¡¯ side, there was also an incident. The Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman running around collecting heads with his musket suddenly screamed over the team channel:

    ¡°Four consecutive SC failures! Damn it! The system must be targeting me! Brothers, get clear! My SAN value is zero, about to enter ¡®Madness¡¯ and ¡®Insanity¡¯.

    Quick!

    See if there¡¯s any way to save this dog¡¯s life-¡±

    He didn¡¯t even finish before convulsing and disconnecting.

    But instead of his character dispersing into motes of light after going offline, he was rapidly enveloped in a tainted glow, transforming into one of those ¡°darklings¡±.

    ¡°Damn! Grayman¡¯s been mind-controlled! Mages? Quick, get control!¡±

    The nearby Brother Dump Truck shouted in a panic.

    Brother Meow immediately flung a vine bind, thinking they could wait out this guy¡¯s mind control duration. But in the midst of ying elite ¡°darklings¡±, Murphy turned and yelled:

    ¡°He¡¯s a lost cause!¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Like an executionmand!

    The words had barely left his mouth before a crisp gunshot rang out through the crowd.

    Howling like a savage beast while clutching his musket, the mind-controlled Grayman crumpled to the precise shot.

    The little yers¡¯ eyes widened at the skilled kill.

    Following the bullet¡¯s trajectory, the innocent-faced Ashina holstered her still-smoking handgun, nervously muttering:

    ¡°Uh, when a teammate gets mind-controlled, doesn¡¯t that mean PVP is truly underway? Isn¡¯t that the essence of all MMORPGs?¡±

    ¡°You make an excellent point, I can¡¯t refute that,¡± said Sister Pomegranate with a twitch of her lips, gazing at Grayman¡¯s gruesome headshot corpse before her eyes swept over to a student yer.

    In an odd tone, she asked: ¡°Little brother, you failed three SCs right? One more and you¡¯ll probably disconnect. Want to go ahead and book ¡®end-of-life services¡¯?¡±

    The student ¡°Schr Xiao Zhou¡± gulped, ncing at the precariously flickering icon on his character panel indicating his SAN value was nearly depleted.

    Gritting his teeth with a tragic expression, the little brother dropped his weapon and grabbed two witch hunter alchemical bombs from his belt, shouting loudly:

    ¡°For the grand n! For Murphy¡¯s victory! Aroo!!!¡±

    After onest burst of favor gain before his suicide run, the red-eyed Schr Xiao Zhou charged out. The instant his fourth SC failed, the bombs detonated, dragging two unfortunate ¡°darklings¡± with him to hell.

    ¡°Such bravery!¡±

    The overly emotional First Lord Pnno was instantly inspired by the unwavering loyalty of Murphy¡¯s warriors. Turning to the innocently clueless Salrokdar, he roared:

    ¡°See! This is the bitter fruit you have sowed! Such beautiful, solemn sacrifices, warriors¡¯ blood wasted in vain, you! Your sins run deep!¡±

 Chapter 108:

    ¡°Plop¡±

    Like a fish hawk smoothly diving into water, the youngdy opened her eyes in the Sacred Blood Pool in the next instant. Although she was the daughter of the Patriarch, this was actually her first time being so close to the family¡¯s sacred pool.

    Although the blood pool appeared to be boiling on the surface, it remained ice-cold inside.

    The viscous liquid was like a true fusion of blood, yet far murkier than the sacred pool water Femis had seen a few times before. It also gave off an indescribably cold and twisted feeling.

    That the sacred pool had been polluted was within Femis and Tris¡¯s expectations, but it was not until she actually entered the sacred pool that she realized what her father had poured into the originally supremely sacred blood pool in his madness bestowed by the sub-dimension.

    Vampire blood essence!

    To pollute the ancient sacred blood pool imbued with supreme spiritual power to this extent, at least thousands of elite n members polluted by the sub-dimension must have had their fresh blood poured into this pool.

    ¡°Ugh¡±

    After realizing this, the youngdy vomited once in the blood pool.She tightly covered her mouth, never before feeling as revolted by the crimson color before her eyes as she did now. She felt she would never again enjoy the pleasure that came from drinking blood. How tragic, she had lost one of the means of indulging herself for the rest of her life.

    But time was pressing, and this was not the moment to consider such things.

    Even in the depths of the blood pool, she could hear the screamsing from outside, those of the witch hunters having their fresh blood extracted by her monstrous father.

    There was no time to waste!

    Femis¡¯s left hand flipped lightly, and an object jumped into her hand, flickering with a crimson glow.

    It was none other than the Lord¡¯s Token of Desire Fragment that the old knight Finoch had taken away before.

    Only this object, representing the position of Blood Vulture Patriarch and inherited from the mysterious era before records like the Sacred Blood Pool, had enough power to sever Salrokdar¡¯s connection with the n¡¯s blood pool.

    The specific method was what Tris had taught her.

    Although Femis did not know why Tris, the family¡¯s disgrace, would know this knowledge that was undoubtedly ¡°forbidden¡± in any n, she could not hesitate any longer under the current circumstances.

    She submerged into the deepest part of the sacred blood pool, gripping the Desire Fragment with both hands and letting her fresh blood flow out from her fingertips into the fragment¡¯s engraved patterns.

    As the first in line to inherit the position of Patriarch, she was the best person to pry open the door to the hopeless fate before them.

    Crimson light continuously emanated from the Desire Fragment, forming a rotating aureole around Femis that violently reacted with the sacred blood pool already polluted by chaotic forces.

    It seemed that the fragment representing the Blood Vulture civilization sensed the anger of its primal force being polluted by chaos, causing it to continuously emit a special frequency of spiritual power from Femis¡¯s hands, making the sacred blood pool truly ¡°boil¡± in the literal sense.

    ¡°It¡¯s really working!¡±

    Femis rejoiced inwardly, marveling that Tris, the family¡¯s disgrace, really was full of surprises.

    But before her joy couldst even three seconds, an immense force erupted from above her head. The youngdy looked up in astonishment to see the boiling sacred blood pool swirling and parting like the Red Sea.

    Above her head, Salrokdar held a witch hunter in his grip, his massive blood wings spread out like a dragon¡¯s.

    The witch hunter he held struggled but could not make a sound.

    His fresh blood continuously gushed out from his nostrils, ears, and mouth, endlessly flowing under the control of Salrokdar¡¯s powerful blood maniption into his shriveled, corpse-like face, gradually restoring it to its original appearance.

    As preparation for dealing with the Blood Vulture Lord, the elite witch hunters must have consumed drugs that could weaken vampires. However, those drugs were useless against Salrokdar, who was already at the Golden Realm and further empowered by the chaotic spiritual power of the sub-dimension.

    ¡°Poison. A slight bitterness carrying malice that harms life, just like the temptation that bewitches hearts, or the ¡®justice¡¯ that fools willingly bind themselves with.

    Ever since life was born, courage has never been a quality conducive to survival, nor a necessity for life.

    Not to mention recklessness.¡±

    The Blood Vulture Lord looked down at his daughter rebelling against him, his true blood rtive, but his ck pupils mixed with purple showed not a trace of emotion.

    His shriveled, raspy voice came out of his mouth and echoed in Femis¡¯s trembling ears:

    ¡°Just like thebination of recklessness, stupidity and stubbornness, just like what you¡¯re doing now. How could I have such a stupid daughter? I taught you so diligently, ah, you¡¯ve been polluted by Tris¡¯s rebellious nature.

    I can only say, you pitiful defective product!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Femis felt all the blood in her body reverse course at that moment. The excruciating pain caused the viscous blood to gush out of her skin, forming crimson shackles that bound her limbs and dragged her into the air, even causing the Desire Fragment in her hand to be gripped by Salrokdar¡¯s outstretched hand.

    He was still the Blood Vulture Lord!

    Before his fall, Femis was only the first in line to inherit his position.

    He didn¡¯t want to give it, so Femis couldn¡¯t snatch it!

    Thisnd and the Blood Vulture n would forever only be his possessions. Under his will, this pitiful thing he had shaped still wanted to rebel against the destined fate and n?

    Heh, vain delusions!

    ¡°Bang¡±

    From behind, the Blood Knight Lord Pnno, seeing the pure maiden he had gifted a rose to fall into danger, burst forth in an explosion of spiritual power andbat skills amidst a dazzling flurry of ck roses, flickering into existence behind Salrokdar.

    Hisnce, projected as a sacred spear, thrust forward in an attempt to rescue the struggling Femis.

    But Salrokdar released his right hand, and the dark, polluted Demon de Necessary Evil came to life, precisely blocking the sacred spear¡¯s piercing thrust as a ck shadow. The old knight Finoch, attacking from the nk, was also repelled by the lightning of violent purple spiritual power stirred up by the Blood Vulture Lord returning to the sacred blood pool¡¯s domain.

    At this moment, Salrokdar was like the legendary Demon Overlord descending to the world.

    Silhouetted against the rotating sub-dimension rift behind him, he raised his left hand, summoning a spiritual storm to tear at reality and swallowing the yers who failed to dodge in time, instantly shredding them into bloody chunks.

    ¡°Ashina, it¡¯s up to you!¡±

    Orchid and Niuniu braced their heavy shields, stubbornly holding the line that was on the verge of copse, fending off the increasingly frenzied attacks of the Darklings. The hot-blooded Tiger Leopard Rider brothers, eyes red, charged forward with weapons in hand to buy time for the petite girl lying prone, sighting down the barrel of a precisely calibrated demon-hunting rifle.

    Lumina¡¯s flute ying was so intense she was almost blowing smoke out of her tongue, but she dared not stop.

    Little Ashina was under immense pressure too, but as the current best marksman among the yers, her character came with three innate talents rted to marksmanship ¨C a ¡°genius.¡± She had to withstand the pressure andplete their hidden quest now.

    The custom bullets Tris had given them were loaded into the chamber, but she likely had only one chance to take the shot.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use! He¡¯s too fast!¡±

    Little Ashina shouted through her mouthful of malt candy:

    ¡°Someone harass him, even if just for a second!¡±

    ¡°Shua¡±

    No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a ck blur shot along the edge of the sacred blood pool and into the air. Just as Pnno struck the de of Desire away tounch an attack on Salrokdar, the hiding Murphy finally made his move.

    The de of the Desire n grazed Femis¡¯s neck as it thrust forward, viciously stabbing into Salrokdar¡¯s wrist and precisely flicking the Desire Fragment out of the Blood Vulture Lord¡¯s hand.

    The old knight threw the burning Great Oak de in his hand like a javelin. The burning sacred de sliced past Femis¡¯s body, mercilessly shattering Salrokdar¡¯s binding in a ¡°heaven and earth defying¡± pose.

    With theirbined efforts, the youngdy regained an opportunity to retaliate. She reached for the Desire Fragment overhead toplete Tris¡¯s final instructions.

    But a ck blur, like a venom snake hunting prey, shed by, piercing straight through the youngdy¡¯s chest. She was sent flying in a spray of blood, caught in the arms of Brother Meow and the Four Vajras below.

    The de of Desire Necessary Evil, controlled by Salrokdar, executed a precise strike on its viinous master¡¯smand. Tilting its head, it shed forward again with a malicious whistle, stabbing directly into Murphy¡¯s heart.

    The young vampire had just grabbed the ejected Desire Fragment. Tris¡¯s Elder de helped deflect one strike, but just one ¨C the Elder de was shattered into pieces by the howling de of Desire.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Amidst Ashina¡¯s cheers, her bullet finally left the barrel, screaming forward.

    The moment Murphy was struck, Tris¡¯s custom bullet also spun and struck Salrokdar¡¯s brow, the 30x concentrated of daylight potion taking instant effect. Like a bear cub stuck with a needle, Salrokdar wore a pained expression as the Knight Lord charged and stabbed him viciously.

    But at the same time, the heavily injured Murphy was flung like a wingless bird towards the boiling sacred blood pool below.

    Thest thing he saw was Salrokdar¡¯s cold, almost monstrous gaze as the two Golden Realm experts pinned him down, blood still flowing from his brow.

    He seemed unconcerned about his own failure or the possibility of death.

    ¡°Your name is Murphy?¡±

    As he fell into the sacred blood pool, he heard Salrokdar¡¯s voice.

    Laced with mockery and derision.

    The Blood Vulture Lord spoke to him mimickingly:

    ¡°How was the taste of the spirit summoning ritual I had arranged for you? Since you¡¯ve been fortuitously spared, you should learn to cherish your life. A dangerous, ominous mad dog like Tris who stubbornly refuses to wear any cor, is that something you can associate with?¡±

    ¡°So it was you, you bastard!¡±

    At that moment, Murphy immediately understood the truth behind his reincarnation. He viciously cursed, then sank into the polluted sacred blood pool, weakened by the de of Desire piercing his heart and continuously draining his blood.

    Even so, Murphy still clutched the pulsating Desire Fragment tightly, not letting it return to Salrokdar¡¯s hands.

    He did not know what use holding onto this thing served, now that the youngdy was gravely injured and Tris¡¯s n had essentially failed.

    But he just didn¡¯t want to let that miserable old bastard overhead get what he wanted.

    He had already utilized all the resources at his disposal, even roping in the Blood Pact Knights that he should have refused as reinforcements, yet he still could not turn the tide.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to lose.¡±

    Sinking slowly to the bottom of the blood pool, Murphy looked up and could still see the reflected scene of the Knight Lord, old Finoch, and Salrokdar locked in a deadly battle on the surface of the murky, crimson pool.

    He could feel his little yers disappearing one by one in the outside world.

    Even at this grave disadvantage, they had not stopped fighting.

    ¡°I¡¯m such an unqualified admin, unable to lead you all to another victory, unable to even let you truly enjoy the happiness this game should offer. Life in the other world shouldn¡¯t just be endless war and quests.

    What¡¯s the point of an absolutely realistic game if you can¡¯t feel any joy from it?¡±

    Murphy was filled with guilt.

    His little yers had done their best, he could not ask for more from them.

    The de of Desire piercing his chest greedily devoured Murphy¡¯s blood like a monstrous snake. Unable to pull it out, he could only grasp the slippery hilt wrapped in pseudo-tentacles formed from sub-dimension spiritual power.

    He decided to put on a dignified final image for his brief rebirth experience.

    But the moment his fingers gripped the hilt of Necessary Evil,ing into contact with that cold, maddening chaotic spiritual power endlessly shrieking in his mind, Murphy¡¯s entire body convulsed like being electrocuted at the bottom of the sacred blood pool.

    His character card flickered with red warning lights.

    Lines of shing text flooded his vision, representing some deeply buried emergency program in the admin system being activated:

    ¡¾Contacted sub-dimension chaotic spirit entity. Detecting low pollution level, high purification sess rate¡­testing admin system antivirus process invocation start. Antivirus program codename ¡®Omega¡¯!

    Initiating!¡¿

    ¡°Bzzt!¡±

    Murphy cried out in that moment.

    The tainted sword he gripped convulsed violently, Murphy seemingly bing a ¡°ry point¡± for another power called ¡°Omega¡± to erupt from his fingertips.

    The vampire was in such agony he nearly bit his tongue off.

    His consciousness also cleared through the scouring pain. Although unsure why this damned ¡°Omega antivirus program¡± was only activating now, it didn¡¯t matter!

    Because he could feel the polluted demon de in his grip trembling.

    It was screaming!

    Letting out shrieks a million times more agonized than Murphy¡¯s cries, abandoning its previous arrogant swagger like a rabid dog brutally struck, frantically shaking its head and tail in an attempt to leap out of Murphy¡¯s chest wound and flee back to its viinous master.

    ¡°Like hell you will!¡±

    The usually elegant vampire bared a ferocious grin at the bottom of the sacred blood pool. He wrenched the demon de from his wound, blood spraying everywhere as he viciously plunged it into the rocky bottom.

    Well, in this situation it wasn¡¯t just this de that had been polluted by sub-dimension spiritual power!

    The entire sacred blood pool had been contaminated, connected to the sub-dimension rift that could blow up all of Transia at any moment. Murphy¡¯s location was practically the most toxic ce in the material world.

    Since the admin system initiated an antivirus program upon contact with sub-dimension spiritual power, it could be judged that his system greatly loathed the sub-dimension, perhaps even designed specifically to counter it!

    And now, failing to properly utilize this finally triggered mechanism would be a waste of the near ¡°bone-crushing agony¡± he was enduring.

    With a ferocious expression, Murphy was enveloped in strange, flickering pale lightning.

    This was the peculiar phenomenon caused by the collision and mutual destruction of purification and chaotic spiritual power. He used his own body to pin down the shrieking de of Desire embedded in the rock below.

    He knew this thing, as well as the polluted sacred blood pool, were connected to Salrokdar. So if they could feel pain, then this agony should be transmittable to Salrokdar!

    ¡°You mocked me, huh?

    Dug a pit for my past self to die a miserable death, huh?

    I promised Tris I¡¯d make you pay a fitting price for the pain and humiliation she endured over the past hundred-plus years! Daring to kill my little yers before my eyes, did you really think you filthy creatures were so formidable?

    However, I always follow through on my words!

    Victory will be ours!¡±

    Embodying a ¡°humanoid antivirus software,¡± with sparks flickering from the corners of his eyes, Murphy raised his head from the blood pool¡¯s bottom where he was being viciously purged and purified, gazing at Salrokdar¡¯s distorted form reflected on the turbulent bloody surface above.

    He raged inwardly:

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose! I won¡¯t die here! I¡¯ll live¡­I¡¯ll live on and grasp the future with my own hands! That future belongs to me, and no one else can take it away!

    Now, make it rain gold coins!

    You wretched old thing that grovels to the sub-dimension!¡±

 Chapter 109:

    In the Sacred Blood Hall, Salrokdar had gained the upper hand. He was using chaos spirit-enhanced spells to fend off the joint attack from the First Lord Pnno and the old knight Finoch.

    After mercilessly inflicting severe injuries on his own daughter, he felt the danger had passed.

    Facing these disruptors, even if they had the help of the traitor Tris, they no longer had any way to sever his connection with the Sacred Blood Pool.

    The sacred pool originating from the birthce of vampires had been polluted, continuously supplying the tainted spiritual energy to nourish the growth of the subspace rift, ultimately opening a stairway leading directly to the subspace ording to his n.

    The projection formed in the sub-dimension through the sacrifice of his entire n had already been cast, and upon Its descent, he only needed to throw Femis in as the ¡°seed¡±!

    Whether she was willing or not, he would personally sculpt a ¡°Dark Night Deity¡±.

    In the chaotic and frenzied thoughts of the deranged Blood Vulture Lord, who had lost his senses, he felt his n was simply perfect, without a single w.

    It didn¡¯t even matter whether this n was originally devised by him or not at this point.

    Everything had progressed to this stage, and nothing could stop him frompleting it.¡°Ah!!!¡±

    Excruciating pain erupted abruptly from the deepest part of the Blood Vulture Lord¡¯s body, which had be the vessel of chaos.

    This was not external damage!

    Amidst this eruption of purifying pain, he heard the wails of the Desire Demon de that had bathed in chaos alongside him, as this bizarre purifying force was transmitted from the demon de through their soul link.

    The demon de was currently at the bottom of the Sacred Blood Pool!

    What had happened there?

    The Blood Vulture Lord turned his pitch-ck eyes, entwined with ominous purple hues, towards the Sacred Blood Pool. The previously boiling pool had now fallen silent.

    Despite the constant draining by the subspace rift above, it could no longer offer its tainted spiritual energy, as if a valve had been closed or a hand had plugged the power breach.

    Even the originally dark sacred pool, stained by the fresh blood of ten thousand elite vampires, seemed clearer?

    What exactly had happened there?

    A strong sense of unease arose in the deranged duke¡¯s heart, making him desperate to summon back the Desire Demon de that was causing him pain and investigate the Sacred Blood Pool, no matter what.

    However, Pnno and Finoch also noticed this change in the situation.

    The two formidable golden-tier foes exchanged a nce.

    Beneath their helmets, they saw the glint in each other¡¯s eyes, and neither pretended anymore. Realizing the situation had changed and an opportunity had arisen, they decided to seize the chance andunch a counterattack instead of being stalled by Salrokdar.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡±

    The deranged duke roared, unleashing a chaotic spirit storm to forcefully tear open a gap between his two golden-tier opponents, allowing him to swiftly shift into a dusky night bat and dart forward. However, two hideous-looking little yers suddenly appeared in his path.

    Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil had hung ignited alchemical bombs all over their bodies and were then thrown into the air by other yers using the ¡°Human Battering Ram¡± tactic.

    With precise timing, the bombs detonated instantly.

    Amidst roars of ¡°For the grand n!¡±, the dazzling and scorching mes forced Salrokdar¡¯s bat swarm to regroup and halt in his humanoid form.

    Seizing this chance, the closest yer, the petite Ashina, raised her twin guns. Her crimson luxury hand cannons fired simultaneously.

    Two silvery ¡°Vampire¡¯s Requiem¡± bullets struck the re-formed Salrokdar¡¯s heart with a resounding bang.

    ¡°Lumina! Orchid! Pomegranate! Everyone! This is my final assist!¡±

    Little Ashina shouted in imitation of a certain scene.

    She deliberately pulled off this stunt.

    At such a close range, she had no time or chance to evade the terrifying BOSS¡¯s retaliation.

    Sure enough, despite being temporarily weakened by the 30x concentrated daylight potion, Salrokdar, enraged by the repeated obstruction, merely raised his hand, and the dark lightning leaping from his fingertips instantly electrocuted little Ashina into charred bones.

    It even had thatical moment from cartoons where extreme electrocution disys a skeleton.

    Her tiny form turned to ashes, leaving behind only her spirit bag, two hand cannons, and a jar of malt sugar that ttered to the ground.

    ¡°How dare you y a pure maiden before the eyes of a knight pursuing pure love! Perish, heartless monster!¡±

    The emotionally expressive First Lord Pnno was enraged once more.

    This was a pure maiden he had gifted roses to!

    Such heroic and gant sacrifice, unfearing of death, made him feel the triple shame of being a man, a knight, and a warrior. He immediately abandoned all tactics, activating his vampiric bloodlust and charging as a crimson streak, ramming Salrokdar in the back with his shield.

    The sheer force sent the deranged lord flying like a ball, and the advancing Finoch followed up by plunging his zing greatsword into his heart.

    The tide of battle had turned!

    Inside the Sacred Blood Pool, faced with the ¡°kill a thousand, leave none¡± attitude of the test administrator system¡¯s built-in antivirus program designated as the ¡°antivirus software human form¡±, the chosen Murphy was at his limit.

    The purifying spirit energy ¡°Omega¡± from who knows where was taking effect with his body as the ry point, meaning he was constantly suffering the agony of his body being scoured by spirit energy.

    Worst of all, he was a vampire!

    Dark-attribute beings had poor resistance against order-aligned purifying spirit energy. Murphy¡¯s situation was no better than a poor mouse tossed into a vat of sulfuric acid.

    He could only struggle to endure, but his willpower could not ovee the weakness brought by the pain.

    Although the resistance of the Desire Demon de pinned beneath him was growing weaker, even letting out pleading wails, Murphy¡¯s own consciousness was also bing hazy. His uneventful but dull former life, and his exciting yet brief new life, alternated in the form of a life shing before his eyes.

    The feeling of weakness hooked onto his willpower like shackles, as if pulling him towards the end of all life.

    Death!

    Death had never appeared so clearly in his mind.

    It was almostparable to his life-and-death struggle with Jed in the dark cabin, when he was just a weak rare vampire at the ck Iron level, not a powerful life in this world.

    ¡°At least Tris can live morefortably because of this.¡±

    A thought entered the hazy mind of Murphy, and at this truly dire moment, with the brightness already flickering before his eyes and his life shing, Murphy rather irrelevantly pondered another question.

    Wait, that¡¯s not right!

    Although he and Tris were intimate, it didn¡¯t seem to have reached the point where he thought about her in everything, so why was Tris¡¯s significance in his consciousness growing as they spent more time together?

    Could it be, as old Finoch said, due to the influence of the blood covenant between offspring and elders?

    Didn¡¯t that mean he had fallen into the same predicament as Lady Adele?

    ¡°Murphy. Murphy! Wake up! You can¡¯t sleep now.¡±

    A voice rang in Murphy¡¯s ear amidst this chaotic, dazed state.

    That voice was very familiar, making the now spaced-out Murphy furrow his brow in thought, as he was certain he had heard this voice somewhere before.

    The next second, he was jolted awake.

    Wasn¡¯t this his own voice?

    ¡°Who?¡±

    He asked.

    The other side fell silent for a moment, before answering in a gloomy tone:

    ¡°I am your conscience. It¡¯s been a while since west met, ever since you started conning those poor little yers under the guise of a game.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Those adorable little yers volunteered! Before entering the game, they all signed the game agreement, which had a disimer use, so this doesn¡¯t mean I should be hanged!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s consciousness gradually cleared up through this back-and-forth.

    As he opened his eyes, what appeared before him was not the polluted Sacred Blood Pool, nor the Desire Demon de he had pinned down and injected with purifying spirit energy.

    It was a vast expanse of white, like the legendary realm of souls.

    However, this was not the first time the vampire had been here. During his previouspletion of the ck Iron Trial by killing Jed, he had also ¡°rested¡± here.

    ¡°I¡¯vee to bid you farewell, Murphy.¡±

    That voice came from behind Murphy, tinged with a gentle tone of affection and blessing that made the vampire whirl around, unsurprisingly seeing another ¡°himself.¡±

    The exact same appearance, the exact same posture, the exact same handsome looks, the exact same androgynous aura, if there was any difference, perhaps Murphy himself appeared a bit sterner, while the ¡°him¡± before his eyes seemed a tad¡­meek?

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Murphy looked at the mirror-image figure in astonishment, squinting his eyes as he ventured:

    ¡°The real Murphy? Shouldn¡¯t you be over there enjoying the air conditioning in an office by now? Why are you still here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as fortunate as you might think, because the time has not yete.¡±

    The ¡°Murphy¡± opposite him gave a shy smile, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯m just honored to have yed such an important role at the beginning of this ¡®grand n¡¯, allowing you to gain an identity in the new world while incidentally fulfilling my personal little wish.

    I¡¯vee to bid you farewell.

    And to remind you, this is not some conspiracy, nor are there any hands pulling the strings behind your back. The moment you opened your eyes in my world, you gained apletely free and unrestricted life.

    This is a blessing, one you can even view as a form of salvation.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±

    Murphy held up a hand.

    Gazing at the ¡°Murphy¡± before him, he said:

    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with that ritual? Can I call you Revnor? You can call me Murphy, or else this feels a bit confusing right now.¡±

    ¡°I craved power and pursued it, but power scorned and punished me. Perhaps it was because my attitude in seeking it was not pure enough, for my goal in acquiring power was not to establish any great deeds, but simply to help and protect Tris.¡±

    Revnor did not hide anything.

    He spread his hands, recounting everything in a meek yet gentle tone, saying:

    ¡°When I received that spirit summoning ritual, I suspected there might be a trick involved, but I had no other means of obtaining power. I didn¡¯t want to see Tris, whose livelihood was already difficult, bear any more pressure and suffering because of my existence.

    I like her!

    My motive and purpose for depending on her for a year were also not entirely pure.

    I won¡¯t hide this from myself.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Murphy gave Revnor an odd look, muttering:

    ¡°Seems our tastes unexpectedly align quite well. So why did you seek your own demise?¡±

    ¡°Because I sensed Tris¡¯splex past. I realized that if I truly wanted to enter that charmingdy¡¯s life, then power and responsibility were indispensable links.

    I could face the danger.

    Or I could turn back.¡±

    Revnor sighed and said:

    ¡°For the first time in my life, courage brought me death, or perhaps it could be called ¡®recklessness¡¯. However, when everything became irreversible, you appeared and gave me new hope.

    I am already dead, Murphy.

    You don¡¯t need to worry about me asking for my body back. I have calmly epted this reality and prepared myself. I will go to the world of the dead and reunite with my parents and family.

    For over a month, I¡¯ve been observing you.

    From initially scrutinizing you, to gradually epting you, and now to absolute certainty, you are the person I imagined myself yearning to be¡ªyou are an enhanced, perfected version of me.

    A ¡®space-time doppelganger¡¯ of myself.

    You.

    You are me!

    Another world¡¯s me.

    With this, I have no more regrets, and I can joyfully entrust my final wish to you.¡±

    He stepped forward and extended his hand to Murphy, saying very seriously:

    ¡°Please take care of Tris for me, protect her, and then fulfill your ideals and ambitions, bringing more change to this world.¡±

    Murphy looked at the outstretched hand before him.

    He was cautious and did not immediately take it, instead asking with a deadpan expression:

    ¡°So, the fact that I¡¯ve been increasingly valuing Tris and plotting better oues for her is all your influence? Like how I asionally fantasize about being more intimate, more vulgar with Tris when I¡¯m idle¡ª

    Those depraved thoughts were all your doing, right?¡±

    This question made Revnor blink.

    He looked at Murphy with a subtle expression, until after a few seconds of silence, Revnor smiled.

    It was a genuine smile, indicating he was in good spirits.

    He tossed his dashing long hair and softly asked:

    ¡°She is indeed a charmingdy, capable of captivating souls like ours, making us hopelessly pursue her and willingly immerse ourselves in her charms.

    Murphy, that¡¯s not my evil magic, but rather congrattions to you¡ªyou¡¯ve fallen in love, you single dog.¡±

    ¡°Tris is five hundred years old! Old enough to be my great-great-great-great-grandmother!¡±

    Murphy despairingly covered his eyes, harshly mocking himself:

    ¡°I must have gone insane. This process of reincarnation must have had some irreversible impact on my aesthetics.¡±

    ¡°You can talk nonsense all you want, but you know it doesn¡¯t matter to you and me. Time is short, I really must go.¡±

    Revnor¡¯s spiritual form began to show signs of dissipating into particles of light. He regretfully withdrew his hand and told Murphy:

    ¡°Death, dyed by a month, has grown impatient. I must go to another world to fulfill my destiny. I will entrust her to you, for I am certain you can take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Murphy looked at Revnor, who was turning to leave, and said softly:

    ¡°You don¡¯t think Tris has any inkling of this, do you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Revnor turned his head back to Murphy in surprise. Thetter looked up, his expression serious, and said to him:

    ¡°She has been quite curious about my changes and has probed me indirectly several times. I think the reason she cannot confirm the truth is precisely because your soul has not left.

    You know her nature!

    Once she discovers this deception, she will resolutely and unwaveringly distance herself from me.

    You cannot leave, Revnor.

    At least, you cannot leave now in such a decisive manner. You cannot abandon your responsibilities and wishes, leaving this mess for me when it was you who caused all this trouble.

    You have to take responsibility for the aftermath.¡±

    ¡°But the eternal silence beckons.¡±

    Revnor hesitated.

    Murphy stepped forward and grasped his wrist, saying:

    ¡°To hell with death! You¡¯re a vampire! One who drinks fresh blood and lives forever, death cannot im us! Don¡¯t you want to witness me fulfilling the vow I made to you with your own eyes? Even if you no longer understand, no longer remember.

    To be honest, I don¡¯t want to live with remorse and vulnerabilities in my heart for taking over your life.

    I have witnessed the all-pervasive corrosion of chaos on the soul, and I can be certain that I will deal with it frequently in the future.

    Please don¡¯t let me live on feeling guilty as a ¡®thief¡¯ who stole someone else¡¯s life!

    Revnor.

    You can¡¯t be so cruel!¡±

    These words brought a gentle light to Revnor¡¯s eyes. He said softly:

    ¡°What a gentle person you are, Murphy. But I must go. The dead cannot linger in the world of the living. However, as you said, I have no right to make you feel guilty, so be it as you wish.¡±

    He raised his hand, touching Murphy¡¯s eyes and cheeks, softly saying:

    ¡°Then allow me to borrow your eyes to witness and help you live out your life as ¡®Revnor Murphy Lessenbra¡¯. Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Please love her, embrace her, protect her. You must swear!¡±

    ¡°Yes! I swear!¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±

    As Revnor¡¯s consciousness scattered into particles of light vanishing before Murphy¡¯s eyes, he also truly opened his eyes in the Sacred Blood Pool.

    His body was no longer in pain.

    Perhaps Revnor had temporarily taken over his body to bear that inhuman agony.

    Hmm, what a chivalrous man this other Murphy was.

    What entered his vision was the polluted blood crisscrossed by pale arcs of electricity, but that polluted blood was continuously purifying, reverting to the sacred state of primal blood. Murphy watched the clear blood suspended before him and swallowed hard.

    After bidding a thorough farewell to himself, he was truly thirsty, truly hungry now.

    So swallow it!

    Imbibe it!

    Devour the shattered remnants of evil and be empowered, no longer needing to suppress that primal desire as a Creature of Midnight. Drink this primordial blood and truly achieve eternal life!

    This shall be the ultimate blessing, to enjoy a new life without guilt, and to resolutely wield this power to achieve great deeds!

 Chapter 110:

    ¡¾Miracle Artifact ¨C Blood Vulture ¨C Origin Blood Extraction in Progress. Power Absorption Begins! Attribute Increase.¡¾Warrior¡¿Achievement Unlocked,¡¾Rare¡¿Temte Obtained! All Prerequisites Met. Character Temte¡¾Elite¡¿Recement Begins.¡¿

    A line of flickering text appeared before Murphy¡¯s eyes.

    But he no longer paid attention to it.

    For the source blood that had been purified in the pale purification arcs was being absorbed by Murphy into his weakened body.

    In the past, only the Patriarch was allowed to drink such originating substances.

    That was the privilege of the Blood Lords, and also a manifestation of their authority.

    But now, Murphy had countless reasons to steal the delicacies from Salrokdar¡¯s te that belonged to him, devouring them greedily without any guilt.

    Transforming all the power he could absorb into nourishment, allowing himself to truly fulfill everything entrusted to him by another man.

    Yes!He felt guilty.

    After awakening, taking another person¡¯s identity and living in another world was like a thief who stole someone¡¯s life. He was able to be revived from the disaster of death, but at the cost of aplete stranger losing everything.

    But now, that guilt had been filled!

    He bore Revnor¡¯s entrustment and thest wish of his humble life, giving him one more reason to run frantically along this path of destiny shrouded in mist.

    How could he, bearing the dreams and lives of two people, fall here?

    At this moment, Murphy¡¯s eyes, having entered a state of blood thirst, shone with a crimson light, his fangs protruding from his lips as he seized the power-filled source blood.

    His weakened body was filled, like a balloon being continuously inted with more power, and before his eyes, the flickering words representing power indicated what was happening:

    ¡¾1. Character temte changed from ¡°Rare¡± to ¡°Elite¡±, initial racial attributes increased to 200%.

    This temte can be copied and inherited (limited to bloodlines only).

    Character temte traced back to¡¾Vampire Racial Branch Blood Vulture n¡¿, epting n origin sacred blood enhancement, deepening ancestral regression, hidden racial talent¡¾Night ws¡¿activated.

    Talent Exnation:

    Night ws: ws were the primitive bioweapons used by the Blood Vulture family branch of vampire civilization in coordination with Blood Wings during the era of devouring flesh and drinking blood, activated and used by enhancing the hands with Dark Spirit.

    In the night state, Night ws are considered Spirit Weapons with the¡¾Transcendent Sharpness¡¿and¡¾Transcendent Spell Breaking¡¿properties, and the ws can harm spirits, with each attack carrying a certain amount of true damage.

    This damage cannot be negated by any means other than divinity.

    Note!

    Night ws are a gift of the Midnight Blessing and cannot be activated in daylight environments.

    Temte change increases attributes as follows:

    Strength: 14.5 ¡ú 18

    Agility: 22 ¡ú 27

    Endurance: 16.5 ¡ú 21

    Intelligence: 11.5 ¡ú 14

    Perception: 15 ¡ú 19

    Charisma: 1.5 ¡ú 2

    2. Elite Temte Reward ¨C Job and Skill Enhancements!

    All skills of the temte owner upgraded to ¡°Elite Skills¡±.

    Damage skills have 20% increased destruction.

    Control skills have enhanced sess rates.

    Defensive skills gain ¡°Invulnerability¡± effects.

    Summoning skills cause all summons to inherit and receive 50% of the Elite temte enhancements.

    3. For unknown reasons, a new skill has been obtained:

    Summon ¨C Blood Vulture Spirit: Can summon the special entity ¡®Revnor¡¯ gifted by the host¡¯s will to perform reconnaissance and assist inbat.

    Note!

    This summon is a special entity formed from an extension of the host¡¯s will, cannot upgrade skills or increase proficiency, and its total individual attributes are fixed at half of the summoner¡¯s base attributes.

    Note!

    This summon is permanently bound to the summoner, allowing unlimited sharing of vision and perception, not limited by distance.

    Note!

    Damage taken by the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor will be transferred to the host, use with caution.

    Skill Description: I lend you my eyes, fly with them, Murphy, bearing our dreams, soar freely in this malicious world where no one can restrain your future. -Revnor¡¿

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Murphy grinned, bloodthirsty, and the explosive power brought by thepletion of the Elite temte recement caused him to spread his huge blood wings from the bottom of the sacred blood pool.

    He was about to fly out to give that old bastard Salrokdar a real surprise, but as he stood up, he found that the Desire Demon de he had been suppressing at the bottom of the blood pool had weakened to the point of moaning and wailing.

    It had undoubtedly been severely damaged, no longer possessing the vicious arrogance it had when in Salrokdar¡¯s hands, ying anyone and anything that obstructed it.

    Its current posture was like that of an abandoned puppy, shivering.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy blinked, stretching out his hand to grasp the hilt of this unusually shaped and obscure demon de with his crimson entwining ws, and the information tag popped up in the next moment:

    Name: Necessary Evil ¨C ssic Vampire Midnight Wing de

    Quality: Miracle Artifact

    Traits: Transcendent Sharpness ¨C Transcendent Spell Breaking ¨C Transcendent Spirit Channeling ¨C Exceptional Swiftness ¨C Exceptional Piercing ¨C Obscure Demonic Object

    Effects:

    1. Guardian Spirit de:

    As a sacred object of the Blood Vulture family, one of the seven major vampire ns, the origin of the Necessary Evil cannot be ascertained, but it can be affirmed that it was born alongside the birth of vampire civilization.

    The wondrous aspect of the Necessary Evil as a weapon lies in the fact that this weapon can act independently as abat unit and wield all the sword arts it has imprinted, even when not held by its wielder, assisting the user in fighting enemies.

    Note!

    When the Necessary Evil fights independently, every sword art it uses will be considered a¡¾Grandmaster¡¿level skill and carry all of the user¡¯s understanding of that sword art.

    Note!

    When the Necessary Evil fights independently, the damage it deals with sword arts is a physical/spirit hybrid damage, and depending on the user¡¯s spirit attribute, the sword arts will carry different damage effects.

    Note!

    When the Necessary Evil fights independently, it will definitely enter the¡¾Bloodthirst Frenzy¡¿state, ying enemies and not returning to its sheath until drinking their blood. If it cannot drink the enemies¡¯ blood, the user must appease it with twice their own fresh blood.

    The currently imprinted advanced sword arts list for the Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil is:

    Blood Vulture ¨C Tomb Guard, Wolfsbane ¨C Wolf¡¯s Kiss, Blood Pact ¨C de of Arbitration, Thorn ¨C Midnight yer, Blood Dread ¨C Night Edge, Secret Blood ¨C Crimson Spirit Sword.

    The currently imprinted high-level sword arts for the Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil are:

    White Knight ¨C Exorcist Hunt, Red Knight ¨C Desire for Conflict, Gray Knight ¨C Hand of Purification, Holy Grail Knight ¨C Oblivion, Elven ¨C Emerald War Dance, Dwarven ¨C Holy Sword of the Land, Sanghai ¨C Secret Sun/Moon Sword Arts, Antean Merlian ¨C Tidal Sword.

    The currently imprinted grandmaster sword arts for the Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil are:

    Blood Vulture ¨C de of Doom, Winter Wolf Scripture ¨C North Wind¡¯s God.

    Note!

    High-level sword arts are only avable to those of Silver Rank or higher who have obtained the rted¡¾Sword Master¡¿high-level job.

    Grandmaster sword arts are only avable to those of Golden Rank or higher who have obtained the rted¡¾Sword Saint¡¿grandmaster job.

    2. Proof of the Blood Lord:

    The unique power and identity promation of the Necessary Evil, causing this Desire n demon de to only be held by the leader of the Blood Vulture n. Together with the Civilization Tablet ¨C Desire Fragment and the Blood Vulture ¨C Origin Sacred Blood Pool, it forms the Blood Vulture n¡¯s Proof of the Blood Lord.

    ording to tradition, this weapon must be bound to the soul of the Blood Vulture n Patriarch and cannot be used by others.

    Status: Weakened ¨C Spirit Contract Deviation ¨C Currently Unbound

    Creator: ¡¾DATA DELETED¡¿

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The existence of evil is necessary! If there was no darkness of evil in the world, even the most brilliant light would be meaningless. Therefore, we call that primal darkness hidden within the souls of all things the Necessary Evil.

    Creatures of the midnight,

    Do not be anxious for being born in darkness, you are as important as the sunlight that envelops the world.

    ¨C Salrokdar Collins Manfred Lessenbra¡¿

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Murphy saw this information tag, his smile widening.

    With a wave of his hand, he pulled out the abandoned Desire Demon de from the rock and grasped it, caressing the serrated de and the bat-winged hand guard formed by the wings of a nighthawk in this purified sacred blood pool with his fingers, saying:

    ¡°Because you passed the pain of purification to Salrokdar, that old madman discarded you heartlessly? Truly pitiful, the fate of an aplice to tyranny!

    Are you begging?

    Craving for me to take you away?

    Very well, I shall grant this pitiful little wish of yours, and take you as a gift to myself for my ¡®true rebirth¡¯ today, free of any guilt.

    Necessary Evil, ah, what a fitting name!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s fresh blood oozed from his fingertips and slid into the body of the Desire Demon Sword, greedily absorbed by thetter, weakened and suffering from purification.

    It hummed, craving more.

    But with a flick of his wrist, Murphy thrust it upwards, bursting through the oppressive sacred blood pool above, and rebuked:

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, go seek food yourself! Isn¡¯t the bastard who corrupted and abandoned you right there? Do youck even the ability to fight for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Shua¡±

    Amidst the sshing of the sacred blood pool¡¯s waters and the shockwave of blood light, the few remaining small yers covered their heads and looked towards the sacred pool. A pair of massive blood bat wings, like shields, protected their owner as he transformed into a streak of spirit light, shooting into the sky. In the next instant, with a spread of his wings, Murphy¡¯s familiar figure was revealed.

    The origin blood staining his blood wings constantly dripped in the air, like scattered crimson feathers, making this scene appear strangely sacred tinged with blood.

    As Murphy raised the weakened but craving Desire Demon de in his hand, apanied by the ominous, raven-like shrill cries of the Blood Vulture Spirit, the crimson spirit vulture Revnor was birthed for the first time from Murphy¡¯s spirit power, pping its broad wings to hover above his shoulder.

    ¡°Damn! Murphy has triggered a story event! Look, he¡¯s disying that unreasonable power spike unique to NPCs! Turned into a skeleton boss level in the blink of an eye, damn it!¡±

    Meow King, who had been pinned down and surrounded by the three darklings, had already drawn his beloved replica of the Avalon Sacred de. Seeing Murphy¡¯s ¡°evolution¡± as he made his grand new entrance as a BOSS, it rekindled the remaining yers¡¯ excited courage.

    Meow King went all out, pouring all his spirit power into the sacred de. In the next instant, he stood up swinging it like a ¡°torch¡±, shing wildly.

    He shed the few elite darklings until they squealed and cried out for their fathers and mothers.

    ¡°Kill him! Murphy! Kill that old bastard! Make him drop tons of coins!¡±

    Meow King and the other yers shouted loudly, as if ying a voice-controlled game, as though the louder their battle cries, the more damage they would deal.

    Murphy gave his small yers a strange look.

    He thought they¡¯d have died long ago in such a brutal battle, but they were tougher than he expected. But what was with their unseemly shouting now? Were they the NPCs or was he?

    How did it be their turn tomand him?

    Who gave you the guts?

    ¡°However¡­in honor of your steadfast loyalty, I shall grant your insignificant wish.¡±

    Murphy folded his wings in the air and plunged like a crimson sword into the midst of the three locked inbat.

    Although his attributes had spiked, he was still far from the Golden rank. He could only stay at the edge, seizing opportunities to sneak in and strike a couple of swords for some DPS.

    However, he had already grasped this ¡°ticket for the strong¡±, no longer feeling anxious.

    At the same time, the crimson spirit vulture also pped its wings andnded before the weakened Lady, its sharp bloody eyes staring at Femis, then opening its sharp eagle beak and dropping the Desire Fragment it was carrying before her eyes.

    The Lady, whose heart had been impaled by the Desire Demon de, instantly understood upon extreme weakness.

    She grabbed the Desire Fragment and crawled towards the sacred blood pool ahead, which had be unstable due to the interference of the purification spirit power. Lumina and Sister Pomegranate rushed to support her on either side, and under the protection of Orchid¡¯s heavy shield, they plunged into the blood pool.

    The four girls ran so fast that they couldn¡¯t stop, resulting in themically tumbling head over heels amidst cries of surprise, plunging headfirst into the blood pool.

    But it didn¡¯t matter!

    The crucial final step had been taken.

    Having fallen into the blood pool, the Lady gritted her teeth and repeated the step she hadn¡¯tpleted before. The interference from the Desire Fragment caused the spirit power of the sacred blood pool to bepletely gathered, and the rotating sub-dimension rift above emitted a shrill sound, as if a heavy object was about to copse.

    The majestic Blood Vulture Spirit pped its wings towards the darklings, while under the cover of the Astral Dire Wolf summoned by Murphy in a spare moment, it began to escort the surviving yers out of the sacred pool hall.

    On the other side, Tris, who had been guarding the self-destruct core in the corridor, had be so anxious that she was jumping up and down, unable to act recklessly because the sacred pool¡¯s spirit power hadn¡¯t been cut off yet.

    Nearby, Miriam and Lieutenant Frayzer had already begun praying to every deity they knew of.

    They hadpleted their task, and the specific astral projection coordinates of Kadman City had been calcted by a parallelputation matrix of thirtyputation beads, but having just the coordinates was useless without being able to activate them.

    ¡°Hurry! Hurry! Little Murphy! The coordinates are about to change, hurry!¡±

    Tris grabbed the rising spirit power core of the self-destruct core in front of her, the veins on her hands bulging.

    With just onemand, this thing could destroy all the spirit power nodes inside the Blood Vulture Halls, but Tris had to seize that fleeting opportunity to precisely transfer the exploding out-of-control spirit power into the astral realm, lest the terrible chaos of the sub-dimension exploded into the material world.

    There was only one chance!

    If she failed, everyone present would instantly be reduced to ashes, a terrifying pressure that could crush the will of even the most resolute warrior.

    However, Tris had seen big scenes before, and the Crimson Witch¡¯s hands were steady this time!

    The only problem was that the switch determining the oue was not in her hands.

    ¡°Projection coordinates change countdown: 30 seconds!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as she gripped theputation bead nodes of theputation matrix, staring fixedly at the phase coordinates calcted from theplex forms projected on it.

    The astral realm was a mysterious ce, and its mapping to the material world was constantly changing, making it impossible to calctesting projection coordinates.

    Once the current phase coordinates became invalid, recalcting would take at least three hours!

    But could they afford another three hours?

    Obviously not!

    ¡°You must be able to do it, the weight and torment of fate has transformed youpletely! Even to the point where I feel unfamiliar with you.¡±

    Tris stared intently at the spirit power core before her, saying softly:

    ¡°I believe you can do it! Little Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Countdown: 20 seconds!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s shout had be hoarse, tinged with despair.

    Beside her, Lieutenant Frayzer sighed and ced his hand on the shoulder of this red-haired ¡°enemy¡± girl, as if to give her the courage to face death in this way.

    As for himself,

    He was a soldier!

    Death was merely an upational hazard for him, causing some trepidation but not enough to overwhelm his will.

    ¡°Boom¡±

    A muffled boom suddenly resounded in the corridor, and amidst Salrokdar¡¯s furious roar, the sacred blood pool exploded as if arge missile had been dropped into it.

    Its terrifying force sted the four girls out, three of them instantly dissipating into specks of spirit light midair, leaving only the Lady to fall raggedly from the sky, caught in the embrace of Lord Pnno as he shed over.

    ¡°No! The Night Mother¡¯s path to godhood!¡±

    Seeing the sacred blood pool uncontrobly releasing turbulent spirit power that impacted the stabilized sub-dimension rift, causing it to rapidly copse, the raving Salrokdar shoved aside the old knight Finoch and spread his arms towards the crackling ck rift.

    ¡°Father! No! Come back!!¡±

    Struggling in Pnno¡¯s knightly embrace, Femis still reached out to her father in every sense at this final moment, trying to bring back hisst shred of sanity.

    But it was toote.

    Before he could plunge into the copsing sub-dimension rift with outstretched arms, Murphy¡¯s figure shed out from behind, the Desire Demon de piercing his former master¡¯s chest, striking him down even as it drank the Blood Lord¡¯s blood.

    Murphy pressed down on his shoulder with his left hand, raising his right.

    His atavistic Night ws extended like interlocking crimson des, decisively executing him by piercing his heart from behind, grasping and wrenching out that evil heart.

    With his heart torn out, it seemed to strip Salrokdar of all his will and strength, causing him to kneel.

    At the end of this long life, he seemed to awaken from the call of the sub-dimension. He turned his head to look at his weeping daughter onest time, forcing a cold, ruthless smile that a vampire father should have, then grasped Murphy¡¯s wrist. In their first andst conversation, he said:

    ¡°Beware! Beware the Dusk, they are by our side¡­¡±

 Chapter 111:

    ¡°Countdown 10 seconds!¡±

    Inside the self-destruct chamber, Miriam had already beenpletely overwhelmed by the emotions in her heart.

    She cried out the final countdown, and then could no longer resist the utter despair that came flooding in. She turned and hugged Lieutenant Frayzer by her side as if seeking shelter.

    This action caused the Lieutenant to freeze in ce.

    Shamefully, although born into a prestigious noble family and already 30 years old, the Lieutenant was still aplete nk when it came to affairs of the heart. The most direct contact he¡¯d ever had with women was politely inviting them to dance at a ball.

    But he knew that Miriam¡¯s action at this moment did not represent anything.

    She was simply afraid.

    This was the instinctive reaction of a fragile human life facing death, representing neither cowardice nor ugliness.

    He couldpletely understand Miriam¡¯s fear, because he was enduring the same emotional impact at this moment.However, as a gentleman, the Lieutenant naturally took on the duty that a man should fulfill at this moment of despair.

    He opened his arms and held the trembling Miriam in his embrace. His height of 193cm allowed him to almost entirely shelter the red-haired girl. Even as death approached, he would forge the ¡°Wall of Sighs¡± to protect this fearfuldy.

    This was the most silent defiance of death that he, as a man, could show in his final moments.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The Spirit Core in front of Tris flickered with an eerie glow, the signal that the response had arrived, causing the crimson witch¡¯s heart to skip a beat.

    She used nearly all the strength in her body to force the Spirit Core down, immediately activating the self-destruct sequence. In the blink of an eye, all the Spirit Nodes throughout the Blood Vulture Corridors were forcibly destroyed.

    The intricate system sculpted with the Sacred Blood Pool as the center copsed within three seconds, triggering a frenzied flux of unstable energies that propagated along the explosion path calcted by the thirty Computation Beads, crushing down and forcing the raging foul energies within the out-of-control Sacred Blood Pool to be channeled in a specific direction.

    So in the next instant, the scorching crimson light, having lost control like a cannon shot, precisely pierced through the dimensional rift above.

    Thetter¡¯s copse elerated tenfold in an instant, and the three-way mapping between the Astral Realm, the Material Realm, and the sub-dimension was alsopletely disrupted by this path being sted through, causing the chaotic energies that should have poured entirely into the Material Realm to also form a tear on the other side.

    This immediately caused it to begin copsing in the reverse direction.

    ¡°Crash¡±

    The oing storm of chaos violently flung Murphy away. He spread his Blood Wings in midair, executing an elegant tumblingnding right beside First Lord Pnno and the old knight Finoch.

    At this time, the few remaining figures on the corpse-strewn battlefield looked up to see that the dimensional rift, once like the Eye of Chaos, hadpletely transformed into a maelstrom of disorder.

    Like ck cracks spreading through shattered ss in the air.

    Not only were there energy copses and explosions, but also bizarre sounds constantly emanating from within.

    Twisted, oil-slicked tentacle-like appendages emerged from the irregr ck nebulous rifts, writhing like the legs of a spider or like a monsterposed entirely of arms trying to crawl into the mortal realm.

    Those grotesque wsshed out maliciously into the void, seeking to grasp some stable anchor to fully enter the material world. Even Salrokdar¡¯s faded stone statue was seized and tossed into the gaping dimensional rift by the strange entity¡¯s clutching.

    Like a stone thrown into a pond, disappearing without even a ripple.

    ¡°By the Night Mother above, what foul abomination is that?¡±

    First Lord Pnno roared in anger.

    The old knight Finoch had already begun silently reciting divine names, seemingly about to unleash arge-scale divine spell. As for Murphy, his quick hands had already hurled a Detection spell towards the thing before them.

    Static interference patterns appeared on the character card.

    The information tag of that bizarre entity trying to crawl out from the closing dimensional rift was struggling to manifest piece by piece:

    Name: ¡¾Midnight Mother¡¿Sub-dimensional Shadow

    Profession: ???

    Rank: ???

    Evaluation: Akin to Divinity ¨C Core Missing

    Creature Description: ¡¾Unfulfilled fallen aspirations will always twist into monstrosities to torment reality. She can no longer take the form She was designed for, nor even possess a core essence to answer summons, and so has degenerated into a twisted divine abomination amidst boundless chaotic malice.

    She is the Midnight Mother!

    And also the severed future of Femis Cecilia Lessenbra.¡¿

    ¡°She is weeping,¡±

    The youngdy, pale-faced and whispering while held in Lord Pnno¡¯s embrace, said:

    ¡°She is calling me, begging me to be one with her, begging me to save her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish! She only wants to devour you to make herself whole, and whatever she intends once whole, believe me, it will absolutely not be good for us vampires.¡±

    Murphy released the humming Necessary Evil de, allowing the sword of desire to hover by his hand. With a wave of his fingers, he signaled the severely injured Maxim and Lady Adele to carry the youngdy away from this ce.

    No matter what happened next, Femis had to get as far away as possible from this sub-dimensional shadow conjured by Salrokdar¡¯s foul sorcery.

    ¡°You all leave too!¡±

    The old knight Finoch stood rooted to the spot like a mighty tree, enveloped in verdant spiritual energy. Without turning his head, he said:

    ¡°If the sub-dimensional filth is left unchecked, it will leave behind a lingering poison. Although most of the energy was banished to the Astral Realm by Lady Tris, even this remaining amount is enough to cause irreparable destruction. My God has issued a divine mandate ¨C now is the time for this holy warrior to meet his end.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡±

    First Lord Pnno, who had fought side-by-side with old Finoch just moments ago, mmed his battered and crackednce into the ground with a bang. ring intently at Finoch, he shouted:

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere either! Your only mission now is to return to the knight¡¯s garrison and face Lord Payne¡¯s inquisition! Do not think you can evade responsibility for these crimes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I admit I am guilty, a terrible sin, enough to make countless naughty little boys cry at night,¡± the old knight grinned wryly.

    The peculiar sacred White Oak armor he wore began regenerating like an old tree reborn, sprouting vines and branches that took root in the ground around him.

    In mere seconds, Finoch appeared as a growing oak tree. He had made his decision and resolved himself, no longer avoiding the secrets he had long kept buried.

    As the bucket helmet opened amidst the spreading branches, the old knight¡¯s bloodstained, wooden face turned towards the stern Pnno.

    He spoke in a low voice:

    ¡°Your arrogant vampire noses are truly keen. I witnessed it firsthand fighting beside you during the Fourth ck Cmity. Seeing you here now, I know my long journey must finally end.

    But Pnno!

    My sin was not something I actively sought. It was merely a lingering remnant from delving too deep into history in search of the truth. If you plunge your hands into filth trying to unearth the reality beneath, how can you possibly emerge with clean hands?¡±

    ¡°What did you find?¡± the First Lord demanded.

    ¡°What truth did you unearth by dirtying your hands?¡±

    ¡°Nothing but regret! They issued me an invitation, and I paid the price. But at the moment I could finally join them, my God¡¯s will caused me to have a profound change of heart.

    This so-called pursuit of truth is nothing but a trick they use to lure the righteous onto the path of wickedness.

    From the very start, I never should have let my curiosity be piqued by them!¡±

    The voice of the old White Knight Finoch, truly transformed into a rooted tree by divine sorcery, grew dry and rasping like rustling vines.

    He looked at Pnno and Murphy with grave seriousness, issuing a warning:

    ¡°Keep your distance from them!

    Do not repeat the mistake I made by trying to gain the answers you seek through contact with them. Every single one of them is an irredeemable source of corruption.

    Even ancient ones like Salrokdar are merely pawns being toyed with.

    Murphy, you heard Salrokdar¡¯s final warning to you.

    Stay away from the Dusk.

    Stay far away from them, those who have walked too far down the path of chaos.¡±

    ¡°Is it an organization? Were they behind orchestrating all of this?¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Did you know from the start what would happen in Kadman City?¡±

    ¡°No, I did not.¡±

    The old knight¡¯s voice grew deeper and slower, like the ancient rumbling of a great tree.

    He said:

    ¡°But behind nearly every cmity rted to the sub-dimension in thest few centuries, their shadow lurks. Your Lord Payne knows more. Perhaps you should not ask, nor should you let curiosity take hold about them.

    I am indeed guilty!

    My God, in the name of seeking truth, Imitted unforgivable sins. Spread across that distant new continent are disasters wrought by my own hands. And here I shall make my final stand.

    Death is the only atonement. May You bear witness.

    No one has the right to judge me!

    Save for Your magnificence alone.¡±

    ¡°Crack¡­crack¡­crack¡­¡±

    Low cracking sounds emanated from beneath Murphy¡¯s feet, signaling the final stage of Finoch¡¯s divine spell.

    He had transformed himself into a White Oak imbued with purifying natural divinity. With sturdy roots, he enveloped the ruined Sacred Blood Hall and the shadowy entity trying to emerge from the dimensional rift, forming a sealed zone of divine sorcery.

    ¡°Go, leave! Tell them, old Finoch is dead! He died a hero¡¯s death in battle against Salrokdar and the sub-dimensional fiends.¡±

    Urged on by the White Oak Lord, Murphy and Pnno had no choice but to depart despite their doubts.

    The sprouting divine thorns parted to open a path, and as Murphy took his first step, a verdant branch curled around the sacred Great Oak de ¡°The Watcher¡±, vines coiling to form a wooden scabbard shielding the holy sword from burning Murphy with Avalon¡¯s divine power.

    The instant the vampire took hold of this sacred de, he heard Finoch¡¯s whisper in his mind:

    ¡°Regarding the proposal you made, I have given it careful thought. You said all the homeless who have contributed to Transia could be masters of thisnd.

    I have given everything for thisnd. I have purchased their entry.

    Murphy, please take in my progeny.

    There are traces of the Dusk in the Goldflower Kingdom as well. Do not let them return!¡±

    ¡°Very well, I promise, as long as they are willing to stay.¡±

    Murphy held the Great Oak de to his chest. As he departed, he heard Finoch¡¯s deep voice in gratitude:

    ¡°Then I shall bless you, noble Alpha.¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Murphy whipped his head around in shock, unaware of how Finoch knew this codename.

    As if sensing his confusion, amidst the verdant glow that ultimately shattered inward, binding and enveloping the sub-dimensional shadow as it vanished into the crumbling rift, the White Oak Lord¡¯s final words rang out:

    ¡°In thesest moments, my God has mercifully revealed to me, this wretched lost soul, all about the future. My God watches over you, and blesses you as well.

    My God shall walk with you, the multitudes of spirits shall tread the celestial seas beside you, Alpha. Continue forth.¡±

    ¡°Boom¡±

    In that moment, the entire Sacred Blood Hall shatteredpletely.

    Copsing fully into physical ruins, not a single trace of its existence could be found, even the structure itself seemed to be falling into endless void.

    And this copse quickly triggered a chain reaction, causing the surrounding buildings to begin caving in as well.

    However, this was the headquarters that the Blood Vulture n had spent 400 years establishing. It should not copse to the point of being unenterable, but cleaning up this area would undoubtedly be a long and arduous process.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The First Lord grabbed Murphy, who was still gazing back at the teetering corridors.

    The two ran towards safety, one after the other. As they rounded a corner, Murphy collided fully with the staggering form of Natalie Finochia Lawson rushing towards them.

    The gray-haired witch hunter was covered in blood, just woken from her battle unconsciousness.

    But she clutched at her chest, face contorted in such agony she could barely breathe.

    She stared ahead as if knowing what had urred, heedless of Murphy¡¯s restraint as she screamed and tried to break free, to hurl herself towards the Sacred Blood Hall that had copsed without a trace under the entangling roots.

    ¡°Let me go! Vampire! Damn you! Let me go! He¡¯s up ahead!¡±

    Natalie shrieked, withpleteck of decorum.

    But Murphy simply silently held her back, dragging her away. Even the normally chivalrous Lord Pnno had to employ a small trick, as a ck rose mirage bloomed before Natalie¡¯s eyes, the double weakness of body and spirit washed over her in a wave, causing her to cry out before falling unconscious in Murphy¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Tasting sorrow is an inevitability that even beautiful things cannot escape.¡±

    The First Lord spoke gently as he took the unconscious witch hunter into his embrace like a princess, giving Murphy an impably handsome smile.

    As he cleared a path ahead by shattering the fallen walls, he asked softly:

    ¡°Murphy, beautiful Murphy, you too have experienced sorrow just now, I can smell it.¡±

    ¡°I do not deny it,¡± Murphy replied hoarsely as he followed the First Lord out of the danger zone, cradling the Great Oak de while summoning Necessary Evil to quietly return the sword of desire to its scabbard at his waist.

    ¡°Today we have all tasted sorrow. But we must press on, not allowing that sorrow to be impotent tears.¡±

    ¡°Well said! Befitting of the beauty I hold in high regard,¡± Pnno nodded in appreciation.

    But after a few seconds, Murphy cleared his throat and said seriously:

    ¡°However, regarding your earlier description of Tris, I have a somewhat different view. Perhaps it is a bit childish to say, but from this day forth, good sir Pnno, Tris is no longer your goddess!¡±

    ¡°Ah, the ssic post-victory deration of sovereignty! One beauty seeking to possess another, is it?¡± Pnno chuckled, then said in an ambiguous tone:

    ¡°But do you truly understand Lady Tris? No, you have merely been blinded by beauty, Murphy.

    As I was in my youth.

    When you trulyprehend the crimson witch, you will realize that just now, in a garden full of roses, you chose for yourself the most scorching red rose covered in thorns.

    Believe me.

    You will bleed because of it.

    And I must remind you, Murphy, vampire cultural traditions explicitly forbid such presumptuous behavior towards elders and progenitors. It is not that those old ones do not understand love.

    They simply see that under the bonds of blood covenant, true love can never be born, it is merely admiration while shackled! Can a ve ever be a friend to their master?

    So before speaking of love, you must break your chains.¡±

    ¡°dly, but who are you tomand it?¡±

    Murphy said softly as they hurried through the darkness:

    ¡°To pluck such a ravishingly luscious rose, is it not imperfect without shedding a little blood? A touch of pain is merely the witness tax paid to the God of Love.

    As for chains¡­

    The key is not in my hands!¡±

    ¡°Hah, such a beautiful realization!¡±

    Pnno praised:

    ¡°I grow ever more appreciative of you, beautiful Murphy.¡±

 Chapter 112:

    ¡°Holy crap! What the hell is this? A nightmare revisited?¡±

    Having just crawled out of the half-copsed Blood Vulture Halls, Meow King was in a miserable state, covered in dirt and grime, looking nearly dead.

    His Four Heavenly Kings and old buddy Little Hand had already perished in the previous battle. Shamefully, four out of these five were SC failures that had gone berserk and were personally killed by the Meow King. But just as he surfaced and was about to catch his breath, he looked up and froze in his tracks, letting out a rather yer-like exmation of surprise.

    However, there was no one left by his side to echo his shock.

    Of the 60 little yers who had entered the Halls instance dungeon, only he remained alive. This was far beyond the depths of misery.

    ¡°Damn! Did the sky leak again?¡±

    The same stylized exmation came from behind the Meow King, causing him to whip his head around. There he saw Precipitation Niuniu, looking like a mud monkey, crawling out from the copsed spiral staircase while carrying the nearly unconscious Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche on his back.

    Alright then.

    The good news was that afterpleting this instance dungeon, there were still 3 yers left.The bad news was that this did not change their rather miserable reality.

    This was essentially the most wretched battle and trial the yers had experienced since joining¡¶Reality Realm¡·. But the most, most, most important good news was that they had won!

    The once invincible Salrokdar was dead!

    The Blood Vulture Halls had been conquered!

    However, before celebrating their victory, the three divinely lucky survivors had to first figure out what was happening before their eyes. Above them, in the night sky over Kadman City¡¯s deste inner district, the starry river had once again been ¡°torn apart.¡±

    Just like the previously inflicted spiritual invasion caused by the Astral Realm Breach ritual.

    The torn sky looked like cracks in ss, with a long narrow ¡°Astral Wound¡± stretching between the stars, flickering with dark purple starry dots in the dark background.

    ¡°We¡¯ve expelled such an immense amount of sub-dimension spiritual energy into the Astral Realm, it¡¯s bound to have a significant impact on the mapping between the Astral Realm and the material world. Indeed, the previously healed Astral Realm rift has been reopened.

    And this time, I estimate it won¡¯t be so easy for it to heal again.¡±

    Speaking in an oddly ented Mandarin, the pale but otherwise uninjured Lady Tris limped out from the spiritual transmission portal she had arduously opened behind her.

    She exined to the three little yers the reasons behind everything happening before their eyes. Behind her, Miriam and Lieutenant Frayzer, having brushed against true death andpletely experienced such an intense situation, could only lean on each other weakly as they set foot on solid ground once more.

    Now was not the time to talk about the enemy¡¯s identity, they just wanted to be still!

    And don¡¯t ask who Still is!

    ¡°Will this have any impact on Kadman City?¡±

    The Meow King caught his breath and approached Lady Tris to ask:

    ¡°We¡¯ve only just taken back our territory, do we really have to abandon this ce now?¡±

    ¡°Speak slower, warrior! Show some consideration for my pitiful state of mind, I¡¯ve only just learned your overlyplexnguage.¡±

    Lady Tris rebuked him unhappily.

    But then she sighed and pointed at the familiar ck smoke-like spiritual energy emanating from the ¡°Astral Wound¡± overhead, saying to the Meow King, Niuniu, and the panting Cheche who was repeatedly pping himself:

    ¡°There won¡¯t be any further impact, because this isn¡¯t a tear originating from within the Astral Realm itself. So its manifestation and destructive force in the material world is far less severe than before, and its range will only be limited to parts of the inner district.

    But the bad news is that this area will be covered in Astral Realm shadows like the previous outer district, along with some crossover Astral Realm beasts and bizarre creatures.

    As for how long it will take to heal¡­

    If I really have to give you a specific timeframe, I¡¯d guess this sub-dimension phenomenon will maintain this form for at least ten years before slowly starting to heal, and that¡¯s only if it doesn¡¯t get further agitated from outside forces.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The Meow King and Niuniu exchanged a nce. Cheche, lying on the ground gasping for breath, eximed:

    ¡°So doesn¡¯t that mean the hunting ground we were previously given will reappear, but this time it¡¯s even bigger andsts longer? Damn, the devs really have some crazy ideas, using this as a way to add an upgraded wilderness area to the newbie vige.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Lady Tris turned to Cheche with a puzzled look.

    ¡°Devs? Newbie vige? Wilderness area? What do those mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just ng from the Realm.¡±

    Before the three little yers could answer, Murphy¡¯s weary voice came from the darkness behind them.

    Lady Tris turned in surprise to see her progeny slowly descending, his massive Blood Wings folding as hended. His Elder¡¯s armor was tattered, and an eerily familiar magic sword now hung at his waist.

    But aside from that, Murphy seemed to have no further injuries.

    Tris stepped forward anxiously, reaching out to feel Murphy¡¯s body, trying to see if he had any hidden wounds.

    No one understood the danger of Salrokdar and the sub-dimension demonic forces better than Tris. She was terrified that Murphy might be left with a life-altering affliction because of this.

    Murphy looked down at the worried Tris, an irrepressible surge of emotion bursting from his heart, causing him to finally embrace Tris for the first time.

    It held no other emotions, just a pure desire to hold her.

    Tris was taken aback.

    But she didn¡¯t struggle too fiercely, also wrapping her arms around Murphy¡¯s waist and resting her head against his broad chest like she would when drunk, listening to the uneven beating of his heart.

    ¡°Swish¡±

    The ethereal Blood Vulture Spirit silently spread its wings, gliding through the night sky to preciselynd on a weathered stone pir nearby.

    This ferocious bird of prey, holding a plump rat in its beak, cocked its head to observe the embracing Murphy and Tris. Its ga-like eyes held a beastly innocence, before seemingly recalling something and pping its wings to drop the plump rat, letting out a cawing sound like a crow.

    This noise startled Tris, making her turn towards the strange bird.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    Tris pushed Murphy away, asking in surprise:

    ¡°Why can I sense a soul-level connection between it and you? Like an extension of your consciousness? Where did you learn this bizarre skill?¡±

    ¡°The process is quiteplex, not something I can exin in just a sentence or two. I¡¯ll tell you slowly when we have time to rx.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t want to bring up this issue right now.

    He turned to look behind him.

    Lord Pnno emerged from the copsed spiral staircase, carrying the unconscious Natalie, with Maxim and Lady Adele following behind him, thetter carrying her weakened and fainted daughter on her back.

    Additionally, there were three of Natalie¡¯s Witch Hunter squad, these three lucky ones seemed truly blessed by Avalon, miraculously escaping serious harm. They were either carrying or supporting theirrades out of the copsed underground corridor.

    Three of Lord Pnno¡¯s Blood Pact Scout Knights were also each carrying two wounded back to the surface.

    Further away, the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense soldiers who had previously withdrawn from the Halls let out a cheer upon seeing theirmander Maxim alive, and Maxim raised his broken arm in response to his troops.

    These were all the survivors.

    Aside from the little yers being killed down to just 3 remaining, of the 30 elite Witch Hunters led by Marshal Finoch, only 14 were left alive. A gold-ranked White Knight had likely be thest on the continent to have drunk from the Holy Grail, permanently remaining in the ruins beneath their feet.

    The losses could not be called light, but the victory they had won in exchange shone all the brighter.

    Knight Pnno had already taken out his artificially perfumed notebook, intending to turn tonight¡¯s heart-pounding tale into a poem to share with the near hundred beauties he admired.

    This song of valor and victory was sure to earn the lovelydies¡¯ admiration.

    As for Murphy, he took up the great Oak Sacred de, and under the silent gaze of the other Witch Hunters, ced it sheath and all beside the unconscious Natalie.

    ¡°This is the gift and inheritance Sir Finoch left for his daughter! And I am the one entrusted to deliver it to her.¡±

    The veteran Norman heard the implication in Murphy¡¯s words.

    He nodded firmly, his injured vocal cords producing a raspy voice as he said:

    ¡°We will do everything to ensure Captain Natalie inherits it.¡±

    ¡°Good, that puts my mind at ease.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s fingers left the wooden sword sheath.

    But the information tag for the great Oak Sacred de still lingered before his eyes, its might far exceeding the weakened Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil in his hand:

    Name: Great Oak Sacred de¡¾Watcher¡¿- Ancient Elven Ritual Greatsword

    Quality: Miracle Artifact ¨C Nature Spirit

    Traits: Transcendent Impact ¨C Transcendent Protection ¨C Transcendent Bnce ¨C Exceptional Spirit Affinity ¨C Exceptional Spellcasting de ¨C Instrument of Faith

    Effects:

    1. Oak Sacred de ¨C Path of Bnce:

    The three Great Oak Sacred des are holy relics bestowed by Avalon through Elven hands to its human faithful, each representing one of humanity¡¯s explorations into the natural realm.

    The Watcher belongs to the White Knights, symbolizing guardianship and spiritual bnce.

    The Chastiser belongs to the Red Knights, symbolizing conquest and destructive force.

    The Arbiter belongs to the Grey Knights, symbolizing judgment and natural neutrality.

    Each Sacred de must follow its own natural path to reach its full potential. But they are not just weapons, they are mediums for spellcasters, symbolizing the leadership of the natural faith within Avalon¡¯s system of power.

    Regrettably, after Avalon became the Old Faith rebel faction, the three Sacred des were lost amidst the turmoil.

    Finoch Lawson, the White Oak Lord, spent six years and nearly lost his soul and faith to recover them, but this also became the source of his sin buried in history.

    2. Guardian of the Woods:

    In nature-favored environments, the Watcher Sacred de can unleash various White Knight sacred arts, amplifying its might to the bearer¡¯s limits.

    Activating this power requires attunement with the Sacred de!

    Specific abilities limited to¡¾Avalon Faithful¡¿.

    Maker: Nature¡¯s Avalon ¨C Astral Realm Forged

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The interpretation of the Three Sacred des differs greatly between human and elven cultures. Foolish humans are more inclined to view them as divine greatness, but to elves, the Three des represent different facets of the natural Avalon.

    The Watcher represents the nurturing authority of the Forest Mother Avalon. The other two des symbolize the stern Storm Queen Avalon and the pure Maiden Moon Avalon respectively.

    Indeed, in elven belief, their god has three distinct personalities of severe multiple personality disorder!

    If counting the Spider Lady Avalon revered by the outcast dark elves, this Astral Realm Great Spirit before you has fourpletely different personalities. Hmm, the absurdities of the new world really do open one¡¯s eyes, don¡¯t they?

    Of course, this also raises another issue!

    When befriending an elf, don¡¯t fuss over where they¡¯re from, just ask which Avalon they follow and be done with it.¡¿

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The information on the Great Oak Sacred de before him made Murphy realize how little he truly understood of this otherworld. But he indeed had no ns to keep this Sacred de for himself.

    Not just because of Old Finoch¡¯s final sacrifice to protect Murphy¡¯s territory, but also because he couldn¡¯t actually use this thing unless he pledged faith to one of the four Avalons.

    Yet he was an eternal Sin Descendant vampire, a piece of crap in the gods¡¯ eyes. Even if he wanted to suck up, no one would have him! Who would want rtions with a piece of crap?

    Sigh.

    Murphy let out a long breath.

    He was about to discuss their next steps with Tris when, just as he started to stand, his vision blurred and a new prompt popped up in his achievements system:

    ¡¾Blood Vulture Halls destroyed, achievement list closed! You have obtained all achievements for this area, hidden achievement¡¾Blood Vulture Grand m¡¿unlocked!

    Achievement rewards issued!

    Tester Exclusive ¨C Sleep Link function enabled!

    Note!

    This function requires manual activation by test admin.

    Advanced Function ¨C Title System activated!¡¿

    ¡°?!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s eyes went wide.

    He thought that afterpleting the Newbie Guide quests, there wouldn¡¯t be this process ofpleting tasks to get rewards and unlock new functions anymore. But every step of this test admin system¡¯s design was beyond his expectations.

    So to unlock further new functions, he didn¡¯t need to do quests now, but instead had to pursue achievements?

    Why didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to work me to death?

    You¡¯re really going to force me to be an achievement hunter in this new world?

    Murphy rolled his eyes and opened the exnation for the Sleep Link function. He initially thought it would just allow little yers to keep dreaming and ying the game while asleep.

    But in the next instant, Murphy clenched his fists.

    Because this thing was not nearly as simple as he imagined:

    ¡¾Sleep Link Function Exnation:

    With this function activated, testers can maintain mental link and spiritual projection activity while entering sleep state, with each sleep linksting up to 8 hours!

    Note!

    Game time gained from Sleep Link does not count towards a tester¡¯s daily allowed game time! But at the end of each Sleep Link, forced logout for 30 minutes is required to recalibrate the tester¡¯s grasp on the real world they belong to.

    Note!

    This is a reward function that can effectively treat insomnia, recurring dreams, and mental fatigue, while also providing an emergency wake-up function to prevent danger during sleep.

    Go share this good news with your cute and capable little yers!¡¿

    ¡°???Eight hours of sleep doesn¡¯t count as game time? This insane reward! Good! Very good! Excellent! Lavishly reward my cute and capable little yers! This is how their heroic journey should be rewarded!¡±

    Joy welled up in Murphy¡¯s heart as he immediately calcted with elementary math:

    ¡°So does this mean my little yers can now achieve 8+6=14 hours of continuous operation? Hmm, my dear Patriarch Salrokdar, farewell, I will remember and appreciate your sacrifice.

    If I had known eliminating you would unlock such an awesome function, why would I have waited until now?¡±

 Chapter 113:

    The lighting up of the achievement system gave Murphy a surprise, but he quickly calmed down and decided not to share this good news with the small yers for now.

    Today¡¯s casualties were too severe, but such a great victory already necessitated a lively celebration.

    Not only did the yers and he, as their lord, need to celebrate this victory, but the death of Salrokdar also meant that the series of tragedies in Kadman City had finallye to an end. Murphy¡¯s subjects were also in dire need of a ceremony to release their stress and sorrow.

    He quickly made up his mind!

    Three dayster, after all the small yers had resurrected and logged back in, he would publicly announce the end of the prologue of the main quest andvishly reward them with the spoils of war.

    For now, the most important thing was to settle the current situation and find someone to dig out the rewards the small yers deserved from the copsed Blood Vulture Halls. Murphy had previously obtained the key to the treasure vault from the miser Zuckerberg, but that ce was very close to the Sacred Blood Hall and was now buried under the rubble.

    However, the treasure vault was very sturdy and should not have beenpletely buried to the point of being beyond repair.

    ¡°The Astral Realm rift has reopened, allowing the primordial chaotic spirit energy to fill this area. I think we should leave here first before discussing anything else. What do you all think?¡±

    After a major battle, the knight lord Pnno urgently needed to freshen up to maintain his perfect appearance. He put away the fragrant notebook in his hand and offered his opinion to the others.Naturally, no one would object.

    Everyone who survived now desperately needed rest, even the usually energetic small yers were somewhat overwhelmed.

    Under the escort of the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, they passed through therge crevice in the city and rested in the tent camps amidst the ruins of the outer city. After treating the wounded here, they would be transferred to the survivor¡¯s camp.

    Miriam had arranged for physicians to be stationed here in advance, and Tris also went to help.

    The three small yers found a safe ce,y down on the ground, and then went offline to boast on the forum. Murphy also found a tent and used clean water to wipe his body.

    He was probably in the best condition of all the survivors.

    After all, he had just experienced a temte upgrade, leaving him full of energy. At this time, he was only wearing a loose linen robe as he walked out of the tent at night to check on the situation of the others, fulfilling his duty as their lord.

    As for the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor, Murphy had ordered it to move freely. The spiritual vulture was now soaring in the night skies above Transia, as if surveying its own domain.

    It quickly found some ¡°new friends.¡±

    Natalie¡¯s hunting falcon, Swift Shadow, and Tris¡¯s spirit familiar, the three-eyed raven Weber, were chased around by it as if they were prey. Relying on itsrge size and speed, it bullied its winged brethren, though it meant no real harm and was just ying with them in its carefree manner while asserting its dominance over the night sky.

    As a spiritual being, it did not crave flesh and blood as sustenance.

    Even the plump mouse it had caught earlier was merely part of the ¡°hunting ritual¡± it performed after being born into this new world.

    The other self had not left behind any thoughts or emotions, allowing the spirit vulture born from Murphy¡¯s consciousness to have the pure mentality of a true beast.

    But the other Murphy had indeed kept his promise and lent his eyes to himself.

    As long as Murphy closed his eyes now, he could borrow Revnor¡¯s vantage point from high above to observe the darknds below.

    The switch between the two perspectives was seamless, and their thoughts were also connected. Murphy could feel the newborn joy and sense of freedom that Revnor was experiencing.

    With thepanionship of the spiritually linked Revnor, Murphy could finally inspect his new domain from a more macro perspective.

    Soaring freely, the swift spirit vulture quickly noticed something worth paying attention to as it circled above Kadman City in the night. From its keen vision, Murphy could see that one of the Blood Knights under Pnno¡¯smand was standing in front of Young Lady¡¯s tent, saying something to Lady Adele who was guarding there.

    From the spirit vulture¡¯s sharp eyesight, Murphy could see that Adele¡¯s expression was not good.

    This made Murphy narrow his eyes.

    He waved his hand lightly, and a ck shadow shot out from behind his tent, circled around him once, and was then grabbed in his other hand.

    The Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil was currently very weak.

    It craved fresh blood to replenish its depleted power, but it dared not cause any trouble in Murphy¡¯s presence, remaining utterly obedient, not only because Murphy¡¯s soul was now bound to it, making him its new master.

    More importantly, this miraculous sword was well aware of why it had ended up in its current pitiful state.

    Its submission to Murphy was not only because Murphy had conquered it but also because it felt a genuine sense of awe towards the terrifying ¡°Omega¡± purification power hidden within Murphy. If a sword could truly have such a thing as a ¡°heart,¡± that is.

    That was a force capable of directly countering and purifying the Abyssal Chaos.

    In terms of sheer power, Murphy¡¯s ¡°antivirus program¡± might not be quite enough, but in terms of essence, this thing was clearly on the same level as those shadows from the Abyss that toyed with living beings and worlds, or perhaps even higher.

    The Desire Demon de did not have a personified will, but it certainly had its own unique personality.

    Arrogant when in power, yet prudent when fallen, it truly resembled the racial traits of Vampires.

    From Murphy¡¯s experience with the supposedly foul-mouthed Great Oak Sacred de, it seemed that all miraculous creations, like Necessary Evil, had their own distinct personalities.

    ¡°Behave yourself.¡±

    Murphy fastened this demon sword to his waist and silently merged into the night.

    Gliding soundlessly on his Blood Wings, he approached Young Lady¡¯s tent. When Lady Adele sensed the presence of the Elder, she immediately exited the tent and saw Murphy appear from the darkness, his hands behind his back. She immediately bowed in respect to the Elder.

    ¡°What are the Blood Knights here for?¡± he asked. ¡°Is it about the Young Lady?¡±

    ¡°He came to notify the Young Lady that she will have to return to the Dark Mountains with Lord Pnno two days from now, reportedly on orders from the Patriarch Payne. She is required, as the daughter of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s patriarch, to report to him and exin the circumstances surrounding the Kadman City incident.¡±

    Lady Adele said in a muffled voice, ¡°It is currently uncertain whether Lord Pnno has noticed the Young Lady¡¯s unusual state, but logically, he should not have had much time to investigate such matters. After all, Lady Tris summoned him, and he immediately joined the battle in the passage shortly after.

    The Young Lady is still unconscious. I¡­I am hesitant about whether to inform her of this matter.¡±

    ¡°And what else could you do besides not telling her? Do you think you can protect Femis and help her escape to the other side of the world?¡± Murphy shook his head and sighed. ¡°Since the Patriarch has issued orders in advance, it means that the most powerful ancient Vampire in their society has taken notice of what is happening here. If you and Femis attempt to flee now, it will only serve as proof that you have something to hide, and the Blood Pact Knights will undoubtedly strike with thunderous force.

    But you actually don¡¯t need to worry too much about this.

    As Tris had made clear before, under the circumstances of Salrokdar being controlled by the Abyssal Chaos, all of Femis¡¯s sins and breaking of taboos can be attributed to him.

    And now, as the hero who broke through the Abyssal rift and saved the Transia region, even the Patriarch must tread carefully when dealing with the Young Lady¡¯s situation.

    However, as a precaution, we should still add anotheryer of insurance to this matter.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Lady Adele did not quite understand Murphy¡¯s meaning.

    She looked at her Elder in puzzlement, but Murphy did not exin. Instead, he said, ¡°You and Maxim will lead a team into the copsed area of the Blood Vulture Halls first thing tomorrow morning to clear the way to the treasure vault. My three warriors will assist you, and this task must bepleted swiftly.

    I will handle the Young Lady¡¯s situation!

    Also, inform Miriam that I wish to discuss the victory celebration with her first thing tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, my lord.¡±

    Lady Adele no longer had any resistance to Murphy¡¯s orders.

    She bowed farewell, then stepped back a few paces, unfurled her Blood Wings, and took to the night skies to ry Murphy¡¯smands and find suitable personnel to prepare for the uing excavation work.

    Before bing a Vampire, Lady Adele had been the Young Lady¡¯s steward, responsible for handling all her mundane affairs. Murphy¡¯s current orders were simply routine tasks for her.

    After Adele¡¯s departure, Murphy parted the tent¡¯s curtains and entered.

    The darkness did not impede a Vampire¡¯s vision, and he could clearly see the Young Lady lying on a crude bed with her back to him, her shoulders shuddering as she suppressed her sobs, evidently, she had been silently weeping.

    She had awakened earlier.

    This night, which was an arduous fight for survival for others, was nothing short of the most terrifying nightmare of her life.

    The facts proved that for Salrokdar, her birth and upbringing were merely part of a n. It was highly possible that the Blood Vulture Patriarch had never viewed Femis as his kin, and all his kindness and affection were merely acts performed as necessary steps to further his n.

    For an outsider, this was a tragic story.

    But for the protagonist of this story, Murphy hardly needed to ponder or even empathize to understand the feeling of one¡¯s life crumbling apart.

    ¡°Look on the bright side. At the very least, you still have an overly righteous brother. Adele remains devoted to you, and my warriors are still willing to go through fire and water for your sake.¡±

    Murphy stood by the bed and spoke softly, ¡°You haven¡¯t lost everything.

    Although lies upied most of the first thirty years of your life, perhaps the very intensity of those lies makes the few truths you hold even more precious. I can¡¯t continue, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying myself.

    I have never experienced what you¡¯ve gone through, so I truly cannot empathize with you.

    But as I said before.

    I have started to feel pity for you, Femis. You truly are miserable. Compared to you, all the past suffering Tris and I endured seems insignificant.¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡± Femis said hoarsely, her voice choked with sobs. ¡°Leave me alone for a while! I don¡¯t want to talk about this now. You¡¯ve already obtained everything you wanted, territory, fame, and power. You¡¯ve got it all, so let me be alone.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯vee to return something to you, Young Lady.¡±

    Murphy approached her and retrieved an exquisite bronze box from his spirit pouch, the binary mechanical cipher box that had previously contained the core beads.

    He ced it before the Young Lady and gently opened it.

    A thing entwined with crimson flowing lights appeared in the tent, somewhat different from a typical Vampire¡¯s heart that had been excavated.

    Salrokdar¡¯s heart did not immediately solidify into a stone-like substance; instead, it seemed to possess some sort of eerie vitality, pulsating slowly in the box.

    To be honest, this scene looked rather unsettling.

    ¡°Even when I executed him, he offered no resistance at all. A single spirit shockwave would have been enough to repel and severely injure me, but he did not do that,¡± Murphy said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what his considerations were for acting that way, but it doesn¡¯t prevent me from thinking that perhaps he wanted to leave something behind for you in the guise of a ¡®father¡¯. Well, in the current sorrowful circumstances, we might as well consider it in a warmer, more heartwarming light.

    So, if you wish to keep it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tris needs it more than I do,¡± the Young Lady said, not even ncing at the Vampire¡¯s heart ced before her eyes.

    She scorned and showed no interest in this power delivered to her doorstep, covering her head with a nket and saying in a hoarse, disgusted voice: ¡°Tris was deceived by my father into using her own blood essence to create this monster, me! She sacrificed herself in exchange for my birth.

    This is what I owe her.

    And what my father owes her. Take it to Tris.

    And Murphy! You hypocritical fellow, this is what you had in mind from the start, isn¡¯t it? cing my father¡¯s heart before the eyes of his despairing daughter, what kind offort is that?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I thought my performance was good enough, but you still saw through me. I have to say, Young Lady, you¡¯re really quite perceptive and venomous when you¡¯re not suppressing yourself.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s tone was light as he put away the mechanical cipher box. He took a step back, looking at Femis, who had poked her head out and was ring at him with red eyes.

    After a moment¡¯s thought, he said to her in a very serious tone, ¡°A bad person died tonight! If you were a bad person, you should feel afraid and terrified. If you were a good person, you should be celebrating and feeling happy. In any case, crying should not be an option.

    He is not worthy of your tears.

    Besides, I meant to remind you before:

    You¡¯re a Vampire, Young Lady. You fundamentally cannot shed tears.

    Tears are too gentle a thing for our kind, and crying is not the usual way Vampires endure sorrow. We generally grab a few unlucky souls off the street at random and drain their blood to indulge ourselves. You overheard my conversation with Adele earlier, right?

    You¡¯ll be going with Sir Pnno to meet with the Patriarch Payne soon. I think that will be an experience more worthy of caution for you than directly facing your nightmarish father.

    So, instead of wasting time on things that cannot be changed, you should be more realistic.

    Think carefully about how you¡¯re going to survive the ordeal with the Patriarch, who is ten times more terrifying than your father.¡±

    With that, Murphy bowed politely and elegantly to bid farewell to the Young Lady.

    As he carried the mechanical box to the tent entrance, the Young Lady sat up behind him, wiping her sore eyes, and said softly, ¡°At first, I thought I was a Vampire of noble birth, a true midnight aristocrat. I tried to emte the other Vampires, to be as cold-blooded, as cunning, and as vicious as them.

    But I could never learn.

    It wasn¡¯t because I was too stupid.

    Quite the opposite, I simply had more emotions than they did, emotions that did not belong to a Vampire.

    Now I know the reason.

    I¡¯m a monster, Murphy.

    From the very beginning, I should not have tried to imitate the life of a Vampire. Fortunately, you seem to be an outlier in our race as well, so I can ask you: after just learning that I, too, am an outlier of our kind, how am I supposed to continue the life that has already copsed, or perhaps never even existed in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Good question!¡± Murphy snapped his fingers, turned to look at the Young Lady, and made an encouraging gesture, his expression deadpan as he said, ¡°Muster your courage! Face everything head-on, don¡¯t be such a wimp! Femis, you¡¯re the genius of the Blood Vulture n. Even Tris admitted that you¡¯re only a little bit dumber than her.¡±

    ¡°So, after witnessing everything I¡¯ve been through, the best advice you can give me is ¡®muster your courage¡¯?¡±

    The Young Lady clenched her fists and said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. I¡¯m genuinely seeking advice.¡±

    ¡°Ummm.¡± Murphy tilted his head in thought, then told her, ¡°Then my advice is to treat this as a game. Whether you detach yourself from it or immerse yourself in it is up to you, but don¡¯t worry so much about the oue. Enjoying the process is the most important experience in any game.¡±

    ¡°A game?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a game! Look, the curtain is raised, the lights are on, and the supporting cast is in position! The new, upgraded Young Lady Femis is about to make her entrance! Will she disappoint those who are paying attention to her? Will she be overwhelmed by the heavy waves of fate and be a dejected, broken thing?

    Heh, let those of us in the front row who have already bought tickets wait and see.¡±

    Murphy turned and walked into the night. With the unfurling and folding of his massive Blood Wings, he waved without looking back at the Young Lady watching him.

    ¡°If life is also a game, then the only criterion for enjoying it is not whether you canplete it, but whether you derive pleasure from it. After all, who would bother ying a game devoid of any fun, no matter how well-crafted it is?

    If life is a game, then every living person is a lucky one who has qualified for the test! If your life¡¯s game has only suffering and no joy, then I think you should reflect on whether your way of ying this game might be a bit wed.

    Well, take some time to ponder that while you still can.¡±

 Chapter 114:

    Murphy found Tris just as she had walked out of the tent where the injured were being sheltered.

    As a Spirit Sovereign, although she had lost her powers and was more inclined towards the more offensive Dark Spirit, Tris was not unfamiliar with the techniques of healing spells. At the very least, she could perform a few spirit recovery spells on a single person.

    She always had things to keep her busy, and Murphy never really interfered with Tris¡¯ daily life.

    However, this time Tris didn¡¯t seem to be in a good state.

    As she walked, she kept massaging her forehead, and herplexion was paler than usual.

    Murphy knew the reason for this.

    He went up to support Tris and asked softly:

    ¡°Has Salrokdar¡¯s death weakened you? I know that the departure of an elder always brings unspeakable pain to the descendants through the blood pact. That damned guy is still tormenting you even after his death.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I just didn¡¯t drink tonight, and on top of that, I have a headache from overusing my mind earlier.¡±Tris rolled her eyes, snorted, touched the wound on her neck, and said:

    ¡°I lost all my blood essence over a hundred years ago. Apart from still having Vampire life traits, I¡¯m no different from a fairly capable ordinary person. I think I¡¯ve unintentionally discovered the second solution to the blood pact that has gued Vampires for a thousand years.¡±

    The Crimson Witch Lady yed with the braid on her chest and joked with a touch of sarcasm:

    ¡°As long as you make yourself weak enough, the pain of an elder¡¯s departure can no longer affect you. It would be even better if you experienced something more painful than this every day. This bittersweet pain tinged with liberation can serve as a delightful reprieve in one¡¯s boring life.¡±

    Murphy pursed his lips, helped Tris back to her tent, opened a bottle of wine for her, poured her a ss, surrounded the ss with his cold death spirit to chill the wine, and then handed it to Tris, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend it doesn¡¯t hurt, does it?¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just not expose my feigned nonchnce? Little Murphy, you¡¯re really annoying when you¡¯re smart!¡±

    Tris sighed, took the winess and drank it all down, then let out a hearty ¡°ha¡± sound, and handed the ss back, tapping on the chair:

    ¡°Another one, but add some more ice cubes this time.¡±

    ¡°Drinking too much before bed isn¡¯t a good habit.¡±

    Murphy made his usual jibe, but poured her another ss regardless.

    This time, he gathered more death spirit energy in his palm, causing the wine to start giving off a chill.

    Tris propped her chin up and watched this spectacle. When Murphy turned back, she suddenly asked:

    ¡°Did you drink the Blood of Origins?¡±

    ¡°How did you know? I thought no one would know this secret.¡±

    The handsome young Vampire did not deny it, he could never lie to Tris.

    He looked at Tris curiously, awaiting her answer, while the Crimson Witch Lady let out a strangeugh and touched her lips, reminiscing:

    ¡°That ancient blood, full of spirit and power, tasted good, didn¡¯t it? Thest time I tasted it was over two hundred years ago, when the stingy Salrokdar gave us each a cup to strengthen our midnight powers when we went to steal the Seeds of Life.

    Unfortunately, that bastard put something in it that took away its ability to break the blood pact.

    He wouldn¡¯t grant me freedom, he was terrified of me back then!

    Now that I think about it, that scene was as ominous as a farewell drink. I didn¡¯t even have a chance to savor its exquisite taste.

    Seventeen elders went together, but only he and I came back. The decline of the Blood Vulture n also began that night. We exhausted the n¡¯s potential and high-end power, only to gain a possibility. And that seed nted over two hundred years ago finally brought about the utter destruction of the Blood Vultures this very night, as if driven by the rhythm of fate.

    But it is precisely because of this that I¡¯m quite familiar with the power boost drinking the Blood of Origins gives to Vampires.

    Little Murphy, you¡¯ve now made up for the talents and powers I couldn¡¯t give you. Your wings are strong enough now, perhaps you can soar alone in the skies instead of being trapped in this godforsaken ce, Transia.¡±

    ¡°I can, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to. I don¡¯t want too many choices, because that means I can only choose one thing while giving up more. Choosing isn¡¯t a good thing, and we don¡¯t need too much.¡±

    Murphy handed her the wine, which now had ice cubes floating in it, and said:

    ¡°You still need me here! You still need me, so we¡¯ll talk about traveling and seeing the worldter. I have a gift for you.¡±

    He was about to take out the mechanical cipher box containing Salrokdar¡¯s heart, but when his hand touched the spirit pouch at his waist, he suddenly stood upright and looked outside the tent.

    Through the shared vision of the Blood Spirit vulture Revnor, he saw someone else approaching.

    Sure enough, a few secondster, havingpleted his grooming and dispelled all traces of battle, once again regaining his handsome and dashing demeanor, the first Knight Lord of the Blood Pact Knights, Lord Pnno, appeared before Murphy and Tris in a very dashing and charming manner, bathed in the purple glow of the moonlight.

    This flirtatious fellow was dressed in a fitted, silver-white long robe with arge embroidered silver moon on the back, clearly an Elven-style ¡°loungewear¡±, and he was holding arge bouquet of red and ck intertwined roses in his hand.

    Clearly, he had alsoe to deliver something.

    Murphy¡¯s expression immediately soured.

    In the middle of the night!

    What is this grown man doing,ing to Tris¡¯ tent with those flirtatious roses? Didn¡¯t we all agree in the copsed hallway earlier? This guy has no principles, trying tounch a sneak attack, right?

    But this was actuallypletely Murphy overthinking it.

    Lord Pnno was a very gentlemanly Vampire superior. He did note here to express some delicate feelings towards Tris, but merely as an old friend to celebrate Tris¡¯s ¡°freedom¡±.

    ¡°Ah, the Crimson Witch, radiant as the midnight fire, my former muse goddess. I am grateful to see that you have finally, under the blessing of midnight, escaped the binding contract of an ambitious madman.

    From this night onward, no one shall hinder you from enjoying the hard-earned freedom.¡±

    Pnno reached out and brushed his golden, lion¡¯s mane-like curled long hair, giving off a faint scent of men¡¯s cologne. He then smiled and offered the midnight roses in his hands.

    Tris held a winess in one hand and rather nonchntly epted the roses before her with the other, bringing them to her nose to smell.

    ¡°Hmm, the distinct earthy fragrance of the Dark Mountains vein underground. It seems your ill-fated rose garden is still in operation, huh?

    To maintain such delicate rose growth in that godforsaken ce, the Dark Mountains vein, your investment each year must be astronomical figures. Has the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ economy be so affluent?¡±

    Tris pursed her lips and said:

    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for over a hundred years. Thest time I saw you, you told me you had 37 goddess loves in your heart. How many are there now?¡±

    ¡°137!¡±

    The Vampire lord let out a heartyugh and said proudly:

    ¡°I am indeed a gentleman so richly emotional and appreciative of beautiful things. I have always taken pride in this.¡±

    But the next second, he became sad again. Under Murphy¡¯s slightly disdainful gaze, he took out an exquisite ck notebook, caressed it affectionately, and said:

    ¡°However, the passage of a hundred years has brought the curse of aging upon 48 of the goddesses I once admired. Human life is always as brilliant as fireworks, its astonishing charm hidden in that fleeting glimpse. When I recorded their beauty, even an instant seemed to be eternal.

    Death, ah.

    It cruelly takes away so much beauty, leaving only pale memories to soothe our grieving hearts.¡±

    In a recitation befitting a wandering bard, this golden-haired knight opened his notebook and tore out a page, handing it to Tris.

    Blinking his blue eyes, he said softly with full emotion:

    ¡°The Crimson Witch of infinite charm has returned from death, my dear Tris. I can finally put an unforgettable sorrowpletely behind me.¡±

    Tris took the page, on which was Pnno¡¯s handmade drawing.

    It depicted the scene of thest time he saw the Crimson Witch over a hundred years ago.

    Murphy nced sideways and was surprised to find that this unreliable phnderer actually had exquisite sketching skills.

    On the small piece of paper, he had drawn Tris from back then. Even though it was only a ck-and-white drawing, one could still see that Tris¡¯s expression, demeanor, and attire at that time werepletely different from now.

    If one had to describe it, the Tris of that time was obviously much more aloof than the current deadbeat, with the aura of a protagonist from a dark tale.

    ¡°Thanks, little Pnno.¡±

    For a moment, Tris fell silent.

    She looked at the drawing in her hands, and after a few seconds, she thanked him with a tinge of sadness:

    ¡°Thank you for reminding me of the past I had long forgotten. But did youe here tonight for a particr reason? As you can see, I was discussing some personal matters with my descendant.¡±

    Tris¡¯s response brought a slight smile to Murphy¡¯s lips.

    As expected of the Crimson Witch!

    Intelligentdies always manage to consider their men¡¯s little thoughts inadvertently.

    But Pnno shook his head, brushed his golden hair in a very graceful yet mboyant manner, and then turned his lover-like gentle gaze towards Murphy.

    He smiled and exined:

    ¡°I did note for you, Tris. I came for the handsome Murphy, to give him something important to discuss.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Now it was Tris whose expression became abnormal.

    The Crimson Witch oddly shifted her gaze between Murphy, whose expression had also changed slightly, and the smiling Pnno.

    Hey!

    In the middle of the night!

    What private matter do you two overly handsome single men need to discuss?

    Although she knew Pnno was not keen on pursuing overly intimate friendships between the same sex and had confidence in Murphy¡¯s integrity, she could not be sure the two fellows would not spark some strange mes between them.

    ¡°Just discuss it here!¡±

    Tris set aside the winess and roses in her hands, saying:

    ¡°I am Murphy¡¯s elder, and I have the right to eavesdrop on anything concerning him.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s nothing untoward.¡±

    Pnno snapped his fingers.

    Amid a unique spiritual reverberation, the light dots transformed into dancing roses, sculpting a luxurious spirit-formed chair for him. He sat on it very properly and gestured for Murphy to sit as well.

    Thetter shook his head and stood behind Tris, cing his hand on her shoulder.

    This action allowed Tris to breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.

    Good, it doesn¡¯t seem like there will be any hellish sparks flying.

    As expected of little Murphy, smart enough and considerate enough to know what to do to prevent thedy of the house from overthinking.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the ck Disaster!¡±

    The knight lord¡¯s expression became serious.

    He said:

    ¡°This is actually the main purpose of mying to Transia. Theoretically, helping you get rid of the fallen Salrokdar was just a casual act.

    Next, I will go to the capital of the Kingdom of Nordtov, North Wind Fortress, on behalf of Lord Payne and the Blood Pact Knights. Then I¡¯ll pass through the Ice Bay and the Saxony forests to reach White Cliffs, finally crossing the Greenleaf Strait to enter the Mist City of the Goldflower Kingdom.

    Under Lord Payne¡¯s instructions, I will inform the leaders of every power on the continent that the Fifth ck Disaster is about to ur, and ording to the ancient ¡®Brass Pact¡¯, I will demand that they send elite troops to the Dark Mountains vein to support the defense line from Brass Citadel to the Deste Mountains.

    Transia is my first stop, but Salrokdar is already dead, so thismand must be epted by the new lord of thesends.

    Revnor Murphy Lessenbra!

    As the lord of the region near Kadman City, I demand that you prepare to face the ck Disaster in theing months!

    Due to Transia¡¯s unique terrain and special positioning during the past ck Disasters, you do not need to send soldiers to support Brass Citadel, but you must defend locally to prevent the ck Disaster from spreading to the continental core regions.¡±

    As Pnno described, Tris¡¯s expression became increasingly grave and serious, and Murphy also revealed a solemn look.

    Although he only had a vague concept of the word ¡°ck Disaster¡±.

    This was normal.

    After all, thest ck Disaster urred 111 years ago, which for humans was as distant as a tale from legend and myth.

    ¡°The Blood Vulture n has just suffered a devastating blow! And the damned Ten Year War has already dismembered the Portia Federation, with the Goldflower Kingdom and the Kingdom of Nordtov about to devour what remains from the east and west! Little Pnno! You are well aware of what has happened here over the past few hundred years. The Second Night War and the Ten Year War severely weakened the Blood Vulture n.

    The Fourth ck Disaster¡¯s scars on thesends have not evenpletely faded, with Gnoll bandits roaming everywhere in the remote areas.

    We are no longer glorious.

    Transia has now reached its weakest point in the past 400 years. We alone cannot possibly defend the Foul Swamp line.

    We need help!¡±

    Tris was straightforward about major issues. She sat up straight and said seriously to Pnno:

    ¡°This is not even a request! You must convey my opinion to Lord Payne. If he does not care, then this ck Disaster breaking through the Transia region is a foregone conclusion.¡±

    ¡°I understand, and the Lord has already made adjustments for this.¡±

    Pnno raised his hand, signaling Tris not to worry, and exined:

    ¡°The Lord¡¯s instructions to me require that when I meet the ¡®Wolf Queen¡¯ and King Louis, I demand that the Kingdom of Nordtov and the Goldflower Kingdom send troops into southern Transia to help you defend against the ck Disaster. And they must release the 26,000 armed Blood Servants and Blood Vulture Vampires captured in the previous war.

    Since they have devoured the essence of the Portia Federation, which was originally tasked with defense, they must assume the responsibilities the Portia Federation bore for hundreds of years!¡±

    Tris breathed a sigh of relief.

    But Murphy questioned:

    ¡°Will the human kings really obey Lord Payne¡¯s orders? I¡¯m not questioning the Lord¡¯s authority, but we are Vampires, and they are humans!¡±

    ¡°They will listen when ites to matters of the ck Disaster,¡± Pnno shook his head and said:

    ¡°Even without the Lord¡¯s request, the two kings would definitely send forces to support you. The reason is simple: if Transia, which faces the ck Disaster directly, falls, then their kingdoms will be the next ce to suffer!

    No one can remain unscathed in such a disaster!

    There is not a single country or power on this continent that can face the ck Disaster alone, not even the Castilia Kingdom of the Elves or the Sanghai Empire from the thousand-year desert!

    Of course, if they could learn from the powerful and mysterious Ancient Calum Kingdom to build wondrous dragon-spine ridges along the borders, and muster armies of millions to fill the frontier defenses, then perhaps there would be a chance.

    But I am curious, Murphy.

    Why do you doubt the Lord¡¯s influence in this matter?

    The past four ck Disasters were only ovee with difficulty under the leadership of Lord Payne and other racial leaders.¡±

    The First Lord looked at Murphy with puzzlement, while Tris waved her hand and exined:

    ¡°Murphy was only embraced by me a year ago. Before that, he was just an 18-year-old young man who knew nothing. Back then, he would have even regarded the ck Disaster as a story from legend. Humans are inherently shortsighted, you cannot me him for this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Pnno nodded, and his gaze towards Murphy became even more brilliant.

    He marveled:

    ¡°To achieve such power in just one year! What a beautiful talent, and what an exceptional will! It seems our Vampire lineage will give birth to another transcendent genius like the Crimson Witch.

    To witness this moment myself, I am truly fortunate!¡±

 Chapter 115:

    When he heard Pnno praising Murphy¡¯s talents with mushynguage and exaggerated words, the praised Murphy blushed, and he and Tris both had rather peculiar expressions.

    Tris hesitated whether to tell Pnno the truth or not.

    That is, for most of the past year, little Murphy had been cking off and taking care of her, this vampire wreck who could hardly take care of herself. His real growth only happened in thest twenty-odd days.

    Sheesh!

    Thinking about it this way, little Murphy¡¯s talents were indeed terrifyingly monstrous!

    Perhaps guessing what Tris was thinking, Murphy¡¯s expressionless hand on her shoulder gave a firm squeeze, immediately bringing her back to her senses.

    Alright.

    This can¡¯t be said.

    Especially about Murphy and his otherworld warrior status, that absolutely cannot be mentioned.It seems the spirit dog tags Tris made for the little yers were quite useful, at least Pnno, who walked the physical job path, didn¡¯t discover that the yers were summoned beings from another realm.

    ¡°As Tris said, I am an outright ¡®semi-illiterate¡¯ among the vampire n groups,¡± Murphy sighed in pretended helplessness, then looked at Pnno and said, ¡°Perhaps you could exin the ck Disaster to me. I only know that it is a monster alliance that erupted from the Dark Mountain Range, and they mass charge towards various parts of the continent every hundred years or so, but I ampletely unaware of the specific causes.¡±

    ¡°Well, your summary is already quite precise,¡± the First Lord smiled and casually took out a folded map from his bag.

    The most absurd thing was that this item also had that intense rose fragrance, making Murphy¡¯s eyes twitch involuntarily.

    Hey, brother, I know your persona is a charming yboy, but there¡¯s no need for your personal style to be this overwhelming. I mean, you¡¯re really a bit too extreme, you know.

    ¡°Shaa¡±

    With Pnno¡¯s spirit support, the map unfolded before Murphy¡¯s eyes.

    This thing was extremely huge, clearly a military-grade map, but it only depicted the terrain of the Dark Mountain Range area, not the entire continent.

    The so-called Dark Mountain Range was not a simple single mountain! Its area was immense, stretching from the western borders of the Ancient Calum Kingdom in the east to the eastern line of the Genoa Penins in the west, bordering the narrow Misty Coast to the south, and reaching north to the line from Transia to the Kafhoka ins.

    Just this three-sided mountain range, with one side bordering the sea, upied a quarter of the continent¡¯s total area, four timesrger than the entire national border of the Portia Federation where Transia was located!

    If viewed from aary orbit, the Dark Mountain Range would appear like a ck scar on the continent, resembling a scabbed-over wounded area. Such a vast region could not possibly consist of only mountainous terrain; in reality, the description ¡°Dark Mountain Range¡± merely referred to the encircling mountain ranges surrounding this enormous area.

    From Pnno¡¯s detailed map, one could discern that the Dark Mountain Range was filled with various terrains such as swamps, ins, chasms, deserts, and even indkes and snow-capped mountains.

    This military map from the Blood Pact Knights also specifically marked the different areas controlled by different forces within the Dark Mountain Range.

    The ins and swamps ruled by the Gnoll tribes, the mountain peaks upied by man-eaters, the eternal chasms and mysterious gloomy domains of the Shadow Elves, vast expanses of gray deserts and salt dead seas, as well as some scattered minor forces.

    For instance, the Fortress of Sins, Burning Peak, and Hunger Mountain, among others.

    Just this map alone opened Murphy¡¯s eyes wide, and as his gaze precisely scanned over every part of the map, the areas originally shrouded in mist except for the Transia region in the testing management system¡¯s map function were also ¡°lit up,¡± covering the entire Dark Mountain Range area in the style of the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ military map.

    Yay!

    Isn¡¯t this just new maps and new expansion content?

    The little yer was overjoyed!

    ¡°The reason the Dark Mountain Range is Dangerous is not only due to the barbaric Gnoll tribes, Kobolds, and Goatmen subordinate ns active there, but also because the entire Dark Mountain Range area has been shrouded in polluted and rampant spirits since the beginning of the era.

    Those polluted spirits seeping underground gave birth to life forms that are wild and bellicose, with no semnce of civilization to speak of.¡±

    Pnno¡¯s finger slid across the map before him as he said in a low voice:

    ¡°However, the Dark Mountain Range does have aplete food chain and ecosystem within it. It is this food chain that maintains the basic stability of this savage region, based on those polluted spirits and causing the life forms there to breed extensively, constantly facing fierce challenges toplete the metamorphosis of death.

    Take the Gnolls for example!

    They are very fertile.

    But their death rate in the harsh environment of the Dark Mountain Range is also very high, barely maintaining a slow growth of the tribe to prevent any major upheaval.

    Unfortunately, the polluted spirits in the Dark Mountain Range have a rather peculiar ¡®periodic variation¡¯.

    For a very long time, this variation was unknown until the first major ¡®pollution depletion¡¯ event urred in the year 645 of the era.

    The polluted spirits shrouding the Dark Mountain Range suddenly weakened to an almost ¡®calm¡¯ state within a few years, allowing life from the outside to truly enter this area for exploration. But the abrupt change in spirits disrupted the already fragile food chain and ecosystem within the Dark Mountain Range.

    With the improved living environment, the Gnolls began to proliferate rapidly, spawning a massive barbarian army within just five short years.

    They started conquering the surrounding forces for territory, herding the Kobolds and Trolls along as they advanced outwards from the Dark Mountain Range in pursuit of more food and resources.

    That was the first ck Disaster in history!¡±

    The First Lord pointed at the eastern mountain entrance and northwestern exit of the Dark Mountain Range, ncing at Murphy as he said:

    ¡°The scale of that ck Disaster was notrge. The Gnoll tide¡¯s eastern invasion was held back by the Brass Citadel built by the Brass Dwarves at the entrance of the Dark Mountain Range. However, they soon found another unguarded exit in the northwest.¡±

    ¡°Foul Swamp!¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes, and he could guess what happened next without the First Lord¡¯s description.

    ¡°Yes, the Foul Swamp in the southernmost part of the Transia region, thergest swamp terrain on the continent, a natural barrier separating the continental core from the Dark Mountain Range,¡± Tris took over, sipping her wine while sighing.

    ¡°I had not been born during the first ck Disaster, but from the records of the Blood Vulture n, I learned of the tragedy at that time.

    Over 200,000 Gnolls and their subordinate ns charged savagely through the Foul Swamp, dispersing into the then n-based Transia region, and nearly all the human tribes in the area were wiped out within half a month.

    Afterwards, the Gnolls pushed east and west. The free cities of Sn paid the price of one-third annihtion to withstand the Gnoll tide.

    The Nord ns were able to protect their great wilderness with the aid of the Frost Dwarves, the Thorn n, and their North Wind deity.

    It took the human ns fifteen years to drive the Gnolls back into the Dark Mountain Range.

    The Vampires also started to deeply bond with humans from that time.

    It was our first time fighting side by side with humans, and back then, we still firmly held the leadership.

    But the first ck Disaster was not entirely bad.

    Five years after the end of the ck Disaster, the free cities of Sn in the Anju, Bourbon, and Saxony regions took the lead in unifying under the wartime alliance system.

    They established the first human kingdom of Sn.

    Subsequently, the Isa Kingdom on Greenleaf Ind also began a unification war, while the Nordtov Kingdom was thest to be established, but ultimately conquered the Winter Descendants of the great wilderness hundreds of yearster, still descendants of the human hero king Boris who first resisted the Gnolls that year.

    It can be said that it was the first ck Disaster that erupted in the year 650 of the era that shaped the current human civilization.¡±

    ¡°And the Portia Federation?¡± Murphy said, ¡°The establishment of this region we¡¯re in was also due to the ck Disaster?¡±

    ¡°That was the second ck Disaster,¡± Tris waved her hand, casually speaking like a historian should, ¡°The second ck Disaster erupted in the year 720 of the era, but its scale was smaller, more like a remnant counterattack from the first one.

    Although the Gnolls broke through the Foul Swamp again, the prepared human allied forces firmly sealed them within the Transia region. With the swift response from the Dwarves of the Brass Citadel, after three years of fighting, they sessfully drove the Gnolls back into the Dark Mountain Range.

    After that, humans realized the connection between the Transia region and the Dark Mountain Range. No kingdom was willing to take over this destend that would always suffer from turmoil.

    With no choice, the kingdoms of Sn, Isa, and Nordtov each sent a batch of unlucky aristocrats to station here, along with border residents who migrated here, establishing the political framework of this ce.

    That was the initial form of the Portia Federation.

    They said it well back then! They imed to emte the privileges of the Dwarven Gaia Wardens of the Brass Citadel, bestowing upon the chosen aristocrats the sacred duty of ¡®defending civilization¡¯ and the right to establish an independent nation.

    Unfortunately, the three major kingdoms¡¯ covert maniptions prevented the entire Portia Federation region from ever establishing a truly unified nation, and the alliance of the seven free cities of the Portia Federation was also a reluctant measure.

    The Blood Vulture n also took control of the Transia region at that time.

    Back then, the human aristocrats and kings even praised Salrokdar¡¯s actions here as a ¡®glorious undertaking¡¯, but 400 yearster, we became the shameless night thieves who stole theirnds in the eyes of humans.¡±

    ¡°How do you know this history so clearly?¡± Murphy looked at Tris in surprise. The crimson witch rolled her pretty eyes and said, ¡°Because before bing a Vampire, I was a Spirit Mage and historian, and this history happens to be something I personally experienced. I was born in the year 660 of the era, right when the first ck Disaster was about to end, so I basically witnessed the entire process of the Portia Federation¡¯s birth.

    Ten years before the second ck Disaster erupted, I was initially embraced by Salrokdar while battling a severe illness, officially beginning my life as a Vampire.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re only 451 years old,¡± Murphy said softly. ¡°Less than 500 years, yet you always im to be 500 years old. It¡¯s a natural instinct fordies to understate their age, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone intentionally exaggerating their age. You¡¯re truly a weirdo, Tris, in every sense of the word.¡±

    ¡°You shut up! Mind your own business!¡± Tris stepped on Murphy¡¯s left foot in displeasure and said, ¡°We¡¯re discussing serious matters here! Pnno, you continue.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I can wait a bit,¡± the yboy knight lord looked at the interesting interaction between this pair with an age gap of 432 years, waving his hand as he said, ¡°The way you two interact is quite amusing. I haven¡¯t seen such a friendly rtionship between an elder and a blood descendant in many years, even in the Blood Pact Knights, such exchanges are rare.¡±

    ¡°You shut up!¡± Murphy and Tris chided in unison, causing Pnno to shrug before continuing from where Tris left off.

    ¡°The third ck Disaster urred in the year 860 of the era. Its scale was simrly small, to the point where everyone involved in resisting the ck Disaster felt that perhaps we were too worried about this once-in-a-century cmity?

    After all, with the growth of various civilized forces, the Gnoll tide that could once easily overwhelm the continent seemed to have be a ¡®natural phenomenon¡¯ not worth too much attention. The third ck Disaster didn¡¯t even require the Dwarves¡¯ involvement, as the human allied forces alone were enough to contain the Gnolls in the southern part of Transia without letting them advance an inch.

    However, facts proved that the Gnolls were not stupid.

    At the very least, not as stupid as we imagined, for they could also learn and inherit knowledge.¡±

    The First Lord narrowed his eyes, his finger circling an area of forest at the southern foothills of the Dark Mountain Range as he said:

    ¡°During the third ck Disaster, the Gnoll warlord did not dispatch all their warriors. Instead, while traditionally attacking the Brass Citadel and invading Transia, they also sent a special Gnoll force to seize this Moss Valley from the Shadow Elves.

    This is one of the rare areas in the Dark Mountain Range with a mild climate and abundant food, and most crucially, it suffers very little interference from the polluted spirits.

    I don¡¯t need to describe what will happen next.¡±

    Pnno stood up, casually plucking a white rose and lightly sniffing it beneath his nostrils. With his artistic motion, the story of the ck Disaster also arrived at its most critical turning point.

    ¡°In the year 1000 of the era, the fourth ck Disaster arrived as scheduled!

    Due to the unified decision reached by the leaders during the third ck Disaster, aside from the stubborn Brass Dwarves not reducing the defensive forces of the Brass Citadel, all other forces unanimously withdrew part of their military might dedicated to defending against the ck Disaster.

    Meanwhile, the Gnolls who had been secretly umting strength in the Moss Valley for 140 years erupted this time under the leadership of a great warlord called ¡®Bonecrusher¡¯!

    Not only did they have an army more than ten timesrger than the third ck Disaster, but even more terrifyingly, they had also spawned spirit individuals en masse.

    No one knows where the Gnolls learned these abilities, but they had established spellcasting units.

    Thus, in the first month of the fourth ck Disaster, the entire Portia Federation fell except for Kadman City, Sognor City, and West Coker City! The neighboring Kafhoka ins, Ice Bay, Saxony, eastern Prussia, and the Cato region¡¯s borders all became ygrounds for the rampaging Gnolls.

    By the time the stunned human civilization reacted, the ck Disaster had escted from a torrent into a deluge. In the sixth month, the Gnoll vanguard even reached the outskirts of North Wind Fortress.

    But just like a rey of the first ck Disaster!

    In the final moments before the extinction of their civilization, humans finally achieved unconditional unity.

    The decadent Sn nobles in our eyes reimed their ancestral glory, with King Louis VI personally leading the Knights of the Royal Guard to the front lines. The Isa Kingdom also spared no effort, dispatching all their warships across the Dangerous northern seas, braving storms and sea monsters to aid Nordtov.

    Most importantly, thest human nation that had been coldly watching everything unfold, the Ancient Calum Kingdom existing for over 800 years in the post-era history, finally intervened in the ck Disaster for the first time.

    The mysterious and powerful Dragonbloods crossed the White Mountains border with the Nordtov Kingdom, and those brave warriors who believed in the Astral Realm dragons came to support Nord¡¯s precarious kingdom across the great wilderness.

    Additionally, when the Gnolls on the western front crossed into the Antania region and foolishly burned the Elves¡¯ emerald forests, this finally enraged the Castilia Elves who rarely interfered excessively in continental affairs.

    With the majestic Amastar summer fleet carrying twenty-seven Forest Ranger legions and three Storm Druid legions, they executed an unprecedented gloriousnding on the Misty Coast. United with their ancient distant kin, the thirteen Shadow Elf ns living in the Eternal Chasm, theyunched a rear assault on the Gnoll defense lines in the Dark Mountain Range.

    All the civilizations and races of the continent were united, and faced with such force, the ck Disaster that had once threatened to overwhelm the continent was finally effectively contained.

    When the grand Sanghai Empire also dispatched their magnificent Sun Ship to join the battlefield, precisely annihting the tribe of the great warlord Bonecrusher in southern Transia, the Bonecrusher King fled into the Foul Swamp without a trace.

    The fourth ck Disaster, after eight years of rampage, finally entered the difficult counterattack phase.

    Ultimately, it took us a full ten years, at the cost of nearly 400,000 warriors of various races and millions of civilian sacrifices, to drive the Gnolls back into their mountains once more.

    From then on, no one dared underestimate the ck Disaster again!

    And the trauma inflicted by the fourth ck Disaster has yet to heal on the continent even 111 yearster. The former Transia region once had nearly 2.3 million people, but now there are less than 400,000 left, and that was just the number before the ten-year war began.¡±

    Pnno turned his head in the silent tent, looking at Murphy¡¯s solemn face as he said softly:

    ¡°Now, another ck Disaster is already brewing, and we have discovered abnormal activity among all the Gnoll tribes across the entire Dark Mountain Range, while this cycle of pollution depletion in the Dark Mountain Range has entered its final stage.

    At the very least four months, at most six months, and the fifth ck Disaster will be fully formed!

    At that time, Murphy, as the current sole free lord of the Transia region, whether you are willing or not, you will have to bear the sacred duty bestowed upon the Portia Federation at its establishment.

    Either embody an iron wall to block the ck Disaster!

    Or be mercilessly devoured by it.

    This is the cruel rule that all who wish to establish dominion in Transia must face. Unfortunately, you have already joined this game, and so far, you are the only candidate.

    If you want to run, Lord Payne will personally teach you what Blood n dignity means!¡±

    Murphy had no intention of running. He merely blinked, ncing at the rather subtle six-monthpletion period on his ¡°main quest¡±, with all his doubts dawning upon him in that moment.

    Well, I did wonder why this madly obsessive management system so generously gave me half a year to develop, but it turns out this is what awaits me.

    Damn!

 Chapter 116:

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look so gloomy. Come, have a drink.¡±

    On the edge of the great chasm between the outer city ruins and the inner city of Kadman City, Pnno the knight squinted his eyes as he looked up at the peculiar, mysterious, and exquisite ¡°Astral Realm Creation¡± overhead. His tone was rxed and pleasant as he handed a cup of wine to Murphy beside him.

    Although Pnno was smiling, Murphy still felt like the guy was mocking him. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that Murphy was just being too sensitive.

    After a discussion about the ck Disaster, the two men left Tris, who said she wanted to rest, and came here to enjoy the ¡°night view.¡±

    Murphy was not in a rxed mood at all right now.

    He looked up at the strange scar piercing the starry river overhead and took the wine cup handed to him by Pnno. As expected, there were a few rose petals floating on the surface of the wine.

    ¡°You bastard!¡±

    The vampire nced at the handsome knight lord beside him and cursed inwardly:

    ¡°You must be a rose spirit that became a vampire!¡±¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much about the ck Disaster. Putting aside the fact that it still needs several months to brew, it will take some time to make exploratory attacks even after it fully forms.

    Due to the huge impact of the Fourth ck Disaster, all forces will go all-out from the very beginning this time. In the best-case scenario, the gnolls won¡¯t even make it past the Foul Swamp before being crushed by the cavalry scouts of various races outside the Dark Mountain range.¡±

    Pnnoforted him in a gentle tone:

    ¡°Due to the painful lesson fromst time, Lord Payne has also decided to move the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ camp to the line from the deste Shando Mountains to the Foul Swamp outside the Dark Mountain range. We will be at the forefront, and with the military support of the Goldflower Kingdom and the Kingdom of Nordtov, the defensive pressure on you in Transia will also be much less.

    The situation is not as dire as you think.

    In Lord Payne¡¯s most optimistic thoughts, the Fifth ck Disaster may well be just a lingering echo of a great ck Disaster from a century ago, simr to the Second ck Disaster.

    Of course, if your territory still looks as bad as this six months from now, just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.

    You don¡¯t even need the ck tide of gnolls to sweep through. If the gnoll bandits roaming the Transia region are rallied, this ce will turn to dust. But I think you, as the lord, shouldn¡¯t let that happen, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes and said, ¡°To be honest, I was nning to run away with Tris. After you leave, I¡¯ll take her and my current subjects and flee in any direction. Six months is enough time for us to escape to the legendary new continent.

    Whoever wants this damned ce can have it.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you really know how to joke. So different from other gloomy and cunning vampires. I like you, kid.¡±

    Pnnoughed and patted Murphy¡¯s shoulder. He said, ¡°But you don¡¯t have a chance anymore. Lord Payne has noticed you, beautiful Murphy. If you try to run now, you¡¯ll be executed as a deserter.¡±

    ¡°I was just saying that.¡±

    Murphy sighed and brought the wine to his lips for a light sip. The sweet fruit wine was mixed with a faint trace of blood, which satisfied his vampire¡¯s thirst to some degree.

    He turned to look at the still ruined city behind him and said, ¡°This territory is what my warriors and I obtained through our utmost efforts. Even if it costs my life, I will die here. But I need help, Lord Pnno. I need a lot of help, not just resources.¡±

    He thought for a moment and said to Lord Pnno, ¡°Could you send some instructors to my territory? I can pay them a sry. I just need them to help train the warriors I¡¯ve gathered in the war against Salrokdar.

    You¡¯ve seen it too. My warriors are brave enough, but they severelyck tactical and strength training.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, their willingness to face death and heartbreaking loyalty is rarely seen in my life!¡±

    The knight lord nodded and said, ¡°Their ferocity reminds me of the human heroes who defended their homes during the Fourth ck Disaster. I will select my attendants toe and teach them. But I have one question. I¡¯ve been to Transia many times, but I can¡¯t understand theirnguage at all.¡±

    Pnno looked at Murphy in puzzlement and said, ¡°Where did you find these strange people?¡±

    ¡°They are mountain folk!¡±

    Murphy exined earnestly, ¡°They are inhabitants of the barbaric mountain forests at the junction of Saxony and the Ice Bay region. The locals call them ¡®wild people.¡¯ During the three Saxony campaigns of the Ten Years¡¯ War, their homnds were mercilessly burned and destroyed.

    The surviving tribesmen could only migrate southward, and luckily, I encountered them.

    There are many more people like them.

    I also put in a lot of effort to learn theirnguage, and they promised me that they would gather more of their tribesmen to join my forces.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ancient mountain folk, I see. That exins it.¡±

    Lord Pnno nodded and said, ¡°There are still many such mountain folk scattered across the continent. I have personally seen their traces in the northern mountain ranges of Greenleaf Ind. These mountain folk truly inherit the ferocious blood of ancient humans, daring to hunt cunning and powerful flying lions with just wooden spears. Their customs and way of life arepletely different from those of the so-called civilized humans today.

    Butmunication is indeed a major problem.¡±

    ¡°Use this.¡±

    Murphy took out a Computation Bead and handed it to Lord Pnno, then recounted the story of how he intercepted this item in Smuggler¡¯s Woods.

    With Tris¡¯ presence, this yboy lord probably wouldn¡¯t speak nonsense about these matters.

    However, Pnno¡¯s interest was not in how the Computation Bead was obtained, but in the item itself.

    He had clearly seen simr things before. He took it in his hand and examined it repeatedly, his expression bing odd. Afterwards, under Murphy¡¯s puzzled gaze, he opened the rear connector of the bead and pointed to a mark-like pattern inside, saying:

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s the work of that bastard Ryuk Flywheel! I knew it, how could so many Computation Beads appear out of nowhere in Transia when the Shaldor halflings had already banned their export from the Genoa Penins?

    Those naive little dwarves never want their creations to be used for war, but unfortunately, everything they make is a weapon capable of changing wars.¡±

    ¡°You know him too?¡±

    Murphy became interested immediately.

    From the item identification, he knew this batch of Computation Beads came from this guy called ¡°Ryuk Flywheel.¡± Hearing Pnno mention him, he asked right away: ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this guy? Can he even get his hands on Halfling secret machinery? To be honest, we are in dire need of qualified weapons right now. If we can contact him¡­¡±

    ¡°Ryuk is a bastard Halfling. Some of the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ handgun attendants asionally deal with him. In the Dark Mountain region, he¡¯s the only reliable machinery supplier, but the guy is a ck-hearted arms dealer.

    He wouldn¡¯t dare try anything funny with the Blood Pact Knights, but anyone who approaches him voluntarily will definitely get ripped off.

    You need to be careful when dealing with him.¡±

    Pnno was quite frank as he took out the map and circled the location of ¡°Hunger Mountain,¡± introducing it to Murphy:

    ¡°Ryuk entered the Dark Mountain range over forty years ago. Who knows what method he used to subdue therge group of Troll bandits lurking in Hunger Mountain and tantly became a wild warlord there.

    It¡¯s said this guy¡¯s arms business is booming, and he even has secret trade dealings with some progressive Gnoll tribes and a deep rtionship with the redeemed Dwarves of Sin Fortress. He was also involved in the military reform that began in the Goldflower Kingdom thirty years ago.

    He doesn¡¯t refuse anyone who wants to do business with him, but you¡¯d better prepare a generous reward. And Ryuk Flywheel is a guy with a strange personality, he¡¯s an idealistic person, which doesn¡¯t conflict with the truth that he¡¯s a bad sort. He¡¯s a contradictory amalgamation.

    In any case, after your people are prepared, my attendants can guide you there.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the information.¡±

    Murphy noted down the location of Hunger Mountain and marked it on his map system.

    That ce wasn¡¯t too far from the Foul Swamp, but it was still in the inner part of the outskirts of the Dark Mountain range. The small yers clearly didn¡¯t have the ability to approach there now.

    However, at their pace of growth, if a team of 40 people who hadpleted the ck Iron Trial was formed, they might be able to try crossing the Foul Swamp and establish ties with this arms dealer.

    After finishing their official business, Murphy and Lord Pnno¡¯s conversation turned into a rxed and pleasant atmosphere.

    Although this First Lord seemed unreliable, and was an ultra-simp worshiping nearly a hundred goddesses, Murphy had to admit he left the best impression among all the vampires he had met so far.

    Excluding Tris, of course.

    Tris would never be mentioned in the same breath as other vampires in Murphy¡¯s heart.

    This Lord Pnno must hold a high position in the Blood Pact Knights, but he himself had none of the bad habits of those in power. Rather than a powerful leader, Murphy felt he was more like the ssic protagonist from those romantic novels about knights.

    Aside from his narcissism and overly mboyant actions, this vampire bigwig really had no obvious ws.

    At least, that¡¯s how Murphy saw it.

    So he couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°Are all the characters in the Blood Pact Knights like you? Although I¡¯m only a fledgling vampire who has been practicing for a little over a year, I¡¯ve also heard of the knights¡¯ great reputation. No offense, but after Tris initially embraced me, I even thought of leaving the Blood Vultures to seek you out and join you.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, every vampire with a bit of idealism and unwilling to fall into depravity thinks that way. However, the vast majority of them can¡¯t even pass the first round of trials for new recruits in the knights.¡±

    Pnnoughed heartily and said, ¡°I¡¯m an anomaly, Murphy. Don¡¯t use me as the standard to imagine the whole picture of the Blood Pact Knights. After all, I was an anomaly even when I was human.¡±

    At this point, Pnno shrugged and asked, ¡°Do you know about the ruling family of the former Isa Kingdom, one of the predecessors of the Goldflower Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Murphy nodded and recalled his meager historical knowledge, saying:

    ¡°In December 1080, under themand of the current King Louis, the army of the Kingdom of Sn invaded the Misty City with the pretext of avenging their fathers and brothers. For the long years before a despicable assassination led to the destruction of the Isa Kingdom, that ind nation had been under the rule of the Essex-nders family.

    Every King of Greenleaf came from one of these two intermarried families.

    The current Queen Elizabeth Marion of the Goldflower Kingdom was the daughter of thest king of the Isa Kingdom before marrying King Louis, and she was also the legitimate heir of thest Essex-nders family line.¡±

    ¡°Not bad at history, no wonder you¡¯re Tris¡¯ descendant. Yes, little Elizabeth, I even held her when she was born.¡±

    Lord Pnno drank some wine, and a nostalgic expression appeared on his handsome face.

    He held the transparent wine ss in front of him, the amber liquid dotted with the refracted starlight, giving it a taste of history.

    He raised the wine ss towards the starry sky and switched to the most orthodox Greenleaf royal ent, saying:

    ¡°Little Elizabeth¡¯s father, thest king of the Isa Kingdom, should address me as great-grandfather, while my brother was the third king of the Isa Kingdom. His nickname was the ¡®Oak King¡¯, the most devout follower of the Avalon Church, and also the greatest ruler of the Isa Kingdom.

    Greenleaf Ind was unified under his reign, and the Avalon Church was established as the state religion during his time, which was already three hundred and twenty years ago.

    I¡­I perished in thest war against the northern mountain folk during my brother¡¯s unification of Greenleaf. He prayed to Avalon for my revival, but the deities refused him. So the ¡®Oak King¡¯ turned to the dark forces for help instead.

    To this day, I do not know what conditions my brother met to move Lord Payne.

    The fact is that three years after my death, I was revived and became a member of the Blood Pact Knights. Then, after the demise of the previous ¡®de of Dignity¡¯, Lady Lily Hugo Bartoli Cappadocia, in the Fourth ck Disaster, I inherited the position of First Lord.

    Murphy, I do not say these things to proim my noble birth to you.

    I only want to tell you that the Blood Pact Knights are not as perfect as you imagine. If you wish to join us, you must abandon your past!

    Not just your identity, but also your surname.

    There are very few true descendants of Lord Payne and us three knight lords in the knights. Most of the 300 Silver Knights that form the core of the knights are recruited from other ns.

    The original sin of the Cappadocians is pride, we are lifelong penitents!

    Until the Eternal Silencees, we cannot have our own territories, our own wealth, our own families or even lovers. We can only patrol endlessly around the Dark Mountain range, viewing all the chaotic barbarian tribes there as enemies, unable to leave that ursed ce for our entire lives.

    We are bound yet also protected.

    This is the ancient and sacred tradition.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Murphy suddenly noticed a problem in Pnno¡¯s words. He raised his hand to interrupt the lord¡¯s narration and asked:

    ¡°If you cannot have family or lovers, then what about your peculiar list of goddesses¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, you were also deceived by me, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Bringing up this topic, Lord Pnno immediately showed an exaggerated romantic expression. He flicked his golden long hair flirtatiously and said with a sigh:

    ¡°Yes, as a member of the Cappadocia, I cannot have my own love. But this does not prevent me from fervently pursuing all beautiful things and establishing a pure connection with those lovelydies in the spiritual realm.

    Unpolluted by dirty desires, achieving the most perfect union in the spiritual world.

    That is pure love!

    It is the most precious thing among all existing things in this world!

    It always manages to give me a little warmth and sce under the night of the vampires, letting me know that my struggle in the darkness is not meaningless. It is precisely because there are people like me patrolling the night that others are able to have that wonderful love.

    I do not have a lover of my own.

    But in the crystallization of every pure love that I protect, I have a share as well.

    Sounds strange, doesn¡¯t it?

    Actually, at first, I just wanted to find a sense of participation in others¡¯ pure love, nothing more.¡±

    A fresh ck-red rose still beaded with dew magically appeared at Pnno¡¯s fingertips and was handed to Murphy.

    The knight lord looked at him and said softly:

    ¡°Just as I have also detected the wonderful scent of love amidst these ruins, I wish your destined, difficult love a smooth journey, beautiful Murphy. Additionally, as a vampire senior, I feel I have a duty to impart some life experience from the perspective of an elder.

    As a new member of the midnight n who has only experienced one year of night, you naturally cannotprehend the fondness and torment that midnight brings to us.

    Perhaps you should start finding a hobby for yourself now.

    A heartfelt passion for something can always help you find the crux of life and destiny amid the increasingly monotonous eternity of night life.

    Once you be more familiar with our n, you will find that those renowned midnight nobles are often masters in a particr field.

    For example, Lord Payne is an artist recognized by all race leaders, and his paintings are even collected in the Nature Pce of the Elf King.

    The recently executed Salrokdar was a famous gourmet across the continent who tirelessly participated in all kinds of food tastings under the alias ¡®Duke Fochs¡¯.

    Edward, the Patriarch of the Wolfsbane n, is the top leatherworker, even the most fastidious dwarven hill lords take pride in owning a set of protective leather armor handmade by Edward.

    Your elder, Lady Tris, is the most outstanding theologist on the entire continent.

    Probably no one understands the mysteries of the deities better than her.¡±

    At this point, Pnno showed a slight smile and ced the rose in Murphy¡¯s hand.

    He patted Murphy¡¯s shoulder and said in a low voice:

    ¡°To gain that beautiful thing¡¯s sincere passion from the heart, you are still far from ready, Murphy. But I believe in you¡­ hmm, brave rose picker. Keep it up, I will bless your pure love from afar.

    But if one day you betray this love that I have blessed¡­¡±

    The knight lord¡¯s tone suddenly turned cold.

    He said softly:

    ¡°Then my beloved rose garden, the ¡®Unfaithful Paradise¡¯, will have another batch of excellent fertilizer. Hmm, those lusciously seductive midnight roses that I personally cultivate always need the fresh blood of traitors to nourish their growth and blossoming.

    Do you understand what I mean?

    Either pure love or death, there is no third choice.¡±

 Chapter 117:

    After leaving his blessings and a bit of life experience as a Vampire elder, Knight Lord Pnno drifted away. Of course, at the end, he issued a small threat to Murphy, warning him not to follow the path of NTR.

    Just thinking about having a golden-tier ¡°NTR yer¡± watching him gave Murphy a chill, but he soon mustered his courage!

    Pah, what¡¯s there to be afraid of!

    Anyway, he never nned on bing some damn cheater, did he? With the perfect Tris by his side, when would he have time to seduce other women?

    Besides, what upstanding person would cuckold others? Anyone who has such thoughts and dares to act on them is already abnormal, right?

    Wouldn¡¯t they be asking for a beating if they were struck with a heavy fist?

    How could such an excellent and upstanding child like himself, strictly adhering to Vampire moral traditions, be associated with those ¡°adulterers¡±? He has read the Spring and Autumn Annals!

    With these thoughts, Murphy returned to his tent. It was now midnight, and he easily logged onto the game forum to see what amusing antics his adorable little yers had cooked up for him this time.

    But as soon as he entered the forum, he saw a ¡°Hot Post of the Day¡± automatically pinned to the top, and the number of people discussing it was still increasing.Out of curiosity, Murphy opened the post, and was immediately stunned by the huge title:

    ¡¶¡±Under the Moon¡± Volume Two: Major Discussion on the Uing Plot! Pictures and Truth Inside!¡·

    ¡°Huh? You all can guess the uing plot? Well, let me see what shocking thoughts my whimsical little yers have about extending the current plot.¡±

    Murphyy on the bed in his tent, casually taking out his notebook and pen, ready to extract some quintessential ideas from the yers¡¯ fanciful thoughts to supplement his own ¡°dog nner¡¯s¡± ideas for the uing story.

    This post was made by Ah Yuen.

    Naturally, among the current little yers, apart from the light role-yer Lumina, only Ah Yuen and a few others had much interest in exploring the plot.

    The other yers were still at the stage of simply ¡°ying the game.¡±

    ¡°Buddies, brothers and sisters, although we¡¯ve tragically died down to only three people left, we¡¯ve finally broken through that damn Blood Vulture Halls! Since the server is now free of the risk of rollbacks and restarts, let¡¯s happily discuss the progression of the uing plot today.

    Since we¡¯re all dead anyway, and just idling, why not indulge in some chatter?

    Let me, Ah Yuen, make an irresponsible guess first!

    Now that thest threat to Murphy¡¯s dominion, the depraved Blood Vulture n patriarch Salrokdar, has been taken out, it means Murphy¡¯s territory has entered a rtively peaceful period.

    Although ording to the intel from Meow King, Niuniu, and Cheche, the ¡®Astral Realm Rift¡¯ appeared due to the sub-space fissure explosion, I don¡¯t think it will affect the uing plot development.

    I think the game¡¯s focus will definitely shift frombat to development, at least partially.

    To be more specific, I think for a long period of time, we testers and Murphy¡¯s warriors will be building our own newbie vige brick by brick.

    Why do I make this guess, you ask?

    Ah Yuen doesn¡¯t just talk nonsense. In fact, the dev team has already been testing this kind of content toy the groundwork for future versions.

    Not only did the Dump Truck brother trio be officials in the camp, almost single-handedly nning the new order for the survivor camp, but my little brother Grayman has also been appointed as the ¡®Chief Architect¡¯!

    This title isn¡¯t just given out randomly, you know.

    Let me give a quick recap for the third batch of new yers who just joined the game. My little brother Grayman still has a special mission he hasn¡¯tpleted, which is to submit a repair n for Kadman City¡¯s outer city area and designs for new buildings to Miss Miriam and Murphy!

    Brothers!

    You all understand what this means, don¡¯t you?

    This damned game is not only making us build the newbie vige ourselves, but also design it ourselves! This is opening up the ¡®construction mode¡¯, and I bet there will definitely be an option to open in-game housingter!

    In other words, as long as you do some PY with little brother Grayman and he makes a few edits on the designs, you¡¯ll be able to live in a seaside vi in the game!¡±

    Ah Yuen¡¯s plot analysis was clearly infused with a strong personal style, but it had to be said that his summary made quite a bit of sense. However, the follow-upments quickly exposed Ah Yuen¡¯s tendency to ¡°parrot¡± information.

    MeowKing: ¡¾Could you say something we don¡¯t already know? You¡¯re just confusing the newbies here. All the veteran yers understand the stuff you mentioned.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾Oh oh oh, Uncle Meow¡¯s ¡®Server First¡¯ badge looks so cool and dazzling! Is this how achievements are disyed on the forum? Damn it, why hasn¡¯t the promised ¡®Kingyer¡¯ title and badge been sent yet? I want a cool badge too!¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾Little Ashina, look at this?¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾!!!! Why does Orchid Huahua already have the badge? Why don¡¯t I? Damn it! You must have PY with the dev team, right? I¡¯m reporting you!¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Little Ashina, you have to im and equip this badge yourself in your personal space. The system doesn¡¯t automatically put it on you, have you never used the forum before?¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Who¡¯s yed such an outdated thing? Sister Lumina, if this game wasn¡¯t so fun, who among us young people of the new era woulde y on a forum? Not just little Ashina, even I hadn¡¯t touched forums before.

    Wow, this badge is so bright! So cool and awesome.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾@Meow King, look, I also have the ¡®Server First¡¯ badge! Ha, I¡¯m the first yer on the server to unlock the ¡®Alchemist¡¯ job. The achievement system gave it to me when it opened up before.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾Damn it! flips table! I told you all to discuss the plot, not show off these boring things!¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Oh oh oh! Turns out I also have the ¡®Server First! Legendary Bard¡¯ achievement, I hadn¡¯t noticed it before.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾It seems all non-standard advanced jobs or ¡®hidden jobs¡¯ have simr achievement mechanisms, indicating the dev team still encourages yers to freely explore and dig into the game¡¯s depth.

    Well, I¡¯m a bit ashamed to say that I actually have the ¡®Server First! Official Career¡¯ achievement too.

    But since we¡¯re discussing the plot, let me briefly mention some game content that most yers haven¡¯t encountered yet, regarding some ¡®official documents¡¯ that Bulldozer, Half Off, and I came across while serving in the survivor camp.

    Murphy¡¯s next n is to renovate the outer city area into a new base, and use this base as the center to gradually radiate influence across the entire Transia region.

    Due to the impact of the ten-year war in the plot, our Portia Federation has already fallen into a desperate situation. And ording to what Bulldozer previously learned from the Witch Hunters, another human kingdom Nordtov has already sent troops, so the demise of the Portia Federation is inevitable.

    These are just background details that don¡¯t concern us yet.

    But if I have to make a prediction, the next version might include content rted to ¡®war refugees¡¯.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾The elder brother is meticulous in these aspects.¡¿

    BulldozerManCharging: ¡¾It¡¯s simple, what Dump Truck means is that due to the changes in the background story, if we apply some realistic thinking, it¡¯s not hard to see that after the fall of the Portia Federation, arge number of refugees will pour into thest ¡®free territory¡¯ of Transia.

    The number should be quite substantial.

    This conveniently ties into Murphy¡¯s uing construction ns.

    This is the so-called use of background story to drive the game¡¯s pace. It has much more immersion than those crappy games that randomly throw some major event at you. At the very least, the dev team is taking pains to weave a 100% realistic game world, and changes in the overall situation will naturally affect the environment of our small local situation.

    So, my thought is that in the uing production and construction version, we might see extensions of the kind of ¡®administrative jobs¡¯ that the three of us currently have, and there might even be titles like ¡®vige chief¡¯ or ¡®town chief¡¯.

    Give the management rights of an entire area to the yers, have NPCs assist in construction, and thereby enhance the yers¡¯ game experience.

    If the dev team is even bolder, they might even give yers full responsibility for the entire design and construction process of the new main city.¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾????This doesn¡¯t sound very realistic, does it? How could such a huge project be entrusted to us? Mainly because we don¡¯t have professional knowledge, what would a city we built even look like? What if it doesn¡¯t even have a main gate?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Sister Orchid, you don¡¯t know how free this game is when ites to shenanigans. You can always trust the dev team in this aspect. Most importantly, even if we mess things up, it¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s a game, a few lines of code and data and they can reset it for you.

    But considering this game¡¯s nature, I feel that if we really are building our own city, we¡¯d have to put some serious thought into it.

    After all, if we do a bad job, we¡¯ll be the ones suffering.

    So let¡¯s @Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, buddy, whether we live in vis or pigsties in the future depends on you. Feeling the pressure?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯sChosenGrayman: ¡¾Whoa! How about Alexandria? No, wait, if the plot really develops like that, I definitely can¡¯t handle it alone. I¡¯d have to find real professionals, why don¡¯t we invite our department¡¯s professor?

    He¡¯s a true professional who has spent a lifetime doing architectural design and construction supervision.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾I think some of you are being a bit too optimistic. Since we¡¯re talking about the plot, let me share my guess.

    Look, we¡¯ve previously encountered the Witch Hunters and witnessed how that Circle Tower organization used spirit arts to tear apart Kadman City. This has proven that this broken ce of ours has value in the enemy¡¯s eyes.

    Although the Ten-Year War is about to end on arge scale, and both countries need to recuperate, just think about it, conflicts over territory are bound to have subsequent frictions. And even with the city in ruins, it¡¯s not safe. When sister Lumina¡¯s squad was grinding monsters in the sewers before, there were alreadyrge numbers of ghouls appearing down there.

    These things always appear in swarms in the background lore, so there¡¯s probably a super massive ghoul nest in the city¡¯s sewer area,rge enough to serve as a team raid instance.

    So I think while the main focus of the next version is likely construction, there will still be a significant portion ofbat content that we need to sustain.

    But this is actually not a bad thing.¡¿

    DoestheCyborgSnailDreamofElectronicTrees: ¡¾How so? Uncle Meow, don¡¯t leave us hanging.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Because we don¡¯t have enough manpower! Even if the current sixty yers doubled, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to simultaneously support so many gamey styles. So I boldly predict that we¡¯ll soon be weing a ¡®yer wave¡¯.

    And based on elder brother Dump Truck¡¯s summary above, I think this might be connected to the background story.

    For example, Murphy might grant testing slots proportional to the development of his territory. After all, in this fantasy western magical setting, sustaining a warrior requires vast resources. So tying the yer count to territorial development is actually quite reasonable game design.

    So, in conclusion, I think the most promising job in the next version is not warrior or administrator, but ve catcher and the triangr trade crew, that¡¯s the version¡¯s answer!

    Just don¡¯t know if there are any ck uncles for us to capture in this game¡¯s setting.¡¿

    ¡°Whoa! He actually guessed it all!¡±

    Inside the tent, Murphy was so startled by Uncle Meow¡¯s post that he immediately sat up. This guy really couldn¡¯t be underestimated, he had guessed the basic logic of Murphy¡¯s territory system through sheer spection.

    However, this wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.

    Although the little yers¡¯ whimsical guesses were all in jest, they truly gave Murphy a lot of inspiration. He nced at the lines of content he had jotted down in his notebook, then showed a subtle smile in the night.

    Murphy put away his notebook, got up and walked to the front of the tent, gazing into the deep darkness before him.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    Elder brother Dump Truck¡¯s mention in the post about the possibility of ¡°war refugees¡± appearing gave Murphy a wake-up call. He felt he had to be prepared before such a situation truly arose.

    Moreover, Lord Pnno had also promised that in his talks with King Louis and the Wolf Queen, he would urge them to quickly release the captured army of 26,000 armed Blood Servants. However, Murphy guessed the 10,000 elites from Fort Crimea were likely gone for good.

    The remaining 16,000 misceneous troops could still be hoped for, to some extent.

    But after these guys came back, they would also need to be properly settled, or else they¡¯d cause a ridiculous scene of ¡°rebels storming the national gates, mountain bandits destroying the dynasty¡± in no time.

    He had to quickly establish a governing system.

    It could be rudimentary, but it had to exist!

    Using the current survivor camp as the basic framework, with his current manpower as the governing nodes, all he needed was a suitable external condition, and his territory could rapidly expand outwards at an immense speed.

    Whether it was stable or not could be put on the back burner for now, the main thing was manpower feedback.

    There were still too few little yers!

    60 people couldn¡¯t aplish anything. Even 600, a tenfold increase, would barely be enough. And the heavyweight challenge of the ck Disastering in six months was even more daunting!

    Thinking of this, Murphy summarized his next goal.

    Before the arrival of the ck Disaster in six months, he needed at least 2,000 yers under hismand, with at least one-third having passed the ck Iron Trial! Only then could he barely maintain qualitative suppression over the Gnoll monster hordes.

    The development of the territory, unlocking the tech tree, and even maintaining the governing structure could all be handed over to the yers. Therefore, he had to start selecting and secretly searching for usable talents.

    A sense of urgency arose within Murphy.

    His small territory was about to face a trial, which would directly determine the lower limit of his achievements in this otherworld.

    ¡°Huff.¡±

    Murphy let out a long breath and opened his arms in the darkness, softly saying:

    ¡°Be bolder, even bolder! Not just a new city built on ruins, as long as you¡¯re willing to y, as long as you¡¯re willing to continue walking this path with me, I can entrust the entire Transia to you for construction and management!

    I need your support and following.

    My adorable little yers, as a generous reward for your brilliant loyalty, I shall give you the entire world!¡±

 Chapter 118:

    Maxim had always been remarkably efficient, especially after receiving relevant instructions from Murphy. This loyal servant would alwaysplete his master¡¯s orders with utmost speed.

    This time was no different.

    Although it was only the previous night when Murphy asked Lady Adele to notify Maxim to lead the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force into the copsed Blood Vulture Halls to excavate the buried treasure vault, by the evening of the next day, a fully armed soldier came running to report on the project¡¯s progress.

    They had already unearthed a corner of the treasure vault.

    This greatly surprised Murphy. The project progressed so quickly?

    In his memory, the copse of the entire Sacred Blood Hall had triggered the overall copse of the buildings deep within the corridor. Theoretically, the location where the treasure vault was buried in the middle should not have been so easy to clear. Murphy had expected it to see daylight within three days as a victory.

    However, after personally descending into the copsed Blood Vulture Halls for inspection, Murphy discovered the clue.

    The damage to the Blood Vulture Halls was not as devastating as he had imagined.

    Especially in the area leading to the middle of the corridor, although it was covered by the copsed corridor dome, the original underground cavern of the Blood Vulture Halls, apart from the direct passage to the surface caused by the Spirit explosion from the Sacred Blood Pool and the subsequent copse forming arge skylight, its structure remained very sturdy.Through the cave passage that Murphy and the old knight Finoch had previously taken, Maxim and his soldiers easily entered the Blood Vulture Halls once again.

    As for the excavation of the treasure vault, it was even simpler.

    To protect the wealth and treasures of the Blood Vulture n, the Vampires had obsessively coated the outeryer of the vault with a thickyer of solid gold over the course of four hundred years. It was this incredibly sturdy material that protected everything within the vault during the corridor¡¯s copse.

    It had been flipped over and pressed into the rubble in a bizarre posture, but remained intact overall.

    ¡°My lord! Fortunately, we have seeded! The treasure vault has been unearthed. Additionally, our people have discovered the n patriarch¡¯s personal armory and a massive armory containing many Blood Servant equipment below the corridor. They are currently being cleared, but it may take a few days before they can be reopened.

    However, you need not worry about securing further weapons and supplies.¡±

    Maxim, with his arm still in a sling, saluted Murphy with his left hand.

    Behind him was the discovered treasure vault, its Spirit-locked door hanging diagonally above, while Murphy nodded and took out the Treasurer ve¡¯s vault seal, pressing it onto the door. With a crisp click, the vault¡¯s door opened outward.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Murphy said to his loyal servant.

    As the two entered, they were greeted by a scene of pure golden splendor.

    Crafted into rectangr shapes, gold ingots that filled more than half the space had scattered across the floor due to the intense shaking, while Portian gold coins that had been stored in boxes spilled out like waterfalls. Various precious artifacts and artworks collected by the family also adorned the space.

    It resembled the legendary super treasure hoard that had withstood the passage of time, a real-life version of a dragon¡¯s hoard. Even with just this money, it would be enough to purchase the entirend of Transia.

    So, these Vampires were essentially hoarders, right?

    How did they manage to umte such an enormous sum over 400 years?

    Faced with such terrifying wealth, Maxim¡¯s breathing momentarily stopped, but he quickly regained hisposure. All of this belonged to Lord Murphy¡¯s treasure trove, and others could noty im to it!

    ¡°If the Blood Vulture n¡¯s umtion over 400 years amounted to just this money, I would be extremely, extremely disappointed.¡±

    Murphy knew that mere wealth was no longer significant given his current status, so he felt no particr sense of awe. As he stepped on the piles of coins like sand with his boots, he bent down and retrieved a few small Spirit boxes from the coin heap.

    It was not that he had be so indifferent to the temptation of wealth. Rather, as a lord, Murphy had to consider issues on a deeper level.

    The ten-year war had devastated Transia¡¯s already underdeveloped agriculture. By the end of the war, the rationing system implemented in Kadman City had essentially plunged it into an economic and food crisis.

    While the sight of so much money piled together was certainly alluring, the thought of having to prepare for the ever-insufficient food and resources for his domain gave Murphy a pounding headache.

    Most critically, it was already October, and the cooler temperatures signaled the arrival of autumn.

    And the unforgiving winter would soon follow!

    Murphy¡¯s most vivid memory was of nearly dying from starvation and cold on a snowy night in Kadman City, only to be carried back to the courtyard by Tris. This meant that winters in the Transia region could be snowy and deadly cold.

    Not to mention the impending arrival of war prisoners and refugees!

    Manpower was undoubtedly precious, but to simply bring them back without any care for their well-being would be too much.

    He had set a goal of having at least 2,000 yers within six months. Based on the domain feedback of 1%, this meant that the region under his rule must have at least 200,000 subjects. The long-term food needs for so many people alone could not be met with just some gold.

    Therefore, all this shiny stuff was worthless in Murphy¡¯s eyes! During extreme hunger, a piece of gold was not even worth a slice of bread. And if the price of a slice of bread rose to 500,000 marks, Murphy was all too familiar with the consequences.

    If Murphy could not secure food and supplies before people froze to death, then his domain would not only struggle to endure the ck Disaster but would likely be overthrown by his starving and freezing subjects even before the Gnolls came knocking.

    Just thinking about these issues gave him a headache.

    Fortunately, he had his omnipotent little yers. This lord and NPC had to learn to trust the yers¡¯ ingenuity in these matters, for if he did not, his domain would truly have no hope.

    snap

    Murphy opened those small Spirit boxes, which contained exquisite crimson rings bearing the Blood Vulture n¡¯s insignia but no specific names.

    These rings were ¡°identification¡± prepared by the Blood Vulture n specifically for official members. Every n had something simr, supposedly crafted by the ¡°Thinkers and Recorders¡± Sanguine n, one of the seven great Vampire ns, and issued every three hundred years for n expansion.

    Only those wearing the Blood Vulture si rings would be recognized as official n members.

    What?

    You ask why Murphy didn¡¯t have one before?

    Given his previous status and position, it would have been outrageous for him to have his own si ring.

    Tris¡¯s elder si ring had been reimed over a hundred years ago. As Tris¡¯s blood descendant, Murphy was theoretically only a peripheral member of the n, the kind not formally listed among the Blood Vulture n¡¯s members.

    There were actually quite a few Vampires in Murphy¡¯s situation, as the blood marks issued by the Sanguine n to the various ns every three hundred years were limited in number. This was clearly a method to control the Vampire poption to preventrge-scale conflicts with other races.

    However, each n privately had numerous ¡°unregistered¡± individuals like Murphy, and the ancient rules rted to the ¡°Reclusion Codex¡± had long been nominal in practice.

    The box in front of Murphy contained nearly 300 rings.

    He took one and examined it closely. The Spirit silver band could be adjusted to fit different finger sizes, and the exquisite surface was iid with a blood crystal. Upon closer inspection, the crystal reflected the insignia of a spread-winged blood vulture, exuding an aura of mystery.

    It represented the transcendent races in the mortal world and was the embodiment of a civilization spanning thousands of years.

    Yet the Blood Vulture n was no more.

    Salrokdar had sacrificed over ten thousand elite nsmen to create an abyssal monster from the sub-space, and over ten thousand more, along with 150,000 from the entire Kadman City, were swept into the Astral Realm during the reality tear.

    Less than one-tenth of survivors had retreated back into the shadows. They would not risk exposing themselves until they confirmed their safety and received summons.

    Murphy had no intention of recruiting those hiding individuals either.

    In fact, he hoped those people would never resurface to cause him trouble again. Perhaps he should ¡°discuss¡± amission andpensation regarding this matter with the Witch Hunters.

    Murphy narrowed his eyes, then pursed his lips and tossed the ring in his hand to Maxim behind him.

    The loyal servant caught it, filled with mixed emotions.

    Previously, he would never have dared to covet such an item, but now, looking at the rings in Lord Murphy¡¯s hand, Maxim felt a sense of unreality. Until this moment, he finally confirmed that his great Lord Murphy had seized the power of an entire n!

    And he had aplished this feat in less than a month!

    ¡°Lord Murphy, what¡¯s next¡­¡±

    Maxim gripped the ring in his hand, unable to resist asking:

    ¡°I mean, will You be crowned as the Blood Vulture Duke?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why would you have such a strange thought?¡±

    Murphy, who was pulling out several luxurious Vampire swords that could undoubtedly be considered divine weapons, turned around in surprise to look at Maxim. He toyed with the high-grade Spirit weapons in his hand, at least of the Masterwork Commander level, including a Spirit scepter with such exaggerated craftsmanship that it was a Masterwork¡¾Unique¡¿Sovereign-level artifact.

    These were the highest-grade weapons that could appear in the mortal world under the miracle of creation, absolute divine arms that transcended the entire continent, though not yet listed in legends.

    Unfortunately, these items had exaggerated stat requirements.

    Even Murphy in his current state could not wield them, let alone his yers. They were likely reserved for the n¡¯s core members, or perhaps even Salrokdar¡¯s personal backup weapons.

    Murphy tossed these uniquely named divine weapons with yellow text descriptions into a Spirit Bag, casually remarking:

    ¡°That position is not for me yet. Lady Femis is still around, and the fact that Lord Payne summoned her to inquire about the situation already hinted at that lord¡¯s considerations regarding the Blood Vulture n¡¯s session.¡±

    ¡°No problem if she dies!¡±

    Maxim said coldly:

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even need to act personally. Your noble hands cannot be stained with such blood. Adele and I will take care of everything, just give the word.¡±

    Murphy did not respond.

    Once again, he felt Maxim¡¯s unwavering loyalty.

    Truly unparalleled, but perhaps somewhat ill-timed.

    ¡°Help me gather the weapons, armor, and rare Spirit essories here. Keep them for yourselves. Once you grow stronger, you can use them, or they can be awarded as rewards to valiant warriors in the future.

    As for their reward this time, take some from the n patriarch¡¯s personal armory that was just discovered. Also, make a tally and report it to meter.¡±

    Murphy tossed down several high-grade equipment items from the coin pile, and Maxim took out a Spirit Bag to store them.

    As the master and servant searched for usable items in thisvish ce, after a few minutes of silence, Murphy spoke:

    ¡°Perhaps this will disappoint you, but Max, I have no intention of bing the Blood Vulture Duke.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Picking up a golden lion spear while ¡°salvaging¡± various equipment from the ¡°sea of coins,¡± Maxim asked in surprise:

    ¡°You deserve all of this. When Salrokdar was ravaging Transia, it was You who led us in reiming the domain and rescued those survivors! It was also You who formed alliances that led to Salrokdar¡¯s downfall and atonement.

    You saved thisnd!

    More than once!

    Thisnd should be grateful and pledge its loyalty to You.¡±

    ¡°But if I be the Blood Vulture Duke, it means I have chosen my allegiance.¡±

    Murphy sighed, sitting atop the ¡°hill¡± formed by piles of coins and ingots. He idly flicked the coins, listening to their pleasing clinks as they collided, and said:

    ¡°True, bing the Duke would allow me to control the entire n and demand the allegiance of those Blood Vultures in hiding. But in gaining that, I would inevitably lose something else.

    Max, you must learn to view issues from a higher perspective.

    Those survivors¡­

    They were oppressed and ruled by Vampires for 400 years. Though they obeyed, it doesn¡¯t mean they harbored no resentment. They respect and obey me now, not because I am a Vampire, their master, but because I can protect and lead them.

    However, the leadership prestige I have painstakingly built would crumble the moment I assume the position of Blood Vulture n Duke.

    In their eyes, I would be yet another mouthpiece for thisnd¡¯s centuries of suffering, and their respect for me would swiftly turn to fear, inheriting the previously umted resentment.

    In exchange for gaining so much resentment, I would only reap a group of cunning but battered and disloyal Vampires.

    It¡¯s a trade-off.

    If it were you, would you make such a decision?¡±

    Maxim paused his work, furrowing his brow as he considered the issue from Murphy¡¯s perspective. Soon, he realized that, it seemed¡­ well¡­ perhaps it wasn¡¯t such a good deal after all.

    If Lord Murphy were taking over a thriving Blood Vulture n with over 30,000 to nearly 40,000 Vampires in allegiance, it might be worth the gamble. But this n, which existed in name only, hardly seemed worth the effort.

    ¡°I don¡¯t yet have a clear idea of the essence of ruling,¡± Murphy said, scooping up a handful of coins and letting them slip through his fingers.

    He told his loyal servant, ¡°But I can at least confirm one point: a ruler cannot be the enemy of the people! Fear may be an effective means of rule, but there is no need to invite meaningless hatred upon oneself.

    As a Patriarch or Duke, I could only rule over Vampires.

    But if I am a Lord, if I am the Governor of all Transia, then even the new Blood Vulture Duke would have to bow before me!

    Vampires are merely one of the many races inhabiting thend of Transia.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s eyes widened in realization.

    It wasn¡¯t that Murphy didn¡¯t want the title of Blood Vulture Duke, his ambition far exceeded the petty throne of a single Vampire n.

    That would neither elevate him nor spread his prestige.

    ¡°Your ambition is as unfathomable as your wisdom, my lord,¡± the loyal servant said, bowing his head in sincere admiration.

    ¡°It was foolish of me to view it so simply. But my lord, even if you spurn this throne, you cannot simply toss it to Lady Femis. I have no personal objections to her, but her temperament¡­ at least in my view, is unsuitable for leadership.

    As you said, you will rule over all life in thend of Transia, with Vampires as merely one of your subjects. As such, the Blood Vulture n should be firmly in your grasp.

    I propose letting Adele inherit instead.¡±

    ¡°Her status is too low, Lord Payne would never agree. We currently rely on that lord¡¯s prestige for our protection,¡± Murphy said, stroking his chin.

    He gave Maxim an enigmatic smile. ¡°Did you forget someone?

    Someone who, like Femis, can address Salrokdar as ¡®Elder¡¯ and ¡®Father¡¯, someone closely tied to me, whom I acknowledge would never harm us, someone with exceptional wisdom and connections, including with Lord Payne.

    Someone who just rescued us from the brink of destruction.

    Someone who, from the very beginning, has been the most suitable candidate in my mind to be the Blood Vulture Duke.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Maxim¡¯s eyes widened as he eximed breathlessly, ¡°You mean¡­ Lady Tris.¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡± Murphyughed heartily, patting Maxim¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I will not be the Blood Vulture Duke, but my elder will sit upon that throne and be the strongest force supporting my rule over thend of Transia. She has endured so much suffering over the past hundred years, this is what Salrokdar and the entire Blood Vulture n owe her!

    Lord Payne would not refuse such an ancient session either.

    From every angle, Tris is far more suitable than Femis.¡±

    ¡°A perfect decision!¡± Maxim said, reinvigorated. ¡°Then we mustplete this coronation swiftly, before Lady Femis is taken to Lord Payne.¡±

    ¡°Why bother with such formalities? That sort of ceremonialism is rather ill-timed in our current difficulties,¡± Murphy said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

    ¡°Of the entire Blood Vulture n still left in this former territory, there are only a few little cats like us. I have already notified Miriam and Adele.

    They are bringing Lady Femis this way. You personally invite Tris over, but don¡¯t mention the real reason, just tell her I¡¯ve discovered something important in the halls. Also, invite Lord Knight Pnno and his three attendants toe as well.

    They will attend the ceremony and bear witness to today¡¯s events.¡±

    With that, Murphy reached into a nearby coin pile and lightly scooped up ady¡¯s style Vampire crown. He brushed off the remaining coins and told Maxim, ¡°You must also prepare yourself! Two days from now, after the victory celebration, I will perform your Blood Embrace here. Fervent loyalty must be rewarded with supreme honor. Without a doubt, this is what you deserve, Max.¡±

 Chapter 119:

    ¡°What sort of strange discovery requires me to go there right now? Could it be they found that bastard Salrokdar still isn¡¯t dead, so they¡¯re inviting me over to finish him off?¡±

    Tris walked out of the tent, very displeased.

    She was in the middle of an important spirit interference experiment, but after hearing Maxim¡¯s report, though grumbling about being interrupted, she quickly gathered her things and headed towards the copsed Blood Vulture Corridor under Bonnie¡¯s guard.

    The weak Tris couldn¡¯t even summon her Blood Wings, so naturally she had to go on foot, which would take time.

    And this was all part of Murphy¡¯s n.

    Watching Lady Tris depart, Maxim didn¡¯t dare dy and immediately went to the tent of Knight Lord Pnno and the three Blood Pact Knight scouts.

    But to the loyal servant¡¯s surprise, when he reached their tent, they had already changed into the midnight formal attire required for official asions, as if they had anticipated what would happen tonight.

    ¡°Why such a surprised expression? The beautiful and wise are not limited to just your master in this world.¡±

    Carefully pinning a midnight rose dewed with dewdrops to the front of his formal attire, the handsome Pnno brushed back his golden curled hair, his face full of eager smiles.He nced again at Maxim, the loyal servant whose appearance stood out from other humans, his arm in a sling.

    After a few seconds of judgement, the sentimental knight lord stepped forward and ced his hand on Maxim¡¯s injured arm.

    He said softly:

    ¡°To have such unwavering loyalty without a blood bond is rare beauty in this world, but blind loyalty without wisdom severely diminishes your beauty.¡±

    Pnno¡¯s fingertips flickered with crimson spirit energy.

    That power seeped into Maxim¡¯s wound, and through a vampire¡¯s maniption of blood, rapidly healed his injury.

    He said:

    ¡°You have not yet fully shed your ugliness, so I cannot gift you a rose, but I hope the next time we meet, you will have transformed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, my lord.¡±

    Maxim knew this was Lord Pnno¡¯s advice, so he bowed in gratitude.

    But the Pride Descendant did not return the courtesy.

    He elegantly ignored Maxim, then with his three attendants, spread their blood wings and flew into the night sky.

    The Cappadocia midnight bat wings were no different from other ns¡¯, just small decorative wings that could only provide brief hovering and gliding, far from the affinity for the skies enjoyed by the Lessenbra midnight descendants.

    The loyal servant looked up from where he stood, flexing his newly healed wound while watching the nobles disappear into the distance.

    Seeing those small bat wings, he couldn¡¯t help feeling disdainful, it seemed even a perfect man like Lord Pnno wasn¡¯t always graceful, at least his awkward flight was far from Lord Murphy¡¯s elegance.

    But his guidance came at an opportune time.

    Though delivered with an unpleasant arrogance, he did call himself the ¡°Pride Descendant¡± after all, so a few words of disapproval was respect enough.

    Clearly, Lord Pnno¡¯s image in others¡¯ eyes waspletely different from how Murphy saw him.

    ¡°Wisdom.¡±

    As Maxim mounted his horse and rode towards the corridor in the night, he pondered:

    ¡°That has always been my shoring. To better follow Lord Murphy¡¯s glory and be worthy of that heavy trust, perhaps I should also strive to make up for this deficiency.

    Learn!

    I must learn from my most respected master Murphy.¡±

    On the other side, Tris soon reached the Blood Vulture Corridor in the midnight hour.

    Since the spiral staircase leading underground had been destroyed, Bonnie had to fly her down, following the guidance of the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force soldiers stationed in the tunnels, allowing Tris to quickly arrive outside the treasure chamber that had been excavated.

    She had Bonnie wait outside while she entered to inspect the situation alone.

    As soon as she went in, she saw Murphy cing ady¡¯s crown on the table he had cleared, with a luxurious cape and apletely crimson scepter made of moonlight crystal next to it on a chair.

    The top of that thing was carved into the mysterious form of a bat and blood vulture fused together, like a stone gargoyle perched on a church¡¯s edge, understated yet exuding a subtle opulence.

    Tris had seen this before!

    This was the essory Salrokdar used to disy his status, the master-level¡¾Unique¡¿spirit weapon scepter Murphy had just fished out from the ¡°sea¡± of glittering gold coins in front of her.

    It wasn¡¯t just a pretty trinket!

    It was one of the highest-level spirit crystals on the continent, second only to miracle artifacts.

    This scepter named ¡°Nocturne¡± was said to have been crafted by an elder of the Blood n specifically for Salrokdar, and was also the activation core for the ¡°Nocturne¡± city barrier of Kadman City.

    Unfortunately, Salrokdar himself was a powerful midnight sword saint and crimson hunter, but his spirit maniption skills werecking, so this good thing became merely a symbol of status in his hands.

    How clever Tris was!

    Upon seeing Murphy unharmed, and collecting these ¡°terrifying¡± items, she immediately sensed something was off. Her face changed, and she turned to run, but in the next moment, Murphy grabbed her by the wrist from behind.

    ¡°You¡¯re already here, why run?¡±

    Murphy said helplessly:

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe with your wisdom, you cannot judge that this is the best choice currently.¡±

    ¡°Let me go! Don¡¯t you understand you¡¯re harming me?¡±

    Tris was truly frantic, shaking her wrist as she shrieked:

    ¡°How can a powerless waste like me inherit the Grand Duchess position? Moreover, although I am Salrokdar¡¯s blood descendant, I am not his designated heir! Kudel is more qualified than me. This goes against protocol and will earn Lord Payne¡¯s rebuke.

    Besides, what kind of state is the Blood Vulture n in now? That is no Grand Ducal throne, it¡¯s clearly just a bonfire coveted by many eyes.

    Murphy!

    I¡¯ve been so good to you, I¡¯ve done nothing wrong to you, you can¡¯t treat me like this! Ah! This is the Grand Duke¡¯s cloak, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t drape it over me, Murphy!

    I order you, stop!¡±

    However, how could a powerless waste of a vampiredy possibly be faster than her mischievous descendant who was already far surpassing his former self?

    Like a crimson whirlwind swirling around Tris, in just a few seconds, the cloak was fastened, the crown askew, and the Nocturne staff ced in her hand.

    Murphy stood before her, cocking his head to examine Tris¡¯s new look with a satisfied nod. Then, as Tris prepared to protest again, he took two things from his spirit pouch and held them out to her.

    In his left hand was a mechanical box containing Salrokdar¡¯s heart, in his right a crystal bottle filled with a translucent crimson liquid.

    He looked at Tris and said:

    ¡°Power and freedom! Just reach out and you can take them, no need to feel guilty or doubt the future, this is what you deserve, and the best gift I as a descendant can give an elder.

    The former is Salrokdar¡¯s necessary apology to you.

    Thetter is fate¡¯s blessing bestowed upon you by my hand.¡±

    Looking at these two things before her, Tris was speechless for a moment.

    The Grand Duke¡¯s heart could restore her power, and the purified source blood could break her blood covenant with Salrokdar. Though he was dead, that binding covenant still gued her with weakness.

    But these two things weren¡¯t the point!

    The point was that Murphy so casually took them out, meaning this little rascal must have been nning all this long beforehand.

    Even long before Salrokdar¡¯s death.

    Her being lured here now wasn¡¯t the start of his n, but the symbol of its perfect conclusion. This little thing had said he wanted to vent over a hundred years of her suffering, and he actually meant it.

    He was serious!

    ¡°You¡¯re harming me.¡±

    Faced with Murphy¡¯s intentions, Tris couldn¡¯t find a reason to refuse. She stepped back and sat on the jewel-encrusted chair, saying to Murphy somewhat helplessly:

    ¡°You know I don¡¯t really want any of this. Perhaps I was once insane and vicious in pursuing these desires, but now I have settled with time. Having enough fine wine each day to get blissfully drunk is more than enough satisfaction.

    I shouldn¡¯t pursue things that no longer belong to me.

    Murphy, as far as the outside world is concerned, I¡¯ve been dead for over a hundred years. You can¡¯t pull a dead person lying in their coffin back to life, the dead should obediently remain dead, not willfully wander among the living.¡±

    ¡°Good point!¡±

    Murphy shrugged, smiling as he said:

    ¡°However, this was not my decision alone, nor was it simply out of a descendant¡¯s care for an elder.¡±

    The treasure chamber¡¯s door opened again, and with Lady Adele¡¯s support, the still somewhat frail Young Lady entered this ce she had visited a few times before. She saw the two things Murphy levitated with his spirit power before Tris¡¯s eyes.

    After a brief exchange of nces with Murphy, Femis also nodded.

    Under Tris¡¯s stunned and even more helpless gaze, the Young Lady took out the final proof of the Grand Duke¡¯s status.

    One-seventh of the vampire stone tablet representing the Blood Vulture n¡¯s origins, the ancient ¡°Fragment of Desire¡±, which she also levitated before herself and extended towards Tris.

    The Young Lady said softly, without any mental pressure:

    ¡°The traces my father and I left on it have dissipated with his death. The Fragment of Desire awaits its true master, just as the Blood Vulture n fallen into the mud longs for a true leader to guide us in rising again from the darkness.

    I do not deny that I previously thought Murphy needed to bear this responsibility.

    But now I understand.

    You, the former Crimson Witch, a rare genius and sage among the vampire race, who has experienced the ravages of time, standing at the pinnacle and falling into the abyss yet never submitting to fate, may be more suited to lead us in these turbulent times.

    Your knowledge, vision, and connections are what we desperately need.

    On this darknd, there can be found no more suitable leader than you, Lady Tris. Please do not refuse this praise and allegiance.¡±

    ¡°Tell the truth!¡±

    Tris pursed her lips in the chair, fixing Femis with an ambiguous gaze as she asked displeased:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it Murphy who forced you to say this? I know he always has ways to achieve his goals, and this isn¡¯t even from my teachings, I clearly intended to raise him to be a good child.¡±

    ¡°That is not the case,¡± Femis exined quite seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that as a forbidden creature, Ick the courage and qualification to inherit all this, and Murphy¡¯s choice is correct and appropriate. What I mean is, although there is no specific power requirement to be the Blood n¡¯s Grand Duchess, having a ck-iron rank Grand Duchess would admittedly be quite unbing.

    Power does not mean authority.

    But authority must carry the shadow of power.

    Even from the most rational perspective, I quite agree with Murphy¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°This is your father¡¯s heart! Though he fell into monstrosity, he still gave you life. As his daughter, shouldn¡¯t you treat it as a final memento?¡±

    Tris was still making a ¡°struggle¡±.

    She pushed the Grand Duke¡¯s heart in front of her, but this time Femis stepped back, regarding the seemingly still-beating heart with aplex gaze.

    She shook her head and said:

    ¡°I have decided to forget the past and start my own life anew, so these past mementos are only a heavy burden to me.¡±

    ¡°Lady Tris, you should just ept it,¡± Lady Adele said softly behind Murphy and Femis. ¡°With the Blood Vulture n reduced to just us few, who else is more qualified to take that throne than you?¡±

    ¡°Says who!¡± Tris objected difficultly and pale. ¡°There are still many outlying n members alive, scattered in the small towns on the fringes of Transia, some of them even White Silver ranks. They¡¯re just lying low.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I assure you, mydy, they will soon no longer be your trouble,¡± Murphy said in an ambiguous tone.

    His demeanor was gentle and light, but the bloody implication was clear.

    He was clearly reaffirming his stance, this Blood Vulture Grand Duke position recognized no one but Tris! Anyone who dared challenge had better be prepared for decapitation and bloodshed.

    ¡°Yes, those wastrel traitors who enjoyed the n¡¯s protection yet watched it fall into disgrace, only wanting to preserve their own lives, they will soon be no threat to anyone. I also give you my assurance, mydy,¡± Femis added coldly.

    There it was!

    The tragic fate of those n outcasts was sealed by the two of them singing in tune.

    Such cold-blooded harmony made Tris¡¯s lips move, but she could say no more reasons against the two determined to elevate her. Her fingers gripping the scepter also ckened as if drained of strength.

    After a few seconds of silence, Tris said softly:

    ¡°You two go out first. I need to say a few words to my descendant. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve convinced me. I will fulfill my duty.¡±

    Femis and Adele left satisfied, closing the door behind them.

    The treasure chamber fell quiet again.

    ¡°Come here, Murphy.¡±

    Tris called out.

    Murphy stepped forward and bowed his head before her, seeming prepared for a scolding.

    But the imagined rebuke never came. A cold hand was ced on his cheek, lifting his downcast face so his eyes met Tris¡¯s alluring gaze.

    The former Crimson Witch stared at him.

    In that eye contact, she said:

    ¡°I can be the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess as you wish, but you must promise me one thing.¡±

    ¡°Of course, anything you desire,¡± Murphy said softly.

    Then, he heard Tris tell him:

    ¡°You have drunk the source blood. Whenever you wish, you can break the blood pact between us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can, but that doesn¡¯t mean I need to,¡± Murphy answered casually.

    ¡°I think things are good as they are now, letting us be intimately close, letting us trust each other, letting us unite and cooperate, letting our minds and souls¡­¡±

    ¡°Break it!¡± Tris said deeply.

    ¡°That is my demand.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Murphy¡¯s eyes widened.

    He looked at Tris, disbelief in her eyes, then heard her say:

    ¡°I do not want the tragedy between Salrokdar and I to rey between us, Murphy. Nor do I want the blood pact to influence your future judgments and decisions. You think all your current thoughts arise from your own rationality, but you overlook that this very judgment is made under the pact¡¯s influence.

    You must regain rationality!

    You must also reevaluate our rtionship without any influences.

    Trust me.

    This is important for both of us.

    If you want me to be the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, then break the blood pact between us.¡±

    ¡°But I feel¡­¡± Murphy tried to object.

    But then a slender finger gently pressed against his lips, silencing anything more he would say.

    Tris had grasped the Grand Duke¡¯s heart. She looked at Murphy and said:

    ¡°A true leader cannot be bound to anyone, little Murphy. I have fallen into darkness before and cannot be certain I will not fall again if tempted by power. But at the very least, I must ensure that no matter what happens to me, it will not affect you!

    You see, I still care for you, still cherish you.

    This will not change even if the pact is broken. You should believe that our year of interdependence is already enough to transcend any blood bond.

    So, be good, okay?

    Consider this your Grand Duchess¡¯s first order to you.¡±

    Murphy fell silent for a few seconds.

    He stepped back, looked at the smiling Tris before him, then nodded, cing a hand on his chest in the standard Blood Vulture salute as he said softly:

    ¡°Then, as you wish, mydy.¡±

 Chapter 120:

    ¡¾Miracle Artifact ¨C Origin Blood Effect Confirmed!

    The blood pact connection with the individual Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra is about to disappear.

    Countdown 3, 2, 1¡¿

    As the flickering Note appeared on the character card in front of Murphy, the Note that had already appeared when he drank the origin blood in the Sacred Blood Pool was finally confirmed.

    Murphy stood in the secret treasury, looking at Tris in front of him.

    At this moment, he felt uneasy in his heart.

    He did not know what Tris¡¯s image in his heart would be after losing the blood pact connection.

    Frankly, this was not part of his n.

    But seeing Tris¡¯s determined expression, he knew that if he did not take this step, Tris would never ascend to the throne of the Blood Vulture Grand Duke.He could never refuse any request from Tris.

    Although he had realized long ago that this was actually a huge hidden danger.

    ¡°Hmmm¡±

    The faint tremor on the spiritual ne affected reality, causing Murphy and Tris to simultaneously reach out and cover their chests, as if the pain of a piercing de had appeared, and then subsided in the next moment. It was as if something had been taken away from their bodies, but it also seemed as if nothing had been destroyed.

    When Murphy opened his eyes again, Tris was still the Tris he remembered, but it was as if ayer of gauze had been suddenly removed from her.

    The blurred perfection seemed to have been pushed back into reality.

    This allowed Murphy to confirm that his past self had indeed been influenced by the overbearing effect of the pact connection. In his eyes, Tris was still alluringly attractive, stirring his heartstrings, but that almost uncontroble longing and infatuation had now returned to calmness in an instant.

    Just like a normal man who would subconsciously pay attention to his demeanor when facing a seductivedy.

    Murphy did the same.

    For the first time.

    He very naturally and almostpletely restrained his emotions in front of Tris, just as he did in front of others.

    The elegant and gentle expression, frozen like an emoji, still existed on his handsome face.

    But it was as if a mask was wedged between him and Tris, and for the first time, he clearly noticed the scar on Tris¡¯s neck that extended down into her bodice, and for the first time, that scar, like a centipede, appeared somewhat horrifying to Murphy.

    The Tris sitting in the chair in front of him was like a walking poison, making one unable to help but gaze at her while also tasting the hidden danger she embodied.

    At this moment, Murphy finally understood why the little yers on the forum all called Tris a ¡°witch.¡±

    That word really vividly described Tris¡¯s unique aura, osciting between extreme seduction and subtle danger as a peculiar individual. After the ¡°cognitive filter¡± was removed, Murphy¡¯s thoughts flickered, and he began to reconsider Tris¡¯s meaning in his life.

    Tris keenly noticed this change in his gaze.

    The crimson witch let her guard down.

    She knew that her blood pact with Murphy had beenpletely erased.

    ¡°You still need some time to readjust to this calm return. There¡¯s no need to rush to say anything, go out first, I need some time to prepare.¡±

    Tris nodded and said a sentence to Murphy, whose mind was unsettled at the moment.

    He hesitated for a moment, bowed, and then turned to leave. As the secret treasury door closed behind him, Tris, sitting in the chair, let out a long sigh.

    She did not know if her request of Murphy was cruel, but she knew it was necessary and right.

    If she allowed this child to continue developing, perhaps in a few months, he would be a loyal dog at her feet, only obeying her orders. In fact, Murphy had already shown this tendency and was expressing it in a rather crazy way.

    After all, which marginal person of a vampire n would go so far as to n the assassination of the Patriarch and a regime change, just because an elder was harmed over a hundred years ago?

    Not only did Murphy n this!

    He even sessfullypleted it in an almost impossible manner and viewed it as a duty he must naturally undertake.

    This kid was much crazier than she was in her youth!

    Tris had never seen the influence of a blood pact go this deep before. Perhaps it was because Murphy himself was an extremely sensitive person on the spiritual ne?

    ¡°Even in vampire society, certain taboos still exist.¡±

    Tris stroked her braid and softly repeated this warning the Noble Lady had given her before.

    She shook her head and cast it aside.

    Now she had given Murphy and herself freedom, and let fate drive all future developments.

    The crimson witch stood up.

    She drank the Origin Blood,pletely severing thest influence of her blood pact with Salrokdar.

    After feeling the liberation of her soul, she crushed the Grand Duke¡¯s Heart with her five fingers, allowing the concentrated crimson radiance to transform into a storm of power, enveloping her.

    With each breath, Salrokdar¡¯s fresh blood essence fused into her weak and haggard body.

    A golden-tier fresh blood essence was, of course, insufficient for Tris to recover to her prime, mainly because Salrokdar¡¯s power was inherently that of a Midnight Sword Saint, while Tris was a Spirit Sovereign, and their powers were not entirelypatible.

    However, the renewal from the replenishment of the missing origin allowed Tris to quickly rid herself of the bone-gnawing, poisonous weakness that had gued her for over a hundred years.

    With each breath, she grew stronger.

    Her aura grew and finally stabilized at the realm she had once reached. After the not-sofortable return of power, a pair of massive blood-red bat wings, entangled with fresh blood and Dark Spirit, and as shocking as dragon wings, finally unfurled again from behind Tris¡¯s slender and bewitching body after a hundred years.

    The first p shredded the clothes on her body, revealing her slender yet perfectly rounded and scientifically imusible figure.

    s, gravity apparently does not exist in this otherworld.

    However, the covering of clothes was still fine, but now, without any restraints, Tris¡¯s scars became even more apparent.

    They were even more eye-catching than her bewitching, heaven-bestowed body itself. The scars that had almost torn her apart ran from her slender, graceful neck, down through her protruding snowy peaks, then spread across her t abdomen, finally resting on her lush hips.

    They were terrible wounds!

    Mementos of the past and a grim lesson about blood pacts.

    She truly did not wish for the same thing to happen to Murphy.

    Of course, with the physical enhancements brought by her returning power, Tris could remove these scars and return to perfection, but at this moment, she reached out and touched the scar on her corbone, ultimately deciding not to remove it.

    The past will never truly disappear!

    Just like burning wood in a room, even if you open the windows and clean away all the ashes, the drifting smoke remains. The past lingers like smoke, existing in every breath you take, forever entangled with you until you close your eyes for thest time.

    Rather than pretending it never happened, it¡¯s better to engrave it firmly in your heart, so you don¡¯t repeat the same mistake in your life ahead.

    Tris made up her mind, letting her braid fall across her chest. She spread her arms smoothly, and with a light motion of her fingers, the Grand Duke¡¯s regalia flew out from the pile of coins behind her and settled onto her pure, rounded body.

    All Vampire regalia is essentially unisex and can be worn by both men and women.

    Unless their wearers deliberately wish to exploit their biological advantages for a certain purpose, Vampires born in the midnight appreciate this harmonious beauty.

    A few minutester, the secret treasury door opened.

    Everyone outside turned their heads at that moment to see Tris, expressionless and d in the Blood Vulture Grand Duke¡¯s regalia, stride out.

    In her left hand was the Nocturne scepter, in her right the Fragment of Desire. The Grand Duke¡¯s crown on her head was slightly tilted but did not affect her demeanor, and the crimson cape secured on her left shoulder swayed behind her ck, thigh-high boots.

    ¡°We pay our respects to you, Your Grace!¡±

    Femis was the first to bow.

    Then came Adele, Maxim, and Miriam, whose face showed confusion as to why Tris had ascended to the Patriarch¡¯s throne.

    As for the raving Bonnie who Tris had picked up as a guard, upon seeing her mistress appear in the Patriarch¡¯s regalia, she became so excited that her expression twisted, this was the scene that had repeatedly appeared in those true or false memories in her mind!

    The identities of ¡°Patriarch¡± and ¡°Mistress¡± merged perfectly at this moment, leaving no doubt in the mind of Bonnie, once the captain of the Patriarch¡¯s personal guard, about her master¡¯s status.

    She almost prostrated herself at Tris¡¯s side.

    It seemed that her chaotic life, ravaged by cmity and unable to return to normalcy, had regained meaning at this very moment.

    Tris maintained her dignity, looking ahead.

    Pnno, the Knight Lord who had appeared as an observer of the ceremony, extended the most standard knightly salute of utmost respect to her.

    It was not merely the respect of an outsider for a Grand Duke, but stemmed from his extreme pursuit of beauty in his heart. Tonight¡¯s Duchess Tris was undoubtedly the most perfect, awe-inspiring midnight creation that could be born on this darknd.

    In Pnno¡¯s heart, he also greatly appreciated the decision ultimately made by Murphy and Tris.

    Given Tris¡¯s reputation in other ns in the past and her rtionship with Salrokdar, having her inherit the position of Blood Vulture Grand Duke would certainly leave Lord Payne feeling very satisfied and secure.

    Tris¡¯s gaze continued outward.

    Finally, she made eye contact with Murphy standing ahead. Theirplex gazes met, but after a few seconds, Murphy did not show the smile from the bottom of his heart that he usually had upon seeing her. Instead, like the others, he bowed to the new Grand Duchess.

    Seeing this, a barely audible hint of darkness flickered in Tris¡¯s bright eyes.

    s.

    The rtionship had faded after all.

    In fact, Tris was not confident about the decision Murphy would make after being freed from the blood pact.

    She was also apprehensive that the clearheaded, calm little Murphy might resolutely leave her, continuing to wander the world alone in misery.

    But since the decision had been made, there was no need for regret!

    More than the oue of Murphy leaving, Tris was more unwilling to see her little Murphy lose his will and be her obedient dog. For any man with self-respect, that would be the most terrible humiliation. So the theoretical basis for the profession of being a simp simply does not exist and is self-contradictory from the start!

    Love has never been about such a twisted, self-debasing thing! Please do not use it to profane love.

    Tris quickly reined in her thoughts.

    She knew she had to say something as the first order of business after her ession as Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, especially regarding the new arrangements for the n that had now hit rock bottom. How would she establish an effective rule?

    Vampires are apetitive race.

    For a leader, you can be vicious, greedy, or even crazy, but you must demonstrate your governing power over the n and your ns for the tribe.

    A Grand Duke who cannot disy their authority is unqualified.

    Not only would they be mocked by other Patriarchs, but they would also cause their nsmen unnecessary worries, which could transform into more dangerous actions.

    Although tonight¡¯s events were sudden, fortunately the Blood Vulture n currently only has a few members, making it easy to arrange. Tris¡¯s eyes flickered, she tightened her grip on the scepter in her hand, and said:

    ¡°Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, step forward!¡±

    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, in this dpidated Blood Vulture corridor, Murphy stepped forward and half-knelt before Tris at her gestured indication.

    Tris lightly tapped Murphy¡¯s shoulders with the Nocturne scepter in her hand, as in a knighting ceremony, and said:

    ¡°For your contributions to the n in the Kadman City incident and the subjugation of the fallen Salrokdar, as well as your efforts in breaking through the sub-space rift to prevent the entire Transia from falling into crisis, I, Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, in the name of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, with the authority of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s 400-year rule over Transia, grant you the title and power of ¡®Count of Kadman¡¯.

    Now that the n has fallen into ruin and awaits revival, I hope you can lead your people in rebuilding the order of Kadman City and Transia.¡±

    ¡°I am grateful for your bestowal, mydy.¡±

    Murphy responded softly.

    As Tris¡¯s scepter withdrew, a Note popped up on his character card:

    ¡¾Special Title ¡®Count of Kadman¡¯ Obtained! This title, granted by the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, gives you legitimate dominion over the County of Kadman and surrounding areas.

    Blood Vulture n faction renown reached Revered!

    Renown Achievement ¡¾Rising Fame¡¿ unlocked, Renown Achievement ¡¾Far-Reaching Fame¡¿pleted 1/5.

    Territory Achievement ¡¾Lawful Lord¡¿ unlocked!

    Please develop the scale and quality of your territory as soon as possible to unlock higher achievements in this series.

    Title function enabled, current wearable titles: 2.

    Current titles: ¡®Kingyer¡¯, ¡®Count of Kadman¡¯.

    Rare title ¡®Kingyer¡¯ effect: When wearing this title, there is a low chance to inflict the ¡¾Intimidation¡¿ effect on enemies. This effect¡¯s trigger rate will increase as your strength grows.

    Special title ¡®Count of Kadman¡¯ effect: When wearing this title, you can changews, regtions, and implement nned development within your territory ording to your nning. Poprity increases among residents within the territory!

    Wear titles yes/no?¡¿

    ¡°Confirm.¡±

    Murphy equipped the two titles, then retreated back into the crowd.

    Tris¡¯s speech was not yet finished. Under Murphy¡¯s gaze, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess raised her slender neck and called out again:

    ¡°Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, step forward!¡±

    The Noble Lady took a deep breath, stepped forward and half-knelt before her Grand Duchess like Murphy. Tris tapped her staff on Femis¡¯s shoulders as before.

    She nced at Pnno the Knight Lord and said solemnly:

    ¡°For your contributions to the n in subjugating the fallen Salrokdar, as well as your great sacrifice, and your efforts in breaking through the sub-space rift to prevent the situation from worsening, I, Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, in the name of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, with the authority of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s 400-year rule over Transia, grant you the title and power of ¡®Countess of Anderma¡¯.

    You shall represent the Blood Vulture n in an audience with Lord Payne Vernon Cappadocia. I hope you do not tarnish the ancient glory of the Blood Vulture n and win glory for us before the Lord.¡±

    Femis¡¯s eyes went wide, and the observing Pnno the Knight Lord was also slightly surprised.

    Both knew the implication of Tris¡¯s action.

    This was the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess officially conferring a position of power to Femis within the n. It also meant that Femis, this ¡°remnant of the old regime,¡± was now under Tris¡¯s protection.

    With this, if Lord Payne intended to do something bad to Femis, it would mean the Blood Pact Knights and the Blood Vulture n would bepletely at odds, possibly even triggering an inter-n war.

    This move was Tris shamelessly begging the Lord for leniency on Femis¡¯s behalf, essentially providing her insurance. Even if Femis¡¯s true identity was discovered, the situation would not immediately spiral into an irrevocable dead end.

    Such an action could not be called insignificant, and Femis bit her lip.

    She nced at Tris, struggling to suppress the turbulence of emotions within.

    She responded in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°As youmand, mydy! I will not disgrace the Blood Vulture pride.¡±

    ¡°You two can grant titles to your subordinates yourselves. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Tris withdrew her scepter, nodded elegantly to the observing crowd, and said:

    ¡°The Blood Vulture n has now fallen into such a sorry state that luxurious ceremonies and solemn promations are unnecessary. Please inform Lord Payne, Pnno the Knight Lord. Once the n¡¯s situation improves, I will personally visit the Knight headquarters to call on Lord Payne.¡±

    ¡°As it should be.¡±

    Pnno the Knight Lord bowed elegantly in farewell, and the others also left one by one.

    ¡°Count Murphy, please wait a moment. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Tris held Murphy back in the darkness, but not because of the sudden change in their rtionship, but rather for real business.

    In the darkness, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess looked at Murphy and said sternly:

    ¡°About the Origin Blood, how much more do you still have hidden?¡±

 Chapter 121:

    How much source blood Murphy still had left? This was a question only he knew the answer to.

    He actually didn¡¯t know what other uses this thing had besides breaking blood pact contracts and enhancing vampire abilities. But there was no doubt it was a good thing! Since it was a good thing, he had to hoard some extra.

    At this moment, facing Tris¡¯s question, Murphy in the darkness blinked his eyes and answered:

    ¡°You guess?¡±

    ¡°You naughty boy, your Matriarch is asking you a serious question.¡±

    Tris was taken aback for a moment.

    But the change in their rtionship seemed to have returned to its previous intimate and rxed state because of Murphy¡¯s joke. Tris heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, not knowing what she was tense about.

    The Matriarch snorted and beckoned Murphy with her finger.

    The two returned to the secret treasury, where they could block out probes and eavesdropping. After Murphy closed the door, Tris sat on a chair and exined to him:¡°I¡¯m not coveting the source blood in your hands, Murphy. That thing¡¯s power to grant and break contracts will only take effect once in a vampire¡¯s long life. We¡¯ve both drank it, so its only meaning left for us is instant healing at critical moments.

    I asked if you had source blood because it rtes to the research I¡¯m currently conducting on your otherworld warriors.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Murphy looked at Tris in surprise.

    The Matriarch took off her crown and yed with it in her hands, then stretched her bodyzily back into a ¡°wastrel posture¡±. She drawled in exnation:

    ¡°Actually, the research on them started when I first saw them. After you taught me how to establish good rtions with them, by having them constantly run errands, I collected some ¡®spirit samples¡¯ from their bodies.

    Little Murphy, the technique you use to summon them into our world is essentially no different from the technique you currently use to summon that Astral Wolf.

    They enter our world like Astral Realm projections and absorb the stray spirit factors drifting between heaven and earth to persist for a long time. When their spirit projections are destroyed, they need to regenerate, a process that takes three days.

    You seem quite skilled at summoning, so perhaps you can pursue developing your power on the spirit ne as well.

    But we¡¯ll discuss thatter.

    What I want to tell you is, since your otherworld warriors are special ¡®summons¡¯, they can also be enhanced by some special techniques of summoners.

    Although their existence is moreplex, my research over this period can confirm that with some subtle medium, their existence in our world can undergo corresponding changes.¡±

    She looked at Murphy and stated her conclusion:

    ¡°You told me the key to motivating your warriors and unlocking their potential is through rewards. So I ask you, have you ever thought of bestowing the Night Mother¡¯s power upon them as a reward?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Murphy clenched his fists tightly, saying excitedly:

    ¡°I have thought about it! But they can¡¯t be vampires through the Embrace since they don¡¯t have physical blood for it.¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what I want to tell you.¡±

    Tris stood up, moving her limbs that seemed energized from her power¡¯s return, bouncing and jumping around shamelessly unlike a Matriarch¡¯s dignity. She said to Murphy:

    ¡°We can weave spirit mediums to make them ¡®vampires¡¯ without having to go through the traditional Embrace! Of course, to do this I need very special blood samples, ones that can violently resonate with spirit energy and fuse into it forsting effect.

    I thought of using the Matriarch¡¯s blood of Salrokdar to achieve this, but after realizing you still have plenty of source blood, I found a better experimental medium.¡±

    She walked up to Murphy and extended her hand towards him, saying:

    ¡°Give me some, not too much, just enough for repeated experiments. My theoretical framework is ready. After I prepare the ritual, we may need one of your warriors to volunteer as a test subject.

    But I must warn you in advance:

    This experiment carries some danger.

    If their physical projection weaving process is disrupted to the point of failure and cannot be restored, it means you may permanently lose one warrior.¡±

    ¡°I can understand the risk. What I want to rify is whether our experiment in this world will affect their physical forms in the otherworld?¡±

    Murphy said seriously:

    ¡°This point must be assured! I can ept the regret of losing a warrior¡¯s service, but I don¡¯t want these warriors who have contributed to our cause to suffer real harm.¡±

    ¡°Of course it can be assured! How could events in the physical world affect their bodies in another world? Your spirit fundamentals are really too shaky!¡±

    Tris knocked on Murphy¡¯s head and rolled her eyes, saying:

    ¡°And I¡¯m the mighty Spirit Sovereign, I have those basic safeguards.¡±

    ¡°Then I can fully cooperate with you.¡±

    Murphy happily opened his Spirit Bag and took out a jar of source blood, handing it to Tris.

    But the Matriarch¡¯s eyes were fixated on the gap in Murphy¡¯s Spirit Bag that had not yet closed, the glimmering source blood light inside dazzling her eyes.

    After a few seconds, the newly appointed Blood Vulture Matriarch angrily jumped up and down, scolding:

    ¡°You rascal Murphy! You emptied out the sacred blood pool, didn¡¯t you? Just your bag alone has no less than thirty jars of source blood. I have enough reason to believe you definitely have even more pure source blood hidden elsewhere!

    This is the n¡¯s sacred treasure! You little brat!

    Hand it over!

    With it, the Blood Vulture n can rapidly grow its members again without risk.¡±

    ¡°No, I refuse. I risked my life to get this. You can¡¯t take it all so greedily.¡±

    Murphy covered his Spirit Bag and kept backing away, saying:

    ¡°I asked Pnno about it. He told me the Blood Vulture n¡¯s lost sacred blood pool can be retrieved again from the mysterious crimson sacred origin during next year¡¯s ¡®Sacred Blood Seal¡¯ ritual. Can¡¯t you just go with them and get some more then?

    These in my hands are our private stash!

    This is an origin sacred artifact, a real treasure! Who doesn¡¯t want it?¡±

    ¡°You you you you! Are you trying to kill me with anger?¡±

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s firm refusal, the new Matriarch angrily stomped her feet, losing her previously unparalleled grace and dignity. She said with some anger:

    ¡°Since the Sacred Blood Pilgrimage, there hasn¡¯t been a single disrespectful vampire bastard like you towards the origin relics in the over a thousand years vampires have existed on the continent, Murphy!

    I know you dislike the Blood Vulture n¡¯s rules and restrictions, but you must have basic respect for the ancient and sacred principles. If the Elder Lord Payne or other vampire Patriarchs find out you¡¯re hoarding so much source blood, you¡¯d be punished first and questionedter!

    We are Blood Vultures!

    We must follow the rules.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the Matriarch, I¡¯m the Matriarch¡¯s descendant!¡±

    Murphy countered:

    ¡°Don¡¯t our words be the new rules? Before, we were oppressed by the n rules as outcasts. Now that we¡¯re Patriarchs and Counts, must we still be bound by rules? Wouldn¡¯t everything we¡¯ve done be in vain?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still young, you don¡¯t understand. These ancient rules not only bind us, but also protect us.¡±

    Tris sighed.

    She no longer brought up demanding the source blood, only shaking her head helplessly as she turned to leave and return to her own ¡°Matriarch¡¯s camp¡± to rest and consider tonight¡¯s matters.

    Watching Tris¡¯s departing back after packing up, Murphy suddenly spoke:

    ¡°Um¡­Tris, about you asking me to calm down and think over our rtionship before, I think I may have an answer.¡±

    ¡°Hm? So soon?¡±

    Tris was in a hurry to leave, not just to do her experiments, but also considering avoiding being alone with Murphy during his ¡°cooling off period¡± to avoid influencing his consideration of this matter.

    ¡°I think you should take more time¡­Mmph.¡±

    The reply she got were fiery lips.

    By the time Tris sensed something amiss, Murphy¡¯s arms had already encircled her slender waist, pulling her whole body towards him. Then, under Tris¡¯s widened gaze, this neen-year-old young vampire just went for it.

    Their lips met.

    No answer or words were needed now.

    Murphy used actions to show Tris his re-established impression of her after stripping away the Binding Pact¡¯s influence, and his final decision on this rtionship.

    It was too sudden.

    So sudden that even the Blood Vulture Matriarch was momentarily flustered.

    This option, not quite fitting a vampire¡¯s gloomy style, did not seem to be among all the scenarios she had imagined.

    Her instinct was to push Murphy away.

    But her initial struggle soon weakened against his unrestrained ardent intention, and her actions turned gentle, even reciprocating, amid the token resistance.

    The umted feelings from their year of relying on each other exploded violently in her heart.

    In that moment, her mind filled with the bits and pieces of Murphy caring for her, and their asional intimately teasing banter.

    The twoplex lives embraced in this gilded splendor, exchanging kisses and answering time¡¯s flow with entwined arms, until Tris¡¯s tongue clumsily followed Murphy¡¯s lead and met his lips, only then did she suddenly snap back to awareness.

    Ah!

    What was she doing?

    Her struggle became intense again, and feeling the change, Murphy gently released her.

    He wasn¡¯t some impatient virgin boy. His forty-plus years of life across past and present made him gentle and considerate in such moments.

    ¡°That¡¯s my answer.¡±

    Murphy wiped the blood from his lips.

    Tris¡¯s kissing experience couldn¡¯t be called clumsy, it was more urate to say she had none at all. To put it indelicately, he had felt like a little piglet was nibbling his mouth when she got carried away.

    No technique at all.

    Just feeling.

    Under Tris¡¯s conflicted gaze, Murphy brushed his messy long hair aside and said to her:

    ¡°I thought that after dissociating from the Binding Pact¡¯s influence, I wouldn¡¯t fall into the infatuation a Blood Descendant has for their elders when charmed by your elegance. But it seems I oversimplified this, after all, feelings don¡¯t make much sense.¡±

    Murphy then recalled what Revnor had told him when they parted, the words buried deepest in this body¡¯s heart, and naturally spoke them:

    ¡°Tris, I admit this is somewhat vulgar, but in the over a year I cared for you, my intention was not purely the Binding Pact, nor did it influence my feelings for you. Rather, that mysterious force rationalized a youth¡¯s infatuation and pursuit.

    So after its influence was removed, I could finally calmly examine my feelings for you.

    Then I found that I hadn¡¯t actually changed at all. Especially the events of the past month have only deepened these feelings. Of course, we haven¡¯t reached the point of proiming ¡®like¡¯ or ¡®love¡¯ yet.

    But I cannot deny that I do indeed have profound, special fondness for you distinct from otherdies.

    And from your reaction just now,

    I¡¯m honored to conclude that you seem to feel the same way about me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡±

    Tris covered her flushed cheeks, saying in a pale tone:

    ¡°You¡¯re just too young, so you don¡¯t understand how the long-lived treat feelings. You can¡¯t turn an outburst of emotion in such a short time into this aggressive of a rtionship like a human.¡±

    ¡°But beneath this vampire exterior, I have a human soul!¡±

    Murphy inwardlymented with a sigh.

    He wanted to exin further.

    But Tris took a deep breath to calm herself. She touched the scar on her neck with a hint of somber sadness and said to Murphy:

    ¡°And most importantly, you don¡¯t understand me, little Murphy. The Tris you know is just the wastrel who lost her power and had to abandon all ambition and wickedness to be peaceful.

    You don¡¯tprehend the crazed and evil crimson witch monster I was in the first half of my life.

    This scar is the painful lesson she left me.

    You don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Tris looked at Murphy, hesitating before biting her lip and saying:

    ¡°I told you before that Salrokdar¡¯s insane n for Femis was my idea. Perhaps it stemmed from my mad spection at the time, but Salrokdar pursued it in an even more radical way after learning some mysterious sub-spatial knowledge to make it a reality.

    And that was just one of the many mistakes I made in my crazed era.

    Murphy, this is what I¡¯m trying to say.

    After you truly understand me, you¡¯ll be horrified of me, keep your distance, maybe even hostile towards me.

    The crimson witch is ipatible with you.

    I could convince myself before that in my weakness, that crazed, wicked woman had beenpletely buried by me. But now that my power has returned, perhaps that specter will re-emerge too.¡±

    She grasped the braid on her chest, making no attempt to hide the worry in her words.

    But Murphy shook his head, stepped forward, and gently yet skillfully undid her braid despite her stiff resistance, letting her long hair down to return to that slovenly wastreldy look covering her bewitching eyes.

    ¡°This looks much better.¡±

    Murphy politely took a step back, looking her over before saying with satisfaction:

    ¡°Your past is trouble you need to deal with yourself. I didn¡¯t participate in it and don¡¯t care, as long as you don¡¯t want to destroy the world I think I can ept it. Even if you truly did want to destroy the world, under necessary circumstances I couldugh and hand you the torch to light it.

    Justice, evil, light, darkness ¨C these distinctions mean little to me. What I aspire to is a kind of freedom you may not understand. And I can affirm that our understanding of this world differs.

    You have your madness, I have mine.

    After all, what vampire¡¯s heart doesn¡¯t have some harmless little secrets?

    Moreover, we vampires have such long lives, so don¡¯t jump to conclusions so soon. We¡¯re notmitting here for eternity, there¡¯s much more after developing feelings for each other.

    Miss Tris, please believe me, I¡¯m not so casual about affairs of the heart.

    And I think neither are you.¡±

    ¡°What kind of address is that?¡±

    Tris scolded unhappily:

    ¡°I¡¯m 432 years older than you! Show some respect, would you?¡±

    ¡°Alright alright, Lady Tris.¡±

    Murphy shrugged, feeling ted to get that off his chest. Just like before, he naturally took Tris¡¯s hand and said:

    ¡°Shall we head back together? It¡¯s not my style to let ady walk the night roads alone. Considering I¡¯m trying to win your favor, perhaps I should behave more gantly?¡±

    ¡°Cheeky brat.¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes, letting her mood settle.

    She rolled her eyeballs and said:

    ¡°Carry me on your back!¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Murphy looked at her in bewilderment, his dazed eyes expressing everything.

    I carried you out of the city before because you were nearly dead then. But now you¡¯re a Golden Spirit Sovereign, your wings are three times bigger than mine! So you¡¯re already toozy to even walk?

    ¡°Count of Kadman! Carry your Matriarchdy back to the camp. I¡¯m tired tonight and your rambling frightened me, so I can¡¯t be bothered to walk or fly.

    This is the Matriarch¡¯s order!

    This Count of Kadman, you don¡¯t want to be severely punished by your superiors for defying the Matriarch¡¯s orders, do you?¡±

    Tris yed with her Nocturne scepter as she spoke.

    A few minutester, Murphy left the Blood Vulture Corridor through the secret passage with Tris on his back. If their intimate posture as the new Matriarch and Count of Kadman was seen outside, it would cause quite a stir.

    Murphy¡¯s steps were light as he crossed the underground spring and waterfall. In the not-so-quiet night, Lady Tris snuggledfortably against Murphy¡¯s back before closing her eyes.

    It felt like if these peculiar feelings progressed further, they would be quite troublesome. Besides, did this young Murphy even understand what love is?

    Could he possiblyprehend it better than her, an almost 500-year-old ancient vampire?

    So for now, it was best to maintain thisfortable distance between them, leaving those troublesome matters forter.

    This was how she convinced herself as she thought.

    As Murphy carried her leaping off the waterfall, gliding in the darkness, Tris secretly touched her lips, which seemed to still retain some warmth from that passionate kiss earlier. Murphy¡¯s gentlemanly hands had also left an equally unsettling warmth on her waist.

    It was a warmth more unnerving for a vampire than the scorching sun.

    ¡°Tris!¡±

    She said to herself inwardly:

    ¡°You really are a coward.¡±

 Chapter 122:

    The ¡°ession Ceremony¡± of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s Grand Duchess was hasty and humble, but this was not a major issue.

    Given the Blood Vulture n¡¯s dire situation of having only around ten members remaining, organizing avish ceremony would be truly awkward as they couldn¡¯t even gather enough people. Moreover, with the Goldflower Kingdom watching closely from the outside, the Blood Vultures must now operate carefully in the darkness.

    However, for the truly loyal, a simple ceremony could serve a very important purpose.

    Especially after Lady Tris, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, restructured the family hierarchy and bestowed nominal control of two-thirds of the Transia region to Murphy and Femis respectively. This legally confirmed Murphy¡¯s rule over the areas near Kadman City.

    As for the northwestern Baron Sykov¡¯s domain upying thest third of the Transia region, the situation there was moreplex. Even during the Blood Vulture n¡¯s heyday, that area had a rather ambiguous rtionship with them. Thus, Tris did not intend to deal with such troubles now, nor did she n to handle these matters herself.

    She believed her dear Murphy would be willing to take on the task.

    Law itself is worthless when unnecessary but can be as precious as gold in certain situations.

    Like the present.

    In the shadows of a rare intact building in the outer city of Kadman City at dawn, Murphy watched as three Blood Pact Knights escorted a carriage carrying Lady Femis¡¯s beloved walnut wood coffin away.They were clearly escorting her to meet Lord Payne in the Dark Mountain range.

    Knight Lord Pnno had departed Kadman City the previous evening after the ceremony, as his warning mission required him to travel around the continent¡¯s various powers within a month. Considering this fellow¡¯s particr neurotic habits, this would undoubtedly be an extremely rushed journey for him.

    ¡°I thought you would be apanying the youngdy,¡± Murphy said to Lady Adele from the shadows.

    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t actually oppose you and the youngdy continuing your close friendship, or even a loyalty rtionship without a blood pact bond. You know I¡¯m open-minded in this regard.¡±

    ¡°As you say,¡± Adele replied softly.

    ¡°But the youngdy and I have gone our separate ways in life. Now I will fight for your will, andpared to the youngdy¡¯s safety, these ruins and your endeavors clearly need my strength more.¡±

    Her tone was very natural, showing no resistance.

    The matter-of-fact expression on her face made Murphy ponder the blood pact¡¯s imperceptibly domineering effect on obedience. He could still vividly recall Adele¡¯s previous defiance and resistance, but in just under fifteen days, her loyalty had reached this level.

    He estimated that after some more time, Adele would no longer refuse any of Murphy¡¯s orders.

    If Murphy were truly a debased person, with ¡°E-Sister¡± exaggerated physical attributes, Adele might havepletely submitted in this lifetime.

    Fortunately, he was not.

    Now, recalling Tris¡¯s request for him to dissolve their pact seemed to represent her care and love for him. She clearly did not wish for Murphy to walk further down this twisted path.

    However, for vampires, such a life of dependence on others was the norm, just as vampire civilization had now be entirely dependent on human civilization. It was better not to dwell on it, the vampire race was full of ws in every aspect.

    ¡°Take this,¡± Murphy said, turning and entering the house behind him. He casually handed Adele a small jar of pure source blood, instructing:

    ¡°The first time a vampire drinks source blood, it will not only enhance your strength but also dissolve our blood pact bond. Let the past be the past. Now, I¡¯m giving you the choice in your life, Adele.

    Take advantage of thest shred of rity in your mind and choose the lord you truly wish to serve.

    Consider it a reward for your dedicated service to me these past weeks. You are an exceptionaldy in every respect and should not fall to a worse state.¡±

    ¡°I do not need such a thing! This is an insult!¡± Adele¡¯s expression changed as she said in a low voice:

    ¡°I am loyal, Master Murphy.¡±

    ¡°No, this does not mean I doubt you. I merely wish to build a new family system for vampires. This is just an attempt, as well as a reward for loyalty. After all, I need warriors, not hunting hounds. A bound will cannot unleash true terrifying power.

    Keep it, or you can discard it.

    It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    With a wave of his hand, Murphy disappeared into the house¡¯s shadows.

    After he left, Lady Adele looked at the source blood vial in her hand.

    Complex emotions flickered in her crimson eyes. Eventually, she raised her head toward the direction the youngdy had gone, but did not discard this precious item.

    As Lady Adele silently turned to go about her business, she suddenly sensed a gaze from nearby. Looking back, she saw the ghost-like Maxim standing at the edge of the shadows outside the eaves, holding a box in one hand and gripping his tomb guard ck de in the other.

    He was now watching her with an ambiguous expression.

    That gaze seemed to say, ¡°Dare to be disloyal, and I dare to cut you down!¡±

    Tsk

    The proud half-elf tilted her head proudly, ignoring Maxim¡¯s unspoken threat. She then swiftly traveled through the shadows cast by spirit magic spells under the sunlight, flying off toward the Blood Vulture Halls.

    At this moment, inside this ruined building, Miriam had already prepared a report summarizing various materials from the survivors¡¯ camp, ready to update Murphy on her work during this period.

    However, before she could begin her report, Murphy raised his hand to interrupt her and instead brought up another matter.

    ¡°Miriam, before the battle in Smuggler¡¯s Woods, I promised you absolute freedom. Once we overcame the danger, I would immediately grant your wish to leave Transia and bestow upon you wealth sufficient for a lifetime without worry.¡±

    The vampire, seated at a luxurious solid wood table found by the little yers amidst the ruins, said with a smile to the red-haired girl sitting across from him.

    Miriam was stunned for a moment.

    Indeed, this had urred.

    It was when Murphy had lured her into risking danger to rescue those four Witch Hunters that he had spoken those words. She had thought it was merely a pretext from the vampire but did not expect Murphy to bring up this matter proactively now.

    Ah, that must have been nearly twenty days ago.

    Yet in her perception and recollection, it felt as distant as some afternoon over a decade ago.

    But what did this mean?

    Miriam could not help but ponder in her mind¡¯s little theater. Was Murphy testing her loyalty?

    If she demanded Murphy fulfill his promise now, would this newly-anointed ¡°Count of Kadman¡± issue orders, leading to the ssic story of five hundred executioners and dumplings?

    She thought of many possibilities.

    However, Murphy had no other intentions.

    He called out toward the entrance, and Maxim, d in crimson heavy armor, entered carrying a box. This Blood Vulture n guard captain¡¯s armor from the secret vault offered exceptional protection, with the suit¡¯sbined spirit defense effect. Its appearance was also remarkably sturdy and imposing.

    Especially the two bat-shaped shoulder tes, making the already tall Maxim appear beast-like.

    That bucket helm with its vulture-faced visorpletely covered his face, exuding an oppressive aura from the dark midnight.

    Thump

    The loyal servant set the box before Miriam and, under Murphy¡¯s smiling gaze, opened it.

    In an instant, a golden radiance illuminated Miriam¡¯s eyes.

    Inside the not-sorge box were neatly stacked forty gold bars and an equal amount of gold coins and jewels, merely a drop in the bucket from the Blood Vulture¡¯s secret vault. Even though Miriam was neither an ounting nor appraisal student, she could instantly roughly estimate the value of these treasures.

    Calcted at current Shaldor port prices, this money would not be enough for her to enter high society overnight. However, by ordinary living standards, Murphy¡¯s im of providing sufficient wealth for a lifetime without worry was indeed no exaggeration.

    With this money, she could not onlyfortablyplete her studies but even purchase a shop in Shaldor port and begin a new,fortable life far exceeding ordinary standards!

    ¡°This is what you deserve, Miriam,¡± spoke not Murphy, but Maxim.

    This loyal servant pushed up the vulture-like visor, revealing a face unlike ordinary people¡¯s, but now without the previous hostility and scrutiny. Instead, he addressed Miriam with a gentle expression:

    ¡°I apologize for my earlier doubts. Even by the strictest standards, your work in the Kadman City ruins and survivors¡¯ camp has provided far more assistance to Master Murphy¡¯s endeavors than my own contributions.

    This wealth is not only my master¡¯s promise but your well-deserved reward.

    Yet I must say, perhaps you should not ept it.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Miriam was busy calcting the value of these glittering little darlings and envisioning how to enjoy life after bing wealthy. Hearing Maxim¡¯s advice, she looked up in surprise and said:

    ¡°Why? Maxim, though in my view you remain a hopelessly devoted fool, I must admit that by the standards of friendship, you do qualify. However, you should not interfere with my choices, should you?

    Just as during this time, I have not mocked your vampire ideals again.¡±

    ¡°No, I do not mean to interfere with your life,¡± Maxim said, ncing at Murphy, who was smiling and toying with the core bead. He turned to Miriam and said softly:

    ¡°Taking this money means your work in Kadman City is over. You will have the freedom to leave and head toward your new life. But what about the survivors¡¯ camp? What about the 1,800 people we rescued from the Blood Vulture corridors?

    This camp of nearly three thousand is your own creation. Can you bear to abandon them, to cast them aside in these ruins and wilderness?¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    For a moment, Miriam did not know how to respond. Maxim leaned forward, picked up a gold bar, and toyed with it as he said in a low voice:

    ¡°I am a blunt person, so allow me to be more direct! Between future power and present wealth, which do you choose?¡±

    Do not be deceived by Maxim¡¯srge stature. From his asional conversations with Murphy, one could see that this big fellow actually possessed his own ¡°art of speech¡± that could sometimes cut straight to the heart of the matter. At least, this question was quite skillfully posed.

    However, the red-haired girl was amused by this question.

    She wanted to directly ask Maxim which eyes saw her enjoying power in the survivors¡¯ camp. By Shaldor port standards, this was just arger refugee camp, what power was there to enjoy?

    But then, her expression subtly changed.

    Having been imbued with knowledge and education, she understood association. The scene of Murphy being granted the title of Count of Kadman the previous evening was still vivid in her mind.

    He had already obtained legitimate ruling authority!

    So, this refugee camp could hardly be said to not potentially develop into a settlement on the scale of Kadman City in the future. Given Murphy¡¯s identity and character, it would be difficult for him to truly take on direct rule. Then, as his currently most trusted administrator, herself¡­

    The future city lord?

    Or even further?

    Thinking of this, Miriam¡¯s breathing suddenly quickened, then after a second she held her breath and looked again at the luxurious objects before her. These glittering golden things no longer seemed so alluring.

    At this moment, Murphy was not particrly attentive to Miriam¡¯s change. He was currently surfing the enthusiastically.

    In the game group chat, he was chatting animatedly with a group of idle little yers waiting to respawn, ranging from thetest popr music all the way to some borderline vulgar topics. He even had the dankizens share a few popr songs to the group to listen to in his free time.

    But when he looked up, he saw Miriam staring straight at him from across the table.

    Her eyes flickered with three parts anticipation, four parts delight, two parts hesitation, and a final part rapidly increasing determination. Damn, that pie-chart gaze was rather creepy, you know.

    ¡°So, are you satisfied with thepensation I¡¯ve offered?¡± Murphy inquired, maintaining his usual elegant and proper tone.

    ¡°If this is not enough, we can discuss further. My warriors found some priceless artworks in the city ruins. Perhaps you could take them to sell in Shaldor port?

    We can split the proceeds seventy-thirty.¡±

    ¡°You need the money to buy food, right?¡± Miriam suddenly asked.

    ¡°Have you finally noticed that it will soon be October, enteringte autumn? With Transia¡¯s climate and the current workforce, there¡¯s no time left for cultivation.

    In theing winter, you¡¯ll have to purchase enough food from outside. And you¡¯ll need to implement even stricter rationing to possibly support the current and potentially soaring refugee poption in your domain. Not to mention the additional expense if the two countries truly release their imprisoned blood servants back into the war.

    This is extremely dangerous!

    In the very first ss of my administrative program, the instructor emphasized that relying solely on others is the worst situation for any regime.

    Not only must you cut costs, but you must also find ways to generate ie.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Murphy blinked, clearly intrigued as he asked, ¡°So, do you have any good ideas?¡±

    ¡°Mines!¡± Miriam took out her notebook and flipped through it, saying:

    ¡°In the southern part of Transia, near the Foul Swamp, there are several abandoned mines. They were once an important source of minerals for the locals, but during the Ten Year War, all the miners there were conscripted to the front lines by the vampires.

    With our current manpower, we won¡¯t be able to get those running again for at least half a year. However, when I was studying in Shaldor port, I often saw prospecting advertisements from brass dwarf mining teams in the local newspapers.

    Dwarves have an endless need for minerals. We can let the dwarves manage those few mines and trade the ore directly for food.

    Those little fellows will definitely try to haggle the price down, they¡¯re cunning and petty. But those unused mineral deposits could certainly be exchanged for at least enough food for the survivors¡¯ camp.¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡± Murphy praised, then asked, ¡°But how do we contact them?¡±

    ¡°With this!¡± Miriam pointed to the Computation Bead on her wrist and said:

    ¡°Given the distance between the Foul Swamp and Brass Citadel, we just need to set up an information ry station near Smuggler¡¯s Woods to contact the dwarves¡¯ mines near the Dark Mountain range. You don¡¯t think they built Brass Citadel just to defend against the Dark Mountain¡¯s monsters, do you?

    Of course not!

    Our economics professor exined in detail that the dwarves initially did so to obtain the rare minerals in the Dark Mountain range. Defending against the ck Disaster was just an unintended consequenceter on.

    If you¡¯re confident, I can take charge of this matter.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m confident. Go ahead and handle it,¡± Murphy generously authorized. Miriam stood up, gathered her files, and bid farewell like a properdy before heading out.

    ¡°Hey, you forgot something,¡± Murphy reminded her from behind.

    ¡°Your gold.¡±

    ¡°The domain needs this gold more right now,¡± Miriam waved her hand dismissively without turning back.

    ¡°As the lord, you should also be more cautious with your wealth. When I need money, I¡¯lle ask you for it. By then, this meager amount of gold won¡¯t suffice.¡±

    With that, her figure disappeared through the doorway.

    Maxim stepped forward and closed the gold box, saying to Murphy, ¡°It seems changing an intelligent person¡¯s mind is that simple, my lord. Simple enough to merely require a reminder.¡±

    ¡°That is because the more wisdom one has, the more one thinks. And the more one thinks, the more temptations arise. Once temptations be too many, the wisdom the mind can hold diminishes. So in conclusion, the more wisdom, the less wisdom.

    This also proims to us that intelligent people are not actually formidable.

    What is formidable are the intelligent who can resist temptation, yet do not be arrogant.¡±

    Rising in the dim room, Murphy made a joke that could potentially fry his servant¡¯s CPU, then exined:

    ¡°Miriam¡¯s thoughts have never changed. She merely used her present as coteral to make an investment betting on the future. Perhaps I¡¯ve found what she truly desires. I should also give her a real opportunity to fully flex her abilities. What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 123:

    Miss Miriam elegantly declined the reward she deserved, deciding to take Murphy¡¯s advice and use the present as coteral to go all-in for her future.

    However, the redhead deeply knew that a bright future still required her to work hard now. As Murphy¡¯s top ¡°reserve politician,¡± she was indeed busy with official duties. After finishing her conversation with Murphy and eating a casual breakfast, she brought along a few carefully selected assistants and returned to the survivors¡¯ camp.

    A major construction effort was underway here.

    Murphy had just rescued over 1,800 people from the Blood Vulture Halls, doubling the number of mouths to feed, which was an unsettling signal. Fortunately, the camp had previously established an effective, albeit crude and simple order, allowing Miriam to still basically maintain stability for now.

    ording to her schedule, this morning she needed to meet with the leaders of the survivors from the corridor regarding allocating manpower to clear and initially rebuild the ruins in the outer city district.

    From a manager¡¯s perspective, Miriam¡¯s current situation could be summarized as follows:

    The good news was that the other party was cooperating with the camp¡¯s work and even proactively integrating their 1,800 survivors into the existing management system based on bor points¡± and munal meals.¡±

    The bad news was that a few people in the other party¡¯s leadership were somewhat unruly, showing signs of wanting to seize power.

    This information was privately told to Miriam by Lady Adele, Murphy¡¯s blood descendant and maid, who felt obliged to inform the current administrator of certain noteworthy phenomena in the territory.Previously, Miriam had not paid much attention to this, thinking she would just finish the tasks quickly and leave.

    But now, Miriam found herself like an eager ¡°battle hen,¡± raring to face challenges from her peers.

    It seemed many had noticed the ¡°treasure¡± represented by the survivors¡¯ camp, and as the person currently closest to monopolizing that treasure, the clever and formidable redhead clearly did not intend to relinquish it easily.

    This shift in attitude brought her more subjective proactiveness, just as someone who has found a goal and someone drifting aimlessly are in two different life states.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The small ¡°meeting room¡± door was pushed open, which was actually just a house in the outer city ruins that had been burned but was still barely usable.

    The middle-aged man dressed like a schr who was sitting inside looked up.

    He should be the representative sent by the other party.

    Wearing broken sses held together with glue and cloth strips, his graying hair made him look haggard, with a worried brow. Although dressed inly, he was very well-groomed and clean. His legs seemed inconvenient, with a wooden staff by his side.

    In front of him were some papers filled with writing, clearly prepared for a war of words with Miriam to secure more benefits for the ¡°faction¡± he represented.

    This scene gave the redhead a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    It was as if she was ying the role of a faction leader, about to engage in a game called ¡°politics¡± with the other party¡¯s diplomat to fight for her interests. Something that once seemed so distant to her had now be the reality she had to face.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Miriam, the supervisor of the survivors¡¯ camp.¡±

    She proactively said to the middle-aged schr with a calm expression:

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide my intention, but the survivors¡¯ camp has reached its limit by epting so many people. Our two sides must cooperate to quickly open up a new living area in the old city district. Otherwise, this ce will soon experience some chaos that no one wants to see.¡±

    ¡°I understand your meaning, Miss Miriam,¡± the middle-aged schr smiled and said humbly, ¡°In the past two days since leaving the halls, mypanions and I have reached a consensus. We have no intention of challenging your position in the survivors¡¯ camp, and we are willing to assist you in managing the relocation of survivors.

    At the very least, I personally do not want to see everyone face unnecessary turmoil after struggling to survive. Therefore, I propose¡­¡±

    Miriam listened carefully to the other party¡¯s description.

    From the other party¡¯s seemingly submissive but actually prepared stance of presenting aplete proposal, she knew her current opponent would not be easy to deal with.

    But just as the middle-aged schr was about to reveal the specific proposal, the ¡°meeting room¡± door was suddenly pushed open again. Lieutenant Frayzer from the Goldflower Kingdom, wearing a military uniform, walked in with a bent back and said to Miriam in an unsatisfied tone:

    ¡°I must enter the ruins of the Blood Vulture Halls to assess the situation and confirm that Salrokdar has truly been¡­ huh? Professor Winston Malcolm? What are you doing here?¡±

    This ¡°enemy¡± lieutenant initially paid no attention to the other person in the room, but when he turned and saw the middle-aged schr conversing with Miriam, he was stunned. His military instincts made him straighten his body and give a standard bow to the equally surprised middle-aged schr, loudly saying:

    ¡°Greetings to you, mentor! I am Frayzer Robert Carpe, ss president of History Department ss 7 of the 1100th batch at the Shaldor Engineering Academy.

    I once audited your seven public lectures on the evolution of noble titles in the Sn Kingdom. I must say, those lectures left asting impression on me and allowed me to learn about certain interesting anecdotes about my family¡¯s history that were not recorded in our family tree.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Mr. Frayzer, I remember you!¡±

    The middle-aged schr removed his broken sses, rubbed his forehead, and indeed found some remaining memories. He said:

    ¡°You even specially invited me to the most luxurious cafe in Shaldor Port after ss to consult me about some rather professional questions regarding the Carpe family history. I had asked you then, but you denied it.

    It seems you are indeed a descendant of one of the oldest noble families in Sn?¡±

    ¡°That was my father¡¯s request. He said if I hoped to prove my abilities, then at the very least during my studies, I could not receive too much interference and help from my family bloodline.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer was also surprised and delighted to see his former professor. He simply pulled up a chair and sat beside this Professor Malcolm, saying with regret:

    ¡°To be honest, I greatly admired your talents back then and wanted to invite you to be the Carpe family¡¯s historical advisor. But due to the sudden outbreak of the Ten-Year War, I was unable toplete my studies and returned to the country prematurely as a soldier.

    It¡¯s quiteforting to see a familiar face in this strangend, Professor. But if I¡¯m not mistaken, didn¡¯t the History Department issue a recall order in the first year of the Ten-Year War?

    I heard the Shaldor University administration even sent personnel to protect the faculty¡¯s safety. Why did you end up in Transia? And why did you let yourself be so haggard?¡±

    ¡°s.¡±

    Upon hearing this question, even the well-cultivated middle-aged schr¡¯s face showed an expression he could not contain. While caressing his knee, he exined in a tone of ¡°the past is not worth recounting¡±:

    ¡°Because when the war broke out, I had epted an invitation from the Explorers¡¯ Association to investigate some historical ruins of the Western Barbarians in the Ice Bay region. Somehow I ended up getting dragged into the Old Church¡¯s rebellion against the Goldflower Kingdom and nearly became a prisoner of those enraged mountain people in the Saxony region.

    It was a life-and-death experience.

    Afterwards, during my wanderings, I also witnessed the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s massacre of the mountain people and saw the scenes of scorched earth left in the wake of the armed Blood Servants.

    That is the true face of history on every page.¡±

    Professor Malcolm did not seem very elderly, but the ravages of the war years had grayed his hair. He had previously been unwilling to share his experiences with others, but upon meeting his former student, he spoke freely.

    After all, one needs an outlet after being tense for too long.

    A mature man cannot burden his family with too much pressure, so venting to someone close is normal.

    Patting his knee, he sighed:

    ¡°If it was just me, it would be fine. But the problem was that my wife and children had joined me on that excursion as a leisure trip. To protect my family, I had no choice but to join the Portia Federation military as a logistics officer before eventually settling in Kadman City.

    But at least after nearly a decade of hardship, I preserved my family¡¯s safety and even had a healthy baby daughter, perhaps fate¡¯s blessing. I no longer desire anything more.¡±

    ¡°What a twist of fate. An outstanding schr like you should not have been dragged into this damn war.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer offered constion before turning back sternly to the oddly-behaving Miriam:

    ¡°Miss Miriam! You¡¯ve heard Winston Malcolm¡¯s true identity. He is a rare gem in the field of human history. Therefore, in my capacity as a lieutenant of the Goldflower Kingdom Pioneer Army and heir of the Carpe family, I make this solemn demand of you!

    You cannot continue detaining Professor Malcolm under those vampires¡¯ authority! Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡±

    His righteous words were cut short as he saw Miriam, with an indescribably bizarre expression, cover her eyes and take out her ¡°student ID¡± from her spirit bag.

    She nced at Lieutenant Frayzer and said softly:

    ¡°I¡¯m a student of the 1109th Administration batch at Shaldor Engineering Academy. Well, I didn¡¯t expect you to be my alumni, you annoying guy. Also, hello Teacher! You should have revealed your identity sooner so we didn¡¯t have to go through that awkward conversation earlier.

    In front of a schr like you, I¡¯m sure you saw through my background long ago. Please excuse my conduct earlier.¡±

    Miriam stood up, straightened her clothes, and respectfully greeted the twice-silenced and stunned Professor Malcolm seated before her.

    This multiyered revtion of identities left even the well-traveled Professor Malcolm and the enemy lieutenant Frayzer at a loss for words.

    The atmosphere in the small meeting room between the three became rather subtle for a moment.

    But since all three had rified their identities and this rtionship existed, their previous minor conflicts could be temporarily set aside.

    Miriam inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

    She dropped her previously icy demeanor and said to Professor Malcolm politely and sincerely:

    ¡°Professor, I promise that after all this is over, I will find a way to send you and your family back to Shaldor Port. But for now, I really need your professional expertise to help me manage this ever-growing camp.

    In the presence of an elder, I need not hide anything!

    The work during this period has exhausted me mentally and physically. After all, I¡¯m just an ungraduated student with limited abilities. Moreover, there are a few management personnel on your side¡­ how shall I put it? I¡¯ve received word that they are trying to disrupt the hard-earned peace we¡¯ve obtained.

    This matter has caused me great anxiety.

    Stirring up trouble in a vampire¡¯s territory is simply a death wish. Master Murphy is still unaware, but if he finds out, he absolutely will not let it go.

    You should not be implicated in this.

    If you are involved, please cease immediately!¡±

    Professor Malcolm did not answer immediately, only looking Miriam up and down. After a few seconds, he smiled and said:

    ¡°To have personally established such arge-scale survivors¡¯ camp in the midst of Kadman City¡¯s disaster, and managed everything so orderly. Miriam, I dare say you are absolutely the most outstanding graduate of your ss!

    Without a doubt.

    And as a student seeking her mentor¡¯s help in times of trouble, how can I, as an educator, turn a blind eye?

    Actually, my acquaintance with those few individuals was merely a chance encounter. Although I disagree with some of their actions, I am powerless to stop them. More importantly, Miriam, this matter is a bit moreplicated than you imagine.¡±

    The professor ced his broken sses on the table. Lowering his voice, he rubbed his brow and said seriously:

    ¡°They have received support from external forces! That is the real reason they are determined to seize your managerial authority. Someone has made them empty promises, and I¡¯ve tried to persuade them, but they are too deeply deceived to listen.¡±

    ¡°Ahem¡±

    At this point, Lieutenant Frayzer beside him coughed unnaturally and said in a low voice:

    ¡°It was me, Professor. On behalf of the Pioneer Army, I made a few trivial insinuations to those rather ambitious individuals. Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m a madman, Junior Sister Miriam. Discovering and exploiting the enemy¡¯s internal conflicts is just a basic ability for an intelligence operative.

    I had no intention of creating more chaos here, only to cause some trouble for those vampires before I leave.

    But since this matter has implicated a schr I respect, I will withdraw from now on!

    As for those few ambitious but ipetent fools, you can deal with them yourselves.

    However, I must gain ess to the Blood Vulture Halls. The report I submit to His Majesty the King must contain sufficient truth.¡±

    ¡°I will bring this up to Master Murphy, but that is the vampires¡¯ sacred ground. Whether you can enter is not up to me.¡±

    Miriam did not give this jerk a friendly response.

    Thetter also sensibly did not linger, setting a time to meet the Professorter before taking his leave on his own.

    With only Miriam and her teacher remaining in the meeting room, Professor Malcolm put his sses back on. He looked out the burned house¡¯s window, and after a few seconds of silence, he asked an important question:

    ¡°Miriam, please tell me honestly, do you truly intend to serve Murphy long-term? I mean, do you view him as your sovereign lord?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Miriam nced at the professor like a student being held ountable. She nervously clenched her fists but ultimately answered candidly:

    ¡°To be honest, Professor, I greatly detest vampires. Even now, I feel those so-called midnight nobles are all a bunch of vermin. However, I believe Master Murphy is different from other vampires. He once promised me that he would treat all life on thisnd equally.

    I have also personally witnessed him resolutely ally with the Witch Hunters to kill his own kind in order to protect the civilians in the camp from being corrupted by crazed vampires!

    Moreover, this is also an opportunity for me personally.

    As you know, for someone like me without background or status, it is extremely difficult to truly create value from the knowledge I¡¯ve learned.

    I don¡¯t want to give up!¡±

    This answer made the middle-aged schr nod. He then asked:

    ¡°You are an Administration student, so do you know what the core of politics is?¡±

    ¡°Compromise?¡±

    Miriam gave an uncertain response that could be considered a ¡°universal answer¡±, but the professor shook his head. He stood up, supporting his leg injured during exile, and walked to the window to look at the scavengers toiling amid the ruins under the dawn light.

    He said softly:

    ¡°It is checks and bnces!

    Checks and bnces on power are the core of politics. Getting the ruler to willingly enter the cage is the art of politics, this is history¡¯s answer.

    I will stay and help you.

    Not only because the kind people here took care of me during my years residing in Kadman City, but also because, in truth, I had known Lord Murphy even before this disaster struck, earlier than you did.

    But like you, Miriam,

    I also feel that Lord Murphy seems different from the rest.¡±

    This professor recalled the strange yet polite and kind-hearted vampire he had seen at a street relief station some time ago. He cracked a smile and said softly:

    ¡°I have a feeling that something destined to be recorded in history is about to happen on thisnd of Transia that has suffered so much. As a historian, it is my responsibility to personally document all the changes here, and I am honored to participate in it myself.

    If you do not mind me being but a feeble old cripple, then Miss Miriam, I am willing to be your second-inmand and contribute what I can to thisnd I have resided in for years.

    My baby daughter was born here, and I too hope to see it thrive.¡±

 Chapter 124:

    Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer eventually obtained permission to enter the Blood Vulture Halls and investigate the situation on the ground.

    Murphy did not obstruct this ¡°enemy spy¡± from acting, although Old Finoch was already dead, and the Witch Hunters were severely diminished. Theoretically speaking, the force protecting this man had almost vanished, but the vampire did not intend to keep him as a ¡°souvenir¡± of brutality that would only serve to anger the Goldflower Kingdom without any other meaning.

    The necessary reason for this decision was that the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s actions in Transia needed a dignified conclusion and wrap-up, and the investigation report written by Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer himself could bring an end to all of this, allowing Murphy to achieve a more stable external environment more quickly.

    Secondly, regarding the Carpe family.

    This was an ancient power known even to Tris, a fallen woman for over a hundred years.

    During Tris¡¯s heyday, this family already had a certain influence in the political sphere of the Sn Kingdom, and it seemed that the Carpe family¡¯s ancestors had even had a small encounter with Tris. In any case, given the current situation in Transia and Kadman City, Murphy would never make the choice to provoke an enemy over a temporary grievance.

    ¡°Behave yourself, I¡¯ll be watching you!¡±

    The vampire dispatched his most loyal servant to apany Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer into the copsed Blood Vulture Halls. Faced with Maxim¡¯s threat, Frayzer chose to sneer at it.

    As he grasped the rope and descended through the damaged spiral staircase, he said to Maxim:¡°If you want to intimidate an enemy, you can use your gaze, presence, or actions. Let me advise you, for a fellow aspiring to be a loyal dog, usingnguage to threaten directly is the lowest form of instilling fear.¡±

    This was originally meant as a taunt.

    But a few secondster, the peculiar Maxim, apanying him and wearing the vulture mask, asked in response:

    ¡°Oh? It seems you¡¯re quite skilled in this area. Could you share some insights?¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    This time, it was Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer¡¯s turn to be perplexed.

    He looked at the fully armed Maxim with an odd expression and said:

    ¡°Are all Transians insane? To so brazenly seek to learn from an enemy? Not to mention the rationality of this action itself, aren¡¯t you afraid I might teach you the wrong things?¡±

    ¡°I can judge for myself, I have the power called wisdom.¡±

    The loyal servant calmly replied:

    ¡°Since it is a power, it can be mastered. As long as you¡¯re willing to teach, I dare to learn. I need to progress, and I also thirst for progress. In the name of the loyalty you despise, to be honest, I cannot understand why you think my choice to be a loyal servant is a pitiful thing.

    Are you not also loyal to your sovereign?

    From this perspective, you and I are no different.¡±

    The lieutenant colonel was left speechless. He hesitated for a moment, and as the descending rope touched the ground at the bottom of the corridor, he answered:

    ¡°I want to enter the Sacred Blood Hall and take a look.¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been excavated yet. The copse there was too severe, and there¡¯s still a risk of further copse.¡±

    Maxim said:

    ¡°But if you insist, I can take you to the excavation site.

    Lord Murphy looks forward to thepletion of your report, and my master has instructed me to inform you that upon your departure, he will present you with evidence proving that Salrokdar has indeed perished, to make your investigation report moreprehensive.¡±

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s a cooperative attitude.¡±

    The lieutenant took out his notebook and said to Maxim as he approached:

    ¡°To instill fear in others, you must first understand the causes of fear. I once attended a course on this at the Shaldor University¡¯s College of Medicine. Let me briefly introduce it to you.¡±

    As Maxim followed Lieutenant Colonel Frayzer to ¡°learn,¡± in the ruined outer city at Tris¡¯s cottage, only two of the three remaining live little yers had been summoned there by Tris¡¯s three-eyed raven familiar, Weber.

    The yers would be able to resurrect tomorrow, and tomorrow evening was also the moment when Murphy decided to hold the victory celebration. Cheche and Niuniu were both helping Miriam prepare for the event, but Lady Tris generously gave them a ¡°hidden quest,¡± prompting the student group to scurry over.

    They all knew that Lady Tris had be the new Grand Duchess of the Blood Vulture n, so upon meeting this witch, the two greeted her in unison, congratting Tris on her ascension.

    The small storyline about this power transition within the n was quite popr on the forum. yers like Lumina, who were dedicated to the storyline, were quite displeased, feeling that such an important moment should have been witnessed by yers, as they hadpleted the main storyline of Kadman City from start to finish.

    Tris bing the Grand Duchess was partly due to their efforts.

    As for this, Murphy¡¯s response was: You guys were weak and got yourselves killed, so don¡¯t me me? I can¡¯t just immediately resurrect you, can I?

    However, Murphy didn¡¯t have time now to cate the dissatisfied yers¡¯ emotions. He had a lot of things to attend to, just as Lady Tris had a spirit aptitude test she needed toplete before the yers came back online.

    ¡°Little Murphy¡¯smission has had me researching your otherworld warriors¡¯ projection forms in this world recently. I believe your ¡®otherworldly journey¡¯ should be more spectacr than merely beginning your legendary story in the mundane human form.

    This may sound somewhat incredible, doesn¡¯t it?

    But your unique existential forms have made realizing this subject a possibility.¡±

    The newly appointed Grand Duchess Tris¡¯s attire was not much different from before, still a set of homely robes that entuated her beautiful figure. However, the replenishment of power had added a sense of solemn presence to her alluringnguor.

    Before the two student yers, Tris took two small test tubes from her alchemy table, containing a reddish liquid.

    This substance flickered with an unusual glow in the light of the gasmps.

    She said to Niuniu and Cheche:

    ¡°I now need your help toplete the following spirit weaving experiment. You are Little Murphy¡¯s warriors, so I cannot deceive you. This experiment carries some risks, in the most extreme case, it may lead to your connection with this world being permanently severed.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    A beautiful quest activation sound rang out on Cheche and Niuniu¡¯s yer interfaces. The two little yers looked down and saw the triggered quest details:

    ¡¾Special Quest ¡®Lady Tris¡¯s Spirit Weaving Experiment¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: Lady Tris intends to use her powerful knowledge of spirits to attempt to change the test subjects¡¯ life forms in the¡¶Reality Realm¡·game. This experiment carries certain risks and can only bepleted by those truly fearless warriors!

    Quest Objective: Assist Lady Tris inpleting the experiment!

    Quest Reward: New Race Preview ¨C Exclusive Special Title ¡®Experimental Prototype Midnight Child No. 1¡ä.

    Developer¡¯s Note!

    This experiment is the development team¡¯s initial attempt at race conversion within the game. Due to the underlying codebase issues, test subjects¡¯ ounts may encounter login anomalies.

    If this situation urs, the development team willpensate the test subjects with new login ounts and certain in-game itempensation.¡¿

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    After seeing the quest description and reward, the invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche excitedly grabbed Niuniu¡¯s shoulder and leaned in to say in a low voice:

    ¡°Our previous guesses were correct! Afterpleting the game¡¯s prologue, we can indeed convert to the vampire race!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited yet,¡± said Niuniu, also excited.

    He quickly noticed the issue and said to Cheche with some concern:

    ¡°Look at the quest risks first. The developers have even disregarded the ¡®realism¡¯ they¡¯ve been emphasizing and directly provided such a Note, which proves that this ¡®codebase issue¡¯ seems quite serious.

    To be honest, I don¡¯t really want to risk my ount and the character I¡¯ve painstakingly leveled. I haven¡¯t even died once until level 10. I still want to try the hardcore ¡®One Life to Live¡¯ achievement challenge. If I suddenly lost it all, I¡¯d cry.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Cheche remained nonchnt and said:

    ¡°The developers said that if there¡¯s an issue, they¡¯llpensate us with new ounts. How many detours have we taken while ying? Since this game doesn¡¯t allow alt ounts, taking this opportunity for a fresh start wouldn¡¯t be bad.

    And look at the quest reward!

    We¡¯ll be starting a new race with an exclusive title that no one else has. Although it sounds a bit strange, I think the unique title alone is worth giving it a shot.

    Who cares about being the first on the server!

    If we unt this title when we¡¯re out on the streetster, we¡¯ll be the coolest yers around!¡±

    Niuniu was quickly convinced by Cheche, and Tris was not in a hurry, only watching the two little yers discuss with interest, as their voices could not be concealed from Tris¡¯s keen hearing.

    Although she did not yet understand what ¡°developers,¡± ¡°game,¡± ¡°achievements,¡± and ¡°codebase issues¡± meant, Tris perceptively realized that these otherworld warriors had their own set of logic for understanding her world.

    These special terms would not be tranted by the Computation Bead, only after Tris truly devoted herself to learning the warriors¡¯plexnguage would she understand the meaning.

    This proved that Little Murphy seemed to be intentionally concealing certain ¡°truths¡± about these otherworld warriors.

    Tris did not believe that Little Murphy harbored any ill intentions, but as a Spirit Sovereign, it was natural for her to be curious about these otherworldly secrets.

    The cunning witch was pondering how to extract more information from the little yers¡¯ mouths without revealing her purpose. This should not be difficult, as these little ones always seemed to have shrunken brains and no verbal filters.

    Hmm, they look quite gullible.

    ¡°Respected Grand Duchess, we¡¯ve discussed it!¡±

    Cheche and Niuniu turned back, striking a fearless pose, and said to Tris:

    ¡°We are willing to assist in your experiment. We believe that you, beautiful and wise, will surely be able to create a miracle.¡±

    ¡°Such sweet talkers, I love children who can speak well,¡± Tris praised, then handed the two small test tubes to the two little yers, patted their heads, and said:

    ¡°Drink it. No matter what happens, don¡¯t be afraid. Maintain rity of mind, this is very important.¡±

    The two student yers immediately pulled out the wooden stoppers from the test tubes and even did a clinking ss ceremony in a flirtatious manner before tilting their heads back and downing the contents.

    The vials contained source blood diluted with Dark Spirit. It appeared liquid but was actually condensed energy. As soon as it entered their mouths, it ¡°melted¡± in the little yers¡¯ oral cavities.

    Then, with a bang, the two little yers ¡°self-destructed¡± on the spot.

    The spirit projections that formed their bodies were severely disrupted into a dissociated state. The ancient spirit energy from the source blood, like crimson mist, entangled the yers¡¯ spirit energy and quickly dyed all the spirit factors red.

    This was clearly an elerated ¡°spirit erosion¡± process.

    Tris observed this process the entire time. After confirming that the erosion wasplete, she cast a spell on the spot to reconsolidate the two little yers¡¯ spirit projections.

    This process was not difficult.

    From an existential perspective, the little yers¡¯ spirit projections had not actually been destroyed, they had merely transformed from a solid state into an energy state. Tris only needed to guide them back into a solid form.

    As Tris deftly wove the spirit threads on the spot, Cheche and Niuniu¡¯s bodies regathered. They still looked the same, but their eyes now projected crimson dots, and vampire fangs protruded from the corners of their mouths.

    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa whoa! It¡¯s different now!¡±

    Cheche looked at his unnaturally pale hands and eximed:

    ¡°Why does the world look like this to my eyes? It feels like infrared detection, and it¡¯s so ufortable. The sunlight outside is so annoying, I feel like I¡¯m burning! I¡¯m going to burn up!¡±

    ¡°Check your character interface quickly!¡± Niuniu reminded him.

    Cheche immediately opened the yer interface and found that his character information hadpletely changed.

    In the interface with the Note ¡°New Race Trial Status,¡± the original total of 30 attribute points had increased by 10, and there were brand new racial traits waiting to be experienced. The best part was that because it was a ¡°trial status¡± and Tris had given them too much source blood, the two little fellows had even grown Blood Wings on the spot.

    They pped and floundered, trying to learn how to fly like Murphy and the youngdies.

    But this was clearly an action that required special training. Even with frantic wing pping, they could only flop around on the spot like grounded chickens.

    Their clumsy posture made Tris look utterly hopeless, yet these otherworldly little ones seemed so silly and adorable.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems the experiment was a sess.¡±

    Just as the two dummies were exchanging experiences on how to take flight, a familiar voice sounded from the entrance of the alchemy cottage. They turned to see Lord Murphy envelop himself in a moving shadow to avoid the sunlight as he entered the cottage.

    Murphy had just finished a ¡°small matter¡± at the survivors¡¯ camp.

    To rify, the ¡°small matter¡± here refers to him having just personally executed four traitors with proven ties to the Goldflower Kingdom before rushing over.

    He observed the vampire forms that the little yers had taken on under the influence of the source blood with an appreciative gaze.

    They were slightly different from ordinary vampires.

    After all, without undergoing the Embrace, their outward appearancecked the eerie and nocturnal aura of true vampires. Instead, they looked more like human souls stuffed into vampire bodies, like a cat¡¯s soul ced in a caterpir¡¯s body, with an uncoordinated demeanor and posture.

    Well,e to think of it, their state was very simr to Murphy¡¯s.

    ¡°Can this condition be maintained for an extended period?¡±

    Murphy turned to Tris. The Grand Duchess shook her head, and due to certain unmentionable events from the previous night, she was currently avoiding Murphy¡¯s gaze. She then evaluated in a researcher¡¯s tone:

    ¡°The warriors are only temporarily in this pseudo-vampire form, supported by the spirit energy of the source blood. Once the energy is depleted, they will revert to their human forms. However, it has been proven that their spirit projections can indeed be rewoven.

    I now have a direction to proceed with this endeavor.

    There is a small issue, though.¡±

    Tris stepped forward and pinched the necks of the two obediently standing little yers, frowning as she said:

    ¡°Their abilities are toocking; they may not withstand the release of more source Blood Spirit energy. So even if my experiment seeds, they will only be able to truly transform into permanent vampire forms after reaching the ck Iron level, when their bodily potentials are fully unleashed.¡±

    ¡°This is already sufficient! And the conditions are perfect,¡± Murphy said with satisfaction, nodding his head.

    ¡°Your Blood Vulture n needs fresh blood, but not ipetent fools! If all goes well, then in no more than half a month, you will have a batch of fearless otherworldly nsmen!

    The Blood Vulture n will rise again, and its future achievements will make you grateful for today¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°So, this is your n for the future of the Blood Vulture n? What do you take my n for?¡± Tris turned her head and rolled her eyes.

    Murphy shrugged, revealing a subtle smile.

    It was evident that this was the most important reason he did not want the original Blood Vulture n members to return. In his future ns, all or at least the vast majority of the Blood Vulture n members should be yers!

    ¡°Ah, the good times are over.¡±

    Five minutester, Niuniu and Cheche¡¯s ¡°pseudo-vampire experience cards¡± expired, and the two regretfully reverted to their human forms.

    However, the trial experience was still a full score!

    Although in the end, it was only with Lord Murphy¡¯s personal guidance that the two were able to perform the simplest ascent and gliding, the experience of true flight was amazing.

    ¡°Today¡¯s events must remain confidential!¡±

    Murphy issued the rewards to the two little yers, along with the strange title ¡°Prototype Midnight Child No. 1¡± that he had just coined, and instructed them:

    ¡°I hope to give my warriors a real surprise once everything isplete. Please help me preserve this mystery, okay? I believe my warriors can be as reliable in keeping secrets as you are courageous.¡±

 Chapter 125:

    Expecting yers to keep such an explosive big news a secret waspletely a pipe dream!

    Murphy¡¯s reminder was just following the NPC¡¯s routine, reinforcing his character setting. ording to his estimation, at most ten minutester, this news would spread like wildfire on the forums. But to be honest, he didn¡¯t mind and even looked forward to it a bit.

    A good game needs to asionallye up with some positive gimmicks like this. Not only can it strengthen the existing yers¡¯ game stickiness, but it can also attract outside attention.

    Of course, Murphy¡¯s situation with¡¶Reality Realm¡·was a bit special. It didn¡¯t really need outside publicity, but as a forum administrator, Murphy also needed to maintain a goodmunity atmosphere.

    At present, there were only 60 yers on the forum who had received test invitation codes, but Murphy had already approved many test applications.

    This meant that they could also share real-time in-game content news on the forum, allowing their curiosity about this game to continually umte until they became reliable and useful ¡°Murphy¡¯s personal fourth horsemen of the apocalypse.¡±

    As for the ¡°Experimental Prototype Midnight Child No. 1¡± title that Cheche and Niuniu had just obtained, that was created by Murphy himself using the title system. As a test administrator, he had this authority, but limited by the current game progress, he could only create some basic titles.

    Most importantly, the titles bestowed by the ¡°game¡± title system all had specific effects when worn!

    This meant that titles in this game could never bemonce and could even reach a rare and scarcely seen degree,pletely qualifying as part of a yer¡¯s strength.For example, the one the two little yers had just obtained.

    ¡¾Experimental Prototype Midnight Child No. 1: As an assistant helping Murphy explore the mysteries of a new race, you have been granted this unique title for your efforts.

    Please note!

    Aside from the name, all effects and achievements of this title are exactly the same as the ¡®Midnight Child¡¯ title.

    While wearing this title, your life and spirit recovery is elerated in night environments, and the speed at which you gain reputation with various Vampire ns is increased.

    Current test personnel are at the Professional rank and can equip: 0/1 titles.

    Titles currently owned: Kingyer, Experimental Prototype Midnight Child No. 1/Midnight Child.

    Equip new title? Yes/No¡¿

    ¡°Confirm! Give me a hardcore confirmation!¡±

    As they walked out of Lady Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche punched his fist forcefully in the air.

    In the next moment, his in-game ID changed to ¡°Experimental Prototype Midnight Child No. 1, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche¡±, and Niuniu also equipped the title beside him.

    The two instantly felt more awesome, and even their walking postures gained an air of dominance.

    Unfortunately, only yers could see this title, ¡°NPCs¡± would never be able to see the unreasonable mess atop their heads. As for how this title and appetion would take effect among the natives, that depended on the actual situation.

    However, this continent did have a tradition of addressing others with titles, such as Tris¡¯s unique nickname ¡°Crimson Witch¡±. Its special effect was that anyone who knew the Crimson Witch¡¯s story would have a unique emotion upon seeing her.

    Whether anger, fear, or reverence.

    Well, if evaluated by the game¡¯s data standards, Tris¡¯s title would probably be considered an epic or legendary title.

    As Murphy had expected, less than ten minutes after the two brats left, a thread appeared on the forum with them as the main characters, detailing the entire process of their quest.

    There were even specially taken cool photos tomemorate the asion.

    The main focus was just showing off.

    Meow King, as one of the three survivors, was very unhappy about this and vented greatly in the post¡¯sments.

    But facts proved that one could only choose between the Vampire faction and the Witch Hunter system. As an Oak Apprentice, it was normal for him to be excluded from Lady Tris¡¯s experiment.

    As a result, the thread somehow shifted to discussing the character interface screenshot Cheche had taken during his ¡°new race preview¡±, where yers quickly became curious about the Vampire¡¯s initial 40 attribute points and started a heated debate.

    Murphy felt that as an administrator, he didn¡¯t need to step in yet and let them continue discussing. It could be considered building hype and heat for the new race and version.

    ¡°Why are you still lingering here? Don¡¯t you have anything to do?¡±

    Tris¡¯s voice startled Murphy, who was sitting in a chair browsing the forums. He closed the character card interface and turned to look at Tris¡¯s disdainful expression, unable to help saying:

    ¡°Am I really that unwee now? It was just a little kiss, was it that big of a deal? You¡¯re almost 500 years old, don¡¯t be as sensitive as an inexperienced little girl.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, who was the one making those weird moves and saying those weird thingsst night? You should be grateful I even let you through the door today.¡±

    Tris said mockingly as she crossed her arms:

    ¡°And we¡¯re not elders and blood descendants anymore, Mr. Murphy. Now we have an official superior-subordinate rtionship, so, to use your words, shouldn¡¯t a certain someone have a sense of boundaries?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just here to report to Her Excellency on my work.¡±

    Murphy raised his hands in surrender.

    He formally took out the summary of the territory¡¯s current statuspiled by Miriam from his spirit bag, intending to report it to Tris. However, the Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign waved her hand, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother telling me, I¡¯m toozy to listen. Kadman City and the surrounding areas are your territory. How you handle it is your business, I don¡¯t care about those details.

    Since you¡¯re ying the puppet ruler, you need to look the part. I shouldn¡¯t interfere too much, lest I threaten your authority and you use the extreme method you used to kill Salrokdar, sending me into eternal oblivion as well.

    But you came at just the right time, as there¡¯s something I need to give you.¡±

    Tris turned and retrieved something from beside her alchemy table, handing it to Murphy. The object had an irregr outline.

    It was unmistakably a Fragment of Desire.

    This made Murphy look at her in astonishment and say:

    ¡°But isn¡¯t this your Sovereign¡¯s badge? Why are you giving it to me?¡±

    ¡°For you to safekeep! It doesn¡¯t mean much for me to hold onto it, but if you can learn to wield the true power of the desire fragment, it will greatly aid your future endeavors.¡±

    Tris said with a serious expression:

    ¡°The seven deadly sin powers possessed by the Vampire civilization¡¯s stone tablets are not just for the Sovereign¡¯s personal use, but can also be transferred to others through custodianship and possession.

    These mysterious ¡®sin abilities¡¯ don¡¯t mean much inbat, they¡¯re more auxiliary functions. Given the Blood Vulture n¡¯s current dire situation, I estimate we won¡¯t need to use them for a long time.

    I¡¯ll teach you how to wield the ¡®power of desire¡¯ bestowed by the stone tablets. I¡¯ve seen Salrokdar use it before, it¡¯s truly a mysterious power.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I trust you won¡¯t harm me.¡±

    Murphy epted the desire shard and used his spirit energy to levitate it at his fingertips. He had appraised this item before, and upon taking it in hand again, he saw the familiar information tag:

    Name: Vampire Civilization Stone Tablet ¡¾1/7¡¿ ¨C Fragment of Desire

    Quality: Miracle Artifact

    Status:

    1. This item has been bound! Currently bound to Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, with Revnor Murphy Lessenbra as first inheritor.

    2. The special power trait ¡¾Original Sin Ability ¨C Desire¡¿ can be unlocked and awaits allocation. Allocation slots avable: ¡¾2/2¡¿.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Tris asked.

    Murphy nodded, and he saw the Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign extend her fair finger to lightly tap the rotating Fragment of Desire. A crimson point of light coiled around her fingertip, which she then moved to press against Murphy¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Humm¡±

    Murphy¡¯s vision went ck, and wondrous fragmentary visions began flickering through his mind.

    He could vaguely make out several vampires dressed in strange uniforms gathering somewhere strange, discussing something. But the next fragment jumped to a cataclysmic disaster erupting in an even grander location, with swaths of bizarre creatures fleeing in terror from a giant structure.

    The fragments shed by rapidly, not giving Murphy time to examine further before his vision returned to normal. A new note also popped up on his character card:

    ¡¾Special power trait ¡¾Original Sin Ability ¨C Desire¡¿ has been obtained!

    This power trait originates from the Fragment of Desire, an external power that can be reimed by the fragment¡¯s binder at any time.

    The specific effects of this power trait are as follows:

    Grants the bearer the ¡¾Desire Perception¡¿ talent, allowing the bearer to more keenly sense the deepest desires in the minds of surrounding lifeforms.

    This talent is passive and always active. A perception target can be designated, with the sess rate depending on the mental attribute gap between the two parties.

    This effect is influenced by charisma. When the perception target¡¯s attitude is friendly/admiring/intimate, the sess rate increases. The reverse causes the sess rate to decrease.

    Currently, ¡¾Original Sin Ability ¨C Desire¡¿¡¯s personalpatibility with the user is: Low!

    Aspatibility improves, this special power trait will unlock additional talents.

    But users beware ¨C morality can only restrain oneself, while desire can dominate others!¡¿

    Murphy read through the description of this power trait.

    He felt a bit muddled and didn¡¯t quite understand what this ¡°desire perception¡± meant.

    Tris in front of him was also blinking her eyes at him. She had only seen Salrokdar use this power before and wasn¡¯t very familiar with how it manifested. However, she could confirm that this ability was absolutely useful for a true ruler!

    Salrokdar¡¯s ability to stabilize Kadman City and the entire Transia region for 400 years stemmed from the empowerment of this power of desire.

    She really hoped Murphy¡¯s fledgling endeavors could proceed smoothly, aspensation for forcing little Murphy to sever his blood pact with her.

    She didn¡¯t want this incident to create a rift between her and little Murphy.

    As Murphy was about to discuss with Tris the manifestation of this peculiar ability, when he looked into her bewitching eyes flickering with crimson light, a voice suddenly seemed to echo faintly in his ears:

    ¡°This outrageous scoundrel, he makes my heart flutter every time I see him. Ah, what attitude should I take towards him? Be a bit cold? Or stay the same as before?

    Or be more passionate and give him some sweet rewards?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, this feeling of being pursued is quite novel.

    In the past, guys were either terrified of me or nutcases like Pnno. Hmm, that kissst night was so strange. Maybe if we do it again I can get used to it? Should I take the initiative and kiss him?

    Ah!

    Damn thoughts!

    Go away!

    The Crimson Witch shouldn¡¯t be having such lewd thoughts!¡±

    ¡°Hah, I think I know how to use it now.¡±

    Murphy gave Tris a bright smile and said.

    As she was about to inquire, she saw Murphy reach out and grab her wrist, gently pulling her back, recreatingst night¡¯s scene as their lips met again.

    Tris was startled, immediately pushing Murphy away.

    She scolded him:

    ¡°Have you gone mad? It¡¯s daytime!¡±

    ¡°But I heard it.¡±

    Murphy pointed to his ear and said to Tris:

    ¡°I can hear your innermost thoughts, those drifting desires, or perhaps they could be called cravings?¡±

    ¡°Ah this!¡±

    Tris¡¯s cheeks flushed red as she stomped and cursed:

    ¡°What an indecent ability!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, at least it¡¯s good for me.¡±

    Murphy maintained an elegant posture as he stood up, straightening his cor and squinting at Tris:

    ¡°At the very least, it confirms a certain Lady Sovereign¡¯s troubled thoughts, and that the source of that trouble is me. For a pursuer, this is already the highest praise, no? What did you do?

    I can¡¯t hear you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Just a simple mind barrier!¡±

    Tris said coldly while pinching her fingers:

    ¡°Wantonly prying into others¡¯ minds is very hical behavior. Everyone should have their own deep, dark secrets buried in their hearts that cannot and should not be revealed, little Murphy. I¡¯m really angry!¡±

    ¡°Then I sincerely apologize to you, my Lady.¡±

    Murphy bowed in apology where he stood, but as he raised his head, he suddenly said to Tris:

    ¡°Morality can only restrain oneself.¡±

    ¡°Desire can dominate others.¡±

    Tris naturally spoke the second half of the phrase, then stared at Murphy in astonishment and said:

    ¡°That was Salrokdar¡¯s catchphrase! Where did you hear it from?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a catchphrase.¡±

    Murphy raised his hand, letting the Fragment of Desire rotate at his fingertips.

    Gazing at this ancient object, he exined:

    ¡°It¡¯s also the basis and core for the power of desire to function. I can clearly sense this power¡¯s influence on the mind, and it can be shared between two people. Yet Salrokdar monopolized it. Come, Tris.

    You are its owner, you should also partake in this deadly sin¡¯s power.¡±

    He held the Fragment of Desire before Tris¡¯s eyes. The Crimson Witch was quite curious about Murphy¡¯s exnation of the manifestation of the power of desire, so she reached out, bestowing that power upon herself as well.

    In the next moment, she cocked her ear to listen. As the other living being in the room, Murphy gazed at her tenderly, making no attempt to conceal the profound yearning in his heart at that moment.

    Tris heard it.

    Her face immediately flushed red! She instantly grabbed the golden stirring rod used for alchemy solutions beside her, gripping it like a dagger as she shrieked at Murphy:

    ¡°You lewd scoundrel, get out! Who wants to hear your sharine innermost thoughts? How did I not notice before what an insufferable brat you are?¡±

    ¡°I merely hope for a conciliatory and sufficiently warm embrace, nothing so unnatural.¡±

    Murphy quipped:

    ¡°You¡¯re almost 500 years old, big sister. Don¡¯t tell me in that long life you¡¯ve never experienced anything like this?¡±

    But seeing Tris already fuming and clenching a pulsating crimson mass of concentrated spirit energy in her hand, ready to fling it at any moment, Murphy chose to temporarily avoid the attack.

    He backed up to the cabin entrance and seriously asked:

    ¡°About my spirit profession advancement -¡±

    ¡°Go be a summoner!¡±

    Tris dissipated the dangerous spirit energy from her hand and flung a handbook from her spirit bag, saying sternly:

    ¡°You clearly have a talent for it, andbining it with your swordsman talents will allow your potential to manifest more quickly. Don¡¯t rush past the ck Iron rank¡¯s power limitations, the better your foundations, the smoother your future progression will be.

    For this stage, the key point is: the slower, the better!

    Understand?

    And one more thing!

    Stop praising me in your mind!

    I know my figure is great, but that won¡¯t make me happy. You lewd little brat!¡±

 Chapter 126:

    Tris didn¡¯t know who she was angry at, but this nearly five-hundred-year-old vampire girl¡¯s reaction was unexpectedly naive on these matters.

    It almost made Murphy drop his jaw.

    However, she ultimately gave Murphy a career suggestion, allowing Murphy¡¯s second job Spirit Apprentice to finally have a direction to move forward.

    In fact, Murphy had previously considered bing a summoner, since his inborn trait ¡°Otherworld Creature Summoning¡± was too appealing. The two summoning spells he had obtained before were also leveled up as soon as he got them.

    It would be a waste not to thoroughly research such a great talent.

    After leaving Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop, he casually found a tall tower amid the city ruins and glided up. As a city of vampires, there were indeed many towers around, and after avoiding the annoying sunlight, Murphy studied the notebook Tris had tossed him in the darkness.

    Although it was newly transcribed, it was clearly made with care.

    In it, Tris had written down all the knowledge about summoning that she had mastered over the past few hundred years. Regrettably, as a Dark Spirit Sovereign, Tris was not specialized in summoning, so she could only provide some spell techniques and no insights or exnations into the core of summoning.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to find an opportunity to interact with the elves who are skilled in summoning.¡±Murphy sat cross-legged in the shadows of this abandoned tower, diligently studying thisbor of love from elder Tris, while thinking to himself:

    ¡°It is said that the elves are true experts in the field of summoning, and basically all knowledge rted to summoning on the continentes from them. Although the kingdom of the Castilia elves is far away in the southeast penins of the continent, there is an underground kingdom of shadow elves in the Dark Mountain range.

    The ck Disaster is approaching!

    If there¡¯s a chance, I might be able to learn a thing or two from them.¡±

    As he was thinking this, the reading and studying of the notebook triggered a Job Change Note:

    ¡¾You havee into contact with knowledge rted to the ¡®Summoner¡¯ job. Your second job ¡®Spirit Apprentice¡¯ meets the requirements for a job change. Change to ¡®Summoner¡¯? Yes/No

    Note!

    ¡®Lady Tris¡¯s Summoning Notebook¡¯ contains a wealth of Astral Realm creature summoning spells, so it can serve as a special job change item and grant you the ¡®Astral Realm Creature Summoning Specialization¡¯.¡¿

    ¡°Confirm.¡±

    Murphy nodded slightly.

    In the next moment, arge amount of text appeared in notes on his character card:

    ¡¾Second job changeplete! Job specialization selectionplete!

    ¡°Level 10 Spirit Apprentice¡± reced with ¡°Level 1 Summoner ¨C Astral Realm Creature Specialization¡±.

    1. New job traits obtained!

    I. Summoned Creature Enhancement.

    Since Astral Realm creatures appear in the material world as spirit projections, after choosing this specialization, summoners can permanently enhance their summoned creatures.

    The permanent enhancement effect for summoned creatures is to inherit an additional 5%/10%/15%/20% of the summoner¡¯s total attributes, determined by the summoner¡¯s rank. Your current rank is ck Iron Body, so the permanent enhancement effect is 10% of total attributes.

    Specifically, all Astral Realm summoned creatures¡¯ attributes will be increased by a total of 10 points when entering the material world, allocated ording to the creature¡¯s attributes.

    II. Astral Realm Materialization.

    To ensure Astral Realm creatures can maintain their fullbat power in the material world, when choosing this specialization, summoners also learn to create ¡®spirit cores¡¯ to give Astral Realm creatures more realistic bodies and strength in the material world.

    Currently able to create spirit cores for: Small/Medium Astral Realm creatures.

    III. Astral Realm Knowledge.

    To ensure summoners have an in-depth understanding of their summoned creatures¡¯ habits and characteristics, those who choose this specialization should learn as much as possible about the Astral Realm.

    When summoning different Astral Realm creatures, summoners can gain more mysterious knowledge rted to the Astral Realm through studying the creature¡¯s habits.

    Note!

    When a summoner summons enough Astral Realm creatures, your information signature will form a unique ¡°spirit mark¡± in the Astral Realm. Some mysterious, rare, and powerful Astral Realm creatures may actively contact you because of this.

    After meeting certain conditions, such an Astral Realm creature can form an equal or master-servant pact with the summoner.

    2. New job talents obtained!

    I. Mystic.

    Due to the special environment of the Astral Realm, summoners have a chance of summoning special Astral Realm creatures during the summoning process. Summoners can use their personal charm to make contact, mark, or even trade with these creatures.

    II. Creature Marking.

    Summoners can impart a spirit mark on their summons to establish a spirit link, turning random summons into exclusive summons. Completing a spirit mark requires expending more spiritual energy.

    When marking special Astral Realm creatures, you need to provide special summoning items or perform special spellcasting actions.

    3. New job skills obtained!

    I. Summon I ¨C Astral Realm Creatures ¨C Small.

    Summoners can expend spirit energy to summon small creatures from the Astral Realm to assist them inbat.

    These creatures typically do not possess greatbat strength, but since Astral Realm creatures often have different specialized abilities, they can effectively assist the summoner in achieving various tactical objectives.

    Currently summonable small creatures include: Astral Newt, Astral Snake, Astral Scout Rat, Death Crow, Shadow Bullfrog, Thief Monkey, Prying Eye, Astral Magpie, etc.¡¿

    Note!

    Since the summoner possesses the ¡°Otherworld Creature Summoning¡± talent, the quality or quantity of their summons is enhanced, the duration of summons in the material world is extended, and the spirit energy cost for summoning is reduced.

    Note!

    Since the summoner possesses the ¡°Otherworld Creature Summoning¡± talent, this skill is upgraded to Summon II ¨C Astral Realm Creatures ¨C Medium. The current skill proficiency is ¡¾Novice¡¿.

    New medium summon list includes: Astral Fox, Frenzied Baboon, Astral Wolf, Astral Shadow Leopard, Shadow Warhorse, Astral Eagle, Soul-Devouring Squid, etc.

    Note!

    Since the summoner possesses the ¡°Beast Tongue¡± talent, they canmunicate in beastnguage with Astral Realm creatures, greatly increasing the summons¡¯ favorability and improvingbat efficiency.

    Note!

    The summoner should create their own Astral Realm Summoner¡¯s Staff/Astral Realm Beast Master¡¯s Whip as soon as possible to better control andmand their summons.¡¿

    ¡°Indeed befitting a spirit job! Look at how much more text there is in this summoner¡¯s job descriptionpared to a warrior!¡±

    Murphy marveled wholeheartedly as he watched the constant stream of note text appear before him.

    Especially this ¡°Astral Realm Creature Summoning Specialization¡± made him realize that even within the summoner job, there were different specializations, showing that this profession had an incredibly broad scope beyond Murphy¡¯s imagination.

    After all, the myriad bizarre Astral Realm creatures were just one type within therger category of ¡°otherworld creatures.¡±

    ¡°If I continue down this path, I might even encounter masters of the ¡®Extradimensional Creature Summoning Specialization¡¯ in the future!¡±

    Murphy made a mental note to himself, then casually summoned his Astral Direwolf. Apanied by a low howl, the wolf pup half a person¡¯s height appeared beside Murphy in a flicker of scattered starlight.

    This fellow was a skill Murphy extracted from Joban Marci Gongreau¡¯s essence of blood. Theoretically, it didn¡¯t count as part of the summoning specialization, but it was undoubtedly a summon, so Murphy nned to see the effect of the summon enhancement.

    However, before that, he needed tomunicate with his wolf pup and at least let it know the current situation.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Murphy asked casually as he patted the head of his Astral Realm Giant Wolf.

    In response, the ethereal giant wolf gave him a look as if he were an idiot.

    What kind of question is that?

    You¡¯re a vampire, I¡¯m a wolf!

    We¡¯re different species, so even if I answer, would you understand? Dumbass.

    ¡°Your mouth is so foul. It¡¯s a miracle you haven¡¯t been beaten to death in that hellish Astral Realm.¡±

    Murphy frowned and rapped the Astral Realm Giant Wolf¡¯s head, causing it to bare its teeth in displeasure, but in the next moment, the entire wolf became dazed.

    Holy shit!

    This guy can understand my howls? When did you learn beastnguage?

    ¡°A guy named Avalon thought I was handsome, so he gave me a bit of enlightenment.¡±

    Murphy posed in the Avalon Church¡¯s prayer stance on the spot, leaving the crouching Astral Realm Giant Wolf utterly bewildered.

    It knew who Avalon was, of course, the Astral Realm Great Spirit revered as a ¡°god¡± in the material world, considered an uber bigshot among the masses in their corner of existence. But you, a vampire¡­are you kidding me?

    Even an Astral Wolf like me knows that vampires are seen as no better than roadside dog turds in the eyes of the Astral Realm Great Spirits. You really think the great Avalon would bless you?

    Have I gone too far, or have you had too much to drink?

    ¡°Believe it or not!¡±

    The vampire patted the Astral Realm Giant Wolf¡¯srge head and said, ¡°Now feel the enhancement I¡¯m giving you and tell me how it feels! Also, let me know what materials you need to stay in the material world for an extended period.¡±

    ¡°Woof.¡±

    The Astral Realm Giant Wolf tilted its head in thought for a moment before howling a reply to Murphy.

    Roughly tranted, when it was a pup, it heard from its very powerful former wolf king grandfather that finding the spirit bone remnants of powerful creatures would allow it to have a more solidified spirit projection in the material world.

    Ideally the spirit bones of a fierce beast, and wolf or dog fangs would be even better, as they have higherpatibility.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look around. With all the years of war in Transia, there are plenty of stray dogs.¡±

    Murphy nodded.

    The Astral Wolf also continuously howled to tell Murphy how it felt now. Thanks to the summoner job change, its total attributes in the material world had increased by 10 points. While this wasn¡¯t much for a ferocious beast, for an Astral Wolf whose individual strength was unremarkable, it was a huge deal.

    Not only did it feel its projection had solidified greatly, it even cast a faint shadow, meaning its bites would be more lethal and the impact of its charges would be stronger.

    Its overall strength had increased by at least a third, with a constant surge of power making it feel like it could even challenge an Astral Realm Leopard!

    ¡°Caw caw¡±

    Just as the Astral Wolf was sensing the spirit enhancement, a raven-like screech sounded from outside the abandoned tower. The Blood Spirit Vulture Revnor then folded his wings andnded on the tower¡¯s edge, calling out twice to Murphy with a message.

    The preparations for tonight¡¯s celebration at the survivor camp were nearlyplete, and Miriam was looking for him to preside over it.

    The vulture¡¯s gaze then fell upon the Astral Wolf crouching beside Murphy.

    It tilted its head, eyeing the Astral Wolf with piercing bloody eyes, as if assessing how long this mangy mutt couldst under its talons and beak?

    One minute? Three minutes?

    Tsk, no more than five minutes before it could disembowel it. This vulture, having inherited a third of Murphy¡¯s total attributes and also receiving the permanent enhancement from being a summoner¡¯s ferocious avian, was supremely confident!

    Its total attributes exceeded 40! This meant the Blood Spirit Vulture could even take on an ordinary vampire Professional in singlebat.

    And this lone Astral Wolf before it was just a weakling.

    Facing Revnor¡¯s hostility, the Astral Wolf bared its teeth and let out a warning howl from where it crouched.

    It felt quite pressured.

    After all, the Astral Wolf n was not renowned for individualbat prowess in the Astral Realm, their wolf pack tactics were their forte for surviving there.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bully George! It has fought by my side several times, and although it is quite weak, that¡¯s no reason for you to bully it.¡±

    Murphy raised his head to address his spirit vulture, then turned to pat the now-enhanced Astral Realm Giant Wolf¡¯s head, saying:

    ¡°From now on, your name is ¡®George.¡¯ Any objections?¡±

    Before the Astral Wolf could respond, the Blood Spirit Vulture pped its wings, letting out a raven-like caw.

    Its meaning was clear.

    With me around, dare it object?

    Not to mention being called George, even if called turd, it would have to obediently ept it. If it dared bristle up, a swipe of my talons would crush its skull!

    ¡°Wuff¡±

    The Astral Wolf lowered its head and licked Murphy¡¯s fingers, signaling that he was the boss and his word wasw.

    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s head back first.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, telling George:

    ¡°When I summon you next time, don¡¯t wander off in the Astral Realm. I hear if you guys die there, it¡¯s permanent. If this cute little thing dies for no reason, I¡¯ll be heartbroken.¡±

    ¡°Wuff¡±

    The Astral Wolf George vented, saying Murphy couldn¡¯t say something nicer!

    It was part of a massive wolf pack called the ¡°Wolf Scourge¡± in the Astral Realm. No fool would dare harm it, it was perhaps even more dangerous for it as a lone wolf in the material world.

    Murphy stood up in the ruined tower, flexing his fingers to activate his summoning again, calling forth an Astral Magpie to try scouting.

    But the dainty magpie had barely taken flight when Revnor snatched it with a talon and snapped its neck with a lightning beak strike in a sh.

    As the faint glow faded, the displeased Blood Spirit Vulture hovered before Murphy, beating its wings.

    Its intent was obvious.

    Scouting was its job, how dare Murphy bring another bird to take its work?

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to ease your burden a little. It can even be a decoy if needed.¡±

    Murphy shrouded himself in spirit energy to block the sunlight, extending his bloody bat wings to say to Revnor:

    ¡°Want to see who¡¯s faster?¡±

    ¡°Caw caw¡±

    The Blood Spirit Vulture immediately let out a mocking cry.

    A vampirepeting against it in speed, during the day no less? Wasn¡¯t that just inviting humiliation?

    ¡°I¡¯m bored anyway, how about a bet for a dog bone?¡±

    Murphy squinted with a smile:

    ¡°If I win, you have to find me a spirit-imbued dog or wolf bone by tomorrow. If I lose¡­hmm, I¡¯ll make you a nest, deal?¡±

    ¡°Caw¡±

    Revnor called out arrogantly, spreading its massive wings wide, certain of victory. Meanwhile, Murphy secretly formed a summoning gesture with his hand.

    ¡°Start!¡±

    At Murphy¡¯smand, the summoning activated. Over ten Astral Magpies burst out, scattering in all directions, while the vampire unfurled his wings and shot off with a whoosh.

    The Blood Spirit Vulture instantly killed two magpies but then looked dumbfounded.

    Its naturepelled it to eliminate these birds stealing its work, but Murphy had clearly tricked it, and now catching up was impossible.

    ¡°Caw caw caw!¡±

    Enraged and flustered cries rang out in the sky behind, causing the now advantaged Murphy to grin and touch his ear.

    This Desire Perception was truly bugged!

    Not only could it sense the cravings of humanoid beings, but also the thoughts of beasts, like how Revnor did not allow other birds in its airspace, and George¡¯s fear when faced with the overbearing Blood Spirit Vulture, he perceived it all clearly.

    However, was it really okay for his spirit pets to be so petty and cowardly?

    Moreover, since Revnor was an extension of his own will, didn¡¯t that make Murphy himself incurably small-minded? He didn¡¯t think so.

    He was sure this was nder!

    Then, as he neared the survivor camp, he casually took out his ck notebook and flipped through it.

    Well, considering the rumors about himself, Tris, and others on the forum had not only persisted but escted, the luck of the Meow King group should continue declining.

    Tonight¡¯s grand prize event should give these ¡°gangsters¡± a proper lesson!

 Chapter 127:

    Murphy was going to hold a celebration tonight in the ruins of Kadman City.

    The reason was to celebrate that the survivors of Kadman City had finally endured through the most difficult times, the suffering on thisnd had finally passed, and a new life was right before their eyes.

    Of course, an important part of the celebration was tomemorate those poor souls who had perished in the city¡¯s disaster. Although not all the missing people had been confirmed dead, to be honest, those vast numbers of ordinary people swept into the Astral Realm were unlikely to survive in that mysterious otherworldly ne.

    ording to Tris, even if you threw an unprepared Golden Realm expert into the Astral Realm, it was hard to say if they couldst seven days there.

    It was a ce entirely different from the material world, with its own unique environment and rules. Even Tris, a Spirit Sovereign, had very limited understanding of it, and just what little was currently known was enough to make a regrettable judgment.

    For example, Tris had explicitly told Murphy that in certain parts of the Astral Realm, the mapping of space and time was chaotic, and just this one point alone would be enough to kill 99% of material world lifeforms.

    But these were not issues Murphy needed to consider at the moment, especially not tonight!

    He had to fulfill his responsibilities as a lord, not only to protect the personal safety of his subjects, but also to care for their spiritual needs.

    As night gradually fell during the twilight hours, under the guidance of camp guards, the strong and healthy survivors began carrying long wooden tables made by carpenters into the cleaned-up city square in the outer city.The camp¡¯s chefs, led by the head chef Franks Xiovan, had been busy here since the afternoon.

    They set uprge pots that the rookie yers had found in the city, and were throwing in some dried meat, beans, wild fruits, and high-end seasonings found in the ruins of the city¡¯s restaurants to cook them. This would be the free food provided to all participants at tonight¡¯s celebration.

    The smell was not bad, but the taste, well, could only be described as just passable.

    But considering this was provided for free, don¡¯t ask for too much.

    There were also some chef apprentices nearby making grilled fish. These fish had been caught this morning by the fishermen in the camp in a nearby river, not without the hard work of the veteran angler ¡°Full Coverage Half Off¡±. On regr days in the camp, this was considered a ¡°special ration¡± that needed to be exchanged withbor points, but tonight it would be provided for free as well.

    But only half a fish per person.

    The leader of the camp¡¯s gatherers, the stout Aunt Palen Fedo, was instructing her girls to pour the berries they had gathered from the woods intorge barrels for washing, then scoop them into baskets and ce them on the long tables.

    These would serve as side dishes for tonight¡¯s celebration.

    Further away, a few young men from Maxim¡¯s Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force were rushing with donkey carts, carrying barrels of liquor that had been stored as ¡°strategic reserves¡± from the cers beneath the frontlines and transporting them to the square.

    Just ordinary liquor.

    But in the current scene, it had already whetted the appetites of many drunks, who were following behind the donkey carts happily lending a hand.

    Murphy decided to have tonight¡¯s celebration in the form of a self-service buffet, allowing as many people as possible to participate. This was the most efficient method, and it was not his original idea, the Transia region already had this kind of celebratory form, so the camp¡¯s survivors, under the guidance of the elders, were quite familiar with getting to work.

    In the afternoon, Miss Miriam had announced in the camp that there would be nobor in the afternoon and evening.

    So even though the celebration had not yet begun, the city ruins were already full of people.

    Some were helping out in the square, and some children were running and ying carefree among the crowds. A few people went in groups to their former residences, cing a roughly made candle in the ruins to light andmemorate their past times.

    Laughter and crying echoed again in the twilight hour, causing Murphy, standing on the copsed city wall watching this scene, to also fall silent for a moment.

    ¡°There were 150,000 people in Kadman City once.¡±

    Beside him, the fully armed Maxim opened his mask, sighing in an emotional tone:

    ¡°Now there are only this many left.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re still alive!¡±

    Murphy gripped the ominous hilt of Necessary Evil at his waist and said softly:

    ¡°So this is something worth celebrating. Escaping death is the greatest luck, whether they want it or not, they will have to shoulder the hopes of those who have passed on and continue living here.

    Rebuild the city, rebuild their homnd.¡±

    Maxim nodded.

    He absolutely believed in his master Murphy¡¯s words, and his own mood was also a bit anxious and expectant, because after tonight¡¯s celebration would be the moment for him toplete his initial embrace.

    From now until midnight, this would be hisst time walking on thisnd as a human.

    ¡°Go on, bid them farewell, bid farewell to human life,¡± Murphy said.

    Maxim replied with a soft grunt and turned to leave. Murphy reminded him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t wear your armor or worry about your appearance. Go to them openly and boldly. They all know you, they all know your name, they¡¯ve all heard about your fighting and rescuing in the city. You are their protector, you deserve respect.

    Others may call you a monster, but you can¡¯t think of yourself that way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir,¡± Maxim said as he walked down the city wall. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that way for a long time, and ¡®monster¡¯ is no longer an insult to me, but more like apliment to my uniqueness and difference from others.¡±

    After the loyal servant left, with the whisper of the wind, Blood Wings retracted, and Lady Adele descended from the sky,nding precisely beside Murphy.

    She reported in a low voice:

    ¡°Sir, a total of 122 people who were unwilling to stay have set off. Miriam has dispatched guards to escort them to Mond Vige, where the Witch Hunters are camping.¡±

    ¡°Let them go,¡± said Murphy, his gaze unwavering as he looked towards the children ying in the distant square. ¡°Those without a sense of belonging have never mattered. To thisnd, they are meaningless, individuals as rootless as drifting weeds are meaningless to anyone. I heard you selected three descendants from Maxim?¡±

    ¡°Yes, some of the surviving fellows from the traitor Jed¡¯s group. Their condition was poor, so I chose the three best females and formed blood pacts with them. Maxim has also selected three to be his future servants and descendants.

    The final four were given to Lady Bonnie, as Lady Tris needs to re-establish her Patriarch¡¯s personal guard, and these fellows were originally selected by Jed from the reserve members of the Patriarch¡¯s guard.¡±

    After her report, Lady Adele added in a low voice:

    ¡°But it was only through experiencing the blood pact ritual myself that I truly realized the precious gift you gave me during that initial embrace. I must thank you again, Master Murphy.¡±

    ¡°It took you so long to think of thanking me, it really hurts my feelings,¡± Murphy joked with a shake of his head. ¡°You were once an excellent infiltrator and wanderer, so I hope you can now be a ¡®career trainer¡¯ for my warriors, helping those aspiring to walk the path of shadows better unleash their power.

    When Lord Pnno¡¯s entourage arrives, you can be relieved of this duty.

    Also, I¡¯m giving you this for your new role in the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    He took out the miser¡¯s si and ced it in Lady Adele¡¯s palm, saying:

    ¡°You were once Femis¡¯ excellent steward, now you are the steward of the entire Blood Vulture n. There will be dedicated ountants in Miriam¡¯s camp to coordinate with you, so I ask that you take this responsibility to heart.

    Tris also wants toplete your, Maxim¡¯s and Bonnie¡¯s rewards tonight, so I wondered if you have any requests for your own territory?¡±

    ¡°Requests¡­actually, I don¡¯t have much need for power,¡± Lady Adele said as she slipped the crimson si ring onto her right pinky, watching it transform into an exquisite and antiquated bloodstone ring. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she said, ¡°But if possible, I hope to have my territory near the Foul Swamp.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good ce, more like exile to the frontier than a reward,¡± Murphy looked at his scion with surprise, then asked, ¡°Does it have something to do with your origins? I heard you say your mother left you something?¡±

    ¡°Not an inheritance, Sir, but my birthce,¡± Lady Adele could now share the deepest secrets of her heart with Murphy without reservation. In the glow of dusk, she brushed her long hair back and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s a secluded valley near the deste mountains even further south of the Foul Swamp, just at the outermost edge of the Dark Mountain range, inhabited entirely by mixed-blood elves like me. Our origins are quiteplex, not something that can be exined in a few sentences.

    ¡°But it has existed there for nearly sixty years. My mother was once one of the leaders there.

    I hope my territory is nearby, so it will be more convenient for me to serve your cause in the future.¡±

    ¡°How many people are there?¡± Murphy blinked.

    Lady Adele raised three fingers and said, ¡°There were three thousand when I left, but twenty years have passed, so I cannot answer what it is like there now.¡±

    ¡°So thirty spots then,¡± Murphy quickly did the conversion in his mind and nodded, assuring Adele, ¡°I will discuss this with Tris. For now, don¡¯t be in a hurry. After the rebuilding of the ruins is on track, I promise I will allocate a force to help you achieve your wish.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Master,¡± Adele shook her head stubbornly. ¡°I can handle this myself, because for certain historical reasons, my nsmen are quite xenophobic, and contact cannot be rushed.¡±

    ¡°But perhaps external opportunities could be created?¡± Murphy said softly. ¡°After all, the ck Disaster ising, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Adele¡¯s eyes instantly lit up.

    She nodded but did not dwell further on the topic. A few minutester, as the circling silhouette of the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor appeared before Murphy, the vampire lord stretched his shoulders and spread his Blood Wings in the twilight.

    He said to Adele, ¡°Go and enjoy tonight¡¯s celebration in your usual way. I need to check on my warriors, they¡¯ve been looking forward to this day for too long, I can¡¯t keep them waiting.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    With the familiar gathering of light points into starlight, and then dissipating in the blink of an eye, the rookie yers who had died three days ago and been resurrected opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

    They had returned once more to this game world they had grown ustomed to and fond of, but this time, their resurrection point was not in the familiar presence of Lord Murphy, but in another location.

    The vast and spacious underground warehouse was clearly the area where former civil defense official Kudel had previously sheltered the survivors in the Blood Vulture Halls, but it had now been renamed the ¡°Midnight Chamber¡± to serve as the respawn point for the rookie yers in the newbie vige.

    With the territory system officially opened and the recapture of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy had established the yers¡¯ first ¡°birthce¡± here.

    Of course, as his territory gradually developed, the rookie yers couldter choose their own respawn points.

    Perhaps they only needed to converse with special NPCs scattered around the territory toplete the binding. The only regret was that this worldcked any magical hearthstones to allow instant town portals. Well, it¡¯s not that they werepletely unavable, but there had been no such need before, since travel within the Astral Realm was not exactly safe.

    But for the rookie yers, risking a bit of danger for the ability to quickly return to town was extremely appealing. So perhaps they could request ¡°Doraetris¡± to research this area? If town portal scrolls or something simr could be created, that would be even better!

    ¡°There¡¯s a celebration outside tonight! It¡¯s gonna be super lively, let¡¯s go go go!¡±

    This was little Ashina¡¯s first experience of resurrection. Feeling exceptionally curious yet disdainful, she patted her ¡°beginner outfit¡± and pulled Lumina to run out of the warehouse. But at the entrance, they saw something like a ¡°storage locker.¡±

    It had the yers¡¯ names on it, locked with simple spirit magic spells, just like smart locks using fingerprints.

    Little Ashina quickly found her personal storage locker and, upon opening it, took out the equipment she had been wearing before dying, especially those two expensive crimson revolvers she loved so dearly.

    Swiftly changing into her gear, the noisy rookie yers quickly left the respawn point.

    Most of them were not as interested in tonight¡¯s celebration as the female yers. What they really cared about was the reward they would receive after the hard-fought battle.

    The surviving Meow King, Cheche, and Niuniu were also waiting for them outside the warehouse, as the quest log instructed them toe here to receive their rewards.

    As the rookie yers gathered at the spawn point, they saw a pair of massive Blood Wings spread open from the shadows ahead. Then the handsome Lord Murphy retracted his wings and glided down,nding before them in an elegant pose.

    ¡°My warriors! Wee back to your second homnd!¡± Murphy opened his arms with a smile, announcing to the rookie yers before him with the signature enthusiasm of an NPC:

    ¡°It is with immense joy and satisfaction that I announce to you, my most trusted and dearest warriors: Our campaign against Salrokdar was a great sess! The new territory we were reborn into has finally endured through the most difficult times under your unwavering courage and protection!

    And with this, I am able to bestow my meager gratitude upon the true warriors.

    ept with an open heart the thanks from Kadman City and the Blood Vulture n, warriors of the night, this is what you rightfully deserve!¡±

    As Murphy¡¯s words fell, a delightful ¡°ding ding ding¡± sounded on the yers¡¯ interfaces, the beautiful sound of questpletion:

    ¡¾Prologue ¨C The Last Night of Kadman City

    Quest 5: Epilogue ¨C Drowned in the Blood of the Past, Victory on the Horizon (Completed!)

    Prologue Quest Series Completed!

    Series Quest Reward: Cosmetic ¨C Blood Vulture n Midnight Hunter Ceremonial Outfit Set ¡¾9/9¡¿ Obtained. Please visit the Blood Vulture Halls Treasury to receive from Lady Adele.

    Main Quest Reward: Blood Vulture n Warrior¡¯s Treasure Chest x1 Obtained. Please collect from the Blood Vulture Halls Treasury.

    Dungeon Achievement Reward: Special Title ¡®Kingyer¡¯ Obtained. Please equip from the Titles interface.

    New Quest Triggered!

    Quest Name: Drink to Victory!

    Quest Details: Enjoy the revelry tonight.

    Quest Objective: Attend the victory celebration in the ruins of Kadman City and witness the rebirth of the Blood Vulture n!

    Quest Reward: Server will update in six hours. New patch iing.¡¿

    ¡°Yay!!!¡±

    Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

    The cosmetic outfits, titles, physical rewards and news of the new version had the yers rejoicing. However, among the crowd, the Meow King¡¯s group of six felt an unsettling feeling rise up when they saw the note about iming the Blood Vulture n treasure chest.

    ¡°What the f**k! We¡¯re opening lootboxes again?¡±

    The Electronic Subus cursed:

    ¡°What a doggish move from the devs! Why do they have to shove this crap activity in our faces? Just give us a fixed weapon or let us choose one of three or four equipment pieces as a reward instead of gambling on our luck, huh?¡±

    ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± said the newly joined ¡®Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off¡¯, still unaware of the severity of the issue. This old pal was very optimistic: ¡°Maybe our luck will explode today?¡±

    As he was surrounded by rookie yers heading towards the Blood Vulture Treasury, Murphy nced sideways at the Meow King¡¯s group of six from the corner of his eye.

    Hey, you were the ones who just called me a ¡°dog developer¡±, right? I heard every bit of it!

    Good!

    Quite daring!

    Let me jot that down in the ¡®Book of Grudges¡¯!

    I¡¯ll show you what a real dog developer looks like!

    If any of you six get something good today, I¡¯ll write Tris¡¯ name backwards!

 Chapter 128:

    Sixty sets of the Blood Vulture n Midnight Hunter Ceremonial Outfit had already been prepared long ago. This was one of the ¡°employment rewards¡± promised by the youngdy to Murphy a long time ago.

    It can even be traced back to after the sniping battle in Mond Vige.

    The reason it¡¯s called a ¡°ceremonial outfit¡± is because this vampire-styled hunting suit only looks cool and attractive. It is the ¡°formal attire¡± worn by Midnight Hunters when they return to Kadman City to participate in official family activities, and is definitely not meant forbat!

    But this does not mean it is not precious.

    This ceremonial outfit is made entirely of silk from the Ancient Calum Kingdom and ice-patterned cloth from the Ice Bay region, with luxurious and very premium materials.

    Once worn, it naturally has an excellent draping quality without needing special care, and of course there are no wrinkles. As a ceremonial outfit, there is no need to consider cleaning either, with the only innate spirit technique on this clothing being a ¡°self-cleaning spell.¡±

    The main body of the outfit follows the dark aesthetic favored by vampires, with a unisex hunting suit style that has little difference between male and female versions. It features a half-mask vampire masquerade mask to add an air of mystery.

    The top is a ck and white contrasting hunting shirt vest, paired with a cool nted bat belt at the waist. The bottom is abination of slim-fit riding pants and hunting boots, along with different lengths of ck gloves for men and women. Depending on the asion, there are three sets of short, medium, and long ck capes that can be mixed and matched.

    For the first batch of 16 test yers who entered the game earlier, the limited edition Crimson Midnight Cloak outfit they previously received from Murphy can also be perfectly coordinated with this Midnight Hunter ceremonial outfit, forming a truly ¡°limited edition fashion set.¡±As for whether the yers like it or not¡­

    Well, you may not believe in the integrity and character of vampires, and you may view their various actions with suspicion. But you must believe in the superb sense of aesthetics that these self-proimed ¡°midnight aristocrats¡± have cultivated after being immersed in the dark gothic style for a thousand years.

    No matter your body shape or appearance, as long as you¡¯re human! This outfit will look cool once you put it on!

    The 60 little yers eagerly changed into the ceremonial outfits they received from Lady Adele, Murphy¡¯s maid. Apart from a soft murmur about how the fashion outfit had no attributes at all, just like a nk equipment piece, there was basically no criticism.

    The four girls had already started taking selfies in the distance, and the fact that even pickydies were willing to take selfies in front of everyone was a testament to the ¡°aesthetic value¡± of this outfit.

    To be honest, if men wearing this ceremonial outfit only looked cool, then the four girls wearing it could be described as ¡°alluring.¡± But it wasn¡¯t a vulgar kind of beauty with coquettish gestures. Instead, it was a neutral beauty that exuded a sense of power and seriousness.

    They resembled the officedies you might encounter in the bustling CBD district downtown. Younger people would have to muster up courage just to talk to such mature older sisters.

    In a few words, it could be described as:

    Precise, formal, professional, and capable, brimming with a ¡°potency¡± that exists in real society.

    Of course, as good as the fashion outfit was, it still couldn¡¯tpare to the handy weapons and mighty armor favored by the evil power-gaming crowd. Or at the very least, it would be better to reward them with some practical vehicles instead?

    ¡°Hehehe! Watch Big Pigeon give you all a glorious start!¡±

    The head of the student faction, the first yer who participated in the game test, Leading Pigeon, had already rolled up his sleeves and was standing outside the treasure vault.

    He pulled at the ck hunting gloves on his hands in a flirtatious manner, while the dormitory boys and schoolmates around him watched with wide eyes. He then reached out his hand towards the spirit vortex affixed to the wall of the treasure vault.

    Although Murphy had promised to reward each person with a Blood Vulture warrior¡¯s treasure chest, he certainly couldn¡¯t have prepared 60 actual boxes.

    Not to mention the space required, with the family¡¯s sacred ground having been bombed, there was no need to pursue such borate ceremonial ir under these circumstances. Therefore, for tonight¡¯s ¡°lucky draw,¡± Murphy had asked Tris to set up a temporary spirit technique on the treasure vault.

    The vortex hovering on the outer wall was officially called the ¡°Thief¡¯s Hand,¡± a signature technique often used by spirit thieves.

    It could retrieve an item from the vault through the box or wall without triggering most rms.

    Of course, in theory, the 60 items currently stored in the vault werepletely random, one item per person, and no extras could be taken. But Murphy had left a small ¡°backdoor.¡±

    By applying a slight interference at a specific moment, he could alter the order in which yers retrieved items, thereby demonstrating his authority as the ¡°dog developer.¡± At this moment, Murphy was standing nearby with a smile on his face, watching this group of cheerful little fellows y the ¡°blind box game.¡±

    His maid, Lady Adele, was also standing there.

    But Adele waspletely unable to understand why these otherworld warriors seemed so joyful and lively at this moment.

    After all, her master had not actually provided much substantial reward for the life-and-death battle they had fought three days ago. At the very least, a ¡°form over function¡± suit of clothing did not seem sufficient to reward these warriors for their sacrifices, in Adele¡¯s view. She had even thought that her master Murphy was being somewhat stingy.

    However, upon witnessing the genuine tion and heartfelt satisfaction of the little yers when they received the ceremonial outfits, she had to admit that her understanding of these strange otherworld warriors was stillcking.

    They truly were an odd bunch, vastly different from the people of Transia.

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Pigeon had plunged his entire left arm into the ¡°Thief¡¯s Hand¡± spirit vortex, pressing himself against the treasure vault as he grabbed back and forth, until he finally grasped a long object. Amid cheers, he forcefully pulled it out.

    ¡°Whooosh¡±

    A vampire-styled, magnificent war pike emerged, mming onto the ground with a thud that caused the red spirit energy at its crimson tip to undte with an unreal smoky trail.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    The surrounding little yers let out a collective exmation of awe.

    This thing looked so cool, glowing and with such exaggerated particle effects, it was clearly an extraordinary item.

    ¡°A standard Commander-grade family guard war pike. The yellow text indicates it¡¯s a spirit weapon crafted specifically for the patriarch¡¯s personal guards, with two innate ¡¾Piercing¡¿ skills. Suitable for hunters and warriors at the ck Iron rank. Although I can¡¯t use it, it¡¯s still pretty good.¡±

    Pigeon used item identification to examine it.

    Although a bit disappointed, he still seemed quite satisfied as he twirled the heavy object in his hand before tossing it to his dormmate Shark.

    That guy had previously switched to the Ranger Hunter job at the Witch Hunter camp and had a ss proficiency with polearms.

    ¡°Big Pigeon is too weak, watch me!¡±

    Ah Yuen was the second to rush up. He first struck a few poses while mumbling to himself, then let out a shout that startled Murphy and Adele.

    He was seen reaching his hand in without wasting any time, grasping the first item and pulling it out.

    ¡°Ha! My main weapon! This is a good one.¡±

    As a dual-de swordsman, Ah Yuen raised high the Blood Vulture guard¡¯s wing de emanating a slight chill.

    The streamlined slender straight de made it look as thin as a cicada¡¯s wing, even producing a whistling sound as it cut through the air when he flicked his wrist. Its shape was clearly the same style as the war pike Pigeon had just obtained.

    Overall blood-red in color with a jet-ck handguard.

    This entire set of weapons was retrieved by Murphy from the patriarch¡¯s personal armory in the Blood Vulture Halls. While not quite reaching the level of divine weapons, they were absolutely sufficient for the yers to use throughout the entire ck Iron rank stage.

    Of course, if they wanted better equipment, they would need to put effort into helping Murphy advance the main storyline. Murphy had obtained some ¡°true divine weapons¡± from the treasure vault thatcked an opportunity to be awarded as ¡°equipment rewards.¡±

    He certainly had no need for them himself.

    His current sword, the Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil, was already the highest-grade weapon on the continent as a Miracle Artifact.

    Most of the treasure chest rewards here were standard Commander-grade weapons, armor, and some spirit essories, basically ensuring that the rewards obtained by the 60 yers would not differ too greatly in value.

    Of course, to maintain an element of excitement, Murphy had also included a few particrly good items as well as a few that couldn¡¯t be called bad but weren¡¯t exactly good either.

    He was quite looking forward to seeing who would be tonight¡¯s ¡°luckiest yer.¡±

    Non-chieftains need not even try, as tonight¡¯s ¡°non-chieftain list¡± had already been decided.

    Although the ¡°luck¡± attribute was not listed on the little yers¡¯ attribute sheets, Murphy knew that there was a special set of spirit spells rted to ¡°luck¡± in this world, proving that this intangible concept of ¡°luck¡± truly existed and could be quantified on this continent.

    Therefore, it was quite necessary to identify one or two genuinely ¡°luckiest yers¡± among the little yers, just in case such luck was needed in the future.

    As Murphy was lost in thought, the four girls who had finished taking pictures joined the treasure-drawing lineup. The usually assertive Lumina surprisingly failed to draw well, only obtaining a pair of guard¡¯sbat boots. Orchid and Ashina also had no eye-catching results, with the former getting a ¡°bottomless pit¡±rge spirit bag and thetter obtaining a spirit-shielded ring.

    None of them could be considered particrly lucky.

    ¡°What kind of luck is that? Step aside, watch mine!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate flipped her braids, striding forward as she exhaled some spiritual energy and rubbed her hands together. She then reached out and scooped up an item, retreating a step with an odd expression as she pinched the object.

    ¡°What did you draw?¡±

    Niuniu, observing his sister¡¯s changing expression from the side, asked.

    Sister Pomegranate did not immediately respond, only raising her eyebrows as she examined the heart-shaped object in her hand. She then activated the yer interface¡¯s built-in item identification:

    Name: Heart of the Hallway Stone Gargoyle

    Quality: Masterwork Construct

    Use: Fuse this item with any stone material and infuse it with spirit energy to summon a rideable stone gargoyle construct.

    This construct can travel at moderate speeds at low altitudes. Depending on the amount of stone fused (30-150 pounds), the stone gargoyle can carry a varying number of passengers (1-4 people).

    Note!

    This item is an alchemical creation and can be repaired if damaged.

    Each use consumes spirit energy, allowing the summoned stone gargoyle to exist for 2-6 hours. The summoned gargoyle can join battles, but as it is not a professionalbat construct, such operation is inadvisable.

    Note!

    Seek out a Summoner, Puppeteer, or Sculptor specialized in constructs to trigger andplete a repair quest, fully restoring this Heart of the Stone Gargoyle into a permanent high-grade spirit stone gargoyle follower.

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Please avoid frequent use of this item outside of Transia, as the mental fortitude of residents in other regions pales inparison to Transians. Even if it does not attract localw enforcement, frightening children would not be ideal.¡¿

    ¡°What is this thing?¡±

    Ashina also leaned in to examine the strange object in Sister Pomegranate¡¯s hand. Thetter scratched her head, looking somewhat puzzled as she said:

    ¡°Possibly, maybe, perhaps it¡¯s a vehicle? At least the item description says this thing can be ridden.¡±

    ¡°A vehicle! The first vehicle in the game! Wow, did you hit the jackpot or what? What insane luck! Can you share some with us?¡±

    The nearby student yers were dumbfounded.

    It was like everyone was raiding the same boss, with the same drop rates and methods used, yet howe while they got junk, she managed to obtain a Midnight steed?

    This was unfair!

    While they were still smugly boasting about obtaining some cool weapons, the big sisters had already moved on to vehicles!

    How were they supposed to keep up when they were forever one version behind?

    Terrible gaming experience!

    Negative review!

    Damn dog developer, biased towards females, right?

    Screw this, I¡¯m gonna castrate myself tonight, let¡¯s see if you¡¯re still biased then!

    ¡°Hey! I got one too!¡±

    Just as the student yers had formed a circle to soak up the luck, another exmation came from Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman nearby.

    Everyone turned their heads in unison to see Grayman clutching a Stone Gargoyle Heart in his raised hand, except his was ck in color, different from the red construct heart in Sister Pomegranate¡¯s possession.

    ¡°Bastard! Animal! What did you get?¡±

    This time, everyone exploded in anger.

    They crowded around to examine Grayman¡¯s loot, only to find that the item in his hand was called the ¡°Cracked Battle Stone Gargoyle Heart,¡± with a note to seek out an alchemist for repairs before use.

    It had the same vehicle effect as Sister Pomegranate¡¯s, but Grayman¡¯s was a dedicatedbat type that could only carry one person while effectively protecting the summoner.

    Hey, this was even more outrageous!

    Yours can fly and fight?

    Are you letting anyone else live?

    The good news, however, was that the dog developer didn¡¯t seem to be intentionally favoring female yers, so no one needed to castrate themselves tonight. Both little heads could breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Meow King, the big draw for our team is up to you!¡±

    Seeing their buddies drawing one after another, the Meow Six group¡¯s hearts were itching with anticipation as they urged Meow King to open the treasure box.

    But Meow King knew his own situation.

    He had an extremely ominous feeling that his luck would be exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly ck tonight!

    Although he didn¡¯t know the source of this premonition, he simply couldn¡¯t muster any confidence. Amid his brothers¡¯ urgings, Meow King silently prayed to Avalon¡¯s gods as he tremblingly reached into the Thief¡¯s Hand vortex and gently grabbed.

    At the same time, Murphy squinted his eyes, and the fingers behind his back twitched slightly.

    In the next instant, a ck box leaped into Meow King¡¯s palm.

    Not an equipment or vehicle item, causing Meow King¡¯s heart to sink. When he shakily opened the box, he found a note inside with fourrge characters written:

    ¡°Thank you for your patronage!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s mental statepletely copsed as he mmed the box in his hand violently onto the ground, nearly cursing ¡°damn my kind.¡± His four sworn brothers and old mate were also dumbfounded.

    This¡­ this¡­ this¡­ was there any justice left?

    ¡°Wait! There¡¯s more text on the back!¡±

    The keen-eyed Electronic Subus Old Tune called out. The red-faced and enraged Meow King hurriedly picked it up to find that there was indeed more to this note on the back.

    It seemed to be an unfinished weapon design schematic.

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The sound of a quest trigger made him perk up:

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¡®Sealed Blood Vulture Relic¡¯ Triggered!

    Quest Content:

    You have inadvertentlye across this ancient weapon design schematic, seemingly from the hand of a vampire craftsman hundreds of years ago. It appears quite extraordinary, perhaps you can take it to inquire about its secrets from Lord Murphy.

    Note!

    This is a continuous quest, with the ultimate Quest Reward being: Unknown Weapon Design Schematic X1

    Quest Description: My coworkers on the test team told me this idea was terrible, but I think adding it as a little Easter egg to the game would be interesting. After all, the hidden item drop rate for dungeon loot designs is 0.01%, so only a world-ss luckiest yer or an ultimate non-chieftain could possibly obtain it.

    Even if you get it, you¡¯d probably just crack a smile.

    It¡¯s a game after all, meant to be yed withughter! ¨C

    Reality Realm Development Team Member Codename S.¡¿

    ¡°Laugh your ass off! So it¡¯s an Easter egg left by the dev team, scared the crap out of me. Hey ~ doesn¡¯t this mean I¡¯m a world-ss luckiest yer? Since it¡¯s a 0.01% probability.¡±

    Meow King let out a harsh critique.

    The ups and downs of life were nothing more than this. He left his five brothers to continue the lucky draw while he waddled over to Lord Murphy, exining the situation and handing over the schematic.

    The vampire lord, with a deadpan expression, examined the four crooked Chinese characters he had scribbled on the schematic¡¯s front just ten minutes ago, holding backughter as he scrutinized it carefully. In an NPC tone, he said to Meow King:

    ¡°This does indeed look like a very ancient design schematic. I suppose it is probably rted to some kind of spirit weapon. Perhaps you could ask our beautiful and noble grand duchess about it. Of course, the Blood Vulture grand duchess has many affairs, so it won¡¯t be easy to get an audience with her.

    You may need to demonstrate your worth to her first.¡±

    Murphy nced at the disappointed Meow King and decided to give this guy a little treat. With a casual wave of his hand, the Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil sheathed at his waist began humming as it floated up, slithering around Meow King like a serpent before finally resting on Murphy¡¯s palm.

    Hepared this spirit de to the design schematic, saying:

    ¡°Does it look simr?¡±

    Meow King blinked, immediately understanding as he nodded vigorously:

    ¡°Simr, extremely simr! So this design schematic is actually¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, a miraculous artifact cannot be replicated with the current era¡¯s crafting techniques. I suspect it was probably a downgraded spirit de researched by a predecessor craftsman based on the Desire Demon de.¡±

    Murphy returned the sealed design schematic he had previously found in a dusty corner of the patriarch¡¯s personal armory to Meow King, gently guiding him:

    ¡°However, even a downgraded sentient spirit de would represent a tremendous upgrade for you, effectively freeing up your hands. In any case, being able to obtain it seems your luck is quite good, my warrior Meow King. You shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡±

    ¡°I agree, my lord.¡±

    Meow King examined the extraordinary-looking weapon in Murphy¡¯s hand, his eyes shining with anticipation.

    But a few minutester, the realization suddenly hit him, and he made an odd expression as he stroked his chin.

    ¡°Damn! Did I just get baited by an NPC? Taking this trial to test the cadres, huh!¡±

    Just as he was about toin, he saw his five brothers returning dejectedly, each clutching a weapon they couldn¡¯t use at all.

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off, with a mournful expression, said to Meow King:

    ¡°Damn it, brother! The tragedy fromst time has repeated itself. Not a single thing we drew can be used! We must have been targeted by probability theory. Don¡¯t we need to visit a temple and make some offerings?

    This whole situation feels a bit sinister, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I got one!¡±

    As he spoke, the nearby Onboard Joy Stick suddenly shouted, waving a green Stone Gargoyle Heart at the Meow King group:

    ¡°Thanks for being the sacrificialmbs, brothers. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal someday.¡±

    ¡°Damn it! Youe over here, I won¡¯t rest until I beat you up today!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s face grew even darker.

    Seeing his brother driving off in a Ferrari was truly more painful than losing money himself. Thankfully, he still had a hidden quest to turn in.

    But Lady Tris¡¯ quest also required opening treasure boxes!

    Damn it!

 Chapter 129:

    Opening treasure chests has always been a situation where some are happy while others are disappointed.

    It¡¯s just like ying those gacha lootbox games, most people who are addicted to opening treasure chests are trudging under the burden, supporting those European lords who should be thoroughly scolded.

    However, Murphy¡¯s batch of treasure chests was quite generous.

    Even the worst item was just the ¡°Hidden Quest Design Blueprint¡± that the ¡°Meow King¡± yer opened.

    yers who obtained unwanted weapons could still trade with each other, so getting cursed items was just the developers¡¯ ¡°good-natured joke.¡± Although spirit weapons generally needed to be bound to one¡¯s own spirit energy to be used, in the real world, this binding process wasn¡¯t instantaneous.

    Anyway, by the time Murphy led the little yers, wearing their new outfits, to the city square, the vast majority of people were quite satisfied.

    At this time, the festival had already begun in the square after nightfall.

    The Transia region wasn¡¯t exactly prosperous or open, so the festivals here were quiteckluster, with nothing more than girls dancing and drunkards indulging in drinking.

    However, since the food for today¡¯s festival was provided free of charge by Lord Murphy, without the need for those damnedbor points to exchange, the happiness brought by the free food quickly heated up the festive atmosphere.The girls from the Survivor¡¯s Camp held hands and danced in the square amid the cheers of the people. Unfortunately, there was no apaniment, but Lumina¡¯s eyes lit up, feeling that her moment as a bard had arrived.

    Her ¡°hidden profession¡± had a very special ¡°Music Infection¡± setting, and to make her music more infectious, she needed to perform in various asions to gain the audience¡¯s approval.

    So, dressed in a vampire ceremonial outfit and wearing a masquerade mask, Lumina ced her beloved Nis¡¯ music box on the ground and began ying the musical scores she had mastered to apany the girls¡¯ dancing.

    This kind act was quickly met with an enthusiastic response from the surrounding crowd.

    The little yers gathered around to watch, and soon, some helpful souls joined in, like the ¡°North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle¡± yer who worked at the bar, proudly showing off some mechanical dance moves.

    You have to admit, with Lumina¡¯s fast-paced musical apaniment, this guy¡¯s passionate and dashing dance moves quickly earned the enthusiastic approval of the surrounding drunkards.

    Of course, the more lively a festival was, the better, and seeing the little yers still feeling a bit restrained, Murphy casually published a random event quest called ¡°Enjoy the Festival.¡±

    The quest required yers to go up and perform.

    The reward was gaining reputation with the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and the Survivor¡¯s Camp, and with this, even the yers who were still hesitant immediately became proactive.

    After all, reputation was just about being familiar with a group, right?

    If you¡¯ve contributed to a collective and most people recognize you, then your reputation would naturally rise.

    yers who could dance went up and had a st, feeling great as they watched their reputation bar slowly rise amid the cheers. Those who couldn¡¯t dance also had a way, like Niuniu, who rushed up and performed a set of cool martial arts moves, even finding a few ¡°lucky audience members¡± to spar with, also earning a wave of cheers from the drunkards.

    Other student yers followed suit, finding a spot at the edge of the square, using gasmps to light up a circle, and taking out some coins as stakes, inviting NPCs to engage in recreational boxing matches.

    It was purely for gaining meleebat proficiency, but it also attracted a group of idle and crazy NPCs to join in the fun.

    For the yers, roughhousing with NPCs was part of the game experience. Considering the immersive nature of¡¶Reality Realm¡·, the fully simted gamey made them feel the increasingly lively festival atmosphere around them, easily getting into the spirit of things.

    This was what Murphy wanted to see.

    He didn¡¯t want his little yers to treat the residents as mere quest-giving NPCs.

    That kind of cynical and realistic gamey would eventually lead to trouble. Having the yers¡¯ rtionship with the locals deepen further would only be good for the development of Kadman City and the Transia region, as both sides depended on each other.

    At this moment, the vampire lord hid in the shadows of the square, using Desire Perception to secretly listen to the little yers¡¯ thoughts.

    However, this power wasn¡¯t very effective on these otherworld spirits, perhaps due to theirck of a physical form. Murphy could only hear some noise from their souls, with only extremely intense emotions being audible.

    For example:

    ¡°Meow! This time, getting an enchanted treasure chest from Lady Tris, I definitely won¡¯t get cursed!¡±

    Intense emotions were brewing in the Meow King¡¯s heart as he shouted inwardly:

    ¡°Meow, meow, the time hase to prove that I¡¯m a super lucky yer! Just now, you went offline and washed your hands three times, even putting on some nice-smelling bath gel. You also prayed to the God of Wealth and Lord Guan. This time, there¡¯s no problem!

    Luck and all that is just superstition!

    And it¡¯s definitely conserved!

    You¡¯ve been so unlucky for so long, believe in yourself! This time, you¡¯ll definitely get something good!¡±

    ¡°This guy has such a deep resentment?¡±

    Murphy blinked his eyes in the darkness.

    He could tell that the Meow King, who was now walking towards Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage, was on the verge of exploding. If Tris¡¯s hidden quest didn¡¯t give him a good enchanted treasure chest, this guy would probably go berserk.

    Quitting the game was probably impossible.

    After all, whether in the game or on the forums, the Meow King was very active, clearly a true fan of¡¶Reality Realm¡·. But having such a poor gaming experience would definitely dampen the Meow King¡¯s enthusiasm for the game.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s give you a little sweetener first, then we¡¯ll slowly discuss you spreading yellow rumors about me.¡±

    The cunning vampire lord, skilled in seduction, grinned in the darkness and pped his bat wings, heading to Tris¡¯s cottage first.

    The Crimson Witch never showed much enthusiasm for festivals like this, and now that she was an official Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign, she had to maintain a certain decorum.

    When Murphy arrived, Tris was busy with the ¡°Convergence Stone.¡±

    Murphy had given her the blueprint earlier, and now this Grandmaster Alchemist was close to producing this key item that could serve as a ¡°dungeon system.¡± ording to Tris, theplexity of this thing categorized it as a high-level spirit item, and its operating mechanism and spirit form were unprecedented.

    This piqued Tris¡¯s interest in the object, and she didn¡¯t feel it was a boring task.

    ¡°Your Excellency,¡± Murphy jumped in through the window and said to Tris, ¡°Your warriors havepleted the quest and will soone to im their reward from you. You haven¡¯t prepared yet, have you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Reward? Was there such a thing?¡±

    Tris pushed up the single-lens alchemist¡¯s eyesses on her left eye.

    Judging from the look of bewilderment on her seductive face, she had clearly forgotten about issuing any quests. When Murphy reminded her, she quickly checked the logs on her Computation Bead and became flustered.

    Fortunately, although there were many rewards Tris had initially promised, none of them were rare items.

    The skill manuals and journals were ready-made, the enchantment orders could be promised verbally or simply written as an IOU, and the only trouble was the five enchanted treasure chests and Tris¡¯s evening gown essory.

    Snap

    Tris opened her wardrobe and rather reluctantly took out a well-preserved ck evening gown that she hadn¡¯t worn for over a hundred years.

    Just from the material and design style, one could tell it was a Grandmaster¡¯s work. Noticing Tris¡¯s lingering look, Murphy, who was helping her prepare the treasure chests, said softly:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you change to a different one? After all, my warriors don¡¯t really care if it¡¯s a real evening gown or not. They just want a decorative item that¡¯s either beautiful enough or strange enough. Just pick any dress you don¡¯t like and give it to them.¡±

    ¡°But I promised! The Crimson Witch may be a viin and a scoundrel, but she always keeps her word. Moreover, I¡¯m the Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign now. I wouldn¡¯t stoop to lying and cheating.¡±

    Tris clearly cherished the dress dearly.

    But she still gritted her teeth, turned away, and took a clothing box to carefully fold and put away this, her favorite dress.

    After grieving in silence for a few seconds, she turned back to Murphy and said, ¡°It¡¯s actually fine to give it away. These are just memories of the past, but our lives have entered a new stage. We need to make room for new things by getting rid of the old.¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you trying to convince me or yourself? It¡¯s fortunate that vampires can¡¯t cry tears, or this poor thing would be in tears by now, wouldn¡¯t she?¡±

    Murphy took out a few items from his spirit bag and put them into the spirit box in Tris¡¯s hut. With an odd look in his eyes, he consoled her:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. When I get a chance in the future, I¡¯ll bring back better clothes for you. The world is vast, there will always be dresses more beautiful and more suitable for you than the one you¡¯re giving away.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    Tris snorted and nced at Murphy, who was busy packing the treasures into boxes.

    She thought to herself, this little guy has no taste!

    My dress was modeled after the evening gown of the Moon Elf Queen. In terms of artistic value, it¡¯s already a one-of-a-kind treasure in this world.

    However, Murphy¡¯s heartwarming constion and promise did make the Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign feel a little better.

    She released a spirit spell on the boxes Murphy had packed, allowing only specific people to open them. A few minutester, the Meow King and Little Ashina came chatting andughing to the alchemy cottage¡¯s entrance.

    Sister Pomegranate, Orchid, and Lumina were already having fun at the square, so they had specifically sent these two to im their well-deserved rewards.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    As they approached the door, the closed door suddenly opened automatically, followed by Lady Tris¡¯s light voice.

    Amidst the pping of the three-eyed raven Weber¡¯s wings and its raucous cawing, a tall and a short little yer entered the room, immediately greeted by the sight of Tris in her Sovereign¡¯s robes and Murphy standing behind her, his hands behind his back, smiling at them.

    With two important NPCs present, Little Ashina and the Meow King exchanged a nce after blinking their eyes.

    Little Ashina¡¯s eyes were filled with a girl¡¯s natural inquisitiveness, while the Meow King wore an expression of hidden prowess.

    Look!

    Didn¡¯t I tell you, little girl, that Lord Murphy and Lady Tris definitely had something going on between them? Why else would everyone else be out enjoying the festival, even Maxim and Lady Adele, while these two are hiding in this dark hut?

    This secluded man and woman, could they really just be ying cards out of boredom?

    Your uncle Meow is the first yer in the game to discover the ¡°scandal¡± between Lord Murphy and Lady Tris. My observation skills are sharp, you see.

    Meanwhile, Little Ashina subtly gave the Meow King a big thumbs up!

    As expected of Uncle Meow, even this cunning adult is just as gossipy as a little girl like me.

    Well done, you!

    This exchange of nces didn¡¯t escape Murphy¡¯s notice, causing the ¡°elegant andposed expression¡± on the vampire lord¡¯s face to stiffen.

    Stiff!

    His fists clenched!

    You Meow King!

    I was just feeling sorry for your poor gaming experience and was about to cut you some ck, but you immediately start causing trouble, don¡¯t you?

    What¡¯s with the winking and nudging?

    Hmph!

    If your cursed luck ever turns around in the future, then damn it, I¡¯ll just eat the entire Kadman Ruins right in front of you!

    ¡°Your well-deserved rewards are here.¡±

    Murphy said coldly in a grinding tone, ¡°Take them and go enjoy your happiness and rxation. But don¡¯t forget to return to the Blood Vulture Halls for the ceremonyter.¡±

    He was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even be bothered with pleasantries.

    The two little yers didn¡¯t mind, though.

    Vampires, they all had this split personality aura. Who knows which damned bastard had angered Lord Murphy?

    But it didn¡¯t matter!

    Because the rewards were right in front of them.

    Five enchanted treasure chests, five enchantment orders, five elf skill manuals, and a special costume box, as well as an elf storybook for Lumina.

    What a great haul!

    Little Ashina and the Meow King happily took everything and politely bid farewell before leaving. But just a few minutester, the Meow King¡¯s ghostly wails and howls rang out from outside the courtyard.

    ¡°Oh! Your uncle has hit the jackpot! Heavens and earth, you¡¯ve finally let me get lucky, the Crimson Witch¡¯s spirit staff! Masterwork quality! Commander-level! With built-in spirit extraction! Automatic mana regeneration when killing monsters! Awoooo!

    As expected of a raid quest reward!

    And it¡¯s got the yellow text too!

    Awesome appearance, practical stats! Maximum collector¡¯s value!

    I just knew Lady Tris cared about us. Ahaha, I even got the ¡®Nature¡¯s Aegis¡¯ spell manual!

    Lady Tris!

    I worship you!!!¡±

    ¡°Meow King, stop howling in this barbershop! The NPC neighbors are all looking over, meow, so embarrassing!¡± Little Ashina¡¯s shrill voice followed, ¡°Oh! I hit the jackpot too! Aiyah, the Crimson Witch¡¯s Illusion Ring! It can generate a shield and create three spirit decoys, how awesome is that?

    This must be an equipment Lady Tris used to wear when she was a girl, right?

    Wow, this little bat head ornament is so exquisite!

    I love it!

    Lady Tris, I¡¯m your fan!¡±

    Little Ashina¡¯s shrill shrieks made Lady Tris smile, marveling at how these otherworld spirits really wore their hearts on their sleeves. It was quite interesting to interact with them.

    But when she turned around, she saw Murphy gritting his teeth, muttering to himself as he wrote and drew in his little ck book, like he was drawing a cursed circle on someone.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Tris approached with a bottle of wine and asked. Murphy replied in a cold tone, ¡°Did you know they¡¯ve been spreading rumors about you and me?¡±

    ¡°Tch, is that a rumor? You know what you did that night. I¡¯m not interested in talking about you!¡±

    The Blood Vulture Lady Sovereign pursed her lips and said, ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t handle a bit of idle gossip? Back when we were down and out in Kadman City, relying on each other for survival, people would poke fun at us every day, and I never saw you get so worked up. You¡¯ve heard far worse things said about the two of us back then.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and put away his ¡°Book of Grudges.¡± He said, ¡°ndering one¡¯s sovereign behind their back is truly despicable behavior. I¡¯ll have to get Maxim to properly teach that insolent Meow King what loyalty means!

    Sigh, nevermind.

    You¡¯re right, they¡¯re not really spreading rumors, after all, my intentions aren¡¯t exactly pure either.¡±

    Cough cough

    Tris, who was drinking wine, immediately choked on it.

    The Lady Sovereign put on a cold expression and brushed off Murphy¡¯s hand that was on her waist. But in the next moment, she was pulled into the naughty Count of Kadman¡¯s embrace. The Crimson Witch snorted, calmly forming a spirit orb in her palm to sessfully deter the overeager Murphy. Rolling her eyes, she urged, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and go to the Blood Vulture Halls to prepare for Maxim and Miriam¡¯s initial embrace?¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about initially embracing Miriam?¡±

    Murphy struck a righteous pose and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve already signed a contract with that red-haired girl, one more effective than a blood pact.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°This dress, ugh¡­¡±

    In a room at the corner of the square, Sister Pomegranate, the one with the best figure among the female yers, looked at the evening gown on her body with a pained expression.

    Her height was enough to carry off the gorgeous long dress, but the chest area was a bit loose.

    If even her well-trained figure couldn¡¯t fill it out, the other three girls definitely wouldn¡¯t fare any better. Little Ashina was so short that wearing the long dress was like wearing a stage costume, her legs couldn¡¯t even spread apart.

    Always confident in her appearance, Sister Pomegranate was now indignantly fuming, ¡°Is this really meant for people to wear? Ridiculous! I refuse to believe anyone besides Lady Tris and Lady Adele could possibly fill out this monstrosity!¡±

    ¡°s, it is beautiful though.¡±

    Lumina looked regretfully as she pinched her slightly plump waist, as if Lady Tris¡¯s outrageous evening gown had dashed all her joy atpleting the quest, obtaining the rewards, good skills, and ess to the elf kingdom map.

    Feeling quite dejected, she said sadly, ¡°Look, wepleted the quest and got the rewards, two happy things together. So why are we not happy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up, the season for whining is long over!¡±

    Orchid hugged her arms, looking displeased as she eyed Sister Pomegranate up and down, saying, ¡°I think this evening gown must be quite expensive. This damn game is too hardcore in this aspect, if you can¡¯t adjust your bust size, forget about wearing it.

    Why don¡¯t we just sell it?

    Maybe we can use it as starting capital for something.¡±

    ¡°Lady Aqua! Lady Aqua¡¯s monstrous figure could definitely pull it off!¡±

    Next to them, Little Ashina, who had been snickering with her mouth covered, suddenly threw out her hand forcefully, her eyes shining as she said, ¡°She would absolutely love this dress too. She used to be a fashion designer, you know? And we just so happen to have a perfect excuse to get her to join us¡­ Oops! I mean, to get her to y with us. Look, the excuse is right here, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 130:

    ¡°This is the hunting rifle my father left behind. He was once the most formidable hunter in several nearby viges, single-handedly defeating three gnoll bandits. s, you¡¯ve all helped me so much these past few days, but I have nothing good to give you in return.

    I hope this hunting rifle can protect you, true warriors.¡±

    In a corner of the city square, the student faction¡¯s Miaomiao Shark received the weapon from the kindly old Sister Jules, who handed it over with a benevolent smile.

    Thisdy was the medical officer in the camp, and Miaomiao Shark had previously helped herplete a series of tasks, from finding old photos to locating her missing house cat.

    He thought it would end there.

    But tonight, during the celebration, the olddy recognized him and gifted him her ¡°family heirloom.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark was extremely delighted.

    Although the reward equipment from this ¡°quest series¡± was no better than the elite firearm he currently used, the feeling of encountering an ¡°acquaintance¡± among the crowd was quite nice.

    Especially the old nun¡¯s grateful yet kind gaze, and the little flower cat she held in her arms¡ªthe one Miaomiao Shark had rescued from the rubble in a remote corner¡ªmade him instinctively straighten his back at that moment.What is an immersive role-ying experience?

    ¡°Hey, Shark! It¡¯s time to go, they¡¯re calling us to the halls for the ceremony,¡± called Spicy Gugu Chicken, Miaomiao Shark¡¯s dormmate.

    Miaomiao Shark slung the stylish old firearm over his shoulder, waved goodbye to the nun, and under her blessings, rejoined his sworn son.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You look like someone kicked you in the balls,¡± Gugu Chicken asked, eyeing his son oddly while holding a grilled fish and taking big bites.

    Miaomiao Shark shrugged and told him what had happened.

    ¡°Huh, I thought it was something else. Isn¡¯t that just you doing a quest and getting a reward from an NPC?¡± Gugu Chicken sneered.

    ¡°I thought maybe a girl had confessed her love to you or something.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± Miaomiao Shark snorted.

    ¡°This game is different from others. They¡¯re all alive, like we¡¯re the idental intruders in their lives.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re delusional. Lay off the angsty young adult literature, will you?¡± Gugu Chicken mocked, but a few stepster, they encountered a group of muddy little monkeys running around.

    One scruffy little boy caught sight of Gugu Chicken and immediately brightened up, shouting ¡°Chicken Brother¡± in a strange tone as he ran towards him.

    Clearly, they had interacted before.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Chicken Brother, you little runt! Call me Gugu Brother,¡± the Chicken Brother grinned, shoving the half-eaten, foul-smelling grilled fish into the boy¡¯s hands. He then pulled out a handful of malt candies from his spirit bag and coaxed the other little munchkins to call him ¡°brother¡± in their broken Common tongue.

    Miaomiao Shark watched this scene with an odd expression.

    A few minutester, after chasing away the sugar-chewing brats, Gugu Chicken turned to find his dormmate giving him a look like he was an idiot.

    ¡°What?¡± Gugu Chicken asked irritably, wiping his mouth.

    ¡°If, I mean if¡ª¡± Miaomiao Shark drawled.

    ¡°If a monster showed up right now and tried to eat that kid who called you ¡®Chicken Brother¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d beat the shit out of it! Little rascal Pam is someone I rescued from the dungeons with my own hands. Anyone who dares harm him will pay!¡± Gugu Chicken clenched his fists tightly, the bones cracking, and then stalked off towards the inner city, shouldering his family¡¯s badass greatsword, all while Miaomiao Shark watched with a weird expression.

    ¡°Ha, you idiot!¡± Miaomiao Shark yelled after him.

    Without turning back, Gugu Chicken flipped him off. ¡°No, you¡¯re the idiot now! Didn¡¯t see thating, did you? Hahaha!¡±

    As the two bickering father and son walked away from the square shoulder to shoulder, Maxim looked up at the crescent moon in the starry sky above.

    The ¡°Astral Realm Rift¡± in the heavens made this scene seem rather bizarre yet ethereally beautiful, its purple glow staining even Kadman City¡¯s moon with an eerie allure.

    ¡°Go y,¡± Maxim said, bending down to let the two little girls sitting on his shoulders down. He waved to the other children surrounding him. ¡°But remember to go home early, don¡¯t make your parents worry.¡±

    These were children Maxim and his Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force had rescued from the ruins, and a few had even been brought back from the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Unlike the city¡¯s past residents, these kids didn¡¯t reject Maxim for his strange appearance. They all knew this ever-stern uncle would bring anything found in the city to the survivor¡¯s camp.

    He was a good person.

    ¡°Uncle Maxim! Old Stan says you¡¯re a monster.¡±

    A snotty little boy clutching berries looked up at Maxim, whose hair and skin were unnaturally palepared to ordinary people, and asked:

    ¡°Are you really a monster? But Dad says you protected us, and he never lets me call you a monster.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how should I answer you all?¡±

    Maxim stroked his chin. After a few seconds of thought, he patted the little boy¡¯s head and said gently:

    ¡°Old Stan is right, I am indeed a ¡®monster¡¯, I¡¯m Sir Murphy¡¯s monster. But I¡¯m also your protector, like Lord Kudel.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but Lord Kudel is a vampire!¡± A little girl with pigtails looked up and said, ¡°A powerful vampire! Uncle Maxim, are you going to be a vampire too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, tonight,¡± Maxim smiled and told the children, ¡°Not all vampires are bad people, at least Sir Murphy and Lady Tris aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Neither are you!¡± The boy shouted, ¡°Dad says there are good and bad people in every race. Even if you be a vampire, Uncle Maxim will definitely still protect us! Beat up those monsters thate out of the fog to scare people!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, yes, beat them up,¡± Maximughed heartily.

    He stretched his body to bid the children farewell, then walked towards his guards in the glow of the purple-stained crescent moon overhead.

    They held Maxim¡¯s armor and weapons in their hands.

    They all knew their captain would ept his fate tonight and be Sir Murphy¡¯s blood descendant.

    ¡°Stay here and watch over this ce. After the celebration ends, send everyone back to the camp,¡± Maxim said as he took the armor from his subordinates and donned each piece, his unusual features soon concealed beneath the vulture mask and barrel helm.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The guards saluted and followed orders. As their fully-armed captain turned to leave, an old soldier hesitated before speaking up:

    ¡°Captain Maxim, or maybe I mean, it might be nice for you to remain human. I know we were ruled by vampires for centuries, but you know, not everyone likes them. But now, everyone thinks you¡¯re a hero.

    Maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°But this is my lifelong wish,¡± Maxim chuckled deeply from behind the mask. ¡°I know what you¡¯re all worried about, brothers. Don¡¯t be afraid. Sir Murphy¡¯s ideals differ from other vampires, and I too will be destined to be unique because of this.

    If I ever do be the kind of vampire you envision, I wish for death by your hands.

    That would actually be a decent end for me.

    Go take your posts now.

    We¡¯ll see each otherter.¡±

    With that, Maxim quickly vanished into the shadows at the edge of the square.

    He crossed the outer city wall alone at the edge of Kadman¡¯s great rift and saw Lady Bonnie, the Blood Vulture Duchess¡¯s personal guard, waiting for him at the entrance to the Blood Vulture Halls.

    This female guard wore the full regalia of a vampire patriarch¡¯s honor guard, a ceremonial outfit, but also practical, appearing fierce and formidable.

    The duchess¡¯s loony personal guard looked Maxim up and down with the ritual ck de in her hand, then said hoarsely:

    ¡°Follow me. The Duchess and Count are waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Maxim followed.

    At this time, the Blood Vulture Halls had not been fully cleared from the copse, but the Descendant Hall remained undamaged from the previous incident. Thus, this opulent setting would serve as the venue for tonight¡¯s embrace ceremony.

    Sixty little yers surrounded the second-floor railings like a theater audience, while the remaining vampires of the Blood Vulture n had taken their positions on the first floor.

    The stern Lady Tris, d in an borate yet imposing duchess regalia, sat upon the bloodstone throne at the back of the hall, her ¡°returned to the fold¡± personal guards briefly serving as ¡°statues¡± by standing guard beside the throne in dashing armor.

    Count Murphy stood in the center of the hall, dressed in a casual yet dignified patriarch swordsman¡¯s light armor from the n¡¯s secret armory, coupled with a midnight cloak. He held the bizarrely-shaped Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil in both hands, regarding the approaching Maxim with a calm, gentle gaze.

    Lady Adele, as Murphy¡¯s first blood heir, acted as an assistant while donning a revealing blood priestess ceremonial gown.

    Her protruding, pale bosom drew exmations from the yers about this outrageous E-cup sister.

    This was truly a fantasy world, under normal circumstances, how could such a gravitational pull be so weak?

    Regardless, the little yers knew this real-time ceremonial cutscene was rendered through live calctions.

    They had all been warned in advance that the Embrace Ceremony was a highly sacred process in vampire culture, and allowing them to observe was already breaking the rules. During the entire process, they could not make any noise, or else they would face harsh punishment from the Blood Vulture Duchess¡¯ midnight guards.

    However, at this vampire ceremonial scene, the presence of a human seemed rather out of ce.

    Miss Miriam, dressed in a formal gown tonight, stood beside Lady Tris¡¯s bloodstone throne, even having her own seat.

    This fully embodied her unique position in the current ruling system.

    Miriam¡¯s heart was pounding at the moment.

    On one hand, she was excited to attend such a formal, high-level asion for the first time as amoner girl.

    On the other hand, she feared that after Maximpleted the process, it would be her turn.

    Although Murphy had always emphasized he would not vite her will, this was Transia! On Transia¡¯snds, vampires could do as they pleased, who could stop them?

    When thest grain of sand fell through the blood hourss held by Lady Adele, Murphy said solemnly:

    ¡°Maxim Cena d, step forward!¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± came the deep response from beneath Maxim¡¯s full-face vulture mask.

    He handed his spirit poison de and ritual ck sword to Bonnie beside him, took a deep breath, and strode up the red carpet to stand before Murphy.

    Then, under the little yers¡¯ gaze, the loyal servant knelt on one knee in a standard knight¡¯s gesture, removing his mask to reveal his inhuman face.

    ¡°I ask you, Maxim, are you willing to forsake your mortal birthright this night and awaken in crimson by drinking the blood of sin¡¯s descendants?¡±

    Murphy asked softly, but thanks to spirit magic amplification, every yer could hear him clearly. Maxim¡¯s response, however, thundered loudly:

    ¡°Of course, my lord. It is my honor!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The Count of Kadman nodded and raised the Desire Demon de to tap Maxim¡¯s left shoulder.

    He asked again: ¡°I ask you, Maxim, are you willing to bid farewell to the sun-bathed world at this time and enter immortality under the night¡¯s protection?¡±

    ¡°I am willing, my lord. I will offer my future as a sacrifice to the Night Mother.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Murphy¡¯s longsword rose and tapped Maxim¡¯s right shoulder lightly.

    The ceremony should have ended there, but Murphy asked a third question:

    ¡°I ask you, Maxim, are you willing to follow Murphy¡¯s cause and use your own hands to open a new future for the dark and closed-off Transia?¡±

    This question was not part of the rehearsed ceremony.

    But Maxim looked up, meeting Murphy¡¯s eyes as he said seriously:

    ¡°I will give you my heart, my sovereign.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Murphy sheathed his sword and dered loudly:

    ¡°Then by the power granted to me by the Blood Vulture Duchess Tris, I hereby proim that from this day forth, Maxim Cena d shall be the Knight Commander of the Long Night under the Count of Kadman! I shall grant you the title and authority of ¡®Baron of Leim¡¯, and I shall also share my strength and blessings with him.

    My warriors shall bear witness to this, my warriors shall remember this!

    A new future for Transia begins here!¡±

    His de made a shallow cut on Maxim¡¯s neck, and a gush of blood flowed out, which Murphy extracted with vampiric power.

    Though he could have bitten directly like when initially embracing Lady Adele, such intimacy between two men exceeded Murphy and Maxim¡¯sfort levels. Both men had very normal, perhaps overly normal, aesthetic sensibilities, not nearly as outrageous as rumors suggested.

    Ultimately, the essence of the embrace lies in the fusion of blood, the means is merely symbolic.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Amid the little yers¡¯ gasps, they saw Maxim¡¯s blood being drawn out in a flowing motion into Murphy¡¯s hand.

    In the midst of the swirling blood sphere, the loyal servant¡¯s body rapidly withered into a desated corpse-like state.

    One could hardly imagine how excruciating this process must have been, yet Maxim remained utterly silent, maintaining his half-kneeling posture of fealty.

    Murphy squeezed out his own blood into his other hand, mixing it with Maxim¡¯s in a 1:3 ratio until thetter¡¯s blood took on the taint of an Eternal Sin Descendant. He then drank it down in one gulp.

    Touching the wound on the breathless Maxim¡¯s neck with his fingers, fresh, powerful blood soon flowed back into the servant¡¯s body.

    Another note popped up:

    ¡¾Please select an inheritance temte for the descendant ¡®Maxim Cena d¡¯. Current avable character temtes: Standard/Rare/Elite.

    New ¡®Elite Temte¡¯ inheritance rules are as follows:¡¿

    Murphy didn¡¯t even look at that note.

    Giving Adele the Rare Temte inheritance had left him weakened for three days. The cost of swapping to the Elite Temte now would undoubtedly be even greater. But the vampire did not hesitate to choose the elite inheritance, for the man kneeling before him deserved such praise!

 Chapter 131:

    ¡°Ugh¡±

    Murphy, who was presiding over the initial embrace ceremony, let out an almost inaudible groan of pain as he struggled to remain standing.

    This scene was immediately noticed by Lady Adele.

    The perceptive Blood Descendant immediately stepped forward, using her own body to shield Murphy¡¯s momentary weakness.

    She had been through a simr experience herself.

    She had no trouble guessing that Lord Murphy had given Maxim the same precious fresh blood essence during the initial embrace, which made Adele truly appreciate her lord¡¯s generosity.

    ¡°You foolish child!¡±

    Meanwhile, Tris, seated on the Blood Stone Throne, tightened her grip on the armrests at that moment.

    As an ancient being nearly five hundred years old, and a ¡°veteran¡± who had made a living from ¡°initial embraces¡± for over a hundred years, Tris, of course, knew what Murphy was doing at that time.¡°I know he¡¯s loyal to you, but how can you be so generous as a vampire! You¡¯re such a fool.¡±

    Lady Tris muttered under her breath.

    This was overheard by Miriam, the red-haired girl sitting beside her, who didn¡¯t understand the intricacies and couldn¡¯t help asking in a soft voice:

    ¡°Did Murphy give Maxim really powerful strength?¡±

    ¡°Powerful?¡±

    Tris nced at the adorable girl and replied with a mimicking tone:

    ¡°It¡¯s no longer a question of how powerful it is. He gave half of his fresh blood to Maxim. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he had done the same before, giving a third of his blood to Adele.

    Although it¡¯s fresh blood and not essence, it still means he¡¯s weakening his own talents and potential to help his progeny gain more blessings of the midnight.

    This will make Adele and Maxim¡¯s growth potential and speed far surpass that of ordinary vampires.

    However, I¡¯ve never seen such a generous vampire elder!

    Little girl, why don¡¯t you reconsider?

    Look how good my little Murphy is to you all. Meeting such an elder, you must have umted great merits in your previous life.¡±

    Miriam shook her head vigorously.

    She didn¡¯t want to be a vampire.

    Although she was currently working for vampires and might even be a servant of a vampire lord, this waspletely different from actually bing a vampire!

    Meanwhile, words were constantly flickering on Murphy¡¯s character card, noting the establishment of a blood covenant:

    ¡¾Choose Elite Temte Inheritance!

    The progeny ¡®Maxim Cena d Lessenbra¡¯ will gainplete vampire traits and 200% racial initial values, with enhanced effects for their skills, and inherit three randomly selected talents and specialties from your current ones!

    This option will additionally consume 50% of your blood, putting you in a ¡®deep weakness¡¯ state! This state requires 72 hours to recover, during which all attributes will be reduced by 50%, and life and spirit recovery rates will be zero.

    Progeny ability inheritance in progress¡­

    1. Inherited ability: Racial Talent Enhanced Branch ¨C Swift Crimson Wings

    2. Inherited ability: Racial Talent Enhanced Branch ¨C Bat Swiftness

    3. Inherited ability: Racial Talent Hidden Enhanced Branch ¨C Night ws

    Note!

    Due to choosing the Elite Temte Inheritance, the progeny¡¯s biological trait ¡®Blood Wings¡¯ is immediately manifested!¡¿

    As these words flickered, Murphy felt himself plunged into an extremely weakened state.

    This was far more draining than thest time he initially embraced Adele, as if his entire body had been hollowed out. As a vampire under the blessing of midnight, he unexpectedly experienced dizziness.

    However, the ¡°initial embrace tax¡± from his progeny soon arrived:

    ¡¾Initial Embraceplete!

    Maxim Cena d Lessenbra has fed back a portion of his strength to you during this process, specifically manifesting as:

    Strength +1, Endurance +1, Agility +1.

    New Talent ¡¾Monster ¨C Intimidating Ferocity¡¿ gained, with a chance to inflict ¡¾Fear¡¿ effect on enemies when enteringbat.

    New Talent ¡¾Monster ¨C Robust Physique¡¿ gained, increasing maximum life by 10% and improving life and stamina recovery rates.¡¿

    This strength feedback satisfied the weakened Murphy.

    The talents were secondary, receiving three attribute points from Maxim¡¯s feedback sessfully brought Murphy¡¯s total attributes to an astonishing 104 points.

    What does this mean?

    For a regr vampire at the White Silver rank with an Elite Temte, the total attribute value, without considering progeny feedback, is precisely 104 points.

    This means that at the ck Iron rank, Murphy already possessed fundamental strengthparable to that of transcendent beings at higher ranks. As they say, future over-leveled battles will be fair fights for Murphy!

    ¡°Support me,¡± Murphy said softly to Lady Adele, who was shielding his weakened state.

    She immediately assisted the weakened Count, ensuring he didn¡¯t suffer an undignified fall in front of his warriors.

    As Murphy retreated a few steps, Maxim, who had been kneeling on the ground, opened his eyes, their crimson glow igniting as his bloodthirsty fangs emerged from beneath his lips, only to be retracted momentster.

    As Maxim stood up, a pair of massive Blood Wings, extremely simr to Murphy¡¯s, unfurled from behind his heavy armor, beating powerfully.

    That piercing gale took the little yers on the second floor by surprise, forcing them to cover their eyes. But some were also shouting crude and foulnguage, eximing how cool it looked.

    There was no helping it.

    This scene was indeed very cool!

    Although Lord Murphy also looked cool when spreading his wings and flying, Murphy¡¯s coolness came from his outstanding looks and dignified demeanor, like a nobleman strolling under the moonlight, making one feel admiration.

    But Maxim¡¯s coolness stemmed from sheer power!

    It was the beauty of strength!

    The fully armored monstrous swordsman was like a walking mountain of armored flesh, already imposing and domineering, nowplemented by his broad Blood Wings. Add to that his hands like curved beastly ws, and the Night ws adorned with natural spirit patterns extending down his shins, and he exuded an oppressive aura worthy of a dungeon BOSS-level monster.

    Not giving him at least the role of a climactic five-person dungeon BOSS or an old first-tier raid BOSS would be an insult to his dashing entrance pose.

    Immersed in the blessings of the midnight force, Maxim soon regained hisposure.

    From the endless wellspring of power surging within him, he understood the truth. Then, raising his head to see his lord Murphy being supported by Adele, his pale face, an indescribable sense of guilt and gratitude welled up in his heart.

    ¡°Lord Murphy, I¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to say more, this is a reward for the loyal.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, indicating that Maxim could temporarily withdraw.

    His part in tonight¡¯s ceremony was temporarily over.

    ¡°p¡±

    Seeing how much effort Murphy had exerted, Lady Tris felt a pang of pity and raised her hand to cast a spell, mimicking Lord Pnno¡¯s spirit magic to make spirit energy dance like ck and red rose petals, sculpting a crimson long chair for Murphy.

    This allowed him to continue with the segments he had prepared for tonight¡¯s ceremony.

    Lady Adele thoughtfully offered Murphy a cup of deep red fresh blood. The vampire lord epted and drank it all, regaining some strength, before sitting in the chair and once again leaning on the Desire Demon de in his hand.

    Meanwhile, Maxim stood resolutely by his lord¡¯s side, fulfilling his duty as a Blood Descendant to guard and protect.

    Murphy calmed himself and said:

    ¡°Be Bernice Adele Lessenbra, step forward!¡±

    Lady Adele was taken aback for a moment.

    Then she adjusted her low-cut, blood priestess robe that drew the gaze of all yers, regardless of gender, and came forward to kneel before Murphy.

    Just like Maxim¡¯s earlier ceremony, as the magic de lightly tapped Lady Adele¡¯s snowy white shoulder, he asked:

    ¡°I ask you, Adele, are you willing to follow Murphy¡¯s cause and use your own hands to open a new future for the dark and closed-off Transia?¡±

    Lady Adele thought she would hesitate.

    After all, her rtionship with the youngdy was extraordinary. In the face of this oath of allegiance being witnessed, she should have hesitated for a few seconds, making a choice between Lord Murphy and Lady Femis.

    However, she was overthinking it.

    Upon hearing Murphy¡¯s question, her heart, which now beat only for Murphy, instantly gave her the answer.

    ¡°I am willing, it is my honor, my only lord.¡±

    This response was so straightforward that Adele herself was shocked, then a sense of helplessness welled up within her.

    It seemed her heart hadpletely taken Murphy¡¯s shape, or perhaps in the future, even this pure and seductive body would¡­

    Ah, this damned blood covenant!

    How vexing.

    But in reality, it wasn¡¯t so bad, especially given the youngdy¡¯s situation¡­

    Even if Adele wanted to pledge allegiance, she really had no choice.

    And the way this E-sister, quite popr among yers, said the words ¡°my lord¡± in a gentle and natural tone also caused a stir among the little yers on the second floor.

    Several who had been diligently raising Lady Adele¡¯s favor fainted in the crowd.

    Damn!

    Did it have to be so real?

    The paper waifu goddess you painstakingly courted turned out to be the ve of another paper being!

    Terrible gaming experience!

    Negative review!

    Give me all the harsh negative reviews!

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    Satisfied with Lady Adele¡¯s answer, Murphy nodded, then raised the de and tapped her other shoulder.

    His voice slightly winded, he said solemnly:

    ¡°Then by the power bestowed upon me by Lady Tris, the Grand Duchess of the Blood Vultures, I hereby dere that from this day forth, Be Bernice Adele Lessenbra shall be the Shadow Overseer under Count of Kadman! I shall grant you the title and authority of ¡®Baroness of Shadows.¡¯

    My warriors shall bear witness to this, my warriors shallmit this to memory!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for bestowing this upon me, my lord.¡±

    Lady Adele remained unruffled.

    After all, before tonight, Lord Murphy had already consulted her about this, and as she herself had said, she wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about power.

    After Adele rose, Miss Miriam, seated beside Lady Tris, also heaved a sigh of relief.

    She thought the ceremony was over, but just as she was about to stretch her neck, which had grown sore from sitting upright, Murphy spoke again.

    ¡°Miriam, step forward!¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Miriam froze in ce.

    Huh?

    What did I have to do with this?

    Hey, don¡¯t arrange such weird plots, okay?

    I¡¯ve already said I won¡¯t be a vampire!

    You bastard!

    ¡°The initial embrace ceremony is over, this isn¡¯t to make you a vampire, you cutie.¡±

    Tris, seeming to notice Miriam¡¯s nervousness, said softly in her ear:

    ¡°It¡¯s just to formally bestow you with a title and authority in the eyes of the otherworld warriors, so you can properly continue serving your official role in the Transia region. Don¡¯t you think the title ¡®Survivor Camp Administrator¡¯ is too casual?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Miriam understood.

    She straightened her long dress and walked towards Murphy, but just as she stood before him, a sh of lightning went through her mind.

    Wait!

    There was a problem here!

    Based on the authority and titles Murphy had just bestowed upon Maxim and Adele, if she stepped forward and received simr titles and status, wouldn¡¯t that mean she would be permanently bound to Murphy, this vampire lord?

    If it really developed that way, no one would believe her if she told others she wasn¡¯t a vampire worshipper!

    She would have to walk the continents bearing the identity of a ¡°vampire servant.¡±

    Was this really happening?

    ¡°I ask you, Miriam, are you willing to follow Murphy¡¯s cause and use your own hands to open a new future for the dark and closed-off Transia?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s inquiry rang in her ears.

    Like a death knell, it made the red-haired girl clench her fists. Having disliked vampires since childhood, she was about to refuse. But then, another thought emerged like a little mischievous man hidden in her heart, gesturing at her:

    Don¡¯t be so hasty to refuse, girl.

    Why not consider what you might gain if you ept?

    A baroness title!

    Your ownnd and fief!

    Real power and authority!

    Since Murphy is so solemnly including you in this ceremony before his most valued otherworld warriors, it¡¯s clear he intends to formally announce that you will take over the true governing authority of the Count of Kadman¡¯s dominion!

    From then on, you will be the spokeswoman for Count Murphy of Kadman!

    Oh, mytemented mother!

    The opportunity for social advancement you dreamed of your whole life may truly be before your daughter¡¯s eyes. You don¡¯t even need to sell your beauty, body and dignity to serve some old, foolish man.

    You just need to work hard from now on.

    This is the kind of thing that could never happen even in a third-rate knight novel!

    It¡¯s like being in a dream.

    Her clever little mind was engaged in an intense internal struggle, so intense that Murphy barely needed to use Desire Perception to listen to Miriam¡¯s inner turmoil.

    So the cunning vampire cleared his throat and raised the stakes, saying:

    ¡°Miriam! I await your answer, for in this time you have gathered and managed the survivors, contributing to the revival of the Blood Vulture n. I have decided to grant you the title of ¡®Baroness of Mond¡¯ and itsnds.

    And with my retainers and warriors as witnesses, I shall formally invest you with the authority of ¡®Crimson Regent.¡¯

    This city needs rebuilding, Count of Kadman¡¯s dominion lies in ruin, the reborn Blood Vulture n and all of Transia await new changes, and the power to decide all this is about to fall into your hands.

    You have been so outstanding, loyal and excellent that you need not be one of the midnight¡¯s kin to share in the power we wield.

    So answer my question, Miriam!

    Are you willing to follow Murphy¡¯s cause and use your own hands to open a new future for the dark and closed-off Transia, for the homnd you loathe yet can still be changed?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±

    Miriam was nearly rendered unable to think by the question and its unabashed temptation.

    No matter how clever and capable she was, she was still just an ungraduated student, while what Murphy offered far exceeded her original life ns.

    She really wanted to vehemently rebuke Murphy, to tell this damned vampire not to tempt her with such worldly things!

    She really wanted to do that!

    But s, what Murphy offered was too much¡­

    She was struggling mightily to resist.

    The righteous little man in her heart was being pinned down and pummeled into helplessness by the wicked little man, while her trembling legs refused to heed her inner screams, smoothly sinking to one knee instead.

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    Murphy nodded.

    And up on the viewing tform on the second floor, Meow King stroked his chin and said to Joy Stick beside him:

    ¡°Look at that! That¡¯s what you call turning some pie-in-the-sky grandmaster nonsense into glory and power within reach, just from an NPC¡¯s mouth. Not bad for a self-proimed Descendant of Desire vampire. Truly masterful at manipting hearts.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡±

    Joy Stick scoffed at Meow King¡¯s remark and retorted:

    ¡°Never mind the career-driven Miss Miriam, if you were in her position facing all these temptations from Lord Murphy, wouldn¡¯t you ept?¡±

    ¡°Heh, of course I¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you still have that hidden side quest in hand. Try abandoning it before talking tough?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, I was just saying, you make me sound so silly.¡±

 Chapter 132:

    Miriam eventually epted the title of ¡°Baroness of Mond¡± and the territory that came with it. She also received a Crimson Regent¡¯s bat-shaped si ring, feeling dazed as she returned to the chair beside Lady Tris.

    Her mind was aplete nk at the moment, making it nearly impossible for her to think effectively.

    This made her feel like she had surely been trapped by the cunning vampires using some vile mental spell. However, Lady Tris was well aware that this was simply a case of ¡°pig brain overload¡± from too much intense thinking in a short period.

    No big deal.

    A bit of rest and a few drinks to rx would fix it.

    Tonight¡¯s ceremony had concluded in terms of procedure, but Murphy still had one final announcement to make. Amid the private whispers from the little yers upstairs, Murphy rose from his chair, leaning on the Desire Demon de and taking a deep breath.

    His gentle gaze swept across the faces of each little yer. He could remember how these adorable and brave otherworld spirits had fought under hismand, as well as the process of his interactions and acquaintance with every one of them.

    Although he had only spent less than a month with the little yers so far, the rtionship between them had already be quite close.

    Regrettably, Murphy could not be certain whether this intimacy stemmed from the yers genuinely regarding him, an ¡°NPC,¡± as a friend, or simply from their fondness for a generous main-line NPC.He wished he knew the answer to this question.

    He could perhaps gain the answer by employing Desire Perception to listen in on their thoughts.

    But ultimately, Murphy did not do so.

    He did not want to reap disappointment, and besides, now was not the time.

    Pushing the question from his mind, he discreetly gripped the core bead tied to his wrist and activated the quest dispatch, with the pre-edited text and content primed and ready to go.

    ¡°My warriors! It is because of your unyielding battles over this past month that I, once a fringe member of my family, have arrived at this point. Everything I now possess was forged from your shed blood.

    Thus, I must dere here and now!

    I am about to make a decision that defies the countless traditionsid down by our vampiric ancestors.

    This may cause me to be one reviled by my own kind, but I know I must do it!

    I wish to share the midnight¡¯s blessing and the crimson¡¯s power with you all! Just as you have treated me with such generosity and loyalty.¡±

    ¡°Ding, ding, ding!¡±

    The moment Murphy finished speaking, a quest note notification sounded from every yer¡¯s Computation Bead, indicating a massive triggering of main-line quest updates.

    Meow King lowered his head to see the quest note that popped up on the yer interface:

    ¡¾Race Sidequest ¡®Midnight¡¯s Calling¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Content: Moved by your loyalty and courage, Count of Kadman Murphy has decided, along with Lady Tris, to make a difficult decision that defies vampirew and tradition in order to save the Blood Vulture n from the brink of extinction.

    He wishes to invite you to join the Blood Vulture n and be a member of the midnight nobility and an Eternal Sin Descendant.

    Of course, Murphy would never force his warriors to do anything, so whether to answer his call is up to you.

    Quest Objective: Answer the summons of Lady Duchess Tris and Count of Kadman Murphy, undergo the ck Iron Trial, andplete the Initial Embrace and Spirit Weaving Ceremony to join the Blood Vulture n.

    (P.S. This quest can only bepleted after the version update.)

    Quest Reward: A new race temte and unique power system, a new reputation system and gamey updates.

    (P.S. These features will be implemented after the version update isplete.)

    Note!

    This is an optional quest. Rejecting it will not lower any reputation you have already gained.

    Note!

    The vampire race is the development team¡¯s initial attempt at implementing new race gamey mechanics. Rejecting this quest will not impact the experience of future new races to be introduced inter versions.

    Developer Note:

    While offering advantages, the transcendent vampire race also has significant drawbacks that cannot be ignored. Testers, please choose carefully.

    Developer Note:

    Once epted andpleted, this quest will result in permanent, irreversible gamey changes. Testers, please choose carefully.

    Developer Note:

    The test server will be shut down in 20 minutes for Alpha 2.0 version updating.

    Please proceed to the initial save point, the Blood Vulture Halls Midnight Chamber, to log out. This update will take 48 hours. Testers, please be patient and wait for itspletion.¡¿

    ¡°What the hell! I was about to offer my heart to Murphy, and now you¡¯re telling me I have to wait 48 hours for an update before I can continue my allegiance?

    This is such a letdown!

    The sense of immersion ispletely ruined!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche immediately started howling in protest.

    Ever since previously experiencing the ¡°Vampire Trial Card,¡± he had been obsessed with the ability to fly. Now that the quest had finally triggered, having to wait through yet another update was almost too much to bear.

    ¡°Damn it! This developer is not loyal at all! I suggest we drag them out and give them a bombuncher greeting!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick was also gritting his teeth beside them.

    This brother was not particrly invested in the vampire race storyline, but was purely captivated by the transcendent beauty embodied in that race.

    Moreover, Joy Stick¡¯s mind kept shing back to the cutscene animation he had just seen of the vampire¡¯s Initial Embrace. He wondered, if NPC vampires could perform the Initial Embrace on others, could yer-controlled vampires do the same?

    Not that he had any lewd intentions.

    After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to find an exquisite blood descendant like Lady Adele whobined power and the ability to be a decorative vase. His main interest was in the absolute control vampire elders wielded over their progeny.

    This ultra-loyal rtionship was simply the gospel for someone like Joy Stick, who was innatelycking in a sense of security.

    The other yers were alsoining about the untimely version update, but it was necessary!

    Murphy had to give them time for careful consideration.

    After all, this was not just a game, there was no way to respec or delete and restart.

    Once they turned into vampires, if they regretted itter, even if they flooded the forum feedback section until the server exploded, Murphy would have no way to actually roll back for the little yers.

    More importantly, Lady Tris¡¯s spirit weaving experiment still needed two days to yield its final results. Murphy nned to carefully reconsider the current situation while the little yers rested, straightening out anything that needed to be straightened, tidying up the existing game environment, and creating a new main-line quest to wee the arrival of the ¡°new version.¡±

    At this moment, the server shutdown countdown had begun ticking on the yer interface, prompting these fellows to mutter and grumble as they made their way in groups of three or two from the Descendant Hall back to the Midnight Chamber save point.

    However, Meow King and the leading pigeon, who were among the first 16 to enter the game for testing, deliberately lingered behind. After the others had left, these sly fellows circled back around.

    The 16 of them exchanged nces, patiently waiting at the entrance to the Descendant Hall.

    Apart from triggering the¡¶Midnight¡¯s Calling¡·branch storyline earlier, these 16 ¡°veteran yers¡± also had an additional hidden quest:¡¶Gratitude from an Old Friend¡·.

    They had confirmed that the second and third batches of yers who entered the game did not have this quest.

    What was this about?

    This was clearly Murphy giving his 16 earliest-following warriors some ¡°special treatment¡±!

    Murphy had not forgotten his original brothers-in-arms. He was trying to secure benefits for his homies. Heh, you had to admit, the NPC design in this game really had a human touch.

    Previously, Murphy was a fringe noob, and he shared good and bad times with everyone equally.

    Now that Murphy had found sess, he naturally could not forget the old buddies he had struggled alongside from the beginning.

    Murphy did not keep his 16 earliest little yer followers waiting too long. Soon, using the Wolfsbane staff sword seized from Joban Marci Gongreau as a walking stick, he appeared before the little yers.

    It was evident he was still a bit weak, but upon seeing the 16 familiar faces who had apanied him the longest, the vampire lord¡¯s expression softened into the gentle smile they were all familiar with.

    ¡°We have been through many challenges together, my warriors¡­ no, my friends. I only want you to know that although I am a vampire born from the midnight, I also understand gratitude.¡±

    He did not give a long-winded speech.

    Surrounded by the 16 little yers, he opened his spirit bag and took out one by one the crimson, mysteriously glowing, yet unnamed Blood Vulture n si rings, passing them to the warriors beside him.

    He said softly:

    ¡°If you decide to walk this midnight path, then these sis that prove your identity and belonging are my gifts to you. But you need not feel pressured by this, I can understand that not everyone is willing to be embraced by the eternal night.

    The caress and embrace of the sunlight still remind me in my midnight dreams of the human identity I have lost. I do not have the right to demand that you do what you are unwilling to do in this world, ording to my will.

    However, you can still keep these precious rings and seek out alchemists or enchanters to fashion them into items suited to your profession¡¯s traits, or simply as mementos. Such pure bloodstones are not easily found on the continent. Therefore, even without the prestigious name of the Blood Vulture n si, these trinkets can be regarded as precious objects worth more than gold.

    This represents my personal gratitude for the warmth of yourpanionship bestowed upon me.¡±

    Murphy smiled and said gently to the 16 ¡°veteran¡± little yers:

    ¡°Given your special circumstances, even if you join the Blood Vulture n, you may not be able to truly uphold thews of the night as we do. But I have already submitted an application to Lady Tris. If you are willing, after you join the n, I will be your nominal elder.

    I will lead, teach, and protect you.

    You can view this as a privilege distinct from the other warriors, it may indeed seem unfair to them.

    But I think this is a reward you deserve!¡±

    ¡°What the hell!¡±

    The 16 little yers were instantly floored.

    In typical role-ying games, yers tend to portray peripheral or symbolic roles withinrge organizations.

    But given Murphy¡¯s current position of being second to none within the Blood Vulture n, allowing yers to directly be his nominal progeny was an almost ¡°cheat-like¡± starting advantage that clearly did not conform to the norms of role-ying games.

    The only exnation was that these ¡°promises¡± Murphy had just spoken were probably the real ¡°closed beta tester rewards¡± left by the development team for the first batch of closed beta testers.

    ¡°What should I do? I¡¯m a bit tempted.¡±

    Meow King, who had already be an Oak Apprentice, was temporarily at a loss.

    The temptation of this ¡°new identity start¡± even sparked the urge in him to ¡°delete and restart.¡± The other yers looked at him with a pitying gaze.

    As if!

    When faced with something like this, the immediate reaction should obviously be to loudly mock him, right?

    ¡°My warrior Meow, you have been watched over by the Avalon deity. I do not have the audacity to snatch a follower from the God of Nature.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and patted the dejected Meow King¡¯s shoulder, saying:

    ¡°But even without a n connection, I believe there is still a bond between us. As I just said, I will not interfere with your decision, but I will be ted if you choose to step into the eternal night.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The soft sound from the yer interface at that moment caused all 16 of them to look down simultaneously.

    ¡¾Hidden Reputation Achievement ¡°Murphy¡¯s Approval¡± has been unlocked!

    Note!

    Hidden Title ¡°Murphy¡¯s Friend¡± acquisition progress 1/2. After obtaining the ¡°Blood Vulture¡¯s Friend¡± reputation achievement in a future version, this hidden title can be acquired.

    Note!

    This hidden achievement cannot be obtained after the Alpha 2.0 version update.¡¿

    ¡°Woohoo, limited edition achievement get! Veteran yer benefits acquired, yay!¡±

    Leading Pigeon and his dorm mates immediately cheered, while the others also looked delighted.

    yers just love these limited edition things. Even if it was a turd, a limited edition turd would still be considered a good thing!

    ¡°I shall offer you my heart, my lord!¡±

    ¡°And I as well!¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, Ah Yuen, and Spicy Gugu Chicken immediately knelt on one knee, imitating Maxim¡¯s pose during the Initial Embrace as they pledged allegiance to Murphy.

    But Murphy shook his head and said in a drawn-out tone:

    ¡°I appreciate your loyalty, my dear Cheche, Ah Yuen, and Gugu Chicken. However, you still need to undergo the trial of strength. But do not worry, for warriors like you, it is no longer an unattainable challenge.

    Ah, a mysterious force tells me that you may need to return to your world now.

    Perhaps this portends some changes to our world as well.

    Whether for good or ill, I cannot say.

    Come, let me see you off.

    Let me send off my most trusted warriors back to their homnd.¡±

    Murphy raised his hand forward, and surrounded by the 16 yers, he walked deeper into the Blood Vulture Halls, almost racing against time as he went, asionally chatting with his original warriors about the future prospects of Transia.

    At thest minute, he saw the 16 yers enter the Midnight Chamber, then temporarily deactivated the projection resonance function of the test admin system.

    He stepped into the silent chamber.

    His 60 warriors were currently lying about in various postures amidst the darkness, but this ¡°version update¡± did not count as being kicked offline, so their bodies remained physical.

    Murphy raised his hand, casting a group-wide Death¡¯s Grasp around them, allowing the invisible midnight noose to gently lift the little yers into the air and arrange them in a sleeping posture on the stone dais ahead, thoughtfully cing their weapons beside them as well.

    As if, in the next instant, these warriors would open their eyes once more and draw their weapons to fight for Murphy.

    ¡°You have been fighting continuously for so long, you deserve a good rest. After all, unlike me, you have your own lives in another world. You wouldn¡¯t want to end upbeled as inte addicted youths.¡±

    Murphy leaned on his staff, stretching his body in the darkness.

    At this moment, he finally did not need to y the role of a forever wise, forever energetic NPC.

    It was like taking off an invisible mask.

    The vampire lord tilted his head, reached out to remove the finger that the sleeping Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche had been biting, and ced it on his chest. He also straightened Leading Pigeon¡¯s equipment cor.

    Turning in the darkness to walk towards the chamber¡¯s entrance, he waved his hand lightly and said softly:

    ¡°Consider this a two-day break. Gather your strength, and then we¡¯llplete our grand n together. Good night, my warriors.

    Good night, my friends in this otherworld.

    Whates next will be a less arduous stretch of game time. Treat it as leisure, as for the dangerous ck Disaster¡­hmm, we might as well make it into an expansion pack.¡±

 Chapter 133:

    ¡°Tell me, how did amoner like me, who doesn¡¯t even have a surname, suddenly be the Crimson Regent of Kadman City? And I even got a baroness title and territory.¡±

    Miriam, who had just experienced the ups and downs of life, stared at the Crimson Regent¡¯s seal in one hand and the baroness appointment letter in the other.

    For a moment, it still didn¡¯t feel real, even though these two items existed tangibly in her hands.

    From tonight onwards, the Mond Vige where she was born, along with five nearby viges, would be her territory.

    Perhaps some people would be unhappy about this, but the appointment letter bearing the Blood Vulture n¡¯s great seal held considerable sway in the Transia region. As long as the Blood Vulture n remained here for a day, that ce would be under her jurisdiction!

    Thinking of this, Miriam couldn¡¯t help but tighten her grip on the appointment letter.

    A surge of excitement welled up within her.

    At the young age of 24, she had already outpaced her peers¡¯ career paths by at least forty years, if not an entire lifetime or two.

    It was a pity that with her parents deceased and few friends, Miriam didn¡¯t know who to share this joy that had fallen from the heavens.¡°Tsk, I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯ve sold myself by the pound just for these two broken things.¡±

    In the quiet night of the city, Miriam evaluated her decision earlier with a touch of sarcasm.

    Afterwards, she took a deep breath, retrieved a in small box from her spirit bag, and took out a somewhat dull silver-white bracelet, holding it before her eyes.

    ¡°Mom, I did it!¡±

    Miriam stared at the bracelet, the only thing left by her mother, as it reflected a beautiful halo in the moonlight. After a few seconds, she pressed it to her forehead and said with a hint of weeping:

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally made a name for myself! Although I haven¡¯t risen to great heights, I¡¯ve achieved half of the wish you had before you passed away. If you could see this, please share in this joy with me.¡±

    ¡°I say, do you Transians worship your ancestors by just praying anywhere you feel like it? Miss, would you mind looking around to see if anyone¡¯s nearby before conveying your heart to your mother next time?¡±

    A rather familiar voice, tinged with a hint of awkwardness, sounded from beside Miriam, causing the red-haired girl, who had been shedding tears, to start.

    As she turned around, her hand now held a crimson hand cannon.

    This was the weapon Murphy had previously obtained from Adele and given to her for self-defense.

    With the gun barrel pointed at him, Lieutenant Frayzer raised his hands in resignation. Ignoring the danger before him, he calmly exined:

    ¡°I have to leave here tomorrow afternoon, so I must finish writing my investigation report tonight. But your celebration was quite noisy, so I had to find a quiet ce to write it up. By rights, I found this spot first.

    So, the one being disturbed isn¡¯t you, Miss Miriam.¡±

    ¡°Sure enough, the Goldflower Kingdom is teeming with sneaky types like you.¡±

    Miriam snorted, lowered her gun, then bent down to retrieve what had fallen to the ground. Lieutenant Frayzer politely stepped forward to help.

    But when he saw that bracelet, the lieutenant¡¯s brow suddenly furrowed.

    That style¡­ it felt somewhat familiar.

    As an intelligence officer, Lieutenant Frayzer didn¡¯t show his surprise.

    He picked up the bracelet from the ground, carefully examined the style,mitting it to memory, then returned it to Miriam, along with the Crimson Regent¡¯s seal in his other hand. He joked:

    ¡°It seems that Lord Murphy has seen your potential and decided to promote you. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re holding a peerage appointment letter there. It¡¯s an ancient style. I vaguely remember our family library containing simr letter samples from around 400 years ago.

    So, what should I call you now? Lady Miriam?¡±

    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m in a good mood today, so I won¡¯t make a fuss with you.¡±

    Miriam had no goodwill towards this man who had once tried to cause trouble in the camp she was managing, but her status as a fellow student prevented her fromshing out, so she could only respond coldly.

    However, perhaps due to his impending departure, Lieutenant Frayzer seemed quite enthusiastic about conversing tonight. He politely gestured with a ¡°please¡± motion and said to Miriam:

    ¡°I¡¯m heading back to the camp. Why don¡¯t we go together? It¡¯s unbing for ady to walk alone in such a night. I¡¯ve heard that vampires are the race that values etiquette the most, but my observations these past few days seem to contradict that rumor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only because you¡¯ve been observing the wrong subjects.¡±

    Miriam replied casually:

    ¡°Lord Murphy and Lady Tris are not ¡®normal¡¯ vampires, but Miss Femis is the most well-mannereddy I¡¯ve ever seen, a true model.

    It¡¯s a pity you came at the wrong time.

    Speaking of which, Lieutenant, you¡¯re not the type of man who can¡¯t walk properly when he sees ady, yet tonight you¡¯re being so attentive towards me.

    Is it because you¡¯ve noticed my change in status and realized that I will be taking on more important responsibilities under Lord Murphy, so you¡¯re trying to get on my good side in advance to make it easier for you to extract information from me in the future?¡±

    ¡°You are a most discerningdy, and I will not deny my intentions,¡± Frayzer chuckled lightly.

    He nced at the peerage appointment letter in Miriam¡¯s hand and said:

    ¡°There is another reason, although the Carpe family has been rooted in the Anju region for over three hundred years, our ancestors were once a count in the Transia region, one of the 134 nobles during the founding of the Portia Federation.

    No need tough, but our family still holds thend deed to a small forest bordering the northern Transia region and the Ice Bay region.

    For this reason, the Carpe family is quite sensitive to changes in Transia¡¯s nobility lineages. If nothing unexpected happens, you may see a representative from my family in the next few months.

    I hope you¡¯ll put in a good word for me then, and not give them too much embarrassment.

    This does not represent any political intentions, merely a friendly liaison between families.

    During the Blood Vulture n¡¯s 400-year rule over thesends, the Sn nobles have maintained ties with thisnd in the shadows, an ancient tradition.

    Moreover, Lady Tris firmly stated that my grandfather¡¯s rise had something to do with her as well. I cannot confirm these rumors, but it does not prevent me from taking a personal interest in the newly-formed Blood Vulture n.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Miriam nodded in realization.

    She had heard some rumors about this before, but hermoner status had previously prevented her from essing this level.

    After the introduction from Frayzer, the heir of a great family, she finally understood how Kadman City of the Blood Vulture n could still receive a steady stream of supplies from outside, despite being surrounded by the entire Transia region.

    These nobles really yed their games borately.

    And now, she too would be stepping into this circle, a thought that gave her a headache.

    ¡°In my opinion, you should seek advice from Professor Malcolm on this matter. His area of research can offer you many good suggestions.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer continued:

    ¡°I can actually understand your choice.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Miriam blinked and asked, ¡°Let me hear it, let me see what image you have of me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as you think, so you need notce every sentence with thorns. The war is over, theoretically we are no longer enemies, and with the looming ck Disaster, we may even join hands to fight the enemy in the future.¡±

    The lieutenant waved his hand and spoke loudly, as if chatting with a friend:

    ¡°In my view, your decision to serve Lord Murphy is quite a good one, because as far as I know, the employment prospects for graduates of Shaldor Academy¡¯s School of Administration in recent years¡­ well, to be frank, are not optimistic.

    Especially for a human like you.

    It¡¯s very difficult to find a ¡®professionally relevant¡¯ job in the environment of the Ten-Year War. I¡¯m also a student at Shaldor Academy, although I dropped out, but I¡¯m quite familiar with that city.

    While halflings revere technology, they do have a degree of ¡®racial bias¡¯. As far as I know, there are hardly any non-halflings among the senior officials in that prosperous port city, no, in all the towns and cities big and small across the Genoa Penins.

    If you stayed in the halfling city, at most you¡¯d be assigned by the academy to some street management office as a low-level clerk or posted to some remote border town as an assistant, wasting your youth climbing up bit by bit.

    Even after decades, there¡¯s no guarantee you¡¯d make it into the upper echelons of the city.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, a very urate assessment.¡±

    Miriam nodded in admiration, for Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s words were quite precise.

    In fact, before epting Murphy¡¯s job offer, she had also considered this aspect. As they walked away from the ruins, she continued where the lieutenant left off:

    ¡°If I wanted a better future, my best choice afterpleting my studies would be to go to the reform-minded Goldflower Kingdom. Your young and vigorous King Louis wants to reform the kingdom¡¯s governing system to achieve centralization, and he needs arge number of administrative assistants in this process.

    If I could catch this wave, I might secure some minor official position.

    However, I am from Transia.

    My status as a visitor from an enemy nation would severely limit the political prospects I could obtain in your country.

    If I couldn¡¯t go to the Goldflower Kingdom, then my second choice would be to head north to those Nordic kingdoms and try my luck there.

    But the problem is that the military reforms in the Kingdom of Nordtov have only just begun, and it will take at least ten years toplete, even with the sessful experience of the Goldflower Kingdom as a reference.¡±

    At this point, Miriam sounded like she was back in the academy, analyzing the continental situation with her ssmates during their weekly debate sessions, just like in her own ss.

    Under Frayzer¡¯s slightly surprised gaze, the red-haired girl tossed her short hair and said softly but with firm conviction:

    ¡°However, the biggest problem with the Kingdom of Nordtov is not its military, but rather its poor administrative system which is still hampered by a rather backward serfdom.

    I don¡¯t want to overstate my abilities, but the fact is that for ¡®high-end talent¡¯ like myself, the best oue in those barbaric northerners¡¯ territory would be to enter the court as a tutor or be an administrative advisor to somended nobleman.

    For me, the situation there would be even worse than staying in Transia.

    It¡¯s like a stagnant pool.

    And that young Wolf Queen may never be able to stir up the waves she desires in this quagmire in her lifetime.

    I don¡¯t even need to ponder further.

    I only need topare the different choices I might have in the future, and I can easily arrive at a rather horrifying conclusion.

    That is, although I am currently serving a vampire lord in my closed and dark homnd, staying here is actually the most promising future for me.

    The knowledge I have learned can be perfectly utilized.

    Most importantly, in my observation, the degree of autonomy Lord Murphy has delegated in terms of power can currently be described as ¡®indulgent¡¯.¡±

    Miriam shook her head.

    She realized she seemed to have said too much.

    So she ended with a joking quip, caressing the peerage appointment letter in her hand, and said:

    ¡°I vaguely remember a certain administrative course instructor with work experience sighing more than once, ¡®If you can meet a lord or superior who understands ¡®delegation of authority¡¯, cherish it well.¡¯

    So from a job seeker¡¯s perspective, I feel I¡¯m really quite fortunate.¡±

    She looked at Lieutenant Frayzer. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything, sir?¡±

    Thetter was observing thismonerdy with a surprised and appreciative gaze. He mused:

    ¡°Your analysis of your situation has shown me the formidable ability of Shaldor Academy¡¯s alumni from the School of Administration. Perhaps I should suggest to my Sovereign to recruit more talents like you.

    But I must pose a new question, why did you get involved in this series of events?

    A gifted schr-in-waiting and an ambitious vampire lord seem like people from two different worlds.¡±

    ¡°The answer to that question is quite mundane,¡± said Miriam as she exited the city ruins.

    She stood on the city wall she had helped Murphy¡¯s warriors establish during the Astral Realm disaster, gazing back at the silent ruins behind her.

    With a sense of silent reminiscence and mourning, she said softly:

    ¡°Half a month ago, while I was preparing for final exams, my vige chief father, a vampire worshipper, summoned me home with a letter arranging for me to marry the son of a wealthy merchant in Kadman City.

    As I boarded the steam train leaving Shaldor Port, all I could think about was how to escape this cursed fate. But the unpredictability of life prepared a surprise for me that I could never have imagined.

    It took away everything I was familiar with!

    And then, through Lord Murphy¡¯s hand, it generously bestowed upon me everything anew.¡±

    ¡°How fortunate,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer marveled.

    ¡°Not only for you, but equally so for that wealthy merchant¡¯s son who perished in the disaster.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Miriam eyed Frayzer suspiciously.

    Thetter shrugged and said softly, with a morbid sense of humor:

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe an ordinary merchant¡¯s child could suppress a remarkabledy like you in marriage, just as I don¡¯t believe a blood servant vige chief living in the Transia region could have nurtured such an outstanding character as yours.

    Your mother must have been an equally remarkabledy.

    A pity I couldn¡¯t pay her a visit.¡±

    The lieutenant¡¯s gaze inadvertently fell on the familiar silver bracelet in Miriam¡¯s hand. He narrowed his eyes, then smiled and said:

    ¡°I look forward to the day when all your potential is uncovered. I believe by then, you will have made a name across the continent! Although you have chosen Transia to showcase your talents, please do not forget that in the not-so-distant Anju region, you have a friend like me who may not be very close, but at least can converse with you.

    Of course, if you have a second n for your life, then I can guarantee you on behalf of the Carpe family that the Goldflower Kingdom can provide for you.¡±

    ¡°No need, thank you for your kindness, regardless of what reasons prompted your invitation,¡± Miriam politely nodded to Lieutenant Frayzer.

    But she unhesitatingly declined:

    ¡°I have chosen my sovereign, and his ambitions and will shall shape the direction of my future life, just as you have your king, and I have my lord. Lord Frayzer, you are a true gentleman.

    Therefore, when your life requires a second choice, do not forget that you also have a friend like me in Transia who can generously arrange a security job for you.

    I believe, with your talents, you would undoubtedly be the finest security personnel on thesends.

    Second to none!¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    Such a biting response left the lieutenant dumbfounded before bursting intoughter. Miriam let out a light chuckle, preparing to bid farewell.

    But in the next moment, Lieutenant Frayzer made a unique gesture. He took out his masterwork dwarven trench gun and solemnly offered it to Miriam with both hands, saying:

    ¡°The ancient nobles of the Transia region had this custom before the first ck Disaster, they would present weapons capable of protecting their friends as a starting point for friendship with those they valued.

    You and I are both aware of the impending ck Disaster. Lady Miriam, I believe you will need this ¡®Iron Sentinel¡¯ more than I do.¡±

    ¡°I do indeed need it. My homnd has left me without much sense of security until now. But to take without giving would be rude.¡±

    Miriam did not refuse, but instead took out the crimson hand cannon from her spirit bag and offered it to Lieutenant Frayzer.

    She said softly:

    ¡°Putting politics aside, you are indeed a decent alumnus. May it protect you as it has protected me.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer epted the exquisite six-shot vampire-style hand cannon with an odd look in his eyes.

    Inspecting the fine weapon, he said:

    ¡°In the past, my juniors would blushingly give me roses. Now my juniors solemnly give me guns. Hmm, it seems the students of my dear Shaldor Engineering Academy remain abundant in martial virtue.

    Does it have a name?¡±

    He asked.

    Miriam rolled her eyes, turned gracefully and mounted the warhorse brought by the guards, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s just a weapon, it doesn¡¯t need a name. Lieutenant, read fewer third-rate knight novels, the romantic style of knights is no longer suitable for this era.

    Good night.

    And may you have a smooth journey home.¡±

    With that, Lady Miriam departed under the escort of four camp guards, disappearing into the night.

    Lieutenant Frayzer watched his remarkable and dashing junior depart. He nced at the exquisite hand cannon in his hand, shrugged, and said to the ornate and somberly elegant weapon:

    ¡°Well, I shall entrust my safety to you from now on, Miss Miriam.

    Allow me to borrow the strange Lord Pnno¡¯s catchphrase to end our conversation tonight. Hmm, what a beautiful rose blooming on these darknds.¡±

 Chapter 134:

    ¡°Ah, dev team, please let me y a bit more!¡±

    In the tidy college dorm room, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche was thrashing on the top bunk.

    It was the second hour since the version update for¡¶Reality Realm¡·had begun, with 46 more hours to endure, but it was clear the little yers had difficulty epting this ¡°cruel¡± reality.

    Cheche was curled up on the bed like a giant silkworm cocoon, wrapped in a nket with an extraordinarily peculiar ¡°map pattern¡±, shrieking:

    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore, please dev team, I feel like there are ants crawling on me, my whole body is shaking, I can barely breathe, please brother, just two more hours. One hour is fine too, just one hour!

    I swear I¡¯ll never touch this thing again.

    I really can¡¯t stand it anymore, I¡¯m tossing and turning unable to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    A pillow was flung over, and Miaomiao Shark from the lower bunk roared:¡°Stop howling in this dorm! If you¡¯re gonna howl, get out and bring us some food while you¡¯re at it, it¡¯s your turn to be the son today.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    The pillow-struck Cheche sat up with an unpleasant look, instinctively putting on the ck helmet next to him.

    However, therge version update progress bar on the VR-like virtual interface in front of him had barely moved since he checked it five minutes ago.

    ¡°Damn! Can¡¯t even see the update capacity ah, when is this gonna finish updating?¡±

    Cheche disgustedly climbed down from the bunk bed, grumbling as he collected the lunch orders from the others sitting or lying around, preparing to fulfill a necessary duty as the dorm dad.

    Lest hiszy good-for-nothing buddies starve themselves in this age of material abundance.

    ¡°Wanna y a round of Honor of Kings?¡± asked the Cyborg Snail, leaning on the window sill and smoking.

    Few responded.

    Evidently, everyone was suffering from ¡°game withdrawal¡± like Cheche, undoubtedly afflicted with severe ¡°electronic impotence¡±, unable to muster any enthusiasm.

    The Snail himself didn¡¯t find his own suggestion very interesting either, he was just making small talk with no real point.

    He leaned on the window ledge puffing smoke rings, browsing his phone, stretching his body under the pleasant afternoon sun, carefully recalling his routine over the past while, and was startled.

    ¡°Damn, in thest half month, apart from going to ss, we¡¯ve basically never left the dorm have we? Not ying basketball anymore, not running anymore, isn¡¯t this being a true electronic waste of space? No, no, this won¡¯t do!

    Got to go y some basketball and exercise today.¡±

    The Snail stubbed out the cigarette butt in a disposable paper cup ashtray next to him, grabbed the basketball at his feet, and called out to his dorm mates.

    The honorable Leading Pigeon agreed that wallowing in this slump wouldn¡¯t do, so after finishing the lunch Cheche brought back, they swiftly changed into basketball gear and headed out.

    But before they reached the basketball court, Gugu Chicken clutching his phone squealed:

    ¡°Quick, quick! Look at the forum, it¡¯s updated! The version update announcement is out!¡±

    In the next instant, the student squad originally striding with vigor towards the basketball court instead sat down together in a shaded flowerbed, uniformly taking out their phones and opening that forum app with no download link to be found online.

    By now the forum was in an uproar, evidently impacted by the update announcement.

    Since this was a major version update announcement, its content was much more detailed andplexpared to previous minor updates and online hot patches:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡·Alpha 2.0 Closed Beta Version Update Announcement:

    Hi hi, dear test participants, after coding through sleepless nights, the test team has finallypiled the main content for the next stage of major testing.

    Such a rapid version update is clearly the result of our test team defeating the code monkeys from the dev team in three private duels, so why not give a quick thanks to those three test members lying in the medical bay?

    In addition to innovations in game content and gamey, this update also includes some updates to the game hardware facilities, which will be exined at the end.

    Now, find a nice spot to sit down, pour yourself a refreshing beverage, and look forward to the surprises the test team has in store.

    Alpha 2.0 Major Version Update Content:

    1. Main Quest ¨C Chapter 1¡¶The Dawn of Transia¡·Unlocked!

    Thanks to the heroic and effective efforts of our test participants in advancing the storyline, our lovable and handsome Murphy has finally been promoted to ¡°Lord Murphy¡±.

    After being granted the title ¡°Count of Kadman¡±, Lord Murphy now has his own domain and authority. However, what kind of state is Transia and the war-ravaged Kadman region in? Our test participants have all witnessed it firsthand.

    Therefore, in the main quest¡¯s first chapter, test participants need to rack their brains and take physical action to resolve a series ofmon and umon problems urring within Lord Murphy¡¯s domain, receiving generous rewards from the NPCs in return.

    In designing this chapter, the dev team has deepened the emotional interaction mode between test participants and NPCs, better enhancing the sense of immersion and role-ying.

    After the update concludes and the new version goes live, test participants will face a more realistic new world with NPCs possessing diverse personalities and backgrounds!

    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that our poor overworked code monkeys have developed a ¡°new game¡± on top of the original game¡¯s storyline.

    Come!

    A round of apuse for the code monkeys getting glucose drips in the medical bay!

    2. Combat system testing mostlyplete, manufacturing and administrative system testing begins!

    That¡¯s right!

    You haven¡¯t read it wrong!

    What¡¯sing next is the heavyweight gamey of the ¡¶Reality Realm¡· game system, the ¡°administrative system¡± that we¡¯ve beenying the groundwork for and conducting preliminary testing in the first stage.

    This is not as simple as enabling a ¡°construction mode¡± for test participants like other sandbox modes!

    After the administrative system is implemented, test participants will unlock new ¡°administrative jobs¡± in addition to theirbat jobs, upying one of the three job slots. This may potentially impact test participants¡¯ power systems, but that¡¯s exactly what the dev team wants to see.

    In the backdrop of ¡¶Reality Realm¡·, the roles test participants y are absolutely not just simple monster-ying, toilet-unclogging foot soldiers.

    After the new version goes live and the storyline progresses, test participants will be able to go to Lady Miriam the Crimson Regent to unlock their administrative jobs.

    The job trees are intricately andprehensively nned. You can y as a strategic, painstaking vige chief, or be a vige protector, safeguarding the vigers behind you with your sword. Or you could be a farmer leader, guiding your superstitious but diligent Kadman subjects to create new lives with their own hands.

    You could even be an impartial, iron-faced prosecutor! Or a ruthless, feather-plucking tax collector!

    As the cold eyes of the Count of Kadman and Crimson Regent, using your keen senses to sniff out and capture the corrupt lurking in the administrative system, we can guarantee this game won¡¯t have a ¡°Secret Investigator Disaster¡± storyline.

    For all the above reasons, we proudly dub the new version of ¡¶Reality Realm¡· the ¡°Otherworld Prison Simtor¡±.

    At the same time the administrative system is implemented, the manufacturing system the dev team has been advancing will also be implemented.

    Want powerful weapons? Awesome intimidating armor? Or even design and build your own residence in the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain?

    All this can be reality in the 100% realistic game environment.

    The prerequisite is you must Master the manufacturing field of your choice.

    In the real world, where do all those powerful weaponse from? If you want something stylish and cool, you gotta make it yourself, right?

    3. New race ¡°Vampire¡± and supporting system implemented!

    The Blood Vulture n has survived the crisis of extinction, but now teeters on the brink of oblivion.

    When the newly appointed Blood Vulture matriarch, Lady Tris, made contact with the test participants, she had a bold idea. Now, the mysterious, beautiful and wise Lady Tris has finally put that idea into practice with the full support of Lord Murphy.

    The Blood Vulture n may be reborn from this,pletely breaking away from the corrupt and oppressive Eternal Sin Descendant system to be an exception and pride of vampire civilization.

    But this bold decision could also make it a target of the vampire world, meeting a terrible fate ofplete annihtion.

    Now, the future path of the Blood Vulture lineage lies in your hands!

    After the new version goes live, all yers whoplete the ¡°Prologue ¨C The Last Night in Kadman City¡± can try to advance the racial branch storyline quests to join the Blood Vulture n and be a midnight aristocrat.

    But be warned!

    The ¡°Initial Embrace and Spirit Weaving Ritual¡± developed by Lady Tris puts immense pressure on test participants mentally and physically. Therefore, before joining the Blood Vulture n, test participants must first undergo the ck Iron Trial to unleash their potential.

    All test participants whose character level reaches 10 and job level reaches 10 can go to Lord Murphy to activate the trial quest.

    Here¡¯s a spoiler!

    Due to the dev team code monkeys¡¯ relentless pursuit of realism and hardcoreness, this quest is extremely difficult, so test participants should prepare themselves mentally.

    Aprehensive overview of the ¡¶Reality Realm¡· power system will be implemented after the new version goes live, so test participants should visit the Blood Vulture Library to read the relevant literature.

    4. Hardware device update ¨C Sleep Connection function enabled!

    Under immense pressure from the test team and dev team members pushing each other to the brink of death, the hardware team brothers have finallypleted the most important andplex module upgrade for the game helmets.

    After the new version goes live, test participants can use the ¡°sleep connection program¡± to enter the game.

    The connection method and scientific principles behind this program are quiteplex.

    To describe it in kindergarten-levelnguage, it can be simply summarized as: after test participants enter deep sleep, it re-establishes consciousness connection through brainwave sensing, allowing everyone to continue experiencing the game content without impacting the participants¡¯ physical sleep.

    Ourpany¡¯s hardware team has conducted tens of thousands of experiments on this feature, and will implement it in this version update once safety is assured.

    After the sleep connection function is enabled, test participants will have an additional 6-8 hours of game time per day, because during sleep the participants are in a state of physical rest, not causing mental stress or extra physical strain, so this time does not count towards the daily game time quota.

    PS:

    So please don¡¯t spam the feedback area on the forum demanding more game time!

    We¡¯ve really been working hard to solve this problem.

    Excessively long daily game times would burden your precious bodies, leading to a series of health and social issues ourpany cannot take responsibility for. After all, we¡¯re supposed to be having fun ying games, not risking our lives in cultivation, right?

    5. Mysterious DLC Preheating Event Begins!

    Huh?

    You¡¯re asking why we¡¯re hyping up a mysterious DLC when the main quest has only just begun the first chapter?

    The answer is, I don¡¯t know either!

    The test team has just received a technical briefing from ourpany¡¯s outsourced development team. A second mysterious team, separate from the main dev team, hase back from vacation and started their work.

    A new DLC with currently unknown information, unknown content, unknown direction, and even an unknown name, willnd in ¡¶Reality Realm¡· within six months as additional content outside of the main quest gamey experience.

    But the mysterious dev team seems to enjoy ying it up, so they¡¯ve embedded a decryption storyline into the new version first.

    After the new version goes live, test participants can collect intel in-game to learn about the new DLC¡¯s content and discuss it on the forum. More DLC storyline content will be unlocked as the mysterious dev team¡¯s work progresses.

    What can be confirmed for now is that this will be a DLC no less rich than the main storyline.

    ording to them, this new DLC could even change the entire game¡¯s storyline mode and direction of the overarching world environment.

    Uh, those were the mysterious team¡¯s original words.

    But I feel like they¡¯re just blowing smoke to swindle more R&D funding from ourpany. What do you think?

    6. Optimized the more realistic physics engine, and added more interactive intelligent NPC portrayals and random events.

    7. Fixed a minor number of bugs.¡¿

    ¡°What the hell!¡±

    The first to finish reading the update announcement, Ah Yuen leapt up in shock, eximing:

    ¡°Nevermind the new race and new storyline, there¡¯s even a new job system? Can we finally be officials in the game now? And what¡¯s this mysterious DLC all about? Normally shouldn¡¯t DLCse out after the main storyline is finished to supplement it?

    How is this crazy game doing the opposite?¡±

    ¡°What about this crazy game is like any other game?¡±

    Leading Pigeon rolled his eyes, clutching his phone as he said:

    ¡°And you¡¯re missing the real big update! The sleep connection being enabled is the true bombshell, right? I knew that sluggish update bar was up to something! Turns out they were doing hardware driver oveys and software updates.

    Looks like I wronged Alpha Company, I¡¯ll hop on the forumter and give them some well-deserved praise.¡±

    ¡°8+6 hours of game time, this is awesome!¡±

    The Cyborg Snail pushed up his sses, cheering:

    ¡°Now we can even y while sleeping, my life just gained 8 hours per day out of nowhere! And with the 12 hour time difference between reality and the game, our nights of sleep will be during the day in-game, damn!

    Alpha rocks! Complete victory!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited yet.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark sounded a bit worried, saying:

    ¡°This thing is rted to brainwaves you know, I don¡¯t really get it, but it sounds kinda risky.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of risks then don¡¯t y!¡±

    Cheche sneered, saying:

    ¡°Just let someone who needs the helmet more have it, alright? Look, the test application reservations on the forum have surged to 253 people! That¡¯s so many poor dears who still can¡¯t get into the game. Ah! My body feels like it¡¯s crawling with ants again, please Alpha!

    Let me y for just one more hour!¡±

    ¡°Dammit! Stop humiliating yourself like that!¡±

    The others jumped up and started hitting and kicking the hysterical Cheche to physically ¡°detox¡± him from the web. But soon Ah Yuen said to his brothers in an odd tone:

    ¡°That¡­Meow King just messaged me, he said he happens to be swinging by our area tonight for some business, asking if we have time to go out for a meal? He said he¡¯s already invited Sister Pomegranate, Niuniu, Khaki and Path of Mud and Oil.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Leading Pigeon sneered, saying:

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we go when a shrewd social guy invites us to eat? The six of us, you afraid Meow King will snatch you away? Heh, tonight¡¯s dinner is taken care of. Ah, thanks to Lord Murphy¡¯s grace.¡±

    At the same time, on the other side, Lumina posted the forum¡¯s update announcement in her social group.

    Not to mention the others, the highly mysterious Concrete Heart was already going crazy.

    In herb, ¡°Concrete Heart¡± was staring intensely at the introduction about the ¡°sleep connection function¡± on her screen, biting on a pencil. A few secondster she mmed her hand on the table hard.

    ¡°Liars! There¡¯s no such technology yet! And brainwave sensing, that exnation sounds just like pseudoscience mumbo-jumbo.¡±

    She leaned back exhausted in her swivel chair, taking off her gold-rimmed sses to look up at the ceiling.

    A few secondster, a bold thought emerged in Concrete Heart¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I have this lingering feeling there¡¯s something fishy going on! That silly little Lumina has already fallen into the trap, even dragging Orchid and little Ashina down with her. Those three reckless fools are even luring Lady Aqua to join in too, are they trying to drag a gooddy into the gutter?

    With Lady Aqua¡¯s seemingly calm but actually unpredictable yandere personality, she probably won¡¯t be able to resist for long.

    No way!

    I have to find a way to personally check out this so-called mysterious thing. It can¡¯t really be some alien game from hell, right?

    Or should I make a reservation too? Hmm, it feels a bit risky, so maybe I should trick some poor sap into going for me instead?¡±

 Chapter 135:

    The forum was as lively as during a festival.

    Previously, the forum hadunched a ¡°Test Preview ess¡± mode, nicknamed ¡°Satisfying Curiosity¡±, which allowed not only the 60 little yers who sessfully booked testing slots, but also nearly 200 other yers who didn¡¯t get slots to enthusiastically participate in the discussions.

    There were two main points of discussion: the seemingly unscientific sleep connection feature.

    But this was mainly of interest to engineering students, led by the middle-aged brothers Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man, along with a group of people from who knows where, but they all seemed very knowledgeable and were arguing heatedly in another thread.

    More people were focused on the game content itself, specifically the new ¡°vampire¡± race mentioned in the announcement.

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾My goodness! The hidden quest Niuniu and I did before was about this. It was Lady Tris¡¯ secret experiment, where she seemed to use some special potion to re-weave our spirit projections, instantly transforming us from human mode to vampire mode.¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾Who understands the spirit principle behind it! Just say how it felt?¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾@Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows, not working and ying games here huh? I¡¯ve been undercover for days and finally caught you cking!

    Cow Pomegranate! Private chat!Immediately!¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾Ah! Who are you? Sheesh! Don¡¯t call out real names in the virtual world okay, you jerk, watch me beat you up. Private chat then, who¡¯s afraid of who!¡¿

    After that, Sister Pomegranate and that mysterious Feel You Poor disappeared from this thread.

    This was immediately noticed by the highly vignt student Ah Yuen, who promptly called Niuniu on his phone.

    After all, everyone knew Sister Pomegranate was Niuniu¡¯s cousin, so this kind of ¡°online family reunion¡± or ¡°information doxing¡± drama needed to be reported.

    However, others were still interested in discussing the vampire race itself. The thread kept getting new posts, and at others¡¯ request, Cheche shared a short screenrecording and screenshots from when he and Niuniu tested the vampire temte.

    Posts with images and proof were popr, and the discussion around Cheche¡¯s screenshots and videos became even more heated.

    Don¡¯tNeedHandstoShowOff: ¡¾Whoa! Are these character stats for real? 40 points in racial initial values? That¡¯s a full 10 points more than our current human temte? No wonder we got stomped by them in the Blood Vulture Halls!

    Is this even yable?

    Over 25% higher initial stats, did the devs bnce this with their feet?

    If this race is really convertible, what¡¯s even the point for human yers?¡¿

    EastRiverLion¡¯sRoar: ¡¾Right! And the character card exins that all transcendent races have 40 initial values? So humans are just the weakest and most pathetic?¡¿

    WestValleyWolf¡¯sProwl: ¡¾The worst part is, we are that pathetic chicken! Not fair! This is a totally malicious stat bug, it has to be fixed! Come on, feedback flood the forums!¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾You guys are just looking at the meat and not seeing the beating, read the whole screenshot properly.

    Yes, the vampires have higher initial racial values, but look further down!

    Look at the racial traits, there are six of them!

    Humans only have three!

    But three of those six traits are negative.

    Especially this ¡®Day¡¯s Curse¡¯, when fighting in daylight it reduces damage by 30%, recovery rate by 50%, and direct sunlight causes an undispeble burning effect!

    Doesn¡¯t that mean if you convert to a vampire you¡¯re basically giving up ying during the day? No wonder the vampires in-game onlye out at night, except for the entric Lord Murphy who roams around in broad daylight.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRider-Bing: ¡¾What kind of eye do you have, Lord Murphy doesn¡¯t just ¡°roam around¡±, he walks the streets like a mummy, haha.¡¿

    Heaven¡¯sChosenGrayman: ¡¾Right, he¡¯d rather wrap himself up like a zongzi dumpling, which shows Lord Murphy is also affected by Day¡¯s Curse penalties, but the devs probably made concessions for yability as a main quest NPC.

    I mean, how would it work if a major NPC only refreshed at night?

    Ah, poor Lord Murphy, having to give us quests while suffering such severe penalties.

    My heart goes out to him.¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾Wow! There¡¯s a fight! Brothers, quick restrain him, don¡¯t let him run, watch me drop my pants!¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Alright alright, cut it out, let¡¯s talk business here, let¡¯s all think hard about the advantages and disadvantages of this vampire race, it¡¯ll help us understand since this game doesn¡¯t let you respec.

    You pick it and you¡¯re stuck with it, unless you quit the game.

    But nobody¡¯s really nning to quit over this, right?¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾Whoever gets the helmet first and runs away, I can mock them for life, hahahahaha.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Brother Joy Stick is right, this is indeed a major issue concerning the gamey experience and in-game career, we must carefully consider it. I think the devs intentionally timed this update to allow for that consideration, two days is enough time to make a calm decision.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Girl, I think you¡¯re overthinking it. This game has no mization or fees, so I don¡¯t see where the profit motive lies. But that said, the previous quest made it clear that vampires are the dev team¡¯s attempt at a new race, so it¡¯s understandable there are ws in the racial traits and gamey.

    Let me give my take.

    The vampire race¡¯s advantages don¡¯t need much exnation, the powerful initial racial stats, flight ability, night empowerment, and specialized job paths and skill trees are all incredibly unique gamey features.

    But you also have to see this race¡¯s huge disadvantages.

    What Ah Yuen mentioned about Day¡¯s Curse is just one aspect.

    Even if you give up ytime during the day, it still means you at least have nights as your main stage. With the publicly avable race data, a same-level yer at night is absolutely no match for a vampire of the same rank.

    So the day/night distinction is actually the least important factor to discuss in my opinion.

    After all, there are gains and losses for bnce.

    What I want to talk about are thest two of the vampire¡¯s six racial traits, regarding ¡°Reclusive Blood n¡± and ¡°Eternal Sin Descendant¡±, they just seem to reduce charm and affect reputation gain, right?

    Actually, it¡¯s not that simple!

    If you dig deeper, you¡¯ll understand that these two traits are the vampire race¡¯s most severe drawbacks.¡¿

    Meow King¡¯s long post immediately piqued the interest of yers in other threads. At their urging, Meow King, who was currently waiting at the airport, took a few minutes on his phone to write out his full thoughts.

    MeowKing: ¡¾First, let¡¯s talk about charm. In this early stage of the game, it¡¯s easy for everyone to overlook this stat since its visible effects are far less important than the other five attributes. But this is actually the key factor influencing your sess rate when interacting with NPCs.

    Let me give an example. If we encounter dwarves or elves in the gameter, I dare say human yers will absolutely be able to ept quests and grind reputation from them without any issues.

    But not vampires!

    Not only can they not ept quests, they¡¯ll probably get beaten up on sight by dwarves and elves.

    That¡¯s with a permanent base charm value of one!

    It¡¯s no exaggeration to call it universally reviled.

    To put it bluntly, in the game¡¯s background story, vampires must be an incredibly hated existence if even a random dog likely has more than one charm point.

    However, it¡¯s precisely because vampire yers are highly unlikely to be able to ept quests or gain reputation from other races that the devs intentionally set up a unique reputation system for vampire yers under the ¡°Reclusive Blood n¡± trait.

    The seven vampire ns are mutually exclusive, basically cutting off any possibility for vampire yers to grind reputation or do quests externally, it¡¯s essentially ying alone behind closed doors.

    But as the saying goes, you can¡¯t have everything.

    The factional reputations between the seven major ns may not necessarily be worse than other races, and the Transia newbie vige definitely doesn¡¯t have this distinction. It¡¯s probably only after the world map opens up and more reputations are unlocked that there will be a difference.

    The above are just my personal guesses based on my current in-game observations. And this is ultimately a matter of different strokes for different folks.

    So in my opinion, if you¡¯re a quest junkie, collector, or 100% achievement hunter, then don¡¯t pick vampire, you¡¯ll just be cutting off your own enjoyment of the game.

    I¡¯m specifically calling out Lumina here.

    Everyone knows you¡¯re a hopeless elf fangirl, so hold onto that impulse! Once you convert to vampire, I reckon you¡¯ll have to say goodbye to any future elf friends.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾!!!! Thanks Meow King for saving my dog life, I almost couldn¡¯t hold back.¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾Meow King¡¯s analysis is indeed very reasonable. Previously in-game, I used the Computation Bead to trante some in-game texts, and it¡¯s basically consistent with Meow King¡¯s guesses.

    Because the proliferation of vampires is built on the weakening of other races, it represents an irreconcble existential conflict between the blood ns and all other life.

    In other games, this could just be treated as background story vor. But in this game world striving for 100% realism, any background setting will be reflected in the actual gamey experience.

    We only saw the vampire¡¯s overpowered potential before, but overlooked their role positioning in the real world.

    Just the penalties from the ¡°Eternal Sin Descendant¡± racial trait alone are heavy enough.

    Compared to this disadvantage, the advantages vampires possess are honestly not even worth mentioning.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRider-Lin: ¡¾So, ording to this perspective, the devs made a very clever trade-off in terms of game bnce? By boosting individual strength, they sacrificed some gamey convenience.

    From a more macroscopic view, this gives yers a lot more to consider when faced with the choice of race conversion.

    Moreover, after hearing the descriptions from Meow King and Orchid Huahua, I have an ominous feeling. What if the devs n to introduce new racester, will they adopt the same approach? Not weakening the individual strength and potential of those transcendent races, but imposing restrictions on gamey convenience?¡¿

    ElectronicSubusOldTune: ¡¾Whoa! You make a good point, it¡¯s quite possible! But as you all said, these limitations are built around gamey and don¡¯t negate the fact that vampire yers will still be significantly stronger than human yers in individual strength.

    In other words, the vampire race is actually quite suited for solo yers, power-gamers, and PVP enthusiasts, if this game does eventually introduce PVP content?¡¿

    HalfOffWithFullCoverage: ¡¾PVP is definitelying! It would be such a waste for a game this realistic not to have yer versus yerbat. The devs won¡¯t miss out on such a major feature, but given their current design approach for new races, I reckon this game¡¯s PVP won¡¯t need to worry about bnce.

    With the current vampire temte, plus the ¡°Night¡¯s Blessing¡± racial trait and the ¡°Bat Heritage¡± escape technique, a skilled yer in a night environment could easily take on three opponents alone.

    Of course, if a vampire dares to strut around brazenly in broad daylight, don¡¯t me other yers for showing no mercy.¡¿

    LikeATigerCanEdgeWood: ¡¾No no no,bat is no fun if you just look at stats. If stats = victory, we might as well just y card games, wouldn¡¯t that be more enjoyable?

    Although I haven¡¯t gotten a game headset yet, I¡¯ve been lurking on the forum for several days now. Summarizing the information you all have shared so far, in a situation with realism on par with the real world, I¡¯m confident enough.

    Even if you have 25% higher stats than me, I can still take you down unscathed.

    Of course, that¡¯s assuming this game is truly as realistic as you say.¡¿

    HalfOffWithFullCoverage: ¡¾??? Brother, you¡¯re that confident? Thebat skills in this game are no joke, the Blood Vulture Sword Arts alone are enough to give me a headache.¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾@TLike A Tiger Can Edge Wood, Brother Mao! Is that you? Brother Mao! Wow, you came too? @Half Off With Full Coverage, don¡¯t underestimate Brother Mao, he¡¯s a top-level expert in our circle. Even when the four of us went all-out, he could still handle us alone. A true technical master.¡¿

    SouthMountainTiger¡¯sHowl: ¡¾Bowing to Brother Mao! Weren¡¯t you recently abroad for apetition? Are you back in the country now?¡¿

    LikeATigerCanEdgeWood: ¡¾Nah, still in the Middle East, but I¡¯ll be back in two days. With some luck I might even snag a game headset, then we can all y together, hahahaha.¡¿

    EastRiverLion¡¯sRoar: ¡¾No way! If Brother Mao ising, the four of us brothers are teaming up with you. But how did you find out about this forum? Thought you weren¡¯t really interested in online stuff?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Heheh, how did Brother Mao find out? Of course I brought him in! The brothers are preparing to form a big guild, a scene legend like Brother Mao has to be utilized properly, it¡¯d be a waste of years of friendship otherwise.¡¿

    DumpTruckIaido: ¡¾Game headsets are definitely avable, I¡¯ve basically figured out this game¡¯s system. The number of test invitation codes distributed is clearly rted to the poption of Lord Murphy¡¯s territory. Remember the 20 slots released all at once before the Blood Vulture Halls raid?

    That coincided perfectly with when the survivor¡¯s camp finished their poption census. I haven¡¯t figured out the exact ratio yet, but the rollout of the administration system and jobs is obviouslyying the groundwork for this.

    So if we want more brothers to join in, we¡¯ll have to y as ¡®ve traders¡¯ in-game.

    The more territory poption, the more yer slots.¡¿

    LikeATigerCanEdgeWood: ¡¾??? Wait, why did a courier just deliver something to my hotel room? Damn, that¡¯s insane service! Let me open it up and see.¡¿

    AhYuen: ¡¾@Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties, Niuniu! What¡¯s the situation with Sister Pomegranate? Did you get in touch with her? Was she doxed? Hurry up and say, the brothers and I are ready to call the cops anytime.¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾It¡¯s fine, I got in touch with her. That ¡®Feel You Poor¡¯ isn¡¯t a bad guy. Uh, it¡¯s her boss. Don¡¯t know how he also got into the forum, caught my sis red-handed ying the forum while at work and wearing the headset.

    She¡¯s negotiating her resignation now.

    Damn, unlucky.¡¿

    Everyone on the forum: ¡¾Moment of silence¡¿

 Chapter 136:

    Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows, abbreviated as Sister Pomegranate.

    Currently the only one of the four female yers in the game¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    With an outstanding appearance and a generous personality, due to being a fellow alumna and Niuniu¡¯s rtive, she has a very good rtionship with the student party members. Additionally, because of her excellent leadership skills, she has be the g-bearer and standard-bearer for the student party.

    However, this sister is a hidden mischief-maker.

    Previously, she had the student party share three-fifths of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts Master¡¯s manual on the forum, which showed that she truly ¡°ys¡± the game.

    No matter how fun it is, she goes with it, a lover of enjoying the spectacle, the kind that doesn¡¯t mind big events just to see the fun.

    But Sister Pomegranate¡¯s ability to be the backbone of the student party is not just because of her generous personality. She truly has the skills, as a former national athlete with multiple outstanding achievements still hanging in the student party¡¯s outstanding alumni column. After retiring, she went back to school and obtained a master¡¯s degree in finance.

    From any perspective, Sister Pomegranate is undoubtedly a ¡°child from another family.¡±

    But now, this well-behaved child from another family is sitting awkwardly in herpany¡¯s main conference room, head lowered, receiving a verbalshing from her own boss.¡°You mischievous Pomegranate! I¡¯m paying you tens of thousands a month, and you¡¯re justing to work to idle and y games? No wonder this month¡¯s performance dropped by 20%! It turns out it was your doing!¡±

    The slightly panicked and agitated voice of a young man echoed from the other end of the conference table, where a young man in his twenties wearing casual business attire was mming the table.

    He was very young.

    A few years younger than Sister Pomegranate.

    But that didn¡¯t prevent him from bing the boss of apany with over a hundred employees at such a young age.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say that the flustered young man had any particr abilities. It was mainly due to his superior skills in choosing his birth, as a typical rich second-generation ¡°Feel You Poor,¡± he was one of those kids who never had to worry about living from a young age and happily lived for over twenty years before being kicked out by his old man to ¡°start a business.¡±

    Nicely named ¡°tempering.¡±

    ording to what Sister Pomegranate heard privately, it was because this ill-behaved guy had a conflict with his old man over some matters, and after causing amotion at a family gathering that could be considered ¡°unfilial,¡± he was ¡°exiled to the frontier.¡±

    The rich old man¡¯s requirement for the rich second-generation was to make a pure profit of five million within three years to receive his inheritance. However, three months into thispany, not only had he failed to make a profit, but even the startup capital provided by his rich old man was about to be depleted.

    When Sister Pomegranate came for the interview two months ago, she immediately saw that this guy was a typical green kid living in his own imagined social environment, so she happily epted the ¡°Chief Assistant¡± position.

    As she expected, her days after starting work were extremely rxed, with each day passing by just drinking tea and reading the news.

    Her young boss was indeed very busy every day, but he was just mindlessly busy and never got to the point, purely wasting his efforts. Watching him from the side while idling, Sister Pomegranate asionally felt a pang of pity.

    However, this guy was indeed not bad.

    He didn¡¯t have the bad habits of a spoiled rich second-generation, and he did have a desire to make achievements. Unfortunately, it seemed all his talent points were invested in choosing his rebirth, and he didn¡¯t have any useful skills in the business realm.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡±

    After venting, the young boss plopped down on the boss chair, opened a pot of goji berry tea for nourishment, took a sip, and nced at the silent Sister Pomegranate across from him.

    Feeling that his previous words might have been too harsh, he asked with some trepidation:

    ¡°You¡¯re not mad, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be mad?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes and hid the phone she was using to browse the forum, cleared her throat, tossed her hair back, stretchedzily, and said to the young boss in front of her:

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why thepany is so empty today? Usually, everyone pretends to be full of energy, but you¡¯ve given them a day off? And how do you have time to go on the forum during work hours?

    Whichever way you look at it, today¡¯s situation seems strange!¡±

    Faced with Sister Pomegranate¡¯s confusion, the young boss sighed, put down the insted cup in his hand, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the bustling city under the sunlight.

    After a few seconds of silence, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed dejectedly:

    ¡°I read the report you gave me yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate¡¯s expression immediately became subtle and expectant as she said:

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°So I took your advice.¡±

    The young boss ¡°Feel You Poor¡± turned around, looking at the ¡°culprit¡± Sister Pomegranate with an expression of utter despair, and said:

    ¡°This morning, I went to deregister thepany. Before I caught you cking off, all the employees were fired, as you wished. After persisting for three months, this brokenpany finally closed its doors for good, and I myself have gone from being a promising young entrepreneur to an idle rich man without a job.

    Are you happy now?

    Just tell me honestly, do I really look like a fool in your eyes?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, you little fool.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate immediately burst intoughter, pping the table as she said:

    ¡°Thispany shouldn¡¯t have been opened in the first ce!

    You don¡¯t even understand the entire business process. The five suppliers you have now are offering prices 10-20% higher than the market average, and you still think you¡¯re getting a good deal.

    As for the internalpany.

    I don¡¯t know where you found this group of supernatural beings, but let me tell you, there aren¡¯t more than fifteen capable workers among them. You do have a talent for picking up trash, as you¡¯ve managed to gather all the local old-timers in this trade under yourmand.

    Those who know think you¡¯re starting a business, while those who don¡¯t know probably think you¡¯re cleaning up the market environment.

    I know you thought offering them high sries and good benefits would make them work hard, but it¡¯s clear you haven¡¯t seen the dark side of society.

    I¡¯m not lecturing you.

    But the fact is, as I said in the report I submitted to you yesterday, along with my resignation letter, the work output of our marketing department in a week is not even as good as outsourcing the work to a three-person studio.

    But it¡¯s alright, at least you know how to take advice, there¡¯s still hope.

    Running this brokenpany of yours really isn¡¯t that interesting, it¡¯s just a bottomless pit, swallowing up all your pocket money and only fattening the rats. Want to know what nickname those old-timers have given you?¡±

    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t say it. I don¡¯t want to know.¡±

    The young boss had now lost even the interest in drinking his nourishing tea.

    He believed what Sister Pomegranate said.

    Not only because yesterday¡¯s report from Sister Pomegranateid out all the facts, but also because apart from the entirepany putting on an act for him as the reason, there was really no other exnation for why he had spent so much money persisting for three months without any results to show.

    Most importantly, he believed in Sister Pomegranate¡¯s character!

    After all, Sister Pomegranate herself might have forgotten that a week before she started working here, while she was busy sending out resumes and interviewing everywhere, she helped an old grandfather stop a thief at the high-speed rail station, and this whole scene was witnessed by the young boss who happened to be passing by at the time.

    Although this young boss of hers was not suitable for business, he definitely didn¡¯t pick his assistants and secretaries at random.

    ¡°You knew all this all along, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    Although the young boss had deregistered thepany, he was still angry at the moment, feeling that Sister Pomegranate was being inconsiderate.

    But he was immediately shut down by a single sentence from Sister Pomegranate.

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±

    She rolled her eyes and said,

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you check the reports I submitted every week to see if I ever suggested optimizing thepany structure? Don¡¯t you understand what ¡®optimize¡¯ means? Nevermind, seeing that you¡¯ve finally escaped misery puts my mind at ease.

    I¡¯m not really interested in going to work these days.

    That game is quite fun, worth me spending some time on it. But how did you catch me on the forum?

    When did you fill out the test application?

    Not to be rude, but doesn¡¯t the test group screen test participants at all? What can a little fool like you do in there? Keep spending moneyvishly?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, could you stop looking down on me?¡±

    The young boss took an annoyed sip of tea, but his attitude was good, and he quickly adjusted, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯m at least a master¡¯s graduate from a famous university, you know? Although it¡¯s in Chinesenguage and literature, I may not be a dragon among men, but I¡¯m still one in a hundred, right? Ah, you go ahead, let me be alone for a while.¡±

    ¡°Alone your ass, if I¡¯m not here watching you, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll get too upset and jump off a building, then what?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate teased:

    ¡°And also, is this really all you¡¯re going to do after being cheated? Crying with that long face, I thought you were going to explode or something.¡±

    ¡°I did explode, I was quite formidable this morning, too bad you missed it.¡±

    The young boss snorted, hugging his water bottle and leaning back in the boss chair, seeming to have shed all burdens. He grinned and said:

    ¡°At first I thought, whatever, it¡¯s just money, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m short on cash, my annual fund returns are more than this.

    But the more I thought about it, the angrier I got!

    Tell me, if I just throw my money in the water, at least I¡¯d hear a ssh, right? Now it¡¯s like I¡¯m just pissing my money away and finding trouble for myself, and I¡¯m not even a masochist! So I had Little Chen call all the team leaders and above for a meeting!

    I only gave them five minutes!

    Anyone who waste had to pack up and leave immediately!

    You should have seen how pathetic they lookeding in.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate was also interested and asked.

    The young boss, who never smoked, took out a pack with only a few cigarettes left, took one and put it in his mouth, and lit it with a one-yuan lighter.

    As the smoke rose, he tried to maintain a nonchnt smile, trying to appear excited as he said:

    ¡°I told them thepany was having major operational issues, I said thepany had been deregistered, and they didn¡¯t need to pretend toe to work anymore, so we all just dispersed. But then, those idiots actually wanted to ask me for severance pay! Severance pay my ass!

    Not a single yuan!¡±

    ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s not proper procedure, is it?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate blinked and drawled:

    ¡°I bet you had a fight with them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a big fight.¡±

    The young boss waved his hand, as if recalling everything that had happened in this conference room that morning, and said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°After reading the report you gave me, I started with the marketing department. I asked them how the bottom line for the tender on the 17th ofst month got leaked? I scolded them, asking how many years they¡¯ve been working? Aren¡¯t they afraid of getting struck by lightning for being so tant about ying both sides!

    That immediately deted their arrogance.

    Then there was the materials department¡¯s embezzlement, which caused thepany to lose over seventy thousand across three warehouses. You didn¡¯t see it, but when I brought that up, Old Wang from the materials department turned green in the face, didn¡¯t care about saving face anymore, didn¡¯t pretend to be an old veteran, and just kept begging for mercy.

    Sister Liu from HR even wanted to jump!

    I just asked her, how did those six new business employees from the neighboring cityst month get hired? Their qualifications didn¡¯t match, their credentials were fake, even the certificate numbers didn¡¯t add up?

    I asked her how much she took from whom, or if she was just shoving her own rtives in here to enjoy the benefits from this foolish old boss?

    After that, no one wanted to argue with me about severance pay anymore. I even made them pay this month¡¯s electricity, property management, and rent fees before leaving, as a token of my gratitude for not throwing them in jail.

    Oh, and I also said I would share their ¡®achievements¡¯ from the past three months at thepany with our local peers for their appreciation.

    Tell me, don¡¯t those idiots even realize they¡¯ve broken thew?

    Don¡¯t you think I was too merciful?

    Maybe I should have called Old Zhang back home and asked his fancywyer team to help out, throw all these scoundrels and rascals into prison? We have more than enough evidence after all.¡±

    At this point, it seemed the smoke had irritated the young boss¡¯s eyes, and he turned away in disarray to wipe them, but could no longer hold back the destion in his heart and broke down crying in front of Sister Pomegranate.

    He now felt that Sister Pomegranate was the only good person in the entirepany.

    However, he had yet to realize that the only result of Sister Pomegranate, whom he considered a good person, taking two months¡¯ sry from him was submitting that report and resignation letter, directly bursting his ¡°entrepreneurial dream¡±.

    The young boss¡¯s heart was bitter, burning like a ball of fire within.

    He paid those people sries 20% above the industry standard, gave them statutory holidays without making them work overtime, provided them with five insurances and one pension fund, and even paid out of his own pocket for benefits, justst month he spent over ten thousand on mooncakes alone.

    And this is what he got in return?

    He admitted he was young!

    This was his first time participating in the operations of the real world as a member of society, he admitted hecked experience, he admitted he couldn¡¯t be as rational and cold-hearted as his old man.

    He admitted he still harbored illusions about reality.

    But that wasn¡¯t an excuse for those maggots to trample all over his sincerity!

    ¡°What are you crying for, you big man?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sighed and patted the young boss¡¯s shoulder, saying softly:

    ¡°Do you have to cry over something like this? If you had gone through what I did when I had to retire due to an injury despite having a promising future, you¡¯d be even more devastated. But since thepany is gone, I¡¯m not considered resigned, but fired, so why don¡¯t we talk about my severance pay?¡±

    ¡°You heartless woman! You Pomegranate! I really misjudged you! Is this the time to talk about that?¡±

    The young boss suddenly raised his head and cursed, then waved his hand wearily and said:

    ¡°Just like those ten-plus people you listed as actually working hard in thepany, I¡¯ll dly offer you two years¡¯ worth of severance pay, 24 months. But you¡¯ll have to be careful from now on. They all know that there¡¯s no way a foolish rich kid like me could have known about their schemes, the only possibility is that someone leaked their secrets.

    I¡¯m afraid they might retaliate against you.

    Why don¡¯t I hire you a bodyguard?

    I¡¯ll pay.¡±

    ¡°With your judgment of people, forget about it. I¡¯m afraid the bodyguard you hire will sell me out on their first day of work.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes, pulling the young boss out of the conference room as she said matter-of-factly:

    ¡°Finding a bit of fun for myself outside of doing my job properly is just idling, not doing any work at all and purely causing trouble is what makes one an idiot. But it¡¯s precisely because of the chaos caused by those maggots that even idling has be a crime, yet they still dare toin about me smashing their rice bowl?

    Pah! As if they deserve it!

    Anyone looking for trouble cane!

    Remember to bring more people, with their physiques they¡¯ll probably be beaten to a pulp before the cops show up to save them. And don¡¯t think I¡¯m joking with you about your ability to judge people, let me tell you something else you don¡¯t know.

    Do you know why every time you had the urge toe to thepany after work, you could see so many people working overtime?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate patted the young boss¡¯s shoulder and said softly:

    ¡°It¡¯s not because they love their jobs so much, it¡¯s because your driver takes kickbacks from them every month, so they know in advance whenever you¡¯reing to thepany. Let me ask you, when your old man kicked you out to start a business, did he tell you to be sure to choose someone trustworthy as your driver?¡±

    ¡°Um, Old Zhang did mention that.¡±

    The young boss¡¯s face turned pale as he said:

    ¡°But¡­but I went through three rounds to pick Little Liu myself.¡±

    ¡°Aiya, I¡¯ve already said you¡¯re not cut out for this.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sighed.

    Looking at this young man a year younger than Niuniu, like looking at her own younger brother, she shook her head and said:

    ¡°Come on, let your sister vent for you.¡±

    A few minutester, the young boss was sitting in his luxury car.

    The two-faced driver Little Liu stood by the roadside with two p marks on his face and a streak of blood from his nose, barely avoiding being punched into a concussion by the dashing Sister Pomegranate, who then stepped on the gas and drove off.

    ¡°A friend ising to town tonight to discuss business, I¡¯ve arranged to have dinner with some friends from the game.¡±

    ¡°Not in the mood.¡±

    The young boss turned away, wiping his tears, and said:

    ¡°Just drop me off at my apartment.¡±

    ¡°Did I ask for your opinion?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve already qualified for the game test,e y with us. Don¡¯t waste it. And I¡¯ll consider the fact that you were peeking at my browsing history as never having happened. Little Zhang, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t lose face!¡±

    ¡°I only did that to get evidence of you cking off! It wasn¡¯t peeking at your search history.¡±

    The young boss wiped his eyes, snorted, and said:

    ¡°Plus, why would someone with a worth of hundreds of millions like me go and y games with you all? You must be living in a dream!¡±

    ¡°Emmm¡­¡±

    Sister Pomegranate tilted her head, turning the steering wheel, and said:

    ¡°Among the 60 people currently in the game, there are at least 5 with a worth over tens of millions. If I¡¯m not mistaken, while I don¡¯t know about the others, Little Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s family background is definitely more impressive than yours, and I¡¯ve heard Lady Aqua¡¯s family conditions are even better than hers.

    That broken group I¡¯ve been trying to squeeze into really does have a group of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

    Now now, when you¡¯re in a bad mood, you need to learn to indulge yourself. If you can¡¯t be a powerful figure in the real world, you might as well get your fix in the virtual world.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young boss fell silent.

    A few minutester, this Little Zhang must have had a screw loose somewhere, as he suddenly turned his head, his eyes red as he looked at Sister Pomegranate in the driver¡¯s seat and said:

    ¡°Sister, you don¡¯t have a boyfriend yet, do you? Why don¡¯t we¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate burst intoughter upon hearing this, causing the young boss¡¯s face to redden as he said angrily:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? I¡¯m a man too, right? And I¡¯m so rich.¡±

    ¡°I admit you¡¯re rich, but what I want is someone who can protect me and give me a sense of security.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate put on her sunsses and nced at the young boss, who was still wiping away his tears, saying:

    ¡°A whimpering little puppy dog won¡¯t do. I don¡¯t want to live as tirelessly in the second half of my life as I did in the first half. Wipe your eyes, and don¡¯t embarrass meter.¡±

    ¡°Is this game really that fun?¡±

    The young boss snorted, pretending the earlier awkwardness had never happened.

    He pursed his lips and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, you see, I was just cheated by over a hundred people and I¡¯m still heartbroken.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, it¡¯s really fun.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate smiled and said softly:

    ¡°For your current situation, it¡¯s definitely more fun than this rotten real-life game.¡±

 Chapter 137:

    While the student party, Sister Pomegranate, and her little boss epted Meow King¡¯s invitation to meet offline together, an important event was also taking ce in the Transia region.

    But it did not ur near Kadman City, where order had been rapidly established, but rather in a ce with a strong connection to Murphy.

    Mond Vige.

    In the temporary Witch Hunter camp, the more than ten Witch Hunters who survived the battle to defeat Salrokdar had nowpleted all preparations for their long journey. At nightfall tomorrow, they would rendezvous with Major Frayzer and escort him out of the Transia region, returning to the frontier fortress in eastern Prussia.

    This long journey signified that the Witch Hunters¡¯ ¡°fateful bond¡± with Transia would finally end in the near future.

    However, the atmosphere in the camp was not a joyous one, but rather heavy.

    Over the past ten years, the Witch Hunter group had suffered too many hardships, witnessing too many deaths and separations. But this time was extraordinary.

    They had lost their White Oak Master, thest leader after the copse of the old teachings.

    For the currently gloomy White Oak Battalion, this was akin to the sky falling, and the worst part was that the heir designated by Sir Finoch in his final moments was now still mired in severe ¡°mental torment.¡±Most tragically, Captain Natalie didn¡¯t have a miraculous uncle to help her untie her mental knots.

    Scout Amber carried a dinner portion over, but outside the tightly closed door, she saw the two veteran soldiers Norman and Porter standing guard with worried expressions.

    Amber scanned the area and noticed that the breakfast delivered earlier that morning still sat there untouched at the doorway.

    The eye-patched woman sighed softly and asked, ¡°The captain still hasn¡¯t responded?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like she¡¯s dead,¡± replied the brusque one-armed veteran Porter, his familiar Zoran ent revealing his tenseness. But this old warrior, with barely a few days of schooling, could hardly say anythingforting.

    He said, ¡°Should we barge in and drag her out? She¡¯s just hugging that sword, not eating or sleeping. From when she woke up until now, she hasn¡¯t said a single word, like she¡¯s gone stupid.¡±

    ¡°You were the same way when your old man died, weren¡¯t you?¡± The masked veteran Norman rebuked with his damaged vocal cords. ¡°Give her some time. Little Natalie is a strong warrior. The old leader entrusted her with a duty. I believe she¡¯ll pull herself together.¡±

    Norman looked towards Amber, thest remaining member of his scout squad. ¡°What about the others¡¯ opinions?¡±

    The scout set down the evening meal she was carrying and nced around before softly saying, ¡°Everyone has no objections to Natalie taking over as battalionmander, except a few who think Natalie¡¯s strength is toocking. But everyone respects Sir Finoch¡¯s judgment, and after all, Natalie is the one who had a prophecy made about her by the Elder Council of mo.

    ¡°What I¡¯m worried about now isn¡¯t our side, but rather those people at the frontier fortress.

    ¡°I believe they were all very loyal to Sir Finoch, but Natalie has almost no authority among them. We only have thesest 1,400 or so people left.

    ¡°If this isn¡¯t handled properly, I¡¯m afraid the White Oak Battalion that persevered for ten years will just¡­ sigh.¡±

    ¡°No use talking about that now,¡± said the irritable veteran Porter as he flexed his fingers. ¡°Natalie¡¯s issue is the most important thing, she has to pull herself together immediately!¡±

    ¡°You should say less,¡± Norman gestured with his hand. He nced at the tightly closed door and said, ¡°Until tonight! If she still doesn¡¯te out, then we¡¯ll take action.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The other two nodded. Norman still carried some authority among them.

    However, their conversation did not actually escape the notice of Natalie Finochia Lawson inside the room.

    As a Witch Hunter at the ck Iron rank, although Natalie did not particrly excel in absolute strength, as the daughter of a Golden Knight and a Silver Saint, her potential and talents far surpassed ordinary people. Her affinity for natural spirits was naturally also stronger than others.

    The reason she had not yet unlocked the Silver Trial was not because she could not, but because she understood the importance of the ck Iron strength stage very well. She would rather spend more time honing her foundations to perfection.

    Years of warfare had also tempered her spirit and personality, making her quite resilientpared to her peers. Although her life goals were somewhat muddled, she was indeed an excellent warrior.

    However, after the devastating blows of losing the battalionmander and her father, this strongdy had also fallen into emo state.

    She had a very poor rtionship with her father.

    She would not even address him affectionately, but only treated him as her superior while learning from him, without any mingling of personal feelings.

    She had thought her father¡¯s fate was irrelevant to her. But when death arrived so tangibly, she realized that she did not dislike having that father-daughter bond, she had simply never been prepared for it.

    And now, at some unexpected moment, she had finally lost everything as she wished, with thest person rted to her by blood disappearing from her life, truly making her a ¡°lone orphan.¡±

    In the dim room, the sallow-faced and listless Natalie hugged the great oak sacred de ¡°Watcher¡± to her chest.

    This was thest thing her father had left her.

    But strictly speaking, the great oak sacred de did not belong to old Finoch.

    This thing was the property of the Avalon Church.

    Even the White Knight Commander and Church Saint did not have the authority to bestow it as a gift to his own daughter. However, with the old teachings having copsed into their current state, there were no Grey Knights responsible for maintaining Church order who woulde demanding the sacred artifact from Natalie.

    The ill-tempered sacred de would throw tantrums and curse when in old Finoch¡¯s hands, but it remained as quiet as a lifeless object in Natalie¡¯s embrace.

    This was obviously because Natalie had not yet earned the sacred de¡¯s recognition nor established a spiritual connection with it. After all, she was not an old knight capable of maintaining a connection with the divine after Avalon had abandoned human followers.

    Natalie¡¯s current state was one of utter dejection and neglect.

    She knew what she should do and her responsibilities, but she simply could not muster the spirit or any ideas to start taking action again.

    She was well aware that her condition was not right, but shecked the drive to extricate herself from her current situation.

    ¡°Cough cough¡±

    Violent coughing rising from her chest caused her to shudder.

    Her injuries from the Blood Vulture Halls had not fully healed, and coupled with not having any food or water for more than two days, her weakened shuddering caused the great oak sacred de to slip from her embrace and crash to the ground, kicking up dust that separated the de from its wooden scabbard.

    This greatsword¡¯s scabbard differed from the fully enclosed scabbards of one-handed swords.

    The wooden scabbard that old Finoch had created with divine arts in his final moments was essentially more like a single-edged ¡°box¡±, designed to allow the wielder to quickly draw the greatsword for battle.

    And it was this impact that caused something the old knight had hidden within the scabbard toe tumbling out, rolling right up to the bent-over Natalie¡¯s feet.

    The gray-haired witch huntress instantly widened her eyes, not even concerned about the sacred de as she scooped up the round object.

    A Computation Bead!

    It appeared to be the same model used by the otherworld warriors under that ursed vampire Murphy, but how had the old knight obtained it?

    And why had he hidden this Computation Bead inside the wooden scabbard?

    Most importantly, what was stored within this bead?

    With these questions in mind, Natalie channeled her natural spirit energy into the Computation Bead.

    This was not a genuine halfling artisan creation, its internal differential engine system hacked by that strange artisan Ryuk Flywheel did not require identity verification. Thus, a few seconds after Natalie¡¯s emerald spirit energy entered it, the interface modified by Murphy appeared before her eyes.

    A faint spirit projection disyed arge note: ¡°File to y.¡±

    Natalie hesitated for a moment before reaching out and tapping the spirit projection.

    She had seen how those otherworld warriors operated these halfling contraptions. For an extremely intelligent and gifted huntress, learning to manipte it in a short time was not difficult.

    ¡°Shaa¡±

    The originally small spirit projection immediately erged, projecting a segment of ck-and-white spirit recordings onto the wall before Natalie¡¯s eyes, like a movie ying. The light brightened the dim, enclosed room.

    It even caused Natalie to reflexively cover her eyes.

    It was the old knight Finoch.

    He had personally recorded this, and judging by the inky ck background behind him, the distant waterfall, and the campfire light, this must have been recorded during a rest break as he and Murphy traveled through the secret passage in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    ¡°Natalie, by the time you see these recordings, I will likely already be dead.¡±

    The golden knight in the image, gripping a dwarven tobo pipe, showed no sadness on his aged face as he spoke to Natalie watching the recording in a gentle tone:

    ¡°I asked Murphy for one of these halfling trinkets. He¡¯s a rather generous vampire, and a decent cook too.

    ¡°Heh, of course that¡¯s not the main point I want to make.

    Child, the moment I set foot in the Blood Vulture Halls, I received an ominous warning from the Avalon deity.

    ¡°I feared I would not be able to leave that vampire¡¯sir alive, but I did not feel troubled by this.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve always resented me.

    ¡°But please listen carefully to what I have to say next. This recording will only y once, for your safety.

    ¡°Ten years ago, when the Avalon Church rebellion urred, I was cooperating with the Explorers¡¯ Guild in the Emerald Forest region of Antani, exploring a church ruin over five hundred years old.

    ¡°You also know that the Avalon Church originated from there.

    ¡°In the dense forest bordering the Castilia Elf Kingdom in the Antani region, our ancestors were among the first hill folk to make contact with the elves.

    ¡°What I want to tell you focuses on the fact that, at the same time as the church rebellion, I encountered certain people in those ancient ruins.

    Very dangerous people who called themselves the ¡®Dusk¡¯. Although my contact with them was not extensive, I can confirm that it was they who were secretly stirring up trouble behind the church¡¯s rebellion and the ten-year war.

    ¡°Their power is formidable and mysterious, concealed within various organizations.

    ¡°Even the Avalon Church itself!

    ¡°I know the facts you¡¯ve always epted are that the Avalon deity abandoned the church and human followers first, leading to the rebellion. But the truth is the opposite!

    Child, remember!

    ¡°The Avalon deity never abandoned us. We abandoned the deity first.

    ¡°The rebellion came before the loss of faith.

    ¡°You must be very curious about where I went during those six missing years. The answer is that I journeyed across the ocean to the new continent on the other side, because I learned of the Dusk¡¯s existence and wanted to seek more information from them.

    ¡°The great oak sacred de is something I found during this process.

    ¡°Or rather, it was casually awarded to me.¡±

    The old teachings were corrupted in past days far beyond my imagination. Even on the night before the rebellion, three sacred des had already been stolen from the sacred grounds, indicating there must have been infiltrators among the high ranks of the church.

    I obtained the three sacred des from the followers of Dusk, but I only kept Watcher. Through divine arts, I sent Chastiser and Arbiter into the hands ofrades who still believed in the Avalon deity.

    You must obtain them!

    This is very important!

    After the loss of the Seed of Life, the three sacred des became thest connection between human followers and the Avalon deity.

    What I need to tell you is that the Avalon deity has been watching over us all along. When Imitted unforgivable wrongs against those pure Aztec tribespeople on the new continent, it was the deity who awakened me, making me realize that my so-called pursuit of truth was actually a means by which those evil ones had lured me into depravity!

    Take this as a warning!

    Child, you must have faith that our deity has not abandoned us.

    I am determined to entrust the sacred de to you, and you can use it to re-establish your connection with the nature deity.

    This will grant you true power.

    Afterwards, whether to lead, rebuild, or abandon it all, it is up to you.

    After all, you owe the Avalon Church nothing, my poor child.

    At this point, the old knight exhaled a smoke ring.

    He was silent for a few seconds, then in the final moments of the recording, he said to Natalie, who would definitely only see this recording after his death:

    ¡°My daughter, you have always med me for abandoning you and your mother, devoting my entire life to faith.

    I cannot refute this, for it is indeed true.

    But at the end of my life, I must exin as a father.

    Your birth itself was a miracle bestowed by the deity. Over a hundred years ago, when I drank from the holy grail¡¯s waters, I made a vow to the deity.

    I hoped the deity would protect my family, your mother, and bless us to live a life without regrets. In return, I would devote everything to faith.

    That was the Grail Vow!

    The highest honor a saint of the Avalon Church could receive.

    I never expected the Avalon deity to be so generous to your mother and me. On the harvest festival thirty years after the Grail Vow, your mother became pregnant.

    You know what that means.

    It was the deity¡¯s blessing!

    Natalie, you are a child the Avalon deity personally sent into this world, and your mother and I were greatly honored to be your family. But it was also at that time that I realized the Avalon deity had heard my vow!

    They had bestowed their blessing.

    So I had to fulfill the covenant I made with the deity.

    I devoted everything to the deity not because I did not care for you, and even less because you meant nothing to me.

    Quite the opposite, child.

    I had to do so to ensure you grew up healthy.

    Your mother knew this well, for she witnessed the miracle of your birth just as I did.

    My daughter, when you were born, the forests of the entire mo Ind whispered your name. Countless nature fairies gathered by your mother¡¯s side, singing in unison to celebrate your arrival, while pure white deer came to your mother.

    And when you cried out your first cry in this world, the year¡¯s first storm swept across the entire North Sea that year.

    From Greenleaf Ind to Ice Bay, from Misty Coast to Port Joseph, all the sea winds howled in celebration of youring.

    My daughter, your destiny did not need the Elder Council of mo¡¯s prophecy, all that was just for us to conceal the truth of your birth from others.

    My daughter, you were born destined to do great deeds, to leave your name and legend in this world¡¯s history.

    My daughter, you cannot imagine how precious you are to your mother and I, how much we love and care for you. Besides faith in the deity, you were what sustained me through those dark, lightless six years of wandering in depravity without falling into the abyss.

    I knew I had to persevere!

    I had to create a more perfect world for you as a father. Regrettably, as a Mortal, I could not fulfill my promise.

    My daughter, my Natalie, the rest of the journey you must walk yourself.

    I¡¯m sorry, child.

    Murphy is urging me to depart.

    Perhaps this too is the deity¡¯s guidance that we must bid farewell now.

    Please believe that being your father was the greatest honor of my life. I have walked the path I was meant to, I have kept to the way I was meant to, I have received the blessings my entire life was meant for.

    I wish for you, my child.

    I bless you to also find your life¡¯s meaning.

    You must beware the darkness!

    But beware even more those who actively pursue the darkness.¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The projected recording faded from view.

    Leaving only Natalie alone, silently weeping in the dark room.

    Tears streamed down her face marked with scars, making her realize how much she had missed and wronged. But as Natalie had once roared in rebuke, time was neither merciful nor kind to her.

    The past was like smoke, impossible to recapture.

    Soon, she wiped her tears and bent down, taking the dinner Amber had brought into her hands. She stared intently at the silent great oak sacred de on the ground and ate the food.

    She needed to ovee her weakness and re-establish her connection with Avalon.

    She was a warrior!

    And now she had an enemy called the ¡®Dusk¡¯.

    How wonderful.

    She could finally convince herself to live again in this world.

 Chapter 138:

    On the 16th hour after the yers went offline, Murphy was preparing the agenda for the meeting tomorrow morning in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    He needed to set up the system architecture within his territory before the yers came back online. At this moment, he was extremely grateful to be a ¡°boss¡± with subordinates like Miss Miriam, a professional who could assist him with the work. Otherwise, if he had to experience andbor through everything himself, Murphy estimated he would go crazy.

    Moreover, there was another important issue, the shadow of the Astral Realm that had enveloped the ruins of the upper city district above the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Although the foul spirit energy gushing down from the Astral Realm rift in the sky was not as aggressive as before, it had indeed formed a new ¡°ck mist area¡± within thepletely deste upper city district.

    It was not difficult to imagine that as time progressed, the threats existing in the upper city district would no longer be limited to low-level byproducts of despair. More and more Astral Realm creatures would cross over from the Astral Realm rift in the sky, which would take at least ten years to heal, and enter the Kadman upper city district. Therefore, Murphy nned topletely iste the upper city district.

    Conveniently, therge crevice in the city had divided the original city into two parts. The new city could then be established with the outer city district as the base for expansion.

    As for the upper city district and the surrounding areas, they could serve as the yers¡¯ activity zones. After all, they were not afraid of monsters, especially for new yers, the more byproducts of despair, those rookie-level monsters, the better.

    In this way, the Blood Vulture Halls, which served as the ¡°newbie vige area,¡± would alsoe with a ¡°monster spawning point.¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be more perfect.Now, the newly appointed Blood Vulture Grand Duchess had started to ¡°work¡± in the Blood Vulture Halls, or rather, she had found a new ce to continue her indulgent and dreamy existence.

    The Blood Vulture n was left with just this little cat or two, so for the Grand Duchess Tris, there were not many things worth her personal attention. She focused on her second ¡°job¡± instead.

    That is, Count of Kadman Murphy¡¯s personal spirit advisor and resident Grandmaster Alchemist.

    Her previous work was the ¡°Convergence Stone¡± used to support the instance snapshot mechanism. Murphy was also nning to thoroughly test the effectiveness of this new gadget after the yers came back online.

    However, while the Count of Kadman was organizing the meeting points in his small room in the Blood Vulture Halls, he heard a knock on the door. Then his maid, Lady Adele, entered and reported:

    ¡°Master Murphy, you have a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Murphy, who was lying on the table writing and drawing, asked without lifting his head:

    ¡°I¡¯m really curious who the unfortunate soul is that woulde to visit our deste and empty territory at this time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Miss Natalie.¡±

    Lady Adele said in a strange tone:

    ¡°She and her Witch Hunter squad came to the survivor¡¯s camp to pick up Lieutenant Frayzer and leave, but she herself wishes to visit the lord of this ce, that is, you. I have declined her, as there really isn¡¯t much for a vampire and a Witch Hunter to discuss.

    But she insisted on seeing you, saying it was out of respect for thete Lord Finoch.¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Murphy clicked his tongue, sat up straight and pondered for a moment, then nodded to Lady Adele and said:

    ¡°Then let her in.

    Thest White Knight in this world sacrificed himself and pushed the rampaging will from the sub-space into the Astral Realm. Theoretically speaking, he is the great savior of us all, and every life in the Transia region should respect him.

    He will be a new legend in thisnd, and his daughter will be treated with favor because of this.¡±

    ¡°Master, this may be a bit risky,¡± Adele emphasized.

    ¡°That Miss Natalie has already established a connection with the Great Oak Sacred de. If she suddenly attacks¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I also have the sacred object of midnight to protect me. Moreover, our formidable and awe-inspiring Grand Duchess Tris is right next door, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Murphy stood up and patted the Desire Demon de at his waist, which remained dormant.

    The Necessary Evil in his hand was not as lively as when it was in Salrokdar¡¯s possession.

    If one had to make aparison, it was like a dying eel, it would only tremble a couple of times when Murphy patted it, exuding the sluggishness andck of intimidation of an old man who had been severely beaten.

    ¡°Uh, this is the second thing I need to report to you,¡± Lady Adele said in a helpless voice.

    ¡°Just now, the Grand Duchess insisted that I pay her annual Grand Duchess pension in advance this year, so she could send merchants from the camp to purchase various liquors from the traveling merchants in the Ice Bay region. She imed it was for you to make some secret alchemical items, but I have never heard of any potion that requires thirty-year-old liquor as the base.¡±

    ¡°I have refused the Grand Duchess¡¯s such frivolous request.¡±

    ¡°Well done, this is precisely the indomitable spirit that the treasurer of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s treasury and the family¡¯s head steward should possess,¡± Murphy nodded in approval.

    ¡°Continue to maintain your impartial image, Adele. As for Tris¡¯s untimely gluttony, my warriors will be more than willing to help her resolve it in various ways once they return.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Master. Then I shall take my leave.¡±

    Lady Adele bowed farewell to Murphy with impable decorum. A few minutester, the fully armed, silver-haired Witch Huntress Natalie entered and pushed open the door.

    Her attire was quite peculiar.

    The Great Oak Sacred de, the watcher left behind by old Finoch, was strapped to her back.

    That elven ceremonial greatsword was taller than her, appearing extremely visually striking. At her waist, she wore two replicas of sacred des from foreignnds, one long and one short.

    Additionally, with thebat daggers hidden in her boots, back, and sleeves, and the two hunting hand crossbows hanging from her lower back, she was armed to the teeth.

    However, her countenance and demeanor seemed slightly softerpared to her previous teeth-gnashing attitude whenever she saw Murphy.

    Those gray eyes harbored a kind of restraint that Murphy could notprehend.

    Nevertheless, the report from Lady Adele, Murphy¡¯s ¡°intelligence chief,¡± was absolutely urate. Natalie had indeed established a connection with the sacred watcher de left behind by the old knight.

    There was an obvious spirit resonance between her individual self and the sacred de.

    Yet it was extremely strained,

    Completelycking the smooth, almost ¡°blood is thicker than water¡± feeling between old Finoch and the watcher. It was far inferior to the Dark Spirit connection Murphy had established with the Necessary Evil in his hand. The spirit resonance between Murphy and the Desire Demon de was evaluated as merely ¡°low¡± on his character card.

    From this, it was evident that this gray-haired Witch Huntress had not gained the eptance of the nature sacred de.

    At most, the sacred de allowed her to wield it.

    Such a degree of sacred artifact possession posed no effective threat to Murphy, who had already obtained the Elite Temte.

    ¡°You wish to see me?¡±

    Murphy stood in what used to be a patriarch guard¡¯s resting room that served as his office, spreading his arms and asking the Witch Huntress before him in a friendly tone:

    ¡°Is there anything I, the lord of this garbage heap and ruins, can assist you with, Miss Natalie?¡±

    ¡°I came to ask some questions about Lord Finoch¡­¡±

    ¡°You should address him as ¡®Father¡¯!¡±

    Natalie¡¯s words were interrupted by Murphy raising his hand.

    The vampire lord looked at her, the crimson dots in his eyes flickering, representing Murphy¡¯s changing mood.

    He said:

    ¡°Lord Finoch Lawson, in the most dire of times, following the guidance of the deity he believed in, sacrificed himself and saved the entire Transia. Therefore, every life on thisnd should hold him in respect!

    I do not know how you Witch Hunters view this, but I have decided to erect a statue of Lord Lawson in the process of restoring the Blood Vulture Halls, standing in the original Sacred Blood Hall.

    I will tell his epic story to everyone I encounter.

    Of course, as his daughter, you naturally have the right to speak of my departed friend in any unkind manner, but I must still emphasize that any disrespect towards my old friend Lord Finoch may provoke my anger.

    Therefore, please choose your words carefully.¡±

    This response once again left Natalie in silence.

    A few secondster, she raised her head and spoke again:

    ¡°I came to inquire about some things concerning my father before his passing. He had a conversation with you in the crypt passages of the halls. I hope to know if he mentioned a force called ¡®Dusk¡¯ in his words?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Murphy lied quite naturally and frankly, performing as any other vampire would when it came to the bottom line.

    He said:

    ¡°He only used some linguistic inductions to urge me to take the hidden hands behind the Old Faith Rebellion seriously, but he did not mention the names of those hidden hands. He also said that everything we are experiencing now, including the war, is merely a gentle breeze before theing storm.

    To be honest, it sounds like the ramblings of a madman.

    But considering old Finoch¡¯s sincerely devout believer status, I suppose he must have known something. So, is this ¡®Dusk¡¯ you mentioned the culprit behind the Ten-Year War and the Old Faith Rebellion?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say too much, but I guess it should be so. I do not know where they are or what they are plotting, but they are my enemies!¡±

    Some lights flickered in Natalie¡¯s merciless gray eyes as she said:

    ¡°I will hunt them down, until my dying breath.¡±

    ¡°With your current strength and squad?¡±

    Murphy shook his head.

    He took a step back, leaning against his desk, looking Natalie up and down with a slightly mocking tone:

    ¡°As far as I know, the White Oak Battalion is thest remaining organized force of the Old Faith. During the Ten-Year War, you lost nearly ny percent of your numbers, leaving only a little over a thousand demoralized remnants. Not to mention whether you can persuade them to obey you with the Great Oak Sacred de you have yet to fully tame.

    Even if they all obey, such an exhausted and weakened force can hardly contend against a power capable of inciting a Ten-Year War of this scale from the shadows.

    Hmm, this brings me to the second topic from my secret conversation with your father.¡±

    Murphy touched the core bead on his chest, his bloody eyes ncing at the listening Natalie as he said:

    ¡°Your father once hoped that you would lead the remaining Witch Hunters to join Transia¡­¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    The gray-haired Witch Hunter immediately denied:

    ¡°Even if he went mad, he would never make such a request to a vampire lord!¡±

    ¡°Of course, it wasn¡¯t his suggestion. Golden champions always have their own dignity. It was my initiative to extend the invitation. I exined to your father my ns for thisnd and my ideals,¡± Murphy said with his arms spread and a gentle tone.

    ¡°I told him that I hope to build an ideal city on the ruins of Kadman City, where all inhabitants are equal, and none are treated as lesser due to racial or cultural differences. Your father mocked me, saying I was daydreaming and called me a madman.

    However, he never denied my invitation until the very end when he hoped I would ept you all.

    There is no lie in what I¡¯m telling you.

    Therefore, Natalie Finochia Lawson, I hope you can temporarily set aside the personal grievances between us and consider this matter from the perspective of the Witch Hunter organization.

    I am extending an invitation to you.

    Not in the capacity of the Blood Vulture n, but as the Count of Kadman.

    Over the past many years, you have left a rather unpleasant reputation on thisnd.

    Fortunately, the reputation of vampires here is not much better.

    So, if the people here are willing to give the vampires a chance to start anew, they will likely not reject the Witch Hunters¡¯ participation in rebuilding thisnd.

    The premise is that you are truly willing to dedicate your strength to thisnd.

    You understand me, Natalie.

    You know I¡¯m different from other vampires, and I¡¯ve never tried to conceal this fact. In fact, I can tell you inly:

    Compared to vampires, I consider myself more human.

    So¡­¡±

    Murphy turned around, exposing his back to Natalie without reservation. As he leaned over the table, scribbling away, in this posture, if the Witch Hunter wished, the Great Oak Sacred de could be unsheathed and thrust into Murphy¡¯s body with a single strike.

    Yet until Murphy finished what he was writing, Natalie remained motionless.

    A voice was roaring in her heart.

    But she suppressed that impulse that would only make the situation worse with her reason.

    This self-restraint is what is called ¡°growth¡±.

    ¡°Give yourself a chance, and give your followers, your subordinates, a chance too,¡± Murphy said with a smile, handing Natalie the document he had written. He then took the Count of Kadman¡¯s seal and covered it with crimson spirit energy, stamping his seal on the document.

    The contents of this document were simple.

    It was Murphy exercising the authority of the Count of Kadman to grant the Witch Hunters of the former Avalon Church the status of Transia citizens. He also allocated arge area of the original upper city district of Kadman City for their daily residence and training, and allowed the Witch Hunters to remain armed within his territory.

    ¡°Of course, you can no longer use the name ¡®Witch Hunter¡¯. Perhaps you cane up with a new name, as if bidding farewell to the past and starting a new life,¡± Murphy said in a low voice.

    ¡°And if you¡¯re willing to ept, I have some marginal territories that could bebined into a barcy. Would you like to add the nickname ¡®Baroness¡¯ before the name you choose for yourself? Please don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m crazy, Miss Natalie.

    I reallyck people right now.

    Especially talented individuals like yourself, I am in dire need. So please, believe in my sincerity.¡±

    ¡°I will take this as a not-so-funny joke and share it with mypanions. They will surelyugh happily,¡± Natalie said coldly, folding the document and putting it into her spirit bag. She then nodded farewell to Murphy and turned to leave the office inrge strides.

    Murphy watched her leave, and at the moment the door closed, he suddenly asked, ¡°Have you heard of the name ¡®Dusk¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± came Tris¡¯s voice from behind.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess emerged from the shadows, removing her disguise with her superior spirit maniption. She shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever hearing that name, but if it was a warning old Finoch left for his daughter, we should indeed be wary of it. However, I was only joking earlier. I didn¡¯t expect you to actually consider recruiting the Witch Hunters into your territory.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Murphy sighed.

    ¡°Although they only number over a thousand, that could still make up a dozen or so slots. And Transia is vulnerable everywhere right now, we need this kind of organized armed force. Unfortunately, the chips I can offer are too few.

    If old Finoch were still around, there might be a chance, but Natalie clearly has a certain view of me.

    I suppose this matter is doomed.

    Tris, have any former Blood Vulture members responded to the messages you sent out?¡±

    ¡°No, little Murphy,¡± the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess sighed.

    ¡°In the end, who would be willing to submit to the leadership of a notorious family failure?¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Murphy narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Then in the name of the Night Mother, we have indeed given them a chance. From now on, even if Lord Payne himself were toe, he would have no reason to call what we are about to do ¡®cruel¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 139:

    Now, it has been 23 hours since the little yers left Transia.

    After bidding farewell to Natalie and her remnant Witch Hunters, as well as Frayzer, the junior officer who had been recording the story, and giving them a broken patriarch¡¯s ring of Salrokdar as proof of death, Murphy quickly convened a meeting.

    To be precise, this was Murphy¡¯s first time summoning the administrators of his domain in his capacity as the ¡°Count of Kadman.¡±

    Therefore, this could be called a meeting of his vassals.

    However, apart from appointing three barons, Murphy had not yet specifically assigned various affairs within his domain. It could be certain that after this meeting, every attendee would likely gain several official positions.

    This was an obvious fact.

    Therefore, apart from Baroness Miriam and Professor Malcolm, the others who were invited felt ted, though they tried hard to remainposed. Yet the light in their eyes betrayed their emotions.

    Although Kadman City was destroyed.

    Although out of the city¡¯s 150,000 people, only fewer than 3,000 remained alive or unounted for.Although everyone was still living in shacks, and they were destined to endure hardship before the reconstruction wasplete.

    Although as the ¡°Protector of Transia¡± and the 400-year-old orthodox Blood Vulture n, they were now on the brink of extinction, just one step away from being wiped out.

    But none of that mattered!

    If they could seize this opportunity to achieve a sudden ss elevation like Lady Miriam¡ªno, like the noble Baroness Miriam¡ªthen this disaster would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these opportunists.

    As for Miriam and Professor Malcolm¡¯sposure, the former had already obtained her share of the cake and was full, while thetter was a schr who had witnessed the vicissitudes of the world.

    The dignity brought by knowledge allowed him to understand the danger and adversity of the current situation, to the extent that the forting positions, offices, and honors didn¡¯t seem so appealing anymore.

    These administrators,rge and small, were seated in a room at the edge of the secondrgest hall of the Blood Vulture Halls, a ce originally used for the guards of the halls to rest and rx, but modified into a meeting room.

    Everyone was waiting for the Count¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Knock¡±

    ¡°The Count of Kadman has arrived!¡±

    The door was pushed open.

    At Lady Adele¡¯s slightly hoarse reminder, everyone stood up to wee the lord of thend.

    Murphy was not wearing his vampire light armor but a crimson red robe, with Necessary Evil at his waist. He walked into the room with an elegant, graceful demeanor, a charming smile on his face, and his hands sped behind his back.

    His loyal vassals, Baron Maxim and Baroness Adele, would also participate in arranging the management details of the domain.

    The vampire lord gestured downward, signaling everyone to be seated.

    He swept his crimson gaze across the crowd, and their expressions gave him a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if he had returned to a dull Monday morning at thepany he had worked for, attending a meeting to discuss the week¡¯s work with a group of disheartened workers.

    Hmm, that was a position he had struggled for ten years to obtain. It was a bit of a pity to think that it might have been given away to some lucky person.

    With this in mind, Murphy cleared his throat.

    He sat down on the chair Lady Adele had pulled out for him and said in a steady tone:

    ¡°Thank you all for your efforts during this period. It is because of your assistance that the survivors of Kadman City were able to quickly settle down after the disaster. I have seen the changes happening every day in the camp, and I have witnessed how the frightened refugees have regained their confidence in life under your management and constion.

    After the celebration, they have prepared themselves and are now ready to return to their homnd with courage and rebuild their homes.

    This is all due to your efforts, everyone!

    Although I am a vampire, I am also familiar with human society¡¯s ways. Therefore, I have decided that before truly beginning to discuss important matters, I should give you what you deserve.¡±

    As he finished speaking, Murphy waved his hand, and Lady Adele, standing by his side as the ¡°Count¡¯s Voice,¡± immediately unrolled a scroll.

    She cleared her throat and read:

    ¡°By the authority granted to the Count of Kadman by Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess and the Night Ruler of Transia, the following list of the Count¡¯s vassals and domain administrators is hereby decreed:

    Baroness of Mond Lady Miriam is granted the title of ¡®Crimson Regent.¡¯

    She will represent the Count of Kadman and have full authority over all political affairs within the domain, except for the bestowal of noble titles andnd grants.

    Baron Maxim Cena d Lessenbra is granted the title of ¡®Military Commander.¡¯

    He will represent the Count of Kadman and have full authority over all military affairs and the reconstruction of the formal army within the domain.

    Professor Winston Malcolm is granted the knighthood of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ under the Count of Kadman and the title of ¡®First Deputy Regent.¡¯

    He will assist the Baroness of Mond in administering the domain on behalf of the Count and establish the local formalws based on the Blood Vulture n¡¯s previous administrative methods, leading the Count¡¯s subjects.

    Mr. Filro Portman is granted the knighthood of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ under the Count of Kadman and the title of ¡®City Guard Commander.¡¯

    He will be responsible for maintainingw and order within the domain and rebuilding the domain¡¯s police and militia systems.

    Mr. Franks Shovan is granted the knighthood of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ under the Count of Kadman and the title of ¡®City Logistics Commander.¡¯

    He will be responsible for all civilian supplies, distribution, and transportation within the domain, as well as providing two meals a day and recordingbor credits for the people working on the city¡¯s reconstruction.

    Sister Jules is granted the knighthood of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ under the Count of Kadman and the title of ¡®City Medical and Faith Commander.¡¯

    She will be responsible for all medical affairs within the domain and manage the various faith groups, as well as seek out and identify potential heretics among the people for the Count.

    Lady nche Palen Fedo is granted the knighthood of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ under the Count of Kadman and the title of ¡®City Warehouse Manager.''¡±

    ¡°She will be responsible for food gathering and storage within the domain, and for ensuring sufficient food reserves are replenished before the first snow of winter arrives, as well as establishing at least sixrge food warehouses.

    Please take note, everyone!

    The medical affairs overseen by Sister Jules should be given the highest priority in subsequent administrative management.

    The Count does not wish to see any gues or epidemics urring within his domain.

    The food gathering affairs overseen by Lady nche Palen Fedo should be given a rtively high priority in subsequent administrative management.

    The Count does not wish to see frequent urrences of famine within his domain.

    The above appointments are the result of careful consideration and full authority exercised by Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, the Count of Kadman.

    All appointments take effect immediately from the date the authorization document is issued.¡±

    As these orders were read out, the atmosphere in the room immediately became more joyful. Although no one spoke, the sense of relief and delight that pervaded everyone except Sister Jules was visible to the naked eye.

    The officials appointed by Murphy were already serving as administrators among the surviving residents of the camp, and their abilities had been affirmed and recognized by the recentplex affairs.

    And as the vampire lord listened with Desire Perception, he did not hear any dissatisfaction orints arising in anyone¡¯s heart.

    They were satisfied with the current situation and joyful at having gained the recognition of their new lord, even though this lord was a vampire entirely different from them. The racial difference seemed to have been quietly erased in the process of power delegation.

    Power is a good thing.

    If used properly, it can eliminate all dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I will emphasize again! These appointments are what you deserve, not a bestowal from a superior. I also wish to take this opportunity to exin to you my rough ns for my domain¡¯s future as its lord.¡±

    Murphy stood up, and Maxim immediately stood and unfolded a prepared map beside the lord.

    It showed the outline of the entire domain of the Count of Kadman, upying one-third of Transia, with another third near the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s border in the Anderma Hills of northwestern Transia.

    That area had already been granted to Lady Femis by Tris, but since thetter was still being questioned by the Blood Pact Knights, her domain was being co-managed by Murphy in her absence.

    The final part was the northern Count of Seicob¡¯s domain, which had existed in a ¡°semi-independent¡± state for almost 400 years and had never truly been governed by the Blood Vulture n, so there was no need to go into detail about it.

    However, the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain had already been destroyed beyond recognition in the Ten-Year War. Although there were still some settlements there, their order was much worse than the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain.

    So theoretically, Murphy was currently the actual administrator of the Transia region, though his strength was stillpletely insufficient to oversee all of Transia.

    ¡°Please look at the map, everyone.¡±

    Murphy pointed at the map Maxim was holding up, which he had already marked with different colors to indicate different areas. He said:

    ¡°In my future ns for the domain, thends of the three barons will each take on different responsibilities.

    The Baroness of Mond¡¯snds are near the trade routes.

    So the Baroness of Mond, in addition to managing the domain, should also focus on restarting themerce that was dyed by the war. Our domain needs wealth.

    The Baron of Leim¡¯snds are near the north.

    There, we can absorb the homeless mountain people from the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain and the Saxony and Ice Bay regions who were driven from their homnds during the Ten-Year War, as we are currently severelycking in poption.

    I believe that now that the Ten-Year War has effectively ended, there will soon also be war refugees from other regions.

    They are also subjects who must be taken seriously.

    Therefore, in addition to managing the domain¡¯s military affairs, the Baron of Leim should also focus on attracting more poption to the domain. Only with enough people can we mobilize sufficient manpower to rebuild Transia.

    Finally, there are the Baroness of Shadow¡¯snds in the south.

    Not only is it close to the Foul Swamp and Smugglers¡¯ Woods, but it also has abundant mineral resources. However, we will definitely not have the manpower to develop them for at least half a year.

    The Baroness of Mond proposed an idea to me.

    She believes we can temporarily lease the mineral resources here to the Brass Dwarf mining teams from Brass Citadel in exchange for the food and weapons we urgently need from the dwarves.¡±

    ¡°Ahem, Count, I have a better suggestion on this matter.¡±

    Having changed into more presentable clothes but still wearing a broken pair of sses, Professor Malcolm cleared his throat.

    He was still somewhat unustomed to Murphy¡¯s detailed and pragmatic outline for the domain¡¯s development, which was so different from other feudal lords. However, he felt it was necessary to remind this young vampire lord.

    ¡°Oh, Deputy Regent, please speak freely.¡±

    Murphy smiled and made a ¡°please¡± gesture, saying: ¡°I desperately need your wisdom now! Believe me, I am in urgent, urgent need of your advice. The Count¡¯s domain is not only my territory but also your homnd. It will benefit us all for it to improve.¡±

    ¡°If we are to lease out the mineral resources, seeking out dwarves may not be a good idea,¡± Professor Malcolm spoke at length.

    ¡°The distance between their Brass Citadel and Transia is a fatal factor. And from what I know, the mineral region of the Baroness of Shadow¡¯snds is obviously much closer to Fort Crimea. Considering that it has already been upied by the Kingdom of Nordtov, the upying forces there will certainly need more minerals to rebuild the new border.

    This need exists, and one should never underestimate the Northern stubbornness of those Nordtov fellows when ites to territory.

    Therefore, if we can establish a trade rtionship with them and lease the mineral region to them, the profits we can obtain will undoubtedly be more substantial.

    They have already upied the fertile Kafhoka ins.

    That area was once the most important grain-producing region in thends of the Portia Federation, and even the entire human civilization. This means the Northerners now have an extremely, extremelyrge amount of food.

    When food is abundant, its value decreases. Now is an excellent opportunity to purchase it!¡±

    ¡°Professor, I have a question.¡±

    Lady Miriam frowned and said:

    ¡°We currently have no trade rtions with the Kingdom of Nordtov. Let me say something that doesn¡¯t sound too good.¡±

    She nced at Murphy¡¯s expression and said softly:

    ¡°Whether that Wolf Queen acknowledges the Count of Kadman¡¯s authority is itself a question. And the discipline of the Northerners¡¯ border troops is a long-standing, major problem. Rather than trade, they might be more willing to simply plunder. We currentlyck sufficient strength to defend our property.¡±

    ¡°Uh, Count, Lady Regent, and Deputy Regent Sir.¡±

    Lady Palen, who had just been appointed City Warehouse Commander, was a stout, middle-aged woman. It was clearly her first time participating in such a high-level meeting.

    Having previously been a small merchant, she was still somewhat unustomed to it.

    She stood up, attempting to express respect with poor etiquette, but was stopped by Murphy waving his hand. He said in a gentle tone:

    ¡°Lady Palen, there¡¯s no need for that. We are discussing the future of the domain. In such a situation, insisting on etiquette is somewhat inopportune. Please state your thoughts directly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like this.¡±

    Seeing the lord¡¯s gentle manner, Lady Palen rxed.

    She organized her words and said:

    ¡°When I used to do business in the border town of Bataxin in Transia, I knew some Northerner merchants. They boasted of acting as agents for some officers of the Northern border troops inmercial matters. Perhaps we could establish connections through those smuggler merchants.

    Additionally, if the Northerners want to sell us grain, it will undoubtedly go through those merchants as well.

    Contacting them directly might be better.¡±

    ¡°Excellent, Lady Palen. This is precisely the kind of suggestion I need.¡±

    Murphy nodded in satisfaction and gave Lady Miriam a look. The clever regent immediately nodded and said:

    ¡°Then, Sir Palen, I hereby officially appoint you as the representative formercial dealings with the Northerners. The appointment document will be issued subsequently.¡±

    ¡°I also have a suggestion, my lords!¡±

    Seeing the cunning Palen use her connections to gain the power to intervene in trade, the other ¡°newly rich¡± could no longer sit still.

    Sir Filro Portman, the City Guard Commander, immediately stood up and said:

    ¡°I have a distant cousin who has been purchasing local products from the Western Sn tribal people in the Ice Bay region for a long time. I can write him a letter. If we pay a sufficient amount of money, those tribesmen are very willing to provide us withrge quantities of cured meats and dried seafood.

    I admit that those rock-hard frozen fish probably don¡¯t taste very good, but in our current state, we shouldn¡¯t be too picky! After all, just three frozen fish, along with some local vegetables and enough breadcrumbs, can make a thick soup that can feed ten workers! Most importantly, buying from the tribal people is very inexpensive.

    It¡¯s even cheaper than you can imagine!

    Both the Northerners and Sn look down on them. The abundant seafood and local products of the Ice Bay region have alwayscked long-term patrons.

    This is an opportunity!

    Count and Lady Regent!¡±

    ¡°Very good! Sir Porter, I hereby appoint your distant cousin as the Count of Kadman¡¯smercial representative for the Ice Bay region. What is his name?¡±

    ¡°And me, Lady Regent!¡±

    The head chef, Franks Shovan, was getting a little anxious.

    Seeing the benefits being divided, this burly man with a thick neck, crude tattoos on his arms, and a street-smart demeanor, stood up and shouted:

    ¡°My buddy used to work for the city¡¯s gangs for a while, smuggling guns and explosives from the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s border troops.¡±

    As soon as he said this, he realized something was off.

    But it was toote to stop, because everyone else was staring at him with looks that said, ¡°You little bastard, you really fucked up.¡±

    Shovan also realized he had let something slip.

    Arms smuggling is the kind of serious business that would lead to immediate questioning and punishment from any sensible lord, let alone the fact that his buddy was involved in this from the currently ¡°enemy¡± Goldflower Kingdom.

    He slumped back into his chair, dejected.

    Thinking that his whole family would probably be killed by the Count now. However, Murphy roared withughter and shook his head, saying:

    ¡°Excellent, I need precisely this kind of talent and connections right now. Go find him, Sir Shovan. I¡¯m giving him fifteen days. I want to see at least three thousand military muskets and sufficient ammunition.

    I can pay directly in gold, but don¡¯t try to fool me with substandard goods. Do a good job, and I¡¯ll pardon his past crimes and even grant him an official position or knighthood.

    But if he doesn¡¯t perform well¡­¡±

    ¡°I stake my entire family¡¯s lives on this, my lord!¡±

    Having narrowly escaped death and experiencing a reversal of fortunes, Sir Shovan immediately stood up and pounded his chest with his fist. This gangster-like head chef loudly dered:

    ¡°We need thirty days, but I guarantee we can procure the weapons you need! We can even negotiate for armor and cannons. The war is over, so Sn must have arge stockpile of weapons that need to be disposed of.

    They¡¯re still conducting military reforms, so those old-style weapons will be destroyed even if they don¡¯t sell them to us.

    Therefore, perhaps we could purchase sufficient quality weapons for a third or even a fifth of the usual price.¡±

    Such a professional statement caused the others¡¯ expressions to be even more subtle.

    Well, you chef!

    You even have such a shady yet impressive side business.

    It seems your buddy is just a grunt, and the real mastermind behind the underground arms smuggling is you, kid!

    ¡°Very good, go ahead.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t care about such matters.

    He now needed to utilize every avable force.

    He was well aware that each of these individuals, capable of promptly demonstrating their talents among the survivors, was certainly no slouch. But it didn¡¯t matter; if they wanted to be respectable people again while also gaining a more noble background, Murphy could satisfy them.

    As long as they could bring mutually beneficial gains, all of this could be negotiated!

 Chapter 140:

    The head chef Franks Shovan identally revealed some of his past ¡°connections¡± through a ¡°self-destruct.¡±

    But seeing Count of Kadman being so magnanimous and not rejecting these unsavory channels, others understood as well.

    It seemed that today was not only an opportunity for them to rise.

    If handled well, perhaps even their families and friends could get a taste of the government¡¯s patronage.

    Subsequently, their speeches became increasingly active and radical!

    Mr. Filro Portman even proposed forming a ve-hunting squad to take advantage of the fact that the Northerners had just taken over the Kafhoka ins and couldn¡¯t properly govern it yet. They could pass through and abduct some people to supplement the territory, taking no more than ten days for a round trip. If done well, they could bring back hundreds of people in one go.

    That ce produced excellent farmers who could be put to use!

    In these times,moners didn¡¯t harbor much loyalty to the nation. As long as Murphy could guarantee the rights and future lives of these ve workers, they wouldn¡¯t mind changing lords.

    To be honest, this proposal was quite feasible and resonated with Murphy, but after careful consideration, he didn¡¯t adopt it.Given Transia¡¯s current dire situation, it was unwise to provoke those barbaric and belligerent Northerners. Professor Winston Malcolm also strongly opposed such inhumane actions.

    Of course, this astute professor also provided a more formal reason:

    ¡°War refugees will soon arrive, gentlemen.

    I have experienced the Ten-Year War almost in its entirety, and I can tell you that the number of people disced by the war in the six surrounding provinces of the entire war zone is astronomical. Therefore, we need not challenge the Northerners for the sake of a few hundred people.

    What we need to do now is to build a series of basic administrative structures to ensure that we can amodate those people who will soon arrive.¡±

    Professor Winston Malcolm pushed up his sses frame and said earnestly:

    ¡°The southern borders of Cato, East Prussia, and Saxony have been the frontiers of the Portia Federation for hundreds of years, and now they have been upied by the Goldflower Kingdom.

    General Loren¡¯s army maintains strict discipline, but the other border guards have already been driven nearly insane by the war. Their looting, oppression, and even massacres of the locals aremonce. As long as the Count opens his arms to them, countless oppressedmoners will be willing to migrate here.

    In my view, the poption problem is not that urgent. What must be addressed now is food supply and the restoration of order throughout Transia.

    Even if it¡¯s just nominal restoration, it would be enough to reassure the people!¡±

    At this point, the professor hesitated for a moment, looked at Murphy, and said:

    ¡°And, my lord, I believe you should now carefully consider what will happen after the war ends. If the Goldflower Kingdom and the Kingdom of Nordtov do not intend to annex Transia but treat us as a military buffer zone between the two countries, then I estimate that envoys from both sides will soone to visit.

    You must be prepared to negotiate with them.

    This is really very important!

    Although it may seem undignified to say this, Transia¡¯s peaceful transition of power now depends on the attitudes of the two countries.¡±

    ¡°They will recognize my rule! I have no doubt about that,¡± Murphy shook his head and looked at the others, saying:

    ¡°Gentlemen, there is an important piece of news I must tell you. I have received urate intelligence from my vampire kin that the once-in-a-century ck Disaster originating from the Dark Mountain range is brewing.

    At thetest, six months from now, it will ravage the continent again. Unfortunately, Transia will face another trial.¡±

    ¡°Good heavens!¡±

    The others eximed in shock.

    Even Professor Malcolm was so startled that he stood up.

    Anyone living in the Transia region could not be unaware of the ¡°ck Disaster.¡± After all, whenever that cmity urred, they were inevitably the first to suffer. It was a disaster passed down from generation to generation, and worst of all, it was not just a legend.

    The gnoll bandits now found all over Transia were the ¡°souvenirs¡± left by thest ck Disaster.

    Upon hearing that the ck Disaster was imminent, those who had just been feeling proud about obtaining official positions and knighthoods instantly changed their expressions.

    The look of wanting to immediately turn tail and run could not be concealed.

    ¡°Gentlemen, you all have status now, please be more dignified,¡± Murphy rapped on the table to silence the meeting room.

    He said:

    ¡°There is no need to be overly rmed. The Blood Vulture n has decided to fulfill our responsibility of centuries by taking the frontline against the ck Disaster. Before we copse under the blessed night, you will all be safe.

    Most importantly, even if you run now, if Transia cannot withstand the onught of gnolls, you will still suffer the cmity.

    Unless you can directly flee to the legendary new continent.

    So in my view, the current matters must still proceed.

    And they must be elerated!

    But look on the bright side.

    With the impending ck Disaster as the backdrop, neither the Goldflower Kingdom nor the Northern barbarians of Nordtov would want to take on the hot potato that is Transia at this time. This means that as long as we can endure this ck Disaster, we can stand as an independent nation on the continent.

    Moreover, they need the people of Transia to stand in the way of the ferocious gnoll tide.

    They need us to die in their stead, which means we can demand a lot.

    As long as we don¡¯t go too far.

    I think we can now obtain everything we need from them, whether it¡¯s weapons, resources, or even people!¡±

    The vampire lord elongated his voice and said:

    ¡°More importantly, the Countess of Anderma¡¯s territory can still be divided into at least three baronies, and she currentlycks the talented individuals who can take charge in times of crisis, just like me. Shecks outstanding vassals to serve her.

    Think about it, if we can build ten cities in Transia, then there will be ten lord positions to be allocated. What if we build twenty?

    What if our territory continues to expand?¡±

    As far as I know, the vast area beyond the Foul Swamp, approaching the Dark Mountain range, is considered fertilend, yet no one dares to im it due to its proximity to the dangerous region.

    That is a territoryparable in size to the entire Transia region!

    This means that there could also arise two to three new countships and at least eight baronies. The merit of pioneering and establishing rule in this crisis region is something even King Louis and the Wolf Queen would not dare to deny!

    The entire human race and the entire continent would view us as heroes of exploration!

    Alright, gentlemen, I admit that I¡¯m tempting you with power that has not yet been obtained, drawing an alluring and perfect pie out of thin air.¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes.

    His ears were listening to the changes in the attitudes of the people before him, like a pianist who was not quite Proficient trying to grasp the rhythm¡¯s pulse.

    He said:

    ¡°But the opportunity for ss advancement onlyes once in a lifetime. If you miss it, it¡¯s missed, and your children may resent you in the future. And when you are old and feeble, waiting to die alone in a strange ce that doesn¡¯t ept you and sees you as a refugee, will you not even for a moment feel regret!

    Why didn¡¯t you muster the courage when Count of Kadman showed you a promising future?

    Bing a hero and a pioneer requires only a little courage!

    I will dere to you that when the ck Disasteres, I will fulfill a lord¡¯s duty and stand in front of you. Before I fall, your dreams and ambitions will not end. As long as we do not stop, the path to the future will continue to extend.

    I deeply believe this.

    Even though I am a vampire, hmm, why don¡¯t I take this opportunity to exin my ns for rebuilding Kadman City to all of you, my current vassals?¡±

    Murphy stood up.

    In the oppressive atmosphere, he walked over to Baroness Miriam, ced his hand on her shoulder, and said:

    ¡°I will build a massive and prosperous city on the ruins of the old district. I will make this new city the most radiant pearl of all Transia!

    I will erect statues of the ruling regent and the first generation of pioneers in the most prominent spot in the square, so that everyone who sees them will sincerely praise the supreme wisdom of the first Crimson Regent and her courage that would make any man feel ashamed!

    Then, they will know!

    Even amoner woman without a surname can leave her own glorious mark in history.

    We should not take pride in our noble bloodlines that we could not choose, but rather make our bloodlines noble through our deeds!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Murphy¡¯s words perfectly struck the deepest, hidden ideal in her heart.

    Or perhaps it should be called ambition.

    But the vampire did not stop there.

    He continued forward, cing his hand on Professor Malcolm¡¯s shoulder.

    He said:

    ¡°I will establish a new order for the new city, and the most fundamental rule of my city will be one! I will make this city and my territory a ce of equality for all! Everyone who enters here, everyone who is willing to live in thisnd!

    Regardless of their race, background, beliefs, or past, as long as they are willing to contribute to thisnd, they are my subjects, they are citizens of Transia!

    The foolish racism will be utterly abandoned on thisnd!

    And the history professor who personally aplishes this great feat may have felt his life was unremarkable before, but I believe he will also find sce at the end of his life for his lifelong aspiration!

    He can bid farewell to his eventful life without guilt and walk into history with glory.

    To be eternal in the songs of a thousand voices!¡±

    Professor Malcolm¡¯s body shuddered violently.

    As a schr who had experienced war, his dedication to ideals had not faded despite the brutal realities he had witnessed.

    It was precisely because he had witnessed strangers indiscriminately swinging their swords to ughter others due to differences in race and background that he wanted to see those obstacles to human progress eliminated.

    He knew it would be difficult.

    He could hardly even see someone who could understand him in this era.

    Except for

    Except for the unique vampire standing before him, who had joined him in delivering relief supplies over a month ago.

    But Murphy still did not stop.

    He continued forward.

    cing his hand on Franks Shovan¡¯s shoulder, marked with an ¡°otherworld fish,¡± to the surprise of the chef full of roguish air, his lord spoke for the third time:

    ¡°My new city will also be a ce ofw and order!

    All those living here will extend their lives under the same legal system, and there will no longer be damned vampires dragging away their poor nieces, nor foolish but greedy officials withholding the hard-earned money they make each day.

    Nor will there be the insane scene of a once upstanding citizen being forced by shameful famine to risk walking the path of arms smuggling in order to protect their family, to allow their children to have enough to eat.

    It will be a wonderful future!

    It will be a new era where everyone can live freely as long as they abide by thew.

    I seem to have already caught a glimpse of it. Yes, a stable life will no longer be a fantasy, even if it is a distant legend elsewhere, but in the city we will build together, it will be reality!

    It must be reality!¡±

    He patted Shovan¡¯s shoulder, causing the roguish chef to lower his head and wipe his eyes.

    He did not know where Lord Murphy learned of his past, but at this moment, he was willing to believe the ¡°romantic¡± and ¡°gentle¡± promises of this Midnight Descendant.

    ¡°Of course, my city will also be a ce of religious freedom.¡±

    Murphy walked behind the most silent Sister Jules, gently cing both hands on the elderly nun¡¯s shoulders, his tone gentle as he said:

    ¡°There will be no more tragedies of families separated and friends turned against each other due to differences in faith. In my city, in my territory, all believers willing to abide by the rules andws can freely choose to worship their own gods.

    Even a religion dered heretical ten years ago!¡±

    Perhaps you don¡¯t believe it, Auntie, but the truth is that the nature god Avalon once whispered to me.

    He said I was a different kind of vampire and told me that I had His sincere believers under mymand. He ordered me to take good care of her.

    Of course I will do so.

    The pious Auntie Jules, I will do so!

    I will rebuild magnificent churches for nature¡¯s Avalon within my territory.

    Of course, I will also do the same for the followers of the Winter Wolf Church, and I will allow the worshippers of the Earth Mother to build underground altars, even the eastern believers of the legendary Astral Realm dragons and the followers of the Creator from the vast yellow desert.

    For the new city we build together will open its arms to all who are homeless.

    Not only feeding their bodies, but alsoforting and properly caring for their souls.¡±

    ¡°Oh Avalon above.¡±

    The silent elderly nun felt her soul trembling.

    She did not know if this was her god conveying some clear divine message through Lord Murphy¡¯s mouth, but she truly felt a warmth in her soul.

    As if it were the time when the old nature religion had not yet copsed, when the souls of nature believers still had a ce to return.

    She was willing to believe this was a promise from the divine through Murphy¡¯s mouth, that a sacrednd for believers would slowly rise in thisnd beset by darkness, even if it currently seemed only a beautiful fantasy.

    But even to dream, one must first sleep.

    ¡°In the city I am about to build, every coin will be well spent, and every ordinary person dreaming of wealth can realize their wish, instead of clearly having enough talent yet onlynguishing fruitlessly for decades under the exploitation of fools.¡±

    Murphy stepped forward again, cing his hand on the broad-shouldered Lady Palen¡¯s shoulder.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°The pursuit of wealth is not a shameful decline, only those who know how to use the wealth in their hands can truly aplish something.

    And it is not uneptable for one who has already lived over half their life to have achieved nothing on the path of pursuing dreams, for as long as the me of ideals does not die out, you still have the next fifty years to realize the ambitions of your childhood.

    Yes!

    You will be the richest businesswoman on the entire continent.

    I have not the slightest doubt about this.

    I also believe that the city we build together will be the starting point of your legend of wealth.

    Right here! Right now!

    Ah, listen to the beautiful sound of coins rolling, it will guide our lost souls to the true city of wealth, the city of ambition built by Lady Palen herself.¡±

    ¡°Can I really do it?¡±

    Lady Palen said apprehensively:

    ¡°Can I really be a wealthy person?¡±

    ¡°Of course, mydy.¡±

    Murphy smiled at the soul before him, uneasy from having her desire awakened:

    ¡°I believe this wholeheartedly, I believe your future wealth will make everyone envy you, you just need to muster a little courage, truly just a little.¡±

    After saying this, he walked to the side of thest vassal.

    Gently cing his hand on Mr. Portman¡¯s shoulder, then chuckling softly, he leaned down and said into the ear of this embarrassed, already balding former policeman:

    ¡°My new city will also be a true city of desire, where all men will view it as heaven, and big-assed little chicks thirsting for wealth will offer their beautiful bodies to the nobles of this city.

    Be a little bolder, Mr. Portman, that is just the life every man desires.

    Not just humans!

    Dwarves, halflings, even those ascetic elves!

    If you want it, power will make it happen for you.

    No need to hide it, Sir Portman, indulging desire is also a privilege of the elite.

    Hmm, when you be a true elite, you¡¯ll realize that the perfect world you imagined is hardly worth mentioningpared to the true perfect world of desire. Why be bound by a boring marriage?

    A gentleman with such strong desires as yourself can achieve his ideals, pursuing happiness is not just a dying man¡¯s delusion.

    You just need to muster a little courage.

    Of course, you should probably start training your body now, for the sake of your wonderful future life, have you considered bing a vampire?

    It can keep you energetic every night.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course, if I had that opportunity.¡±

    Mr. Portman coughed a few times.

    He sat upright, striving to present the image of a proper gentleman.

    And all of this was seen by Murphy.

    He turned around and spoke six sentences to his six vassals.

    When he took his first step, including Miriam, everyone was filled with fear and trepidation, but by the time he returned to his seat, a light called ¡°Ideal¡± had appeared in everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Well, no point in lying now.

    It was the light called ¡°Desire¡±!

    It burned in their eyes and hearts, overpowering their fear of danger, oveing the constraints of reason, allowing desire, under the sly prodding of a vampire, to finally shed all disguises and brazenly disy itself for the first time in the souls before him, under the guise of ambition and ideals.

    Like a kindled wildfire, once ignited, it is very difficult to extinguish.

    ¡°I will build a new city in my territory!¡±

    Murphy spread his arms and dered loudly:

    ¡°I will call it the ¡®Crimson Citadel¡¯!

    It will be a city of glory, equality, justice, faith, wealth, and desire!

    I cannot do this alone.

    But I believe that with your help, all our ideals and ambitions will be realized!

    It is a city that embodies the dreams of all of us, it will stand tall in Transia!

    It will stand for ten thousand years!

    Now

    Gentlemen!

    Tell me, what is your answer!

    Leave? Or stay!

    Run away? Or stand firm!

    Be a coward? Or choose to be a hero?

    Tell me, what is your answer!

    Your lord is waiting, do not make me wait too long.¡±

 Chapter 141:

    32 hours after the yers left Transia.

    At the copsed area of the Blood Vulture Halls underground, a few dozen workers drafted from the survivors¡¯ camp were busy here. They cleared away the boulders and debris, reopening the intricate stairways descending deeper into the halls.

    These workersboring in the halls could earn 1.5 times thebor points of other jobs in the camp, and also enjoy a rather sumptuous and, more importantly,pletely free lunch at noon. As such, only the most diligent and loyal were assigned here by Miriam.

    They were often the most trustworthy as well.

    This was, after all, their of the Blood Vulture n, containing many things that could not be known to the outside world. Adhering to the ancient vampire traditions, it had many strange secret chambers, and even Tris and Femis could not exin whaty in many areas.

    Such as the underground storeroom being opened now.

    Murphy stood not far away, his hands sped behind his back, a demon sword at his waist, gazing at this ce.

    His gaze swept the surroundings, still able to see the path leading to the Sacred Blood Hall, but that area hadpletely copsed and was beyond repair.

    The devastation around the Sacred Blood Hall was catastrophic. Murphy had decided to seal off this entire area as the soon-to-be-opened ¡°instance dungeon¡± until they had sufficient manpower.At his side, the loyal Maxim, d in a heavy and imposing full te armor with two swords at his waist, stood like Murphy¡¯s shadow.

    He did not know what his master was waiting for here.

    However, at this moment, Maxim seemed still immersed in the meeting that had just ended, and finally could not help but voice his doubt in a soft voice:

    ¡°My lord, what kind of magic did you cast? It made your servants howl like they had been injected with fighting spirit, ready to serve you. Theypleted the camp¡¯s subsequent migration n in just half a day.

    By the Night Mother, I even saw the usually cunning andzy Portman personally leading the camp guards to transport supplies to the old city ruins.

    He¡¯s like a changed man. Did you twist his personality?

    I know vampires can do such things, just as you turned the unruly Adele into your loyal hound.¡±

    ¡°No, he has simply found the meaning of his life. And Adele is not my loyal hound, her soul and personality are independent. I have given her the opportunity to seek freedom. You must be mindful of your words, Max.

    Do not create unnecessary misunderstandings withnguage.

    As for Portman¡¯s change, it is easily exined. After over forty years of drudgery, he has finally confronted the ambitions and ideals of his youth, long since ground down by life.¡±

    Murphy said softly:

    ¡°Our Portman is a hedonist. One lonely night when he was twenty, after rewarding himself harshly, during the wise hours he vowed to sleep with at least 99 women in his lifetime.

    I merely told him his ambition was too pitiful.

    I told him that as long as he was willing and his body could withstand it, even 999 would not be a problem.

    I showed him the possibility of realizing his desire, needing only six months, do you understand, Max?

    Just six months for our domain to survive the ck Disaster, and he could live thevish life of his dreams. In this sense, Lord Portman is perhaps the easiest of my servants to satisfy.

    The real trouble is Old Sister Jules.

    Her sincere devotion to faith is admirable, and exploiting her faith also troubles my soul.

    I truly did not unleash any evil magic, Max. I merelyid out their desires and let them see their own cravings with their own eyes, nothing more.¡±

    Murphy sighed.

    He raised his left hand, looking at his slender, pale fingers, feeling the increasingly active power within him called the ¡¾Power of Desire¡¿.

    He keenly sensed the tremendous might of this ¡°original sin.¡±

    It was an extraordinarily powerful force, even more so than what Salrokdar and Tris had truly uncovered.

    Luckily or unluckily, Murphy seemed to have found the correct way to wield it.

    ¡°Morality can only constrain oneself, but desire can dominate others.¡±

    Murphy silently recited these words in his heart. He curled his fingers into a fist in the darkness, as if grasping some intangible force, under Maxim¡¯s reverent and loyal gaze.

    ¡°My lord, my lord, the path down has been opened!¡±

    A few minutester, a dust-covered foreman ran over to report the good news. Murphy nodded in satisfaction and said kindly to the sweat-drenched foreman:

    ¡°Lead the workers to rest over there. Your work has been highly effective. Once you have cleared away the remaining rubble here, you may return to the camp. I will instruct Miriam to arrange leave for you all in theing days.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±

    The foreman bowed obsequiously to Murphy. As the vampire lord walked forward, Maxim behind him looked the foreman up and down before speaking:

    ¡°My domain also needs such excellent workers. Are you interested in going to Leim Vige for the reconstruction work? I can appoint you as vige chief and give you a quota of 50 men to choose your own assistants from the camp.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    The foreman waspletely caught off guard by this stroke of fortune.

    His face beamed with unrestrained delight as he eagerly epted, then watched the two lords enter the underground storeroom that had just been opened, ted.

    The foreman did not know what was in the storeroom, he only felt he had encountered great luck today.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    As they entered the storeroom, Murphy said softly to Maxim at his side:

    ¡°You have learned to properly wield power.¡±

    ¡°Only to protect your secrets, my lord. What is hidden here is too important, those who know its location must be closely watched.¡±

    Maxim replied:

    ¡°ording to the old Blood Vulture traditions, these workers would have been disposed of, but I am well aware that you need manpower now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the correct thinking. People are the most important resource, the foundation of all great undertakings.¡±

    The vampire lord chuckled softly as the two delved into the dark storeroom.

    There were no light sources here, yet it did not impede their vision. Rows upon rows of wooden crates filled therge storeroom as far as the eye could see. Murphy walked up to the nearest crate, hooked his fingers under the lid, and with a light pull, its contents saw daylight once more.

    Hundreds of spears were stored within. Murphy picked one up, swinging it a couple of times¡ªwell-bnced, sharp head, perfect for new recruits.

    These are all standard recruit-level weapons that the little yers would not even look at. This ce is not meant for them.

    Behind him, Maxim opened another crate containing brand-new recruit leather armor and well-maintained shields. After a cursory inspection, he came over and reported to Murphy:

    ¡°There are enough weapons here to arm 6,000 Blood Servant warriors, my lord. Deeper in the storeroom, there are 1,500 sets of weak spirit-imbued weapons and armor specifically prepared for new vampire recruits.

    Unfortunately, no firearms.

    The people of Transia dislike such dangerous things, and vampires scoff at those fire-spitting contraptions. Yet we now live in an age of steel and gunpowder. Even ordinary Goldflower Kingdom soldiers can proficiently use muskets.¡±

    ¡°The issue of firearms can be discussedter,¡± said Murphy, not particrly disappointed.

    He patted the wooden crate in front of him and said to Maxim:

    ¡°Lord Pnno promised to help us press for the release of the captured armed Blood Servants from the war by Goldflower Kingdom and the Nordtov Kingdom. But I do not need 16,000 servant soldiers, we cannot afford to maintain such a massive army.

    When they return, you will select the most elite three thousand to reorganize the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force. Hmm, let¡¯s call it the ¡®Kadman People¡¯s Army¡¯ instead, a more fitting name. These weapons and armor can quickly equip them. Then choose another thousand decently upright veterans to serve as full-time militia in the viges we are about to rebuild, under themand and training of Lord Portman.

    Dismiss the rest as free civilians, scattering them into Crimson Citadel and the five collective farms we are currently preparing to rebuild. These viges will be future towns or even small cities.

    Max, I leave the domain¡¯s military system to you.

    Perhaps you need to find some veterans in the camp to serve as your staff officers and learn from them how to manage such arge force. Be mindful to promote capable individuals, for we cannot have merely three thousand soldiers in the future.¡±

    ¡°I will not disappoint you!¡± Maxim responded solemnly.

    Such weighty trust from his lord filled him with determination.

    ¡°Seal this ce up,¡± said Murphy, returning the spear to the crate. He then left the storeroom and nced at another previously excavated storeroom not far away.

    That one contained the armory of the hall guards and the patriarch¡¯s personal guards, the most ¡°prosperous¡± stronghold in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Maxim immediately answered:

    ¡°That area has also been inventoried, my lord. Including the guard weapons we recovered from the hall battlefield, we now have around 4,000 weak spirit-imbued weapons and 3,000 sets of weak spirit-imbued armor avable for distribution.

    There are even more scattered pieces of armor, but weck sufficient cksmiths and tailors to make use of those damaged items for now.

    As for the high-grade spirit-imbued weapons and armor used by the patriarch¡¯s personal guards, there are 1,000 sets each.

    These numbers exclude what you previously awarded to the warriors and represent the umtion of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s arsenal over the past 400 years. I heard from Lady Tris that the Blood Vulture n seems to have two hidden armories in the southern and northern parts of Transia, containing another batch of high-grade weapons and armor.

    Unfortunately, only the captain of the personal guards knew the locations of these top-secret armories, and they have all perished. But what we have here is enough.

    You can easily reconstitute the core elite of the Blood Vulture n.

    The only problem is theck of nsmen.¡±

    ¡°That is no problem at all,¡± Murphy chuckled softly. ¡°I never intended to rebuild the n in the traditional vampire way. The Blood Vulture n has merely kept an ancient name, this is simply the ¡®lineage information¡¯ I have prepared for my warriors to travel the continent in the future.

    Max, you are a vampire now too, you should understand the inherent ws of our race.

    We are like parasites, leeching off other civilizations and draining the blood of others to nourish ourselves. The midnight darkness in a vampire¡¯s nature causes them to start disruptive things once they congregate.

    So in my future ns for Crimson Citadel and Transia, the number of vampires must be strictly controlled! They should be kept to around 1% of the total poption, no more.

    I am a vampire.

    But I do not trust our so-called brethren.¡±

    ¡°A most insightful perspective, my lord. I agree,¡± Maxim voiced his approval, but then asked doubtfully:

    ¡°But ordinary soldiers cannot use spirit-imbued weapons and armor. Even Professionals would struggle to wield the spirit-imbued items the Blood Vulture n has umted over 400 years. Issuing them solely to your warriors would undoubtedly result in a massive waste of resources.¡±

    ¡°Their pace of acquiring new equipment may exceed your expectations. Moreover, they will not remain just sixty people forever.

    You think it is too much, I think it is too little.

    Far too little! Utterly inadequate. So once we have some free time, exploring the Blood Vulture n¡¯s two top-secret armories must also be on the agenda!¡±

    Murphy shook his head and instructed Maxim:

    ¡°Go find Miriam and have her assign personnel to manage these vital resources. Then categorize the spirit-imbued items by their power levels and appoint a quick-witted quartermaster to guard this ce.

    After my warriors return, I will arrange a new equipment exchange and recovery system for them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Maxim took out his notebook to record these instructions.

    A few minutester, the two left this storeroom area and turned a corner, arriving at the main entrance leading to the copsed Sacred Blood Pool.

    Tris had been busy here for quite a while. The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess was currently casting a spell on a strange ck stone standing at the copsed entrance, assisted by several vampire Spirit Mage guards.

    Maxim had never seen anything like this before.

    Its shape resembled an irregr pir, its ck surface covered inplex spirit runes, like some kind of beacon device.

    As Trispleted her spell, this ¡°Convergence Stone¡± also began emanating a unique dim glow in the darkness.

    ¡°Mydy, have our important ¡®Blood Vulture secret arts¡¯ been adjusted sessfully?¡± Murphy approached and asked.

    Tris nced at him and nodded, saying, ¡°It has been tested. I must admit I have never seen such an exquisite spirit-imbued item before. Are you certain this is the mysterious knowledge you gained from that failed Astral Realm summoning?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am certain. I even feel it may originate from an even more mysterious sub-space, perhaps a generous gift from some unknown sub-space shadow,¡± Murphy said softly, reaching out to touch the Convergence Stone¡¯s surface.

    In the next instant, a character card popped up with a note:

    ¡¾Special spirit-imbued item ¡®Convergence Stone¡¯ set upplete. Instance snapshot mechanism ready. Please select an instance segment from the currently archived event snapshot list.

    Currently avable instance snapshot list:

    Small Illusion: Mond Vige Ambush Battle, Smuggler¡¯s Woods Harassment Battle, Jedd Gang Raid Battle.

    Large Illusion: Advance into the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Note!

    One Convergence Stone can only hold one instance snapshot segment.

    Note!

    Test administrators can select special targets within the instance snapshot and assign them ¡®special drops¡¯. This mode currently does not support physical forms and can specify the use of ¡®special tokens¡¯ for exchange operations.

    Note!

    Test administrators can freely adjust the internal rules, enemy strength, enemy scale, and cooldown times within the instance snapshot.¡¿

    ¡°Cool! Three five-yer dungeons and one raid. The equipment acquisition channels for the ck Iron stage are pleted¡¯.¡±

    Murphy inwardly marveled.

    Being a newbie himself, he ced the snapshot segment of the simplest Mond Vige Ambush Battle into the Convergence Stone. Like unsheathing his consciousness, he entered a realm akin to a ¡°spirit illusion¡±.

    The experience was like turning on a game¡¯s ¡°edit mode¡±, incorporating the entire battle from the initial vige entrance ambush to Natalie¡¯s squad¡¯s attack that Murphy recalled.

    He could even specify NPCs to say rather embarrassing lines.

    Murphy was a bit clumsy at first, but he quickly became Proficient. Compared to the difficulty of running a mere nine lines of code that would report ten errors, this simple scene editing and rearranging was practically nothing.

    Thus, ording to his understanding of the instance dungeon, he soon made detailed modifications to the memory segment and confirmed the instance snapshot to take effect.

    A few minutester, Murphy withdrew his finger, and spirit illusions began swirling around the Convergence Stone before him. Looking closely at the light encircling the stone, it projected the scenery of Mond Vige within.

    ¡°Try it out.¡±

    Murphy gestured an invitation to Maxim beside him. Without hesitation, the loyal servant stepped forward, touching the Convergence Stone and infusing it with his spirit energy. His form was enveloped in a mist and reemerged nearly three minutester.

    What the hell!

    Finished in three minutes?

    Are you speedrunning this instance mode?

    Is Maxim just that powerful? Or did Murphy¡¯s instance design suck?

    No way!

    Gotta up the difficulty!

    Murphy thought as Maxim, savoring the recent experience, gave him an odd look and said:

    ¡°My lord, isn¡¯t this just our experience in Mond Vige? Only with some minor differences in details, and the enemies¡¯ strength seems to have been enhanced somewhat. Also, I don¡¯t recall shouting those strange lines during battle¡­what¡¯s this about a ¡®burning left hand calling for victory¡¯? It¡¯s too embarrassing!¡±

    ¡°Do not dwell on those details!

    Your experience just now is the wonder of the Convergence Stone. Knowledge from the Astral Realm grants us the ability to revisit our past battles in the form of illusions, and everything you experience within this illusion can be actualbat experience.¡±

    Murphy exined:

    ¡°Look at your Computation Bead.¡±

    Maxim immediately looked down.

    A ¡°token¡± slot had appeared on the Computation Bead¡¯s interface, recording three ¡°Recruit Badges¡±, corresponding to the three elite Witch Hunters he had faced in the illusion.

    Besides Recruit Badges, there were simr ¡°Veteran Badges¡±, ¡°Elite Badges¡±, and ¡°Warrior Badges¡±, likely obtainable by defeating enemies in more challenging battle illusions.

    ¡°Use this virtual currency as proof that my warriors have passed the trials. Afterward, they can spend it with the quartermaster to exchange for corresponding weapons and armor. As their strength grows and they need more powerful equipment, they can return these pieces to the quartermaster to receive tokens worth one-third of the original price.

    This way, spirit-imbued items from low to high grade can be recycled for reuse.¡±

    Murphy expounded to Maxim and Tris:

    ¡°Such a facility will undoubtedly rapidly enhance the warriors¡¯bat skills. Once our professional soldier system is established, I will also grant them ess to this spirit facility. Our new recruits will then experience utterly realisticbat training as well.¡±

    ¡°But if it is truly that perfect, your warriors may be immersed in this illusion and neglect changes in reality. Little Murphy, this is themon w of all scenario-type illusions,¡± the Spirit Sovereign Tris earnestly warned.

    ¡°No matter how realistic, an illusion is false. You must make your warriors understand this! Only changes in the real world are worth pursuing, not being consumed by illusory power.¡±

    ¡°They can only enter once per day, and more challenging team battles are limited to once a week,¡± Murphy exined.

    ¡°Furthermore, the weapons and armor exchanged with tokens are mass-produced. I only wish to grant them the most basic ¡®safety¡¯ of gains for each stage. If they want stronger, rarer, and more beautiful weapons, they must rely on their own explorations and trials in the real world to obtain them.

    I am well aware of the importance of this.

    So do not worry, Tris.

    However, each Convergence Stone can only hold one battle memory segment, so I need at least three more. Tris, I will require your assistance next.¡±

    ¡°I feel like I, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, have degraded into your servant now,¡± Tris said wryly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this not how normal family rtions should be? Count of Kadman, you order your n leader to work for you without even a word of thanks?¡±

    ¡°That makes us seem so distant,¡± Murphy smiled, taking Tris¡¯s wrist and softly cating her as she pouted and made demands like one Convergence Stone for twenty crates of fine wine.

    The loyal Maxim tactfully withdrew from the area at this point.

    The private lives of the nobles should not be pried upon, this was the basic conduct of the faithful.

    Moreover, in Maxim¡¯s heart, a ravishing beauty like Lady Tris could only be possessed by a heroic figure like Lord Murphy!

    Though their age gap spanned over 400 years, that was of no consequence!

    Who were these unseeing fiends toment on the perfect match of such a talented man and beautiful woman?

 Chapter 142:

    47 hours and 55 minutes after the yers left Transia.

    In the midnight chamber below the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy was quietly waiting in the darkness. In front of him, his little yers were lying on 60 tables, with 10 vacant spots waiting for neers.

    These 10 spots were the manpower feedback that the over 1,800 people rescued from below the Blood Vulture Halls gave to Murphy. Subsequently, over a hundred more people left, so the urate total number of test spots was 16.

    But releasing 16 spots didn¡¯t sound proper, so Murphy kept 6 in hand, nning to release them together with the next wave of feedback.

    The vampire lord patiently waited.

    In the darkness, he stroked his core bead, continuously weaving and modifying the soon-to-be-released quest content. He had done this many times before, just like deceiving people. At first, one would feel embarrassed and suffer from pangs of conscience, but if you were deft enough, you could quickly turn it into an art.

    At the moment when the major version update countdown ended, Murphy took a deep breath and cast the summoning spell again.

    His spirit pool was vast enough, and some of his potential had been unleashed. He couldplete the summoning of all yers at once, though it would be very taxing! Like the beautiful process of rewarding oneself, leaving one¡¯s waist hollow.

    The veteran yers had already bound their save points, so Murphy didn¡¯t need to summon them anymore.But the neers were different.

    All new yers had to be summoned by Murphy himself during their first login, like some sort of peculiar ¡°authentication ritual.¡±

    Fortunately, Murphy was a vampire.

    Their diverse race¡¯s traditions have always emphasized the sense of ¡°ritual.¡±

    Flickering spirit light dots wove the forms of ten new yers in the darkness, while the veteran yers crawled up from where they were lying, as if waking from sleep.

    Not everyone had logged in yet, as some were busy working for a living. But Murphy believed that on this day of the ¡°new version¡± release, they would definitely not miss this novel experience.

    Maxim, by his side, had witnessed his master¡¯s power before, but this time he finally couldn¡¯t help butment:

    ¡°Let me state this in advance, Master. I don¡¯t have any opinions about your eye for choosing warriors, and I won¡¯t treat the warriors differently based on gender. But this gender ratio is a bit too skewed, isn¡¯t it? Out of the 70 warriors so far, there are only fourdies.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I want this?¡± Murphy retorted:

    ¡°But in my warriors¡¯ world, the female desire for adventure is still far less than that of men. However, you must admit that our four current female warriors are truly unique.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t deny that. Their courage and strength are no less than men¡¯s.¡±

    Maxim nodded and said, ¡°I have decided to confer the knight titles in my hands to Your warriors.¡±

    ¡°You can decide these things yourself. They are your knights, and you are their lord. You need to manage them well. If anything happens, you¡¯ll be held responsible.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care or mind. But please be cautious and add some ceremonial ir. You know, they all like ceremonial ir. The more spectators, the happier they are. The moredies among the spectators, the more excited they be.

    Actually, it¡¯s not just them. Basically, all men are like that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Maxim responded with a nod, saying nothing more.

    On the yers¡¯ side, they were already familiar with the routine. After getting up, they greeted each other. Spicy Gugu Chicken took out prepared charcoal pencils, ready to draw something on the face of the sleeping Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman nearby.

    Unfortunately, each table here had a spirit protection, preventing Spicy Gugu Chicken from carrying out their prank.

    ¡°Ah, the security settings in this safe zone are too terrible!¡± Spicy Gugu Chickenined. ¡°I was nning to draw a little turtle on some unlucky fellow¡¯s face.¡±

    ¡°But you know it¡¯s necessary,¡± said Precipitation Niuniu, stretching their body and pursing their lips. ¡°If we could touch offline yers¡¯ bodies at will, my elder sister and the other three girls would be in danger.¡±

    ¡°Dude! Who would do such a disgusting thing?¡± Spicy Gugu Chicken refuted. ¡°Now that there are 60 of us who know each other inside out, no one would do such a thing, right?¡±

    ¡°Not now when we¡¯re few, but what about when there are more people?¡± Meow King chimed in, working his neck. ¡°Who knows if future additions might include deviants? If something like that really happened, even with punishment mechanisms, it could jeopardize the entire game. The best way to prevent a rat turd from ruining your soup is to cover your soup pot from the very beginning.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why the developers have already thought it through. They used an invitation system instead of randomly handing out test codes. This way, at least the people whoe in can be guaranteed to have a basic moral standard.¡±

    While walking lightly towards the chamber entrance to await their Lord Murphy, Ah Yuen said, ¡°Besides, we¡¯re all spirit bodies now, right? We don¡¯t have that function! In other words, our little pee-pees already belong to the developers. Damn, that sounds so deviant.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, with the way this game is going, there will definitely be rted content in the future!¡± Electronic Subus Old Tune was still fixated on R18 content.

    He firmly believed that the future was bright, and the path was winding. One day, he would be able to fulfill his wishes in this 100% realistic game. Yes, who wouldn¡¯t want a self-moving paper elf wife?

    The group soon arrived before Murphy, and the main NPC looked at them with anticipation.

    After exchanging nces, the student group¡¯s Leading Pigeon stepped forward and said to Lord Murphy on everyone¡¯s behalf, ¡°We have considered it, respected Lord Murphy. We are willing to join the Blood Vulture n and be Your descendants!¡±

    ¡°Good! Very good!¡± Murphy nodded in satisfaction, then looked towards Meow King¡¯s group.

    Meow King sighed, somewhat displeased as he touched the verdant grass wreath on his head. He said regretfully, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Murphy. We have considered it, and we really want to be the children of the night like You. But we cannot give up the blessings of the day and the zing sun. However, we will still serve You wholeheartedly! This will never change! Where You bid us go east, we will never look west!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You have already embarked on the path watched over by Avalon, which foretells that you will make achievements on the path of nature. My domain also needs talents like you. There¡¯s no need to apologize for this.¡± Murphy generously waved his hand and consoled, ¡°I have said before, in my heart, you are already my friends. However, even among friends, the proper procedures cannot be skipped.¡±

    The vampire lord looked at the little yers before him.

    These fellows were the first batch of veteran yers to enter the game, and their character levels and skill levels had already reached level 10 during the process of conquering the Blood Vulture Halls.

    This meant that this batch of little yers had already reached the upper echelons in mastering the skills and strength within the Professional realm.

    They could continue to hone their strength further.

    But for yers who were racing against time, this was already the best opportunity to undergo the ck Iron Trial. Murphy was also eager for his main forces to breakthrough in strength.

    ording to Murphy¡¯s optimistic estimate, in at most a week, he would have over 20 ck Iron tier warriors!

    And in a month, this number might exceed 70!

    This number might not mean much to forces at the level of the White Oak Battalion or the Pioneer Army, but for the currently dpidated Transia region, it was an unquestionable game-changer.

    It should be known that even among the over 30,000 people at the peak of the Blood Vulture n, the number of ck Iron tier vampires never managed to exceed half.

    The power system of any world was like this.

    Strength meant rarity, and the vast majority of ordinary people could hardly ever truly step into the transcendent realm of power throughout their lives. But Murphy could mass-produce ck Iron tier warriors, which was the true source of his confidence.

    ¡°My warriors, your strength and courage have been recognized by everyone. Now you must go through the Trial of Strength to prove yourselves! In my currently dire domain, everything iscking except for dangers that you can challenge.

    Therefore, upon your return to your second homnd, I shall bestow upon you a new mission.¡±

    As Murphy spoke in the standard NPC quest-givingnguage, all the yers who had reached level 10 in the midnight chamber received a new quest at the same time:

    ¡¾Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body has triggered!

    Quest Name: Stepping Into the Inhuman Realm!

    Quest Objective: Individually challenge ck Iron tier enemies until your personal potential is unlocked and released, or individually challenge X1 ck Iron tier elite creature to prove your strength, skill, and will!

    Quest Reward: Tier advancement, attribute increase, character level cap unlocked to 20, advanced job change unlocked.

    Note!

    During the ck Iron Trial challenge, no assistance from any allied targets is allowed. Once the battle begins, you mustplete it alone. Any external intervention will result in a failed challenge.

    Note!

    If you choose an elite creature as the trial target during the ck Iron Trial, upon sess, bring the creature¡¯s mark back to the Baron of Leim to receive an additional trial reward.

    Note!

    Challenging ck Iron tier elite creatures is extremely dangerous!

    Only those with an extremely high understanding of their profession and mastery of their strength have a chance of seeding in the challenge. Please cherish your once-every-three-days life, test personnel, and do not attempt it recklessly.¡¿

    ¡°Hah, finally a real upgrade!¡± Onboard Joy Stick cheered.

    He liked everything about this game, except for the level system.

    Levels 1-10 had no attribute increases, purely cosmetic.

    Of course,in as he might, Onboard Joy Stick also knew that hisbat prowess at level 10 was absolutely several times higher than at level 1. Not because of level suppression, but because level 10 yers had already surpassed newbies in terms of skills,bat will, andbat experience.

    So the level system was still useful.

    At the very least, it could show at a nce a yer¡¯s degree of mastery over their strength at each power tier. If one had to make a forced analogy, it was simr to the concept of ¡°character training¡± in nurturing games.

    ¡°My warriors, the domain we have seized together still faces many dangers, but for your ck Iron Trial, I can offer you some advice.¡±

    Seeing the rowdy little yers excitedly preparing to go out and y monsters, Murphy stopped them and said:

    ¡°The reconstruction of the outer city is about to begin, but the ghouls lurking in the city sewers have be a serious safety hazard. Warriors aspiring to cleanse the darkness of demonic forces and protect the citizens can report to the Baron of Leim.

    He willmand you to enter the sewers from several entrances marked by the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force and eliminate those demonic beings.

    But be sure to stay safe!

    My scouts have reported the appearance of ck Iron tier ghoul individuals in the sewers, including some elite leaders.

    If you find the sewer environment distasteful and crave a true challenge, then I suggest you seek out my intelligence officer, Lady Adele.

    She also has some secret troubles that require your assistance.

    Finally, the Crimson Regent Miriam is nning to reim the abandoned viges near the Crimson Citadel and dispatch people to spread the lord¡¯s authority to other viges. You can also participate in this.

    If youckbat experience, you can proceed from the hallway stairs to the deste inner city above. The mysterious shadows of the Astral Realm¡¯s creation shroud this area, and Duchess Tris is recruiting warriors to clear the spawn of despair and the challenging Astral Realm beasts there.

    But whichever n you choose, it is all to contribute to the development of the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain!

    I will keep it in my heart and send my quartermaster to prepare loyal rewards for you. You have also received Night Mother¡¯s blessing, allowing you to stay in this world longer. I believe you will make even greater contributions to ourmon cause in this great reconstruction.¡±

    ¡°Ding ding ding ding ding¡±

    With each sentence Murphy spoke, the yers¡¯ character interfaces would chime, leaving the little yers looking at each other bewilderedly.

    Wow, this new version was truly stimting and different.

    Quests that previously required finding on their own were now directly given by the main NPC upon logging in, a whole five of them!

    ¡¶Trial of Strength ¨C ck Iron Body¡·, ¡¶The Underground Shadows of Crimson Citadel¡·, ¡¶The Baroness of Shadows¡¯s Secret Errand¡·, ¡¶The Crimson Regent¡¯s Authority Procession¡·, and ¡¶Astral Realm Mysteries: Chapter Two¡· ¨C five quests with different starting branches clearly pointing to four different storylines and one yer strength advancement chapter.

    And this didn¡¯t even count the first chapter of the main quest line that hadn¡¯t triggered yet.

    ¡°Damn, I said that eight extra hours of game time would definitely be enough for a satisfying session, but with so many quests, where will I find enough liver to dedicate to my beloved otherworld? This developer really has ill intentions, don¡¯t they?

    I just knew it, they gave us all these conveniences not just to enhance the yer experience! Hmph! I feel like I¡¯ve been tricked.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark immediately let out a strange cry.

    Afterward, happyughter erupted from the crowd, filling the air with joy. However, would yers everin about having too few quests? The more, the better, the merrier, brothers.

    For the sake of this wonderful otherworld, offer up your livers!

 Chapter 143:

    Ding!

    ¡¾Main Quest ¨C Chapter 1¡¶The Dawn of Transia¡·has been triggered!

    Quest Content: After arduous and extraordinary battles and relentless progress, with your help, Lord Murphy has finally dealt with the most dangerous factors threatening his newly acquired territory. However, this does not mean that an easy time has arrived.

    Lord Murphy hopes his territory will develop, and this cannot be achieved without your help!

    Because on thisnd and beyond, there are still many unknown forces casting sinister nces at the new life you are about to begin. Thend under the sun is always coveted, as if it is a wicked curse.

    But you will not give up!

    Quest Objective: Progress the development of Crimson Citadel and the Transia region bypleting side quests. When the development reaches a certain stage, trigger the next phase of the main quest until Lord Murphy fully controls the entire Transia region and is prepared for the next impending danger.

    Quest Time Limit: 180 days.¡¿

    ¡°Damn, this main quest doesn¡¯t have any rewards? And it doesn¡¯t have any failure conditions either. It seems easy but actually feels quite sinister when you hear it!¡±On the way from the Blood Vulture Halls to the surface, Onboard Joy Stickined about the main quest that had just been triggered.

    He was now leading his formidable Tiger Leopard Rider brothers and some lower-level little yers in a temporary team. As themander, he enjoyed being surrounded and, to show off his prowess as a veteran yer, he analyzed to his group of good brothers:

    ¡°Baron of Leim Maxim is responsible for the sewer areabat. That damned ce is cramped with plenty of monsters, clearly a side-focused task left for melee fighters. As for the shadows lurking in the inner city, everyone is familiar with those Astral Realm creatures. Those ghostly things have no physical form, so attacking with des is tiring, but spirit abilities are very effective.

    And that¡¯s under the responsibility of Lady Tris.

    Lady Tris is the first mage of our newbie vige, so the Astral Realm mystery tasks are left for spirit wielders.

    As for the secret tasks of the Baroness of Shadows, I can¡¯t guess yet, but following the above logic, it¡¯s not hard to guess that those should be tasks for those aspiring to ranged or stealth professions. Hmm, Lord Murphy said this thing is quite difficult, so it might even be an elite quest.¡±

    He was randomly analyzing when he saw Meow King leading a group passing by. Joy Stick then yelled:

    ¡°Hey, Meow, and Pigeon, I have melee fighters here who need to level up the little brother, so I¡¯ll take the sewers first.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you want to hog it all?¡±

    Meow King turned and cursed:

    ¡°Be careful, or I¡¯ll report you to the NPCs. Don¡¯t cause any bullying in the market, okay?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?¡±

    Joy Stick rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°The main reason is that I have so many people that I need to carve out an area to organize our forces. It¡¯s not hogging! Any little brother who wants to join us is wee, but once in the sewers, you¡¯ll have to listen to mymand!

    That ce is quite dangerous.

    Especially for the ten neers who just logged into the game, wandering around carelessly is an easy way to lose their first life.

    The environment isplex with many passages. If you lose your Computation Bead and spirit dog tags, it¡¯ll be tough for your brothers to find them for you.¡±

    ¡°You have a point.¡±

    Meow King nodded, ncing at the ten neers in the crowd poking their heads out curiously, even sticking their tongues out to lick the walls. These strange behaviors were already a staple, and the ¡°peculiar¡± smiles on their faces were indeedplicated.

    Those who knew were ying a 100% realistic game, while those who didn¡¯t might think the guards from St. Elizabeth¡¯s had let the inmates out for a break.

    However, he was already used to these neers¡¯ strange behaviors. As ast resort, at least none of them had taken off their pants in public, which was already a tremendous improvement.

    It seemed their thousands of reminders on the forums had been effective.

    They were all buddies from another world, so when they came to y games here, they better not be looked down upon by the native NPCs.

    ¡°These new yers won¡¯t go to the sewers with you guys. That ce is too dangerous. They haven¡¯t changed jobs or learned newbie skills and are unfamiliar with the game mechanics. Going there would just be sending them to their deaths.¡±

    Dump Truck, along with his three brothers, waved at Joy Stick and said:

    ¡°We few casual yers were about to report back to Miss Miriam. We have official positions assigned at the camp, so we can¡¯t keep skipping out. We¡¯ll take them around for a spin andplete a few administrative quests to get familiar with things.

    We¡¯ll learn swordsmanship this afternoon and join you guys for leveling monsters early tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds like a solid n, brother!¡±

    Joy Stick was very satisfied with this arrangement.

    He wasn¡¯t really eager to lead neers, mainly because it was tiring. What he yearned for was a ¡°professional¡± army, not babysitting rookies. Plus, he was fired up and waiting toplete the ck Iron Trial to join the vampire n and start his second life.

    ¡°Well, about that guy, you don¡¯t need to worry about him. We¡¯ll take him along for leveling.¡±

    As Dump Truck was about to leave with the ten new yers, he unexpectedly saw Meow King suddenly jump out, cough a few times, pull a young man who was looking around from the crowd, pat his shoulder, and say:

    ¡°This is our own brother, we¡¯ll take care of him.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s your brother? Do you even understand, boss?¡±

    The neer ¡°Feel You Poor¡±, previously Sister Pomegranate¡¯s little boss, was unhappy as he stood with his hands on his hips and mocked:

    ¡°But I paid money, Meow King. That night you promised to let me have fun ying.¡±

    ¡°You better shut up, brother. Is there anything glorious about paying to y games?¡±

    The brother ck Stockings next to him was thin-skinned and couldn¡¯t help but pull the little boss aside.

    But the seasoned brother Dump Truck was so astute that he could tell Meow King¡¯s gang was nning to make some quick cash in the game from this situation.

    He gave Meow King a meaningful smile but didn¡¯t say much more, leading the remaining curious babies to set off for the Survivor Camp.

    It¡¯s a game, and everyone has their own way of ying.

    These RMB warriors are just having fun too. As long as they don¡¯t ruin the game environment, there¡¯s nothing to say. However, this game¡¯s leveling doesn¡¯t rely on killing monsters, nor is there any such thing as leeching experience. So how does Meow King n to lead the boss?

    As Dump Truck pondered this question, the four brothers Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Dog were already waiting ahead.

    Seeing this group of rookiesing, these four tough guys immediately greeted a tall, sturdy, and very steady-looking guy among the neers.

    ¡°Brother Dump Truck, this is our big shot, so you don¡¯t need to lead him around,¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar exined.

    ¡°The four of us will take our Master Mao out for a spin.¡±

    ¡°Yo, there are quite a few familiar faces this time,¡± Dump Truck teased.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys take the rest too?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work; we can¡¯t handle them all. We few brothers still need to prepare for the ck Iron Trial,¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roarughed and saw Dump Truck take eight rookies onto the carriage to the Survivor Camp. He then turned to say a few words to the neer ¡°Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood¡±.

    They were all enthusiasts from the niche martial arts circle, which didn¡¯t have many domestic yers, so they could generally converse.

    The man they called ¡°Master Mao¡± was basically considered a prodigy in this circle. He was also very righteous, and they had even participated in apetition abroad togetherst year.

    Male friendships are often quite simple. Although they hadn¡¯t met in person many times, their shared hobby was enough to build a decent friendship, or in extreme cases, even a code word or a nce would suffice.

    The four brothers Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Dog were among the fastest levelers in the game. They had already reached level 10. If they didn¡¯t have to receive Master Mao, they should have gone to challenge elite monsters for trial quests by now.

    ¡°Here, Master Mao, this is the leather armor we wore before. They¡¯re all masterwork recruit-level equipment, perfect for you to use now.¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle, who admired Master Mao the most, eagerly handed over the leather armor. Master Mao gestured that they were all family, so there was no need to be so polite. However, as soon as he reached out and touched it, his expression changed slightly as he said, ¡°Whoa, it has some weight. It feels just like the real thing.¡±

    ¡°Of course it feels just like the real thing, Master Mao,¡± South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl said with a sigh.

    ¡°We previously disassembled a piece of leather armor that broke duringbat. The craftsmanship inside was basically the same as in reality. We didn¡¯t believe the previous ims that this game strived for 100% realism in details, but after that incident, we were taught a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Yes, not just the armor and weapons,¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl opened a spirit bag and ced several weapons on the ground for the Master Mao to choose from. They had basically gathered all the ¡°newbie equipment¡± for Master Mao. After helping their friend put on the armor, he exined:

    ¡°The truly impressive part of this game is the NPCbat logic, which is exceptionally fierce. When you go to learn newbie sword arts, you¡¯ll understand. Although we¡¯ve never seen these sword arts before, they¡¯re definitely not just the developers brainstorming on a whim.

    They¡¯re all battlefield sword arts, bloody ones, with a strong desire to attack.

    Don¡¯tugh, when we first entered the game, we thought we could act like professionals and point out a few ws. But we were taught a lesson by the NPCs one by one, and that¡¯s when we realized how formidable they are.¡±

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar drew his twin swords and moved them around, grinning at Master Mao, who had put on his armor and picked up a sword and shield to get a feel for them. He said, ¡°Master Mao, why don¡¯t we spar? Practice a bit?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Like A Tiger Can Edge Woodughed and took a stance with his sword in his left hand and shield in his right. However, he quickly reacted with an odd expression and said, ¡°But you¡¯re level 10. Isn¡¯t this a level stomp?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not calcted that way, Master Mao. The levels in this game are just for us to see and have no actual significance. ording to the exnation, it¡¯s a data representation of our in-game character¡¯s self-discovery and mastery at each strength stage.

    It sounds pretty high-tech, anyway.¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle exined, ¡°There¡¯s no attribute difference between levels 1 and 10. Only after passing the ck Iron Trial will you gain 18 attribute points for your character.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I get it. It¡¯s the difference between a recruit and a veteran, right?¡± Master Mao nodded thoughtfully.

    He then lowered his body, raised his shield in front of him, and rested his one-handed sword on the shield, taking a standard defensive stance.

    This scene was coincidentally witnessed by Maxim as he emerged from the shadows along the wall of the hallway. He recognized the people in front but didn¡¯t approach to disturb them. Instead, he stood there, concealing his aura, and watched the warriors spar.

    Master Mao nodded at East River Lion¡¯s Roar, who had already taken an offensive stance with the Blood Vulture Sword Arts.

    The sparring began!

    ¡°Argh!¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar shouted and charged forward, wielding his de in a continuous shing attack. His smooth motions showed he had mastered thebo characteristics of the Blood Vulture Sword Arts quite well, earning a nod of approval from the observing Maxim.

    He was deeply impressed by these four warriors.

    They took the names of ferocious beasts for themselves, daring and unrestrained, yet emphasizing teamwork. They were also the most diligent in practicing their skills among all the warriors. This four-man team often found Maxim for challenge sparring during their free time.

    They imed they were building favor, but it indeed deepened Maxim¡¯s fondness for them.

    In fact, the Baron of Leim was considering whether to give them some of his knight titles.

    Maintaining a defensive stance, Master Mao was indeed very steady. He wasn¡¯t being forced to retreat by East River Lion¡¯s Roar¡¯s relentless attacks. In fact, he could have simply stood his ground and parried the attacks, but with each step back, he precisely increased the distance, forcing East River Lion¡¯s Roar to follow.

    A one-handed sword¡¯s attack range is limited, but the seemingly unimportant ¡°attack distance¡± directly determines the crucial ¡°victory standard¡± from the start of the battle, which Master Mao firmly grasped.

    After retreating about seven steps, Master Mao¡¯s feet touched a pile of loose soil.

    He narrowed his eyes and, with a flex of his ankles, the sand flew towards the front, causing East River Lion¡¯s Roar to halt abruptly. In that split second of the interruptedbo, Master Mao charged forward, taking a big step while raising his sword in his right hand overhead for a downward sh. East River Lion¡¯s Roar immediately crossed his twin swords to block.

    ¡°Hey, you left yourself wide open!¡± came Master Mao¡¯s taunt.

    Before East River Lion¡¯s Roar could change his move, it was toote.

    He lowered his head only to be struck in the chest by the wooden shield, which then nted upwards and smacked his face, causing him to lose his bnce and fall backward.

    ¡°Master Mao is awesome!¡± The three others immediately cheered.

    But Master Mao shook his head, sheathed his sword and shield, reached out to pull the rubbing-his-head East River Lion¡¯s Roar up, dusted him off, and told him, ¡°Your swordsmanship is good, but you¡¯re using it wrong. That¡¯s not how you use twin swords! The strong hand attacks, the weak hand supports. With both hands attacking, it may seem mighty, but it¡¯s just brute force. You can bully newbies, but against truly formidable opponents, you¡¯ll be blocking with your head?

    You need to be more skillful and not rely on brute strength.

    Take my advice and first master the sword and shield or spear. If that doesn¡¯t work, practice with a de. Twin swords are just for show, not practical, and difficult to master, they¡¯re an advanced skill. Blindly tinkering with them is useless and will only lead you astray.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s exactly why we need you to guide us, brother,¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar wasn¡¯t discouraged by his loss. Heughed and prepared to go to the sewers with Master Mao to hunt some monsters for practice.

    ¡°This game is really impressive,¡± Master Mao recalled the feel of swinging his sword and said sincerely, ¡°To be able to practice real skills. It seems you four will probably be the dark horses inpetitions this year.¡±

    ¡°Warriors!¡± Maxim¡¯s voice came from behind the five.

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar turned, immediately stood at attention, and saluted the Baron of Leim in a military manner.

    The four of them were sergeants in the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, so they naturally saluted theirmander. The Master Mao also mimicked their gesture and saluted the towering figure in front of him.

    ¡°I have a Special Quest for you,¡± Maxim approached and examined Master Mao before addressing the five, ¡°My territory is also my birthce, but Leim Vige has be ruins. I suspect simr undead like ghouls may have appeared there, and I hope you can go and investigate on my behalf.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, my lord. It is our honor,¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle replied, epting this randomly triggered quest. However, the next second, Maxim¡¯s gaze fell upon Master Mao again.

    He said, ¡°I just witnessed your sparring and realized this neer warrior is quite skilled. If you¡¯re not busy, could you spar with me in swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The quest trigger sound made the newly joined Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood pause. Looking down, he found he had received a hidden quest, ¡®The Monster¡¯s Trial.¡¯

    ¡°Master Mao, you¡¯ve got to give it your all!¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl took off his standardmander-level vampire greatsword and handed it to Master Mao, whispering, ¡°This NPC is incredibly powerful inbat. If you can defeat him, there are great benefits. Currently, only one yer has beaten him in the game, and you might just be the second.¡±

    ¡°That powerful?¡± Master Mao immediately became interested.

    He had previously read the little yers hyping up the martial arts system in this game on the forums and was itching to try it out. Now, he decided to fight with all his might.

    Seeing the eager light in his eyes, Maxim gestured for Master Mao to follow him into the shadowy area of the hallway. He then removed his heavy armor, drew his ceremonial ck de, and performed the swordsman¡¯s courtesy. Master Mao also bowed in the warrior¡¯s salute with his de.

    The two drew their swords and began their battle.

    Master Mao immediatelyunched into the famous ¡°Great Windmill¡± furious attacks of the greatsword style, while Maxim restrained himself to only using the Blood Vulture Sword Arts in retaliation.

    The sounds of their shing weapons echoed through the shadows, eliciting envy from the four watching brothers.

    Excitement welled up within them. After all, since the ¡°Maxim¡¯s Strength Challenge¡± was introduced, only Sister Pomegranate had managed to pass the challenge by ¡°exploiting a bug¡± ¨C a legendary tale among yers.

    But today, could Master Mao defeat Maxim without exploits? Tsk, was another yer legend about to be born before their eyes?

 Chapter 144:

    ¡°Encircle them, encircle! Clear out the surroundings! ck Stockings, Day One No Fap, Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off, you three keep watch at the perimeter, don¡¯t let any Astral Realm beasts escape and scare our esteemed little boss. Three to Five Pecks, be ready to provide assistance at any moment.

    Old Tune, go pull the aggro.¡±

    Inside the inner city ruins district of Kadman City, above the Blood Vulture Halls, Meow King was assigning tasks while casting a Thorn Spells on Feel You Poor, who was gripping a newbie sword and looking around nervously.

    The others followed hismands, while Meow King turned to the bewildered little boss and said, ¡°This game doesn¡¯t allow leeching experience. You have to grind levels yourself by hacking away. I just showed you the newbie sword skills. I¡¯ll teach you Spirit stter. But the key point is, don¡¯t panic when you encounter monsters, just take a stance and sh at them.

    The basic sword skills repeat themselves, the more you sh, the more familiar you¡¯ll be. Once you¡¯re proficient, you can adjust your stance to the standard form, no rush.

    My brothers and I will protect you, so you won¡¯t be in any real danger.

    As we agreed earlier, we¡¯ll escort you until level 5, aiming toplete that in two days.¡±

    ¡°Hey hey hey, I may not y many games, but I know ¡®power leveling¡¯ isn¡¯t done this way.¡±

    After listening in bewilderment, the little boss immediately objected to Meow King, ¡°Other games¡¯ power leveling services take care of both leveling and gearing up! Why do I still have to kill monsters myself?¡±¡°My brother, that¡¯s for other games. Look where you are now, look at these graphics, these pixel details, the aesthetic design of these ruins, and the physical feel. Do you think it can be the same?

    And as I¡¯ve said, rich little brother, we¡¯re not some low-end power leveling workshop,¡± Meow King rolled his eyes.

    He was regretting it deeply in his heart, wishing he could p himself twice for drinking that extra bottle of wine when having dinner with the student gang and Sister Pomegranate that night.

    As a result of boasting drunkenly to that group of students who could drink even more than him, a social worker, he had carelessly promised the little tagalong boss to level him up. When he woke up the next morning, he found the down payment had already been wired to his card.

    It was toote for regrets now.

    Though they had previously decided to shift their ¡°style¡± a bit, so using the little rich boss for some practice wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    ¡°Monsters iing!¡±

    The gunner Old Tune quickly pulled aggro.

    In this rtively safe area, he swiftly charged over, performing a stylish gunner¡¯s sliding tackle to reach Meow King¡¯s side. The two retreated a step in unison.

    Meow King even made an encouraging gesture towards the dazed little boss.

    A manifestation of despair emerged before them.

    It had no physical form, just a swirling ck mist constantly changing shape. Sensing Feel You Poor¡¯s anxiety and fear ahead, it eagerly transformed into a ck wolf and pounced towards him.

    In other games, a mere wolf would be easy, just a few skills and it¡¯s down.

    But this demonic thing felt too real.

    As the embodiment of despair leapt to attack, Feel You Poor¡¯s pupils seemed to dte, he could clearly feel this wolf pup lunging straight for his throat. Even though Meow King had provided him a newbie¡¯s sword, all he had to do was raise it to sh.

    But he was petrified with fear.

    He could only watch helplessly as the wretched thing wed towards him, his legs trembling, rooted to the spot.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    At thest moment, Old Tune coolly drew his sidearm spirit hunter¡¯s revolver and fired a precise shot, dispersing the embodiment of despair into billowing ck smoke in front of the little boss.

    Only a faint, mournful wail lingered and dissipated before him.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±

    Old Tune lowered his smoke-trailing witch hunter¡¯s revolver and said to Meow King, who was covering his eyes and ears, ¡°Our ¡®boss¡¯ here hasn¡¯t yed any monster-grinding leveling games before, has he? His mental fortitude is way too low.¡±

    ¡°Your mental fortitude was great too, don¡¯t you remember almost peeing your pants when the Witch Hunters came at you in Mond Vige?¡± Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off snickered as he butted in, ¡°I may not have seen it, but I keep hearing Day One No Fap and Led More Than Three to Five Pecks going on about how you got shed on the butt in your first battle, howling like you were dying.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, that was ages ago, why bring it up now? I¡¯m a super sharpshooter now!¡± Old Tune¡¯s face fell, but he didn¡¯t mock the little boss further.

    Indeed, apart from a few exceptionally gifted individuals, most little yers had traumatic first battles in games, simply oveing the barrier of virtual reality being a huge hurdle.

    ¡°Ahem, I was just nervous earlier! Never seen such vicious demonic things in reality before.¡±

    Seeing Meow King shake his head and approach, the little boss Feel You Poor felt embarrassed and tried to exin, but before he could say more, Meow King put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him aside, saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t I just refund your down payment¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey! Since when do businesses operate like that? I know I¡¯m a bit of a noob, but I can learn.¡±

    The little boss immediately objected.

    He felt that Meow King was looking down on him, but Meow King quickly exined:

    ¡°No, listen to me, rich little brother. It¡¯s not about you. I was just thinking that under this game¡¯s special leveling mode, power leveling services are basically impossible. The dev team has already blocked that path.

    Look, even if we escort you, all we can do is act as bodyguards and keep watch. At this rate, you won¡¯t level up much in a day, and we¡¯ll be wasting our time too.

    This is different from what we initially set out to do.

    We can¡¯t do it this way!

    So, let me refund your down payment, brother. Level up and get a grasp of the skills yourself first. When you hit level 10, we¡¯ll escort you through the Blood Vulture Halls for free aspensation.

    We¡¯ll help you clear that team dungeon and get you a nice set of gear to tackle the ck Iron Trial.

    If that¡¯s still not enough, here, take this.¡±

    Meow King took out a Blood Vulture Sword Arts Master skill manual from his Spirit Bag and handed it to Feel You Poor. This item used to be very rare, but as the game progressed past the prologue, most of the first batch of little yers had acquired one.

    Although it¡¯s an advanced manual for basic sword skills, the Blood Vulture Sword Arts still requires this item for rapid mastery training. It¡¯s a somewhat important game item, at the very least.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to kill monsters, you can read books instead,¡± Meow King exined.

    ¡°This game allows you to increase skill proficiency through reading, albeit slowly. If you really can¡¯t standbat and killing monsters, you could join Dump Truck Iaido and the others at the camp, do administrative quests, help move stuff or find lost kittens, that¡¯ll raise your character level too.

    Combat is just a small part of the overall game experience.

    Or, why don¡¯t you try bing a vige chief?

    I think those administrative jobs are quite interesting too, though you might need to grind some reputation in the Survivor¡¯s Camp first.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna be a boss, that¡¯s not for me,¡± the rich little brother said, not taking the skill manual Meow King offered.

    He had figured out what was going on, but he didn¡¯t get angry. Plopping down on the ground, he plucked at the grass and said magnanimously to the gathered bros, ¡°To be honest, I never expected to make a name for myself in this game. I never really liked gaming growing up, it was just a fluke that I ended up here. But this demonic game is made so realistically, it might be a good ce to unwind.

    No need to refund the down payment.

    I¡¯ve never had the habit of taking back money I¡¯ve given out. Consider it the price of making some new friends. You guys can go about your business.

    I¡¯ll y on my own, and contact you if I need help.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Paying five figures to make friends?¡± brother ck Stockings was dumbfounded, blinking as he said, ¡°Is this the world of the rich?¡±

    ¡°Brother, we can¡¯t take this money! Bad reputation!¡± Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off whispered to Meow King, who nodded.

    As an old hand, Meow King understood this, of course. But the rich little brother seemed to be in high spirits and quite carefree in temperament, so it wouldn¡¯t be gracious to press the matter further.

    He decided to return the down paymentter through Sister Pomegranate.

    However, they had barely gone far when discussing whether to try the newly opened Blood Vulture Halls dungeon, when Meow King received a private message from the rich little brother:

    ¡°Come back quickly! Quick! I found a huge beast! Right where we were! A tiger! It¡¯s a huge tiger!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Meow King blinked and replied: ¡°You saw an Astral Realm beast? Don¡¯t approach it! Rich Brother, that thing is very dangerous, wait for us to get there!¡±

    Feel You Poor didn¡¯t respond, making Meow King¡¯s heart sink.

    Thinking this little boss really was fearless, he immediately led the brothers back, only to find disordered footprints and scattered blood stains at the original spot.

    ¡°Oh no! The money bag got eaten!¡± Three to Five Pecks, carrying a shield, cried out.

    He thought the Rich Brother had been devoured by beasts prowling the Astral Realm¡¯s shadows, but Meow King soon realized something was off.

    Tapping into his Oak Apprentice¡¯s natural spirit perception, he tracked the footprints through the expansive inner city ruins and soon heard the deep roars of some ferocious beast, even catching a whiff of blood in the air.

    ¡°Over there!¡±

    With a wave of his Crimson Witch¡¯s staff, the six-man team immediately formed abat formation and advanced.

    Their small group was already an absolute top tier among current yers, be it equipment, jobposition or teamwork, they were front-runners. So they quickly traversed the treacherous Astral Realm shadows to reach the area ahead.

    ¡°Damn! How did he get up there?¡±

    The sharp-eyed subus Old Tune eximed.

    The others looked up to see the bleeding Rich Brother Feel You Poor perched atop a severely spirit-eroded weathered stone pir, while below, a snarling Astral Realm tiger was circling and continuously roaring.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! Kill it! This is way too intense!¡±

    The originally terrified Rich Brother, who thought he might get eaten, immediately regained his spirit upon seeing Meow King¡¯s team arrive as reinforcements. He seemed to be clutching something but didn¡¯t dare move, only shouting continuously.

    The battle-hardened group didn¡¯t act rashly. The gunner Old Tune first sent out a scout, and the feedback made him turn pale.

    ¡°ck Iron elite Astral Realm tiger! Its size makes it a BOSS-level!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, let me take it on solo,¡± Meow King said, suddenly interested.

    He nced at the ck Iron Trial details on his character interface and saw the option for a single challenge against an elite ck Iron creature, so he decided to give it a try.

    ¡°Are you crazy!¡± Three to Five Pecks, shield at the ready, yelled. ¡°That thing could swallow you whole, its paws are bigger than your head!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a try, if I can¡¯t beat it you guys can jump in and help. It¡¯s not like I have to fight to the death, are you stupid?¡±

    Meow King rolled his eyes, first casting a Thorn Spells on himself, then conjuring the nature shield he had learned from Lady Tris¡¯s reward skill book, and finally equipping the Avalon replica sacred de at his waist.

    This was currently the only ¡°super weapon¡± among yers, and the source of Meow King¡¯s confidence in soloing the elite.

    He started by binding the Astral Realm tiger with Root Bind, but it broke free in less than three seconds. Amid low, thunderous tiger roars, it struck Meow King with an Intimidating Ferocity, interrupting his spellcasting. The ethereal massive tiger shed towards him, shattering the nature shield with its paws, sending Meow King rolling away barely avoiding its lethal swipes.

    ¡°Damn! That strength! What solo, this is crazy!¡± he cried out, calling for backup.

    The other brothers finally rushed inughing, Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off pulling his cousin up from the ground, smirking, ¡°The Quest Description warned you, soloing elites is advanced gamey, no need to risk your life!

    But you wouldn¡¯t listen.

    Look at our gear, we don¡¯t even have a full masterwork veteran set yet, no enhancement scrolls, no potions, no buffs, what were you nning to use to solo something even Wu Song would be afraid of?

    Your willpower and courage?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost anything to try, less talking, let¡¯s take this guy down!¡± A disheveled Meow King had temporarily given up on soloing the elite, an achievement perhaps only a savant could manage, his current character clearly needing a few more days of refinement.

    Not to mention, at the very least a full ¡°Patriarch¡¯s Guard¡± standardmander gear set would be required, or being a soul-spec tech yer who could go light on gear.

    A six-man team facing a ck Iron elite Astral Realm tiger still carried immense risk, but fortunately Meow King¡¯s squad had aplete jobposition with tank, healer, DPS and a wanderer. After nearly five minutes, they finally crippled the Astral Realm tiger.

    Under the cover of shield-bearer Three to Five Pecks, Meow King activated his sacred de, using its Purifying de to stab the tiger into a weakened state.

    ¡°Hey Rich Brother, wannae down and get a hit in?¡± Meow King called out. ¡°You¡¯re our financier after all, gotta participate a little, right?¡±

    ¡°Tch, I went hunting on the African savannas at twelve, got plenty of experience killing ferocious beasts. You guys finish it, I¡¯m kind-hearted, can¡¯t stand the sight of blood.¡±

    The Rich Brother waved his hand, declining to participate.

    Meow King¡¯s group didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, mobbing the old tiger to send it back to the Astral Realm.

    It was quite generous, dropping a few starlight-glimmering beast bones that Meow King collected.

    Only after securing the area did Feel You Poor sluggishly climb down from the pir, showing decent agility, he clearly frequented the gym regrly.

    But it was only when hended that the others saw what he had been cradling.

    A fluffy, cat-like creature poked its head out from Feel You Poor¡¯s embrace, mewling softly. Its fur, like the Astral Realm tiger¡¯s, glimmered with faint light, leaving the group perplexed.

    ¡°You nabbed its cub? That¡¯s so hical!¡± Day One No Fap said with disapproval. ¡°No wonder the mother tiger chased you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? This isn¡¯t a tiger, do you think I¡¯m the kind of scumbag who would bully orphans and widows?¡± The Rich Brother objected, then openly presented the ¡°kitten¡± cradled in his arms.

    Only then did the others see the membranous, bat-like wings folded around its body, and its bizarre, scorpion-like ck tail.

    ¡°After you guys left, I found this little thing in the nearby ruins. It must have just hatched and wandered off, getting targeted by that big tiger,¡± Feel You Poor stroked the creature unseen in the real world with undisguised affection, certain his lucky encounter in-game had granted him this adorablepanion.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this an Astral Manticore?¡± Meow King stroked his chin. ¡°There¡¯s a hidden manticore BOSS in the dungeon halls, damn, could this be that BOSS¡¯s offspring? Didn¡¯t those Witch Hunters who drove it into the dungeon say the mother manticore nested in these ruins?¡±

    ¡°Wherever it¡¯s from, this precious baby is mine now, we have a bond.¡± Feel You Poor dered grandly, cradling his little manticore protectively.

    The manticore cub clearly feared its surroundings but was also full of curiosity, seeming to recognize Feel You Poor as its savior from the tiger, even licking the Rich Brother¡¯s fingers with its tongue.

    Though disheveled and filthy, Feel You Poor¡¯s radiant smile showed his earlier foul mood had vanishedpletely.

    He said openly to Meow King, ¡°You guys helped me catch my baby, that settles the down payment, don¡¯t mention refunds again. Now for the final task, ask around who can teach me how to raise it? What job should I switch to for raising my little stinker?

    I need that info. Find it for me!

    Money? Not a problem!¡±

 Chapter 145:

    ¡°What? An Astral Manticore? Where did you find it?¡±

    Just as Murphy was about to set out on his daily territory patrol, he received a beadmunication from Tris, but the content left him bewildered.

    He was aware that there were such dangerous creatures as Astral Manticores roaming in his city, but he had already killed the mother manticore, and its venomous tail stingers were still lying in his spirit bag. ording to Adele, they were suitable for making into throwing daggers, but since the Crimson Citadel currently had no capable cksmiths, Murphy could only keep them for the time being.

    But where did this little manticoree from now?

    Damn!

    Could it be that old Finoch¡¯s ominous words hade true, and that mother manticore had actuallyid eggs in the city, which have now hatched?

    This would be a dire situation.

    There were already enough dangerous and troublesome things in this city, no need for more troubles!

    ¡°How would I know where your warriors captured this little manticore? Its eyes have just opened.¡±Tris¡¯s impatient voice came from the bead:

    ¡°They even unrealistically wanted to tame it, but they ended up finding me instead. However, I¡¯m a Spirit Mage, not an animal expert. You¡¯re the Astral Realm creature summoner, dealing with this is your specialty.

    I¡¯ve sent them to you.

    You handle it, and by the way, I must say, your warriors are not at all respectful to me, the new Duchess!¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t seem to mind their disrespect when you epted the fine wine they offered you,¡± Murphy retorted, holding the core bead like a phone.

    ¡°They¡¯re still constantly sending you wine, so you should be a little more tolerant of their attitude. But if they go too far, you can show them a taste of your wrath.

    They¡¯re smart, they¡¯ll know better than to provoke you once you get upset.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Tris emphasized indignantly:

    ¡°In the past, when I was a nobody, they would send one bottle at a time. Now I¡¯m the Blood Vulture Duchess, a golden-ranked powerhouse, and yet they stille with only one bottle at a time? What¡¯s the point of me being a Duchess then?¡±

    ¡°Why are you shouting so loudly? You might as well put up a sign at your door saying that each wine offering can¡¯t be less than five bottles,¡± Murphy said, digging in his ears.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say it yourself, did you? My warriors are not good at reading between the lines.¡±

    ¡°Oh, good idea, I¡¯ll do just that!¡± Tris replied, cutting off the beadmunication.

    Murphy shook his head helplessly.

    He had already heard the voices of the little yersing from three corridors away, so he straightened his appearance, making sure everything was perfect, before striking a handsome NPC pose in his office, awaiting the little yers¡¯ visit.

    ¡°Knock, knock.¡±

    The door knocked, and Meow King pushed it open, followed by Feel You Poor, while the other brothers waited outside.

    Earlier, Meow King had reminded them at the doorway, so when he performed the Blood Vulture salute to Murphy, Feel You Poor also clumsily mimicked the gesture, then started secretly observing Murphy, who was sitting behind the desk, maintaining a pose with his hands crossed like a certainmander in a famous scene.

    The first impression was, ¡°So handsome!¡±

    The second impression was, ¡°Is this really a human appearance?¡±

    But then again, he¡¯s a vampire, so maybe he had some kind of ¡°spirit cosmetic surgery¡± when he became a vampire?

    Yet this demeanor, look at his bearing, his expression gentle yet notcking in dignity, a smile on his face yet exuding an air of grace.

    Tsk, tsk, truly impable, much more refined than those so-called traditional nobles in reality.

    ¡°Lord Murphy, my new squad member unintentionally found a newly hatched manticore in the Astral Realm shadows of the inner city district. Lady Tris has instructed us to seek your valuable advice on how to handle this rare creature.¡±

    Meow King first exined, then gave a gesture, and Feel You Poor immediately presented the little manticore he had been hiding in his clothes with both hands.

    This little thing had clearly emerged from its shell less than 24 hours ago.

    Its soft wings were still in their newborn state, and its normally formidable scorpion tail had no intimidating power at the moment.

    But it seemed very perceptive.

    When brought before Murphy, it seemed to sense the danger of the being in front of it, and made soft, kitten-like sounds while scurrying back into Feel You Poor¡¯s embrace.

    It was instinctively seeking a safe ce for shelter.

    However, as a Summoner specializing in Astral Realm creatures, Murphy obviously had ways to deal with such situations.

    With a gentle rub of his fingers, he produced a cluster of light mimicking Astral Realm spirit energy, which attracted the little manticore¡¯s attention. It tilted its head and squatted on the desk, observing the glowing orb.

    When Murphy dropped the light ball, it cheered and pounced on it, hugging and biting it. However, since it had just hatched and its mind was still unstable, even with Murphy using Beast Tongue, effectivemunication with the little creature was difficult.

    ¡°A typical newborn, it has yet to pass through the most dangerous stage for its kind. Fortunately, you encountered it, or this little one might have been killed by spawns of despair or Astral Realm beasts. The Astral Realm is a mysterious, barren ce teeming with dangers.

    Killing the offspring of powerful creatures is the cruel instinct of all life there.¡±

    Murphy tapped the little manticore¡¯s head, then looked up at Meow King and Feel You Poor, saying:

    ¡°Do you intend to tame it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    Feel You Poor said cautiously:

    ¡°I feel this little creature has a connection with me, uh, I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to exin, I have also learned and understood your culture,¡± Murphy said with a wave of his hand and a smile. Then, he put on a frowning expression that made Feel You Poor worry for a few seconds before this exceptionally graceful lord answered:

    ¡°Normally, Astral Realm creatures like the manticore, upying the upper levels of the Astral Realm food chain and born with the traits of gigantic beasts, are impossible to tame.

    Their immense strength and proud wildness do not allow them to submit to beings of the material world. As far as I know, even the most skilled beast tamers among the elves and frost dwarven hunters have no records of taming manticores, let alone the more dangerous and powerful Astral Manticores.

    This little one is only being friendly to you now because it has not yet awakened its predatory instincts. Once itpletes its first hunt, it will leave you without a second thought.

    Furthermore, Astral Manticores grow much faster in the material world than you might imagine. With sufficient food, it will enter its growth phase in no more than half a month.

    At that time, you¡¯ll be facing a ferocious beast with pawsrger than your head.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Feel You Poor was immediately discouraged.

    He didn¡¯t doubt that an NPC would lie to him, but from the gentle gaze he gave the little manticore, Murphy knew the guy was absolutely nning to take a risk and attempt to tame it.

    Murphy noticed this keenly.

    He chuckled again, holding the little manticore and letting it cling to and bite his fingers, then said to FeelYouPoor:

    ¡°But I also said that was just the general case. For Astral Realm creatures, apart from taming, there is another way to gain their allegiance. My warrior, have you heard of the profession called a ¡®Summoner¡¯?¡±

    I just entered the game today! Where would I have heard of it?

    Is this NPC joking with me?

    Feel You Poor silently protested.

    But he still had to feign an attentive look, which amused Murphy.

    He loved it when little yers were impatient but had to listen.

    In this world without phones,puters, or electronic games, teasing little yers was almost Murphy¡¯s onlysting entertainment for the time being.

    ¡°Swish.¡±

    Murphy snapped his fingers.

    Then, amidst scattered starlight, his Astral Direwolf George emerged from the shadows with a low whimper, ring fiercely at Meow King and Feel You Poor before obediently lying down at Murphy¡¯s feet like a loyal hound.

    The Astral Direwolf¡¯s presence also startled the little manticore, causing it to curl up in a ball in Murphy¡¯s hand.

    ¡°As you can see, my warrior, I am a Summoner specializing in Astral Realm creatures. I can teach you the professional knowledge to achieve spirit resonance with this little manticore, so that it can be your summoned creature.

    But you must first send it back to the Astral Realm, its home, after it has grown. That way, even if it dies in the material world, it can recover and answer your summons again.

    However, the problem is¡­¡±

    Murphy handed the little manticore back to Feel You Poor, who knew something was amiss when he heard ¡°but.¡±

    He stared nervously at Lord Murphy.

    Thetter struck a certainmander¡¯s signature pose, propping his chin with interlocked hands, and said to FeelYouPoor:

    ¡°The number of summoned creatures you can link with as a novice Summoner is limited, and a formidable beast like the Astral Manticore will undoubtedly upy all your summon slots. This means you will lose various powers as a Summoner. You need to have a clear understanding of your career path and ensure that you can bear being severely weakened during the novice period.

    Secondly, to ensure your smooth transition into bing a Summoner, I need you to prepare some rare materials for the initial bonding contract with the little manticore.

    These materials can all be found in Transia.

    The only issue is that they are rare, and rarity means expensive.¡±

    ¡°Money is no problem, my lord!¡± Feel You Poor eximed joyfully, seeing the hope of taming the manticore and thumping his chest.

    ¡°Please rest assured, I will find these materials as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, such indifference for money suggests you were a rather sessful and affluent person in your homnd, my warrior. However, you have overlooked the fact that you are now in another world,¡± Murphy said with a somber reminder.

    ¡°I can hear the pitiful jingle of the three copper coins in your pocket as you walk, that mournful sound representing your status as a pauper here. So, let me give you some advice: seek help from yourpanions.

    Additionally, you must find these materials promptly.

    At the little manticore¡¯s growth rate, it will soon begin its first hunt.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go find them right away!¡± Feel You Poor was seized by a sense of urgency, taking the list from Murphy¡¯s hand and running off. He had now activated a career quest called the¡¶Summoner¡¯s Trial¡·.

    Murphy doesn¡¯t just hand out quests randomly.

    He had already confirmed that little Feel You Poor had a Intelligence score of 7, along with the character traits of ¡¾Unknown Principle¡¿ and ¡¾Curiosity¡¿, meeting the conditions to be a Summoner.

    Watching Feel You Poor run off, he nodded with satisfaction, thinking to himself that he now had materials to craft an Astral Realm beast tamer¡¯s hunting whip.

    Who needs a trial to be a Summoner apprentice?

    Just give Feel You Poor the manual Tris had previously given him to read for a day or two, and there would be results. But since this is an apprenticeship, shouldn¡¯t he provide some guidance and materials?

    His little yers were truly useful.

    The vampire lord inwardly marveled again, then turned to look at Meow King and said:

    ¡°My warrior Meow King, the warehouse and business overseer of my city are preparing to travel to the border town of Bataxin in Transia toplete a transaction crucial to our territory¡¯s food security. My overseer needs some warriors as escorts.

    If you have the time, you can report to Lady Palen at the survivor¡¯s camp.

    Of course, I suggest you visit Adele first, as she has some covert tasks to assign to true warriors.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Meow King readily epted this quest triggered by Murphy.

    Since he had confirmed the difficulty of the ck Iron Trial was quite high, Meow King was not in a hurry. He nned to first obtain some equipment and practice his skills before challenging the elite enemies.

    Although there were two paths toplete the trial, Meow King had no intention of grinding regr ck Iron-tier monsters from the start. He was ambitious and aimed to rise in this game! Completing the challenging quests would naturally greatly proim his strength.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Lumina had just finished an experimental report and was about to go online happily to y the game. But after putting on her headset and browsing the daily hot posts as usual, she was astonished to find a highly popr thread on the forum.

    Its name was quite strange:

    ¡¶Buying the Following Items at High Prices! Brothers and Sisters, Don¡¯t Hoard If You Have The Goods! Help a Brother Out, and You¡¯ll Be Rewarded in the Future!¡·

    Just from the title, she could tell this thread was shady.

    Seeing that the poster was ¡°Feel You Poor,¡± Lumina was even more convinced of the thread¡¯s dubiousness.

    As the ¡°sister-friend¡± of Sister Pomegranate in the game, she had previously learned of this young boss¡¯s heartrending experience in the process of starting his business, firmly establishing her impression of him as an adorably naive youngster.

    However, out of curiosity, she still clicked into the thread to take a look.

    Feel You Poor detailed the trouble he had encountered and the material requirements for transitioning to the ¡°hidden profession¡± of Summoner. Looking at the long list of various material names, even the veteran yer Lumina shook her head.

    While these materials could indeed be found around Kadman City, they were extremely scarce due to being spirit materials.

    She had only encountered some of them by chance while running tasks at the survivor¡¯s camp.

    And now the quantity Feel You Poor needed was quite substantial, making Lumina seriously doubt whether this newbie had been ¡°scammed¡± by a cunning NPC?

    In other games, she wouldn¡¯t believe it, but such urrences weremonce in this real game. For example, Lumina had previously spent ten gold coins on a secondhand pistol that cost less than one gold coin to produce.

    Ah, the feeling of being ripped off really made one¡¯s blood boil just thinking about it.

    With this in mind, Lumina gritted her teeth and replied in the thread:

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾@Feel You Poor, I have seven of the items on your list in my bag. Let¡¯s meet somewhere, I¡¯ll go online and give them to you right away.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Hehe, great, you¡¯re so kind, sister! Leave your card number, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you now.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾??? I don¡¯t need money, don¡¯t do these offline transactions, or there could be big trouble if caught. Those items are useless to me anyway, just taking up bag space, so consider them a gift from me.

    Hehe, I heard about your recent situation from Sister Pomegranate, so think of it as cheering you up.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Wuwu, there are still good people in this world, sister. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance of the Midnight Chamber in the Blood Vulture Halls, just missing these few materials to get it done.¡¿

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾??? You¡¯ve already got all those materials on your list? So quickly? You didn¡¯t just buy them all with money, did you? How much did you spend?¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Not too much, just a few meals¡¯ worth. Life is about being happy, sister. Come quickly, I¡¯m waiting for you, woo.¡¿

    Lumina shook her head, marveling at how different this Feel You Poor was.

    But she had indeed encountered some ¡°affluent¡± people in reality, like that Little Ashina, who behaved just like this Feel You Poor. Before going on a dungeon run, she had transferred Meow King¡¯s gang thousands of yuan to buy equipment for Orchid without batting an eye.

    s, their life pursuit was happiness, while her fate was so miserable!

    She sighed as she prepared to go online, and a few secondster, her phone buzzed with notifications. She picked it up and saw it was a red envelope from Sister Pomegranate.

    The four-digit amount made her eyes go wide.

    There was also a message from Sister Pomegranate saying that the young boss had transferred her some money to give to Lumina as material costs, and that Lumina should feel free to take it.

    She also said the young boss was just a rich, foolish person who wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.

    Ah, you people are so damn rich!

    As for the game, Murphy had just finished patrolling his territory and returned to his office when he saw Feel You Poor waiting outside his door with arge bag of items.

    ¡°Lord Murphy! I¡¯ve gathered all the materials!¡± he excitedly ran up to report, leaving Murphy with a strange look.

    So quickly?

    You must have mobilized all the little yers to help you with this quest, right?

    You utilized your Power of Money, didn¡¯t you?

    Tsk, Feel You Poor is incredible.

 Chapter 146:

    Rich Guy happily left Murphy¡¯s office ten minutester.

    In his hand, he had an Astral Realm Summoner Novice handbook. After reading it multiple times, he could sessfully change jobs. Lord Murphy was also very considerate and gave him some reminders on how to feed the Astral Realm manticore.

    Considering this game¡¯s 100% realistic feature, feeding had to be done with special care. During the early stage when the little manticore just hatched, feeding it random things would definitely cause trouble.

    ¡°Hmm, bloody steaks, two eggs per meal, and preferably a few spirit-imbued bones for chewing during dinner. I also need to sleep with it at night to build intimacy. After raising it like this for seven days and helping itplete its first hunt, I can try marking it with my spirit.¡±

    Rich Guy looked at the notes he had written down, then gave the little manticore in his arms a strange look. Thetter tilted its head and let out a soft, squeaky cry.

    It was hungry!

    It wanted meat!

    Woo woo!

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think even my mom was this meticulous when raising me. Now it¡¯s my turn to raise you, you little rascal. You better protect me in the future. Hmm, since I have to treat you like the real deal, why don¡¯t I hire a professional caretaker to look after you?Leave specialized tasks to the professionals.

    Wow, I¡¯m a genius!¡±

    Rich Guy grinned, patting the little manticore¡¯s head, in an excellent mood as he hummed a tune, nning to go to the camp and find something tasty for his little darling. However, as soon as he left the Blood Vulture Halls, he ran into a student.

    ¡°Hey, Rich Guy, remember me?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark took the initiative to greet him, and Feel You Poor scratched his head, saying:

    ¡°We had a meal together that day, right? You¡¯re one of Sister Pomegranate¡¯s student friends, what was your name? Something like Miaomiao.¡±

    ¡°Miaomiao Shark, a man aspiring to be a Pet Master!¡±

    Miaomiao Shark introduced himself.

    He didn¡¯t waste time making small talk either, telling Rich Guy:

    ¡°I saw your post on the forum and learned that you got a little manticore, so I came to ask you where you found it. I¡¯m on the Ranger and Hunter path, and supposedly there¡¯s an advanced branch that lets you tame pets. I want to know if I can get one too.¡±

    ¡°What? You want one as well?¡±

    Feel You Poor grinned and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, buddy. I heard from Brother Meow that it might have been a rare event that I luckily encountered. Just now, Lord Murphy also said that this little manticore might be the child of the mother manticore from the Blood Vulture Halls dungeon.

    He said manticores are basically impossible to tame.

    But he also mentioned that a manticore¡¯s litter can have over a dozen eggs. If my little darling can sessfully hatch, it means there might be more in its nest.

    If you want to try your luck, I suggest you look around the undercity sewers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark quickly noted down this information, then thanked Rich Guy profusely and even gave him a few bloody bones he had obtained outside, as toys for the little manticore.

    After adding each other as friends, they parted ways. Miaomiao Shark nned to camp out in the sewers from today onwards, determined not to leave until he found a manticore.

    But ns often change quickly.

    Just as he was preparing to enter the sewers to catch a pet, Leading Pigeon called for him.

    ¡°Shark,e to the camp quickly! The caravan escorting Lady Palen to Bataxin City is about to depart, and I also took an elite quest from Lady Adele to hunt Blood Vulture traitors. Brother Meow and thedies are going too.¡±

    ¡°What? But I just got some information and was about to go catch a baby.¡±

    Miaomiao Sharkined, only to be rebuked by Ah Yuen:

    ¡°What baby? You haven¡¯t even changed jobs yet. Even if you encounter a rare baby, you can¡¯t catch it. Stop bbering and hurry up.

    Lady Adele said in the quest that all the spoils from hunting the Blood Vulture traitors belong to us. Get some good gear, pass the ck Iron Trial, and then change jobs. You¡¯ll have a much easier time catching babies, won¡¯t you?

    Let me tell you, Sister Pomegranate is in a bad mood today. If Big Sister catches you beingte, she¡¯ll definitely give you a harsh scolding.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark rented a horse from the Ruined Front Line and quickly rode towards the camp, asking in the team¡¯smunication channel:

    ¡°Why is Sister Pomegranate in a bad mood? Isn¡¯t she always cheerful and happy?¡±

    ¡°Her record was broken, the one for Maxim¡¯s Trial of Strength quest.¡±

    Niuniu sighed in the team channel and exined:

    ¡°Today, a neer to the game managed to beat it without any bugs, not only earning the title ¡®Maxim¡¯s Warrior¡¯ but also receiving NPC Maxim¡¯s spirit-imbued sword as a gift. Big Sis has been eyeing that ¡®Ambition and Dreams¡¯ sword for a long time.

    She said her affinity was almost maxed out these days, and she was preparing for a second attempt, but that ¡®Master Mao¡¯ snatched it first.

    My sister is like that. She¡¯s usually cheerful andughs a lot, but if she doesn¡¯t get something she¡¯s set her mind on, she¡¯ll be in a bad mood for days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that incredible?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark eximed in shock:

    ¡°He really just brute-forced his way to defeat Maxim? And he¡¯s a neer to the game? Damn, what¡¯s the deal with this Master Mao? I need to find an opportunity to worship him.¡±

    ¡°What worship? Be careful or Sister Pomegranate will beat you up. We¡¯re all on the same team,¡± Cyborg Snail reminded him.

    ¡°Although everyone admires that talented Master Mao, you¡¯d better not mention this in front of Sister Pomegranate.¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±

    When Miaomiao Shark arrived at the Survivor¡¯s Camp on his horse, several carriages were already prepared to depart.

    Lady nche Palen Fedo, who had been officially granted the title of knight, was dressed in formal merchant attire. She was apanied by a few veteran camp dwellers and boarded the first carriage, while the yers she had chosen as escorts were on the remaining carriages.

    It would take two days to travel from Kadman City to the border town of Bataxin. In theory, yers wouldn¡¯t enjoy quests that involved wasting time traveling.

    However, Lady Adele had given them a quest to hunt traitors, which they could convenientlyplete along the way.

    ¡°Lady Adele said there are arge number of Blood Vulture traitors hiding near Bataxin City, and even after Lady Tris has assumed the position of Duchess of the Blood Vultures, those bastards haven¡¯te to pledge their allegiance. They must have already made up their minds to betray us.

    So they need to be taught a lesson!¡±

    On one of the carriages, Brother Meow, Leading Pigeon, and Lumina were holding a meeting. Brother Meow had a map of Transia in his hand and used a charcoal pencil to circle the route from Kadman City to Bataxin, saying:

    ¡°I specifically asked Lady Adele. ording to her intel, there have been traces of vampire traitors throughout this circled area, and the questpletion requirement is that each team must hunt down at least five traitors. So my idea is that while escorting Lady Palen, we¡¯ll send out the yers with high perception in our team.

    They can search for clues in the viges along the way and alsoplete Lady Miriam¡¯s side quest about ¡®spreading our rule.¡¯ Lord Murphy also needs these viges to acknowledge his authority.

    This way, we canplete three side quests in three to four days, which is quite efficient.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections.¡±

    Leading Pigeon looked at the map hesitantly and said:

    ¡°But those vampire traitors should be elite monsters, right? Isn¡¯t that a bit risky?¡±

    ¡°Not all of them. Lady Adele implied that most of them are fringe members of the family. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been dispatched to the Transia border region. Of course, there are indeed some troublesome family elites among them.¡±

    Brother Meow tossed aside the charcoal pencil and said:

    ¡°But they¡¯re vampires, so as long as we avoid engaging them at night and take the opportunity to strike them during the day, even the elite monsters will be much easier to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡±

    Leading Pigeon pped his hands and stood up, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ll send Miaomiao Shark, Gugu Chicken, and Ah Yuen ahead.¡±

    ¡°On my side, I¡¯ll send Old Tune and Little Hands.¡±

    Brother Meow also dispatched two high-perception yers, while Lumina stood up and said:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with Little Ashina too. We¡¯ll let Orchid and Pomegranate stay here.¡±

    ¡°By the way, is Sister Pomegranate okay?¡±

    Brother Meow asked in a gossipy whisper:

    ¡°I just saw her scolding Niuniu earlier, and she looked really furious.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯s just verypetitive.¡±

    Lumina waved her hand and said:

    ¡°She¡¯s not actually angry at ¡®Master Mao¡¯ for defeating Maxim. The main issue is that we kept saying she cheated by exploiting a bug toplete the challenge. Although Pomegranate didn¡¯t use a sword, her battle with Maxim was legitimate.

    She feels we¡¯re being hypocritical.¡±

    ¡°What can we do about it? It was her who first bragged on the forum that she exploited a bug. Veteran yers all know Sister Pomegranate¡¯s martial arts are top-notch. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been granted the Warrior title by Maxim.

    We were just joking around.¡±

    Leading Pigeon whispered:

    ¡°Women¡¯s hearts are really hard to understand. Ah, I¡¯m d I don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, you actually think that¡¯s a good thing?¡±

    Brother Meow shook his head and sighed:

    ¡°Young people these days are really iprehensible and abstract.¡±

    The yers followed the instructions, while those in the caravan logged off and went AFK. Although the current 14-hour daily ytime was already sufficient, efficient time management would always be a yer¡¯s nature. Three hours after the caravan departed, they reached the first vige on their journey.

    It was more of a gathering point than a vige, with only around a hundred people in total. The most notable feature was a windmill near a small river outside the vige.

    Lady Palen got off the carriage to speak with the vige chief, demanding that he immediately send someone to the Crimson Citadel to pledge allegiance to Count Murphy. Meanwhile, the little yers who had arrived earlier brought back precise intel.

    ¡°Two vampires, hiding in the mill.¡±

    Electronic Subus Old Tune, carrying his masterwork veteran hunting rifle, said with a straw in his mouth to Brother Meow and the others who had regrouped beside the caravan after logging back in:

    ¡°I asked the vigers. They¡¯re vampires who escaped from Kadman City and have been hiding here for the past few days. Apparently, a few Blood Servants came from the direction of Bataxin a few days ago but returned yesterday. It¡¯s clear that there are other vampires in Bataxin trying to recruit them.

    Lady Adele¡¯s intel was very urate. These Blood Vulture traitors intend to establish a separate central authority!¡±

    ¡°Traitors! Traitors! They must be severely punished!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche waved his mystical staff and shouted:

    ¡°In the name of Lord Murphy, we must eliminate these disloyal ones and strip them of their equipment for we, the loyal ones, to use. Would that not be a wonderful thing?¡±

    ¡°It will be dusk soon, and the vampires will be weakened. We also have the numerical advantage, so there¡¯s no need for an ambush. Let¡¯s attack directly! Let¡¯s start with a brilliant opening move.¡±

    Brother Meow waved his hand and said coldly:

    ¡°Niuniu, Orchid, and Three to Five, get ready to break down the door! Melee fighters, follow up. Ranged fighters, take positions outside and shoot them as soon as the two vampirese out.¡±

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    The group of little yers eagerly ran to the mill outside the vige and took positions ording to Brother Meow¡¯s instructions. The three shield-bearers were led by Orchid, who had the highest health. The tall and sturdy Niuniu was responsible for breaking down the door, while the agile Three to Five acted as the secondary tank.

    Brother Meow cast Thorn Spells on Orchid, then swung his staff downwards.

    Niuniu took a deep breath, ran a few steps, and kicked the tightly closed wooden door of the mill with all his might. With his 8 strength enhanced by his equipment, the kick was incredibly powerful.

    With a loud bang, the wooden door shattered, startling the crows inside the mill into flying about in a frenzy.

    The two vampires hiding inside had been sleeping soundly and were caught off guard. They had just gotten up when they were mmed against the wall behind them by the three shield-bearers.

    ¡°They don¡¯t even have a coffin for sleeping, how pathetic. Tsk, they¡¯re clearly newbies.¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks couldn¡¯t help but mock them. He was about to raise his shield to pin down the iling vampire in front of him, but suddenly a figure flew in with a kick, striking the vampire squarely in the face and knocking him back into the hay pile.

    The cold-faced Sister Pomegranate extended the three-wed des on her knuckle dusters and pounced, striking the vampire and causing him to shriek in agony, leaving the three shield-bearers bewildered.

    Well, judging from the blood flying everywhere, it was clear that Sister Pomegranate was truly furious.

    It would be best not to disturb her for now.

    Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the other vampire flew out of the window at the top of the mill, not caring that it was daytime and the sunlight would burn him.

    When one¡¯s life was at stake, what did it matter?

    But as soon as he flew out, he was met with a barrage of precise gunfire, and a dozen bloody sts erupted from his body in an instant.

    The shooters were all yers with marksmanship talents, and their levels were generally between 9 and 10, which meant their skills were honed to the master level within the Professional ranks. At such a close range, their aimed shots were bound to hit their mark.

    The poor vampire was instantly turned into a sieve. He tried to escape by turning into a bat, but Brother Meow and Cheche, taking their time, simply knocked him down with Spirit sts. He crashed to the ground, screeching in pain as the sunlight burned him.

    ¡°Pah!¡±

    Gugu Chicken rushed over and nted his foot on the vampire¡¯s chest, snarling:

    ¡°Traitor! In the name of Duchess Tris and Count Murphy, we shall punish you with eternal oblivion!¡±

    The vampire couldn¡¯t understand the otherworldly insults.

    However, he recognized the names Tris and Murphy and saw the Blood Vulture patterns on their leather armor, realizing he was being hunted by the n¡¯s Blood Servants.

    In terror, he cried out:

    ¡°No! I¡¯m loyal! Listen to me! Nord-¡±

    ¡°Pffft!¡±

    The keen Blood Vulture guard¡¯s short sword shed down diagonally in an executioner¡¯s strike, cleaving off half his head and cutting off the rest of his words, stuffing them back into his belly.

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off approached with his bone-picking dagger and swiftly dug out the vampire¡¯s heart, leaving behind a grim, faded stone statue on the spot.

    Ten secondster, the cold-faced Sister Pomegranate emerged from the mill, clutching a vampire¡¯s heart.

    Executionplete!

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate tossed a bloody badge to Brother Meow and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not a Blood Vulture n badge. The ones trying to recruit them aren¡¯t from the Blood Vulture n but vampires from other ns. Things have be a bit troublesome.

    Report this to the higher-ups.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Brother Meow nced down at the blood-stained badge.

    He noticed that the front of the bloodstone badge featured an aesthetically pleasing design of a bat encircled by thorns in the night, clearly not the Blood Vulture crest. This confirmed the traitorous intentions of these traitors.

    But Transia had always been Blood Vulture n territory. Where did these other n vampirese from?

    At the same time, at the entrance of the vige, Lady Palen watched with satisfaction as Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors executed the vampire traitors.

    The plump merchant woman toyed with the luxurious bloodstone knight¡¯s ring on her finger and said in a low voice to the middle-aged vige chief trembling beside her:

    ¡°See, that is the fate of the disloyal! Count of Kadman awaits your allegiance at the Crimson Citadel. If you dare not go, I cannot guarantee what fate awaits you, my dear kinsmen.¡±

 Chapter 147:

    Murphy soon received reports from his loyal and brave little yers.

    This made him feel satisfied once again with his reasonable use of the Spirit Computation Bead, inwardly praising that no matter which world, the development of science and technology is indeed the primary productive force. However, the report written personally by Meow King left Murphy feeling disheartened.

    ¡°There are traces of other Vampire ns appearing in Transia? They¡¯re also secretly rallying Blood Vulture defectors in the shadows. What are they trying to do? Preparing to kick us while we¡¯re down and take advantage of the situation?

    Heh, how befitting of vampires. They¡¯re truly seasoned experts when ites to the art of infighting.¡±

    Murphy stood up and let out a coldugh. He wasn¡¯t surprised at all by other ns trying to take advantage of the situation. Back when he was a high-level corporate ve, he had dealt with headhunters before and knew that the first step of so-called ¡°high-end corporate warfare¡± often started withrge-scale poaching of employees from rivalpanies.

    However, as a new vampire recruit, his knowledge of other ns was currently limited to the Wolfsbane n that he had fought against, and the Blood Pact Knights who had helped them before.

    To deal with this troublesome matter, he would have to seek guidance from the well-traveled elder Tris.

    Murphy left his office and knocked on the door of the adjacent room.

    Indeed, the offices of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess and the Count of Kadman were that close. What didn¡¯t surprise him at all was that the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess who should have been working at this time had ¡°gone missing¡± again.¡°Sigh¡±

    The Vampire Lord felt weary.

    Having a boss who liked to skip work was truly trying, and even more trying was the fact that he had actually fallen for such a vexing enchantress.

    But since things hade to this point, what else could he do?

    Murphy closed his eyes and connected to the vision of his Blood Vulture Spirit, Revnor. He quickly discovered the cking off Tris in some obscure corner outside the ruins of Kadman City.

    As expected, that golden-ranked cker Vampire Duchess was hiding in an abandoned tower, drinking heavily while enjoying the scenery, with a few small dishes beside her,pletely carefree.

    ¡°p p.¡±

    With the sound of wings folding, the ferocious Blood Vulture Spiritnded beside the intoxicated Tris, immediately catching her attention.

    Upon seeing Murphy¡¯s ¡°eyes¡± had discovered her, Tris stood up and threw a crimson Spirit transmission gate, attempting to flee. But in the next second, arrows shot through and tore open that gate.

    With his massive bat wings folding, Murphy, with a solemn expression, hadnded at the edge of the tower and hung the exquisite and luxurious miser¡¯s hand crossbow back on his waist.

    ¡°Heh heh¡±

    Tris let out a dryugh and hid the half-empty bottle of alcohol behind her back.

    She thought Murphy was going to scold her again, but instead, he went straight to business.

    ¡°The Blood Vulture¡¯s territory has been invaded, Your Grace. This should be a matter for you to handle.¡±

    The Vampire Lord projected the Spirit image attached in the yer¡¯s report from his palm, pointing at the emblem and saying:

    ¡°This is the emblem of the Thorn n, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the Night Thorn, also called the Vampire Thorn, it¡¯s indeed the emblem of the Blood Thorn n. Considering ¡®Blood Thorn¡¯ doesn¡¯t sound too good, everyone started calling them the Thorn n a long time ago.¡±

    Tris took the opportunity to educate the novice Vampire Lord on the origin of her fellow n¡¯s name.

    She didn¡¯t consider this a big deal and said casually while leaning against the tower¡¯s edge:

    ¡°The Thorn n¡¯s territory is under the White Mountains in the southern border of Nordtov, quite a distance from Transia. But it¡¯s not surprising at all for them to enter our territory at this time to rally the defectors.

    After all, the Thorn n is an ancient loser of the Sacred Blood Wars.

    After their defeat, they were driven out of the fertile central continent and could only take refuge in thends of the Northerners. Their situation improved slightly after the Kingdom of Nordtov was established. It¡¯s said that during King Boreas¡¯s conquest of the Great Wilderness, heroes descended from the Thorn n served his lineage.

    If I have to say, the Thorn n probably has the most harmonious and closest rtionship with human civilization among all ns, but they also harbor the deepest resentment towards other vampire ns.

    Their ancestral teaching is to reim everything they lost in the Sacred Blood Wars.

    Therefore, absorbing defectors from other ns to incite rebellion is something the Thorn n loves to do. And that n is like it¡¯s been cursed by filth, every single one of their Dukes dies an unnatural death, not a single one has been able to live past 300 years peacefully.

    I still remember when I was still quite prestigious back in the day, they had just elected their fourth Thorn Duchess. What was her name? Sophia?

    Or Mary?

    Oh right, Sophie!

    Her name was Sophie, she was one of my good handkerchief friends.¡±

    ¡°The Sacred Blood Wars, that happened 800 years ago, right?¡±

    Murphy frowned and said:

    ¡°It seems the Blood Vulture library doesn¡¯t have much record of this event, only briefly mentioning that it was the first major war between the seven Vampire ns?¡±

    ¡°Who did you learn your n¡¯s history from?¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes and corrected him:

    ¡°It was six ns! The Crimson Blood n was sealed deep within the Crimson Sacred Land inside the Dark Mountain range before the start of the Era, which is also the origin ce of all vampires. The Blood Pact Knights constantly patrol around the Dark Mountain range to guard that Sacred Blood seal.

    Every hundred years, the leaders of the other five ns must return to the origin Crimson Sacred Land under the leadership of Lord Payne to reinforce the seal. That is also a major event for the entire Vampire n.

    Moreover, the Cryptic Blood n of Machiavellians did not participate in the ¡®Sacred Blood Wars¡¯ that began in the 300th year of the Era and ended in the 400th year.

    They im to be the recorders of blood and never get involved in conflicts between other ns. Excluding the ever-neutral Blood Pact Knights who exist as arbiters, the so-called Sacred Blood Wars actually urred between the four ns of Blood Vulture, Blood Dread, Thorn, and Wolfsbane.

    It was a conflict that broke out over the central continental region of the then-n civilization and the ¡®blood rations¡¯.

    I¡¯m not too familiar with the specifics.

    It was too long ago.

    But the end result was that the Blood Vulture, Blood Dread, and Wolfsbane ns reached an agreement. The three cunning and powerful Patriarchs, the young Salrokdar, Charlemagne, and Edward at the time, formed an alliance. They ambushed and killed the ancient Thorn n Patriarch Thalma Oxana Torrez at the Crimson Sea Cliffs in the Ice Bay region.

    The great battle caused by the fall of the ancient one directly led to the loss of the Thorn n¡¯s sacred artifact ¡®Fallen Virtue¡¯ in the cold currents of the northern sea.

    The surviving Thorn n should have been annihted, but Lord Payne intervened to spare them. Those poor souls were then driven out by their own malicious fellow nsmen to the deste wilderness of the Frozen Lands.

    They settled under the White Mountains.

    From then on, they have lived there and formed a small principality until now.¡±

    Tris narrated that ancient history in the tone of a historian. At the end of the story, she also mentioned a legend that only circted within the Blood n to a limited extent.

    The blood-drinking enchantress spoke in a rather gossipy tone:

    ¡°It¡¯s said that the ancient Thorn n Patriarch Thalma Oxana Torrez¡¯s initial identity was our old Patriarch Salrokdar¡¯s ¡®ex-girlfriend¡¯. Their struggle for power turned them into bitter enemies.

    There may still have been feelings between them.

    When Salrokdar shed bloody tears and thrust the Necessary Evil de into Oxana¡¯s heart, the desperate ancient one loudly cursed her former lover.

    She said Salrokdar and his aplices would surely meet despair as the end of their eternity, and not even the grace of oblivion would be granted to them.

    She also cursed, ¡®Those who spill my blood today shall one day be pierced through the heart by a deadly de.¡¯

    The good news is, that curse came true.

    But unfortunately, that prophecy didn¡¯te to pass until hundreds of yearster.

    Charlemagne Morva Giovanni, the Patriarch of the Blood Dread n who was one of the killers, died under Lord Payne¡¯s personally executed Sunscorching Punishment after summoning a sub-spatial rift during the Second Night War.

    Lord Payne was obviously a man with a sense of ceremony.

    The execution site he chose for Charlemagne was precisely the Crimson Sea Cliffs where Oxana had been ambushed and killed years ago. And Salrokdar, who had betrayed his lover for power and rations, ultimately died by the same Desire Demon de ¨C Necessary Evil that had killed Oxana.

    So you see, this stuff is quite mystical.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I think it¡¯s better to just listen to these things. If ancient curses were really that powerful, they wouldn¡¯t need to wait 800 years to backfire on the perpetrators. Besides, isn¡¯t one of the killers, old Edward, still alive and well?¡±

    Murphy shook his head.

    Although he himself was a ¡°feudalistic superstitious¡± being, he clearly didn¡¯t pay much attention to unscientific things like curses. To be precise, he believed in the existence of curse-rted Spirit spells, but he didn¡¯t believe a curse could influence the course of fate.

    Wouldn¡¯t that make the ¡°fate¡± that governs all people too cheap?

    After listening to the little story about the Thorn n¡¯s past, Murphy asked:

    ¡°So in your experience, how should we respond to this situation?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± Tris said, stroking her long hair and taking a sip of alcohol.

    ¡°If you can swallow this insult, negotiate with the Thorn n. They¡¯ve alreadytched onto the Kingdom of Nordtov¡¯s royal family, so they have abundant resources at their disposal. Perhaps you can use the lives of the defectors to secure some benefits for your territory.

    If you can¡¯t swallow this insult¡­

    Just kill them!

    Entering another n¡¯s territory without permission from their Duke and inciting defectors can be punished with the most cruel Sunscorching Punishment ording to the reclusivews of the Blood n.

    Although we view cunning as tradition and coldbloodedness as a virtue, betrayal is another concept entirely.

    No n can tolerate betrayal!

    It would undermine the very foundation of a family¡¯s existence. Even if Lord Payne himself came, he wouldn¡¯t use you of cruelty. You and I could even use this as a pretext to start a n war and personally ignite the Second Sacred Blood Wars.

    Of course, the prerequisite is that you must be able to defeat the emissary sent by the Thorn n.

    I reckon whoever dares to cause trouble at this time must have some backing.

    However, Murphy, I guess this incident may not necessarily represent the will of the Thorn Duke.

    You have to understand, in aplete family, vampires will always form many factions. Faction leaders have a certain degree of freedom to act, and small-scale things like inciting defectors from other ns may not necessarily require reporting to the Patriarch for a decision.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Murphy nodded.

    ¡°So what I need to do next isunch a counterattack from the Count of Kadman faction of the Blood Vulture n against a reckless faction leader of the Thorn n. It has nothing to do with my noble and bewitching Duchess Tris.

    I understand.¡±

    Murphy smiled and bid Tris a gentle farewell.

    Tris nodded, but in the next instant, Murphy strode over and snatched the bottle of alcohol from her hands, then scolded her:

    ¡°Now that the business is done, go back to work right away! There are so many affairs in the n waiting for your decisions. Have you finished the work n for next month? Have you written the work summary for this month? The personnel appointments within the n haven¡¯t been issued until now!

    You actually have the heart toe here and ck off? Do you believe your Patriarch¡¯s allowance wouldn¡¯t be suspended this month?¡±

    ¡°No, please! I¡¯ve just ordered a batch of fine Ice Fire Wine from the wine merchants in Ice Bay. I¡¯m waiting to receive my sry to pay the remaining amount. I¡¯ve never owed anyone for wine! In this regard, I, Tris, have an impable reputation!¡±

    Tris let out a wail.

    ¡°Could you put your impable reputation towards proper business for once?¡±

    Murphy urged.

    Under the stern gaze of Count Kadman, the guilty Blood Vulture Grand Duchess had no choice but to open the Spirit transmission gate to her office, muttering ¡°miser¡± as she disappeared from Murphy¡¯s sight.

    This hardly seemed like the fearsome Crimson Witch who had once been a force to be reckoned with, almost 500 years old!

    The Lord let out a long sigh, carelessly tossing the bottle of alcohol, then spread his wings and glided back to the Blood Vulture Halls in the evening twilight.

    Hisdy maid and intelligence chief Adele, along with her three fully armed Descendants, were already waiting for him here.

    Murphy opened his arms, allowing Lady Adele to approach and dress him in a low-profile ck-and-red swordsman¡¯s light armor. The Crimson Midnight Cloak was also fastened around his shoulders, and the Necessary Evil demon sword at his waist sensed the scent of war and began to hum.

    Murphy suppressed it and said to Adele:

    ¡°Call Maxim, you two bring your respective Descendants and follow me to Bataxin. There are many affairs in the territory, so we must finish and return within one night. Also, have the Blood Servants prepare the crosses for the Sunscorching Punishment.

    Prepare ten for now, we¡¯ll get more if needed.¡±

    ¡°Master, are we going to ughter them this time?¡± Adele asked softly.

    ¡°Are the targets those Thorn members who have trespassed?¡±

    ¡°No, those are for the traitors,¡± Murphy shook his head and corrected her.

    ¡°As for those uninvited guests, their little lives might have some other use besides turning to ash in the sunlight. So, prepare amodations for our guests as well. Three cages¡­

    should be enough, I think.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°In the name of Lord Murphy! You traitors shall face the Oblivion Punishment!¡±

    Outside a vige at night, Ah Yuen, a Master of the Twin de Style, shouted in a staged manner. His twin des then pierced and pinned the terrified vampire to the ground.

    Behind Ah Yuen, other little yers were ¡°dealing with¡± seven other vampire traitors.

    Although it was nighttime, these midnight nsmen would receive Night Mother¡¯s blessing. However, the little yers were no longer novices. After being tempered by the difficult battles in the Blood Vulture Halls, defeating these Professional-ranked vampires was not a big issue.

    They had numerical superiority, and their jobpositions were quite decent.

    More importantly, Leading Pigeon, an alchemist apprentice, had previously learned from the Witch Hunters how to concoct sunlight potions and other things that weaken vampires.

    Hey, we loyal Blood Servants of Lord Murphy are using the Witch Hunters¡¯ methods against you disloyal vampires!

    That sounds exhrating!

    ¡°These fringe vampires of the family are not as strong as we imagined. Even with attribute advantages, theirbat skills arepletely sloppy. They only rely on their vampire status to intimidate people.

    Tsk, we were worried for nothing.

    I thought they would all be as formidable as Maxim and Lady Adele.¡±

    On the threshing ground outside the vige, after achieving another ambush victory, Leading Pigeon said to Meow King beside him:

    ¡°With just this level of strength, they dare to defect from the family? Who gave them the courage?¡±

    ¡°As I said, they¡¯re colluding with outsiders, colluding with that so-called Thorn n. Their new master must have ordered them to lurk here and try to cause trouble.

    Pah!

    Stray dogs that don¡¯t recognize their master and run around outside deserve to be beaten on the head with a wolf-fang stick!¡±

    Gugu Chicken, who was almost a ¡°veteran true-blood,¡± spat disdainfully. Just as he was about to chat with Leading Pigeon and mix a few bottles of healing potions for survival, he suddenly heard screamsing from the vige behind them.

    ¡°Everyone is blocking the outside! Hurry!¡±

    A few secondster, Sister Pomegranate¡¯s furious voice rang out from the team channel:

    ¡°There¡¯s a Thorn n mole hiding here! His strength is at ck Iron rank, but he can¡¯t fly! He won¡¯t get far, chase after him and kill him! That bastard just bit a girl in the vige.¡±

    ¡°Damn! What a disgusting creature!¡±

    The little yers were instantly filled with righteous indignation.

    Several hunters immediately released scouting spells to search outward, determined to put this filthy vampire to death.

    The fleeing Thorn vampire wasn¡¯t a particrly strong character either. The little yers soon surrounded him by a riverside.

    Seeing these armed Blood Servants wearing the Blood Vulture n emblem closing in with murderous intent, the Thorn vampire wielding a de whip immediately raised his hands and shouted:

    ¡°I want to see your elders! I want to negotiate! As an Eternal Sin Descendant, this is the power bestowed upon me by the Night Mother!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he babbling about? Doesn¡¯t sound like the localnguage?¡±

    The Cyborg Snail holding a spear asked.

    Beside him, Meow King pretended not to see the trantion on the yer interface and said coldly:

    ¡°He¡¯s calling us stray dogs and insulting Lord Murphy and Lady Tris. What nerve! Kill him!¡±

    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t kill him, just tie him up,¡± Orchid¡¯s voice gently reminded in the team channel.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that vampires have a punishment called Sunscorching. As a traveler curious about customs everywhere, I want to witness it myself. Please, brothers. Also, we couldn¡¯t save the girl who was bitten earlier.¡±

    ¡°Oh, got it.¡±

    Meow King responded, then said to Old Tune and ck Stockings who had clenched their fists:

    ¡°What are you spacing out for? Go chop some wood!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Chop wood for what?¡±

    ¡°To make crosses! I read in the ¡¶Brief History of Blood n¡· that the Sunscorching Punishment has to use those things to be authentic and vorful.¡±

 Chapter 148:

    The first night¡¯s experience of using the sleep connection function of the game helmet was quite good.

    The little yers entered sleep mode starting from 10 pm at night, ying continuously until 6 am the next morning for a full eight hours. In the game, when time entered midnight, they were forced to log off and rest for six hours before re-entering the game, which was just in time for dawn in the game world.

    Therefore, when the little yers logged back in, it was just getting light, but the Thorn n vampire tied to the cross outside the vige had already started screaming in agony.

    Although the sun had not truly shone yet, the Sr Spirit had already be active, filling the heart of this obviously non-¡°local¡± foreign vampire with dread, causing him to shout and scream on the cross.

    However, having his heart pierced left him weakened, and his limbs were bound by the thickest chains found in the vige, rendering him powerless to break free.

    At Lady Palen¡¯s request, the vigers from the entire vige had risen early and gathered here with the little yers to witness the execution of the vampire, a rare event in the Transia region. Without much prompting, the vigers of the entire vige had already assembled.

    They had a feeling that the extraordinary events they would witness today would undoubtedly serve as talking points to be shared with others who had not seen such things in the future.

    ¡°You have no right!¡± the Thorn vampire shouted ferociously, ¡°I am a protected White Mountain Blood Descendant of the Thorn Grand Duke! I am the son of Torrez! You dogs of Lessenbra! You will pay the price for this shameful private execution!¡±

    ¡°Make him shut up! So noisy. Just a dog, how would Lord Murphy punish us cuties for it?¡±The still grumpy Sister Pomegranate said impatiently to the nearby Little Ashina, who was chewing on some malt candy.

    The petite sharpshooter drew her exquisite crimson revolver and fired a shot forward, the speeding bullet precisely entering the Thorn vampire¡¯s mouth, shattering his teeth and causing blood to gush forth.

    His roars and howls turned into pained whimpers.

    In fact, when the first batch of little yers had just entered the game, they had often heard Lord Murphy mention the Sunscorching Punishment, using it as a means to intimidate others. At that time, they had already known that this was a terrifying method of torment for vampires, one that did not hesitate to employ cruelty akin to lingering execution.

    But the yers had never seen a lingering execution in person, so everyone was filled with anticipation and curiosity about what was about to happen.

    Soon, the first rays of sunlight tore through the darkness and shone upon thend. The light seemed to be attracted by the vampire bound to the cross, as if a golden beam danced and ignited the ¡°candle¡± as the formless Sr Spirit became active.

    The bound vampire¡¯s entire body was set aze.

    His hair caught fire first, like a lit skyntern, followed by his body continuously emitting ashen dust under the sunlight, apanied by uncontroble screams as he convulsed and thrashed on the cross like a shaken sieve.

    The fire of the sun not only ignited the vampire¡¯s body from the outside but also seemed to be burning within him.

    The yers clearly saw the bound vampire open his mouth and spew forth billowing smoke, as if he was being ignited both inside and out, causing his struggles to rapidly weaken as the sun¡¯s rays intensified.

    A few minutester, the once handsome Thorn vampire had be nothing but dangling bones on the cross.

    It was as if he had been tossed intova and then fished out, his entire skin turned to charcoal, with cracks revealing dark red glowing embers beneath.

    All the blood and moisture within his body had been evaporated by the sunlight.

    But he was not yet dead.

    His shuddering body showed that even in this state, the agony inflicted by the sunlight had not diminished, still tormenting his body and soul.

    It was said that a true Sunscorching Punishment wouldst three full days and nights in rotation, allowing the vampire guilty of unforgivable sins to experience the most terrifying torment in the world before being permitted to enter eternal rest.

    However, most vampires could not endure the suffering of even a single dawn and would turn to ash and dissipate.

    Under this punishment, the vampires who died would truly be reduced to dust and ashes, with not even their vampire hearts remaining. Thus, the Sunscorching Punishment was not frequently used within the Blood n itself.

    It was more a symbol of dread!

    It also represented the power of punishment. It was said that during the two Night Wars, the Old Church had once erectedrge-scale crosses as the most cruel means of this religious war.

    And so, the little yers personally carried out their first Sunscorching Punishment.

    It was not until a few minutester, when the Thorn vampire exhaled hisst breath in a whimper andpletely turned to ashen dust that dissipated, that they finally realized that describing it as a lingering execution might be a bit inurate.

    ¡°Damn, that was too brutal, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Cheche covered his eyes throughout the ordeal.

    His young mind was greatly shaken, and at that moment, he felt like a tainted viin with bloodstained hands. He whispered to Ah Yuen beside him, ¡°Weren¡¯t we a bit too excessive?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you really want to say it, I think it was a bit excessive too.¡±

    Ah Yuen¡¯s expression was also not good, but he soon noticed the gathered vigers around them.

    Although these people living on the darknds had no dignity to speak of, at this moment, they were unusually quiet. Many of them stared fixedly at the cross, which now only had dangling shackles remaining.

    Some even had their eyes on the yers.

    This scene made Ah Yuen hesitate for a moment, and he said in a low voice:

    ¡°But I think what we did was a good thing, right? After all, that bastard killed someone. It¡¯s said that the girl had just gotten married to a young man a few days ago.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, a young man rushed out from the crowd, wiping his eyes as he charged towards the yers. Without a word, he knelt down like a scammer, startling the yers.

    Highly vignt, they instinctively took a step back, clearing a space.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± the weeping many prostrate on the ground, uttering incoherent words of gratitude. Lumina, who had witnessed the vampire¡¯s brutal act the previous night, softly exined to the other yers, ¡°This is the poor girl¡¯s husband.¡±

    ¡°If you truly wish to thank Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors for avenging your poor wife, then you should pledge your allegiance to the Count!¡±

    Lady Palen, once a merchant, her eyes flickering, stepped forward with her palms outstretched and seized the opportunity to proim, ¡°They came at the Count¡¯smand to hunt down these traitors. The Count has vowed that henceforth, in his domain, even the vampires shall enjoy no privileges!

    You have witnessed it with your own eyes!

    You have all witnessed it!

    This foreign vampire who was burned to death represents the will of the Count of Kadman! He will mercifully protect you!

    Go, go to the Crimson Citadel and pledge your allegiance.

    The Count will protect you, with the same firmness and bravery asst night¡¯s protection!¡±

    ¡°I will go, I will go,¡± the young man who had lost his wife wiped his eyes and said hoarsely, ¡°Whatever the Countmands, I will do. I will definitely go.¡±

    ¡°Good, the Count needs such loyal subjects.¡±

    Lady Palen felt that she had delivered a perfect ¡°sermon.¡±

    Of course, the little yers did not object to the NPCs using their power for intimidation, as it was part of the administrative quest ¡°Spreading Dominance.¡± They were merely discussing this ¡°random event¡± on the side, which they thought was not bad.

    Just a bit clich¨¦d.

    ¡°Everyone knows this is part of Lord Murphy¡¯s efforts to win over hearts and minds, but it would have been better if the plot was arranged more reasonably.¡±

    As he sat back on the carriage heading to the next vige, Ah Yuen hugged his twin swords and said with some dissatisfaction, ¡°The current situation looks like Lady Palen hired someone to pretend, and we¡¯re just extras without even a boxed meal. My previous performance was at least worth arge chicken leg.¡±

    ¡°Well, here¡¯s yourrge chicken leg.¡±

    As he wasining, Leading Pigeon came over and tossed him a leather armor, saying, ¡°This is the best piece fromst night¡¯s spoils, a Masterwork Veteran-grade gear. I got it for you. What else do you need toplete a set?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, shoes, belt, and essories. I¡¯m still missing a ring.¡±

    Ah Yuen deftly changed into the superior gear, unwilling to discard the old pieces and putting them back into his bag. He told Leading Pigeon, ¡°The spirit armor made within the Blood Vulture n has set bonuses. Although the attributes of this entry-level gear are poor, just adding endurance, defense levels, and armor rating, with the asional useful affixes.

    But I think if you want to solo challenge elites andplete the ck Iron Trial, a set of Masterwork Veteran gear is a must. If you aim higher, you¡¯d need to get the currently best Patriarch¡¯s Guard set in the game, right?

    And you¡¯d need to find a good weapon, too!

    Right now, I only have a Standard Commander-grade n Wing de I won from a lottery before, but my job requires two.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can get you a weapon drop from killing elite vampires. If not, we¡¯ll just go back and run instances.¡±

    Leading Pigeon sat beside Ah Yuen and said, ¡°The guys back at camp went and tried out the new instancest night. It¡¯s all the story recordings we¡¯ve done before, with moderate difficulty. It can be run once a day, and although it doesn¡¯t drop gear, it drops tokens.

    Three tokens can be exchanged for a Veteran-grade gear piece from the Corridor Quartermaster. If you run it every day, you can get a full Masterwork Veteran set plus weapons in three or four days.

    The raid instance isn¡¯t open yet, I reckon it¡¯ll be in the next two days.

    Brother checked it out for us. The ¡®Veteran Badge¡¯ from the raid can be exchanged for the Standard Commander-grade Patriarch¡¯s Guard set.

    Looks like the devs know the ck Iron Trial is tough, so this update added set exchanges to solve our gear problems.

    Well, we¡¯ll have everything we need eventually. This damn game is finally taking shape.¡±

    ¡°The devs didn¡¯t even want to add an instance system before.¡±

    Gugu Chicken, lying on the carriage board with his eyes closed and resting, said with a straw in his mouth, ¡°To be honest, grinding instances in such a realistic game feels a bit strange, even though the devs gave a specific background, saying it¡¯s some spirit illusion magic to simte past battles for newbies to experience the story.

    Damn, those guys really can make excuses!

    But Pigeon, do you think after we be vampires, we can truly embrace our own descendants like Lord Murphy initially embraced Lady Adele?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just thinking of eating crap,¡± Miaomiao Shark grinned and kicked Gugu Chicken, saying while hugging a Family Guard halberd, ¡°You¡¯re dreaming too much. Lady Adele? After converting those two viges yesterday, you saw how the female NPCs were modeled. I bet there aren¡¯t many super beautiful NPCs like Lady Adele¡¯s level in the entire Transia region.

    Tsk tsk, a big-breasted, stockinged, aloof half-elf maid, those dog designers really know their stuff, don¡¯t they?

    And even if we could truly have blood servants and descendants, we¡¯d definitely have to do dedicated follower quests. The devs have to consider bnce and can¡¯t let vampires be too overpowered.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I was thinking too much.¡±

    Gugu Chicken sighed and rested his chin, gazing at the scenery outside the carriage.

    He suddenly said, ¡°What if this was real? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to find an elf or half-elf wife here? If not, even a vampire would do. I haven¡¯t seen any particrly ugly vampires.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming too much. Do you want to ask Lord Murphy to give each of us a blood servant sister to serve us?¡±

    The other student yers exchanged nces and then burst into raucousughter, filling the carriage with a lively atmosphere.

    This was just a game, not actual reincarnation.

    How could there be such a good deal with beauties throwing themselves at them?

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Betrayal! Betrayal! The blood servant devours the master!¡±

    In a manor in the small border city of Bataxin in Transia, an enraged roar echoed through the dark room. A tall vampire wearing the Thorn n¡¯s night hunter garb, his face contorted, berated, ¡°My descendant died under the scorching sun! In his dying reflections, I saw those lowly humans bearing weapons! The local blood servants are really too rude! Do you of the Blood Vulture n really indulge these lowly food supplies so much?

    To actually let them dare point weapons at the noble midnight aristocrats?

    How do you train your blood servants?¡±

    The other vampires in the room exchanged puzzled looks.

    Although they were all wearing Blood Vulture n uniforms, they felt they should not bear any responsibility for what had just urred.

    After all, those were not their blood servants causing trouble.

    ¡°Are you certain they were truly blood servants, Lord Vesta?¡±

    A gaunt and gloomy Blood Vulture renegade said softly, ¡°I do not think the humans in the Transia region have the gall for that, or perhaps they were witch hunters disguised as blood servants? I¡¯ve heard they are still active in thesends.¡±

    ¡°They were all wearing the Blood Vulture insignia! I saw it clearly in my descendant¡¯s dying reflections! Are you questioning my eyesight?¡± The Thorn vampire named Vesta coldly retorted, rendering the others in the room speechless.

    ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s just a trifling ripple.¡±

    The Thorn n member quickly adjusted his mood.

    He sat back down in the chair, assuming an arrogant air as he addressed the few Blood Vulture renegade leaders present, ¡°Those who need to be contacted have been contacted. Summon your remaining people to join us in returning to the Kingdom of Nordtov tomorrow night, to pay respects to Grand Duchess Shani of the Blood Thorn n. After you shed your Blood Vulture blood and drink the blessed wine of the Thorns, you will have ample opportunity to return here and win glory for the n.

    Of course, before leaving, you must do one final thing.¡±

    The Thorn n envoy raised a finger, narrowing his gray-red eyes as he said, ¡°Those killers are heading towards Bataxin. They will arrive here by afternoon at thetest, midnight. Bring me their heads! Surely that should be simple for you?¡±

    ¡°Those are other people¡¯s blood servants. Hunting them is tantamount to dering war,¡± a hoarse Blood Vulture renegade said. ¡°I think we should refrain from causing further trouble at this juncture.¡±

    ¡°Heh heh, gentlemen, your concerns are valid, but forgive my bluntness, I simply do not care what you think,¡± Vesta sneered, leaning back in his chair with folded arms. ¡°You are all already aware of the news of the new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¯s ascension, yet failed to go and pledge allegiance, proving you have made your choice. At this point, do you still intend to maintain your pitiful dignity?

    I do not know how the Blood Vulture n used to operate, but for us of the Thorn n, such provocation is intolerable!

    Do you understand?¡±

    The Blood Vulture renegade leaders felt the disdain.

    But they could not refute it and could only slink away dejectedly.

    The manor in the small city fell silent again. The previously arrogant Thorn vampire Vesta stood up, took a deep breath, and fiddled with a round mirror on the table. Soon, ripples of spirit energy caused the mirror to reflect the gaunt, stern, yet youthful face of a man.

    His eyes were gray-blue, with only a flicker of blood light in the pupils,plementing his countenance like a stern, howling northern wind, yet invoking an innate sense of chill in the beholder.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Vesta said very humbly with a bow. ¡°My efforts to rally the Blood Vulture renegade faction will conclude tomorrow night. I will bring you a decent number of new servants.¡±

    ¡°My loyal servant Vesta, there has been a change of ns,¡± the young vampire addressed as ¡°Your Highness¡± said softly. ¡°Grand Duchess Shani has set out for Fort Crimea, and I too shall arrive in Bataxin tomorrow night. My new servants need not return to the Blood Thorn Duchy. Have them join me directly towards the Dark Mountain Range. This will be their first battle of blood with me.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness? Why the Dark Mountain Range?¡± Vesta asked in astonishment. ¡°It is extremely dangerous there! For someone of your noble standing¡­¡±

    ¡°Vesta! The ck Cmity ising!¡± The young vampire in the mirror said coldly. ¡°My country and my n need me to fulfill my duties, that is all! Assemble your troops tomorrow night and await me in Bataxin. Remember! Do nothing foolish. I dislike tardiness and idents.¡±

 Chapter 149:

    ¡°Ah, Bataxin, as a merchant, this is where I started, and I¡¯vee back again.¡±

    The carriage bearing the Count of Kadman¡¯s crest slowly approached the city whose silhouette had already appeared. Inside the carriage, nche Palen Fedo looked ahead at the not-so-impressive scenery with profound sentiment.

    Although it had only been a little over two months since herst visit to this small border city of Transia, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

    The ups and downs of life had made this shrewd and capable businesswoman as mncholic as a rich youngdy,menting the changing seasons. However, born in the bitter cold of the Ice Bay region and raised amidst migration and hardship, she quickly regained herposure and focused on the important task at hand.

    Here, she had to reach a series of preliminary agreements with the smuggler merchants from the north and ultimately facilitate a major deal between the Count and the upying Winter Wolf Army of Nordtov.

    This business activity would directly determine whether the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory could survive theing winter and her own prospects under the Count¡¯smand.

    Although nearing forty, Palen¡¯s ambition had been reignited by Murphy¡¯s ¡°evil secret arts.¡±

    As a pure-blooded Nord, barring illness or injury, she could live up to 140 years. She hoped to possess everything she had yearned for in her youth by the age of eighty and leave enough wealth for her two blossoming daughters to change their ss and lives before her decline.

    With forty years left, perhaps she could try her best to make up for her unremarkable first half of life!¡°I need to meet old Berthed first, and then through his introduction, meet the person behind his little tradingpany. Probably not a big shot, maybe just a minor official with some authority in Nordtov¡¯s border army.

    But through this connection, I might be able to reach the upying army at Fort Crimea, and then hurry to the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory toplete the mine deal.

    If all goes well, it should take about a month and a half.

    By then, it will be the beginning of deep autumn, andrge quantities of grain can be steadily brought back.¡±

    Inside the carriage, the businesswoman twisted the knight¡¯s insignia ring on her finger, her sharp mind belying her stout figure as she repeatedly contemted her next moves. Thirty minutester, the caravan entered this lively, albeit small, border city.

    The city of Bataxin was once a small town within the Portia Federation, but its location was crucial.

    To the easty the fertile Kafhoka ins, two days¡¯ journey north through the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory would reach the Ice Bay border, and heading south led to the Count of Kadman¡¯snds.

    This small city was the intersection of these three regions and had been an important trading hub in the Transia area for over a hundred years, especially for merchants from the north, who oftenpleted most of their business here.

    Although notrge, due to its geographical importance, the Blood Vulture n had stationed a contingent of armed Blood Servants and a few elite vampires here year-round.

    Unfortunately, during the Ten-Year War, the Blood Servant army stationed here had been sent to the battlefront east of the Kafhoka ins, likely disarmed by the northerners.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the ¡®Horseshoe¡¯ inn first to rest. I need to prepare for meeting the clients.¡±

    Palen instructed her guard-cum-driver, and the caravan headed for the inn. A few minutester, at the entrance of the ¡®Horseshoe¡¯ inn, with its simple yet imposing northern style, Palen handed over her ¡°mission¡± to the count¡¯s warriors who had escorted her.

    She took out a bag of coins and thanked the leader, Meow King:

    ¡°Your performance along the way has been nothing short of perfect, highly professional, worthy of the count¡¯s most valued warriors. When I establish the official merchantpany for the count, I hope you will also participate in its security operations.¡±

    ¡°Yo, is this a hint that a merchant gamey will be introduced in the future?¡±

    Meow King blinked, his mind racing, then responded with a standard Blood Vulture salute to this stout middle-aged NPCdy:

    ¡°Of course, Madam Palen, we will devote everything to the great cause of the Count of Kadman. Please also be careful yourself. We will stay here for a day and a night. If you encounter any problems, you can contact us through the Computation Bead.

    Your safety is an extremely important mission for us.¡±

    ¡°Very good, but I have many friends here too. In fact, my birthce is not far from here. s, the war has already reduced my hometown in the Ice Bay to rubble.¡±

    The talkative businesswomanughed heartily, then said with a wistful expression before bidding farewell to the yers and entering the inn run by a distant uncle from her birth vige.

    The yers did not go in, as their escort mission was over, but they had a more important task to do.

    ¡°Here, a total of 5 Portia gold coins and 78 silver coins. Let¡¯s split it up.¡±

    Meow King tossed the money bag to Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off.

    This veteran was the team¡¯s professional ountant, able to divide the rewards evenly with hardly any calction. Seeing the trembling coins in his hand, Leading Pigeon couldn¡¯t help butin:

    ¡°We didn¡¯t realize it wandering those ruins earlier, but the money in this game is quite valuable. Just two days of work, and we only earn a few dozen measly silver coins. Damn, back at the ruined frontline, an apple cost five silver coins!

    I think those cunning NPCs might have ripped us off.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal. Back then, we had money but nowhere to spend it, so how would we know the exchange rates?¡±

    Lumina put away her reward, recalling how she had spent 10 gold coins on a white wooden gun, instantly feeling ashamed of her extravagance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to eat something good today.¡±

    Meow King patted his belly and said to his crew:

    ¡°After eating, let¡¯s get to work. There are definitely a lot of vampires in this city. From dawn till afternoon today, we passed through three viges without encountering a single vampire. That¡¯s not normal! I reckon those bastards are probably nning an ambush for us in the city, but I hope I¡¯m overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? Without even looking, I can sense at least seven or eight Blood Servants spying on us with their chilling gaze.¡±

    The team¡¯s most perceptive member, Miaomiao Shark, shifted ufortably and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Having such high perception isn¡¯t always good. If this keeps up, I¡¯ll get neurotic. But I¡¯ve already noted the features of a few individuals and left hunting marks on them. After we eat, we¡¯ll have something to do.

    We need to reduce their numbers while it¡¯s still daytime!

    If we drag this into the night, it¡¯ll be trouble. With so many Blood Servants here, the number of vampires can¡¯t be small either.¡±

    ¡°Six hours until sunset,¡± Orchid Huahua said, ncing at the sky to urately estimate the time, a basic skill for a traveler. ¡°Thirty minutes to sort out food, then we¡¯ll clear them street by street! I just asked Palen¡¯s guard, that veteran told me the armed Blood Servants meant to keep order in this city have all been sent to the frontlines, meaning we don¡¯t have to worry about being blocked even if we cause a ruckus.

    I suggest we find a ce to hold out once night falls!

    Fighting vampires at night in their familiar territory would be hair-raising.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that!¡± Meow King nodded fiercely. Beside him, Leading Pigeon thought for a moment and said, ¡°You guys go eat. I¡¯ll stay in the carriage and prepare some daylight potions. Remember to bring me a share, I want meat, preferably chicken legs.¡±

    ¡°Pigeon, we¡¯re ying a game now, can¡¯t you stop being so picky?¡±

    Ah Yuen sighed, ¡°Do you think this is a school snack street? Asking for big chicken legs¡­ Do you have any idea what kind of living standards this godforsaken ce has? Getting you a bowl of mutton stew would already be really lucky.¡±

    ¡°Who knew the game¡¯s food and taste system would be so realistic! I¡¯m going crazy eating biscuits every day. My grandfather lived in a cowshed and ate better than this!¡±

    Pigeon crossed his arms unhappily and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care! I want big chicken legs! If I don¡¯t get them, be careful when you guys sleep at night, or I¡¯ll fart on you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s go buy a chicken and have the cook roast it.¡±

    Cyborg Snail sighed and turned, while ck Stockings muttered beside him, ¡°When have we ever followed the rules while ying games? Still want to buy it? What, you got money to burn? Why don¡¯t we just steal one? We¡¯ve got a thief, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± The team¡¯s only thief, Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off, shouted, ¡°My dream is to be a sky bandit! And you want me to steal chickens for you? Dream on! Steal it yourself!¡±

    This rowdy bunch dispersed along the streets of Bataxin.

    They only had thirty minutes for their meal, but that didn¡¯t stop these fellows from taking the chance to explore this medieval-style town.

    Especially Orchid Huahua.

    The traveler¡¯s soul was already impatient.

    At the same time, a spirit realm transmission silently tore open space, delivering Murphy and his two Descendants, along with their Descendants, into the woods near the small town of Bataxin.

    This was Murphy¡¯s first experience of ¡°teleportation¡± aftering to this otherworld.

    But honestly, it felt awful.

    ording to Tris, the principle behind spirit teleportation was not simply tearing through the material world¡¯s space, but rather opening a rift in the mysterious Astral Realm that envelops the material world.

    By precisely calcting the rtive coordinates of the starting and ending points in the Astral Realm, the shortest path can be plotted, meaning the teleporter must traverse the Astral Realm for a few seconds to a few dozen seconds to rapidly reach the destination.

    Space and time in the Astral Realm are chaotic, allowing for the possibility of rapid transit ignoring physicalws.

    However, the Astral Realm is a dangerous and crazy ce. Any use of spirit teleportation means the subject must directly face the Astral Realm¡¯s tainted spiritual energy and mental shocks, which is why only those at the ck Iron Realm can barely use this technique.

    And as Tris said, don¡¯t use it unless you have to!

    Because the biggest problem with spirit teleportation is that it doesn¡¯t always seed.

    Even if controlled by a Golden Realm Spirit Sovereign, a single tiny mistake could send Murphy to the other side of the world, and worst-case scenario, he might not arrive intact uponnding.

    And in the worst possible situation, those unfortunate souls killed in the Astral Realm and sent back to this world might bring some ¡°dirty stuff¡± out with them.

    ¡°I swear I¡¯ll never use this damned thing again!¡± Murphy rubbed his head, harshly criticizing as he stood in the forest shadows.

    The five SC recorded in hisbat log were all sessful, but the intense headache upon returning to the material world still made the vampire lord feel nauseous.

    And he had gotten off easy.

    Beside him, Maxim had lost his manlyposure, his face deathly pale as he rushed behind a nearby tree, clutching his mouth.

    Lady Adele also looked troubled, a beauty with a furrowed brow, cradling her heart¡ªit seemed she would need a few dozen minutes to recover herbat strength.

    ¡°Five and a half hours until sunset. We¡¯ll set out at dusk.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, addressing the eight vampires behind him:

    ¡°Free activity for now, rest a bit. The vampires near Bataxin have gathered here. Even from this distance, I can sense at least 70 kin slumbering within, and there are a few scents not belonging to the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    He tossed the remaining vampire-killer sword oil from thest battle to Lady Adele and Maxim, then loaded arrows soaked in daylight potions into the bolt case of his bodyguard¡¯s hand crossbow. Finally, he patted the magic sword at his waist.

    The Count of Kadman tugged his crimson cloak and said in a low voice, ¡°Hmm, tonight the demon de shall feast greatly on delicious blood and regain its power. My friends, as the first battle for the new Blood Vultures, I expect a proper performance from you when the timees!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    At dusk, nearing evening, a caravan of two carriages approached Bataxin from the direction of the Kafhoka ins.

    The drivers were armed Blood Servants, and outside the caravan was an escort of 20 cuirassiers made up of Blood Servants, a formation clearly indicating the presence of a traveling vampire.

    In the second carriage sat an exquisite ck frostwood coffin, exuding a faint, pleasant scent.

    However, its upant had chosen not to slumber at dusk. Instead, seated amidst ck velvet chairs in the carriage, he held a golden book of poetry, reading while allowing the no-longer-scorching evening sunlight to spill through the gaps in the curtains onto this gloomy ce.

    It was the ¡°Prince¡± who had contacted the Thorn vampire Vesta the previous night.

    He appeared thin and tall, his golden hairbed in a mature style, but his stern face still bore a touch of ¡°youthful petnce.¡±

    He did not seem too old in age.

    And while his handsomeness could not bepared to Lord Murphy¡¯s, his well-defined features and an inimitable ¡°dignity¡± gave him a sort of puppy-like beauty.

    His Thorn Knight¡¯s light armor differed from other Thorn vampires as well.

    Not only was it emzoned with the Thorn n¡¯s crest, but it also bore a shield-shaped white wolf mountain badge, representing another identity beyond that of a vampire.

    The Count of White Mountain, leader of the White Mountain Faction.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    A loud explosion came from ahead, causing the approaching carriages to halt.

    The surrounding riders formed a well-trained escort formation, while the ¡°Prince,¡± whose poetic musings had been interrupted, furrowed his brow and asked using ventriloquism, ¡°What happened up ahead?¡±

    ¡°An explosion, Your Highness. There has been an explosion in Bataxin, and clearly not the first. Many ces in the city are emitting smoke, a battle is taking ce there! Additionally, we¡¯ve lostmunication with Vesta. Your attendant may be in trouble.¡±

    The vampire scout in the lead carriage immediately responded, displeasing the Prince, who disliked tardiness and idents.

    He ced his hand on the ash-gold noble¡¯s sword at his waist, visible icy mist emanating from his fingers.

    He said, ¡°Then why are you just standing there? Should we not go and assist our n members in danger? Vesta has served me for sixteen years, he should not meet such an end.¡±

    ¡°But Your Highness, your safety¡­¡±

    ¡°The battlefield lies before me. Are you suggesting I flee in cowardice from thends where my ancestors fought?¡±

    ¡°No, Your Highness!¡±

    Secondster, the two carriages and surrounding mounted escort elerated towards Bataxin. At the same time, inside the Thorn n¡¯s liaison residence within the town, Maxim dragged the Thorn vampire Vesta, whose eyes had been pecked out by the Blood Vulture Spirit and whose legs had been torn off by an Astral Direwolf, like a dead dog before Murphy.

    The Count of Kadman sat on the only intact chair in the room, leaning on his demon de with a vampire¡¯s masquerade mask covering his eyes and hooked on the bridge of his nose. His crimson eyes stared at the agonized yet stubbornly silent outsider kin before him.

    After a few seconds of observation, he said, ¡°Well then, speak, uninvited guest of the Thorn n. What business does your hand have in the Blood Vulture n¡¯s territory by trespassing here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± The wretched vampire Vesta groaned through his pain. ¡°There are only a few of you, but over seventy vampires in this city! You¡¯re dead for sure!¡±

    ¡°Only 53 left now,¡± Murphy corrected mildly. ¡°My warriors, blessed by the zing sun, hunt traitors far faster than you imagine. I must admit with pride and anticipation that they have proven themselves qualified vampire hunters! And before Night Mother¡¯s power descends, they shall have even more astonishing prey.¡±

    ¡°But I suppose these things no longer concern you, outsider. For thest time, calmly, what business do you uncouth northerners have here?¡±

    ¡°Release him!¡± A chilling rebuke cut off the interrogation as a figure burst through the door.

    Murphy¡¯s gaze fell upon the neer, noting the distinctive crest on his person. Cross-referencing with his heraldic knowledge, he recognized the other¡¯s identity.

    Rising, sword in one hand and the other brushing his shoulder, he bowed elegantly to the arrival and said, ¡°Ah, another uninvited guest. I salute you, one vampire count to another. But for you to enter my domain with a drawn de is most unbing. I give you three seconds to discard it¡­ It seems you do not intend to end this conflict gracefully.

    Excellent!

    Then allow me to witness the prowess of the Thorn n.¡±

 Chapter 150:

    The Count of White Mountain was already infuriated upon seeing his loyal attendant¡¯s pitiful state.

    The young count immediately drew his noble¡¯s sword from his hand. It was not the de whip, night de, or knuckle demonly used by the Thorn Vampires for assassination. However, it was certainly no ordinary weapon.

    As the de left its sheath, a bone-chilling cold gust rushed down, with delicate frost visibly weaving onto the slender sword de, rapidly gathering to form a lethal spirit frost de atop the transparent iceyer.

    This cool entrance made Murphy blink his eyes.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if this was a weapon effect or a unique power of the vampire count before him.

    Behind the Count of White Mountain, three Thorn Vampires also glided elegantly into the courtyard. However,pared to the Blood Vulture n, their small wings spread out looked quiteughable. Those short and exquisite Blood Wings made Murphy worry that they might break on the next p due to the weight.

    They could never support a vampire soaring freely in the sky. Indeed, flight was the privilege of Blood Vultures under the midnight!

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, the little ones are quite adorable.¡±

    Murphy raised his Desire Demon de and said to Maxim beside him:¡°What a letdown. I thought we¡¯d at least face a silver-rank powerful outsider, leaving us with a glorious record for our first encounter with other ns.¡±

    Maxim didn¡¯t respond, only slowly drawing out the ck ceremonial de of the tomb guards from his waist.

    The two of them, master and servant, were about to face four aggressive Thorn Vampires, clearly outnumbered. However, neither Murphy nor Maxim showed any fear, not even calling for backup from Adele and the other six descendants.

    The maid was still helping Murphy¡¯s warriors covertly assassinate and execute the Blood Vulture traitors hiding in the city, ensuring their numbers would be reduced to a safe level before sundown.

    That was a necessary task.

    Adele and Maxim, who inherited Murphy¡¯s blood, also seemed to have inherited Murphy¡¯s unique trait, their aversion to sunlight was far less than other vampires, making their rapid movement at dusk possible.

    ¡°Release my servant! Sir.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain strode forward, his voice cold amidst the swirling chill:

    ¡°Perhaps we can resolve this dispute in a more dignified manner.¡±

    ¡°The new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess has ascended to the throne. However, the Blood Vulture descendants dwelling in this city did not appear at Duchess Tris¡¯s ceremony, making the regrettable choice between loyalty and rebellion.

    All of this is your doing! It is you who have doomed the pitiful and shameful traitors to lose their lives tonight!

    It is you who acted undignified first!

    Thus, permit me to speak frankly, sir. I believe youck the qualification to make such grandiose statements in my domain!¡±

    Murphy kicked aside the severely injured Thorn Vampire at his feet, precisely kicking him into the waning sunlight reflecting through the broken window, causing thetter to let out a piercing scream.

    Amidst the apaniment of that scream, the vampire lord pointed his demon de at the other party and said:

    ¡°You seem like someone in charge, so surrender! Come with me to the Crimson Citadel to face Grand Duchess Tris. If she chooses to pardon you, I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    The other party advanced with his sword.

    Negotiations broke down, prepare to attack!

    ¡°Kekeke!¡±

    As the Blood Spirit vultures screeched and dived from above, the Astral Direwolves howled and pounced out of the shadows, reigniting the chaos in the courtyard.

    The three attendants behind the Count of White Mountain wanted to protect their master, but Maxim stood like an iron wall before them amid the blood surge from the massive pping of Blood Wings.

    As Murphy¡¯s descendant, he naturally learned from his master to enhance and ce the tomb guards¡¯ undead under his control. The Death¡¯s Grasp he unleashed was identical to Murphy¡¯s teachings.

    Unfortunately, Maxim was still learning to perceive and precisely manipte spirits.

    His skill went awry!

    Unable to bind the three nimble Thorn Vampires before him.

    But it wasn¡¯t a big issue.

    With the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor and the Astral Direwolf George assisting, the situation before Maxim was 3-versus-3. The tremendous bonuses from the Elite Temte allowed the ck iron-rank Maxim to fear no challenge.

    As for the battle inside the house,

    it was hardly worth mentioning.

    Murphy¡¯s unruly total of 104 attribute points was enough for him to proudly proim his invincibility at the ck iron rank, which was indeed the case.

    As soon as the two shed, the noble¡¯s sword emanating chill in the Count of White Mountain¡¯s hand nearly slipped out.

    This guy is so strong!

    Is he really a Blood Vulture who can only fly, or a ferocious Wolfsbane?

    The Count of White Mountain took a step back, sword sweeping horizontally to parry, but Murphy pressed forward instead of retreating.

    Facing the frigid sword de, Murphy charged forward, and at the moment of being struck, he noticed the other¡¯s sword trail and transformed his entire form into a scattered flock of bats, perfectly dodging the blow.

    Heh, nimble little bat!

    ¡°!¡±

    The Count of White Mountain sensed danger.

    This young man immediately invoked the unique heritage of the Thorn n. Just as the Blood Vultures had the privilege of soaring the skies, the Thorn n also possessed a mysterious power inherited from their origins.

    As Murphy reappeared from his agile bat dodge, he closed in with shadow steps and thrust his demon de into the seemingly younger vampire, drawing forth a gushing stream of icy blood. Preparing tond a second strike to cripple this kid, he suddenly felt a searing heat erupt within his mind.

    As if a mental bomb had exploded, leaving him dazed and confused in an instant.

    At that moment, Duchess Tris¡¯s earnest reminder to him before leaving the Crimson Citadel surfaced in his mind:

    ¡°The Thorn n are the Descendants of Envy, with envy¡¯s blood flowing through their veins, allowing them to sense and manipte others¡¯ emotions. Besides their heightened ability to perceive emotions, these Envy Descendants also possess the Midnight Blessing of ¡®Emotion Ignition.¡¯

    Therefore, when facing them, you must remain sufficiently calm! If your emotions be too intense, they may find an opportunity to deal a fatal blow to your mind.¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Taking advantage of Murphy¡¯s daze, the Count of White Mountain, clutching his abdominal wound, thrust his frigid noble¡¯s sword towards Murphy¡¯s heart with precise and ruthless force, clearly practiced from a young age and with his own sword artprehension.

    However, staging a reversal was not so easy. Murphy¡¯s Desire Demon de howled, breaking free from its wielder¡¯s control and shing towards the Count of White Mountain in a precise defensive sword form.

    This counterattack foiled thetter¡¯s offensive, forcing him to retreat continuously under the Gale Storm-like barrage of strikes from the demon de.

    Astonishment shed in his gray eyes.

    This isn¡¯t right!

    I clearly knocked him out and gained the advantage, so why has my situation be more perilous after he was dazed?

    Hey!

    You vampire over there, are you kidding me?

    How can your sword fight better than you? So, are you actually just a human vessel binding this demon sword? Knocking you out triggers the second phase, right?

    ¡°Emotion Ignition, what a despicable ability!¡±

    Murphy regained rity a second after being dazed.

    He shook his head, the lingering emotional burning in his mind making him extremely ufortable. The mental damage and tearing even spread to his body, causing a twinge of pain in his chest, akin to the unbearable ache of a breakup.

    He looked up, watching the Count of White Mountain being driven back by the Desire Demon de¡¯s relentless attacks, flexing his fingers to summon his Night ws, but with no response.

    The setting sun shone through the window, mere minutes before nightfall. In that brief transition when sunlight had yet to depart and night had not arrived, the hunting ws bestowed by darkness would not answer the midnight child¡¯s call.

    So Murphy stepped back, raising his hand to channel spirits in the form of Death¡¯s Grasp, precisely binding the Count of White Mountain¡¯s ankles and lifting him into the air before mming him violently to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Necessary Evil elerated past the Count¡¯s neck, releasing the intoxicating aroma of delicious blood.

    The demon de, driven by the thirst for fresh blood, became even more frenzied, emitting an ominous hum at an ever-increasing speed, like dark lightning repeatedly assaulting the Count of White Mountain¡¯s precarious sword defense.

    ¡°Making a stranger¡¯s heart ache on our first meeting, you truly are a man of profound sin!¡±

    Murphy tossed out a flirtatious remark, casting Spirit sts in various forms to continuously disrupt the retreating Count of White Mountain¡¯s sword techniques, allowing Necessary Evil to ¡°y¡± to its content while brushing up on his spirit skill proficiency.

    He also periodically summoned Astral Realm creatures to charge forward, further overwhelming the Count.

    Within 30 seconds of battle, the Count¡¯s luxurious leather armor had acquired several dangerous wounds, and his icy blue cloak was tattered like a beggar¡¯s ¡°ceremonial outfit.¡± This young foreign vampire had realized he could not possibly win this fight!

    Although this Blood Vulture vampire shared his ck iron rank, hisbat prowess was at least twice that of the Count!

    The Count had fought with all his might, yet his opponent remained unperturbed. As a wise man of noble status in this situation, he knew what to do.

    Of course, it was to flee.

    No, it was a strategic retreat!

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    The chilling noble¡¯s sword swept forward, a unique sword art as crisp and elegant as a winter breeze, once again deflecting the Desire Demon de.

    The Count of White Mountain stepped back, raising his left hand, a cold radiance floating in his palm. With a deep breath exhaled forward, it manifested as a frigid wave freezing all before him.

    Murphy even saw visible snowke-like spirit particles swirling in the air.

    The frost rapidly froze the ground where it touched, even temporarily encasing the soaring demon de in mid-air, causing it to drop to the ground with a thud, unable to fly.

    ¡°This is definitely not a power the Thorn n should possess! Nor is it a power vampires can acquire! This kid is a bit odd.¡±

    Murphy kicked the window beside him, gracefully leaping through the shattering ss without a hint of clumsiness, avoiding the frozen ground. The Count of White Mountain performed the same maneuver, and after releasing this formidable control spell, he grabbed his frozen attendant Vesta and leapt out the window.

    At this point, Maxim had already floored one of the three Thorn Vampires in the courtyard. The remaining two, seeing their master retreat, knew it was time to withdraw.

    They escorted the Count of White Mountain in a gliding retreat, but behind them, Murphy and Maxim¡¯s massive crimson Blood Wings suddenly spread open in the final moments of dusk.

    Night had finally fallen.

    The mother¡¯s blessing fell equally upon every vampire, allowing the Thorn n to elerate their escape.

    However, upon hearing the thunderous pping of wings behind them, the three realized they had made a fatal, hellish mistake.

    Attempting to glide away from Blood Vultures capable of soaring the skies?

    Was this truly a tactic you seriously considered, or were you trying to make Murphy and Maximugh themselves to death, giving you a chance to escape?

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    The pursuers behind struck like meteors, with Maxim ¡°death-dropping¡± at over twice the speed of sound like a vulture preying, violently colliding in a bat-like strike that mmed the two Thorn Vampire baron escorts to the ground.

    Finally able to manifest in the darkness, the crimson ws crisscrossed like curved des, precisely and ferociously piercing through their armor and into their flesh, instantly ending the battle. The two who were attacked didn¡¯t even have time to transform into bats and flee before being beaten to near death.

    The ancient ws with true damage were that overbearing!

    ¡°Swish swish swish¡±

    The sound of massive wings pping stirred up the wind on this street. Before the Count of White Mountain, Murphy descended slowly, his hands also transformed into the ferocious Night ws.

    He hovered a few inches above the ground,pletely blocking the count and his servant¡¯s escape route.

    ¡°Your Highness, go!¡±

    Vesta, whose legs were still self-healing, loyally protected his master, but s, before he could finish his words, a humming ck blur charged from behind with a ferocious collision that could tear through walls.

    Carrying the humiliation of being toyed with and its temper frayed, the greedy blood-craving demon de Necessary Evil instantly elerated three times, piercing through Vesta and the Count of White Mountain¡¯s bodies at a lightning speed even Murphy couldn¡¯t discern.

    Hot blood spilled into the night, but the young man already showing despair still gripped his sword in defiance.

    This stubborn attitude further enraged the Desire Demon de, prompting it to repeatedly pierce through them three more times in the next second, and on the fourth execution strike, it precisely impaled the Count of White Mountain¡¯s heart, ravenously devouring the delicious fresh blood of the Thorn n.

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    Murphy shed forward, gripping the hilt of Necessary Evil.

    He rebuked:

    ¡°I need him alive!¡±

    The demon de had gotten carried away.

    It even resisted Murphy. The vampire lord narrowed his eyes, invoking the admin system¡¯s antivirus program.

    Of course, it was just a bluff.

    This thing couldn¡¯t activate itself withouting into contact with the chaotic spirit entities of the sub-space.

    However, as the familiar purifying aura emanated from Murphy¡¯s fingers, the blood-crazed demon de immediately became as docile as a quail, allowing Murphy to smoothly withdraw it from the Count of White Mountain¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand casually.

    The demon de that had just tasted the delicious fresh blood obediently hovered by his side, while chaotic silhouettes of the Blood Vulture traitors soaring through the night sky appeared behind its master.

    The vampire lord spoke in a low voice under the whistling night:

    ¡°In my name, y the rebels. Leave only ten to be executed! The rest of the blood essence is yours.¡±

    ¡°Hum¡±

    The Desire Demon de instantly became ecstatic.

    It swayed in the air, seeming to praise its new master¡¯s generosity and magnanimity. While in Salrokdar¡¯s hands, it never had the opportunity to execute Blood Vulture members at will and steal their blood essence.

    This greedy, bloodthirsty de obediently circled Murphy a few times in a fawning manner, as if saying, ¡°You¡¯re not a bad guy.¡±

    Afterwards, it elerated in the air, transforming into a dark meteor with a gloomy screech, disappearing into the night sky, and within the first second of taking flight, it slew a Blood Vulture traitor attempting to fly out of Bataxin City.

    It even understood tactics!

    The demon de¡¯s tactic was to bully the weak and fear the strong!

    Since it was still quite weak, it would first target the weaker traitors to sate itself, before coborating with Murphy¡¯s servants and warriors to ambush the stronger ones.

    ¡°Ah, under Salrokdar it was like a rampaging blood dragon, crushing all defiance. But in my hands it¡¯s be a gluttonous but obedient hound, only daring to bully the weak.

    Of course, I don¡¯t think this is my problem.¡±

    Murphy sighed.

    He used his ferocious Night ws to lift the Count of White Mountain¡¯s pale chin, raising his weak face to look into those gray-blue eyes with crimson specks.

    In those young eyes, he saw despair and resignation, anger and unwillingness, pain and release, as if already prepared for eternal silence.

    Murphy tilted his head and said:

    ¡°You were also recently turned, weren¡¯t you, Count?¡±

    ¡°How-how dare you say that?¡± The Count of White Mountain clearly wanted to preserve a shred of dignity, defiantly retorting.

    However, Murphyughed and said:

    ¡°If you were an experienced vampire, you would have known to flee upon seeing my Necessary Evil. Yet you charged like a naive youth.

    Either you¡¯re too young to recognize this midnight sacred de.

    Or you¡¯re a fool.

    Which conclusion should I believe?¡±

    ¡°Necessary Evil?¡±

    The weakened count suddenly realized, letting out a low, painedugh. He said:

    ¡°So it¡¯s the legendary Desire Demon de, no wonder. But isn¡¯t the new n leader ady? Why is this Grand Duchess¡¯s proof in your hands? Who are you? At least¡­at least let me die understanding!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t die.¡±

    Murphy pressed down on his shoulder with his left hand, his right w smoothly piercing his opponent¡¯s heart. With a sudden force, he split open the vampire¡¯s heart, leaving this Count of White Mountain, whose identity was clearly questionable, weakened under the midnight.

    He whispered in his ear:

    ¡°My name is Murphy! Revnor Murphy Lessenbra. I am the lord of thisnd beneath your feet, displeased by being offended. I am the Count of Kadman, and the future Governor of Transia.

    Foreign Count, you make an excellent bait, perhaps luring out someone more important.

    Sleep now, failure.

    Tonight¡¯s humiliation is not your fault, you performed perfectly.

    You were simply too weak, that¡¯s all.¡±

 Chapter 151:

    ¡°Block it! Block it! Quick, where are the gunners? Block the back street!¡±

    Meow King, holding the Crimson Witch¡¯s Staff, was standing on the roof of a two-story building, issuingmands as night fell. However, he was no professional like Onboard Joy Stick, so his orderscked precision and were based more on intuition.

    Still, the little yers had an ¡°illustrious¡± performance today.

    Thanks to their dishonorable daylight ambushes, they had already collected 22 vampire heads by dusk.

    Of course, those vampires the little yers could locate so easily were far from elite, just fringe members of the n. Even after killing them, all they got were feeble Vampire Hearts, yielding no significant rewards.

    But it proved that hunting vampires during the day posed little risk.

    Especially with the Witch Hunters¡¯ special potions and sword oils, making the task even easier, though the fanatical armed Blood Servants were more troublesome.

    Fortunately, the yers had strength in numbers, or they could have easily been ambushed and wiped out.

    However, as night fell, the tide turned abruptly.Those Blood Vulture traitors who had evaded the day suddenly revived at full strength, and elite vampires who had been hiding emerged to hunt.

    Empowered by the night, they ughtered yers like chickens, forcing the little yers to hole up on a single street, too afraid to disperse.

    Fortunately, at this moment, Lady Adele and six vampire descendants joined the battle without warning, finally allowing the little yers, who had been hunting since the afternoon, to catch their breath.

    ¡°I see it clearly now, we¡¯re just bait, you get it? Like crafty fishermen using chum to lure the fish!¡±

    Inside the merchant¡¯s residence the yers had ¡°temporarily requisitioned¡± as a base, Electronic Subus Old Tune, gripping a gun at the window, keptining.

    He said to ck Stockings Under the Keyboard, meditating nearby:

    ¡°That cunning Murphy lured those weak Blood Vulture traitors by sending us out first. Once they surrounded us, Lady Adele and her elite servants wouldunch a powerful surprise attack on those greedy fools.

    A good tactic, but why does it feel so unsatisfying?¡±

    ¡°Just shut up and be grateful to E-Sister for saving our asses,¡± said Led More Than Three to Five Pecks, panting while holding his shield.

    He nced at Lady Adele soaring overhead, chasing two vampire traitors and cackling as she ughtered them, then whispered:

    ¡°Without that NPC backup, those vampires would have buried us tonight with their strength and numbers. These guys are too good at hiding; who would have thought little Bataxin was harboring over 70 Blood Vulture traitors?

    Damn!

    The scouting spell I cast earlier seemed to glimpse a silver-rank Blood Vulture traitor shing by in the air. Isn¡¯t that a field BOSS?¡±

    ¡°Oh shit! Help! I¡¯m being targeted!¡±

    Meow King¡¯s shrill cry came through the team channel. The fellows who had been resting immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed upstairs. As Day One No Fap ran up, he didn¡¯t forget to shout at the hapless merchant cowering in a corner with his wife and child:

    ¡°Take your wife and kid to the basement! Don¡¯te out until it¡¯s over! Go to Crimson Citadel and ask Count Murphy topensate for the damage to your house!¡±

    It was well-intentioned advice.

    However, the otherworld husband couldn¡¯t understand themon tongue. But the hapless merchant wasn¡¯t foolish enough to run out with his family at a time like this.

    My God, this not-so-wide street now had at least 20 vampires and 50 Blood Servants fighting each other, tantamount to a ¡°War of the Gods¡± for ordinary civilians.

    ¡°To hell with it! You two dare to ambush me? Think I¡¯m a pushover? I¡¯ll stab your mothers!¡±

    As the Four Heavenly Kings and Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off charged up to the roof, they were met with Meow King¡¯s vulgar roars.

    The Oak Apprentice¡¯s shoulder was bleeding, his beloved Crimson Witch¡¯s Staff was on the ground, and blood was everywhere. But the cunning social butterfly was savagely pinning a female vampire to the ground, straddling her waist as he furiously drove the burning replica Avalon Sacred de toward her heart.

    Behind him, another vampire night stalker was ensnared by spirit vines. The Four Heavenly Kings didn¡¯t waste words, they brandished their weapons, pounced on the enemy, and sent him to meet the Night Mother.

    Meow King was clearly consumed with rage, roaring as he incinerated the struggling, pleading female vampire beneath him to ashes. Only then did he copse, being forcefully pulled up by his old buddy, Don¡¯t Need Hands.

    Before their eyes, the street had descended into chaos!

    Those Blood Vulture traitors pursuing the little yers were no match for Lady Adele and her six elite family members.

    As fringe members, they could only bully the weak, while Lady Adele¡¯s elite descendants hunted them down, shouting about purging the traitors.

    This also ced immense psychological pressure on the traitors¡¯ minds.

    ¡°Look! Maxim is here too!¡± cried Electronic Subus Old Tune, whose eyesight was the sharpest, pointing down the other end of the street.

    As the others turned their heads, they saw Maxim, fully armed like a ferocious beast, swinging his menacing Night ws and joining the battlefield with his massive Blood Wings pping.

    He descended from the sky, blocking a fleeing ordinary vampire¡¯s path. With a tear of his hands, the unfortunate one was ripped in half by his ferocious Night ws, screaming in agony.

    ¡°Holy shit! So bloody brutal! Befitting Murphy¡¯s ¡®monster¡¯! I love it!¡±

    ck Stockings Under the Keyboard, also a physical ss, shrieked excitedly, itching to rush out and join Lord Maxim in ughtering everything in sight. But he was quickly restrained by the other brothers.

    Snap out of it, will you?

    He¡¯s an elite NPC!

    You¡¯re just a rookie who hasn¡¯t even passed the ck Iron Trial. Don¡¯t go adding chaos for our side.

    The intensity of this battle had clearly surpassed what yers could participate in. It was better to just watch the action cutscene and snag a few heads.

    ¡°Murphy¡¯s little bird is here too! Look!¡±

    Old Tune shouted again.

    He eyed enviously as the Blood Vulture Spirit swooped down from the night sky, folding its wings and shredding a vampire¡¯s Blood Wings with its talons, before carrying the unfortunate one away.

    Hey, Old Tune was a gunner too. Maybe he could get a cool, ferocious little birdie as a scout someday.

    ¡°Ah, thank you for Nature¡¯s gift! Thank you for Night Mother¡¯s blessing!¡±

    Excited howls arose from the students in the courtyard nearby.

    The unfortunate vampire whose Blood Wings had been torn apart by Revnor had crashed right into their territory. Ah Yuen and Gugu Chicken immediately pounced, shing wildly with their des.

    Another head was collected.

    This scene made Meow King¡¯s heart race.

    Although they couldn¡¯t use Vampire Hearts now, Lady Tris at the Blood Vulture Halls was always collecting them.

    yers all said turning in Vampire Hearts could quickly raise Lady Tris¡¯ affection and the Blood Vulture n¡¯s reputation. So they naturally viewed them as a ¡°premium token,¡± though their use beyond submission was still unknown. But stockpiling some in advance couldn¡¯t hurt!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll sneak in and grab a few heads too.¡±

    With a wave of his hand, Meow King stealthily led his brothers, slithering to the edge of the chaotic battlefield, eyeing lone ordinary vampires as potential ambush targets.

    But before they could act, a piercing screech roared from the depths of the night. Then, to the little yers¡¯ shock, it precisely and savagely swept across the few traitors before them.

    The sinister Necessary Evil¡¯s entire demonic de was already drenched in thick blood, like a bloodthirsty flying serpent. But it was unsatisfied, now like an utterly unleashed mad dog, greedily craving more blood to fill its weakness.

    Three ordinary vampires couldn¡¯t satisfy its bloodlust. Like an arrogant gourmand taking a single bite of a tender, juicy delicacy before tossing the nd thing aside, it made an impossible 90-degree high-speed turn, soaring back into the sky to hunt tastier elite traitors.

    The scene left the yers dumbstruck.

    They all knew Lord Murphy had acquired a formidable weapon from Salrokdar, but had no concept of just how formidable.

    Witnessing it firsthand made them question their very existence.

    ¡°Damn! Fully automatic target-seeking cruise missile sword! Who knew bushy-browed Murphy was a Wudang disciple?¡± Day One No Fap cried out.

    The others immediately burst intoughter, but Meow King¡¯s expression was peculiar.

    He suddenly recalled the hidden quest chain he had shelved. He hadn¡¯t thought much of it before, but after witnessing Necessary Evil¡¯s ferocity and dominance, Meow King began to scheme.

    Murphy had clearly stated that the unfinished design in his hands was a Blood Vulture craftsman¡¯s replica of the Desire Demon de. Even if yers couldn¡¯t obtain sacred des of Necessary Evil¡¯s caliber, having an automated attack capability would still be invaluable.

    Yeah!

    Decided!

    Meow King made a silent resolution.

    After passing the ck Iron Trial, he would promptlyplete this hidden quest chain.

    If he could truly obtain the replica sacred de design and monopolize production of this clearly formidable weapon, his little group¡¯s path to riches would be at hand!

    Ah, thank you for Lord Murphy¡¯s generosity. I thought I was a nobody, but now it seems Murphy still loves me!

    Yeah, it must be because I¡¯ve raised my affection high enough!

    It has to be!

    ¡ª

    ¡°Little Ashina, let¡¯s just forget about it, okay?¡±

    While Meow King¡¯s gang and the students were busy collecting heads, the girls had not joined the intense main battlefield. Instead, they were hiding on a high tform in the northwest corner of Bataxin City.

    Clearly, they were scheming to do something nefarious.

    Lumina knelt on the ground as an observer, worriedly telling the nearby Ashina, who had already set up and precisely calibrated her demon-hunting rifle and was chewing malt candy:

    ¡°You just hit level 10 this afternoon. There¡¯s no need to rush the ck Iron Trial, especially the most difficult elite hunting, which must bepleted solo. If you fail, you¡¯ll be set back three days upon revival.¡±

    ¡°Geez, you nag so much!¡±

    As Ashina loaded a special ¡°Vampire¡¯s Requiem¡± round into the chamber, she rolled her eyes at her three concernedpanions, saying:

    ¡°I said I¡¯m doing this, and I¡¯m confident. You don¡¯t believe me? Hmph, I¡¯ll show you what it means to solo an elite today!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Now¡¯s not the time for your games,¡± Orchid scolded, leaning on her kite shield.

    ¡°We pooled resources to arm you, not for you to waste them on personal stunts. Listen! Go grind some dungeons properly. At least get a masterwork veteran set before attempting this.¡±

    ¡°Commendable courage, but recklessness is unwise,¡± said Sister Pomegranate, her temper cooling after several battles. Patting Ashina¡¯s head, she advised:

    ¡°Elites and regr mobs in this game arepletely different concepts. You know this from Lord Maxim¡¯s Strength Challenge. I don¡¯t think you can handle an elite right now. Better to hunt vampires at night.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, you just don¡¯t get it!¡± Ashina oozed confidence.

    Popping another malt candy in her mouth as she chewed, she said:

    ¡°You haven¡¯t understood what the game means by its ¡®100% realism¡¯ im! Shame on you veteran yers. Let me ask you, if you shot a war hero in the head in reality, would he die?

    No matter how capable, he¡¯d die!

    If this game truly achievesplete realism, then my n is absolutely feasible! It¡¯s just a vampire, right? I nailed Salrokdar with three shots before.

    That was a golden-rank!

    I¡¯m confident I can drop any elite to critical health with my first sniper shot, then finish them off slowly.

    Don¡¯t give me that ¡®elites are tough with high health¡¯ crap!

    This!

    This is a real world!

    At least, that¡¯s what the devs im! So let me see for myself.¡±

    Ashina set up her hunting rifle, squinting through the long scope.

    In her view, a sneaky female vampire was emerging from a basement,den with bags, clearly intending to flee. The four of them had chased her here, confirming she was a ck Iron elite.

    ¡°For me, this is the perfect real world, don¡¯t you understand?¡± Ashina¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    A stubborn, defiant expression shed across her slender face as she muttered to herself:

    ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t understand! You don¡¯t know what kind of life I live every day. Hmph, it has to be real! Hah, target locked on¡­mmm, cutie, there¡¯s no escape for you now.¡±

    Her sight steady, the rifle barrel elevated slightly as she calcted the lead, taking aim in preparation to fire.

    Ashina took a deep breath, finger on the trigger.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    As the female vampire spread her Blood Wings to take flight, the pricey Vampire¡¯s Requiem round Ashina had splurged on from Lady Tris flew from the barrel.

    The spherical, smoothbore round should havecked uracy, but propelled by the extreme force unleashed from the ignitedbustion gold powder, it traversed the distance between shooter and target in an instant, precisely striking the vampire in the back.

    The 30x concentrated daylight toxin immediately took effect. With a scream like a bird with clipped wings, she plummeted diagonally toward the ground.

    ¡°None of you interfere! Did you hear me?¡± Ashina shouted at her threerades, dropping her rifle and drawing twin crimson hand cannons.

    ¡°She¡¯s mine!¡±

    With that, she charged forward, leaping off the high tform to the shock of Orchid, who peeked over the edge.

    But Ashina bizarrely shed and rolled uponnding, shedding her momentum before sprinting toward the vampire¡¯s crash site.

    ¡°When did she learn dark elf de arts?¡± Pomegranate asked in astonishment, looking at Lumina¡¯splex expression.

    ¡°I taught her before the Blood Vulture Halls,¡± Lumina said softly. ¡°She didn¡¯t learn swordsmanship, just the apanying shadow steps. I knew this kid had her own ideas, it seems she nned her career path long ago.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up with this kid?¡± Pomegranate murmured.

    ¡°Just now, she looked like she wanted to eat someone, totally different from usual cheeky self.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Orchid patted Pomegranate¡¯s shoulder, having seen the real Ashina. She said quietly:

    ¡°She¡¯s always bouncing around, unable to settle down, not because of an energetic nature, and her love for this game isn¡¯t just because it¡¯s fun.

    Here, she can run freely, charge headlong into those terrifying yet wondrous things like a warrior, without worrying her body can¡¯t handle it, or spending the rest of her life bedridden.

    For Ashina, perhaps reality is the crappy game.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Pomegranate¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Impossible? Didn¡¯t she say she learned horseback riding from her mother as a kid? How could¡­¡±

    ¡°ALS, the more you talk about it, the more tears are shed.¡±

    Lumina shook her head and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t want to grow taller, that¡¯s why she hates being called a midget. Come on, let¡¯s go protect that little dummy.¡±

 Chapter 152:

    ¡°Hah, hah¡±

    Ashina ran through the night.

    She clutched two crimson hand cannons ready to fire at any moment, with twelve rounds of Vampire¡¯s Requiem loaded in the cylinders. For this elite hunt, Ashina not only spent all the money in her pockets, but also used her ¡°power of money¡± to buy some gold coins from other yers before she was able toplete the purchase.

    That¡¯s right.

    She was also a little rich girl just like Feel You Poor.

    And ording to the information privately revealed by Lumina and Orchid, this little one¡¯s family background was far more powerful than Feel You Poor¡¯s.

    ¡°Lady Tris charges too much, she¡¯s simply a temte for a ck-hearted vampire!¡±

    The petite gunner grumbled in her heart as she advanced in the darkness:

    ¡°If I fail this time, not only will I be ridiculed by those three annoying girls, I¡¯ll also go bankrupt. But hey, whatever, I¡¯ll fight first and talkter.¡±She quickly rushed to where the female vampire had fallen, vigntly looking around. Relying on the scouting specialty brought by the Gunner profession, she quickly found the blood trail on the ground.

    But she did not approach recklessly. Instead, she took out three scrolls from her spirit bag, tore them open and patted them on herself.

    Bat Senses, Leopard¡¯s Grace, Monkey¡¯s Protection.

    All werebat scrolls that increased agility attributes. The scattering spirit light gave her a bit more confidence. She then activated the protective effect of the spirit ring she had previously won from a lottery before finally taking steps into the eerily quiet night before her eyes.

    She was certain that shot just now must have weakened this elite vampire.

    The craftsmanship of Lady Tris was absolutelymendable. But even a weakened elite vampire still belonged to the ¡°one shot¡± category for her.

    So what followed would be a dance on the knife¡¯s edge.

    This expression was awesome!

    She liked it.

    The malt candy she chewed in her mouth emanated a hint of bittersweet.

    This stuff didn¡¯t taste good, but at least her tongue wouldn¡¯t go numb asionally here. Whether sour or sweet, they were all great! Moreover, an excellent gunner should always be chewing on something.

    This was something she learned from those cool movies. It could also help reduce her stress a little.

    She was just like those heroines in the movies who ventured into danger, like the unrestrained Lara or Natasha, like a super formidable hunter single-handedly hunting dangerous monsters.

    This would be a 1v1 showdown between her and the monster, entrusting both life and death to the uing battle!

    So, who would be stronger?

    The hunter?

    Or the prey?

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The spirit orb flew out and smashed under Ashina¡¯s feet. The exploding spirit energy knocked her to the ground.

    Covered in dust, she saw the savage female vampire pounce out from her hiding shadow, swinging her w-like daggers to stab at her.

    Her chest was still bleeding, apparently unable to dig out the bullet deep in her body.

    She had still missed the shot!

    The bullet didn¡¯t hit the heart, otherwise this vampire would be weaker.

    Hey, she had studied the weaknesses of vampires in detail before the hunt began!

    While other yers were busy grinding monsters and dungeons, she had spent a long time in the Blood Vulture library reading books rted to vampires.

    Their weakness was not just in the heart!

    The brain and eyes were also one of the weak points. Aside from the transcendent power of the night, these guys weren¡¯t much different from humans.

    ¡°St¡±

    Ashina¡¯s heart was shattered by the retaliating vampire¡¯s w. Then her entire figure dissipated. The petite gunner hiding her form with Lady Tris¡¯ illusion ring curled her lips and raised both guns, firing three shots at the female vampire in front of her.

    At this distance, with her innate Lightning Reflexes and quick-draw specialty, it was basically impossible to miss.

    The first shot hit the vampire¡¯s chest, the second hit her mouth, the third should have hit right between the eyebrows, but the vampire, sensing the danger, decisively transformed into a bat to dodge the bullet.

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Ashina immediately moved. She slid under the vampire¡¯s thrown dagger, then pulled back to distance herself, crouching down to confront the vampire who had reformed her body just a few steps away. Her ankle seemed to be sprained just now.

    This pain was so real that it made her recall the pain of falling off a horse when she was a child.

    Ah, that was more than a decade ago.

    Back then, she could still run and jump behind her mom and dad. She seemed to have forgotten since when the wheelchair had be an indispensable panion¡± in her life.

    ¡°Presumptuous blood servant! Die!¡±

    The vampire across from her was obviously enraged.

    She could tell Ashina was just a Professional, yet she dared to ignore the pressure of transcendent power and rank toe challenge her alone?

    Are the blood servants these days this crazy?

    The vampire roared and pounced, moving too fast to react. But Ashina dodged the pounce again with a precise slide, and like an elegant and lethal matador, fired another shot at the vampire¡¯s back in the instant she sidestepped.

    It hit this time!

    Right in the heart!

    As her own heart pounded wildly from the proximity of danger and death, the vampire also staggered and nearly fell, the daylight potion-imbued bullet hitting her heart making her feel weakened.

    She immediately realized this petite blood servant hade prepared.

    No good!

    She couldn¡¯t withstand this head-on, she had to retreat!

    Thinking this, the vampire spread her Blood Wings and flew into the sky with difficulty. However, the next moment she saw three other armed blood servants eyeing her like tigers stalking prey beside her.

    In that instant, the vampire chosen as the target understood.

    Damn ck Iron Trial!?

    She was actually selected as the target of a blood servant¡¯s ck Iron Trial?

    What a disgrace!

    You f**king underestimate people too much!

    She cursed with vulgar vampire profanities, intending to escape higher. But Ashina below her calmly pulled out a hunting rifle from her bag and took aim.

    The first shot pierced through the Blood Wings, forcing the target tond again.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    The frustrated female vampirended with a flicker and rushed in front of Ashina, intending to grab this blood servant as a hostage. She withstood a barrage of bullets and grabbed Ashina¡¯s wrist.

    But the petite girl not only didn¡¯t struggle, she took the opportunity to charge into her arms. The two guns in her hands fired simultaneously, one up and one down.

    The scorching bullets pierced through her chin and also through her sole. Her speed was reduced once again, but Ashina was also bitten on the neck by the vampire.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The female vampire had originally intended to absorb blood this way to heal.

    But as soon as it entered her mouth, she felt something strange.

    This taste was off!

    There was no substantial blood in this blood servant¡¯s body at all. Howe it was all spirit energy when bitten into?

    Was this a summoned creature?

    ¡°Hehe, get it now? Toote!¡±

    Ashina¡¯s mocking voice trembled with pain. Seeing her precarious health bar at this near-zero distance, she simply went all out.

    She pressed the muzzles of both guns against the vampire¡¯s ample chest and repeatedly pulled the triggers. After five muffled bangs, the midnight n member with her chest blown open flung her away with a scream of agony, sending her tumbling through the air several times before crashing to the ground.

    The vampire herself also copsed to her knees with a thud.

    Including the previous one, a total of six Vampire¡¯s Requiem bullets were shot into her heart. With such injuries, forget her as a ck Iron elite, even a Silver vampire would have to kneel!

    Those were handcrafted bullets by a Grandmaster Alchemist. Sniffing carefully, there was even a strange wine fragrance on them.

    Was this outrageous blood servant not afraid of death?

    Shouldn¡¯t a normal person beg for mercy in that situation just now?

    ¡°F**k!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate saw this and immediately popped out her tri-w fist des, ready to go help. She saw Ashina couldn¡¯t get up anymore, clearly a sign of exhaustion. But as soon as she started, Orchid and Lumina joined forces to hold her down.

    ¡°If you go over now, she¡¯ll hate you for life.¡±

    Orchid said softly:

    ¡°This is her battle, don¡¯t interfere!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go this far.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate said anxiously:

    ¡°Her messing around like this will make the pain umte until a forced disconnection, even if pain perception is adjusted to the lowest, it¡¯ll still fail all the same, right?¡±

    ¡°Others might disconnect, she won¡¯t!¡±

    Lumina exined with a sense of regret and helplessness:

    ¡°Ashina¡¯s already damaged nerves have long lost sensitivity. This little lunatic calcted even this. No wonder she was so confident. Sigh, I have to admit now she really is smarter than me.¡±

    ¡°Hah, hah¡±

    Sword Saint Ashinay on the ground, trying hard to get up.

    But her exhausted stamina made it very difficult to do so. In front of her eyes, the game and reality seemed to appear as two constantly shifting scenes at the same time. It wasn¡¯t an illusion, because she saw the disconnection warning flickering from the game helmet interface before her eyes.

    She had to restabilize her mind before that warning countdown reached zero!

    She gasped for breath, lying on the ground feeling the temperature that felt incredibly real and cold. The scene before her eyes also seemed to be hallucinating due to the unstable mental connection.

    ¡°Amyotrophicteral sclerosis, or ALS. I¡¯m sorry, madam and sir, this is no longer a problem I can solve.¡±

    ¡°But she¡¯s only 15 years old.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only fortunate thing. Early detection means some advanced therapies are still useful for this child. I can rmend some.¡±

    ¡°Can she, can she still ride horses in the future?¡±

    ¡°Uh, best not to. Actually, if maintained well, she can still engage in limited free movement with the help of a wheelchair or crutches. But after 30¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, you must cure her! She¡¯s our only daughter. Money is not an issue! Doctor, please contact immediately¡­¡±

    Rambling, shadowy voices echoed in Ashina¡¯s ears.

    Making her, in a daze, return to eight years ago when she pretended to be asleep in her bedroom, but perked up her ears to listen to the conversation between the family doctor and her parents in the living room.

    That was the first time she learned about her real condition.

    Sigh, no more horseback riding, no more target practice.

    ¡°Smack¡±

    Ashina¡¯s foot kicked hard against the ground. The pain in her toes made her break free from the hallucination. She then shook her head vigorously to sober herself up, trembling as she propped herself up on her arms from the dust-covered ground, panting as she looked ahead.

    That female vampire was walking towards her, holding her blown-open chest.

    Like a dying prey about to sink its teeth into the injured hunter¡¯s neck,pleting a splendid reversal kill to dere the unshakablews of nature.

    As if to dere the sudden malice descending in fate, what an immovable disaster it was for ordinary people.

    Like the day when her own world came crashing down.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Ashina struggled forward with a crawl, grabbing the fallen handgun in front of her.

    What a beautiful gun.

    Crimson patterns crawled all over the finely crafted gun body in an artistic manner. Probably only a race as idle as vampires would add so many flourishes to their weapons. She fell in love with it at first sight.

    Hmm, the craftwork she ordered should be delivered home tomorrow. She was nning to make that her 25th birthday present to herself.

    5 years.

    Thest 5 years remained!

    Then she¡¯d have to spend the rest of her life in bed like a vegetable.

    However, here!

    However, now! She could still move!

    ¡°Die!¡±

    The heavily wounded elite vampire pounced with her ws raised, intending to pierce the heart of the petite girl.

    Ashina also raised her gun at this moment, aiming the muzzle at her opponent¡¯s eyes. The moment the ws pierced her body, the dust-covered girl pulled the trigger.

    Those were the eyes of a hunter.

    Calm, yet resisting death.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Thest bullet struck, making blood spurt. The midnight child trying to reverse kill in front of her eyes flung her head back as if punched hard, then flipped over onto the ground from that irresistible counter-punch.

    Amidst the blood sttering, that midnight body was still twitching from nerves.

    Such an attack couldn¡¯t kill a vampire. She would still regenerate, so Ashina had toplete the final process!

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    She had never been this exhausted before.

    She used both hands to grab her body, crawling onto the blood-stained body of that vampire. With trembling hands, she pulled out the boning knife prepared long ago from her waist.

    She gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands, making the trembling in her wrists stop.

    The feeling now was just like when she was a child, after a day of running wild with her mother at the ranch, being carried on her mother¡¯s back when returning home because she was too tired from ying.

    She didn¡¯t even want to move a single finger.

    Mom, Dad, no need to secretly cry while carrying me anymore.

    Look.

    I can move again now!

    Your daughter has finally found her wish again after a whole eight years of losing her dreams and life. I¡¯ve be a mighty hunter just like grandpa.

    But timid grandpa could only hunt wild boars, while I can hunt vampires!

    Hah, Buffy and the likes are so weak!

    I¡¯m the true vampire hunter!

    ¡°St¡±

    The sharp de stabbed down.

    Right into that heart beneath the broken bones. Then in a forceful tug, that tattered vampire heart was ripped out from the twitching prey¡¯s body.

    The wailing vampire beneath her lost its cursed life, turning into a discolored, cold statue.

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    Panting, Ashina tossed the knife aside and held the red glowing vampire heart in her hand, leaning against the statue of despair behind her.

    She was exceptionally tired, but a peculiar strength was surging out from within her body, as if some invisible lock had been opened.

    However, she didn¡¯t seem to be in luck tonight.

    Amidst the cries of rm from her threepanions behind, Ashina raised her head with difficulty and saw in her blurry vision another vampire pouncing towards her with a ferocious expression.

    She raised her gun with difficulty.

    But pulling the trigger only produced an empty click. Thest bullet had already been given to her prey.

    Sigh, she was still going to die, but it didn¡¯t matter. The ck Iron Trial was alreadypleted.

    She was the first yer toplete it!

    She was the best!

    A hundred times better than those jerks who asserted that she could never leave the wheelchair and stand again, that she could never run again!

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Ashina tossed the gun aside and closed her eyes, raising a middle finger towards the sky.

    This wasn¡¯t something ady should do, and the imagined death didn¡¯t arrive either.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The strange muffled sound made Ashina open her eyes. She widened her eyes and saw that evil vampire who was going to kill her plummeting like a meteor, pressed into the ground by a familiar figure from high in the sky.

    As if carrying some emotion, like a personal grudge, he pressed the vampire¡¯s head down and smashed it into the ground with transcendent momentum, making rubble fly.

    Murphy, who had arrived at some point, was in a standard, cool ¡°justice executed¡± superheronding pose, his huge, awesome wings folded behind his back.

    His left hand was on the shoulder of this blood n traitor, his right hand¡¯s terrifying crimson ws piercing through his heart.

    ¡°What were you going to do to my cute and brave warrior? Disgraceful scum!¡±

    As the vampire lord coldly withdrew his ws, the assant¡¯s body turned into another kneeling statue amidst desperate wails.

    Murphy kicked it aside and walked up to Ashina.

    He squatted down.

    Looking at the petite girl in front of him, her face covered in blood yetpleting a near-impossible feat, tears were now streaming down that face as dirty as a little kitten¡¯s.

    ¡°Why cry?¡±

    Murphy took out a handkerchief and handed it over, asking softly:

    ¡°Crying isn¡¯t the celebratory pose a mighty hunter should have after victory.¡±

    ¡°Wuwu, I just¡­ I love it here so much, I love this world so much. What if I can¡¯t y anymore in the future? Please don¡¯t shut down, okay? I have a lot of money, I can donate to you¡­ You must keep operating this game, okay?

    Wuwuwu, in the second half of my life¡­ I can only rely on you to stand up¡­¡±

    Of course Ashina wasn¡¯t scared to tears.

    Someone daring to shoot at Salrokdar had guts. She was just finally expressing her true feelings about ¡¶Reality Realm¡· in this situation.

    Her words were all over the ce, but Murphy understood.

    This was perhaps the first time the ¡°dog nner¡± truly felt proud of his current profession. So he showed an even gentler smile in the night and reached out to vigorously rub the crying Ashina¡¯s head.

    He said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    ¡°But if you want, this world will always open its arms to you, I guarantee it! As long as I¡¯m here for a day, you can continue to enjoy everything you have.

    Yes.

    I promise!¡±

    ¡°Wuwuwu, mommy said handsome men are the best at lying, wuwu I don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Ashina cried even harder.

    At this moment, she felt the one in front of her wasn¡¯t an NPC, but a real person, a truly warm soul, a soul just like her.

    With tear-filled eyes, she raised her blood-smeared hand, stuck out her pinky and said to Murphy:

    ¡°Unless, unless we pinky swear.¡±

    Are you a child?!

    No wonder you¡¯re not growing taller, you adorable little dummy!

    Murphy was going crazy with retorts in his mind, but the words out of his mouth became:

    ¡°Ah, is this a magical ritual from a different world? Seems to be rted to vows. Then under the witness of the Night Mother, I must treat it seriously.¡±

    So under the gaze of the other three female yers, Murphy reached out his pinky and hooked it with Ashina¡¯s. He said in a low voice:

    ¡°In the name of Murphy, I promise!¡±

    However, Ashina could no longer hear.

    She was too tired.

    Her stamina bar had long dried up. Having received the promise, she passed out with her head lolling to the side.

    Murphy shrugged, pped his cape to pick up his warrior like a princess, and delivered her to Sister Pomegranate.

    He said:

    ¡°She needs rest, and you need to take good care of her, because from now on, she is ¡®Murphy¡¯s Warrior¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 153:

    ¡°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 ¡¾Server 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.

    ¡ª¡ª

    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¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 154:

    Item Name: Frostfang ¨C ssic Noble Ceremonial Sword

    Quality: Standard ¨C Sovereign

    Traits: Transcendent Piercing ¨C Exceptional Swiftness ¨C Exceptional Spirit Protection ¨C Winter Essence Enchantment

    Special Effect: This item has an extremely high chance of inflicting the ¡¾Freezing Slow¡¿ effect on targets it hits, which can stack. After triggering this effect three times, the target will bepletely frozen and afflicted with the ¡¾Suffocating Cold¡¿ status.

    Current Bound Owner: Andre Alexei Romanov Torrez

    Crafter: Nordtov Royal Court¡¯s Commissioned Grandmaster Seleucus Coda

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This 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 ¡¾Grandmaster¡¿ 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 ¡¾Master¡¿ 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: ¡¾Count of White Mountain¡¿Andre Alexei Romanov Torrez

    Character Temte: Level 17 ¨C ck Iron Rank ¨C Rare

    Special Bloodline: Winter Direwolf Kin ¨C Hero King¡¯s Blood ¨C North Wind Descendant

    Current Professions: Level 12 Frost Spirit Swordsman / Level 10 Thorn Nightwalker / Lyric Poet ¨C Mncholy Specialization

    Strength Evaluation: Novice ¨C Neutral

    Note!

    Your Detection spell has attracted the attention of the Guardian Deity of Nordtov ¨C Lord of the Great Wilderness ¨C Astral Realm Great Spirit ¨C God of the North Wind ¨C Winter Wolf God¡¾Su¡¿

    ¡°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?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°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!

 Chapter 155:

    From the unfortunate vampire Mary, Murphy quickly learned about the various events that urred in Kadman City an hour before the Astral Realm rift erupted.

    But she herself didn¡¯t actually know much either.

    ording to her, that day she was hiding with her lover Mork in a dark little street-side room doing some spicy things that couldn¡¯t be described without getting censored. It was only because of vampires¡¯ keen perception of spirit energy that they noticed the Nocturne barrier being suddenly shut down.

    Afterwards, Mork took her to investigate all around the city¡¯s shadows.

    Well, from this detail, we could see that the fool vampire who previously reminded Murphy to ¡°eat well before hitting the road¡± was actually a loyal fellow to his family.

    This could be seen from his willingness to risk being burned by sunlight to investigate the crisis for his family, which was not something any random vampire would bother involving themselves in.

    However, these two unlucky lovebirds obviously had terrible luck.

    ording to Mary, they had only just gone out and hadn¡¯t figured out what was going on when they were immediately ambushed and beaten down by those treacherous scoundrels who disregarded martial honor.

    Those traitors who had already defected to the Wolfsbane n not only shut down the city¡¯s barrier core but also made off with much of the family¡¯s wealth, and even members like the corridor guards and the patriarch¡¯s personal guards who were theoretically absolutely loyal were involved.Mork was killed on the spot, his vampire heart even stolen, while Mary barely escaped with her life.

    But not because the traitors spared her out of chivalry, only because they ran out of time and casually tossed the heavily injured Mary onto a garbage pile to die before swiftly evacuating the city. Mary crawled out of the garbage pile just in time to witness Kadman City being swallowed by the Astral Realm rift.

    She should have died there.

    But she was lucky enough to be discovered by a group of fleeing family outcasts and brought out before the Astral Realm¡¯s spirit energypletely engulfed the city, eventually making her way to take refuge in Bataxin after much wandering.

    ¡°Mork and I were official family members, so we had a certain prestige among the outcasts. That¡¯s why when we settled in Bataxin, we caught the attention of the local overseer, old Joel.¡±

    Mary had now been brought out of the basement.

    She guzzled the blood bottle Murphy tossed her to recover some strength while copsed on the ground, taking out her family¡¯s si ring she had hidden somewhere to prove her identity. She then continued reporting the following events to Lord Murphy.

    It was evident that the suffering Mary had endured had nearly driven her to despair.

    Murphy¡¯s appearance was undoubtedly her only hope of surviving and reiming her identity, so she spilled everything she knew like water pouring from a bamboo tube without needing any prompting from Murphy.

    ¡°But Joel was a fool, a madman, and a disgusting scumbag! He took advantage of my weakness to do some¡­disgusting things to me! He even tried to make me his descendant, but he was just a mediocre nobody!

    He had already exhausted all his potential just by barely passing the Silver Trial at the lowest possible standard. He could neverpare to my poor, beloved Mork.¡±

    Mary¡¯s tone took on a tinge of sadness, but she quickly continued:

    ¡°Joel learned of everything that happened in Kadman City and thought the Blood Vulture n had been wiped out, so he foolishly started colluding with the Thorn n. I don¡¯t know if he had already been secretly in cahoots with the Thorn Nightwalkers beforehand, but his information was soon answered.

    They sent people over and kept taking in family traitors.

    I strongly objected!

    Especially after hearing that Lady Tris had be the new grand duchess, I felt we should return to Kadman City and pledge allegiance to her. However, I overestimated the integrity of my kinsmen.¡±

    She reached out and touched her chest.

    There was a horrific brand there, as if seared by a red-hot horseshoe infused with spirit energy to prevent a vampire¡¯s healing ability from mending the wound.

    She said:

    ¡°Fear drove Joel insane. He knew his actions would invite terrible retribution if discovered, so he branded me with the shameful mark of a ve and locked me and my servants in here. He then began even more actively contacting the Thorn n.

    We had already lost hope until your warriors discovered us.¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes and looked down at the utterly debased female vampire. After a few seconds, he said:

    ¡°You¡¯re clearly lying, but I¡¯m not asking if you¡¯re loyal, that¡¯s something we can discusster. The issue is that what you¡¯re saying doesn¡¯t match the reports from my warriors. It was you who actively called out my name, which is what made them spare you all. Yet you im you heard news of Tris bing the grand duchess!

    But you didn¡¯t know beforehand that I had be the lord of thesends.

    You¡¯re obviously hiding something!

    Mary, I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Speak clearly!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s keen perception and his ability to unravel the holes in her words with a single sentence made Mary¡¯s entire body tremble. She let out a wail, then a few secondster hugged Murphy¡¯s feet and cried out:

    ¡°No, my lord, I haven¡¯t deceived you! I¡¯ve just¡­ I¡¯ve just experienced something very strange, and I thought that ignoring those outrageous facts might make you think I¡¯m not talking nonsense, rather than saying them outright.

    I had heard a voice before!

    It suddenly appeared in my mind, proiming to me that you woulde to save us. I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it was like it just manifested in my heart and announced where hopey.¡±

    ¡°A voice?¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°What kind of voice? Describe it to me in detail.¡±

    ¡°It was indistinct, like many voices ovepping,¡± Mary said hoarsely. ¡°It just kept repeating that Murphy would save us, but itpletely ignored my pleas and questions.¡±

    ¡°It suddenly appeared in my weakened slumber. I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but if I had to, it was probably simr to what those believers call ¡®divine revtion.¡¯ Back when I used to collect money by tormenting those old religion fanatics, I asionally heard them say they could hear the whispers and murmurs of the deity they worshipped.

    That voice appeared just once like that!

    I remember it clearly, the night beforest.¡±

    ¡°The night beforest?¡±

    Murphy thought to himself.

    Wasn¡¯t that when he had set out from Crimson Citadel with Maxim and Adele?

    If this terrified female vampire was telling the truth, did that mysterious voice foretell the events of tonight? It did sound like some unique ¡°divine revtion,¡± but the issue was that vampires were Eternal Sin Descendants. Why would this happen? Had some deity suddenly changed their mind or gone insane, developing a wondrous interest in piles of crap?

    Vampires didn¡¯t even have their own deity.

    Wait!

    No!

    A sh of lightning suddenly crossed Murphy¡¯s mind, causing all his muscles to tense up as the scene of the Sacred Blood Hall¡¯s copse shed into his memory. When that sub-space rift copsed into the Astral Realm, that grotesque and twisted sub-space shadow attempting to enter the material world was still calling out to Femis!

    That twisted demonic spawn created by sacrificing nearly half the elite of the Blood Vulture n by Salrokdar, referred to as the ¡°Night Mother¡± that indescribable thing.

    In a sense, wasn¡¯t that creature the ¡°deity¡± Salrokdar created for the vampires?

    Could it be¡­

    Hiss!

    Murphy suddenly gasped for cold air.

    He abruptly realized that the greatest gain from this Bataxin expedition might not be executing the traitors or deterring the restless Thorn n, but rather this unfortunate Mary pleading at his feet.

    But Murphy waspletely ignorant of such mysterious theological knowledge. Fortunately, he had the most preeminent theological schr on the continent as his superior.

    Tris would definitely be able to discern more from this.

    ¡°Maintain some dignity, Mary.¡±

    Murphy lowered his head and looked with disdain at the unfortunate vampire clinging to his legs. He said in a low voice, ¡°The information you¡¯ve brought back is precisely what the grand duchess and I need, so you can be pardoned. However, you did make a mistake by not aiding your n in their time of crisis but instead standing idly by, hoping to profit from it. You know, it¡¯s a sin that is difficult to forgive.¡±

    ¡°I know I was wrong, my lord. I¡¯m willing to pay any price, I only beg that you view me as part of the Blood Vulture n again,¡± Mary pleaded, prostrating herself on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to offer up my blood essence, to be your¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t currently need more servants, and your fate should not be decided by me,¡± Murphy waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°Pack your things and bring along those followers who suffered with you. Follow my warriors back to Crimson Citadel. The esteemed Lady Tris will decide your fates. And since you¡¯ve implicated the Wolfsbane n in the family¡¯s rebellion and mentioned Countess Cecilia¡¯s name, the power to judge your future lives also does not lie in my hands.

    Perhaps Lady Femis will take an interest in you all.

    After all, as the Countess of Anderma, she does need some trustworthy followers to manage her domain.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Marypletely went limp on the ground.

    She had survived.

    This was the best oue she could hope for after enduring such suffering.

    Beyond this, she dared not ask for more.

    The main reason was that as soon as Murphy arrived in Bataxin, he unleashed a frenzied massacre on the traitors here, clearly intending to show no mercy to any of the old rebels. This bloody approach terrified survivors like Mary, making them truly realize what kind of person this young and handsome lord was.

    In front of such a person, simply escaping with their lives was already an immense mercy.

    ¡°Max, keep an eye on them,¡± Murphy summoned his servant and instructed him.

    ¡°Then take my warriors and the prisoners back to Crimson Citadel. Adele will remain here to assist Lady Palen in controlling this trading town. I must return to Crimson Citadel first.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, master, we will handle everything,¡± Maxim said solemnly.

    Murphy nodded, his massive crimson bat wings spreading in the darkest hour before dawn as he took flight, rapidly soaring into the night sky apanied by the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor.

    The ¡°Wound of the Astral Realm¡± hanging in the horizon was like a purple beacon guiding his direction.

    ¡ª

    Dawn soon arrived.

    The citizens of Bataxin, fearful all night, cautiously opened their doors, fully expecting to see corpses strewn everywhere.

    After all, themotion of over a hundred vampires and hundreds of Blood Servants battling in the cityst night was enough to terrify everyone within.

    It was even possible that this ill-fated city itself was destroyed inst night¡¯s great war.

    However, that was not the case!

    There was nothing on the streets, not only no corpses strewn about, but even the aftermath of battle was barely visible.

    Only some Blood Servant members of the ¡°loyal faction¡± were joyfully directing the city¡¯s vagrants to clear the streets, loading faded stone statues that glimmered coldly in the sunlight onto carts to be taken outside and destroyed.

    Any knowledgeable merchant knew that those were the only remnants left behind when a vampire died.

    Since no one stopped the city¡¯s residents from going out, they quickly gathered to inquire about what exactly had happenedst night. Soon, a sensational piece of news spread like a thunderp through this small town with only a few thousand permanent residents.

    Bataxin¡¯s previous Blood Vulture overseer, Hatham Joel Lessenbra, was personally executed by the Count of Kadman for colluding with northerners and attempting to undermine Blood Vulture authority.

    Joel¡¯s subordinate descendants who had been lording over others were all eliminated, and his Blood Servants, kept like wild dogs, had been captured. Supposedly, they would be executed today at noon on the city¡¯s main trade street.

    The new administrator of Bataxin, thedy nicknamed ¡°Grandma¡± nche Palen Fedo, was collecting evidence of theseckeys¡¯ crimes.

    And this was what surprised everyone.

    The merchant woman nche Palen Fedo, born in a small vige in the Ice Bay region north of Bataxin, had somehow risen to high status and been granted a knighthood by the Count of Kadman, fully responsible for certainmercial affairs under the count¡¯s rule.

    Reportedly, she had been authorized to form a small organization to manage Bataxin.

    ording to rumors passed down several times, all members of this organization would be appointed by Lady Palen herself, so the city¡¯s major merchants had already hurried to the Horseshoe Inn where the knight was staying, hoping to gain some benefits for themselves.

    These matters had little rtion to themon folk of the city, no matter which lord was ruling over them,moners never got a say.

    They were only interested in two things.

    First, Palen was not particrly well-known among the merchants eking out a living in Bataxin before, just a wealthy merchant running trade routes and selling daily goods. There were also persistent local rumors that Palen¡¯s wealth came from murdering her own poor husband, killed by her and her daughters.

    That was a terrible usation, but the question was how such a merchant ofplicated origins became a servant of an esteemed vampire count?

    Second, just how many vampires died in the cityst night?

    Seeing those faded statues being carted out of the city one by one made one¡¯s head spin, fearing that maybe all the Blood Vulture lords who had recently gathered in the city were killed by the newly appointed count?

    Wasn¡¯t it said that the Blood Vulture n was already ruined? How did such a powerful vampire count suddenly emerge?

    Well, it seemed the Blood Vultures¡¯ domain was not lost after all.

    That was for the better, too.

    Themoners were familiar with the 400-year rule continuing, so they wouldn¡¯t have to adapt to the new order of thesends after enduring the horrors of the Ten-Year War.

    Although the vampires were a bunch of good-for-nothing bastards, it was hard to imagine what Transia would be like without them.

    Meanwhile, at the old Horseshoe Inn, the smug innkeeper was instructing the head chef to take out the establishment¡¯s best ingredients to prepare an exquisite lunch befitting a knight for his esteemed niece Lady Palen.

    All the inn¡¯s employees wore smiles, as happy as if they had found money on the street.

    Because most of them were from the same vige as Lady Palen, and now that she had achieved sess, everyone¡¯s future would undoubtedly improve. Just look at thesemon folk of Transia, their dreams so humble.

    However, in the inn¡¯s best room upstairs, Lady Palen was not so delighted.

    She was currently discussing important matters of grain trade with the fivergest local merchants seated before her.

    She did not mince words, directly telling them:

    ¡°If you do this well, you¡¯ll get what you want! The count has already promised that after obtaining enough grain for his domain, he will bestow Bataxin upon me as my territory. And I promise you all as well!

    Once I secure this territory, you will absolutely have a ce on the city¡¯s governing council!

    You all know me, when myte husband and I did business together, we were renowned for our integrity!

    But if we bungle this, gentlemen¡­

    Just think aboutst night¡¯s ¡®Bataxin Massacre¡¯. I feel that it wasn¡¯t just a show for the vampires, what do you think?¡±

 Chapter 156:

    The first one toplete the ck Iron Trial feat, Sword Saint Ashina, finally logged back in after being offline for four hours. It was already broad daylight, and breakfast had been eaten. However, the little yers did not linger in Bataxin City.

    They had caught up with the carriage, and under Maxim¡¯s leadership, they were escorting important prisoners and a group of fallen ¡°Blood Vulture loyalists¡± back to the Crimson Citadel at the fastest pace possible.

    When Sword Saint Ashina opened her eyes, she saw her threepanions dozing off in the swaying carriage.

    This was how yers appeared when they were offline. Although Maxim did not particrly favor the female yers, the other little yers had voluntarily given them a carriage to use exclusively.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s different now!¡±

    After hooking up with Murphyst night, Sword Saint Ashina disyed thepletion of the ck Iron Trial. She then entered a forced offline state, with a note in the game helmet saying ¡°test personnel physical projection reconstruction,¡± which probably meant updating her character information.

    She looked down at the character interface disyed on her Computation Bead, and it was indeed very different from before:

    ¡¾Test Personnel ID: Sword Saint Ashina

    Character Profession: 10th Level Gunner/None/NoneCharacter Status: Professional ¡ú ck Iron Body

    Character Attributes:

    Strength: 4 ¡ú 6

    Agility: 8 ¡ú 12

    Endurance: 6 ¡ú 7

    Intelligence: 3 ¡ú 5

    Perception: 6 ¡ú 8

    Charisma: 3 ¡ú 4

    Remaining Free Attribute Points: 6, can be manually allocated.

    New Character Talent Acquired!

    Pain Suppression: Reduces all melee damage taken.

    Calm Hunter: Upon enteringbat, mental interference from the outside world is reduced, and the duration of mental negative status effects is reduced.

    Close Combat Ranger: Using hand cannons in close-quartersbat reduces the penalty to uracy.

    ck Iron Body Strength Stage Summary:

    Congrattions, Test Personnel!

    You have finally transcended the Mortal realm and stepped into the extraordinary realm, and your potential has been unlocked and will be discovered and released through subsequent training and battles.

    But you must understand that the ck Iron Body is a very special strength stage.

    In this stage, you must carefully choose and confirm the path of power you wish to walk in the future, and undergo specialized training ording to your profession and skill traits to form abat style most suitable for yourself.

    The development team¡¯s rmendation for ck Iron Body test personnel is:

    In this stage, you may appropriately slow down your leveling speed and instead focus more effort on honing yourbat skills. Please think deeply about what kind of person you want to be in this otherworld and how you should leave your own legend.

    Of course, this is merely a suggestion!

    In thispletely free world, you can spend your second life as you wish! Congrattions, your future is no longer bound.¡¿

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so formal! This just makes me like you guys even more, what should I do? Should I ask my dad to spend some money and acquire yourpany?¡±

    Seeing her renewed character attributes and the message from the development team, Sword Saint Ashina smiled happily in the carriage, feeling like she could now punch a cow to death with her 12 attribute points increase and 6 free attribute points to allocate!

    This was no illusion.

    But before Sword Saint Ashina could break free from the joy and immense sense of achievement of leveling up and obtaining the ¡¾Server First!¡¿ glorious achievement, she noticed a new quest quietly existing in her quest log.

    Two new quests personally given by Murphy!

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¡®Murphy¡¯s Warrior¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: Murphy is a rather fastidious vampire. Beneath his benevolent exterior lies a soul that pursues perfection.

    He favors and trusts his otherworld warriors, yet he has been secretly observing them all along. He only allows himself to choose the most promising and unique ones from among the otherworldly spirits to be his personal warriors.

    And now!

    You!

    A resilient soul from another world, you should feel honored, for Murphy has preliminarily acknowledged you and bestowed upon you the title of ¡®Reserve Warrior¡¯. However, to truly be Murphy¡¯s warrior, you still have a long way to go.

    Quest Objective: Enhance your image and importance in Murphy¡¯s eyes as much as possible, and await the triggering of the next phase of the quest.

    Quest Reward: Special title ¡°Murphy¡¯s Warrior¡±.

    Note!

    There are only twelve of these titles in ¡¶Reality Realm¡·, and you now hold one of them.¡¿

    ¡°Hooray!¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina jumped up excitedly in the carriage, waving her arms and shouting maniacally to herself:

    ¡°Murphy! I swear to you! Finally, someone has discovered my great talent and can reasonably use it. Even though it¡¯s an NPC who discovered my uniqueness, it doesn¡¯t matter. I knew this game was my destined game.

    Ah, Dad and Mom, I¡¯ve found a game worthy of dedicating my life to.¡±

    ¡°What are you raving about?¡±

    Just as she was shouting and raving, putting on a behavioral art performance, the dozing Fatal Orchid Huahua in the carriage suddenly opened her eyes. She reached out and pressed Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s head, pinching her chubby cheeks hard, and then scolded loudly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that thing you didst night again! Did you hear me? Seeing you suddenly disconnect scared me to death, so I had to call your parents from the South Pole to ask if you were alright. Do you know how expensive satellite calls are?

    It charges by the second, you little brat. I¡¯m not a real rich third-generation like you.

    But I heard from your mother that you cried the whole nightst night, and she couldn¡¯t console you no matter what. What happened?

    Were you scared?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, no.¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina was quite fond of Fatal Orchid. After all, in her miserable life, it was rare to have a world-traveling good friend asionally visit and tell her about the outside world and other people¡¯s great adventures, which was always wonderful.

    She allowed Fatal Orchid to hug her petite body and softly told her friend:

    ¡°It¡¯s just that you can imagine, in your dull life, one day a ray of light suddenly shines through. When you¡¯ve been judged to have to live the rest of your life on a tube and respirator, you¡¯re suddenly given the opportunity to live freely.

    I wasn¡¯t scared.

    I was just too happy.

    Although my parents don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m doing, they don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°You still have the nerve to say that!¡±

    Fatal Orchid red and scolded:

    ¡°Who left a suicide note two years ago? That time, you almost scared everyone to death.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was ignorant back then. That¡¯s just how a disabled girl who read too much mncholic youth literature would be.¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina rubbed against Fatal Orchid¡¯s chest yfully, then showed off her new panel and hidden quests to her, as well as the second quest given by Murphy.

    However, this was not a hidden quest, but more like a ¡°reward quest¡±.

    ¡¾Quest ¡®Reward for Insane Skill¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: After witnessing your brilliant performance in the ck Iron Trial, Murphy was deeply impressed. However, he believes that a gunner without their own unique firearm will find it difficult to truly reach higher realms. Thus, he has decided to give you a clue to find a true hunting masterpiece for yourself.

    It is said that Crimson Regent Baroness Miriam has recently received an extraordinary ¡®gift¡¯. Perhaps you could pay her a visit?

    Quest Objective: Visit the Baroness of Mond and be allowed to view her ¡®Iron Warden¡¯.

    Quest Reward: Acquire a special weapon blueprint.¡¿

    ¡°A special weapon, huh? Sounds awesome! Didn¡¯t the ck Iron Trial quest say there would be an additional reward forpleting the elite challenge? I think this must be it! This is the reward quest from the development team for all test personnel who solo passed the elite trial!

    After all, a warrior without a good weapon cannot be worthy of the warrior¡¯s name!¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina could not share this quest, but that did not prevent her from discussing the quest details with Fatal Orchid. The great traveler did not disappoint and quickly pointed out the ¡°pitfall¡± in this quest.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a gift Baroness Miriam received from a friend, it¡¯s definitely not something that just anyone can be allowed to view.¡±

    Fatal Orchid shook her head, pouring cold water on the excited Sword Saint Ashina, saying:

    ¡°This means that toplete this quest, you¡¯ll have to raise Baroness Miriam¡¯s personal reputation to friendly or above. Although the affinity system has never been officially confirmed, yers are all convinced that this game has this mechanism.

    Moreover, your personal experience seems to have solved a long-standing puzzle on the forum.

    That is, while the affinity of other NPCs can be raised through special means, Murphy¡¯s affinity system has always been elusive.

    Now it seems that the main storyline NPCs are indeed different! To gain his favor, you have to demonstrate your uniqueness and bravery before him. And this damn affinity system actually has a limited number of slots.

    Only twelve warrior slots. Tsk tsk, what a fastidious handsome man!¡±

    The great traveler squinted her eyes, apparently having some other little thoughts in her mind. After a few seconds, she said in a low voice to Sword Saint Ashina:

    ¡°Keep this information confidential, okay? Murphy is obviously a sensitive character who doesn¡¯t like being talked about. If you casually reveal his criteria for selecting warriors, it will definitely lead to a decrease in your favor with him.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Is there such a saying?¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina widened her eyes and asked:

    ¡°What about if I say it on the forum?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Fatal Orchid shook her head and said softly:

    ¡°You know those guys like Meow King, right? Their luck in the game has reached an unbelievable level of bad. Whenever there are luck-rted quests or rewards, they will definitely run into trouble.

    I originally thought it was just their bad luck.

    But a few days ago, when I was bored and browsing old posts on the forum, I suddenly realized that Murphy and Tris¡¯ idle chatter was initially spread by them.

    Emmm, to be honest, judging by the intelligence level of the NPCs in this game, I don¡¯t think this is a coincidence.

    Don¡¯t forget, as a main storyline NPC, Murphy has a portion of GM privileges. Veteran yers have said they¡¯ve personally witnessed Murphy kicking Meow King offline.

    So if I have to say it¡­

    I feel that this unique NPC Murphy might sometimes be ¡®role-yed¡¯ in real-time by the development team, using a method that doesn¡¯t affect the yers¡¯ gaming experience to subtly adjust the direction of the storyline. And Meow King and his friends¡¯ misfortune lies in badmouthing behind Murphy¡¯s back and being ¡®noted¡¯ by the development team.

    But I don¡¯t have any evidence.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina nodded, looking a bit worried as she said:

    ¡°But I haven¡¯t raised Baroness Miriam¡¯s affinity at all since I started the game. It would take forever to start from scratch and raise it high enough. Wait! I just had an idea.¡±

    She looked up at Fatal Orchid and said:

    ¡°What if a yer who already has affinity visits the baroness, and then I go along as a follower or friend? He could make the request to view the gift.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s theoretically possible!¡±

    Fatal Orchid nodded and said:

    ¡°But you may not be able to find a yer willing to take the adventure with you. Actively making requests to NPCs will definitely lower affinity, let alone the affinity of an important NPC like Regent Miriam.¡±

    ¡°What about other NPCs then?¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina gestured and said:

    ¡°If an NPC brings me in, there wouldn¡¯t be that problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Fatal Orchid looked at the little Sword Saint Ashina holding her Computation Bead in surprise and asked doubtfully:

    ¡°So, what¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°Of course, to find the charming and gentle Murphy!¡±

    The little dwarfughed and said:

    ¡°Apart from patrolling his territory, he basically doesn¡¯t do any real work. He has plenty of time to spare. As his reserve warrior, this small request shouldn¡¯t be enough for him to remove me, right? You also said his affinity algorithm is different from other NPCs.

    I¡¯ve already obtained the qualification, so I should be entitled to preferential treatment, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s feasible!¡±

    Fatal Orchid nodded, ncing at the smug Sword Saint Ashina, and said:

    ¡°You really are a clever little devil.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The news of Sword Saint Ashina passing the ck Iron Trialst night was like a bomb that exploded. After a few hours of fermentation, it had spread like wildfire on the forum, blowing almost all the little yers out.

    There were constant posts on the forum asking how she did it. The patient Lumina eventually just opened a dedicated thread and described the entire process.

    At this moment, the faraway Onboard Joy Stick, who was in the sewers of the Crimson Citadel deploying troops and preparing for a ¡°raid battle¡± against a group of zombies, let out a yawn. He opened the forum in-game and read the textual descriptions in the post.

    He was obviously contemting how to approach his own trial.

    ¡°Does a 100% realistic game require realistic thinking as well?¡±

    Stick squinted his eyes, feeling like he had grasped a clue.

    However, he became so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot tomand the three newbies charging too fast to retreat in time. A gap appeared in their formation, and three zombies rushed in, causing a chaotic melee that nearly resulted in serious casualties for the team.

    ¡°Damn it! What are you afraid of? Use your spears and push them out! Gunners, prepare to open fire!¡±

    Stick jumped up and shouted, quickly restoring order to the messy formation.

    But his mind was no longer on the battlefield before him. Stick took a hand-drawn sewer map from his side, stroked his chin in thought for several minutes, and said to hisrades:

    ¡°We¡¯ll keep grinding for another 30 minutes, and then a few of us will go set some traps with me!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Stick, what¡¯s the point of setting traps?¡±

    Tiger Leopard Rider asked curiously. Stick narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°To lure an elite zombie over. I¡¯m going to pass the ck Iron Trial tonight! I¡¯m also nning to develop abat strategy that everyone can use. We¡¯re real men, we can¡¯t let a little girl outdo us, right?¡±

    At the same time, in the outskirts of the city sewers, the fierce male warriors apanying Master Mao for leveling were also discussingst night¡¯s events.

    Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s server-wide achievement had fired up the fierce men¡¯s hot blood, making them wish they could capture a zombie right now and practice.

    ¡°For a girl to actually aplish the feat of solo challenging a ck Iron elite¡­ tsk, how embarrassing!¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle pped his face and mocked himself with a prolonged tone, leaving the other three brothers speechless. However, the nearby resting Master Mao grinned, picked up his water pouch and took a sip, then stood up with his greatsword and said:

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of constantlyparing yourself to others? You shouldpare yourself to yourself! This game¡¯s parrying and dodging is so realistic. If you practice your techniques, forget just soloing an elite, you could do it without taking any damage.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I believe you could beat an elite, Master Mao, but unscathed? Tsk, that¡¯s too exaggerated.¡±

    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t believe me? Hey, give me a few more days to get the hang of this game, and then let me open your eyes. But the Blood Vulture Sword Arts definitely won¡¯t work, they have plenty of attack power butck agility, which is an inherent weakness of that sword style.

    You need to learn a bnced set of offensive and defensive skills. First, tell me how to raise affinity in this game?

    When I was sparring with Lord Maxim before, I saw him use a sword art that allowed unscathed dodging. I n to learn it, and then I should be able to solo an elite.¡±

    ¡°Achoo!¡±

    At that moment, Maxim, who was escorting the caravan departing from Bataxin City, suddenly sneezed without warning, causing one of the Descendants beside him to give him an odd look and say:

    ¡°My lord, what¡¯s wrong? Are you injured?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    The fully armed Maxim, riding a warhorse, waved his hand and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s just a very strange feeling, like I¡¯m being watched by something really troublesome.¡±

 Chapter 157:

    yers are not all the same.

    Just as there are all kinds of people in this world, everyone enjoys happiness in different ways, and even the definition of ¡°happiness¡± can have subtle differences.

    The most striking example is that most little yers in the game like to enjoy this wonderful ¡°second life¡± without restraint, but there are also peculiar fellows who prefer living in strict discipline and united collectives.

    For example, Onboard Joy Stick, who has just finished today¡¯s ¡°troop deployment¡± fun.

    Ever since being brought into the game by Meow King, Joy Stick has been immersed in the art ofmanding and the pleasure of teambat. He is rarely seen going out alone to do something, just like a qualifiedmander who always stays with his subordinates and soldiers.

    This guy and the nine brothers of Tiger Leopard Rider have almost be ¡°conjoined people.¡±

    They always appear together at the appointed time and log off simultaneously, and they take pride in this.

    However, even if one enjoys the sense of security within a group, there are always some things that need to bepleted individually, such as the hard requirements of the ck Iron Trial. When ites to matters of personal power improvement, the involvement of others naturally doesn¡¯t count.

    But Joy Stick has already gleaned some clues from the ¡°little miracle¡± created by Sword Saint Ashina, which has given him a perfected n in mind.¡°Brother Stick, is this okay?¡± Tiger Leopard Rider¡¯s nine brothers are currently sprinkling fire oil around a carefully selected dead end in the sewer, following Joy Stick¡¯s instructions.

    These burning oils are all high-priced purchases from Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage. Processed with alchemy, they have no extra smell, and with the addition of incendiary gel, they burn fiercely and swiftly. They can basically be considered a fantasy version of ¡°downgraded napalm.¡±

    The captain of Tiger Leopard Rider, ¡°Lin,¡± a tall man from Shandong holding a crimson war spear, expressed some concern to Joy Stick, who was making preparations:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the quest say it must bepleted alone and without any external assistance throughout? Won¡¯t us helping you set up the scene cause the quest to fail? It would be a shame if you seed in the challenge but it¡¯s all for nothing.¡±

    ¡°I used to worry about that too, but Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s experience has confirmed that this is feasible.¡±

    Joy Stick wasn¡¯t wearing his masterwork veteran set, but instead donned a set of special material standard armor.

    This armor is also an alchemical item bought from Lady Tris. It has no enhanced attributes and is quite heavy, not suitable for little yers to wear long-term. Its only advantage is that it¡¯s sturdy enough and can ¡°ward off fire,¡± meaning ites with 75% fire damage reduction.

    Brother Stick tightened his gauntlets and looked at the evenly sprinkled alchemical fire oil in front of him. He exined to the gathered Tiger Leopard Rider brothers:

    ¡°Sword Saint Ashina believes this game is 100% realistic, so she thinks certain rules from reality can be replicated here. Facts have proven her guess correct, using precise assassination-style sniping to cripple elites, then going in for closebat to reap the rewards.

    It¡¯s a great method, but unfortunately only suitable for ranged professions.

    Those of us who y melee have to find another way.

    But if Sword Saint Ashina can bring in reality, so can we! Look, this fire oil formation in front of us is the trap I¡¯ve set for this ck Iron Trial! The rules only say no one else can help, they didn¡¯t say no one else can help set up traps, right?

    To turn the impossible into possible, you have to grasp every loophole that can be grasped and make good use of it, like the terrain we¡¯ve chosen.

    As long as the elite ghoul charges in, I block the exit and cut off its possibility of escape.

    Next is fire!

    I¡¯ve looked up information and specifically asked the veterans in the camp. They confirmed that fire can suppress the ferocity of ghouls, putting them into a ¡¾Cowed¡¿ state, and once a ghoul¡¯s putrid, stench-emitting body is ignited, it¡¯s very difficult to extinguish.

    It¡¯s equivalent to adding a burning DEBUFF to it.

    Of course, the most important thing is that individual strength and health value must reach a certain standard line, otherwise even if the trap is set up well, there¡¯s no way to withstand the frenzied w attacks of the elite ghoul, and the undead venom it carries, as well as the continuously effective fire damage around.¡±

    While exining his train of thought, Joy Stick picked up his sword and shield.

    He is one of the rare yers who has already switched to two professions. His main profession is of course Gunner, but unlike Sword Saint Ashina who masters rangedbat with a ¡¾Suppressive Fire¡¿ specialization.

    His secondary profession is Sword and Shield Warrior, a melee defensive profession that can be unlocked by visiting veterans in the survivor camp. All its stats and specialties are mediocre and not particrly outstanding.

    Joy Stick chose this profession because of its strong inclusivity.

    Theoretically, the moremon such a profession is, the more advanced branches it can extend upward, and the more profession lines there are to choose from.

    The n guardian war sword in his hand, decorated with bat patterns, is now wrapped in flickering, scorching spirit energy. This is a weapon enchanted at Lady Tris¡¯s, capable of dealing more effective damage to ghouls and other sinister creatures living in damp darkness.

    And in order to prepare the trap before him, Joy Stick has almost spent all the savings of himself and his brothers.

    But he felt it was worth it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to crack the local gang¡¯s underground base, and we¡¯ve already killed a batch of ordinary ghouls. It¡¯s a perfect opportunity to take out those elite bosses that have been blocking our way!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick waved his sword and said to his brothers:

    ¡°If all goes well, we can push deeper into the sewers tomorrow, just dig along this line of the city¡¯s gang strongholds. Although there¡¯s no official quest or dungeon note, I¡¯m sure!

    As long as we find those guys¡¯ underground warehouses, we¡¯ll have made our first bucket of gold!

    Then we¡¯ll find some rich brothers to sell the resources, and in reality, we can also subsidize the fellows¡¯ household expenses. The depth of this game is simply bottomless, if you want to y it well, you have to invest a lot of time and energy.

    Speaking of which, I¡¯ve been considering whether to formally employ you guys recently. Let¡¯s learn from Meow King and set up a studio.

    I mean, treat this as a real job!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lin and Bing from Tiger Leopard Rider immediately agreed.

    Both of them belong to the ¡°moderately well-off¡± and haven¡¯t settled down yet, so it¡¯s not a big problem for them to y the game full-time for a while. But the other brothers were a bit hesitant.

    Sigh, when men reach the age of thirty, most have families to support, with a big family waiting to be fed. Abandoning their responsibilities as men, sons, husbands, and fathers in the name of gaming is uneptable to them.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I won¡¯t drag everyone into this pit before I figure out the way. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Brother Stickughed and slung his sword and shield on his back, then grabbed his elite musket. He made a gesture to his brothers and said:

    ¡°You guys stay far away. Unless I¡¯m killed, don¡¯te up and make a mess! If my setup works, everyone can get it done within two days!¡±

    ¡°Alright, then we wish Brother Stick a victorious start!¡±

    The Tiger Leopard Rider brothers responded in unison and dispersed to other ces as instructed, not interfering with Brother Stick¡¯s challenge. Onboard Joy Stick himself navigated the maze-like sewers with familiarity, treading through the water towards a dark alley leading further down ahead.

    They had been farming monsters here and were well aware of the dangers in the vicinity.

    An Astral Crocodile, also elite level, hid in the sewage to the east. It asionally ventured out to forage, and being an Astral Realm creature, it could conceal itself and releaserge-scale mental impacts, making it ferocious and not to be trifled with.

    To the west, there was an underground space that should have been a resting ce for Kadman City¡¯s gangs, but it had been upied by arge group of wraiths.

    For these incorporeal spirits, current little yers find it very troublesome to deal with, so Brother Stick would also avoid that area. As for whaty ahead, it was an elite-level ghoul boss, probably the leader of this underground gang.

    It was said that before turning into a ghoul, he was a veteran soldier. Some veterans in the camp even knew him and specifically issued a quest requesting Brother Stick to give him rest.

    Calcting the distance, when he heard the low moaning from the dark alley ahead, Onboard Joy Stick immediately stopped, took out his musket, and aimed forward. Without a sniping specialization, it¡¯s difficult to hit enemies in such a dim environment.

    But what he needed to do now was just to lure the enemy.

    ¡°Once this shot is fired, it¡¯s a matter of life and death, with no turning back.¡±

    Brother Stick took a deep breath.

    Raised the gun, aimed, and fired.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The low gunshot echoed in the sewer¡¯s dark alley, immediately alerting the ghoul boss ahead.

    Thetter pounced out on all fours, and that suffocating stench that could even be called a ¡°gue¡± burst forth instantly.

    This guy wasrge in stature, but his entire skeleton had been twisted and corrupted by death spirit energy, making his upper body extremely huge. He wore tattered clothes, his skin festering and oozing disgusting pus and blood. His enormous, ferocious ws had turned ck and bright red, scraping the ground like beast ws with a scratching sound.

    Although the muscles had decayed, under the effect of death spirit energy, this monster could charge and pounce at a speed far exceeding normal humans, with an unshakable brute force.

    The most horrifying was its head.

    It hadpletely lost human features, even the skin had cracked and dried up, exposing withered muscle tissue. The teeth had mutated, and the mouth was torn.

    Its eyes emitted a pale phosphorescent fire in the darkness. Though it had lost its sight, its senses were very keen.

    This is a ghoul!

    A transcendent dark creature that has been the ¡°gatekeeper¡± on the dark creature ranking for years, most likely to appear in ces where wars and massacres have urred and bodies weren¡¯t properly handled.

    Although these guys can¡¯t match vampires in terms of ss, they have their own advantages, which is that they are easy to ¡°mutate¡±.

    For example, the one currently chasing Onboard Joy Stick through the dark sewers, apart from its huge ws of death, it was also dragging a ck, cold soldier¡¯s greatsword in its other hand.

    That was its weapon when it was alive.

    Even after death, it still hasn¡¯t abandoned it, which proves that this savage ghoul boss has not only been strengthened but also hasn¡¯t lost itsbat skills and instincts.

    This makes it far more dangerous than ordinary ghouls.

    ¡°Come on! You idiot!¡±

    Brother Stick ran nimbly through the sewers, turning back to fire another shot at the pursuing ghoul boss.

    This shot hit it square in the chest.

    But the impact force that could tear open an ordinary person¡¯s chest only made this monster¡¯s pounce fail when hitting it, and it continued charging forward a secondter.

    This was clearly not something a Mortal could contend with.

    Unless the Mortal could disy wisdom distinct from beasts and ignite absolute courage in their hearts.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The savage ghoul boss crashed through the stone steps like a heavy artillery shell, chasing Onboard Joy Stick into the dead-end branch of the sewer.

    In its perception, this little mouse had nowhere to run. Meanwhile, Joy Stick had alsopleted his enemy luring. He tossed aside the now useless gun in his hand and grabbed an old gasmp from the ground, turning the switch to let the me rise within the fragile shade.

    He panted.

    Staring intently at the approaching ghoul boss.

    ¡°Closer! A bit closer!¡±

    He widened his eyes, and the moment thetter rose to pounce from 5 steps away, he did a ground roll to swap positions, then without hesitation smashed the gasmp on the ground.

    ¡°Boom¡±

    The alchemical fire oil meticulously concocted by Mama Tris ignited the instant it touched the open me. In a sh, the raging fire illuminated the entire passage. The fierce mes licked and burned along the oil spilled in various ces by the other brothers, turning the area into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye.

    When the elite ghoul boss was engulfed by the mes, it fell into extreme rage and panic. The monster shaped by death was unusually averse to light, and the fire could disperse the death spirit energy within its body, sending it back to death once more.

    This was clearly uneptable to it.

    In the roaring mes, Onboard Joy Stick, wearing fire-warding battle armor, endured the scorching heat rushing at his face. He reached out to pull down his visor, then took the sword and shield from his back and assumed a defensive stance.

    Standing amidst the raging fire, he firmly guarded the exit of this dead end, making the elite ghoul, howling as it burned in the fierce mes, also realize a cruel reality.

    Before defeating Onboard Joy Stick, it had no hope of escaping this hell woven of raging fire!

    It had stepped into the battle cage prepared for it by the weak living beings. After experiencing death, it had once againe to the desperate situation where it would die again if it didn¡¯t fight.

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Brother Stick, watching the huge ghoul boss curl up its body in the fire, shouted fiercely:

    ¡°You¡¯re scared, I can feel that I¡¯m f**king winning for sure, you bastard!¡±

    Further away, the Tiger Leopard Rider brothers hiding in the shadows eximed ¡°Badass!¡± Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s ¡°terrain kill¡± move had obviously been proven an effective method.

    This meant they could also use the same method toplete the elite challenge of the ck Iron Trial.

    What?

    You say there¡¯s a safer way to pass the ck Iron Trial by slowly unlocking potential through attacking ordinary ck Iron creatures?

    What nonsense are you talking about!

    When there¡¯s clearly a more powerful and badass way, why would I choose that unremarkable weakling method?

    And open your eyes wide and take a good look at Onboard Joy Stick battling the ghoul in the raging fire.

    How fucking cool is that!

    This is the way yers with ambition and real men would choose! ¡ª

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy, who had just returned to the Blood Vulture Halls, had just finished discussing the mysterious ¡°Midnight Spirit¡± with Tris. Tris also believed it was a threat, but since it involved the sub-space, they must be cautious. She said she would investigate and told Murphy not to interfere anymore.

    She was clearly afraid that Murphy would get involved in more dangerous situations.

    The vampire lord felt Tris¡¯s concern. As he walked out of the grand duchess¡¯s office with mixed emotions, he sensed something and looked down at the note delivered by the core bead.

    ¡°The second one to pass the trial is actually that cunning fellow Onboard Joy Stick?¡±

    Murphy clicked his tongue in wonder and said:

    ¡°I thought thatmander-type guy would choose a safer method. It seems little Sword Saint¡¯s victory has put quite heavy psychological pressure on the men. Tch, men¡¯s pitiful self-esteem can be really scary when it erupts.

    But since he did indeed go through the elite challenge, the deserved rewards should still be given. Let me think about how to arrange a reasonable job transfer for him.

    Speaking of which, this guy is preparing to be a vampire, right?

    Hmm, the heavy shield defender in the Tomb Guard would be very suitable for him.¡±

    Thinking thus, the Count of Kadman opened the door to his office. The weakened vampire Lord Vesta, sitting in the chair inside, immediately stood up, his face full of concern for his master.

    ¡°Listen to what I say!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, giving no chance for the loyal member of the Thorn n to speak.

    He said:

    ¡°Your master is a count with status, and I am also a count, so I will give him the treatment he deserves. But you must set off immediately now and deliver the news of Count Andrei¡¯s capture back to your n.

    Then find someone to rescue him. I have only one requirement for this.

    The higher the status of the person whoes, the better!

    I¡¯m only giving you 3 days!

    Loyal one, I believe you also don¡¯t want to see your noble master fall into an undignified situation due to your slow actions, right?

    So, I won¡¯t keep you for a midnight snack. You should set off now.¡±

 Chapter 158:

    The yers who went to the border city Bataxin for quests and personally experienced the ¡°Bataxin Massacre¡± returned to Crimson Citadel at the fastest speed, driving their carriages in a mad dash, arriving by noon the next day.

    By the time they got off their carriages at the camp, the number of little yers who hadpleted the ck Iron Trial had already exceeded 7.

    Apart from little Ashina, they were all veterans from the Joy Stick team.

    This clearly showed that a highly sessful, streamlined ¡°strategy¡± had already been developed by that cunning Joy Stick.

    At this point, the only factor limiting 10th-level little yers frompleting the ck Iron Trial was no longer individual strength or skill refinement, but rather the dwindling stock ofbustion oil in Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage.

    After all, Tris is now the esteemed grand duchess of the Blood Vulture n, and dealing with n affairs already upies part of her time. Add to that Tris¡¯s stubborn refusal to work overtime, which has led to her alchemy cottage not producing new goods for several days.

    Little Ashina and Joy Stick¡¯s guides have yed a rather curious role in pushing this trend further.

    Because whether it¡¯s the Vampire¡¯s Requiem bullets used by gunners or the oil needed by melee fighters, they alle from alchemists. After some clever yer pointed this out, the alchemy cottage was almost overwhelmed by yers.

    The scene frightened even the salesperson specially hired by Tris.They quickly sent a message to the Blood Vulture Halls, saying that Murphy¡¯s warriors were lining up to purchase alchemical fire oil in veryrge quantities. The scene was very scary, and no one knew what these warriors were nning to do with so muchbustion oil, enough to burn down ruins.

    But it feels somewhat frightening.

    When Murphy learned of this ¡°little anecdote,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but mourn for a moment for the ghoul bosses in the sewers beneath Kadman City ruins.

    He could already anticipate that for a long time toe, those elite ghouls born in the disaster would top the list of ¡°yers¡¯ Favorite Monsters¡± until targeted tactics for the next unfortunate ones were developed.

    However, Murphy had no intention of intervening in this gradually heating up situation.

    The reason is also simple.

    Although Joy Stick imed on the forum that his developed strategy was exploiting a BUG, in Murphy¡¯s view, this wasn¡¯t really a BUG.

    After all, in the long-popr ck Iron Trial ritual on the continent, there is no explicit rejection that trial-takers cannot receive help from others before starting the battle. In fact, the only focus of the ck Iron Trial is on experiencing arduous battles and unlocking hidden potential, rather than victory itself.

    From this perspective, Joy Stick¡¯s guide has no problems at all.

    Let alone that if it were truly a noob yer, even if they bought the oil and sessfully lured the elite into the trap, in the following physical sword-fighting phase, to be honest, it would still be difficult to handle alone. No matter how weakened, ck Iron rank elite creatures are still extremely dangerous for Professionals.

    Therefore, Murphy would only feel that his little yers have finally figured out this game, rather than ¡°fixing¡± this BUG specifically.

    However, it¡¯s obvious that others are very displeased about this.

    For example, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess who is currently ¡°making a scene¡± in Murphy¡¯s office.

    ¡°You! I order you to go manage your warriors! When my little shop opens, what it sells, and how much it sells are all up to me as the shop owner! Why should I work overtime to preparebustion oil and bullets specially made for hunting vampires for them?

    I¡¯m a vampire myself, okay? This is like selling the noose to hang myself! I won¡¯t do it!

    If word gets out, I¡¯ll be ridiculed harshly by other patriarchs!

    I can¡¯t lose face like this!

    Get them out of there immediately, the little girl I hired has been frightened by them!¡±

    Tris fiercely pounded the table and yelled at Murphy.

    Obviously, because the booming business at the alchemy cottage directly affected the grand duchess¡¯ cking time, it made her mood irritable.

    Murphy maintained the elegant posture of a handsome man and listened to Tris¡¯sints. Then he inteced his fingers to support his chin, smiling as he said:

    ¡°But my warriors are buying fire oil to clear out the threats in the sewers more quickly. You know, grand duchess, unless we reduce the number of ghouls in the city sewers to a certain level, ourrge-scale construction in the ruins area can¡¯t possibly be put on the agenda.

    I even have to praise them for doing well, knowing to use fire to fight against evil spirits.

    Don¡¯t you want to see your subordinates return to production and life more quickly, grand duchess? Don¡¯t you feel gratified by the intelligence andbat wisdom of your reserve nsmen?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have that much time to make fire oil for them! Though the principle is simple, it takes too much time to prepare.¡±

    Tris couldn¡¯t argue against Murphy under such an ¡°absolutely correct¡± reason. She rolled her eyes and decided to ¡°fight magic with magic,¡± so she said grumpily:

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess. I have to handle internal n affairs. I¡¯m so dedicated to my job, do you want me to put aside my responsibilities to the n members and be in charge of logistics for your warriors? That¡¯s not quite right, is it?

    Look, soon a group of Blood Vulture members will be returning to our family.

    I still need tofort them, inquire about more details from them, and confirm whether that ¡®Baroness Cecilia¡¯ really exists and her current identity.

    That¡¯s right!

    This is what the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess should be doing!

    Not hiding in an alchemy cottage, like a pathetic, exploited apprentice, preparing some damned fire oil!¡±

    Tris felt more and more justified as she spoke.

    Her tone suddenly strengthened, and she proudly raised her head to say to Murphy:

    ¡°So, in my capacity as patriarch, I order you to sort this out as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Actually, this matter is very easy to resolve.¡±

    Murphy looked at Tris with a subtle gaze. He coughed and said:

    ¡°Among my warriors, there are also those curious about alchemy, like Leading Pigeon. Isn¡¯t he already an alchemist apprentice?

    As long as our great Blood Vulture Grand Duchess is willing to spare ten or so minutes every day to give them some pointers, I believe not only can we quickly solve the shortage of fire oil and special ammunition, but even your private property, that is, the alchemy cottage¡¯s business, will also get better and better.

    This way, won¡¯t you have more money to spend on your beloved wine collection hobby, rather than just relying on the pitiful patriarch¡¯s allowance?

    I¡¯ve said before, we need to learn to use my warriors correctly in the right way, Tris. You don¡¯t want to waste such goodbor either.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it.¡±

    Tris waved her hand, interrupting Murphy¡¯s lecture. She had to admit that Murphy¡¯s crazy idea was indeed not bad.

    Alchemical fire oil and Vampire¡¯s Requiem are not considered high-end alchemy, even simple enough for any alchemist apprentice to handle, just taking a bit more time.

    With the enthusiasm and learning ability of the little yers, it really only needs her casual guidance to help her run her own little shop well.

    This is indeed a win-win solution.

    No, win-win-win!

    Tris¡¯s troubles are solved, little yers get a stable supply of alchemical items to pass the ck Iron Trial faster and better, and Murphy also gets his first batch of yer alchemists.

    Everyone will be very happy, except for the elite ghouls in the sewers.

    But considering that ghouls don¡¯t have brains, their opinions have never been important.

    Wild monsters!

    Especially wild monsters with visible health bars and quest bounties, have never had human rights!

    ¡°Pak¡±

    Tris, who was about to go ¡°solve the problem,¡± took out a box from her spirit bag and tossed it in front of Murphy. She waved her hand and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve made what you wanted, but I¡¯ll only help you this once. As a Summoner, you need to learn to make your own staff or hunting whip.

    Moreover, although the Summoner profession focuses on summons, it itself also falls under the category of Spirit Mage. Basically all spells that Spirit Mages can use, Summoners can learn. So take some time to look at the manual I gave you.

    Don¡¯t you like to test your little yers?

    In a while, I¡¯ll also give you a test. If you can¡¯t pass, hehe.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Murphy suddenly narrowed his eyes. He stood up, looked at Tris, and asked:

    ¡°Where did you learn the word ¡®yer¡¯? I can be certain that I¡¯ve never said this word in front of you. Who taught you? I know you¡¯ve been secretly learning theirnguage, but can you already understand the meaning of this word now?¡±

    ¡°Tch¡±

    Tris¡¯s expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained herposure.

    She put her hand on her waist, maintaining the motion of leaving, and then did a strange yet alluring high-difficulty look back. With a subtle expression, she stared at Murphy and replied in increasingly proficient, but still slightly ented Mandarin:

    ¡°You don¡¯t really think that for a Spirit Sovereign like me, thatplex otherworldlynguage would be an insurmountable learning challenge, do you? Little Murphy, not only do I know they call themselves yers and refer to us as ¡®NPC¡¯.

    I also know what kind of mess our world looks like in their eyes.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Murphy immediately became interested.

    He walked forward, poked his head out to look around, and after confirming there was no one else around the office, he closed the door. Turning back to look at Tris, he said:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to introduce me to your research findings on the yers, Tris.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, let me send a quest to them first.¡±

    Tris pinched her Computation Bead, proficiently weaving the content she wanted to convey on it, thenpleted the trantion using the trantion function.

    Click send.

    The beads used by her, Miriam, and other NPCs with management functions have been specially granted permissions. They are in the middleyer of the permission tree in the current matrixposed of Computation Beads. They can send quests to yers but still need Murphy¡¯s approval.

    Therefore, when little Ashina said earlier that Murphy doesn¡¯t do any real work all day, it wasn¡¯t quite correct. Murphy spends a lot of time every day reviewing the content of these quests and making slight modifications.

    For example, now Murphy slightly modified a few grammatical errors in the quest Tris wrote, then released it.

    Beside him, Tris yed with the Computation Bead in her hand, carefully studying the writing process of the quest mode. Then she took the iced drink Murphy handed over. This was a local specialty Murphy had specifically brought back for Tris from his ¡°business trip¡± to Bataxin city.

    ¡°Hmm, the quality of this drink is not bad. Where did you get it from?¡±

    Tris blinked and asked:

    ¡°It¡¯s the ice and fire wine from the northerners, and it¡¯s top-notch. I haven¡¯t had such good stuff for many years.¡±

    ¡°The representative of the Thorn n had stocked up a batch for his master. I just brought some back. I¡¯ll send it to your roomter, along with a few barrels of ¡®Frozen Moonlight¡¯, the royal special supply. Don¡¯t drink it all at once, savor it slowly.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, leaning against the ssic-style desk, looking at Tris and waiting for her answer.

    Tris organized her thoughts and began:

    ¡°Your warriors,

    Those adorable, naive, and unrestrained little yers seem to believe that we ¡®otherworlders¡¯ are all controlled by a mysterious force called the ¡®development team¡¯. They stubbornly think that we and the entire world are illusory, a projection built on some bizarre system.

    And all of this is the creation of that special force called the ¡®development team¡¯.

    This sounds very much like the ¡®creator god¡¯ concept promoted in some traditional myths, but it¡¯s different. At the very least, the little yers don¡¯t respect this creator god called the ¡®development team¡¯.

    I¡¯ve heard them several times privately cursing some ¡®dog nner¡¯ in the ¡®development team¡¯ for not doing decent work. I guess that should be one of the deities they recognize as specifically responsible for bestowing luck and establishing world rules.

    Secondly, the little yers are very smart.

    Their level of thinking is much more active than mostmoners in thisnd or even this world.

    They must have undergonerge-scale systematic high-level education. The most terrifying thing is that every one of them is like this, which is enough to prove that the civilization theye from has developed to an extremely high level. I can¡¯t even imagine the form of that civilization.

    But although they are smart, they have a rather peculiar ¡®thinking blind spot¡¯.

    They seem to think that all their strange behaviors will be ignored by otherworlders, so they never hide their true thoughts in front of us, which makes them seem very honest.

    Even honest to a fault.¡±

    At this point, Tris revealed a strange smile. She said to Murphy:

    ¡°Your warriors would even critique Adele¡¯s figure right in front of her. It¡¯s just fortunate that Adele can¡¯t understand, otherwise she would certainly be very troubled by this. Of course, they do the same to me.

    But I don¡¯t indulge them.

    Dare to make lewd remarks and they get silenced directly. After a few rounds of this, they¡¯ve learned to behave.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re always like that.¡±

    Murphy made noment on this. He shrugged and said:

    ¡°Every time they praise my handsomeness, it¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but I know it¡¯s praise from the bottom of their hearts, so I happily ept all these evaluations. Anything else? About your ¡®otherworlder observation journal¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Tris yed with her wine ss and said:

    ¡°As I just said, they muste from a very ancient civilization!

    As I¡¯ve been learning theirnguage, the deeper I learn, the more I can feel that some of the everyday expressions they use contain simple but practical wisdom. And I have a feeling that the current stage of civilization in our world can find simr references in the history of their world!

    They call it the ¡®Middle Ages¡¯.

    Admittedly, although spirit energy doesn¡¯t exist as such a huge influencing factor in their world, the overall progress of their civilization is far higher than ours.

    This makes me more and more curious about their world.

    Murphy, you¡¯re the first ¡®local¡¯ to contact them. Aren¡¯t you curious about all this?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve done some exploration.¡±

    Murphy lowered his head and picked up his own cup to conceal his change of expression at this moment. He took a sip of his drink, raised his head again, and said to Tris:

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to destroy their current perception of our world, Tris. Therefore, I require you to maintain only this private observation at the current stage and not actively engage in cross-world civilizational conversation with them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Tris raised her eyebrows and said:

    ¡°If they knew this was all real, I believe those with true adventurous spirit among their huge collective would be even more passionate¡­¡±

    ¡°As you said, their civilization is thousands of years ahead of our world, which means the controlling power over my warriors in their world is beyond our imagination! Tris. A mental level travel game and true ¡®otherworld contact¡¯ are two different concepts in the eyes of those in power.

    This is the same in any world.

    And I don¡¯t want my lovely little yers to encounter unnecessary dangers in their world because of me.

    This is my bottom line!¡±

    Murphy interrupted Tris¡¯s question. He persuaded:

    ¡°Moreover, I think you underestimate the significance behind this matter. What I mean is, we¡¯re facing an atheistic otherworld whose power is like that of godspared to us! I think no matter from which angle, we ¡®otherworld pioneers¡¯ should be more cautious about any contact with that side, don¡¯t you think?

    I¡¯ve heard little yers joke without restraint before, mentioning a kind of weapon on their side.

    It¡¯s said that just one of those weapons could instantly destroy a country as big as Transia, easily killing millions of people while making thend unable to give birth to any life for hundreds of years.

    Isn¡¯t this more threatening than so-called divine magic?¡±

    Murphy put on a serious posture, scaring Tris by saying:

    ¡°ording to the little yers, the number of such weapons on their side is calcted in units of ¡®ten thousand¡¯, and as long as there is a need, their state machinery can produce more extinction-level weapons at an extremely fast speed.

    Even their conventional forces are something we can¡¯t resist!

    Can you imagine making tens of thousands of tons of steel soar in the sky without relying on spirit energy? Can you let artifacts fly out of the world into the sea of stars to closely observe those stars?

    They can create temperatures of over 10,000 degrees, and they can also simte absolute zero in the true sense!

    And I¡¯ve heard that their cutting-edge technology can already master the mystery of creating a sun from nothing, although only for a dozen seconds or so.

    The most terrifying thing is that their world has nearly 10 billion people and can feed this vast number of people like the sand in the star sea! While our world, even counting the new continent and sea dwellers, is less than one-tenth of this number.

    Tris!

    You think you know, but you don¡¯t really understand what kind of power you¡¯re dealing with!

    The forces behind my little yers obviously possess powerparable to gods that can transform heaven and earth. I don¡¯t doubt that my warriors would joke around about such things.

    Even if only one-third of what they say is true, it means we have no power of resistance in front of them.

    Therefore, Tris, we must be more cautious.¡±

    He walked forward, put his hand on Tris¡¯s shoulder, stared into her bewitching eyes and said:

    ¡°We have enough troubles on our hands. Please don¡¯t increase the difficulty for us two, okay? I¡¯m begging you.¡±

 Chapter 159:

    ¡°Ding¡±

    In the survivors¡¯ camp, Leading Pigeon, who was discussing the trial contents and tonight¡¯s dinner with his dormitory good sons, suddenly heard a wonderful sound.

    Then he looked down and found that a quest had popped up on his character interface:

    ¡¾Alchemist Profession Quest: ¡®The Evaluation of Apprentices¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Content: Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop has encountered an unprecedented crisis, but the great and beautiful Lady Tris is busy with the internal affairs of the Blood Vulture n and cannot extricate herself. Therefore, she hopes her alchemy apprentice can help her resolve this problem.

    Quest Objective: Please go to Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop immediately andplete the preparation of 50 zing Gels and 50 Combustion Oils!

    Note!

    This is a coborative quest that can bepleted with other yers aspiring to walk the path of an alchemist!

    Note!This quest can be shared with a maximum of 10 yers.

    Quest Time Limit: 8 hours.

    Quest Reward:

    1. yers who have already obtained the ¡®Alchemist Apprentice¡¯ profession will receive 3 Basic Alchemy Scrolls and be officially employed as an apprentice in Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop to receive personal guidance from Grandmaster Alchemist Lady Tris.

    2. yers who have not yet obtained the ¡®Alchemist Apprentice¡¯ profession will be judged on the Quality of the prepared products to determine if they are qualified for a profession change.¡¿

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    Good Pigeon immediately let out a strange cry and showed the profession quest he received to his other good sons. Ah Yuen widened his eyes and said:

    ¡°The NPC has even delegated the authority to recruit apprentices to you? Damn, this game has truly refreshed my understanding of freedom, and it evenes with a beginner profession change quest for manufacturing?

    I remember quite a few yers wanted to get a side profession!

    Aren¡¯t you going to charge a fee for this?¡±

    ¡°Charge? Our good Pigeon would never do such a bad thing.¡±

    Good Pigeon was excitedly rubbing his hands.

    He opened the forum feature in the game and started editing a post. As far as he knew, very few little yers had chosen a manufacturing profession so far.

    This was definitely a great opportunity.

    However, a profession like alchemist sounded like it required intelligence, so the brash melee fighters could just step aside.

    As soon as he posted the thread, people immediately responded. Brother Meow rmended his old buddy, and the Joy Stick group also had two people. North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle from the Fierce Male Fighters was very interested, and the second and third batches of little yers also eagerly signed up. Good Pigeon had to set the selection criteria to Intelligence ¡Ý 6 to filter out quite a few people.

    However, what surprised him was that Lumina had also signed up.

    ¡°Sister Lumina, didn¡¯t you be a bard? And your main profession should be gunner, right?¡±

    Good Pigeon curiously asked in a private chat:

    ¡°You only have one profession slot left. Are you sure you want to learn alchemy? The announcement said you could switch to an administrative professionter. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to try that out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in bing an official, and my squad also needs an alchemist.¡±

    Lumina was quite open-minded.

    As she bid farewell to a few friends and gathered towards Pigeon¡¯s side, she said:

    ¡°We¡¯re about to put together a five-person squad. Before the next friend logs in, we need to confirm all the support roles. A bard is already a support ss, so pairing with an alchemist side profession is simply perfect.¡±

    ¡°You make a good point.¡±

    Pigeon was quite impressed by the gaming attitudes of the few members in the girls¡¯ squad. They were casual enough, unlike Brother Meow and those cunning socialites who had to calcte every little thing even when ying a game.

    He quickly organized a group of people and headed towards Tris¡¯s alchemy workshop in droves, ready to begin his ¡°corporate ve¡± career in the otherworld.

    Meanwhile, Murphy had just managed to fob off Tris and immediately let out a breath of relief as he closed the office door.

    Not bad, Tris!

    The vampire lord thought to himself as he massaged his slightly aching brow. Not bad for a golden-rank Spirit Sovereign. Her Intelligence is truly impressive. In just half a month, she not only self-taught the yers¡¯nguage but also roughly grasped the yers¡¯ current state through asional conversations.

    But thinking about it, this didn¡¯t seem to be much of a problem.

    Anyone who could be a golden-rank powerhouse in this world had to be exceptional, a one-in-a-million genius. Their intelligence was undoubtedly outstanding.

    It¡¯s just that her curiosity was perhaps a bit too strong.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that the little yers¡¯ connection to this world entirely relies on the test management system, and I¡¯m the only node. If this were really a summoning spell, Tris would probably have happily summoned her otherworld warriors by now to act as guides for this crimson witch in the otherworld.

    These Spirit Mages have indeed inherited the suicidal tendencies of spellcasters across countless dimensions.

    They¡¯re really not afraid that after all the hardships of opening an interdimensional portal, they¡¯ll be greeted on the other side with a nice, wakeup Ivan, are they? Even a golden-rank powerhouse can¡¯t withstand a nuclear bomb.¡±

    With these thoughts, Murphy walked over to the desk and opened the weapon case that Tris had given him earlier.

    Inside was a coiled de whip.

    There¡¯s nothing special about its appearance, it¡¯s just the ssic de whip shape mostmonly used by the Midnight Hunters of the Blood Vulture n. It has a sword hilt and a bat guard like a one-handed sword, but instead of a de, it¡¯s connected to triangr wing-like sharp serrated des, making the whole thing look like a monster¡¯s barbed tail.

    Tris is also a vampire, and an old fossil nearly 500 years old, so the de whip she personally crafted is imbued with the dark artistic sense that vampires can never seem to shake off.

    She even enchanted each triangr de, giving it the signature crimson color of ¡°blood-tempered¡± weapons.

    And this isn¡¯t just for looks!

    It means this de whip also deals a certain amount of spirit damage.

    The entire de whip isposed of 16 triangr des connected by a rope made from the tendons of the two-legged wyvern, renowned for its toughness and stretchiness, after being processed by alchemy.

    When connected, it reaches over 3 meters long, with a maximum striking distance of 10 meters when fully extended.

    But this is a non-standard weapon, and only vampires and shadow elves use these types of whip weapons across the entire continent.

    Proper use of this requires extensive practice and a certain level of skill. Otherwise, it¡¯s easy to end up in the awkward situation where the whipshes out and leaves the enemy unharmed while you¡¯ve lost your left hand or decapitated an ally.

    However, the de whip¡¯s lethality is equally formidable.

    Young Lady Femis is a de whip master. Murphy has seen her cleanly decapitate an Astral Realm mountain cat trying to ambush her from the maximum striking distance with a singlesh.

    But the de whip in Murphy¡¯s hands isn¡¯t meant for attacking.

    This is his ¡°primary weapon¡± as a Summoner. If he had to say, this thing is more like a spell-casting tool. He reached out and grabbed the whip¡¯s guard, and its properties immediately appeared before his eyes:

    Name: Astral Realm Beast Tamer¡¯s Hunting Whip ¨C ssic Vampire de Whip

    Quality: Standard ¨C Commander

    Traits: Exceptional Cutting, Extreme Durability, Astral Realm Summoning, Hunting Stimtion

    Effect:

    I. Beast Tamer¡¯s Principle:

    This weapon is a spell-casting tool custom-made by Grandmaster Alchemist Lady Tris for Astral Realm Summoners. When wielding this weapon to perform Astral Realm summonings, it will effectively reduce spirit energy consumption and increase the obedience of the summoned Astral Realm creature towards the summoner.

    Lashing a summoned Astral Realm creature with this weapon will put it into a ¡¾Kill Command¡¿ state, causing it to viciously attack the target designated by the Summoner.

    II. Tris¡¯s Focus:

    Since Lady Tris has engraved the ¡¾Precise Swift Summoning¡¿ spirit spell onto this weapon, it can be used as a dedicated spell-casting tool, granting +2 specialized summon slots.

    The wielder can designate two Astral Realm summons for this weapon. After applying a spirit mark, they can swiftly summon the creatures without using summoning spells through this weapon!

    Note!

    Activating this Effect requires consuming 3 times the spirit energy.

    Crafter: ¡¾Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¿ Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Beast Tamers must abide by the ¡¶Otherworld Animal Protection Act¡· and respect the freedom of movement of Astral Realm creatures. If any beast tamer is found abusing their summons, please immediately report to @PeacefulTransia.¡¿

    ¡°As expected of Tris! This ¡®Swift Summoning¡¯ is an advanced technique that I, a novice Summoner, have yet to master, but she¡¯s directly engraved it onto my Summoner tool. If this thing were sold on the ck markets of other regions, it would easily fetch several thousand gold coins.¡±

    Murphy caressed the de whip in his hands, feeling Mama Tris¡¯s love and protection, warming his cold vampire heart.

    Then he coiled the thing up and hung it on the weapon hook of hisbat belt.

    We know our own affairs best.

    As a vampire lord who walked the path of the sword, he would need some time to familiarize himself with and hone his skills with this unconventional weapon. He would definitely have to seek guidance from the Young Lady, a Grandmaster of whip-wielding, after she returns.

    Next, Murphy picked up the Frostfang de he had previously seized from the Count of White Mountain.

    Earlier, when Tris left, she casually helped him remove the spirit resonance from this ceremonial de of the Nordtov royal family, allowing him to re-bind it.

    Naturally, a gift from the royal family would have been imbued with the knowledge of the royal Spirit Mages. However, breaking this thing¡¯s spirit binding was a mere trifle for a Spirit Sovereign like Tris.

    She had already reached the golden rank over 300 years ago, while the Nordtov Kingdom had only experienced its first regime change after its founding when she was ying with spirit energy.

    ¡°Hum¡±

    Murphy¡¯s Dark Spirit surged out from his fingertips, enveloping the exquisite and luxurious hilt and de of the Frostfang. Afterpleting the first spirit resonance with this spirit weapon, its power was fully opened to Murphy, this wretched vampire who had mastered all sorts of NTR methods.

    This scene gave Murphy a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    He patted thezy Desire Demon de at his waist and said softly:

    ¡°I took you from Salrokdar as well, and now the Frostfang de is the same. Add to that my outstanding descendant Adele¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel that my otherworldly life seems full of fate¡¯s malice and mockery.¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    The cold de was drawn.

    As Murphy¡¯s wrist rotated, wisps of visible cold air dispersed from the two-finger-wide slender de of this noble sword.

    This thing¡¯s name wasn¡¯t wrong!

    This level of extreme mastery over the cold winter spirit energy was unmatched across the entire continent, except by those Northerners who lived in thend of ice and snow and worshipped the God of the North Wind.

    ¡°Count Andrei has a special Nord nobility profession, Frost Spirit Swordsman.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s fingers lightly brushed the chilling de as he narrowed his eyes in thought:

    ¡°The Nords of the Great Wilderness have a racial affinity for manipting winter, and it¡¯s said that the Ket living on Greenleaf Ind in the Isa Kingdom also have a certain natural spirit affinity due to the influence of the Avalon Church. So after all this, does that mean us Sn living in the heart of the continent don¡¯t have any special talents?

    No!

    It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t have anything.

    Sn are skilled with their tongues and diplomacy, even the stubborn white silver dwarves within their borders have be their allies thanks to King Louis.

    Perhaps that¡¯s a talent in itself.

    Maybe I should have Tris try modifying the human temtes for the little yers, so that even in human form, they can possess these special spirit abilities?

    Hmm, this should be done within at most two ¡®major version updates¡¯ to enhance the gaming experience for ordinary yers.

    Speaking of which, the number of ck Iron Trial passers will definitely peak in a few days, so the Blood Vulture n¡¯s ¡®Weing Ceremony¡¯ should be put on the agenda as well.¡±

    ¡°Swish¡±

    With a flick of his wrist, Murphy performed a sword-drawing stance utterly different from the Tomb Guard Sword Arts, horizontally sweeping the cold de in his hand before smoothly sheathing it.

    As he took a step back, the two thick candles ced on either side of the desk smoothly dropped onto the surface, the cuts clean and frozen, fully demonstrating the exceptional excellence of Murphy¡¯s newly acquired ¡°weapon¡± in this regard.

    ¡°Time to patrol the territory!¡±

    With this thought, he sheathed the new weapon at his waist and walked out of the office with the most elegant bearing, hands sped behind his back.

    At the same time, in a top floor room of Fort Crimea, the military stronghold at the southernmost point of the Transia region where the Foul Swamp, Dark Mountain Range, and Kafhoka ins converged.

    The weak and haggard attendant Vesta of the Count of White Mountain was half-kneeling on the luxurious wool carpet, not daring to raise his head. He had rushed to the nearest Nordtov territory at top speed over the course of two days and one night to report the situation to this important figure of the Thorn n before him.

    He was now awaiting this lord¡¯s decision.

    The room was so quiet that even a needle dropping could be heard clearly. Vesta was already weakened from his injuries, and now he could even feel his heart beating like a human¡¯s.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the Count of Kadman has requested you to find a high-ranking member of the Thorn n for him?¡±

    A chilling voice came from the front.

    It had a hint of the characteristic rolled ¡®r¡¯ sound of the Northerners, sounding rather distinctive at first, though it also carried a certain elegance and propriety befitting ady¡¯s voice.

    But Vesta only lowered his head in greater humility.

    He replied in trembling tones:

    ¡°Yes, grand duchess. The Count of Kadman did indeed give such an order. He emphasized that he would give the Count of White Mountain treatment befitting his status, but he only gave us three days.¡±

    ¡°s, this Blood Vulture n really is like a hydra. Despite suffering such a heavy blow, they still have such an outstanding figure emerging to turn the tide. From your description, he sounds about the same age as Andrei.

    They¡¯re just children, yet why is it that others¡¯ children are so outstanding?

    It seems the so-called blood of the hero king Boris has brought no advantages to his unremarkable descendant Andrei.

    Truly pitiful, in every sense of the word.

    If only he and Angelina¡¯s genders could be swapped, it would be perfect.¡±

    The grand duchess of the Thorn n stood in the highest room of Fort Crimea.

    She gazed towards Transia, her golden twin braids yfully draping over her shoulders from beneath the exquisite felt hat trimmed with pr bear fur.

    She wore a long red and white dress with distinct Nordtov court styling, carrying herself with the grace of a nobledy stepped out of a painting. Upon closer inspection, this grand duchess bore some resemnce in her features to Count Andrei of White Mountain, who had been captured by Murphy.

    ¡°Now go change into something more presentable. After nightfall, you will apany me to the Crimson Citadel to visit the Blood Vulture grand duchess.¡±

    The Thorn grand duchess waved her hand dismissively at the kneeling Vesta behind her.

    ¡°But your master has erred, and he must be punished. You too. The White Mountain faction has proven its ipetence, from now on, it no longer exists, until Andrei can once again prove himself capable of leading a faction.

    Do you understand?¡±

 Chapter 160:

    ¡°You all have great talent. This batch of zing Gel and Combustion Oil you made is quite excellent. Most importantly, youpleted them within the perfect timeframe, without making your eagerpanions wait too long.¡±

    When night fell that day, Tris, who had finally had enough of cking off, remembered that she still had a batch of apprentice workers waiting for her in her alchemy workshop.

    Thus, she donned the appearance of the Patriarch making her rounds, apanied by her newly formed Patriarch¡¯s Guard, and under the escort of Bonnie and a few elite guards, she marched grandly to her alchemy workshop located in the outer city ruins.

    She inspected the products made by the 10 apprentices who aspired to walk the path of an Alchemist, selected by Leading Pigeon. The barrels of clear Combustion Oil and the tofu-like crystallized zing Gel delighted Tris greatly.

    She had long known that these otherworldly students possessed exceptional learning and practical abilities, and her observations today only reinforced this impression.

    Although these two items were not particrlyplex alchemical products, it still required some practice for Novice alchemy apprentices to achieve such outstanding results.

    That the little yers had performed so well right from the start exceeded her expectations.

    Receiving Lady Tris¡¯s high praise, the little yers beamed with delight, and they all expressed sincere gratitude to Miss Lumina in private chats.

    The reason they could perform so well was that Lumina had been guiding them, teaching them how to control the dosage of these blended materials, use more effective multi-stage filtration methods, and even imparted some basic filtration crystallization techniques.As for why Lumina knew these things¡­

    Did you really think she spent every day ying games and shooting guns as a graduate student?

    These were basic operations in theb, you know? That mysterious Concrete Sister was keen on recruiting Lumina as her graduate student, and it wasn¡¯t just because of their friendship.

    ¡°Oh, this zing Gel is exceptionally well-made! I haven¡¯t seen such perfect quality in years.¡±

    Tris examined each one and immediately noticed the astonishing quality of the few pieces Lumina had made.

    Her eyes lit up, and she held up a piece of zing Gel, sniffed it, and then carefully inspected it with her Grandmaster Alchemist skills before eximing in awe:

    ¡°This is already more effective than the products made by some mediocre alchemists who have practiced for two and a half years! My warrior Lumina, I have underestimated you! It seems your talent in alchemy is no less than your marksmanship and musical sensitivity.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity there¡¯s no centrifuge or polymer filter membrane.¡±

    Lumina, however, was still unsatisfied. The spirit of an experimentalist made her quite critical of her own products, feeling that their Quality could be further improved.

    Tris heard her soft muttering and rolled her eyes, asking in a low voice, ¡°Are the centrifuge and polymer filter membrane alchemy tools from your side? What are they used for?¡±

    ¡°Uh, the former is¡­¡±

    Lumina was about to exin to Lady Tris, but then Leading Pigeon coughed loudly, snapping her back to her senses.

    Was she really going to exinboratory equipment to an AI?

    Ah, Lumina realized she had gotten too immersed in the game.

    It was hard not to, with these NPC characters seeming so human-like. Tris¡¯s expression of curiosity made Lumina feel as though she was genuinely conversing with someone from another realm.

    ¡°It seems these are the secret techniques of the alchemists from your side. I understand, I should not have been so presumptuous.¡±

    The cunning Tris blinked her eyes, unbothered.

    Like an experienced hunter, she understood the importance of timing. After all, given the little yers¡¯ unrestrained nature, she had plenty of ways to extract useful information from them. Since the little yers hadpleted their tasks as apprentice workers, Tris should provide them with rewards.

    She toyed with her luxurious Nocturne scepter, cleared her throat, and asked:

    ¡°I have witnessed your talents and abilities, and perhaps my alchemy can finally find its official heir. However, the teaching and learning of knowledge have always been a two-way journey. Therefore, I must also seek your opinions.

    Warriors, are you willing to follow me in studying the mysteries of alchemy and apply your wisdom to the pursuit of truth?¡±

    The clear, melodious note sounds appeared on the little yers¡¯ character interfaces, signaling that the ¡°Alchemy Apprentice¡± job was avable for advancement. Nine out of the ten little yers immediately epted Tris¡¯s invitation without hesitation, while the already-apprenticed Leading Pigeon received three thin scrolls of knowledge from Tris¡¯s hand.

    ¡¾Basic Alchemy Recipe: Midnight Swift Oil¡¿, ¡¾Basic Alchemy Recipe: Crimson Healing Salve¡¿, and ¡¾Basic Alchemy Recipe: Improved Moondust Explosive¡¿ have been obtained.

    Note!

    These recipes, exclusively owned by Grandmaster Alchemist: Midnight Knowledge Specialization and improved by Lady Tris, must not be shared without her permission!

    The subsequent note sound made Leading Pigeon blink his eyes. It seemed that the transmission of knowledge on this continent was still confined to the master-apprentice tradition, without establishing a widespread and practical knowledge-sharing system.

    As a student from a prestigious university, Leading Pigeon scoffed at this inwardly, finding it somewhat uneptable.

    No wonder the level of civilization here remained so low, even with the existence of unscientific things like Spirit Power. How could you possibly advance academics with this hoarding mentality? And although he couldn¡¯t share this knowledge in-game, he should be able to share it on the forum for everyone¡¯s appreciation, right?

    As he thought this, he heard Lady Tris instruct:

    ¡°Now that you are my apprentices, you must follow the rules among alchemists.

    In my workshop, there are recipes for several basic potions. You must produce the finished products within a day and a night. I will use this to judge your specialties in the field of alchemy and tailor different learning ns for you.

    Begin now.

    Each person should make five doses of each potion.¡±

    With Lady Tris¡¯smand, the manufacturing task was issued, prompting the yers to immediately get busy, while Tris herself calcted on the side. The potions made by the ten yers would be enough to sustain her workshop for a while, and all she needed to give in return was a verbal acknowledgment and the casual time to teach them a few alchemy recipes.

    Roughly speaking, wasn¡¯t this equivalent to obtaining something for nothing?

    How clever she was!

    However, the smugly triumphant Tris had not yet realized the yers¡¯ monstrous demand for potions and consumables. Unlike the true warriors of this world who carefully calcted their resources, if given the chance, the yers would apply the best alchemy ointments to their weapons even when fighting the lowest-level Spawn of Despair!

    Otherwise, how could they embody the yers¡¯ nonchnce and pursuit of efficiency?

    ¡°My warrior Lumina,e with me.¡±

    Tris used her ventriloquism skill to speak softly in Lumina¡¯s ear. Lumina, who was browsing the basic antidote recipe, paused for a moment, looked around, and then quietly exited the room.

    Tris was already waiting for her outside.

    ¡°What are the principles and effects of those two tools you mentioned earlier?¡± Tris asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Please understand my insatiable curiosity as an alchemist.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    Lumina blinked her eyes, thinking to herself, ¡®This AI-portrayed NPC is quite interesting. Couldn¡¯t you just look it up online if you really wanted to know?¡¯

    Hey, this game truly took yer immersion to the extreme.

    She didn¡¯t mind and proceeded to exin the working principles of the centrifuge to Tris, even sketching a rough diagram on her notebook.

    She considered it as boosting her favorability rating.

    After all, she had already started the ¡°Warrior of Cavendina¡± quest line, and Lady Tris¡¯s personal reputation was something she couldn¡¯t afford to neglect.

    But just after Lumina finished her exnation, a Hidden Quest was quietly triggered.

    ¡¾Special Hidden Quest: Otherworldly Knowledge (1/5) Triggered!

    Quest Description: As a Grandmaster Alchemist and Spirit Sovereign, Lady Tris is extremely curious about knowledge from other worlds. She yearns to witness more otherworldly wisdom as a small supplement to her pursuit of truth.

    Spirit Sovereigns deeply understand the preciousness of knowledge, so Lady Tris is willing to offer more rewards for this knowledge.

    Quest Objective: Bring more otherworldly knowledge to Lady Tris, with the value to be determined by her.

    Quest Reward: A certain number of Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¯s treasury keys.

    Note!

    The Quest Reward will be given by Lady Tris based on the value of the otherworldly knowledge obtained, with a minimum of 1.

    Note!

    This is a unique Hidden Quest that cannot be shared. Revealing this quest information will greatly diminish Lady Tris¡¯s favorable impression of you.

    Note!

    This is a continuous quest chain. Afterpleting it five times, the next stage will be triggered.

    Developer Note!

    This quest is one of the development team¡¯s attempts to enhance yer immersion and role-ying experience. If testers are fortunate enough to trigger this quest, they can search for professional information online toplete it. Afterpletion, please submit quest reports and improvement suggestions in the forum feedback area.

    If positive feedback is received, quests of this type will be added as ¡®easter eggs¡¯ to manufacturing-rted features.¡¿

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Lumina fell into contemtion upon seeing this quest.

    She now suspected that she had boosted Lady Tris¡¯s personal reputation to a certain threshold, which activated such a personal quest.

    However, the content of this quest seemed rather dubious. What exactly constituted ¡®valuable otherworldly knowledge¡¯?

    How should this value be judged?

    As an exceptionally intelligent graduate student, Lumina quickly devised a n. As an ¡®experienced role-yer,¡¯ she hesitated for a moment before softly addressing Lady Tris, who was studying the centrifuge diagram:

    ¡°Lady Tris, as you said, I am also a member of the ¡®alchemist¡¯ profession in another world, though we don¡¯t call it that there. What I want to know is, do you have knowledgeparable to the periodic table of elements here?

    That is, aption and arrangement of the various unique elements that constitute the entire world, based on their internal characteristics, forming the fundamental knowledge for the study of alchemy?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Tris raised her head and exined, ¡°We have the ¡®Alchemist Sage¡¯s Stone Tablet,¡¯ which was initiallypiled by the Sun Priests of the Sanghai Empire. It is a table of the twenty-eight elements that constitute all things, arranged ording to their sensitivity to Spirit Power.

    Any formal alchemist must memorize theplex mappings and reaction rtionships on the tablet.

    One could say that thebinations of these twenty-eight elements form the foundation of current alchemy, and countless people have tried to improve upon it, but no one has seeded.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Lumina immediately shook her head. ¡°The microscopic substances that make up a world cannot possibly consist of only twenty-eight elements! It is evident that those Sun Priests¡¯ methods of observing all things were still very primitive. Of course, perhaps we are not discussing the same thing.

    Nevertheless, if you need it, I can bring back the periodic table from our side.¡±

    ¡°Oh, your world¡¯s alchemists¡¯ analysis and judgment of the truth of all things?¡± Tris immediately became interested.

    This was exactly what she wanted, but she knew she couldn¡¯t appear overly delighted at the moment. Following Murphy¡¯s advice, she maintained theposure befitting an NPC and nodded, saying:

    ¡°If possible, bring it back for me to inspect. If I confirm it is valuable knowledge, I will not stint on rewarding you.

    Remember this, Lumina, my warrior: as an alchemist, you must never neglect your curiosity about the truth of all things. The day you lose that curiosity is the day your alchemist¡¯s career ends!¡±

    These words elicited a rather subtle expression from Lumina, as her mentor often said simr things to her.

    As a researcher, one must always maintain sensitivity and curiosity toward scientific progress. Once that curiosity is lost and one¡¯s attention is drawn to other mundane matters, one can only descend into mediocrity.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Not bad, this four-hundred-year-old vixen still knows how to conceal her thoughts, she¡¯s not hopelessly stupid,¡± Murphy said.

    In the night, on a secluded tower amidst the Kadman City ruins, Murphy stood at the tower¡¯s edge, holding the core bead to review the Hidden Quest Tris had just issued to Lumina.

    Tris had truly studied his quest-issuing techniques diligently, now even knowing to add ¡°notes¡± proactively.

    However, the final ¡°Developer Note¡± was added by Murphy to deepen the yers¡¯ preconceived notion that ¡°the otherworld is a good game.¡± This was an understandable rationale, while emphasizing immersion and role-ying, asionally throwing in a ¡°Developer Note¡± could effectively amplify the contrast between ¡°reality and virtuality,¡± subconsciously reminding them that this was indeed an overly realistic ¡°virtual game.¡±

    It was necessary!

    Murphy was well aware of this. He couldn¡¯t arouse ¡°the other side¡¯s¡± suspicion for now.

    ¡°Actually, I probably don¡¯t need to be so tense,¡± Murphy mused as he stroked his chin in the night.

    ¡°As long as this game still has logging in and out, yer interfaces, and system updates¡ªthese ¡®necessary elements¡¯¡ªthe little yers will undoubtedly consider it an overly realistic game.

    Perhaps some sensitive individuals might discover the truth in the future¡­

    Ah, we¡¯ll deal with that when the timees. If worstes to worst, we can just kick them out.¡±

    With these thoughts, he pushed the issue to the back of his mind and gazed down at the city ruins below from this vantage point.

    This ce could hardly be called ¡°ruins.¡±

    Thanks to the efficientbor of the organized Scavengers and Cleaners from the Survivor¡¯s Camp, the entire outer city area had been swiftly cleared. Thend was leveled, damaged houses beyond repair were demolished, and the surviving houses were refurbished. Numerous wooden structures had already been erected at the city¡¯s edge.

    Murphy¡¯s n for the city district was to provide his subjects with shelter before winter arrived, lest they starve or freeze to death. With three months until winter, the current pace should allow them toplete the project.

    If they could secure more manpower, the construction speed would only increase.

    And there was even better news! The vampire lord opened his territory interface, and under the main base of the outer city ruins, seven viges and the border town of Bataxin had already been added as subordinate territories.

    Together, the over 3,000 people had reported back with 30 pending yer slots.

    This was great,fortable, and excellent!

    If Murphy wished, he could have another 30 yers enter the game tomorrow, but at this initial stage, he couldn¡¯t let people in at random.

    At the very least, he needed a reason.

    But what reason could he use to open the next batch of test slots?

    He couldn¡¯t just do another online update, could he?

    If updates were that frequent, the little yers would have opinions too. Ah, from this perspective, these adorable little guys were really quite demanding¡­

    ¡°Excuse me, vampire boy, is this the legendary ¡®Crimson Citadel¡¯? Why do I only see a pile of ruins?¡± a crisp voice suddenly rang out behind Murphy, startling the vampire lord.

    He turned to see a blondedy wearing a white felt hat and a red-and-white court dress, standing politely behind him, observing him.

    Her gray-blue eyes, flecked with crimson, and the thorn insignia adorning her chest sent a chill down his spine.

    Subsequently, Murphy noticed the blood-stone si ring on her finger, identical to the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¯s seal ring, immediately recognizing the identity of this slender, uniquely gentle beauty with the same twin braids as ¡°Cammy.¡±

    ¡°I pay my respects, Thorn Grand Duchess!¡± Murphy bowed where he stood, full of reverence. ¡°Your presence graces the entire Crimson Citadel with radiance. Please,e with me, our Blood Vulture Grand Duchess has been waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± the Thorn Grand Duchess waved her hand, her tone gentle. ¡°Before meeting the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, I have some personal matters to discuss with the Count of Kadman concerning a foolish but well-meaning underling of mine. He is a bit silly but not weak, full of ambition yetcking the means to realize it. In my view, he is a rotten log, unworthy of significant responsibilities.

    ¡°Nevertheless, he is my descendant, and having him caged means the face of the Thorn n has been trampled underfoot. So, I¡¯m looking for a bold madman named ¡®Murphy.''¡±

    The Thorn Grand Duchess appraised Murphy from head to toe, shing him an impably beautiful smile, and said in a clipped tone, ¡°Could you please take me to find the one who has disgraced me, little Murphy?¡±

 Chapter 161:

    To celebrate obtaining the otherworld knowledge she had been longing for from that little cutie Lumina, Lady Tris decisively opened a bottle of ¡°Frozen Moonlight,¡± a royal exclusive wine, to toast to her outstanding intelligence.

    Although she didn¡¯t know what kind of surprise her warrior Lumina would bring her, Tris had a feeling that she might soon make an effective breakthrough in her alchemy path that had stagnated for many years.

    However, before she could even take a sip of this fine wine, the Computation Bead adorning her bracelet emitted an urgent sound.

    Looking down, she saw it was amunication request from Murphy.

    ¡°Tsk,te at night, what is there for us single man and woman to talk about? That little fool,¡± Tris had a mind not to bother.

    But she still put down the wine ss,zily activated themunication, and was about to tease a few words when she heard Murphy¡¯s weak voiceing from the other side:

    ¡°The Thorn grand duchess is at the door,e give me a hand quickly.¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Tris instantly widened her eyes, abruptly stood up, and the Nocturne scepter ced on the desk slid into her palm with a whoosh as she spread her five fingers. The Crimson Midnight cloak was also adorned on her shoulders.Although they were no longer in an elder and descendant rtionship, upon hearing little Murphy getting beaten up by another wild woman, a nameless rage still instantly ignited in Tris¡¯s heart, causing the peaceful crimson light spots in her eyes to burn at this moment, turning into sharper and more unrestrained mes.

    Kill her!

    A chilling and vicious voice that she hadn¡¯t heard in over a hundred years screamed in her mind.

    It was her other self roaring.

    ¡°Which wild woman dares to bully my little man at home!¡±

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    Amidst the dancing mes of anger, an extremely unstable crimson rift was casually torn open by Tris. She then strode into it and precisely appeared in the area where Murphy¡¯s aura lingered in the next second.

    This ce was a wilderness forest south of Kadman City.

    Obviously, Murphy had no intention of letting his little yers notice the scene of this Thorn grand duchess beating him up.

    As a mainline NPC, the necessary dignity must be maintained at all times.

    However, the situation was not as bad as Tris had imagined.

    Although little Murphy was indeed in a sorry state, relying on the resolute counterattack of the Miracle Artifact Necessary Evil, Murphy was stabbed a few times but unharmed.

    Thetter clearly had no intention of really inflicting serious injuries on Murphy.

    She may have just wanted to capture this little guy to exchange for the release of her subordinate Count of White Mountain who had already been detained.

    Theoretically speaking, a golden rank vampire grand duke¡¯s capture of a ck iron rank little vampire would definitely bepleted in an instant. The terrifying difference in strength between the two made it impossible for thetter to escape the former¡¯s toying.

    But obviously Murphy did not belong to the ¡°norm¡±.

    He had used up his three times of ¡¾Bat Transformation¡¿ tonight, continuously dodging the Thorn grand duchess¡¯s dangerous binding three times, but this was the limit.

    Faced with the ghostly and unpredictable attacks from thedy¡¯sbat de gauntlets on both of the grand duchess¡¯s hands, forget about counterattacking, Murphy couldn¡¯t even capture her movement trajectory.

    It was also his first time witnessing the true essence of the ¡°Midnight Assassination Technique¡± that the Thorn n took pride in.

    This was simply a triplebination of female ninja + assassin + valkyrie!

    Speed, technique and destructive power werepletely maxed out. Appearing out of nowhere in Murphy¡¯s shadow, even if he soared in the sky with Blood Wings, he couldn¡¯t escape this grand duchess¡¯ night raid at all.

    Moreover, like Andrei, this grand duchess clearly possessed the peculiar power bestowed by the Nord¡¯s north wind bloodline. With each of her attacks, as long as it touched, it would greatly reduce Murphy¡¯s speed under the condensation of frost.

    ¡°Come here!¡±

    Tris immediately cast a spell.

    Under her maniption, the crimson Dark Spirit covered the scene of Murphy and the grand duchess¡¯ battle in an instant like a dozen scratching ghost ws.

    Unable to touch thetter, but directly pulled Murphy back to her side by covering him with the ghost ws.

    This was obviously an advanced spatial spirit technique. Casually tossed out by Tris, it took effect in an instant, also signifying that Tris hadpletely shed her previous weakness as a cripple and returned to her rightful power level.

    ¡°Buzz¡±

    The figure of the Thorn grand duchess emerged from the shattered night shadows.

    Thebat gauntlets on her hands were quietly retracted into a pair of exquisite hunting gloves adorned withce edges. With a very decent posture, she brushed her golden braids tied behind her ears, raised her head to look at the dragon-winged Blood Wings unfurled in the sky, and red at the furious Tris.

    ¡°Your Blood Vulture n is really interesting. The de of the patriarch is given to a little guy to hold. I also smell the scent of desire fragments on him. I heard your sacred blood pool was also destroyed. In other words, you, as the true patriarch, don¡¯t even have a grand duchess¡¯ proof.

    If this gets out, it will definitely bepiled into a skit by old Edward and widely circted in our circle.¡±

    ¡°This is still better than a Thorn grand duchess sneaking into my territory like a thief, wanting to arrest my follower but failing against a ck iron-rank little guy.¡±

    Tris retorted:

    ¡°After the eternal rest of Patriarch Oxana, you Thorn walkers are really getting worse with each generation. Where is Sophie? Why did my sister Sophie fall into the miserable eternal rest?¡±

    In Tris¡¯s memory, there was no impression of the woman in front of her.

    But thetter was indeed the grand duchess of the Thorn n, which meant that the old patriarch Tris was familiar with must have met with an ident.

    Facing Tris¡¯s inquiry, the current Thorn grand duchess shrugged her shoulders and said in a casual tone:

    ¡°Grand Duchess Sophie stood on the wrong side during the Cold Moon Coup thirty years ago. Although it¡¯s unfortunate, for the prosperity and thriving of the family, we loyal descendants had no choice but to painfully watch her return to the embrace of the Night Mother under the siege of the Winter Wolf Church¡¯s guardian spirit monks.

    You look like an old senior, so let this young one introduce myself to you.

    My name is Anastasia Shani Romanov Torrez.

    You can call me Shani.¡±

    This Thorn grand duchess appeared very upfront and refined, with her unique twin braids even having a gentle feeling of the girl next door housewife, but she was definitely not someone easy to deal with. Just the words ¡°old senior¡± and ¡°young one¡± in one sentence viciously mocked Tris¡¯s age issue.

    Although bringing up age in front of immortal races like vampires waspletely unnecessary, as a woman, this was absolutely a topic that couldn¡¯t be touched.

    Tris understood the mockery from this fellow in front of her.

    The mes in her heart flickered more intensely, but then she realized that she was conversing with a descendant of envy who could manipte emotions. Her current emotional change was definitely abnormal!

    She immediately pinched her fingers to release spirit energy to seal her own mind, causing the grand duchess Shani below to blink her eyes, a trace of regret shing in her gray-blue eyes.

    What a pity.

    Just a little more and she could have ignited the anger in this old woman¡¯s heart.

    Really just a little more.

    Mm, indeed worthy of being called an old senior, looks difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, you should have heard of this name, if my poor Sophie truly trusted you before youunched your betrayal.¡±

    Tris patted her huge Blood Wings and slowly descended.

    Murphy, who was behind her, also suppressed his constantly fluctuating emotions and followed down, gripping the Desire Demon de to guard beside Tris.

    She made a self-introduction, and the Thorn grand duchess in front of her showed a surprised expression. She said:

    ¡°An undead who died over a hundred years ago crawled out of the tomb again? Grand Duchess Sophie mentioned you many times. She said you were one of her few friends and a fellow nsman she admired. You Blood Vulture n are indeed extraordinary.

    Whether it¡¯s the patriarch or the count, they¡¯re all like this.¡±

    ¡°You also seem extraordinary, Shani.¡±

    Tris narrowed her eyes to size up the unfriendly woman in front of her.

    Her ancient memories were churning. She soon discovered a clue from the grand duchess Shani¡¯s features, so she casually asked:

    ¡°What is your rtionship with ¡®Hero King¡¯ Boris, who resisted the Second ck Disaster and then attacked North Wind Castle to establish the Nordtov Kingdom? Your eyes and facial contours remind me of him, and when speaking, there¡¯s also that unique flicking tongue ending with a strange curling tongue.

    Simply exactly the same.¡±

    ¡°Truly a remarkable old senior, even an ¡®ancient one¡¯.¡±

    The grand duchess Shani didn¡¯t care at all about Tris digging up her old history. In vampire society where lifespans were easily several hundred years, one had to have this kind of big heart to discuss personal life.

    For example, you boast to others about legendary stories from a few hundred years ago, then a vampire scolds you for talking nonsense because he was right there watching when that matter urred. This kind of thing almost ys out every day in vampire society.

    Time!

    This cruel thing had no meaning to these immortals of the night, just as every formal member of each family was like a walking history book.

    Therefore, facing Tris¡¯s questioning, the grand duchess Shani openly admitted:

    ¡°I am Hero King Boris¡¯s youngest daughter, born in the second month of the year 740 when my father led his army to attack North Wind Castle amidst the winter winds. I should have lived my life as a happy princess.

    However, in my 40th year, my father died in the mes of war at the border, and the kingdom he left behind was seized by power-hungry ministers.

    It was also at that time that I was picked up by Lady Sophie and became a member of the Thorn Walkers.

    Speaking of this, I think you should understand why I want to ¡®bully¡¯ young people like the Count of Kadman in the capacity of a grand duchess.

    This isn¡¯t a matter between the two ns, Lady Tris.

    It¡¯s only a personal grudge!

    It¡¯s an eldering to get justice for a soft and weak child after seeing their great-great-grandchild locked in a cage by outsiders, nothing more.¡±

    These words left Murphy and Tris speechless.

    Alright.

    This blonde woman cunningly swapped concepts, turning her intrusion into Blood Vulture territory into a personal grudge. It just so happened that there was indeed a blood rtion between the two people separated by over three hundred years of age.

    Murphy roughly knew where the Count of White Mountain¡¯s eloquence when threatening him came from.

    He stared at this blonde woman in front of him who maintained a smile but was very dangerous. He discovered that the slender little tongue of this woman was indeed nimble enough to¡­

    However, Tris was already focused on another matter at this time.

    She was a historian.

    Although not specializing in human history, due to her own experiences, she was very masterful in some details during the founding of the Nordtov Kingdom.

    The information revealed by grand duchess Shani wasn¡¯t much, but it was already enough for Tris to figure out the true reason for her old friend grand duchess Sophie¡¯s eternal rest and the real situation of the Nordtov Kingdom at this time.

    She looked at Shani with an expression of ¡°the younger generation is fearsome¡± and said:

    ¡°So, the ¡®Cold Moon Coup¡¯ that urred in the Nordtov Kingdom thirty years ago was actually single-handedly pushed by you behind the scenes? Allowing the direct bloodline of Hero King Boris to regain control of the far north after a span of 300 years?

    The outside world has been spreading rumors that the Thorn n and the Nordtov Kingdom are deeply bound, but this rumor is wrong!

    You have already controlled that country!

    No!

    It¡¯s you, you this unique vampire patriarch has already controlled Nordtov, expanding the midnight shadow to the entire Great Wilderness?

    You are ying with fire!¡±

    ¡°If you mean that I have vited the vampire n¡¯s seclusion code, then you can rest assured, those are just old yellow calendars from who knows what era?¡±

    Shani still maintained that refined expression, with a hint of thezy air of a pce noblewoman as she waved her hand. She fiddled with her braids and looked at Tris again, a trace of ruthlessness and indifference floating in her gray-blue eyes.

    She said:

    ¡°The reason I¡¯m telling you these things is to convey to you the final message of your old friend grand duchess Sophie.

    I gave my elder a chance!

    But she stubbornly stood on the side of those rebels of the Rurik Dynasty. I can¡¯t understand what kind of benefits they gave her to make her make such a foolish decisionpletely inconsistent with the wisdom a vampire should have. But unfortunately, my elder and I have irreconcble differences in this regard.

    This isn¡¯t a personal grudge.

    It¡¯s simply a different choice, so I hope that in the uing contact between the Thorn n and the Blood Vulture n, we both sides won¡¯t bring in too much of our personal feelings.

    What do you say? Grand Duchess Tris.¡±

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t understand, because Sophie¡¯s soulmate and spiritualpanion was the second king of the Rurik Dynasty.¡±

    Tris said in a low voice:

    ¡°It was a love not blessed by everyone, as irreconcble as midnight and the zing sun, but it truly existed and even received the blessing of that lunatic Pnno. Sophie, who always imed to be extremely coldblooded, ultimately still fulfilled her loyalty to love.

    When facing the threat of eternal rest, she still chose to shelter the descendants left by her lover.

    How foolish and romantic.

    Mm, my poor old friend, may her soul rest in midnight.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    This time it was Shani¡¯s turn, who had always been natural and unrestrained, to have a strange expression.

    She rubbed her brow, her tone odd as she said:

    ¡°The second monarch of the Rurik Dynasty was female, right? Nicknamed the ¡®Blood-Clothed Queen¡¯, she was a queen with a tyrannical personality but outstanding appearance. Grand Duchess Sophie is also¡­ So, you mean, my elder was actually a¡­

    No!

    That¡¯s impossible!

    She clearly had several lovers in the family!

    I even painfully executed those elite white silver rank family members and all their descendants and blood servants because of it.¡±

    ¡°Then congrattions on killing the wrong people, Shani.¡±

    Tris said in a faint tone:

    ¡°That was just a trick Sophie used to disguise her true feelings. Before bing involved with that queen, she even pursued me. It¡¯s really creepy to think about. But I advise you to treat this as thest joke your elder yed on you.

    That bastard Sophie loved to y these kinds of jokes. My other deceased old friend Lily would often have conflicts with her because of it.

    Back then, we were three sisters of simr age and equal strength.¡±

    ¡°Pfft¡±

    Murphy, who was originally standing solemnly on the side guarding with his sword, couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud, resulting in Shani fiercely ring at him.

    ¡°If the reminiscing stage of you two old seniors has ended, why don¡¯t we talk about formal matters?¡±

    Seeing that Tris and Shani had fallen into a mysterious silence, Murphy coughed and withdrew the Desire Demon de at his waist. He said to grand duchess Shani:

    ¡°The so-called putting your descendant in a cage is just an exaggeration. In fact, he is currently staying in the Blood Vulture Halls enjoying the treatment of an honored guest. I just wanted to use this method to draw in a sufficiently high-level guest in order toplete the contact between the two sides.

    I just didn¡¯t expect you to personally grace us with your presence.

    How fortunate. Please follow me, grand duchess.

    Not only do the Blood Vulture n and Thorn n have some matters tomunicate about, there are also many troublesome issues between the Transia region and the Nordtov Kingdom that need to be resolved immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Shani.¡±

    Tris waved the Nocturne scepter to open a spirit transfer leading to the Blood Vulture Halls. She invited:

    ¡°You may have already heard about the disaster that befell the Blood Vulture n, but believe me, what you¡¯ve heard is only some marginal details. What has happened on thisnd in the past period of time is beyond your imagination.

    I believe you have also learned from Lord Pnno about the rumors of the impending ck Disaster.

    Regarding this point, there is much we need to discuss between us.

    If you are not very busy, perhaps you can stay in our territory for a few more days. I believe you wille to like it here.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Madam Shani brushed her braids and dly epted Tris¡¯s invitation.

    Watching the two grand duchess with different styles but each outstanding in their own way step into the spirit transfer, Murphy stroked his chin and rolled his eyes.

    Although he got beaten up, this wasn¡¯t a bad thing!

    He was just thinking about what reason to use to release a batch of test quotas, and look, isn¡¯t this ¡°random event¡± the best excuse?

    The auntie from the neighboring NPC n came to visit, and she¡¯s even one of the important figures in the vampire system. If he didn¡¯t encourage the little yers to hurry and farm some favorability, it would be a waste of his title as a ¡°dog nner¡±.

 Chapter 162:

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The sound effect that suddenly rang out on little yer¡¯s character interface after nightfall made the testers who were still busy with various tasks around the Crimson Citadel look at the Computation Bead in unison.

    Since theunch of this new version, the triggered quests have been increasing, making the little yers both pained and happy.

    However, what was triggered this time was not a quest, but a strange ¡°online note¡±:

    ¡¾Plot Event ¨C ¡®Night Thorn Tryst¡¯ has been triggered!

    Event Description: Thanks to the effective progress made by the testers in the main storyline, the Crimson Citadel, which is in the midst of rebuilding, has finally weed its first heavyweight visitor. Lady Anastasia Shani Romanov Torrez, the grand duchess of the Thorn n, visited her ancient kin tonight.

    This elegant life from the far north will stay in the Crimson Citadel for a short while.

    As an important figure in the Thorn n and the Kingdom of Nordtov, gaining the recognition of Lady Shani means that you have earned the qualification to visit new areas and interact with new forces.

    Please seize the opportunity, as Lady Shani will not stay in the Blood Vulture Halls forever.Small tip!

    Lady Shani is a noble being from the northern country. When interacting with her, please be sure to ensure that your etiquette is appropriate! In fact, when interacting with any noble being, please try to be well-mannered. This is very important for the testers¡¯ gaming experience.¡¿

    ¡°What? A new NPC has spawned?¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai, who was currently performing his ¡°patrol¡± duties in the city, asked his good buddy beside him in surprise,

    ¡°This NPC seems to be quite something. It even triggered this kind of server-wide announcement. Is it a time-limited NPC?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me, who am I supposed to ask?¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil rolled his eyes. He had been dragged by his buddy to grind reputation with the Kadman People¡¯s Army these past few days, so how would he have time to go around and learn about new plot developments?

    ¡°It sounds like a female NPC. Why don¡¯t we drop by and take a look? We¡¯ll be done with this patrol quest in a few minutes anyway. Let¡¯s go there together after we change shifts.¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai extended an invitation, and his good buddy agreed without much hesitation.

    Now that the sleep connection function had been enabled, yers¡¯ daily gaming time had reached 14 hours, allowing them to not have to be so stingy with every minute of their time. Naturally, they had much more time to squander on ying.

    ¡°Speaking of which, have you seen Niuniu these past few days?¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai walked the streets with his imposing Spirit greataxe, carrying out his patrol duties while quietly asking his buddy Ah You,

    ¡°Niuniu didn¡¯t y with those students from the finance department, nor did he follow Sister Pomegranate to Bataxin city. It¡¯s like the kid mysteriously disappeared after the version update. What the heck is he doing?¡±

    ¡°He should be grinding reputation, right?¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil scratched his head and said,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we hear him sayst time that he got to know an important NPC on the Witch Hunter side? And that he wanted to grind to that NPC¡¯s Warrior title or something. But didn¡¯t the Witch Hunter already leave Transia in terms of plot?

    Could it be that Niuniu left the newbie vige together with them?

    Damn!

    Is he exploiting a bug?

    Using the method of following an NPC to ¡®smuggle¡¯ himself out of the newbie vige? That¡¯s too cunning!¡±

    ¡°Hard to say.¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai shook his head and answered,

    ¡°Ever since ying this game, everyone seems to have gone a bit abnormal. Speaking of which, a few beasts from the dorm next door have already filled out the test application and keep pestering me about when they can enter the game. It¡¯s so annoying.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so annoying about that? It¡¯s not like we have control over that matter. The patrol quest is done. Let¡¯s go to the Blood Vulture Halls and see what that new NPC looks like.¡±

    The two little yers quickly returned to the Blood Vulture Halls with their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders, only to see a group of people gathered in the Descendant Hall, craning their necks to look inside as soon as they entered.

    Among them were some who had juste out of the ¡°dungeon area¡±. They gathered here, whispering to each other, no longer even running dungeons.

    ¡°What are you guys looking at?¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai curiously reached out and tapped the shoulder of Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, who was stretching his neck to look inside. The guy turned his head back and excitedly said to his twopanions,

    ¡°New NPC!¡±

    ¡°Ah? We know about the new NPC, but why are there so many people here?¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil asked in surprise,

    ¡°What¡¯s so special about this new NPC? To get you guys this excited?¡±

    ¡°Beautiful!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman clutched his chest, a dazed expression on his face as he said,

    ¡°Very beautiful! Not the seductive kind like Lady Tris or the physically stunning kind like E-cup Adele. Just very beautiful. Ah, it¡¯s hard for me to describe. Quick, look! She¡¯sing out!¡±

    ¡°Lady Shani ising out! Wow, she really gives off the vibe of a married older sister! Lady, I love you!¡±

    ¡°Slurp slurp, first there was the jailbait lolidy, then the anti-gravity E-cup sister, followed by the enchantress Tris. Now there¡¯s even a temte for a married woman! Slurp slurp, these dog developers are really too good!¡±

    ¡°Cammy! The wife version of Cammy! Miss Cammy, is that you? Ah! The hairstyle and figure are exactly the same!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m in love! Lady Shani, I¡¯m in love!¡±

    ¡°Get lost, get lost. You said the same thing when you saw Adele, and you said the same thing when you saw Tris. You fickle dog!¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business! Isn¡¯t it normal for a promising single young man like myself to have several 2D wives?¡±

    A group of little yers stirred up, making Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil unable to resist their curiosity and squeeze forward, hiding at the entrance of Descendant Hall to observe inside.

    Then they saw the ¡°new NPC¡± Lady Grand Duchess Shani smilingly touring the already half-copsed Blood Vulture Halls, apanied by Lady Tris. Count of Kadman Murphy followed two steps behind as an escort for the twodies.

    ¡°Damn! This modeling¡­¡±

    Khaki instantly understood the source of the other yers¡¯ excitement.

    How should one put it? The modeling of Lady Shani is really too, too, too¡­

    If Lady Tris¡¯ biggest feature is seductiveness, then Lady Shani is cold and dignified, like the frigid ice flower of the northern country, with a touch of the ease and grace of a well-breddy amidst the coldness, her every move carrying the bearing of a pcedy.

    Most importantly, when Lady Shani smiles, that vibe of the girl next door and mature married woman instantly strikes the restless hearts of the yers.

    The long dress on her body is obviously not of the local style, adding a touch of foreign ir to Lady Shani.

    ¡°These dog developers are really too good!¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He then quickly recorded a segment of real-time CG and posted it on the forum. A few minutester, he received a private message from Ashina.

    ¡°Hey, Old Oil, take more pictures of the new NPC¡¯s clothes!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil asked in surprise,

    ¡°Take pictures of the clothes for what? Shouldn¡¯t the focus be on the appearance and modeling of this new NPC?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, just take pictures of the clothes,¡±

    Ashina reminded,

    ¡°Take more shots from different angles, mainly the details, especially the dog fur hat on Lady Shani¡¯s head. Then send them to me. Don¡¯t ask too many questions. If you take good pictures, I¡¯ll give you 20 yuan each!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a dog fur hat. Dog fur hats don¡¯t look like that. That¡¯s clearly a luxurious white bear fur!¡±

    Path of Mud and Oil retorted a little for his ¡°new goddess¡± in his heart, but Ashina was no longer paying attention to him.

    On the other side, Lady Shani, who was invited to tour the Blood Vulture Halls, was quite curious about the holy ground of the Blood Vulture n. It was her first time entering this sacred ce of the Blood Vultures. However, this outwardly dignified but actually dangerous grand duchess quickly noticed something strange.

    She couldn¡¯t help but say to Tris beside her,

    ¡°Are the Blood Servants in Transia always this unrestrained? Why do they keep following behind us? And discussing in low voices so rudely? Although I can¡¯t understand, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re talking about you and me.¡±

    ¡°This is quite normal. Outstandingdies like you and I are bound to be the focus of men¡¯s eyes no matter where we go, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Tris, who had long been ustomed to the ¡°rudeness¡± of the little yers, said with an amiable expression,

    ¡°As for their crude habits, you don¡¯t need to mind them. They are mountain folk from the Saxony region. You know what mountain folk are like. The fact that they haven¡¯t directly charged up to try to knock you out and take you back to be the bandit chief¡¯s wife, means that little Murphy has trained them well.¡±

    ¡°Even so, Blood Servants should not be so unrestrained in front of their elders!¡±

    Lady Shani felt very ufortable with the gazes behind her back, so she raised her hand and waved lightly. The various surging emotions in the hearts of the little yers were turned into force by an invisible hand and struck, instantly plunging the little yers present into mental dizzinesssting ten seconds.

    A few with poor mental resistance directly fainted with their eyes rolled back.

    Of course, this was ultimately the Blood Vultures¡¯ turf. As a guest, she wouldn¡¯t go too far.

    Just a little ¡°punishment¡±.

    The smiling Murphy also took hold of his core Computation Bead in a timely manner. So a few secondster, a negative status of ¡¾Ruffian¡¿ appeared on the character interfaces of the little yers.

    ¡°Damn! Lady Shani thinks we are a bunch of rude fellows because of our disrespectful behavior, and we can¡¯t interact with her for 3 hours? NO!!! My heart is broken!¡±

    ¡°Hah, my wife is indeed loyal. She doesn¡¯t give other stinky men any good looks. Love it, love it.¡±

    ¡°Love my ass. You also have the ¡®Ruffian¡¯ negative status, don¡¯t you? In the eyes of your 2D wife, you¡¯re also one of those stinky men.¡±

    ¡°This is called the fun between electronic husband and wife. You bootlicker, what do you understand?¡±

    The little yers argued in a mess.

    But they didn¡¯t distance themselves from Lady Shani because of her little punishment. On the contrary, such an NPC with personality made the little yers even more eager to approach her.

    However, this time they learned to be smart.

    Realizing that Lady Grand Duchess Shani dislikes dissolute people, they instantly learned to imitate Murphy¡¯s usual bearing and became polite and courteous, waiting in the hall, obviously preparing to seize the opportunity to improve their favorability after Lady Shani finishes her conversation with Grand Duchess Tris.

    A few particrly good actors even found a way to get some flowers.

    These behaviors did not escape Murphy¡¯s private observation, making the vampire lord sigh that in this magical version nowadays,pared to white lotuses and XXN, gentle and personable married women are indeed more popr.

    Ptooey!

    You shameless scoundrels!

    Unfortunately, the little yers¡¯ eyes were blinded by beauty.

    This Lady Shani Torrez, who appears dignified and magnanimous, is much more dangerous than the harmless ¡°Crimson Witch¡± Tris.

    Just from the previous confrontation between Tris and Shani, Murphy knew that this seemingly gentle woman single-handedly orchestrated the Frost Moon Coup in the Kingdom of Nordtov thirty years ago, helping the young wolf queen ascend the throne and stabilize her rule.

    Counting from that time, the Nord nation in the far north has been secretly controlled by Shani for a full thirty years!

    From this point alone, it can be seen that in terms of wit and skill, Lady Shani is definitely not someone easy to deal with.

    ¡°Phew, the people of Transia are really passionate.¡±

    Sitting in Tris¡¯s office, Shani gracefully took the iced drink handed to her by Murphy. With her Golden rank perception, the actions of the little yers just a wall away couldn¡¯t be hidden from her at all.

    Although she was still very annoyed by this group of rude folks.

    But as Tris said, women would never truly get angry because men passionately pursue them, especially people captivated by their beauty and temperament.

    The restlessness of the little yers was the absolute recognition of Shani¡¯s powerful charm as a woman.

    This brought a hint of a smile to the face of the Thorn grand duchess.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start talking about the so-called proper business.¡±

    Shani took a sip of the drink, very satisfied with the pure blood mixed in it.

    She looked at Tris and Murphy, and said,

    ¡°Part of the reason I came tonight was to see the current situation of the Blood Vulture n with my own eyes. Please allow my rudeness, but the fact is, with your current state, there¡¯s no way you can withstand theing ck Disaster.

    You obviously need help!

    Whether it¡¯s in terms of supplies, manpower, armaments or standing forces, you all need help.¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what I was hoping to discuss with you, Grand Duchess Shani.¡±

    Murphy said softly,

    ¡°Lord Pnno should have already reported our request to the Wolf Queen. We hope to regain control as soon as possible of the 6,000 Blood Servants captured and disarmed by the Winter Wolf Legion.¡±

    ¡°Only 4,000 left, you know.¡±

    Shani replied with a smile,

    ¡°Due to a series of ¡®unexpected reasons¡¯ such as riots and disobedience, your Blood Servants experienced a brutal crackdown. My great-great-granddaughter little Catherine possesses the same forceful grip and decisive nature as my father.

    In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for the sudden visit of Lord Pnno, I¡¯m afraid the remaining 4,000 wouldn¡¯t have been spared either.

    After all, the Kingdom of Nordtov has been trying to establish a steam train track crossing the Great Wilderness. The veborers under the dwarf foremen of the Frost n are never enough.

    But since the lord of the Blood Pact Knights has spoken, we will send the 4,000 back soon. The question is, with your current situation, can you really handle them?

    If they shatter on the spot and turn into mobs, they might as well stay on our side.

    At least they can serve as cannon fodder when Fort Crimea is attacked.¡±

    ¡°This is rted to the second thing we want to discuss with you next.¡±

    Murphy coughed and said,

    ¡°We hope to make a long-term food supply agreement with the Winter Wolf Legion. We can use the mining areas in southern Transia as coteral. You also need to find sales channels for the huge amount of grain you¡¯ve obtained in the Kafhoka ins.

    This transaction is beneficial to both of us.¡±

    ¡°Indeed beneficial.¡±

    Grand Duchess Shani nodded and said,

    ¡°However, if everything in this world that¡¯s mutually beneficial could be done, there wouldn¡¯t be so many conflicts. I¡¯m going to make my request now, Murphy, listen carefully.¡±

    This cunning winter fox from Nordtov had already judged who the true lord of thisnd was, so she said bluntly to Murphy,

    ¡°Hand over control of the entire Gorsen Forest at the border between Ice Bay and the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory, the small eastern border town of Bataxin, and that small in between south of Fort Crimea and Foul Swamp! If you agree to this price, there will be enough food setting off for Crimson Citadel tomorrow.

    Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t agree.

    The junior officers of the Winter Wolf Legion are thirsty for glory and military achievements.

    With just a hint from me, our brave Nord warriors can use the sharp des in their hands to take what we want. Andpared to trading, the crude children from the Great Wilderness obviously prefer to directly rob.¡±

    ¡°Heh, so there¡¯s nothing to discuss then?¡±

    Murphy and Trisughed at the same time.

    They had long anticipated Shani¡¯s lion¡¯s share demand. Murphy no longer spoke. Tris raised her ss to Shani.

    She said in a drawling voice,

    ¡°Then please go back, little Shani. Let your wolf cubs step onto thend of Transia. We¡¯d love to have someone help us block the ck Disaster. Most importantly, you seem to have forgotten that there¡¯s a third party in this game about Transia¡¯s future.

    I think General Loren of the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s Pioneer Army and Lord Payne, who is actively preparing for war, probably won¡¯t be too happy about your rude territorial demand.

    Remember this, Shani!

    The Portia Federation did fail in the Ten-Year War.

    It failed miserably and lost itself in the process. But that doesn¡¯t mean Transia has also be a prisoner.

    The people here may be a bit poorer and more savage, but they have backbone! So my advice to you is, if you want to negotiate, show some sincerity! Otherwise, don¡¯t waste words!¡±

    Beside her, Murphy added in a serene tone,

    ¡°This darknd is full of cunning vampires and superstitious savages. Themon point between the two is that we won¡¯t be coerced. At worst, when the ck Disasteres, everyone will scatter! If you shoe-wearers don¡¯t cherish your precious lives, then what do we Transia barefoots have to fear?

    I won¡¯t discuss any issues regarding territory with you. You¡¯d better extinguish this thought early on.

    Why not leave your mighty Winter Wolf Legion to wait for the gnoll ck Disaster toe and then negotiate with them, how about that, Madam Shani?¡±

 Chapter 163:

    ¡°What kind of sphemous address is that? I have been single since birth! You Transia barbarian, show me some respect!¡±

    Since her entrance, Shani had remained unruffled, facing Tris, a veteran of the vampire world, without the slightest timidity. During negotiations with the Transia lord, she even disyed the demeanor of a great general. However, she was slightly thrown off guard by Murphy¡¯s address of ¡°Madam Shani.¡±

    The main reason was that she didn¡¯t understand the peculiar aesthetics of the little yers and thought Murphy was mocking her as an ipetent housewife.

    But that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°I apologize for my inappropriate address,¡± Murphy said with a gentle smile, standing half a body behind Tris and speaking softly, ¡°But as my grand duchess and I just stated, any negotiations regarding Transia territory are uneptable! Is my answer clear enough? And if you don¡¯t intend to leave now, why don¡¯t you rx and listen to the conditions I¡¯m about to propose?¡±

    ¡°Of course, negotiation is a back-and-forth process,¡± Lady Shani revealed an interested expression and raised her ss to Murphy in an extremely dignified manner, while beside her, Tris imitated Murphy¡¯s usual posture, resting her chin on her intertwined fingers, with a ¡°let¡¯s see¡± expression on her seductive face.

    This posture made Shani slightly uneasy.

    But Murphy had already begun speaking.

    ¡°First, the Kingdom of Nordtov must release the armed blood servants in your custody. I don¡¯t care if they caused an uprising or some other damned situation under the Winter Wolf Army¡¯s watch! You took 6,000 people from Transia, and you have to return 6,000 people.Not a single one less!

    Secondly, the Kingdom of Nordtov must provide enough firearms and ammunition for the official army to be formed in the Transia region to deal with the ck Disaster threat.

    If you can provide cannons, we would wee that even more.

    Finally, until the ck Disaster is resolved, Fort Crimea cannot interrupt the food supply agreement with Transia for any reason.

    We won¡¯t take it for free from you.

    We will pay with gold, and if we can¡¯t afford it, the mining region in the southern part of Transia, which serves as coteral, will be enough topensate for your losses.

    Additionally, on a personal note, I have a small request to report to the ¡®Wolf Queen.¡¯

    I hope the Wolf Queen can issue an official decree, conferring upon me the title of ¡®Governor of Transia,¡¯ with full authority over all affairs in the Transia region!¡±

    Spreading his hands, Murphy continued eloquently under Shani¡¯s strange gaze:

    ¡°The Portia Federation was also recognized by all human powers after the First ck Disaster when it was formed, so I believe an official decree from a queen would better reinforce my im of authority in the Transia region.

    Even though I don¡¯t actually need it.

    As for what you can gain from this deal?

    First, before we are all devoured by the gnolls, I can ensure that not a single gnoll will enter your territory. You can sit in your luxurious pces in the North Wind Citadel and treat the brutal battles happening on the Transiands as distant stories.

    Use them as backup topics for yourdies¡¯ afternoon tea gatherings.

    Secondly, I promise you and the Wolf Queen behind you that Transia will never side with the Goldflower Kingdom.

    We will do our utmost to remain neutral and fulfill our role as a military buffer zone between the two kingdoms until you have digested the gains from this war and are ready for the next sh to vie for the position of continental overlord. Then, we will decide which side to join.¡±

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Shani shrugged and asked.

    Murphy nodded and smiled at her.

    Thetter drank a small sip of her drink elegantly, exhaled, and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a fool? Murphy, what qualifications do you currently have to make such outrageous demands in front of me, and still expect me to agree? I admit that Lord Payne¡¯s recognition does exert considerable pressure on the Blood n.

    But such recognition is based on your ability to make sufficient contributions to withstand the ck Disaster, and I don¡¯t think you can meet Lord Payne¡¯s expectations in your current situation.

    As for the pressure from the Goldflower Kingdom you mentioned, well, Nordtov won¡¯t enter into more intense confrontation with the Goldflower Kingdom just for this worthless Transia region. But I think that if it¡¯s just a matter of removing an ignorant lord, King Louis wouldn¡¯t wage war over it.

    So, to use your own words against you!

    If you want to negotiate, show some sincerity.

    If not, shut up.¡±

    ¡°Little Murphy, these conditions are indeed outrageous. Even I feel they¡¯re excessive when I hear them,¡± Tris chimed in at this point, ¡°Show some sincerity, or Aunt Shani might really get angry.¡±

    ¡°You two are doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lady Shani narrowed her eyes and said coldly, ¡°Tris, I respect you as an ancient one, but don¡¯t go too far! Is a woman¡¯s age a topic that can be casually joked about? Especially in this kind of situation. You two are truly the most unreliable Blood n leaders I¡¯ve ever encountered.

    Even the little Blood Dread n leader Baburo, hiding as a pirate in the Misty Coast, is moreposed than you two.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s angry. Someone in this room is angry, but I won¡¯t say who. I admit that Tris and I are ¡®atypical vampires,¡¯ but for people of our standing, personal attacks are too unbing,¡± Murphy snorted.

    This time, he solemnly took out a small notebook from his spirit bag, flipped through a few pages, nced at Shani, cleared his throat, and said:

    ¡°Then let me propose a different condition, as the territorial issue is still off the table, that¡¯s the bottom line.

    But in addition to the previous three conditions, the Nordtov Kingdom¡¯s Treasury will lend the Governorate of Transia a sum of money to purchase military supplies needed to withstand the ck Disaster from factories within the Nordtov Kingdom.

    Our captured armed blood servants can also be redeemed through ¡®ransom.¡¯

    This loan will be repaid to the Nordtov Kingdom over the next ten years, and if interest is required, it cannot exceed the median rate of officialmercial loans within your kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    If Shani was merely enraged upon hearing Murphy¡¯s earlier conditions, this time she waspletely dumbfounded.

    To put it bluntly, Murphy¡¯s condition had somewhat exceeded grand duchess Shani¡¯sprehension and even began to violently assault her worldview as a vampire.

    Several secondster, Shani finally stood up in astonishment, pointing at Murphy and eximing:

    ¡°You mean we lend you money! So you can buy our stuff? And offer an interest rate so low that the bloodsuckers in the Treasury would challenge me to a duel? And you call this a ¡®concession¡¯?

    Grand Duchess Tris!

    Aren¡¯t you going to rein in your servant?

    He¡¯s clearly suffering from some incurable mental illness.¡±

    ¡°Ummm,¡± Grand Duchess Tris rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I admit you have a point, but I choose to believe little Murphy. He must have his reasons for saying that, so Murphy, aren¡¯t you going to exin the rationale behind this condition to these two olddies who are out of touch with the changing times?¡±

    ¡°If you keep attacking her age, she¡¯s really going to get angry. Lady Shani seems to care about this,¡± Murphy muttered a retort before exining seriously:

    ¡°If this condition is fulfilled, the Nordtov Kingdom will be Transia¡¯s creditor. In this world, only debtors fear creditors, when have creditors ever been wary of those who owe them money? I¡¯ve heard from my regent that the Wolf Queen is also pushing for reforms within the Nordtov Kingdom. Military reforms have been effective, but domesticmercial and political reforms are making slow progress.

    The reformists supporting the Wolf Queen cannot expand and can only motivate themselves with loyalty. This is precisely when foreign orders are needed.

    Think about it, Grand Duchess Shani!

    The military supplies and logistical replenishments needed for Transia to confront the ck Disaster are astronomical numbers. This is the frontline against the ck Disaster, and our orders alone could sustain how many of your arsenals? Create how many jobs for you? Help sustain how many freedmoners no longer bound to thend?

    Not only can the reformists supporting the Wolf Queen gain status, but now they can also reap tangible benefits!

    They will be more motivated because money has always been the devil¡¯s trick for seducing the human heart! The sound of coins is so beautiful that it can make even the most stubbornndlord willingly relinquish their property, as long as they see a profit!

    Well, since this is a negotiation, let me use some more seductive rhetoric.

    White iron is used to honor fearless warriors, dull brass is given to fawning lovers, white silver is used to bribe cunning courtiers, and gold! Only glittering gold can satisfy everyone! It can make demons learn to keep their word, make devils understand kindness, make fairies pine with lovesickness, and make angels fall into madness!

    Yes!

    Coins!

    As long as the queen has enough coins, she can buy everyone.

    War!

    Forgive my bluntness, but war is the most lucrative business in this world! As long as you learn to use it reasonably.

    If you think the above is still not enough, I can even open Transia¡¯s market to your kingdom¡¯s merchants, levying minimal taxes on them, allowing them to dump Nordtov Kingdom¡¯s goods in Transia.

    And through Transia¡¯s central continental position, they can extend their trade routes to the Genoa Penins and even the elves¡¯ territories.

    The great queen will also gain the support of the domestic merchant ss due to this effective measure!

    The more friends a ruler has, the better.

    Support from merchants will further ingrain the Wolf Queen¡¯s reforms in the hearts of her people. More investment means more factories, and more factories crave more profits. They won¡¯t need to be whipped into submission but will voluntarily devour those ancient, conservative hardliners for the queen, and regurgitate more freedmoners that she can utilize.

    The kingdom¡¯s war chariot will truly set in motion!

    Fueled by a constant stream of fresh blood, capital, and desire, it will be able to crush all conservative obstacles in its path and ultimately drag the entire increasingly radical and greedy kingdom headlong into the abyss of expansion.

    Either be the continental overlord or be utterly shattered!¡±

    Murphy smiled, spread his hands, and said to Shani:

    ¡°You see, Lady Shani, what I¡¯ve been discussing with you from the start is politics ¨C war, negotiation, trade, and money ¨C all mere extensions of politics. Yet you stubbornly cling to those petty gains, unwilling to let go.

    That¡¯s why you can only be the n leader of the Thorn n, while your great-great-granddaughter can be a queen!

    So please send my conditions verbatim to the Wolf Queen¡¯s desk. Forgive my bluntness, but for the kind of significant matter I¡¯m about to discuss with her, you may not currently have the political acumen to take it to the table.¡±

    The room fell deathly silent.

    Shani didn¡¯t know at what point she lost track of Murphy¡¯s line of thinking, but at this moment, she was somewhat bewildered by Murphy¡¯s string of thoughts that far exceeded this era.

    Tris might have understood it.

    But the mischievous Blood Vulture Grand Duchess had no intention of pointing out certain hidden ws in Murphy¡¯s series of statements, since Shani was already intimidated.

    ¡°But¡­ but you don¡¯t have money!¡± Shani tried to point out some facies in Murphy¡¯s logic, frowning as she said, ¡°Transia is the poorest ce on the continent, and even if our merchants bring goods here, your subjects have no money to consume them.¡±

    ¡°No, we have money! The Wolf Queen will lend us money to buy your goods,¡± Murphy blinked and said, ¡°Only when we consume everything your merchants bring can we better stimte a change in themercial atmosphere within the Nordtov Kingdom, allowing the conservative atmosphere to crumble and people¡¯s minds to shift.

    Why, after I¡¯ve said so much, is your thinking still stuck on the level of ¡®money¡¯?

    Consumption!

    Consumption is the most important link!

    Every bullet we fire at the gnolls means an extra order for your arsenals.

    The more we spend, the higher your productivity will be pushed.

    Until the quantitative change triggers a qualitative change.

    This is the force the Wolf Queen needs most, not just a few reformed armies. What era is this, that you only think about territory but not higher-level needs?

    As I said, Lady Shani, your mindset is not well-suited for this kind of thinking.

    You¡¯re too practical.

    Always overly focused on details and unable to view the bigger picture, dooming you to be an excellent executor but struggling to be amander.

    But please believe me, this condition benefits both sides.

    And so I think today¡¯s discussion cane to a close. Please convey my opinions to the Wolf Queen.

    The sooner, the better.¡±

    A few minutester, the dazed Grand Duchess Shani returned to the lodging prepared for her by Lady Tris, and the previously imprisoned Count of White Mountain had also been released. At this moment, he was facing his ancient ancestor in a shameful posture.

    However, Grand Duchess Shani had no mind to deal with this unimpressive descendant in her eyes.

    She was now fixated on understanding Murphy¡¯s strange theory, which sounded reasonable but still felt wed to her in some way.

    ¡°Your Grace, do you have any troubles?¡± Young Andrei noticed Shani¡¯s preupation and cautiously asked. Shani nced at him and said, ¡°I intended to rebuke you for messing up a simple task! But I suddenly realized that in the face of our current predicament, your little failure has be irrelevant. You once received the so-called ¡®modern¡¯ education at the Circle Tower.

    Come here, I need your help to sort out some muddled thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Uh, Grand Duchess, I majored in literature at the Circle Tower Academy,¡± Andrei felt somewhat embarrassed.

    But he still sat beside Shani at her request and listened to herplete description of her negotiation with Murphy and Tris. A young mind works better than a ¡°ancient one¡± over three hundred years old, and the Count of White Mountain quickly found the w in Murphy¡¯s theory.

    He said seriously, ¡°His argument in the first half is sound, Grand Duchess. Her Majesty has indeed been wanting to galvanize the domestic forces desiring reform, and starting withmerce and industry is an excellent method, as proven by the reform experience of the Goldflower Kingdom.

    However, the problem lies in the fact that Transia will not always be content to be our debtor and dumping ground for goods.

    They will develop too!

    And once this region achieves self-sufficiency, the goods we produce will face the risk of umtion. At that point, we will have to find the next dumping ground before our domestic economy runs into trouble, or we will face the same big troubles that the Sn Kingdom previously encountered.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Shani immediately understood but then asked, ¡°You say the Sn Kingdom also encountered the same problem during its reforms? They faced a simr situation? How did they resolve it?¡±

    ¡°War!¡± Andrei looked at his n leader, and after a few seconds, he said in a low voice, ¡°Thirty years ago, the current King Louis waged war on the Isa Kingdom under the pretext of his father¡¯s assassination!

    He won.

    And so all the problems he encountered were solved.

    Ten years ago, after King Louispleted the integration of his country, the reforms of the unified Goldflower Kingdom restarted. The newly empowered nation needed new territories and victories to resolve its contradictions.

    Their lords craved more manpower, and their factories needed more cheap resources.

    So, under the pretext of an old faith rebellion, they spent ten years swallowing up more than half of the Portia Federation¡¯s fertile and resource-rich territories.

    I don¡¯t know when the next war wille.

    But I believe that if our decaying nation doesn¡¯t catch up soon, then the next time, the ravenous King Louis and his increasingly greedy country will view us as a sumptuous cake.

    My sister will undoubtedly agree to Count Murphy¡¯s proposal.

    For the danger that my inferior intellect can perceive, she, who has inherited the true will of the Hero King, will see even more clearly.

    Nordtov needs Transia!

    At least at this stage, not only because of security concerns but also a real market.

    The cunning Murphy is aware of this, so he dares to open his mouth like a lion.

    And you¡­

    Forgive my bluntness.

    You lost, Grand Duchess.

    At least in this negotiation, you lost miserably.¡±

 Chapter 164:

    Time progressed to the next day. At 8 o¡¯clock in the morning when Tris¡¯ alchemy cottage reopened for business, the impatient yers who had been eagerly waiting for the new products to beunched so they could quicklyplete the ck Iron Trial finally saw the long-awaited items.

    An ample amount of Combustion Oil was ced on the shelves, and it was instantly bought out by the yers waving their gold coins.

    This time, the Combustion Oil released was an ¡°upgraded version¡± with better Quality zing Gel added. As the head apprentice worker of the alchemy cottage, Leading Pigeon patted his chest and guaranteed that using this stuff to kill elite ghouls would only be more efficient.

    The other alchemy apprentices also persuasively told their fellow yers to buy a little more.

    They were so proactive in selling because the cunning Tris had tied theirpensation to the cottage¡¯s business revenue.

    For every item sold, the yers currently employed at the alchemy cottage would receive a share of the ie.

    Although not much,pared to the yers who currently had no stable source of ie in the game, working for Blood Vulture Grand Duchess was eptable.

    However, even with the crucial Combustion Oil and specialized anti-vampire bullets, not everyone couldplete the ck Iron Trial as smoothly as little Ashina and Joy Stick. These aids only increased the sess rate, they were not 100% effective.

    Lumina and Joy Stick repeatedly emphasized in their posts that yers must practice their main skills to at least the Master level before attempting the challenge.But this did not stop the yers¡¯ restless hearts.

    Mainly because others had already passed it, so if I was still stuck, wouldn¡¯t that prove I¡¯m a noob?

    However, the paradox is that in the online world, who can admit to being a noob?

    ¡°What? Dump Truck, you want to try too?¡±

    In front of the alchemy cottage, Joy Stick, who came to join the fun and hang out, pulled his old acquaintance Dump Truck Iaido, who was cheerfully chatting with the crowd like an old man in the park with his hands behind his back, and said in surprise:

    ¡°You three are casual plus administrative yers, right? Why are you alsoing to do the Trial of Strength? Aren¡¯t you happy being an official in the camp?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. We all get position allowances now,¡± Dump Truckughed heartily, waving his hand and saying:

    ¡°But since we¡¯re ying a game, we should asionally challenge ourselves, right? It feels weird being stuck at level 10. I know what you¡¯re worried about, but don¡¯t be afraid. The four of us won¡¯t go to the sewers to challenge the dangerous ghouls. We n to find those gnoll bandits to practice.

    There are also elite leaders among them!

    And those guys are notorious for bullying the weak but fearing the strong. If we set up traps and injure them, they¡¯ll run away. Then we can charge in and finish them off.

    It¡¯ll also help Half Off With Full Coverage train the new camp guard recruits. Two birds, one stone.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s not a bad idea. After all, no matter how big the sewers are, there aren¡¯t that many elite ghouls for yers to deal with.¡±

    Joy Stick stroked his chin.

    He also felt that he might need to shift the ¡°battlefield¡± too. After they deal with the underground treasure vault of the ck gang they¡¯ve been searching for, why not take his brothers out to ¡°hunt in the wild¡±?

    ¡°Yo, Rich Guy?¡±

    As the two were chatting, the yer now known to everyone as ¡°Rich Guy¡± also came over to join the fun.

    This guy had his little Manticore, which he had nurtured to develop subtle emotions, perched on his head. The pet was now as big as a plump cat, with a curious tiger head looking around. The man and his pet were looking left and right outside the crowd, which led Joy Stick to tease:

    ¡°You¡¯re only level 3, and you¡¯re already thinking about the ck Iron Trial? That eager, huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to buy ¡®growth potions¡¯ for my Stinky Treasure,¡± the little Rich Guy grinned and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°We Summoners level up differently from you guys, we rely on our pets for DPS output. I¡¯m not in a rush to level up. I need to get my Stinky Treasure¡¯s first hunt settled first. But I don¡¯t want to take it to the sewers. Joy Stick, do you have any good rmendations?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us in grinding the gnoll camp?¡± Dump Truck invited.

    ¡°It¡¯s not far from the camp, about a ten-minute horse ride. Mainly farmingbat experience from NPCs. You can tag along and get somest hits. Not too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Okay, how much?¡± Rich Guy readily asked, leaving Dump Truck baffled.

    The middle-aged man said in surprise, ¡°What do you mean how much? Do you have too much money with nowhere to spend it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this game really has nowhere to spend money! There¡¯s not even a recharge window. You could sell cosmetics, you know? I also want that Blood Vulture Midnight Hunter Ceremonial Outfit, but there¡¯s nowhere to buy it. Isn¡¯t power-leveling supposed to cost money, though?¡±

    Feel You Poor scratched his head, then hugged and rubbed the little Manticore on his head, saying, ¡°Or are you saying it¡¯s free? Is there such a good thing? Anything that doesn¡¯t cost money sounds unreliable. You¡¯re not nning to use me as gnoll bait, are you?¡±

    ¡°Just register as a junior administrator in the camp, and you can move with the NPCs. Not only is it free, but you even get a work allowance every week. Lots of money, little work, close to home, you just need to spend two hours a day helping the NPCs handle camp affairs.

    A simple and pleasant game mode is perfect for a Rich Guy like you.

    Come on. Let me show you the ropes.¡±

    Dump Truck patted Rich Guy¡¯s shoulder, and the sly middle-aged man was about to lure another newbie into joining their ¡°administrative group.¡±

    The two walked and chatted towards the outskirts of the city, where the original survivor¡¯s camp had split off a ¡°sub-camp¡±. It was mainly for the collectors and cleaners working in the city ruins to reside in, and many NPC merchants also roamed around. Some yers could find odd items from them.

    While the little yers began their daily gaming, Murphy, who had just finished several hours of slumber in the Blood Vulture Halls, also arrived at his office on time.

    Unlike other vampires¡¯ habit of being active at night and resting during the day, Murphy would set aside a few hours to sleep at night, this was his ¡°little secret¡±. However, when he pushed open the office door with a yawn, he was greeted by an ¡°unwee guest¡± sitting inside.

    ¡°Lady Shani?¡±

    Murphy swiftly tidied up his slightly unkempt appearance and said in surprise, ¡°Why are you up so early?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask, why would a vampire sleep during the blessing of night? Shouldn¡¯t you be enjoying a peaceful slumber in a coffin during the day¡¯s curse?¡±

    Shani looked Murphy up and down and said with a hint of jest, ¡°Indeed, you are as you described yourself, an ¡®atypical vampire¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only recently been turned, so my human habits stubbornly persist in influencing my new life. For now, I don¡¯t intend to break this ¡®bad habit¡¯.¡±

    Murphy responded politely, then nced at Count of White Mountain Andrei standing beside Grand Duchess Shani.

    Thetter¡¯s gaze lingered on the Frostfang de at Murphy¡¯s waist, which no longer belonged to him.

    His gray eyes heldplex emotions, containing a tinge of defeat. They were all newly turned vampire fledglings fromst year, still ck Iron Rank vampire neers, but why was the gap so vast? He felt that if Murphy fought all-out, he could probably beat him within twenty moves.

    Murphy had a slightly different view on this.

    He thought at most it would take ten moves to subdue him.

    If it was a life-and-death battle with the use of Necessary Evil, he believed he could even create a ¡°one-hit kill¡±. Of course, he couldn¡¯t say such things, as it would be too demoralizing and unbing.

    ¡°A noble being such as yours surely wouldn¡¯t show up so formally in my office on a vexing morning just to y a joke. So, I suppose our conversationst night has yielded a result?¡±

    Murphy strode behind his desk, took out his lord¡¯s memo pad and ced it on the table, intecing his fingers as he looked at the upright and dignified Grand Duchess Shani seated before him.

    The expression on his handsome face turned serious as he asked, ¡°May I assume that you now represent Her Majesty, the Wolf Queen of the Nordtov Kingdom, in speaking to the Governor of the Transia region?¡±

    ¡°You may not!¡±

    Shani maintained her standard courtdy demeanor and said clearly, ¡°I do indeed represent the will of Her Majesty Angelina Alexeievna Romanov, but you, Lord Murphy, are not yet recognized by our country as the Governor of the Transia region. At best, before youplete the following tasks, you can only be considered an ¡®acting governor¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Murphy showed a smile and said, ¡°So does that mean Her Majesty Wolf Queen agrees in principle to the four requests I made?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in principle, but in practice there will certainly be modifications,¡± Lady Shani waved her hand.

    Beside her, Count of White Mountain immediately took out a luxurious court tea set from his spirit bag and proficiently brewed fragrant red tea.

    As he busied himself, Grand Duchess Shani retrieved a scroll from herdy¡¯s bag and unrolled it before Murphy. She cleared her throat and read:

    ¡°With the consent and instructions of Her Majesty Angelina Alexeievna Romanov, starting next month, the Nordtov Kingdom will release 6,000 captured Transia armed Blood Servants.

    If there is a shortage of Blood Servants, our country will provide a portion of dmissioned troops to supplement the Transia region and bolster its severely damaged production system.

    At the same time, when Count of Kadman Murphy¡¯s formal military force is organized, three munitions factories and seven supplypanies designated by our Queen will exclusively provide firearms, ammunition, and necessary military supplies to Murphy¡¯s forces.

    Her Majesty requires Count Murphy to procure supplies every two months, with each procurement no less than one campaign¡¯s base amount!

    Fifteen dayster, an envoy team from the Nordtov Kingdom¡¯s Treasury Department will enter Transia to discuss a substantial loan with Count of Kadman¡¯s retainers and professionals.

    This sum will be paid in kind to the Transia region by our country, and you must repay it annually over the next five years.

    To demonstrate the Queen¡¯s emphasis on the Transia region and her expectation for its production recovery, the first loan wille with interest rates that are a loss from any perspective. Subsequent loan terms will be determined based on the specific circumstances.

    Finally, the Queen has granted the Thorn n full authority to implement the ¡®mineral for food¡¯ program in Fort Crimea and Transia¡¯s southern mining areas.¡±

    At this point, Grand Duchess Shani nced at Murphy.

    The vampire lord had listened attentively, and upon hearing that his four requests were granted, his eyes were filled with joy.

    However, the next second, Grand Duchess Shani¡¯s tone changed.

    She drew out her words, saying:

    ¡°However, a long-term cooperation with the Transia region is tied to the Nordtov Kingdom¡¯s reform process. The Queen hopes to see her acting governor fulfill the contract between both parties in a more serious and professional manner. Thus, the Queen has added two binding conditions to this treaty.

    First, since this contract is established on the basis of jointly confronting the ck Disaster threat, the Queen must confirm the Transia region¡¯s ability to withstand the gnoll army.

    Therefore, the Queen will grant Count Murphy three months.

    Count Murphy must clear out the rampant gnoll bandits in the Transia region before the deadline, lest these wilderness demonic beings be the vanguard of the gnoll onught when the ck Disaster erupts.

    Second, the Queen wishes to confirm that her soon-to-be-appointed Governor of Transia is a professional in governance.

    Hence, before the three-month deadline, the currently chaotic Transia region must be restored to order! ording to our generals¡¯ estimates, the current poption of the Transia region ranges from 150,000 to 200,000.

    Therefore, within three months, Count Murphy must control at least 60% of the people on thisnd and have them acknowledge your rule and authority.

    If Count Murphy fails to aplish these two tasks, then regrettably, Her Majesty will appoint a more professional and outstanding member of the royal family as the Governor of Transia.¡±

    The instant Grand Duchess Shani finished speaking, Count of White Mountain Andrei happened to present a fragrant cup of red tea before Murphy.

    The vampire lord looked into the gray-blue eyes of this slender young man and had evidently realized who this royal family member was, the one who would rece Murphy in ruling over thesends if he failed.

    Andrei was also looking at Murphy.

    At this moment, Count of White Mountain¡¯s eyes showed no expression.

    He was simply regarding the Count of Transia with a scrutinizing gaze, as if sizing up an ¡°opponent¡±.

    ¡°Three months, huh?¡±

    Murphy let out a light chuckle, reached out to ept the court red tea Andrei offered, held it to his nose and inhaled, nodding in satisfaction as he said,

    ¡°Very well, I ept this challenge bestowed by the Queen! But I also have an additional condition, no need to worry, it need not even be formally recorded in this soon-to-be-signed treaty.¡±

    Murphy took a sip of the red tea.

    That warm sensation, mixed with a spicy aroma, charged straight into his nostrils, but it was not unpleasant.

    He liked this taste of victory.

    It brought his human soul even more pleasure than wineced with blood.

    The vampire lord set down his teacup, stood up, pointed at Andrei, and said to Grand Duchess Shani, ¡°For these three months, I want your descendant and his servants to remain in Transia, assisting me inpleting what I intend to do. He can also act as the eyes of the Wolf Queen and yourself, reporting the changes soon to ur on thisnd.¡±

    ¡°Bold indeed!¡±

    Lady Shani couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°You are so confident in your ability to make my descendant submit to your personal charisma through your actions? Excellent! This demeanor alone is worth Andrei studying closely.

    He is very talented.

    But alwayscking in confidence, always eager to prove himself yet filled with the rashness unique to the young. However, these issues are seldom seen in you, despite your simr age. I¡¯m curious what story you have experienced to make you so steady.¡±

    ¡°Then, Count Murphy, I entrust my descendant to you.

    His original mission was to go to the Dark Mountain range to represent the Thorn n in supporting the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ defenses. Having him work in the Transia rear can achieve the same effect.

    But I warn you, do not lead my little Andrei astray.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry, Grand Duchess.¡±

    Andrei said softly from the side, ¡°I¡¯ve always been slow to learn.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s sign.¡±

    Lady Shani ced the contract on the table and handed Murphy an exquisite court gold pen.

    Murphy did not sign immediately but patiently read through the entire contract from beginning to end. After confirming there were no pitfalls or issues, he picked up the pen and wrote his name, then inverted the si ring on his finger and covered it with spirit energy before imprinting it below the contract.

    ¡°Wait, Grand Duchess Shani.¡±

    As the Thorn Grand Duchess was about to leave afterpleting the official business, Murphy called out to her.

    Under Shani¡¯s questioning gaze, Murphy smiled and said, ¡°I hope you can stay in my domain for a few more days. You represent the honored Thorn n and Nordtov Kingdom, while I am the acting governor appointed by the Wolf Queen. I think I should let my subjects understand this.

    You can conduct a tour of my domain to proim the majesty of the Wolf Queen.

    What I mean is, my warriors¡­

    They truly adore and admire your exquisite demeanor.¡±

    He passed her a Computation Bead. The Grand Duchess hesitated before epting it, then shook her head, saying, ¡°But I do not like them, a bunch of rude scoundrels!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! That¡¯s the attitude! Maintain that attitude, pride tinged with gentleness, gentleness retaining a hint of warranted arrogance. It is precisely your exquisite demeanor that attracts my warriors.

    It would be best to act a little more spoiled or sh your feigned yet undeniably beautiful smile.¡±

    Murphy reminded, ¡°You should not be deceived by my warriors¡¯ appearances, their inner beings are all very simple and warm-hearted warriors. They canplete any task you order! I guarantee, after interacting with them, you wille to like them.¡±

 Chapter 165:

    ¡°What the heck! That many people have passed the ck Iron Trial over there?¡±

    One of the ¡°famous warriors¡± under the Blood Vulture n, Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties, let out a wail of despair after opening the forum in the game and browsing today¡¯s hot posts.

    At present, the number of those who passed the trial has reached 16!

    And the most terrifying part was, he was not among them!

    Things were not supposed to develop this way. As a yer who has consistently maintained a top-tier strength, he should have been among the first batch of yers to pass the ck Iron Trial. However, not only was he unable to pass the trial now, but he also couldn¡¯t even see the revered Lord Murphy and Lady Tris!

    Because Niuniu had already left Transia.

    That¡¯s right!

    This athletic guy was probably the first yer to leave the ¡°Newbie Vige,¡± and it wasn¡¯t because he got lost or had some strong desire for exploration, it was purely due to a ¡°Sister¡¯s Quest.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have listened to your temptation back then and gone to grind for that NPC warrior title. Look what happened now, I¡¯ve got the warrior title alright, but I can¡¯t even pick up the main quest line anymore!¡±Furious and annoyed, Niuniu logged off temporarily, took off his headset, and pulled out his phone to call his older sister.

    As soon as the call connected, he beganining.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The voice that came from the other end was that of Sister Pomegranate, who had clearly just woken up and was still groggy, but soon she regained herposure and pragmatism. While getting up and washing up, she gently persuaded her younger brother over the phone:

    ¡°Trust me, your current situation is the best. When can¡¯t you pass the ck Iron Trial? Levels don¡¯t mean much in this game, so don¡¯t rush. Be patient and gather intel over there.

    Since you were able to follow the Witch Hunter and leave the Transia border to enter the eastern Prussia region, it means the game development team has alreadypleted the maps out there. At the very least, they¡¯ve finished the maps surrounding Transia.

    The reason is that our yer strength is currently insufficient, and we haven¡¯t received the quest series to leave the Newbie Vige.

    Right now, you¡¯re the only yer over there, and although the Computation Bead can¡¯t be used due to being out ofmunication range, its basic functions are still working.

    Move around the Pioneer Army¡¯s camp a bit more and trigger more quests.

    Didn¡¯t you already unlock the reputation with the Pioneer Army? Now tell me about the situation over there.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing special going on.¡±

    Niuniu replied helplessly:

    ¡°After following the Witch Hunter back to the camp, I¡¯ve been staying here. The Pioneer Army has strict military discipline, and I can¡¯t participate in their camp activities. After Lady Natalie returned, she¡¯s been busy these past few days integrating the remnants of the White Oak Battalion.

    Thanks to the Great Oak Sacred de in her hands, the veterans ept her decently well.

    But there are still some stubborn ones who refuse to acknowledge her leadership.

    The main issue is that Natalie¡¯s strength is a bitcking.

    Norman, Porter, and Amber under hermand have been assisting her in receiving the battalion, and as Amber¡¯s warrior, I¡¯ve been running around with her too. However, this NPC seems to be afraid that I¡¯ll return to Transia and be a vampire, so she¡¯s been persuading me to ept the Witch Hunter¡¯s power system.

    She says she can help me get introduced to formidable Silver Veteran soldiers for training.¡±

    ¡°Then ept it.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate said indistinctly while brushing her teeth:

    ¡°You¡¯re not particrly fond of vampires either, so you don¡¯t have to go back and change professions.

    Plus, your preferred attributes aren¡¯t really suitable for vampires, a race that focuses on agility. The Avalon Church¡¯s power system is quiteprehensive, and you might even be able to be a Pdin or something in the future.

    Look at how powerful that old knight is!¡±

    ¡°No way! I want to be a vampire! That was my initial promise with Lord Murphy in Mond Vige!¡±

    Niuniu shouted loudly over the phone:

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t care. If I stay here for another day, I¡¯m setting off to return to Transia. I¡¯ve also obtained the maps around eastern Prussia for you and gathered information about the Pioneer Army, so my mission isplete.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, suit yourself,¡± Sister Pomegranate could only pacify her somewhat irritable cousin.

    After hanging up the phone, she had finished grooming herself and made a simple breakfast in the kitchen. After eating, she stretched and picked up her game headset.

    ¡°Tempting Niuniu to follow the Witch Hunter and leave the Newbie Vige proves that this game allows free exploration! Although the developers didn¡¯t explicitly state it, judging from the information about the Pioneer Army and the Goldflower Kingdom, they¡¯ve clearlypleted a significant portion of the game content.

    At the very least, thends of human civilization should bergely finished.¡±

    In the midst of the radiant light as she logged into the game, Sister Pomegranate thought:

    ¡°Since this information has been confirmed, it means Lumina¡¯s effort to collect legends from various ces has gained significance. If we consider it from the perspective of strength alone, those legendary weapons and equipment mentioned in the tales might be worth our little team spending some time searching for.

    Of course, under the current circumstances, we can¡¯t venture too far, at most to eastern Prussia or the Ice Bay region.¡±

    On the other side, after putting on his game headset again, Niuniu opened his eyes in the barracks of the Pioneer Army¡¯s camp, where he had been staying for two days. Now, his heart was set on returning home.

    However, as soon as he opened his eyes, a steaming baked potato was handed right in front of his face.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Niuniu was startled.

    Then he saw Lady Amber standing in front of him, wearing an eye patch, with another partially eaten baked potato in her hand.

    ¡°You sleep like a log, even kicking you wouldn¡¯t wake you up,¡± Amber said in a teasing tone. ¡°And you dare call yourself a valiant warrior under that vampire Murphy? With suchck of vignce, you might not survive a night out there.¡±

    This White Oak Battalion Witch Hunter scout clearly had a very close rtionship with Niuniu. Mainly at Sister Pomegranate¡¯s request, Niuniu had been grinding her personal reputation, and yesterday he had obtained the system-recognized title of ¡°Amber¡¯s Warrior.¡±

    This was obviously a symbol of reaching the affection threshold.

    Through the trantion on the yer interface, Niuniu understood Amber¡¯s joke. He took the baked potato, grinned, peeled off the skin, and stuffed a mouthful.

    Their conversation relied entirely on the Bead¡¯s trantion, which was somewhat inconvenient.

    As Niuniu finished the baked potato, pped his hands, and was about to get up, he saw Amber take out a strange object from her Spirit Bag and hand it to him in a mysterious manner.

    It looked like a metal pendant with what seemed to be a small wire-like interface, suggesting it might fall under the category of ¡°Steam Engineering.¡±

    Niuniu didn¡¯t understand what this thing was for. As he was about to initiate item identification, he saw Amber shake her head, take it back, and connect it to a hidden interface on Niuniu¡¯s wrist-mounted Computation Bead.

    ¡°Whoosh.¡±

    A note immediately popped up on Niuniu¡¯s character interface:

    ¡¾Detected third-generation Computation Bead external essory ¡®Mind Microphone¡¯ module connected. Trantion module updated! ¡®Simultaneous Interpretation¡¯ function activated! Test personnel can nowplete trantion through voice!¡¿

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Niuniu let out a surprised sound, and then he heard Amber clear her throat and say to him, ¡°Can you understand me now when I speak?¡±

    ¡°I could always understand, it¡¯s just that it had to be converted to text. Holy crap! I can understand now? Is it really that amazing?¡±

    Niuniu eximed.

    With this small Mind Microphone installed into the Computation Bead, Amber¡¯s words were directly tranted into hisnguage through simultaneous interpretation, allowing him to understand. Niuniu tried opening the trantion module and said to Amber in front of him, ¡°Can you understand me now when I speak?¡±

    Simrly, it was a two-channel synchronous trantion.

    Although it produced an emotionless electronic voice, Amber could clearly understand Niuniu¡¯s plex mountain dialect¡± now.

    She nodded, took a deep breath, and exined, ¡°This is an essory that I asked a fellow viger of mine at the Circle Tower to help me get. He said it¡¯s very powerful, but I don¡¯t really understand the principle. But now we finally don¡¯t need to read text tomunicate.¡±

    ¡°This thing is amazing,¡± Niuniu sighed in admiration, but then he said to Amber, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve lingered here long enough, so I n to set off and return to Transia tonight. Thank you for taking care of me these past two days, Lady Amber.¡±

    ¡°Just call me Amber, the dy¡¯ part always feels too formal,¡± the petite scout waved her hand, adjusted her eye patch, and her expression turned serious as she said to Niuniu, ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t go back. You¡¯re very talented, Niuniu. The battalion¡¯s veterans say you¡¯re the fastest learner they¡¯ve ever seen among humans. Your talent should be used in a more suitable ce, rather than running back to join the vampires or even be one of them.

    Those dark kindred have posed terrible threats to humans over the past few hundred years.

    You can¡¯t aid and abet their crimes!¡±

    ¡°I know vampires are all bad guys, and I don¡¯t have any illusions about their character, but Lord Murphy is different!¡± Niuniu shook his head stubbornly. ¡°He has expounded his ideology to me! He hopes to build a new city of equality for all in Transia, and I know he can do it. That¡¯s my mission ining to this world! I must be a part of it.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just deceiving you. He¡¯s no different from other vampires, no! That Murphy is clearly more dangerous than other vampires!¡± Amber clearly couldn¡¯t understand Niuniu¡¯s choice.

    This was probably because her squad had suffered greatly at Murphy¡¯s hands, leaving her with a poor impression of him. But seeing Niuniu¡¯s stubborn expression, Amber knew she couldn¡¯t persuade this obstinate young man.

    However, this naive yet brave young man had been apanying her in hunting evil spirits for some time, making Amber unable to watch this innocent kid fall into the vampires¡¯ trap.

    Despite being only ten years older than Niuniu in age.

    She sighed and said, ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s your life, and I have no right to interfere. Your willingness to escort us out of Transia has already proven that you are a rare loyal and valiant knight in thatnd. You can have a better life.

    What I mean is¡­¡±

    ¡°Amber! Bring that tall apprentice warrior of yours ande quickly!¡± Old Porter¡¯s broken bell-like voice rang out from outside the barracks as he called out, ¡°Gather at Lady Natalie¡¯s quarters! There¡¯s been an incident!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Amber and Niuniu exchanged a nce, and the two immediately rushed out the door.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Thank you for your help, Lord Murphy, I really didn¡¯t know who else to turn to.¡±

    In the outer city district of Crimson Citadel, little Ashina giggled and thanked Murphy who was apanying her, ¡°I tried visiting Baroness Miriam, but her guards stopped me at the gate. The Lady Baroness is currently responsible for overseeing all affairs of the new territory, so I understand she¡¯s very busy. That¡¯s why I could only ask for your help to let me meet with her.

    Regarding the powerful and rare weapon in her hands¡­¡±

    ¡°You really are a clever little one,¡± Murphy maintained a gentle smile, but inwardly, he was harshly criticizing her.

    Previously, seeing little Ashina¡¯s impressive feat of passing the ck Iron Trial, he had given her the ¡°Commendation for Insane Craftsmanship¡± quest. Yet, after going round and round, this quest had somehow ended up on his own shoulders again.

    His original intention was for little Ashina to grind Miriam¡¯s affection.

    But he had indeed overlooked just how busy Miriam was as the Crimson Regent.

    With little yers unable to even see Miriam¡¯s face,pleting quests to earn her affection was naturally out of the question.

    However, little Ashina was still the first ¡°warrior¡± he had chosen, so giving her some appropriate preferential treatment was only right. Coincidentally, Murphy also wanted to discuss with Miriam the contract he had just signed with the Kingdom of Nordtov.

    Such professional matters were better handled by a professional like Miriam.

    Upon seeing Murphy¡¯s arrival, Miriam¡¯s two Blood Servant guards immediately saluted and paid respects to their lord, clearing a path for him.

    Little Ashina cheerfully followed Lord Murphy into Crimson Regent¡¯s office in the outer city district. This was one of the few buildings in the outer city that hadn¡¯t been affected by the Astral Realm disaster and the great fire. It had once belonged to a local wealthy merchant.

    Ah yes, the dark humor of this situation was that the owner of this house was the very wealthy merchant whose family had almost be Miriam¡¯s inws.

    Clearly, the Crimson Regent had an exceptionally strong destiny, as a mere Blood Servant merchant could not suppress her. In the end, the entire family died on the day the Astral Realm rift opened.

    Truly a tragedy.

    But why did Murphy feel like bursting intoughter every time he saw this courtyard?

    That was just too cruel, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Lord Murphy?¡±

    Miriam was currently in her office, scribbling away and modifying certain camp regtions. With the increasing poption, the previous simple and crude management approach needed to be adjusted ordingly.

    Professor Malcolm, a very elegant man, was also busy working in the office. Upon seeing Murphy enter, both of them rose to greet him.

    Murphy waved his hand, first exining little Ashina¡¯s matter, and then brought up the Nordtov contract, which was the main business. The three administrators immediately began discussing it, while little Ashina sessfully obtained Miriam¡¯s ¡°Iron Warden¡± trench gun for appreciation.

    This masterwork weapon gifted by Lieutenant Frayzer was full of the dwarves¡¯ heavy and violent style. Its barrel, when stood upright, was almost as tall as the petite Ashina.

    With the two gaping muzzles arranged one above the other, and the downward-hanging axe de and dagger below, the whole thing looked like a heavy dwarven iron hammer that could smash through any obstacle.

    Little Ashina immediately fell in love with it.

    She adored this violent aesthetic of firearms that would never appear in reality. At the same time, as a marksmanship specialist, she did need such a shotgun-like weapon that could clear everything at close range.

    The attributes of this item were also extremely powerful:

    Name: Iron Warden ¨C ssic Dwarven Close Guard Trench Gun

    Quality: Masterwork ¨C Commander

    Traits: Exceptional Area Attack ¨C Exceptional Ranged Impact ¨C Extreme Ignition ¨C Unbreakable ¨C Close Combat Axe de

    Effect:

    As a ssic dwarven trench gun, this weapon possesses superior killing power at medium to close range. Depending on the ammunition loaded, the weapon¡¯s effects also differ drastically.

    When using Combustion Gold Deer rounds, it can inflict ¡¾Double Impact¡¿ and ¡¾Iron Hammer Knockback¡¿ effects on all enemies within a 270¡ã arc and 15 meters in front of the muzzle.

    When using Combustion Gold Dragon Breath rounds, it can inflict ¡¾Scorching Strike¡¿ and ¡¾Dragon¡¯s Breath¡¿ effects on all enemies in a 5-meter straight line directly ahead.

    When using Combustion Gold Slug rounds, it can inflict ¡¾Explosive Pration¡¿ and ¡¾Lethal Strike¡¿ effects on all enemies in a 30-meter straight line directly ahead.

    Crafter: Butler Ironhand, Brass Citadel Armaments Director

    Current Owner: ¡¾Baroness of Mond¡¿Miriam

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This weapon was gifted to the Carpe family by the Brass Citadel dwarvenmander as one of the tokens of gratitude for the Carpe family¡¯s selfless aid to the Brass Citadel during the Fourth ck Disaster.

    It represents the dwarves¡¯ utmost mastery of the art of firearm crafting and is also an invaluable work of lethal artistry! When grasping it, even deities would attentively heed the thunderous truth in your hands.¡¿

    ¡°Wow, Dad, Mom, I¡¯ve found the gun of my dreams in my life! I must get this thing!¡± Little Ashina was dying to hug and lick this gun passionately.

    And since it was Murphy who personally brought her, the astute Miriam did her a favor and nned to contact her ¡°senior¡± far away in eastern Prussia to see if she could obtain the blueprints for the Iron Warden.

    An ordinary Computation Bead would be unable tomunicate over such distances, but Lieutenant Frayzer was the intelligence chief of the Pioneer Army. He had the authority to use the army¡¯s Computation Beadmunication amplifier essory, allowing Miriam tomunicate with him directly.

    However, upon establishing themunication, Miriam¡¯s expression became strange.

    Half a minuteter, Crimson Regent put down her Computation Bead and said to Murphy with a serious expression, ¡°My lord! It seems there has been an incident with the White Oak Battalion!¡±

 Chapter 166:

    It has been three days since Lieutenant Frayzer returned to the eastern region of Prussia.

    He has been organizing his observations and experiences from Transia within the military camp, striving topile a detailed yet captivating report. He ns to submit it as both a junior officer of the Pioneer Army and the heir of the Carpe family to His Majesty King Louis in the Mist City, serving as proof of the true conclusion of the Ten-Year War in the Transia region.

    As a well-educated noble from a young age, the lieutenant¡¯s proficiency in literary arts goes without saying. The first draft was submitted to General Loren for review yesterday, and the result may arrive today.

    As the lieutenant was meticulously trimming the beard he had grown during his journey to Transia, General Loren¡¯s guards came to summon him to the general¡¯s office.

    Like before, Lieutenant Frayzer straightened his appearance before knocking on the door and entering General Loren¡¯s office.

    The half-dwarf general was seated, holding the lieutenant¡¯s report in his hands. However, the grim expression on his stern face indicated his dissatisfaction with the report.

    Or rather, he was quite pleased with the report itself.

    But he was extremely displeased with certain hidden facts beneath the surface that the report revealed.

    ¡°Frayzer, can you ensure that every detail in the report is absolutely true?¡± the general asked in a grave tone as he set down the report and picked up his dwarven pipe.The lieutenant¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he solemnly replied, ¡°I can swear on the Carpe family name! Every detail in the report is what I personally witnessed.¡±

    ¡°Then what about the sub-space rift hidden beneath Kadman City?¡± General Loren lit his pipe, exhaling a smoke ring as he tapped the desk and inquired, ¡°The three pieces of information you provided about the sub-space rift are mere guesses, without any actual evidence, correct?¡±

    ¡°I provided a detailed exnation after that section of the report, General,¡± the lieutenant calmly responded.

    ¡°Regarding that rift which should not have appeared, what can be confirmed is that it was indeed triggered by the fallen patriarch Salrokdar of the Blood Vulture n, in his mad attempt to create a Midnight Deity for vampires, sacrificing the vast majority of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s elites.

    This point is undeniable.

    However, Salrokdar¡¯s state at the time was clearly abnormal. The new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, Lady Tris, suspects he was misled by some external information, while the old knight Finoch Lawson confirmed it was rted to certain hidden forces.

    These two conjectures I personally tend to believe are true.

    Only regarding the final guess¡ªthat the Astral Realm Tear ritual performed by the Circle Tower in Kadman City was a means to conceal the sub-space rift¡ªI must admit, General, this conjecture is too shocking and reckless.

    The new Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, Lady Tris, and Count Murphy of Kadman both warned me that if I wish to ensure my personal safety in the Goldflower Kingdom, this information should not be disclosed.

    I am well aware of the danger involved.

    But I believe my king deserves first-hand, detailed intelligence.

    Even though I have no evidence to support my assertion that the emergence of the dangerous sub-space rift may be rted to the Circle Tower, an organization that now holds significant positions in our country, despite their ims of being an ¡®academy,¡¯ anyone can see their ambitions.¡±

    ¡°That is precisely why I summoned you,¡± General Loren removed his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that nearly obscured his face. He spoke in a low voice, ¡°Once this report is submitted, you will draw the attention of the Circle Tower. With that self-proimed ¡®academy¡¯ gaining increasing importance in our country, despite their obvious ambitions, not even your status as the Carpe family heir can guarantee your safety.

    So I advise you¡­ delete it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, General!¡± Lieutenant Frayzer stood upright, his voice solemn. ¡°The Carpe family has served the royal family for generations. I have a duty to my sovereign! I must report to my king any potential threat to his authority.¡±

    ¡°It cannot appear in the report, it will get you killed!¡± The half-dwarf general mmed the desk before jumping off his chair and striding up to the lieutenant. Looking up at him, the general said:

    ¡°If your guess is wrong, the Circle Tower will see it as defamation, and the Spirit Mages¡¯ retaliation will be swift and direct. If your guess is correct, the situation will only be worse.

    You should be smarter. Extract the suspicion about the Circle Tower from the report and reorganize it into a more formal briefing.

    Let me tell you, I will be departing for the Mist City in three hours to report to the military on the Pioneer Army¡¯s next course of action and discuss the defense against the impending ck Disaster with those fat-headed fools.

    As an old Royal Guard, I suspect I will have the opportunity to meet with our sovereign.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    The lieutenant immediately understood the general¡¯s implication.

    General Loren was not asking him to conceal the truth but suggesting an alternative strategy. The genuinely dangerous information would be brought to the Mist City by the general himself and presented privately when meeting King Louis.

    This way, the danger Lieutenant Frayzer would face due to this report would be minimized.

    At the same time, it would not diminish the valuable content and captivating nature of his outstanding ¡¶Report on the Ten-Year War and Transia: Investigation of the Blood Vulture Vampire n¡·.

    This is indeed a win-win solution.

    But it also touched Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s heart that General Loren was willing to provide him with this assistance that went beyond the bounds of their superior-subordinate rtionship.

    He nodded, epting the general¡¯s decision.

    However, General Loren then shook his head, exhaled a smoke ring, and suggested to Lieutenant Frayzer:

    ¡°I¡¯ve read your report, and it¡¯s excellent. The content is detailed yet not dull at all, reading like a captivating fantasy non-fiction novel. I believe our sovereign will enjoy it.

    Only, this title is too formal. Our sovereign was once the famous yboy of the Sn Kingdom in his youth. He even published a collection of poems and a rather provocative novel under the pen name ¡®Baron Polis,¡¯ vividly depicting the overly colorful life of an energetic young man as the protagonist.

    Of course, that book can no longer be found.

    My point is, if you want to earn our sovereign¡¯s more enthusiastic praise, you need to change the name.¡±

    The half-dwarf general gestured with his fingers, offering a suggestion to his subordinate as an elder.

    Having served as a former Royal Guard apanying King Louis for over a decade, he was well aware of his youthful and vigorous sovereign¡¯s little quirks.

    After some thought, he said to Lieutenant Frayzer, ¡°How about changing it to ¡¶The Carpe Travelogue: Journeying with Vampires¡·? I believe after our sovereign praises your writing, your book is bound to sell well in our country. You might even seize the opportunity to gain the title of author and earn the admiration of a group of literary youngdies.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    The lieutenant was momentarily speechless.

    He did not want his painstakinglypiled investigation report, symbolizing the end of the war, to resemble a third-rate novel. But since General Loren had said so, what could he do?

    Not change it?

    If he didn¡¯t change it, he might as well wait to be ruined!

    This was what General Loren meant to convey, and after he finished speaking, Lieutenant Frayzer prepared to take his leave, but the general called out to him.

    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s another matter I need you to handle, but you can¡¯t rm anyone else.¡±

    General Loren sat down on the sofa in his office.

    Clenching his dwarven pipe, he seemed agitated as he loosened the buttons of his crisp military uniform, indicating that the words and instructions he was about to give were unrted to military affairs.

    This half-dwarf was always adept at using seemingly trivial details to convey his intentions to those around him.

    Amid the swirling smoke, his brown eyes, the color of the earth, fixed on Lieutenant Frayzer. After nearly a minute of silence, he spoke:

    ¡°Old Finoch and I are old friends, though few know of this friendship between us. It can¡¯t even be called a friendship, for before I was born, my mother, Baroness Irena Frederick, was already a devout follower of the Avalon Church.

    She had some kinship with old Finoch¡¯s wife, so theoretically, the old knight and I are rted by marriage.

    But that¡¯s not the main reason we became friends.

    He¡¯s over 170 years older than me. Even by dwarven family standards, he¡¯s my elder. I know everything that happened in his family, though he never told me where he went or what he did during those six years he went missing. But I trust old Finoch¡¯s character.

    Now, that old bastard who taught me martial arts in my childhood is dead.

    In name, he handed over the White Oak Battalion to his unfilial daughter, but in reality, he entrusted his final followers to me.

    If all goes well, I will do my utmost to amodate these old soldiers.

    They¡¯ve done nothing wrong.

    They were merely caught up in the Avalon Church¡¯s strange rebellion. Our sovereign will also acknowledge their contributions to the kingdom during the Ten-Year War, and a pardon will be enough to clear their names.

    However, an unexpected situation has now arisen. The Circle Tower may be rted to the emergence of the sub-space rift, and the entire Pioneer Army, including myself, may have been used by those gloomy and conservative Spirit Mages.

    Although I¡¯m not sure if they really did these things, suspicion alone is enough not to let it go unchecked!

    This morning, I received word from the Circle Tower that they will soon dispatch people to take custody of the remaining old soldiers of the White Oak Battalion.

    Those Spirit Mages have sufficient reason to do so.

    After all, the old soldiers were indeed involved in matters rted to the sub-space, and they must be taken seriously.

    But as you also know, under the current circumstances, once the Circle Tower takes those old soldiers away, it¡¯s highly unlikely they¡¯ll return alive.

    And I will be leaving the camp in three hours.¡±

    General Loren wearily closed his eyes.

    He was about to make a decision that vited his identity as a soldier, but he had no regrets. Rubbing his eyes, he said in a low voice:

    ¡°By then,mand will be transferred to the staff, and I will order that no soldier is to leave the fortress until my return! This is necessary! For we must conduct an internal purge to root out the vampire spies lurking within our ranks.

    Hence, no external force can enter our camp during this time!

    No one is allowed!¡±

    ¡°I understand, General,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer immediately grasped the meaning.

    But then, he said in a low voice, ¡°I actually have a ce for those remnants of the old faith, but I¡¯m afraid those stubborn Witch Hunters may be unwilling to go. One of my juniors is currently serving as regent in Transia. I believe her integrity in protecting her human brethren.

    Although the lord there is a vampire, from my observations of Count Murphy, he would shelter these poor, unfortunate souls.¡±

    ¡°Poor souls?¡±

    General Loren let out a coldugh, saying:

    ¡°A pack of disgraced curs who will stage a rebellion and shamelessly flee from my camp in three hours¡¯ time? How could they possibly be called ¡®poor souls¡¯? Perhaps due to the negligence of my officers, they will be able to take away necessary supplies, weapons, and warhorses. But that does not mean we will forgive these rebels!

    Unfortunately, the Pioneer Army has already suffered heavy casualties in the previous war. Weck the strength to pursue them, so we can only leave it to the Spirit Mages to hunt down these bastards.¡±

    ¡°General!¡± Lieutenant Frayzer finally realized what his general was nning. Thispletely exceeded his expectations, as he had thought the matter would not escte to such heights. Surprised, he said:

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do this! Leave it to me. I can mobilize the resources of the Carpe family to handle this without rming anyone. You need not involve yourself! This will draw the Circle Tower¡¯s attention to you.¡±

    ¡°I want them to take notice of me!¡± The pent-up rage within the half-dwarf finally erupted at this moment, and he almost roared:

    ¡°Those bastards dare take advantage of me! Those scoundrels treat war like a ything, a rubber toy for their amusement? They even involved the dangerous sub-space! If it weren¡¯t for old Finoch sacrificing his life to eliminate that threat, all of Transia would have ceased to exist, and we, bordering that ursednd, would have suffered catastrophic losses!

    Those sons of bitches nearly doomed my soldiers and my army!

    Giving them a little punishment is more than courteous enough. If they truly intend to grapple with me further, I will dly oblige!

    Let theme!

    So the entire continent can witness whether the Circle Tower¡¯s spirit magic prowess is superior or if the silver dwarves¡¯ earth priests are mightier! If they dare make another move, by the name of Mother Gaia, I will personally demolish their damn White Cliff!

    A bunch of bastards!

    Whether intentional or dereliction of duty, they have now caused such a grand mess, and they must answer to me. They must also answer to our sovereign and the kingdom!¡±

    Amid the general¡¯s roars, Lieutenant Frayzer maintained his silence.

    He knew General Loren¡¯s harsh words were not mere impotent rage, the silver dwarves behind this half-dwarf general were not to be trifled with.

    As one of the three dwarven tribes most adept at spirit magic and beloved by Mother Earth, if the Circle Tower truly angered them, their White Cliff headquarters being suddenly devastated by a super earthquake would likely take only a few hours.

    Although General Loren rarely mentioned his background, as the heir of the Carpe family, Lieutenant Frayzer was well aware of the general¡¯s origins.

    General Loren¡¯s own grandfather is the current supreme leader of the silver dwarves.

    If not for his extremely poor rtionship with his grandfather, he would practically be a ¡°dwarven prince.¡±

    As for how General Loren¡¯s wondrous dwarven father managed to woo a baroness of some renown in the Sn Kingdom and have her willingly bear him a child¡ªwell, that¡¯s another story.

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m leaving this matter to you, Frayzer,¡± General Loren said after venting his anger, rebuttoning his cor as he stood up. ¡°Do a fine job! Spilling some blood if necessary is eptable.¡±

    ¡°The situation will not escte to that point, General. Please rest assured,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer solemnly responded.

    After leaving the general¡¯s office, he quickly returned to his quarters and instructed his attendants to summon Colonel Natalie to assemble the Witch Hunters. He then retrieved his Computation Bead, intending to secretly contact Miriam, but the Crimson Regent¡¯smunication reached him first.

    ¡°Lord Frayzer, I have an unreasonable request regarding the schematics for the Iron Warden you gifted me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about weapon schematicster!¡± Before Miriam could finish, Lieutenant Frayzer cut her off, briefly informing his junior of the impending events:

    ¡°The Circle Tower has be aware of the sub-space rift incident. They now intend to take away the Witch Hunters of the White Oak Battalion under the pretext of ¡®intervening in sub-space affairs.¡¯ Their fate after being taken away by the Circle Tower is apparent.

    I will arrange a ¡®rebellion¡¯ to provide the Witch Hunters an opportunity to escape, but you must assist them!¡±

    The lieutenant spoke solemnly:

    ¡°This is not only to honor the brave contributions of Sir Finoch but also because a highly esteemed individual does not wish to see those who have valiantly served the kingdom meet such an end.

    Help them, Miriam!

    Immediately report all of this to your lord. I assure you, he can gain the friendship of the Carpe family for this.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Miriam¡¯s tone also grew serious. After a few seconds, Murphy¡¯s voice resonated from themunication bead:

    ¡°Time is pressing! Don¡¯t act hastily. It will take time for me to gather reinforcements. Release them after evening, and we will intercept them at the Anderma Hills border.¡±

    ¡°I do not wish to conceal the danger of this matter, Lord Murphy,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer said as he walked to the window, ncing outside to see carriages bearing the Circle Tower symbol. He spoke in a low voice, ¡°The Circle Tower is clearlying in force.¡±

    ¡°How convenient.¡±

    Murphy let out a low chuckle as he replied:

    ¡°The Blood Vulture n is also urgently seeking a cordial chat with the instigators who brought us an apocalyptic disaster, while a hundred thousand souls buried in the ruins wail in anticipation of justice being served.

    Lieutenant, you need not worry about implicating the esteemed individual behind you.

    For the time being¡­

    ¡­it is a matter of ¡®personal grievance¡¯ between us noblemen of the night and the Circle Tower!¡±

 Chapter 167:

    In the military camp¡¯s conference room of Battalion Commander Natalie, the summoned Witch Hunter captains listened expressionlessly to Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s description, and the entire room fell into a dead silence.

    Niuniu, who had snuck in as an ¡°auditor¡± with Amber, was stunned in his heart.

    He was shocked that the persecution of Witch Hunters within the Goldflower Kingdom had reached such an unimaginable level. They were indeed implicated in the Church¡¯s rebellion, fighting and killing for you for a full ten years, leaving only the few people left now. Yet, even after the war ended, you were still unwilling to give them a way out.

    The Circle Tower was clearly trying to burn the bridges after crossing the river, cutting them offpletely!

    On the other hand, Niuniu¡¯s heart also surged with a different kind of excitement.

    Well!

    His older sister¡¯s judgment was indeed urate!

    It seemed like a waste of time for him to leave the Newbie Vige, but unexpectedly, he had ended up in such an explosive event. The entire White Oak Battalion currently had only 1,400 people left. If the Circle Tower wanted to stop them, it meant they would also have to dispatch a military force!

    This was not just a small skirmish like the ones in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, this was a full-scale,rge-scale team battle!He might even get to y a ¡°key role¡± in it?

    Moreover, how could he enjoy such a good event all by himself?

    He had to share this good news with hispanions. So, while pretending to listen, he opened the game¡¯s forum and edited a new post to announce the triggering and arrival of the new event.

    Let¡¯s not talk about how the little yer Niuniu was excitedly announcing the new event on the forum. In the conference room, the Witch Hunters were far from being as excited as Niuniu.

    They were all too familiar with the current situation of the White Oak Battalion.

    It was said to be 1,400 people, but in reality, most of them were in dire need of rest and recuperation, with no more than 500 people capable of directbat at the moment.

    The only good news was that due to the persecution the Witch Hunters had suffered over the past ten years, there were no true ¡°nonbatants¡± within their ranks. Their military discipline was extremely high, and once a n was confirmed, they could immediately take action.

    ¡°I know that asking you to defect to the vampire lord of Transia at this time is an indignity for you, but this is the most perfect decision that can be made given the current circumstances.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer persuaded them:

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s General Loren or the Carpe family, they cannot truly break with the Circle Tower at the moment. Even if we are determined to protect you, it will take time for the White Silver Dwarf Earth Priests and my family¡¯s mercenary army to arrive.

    However, the Circle Tower¡¯s carriages are already outside the military camp.

    I believe that they are only sending an envoy to represent their stance, but at least one hunting force prepared for you may already be lurking nearby.

    Lord Murphy is already mobilizing his forces, and they will meet you in the Anderma Hills after nightfall.

    You must make a decision as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°But¡­ they are vampires.¡±

    An elderly, fully-armed Witch Hunter master sat in a chair, her tone hesitant:

    ¡°Even before the ten-year war, in the long years prior, there was never any peace between them and us. The two Night Wars and the Crusade of the Saints left both sides stained with each other¡¯s blood.

    Will that vampire Murphy truly be willing to help us?

    I¡¯m now worried that we might face a two-front attack from both the Circle Tower and the vampires.¡±

    ¡°Your concern is unnecessary, Grandma Marianne.¡±

    Amber, as a new-generation Witch Hunter captain, attended the meeting with her arms crossed and sneered:

    ¡°The Circle Tower has just wiped out the headquarters of the Blood Vulture n, killing over a hundred thousand people. Believe me, Murphy and his vampires would love to devour those Spirit Mages alive. The only question is whether they have enough power to support us?

    When we left earlier, the remaining members of the Blood Vulture n didn¡¯t even number 15.¡±

    ¡°He dared to make that promise, perhaps representing that he truly has the means.¡±

    Old Norman spoke huskily:

    ¡°Although I detest that vampire, I cannot help but acknowledge that he is no ordinary being.¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Amid the sound of a table being mmed, another surviving elderly Witch Hunter master abruptly stood up and shouted:

    ¡°Why are you already discussing that vampire aiding us? Where is your stance as a demon-hunting warrior? Have you forgotten Avalon¡¯s teachings? We must always be wary of the night!¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap, Old Eugene! Avalon hasn¡¯t responded to our prayers for ten years now. We have to rely on ourselves!¡±

    ¡°You shut your mouth! You insincere one! Even if the situation is difficult, we nature-walkers cannot forget Avalon¡¯s teachings! Otherwise, what¡¯s the difference between us and those fallen ones immersed in ughter?¡±

    ¡°Who are you yelling at? You think you can kill all those Spirit Mages by yourself? If not, shut up!¡±

    ¡°Damn you, Sankie! This is not the first time you¡¯ve been disrespectful to Elder Eugene as his student. As an elder¡¯s disciple, I must¡­¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    The sound of the Great Oak Sacred de striking the ground interrupted all arguments in the room. Natalie, who had remained silent, tilted her head back, her scarred face serene.

    Her gaze swept over the Witch Hunter captains before her, and she eventually rose while grasping the Sacred de, her voice hoarse as she said:

    ¡°We¡¯re going to Transia!¡±

    ¡°Battalion Commander! We cannot do this! The ancient ts are¡­¡±

    ¡°This was my father¡¯s dying wish!¡±

    Natalie¡¯s next words silenced the room once more. The gray-haired Huntress closed her eyes and said solemnly:

    ¡°On his deathbed, my father reached an agreement with Lord Murphy, sacrificing himself to secure the right for us survivors to start anew in Transia. Perhaps he had already foreseen the hidden dangers within the Goldflower Kingdom.

    If this is still not enough to convince you, disciples of Avalon, the God of Nature, have already been born among the mountain warriors under Lord Murphy¡¯smand. They were the first humans to receive Nature¡¯s baptism during the Ten-Year War.

    This is what we witnessed with our own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­!!!¡±

    This news struck the Witch Hunter captains like a thunderbolt, causing all of them to widen their eyes in shock. The sincere believers, in particr, revealed expressions of wild joy, even overlooking the dire situation they currently faced.

    Oh, Divine One!

    Have You finally graced us, Your sincere believers, with Your mercy once more?

    ¡°Then we shall go to Transia! We depart immediately!¡±

    Old Eugene, who had vehemently opposed this move earlier, was the first to leap to his feet, his eyes shining with excitement, even reddening slightly.

    He shouted:

    ¡°If this is Avalon¡¯s will, then Transia shall be our new sacrednd! It will be our promisednd and our new home. No matter the cost, we sincere believers must reach that ce!

    We must witness the miraculous mercy bestowed by our God with our own eyes.¡±

    ¡°It should be so,¡± Natalie said softly.

    ¡°Now, captains, go and gather your warriors, and prepare to depart at dusk. As for those kinsmen unwilling to leave with us, there is no need to reproach them further. Lieutenant Frayzer, I would like to request¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand your intent, Battalion Commander Natalie.¡±

    The lieutenant nodded, making a solemn promise:

    ¡°The Pioneer Army and the Carpe family will wee these warriors. I have already notified the constables at the Third Warehouse of the Pioneer Army to evacuate.

    There, you will find the supplies you need. Take as much as you can.

    Though it may sound cruel, I implore you to remember this: the moment you step out of the Pioneer Fortress, your lives and deaths will no longer be our concern.¡±

    ¡°I understand and ept this as the fate of us Witch Hunters. We should have perished ten years ago, but fate has allowed us to live until now. I anticipate that after this, it will lead us to our true destination.¡±

    Natalie exhaled deeply, and just as she was about to give the order to move, Amber suddenly leaned over and whispered something to her. Natalie paused for a moment, then looked towards Lieutenant Frayzer.

    The newly appointed battalionmander said somewhat awkwardly:

    ¡°Additionally, I need to take certain ¡®restricted resources¡¯ from the fortress, at least 3,000 Mind Microphones and rted peripherals.

    Please understand that for us homeless ones, to live well in our new home, developing a good rtionship with its lord is essential. Bringing them the gifts they need is often an effective means ofmunication.¡±

    ¡°Well, I cannot take responsibility for that,¡± Frayzer shrugged and said softly.

    ¡°But as far as I know, there is only one Spirit Mage guarding the warehouse over there, and the Scout Spirit Mage Heru, it seems, is an old acquaintance of Lady Amber? I imagine that for you rebels, taking a few more things as you leave would fall within the normal scope of unintended incidents, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The little yers in the Crimson Citadel were exceptionally excited.

    They had received Niuniu¡¯s ¡°major event iing¡± warning posted on the forum. At this very moment, without even needing Murphy¡¯s order to assemble, they had already gathered in the Blood Vulture Halls, with some even waving their fists and shouting belligerent remarks like ¡°Screw those Spirit Mage idiots.¡±

    Their thinking was always very simple.

    Even overly simple.

    Although they had previously regarded the Witch Hunters as humanoid monsters, everyone had witnessed the sacrifices made by the Witch Hunters during the battle in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    The ultimate sacrifice of the important storyline character, the old knight Finoch Lawson, had also been celebrated as a beautiful tale on the forum. The bond of having stood together on the battlefield was enough for the little yers to view the Witch Hunters as ¡°their own kind.¡±

    At the very least, a neutral faction.

    Most importantly, the power system of the Avalon Church had only just begun, and these Witch Hunters were eagerly awaited in Transia to serve as their ¡°professional trainers.¡±

    ¡°Look, look, I told you before that the Witch Hunters would most likely be a yable faction!¡±

    In the Descendant Hall, Meow King boasted to Joy Stick beside him:

    ¡°This damned game always has toe up with some gimmicks whenever they make changes, so that their gamey updates have solid background stories to justify them. I thought the Witch Hunters¡¯ defection would take some time, but it¡¯s happening so suddenly.

    But it also makes sense.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, Meow King is a soothsayer. You¡¯re awesome, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re almost catching up to that Master Ziwu on the forum who gives people fortunes every day.¡±

    Joy Stick didn¡¯t care about background stories or plot developments. He was now full of joy, nning to practice against some formidable monsters. Wasn¡¯t it convenient that just as he had reached the ck Iron Rank, these ¡°wild beasts¡± were delivered to his doorstep to test his de? This organization called the ¡°Circle Tower¡± was being too thoughtful, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°My warriors!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice soon rang out at the second-floor entrance to the Descendant Hall.

    The yers fell silent and looked up towards their lord and main storyline NPC. They saw that Murphy had changed into a light swordsman¡¯s armor forbat.

    With his cape billowing and des equipped.

    This fully armed stance signified that another battle was imminent.

    ¡°The heroic sacrifice of the old knight Finoch has secured Transia¡¯s chance to survive. We must etch this debt of gratitude in our hearts. Now, his descendants and followers face the threat of death.

    For us, the luckiest part is that those wretched hounds seeking to exterminate thest Witch Hunter battalion are none other than the root cause that brought devastation to Kadman City!

    The Circle Tower!

    Thergest faction of Spirit Mage users on the continent, an arrogant force believing itself invincible. They think their atrocities would terrify Transians, making us cower under our beds, trembling in fear.

    But no!

    They wish!

    Thisnd and the life it bears will never be cowed. And in the face of intimidation, our reaction can only be one:

    We will attack! We will retaliate!

    We will gnaw on their flesh and spit on their wanton souls!

    We will let those Spirit Mage cowards know, through blood and death, that they have provoked an enemy that will haunt their waking and sleeping moments.

    On this very day!¡±

    Murphy shouted loudly:

    ¡°The wailing souls await justice! The darknds thirst for the sweet rain of spilled blood! We go to greet the followers of our warriors and benefactors. Whoever dares to obstruct us is our enemy!¡±

    ¡°Ding ding ding ding¡±

    Continuous notification sounds prompted the yers to look down, where a brand-new quest had been triggered:

    ¡¾Important Side Quest ¡®Vengeance Sworn in Blood!¡¯ has been triggered.

    Quest Objective: Follow the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess and the Count of Kadman into the Anderma Hills battlefield. Rendezvous with and escort the neutral White Oak Battalion into Transian territory. Repel and kill the Spirit Mage hunters of the Circle Tower.

    Storyline Progression Reward:

    New faction ¡¾Avalon Church¡¿ unlocked, faction ¡¾White Oak Battalion¡¿ opened, Avalon Church profession system fully unlocked.

    Quest Reward:

    Witch Hunter¡¯s War Treasury Key x1, Cosmetic ¨C Demon Hunter Recruit Outfit Set x1, Mount ¨C Demon Hunter War Steed¡¯s Reins x1.¡¿

    ¡°Holy crap! Mount reward! Awesome!¡±

    A voice eximed from the crowd, belonging to North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle.

    ¡°Holy crap! Another loot box? Damn it!¡±

    Meow King in the crowd painfully covered his eyes.

    ¡°Holy crap! Costume reward! Yay!¡±

    Little Ashina, who had always wanted to bring Lady Aqua into the game, cheered in surprise, only to receive a light knock on the head from Orchid.

    ¡°Stop saying dirty words, child!¡±

    ¡°Warriors! We, representing Transia¡¯s will, march forth!¡±

    With a grand sweep of his hand, Murphy elicited a chorus of cheers from the yers.

    Outside the hall, Lady Tris was leading a few vampire Spirit Mages in maintaining arge Spirit Transmission ritual leading to the Anderma Hills rally point.

    The yers cheered as they charged through the light veil reflecting the scenery of the new map, behaving less like soldiers going to war and more like a chaotic pic excursion, akin to seventy rabid dogs let loose.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Behind Murphy, concealed in the shadows, Lady Shani couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°How have you trained such belligerent and crazed Blood Servants? Why are they so eager for a war bound to be brutal? Do they truly embrace death?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Circle Tower!

    An organization that even Lord Payne would ponder carefully. Have you all gone mad? All this for a group of Witch Hunters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for the Witch Hunters.¡±

    Murphy gestured with his hand, gripping the hilt of Necessary Evil at his waist, which was already restless in anticipation of tasting Spirit Blood. He soothed his arrogant, insolent de as he said solemnly:

    ¡°This is merely the prelude to vengeance! Transia has lost a hundred thousand souls due to the Circle Tower¡¯s wanton acts, and they must atone for this sin. I know they will certainly be unwilling to acknowledge the crimes they havemitted!

    But it doesn¡¯t matter. We are Transians, we always take what we desire!

    As for myself and my warriors, we are the embodiment of thisnd¡¯s will, Lady Shani.

    This darknd thirsts to taste the blood of the perpetrators. It howls for us to repay tenfold the suffering it has endured upon the culprits. Of course, we will satisfy it, and it will reward us in turn.

    Oh, how generous! How bountiful.¡±

    As Lady Shani and Lord Andrei beside her exchanged looks at Murphy as if regarding a madman, the Count of Kadman grinned.

    He extended his hand in a ¡°please¡± gesture and said:

    ¡°The best part is, in light of the pact we¡¯ve just signed, Madam Shani, may I have the honor of inviting you to dance the first waltz at tonight¡¯s crimson ball?¡±

    ¡°If you address me so disrespectfully again, I¡¯ll sew your mouth shut! But¡­ look at this beautiful blood and gentlemanly pact. On such a gentle night¡­¡±

    Lady Shani, the Grand Duchess, elegantly ced her hand in Murphy¡¯s, tossing her golden braid nonchntly as she said:

    ¡°Why not?¡±

 Chapter 168:

    ¡°This is big, really big!¡±

    Niuniu was still excited at this moment.

    Probably because Murphy, who held the core bead, had already reached the Anderma Hills, allowing him to finally regain the connection between his Computation Bead and the upper-level node after being ¡°disconnected¡± for two days. The support from his ¡°family¡± made Niuniu¡¯s confidence skyrocket!

    The note triggering that murderous war quest had also lit up on his side, and besides this, Niuniu, a little yer in a special area, also triggered a Hidden Quest from Murphy:

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¨C ¡®Path to New Life¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest content: Using the map coordinates of the Computation Bead and the core bead, lead the White Oak Battalion to enter the Transia border at the fastest speed and rendezvous with the reception team led by Lord Murphy.

    Quest Objective: If the remaining number of the battalion at the end of the escape is ¡Ý60%, it will be considered sessful. On this basis, for every additional 10% of the remaining number, an advanced reward will be obtained.

    Basic Quest Reward: Standard ¨C Commander level ¡®n Guard¡¯ set parts X3.

    Advanced Quest Reward: Blood Vulture n Warrior treasure chest key X1.note!

    This quest is extremely risky, testers please prepare for the worst.

    note!

    This quest can be shared with up to 10 people.¡¿

    ¡°It¡¯s really time to seek fortune in danger! If I handle this trip well, I can basically ¡®graduate¡¯ my equipment at this stage.¡±

    Niuniu¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the Quest Reward. He wasted no time and posted on the forum:

    ¡¶High-difficulty Hidden Quest triggered! Main Tank in position! Recruiting DPS, Healers, and Off-tanks for the quest team. Those who have passed the ck Iron trial, press 1 to join! With pictures for proof!¡·

    The post became extremely popr just a few minutes after it was published. Mainly because Niuniu directly pasted the Hidden Quest panel into the forum, and the generous rewards made all the little yers exim ¡°Holy crap!¡±

    ¡°n Guard¡± is currently the ¡°graduation set¡± that can be obtained, only by exchanging Veteran Badges from the dungeon that advances into the Blood Vulture Halls. The problem is that the dungeon is not only difficult to clear but can only be done once a week. Niuniu¡¯s quest directly gives three parts to choose from, and there¡¯s also a treasure chest to open.

    With good luck, one could go from rags to riches in one go.

    It can indeed be called a generous reward.

    However, after understanding the quest content, even though most yers are not afraid of death, they know that they cannot meet the requirements to do the quest.

    The White Oak Battalion has 1,400 people!

    Even calcted at the minimum taskpletion standard of 60%, this means that the 10-person team also needs to rescue at least 840 people. Although they don¡¯t quite understand what level of power the Circle Tower is on the continent, the fact that such arge-scale Witch Hunter battalion is on high alert suggests that it should not be a pushover.

    It¡¯s basically an ultra-hard quest where a slight problem could lead to a team wipe.

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Brothers below ck Iron Rank, don¡¯te join the fun! It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to bring you, but there¡¯s no way to bring you. This quest is rted to the plot advancement, please understand.

    Large-scale team battles require elites to join the group.

    Also!

    If you can¡¯t ride a horse, don¡¯t waste time either. This quest requires participants to be able to quickly ride horses through the Anderma Hills and the eastern Prussia border.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Count me in! I can be the off-tank, I can bring three ck Iron rank brothers over.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾What off-tank are you talking about, Brother Stick? Our Orchid has 8 Endurance, okay! Although she hasn¡¯t passed the ck Iron trial, her riding skills are definitely the best among all yers. I¡¯ve also passed the ck Iron trial, and I¡¯ve ¡®borrowed¡¯ a super powerful weapon from Lady Miriam!

    I can be the main DPS!

    Lumina can shout to give you all buffs, and no one denies that Sister Pomegranate has the strongest martial arts among yers now, right? Plus, we have a flying vehicle!

    So, all four of us areing.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Haha, so you¡¯re missing a healer now? Then why not let me.¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Uh, Brother Meow, the White Oak Battalion doesn¡¯tck NPC healers, and you haven¡¯t passed the ck Iron trial yet, so what I mean is¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Damn! Are healing professions already out of favor?¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾Such a difficult quest must be tackled by the most capable people. I rmend Brother Mao! Let Brother Mao take thest spot, he can ride a horse too.¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾But your Brother Mao is only level 7, isn¡¯t that a bit.¡¿

    LikeATigerCanEdgeWood: ¡¾I can do it! Don¡¯t worry, brother.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾I believe in Brother Mao too! I¡¯ll vouch for him. If there¡¯s any problem on his part, I¡¯ll make up for all losses caused, OK?¡¿

    PrecipitationNiuniuIsNotAfraidofDifficulties: ¡¾Alright! Set off quickly, we¡¯re about to leave the Pioneer Fortress. I estimate we won¡¯t get far before being entangled by Circle Tower¡¯s spirit hunters.

    Don¡¯t just rush ahead!

    You¡¯re responsible for the reception, so what I mean is¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾With me here, it¡¯s not your turn tomand! Now open the group and pull people into the team, set up a private chatmunication group with your Computation Bead as the node. Report coordinates every ten minutes!

    We¡¯re setting off now.¡¿

    Niuniu exited the forum, operated on the Computation Bead, and the 10-person team was quickly formed.

    He reported the coordinates on the map in the teammunication, then looked up to see Lady Amber walking over with a horse, casually taking out a strangely shaped, glowing, obviously enchanted one-handed hammer from the saddlebag and throwing it to him.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Amber asked. Niuniu hung the masterwork veteran one-handed hammer on his waist, adjusted the heavy shield on his back, and answered with a grinning face:

    ¡°I¡¯m rallying people.¡±

    ¡°Rallying people? What does that mean?¡±

    Amber mounted her horse and draped the hunter¡¯s cloak over her back, curiously saying:

    ¡°Is that ng from your side?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it means finding people to help.¡±

    Niuniu also mounted his own steed. Thanks to his escorting Lieutenant Frayzer back to the Pioneer Fortress, the lieutenant personally gifted him a warhorse. It¡¯s notparable to the demon-hunting steeds raised by the Witch Hunters¡¯ secret methods, but it¡¯s gentle and loyal, which is already quite good for an adventurer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think yourpanions will do very well.¡±

    Amber pushed her pirate-like eye patch and said:

    ¡°I admit they¡¯re fearless in battle, but facing the Circle Tower¡¯s spirit hunters, courage alone won¡¯t aplish much. Better not let theme and die in vain, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re returning to Transia, and will be Lord Murphy¡¯s subjects in the future. As Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors, it¡¯s our duty to protect you, understand? Do you understand duty? Oath? Our actions are our own, regardless of whether you need them or not.¡±

    Niuniu snorted and said some pretty words, making Amber nce at him. Then the petite scout made a gesture and said:

    ¡°Stay close to meter! We¡¯re setting off early as the battalion¡¯s vanguard to scout ahead for the main force. This job is dangerous. If Circle Tower¡¯s dog thieves have set up an ambush in advance, we might not make it back.¡±

    At this point, Amber lowered her voice and said:

    ¡°But you¡¯re an otherworlder, you¡¯re not afraid of these things. So if I die in this battle, please send my ashes to Hunter¡¯s Cabin No. 16 next to the Evergreen Forest in the Antani region. I grew up there, and I hope my soul can return to my hometown.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you say something nice? You won¡¯t die, believe me! We won¡¯t allow you powerful NPCs to die.¡±

    Niuniu was impatient to hear this.

    Although just an NPC, he had obviouslye to view Amber as a friend.

    He wanted to say a few words of persuasion, but seeing all the Witch Hunter scouts with a ready-to-die look, he didn¡¯t speak again. He silently recorded this information, guessing that if Amber¡¯s hometown was in the distant Antani region, maybe he could get a quest from Amber to go to that region in the future?

    A few secondster, several scouts walked over with a young Spirit Mage who was tied up. The guy in the ck uniform looked very frightened, but when he saw Amber, his eyes lit up and he shouted:

    ¡°Amber! Auntie! What on earth are you guys doing?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Heru.¡±

    Amber looked back at her fellow viger.

    Over the past period of time, her information about the Circle Tower and the internal workings of the Pioneer Army all came from this unfortunate fellow.

    As for the ¡°Auntie¡± title, well, who among vige-raised kids doesn¡¯t have a rtive younger than themselves but surprisingly senior in family rank?

    In any case, the unfortunate Heru was the one arranged to guard the Computation Bead attachment today. The Witch Hunters ¡°looted it clean,¡± and he, the directly responsible person, was definitely going to be in big trouble.

    So Amber said to him:

    ¡°You have two choices now. First, we knock you out, stab you in a non-vital spot, so you¡¯ll only be reprimanded but not in danger. Second,e with us to Transia.

    I know that ghostly ce has nothing now, but the lord there is desperate for all kinds of talent. A jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none like you might just make something of yourself there.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Heru, beaten up with a swollen face, looked left and right, and made up his mind without much time.

    His decisiveness, contrary to his usual indecisiveness, made Amber blink her remaining eye. She asked curiously:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you always tell me that your dream was to get a mid-level title in the Circle Tower and then retire to a nice ce?¡±

    ¡°Uh, my mentor died of illness a week ago.¡±

    Heru said quite embarrassedly in a low voice:

    ¡°He was my only backer in the Circle Tower. Now that he¡¯s gone, it¡¯s almost impossible for someone of my caliber to climb up. The internalpetition in the Circle Tower is brutal, and I don¡¯t have the confidence, so I might as well tag along with you guys.

    Although I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning to do¡­

    But since Lieutenant Frayzer is actively helping you, I suppose the prospects should be good. If all else fails, after sending you to Transia, I can also go to the Anju region to seek refuge with the Carpe family.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then go find old Norman, he¡¯ll arrange a ce for you. Don¡¯t wander off, got it?¡±

    Amber instructed, then let her subordinates take away her ¡°little nephew¡± who was two years older than her. She, Niuniu, and fifty other elite scouts were ready to set out from the Pioneer Fortress.

    Fully armed Natalie, carrying the Great Oak Sacred de on her back, came to see them off. The gray-haired demon huntress held Amber¡¯s hand and said in a brief but deep tone:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die, you hear? After this life-risking mission, old Norman and Porter are nning to retire, so when we get to Transia, I¡¯ll still need you as my deputy.¡±

    ¡°No big deal, we¡¯ve crawled out of hell more than once.¡±

    Amber grinned, very coolly giving a hunter¡¯s salute to her old captain. She took a deep breath and said:

    ¡°See you in Transia!¡±

    ¡°Mm, see you in Transia.¡±

    Natalie nodded.

    She watched as Amber and the other scouts galloped past the side gate of the Pioneer Fortress camp. There should have been guards and military police on duty here, but today there was no one in sight.

    Natalie looked back at the main fortress.

    On the edges of the second, third, and top floors, almost all the Pioneer Armymanders who had fought alongside these Witch Hunters for the past ten years were there.

    In the past, these guys looked down on Witch Hunters, after all, the impact of the Avalon Church¡¯s betrayal was too bad.

    But after the war ended, seeing theserades about to suffer a second persecution by the Circle Tower, even the most arrogant officers felt sorrow for the rabbit¡¯s death as a fox, and couldn¡¯t bear it in their hearts.

    This is a military camp.

    Everyone here is a soldier!

    Soldiers are different from civilians. Even if they despise each other, as long as they live in the same military camp and eat from the same pot, they arerades in arms! Bullying one means bullying all.

    They can¡¯t directly confront the Circle Tower due to military regtions, but at a time like this, they can turn a blind eye.

    Moreover, when General Loren is leading by pretending to be blind, which other officer dares to get riled up?

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    As Natalie mounted her horse, preparing to join the main force of her White Oak Battalion, the quartermaster of the Pioneer Army suddenly called out to her.

    This bad-tempered guy, who would usually act like his horse died if someone took a few extra bullets, now had his usual deadpan face on. He actively spoke up in a gloomy tone:

    ¡°The ck Disaster ising soon. Will we see you again on the battlefield against the gnolls?¡±

    ¡°What? Can¡¯t bear to part with us?¡±

    Natalie grinned and joked. The quartermaster responded with a coldugh:

    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t. Where else can I find such good cannon fodder? I heard my drinking buddy old Finoch is your father? Why didn¡¯t you say so before?¡±

    Natalie remained silent.

    The quartermaster pursed his lips, muttered something under his breath, then tossed an old spirit bag to Natalie. He took out a small sk, took a swig secretly, and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s what I lost to your old manst time. He left in a hurry and didn¡¯t have time to collect it. It¡¯s just right for you to use. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but I can tell you that old Finoch is the best man I¡¯ve ever met in my life.

    Make him proud of you, girl.¡±

    With that, the old man walked away with his hands behind his back, swaying. Natalie, on horseback, opened the spirit bag and looked inside.

    It was a set of knight¡¯s armor.

    Not the sacred oak armor used by white knights, just ordinary steel armor, but of very fine quality.

    However, this was a set ofdy¡¯s armor, so the old quartermaster must have lied just now.

    This was a parting gift he specially prepared for Natalie, perhaps out of respect for his old drinking buddy, or perhaps for the sake of their ten years of fighting together.

    At this moment, Natalie raised her head and looked back at the Pioneer Fortress onest time.

    In her previous life, she hated this ce.

    Because it represented the shackles of a dim past and a future without hope.

    But now, about to leave, she suddenly felt that this ce with its strict military discipline seemed to have a touch of humanity hidden within.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    She said softly to the air, then straightened up, turned her horse around, and rode towards the Witch Hunters¡¯ quarters.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°I think we should meet those Witch Hunters at Anderma Hills.¡±

    Fully armed, Maxim stood beside Murphy, looking at the dusk about to fall, and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too provocative as it is now?¡±

    ¡°Provocative? Aren¡¯t we on thend of Anderma Hills, Max? Aren¡¯t we within the borders of Transia? This is our territory, we can go wherever we want. Besides, I don¡¯t see anyone crossing the border at this time.¡±

    Murphy said without turning his head.

    The loyal Maxim nced at the two border monuments erected by the Pioneer Army less than 100 meters ahead.

    Then he looked back at the bloodthirsty yer warriors behind him, and the nearly hundred fully armed veterans from the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force. Further away, two Spirit Mages from the Blood Vulture n were maintaining a portal to let more soldiers through.

    He fell silent for a moment but didn¡¯t speak up again.

    Although this huge formation was a bit different from the ¡°covert reception¡± he had imagined, Lord Murphy must have his reasons for doing so. He just needed to follow orders, the rest wasn¡¯t important!

    ¡°Transia¡¯s army! Step back!¡±

    Beyond the border monuments a hundred meters away, several men wearing ck Spirit Mage robes galloped over on horseback. They stopped outside the monuments and shouted to this side, amplifying their voices with spirit magic:

    ¡°The Spirit Hunter Legion of the Circle Tower is carrying out official duties! Please do not interfere!¡±

    ¡°Oh, the wild dogs of the Circle Tower are barking. Looks like they¡¯re nning to ambush the Witch Hunters around here. The encirclement is already set up, and they¡¯re hoping to scare me, a vampire who crawled back from the hell of Kadman, with a few words invoking the name of the Circle Tower.¡±

    Murphy snorted.

    He nced to the side. The expressionless Blood Vulture Grand Duchess Tris didn¡¯t respond, only extending her left hand forward in a grasping motion. Under her control, terrifying crimson spirit energy coiled and tightened like a giant shadow snake.

    Without any effective resistance from those Spirit Mages, it dragged them into the air, horses and all. Then, as Tris¡¯s fingers closed and rubbed together, the air in front exploded like a burst flour sack.

    Blood and bones flew, men and horses perished, lives extinguished.

    From beginning to end, Tris didn¡¯t utter a word, and the guys opposite couldn¡¯t say a second sentence before they died.

    Such a horrifying execution scene made the yers who watched the cutscene exim ¡°Awesome!¡±, but it made Murphy¡¯s eyes narrow.

    Although it was just the mostmon spirit binding, how could its power reach such a level? Tris seemed to be in a very bad mood right now. Who was foolish enough to provoke her?

    ¡°Midnight and blood oath, gentleman anddy¡¯s dance, oh how romantic! Lord Murphy¡¯s skill in flirting with girls is truly superb!¡±

    Tris¡¯s ethereal voice suddenly sounded by Murphy¡¯s ear.

    She curled her fingers, gritting her teeth and said:

    ¡°In a while, you and that vixen Shani better dance for me on the battlefield! If you don¡¯t dance well, this olddy will crush you both!¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Murphy¡¯s eyes widened.

    Hey, hey, hey, what¡¯s going on? Which hunter randomly shot the wrong target? How did the hatred suddenly shift to me? This count clearly didn¡¯t do anything! Hey, this must be a system bug, right?

    Where¡¯s the GM?

    GM,e save me quick!

 Chapter 169:

    ¡°Report! The spiritmunication from Squad 60 just disappeared. They are suspected to have been attacked and eliminated!¡±

    A crisp and decisive report tinged with faint fear and submission interrupted the high-ranking Spirit Mage who was flipping through spell books and copying spirit technique formations in preparation for battle, causing this woman d in white spirit robes to look up.

    She wore a spellcasting crown used to stabilize her mind, withplex and mysterious red engravings on her face.

    Like special tattoos.

    This slightly strange attire was one of the hallmarks of high-level spirit power, a technique that Spirit Mages of the Circle Tower learned from the White Silver Dwarves. Through these spirit engravings, Spirit Mages could effectively enhance their control over spells and improve their perception in certain spirit domains, and even strengthen certain special spells.

    It had myriad uses, though there were side effects as well.

    The more powerful a Circle Tower Spirit Mage, the more engravings they had on their body. So when they went shirtless, they could easily be mistaken for little Cmari with tattooed barracudas on their shoulders.

    That is, if these etiquette-conscious Spirit Grandmasters would ever actually appear shirtless.

    The other high-ranking Spirit Mages were also alerted by this news. They exchanged nces, and finally the female spiritmander in charge of 600 spirit hunters inquired:¡°Where were they deployed?¡±

    ¡°The 6th Regiment is in the border area between East Prussia and the Anderma Hills. They were deployed as rear guards to prevent any straggling Witch Hunters from breaking through the battlefield after the interception battle.¡±

    The spirit hunter regimentalmander in light hunting armor immediately reported respectfully:

    ¡°Therefore, it is impossible for Witch Hunters to have eliminated them, mydy. I suspect that supporters of the White Oak Battalion have appeared near the Anderma Hills, perhaps from Transia.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you suggesting that the Witch Hunters and vampires from the darknds have joined forces? Are you mocking the intelligence of a Spirit Mage?¡±

    The femalemander said in an icy tone:

    ¡°That¡¯s as ridiculous as light and darkness suddenly shaking hands at this moment. Perhaps these remnants of the old teachings do have supporters, but vampires will always be the least likely possibility. Send two squads of rear guard patrols to investigate the area that Squad 60 was responsible for. I need a detailed mission report.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy!¡±

    The ck Iron rank spirit hunter regimentalmander didn¡¯t dare argue with the high-ranking Spirit Mage before him. He stepped back and grasped the standard-issue spirit bead hanging on his chest, about to mobilize his troops, but suddenly froze in ce.

    ¡°What is it now?¡±

    The high-ranking Spirit Mage holding the spell book asked quite impatiently. The regimentalmander immediately reported with a strange expression:

    ¡°Two more rear guard patrol squads have lost contact, almost at the same time! Their deployment locations are entirely within East Prussia¡¯s borders, so it can be determined that those enemy supporters located behind us are advancing towards our position, mydy.

    Their numbers are unknown.

    But to be able to eliminate three of our squads simultaneously in less than 3 minutes, even if they were just recruits, this indicates that the enemy is either numerous or has high-level power users.¡±

    ¡°What rotten luck, what a detestable night! A night praised by vampires but should be despised by all daywalkers has never been kind to us.¡±

    The female Spirit Mage finally realized the gravity of the problem.

    She conferred quietly with several high-ranking Spirit Mages behind her who were dressed the same but had different engravings on their faces, then turned back to the regimentalmander and said:

    ¡°Immediately mobilize your entire regiment to support the 6th Regiment in the rear. Mypanion Cami and his 4 disciples will assist you! Hold back those reckless supporters until the interception at the front line is finished.¡±

    ¡°At yourmand, mydy!¡±

    The 5th Regimental Commander immediately assembled the hundred spirit hunters under hismand to prepare for departure.

    These ¡°spirit hunters¡± were the Circle Tower¡¯s ¡°new attempt¡± at the art of war during the Ten-Year War. As veteran Porter scornfully remarked earlier, the spirit hunters were clearly inspired by the systems of the Avalon Church and Witch Hunters.

    In fact, it was indeed so.

    There were too many simrities between spirit hunters and Witch Hunters, with the biggest difference being that Witch Hunters were strengthened by natural spirit enhancements, while spirit hunters could be enhanced by almost all spirit domains. This gave them much higher growth potential and malleabilitypared to Witch Hunters as the ¡°original profession temte¡±.

    However, since spirit hunters were a new profession that had only appeared less than seven years ago, their professional system was not yet perfected. Moreover, this was the Circle Tower¡¯s firstrge-scale training of spirit warriors, causing their performance in actualbat to be not as impressive as Witch Hunters.

    But their advantage was in numbers, or rather, the Circle Tower created them to be used as ¡°consumables¡±.

    For example, in the current interception operation, the Circle Tower casually dispatched six regiments totaling 600 spirit hunters for six high-ranking Spirit Mages in charge of the interception tomand.

    It waspletely a demonstration of their abundant resources.

    And if you savor the meaning of mand¡± here a bit more deeply, it¡¯s not hard to see that it¡¯s basically a condensed version of the order ¡°I don¡¯t want casualty numbers, I just want the White Oak Battalion annihted.¡±

    ¡°Report! White Oak Battalion hunter scouts spotted ahead! Our vanguard has made contact with the enemy. The enemy scout numbers are around 50. It is judged that their main force has left the Pioneer Fortress.¡±

    Minutester, a report from the front battlefield sounded in therge Computation Bead in the high-ranking Spirit Mage¡¯s hand. The female Spirit Mage, as the overallmander, nodded with satisfaction.

    She instructed:

    ¡°Immediately activaterge-scale spirit detection formations. I want to know the Witch Hunters¡¯ movements at all times!¡±

    ¡°Unable to activate, Lady Beryl!¡±

    The 1st Regimental Commander responded with a hint of anger:

    ¡°The Pioneer Army has activated tactical-level spirit interference and blockade arrays in their fortress. Due to the influence of those matrices, we are unable to conductrge-scale spirit reconnaissance on the battlefield. Those soldiers im they are capturing vampire spies in the fortress and have rudely rejected our reasonable requests for cooperation.

    Our spirit users sent tomunicate were even detained in their military camp on the grounds of ¡®obstructing military affairs¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Those damned military ruffians!¡±

    The high-ranking Spirit Mage named ¡°Beryl¡± clenched her fist angrily, but as a Spirit Mage, she quickly adjusted her mindset and instructed:

    ¡°Continue clearing those Witch Hunter scouts. Order the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th regiments to disperse their forces and form an encirclement. Release the spirit cavalry to begin hunting! The White Oak Battalion¡¯s main force must not be allowed to pass through the ambush zone!

    The order given to us by the Shaper Grandmaster is topletely eliminate these defiled beings tainted by the sub-space here! We cannot disappoint the Shaper Tower!¡±

    ¡°Understood! Mydy.¡±

    The frontline regimentalmander epted the orders decisively. Beryl then turned to the four high-ranking Spirit Mages behind her and said:

    ¡°We will also spread out and take charge of zones 1-5 respectively. With themand authority granted by the Shaper Grandmaster, I authorize you all to use regimental-level spirit techniques!

    Begin the operation now!

    Before dawn arrives, we must bury the defiled name ¡®White Oak Battalion¡¯ in history!¡±

    As the Spirit Mages of the Circle Tower began to move, the 9 elite little yers led by Onboard Joy Stick, hand-picked from thousands, had also bypassed the spirit hunters¡¯ positions from the side.

    The annihtion of a five-man squad just now was their doing.

    This team had 5 well-equipped ck Iron rank yers, plus violent characters like Lumina Yanghen who could sing buffs and Sword Saint Ashina wielding the ¡°Iron Warden¡±. Taking out a recruit squad in a short time was no problem for them.

    ¡°Precipitation Niuniu is just ahead! His rtive coordinates indicate we can reach him in seven minutes at most in a straight line, but the enemy seems to have split their forces. This is really troublesome.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick crouched on his galloping warhorse and said in the team channel:

    ¡°It¡¯s an obvious encirclement tactic, but even though the spirit hunters are few in number, they still dare to actively encircle the White Oak Witch Hunters who outnumber them three to one. They must have some trump cards.¡±

    ¡°Enemy encountered ahead!¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina, the gunner in the nine-man squad, suddenly shouted. Onboard Joy Stick turned back in surprise to look at the little dwarf whose horsemanship was much better than his own, and said in a strange tone:

    ¡°I know gunners have high perception, but detecting enemies outside your field of vision¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit too exaggerated?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit! Look up at the sky!¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina pointed upward. Everyone raised their heads to look.

    A semi-ethereal Blood Vulture Spirit was hovering above their heads, constantly emitting crow-like cries. They all recognized this big bird, it was Lord Murphy¡¯s spirit pet Revnor, sent to guide their way.

    As expected of Lord Murphy, he was so considerate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t dismount, charge straight through!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick nced at the rtive coordinates on his spirit bead.

    He grabbed a n war spear from his saddlebag and, imitating cavalry charges in movies, ced it under his arm. He shouted to the others:

    ¡°Time is money, brothers! Cavalrypany! Charge!¡±

    ¡°Ha, charge!¡±

    The three Tiger Leopard Rider brothers who had passed the ck Iron trial immediately grinned and shouted.

    These hot-blooded men raised their greatswords, battle axes, and war des, forming a four-man arrowhead behind Onboard Joy Stick. The five people in the rear also raised their firearms and aimed with all their might.

    This was their first, and indeed all little yers¡¯ first cavalry battle, but they weren¡¯t afraid at all.

    Lumina Yanghen, riding on the back of Sister Pomegranate¡¯s gargoyle mount in the rear, was not idle either. The bard picked up her elf flute and yed a few lively notes, casting a ¡°Song of Concealment¡± buff she had just learned on everyone.

    It onlysted 15 seconds, but that was enough.

    Seven seconds after the warhorses elerated, a five-man spirit hunter squad on patrol appeared under the undting small hills ahead.

    They had no idea that enemies would appear from behind. By the time they sensed the heavy hoofbeats, it was toote to defend. They only managed to draw their weapons and turn to face the enemy, but three of them were immediately skewered by Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s charging foursome in one sh.

    One of the remaining two had his skull split open by Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s Iron Warden. After the low, muffled gunshot of the trench gun loaded with Dragon¡¯s Breath rounds, the burning corpse fell miserably from its horse. Thest one had his head sliced off by Master Mao¡¯s spirit poison de named ¡°Ambition and Dreams¡± as he galloped past.

    ¡°Your de is still sharp as ever, Master Mao!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick looked back and gave Master Mao a thumbs up. Thetter had no time to respond to his old brother¡¯s praise. Even though he was experienced, his heart was pounding uncontrobly at this moment.

    He didn¡¯t feel much when killing ghouls in the sewers before, but now, after brutally taking down human-like beings just like himself, Master Mao could only sum up his thousands of words into one sentence:

    ¡°Holy shit! So realistic! So hardcore! I used too much force on that sh just now and nearly dislocated my shoulder, damn! This damn game is fucking awesome!¡±

    He roared inwardly while maintaining the cold demeanor of an expert, shaking the blood drops off his de as his warhorse galloped on. He also flexed his aching shoulder, but then noticed that Sister Pomegranate, flying overhead on her gargoyle, was staring at him with a peculiar gaze.

    However, when Master Mao was about to inquire, Sister Pomegranate snorted and elerated her gargoyle to gain altitude again.

    What¡¯s up with this girl?

    Master Mao couldn¡¯t understand.

    Since entering the game, he had been practicing swordsmanship in the sewers and barely interacted with other yers. When did he offend her?

    This doesn¡¯t seem right.

    ¡°Precipitation Niuniu! Are you dead? If not, make a sound!¡±

    A few minutester, Onboard Joy Stick arrived at the rendezvous point and called out in the team channel.

    Then, several Witch Hunter scouts hidden in hunting illusions appeared as if breaking through shadows, standing before the nine-person group. Judging by the blood on them and their warhorses, these fellows had just been through a bitter fight.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of you before!¡±

    Amber, wearing an eye patch, stared at the little yers in front of her with wide eyes and eximed:

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, and you¡¯ve already broken through to the ck Iron rank? Are all the warriors of Transia monsters?¡±

    ¡°Stay calm, we are Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors. Isn¡¯t it normal for warriors to be a bit formidable?¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu beside her soothed Amber¡¯s surprise, then stepped forward to join his brothers. He said with a serious expression:

    ¡°Battalion Commander Natalie is leading the main force behind, but the Circle Tower has deployed an encirclement. If we don¡¯t break through this area, we won¡¯t be able to return to Transia.

    The enemy has high-ranking Spirit Mages in reserve. These spirit hunters are just cannon fodder to buy time for them to releaserge-scale formations.

    So, where is Lord Murphy?

    Those tough nuts need to be dealt with by NPCs, we¡¯re not quite up to it yet.¡±

    ¡°Lord Murphy has already crossed the border. All our brothers and sisters havee to support you! Maxim has mobilized all the veterans in the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force, and Lady Tris has also brought along a few n members from the bottom of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s reserves.¡±

    Brother Stick replied:

    ¡°Just for these Witch Hunters, our side has basically gone all out. They are pressing towards the Circle Tower¡¯s encirclement from behind, and part of their forces have already been drawn away.

    But breaking through the lines is something the Witch Hunters have to do themselves.

    My idea is, since the Circle Tower has split their forces, the White Oak Battalion should do the same!

    Divide into five teams and disperse!

    The ten of us will act as guides, paired up two by two. Relying on the rtive coordinate guidance of our Computation Beads and Lord Murphy¡¯s core bead, we can definitely lead them to the rendezvous point.

    This way, even in the worst-case scenario, we won¡¯t bepletely wiped out.¡±

    Niuniu thought this method was reliable and immediately ryed Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s idea to Amber, who then contacted Natalie through the Witch Hunters¡¯ secret method.

    A few minutester, the hunter squad leader turned back and said:

    ¡°The Battalion Commander agrees!

    But she made some modifications to your n. She will lead 50bat-ready people to charge directly at the Spirit Mage formation¡¯s core, attracting the enemy to contract their encirclement. The other routes will be led by you to break through and retreat quickly!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s only taking 50 people?¡±

    Niuniu eximed:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that suicide! Last time in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods, three high-ranking Spirit Mages held off 60 Midnight Hunters. The power of these spellcasters can¡¯t be ovee just by numbers!¡±

    ¡°No, this is a necessary tactic.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick shook his head and said:

    ¡°As a leader, she¡¯s taking the initiative to bear the risk, which can effectively reduce the danger for others. It¡¯s also very beneficial for our withdrawal mission. Shall we proceed? Let¡¯s quickly rendezvous with them and set off as guides!

    Brothers and sisters, now is the time to test our luck and strength.

    See you all in Transia!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    On the supporter¡¯s position near the Anderma Hills, the ¡°Transia army¡± led by Murphy was already engaged in fiercebat with nearly 200 men from two regiments of spirit hunters.

    Both sides had about the same number of people, but the trouble was that the enemy had one high-ranking Spirit Mage, four formal Spirit Mages, and ten Spirit Apprentices. Their spellcasting power was clearly higher than Murphy¡¯s side.

    That high-ranking Spirit Mage was also a tough one. Seeing both sides engage, he immediately began summoning dimensional meteorites, a regimental-level spell, intending to wipe out both the enemy and his own men.

    These madmen didn¡¯t care at all about the spirit hunters¡¯ casualties! Their tactic was to smash everyone they could see into meat patties with meteorites!

    But the good news was that Murphy¡¯s side had a ¡°super spellcaster.¡±

    The moment the first meteorite was thrown onto the battlefield, Tris captured the spirit vibration. Then the hot-tempered Blood Vulture Grand Duchess spread her dragon-like wings and flew into the sky. A precise,rge-scale spirit countermeasure silenced the other side.

    The rest didn¡¯t require the esteemed grand duke to personally deal with. Murphy led Maxim and Adele to attack.

    The ¡°NPCs¡± didn¡¯t intervene in the yers¡¯ battles, and the melee scene of over 400 people was indeed intense.

    Especially for those new yers who had never experiencedrge-scale team battles, they experienced for the first time tonight what a ¡°real battlefield¡± meant.

    Tactics, cooperation, cover fire, all gone! Now the only thought of these fired-up folks was to sh! Follow the main force and charge up to sh!

    Wherever there were many people, charge there! Raise your de and bring it down to sh!

    Cutting down everyone dressed differently from your own side would be a glorious victory!

    ¡°Awooo!¡±

    The Astral Manticore cub ¡°Stinky Treasure¡±, fed for three days and now able to glide, made a silent pounce in the darkness onto the back of a spirit hunter in front of it. The venomous stinger that had just grown on its tail pierced into the opponent¡¯s neck with a ¡°poof¡±.

    The juvenile stinger was not lethal, but the Astral Realm venom in it still made the spirit hunter curl up in pain.

    Feel You Poor, holding a war spear, suddenly sprang up from his ¡°corpse¡± state, let out a howl and charged forward, wildly and clumsily stabbing his spear into the enemy in front of him, making a mess everywhere like an idiot.

    But his ¡°human-pet cooperation¡± sneakybat method was extremely effective. He had already achieved an astonishing three kills by ambush.

    ¡°This is so exciting! This is the game real men should y!¡±

    Little Rich Brother wiped the blood on his face and summoned back the little manticore with a bloody mouth. Man and pet began to skulk around the chaotic battlefield again, choosing their next unlucky victim.

    Decided!

    Although it might be a bit early, he wouldplete the little manticore¡¯s first hunt right here! He was now one step closer to bing a formal Summoner.

    Yay!

 Chapter 170:

    Natalie led the remaining 50 high-ranking hunters of the White Oak Battalion along the predetermined route,unching an assault on the encirclement around Circle Tower ahead.

    Admittedly, it was quite embarrassing.

    Despite being the highest-ranking battalionmander, Natalie¡¯s personal strength was basically at the lower-middle level among these 50 individuals.

    During the previous meeting, the elder Eugene, Grandma Marianne, and several other veteran captains who had argued with her were all silver-rank Oak Hunters or Oak Sages.

    They had actually already qualified to be reserve White Knights. If it weren¡¯t for the copse of the Avalon Church, these veteran hunters should have returned to the mo holynd to prepare for their Holy Grail ceremony.

    Even more regrettable was that both the Avalon Holy Statue and the Sacred Grail of Nature had been lost during the church¡¯s decade-long chaos, essentially heralding a terrifying discontinuity in the advanced profession system of the Witch Hunters.

    Under such circumstances, Natalie¡¯s mere possession of the Great Oak Sacred de was enough to make her the undisputed leader of this group of Witch Hunter Grandmasters!

    This sword, rumored to have a rather unsavory history, was now their only remaining sacred relic.

    ¡°Little Natalie, if you can survive this battle, hurry and work on enhancing your natural resonance with the sacred de. With your currentpatibility, you can¡¯t even bring out one-tenth of its power,¡± the veteran Oak Hunter Eugene whispered a reminder as he rode beside Natalie on his horse.¡°But this is a lengthy process, no need to rush. The two des your father left you also have some pedigree. Don¡¯t disgrace these two demon-ying weapons.¡±

    ¡°Are you leaving yourst testament? What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t want to live anymore?¡± Grandma Marianne chimed in mockingly from the other side as she tugged at her cowboy-like hunting hat.

    This nearly sixty-year-old grandma had a bandolier slung across her chest, two ck handguns holstered at her waist ready to draw, and a double-barreled hunting rifle on her back. She kept a sharp eye on their surroundings, her pupils now tinged with emerald green, evidently using an advanced scouting spell.

    She and old Eugene had known each other since their youth, but their habit of bickering whenever they met had stubbornly persisted.

    She now taunted him mercilessly, ¡°Don¡¯t we already know the reasoning of ¡®a scourge that lives for a thousand years¡¯? Any of us could die in this battle, but you, you crazy one, will most likely survive.¡±

    The other veteran hunters let out low chuckles, and even the younger hunters like Natalie couldn¡¯t help but grin, dissipating the ¡°going to die¡± atmosphere in the squad, at least momentarily.

    This would have been unimaginable in the past, as the original Witch Hunter Battalion had been a highly regimented military organization, with the Avalon Church training them in a military fashion. However, the Ten-Year War had destroyed everything, and the surviving witch hunters had long since abandoned the strict rules that once bound them. They had learned to seize any opportunity to indulge themselves in these cruel times.

    Often, losing one¡¯s purpose was an even more distressing feeling than suffering.

    ¡°None of us will die here! No one will die here!¡± Natalie¡¯s lips curved into a slight smile, but she quickly proimed solemnly, ¡°We will break through, no matter what lies ahead. We will restart our lives on that unfamiliarnd before us! Either we all survive together or we all make our final offering here to the god of Avalon!¡±

    The squad fell silent for a moment, then the younger members loudly responded, drawing courage from the sight of the Oak Sacred de on Natalie¡¯s back.

    At the same time, however, the veteran hunters observed Natalie herself.

    They all knew that when this child was born, the Elder Council of mo had made a prophecy about her, foretelling that Natalie Finochia Lawson would be a true leader.

    Before tonight, it wasn¡¯t easy to discern the true direction of that prophecy, but after tonight, it might just enter the realization phase.

    ¡°Still a bit immature, reckless and stubborn, not good traits,¡± old Eugene sighed softly.

    ¡°You could perhaps put it another way: she has boundless potential, immense courage, and sufficient resolve!¡± Grandma Marianne retorted as she drew the double-barreled hunting rifle from her back, imbuing it with a nature spirit spell that caused emerald runes to spread beautifully across the ck barrel. While taking aim, she murmured, ¡°Aren¡¯t those the necessary traits of a legendary leader? As long as she survives tonight, she will ignite and shine her own light.

    Enemies ahead! Prepare for battle!¡±

    At the grandma hunter¡¯s warning, the Witch Hunters in the squad immediately scattered, relying on their excellent riding skills.

    Various des were unsheathed, hunting crossbows readied. Natalie intended to draw the twin des at her waist but hesitated, ultimately grasping the silent Great Oak de on her back and pulling it out of its scabbard.

    Imitating how her father had used this sword on horseback, she held it lowered beside her fiery red warhorse.

    This purebred elf steed, having bathed in the same Holy Grail oath as old Finoch, silently and obediently carried its new rider. Natalie knew this pure-blooded elf warhorse with a beautiful mane had a lovely name: ¡°Maple Leaf.¡±

    ¡°de Guardian! Excellent! It¡¯s for this that I¡¯vee,¡± the mage Beryl, serving as themander, eximed excitedly upon seeing the sacred de. Floating high in the night sky, she cradled a spell-shaping tome in one hand and gripped a punishing staff like a torch in the other, coldly gazing down at Natalie ahead of the hunters.

    ¡°White Oak Battalion!

    In the name of a Circle Tower Shaper Grandmaster, I decree that you have been tainted by extraspatial filth! Immediatelyy down your weapons and return with us to White Cliffs for investigation.

    If you are innocent, then you may proceed with an open heart.

    But if you persist in your obstinance, the force of retribution shall rain down upon you!

    Final warning!

    Lay down your¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bang.¡±

    The low gunshot represented the Witch Hunters¡¯ response.

    Grandma Marianne¡¯s bullet flew out, blowing off the head of the deputymander beside the elite Spirit Hunter battalion leader guarding the Spirit Mages.

    This already exceeded the extreme firing range of her hunting rifle, clearly enhanced by nature spirit techniques that not only extended the range but also amplified its power.

    Amidst the stter of blood, this dashing female hunter impassively raised her ck face-veil to cover her nose and mouth, revealing only a pair of eyes that, though aged, remained as sharp as a hawk¡¯s. Time had indeed stolen her youth, but in exchange, it had given her an unwavering courage and extraordinary precision honed by years.

    Over the past decade, it was the Circle Tower before them that had repeatedly thrown the Witch Hunters into the cruelest of wars, consuming them.

    Perhaps the Witch Hunters should not me such cold-bloodedness, for without the Circle Tower¡¯s protection ten years ago, the White Oak Battalion would have been sent to the guillotine in batches like the other old factions by the enraged King Louis.

    They could endure the harsh toil of atoning for sins, but this tant attempt to discard them like used beasts had crossed the Witch Hunters¡¯ bottom line.

    The so-called debt of protection owed to the Circle Tower had already been repaid by the White Oak Battalion¡¯s decade of bitter warfare and the burial of seven thousandrades!

    The blood they had shed was enough to wash away sins they did not bear!

    Moreover, through studying the Witch Hunters, the Circle Tower had created a formation like the Spirit Hunters for themselves, which amounted to prying into the powers of the god of Avalon. For any sincere believer, this was intolerable!

    The Witch Hunters¡¯ decisive and frenzied response plunged the battleground where the two sides confronted each other into a deathly silence. Even the confident mage Beryl herself did not expect these bereaved dogs to be so obstinate.

    ¡°White Oak Battalion!¡± Natalie raised the sacred de in her hand, straining with all her might to resonate with it. With great difficulty, she opened a wide-ranging hunting illusion, allowing the power of the woods to dissipate into the surrounding night.

    It was nothing like old Finoch¡¯s effortless opening of the hunting illusion that ughtered 60 Midnight Hunters.

    But at least it had presence!

    For the young ones who had nothing left but grit and a bottom line,

    This was enough!

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    At the new battalionmander¡¯s roar, the obedient and quiet warhorse Maple Leaf instantly sprang into action, charging forward like a ferocious beast leaping from a flickering me, carrying its knights toward the enemy lines.

    The Witch Hunters followed close behind.

    They charged in silence.

    Though only fifty strong, the burden of their fallenrades¡¯ lives lent their charge a decisiveness and ferocity that the Spirit Hunters could notprehend.

    Ahead at the enemy lines, the first and second Spirit Hunter battalion leaders exchanged a nce.

    Beneath their full face-coverings, they could only see each other¡¯s eyes, but those eyes held aplex mix of guilt. Yes, they were both experimental subjects created by the Circle Tower¡¯s research into the Witch Hunters¡¯ secrets, in other words, they had previously been Witch Hunters themselves!

    And not just them.

    Currently, all the elite members of the Spirit Hunters had essentially been selected from the Witch Hunters.

    They could certainly im it was a case of seeking better opportunities, or convince themselves it was merely a temporarypromise. But the fact remained that in this new sh between the old and new orders, they knew thebel ¡°traitor¡± would permanently belong to them after tonight.

    Since they had all bent the knee for survival, they had no grounds to mock others¡¯ courage in fighting for the same.

    ¡°Defensive tactics!¡± the first battalion leader shouted.

    At the very front, the Spirit shield-bearers immediately formed a shield wall with their heavy shields. The second rank of spearmen braced their spirit spears flickering with cold energy on the first rank¡¯s shoulders, aiming through the gaps between shields, ready tounch a lethal counterattack on the first wave of the charge.

    Behind them, twelve full Spirit Mages and thirty Spirit Apprentices began chanting spells without guidance from the high-ranking casters.

    A massive spirit resonance was manifesting, one spirit enhancement spell after anotheryered upon the Spirit Hunters, continuously boosting their vigor and individual power.

    These spirit enhancements worked even better on the specialized Spirit Hunters, with longer durations and fewer side effects, granting them simultaneous advantages in numbers and quality.

    This was the Circle Tower¡¯spleted experiment!

    Their tactics allowed Spirit Mages and Spirit Hunters to cooperate synergistically, with abined effect greater than the sum of their parts.

    High above, three advanced spells¡ªHellstorm, Arcane Rend, and Bulwark¡ªwere prepared. The high-ranking Spirit Mages did not even intend to use more powerful legion-level magics.

    Usingrge-scale spells capable of influencing a battle¡¯s course against these fifty foes would not only be wasteful but also inappropriate, just as swatting a fly with a flyswatter is always better than using a cannon.

    True wisdomy in learning to use the right tools reasonably.

    ¡°Bury them!¡± Beryl the magemanded.

    Immaterial spirit power coalesced into a heavy defensive ward in front of the shield-bearers below, while her twopanions gestured to call forth searing mes and arcane forces toplete the ughter.

    The Witch Hunters below had also fanned out into a standard skirmish charge formation, unfolding woond defenses to withstand the impending spirit onught.

    But just as blood was about to spill and death was about to howl, an anomaly erupted!

    Shadows gathered unnaturally, then a gentle yet dignifiedughter rang out.

    The fouryers of shields around the Spirit Mage to Beryl¡¯s left were instantly pierced. In the chaos of uncontrolled spirit bacsh, crimson ws caressed from behind like a lover¡¯s touch, only to rend flesh in the next instant, precisely gripping that pulsating, fiery heart. Then, with a lethal, chilling yet dashing execution, the bleeding, heartless corpse was flung into the deste night sky.

    The Spirit Mage to her right, meanwhile, had his emotions ignited simultaneously.

    Like a bomb detonating on the mental ne, it caused him no physical harm, but the stunning psychic impact prevented him from even maintaining his levitation spell. Like a bird with clipped wings, he plummeted toward the enemy lines below, only for Grandma Marianne to st open his unprotected chest with a well-aimed shot.

    Amidst the stter of blood, the lethal hunters achieved perfect coordination in an instant!

    ¡°You arrogant mages, you¡¯ll never learn to be wary of what lurks in the shadows, will you? After all these years, you haven¡¯t made a bit of progress,¡± Lady Shani taunted with mockingughter.

    The previously empty shadows behind the Spirit Hunters¡¯ lines shattered on a massive scale.

    Count of White Mountain Andrei, expressionless, led twelve Thorn Nightwalkers in an assault formation, brazenly ughtering their way into the ranks of the protected, leisurely spell-casting Spirit Mages and Spirit Apprentices from near point-nk range.

    Like tigers pouncing on sheep.

    The next instant erupted into a frenzied massacre of bodies and beasts tumbling.

    This was the night, after all!

    To engage in closebat with a fully armed group of Thorn vampires under these conditions? To dodge the des swung by the deadliest of the midnight assassins from the seven vampire ns under the Night¡¯s Blessing?

    Hiss¡­

    Isn¡¯t this method of courting death a bit too premature?

    Although Andrei had been badly beaten by Murphy before, in this current battle, wielding the Frostfang de, he merely had to exhale lightly to unleash the ice-binding power of a Frost Spirit Swordsman, instantly freezing five Spirit Apprentices who failed to evade in time.

    In the next frozen moment, three of them lost their heads to his swinging cold des.

    Their blood could not even spill!

    It could only fall to the ground as a bizarre, blood-red icy sand, only to be trampled everywhere by the warhorses of the Witch Hunters who subsequently breached the Bulwark spells.

    As for why Andrei, whose equipment had been confiscated by Murphy, now wielded an identical Frostfang de¡ª

    Well, as the queen¡¯s brother, a legitimate member of the royal family sent as a hostage into the Thorn n, it was only natural for him to acquire a few formidable weapons as his remorseful sister¡¯s atonement, no?

    If Lady Femis was considered a minor wealthydy, then in the realm of ¡°wealth¡±, Count Andrei was probably the kind of deep-sea leviathan whose appearance would always startle people.

    ¡°Swish.¡±

    As the cold de swung down, two Spirit Hunters attempting to guard the dignitary fell ntwise. Donning his battle mask, the Count of White Mountain made a challenging gesture toward the high-ranking Spirit Mage who had just recovered from the ¡°Ignite Emotions¡± spell.

    He said coldly, ¡°Andrei Alexei Torrez! Thorn n White Mountain grand duke faction! Descendant of Shani!¡±

    As a high-ranking Spirit Mage, the challenged opponent naturally knew this was the vampires¡¯ eternal duel oath, but what enraged him was this ck iron-rank vampire¡¯s audacity to challenge a silver-rank caster like himself.

    Even though Shani had just ignited his emotions, and Grandma Marianne¡¯s bullet had struck his chest, were the vampires really this arrogant now?

    The Circle Tower had only just exterminated an entire vampire n!

    Bastards!

    Show some respect!

    ¡°You dare be so enraged before our Thorn n?¡± Andrei said in astonishment, then decisively used his n¡¯s special ability again, igniting the emotions of the mage before him, causing thetter excruciating agony that made him grit his teeth and nearly copse.

    The Count of White Mountain pressed his sword attack!

    He knew he would have to pay a price to take down this far superior enemy.

    This was not a favorable hunting target, but he knew he had to do it!

    He had already heard about Murphy¡¯s rise from those foul-mouthed little yers, and had even witnessed Murphy feeding a silver vampire¡¯s heart to a dog.

    He did not truly crave a victory of the weak over the strong, he merely wanted to prove himself no lesser than his ¡°peers¡± before his ancestors!

    Nothing more!

    But Shani had no time to pay heed to her defiant descendant, for she was rather preupied at the moment.

    ¡°Puff.¡±

    Crimson des lightly grazed Beryl the mage¡¯s left arm, the keen spirit de precisely severing this caster¡¯s tendons in an elegant, lethal stroke reminiscent of a scalpel.

    The Thorn grand duchess paid no mind to this Circle Tower Spirit Mage¡¯s struggles, viewing her as mere ¡°appetizer¡± for this midnight feast.

    The gap in their absolute strengths was far too great, allowing Shani to fully savor the loser¡¯s terror and humiliate her!

    Best of all, any retaliation would only target the Blood Vulture n that had openly provoked them.

    Tsk tsk, what a fortunate night indeed.

    Thanks to the Night Mother¡¯s blessings!

    ¡°Two ck Night Wars, the ughter of the Blood Dread n, the expulsion of the Wolfsbane n, the retaliation against the Blood Vulture n! You seem to have kept winning, allowing the Circle Tower¡¯s oppression to trample upon the vampire ns¡¯ heads, rising ever higher.

    You arrogantly believed the midnight kin were no more than this, but the harsh reality is¡­¡±

    ¡°Puff.¡±

    Five piercing fingers like des.

    In a ghostly onught, she sliced open Beryl¡¯s abdomen, neck, dyeing her white robe crimson with her own blood. Then, in an almost impossible motion, she severed a third of the mage¡¯s tongue, preventing her from intoning even a single spirit glyph.

    Yet Shani¡¯s long dress remained unstained by a single drop of fresh blood. With a sweep of her left w-de, the high-ranking Spirit Mage¡¯s scalp was cleanly sliced off.

    This was notbat, this was an executioner¡¯s torture-killing!

    The Thorn grand duchess¡¯s long dress floated and danced in the night, pinning the now blood-drenched Beryl with one hand. Seeing the loathing and fury in her victim¡¯s eyes, Shani revealed a gentle smile befitting a courtly nobledy.

    As if savoring the hatred before her like an afternoon tea.

    She said softly, ¡°The fact is, the midnight ns have never truly been defeated by you! Tonight, I am honored to join the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess and Count Murphy in returning to you what you have forgotten. You¡¯re afraid now¡­

    It seems you¡¯ve remembered.

    Heh, you cattle should understand your true ce in this world! Tonight, wee back to the bottom of the food chain!¡±

    ¡°Crack.¡±

    The snapping of a spine, a headless corpse crashing to the ground.

    Holding the dripping severed head, Shani brushed away the hot blood spattered on her cheek, then brought it to her lips for a delicate sip.

    ¡°Mmm, steeped in the blood of terror, forever so delicious.¡±

 Chapter 171:

    With the help of Lady Shani and the Thorn n¡¯s midnight raid, Commander Natalie¡¯s forces were able to rapidly break through the Circle Tower hunting squads¡¯ main formation. However, apart from the hundred-strong unit here, there were currently another 500 soldiers across eastern Prussia and the Transia border region hunting down members of the White Oak Battalion.

    600 against 1,400 seemed like an egg striking a rock, but Natalie had previously mentioned that the Witch Hunters¡¯ battle-ready troops numbered less than 500, with the rest either disabled from the prolonged war or still recovering from injuries.

    They had also implemented a divide-and-conquer strategy, which made the current battlefield situation still unfavorable.

    However, there was still some good news.

    The Spirit Hunters were not foolish enough to spread their three main battalions too thinly. They had set up interception forces in several directions, allowing half of the Witch Hunters¡¯ five divided squads to pass through the blockades unscathed and quickly reach the vicinity of the Anderma Hills.

    But with three squads sessfully traversing the war zone, it meant the remaining two smaller squads had undoubtedly fallen into the enemy¡¯s ambush and were being obstructed.

    ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡±

    Aboard his horse, Joy Stick shouted to the Transia reinforcements who had just routed two battalions of Spirit Hunter recruits:

    ¡°Send these wounded to the rear, and any able-bodied brothers, quickly follow me. Niuniu and Sister Pomegranate¡¯s squads have been encircled in the middle like dumplings.¡±¡°Ah, we have to fight again?¡±

    Among the crowd, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman sat on a rock, panting. This administrative yer student looked like he had been pulled out of a bloodbath, with only 2 strength points and no ck Iron trial experience. He clutched a hunting crossbow, and at his feet was a whimpering recruit with an arrow stuck in his buttocks, seemingly a ¡°masterpiece¡± by the Grayman.

    Gasping for breath, he said, ¡°No, I really can¡¯t run anymore. You guys go on.¡±

    ¡°At a time like this, you still want to desert? Hey, being a fugitive is subject to military court-martial!¡±

    Beside him, the athletic Khaki Tony Tai was in high spirits after using his equipment advantage to cut down five enemies earlier. Disregarding the Grayman¡¯s injury, he forcibly dragged him onto a war horse, and the two of them followed Joy Stick to aid their encircled brothers.

    This task required riding skills, so yers who had not learned horseback riding could only remain behind, responsible for receiving and retreating the White Oak Battalion¡¯s wounded.

    The Witch Hunters who had escorted theirrades here no longer spouted nonsense about the old faith warriors and Blood Servants not sharing the same sky. After entrusting their injuredrades to the Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force veterans, they turned their horses around and charged back with the yers, unwilling to abandon any more of theirrades.

    ¡°Where is Lord Murphy? There are high-ranking Spirit Mages over there, and we can¡¯t handle them! We need Lord Murphy to help!¡±

    Little Ashina pulled on Maxim¡¯s reins and shouted to the familiar NPC. Maxim nced at the spirit bead¡¯s trantion and said in a low voice, ¡°The lord has already rushed over after realizing his warriors were surrounded. He would never allow you to fight alone. Are you afraid of heights, warriors?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Little Ashina and Lumina looked at each other, puzzled by what this NPC was implying. In the next instant, Maxim unfurled Murphy¡¯s massive Blood Wings, grabbing Lumina with one hand and lifting Little Ashina with the other. He then shot into the air, performing a 2-second eleration to supersonic speeds in a twisting spiral to change direction, rapidly flying towards the distant battlefield.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Ashina and Lumina¡¯s howling voices echoed far into the night, causing the yers below to stare up at the sky, as if a terrifying female ghost had appeared on this battlefield that had just witnessed ughter. Meanwhile, some lecherous individuals were ¡°inspired.¡±

    They took the opportunity to crowd around Lady Adele, using various excuses in the hopes that Lady Adele would also fly them over to support Lord Murphy and theirrades.

    Adele, however, remained oblivious to these individuals¡¯ ¡°dark thoughts¡± but still firmly refused them.

    Mainly because she had her own mission, to remain behind and lead the remaining vampires in pursuit of the routed soldiers.

    Lord Murphy had given the order: tonight, not a single one of these Circle Tower dogs would be spared!

    Those maniacs who dared to vite the Blood Vulture¡¯s authority must all die here, to appease the innocent souls in Kadman City who perished from the Circle Tower¡¯s spirit-rending rituals.

    Meanwhile, the two squads of breakthrough forces surrounded by the Spirit Hunters had been forced to converge. The two groups totaled just over 500, but only less than 100 werebat-ready, facing an assault from 300 cavalry led by two high-ranking Spirit Mages and eight official Spirit Mages.

    The battlefield was surrounded by a war fog released to obscure vision, not only blocking the Witch Hunters¡¯ natural perception but also reducing visibility to less than a meter.

    This was clearly a determined effort to kill everyst Witch Hunter here.

    On the other side, the Spirit Mages included summoners, continuously releasing otherworldly monstrosities onto the battlefield, bloodthirsty war hounds with no skin, only red muscle tissue and ckened skeletons adorned with underworld armor, bald vultures bound by tattered cloth strips attacking in the mist. This entire grim spectacle from the realm of death caused the Witch Hunters¡¯ defensive formation to continuously retreat.

    The enemy¡¯s Spirit cavalry also relentlessly harassed them from all sides in a manner bordering on cruelty, like a wolf pack. Any breach in the formation would result in gruesome ughter amidst the mist-shrouded crowd.

    At this moment, the four little yers serving as guides were also out of ideas.

    Facing the current chaotic situation where allies and enemies were intermingled, being able to preserve themselves would already be considered fortunate.

    ¡°Niuniu! Niuniu!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate felt like she was trapped in the most realistic nighttime battlefield chaos.

    Riding her horse through themotion, she kept calling out for her younger brother, but in the pandemonium, she couldn¡¯t find any trace of Niuniu. Even her squadmate Fatal Orchid and her beloved Stone Gargoyle mount had gone missing.

    But Sister Pomegranate couldn¡¯t leave.

    Because she was guarding a pregnant woman and a half-grown child beside her.

    Pregnant women were an absolute minority in the White Oak Battalion, and judging by the child¡¯s age, they were likely rtives of a Witch Hunter caught up in the Avalon Church rebellion ten years ago.

    Sister Pomegranate knew her best strategy now was to abandon these two burdens and regroup with the Witch Hunters reorganizing their lines. But whenever she turned to look at the pregnant woman clutching her child behind her, she softened.

    Although they both wore the White Oak Battalion¡¯s recruit armor, their expressions and movements made it clear they were no warriors!

    If she left, these two would undoubtedly die in the current situation.

    ¡°Kill!¡±

    A shrill cry to kill came from the side as three Spirit cavalry spotted Sister Pomegranate and her burdens through the mist, immediately charging at them like wild beasts, eyes gleaming.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never have kids in the future!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate nced at the two terrified individuals behind her, gritted her teeth, and shouted. She spurred her horse forward, judged the distance, and lunged with a flying kick, her hands extended like dual assassin des, knocking two riders off their mounts. She then kicked them aside in the ensuing melee on the ground, stood up, grabbed her hand crossbow from her waist, and fired a bolt at thest rider.

    But soon after, she was struck in the calf by an arrow shot from the mist, causing her to fall to the ground in a surge of pain.

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Lying on the ground, her face covered in dirt, Sister Pomegranate looked up to see that the bolt she had fired failed to hit the third rider, who was now swinging his de towards the petrified child held tightly by the pregnant woman.

    ¡°No!¡±

    At this critical juncture, a bloody throwing axe suddenly whizzed through the mist from the side, knocking the rider off his horse. Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood then charged out, his bloodied twin swords in hand, delivering a swift execution before dragging the child and pregnant woman off the horse and dashing back into the mist without a backward nce.

    ¡°Damn! I was still here! Are you blind?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate was both relieved at the two burdens being rescued and angry at Master Mao¡¯s ¡°failure to help.¡±

    But this couldn¡¯t really be med on Master Mao.

    He had blindly stumbled upon them in the mist and rescued them by chance. In the current battlefield chaos, there was no time to observe if any yers were lying on the ground after being ambushed. However, with her burdens gone, Sister Pomegranate could finally cut loose.

    She limped to her feet, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and grinned as she charged at the two remaining Spirit cavalry.

    However, her luck seemed particrly bad tonight.

    After swiftly dispatching the two ordinary ck Iron mooks, Sister Pomegranate turned to see a Spiritmander wielding a sword and shield emerge from the mist.

    His armor was noticeably heavier than the foot soldiers¡¯, and the instant their eyes met, Sister Pomegranate quickly cast a scouting spell.

    Fourth Battalion Commander of the Spirit Hunters, Elite ck Iron unit.

    Whoa!

    I¡¯m doomed!

    ¡°This isn¡¯t quite the ck Iron trial scenario I had envisioned for myself.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate stood her ground, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Her fists clenched, and six spikes popped out of her knuckle dusters like a tiger¡¯s ws, blood dripping but her fighting spirit ignited!

    The battalionmander noticed Sister Pomegranate¡¯s action and chuckled coldly, raising his shield and tapping the ming longsword against it.

    A provocation!

    This was definitely a provocation, right?

    Sister Pomegranate gritted her teeth, took two steps forward, then suddenly froze.

    During the earlier chaos of the ambush, an enemy Spirit Mage had struck her, causing her Stone Gargoyle mount, which had been flung who-knows-where, to reappear in her perception, like a downed drone mysteriously navigating itself back home.

    Well, although this Stone Gargoyle wasn¡¯t abat construct, it was still her servant and part of her strength, right?

    So if it joined the ck Iron trial, that wouldn¡¯t count as cheating?

    Ugh, why did things always happen to her that skirted the edges of exploiting bugs?

    She was clearly a power-gamer, wasn¡¯t she?

    ¡°This is so annoying! Everything tonight is annoying! I really want to punch this boring world to pieces!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate didn¡¯t think further. She dug her feet in and charged forward like a ferocious predator, keeping her eyes locked on her opponent while mentallymanding her circling Stone Gargoyle to dive down from above at maximum speed.

    She shouted:

    ¡°Although it¡¯s different from what I imagined, I¡¯ll be taking your annoying head!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Put me down! You run and get help!¡±

    In another part of the mist-shrouded battlefield, the scout Amber said weakly:

    ¡°We¡¯re at the edge of the mist now. Hurry and break through to call for reinforcements. Whether these 500 people live or die depends on you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s chaos here, how can I run?¡±

    Niuniu, carrying her on his back,ined:

    ¡°You¡¯re useless too! You¡¯re supposed to be an excellent scout, but your luck is always so rotten? I rememberst time in Mond Vige, you were the first one taken down, right? By the way, I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you, is your eye injury from what we didst time?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Amber had been struck by two arrows in the back. Normally, with a Witch Hunter¡¯s physical conditioning, two arrow hits wouldn¡¯t be fatal. But the Spirit Hunters clearlycked the martial code of the Witch Hunters, as those pragmatists had imbued the arrows with an enfeeblement spell, leaving Amber struggling even to walk.

    Carried by Niuniu through the chaotic mist like a headless fly, the disorienting enfeeblement spell made her feel dizzy.

    Hearing Niuniu¡¯s question, she answered breathlessly, ¡°It was from a vampire torturer¡¯s poison, but I¡¯m notpletely blind. I¡¯m just very sensitive to light, and my pupils change to an odd color, so I wear the blindfold. Wait! People are surrounding us up ahead. Put me down!

    Move quietly.¡±

    Niuniu immediately set Amber down, gripping his one-handed warhammer and buckler as he crouched beside her. Amber caught her breath and readied her hunting rifle.

    Sweat beaded her brow, but she grit her teeth to maintain alertness. Through the dissipating night mist ahead, she saw three figures approaching warily.

    Two Spirit Hunter guards were escorting a panicked Spirit Mage, seemingly trying to flee the battlefield.

    Amber made a hand signal.

    But Niuniu was too tense about the impending ambush to notice his teammate¡¯s warning, causing Amber to sigh helplessly.

    She took aim, then pulled the trigger the instant Niuniu rose tounch his assault.

    ¡°Bang!¡± One of the guard¡¯s necks exploded in a spray of blood as he convulsed and fell. Amber then mustered her strength to hurl a dagger, piercing his eye. The other guard was stunned by Niuniu¡¯s shield bash to the face, leaving him dazed before the athletic student¡¯s spiked Witch Hunter warhammer cracked his skull.

    Hey, skull crusher, kid!

    But then Niuniu was sted back by the Spirit Mage¡¯s searing mes, tumbling twice before mming into the ground. Amber tried to throw another dagger but was choked by a spirit binding around her throat, struggling in agony.

    Could this young man with a hint of male pride just ept this?

    This was an NPC he had painstakingly raised to an extremely high affection level! If you got her killed now, wouldn¡¯t all his previous efforts be wasted?

    Pfft!

    ept death!

    ¡°Thwack!¡±

    The one-handed hammer was hurled like a throwing hammer, striking the Spirit Mage¡¯s collision absorption shield head-on. But this barbaric attack from a warrior did no damage to the noble mage, who turned his disdainful gaze towards Niuniu. The athletic student had already drawn his vampire family¡¯s Wing de.

    Right hand holding the buckler forward, body lowered, he then charged towards the enemy.

    Speaking of which, in a 100% realistic game, the ¡°charge¡± skill was nothing like imagined, especially for yers with poor physical coordination, using a charge could make them experience shortness of breath and motion sickness.

    In severe cases, they might even vomit.

    But the athletic Niuniu, with his well-developed physical abilities, had no such issues.

    He was probably among the top yers who could execute a charge most skillfully out of the current 70 yers. This time was no exception, his aim was precise, his speed incredible, and at thest moment, he delivered the umted kic energy through his buckler in a devastating shield bash.

    ¡°Bam!¡±

    The Spirit Mage¡¯s shield finally shattered.

    Under the mage¡¯s wide-eyed gaze, Niuniu¡¯s crimson vampire Wing de shed diagonally, leaving a deep, bone-exposing gash on his robe.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The Spirit Mage cried out in agony.

    He realized he had underestimated this strange Blood Servant mingled with the Witch Hunters, but no matter. He was a noble mage.

    If he could just create some distance, he would definitely be able to¡­

    ¡°Pffft!¡±

    Niuniu angled his buckler, revealing the cocked hand crossbow concealed behind it.

    With a yer¡¯s trademark disregard for the martial code, he pulled the trigger at point-nk range, the green hunting bolt spinning as it pierced the Spirit Mage¡¯s abdomen, leaving him in too much pain to even teleport away.

    While the Circle Tower didn¡¯t follow the martial code, the Witch Hunters¡¯ hunting bolts were no mere painful sting, imbued with nature spells, they would practically take root in the flesh. Within seconds, the mage lost all sensation in his abdomen and lower body.

    Tsk, just like severing a little thread! Can¡¯t feel a thing!

    Poison!

    This Blood Servant used poison! Utterly devious and dishonorable! No martial code!

    This mage will settle the score with you today!

    Driven to desperation, the Spirit Mage threw caution to the wind, unleashing a violent arcane st that shattered Niuniu¡¯s buckler. But the blood-crazed athletic student, eyes bloodshot, gripped his de with both hands and charged, withstanding the searing sacrificial mes as he rained down a flurry of shes.

    Amber struggled to crawl to her hunting rifle, intent on supporting her warrior, but a hand mped down on her shoulder from behind.

    ¡°He needs no help! He can handle formidable foes himself. He has grown resilient enough, as the Transian proverb goes, one who rouses the bull must pay the price!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice reached Amber¡¯s ears as the Count of Kadman, elegantly dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief in the sated state after a fresh meal, watched his warrior¡¯s sh with the Spirit Mage with keen appreciation.

    He said softly, ¡°Dear, luckless Miss Amber, please understand, this is a battle between men. A wise woman knows not to interfere at such times. You need only stand aside and await the victor with apuse and ardent kisses. That is all.¡±

 Chapter 172:

    Brother Meow was very unhappy tonight.

    He was even more displeased that he didn¡¯t get the hidden quest shared by Niuniu, but after hearing that Niuniu and the other three unlucky bastards were surrounded by the evil enemies of the Circle Tower, he still led his Four Heavenly Kings and old pal toe help out quite readily.

    As for the slight mncholy of not being able to ept the hidden quest earlier¡­ hey, they were all brothers, so let¡¯s not mention that little matter.

    However, the way they appeared on the scene was a bit peculiar.

    These guys rode in on the green gargoyle mount that Joy Stick had drawnst time.

    Unlike Sister Pomegranate¡¯s mount which could fight but only a little bit, Brother Stick¡¯s mount waspletely a riding type with nobat power at all, so it wasn¡¯t brought out before.

    However, as a trade-off for sacrificingbat power, this green gargoyle had a very fast flight speed, and when flying at maximum load could carry 8 people!

    Seeing this made Brother Meow envious.

    On the way, he started discussing the matter of ¡°vehicle transfer¡± with Joy Stick.Joy Stick was determined to form a war band and nned to trick his nine trusted Tiger Leopard Rider brothers to ¡°do big things¡± together. He needed start-up funds right at this time, while Brother Meow also nned to form a small-scale ¡°mercenary group¡± with his five brothers to y around. This gargoyle mount that could be deployed quickly was just right for them.

    The two parties hit it off immediately and eventually reached an offline transaction.

    Although Brother Meow spent money, he was in a good mood.

    Hey, my luck in this damn game was indeed bad, but I had many brothers. The good stuff bought was still good stuff.

    However, Brother Meow might have overlooked how his bad luck would evolve into a tragedy in extreme situations. Just as he underestimated the unexpected ¡°air defense interception¡± encountered when flying around in a magical world, they were chatting happily on the gargoyle mount in the air when they were precisely hit by a flickering pale light spirit lightning from below just as they entered the misty area.

    With a ¡°boom¡±, the gargoyle with its flight core disrupted spiraled down from the sky.

    After a scream of dizziness, the group fell scattered into a low shrub forest shrouded in fog.

    Brother Meow cked out and disconnected.

    The helmet disy showed that although his character wasn¡¯t dead, it entered a ¡¾Unconscious¡¿ state, making him anxious in his own apartment, hurriedly calling his Four Heavenly Kings and old pal to ask about the situation.

    It turned out the others were lucky and only slightly injured. They had already joined the melee in the fog and had no time to search for Brother Meow¡¯s game character in the woods, leaving Brother Meow scratching his head on the balcony with his helmet on.

    He smoked cigarettes one by one to relieve his worries, and didn¡¯t even have the mood to peep at the sweet youngdy next door who usually did yoga on the balcony in the afternoon, which he loved to watch most.

    This game was really harmful!

    Alpha Company, you¡¯ve done all the bad things!

    In this mood, he finally waited 15 minutes to log back in, only to open his eyes and see broken stones pressing on his body as soon as he did.

    No wonder he fainted!

    When Joy Stick¡¯s unreliable gargoyle crashed down, it disintegrated, and he happened to be hit on the head by one of the rocks.

    ¡°Fuck! Almost got my head sted. When will these damn days end! No, I have to quickly learn Luck Spells! I heard Lady Tris mention it before. Spellcasters at the ck Iron Rank can learn this stuff.¡±

    Brother Meow, with a head full of blood, pushed the broken stones off his body and got up.

    He cursed fiercely while casting a Winds of Rejuvenation on himself. After the difort on his body lessened a bit, he stood up and found the green gargoyle heart among the gargoyle remains scattered all over the ground in front of him.

    Fortunately, the spirit core of this construct remained intact and only needed a slight replenishment of spirit energy to be usable again.

    Leaning on his beloved Crimson Witch staff, Brother Meow looked left and right in this low shrub forest.

    He could still see the fog of war permeating the surroundings. This kind ofrge-scale spirit energy interference could only be resolved by the same spirit energy means. Once entering it, one¡¯s perception and vision would be affected. As a cautious Oak Apprentice, Meow did not want to go into it. Moreover, this shrub forest he was in happened to be his profession¡¯s ¡°preferred terrain¡±!

    Staying here could increase his health and spirit energy recovery rate by 20%, and the effects of his skills were all enhanced.

    Although he didn¡¯t know how much they would be enhanced, in the current chaotic situation, it was obviously safest for him, a hybrid ss, to hide here.

    Unfortunately, it seemed others had the same idea.

    Just as the wound on Brother Meow¡¯s head had barely scabbed over, he immediately smelled the presence of enemies in the wind blowing through the shrub forest.

    This was a warning from natural spirit energy!

    Enemies wereing.

    Darn!

    So unlucky?

    The cunning Brother Meow was shocked and immediately retreated into the depths of the forest with his magic staff in a sorry state. He then used his enhanced perception in the preferred terrain to peer outward.

    He quickly discovered the attackers.

    Four people!

    Three spirit cavalry and one spirit mage!

    That spirit mage seemed to be injured. Judging from the wound torn by ws on her chest, she must have been ambushed by a vampire and urgently needed a ce to heal and recuperate. But they soon saw the pile of rocks and shattered gargoyle skull scattered in the shrub forest, which immediately put the four enemies on alert.

    The female spirit mage clutching her abdomen waved her hand and the three guards immediately dispersed to search this not-sorge forest.

    ¡°Shit! The candle is extinguished now!¡±

    Brother Meow panicked at once.

    He was the most senior tester. No one was clearer than him about how intelligent the NPCs in this damn game really were. In this situation, with such a small forest, he simply couldn¡¯t hide.

    If he didn¡¯t hurry and think of a way, what awaited him was the fate of being besieged to death.

    He hid behind a big tree, adjusting his breathing while thinking rapidly in his mind. He also pulled out the beloved replica Avalon Sacred de from his spirit bag.

    ¡°The three guards are all ordinary ck Iron Rank monsters, a bit tricky. I¡¯ll cast Thorn Spells on myself first, then add a Winds of Rejuvenation, then control one with Root Bind, activate the sacred de withbustion spirit energy and charge up to instakill one!

    This way I can 1v1.

    After dealing with the three guards, I¡¯ll go make trouble for that spirit mage healing at the forest entrance. That guy is an elite temte¡­ Damn!

    Gotta call for help.¡±

    Brother Meow quickly rehearsed the n, then reported his location to his Four Heavenly Kings toe rescue him fast. He himself hid and waited for an opportunity.

    Finally, when the three guys all approached this side, Brother Meow knew the moment of life and death had arrived.

    He took a deep breath and made the spellcasting gesture, adding a Thorn Spells on himself. But the designed n took a rather strange turn from this first step.

    The spellcasting motion for Thorn Spells waspleted, but it wasn¡¯t the usual ethereal spirit energy thorns coiling and covering.

    On the contrary, under Brother Meow¡¯s dumbfounded gaze, the thorn bushes beside the tree he was hiding behind actively extended tough vines to cover his body.

    This feeling was extremely strange!

    It was like wooden snakes coiling around his body. A secondter, ayer of thick ¡°thorn damage reflection armor¡± as sturdy as leather armor covered the outside of his Blood Vulture n magic robe. Only at this moment did Brother Meow, who had changed profession for nearly half a month, finally realize what concept the ¡°preferred terrain¡± in his profession temte represented!

    He previously thought the enhancement strength of preferred terrain was at most 10% to 20%.

    However, the calction method of this profession form was not such a simple addition! To put it simply, this thing was multiplication!

    Just the defense of this physical Thorn Spells alone was definitely not inferior to a set of thick leather armor.

    ¡°F**k me! No wonder the Witch Hunters always have to choose a ce with forests or bushes whenever they take action. I thought it was just the influence of their faith in nature. I didn¡¯t expect this to be a real profession enhancement!

    Oh Avalon, my God, your dull disciple has finally understood!¡±

    At this moment, Brother Meow sincerely prayed with palms together to the nature god he didn¡¯t take seriously before. Then, with greatly increased confidence, he actively jumped out.

    The instant the three spirit cavalry in front drew their weapons, he cast Root Bind forward.

    The original spirit energy vines were also reced with physical vines. The branches of several surrounding trees suddenly seemed endowed with life, sweeping over like jungle pythons with a whoosh. In the blink of an eye, they wrapped around the four limbs and legs of the three cavalry in front. Then, as Brother Meow maintained a grasping posture and lifted upward, they were pulled into the air.

    ¡°Ahahahaha! I¡¯m invincible now!¡±

    Brother Meowughed, immersed in the joy of his profession¡¯s strength soaring.

    He imitated the brutal scene of Lady Tris crushing a five-man team with Spirit st earlier. Very obviously, he also wanted to try to what extent he could do with the boost of preferred terrain now.

    The result was disappointing.

    The vines coiled tighter and tighter, but still some distance from strangling the three cavalry to death.

    It was even difficult to make them suffocate.

    But conversely, with the single-target Root Bind turning into group binding, and the binding time and strength enhanced to this degree, what more could Brother Meow, just an Oak Apprentice, ask for?

    With a swoosh, he drew the replica Avalon Sacred de. He raised this hunting sword adorned with sacred oak and stabbed toward the spirit cavalry pulled into the air.

    ¡°In the name of my god Avalon! You thugs who ughter the people of nature, die! Die! Die!¡±

    The immersed Brother Meow shouted and stabbed repeatedly as if killing pigs. The light armor on these soldiers simply couldn¡¯t block the sharpness of the replica sacred de. In less than ten seconds, they were stabbed to death.

    But those animated vines didn¡¯t loosen the corpses. Instead, under Brother Meow¡¯s dumbfounded gaze, they extended even more delicate branches into the wounds on the corpses as if absorbing blood as nutrients.

    After nearly another half minute, three dried corpses fell to the ground.

    Those bloodstained vines rapidly withered before the eyes of Brother Meow holding the sacred de. Then, under his widened eyes, three scarlet seeds were fed back from the withered branches.

    ¡¾Sessfullypleted a ¡®war sacrifice¡¯ in the name of god! Your ¡®Belligerence¡¯ has increased. Your attunement with the way of ¡®Wild Nature¡¯ has been enhanced.¡¿

    Seeing the prompt on the character interface, Brother Meow realized he seemed to have inadvertently aplished a rather incredible thing for nature believers.

    Although he didn¡¯t know what ¡°Belligerence¡± and ¡°Wild Nature¡± meant, he figured they should be the ¡°special gamey¡± of his profession system.

    With this thought, Brother Meow reached out and grasped the three obviously extraordinary scarlet seeds in his hand, activating Item Appraisal:

    Name: Bloodwood Seed

    Quality: Natural Wonder

    Effect: Can be used to sow and harvest the special crafting material ¡°Bloodwood¡± innd blessed by Avalon, or used as the spellcasting material for the skill ¡¾Natural Conscription¡¿ to summon a powerful bloodthirsty treant to fight for you in battle.

    Crafter: Meow King

    Item Description: ¡¾The way of natural breeding lies in tireless experimentation. Reasonable use of your secondary profession can give your game career more possibilities.¡¿

    Note!

    ¡°Bloodwood¡± breeding technique learned. ¡°Farmer¡± profession proficiency increased!

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Brother Meow cursed andmented with a certain sadness:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in the game for nearly a month, but I still haven¡¯t figured out my second profession! This game has three profession slots. A game where just the newbie entry takes at least a month to start is really fucking hardcore. Feels like I¡¯m back to when I first entered EVE and encountered the Gctic War, having two mining ships blown up in a week. What a terrible time.¡±

    ¡°You! How can a blood servant like you use spells from the Avalon Church? What the hell kind of strange thing are you?¡±

    Just as Brother Meow was feelingcent about his new gain, a shocked voice rang out behind him.

    The cunning social man turned around, sword in left hand and staff in right, and saw the barely recovered female spirit mage behind him looking at him like he was a monster.

    The spirit mage eximed:

    ¡°Avalon¡¯s gaze and favor have descended upon humans again after a decade of neglect? No! This is impossible! Those ruthless and pathetic gods can only barely survive based on the Epoch Contract! They are a bunch of homeless cowards. How could they be so benevolent!

    Fake!

    This is all fake!¡±

    She seemed to be agitated.

    Screaming, she raised the torch-like Cane of Punishment in her hand towards Brother Meow. In the next instant, mes that danced like snakes roared and burned over from the air. But at this moment, relying on his preferred terrain, Brother Meow wasn¡¯t flustered at all. He already had victory in hand. Even if the one in front of him was a ck Iron Rank elite monster, so what?

    In Lord Avalon¡¯s territory, you damn well have to listen to me!

    ¡°In the name of my god Avalon!¡±

    Brother Meow, who had learned how to perform a ¡°war sacrifice¡±, started with the fanatic routine. Shouting the name of the gods he didn¡¯t believe in at all, he again released Root Bind.

    Vines coiled like giant pythons as before swept towards the spirit mage in front of him with a whoosh. But thetter was a formally trained professional after all. She had ways to deal with this kind of ¡°magic showdown¡± at hand.

    Stepping back, she fiercely swiped down with her left hand. The invisible spirit energy protective des cut the vines section by section. Then with a backhand spirit energy counter, she smashed it onto Brother Meow, directly interrupting his second spell.

    The out-of-control violent spirit energy exploded in Brother Meow¡¯s hand. It almost blew off his fingers. When he saw that he had been afflicted with a ¡¾Spell Lock¡¿ effectsting 5 seconds, he knew he had been ¡°silenced¡±.

    But Brother Meow wasn¡¯t flustered at all.

    He went all in. He immediatelypressed all the active spirit energy in his body into the replica sacred de in his hand, igniting the faint blue purifying mes on the hunting sword.

    Then, Brother Meowunched a howling ¡°onboard charge¡±.

    ¡°For my god Avalon!¡±

    He roared and pounced, stabbing a sword at the continuously retreating spirit mage.

    Under this activated spell-breaking sacred de, spirit energy shields and essory defenses were all useless. The burning de pierced thetter¡¯s abdomen, happening to stab right into the barely healed wound. It hurt so much the female spirit mage screamed and knelt on the ground.

    ¡°I surrender! I surrender!¡±

    She shouted.

    Brother Meow, who was about to execute her, was stunned for a moment.

    The spirit mage then thought she had encountered a ¡°civilized person¡± and was about to use ¡°Charm¡±.

    But the next second, the top of the Crimson Witch staff iid with irregr bloodstone crystals smashed hard on her head, causing blood to spurt out.

    ¡°What qualifications does an ugly bitch have to surrender?¡±

    Brother Meow cursed loudly:

    ¡°If you were a high-quality NPC like Lady Adele, I might have epted the surrender. Look at what you carved on your face! Why learn that of all things? Imitating tattoos?! Ptooey! A good girl is now a sore sight!

    My god Avalon is watching. My ck Iron Trial falls on you. Die for your daddy!

    What reason is there to surrender at this point?¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Nearly twenty minutester, the Four Heavenly Kings finally reached the edge of the forest.

    As a result, as soon as they entered the forest, they saw Brother Meow smugly and very sincerely kowtowing to the thickest tree in the forest.

    He was also muttering something.

    ¡°Holy shit! Has he gone mad?¡±

    Brother ck Stockings eximed in shock. But Old Tune beside him immediately noticed the battle traces around and the corpse of that spirit mage whose face had been burned beyond recognition by purifying mes.

    ¡°Holy fuck! You passed the ck Iron Trial? No way! 1v4 and still won? You cheated, right?¡±

    ¡°Cheat my ass! Lord Avalon is watching from above. Show some respect to my god!¡±

    Brother Meow turned his head and reprimanded, then smiled from ear to ear and said:

    ¡°Come,e,e. Take a little bit of your time. Big brother will properly introduce you to the Holy Father and Savior of nature¡­ Hey, hey, hey! Don¡¯t run, you guys! I¡¯m not crazy. Come back quick! Lord Avalon gave me a quest! Hurry and convert now. There are lots of benefits for you!¡±

 Chapter 173:

    Brother Meow isn¡¯t crazy.

    Although he seems like an addicted person who can¡¯t distinguish between reality and fantasy due to severe inte addiction, that¡¯s just because he¡¯s overly excited about sessfully passing the ck Iron Trial.

    As a ¡°Hidden Quest Expert¡±, Brother Meow unsurprisingly triggered another ¡°Hidden Quest¡± afterpleting the ck Iron Trial.

    What¡¯s even more surprising is that this Hidden Quest does note from Murphy or other familiar NPCs, but from¡­

    ¡¾Special Hidden Quest ¨C ¡®Ancient Call¡¯ triggered!

    Quest Description: In the name of God, purify the evil! Delve into history and clear the shadows! The way of nature walks with thee!

    Quest Objective: Assist Natalie Finochia Lawson and Sister Jules Belinda in rebuilding the Avalon Church under Lord Murphy¡¯s administration, and spread the human race¡¯s natural faith as much as possible.

    Basic Quest Reward: Divine Inspiration ¨C Special Spirit Magic Sequence ¨C Weak Luck Spell/Standard Luck Spell/Advanced Luck Spell.

    Advanced Quest Reward: Divine Inspiration ¨C Learning designated low-level natural divine spell sequences, special title ¡°Divinely Inspired One¡±.Time Limit: Six months.

    Note!

    This quest can be shared with other natural faith sequence testers, with a maximum share number of 10.

    Note!

    Before the quest time limit expires, for every additional 1,000 believers in the new Avalon Church, the quest taker¡¯s advanced reward im times +1.¡¿

    ¡°Holy shit, holy shit!¡±

    The Four Heavenly Kings, after Brother Meow shared the quest with them, all eximed in shock, not only because the reward is very generous, but also because of the nature of this quest!

    Missionary work!

    This is missionary work! The Renaissance has arrived, brothers! Although ording to the plot progression, the rise of the new Avalon Church is already set in stone after the White Oak Battalion¡¯s arrival in Transia, having yers directly participate in the establishment of the new church and having yers go around as guest missionaries to recruit people is still shocking enough.

    At the very least, other games, no matter how chaotic they get, will try to avoid letting yers get involved in religious gamey.

    One can only say, as expected of the ¡¶Reality Realm¡·!

    The degree of freedom is maxed out.

    ¡°You see, I told you, although we chose the Avalon Church¡¯s power system and can no longer transform into cool vampires, the developers will definitelypensate us.¡±

    Brother Meow is now very smug.

    He strokes the Avalon Sacred de with an air of wisdom, instructing his Four Heavenly Kings:

    ¡°Now it seems our power faction¡¯s unique gamey is the ¡®Church System¡¯. In the future, we might even be able to be regional bishops. But now is not the time to talk about this. I have also found a shortcut toplete the ck Iron Trial.¡±

    ¡°As long as we convert to the nature faction and gain nature power bonuses in preferred terrains, we can learn from Brother Stick to make traps. As long as our skill level is up to par, soloing elites won¡¯t be a dream!¡±

    ¡°Yep, convert! Once the Witch Hunters are settled, we¡¯ll convert right away.¡±

    The other four people had been hesitating to convert into the Witch Hunter power system, but now seeing how heroic Brother Meow is, winning 1v4, they instantly saw the beauty of strength.

    Although having to choose a preferred terrain when fighting is indeed quite troublesome, on the flip side, you could say this is also a game feature based on realism. If you think about it carefully, vampires being buffed to an unbeatable level in the night, doesn¡¯t that mean the vampire¡¯s preferred terrain is the night?

    Hey, feels like we discovered something incredible.

    ¡°Meow! What are you five doing? Stop cking off ande out quickly!¡±

    Joy Stick¡¯s summons in the team frame soon arrived. He shouted:

    ¡°The fog of war has been dispelled by Lady Tris, and the wild dogs from Circle Tower have started to flee. Lord Murphy¡¯s order is to not leave a single one alive! Come out and hunt down the fleeing soldiers! Dawn is almost here.¡±

    ¡°Okay,ing.¡±

    Brother Meow responded and led the Four Heavenly Kings out of this ¡°Forest of Luck¡±.

    Under the increasingly morous night before their eyes, the fog of war that originally obscured their vision has rapidly dissipated under Lady Tris¡¯ spellcasting, exposing the tragic situation of this entire area to the little yers.

    The besieged Witch Hunter escapees can be said to have corpses strewn everywhere. It¡¯s clear that under the crafty encirclement and annihtion tactics of the spirit hunters, these remnants would have a hard time gaining the upper hand in direct confrontations.

    However, conversely, because the little yers and Lord Murphy¡¯s reinforcements arrived in time, coupled with Witch Hunters continuously running over to provide support in both the front and back, the spirit hunter side also suffered heavy losses.

    ¡°At least several hundred people died here.¡±

    Old Tune, shouldering his hunting rifle, looked around. The corpses of men and horses that had fallen before his eyes made it a bit unbearable to look at directly.

    Although they had long known that the background of this game world was a chaotic and barbaric era, when do normal people in modern society have the chance to see such a tragic situation?

    They are indeed the chaotic, silly, and frenzied Fourth Cmity, but that doesn¡¯t mean little yers won¡¯t be moved by the scene.

    Especially in a world with maxed out realism.

    ¡°Uh, I feel like I¡¯m starting to understand those pacifists.¡±

    Day One beside him sighed.

    He squatted down and closed the eyes of the female Witch Hunter lying dead in front of him, her eyes filled with lingering anger and regret but already devoid of luster. He then muttered a few jumbled Buddhist scriptures to send her to the Western Paradise, before standing up and saying to his brothers:

    ¡°This war business is just too disturbing. Luckily our side won¡¯t have this kind of thing happen. To be honest, I still don¡¯t understand why Circle Tower has to drive the Witch Hunters to extinction. Haven¡¯t the Witch Hunters been cannon fodder for the Spirit Mages and Goldflower Kingdom for a whole ten years?

    Isn¡¯t kicking away the stool after crossing the river too ruthless?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Brother Meow squinted his eyes.

    After pondering for a few seconds, he said:

    ¡°I reckon there¡¯s more to the old church rebellion back then. Finding the truth behind that matter might just be our Avalon faction¡¯s main job quest line. And you know what, I always feel there must be big benefits to reap from this quest.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How so?¡±

    ck Stockings leaned over and asked. Three to Five Pecks also looked at Brother Meow curiously. Thetter patted the Replica Avalon Sacred de at his waist and said:

    ¡°The item appraisal says the Elder Council of mo made a total of 150 replica sacred des, and they¡¯re all lost in the wars now. Other than the two in my and the gray-haired witch huntress Natalie¡¯s hands that have confirmed whereabouts, who knows where the other 148 are?

    Think about it, guys. Why did the devs make the legend of 150 sacred des? Not to mention there are also super top-tier equipment like the Three Oak Sacred des!

    Right now, among the Three Sacred des, only the Watcher is in the hands of battalionmander Natalie. The Punisher and Arbiter are both still missing.

    Brothers, that might just be the surprise the devs left for us, the legend of peerless divine weapons and all that. Sounds badass and powerful.

    Even if we can¡¯t get the real sacred des, having a few Replica sacred des on us is prestigious enough. After all, there are only 150 of these things in the lore. Thememorative significance and collection value alone are maxed out. This cake hase full circle.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    The Four Heavenly Kings were convinced. They had to admit Brother Meow¡¯s spection made a lot of sense.

    So they merrily went to regroup with the little yers still hunting down fleeing soldiers. Under the guidance of Lord Murphy¡¯s Blood Vulture Spirit, they continuously pursued those already copsed spirit hunters under this deste night.

    Their activeness in fighting against greater numbers with weaker strength, their tireless hunting, and even their fanaticism for war and ughter made even the old Witch Hunters feel shocked.

    ¡°These are the ¡®Murphy¡¯s Warriors¡¯ you¡¯ve been mentioning?¡±

    Old hunter Eugene asked the veteran Norman riding beside him:

    ¡°They¡¯re the ones who went deep into the Blood Vulture Halls to participate in the operation against Salrokdar? Despite being weak in strength, they are so fearless and undaunted. Indeed worthy of being the legendarily savage butbative mountain folk. However, I remember the mountain folk I¡¯ve seen before didn¡¯t have such delicate appearances!

    Also, why do these fellows¡¯ ck hair and eyes always seem to have traits of those oriental dragon descendants from the Ancient Calum Kingdom?

    Are you sure they came from the ancient mountains of the Saxony region?¡±

    ¡°At least that¡¯s what Lord Murphy said.¡±

    Veteran Norman hesitated on whether to tell Old Hunter the truth about the little yers being ¡°otherworlders¡±. But every time the words reached his mouth, a strange emotion would surface in his heart. It seemed some power was preventing him from revealing the truth.

    And he was very familiar with this emotion. Ten years ago, when the Avalon Church had not yet copsed, he would have a simr feeling every time he entered the nature cathedral to pray.

    That feeling of being watched.

    Perhaps the gaze of the Avalon God had truly fallen back upon them, thesest Witch Hunters. Perhaps it was because they had proven their loyalty to the divine with the pain of the Ten-Year War.

    If the divine was demanding he keep this secret, then Norman would absolutely prevent any behavior that exposed the identities of these ¡°mountain folk¡±.

    And in any case, the grace of the Avalon God had already descended upon these otherworlders, proving they had be allies on the path of nature.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    A familiar gunshot rang out from ahead, making Old Eugene and Norman spur their horses forward immediately.

    Very quickly, they saw Grandma Marianne executing a fleeing spirit huntermander.

    Thetter knelt on the ground, helmet already taken off and tossed to the side. His aged face full of Circle Tower tattoos was filled with pleading as he screamed:

    ¡°Marianne! I once saved you in that ambush by the Caesar barbarian god warriors on us at Ice Bay! We are friends! Right? Don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t end my life with a bullet.

    Those nature-enchanted bullets of yours aren¡¯t meant to attack fellow kin.¡±

    ¡°I know, Ponte. I know. I still remember how you carried me on your back as we crawled out from the ancient barbarians¡¯ haunted cavern. We were covered in blood and you yelled at me not to fall asleep.

    I¡¯ve always remembered the debt of you saving my life.¡±

    The old hunter sighed and lowered the double-barreled hunting rifle in her hands.

    She took a step back, looking at the betrayer colleague before her. In a hoarse voice, she said:

    ¡°But when you decided to aid tyranny and hunt us old friends for your new master, what I owed you was already cleared! Ponte, remember! Everything tonight is not a personal grudge!

    For the sake of your past service to Avalon, have some dignity!¡±

    ¡°Whoosh!¡±

    The verdant hunting de unsheathed. The traitor instinctively clenched his fists, but upon raising his head and seeing the tired and helpless eyes of Grandma Marianne, he sighed, loosened his fingers, and knelt on the ground in a past prayer posture, silently chanting something.

    ¡°May Avalon¡¯s starlight illuminate that shadowed, twisted path.¡±

    Grandma Marianne muttered softly, then coldly pressed down on her ¡°old friend¡¯s¡± shoulder, letting that sharp de precisely pierce thetter¡¯s heart. With a twist of her wrist, she shredded the heart, severing all life force from this spirit-enhanced person.

    ¡°Well done!¡±

    Old Eugene praised from atop his horse:

    ¡°Indeed worthy of being ¡®Iron-Blooded Marianne¡¯. It seems time and suffering have not taken away your courage.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up!¡±

    Grandma Marianne did not ept this praise.

    She wiped the fresh blood on the hunting de and nced at the kneeling corpse before her. Sighing, she took out a small bottle ofbustion oil, poured it over the traitor¡¯s body, then invoked the name of the divine to set the corpse aze.

    This was her final mercy to an old friend.

    She did not know what that vampire lord would do to these corpses, but with the current enmity between the Blood Vulture n and Circle Tower, those creatures of the midnight would surely be capable of even the most outrageous acts.

    However, she no longer had any reason to condemn Murphy, because from this night onward, that vampire would also be her lord and the protector of her faith.

    s, for Witch Hunters, the turn of events could truly be called ck humor.

    As Grandma Marianne remounted her horse, Old Eugene leaned over and whispered:

    ¡°Confirmed! There are indeed believers of my god among those ¡®warriors¡¯. Baptized for no more than twenty days, yet already crossed the ck Iron Realm under my god¡¯s blessings. Marianne, we¡¯ve found it! That sought-after holynd and new hope¡­

    It¡¯s in Transia! That is the second chance my god has bestowed upon us lost souls! Tonight¡¯s blood, tonight is the final passion before dawn!¡±

    ¡°Can you tone down this untimely fanaticism of yours?¡±

    Grandma Marianne was impatient to discuss these matters with a zealot like Old Eugene. She pulled her hunter¡¯s hat down a bit, saying tiredly in passing:

    ¡°It¡¯s still uncertain what attitude that vampire has towards the way of nature. Although Natalie has assured he will ept us, can a vampire¡¯s words be trusted?

    Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time.¡±

    ¡°I still firmly believe this is the guidance of my god!¡±

    Old Eugene said in a low voice:

    ¡°Our sins have been atoned for in the ten-year arduous journey. The merciful Avalon has once again opened its embrace to us. Transia will be the next mo Ind, and we shall reenact the great feat of the first generation Elder Council establishing the cathedral in the year 530 of the era.

    This is what my god wishes to see!

    I am certain of it!¡±

    This time, Grandma Marianne did not refute.

    Atop her horse, she looked back at the corpses under the night and shook her head.

    She did not know if Transia was the new holynd, nor did she really want to know.

    She only knew that she was very, very tired after fighting for ten years. Now, she just wanted to find a ce where she would not be spat on and spend the rest of her life in peace and quiet. s, she was almost seventy years old. Although still spry under nature¡¯s blessings, she only had less than a hundred years left to live. Time was no longer kind to her.

    But she had learned to reconcile with time and even life itself amidst the suffering.

    Perhaps afterying down arms and returning to the fields, being an ordinary missionary or church granny would be quite nice.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°So we only saved less than 300 people?¡±

    Murphy soared in the night sky, with loyal Maxim flying beside him, always trailing by one body length.

    The vampire lord looked down at the battlefield from high above. The vampiric life sensing allowed him to feel the fleeing soldiers being killed one by one.

    He said softly:

    ¡°Including the three squads that broke through to Anderma Hills earlier, out of 1,400 Witch Hunters, 1,200 ultimately survived?¡±

    ¡°No, only 1,000, my lord.¡±

    Maxim corrected:

    ¡°Another 200 people ultimately did not have the courage to follow battalionmander Natalie in leaving the Goldflower Kingdom. It¡¯s said those were all cowards tired of fighting.¡±

    ¡°Wanting to live in peace is a beautiful expectation. That cannot be called ¡®cowardice¡¯, Max.¡±

    As soon as Murphy heard 1,000 people, he immediately thought of gaining 10 more slots. Coupled with the umting poption of viges and towns where Miriam was continuously sending envoys to dere sovereignty, this made the lord very satisfied.

    He nned to find an opportunity to release all these trial slots in one go after some time, doubling the little yer manpower under hismand.

    This way, his other ns could also proceed smoothly.

    ¡°Max! Have your veteran soldierse over here and chop off the heads of the spirit hunters and Spirit Mages!¡±

    Murphy looked at the night sky above. He said coldly:

    ¡°Pile them here! Give Circle Tower a response. We will tell them that everything tonight is by no means the end of some struggle! It doesn¡¯t even count as the end of the beginning. They will pay the price for their misdeeds.

    Not just them¡­

    Wolfsbane, Goldflower, Dusk!

    Anyone who participated in the destruction of Kadman City, not a single one will escape! Those were 150,000 people! They all should have been my subjects.

    They need justice.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, my lord.¡±

    Maxim had no objection to this order. On the contrary, he felt Lord Murphy¡¯s decision suited his taste perfectly.

    Transians never submit under threats.

    Although theirnd was rife with poor folk, savages, and boors, cowards were creatures that could not survive in their deste mountains and treacherous waters!

 Chapter 174:

    One hourter, the darkest moment before dawn had arrived.

    Murphy had finished inspecting the battlefield and returned to the Anderma Hills. Those Witch Hunter casualties and their families were also being escorted back to the Crimson Citadel by the veterans who had already been renamed the ¡°Kadman People¡¯s Army¡± and the Witch Hunters who were still able to fight.

    With their current condition and pace, it would take four to five days to reach there, leaving enough time for Baroness Miriam and her administrative team to prepare for the impending arrival of 1,000 people.

    Murphy was once again grateful for having gained Miriam¡¯s loyalty.

    Having such a capable administrative major student to help, he rarely needed to handle matters of his territory personally.

    Tonight, although the little yers had their fun, casualties were still inevitable, as a battle involving nearly a thousandbatants would always have some unlucky ones running into various issues.

    But the good news was that out of the 70 little yers, only 18 had perished by the end of the battle.

    This fully demonstrated that his little yers had adapted to this game¡¯s overly realisticbat mode. They were bing more and more Proficient, no longer afraid ofrge-scale battles with real weapons, and had even started to apply the devious nature of the Fourth Cmity to their fighting.

    The most outstanding example was Murphy¡¯s ¡°disciple¡± in the Summoning path, the rich guy Feel You Poor.This dude, relying on the shameless ¡°ying dead¡± tactic and his silent ambush manticore cub, had racked up 9 kills by himself and his pet after the battle¡¯s final tally!

    This achievement was enough to ce him in the top three of this battle.

    However, Feel You Poor clearly had his own troubles.

    ¡°Murphy, my lord, pleasee and take a look at my Stinky Treasure! Why did it suddenly grow so big? It¡¯s like it was inted, I only left it alone for half an hour, and it turned into this!¡±

    The panicked Feel You Poor dragged his meowing and unhappy-sounding manticore cub over to Murphy. He had already changed his profession to Summoner, but his skill level was still low, and his cub nicknamed ¡°Stinky Treasure¡± was still in its infancy, unable toplete the contract marking with him.

    But after a night of battle, the situation seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

    The originally head-sized manticore cub had now grown to the size of a golden retriever, forcing the formerly able to carry it Feel You Poor to now only lead it.

    However, the manticore cub was somewhat resistant to Murphy.

    It probably sensed the immense threat from the vampire before it, which was the instinct of beasts avoiding danger.

    ¡°What did you feed it?¡±

    Murphy was also startled by the rapid growth of the manticore.

    Although he was a Summoner, he was not an expert and currently only had a basic understanding of Astral Realm creatures based on the knowledge recorded in Tris¡¯s handbook.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feed it anything.¡±

    The rich guy averted his gaze as he responded.

    However, under Murphy¡¯s slightly stern gaze, he lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong and said softly, ¡°It seems to have taken a liking to the taste of hearts. I tried to stop it, but the Stinky Treasure almost wed me. It even guarded its food.¡±

    ¡°I told you before not to let it eat random things!¡±

    Murphy scolded, ¡°The habits of Astral Realm creatures differ from those of physical world beasts. Messing around like this can cause trouble! You need to train it ording to standard taming methods, otherwise, if its wildness awakens too early, it may abandon you at any moment.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    The rich guy was startled.

    He looked at the meowing manticore cub lying at his feet like arge cat, wanting to ask more questions, but at that moment, a voice of astonishment came from the side:

    ¡°How could there be a freshly hatched Astral Realm manticore here? And it has entered the growth period so prematurely? What did you guys feed it?¡±

    The old hunter Grandma Marianne, who hade with Natalie, looked at the manticore cub and said in a surprised tone, ¡°It¡¯s also an unmarked manticore. At this growth rate, it will fully mature in no more than seven days and will be summoned back to its realm in the Astral Realm. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning, but if that happens, you¡¯ll never be able to tame it again.¡±

    The rich guy didn¡¯t understand what this NPC was saying.

    But Murphy understood. He didn¡¯t get up, still sitting on the rock, looking at Grandma Marianne and asking, ¡°You seem very familiar with Astral Realm manticores?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with all Astral Realm creatures. I¡¯m an Astral Realm creature hunting expert.¡±

    Grandma Marianne also studied the excessively handsome but young vampire before her. She neither showed too much enthusiasm nor coldness, merely exining casually:

    ¡°Massive beasts like the Astral Realm manticore have learned to control their growth rates in the Astral Realm¡¯s barren environment to help them survive better.

    Once an Astral Realm manticore senses abundant food around it, it will rapidly grow and enter maturity in an extremely short time. After that, it will continuously hone its hunting skills until its strength has grown to the limit, at which point it willplete a challenge against a powerful foe, simr to the ck Iron Trial.

    If an Astral Realm manticore can survive such a challenge, it will be a true Astral Realm predator and gradually progress towards the ¡®legendary creature¡¯ realm.

    They are born massive beasts, their talents and strength far exceeding those of real-world creatures.

    Even for me, Astral Realm manticores are highly formidable opponents.

    If your Summoner warrior wishes to sign a summoning contract with it, he has only seven days left. Failure means he will bid farewell to this overly well-nourished manticore forever.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the information. It is of great significance to my warrior.¡±

    Murphy turned his head and ryed Grandma Marianne¡¯s information to the rich guy Feel You Poor, putting a different spin on it. Upon hearing this bad news, Feel You Poor¡¯s face immediately turned pale.

    ¡°You mustplete the ck Iron Trial within seven days, my warrior. The manticore will not acknowledge the weak.¡±

    The vampire reminded him, ¡°Once you are prepared, I will assist you in taming it.¡±

    ¡°Seven days?¡±

    Feel You Poor nced at his character¡¯s current level 5 and array of Novice-level skills, feeling the pressure. After bidding farewell to Murphy, the rich guy immediately contacted Meow King, who was still pursuing the routed soldiers.

    ¡°I¡¯m ordering the rapid leveling package!¡±

    Feel You Poor stroked the well-fed and rtively obedient manticore cub, saying to Meow King in the private chat, ¡°Seven days! No, six days! Within six days, I must pass the ck Iron Trial. Hurry over, and let¡¯s discuss the details. Money is not an issue!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    This time, Meow King agreed very readily.

    Since he already had the ¡°Trial Secret Method,¡± he immediately replied to the rich guy, ¡°Then, allow me to take a little of your time, little rich guy. Let me introduce you to the natural Holy Father and Savior.¡±

    ¡°Ah???¡±

    The rich guy froze on the spot.

    What kind of tone was this guy using?

    He seriously doubted if he had messaged the wrong person or if Meow King had gotten too deep into character and gone insane?

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that over 200 people couldn¡¯t be rescued.¡±

    Murphy looked at the lingering aura of battle surrounding Natalie and the formidable characters behind her. The recently spoken Grandma Marianne was a White Silver-ranked hunter, and the others were also White Silver-ranked.

    This was about thest reserves of the White Oak Battalion.

    Truly miserable.

    Even though Murphy didn¡¯t know much about the old Avalon Church, he knew that the White Oak Battalion had once been one of the three Guardian Battalions of Avalon Church, boasting over 10,000 members at its peak! Now, only a tenth remained, and they were all the old, weak, and disabled. Their elite had been nearly entirely consumed in the Ten-Year War, proving that the Portia Federation was no easy target.

    Due to the need to defend against the ck Disaster, the people here were all hardy and fierce. Even an army like that of the Goldflower Kingdom, which had undergone military reforms, had only upied half the territory after ten years of fighting.

    It was said that even now, when the war had essentially ended, there were still some elite Seicob cavalrymen resisting the Pioneer Army in the mountains of northern Transia under the Count of Seicob¡¯smand.

    Even though their capital city of Seicob, the former capital of the Portia Federation, had been destroyed by war two years ago.

    One could say that every inch of thisnd was stained with the fresh blood of Witch Hunters, and from the current look of things, their karmic bond with thisnd was far from over.

    ¡°There is no need, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Natalie said softly, ¡°You are willing to help us, and that is enough. I know that tonight¡¯s battle almost mobilized all your forces. I have felt your sincerity. I just want to ask if the condition you previously offered still stands?¡±

    She took out the lord¡¯s decree that Murphy had personally written for her when they partedst time from her spirit bag.

    Although it was said as a joke back then, the excellent preservation of the decree showed that Natalie had already made ns and left herself and herpanions a seemingly outrageous way out even at that time.

    This girl¡¯s growth after her father¡¯s death was truly admirable.

    ¡°Of course, I always keep my word.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, promising, ¡°From the moment you set foot in Transia, you became subjects of thisnd. No one can deny your right and obligation to live here. However, I believe I should, in my capacity as lord, exin a few points you need to watch out for going forward.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please speak. We are all ears.¡±

    Natalie nodded, and then she heard Murphy say, ¡°First, discard your attitude of being irreconcble with demonic beings! Thisnd wees all those without a home, as long as they abide by thews. No one can trouble them on the grounds of race or habits.

    From tonight onwards, you are no longer witch hunters but ordinary people of Transia. You can keep your faith, but you cannot force others to submit to your ways!¡±

    ¡°Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Natalie agreed without consulting the others.

    Among the other old captains, except for the elderly Eugene who had some minor objections, the rest also felt this condition was not an issue.

    ¡°Secondly, my territory has a ¡®Faith Administrator¡¯ named Sister Jules Belinda. We call her Grandma Jules. She is also a follower of the old nature religion and will be in charge of managing all faith-rted matters in my territory. I have already allocated a church district for her in the inner city.

    You can rebuild the Avalon Cathedral there.

    You can even apply for funding from the Crimson Regent, but I must inform you in advance that the inner city is currently in ruins and upied by Astral Realm shadows and beasts frequently crossing over from their realm.

    Additionally, if you wish to establish your cathedral in my territory, you must make corresponding contributions to this territory!¡±

    Murphy stroked his chin.

    He looked at the group of Witch Hunters before him, and after a few seconds, he said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t use the name ¡®White Oak Battalion¡¯ anymore. Since you¡¯re starting a new life, you need to cut ties with the past. Of course, I don¡¯t care how you refer to yourselves internally, but at least when dealing with outsiders, you need to use a new name to represent your force and organization.

    Let¡¯s call it the ¡®Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯.

    Harmless to humans and beasts, and clearly indicating the mission you¡¯ll undertake next.

    I need you to utilize your remaining vigor. Even if you no longer fight, please use your superiorbat skills to train my warriors and all the young people in my territory who aspire to adventure.

    You¡¯ll be the best instructors, especially in the realm of natural spirit abilities.

    The first guild master will be you, Lady Natalie. You can assign the other positions yourself, and I will also instruct my regent to grant you three ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ titles to facilitate management.

    If you can establish your own territory in the future, I wouldn¡¯t mind giving you the title of baroness or even countess.

    Do you ept this?¡±

    This time, Natalie turned and discussed it with the old captains behind her.

    No one had major objections to this request, as the lord seemed to have no intention of involving the Witch Hunters in the daily defense or military rebuilding of his territory.

    This alone relieved Grandma Marianne.

    She had truly had enough of war.

    ¡°We have no problem.¡±

    Natalie turned and replied to Murphy, ¡°But can we freely choose the location of the Avalon Cathedral and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡±

    ¡°Of course, that is your right.¡±

    Murphy nodded, then raised a third finger and said, ¡°The third request is that tonight I dispatched my warriors to rescue you, so their rewards must be paid by you. You must ensure that each of my warriors receives a Masterwork Veteran-level or higher weapon or armor from you.

    Weapons withmemorative significance are best.

    Additionally, I need you to provide me with 200 demon-hunting warhorses tamed by your secret methods, and send specialists to train my warriors in riding.

    They will pay a fee for this training.

    Finally, I need the uniforms of the White Oak Battalion¡¯s hunters, new ones will do, but used ones are better. 70 sets will be enough.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    This strange request made Natalie, the battalionmander, widen her eyes as she asked in return, ¡°Just that? You¡¯re not going to demand that we disarm?¡±

    ¡°If I disarm you, who will I turn to when the Crimson Citadel and your viges face trouble?¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes and said, ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild will undertake part of the reconnaissance duties for crises or potential crises, which requires you to have your own weapons. Besides, you should also know about the ck Disaster.

    When the ck Disaster arrives, I believe you¡¯ll have to take up arms and join the battle, whether you want to or not!¡±

    ¡°This is our duty, and it was once the duty of the Avalon Church. No need to say more on this.¡±

    Natalie nodded in acknowledgment.

    She waited on the spot for Murphy to state the next conditions and constraints, but after several seconds, no conditions came. Instead, Murphy impatiently dismissed them:

    ¡°Why are you still standing there? Don¡¯t you need to get to work,dies and gentlemen?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Old Eugene behind Natalie couldn¡¯t help but speak up, ¡°Are those the only so-called demands? Shouldn¡¯t there be more stringent conditions, and then we bargain with each other and ultimately negotiate terms that both sides can ept? Your generosity only makes us uneasy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean you want to bargain with me?¡±

    Murphy revealed a strange smile and said, ¡°But I have no other constraints to give you. I said that Transia is and of freedom. As long as you abide by thews here, pay taxes on time, and fulfill your obligations, how you live is your business, which I can¡¯t and don¡¯t want to control.¡±

    The group of Witch Hunter leaders looked at each other in bewilderment.

    They discussed in hushed tones before turning to leave. Natalie gave Murphy a deep bow at the end, saying in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Lord Murphy. I apologize for my previous rashness and rudeness.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I know you still resent me since the deaths of your four squad members are rted to me. I don¡¯t mind epting this grudge. Of course, if it¡¯s settled through a future 1v1, fair and square challenge, I¡¯d be more satisfied.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand again, not wanting to say more.

    After Natalie left, the shadows beside him shifted, and Lady Tris stepped out. The fire in her heart had also subsided.

    After all, little Murphy had behaved well tonight and hadn¡¯t exchanged nces with that vixen Shani.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Tris called out, toying with her Nocturne staff to open a portal to the Blood Vulture Halls. She said, ¡°Though blood is good, it seems no longer suitable for me. I suddenly want a midnight snack. Murphy, make me one with an egg pancake and some side dishes.¡±

    ¡°Of course, mydy.¡±

    Murphy rose with a smile, taking Tris¡¯s slender waist as he stepped forward.

    This overly intimate gesture made Tris re at him, but she ultimately didn¡¯t push his hand away. As they entered the portal, Murphy softly said to Tris, ¡°You were jealous just now, weren¡¯t you? About me and Shani?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s jealous? You can go with whoever you want. The further from me, the happier I¡¯ll be¡­ Hey! Someone¡¯s watching! Don¡¯t! Ugh¡­ the bloody taste in your mouth is so foul! Go brush your teeth!¡±

 Chapter 175:

    ¡°Lieutenant, it has been confirmed that the skirmish in the engagement area has ceased! The Transians withdrew from the eastern Prussia border before dawn and cleared the battlefield. They burned the corpses very cleanly, saving us the trouble of having the stray dogs from Circle Tower collect the bodies.¡±

    The following morning, Lieutenant Frayzer, the intelligence officer at the Pioneer Fortress, quickly received a report from the reconnaissance scouts he had dispatched, informing him through the Computation Bead that the battle from the previous night had concluded.

    From the oue, the White Oak Battalion had narrowly escaped disaster.

    The lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, before he could contemte how to write the action report for this operation, another scout brought him news that made him lose his appetite for breakfast.

    ¡°Lieutenant, sir, the fog of war spread by the Circle Tower Spirit Mages haspletely dissipated, but we¡¯ve discovered that the Transians have left some ¡®things¡¯ at the border!¡±

    The scout¡¯s tone was rather peculiar, as if he had been somewhat frightened, which surprised Lieutenant Frayzer.

    The scouts of the Pioneer Army were among the finest warriors, rarely disying such emotional turmoil.

    ¡°Open the Computation Bead¡¯s projection, let me see what it is with my own eyes.¡±The lieutenant sent a message, and momentster, a blurry long-distance spirit projection was activated. After the scout adjusted the angle, a sight that made the lieutenant¡¯s hair stand on end appeared before his eyes.

    Human heads!

    Precisely 600 heads were stacked together, forming a bizarre ¡°tower,¡± with a broken stone b nearby, inscribed with a line of Transian text written in fresh blood:

    ¡°This magnificent death is offered to the Night Mother! The Crimson Hand always repays blood with blood!¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer took a deep breath.

    He realized this was the message from the Count of Kadman to Circle Tower, but it felt more like a direct, concise, and blunt ¡°deration of war.¡±

    Circle Tower had nearly wiped out Kadman City and nearly caused the extinction of the Blood Vulture n. In retaliation, the vampires had cleared the Circle Tower¡¯s hunting squads in a single night, leaving behind this ¡°fallen artwork¡± that exceeded the bounds of warfare.

    This was not the end.

    This was the beginning of a new cycle of hatred.

    ¡°Ah, Transia indeed produces barbarians and vampires! Themon trait between these two is that neither will submit to violence, and neither is a good thing!¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer rubbed his brow, his head aching.

    He knew that once thisbat report was submitted, it would undoubtedly cause a significant uproar. Considering that this incident might be viewed as a provocation from Transia against the Goldflower Kingdom, the lieutenant decided to have a private discussion with his former ssmate, who had recently been promoted to Crimson Regent, before writing the report.

    As the eyes and ears of the king, he needed to ascertain the true intentions of the opposing lord, as well as confirm the future development of the White Oak Battalion in Transia for General Loren.

    The general was a man who valued loyalty and honor.

    If he could receive news of the safety and well-being of his old friend¡¯s offspring and followers, the general¡¯s feelings of guilt over his ¡°dereliction of duty¡± would likely dissipate.

    With this in mind, the lieutenant opened the spiritmunication amplifier before him and sent a message to Lady Miriam.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hooray! I got the ¡®Iron Warden¡¯ manufacturing blueprint!¡±

    In the Blood Vulture Halls of Crimson Citadel, Little Sword Saint eximed joyfully, clutching the firearm blueprint in her hands.

    This was the ¡°special reward¡± for her quest.

    In addition to this blueprintmissioned by Lieutenant Frayzer and delivered through Captain Natalie, Little Sword Saint also received a profession-rted note from the old hunter, Grandma Marianne.

    ¡°The formidable and dashing Gunner Grandma told me that only Dwarven and Halfling gunsmiths can craft suchplex firearms!¡±

    Little Sword Saint treasured the manufacturing blueprint in her hands, turning to her elegantly tea-sipping friend, Fatal Orchid Huahua, and saying, ¡°Should we try to find any Dwarves or Halflings around here?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Huahua replied, savoring the unique vor of the vampire¡¯s red tea with the poise and grace befitting a world traveler. ¡°I asked the NPCs, and there hasn¡¯t been any trace of Dwarves or Halflings in the Transia region for a hundred years. This ce is an utter otherworld. I think instead of searching for them at this point, it would be better for you to switch to the engineering profession and make it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Make it myself?¡± Little Sword Saint scratched her head, grimacing. ¡°But this gun requires Grandmaster-level engineering to craft. When will I reach that level? Besides, we don¡¯t have any engineering instructors here.¡±

    ¡°There weren¡¯t any before, but now there is,¡± Lumina hummed as she polished her beloved instrument, then added, ¡°The Grandma Marianne you just spoke with is a gunsmith. I heard from Niuniu that he saw Grandma Marianne handcraft gun barrels at the Pioneer Fortress.

    However, you might need a certain level of personal reputation to learn engineering from her. And your blueprint only states that Grandmaster-level engineering can produce a Masterwork Commander-grade Iron Warden. It doesn¡¯t mean that you, as an apprentice, can¡¯t make one.

    At most, the Quality will decrease.

    At most, it will be a nk equipment without additional attributes, but even a nk high-level weapon like that would undoubtedly be far superior to any recruit-grade musket you could find now, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have money?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate, lying on the table humming and pretending to be ¡°injured¡± with a bandage on her face, rolled her eyes and said:

    ¡°Just have Grandma Marianne do the manufacturing work! That old hunter could tell the details of this firearm at a nce, which means she should be able to make it too. It¡¯s just a matter of how much money.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Then I¡¯ll go ask her. You all wait for me.¡±

    Little Sword Saint hopped off the chair, grabbed the manufacturing blueprint, and flickered away with shadow steps out of the Blood Vulture Halls.

    ¡°Say, aren¡¯t you two nning to undergo the ck Iron Trial?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate gazed at her newly refreshed Character Attributes and three new closebat talents. She sipped the red tea she had purchased with silver coins from a vampire server and said to her two best friends:

    ¡°There are more and more trial methods being developed now. You two better hurry up. I have a feeling the situation in Transia won¡¯t remain calm for long.¡±

    ¡°Soon, I¡¯ve already contacted Leading Pigeon,¡± Fatal Orchid Huahua elegantly set down her teacup and yed with her hair. ¡°He¡¯ll make a batch of special Combustion Oil for me. I¡¯llplete the trial in the sewers tonight. What about you, Lumina?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow little Ashina¡¯s lead,¡± Lumina packed away the instrument she had just polished and made a gesture of aiming a rifle, patting the precisely calibrated demon-hunting rifle beside her.

    Although the style was old, the Quality was extremely high. A standard Commander-grade hunting rifle was likely one of a kind in the current game.

    This was a weapon she had just obtained by spending two ¡°keys¡± from a Witch Hunter¡¯s ¡°War Chest.¡± It was a special weapon with a yellow descriptor, and ording to the description, it was supposedly the relic of a Grandmaster Witch Hunter who had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield.

    She confidently stated, ¡°I don¡¯t like sewers and ghouls, they¡¯re too disgusting. I n to search the surrounding area for elite creatures, Astral Realm beasts, or gnoll chieftains.¡±

    ¡°And you, Pomegranate? Now that you¡¯ve undergone the trial, what are your ns? Turning into a vampire?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Sister Pomegranate poked her cheek and said, ¡°I¡¯ve consulted Lady Adele. She can teach me the Blood Vulture n¡¯s assassination martial arts, but she suggested I learn the more superior midnight assassination techniques of the Thorn n. That assassination style includes advanced de techniques, which suit me perfectly.

    The Count of White Mountain, representing the Thorn n, will also stay in Crimson Citadel. Once I turn into a vampire, I can start gaining reputation with the Thorn n.

    Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be a vampire? Murphy values you highly.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Lumina snorted and rested her chin on her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for the elf race to be unlocked. It¡¯s bound to happen eventually! I¡¯m certain of it! What about you, Huahua? Enjoy being a vampire?¡±

    ¡°No, I think being human is quite nice,¡± Huahua smiled and patted her shield. ¡°Based on my guess, the human racial traits might be enhanced in future versions. Hmm, most likely enhanced! I consider myself a traveler, and if I only seek strength without experiencing morendscapes, that wouldn¡¯t align with my life¡¯s attitude.¡±

    ¡°Ah ah ah ah! The chest turned ck again! Damn! I knew this blind box wouldn¡¯t have anything good! Don¡¯t stop me, I¡¯m going to demand an exnation from those Witch Hunters! Everyone opened the same treasure chest! Other people got equipment they could use, but why did an Oak Apprentice like me get a physical shield?

    Are you kidding me?¡±

    Meow King¡¯s ghostly wailing echoed from the upper halls, causing the three girls to exchange nces before bursting intoughter.

    Meow King¡¯s bad luck had struck again, it seemed. This was probably beyond remedy.

    However, a few minutester, little Ashina came running back, her twin tails swinging merrily as she said to her three sisters:

    ¡°Done! Grandma Marianne charged me 200 gold coins as a processing fee, but I have to provide the materials myself. She promised to finish the manufacturing within half a month and guaranteed the Quality would be above Veteran Masterwork! I¡¯ve already posted a material collection thread on the forum.

    Oh, and I brought you a gift to help you with the ck Iron Trial, my dear Huahua.¡±

    With those words, little Ashina pulled out an exquisite wooden shield made of sacred oak with beautiful inscriptions engraved on it from her spirit bag and mmed it onto the table. Huahua immediately spat out the red tea she was drinking, all grace forgotten.

    Wiping her mouth, she said in bewilderment, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this shield is the one you bought from Meow King?¡±

    ¡°Eh? How did you know? Uncle Meow gave me a 50% discount, he¡¯s such a nice person. I don¡¯t understand why everyone says he¡¯s cunning.¡±

    ¡°How much money have you spent buying gold coins from other yers in this game? Don¡¯t your parents monitor you? You and Feel You Poor, you two troublemakers have driven the gold coin price up to 1:20!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s my own allowance, they don¡¯t care. I¡¯m their little darling. It¡¯s not just about equipment, if I wanted, buying the entire Crimson Citadel as a birthday gift for me wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Never mind that. Let me tell you some good news: After my persistent persuasion, Lady Aqua has finally submitted an application. She¡¯ll probably join us soon.

    Hooray!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°This is the church district assigned to us by the lord. Although it¡¯s dpidated and we need to clear it and build the sanctuary ourselves, it¡¯s a good start. My fellow believers, I firmly believe that our God has brought us enlightenment through Murphy¡¯s name.¡±

    At this moment, in the deste inner city district above the Blood Vulture Halls, the kind-eyed Sister Jules was leading two veteran hunters who had arrived first in Crimson Citadel, guiding them to the future site of the Avalon Sanctuary.

    This area was once the vampire residential district of the inner city. However, those magnificent yet eerie buildings had been razed to the ground during the Astral Realm invasion, leaving only ominous ruins and rubble, concealing sinister Astral Realm shadows.

    Of course, to Grandma Marianne, who had dealt with such things her entire life, the Astral Realm shadows were insignificant, she knew at least twenty-seven ways to swiftly dispel them.

    What truly concerned Grandma Marianne was the rift in the sky above, like a gash in the heavens leading to the Astral Realm.

    Although invisible to the naked eye, Grandma Marianne could still sense the continuous flow of Astral Realm essence passing through that wound and entering the material world.

    ¡°The environment here will be permanently altered, even affecting the life forms residing here, but such changes in life forms are long-term. If we can build the Avalon Sanctuary, the sce from nature¡¯s spirit will restore some vitality to thisnd.¡±

    Grandma Marianne smiled and offered an exnation to Sister Jules.

    The two women¡¯s identities were worlds apart. When the Avalon Church still existed, Grandma Marianne could be considered a high-ranking priestess, while Sister Jules was merely an ordinary traveling missionary at that time.

    But in the present era, Marianne and Jules were among the few remaining human followers of Avalon, their identities no longer differing.

    As for the more devout Old Eugene, he was far more excited than the two grandmothers.

    Standing there, gazing at the vast area before him, he seemed to envision a magnificent natural sanctuary rising from the ground. It was as if he had returned to the parish on mo Ind, strolling along the shaded paths lined with natural deities, allowing his soul to find tranquility in such beauty.

    He silently invoked the name of the deity, walking forward to inspect theyout, hoping to better n the ideal form for the first newly established natural sanctuary in ten years.

    Not only was he a devout believer and outstanding White Silver hunter, but he was also an architect specializing in theology and faith.

    However, just a few steps in, Old Eugene noticed a wooden carving ced on a table, apanied by carving knives, clearly in the process of sculpting an Avalon deity figurine.

    He turned to the inly dressed Sister Jules and asked softly, ¡°Is this your offering?¡±

    ¡°Yes, after Lord Murphy agreed to allow me to rebuild the sanctuary, I resumed making offerings to my God, as recorded in the scriptures. Avalon of Nature abhors grandeur and extravagance, wooden carvings made by believers¡¯ own hands bring Him joy.¡±

    Sister Jules spoke in a gentle tone.

    Old Eugene¡¯s expression turned solemn as he said, ¡°Then allow me to make an improper request! Preupied with war, my bloodstained hands have burdened my soul. In my brutality, I am unworthy of offering gifts to my God. It has been nearly ten years since Ist made an offering. Please permit me toplete your unfinished work.

    I hope this will signify the end of my years of warfare and mark my return to being a servant of God, offering my first natural prayer from a wanderer who has found his way home.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my fellow believer, you should cleanse yourselves of the dust of war here and allow your souls to return to our God¡¯s embrace,¡± Sister Jules gestured in invitation.

    Old Eugene took a deep breath, carefully washed his hands, and then picked up the carving knife.

    He was evidently skilled,pleting Sister Jules¡¯ unfinished carving in just a few minutes, revealing a lifelike wooden sculpture of Avalon of Nature bestowing blessings upon the believers.

    As he had said, Old Eugene sought to break free from the anguish of warpletely. He knelt on the ground, removing all his weapons and armor until he wore only a simple linen robe, praying to the sculpture using the most basic of apprentice prayers.

    It was clear that Old Eugene was not merely speaking empty words but truly intended to ¡°start anew¡± in offering his faith to his God.

    Secondster, to the astonished gaze of Sister Jules and Grandma Marianne, emerald green specks of light began circling the ordinary wooden carving.

    At first, it was just flickering fragments carried by the wind, but soon, a verdant spirit wind blew through the ruins, enveloping the three believers and allowing them to sense thefort and protection of being in a forest.

    ¡°My God¡­ my God has responded.¡±

    By now, Old Eugene¡¯s eyes were wide open, as if struck by lightning.

    This was the first time in ten years since the copse of the old church that he had felt the will of nature so clearly surrounding him, like the gentle caress and encouraging whispers of the deity.

    ¡°My God!¡±

    The sincere believer wept at this moment.

    This aged yet steadfast and resilient man prostrated himself amidst the ruins, kissing the wood-strewn ground. Under the purple glow of the Astral Realm rift, the old man cried out in joy and sorrow:

    ¡°My God!

    We, Your children who have wandered far from home, have trudged through the desert of hardship. We, Your disced kin, have crossed the vast sea of war. We, Your redeemed descendants, have traversed the peaks of time.

    My God!

    Your most loyal children have finally returned to Your side!¡±

    Amidst thesementations and fervent cries, all the inhabitants of the Crimson Citadel ruins looked up at that moment.

    They felt a cool breeze blowing at noon, and dark clouds rolled in, shielding them from the oppressive sunlight. Then, amid the pitter-patter of gentle raindrops, a soft rain fell, quickly forming a curtain, as if an invisible hand swept across thisnd of profound suffering.

    On September 17th, Year 1111, the second full month since Murphy¡¯s arrival in the otherworld, the first autumn rain fell upon Transia, and the protection of the God Avalon descended once more upon the human believers.

 Chapter 176:

    ¡°This quest was not issued by me.¡±

    In the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, relying on his powerful vampire senses, listened to the autumn rain falling on the ground from underground.

    The sound of rain and the clouds obscuring the sunlight made him feelfortable, but at this moment, the vampire lord¡¯s mind was not at peace.

    Because just now, while checking themunication between the core bead and the lower-level beads, he identally discovered a quest that was not issued by his own hand.

    It was precisely the ¡°Hidden Quest¡± rted to Meow King¡¯s profession, but it did note from Murphy or other NPCs holding Computation Beads.

    ¡°Avalon¡±

    Murphy caressed the core bead.

    At this moment, a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. The little yers thought this was a game, and all quests were generated by the system, but the truth was not so! The so-called ¡°quest system¡± was just a ¡°smoke screen¡± that Murphy developed for them using the peculiar properties of the Computation Bead.

    Theoretically, this was a privilege belonging only to Murphy¡¯s faction, because the ¡°encryption¡± of the administrator system made it impossible for other models of Computation Beads to crack this specialyer ofmunication structure. But now, Meow King had received a quest from ¡°outside the system.¡±Murphy didn¡¯t think someone was ying tricks, his first reaction was that the Avalon deity had really manifested, because this was not the first time Avalon of Nature had ¡°manifested¡± to Murphy!

    Previously, when hunting those maddened vampires trapped in sub-space filth with the old knight, he hadpleted a munication¡± with the Avalon deity using the handwritten divine scrolls of the old knight.

    Although that was also just the other party unterally scrutinizing him, along with those prophetic-sounding words uttered by the old knight before his death, as for using the Computation Bead to issue quests, it was not surprising. If even a 432-year-old vampire big sister could learn to use the Computation Bead, then for the mysterious Astral Realm Great Spirit, it would be something that could be mastered with just a nce.

    ¡°My god watches over you, my god blesses you, my god shall walk with you, the multitudes of spirits shall tread the celestial seas beside you, Alpha, continue forth.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s vampire memory was excellent.

    He repeated the old knight¡¯s final admonition in his heart.

    Now it seems that what the old knight said was not just delirious talk, Avalon really seemed to be paying attention to him, this vampire¡­ No? Nature god, have you suddenly developed some strange interest in shit?

    I¡¯m clearly an Eternal Sin Descendant!

    Murphy grumbled harshly.

    Then he thought of the unlucky vampire Mary he had rescued earlier in Bataxin city. She said she had heard a voice in her desperate situation telling her that Murphy woulde to save her. That time shouldn¡¯t have been Avalon¡¯s doing, right?

    The vampire had previously mentioned this to Tris, and Tris promised she would investigate, but now Murphy was uneasy and decided to inquire again with the ¡°professional¡± currently by his side.

    ¡°Pop¡±

    Murphy pushed open the door to Tris¡¯s office, only to see Tris sprawled on the desk, hugging a bottle of wine and snoring away.

    Well then.

    Tris was an orthodox vampire, and on a rainy day like today without sunlight, it was their favorite dormant time. Falling asleep peacefully to the sound of rain was not only a privilege of humans, vampires liked it just as much.

    Murphy shrugged, not disturbing Tris¡¯s hard-earned rest.

    He gently draped a cloak over Tris¡¯s shoulders and quietly retreated.

    The entire Blood Vulture Halls were very quiet at this moment.

    Probably all the vampires except him had already fallen asleep in this rare leisure, even including Adele and Maxim. They inherited Murphy¡¯s bloodline but only had a slight resistance to sunlight, which did not prevent drowsiness during the daytime.

    Murphy estimated that even Lady Shani and her Thorn followers should be asleep by now.

    He thought so.

    But after turning a corner with his hands behind his back, he saw Count of White Mountain Andrei sitting at a table in a corner, holding a cup of red tea and leafing through a book of poetry.

    Thetter looked as if he was ¡°staying upte,¡± using red tea tobat the temptation of sleep.

    But it was clear that he was struggling hard, yawning from time to time, which seriously undermined the sense of ¡°seriousness,¡± ¡°rationality,¡± and ¡°maturity¡± that had always existed and he strived to maintain.

    Actually, this kid is quite handsome too.

    But the path he¡¯s taking is not the same concept as the ¡°handsome¡± thates face to face with Lord Murphy.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±

    Murphy approached him and asked in a gentle tone:

    ¡°Are the coffins we prepared for you notfortable enough?¡±

    ¡°No, the walnut coffins are full of tranquil fragrance, more suitable for enjoying peaceful dreams in this Transia region than the coffins we make from cold wood.¡±

    Count Andrei politely raised his teacup to Murphy, saying:

    ¡°I just haven¡¯t adapted to life as a vampire yet, some habits of being human are still stubbornly resisting. You don¡¯t seem to have such troubles? You¡¯re clearly like me, a blood n rookie who¡¯s just been transformed for a year.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, there must be some tricks to these things.¡±

    Murphy sat down next to Count Andrei with a smile. Thetter very gracefully brewed a cup of royal red tea for him as well. Murphy fabricated to Andrei:

    ¡°When I was still human, working odd jobs in Kadman City to support myself, I heard some locals tell stories about ¡®Daywalkers.¡¯ I guess it was just a folk legend, but quite interesting nheless.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Daywalkers?¡±

    Count Andrei was a mncholy poet, he was also quite interested in these folk legends, so he asked:

    ¡°Does it refer to vampires who can move freely in sunlight? That sounds unlikely, our sinful blood determines that we can never be epted by the sun.¡±

    ¡°Yes! I know, however, sunlight will ept humans. That is not just a privilege, my kindred.¡±

    Murphy took a small sip from the teacup, ncing at the Count of White Mountain.

    He spoke in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°What if you are a unique individual with a vampire shell, but harboring a deeply hidden human soul? The sunlight will scorch your shell, but it will also soothe your soul. At first, I also viewed the baseless legend of the Daywalker as aughable story, but as you¡¯ve seen.

    Though I still cannot walk peacefully under the sunlight, I can now enjoy the embrace of the night while also moving freely during the day without being troubled by fatigue.

    In fact, when I¡¯m active during the day, my soul rejoices even more.

    They all say I¡¯m a vampire.

    But I know, I¡¯m not just a vampire, I¡¯m a unique individual between the two races, like an artistic twilight wandering between sunlight and darkness. I¡¯ve always felt lonely, but fortunately, today I seem to have met a ¡®kindred spirit¡¯.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain was stunned.

    He looked at Murphy¡¯s ck eyes tinged with blood-red light, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he tentatively asked:

    ¡°So, the key is actually in the soul?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s in the will! The soul is an ethereal thing, but consciousness truly exists and acts, and is Sovereign over the body. Therefore, the key is to always maintain your consciousness, belonging only to yourself!

    Even though you and I both know that we will eventually be the same dark and venomous stuff as other vampires under the midnight call, but at least in this process of sliding down, we must remember that we are always human, not born monsters.¡±

    Murphy expounded eloquently:

    ¡°Of course, there are other key points, such as suppressing the thirst for fresh blood. You see, I never drink unnecessary blood, only revealing the vicious nature of the blood n when facing enemies. I know the feeling of blood-drinking is as blissful as being in heaven for us, but things that are too good and addictive are often harmful to health.

    You can try it, Lord Count.

    If the human part within you stubbornly refuses to die, why must you strangle it with your own hands?

    I think bing a monster was probably never in any little boy¡¯s ideal.

    Finding a bnce between human and vampire is difficult, but if you can do it, then perhaps you can be a ¡®Daywalker¡¯ like me.

    I don¡¯t reveal these things to everyone, I just feel¡­

    To be frank, I think you can still be saved, while your elder Lady Shani and my elder Lady Tris, they clearly can¡¯t be saved anymore. They¡¯re content with being coy roses in the midnight, but have long forgotten their beauty as humans.¡±

    After saying this, Murphy rose politely, nodded gracefully to Count Andrei in farewell, then slowly disappeared into the shadows of the hallway with his hands behind his back.

    Count Andrei bit his lip.

    He felt that Murphy was bewitching him!

    He could sense that this vampire lord, the same age as him but much more cunning, was trying to interfere with his judgment using heterodox doctrines he had never heard of!

    Perhaps this was because he was going to stay in Transia as the eyes of the Thorn n to monitor Murphy.

    But he had to admit, the Count of Kadman¡¯s nonsense seemed to make some sense.

    ¡°The human part of me stubbornly refuses to die, it doesn¡¯t want to see me forever slide into the abyss of night, it wants to save me¡­ Yes! This is not some necessary phase in the transformation of life forms, nor is it the human weakness they speak of!

    I just¡­

    I myself just want to save myself! That¡¯s all!¡±

    Andrei felt his inspiration explode, and immediately took out paper and pen to write a poem.

    He decided to try Murphy¡¯s method.

    What if it really works?

    That very night, when Miaomiao Shark of the six dormitory brothers finallypleted the ck Iron Trial in the raging fire of the sewers, the number of little yers who had made appointments with Murphy to be vampires finally reached 12.

    So the Count of Kadman immediately summoned his warriors.

    He decided to personally bestow a unique embrace and spirit weaving ceremony on the first batch of new Blood Vulture members. Of course, for the sense of ceremony, Murphy mobilized all his vampire members and also invited a group of observers to the Descendant Hall.

    The vampires who had slept well during the day were all energetic after nightfall. Even without Murphy¡¯s invitation, Lady Shani still appeared here with her servants as observers.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t proper, Lady Tris.¡±

    Lady Shani watched those lively little yers preparing to be inhuman in the Descendant Hall. Maintaining her dignified demeanor, she used ventriloquism to say to Tris, who was putting on an air of majesty beside her:

    ¡°These little fellows are otherworldly spirits. I¡¯ve never heard of any family bestowing the blood of sin upon them.¡±

    ¡°You noticed?¡±

    Tris nced at Shani with a sideways look.

    The Thorn grand duchess covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, saying:

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t even notice this, then I¡¯d deserve to die from a poison in court intrigues. The spirit items on them were made by you, right? Quite useful. If I hadn¡¯t secretly observed their corpses after deathst night, I wouldn¡¯t have discovered this secret.¡±

    ¡°It seems my concealment items need another upgrade.¡±

    Tris snorted and said:

    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯ve seen through it, I won¡¯t pretend anymore. This is indeed a unique summoning technique I developed through research on the Astral Realm and sub-space knowledge. They are my trump card for reviving Blood Vulture¡¯s might, and my most trusted little Murphy is theirmander.

    You¡¯d better keep your mouth shut, Shani, if you don¡¯t want to see Blood Vulture and Thorn go to war again.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, the old auntie is threatening me, I¡¯m so scared.¡±

    Lady Shani gently touched her golden braid with a graceful gesture. That gentle face like a married woman maintained an impable smile, showing no trace of the bloodthirsty madwoman fromst night¡¯s battle.

    She responded to Tris:

    ¡°I will soon leave Transia and return to North Wind Castle. I have many matters to attend to and no time to spread idle gossip. However, before the ck Disaster arrives, I wille to Transia once more to inspect the developments here.

    How about this, Tris, shall we, as grand duchesses, make a pact?

    I¡¯ll help you keep the secret of the summoning technique, but in exchange, the Blood Vulture n under yourmand and the Thorn n under mine will form an alliance!

    I mean a ¡®true alliance¡¯! Not some childish joke where we appear cordial on the surface but are double-dealing underneath. We can even exchange our blood to ensure the fulfillment of this pact!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You mean a Sacred Blood Covenant?¡±

    Lady Tris looked at Shani in surprise and asked seriously:

    ¡°Such a sincere family covenant is rare in our history. In my memory, it seems to have only happened 800 years ago when three patriarchs conspired to assassinate an ancient one. So, who do you want to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Who else could it be?¡±

    Shani narrowed her eyes and said:

    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s the enemy! In that ancient era of the sacred blood dispute, Blood Dread, Blood Vulture, and Wolfsbane joined forces to destroy Thorn¡¯s legacy. Your atrocities led to the death of our origin patriarch, causing the loss of our sacred heirloom.

    Now Blood Dread and Blood Vulture have both suffered n extinction, Charlemagne and Salrokdar have also returned their souls to midnight, and Grand Duchess Oksana¡¯s spirit in heaven should be satisfied.

    However, one of the culprits, the Wolfsbane n, has not yet suffered cmity!

    Wolfsbane also contributed to the disaster in Kadman City. Old Edward and his wolf cubs are already ourmon enemies, so, your answer is¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me the truth! Otherwise, I can only refuse you.¡±

    Tris said sternly:

    ¡°As a grand duchess, you can¡¯t possibly wage war just because of historical factors. That¡¯s already an 800-year-old matter. I see that you, a madwoman who dares to personally harm your elder, don¡¯t seem like someone who would respect tradition.

    Speak up!

    Why target the Wolfsbane n?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s getting harder to deceive people these days. As expected of a well-informed old auntie.¡±

    Lady Shani smiled while once again stimting certain emotions hidden beneath Tris¡¯s coquettish expression. She tugged at her braid and revealed the real reason:

    ¡°I¡¯m currently the court intelligence officer for Her Majesty the Wolf Queen, and I¡¯ve confirmed that I have a troublesome opponent on the ¡®business level¡¯! Old Edward and his n have bowed to King Louis, they will act more rampantly under the shadow of the Goldflower Kingdom, this is inevitable!

    s, this line of work is getting harder.

    But we should be more professional. As a royal member of the Nordtov Kingdom, my monarch needs me to weaken the strength of potential enemies toy the foundation for future rivalries between the two countries in various fields.

    Is this reason enough?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Tris nodded in satisfaction and said:

    ¡°In principle, I can agree, but what do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that when the time is right.¡±

    Shani gently extended her hand to Tris.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess also removed her glove and sped hands with Shani. As their white, beautiful fingers closed together, a drop of blood seeped from each of their palms, mingled, and then returned to their respective bodies.

    The Sacred Blood Covenant was formed!

    Of course, this covenant had no binding force on Golden-rank blood ns, but both Tris and Shani could sense that an alliance would do them no harm.

    The increasingly arrogant Wolfsbane n indeed needed to be severely disciplined!

    This was the rule of the blood ns!

    Whenever a n became too powerful, other ns would always unite to suppress them. Hmm, this was a sacred tradition!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Niuniu?¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina, who had changed into her beloved Midnight Hunter ceremonial outfit and was preparing to attend the embrace ceremony, chewed on some malt candy and curiously asked Sister Pomegranate, who was also wearing the ceremonial outfit.

    Sister Pomegranate pursed her lips, pointed upward, and said:

    ¡°He¡¯s talking with the NPC he rescued. By the way, why do I feel like my stinky brother¡¯s rtionship with that NPC is quite unusual?

    Am I overthinking it?¡±

    Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Blood Vulture Halls.

    ¡°Are you really determined to be a vampire?¡±

    The weakened Lady Amber was still trying to dissuade her warrior Niuniu, but thetter had already changed into the Midnight Hunter ceremonial outfit, which represented Niuniu¡¯s decision.

    Not far behind Niuniu were his two minions, his dormitory mates Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil. These two athletes had alsopleted the elite challenge yesterday morning with the help of the new battle tactics developed by Brother Joy Stick.

    At the moment, they were whispering strange things to each other, with very, very ¡°base¡± expressions on their faces.

    Faced with Lady Amber¡¯s plea, Niuniu didn¡¯t feel anything strange. He spoke to the worried Amber in a friendly tone:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we discussed this topic before?

    Don¡¯t worry, bing a vampire doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll be a monster. It¡¯s just a choice of power! Only with power can one realize one¡¯s ambitions!

    Although I don¡¯t know what my ambitions are.

    But I¡¯ve already made arrangements with other friends, I can¡¯t back out at this point.¡±

    ¡°Just because of a promise? You¡¯re willing to risk walking into the night, enduring that dark temptation until one day you¡¯re corrupted and fall into a true evil being?¡±

    Amber said somewhat excitedly:

    ¡°You deserve a better life! Such an excellent young man like you-¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s make a promise too?¡±

    Seeing that time was running out, Niuniu said to Lady Amber:

    ¡°You¡¯re a Witch Hunter, a warrior who specializes in hunting evil spirits. Therefore, if one day I fall and be an evil spirit in your eyes, then you will kill me with your own hands, how about that?¡±

    Lady Amber fell silent.

    After several seconds, she reached out and sped hands with Niuniu. She threatened in a low voice:

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better keep yourself in check, my warrior. If one day I learn that you¡¯ve be a monster, my arrows won¡¯t show you any mercy!¡±

    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s settled then.¡±

    Niuniu also grinned.

    Then, under Amber¡¯s worried gaze, he turned and walked into the halls with his two friends. They were still talking about things like ¡°paper people¡± and ¡°wives¡± that Amber couldn¡¯t understand.

    But Niuniu and Lady Amber¡¯s rtionship was indeed just friends!

    Yes, at least for now.

 Chapter 177:

    The first batch of vampires among yers was about to be born, which was naturally a big event.

    Therefore, almost all the little yers who had nothing to do at this time were invited to participate in this ¡°First Embrace and Spirit Weaving Ceremony.¡±

    Many people were discussing the strengths and weaknesses of vampires and humans, but these were topics that only new yers would be interested in. Veteran yers had already debated this issue back and forth many times on the forum.

    It had basically be a ¡°recurring thread,¡± with someone bringing it up every few days, just like fishing. Once the topic was raised, a group of bored ¡°thrill-seekers¡± waiting for their helmets would immediately rush in for a war of words.

    For veteran yers, their presence here tonight was certainly the result of careful consideration, and there was no impulsive decision-making.

    As the host of the first Embrace ceremony, Murphy was already waiting in the Descendant Hall.

    The setup here was simr to when Maxim received his First Embrace, but the small blood pool used as decoration at the front had been reced by a golden chalice filled with crimson liquid.

    That was not blood!

    Or rather, it wasn¡¯t purely blood.Tris¡¯s research on the unique form of existence of yers had reached quite a profound level. At Murphy¡¯s request, she adjusted the ratio of the source blood potion used in the previous experiment, striving to make the yers¡¯ First Embrace more simr to the transformation of ¡°NPCs.¡±

    Although there was no blood in their bodies to change their life form, it did not prevent Tris from simting the entire process through alchemy.

    In fact, in the views of some ancient spirit mage schools, blood is the necessary carrier of spirit energy flowing within living organisms. Extending from this perspective, using spirit energy instead of blood for little yers can indeed be regarded as an exchange and bestowal of the blood of sin descendants.

    However, unfortunately, there was no Lady Adele wearing a revealing blood ceremonial robe as an assistant this time, which immediately made the simp crowd in the audience lose much interest in this ceremony.

    There was no high-quality and affordable official cosyer to watch.

    Let¡¯s disperse!

    ¡°Once upon a time, there was an opportunity for immortality before me, but I didn¡¯t cherish it! Now that I¡¯ve lost it, I regret it deeply. If I could have another chance, on that night in the woods, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been so excited to try the natural baptism.¡±

    Standing in the front row of the crowd, Meow King leaned on the Crimson Witch¡¯s staff, looking at the twelve well-dressed yers before him. With a sour and wistful expression, he said:

    ¡°I should have been one of them! In terms of seniority, apart from Leading Pigeon, who couldpare to me? I was picking up garbage in Lady Tris¡¯s basement when Kadman City still existed!

    What incredible seniority!

    At that time, Lord Murphy was still threatening us, saying that if we didn¡¯t behave, he would throw us to Lady Tris as blood bags. Tsk, if I had known Lady Tris looked like this, I would have smashed the wine bottle I found on Lord Murphy¡¯s head back then.

    I¡¯m telling you, with my background, I should at least be considered an old blood n banner, right?¡±

    ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± said Little Hands, Meow King¡¯s cousin, watching the excitement while patting his cousin¡¯s shoulder consolingly.

    ¡°You may not be a vampire, but now you¡¯re already apdog of the Avalon God, aren¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t that a big deal? The first Avalon God believer among yers. Tsk tsk, an old god-favored banner, who dares to look down on you?¡±

    ¡°Can you evenfort people? What do you mean bypdog? This is called sincerity and fervor, understand? The Avalon boss is watching us!¡±

    Meow King pped away the pretentious hand and scolded:

    ¡°You¡¯re now also a missionary wanderer under the Avalon boss. Can you be a bit more serious?¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡±

    Maxim, holding an hourss, called out sternly as thest crimson grain of sand fell. The whispers throughout the Descendant Hall immediately quieted down.

    The little yers all widened their eyes.

    They knew they were about to witness the first race transformation scene in this game. This would definitely be an impressive topic to talk aboutter. After all, given the quality of this game, if the development team opened up applications for yers and spent a little money on promotion, would you believe they could squeeze in 100,000 people in a minute?

    Even if they didn¡¯t want to spend money on promotion, it wasn¡¯t a problem!

    Look at Feel You Poor leading a manticore and Little Sword Saint Ashina who was preparing to drink the source blood potion in the crowd. These two wealthy yers were always ready to help the development team spend money on promotion.

    This was just a matter of Murphy saying the word.

    However, Murphy seemed a bit silent tonight.

    He was concentrating on ying his role as an NPC.

    Because this time, going through the process would basically set the tone for future yer Embraces. After discussing with Tris, he decided not to y too many tricks. Starting from tonight, yer Embraces would be conducted regrly every half month in the Descendant Hall.

    The overall tone would be solemn but concise. This way, yers wouldn¡¯t waste time, and NPCs wouldn¡¯t need to prepareplicated scenes in advance.

    The only requirement was that Lady Tris, as the patriarch of the Blood Vulture n, must be present at each Embrace.

    Because theoretically speaking, these yers whopleted the Embrace would all be members of her family, which meant that if they caused any trouble on the continent in the future, Tris would also have to take responsibility.

    However, the Crimson Witch wasn¡¯t afraid of this at all.

    Laughable, when she was at her peak back in the day, just going out to buy groceries or take a stroll could scare half a city to death. She wasn¡¯t intimidated by mere yer mischief.

    ¡°I ask you, warriors!¡± Tris stood on the second-floor viewing tform, holding the Nocturne scepter in a dignified pose. Her cold and solemn voice echoed throughout the entire Descendant Hall.

    Just as Murphy¡¯s previous lines, she asked:

    ¡°Are you willing to bid farewell to the sunlit world of light at this moment, and step into the eternal darkness under the tranquil shelter of the night?¡±

    ¡°We are willing, mydy!¡±

    ¡°Willing! Very willing!¡±

    ¡°I am willing to dedicate my strength to the revival of the Blood Vulture n!¡±

    ¡°Long live Grand Duchess Tris! Eternal health to Count Murphy! Rtively good health to the little loli! Rosy cheeks to Maxim!¡±

    ¡°Bah, do you have a death wish? How dare you say that? Drag him out and use him for target practice!¡±

    The 12 little yers each shouted their own oaths,pletely uncoordinated and rowdy.

    However, this was just a formality.

    They were all standing in front of the crimson chalice now. If they wanted to back out at this point, not only would Murphy disagree, but the observing little yers wouldn¡¯t allow it either.

    ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m recording, don¡¯t embarrass yourselves!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick, trying hard to put on an imposing appearance, shouted in a low voice in the temporary team channel:

    ¡°Answer with me again, more formally this time! I want to post this scene on the forum. You need to consider the immersion, you bastards! Come on, read the lines I just gave you!

    3, 2, 1!¡±

    ¡°Of course, we are willing! Grand Duchess.¡±

    The 12 little yers shouted loudly:

    ¡°From now on, we shall step into the night; from this moment on, we shall tread eternity!¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    This unified response finally allowed Tris to regain some face in front of the giggling Grand Duchess Shani.

    She didn¡¯t know where these little ones had heard this advice she once gave to Maxim, but she had to admit, it was very appropriate here.

    And it was quite impressive!

    ¡°Then, in the name of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, I dere that you twelve will be new members absorbed by the Blood Vulture n after experiencing hardships and disasters.

    I believe you will represent the future!

    I firmly believe that you will spread the name of the Blood Vulture across the continent!

    Now, let your respective elders drink the wine of immortality for you, let the blood of sin descendants flow within the warriors, let the blessing of midnight embrace and shelter you. In the name of sacred blood, you shall merge into this crimson sin.¡±

    Murphy and Maxim stepped forward.

    Among these 12 people, the six dormitory brothers, Precipitation Niuniu, and Onboard Joy Stick were all among the first batch of little yers. Murphy was to fulfill his previous agreement for that Special Quest.

    Among the remaining four, Sword Saint Ashina was special.

    She had already started the ¡°Murphy¡¯s Warrior¡± quest line, so she could also be counted as ¡°Murphy¡¯s descendant.¡±

    The remaining Sister Pomegranate, Khaki Tony Tai, and Path of Mud and Oil all had official ranks in the military organization now renamed ¡°Kadman People¡¯s Army,¡± so they would be regarded as Maxim¡¯s offspring.

    As for Lumina Yanghen, whom Lady Adele liked very much, she was an ¡°iron-blooded elf party¡± member and refused to turn into a vampire no matter what, which made Adele somewhat regretful.

    However, given this ¡°E-Sister¡± super poprity among yers, there should be no shortage of yers joining Adele¡¯s factionter. After all, from a gamey perspective, the saying ¡°looks arebat power¡± is not wrong at all.

    ¡°Come, drink this wine of immortality.¡±

    Murphy smiled and raised the golden cup before him, handing it to Leading Pigeon while saying in a low voice:

    ¡°When we first met, I couldn¡¯t imagine that one day in the future, I would ept you, a rude fellow who once tried to take off his pants in front of me, as my offspring, even if only nominally.

    If this gets out, it would ruin both our reputations. You would be ridiculed, and I would be mocked for having a disrespectful offspring, but I¡¯m willing to take this risk for you.¡±

    ¡°That was just an ident, Lord Murphy. Actually, you know, I¡¯m super serious and super reliable in person.¡±

    Leading Pigeon put on a straight face, trying hard to look solemn and divert his own super embarrassment.

    Damn!

    This ck history thing is too terrifying!

    He was about to drink the crimson liquid in the golden cup but was stopped by Murphy. Such a memorable moment naturally required everyone to drink together.

    ¡°I still remember my first meeting with Ah Yuen.¡±

    Murphy handed the second cup to Ah Yuen, saying softly:

    ¡°You once called yourself a ¡®poor student,¡¯ which made me can¡¯t help but guess your identity in your hometown. Perhaps down on your luck now, but I believe someone as excellent and sharp as you will surely make a career for yourself, whether here or there.

    I believe that a shining sincere heart can always create miracles continuously.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your recognition, Lord Murphy. I¡¯m so moved that I¡¯m about to cry, really, I¡¯m not kidding you.¡±

    Ah Yuen made a face, firmly grasping the golden cup in his hand.

    Murphy then handed the third and fourth cups to Spicy Gugu Chicken and Miaomiao Shark, saying softly:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much interaction with you two, but I¡¯ve never seen you retreat in the face of difficulties, nor bow to strong enemies. This confirms to me that you will create brilliant records in your own lives. My dear friends, march bravely forward.¡±

    ¡°Damn, our beloved Lord Murphy says he¡¯s not familiar with us, that really breaks my heart.¡±

    Spicy Gugu Chicken said to Miaomiao Shark:

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to show off more in front of him in the future.¡±

    ¡°Of course! Can¡¯t let the brown-noser Ah Yuen have all the glory.¡±

    Amidst the words of these two guys, Murphy handed the fifth cup to Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees, who was lowering his head, and said:

    ¡°I do have a deep impression of you, my warrior, especially that scene where you took a crossbow bolt to the head, clutched your crotch, and fell down. It still echoes in my mind incessantly. My eyes are moaning, telling me that I probably won¡¯t be able to forget that scene for a very, very long time.¡±

    ¡°Please stop talking! I knew it.¡±

    Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees was almost crying.

    He knew that his ¡°feat¡± when first entering the game would definitely be an enduring joke in this game.

    Just thinking about it made him feel like life was not worth living.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, it¡¯s my turn. I can¡¯t wait to hear Lord Murphy¡¯s impression of Cheche.¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, the most lively of the six, tried hard to puff out his chest and suck in his stomach, staring intently at Murphy. The noble main quest NPC ced the golden cup into his hand.

    Murphy said softly:

    ¡°I still cannot understand why ¡®tyrannosaurus¡¯ and ¡®car¡¯ arebined into your strange name, but this doesn¡¯t affect my deep impression of the optimistic part of your character.

    Fate always favors the optimists, and being able to maintain a smile in the face of hardship is also a precious virtue. My warrior Cheche, perhaps I should learn from you, perhaps everyone should learn from you.

    Face everything with a smile, confront strong enemies with optimism.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Is this still an NPC?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s everyment was heard by the little yers in the crowd below. Feel You Poor said to Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman beside him with widened eyes:

    ¡°Have the NPCs in this game always been this intelligent? I feel like this is like a real person¡­ No, he¡¯s much kinder than those idiots we meet in our lives. Is this the power of the most advanced AI on the market now?¡±

    ¡°You may not believe it, but I¡¯ve already made friends with quite a few NPCs in the camp. They bring me a basket of berries when they return from outings, and my two assistants even prepare dinner for me, although I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Grayman sighed and said in a low voice:

    ¡°If this continues, I feel my life in the game will be more fulfilling than reality. Damn, this game is really addictive!¡±

    Murphy, of course, heard this sigh.

    He wasughing arrogantly in his heart!

    That¡¯s right!

    This is exactly what he wanted to see!

    Only when little yers develop a true dependence and affection for Crimson Citadel can he feel at ease to entrust more power and obligations to them. To be precise, what he wants is not just fearless fourth cmity, nor is it just simple plundering and greedy looting.

    This is the second life!

    Not just his, but also that of his lovely and valiant little yers.

    This is what they deserve!

    ¡°Niuniu, the most valiant warrior among my champions!¡±

    Murphy handed the seventh golden cup to Niuniu, patted his broad shoulders, and said with a smile:

    ¡°I need not say much to you. Transia will be proud of you! I believe you will definitely be our outstanding symbol in some aspect in the future.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Niuniu nodded vigorously.

    Finally, Murphy walked up to Onboard Joy Stick.

    He stared at Joy Stick, and Joy Stick also looked at him. Joy Stick was very curious about what image he had in the NPC¡¯s mind. Until Murphy handed the eighth golden cup to Joy Stick, then this vampire lord used his expressive eyes to stare at him, as if to see through his heart. After two seconds of silence, Murphy said:

    ¡°You¡¯re different from the others.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Joy Stick¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Could it be that some of his ¡°true thoughts¡± about vampire racial characteristics had been sensed by Lord Murphy?

    No way!

    ¡°You don¡¯t have as strong a sense of belonging to Transia as the others. You¡¯re an absolute pragmatist. You just appreciate that this world has given you an opportunity to disy your talents and ambitions. Your heart is yearning for war.

    It¡¯s roaring like a suppressed beast!

    It seems there¡¯s not much room left for tenderness and emotion.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said to Joy Stick:

    ¡°But perhaps this is good too! A purer person can create greater achievements in a certain field. If this is merely a battlefield for you to shed blood, then go forth and y the enemy valiantly.

    I firmly believe that you will be the most excellent soldier andmander that can be born on thisnd!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Joy Stick wanted to exin.

    But seeing Murphy¡¯s gaze, he fell silent, finally nodded and said nothing more.

    Murphy walked to thest offspring.

    He took down the golden cup, bent down slightly, and handed it to the petite Sword Saint Ashina. In little Ashina¡¯s widened eyes, the gentle Lord Murphy suddenly reached out and tapped her nose bridge.

    In a voice that only the two of them could hear, he said:

    ¡°I still remember our agreement. As long as you¡¯re willing, this will always be your second home.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing!¡±

    Little Ashina pouted and said:

    ¡°But can you stop treating me like a child!¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Murphy shrugged, flicked his finger lightly, and a Nordtov royal exclusive fruit lollipop jumped out of the spirit bag into his hand, which he then presented to little Ashina as if offering a rose.

    She who imed not to be a child almost cheered out loud.

    On the other side, Maxim used his spirit energy to levitate three golden cups to his three offspring. He spoke in a deep voice from under his vulture mask, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯m not as eloquent as Lord Murphy, but I have a deep impression of you three. You are all rare warriors! Therefore, I stand here with respect and expectation, and am extremely honored to serve as your elder.

    I want to tell you that we are the guardians of thisnd, and also the hands and des that realize Lord Murphy and Lady Tris¡¯s ambitions and ideals.

    After drinking this cup of immortal wine, your lives will no longer belong to you alone!

    You will transform into something eternal, thus transcending mere material existence. But I believe you will not disappoint this power.¡±

    ¡°Now, drink the elixir of immortality!¡±

    Murphy and Maxim said simultaneously:

    ¡°Be my descendants! Drink fresh blood and live forever.¡±

    The twelve drank the liquid from the golden cups in unison. In the crowd, Dump Truck Iaido rubbed his brow andined to Half Off With Full Coverage and Bulldozer Man Charging beside him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Lord Murphy¡¯s words can be tranted as ¡®be my son¡¯? So, his nickname is ¡®Blood-Beard¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡±

    Bulldozer Man was recording the video and didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this remark. He punched his wildlyughing old buddy hard.

    He cursed:

    ¡°What a great scene, but after you said that, people can¡¯t hold it together anymore. Can you keep your degenerate weeb tendencies in check! This is really too much!¡±

 Chapter 178:

    The twelve little yers all drank the ¡°Elixir of Immortality¡± together.

    This was the name given by Tris, the vampire, to this source blood concoction, due to the artistic inclinations that she could not find a ce to put. One had to admit, it was quite fitting.

    Under the watchful gazes of the other yers holding their breath, the bodies of these twelve people were as if stabbed by a million needles, and in an instant, a massive ¡°blood mist¡± erupted from their bodies. The swirling winds of spiritual energy surrounded the little yers, making them appear enveloped by crimson specks of light.

    The blood looked very real, but it was merely a catalyst for the alchemical potion.

    The process was no different from when Cheche and Niuniu experienced their new racial transformation, except that the manifestation was more artistic.

    The spiritual energy thatposed the yers¡¯ bodies was scattered and barely maintained its form, while the blood of the Sin Descendants from the source blood fused into the projection of their spiritual energy, causing a substantial transformation in their life form in this world.

    At this moment, Murphy and Maxim, as the presiders of the initiation ceremony, also began casting spells.

    They raised their fingers, allowing their blood to seep out and slowly merge into the crimson storm before them. This was not giving their blood to the yers but rather imprinting them with the ¡°aura of elders,¡± so that other vampires could distinguish their allegiance.

    It was like a ¡°scent¡± only vampires could detect.This was necessary and essential.

    To get along well in vampire society, a good background was a must! In this regard, Murphy himself was an excellent negative example, as his dire plight caused by Tris was still vivid in everyone¡¯s memory.

    On the second-floor observation deck, Lady Adele carefully observed the entire ceremony.

    Although she was not participating this time, her master Murphy had informed her that she and Maxim would preside over the future Initiation Ceremonies.

    Following the principle of making the most of everyone¡¯s abilities, the vampire lord had already nned the future faction paths for his two offspring and the youngdy who was still away.

    Maxim¡¯s ¡°Monster Faction¡± would follow the closebat path, bing the destination for strength-based vampire yers such as warriors, defenders, and melee fighters.

    Adele¡¯s ¡°Shadow Faction¡± would recruit agility-based yers like assassins, wanderers, hunters, and gunners.

    When the talented spirit mage Femis returned, she would establish the ¡°Midnight Faction,¡± dedicated to recruiting intelligence-based vampire yers who used spiritual abilities.

    These three factions would be the main factions of the Blood Vulture n, which was being rebuilt under Tris¡¯s leadership.

    As for Murphy, his positioning was rather special.

    His ¡°hidden faction¡± would only ept the twelve warriors and one ¡°champion warrior¡± he had reserved spots for, as well as the first sixteen yers.

    Apart from that, Murphy would not recruit any other vampire yers.

    After all, he was a main storyline NPC, and a certain level of prestige was necessary.

    Anything that became toomonce would lose its meaning, only scarcity could continue to attract yers¡¯ attention.

    Tris¡¯s position as the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, an extremely special NPC, was simr.

    Apart from the ¡°lucky ones¡± who couldter unlock the exclusive quest line of ¡°Cavendina¡¯s Warriors,¡± Tris would not recruit ordinary vampire yers either.

    It¡¯s worth mentioning that Lumina Yanghen, who had been persistently refusing to be a vampire, was not only a favored warrior yer of Lady Adele but also had already entered the quest flow of the heavyweight title ¡°Cavendina¡¯s Warriors¡± even before her Initiation. This was because of her tireless efforts to increase her favor with Lady Tris and herpletion of special team quests.

    This fully demonstrated that Lumina, the elf yer, indeed had a connection with vampires. If she were willing to ept the Initiation, she could immediately be a direct offspring of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess.

    In terms of blood rtions, she could even be considered a ¡°rtive¡± of Lord Murphy.

    Although Murphy and Tris had already severed their blood contract, this was a secret known only to the two of them, perhaps a protection measure from Tris.

    In any case, under Murphy¡¯s watchful gaze, the spiritual energy weaving ceremony of the twelve yers proceeded in an orderly and swift manner.

    Enveloped in the storm of crimson light, the yers¡¯ forms and strength underwent perceptible changes. At this time, on the little yers¡¯ character interfaces, just like Murphy¡¯s test administrator system, text notes were rapidly refreshing:

    ¡¾Race Conversion Initiated.

    Spiritual Energy Projection Reshaping in progress.

    Sin Descendant Blood Infusion, Night¡¯s Blessing Bestowed, Eternal Sin Descendant Status Generated.

    1. Test Personnel Information Updated:

    Test Personnel ID: Onboard Joy Stick

    Race: Human ¡ú Vampire ¨C Blood Vulture n

    Rank: ck Iron Body

    Profession: 10th Level Assault Gunner / 10th Level Sword and Shield Warrior / None

    2. Test Personnel Character Attributes Updated:

    Strength: 9 ¡ú 12

    Agility: 8 ¡ú 11

    Endurance: 8 ¡ú 11

    Intelligence: 6 ¡ú 7

    Perception: 7 ¡ú 10

    Charisma: 4 ¡ú 1

    6 remaining free attribute points can be allocated!

    3. Human Racial Traits Removed!

    Vampire Racial Traits Added as Follows:

    Night¡¯s Blessing: In dark environments, closebat and spirit skills are enhanced through judgment rolls, agility is increased by 10%, intelligence is increased by 10%, and life, energy, and spirit recovery rates are elerated.

    Can perform swift Blood Wings flight at night.

    Day¡¯s Curse: When fighting in bright environments, damage dealt is reduced by 15%, life recovery rate is reduced by 25%, and you continuously suffer from ¡¾Sunlight Burn¡¿ which is treated as a negative effect. This effect can be negated by spells but cannot be dispelled.

    Vampire¡¯s Touch: Omitted.

    Bat Heritage: Omitted.

    Reclusive Blood n: Omitted.

    Eternal Sin Descendant: Omitted.

    4. New Title Obtained: ¡¾Child of Midnight¡¿

    5. Exclusive bloodline factions ¡°Wolfsbane n¡±, ¡°Blood Pact n¡±, and ¡°Thorn n¡± have been unlocked. Please visit the faction NPCs to view each n¡¯s unique items and obtainable skills.

    6. New Identity: Descendant of Murphy/Maxim has been granted, increasing the sess rate of benevolent interactions with vampire factions.

    7. Test Personnel havepleted the Vampire Initiation, unlocking the racial feature ¨C Blood Pact gamey!

    As a vampire, you can select a human/semi-human being (human, elf, halfling, dwarf, Sanghai, mermaid, etc.) that you favor and perform the Initiation on them to be your descendant.

    Note!

    The number of Blood Pacts a test personnel can form depends on their strength rank, varying as follows:

    ck Iron Rank Pact Slots: 1

    White Silver Rank Pact Slots: 2

    Golden Rank Pact Slots: 3

    Note!

    Before performing the Initiation, test personnel must ensure their personal rtionship with the intended offspring reaches ¡¾Intimate/Loyal¡¿, ensure the offspring fully understands and wholeheartedly epts the meaning of the Initiation, and report to Blood Vulture Grand Duchess Tris and Count of Kadman Murphy for permission. Only then can the offspring Initiation be conducted in the Descendant Hall.

    Any unauthorized or forced Initiation will be considered a severe misconduct. Once discovered, the test personnel¡¯s status will be immediately revoked, and legal responsibilities will be pursued in the real world.

    The ¡¶Reality Realm¡· development team reserves all rights to interpret this use!

    Note!

    For detailed information on the Blood Pact gamey, please refer to the supplementary notes under that entry.

    In vampire culture, the rtionship between elders and offspring is sacred and mutually binding. If a test personnel¡¯s chosen offspring dies unexpectedly, it will result in an irreversible loss to their gaming experience.

    Therefore, please exercise extreme caution when attempting this gamey!

    Note!

    This gamey feature is currently under development and unavable. It will be officially released in future game versions!¡¿

    After reading the notes and changes on his character interface, Joy Stick was overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of tion.

    His guess was right!

    The ¡¶Reality Realm¡· development team was indeed crazy and insane enough!

    In their pursuit of ultimate realism and hardcore gaming, they actually incorporated the ¡°Blood Pact¡± gamey into the vampire racial system! This finally put Stick¡¯s lingering concerns to rest, and he was filled with anticipation for his new race¡¯s future.

    Although this gamey was not yet avable, and its actual release date was likely far, far away, it didn¡¯t matter to Stick. He felt he could wait.

    Such an innovative gamey was essentially an enhanced version of a ¡°nurturing system,¡± so it was only reasonable for the development team to take more time and effort to test it thoroughly.

    The fact that they revealed this feature at this stage already showed their sincerity, though it didn¡¯t rule out the possibility that the development team was intentionally making pie in the sky. However, this damn pie looked so delicious that Stick was determined to eat it up!

    ¡°Ah! Why aren¡¯t our race¡¯s Night Blessing enhancements as strong as the official vampire racial talents released on the forums? The NPC¡¯s Midnight boosts are clearly 20% for all stats! Why do we only get 10%?

    This is so unfair!¡±

    As the twelve yerspleted the spiritual energy weaving ceremony and descended from the air, Ashinained rather discontentedly.

    Beside her, Sister Pomegranate rubbed her fists, feeling a newfound strength surging within. The darkness made her feel exceptionally refreshed, and the itching sensation on her shoulder des seemed to indicate the growth of new organs. This peculiar experience prompted her to move her shoulders, after which she drawled:

    ¡°Don¡¯t just look at the nerfs. Look at the buffs too. Although the enhancements are weaker, the penalties for daytime activities are also reduced! NPC vampires suffer a 30% damage reduction during the day, but ours is only 15%.

    It¡¯s alright.

    This way, we¡¯re notpletely useless during the day.¡±

    The little yers¡¯ints reached Murphy¡¯s ears, bringing a slight smile to his lips.

    His adorable little yers reallycked intelligence points. What was their status? How could they expect to have the same talents as the noble NPCs? Ha, he and Tris had spent a long time studying and formting these precise doses of nerfs and buffs.

    yers were, after all, different from the natives.

    Rendering them incapable of activity during the day was uneptable. No matter how much realism and hardcore gamey were pursued, the necessary conveniences had to be provided, and game bnce also had to be considered.

    Appropriate nerfs and buffs to their talents could improve their gaming experience, at the very least preventing them from being unable to defeat even a single gnoll in broad daylight, which would be too demoralizing for their enthusiasm.

    Most importantly, the yers¡¯ current forms were not true vampires, this was essentially a spiritual simtion, so changes to their talents were expected.

    At this point, all twelve yers hadpleted the ceremony, and their skin had be paler.

    But they were still ¡°darker¡± than normal vampires.

    Their canine teeth protruded from the corners of their mouths. Cheche was baring his fangs and making threatening gestures at Gugu Chicken beside him, pretending to bite, only to have Gugu Chicken beat him to it and bite his wrist, causing him to nearly scream in pain.

    Their bat wings had not yet grown, as the reduced dosage of the source blood concoction used this time allowed them to fully experience the sensation of growing wings over the next three days. It also gave them enough time to learn the basics of taking flight from the ¡°Flight Instructor¡± Mary, lest they grow wings but still be unable to fly like flightless chickens, which would be embarrassing.

    Ah yes, that unfortunate soul Mary, who had been rescued from Bataxin City, had been appointed a new duty. It was clear that under the rule of Lady Tris¡¯ Blood Vulture n, no one could remain idle, and her carefree days were likely over.

    ¡°Pay respects to the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, my brethren.¡±

    Murphy softly murmured into the ears of the yers, who were perceiving their new bodies and strength, prompting them to snap out of their trance. Under Maxim¡¯s lead, they immediately performed the standard Blood Vulture salute towards Lady Tris on the second floor.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess nodded in satisfaction.

    Although the newborn ¡°nsmen¡± differed from typical vampires in every way, this was a good start!

    If their numbers could indeed increase to over 500 within six months as Little Murphy had predicted, then the rapid revival of the Blood Vulture n would be a reality.

    But the surprises for the vampire yers did not end there.

    After Murphy announced the conclusion of the ceremony, Maxim and Lady Adele immediately presented the newly prepared skill scrolls, along with bloodstone rings representing the yers¡¯ new identities, as gifts to the new nsmen.

    Advanced racial professions like Tomb Guard, Midnight Hunter, Blood Inquisitor, and Blood Vulture Nightwalker were now within their reach, further exciting the ¡°Blood Vulture Twelve Warriors.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s awesome!¡±

    Brother Stick swaggered back to his brothers, strutting with a conceited gait as he was admiringly observed by the Tiger Leopard Rider brothers, as if he were a prized animal.

    These brothers did not intend to be vampires.

    They were more interested in the exclusive power system of the Avalon Church, which, althoughcking the night bonuses of vampires, had no ring weaknesses and offered a significantbat boost in their preferred terrain.

    As themander, Stick could indulge himself a little, but they had to consider maintaining their rge army¡¯s¡± strength during the day.

    After all, as excellent mercenaries, they couldn¡¯t only operate at night, right?

    ¡°Oh my god! We can really capture our own blood servants? Damn, I¡¯m tempted again!¡±

    Meow King soon learned about the vampire race¡¯s unique gamey andmented as if he had missed out on five million yuan.

    After all, as a mboyant man who enjoyed exploring foot massage parlors, he shared the same depraved fantasies as other men. The absolute control an elder had over their offspring alone offered countless possibilities for indulgence.

    Of course, usingmon sense, even if the game development team did provide such an 18+ gaming experience, they would undoubtedly impose certain restrictions to prevent yers from going too far and causing trouble.

    Even though Meow King was a yer himself, he had no expectations for yers¡¯ moral boundaries.

    ¡°It might just be pie in the sky,¡± he said sourly to the smug Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche beside him.

    ¡°The development team might not even n to implement this feature! I¡¯m a professional in this area, I know howplex the algorithms required to achieve something like this are. Tsk, this feature might not even be avable by the time the game goes into open beta.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, someone¡¯s getting sour grapes, but I won¡¯t say who,¡± Cheche snorted, baring his teeth and making faces. ¡°Just wait until I¡¯ve raised my blood servant, and I¡¯ll bring them for you to sample. I¡¯m sure I can find another E-Sister like Adele while traveling the world. Don¡¯t get too jealous then. Hehehe, it¡¯s better tock than to be promiscuous!¡±

    ¡°Why would I be jealous? Look, I¡¯ll go offline and find a real ¡®E-Sister¡¯ right away. Tsk, dare you? You¡¯re just a kid.¡±

    ¡°W-Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? I just can¡¯t be bothered. Hmph, don¡¯t you understand chastity?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, a college student without a girlfriend saying that sounds so tough.¡±

 Chapter 179:

    After the initiation ceremony, the twelve little yers couldn¡¯t wait to go outside and test their new powers.

    Although their ¡°monkey vampire¡± talent had been nerfed, these guys entered the ck Iron Rank and received 18 attribute points. Now, they were supplemented with the initial 40 attribute points for transcendent beings, making them even stronger than Standard Temte ck Iron Rank vampires.

    Bullying Standard Temte monsters was no longer a question.

    Especially Sister Pomegranate, who had martial arts skills. She excitedly demonstrated her extreme pulling and hand-tearing an elite ghoul in the sewers. After that, no one doubted her current strength anymore.

    However, Sister Pomegranate¡¯s job transition had a slight issue.

    After all, the Blood Vulture n wasn¡¯t renowned for producing quality assassins, the Thorn n excelled in that area.

    Although she gained the Blood Vulture nbat arts manual after bing a Blood Vulture Nightwalker, Lady Adele advised her that the Thorn n¡¯s Midnight Assassination techniques were the true masters in this field. Therefore, Sister Pomegranate had to quickly grind the Thorn n¡¯s reputation to obtain the Midnight Assassination technique manual from Count of White Mountain Andrei.

    After witnessing how Lady Shani massacred the Spirit Mages of Circle Tower, Sister Pomegranate became very interested in this ¡°assassin fist¡± skill. She also heard that this world had an ancient warrior monk heritage and nned to develop in that direction.

    The other little yers didn¡¯t encounter simr issues during their job transitions. The Blood Vulture n Midnight Hunter and Tomb Guard were renowned among the seven great ns, and the Blood Inquisitor was a mid-tier Spirit Mage profession.Seeing so many ¡°racial benefits¡± being handed out, some of the spectating yers couldn¡¯t help but have the idea of trying out the vampire race afterpleting the ck Iron Trial.

    ording to an unreliable rumor spread by some dorm mates, it was said that the vampire race conversion also came with a certain ¡°beautifying¡± effect.

    Ridiculous!

    But many people still believed it!

    They stubbornly believed that this must be a ¡°little easter egg¡± buried by the developers because in any vampire legend, rarely would an ugly one appear. Weren¡¯t the vampires in famous animated works all beautiful and handsome?

    After dismissing the noisy little yers, Murphy first bid farewell to Lady Shani along with Tris. The former was returning to North Wind Citadel to report the situation in Transia to the Wolf Queen in person. Count of White Mountain Andrei and a few of his attendants were left behind.

    After Shani¡¯s departure, Murphy privatelymunicated with Andrei, allowing him to open the purchase of ¡°Thorn n specialty items,¡± including the basic manuals for Midnight Assassination, Thorn Fist des, North Wind Whips, and Frost Swords.

    Andrei didn¡¯t object, but he stated that new members of the Blood Vulture n must contribute to the Thorn n to obtain these items.

    Murphy was satisfied and had Maxim teach Andrei and his servants how to correctly use the Computation Bead andmunicate with little yers, as well as assign them quests.

    Afterward, he went on his usual patrol around his territory.

    However, after flying for just a few minutes, he sensed a familiar presence approaching the outskirts of the Crimson Citadel.

    ¡°Clop clop clop¡±

    In the night, the clear sound of galloping hooves approached rapidly. The battalionmander Natalie crouched low on her warhorse, while an agile gray hunting falcon flew overhead, seeming disheveled.

    This was because the lingering Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor had set his sights on it and was about to y another round of ¡°you run, I chase¡± with Swift Shadow.

    Swift Shadow was a hunting falcon raised by Natalie from a young age using Witch Hunter secret arts. It was extremely agile, intelligent, and fierce enough to independently deal with eagles three times its size, making it an exceptional aerial hunter.

    However, against Revnor, this unscrupulous spirit vulture, it was at a disadvantage, screeching and pleading for its master¡¯s help.

    But Natalie ignored it.

    She knew that Lord Murphy¡¯s spirit vulture was just misbehaving and wouldn¡¯t actually harm Swift Shadow. It had a beastly cunning that could distinguish between enemies and friends.

    This was obviously inherited from its equally cunning master.

    ¡°Ah, the passionate pursuer has once againe to the ce where she once fought. As the master of this ce, perhaps I should wee your arrival?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice rang out from ahead.

    The young battalionmander, who had ridden through the Anderma Hills and Kadman region to reach the Crimson Citadel in just two days, pulled on the reins, stopping her demonic warhorse Maple Leaf in its tracks and lifting its front hooves.

    The gray-haired Huntress looked up and saw the vampire lord lightly standing on a slender branch ahead. The branch was so thin that it couldn¡¯t even support a slightlyrger bird, but Murphy stood on it without moving.

    This fully showcased Murphy¡¯s absurdly high level of agility.

    ¡°I bring bad news.¡±

    Natalie shook her cropped hair and said to Murphy:

    ¡°The gnoll bandits near the Anderma Hills are uniting! Perhaps influenced by the ck Disaster, they are merging from small bandit groups intorger gangs. My people discovered their movements while passing through there and helped you wipe out a forming gnoll gang.

    But you should perhaps be more vignt.¡±

    ¡°Well, you all have already contributed to thisnd. See, it¡¯s not that difficult, is it?¡±

    Murphy smiled and said:

    ¡°I will dispatch my warriors to investigate. The elimination of all gnoll bandits within the borders of Transia will also be put on the agenda soon. However, before that, I need the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to send scouts to map out the ¡®monsterirs¡¯ for my warriors, to facilitate their uingrge-scale operations.¡±

    The term ¡°Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡± was a bit unfamiliar to Natalie.

    But she knew this was the new name for the White Oak Battalion, just as starting a new life often required a new name, representing a decisive break from one¡¯s past.

    ¡°Yeah, I got it. I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡±

    The battalionmander replied in a stern tone.

    Her early departure from the White Oak Battalion¡¯s injured troops to travel alone across Transia to the Crimson Citadel wasn¡¯t just to deliver a message. Through the information sent back by old Eugene¡¯s hunting eagle ¡°Thunderstorm,¡± she learned about the miracle bestowed by the Avalon God upon the Crimson Citadel.

    She braved the rain to confirm this message.

    This was of paramount importance to the currently battered remnants of the White Oak Battalion.

    Murphy knew this, but he didn¡¯t point it out. After settling the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s mission with Natalie, he prepared to leave.

    ¡°Wait, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Natalie called out to him, taking something out of her spirit bag and tossing it to Murphy, saying:

    ¡°New immigrants entering a new territory must always present gifts to the local lord. Although we are Demonhunters who walk the path of hunting, we know this custom. Consider these mind microphone attachments our gift, thanking you and your territory for epting us.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Murphy was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the mind microphoneponents in his hand.

    This thing had no resemnce to the ¡°microphone¡± in his understanding. It looked like a small pendant, but had an interface to connect with a Computation Bead at the top.

    This was a creation of steam engineering. Murphy quickly gave up trying to understand its working principles and directly employed a more convenient method.

    Item Appraisal!

    Open!

    In the next instant, the information tag of this little thing jumped into his view:

    Name: Mind Microphone ¨C Computation Bead Universal essory

    Effect: Connect to the main Computation Bead body, upgrade trantion function, achieve ¡°simultaneous interpretation,¡± and convert the user¡¯snguage into othernguages ording to the specified trantion directory, or perform text-to-speech reading ording to the user¡¯s specification.

    This item can trante mostnguage families on the current continent.

    Crafter: Shaldor Port Seventh Micromechanical R&D Bureau, Workshop No. 3

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The new mind microphone not only has 17 different voice tones built-in for selection, but after the user spends time on voice simtion, it can also simte the user¡¯s unique voice tone to the maximum extent.

    A must-have for home travel, extortion and ckmail! With the uing Sacred Blood Festival, Shaldor Port Steam Lord Council¡¯s affiliated stores are offering discounts and promotions!

    Why not get one for yourself?¡¿

    Note!

    In addition to the mind microphone, Computation Bead universal essories includemunication enhancers, spirit scanning probes, remote automaton control devices, micro spirit shield generators, small-range mechanical pulse disruptors, multi-purpose spirit sights, and spiritser beams.

    Note!

    Standard Computation Beads can equip three universal plugins simultaneously, while core Computation Beads can equip six plugins.

    ¡°This thing is not bad. With it, my warriors canmunicate with others without barriers, finally not having to be miserable mutes.¡±

    Murphy nodded in satisfaction, casually connecting it to his core bead, and looked down at the straight-backed battalionmander Natalie on her warhorse. Oh, no, Natalie, the Guildmaster.

    He asked:

    ¡°How many of these attachments do you have?¡±

    ¡°2,000 mind microphones, 1,200 shield generators, 600 spiritser beams, 300 multi-purpose sights.¡±

    Natalie listed them meticulously:

    ¡°When we left the Pioneer Fortress, Lieutenant Frayzer orchestrated a ¡®Witch Hunter Riot,¡¯ and we ¡®looted¡¯ the Pioneer Army¡¯s Computation Bead essory warehouse. These plugins were originally configured by General Loren for the batch of Computation Beads you took away. Now that the beads are lost, leaving these behind would just take up space.

    I nned to surrender these resources to the Crimson Regent in exchange for money to establish our Avalon Church.¡±

    ¡°Why surrender them?¡±

    Murphy shook his head and reminded her:

    ¡°You are the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and you will inevitably have to deal with my warriors in the future. From fighting alongside them before, you should know their personalities and habits. If you don¡¯t offer them good stuff, don¡¯t expect to motivate their enthusiasm.

    I think aside from serving as professional trainers, you should also have some ¡®specialty items¡¯ to attract my warriors¡¯ attention.

    As for pricing, you can set it yourselves, just don¡¯t be too unreasonable.

    To be honest, my chief minister Miriam is under quite a financial strain, so the allocation can only be a little. You¡¯ll have to raise the rest of the funds yourselves.

    If you can monopolize the market for these essories, even just in the Transia region, it would be enough for you to have a healthy and abundant cash flow.

    You must learn to earn money, Guildmaster Natalie.

    I won¡¯t simply give you plots ofnd in the city district. Establishing a residential area for Witch Hunters and such will cost money.

    As the battalionmander and guild master, it¡¯s your responsibility to take care of your followers and subordinates. You are no longer just a religious organization, so there¡¯s no need for your subordinates to rely on faith to fill their bellies, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Natalie gave Murphy a strange look.

    After several seconds, she finally spoke:

    ¡°Is this really necessary? You could just distribute these essories for free to enhance your warriors¡¯bat capabilities. What¡¯s the special significance of making them pay for it?¡±

    ¡°Because no one will cherish something that¡¯s free, Natalie. You must learn this principle,¡± Murphy said as he spread his enormous Blood Wings and hovered, the beating wings creating a gust of wind.

    ¡°My warriors uphold a simple value of ¡®you get what you deserve.¡¯ Although they also like getting a good deal, their strong moralpass means they believe they should be rewarded for good work. If others deprive them of what they¡¯ve earned, they¡¯ll take it back themselves.

    This will also be one of Transia¡¯s futurews.

    You need to get used to and adapt to it.

    Lastly, I want to remind you of a personal matter.

    Your direct subordinate ¡®Miss Pirate¡¯ Amber Nikita Constance seems to have developed some abnormal feelings towards my warrior Niuniu.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    Natalie frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯ll stop her immediately!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m not asking you to break them up so cruelly,¡± Murphy shook his head. ¡°I just want you, as a friend, to remind her that Amber is one of the few who knows the true nature of my warriors. I hope she fully understands the cruelty of the affection she¡¯s about to seek before she¡¯s determined.

    She needs to understand that Niuniu and the other warriors could leave this world for any number of reasons at any time, never to return. And no matter how hard she tries, all she can obtain is a spiritual love.

    At the very least, that¡¯s how it will be until I find a reasonable solution.

    But if Lady Amber understands all this and still insists on pursuing it, then I will bless them! As Lord Pnno oncemented, true love appears so beautiful precisely because of its difficulty and rarity.¡±

    ¡°Amber is someone who severelycks a sense of security. She¡¯s not as determined as she appears on the outside, her inner self is still that little orphan who grew up on the edge of the Antanisen Forest,¡± Natalie shook her head with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ve fought alongside her for ten years, I know her. She won¡¯t give up that easily. So please also restrain your warrior Niuniu. If that otherworld man intends to toy with my friend¡¯s feelings, if he dares to hurt my sister¡¯s heart, then I absolutely won¡¯t let him off the hook!¡±

    ¡°Uh, about this¡­¡±

    Murphy waved his hand awkwardly.

    ¡°You have to understand, although Niuniu is brave, he is still young after all. Perhaps he hasn¡¯t had such an experience before and can¡¯t evenprehend what Lady Amber¡¯s affection towards him means. So my suggestion is, why don¡¯t we just observe for now?

    If he truly turns out to be a heartbreaker, you don¡¯t need to take action, I will punish him too! I have no need for irresponsible people under mymand.¡±

    ¡°I believe your promise,¡± Natalie replied quite seriously.

    Murphy nodded, turned in midair, and then broke the sound barrier, disappearing into the night sky. The hunting falcon Swift Shadow, exhausted from being chased by Revnor to the point of rolling its eyes, also wearily returned to its master¡¯s embrace, chirping pitifully.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild Master stroked its little head with her finger, then pulled on the reins, letting Maple Leaf carry her swiftly towards the city district of the Crimson Citadel.

    There was still so much to do next.

    The following period was destined to be a busy and tiring process, but it didn¡¯t matter. All the hard work seemed insignificant in the face of the hope for stability.

    The salvation and new life that this group of believers had longed for was actually going to be realized in a vampire¡¯s territory.

    Who could have foreseen such a turn of events?

 Chapter 180:

    Natalie soon arrived at the inner city ruins engulfed by the eerie purple glow of the Astral Realm¡¯s creation. Old Eugene and Grandma Marianne had already set up two tents here.

    As the medicalmander and faith affairs manager of Crimson Citadel, Sister Jules had returned to the camp outside the city due to her busy daily work. She urgently needed her followers to be her assistants.

    Even the fastidious Old Eugene could not find fault with this sincere believer and gratefully epted Sister Jules¡¯ request for them to clear the surrounding Astral Realm shadows.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Natalie, carrying the Great Oak Sacred de, entered the area designated as the Avalon Sanctuary.

    As she stepped into it, a distinct perception rose in her heart, like the serenity of strolling through the forest temple district on mo Ind during her youth training.

    It was the unique feeling that the gaze of the Avalon God bestowed upon the faithful.

    But as if an invisible line separated the surroundings, this tranquil area was limited only to the plot ofnd Murphy allocated for the Avalon Sanctuary. Once crossing the boundary by even a step, this attention would disappear.

    This unique phenomenon immediately set Natalie¡¯s thoughts racing.¡°My God¡¯s blessings exist only here and stop here. Marianne and I have tried repeatedly, and only in this ce can we feel my God¡¯s gaze and sce.¡±

    Carrying a hunting sword yet only wearing a in priest¡¯s robe, the devout Old Eugene saw Natalie¡¯s arrival and immediately stepped forward to greet her. He then said with some regret:

    ¡°For now, we cannot confirm what caused this, but it¡¯s a perfect start. Once the Avalon Sanctuary stands here, perhaps my God¡¯s power will spread.¡±

    ¡°No, it probably won¡¯t.¡±

    Natalie looked thoughtfully toward the spiral staircase leading to the Blood Vulture Halls and said softly:

    ¡°Perhaps because the Avalon God has made some agreement with the lord of thisnd? Or perhaps my God has constrained his power within this sanctuary to express some kind of friendliness or expectation? As if a pair of divine eyes has been ced here.

    He wishes to patiently and calmly observe the future changes of this city and even thisnd.¡±

    ¡°Why would my God make an agreement with vampires? Your words make no sense! They¡¯re vampires! Eternal Sin Descendants!¡±

    Old Eugene was very dissatisfied with Natalie¡¯s guess, but Natalie then shook her head and said:

    ¡°No, Murphy is different from other vampires, a point my father also acknowledged. Otherwise, he would not have asked Murphy to ept us on his deathbed. Perhaps my father received some revtion from the divine?

    You also know that during these ten years, my father was the only human believer who could maintain limited contact with the Avalon God. But this is not what we should be discussing now, Master Eugene.¡±

    Natalie took the initiative to end this topic.

    She informed the Master Witch Hunter of her earlier conversation with Murphy on the way, telling him:

    ¡°I came early not only to confirm my God¡¯s miracle but also to discuss an important matter with you and Grandma Marianne, where to house our brethren.¡±

    ¡°Not sending them into Crimson Citadel?¡±

    Grandma Marianne, dressed in a in long robe with her head covered in a long shawl, appearing to have ¡°switched professions¡± from a seasoned Veteran to a nun, appeared behind Natalie carrying a basket of freshly picked berries.

    She said:

    ¡°I just took a tour of the outer city area, whererge-scale cleanup is underway in preparation forter reconstruction. It¡¯s evident that Lord Murphy has a n for his city. Unfortunately, even walking on the ground, I could sense the dreadful presence emanating from the sewer area below the city.

    A ghoul nest and a spirit tomb of a scale that even terrifies me are forming.¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what I wanted to say.¡±

    Natalie sat on a wooden stump, casually picking up and tossing berries into her mouth as she said to the two Master Witch Hunters:

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t mind our brethren participating in the city¡¯s reconstruction and clearing the demonic creatures from the sewers. However, what they need most now is rest and recuperation, and the environment around Crimson Citadel can hardly provide them with a safe and rxing atmosphere.

    Moreover, as you both know, we¡¯ve been at war for ten years and need time to adapt to a peaceful life to avoid excessive conflicts with the locals.

    So my idea is that we could perhaps house our brethren in the viges around Crimson Citadel.

    For instance, I mentioned Mond Vige to you before. There¡¯s a medium-sized ghoul nest there that has been sealed off, created by the sins of our fallenrades. We should deal with that threat to thisnd.

    That vige is located near the trade route of Transia and, if properly restored, could amodate at least 300 people. With expansion, it could even house all our brethren.

    Most importantly, there¡¯s arge wooded area near Mond Vige where we once camped, and the natural spirit energy there is more abundant than in Crimson Citadel.

    This would be more conducive to the recovery of our brethren.

    Finally, Mond Vige is only a day¡¯s journey from Crimson Citadel, making travel very convenient.¡±

    ¡°This is indeed a good idea!¡±

    Old Eugene nodded and said:

    ¡°But will that vampire lord agree?¡±

    ¡°Lord Murphy should not mind these things. As I said, he is a very peculiar vampire. If not for his midnight blessing appearance, I would think he¡¯s just a cunning human.¡±

    Natalie answered:

    ¡°However, Mond Vige is the fief of Baroness Miriam. So we may also need to obtain the baroness¡¯s permission and official documents issued. I¡¯ll take care of that.

    I have some connections with her.

    Then there¡¯s the second matter, concerning the ¡®Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¯

    Don¡¯t make that face, Master Eugene. I know you¡¯re reluctant to give up the three-hundred-year legacy of the White Oak Battalion¡¯s name, but we must change now.

    Lord Murphy¡¯s intention is to see the Adventurer¡¯s Guild start operating as soon as possible, preferably established tomorrow. He seems to hope that we will handle the interfacing and coordination with his warriors on certain matters.

    I contemted this on the way here.

    I¡¯ve decided to reassign some of the disabled veteran soldiers who can no longer take to the battlefield to be trainers in various professions. They will help Murphy¡¯s warriors better master their powers and skills and impartbat experience.¡±

    Natalie organized her words and expounded to the two Master Witch Hunters:

    ¡°Additionally, we need to reassign some quick-witted youngsters to actively participate in the reconstruction of Crimson Citadel. If possible, strive for basic management positions. Finally, find some articte brethren to be our ¡®quartermasters.¡¯

    Murphy has agreed that we can sell the Computation Bead attachments originally intended as gifts to the lord at a reasonable price to his warriors.

    This will be an important source of funding for the sanctuary¡¯s construction.

    Lastly, and most importantly, we no longer need to engage inrge-scalebat. Thus, our trained demon-hunting warhorses have be a usable resource.

    I n to sell 500 of our 800 warhorses to the official Crimson Citadel, retaining only 300. A small but elite cavalry force of that size will be entirely sufficient.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡±

    Grandma Marianne agreed wholeheartedly:

    ¡°We can reassign instructors specifically to train the demon-hunting warhorses. After the copse of the Avalon Church, we are the only ones who have preserved the training methods for these warhorses.

    This may be our brethren¡¯s true means of making a living in Transia. I¡¯ve observed that both the Anderma Hills and thends near the Ice Bay region under Count of Seicob have vast, t grasnds.

    Those areas could be used to establish ranches.¡±

    ¡°I feel like we¡¯re discussing selling ourselves!¡±

    Old Eugene grimaced.

    Clearly, he disliked Natalie¡¯s current discussion of these overly ¡°mercantile¡± matters for a believer. But he was an experienced old man, and the elderly are always full of wisdom.

    Although he disliked it, he knew it was absolutely necessary. So after grumbling a bit, he got up, found some wood, and took up an axe and woodworking tools, swiftly making a rather distinctive signboard for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    However, out of nostalgia for the old days, this stubborn old fellow insisted on making the signboard identical to the one at the White Oak Battalion headquarters on mo Ind.

    This made Natalie and Grandma Marianne shake their heads helplessly, but everyone has their way of cherishing the past, so let him be.

    Early the next morning, just before the sleep mode was about to force a logout, Meow King came swaggering again with his Four Heavenly Kings and old buddy, strolling through this part of the city. He already knew that two Master Witch Hunters of the White Oak Battalion were staying here, though that ill-tempered old man was not easy to deal with.

    Meow King came to try his luck, seeing if he could get an opportunity to advance his profession.

    As the six of them roamed the streets, they immediately noticed a huge military tent had been erected amidst the cleared ruins.

    A conspicuous signboard stood in front.

    ¡°Adventurer¡¯s Guild? Damn! Such a ssic otherworldly adventure institution has finally appeared, and it even has that vor!¡±

    ck Stockings cried out excitedly.

    Just as he was about to approach and check it out, a gray shadow suddenly shot down like lightning, startling him.

    Upon closer inspection, it was a petite, cute yet ferocious and proud hunting falcon, simr to the gyrfalcons of the real world but with sharper talons and a more beautiful beak.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Lady Natalie¡¯s pet?¡±

    The Electronic Subus immediately recognized this distinctive hunting falcon.

    As a hunter, he dreamed of having such a lifelike featheredpanion as an assistant.

    Previously, Meow King had convinced him to convert to the old profession system using this as a temptation. Further away, atop the tent, there was an evenrger and fiercer horned owl, its naturally sharp talons fitted with exquisite oak w guards.

    That was Old Eugene¡¯s hunting partner, ¡°Thunderstorm.¡±

    Grandma Marianne also once had a magnificent hunting falcon, but unfortunately lost it during a dangerous reconnaissance mission in the Ten-Year War. The grandma was very saddened and did not train any simrpanions after that.

    ¡°Warriors, you have finallye to this sacred ground at the summons of my God.¡±

    Natalie, busy inside the tent, came out upon hearing the noise and smiled when she saw the six yers who were already members of the Avalon Church.

    The gray-haired Witch Hunter beckoned to them.

    As these six entered the sanctuary area, they immediately felt the ¡°power of nature.¡± Their perceptions were greatly enhanced within this area, and the embrace and shelter of the natural aura brought great sce to their souls.

    However, soon Natalie sensed a peculiar aura from the leading Meow King. After careful discernment, she frowned and asked:

    ¡°Warrior Meow, have you recently received an oracle from my God?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Avalon the Great, cough cough, I mean, Avalon of Nature has conveyed his will to me. He hopes we can spread the faith of nature across thend of Transia!¡±

    Meow King immediately struck a ¡°saint¡± pose and embellished the details of the Hidden Quest he had triggered, recounting the Avalon God¡¯s oracle about spreading the faith. Upon hearing this clear objective, Natalie raised an eyebrow.

    Was the divine hoping to see a new Avalon Church established in Transia?

    Such a clear goal and direct instruction were rarely obtained, even when the old religion existed.

    ¡°We yearn to spread the divine¡¯s majesty, yet we are limited by our weakness of power.¡±

    Seeing Natalie¡¯s silence, Meow King took the opportunity to make his request. Leaning on the sacred Huntsman¡¯s Sword that once belonged to Natalie¡¯s mother, he said:

    ¡°As you can see, I have passed the ck Iron Trial, and my brothers are preparing for that trial. But we urgently need the secret knowledge from the Avalon Church to enhance our authority as preachers of the divine.¡±

    ¡°My God does not care about authority. My God onlypassionately shelters all beings that revere nature. You must not use violence to preach the faith, for that would be sphemy in our tradition!¡±

    Natalie shook her head, intending to educate this ¡°impostor believer¡± Meow King on the teachings of the Avalon God. However, as she began, she noticed certain ¡°inconsistencies¡± about Meow King.

    After sniffing and carefully discerning, the White Oak Battalion¡¯s expression changed.

    She sternly rebuked:

    ¡°You! Did you just perform a war sacrifice?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh yes, previously when I was rescuing you all, I sacrificed four heretics in the forest to my God!¡±

    Meow King proudly took out three Bloodwood Seeds from his hand, boasting to Lady Natalie.

    But there was no joy on Natalie¡¯s face.

    She looked at the ¡°ignorant and fearless¡± Meow King with aplicated gaze, then sighed:

    ¡°You actually don¡¯t know what a ¡®war sacrifice¡¯ means, do you? You¡¯ve even heard this term for the first time, right?¡±

    ¡°It was for the majesty of my God!¡±

    Meow King kept spouting nonsense, unwilling to reveal his true nature as a ¡°superficial believer.¡± However, at that moment, Grandma Marianne¡¯s voice rang out from the tent entrance:

    ¡°You have raised the de of nature under the divine¡¯s gaze, not for protection or arbitration. This means the path of guardianship and neutrality will no longer wee you. Warrior, you can only continue down the path of conquest, ultimately bing a ¡®Red Knight¡¯ who brings war and destruction.

    That is a terrible fate.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s a Red Knight?¡±

    The nearby Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off eximed with wide eyes:

    ¡°Sounds super cool!¡±

    ¡°That is the power of bloodshed, the power of conquest. It represents the most ruthless, most brutal, and most furious side of wild nature. Red Knights have always been symbols of cmity, not only to others but also to themselves.¡±

    Grandma Marianne took out a handbook from her bosom and handed it to Meow King, softly saying:

    ¡°When you reach the end of the Oak Path, you must ept your destined fate. From then on, there will be no more peace or happiness for you. Your life will be filled with misfortune and thorns. You can no longer be an Oak Sage like others. Seek out the enemies of nature and embark on your path of war, Cmity Knight of Avalon.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    A light note sound rang in Meow King¡¯s ears, and a note appeared on his character interface:

    ¡¾You have acquired the special profession advancement item ¡¶Conquest Book ¨C Handwritten Copy¡·, unlocking the advanced profession ¡®Oak Knight¡¯!

    The Avalon Power System¡¯s special profession ¡®Red Knight¡¯ advancement path has been identified:

    Oak Apprentice ¡ú Oak Knight ¡ú Nature ¨C Punishment Spear ¡ú Red Knight.

    The Avalon Church¡¯s standard advancement path has been identified:

    Oak Apprentice ¡ú Oak Sage ¡ú Nature ¨C Guardian de/Druid ¡ú White Knight/Archdruid.

    Apprentice Witch Hunter ¡ú Witch Hunter ¡ú Master Witch Hunter/Nature ¨C Arbiter de ¡ú White Knight/Gray Knight.¡¿

    ¡°Wow, I feel like I¡¯ve discovered something incredible!¡±

    Meow King eximed:

    ¡°Has the dev team already made this system soprehensive? Let me quickly post it on the forums to attract those power gamers to join in and share the glory of my God, while alsopleting the missionary quest.¡±

 Chapter 181:

    Meow King almost didn¡¯t dy a moment, afterpleting the Oak Knight job transition himself, he posted the information he collected about the Avalon Church¡¯s power system to the forum, which unexpectedly became the day¡¯s hot topic.

    The elusive admin Alpha even highlighted this post, making it stand out instantly among all the other posts.

    This also happened to be the time when the sleep mode ended, and the game helmet forced yers offline, another characteristic of the game helmet that yers have figured out.

    Apparently, this is to maintain yers¡¯ clear distinction between reality and the virtual world, so after every 8 hours of gamey, the helmet will force a logout for 30 minutes before yers can reconnect.

    This is quite necessary.

    Because yers still need to get up, wash their faces, use the restroom, eat breakfast, and prepare for work or school, right?

    Murphy just wants to acquire cute, reliable, and durable little yers, but he doesn¡¯t want to end up with a bunch of middle-aged inte addicts.

    For test administrators, ensuring yers¡¯ physical and mental health is also an essential part of their job.

    Back to this post itself.As one of the two major factions currently openly allowing yers to join in the game, information about the Avalon Church has always been a detail that storyline enthusiasts and schrs have been very interested in over the past period.

    Even the do-gooders led by Lumina have been searching for information about the Avalon Church in the game andpiling it in a dedicated post. However, due to the game¡¯s current progress, information about the Avalon Church before the Ten-Year War is still scarce.

    Nevertheless, from a gamey perspective, the emergence of Witch Hunters and Oak Apprentices has indeed provided an alternative choice for yers who don¡¯t feel drawn to the vampire race and professions.

    However,pared to the Blood Vulture n¡¯s overwhelming presence in Transia, Witch Hunters have always beening and going, causing yers to worry that they might suddenly disappear, making it impossible to continue progressing their professions and power systems.

    Now, Meow King¡¯s timely post has put those yers¡¯ minds at ease.

    To attract attention, Meow King even gave his post the title ¡¶Behold the Glory of Avalon~Patchwork!¡·, which unsurprisingly received all kinds of mockingments.

    However, the post¡¯s content still focused on discussing the Avalon Church¡¯s job system that has been fully disclosed.

    LuminaYanghen: ¡¾Why do I see ¡®Druid¡¯? Isn¡¯t this an elf-exclusive profession? Why do humans have it too!¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾s, someone has inadvertently exposed their ignorance. The Druid religion is indeed an ancient belief of the Celtic people, and its association with elves is merely a folklore tale, simr to the Lady of the Lake from the Arthur legends.

    This game clearly drew inspiration from ancient Celtic mythology when designing the old faith system and the currently game-background-only Isa Kingdom and Greenleaf Ind.

    If borrowing from their historical system, then the appearance of Druids in the old faith is perfectly normal.

    And let me tell you, the Druids of the old faith are probably not the ¡®Transformers¡¯ you¡¯re imagining. They¡¯re more likely to be simr to shaman priests or nature spell casters, akin to characters like Merlin from British legends.¡¿

    TigerLeopardRider-Dou: ¡¾Whoa! Like the Stormbreaker? That¡¯s too cool!¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾But didn¡¯t Merlin also have a book of beasts? So the Druids in this game can also transform into animals, right?¡¿

    BurstingBelly: ¡¾Can the old nature faithmunicate with animals? That ability would be very convenient.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Yes! When I transitioned to an Oak Knight, I automatically gained the ¡®Beast Tongue¡¯ talent. I also saw Grandma Marianne, the Witch Hunter job trainer, selling ¡®Beast Tongue¡¯ skill manuals, so yers from other factions should also be able to purchase them here using their reputation.

    Oh, by the way!

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild, reorganized from the White Oak Witch Hunter Battalion, also sells many attachments that can be used on Computation Beads. I took a look at Lady Natalie¡¯s stall before logging off, and there are all kinds of bizarre functions.

    Our beads have three attachment slots, and we can add three extra functions, but the prices are quite expensive, with each attachment costing 20 gold coins.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina & FeelYouPoor: ¡¾That¡¯s cheap?¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾Cheap for you! You two have been making enough gold coins everywhere! You¡¯ve basically drained all the gold coins from the yers¡¯ hands, leave some money for the kids to learn skills!

    I just found out that after the new version update, learning new skills from job trainers costs money! Even vampire yers have to pay to learn flying.

    These NPCs have gone bad! They didn¡¯t charge before.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾@Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows, if you need money, private message me! I have a big job here that requires capable people, haha~ @Meow King, youe too, my team can¡¯t handle this job alone, let¡¯s work together!

    You¡¯ll each get a share then.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Just one share? I, the esteemed preacher of the glorious Avalon, am deigning to help you crawl through the sewers, and you¡¯re only giving me one share? Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt? Watch out, or I¡¯ll summon the elders to divine punishment you!¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Take it or leave it! I can always borrow troops from NPCs, I¡¯m only letting you in on this chance to make money because of our long friendship. Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾!!!Really? You¡¯ve really found the legendary city gang¡¯s treasury? What kind of dog luck is this!¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Heheh, private message, private message.¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾Everyonee to sewer entrance 7 when you log in! Brother Mao is going to take the ck Iron Trial!¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾???Brother Mao and I entered the game together, but it¡¯s only been a few days and he¡¯s already level 10? I¡¯m only level 6! And why is he gathering everyone for the ck Iron Trial? Others can¡¯t help with that, are we just spectating?¡¿

    NorthForestDog¡¯sPaddle: ¡¾Heheh, it¡¯s an event! Brother Mao made a bet with us that he canplete the elite challenge unscathed, and the four of us set up a betting pool.

    Wee everyone toe bet and watch the match, one gold coin per bet, the odds are very good now.

    If Brother Mao loses even a drop of blood, he loses the bet~¡¿

    InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: ¡¾Damn, ying for such high stakes? Brother Mao has lost his mind, yeah the Ghouls aren¡¯t known for agility, but that guy isn¡¯t just any ordinary human who can beat them unscathed with a sword, let alone with the attribute disadvantage. Sigh, we have sses this morning so can¡¯t make it.

    Someone remember to record the screen!

    @Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties, you go and bet for me, put three gold coins on Brother Mao losing!¡¿

    SpicyGuguChicken: ¡¾Me too me too, bet for all of us in the dorm, five gold coins each on Brother Mao losing, let¡¯s make this tough guy squad bleed dry this time! Hahahahaha.¡¿

    LadyAqua: ¡¾Little brothers, sister advises you not to gamble so big, this is clearly a ¡®pig ughtering board¡¯, the ones brave enough to set up a betting pool must be sure they won¡¯t lose, the house never loses.¡¿

    LeadingPigeon: ¡¾Oh oh oh! Another big sister? Are there really so many female yers in this game?¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾Not that many, including Lady Aqua it¡¯s only five so far. Lady Aqua don¡¯t worry, your helmet may arrive in a few days, don¡¯t chat too much with the men in the game, or I¡¯m afraid your husband wille knocking on my door if these bad guys lure you away.¡¿

    LadyAqua: ¡¾I won¡¯t get lured away, the passionate lively kids are the most fun, giggle~ I¡¯m going to make breakfast for my husband and our two fur babies now, will chat more when I¡¯m free.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾@Bursting Belly, check private messages.¡¿

    BurstingBelly: ¡¾Ok, got it boss.¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾???Little Zhang what¡¯s going on? ying boss again? Didn¡¯t you sayst time you¡¯re not cut out for this?And is this Bursting Belly guy someone you invited?¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾It¡¯s different from what you¡¯re thinking, don¡¯t worry. Want to go out for breakfast together? I¡¯ll pick you up in a bit.¡¿

    SisterPomegranateUprootsTheWeepingWillows: ¡¾Never mind, your car is too eye-catching, I¡¯ll just grab something simple downstairs, see you in the gameter.¡¿

    The forced offline time of the game helmets ended quickly, and yers gradually logged back in, some heading straight to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s turf, but more little yers were making their way in small groups to sewer entrance 7.

    The safe sewer entrances in the outer city area were all marked with numbers by the Kadman People¡¯s Army, with dedicated patrols guarding them. More and more Ghouls and Wraiths have been appearing in the sewer areas recently. Although there haven¡¯t been any casualties yet, it¡¯s only a matter of time if their numbers keep growing.

    One of the reasons the outer city area hasn¡¯t started reconstruction is this factor, Murphy won¡¯t let the workers start until the number of Ghouls in the sewers is reduced to a certain level.

    At this moment, at sewer entrance 7, Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood, who had logged out in a meditative yoga pose in the corner, opened his eyes.

    He had just finished a hearty breakfast for himself, ate his fill, cleared out his inventory, and was now energized to enter the game and begin his challenge.

    He and Feel You Poor entered the game together. Feel You Poor is only level 6 now, and about ten of the group from their batch are around this level too. But Brother Mao had already reached level 10st night.

    Apart from participating in Niuniu¡¯s Hidden Quest and fighting to the death with the Spirit Hunters of Circle Tower in the mist, Brother Mao has basically been fighting Ghouls in the sewers for the past few days in the game.

    He¡¯s a man with clear goals.

    After confirming that he wanted to take on an elite Ghoul as his ck Iron Trial challenge, he began observing and collecting information on the weaknesses of these monsters.

    Now he is an expert on all the abilities andbat tactics of the Ghouls.

    ¡°Here, Brother Mao.¡±

    Seeing Brother Mao log in, the four brothers immediately scrambled to bring out the consumables they had purchased for their leader, alchemical sword oils specifically made tobat undead creatures, temporary attribute-enhancing scrolls and potions, and East River Lion¡¯s Roar was cradling the Spirit Venom de ¡°Ambition and Dream¡± that originally belonged to Maxim.

    This sword had just been enchanted with a me Strike by Lady Tris herself, adding a searing aura to its original eerie green glow.

    Brother Mao had boasted that he couldplete the elite ck Iron Trial unscathed, but he wasn¡¯t reckless or foolish, he had made all the necessary preparations.

    Afterpleting the Hidden Quest previously, he obtainedponents of the n Guardian set, instantly upgrading his equipment to a solid T1 rank overnight. He also got two Warrior Chest Keys from the quest reward.

    His luck wasn¡¯t great, but not bad either, he didn¡¯t get a mount but did obtain a ring with a Spirit Shield and a Midnight Hunter¡¯s Ornament that can cast illusions from the Blood Vulture secret trove.

    With these assists, Brother Mao gained 100% confidence inpleting today¡¯s trial unscathed.

    After all, this isn¡¯t the real world.

    In games, equipment is also an important part of one¡¯s strength. Though Brother Mao pursues martial skill, he isn¡¯t rigid about it.

    ¡°How¡¯s the betting pool going?¡±

    Brother Mao applied the sword oil to another backup weapon at his waist while quietly asking, and West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl, in charge of finances for the Expeditionary Squad of Four, took out a small notebook and checked, saying:

    ¡°The total bets have exceeded 300 already, just the six dorm brothers bet 30, and it¡¯ll probably reach 500 by the start! I saw many NPCs also running over to join the fun and ce bets. I¡¯ll go ask around in a bit. Hey, if we win this round, our little team will have startup funds for purchasing all kinds of supplies.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, we should do less of this fight-selling betting business in the future,¡± said Brother Mao with a sigh.

    ¡°I keep feeling it¡¯s a bit off, I never intended to make such a public fuss.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with keeping a low profile in reality, but this is a game, Brother Mao! Isn¡¯t gaming all about having fun? Being cool? Getting that thrill?¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddleughed.

    ¡°We brothers are different from you guys born without worries about making a living. In reality, we¡¯re just average, not too high, not too low, probably can¡¯t defy the heavens and change our fates. But why not lower our standards and make something of ourselves in this game instead?

    By the way Brother Mao, did you offend Sister Pomegranate somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brother Mao looked puzzled as he tore open a scroll to buff himself. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, we haven¡¯t really said much to each other.¡±

    ¡°But Sister Pomegranate just bet 150 gold coins that you¡¯ll lose,¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl said quietly while blinking.

    ¡°You must have offended her somehow, you just don¡¯t know it.¡±

    ¡°Ah whatever, these are all small matters!¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°Brother Mao should focus on passing the trial first. Once you¡¯re done, us brothers will hurry and get our trials over with too. Joy Stick wants to form a big team to take down that underground treasury upied by Ghoul bandits. He¡¯s putting out the word that as long as you¡¯re a ck Iron rank yer, you can join and we¡¯ll get a share too.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± The other brothers nodded.

    Although nominally following Joy Stick, ever since Brother Mao entered the game, these five had formed an independent small team.

    Joy Stick didn¡¯t make too much fuss about it, he just didn¡¯t want to owe Joy Stick any favors now, so they had to rely on themselves for everything.

    Soon, under the watchful eyes of dozens of yers and even a bunch of NPCs attracted by the betting odds, the fully armed Brother Mao appeared before them.

    In thisrge space near sewer entrance 7, Tiger Leopard Rider¡¯s brother had intentionally lured an elite Ghoul leader over and trapped it in that area with fire.

    These preparations made the ce look like an improvised arena, with the Expeditionary Squad of Five hanging gasmps around, making it as bright as day.

    ¡°Everyone take a good look at the current odds and check your bet amounts, no issues then we¡¯ll close the bets now!¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl shouted while waving his notebook.

    The next second, a hooded vampire stepped forward and tossed a small bag to him. When he opened it, he was startled, damn, it was filled with four heavy gold ingots! Each bearing the Blood Vulture n¡¯s imprint.

    Three ingots were bets on Meow King losing, only one on him winning.

    ¡°Big stakes!¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl inwardly marveled.

    But by then Meow King had already jumped into the zing arena amidst cheers, toote for second thoughts now.

    ¡°Perhaps we can reserve this area as an underground fight club,¡± Murphy, disguised among the crowd, said to the two beside him.

    ¡°My warriors enjoy such battles, relishing the apuse while earning rewards through their own strength. You two if your hands are itching, feel free to go a few rounds down there.

    Just maintain your disguises.

    Or don¡¯t even bother disguising, ¡®sharing joys with the people¡¯ is also a way to enjoy life.¡±

    ¡°Allow me to manage it, my lord,¡± said the hooded Maxim.

    ¡°We can give it a nice name, like ¡®Blood Fang Arena¡¯.¡±

    ¡°How about ¡®Fight Club¡¯?¡± Murphy smiled, giving a strange but sinct name. On the other side, Count Andrei did not respond, only eager to see how the warrior who dared make the ¡°unscathed challenge¡± vow would fulfill his boast.

    But behind Murphy, Lady Adele felt utterly repulsed by this scene, a rare disy of such overt emotional upheaval from the usually reserved E-Sister.

    This immediately caught Murphy¡¯s attention, and under the elder¡¯s gaze, Adele said in a muted voice:

    ¡°The ve-masters of the shadow elves in the Eternal Rift revel in such bloody spectacles. Every family has its own ve fighting pits, delighting in forcing the unfortunates who stray into the rift and various dark, ferocious beasts to fight for their amusement.

    It is a cruel and inhumane practice.¡±

    Murphy nced at Adele and asked softly, ¡°So, your mother?¡±

    ¡°She was once a traveler, and I was born in the fighting pits of the Mejeva family. I hate her naivety.¡±

    Adele sighed, her expressionplicated as she watched the crowd¡¯s atmosphere grow increasingly heated. She shook her head.

    ¡°I dislike this ce, master. Please allow me to take my leave for now.¡±

 Chapter 182:

    Brother Mao himself didn¡¯t expect that he just wanted to challenge himself and earn some ¡°startup funds¡± for his brothers, but in the end, the situation developed into such a heated event.

    It was understandable for little yers toe and watch the excitement.

    After all, North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle had shouted on the forum, and now there were few yers, and everyone¡¯s rtionships were quite good, so they coulde to support or wait to see a joke.

    However, he didn¡¯t expect that these NPCs would also be mobilized to join.

    But thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t difficult to understand. It had been a month since the Kadman City disaster, and the survivors had already endured the most difficult period. Living under the basic order established by Murphy and the yers, they also hoped for some entertainment.

    A celebration could get dozens of people drunk on a few fruits, and now there was news that a brave warrior was challenging a monster. Of course, anyone who coulde woulde and watch, resulting in the area at the entrance of sewer No. 7 being tightly packed.

    Although they didn¡¯t share amonnguage, some things could be felt without the need fornguage!

    Especially when they saw the 1.85-meter-tall, fully armed Brother Mao confronting the elite zombie leader, whose entire body was covered in rotten flesh and enveloped in a foul stench, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers.

    ¡°The outside world says our Transia produces barbarians who love to fight and view brawling as a daily pastime.¡±Murphy said to Maxim beside him:

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to believe it now.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve just been suppressed for too long, sir. This doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re bad people.¡±

    Maxim hoped to defend his patriots,¡± but the increasingly frenzied cheers around him made his exnation seem so pale and powerless.

    It wasn¡¯t until then that the Count of White Mountain, who had remained silent, spoke up:

    ¡°Even the most peaceful person would be like a beast in the arena. It¡¯s not just Transia, but also North Wind Citadel or Borisgrad, and even the frost dwarves in the Great Wilderness hold simr warrior fights every year before and after the Day of the Earth Mother.

    There are simr ces in the Thorn Kingdom, and I¡¯ve been invited to participate in the revelries of the vampires once or twice.

    But we wouldn¡¯t be so cruel as to have a weak Professional face off against a zombie leader. At most, we would have errant Blood Servants fight each other, or release the grizzly bears that had just ended their hibernation and were extremely hungry on White Mountain.

    Just from this point alone, it¡¯s clear that Transia¡¯s folk customs are extraordinarily fierce.

    Speaking of which, are we really betting on whether this brave warrior can kill this foul-smelling monster unharmed, or are we betting on whether he canst five minutes?¡±

    Andrei, the mncholic poet with a long hairstyle, was quite venomous in his speech, using the gentle yet reserved tone characteristic of the great nobility as he taunted:

    ¡°I know your warrior is exceptionally brave, but courage and rashness are not the same thing.¡±

    ¡°I heard you¡¯re a poet popr among the youngdies and nobledies in the Nordtov Kingdom?¡±

    Instead of directly answering the Count of White Mountain¡¯s taunt, Murphy said:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a bet, Lord Andrei? If my warrior seeds in killing this disgusting monster unharmed, then you shall write a poem for Transia, and I¡¯ve already thought of a name: ¡®The Dawn Song of Transia¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Of course, such a martial and frenzied feat deserves my pen, provided that he can truly survive.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain agreed.

    His presence here was essentially an exile, as his servant Vesta had informed him that the White Mountain faction he had painstakingly established over a year had been disbanded.

    Soon, even his most loyal servants would be sent to Transia to apany him.

    This put the Count in a foul mood.

    Although he knew this was not a simple exile, and was even a ¡°clemency outside thew¡± from Grand Duchess Shani.

    After all, with the ck Disaster, Transia would undoubtedly be the frontline for the continent¡¯s inhabitants against the gnolls. If he and his faction wanted to prove their worth to the n and the nation, persevering here until the end would not be a mistake, and was certainly better than leading his people to y dead at the gnolls¡¯ main base, Dark Mountain.

    Murphy and Andrei¡¯s gaze turned to the arena.

    This sewer No. 7 was actually where Murphy had previously sculpted the Tomb Guard badge. The burning edge of therge space in front of them was where Maxim had previously set fire to the pile of corpses.

    At this moment, the elite zombie leader lured here was driven into an exceptionally frenzied state by the surrounding zing fires.

    Its twisted, blood-red eyes were fixed on Brother Mao, who stood before it with a sword and shield in hand. It only wanted to tear him apart and use his blood and corpse to douse the mes so it could escape.

    Therefore, as soon as Brother Mao entered this space, the zombieunched a frenzied and merciless attack.

    Its death-mutated ws were what had originally been human fingers, now transformed into horrific ck scythe-like talons. Its arms were thick and covered in ghastly white scales. The putrid miasma emanating from the rest of its body formed a substantial ¡°biochemical attack,¡± with a single whiff capable of causing unconsciousness or mental disarray.

    However, Brother Mao remained exceptionally calm.

    He did not rush forward to attack. Instead, he adopted a rather intelligent strategy, much like the most aplished Spanish bullfighters, holding his shield in his left hand and sword in his right, lowering his body and circling the zombie.

    Each time the zombieunched a frenzied assault, Brother Mao would evade with an impressive sliding step at thest possible moment, while fiercely striking the monster with his sword!

    To the onlookers, it appeared that the warrior was narrowly evading the zombie¡¯s lethal ws with each sessful dodge, just a slight misstep away from being torn apart. Every exhrating sessful evasion naturally elicited screams or cheers from the crowd.

    At this moment, the little yers watched as intently as if observing a master defeating a BOSS. However, the experienced could see that after Brother Mao¡¯s three consecutive perfect dodges, Sister Pomegranate¡¯s heart sank deeper.

    She now felt that her decision to bet all her 150 gold coins might have been unwise.

    ¡°Where did this guy learn the Mejeva Secret Sword Arts? With that evasion speed, he must have mastered the Shadow Step to at least the Master level, but how long has he been in the game? Is this guy a genius?¡±

    Beside her, Lumina watched with wide eyes.

    Shamefully, although Lumina was the first yer to learn the Mejeva Secret Sword Arts in the game, due to her two professions being ranged, her sword skills had only reached the Proficient level to this day.

    Little Ashina¡¯s mouth was agape.

    She didn¡¯t even eat her favorite candy, constantly eximing:

    ¡°This Master Mao is so formidable! His Shadow Step even has a hint of Master Murphy¡¯s aura, but this method of counterattacking immediately after evading looks so familiar. I feel like I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before?¡±

    ¡°Maxim!¡±

    Finally, the girl Orchid leaned on her shield and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Lord Maxim has this habit. I¡¯ve seen it more than once on the battlefield. He, who values efficiency, loves to counterattack and kill immediately after evading. Brother Mao must have learned the secret sword arts from Maxim, and even picked up his sword habits. Incredible!

    We¡¯ve all been practicing blindly by repeatedly reading the manuals, but he can actually learn the sword arts directly from an NPC?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Our Brother Mao¡¯s three character traits are all rted to swordsmanship!¡±

    Not far from the girls, South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl exined proudly:

    ¡°In the real world, he specialized in sword and shield, and the German longsword. After entering the game, he sparred with Maxim that very afternoon, and every day since, he¡¯s either been killing zombies in the sewers or finding Maxim for sword practice.

    He earned the bonus of the dark elf secret sword arts after enduring Maxim¡¯s attacks for over five minutes three times in a row.

    He¡¯s a true sword genius!

    Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era and can only y at being a soldier with us. If it were a few hundred years ago, he would undoubtedly be an unmatched sword saint.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right!¡±

    Beside him, West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl slung his arm around his brother¡¯s shoulder andughed:

    ¡°Brother Mao said he wants to be a true sword saint in this game! It¡¯s like fulfilling a childhood dream. Let me tell you a secret. The reason Brother Mao was certain he could defeat an elite unharmed is that he had already challenged onest night when he reached level 10.

    Although he stumbled in thetter half and we had to rescue him, Brother Mao already knew how to deal with these guys.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, the zombie leader that Buddy lured here seems different from the other zombies.¡±

    Folding her arms, Sister Pomegranate snorted and suddenly spoke up:

    ¡°You should know that zombies specialize based on their former professions andbat experience, right? What I mean is, your Brother Mao might be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    The soldier brothers immediately looked towards the ¡°arena¡±. They saw that after seven or eight consecutive failed pounces and having its legs hacked off by Brother Mao¡¯s enchanted spirit de during three sessive rolls and shes, the elite zombie grew increasingly frenzied.

    By the time Brother Mao realized something was amiss, it was toote!

    The creature waved its ws, tearing its own flesh and dislocating the bone spikes from its back, actually hurling them like flying daggers.

    Powered by its brute force, the bone spikes flew with tremendous force. Brother Mao blocked one with his shield, but the spike pierced through and nearly struck his eye, just a few inches away, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.

    The enemy could attack from a distance?

    Not good!

    The ¡°kite and whittle¡± tactic wouldn¡¯t work anymore!

    He made a split-second decision. As the zombie flung a second poisonous bone spike, he backhanded his buckler, striking the zombie in the eye, then rolled forward, drawing his second sword as he rose.

    With dual swords in hand, Brother Mao¡¯s offensive stance changed abruptly, transforming from cautious defense to a wild, unrestrained attack.

    He had previously instructed East River Lion¡¯s Roar on how to wield dual swords, and now that it was his turn, his aura was indeed different. His right hand wielded the spirit de in a relentless shing barrage, while his left hand held a longer de for attacking, but more for defense, parrying the zombie¡¯s ws twice before backhanding and severing its left w entirely.

    He then leapt up and thrust his longsword into the zombie¡¯s neck. As it thrashed in frenzy, he retreated a few steps, gripped his spirit de in both hands, and charged, using the momentum to impale the de into the zombie¡¯s bloodred eye.

    A gurgling sound arose from within the zombie, like an ever-inting balloon nearing its limit.

    ¡°Shit! It¡¯s going to self-destruct! Brother Mao, get away!¡±

    A cry of warning rang out from the stands, perfectly timed.

    This guy could self-destruct?

    Maxim, who had been smiling at the warrior he recognized as his would-be victor, immediately stood up to go and rescue him, but Murphy and the Count of White Mountain jointly restrained him on the shadowed stone steps.

    This was Brother Mao¡¯s solo challenge!

    If Maxim intervened, the warrior¡¯s efforts would be in vain.

    Brother Mao clearly realized something was wrong, but his reaction was more direct. He pulled out his spirit de and swung it with maximum force, decapitating the ugly head while grabbing a bloodstone ornament from his belt.

    The next second, a thunderous boom erupted as a ckish-green miasma of decay exploded outward like a gas explosion, engulfing a third of the entire space.

    The onlookers were startled.

    Afterwards, many voices expressed disappointment.

    This warrior was truly formidable! It was just a bit of bad luck.

    ¡°No! Brother Mao is fine!¡±

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar shouted, his broken bell-like voice truly living up to its lion¡¯s roar name.

    The people then looked up to see the unharmed Brother Mao emerge from a corner outside the explosion radius, clutching a dimmed bloodstone crystal.

    His hands were trembling.

    But his de was still gripped in proper form, and he then raised his weapon high for all to see!

    His endurance bar was depleted, but his health bar remained full! At thest moment, he had used the Midnight Assassin ornament that could create illusions and teleport, narrowly avoiding disaster before everyone¡¯s eyes. Although he nearly failed spectacrly, he had truly achieved it.

    Defeating an elite unharmed!

    This near-impossible feat had be a reality before the yers¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°Damn! My challenges are like ying a Soul-like game where you have to git gud, but for this expert, defeating an elite is as easy as Mario eating a mushroom. Are we really ying the same game?¡±

    From the crowd, Joy Stick let out a harsh criticism, but still cheered for his friend¡¯s victory. Sister Pomegranate, however, looked at the man receiving the cheers below with aplex expression.

    She felt she had encountered a formidable opponent.

    But she had to admit that her previous views of Brother Mao had changed. This guy had real skills, she conceded defeat, but she wouldn¡¯t give up!

    ¡°Wow, little Pomegranate, you lost our food money for this week!¡±

    Little Ashina scolded in dissatisfaction, arms crossed:

    ¡°For the next seven days, we¡¯ll have to eat bread, and we won¡¯t even have money to buy fruit candies from Count Andrei. All because of your silly obsession with winning and losing!¡±

    ¡°Sis, sis, we¡¯re rich!¡±

    Just as Sister Pomegranate felt awkward, the Niuniu who had gone missing suddenly popped out, excitedly saying:

    ¡°I just bet 100 gold on Brother Mao winning! That¡¯s at least a 600 gold profit! Those NPCs who came to watch nearly went bankrupt, but they¡¯re also very happy. Whether they won or lost, everyone¡¯s really happy.

    Hey, why do you look so upset?

    Did someone bully you?

    I¡¯ll avenge you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve acquired a formidable warrior whose potentials are limitless.¡±

    After watching the entire event, Murphy stood up and said to the triumphant Maxim:

    ¡°Cultivate him well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will, sir.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s strange monster nodded, then looked at the Count of White Mountain beside him with a derisive expression.

    But the Count paid no heed to Maxim¡¯s taunts, staring absentmindedly at the warrior below who had performed the impossible before his eyes.

    ¡°Transia is truly and of miracles.¡±

    The mncholic poet mused:

    ¡°It seems I will need to spend some time contemting this ¡®Dawn Poem¡¯.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Ha, a single battle wiped out a strike force from Circle Tower? Befitting of the barbarians of Transia!¡±

    At this time, far away on the steam train bound for the Misty City of the Goldflower Kingdom, General Loren, seated in the first-ss carriage, received the battle report from Lieutenant Frayzer. Upon seeing that Circle Tower¡¯s Spirit Hunter squad had beenpletely annihted, this half-dwarf nodded in satisfaction.

    His overly cautious personality, inherited from his transcendent bloodline, felt slightly appeased.

    But this was clearly just an appetizer.

    Before the General was a briefcase containing two reports to be personally delivered to King Louis, one being the rather amusing ¡¶The Carpe Travelogue ¨C Journeying with Vampires¡·.

    This report would be shared with the parliament members after the King had read it.

    The other, a ssified report on the spatial rifts and Circle Tower, was for the King¡¯s eyes only.

    ¡°Circle Tower, an organization born and raised alongside the Sn Kingdom, praised as the ¡®backbone of humanity¡¯, have you too be corrupted?¡±

    General Loren stood on his chair, gazing out at the azure Greenleaf Strait under the noonday sun. After the Sn Kingdom annexed the Isa Kingdom, this cross-sea bridge took seven years to be erected with the help of the silver dwarves¡¯ earth priests.

    It connected the isted Greenleaf Ind to the maind territories, like a great artery leading to the heart of the Goldflower Kingdom.

    The General puffed on his dwarven pipe, exhaling pungent smoke from his nostrils as he squinted at the seagulls soaring through the train¡¯s trailing smoke.

    He murmured:

    ¡°You¡¯d better not have rotted, or I¡¯ll have to get my hands dirty digging you out from the kingdom¡¯s heart, though I wouldn¡¯t be averse to that. Dare to exploit the dwarves? Heh, I hope you¡¯re prepared for retaliation! We¡¯re quite vindictive, you know.

    And that Lord Murphy, is he the one who stole my cargo?

    Hmm, it seems I¡¯ll need to find an opportunity to teach that midnight brat a lesson.¡±

 Chapter 183:

    Louis the King, or more urately, Louis IX.

    This man, known in the outside world as a man of great talent and ability, had many nicknames, such as the Avenger of Sn, the Conqueror of Greenleaf Ind, the Destroyer of Faith, the Steel King, and so on. However, the most important of these nicknames was undoubtedly ¡°The King of Goldflowers.¡±

    This fifty-five-year-old man was in the prime of his life, and given that humans in this world generally lived to be around one hundred and forty years old, his rule over the kingdom that had just been born thirty years ago would undoubtedlyst for a considerable amount of time.

    ording to legend, King Louis was wise, steadfast, and majestic, possessing all the traits a legendary king should have.

    Even the most stubborn Sn conservative nobles and the most radical Isa restorationists in the Great Council would put aside their disputes and listen to the advice and opinions of this king, and perhaps even the future ¡°Emperor.¡±

    Most admirable of all, despite holding real power, King Louis rarely interfered with the political or military decisions made by the Great Council after he formed it to reconcile the conflicts between the two major factions within the country.

    If the exercise of power was also considered a talent and skill, then King Louis would undoubtedly be considered a Grandmaster-level in this regard.

    He maintained the ambitions of his courtiers and councilors to control state affairs, but was also able to exert his ubiquitous influence in any ce in a subtle way.

    Although thirty years of operation had formed a standard process for the Great Council to manage the country, even the beggars on the streets of Goldflower Kingdom knew that if King Louis wished, he could still override or even abolish the Great Council overnight.He was a king with real power, but he understood the importance of delegating authority!

    Moreover, he had established a great vision of ¡°reform¡± as the basis for the new nation¡¯s identity, and whether it was the prime minister or the Great Council, or even those conservative nobles who were kept, they were all tools for him to realize this ambition and vision, being freely manipted and controlled by the king who already enjoyed the hidden power behind the scenes.

    Goldflower Kingdom was now brimming with vitality.

    It was like a young person, proactive, aggressive, and hotheaded, exerting tremendous pressure on those around them while simultaneously being full of boundless energy.

    Such was King Louis, who appeared wless, but only those familiar with him knew that he had his own ws.

    For example, beneath that steadfast, solemn, and grave exterior, was a restless and weary soul who was forced to fulfill his duties. After all, King Louis¡¯ youthful aspiration was to be the greatest poet and traveler in Sn, and he was a talented and somewhat dissolute man who had more than seven lovers by the age of neen.

    Among them were an elf sage and a Sanghai priestess.

    He did not be king by choice, but because his father and the brother who was designated as the heir were identally assassinated during a visit to the Isa Kingdom.

    To put it bluntly, Louis IX, who was less than a month shy of his twentieth birthday at the time, was forced to ascend the throne. The first thing he did after being pushed onto the throne by the three major nobles and courtiers within the Sn Kingdom was to lead the recently reformed nation into a war of annihtion against another country!

    He won.

    And he did not find it difficult to win.

    With the help of the Silver Dwarven Earth Priests, this dissolute prince took less than three months to enter the Misty Capital and forced thest king of the Isa Kingdom to marry his sixteen-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to him beforemitting suicide, thereby establishing the Goldflower Kingdom.

    At this moment, General Lauren, who had hurried back from the front lines, met his majesty in the afternoon sunlight at the Goldflower Pce, also known as the Greenwich Pce, in his most beloved garden.

    Thetter was holding a banquet to entertain his most loyal and trusted general.

    It was called a banquet, but it was actually just an exquisite afternoon tea.

    The half-dwarf general sat on a gilded chair custom-made for his height, enjoying the emerald green forest ck tea brought from the Antany region, while watching with interest the man before him reading ¡¶The Carpe Travelogue¡· in the sunlight.

    That was his king.

    He was also the sovereign he had been guarding since he first joined the army.

    However, General Lauren could never forget that unsettling autumn thirty years ago.

    When the news of the old king and the crown prince¡¯s assassination reached the Sn Kingdom, he and a group of young guards went crazy searching for the then very dissolute prince all over Bourbon City, eventually finding him drunk in a painting studio and dragging him back to the pce from his bed.

    General Lauren even remembered clearly!

    He remembered pulling the equally naked young prince out from the embrace of three beautiful naked women.

    Most outrageous of all, it was a mother and her two daughters.

    Ahem, this was basically one of the most embarrassing incidents in King Louis¡¯ dissolute youth, a personal secret that a king must keep hidden, and something buried in General Lauren¡¯s heart.

    Thirty years had transformed a wastrel into a majestic ruler whose mere cough could shake the continent, and after Goldflower Kingdompleted the direct annexation of the Portia Federation, the next step within the country might be to elevate King Louis to the imperial throne.

    Given Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s current territory and strength, it was fully qualified to be upgraded to an empire.

    However, this was not easy on this continent, as a new emperor had to be recognized by the two ancient empires.

    Of course, this was not about some damn ¡°emperor review¡±, any leader with enough shamelessness could call themselves an ¡°emperor.¡± However, an empire that was not recognized by an equal superpower was doomed to be isted and exist only for its own amusement.

    The Sanghai Empire, thend of origin, and the Ancient Calum Kingdom in the east were both terrifyingly vast territories with unimaginable poptions that had existed for over 700 years as ancient superpowers.

    When the tribes of Sn, Ket, and Nord were still ying ¡°vige battles¡± by riding horses and fighting wars on the continent, those two ancient countries had already existed.

    Winning the joint recognition of the Pharaoh King and the Dragon Emperor was no easy feat, even for the current King of Goldflowers.

    ¡°Truly a fine romantic realist novel, but I guess the report originally submitted by the young Carpe family members was definitely not like this. The men of that family are so serious as to inspire awe, like my political advisor, Count Leon.¡±

    The kingughed heartily as he ced the report, a third of which he had read, on the table, thoughtfully inserting a golden leaf bookmark inside.

    He was like a gourmet who had been presented with a delicacy, unable to devour the delightful thing all at once, and intending to savor it slowly.

    The king raised his teacup, recliningfortably in his chair, gazing at his beloved garden and the pce maids in ck and white uniforms strolling through it under the afternoon warmth.

    This was his favorite ce, one of the few where he could shed the mask of the majestic king and enjoy his own life.

    The sunlight illuminated King Louis¡¯ countenance, casting a soft glow over his solemn and elegant features. His meticulously groomed beard was like a work of art recording the passage of time, adding a touch of grandeur to his otherwise somewhat gentle face.

    But if one looked closely, General Lauren could still discern traces of the mischievous young man King Louis had once been in his facial features.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching me, Lord Frederick.¡±

    King Louis put down his teacup, clearly displeased, and gave his most trusted general a mock angry stare, saying:

    ¡°So, has my Steel-Hearted General found something unclean on the king¡¯s face?¡±

    ¡°Um, no, Your Majesty.¡±

    The half-dwarf bowed slightly and answered solemnly, but then added in an odd voice:

    ¡°Only, there¡¯s some lipstick left on your neck that hasn¡¯t been wiped off.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    King Louis immediately felt embarrassed and quickly took out his ¡°royal handkerchief¡± to wipe his neck.

    The general was not joking, there was indeed some lipstick residue there.

    But it did note from his ¡°fair-faced confidantes¡± whom he had long since lost contact with, forgotten in the passing of time.

    ¡°Before summoning you, I was having lunch with Margaret and Elizabeth, you know howdies¡¯ passions can sometimes be indiscriminate.¡±

    The king offered an exnation, and the general merely smiled without responding.

    Countess Margaret, the most beautiful flower that could bloom in Sn.

    The night before His Majesty¡¯s ascension to the throne at the age of neen, he was already ardently pursuing thisdy, and after his coronation, to maintain the dignity of a king, he cut off contact with all his lovers, except for Countess Margaret, who remained by his side, even giving birth to a healthy daughter for the king seven years ago.

    This was a secret known to the upper circles of Goldflower Kingdom, but no one expressed dissatisfaction about it, even the most traditional conservative nobles dared not gossip about this matter.

    Everyone was well aware that, were it not for political necessity, the nobly born Countess Margaret should have been King Louis¡¯ one and perfect queen.

    But the most outrageous of all the outrageous little stories about Louis IX was that, despite being only a political marriage, His Majesty and Queen Elizabeth¡¯s rtionship was as harmonious as that of a true husband and wife.

    Five years ago, the queen gave birth to a healthy son for His Majesty, who was subsequently established as the heir, while Countess Margaret¡¯s daughter was also ennobled as a princess.

    Neither the queen nor the countess had any grievances about this.

    This only attested to the present king¡¯s talent in matters of love between men and women, truly no less than his skill in wielding power.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re making that sly dwarven smile again, it¡¯s really annoying, Lauren!¡±

    The king no longer used the general¡¯s formal surname but instead a more intimate form of address between them. He snorted, once more raising the teacup to his lips for a small sip, and said:

    ¡°Given your character, you must havee here specifically for more than just delivering this fine travelogue, so what else do you think is important enough that I must know? Speak up.¡±

    ¡°Please finish your tea first, Your Majesty.¡±

    General Lauren produced a second document, saying in a low voice:

    ¡°I suspect that after you¡¯ve read this, you¡¯ll no longer be in the mood for tea.¡±

    ¡°Well, wait then, I don¡¯t want some sudden, inappropriate bad news to ruin my decent mood today.¡±

    King Louis nodded, then spent about ten minutes chatting with General Lauren about amusing battlefield stories while finishing his tea and eating a few rose-shaped cookies.

    Only after the pleasant and leisurely afternoon tea time ended did he wipe his hands and take the second document.

    This document was very short, only a few pages.

    After all, it only spoke of a confirmed catastrophe and a few unfounded, irresponsible conjectures.

    But the king read it very carefully.

    Several minutester, he closed the document, reached up to rub his brow, and said:

    ¡°Carpe¡¯s reportcks evidence, but my mind tells me it is likely true. I trust my reason, but I still need to seek the opinion of my most trusted general.¡±

    King Louis opened his eyes.

    In the depths of those lover-like gentle deep blue irises flickered a glint of coldness and resolve.

    He turned his gaze toward General Lauren, and under the lion-like stare, the half-dwarf general immediately stood at attention, awaiting orders.

    The king spoke.

    But he did not inquire about General Lauren¡¯s opinion on the matter. Instead, he asked quite directly:

    ¡°If conflict arises, how many troops would you need to deploy to uproot the Circle Tower? I do not wish for the worst oue of this affair to impact the uing national reforms.¡±

    ¡°That depends on how quickly you wish to resolve this conflict.¡±

    The general cautiously presented the outline he had prepared, reporting methodically:

    ¡°If you require lightning action, I can immediately return to the Silver Citadel and liaise with my kinsman. With the help of the Silver Dwarven Earth Priests and the Gaia Guards, plus the full mobilization of the old Royal Guards, I can raze White Cliff to the ground within half a month!

    However, you may need to be prepared for heavy casualties among the old Royal Guards, or even their disbandment.

    If you can tolerate the warsting six months, I will muster the Greenleaf Legions and the Pioneer Army, along with the recently surrendered Wolfsbane n¡¯s assistance.

    Under thebined assault of these three forces, we can erase the Circle Tower from the kingdom without impacting your reforms, while simultaneously draining the Wolfsbane n¡¯s strength and seizing the opportunity toplete the final military reform of the Pioneer Army.¡±

    ¡°What if I want it done faster?¡±

    The king stroked his beard, saying coldly in the sunlight:

    ¡°What if I want the fighting to end within three days of my rebuke reaching White Cliff? You know, Lord Frederick, what I cannot tolerate most is betrayal. It feels like a fire scorching my heart, like acid burning my stomach, leaving me restless.

    I wish to see the traitors suffer, just as they have burdened me.¡±

    ¡°Three days, huh.¡±

    General Lauren carefully considered, ultimately proposing:

    ¡°Then, while reaching out to the Silver Citadel and employing the Wolfsbane n, you may need to invite the Winter Wolf Church of the Nordtov Kingdom as king. After all, the only ones capable of swiftly defeating a group of Spirit Mages are another group of Spirit Mages. Since the copse of the Avalon Church, weck the kingdom¡¯s spiritual power.

    But this also means you will need to open Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s religious domain to those Northerners, allowing their North Wind wolves to roam freely upon ournds.

    You also know that after the demise of the Avalon Church, the spiritual realm of our people has be a wastnd, their impoverished souls thirsting for nourishment.

    Yet this door cannot be opened!

    Once we allow the Winter Wolf Church into the kingdom, Nordtov will have leverage over us.

    After all, the two nations are destined for future conflict, and that Wolf Queen ¨C forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty ¨C is as unlikely to surrender on the battlefield, inheriting the bloodline and ambition of the Hero King Boris, as you are to conquer that 25-year-old girl with your masculine charm.

    For you, thetter would be far more profitable than a war.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pleased you praise my charm, but for you to view a 25-year-old girl as a target makes me feel you¡¯re mocking me as an old lecher.

    Let¡¯s proceed with the first n.¡±

    King Louis tossed the document onto the table, closing his eyes and saying softly:

    ¡°I entrust you withmand of the old Royal Guards. If the Circle Tower fails to provide me with a satisfactory exnation, then march on White Cliff!

    I fully understand their importance to the kingdom.

    But if those Spirit Mages think their importance allows them to act with impunity, then such a foolish force has no need to exist.

    A dog that cannot distinguish its master is better put down sooner.

    Ah, it¡¯s an appetite-ruining affair!

    I had hoped to be in a good mood this afternoon to listen to the noble councilors in the assembly bickering over petty gains, that would have been most amusing, but now, never mind.¡±

    The king stood up, and a royal chambermaid immediately approached with items already prepared for His Majesty.

    Avishly decorated yet highly practicalmand sword, a national hero¡¯s medal bearing the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s crest, and a field marshal¡¯s ceremonial uniform adorned with blue cords.

    ¡°I had intended to announce this good news to you in good spirits, Lord Frederick, but now I must bestow upon you a soldier¡¯s highest honor while sending you into another dangerous battlefield.

    I hope you do not me me for this.¡±

    King Louis handed themand sword to his most trusted general with both hands, saying solemnly:

    ¡°Please continue to fulfill your duty as the king¡¯s punishing de, my Marshal Lauren.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, I am deeply honored! Of course, it would be even more perfect if this were a field marshal¡¯s battle axe in keeping with dwarven style.¡±

    General Lauren, no, Marshal Lauren received themand sword, adding a small quip. He then saw two royal handmaidens struggling to carry a dwarven-style lordly battle axe decorated with blue cords.

    This made the marshal realize that his majesty had already made all the arrangements. He smiled, but still said with concern:

    ¡°Your Majesty, I do not fear war with the Spirit Mages, but now that the ck Disaster is approaching, perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°With a great enemy upon us, it is time to eliminate internal threats. I need to give those Spirit Mages a lesson as searing as breaking bones.¡±

    King Louis waved his hand, saying quite resolutely:

    ¡°Besides, can we not wage war without Spirit Mages? The faithless Shaldor Halflings have no significant Spirit Mages, yet that does not prevent them from standing tall on this continent. Their steam technology has be a force rivaling the spiritual arts, and that power is gradually falling into our grasp.

    The Circle Tower must recognize this fact!

    It is they who need the kingdom!

    Not the kingdom that needs them!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±

    Seeing that King Louis had made up his mind, Marshal Lauren crisply saluted and bade farewell as his sovereign left the garden.

    He caressed the hilt of the marshal¡¯s sword, his eyes shing with determination.

    Hah, Spirit Mages.

    You dared to exploit the dwarves, now you will truly pay the price.

 Chapter 184:

    Marshal Loren had no intention of staying in the Misty City for too long. After receiving the king¡¯s appointment and war permission, the marshal must rush to Dover.

    That is where the old Imperial Guard¡¯s legion is stationed.

    The reason they are called the ¡°old Imperial Guard¡± is to distinguish them from the Misty City Imperial Guard established after the founding of the Goldflower Kingdom. The old Imperial Guard are veterans who have protected the king since the Western Kingdom era, the mostbat-effective, honorable, and loyal troops in the country.

    They obey only the will of the king himself, equivalent to King Louis¡¯s ¡°private army.¡±

    Marshal Loren¡¯s military career started here.

    He is the pride of the old Imperial Guard.

    King Louis¡¯s deployment of the old Imperial Guard also means that he does not want this war to be restrained by the parliament. This simultaneously means that if the Circle Tower cannot give an answer that satisfies the king, the Spirit Mages¡¯ allies in the political arena will have no chance to stop the war from starting.

    This is King Louis¡¯s response to the rebellion!

    Resolute, decisive, cruel even to the point of being cold-blooded, he even skipped the step of sending envoys to inquire. Either bow down in submission or ept annihtion!A single report obviously could not have such a clear effect.

    This is enough to prove that for a long time in the past, Louis IX had some hidden dissatisfaction with the Circle Tower, and now he just seized the opportunity to vent this pent-up dissatisfaction.

    Marshal Loren did not want to consider these things.

    He was not nning to be a politician who observes words and watches facial expressions, but before he was about to set off after taking a short rest at his official residence in the capital, he weed a ¡°guest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always disliked being disturbed while eating, but you¡¯re an exception.¡±

    In the dining room of the marshal¡¯s residence, Marshal Loren, eating his dinner inrge mouthfuls with the posture befitting a soldier, said without looking up to the person who walked into the dining room:

    ¡°I have some things to ask you. About the destruction of Kadman City, I thought it was just a bloody revenge betweenpatriots, but now I find that there seem to be some factors hidden in it that cannot be ignored.

    Edward!

    You have to tell me, what role did the Wolfsbane n y in this matter?

    And is that sub-space rift opened underground in Kadman City your handiwork?

    Most importantly, did you exploit my sovereign and me?¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The dinner knife in the marshal¡¯s hand was ced on the edge of the te.

    He raised his head and looked at old Edward in front of him, dressed like the most standard old gentleman of Misty City. Loren reached out to take the handkerchief handed over by the dwarf attendant beside him and wiped his mouth. A loaded dwarf hand cannon with griffin carvings was ced next to the marshal.

    Meanwhile, a Silver Dwarf Earth Priest with ancient tattoos on his face and his body concealed by an earth-yellow hood also appeared silently at the entrance of the dining room.

    He made no attempt to conceal his close connection with the Earth Spirit, and with each step he took, it seemed the entire marshal¡¯s mansion would tremble a bit. The dust falling from the roof told everyone present that this was no illusion.

    This was a Golden rank Earth Priest!

    On the second floor of the dining room, several dwarf assassins hidden in the shadows also drew their dual guns and aimed downward. The scene suddenly became tense, just short of ying the BGM of ¡°Ambush from Ten Sides.¡±

    Faced with this scenario that would basically mean certain death if a fight broke out, Edward Spencer Gongreau, the grand duke of the Wolfsbane n, showed no fear. There was no obvious change in expression on that always gloomy face.

    Leaning on his exquisite cane, he pulled out the chair opposite the dining table amid the crisis and handed his exquisite ck-gray top hat along with his cane to the dwarf attendant beside him.

    This gentleman-like figure reached out to remove the monocle that served as a decoration for his left eye, held it in his hand, and took out a handkerchief to wipe it. He said in a low voice:

    ¡°I knew in advance what Salrokdar was doing in the Blood Vulture Halls, but that wasn¡¯t because I set up this scheme. Marshal, I can only tell you that I learned all this because a woman who had an intimate rtionship with Salrokdar was driven mad by that cold-blooded old bastard.

    She threw herself into Wolfsbane¡¯s embrace, only praying for revenge.

    So, I generously fulfilled that poordy¡¯s wish, and incidentally added another stroke to the century-old grudge between my n and the Blood Vultures.

    In D-n, my nsmen were only responsible for closing the city barrier and providing spirit energy positioning for the Circle Tower while making a small fortune on the side. Other than that, we weren¡¯t involved in any other dangerous ns.

    I came here personally to exin this point to you, hoping that you and King Louis won¡¯t misunderstand us, these Children of Midnight who have already pledged our loyalty.¡±

    ¡°Heh, your dog nose is really keen,¡± Marshal Loren mocked. ¡°Did you hear some wind? You actually ran over so proactively to exin all this, but speaking reason is absolutely not the style of the Wolfsbane n. Yet youe to speak reason with me, you¡¯re afraid!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t deny this point. King Louis¡¯s majesty covers this country like the sun, and as is well known, we vampires who live in the shadow zones fear sunlight the most. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid?¡± Old Edward shrugged.

    He touched his belly, seeming to havee in such a hurry that he hadn¡¯t even had a decent dinner. The marshal made a gesture, and the kitchen immediately brought out a simple but sumptuous dinner and ced it in front of the Wolfsbane grand duke.

    He politely expressed his thanks to the dwarf chef, then tied on his napkin, picked up his knife and fork to cut into the pork chop on the te, and sent a small piece of meat smeared with tomato sauce like blood into his mouth. This food that dwarves love most was cooked quite well, even for vampires.

    As the ¡°King of the Underworld¡± who controls the dark side of Misty City and even the entire Greenleaf Ind, old Edward has supreme authority in the sewers where sunlight cannot reach.

    Since the ¡°Wolf¡¯s Cmity¡± event in the year 1040 of the era, when the Blood Vulture n betrayed them, leading to the joint extermination by the old religion and the Circle Tower, causing them to lose all their maind territories, the Wolfsbane n, in a miserable state and almost extinct, migrated to Greenleaf Ind under Edward¡¯s leadership.

    To survive and continue the n¡¯s legacy, old Edwardpletely abandoned the ancient conservative vampirews.

    He and his servants began to absorb criminals and thugs that no one else wanted on arge scale. After 70 years of development and expansion, now at least 4 out of every 10 crimes that ur on this ind are rted to the Wolfsbane.

    They are the Sovereign in the night of Greenleaf, the most ruthless and brutal streak in this country¡¯s vast shadow, and this dark force is held in old Edward¡¯s hand.

    It¡¯s worth mentioning that the year 1040 of the era is also a memorable day for Marshal Loren, as he was born in the winter month of that year.

    In any case, against this background, the Wolfsbane n¡¯s intelligence-gathering ability on Greenleaf Ind is absolutely top-notch. His Majesty the King gave the order in the afternoon, and by nightfall, old Edward had already rushed over, travel-worn.

    He certainly feared that the king¡¯s malice towards the Circle Tower would implicate the Wolfsbane n as well.

    Shadows are always shadows.

    Even the most enormous shadow only needs a ray of sunlight to dissipate.

    Old Edward never underestimates human power, especially the reforms that King Louis is promoting across the country, which make him fear from the bottom of his heart. He knows that after humans learn and master the steam technology of the halflings, the era when they, the transcendent ns, ruled the continent might be facing a great reform.

    That is the wheel rolling forward!

    The general trend has formed, and old Edward does not want to be the mantis crushed by it.

    ¡°Mmm, thank you for your hospitality, sumptuous food always soothes the heart.¡±

    The Wolfsbane grand duke finished the pork chop, while Proficiently picking up bread to dip in the gravy and putting it in his mouth, he said with a smile to Marshal Loren who was staring at him:

    ¡°If you need, my servants are very willing to act as the vanguard in suppressing the rebellion. As you said earlier, ancient hatred should always have a decent end.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I need it! But that you should be loyal to His Majesty.¡±

    Marshal Loren did not believe that the Wolfsbane n was pure and unblemished in the Kadman City incident, but at present, the most suspicious was obviously the Circle Tower. Moreover, weakening the Wolfsbane¡¯s power on Greenleaf Ind was already His Majesty¡¯s strategy, so the half-dwarf marshal did not refuse this assist that was voluntarily delivered to his door.

    He said to old Edward:

    ¡°You¡¯d better really not have been involved in this matter. His Majesty detests traitors, and so do I.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, actually, so do I. No normal person would like traitors, unless he himself is one of them.¡±

    Old Edward smiled, raised the wine ss beside him to the dwarf marshal, and said:

    ¡°Then here¡¯s to your war going smoothly, if it really breaks out.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    This sentence made the marshal blink his eyes. He asked in return:

    ¡°Have you heard some news?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, an old dog¡¯s ears are always keener, that¡¯s how to survive better. I¡¯ve also heard some interesting news from far-off White Cliff that I was about to share with you.¡±

    The Wolfsbane grand duke waved his hand, as if old men sharing secrets.

    While chewing on bread soaked in tomato juice, he said mysteriously:

    ¡°As far as I know, just a few days ago, a team of Spirit Hunters under the Circle Tower was mobilized.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already dead.¡±

    Marshal Loren said expressionlessly:

    ¡°Your kinsmen, thest remnants of the Blood Vultures, ughtered them in a swift and clean midnight raid. A full 600 heads were piled up on the border of Transia, with the deration of war ¡®blood debt must be paid in blood¡¯ written on them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Old Edward¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    By his estimation, the Blood Vulture n, battered to the brink of extinction, shouldn¡¯t have had the ability to do such a thing. However, the Wolfsbane grand duke appeared nonchnt, waving his hand and saying:

    ¡°This is how we vampires do things, always avenging before the night is over when we have the ability. It seems the Blood Vulture n has a true leader again, what a pity.¡±

    Marshal Loren stared at old Edward¡¯s feigned calm expression. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said:

    ¡°I have definite information that the Thorn grand duchess, Lady Shani, and her entourage also participated in that massacre.¡±

    ¡°Snap¡±

    The wine ss in old Edward¡¯s hand was instantly crushed. His face also darkened.

    The remnants of the Blood Vultures teetering on the edge of extinction didn¡¯t matter.

    But with the Thorn n, which is secluded in the Nordtov Kingdom and has great power, also involved, things were not so good. The Wolfsbane n and the Thorn n have never been friends, which made him immediately smell malice directed at him.

    A thousand years of intra-racial strife had long made ancient beings like old Edward feel bored and weary, but the worst part was that it was like a cursed game that never ended.

    Betrayal, alliance, selling out, and extermination, this is the eternal melody between vampire ns.

    It¡¯s so damn annoying!

    Ah, merciful Night Mother, why don¡¯t you send down a bolt of lightning to strike all those hateful bastard kinsmen dead, leaving only us, the Wolfsbane n, to walk in the night and proim your majesty?

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the main issue.¡±

    Old Edward took out a handkerchief to wipe the wine from his fingers.

    He no longer smiled, but listlessly shared his information. Having lost interest in mystification, he said bluntly:

    ¡°The mobilization of that Spirit Hunter team was not on the orders of the Circle Tower¡¯s high-level, it was the private decision of the Shaping Grandmaster. Hmm, perhaps he should be called the ¡®former Shaping Grandmaster¡¯, because the day after they set out, the Circle Tower sealed off the White Cliff territory.

    I received news that the Spirit Mages seem to have had a civil war.

    I don¡¯t know the specific battle situation.

    But I guess King Louis will soon receive an apology sufficient to delight his heart and mind, and one of the Circle Tower¡¯s three towers, the Shaping Tower faction, is likely to wee a new Shaping Grandmaster, as well as a cold-blooded purge frightening enough to make even us vampires feel fear.

    Those Spirit Mages seem united.

    But their internal struggles are even more naked, like a group of beasts wielding power, tearing at each other, always apanied byrge-scale executions. They kill their own people more viciously than when they massacre others, and they call it the ¡®necessary price¡¯ for pursuing truth.

    So, who are the bad guys after all?¡±

    At this point, the Wolfsbane grand duke stood up.

    He had brought good news sufficient to appease the angry marshal, but received a terrible bad news as a ¡°return gift¡±. This left old Edward with no mood to stay and continue ying riddles with Marshal Loren.

    The Wolfsbane grand duke politely bid farewell:

    ¡°In any case, I came to advise you not to let the old Imperial Guard warriors overexert themselves. Perhaps you will soon return to the battlefield you¡¯ve been yearning for. After all, major events like the ck Disaster still require outstandingmanders like you to be responsible for the resistance.

    I will dispatch the elites from my family to participate in the ck Disaster. The ambitious Greyw faction, eager to demonstrate their power, has already set out as the vanguard towards Transia.

    I hope you can make good use of them.

    Of course!

    It¡¯s fine if they¡¯re used as cannon fodder too.

    I don¡¯t like that overly ambitious descendant. He worships power but despises wisdom, without any decency of a midnight aristocrat!

    s, what a fool, just like myself when I was young. I cultivated him back then because I thought he was like me, but the problem is, he¡¯s too much like me.¡±

    With that, old Edward took back his top hat and cane, put on his monocle, and bid farewell to Marshal Loren. He left the official residence, got into a ck carriage, and disappeared into the night.

    Marshal Loren obtained news about the Circle Tower. He didn¡¯t think this was a deception by old Edward, that cunning Wolfsbane grand duke knew when to tell the truth. Which means, the punishment for the Circle Tower had ended before it even began.

    ¡°Phew¡±

    Marshal Loren lit his pipe and blew a smoke ring.

    In the gloomy evening light outside the window, he thought:

    ¡°This is good too. The kingdom needs unity, and the head of a Shaping Grandmaster is enough to soothe the anger of a dwarf after being exploited.¡±

    Thinking thus, the marshal summoned the Silver Dwarf priest serving him. Under his instructions, within a dozen minutes, an ultra-long-distance spiritmunication was sent to the frontier fortress. It was still the loyal and dutiful Lieutenant Frayzer who received themunication.

    ¡°Make some arrangements.¡±

    The marshal said to the spirit projection maintained by two Earth Priests before him:

    ¡°I want to talk with the lord of Transia, tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir, general¡­ no, Marshal!¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer gave a military salute.

    As for why he, thousands of kilometers away, could know about Marshal Loren¡¯s promotion so quickly, it¡¯s actually not surprising.

    The Carpe family is one of the three ancient noble families of the Western Kingdom, with considerable authority in the Goldflower Kingdom. As the young heir of a staunch royalist family, Lieutenant Frayzer was even held by the current King Louis when he was born.

    ¡°After you¡¯ve done this, go back on leave.¡±

    Marshal Loren blew a smoke ring and said to this young man he valued highly:

    ¡°There¡¯s less than 6 months until the ck Disaster arrives. I¡¯ll give you 2 months of leave. After you¡¯vepleted your big life event, report back to the frontier fortress. Lieutenant Frayzer, I guess your family has already paved the way for you.

    So, if you can survive the ck Disaster and earn a few more merits, I might have to address you as ¡®Brigadier General¡¯. Do you need me to prepare a wedding gift to send to the Carpe family?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t joke like that, Marshal.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer shook his head and said:

    ¡°The country is in peril, and the ck Disaster will threaten the entire continent. In the face of such a major event, my personal honor and life events are no longer important.

    I have already sent a letter to my father.

    As long as the ck Disaster is not quelled, I will not start a family. This is the oath I¡¯ve made for the country and His Majesty. I believe my father will understand me.¡±

    ¡°But young people should always taste the vor of love.¡±

    Marshal Loren wanted to persuade him, but Lieutenant Frayzer seemed a bit impatient on the other side. He seemed unwilling to discuss this issue and answered somewhat carelessly:

    ¡°I see you as my idol, Marshal. You¡¯re not rushing into life¡¯s big events, so why should I?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The half-dwarf nearly choked on the smoke.

    He red fiercely at Lieutenant Frayzer and reprimanded:

    ¡°Go do your job! Don¡¯t pry into adult matters!¡±

    With that, the long-distance spiritmunication was cut off. A few minutester, the Silver Dwarf old priest who had been protecting Marshal Loren pulled his hood and whispered to Marshal Loren:

    ¡°You must return to Silver Citadel, little Loren. The High Lord and your cousin Livrosa are both waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°By dwarf lifespan standards, my cousin is not even of age yet! By Gaia above.¡±

    Marshal Loren covered his eyes in pain.

    He weakly retorted, but the old priest rolled his eyes and also took out a dwarf pipe, clenching it between his teeth. He drawled:

    ¡°But by human standards, your cousin is already an old maid. You can¡¯t keep her waiting too long! Moreover, you both have feelings for each other, it¡¯s not like twisting a melon off its vine.¡±

    ¡°Could you all stop pressuring me? I¡¯m begging you.¡±

    The marshal rubbed his aching brow. He sighed and said:

    ¡°I have responsibilities to my country and sovereign, so at least wait until after the ck Disaster is over-¡±

    ¡°But you said the same thing before the Ten-Year War started!¡±

    ¡°This time for sure! This time for sure, I promise!¡±

 Chapter 185:

    Marshal Loren received a promotion, not only in military rank but also in nobility.

    His baron title of Frederick, inherited from his mother, was elevated to count by King Louis, but without a fief.

    This wasn¡¯t due to the king¡¯sck of generosity, but because Marshal Loren had half dwarf blood. Although the king greatly trusted the marshal¡¯s loyalty, grantingnd to a mixed-blood could easily cause unnecessary ripples in the next generation.

    Moreover, silver dwarves already had their own vast ancestralnds within the Kingdom of Goldflower.

    Though Marshal Loren deeply resented his irresponsible dwarf father, as the grandson of the silver dwarf grand duke, he owned ¡°hereditarynds¡± near Silver Citadel in the mountains that were far richer than the average human count¡¯s domain.

    Furthermore, once he marries his cousin, Princess Livrosa Silverheart, the granddaughter of the current silver dwarf high lord, he would possess eleven vast mountain peaks from Bourbon to the Anju region as his domain.

    Its area wasparable to the entire Transia, which a hundred years ago, would have been the size of a duchy.

    Therefore, the marshal had no need for such external possessions.

    However, this marriage¡­How to put it, wasn¡¯t so easy to conclude.

    Although his cousin was only three years younger, already 68 this year, given the dwarves¡¯ long lifespan, Miss Livrosa was clearly still underage.

    Marshal Loren really couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.

    Growing up in human society, though he also received traditional dwarf education, certain human moral constraints restrained him, making him resist this match that he didn¡¯t actually dislike.

    Another reason was that although Marshal Loren had epted his bloodline and, through his own illustrious career, had transformed from an ¡°bastard outcast¡± to the pride of the silver dwarf n, his rtionship with his grandfather, the high lord of Silver Citadel, was not good.

    In his youth, the marshal always felt that his mother¡¯s ultimate tragic demise in depression was all his grandfather¡¯s fault. It was he who had exiled his irresponsible father, leaving his poor mother to die lonely in sincere longing.

    As he aged, especially after following King Louis in campaigns north and south and holding high office, the marshal gradually understood his grandfather¡¯s difficulties back then.

    He knew that many decisions of those in power were not made out of personal will.

    But dwarves all had stiff-necked, stubborn tempers, it wasn¡¯t so easy to make him truly bow his head. And just as the marshal was feeling disgruntled, this rotten mood seemed to transcend time and space, transmitted to another unfortunate soul striving upwards.

    ¡°What?¡±

    In the office of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, who was nning with Maxim on how tounch a crackdown on the numerous gnoll bandits across Transia, raised his head in astonishment, looking at the Crimson Regent who hade to report in person.

    He said to the panting Miriam:

    ¡°Say that again, who wants to talk to me remotely?¡±

    ¡°Marshal Loren ¡®Steelheart¡¯ Frederick,mander of the Pioneer Army,mander-in-chief of the eastern front of the Goldflower Kingdom. Thest time we heard news of him, he was still a general.¡±

    Miriam was also bewildered.

    But she understood the importance of this matter and said in a serious tone:

    ¡°Lieutenant Frayzer from the Pioneer Fortress just sent an urgent message to themunication frequency of my Computation Bead. He exined the matter, that Marshal Loren wants to speak with the lord of the Transia region.

    It¡¯s said to be about discussing ck Disaster defense matters, and deploying a portion of Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s soldiers to station in southern Transia to assist in building defensive lines.¡±

    ¡°Is that the half-dwarf butcher who ordered the destruction of Kadman City?¡±

    Maxim asked with strong emotion:

    ¡°Is that bastarding specifically to provoke?¡±

    ¡°That was an act of war! Although I also reserve my own opinion on this matter, I must emphasize, you two, the nature of this matter is very serious. It directly concerns the lord¡¯s authority and rule.¡±

    Miriam pulled out a chair and sat at the map-covered table, exining to her lord and colleague:

    ¡°Beforeing, I had a detailed discussion with Professor Malcolm. The professor believes that merely being appointed ¡®governor¡¯ by the Queen of Nordtov is not enough for Lord Murphy! Given our current environment, the governor of the Transia region must also be recognized by the Goldflower Kingdom. Only then can the neutral status of the Transia region between the two countries be established.

    And two governorship appointments are enough to give Lord Murphy an indisputable strong im over the Transia region! No one else can legally challenge Lord Murphy¡¯s right to rule over thisnd.

    This point is quite important for the future development of our domain.

    Only with sufficient reasonable ruling rights and ims can the decrees andws you formteter stand firm and be obeyed by residents of the other two countries. To put it more seriously, this may concern the issue of ¡®national dignity¡¯.¡±

    Miriam said a lot, then took a sip of water from her cup before speaking to Murphy in a gentle tone:

    ¡°So our suggestion is, although the other party demolished your hometown, we still hope that you, my lord, can restrain your inner anger and emotions, andplete the remote meeting with Marshal Loren tomorrow. Their Spirit Mage will be responsible for setting up a special spirit energymunication conduit, and our Spirit Mage only needs to cooperate in casting the spell.¡±

    Miriam herself thought that Murphy must have strong feelings towards Marshal Loren, after all, Kadman City was destroyed under his orders.

    But in reality, Murphy had no special feelings for this city that once did not wee him.

    As for the destruction of Kadman City, although it deserved mourning from a humanitarian perspective, and Murphy also felt saddened for those innocent victims, when it came to his attitude towards Marshal Loren, it was not just hatred, but even a bit of guilt.

    After all, the Computation Beads he robbed in Smuggler¡¯s Woods were all this marshal¡¯s ¡°personal property.¡±

    Isn¡¯t this equivalent to the victim taking the initiative to talk to the robber? Moreover, given the current importance of Computation Beads in the Crimson Citadel system, Marshal Loren was basically Murphy¡¯s ¡°angel investor¡± if you round it up.

    What if as soon as this ¡°spirit energy telephone¡± connects, the other party starts by asking where his beads are? How embarrassing would that be.

    But thinking about Marshal Loren¡¯s position, he probably wouldn¡¯t bring up such face-losing matters in a formal ¡°diplomatic asion,¡± right?

    Murphy¡¯s thoughts raced. He coughed a few times and said:

    ¡°I have no problem, but regarding the conversation itself, it probably won¡¯t be easy to get the Goldflower Kingdom to promise the existence of a governorship. The Goldflower Kingdom is not Nordtov. The reforms that country is undergoing make it like a hungry wolf, it has enough ambition and enough appetite to swallow Transia.

    If it weren¡¯t for the impending ck Disaster, I think the peace between the two sides might not evenst a few years.

    So, do you and your deputy have any political level suggestions for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Miriam took out a manuscript and handed it to Murphy, exining:

    ¡°These are the suggestionspiled by Professor Malcolm, as well as his understanding and description of the Goldflower Kingdom at various levels. He thinks this will give you a clearer understanding of that country and its system.

    As for the strategy during tomorrow¡¯s conversation, the professor suggests that you don¡¯t get stuck on the details.

    Marshal Loren is a man with a strong military style, he might prefer straightforward confrontation, even innguage.

    ording to the information provided by Lieutenant Frayzer, Marshal Loren has already been appointed by King Louis as themander of the kingdom¡¯s eastern front and ck Disaster response. Therefore, from a power level, he is fully qualified to determine whether you can be appointed as the governor of Transia, and provide political advice to King Louis.

    And ording to some rumors circting in the Goldflower Kingdom, Marshal Loren is King Louis¡¯s most trusted military member, so his attitude can basically be equated to King Louis¡¯s attitude on this matter.¡±

    Maxim didn¡¯t catch the deeper meaning in Miriam¡¯s words, but Murphy understood.

    He raised his eyebrows and asked with a straight face:

    ¡°So, the advice my Crimson Regent gives me is to try my best to please that enemy country¡¯s marshal?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Miriam nodded seriously and said:

    ¡°This is a usable strategy, and based on my learning experience in history and administrative subjects, it¡¯s often very effective.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t do!¡±

    The loyal Maxim immediately vetoed:

    ¡°How can the lord please the enemy? If the people knew about this, it would definitely cause unnecessary ripples. Currently, our people harbor a deep hatred towards the Goldflower Kingdom, especially the Pioneer Army. Miriam!

    When you make suggestions, you need to consider the attitudes of our own people, instead of always viewing yourself as an outsider to thisnd.

    This is also your homnd!¡±

    ¡°Sigh, can¡¯t we just not let them know?¡±

    Miriam sighed and said:

    ¡°Although it sounds bad, concealment is also one of the essences of politics. The lord is supposed to lead the people, not be bound by their opinions. Max, you actually know that at this stage, maintaining good rtions with the Goldflower Kingdom has no disadvantages for Transia, right?¡±

    Maxim kept a straight face without speaking, but this silence itself was a clear enough answer.

    ¡°I won¡¯t please him!¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°Let alone my true thoughts on this matter, just speaking of my other identity, as someone who has already been recognized by Her Majesty the Wolf Queen of Nordtov and granted the acting governor¡¯s authority, if I bow down to the border marshal of the Goldflower Kingdom in such an asion, it means the support I¡¯ve worked so hard to gain from the northerners will also be lost.

    I mustplete the dialogue with Marshal Loren on an equal footing, but this is actually an opportunity!¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes and said to the attentively listening Miriam:

    ¡°The Wolf Queen¡¯s appointment document is already in hand, and the royal seal of the Winter Pce on it is the ¡®weapon¡¯ I can use. Marshal Loren and his King Louis may not care about the attitudes of Transia¡¯s vigers, but they cannot ignore the prestige of Nordtov.

    Miriam, you¡¯re right, this is about national dignity.

    But not our national dignity.

    Trust me, if you now reveal this appointment document to your senior, I believe that by tomorrow, that dwarf marshal won¡¯t be too unruly!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Maxim immediately became excited.

    He pounded his fist and said:

    ¡°Master Murphy canpletely use others¡¯ strength against them, just like finding a subtle bnce in a sword duel, using the Wolf Queen¡¯s royal authority to suppress that damned marshal.¡±

    ¡°And the Goldflower Kingdom needs us too!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s eyes were shining as she pondered and said:

    ¡°Just as the northerners of the Nordtov Kingdom need us to stand on the front line of the ck Disaster to die in ce of their soldiers, the nobles of the Goldflower Kingdom won¡¯t be willing to send their own children to the dangerous front lines.

    So, if the most optimistic situation urs, that marshal might even take the initiative to rope us in and appease us!

    Ah, who could have imagined that the terrifying ck Disaster could be Transia¡¯s protective amulet in this difficult moment?¡±

    ¡°Tch, you young people, if you had read more of the Portia Federation¡¯s chronicles, you wouldn¡¯t have only just realized this principle at this moment.¡±

    Tris¡¯s voice sounded from the doorway.

    Having just finished cking off and happily drinking a bottle of high-quality ice fire wine, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess was now leaning quite indecorously against the door of Murphy¡¯s office as she came out for a digestive stroll.

    She yed with her mischievous hair tips while saying:

    ¡°From the moment the first city of the Portia Federation was established, using the threat of the ck Disaster and gnolls to seize benefits from the Nord, Sn, and Ket has been the foundation of this country!

    Murphy said one thing very well in his previous report to the Wolf Queen: war itself is the most profitable business. And in the past few hundred years, the human nobles of the Portia Federation have carried this point to the extreme.

    Every ck Disaster would cause heavy losses to the Portia Federation, but after each ck Disaster, this country¡¯s strength would experience an explosive growth! They say live off the mountain if near a mountain, live off the water if near water. If you want to livefortably in this hellhole called Transia, you need to learn to use the threat of those ferocious gnolls.

    They are indeed formidable enemies, but this doesn¡¯t prevent the Portia Federation from using them as a means of making money.

    The unique geographical location here is our biggest trump card when asking other forces for various aids.¡±

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess revealed a slightly disdainful but generally satisfied smile, walked up and patted Miriam¡¯s little head, saying gently:

    ¡°Murphy¡¯s high regard for you is justified. You have realized the survival principle of the rulers of thisnd by yourself, but this is just the beginning, Miriam. As the Crimson Regent, you still have a lot to learn and explore in this aspect.¡±

    Miriam had a very good impression of Lady Tris.

    She had always believed that if all vampires were like Lady Tris, then perhaps humans and vampires could coexist peacefully.

    But until today, she realized for the first time the cunning and erudite soul hidden beneath Lady Tris¡¯s wastrel appearance.

    She realized that this ancient being who had lived in Transia for 400 years had personally witnessed the establishment, rise, and destruction of the Portia Federation.

    Her life experience itself was an invaluable treasure for administrators.

    Miriam seemed to have truly understood why her lord, Murphy, was so young yet so cunning and scheming. It was probably because Lady Tris taught him well?

    ¡°May I invite you to be my political advisor, Lady Tris?¡±

    Miriam stood up and said seriously:

    ¡°Both I and thisnd need your wisdom very much, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You want to give me another job? Are you trying to work me to death?¡±

    Tris rolled her eyes and said:

    ¡°No thanks! Just dealing with some family affairs is already driving me crazy, and this job isn¡¯t even difficult. You just need to learn how to flip-flop. When the northerners go crazy, bring in Sn forces, when Sn tries to flip the table, lean towards the northerners.

    It¡¯s a pity that the Isa Kingdom has already been annexed by Sn, otherwise that cunning ind nation isted overseas that has always been ying the ¡®continental bnce¡¯ strategy would be your most loyal ally.

    Your predecessors were dancing on three eggs, but by your turn, there are only two eggs left. This is enough to test your political wisdom and keen sense.

    You do need helpers and advisors, but not me.¡±

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess nced at little Murphy, who was maintaining his handsome smile and gazing at her affectionately, then pursed her lips and said to Miriam:

    ¡°Little Murphy has already said that vampires won¡¯t be the rulers of thisnd in the future. We are just one of the living beings nurtured by thisnd. So go find your own kind, gain wisdom, experience, and lessons from them.

    Can you leave for now?

    I need to talk to Murphy about something.¡±

    Miriam¡¯s eyes immediately turned gossipy. She exchanged a nce with Maxim, and they obediently retreated from the office. After they left, Tris moved her shoulders and swayed her slender neck, saying to Murphy:

    ¡°Femis ising back. She just sent a message and brought back instructions from Lord Payne.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in another woman right now.¡±

    ¡°Be serious! Those two little ones are eavesdropping outside the door¡­ Hmm, now they¡¯ve run away.¡±

 Chapter 186:

    The rtionship between Tris and Murphy was now at a rather delicate stage.

    Murphy had unreservedly expressed his feelings, hoping to engage in an impure rtionship with Tris based on being partners, but Tris was always evasive.

    However, she did not intentionally try to y the role of a femme fatale. She was simply worried that her past wild behavior would cause trouble for Murphy. This stemmed from a parental figure¡¯s protective instinct towards their descendant, even though their blood pact had long been dissolved.

    Apart from this concern, Tris did not reject Murphy¡¯s asional overly intimate gestures.

    As she herself said, she did not dislike this unique descendant of hers. Since she had not explicitly refused Murphy¡¯s advances, some intimacy that did not cross the line was naturally eptable.

    In the office, Tris allowed Murphy to embrace her slender waist from behind. He gently sniffed the mysterious scent tinged with alcohol and midnight favors from her long hair. However, his hands remained proper, not lingering where they should not.

    This was the limit of what Tris could currently ept. Any further would result in a spirit st in the face.

    The good news was that beneath Murphy¡¯s young vampire bodyy a soul that was not immature. The cunning socialite understood the principle of ¡°haste makes waste¡± when it came to matters of the heart. His attitude towards this affection was not merely a passing fancy, he was serious enough and had sufficient patience.

    All seasoned men know that a delicious meal cannot be devoured inrge bites, it must be savored slowly to fully appreciate its sweetness.¡°Behave yourself, I¡¯m discussing serious matters,¡± Tris said with some exasperation.

    ¡°Go on, I¡¯m listening,¡± Murphy replied, closing his eyes and resting his head on Tris¡¯s shoulder, gently swaying his body and causing Tris¡¯s body to move slowly around the office.

    It was like the graceful motion of a dance, and he enjoyed this sense of control, feeling that he even had a talent for micromanagement.

    ¡°Femis¡¯s interrogation with the Blood Pact Knights went smoothly. Lord Payne spent several days listening to everything that happened in Kadman City, carefully inquiring about the impact of the Ten-Year War on the Blood Vulture n, as well as the eternal rest of Salrokdar and the current state of the n.

    Our ns and development roadmap for the future have all been made known to the Lord.¡±

    Tris ced her hand on Murphy¡¯s, resting on her abdomen. Moving her agile and graceful steps in sync with Murphy¡¯s movements, she said softly:

    ¡°Femis told me that although Lord Payne did not explicitly ask, he most likely already knows the truth about Femis¡¯s origins. I even suspect that our actions of stealing the seeds of life with Salrokdar and the other elders did not escape the Lord¡¯s notice.

    To be honest, this worries me a bit.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid that all of this was orchestrated behind the scenes by Lord Payne?¡± Murphy asked in a gentle voice.

    ¡°Do you think that Lord Payne has been watching Salrokdar and Femis¡¯s actions all along, but chose not to intervene and instead allowed Salrokdar¡¯s madness? Only when the previous Blood Vulture Grand Duke took that step towards seeking the sub-space did he finally cross Lord Payne¡¯s bottom line?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I think, and not just a guess,¡± Tris sighed, her voice full of worry.

    ¡°From an impartial perspective, Salrokdar¡¯s original intention in creating the unique life form that is Femis should have been an attempt toplete the bold n I had outlined for him back then. We had tried to mend the innate ws of vampires.

    You¡¯ve seen that Femis cannot initially possess others, but she can give birth to new vampires through human childbirth. From this point of view, Salrokdar and my n had already seeded!

    As the uncrowned king of the vampire lineage who has lived since ancient times, I don¡¯t believe Lord Payne, the most epted vampire leader by other civilizations, would not have considered this.

    He must have hoped that we could peacefully share this world with other races. Femis¡¯s existence represents such a possibility!

    This may be the main reason for Lord Payne¡¯s feigned ignorance. Additionally, the Lord helped Femisplete the final breakthrough of her ck Iron Rank strength and personally presided over her Silver Trial.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that better?¡± Murphy responded in azy voice next to Tris¡¯s ear, as if shedding all burdens.

    ¡°By epting Femis in this manner, Lord Payne has also prevented anyone else who might know from using this matter to threaten us. It also represents the Lord¡¯s forgiveness for your past reckless actions. Since Salrokdar is already dead, you are Femis¡¯s guardian.

    If you can have Femis give birth to a true vampire, Lord Payne will undoubtedly be delighted and might even reward us.¡±

    ¡°So¡­are you prepared?¡± Tris finally stated the reason for her visit tonight.

    She stopped walking and turned to face Murphy, speaking in a very serious and solemn tone:

    ¡°You are the most suitable person I could find to marry Femis andplete this¡­mm!¡±

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess had seriously proposed a possibility, but she seemed unaware that her words had already angered Murphy.

    Before she could finish, the suddenly enraged Murphy pinned her against the wall in a rough manner, followed by a kiss.

    But it was not gentle.

    It carried a sense of brutality, punishment, and rejection.

    To put it bluntly, Tris even felt suffocated, and Murphy¡¯s usually gentlemanly hands crossed the line for the first time, as if to leave a mark, trailing along her scars upwards. With his fingers clenched in a gripping motion, he elicited a low cry of pain from Tris.

    ¡°I can forgive you for carelessly uttering those foolish words that hurt my feelings, my dear Tris,¡± Murphy said, panting, in Tris¡¯s ear after nearly a minute of rough kissing.

    ¡°But if there is a next time, I will be quite angry and heartbroken. Tris, would you want to make me sad? You know I am rather conservative and traditional in this regard. I have no such intentions, nor is there any need to go phndering outside of our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°What did you take my previous confession to you as? A silly joke from a little boy?¡±

    ¡°I was just¡­¡±

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s gaze, which had never looked so disappointed and indifferent in front of her, Tris¡¯s heart trembled. Despite having sufficient strength to teach this brat a lesson right there, she averted her eyes guiltily.

    ¡°Femis has her own destiny. I once promised her that she is free, and no one can dictate the course of her life as cruelly as Salrokdar did. I don¡¯t care or concern myself with which unfortunate fool her feelings will ultimately fall upon.

    But it absolutely cannot be me,¡± Murphy said seriously, taking a step back and withdrawing his ungentlemanly hands.

    ¡°Why?¡± Tris asked as she straightened her slightly disheveled clothes. ¡°Femis is quite adorable, like the dolls made by the halflings. Don¡¯t your warriors also adore her, even giving her the affectionate nickname ¡®rich loli¡¯?¡±

    Murphy did not respond.

    Leaning against his own desk, his gaze wandered up and down, admiring the flushed cheeks of Tris as she straightened her clothes. He raised his left hand, rubbing his thumb against his fingertips, and with a smirk, said, ¡°Cuteness has always paled inparison to sexiness, just as immaturity has no advantage over maturity. What sane person would enjoy eating unripe fruit? As for me, my taste is quite normal. Perfectly ripe, juicy peaches are my true love.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no wonder you and Shani got along so well,¡± Tris¡¯s voice suddenly took a turn, and she softly said with a hint of reproach, ¡°So you like mature women, huh? Even calling her ¡®Madam Shani.¡¯ Is this the kind of thing my little Murphy enjoys?¡±

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±

    Murphy suddenly realized he had fallen into the crimson witch¡¯s trap.

    He realized that although this entire evening seemed to be under his control, it was Tris who had been guiding everything from the start.

    Damn!

    He had forgotten this truth!

    The most cunning hunters often appear in the guise of prey!

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to business,¡± Murphy said, changing the subject in a serious tone.

    ¡°Since Femis will be returning soon, the guardianship of Anderma Hills should also end. That is her fief, and she should manage it personally. I n to assign Mary¡¯s group to her, and she can be responsible for liaising with Goldflower Kingdom.

    Femis was raised from a young age by Salrokdar as a leader. I believe these tasks will not be difficult for her.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, men,¡± Tris gave Murphy a sideways nce, not answering.

    With the aloof poise befitting a Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, she strode out of the office with a graceful gait. Only after Tris disappeared did the guilt-ridden Murphy breathe a sigh of relief.

    Alright, alright.

    He admitted that Lady Shani was indeed his type, but he was serious! Tris was his true soulmate.

    This would never change.

    s, he had lost the mood to deal with territorial matters. He might as well go see what shenanigans the little yers had cooked up for him again.

    In this little moment of ¡°warning¡± heartache, only the most adorable little yers could bring Murphy a shred of sce on this cold night.

    ¡ª¡ª

    The following day at noon.

    The time most abhorred by vampires, the moment of discussion with Marshal Loren was approaching.

    From the cursed timing chosen by the other party, one could see that the half-dwarf marshal intended to ¡°assert dominance¡± over Murphy. For a normal vampire, being able to maintain consciousness at such a time would already be quite remarkable, let alone engaging in a battle of wits.

    The marshal had calcted everything!

    However, even if his calctions were thrown into disarray, he could never have foreseen that Murphy was a unique ¡°day walker.¡± At this hour, not only was he full of energy, but also filled with pent-up anger from the previous night¡¯s events, eagerly awaiting the chance to vent it all during the linguistic exchange with his opponent.

    ¡°Marshal Loren has many taboos,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer proactively contacted Murphy¡¯s core bead frequency thirty minutes before the start of the remote spirit conference, using the spiritmunication enhancement of Pioneer Fortress.

    This foreign officer was here to exin some of the details regarding conversing with the marshal to Lord Murphy.

    He reminded, ¡°Lord Murphy, the marshal is a military man who ces great emphasis on personal appearance. Therefore, please ensure you are properly groomed before the conversation. However, I know you are a true gentleman, so I need not say more on this matter.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that is true,¡± Murphy sat expressionless in his office chair, allowing the yers Orchid and Little Ashina to apply arge box of ¡°vampire makeup¡± to his face.

    The sister yers had epted a task toe and act as ¡°appearance assistants,¡± helping Lord Murphy with his makeup.

    Lumina pinched a razor, trimming Murphy¡¯s sideburns, while Sister Pomegranate tidied up his split ends from behind, taking the opportunity to touch up his eyeliner and groom his eyshes.

    When it came to makeup, no one was more professional than them.

    This was, in fact, a reluctant matter.

    As a vampire, Murphy was handsome and elegant enough. However, being too handsome was not necessarily a good thing.

    His facial features leaned towards a gentle, boyish charm that made yers feel like a spring breeze. However, for a formal diplomatic negotiation, such an appearancecked any sense of intimidation.

    It was the same principle as his evaluation that the youngdy¡¯s petite stature and youthful facecked any gravitas in war.

    As a territorial lord, Murphy needed to exude more authority.

    Miriam and Lady Adele had also been invited. The two were whispering to each other, assessing whether the lord¡¯s demeanor was appropriate, while Tris stood by with a bottle of wine, enjoying the spectacle with a mischievous look on her alluring face.

    Amidst the voice from themunication bead, Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s reminders continued:

    ¡°Marshal Loren dislikes excessive ceremony, especially when discussing official matters. You should be as direct as possible to avoid wasting both parties¡¯ time. Regarding the Kingdom of Nordtov granting you the title of Acting Governor, I have already reported to the marshal¡¯s deputy. He has promised that the marshal will extend the necessary courtesies during your meeting.¡±

    ¡°As it should be,¡± Murphy replied with a straight face.

    He could not move because Little Ashina was using a vampire-specific eysh curler to groom hisshes, and her unique stance with the tool made Murphy feel like she wanted to pluck out his eyes.

    Yet he still had to maintain theposure befitting an NPC, remaining as still as a mountain while Sister Pomegranate wielded a sharp razor to trim the hair on the back of his neck.

    Murphy¡¯s long hair was rather borate to manage, but fortunately, he was meticulous about personal hygiene, which made the sister yers even more fond of Lord Murphy.

    They chattered, discussing their ideal types, eventually reaching a consensus: seven-tenths of Murphy¡¯s handsomeness would suffice.

    After all, they could not handle a man as handsome as Lord Murphy.

    This honest and reliable assessment brought a slight smile to Murphy¡¯s lips. Ah, his little yers knew how to talk.

    ¡°Finally, onest point, and the most important one,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice to advise, ¡°Due to the half-dwarf bloodline being susceptible to certain shameless discrimination in human society, Marshal Loren is quite sensitive about height issues.

    During your conversation, you must be extremely careful not to utter the word ¡®short¡¯!

    If you hope for this discussion to proceed smoothly.¡±

    ¡°I have also heard of the taboos dwarves have in this regard, and I have prepared ordingly. Thank you for your reminder, Lieutenant Frayzer. If this diplomatic meeting can be sessfullypleted, it will undoubtedly be partly due to your efforts.¡±

    Murphy responded courteously, and after a few more reminders, the other side hung up.

    The sister yers had already started selecting fragrances for Murphy.

    Even though such items would be entirely useless during a spirit conference, they seemed to treat Murphy as their ¡°model,¡± debating how to make Lord Murphy look even more handsome and charming.

    In the end, the well-traveled Orchid provided a definitive solution.

    From the ¡°vampire makeup¡± supplied by Lady Adele, she found a unique, subtly elegant rose fragrance and sprayed it on Murphy. Then, Sister Pomegranate arranged Murphy¡¯s long hair over his shoulders in the most graceful yet authoritative manner.

    Everyone took a few steps back, admiring their model like a work of art. Miriam and Adele nced at each other, both surprised by what they saw in each other¡¯s eyes.

    These otherworlddies were truly skilled!

    After their efforts, Lord Murphy had gained an air of elegance and authority toplement his signature gentleness.

    Even Tris, who took a sip of her drink to conceal her captivated gaze towards Murphy at that moment.

    Tsk, her taste was truly impable!

    Randomly encountered on a snowy night, yet she had found such a handsome and loyal descendant.

    A few minutester, everyone left the office, leaving Tris behind as a Spirit Mage assistant. Upon sensing the vibration of a spirit channel bearing a specific mark from afar, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess waved her hand, and with the precise oscition of crimson spirit energy, the ultra-long-distancemunication channel was opened.

    Mirror-like light screens appeared simultaneously before Marshal Loren and Lord Murphy, allowing them to see each other.

    Murphy was in the Blood Vulture Halls office, while Marshal Loren seemed to be on a moving steam train.

    The former wore the ssic ceremonial outfit of the Blood Vulture n, while thetter donned a marshal¡¯s uniform with a blue sash, his meticulously groomed mustache evident.

    One exuded authoritative elegance, the other elegant authority.

    Murphy smiled, about to greet the other party, but the half-dwarf marshal suddenly asked:

    ¡°So, you¡¯re the little vampire thief who stole my stuff? Why are you even wearing makeup, looking like a sissy?¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    A hundred questions instantly arose in Murphy¡¯s mind.

    We¡¯re all respectable figures now, yet you¡¯re still bringing up embarrassing past incidents in this setting? No courtesy at all? Deliberately trying to undermine me? Seizing the initiative? Trying to mess with my mindset and intentionally picking a fight?

    Don¡¯t me me for retaliating in kind, then.

    In the next moment, Murphy opened his mouth and said:

 Chapter 187:

    As Murphy had predicted earlier, when Marshal Loren, representing the Goldflower Kingdom, engaged in diplomatic talks with him as the lord of Transia, the topic of that batch of Computation Beads was unlikely to be brought up. After all, the means by which Marshal Loren had acquired those beads at the time were not entirely aboveboard.

    The core bead in Murphy¡¯s possession even had a ring ¡°Loot¡± tag on it.

    Since both parties were thieves, it would have been better to let bygones be bygones. However, unexpectedly, the half-dwarf opposite him mentioned the matter without any concern. This fellow reallycked discretion and had a truly narrow perspective!

    ¡°It seems the continental legends about dwarves being narrow-minded are all true! Who knows if this guy has a book of grudges in his hands?¡±

    After a moment of contemtion, Murphy responded in kind without any courtesy, maintaining a slightly stiff smile:

    ¡°Hello to you too, shorty!¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Marshal Loren, on the other side of the spirit projection, waspletely stunned.

    His eyes widened as if struck by lightning, while Tris, who was maintaining the spirit projection,ughed hysterically, her entire body shaking with the effort to contain herughter, her enchanting expression contorted.¡°Hey, hold it steady! Why does the image keep flickering?¡±

    Murphy called out with a ventriloquism. Tris rolled her eyes and said, stifling herughter:

    ¡°My technique is steady. The problem is on the other side. It seems the destructive power of your joke is truly immense! Oh my, today I finally learned how to make a dwarf hold a grudge against me for a lifetime with a single word.¡±

    ¡°What the hell kind of address is that! Take it back!¡±

    Marshal Loren shouted, somewhat flustered, his mustache bristling:

    ¡°You are provoking a dwarf! No, you are provoking all dwarves! You must apologize for the dignity of all dwarves offended by that damned word! You are instigating a war you cannot possibly win!¡±

    ¡°You said that word yourself. It has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Murphy maintained the iconic posture of a certainmander, with his elbows on the table and his inteced fingers pressed against his nose.

    He steadied his mind and said to the other party:

    ¡°It was your subordinate who warned me in advance not to say that word in front of you. You know, I racked my brains for a long time toe up with a recement word. So, are we going to continue arguing over some trivial matters, or start discussing business, Marshal?¡±

    ¡°You stole 3,000 Computation Beads from me, enough to equip a legion!¡±

    The talks began so explosively that Marshal Loren simply dropped all pretense. He took out a pipe, clenched it between his teeth, and assumed the posture of a big shot, saying to Murphy:

    ¡°And that core bead prototype our country obtained at a tremendous cost, the very thing hanging from your chest. Murphy, you mustpensate for this! Until this condition is met, I refuse to engage in any diplomatic negotiations with you.

    Don¡¯t think that ¡®Acting Governor¡¯ title of yours can intimidate anyone. The cost for the Pioneer Army to cross the Transia border and overthrow your little faction is nothing more than a sincere letter of apology written by my subordinates and sent to the Winter Pce.

    All I need to do is sign it.

    You!

    Young but cunning and evil vampire, you need to recognize your current strength. You and your little domain are just a small problem that can be solved with a mere ¡®military conflict¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You can certainly say that. With your position and the power you wield, you have enough confidence to make such threats to me. Then let¡¯s do this: have your army set out right now!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°I await in Crimson Citadel to be the ¡®military conflict¡¯ you speak of. But I hope you are prepared to directly trigger the ¡®Third Night War¡¯ before making your decision. Because in addition to being the governor of the Transia region, I am also the first in line to inherit the Blood Vulture n and have already reached a strategic cooperation with the Thorn n.

    At the same time, a vanguard of the Blood Pact Knights is crossing the Foul Swamp.

    If you have heard even a bit of stories rted to the blood ns from old Edward, you should know what thebination of these three factions means.

    Your any irrational act is not only bullying the weak Blood Vulture n but also pping Lord Payne in the face.

    Of course, I also admit that I am now pretending to be powerful by borrowing the prestige of the lord. The lord may not necessarily fly into a rage over the destruction of Crimson Citadel. Perhaps the Thorn grand duchess will onlyment that I inadvertently angered the great Marshal Steelheart, leading to my self-destruction.

    All of this could happen.

    But until they truly ur, the hidden danger in your heart cannot be eliminated.

    So the question is, will you start another war for your king now when the ck Disaster is about to erupt?

    Are you such a madman who indulges his emotions to the detriment of important affairs?¡±

    Murphy spread his hands and said frankly:

    ¡°If you are, then we don¡¯t need to continue this verbal sparring! See you on the battlefield. Do you know what vampires and barbarians, both abundant in thend of Transia, have inmon?¡±

    This speech did not conceal Transia¡¯s weakness and even carried a hint of helplessness and tragic desperation.

    But when it was spoken by Murphy, the acting governor, even the dismissive Marshal Loren had to seriously consider the implications within those words. He puffed out a smoke ring and stared at the excessively young and handsome vampire in the image.

    The spirit projection maintained by three Spirit Masters had a frighteningly high resolution, allowing the marshal to clearly see Murphy¡¯s eyes, the red glints within the ck.

    Like a dancing me.

    This vampire sissy doesn¡¯t seem to be joking, and his decisiveness when issuing threats is more like a genuine dwarf.

    ¡°Heh, you¡¯ve mastered the art of borrowing the tiger¡¯s prestige, but a fox will always be a fox. Don¡¯t bring out your underhanded cleverness that can¡¯t be presented in public!¡±

    The half-dwarf marshal¡¯s aura did not yield in the slightest, but he very smoothly changed the subject, saying:

    ¡°My friend old Finoch died in your ce. This greatly saddens me.¡±

    ¡°Who caused his death?¡±

    Murphy retorted:

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been us, right? I even took in his daughter and followers, granting them the status of citizens as a group of homeless people and protecting all their rights on thisnd. I thought doing this was enough to make up for my guilt in identally taking what belonged to you in a ¡®ck-on-ck¡¯ incident that was not of my own decision. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be unrelenting.

    You haven¡¯t even spent a single penny for the future of your friend¡¯s daughter and followers, while I have to be responsible for supporting them in the face of the ck Disaster.

    You see, I haven¡¯t even asked you for guardianship fees. I thought we had an understanding between us.¡±

    ¡°So, are all vampires so formidable with their tongues?¡±

    Marshal Loren once again puffed out a smoke ring. He said:

    ¡°You and old Edward, both have a tongue that can turn right and wrong upside down. Alright, do me a favor, Lord Murphy, so that I can convince myself to forget this matter that makes everyone unhappy.¡±

    ¡°Please go ahead.¡±

    Murphy turned his ear to listen.

    Marshal Loren looked at the scenery outside the train window. He casually said:

    ¡°Old Edward dispatched his n elite to the eastern front under the pretext of defending against the ck Disaster, but I know what he wants to do. The rampant spread of the Wolfsbane n on Greenleaf Ind has be a social problem. I don¡¯t want the lethal poison they spread in the night to spread back to the continent again.

    Unfortunately, old Edward has already obtained ownership of the entire Cato region in the dark zone from my king by pledging allegiance.

    Sigh, it¡¯s a pity that the ¡®Wolf Disaster¡¯ 70 years ago failed to eliminate them.

    I heard that there is a feud of over several hundred years between your Blood Vultures and the Wolfsbane, and the Wolfsbane n was indeed deeply involved in the disaster of Kadman City. So it should be reasonable for you to ¡®purify¡¯ the night, right?¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t cross the border into your defensive zone to hunt the Wolfsbane pups.¡±

    Murphy frowned and said:

    ¡°And we are short on manpower.¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    The half-dwarf sneered and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the Wolfsbane pups in my defensive zone myself. It¡¯s just those wolf descendants¡¯ vanguard that are about to enter Transia under the name of aiding the ¡®ck Disaster War¡¯, you have to take care of them! They are doing evil everywhere under the guise of war.

    They are belittling this serious matter of war, so they need to be punished.

    As for me, I don¡¯t really like having vampires in mymand system. It makes me ufortable all over.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Marshal.¡±

    Murphy smiled and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Although I¡¯m also a vampire, I don¡¯t like my overly vicious brethren. Alright, I ept your request. I¡¯ll give you a satisfactory ount.

    Now, can we start talking about business?¡±

    ¡°In your dreams!¡±

    Marshal Loren patted the table and said solemnly:

    ¡°Apologize to the dignity of all dwarves for your unseemly remarks just now! And swear to your Night Mother that you will never utter that sphemous word again!¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t expect Marshal Loren to be so stubborn in this regard. He apologized very seriously:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I offended your taboo. I offer my most sincere apologies for my rudeness. I will not utter that sphemous word again in the future.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t control what my little yers want to say.¡±

    He said this in his heart.

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s sincere expression, Marshal Loren finally nodded. He ced his pipe back on the table, leaned on his marshal¡¯smand sword, and said with a solemn expression:

    ¡°Just a few days ago, Lord Pnno, the first lord of the Blood Pact Knights, visited my king. He brought prophecies rted to the ck Disaster and urged us to release the 10,000 armed blood servants captured in the previous war. I guess this is your request, you want to use this batch of blood servants to fill the manpower?¡±

    ¡°Well, to be honest, I am in urgent need of arge amount of manpower now, whether it is to repair the city or build bases on the Foul Swamp front. I need a lot of people.¡±

    Murphy also said solemnly:

    ¡°So you must send those 10,000 prisoners back to Transia as quickly as possible, just as I agreed with the Nordtov Kingdom. I don¡¯t care what kind of losses they caused on your side for whatever reason. 10,000 people means 10,000 people!

    I won¡¯t ask for more, but I can¡¯t ept less.

    You just wiped out 150,000 people in Transia in one go, putting tremendous pressure on the defense of thisnd.

    Also, the Winter Wolf Legion of the Nordtov Kingdom has already upied Fort Crimea. They will assist our defense there. What about you?

    Marshal, how is the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s army preparing to assist us?¡±

    ¡°You also want themand of the war in Transia?¡±

    The half-dwarf was once again shocked by Murphy¡¯s audacious request.

    He said, bristling his mustache and ring:

    ¡°Do you think I would feel at ease handing my soldiers over to a vampire? Don¡¯t even think about it! My Pioneer Army will reinforce the fortress cluster in East Prussia. If your defense fails, that will be the second line of steel defense against the gnoll scourge.

    Completing the preparation of the defensive line within six months is no easy task, so don¡¯t expect me to dispatch more soldiers to your ce.¡±

    ¡°But what about the border guards?¡±

    Murphy retorted:

    ¡°In addition to the 50,000 Pioneer Army troops, there should be an equal number of border guards in East Prussia and the Anju region, right? Arge portion of them were ¡®puppet troops¡¯ you incorporated during the Ten-Year War.

    They were originally local legions of the Portia Federation.

    They were part of the forces used by this country to defend against the ck Disaster. Now, as the governor of Transia, there should be no legal issues with me taking back theirmand in the ck Disaster war, right?

    If you are unwilling to let go, I can even sign an agreement with you.

    After the ck Disaster ends, if you want those puppet troops back, I can return them to you!¡±

    ¡°Those newly formed border guard legions are indeed a problem. Their loyalty, will, andbat readiness are no different from refugees. Especially the military discipline problem is as disgusting as a group of gnolls.

    If you really want them, it¡¯s not impossible to give them to you.¡±

    The half-dwarf marshal pondered for a moment and said:

    ¡°I have a requirement. Those people can be under your control, but I will dispatch a group of professional officers to train andmand them. You must not interfere with their wartimemand under any pretext and be responsible for their supplies, Murphy.

    You are not a soldier.

    It¡¯s best for an outsider like you not to meddle in such professional matters. This is advice from a marshal.¡±

    ¡°Agreed!¡±

    Murphy agreed to this harsh condition without hesitation, but the next second, he haggled:

    ¡°My territorycks various supplies. I need military support, but I know you won¡¯t give me anything too good. So when those border guards are dispatched, bring their weapons along as well.

    At least don¡¯t make me issue each of them a wooden stick to charge into battle. That would be a bit too unseemly.

    Even if they are cannon fodder, they shouldn¡¯t be used in such a way.

    Also, if possible, I need some machine tools, at least enough to satisfy the most basic military supplies like repairing and processing firearms, as well as self-producing bullets and bombs in the rear of the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Ha, has Transia be so poor that you don¡¯t even have these things anymore?¡±

    Marshal Loren joked:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you pledge allegiance to my king, Murphy? Then you¡¯ll get everything you want.¡±

    ¡°We originally had them! Seicob City was Transia¡¯s manufacturing center and the pride of the entire Portia Federation. The firearms they produced were synonymous with excellence even among the halflings of the Genoa Penins.

    Then, you destroyed it with a gue!

    Just like when you destroyed Kadman City.¡±

    Murphy responded in a cold tone:

    ¡°Do I need to repeat the reasons for Transia¡¯s fall to this state one by one for you? Marshal, I know war is only about victory and defeat. For soldiers like you, victory is justice. Soldiers can abandon all morality for the sake of victory. That is your professional quality.

    But for a group of plunderers to trample on a poor person who has just been looted and loudly mock their poverty and backwardness, I think even in dwarf social customs, it is not something worth advocating, right?

    The war has ended, but a new war is about to begin!

    Regardless of how you personally view Transia and me, this vampire lord, we arerades-in-arms you can¡¯t shake off in the ck Disaster war.

    Unless you are willing to destroy us before the gnolls and have the Goldflower Kingdom¡¯s fellows shoulder the responsibility that should have been ours!

    If you don¡¯t want your citizens to bleed and sacrifice, then please fulfill my request, because the people of Transia are about to shed their blood for your safety.

    We may still have opportunities to confront each other in the future, Marshal.

    I swear!

    At that time, I will return all the arrogance you have inflicted on me and Transia today. But the premise of us being able to confront each other is if we still have a ¡®future¡¯ to speak of.

    Return those production lines you snatched from Seicob City!

    Those are our things. They can y a far greater role in our hands than being idle in yours.¡±

    ¡°Very well!¡±

    Marshal Loren nodded and said:

    ¡°Your current demeanor is much better than the Prime Minister of the Portia Federation who surrendered to me before and had rickets. Keep it up, young but notcking in courage vampire.

    The things you want have already fallen into the hands of the Carpe family. They are preparing to build several new factories in East Prussia. You know who to talk to.¡±

    After saying that, the marshal was about to end themunication, but Murphy stopped him.

    ¡°Onest thing.¡±

    The vampire lord said:

    ¡°Regarding my identity, I hope King Louis can issue an imperial decree appointing me as the governor of Transia to ensure that Transia better fulfills its role as a strategic buffer zone between the two countries.¡±

    ¡°The ssic diplomatic flip-flopping of the Portia Federation. Of course, this has already be your tradition. So let¡¯s converse using the traditions left over from the previous ck Disasters.¡±

    Marshal Loren picked up a Transia governor appointment letter on the table that had already been stamped with the royal seal.

    He pointed at the nk name field and said to Murphy:

    ¡°If you survive the ck Disaster and if the name ¡®Transia¡¯ still exists on the continent, this thing is yours. So, it¡¯s a deal?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a deal!¡±

 Chapter 188:

    Lieutenant Frayzerpleted the handover with another intelligence officer who came to take over at Pioneer Fortress, then left his barracks with a rxed face, carrying his luggage that he had packed more than ten days ago.

    From today, he will enjoy his first vacation since the end of the war.

    Although the originally promised three-month vacation was reduced to two months, the lieutenant had noints. Fulfilling one¡¯s duty against the backdrop of the impending ck Disaster is an honorable thing. Moreover, as His Majesty¡¯s eyes and ears and the heir to the Carpe family, he must aplish something to prove that his sess does not rely on his noble birth.

    But even someone as upright as Lieutenant Frayzer had to admit that his smooth military career was indeedrgely due to his surname.

    The Carpe family was a prestigious family in the Anju region even during the Sn Kingdom era!

    Relying on Frayzer¡¯s grandfather¡¯s precise bet in middle age, they became a powerful force in the royalist party. When the reform of the Sn Kingdom began, they had already built factories in the country. His father also hitched a ride on King Louis¡¯ carriage and monopolized the supply of the Royal Guard¡¯s logistics for a period of time.

    After the establishment of the Goldflower Kingdom, King Louis¡¯ generous rewards made the already powerful Carpe family even more of a ¡°pir of the nation¡±.

    An ancient heritage, an open-minded education, plus a constant influx of money, Lieutenant Frayzer was born into such a family background.

    But fate yed a joke on the Carpe family. Among the children born in his generation, whether in the main branch or important side branches, he was the only boy. Being such a ¡°sole seedling¡± meant he was undoubtedly confirmed as the family heir from infancy.The affluent and noble life once suffocated Frayzer.

    This was not Versailles.

    If you knew the lieutenant¡¯s schedule at the age of eight, you would know that this pressure was literally suffocating.

    Someone with his family background simply had no freedom of choice. None of the Carpe family would allow a weak good-for-nothing to take over the family. What they wanted most at this time was to take another step forward. Even an excellent conservative sessor could not satisfy them.

    From the moment of his birth, Lieutenant Frayzer had to be outstanding, far surpassing his peers.

    Excellent?

    That was just his obligation as the Carpe family heir and was not worth a bit of praise.

    Under these circumstances, the lieutenant had only felt free during two periods in his 30 years of life so far. One was the two years he spent studying after entering Shaldor Engineering Academy at the age of 17.

    The second was his military service immediately following his student career.

    While everyone else wasining about General Loren¡¯s strict military discipline, only Lieutenant Frayzer was enjoying this ¡°rxed and free¡± good life. However, there are some things he must face.

    The lieutenant¡¯s journey home was very different from the other officers on leave with him. He did not need to take a carriage to the steam rail station being extended to East Prussia, nor did he need to ride back withpanions. He only needed to carry his luggage from the barracks to the dispatch station at Pioneer Fortress.

    Less than 2,500 steps away, the three high-level Spirit Mages from the family specifically responsible for pick-up and drop-off were already waiting there.

    They would use a rtively saferge-scale teleportation spell to send the lieutenant directly to the vicinity of the family headquarters¡¯ manor. The fact that such a show of force could be mobilized fully indicated that his father wanted to see his son urgently.

    Perhaps there were also some important matters to be entrusted to Frayzer.

    This once again made the lieutenant, who was unfazed even when facing vampires, feel pressured.

    In his view, dealing with his father and elders was much more difficult than dealing with Marshal Loren. This was normal. Politicians have always been much more difficult to deal with than soldiers.

    ¡°Young Master, if you are ready, we will start the teleportation immediately. You don¡¯t have to worry about teleportation going out of control. In addition to myself, there are three colleagues at the Master level in teleportation spells maintaining the ritual at the family manor. Even if something really goes wrong, they will bring you back from the Astral Realm at the first opportunity.

    Of course, you still need to wear this evil protection amulet to ensure your absolute safety.¡±

    A plump, elegantly dressed female Spirit Mage in Carpe family ceremonial attire handed a shiny, impressive-looking amulet to the lieutenant and softly said a sentence.

    Lieutenant Frayzer took it, put it on, and nodded with a smile at the dazzlingdy.

    He knew thisdy was one of his father¡¯s mistresses and his father¡¯s most trusted subordinate. She graduated from the Maniption School of Circle Tower with high scores when she was young and had the opportunity to enter the national Spirit Mage organization, but was recruited by his father with arge sum of money.

    To put it bluntly, thisdy¡¯s body and soul belonged to his father, and they were bought by his father at a clearly marked price. But for thedy in front of him, this was not a humiliation.

    She was really expensive!

    She took pride in it.

    ¡°I can leave at any time, Lady Lina.¡±

    The lieutenant replied in a gentle tone.

    But just as the three Spirit Mages were casting the spell, the lieutenant¡¯s spirit bead suddenly vibrated. This made the lieutenant look down in surprise. After seeing the uniquely marked spirit symbol, his expression changed slightly.

    ¡°Wait a moment, I have an important call to answer.¡±

    He put his luggage on the sofa in the dispatch hall, then slowly walked out of the ritual hall, found a hidden spot, and connected themunication. In the next instant, the voice of the vampire lord Murphy rang out.

    ¡°Hello there, little young master of the Carpe family and brave Lieutenant Frayzer.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s voice was a bit distorted, with interference and noise.

    This was normal in the absence of amunication enhancement matrix. Even with the boost from the Computation Bead¡¯smunication enhancement essory, having a conversation over such a long distance was a matter of luck.

    ¡°Hello, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer politely asked,

    ¡°What can I do for you? You got this privatemunication frequency from Miss Miriam, right? Please tell my junior! I¡¯m very unhappy about her unauthorized disclosure of my personal contact information!

    It¡¯s too improper.¡±

    ¡°Miriam was just being loyal to her duties. Don¡¯t have any negative feelings towards her because of this. After all, this conversation is not a waste of time on personal matters, but official business.¡±

    Murphy casually exined, then got down to business:

    ¡°I just finished an unpleasant meeting with Marshal Loren, but at least we achieved some results. However, one of the matters concerns you, or more precisely, your family. Do you remember the battle two years ago when the Pioneer Army destroyed the city of Seicob?¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember. I personally participated in that battle as a front-linemander,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer said softly.

    ¡°The fearless Seicob Winged Cavalry left a shadow that still haunts my midnight dreams. But in that battle, we sessfully captured the Prime Minister of the Portia Federation and his entire governing body. After that battle, the Portia Federation entered a chaotic state of infighting.

    That battle was a turning point in thetter half of the Ten-Year War.

    But I guess you¡¯re not here to discuss history with me, let alone spend valuable time condemning us for using spirit gue weapons to achieve victory.

    Please speak directly, Lord Murphy.

    State your needs.¡±

    ¡°Seicob was not only the capital of the Portia Federation but also the industrial center of the Transia and Saxony regions. After you defeated that city, you dismantled and removed all the production lines.

    From a soldier¡¯s perspective, I can understand the necessity of such actions. But now that Transia has reached an agreement with the Goldflower Kingdom on preparations for the ck Disaster war, I need you to return those stolen production lines to help Transia quickly restore its basic weapon manufacturing and repair capabilities.¡±

    Murphy said gravely,

    ¡°Marshal Loren told me that the production lines from Seicob all fell into the hands of the Carpe family. Among all the people this marginal vampire knows, the only one who has some connection with the Carpe family is you. Therefore, I want to ask you to help us get back those production lines!

    The sooner, the better.

    An excellent soldier well-versed in history like you should know the significance of those things in defending against the ck Disaster. If Transia falls, then your family¡¯s Anju region cannot possibly remain safe and sound.

    Helping us is helping yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Lieutenant Frayzer raised his eyebrows.

    Then he said,

    ¡°I never interfere with the family¡¯s business activities. Perhaps I can help, but I want to rify one thing in advance. That is, what is Transia willing to pay to get back those spoils of war that already have new owners?

    Before you answer this question, I ask you to think carefully.

    Please.

    Don¡¯t insult my family with money.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the key point I want to discuss with you,¡± Murphy said, his tone bing somewhat casual.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not naive enough to think you¡¯ll donate for free. How could capitalists be so kind-hearted? I can allow the Carpe family to establish factories derived from those production lines in any region of Transia.

    You choose the address, we¡¯ll be responsible fornd nning, providing manpower, operations, and investment in construction. The Carpe family can appoint a financial officer to monitor this process.

    60% of the profits from these factories in the first three years will go to you, and after three years, they will be owned by the Transia Governorate.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, sir, we cannot possibly ept these terms,¡± the lieutenant, though not a businessman, immediately sensed the harshness in Murphy¡¯s conditions after ten years as an intelligence officer. He shook his head and said,

    ¡°My father would even think you¡¯re making a joke that¡¯s not funny.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a rush, young man. I¡¯m not finished yet,¡± Murphyughed, then emphasized,

    ¡°From the date the factories start production, your family will monopolize 40% of the logistics supplies for the ck Disaster war in the entire Transia region. Until the ck Disaster ispletely over, we won¡¯t look for other merchants and will only purchase from you.

    I learned about the Carpe family¡¯s rise to prominence from Professor Malcolm and heard from Tris about your grandfather¡¯s hardships when he ran the wool business in the Cato region in his youth.

    He did Tris a small favor, so Tris told him about an ancient treasure buried somewhere in the Anju region. Your grandfather found it and used that money to monopolize the wool and textile business in the Cato region.

    That was also the turning point for the Carpe family, which had fallen into decline. To this day, the few textile factories there are still important industries for the Carpe family.

    Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to repay this favor.

    I just want to say that monopoly was the secret to your grandfather¡¯s generation being able to operate the Carpe family with great sess. I once told another noble that war is always the most profitable business, and the Carpe family is the absolute leader in this field.

    If you can¡¯t understand this, then¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I fully understand what you mean and the enormous profits you¡¯re talking about,¡± Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s mind raced, then he said,

    ¡°But if you want to win over my father, perhaps you¡¯ll have to bleed a little more. After all, you don¡¯t deny that Transia is at risk of annihtion in the ck Disaster war. You need to add an extra ¡®insurance¡¯ for this risk.

    For example, using tax revenue as coteral¡­¡±

    ¡°Ever considered bing a vampire and working for me, Lieutenant Frayzer? You¡¯re really well-suited for our line of work. I even feel that our physical methods of sucking marrow from bones seem too affectionate and gentlepared to you hereditary old-money capitalists,¡± Murphy replied, very displeased.

    He said,

    ¡°30% exemption on various taxes for the first three years!¡±

    ¡°50%!¡±

    The lieutenant shouted a t price. The sound of a table being pounded came from the other side, making him grin. He knew Lord Murphy would eventually agree.

    ¡°For the first year, I¡¯ll give you a 60% tax exemption, then 30% for the next two years,¡± Murphy said gravely after a few seconds.

    ¡°But the factories I want must break ground within a month and a half! Neither of us has that much time to waste, Lieutenant. You and I both know this. No matter how much you earn, you need to be alive to spend it!¡±

    ¡°Then, I will convey your terms to my father and do my utmost to persuade him,¡± the lieutenant replied politely, then said to Murphy,

    ¡°Now please transfer themunication to my junior Miriam. I have some personal matters to discuss with her.¡±

    In the office at the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy nced at the somewhat apprehensive Crimson Regent with a startled look, then transferred themunication frequency over.

    Miriam returned to the office with a shameful expression after several minutes.

    It was obvious that Lieutenant Frayzer, as her senior, had given her a harsh scolding for casually disclosing his personal contact information. He had given his contact information to Miriam out of trust and friendship. Someone of his status values personal privacy the most.

    ¡°I want to remind you, Miriam,¡± Murphy popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate reaching a basic understanding agreement with the Goldflower Kingdom. While pouring drinks for several important members who wereing to the office to celebrate, the vampire said quietly to his Crimson Regent,

    ¡°You should be careful with these rich young masters. They are the best at deceiving girls, especially cute young and naive ones like you. If you¡¯re not careful, they¡¯ll devour you until not even your bones are left. I don¡¯t want to see youing to me in a few months, pregnant and crying about being deceived by a scumbag.

    You¡¯d better not do that, because I will mercilessly mock you.

    But now that you¡¯re a baroness, why not choose a surname for yourself?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m already a baroness. Why do I still need a surname?¡± Miriam rolled her eyes and touched the si ring on her finger. She said,

    ¡°Now they all call me Miriam Mond. I think that¡¯s good enough.¡±

    ¡°But a name isn¡¯t just for marking your identity. It¡¯s also used tomemorate family and lineage. Didn¡¯t you admire your mother the most?¡± Murphy poured a ss of wine for his capable subordinate and persuaded,

    ¡°Add her name to it as well. It will sound even better.¡±

    Miriam was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

    She raised her ss.

    To the vampire lord before her, whom she had gone from loathing and fearing to trusting and following, she said,

    ¡°Then from today onward, my name is Miriam Cynthia Mond.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a truly memorable day!¡± Murphy also raised his ss in celebration.

    The moment their sses clinked, the office door opened. Tris, who had run over after smelling the aroma of fine wine, put her hands on her hips and scolded, very displeased,

    ¡°Well, well, you two! Drinking in secret without me, huh? Just you wait! I¡¯ll curse you with a terrible spirit spellter.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m back!¡±

    Although his impression of his father had always remained at the level of a ¡°psychological shadow¡± from childhood, when Lieutenant Frayzer returned to the long-absent family manor after years of war and saw his father personallying to the door to wee him, his eyes still reddened. He stepped forward and embraced his father, who had already grown white hair.

    Don¡¯t thinking to the manor entrance to wee him was just a ceremonial reception. With the scale of the Carpe family manor, which epassed an entire mountain as a scenic viewing tform, it took nearly 30 minutes to ride from the main residence to the front gate.

    At Count Leon¡¯s current age and physical condition, this was really a remarkable disy of parental love.

    This manor behind the father and son had always been called ¡°Skanderbeg Castle¡± by outsiders.

    ¡°Skanderbeg¡± was the name of Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s grandfather and the first owner of this manor. He was the most outstanding head in the history of the Carpe family, a figure whom Frayzer¡¯s father, Count Leon, and the lieutenant himself regarded as a role model and strived to pursue his achievements.

    Oh, and that mountain valley at the center of this manor was where the ancient treasure Tris had told Skanderbeg about was buried.

    ¡°The eldest daughter of the Seville family head has been waiting for you at the manor for two days. That youngdy named ¡®Becky¡¯ is outstanding in all aspects. Perhaps you should dance the first dance with her at tonight¡¯s celebration banquet,¡± Count Leon said softly, leaning on his cane as he walked towards the carriage apanied by his son.

    The lieutenant did not object.

    He knew objecting was meaningless.

    In this manor, any sentence from his father without a question mark was an order.

    Even if his tone was gentle, it was still the case.

    As for the Seville family, they were one of the top three noble houses in the Anju province, famous for producing loyal, valiant, and powerful shock knights. Of course, this ranking excluded the behemoth Carpe family.

    ¡°I will do as you wish, Father. But there is one matter I need to discuss with you,¡± the lieutenant said as he boarded the carriage to the main residence, cing his luggage at his feet. He repeated the agreement he had just made with Lord Murphy to his father, who was watching him.

    Count Leon did not interrupt. Only after his son finished speaking did he smile with satisfaction and say,

    ¡°My son has grown up, knowing how to fight for the family¡¯s interests and possessing grand ambitions and vision. Your grandfather¡¯s judgment was impable. In thest moments of his old age, he always said you would achieve even greater things than him.

    I believe it now.

    After all, I didn¡¯t have your decisiveness and courage when I was thirty.

    But my son, since you¡¯ve determined Transia has potential and now faces the ck Disaster situation, rather than making a sessful deal, it¡¯s better to do a favor for that rising vampire lord. And since it¡¯s a favor, might as well be more generous.

    If a favor makes the other party hold a grudge, it¡¯s not a good look. There¡¯s no need for tax exemptions. We¡¯re not short of that bit of money, but Transia is.

    Hmm, let your fianc¨¦e handle this matter.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The lieutenant widened his eyes in surprise. He said,

    ¡°But Miss Becky is a noble youngdy. How can she¡­¡±

    ¡°In addition to being an elegant youngdy, she also ranked third in the Seville family martial arts tournament and, like you, graduated from the History Department of Shaldor Engineering Academy. She now manages a portion of the Seville family¡¯s foreign business.

    You¡¯re my son, Frayzer. Although our father-son rtionship has been stiff since you were little, how could I not know your preferences?¡± Count Leon smiled mysteriously and said,

    ¡°Rather than devouring boring sheep, my son prefers to conquer a lioness of his own. Interacting with Miss Becky won¡¯t bore you, son. But hopefully, you¡¯ve prepared your beast taming whip.¡±

 Chapter 189:

    ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly easy to strike a deal. I thought he would make more outrageous demands, given the current situation of Transia. We only have that metaphysical backbone left.¡±

    In the shadows of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy was surprised that the negotiation with the Carpe family went so smoothly. Lieutenant Frayzer¡¯s conditions were indeed harsh, but if these conditions could bring back the desperately needed basic industrial production lines to his territory, Murphy was willing to pay more.

    No one on thisnd understood the power of mastered technology better than him.

    Although the technology in this world was slightly different from what he remembered, it was not a problem. At the very least, a gun was still a gun. If all else failed, he could recruit some ¡°punishing¡± little yers to handle it manually.

    He would never underestimate the little yers¡¯ ¡°trouble-making¡± talents in this area.

    ¡°Miriam, I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡±

    Murphy instructed the Crimson Regent beside him:

    ¡°The nobles in the Anju region may not be as tolerant of vampires as the locals. I¡¯d better not show up to avoid scaring them. If they demand more benefits in the next detailed discussion, you can give in appropriately. My only request is that those seized production lines must be retrieved as soon as possible.

    We cannot solely rely on the merchants of the Nordtov Kingdom. That would be putting our lifeline in someone else¡¯s hands.¡±¡°Yes, I wille up with a detailed n, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Miriam nodded.

    As a student of the Shaldor Engineering Academy, she was not unfamiliar with machinery and had seen those ¡°iron artworks¡± firsthand during her off-campus internship at a halfling factory.

    She believed she could handle this matter, and since Lord Murphy had already established a connection with the eldest son of the Carpe family, the other party would not be too unreasonable.

    Those nobles, especially old aristocratic families like the Carpe, were very particr about maintaining a proper image.

    ¡°Go ahead and get to work.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s ears twitched, and he said:

    ¡°It seems my warriors are engaged in a task of great importance to them. I should go and observe their victory.¡±

    With that, his Blood Wings spread open, propelling him into the sunlight. As a ¡°day walker,¡± the moment Murphy entered the sunlight, dense shadows gathered around him to shield him from the sun¡¯s rays.

    This was a spirit technique called ¡°Shadow Cloak.¡±

    Originating from Tris¡¯s casual instruction, it was a standard ability for high-ranking vampires, used to protect them when they had to be active under the annoying sunlight. However, the gathered spirit shadows could notpletely protect a vampire¡¯s delicate skin, so after flying for a few seconds, Murphy felt the unpleasant burning sensation.

    It was as if a fire had ignited beneath his skin.

    Ah, it burned so much.

    He told himself a dirty joke in his mind to cheer himself up. Then, quite smoothly, he leaped through the crack in the cliff wall that had torn open the city¡¯s great ravine and entered the outer city¡¯s sewer system.

    During this process, he could clearly see purple spots of light flickering in the sunlight at the bottom of the ravine, which reached several dozen meters deep.

    This represented the concentration of Astral Realm spirit energy far exceeding the surface at the lowest point of the ravine.

    Originally, these things were supposed to dissipate, but the reopening of the Astral Realm¡¯s rift had revived them. Murphy didn¡¯t know what was at the very bottom of this ravine, which had been sted open by over a dozen dimensional meteorites, and he didn¡¯t want to know. For now, just let those things remain there.

    They could deal with themter when the territory had spare resources.

    Once inside the sewer, theforting darkness enveloped him from all sides, eliciting a contented moan from the vampire. He then leaped forward like a ghost, heading towards the area where the little yers had gathered inrge numbers.

    His perception of life was like a standard radar, guiding Murphy through thisbyrinth without losing his way.

    At the same time, the yer army assembled by Joy Stick had gathered about fifteen minutes away from sewer entrance number seven.

    Although he had initially posted a recruitment message asking for ck Iron rank yers, Joy Stick didn¡¯t turn away other little yers who came to join the excitement. Besides, having more people had its advantages.

    ¡°Brothers who haven¡¯t reached the ck Iron rank can hunt around the perimeter. I estimate that once we break through that door, we¡¯ll alert the surrounding groups of ghouls. Your task is to hold them off and drive them back.¡±

    Joy Stick stood on a wooden crate, waving the family¡¯s Wing de, and shouted to the yers below:

    ¡°Consider it grinding experience, brothers! If this search yields any gains, I, Joy Stick, will definitely not short-change you!¡±

    ¡°Brother Stick is awesome! Hooray!¡±

    Laughter echoed from the crowd.

    They didn¡¯te for a share of the rewards but mainly because Brother Stick¡¯s team had been searching for this so-called ¡°Mob Boss¡¯s Vault¡± in the sewers ever since entering Kadman City. Now that they finally had a lead, everyone naturally wanted to witness the good news and share in the excitement.

    More importantly, there had been no NPC quest guidance for the ¡°Mob Boss¡¯s Vault¡± storyline from beginning to end!

    This was a ¡°side quest¡± that yers independently found clues for and pieced together. The little yers were eager to see if this approach would work, as when would they ever get rich by simply doing quests and working for the stingy NPCs?

    Not to mention, those Computation Bead plugins sold by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild are good stuff. However, not many yers can afford them now.

    The one currently nicknamed the ¡°ck-Hearted Witch Hunter¡± by everyone, Natalie, has set outrageous prices, 20 gold coins for a single bead plugin, which is practically a death sentence.

    yers¡¯ beads have three slots, so to fill them all would require at least 60 gold coins.

    And ording to the ¡°great senior¡± Meow King, those plugins each have their uses. If possible, it¡¯s best to have aplete set. So, just for this one item, yers need to have a reserve of over 100 gold coins.

    Not to mention that after the 2.0 version update, yers now have to pay money to learn skills from NPCs. If features like enchanting or weapon enhancemente out in the future, how far can this little money go?

    Are you going to enhance your weapon with Elly from the Celestial Realm with just 100 gold coins?

    What a joke! Who do you think you¡¯re looking down on?

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s quite outrageous.¡±

    Murphy, peeking from the nearby darkness, nodded in agreement upon hearing the little yers¡¯ints.

    ording to Miriam, those bead plugins could be obtained for no more than 1 gold coin at any hardware store in Shaldor Port. With connections and bulk purchases, they could even get discounts.

    The halflings had long industrialized the production of those plugins, driving the prices down to extremely low levels. Moreover, the plugins Natalie had were just standard ones, without any masterwork or advanced versions.

    Murphy had advised Natalie to charge a bit more to raise funds for the construction of the Avalon Cathedral, but she had increased the price by 20 times, which was indeed unreasonable.

    But the most frustrating part was that she was currently the only one selling these bizarre items in the entire Transia region, so¡­

    ¡°Monopoly businesses are the easiest to do.¡±

    Murphy sighed inwardly, then took out a bottle of fruit wine mixed with a bit of diluted blood, poured a mouthful, and settled into afortable position to enjoy the yers¡¯ attempt to raid this ¡°Mob Boss¡¯s Vault.¡±

    Murphy had long known about the gangsters¡¯ hideouts for stashing goods in the sewers.

    After all, one couldn¡¯t expect goodw and order in a city ruled by vampires. Furthermore, Kadman City had implemented a rationing system for years, during which the underground ck market thrived, and the gangs in the outer city had umted a lot of money from such businesses.

    Murphy had initially intended to set up a dedicated quest line to obtain these ownerless assets, but after taking over the 400-year umtion of the Blood Vulture n, he no longer saw the point in such petty gains.

    For now, he would consider this as ¡°giving the little yers a family allowance,¡± while also using Brother Stick¡¯s great sess to stimte their already strong spirit of exploration.

    In the real world, many things were buried in various ces. Relying solely on Murphy to find them would take forever. The right approach was to mobilize the yers to be ¡°treasure mice.¡±

    Goods from the Nordtov Kingdom would soon enter Transia. If the yers didn¡¯t have some money, how could they promote consumption in the territory?

    ¡°Blow it open!¡±

    The little yers scattered around the perimeter, and after Brother Stick confirmed that everything was ready, he gave the order to his team.

    Tiger Leopard Rider Lin, carrying explosives bought from the alchemy workshop, stepped forward and piled them in front of the metal door that sealed off a sewer passage.

    While the two former engineers worked, the ck Iron warriors responsible for the assault made their final preparations.

    The now ¡°fully ck Iron¡± student party, Meow Six Squad, Fierce Warrior Squad, and Sister Squad each had their own responsibilities. It was evident that Joy Stick had put a lot of thought into today¡¯s raid.

    He had even spent his own money to buy weapons, oils, and bullets effective against demonic creatures for the ck Iron warriors. Most absurdly, these items were hand-crafted by the alchemy apprentices led by the good pigeon himself over the past few days.

    ¡°I think we should open our own shop.¡±

    The ¡°newborn vampire¡± Leading Pigeon, while loading the spherical bullets coated with special powder into the rifle barrels,ined to his fellow workers:

    ¡°I thought Lady Tris was a good person, but I never expected her to be a full-fledged vampire! The production cost of these demon-ying bullets is no more than 30 copper coins, but she sold them to Brother Stick for a silver coin.

    That profit is terrifying.

    From now on, we can¡¯t buy things from NPC shops anymore. Tell me what you need, and I¡¯ll craft it for you. Just bring the materials, and you only need to pay for thebor.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, she¡¯s a vampire, after all.¡±

    Nearby, Cheche scoffed and said disdainfully:

    ¡°Besides, how are we going to level up if you start a business? We¡¯ve finally taken the lead.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it at all.¡±

    Ah Yuen, on the other hand, supported Leading Pigeon¡¯s decision. He said:

    ¡°The game¡¯s leveling system is designed to discourage us from rapidly increasing our levels. Did you not see the note when you reached the ck Iron rank?

    The official channel told you not to blindly pursue levels at this stage.

    Have you seen the ¡®Potential Release Bar¡¯ on the character interface?

    You can unlock that potential bar throughbat or other activities. You need to reach 70% of your potential to unlock the Silver Trial.

    This process is slow.

    Even if you practice every day, it¡¯ll probably take two months. So you might as well take this opportunity to start a side business.

    Doesn¡¯t Leading Pigeon advancing his alchemy skills represent personal growth?

    Tris is a Spirit Sovereign, but she¡¯s also a Grandmaster Alchemist. The NPC hasid out the profession temte paths for you, yet you¡¯re still hung up on levels.¡±

    ¡°Boom!¡±

    As Ah Yuen¡¯s words fell, the explosives ced in front of the iron door were detonated.

    Murphy couldn¡¯t help but raise his eyebrows at these guys doing such intense activities in an enclosed area. They really weren¡¯t afraid of death. If the sewer copsed and buried them all inside, wouldn¡¯t Lord Murphy have to step in and fish them out?

    Hey, it¡¯s great to have an NPC helping you wipe your ass, right? You bunch of little fools, cherish your lives a bit, won¡¯t you?

    You¡¯re all my precious assets.

    ¡°Charge! Hurry! Shield warriors, forward!¡±

    Brother Stick waved his hand through the dispersing gunsmoke and charged forward, shouting.

    He had already specialized in the Tomb Guard¡¯s sword and shield skills, and Niuniu beside him had done the same. However, the Three to Five from the Meow King¡¯s team had advanced himself from an Apprentice Witch Hunter to a full-fledged Witch Hunter, though his shield fighting style differed from that of the vampire shield warriors.

    As he called out the name of the Avalon deity, streaks of spirit thorns emerged and wrapped around his armor and shield, forming a thicker spirit defense.

    He himself was bathed in emerald light, with a sustained passive healing effect continuously taking effect within his body.

    If one had to describe it, the Witch Hunter shield warrior was perhaps more akin to a ¡°spell tank,¡± with stronger defenses against various demonic attacks and spirit magic.

    Among the ¡°Four Great Shield Warriors¡± of the yers, thest one, Sister Orchid, had neither be a vampire nor a Witch Hunter. She took the most orthodox human ssical route, so her stats and skills were somewhat inferior to the other three. However, Sister Orchid¡¯s high endurance and agility made her the most resilient of the four.

    She was aware of this and followed behind the three fierce warriors, providing support.

    They charged into the passage blown open by the explosion, only to be nearly overwhelmed by the stench that wafted out from this sealed area.

    This was understandable. Imagine a group of gang members sealing themselves in their treasury when disaster struck, but theyter turned into ghouls and were sealed inside for nearly a month. The stench was indescribable, a true ¡°biochemical attack¡± like a poison gas domain, even causing the four who charged in to start bleeding.

    ¡°Disperse!¡±

    From the back, Meow King, the leader of the casters, raised his staff and shouted, casting an Oak Knight¡¯s natural purification forward, summoning an emerald wind to blow. The vampire Spirit Mages, Leading Pigeon and Cheche, then conjured Dark Spirit into Raging Gales, weakening the foul stench.

    Fiercebat subsequently erupted in the passage.

    Unexpectedly, it was not particrly dangerous. After all, this was not a real dungeon with powerful enemies guarding the treasury. The ghouls stationed here were no stronger than the demonic creatures alerted outside.

    They were nothing to these formidable ck Iron-rank warriors.

    The only trouble was that the outer city gang had set up traps inside their treasury.

    The cracked ground and poisoned crossbow bolts shooting out from the sides nearly swallowed Brother Stick, who was in the lead. Fortunately, his vampire senses and flying abilities allowed him to dodge the disaster. Ten minutester, they reached the deepest part of the passage.

    Before them were ck chests and piles of scattered coins of various denominations, though not all gold, stacked like mountains.

    ¡°We¡¯ve struck it rich! Hahaha, see, I told you there would be good stuff here!¡±

    Brother Stick¡¯s eyes shrank to the shape of money in the darkness.

    Apart from the excitement of getting rich, there was a sense of achievement in this being an exploration he had independently driven from start to finish, proving that there was indeed a ¡°treasure hunting¡± mechanism in this game separate from the quest system.

    And the riches before him were the best reward for him, an explorer who had spent a tremendous amount of time and effort exploring the sewers!

    But there was still a bit of trouble.

    As Brother Stick approached the mountain of coins, a low roar sounded from behind the chests, followed by the emergence of arge and two smaller elite ghoul leaders amid the tremors.

    From the remnants of their clothing, they appeared to be the boss and his personal guards of a nearby underground gang.

    Three elite ghouls were no pushovers, but faced with nearly 30 ck Iron warriors eagerly surrounding them, they were merely appetizers before the main course.

    In less than five minutes, thesest roadblocks were dealt with.

    Brother Stick let out a sigh of relief and kicked aside the decapitated body at his feet. He grabbed a handful of coins, and this action immediately triggered a note from the achievement system.

    ¡¾Ding! Server First! ¡®Treasure Hunter¡¯ achievement unlocked! Congrattions to tester ¡®Onboard Joy Stick¡¯ for obtaining the first secret treasure in ¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    Special title ¡®Hidden Treasure Hunter¡¯ progress (1/5).¡¿

    ¡¾Ding! Special Hidden Quest ¡®Murphy¡¯s Troubles¡¯ has been triggered!¡¿

 Chapter 190:

    ¡¾Ding! Special Hidden Quest ¡°Murphy¡¯s Troubles¡± has been triggered!

    Quest Description: Lord Murphy has acquired his own territory, but he is not happy. This unhappiness stems from his inability to fully inherit the offerings from the Blood Vulture family.

    In thend of Transia, there have always been legends about the ¡®Vampire¡¯s Secret Treasure¡¯. Most people regard it as a mere rumor or joke, but Murphy, as a member of the Blood Vulture family, knows that it is more than just a legend.

    He only needs a few people who are skilled in treasure hunting and trustworthy enough to lend him a hand.

    Quest Objective: Visit Lord Murphy and inquire about the rumors of the ¡®Blood Vulture¡¯s Secret Treasure¡¯.

    Quest Reward: Treasure hunting gamey officially updated.

    Note!

    This quest cannot be shared, and Lord Murphy hopes you keep it as confidential as possible. Additionally, you may need to demonstrate your burning loyalty to Lord Murphy before he shares information about the Blood Vulture¡¯s Secret Treasure with you. (Obtain the title ¡®Blood Vulture n¡¯s Eternal Night Knight¡¯)¡¿

    Joy Stick blinked his eyes.He immediately realized that he seemed to have caused quite a stir, as his sessful treasure hunt prompted the game system to introduce new gamey elements.

    Wow!

    This kind of yer-driven game plot progression is truly amazing, and the ¡°server-wide announcement¡± just now was enough to satisfy Joy Stick¡¯s little vanity.

    His private messages suddenly exploded.

    But Brother Stick had no time to reply to them one by one, so he temporarily blocked the private message notifications. He tossed the coins in his hand back onto the coin mountain behind him, turned around, and said to the people behind him:

    ¡°We¡¯ve got it done! This money is ours, quickly have a few people count how much money there is here so we can distribute the profits.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of counting? When would we finish counting all this?¡±

    Chewing on a Nord royal hard candy, Little Ashina retorted while ying with her beloved revolver:

    ¡°This is a treasure trove of a gangster¡¯s hideout, right? There must be things like ount books, right? Any organized group would have such things. Just find it and we¡¯ll know, won¡¯t we?¡±

    Reminded by Little Ashina, everyone immediately scattered and soon found a spirit bag on one of the downed ghouls they had defeated earlier. Opening it revealed a string of rusty keys and a dirty ount book.

    Leading Pigeon took it, flipped through it, and then eximed:

    ¡°Their ie was so huge? It says here thatst month they made 15,674 gold coins from three underground ck market deals. Including the initial ie from this nearly year-old underground gang, the amount of money in this treasure trove should be around 80,000 gold coins.¡±

    ¡°No way! How could it be so little?¡±

    Little Ashina immediately questioned:

    ¡°A simple elementary school math calction would show that there should be at least 150,000 gold coins.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it says here that they used some of the money to buynd deeds in the outer city to set up legitimate businesses, and running an underground ck market also requires people to procure goods through smuggling. These bastards were also loaning money at high interest rates!

    Damn, they really were embezzlers!

    These bastards, and then when the disaster struck, they still had some high-interest loans that hadn¡¯t been collected. Ha, serves them right!¡±

    Leading Pigeon scratched his chin, flipped a few more pages, and then tossed the rusty keys to Joy Stick, pointing to the boxes behind them and saying:

    ¡°There should be an old safe over there, thend deeds and bank notes from Seicob City Bank are all in there. That¡¯s the gang leader¡¯s personal property.¡±

    ¡°Click¡±

    Brother Stick quickly opened the hidden old safe, taking out a bundle ofnd deeds, ten 10,000-gold bank notes, and a small bag.

    It was filled with various gems, which at a nce was clearly the ¡°little bonus¡± the gang leader had procured for himself.

    For a moment, Joy Stick felt the urge to hide these items, but then he shook his head. This wasn¡¯t a real-life opportunity for overnight riches.

    It¡¯s just a game.

    No need to be so extreme.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s divide it up.¡±

    Joy Stick plopped down on the pile of coins, ced the items from the safe in front of him, and under the illumination of the surrounding torches, he said to the yers around him:

    ¡°Just as we agreed before, one share for each of you who helped, and twenty gold coins for the brothers out there who were busy, no objections, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, let¡¯s discuss this.¡±

    Leading Pigeon and his brothers talked it over, then turned back and said:

    ¡°We don¡¯t want our share of the profits, just give us thend deeds, Brother Stick. I¡¯m nning to open a store across from Lady Tris¡¯s alchemy shop too, using a low-price strategy to run her ck market shop out of business! Heh, our good Pigeon just can¡¯t stand these profiteering merchants.¡±

    ¡°You might want to take it easy on that.¡±

    Leaning on her shield, Orchid sighed and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s the shop of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, you really have no workce experience, do you? You¡¯re on Blood Vulture territory and you¡¯re a vampire yourself. Are you trying to offend your n leader?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    Leading Pigeon blinked, then waved his hand sincerely and said:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll open it in the camp instead. How could a real man stoop to the level ofpeting with weakwomen? But we still want thend deeds. Even if we don¡¯t use them ourselves, we can sell them to NPCs who want to open shopster. Who knows, we might even trigger some quests by finding the deed owners.¡±

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±

    Tiger Leopard Rider next to Brother Stick pursed his lips and said:

    ¡°Although the gold coins are dazzling, thend deeds are clearly more valuable. If the Crimson Regent acknowledges the legality of these deeds, you¡¯ll instantly own several plots ofnd in the city. Tsk, are you nning to get into the otherworld real estate business?¡±

    ¡°But right now they¡¯re just waste paper!¡±

    Ah Yuen argued reasonably:

    ¡°We¡¯re taking a risk getting these, what if Lady Miriam doesn¡¯t acknowledge them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue, don¡¯t argue! This is a game, why bicker over a few lines of data?¡±

    Little Ashina mmed her revolver onto the box with a bang, and the short figure spread her arms in a ¡°mediator¡± pose, saying brazenly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t ruin our brotherhood over these things, it¡¯s not worth it! How about this, all the profits go to us! I¡¯ll pay online with RMB.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even more absurd!¡±

    Orchid reached out and tapped Little Ashina¡¯s head, saying:

    ¡°Just the money here is 80,000 gold coins, even at the lowest 1:1 exchange rate, that would be¡­¡±

    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s only 80,000 yuan, what¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    Little Ashina held her head and rolled her eyes, saying:

    ¡°Am I short that much? Ugh, don¡¯t hit my head! I¡¯m serious, we need startup capital too. Brother Stick, Leading Pigeon, and Meow King, you guys judge.

    With such a huge pile of money, even if we divide it among everyone, there¡¯s nowhere to put it and nowhere to store it.

    You can¡¯t carry several spirit bags just to hold money every time you go out, can you?

    It¡¯d be better to just convert it into a form of wealth that everyone agrees on right here. That way, everyone¡¯s efforts will have a visible reward, and we won¡¯t have to ruin the good atmosphere by dividing it poorly.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, makes sense.¡±

    Meow King and Brother Stick exchanged a nce.

    They both had ns to form a team, and startup capital was essential in both reality and the game, so Little Ashina¡¯s proposal was quite appealing to them.

    The student faction didn¡¯t really care much.

    Although they also needed to band together, their youthful carefree attitude and brotherly loyalty meant they yed the game without too much real-world thinking, still stuck in the ¡°loyalty above all¡± stage.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s just do this.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate stepped out and said to everyone:

    ¡°I¡¯ll draft an electronic contract now, and we¡¯ll settle this matter.¡±

    ¡°So formal?¡±

    Precipitation Niuniu said hesitantly:

    ¡°It¡¯s just game currency trading.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re silly, now on the forums, Little Ashina and Feel You Poor, those two bad guys, are buying gold coins at high prices, driving the exchange rate up to almost 1:30. If we go by that exaggerated rate, this pile of money andnd deeds would be worth well over several million.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate shook her head and said:

    ¡°Of course, such arge-scale game currency transaction couldn¡¯t use that exaggerated exchange rate. I estimate the developers wouldn¡¯t allow it either. They¡¯re trying to test the game to ensure the project progresses smoothly. If we do this, it will make the testers y with selfish motives, and it¡¯s easy for something to go wrong.

    If we anger the developers and they ban our ounts, that would be disastrous.

    So my suggestion is, why not set it at 1:1?

    From now on, we trade at this rate. This way, the profits from farming gold in the game will plummet, and there won¡¯t be so many testers spending all their time doing it just to make money.

    But I think we should still run it by Brother Alpha and see what he says.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    Meow King nodded and said:

    ¡°This game isn¡¯t a traditional one after all. Monsters don¡¯t drop money, and what Brother Stick did, spending over twenty days specifically treasure hunting, isn¡¯t something ordinary people can do. It won¡¯t massively impact the game environment.

    But 1:1 is a bit too much. The forums are at 1:30 now. I think maybe 1:10 or 1:5 would be better.

    I¡¯llmunicate with Brother Alpha, you guys draft the contract first.

    As for thend deeds, let¡¯s just give one to each faction, and the rest go to Brother Stick. This sewer treasure was developed by him, so it¡¯s only right that he gets the biggest share.

    This way, none of us offends the others.¡±

    ¡°Those boxes contain weapons and gunpowder hoarded by the gang.¡±

    Brother Mao stepped forward and said softly:

    ¡°I looked, they¡¯re all standard craftsmanship stuff, even some low-quality goods. We definitely can¡¯t use them, why don¡¯t we donate them to Mr. Maxim in exchange for some reputation?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    The leaders of the few small factions quickly confirmed the situation with a few short sentences.

    Sister Pomegranate went offline to draft the contract, while Meow King logged onto the game forum and quickly sent a private message to the admin Alpha, exining the situation.

    Actually, Meow King was quite anxious, after all, offline game currency trading is prohibited in all games unless the official tform allows it. Given the development team¡¯s conduct for ¡¶Reality Realm¡·, Meow King estimated they wouldn¡¯t care about such petty profits, so it was hard to judge the official stance on their private agreement.

    What if they screwed up and got their ounts banned? That would be disastrous!

    But contrary to his expectations, the admin Alpha quickly responded, quite concisely, with just one word:

    Alpha: ¡¾Okay.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Huh? Wait, Brother Alpha, you guys aren¡¯t even going to discuss this? Why don¡¯t you ask the dev team? I mean, it¡¯s no small deal if this gets you in trouble.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Do you think we haven¡¯t discussed this kind of thing in advance? Don¡¯t scare yourself, if offline trading was really prohibited, Feel You Poor and Little Ashina would have been banned when they were brazenly buying gold coins on the forum before.

    You know, Meow King, our game emphasizes 100% realism, right?

    So can internal yer trading follow the same logic as real-world trading?

    Let me be frank with you, this is also one of our research topics, and there¡¯s even a dedicated team observing it as a ¡®social experiment¡¯.

    I can clearly tell you!

    The dev team¡¯s attitude towards this isissez-faire, you can handle your internal affairs however you want.

    There¡¯s only one bottom line!

    Don¡¯t disrupt the normal progress of the testing project. That¡¯s a red line, anyone who dares cross it will be out.¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Understood, but even at the 1:1 exchange rate suggested by Sister Pomegranate, it¡¯s still a considerable ie for the studio. If they get involved¡­¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾That¡¯s an issue the testing team needs to consider. But I want to remind you, Meow King, the premise for the dev team not to interfere with internal trading among testers is that the current leading yers among you have the ability to maintain ¡®order¡¯ within your group.

    If you can¡¯t maintain it and cause chaos, then we¡¯ll have to intervene.

    Take this matter of exchanging game currency for RMB, for example.

    If you can get all the testers to follow this rate and make it an established convention, then we won¡¯t just not interfere, we¡¯ll even use it as a basis for future economic system updates, like designing an ¡®official trade certification¡¯ function in the game.

    Anyway, what I want to remind you is, this is a 100% realistic game. It¡¯s easy for you to find enjoyment in it, but the difficulty of making achievements in Transia won¡¯t be any easier than making a name for yourself in the real world.

    Oh, and by the way, the NPC intelligence upgrade is underway, so their behavior logic will be more human-liketer.

    What I mean is, not only will you engage in business wars, but they will too.

    So be mentally prepared in advance.

    By the way, do you want me to act as a notary on behalf of Alpha Company for your electronic contract?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾Of course, that would be great, it¡¯ll put everyone at ease.¡¿

    After this exchange, Meow King returned to the game in a pleased mood and told everyone about it. The yers had mixed reactions, but Little Ashina was exceptionally happy.

    Securing this treasure meant she and her little buddies wouldn¡¯t have to worry about in-game economics for a long time, and they could spendvishly.

    In the end, they agreed on a 1:10 ratio of gold coins to RMB, which was basically like water to a young millionaire like her.

    Within twenty minutes, everyonepleted the transaction with satisfaction and joy. Although they didn¡¯t earn much, the easily satisfied students were all beaming, each earning a few thousand in profit after their one-tenth share.

    Not to mention thend deeds in their hands would be worth even more if acknowledged.

    ¡°Come,e, help load these coins into boxes and carry them upstairs.¡±

    Little Ashina waved and shouted:

    ¡°I need to find a way to store this money. Say, why hasn¡¯t Lord Murphy issued paper currency yet? Gold coins look pretty but are so inconvenient to use.¡±

    The others, impressed by the rich girl¡¯s chicken leg rewards, all came to help, but Brother Stick stood alone frowning.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was unsatisfied with the profits, but because as soon as he opened his private messages, he saw Feel You Poor had sent dozens of messages seeking a trade:

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Brother Stick, sell me your treasure, I¡¯ll trade with you at a 1:10 ratio! 1:15 is fine too.¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Uh, it¡¯s been sold already. Little Ashina took the entire treasure. Sorry brother, and the officials have set an internal exchange rate now, it¡¯s just 1:10, even if you offer 15, no one would dare sell to you.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Ah, why does someone try to outspend me in a game? This game experience is too bad, isn¡¯t it? But Brother Stick, do you n to keep treasure hunting?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Yeah, do you want to join? But you better level up quickly.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Nah, I¡¯m a casual yer, can¡¯t handle that stuff. What I mean is, if you n to do this professionally long-term, are you interested in forming an officialpany? I can invest in you guys!

    Just convert the profits to game currency at a certain rate for me, what do you think? If it works, I¡¯ll draft a contract now.

    3 million investment enough?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾¡­¡¿

    This guy!

    Can¡¯t buy the gold coins, so now he wants to buy people?

    Hey, human trafficking and forced prostitution are illegal!

 Chapter 191:

    Seeing that Onboard Joy Stick was slow to respond, Feel You Poor was getting a bit impatient.

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Well, I know 3 million is a bit little, can¡¯t be helped, I lost some money in my previous business. That¡¯s all the pocket money I have left for now. If you think it¡¯s too little, maybe wait till next month when my fund earningse in, I can chip in some more.

    Oh, and by the way.

    I also have an vacant office building, I rented it for three years all at once back then, but thepany went under within three months. I can sublet it to you guys at a low price to use as an office space.

    Formuting to work, let me think about it¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Don¡¯t even think about it! It¡¯s not that I think it¡¯s too little! Is this how you rich guys y games? Can¡¯t buy in-game currency so you just buy people instead? Are you trying to keep me and my brothers as sugar babies?¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾The term ¡®sugar babies¡¯ sounds a bit weird, but unexpectedly fitting. Just think of it as me hiring you guys for a job, flexible work with no attendance required.

    I¡¯m not trying to have you bound in the game to work for me, just investing in your treasure hunting business. Apart from that, I won¡¯t interfere with whatever you guys do, just think of me as a ¡®periodic dividend¡¯ shareholder.

    Money is not an issue.Really, as long as you guys are willing, we can negotiate anything.

    Why don¡¯t youe visit me in the real world?

    We can have a face-to-face discussion and sign a contract.

    I¡¯ll cover the round-trip airfare, bring all your brothers along and we can have a good time together.¡¿

    To be honest, with Feel You Poor¡¯s offer reaching this level, Onboard Joy Stick was a bit tempted. He had always wanted to form a ¡°professional team¡± in the game, but unfortunately, the good brothers he yed with were not single bachelors like him who could eat well without the whole family going hungry.

    They were all in their thirties and needed to make money to support their families. Even with 14 hours of game time a day, they couldn¡¯t exhaust it all.

    The pressure of supporting a family weighed on them, making it difficult for the brothers to enjoy gaming freely. But this damn game was so realistic that to make any significant progress, they had to invest a tremendous amount of effort.

    Just look at Brother Mao, a sword talent prodigy, he still had to put in hard work to practice before he could take on elite enemies unscathed.

    However, if they could really bring in an investor and start apany to support the brothers,

    Even if they didn¡¯t earn much, as long as it wasn¡¯t less than their current ie, without the burden hanging over them, Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s n to build his in-game army would also progress much more smoothly.

    Onboard Joy Stick narrowed his eyes.

    A few secondster, he replied to Feel You Poor:

    ¡°Let me discuss it with the brothers first, I¡¯ll give you an answer before we log off tonight.¡±

    Afterwards, he went to help Lady Ashina move those coins, but as he approached, Meow King bumped his shoulder with a subtle smile and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Someone wants to ¡®keep¡¯ you, huh?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick looked at Meow King in surprise, then realized:

    ¡°He sent you one too?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? We were the ones who brought him into the game to level up.¡±

    Meow King rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°That little rich guy is alright, young and innocent, no bad intentions, just a bit impulsive and childish at times, but that¡¯s not a bad thing. If you n to find a way out for the brothers, it¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick nodded and asked:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tempted?¡±

    ¡°I n to do my own thing.¡±

    Meow King grinned and said:

    ¡°You guys can form a big army, I¡¯ll do a small team, diversified operations, you know. Being an information broker has good prospects too, as long as you stay ahead, there¡¯s always an opportunity. Hah, Transia, great potential.¡±

    As they were moving the crates out of the secret passage, the little yers were still grinding ghouls nearby, having received their 20 gold reward per person, and no one expressed any dissatisfaction.

    For now, it seemed that yer numbers were still low, and everyone¡¯s rtionship was extremely, extremely harmonious.

    And this entire process was observed from start to finish by Murphy, hiding in the shadows. The vampire lord was very satisfied with how he had handled his little yers this time.

    He could now confirm that the test subjects he had screened were truly outstanding talents.

    As for the 1:10 gold coin exchange rate, he didn¡¯t care about it at all.

    Perhaps in the future there might be some sort of ¡°financial crisis¡± kicked up, which if this were any other game, would have to be controlled at the source as a major risk. However, Murphy was well aware that this was not a game at all!

    This fact alone determined that the difficulty for the little yers to try and disrupt the ¡°game¡¯s¡± economy would increase a hundredfold.

    In the real world, neither Goldflower Kingdom nor Nordtov would turn a blind eye to economic fluctuations. Their respective domestic finance personnel would adopt corresponding strategies to deal with it.

    Taking it a step further, even if trouble did arise in the future, what did it have to do with him, a mere governor of the small Transia region?

    His small regime was still unstable now.

    It might not even survive the ck Disaster, so let the bigger figures like King Louis and the Wolf Queen worry about the problems that may arise in the future.

    Seeing that the yers had cleared the gang¡¯s treasury, Murphy was also ready to retire sessfully.

    However, just before he left, the vampire lord¡¯s ears twitched suddenly. With a surprised expression, he passed through the area of the sewers that the yers had just conquered and headed deeper into the unexplored region.

    His figure moved swiftly through the silent sewers, and after passing an intersection, Murphy changed direction following the shift in sounds, darting to the other side.

    Soon, he saw that the path leading to the deeper, more ¡°ancient¡± sewer areas was littered with the bodies of ghouls.

    Kadman City has stood for 400 years, and although the vampires had no intention of concerning themselves with the living conditions of their ¡°livestock¡± and ¡°food supply¡±, they had carried out a fewrge-scale renovations of the city¡¯s sewers. This led to the already intricate sewer system having some even more hidden ¡°underground areas¡±.

    Murphy had heard rumors about these ¡°ancient areas¡± before, with stories saying that even the city¡¯s gangs dared not carelessly enter them, and that something terrifying lurked inside.

    The evidence proved that terrifying things indeed existed!

    Murphy had seen it with his own eyes.

    In the dried-up sewer ruins before him, the bodies of undead creatures were scattered everywhere. These ghouls met horrific ends, with almost no intact remains.

    It was as if they had been struck by some heavy object and smashed into a disgusting mess when they hit the ground.

    The sounds of intense battle wereing from the darkness ahead, indicating that someone was still fighting these ghouls and vengeful spirits.

    Murphy gripped the hilt of his Necessary Evil sword and swiftly advanced, then lightly glided down through a lower entrance. As expected, he saw a tall, ferocious figure swinging a crimson greatsword as tall as himself, ughtering the ghouls that kept charging out from the pit below.

    It was Kudel, the civilian protection officer of the Blood Vulture n!

    This guy had previously been rescued from the Blood Vulture Halls and settled in the camp, where the survivors he protected adored him. However, a few dayster, this fellow had ¡°mysteriously disappeared¡±. No one had seen Sir Kudel again, and there were rumors that he had left Transia.

    But the truth was, this crazy civilian protection officer had not abandoned his duties. His fighting stance was as ferocious as before in the halls, but the weakness in his body could not be hidden from Murphy.

    Kudel was a human knight personally embraced by Salrokdar. After Salrokdar¡¯s eternal slumber, the damage from that blood pact contract left him unable to even exert one-fifth of his usualbat strength.

    But even so, this weakened man did not retreat in the face of the ghoul horde!

    ¡°So this is why, despite the horrifying number of the dead in the sewers, there has been norge-scale ghoul assault on the surface to this day. I originally thought fate favored this tragic ce, but it turns out you have been shouldering the burden for us in the darkness.

    Sir Kudel, I salute you!¡±

    Murphy shouted loudly.

    With the whistle of Necessary Evil flying into battle like a shadow de, Murphy also unsheathed his Frostfang de and glided down. His gloomy steps unfolded, a mass Death¡¯s Grasp was cast, and his sword art transformed into the most suitable for group battles, the ferocious and brutal ¡°Wolf¡¯s Kiss¡±.

    This was an advanced sword art of the Wolfsbane n, taught to Lord Murphy by the ¡°Grandmaster Demon de Instructor¡±.

    He entered the battlefield from the other side, effectively helping to relieve the pressure on the civilian protection officer.

    The two vampires quicklyunched a counterattack against the undead creatures emerging from below, with one on each side. As Murphy summoned the direwolf George and a few Astral Realm baboons, the five pits from which the ghouls were crawling out were quickly upied one by one and then blown up by Kudel with bombs.

    Judging from his proficient movements, this was definitely not the first time he had done this.

    ¡°Have you been fighting here to protect the surface city ever since you left the camp?¡±

    Murphy sheathed his sword and put Necessary Evil back on his waist, softly asking a question. However, Kudel¡¯s reaction was cold, not even bothering to say a word to Murphy.

    He simply hoisted his bloodstained crimson greatsword and turned to leave.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Murphy called out again.

    The crimson swordsman stopped in his tracks and said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°Get lost! Vampire, don¡¯t disturb me. I¡¯m fulfilling my duties.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, bearing a deep grudge against the Blood Vulture n. It seems that even though you were embraced by midnight and blessed for over a hundred years, you are still cursing your fate. Your desire to be a true human far surpasses enjoying the power granted to you by midnight.¡±

    Murphy smiled.

    He had already learned about Sir Kudel¡¯s life experience from the youngdy before. This fellow¡¯s aversion to vampires was not merely superficial. Combined with his mind being impacted by the chaotic aura of the sub-space in the Blood Vulture Halls, it was evident that he had no intention of engaging in further conversation with Murphy.

    ¡°Swish¡±

    A creature scan was thrown at the crimson swordsman before him:

    Name: ¡¾Nantes Ranger & Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer¡¿Kudel Feodoro Seville Lessenbra

    Rank: Level 30 ¨C White Silver Body ¨C Elite Temte

    Professions: Level 20 Midnight Sword Master / Level 15 ssical Holy Grail Knight / Advanced Equestrian

    Status: Blood Pact Damaged ¨C Extremely Weakened ¨C Sub-space Invasion ¨C Mind Muddled ¨C Iron Will

    Evaluation: Neutral ¡¤ No Threat

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    Enraged upon sensing Murphy¡¯s scan, Kudel spun and mmed his crimson greatsword onto the ground, bricks scattering as the pair of eyes hidden behind the vulture mask red sharply at Murphy, ready to engage in battle without a word!

    ¡°I mean no harm, I just need to confirm your situation in order to properly address it.¡±

    Murphy raised both hands.

    Then, under Kudel¡¯s watchful gaze, he took out a small jar of source blood from his spirit bag and tossed it over, saying:

    ¡°Drink it, it will allow you to permanently andpletely sever Salrokdar¡¯s influence over you. It might also help with your muddled mind. Don¡¯t mind me, I don¡¯t intend to disturb your noble act of protecting the city.

    I know you are fulfilling your duties, and I greatly respect anyone who is loyal to their duties. After you recover, I wish to discuss something with you.¡±

    Kudel ignored Murphy¡¯s words.

    He twisted open the source blood jar, held it to his nostrils and sniffed, then gave Murphy an odd look before tilting his head back and drinking down the much-needed substance.

    The source blood¡¯s cleansing of the blood pact rapidly restored Kudel¡¯s damaged body with strength. Of course, the permanent life limit damage caused by the elder¡¯s death could not be recovered, but the simple loss of health was not difficult for this powerful and outstanding civilian protection officer to ept.

    His power came from hundreds of years ofbat experience, not just a simple midnight blessing.

    A few minutester, Kudel reopened his eyes.

    The healing of the blood pact damage allowed his aura to quickly recover to its peak, and the first taste of source blood also enhanced him beyond his former self.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    The civilian protection officer said hoarsely:

    ¡°What did you want to discuss with me? If you want me to join the Blood Vultures, forget it! I won¡¯t let that dog cor go around my neck a second time!¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°I only wish to invite you to continue serving as the ¡®Civilian Protection Officer¡¯ of Crimson Citadel. If you¡¯re interested, you can return to the surface and get your appointment document from Baroness Miriam. Additionally, as you must have already noticed, my warriors are currently cleansing the sewers above of filth.

    Among them are humans who have lived lives simr to yours before. They too are defending this city, so I hope you will lend them a hand when you encounter them,

    or perhaps even guide their poorbat skills.

    They are mountain folk from the Saxony region, with a coarse and hard to understand dialect. So you¡¯ll need this tomunicate with them and direct them to tasks within their capabilities.

    I don¡¯t know how many people have died in these sewers.

    But I believe the number of ghouls currently transforming is a terrifying astronomical figure, far too much for you alone to save the city.

    You need assistants.

    Or in the words of knights, you need a brave retinue.

    I will send them before you, and let you choose. I think you understand that this is a necessary matter, not just to stabilize Blood Vulture n¡¯s rule.

    Well then, I shall not disturb you from carrying out your duties any further, Sir Civilian Protection Officer.

    May your hunt today be enjoyable.¡±

    Murphy bid a courteous farewell in the darkness. Under Kudel¡¯s gaze, this strange young vampire who was only of ck Iron rank but gave him a different sense of threat turned and vanished like a ghost into the lower sewer exit at incredible speed.

    After confirming Murphy¡¯s presence hadpletely disappeared, the civilian protection officer turned and hoisted his greatsword, heading into the darkness on the other side.

    During the disaster, too many people had fled into the sewers. However, the series of cmities triggered by the ferocious and vicious Astral Realm spirit energy did not spare them mercifully. Too many people died in this gloomy ce far from sunlight, and it seemed even more sinister evils lurked in the unknown underground tombs of decay.

    At present, the number of ghouls and vengeful spirits here was so great that they could not be killed off.

    This was clearly abnormal!

    Perhaps he really did need some help?

 Chapter 192:

    Today, half of the posts on the game forum were rted to the gang treasure excavated by the ¡°Onboard Joy Stick.¡±

    Especially that exaggerated ¡°server-wide announcement¡± dered to the little yers immersed in trash-picking that this game still had strange treasure-hunting gamey, and it was a highly profitable one.

    So, whether or not the little yers had entered the game, as well as the ¡°food-tasting party¡± on the forum, they began a grand discussion on this topic.

    ording to the information currently released by Brother Stick, these hidden treasures often require collecting arge amount of scattered clues and unraveling them piece by piece to determine the general location and information of the hidden treasure. The real difficulty lies not in defeating monsters but in gathering intelligence.

    After all, they are called ¡°hidden¡± treasures, so of course they cannot be casually left out in the open for little yers to pick up money.

    After summarizing this point, Brother Meow, aspiring to be an information broker, opened a separate post stating that he had at least three pieces of information that might be rted to the secret treasure, but of course, he would not give them away for free. Those interested could privately message him in the game.

    Brother Meow was not just making noise, he really had the goods.

    As one of the first batch of yers to join the Witch Hunters, he had also collected a lot of information from the Avalon Church. Coincidentally, the Witch Hunters were adept at gathering information, and they had fought through the entire Ten-Year War, so they understood many things about Transia and its surrounding areas better than the yers.

    Currently, Brother Meow could confirm that there should be many valuable things to be found in the ruins of the destroyed Seicob City in northern Transia by the Pioneer Army.And ording to rumors, there was a warehouse belonging to a local miningpany in the southern mining district.

    Finally, the gnolls!

    Bandit gnolls were rampant in Transia, but ording to the Witch Hunters, there were several major gnoll bandit gangs in the area that had existed for over twenty years. These fierce bandits had reigned over the mountains for so long that it would be unbelievable if they didn¡¯t have some stockpile.

    Brother Meow was confident that his three pieces of information could bring him a lot of profit. His only regret was that there were too few yers currently, making it impossible to mobilize arge-scale treasure-hunting expedition.

    But information had a time limit. If he didn¡¯t quickly turn it into some profit before the information expired, it would be wasted.

    And just as the forum was buzzing, the administrator Alpha also posted an official thread, adding more fuel to the yers¡¯ enthusiasm:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡· Today¡¯s Online Update Reminder:

    1. Thanks to the free exploration efforts of the test yer ¡®Onboard Joy Stick,¡¯ the game¡¯s special ¡®Hidden Treasure¡¯ gamey has been unlocked!

    In this continent of swords and magic, basically every vige and city has all kinds of rumors, and 80% of them are rted to wealth.

    As long as you can find these hidden treasures, you can be rich overnight.

    However, how to search for key information from a vast sea of ineffective information is the greatest hardship for those in this line of work.

    Every outstanding treasure hunter is a professional information analyst.

    Want to get rich quick?

    Then shoulder your pack and go hunt for treasures!

    P.S.:

    Developer¡¯s note!

    There are still undiscovered major treasures in the Transia region, so kids, don¡¯t rush into the dangerous high-level maps. Of course, I won¡¯t tell you that this is because the other regions still have many functions that the exhausted programmers of the development team have yet toplete.

    2. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the test yers in clearing the city sewers, the number of monsters in the outer city sewers has been reduced to an eptable safe level.

    But this does not mean that the underground shadows have dissipated.

    On thest night in Kadman City, countless people fled into the sewers to escape the disaster, and now, these unfortunate souls have be part of the disaster.

    From today onwards, the ¡®Ancient Region¡¯ of the Crimson Citadel sewers is officially open!

    Those who are fearless and brave can continue to venture into this hidden, most ancient, and dangerous area of thisnd to search for and confront more numerous and ferocious demonic creatures.

    Additionally, to protect the mental and physical health of the adorable little yers, the Count of Kadman and his Crimson Regent have dispatched the powerful and cold-hearted civilian protection officer, Lord Kudel, to enter the ancient sewer region and assist the test yers in carrying outrger-scale cleanup operations.

    Additional note!

    The civilian protection officer, Lord Kudel, has a rather peculiar personality and harbors a fiery hatred for all demonic creatures. Therefore, when facing him, all test yers must behave like a human.

    3. After waiting like watching the stars and the moon, the programmers of the development team finally managed toplete the much-needed PVP content we needed, just one day before they had drained theirst drop of blood and won themselves a short vacation.

    Of course, for now, it¡¯s also just a new attempt at gamey.

    In order to effectively improve the quality of life for the survivors of Crimson Citadel and to provide them with a second form of entertainment besides binge drinking, starting today, Baroness Miriam and her administrative team have decided to set up an ¡®arena¡¯ near the entrance of sewer number 7, which has already beenpletely cleared by the test yers.

    And the prodigiously talented Lord Murphy decided to name it the ¡®Fight Club,¡¯ to be managed and operated by his most loyal andbative ¡®monster,¡¯ Lord Maxim.

    This area will be open during the dusk hours of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and will be equipped with specialized protective gear to ensure that test yers will be teleported out of thebat zone when their health drops to 1, so there is no need to worry about safety issues.

    In addition to yer-versus-yerbat, test yers can also choose to enter the ¡®diator¡¯ mode before entering the arena, where they will battle against various monsters unique to the Transia region.

    It is worth noting that all enemies provided in the Fight Club are of the ¡®Elite¡¯ temte, and thus the challenge is quite difficult. Test yers aspiring to make a name for themselves in the underground fistfights should prepare themselves in advance.

    This area can serve as a location forpleting the ck Iron Trial, by paying an entry fee to the organizers in advance.

    To enhance the spectators¡¯ sense of participation, yers can ce bets with the Fight Club host, the ¡®Crimson Lady¡¯ Mary, before each bout begins.

    To avoid gambling risks, the maximum bet amount is capped at 10 gold coins each time.

    4. Miss Femis, the youngdy of the Blood Vulture n, will soon return to her homnd. As one of the most outstanding Spirit Mage prodigies of the Blood Vulture n, Miss Femis will be the undisputed leader of the ¡®Midnight Faction¡¯ within the n.

    Spirit users among the test yers should prepare money in advance to learn various formidable skills and purchase special items from the young Lady Femis.

    5. Optimized the more realistic physics engine and added more interactive intelligent role-ying NPCs and random events.

    6. Fixed a small number of bugs.¡¿

    ¡°??? Fight Club? So Lord Murphy has also watched that movie?¡±

    Immediately, a little yermented below, but was soon unanimously recognized as an ¡°Easter egg.¡±

    Brother Mao, who was still continuing to y ghouls and temper his sword arts in the sewers, was unaware of the events on the forum. However, this did not prevent the heartwarming Murphy from granting him the achievement he deserved.

    ¡¾Ding! Congrattions to the test yer ¡®Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood¡¯ for being the first on the server to obtain the ¡®Glorious diator¡¯ achievement. Special title ¡¾Crimson diator¡¿ progresspleted ¡¾1/30¡¿.

    After obtaining this title, you will be awarded the ¡®Bloodthirsty diator¡¯ set for the PVP first season and the special mount ¡®Crimson diator¡¯s Midnight Warhorse¡¯ by the Fight Club operators!¡¿

    Upon seeing this suddenly popped-up achievement, Brother Mao was momentarily stunned, then broke into a wryugh. He had never expected that his casual action would indirectly lead to the birth of a new gamey feature.

    This could also be considered the development team establishing a new way for yers to obtain equipment, right?

    However, judging from the currently disclosed PVP challenge mode, this thing was destined to be obtainable only by a minority of yers specializing inbat skills.

    ¡°Hey, tomorrow is Monday. Let¡¯s sign up for the challenge together.¡±

    Just as Brother Mao was about to continue practicing his skills, a private message from Sister Pomegranate popped up on his interface, saying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s see who can get that title first!¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Brother Mao replied:

    ¡°But I need to learn advanced sword arts first. How about a PVP match? I heard you used to be a professional?¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business! See you tomorrow evening.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate agreed bluntly and did not respond to Brother Mao¡¯s curiosity, leaving the sword talent a bit disappointed. But he soon picked up his longsword and headed towards the newly opened ancient sewers, which had be the ¡°leveling area¡± for little yers.

    The ghouls here were also bing fewer, and the resentful spirits were unaffected by physical attacks, leaving Brother Mao¡¯s skills nowhere to use.

    He had to find another good ce.

    However, Brother Mao was unaware that the moment he set foot in the ancient sewers, he was being targeted by someone who regarded this ce as their ¡°duty.¡±

    The civilian protection officer, Kudel, eyed the ¡°Blood Servant¡± before him with considerable suspicion.

    He didn¡¯t mind having a few more subordinates to help, but he had to first confirm that this guy was trustworthy and wouldn¡¯t hold him back.

    ¡ª¡ª

    After leaving the sewers, Murphy did not return to the Crimson Halls but instead came to the city mansion where the Crimson Regent and her administrative team were currently residing. It was lunchtime then, and Miriam was gathered at a table with Professor Malcolm and some assistants, enjoying a simple but ample lunch.

    Murphy did not refuse the bowl and chopsticks offered by Miriam, but he quickly expressed his disdain for the culinary skills of his Administrative Knight and camp chef, Franks Shovan, through his actions.

    The stew and baked bread before him were nutritious enough, but they could not be described as ptable.

    ¡°I have decided that the reconstruction of Crimson Citadel must be put on the agenda!¡±

    The picky vampire lord set down his fork, dering that fasting was a virtue. Then, under Miriam¡¯s disdainful gaze, he announced his decision.

    ¡°The ghoul infestation in the upper sewer areas has been dealt with to a safe level, so workers can enter the city and begin the most basic construction.¡±

    ¡°This will be difficult to achieve, my lord.¡±

    Professor Malcolm was wearing an ancient and expensive pair of crystal eyesses with a gold silk frame that Miriam had found in the vampires¡¯ collection, recing his previously shattered frames. This made him look schrly and gentle.

    However, the gray-haired middle-aged man set down his food and said very seriously to Murphy:

    ¡°We do not have enough manpower. Although I know more people will arrive soon, allow me to speak frankly, my lord. We have too many things to do at the moment, and we cannot allocate arge amount of manpower to the grandiose restoration of the city.¡±

    ¡°So you think I want to fully restore the city all at once? In your eyes, am I such a foolish lord, Professor?¡±

    Murphy shook his head and exined:

    ¡°I understand that things must be prioritized. In my vision, we mustplete the construction of residential houses within the next two months! At least six new residential districts to ensure that before the first snow arrives, the people of Crimson Citadel will not have to spend theing winter living in tents.

    For the surrounding viges, we temporarily have no good solution, but at least the war is over, so their days may be a little better.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, two months, six residential districts.¡±

    Professor Malcolm did some mental calctions and said:

    ¡°The time is still a bit tight, but if we don¡¯t consider the aesthetics of the houses and only aim for practicality, it should be achievable. Our cleaners have already properly collected all the reusable materials, and the quarry near Mond Vige has not suffered too much damage and can be put back into use at any time.

    After the Kingdom of Nordtov returns our Blood Servants to us, the reconstruction can be put on the agenda.

    But the problem, my lord, is that weck professionals in this area.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Lord Murphy,¡± Miriam said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen how the halflings build new districts in Shaldor Port. They always hire exceptional Grandmaster architects to be responsible for nning and construction. Otherwise, the result of haphazard city-building won¡¯t be very good.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence, then,¡± Murphy shrugged.

    ¡°It seems my warriors include professionals in this area.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Professor Malcolm was dumbfounded and asked:

    ¡°The mountain folk of the Saxony region know architecture? That doesn¡¯t seem right. They live in mountain settlements themselves, at most excavating mountain stone and using wood to help build some small viges. I¡¯ve seen the dwellings of the mountain folk with my own eyes.

    They are sturdy, yes, but they only meet the requirements of being sturdy and durable. But construction on such arge scale¡­¡±

    ¡°Our mountain folk are different,¡± Murphy waved his hand and casually exined.

    ¡°Although they use their ownnguage, they are also worldly. They know how civilized people build houses and have derived their own set of architectural principles from that. In every aspect, they are different from ordinary mountain folk. It is precisely because of this that they managed to survive the three massacres of the Saxony mountain folk by the Goldflower Kingdom.

    In any case, I have decided to entrust the construction of the residential districts to them.

    From now on, you should mobilize the manpower and prepare. When the first batch of captured Blood Servants is released, we will begin!

    Of course, I will have my architects present a design proposal first.

    If you disagree after reviewing it, we can think of another solution then.¡±

    At the same time, in a tent at the forward camp outside the city, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, who had been deep in thought over a set of blueprints, suddenly looked up.

    As his assistant gently squeezed his shoulders, he saw his tent p being lifted, and the immensely popr among yers, Lady Adele, appeared before him.

    The two youngdies serving as assistants to the Grayman politely withdrew from the tent. After they left, Lady Adele, wearing a cloak to shield herself from the sun, handed him a mind microphone plug-in, indicating that he should insert it into his Computation Bead.

    Then, she cleared her throat and said:

    ¡°Esteemed Grayman, Lord Murphy summons you regarding the designs and ns you have made for our new city. He wishes to hear yourprehensive report.

    Please prepare yourself.

    I will escort you to the Blood Vulture Halls.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The Grayman waspletely dumbfounded.

    He nced at the unfinished design nsid out before him and immediately felt a headacheing on.

    This wasn¡¯t even close to being done!

    Even the street maps, building function details, and overall city nning were only one-thirdplete. And he was really going to be the chief nner for this city?

    Hey!

    Lord Murphy, do you have some misunderstanding about the abilities of a civil engineering student like me?

    Is this really a project I canplete single-handedly?

 Chapter 193:

    When Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman first entered the game, he was discovered to have ¡°talent¡± by Dump Truck Iaido, who served as the manager in the Survivor¡¯s Camp. Although this humble graduate student kept saying he was only superficially talented, he undoubtedly contributed aplete set of ns for the camp¡¯s construction.

    Including but not limited to the specific division of residential and work areas, he helped Sister Jules formte the camp¡¯s health and safety manual, improved the tools used by the lumberjacks, and introduced a new and more convenient method of basket weaving for the women.

    He even presented a simplified tutorial on constructing simple Arabian-style tents using wood and cloth.

    These were pieces of knowledge that Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman found online, but after teaching them to the NPCs at the outpost, they received quite a positive response.

    All these efforts paid off.

    Although in the current yermunity, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman was just an inconspicuous small fry, in the world of the Survivor¡¯s Camp, this ¡°knowledgeable, kind-hearted young schr¡± enjoyed a certain level of renown.

    He was not only the camp¡¯s architect but was also appointed to other positions by Baroness Miriam, such as teaching the children basket weaving, tool usage, and even wood polishing techniques for making a living in his spare time.

    Such experiences made him highly respected by the people of the Survivor¡¯s Camp.

    This could be seen from the increasing intimacy of his two young female assistants towards him, going from being initially fearful to now actively helping him massaging his back and serving him tea, indicating a significant increase in ¡°favorability.¡±Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s gaming experience was also quite different from other yers.

    Since entering the game, aside from visiting the Blood Vulture Halls, he had hardly actively fought any monsters. Yet surprisingly, his character¡¯s level had not dropped much.

    He was currently level 9.

    Of course, it couldn¡¯tpare to the first wave who hadpleted the ck Iron trial, but he was still considered a mid-game yer.

    So the question was, how did Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s character level rise when he didn¡¯t fight monsters or practicebat skills?

    Ummm, this was probably due to his unique profession.

    After guiding the survivors inpleting the camp¡¯s nning and renovations in the game, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman transitioned to a very special profession, ¡°Architect.¡±

    This was a typical ¡°administrative profession¡± that the developers had always promoted.

    It gave Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman skills such as ¡°Terrain Exploration,¡± ¡°Environmental Survey,¡± and ¡°Rapid Drafting,¡± while the actions required to raise the profession¡¯s level were for him toplete the nning, design, and construction ofrger and moreplex buildings himself.

    At first, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman thought this was absurd.

    But after careful consideration, he realized the rationale was not difficult to understand. In the real world, for an architect to umte experience and obtain better certifications, they also needed to continually learn and precipitate knowledge through work.

    After understanding this point, he considered it merely the developer¡¯s ¡°attempt¡± at incorporating real-life professions and entered a state of justifiable ¡°cking off.¡±

    However, no matter how he rationalized cking off, what was meant toe would stille.

    After being brought into the Blood Vulture Halls by Lady Adele, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s mood grew heavier with each step forward.

    Lord Murphy had previously told him to produce a city nning map, which was when version 2.0 had justunched about a week ago. After epting the task, he had been drawing diagrams ever since.

    Of course, he also ¡°borrowed¡± some ready-made materials from the inte, but even with this miraculous tool, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s work progress was still slow.

    This was a city!

    Even for a medieval city, theplexity of its nning and design was far beyond what an undergraduate design student could handle.

    The more he attempted to n it himself, the more he realized his inadequacies in this professional field. The only silver lining was that he didn¡¯t need to consider designing aplex sewer system that would drive one to despair for this new city.

    The sewer system left behind by Kadman City could be used directly.

    But even so, by now, he had barelypleted even a third of the overall nning map, and Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, clutching a pile of diagrams, sighed deeply, feeling the same sense of misery and despair as taking his design to show his tutor, as if he were walking to his grave. Yet, he had no choice but to face this task.

    ¡°This is just a game!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman encouraged himself in his heart:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! The worst oue is just a failed quest, lowered favorability, it¡¯s not like Lord Murphy would kick me out of Transia to fend for myself. After all, I¡¯m just a casual yer, intensity doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    He said this to himself.

    His tense attitude gradually rxed, but after rounding a corner, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman didn¡¯t see Lord Murphy. Instead, he heard theughter of children.

    He peeked out curiously from behind Lady Adele and saw that Grandma Jules from the camp and another unfamiliar elderly nun in religious attire were leading a group of about thirty children walking down the corridor towards the Descendant Hall.

    ¡°Huh? What are they doing?¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman had a mind microphone plugin, so he no longer needed to trante his voice into text and could now speak directly.

    He asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are there human children in the corridor? Isn¡¯t this the sacred ground of the vampire n?¡±

    ¡°This was a suggestion Baroness Miriam made to Lord Murphy.¡±

    Lady Adele answered calmly:

    ¡°She said that since Lord Murphy repeatedly emphasized that vampires will only be one of the many races under the Count of Kadman¡¯s rule in the future, it would be inappropriate to deliberately maintain the mystique of the blood n. To reduce humans¡¯ aversion and hatred towards vampires, the Baroness hopes to open a part of the Blood Vulture Halls for curious humans to tour.

    Lord Murphy agreed to this proposal.

    Today is the first open day. These children are the lucky ones selected from the camp, and they are the first outsiders in 400 years to be allowed to enter the Blood Vulture Halls for a visit.¡±

    At this point, Lady Adele¡¯s gaze swept over the middle-aged woman in an Avalon nun¡¯s robe standing beside Grandma Jules.

    Thetter was highly perceptive and immediately looked back.

    Upon noticing a very unsavory female vampire staring at her with malicious intent, Grandma Marianne did not immediately draw her weapon as before. Instead, she made a religious gesture across her chest and smiled at Adele, then defiantly raised her middle finger at her.

    This action was immediately noticed by herpanion, Sister Jules, who red at her fellow believer and softly admonished her with a few words.

    There are children here!

    Don¡¯t do that, Marianne!

    You¡¯ll corrupt these potential little Avalon devotees.

    ¡°Damn Witch Hunter!¡±

    Lady Adele cursed softly. She had no ill feelings about the children entering the Blood Vulture Halls, but the fact that a Grandmaster Witch Hunter could so brazenly tour the blood n¡¯s sacred ground made her very displeased.

    However, this was an order from Lord Murphy, so no matter how displeased she was, she could only endure it.

    ¡°This is the right choice. People¡¯s fear often stems from the unknown. Once they clearly understand vampires¡¯ daily lives and know that not all vampires feed on blood, their resistance to Lord Murphy and Lady Tris¡¯s new Blood Vulture n will diminish.¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman nodded, clearly in full agreement with Lord Murphy¡¯s decision.

    This made Lady Adele look again at this shy, tall foreigner warrior.

    She had interacted with yers for more than just a day or two, and she knew that no matter their outward personalities, they had all undergone strict education, and their knowledge far exceeded 90% of themoners on this continent.

    It was truly tempting to imagine what kind of splendor their world must be.

    ¡°Lord Murphy is waiting for you.¡±

    Lady Adele pointed upwards, and Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman looked up to see Lord Murphy, dressed in a long robe, standing on the edge of the second floor. A boy was also standing beside him, chattering away about something, and even holding a little girl in a flower dress in the vampire¡¯s arms.

    These two children were quite bold, not afraid of vampires?

    With these thoughts in mind, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman climbed the steps to join Lord Murphy.

    ¡°Ah, my wise warrior has arrived. Children, go y with your little friends and enjoy your leisure today. Remember to convey my regards to your parents.¡±

    Murphy set the little girl down on the ground, then magically produced two court hard candies he had obtained from Count Andrei and stuffed them into their palms, smiling as he sent the brother and sister down the stairs.

    He exined:

    ¡°These are the son and daughter of Professor Malcolm. I don¡¯t know how that professor educated his children, but these two little ones are extraordinarily bold. Even when I tried to scare them with my fangs, they weren¡¯t afraid and instead came up to ask me all sorts of strange questions.

    For instance, that little girl was very curious about whether we vampires dream when we sleep during the day.¡±

    The vampire lord shook his head, leaned on the railing, and sighed:

    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t give them an answer, because I¡¯m an outlier, I rarely sleep during the day.

    Yet winter ising, and they¡¯re still living in tents. Although the food issue is being properly resolved, the housing problem cannot bepleted overnight, which is truly heart-wrenching.¡±

    As he spoke, he nced at Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, who was once again clutching his diagrams with trepidation, smiled, and said:

    ¡°This is also the reason I summoned you today, my warrior Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman. Regarding the task I entrusted you with, please understand that I do not wish to add pressure to a professional, nor do I want an outsider to instruct an insider.

    But as a lord, I must carefully calcte whether my subjects can safely endure this winter.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry, my lord. I have disappointed you.¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman sighed and handed over the diagrams in his arms, saying:

    ¡°Seven days was not enough time for me toplete the entire city¡¯s nning, not even the overall n. I have only been able to barely divide our future Crimson Citadel into different functional areas with my utmost effort.

    But until now, I haven¡¯t even finished the draft for the administrative district. I need assistants, but there are hardly any people on thisnd who can help me.¡±

    Upon hearing Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s response, Murphy¡¯s heart also sank.

    But he remainedposed as he unfolded therge diagram, only to be astonished by the intricate city nning that Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman had personally drawn.

    This¡­ this little yer wants to build a super city on thisnd that can amodate millions of residents? Otherwise, it can¡¯t exin why he nned seven whole streets just for the administrative district! He even saw an area designated for a supermarket in the design.

    Murphy immediately realized the underlying reason why Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman could notplete the design n.

    He gave the guilty-looking little yer a strange look and asked in an odd tone:

    ¡°Then, my warrior, allow me to ask you a question that concerns me the most right now. If I need you to design six residential areas for my subjects within two months, how would you n to execute it?¡±

    This question left Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman silent for a moment, after which he pondered and said:

    ¡°The simplest solution I can think of is the Khrushchyovka. Uh, it¡¯s an architectural style from our side that sacrifices some functionality in exchange for maximum utilization rate. You can understand it as a seven-story stacked tower, with 10 to 20 rooms on each floor, and a single building can amodate thousands of residents.

    But I can hardly make it a reality in your city because we don¡¯t have concrete.

    It¡¯s a material that can rapidly solidify and is exceptionally durable against corrosion, allowing buildings to be constructed in a very short time.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know what Khrushchyovkas are! I even lived in one for a while when I was young! Don¡¯t underestimate me, you little fool.¡±

    Murphy rolled his eyes hard in his heart, but outwardly he still feigned astonishment and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine such a building. The one you¡¯re describing seems to be a moner¡¯s castle¡¯ that I can hardly describe. However, I¡¯ve realized the error in your approach, my dear architect.¡±

    Murphy put away the diagrams and returned them to Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman.

    Patting the college student¡¯s shoulder, he pointed at the children below who kept cheering as they toured the Blood Vulture exhibits, and asked:

    ¡°Do you think my subjects need those ¡®high-end dwellings¡¯ you mentioned? No! They don¡¯t need them. Even in the previous Kadman City, all they had were small apartments that could barely shelter them from the wind and rain.

    The so-called functionality, aesthetics, andfort are things they can only pursue after being granted basic safety and living assurance.

    As the Transia proverb goes, even the most delicious relief food is hard to swallow in a peaceful era.

    You misunderstood my intention, my warrior.

    Perhaps it was because I didn¡¯t exin it clearly to you. I¡¯m not asking you to design a super metropolis that can amodate the entire poption of the Transia region, like the city you nned on the diagrams, which didn¡¯t even appear in my most arrogant dreams.

    You know that the entire Transia region¡¯s poption at its peak never exceeded 2.5 million, and that was before the Fourth ck Disaster.

    Therefore, what I need you to n and design is only a city capable of housing 200,000 people or even less. I¡¯ve had conversations with you people during this time, and I know that your world is prosperous beyond my imagination.

    From your perspective, what I need might just be a prosperousrge town.

    Ah, the gap between our two worlds is so vast, this fact is truly hurtful.¡±

    ¡°Ah this!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman immediately realized his own cognitive bias.

    After all, if you ask a modern professional college student to build a city, their first reaction would definitely be to create a design rivaling the super city clusters of New York or Shanghai. Who would have thought that the NPCs in the game only needed the nning for a small county town?

    Now looking at the seven whole streets he had nned for the administrative district alone, divided into thirteen different buildings for various departments, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman himself felt ridiculous.

    It seemed he had made this task tooplicated?

    His confidence suddenly rose.

    But then he realized that even if the NPCs only needed the design of arge town, it was still not something a college student like himself could handle.

    However, with the requirements scaled down by several levels, if he consulted with a few brothers and scraped some professional materials from the inte for modifications, perhaps this task could be aplished?

    ¡°As for the ¡®concrete¡¯ you mentioned, well, I¡¯ve never heard of such a building material before, but we have alternatives.¡±

    Murphy extended his hand and manipted his spirit energy.

    Under Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s gaze, some floating dust in his hand was shaped into different forms, and Murphy said to him:

    ¡°Although Tris and the youngdy are not professional earth priests, they still know the spirit skill ¡®stone to mud¡¯ from the spirit arts. This is the spirit skill used for city-building on this continent. We can¡¯t be as extravagant as you and use alchemy to construct buildings.

    But fortunately, we have spirit energy to assist us.

    I think houses built from moldable stone should be strong enough to withstand the winter snowfall, right?

    You see, my warrior.¡±

    The lord pointed at the carefree children below, ced his hand on Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s shoulder, and said softly:

    ¡°Whether these children can have a pleasant andfortable winter depends entirely on the protection of your wisdom. But even if something goes wrong, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll me you.

    Just as I won¡¯t me you either.

    Because your contributions and sacrifices for thisnd have already been seen by me. Therefore, don¡¯t feel any psychological pressure, and do your best.¡±

 Chapter 194:

    Although Murphy spoke smoothly, telling Grayman not to feel any psychological pressure, after the children who were satisfied with touring the Blood Vulture Halls with Sister Jules returned to the camp, the young men from the civil engineering department were still under immense pressure.

    Even though he repeatedly persuaded himself that these were just NPCs woven from lines of code, and he was merely undertaking a career-oriented quest, even if he failed, it wouldn¡¯t have any real impact.

    However, it¡¯s easy to deceive others but extremely difficult to deceive oneself.

    Especially since Grayman¡¯s personality was inherently more responsible and sensitive.

    Just the thought of his n going awry and causing casualties in the soon-to-be-rebuilt Crimson Citadel during winter made his heart sink.

    Therefore, when he returned to his tent office, he waspletely dejected under the psychological strain.

    This change was keenly perceived by his assistant who brought him a cup of tea.

    The assistant assigned to Grayman was a pair of sisters born into a merchant family in the city. They were supposed to live a life of luxury, but the Astral Realm disaster destroyed everything. Fortunately, their mother was still alive.

    Indeed, these two youngdies were the daughters of nche Palen Fedo, thedy who had been appointed as the Logistics Commander under the Count of Kadman.They inherited their merchant mother¡¯s acumen, and their mother was quite pleased to see her daughters get along well with the warriors under the count¡¯smand.

    As for whether this was another ¡°investment¡± by a shrewd businesswoman, it¡¯s hard to say.

    However, after spending several days together, the Palen sisters found that Grayman was not as uncouth as the rumors about mountain folk suggested. In fact, he was more gentlemanly and gentle than most men.

    ¡°My lord, do you have something troubling you?¡± Palen¡¯s elder sister walked slowly behind Grayman, skillfully massaging his shoulders while softly asking.

    Because the Computation Bead was already equipped with a mind microphone plugin, Grayman could understand his assistant¡¯s soft whisper. He let out a mournful sigh, covering his eyes with both hands, and said:

    ¡°I received a new mission from Lord Murphy. Well, he didn¡¯t berate me as harshly as I imagined, calling my design a pile of¡­ahem, unsavory things.

    He even corrected my mistake thinking, but even after modifying my approach, the design and nning I have to undertake is extraordinarily difficult.

    I¡¯ve never had any understanding of construction on such arge scale before.

    s, one only regretscking knowledge when the timees to use it.¡±

    ¡°You said the same thing when you were nning for the camp,¡± Palen¡¯s elder sister covered her mouth andughed.

    She leaned down and encouraged him near his ear:

    ¡°You always seem tock confidence in yourself, but in reality, the entire camp knows that you are an educated and talented person. We were able to use these spacious andfortable tents because of your wisdom. Everyone now calls these travel tents ¡®gray tents¡¯ tomemorate your help.

    You are already more outstanding than most people I¡¯ve encountered in my twenty-odd years of life.

    You should have more confidence in yourself.¡±

    ¡°I am nothing,¡± Grayman¡¯s face flushed red from being so gently encouraged by the cute blonde girl.

    Especially the soapberry fragrance from Palen¡¯s elder sister¡¯s hair and the soft mound pressing against his shoulder from her chest made him panic and straighten his body.

    It wasn¡¯t that he disliked such intimacy, but the pure-hearted young man simply didn¡¯t know how to handle such a situation.

    He gestured with his hands and said:

    ¡°In our, ahem, I mean, in our unique mountain folk tribe, there are many, many people more outstanding than me.

    Look at mypanions.

    They are valiant and skilled in battle, even daring to draw swords against elite ck Iron Rank enemies, but I am too frail. I can¡¯t even lift a heavy shield.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t Grayman talking nonsense.

    With his pitiful 2 Strength, he truly struggled to handle frontlinebat. However, this guy was also considered an ¡°oddity¡± among the little yers.

    With his other attributes very bnced, Grayman¡¯s Charisma was a whopping 7!

    What does this mean?

    Roughly equivalent to three and a half Murphys with his sagacious and martial prowessbined.

    Of course, in this game, Charisma didn¡¯t mean he was particrly handsome but rather aprehensive quality epassing demeanor,portment, expression, and excellent first impressions.

    In any case, it¡¯s clear that Grayman¡¯s 7 Charisma yed a significant role in earning the respect of the entire camp of survivors, not just his contributions.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯tpare yourself to your warriorpanions, my lord. Your strengths lie not on the battlefield, but in the responsibilities Lord Murphy has entrusted to you, which I believe your otherpanions cannot fulfill.

    But you can.¡±

    The gentle Palen sister patiently encouraged:

    ¡°You justck a bit of courage and confidence, but I think this is a gift of humility. Even my mother has never met someone as outstanding yet humble as you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t know you were so good at ttering people when we couldn¡¯t speak before.¡±

    Grayman felt a bit embarrassed from being praised so nicely.

    He kept waving his hands, while the tent curtain was subsequently lifted, and Palen¡¯s younger sister burst in excitedly, carrying a box.

    Four years younger than her sister, the short-haired Palen¡¯s younger sister presented the box like an offering, cing it on the table in front of Grayman.

    She said:

    ¡°Mom sent the first batch of food supplies from Bataxin City, and she was heavily praised by Lord Murphy and Baroness Miriam. Mom also brought this back for us.¡±

    As she spoke, Palen¡¯s younger sister opened the box and took out an exquisite pair of round-framed sses. The special markings left on the frames indicated they were a halfling¡¯s work.

    Although such essories were not rare in Shaldor Port, in the Transia region, they had always been pursued only by wealthy merchants and nobles.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t used to not wearing sses, my lord?¡±

    Palen¡¯s younger sister picked them up and, under Grayman¡¯s astonished gaze, reached out and put them on his nose bridge. The familiar weight in the game made him instinctively adjust the frames.

    Although his severe myopia had been corrected to normal vision in the game, and he didn¡¯t need sses to aid his observation, this¡­

    Ah, the familiar feeling seemed to return all at once.

    ¡°They suit you perfectly!¡±

    The Palen sisters appraised him from both sides,plimenting Grayman.

    Thetter shook his head, his thoughtsplex. This was probably the first time in his life that he had received a gift from girls, and it was happening in a game, of all ces.

    Truly bizarre. No wonder so many shut-ins liked having 2D wives, who could resist this?

    ¡°We believe you can aplish the mission Lord Murphy has given you, for it is something only you can do.¡±

    Palen¡¯s elder sister took Grayman¡¯s hand very seriously and said this to him.

    ¡°Mm-hmm, I believe it too! You¡¯re the best, my lord!¡±

    Palen¡¯s younger sister grabbed Grayman¡¯s other hand. The warmth from their hands made the young student¡¯s heart race. He withdrew his fingers as if avoiding something, saying:

    ¡°Um, I need to rest for a bit. Could you two help tidy up the blueprints? After I wake up, we¡¯ll start the new nning.

    I¡¯ll just sleep for a while, just a while.¡±

    He retreated to the bed as if fleeing and logged out of the game.

    ¡°The lord always sleeps so soundly. You can¡¯t wake him up even by shaking him,¡± Palen¡¯s younger sistermented.

    Her sister shrugged, nced at the snoring Grayman on the bed, and chuckled softly, saying:

    ¡°He¡¯s so cute, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a bit silly, but really capable. Much better than the tutor Mom hired before. But Mom just said that Lord Murphy ns to make Bataxin City her knight¡¯s fief. After some time, we¡¯ll be going there to live with Mom too. Sister, should we tell Grayman this news?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s wait a few days.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Ah, this is killing me.¡±

    On the hard board bed in the dorm, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman took off his game helmet, let out a long breath, and vigorously patted his face to calm himself down.

    Grabbing his hair, he said to himself:

    ¡°Stay cool! Stay a little cooler! You bastard, they¡¯re just paper people. Right, no different from those other paper wives you¡¯ve pursued before. Get normal, you¡¯re a man with dozens of paper wives yourself.¡±

    ¡°What are you mumbling about over there?¡±

    His self-talk amused his roommate, who was busy with design work opposite him.

    Compared to Leading Pigeon and their six-person room, Grayman¡¯s dorm was much better since it was a graduate student dorm, a two-person room with decent surroundings.

    His bespectacled roommate, engrossed in a project and not turning his head, teased:

    ¡°Not to say anything, but you¡¯ve been acting a bit strange thesest few days. I even heard you sleep-talking while wearing that weird helmetst night, saying weird things like ¡®Palen sister¡¯ and ¡®don¡¯t do that, little sister¡¯? Tell me honestly, did you join some strange cult?¡±

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s just a game. Didn¡¯t you fill out the survey too?¡± Grayman said awkwardly, scratching his head as he opened hisptop to search online for the information he needed.

    Typing away, he put his sses back on and continued:

    ¡°The forums have been saying a new batch of slots might be released. If we¡¯re lucky, we can y together, bro.¡±

    ¡°Oh, spare me, will you?¡± His roommate wailed:

    ¡°Our supervisor ising back to the country in a few days, and he¡¯ll definitely want to see our progress during this time. You¡¯re ying games all day, I wonder how you¡¯ll pass the inspection! I¡¯m busy here, haven¡¯t finished this city nning diagram. You y first.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about that?¡±

    Grayman sneered and said:

    ¡°Even if you make it, no actual construction crew would use it. You haven¡¯t been to the site. It¡¯s just an imaginary target. Your mentor will say you have too much imagination if he sees it. Hey, why don¡¯t you help me instead? My design will be truly applied to the game scenery, although it¡¯s admittedly a bit crude, but at least it¡¯s practical.¡±

    ¡°Never mind, you won¡¯t believe me even if I tell you.

    Wait until you take off your helmet, buddy. I¡¯ll show you my ¡®masterpiece¡¯ in the game. But I have a question, you know, about this Khrushchyovka¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah? You¡¯ve started studying this heretical stuff?¡±

    His roommate was startled, turned around, and stared at Grayman in shock.

    ¡°What kind of game are you ying that would feature something socking in aesthetics, designed purely for practicality? And didn¡¯t you say it was a world of swords and magic before?

    Since there¡¯s no concrete, what are you nning to use for the foundation?

    And what will you use for the load-bearing columns? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning to use wood? You might as well take inspiration from North American log cabins then, at least those are practical.¡±

    ¡°They indeed don¡¯t have concrete or cranes,¡± Grayman said, squinting his eyes.

    ¡°But they have magic. I heard Lord Murphy guarantee that their mages can reshape stones, not inferior to concrete in terms of structure and stress resistance. I¡¯m wondering, if that stuff can be used on arge scale, could we replicate a functional building in the game?

    Something like a tube house apartment building.

    And incorporate central heating into it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really gone mad! Utterly obsessed,¡± his roommate eximed, taking off his sses and shaking his head.

    ¡°I know the game has all sorts of weird steam tech, and those halflings in the game¡¯s setting seem quite adept at boiler work. But they don¡¯t have anything like radiators. Don¡¯t underestimate the casting process, if we have to hand-forge them, winter will arrive before we can make enough for thousands of people.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in the game?¡± Grayman squinted.

    ¡°Yet you seem quite familiar with the forums, even knowing about the steam tech. Tsk, you pretentious guy. Listen to me, my idea is to use wooden boards to construct the main floors, then use a cement pouring and pile-driving technique, letting those Spirit Mages reshape stones and pour them into the reserved channels.

    Once the spirit energy dissipates and the stones reshape, the main structure ispleted, and we can pre-bury pipes in the channels.

    Then all we need is one big boiler.¡±

    ¡°Damn! You really meant central heating!¡± His roommate¡¯s interest was piqued.

    He dragged a chair and sat next to Grayman. The two engineering students sketched out this unique construction approach on the table, even selecting the pipe materials in advance and starting 3D modeling using professional tools.

    However, as their discussion grew more heated and excited, a deep voice suddenly came from beside them:

    ¡°What are you two doing? Whose drawing is this? Why is it so strange? And most importantly, are the bathrooms in this weird building you¡¯re designing shared? Then why did youy out the drainage parameters as if they were independent bathrooms?

    Have you two ever lived in a Khrushchyovka?

    No, have you even seen one before?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Grayman turned to see a white-haired man in his 60s, pushing up his sses to examine the sketches on their table, holding a briefcase under his arm.

    He had the demeanor of an old-school intellectual.

    ¡°Professor? Weren¡¯t you still in Germany?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there was that pandemic outbreak recently. The situation in Europe got a bit strange, so the conference was canceled. I came back early.

    Never mind me for now, look at the drawings!

    Tell me, what¡¯s the deal with this weird building? Why does it say ¡®no concrete¡¯ on the side? If not concrete, what were you nning to use?

    Stones?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this, Professor, it¡¯s quiteplicated to exin. To put it simply, we took a job from a gamepany toplete a city model in their game and supervise the construction process as site supervisors.¡±

    His roommate gave Grayman a sidelong nce, then briefly repackaged their involvement in the game, leaving the old professor dumbfounded.

    ¡°Gamepanies are so casual these days? With the shoddy level you two can¡¯t even build a proper pigsty, they dare to hire you? Ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Ahem, let¡¯s not talk about that for now,¡± Grayman hurriedly changed the subject.

    He took out a roll of design drawings from under the cab and spread it on the table, saying to his mentor:

    ¡°This is the draft made by that gamepany earlier, designed with a medieval fantasy background. ording to the story, it has existed for 400 years. Professor, take a look at this drawing¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, this drawing looks quite skillful. The main body is a European-style castle, probably Germanic in style, right? Expanding outward from the castle as the center, a standard medieval city design.

    But there¡¯s an issue with this drainage system. Why is ityered? And there are clearly two empty areas not drawn on the bottom, one inside and one outside the city, both quiterge. They must be underground cavities, perhaps natural caves?

    Is this a water source?

    What¡¯s the outer terrain like? Hmm, interesting.¡±

 Chapter 195:

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    In the game group under the forum, Onboard Joy Stick asked in surprise:

    ¡°@Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, what do you mean there¡¯s also an underground cavity beneath the outer city district? Buddy, don¡¯t use such professional terms, just exin it simply.¡±

    Heaven¡¯sChosenGrayman: ¡¾It¡¯s like this, remember I got an original design map of Kadman City from Lord Murphy before? My advisor came over today, so I showed it to him, and with one nce, my advisor noticed there was a problem with the design map.

    He said there¡¯s an unmarked cavity under the sewers in the outer city district, it¡¯s a ce simr to an underground cavern, the area is a bit smallerpared to the Blood Vulture Halls beneath the inner city district, but there must be a natural water source passing through there.

    You guys have wandered in the sewers for so long, yet you didn¡¯t discover that hidden underground cavity?¡¿

    MeowKing: ¡¾You kid! Other people hide from their teachers when ying games, but you¡¯re sharing gaming experiences with your teacher, huh? But regarding that potentially existing underground chamber, you can¡¯t me Brother Stick.

    The sewers, as far as we know, already have two levels, and we¡¯ve only just begun exploring the second level¡¯s ¡°ancient area¡±, where there are more ghouls and wraiths.

    Grayman, mark for us where your advisor discovered that underground cavity, so we can search carefully.¡¿Heaven¡¯sChosenGrayman: ¡¾Around this location! I¡¯ve marked it with a red pen, nearly 50 meters vertically from the ground! Be careful when you go down. My advisor said the caverns formed by these underground water erosions are often interconnected like a honeb, so if there are ghouls there as well, it will definitely be very dangerous.

    Image.jpg¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Thanks, buddy, we¡¯ll gather some people to go check it out in the next few days, if we can find good stuff, we¡¯ll give you a 10% share!¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾What¡¯s this? Going treasure hunting again? Brother Stick, can you hurry it up a bit, sign the contract before we start, can you? I¡¯m sending you money, why are you pushing it off?¡¿

    OnboardJoyStick: ¡¾Don¡¯t rush, the brothers are already buying ne tickets, gathering also needs some time. By the way, Rich Guy, don¡¯t you have a private ne or something? This old Stick has never ridden on a private ne in this life.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾You really dare to dream! Private ne, yeah, there is one, but that¡¯s Old Zhang¡¯s, not mine. My rtionship with my dad is a bit awkward right now, wait a few years, then taking you to fly around the world won¡¯t be a problem.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾What¡¯s so great about private nes, with such little space, flying around in the sky is like being stuffed in a box, simply annoying as hell. I hope every trip out is more lively.¡¿

    DayOneNoFap: ¡¾Little rich girl¡¯s pretentious speech! Like, in this forum, everyone¡¯s life experiences are so rich, I¡¯ve also learned a lot of knowledge I probably won¡¯t use in this lifetime.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾Hehe, next time when releasing slots, let¡¯s see if we can pull in a big rich girl for you guys. Private nes are really nothing, Lady Aqua¡¯s family has a big yacht.¡¿

    FatalOrchidHuahua: ¡¾I told you not to mention real life stuff but you just can¡¯t remember, right? Stop chatting,e over and gear up, we¡¯re about to head out to find trouble with the gnolls.¡¿

    SwordSaintAshina: ¡¾Coming,ing.¡¿

    FeelYouPoor: ¡¾Sigh, I also have to start the ck Iron trial, so annoying. You brothers chat first, I¡¯ll go send off a wave and be back.¡¿

    Everyone: ¡¾Respectfully sending off Rich brother and Rich sister.¡¿

    Amidst theughter of a group of gaming buddies, Rich Guy, Feel You Poor exited the in-game forum. He stretched his shoulders and took a nce at his character interface.

    Phew, finally reached level 10.

    There¡¯s only a day and a half left until the 7-day deadline Lord Murphy told him about. Fortunately, he went the Summoner route, considered a branch of Spirit Mage. With summons tanking at the front, he only needs to toss a few Spirit sts. But even so, Rich Guy has been working hard leveling up these past few days.

    But he wasn¡¯t in the sewers.

    Because his little manticore Stinky Treasure doesn¡¯t like that ghost ce, so Rich Guy¡¯s leveling location is the wilderness. Right now, he¡¯s in a small ravine about a 40-minute journey from Crimson Citadel.

    Feel You Poor stood up. After confirming he was fully prepared, he took out his Astral Realm Summoner magic staff.

    This beautiful staff was custom-ordered from Lady Tris at a high price, even engraved with his own name. His entire set of equipment may not be top-tier among current yers, but they¡¯re all standard veteran grade, not outdated.

    Some were obtained from doing quests, and some were bought from brother Meow¡¯s small team.

    RMB warriors ying games are all the same. They don¡¯t mind spending money to gain a certain gaming experience. However, the trouble Rich Guy is encountering now is that in ¡¶Reality Realm¡·, even if he has money, it¡¯s really hard for him to spend it.

    ¡°Awoo.¡±

    A low howl echoed from the gully beside Little Rich Guy, it was his little manticore returning from the hunt.

    A fellow with a physique simr to a normal male lion strode over, stepping on the mountain rocks with azy yet nimble gait. Its majestic face adorned with a thick mane like clouds around the neck. The once soft wings have be tough enough, folded like bat wings beside the faintly glowing fur and mane.

    And that ck, scorpion-like tail covered in chitinous scales was raised high.

    The hook-like stinger at the tip of its tail carried a slight redness, reflecting metallic light spots under the sun, looking very intimidating.

    The little manticore that Feel You Poor named ¡°Stinky Treasure¡± grows very quickly in the material world with abundant food. It¡¯s now only one step away from entering maturity. At this moment, it¡¯s holding a miserable gnoll scout in its mouth, which is the ¡°lunch¡± it prepared for itself.

    Such a fierce beast appears fearsome at first nce, but Little Rich Guy is not afraid, after all, he raised this fellow single-handedly.

    Unfortunately, the current little Stinky Treasure is no longer as attached to him as when it was young.

    Rich Guy even discovered that this fellow asionally stares at him with a gaze as if in ¡°contemtion¡±. He knows this is the approaching ¡°moment of leaving the nest¡± that Lord Murphy and Grandma Marianne spoke of.

    The wildness in the heart of this giant creature manticore is awakening, and its closeness to him is disappearing.

    In its eyes, he is transforming from a ¡°protector¡± to a ¡°familiar stranger¡±. If he can¡¯tplete a spirit marking contract with it before the little manticore¡¯s wildness fully awakens, then it means it will abandon him without hesitation and return to the Astral Realm.

    This is something Rich Guy cannot ept.

    This manticore is the most powerful little animal he has personally raised from youth to adulthood. He is not willing to just let go like this. No matter what, he has to give it a shot!

    So, Rich Guy plucked up his courage. He is going to start his ck Iron trial.

    ¡°Stinky Treasure, help daddy protect the ritualter.¡±

    Rich Guy pulled out several scrolls, tearing them open to buff himself while also taking out several expensive alchemical enhancement potions. He twisted off the caps and poured them into his mouth until his mind and body could no longer bear more pressure before stopping.

    He let out a full belch and turned his head to the manticore who was carefully savoring the gnoll¡¯s heart it dug out:

    ¡°Daddy¡¯s going to solo the gnoll elite leaderter. You help me block those little minions on the side, okay? Nod if you understand.¡±

    The feeding manticore nced at Feel You Poor with considerable impatience. That impatient emotion was so real it made Rich Guy a little sad.

    A few days ago, this ¡°smelly kid¡± was still very obedient. But now it has be like this!

    It¡¯s quite like when a son grows up, he ignores the old father he once admired.

    Truly a misfortune for the family!

    ¡°Awoo.¡±

    But what made Feel You Poor feel gratified was that after a few seconds of thought by the manticore, it nodded, swallowed the gnoll¡¯s heart in one gulp, licked its lips and stood up. The broad ck bat wings on its back spread open with a whoosh. Running a few steps against the wind, it leaped into the sky.

    With the manticore assisting on the periphery, Feel You Poor put his mind at ease. He took out a telescope and looked at the gnoll bandit den in the ravine below.

    This is a ce he carefully selected over the past few days.

    The number of gnoll bandits is notrge, and after repeated harassment by the manticore, many members have been scared away. Only a few remain in the not-sorge den.

    Most importantly, there is also an old gnoll brute leader inside, ame ck Iron elite!

    Rich Guy has already scouted it out clearly. That is the target he chose for himself.

    ¡°Phew, let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Feel You Poor grabbed his Summoner staff and ran down towards the den. As he approached the den, Rich Guy took out his notebook, flipped through it, confirmed the battle n, and then began the summoning spell.

    In a sh of starlight, an Astral Realm rat was summoned.

    This fellow has a ratherrge head, very simr to a squirrel. After appearing, it raised its front paws and chattered at Feel You Poor. Then receiving delicious jerky from the Summoner, it jumped up excitedly.

    Rich Guy chuckled, took out an alchemical bomb, tied it to the back of the Astral Realm rat, and then pointed at the gnoll den ahead.

    But that¡¯s not all.

    He also summoned a sneaky Astral Realm thief monkey, gave it a few bananas, and then gestured to let the thief monkey understand his intention.

    Finally, Rich Guy summoned a colorful Astral Realm snake, fed it a fish, and gestured to it as well.

    Astral Realm creatures do not truly die in the material world. This determines that the tactics avable to Summoners specializing in Astral Realm creature summoning are very diverse. At Rich Guy¡¯s order, the thief monkey was the first to enter optical invisibility and sneaked into the den.

    A few secondster, following the gnoll leader¡¯s angry roar, that chattering thief monkey dragged thetter¡¯s handy weapon, a blood-stained il, and rushed out of the cave. The Astral Realm rat tied with bombs closely followed and performed a kamikaze attack.

    A violent explosion sounded in the den, sting the gnoll leader who howled in pain. In the chaos, the Astral Realm snake viciously bit its ankle.

    Small Astral Realm creatures do not possess frontalbat power.

    But under the coordination of an excellent Summoner, the functionality they can exert is not inferior to the powerful manticore beside Rich Guy.

    The gnoll leader was poisoned, lost its handy weapon, and was sted bloody all over. It sensed the crisis and let out a hyena-like sharp screech, calling the surrounding patrolling brutes toe back and ¡°help¡±.

    But the well-prepared manticore Stinky Treasure descended from the sky with a roar, sshing up dust everywhere. With its tail stinger, it neatly killed a brute.

    The primal intimidation it carried as a giant creature scared the other few brutes from approaching. Gnolls are not particrly united creatures. As long as you don¡¯t catch their young, they often appear as bullies.

    At this time, Rich Guy had already summoned three carrion crows in a leisurely manner to peck at the gnoll leader. But the leisurely battle time ends here. With his Spirit Apprentice ability, he can only summon this many small creatures.

    Crack

    The double-barreled Witch Hunter¡¯s demon hunting rifle, bought at a high price from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, was loaded.

    Feel You Poor,cking in spirit power, wiped the blood flowing from his nostrils due to straining his spirit energy. Then, he stood up with the gun in hand and charged towards the frenzied gnoll elite leader withrge strides. He also conveniently attached the blood-slotted bay on top of the rifle.

    The ck Iron trial is not that easy. The health bar of elite monsters is also ridiculously thick.

    But it doesn¡¯t matter.

    He has already gained the upper hand.

    Oh my, they say this thing is difficult, but it seems to be not as hard as I imagined.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°How did you get yourself into this state? With a nearly mature manticore escorting you, I can¡¯t imagine what in the Transia region¡¯s wilderness could threaten you. But look at you, it¡¯s like you were beaten up by a hundred gnolls.¡±

    A few hourster, at nightfall in the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, who had just finished today¡¯s fencing lessons with the ¡°Grandmaster Swordsmanship Trainer¡± Necessary Evil, saw his ¡°apprentice¡± in front of his office.

    Little Rich Guy looked miserable.

    His Summoner robe was torn to shreds, the Summoner staff in his hand was also broken in two. The worst was his chest wrapped in bandages. Judging from the wound, his heart was nearly gouged out.

    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t even mention it.¡±

    Feel You Poor covered his still bleeding mouth and said through gritted teeth:

    ¡°Underestimated that damn gnoll¡¯s madness when driven to desperation. Damn, even three bullets to the heart didn¡¯t kill it.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even know that elite gnolls have onerge and one small heart? Even Apprentice Witch Hunters know to aim for the head.¡±

    Murphy said while rolling his eyes:

    ¡°Your Summoner basic knowledge is really ridiculously poor.¡±

    ¡°But I won!¡±

    Little Rich Guy pouted.

    He took out a box from his spirit bag. Inside was a pair of giant gnoll ws, the proof of himpleting the ck Iron trial for elites.

    ¡°Not bad! This is more like my warrior.¡±

    Murphy nodded with satisfaction and said:

    ¡°Since you¡¯vepleted the elite hunt, you must be rewarded. I have the blueprint for an Astral Realm beast tamer¡¯s whip here.¡±

    ¡°No, Lord Murphy, I¡¯m willing to give up the elite reward in exchange for your assistance.¡±

    Feel You Poor immediately refused:

    ¡°Tomorrow is the day of little Stinky Treasure¡¯s awakening of its wild nature. There are only a few hours left. But I really don¡¯t want to lose it. Please help meplete the summoning contract with Stinky Treasure.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Murphy frowned.

    He nced at the manticore, which was now lying in the darkness not far away, napping like a golden big cat, already exuding enough wildness.

    Thetter still refused to approach Murphy, obviously because the threat Murphy posed to it was too great.

    ¡°Follow me inside. I will help you since you¡¯re also considered my apprentice in the way of the Summoner. But I must fulfill a mentor¡¯s duty and emphasize the hidden dangers of this matter to you again.¡±

    The vampire lord pushed open the door and casually tossed a spirit heal on Little Rich Guy. This kind of healing is not a particrly excellent healing technique, just a basic skill Spirit Mages can learn. Naturally, don¡¯t expect the healing effect to be too good. At most, it just alleviates some pain.

    Feel You Poor limped and followed Murphy into the office.

    After he sat down, Murphy poured him a ss of ice-added liquor, then leaned against the desk and said to Little Rich Guy:

    ¡°You know that an Astral Realm specialized Summoner has fewer summoning slotspared to other specialized Summoners, right?¡±

    ¡°Mm, I know.¡±

    Rich Guy has worked hard on his profession.

    He immediately answered the mentor like a student facing a question:

    ¡°Elemental Summoners have 7 summoning slots at the ck Iron rank. Nature-specialized Wilderness Summoners can have up to 9 summoning slots. But Astral Realm specialized Summoners only have 5 fixed summoning slots. This is because Astral Realm creatures are often fric and difficult to control, requiring the Summoner to spend more effort to appease them.¡±

    ¡°But what you don¡¯t know is that even if you convert to a formal Astral Realm Summoner, at the ck Iron rank, thergest you can summon is only medium-sized Astral Realm creatures.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°Astral Realm manticores belong to giant Astral Realm creatures! Theoretically speaking, that is summoning power suitable for the White Silver rank or even the Golden rank. But in reality, I haven¡¯t heard of any Astral Realm Summoner that would make a manticore their fixed summoned creature.

    I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t summon it at the ck Iron rank. Rather, the result ofpleting a summoning contract with it is that your mental stress will be maxed out.

    This means you won¡¯t be able to summon other Astral Realm creatures to assist in battle at the ck Iron rank, and will even be affected after entering the White Silver rank because the manticore¡¯s growth rate is faster than yours! So this kind of impact is bound to be long-term.

    You need to be prepared, my apprentice Feel You Poor. Once youplete the manticore contract, your Summoner ability will be considered crippled. Before entering the White Silver rank, you can only be reduced to a third-rate spirit trickster.¡±

    ¡°But I still have two profession slots!¡±

    Rich Guy was anxious. He stood up and said:

    ¡°I can still learn swordsmanship or archery for self-protection! I don¡¯t care about my career. Lord Murphy, I cannot give up my little Stinky Treasure. I raised it with my own hands!¡±

    ¡°Uh, do I need to remind you that you¡¯ve been raising it for no more than 10 days?¡±

    Murphy remarked dryly.

    But seeing Rich Guy¡¯s resolute face, he wrote a list of triple materials and handed it to Feel You Poor, saying:

    ¡°Go prepare the materials. Come back in two hours. But remember, this path is your own choice!¡±

 Chapter 196:

    ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡±

    A rhythmic knocking sound arose.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Murphy said without lifting his head, and the little rich brother, holding arge bundle of materials, pushed open the door and poked his head in. It had only been thirty minutes since Murphy asked him to find the materials.

    This guy had obviously used his ¡°cash ability¡± again.

    But Murphy had no objection to this. As an open-minded ¡°dog nner,¡± he would pretend not to see such mary transactions. If needed in the future, he could even set up an official auction house in Crimson Citadel to collectmissions. Oh, right, why didn¡¯t he open an auction house?

    Good idea!

    He would add it when the timing was ripe during a major version update, and Miriam would need to start cultivating professional talents from now on.

    It¡¯s settled!¡°You need to be prepared, my apprentice.¡±

    The vampire lord wrote his thoughts in his little notebook, picked up his vampire-style ded whip, and stood up. The Astral Direwolf at his feet also stood up.

    The calf-sized Astral Direwolf constantly showcased Murphy¡¯s style as a Summoner.

    He said to Feel You Poor:

    ¡°The Manticore may have preliminarily acknowledged your strength, but its ferocity means it won¡¯t easily regard you as a huntingpanion. I will help you establish a mental connection and create an opportunity for you to forge a contract with it. However, in the mental struggle to connect with it, you cannot let your Manticore overpower you.¡±

    ¡°Woo woo, I understand!¡±

    The still bruised and swollen Feel You Poor responded:

    ¡°It¡¯s like raising a dog! If a German Shepherd thinks you¡¯re not as smart as it is, it will try to be the dominant one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s roughly the same principle.¡±

    Murphy nodded and said:

    ¡°Most Astral Realm creatures are fierce and untamed. This is also the greatest challenge in the Astral Realm Summoner profession. You must always make your summons understand who the true master is.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    The giant wolf George at his feet whimpered in discontent, feeling that Murphy¡¯s words had a hidden meaning.

    The vampire ignored the now plumper pet and led Feel You Poor towards the ritual site, where many idle little yers had already gathered to spectate the rich guy taming the Manticore.

    ¡°That thing could swallow little rich brother in one bite.¡±

    The little Sword Saint Ashina, chewing hard candy, told Lumina in the crowd:

    ¡°That Manticore is so ferocious. I saw it steal and eat a Spirit Hunter¡¯s heart before. Hmm, the scene was indescribable. Why would he want to tame such a creature?

    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to simply summon a silly, adorable Astral Realm German Shepherd like Lord Murphy?¡±

    ¡°To each their own.¡±

    Lumina shook her head.

    She didn¡¯t n to pursue the Hunter path, but even the ranger sub-profession required frequent interaction with wilderness creatures, soing to gain experience wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    Under their watchful eyes, Murphy guided little rich brother in mixing various materials to create a unique incense, then used spirit magic to encircle a ritual area.

    The vampire lord walked towards the increasingly restless Manticore, ¡°Stinky Treasure,¡± with his Astral Direwolf. As he approached, the beast immediately jumped up, lowering its body in a typical threatened beast stance, spreading its wings and raising its scorpion tail to aim at Murphy.

    The direwolf George at Murphy¡¯s feet also let out a growling threat, showing a submissive posture.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been refusing tomunicate with me.¡±

    The vampire extended his left hand forward, making the enraged Manticore¡¯s gaze follow his finger as he spoke softly:

    ¡°Perhaps out of fear of me, or perhaps because you detected an odor you found repulsive, such as realizing that I was the one who hunted your mother.

    I do not deny this.

    But you and I both know.

    She is not dead, she is waiting in the Astral Realm for you, her naughty ¡®prodigal son,¡¯ to return.¡±

    ¡°Roar!¡±

    The Manticore¡¯s eyes bulged with blood vessels, and the young beast waspletely enraged by Murphy¡¯s provocation. It spread its wings and glided towards Murphy, but in the next instant, with a crack of the beast tamer¡¯s ded whip, the Manticore that had just taken flight was mercilessly whipped back to the ground by Murphy.

    Tumbling on the ground in disarray, its mane disheveled, and a new, ring Bleeding wound appeared on its body.

    ¡°Too weak, you¡¯re far from your mother¡¯s level.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s mocking voice echoed as his crimson ded whip hung low, the triangr wing-shaped des rapidly cutting and stained with blood.

    He was no master of the ded whip.

    Yet with his current superhuman Agility, suppressing an immature Manticore was child¡¯s y.

    ¡°Light it up!¡±

    Murphy gave an audible order to the sympathetic little rich brother, who immediately ignited the incense.

    Under the effect of spirit magic, the oddly scented incense spread like a thick fog, rapidly enveloping the entire ritual area and shrouding the Manticore, Murphy, and Feel You Poor.

    ¡°What the hell, what¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t see anything!¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡±

    ¡°Geneva Convention vition! I want a refund!¡±

    The spectators erupted in an uproar.

    They wanted to see the exciting scene of little rich brother being pinned down and rubbed by the Manticore, but how could an Astral Realm Summoner¡¯s secret arts be so openly disyed to the public?

    However, for little rich brother, the scene before him was like a terrifying ghost story because he saw the friendly Lord Murphy ¡°reveal his health bar¡± in front of him!

    He instantly understood what the ¡°beast tamer¡± secret arts were.

    Damn, was the answer really that simple?

    ¡°Establish a bond through battle, make it realize it needs you more than you need it. A simple yet practical approach. Come, my disciple.¡±

    Murphy swung his ded whip, a strange smile appearing on his handsome face. He drawled to the shivering little rich brother, who was hugging himself:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on you.¡±

    The crowd could only hear the Manticore¡¯s frenzied roars and little rich brother¡¯s bizarre screamsing from the smoky haze of incense. Minutester, when the incense dissipated, little rich brother was leaning against the equally pitiful Manticore in an extremely miserable state.

    The creature contract between them had clearly been established.

    The Manticore Stinky Treasure extended its tongue, licking little rich brother¡¯s dangling arm, as if returning to the previous ¡°family¡± intimacy.

    Nearby, Murphy had a look of deep profundity.

    So-called ¡°help¡± was that simple, the ssic bonding effect of gettingpanions in distress to form a preliminary friendship. But this principle wasn¡¯t just applicable to male-female rtionships, it worked universally, even in the realm of beast taming.

    ¡°Whip-type weapons really have a bewitching quality. I know I may have used a bit too much force earlier.¡±

    Murphy sheathed the still dripping ded whip, ncing at the injured but unusually satisfied little rich brother, and said softly:

    ¡°But you know, it was necessary.¡±

    Feel You Poor hugged the newly affectionate little Stinky Treasure, feeling the spiritual connection between himself and his Manticore son, and gratefully told Murphy:

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your help, Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Now send it back to the Astral Realm.¡±

    Murphy reminded him in the tone a mentor NPC would use:

    ¡°After you recover,plete the second summon. That way, even if your Manticore dies in the physical world, it will be reborn in the Astral Realm.

    This is important for it.

    As for your sub-profession, add it to your schedule soon. But I can give you a note, you have a talent for agility, so you might want to inquire with my descendant Adele. Perhaps she can offer you some advice.¡±

    After speaking, Murphy sheathed his ded whip and left with his direwolf George. A group of little yers immediately surrounded the rich guy and his formidable Manticore, scrutinizing them, making Feel You Poor the instant center of attention.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡±

    Little Sword Saint Ashina pped her hands and said to Lumina, tilting her head:

    ¡°I want to raise a powerful pet too! After all, I¡¯m a Midnight Hunter, so why not raise a crow? Or a vulture like Lord Murphy¡¯s?

    It even fits my Blood Vulture n, Murphy¡¯s Descendant identity. But where can I find a vulture?¡±

    ¡°Ummm, I heard from those old Witch Hunters that there are flocks of vultures in the Dark Mountain range.¡±

    Lumina scratched her head and said:

    ¡°But we can¡¯t go to that high-level map yet, so hey! Why are you Bleeding from your back? Can¡¯t you feel the pain?¡±

    ¡°Wow! Why am I Bleeding? Wait a minute¡­I know what this is! I¡¯ve grown wings! Hahaha, I can fly!¡±

    Amid little Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s cheers, a pair of translucent, insect-like crimson wings suddenly spread from her back, appearing real yet ethereal. They slowly closed under her clumsy, novel control, smoother than she expected, as natural as waving her arms.

    It was as if she was born with them.

    This excited her even more.

    ¡°Come on, Lumina, let¡¯s find a high ce. I¡¯ll take you for a ride in the sky!¡±

    ¡°Wait! Did youplete the basic flight course with Mary? Where¡¯s your flight license? Hey, don¡¯t drag me over there.

    Your wings just grew out, can you really fly?¡±

    ¡°Trust me, no problem! I learn things the fastest!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Murphy had originally nned to follow Feel You Poor and witness the Manticore being sent back to the Astral Realm. Embarrassingly, despite being an Astral Realm Summoner himself, he had always focused on swordsmanship, rarely honing his summoning skills. Although he was studying Astral Realm Knowledge, he was not as masterful as he was with the sword.

    However, just as he was about to leave, an important message arrived, leaving him no time to join the little yers¡¯ antics.

    ¡¾Territory New Outpost Acquired Note! Count of Kadman acquired new subordinate administrative unit ¡®Pine Vige¡¯, recording 217 residents!¡¿

    Along with this note, a light spot appeared on the map of Murphy¡¯s territory interface, at the edge of the border area connecting the County of Kadman and the northern County of Seicob.

    Needless to say, this was definitely another vige that had recently been persuaded by Miriam¡¯s emissaries to ept the rule of the County of Kadman.

    Such notes had been frequently popping up in recent days. But the point was, after gaining the 217 people of Pine Vige, the total number of residents under Murphy¡¯s County of Kadman had officially exceeded 10,000.

    With a 1% manpower feedback, and after deducting the 30 slots already used, he now had 70 vacant tester slots!

    This meant he could summon another batch of new yers into the ¡°game,¡± bringing the total to 140 yers, a 100% increase!

    What a wonderful thing.

    Although for his currently established territory, such a number of yers was still a drop in the bucket.

    But Murphy firmly believed that things were getting better and better. As long as he controlled the entire Transia region and ¡°cultivated¡± it, having 2,000 yers before the ck Disaster arrived would be an achievable goal.

    However, as an administrator, he had to control the growth rate of yers to avoid a disastrous situation where too many new yers could not receive proper guidance.

    As Murphy pondered this while soaring through the night sky, he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream.

    ¡°Ahhhh! Why can¡¯t I fly? Wings! Move, wings! I¡¯m going to fall to my death!¡±

    ¡°I told you you¡¯re unreliable! You not only haven¡¯t learned how to fly, you can¡¯t even glide! You¡¯re a letdown! Sword Saint Ashina! You¡¯re going to get me killed!¡±

    Murphy stopped abruptly in mid-air, wings pping, and looked down to see little Sword Saint Ashina and Lumina screaming as they fell from the city¡¯s great crevice.

    little Sword Saint Ashina wildly pped her newly grown Blood Wings, but the tender wings could not support the weight of two people.

    ¡°s.¡±

    Murphy despairingly covered his eyes.

    Speaking of which, was it really okay to let this group of troublemakers guide new yers? Wouldn¡¯t they turn his carefully selected little yers into a new bunch of idiots?

    ¡°Swish.¡±

    He folded his wings and shot down like a crimson lightning bolt into the valley below.

    Just as little Sword Saint Ashina and Lumina had closed their eyes, awaiting death, he precisely swooped past, grabbing one by each arm just a second before they would have been smashed into pulp. After a p of the Blood Wings, he made them experience the thrill of breaking the sound barrier in one second.

    The two girls¡¯ throats went hoarse from screaming at that moment.

    This failed attempt at flying was truly exhrating! It was only because this magical world didn¡¯t strictly follow physics, otherwise, with that eleration, their arms would have been twisted off by him.

    ¡°Daring to y cliff-jumping in Crimson Citadel without a flight license?¡±

    Murphy soared through the night sky, carrying the shell-shocked little Sword Saint Ashina, and under the purple glow of the Astral Realm¡¯s creation behind them, he said coldly:

    ¡°A fine of 100 gold! Plus the lord¡¯s emergency response fee, you now owe me 500 gold coins.¡±

    The two girls clung tightly to Lord Murphy¡¯s arms, too busy screaming to hear his scolding. The exasperated vampire lord could only bring them back to the ground.

    The glide restored their senses, and they began to gaze down at the city from their high vantage point. It was pitch-ck and hardly scenic, but the sizable camp outside represented the mark these ¡°foreigners¡± had left in this world.

    They had endured a series of difficulties to achieve their current small sess, which may not be worth pride, but was a decent start.

    With graceful, light yet massive beats of his Blood Wings, unlike little Sword Saint Ashina¡¯s earlier clumsy chicken-walk, Murphy gentlynded at the gate of the ¡°administration office¡± in the old city district.

    Lowering his head, he sternly lectured the two prepared-for-a-scolding female yers:

    ¡°Ever since the Blood Vulture n was established, all vampires who have just grown wings must undergo strict training before challenging the skies. I don¡¯t know who gave you the courage to fly while carrying someone, even without undergoing weight training after just growing your wings. But listen up!

    I have appointed Mary as your flight instructor. Without obtaining a basic flight license, you are not allowed to engage in dangerous high-altitude free-falling again!

    You must understand!

    Flying is not an innate skill for humans.

    Even the blessing of midnight cannot immediately free you from the constraints of Mother Earth. Your wings are not just for flying, they are your weapons for battle.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh, we¡¯re going to fall! Move, wings!!!!¡±

    Before Murphy could finish his heartfelt lecture, another ghostly wail echoed from the distant night.

    He and little Sword Saint Ashina immediately turned towards the sound, only to watch in horror as three figures leaped from the ¡°cliff-jumping spot¡± little Sword Saint Ashina had chosen earlier. iling helplessly in the air, unable to fly, they plunged into Mother Earth¡¯s embrace with lingering screams.

    ¡°St!¡±

    This time, there was no benevolent Lord Murphy to rescue them.

    In the test administrator system¡¯s notes, Murphy saw the death notifications for Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, Ah Yuen, and Spicy Gugu Chicken with speechless dismay.

    They died from showing off after just growing wings.

    Leaping from nearly a hundred meters high without any protection ¨C that¡¯s like face-tanking Mother Earth¡¯s ultimate attack!

    Let¡¯s see if the olddy can beat some sense into you.

    ¡°Ah! Your stubbornness and disrespect for death have made me feel despair for the first time!¡±

    Murphy covered his eyes in anguish. His manpower was already insufficient, and now three more had died for some inexplicable idiotic reason.

    ¡°Go! Notify yourrades!

    I know having wings naturally makes you yearn for the sky. Your Blood Wings are tempting you not to remain groveling on the earth, content as pitiful crawlers. But you are not allowed to fly randomly anymore! Otherwise, prepare to be locked in the Blood Vulture cages!

    Those cages haven¡¯t had new guests for a long time.¡±

    Seeing the usually elegant Lord Murphy truly angry, little Sword Saint Ashina immediately shrank back.

    Beside her, Lumina began notifying the first batch of vampire yers who had advanced professions in the world channel, warning them not to incur Lord Murphy¡¯s wrath at this time.

    ¡°Come back!¡±

    As little Sword Saint Ashina tried to slink away, Murphy¡¯s cold voice stopped her.

    The vampire lord took a deep breath to calm himself, pointed to the still-lit cottage in the administration office courtyard, and said:

    ¡°Go pay your fines, my dear but foolish descendants. But to conquer this sky ruled by the Blood Vultures, you¡¯ll need to try a bit harder.¡±

    Lumina and little Sword Saint Ashina exchanged a nce and could only obediently go pay the fines. Fortunately, little Sword Saint Ashina had just received a batch of gold coins, so she wasn¡¯t short on money. But she couldn¡¯t help feeling that the 250 gold fine per person Lord Murphy calcted definitely represented some malicious intent from the development team.

 Chapter 197:

    Normally always appearing cheerful and jovial, Murphy was rarely seen getting angry tonight.

    The reason behind it was because of the ¡°misbehavior¡± of the little yers. They were not afraid of death, but that was no excuse for actively seeking it. Taking advantage of having wings, they went and attempted to jump off cliffs, resulting in meaningless sacrifices.

    He knew that he had to make the yers aware of the seriousness of this matter, lest there be those who couldn¡¯t distinguish ¡°reality¡± from ¡°fiction¡± and leapt off some tall building in the real world.

    That, would certainly not be something that could be resolved with a three-day resurrection.

    Now it seemed that the 66-question entrance exam for selecting test yers was too conservative. When he had some free time, he would have to adjust that questionnaire, ensuring that at the very least, yers entering the game must possess a certain level of self-control and discernment.

    Miriam had already received the message that Murphy would being over. So when Murphy pushed open the door, she had already put on an outer garment over her nightgown and brewed herself a cup of tea.

    ¡°I know you vampires are very energetic at night, but please forgive me, my lord. We normal people need to sleep at night,¡± Miriam said to Murphy while yawning continuously.

    ¡°Is there some important matter that requires me to be woken up at this ungodly hour?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, 70 warriors will be recruited from the Saxony region.¡±Murphy threw a miniature spirit lightning bolt, or rather ¡°spirit static electricity¡±, at Miriam.

    The flickering crimson static electricity quickly dispelled Miriam¡¯s sleepiness. The Crimson Regent grasped her hair that had stood on end and listened carefully, understanding the ¡°code¡± Murphy was referring to.

    Her lord was going to recruit otherworld warriors again.

    And this time, he was recruiting 70 at once! This was already the total sum of the current otherworld warriors they had, meaning the advantage of a doubling in numbers.

    As the Crimson Regent, Miriam had fully recognized the outstanding effect a group of fearless otherworlders had in handling various special incidents. Murphy¡¯s news made a glimmer appear in her eyes as well.

    ¡°So, are you asking for my suggestion?¡±

    Miriam took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°A suggestion regarding recruiting these ¡®Saxony mountain folk¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Since you are currently in charge of the specific affairs of the territory, I want to hear your opinion. You know the various traits these mountain folk possess. Their outstanding talents can be put to good use.¡±

    Murphy stroked his chin and said, ¡°For example, the four warriors you have already designated have taken a lot of pressure off you in administrative matters, have they not?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if we approach it from that angle, then I would suggest that you summon all 70 warriors this time as administrative talents!¡±

    Miriam immediately became energized.

    Of course, she also knew that was impossible, so after calming down, she drank her tea and said, ¡°At least a quarter should be focused on administrative talents. They don¡¯t necessarily have to be managerial types, outstanding schrs like Mr. Grayman are also very much needed by us.

    My lord, I n to report to you tomorrow on my work aplishments over this period. Not counting Bataxin City, which has already been granted as a fief to Lady Palen, we have currently gained the allegiance of 15 viges.

    But in order to effectively manage them, we cannot just stop at ¡®promation¡¯.

    My idea is to dispatch specific people to those viges to rece the vige chiefs, or simply have them migrate to the vicinity of Crimson Citadel.

    After all, the baronies of Mond and Leim have plenty of abandoned viges for them to reside in. Or even more straightforwardly, incorporate them into the rebuilding work of Crimson Citadel.

    I think everyone would have a sense of belonging towards a city they built with their own hands.¡±

    Saying this, the Crimson Regent put down her teacup. She smoothed her hair that was still frizzed from the static electricity and said to Murphy, ¡°I believe these vigers will be easier to manage than the blood servants we are about to receive. Those prisoners who will be sent back, no matter how loyal they are to vampires, are still soldiers and unsuitable to be ced in the currently dpidated Crimson Citadel.

    What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I have my own arrangements for that,¡± Murphy shook his head and said, ¡°The viges of Transia were too scattered in the past, severely affecting the administrative efficiency of this region. I n to take advantage of this opportunity to re-n the distribution of all viges in the Transia area, gathering the people into more efficient collective farms instead of allowing them to work freely.

    The production efficiency of that method is too low.

    We now have Witch Hunters, whose mastery of natural spirit energy can make the cleared farnds more fertile and allow better growth for the barley next spring.

    Of course, this is a long-term n that needs to be discussed slowly by your administrative team. For now, let¡¯s just talk about tomorrow¡¯s warrior recruitment.

    Are you sure a quarter of them as administrators is enough?¡±

    ¡°For now, it is enough.¡±

    Miriam nodded and said, ¡°I need to set up the framework for the territorial governance system first. The initial step is to establish important governing nodes. ording to Professor Malcolm¡¯s suggestion, having too many officials at this stage is actually counterproductive. 15-20 administrative warriors as a trial of the new governing model for Crimson Citadel and the nearby viges will be more than enough.

    Because soon after, we will be receiving arge number of prisoners sent back from two countries. I originally nned to build a few more viges near the Mond Vige quarry and the logging site near Leim Vige to amodate them.

    Since you have proposed the idea of ¡®collective farms¡¯, perhaps starting with these armed blood servants to establish our new grassroots might also be a good choice.

    You trust your warriors, and their work capabilities have been recognized. So I n to hand over the management rights of these new viges to them.

    But first, your warriors need to get ustomed to our administrative model here. Although their knowledge is solid, like my former self, they severelyck experience in grassroots management. As for the remaining warriors, they will naturally still lean towardsbat roles!

    After all, Lady Shani, the grand duchess, has left you with a difficult problem. While rebuilding the territory, we must also clear out the gnoll bandits that gue thisnd like a chronic disease.

    Under such circumstances, fearless and battle-hardened Professionals are a necessity!

    However, if possible, I hope you can also recruit a few ¡®schrs¡¯ like Mr. Grayman. They can serve in administrative roles and also help our citizens master some valuable skills.

    For example, the reliable and durable ¡®gray tents¡¯, as well as new-style handicrafts, these can be sold as specialty trade goods once the trade routes reopen.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Murphy nodded.

    Miriam¡¯s suggestion was to recruit more ¡°artisans¡±, which was an interesting proposal.

    The lord soon bid farewell to Miriam, who was now wide awake after his visit. As he strolled through the city at night, he opened the game application forum.

    A total of 300 game test applications were neatlyid out before his eyes.

    These were elite individuals selected by Murphy after scrutinizing the applicants over this period. Each person¡¯s personal introduction section in their test application was unique.

    Grayman¡¯s roommate ¡°Bricyer¡± was a must-include to help Grayman n the new city.

    The fifth member of the Girls¡¯ Squad, ¡°Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua¡±, also had to be included because Murphy had learned through screen-peeking that Lumina had a 7-person small group, filled entirely with highly intelligent talents from various industries.

    From the outstanding performances of Sword Saint Ashina and Fatal Orchid Huahua, one could tell that the ¡°gold content¡± of this group was truly exceptionally high.

    There were also two friends of the little rich guy Feel You Poor!

    One was an administrative talent, ¡°Life Is Pretty Good¡±, and the other¡¯s real-life upation was also quite unique, named ¡°Bursting Belly¡±. Additionally, a few brothers who often discussed some rather ¡°risky¡± stuff on the forum with Dump Truck Iaido and Bulldozer Man Charging could also be included.

    The Carpe family¡¯s promised production line probably wouldn¡¯t be sent back to Transia anytime soon, but Murphy had to start preparing for taking over the factory now.

    Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Half Off With Full Coverage were talents in this area, but they would need more help to quickly operate the first factory and weapons production line in the territory.

    As usual, the PY Little Prince Ah Yuen brought along many friends from his school. Murphy passed one-third of them, judging from his current experience that the student faction was still quite obedient in this game, with super strong cohesion, passion, and simplicity. Their learning ability and energy were at their peak in life. They didn¡¯t have too many self-serving thoughts, had received higher education, and could easily empathize with NPCs. Most importantly, they had a stronger willingness to ept management, a fondness for order, and a willingness to make efforts for a good cause.

    Simply put, their ideals had not been worn down, making them the best little yer candidates.

    Lastly were the ¡°artisans¡± specifically emphasized by Miriam.

    Unfortunately, there were indeed few talents that Murphy could choose from in this aspect. After all, true masters who had delved deeply into a field to a certain level rarely had time to y games.

    ¡°So, should I try to promote the game among the little yers?¡± Murphy pondered as he checked off the next batch of ¡°victims¡± on the list.

    ¡°Just the armed blood servants that Nordtov and the Goldflower Kingdom will send back will number 16,000. At that time, it will feedback another 160 slots. Add to that the nomads who will be inspected after the gnoll hunts, and the slots will only increase.

    Hmm, I suddenly feel a sense of ¡®blissful¡¯ trouble.

    Well, perhaps it¡¯s time to give my little yers some ¡®family silver welfare¡¯?

    Should I hold a ¡®wee event¡¯?

    Recruit more people into the game and give rewards, then have the new yers recruit even more neers¡­

    Uh, this model sounds a lot like a pyramid scheme, doesn¡¯t it?

    Hold on!

    Don¡¯t think any further, Murphy!

    Even if you¡¯ve crossed over into another world, you still can¡¯t walk the path of crime!¡±

    The vampire lord chuckled to himself. After confirming that all 70 little yers had been selected, he used the mass mail function to send a game testunch notification to the new yers¡¯ forum mailboxes, even using the forum¡¯s built-in editing tools to make it look proper and ceremonious.

    Like an admission notice, it had a very ritualistic feel, with a white background bearing the Alpha Company watermark, and at the bottom was the seal and signature of the ¡¶Reality Realm¡· test group.

    A few minutester, the game forum erupted into a celebratory frenzy of howling and wailing.

    Those ¡°cravings party¡± members who had been lurking on the forum for at least half a month waiting to get test slots could finally have their wishes fulfilled.

    A new post was quickly created.

    Titled rather arrogantly: ¡¶The Fifth Batch of Transia Expedition Members Report Here! Starting Roll Call! Prepare to Set Out!¡·

    What Color is Loyalty: ¡¾Hahaha! Your uncle got in! The courier already shows it¡¯s been shipped, I¡¯ll get my helmet in the morning! @Dump Truck Iaido @Bulldozer Man Charging @Half Off With Full Coverage, brothers wait for me, let¡¯s y together!

    All the brothers who got the test invitation, be arrogant!

    Come out and report so your big brother can see who¡¯s in the same batch! That way we can look out for each other once we¡¯re in the game.¡¿

    Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle: ¡¾What¡¯s there to be proud of? Big brother also got in! Ha, let me see with my own eyes what kind of game this is that my cute little junior ims is 100% real! Tremble, Transia, the martial arts genius Mighty Shark is here!¡¿

    Bursting Belly: ¡¾I¡¯m going too, brother.¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾Kadman Army Recruiting! Brothers, want to experience the thrilling life of vendettas? Want to witness true masculine heroism? Want to find life¡¯s true meaning in battle? Want to open a treasure and get rich overnight? The Kadman Army is your best choice!

    Join now and get a free recruit outfit set!

    First batch of closed beta veterans and Professional brothers will lead, rich game experience, participated in all big and small battles so far with outstanding records!

    You¡¯re just one step away from reaching the pinnacle of life by joining us!¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾@Onboard Joy Stick, the guild system isn¡¯t open yet, don¡¯t mislead new yers. And your name doesn¡¯t follow the game rules. To use the ¡®Kadman¡¯ region¡¯s official capacity to create an army, you need Count Murphy¡¯s formal authorization. Be careful of Maxim sending troops to arrest you for randomly calling out like this in-game.¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾Hehe, brother Alpha, don¡¯t be so serious, I can change it, can¡¯t I?¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Hahaha, caught red-handed trying to deceive! You¡¯re something else, brother. Oh right, our ¡®Big Bird Spinning¡¯ squad also ns to recruit newbies. Any interested buddies can private message me once in the game.¡¿

    Leading Pigeon: ¡¾Damn! Brother Meow King, what kind of shady name is that? Sounds so vulgar. Our ¡®Crimson Beast Squad¡¯ is also recruiting, but only midnight fine men determined to walk the vampire path.¡¿

    Corki the Pilot: ¡¾????Did everyone receive the test invitation? Why didn¡¯t I get one? Is it because myputer is broken so I can¡¯t receive emails?¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾This is such a let down! I¡¯ve been waiting for 10 days, and I¡¯m still not allowed in this time? Isn¡¯t it my turn yet? I¡¯ve posted so much in the feedback area!¡¿

    Mountain Demon Ganpu: ¡¾Yeah, yeah, our ¡®Demon Eight¡¯ group always checks in on the forum on schedule every day. Brother Alpha, give us a chance to make a small insignificant contribution to the test work.¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Uh, brother, is there a possibility that, well, the more posts you make, the more work the admins have to process, and the more extreme their view of you bes, and then¡­¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾What the f**k? No way! Isn¡¯t this a test? Isn¡¯t game testing all about providing feedback? This is clearly proof that I¡¯m diligently working! My sincerity is as clear as day and night, admins, please don¡¯t misunderstand!¡¿

    Mustard Madman: ¡¾Hahaha, brother you¡¯re too much!¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾Why don¡¯t you let this brother divine his fate? Let me teach you, toss three coins and tell me the yin and yang, I¡¯ll help you calcte. Tarot cards or crystal balls are fine too, I¡¯m a Master at all of them. Look, I¡¯ve already divined for myself.

    I will sessfully get a helmet and enter the game after at most 10,000 and at least 1 cycle of being left out, how about that? Impressive, right?¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾???? Why is this psychic also barging in? Get lost, all of you!¡¿

    Bricyer: ¡¾Brother, I got in just by casually filling it out the other day, so I¡¯m the heaven-chosen one, right?¡¿

    Multi-Turret Chief Disciple: ¡¾Brother Alpha, give me a helmet! Brother Alpha, I want to be your dog! Give me a chance, Brother Alpha, @Alpha¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Don¡¯t rush, everyone being able to enter the forum means you¡¯ve passed the test group¡¯s selection. The only thing limiting you from entering the game besides server capacity is the production output of the hardware team making the game hardware.

    I heard they¡¯re adjusting the production line to prepare for mass production.

    Just wait a bit longer, it won¡¯t be too long. Once the output is up, everyone on the forum can enter the game and y together.¡¿

    Multi-Turret Chief Disciple: ¡¾I can go to the factory and help tighten screws! I¡¯m not bragging, but I¡¯m really slick at tightening screws, @Alpha, Brother Alpha, is there any way to pull some strings and get me in through the back door? I really really want to y, give me a chance! I want to be a good person!¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Well, there¡¯s a way that¡¯s not really a back door. It¡¯s because the test group is preparing for arge-scale manufacturing industry ssification test recently.

    But in pursuit of realism, it¡¯s very difficult for us to find artisan workers from various industries.

    So, if you have relevant specialties, you can supplement them in your applications. This may increase your chances of sess, but I can¡¯t guarantee 100% sess.

    This depends on the test progress.

    Also, don¡¯t falsify information. Artisan test participants who enter the game will have a skills assessment. If you can¡¯t pass, then¡­ In short, don¡¯t falsify information!

    I can assure you that as long as you wait patiently, everyone can enter the game. This is the development team¡¯s promise to you all! There¡¯s no need to forfeit your eligibility for a momentary impulse. Honestly, it¡¯s not worth it.¡¿

    Ah Yuen: ¡¾Oh, artisans? Does cooking count? I also have a brother who specializes in making sugar figurines, it¡¯s our local intangible cultural heritage.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Those all count, the development team wees test participants with specialties. They urgently need feedback right now, and to be honest, the testing for the manufacturing system has already fallen far behind schedule.¡¿

    Ah Yuen: ¡¾Got it~ Leave it to me, Brother Alpha!¡¿

    Master Broken de: ¡¾@Alpha, Brother Alpha, my brother and I also count as artisans, right? But can we forge iron in the game?¡¿

    Hundred Forging Great Horse: ¡¾Obviously, if we can¡¯t forge iron, what are we here for? @Meow King, Meow King brother, it was you who said there were divine weapons so we filled out the application. If we don¡¯t qualify, watch out, we mighte beat you up in person.

    Hey, look out, the professionals are here!¡¿

 Chapter 198:

    Time flew by in a sh.

    As midnight dispersed and the sun shone brightly overhead, arge group of yers rushed to the Midnight Chamber of the Blood Vulture Halls at high noon.

    They had learned from the forums that new yers would be joining the game at this time, and due to the unique invitation system of the game ¡¶Reality Realm¡·, they had alle to ¡°wee the bride.¡±

    As usual, Murphy was calcting the time in the Midnight Chamber. When the countdown hit zero, he cast ¡°Otherworld Summoning Spell¡± at the Proficient level. With his ck Iron Elite Temte rank and his ever-expanding spirit pool from continuous potential development, he was able toplete the resonance of entity weaving and spirit projection for 70 new yers in one go.

    Seventy little yers of varying heights and body types had already prepared themselves in the mostfortable positions in another world. The correct method for adjusting the game helmets,piled by Meow King, had also been kept at the top of the forum, giving the little yers enough time for personalized settings after receiving their helmets.

    As a sh of light appeared in the VR-like interface, the yers witnessed a scattering of stars and streams of light. Then, with a slight sense of weightlessness, they opened their eyes wide.

    After a fairly decent ¡°seamless transition,¡± the world before them gradually came into focus.

    With their first breath, they caught sight of the dimly lit yet unobstructed atmosphere of the Midnight Chamber, exuding the mysterious aura unique to the midnight nobility through its intricate drawings and carvings.

    The torches andmps lit on the walls guided their gaze, and they began their gaming journey by experiencing the perfect integration of their spirit and new bodies.The new yers let out exmations of surprise. Some immediately got up and jumped around, while others cautiously observed their surroundings.

    Although everyone who made it here had been on the forum for at least a week, seeing the information posted by veteran yers every day and knowing that this game was very realistic, it wasn¡¯t until this moment that they truly understood the meaning of ¡°100% realism.¡±

    Especially the simtion of the five senses to an incredibly lifelike degree.

    It was simply¡­ simply indistinguishable from a real otherworld.

    However, this time, there was no appearance of the infamous Pants-Remover among the little yers, and everyone¡¯s behavior was quite normal, even overly ¡°gentlemanly.¡±

    The reason for this was likely the presence of a ¡°special person¡± among them.

    Yes, this batch of 70 yers also included only one female, and she was simrly from an extraordinary background.

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s at least a D+, right?¡± whispered ¡°Bursting Belly¡± as he looked at the tall, gentle-faced woman with long hair draped over her shoulders, who was rubbing her cheeks.

    ¡°Not just that, with my professional eye, I¡¯d say it¡¯s an E, perfectly bnced between ¡®curvaceous¡¯ and ufortably rge¡¯, what we generally call top-notch,¡± a young man beside Bellyughed and corrected him in a low voice.

    ¡°Hey, hey, snap out of it. Don¡¯t stare, you guys. She¡¯ll notice, and let¡¯s not act like we¡¯ve never seen a woman before. Be ssy, alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±

    The circle of men around them immediately coughed and averted their gaze.

    However, thedy, formidable in every sense, seemed ustomed to such attention. She smiled and greeted the yers around her, then stepped forward, immediately drawn to the smiling Murphy before her.

    Don¡¯t get the wrong idea!

    Murphy was undoubtedly handsome and capable of attracting ady¡¯s gaze.

    But thisdy¡¯s attention was not on Murphy¡¯s handsome face but rather on the Blood Vulture n ceremonial outfit he was wearing.

    ¡°A ssical Gothic style variant, leaning towards the Central European Hignds embroidery style. Hmm¡­ an unfamiliar knitting technique but undoubtedly an ancient tradition.

    Additionally, the ever-timeless use of ck as the base,plemented by well-ced red ents to enhance the visual impact and shock factor.

    The most ssic element is this unique hooded cape cor, giving the wearer an ¡®upright and noble¡¯ first impression, truly excellent design, although a bit too extreme.

    Ordinary models would never be able to pull off this gloomy style, they¡¯d just look like lunatics.

    But despitecking universality, it doesn¡¯t detract from the innate perfection of this style and the need for a wless frame to hold it up.

    Vampires.

    Marvelous creatures, marvelous aesthetic style.¡±

    She muttered to herself, reaching out to touch the bat embroidery made of spirit thread on Murphy¡¯s clothing. But before her fingers could make contact with her chest, the Lord politely raised his hand to stop thedy¡¯s touch.

    He cleared his throat lightly, causing thedy before him to snap out of her trance.

    ¡°You must be ¡®Lady Aqua,¡¯ correct?¡± Murphy looked the uniquedy up and down as he courteously said, ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing my brave little Ashina sing your praises. She ims you¡¯re the most outstanding clothing and fashion concept designer in the otherworld, and at first nce, you¡¯re indeed extraordinary.

    There¡¯s a lot of research on the vampire style in this world, but few can analyze us from the perspective of our clothing style the moment theyy eyes on us.

    You¡¯re truly ady with a unique eye, as exceptional as your graceful bearing.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, the young master tters me too much. I¡¯m just an ordinary housewife now, having been away from work for so long that I¡¯ve forgotten the etiquette of a first meeting.

    Please excuse my rudeness.¡±

    Beingplimented by such a handsome NPC made Lady Aqua cover her mouth andugh lightly.

    Her demeanor was truly excellent.

    Her exquisite features and easy grace exuded a kind of ¡°nobility¡± that wasn¡¯t off-putting. It was the kind where you knew thisdy belonged to the upper echelon, yet she still made an effort to bridge the distance with you. This visible effort alone could dispel most people¡¯s hostility.

    Just as true leaders are always amiable, only those unrefined folks would strive for the self-satisfaction derived from instilling fear in others.

    Everyone yearns for respect, and thisdy before them clearly understood how to show respect to others.

    Under Murphy¡¯s smiling gaze, she performed an extremely standard court etiquette as a farewell between the two of them, then swayed away from the Midnight Chamber, met by Ashina¡¯s shrill cries of wee outside the door.

    Murphy stroked the core bead in his hand.

    Although Lady Aqua had not yet obtained her Computation Bead for character binding to ess her specific interface, Murphy could already view her Character Attributes.

    At a nce, she was indeed extraordinary.

    Her Charisma and Intellect were both at the maximum of 8 points. And that wasn¡¯t all, she had a total of five character traits! Surpassing the previous yer record of four traits held by Pomegranate Sister.

    They were:

    ¡¾Master Tailor: Allows the holder of this trait to create advanced tailoring patterns.¡¿

    ¡¾Graceful and Refined: Holders of this trait have double the learning rate of a standard yer temte.¡¿

    ¡¾Celestial Beauty: All Charisma checks +2, healing spell effects increased.¡¿

    ¡¾Gentle Maternity: Healing skill proficiency cap increased.¡¿

    ¡¾Lucid Mind: All Intellect checks +1, spirit spell effects increased.¡¿

    Three out of the five traits enhanced healing capabilities, befitting her title of ¡°super healer¡± that Ashina had firmly proimed. It also did justice to her monstrous figure that would make even Adele feel ashamed.

    Moreover, Lady Aqua possessed a Grandmaster-level manufacturing trait, exactly the kind of talent Miriam had been craving.

    Just what sort of geniuses were in that weird little group of Lumina¡¯s!

    If the ordinary members were this formidable, how powerful must the mysterious group leader Concrete Sister and the three yet-to-debut members be?

    Murphy was bing increasingly curious about the answer.

    But Lady Aqua was not the only ¡°surprise¡± Murphy received from this batch of little yers. After delivering the customary wee speech befitting his NPC status and demeanor, Murphy allowed the new yers to move about freely while he began to further observe some of the ¡°unique individuals¡± among them.

    For instance, the two middle-aged looking little yers talking to Meow King:

    ¡¾Master Broken de¡¿ and ¡¾Hundred Forging Great Horse¡¿.

    These two guys both possessed advanced weapon forging traits, slightly inferior to Lady Aqua¡¯s Master Tailor, but still quite impressive craftsmen.

    There were also two young men whispering to Feel You Poor.

    ¡¾Bursting Belly¡¿.

    He possessed two rare traits: ¡¾Beast Tamer¡¿ and ¡¾Animal Trainer¡¿. This was normal, as his real-life upation was a zookeeper for ferocious animals.

    Apparently, he was hired by Feel You Poor at a high price to help care for the Manticore Stinky Treasure.

    The other young man was ¡¾Life Is Pretty Good¡¿.

    He was a lifelong friend of the formerly wealthy Feel You Poor, but unlike the business failure, this fellow from a wealthy family had swum like a fish in themercial world. He clearly excelled at dealing with others, entering the game with a ¡¾Leadership¡¿ trait.

    This was the first time Murphy had seen this character trait among the 140 carefully selected yers, indicating its rarity.

    He was precisely the administrative and managerial talent Miriam needed.

    Lastly, there was an abnormally excited, slightly balding middle-aged man being led away by Dump Truck Iaido Brother. His ID was ¡¾What Color is Loyalty¡¿. Hmm, clearly a fanatic who had escaped the psych ward.

    But this guy was the one Murphy valued most among this batch of little yers, for one reason: his two character traits were ¡¾Master Firearm Crafter¡¿ and ¡¾Advanced Machinist¡¿.

    ¡°An ordinary person possessing master firearm crafting? I fear we¡¯ve recruited a Shaolin grandmaster in disguise,¡± Murphy narrowed his eyes, observing the boisterous balding middle-aged man.

    His vampire¡¯s keen perception made him feel slightly uneasy. This seemingly gentle and enthusiastic man, curious and eager to try everything, was quite possibly a ¡°probe¡± from the opposing world¡¯s official forces.

    ¡°Were we spotted this quickly?¡±

    Murphy rubbed his brow while hidden in the shadows.

    He had thought he was being discreet enough, but the current situation in Transia was indeed not optimistic, and he needed talent!

    There was no doubt about that.

    As for the risks behind this, he would have to bear them.

    Thinking of this, Murphy opened the application tab on the forum again, where a few applicants had been marked for special attention.

    ¡¾Border Town Wanderer¡¿, ¡¾Mustard Madman¡¿, and ¡¾Master Ziwei¡¿ ¨C these guys had even put on a ¡°double act¡± for himst night to show they had no connection.

    But my dear, character traits never lie.

    With that ringly highlighted ¡¾Intelligence Gatherer¡¿ trait on all three of you, how can I trust you?

    ¡°Huh? This thing? You mean you¡¯re hiring me to help you tame this creature?¡±

    Meanwhile, as Murphy observed the little yers, the ferocious animal expert ¡°Bursting Belly¡± had been led by Feel You Poor to face his ¡°Stinky Treasure.¡±

    Last night, Feel You Poor had sent his Manticore back to the Astral Realm. What was before them now was a second summon from the Astral Realm, a spirit projection but also a physical entity. If killed in the material world, it would simply be reborn in the Astral Realm.

    This was a shared trait of Astral Realm creatures.

    With a summoning contract made with Feel You Poor, Stinky Treasure was very obedient, squatting calmly beside its Summoner, observing the two strangers with lion-like eyes.

    It could sense the fear in their hearts.

    This greatly satisfied the young Manticore, prompting afortable snort as it draped its venomous tail hook, capable of easily piercing a human body, over its Summoner¡¯s shoulder.

    A disy of affection and trust.

    But Belly, a professional zookeeper who had graduated and worked in the field for years, had his worldview shaken to the core.

    He looked at the peculiar creature before him, a fusion of a male lion, scorpion, and bat, and clutched his head in distress, wailing:

    ¡°I knew that sry of several tens of thousands a month wouldn¡¯te easy. How am I supposed to help you raise this thing, boss? I know how to feed lions and understand the habits of bats. I also know scorpions like cool, dark ces. But you¡¯vebined the three¡­

    Sigh Is it toote for me to quit?¡±

    ¡°Quit? Who hasn¡¯t done this for the first time?¡± Feel You Poor remained optimistic as he patted Belly¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°We¡¯re all newbies at this sort of thing. Just do your best. My Stinky Treasure isn¡¯t as fragile as you think. I heard from Lady Tris that you can directly feed it poison and it¡¯ll be fine.

    Poison is actually a supplement for it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, headache¡­¡± Belly looked pained.

    Thinking to himself, ¡®The spoiled rich really are different, raising monsters in the game and even hiring a caretaker for his pet. What a waste of money.¡¯

    But he couldn¡¯t bear to give up the generous sry, and he was also interested in the ¡°fantasy creature¡± before him. So he pondered and said, ¡°I gathered some information from the forums earlier. I heard from Meow King that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has a ¡®Beast Tongue¡¯ skill book? Perhaps I should buy one to bettermunicate with animals and understand their preferences.¡±

    ¡°Then go find them,¡± Feel You Poor waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Those lunatics have been preaching at the camp these past few days, recruiting people everywhere for their Avalon Church. Just ask anyone where they are.

    Oh, right, the new hire process has changed. Go register at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild first and do a few small quests to receive your Computation Bead and spirit dog tags.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ying at a much higher level this time. It¡¯s the first time from childhood till now that I¡¯ve gained some respect for you,¡± Life Is Pretty Good finally tore his gaze away from the Manticore and punched his lifelong friend¡¯s chest yfully,ughing, ¡°But I heard not only did yourpany go bankrupt, but you were also bullied? We brothers can¡¯t take that, can we? Why didn¡¯t you contact the bros to get some payback?¡±

    ¡°I have seventeen ways to make them kneel and sing praises to you. If you insist on beingw-abiding, then it¡¯s nine ways.¡±

    ¡°Tch, that¡¯s in the past, why bring it up?¡± Feel You Poor shrugged and pulled his buddy toward the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, saying as they walked, ¡°There are administrative professions in this game, I think they¡¯d suit you.¡±

    ¡°No way, I¡¯m not doing that.¡± Life Is Pretty Good stretched his body and scoffed, ¡°I already manage a few hundred people in reality. Coming to the game, I still have to manage a few hundred more? Then what¡¯s the point of ying?¡±

    ¡°No need to rush that. Your mom called me a few days ago, asking you to go home for a visit.¡±

    ¡°Not going! Mind your own business about my family and Old Zhang!¡± Feel You Poor snorted.

    Seeing his buddy about to nag again, he promptly mounted his Manticore and swiftly flew off, leaving Life Is Pretty Good no chance to persuade him, shaking his head in helplessness.

    This childhood friend of his still hadn¡¯t been beaten down enough by reality.

    In another room in the outer city district, Lady Aqua gazed at the exquisite evening gown before her, her beautiful eyes shining brilliantly.

    Caressing the unique ornaments and intricate details, she marveled, ¡°The artistic style of this game is astonishing. I¡¯ve never seen a work that blends natural elements with a gloomy style so perfectly.

    No, this is a work of art.

    Just the waist is a bit tight. I can¡¯t imagine having this bust size while also having this waistline, it¡¯s simply unscientific! But since the previous owner was a vampire, it makes sense.¡±

    ¡°But no matter, I can modify it myself.¡±

    ¡°Busty monster!¡± Ashina growled in dissatisfaction, chewing on candy. This time, the other three girls sided with Ashina in berating Lady Aqua.

    She was not only beautiful but also skilled at making clothes and designing. She married into a wealthy family, had children, yet still maintained such a great figure. How were other women supposed to live?

    ¡°You came here to y games, aren¡¯t you going to ask about your husband? He dotes on you so much,¡± Orchid joked.

    It was fine if she didn¡¯t ask, but once she did, Lady Aqua¡¯s eyes immediately narrowed as she said sternly to the few before her, ¡°Have you looked into the background of this gamepany? Do you know how terrified I was when that express delivery arrived at my doorstep this morning?

    I reviewed the surveince footage, but it was disrupted for a few seconds.

    If I didn¡¯t truly trust you and Ashina, I would never have worn this thing of unknown origin. I haven¡¯t even told my husband about all this, lest he overreact again.¡±

    Pomegranate Sister blinked and joked, ¡°Orchid said she received the helmet in Antarctica, which was already unbelievable. Where did you receive yours, Lady Aqua?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specific location,¡± Lady Aqua shrugged and casually said, ¡°Butst night, I was having dinner with my husband in Moro. Calcting the ship¡¯s speed, it should be in international waters by now. I¡¯ll be back in the country in a few days. Ashina, do you need me to bring you any gifts?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll buy whatever I want myself. I don¡¯t need you to bring me anything!¡± Ashina patted her head and pped her wings, fluttering about like a giant baby bat.

    ¡°That really is a huge yacht!¡± Pomegranate Sister looked defeated.

    She turned to the dejected Lumina and said, ¡°So, what sort of supernatural beings are in your group? And how did you, of your caliber, get mixed in with them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said, I have a good brain. I¡¯m smart, okay?¡± Lumina covered her eyes and wailed, ¡°Besides, can we not talk about reality in the game? Hanging around with this bunch of monsters is stressful enough for me!¡±

 Chapter 199:

    ¡°This is simply making a mockery of one¡¯s own career! If that warrior was my disciple, I would have beaten him to death! This is extremely irresponsible to oneself.¡±

    Tris, who came to hand over matters to Murphy, was as drunk as usual.

    She had already prepared the new family structure for the Blood Vulture n, but after hearing about the choice made by the little rich guy, Feel You Poor, she immediately became furious.

    She waved her wine bottle in Murphy¡¯s office andined:

    ¡°The biggest advantage of a Summoner over a Spirit Mage is the flexibility of tactics and overall functionality, but now that little fool wants to give up everything for a Manticore that doesn¡¯t even belong to him.

    Alright, I admit that thebat power of an adult Manticore is far superior to ordinary Astral Realm creatures, but so what? No matter how formidable it is, it cannot be a match for 12 Astral Wolvesmanded by a Summoner.

    Moreover, Manticores are too troublesome to keep.

    They need to be constantly fed various toxins to enhance their venomous traits, and their solitary nature also means they won¡¯t get along well with the Summoner¡¯s other summoned creatures.

    This is simply cutting off one¡¯s own path!¡±¡°But Manticores are cool.¡±

    Murphy sat at his desk, looking at a map of the County of Kadman and calcting something. Without raising his head, he said, ¡°A Summoner capable of summoning 12 Astral Wolves would be praised as powerful, but the attention he would receive would definitely not match that of a second-rate Summoner strutting through the market riding a Manticore, Tris. You still don¡¯t understand the true desires of my little yers.

    Perhaps it¡¯s because neither you nor I have their ¡®immortal¡¯ souls. Just as we cannot fathom the people in a painting, we cannot fathom them either. But I think, for them, attention is even more important than strength.

    Moreover, ordinary wolves can be seen in zoos, but even the most impressive zoos would not have such an unscientific thing as a Manticore.

    The things we have here that they don¡¯t have over there are the real treasures that attract them.¡±

    ¡°Woo-woo.¡±

    George, the Astral Direwolf lying at Murphy¡¯s feet, let out a dissatisfied whimper.

    Apparently, he was disdainful of the Manticore¡¯s ability to only fly around, whereas in the Astral Realm¡¯s ecosystem, even legendary Manticores wouldn¡¯t dare provoke the wolf pack he belonged to.

    Murphy nced at the wolf at his feet.

    He thought to himself, ¡°You have no right to be so arrogant, buddy. Even if that Manticore Stinky Treasure is a loser, it can easily bite your head off with one bite. The strength of your wolf pack doesn¡¯t make you strong. What are you so proud of?¡±

    ¡°Say whatever you want, but I still think it¡¯s irresponsible.¡±

    Tris yawned and tossed a stack of documents to Murphy, saying, ¡°The new family structure is ready. Sign it, and then I¡¯ll have Bonnie publish it. Use the form created by Miriam to record the new family members and include them in the household registration management under the County of Kadman.

    This is probably the first time in a thousand years that vampires on this continent have been required to register with the authorities. I guess the other ns will look down on us.

    But maybe your approach is also a way forward.

    If it can indeed reduce the conflict between vampires and humans, then we should try to step out of the shadows of history. You should be grateful for Salrokdar¡¯s misbehavior, Murphy. Otherwise, in a well-established family system, your ¡®unconventional¡¯ idea would make you instantly abandoned by everyone.

    Ah, enough about that. Femis will be home tonight, so you and I should go wee her together. Apparently, she¡¯s also bringing back the first batch of Blood Pact Knights assigned to us by Lord Payne, as well as some support supplies.¡±

    Tris finished the wine in Murphy¡¯s office and turned to leave, but Murphy held her shoulder.

    ¡°Wait, I still want to ask you about the situation in Seicob City. Miriam and I are preparing to relocate the viges in the county to the vicinity of Crimson Citadel. Since we really need poption now, she also ns to recruit some vigers from the County of Seicob.

    But I¡¯m not very familiar with the events in the northern part of Transia.¡±

    Murphy said, ¡°I heard that two years ago, after the fall of Seicob City, there was still a wing of cavalry persisting in the fight. They engaged the enemy in the ancient forest northeast of Seicob City, bordering the Ice Bay region. Tell me, Tris, can we bring those loyal Portia Federation troops under ourmand?¡±

    ¡°The Seicob winged cavalry would not easily submit to a new master. They are not loyal to the Federation either, they are only loyal to the lord of that forest,¡± Tris shook her head and said, ¡°Those formidable winged cavalrymen are descendants of mountain people and barbarians, with ice and stone flowing in their veins. Do you understand what I mean? If you want to recruit them, the prerequisite is that you must be able to find them!

    But in that ancestral forest, there are natural forces protecting them, making it very difficult for even Witch Hunters to track them down.

    However, I think you can send your little yers to scout around the ruins of Seicob City first.

    There are indeed some viges around there that can be incorporated into your territory. Given the extent of the devastation in northern Transia, as long as you can provide enough food for those poor people and allocate new dwellings, they would be very willing to obey themands of a vampire lord.

    Of course, that area is nominally the territory of the County of Seicob.

    So your action would be considered undermining, but considering that the previous Count of Seicob, the leader of the winged cavalry, has already been killed by the Goldflower Kingdom, the session has been broken. If you have any intentions, you can directly annex that ce.

    But that would mean you and the winged cavalry who have been loyal to the Count of Seicob for generations would be in direct opposition. The troubles currently faced by the Pioneer Army would be your troubles.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Murphy nodded, stroking his chin and saying, ¡°It seems we¡¯ll have to proceed cautiously.¡±

    ¡°Just say what you have to say, but can you move your hand back? If it goes down or up another inch, you¡¯ll be in deep trouble, my lord.¡±

    Tris said in a gloomy tone.

    Murphy nced at his hand on Tris¡¯s waist, shrugged, and then forcefully pulled the drunken Blood Vulture Grand Duchess into his embrace. Just as he was about to lean down and give her a kiss, an untimely knock at the door was heard.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    This little incident made Trisugh happily. With a charming demeanor, she got up, flicked Murphy¡¯s forehead, and then disappeared into the shadows with a twist of her waist.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption of a good thing.

    The back-and-forth between him and Tris was bound to be a longsting affair, and he had enough patience to continue this game of pursuit in the name of love.

    The office door opened, and Lady Adele entered to report to Murphy:

    ¡°90 camp guards, 30 veterans, and our 6 nsmen have set out in three separate groups, my lord. Baroness Miriam has asked me to inform you that the relocation of 15 viges within the territory officially begins now.

    The Palen Knights have also dispatched the Bataxinmercial caravan to assist with the relocation and transport enough food supplies.

    The entire process is expected to bepleted within 10 days.

    She needs you to order the Baron of Leim to cooperate with this operation. The vigers being relocated will be assigned to the five new collective farms under the Baron of Leim¡¯s jurisdiction.

    Additionally, she needs you to issue orders for the newly recruited administrative warriors to report to her for duty. She said that having the lord directly issue the orders would better align with the ¡®ceremonial sense¡¯ you¡¯ve been emphasizing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ceremonial sense, or ¡®quest procedure¡¯ as you might call it. This is very important.¡±

    Murphy nodded, grasping his core bead and beginning to edit a new quest. While busy with this, he said to the obedient Lady Adele, ¡°The youngdy will be back tonight. If you don¡¯t have any important duties, you can join Tris and me in weing her. You¡¯ve also been looking forward to her return, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Master Murphy.¡±

    Lady Adele smiled with pleasure and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s fortunate to see the only friend in my life safely ovee the horrible disaster she faced. I suppose after experiencing those nightmares, the youngdy also needs to start her life anew.

    However, the youngdy has another identity as the Countess of Anderma, appointed by Lady Tris. After returning, she will likely need to learn how to manage her own territory, just like you did. And the Anderma Hills are now bordering the Goldflower Kingdom, and the Witch Hunters say there are abnormal gatherings of gnolls in that area. It¡¯s not a good ce.

    The youngdy will probably have a headache for a while.

    She doesn¡¯t even have her own governing team or a Baroness Miriam to assist her.¡±

    ¡°Who says she doesn¡¯t?¡±

    Murphy tilted his head, looked at Adele, and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already prepared everything for Femis. But even construction needs to follow a certain order. Let¡¯s build up Crimson Citadel first before considering other regions.

    Facing the invasion of the ck Disaster, Femis probably wouldn¡¯t want to engage in major construction projects in her own territory at this time.¡±

    After saying this, Murphy issued the quest he had justpiled.

    At the same time, the little yers who were receiving Computation Beads and spirit dog tags at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp in the inner city district above the Blood Vulture Halls all received their first main quest from an NPC.

    ¡¾Ding! Newbie Guide Quest ¡®Division of Labor¡¯ has triggered!

    Quest Content: As a warrior selectively summoned to this otherworld, Lord Murphy holds your potential in high regard. His territory is in dire need of restoration and in need of talents. He hopes you can unleash your strength to help this afflictednd recover as soon as possible. Therefore, please choose your initial career path wisely.

    This is very important.

    Quest Objective: Please select different starter quests ording to your character¡¯s strengths to begin your gaming career.

    Developer¡¯s Rmendation:

    Testers with administrative talents, please go to the Crimson Citadel administrative office, visit Crimson Regent Miriam, and begin an administrative career.

    Testers with manufacturing talents, please go to the forward camp outside Crimson Citadel, visit Professor Malcolm, the administrative deputy, for a manufacturing assessment, and begin a manufacturing career.

    Testers withbat talents, please go to the military camp outside Crimson Citadel, visit Baron of Leim Maxim, and beginbat career training.

    Developer¡¯s Note!

    The above are merely rmendations, not mandatory choices. Testers can also allocate their own game time as they see fit.¡¿

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, go, go! Get certified first!¡±

    Meow King saw the quest triggered by Master Broken de and immediately called out to the two ¡°master forgers¡± he had invited, leading them towards the camp outside the city.

    These two guys were ¡°professionals¡± to begin with, not particrly interested in hunting and leveling up. They epted the invitation because they heard they could freely forge various items with maximum realism.

    Hearing Meow King¡¯s call, Hundred Forging Great Horse returned the German greatsword he was admiring to ck Stockings Under the Keyboard and then followed the six-person group, leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp.

    On the way, he said in a low voice to the equally stern-faced Master Broken de, ¡°The real stuff in this game may only use the mostmon forging methods, but the materials are quite exquisite. It seems the developers have created an entire set of rigorous forging techniques for this fantasy world background, including those mysterious spirit weapons. We should try forging one to see.¡±

    Master Broken de nodded, flexing his fingers and saying with an itch, ¡°I can¡¯t figure out how that thing is forged and how it stores energy, but I just observed the tools used by those Witch Hunters, and they¡¯re simr to what we use. Their cksmith said that forging spirit weapons requires adding some spirit perception materials to the process.

    I feel this is a huge gamble. If there¡¯s a dedicated manual, it¡¯s fine, but if not, us two brothers will have to figure it out slowly through trial and error.

    However, I just saw that the old cksmith¡¯s skills are mediocre. He doesn¡¯t even know the case-hardening technique, let alone more advanced skills. Us two can show these guys a thing or two once we gather the tools.

    But that cksmith¡¯s main job is being a Witch Hunter, and cksmithing is just a hobby. He clearly stated that the secret forging techniques of this world are mostly mastered by dwarves. The three major dwarf ns each have their own cksmithing traditions. Hey, we must take the opportunity to witness this magical forging art.¡±

    ¡°You two seem to be chatting quite well,¡± Meow King smirked, unable to contain his curiosity, and handed them the unfinished weapon design sketch from his spirit bag, saying, ¡°To be honest, I previously took on a major Hidden Quest rted to this, which is why I called you two over. Take a look and see if this thing can bepleted.¡±

    ¡°Woah, a magic flying sword!¡± Master Broken de took it and immediately became excited. Meow King¡¯s weapon design sketch was iplete, but the overall shape had been made.

    He examined it carefully and said, ¡°In terms of just the shape, there¡¯s no problem at all. But this is a magical weapon, right? We¡¯re not that mystical, so we¡¯ll have to learn slowly from the locals.¡±

    ¡°No worries, even just a rough shape is fine,¡± Meow King waved his hand, saying, ¡°This cursed quest requires me to obtain a sample to show Lord Murphy and Lady Tris for their evaluation and unlock the next step. The cksmiths at the camp can¡¯t make it, which really frustrates me. Anyway, it¡¯s up to you two gentlemen now.

    Our little group will provide one-third of the cost for you to learn forging and conduct experiments. We also have and deed that we¡¯ll give you two as a reward once the quest ispleted, so you can open a cksmith shop in the cityter.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s awesome! Meow King is a true brother!¡± Hundred Forging Great Horse gave a thumbs up, and the group of brothersughed and left with the crowd. On the other side, the clueless ¡°Life Is Pretty Good¡± was being dragged unwillingly by his good friend Feel You Poor towards the administrative office.

    ¡°Let go! You jerk, I already said I don¡¯t want to do any administrative career! You know I don¡¯t want to be an official in this game, right? I want to go hunt monsters! I want to level up! Don¡¯t stop me!¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good shouted and yelled, drawing stares from a group of administrative yers nearby.

    Because Feel You Poor had ¡°money power¡±, his good friend entered the game with a full set of recruit armor and matching weapons. However, in reality, his otherwise self-disciplined good friend now wanted to challenge the limits and let loose. But Feel You Poor, who knew the ¡°core¡± of this cursed game, stopped him at all costs.

    ¡°There¡¯s no experience from hunting monsters in this game, what¡¯s the rush?¡± He, already at the ck Iron Rank, dragged his good friend like a chicken towards the administrative office entrance, saying as they walked, ¡°Besides, administrative careers only require you to work a few hours a day. Once you arrange the tasks, NPCs will execute them. You can still hunt monsters with the remaining time. Don¡¯t be so dramatic, it would be a real waste if you don¡¯t pursue an administrative career with your talents. Just go change careers quickly.

    I heard from Dump Truck Iaido that administrative yers have priority in selecting loot under certain circumstances. They even get an official sry every week and can assign themselves guards within their jurisdiction. How cool is that!

    Oh, don¡¯t be difficult. Just go switch careers first, and I¡¯ll take you level grinding, okay? Be good!¡±

    ¡°Good your aunt!¡± Life Is Pretty Good shouted, ¡°If I had known you were dragging me in here to fawn over NPCs, I wouldn¡¯t havee! How did you be so deceitful in just ying a game?¡±

    ¡°Yo, looks like you two are trafficking people here,¡± a teasing voice suddenly rang out as they were bickering.

    Feel You Poor and Life Is Pretty Good, the two little rich guys, turned to see Half Off With Full Coverage, the security chief of the forward camp, walking into the administrative courtyard with a stack of documents.

    He was dressed in a cool veteran¡¯s armor, but that wasn¡¯t the point.

    The point was that Half Off was apanied by four fully armed female camp guards. On top of that, he had equipped his guards with cool, standard veteran armor and even designed a family crest for their battle robes.

    What a spectacle! Damn! It left the nearby group of little yers dumbfounded.

    ¡°What? Unwilling to be an official?¡± Half Off walked over confidently, escorted by his guards, and said meaningfully to Life Is Pretty Good, ¡°In this game, you¡¯re not going to be a civil servant, kid. You will be the ruler. Do you know how much power medieval rulers had? Go read some history, and you¡¯ll know.¡±

 Chapter 200:

    ¡°Thank you, brave warriors, for choosing to join the Administrative Department of the Count of Kadman. On behalf of the Count and his entire governing system, I wee your arrival.¡±

    On the open ground behind the manor where the Administrative Department was located, Baroness Miriam, acting as the Crimson Regent, was addressing the training session for more than a dozen new administrative yers. From the yers¡¯ perspective, this was akin to a ¡°profession quest introduction¡± cutscene.

    The Baroness had previously learned and diligently studied a whole set of scripts from Lord Murphy, which now came in handy.

    Several veteran yers were also whispering among themselves as they observed.

    ¡°Say, the perks for this administrative profession are so good? They¡¯re just giving away a 20-gold Mind Microphone plugin for free! Plus four Spirit Utility Bags and a personal mount on long-term lease from the Administrative Department. Wow! They¡¯re even getting special outfits?¡±

    Leading Pigeon, leaning on his n Guardian Staff, enviously watched as the new batch of yers clumsily inserted the plugins into their Computation Beads.

    Having already switched to the Blood Inquisitor profession, heined to his ¡°fellow veteran administrative yer¡± Half Off With Full Coverage:

    ¡°We didn¡¯t get this kind of treatment before! And what¡¯s with your four guards? Didn¡¯t you not have them yesterday? Are you trying to put together a harem guard squad like Captain Cato did?¡±

    ¡°Well, you know, it¡¯s a special perk for this special profession.¡±Half Off With Full Coverage smugly waved his hand, then quietly exined to hispanions:

    ¡°As soon as I logged in today, I received a quest. Apparently, the dev team has adjusted the nning and positioning of the administrative profession. Since administrative yers have to spend time handling territorial affairs every day, it would undoubtedly affect their personal strength growth. So, the Count has ordered special treatment for us.

    Now, as long as an administrative yer reaches the ¡®Acting Vige Chief¡¯ rank, they can borrow two veteran NPCs from the Kadman People¡¯s Army¡¯s special security division as bodyguards.

    Because I have an official position, I can borrow four.

    That white-haired vampire Maxim is quite knowledgeable. He let me pick from the veterans, with an equal number of men and women.

    However, I need to pay them sries, five gold per week for each of them.

    I asked Maxim, and he said that since the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has just been established, they can¡¯t spare any personnel for now. But after Guild Leader Natalie gets things settled, we administrative yers will be able to recruit some retired witch hunters from the Witch Hunter organization as private guards.

    He estimates that there might even be a ¡®elite recruitment¡¯ special channel opened then.

    Just imagine, going out to hunt monsters with four elite NPCs, how exciting!¡±

    ¡°Acting Vige Chief? So, the next level for the administrative profession is the official Vige Chief?¡±

    The ever-curious Leading Pigeon asked:

    ¡°But what about passing the ck Iron Trial?¡±

    ¡°You chose the administrative profession, why would you need to go through the ck Iron Trial? That¡¯s a challenge reserved for thebat professions.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage shook his head and said:

    ¡°I just read the newly released administrative profession system overview. Simply put, our profession doesn¡¯t rely on hunting monsters to level up. Instead, the Administrative Department conducts weekly inspections to evaluate your work performance. If you meet the standards for four consecutive weeks, you¡¯ll be promoted to the next professional rank.

    Just think about it, as a camp supervisor, I have to spend at least four hours a day handling official duties. The higher my position goes, the busier I¡¯ll be.

    I personally estimate that once an administrative yer reaches the ¡®Acting Town Chief¡¯ rank, they¡¯ll rarely have time to practice their personal strength.

    This profession system is clearly designed for yers who prefer strategy games over hack-and-shbat.

    An official Vige Chief can borrow four guards and has one special recruitment slot to freely hire an NPC as the Vige Chief¡¯s Protector.

    As for the official Town Chief administrative rank, your personal guard squad would have twelve guards plus two special recruitment slots. That¡¯s twelve fully armed veterans, enough to form threebat squads.

    Even in an instance dungeon, that would be considered a mini-BOSS.

    And if you can recruit powerful wild elite NPCs as your Protectors, it means a Town Chief would essentially have a small army.

    Moreover, ifbat urs within their managed area, Vige Chiefs and Town Chiefs have the authority to temporarily recruit a certain number of militiamen.

    You¡¯re taking the quality route, while we¡¯re going for the quantity path of managing the bigger picture.

    Do you understand now?¡±

    After hearing this exnation, Leading Pigeon¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and he eximed:

    ¡°Damn!

    So, we¡¯re ying The Witcher 3, while you¡¯re ying Mount & de? How can wepete?

    If administrative yers reach high levels and conflict withbat yers, they wouldn¡¯t even need to fight. They could just wave their hands and have their guards wipe us out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as outrageous as you think. The dev team must have considered bncing the professions, they won¡¯t give you such overpowered benefits.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage shook his head and said:

    ¡°By choosing the administrative profession, you¡¯re basically bidding farewell to strength and power. A skilled enough assassin could take down a high-level administrative yer. Plus, you have to pay for your guards¡¯ equipment and training costs, with the Administrative Department only covering a third of the expenses.

    This means you have to spend your own money to maintain them, and if you treat them poorly, they might even defect.

    We have to trust the dev team¡¯s mischievous side in this regard.

    But we¡¯re yers, death is only a three-day setback, just requiring us to re-recruit guards and spend some more money.

    If I had to guess, this probably represents the dev team¡¯s attempt at innovation and breakthrough in gamey.

    Some enjoy melee, some prefer group battles. In the face of conflicting preferences, giving yers the choice is a decent solution.

    Besides, administrative yers aren¡¯tpletely incapable ofbat.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage shrugged and said:

    ¡°If you have enough energy, you can bnce your administrative rank and personal strength. And apparently, administrative yers can bring one guard to assist them when challenging the ck Iron Trial, regarded as their summoned creature.

    But if the guard is severely injured or dies, it means you¡¯ve failed the challenge, and you¡¯ll have to pay a heftypensation. It¡¯s quite realistic, you know?

    Most importantly, didn¡¯t you forget that there¡¯s more than one way to pass the ck Iron Trial? I can slowly grind ck Iron monsters to unlock my potential, hone my skills. The near-death experience is just for faster progress.¡±

    ¡°Damn, giving administrative yers such an advantage is way too overpowered.¡±

    Leading Pigeon was still indignant.

    However, the thought-jumping college student quickly turned his attention to another matter. He looked around, then leaned in and whispered slyly to Half Off With Full Coverage:

    ¡°You said they¡¯re guards, but to what extent can youmand them? Give me the juicy details, brother.¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage, a man in his forties, had seen it all. How could he not understand Leading Pigeon¡¯s underlying meaning?

    He gave a knowing smile that only men would understand and shook his head, whispering:

    ¡°But you¡¯re thinking too much.

    You know how cunning the NPCs in this game are. If I make any unreasonable demands, they might just report me to Maxim, and then the Administrative Department could discipline me with a ¡®double regtion¡¯, how embarrassing would that be?

    They¡¯re just there to protect me, not to serve me.

    However, I¡¯m starting to suspect that not only do the main NPCs have a favorability system, but it seems like all NPCs have independent favorability calctions.

    So, if you could genuinely raise your guards¡¯ favorability to the max, it¡¯s not impossible to¡­ ahem, but there¡¯s no need, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no need! We can¡¯t even get on the good side of the main NPCs, who has the energy to butter up their own guards? If it¡¯s a specially recruited prestigious elite NPC, it might be worth trying to win their favor, but not for ordinary ones.¡±

    Leading Pigeon nodded in deep agreement.

    Up ahead, Baroness Miriam had just finished her briefing, and her assistants took over the remaining work, leading the more than a dozen administrative yers to another house.

    There, they were free to choose the positions that interested them.

    Leading Pigeon took a look and was surprised to find that these little yers¡¯ career paths all started directly from the ¡°Acting Vige Chief¡± title.

    However, the avable positions were not many, mostly concentrated in the five uing collective farms under Baron of Leim¡¯s jurisdiction, as well as some entry-level posts in the Crimson Citadel.

    ¡°Hey, why are your Computation Beads a different color?¡±

    Leading Pigeon quickly noticed the second difference.

    His Computation Bead, as abat yer, had activated with a reddish hue, but the administrative yers¡¯ beads were pale green. After discussing with two fellow schoolmates who had been PY¡¯d over by Ah Yuen as little yers, he was astonished to find that not only were their bead colors different, but the administrative yers even had custom user interfaces!

    In addition to all the functionsbat yers had, they had an extra ¡°Territory Management¡± interface that could directly disy a range of NPC information and territorial situation summaries within each administrative yer¡¯s jurisdiction.

    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m kind of regretting it.¡±

    Leading Pigeon scratched his head and sighed:

    ¡°I missed the good opportunity. To be honest, I think I¡¯d be quite suitable as a Vige Chief. Can I still switch professions now?

    I still have a spare profession slot.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, Leading Pigeon.¡±

    The little yer named ¡¾Schr Xiao Wang¡¿grinned smugly and said:

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the administrative talent, so you can¡¯t do this line of work.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you should just stick to being a promising grunt,¡±

    ¡¾Schr Xiao Li¡¿chimed in.

    ¡¾Schr Xiao Sun¡¿next to him nodded in agreement.

    From their names, it was clear that these three were Schr Xiao Zhou¡¯s ¡°dorm buddies,¡± all good friends from the geology department. ording to unreliable rumors, these three had apparently all pursued their department¡¯s goddess, but only Xiao Zhou had seeded. However, this didn¡¯t seem to be anything to be proud of.

    In any case, Leading Pigeon felt so deted by their sessive jabs that his vampire fangs even protruded, but he quickly regained control and asked in an odd tone:

    ¡°But why are there only you three? Didn¡¯t Ah Yuen say your entire dorm of six signed up?¡±

    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t even mention it. The other two idiots just filled out the application carelessly, and unsurprisingly, they were rejected. They¡¯re back in the dorm, hugging their knees and crying their eyes out.¡±

    Schr Xiao Wang curled his lip and said:

    ¡°Xiao Zhou repeatedly reminded them to take it seriously, but they still went ahead and signed their own death warrants. After seeing us three get epted, they regretted it and wanted to reapply, but the information had already been locked. If the first application is unsessful, they have to wait two months before applying again.

    I¡¯m not kidding, this game is really strict in this aspect.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Big Brother may seem easygoing, but when ites to work, he¡¯s indeed very strict.¡±

    Leading Pigeon nodded in deep understanding and then asked:

    ¡°So where are the three ¡®gentlemen¡¯ going to work?¡±

    ¡°The Forward Camp!¡±

    Schr Xiao Sun answered quickly:

    ¡°The NPCs said we need to ¡®intern¡¯ for ten days before being assigned specific cements. We¡¯re going to help the few supervisors at the camp establish the governing system for the territory, and there¡¯s also some weird ¡®administrative points¡¯ we can use to unlock new titles and various benefits.¡±

    ¡°Will you three be able to handle it?¡±

    Leading Pigeon couldn¡¯t help but worry:

    ¡°If you fail toplete the tasks, you¡¯ll be punished by the Administrative Department.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡±

    The tallest and most mboyant of the three, Schr Xiao Li, crossed his arms confidently and said:

    ¡°The three of us took human resource management as an elective. Sure, we haven¡¯t interned before, but managing a bunch of NPCs is a piece of cake, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, I think you shouldn¡¯t be so optimistic.¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage, who had just finished the procedures and was about to leave, couldn¡¯t help but remind them:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Xiao Zhou warn you guys? The NPCs in this game are basically on par with real people. Whatever ws real people have, they have them all, cking off, goofing around, or being corrupt, you name it. You¡¯ll understand once you spend a day doing the work.

    To be honest, it¡¯s not that easy a task.¡±

    ¡°Half Off With Full Coverage, share some of your experience with us.¡±

    The three newbies gathered around the veteran administrative yer, asking for advice. If they had a pack of cigarettes in hand, they probably would have offered him one to light up.

    Half Off With Full Coverage didn¡¯t hesitate to share his experience, although he doubted whether these youngsters would actually listen.

    He ended up saying it quite directly:

    ¡°No problem, just read more materials, like prison management or concentration camp memoirs, that kind of stuff.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Isn¡¯t that too inhumane?¡±

    Xiao Wang was horrified, but Half Off With Full Coverage shook his head and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you start the task. The background here is a medieval fantasy world! 90% of the people in Transia are illiterate, making effectivemunication difficult. They have rough andbative personalities. If not for the work quota system restraining them, they could start fighting over the strangest things.

    This isn¡¯t like our world, where even an ordinary worker can write their own name. So you¡¯ll need more effective methods to better manage them.

    Of course, I¡¯m just saying this.

    If you think you can motivate them to work hard with sincerity and ideals, remember to call me over to observe.

    I¡¯m off now.

    Let¡¯s have tea together when you have time.¡±

    After speaking, Half Off With Full Coverage called out, and under the escort of his four female guards, he swaggered away on his fancy monster-hunting warhorse, leaving behind a group of students staring at each other.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go pick our guards! We need to choose two good-looking ones for a cultivation game.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good, who had earlier expressed no interest in the administrative profession, was now clearly intrigued.

    He took a docile old horse assigned to him from a small courtyard near the administrative area and mounted it with practiced ease. He even kicked its belly with Proficient skill, clearly someone adept at riding in the real world.

    Life Is Pretty Good had studied horses as well.

    Looking at the old horse beneath him and then at Feel You Poor¡¯s more formidable monster-hunting warhorse beside him, he felt a twinge of envy. From any perspective, the warhorses trained through secret arts by the Witch Hunters were undoubtedly more majestic than ordinary mounts.

    ¡°What? Want one?¡±

    Feel You Poor quickly noticed his best friend¡¯s gaze and grinned, saying:

    ¡°No problem, just grind the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s reputation. Once you reach the ¡®Respected¡¯ level, you can buy one. Or find a way to unlock a hidden profession, they sometimes reward mounts too.¡±

    ¡°Tch, I¡¯ll have one too, and soon!¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good shrugged, showing a hint of a subtle smile as he said:

    ¡°My profession quest stated that if I can sessfullyplete it, I¡¯ll get a warhorse mount from Baron of Leim. But where is Baron of Leim¡¯s territory? I haven¡¯t unlocked that area on my map yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s in the north.¡±

    Feel You Poor shared the map with his best friend, pointing to the north of the Crimson Citadel and saying:

    ¡°About an hour¡¯s ride away, but it¡¯s a poor and rundown ce. My ck Iron Trial was conducted near there. Is your quest to be a Vige Chief? How many people would you manage?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s about building a collective farm.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good carefully checked his first quest and said:

    ¡°After the ten-day internship at the camp, if I perform well, I can switch to the ¡®Acting Farm Manager¡¯ profession. The minimum management quota is 500 people, and during my time as an acting manager, I can appoint various positions within the farm.

    Whew.

    This game has such a high degree of freedom!

    I looked through the quest details, and to summarize, it¡¯s a matter of life and death, like an emperor of thend. They even allocated me a ¡®punishment quota¡¯!

    Every three days, I can demand that the farm militia corporally punish or even imprison specific NPCs, up to 10 of them.

    For the first two months, food will be provided by the Crimson Citadel Administrative Department and the Bataxin Chamber of Commerce, but after that, the farm will have to be self-sufficient in terms of profit and loss. I feel like I¡¯m ying a management game.¡±

    They chatted andughed as they headed out of the city, but as soon as they entered the Forward Camp, Life Is Pretty Good regretted his decision.

    Shaking his head pensively from atop his horse, he said:

    ¡°No, this won¡¯t work! Using the two borrowed slots to exchange for guards won¡¯t cut it! Sure, I¡¯ll have a grand presence, but whether at the camp or the farm, there will definitely be militia for protection, so security isn¡¯t an issue. If I want to maximize resources, what I need most as an administrator isn¡¯t guards but assistants.

    To be precise, secretaries!

    I must have two intelligent assistants capable of shouldering part of the workload for me. Otherwise, if I have to do everything myself, I might as well not y this game.

    Let¡¯s go!

    Back we go.

    I¡¯ll ask Baroness Miriam if I can borrow a couple of interns from their ce. I just saw some kids taking lessons in the courtyard.

    The NPCs are clearly cultivating talents for administration as well.

    Whew, thinking about it, the level of detail in this game is so realistic. It¡¯s no different from a territory in dire need of revival.¡±

    ¡°But why would you need assistants in the game? The literacy rate here is very low, and I sometimes find it challenging tomunicate with them.¡±

    Feel You Poor offered a suggestion:

    ¡°How about finding assistants in the real world? Just call a couple of the obedient female secretaries who always fawn over you at yourpany and have them join the game. It¡¯s just a matter of paying them extra.¡±

    ¡°Good point!¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good nodded in deep agreement. While still mounted, he immediately logged off, causing his character to plummet towards the ground before being swiftly caught by Feel You Poor. A few minutester, he came back online and gave his best friend an OK gesture, saying:

    ¡°All set. I called four from the secretarial department to fill out applications, two for me, two for you. They¡¯re beautiful, high-achieving management majors handpicked by me. But you¡¯ll have to cover their extra sry.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Why would I need assistants? I¡¯m abat profession!¡±

    Feel You Poor eximed in exasperation, covering his face:

    ¡°I can¡¯t even handle Sister Pomegranate, let alone your highly capable secretaries! Don¡¯t bring them in! I¡¯m enjoying the game, don¡¯t add to my troubles.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! I have to keep my distance from women of Sister Pomegranate¡¯s level, let alone you.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these two are well-behaved. If they dare cause you any trouble on purpose, just let me know, and I¡¯ll dock their pay.¡±

 Chapter 201:

    The noisy little yers entered the game. Since they were all ¡°friends and family¡±, even the veteran yers got busy, mostly putting aside their current tasks to guide the neers.

    For example, Onboard Joy Stick as usual gathered arge group of new yers withbat professions and once again took them to his beloved ¡°ce of Destiny¡± ¨C the sewers.

    Joy Stick learned from Grayman that the sewers weren¡¯t just two levels deep. There was a hidden third level below the ¡°ancient area¡±, so he nned to explore its reality. It was a good opportunity to train the little yers¡¯bat skills and make them realize the importance of teamwork in this game through real battles.

    Because of previous experience in guiding neers, there were no unexpected casualties this time. However, screaming in fear at the sight of ghouls and losing control of emotions were stillmon urrences.

    After all, who wouldn¡¯t be confused when a group of atheists saw such fantastical and realistic creatures?

    The ghoul¡¯s terrible appearance and nauseating stench alone were enough to scare these ¡°pampered¡± sweethearts from the real world to ¡°lose theirposure¡±.

    While the little yers were battling in the sewers, the girls¡¯ team was at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp with their own ¡°newbies¡±, helping Lady Aquaplete her Oak Apprentice ss change.

    This was currently the only known healing profession in the game.

    Due to Murphy¡¯s advance instructions, Guildmaster Natalie had prepared uniforms for the ¡°warriors¡±, but there was a problem:¡°It¡¯s too tight! I can¡¯t breathe.¡±

    At the camp, Lady Aqua¡¯s face was flushed red from the constricting standard nun¡¯s robe.

    Sister Jules and Grandma Marianne exchanged nces. They had already found thergest size of nun¡¯s robe, but the ¡°proportions¡± of this newly initiated warrior were simply too magnificent, making even therge-sized uniform struggle to contain her.

    The tightly stretched chest area looked a bit too undignified.

    ¡°The design of this nun¡¯s robe is very ssic, clearly referencing clerical vestments, but it must be altered. Not just the bust size, but also this conservative style. Wearing such ¡®lifeless clothes¡¯ is simply intolerable.

    Do you have a needle and thread?

    I¡¯ll modify it myself. It won¡¯t take too long.¡±

    Lady Aqua, always picky about clothing, took off the constricting garment. She found needle, thread, and tailoring tools in Sister Jules¡¯ tent, and then busily set to work in a skilled manner.

    Captain Natalie, who had been observing this scene, said in an odd tone to her assistant Amber:

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be a proper church.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, how can such a sacred nun¡¯s robe look so¡­ indecent on that woman? It could almost be called ¡®depraved¡¯.¡±

    Miss Amber also looked perplexed.

    Clearly, this unexpected situation left both Avalon Church Witch Hunters at a loss.

    ¡°This obviously isn¡¯t a problem with the clothes,¡± whispered Bursting Belly, who had justpleted his Oak Apprentice ss change.

    ¡°Given Lady Aqua¡¯s situation, even if you put her in the most solemn papal robes, it would be the same. She has that enviable natural gift. Sigh, Lady Aqua¡¯s husband is truly the enemy of all men!¡±

    ¡°The Avalon Church doesn¡¯t have a pope. We¡¯re governed and led by the Elder Council of Nature,¡± Captain Natalie sternly corrected, then nced at the ¡°Beast Tongue¡± skill book Bursting Belly was holding. She advised:

    ¡°This tome is very abstruse. It records techniques formunicating with wild creatures. Many Witch Hunters can¡¯t master it. Perhaps you should start with simpler skills?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Abstruse? Not at all, it¡¯s exined very clearly. I¡¯ve already learned it.¡±

    Brother Belly, a fierce beast keeper, blinked his eyes. Fearing Captain Natalie wouldn¡¯t believe him, he demonstrated his skills by turning to call out to several male falcons that were bobbing their heads, trying to court the proud falcon Swift Shadow perched on a tent nearby.

    His call wasn¡¯t quite Proficient yet, but it clearly carried peculiar spirit energy waves.

    Those foolish birds engaged in their ¡°naughty business¡± immediately turned their heads, their small eyes filled with shock.

    As Brother Belly called out again in a vivid imitation, one of the falcons cautiously flew over,nding on his arm. Brother Belly then fed it a few sunflower seeds he had bought specifically for this purpose.

    With the financial support of Rich Brother, Feel You Poor, he was considered wealthypared to the generally cash-strapped little yers. He could even afford things like the Spirit Microphone that even some veteran yers couldn¡¯t easily buy.

    ¡°You see, Miss Natalie, Beast Tongue isn¡¯t difficult to learn.¡±

    Brother Belly raised his arm to show the falcon to the two Witch Hunters. Natalie and Amber exchanged nces, and the gray-haired witch hunter said very seriously to the warrior before her:

    ¡°You might have the talent to be a ¡®Druid¡¯, warrior. Such Mastery of Beast Tongue is a rare gift. Unfortunately, the old Druid orders have perished in the wars. You can only explore this path on your own.¡±

    ¡°There, I¡¯ve finished the alterations.¡±

    At that moment, the curtain of Sister Jules¡¯ tent was lifted, and Lady Aqua walked out wearing her self-modified nun¡¯s robe.

    The neckline had been cut to create some openness, preventing the clothes from constraining her. The loose robe had been tailored into a fitted style, cinched with a belt, transforming the originally baggy nun¡¯s robe into what looked like a special dress. Paired with the vampire riding boots that Fatal Orchid Huahua had kindly contributed¡­ tsk tsk, all that was missing was a pair of ssic white stockings for nuns.

    Sister Jules, following behind Lady Aqua, was a traditional and conservative believer. She kept praying, seemingly asking Avalon to forgive this new devotee for certain aspects of her ¡°offense¡± against faith.

    The old sister, who had lived most of her life, had never imagined that the faith of the Avalon God could have such a ¡°vivid and charming¡± special version.

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re here to help with healing, not to make clothes! Come on, let¡¯s take you monster hunting,¡± called out little Sword Saint Ashina, chewing on candy.

    Lady Aqua, with a beaming smile, bid farewell to the church members very amiably and properly using the old church rituals she had just learned. Holding her Thorn staff, she left the camp with her friends.

    However, monster hunting was out of the question. As someone who entered the game as a ¡°Master of Manufacturing¡±, she still had to attend Professor Malcolm¡¯s ¡°professional skills assessment¡±ter. The administrator was counting on Lady Aqua to train some advanced tailors in his domain. This was the best use of ¡°otherworld knowledge¡±. As for Lady Aqua herself, she was probably the busiest among this batch of neers.

    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t dislike this unique and vibrant ¡°otherworld gaming¡± career, recording everything she saw with wise and gentle eyes.

    The busy day passed like this, everything under Murphy¡¯s observation. After confirming that his little yers had started adapting to the new environment, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

    At dusk, he left Crimson Citadel with Tris and Adele to wee Miss Femis back from her journey in the southern hills. Gliding through the air with wings spread was always rxing and enjoyable. Murphy had also grown to love the feeling of flying and soaring through the sky. He casually opened the forum.

    He wanted to see the new yers¡¯ first-day gaming experiences and feedback. The hottest post on the forum wasn¡¯t from new yers, but the third version of the newbie guidepiled by that rascal Ah Yuen.

    This little fool had died trying to flyst night and was now waiting for resurrection, giving him enough time toplete the guideption.

    ¡¶Under the Moon ¨C Volume Three ¨C Newbie Novice Basics¡·

    Ah Yuen: ¡¾Hey hey hey, dearpanions, your most trustworthy Ah Yuen is back again. This time I¡¯ve brought a carefullypiled guide for the 70 new game entrants to help you integrate into the game faster. Hurry up and say thank you to Brother Yuen!

    Alright, no more joking around.

    The first piece of advice for new yers is: unless you have obtained a flying license, never attempt to fly recklessly within the Crimson Citadel airspace! The call of Mother Earth is not a simple test, and the 250 gold fine from the administrative office made Ah Yuen feel the malice from the development team.

    But this isn¡¯t a big problem! The resilient Ah Yuen won¡¯t give up on exploring the skies so easily!

    So, let¡¯s get to the main topic.

    First, this post is aimed atbat professions. Newbies in administrative professions, please refer to Bulldozer Man¡¯s special guide ¡¶3-Minute Tutorial on How to Prosper Officialdom in Transia¡·, which can be found in the section of posts marked as ¡®Very Important¡¯.

    Forbat professions, after Joy Stick¡¯s ¡®friendly guidance¡¯, you should already understand the basicbat operations of this game. Therefore, Ah Yuen¡¯s advice for you is:

    Don¡¯t linger in the sewers!

    The average level of ghouls and water spirits there is above 7, and asionally elite bosses will appear. Those are definitely not monsters that newbies can handle, and theplex terrain can make you get lost even with the mini-map.

    Once you get lost in such a ce

    Tsk, you¡¯ll have to be more careful in your next life.

    The most suitable area for newbies to practice and explore is right above the starting point!

    That¡¯s right, it¡¯s in the inner city ruins around the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp.

    The shadows from the Astral Realm¡¯s creation constantly produce despair derivatives, and those formless monsters at levels 1-3 are most suitable for cute and brave neers to have their first taste of battle.

    Old Eugene from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild also posts daily quests on his beloved mission board to clear shadow monsters. Once youplete them all, you can get a full set of squire armor and novice weapons ¡®sponsored¡¯ by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    However, be aware that the inner city ruins are not a safe ce!

    You may asionally encounter wandering Astral Realm beasts there, with base levels fluctuating between 4-8, equivalent to ¡®patrol monsters¡¯. Theye with mental shock and invisibility, making them difficult to deal with.

    If you encounter one, remember to call for friends to fight together. With good luck, they might drop alchemy materials. Remember to take them to Lady Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage to find NPCs who can exchange them for some basic spirit energy skill books.

    However, a few ck Iron level Astral Realm fierce beasts or even elite level beast bosses asionally spawn in those ruins!

    If you encounter them, hide immediately!

    At the same time, report the location to veteran yers or seek help from Witch Hunter guards near the camp.

    Absolutely not!

    Don¡¯t go up there and get yourself killed!

    Those high-level beasts are very troublesome. For neers, they basically fall into the category of ¡°encounter equals death¡±. If you don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, just imagine them as unreasonable super patrol monsters like the Son of Alrugo and Lord Moradim, and you¡¯ll be OK.

    After you¡¯ve cleared through the inner city ruins and be a ¡°Shadow Monster Killer¡±, newbies can happily return to the sewers and join Joy Stick¡¯s ¡°Sewer Legion¡± to be a glorious ghoul hunter.

    However, before going to the sewers, remember to find Lord Maxim first and join the Kadman People¡¯s Army to unlock reputation and military ranks.

    This is very useful!

    Basically, by the time you trigger the ck Iron Trial, if you don¡¯t ck off, your reputation in the People¡¯s Army should be close to respected. My suggestion is to grind it to respected! You can spend a modest amount of money at the quartermaster to purchase a set of veteran armor and veteran weapons.

    After that, if you¡¯re confident in your skills, you can directly challenge the ck Iron Trial, find Lady Adele to ept the elite quest ¡°Hunt the Traitor¡± to kill vampires, or directly find elite bosses in the wild to test your luck.

    ording to rumors, there¡¯s a set of diator quest chains in the recently opened fighting club, with the final step spawning an elite enemy to helpplete the ck Iron Trial.

    But the elite-level ck Iron Trial is really quite difficult. If you¡¯re not confident in your skills, go grind dungeons!

    There are currently four dungeons in the Blood Vulture Halls, three 5-yer instances: the Mond Vige Raid, the Smuggler¡¯s Woods Ambush, and the Jed Gang Subjugation.

    These are all intense battles that veteran yers have experienced. You can run them once a day, with each BOSS dropping a Recruit Badge. Three badges can be exchanged for a piece of masterwork veteran armor at Old Buma the quartermaster.

    If you grind every day, including weapons, essories, and rings, you can graduate in about 5 days!

    At this point, you can beg Meow King, Joy Stick, or Sister Pomegranate to take you to run ¡°Advance into Blood Vulture Halls¡±. This raid can only be done once a week, and each Veteran Badge dropped can be exchanged for one piece of the standard ¡°n Guard¡±mander set.

    It looks cool, has powerful attributes, and once you wear it, you can basically withstand normal attacks from elite monsters head-on. Including two hidden BOSS, you can get 5 badges in one run, so you can graduate after two runs.

    But the raid is very difficult!

    Each BOSS has a different strategy. You can try forming your own team, but make sure to ask veteran yers for guides.

    I¡¯ve heard that there are quest items with ¡°special drops¡± in these dungeons. If you get them, you can trigger quests with rewards of Replica limited-edition outfits and increase your favorability with corresponding NPCs.

    But Ah Yuen has bad luck and hasn¡¯t gotten any, sob~

    Oh, speaking of this, I should add something! If you really don¡¯t like the dark environment of the sewers, or if you get dizzy from the stench of ghouls, there¡¯s a second leveling route to choose from.

    Now Baroness Miriam has started issuing daily quests to clear gnolls.

    I estimate that our next attack focus might be on the gnoll bandits who are said to be rampant in Transia.

    So, making an irresponsible guess, if little yers form teams to hunt gnolls and bring back enough ws and tails to turn in to Maxim, it should trigger a Hidden Quest.

    But the problem with humanoid monsters like gnolls is that there are many enemies in theirirs, and these guys are smarter! ording to information kindly provided by Rich Brother, Feel You Poor, gnolls will actively flee when defeated and call for their kin to seek revenge, just as annoying as murlocs in a certain game!

    Moreover, gnolls often cohabitate with kobolds!

    Although kobolds are easier to deal with, asionally there will be spirit individuals among them. Those earth spirit spells hurt a lot ande with control effects, so be extra careful when going out to subjugate them.

    Ah!

    These are Ah Yuen¡¯s leveling suggestions for new yers.

    Finally, to summarize, this game isn¡¯t about killing more monsters to level up faster. The focus is on honing your skills. Brother Mao is the best example, his feat of defeating an elite without taking damage has be a beautiful tale even among NPCs.

    The part about ¡®titles¡¯ and ¡®honorifics¡¯ belongs to advanced content. New yers should consider this aspect after passing the ck Iron Trial~¡¿

    Fatal Orchid Huahua: ¡¾Great summary, but there¡¯s one point you didn¡¯t mention, little Ah Yuen. At the adventurer¡¯s camp, you can find Guildmaster Natalie to purchase spirit bead plugins. Administrative yers will be given Spirit Microphones, but other yers have to buy them themselves.

    Although it¡¯s a bit expensive, I suggest new yers equip themselves as soon as possible, otherwisemunicating with NPCs will be very troublesome.

    The trantion module thates with the Computation Bead isn¡¯t particrly urate and can asionally lead to errors in quest content. Just now, Lady Aqua has tried the spirit shield and spirit rayponents, and little Sword Saint has tried the spirit scope. They all work well, especially the scope ¨C putting it on feels like suddenly turning into an FPS game.

    The shieldponent can create a vtile spirit shield.

    Itsts for 30 seconds and can withstand two attacks from ck Iron monsters. When the shield breaks, it casts a mind-piercing spell on the monster.

    The rayponent is even more straightforward. When activated, it fires a searing ray.

    Its power is equivalent to a small-caliber bullet and can prate a gnoll¡¯s head at close range. The charging time is a bit long, once every 5 minutes, but it¡¯s very useful as a support skill.

    Equipping all these plugins can effectively increase the survival rate of new yers. Conveniently, our Computation Bead has three slots, probably a patch added by the development teamter, perhaps a small benefit for new yers?¡¿

    Schr Xiao Zhou: ¡¾How can there be such expensive benefits? Sister Orchid, that ck-Hearted Witch Hunter Natalie set the price too high. Buying all three costs 60 gold coins. Where would new yers get so much money?¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾The ¡°Pride of Silver Moon¡± team is now recruiting melee fighters above level 5 to participate in the subjugation of gnollirs. The requirement is to kill at least 50 gnolls. After the action, we will gift each participating yer one of the three bead plugins!

    Only 20 spots! Firste, first served!¡¿

    Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees: ¡¾Me, me, me! Richdy, choose me! Strong ck Iron rank vampire Tomb Guard, can fight, can tank, and can even act cute! The money in the kid¡¯s hands has all been taken by the stupid Leading Pigeon to buy alchemy materials. Urgently need plugin support.¡¿

    Kono Maomao Shark: ¡¾Strong ck Iron rank vampire Midnight Hunter looking for a team! First-ss reconnaissance, invincible assassination. Richdy, give me a chance.¡¿

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle: ¡¾Damn! You two are in such a miserable state? As mighty ck Iron rank yers, you¡¯repeting with new yers for jobs, shameless! Richdy, why not choose us? Although we¡¯re not vampires, strong swordsmen have higher attack power. We also have experts like Brother Mao. Beating a few gnolls is absolutely a piece of cake.¡¿

    West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl: ¡¾What are you butting in for? Hurry back to fight monsters! That mysterious NPC is just ahead. Brother Mao says we mustplete his Hidden Quest.

    You bastard, hurry up!

    Whether we can learn powerful skills all depends on this wave.¡¿

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle: ¡¾Oh,ing.¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾??? You guys encountered a mysterious NPC in the sewers? And triggered a quest? Damn, eating alone, huh? Brothers, report the location. I¡¯ll bring people over to help immediately.¡¿

    Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood: ¡¾The 7th copsed tunnel on the northwest edge of the ancient area in the sewers,e quickly! The monsters here are endless, they keeping out! Ghouls and wraiths mixed together, bring some Spirit Mages!

    Civilian Protection Officer Kudel requires us to hold this ce for at least an hour before he will acknowledge our will andbat power. We just triggered this quest, and it can be shared!

    This NPC is powerful and will definitely lead to some impressive plot.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Damn! You guys are really eating alone! Wait, this powerful mage will bring people to support you right away.¡¿

    What started as a nice newbie post suddenly turned into a Hidden Quest recruitment, leaving Murphy with a helpless expression. His little yers were indeed ¡°quest experts¡±.

    However, Ah Yuen¡¯s summary was indeed good and very helpful for neers. It could also deepen their stereotypical impression of this ¡°game¡±.

    It¡¯s worth pinning!

    And it deserves a hefty reward, to encourage Ah Yuen to produce more game guides, telling everyone that this is just a game! Moreover, it¡¯s a game still under development, so various game features are notplete and need to beunched sessively. Don¡¯t overthink it, okay?

    ¡°Master, your smile looks strange,¡± Lady Adele said softly, making Murphy immediately straighten his expression.

    He folded his wings and descended from the high altitude,nding on the hills near the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory. In front of him, a caravan was slowly approaching, and on the lead carriage, a small figure waved in the night, showing no trace of midnight nobility as she spread her wings and flew towards them.

    Like a wanderer returning home, or a friending back from a long journey.

    The youngdy was back.

    From the shelter where she once wanted to spend the rest of her life, back to her true home.

 Chapter 202:

    Night had fallen, and with the beating of Blood Wingsrger and more graceful than Murphy remembered, the still petite youngdy was flying towards her nsmen, stirring up a gust of wind, followed by an elegant ¡°death drop¡±nding unique to the Blood Vulture n.

    Her flying ck hair still seemed familiar from when she left a few days ago, but Murphy keenly noticed that she seemed to have grown a little taller.

    She now reached from his chest to his shoulder height, but was still a pitifully short person.

    ¡°Did you get taller?¡±

    Lady Tris also asked puzzlingly, proving that Murphy¡¯s eyesight was good and hadn¡¯t gone blind from bing an ¡°real-time strategy yer¡±.

    ¡°Yes, Lord Payne helped me trace back my bloodline power, and when I broke through to the White Silver rank, the Descendant of Sin blood was further purified. Actually, I could have grown even taller, but I¡¯m already used to this appearance, so I controlled it.¡±

    The youngdy answered in her previous calm manner.

    Butpared to her former aloofness that kept people at bay, her eyes and brows now carried much more gentleness, more befitting someone of her age, although the youngdy was actually already 30 years old.

    She nced at Adele again, winked at her good friend, then took a deep breath and bowed to Tris, saying:¡°White Silver rank Spirit Master Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, reporting and paying respects to you, Grand Duchess. Please allow me to return to the family ranks.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Countess of Anderma. Transia will always be your homnd, and we are in great need of your strength as we rebuild,¡±

    Tris said very stylishly and authoritatively while ying with the luxurious Nocturne Cane in her hand.

    After Salrokdar¡¯s death, her resentment towards the past had dissipated, and she could finally have a sincere conversation with the young woman before her who had such aplicated background.

    ¡°I pay my respects to you, Countess,¡±

    Murphy bowed and said:

    ¡°The rebuilding of Kadman County has already begun, but considering the threat of the ck Disaster, the reconstruction of your territory may have to be dyed for some time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, Murphy,¡±

    Femis shook her head and said:

    ¡°Anderma Hills was never a prosperous ce. In fact, all of Transia is like that. People from other ces call our region poor and treacherous. The saddest part is that we can¡¯t even find reasons to defend our homnd. It really is a terrible ce.

    And now, the devastation of the Ten-Year War has made it no different from a savagend. Besides, I¡¯m not very good at management and leadership. Having a title is enough. Please continue to administer my territory on my behalf as the Governor of Transia.¡±

    As soon as Femis finished speaking, Murphy¡¯s lord system refreshed with a ding:

    ¡¾Added new managed territory ¡®Anderma County¡¯, please dispatch personnel to inspect the territory as soon as possible to record specific information on subjects. Transia region governance authority updated to: 2/3, the northern Count of Seicob territory in this region has not yet been explored.¡¿

    ¡°Sigh.¡±

    Murphy sighed inwardly.

    Getting a new territory to manage was a good thing, but he was severelycking in manpower at the moment. Not only were there not enough little yers, but there was also a shortage of administrative managers he could entrust with responsibilities.

    Miriam had already written letters to her ssmates, nning to send them to Shaldor port through the Carpe family¡¯s channels to recruit as many professionals as possible toe and take office. Professor Malcolm also promised to invite some students and friends over.

    But given Transia¡¯s ¡°good reputation¡±¡­

    To be honest, even with the temptation of generous titles and power aspensation, Murphy didn¡¯t have high hopes for this.

    Although going all-in is a kind of wisdom, and there¡¯s an old saying that it¡¯s better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, considering that people from other worlds don¡¯t understand Chinese, it¡¯s hard to say if there are any students with grand visions in the administrative department of Shaldor Engineering Academy willing to risk being wiped out by the ck Disaster toe to Transia and ¡°join in the grand endeavor¡± with Murphy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so gloomy, Murphy. I¡¯ve brought aid from Lord Payne and the Blood Pact n,¡±

    The youngdy seemed to have guessed Murphy¡¯s worries. She smiled and pointed to the convoy behind her. A total of 10 wagons were loaded with various supplies from the Blood Pact Knights corps, as well as some fine armor and weapons, dwarf firearms, and various alchemical materials.

    Most impressive were the small machine tools ced on thest two wagons.

    These were for making some precision tools, including a small bullet processing machine that Lord Payne had specially allocated from the Blood Pact Knights corps¡¯ logistics supplies.

    It might not be of much use, but for the current Transia, it was truly a godsend! Just this alone was enough to make Murphy grateful to Lord Payne, whom he had not yet met.

    In addition to supplies, there were also 30 Blood Pact Knights and 60 armed blood servants who arrived with the convoy. To be precise, they were reserve blood knights undergoing knight assessment and their attendants.

    Within the Blood Pact Knights corps, there was no such term as ¡°blood servant¡±. Although in the eyes of other vampire ns, there wasn¡¯t much difference between armed blood servants and blood attendants.

    These knights were sent to support the construction and restoration of order in Transia. They were all ck Iron rank elite monsters, led by a White Silver rank scout knight. The knight attendants were also all ck Iron Rank human warriors. Murphy could not see the characteristic servility and weakness of other blood servants in their eyes.

    This was enough to prove that Lord Payne was indeed very skilled in leading troops. He must have armed the hearts of these humans who obeyed vampires with some noble ideals and hopes.

    ¡°I pay my respects to you, Blood Vulture Grand Duchess,¡±

    The scout knight riding a crimson warhorse dismounted, stepped forward and gave a knight¡¯s salute to Tris, then took off her helmet, revealing long chestnut hair.

    Oh, it¡¯s a tall and slender vampire girl. The little yers would definitely like her. However, the overly slender body and those characteristic pointed ears, as well as the delicate face different from humans, all indicated that¡­

    This was an elf vampire?

    Tsk, and a Sin at that? A rare breed indeed!

    Murphy blinked his eyes.

    Beside him, Lady Adele directly grasped the hilt of her sword. Obviously, as a half-elf, she harbored hostility towards all elves.

    This small movement didn¡¯t escape the notice of the scout knight carrying a blood-colored war bow, but she didn¡¯t mind. She just reported to Lady Tris with a solemn expression:

    ¡°Blood Pact Knights corps Third Lord ¡®Arrow of Retribution¡¯ Yvette Liad Cappadocia¡¯s reconnaissance vanguard Captain Lainnia Gnord Cappadocia reporting to you! By the order of Lord Payne and Lady Yvette, I and the 30 reserve knights under mymand, along with their attendants, will be on duty in Transia!

    We will help the Blood Vulture n restore governance and territorial order, while also helping you train new recruits and organize defense, until the ck Disaster is over.

    During this period, we will be under themand of you and the lords of the Transia region.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Captain. I thank you for your arrival and extend my most sincere gratitude to Lord Payne and young Yvette,¡±

    Tris responded appropriately, but then she stared at the archer knight before her with chestnut waist-length hair, tall and martial figure, and asked curiously:

    ¡°Your former surname was ¡®Gnord¡¯? So, youe from the Moon Elf royal family?¡±

    ¡°The past holds no meaning for me anymore, Grand Duchess Tris. From the moment I joined the Blood Pact Knights corps 110 years ago, I have only one identity ¨C a descendant of Cappadocia.¡±

    The elf vampire archer knight before them gave a standard arrogant descendant-style answer that made Tris stop her inquiry. However, as she put on the standard bat war helmet of the Blood Pact Knights corps again, she nced at Lady Adele beside Murphy with her amber eyes flecked with crimson.

    A mumble in the Elvennguage escaped her lips before she returned to the convoy with a soldier¡¯s bearing.

    But all the vampires here were ¡°educated schrs¡±! Even the most uneducated Murphy had the test administrator¡¯snguage trantion. They all understood the meaning of Lainnia¡¯s Elven words.

    ¡°Halfbreed from the shadows.¡±

    These words broke Adele¡¯sposure.

    If Murphy, her superior, hadn¡¯t been right beside her, she might have drawn her sword and fought to the death on the spot.

    ¡°You go ahead, we¡¯ll follow shortly,¡±

    Murphy said to Tris and Femis.

    The youngdy looked a bit worried, but still returned to the convoy at Tris¡¯s eye signal.

    Adele was Murphy¡¯s descendant, this was a conversation between their superior and offspring. Even though the youngdy now viewed Lady Adele as a sister who grew up together, she had no right to participate until Murphy finished talking.

    The ancient rules of vampire families were just like this, as annoying as an olddy¡¯s foot-binding cloth! No wonder the Wolfsbane n no longer recognized these broken rules.

    Watching the convoy continue towards the Crimson Citadel, Murphy waved his hand in the darkness at the edge of the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory, letting the Blood Vulture Spirit that had been flying high above continue to scout the surroundings.

    Then, he turned back to look at Lady Adele, who was lowering her head without a word.

    He said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that the rtionship between Shadow Elves and the other three elf races was bad, but seeing it today, it¡¯s truly extraordinary. The hatred between you four elf races, how is it even moreplex than between the vampire ns who excel at internal strife?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an elf! Master, I never wanted to be an elf.¡±

    Perhaps because of the strong emotions in her heart, Lady Adele¡¯s tone at this moment was not as submissive as usual.

    She red angrily at the territory before her that nominally belonged to her now. The violent fluctuation of emotions made her impressively sized chest heave up and down. After several seconds of silence, she let out a long sigh, pointed towards the direction of the Dark Mountain range, and said to Murphy:

    ¡°50 years ago, my mother set out from here to enter the Dark Mountain range. She came from Seicob City and was said to be the daughter of a baron, but she loved adventure from a young age. When she came of age, she joined the halfling Explorer Association with excellent grades.

    It wasn¡¯t her first time heading to the Dark Mountain range, but her original mission wasn¡¯t to go to the Eternal Rift where the Shadow Elves lived.

    Her task that time was just to help the Circle Tower collect some spirit energy samples from the outskirts of the Dark Mountain range, but an ident soon urred. While observing a rare goatman tribe, she encountered a ve-catching team from the Shadow Elf Mejeva family.

    She could have escaped.

    But her incurable explorer nature led her into a desperate situation.

    She was taken back to the Eternal Rift. She thought she could have a conversation with the Shadow Elf matriarch using her eloquence, but the barbaric Shadow Elves didn¡¯t give her that chance at all, instead throwing her directly into the arena.

    It was only then that she realized what a stupid mistake she had made.

    If it wasn¡¯t for my father constantly helping her, she wouldn¡¯t have survived even the first year and would have died from various tortures!¡±

    Lady Adele had never told anyone else about her specific background, not even youngdy Femis knew. But tonight, having her defenses broken by her ¡°elf kin¡±, coupled with the presence of a trusted superior beside her, Lady Adele finally revealed the past traumas she had always been reluctant to mention.

    Murphy didn¡¯t inquire or interrupt, he just listened patiently.

    He knew that all Adele needed right now was someone to listen.

    ¡°My father was also a ve. His experience of appearing in that cursed ce was no different from my foolish mother¡¯s, but he was a half-elf, a half-elf in the truest sense. His mother, my grandmother, was a female hunter from the Winter Wolf Legion who unfortunately fell into the hands of Shadow Elves during the 4th ck Disaster. After a depraved vition, she had my father.

    Father was born in the arena, and three months after his birth, my grandmother died in a battle with beasts from the dark realm.

    My father was lucky. He inherited human intelligence and elven agility, so he was noticed and adopted by a warrior captain of the Mejeva family. He lived as a ve from childhood until he became a powerful diator.

    By the time my mother was thrown into the arena, he was already the king of diators in the Mejeva family.

    His reputation had even spread throughout the thirteen Shadow Elf families of the Eternal Rift. Those hateful elves called him ¡®Hydra¡¯ to describe his exquisite martial arts.

    I don¡¯t know for what reason my father protected my mother, perhaps it was lust at first sight, or perhaps love? But the price was that the Shadow Elves cruelly demanded that he take on the task of two diators.

    My father agreed. This wasn¡¯t difficult for his skills and martial arts.

    That¡¯s how my mother lived in Mejeva City under my father¡¯s protection for a full 10 years. When she went there, she was a 23-year-old foolish explorer, but 10 yearster she had be an even bigger fool who was still naive.

    I hate her stupidity!

    Not just because she put herself in danger, but more because my father eventually lost his life because of her.

    Unlike my father, who had grown ustomed to the Eternal Rift and saw it as his homnd, mother was always trying to escape. She used father¡¯s prestige among the ve diators to form a secret group.

    Father didn¡¯t agree with her adventure, but my mother still did as she pleased.

    That cunning woman took advantage of father¡¯s love for her. She bewitched father to achieve her goals. One day when the matriarch of the Aisini family came to visit, ording to Shadow Elf customs, a diator match between the two families was to be held to entertain the esteemed guest.

    My mother thought she had seized an opportunity.

    She asked father to create chaos in the arena and use the opening of the family city gates on that day to lead the ves out of the Eternal Rift.

    But father knew her n wouldn¡¯t work!

    She underestimated the Mejeva family¡¯s fate-weaving maidens¡¯ prophecies about the future. Perhaps all of this was under the control of the cruel Elf matriarch, or perhaps it was all just a cruel drama about freedom and escape that the Mejeva matriarch presented to the Aisini matriarch.

    That¡¯s what Shadow Elves love to do most. They would cruelly imnt fantasies of ¡®freedom¡¯ in their ves, then mercilessly extinguish them, in order to watch the ves¡¯ mental breakdowns and take pleasure in their pain.¡±

    Lady Adele¡¯s tone became low, hoarse, and sorrowful.

    Murphy knew the story was about to take a turn. He put his hand on his descendant¡¯s shoulder and said softly:

    ¡°But your mother seeded. I guess it¡¯s because your father made an unexpected sacrifice?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡±

    Adele said softly:

    ¡°No one told me about father¡¯s final fate, but the fact is as you said. The escape that day was unusually smooth. My mother, who had given birth to me less than two months before, led the unwilling ve diators out of Mejeva City.

    But that wasn¡¯t a gift of fate.

    When father said goodbye to her, he told her to wait for him for 3 days at the entrance of the Eternal Rift. If he didn¡¯t appear, it would mean his soul had returned to Avalon¡¯s obscure cathedral.

    My mother waited for 7 days.

    She didn¡¯t see my father, nor did she see the pursuers from the Mejeva family. It was then that she realized the price of the freedom she had gained. The man who loved her most in this world had paid everything he could for her foolish idea.

    She had nowhere to go.

    She could only try to return to her ce of birth with those ve diators.

    I don¡¯t know what happened during this time, but mother ultimately didn¡¯t cross the Foul Swamp. Instead, she discovered that secret valley in the deste mountains that I told you about, and led the diators who viewed her as a leader to survive there.

    They were all half-elves, poor souls scorned as ¡®halfbreeds¡¯ and not epted by either race. We could only huddle together there for warmth.

    But when I was 10 years old, a group of starving gnolls and trolls attacked our valley. Mother died fighting to resist the invasion. By then, she had changed from a professional explorer to a sincere Avalon believer.

    I escaped in that chaos, escorted by mother¡¯s trusted friends Uncle Be and Aunt Bernice across the Foul Swamp.

    Their original intention was to fulfill mother¡¯s dying wish to send me back to Seicob City to my grandparents, but there were terrible things in the Foul Swamp. My uncle and aunt were buried there trying to protect me. I could only stumble back to Transia alone.

    The border vigers didn¡¯t ept me. They saw me as an ill omen.

    I was exhausted and hungry, beaten half to death for stealing. If I hadn¡¯t met the youngdy, I would have died there.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t return to Seicob City,¡±

    Murphy said:

    ¡°You seem unwilling to obey your mother¡¯s arrangements?¡±

    ¡°Why should I obey?¡±

    The usually docile Adele rarely questioned back at this moment:

    ¡°What virtues did my mother have in her life that are worth me obeying her? All her tragedies stemmed from her naivety and stupidity! The only thing worth mentioning was her pursuit of freedom, but look at what she paid for that thing she threw away with her own hands and then wanted to get back!

    Compared to her, I respect my father whom I¡¯ve never met more.

    I believe that when father went to his death that day, it wasn¡¯t just because of his love for my mother. I prefer to believe that father, who never nned to leave the Eternal Rift, died for me.

    That man didn¡¯t want me, didn¡¯t want his daughter to live the same life as him!

    As for the family that could raise a fool like my mother, what attraction does it have for me?

    I¡¯d rather follow the youngdy and be her servant.

    Of course, I went once when Seicob City was destroyed by the gue, but as I expected, that family had long since perished in history. Their family crest had disappeared before the Ten-Year War broke out.

    With this, myst connection to my mother has also dissipated, which makes me feel very relieved.

    I am Adele, Master.

    My name is Be Bernice Adele!

    My namees from my father¡¯s final parting gift and blessing, and also from the two elders who gave their lives to protect me. They are all elders worthy of my respect.

    But there¡¯s nothing in this that should be rted to my mother.

    I despise her.

    I don¡¯t want to be someone like her who only drags others down, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Silence fell in the night.

    After several seconds, Murphy took out a handkerchief and handed it to Adele, saying softly:

    ¡°If vampires could cry, I¡¯m afraid you would be in tears by now. This world is obviously not gentle enough to us. Pretend to wipe away the tears thate from the pain crying out in your soul. Do you need me and the youngdy to beat up that arrogant archer knight? We¡¯d be happy to do so.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not so upset because she called me a halfbreed,¡±

    Lady Adele pouted.

    She held the handkerchief and said softly:

    ¡°I just suddenly remembered the past. I¡¯m a quarter-blood half-elf, neither human, nor a child of darkness, nor belonging to the forest. Now I don¡¯t even belong to the world under the sun.

    My identity is tooplicated.

    I don¡¯t even know how to fit myself into the system of this world.

    Lord Murphy, do you have this feeling?

    Like being abandoned by the world.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡±

    Murphy put his hands behind his back, looking at the night sky in the distance. He said:

    ¡°This feeling is called being a vampire. The Eternal Sin Descendant that is never epted. But I don¡¯t even know what sin wemitted before bearing the malice from the world. In this world, who could be more miserable than us?¡±

 Chapter 203:

    ¡°Let¡¯s beat up that archer knight? She dared to insult Adele! She¡¯s my only friend since childhood.¡±

    After Murphy and Adele returned to the Crimson Citadel, they encountered Femis in the Blood Vulture Halls. The youngdy, seeing Adele¡¯s low spirits, was quite displeased and even proactively made a rather udylike suggestion.

    As a result, she received a nce from Murphy.

    ¡°Well, this personality change of yours is quite sudden, youngdy. You wouldn¡¯t have said such things before.¡±

    The vampire lord said in a subtle tone:

    ¡°I know I¡¯ve given you advice before, but I¡¯m not sure if this change is rted to the nonsense I spouted, nor do I know if this change is good or bad.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you!¡±

    Femis snorted and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s just that Lord Payne spoke with me. He told me he knows everything I wanted to hide, and he doesn¡¯t mind. Or rather, after Salrokdar¡¯s death, those sin descendants have all perished with eternal silence until no one cares anymore.The lord said I represent a potentially beautiful choice for the future.

    He told me to start my life anew and let my future blossom under the push of fate.

    You know, when your greatest fear dissipates, your mood naturally lightens up. Of course, I admit your persuasion was quite effective too.

    If you view life as a game in pursuit of pleasure, then trying a new lifestyle is a necessary choice.

    So, Murphy.¡±

    The youngdy gripped her de whip at her waist and said softly:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go beat her up, to vent for my friend.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    Murphy was somewhat tempted.

    Of course, apart fromforting his own offspring and venting for her, Murphy also wanted to see for himself the fighting prowess of the official members of the legendary Blood Pact Knights.

    However, before the two counts could set off for personal revenge, or even find a sack to trap the Silver archer knight, they were forcefully suppressed by the suddenly appearing Blood Vulture Grand Duchess.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless, don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    Tris¡¯s voice rang out from the shadows.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, holding a ss of iced blood-red wine, like a mature and seductive enchantress, tossed her hair in self-admiration, took a light sip of the wine, and then exined in anguid tone:

    ¡°All descendants of Cappadocia have that punchable attitude, without exception, even Lord Payne. But it¡¯s not their choice! You must understand that a normal person wouldn¡¯t casually say such hurtful things.

    Lainnia isn¡¯t a fool either, she knows the consequences of angering us on our turf.

    But she just can¡¯t control it.

    She¡¯s a ¡®descendant of pride¡¯, ponder on that title for a moment.

    Elves are already known for their arrogance, and now with the addition of ancient pride blood from Lord Payne, it¡¯s hard for them to conceal their contempt and rudeness towards others. From the aspect of being dislikeable alone, if not for the rule-breaking, crazy Wolfsbane thugs leading the way, the Blood Knights would have long taken the crown.

    They can never control their mouths, and this is already the least annoying w in their long midnight life.

    What I mean is, if you¡¯re going to coborate with the Blood Knights in the future, you¡¯ll have to learn to tolerate their arrogance.¡±

    ¡°Is there such a saying?¡±

    Murphy frowned and said:

    ¡°But that¡¯s not right, Lord Pnno doesn¡¯t act so overbearing.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Tris blinked her eyes and asked in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°That lunatic Pnno stayed in our territory for two days and two nights. I ask you, have you seen him voluntarily speak to anyone other than you, me, and old Finoch? That lunatic¡¯s arrogance has already broken through the sky, Murphy.

    You can¡¯t perceive it, only because you¡¯re also a beautiful thing in his eyes. Try being ugly for a bit and see, any of his behaviors would make you want to p him.

    Ah, you two are still too young, your understanding of our race is too superficial.

    The Cappadocia are always arrogant and rude, just as the Lessenbra are always immersed in endless desire, just as the Torrez are always thinking about destroying precious things in others¡¯ hands, just as the Giovanni always can¡¯t suppress their desire to plunder all beautiful things in the world.

    And the Gongreau¡¯s irritability and belligerence, like the Nosferatu¡¯s never-ending anger, are all toxic things in the world that make people recoil at the sight.

    Compared to our superficial original sins, the most mysterious and mystery-loving Malkavians hide in the darkness trying to manipte everything, their morbid desire to control everything seems even more uneptable.

    But you must understand!

    This is what Blood ns are!

    This is the norm of vampires¡¯ dark life under the midnight!

    If you don¡¯t n to be friends with a wed vampire, you¡¯ll soon be a loner under the midnight.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, but I feel I¡¯m quite good,¡±

    Murphy rubbed his chin and said:

    ¡°My life is so disciplined, I don¡¯t have a unique pursuit of any desire. Of course, except for a certain beauty who has already moved into my heart.¡±

    This self-praising statement made Tris roll her eyes. She said:

    ¡°You¡¯d better say this after removing your desire for domination and maniption of your warriors from your mind. Anyway, my point is, don¡¯t harbor hostility towards Lainnia. She came here hoping to be part of the solution, so don¡¯t try to turn her into a problem.

    Moreover, her elder, the Third Lord Yvette, is quite a troublesome figure. Compared to her crazy hobbies, even that lunatic Pnno seems benevolent.

    Given our current situation, it¡¯s better not to provoke them.

    Now that Femis has returned, perhaps we can put your previously mentioned initial exploration of the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain on the agenda.

    Femis, you¡¯ve met the old Count of Seicob before, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I met him with my father, more than once.¡±

    Femis replied:

    ¡°The Count of Seicob was a brave and powerful mountain folk leader and winged cavalry lord, also one of the military leaders of the Portia Federation. Unfortunately, he died two years ago during the Pioneer Army¡¯s invasion of Seicob City. I once led the Midnight Hunters to aid them, but I couldn¡¯t save him and his family before the city fell.

    Seicob City is now in ruins.

    It¡¯s still shrouded in the spirit gue used by the Pioneer Army, and no one knows what¡¯s hidden in those ruins. Conservatively estimating, the gue ghouls and worse gue skeletons scattered throughout the ruins are just the most trivial troubles we¡¯ll face.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one among us most familiar with that area, so given Murphy¡¯s desire to control all of Transia, you should fulfill some duties for your governor and your family.¡±

    Tris took a sip of wine and ordered:

    ¡°You¡¯ll lead the new members of the Blood Vulture n to the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain, relocate all the subjects you can find there to the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain. Also, look for thest of the winged cavalry, Murphy wants to make contact with them.

    Under the threat of the ck Disaster, it¡¯s also necessary to have those powerful shock cavalry return to the ranks.

    Additionally, I can sense that some of the Blood Vulture traitors are still hiding in northern Transia.¡±

    ¡°Regarding those traitors, I have new information here that you¡¯ll definitely be interested in.¡±

    Murphy handed the intelligence scroll about the suspected ¡°Lady Cecilia¡± leading the Blood Vulture rebellion, which was revealed by Mary¡¯s unfortunate group, to the youngdy. After taking a look, her expression turned cold.

    She said without hesitation:

    ¡°Then leave it to me, I won¡¯t disappoint the Grand Duchess, but I request Adele¡¯s assistance.¡±

    ¡°No problem, Mary¡¯s newly surrendered group is also under yourmand. Train them well, let them know what traits are needed to be a member of the new Blood Vultures, but my warriors can¡¯t apany you this time.¡±

    Murphy said:

    ¡°They¡¯re about to engage in the eradication of all gnoll bandits within the entire domain of the Count of Kadman. This is just the beginning, their goal is to exterminate all gnolls on thisnd before winter arrives.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s quite a heavy task.¡±

    Femis sighed and said:

    ¡°Now that Kadman City has been destroyed, there are probably far more gnolls roaming thisnd than humans, not to mention their numerous kobold followers.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the pressure is immense, the work is arduous, but fortunately, they have enough potential to aplish this. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Come, there¡¯s someone I want to introduce to you.¡±

    Murphy patted Femis¡¯s shoulder, bid farewell to Tris, and then led Femis to the back of the Blood Vulture Halls, where they happened to meet Count Andrei, who was sitting in a corner brewing tea, and his servant Vesta standing by his side.

    ¡°Thorn n?¡±

    Femis said in surprise:

    ¡°How do we have northerners here?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a long story.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°You can ask him yourself. The reality is, the Count of White Mountain and his faction will stay here until the ck Disaster ends. I¡¯ve decided to find something for him to do, so he¡¯ll serve as your deputy for this mission.

    The administration of Anderma Hills can also be handed over to him. This former royal member has a talent for this. Do you have any questions about this?¡±

    ¡°No, this guy looks quite mncholic, his silence suits my style well.¡±

    Femis responded:

    ¡°Moreover, the Thorn n¡¯s silent stalking and precise assassination in the night will also be very helpful for this operation. But do you really trust him?¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t do my job well during this period, Count of White Mountain will rece me as the governor of Transia.¡±

    Murphy blinked, revealing a subtle smile, and said:

    ¡°Of course, I trust him,pletely trust him, just as much as I trust all my midnight brethren, no more, no less.¡±

    Femis easily grasped the underlying meaning in Murphy¡¯s words and nodded, saying:

    ¡°Then leave it to me. If necessary, he will unfortunately ¡®suffer an ident¡¯.¡±

    ¡°My, you¡¯ve really grown a lot on this journey.¡±

    Murphy couldn¡¯t help but exim:

    ¡°In the past, I always had to exin the meaning behind my words to the innocent you, but now, you¡¯ve be a youngdy who can be relied upon and brings a sense of security to yourpanions. It¡¯s wonderful! The days of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s resurgence don¡¯t seem too far off.

    However, before you set off northward, I have a small request. Could you guide me on the techniques of using the de whip?

    This thing seems to have some kind of magic to it.

    When I hold it, I always feel an uncontroble aggression.

    Is this normal?¡±

    ¡°It means it likes you, just as the object of fear in a ve master¡¯s hand always likes to taste blood.¡±

    Femis smiled very happily, speaking like a true vampire, half-hidden yet suggestive:

    ¡°Good people can¡¯t use good whips well. After all, since its creation, this weapon has never symbolized anything good. Lord Murphy, you truly are a natural midnight bastard.¡±

    ¡°Yet you are a de whip expert, so, we¡¯re all the same here.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The youngdy had changed greatly.

    She wanted to start a new life truly her own, which seemed to make her transform from the bottom of her heart and break away from her original rigid, family doctrine-centered life. No longer being a puppet on strings could truly give the soul freedom, and Murphy was pleased to see such a change.

    Essentially, he didn¡¯t really like making friends with dull people either.

    After spending some time practicing de whip techniques and obtaining a book titled ¡¶Outline of Using Exotic Weapons¡· personally written by Salrokdar from the youngdy, Murphy walked out of the Blood Vulture Halls, rubbing his neck and cheeks that were cut open by the snake-like de whip and were now healing.

    Under the midnight sky, the vampire couldn¡¯t help but sigh, that whip in Femis¡¯s hands seemed to have been given a soul.

    Fierce and vicious, like a blood-craving snake.

    Hmm, a Blood n girl with a whip, cool!

    The little yers will probably go even crazier for the transformation of the expressionless rich loli in the future.

    Murphy spread his Blood Wings and lightly rose into the air, beginning tonight¡¯s patrol of his domain. He didn¡¯t stay in the old city that was about to start reconstruction or the forward camp, instead leaving the range of the Blood Vulture Halls and flying towards the northern night sky.

    He nned to take a look at the Baron of Leim¡¯s domain.

    He wanted to see with his own eyes the areas that were about to be chosen as collective farms under his orders, which would be the new homes for the subjects relocated from the surrounding areas.

    However, to Murphy¡¯s surprise, he sensed a familiar feeling floating in his heart halfway through his journey. He folded his wings and descended towards the hills below,nding near a chaotic gnoll den amidst the crow-like screeching of the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor.

    He looked ahead.

    His ¡°monster¡± subordinate, along with his three equally silent offspring, was rampaging through this ratherrge gnoll bandit den like tigers among sheep, ughtering at will.

    In the past in Transia, such frenzied killing by vampires would only be for food or vengeance.

    But the Blood Vulture n vampires had many bad habits. Priding themselves on tradition, they never drank blood from anything other than humans. Of course, the fat old rats raised in Tris¡¯s manor didn¡¯t count, because Tris wasn¡¯t a typical Lessenbra vampire.

    Therefore, it could be deduced that Maxim and his offspring¡¯s midnight hunt could only be for more practical reasons.

    Murphy didn¡¯t interrupt Maxim¡¯s battle, he just closed his eyes and switched his perspective to that of Revnor, who was rapidly flying over the Baron of Leim¡¯s domain in the midnight.

    Through the Blood Vulture Spirit¡¯s rapid flight and reconnaissance, Murphy was surprised to find that within the range of the five viges amodated by the entire Baron of Leim¡¯s domain, there were no traces of anyrge gnoll settlements left. But just a few days ago, this ce was full of gnoll bandit camps of all sizes, just like other parts of Transia.

    This could only mean that without Murphy¡¯s knowledge, Maxim had already begun to fulfill his responsibilities as a baron, but unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t what Murphy wanted to see.

    A few minutester, Maxim, full of killing intent, came to Murphy¡¯s side and said:

    ¡°My lord, are you here to inspect the sites chosen for those farms? I¡¯ve already ordered Berkeley, the vige chief of Leim vige, to lead his vigers to clear the areas around the farms. They¡¯ve also cut down many trees. As soon as the subjects arrive, they can start building.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your execution ability, but you know that as a baron, you should be controlling the big picture rather than personallying to ughter these insignificant gnolls, right?¡±

    Murphy sighed and said:

    ¡°If you kill them all, where will my warriors find their Quest Objectives? You know, Miriam issues tasks every day, asking warriors to bring back 10 pairs of gnoll ws.¡±

    ¡°They can go to more distant ces.¡±

    Maxim sheathed his Jade de, saying quite nonchntly:

    ¡°Transia is full of gnolls, these things can never bepletely killed off. I just always feel unspent energy and desire for battle at night, and the Fight Club is about to open. It always needs some elite monsters to fill the scene. As you said, the warriors hope to get worthy challenges.¡±

    Behind him in the darkness, three ck Iron rank vampire offspring were using chains to drag four or five elite gnolls and kobold geomancers that had been beaten half to death away from the corpse-strewn den.

    Well.

    This reason was indeed something Murphy hadn¡¯t thought of.

    Besides being the Baron of Leim and themander of the Kadman People¡¯s Army, Maxim was also the operator of the Fight Club.

    Dangerous elite monsters don¡¯t automatically respawn in the arena, they can only be captured by Maxim, the ¡°big boss,¡± personally leading his offspring.

    Indeed, behind every sessful gamey, there are NPCs bearing the burden and moving forward.

    Tsk, to be honest, it¡¯s quite miserable.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Fight Club form a ve-catching team?¡±

    Murphy asked, to which Maxim replied:

    ¡°Actually, I have a better idea, master. What if I give your warriors tasks to capture elite monsters alive, then throw the monsters they bring back into the arena as their enemies, and then have them pay for tickets to challenge the monsters they captured themselves¡­

    Uh, it sounds a bit strange.

    But I think it¡¯s feasible. As long as I can pay the warriors enough rewards, they¡¯ll be willing to do it. And judging from the betting situation in thest Fight Club event, I only need to spend a little gold or weapons and equipment to get a high return.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, not bad. This change in thinking proves that you are indeed growing, which is exactly what I hope to see.¡±

    Murphy nodded in satisfaction, but then he said:

    ¡°But after the collective farms are established, you probably won¡¯t have so much leisure time. I mean, you still need to fulfill your management functions as a lord.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m nning to appoint my knights.¡±

    Maxim spread his wings and took off following Murphy, saying matter-of-factly:

    ¡°I¡¯m about to appoint five knights. I think they can fulfill the management duties on my behalf. After all, rather than a ruler, I might be more suited to continue being a warrior. Just like the alpha wolves under the wolf king, always staying alert, always staying fierce, always staying hungry.

    You need my strength, far more than my subjects need my wisdom.

    After all, I¡¯m not known for my wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±

    Murphy couldn¡¯t be bothered to correct Maxim¡¯s concept swapping. It seemed this monster lord was truly not interested in management and throwing his weight around. So he changed the subject and said:

    ¡°The Blood Pact Knights have arrived at the Crimson Citadel, but their leader spoke rudely to yourpanion Adele. Sigh, you know, there are some things that Femis and I can¡¯t do due to our status.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my master.¡±

    A eager smile appeared under Maxim¡¯s battle helmet as he said softly:

    ¡°Your war hound is willing to take this worry off your mind.¡±

    ¡°But she is a powerful Silver rank archer knight. You might need to fail many times before you can taste the wine of victory.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, isn¡¯t that even better? Things easily obtained have no value for collection. You see, I¡¯ve also been infected by your warriors¡¯ pickiness about rewards. But as you said, this isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡±

 Chapter 204:

    When the little yers logged in the next day, they immediately noticed two major changes in the Crimson Citadel.

    First, the survivors who had been huddled in the advance camp outside the city preparing various building materials finally entered the outer city ruins en masse.

    Selected camp workers, under themand of the Count of Kadman¡¯s ¡°Chief Architect¡± Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and ¡°Deputy Architect¡± Bricyer, had marked out the terrain of a block with something simr to white lime.

    They were carrying carpentry tools like shovels, saws, hammers, nes, anddders, preparing to start building the first house in the outer city ruins under the direction of two design students.

    It looked quite professional and well-organized.

    Specialized blueprints were brought out for the workers to see, and the cement mixer had a delicate model built with wooden strips in his hand, looking square and boxy like a 3-story dormitory building.

    Except for these workers not wearing helmets and theck of somerge mechanized tools, this ce was no different from a standard construction site.

    The ¡°Three Generals¡± of the camp, who were also the ¡°Three Warriors¡± under Regent Miriam¡¯smand ¨C Dump Truck Iaido, Bulldozer Man Charging, and Half Off With Full Coverage ¨C were standing nearby, holding some sunflower seeds, maintaining order and having their assistants loudly and repeatedly announce the new ¡°Construction Worker Labor Point Calction Rules.¡±

    When the little yers saw this, they knew that their Lord Murphy had finally begun the city construction n that had been staying on paper.However, clever yers had already guessed that this must be rted to theirrge-scale clearing of those dangerous ghouls in the sewers over the past few days.

    ¡°See, I told you before, this game is just like the real world, with a set of underlying logic driving it,¡± said Feel You Poor, who had already gone out for a ride on his beloved manticore and returned, to his good friend Life Is Pretty Good who had just logged in and was jumping around in the game to stretch his body.

    ¡°Because we cleared out the dangerous ghoul nests in the sewer area, the workers now dare to enter the city outskirts to start rebuilding. All plot advancements can be traced back to reasons in the background story, and yers are the main drivers of the plot in this game.

    If we left it all to these NPCs to do, I estimate it would take at least 3 months to formally enter the reconstruction phase, by which time winter would being!

    They say Transia¡¯s winters are very cold, cold enough to freeze people to death.¡±

    ¡°Tch, you also said they¡¯re just NPCs, if they freeze to death, can¡¯t they just respawn a new batch?¡± Life Is Pretty Good casually said something that exposed his ¡°newbie status.¡±

    Unlike other ¡°anticipation party¡± members who had been hanging around the forums for a long time, this guy was also very busy in real life and had a very fulfilling personal life, so after filling out the test application at Feel You Poor¡¯s urging, he hadn¡¯t really looked at the forum posts much.

    This forced Feel You Poor to exin again: ¡°You wish! Let me tell you, the NPCs in this game are all unique. Once they die, they¡¯re gone for good. You can even see changes to their tombstones and friends and family asionallying to mourn. You! You¡¯re going to be a vige chief in the future, don¡¯t treat these NPCs we worked so hard to rescue as consumables! If you really dare to do that, be careful of other yers putting a sack over your head.

    Many people have be friends with the NPCs in the camp. If you dare to abuse them, those guys will dare to hunt you down in real life.¡±

    ¡°Tch, am I afraid of that?¡± Life Is Pretty Good grinned, looking around while riding his docile old horse. He quickly noticed arge number of little yers flocking towards the inner city.

    It was as lively as a fair.

    Feel You Poor also noticed this and casually grabbed Old Tune, who was riding a ck warhorse and holding a crisp pear as ¡°breakfast,¡± and asked, ¡°Brother Tune, where are you all going?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know high-level NPCs have spawned in the inner city?¡± Brother Tune said to Feel You Poor while munching on the pear with juice sttering:

    ¡°They¡¯re very powerful NPCs! Reportedly vampires from the Blood Pact n, each of them is a professional trainer. Some night owl yers discovered themst night. These NPCs asionally teach some ck Iron rank advancedbat techniques, and they can even trigger Blood Pact n reputation quests, especially their leader!

    She¡¯s a Silver rank bow knight, reportedly a long-legged vampire girl.

    And rumor has it that she¡¯s selecting talented ranged shooters and teaching them some advanced archery and reconnaissance techniques. Aren¡¯t I a gunner? Although it doesn¡¯t quite match the bow knight¡¯s identity, I want to try my luck too. Want toe along?¡±

    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you just say all NPC spawns have background stories as exnation?¡± Life Is Pretty Good, who had been listening intently nearby, immediatelyughed and said with his hands on his hips:

    ¡°How do you exin these suddenly spawned NPCs?¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid, new friend?¡± Before Feel You Poor could speak, Brother Tune got annoyed first. He threw the half-eaten pear towards the distance where several crows were perched foraging.

    The gunslinger wiped his hands and looked Life Is Pretty Good up and down, saying:

    ¡°That¡¯s the advance support we agreed on with the Blood Pact Knights after we conquered the Blood Vulture Halls, of course there¡¯s a background story! It takes about 10 days for them to travel from the Dark Mountain range to reach the Crimson Citadel. Tsk, look at you being all smug when you know nothing.

    You¡¯re a newbie, right?

    You should be ashamed!¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Life Is Pretty Good wanted to argue after being scolded, but Brother Tune had already lifted his head with the pride befitting a veteran yer and ignored him. He pulled out his riding crop and lightly whipped his warhorse¡¯s behind. The majestic demon-hunting steed immediately neighed and charged towards the inner city.

    This was the second change that little yers discovered in the Crimson City.

    At this time, on the vast ground in the inner city area that had been ttened by the Astral Realm impact, the second camp outside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was rising from the ground. The Blood Pact n¡¯s reserve knights were givenfortable and useful ¡°local specialty¡± gray tents, and Miriam had allocated sufficient supplies to them.

    Of course, as vampires, their camp was naturally close to the shadow areas, and their stationed location happened to be near the previous cemetery.

    The residual death spirit energy here made the temperature very low, which was naturallyfortable for the vampires.

    As the leader, Lady Lainnia had her own room in the Blood Vulture Halls, but she preferred to stay with her soldiers, so she also pitched a tent for herself here.

    The Blood Pact camp was very lively.

    The little yers who came to learn advanced general skills and seek new profession transfers didn¡¯t mind doing a few quests along the way, so under the strange gazes of these Blood Pact reserve knights, these enthusiastic local blood servants speaking in oddnguages almostpleted half of the camp construction for them.

    It was as if no matter what outrageous requests they made, these blood servants would happily and mindlessly go do it.

    All of this was seen by Lady Lainnia.

    She nodded with great satisfaction and looked again at the Computation Bead in her hand, gifted by Murphy.

    ¡°Although the Blood Vulture n has encountered disaster, they have indeed trained their blood servants well! Such energetic and well-mannered blood servants are rare in this era,¡± the proud bow knight said to herself, but her attention soon shifted to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp in the distance, opposite the inner city and cemetery area.

    As a bow knight specializing in reconnaissance and long-range sniping, and an elf ranger who had participated in the 4th ck Disaster war, she had fought alongside Witch Hunters from the Avalon Church before and was aware of the grudges between Witch Hunters and vampires in human territories.

    This made it hard for her to guess what kind of madness had possessed the local vampires to incorporate Witch Hunters into their city. Did Lord Murphy and Grand Duchess Tris think their lives were toofortable?

    She could still sense the Witch Hunters¡¯ reconnaissance birds flying around her camp. Clearly, the Witch Hunters had noticed them too.

    ¡°Tch, humans.¡± The proud bow knight cared little about this.

    She returned to her tent with an elegant posture, removed her battle bow as her main weapon, and stretched her body a bit before preparing to open the ck coffin that served as a ¡°bed¡± in her tent.

    She wanted to follow a ssic vampire¡¯s ¡°correct schedule¡± by lying down to rest at this time, enjoying that serene darkness until night falls again on this unfortunatend.

    However, just as Lady Lainnia was undoing the straps of her chainmail, her pointed ears suddenly twitched. She then put her battle helmet back on to cover her elf face, which looked too ¡°unique¡± and exoticpared to other vampires. Finally, she slung her battle bow over her shoulder and walked out of the tent.

    Then, she immediately saw Maxim standing outside the tent.

    ¡°Hello, Captain Lainnia!¡±

    Maxim gave a Transian military salute to the elf vampire before him and introduced himself:

    ¡°I am Baron of Leim Maxim of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s Count of Kadman faction, and also themander of the Kadman People¡¯s Army. I¡¯vee to handle the handover work with you. In Lord Pnno¡¯s instructions, one of your tasks is to help us train the army, so I¡¯m going to give you the title of ¡®Special Military Advisor to the People¡¯s Army¡¯.

    Also, I¡¯d like to invite you to the wee banquet we¡¯ve prepared for you.¡±

    ¡°At this time?¡±

    Lainnia responded with the cold expression befitting an elf and a descendant of arrogance:

    ¡°The sun is high in the sky. This doesn¡¯t sound like an invitation, but more like a provocation.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you discovered it so easily. You truly are a wise scout.¡±

    Maxim dropped the act.

    A provocative smile appeared on his face hidden under the vulture mask. He flexed his gauntlets and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Adele is mypanion. She serves the same elder with me and has made indelible contributions to the construction of this city and this territory. In every aspect, she is an invaluable friend.

    And you mercilessly humiliated her the moment you entered our territory. Adele is the Baroness of Shadows personally appointed by the Grand Duchess of the Blood Vulture n!

    Therefore, your behavior is equivalent to provoking the entire Blood Vulture n.

    I don¡¯t know how such a situation would be handled in your Blood Pact Knights, but in our Transia, all provocations will receive due response!¡±

    ¡°So, when the higher-ups can¡¯te forward, they can only send out fearless war dogs to regain lost face?¡±

    Lainnia said with a cold smile:

    ¡°I just said that the vampires here are different from those I¡¯ve seen before, but now I suddenly find that there doesn¡¯t seem to be much difference. Equally hypocritical, equally cunning, equally boring. If that¡¯s the case, then bring it on.

    Find a ce where we won¡¯t be disturbed by sunlight, Baron of Leim. I ept your challenge, but I won¡¯t hold back.

    Given your rank, you should be prepared to return seriously injured.¡±

    In response to this merciless reply, Maxim shrugged, spread hisrge Blood Wings, and gestured for the bow knight to follow him.

    Secondster, Maxim arrived at the entrance of sewer number 7, but he waited there for another 10 seconds before seeing Lady Lainnia arrive tardily. It was only then that Maxim realized he had made amon sense mistake.

    Not all vampires could fly as swiftly as the blood vultures.

    The wings of this Silver rank bow knight before him looked as small as decorations to him, barely capable of high-speed gliding.

    So delicate and fragile, it made Maxim involuntarily worry whether her wings would break off during sharp turns in battle.

    Ah, it was only at this moment that Maxim realized what his master meant when he always said ¡°small ones are cute too¡± when seeing the Count of White Mountain.

    It turns out it was a taunt!

    Such exquisite grammar, worthy of Lord Murphy indeed.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that pitying look?¡±

    Lainnia scolded very unhappily:

    ¡°Put away that undignified expression, Baron Maxim!¡±

    ¡°I just thought your wings were very¡­ well, delicate, that¡¯s all. No need to get angry, after all, small ones are cute too.¡±

    The Baron of Leim shrugged, and under Lady Lainnia¡¯s murderous gaze, he said in a very annoying tone while making a gesture of invitation.

    The two entered the Fight Club, which wasn¡¯t open at this time, but almost all the free members of the Blood Vulture n were here now, and the arena for fighting had already been cleaned up by Maxim¡¯s blood servants.

    ¡°This ce is far from sunlight, which shouldn¡¯t scorch your delicate skin anymore.¡±

    He walked towards the arena and said to Lainnia behind him:

    ¡°This is also where our blood servants and us, thest children of the blood vultures, release our fighting spirit. There are always weaklings here who stage unexpectedebacks, or honor the glory of battle with their blood.¡±

    ¡°An underground arena? How barbaric.¡±

    The bow knightmented:

    ¡°It seems my words about that Lady Adele weren¡¯t wrong. Aren¡¯t you enjoying the decadent pleasures of the shadow elves?

    I¡¯ve never seen any civilized race immerse themselves in such barbaric ughter.¡±

    ¡°You arrogant descendants really don¡¯t know how to talk properly, do you?¡±

    Maxim was getting a bit annoyed too.

    Lord Pnno¡¯s arrogance stemmed from his strength and that knightly demeanor that didn¡¯t particrly annoy people, but he wasn¡¯t as irritating as the elf before him, with every sentence carrying an unpleasant vor.

    ¡°Shing!¡±

    The Tomb ck de was unsheathed.

    Lainnia didn¡¯t draw her battle bow, but instead pulled out two vampire hunter daggers from her waist. She clearly didn¡¯t intend to use her main weapon to bully the vampire before her, who was a whole rank lower than her.

    But as a formal member of the Blood Pact Knights, she would dly ept and emerge victorious from all challenges, continuing that pride of victory.

    Maxim didn¡¯t care about this.

    He was a pragmatist.

    The moment ¡°Fight Club Crimson Lady¡± Mary flying in the air announced the start of the battle, the Tomb Guard¡¯s Death¡¯s Grasp shot forward, unsurprisingly easily dodged by the elf bow knight known for her agility, but the sweeping de Maxim shed over next wasn¡¯t so easy to dodge.

    The moment the hunter dagger and ck de collided, Lainnia¡¯s expression slightly changed.

    This vampire¡­

    Something¡¯s not right!

    This strength is too great!

    It¡¯s not at all like the strength a ck Iron rank should have. She realized she might have underestimated her opponent a bit, but quickly adjusted her mindset and thrust forward with elf swordsmanship, only to be dodged by Maxim¡¯s slide step. His sword style suddenly changed, and under Lainnia¡¯s widened eyes, he used a counter-technique she was all too familiar with to flick one of her hunter daggers out of her hand.

    The exquisite hunter dagger, blending elf and vampire styles, fell to the ground spinning, making a light and mocking sound, eliciting cheers from the local vampires in the surrounding spectator seats.

    ¡°Tomb Guard, shadow elf¡¯s shadow steps, and the punishing sword favored by blood knights, you know quite a lot!¡±

    The bow knight said coldly:

    ¡°Who taught you?¡±

    ¡°Well, that would be a noble figure who very much wanted to vent anger for their humiliated offspring, but couldn¡¯t personally act due to their status.¡±

    Maxim inverted the Tomb ck de, making its de perpendicr to the ground. In this starting pose of the midnight killer sword technique, he answered in a low voice:

    ¡°If so-called ¡®ck Iron¡¯, ¡®Silver¡¯, and ¡®Gold¡¯ could determine victory or defeat on paper, then all wars in this world would ultimately be reduced to verbal exchanges. Lady Lainnia, I advise you to take this seriously.

    Otherwise, a defeat will be the most memorable ¡®gift¡¯ you can receive upon entering Transia.

    Additionally, I want to tell you that Adele, whom you called a ¡®Halfbreed¡¯, is not weaker than me in terms of actualbat destructive power. She is the most powerful assassin under Lord Murphy, and even Grand Duchess Shani praises her night hunting.

    In other words,

    You and your frail knights should be grateful for her tolerance that you could make it alive to Crimson Citadel!

    Perhaps our wee ceremony of us Transian ¡®barbarians¡¯ can serve as a lesson or a principle?

    To teach you what ¡®respect¡¯ means!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll only respond to you that I¡¯m getting serious now.¡±

    The bow knight drew her battle bow from behind.

    Maxim shrugged. He knew he probably couldn¡¯t beat the elite bow knight before him who had been trained for a long time in the Dark Mountain range.

    But that didn¡¯t matter.

    If once doesn¡¯t work, then twice. As long as he doesn¡¯t die, there will always be a day to see victory. The ultimate potential Lord Murphy gave him made him confident that he could use the arrogantdy before him as a stepping stone.

    Hmm.

    A beautiful and proud stepping stone towards a more powerful realm!

 Chapter 205:

    It took Lady Lainnia nearly 10 minutes to defeat Maxim.

    This was not easy.

    Especially when thetter used Blood Wings inbination with defense and flight for the fierce ¡°death drop¡± tactic, she found herself in a rather passive situation. In the end, she relied on her superhuman elf archery and ranger tactics that she retained after bing a vampire to make Maxim retreat.

    She had to admit that these children of the Blood Vulture who could still support the n after the n¡¯s extinction crisis really had some skills! And if even the descendants were already this difficult to deal with, it could be imagined that encountering Lord Murphy on the battlefield would only be more challenging.

    But what Lady Lainnia didn¡¯t expect was that defeating Maxim was just the beginning.

    The endless stream of vampires and Blood Servants no longer continued to provoke her, but the 30 reserve knights and 60 blood retainers under hermand became the targets of these fellows¡¯ challenges.

    They called it ¡°learning and practicalbat¡±, but in reality, the bow knight knew exactly what these guys were up to.

    This made her deeply feel the shamelessness and ¡°unity¡± of the Blood Vulture n.

    They seemed to want to express the concept of ¡°mess with one, mess with all¡± in sticking together, and it might also be a private reminder from a certain petty Count of Kadman.But in any case, the Blood Pact Knights had an unusually ¡°fulfilling¡± first day and night in Crimson Citadel.

    Especially after the ¡°Blood Vulture Twelve Little Powerhouses¡± also received the special challenge task specially arranged by Maxim and enthusiastically joined this ¡°practicalbat training¡±, the originally one-sided situation actually underwent some subtle changes.

    When midnight arrived, Lady Lainnia looked at the three reserve knights bowing their heads in front of her in her camp with a grim expression.

    They were her three deputy officers.

    They had lost.

    They lost to Sister Pomegranate, Brother Mao, and Niuniu respectively.

    It was hard to imagine that they, who had undergone rigorous training and passed throughyers of trials to be reserve knights, actually produced an ugly 9:3 record when facing the new members of the Blood Vulture n.

    Well, they only lost three matches.

    But this was still uneptable!

    For the proud Cappadocia, an imperfect victory was equivalent to failure.

    ¡°Double the training! Train them hard!¡±

    Lady Lainnia clenched her fists, almost gritting her teeth as she said:

    ¡°Regain what you lost where you lost it! We will be staying in Transia for a long time, you have enough time to win back the dignity you¡¯ve lost!¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy!¡±

    The three reserve knights responded loudly.

    Then they left the camp to hunt the gnolls ravaging thend around Crimson Citadel in the night, to vent their humiliation of failure.

    ¡°Vanna, starting tomorrow¡­ no, starting now!¡±

    Lainnia called her deputy, ordering her only descendant before her:

    ¡°Have our knights and retainers take turns entering that Fight Club, to challenge the members of the Blood Vulture n, and don¡¯t refuse the provocations of those barbaric Blood Servants! We must let them know that the dignity of Cappadocia is not to be vited, and the strength of the Blood Pact Knights is not to be underestimated!

    You can also view this as your knight training. Before we return to the n¡¯s residence, each reserve knight must obtain at least 100 victories! Each retainer must obtain 40 victories!

    The barbarians of Transia are brave and warlike, they are very good whetstones.

    Go and hone yourselves.¡±

    As a descendant of pride, she did not allow the reserve knights under hermand to bow to the creatures of Transia, but if Maxim knew about this situation, he would probablyugh so hard he¡¯d wake up from his dreams smiling.

    He was just worried that the Fight Clubcked ¡°sparring partners¡±, and the enthusiastic Blood Pact Knights voluntarily came to their door. How could they not ept?

    But that¡¯s all forter.

    Just as the unrelenting Lady Lainnia was giving orders to her servants, in the sewers of the outer city district, the ¡°Chief Architect¡± Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and ¡°Deputy Architect¡± Bricyer, who had been busy directing the camp workers all day, finally had some free time to attend to their own business.

    These two were walking along the first level of the sewer, which had been cleared of most monsters, towards the lower level area. To be on the safe side, they had hired Meow King¡¯s ¡°professional team¡± to escort them.

    There was no choice.

    These two were both administrative professionals, theirbat ability couldn¡¯t be said to be non-existent, but they would be at a loss when encountering fiercer monsters.

    In addition to Meow King¡¯s six yers, there were also four guards assigned to Grayman and Bricyer apanying them. Their purpose for this trip was not to fight monsters, but to find that hidden ¡°underground cavity¡± ording to the sewer blueprint.

    ¡°Is that thing really there?¡±

    The rogue from Meow King¡¯s team was ying with the vampire short sword in his hand like a juggler, making this lethal weapon flutter back and forth between his fingertips like a butterfly through flowers, while curiously asking the two whispering design students:

    ¡°You guys can¡¯t actually be sure that the underground cavity definitely exists, right? Based on the information you provided, Brother Stick has been searching in the sewers for several days without any clues.¡±

    ¡°There are no clues, but Bricyer and I both believe it must exist!¡±

    Grayman pushed up his sses with someck of confidence.

    This unique essory made Meow King envious. He already knew that this was a ¡°favorability gift¡± given to Grayman by his two assistants, and thought to himself that he should probably take some time to grind NPC favorability, maybe he could also get simr rare items.

    Although Grayman¡¯s sses had no attribute bonuses, this thing was currently one of a kind in the game.

    The rarity was maxed out.

    And it was given by girls, although only in the category of ¡°paper wife¡±, but cyber girls are still girls!

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Old Chen called again this morning to confirm once more. He said he carefully looked at the sewer map we shared with him and can be sure that a part of the underground area has been hidden.¡±

    Bricyer, who had just entered the game a few days ago, was still in the ¡°newbie excitement period¡±. He was holding a sword in his hand, eager to find a ghoul to practice on.

    However, he didn¡¯t forget the main task. While moving forward, he exined to the other fellows:

    ¡°Our tutor is really something, he¡¯s been doing civil engineering all his life. If he says it¡¯s there, it definitely is! Brother Stick might not have found the right ce. This kind of area hidden on the map must have a special purpose, maybe there¡¯s even some damn magic protection.¡±

    ¡°Is it that mystical?¡±

    Meow King couldn¡¯t help but ridicule:

    ¡°And is your tutor that free? He even has time to look at the design drawings in the game?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s very serious about it.¡±

    Grayman sighed and said:

    ¡°Our tutor has no other hobbies, he just likes to collect these ancient buildings, not only from our country but from foreign countries as well. Earlier, in order to n the city, he asked Lord Murphy for a design blueprint of Kadman City. After he saw it, he hasn¡¯t done anything else for the past two days, just studying that thing.

    He even pulled us two to exin to him what this game is all about. Anyway, ording to Old Chen, the city above our heads is definitely not just a casually built model.

    He said the modeling of this city is definitely the work of a professional master in this field. From the looks of it, if it wasn¡¯t for Old Chen not liking young people¡¯s stuff, he might havee in to y with us.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not impossible!¡±

    Old Tune, who was maintaining vignce nearby, released the archer¡¯s reconnaissance technique he learned from Lady Lainnia today, while turning his head to joke:

    ¡°Our game doesn¡¯t need any professional external devices. You can just fill out an application for your tutor, and when the helmet arrives, the old man can also enter the game and have fun together. Wouldn¡¯t that be great? If the architectural artistry of this game is really as impressive as he says, then the old man will definitely be over the moon after entering.

    Not to mention, that Bataxin city alone would be enough for him to study!

    And there will be dwarf castles and elf giant trees in the future. These arepletely fantasy styles that we don¡¯t have in reality. Why not invite the old man toe in and critique?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡±

    Grayman and Bricyer exchanged a nce, and he shrugged, saying:

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll ask tomorrow. Old Chen is about to retire anyway, it¡¯s good to find him some leisure entertainment, provided he¡¯s willing. But I guess he should be willing, these days everything has to have a touch of cyber style, so the old folks having some ¡®cyber wellness¡¯ would have its own vor.¡±

    Everyone burst intoughter.

    The four guards couldn¡¯t understand at all what these warriors of Lord Murphy wereughing about. They didn¡¯t participate, just vigntly carrying out their task as protectors.

    ¡°Hey, if we go a bit further, we¡¯ll reach the ¡®ancient area¡¯,¡±

    A few minutester, on the stairs leading down from the first level of the sewer, Meow King cautiously raised his hand, using his ability as an Oak Knight to apply level 2 Thorn Spells and nature shields to everyone in the team, and applied a nature detection effect to himself, before reminding:

    ¡°Although this area is much smaller than the first level, it hasn¡¯t been fully explored yet. ording to Brother Mao¡¯s group of five who have been grinding monsters here, the number and threat level of ghouls here are much stronger than on the first level.

    Everyone be careful, if anything goes wrong, retreat immediately!

    Grayman, where exactly is the ce you need to go?¡±

    ¡°Not far, just directly below this area.¡±

    Grayman looked at the map in his hand again.

    This map had two circles drawn ording to their tutor¡¯s instructions, which were the locations their tutor said were most likely to connect to the underground cavity. He pointed to the dark, damaged tunnel ahead and said:

    ¡°One is at the end of the tunnel, the other is by the water pool next to it. If these two ces don¡¯t have it, then it proves that this underground cavity is isted from the entire sewer system.

    In that case, we¡¯ll look for its entrance from outside the city.

    But ording to Old Chen, when building a sewer system of this scale for a city, it¡¯s impossible not to discover underground cavities, so he thinks we¡¯ll definitely be able to find a way down in these two ces.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡±

    Meow King waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if the old professor¡¯s lifelong research is reliable!¡±

    The group first headed towards the water pool nearby.

    This was arge puddle with water ghosts haunting it, but those things could no longer pose any threat to Meow King¡¯s team. Old Tune, who had already be an official Witch Hunter and learned several powerful skills, could handle them alone with his two spears.

    ¡°Damn! It can¡¯t be in the water, right?¡±

    Bricyer walked around the water pool and scratched his head, saying to the equally frowning Grayman:

    ¡°The stratum around here is very solid. I dug down a bit, and there¡¯s bedrock about half a meter down. There can¡¯t be any stable passage around. Unless it¡¯s hidden at the bottom of the water pool, but we can¡¯t dive down to look.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go check the end of the tunnel first.¡±

    Grayman shook his head, made a mark here with wood, and then led his group towards the end of the main tunnel in the ancient sewer area.

    But after they left, a head suddenly emerged from the previously calm water pool.

    It was a creature very simr to a ghoul, but its skin wasn¡¯t as decayed, instead showing a pale and bloated appearance.

    This was a water ghost, a variant of the ghoul.

    However, this water ghost was obviously not right. It didn¡¯t have the chaotic and frenzied state of other water ghosts, but twisted its body to quietly crawl onto the shore, turned around the mark left by Grayman, then waved its ws to tear down the mark and throw it into the water.

    This series of actions proved that either this water ghost still maintained intelligence, or perhaps it was a puppet manipted by some force.

    After destroying the mark, this water ghost limped back towards the water pool to submerge.

    But before it could fully submerge, a whistling arrow came from the darkness and precisely hit the back of its heart. The impact was so great that it lifted the entire body and smashed it towards the ground on the other side of the water pool.

    The water ghost still wanted to struggle.

    But then a huge blood-colored bat wing appeared in the darkness, and Civilian Protection Officer Kudel, carrying his crimson greatsword, rushed out from the darkness. His battle-scarred boots stepped on it, and those sharp eyes under the vulture-faced mask stared fixedly at this water ghost.

    ¡°Finally caught you, rat!¡±

    He said hoarsely:

    ¡°I can feel them! Those citizens are still alive, I can feel their fear and unease, they¡¯ve been taken hostage by you. Where have you hidden them? Fiend! Tell me! Is it underground?¡±

    The questioned water ghost struggled, but soon the force controlling it began to withdraw from this already hopeless puppet.

    Before leaving, that hidden malice gave Kudel a mocking smile. This smile was conveyed to the Civilian Protection Officer¡¯s eyes through the water ghost¡¯s distorted face, making this crimson swordsman extremely angry.

    He came to the depths of the sewer alone and had been ughtering ghouls here not because he had nothing better to do. When Murphy came to see him earlier, he didn¡¯t tell Murphy what he was doing.

    After all, his somewhat insane mind at this time didn¡¯t trust any vampire.

    But the Civilian Protection Officer could indeed feel some lives that needed help still existing in the deepest part of the sewer. This wasn¡¯t a vampire ability, but came from his professional ability as a Holy Grail Knight. Just as old Finoch once made a faith oath to Avalon¡¯s Holy Grail, when Kudel was still a human knight, he had a simr encounter.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Avalon¡¯s Holy Grail.

    There are many items simr to the Holy Grail on this mysterious continent, and what Kudel encountered back then was just one of them, but that encounter gave him the mysterious ability to sense the pleas of those who need help.

    This is also why Kudel was able to gather so many survivors in the Blood Vulture Halls after the Astral Realm tear urred.

    He heard the pleas from underground, but he had no way to respond to them.

    He couldn¡¯t find them!

    He couldn¡¯t find those citizens who should have been under his protection, but were now suffering from disaster.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    The water ghost¡¯s head was violently crushed.

    Kudel turned around. He looked at the filthy, toxin-filled water pool in front of him, and thinking of Bricyer and Grayman¡¯s spection just now, this Civilian Protection Officer turned around without hesitation and jumped into the filthy water pool.

    He went all the way down in this water pool and quickly felt the uneven bottom in the filthy toxic water. After a few minutes of groping, he sessfully found a hidden crevice, from which bubbles of strange color and foul smell wereing out.

    ¡°Don¡¯te down!¡±

    When Kudel touched the crevice hidden underwater, a voice from the spirit level, carrying sharp intimidation, scolded and threatened:

    ¡°If you dare toe down, I¡¯ll kill them all! What I¡¯m doing has nothing to do with you, and the survival of this city has nothing to do with you either. Get lost! You crazy vampire with a brain damaged by the sub-space.¡±

    Faced with this outwardly fierce but inwardly timid threat, the Civilian Protection Officer, enduring the mental impact, drew the crimson greatsword from his back almost without any hesitation. He was about to charge up power in the water to open the passage to the lower level, but before he could act, a huge muffled boom apanied by earth-shaking tremors came from the end of the tunnel. Thismotion came so suddenly and violently that it seemed to startle even the evil rat who was attacking Kudel with mental sorcery below.

    His control of the evil magic rxed for an instant, and Kudel gritted his teeth and thrust the great sword into the crevice below. With an explosion of power, he was swept into the deeply hidden shadows below with the vortex of water.

    And in the original sewer tunnel, the exmations of the little yers were still echoing.

    ¡°Holy shit! There really is an underground tunnel! It¡¯s all empty below! How big must it be? The old professor is awesome!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, Old Chen¡¯s professional knowledge is indeed not just talk! I¡¯m convinced.¡±

    ¡°Quick, look! There¡¯s a monster nest below! Damn, there must be at least 10,000 ghouls down there? And so many vengeful spirits and¡­ wait, I think I see people! There are people down there!¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Forget about the people, run! The ghouls are rushing up!¡±

    ¡°We seem to have blown up something incredible, things are getting serious! Quick, report to Lord Murphy!¡±

 Chapter 206:

    As the Meow King¡¯s group of 6 and the construction site duo were using arge amount of explosives to st open the outer shell above the underground cavern, Brother Mao, who had earlier defeated a Blood Pact Knight recruit, was sharing today¡¯s battle experience with his brothers-in-arms on the road leading to the ancient sewer area.

    ¡°Those Blood Pact Knight recruits are fierce! They excel at head-onbat, theplete opposite of Blood Vulture vampires who always try to target weaknesses,¡± said Brother Mao, who had alreadymitted to following the ssic profession path of ¡°Weapon Master,¡± while swinging the war halberd in his hand to find the right feel.

    ¡°They¡¯re the perfect opponents for our fighting style. I guess this might be a time-limited special event in the Fight Club. You guys should try fighting them when you have time. This gamey might lead to group battlester!

    When that happens, the 5 of us can go together and fight several rounds with the Blood Pact Knights.

    Lord Maxim has already posted new challenge rules. If you umte 5 victories in battles against Blood Pact Knights, you can get a piece of the standard Commander-level ¡®Crimson diator¡¯ set.

    Although it¡¯s just a ¡®reskin¡¯ of the n guard set dyed red, it has very practical attribute enhancement enchantments. Plus, it¡¯s much easier than spending time running dungeons for this 1v1bat.¡±

    ¡°That might be easier for you, Brother Mao,¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar, who had transformed into the advanced ¡°diator¡± profession and dressed himself like Pantheon with a war spear and small round shield, said with a bitter face:

    ¡°I went up to fight tonight too, but I couldn¡¯t win! Those guys are all elite monsters, and asionally they even throw out an elite boss. Their battle techniques are all Proficient, and they¡¯re incredibly strong. For us who have just learned advanced battle techniques without mastery bonuses, one slip-up and we¡¯re done for.¡±

    ¡°That just means your technique isn¡¯t good enough. It needs polishing. Like they say, ¡®a day with a de, a month with a staff, a lifetime with a spear.¡¯ If you don¡¯t practice for three days, you get rusty. That¡¯s how martial arts is. Having good opponents is a rare opportunity. Do you know how much it costs to hire a sparring partner of this level in real life?Trust me, this is a good thing,¡± Brother Mao said dismissively.

    As he groped his way forward in the dark of the ancient sewer area, he continued:

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve unlocked the personal reputation of that Civilian Protection Officer, I reckon after we finish this nightly ghoul invasion routine tonight, we should be able to learn more powerful advanced sword techniques from Lord Kudel.

    That guy¡¯s heavy sword fighting style is the most perfect set I¡¯ve ever seen.

    Not only is it powerful and offensive-oriented, but it also has two sets of stances for both footbat and horsebackbat. If we can learn it, winningpetitions would be a piece of cake.

    It¡¯s a pity it¡¯s not standard greatsword techniques, so we¡¯d have to modify it a bit to use in real life¡­ Hmm, what¡¯s that noise up ahead? Why is it so chaotic?

    Something doesn¡¯t feel right! Be careful.¡±

    The highly vignt Brother Mao immediately slung his war halberd on his back and drew his sword and shield. The four brothers around him also quickly formed a groupbat formation.

    They lit alchemical torches and slowly moved forward, while strange howls began to rise and fall from the hollow areas in front of and below them. Along with the howls came vibrations from an unknown source.

    It was as if something indescribable was happening deep in the ground beneath their feet. The footsteps approaching in the darkness, sounding more and more like a beast horde, made their hearts race.

    But the brothers showed no fear.

    If there¡¯s any visible benefit to ying this game, it¡¯s definitely the ability to train one¡¯s courage.

    After facing ghouls, vampires, gnolls, and all sorts of other creatures head-on in the game, even the most timid person could be tough.

    Brother Mao felt increasingly uneasy. He made a gesture for everyone to stop, then crouched down, removed his gauntlet, and pressed his hand to the ground to sense the vibrations below. Soon, his expression became extremely shocked.

    ¡°Retreat! Quick, retreat to the first level!¡± the sword art genius shouted.

    ¡°Send a message to the world channel! Tell everyone who can still move toe quickly! The ghouls are rioting! There are at least several thousand ghouls roaring and charging below.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle cursed. He fumbled to take out alchemical bombs from his bag, threw them on the ground, and stuck the fuses together. West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl was already calling for help in the world channel.

    They didn¡¯t doubt Brother Mao¡¯s judgment, as they too had heard the clear scratching sounds!

    It was unmistakably the sound of ghoul ws scratching against rock. From the dense sound effects, they could tell just how many ghouls were rushing into the sewer area below.

    The five brothers quickly retreated to the entrance of this tunnel. South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl, who had a talent for marksmanship, grabbed a precisely calibrated demon-hunting firearm.

    The moment arge group of ghouls came howling out along the tunnel, he decisively fired.

    The scorching bullet flew out, igniting the fuse that Dog¡¯s Paddle had just ced there. After a few seconds of hissing, more than a dozen bombs exploded. The low, muffled explosion and its shockwave sent many of the densely packed ghouls flying, but this could hardly stop the ghoul army surging forward.

    What was most troublesome was that some wraiths were mixed in among these ghouls.

    They seemed to be driven by something, or perhaps fearing some strange entity, causing them to scatter like quicksilver along the ancient sewer area.

    ¡°They¡¯ve gone mad! These bastards have gone crazy,¡± East River Lion¡¯s Roar, who had retreated to the exit of the first-level sewer, cursed.

    ¡°Those damn game designers are at it again! Damn, we had just barely cleared out the ghouls on the first level of the sewers, and now we have to fight them all over again?¡±

    ¡°This is not as simple as a ¡®dungeon reset¡¯!¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle next to him shouted:

    ¡°If they break out of the sewers, all those workers who just entered the city today will die. We might not even be able to hold the forward camp outside the city.¡±

    ¡°Right, we can¡¯t run,¡± Brother Mao said sternly.

    ¡°Quickly find someone to report to Lord Murphy! Call Stick and tell him to bring people to block the first level of the sewers immediately! All the newbies training there should get out! They can¡¯t hold off so many of these ghostly things.¡±

    ¡°Damn, what¡¯s wrong with these ghouls? How did so many surge out at once?¡±

    Just as Brother Mao finished speaking, he heard an exmation in his private chat from Joy Stick, the ¡°sewer specialist¡±:

    ¡°Brother Meow¡¯s team just got wiped out. They posted on the forum saying a ¡®new dungeon¡¯ has spawned at the bottom of the ancient sewers! Don¡¯t stay there either, it¡¯s useless! There¡¯s more than one connecting passage on the first and second levels of the sewers. Retreat quickly! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be surrounded!

    I¡¯ve already called for help.

    The NPCs have mobilized too. You five, get out quickly.¡±

    ¡°Brother Mao, the back is blocked by wraiths! We can¡¯t get out, damn it,¡± West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl retreated with a dirty face, his armor now bearing several w marks. He reported to Brother Mao:

    ¡°There¡¯s also a group of water ghouls crawling up from the water behind. That sewer must be connected to the bottom. There are leaks everywhere, at least several thousand have rushed out. We can¡¯t fight our way out at all.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to give up my first life here,¡± Brother Mao also sighed deeply.

    In this situation, he was out of options too. It¡¯s not like he could transform into a Super Saiyan and smash the ground with one punch to get his brothers out, right?

    ¡°You guys! Follow my instructions!¡±

    Just as the group of 5 was about to find a ce to fight to the death with the ghouls surging from below, a deep voice suddenly sounded in their ears.

    It was the vampiric voice mimicry technique, not indicating that the person was actually beside them, but they all recognized this voice, it was that mysterious vampire Civilian Protection Officer Kudel who had been roaming the ancient area of the sewers.

    ¡°Walk forward past the 3rd intersection, go to the end, then hold that tunnel exit!¡±

    Kudel said hoarsely:

    ¡°There¡¯s something terrible down there, I smell a different scent. This disaster is not idental! I must fulfill my duty to protect, and you! I recruit you as my temporary retainers.

    I see some children down there, I will send them out, you are responsible for protecting them well! Hold on until those vampires who im to do good deeds bring people here.¡±

    ¡¾Ding! Hidden Quest ¨C ¡®Temporary Retainer of the Civilian Protection Officer¡¯ has been triggered!¡¿

    ¡°Finally, damn it!¡±

    Brother Mao excitedly pumped his fist, and the other 4 brothers also had joyful expressions.

    Although being surrounded by thousands of ghouls in the sewers sounded like a death sentence, the fact that they had finally unlocked Lord Kudel the Civilian Protection Officer¡¯s personal reputation was truly cause for celebration.

    And given tonight¡¯s strange circumstances, they might even trigger a big hidden event!

    Tsk tsk, there were great benefits to be had!

    ¡ª¡ª

    In the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy had already known something was wrong tonight when the little yers encountered danger. He reacted extremely quickly, gathering all thebat forces currently under hismand. The only pity was that Miss Femis had already departed for Seicob City with Adele and Count Andrei, leaving Murphy without a powerful magical support.

    But it was alright, with Lady Tris here, mere ghouls couldn¡¯t cause too much trouble.

    ¡°I know there are ghouls in your city¡¯s sewers, but how can there be so many? This defiesmon sense!¡±

    But Lady Lainnia, who had just arrived at the Crimson Citadel, was somewhat confused. She looked perplexedly at the city sewer map spread out before her and said:

    ¡°The inner and outer city sewer systems are separated, and there are signs of extensive copse, making it impossible for the terrain here to amodate so many ghouls coexisting. So is there some special area in your city sewers?¡±

    Murphy and Tris exchanged a nce, and he shook his head, saying:

    ¡°My chief architect just had an ¡®overly sessful¡¯ adventure. They found an ancient underground cavern that wasn¡¯t marked on the map, and it can now be confirmed that this is the source of the ghoul disaster.

    As for how many ghouls are there, I can¡¯t give you an answer, mydy.¡±

    ¡°When Kadman City was attacked, there were 150,000 people in the city,¡±

    Baroness Miriam, who had been urgently summoned, was still wearing her pajamas and rubbing her eyes, hugging her intimidating Iron Warden trench gun. She said in a low voice:

    ¡°Even if half the people were pulled into the Astral Realm, there are still 70,000 left in the material world. Most of them hid in the sewers when the disaster struck¡­ I can only say, this might be thergest ghoul nest discovered on the entire continent so far.

    Perhaps it¡¯s because arge number of workers entered the city to work today, and the convergence of lifebined with the Grayman¡¯s exploration triggered such arge-scale rampage of ghouls?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible,¡±

    Tris shook her head and said:

    ¡°Ghouls aren¡¯t that sensitive to the perception of life. They rushed out from the mysterious bottommost area, which is at least 50 meters below ground! With such thickyers of rock and the interference of residual corrupt spirit energy, not even vampires like me could sense life activity, let alone ghouls.

    There must be other reasons for the ghouls¡¯ unusual activity tonight.

    Perhaps it¡¯s due to some events happening in that mysterious underground, and those little warriors just had bad luck stumbling upon it. The bad things happening have no connection to their curiosity, but we can discuss thister.

    The biggest problem now is to seal off the possibility of ghouls rushing to the surface.

    Their numbers are a bit high. Once they break through to the surface, the forward camp outside the city will be in danger.¡±

    ¡°Maxim has already led the veterans of the People¡¯s Army to establish defense lines at the various sewer entrances that have been discovered. Guildmaster Natalie has gone to Mond Vige to gather more Witch Hunters toe and assist. This can be considered the first job for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild since its establishment.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s finger pointed to 3 areas on the sewer map.

    He said:

    ¡°I will lead my warriors into the sewers, expel and kill those savage evil spirits and advance to the 2nd level ¡®ancient area¡¯ to establish a semi-permanent stronghold there. The hidden problems in the sewers seem more serious than I imagined.

    But now that the exact location of the ghoul nest has been determined and the road leading there has been opened, it¡¯s time to solve this problem once and for all!¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡±

    Although Lainnia didn¡¯t like the local barbaric atmosphere, she clearly knew the mission she was ordered toe here for. At this moment, she voluntarily requested to join the battle, saying:

    ¡°We can help too. Lord Payne hopes to see Transiaplete its order reconstruction before the ck Disaster breaks out. Helping you deal with the ghoul nest under the city will undoubtedly advance the responsibilities I bear.¡±

    ¡°Then you can start clearing from the outskirts of the sewers,¡±

    Murphy thought for a moment and said:

    ¡°Ordinary ghouls are just trouble that you can easily handle, so I need you to eliminate the ghouls, wraiths, and water ghouls at the entrance of the first level of the sewers as quickly as possible. The reconstruction of the city has already begun, and I don¡¯t want to see it stop for damn reasons.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    The bow knight responded in a deep voice:

    ¡°I¡¯ll gather my knights immediately, but don¡¯t the Blood Servants in the camp need extra supervision? They might because of fear¡­¡±

    ¡°Those are not Blood Servants! Mydy, mind your words!¡±

    Miriam corrected quite discontentedly:

    ¡°Those are all free people of Transia. ¡®Blood Servant¡¯ is not a good term in thisnd. You don¡¯t need to worry about my camp. The curfew is enough to ensure order within. I will guard there and recruit enough militia.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s start our respective duties,¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, summoning his Astral Direwolf George, and said to Tris who was frowning at the map beside him:

    ¡°Prepare your incineration techniques. Once the first level of the sewers is cleared, burn it from top to bottom!¡±

    ¡°Burning the entire underground is not a problem, but Murphy, I think there might be more to this,¡±

    Tris pointed at her chin and said:

    ¡°Such arge-scale undead anomaly reminds me of certain peculiar techniques, those concerning death spirit energy and the skills to control dead creatures. Even in the realm of Spirit Mages, this is considered quite obscure knowledge.

    I myself barely qualify as proficient in this area, stemming from my exploration of death knowledge in the underworld ne when I was young, which leads me to have a rather frightening guess.¡±

    She said to Murphy:

    ¡°Perhaps this is not some natural disaster, but man-made!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy¡¯s eye twitched a bit, and he said:

    ¡°You mean, someone is hiding behind the scenes manipting all this? Tonight, because of my warriors¡¯ sessful exploration, he was forced to emerge from the shadows he¡¯s been hiding in? Well, this sounds interesting now, especiallybined with Salrokdar¡¯s dying warning¡­

    You¡¯re right, this matter seems to be bing quite thrilling indeed.¡±

 Chapter 207:

    ¡°The stinky things are charging up again!¡±

    A shout rang out from the crowd, followed by Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s vigorous roar echoing in the darkness:

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Warriors! Grip your spears! I specially chose this terrain. As long as you don¡¯t retreat, those ghouls can¡¯t break through! Front row shield bearers, stand firm, nt your shields in the ground, and press your whole body against them! You are the iron wall for your brothers!

    Now count down from 3!

    3, 2, 1!

    Thrust forward!¡±

    ¡°Roar¡±

    Following Brother Stick¡¯smands, the neers who had just entered the game a few days ago mustered all their strength and thrust their long spears forward in unison, the spears resting on the shields of the shield bearers in front.

    In an instant, the spears formed a forest, piercing the bodies of the howling ghouls charging towards them.But this kind of attack was like a drizzle to the ghouls who had already died once, doing nothing effective to kill them except hindering their wing.

    At this moment, Life Is Pretty Good, who was gripping a long spear, felt a bit nervous.

    Not just because of the dyed sensation of the de entering flesh when the spear was thrust out earlier, but more because just beyond the shield-bearing brothers in front of him who were baring their teeth and clenching their jaws, he could see the ghouls¡¯ hideous faces, hear their snarling howls.

    He could even smell the disgusting stench, enough to make one vomit.

    He was currently at sewer entrance No. 4, forming a battle line with 20 other brothers to resist the ghouls trying to rush to the surface. In fact, if he had a choice, Life Is Pretty Good wouldn¡¯t want to do this kind of tiring work. It waspletely different from the rxed and enjoyable gaming experience he had imagined.

    ¡°Brother Stick! Brother Stick, we can¡¯t hold on!¡±

    A scruffy, dejected brother holding a shield at the front shouted with difficulty:

    ¡°I¡¯m not a strength-based character either, damn it, I feel like I¡¯m about to be torn apart.¡±

    ¡°Hold on even if you can¡¯t!¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick, pping his wings and flying back and forth throwing burning oil on the ghoul horde behind, reprimanded:

    ¡°If we can¡¯t hold on, all the NPCs above will die. This is war, everyone be serious! It¡¯s almost over, hang in there a bit longer!¡±

    He shouted, sprinkling thest can of oil from his Spirit Bag, then pulled out the double-barreled shotgun from his back and fired a shot downwards. Amid the sparks, it ignited thebustibles sprinkled earlier, and in the blink of an eye, mes licked up among these stinking ghouls.

    Brother Stick was an expert at ying with fire.

    Under his precise distribution of oil bottles thrown down earlier, the racing mes quickly sealed off nearly half of the passage in front. The ghouls, fearing fire and light, became chaotic because of this, and this wave of deadly charge was thus resolved.

    But this was just the beginning.

    ¡°Brothers! Grab your weapons and charge! It¡¯s time to grind skill proficiency.¡±

    He endured the roasting of the mes in the air, thinking that vampires really had poor fire resistance, while calling out to the brothers below. Hended on the ground in front, sweeping his n Guard War Sword horizontally to knock down two ghouls. The power from the Tomb Guard summoned wraiths from the underworld to enter the material world and help their summoner, like pale ferocious ws.

    Seeing Brother Stick so valiant, the little yers also became agitated.

    They grabbed their weapons and charged into the still burning area, cutting down those burning ghouls. Under the roasting of the mes, these ferocious undead seemed scared, even their counterattacks became sluggish.

    ¡°Damn, this is too exciting. It¡¯s intense, so intense.¡±

    A bald brother next to Life Is Pretty Good dragged a greatsword forward and hacked wildly, while making strangeughing sounds, making the second Little Rich Brother feel that perhaps he should stay away from this guy with the ID ¡°Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle¡±.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Just as Life Is Pretty Good was hesitating whether to follow the crazy yer brothers deeper, Feel You Poor¡¯s voice sounded from behind. Little Rich Brother had already made some gains with his big manticore, with an elite ghoul¡¯s w tied to the back of the manticore as a ¡°trophy¡±, making the manticore look very disgusted.

    Feel You Poor said in surprise:

    ¡°Where are your two assistants?¡±

    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re off work,¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good sighed and said:

    ¡°This game is really damn weird, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that NPCs need to get off work, and you have to pay extra for them to work overtime, and I don¡¯t have money on hand.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no use for you to stay here, why not go to the camp? I see Miss Miriam is gathering administrative yers to maintain order. You¡¯ve been sitting in an office for years, you shouldn¡¯t stay here, I can see your legs are shaking.¡±

    Feel You Poor advised.

    Mainly afraid that his poor little level 1 rookie brother might inexplicably die here, but Life Is Pretty Good rolled his eyes and said arrogantly:

    ¡°No, I want to continue fighting! Real men love fighting! Hey, today I¡¯m going to be a qualified warrior! Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡±

    ¡°Heh, alright then,e with me, brother. I¡¯ll show you what real fighting is.¡±

    Seeing his childhood friend being stubborn, Feel You Poor chuckled, pulled him onto the very unhappy manticore, carrying the two of them and quickly traversing through the maze-like sewers.

    The mission of elite yers like Feel You Poor who had already passed the ck Iron Trial was to hunt down the elite leaders in the ghoul tide. These undead creatures were like ¡°nodes¡±, and after eliminating them, the remaining ordinary ghouls would be easier to deal with.

    So currently, over 40 people who had passed the ck Iron Trial had been scattered throughout the sewers of the outer city district to hunt.

    The yers¡¯ task was to dy time until the Kadman People¡¯s Army established a stable defense line. Maxim was busy with this matter. Although tonight¡¯s ghoul tide came suddenly, for the Crimson Citadel survivors who had been fighting against all sorts of bad things since the disaster, this was not a cmity worth fearing.

    Repeated tempering had made the minds of the survivors under Murphy¡¯smand incredibly resilient.

    While Miss Miriam was gathering militia at the forward camp, and the Blood Pact Knights had also entered the sewers to start working, on the road to Mond Vige, Guildmaster Natalie¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look too good.

    Amber, galloping on horseback beside her, seemed to sense the captain¡¯s mood and said softly:

    ¡°Those who have just settled in Mond Vige may not be willing to help. Although nominally everyone says they are grateful to Lord Murphy for epting us homeless people, in reality, the grudge between Witch Hunters and vampires is not so easily dispelled.¡±

    ¡°But this is an opportunity,¡±

    Natalie sighed, pulling the reins of her warhorse Maple Leaf:

    ¡°For whatever reason, we have to take this step proactively. Murphy has already given us enough freedom. If we still stand by in this situation where the territory needs us.

    Not just him, other people on thisnd will also reject and despise us more because of this.¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows these principles, Captain,¡±

    Amber pushed her eye patch and pouted:

    ¡°But if people who know the principles were willing to act ording to them, there would be no wars in this world. For many of us, surviving in vampire territory is already frustrating enough.

    Now we have to obey the orders of a vampire, which is simply unimaginable.

    Of course, I don¡¯t care.

    I¡¯ll follow your orders.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t not care, Amber, you¡¯re my most valued huntermander, I¡¯m counting on you to help me rebuild the Witch Hunter legacy.¡±

    Natalie joked with a pout, then sat up straight on her warhorse in the galloping night, looking at the clearly visible outline of Mond Vige in the distance under the dark night.

    The light from the Astral Realm rift emitting a flirtatious purple glow in the starry sky above the night covered thisnd, making even the clear moonlight seem to be tinged with a strange haziness. The night in the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain was definitely different from other ces.

    ¡°We are Witch Hunters, Amber.¡±

    Guildmaster Natalie let out a long sigh.

    With a few traces of fatigue in her eyes that shone with determination, she said:

    ¡°Whether this is a vampire¡¯s order or not, the fact that a ghoul rampage is happening in that city is real, and every Witch Hunter has sworn an oath to Avalon whenpleting the hunting trial.

    Cleansing this filthy world of evil is our duty and our mission!

    As long as our people still identify with this witch-hunting oath, they have enough reason to return to Crimson Citadel with us tonight, where there are plenty of evil creatures for them to hunt.

    We¡­ we who have been rejected by society and the kingdom for 10 years also need to learn to be more proactive, to reintegrate into our new home, and tonight¡¯s event is a good opportunity.

    Dealing with ghouls and wraiths, huh, we are the real experts!¡±

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right,¡±

    Miss Amber grinned.

    She thought Natalie was right. Being able to defeat ghouls and being able to use various factors to eliminate ghouls with minimal losses were twopletely different concepts, and also the biggest difference between warriors and hunters.

    It usually takes a day to reach Mond Vige from Crimson Citadel, but with the galloping of specially trained demon-hunting warhorses, it only took Natalie and Amber a little over 3 hours to return to this vige that heldplex meanings for both of them.

    Thest batch of members of the White Oak Battalion was now living here. The vige where a massacre had once urred had been renovated, and even the underground ghoul nest had been thoroughly cleared and refilled.

    The settlement of over 1,000 people seemed well-organized. Although most people were still living in tents, the erection of wooden houses in the vige represented that this vige had begun to ¡°rebirth¡±.

    As Natalie dismounted, several high-ranking hunters who had stayed in the vige came to greet them. They had already learned about everything happening in Crimson Citadel through Old Eugene¡¯s thunder-carved horn messaging.

    Natalie thought she would need to spend some time persuading these ¡°old stubborn ones¡±, but surprisingly, when she and Amber entered the area outside the vige that had been leveled specifically for training warhorses, they saw 300 fully armed Witch Hunter warriors who were already prepared for the hunt.

    They were now putting packs of moondust explosives into their saddlebags, and there were dedicated craftsmen rushing to make final repairs to the warriors¡¯ weapons.

    A dozen alchemists in the vige were carrying baskets of sword oil and potions, distributing them to the waiting warriors.

    This scene was very much like the preparation scene before each expedition when they were still at Pioneer Fortress.

    ¡°We thought you would scold us,¡±

    Amber said in surprise to the tall hunter beside her:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you all refuse to serve vampires?¡±

    ¡°We did refuse, and we still refuse now,¡±

    The young hunter Sankey said with a straight face while adjusting the hunting knife and crossbow at his waist:

    ¡°But a ghoul disaster has broken out less than 4 hours away from the vige, and we are Witch Hunters. In this situation, if we continue to stand by, I¡¯m afraid the god Avalon will bring down divine punishment of destruction.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Sankey¡¯spanion, a cheerful long-ponytailed girl with obvious Nord features named Fano, pouted and said:

    ¡°This is not to serve that vampire lord, nor to carry out his orders. We are just doing our duty, spreading our god¡¯s purification and tolerance, nothing more.¡±

    ¡°You two know you¡¯re like two children throwing tantrums right now,¡±

    Amber teased:

    ¡°Deliberately emphasizing these things doesn¡¯t change the fact that tonight we¡¯ll be under the leadership of a vampire¡­¡±

    ¡°Auntie!¡±

    Before she could finish, an excited shout rang out from the vige. Amber turned her head painfully to see her fellow viger.

    The reconnaissance Spirit Mage Helu was riding a donkey from who knows where, carrying a scroll bag and walking towards her.

    This pitiful guy born near the elf forest can¡¯t ride a horse¡­

    Well, actually it¡¯s because when he was a child, he was kicked by a crazy out-of-control horse while picking mushrooms in the forest with Amber, which led to Helu developing some kind of indescribable ¡°fear¡± of horses ever since.

    ¡°Auntie, I heard you became the chief hunter captain of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, tsk tsk, you¡¯re an official now,¡±

    Helu rode his donkey over and said to the disgusted Amber without any self-awareness:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get me a job too? I¡¯ve heard that the vampire lord is very generous, and the first batch of selected retainers were all ofmoner origin, and they¡¯ve all be knights now.

    I think, although I¡¯m mediocre in talent, but¡­ well, in today¡¯s Transia I can be considered a rare talent, right? Auntie, I heard you have some connections with that vampire lord, why don¡¯t you help me get my foot in the door?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a student of the Circle Tower!¡±

    Amber scolded with her hands on her hips:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what the situation is between Circle Tower and vampires now? You dare to go be an official for vampires? Are you afraid you¡¯re not dying fast enough?¡±

    ¡°Tch, who cares, I¡¯ve already dropped out of school, destined not to get a diploma,¡±

    Helu was quite open-minded. This country boy from the Antani Region now had his mind full of bing a ¡°follower of the dragon¡±. After all, when the vigers funded his education and sent him to Circle Tower, he had made grand statements about making something of himself.

    He hoped that when he returned home in his old age, he could bring back a gratifying response to the vigers. As for which family he would serve or what title he would get¡­

    That doesn¡¯t matter at all!

    As long as he could make it, it would be OK.

    Amber was still a bit worried, after all, Helu¡¯s identity was a bit sensitive, but Natalie didn¡¯t see it that way. She stepped forward, looked Helu up and down, and said:

    ¡°Youe with us. After we clear out those ghouls, I¡¯ll introduce you to Lord Murphy. He¡¯s indeed very short of people now and urgently needs outstanding talents like you. And he¡¯s really generous¡­

    I mean, you might as well be bolder when negotiating your sry upon joining.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡±

    Helu responded excitedly.

    A dozen minutester, Natalie led 300 Witch Hunter veterans belonging to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to set off again towards Crimson Citadel.

    They wouldn¡¯t enter the city, but would directly enter the battle area from the sewer outlets outside the city.

    That would save some precious time.

    Led by the crimson warhorse Maple Leaf at the forefront, the Witch Hunter procession galloped away under the unique purple night sky of Transia. Natalie¡¯s hair fluttered, and as she gripped the reins, she could vaguely feel the Great Oak Sacred de on her back emitting some kind of peculiar hum.

    It seemed to be agreeing with Natalie¡¯s actions tonight, or as if the holy relic resonance that had been struggling to advance had entered the next stage.

    But Natalie didn¡¯t really care about these things.

    The resonance with the sacred de was destined to be a long process, and right now,pared to the eptance of the sacred de, there were more important things to do.

    This was the first time in the past 10 years that the Witch Hunters were executing a demon-hunting mission based on their own judgment rather than orders, which was enough to make Natalie, this young leader, sigh deeply. She said in her heart:

    ¡°We will truly integrate into thisnd, starting with tonight¡¯s dedication¡­ If this is your wish, Father, please bless us from our god¡¯s holy hall.

    From now on, we will no longer wield our swords only for wars that don¡¯t belong to us and for humble survival.

    From now on, the Witch Hunters will crawl out of the quagmire of fate and be noble again in this wildnd. May all this be as you wish.¡±

 Chapter 208:

    It was three hourster when the Witch Hunters entered the sewers. With their arrival, this Ghoul Rampage had already passed the initial chaotic defense phase and moved towards counterattack. As Murphy also personally led people into the sewers, tonight¡¯s battle entered its most intense stage.

    Thanks to the time gained by the fearless little yers in the beginning, not many ghouls had burst out to the surface before the hastily mobilized Kadman People¡¯s Army established several defense lines.

    However, some ghouls identally found the rock walls torn open at the city rift. They rushed out from those almost 90¡ã vertically cut rock crevices, plummeting to the bottom of the deeper rift below, and were then swallowed up by the rolling Astral Realm aura there.

    What exactly lies at the bottom of the city rift remains an ¡°unsolved mystery¡± to this day.

    The impact of over a dozen dimensional meteorites was enough to leave a thick chaotic spirit energy aura lingering there for a long time, making it difficult even for Spirit Sovereigns like Tris to probe the true situation below.

    But it¡¯s not that they truly can¡¯t enter, it¡¯s just not necessary.

    Whatever is down there, it won¡¯t affect the surface construction in the short term. Moreover, as time passes, the chaotic spirit energy there is dissipating. Murphy has enough patience to wait for those hidden things to see the light of day again. Most importantly, Murphy simply doesn¡¯t have that many resources to invest in this exploration that might not yield any returns at all.

    Back to the sewers.

    With the entry of experts in dealing with ghouls and wraiths, the offensive of these ¡°stinky things¡± continuously bursting out from underground was quickly containedpletely.Witch Hunters are not just simple hunters, among them are also Oak Sages who can cast spells. Besides healing, the most notable feature of their spirit spells is ¡°natural purification¡±.

    Under the arrangement of the twomanders, Natalie and Old Eugene, over 15 purification rituals were simultaneously released in the peripheral areas of the first level sewer,pletely dispelling the remnants of death spirit energy there.

    This way, once the ghouls here are cleared out, this area of the sewer will no longer spawn more dangerous entities due to the lingering death spirit energy.

    The purified areas were filled with the aura of natural spirit energy.

    This is a scent that ghouls and wraiths absolutely detest, no less than being ignited by mes or exposed to light. Thus, their formation was continuouslypressed, and they were systematically divided and lured by the Witch Hunters¡¯ well-nned tactics, ultimately being quickly cleared under the burning of moon dust bombs and alchemical fire oil.

    Although the Witch Hunters were notrge in number, their killing efficiency far exceeded that of other forces.

    Even the proud Blood Pact Knights had to admit that when it came to clearing these low-level evil spirits, they were not as professional as these Witch Hunters.

    The strong performance of the Witch Hunters in the sewers tonight also gave some new yers, who were following NPCs to ¡°farm the storyline¡±, some different ideas.

    Although the vampire race is indeed cool and shy, not everyone is willing to give up their daytime activity hours. Perhaps embracing the Avalon Church could also be a good career n?

    ¡°I salute you! Defenders of the city sewers! I am honored to fight alongside you!¡±

    Veteran Norman, who had just swung his war knife to cut down a ghoul while wearing a mask, was about to look for his next target when he suddenly heard a voice expressing gratitude to him.

    This made old Norman turn back in surprise, and he saw a guy wearing squire leather armor performing a rather standard salute to him.

    But the problem was, this guy was obviously not a ¡°local¡±! From his strange ent and his appearance, it could be judged that this was one of Murphy¡¯s warriors.

    This was an otherworlder!

    This guy had already inserted a mind microphone plugin into his Computation Bead, allowing him to freely converse with others. Notably, there were two guards wielding swords and shields escorting him.

    This was even an administrator!

    ¡°But what is this idiot doing?¡± Norman thought to himself:

    ¡°Is he deliberately trying to imitate people from our world? This imitation is terrible.¡±

    However, even though he was mentally criticizing, the other person had at least given recognition and thanks, so Norman couldn¡¯t pretend not to have seen it. He therefore nodded rather restrainedly towards that strange little yer.

    This was to indicate that he epted this ¡°salute¡±, but he didn¡¯t expect that this response would ¡°cause trouble¡±.

    The little yer with the ID name ¡°Honorary Knight Typal¡± immediately stepped forward, very proactively requesting to join Norman¡¯s hunt. He also very systematically emphasized that he had two brave veteran guards and would absolutely not be a burden to Norman. He even intended to discuss the distribution of spoils with Norman.

    These words made the two veteran guard administrative yer escorts roll their eyes.

    They also didn¡¯t know if their ¡°employer¡± had some kind of mental issue. But undoubtedly, this guy waspletely different from other warriors. Since appearing in the Crimson Citadel, he had been trying very hard to pretend to be a ¡°local¡±.

    Unfortunately, although Transia has a fierce and wild folk custom, it also has its own set of local etiquette. A little yer who had just entered the game for less than two days simply couldn¡¯t imitate that vor.

    ¡°Keep up then.¡± Norman, annoyed, could only casually say, and then let the drag of a warrior follow him.

    This scene was all witnessed by Orchid, who was bandaging several wounded nearby. The great traveler nudged Lumina¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°Look! An RP yer just like you. It¡¯s really rare to see such a restless person these days.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m actually just ying around, that guy is the real RP.¡± Lumina pouted and said:

    ¡°This Brother Typal has almost be a ¡®yer urban legend¡¯ in just two days since entering the game. Someone said they saw him not doing quests, just walking back and forth in the camp imitating those guards, even learning etiquette from the locals, and evenining about the bad camp food with them.

    He¡¯s even made friends with several veterans who often gather to drink.

    However, Professor Malcolm seems to like his humble and studious attitude very much.

    This is absolutely pure-blooded RP, a true game monster.

    Ah, there are more and more ¡®talents¡¯ among the yers. I really don¡¯t know where the development team found these guys. To be honest, this game is absolutely a blessing and holynd for RP parties.

    What do you say, should I advertise the game in my special role-ying group? What¡¯s the point of those guys running tabletop games all day? Why note to a real magical otherworld for a run?¡±

    ¡°Go for it.¡± Orchid skillfully helped the wounded soldier in front of her treat his wounds and tied up the bandage. Amidst thetter¡¯s profuse thanks, she stood up and said to Lumina:

    ¡°This game can¡¯t rely on the invitation system for long, the yer¡¯s social circle is always limited, and in theter stages, it¡¯s likely to encounter situations where the number of testers can¡¯t keep up with the plot advancement. If you think RP parties would enjoy this game, then let theme. After all, more yers are better for advancing the plot.

    But don¡¯t really recruit those chaotic fun-seekers. I¡¯m telling you, given how rigorous this game has shown to be, there will really be trouble. It won¡¯t be good if you get implicated then.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Amid the flying ice shards, more than a dozen frozen ghouls fell simultaneously. The freezing fully released from the de of Frostfang was not something these ordinary undead could resist. Thanks to the professional specialty of the Tomb Guard, after they fell, there were still wraiths of death summoning that rushed out, which Murphymanded to attack forward.

    But this kill efficiency still left Murphy unsatisfied.

    He looked at the chaotic battle around him. The tunnels leading to the ¡°ancient area¡± of the second level of the sewers were almostpletely packed with ghouls and wraiths.

    He and his little yers could only clear forward bit by bit, as if dealing with an oing flood. It wasn¡¯t until now that Murphy could finally be certain that Tris¡¯s guess about this suddenly erupting Ghoul Rampage was correct.

    This was no coincidence!

    These ghouls¡¯ frenzied attacks on all life approaching underground had already exceeded the realm of undead creatures¡¯ aversion to the living. There must be someone manipting them behind the scenes. That sneaky fellow hiding in the dark underground obviously didn¡¯t want Murphy and his warriors to advance further and discover his secrets.

    ¡°Trying to carve out your own territory in my domain? You¡¯re dreaming, Mr. Hidden Schemer.¡±

    The vampire lord had already grown tired of the endless ghouls and wraiths pouring out before him. ughtering these meaningless enemies brought no thrill of battle.

    So he decided to handle the problem in a different way.

    ¡°Fall back!¡±

    Murphy threw forward a Death¡¯s Grasp, lifting the howling ghouls rushing forward into the air and then mming them violently towards the front amid an explosion of spirit lightning, clearing out a not-sorge area enough for Murphy to continue casting.

    The ¡°Blood Vulture Twelve¡± who received his warning immediately retreated. Then they saw Lord Murphy sheath his sword and grasp the Astral Realm Animal Trainer whip at his waist, making a special spellcasting gesture.

    Using George, the Astral Direwolf currently pouncing and hunting at the front, as a node, the Advanced Summoner Technique ¨C Extended Summoning activated!

    George felt Murphy¡¯s will. It fiercely knocked aside a ghoul on the spot, raised its head and let out a long, deste wolf howl. Then, beside it, the Astral Realm light shed as if opening a mysterious tunnel, and pack after pack of fierce Astral Wolves stepped into the material world from the Astral Realm at George¡¯s call and guidance.

    These Astral Wolves all came from George¡¯s pack and could be considered hispanions.

    The principle of ¡®Extended Summoning¡¯ is not difficult to understand. For summoned creatures with pack habits like Astral Wolves, experienced Summoners can use Creature Marking to summon more of the same kind to form temporary groups in the material world.

    Murphy¡¯s spirit energy pool was rapidly depleting.

    By the time thest Astral Wolf jumped out of the summoning ritual, a pack of 30 Astral Wolves had appeared in front of him, with George as the temporary alpha.

    Their existence in the material world relied on Murphy¡¯s spirit energy technique, and the duration of their existence depended on Murphy¡¯s will,sting up to 2 hours, but this was already enough for the current situation.

    ¡°Crack¡±

    Murphy flexed his wrist, making the Astral Realm hunting whip crack in the air, and with a wave of his finger, his blood-red cloak fluttering, he pointed forward.

    The kill order was issued!

    The wolf pack then howled and pounced towards the ghoul horde blocking the way ahead.

    The best part was that the ghouls killed by the wolf pack could still count towards Murphy¡¯s kills. This meant that the Tomb Guard¡¯s death summoningplemented the Summoner¡¯s technique perfectly at this moment, allowing Murphy¡¯s ¡°beast horde¡± to snowball.

    Murphy¡¯s wraiths and the enemy¡¯s wraiths wed at each other in the air, emitting piercing shrieks that rapidly lowered the surrounding temperature. With the wolf pack¡¯s advance as the vanguard, a gap was finally opened in the ghouls¡¯ obstruction.

    ¡°Damn! Is this the Summoner¡¯s way of fighting? It feels so good to overwhelm with numbers.¡±

    Leading Pigeon, who was clumsily gliding behind Murphy and preparing to release arge-scale spirit lightning, said to Niuniu beside him:

    ¡°Do you think I should change myst profession to Summoner too? I want to be as strong as Lord Murphy!¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you changing for?¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina, who was flying with a clearly more Proficient posture next to him, fired precise shots with her bullets while mercilessly mocking:

    ¡°Summoner is just a branch of Spirit Mage, you¡¯ve already changed to Blood Inquisitor so you can¡¯t be a Summoner anymore. There¡¯s no such thing as resping in this game.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark, one of the student party members, also advised:

    ¡°Summoner only looks strong because Lord Murphy himself is very strong. But I asked Feel You Poor before, ordinary Summoners at the ck Iron rank can summon at most 10 Astral Wolves as their limit. Don¡¯tpare NPC skill strength with our skills, what we have are all nerfed monkey versions. Oh crap!

    There¡¯s still so many ahead? How long are we going to keep killing?¡±

    They followed Murphy into the ancient area of the sewers, but as soon as they turned a corner and looked ahead, they saw another dense horde of ghouls blocking all paths forward.

    At this quantity, just the stench of these ¡°stinky things¡± piled up together was enough to make any normal person flinch. That thing like a biochemical toxic domain made the little yers almost numb.

    They weren¡¯t scared, just disgusted.

    This was just too filthy.

    ¡°How many ghouls are there in the sewers?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s face also looked very unpleasant. He grabbed his hunting rifle and fired a shot forward, taking down an unlucky ghoul. While reloading, he said to the other brothers:

    ¡°I feel like this is about the scale of a raid dungeon? Is it reasonable to spawn so many mobs?¡±

    ¡°So, this is when ¡®professionals¡¯ should make their appearance,¡± Murphy suddenly said.

    He stopped his advance and called back his wolf pack. Everyone looked back in surprise along Murphy¡¯s gaze, and soon a slender figure appeared before them.

    ¡°The ck-Hearted Witch Hunter is here!¡±

    Khaki Tony Tai, carrying arge axe, shouted, and was fiercely red at by Guildmaster Natalie who was striding over.

    Obviously.

    She didn¡¯t like her nickname. What do you mean ck-hearted? I know the plugins I sold you were priced twenty times higher, which was a bit unfair, but wasn¡¯t that to raise funds for the holy church reconstruction?

    How can something done for faith be called ck-hearted?

    ¡°My Necessary Evil is a bit picky, it doesn¡¯t like this foul-smelling blood polluted by death. Sacred objects born of midnight are always very temperamental and quite annoying,¡± Murphy made a ¡°please¡± gesture to Natalie and said:

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s time to let the glory of the Avalon God descend here to purify these filthy things.¡±

    Natalie had no objection to this. The gray-haired Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild reached back and grasped the hilt of the great oak de, and said to Murphy in the darkness:

    ¡°However,pared to purifying ghouls, the Watcher is clearly more interested in purifying you. It¡¯s roaring obscenities, telling me to give you a sh. To be honest, I don¡¯t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.¡±

    ¡°Then it seems I should stay away from it,¡± Murphy cautiously took another step back.

    He watched as Natalie walked towards the ghouls howling and pouncing at her, while drawing out the oak sacred de that was taller than she was.

    As the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Master softly chanted the divine name, the familiar and magnificent blue-green Purifying me ignited on the edge of the elf¡¯s ceremonial great sword. Although its scale and concentration were far from its invincible form in old Finoch¡¯s hands, it was more than enough to deal with a group of ghouls.

    Natalie took a deep breath, and almost vomited from the stench here.

    But she still grasped the sword with both hands and assumed the attack stance of demon-hunting swordsmanship. After a few seconds of charging, she shed into the filth ahead, dragging the great sword. The first swing of the oak sacred de drew out a burning de light in the darkness, incinerating all surrounding ghouls to ash.

    ¡°Holy shit! Awesome!¡±

    The little yers eximed at this terrifying killing power and area clearing ability. With Natalie, this ¡°ghoul pulverizer¡±, advancing steadily, the group soon arrived at the depths of the ancient sewers.

    Unexpectedly, they even found some ¡°acquaintances¡± here.

    ¡°Damn! Brother Mao? Why are you guys in such a terrible state?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick quickly folded his wings andnded, supporting Brother Mao who was struggling to breathe amidst the swirling ashes.

    Although the five-man strike team was still alive at this moment, their condition had deteriorated to the worst possible state. Almost everyone had be extremely fatigued and was on the verge of disconnecting due to debuffs like gue and Bleeding after the intense battle.

    Brother Mao, who was being supported, could barely speak coherently. He just grabbed Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s hand and said brokenly:

    ¡°Take them¡­ take the children out! Below¡­ below there are bad things¡­ people! There are many people below! Lord Kudel is there! Go help him¡­¡±

    After saying this, Brother Mao¡¯s neck went limp and he passed out, instantly going offline. The other brothers were in the same state.

    They weren¡¯t dead, but such high-intensity exhaustion meant they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to log into the game for several hours. However, Onboard Joy Stick couldn¡¯t understand at all what these brothers were saying, until Murphy stepped forward and pushed open a half-copsed small room that they were guarding fiercely.

    The lord and his warriors saw 20 to 30 emaciated children curled up inside, looking at these people with terrified eyes.

    This scene shocked everyone. There were actually living people under the sewers ravaged by ghouls?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, children,¡± Murphy tried his best to appear gentle.

    But his pitiful 2 points of Charisma as a vampire really couldn¡¯tfort these frightened children. He had to let Sword Saint Ashina take over, relying on her 6 points of Charisma and the seemingly never-ending candy in her pocket to find out the background of these children.

    ¡°My lord, there¡¯s a force called the ¡®Rat Gang¡¯ controlling their parents in the cavern below,¡± Sword Saint Ashina reported quickly. She waved her fist indignantly and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s that bad guy called the ¡®gue Rat King¡¯ who¡¯s manipting the ghouls to attack us!¡±

    ¡°How many living people are down there?¡± Murphy asked. Sword Saint Ashina made a gesture with her hand and said:

    ¡°Over 500, the children couldn¡¯t say clearly, but I think it should be a bit more than that. They also said many people who didn¡¯t obey were fed to the ghouls by that gue Rat King.¡±

    ¡°How audacious!¡± Murphy¡¯s eyes shed with a crimson glint. He said coldly:

    ¡°Daring to do such things in my territory, no matter what background this Rat King has, he¡¯s clearly got guts! Someone so gutsy must be prepared to face the wrath of midnight. My warriors, send these children up, then go notify Maxim as quickly as possible, tell him to bring the matriarch¡¯s personal guards down.

    The Night Mother is thirsting for a blood sacrifice. Let¡¯s resolve this matter quickly.¡±

 Chapter 209:

    The ¡°Ghoul Rampage¡± event that refreshed tonight has reached its climax, and its poprity on the forum hasn¡¯t diminished at all.

    Especially for those poor fellows who were overwhelmed and killed by the frenzied ghouls in this almost unpredictable random event.

    To find a sense of participation, while other little yers were resisting ghouls and wraiths in the sewers and city, they were also frantically typing on the forum to offer ¡°encouragement¡±, led by Meow King and his group.

    Theoretically, this six-person squad was already the top-tier team among the current yers. Even if they encountered a dangerous elite raid, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy for them to die. But the problem was that these guys, led by Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, sted open the rock wall of the underground cavern from a weak point in the sewer.

    Such a violent action caused them to directly face thousands of ghouls rushing at them. In this situation, there was naturally no hope of escape.

    Even if the Avalon boss was watching over them, it was impossible to keep them alive in this desperate situation.

    But the most darkly humorous thing was that while the six strongest fighters all died, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and Bricyer, the two weak administrative professionals, ironically survived by a stroke of luck.

    This was mainly because the four veterans protecting them were vignt enough and capable enough.

    When they realized something was wrong, they forcibly dragged Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and Bricyer out of the sewer at the fastest speed, while the little yers¡¯ suicidal nature made Meow King¡¯s group want to see what exactly was hidden in the tunnel below. As a result, this few minutes¡¯ dy cost them their lives.But it¡¯s okay.

    One life every three days is like a ¡°consumable¡± for little yers.

    Meow King: ¡¾Damn it, this was my first death! Lost it for no reason, so heartbreaking! All my good equipment was left there! The deed was in my bag too, this is a huge loss!¡¿

    ck Stockings Under the Keyboard: ¡¾It¡¯s fine, I diedst, I took off all your spirit bags and hid them in a rock crevice. We can go get them after we revive, or ask Joy Stick to help us retrieve them.

    Don¡¯t worry about the equipment either!

    Those ghouls won¡¯t steal your equipment, we can just go pick them up after the random event is over.

    What I want to know now is, did anyone see the specific situation in the tunnel below when we died?

    I only saw a hive-likerge cavern, with corpses, ghouls, and wraiths moving around everywhere, it was like a damn bee demonir.¡¿

    Day One No Fap: ¡¾There were people down there! Quite a lot of them, I saw it clearly! Those guys were working in those caves in tattered clothes like ves, and some were moving corpses. @Electronic Subus Old Tune, Old Tune, you have the highest perception, did you see anything else?¡¿

    Electronic Subus Old Tune: ¡¾When I was overwhelmed by ghouls, I think I saw Civilian Protection Officer Kudel crash down from a waterfall on the other side, but I¡¯m not sure if I was seeing things.

    By the way, is this a new dungeon?

    I feel like even though it¡¯s not as OP as the Blood Vulture Halls, it¡¯s more than enough for a heroic five-man dungeon. I guess this should be a five-man dungeon specially made for ck Iron yers by the dev team.

    The difficulty has skyrocketed!¡¿

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar: ¡¾You weren¡¯t seeing things, the Civilian Protection Officer did go down there. We were recruited by him, and after you guys died, we rescued more than 20 children. We wanted to go down to help, but there were too many damn ghouls, we were surrounded and couldn¡¯t escape.

    But it¡¯s okay, Lord Murphy and Guildmaster Natalie have already brought people over.

    By the way, the ck-Hearted Witch Hunter is so badass!

    That big sword of hers bursts into mes and instantly kills ghouls on contact. I know it¡¯s an old church relic, but isn¡¯t this attack power a bit too ridiculous?¡¿

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks: ¡¾You call this ridiculous? You came inte and didn¡¯t see the power of that sword in old knight Finoch¡¯s hands. 60 elite vampires were all cremated in less than 5 minutes. This is just a drizzle now. After all, that thing is a super weapon in the game¡¯s story background, this performance isn¡¯t excessive.

    But why are you guys also on the forum?

    Did you get killed too?¡¿

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle: ¡¾We fought too hard, although we¡¯re still alive, it shows ¡®character exhausted and unconscious¡¯, need to wait at least 4 hours before we can log in again.

    Damn, I feel like I took down at least 40 or 50 ghouls, just swinging the sword without thinking about anything else. This is probably the legendary situation of ¡®can¡¯t survive without fighting¡¯. Anyway, I¡¯mpletely numb!

    My brain feels wooden after logging off. No good, I need to go sleep for a while, I¡¯m mentally exhausted.¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾See, I told you Old Chen is still amazing. He could find the underground cavern just by looking at the map. He previously judged that in this situation, the cavern¡¯s interior would likely have a honeb-like structure formed by water erosion, and he was right about this too!

    I told you this game is awesome, even the terrain modeling is based on real-world logic.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Indeed awesome! But didn¡¯t the old professor say if there¡¯s an exit to that cave below from the outside? With the current ghostly terrain, if a group of elite ghouls blocks it, the main force can¡¯t get down at all.¡¿

    Bricyer: ¡¾Old Chen is a master, not a psychic. It¡¯s already incredible that he could deduce there was a cavern hidden there. Without on-site investigation, how could he possibly know if that thing has a second exit?

    However, ording to conventional geological logic, since there¡¯s an underground river in the cavern, maybe this thing is connected to thergest local river, the Kadman River.

    Perhaps it¡¯s an underground tributary?

    But the Kadman River runs through half of Transia, it would be too difficult to find the specific source upstream and downstream.¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾Is it really that awesome? Even the terrain modeling refers to the real world? Not to be a downer, guys, but doesn¡¯t this seem a bit too exaggerated? If they really achieved this level of detail on the technical level, how many people must be on Alpha Company¡¯s design team?¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Don¡¯t ask questions you shouldn¡¯t. Wait until you get into the game yourself and you¡¯ll see.¡¿

    Night Phantom Bat Puppet: ¡¾So, when are you going to release more invitation codes? Listening to you guys brag here really makes me itch!¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Hehe, I cut a video clip and posted it on the forum, brothers who haven¡¯t entered the game can go satisfy their cravings. Too bad this helmet can¡¯t adjust the viewing angle, otherwise with this video quality it could be used to make CG movies without any problem.¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾Latest news! Latest news! The matriarch¡¯s guards have arrived, Lord Murphy has issued a dungeon quest, all ck Iron rank yers can ept it. He will personally lead us in a battlefield ¡®airdrop¡¯!

    Jump directly into the center of the target surrounded by ghouls, execute the decapitation n!

    This is too awesome.¡¿

    Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood: ¡¾Decapitation n? So, you already know who¡¯s behind all this?¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾Mm-hmm, it¡¯s a guy called the ¡®gue Rat King¡¯ and a force called the ¡®Rat Gang¡¯ who did it. Lord Murphy said there must be characters like ¡®undead maniptors¡¯ among them, controlling all the ghouls in the entire sewer.

    Miss Miriam also found out about this gang¡¯s background from the camp¡¯s chef Shovan. It¡¯s said that they were previously just a small gang operating a few underground ck markets, with some business dealings with the smuggling chef.

    They probably took advantage of the Astral Realm rift to grow and expand, and even imprisoned a group of civilians who fled into the sewers. Using dark arts to plot the overthrow of Crimson Citadel, wanting to destroy the foundation we¡¯ve worked so hard to establish, they really deserve to die!¡¿

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off: ¡¾I knew there had to be a background to such a big event, but what kind of snake and rat den was this Kadman City before? How could there even be cultists? Don¡¯t these vampires manage anything?

    How bad must the public security be?¡¿

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry: ¡¾Damn, brothers, I died! Why can I be ambushed by ghouls even while walking on the road? This isn¡¯t scientific.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾? You were ambushed on the city surface?¡¿

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry: ¡¾Yeah, I had just retreated from the sewer and epted a message delivery quest to the camp. I took a shortcut and was attacked by an elite ghoul in an alley. Those stinky things seem to have crawled out already.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Damn! There must be other sewer entrances we haven¡¯t discovered. Quick, report your location, where were you attacked? Do you remember the exact coordinates?

    @Onboard Joy Stick, Joy Stick, quickly send someone to find the leak point!

    It would be terrible if ghouls rush into the camp, those stinky things have poisoned ws, ordinary NPCs can¡¯t withstand them at all!¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾Leave it to me, @Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, private chat.¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾You guys are making this sound like a war. Is it really necessary?¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Brother, this is a war! There are thousands of NPCs in the camp relying on our protection. We rescued them all with great effort, they¡¯re all needed for future plot progression. It hurts to lose even one or two now.¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾Cut the crap, give me a helmet and I¡¯ll believe you! I can go up immediately and be a suicide truck, no questions asked!¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª

    At the underground tunnel entrance sted open by Meow King¡¯s group in the Crimson Citadel sewer, Maxim¡¯s matriarch guards have all arrived.

    A group of elite vampires, along with the captain of Tris¡¯s personal guards, and the crazy Lady Bonnie, have all prepared for the hunt.

    The ck Iron rank little yers who received the quest have all rushed over. Along with Murphy and Natalie, as well as Lady Lainnia who came to support, this is already the most elite force that can be gathered in the current territory.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go down from here! Straight to the core of that honeb-like ghoul nest below,¡± Murphy said to the others:

    ¡°Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer Kudel has already pinned down the mastermind behind this incident. It¡¯s that guy called the ¡®gue Rat King¡¯ who¡¯s manipting these crazed ghouls and trying to break out of the sewers to ughter our people on the surface.

    We must be quick!¡±

    ¡°There are still some civilians down there?¡±

    Natalie asked, leaning on the Watcher¡¯s greatsword while applying anti-evil sword oil to the relic:

    ¡°What about them?¡±

    ¡°My warriors will be responsible for getting them out. Your Witch Hunters need to receive them.¡±

    Murphy had already given the yers their quests.

    Although it was the escort quest that yers hated the most, it was still very attractive with reputation rewards plus the dungeon clear achievement and dungeon snapshot as rewards.

    ¡°Master Eugene has already led several of his disciples into the sewers. They¡¯ll handle the reception work,¡± Natalie replied.

    No one had any more questions. Murphy turned to look at therge hole sted below. In the dim environment, he could clearly see the scene of ghouls and wraiths constantly rushing out from the densely packed rock walls in therge pit below.

    Like a group of industrious worker bees, leaving the nest to find ¡°food¡± sufficient to fill their stomachs at themand of the malicious ¡°queen bee¡±.

    ¡°No wonder the number of corpses in the first level of the sewer doesn¡¯t match up,¡± Murphy thought to himself:

    ¡°Most of the bodies that died from the Astral Realm tear have probably been moved underground by this group as materials for necromancy. There must be arge passage connecting to the upper level, otherwise their activities wouldn¡¯t be so easy.

    The only question is, how long have they been hiding here?¡±

    With this question in mind, the vampire lord grasped the core orb on his chest, activating a frequency that hadn¡¯t been used before.

    He asked the other side:

    ¡°Lord Kudel, I need your position as the gathering point for the airdrop operation. How far are you from the main culprit?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve built a fortress in this tunnel,¡± the Civilian Protection Officer¡¯s cold voice came from the orb. He said:

    ¡°That bastard who wantonly harmed the innocents I¡¯m supposed to protect has created a guard legion for himself. He¡¯s a coward, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s hiding right in front of me!¡±

    ¡°Just one person?¡± Murphy said in surprise:

    ¡°Not a team?¡±

    ¡°Not even human,¡± Kudel responded:

    ¡°The ¡®gue Rat King¡¯ is a vampire. He has an evil ritual below their, something terrible is being born inside. You must stop it from appearing. I¡¯ve never seen this vampire before, but he bears the Blood Vulture emblem.

    Also, Murphy.

    He might be your ¡®brother¡¯.¡±

    This answerpletely baffled Murphy.

    The vampire lord was stunned for several seconds before he realized what Kudel meant. He narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice:

    ¡°You mean, that¡¯s Tris¡¯s other descendant?¡±

    ¡°I just smelled a bloodline scent simr to Lady Tris and you,¡± the Civilian Protection Officer briefly responded:

    ¡°So, you¡¯d bettere alone.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Murphy put away the orb with a normal expression, turned back to the others who were already prepared for the raid and said:

    ¡°The valiant Civilian Protection Officer has confirmed the location of the main culprit! But that bastard seems to have created an evil ritual in therge cave below their, very likely to summon or create some horrific monsters.

    Change of ns!

    You all go there to destroy that thing, I¡¯ll go join up with the Civilian Protection Officer.¡±

    ¡°My lord! You alone¡ª¡±

    Maxim immediately wanted to say something, but Murphy shook his head at him. The loyal servant immediately realized that there were probably some ¡°small details¡± in this matter that others shouldn¡¯t know, so he said no more.

    A minuteter, the ¡°airdrop¡± operation began.

    The vampires who could fly and glide carried the warriors who couldn¡¯t fly and leapt down from the sted tunnel,nding on the honeb rock walls of therge space below amidst the roars of tens of thousands of ghouls and wraiths.

    As soon as theynded, the great sacred de in Natalie¡¯s hand spontaneously ignited with Purifying me, which made the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Master¡¯s eyes widen. She eximed:

    ¡°Great evil! The sacred de has detected great evil below! It¡¯s yearning for a purification in the name of the gods!¡±

    ¡°Proceed ording to the n!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, spread his wings alone and flew off again towards the upper cave where Kudel was located. The others also immediately began their respective tasks.

    The little yers, with the cooperation of several n leader guards, had to cut a path through the ghoul horde below to rescue the survivors who were imprisoned as veborers, while the powerful NPCs were to go to the cave below to deal with that ¡°great evil¡±.

    Natalie, wielding the sacred de, took the lead.

    She almost didn¡¯t need to scout, she just had to charge in the direction indicated by the sacred de that was ¡°cursing eloquently and broadcasting heavenly voices¡± in her mind.

    She formed a three-person battle squad with Maxim and Lainnia, charging into the lower cave where the great evil was located in a ze of fire and lightning. As soon as they entered, they were almost caught off guard by a stench of green miasma that could be called ¡°substantial gue¡±.

    Looking forward through the colorful, foul-smelling gue, there was arge pit in the depths of the cave. Thousands of corpses were strewn about in it, and in therge blood pool formed by the flow of decaying blood, something with a strange and enormous shape, covered in pale bone spikes, was roaring and stumbling about, in a dazed state.

    Upon seeing this thing, the well-informed Blood Pact bow knight eximed:

    ¡°Is this a gue Ghoul Overlord?! A Gold rank Underworld creature? I always thought it was just a legend. Is your daily life in Transia this exciting? How can there be such a legendary thing under your city?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t fully formed yet, it¡¯s even dazed in mind. Probably just recently shaped. Otherwise, we would have been infected with the gue as soon as we entered the cave,¡± Natalie cast a purification divine spell on the three of them. She gripped the constantly humming sacred de and said:

    ¡°The ghouls in the sewer are being controlled by this thing. It needs more unclean blood, which means it can still be destroyed! Hmm, I suddenly realize that fate may not have been unkind to me¡ª¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Maxim drew a patriarch guard shield to protect himself. He nced at Natalie, who shrugged and said:

    ¡°After rediscovering my faith in Avalon, I¡¯ve been looking for a purification target that could help me pass the Silver Trial and change ss to White Knight. This evil that must be purified before us is the perfect starting point for fulfilling the ¡®Divine Guardian¡¯ oath.

    Of course, that¡¯s assuming we survive.¡±

 Chapter 210:

    The little yers were now well-versed in rescue operations.

    Although ghouls and wraiths were scattered everywhere, with asional strange skeletal warriors, the all-ck Iron rank assault team didn¡¯t care about these obstacles.

    Niuniu, Brother Stick and Orchid, the three tank yers, stood at the front, allowing those behind to attack freely. Afterpleting the ck Iron trial and advancing to higher professions, the Spirit Mages who had previously underperformed finally began to show their potential. Leading Pigeon used spirit bindings forrge-scale slowing, while the two Spirit Mages in Tiger Leopard Rider summoned zing fire walls and spirit lightning to incinerate enemies.

    Constantly thrownbustion oil was ignited, making the yers look as if they were traversing through raging fires.

    Even when elite ghouls asionally jumped out, they were quickly taken down by the increasingly deadly bullets of the shooters. It was evident that everyone¡¯sbat style was gradually taking shape, and their teamwork was bing smooth and enjoyable.

    Of course, considering they were all in the ¡°T1¡± tier of yers, this level of skill wasn¡¯t surprising.

    However, this joy of ¡°monster farming¡± didn¡¯tst long. When they reached the area where the survivors were imprisoned, Leading Pigeon eximed:

    ¡°Damn! This is too brutal!¡±

    The other yers were speechless.Because it was indeed brutal.

    The gathering area before them was at the edge of an underground river in a cavern, with no proper buildings to speak of, just a mass of shacks piled together. The men and women inside had nk expressions, were dressed in rags, and their bodies were covered in whip marks.

    Their minds seemed to have been ¡°dulled¡± by some force. Even when they saw the yersing to rescue them, no one weed them. Like beasts hiding in air, they huddled together trembling, looking at the fully armed warriors before them with terrified eyes.

    There were quite a few people here, with each shack packed tightly. Little Ashina pped her wings, circled in the air, and came back to report:

    ¡°About 600 plus people, I couldn¡¯t count exactly, but some guys are tied to poles in the back, seems like they¡¯re being punished. Should we save them too?¡±

    ¡°Save them!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sighed and said:

    ¡°In this situation, we should rescue everyone we can.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Ashina drew her gun in mid-air and fired a few shots towards the back, freeing those tied to the poles. But the moans and curses they made when they hit the ground surprised the yers.

    These guys were still conscious?

    Sister Pomegranate quickly spread her wings and glided over, grabbing a woman who wasn¡¯t too dirty but had disheveled hair and ¡°Griffin¡± tattooed on her shoulders and arms.

    Looking at the woman¡¯s weak but clearly conscious eyes, she asked:

    ¡°How many people are here exactly?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    The rescued woman responded in a very displeased tone:

    ¡°If they weren¡¯t killed by the gue Rat King, then pretty much everyone is here, about 700 plus? I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve been tied up here for many days, I feel like I¡¯m about to die. Got any water? Bread will do too, let me have a bite!¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap!¡±

    Hearing the woman¡¯s glib tone, Sister Pomegranate knew this woman probably wasn¡¯t from any decent profession before. Her tone turned cold as she questioned:

    ¡°Is there a second way out of here? We need to rescue you all.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Get out? There¡¯s no way out.¡±

    The woman looked back and saw several Blood Vulture matriarch¡¯s guards on high alert. Recognizing these vampires¡¯ identities, she shrank her head, knowing she had encountered tough characters. Her tone was no longer so arrogant, but instead, she sighed and waved her hand weakly, saying:

    ¡°The only way out is guarded by several battle gargoyles under the Rat King¡¯smand. My brothers knew that order had been restored on the surface and wanted to escape, but guess what?

    Heh, that night their corpses were thrown into the cave as snacks for that monster.¡±

    ¡°So there is indeed a way out, right?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate grasped the key information.

    She took out several apples from her spirit bag and tossed them to the woman, who gratefully took them and took a few bites, but didn¡¯t eat them all. Instead, she threw the rest to three other people beside her who were in equally miserable conditions.

    Those guys didn¡¯t even bother to thank her before biting into the apples. It was clear they were starving, not even sparing the apple cores as they chewed and swallowed them.

    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±

    This scene made Sister Pomegranate suspicious about the identity of the woman before her, and she asked.

    The woman rubbed her stomach, revealing a pitiful smile on her dirty face, probably trying to express goodwill, but then lost interest and pouted, saying:

    ¡°Dorothy, people in the outer city call me ¡®Razor¡¯, that¡¯s just them giving me face. I used to be the boss of the Rat Gang, making a living running ck market deals in the sewers, but that damn Rat King took my power.

    He made me manage these poor souls, but only gave me a little food each day, clearly wanting me to actively kill these poor wretches and send them to feed his monsters.

    Sigh, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it, after all, we¡¯re all neighbors.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were tied up?¡±

    Brother Stick beside her also looked at the woman suspiciously. He could sense that she might not be telling the whole truth, but now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss this. He said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Take us to that exit guarded by gargoyles immediately!¡±

    ¡°You really want to take these people out?¡±

    Dorothy looked at these ¡°blood servants¡± in surprise, muttering in a low voice:

    ¡°They¡¯ve all been drugged by the Rat King,pletely dazed and unaware of resisting. Even if you take them out, they¡¯ll just be a burden. In Transia, no one would risk their lives for these already dead people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for us to consider.¡±

    Leading Pigeon was kind-hearted and couldn¡¯t bear to see people suffer. Seeing this woman still rambling, he shouted:

    ¡°You! Lead the way quickly! Otherwise, we¡¯ll execute you as an aplice of that damn Rat King!¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t shout, young man, I¡¯ll lead the way, okay?¡±

    Dorothy got up weakly, saying with some concern:

    ¡°But the gargoyles over there are very powerful, much more so than those used by vampires. They say it¡¯s abat model the Rat King got from somewhere else. I¡¯m afraid it might be a bit risky with just your few people.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ve already taken down Salrokdar, mere gargoyles are nothing. You! Lead the way now!¡±

    Niuniu said disdainfully, carrying his shield.

    These words made Dorothy¡¯s eyes narrow. She immediately realized that the surface must have undergone tremendous changes. No wonder the Rat King had been hiding in this godforsaken ce, not daring to go out. But this was good news for her current situation!

    Great news!

    Hey, there¡¯s hope now!

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The masterwork shield in Maxim¡¯s hand was hit hard again, with enchanted shield face dented and wed. The horrifying force of the blow made the ¡°monster¡±, known for his strength, feel like his arm was about to break.

    The ghoul overlord before him roared and struck again. Maxim dared not block head-on this time, seizing the opportunity to use night bat swiftness, transforming into a bat and perfectly dodging the blow.

    But failing to hit the target made the not-yet-fully-formed ghoul overlord even more furious. The bone spikes protruding from its shoulders, after a charge-up, shot out in all directions like cannonballs.

    The force was strong enough to split mountains and crack rocks.

    Fortunately, both Natalie and Lainnia were agile and wouldn¡¯t be hit by such straightforward attacks.

    The bow knight glided and dodged in the air while continuously shooting crimson arrows. These armor-piercing arrows, specially made for the Blood Pact Knights, were imbued with spirit energy. Upon hitting the target, they would ignite the enemy¡¯s blood, causing excruciating pain.

    However, the armor-piercing arrows that could prate steel armor found it very difficult to cause effective damage to the ghoul overlord¡¯sherworld skin. Only Lainnia¡¯s full-power kill shot arrows could pierce the creature¡¯s body.

    Among the three, the one capable of dealing effective damage was the Great Oak Sacred de.

    The purifying spirit energy inherent to the Guardian needed no exnation in its effectiveness against evil spirits. Each sh caused indescribable pain and damage to the monster.

    However, what they faced was a gold-rank undead creature!

    Although not yet fully formed and stuck between silver and gold ranks, its ability to summon undead servants with death power and its terrifying necrotic poison were not something to be dealt with casually. Maxim¡¯s closebat movements had already begun to lose form, indicating he was under tremendous pressure.

    After using his night bat transformation to escape the ghoul overlord¡¯s frenzied shing once again, Natalie immediately moved forward to take Maxim¡¯s ce, allowing him to retreat.

    ¡°We need backup!¡±

    Quickly clearing the ghoul minions awakened around the foul blood pool with rapid-fire arrows, Lainnia shouted while nocking another arrow:

    ¡°This thing¡¯sherworld aura is infecting our bodies. We need arge-scale spirit purification to sever its connection to theherworld ne, otherwise we have no chance of winning!¡±

    ¡°At a time like this! Where do you expect me to find a purifier? You elves really do talk nonsense with your eyes wide open.¡±

    Maxim coughed up ck blood while checking the information on his Computation Bead, saying:

    ¡°Lady Tris is already on her way. She¡¯s bringing spellcasting materials. Just hold on.¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Natalie was sted away like a cannonball, crashing next to Maxim covered in dust.

    But even so, she still gripped the Great Oak de tightly in her hand.

    With both melee fighters pushed back, the now unobstructed ghoul overlord let out an excited war roar. Under the constant pull of its soul-wrenching howl, Lainnia was soon chased around frantically.

    But this silver-rank bow knight truly had real skills. Even in close-quarters pursuit, she could still shoot without interruption.

    ¡°You two get out of here!¡±

    Natalie got up, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth, and nted her sacred de on the ground. She seemed to be preparing to cast a spell that looked extraordinary.

    Emerald runes danced on her cheeks.

    Suppressing the difort in her body, she said hoarsely:

    ¡°The divine nature-imbued spirit energy explosion will affect you too. Don¡¯te back in for at least a minute!¡±

    ¡°Can you handle this?¡±

    Maxim asked, and Natalie replied in a raspy voice:

    ¡°Whether I can or not, I have to try. It¡¯s my first time using divine magic, but I hope Avalon¡¯s god blesses us tonight.¡±

    ¡°If the merciful Avalon really bestows blessings here, then we two are definitely dead.¡±

    Lainnia activated her hunter¡¯s secret technique, making a long-distance blink to Maxim¡¯s side, and pulled the injured monster towards the cave exit.

    She was quite decisive, not doubting Natalie¡¯s battle resolve at all.

    After all, as a ¡°chosen one¡± who could wield the sacred de, she wouldn¡¯t die here in confusion.

    Well, probably not, right?

    But just as Natalie¡¯s nature divine spell chant reached its final moment, a crimson rift quietly opened in this filthy ce. Tris, holding the Nocturne Scepter and humming a tune, had just walked out carrying a box of spellcasting materials.

    Behind her, aplex crimson textposed of spirit energy vibrations was already floating, clearly preparing to cast the Crimson Witch¡¯s secret technique to clear out this not-yet-fully-formed gue ghoul overlord, in order to demonstrate her dignity as the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess.

    As a result, the confident Blood Vulture Grand Duchess had just stepped into the cave when she was met face-first with an emerald light, brimming with purifying divinity, that exploded like sunlight.

    A divine spell to the face?

    Was this a trap? Did the mischievous Witch Hunter intend to take out both the ghoul overlord and herself in one go? Was her heart really that big?

    Tris: ¡°???¡±

    Natalie: ¡°¡­¡±

    There was no helping it. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild Master had already seen Tris, but unfortunately the divine spell had reached its final moment and couldn¡¯t be interrupted. Vines pierced out from the surrounding rock walls, and the purifying power from the deity was charging up like a green Sr Fist.

    She didn¡¯t know if it was just her imagination.

    Her Avalon god seemed particrly active in responding tonight, as if even the deity was looking forward to seeing a certain unreliable vampire grand duchess suffer.

    A few secondster, Tris¡¯s angry and helpless scream echoed through the emerald cave:

    ¡°Natalie! You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you! Just because I beat up your old man over a hundred years ago? Is it worth holding such a grudge? No wonder you were acknowledged by the Watcher¡­ You and your sword are both so petty!¡±

    Outside the cave, Maxim and Lady Lainnia, supporting each other, stared wide-eyed at this ¡°teleportation ident¡±.

    After several seconds of awkwardness, the silver-rank bow knight coughed and said:

    ¡°To take a nature divine spell head-on and still be so vigorous, it seems the legends about the Crimson Witch are all true. She truly is a genius of our n.¡±

    ¡°I admit our grand duchess is a genius¡­¡±

    Maxim said quietly:

    ¡°But as for her luck, well, as she herself says, it is indeed a bitcking.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    In the upper cave, Murphy suddenly sheathed his Frostfang de.

    As he stepped forward, the four elite ghouls frozen before and behind him shattered like slushies, their foul-smelling frozen corpses exploding into remnants on the ground.

    Necessary Evil wasn¡¯t being picky about ¡°not eating rotten blood¡± anymore. Probably sensing Murphy¡¯s fluctuating foul mood, it obediently entered a fierce cruise-and-kill mode, darting back and forth in the dark cave, swiftly ughtering those ghouls and wraiths.

    Civilian Protection Officer Kudel was now resting against his crimson greatsword in front of a spirit-sealed rock wall ahead. Before Murphy arrived, most of the elite ghouls in this cave had already been in by him.

    Honestly, although Kudel wasn¡¯t the strongest vampire Murphy had ever seen, he was definitely the fiercest vampire swordsman.

    Although this guy might still be a bit dim-witted, his destructive power andbat ability were truly absurdly strong, probably stemming from a belief in his heart that other vampires didn¡¯t possess, allowing him to unleash power far beyond his level.

    ¡°He¡¯s inside.¡±

    Kudel said to Murphy as he approached:

    ¡°Perhaps casting some escape spell, or maybe calling for help from his viinousrades. I¡¯m not skilled in spirit energy, so I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Since you recognized him as Tris¡¯s descendant, don¡¯t you have even a little interest in learning the grand duchess¡¯s secrets?¡±

    Murphy made a grasping motion in the air, and the speeding Necessary Evilnded steadily in his palm. He flicked his wrist to shake off the foul blood on the de.

    He asked:

    ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve pursued him this far. Won¡¯t you feel unsatisfied if you don¡¯t personally witness the ringleader¡¯s submission?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯te here for killing.¡±

    Kudel shouldered his greatsword and turned to leave without hesitation.

    He said in a deep voice:

    ¡°I¡¯m here only to fulfill my duty. As a Civilian Protection Officer, I must protect the people here.¡±

    ¡°Then please escort them to safety. I will take in those people and treat them.¡±

    Murphy raised Necessary Evil and thrust it into the spirit barrier before him. Under the piercing of the midnight miracle item, this spirit barrier that could withstand Kudel¡¯s greatsword attacks was quickly torn apart.

    He didn¡¯t even need to listen to feel the fear of that ¡°Rat King¡± hiding within.

    What a scumbag.

    ¡°Kudel!¡±

    As Murphy tore open the spirit barrier and was about to step inside, he called out to the Civilian Protection Officer who had already walked into the darkness:

    ¡°I¡¯m about to start clearing out the gnoll bandits within Transia¡¯s borders, to wee more homeless people to survive better on thisnd. The ck Disaster that once ruined your life is alsoing.

    What I mean is, you still have many people to protect.

    I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve regained your sanity, but if you hope to bring the order you want to thisnd, then I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the Blood Vulture Halls tomorrow night.

    I know you despise all vampires, you even despise yourself.

    But I promise you, we¡¯re different from Salrokdar, we¡¯re different from other vampires too. We¡¯re all misfits under the midnight sky, we can help each other.¡±

    The Civilian Protection Officer¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, but he ultimately didn¡¯t give an answer, instead continuing to walk and disappear into the darkness.

    Murphy didn¡¯t mind.

    As he turned his head, his handsome face was already covered with cold killing intent. The ringleader before him might indeed be Tris¡¯s descendant.

    But so what?

    Do bad things and you die, isn¡¯t it the same in every world? Why should this scumbag in front of him be an exception?

 Chapter 211:

    At first, Murphy thought the ghouls in the sewers of Crimson Citadel were just a nuisance waiting to be dealt with, but as the little yers¡¯ activities revealed increasinglyplex situations, Murphy realized this trouble was moreplicated than he had imagined.

    Tonight¡¯s exploration action by Grayman, under the guidance of his professor mentor, unexpectedly revealed the true face of the ghoul gue, which made Murphy somewhat regretful.

    He found that he was still not perceptive enough.

    If he had been able to see through the hidden crisis earlier and made the decision to act, perhaps things would not have developed to this point.

    Well, this might be a personality issue that needs to be corrected starting now!

    He thought so.

    Holding Necessary Evil, he stepped into thest area of the upper cavern, and with a flick of his wrist, he summoned George the Direwolf back from the Astral Realm again.

    Revnor was still flying in the underground tunnels, guiding directions for the little yers escorting those survivors to escape and warning of dangers. It was Murphy¡¯s eyes, allowing the lord to have a constant overview of the entire situation.

    For example, he knew that Tris had already joined the battlefield, so he had to resolve this matter before Tris arrived.¡°Whoosh¡±

    An area reconnaissance was cast on the vampire in front of him who was holding a skull staff and shouting loudly. The feedback information jumped in front of Murphy¡¯s eyes:

    ¡¾Name: ¡¾gue Rat King¡¿dimir Summer Zweig

    Rank: Level 20 ¨C ck Iron Body ¨C Standard

    Profession: Level 10 Trickster / Level 7 Coffin Bearer / Merchant ¨C Profiteering Specialization

    Status: Anxious ¨C Distressed ¨C Netherworld Contract Curse ¨C Dusk Servant

    Evaluation: No threat ¨C Neutral

    Note!

    This target has a special spirit status ¡¾Dusk Servant¡¿, under which it cannot be tracked or perceived by any spells, cannot be selected by divination spells, and is not affected by foul spirit energy.

    This status is externally imposed.¡¿

    ¡°I can exin! Listen to my exnation!¡±

    The merchant Zweig, who had single-handedly caused the ghoul gue in the sewers, was visibly panicking. Although he held a weapon and could still mobilize ghouls with dark magic, seeing Murphy, the ¡°Master of Crimson Citadel¡± walk in, with those eyes emanating cold killing intent, he knew his fate probably wouldn¡¯t be too good.

    But even so, he still didn¡¯t give up on survival.

    He screamed in a distorted voice:

    ¡°I¡¯m your brother! Murphy, I¡¯m also a child of Lady Tris! Just over a year ago on that snowy night, I donated my family fortune to her in exchange for the qualification to gain eternal life from the torment of disease.

    Believe me!

    I¡¯m not a bad person!

    Everything here didn¡¯t develop like this because of my will, I¡¯m also a victim!

    Yes!

    I¡¯m also a victim, you¡¯ve seen it too! They threw me here to die! I was also deceived, spare me, I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know and everything I still have, I swear!

    I just wanted to survive, that¡¯s all!¡±

    ¡°Pat¡±

    A chair was pulled out, and Murphy sat down on it.

    He rested both hands on the humming Necessary Evil, with the Direwolf George baring its teeth and ring at the weak one before him. The giant wolf could smell the fear in the other¡¯s heart, which meant that even if he had some power, he couldn¡¯t exert it at all.

    This was a thoroughly ¡°prey¡±, or perhaps as he himself said, a ¡°scapegoat¡±?

    ¡°Deceived by whom?¡± Murphy asked in an icy tone:

    ¡°By ¡®Dusk¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it seems you know about them? That¡¯s great.¡±

    Zweig wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    He panted, even after bing a vampire, he seemed to have not shed his merchant¡¯s pettiness.

    Seemingly sensing Murphy¡¯s change in emotion, this slick vampire viewed it as thest lifeline and shouted in a distorted voice:

    ¡°I can tell you, although they said not to tell others, but at this point I can¡¯t care about that anymore, I will tell you everything, my brother.

    I only ask for my life!

    I know that some of my actions have brought a lot of trouble to your domain, but I canpensate! I still have a property and several shops in Shaldor port, I can give them all to you aspensation.

    Those were just some blood servants!

    Right, just some insignificant food, we children of midnight are noble beings with ancient dignity, our lives are much more precious than theirs!¡±

    ¡°If you keep rambling, that overly slick tongue of yours, which is sure to be sinewy, will be George¡¯s midnight snack tonight.¡±

    Murphy replied coldly.

    This shut down all of Zweig¡¯s efforts to pull connections. Heughed awkwardly and threw aside the skull staff in his hand to show his cooperative attitude.

    This slightly chubby vampire wiped his sweat while saying:

    ¡°Alright, I know what you want to know, about Dusk but I state in advance, I don¡¯t know much either, I said I¡¯m a victim, okay, don¡¯t re at me, I¡¯ll talk! Over a year ago, I was just an unfortunate soul in Shaldor port.

    Although I made some money in that halfling¡¯s territory, I also contracted a strange disease, I was in so much pain, you know?

    At that time I could feel death approaching day by day, it was so clear and desperate.

    I frantically sought help from any power I could find, but death was irresistible, until when I was already in despair, someone gave me a piece of information.

    He told me that in Kadman City of Transia, there was a unique vampire called ¡®Tris¡¯, he said Lady Tris would casually give people the Embrace to gain eternal life under the night as long as they had money.

    Forget about diseases!

    Even death could be escaped, can you imagine my ecstasy at that time?

    I almost immediately packed my bags, dismissed my servants and arrived in this war-tornnd before the first snow of winter fell, I arrived at Kadman City, and everything went more smoothly than imagined after that.

    The beautiful and noble but slightly down-and-out Lady Tris.

    No, our revered elder was so generous, she didn¡¯t ask much and removed my pain, I was grateful to her, I donated my wealth to her.

    However!

    However, it was all a trap!

    From the very beginning!¡±

    Zweig¡¯s expression twisted as he shouted frantically:

    ¡°They deceived me! Salrokdar of the Blood Vulture n is a madman, he doesn¡¯t allow Lady Tris to have any close people, the result of being Embraced was that I also ended up on the Blood Vulture n¡¯s cklist, I almost died in the midnight of Anderma Hills.

    It was the guy who gave me the information earlier who saved me, that¡¯s when I knew, it was all a damn trap!

    He gave me a tome recording dark magic and told me about the existence of this underground cavern.

    I know, they must have a terrible n, and I was just the most insignificant pawn in this n.

    But what could I do?

    Murphy, my brother, if you were in that situation, you couldn¡¯t have done more than ept their orders, right?

    It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t try to resist, but their power was beyond my imagination!

    I was scared.

    I couldn¡¯t let the eternal life I had just obtained be taken away again, I could only lie low here, I could only wait for their orders.¡±

    ¡°So, what were the orders?¡± Murphy asked calmly.

    Zweig hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that thing down there!

    They required me to shape a gue ghoul overlord, they provided me with the corpse of a golden-level expert needed to cultivate it, they also taught me the specific cultivation method, taught me how to establish a connection with the Netherworld ne to mobilize the power of death.

    Do you know the power of a gue ghoul overlord?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just an Astral Realm Summoner, I don¡¯t know much about Netherworld creatures.¡±

    Murphy seemed to have be interested, his expression softened a bit as he asked:

    ¡°So, could you please exin it to me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course! I¡¯d be happy to.¡±

    Zweig chuckled.

    He also pulled out a chair and sat opposite Murphy, feeling that this conversation was getting better. He felt that his little life might be held in his own hands.

    Perhaps Murphy had already agreed to his earlier conditions for survival.

    Come to think of it, how could a vampire care about the lives of livestock?

    He had damaged Murphy¡¯s property, but as long as he gave him enoughpensation, he would be satisfied.

    All vampires are like this!

    He himself was a vampire, he knew that the whispers from midnight would make even the noblest person be realistic and greedy.

    So driven by this mindset, Zweig became more enthusiastic.

    Having studied dark magic in this underground cavern for over a year, he now exined to Murphy with great fluency:

    ¡°The gue ghoul overlord is a top-tier undead from the Netherworld! Not only is it powerful itself, but it can alsomand legions of ghouls, and most terrifyingly, the ghoul overlord naturally carries an untouchable Netherworld deadly poison.

    It¡¯s a life-taking poison!

    Do you know about the spirit gue that the Pioneer Army of the Goldflower Kingdom used to destroy Seicob City over two years ago? Hehe, the Circle Tower imed to the public that it was a weapon they had researched, but it wasn¡¯t!

    It was just some Netherworld poison they extracted from an imprisoned gue ghoul overlord and made some improvements to.

    Those human Spirit Mages are the best at bragging!

    And once the gue ghoul overlord I¡¯ve created and nurtured appears in Transia, just by contaminating the tributary of the Kadman River in the cavern, it could turn all of Transia into a wastnd. Anyone who drinks the river water would die painfully and then be a member of the ghoul army.

    This is their n!

    They want to create a world of death in Transia!

    But this is only a backup n!

    I only found outter, their primary n was to manipte Salrokdar to open a sub-space rift.

    They almost seeded, just a little bit more.

    But you guys ruined it. Actually, when you attacked the Blood Vulture Halls, I was hiding in the sewers. I even saw with my own eyes the moment Salrokdar¡¯s soul returned to the sub-space. You guys were really amazing!

    However, for me, this was nothing but bad news.

    The main n failed, which meant the secondary n was put on the agenda. Sigh, actually, the people in this city are quite pitiful, to be honest, after all, I¡¯m not a heartless monster.¡±

    Zweig said hypocritically in a low voice:

    ¡°Before the Astral Realm was torn, I received a warning and hid here in advance, and also took in many people who had nowhere to go. Moving the corpses in the sewers also required manpower.

    The first stage of the ghoul overlord¡¯s birth requires using corpses to umte Netherworld aura in a foul blood pit, letting it be infused with the power of death. The second stage requires the impure blood of the living.

    Actually, I¡¯ve been troubled all along. These people are my servants, they work hard to survive, and I don¡¯t have the heart to just kill them. However, I can¡¯t disobey Dusk¡¯s orders.

    Your arrival announces my freedom!

    Murphy, my brother.

    I can finally stop being so troubled. You can take those people away, and I will find a way to escape.

    I know Dusk won¡¯t let me off so easily.

    But it¡¯s okay!

    As long as you spare me, I can fight for my own survival path.¡±

    ¡°How do youmunicate with them?¡±

    Murphy neither affirmed nor denied this, he asked:

    ¡°Are their people still in Transia?¡±

    ¡°You! What do you want to do?¡±

    Zweig became anxious, he grabbed his own cheeks and screamed:

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t reveal that, it¡¯s a topic that can¡¯t be spoken about at all!¡±

    This answer made Murphy smile. He flipped his fingers and the tail spike from the Astral Realm manticore in his spirit bag jumped into his hand. He moved forward like a ghost, grabbed Zweig¡¯s head and smashed it onto the stone table with a bang.

    Thetter¡¯s head was bleeding as he screamed, his left hand was pulled up and ced on the table surface. As the tail spike fell, the bloody index finger flew off.

    ¡°You still have 9 fingers!¡±

    Murphy pressed down on Zweig, who was screaming like a pig being ughtered. He said in a gentle tone:

    ¡°You can refuse me 9 more times, you still have plenty of time. After all, I need time to prepare to erect the Sunscorching Punishment cross. We can continue ying this game. Now, I need your answer.

    Answer me!!!¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not here! He¡¯s never been to Transia!¡±

    Zweig screamed:

    ¡°He has some kind of dark magic that can temporarily manipte others like puppets. This is how Imunicate with him and receive orders every time. I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a he, she, or it? From Salrokdar¡¯s death until now, he hasn¡¯t appeared again!

    I think I¡¯ve been abandoned.

    But they¡¯ve threatened me, they said there¡¯s some kind of contract curse on me, as long as I dare to give up my task, I would die miserably. I don¡¯t want to either!

    Murphy, spare me!

    This isn¡¯t my fault, I¡¯m a victim too!

    We are brothers!

    We have the same elder, please! At least let me see Lady Tris.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer Tris¡¯s child, and I think you might not be either. I don¡¯t want to add to Tris¡¯s psychological burden.¡±

    Murphy said in Zweig¡¯s ear:

    ¡°So, don¡¯t bother trying to im kinship. What¡¯s the name of the guy who contacted you? How did he notify you to meet with him?¡±

    ¡°Yuan! His name is ¡®Yuan¡¯! That must be a code name.¡±

    Zweig became more afraid.

    He frantically blurted out all kinds of information, but Murphy didn¡¯t listen at all.

    He had already used the Power of Desire to listen to the voice of Zweig¡¯s heart.

    Language can deceive, but the heart cannot, especially a heart eroded by fear. It was like an open treasure chest, allowing Murphy to take from it at will.

    ¡°Pat¡±

    A hiddenpartment at the end of this cavern area was kicked open by Murphy, and a pearl bracelet flickering with a faint light in the darkness fell out.

    This was the spirit item Zweig used to contact the mysterious ¡°Yuan¡±, but indeed as he said, this thing hadn¡¯t been activated since Salrokdar¡¯s death.

    ¡°No need to think wildly anymore, Mr. Zweig.¡±

    Murphy cautiously picked up the pearl bracelet wrapped in three handkerchiefs and threw it into his spirit bag. He turned back to Zweig, who was clutching his injured hand, and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re doomed! There will be no survival path left for you, not in this world, nor in any other!

    However, there are differences between deaths. When a moment of quick pain is stretched to a terrifying length of time, those who think they have a firm will often find that they are not as strong as they imagined.

    You are not a tough guy, so don¡¯t do those things that will only bring you suffering!¡±

    Murphy¡¯s left hand moved, and the ferocious Night ws extended from his fingers. He said to the desperate-looking Zweig:

    ¡°Speak, say some more things that I might be interested in, so that you can go quickly to confess your life¡¯s sins to the Night Mother.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯ve actually heard of you, Murphy!¡±

    Zweig knew there was no way out.

    His anxious expression turned malicious again.

    Hey in the corner of the cave, gripping his injured hand with the broken finger. The vampire¡¯s canine teeth protruded, revealing a fierce look, just like a wild dog cornered.

    He shouted:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been hiding in Kadman City for over a year, I¡¯ve heard all about you and Tris! You¡¯re not a good person either, you¡¯re just coveting Tris¡¯s beauty, heh, I¡¯ve seen this kind of thing many times! But you won¡¯t get what you want!

    Murphy, oh Murphy, those seeds of disaster that Lady Tris unintentionally sowed in her past life will eventually sprout. She will once again be the crimson witch that shakes the entire continent!

    She! Will not belong to anyone.

    As for you!

    You¡¯re just a little fool trying to stop a powerful force. Let me tell you, I¡¯m not the only surviving child of Tris!

    They, no, we!

    We won¡¯t allow you to monopolize Tris!

    Don¡¯t even think about it!

    Our elder has a great cause that she must fulfill, and you can¡¯t stop it at all! You¡¯re still trying to tie her to your side? Hehe, the disaster in Kadman City has already given the witch freedom. She will eventually fly away and embark on her path to godhood.

    You!

    You can¡¯t stop it!¡±

    ¡°Puff¡±

    The Night ws thrust forward, grasping the lying vampire¡¯s heart in hand. Zweig¡¯s malice was so insignificant in the face of death that he once again cried out in terror and begged:

    ¡°No, no! Please!¡±

    ¡°So, who else is among ¡®you¡¯?¡±

    Murphy stared at him.

    The crimson light points in his eyes brightened frighteningly, he said in a low voice:

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet my other ¡®brothers and sisters¡¯, tell me, who else?¡±

    ¡°Shaldor port! In Shaldor port, that ce no! No! No!!!¡±

    Zweig shouted.

    But he seemed to have triggered some switch.

    The Netherworld contract curse was activated, making even Murphy¡¯s Night ws that had pierced Zweig¡¯s chest feel the invasion of a cold, chilling aura.

    He immediately withdrew his ws, but Zweig in front of him was screaming and twisting his body. The visible cold Netherworld aura kept rising, finally infusing his entire body and soul with the power of death.

    ¡°Shaldor port¡­ Lower City Witch¡­ Witch Cafe¡­¡±

    Zweig already understood his fate.

    In thest moment before losing consciousness, he struggled with a ferocious expression and spoke a ce name to Murphy.

    ¡°Boom¡±

    The vampire¡¯s body exploded entirely in the surge of spirit energy. In the explosion of flesh and filth, a death-like spirit body holding a filthy bone scythe and wearing tattered shadow clothes was summoned. This was obviously the effect of that ¡°Netherworld contract curse¡±.

    The crimson light flickering in the pale bone eye sockets stared fixedly at Murphy in front of it. It roared and raised its scythe high, obviously not intending to let Murphy, who had heard the secret, leave alive.

    ¡°Witch Cafe, Shaldor port, Yuan¡­ Very good!¡±

    Murphy drew the humming Necessary Evil demon sword, adopting the starting stance of the Blood n¡¯s secret sword technique. He said in a low voice:

    ¡°The trail seems to have ended, but it¡¯s okay, I will find you all. Ah, that lunatic Pnno was right, I really did pick the most troublesome midnight rose for myself. But what does it matter?

    To monopolize something beautiful, you always have to shed some blood.

    But you don¡¯t have blood, my dear, so leaving your bones will do.¡±

 Chapter 212:

    The gue Ghoul Overlord is a high-ranking Netherworld creature. In the Moon Book of the Sanghai Empire, this thing is listed in the same category as legendary beings like Ancient Mummy Lords, Cerberus of the Underworld, and the death god Anubis. It is one of the most dangerous creatures that can be born from the concentration of death spirit energy in the material world.

    However, the one in the underground tunnel had not yet passed its second stage, so it could only be considered an iplete being and did not possess the iparable legendary resistance and defense-ignoring gue damage. Without absorbing enough impure blood, it was difficult for it to develop true death intelligence, and theck of its life-sustaining Netherworld poison also made it hard for this monster to achieve the truly terrifying gue that could ¡°scorch the earth for thousands of miles¡±.

    After being bombarded by Avalon¡¯s purification divine magic, it was only a matter of time before this ugly, twisted creature was dealt with by the Spirit Sovereign who arrived.

    Its skin, as hard as fine steel, was not much stronger than solid armor when faced with the tearing of spirit energy disintegration controlled by Tris. But the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, who was violently attacking the gue Ghoul Overlord, soon felt a pain in her heart.

    A weakness came over her very abruptly, but it didn¡¯t make Tris feel panicked.

    In her past life, she had experienced this many times before, it was the feedback of the death connection that the death of descendants brought to the elders.

    This made Tris startled.

    She instinctively thought that something had happened to Murphy, but then she realized that her blood pact with Murphy had already been severed by the family source blood. But why would any of her other descendants be killed at this time?

    And so close?Tris¡¯s thoughts turned quickly, and she immediately realized that some things that shouldn¡¯t have happened seemed to be mixed into tonight¡¯s events. She nced at the gue Ghoul Overlord below, which she had almost skinned and dismembered, shook her head, and said to the three people assisting her:

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. I¡¯m going to see if I can catch the main culprit elsewhere.¡±

    Without giving the three any time to react, she pped her dragon-like bat wings, tore open a crimson rift in front of her, and darted in.

    Such an unreasonable exit left Maxim, Natalie, and Lainnia below somewhat at a loss.

    However, the gue Ghoul Overlord in front of them had indeed been beaten below the ¡°kill line¡±, and Tris had even thoughtfully helped them ¡°remove the shell¡±. The three of them couldpletely handle the rest.

    On Tris¡¯s side, she quickly entered the upper cave with the help of the remaining mental shock marker from the death of her descendant.

    She saw corpses everywhere and smelled a strong gathering of death spirit energy ahead, as well as the aura of little Murphy in battle, which made her quickly move forward and cross the remaining spirit energy barrier. The next second, she saw Murphy fighting against that strange Netherworld spirit entity.

    ¡°Scythe-wielding Death! How could such a high-ranking Netherworld evil entity appear in Transia?¡±

    The knowledgeable Tris immediately recognized the identity of the thing in front of her.

    In fact, without her saying it, Murphy¡¯s detection skill had already given him sufficiently specific biological information:

    Name: ¡¾Netherworld Emissary¡¿ Scythe-wielding Death

    Rank: Level 27 ¨C White Silver Body ¨C Rare

    Race: Netherworld ne Creature ¨C Spirit Entity

    Status: Netherworld Aura ¨C Ethereal Armor ¨C Phase Shift ¨C Life Drain ¨C de Resistance

    Evaluation: Extremely Dangerous

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    Tris¡¯s Nocturne Scepter swung up, and crimson spirit energy bindings like ghostly ws were immediately applied to the flickering spirit body of the Scythe-wielding Death, not only fixing it in ce but also forcibly controlling its semi-ethereal body into a solid form in the material world.

    The sword in Murphy¡¯s hand changed its stance, coordinating with his jump from the shadows to appear behind the Scythe-wielding Death. He executed a Proficient midnight assassination ambush, the magic de cutting down precisely to sever the connection of this guy¡¯s white bones.

    With the assistance of the Spirit Sovereign, Murphy didn¡¯t take much time to deal with this tricky opponent.

    When the magic de pierced through this guy¡¯s spirit core, an intense ¡¾Banshee¡¯s Wail¡¿ was applied in the entire small space, causing the battered Astral Direwolf George to suddenly copse, its huge body twitching on the ground for a few moments before quickly dissipating into starlight on the spot.

    The unfortunate creature was killed instantly by a vicious AOE attack on the mental level.

    But Murphy was unharmed.

    Because the experienced Tris had already applied a mental protection barrier to him in advance, allowing him to take this mental attack head-on without a scratch.

    ¡°Thud¡±

    The cold, eerie bone scythe hit the ground, the only memento left by the Scythe-wielding Death.

    Murphy sheathed his sword, nced at his improved swordsmanship skills, and then used Death¡¯s Grasp to take the white bone scythe into his hand.

    Upon inspection, this thing turned out to be a proper piece of equipment:

    Name: Soul-reaping Scythe ¨C Netherworld Ritual War Scythe

    Quality: Masterwork ¨C ¡¾Intangible¡¿ Veteran

    Traits: Extreme Spirit Enhancement ¨C Spirit Cutting ¨C Life Drain ¨C Fragile Bone Structure ¨C Exotic Weapon

    Special Effect: This weapon is an evil artifact made from the spine of sacrifices extracted by the Scythe-wielding Death when it appears in the material world. Because it is saturated with death spirit energy, it can serve as an excellent spirit casting medium and effectively enhance the damage of death/dark spirit spells.

    When using it for physicalbat, each sessful cut or chop will drain the enemy¡¯s life to replenish one¡¯s own.

    Note!

    This weapon has the special attribute ¡¾Intangible¡¿. The weapon body will continuously be brittle over time and eventually dissipate into decayed bones. Infusing spirit energy into it daily can maintain its solid state.

    Note!

    This weapon is a special weapon and cannot be repaired once damaged.

    Equipment Requirement: This item is forged with a special spirit technique. Reckless use of this weapon may lead to corruption of the mind by death spirit energy, therefore the usage requirement is Intelligence ¡Ý 8.

    Crafter: ¡¾gue Rat King¡¿ dimir Zweig

    Item Description:

    ¡¾You know, they just love these weird and impractical things¡¿

    ¡°Hmm, this thing might serve as a hidden drop for this dungeon?¡±

    Murphy yed with the cold and eerie Soul-reaping Scythe in his hand, then looked up at Tris and said:

    ¡°You seem to be very skilled with death system spirit energy. Do you have the crafting diagram for this thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Tris replied with considerable displeasure.

    ¡°The crafting of this scythe isn¡¯t very difficult. It¡¯s just a small part of the ¡®Netherworld Contract Curse¡¯ form, and it¡¯s not a problem to separate it. But are you sure you want your little yers to learn how to craft this kind of evil weapon?

    Others will scorn them as cultists when they see it! After all, who uses this thing seriously?¡±

    ¡°Evil? No, not evil.¡±

    Murphy tossed the Soul-reaping Scythe into his bag, nning to give it to Maxim as a reward for next week¡¯s Fight Club champion¡¯s chest. He waved his hand, changing the subject:

    ¡°My warriors wouldn¡¯t call it evil. They would just say things like ¡®Wow, so cool, I want it¡¯ and other weird stuff. Trust me, just adding a special drop diagram is enough to make them spend some time ¡®trying their luck¡¯ every day.

    The difficulty of this dungeon is a bit high, perhaps we should set a special token and special reward for it.

    Hmm, there seem to be few essories and rings in the previous exchange equipment.¡±

    ¡°I can make spirit essories from elite ghoul ws, and as for rings, ghoul teeth are very good materials.¡±

    Tris observed the surroundings and casually said:

    ¡°I just saw you practicing ¡®spirit energy parry¡¯ with this thing, that should be a basic move of the secret blood n¡¯s spirit energy secret sword technique. Where did you learn it from?¡±

    ¡°Necessary Evil taught me.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t want Tris to know everything that happened here.

    He grabbed Tris¡¯s wrist, about to leave, but was held back by Tris¡¯s hand.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess observed the area in front of her, which had already been destroyed in the battle, and said suspiciously:

    ¡°Did you encounter something strange here just now?¡±

    ¡°No, everything was normal,¡±

    Murphy said casually.

    ¡°I chased that gue Rat King here, he tried to resist, then I killed him with one sword strike. As a result, the forces behind him activated the contract curse and summoned this thing to silence us. That¡¯s the whole story.¡±

    ¡°Murphy!¡±

    Tris¡¯s expression turned displeased, and she said:

    ¡°You know why I came here! I felt it, you just killed one of my descendants. I need to know what exactly you two talked about. And why was my descendant involved in this matter? How did he escape Salrokdar¡¯s assassination? They shouldn¡¯t have been able to survive.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know,¡±

    Murphy sighed. He looked at Tris and said in a gentle, persuasive tone:

    ¡°Let me handle these things. You continue to be the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, keep cking off and drinking every day without worrying about anything, and don¡¯t burden yourself with extra mental stress.¡±

    ¡°Something went wrong, didn¡¯t it? Regarding me,¡±

    Tris¡¯s fingers gripping Murphy¡¯s hand tightened. She asked in a low voice:

    ¡°You don¡¯t want me involved because the situation is troublesome? Perhaps it¡¯s that ¡®Dusk¡¯ we discussed before? They¡¯re using my descendants. Maybe they even see me as one of their targets?¡±

    The atmosphere in this wrecked room grew silent.

    Murphy helplessly stepped forward, cing his hand on Tris¡¯s head, which was half a head shorter than him, and rubbed her smooth hair rather weakly whileining:

    ¡°Why are you always so smart at times when you shouldn¡¯t be! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to guess?¡±

    ¡°So I guessed right?¡±

    Tris¡¯s body swayed, and she said:

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been dragged into some weird situation again? What¡¯s the deal with this descendant? Don¡¯t hide it from me, Murphy. I have the right to know these things.¡±

    ¡°How could I hide it from you when you¡¯ve already guessed?¡±

    Murphy took Tris¡¯s hand and led her out of the cave that no longer had anything worth seeing. As they walked out of the cave, he told Tris about his conversation with Zweig.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess grew increasingly silent as she listened.

    Especially when she learned that Zweig wasn¡¯t the only descendant who survived Salrokdar¡¯s assassination, and that they had even established a base in Shaldor port, even the well-informed Blood Vulture Grand Duchess was left dumbfounded.

    ¡°You need to tell me, during the time when you were ruined by Salrokdar and barely surviving as a drunkard until you picked me up, how many people did you actually embrace?¡±

    Murphy asked very seriously:

    ¡°Now we can confirm that everything that happened to the Blood Vulture n and even Circle Tower¡¯s involvement was all orchestrated by ¡®Dusk¡¯ behind the scenes. The power of this force is truly exaggerated, and your surviving descendants are clearly involved.

    You need to tell me, Tris.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡±

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess rubbed her brow.

    She wailed in an almost desperate tone:

    ¡°For a period of time, I was constantly embracing those who longed for immortality, not just to support myself and amass wealth, but also as a deterrent to Salrokdar. I was using this method to tell him that if I died, all the things he did would be passed on to the Blood Pact Knights and Lord Payne through my descendants.

    It was a strategy for negotiation.

    But Salrokdar quickly responded with ruthless killings.

    No matter who I embraced, he or she couldn¡¯t survive for more than a week.

    The constant bacsh from the deaths of my descendants made me increasingly weak, but fortunately, I had no blood essence left at that time and was in constant pain every day, so this little drizzle didn¡¯t matter much.

    To better embrace others without being implicated, I even improved the embracing process and ritual, allowing me to develop the most descendants with the least power, so their deaths wouldn¡¯t bring me deeper pain and weakness.

    At that time, I was living in a drunken stupor every day, living one day at a time. Who had the mood to remember the names of those fools blindly pursuing immortality?

    There must have been at least 50 if not 100.

    But I can be sure that the vast majority of them were killed by Salrokdar! This is certain, and Zweig¡¯s experience proves it.

    Even if Dusk wanted to save them, they wouldn¡¯t have saved too many.

    At that time, Transia was still Salrokdar¡¯s territory, especially before the Ten-Year War broke out. Although the Blood Vulture n had been on a downward path for over 100 years, his control over this ce was still unprecedentedly tight.¡±

    ¡°I knew it,¡±

    Murphy put his arm around Tris¡¯s slender waist. He said with a bit of a headache:

    ¡°Now there¡¯s no way to trace back, and with this chaos and the approaching ck Disaster, we can¡¯t go to Shaldor port to investigate. However, that ¡®source¡¯ could be a breakthrough point.¡±

    He took out a pearl bracelet wrapped in threeyers of handkerchief from his spirit bag and handed it to Tris, saying:

    ¡°Perhaps we can investigate in reverse, using spirit magic to determine Zweig¡¯s superior. Have you seen this bracelet before?¡±

    ¡°No,¡±

    Tris nced at it and immediately denied:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a vampire-style thing at all. It looks like jewelry from the Antani Region. Look at its shape, it has both elf and human artistic styles, which is a unique characteristic of treasures from the Antani Region.

    Give it to me, I¡¯ll check the magical residue on it.¡±

    ¡°Mm, take it back with you,¡±

    Murphy seemed unconcerned. He waved his hand and said:

    ¡°I still need to meet those survivors and ask more questions.¡±

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    A crimson rift opened behind Murphy. Tris very initiatively stood on her tiptoes and pecked Murphy¡¯s cheek before turning to leave. It wasn¡¯t until she passed through the crimson rift back to her office that Tris exhaled the breath she had been holding in her lungs.

    She looked at the pearl bracelet in her palm, her face full of shock and her eyesplex.

    ¡°Christine, my first descendant, you were clearly dead long ago. You died protecting me at Salrokdar¡¯s hands, I saw it with my own eyes! My goodness, Night Mother above.¡±

    Meanwhile, in the undergroundir, Murphy gently wiped the kiss mark Tris had left on his cheek. He sat on a rock, raised his left hand to catch Revnor whonded on his arm and stared at him intently with a tilted head.

    A few secondster, heined to his spirit vulture:

    ¡°Everyone has secrets, right?

    She clearly recognized that bracelet but insisted she said she didn¡¯t, she thought she could hide that moment of shock in her heart from me, and even tried to seduce me with her beauty. It seems there¡¯s still a lot to dig into behind this.

    The only reassuring thing is that it¡¯s ady¡¯s bracelet.

    So I don¡¯t have to worry about some damn childhood sweetheart suddenly showing up.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Get back, you stinky things! Ah, what an exciting night,¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good, who was hiding in a passage above the rock wall, shouted. He rubbed his sore wrists and put down the hunting crossbow in his hand, then turned to Feel You Poor behind him, who was smoothing the fur of the manticore Stinky Treasure and treating its wounds, and said:

    ¡°The team battles in this game¡­ Hey, let me tell you, they¡¯re amazing!¡±

    ¡°A coward who only dares to hide and shoot arrows has no right to say that!¡±

    Feel You Poor snorted, mocking without mercy:

    ¡°You little guy almost wet yourself when you saw the wraith rushing over just now. What? Still haven¡¯t ovee your childhood fear of ghosts?¡±

    ¡°Tch, it was just a bit startling the first time. Who wouldn¡¯t be scared when seeing more than a dozen ghosts rushing over for the first time?¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good¡¯s face couldn¡¯t quite hide his embarrassment.

    To be honest, it was indeed a bit embarrassing, but the vague pressure in his lower abdomen now forced him to change the subject immediately. Why does this damn game have to be so realistic in these unnecessary details?

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll take you back now,¡±

    Feel You Poor patted the neck of his beloved manticore, letting it get up and prepare to carry the two of them away. The ghoul disaster in front of them was gradually subsiding due to the death of the Ghoul Overlord, but dealing with so many ghouls afterwards would definitely be a big trouble.

    Life Is Pretty Good also breathed a sigh of relief and was about to mount the visibly disgusted manticore when he unexpectedly saw something that startled him.

    He immediately grabbed Feel You Poor and pointed to a small cave on the honeb-like rock wall not far away.

    He said:

    ¡°There¡¯s someone over there! I saw it! A sneaky ghoul ran out carrying lots of bags! Quick, chase after it!¡±

 Chapter 213:

    Feel You Poor walked alongside his manticore, holding his Summoner staff in one hand and a hunting revolver that didn¡¯t match the Spirit Mage¡¯s style in the other.

    It was the standard Witch Hunter firearm, with nature runes engraved on the barrel to add one point of damage against evil spirits.

    Although it was somewhat undignified for a Spirit Mage to carry a gun, he had no choice. Because he had signed a contract with the manticore Stinky Treasure, he couldn¡¯t summon multiple Astral Wolves like Lord Murphy to protect himself, so he had to find ways to supplement his strength externally.

    But this was only temporary!

    Feel You Poor had already decided to grind Fight Club reputation to unlock his second profession topensate for his main profession¡¯sck of offensive power.

    He had previously seen the reputation list at ¡°Crimson Lady¡± Mary¡¯s ce, and at 20 wins in the Fight Club, he could buy a ¡°Mejeva Family Sword Arts¡± book. That advanced sword technique was said toe with a special ss change.

    ording to the veteran yer Lumina, the ss called ¡°Sword Chanter¡± was definitely very powerful.

    Of course, Feel You Poor was still a newbie, so he was busy searching for powerful hidden professions on the forums, but didn¡¯t notice that Lumina said the Sword Chanter was very powerful under a certain condition.

    That condition was that the game¡¯s storyline must progress to unlock the shadow elf reputation.However, little Rich Brother didn¡¯t have time to consider future matters now. As he walked through this quiet rocky tunnel, he looked suspiciously at Life Is Pretty Good, who was holding a hunting rifle beside him, and said:

    ¡°Hey, are you sure you saw a ¡®sneaky¡¯ ghoul escape in here earlier? How can a ghoul be described as ¡®sneaky¡¯? They don¡¯t even have expressions on their faces!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the demeanor! Don¡¯t you understand? That kind of shifty-eyed, wall-hugging demeanor. One look and you know it¡¯s no good.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good emphasized:

    ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t see wrong. It was carrying a lot of things on its back, so it couldn¡¯t run fast. It might be right here! Look what I found?¡±

    The two Rich Brothers stopped.

    Life Is Pretty Good crouched down and picked up a shiny gold coin from between the rocks at his feet, flipped it in his hand, and said to Feel You Poor:

    ¡°See, I wasn¡¯t wrong, right? That guy knew to bring travel money when fleeing! Tsk, it must be an unorthodox ghoul, maybe it¡¯s gained sentience and be spirit-like.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sounding weirder and weirder.¡±

    Feel You Poor dismissed his doubts when he saw the gold coin.

    He patted the manticore beside him, and the mentally connected creature immediately lowered its steps and entered ¡°silent hunting¡± mode.

    The two men and the beast quickly moved forward, and soon they saw a ck ghoul carryingrge and small packages ¡°scratching¡± at the rock wall at the cave entrance.

    Well, it should be trying to grab a hidden board sealed above the wall.

    But the ghoul¡¯s ws had highly mutated, making it impossible to perform normal grasping motions. Its jumping up and down on the spot looked extremelyical, and with each jump, more gold coins spilled out from the packages on its back.

    ¡°A moving mimic! It appeared! This must be a treasure goblin! The legendary dungeon rare!¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good immediately got excited, raising his gun to aim, but Feel You Poor pushed down the barrel.

    Little Rich Brother cautiously hid and cast a detection spell forward. The feedback was strange:

    Name: ¡¾gue Rat King¡¿dimir Summer Zweig

    Status: Trickster Puppet ¨C Ghoul

    Rank: Level 14 ¨C ck Iron Body ¨C Rare

    Profession: Level 10 Trickster / Level 7 Coffin Bearer / Merchant ¨C Profiteering Specialization

    Status: Multiple Weaknesses ¨C Lost Soul ¨C Panic ¨C Photophobic

    Evaluation: Dangerous ¨C Neutral

    ¡°It¡¯s a named monster with a intimidating title, but it¡¯s also shown as a strange puppet.¡±

    Feel You Poor said softly to his best friend:

    ¡°This is a rare ck Iron monster. Don¡¯t go up, in your current condition, you¡¯ll die if you get scratched. But this is a neutral monster. I¡¯ll go up first to feel it out. If things go wrong, you can shoot, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, be careful.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good hid behind a rock, peeking out without rashly going up to cause trouble, while Feel You Poor adjusted the microphone plugin of his Computation Bead, took a deep breath, and jumped out holding his staff and gun.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    He shouted, aiming the gun at the sneaky ghoul in front of him and fired a shot.

    Thetter was clearly startled and made a human-like gesture of surrender with both hands.

    He wanted to say something, but the vocal cords of this ghoul puppet were decayed, and he could only make ¡°woo woo woo¡± sounds that sounded like ghost cries.

    However, as a Trickster who had just escaped from Murphy¡¯s hands, Zweig naturally had other ways. While manipting the ghoul to gesture with its ws, he used spirit energy to simte a weak voice directly in little Rich Brother¡¯s mind:

    ¡°Ah, brave warrior of Lord Murphy, no need to be so tense!¡±

    ¡°Huh? You can talk? What evil magic is this?¡±

    Suddenly hearing a weak and strange voice in his mind, little Rich Brother became more nervous, especially as the Computation Bead was warning him that the other party was undergoing a mysterious process called ¡°mind resonance¡±.

    Although he didn¡¯t know what this guy was doing, if he allowed it toplete this process, his own fate probably wouldn¡¯t be too good.

    So Feel You Poor put his finger on the trigger and shouted:

    ¡°Who exactly are you? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°As you can see, brave warrior, I¡¯m a poor Spirit Mage, and an unfortunate small merchant.¡±

    Zweig immediately exined glibly:

    ¡°When Kadman City was invaded by the Astral Realm, I identally hid here and was captured by the damned rat gang. They used evil methods to extract my soul and stuff it into this decayed ghoul body.

    Making me suffer endless humiliation and torture.

    It was you!

    It was the great Lord Murphy and his brave warriors who defeated the evil rat gang, allowing me to escape! You don¡¯t need to be afraid. Look at my current state, I¡¯m already too ashamed to face people, brave warrior.

    My only hope is to escape from here and find a ce in the wilderness where I won¡¯t be discovered to end my miserable life.

    You are undoubtedly all very brave.

    I admire you very much. If it were before, I would definitely have hired you at a high price to be my caravan guards, but now there¡¯s no such opportunity.

    How about this?

    If you let me go, I can give you what you want.

    Do you want wealth?

    Don¡¯t be shy!

    Which ambitious warrior doesn¡¯t need wealth? These lovely little things can make even devils bow to you.¡±

    The cunning Zweig immediately took out the bag of gold coins and treasures from his back and threw it at Feel You Poor¡¯s feet. Arge number of gold coins poured out, mixed with several ornaments emitting spirit energy light.

    This kind of straightforward negotiation might have worked with ordinary yers, but little Rich Brother was no ordinary person. Trying to buy your life with money in front of him would only be seen as an ¡°insult¡±. Money? That¡¯s just worthless paper that was destined to be more than he could spend in a lifetime from birth!

    Seeing that Feel You Poor waspletely unmoved, Zweig asked again:

    ¡°Ah, look how dull I am. Since you are brave warriors, what you surely desire is power. I have no power to give you, as you can see, I¡¯m now just a weak ghoul, but I can give you thedder to power.

    That is wisdom!

    Wisdom that must be used wisely.¡±

    The ghoul took out a ck book from the second backpack, put it on the ground and kicked it over to little Rich Brother. Feel You Poor looked down and saw that the book was full of various mysterious symbols and text.

    It should be a rare high-level grimoire.

    Just looking at the style, you could tell this thing was definitely not ordinary. To be honest, Feel You Poor was a bit tempted. He knew he must have encountered a hidden storyline, so he didn¡¯t rush to make a decision, intending to see this storyline through.

    ¡°This is all I have left. I think this is enough to bribe you to let me go. After all, your appetite can¡¯t be too big, being just a Blood Servant.¡±

    Zweig said in a low voice:

    ¡°So now we can pretend we never saw each other, right?¡±

    ¡°I have onest question.¡±

    Little Rich Brother kicked the grimoire aside and asked:

    ¡°How did you get that ¡®gue Rat King¡¯ nickname? It sounds pretty cool.¡±

    Feel You Poor was really just asking casually, but these words fell on Zweig¡¯s ears with apletely different meaning!

    He thought his disguise had been discovered by Murphy¡¯s servant, and immediately revealed his fierce appearance, howling as he pounced towards little Rich Brother in front of him, but then there was a gunshot that hit his raised w.

    ¡°How foolish! If we take you out, all these things will be ours! We can even get a nice amount of experience for free.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good stood up and shouted.

    Then, under Zweig¡¯s widened gaze, a hidden Astral Realm manticore charged straight at him, opening its huge mouth with a roar.

    The bloodthirsty maw came right at him, causing the gue Rat King to let out a terrified scream.

    The ghoul puppet only had time to make a cross-armed block before, with a muffled ¡°poof¡±, most of its body was swallowed into the manticore¡¯s stomach, leaving only two bare legs standing in the blood-covered spot.

    That pose was indescribablyical.

    ¡°Ah! I told you not to eat this stinky thing! It¡¯ll give you a stomachache!¡±

    Rich Brother raised his staff to hit his manticore.

    But Stinky Treasurepletely ignored its foolish Summoner. It was a manticore after all, it needed to eat some toxic things to umte them in its body, making the venom in its tail sting more potent.

    ¡°Damn, your eloquence is impressive!¡±

    Because it was mentalmunication, Life Is Pretty Good didn¡¯t know what his best friend had discussed with that rare monster. He only saw the ghoul throw out all its treasures before turning hostile, and thought it was due to Feel You Poor¡¯s strong negotiation skills.

    But little Rich Brother just chuckled without saying much.

    The two crouched down and began dividing the loot.

    The gold coins Zweig brought out were not Portia gold coins, but the more valuable Shaldor halfling gold coins. How these two currencies exchanged was unknown at the moment, but both Rich Brothers weren¡¯t short on money, so they casually split this sum evenly.

    The main items were several spirit energy ornaments and that seemingly extraordinary magic book.

    Life Is Pretty Good picked up the magic book, flipped a few pages, and received a note:

    ¡¾You are reading the special item ¡¶Midnight Book ¨C Volume of Trickery and Death¡·. By reading this item, those with certain spirit energy talents can change ss to Trickster Apprentice / Coffin Bearer Apprentice and other two basic dark and death spirit energy faction professions!

    Note!

    This item belongs to corrupted items. Please ensure proper mental protection when reading to avoid unnecessary dangers!

    Note!

    This item can be turned in to the Spirit Master of your own faction for arge amount of reputation and material rewards.

    Development team note!

    The ¡®Path of the Fallen¡¯ is currently a test-phase profession system. The gamey and ss change system are not yet fully designed. Testers, please be mentally prepared before changing ss.¡¿

    Feel You Poor also received this note. He decisively snatched the ¡¶Midnight Book¡· from Life Is Pretty Good¡¯s hands and seriously said to his best friend:

    ¡°This game doesn¡¯t allow resping, so you need to be more cautious about profession choices.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good rolled his eyes.

    But Feel You Poor knew his childhood friend best. He pouted and said:

    ¡°I know you too well! When we were kids, you were scared to death watching horror movies, but every time we watched, you had toe over, covering your eyes but still peeking. I know you¡¯re interested in these weird things, but let¡¯s turn this in to Lady Tris first.

    After confirming there¡¯s no problem, then you can change ss, okay?

    I won¡¯t stop you then.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, let¡¯s go turn in the quest.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good immediately became excited. As he walked out with his best friend, he enthusiastically said:

    ¡°This must be the ¡®Hidden Quest¡¯ mentioned on the forums, right? It¡¯s indeed well-hidden! Can I post about it on the forum to show off a bit?¡±

    ¡°No problem, post as you like.¡±

    Feel You Poor was in a good mood.

    He patted the corrupted tome in his hand and said:

    ¡°Maybe our quest can create a new profession system. Path of the Fallen, tsk, sounds powerful. Look how cool this is.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hmm, not bad, they still know to turn in questionable items. Obviously good kids who¡¯ve followed rules since childhood.¡±

    In a cave within the underground tunnels, Murphy released the core bead, very satisfied with Feel You Poor and Life Is Pretty Good¡¯s choice. Actually, seeing that ¡°developer note¡± earlier, one should know that Murphy was ¡°lurking¡± again.

    He was prepared.

    If the two little yers couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to try this unverified dangerous profession, he would decisively kick them offline, giving them a small warning.

    The little yers haven¡¯t been in the game long. Of course, Murphy hasn¡¯t been in this otherworld for long either, but even so, he knows that currently on the continent, the Trickster profession is generally equated with ¡°cultist¡± in most people¡¯s minds.

    If this were really a game, it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Role-ying, you know, the degree of freedom should be maxed out.

    But the problem is, if you get too immersed in ying a cultist in the game and it affects reality, that¡¯s not good. So Murphy decided to discuss with Tris that even if they were to open up the ¡®Trickster¡¯ profession system, Tris should first remove some of the corrupted forbidden techniques that couldn¡¯t pass censorship.

    To avoid negatively influencing the little yers¡¯ mental health.

    ¡°Master! I¡¯ve brought the former boss of the rat gang.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s voice sounded in Murphy¡¯s ear. He turned around to see Maxim leading a woman with disheveled hair.

    That former rat gang boss who was rescued by the little yers showed her docile nature in front of a real vampire. In fact, she was indeed exhausted and hungry at this moment, in urgent need of a good rest, so that weakness wasn¡¯t entirely an act.

    ¡°Your name is Dorothy? You have a nickname called ¡®Razor¡¯, right?¡±

    Murphy sized up the woman with a griffin tattooed on her shoulder. He had indeed heard this name before in Kadman City.

    The underground ck market run by ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy was one of the most reputable ck markets in Kadman City. Unfortunately, it was a bit far from Tris¡¯s manor, so Murphy didn¡¯t have a chance to patronize it.

    There were many rumors about Dorothy.

    After all, a woman who could make it in the gang business, where violence ruled, always attracted more attention from peers and others.

    From what Murphy knew, some said Dorothy was once a hunter team captain in the Nordtov Kingdom, and fled to Transia aftermitting a crime. But others said Dorothy actually came from the Anju region and was once a bandit leader who upied a mountain. There were even oundish rumors saying she was a runaway nobledy from Greenleaf Ind.

    But these rumors had one thing inmon: Dorothy was definitely not a ¡°local¡±. When many rumors share the same feature, it¡¯s enough to prove that themon part in those rumors, no matter how oundish, is very likely to be true.

    Faced with Murphy¡¯s inquiry and scrutiny, the female gang boss, who had no intention of showing her bravery by staging an assassination attempt on the vampire lord, answered obediently:

    ¡°The ¡®Razor¡¯ thing is just praise from peers. I¡¯m actually just an underground ck market dealer doing some small business, my lord. I can swear on my mother¡¯s father¡¯s name that the rat gang has nothing to do with the gue Rat King!

    That bastard took us in during the disaster.

    But he also imprisoned us. As you can see, if it weren¡¯t for you and your brave warriors¡¯ rescue, I would have be one of those ghouls by now.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I believe you have nothing to do with him.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s ears twitched.

    The Power of Desire heard Dorothy¡¯s heart voice full of crude curses, all directed at the female rtives of Zweig¡¯s family for eighteen generations.

    ¡°But in my city, there¡¯s no need for things like underground ck markets to exist, so I¡¯ll give you a chance, Dorothy, a chance to start anew. Whatever you did before has vanished with the destruction of Kadman City.

    However, before granting you the rights of a free citizen, I have some questions for you.¡±

    Murphy stared at her and said:

    ¡°How did you meet Zweig? What have you been doing here all this time? What do you n to do next?

    Tell me honestly, don¡¯t leave out a single word.

    People say vampires have various supernatural abilities, and I¡¯ll tell you most of those rumors are wrong. For example, our real abilities are often more outrageous than you¡¯ve heard.

    I can smell lies.

    And considering your current situation, Dorothy, you¡¯d better not let me smell that unpleasant scent. I believe honesty is best for both of us in this situation.

    I don¡¯t have to waste time because of it, and you can get back the life that doesn¡¯t belong to you right now.

    What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 214:

    There were still massive numbers of ghouls active in the tunnels of the ¡°third level¡± of the sewers, including some elite undead transformed by the strengthened Netherworld Aura. However, due to the sessive deaths of the ¡°gue Rat King¡± and the gue Ghoul Overlord, these undead creatures lost control from the source.

    They reverted from their previous frenzied charges back to aimless wandering.

    Especially after the survivors with life force were transferred out, no longer sensing the presence of ¡°food¡± made them quiet down again. The undead are usually quiet most of the time, unless you provoke them or they get ¡°hungry¡±.

    But the sight of so many ghouls gathered together was quite terrifying, even to the point of worrying Murphy.

    He knew that what he saw before him wasn¡¯t even the total of all the corpses in the sewers.

    In the honeb-like stone caverns, there were even more corpses that had been moved here undergoing the infusion and transformation of death spirit energy. Natalie said that for the gue Ghoul Overlord to be born smoothly, the gue Rat King had used dark magic here, enveloping the area in massive amounts of death spirit energy and Netherworld Aura, which would be difficult to dispel in a short time.

    Therefore, this sewer cavern must be sealed off and isted from the surface!

    If this isn¡¯t done, perhaps in no time at all, morebinations of ghouls, water ghosts, and wraiths would once again fill the recently cleared first level of the sewers.

    But if it¡¯spletely sealed off, these undead creatures won¡¯t be able to naturally perish either. With the continuous strengthening of the Netherworld Aura, perhaps after a few months, Murphy would have to organize another little yer cleanup of the sewer caverns, and by then he might be facing nearly 10,000 fully elite undead.That would definitely be a super-scale team instance.

    It was a very headache-inducing problem.

    But on second thought, Murphy realized that in a few months, he would definitely have over a thousand yers at his disposal. By then, opening another team instance wouldn¡¯t that be a piece of cake?

    From this perspective, Murphy felt he wasn¡¯t at a loss at all, and could even prepare in advance for the new instance a few monthster.

    This was a big victory for the ¡°development team¡±!

    So his mood turned from cloudy to sunny, and beside him, Dorothy, the original boss of the Rat Gang who had been brought over, had been secretly observing the vampire¡¯s changing expressions.

    This cunning woman knew she had to make ast-ditch effort for her life, but as a very shrewd gang leader, she didn¡¯t immediately rush to answer Murphy¡¯s questions. Instead, while Murphy was thinking, she also went over her miserable experiences of the past period in her mind.

    After organizing her words sufficiently, she changed to a pitiful tone and said:

    ¡°We had never seen Zweig before, Lord Murphy. This is not a lie. Although he had always been active in the sewer area, he always appeared in a mysterious image. Long before he appeared, my buddies and I had already formed the Rat Gang and were running a ck market business in the sewers of Kadman City.

    For a period of time before the Astral Realm disaster broke out in the city, our rtionship with him was nothing more than that of buyer and merchant. He would asionally spend money to order some spirit ritual items from us, mostly strange materials that were expensive and of no use to ordinary people.

    Come to think of it, my guys were actually quite annoyed doing business with him.

    Although he was generous, it wasn¡¯t easy to get those things in the war-torn Transia, and the time spent was far less profitable than smuggling more daily necessities.

    But unfortunately, I was blinded by greed.¡±

    Dorothy sighed, and in a weakened posture, under Murphy¡¯s calm gaze, she honestly said:

    ¡°I thought at the time that he was someone with power and background, and that making connections might be useful in the future. After all, a vampire living in the sewers was quite rare, so I kept maintaining a not-too-close, not-too-distant rtionship with him.

    As it turned out, this ¡®investment¡¯ of mine did pay off handsomely.

    On the eve of the Astral Realm disaster outbreak, he suddenly approached us, mysteriously dering to us that disaster was imminent.¡±

    ¡°So, Zweig knew in advance that the Circle Tower would release some spells capable of destroying the city in Kadman City?¡± Murphy interrupted Dorothy and asked.

    The original leader of the Rat Gang nodded vigorously, saying:

    ¡°Yes, he knew! And not just a little bit. I still remember how he smugly described to me what would happen in Kadman City the next day, speaking vividly.

    About the Astral Realm tearing, about material engulfment, about the Blood Vulture¡¯s demise.

    Like a prophetic, crazy fortune-teller.

    But as it turned out, everything he said was right. Things happened almost exactly as that bastard described, even the time of the disaster outbreak was urate to the hour.

    We were able to move our dwelling ce here in advance and thus escaped disaster, but just as we were rejoicing in our survival, that guy suddenly turned on us.

    Hemanded ghouls to surround us, demanding that we immediately return to the sewers to lure more survivors down.

    This was clearly up to no good.

    But you know, we ordinary people have no power to resist the strength of a Spirit Mage like him.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that a ck Iron rank rogue and thief can also call themselves ¡®ordinary people¡¯?¡± Murphy looked Dorothy up and down.

    Although thetter was weak, the calluses on her fingers from long-term training and her surprisingly well-proportioned physique, as well as her unique silent gait when walking, indicated that this person was not someone without any fighting ability.

    She was a very excellent and well-trained shadow walker.

    Faced with Murphy¡¯s questioning, Dorothy was not flustered. She sighed and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I could have escaped, but what about my brothers? The wealth I had umted over several years of hard work was all here too, I couldn¡¯t just abandon them and leave.

    Alright, alright, I admit, I thought that in such a desperate situation, aligning with a powerful figure might also be a way to survive. After all, for us ¡®sewer rats¡¯, it doesn¡¯t matter who we serve.

    Moreover, he was a vampire.

    The Blood Vulture n are the rulers of thisnd, aren¡¯t they?

    I admit it, my lord.

    We did bad things for him, very, very bad things. Most of the people who fled into the sewers in panic were killed by the Astral Realm forces that followed, but some of them were brought down here by us.

    I remember clearly, we saved at least 2,000 people, which was also the limit this cavern could amodate. I originally thought he was nning to set up a ¡®vampire kingdom¡¯ here, which was actually still within our tolerance range.

    It¡¯s not shameful to be a blood servant to survive, especially here in Transia.

    But then, that bastard exposed his viinous nature!¡±

    Dorothy said with a gloomy face, gritting her teeth:

    ¡°He ordered us to move corpses!

    To bring back the remains of the victims from the first and second levels and desecrate them with evil spells, transforming the corpses into monsters. Like a snowball effect, in just a few days, his ghouls and wraiths upied the sewers.

    By then, everyone already knew this guy was no good, but we were in too deep.

    We couldn¡¯t escape anymore.

    I remember clearly, on the seventh day after the disaster, a rebellion broke out here. It started when someone discovered survivors active on the surface while out.

    The survivors were burning the surface, seemingly trying to reim the city. At that time, we desperately wanted to go up and join them, and that bastard mercilesslyunched a massacre against those who wanted to leave.

    Hemanded the ghouls to kill at least half, and the remaining people didn¡¯t dare say anything more.

    I didn¡¯t want to die like that!

    I knew that guy wouldn¡¯t spare us in the end either, no matter how much we offered him it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Our lives were the fruits he would harvest at thest moment.

    I¡¯d had enough, so I nned to run.

    However, I overestimated the loyalty my brothers could maintain under the threat of death.¡±

    At this point, Dorothy raised her head, trying hard to make her currently terrible expression look more sincere. She said to Murphy:

    ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t deny that I did bad things, and I have no right to im that I protected these people, but I think you need people now, your territory needs people! I can serve you.

    I used to work in ve-catching teams, I¡¯m well-versed in this line of work.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ll pardon my saying so, this ¡®job application¡¯ of yours is terrible,¡± Murphy nced at this person full of survival instinct and continued to ask:

    ¡°So, before the Astral Realm disaster broke out, Zweig already had a batch of ghouls in his hands?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Those were carefully cultivated by him,¡± Dorothy hurriedly said:

    ¡°I heard that he excavated graveyards to create them. I also heard that this cavern was once the training ground for the Blood Vulture n during the Second Night War, but was abandoned due to difficult ess.

    And when we first started cooperating with that bastard, he would disappear for one day every week.

    I suspected he might be going to meet someone, but although he had be a vampire, he couldn¡¯t hide his inherent shamelessness and lowliness.

    He would always shamelessly proim that he would be the Undead King of Transia, but in my view, he was nothing more than a disposable pawn that others would discard after use.

    At most, he was a spy.

    To put it bluntly, with that guy¡¯s qualifications, he would have a hard time making it even in a gang. He was addicted to pleasure, always choosing those¡­ ahem, let¡¯s just say not very respectable ¡®female ves¡¯ for himself.

    But he was also very brutal. Once he got bored with them, he would throw them to the ghouls.

    He even tried to recruit me, saying he wanted to give me the Embrace to be his descendant, but I knew exactly what he was up to, and I refused him several times when he brought it up.

    Perhaps it was because of this that he became enraged.

    But even if I was truly at a dead end, I wouldn¡¯t submit to such a short-sighted bastard.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where that guy met his contact?¡± Murphy asked, and Dorothy shook her head, saying:

    ¡°How could I possibly know that? I hadn¡¯t even left this cavern. But if I had to say, every time he came back, there was a faint, strange fragrance on him. Although he was very careful about it, I¡¯m a thief.

    I¡¯m very sensitive to these things.

    It was the scent of a woman¡¯s perfume, a very unique smell.

    There was a woody freshness to it, not the kind of perfume human women would typically choose.

    And when he came back, the mud on his feet wasn¡¯t the color of the soil around here. If I had to say, it seemed like the ck mud from deep in the mines.

    Before I worked in the ve-catching team, I was also a mine ountant for a while, so I recognized those soils.¡±

    ¡°Your career path is quite diverse,¡± Murphy couldn¡¯t help butment. Dorothy gave an awkward smile.

    But the information she provided was valuable. Murphy had basically guessed where Zweig was meeting that ¡°source¡±.

    The Transia region didn¡¯t have many resources, and there were only a few mines in the southern mountains, but ording to Zweig¡¯s previous statement, that ce was probably long deserted.

    He pondered whether he should go there himself, while Dorothy beside him had already provided all the information she knew. Now, whether she could survive depended on whether this vampire lord would ept her.

    As an experienced gang leader, she knew that at times like these, she couldn¡¯t passively wait.

    She had to take the initiative!

    So, Dorothy hesitated for a moment, then said:

    ¡°My lord, I can serve you, and not just as basicbor or a warrior. I have more value! Your territory must be in urgent need of various supplies now. I can go and find my former smuggling partners again. I can provide you with¡­¡±

    ¡°Is your former smuggling partner Franks Shovan?¡± Murphy nced at her and asked. Dorothy was immediately stunned.

    Her expression changed dramatically, and she stammered:

    ¡°Can you really hear my thoughts? How did you know this¡­¡±

    ¡°Shovan is now my Administrative Knight. He and his brother-inw have already set out for eastern Prussia to negotiate the purchase of firearms for me,¡± Murphy said, measuring his tone as he looked at the thief before him. He drawled:

    ¡°So yourst trump card is of no use in my eyes, dear Lady Dorothy. If you want to be of use¡­ No, if you still n to survive, then you need to show more value.¡±

    ¡°Uh, well¡­ I mean, if you trust me, I can bring you a fortune!¡± Dorothy gritted her teeth, deciding to ¡°y her ace¡±. She said in a low voice:

    ¡°Actually, before I worked as a mine ountant, I also worked for a while as, um, an archaeologist! That¡¯s right, I have skills in this area. I happen to know that in the forests near Seicob City, the tomb of the first Count of Seicob is buried!

    That ce was destroyed during the war.

    Rather than letting that legendary wealth remain buried underground, it¡¯s better to bring it to light and put it to better use in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh, your career path is quite remarkable,¡± Murphy said in surprise:

    ¡°From grave robber to mine ountant, then to city gangster, and finally to ck market smuggler and cultist. Your life has been far more colorful than most people¡¯s, Lady Dorothy.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to have many skills, just trying to make a living,¡± Dorothy smiled awkwardly.

    She was very nervous inside. That was herst trump card, and if it didn¡¯t work, she really had no other options.

    But Murphy asked another question. He said:

    ¡°I have a standard for recruiting people, which is that their background must be clear. So you need to tell me where you¡¯re really from? And what kind of tumultuous first half of life have you had?¡±

    ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t think you need to know¡­¡± Dorothy seemed very resistant to this question.

    But before she could finish speaking, she saw Maxim raise his left hand beside her, his fingers elongating like ws amidst the flickering crimson light.

    The meaning of this gesture was very clear.

    In thisnd, there was nothing Lord Murphy didn¡¯t need to know!

    Of course, except for the secrets of the dead.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say!¡± Dorothy said through gritted teeth:

    ¡°If I say it, I¡¯m finished, unless¡­ unless you can give me real protection. I mean, be one of you, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You want to end your tumultuous life by bing a vampire toplete the challenge of immortality? You truly have an admirable ambition.¡±

    Murphy grinned, waving his hand as he said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but it depends on how much information you can offer in exchange for this blessing of immortality. I¡¯m always very lenient towards capable subordinates. You will be rewarded, Dorothy. Provided that you can really offer something that interests me.

    Speak, your true background.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the gang boss sighed deeply.

    She knew she had no choice, and finally decided to reveal her life¡¯s experiences. She pulled something out from her close-fitting corset and held it in her hand as she said:

    ¡°Before bing a grave robber, I was a noble¡¯s attendant on Greenleaf Ind for a while, and before that, I was an explorer, a certified, legitimate explorer!

    I was born in the Cato region.

    That ce is close to the Genoa Penins, so I grew up listening to stories of the Explorers¡¯ Association, and naturally came to aspire to that kind of life. When I was 25, I took my first step towards my ¡®ideal¡¯ and joined that organization.

    But I failed on my first official mission.¡±

    Dorothy covered her face and said in a sorrowful tone:

    ¡°We were ordered to investigate a human relic in the Antani Region. It was said to be one of the locations where the first Elder Council of the Avalon Church was once situated, deep in the verdant forest.

    We found it.

    But when we were about to start the archaeological excavation, we identally discovered some terrifying things¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Murphy and Maxim¡¯s expressions both changed slightly.

    He made a nasal sound of inquiry, and Dorothy didn¡¯t hold back. She said shakily:

    ¡°That holy site had been desecrated! And it was done by the Gray Knights of the Avalon Church themselves. Can you imagine? The most fanatical group in thergest religion of the human world was personally desecrating their initial connection to the divine.

    It was terrifying!

    That incident shocked all of us.

    But what was more shocking was that less than a month after that investigation ended, the Avalon Churchunched a rebellion.

    I don¡¯t know if humans losing divine favor was rted to what we discovered, but the fact is that the people who participated in that investigation died mysteriously one after another.

    I knew I couldn¡¯t sit and wait for death, so I fled from my hometown.

    That was ten years ago. In these years, except for the northerners¡¯ territory, I¡¯ve traveled almost half the continent. Finally, I chose to settle in Kadman City and started running a gang business.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very honest, and this matter itself is quite interesting,¡± Murphy rubbed his chin. After a few seconds, he said to Dorothy:

    ¡°Go! Go find the Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, that valiantdy holding the sacred de. Tell her what you know, don¡¯t hide anything, then gather your remaining subordinates who are still alive and wait for assignment in the camp.

    You¡¯ve survived, Lady Dorothy.

    Congrattions.

    As for whether you can join the Blood Vulture, it depends on how much you can contribute to thisnd. I promise you, Transia will not mistreat any meritorious servant!

    Even if she can only live in darkness for the rest of her life.¡±

 Chapter 215:

    Murphy had quite a few things to do next.

    Although the random event ¡°Ghoul Rampage¡± had passed, the existence of so many undead in the thirdyer of the sewers was a problem that needed to be dealt with immediately. Before the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was ready to seal off this area for the long term, he nned to use the ¡°daily quest¡± mode to mobilize the enthusiasm of the little yers.

    This was a very useful approach.

    For example, requiring each little yer to bring back 10 sets of ghoul teeth and ws every day would mean that now 140 people could take down 1,400 ghouls daily, and Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage could also obtain arge amount of death spirit energy materials.

    Tris said that ghoul teeth and ws could be made into cursed rings and amulets, which could be sold back to the little yers as equipment.

    In this way, Murphy¡¯s territory would have fewer unstable factors, the threat of the thirdyer of the sewers could be suppressed, Tris would also get materials to better run her own shop, her apprentices could learn new alchemy patterns, and the little yers would gain proficiency experience, increase reputation, and get equipment rewards.

    It was a total win!

    The only ones who might have objections to this were probably those ghouls, but they were brainless ¡°wild monsters¡±, so no one would care about their opinions!

    Murphy had already made his ns.First, let Tris quickly make new Convergence Stone, then create a new five-person dungeon in the thirdyer of the sewers, called ¡°The Rat King¡¯s Doomsday¡±.

    He had even edited the information for the three mini-bosses.

    The gate boss was arranged to be a group of the Rat King¡¯s battle gargoyles as door guards, the second boss would be that not yet fully formed Golden Ghoul Overlord, with the battle mode designed as an arena fight to dy time until Trises to aid.

    The final boss would naturally be the gue Rat King Zweig!

    This guy was set to have a two-stage transformation, after defeating the first form of Vampire Trickster, he would transform magnificently into a second stage scythe-wielding death god.

    There would also be special tokens ¡°The Rat King¡¯s Malicious Echo¡± that could be exchanged for the weapon blueprint of ¡°Soul Reaper Scythe¡±!

    Of course, as a dungeon with a background, things like ¡°dungeon rare¡± had to be arranged too, set as a 1 in 300 chance for ¡°Ghoul Zweig¡± to appear as a rare monster in the dungeon.

    yers would have to block it before it escapes, either by intimidation or direct killing.

    The rare drop could let Tris use ¡¶Midnight Book¡· as a temte to create a ¡°spirit energy toy¡±, to fill the current gap in this aspect of the game.

    With such arrangements, wouldn¡¯t this mature dungeon system be farmed to death by yers?

    Dungeon-rted quests also needed to be arranged!

    For example, the early quest could be triggered by a memory of the rat gang boss Dorothy, then set some Easter eggs and so on, wouldn¡¯t that be perfect?

    Speaking of which, is designing a dungeon really that difficult? Isn¡¯t this just a piece of cake?

    Finally, the new force ¡°Rat Gang¡± also needed to be put to good use.

    Why not let them station in the sewers for long-term observation of the changes in undead creatures in the thirdyer area, and be responsible for exchanging ghoul teeth rings and w amulets as ¡°dungeon special equipment¡± to little yers, which could just make up for the shorings of the four dungeons in the Blood Vulture Halls in this regard.

    With these thoughts in mind, Murphy wrote and drew in his notebook.

    He and Maxim left the now quiet sewers and returned to the Blood Vulture Halls. Just as they reached the door of his office, they saw Civilian Protection Officer Kudel standing there like a wooden stake.

    This guy had very properly changed into a new set of clothes, washing away the dust and bloodstains umted from long battles, but his imposing crimson greatsword with notches was still propped in his hand.

    Like some kind of symbol.

    Murphy knew that this guy had made a decision regarding his previous ¡°invitation¡±.

    He gave a few instructions to Maxim, and the faithful servant then turned and left to convey Murphy¡¯s arrangements for the ¡°Rat Gang¡±.

    ¡°Come in, we need to talk.¡±

    The vampire lord pushed open the office door, and Kudel followed him in.

    The lord first poured drinks for both of them, taking special care not to add fresh blood to the Civilian Protection Officer¡¯s drink out of consideration for his feelings. Then he leaned against the edge of the desk, looking at the unmasked Lord Kudel before him.

    This high-ranking vampire who did not acknowledge his vampire identity was a quite stern-faced handsome man of the macho type, belonging to the character temte that could bring hope to people whenever seen.

    Especially that square and upright face further strengthened his ¡°righteous character setting¡±.

    This was not just the effect of ¡°spirit energy beauty treatment¡± during the process of bing a vampire, mainly because this ¡°Nantes Ranger¡± who was active a hundred years ago had a good foundation to begin with. ording to Lieutenant Frayzer, a series of legends left by Lord Kudel as a human knight are still circting in today¡¯s Anju region.

    There was amon point in those legends that Knight Kudel was a quite handsome and gentlemanly person. In several different story versions, Lord Kudel was almost the epitome of a perfect life.

    His fans even ridiculously arranged more than 20 lovers of different origins and even races for this knight.

    From human maidens to dwarf female warriors, to halfling mechanics and vampire enchantresses, even elf rangers and Sanghai priests, and even Antean mermaid storm-rending sorcerers were all included.

    If ording to this statement, this ranger knight basically didn¡¯t need to do anything all day, justforting his lovers would be enough to make him suffer.

    Women, ah, they are a burden in all aspects.

    Murphy now couldn¡¯t even handle that one vampire enchantress Tris, so he could basically be sure that all the gossip about this Nantes Ranger in front of him was the result of brainstorming by those reckless writers who didn¡¯t mind causing trouble.

    In fact, ording to Lord Kudel¡¯s loyal supporter Lieutenant Frayzer, Lord Kudel was a pure-hearted knight who remained faithful to one person.

    Thirty years after he disappeared in the 4th ck Disaster, his only wife also passed away in her sleep. That only true love he had ever loved died of natural causes, and Knight Kudel¡¯s descendants are still continuing the bloodline of the Seville family in Nantes city, which has developed into a quite impressive force.

    That family has always been famous in the Sn nobility circle for being descendants of the Nantes Ranger, but it¡¯s unknown whether Kudel has any hidden thoughts in his heart about these descendants?

    ¡°So, is the interference from the subspace on your mind still there?¡±

    Murphy asked, holding his wine ss.

    Kudel, sitting with his back straight like a standard knight, shook his head and said hoarsely in response to Murphy¡¯s question:

    ¡°I can hear voices, asionally see hallucinations, and chaotic scenes appear in dreams during dormancy. I have regained most of my will, but a part of me has been taken away forever by it.

    The scariest thing is, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯ve lost.

    This destines me to live in seclusion hereafter.

    I¡¯m not sure if I will lose control again, lose myself in those dark calls again, I don¡¯t want to hurt people.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, clear speech, and mentally stable too.¡±

    Murphy pointed to his own ear, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, perhaps because your bones are too hard, after directly facing the subspace, that chaotic will also lost interest in your stubbornness. After all, there are plenty of pushovers in this world.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk business.¡±

    The Civilian Protection Officer seemed unwilling to say too much about these personal matters. He lowered his head and took a sip of wine, saying:

    ¡°About those things you mentioned before.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s talk about the uingrge-scale gnoll extermination.¡±

    Murphy put down his wine ss.

    He took out a map of the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory from the drawer and spread it out in front of Kudel. It had already been marked with many gnollirs of various sizes.

    These were all results reported back after reconnaissance by Frayzer and the Witch Hunters. Just looking at those densely packed dots, one could tell how serious the gnoll problem was in the Transia region.

    The lord pointed at the map and said to the Civilian Protection Officer:

    ¡°The ck Disaster ising, in no more than six months! The Goldflower Kingdom and Nordtov Kingdom have promised to aid us in the battle, but they require us to clear out the gnoll gue on thisnd before the ck Disaster breaks out.¡±

    ¡°This is necessary!¡±

    Kudel¡¯s life ended 110 years ago in the 4th ck Disaster, so when Murphy mentioned the threat of gnolls, the Civilian Protection Officer immediately became serious.

    He said in a deep voice:

    ¡°We must speed up! Once the ck Disaster takes shape, these wandering bandits will be the vanguard of the barbarians. I will set out immediately.¡±

    ¡°No, wait a moment.¡±

    Murphy stopped him, saying:

    ¡°I believe in yourbat power, and I¡¯m also sure that given enough time, you alone could sweep clean all the gnollirs on thisnd. But we need efficiency, and I also need to take this opportunity to train troops.

    Organizing new recruits for the extermination is Maxim¡¯s responsibility, you don¡¯t need to worry about this aspect.

    I need you to lead my warriors as the vanguard!

    You¡¯ve seen them and fought alongside them, how do you feel about them?¡±

    ¡°Valiant, fearless, contemptuous of death, and diligent in learning.¡±

    Kudel evaluated without hesitation:

    ¡°However, theyck discipline, are arrogant and quite¡­ quite chaotic! Not just in actions, their thinking also seems to bepletely different from normal people, too active and uncontrolled. This destines them to never be excellent soldiers, but as elite scouts and hunters they are exceptionally perfect.¡±

    I can lead them!

    They all have talent and I¡¯m willing to do so, but they must obey my orders!

    There¡¯s no room for negotiation on this point.¡±

    ¡°Of course, this is actually very easy to achieve, as long as you grasp the correct method of interacting with them.¡±

    Murphy pointed to the Computation Bead tied to Kudel¡¯s wrist, saying:

    ¡°You¡¯ve already learned how to use that thing, so I guarantee they will be the best hunters under yourmand. I hope you can generously teach them advancedbat techniques. Especially those who don¡¯t n to be vampires, but are still willing to contribute to thisnd.

    For example, teach them to be ssical knights like you, teach them how to use greatswords, teach them advanced horsemanship andbat experience, and so on.

    I¡¯m in great need of such ¡®mentor¡¯ type roles right now.

    Additionally, I can give you 13 positions. You can recruit your own ¡®warriors¡¯ and your own ¡®champion warriors¡¯ from among them.

    This doesn¡¯t mean you have to take on the responsibility of raising them.

    I¡¯ll be responsible for that!

    You just need to teach the people you¡¯ve chosen, help them grow quickly and uncover their potential.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Kudel thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

    But soon, he raised a question:

    ¡°I saw the scene of their deaths, but they don¡¯t really die, do they? So what exactly are they? The legendary ¡®heroic spirits¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s an interesting way of putting it.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s eyes lit up.

    He stood up straight, rubbing his brow, and said:

    ¡°They can be heroic spirits, at least when we promote it externally they can be. If necessary, we can indeed describe them as such in the future, but in reality, they are spirits from another world.

    This is a high-end spirit energy spell.

    I can hardly exin the specific principles to you. You just need to know that their existence is not a bad thing, and they are all kind-hearted ande from an orderly ne. As long as they are well-guided, they can be trustworthy people.

    Other than that, do you have any other questions?¡±

    ¡°No more.¡±

    Kudel stood up, drinking the wine in his hand in one gulp. He said decisively:

    ¡°I will set out tomorrow morning. Hopefully, they are already prepared.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush! The time will be the day after tomorrow. Their mobilization needs some time, and the cavalry sent out by the Witch Hunters also need time to make their final report.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°You also need time to recuperate, even if it¡¯s just one night. You need new equipment, new weapons, a new warhorse. You need a new image that¡¯s attractive enough! I¡¯ll have these prepared for you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such trouble, I only need my sword¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! My Civilian Protection Officer, trust me, all of this is necessary! Also, I know you don¡¯t acknowledge your vampire identity, Tris and I won¡¯t force you.

    But in the management system of the territory, you will be reappointed as themander of the Civilian Protection Officer for the entire Transia. We will specially create a position for you, which will be separate from the army, militia, and city police, and can be seen as a supervisor and punisher representing the majesty of Transia¡¯sw and administration.

    You can bestow the title of ¡®Civilian Protection Officer¡¯ to anyone you value and approve of, and you willmand these elite warriors who have sworn to protect.

    In addition, I will also give you the title of ¡®Hunting Baron¡¯ and a small fief near Anderma Hills.

    You must ept!

    There¡¯s no room for negotiation on this. Neither I nor my Crimson Regent will allow you to stay outside the new order we are building.

    Please understand, Lord Kudel!

    This is all for the stability of Transia. Only when this ce is stable enough will the people you wish to protect not suffer more hardships.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°So, you mean we can still have the title of ¡®Rat Gang¡¯ and have gained the qualification to im territory in the sewers? And we must restart the ck market business?¡±

    Lady Dorothy, who had changed into new clothes and had a full meal feeling like she hade back to life, was now standing in front of the Crimson Regent¡¯s desk.

    Her bandaged face was full of astonishment as she said to Baroness Miriam, who was drinking tea with a tired look:

    ¡°And we also have to participate in the operation of something called ¡®Fight Club¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes! This is your work content for the next period.¡±

    Miriam drank her energizing tea and instructed this gang leader in front of her in an official tone:

    ¡°In addition, you will also shoulder the responsibility of teaching skills to Transia¡¯s warriors. For example, if someone wants to be a thief or infiltrator, you need to help themplete their job change, as well as sell some rted skill manuals and professional supplies.

    The lord has also delegated the authority to issue daily ghoul extermination quests to you.

    You and your guys need to stay in the sewers to monitor the movements of the ghouls in the lower levels.

    Even if the Witch Hunterspletely seal off that ce, you must remain Duty-Bound, until the day in the future when the undead underground arepletely cleared out.

    You need to understand, you were involved in that incident and did something wrong, you admitted this yourself, so you must shoulder the responsibility of dealing with this mess!

    Consider it as atonement.

    In a while, there will be specialized administrative staff to teach you how to use the Computation Bead to issue quests. You must learn this before officially taking up your duties. This is part of the administrative staff¡¯s business assessment, and you can¡¯t be given an official position if you don¡¯t pass.

    Also, your organization will be affiliated under the Shadow Intelligence Bureau led by Lady Adele. When she returns, you need to take the initiative to find her for handover.

    Any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this!¡±

    Dorothy felt her worldview was being challenged. She eximed:

    ¡°What normal person would desire to be a thief? Will there really be people making such outrageous career ns? And why do we have to be responsible for exterminating ghouls? I want to do what I can for those who died tragically, but now the Rat Gang, including me, only has 4 people left!

    It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to do it, it¡¯s that we simply can¡¯t!

    Lady, do you have some misunderstanding about our abilities?¡±

    ¡°This is your job content, no objections allowed!¡±

    Miriam¡¯s eyes widened, the regent¡¯s authority overwhelming. She scolded:

    ¡°Upholding your integrity as a social instrument and not bargaining at the work level is a professional ethic that a glorious Transia civil servant must have! If you don¡¯t n to serve in the sewers, I can only throw you into the patrol team heading to Foul Swamp.

    Think carefully about where you want to go.

    Also, your application for the title of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ is already under review. If you do well in the first month, you can receive the honor.

    But if you don¡¯t do well, there will be more professional people to rece you.

    As for exterminating ghouls, did you not bring your ears?

    You¡¯re just asked to issue daily quests!

    Next, naturally, there will be warriors to help youplete all this. You just need to be responsible for clearing the ghoul teeth and ws they bring back and sending them to Lady Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage. Then there will be specialized personnel to settle the profits for you.

    The Fight Club is operated by the Baron of Leim, go to him if you have any questions. I¡¯m not responsible for answering your questions about that!

    Anything else you want to ask?

    If not, then go wait in the room next door.

    In half an hour, someone will teach you the work responsibilities and daily regtions of civil servants. You¡¯d better learn seriously.

    If you¡¯re found unable to fulfill your work responsibilities¡­ well, your fate probably won¡¯t be too good.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Lady Dorothy¡¯s head was spinning. Finally, she stammered:

    ¡°So this means we¡¯ve been incorporated by the Count, right? We¡¯re on the government payroll now?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    Miriam took a sip of tea, trying to dispel some of the fatigue from working continuously through the night.

    She yawned, rubbing her sore temples, and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s just a probation period now, so you¡¯d better show your work ability! If you don¡¯t pass the assessment next month, don¡¯t even think about getting your position allowances, and forget about job promotions at the end of this year.¡±

    ¡°So, the entire sewer is our territory now?¡±

    Dorothy asked again in a daze.

    But the regent was toozy to say more to this person who couldn¡¯t broaden her horizons. She waved her hand, and immediately a burly Witch Hunter guard came forward and very politely ¡°escorted¡± Dorothy out of the office.

    ¡°Hehe, hehe.¡±

    The former gang boss chuckled as she returned to her three loyal underlings, patting the shoulders of these three worried guys and saying:

    ¡°Boys, our luck hase! The Count of Kadman needs us to serve his lordship¡¯s territory. Let¡¯s all work hard and strive to get the title of ¡®Administrative Knight¡¯ next year. Also, the entire sewer is under our management now!

    Our Rat Gang has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, we¡¯re going to be big and strong.¡±

    ¡°Uh, boss, it¡¯s not good to keep using this name, right? Look, the four of us barely survived, and after all, we¡¯re people with status now. Why don¡¯t we change our name and say goodbye to the past?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that makes sense! Then let me think about what our new name should be¡­¡±

 Chapter 216:

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well. Such dangerous demonic objects are not something you can handle right now. In the future, if you find simr items, make sure to turn them in promptly.¡±

    In the Blood Vulture Halls, Tris was carefully yet casually flipping through the ¡¶Midnight Book¡· turned in by two little yers.

    Feel You Poor and Life Is Pretty Good watched the book in front of them. They saw that every time Lady Tris turned a page, strange spirit sparks would pop out of the odd book. These were the spirit echoes of the mental curses contained within being broken by Lady Tris¡¯s spirit energy.

    This scene made Life Is Pretty Good break out in a cold sweat.

    He had been thinking about flipping through it on the way here.

    But with the density of curses on this book, he probably wouldn¡¯t have made it through a few pages before being finished off.

    These cultists¡¯ creepy things were really terrifying.

    ¡°Cultists often use this kind of shallow mental induction to tempt those with weak wills. Once you read it without protection, it means your mind will suffer irreversible damage.

    However, speaking of the book itself, it is indeed a legendary item.And it¡¯s quite valuable.¡±

    Tris looked at the various dark arts recorded in the book with interest and exined to the two curious little yers:

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to trace when the original Midnight Book was created, but the most credible ount I¡¯ve heard is that this thing has been circting in the shadows of the continent for at least 400 years. It¡¯s regarded as a holy relic by some spirit mages who have fallen into darkness, but in essence, it¡¯s just a grimoire recording various forbidden spells.

    It¡¯s said to be divided into three volumes.

    They are the ¡®Trickery and Destruction¡¯ you found, which records techniques of darkness and death factions, the ¡®Book of Astral Truth¡¯ that records knowledge of sub-space, and the ¡®Scroll of Dagon¡¯ rted to a legendary evil god.

    You¡¯re lucky, you picked up the most harmless volume.

    Although the knowledge in it tends towards curses, corruption, and darkness, it doesn¡¯t involve more troublesome demonic powers.¡±

    ¡°So, Lady Tris, is this the genuine article?¡± Feel You Poor asked curiously.

    Tris nced at this little darling with a mature woman¡¯s smile as if looking at a little fool, shaking her head gracefully and saying:

    ¡°How could it possibly be genuine?

    If it were genuine, you two would have be irredeemable and physically distorted lunatics due to the spirit impact the moment you saw it.

    This is just a very high-quality handwritten copy.

    However, the recorder likely saw the Trickery and Destruction volume in person. Look, he even thoughtfully added some annotations.

    I¡¯ve heard that the genuine Trickery and Destruction volume was personally confiscated from cultists in the Cato region by Lord Mairedin, the previous Purification Master of the Circle Tower, and stored in the Forbidden Tower of the Circle Tower. That was over 190 years ago.

    Just a year before I was dered dead.

    Ah, ancient stories.

    But you¡¯ve done well, and you deserve a reward.¡±

    Tris pulled out two scrolls from the drawer, quickly wrote orders on them and handed them to Feel You Poor and Life Is Pretty Good, saying in a charming yet gentle tone:

    ¡°Go find the Blood Vulture quartermaster. Each of you will receive a mind protection ring made by me as a reward for promptly turning in the demonic object.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your generosity! Your Grace.¡±

    Feel You Poor epted the note with a beaming smile. After ncing at it, he found it was a reward for a part of the ¡°n Guard¡± set, which made him even happier.

    That was the ¡°top-tier set¡± in the current version. Getting a part for just doing a quest was a huge profit!

    However, Life Is Pretty Good had some other expectations.

    He said softly:

    ¡°Um¡­ Grand Duchess Tris, I¡¯m actually quite curious about this knowledge. Could I¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to learn?¡± Tris rolled her eyes.

    She thought to herself that these otherworld warriors were truly ignorant and fearless. Even after being told that vampires, who are called ¡°evil spirits,¡± view this thing as a demonic object, he still dares to defy the world and learn these things.

    But then she remembered little Murphy¡¯s instructions. After some thought, she said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but I need to filter out those dangerous spells that you can¡¯t learn first. Afterward, I¡¯ll allow you to copy some of the knowledge. However, warrior, you must first prove your potential as a spirit mage.¡±

    Tris drawled, putting on a serious face and speaking officially:

    ¡°First, bring me 30 bottles of fine wine. I need them toplete aplex purification ritual for this evil spirit book. The wine must be at least 30 years old, and there can¡¯t be any duplicates.

    The longer they¡¯ve been cered, the deeper the purifying power contained in those mellow substances.¡±

    ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll do my best to collect these for you. Thank you for your generosity, Lady Tris.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good saw that he had triggered the ¡°Trial of the Trickster¡¯s Apprentice¡± quest and left the Grand Duchess¡¯s office contentedly with Feel You Poor.

    On their way out of the Blood Vulture Halls, Life Is Pretty Good savored his conversation with Lady Tris and said softly:

    ¡°The NPC¡¯s modeling is so bewitching, it¡¯s like there¡¯s a hint of charm in her very bones. I wonder what her favorability¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t say it! This is a topic that can¡¯t even be mentioned! Shut up quickly!¡±

    Feel You Poor was startled and quickly covered his outspoken good friend¡¯s mouth. He looked around and warned:

    ¡°Lady Tris is Lord Murphy¡¯s official CP. Although it¡¯s not explicitly stated in the game, their rtionship is just like that. If you dare to make dirty jokes and get heard, it¡¯ll be terrible. You know those high-level yers like Brother Meow King?

    They made dirty jokes everywhere and got cursed by Lady Tris. Their luck in the game is particrly bad.¡±

    ¡°Ah? There¡¯s such a saying?¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good widened his eyes and said:

    ¡°So, does this game really have a hidden ¡®luck¡¯ value?¡±

    ¡°There should be, I guess.¡±

    Feel You Poor couldn¡¯t give a definitive answer either.

    After all, theoretically, he was also just a newbie who had been in the game for less than 20 days.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find a ce to log off.¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good had been ying for a day and was a bit tired, so he pulled his good friend towards the exit, saying as they walked:

    ¡°I¡¯lle find you in a few days, let¡¯s meet up offline.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean log off? I¡¯m already in sleep link status, I¡¯m already asleep in reality. If you¡¯re tired, you can log off yourself. I still have several quests to do.¡±

    Feel You Poor¡¯s schedule was very full. He counted on his fingers and said:

    ¡°The daily reputation quest for the Kadman People¡¯s Army, the reputation for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and the ticket quest for the fighting club. Later I have an appointment with Pomegranate and the others to do the ¡®Advance into Blood Vulture Halls¡¯ raid. Finally, there¡¯s the summoner skill practice!

    Bursting Belly said he¡¯s already found several poisons unique to Transia that can be given to the manticore. I need to go out and look for them, and take Bursting Belly to level up.

    I¡¯m still busy.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Are you ying a game or going to work?¡±

    Life Is Pretty Good couldn¡¯t help but cover his face and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s just a game, isn¡¯t it enough to have fun? Why so tired?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, you haven¡¯t experienced the fun of this game yet. Later you¡¯ll be like me too, young man.¡±

    Feel You Poor wore an expression of an ¡°experienced person¡± and grinned, whistling casually as he summoned his manticore to descend from the sky. He mounted it and disappeared into the morning light of dawn.

    Life Is Pretty Good pouted and opened the ¡°sleep link program¡± of his game helmet.

    He stretched his body in reality, closed his eyes and went back to sleep, then opened his eyes again in the game.

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s already dawn.¡±

    He felt this strange experience of ying games while sleeping and ¡°crossing between two worlds,¡± feeling as if he was really dreaming. He was about to go to the administration office to wake up his two assistants.

    Just after the two little rich guys left, Tris received a beadmunication from Murphy.

    The lord asked her to meet in a certain area under the Blood Vulture Halls. The witch hunters had initial conclusions from their research on the remains of the ghoul overlord at the bottom of the sewers, and Murphy thought Tris should know about this.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess immediately rubbed her brow. The fact that little Murphy was so cautious fully indicated that the corpse used as the ¡°cultivation base¡± for the ghoul overlord also had some background.

    This made Tris can¡¯t help butin why things in Transia are always so terrible? It¡¯s just like pulling cassava, you pull out one and a whole stringes with it. You can never guess how many awful consequences an unexpected event will trigger.

    Butining aside, as the strongest person currently stationed in Crimson Citadel, Tris couldn¡¯t abandon her responsibility to thisnd.

    She quickly arrived at Murphy¡¯s side.

    It was an abandoned room at the bottom of the halls that had just been cleared out by workers a few days ago. It had now been set up by witch hunters with many natural wood carvings and ritual tools to create a barrier to prevent the overflow of death spirit energy.

    But natural spirit energy wasn¡¯t kind to vampires either, so Murphy, Maxim and Tris could only stand outside the room, watching Grandma Marianne, Old Eugene and Natalie deal with the remains of the ghoul overlord inside.

    This thing hadn¡¯t fully formed yet, but the residual Netherworld power meant it couldn¡¯t be casually discarded. It was like a ¡°source of pollution¡±, simply digging a hole and burying it could easily trigger a second undead disaster.

    ¡°We estimate we¡¯ll have to burn it,¡± Tris said, examining the witch hunters¡¯ handling process in the room. She fiddled with the Sonata scepter and said to Murphy:

    ¡°We can¡¯t use ordinary mes to burn it. The purifying fire from Natalie¡¯s holy sword can help usplete this task, but what exactly did you want me to see by calling me here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s two things,¡± Murphy said, opening a wooden box in front of him. Inside were 10 pale, twisted bone ws and a pile of ghoul teeth tainted with foul power. These were ¡°materials¡± just obtained from the ghoul overlord, all ssified as ¡°high-level rare materials¡± when appraised.

    He didn¡¯t want to waste them, so he said to Tris, who had a strange look in her eyes:

    ¡°I hope you can use your superior alchemy skills to process some of these things, make them into battle swords and short swords or daggers, preferably make a ¡®Ghoul King¡¯ series. This way I can have more rewards to give to my warriors in the future.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Tris rolled her eyes and said:

    ¡°Your personality really suits being a housewife, little Murphy. Can¡¯t you stand even a little waste?

    This ghoul overlord hasn¡¯t truly formed, resulting in insufficient concentration of death gue on its ws and teeth. Even if weapons are made, they won¡¯t be as high-level as you think. Alright, alright, we¡¯ll make the most of everything. I¡¯ll find time to make them for you.

    But since we¡¯vee this far, why not take out its eyeballs too?

    Those can be made into ornaments for reconnaissance. And the tendons can be tanned with alchemical materials to make bowstrings. The sturdiest few bones can make two protective shields. If you don¡¯t mind, the ghoul overlord¡¯s extremely stretchable barbed tongue can even be made into a whip.

    Hmm, looking at it this way, it¡¯s all treasure!¡±

    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I call professional!¡±

    Murphy gave a thumbs up and eximed. Then he took out aputation bead to ry Tris¡¯s instructions to Guildmaster Natalie who was busy in the room.

    He could clearly see the shock and helplessness on Natalie¡¯s face outside the room, but the Guildmasterdy of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t object. Instead, she sighed tiredly, picked up a pair of fully protective gauntlets and a boning knife made of sacred oak from the side.

    She was apparently preparing to fulfill her lord¡¯s request to ¡°waste not, want not¡±.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s the second thing,¡± Murphy said, handing the box containing the ghoul overlord materials to Maxim, who held it in his arms. He stood guard here, listening to Murphy¡¯s description to Tris.

    The vampire lord looked at the final purification taking ce in the room filled with green light, and said softly to Tris:

    ¡°Grandma Marianne just told me that they¡¯ve identified the ¡®original form¡¯ of this ghoul overlord. It was a dwarf, and a frost dwarf at that. Unfortunately, it¡¯s been too severely eroded by Netherworld power to determine his original identity.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? A frost dwarf?¡±

    Tris was truly shocked this time.

    As the well-informed Crimson Witch, she immediately realized the strange aspect of this matter. She frowned and said:

    ¡°No matter which n of dwarves, even those ¡®exiles¡¯ whomitted grave errors and are not recognized by the three ns, they all strictly follow the teachings of Gaia, the Mother Earth. Regardless of identity and status, after a dwarf dies, they return to the mes, and their ashes are buried in the funeral temples located beneath the earth.

    Theoretically, unless an irreversible ident urs, it¡¯s very difficult to find an intact dwarf corpse in the material world.

    Those shorties¡¯ adherence to tradition is beyond your imagination. They once paid the heavy price of 200 deaths to retrieve the corpse of a warrior. I witnessed that with my own eyes when I traveled the continent years ago.

    To be able to form as material for a ghoul overlord, the person must have been a Golden Rank powerhouse in life. Even among dwarves, there wouldn¡¯t be many such individuals.

    I haven¡¯t heard of any dwarf powerhouse dying an unnatural death in the past decade or more.

    Let alone having their corpse stolen.¡±

    ¡°What about further back?¡± Murphy asked.

    ¡°Perhaps they obtained this corpse as material decades or even over a hundred years ago?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Do you think necromantic spells can be cast with just any corpse?

    What those cultists or orthodox death masters pursue is that peculiar ¡®essence¡¯ preserved when a corpse crosses from life to death. Especially for high-level necromancy like this, the selection of the subject is even more stringent.¡±

    Tris corrected:

    ¡°The universally recognized school of death spirit masters, those Moon Priests of Sanghai, would even startplex rituals before the subject¡¯s death to make their death plete¡¯, in order to obtain more perfect casting materials.

    That was a gue ghoul overlord!

    It¡¯s a rare high-level undead even in the Netherworld ne. The timing and conditions needed to cultivate such a thing in the material world are beyond your imagination.

    This dwarf¡¯s time of death cannot exceed 5 years! Absolutely not! And if the witch hunters have confirmed he was a frost dwarf, then perhaps we can investigate a bit in Frosthold in the Great Wilderness through that flirty fox Shani¡¯s channels.¡±

    Tris nced at Murphy and said:

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m just offering a suggestion. It¡¯s impossible to get Shani to help you without paying a price, so now it depends on how much you crave this ¡®truth¡¯. However, my thought is, let it go, little Murphy.

    Dealing with dwarves isn¡¯t a pleasant thing, and this involves the dangerous ¡®Dusk¡¯. If you want Shani¡¯s help, you¡¯ll have to tell her some things, but you can¡¯t be sure if the Thorn n is ¡®safe¡¯ either.

    This will greatly increase our current risk.

    We can keep this urn of ashes, and then when the time is right, send more trustworthy people to the Great Wilderness to return it. But for now, your curiosity needs to be suppressed a bit.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way to get a clue?¡± Murphy said, still not giving up:

    ¡°Like some spirit magic that can extract the deceased¡¯s memories? This way we can at least confirm the identity of this ¡®Dwarf Victim Mr. X¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you called me over. I thought you just simply wanted to see me. Tch, men.¡±

    Tris snorted quite discontentedly, shaking her head and saying:

    ¡°Such magic does exist, but I can¡¯t do it. My understanding of death magic isn¡¯t sufficient to cast that level of ¡®necromancy¡¯. Perhaps you could find a genuine Moon Priest who can do it. I guess they¡¯re probably the only ones in this world who can.

    But those death servants of the Sanghai Empire never leave their ce of origin.

    So, let¡¯s talk about it when we have the chance in the future.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, we have another secret that makes people anxious. I have a feeling that once Mr. X¡¯s identity is revealed, it will bring another bloodbath,¡± Murphy sighed and said:

    ¡°Sigh, why are things in Transia always so terrible?¡±

 Chapter 217:

    The urn containing the ashes of ¡°Dwarf Victim Mr. X¡± was ced on the wooden shelf in Murphy¡¯s office at dawn. For some strange sense of ¡°ceremony¡±, Tris even found a dwarf-style ceramic urn to hold these ashes.

    Actually, ording to dwarven tradition, using a metal container would obviously be more formal.

    For example, Brass Dwarves would use brass or gold urns, Silver Dwarves naturally use silver urns, and Frost Dwarves generally use cold iron urns. It is precisely because of this unique tradition that there are always many valuable items in dwarven grand tombs. However, there aren¡¯t many grave robbers on the continent who dare to go to dwarf cemeteries to steal things. The dwarves¡¯ pettiness and maintenance of traditions are unimaginable to humans. If you offend them, it means this debt will be remembered until you die.

    In extreme cases, it may even affect future generations, after all, dwarves are long-lived races, and they really hold grudges.

    However, Murphy felt that even if this urn of ashes was sent back to Frosthold in the Great Wilderness ording to dwarven tradition, those Frost Dwarves might not necessarily want it.

    This thing has been ¡°contaminated¡± after all.

    Even if the Master Witch Hunters did their best to purify it, it would be difficult to bring more dignity to this unjustly dead person.

    Being used by Dusk even after death, nearly causing a ¡°scorched earth¡± tragedy thousands of miles away in Transia. If that dwarf Golden powerhouse knew about this in the afterlife, he might really have to thank the vampires for the ¡°redemption¡± they brought him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trouble you to ¡®stay¡¯ here for a while, Mr. X,¡± Murphy said, cing the dwarf¡¯s ash urn upright. He gently patted the urn and said in a strange tone:¡°When we figure out your identity and background, we¡¯ll send you back to your hometown for a grand funeral. Oh, by the way, I heard from Tris that your tradition is to be buried in the earth, but Crimson Citadel doesn¡¯t have a Gaia temple, so I found this for you.¡±

    He ced a package of soil that Maxim had dug up from underground around the urn, saying:

    ¡°Hopefully this will add a bit more dignity to your already departed life¡­ What the hell? Is this thing trying to reanimate?¡±

    Murphy had just piled the soil around the ash urn when he saw faint earthen-yellow light emanating from around the soil, like invisible hands embracing the urn¡¯s surroundings. But the vampire lord strongly suspected if he was hallucinating due tock of sleep.

    Because this anomaly disappeared in the next second.

    Considering that Maxim had randomly dug up the soil from a cave, and that his vampire descendant was certainly not a proper Earth Priest, Murphy¡¯s expression quickly became strange.

    He knew that he, this vampire fiend, had once again ¡°encountered the supernatural¡±.

    He stepped back, wiped the dirt off his fingers with a handkerchief, and then summoned the semi-transparent character interface before his eyes, opening the deep data mode to carefully check the battle records. Sure enough, he saw a very familiar record:

    ¡¾07:25:39 ¨C You ced fresh soil around the ash urn of ¡®Dwarf Victim Mr. X¡¯, attempting to give this unknown deceased some dwarvenst rites.

    07:25:40 ¨C Your prayer for the mysteriously identified Victim Mr. X alerted an Astral Realm Great Spirit rted to dwarven civilization through the earth¡¯s perception.

    07:25:41 ¨C The Dwarven Deity, Master of All Mountains and Earth, Foundation of the World, The Unbreakable One, Mother Earth Gaia, cast her gaze upon you.

    07:25:42 ¨C Gaia discovered you¡¯re a vampire, She made a disgusted expression, but She quickly realized your uniqueness, you attracted Gaia¡¯s attention.

    07:25:43 ¨C Gaia saw your act of bestowing final dignity to Her poor offspring, She was very pleased.

    07:25:44 ¨C Mother Earth bestowed a blessing, thend of Transia became more stable and fertile, your territory will not experience any earth-rted disasters for 12 months, all nting activities will yield an additional 10% harvest.

    07:25:45 ¨C Gaia shifted her gaze, She temporarily lost interest in you.

    07:25:46 ¨C The attention of the Astral Realm Great Spirit disappeared.¡¿

    ¡°Why do I feel this isn¡¯t surprising at all?¡± Murphy sat back in his chair, couldn¡¯t help but rub his brow. If it were an ordinary vampire, or even a veteran like Tris who had experienced great storms, they would certainly panic when noticed by a deity.

    But this ¡°one-of-a-kind¡± treatment among vampires was not the first time Murphy had tasted it.

    First it was Avalon, then the God of the North Wind, and now Mother Earth. Murphy increasingly had a strange feeling that he guessed his journey would ultimately involve contact with all the faith lords currently on this continent.

    It¡¯s hard to say if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but so far, his contact as a vampire ¨C a piece of shit in the eyes of deities ¨C with three Astral Realm Great Spirits has been quite ¡°friendly¡±. Not only friendly, but Avalon even gave him a blessing.

    This is probably something no one would believe if Murphy said it, but that¡¯s the fact.

    The deities don¡¯t reject him, and coupled with old Finoch¡¯s prophecy before his death, Murphy increasingly feels that his own ¡°background¡± is mysterious.

    ¡°So, what exactly is ¡®Alpha¡¯?¡± The vampire lord couldn¡¯te to an effective conclusion no matter how hard he racked his brains, but he quickly realized that he shouldn¡¯t waste time on these strange encounters. He currently has more important matters that urgently need to be dealt with.

    So Murphy grasped his core bead, first checking the status of the yers.

    After confirming that all little yers except for the unfortunate ones who died had entered sleep mode, he copied the pre-edited text to the forum, and soon an official post was refreshed on the forum:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡· Today¡¯s Online Update Announcement:

    Yo, cute babies, seems like you¡¯ve stirred up something big in the game again! The development team¡¯s deadly chain of phone calls woke me up from my baby-like sweet sleep to hurry and release an announcement.

    Really, this time I truly hate you guys.

    Now I¡¯m still wearing my beloved star pajamas, rubbing my eyes, drinking coffee, sitting in front of theputer, sorting out this text that you must understand and see.

    Okay, let¡¯s get to the point.

    Thanks to the brave and keen test babies whopleted the random event ¡®Ghoul Rampage¡¯ today with lightning speed, this officially represents that the hidden dangers underground in Crimson Citadel have been discovered and dealt with, and Lord Murphy can finally put all his energy into the main process of expanding his rule.

    This also means that the first chapter of the main quest storyline will officially progress to the next stage!

    The following are the update contents:

    1. The main quest Chapter 1 ¡¶The Dawn of Transia¡· is updated to the second stage ¡®The Shadow of the Gnolls¡¯.

    As is well known, the gnoll bandits of Transia are a big problem, especially after Kadman City was destroyed by disaster. The only force that could previously suppress the rise of gnolls has perished, and those barbaric foreign races are now itching to make trouble. Any lord with ambition would not allow their subjects to live in the shameful predicament of being surrounded by foreign bandits.

    After thorny internal problems have been resolved, how to deal with the foreign races surrounding the decadent territory bes a trouble that must be solved.

    As before, Lord Murphy needs the strength and wisdom of the babies.

    This storyline adds an important NPC:

    ¡¾Nantes Ranger/Crimson Civilian Protection Officer/Hunting Baron¡¿ Kudel Feodoro Seville Lessenbra.

    The brave and fearless Civilian Protection Officer who has dedicated his life to the cause of protection has finally recognized the nascent regime before him and is willing to use his strength for the protection of Transia.

    Any yer who aspires to help maintain the territory can go find Lord Kudel and receive the initial quest for the gnoll shadow from him, and under the leadership of the Civilian Protection Officer, eliminate those dangerous foreign races and reim thend of the Transian people!

    Developer¡¯s note!

    Lord Kudel is not only themander for eradicating gnolls, but he himself is also a quite powerful leader who has mastered variousbat techniques. Afterpleting his personal quest, yers can learn multiple advanced skills from him.

    However, Lord Kudel is very strict in selecting his followers. If you want to gain his favor, you must be prepared to ept his tests.

    P.S.:

    This storyline will adopt special gamey to progress, and the specific rules will be exined after the babies trigger the quest. Additionally, what can be revealed is that this storyline will end with the opening of the second ¡°team dungeon¡± in the game.

    So what are you waiting for?

    Hurry up and contribute your strength and wisdom to Lord Murphy¡¯s great cause!

    2. New faction ¡®Blood Rat Gang¡¯ implemented in the sewer area.

    The sewers of Crimson Citadel hide countless secrets.

    Not only are there vaults left by various gangs, but also some long-circted legendary stories.

    In the eyes of treasure hunters, the sewer is a treasure trove hidden in the shadows. As long as you have enough skill and luck, you cane out fully loaded.

    As for the Blood Rat Gang

    Well, this is just a small organization that was fortunately recognized by Lord Murphy, but their background is not simple. The stories about these infiltrators and thieves will have to be discovered by the yers themselves.

    Afterpleting a series of quests for the Blood Rat Gang, yers aspiring to walk the path of shadows can go to ¡®Razor¡¯ Dorothy to change their profession to be real thieves and infiltrators, or learn a trick or two of unsavory grave robber skills.

    After all, as the saying goes, the more skills you have, the better.

    Along with the Blood Rat Gang faction, a brand new story-based 5-person dungeon ¡®The Rat King¡¯s Doomsday¡¯ is also open. The dungeon challenge can be unlocked afterpleting the Blood Rat Gang quest line.

    In addition, due to their hatred for ghouls, the quartermaster of the Blood Rat Gang will sell rings made from ghoul teeth and essories made from ws. If you can bring them very good materials, they are also happy to make ¡®Ghoul¡¯ series equipment for you.

    Including but not limited to Ghoul¡¯s Tooth Dagger, Ghoul¡¯s w Short Sword, and Ghoul¡¯s Skin Set.

    Uh, don¡¯t worry, the ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Skin¡¯ here is just an adjective, you don¡¯t really need to go and peel off those disgusting skins.

    P.S.:

    This dungeon is a trial dungeon prepared for ck Iron Rank babies, with rtively high difficulty, but there are clearly hidden drops and more than one. So, collectors, start acting now!

    3. Fight Club¡¯s first season event ¡®Walking with Ghosts¡¯ is about to begin!

    Maxim, who is eager to see warriors appear, has prepared rewards and opponents for those who are about to make a name for themselves in the Fight Club. The Blood Pact Knights from the Dark Mountain range also n to establish their undefeated reputation in Transia, and there are dangerous elite creatures from the wilderness or underground waiting to be subjugated.

    What are you waiting for?

    Hurry up and get a ticket through various channels to participate in this carnival of blood and gold.

    Oh, by the way, for new yers, if you don¡¯t know what profession to choose, why not start your gaming career as a ¡®diator¡¯.

    Win with rewards, lose without punishment! Guaranteed profit, waiting for you to fight!

    P.S.:

    After the 3-month season event ends, yers with over 100 victories will receive the limited title of ¡®Duelist¡¯ and a cool mysterious mount gifted by the Baron of Leim.

    If you can achieve a series of harsh consecutive victory achievements, there are mysterious grand prizes waiting for you.

    It is said that Lord Murphy once obtained quite powerful treasures in the Blood Vulture n¡¯s vault, but I believe he will only bestow these truly divine weapons and equipment to the bravest of the brave!

    4. A new profession system will soon be open, revealing in advance that it¡¯s the favorite of little pervert yers who like to y dark flow gamey.

    5. Optimized more realistic physics engine and added more interactive intelligent NPCs.

    6. Fixed a small number of bugs.¡¿

    As usual, this post attracted manyments below, but the yers who were struggling in the game at this time were not very active. Instead, the ¡°appetite-whetting party¡± who couldn¡¯t get into the game were wailing all over.

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾Damn! Howe it¡¯s updated again! We haven¡¯t even gotten in yet, and we¡¯re already behind by a version? Can we even y this?¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾This game doesn¡¯t even exist, right? Is it that a bunch of administrators¡¯ alt ounts in the forum are just teasing us? Hey, don¡¯t pull me! I¡¯m not crazy! This must be a non-existent urban legend, right?

    Unless you give me a helmet, I absolutely won¡¯t believe it!¡¿

    Mustard Madman: ¡¾Freeloading, right? Why don¡¯t you divine for yourself?¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾Divine your sister! Not in the mood to divine, okay.¡¿

    Honest Dog Egg: ¡¾So, can someone tell me when the next invitation code will be released? My good buddy Ah Yuen ys games every day and doesn¡¯te out to team up with me anymore, which proves this ghost game must be more fun than the games on the market.

    Ah, it¡¯s so frustrating, give me an invitation code quickly, please, Brother Alpha! Give me a chance to be your dog, I can also suck up!¡¿

    Night Phantom Bat Puppet: ¡¾Brother, you¡¯re ying a bit pervertedly.¡¿

    Vomit Sauce: ¡¾Uh, has anyone seen ¡®Half Off With Full Coverage¡¯? Wasn¡¯t he said to be in this game too? Howe I haven¡¯t seen him post on the forum?¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾??? How do you know his ID? Is this online family searching again?¡¿

    Vomit Sauce: ¡¾Hey, don¡¯t mention it, it¡¯s a long story. Anyway, if you see him appear, just @ me, thanks everyone.¡¿

    Multi-Turret Chief Disciple: ¡¾Ahhh, I just dreamed that I got the game helmet, I dreamed that I was flying in the sky with several vampires, damn, how exciting it was in the dream, how disappointed I am after waking up.

    Alpha Company, you¡¯ve done all the bad things!

    @Alpha, Brother Alpha, give me a helmet, please, you¡¯ve made middle-aged people lose sleep with your constantly released CGs.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Not that bad, brother, really not that bad.¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾A wild administrator appeared! Great Ball! Throw!¡¿

    Terra Nova: ¡¾Administrator little brother! Tell me honestly, is there really any inside information about the invitation code distribution? Everyone is waiting to hear.¡¿

    Corki the Pilot: ¡¾Give me a helmet, brother, can I buy it? You give the card number, I¡¯ll press zero with my eyes closed, it¡¯s all fate whether I pay more or less.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾I¡¯ve said that the factory is already working overtime, everyone please don¡¯t rush! At most one month, okay! I promise on behalf of thepany, there will be a new batch of helmets distributed in at most one month.

    However, this indeed has to be distributed ording to the testing progress, meaning that the little yers currently in the game must push the story progress to the next stage first.¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾Got it! I¡¯ll be a cyber overseer right now! If they dare not y the game properly ande to the forum to show off, we¡¯ll severely whip them!¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Uh, that¡¯s not what I meant, but. whatever makes you happy.¡¿

 Chapter 218:

    Murphy chatted with a group of ¡°impatient yers¡± on the forum for a while, bringing them good news that a batch of new helmets would be distributed within a month.

    This wasn¡¯t Murphy making empty promises.

    He could confirm that he would definitely have new helmets in half a month, because in half a month, the 6,000 armed Blood Servants captured by Nordtov would be sent back to Transia.

    This had been confirmed by Lady Palen from Bataxin city.

    Murphy¡¯s ¡°food manager¡± emphasized this point in a confidential report to the lord, saying that the ¡°informant¡± newly developed by the Winter Wolf Legion had been sent to escort those prisoners from the railway construction site in the Great Wilderness to Transia.

    It would take time for so many ves to return to Transia from the freezing Great Wilderness, and Nordtov still needed to fill in the vacancies. Murphy conservatively estimated it couldn¡¯t be done in less than a month, but as long as the prisoners returned to Transia, it would count as an increase in the poption. This was Murphy¡¯s confidence in making the promise.

    There were still 10,000 captured Blood Servants waiting to be sent back from the Goldflower Kingdom, which meant Murphy already had 160 guaranteed helmets in hand.

    These were enough to cover all the ¡°impatient yers¡± currently on the forum, and even give one to each of those ¡°mysterious identity¡± guys.

    He nced at the application area, where arge number of applications were waiting for approval, totaling nearly 500. It seemed that the ¡°promotional efforts¡± of the little yers were quite effective. Thanks to various ¡°CGs¡± they recorded with the helmets being constantly forwarded in various online groups, more and more people came out of curiosity, which also made Murphy¡¯s review work extremely heavy.¡°Why are there so many Paradox Interactive yers?¡±

    When Crimson Citadel entered the sunlit daytime, Murphy, hiding in his office, rubbed his brow and sighed:

    ¡°These war criminals are really everywhere. But now is the construction period, it¡¯s not good to recruit too many war hawks, so I can only let you wait a bit longer. When ck Disaster approaches, it will be time for you to put your skills to use.¡±

    Murphy grinned, approved about 50 applications and sent out invitation codes after reviewing, but the distribution of game helmets would have to wait, after all, he didn¡¯t have spare resources at hand now.

    Murphy was about to close the forum when he found that a tester named ¡°Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion¡± had sent him a private message in his admin inbox.

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Boss Boss! I¡¯m a small content creator on a certain site, I want to organize the current materials on the forum to make some derivative content, may I get authorization?¡¿

    This private message made Murphy fall into silence.

    He realized that this could perhaps be a new ¡°promotional method¡±, but such proactive promotion might also bring him certain ¡°troubles¡±.

    However, having an extra channel to reserve some qualified manpower wasn¡¯t a bad thing.

    With this consideration, Murphy replied to the private message.

    Alpha: ¡¾Are you there?¡¿

    After waiting for several minutes, the other party finally replied.

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Yes yes yes! Boss, sorry about that, I was just ying the ¡°Smuggler¡¯s Woods Interception Battle¡± dungeon with some buddies, nearly wiped on the Wolfsbane BOSS¡¯s ws.

    What can I do for you?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾You just said you¡¯re a content creator, nning to make derivative content from our game¡¯s materials, right? Are you doing this professionally?¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Embarrassed.jpg, no, it¡¯s just a hobby, I don¡¯t even have 100 followers, my main job is in sales, I just stream some games in my spare time.

    When filling out the form, I was just thinking that adding more might increase the chances of getting approved, sorry for the misunderstanding.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾It¡¯s alright, listen to me, ourpany currently has no ns to promote the game and probably won¡¯t in the future, but derivative works are fine, we¡¯ll open up the copyright in this aspect. You can create derivative content from the materials, but don¡¯t help us promote too officially, it¡¯s best not to even mention the game¡¯s name!

    We don¡¯t need that right now.¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Ah, really? Can¡¯t even mention the name? Alright, I¡¯ll try. Our game¡¯s quality is top-notch, I¡¯m already addicted, it¡¯s a shame not to promote such a good game and let more people y it.

    But, if my followers see the materials and want to apply as well¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Let them fill out applications, you can create your own group, and follow the normal procedures for the rest. We have a very professional and effective screening mechanism for this, of course, you should also have a focus when recruiting followers.

    RP yers, strategy game yers, and yers seeking immersion are the top priorities.

    Skip those who prefer the evil faction.

    There¡¯s no ce for them in the current test n.¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Oh, okay, anything else I need to be reminded of? When can I start working on the materials?¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾You can start now, but I must warn you, the quality of images exported from the helmet might severely decrease on other devices, this is unavoidable, currently simr products on the market can¡¯t handle some of the design specifications of our game.¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Why not just make a CG movie then? I have friends who specialize in this, we can use high-quality first-person perspective in the game for a one-shot!

    No secondary editing would be more authentic, and I¡¯m not very confident in my editing skills anyway.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Hmm, that¡¯s not a bad idea. Let your friend fill out an application, we¡¯ll give them a test slotter.¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Okay, thank you Boss for giving me this opportunity! So how about the revenue? Do I need to pay for some copyright¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾No need, if you do well it¡¯s all yours, the development team encourages derivative works. If you really feel ufortable about it, then just fulfill your responsibilities as a tester in the game, conscientiously advance the plot to help us betterplete the test n.¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Mmm! No problem! I¡¯ll do my best.¡¿

    Seeing the little yer so earnest, Murphy burst outughing. It was the first time he had seen little yers so enthusiastic about working without pay, which made him feel even better.

    Hmm, perhaps cultivating a few content creators in another world could also be an effective promotional method?

    He nced again at those guys with the ¡°Intelligence Gatherer¡± trait who were active among the ¡°impatient yers¡± on the forum. After all, he had already been ¡°targeted¡±, right?

    They couldn¡¯t possibly cross over to another world to catch him, could they?

    If they really could do that, Murphy would rather thank them.

    Speaking of which, even the living conditions of being arrested and imprisoned for ¡°illegal crossing¡± would be much better than staying in Transia, right? The only question is, is the world on the other side the Earth he once lived on?

    Hmm.

    Probably not, right?

    The vampire lordughed at his own thought.

    He took out his old pocket watch to check the time, stood up and stretched in his office, wearing the Frostfang de and waving to summon Necessary Evil to follow.

    He was ready to find a ce to start today¡¯s sword practice.

    With the help of the sword training master ¡°Evil Master¡±, he had finally practiced all the sword techniques imprinted on the magic sword to Novice level, but the Summoner knowledge still needed hard work and diligent study to hone. Next, there was still much to be busy with.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Sigh, I never thought that I, with my lifetime of reputation, would end up wiped out by a group of ghouls, it¡¯s really fucking frustrating.¡±

    Offline, at a foot massage parlor.

    Meow King, wearing a loose bathrobe, sat in a massage chair and let out a long sigh. He ced his feet in a warm medicinal bath tub and put a towel on his face, looking boneless.

    Besides him, the four big guys and cousin Little Hand were also there, six people arranged in a circle enjoying their rare leisure time.

    Although Meow King¡¯s software outsourcing studio hadn¡¯t been officially closed, it was basically as good as shut down. They had been immersed in the game for a whole week, ying to their heart¡¯s content, but after the unexpected setback, they had to return to the real world to gather.

    Taking this opportunity, Little Hand, as the team¡¯s ountant, reported the finances to everyone.

    ¡°The gold coins distributed by Brother Stick, the equipment that everyone doesn¡¯t need, and the two deeds we got, we kept one and traded the other to Little Rich Brother. If we exchange at a 1:10 ratio, just countingst week¡¯s ie, it¡¯s about 100,000, minus expenses.

    Uh, actually there weren¡¯t many expenses, each person can probably get over 10,000.¡±

    Little Hand calcted on his phone for a while, then turned to the others and said:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, the ie doesn¡¯t meet the standard at all. Forget about what I said before, this doesn¡¯t even reach your previous ie levels.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t even set up the framework yet, what are you calcting? And this ie is already not bad for just starting out, we were prepared to starve for three months,¡±

    ck Stockingsined:

    ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t we decide to be information brokers in the future? But none of the three situations our brother Meow King summarized were sold, leaving people disappointed for nothing.¡±

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t understand shit!¡±

    Meow King pulled down the towel on his head, curled his lip, and said:

    ¡°Our information only has a gimmick, of course it won¡¯t sell for a good price, but don¡¯t rush. I n to take a trip to the ruins of Seicob City in the north during this mission to eliminate the gnolls. There must be some good information there, it¡¯s just a matter of how much we can get.

    Think about it, even Brother Stick and his team need a long time to collect scattered information when exploring for treasure. It doesn¡¯t matter if we spend more time, after all, we¡¯re just starting our business, it¡¯s better to be slow than to rush.

    And to be honest with you, I have a big job on hand now.¡±

    ¡°How big?¡±

    Nofap took a sip of juice beside him and asked. Meow King grinned and said:

    ¡°Big enough that if we pull it off, us brothers won¡¯t have to worry about making a living for at least 5 years!¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    The others exchanged nces, no one spoke, but their eyes were full of doubt.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Meow King snorted, putting on an air of ¡°holding all the cards¡±. He snorted and said:

    ¡°Do you remember the game announcement for version 2.0 mentioning a mysterious Expansion Pack that¡¯s about to be released? It was just briefly mentioned, and no one has paid attention to it until now, let alone discuss it on the forum. Everyone just treated it as a gimmick.

    But I tell you, I¡¯ve already guessed what that Expansion Pack is about.

    ck Disaster!

    To be precise, the gnoll tide running out from the Dark Mountain range is a crisis that could overturn the continent. The development team didn¡¯t lie, they really embedded clues about this event into the current game progress.

    For example, if you chat a bit more with those 30 members of the Blood Pact Knights team, they¡¯ll turn the topic to their concerns about the ck Disaster. And when you go to Maxim to turn in weapons you don¡¯t need, that guy asionally says ¡®This thing will definitely be useful for preparing against the ck Disaster¡¯.

    Most importantly, that vampire Andrei from the Thorn n!

    He asionally drinks tea alone in the Blood Vulture Halls. If you go over and recite some poetry to him, if he¡¯s satisfied and in a good mood, he¡¯ll give you a few books. Sometimes there¡¯s one called ¡¶ck Disaster and Transia: Chronicles of Cmity¡·.

    I flipped through it the other day and found that it¡¯s a collection of stories specifically recording the four historical ck Disasters.¡±

    ¡°Awesome, Brother Meow!¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks blinked and said:

    ¡°So, you mean the reason why the Thorn n and the Blood Pact Knights are sending people to Transia at this time is because the fifth ck Disaster ising?

    You think there¡¯s a business opportunity in this?¡±

    ¡°Of course! The time limit for our main quest in Chapter 1 is 6 months! If I were to guess, the end of Chapter 1 would be when the ck Disaster officially breaks out.¡±

    Meow King narrowed his eyes and slowly exined his n:

    ¡°This is a war!

    The entire Transia and even the whole continent will be involved. We know the news of the impending war several months in advance. If this were in reality and you happened to have some capital on hand, what would you do to maximize profits?¡±

    ¡°Stockpile supplies?¡±

    Little Hand said, rolling his eyes:

    ¡°Mainly war supplies, like gunpowder and such.¡±

    ¡°Medicine! Food.¡±

    Old Tune also pulled down the towel covering his face and said:

    ¡°Of course, weapons would be best! Make some war profits. I think I know what you mean, but we don¡¯t have capital on hand! That¡¯s in the game, the in-game currency we havebined isn¡¯t enough to collect raw materials.

    The gold coins Brother Stick gotst time were all bought by Little Ashina.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, that¡¯s the regrettable part. We¡¯ve caught the opportunity but can¡¯t eat alone, unless we can quickly find another simr treasure.¡±

    Meow King shook his head and said:

    ¡°So, I n to make a trip to Seicob City to see if there¡¯s any profit to be made there. If we can get some startup funds, then we¡¯ll do it ourselves. Spend 4-5 months stockpiling various supplies and sell them to Lord Murphy when the war breaks out, or simply sell them to other factions at several times the price.

    Make a fat profit in one go!

    If we can¡¯t get the funds, then we can only cooperate with others.¡±

    ¡°If you can think of it, others can find the information too,¡±

    Little Hand said in a low voice:

    ¡°Especially those girls, I heard they¡¯re all high IQ. This news definitely can¡¯t be kept secret. I think we might as well team up with them in advance. At worst, we split the profits evenly. We¡¯ll treat this as tuition.

    In the future, when we have enough capital on hand, we¡¯ll go solo.¡±

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another way,¡±

    Old Tune suggested:

    ¡°We could team up with Brother Stick. Didn¡¯t he start apany with Little Rich¡¯s support? He¡¯s paying sries to support his nine subordinates every month. If we can negotiate, let Little Rich provide the money, we provide the manpower, plus Brother Stick and his brothers¡¯ execution ability. With both sides joining forces, we might really be able to pull this off!

    The main question now is, what do we stockpile?¡±

    ¡°Weapons are definitely the most profitable,¡±

    Meow King narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°Have you noticed that the guns in the game are different from those in reality? And I know that among this batch of new yers entering the game, there happens to be someone who ims to be very Proficient in this area.

    Brother Stick is also half an expert.

    No matter how good a single-shot dwarf hunting rifle is, how can itpare to a rapid-fire AK when ites to real warfare?

    Don¡¯t forget, we have data on all firearms from World War I to the present, which can even be found online. The only problem is, how to turn them into physical objects in the game.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Brother, you¡¯re nning to be an arms dealer in the game!¡±

    Little Hand eximed, and the other four big guys burst intoughter.

    But afterughing, these six men who originally came for a ¡°foot massage¡± enthusiastically continued to discuss their business, talking for two or three hours straight before finally shaping their overall n. They even bewildered the familiar boss of the establishment.

    Hey, have you guys changed your ways?

    If you really want to chat, why not go to a teahouse? What are you doing here?

 Chapter 219:

    The newly opened faction ¡°Blood Rat Gang¡± now has only 4 people including Dorothy. They¡¯ve just set up their stall outside the entrance of Sewer No. 7, and immediately about a dozen waiting yers crowded around them.

    These were all folks nning to pursue thief and stealth paths. They had been longing for simr ss changes before, but this damn game only introduced stealth gamey now, which was really disappointing!

    Bah! Extremely poor gaming experience!

    However, the little yers who came excitedly left disappointed one by one, because the stealth assassins in this damn game seemed to be slightly different from the image they had imagined of killing someone in ten steps without a trace.

    ¡°What? What did you say? Stealth? Yes, I know stealth, but that visual concealment effect you mentioned isn¡¯t something an ordinary Professional like you can learn! To summon shadows to cover your body so Proficiently, you need to be at least ck Iron Rank.¡±

    ¡°I can teach pickpocketing skills too, but don¡¯t you need to practice? If your technique isn¡¯t good when stealing wallets on the street, you could get beaten to death!

    Look, there¡¯s a pot over there, see? Use two fingers to pick it up after the sand is heated, if you seed in one try, you¡¯re considered a Novice. After that, practice picking up soap with your fingers in a basin of hot water.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s throwing sh powder randomly? How can you throw it like a smoke grenade? Your technique is too poor!¡±

    The 4 members of the Blood Rat Gang were quite exhausted by the yers¡¯ endless questions. It wasn¡¯t until now that Lady Dorothy realized what a hot potato she had taken on.She was getting a headache from the yers¡¯ strange requests, and remembering the skills she learned in the ¡°Basic Civil Servant Course¡±, she simply shouted to quiet everyone down, then somewhat clumsily used the Computation Bead she was issued to give them daily quests to eliminate ghouls.

    Want to learn skills? No problem! Bring me 10 pairs of ghoul teeth and ws first.

    With this move, the 4 members of the Blood Rat Gang finally got a moment of peace.

    After the noisy little yers left, Dorothy sat tiredly on a wooden barrel and said irritably to her 3 subordinates who were looking at her:

    ¡°What are you looking at? Get to work! Set up our camp first. Daisy, when theye backter, you teach them how to shadow walk. Freeman, you teach these guys how to pickpocket and cut purses. Old Pete, teach them searching and disguise.

    After they¡¯ve all learned, I¡¯ll teach them how to connect with shadows.

    These rookies heard from somewhere that they can instantly melt into shadows and disappear suddenly. Damn, I¡¯ve only heard that shadow elves might be able to do such high-level techniques, but it took me several years to learn!¡±

    Dorothy ranted thoroughly, but the work still had to be done.

    As she was directing her 3 subordinates to work, she suddenly saw a figure wrapped tightly in ck cloth sneaking along the wall towards her.

    This outfit made Lady Razorugh outright.

    ¡°Hey, you over there, are you dressed like that because you¡¯re afraid people won¡¯t notice you in the crowd? Read too many third-rate knight novels, right?

    Hurry up and get rid of that unfortunate outfit.¡±

    She sat on the wooden barrel and said to this little yer who was stunned in ce, with an air of seniority:

    ¡°The first thing to do if you want to be a thief is to learn how to disguise yourself, but definitely not like this. I suggest you go to the main street and see what kind of people are the most ordinary, then learn to disguise yourself as them.

    When others never notice you, you can be considered a Novice in the thief profession.

    In our line of work, the lower your presence, the better.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    That little yer was quite obedient.

    After Dorothy finished speaking, he quickly took off his ¡°night clothes¡±, revealing the novice squire leather armor he was wearing underneath.

    This guy¡¯s face was quite young, a very young fellow, but he seemed very reluctant to interact with others, his eyes constantly wandering, not daring to look at Dorothy.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± said the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s big sister, shaking her head.

    ¡°Your demeanor is very suitable for being a petty thief, but that¡¯s not how we do things in the way of thieves. Come on, chest out, head up, tell me what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Frostfang w.¡±

    The little yer answered honestly, but he was clearly keeping a low profile.

    From the mind microphone plugin inserted in the Computation Bead, it was clear that this guy was also someone with ¡°some wealth¡±. Little yers who could spend 20 gold coins on plugins right after entering the game were still a minority.

    ¡°You want to be a thief?¡± Dorothy asked again, and he nodded vigorously.

    ¡°First go and get the ghoul teeth and ws, bring them back to prove your determination and potential. Of course, as a thief, you can¡¯t just think about fighting, so you can also try to steal the wooden boxes our Rat Gang left there from among the ghouls on the third level of the sewers.¡±

    Lady Razor waved her hand and said:

    ¡°We left in a hurry earlier, and many things were left there. If you can bring them back, it shows you have a talent for this line of work. But I must tell you, stealing from ghoul-infested areas is much more dangerous than face-to-facebat. Those creatures are very sensitive to scent and life.

    You weigh it up yourself.¡±

    ¡°Is one enough?¡± Frostfang asked softly, and Dorothy nodded.

    She thought for a moment, then took a very special small wooden tag from her waist, carved in the shape of a rat as an identity marker.

    She said:

    ¡°Some of the ghouls on the third level of the sewers carry these, which proves they were once members of the Rat Gang. It¡¯s difficult for me to collect their remains now. But if you can bring back one identity tag, I can also count it aspleting your initiation task.

    If you steal it back, I¡¯ll personally teach you how to be a thief, but let me be blunt.

    This is basically sending you to your death.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    The little yer saw that he had triggered a Hidden Quest, and immediately perked up. Without waiting for Dorothy to speak, he turned and ran out, making Lady Razor shake her head.

    She had seen many reckless Transians before, but this was the first time she had seen someone as reckless as this. However, thenguage of these guys is so strange, it¡¯s not thenguage of the mountain people at all!

    Dorothy grumbled in her heart:

    ¡°I¡¯ve traveled the continent, and I¡¯ve even hidden from pursuers in the mountain people¡¯s forests. If these guys are really mountain people, I¡¯ll cut off my head and give it to that cunning vampire lord. Where on earth did he find these impostors?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hey, buddy! That sword you¡¯re carrying is interesting, where did you get it?¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick, who had wrapped himself up tightly, was riding his tall horse up and down the street, preparing to go to the library in the Blood Vulture Halls to find some information about ¡°Transia Treasure¡±, when he unexpectedly saw a bald new yer carrying a very exaggerated-looking sword on his back, moving wood at a construction site.

    It sounds a bit miserable.

    But for newly entered yers with empty pockets,ing to construction sites to move bricks to earn some extra money and grind character levels is also a very good choice.

    However, the weapon on this guy¡¯s back caught Joy Stick¡¯s interest.

    As an old yer who entered the game at the very beginning, he had never seen such an obviously ¡°impractical¡± weapon appear around Crimson Citadel. Brother Stick vaguely remembered seeing something simr in some corner of the inte.

    It seemed to be a weapon from a manga with a strange style.

    ¡°Ha, you¡¯ve noticed my cool weapon, right? Brother Stick.¡±

    Seeing that Joy Stick was attracted by his weapon, the new yer with the ID ¡°Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle¡± crossed his arms proudly andughed. He introduced proudly:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t my giant shark de awesome and powerful? I spent a gold coin to have this custom-made! It¡¯s a perfect match for my appearance, right?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I remember where I¡¯ve seen it before, you little guy are a madman!¡±

    Joy Stick retreated a step hesitantly. He stared at the slightly crazy bald yer in front of him and said:

    ¡°Where did you get this weapon custom-made? It¡¯s solid, right? Are you sure you, as someone who just entered the game, can lift it? It¡¯s as tall as you are!¡±

    ¡°It is a bit heavy, but it doesn¡¯t matter. If I can¡¯t wield it now, I¡¯ll just treat it as physical training. As long as I pass the ck Iron Trial, I¡¯ll definitely be able to pick it up and kill all around!¡±

    The bald yer pouted, saying a bit reluctantly, which made Onboard Joy Stickugh out loud. This brother had spent money to get himself apletely useless ¡°cosmetic¡± weapon?

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me where you got the weapon custom-made?¡±

    Joy Stick asked again. The Giant Shark Uncle, busy moving wood, pointed to the camp and said:

    ¡°There are two brothers over there who opened a cksmith shop. They started doing business yesterday. It¡¯s cheaper than what NPCs sell and they can customize the appearance. Not just me, many brothers have ordered from them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Have the life profession brothers finally figured it out?¡±

    Joy Stick immediately became interested. He said goodbye to the brick-moving Giant Shark Uncle and rode his horse towards the forward camp outside the city. From a distance, he saw a tent surrounded by several people, with some engaged in transactions:

    ¡°Buddy, you can customize weapons, right? Give me a Frostmourne!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, that¡¯s a two-handed sword. You can¡¯t even lift a solid one, choose something else.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then how about a Yamamagatsu sword?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s no problem. Go pay the deposit over there! Come back in 4 days to pick it up. Do you want decorations and a scabbard? That¡¯s an extra gold coin if you do.¡±

    ¡°I want a ¡®Moon Cutter¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Get in line at the back, how dare you cut in line.¡±

    A group of new yers were arguing noisily, making Joy Stick sigh that skilled people could always find work anywhere. He got off his horse and walked to the edge of the tent, casually picking up a ¡®curry stick¡¯ that the two cksmith yers had just made and examined it.

    As soon as he activated item identification, Brother Stick quickly lost interest.

    It was a standard Recruit level item, with nothing exceptional in terms of craftsmanship or Quality. The only advantage was its unique design and beautiful Damascus pattern.

    However, this was indeed slightly better than the squire swords currently used by new yers, because it had two additional properties: ¡¾Durable¡¿ and ¡¾Easy to Maintain¡¿.

    ¡°Brothers, isn¡¯t your pricing a bit low?¡±

    After the yers who had ordered custom weapons left, Brother Stick walked into the tent and said to the two life profession yers busy around the anvil:

    ¡°I think with these two additional properties, you could sell them for 3 gold coins and people would still buy.¡±

    ¡°Go away! Where did this profiteere from?¡±

    ¡°Hundred Forging Great Horse¡±, whose face was ckened with soot from forging, waved his hand impatiently and said:

    ¡°Brother, we¡¯re busy grinding our forging proficiency here. Selling things is just a side benefit for our brothers. Besides, these iron ingots used for skill grinding are public property of the camp. We¡¯d like to sell them for more, but the NPCs won¡¯t allow it.

    If you¡¯re not ordering a weapon, then get lost. We¡¯re training apprentices here, no time to chat with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll order, who said I won¡¯t?¡±

    Joy Stick¡¯s eyes rolled, and he took out a small bag of gold coins from his Spirit Bag and threw it on the table nearby. He said to the two manufacturing yers who were obsessed with forging des and had several NPC apprentices:

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to form a guild, and it¡¯s a good opportunity to get a batch of standard weapons for my brothers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a rich guy.¡±

    ¡°Master Broken de¡± next to him picked up the small bag and nced at it, saying:

    ¡°What style are you nning to order? And we have quite a lot of orders piled up here, you¡¯ll probably have to wait half a month before you can get your goods.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry,¡±

    Joy Stick said with a smile.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t want these standard goods for neers. Can you make Masterwork weapons with special properties?¡±

    Upon hearing this, the two guys who were skilled at forging des in reality and even more at home in the game immediately exchanged nces.

    Their faces showed an expression of ¡°finally met a sucker¡±.

    Master Broken de rubbed his hands and enthusiastically invited Joy Stick to the tent next door. He said:

    ¡°To be honest, brother, my younger brother and I have been researching the manufacturing system in this game. We¡¯ve found that to forge equipment with special properties, we need to add some special materials.

    Here¡¯s the deal!

    You bring us the materials we need, we¡¯ll only charge forbor.¡±

    As he finished speaking, under Joy Stick¡¯s astonished gaze, a quest frame suddenly popped up in front of him.

    ¡¾Order Quest ¨C ¡®Pursuit of Masterwork¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Content: Crimson Citadel¡¯s official cksmith ¡°Master Broken de¡± requires you to help him collect a series of rare materials to forge custom weapons for you. The list of requirements is as follows.

    Time Limit: 48 hours.

    Quest Reward: Custom Masterwork weapons X10, can be collected after forging ispleted.¡¿

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Brother Stick widened his eyes, looking at the smiling Master Broken de in front of him. He eximed:

    ¡°You can give quests to other yers? This is really off the charts!¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s so surprising about that? This is the ¡®exclusive benefit¡¯ for us manufacturing yers.¡±

    Master Broken de waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Brother, I stay in this cksmith shop all day long, and I¡¯m not interested in fighting. Where do I have time to go out to level up and find materials? This is exactly where youbat professionse in handy.

    Let¡¯s put it this way, you bring back the materials, we help you make Masterwork weapons, and we can grind our proficiency at the same time.

    Hey, killing two birds with one stone.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    This was the first time Joy Stick learned about the special mechanism of manufacturing yers. He quickly asked in confusion:

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t fight monsters and only grind skills, how do you handle the ck Iron Trial?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a trial only for youbat professions. We craftsmen don¡¯t pursue these things, our trial is called the ¡®Craftsmanship Trial¡¯.¡±

    Master Broken de exined:

    ¡°It can be triggered when the cksmith profession reaches level 10. The requirement is to independently and consecutively craft three Masterwork ¨C Veteran weapons with more than three special properties.

    And manufacturing andbat professions don¡¯t conflict. Everyone has three profession slots, right? If we get tired of crafting, we can go out and fight some monsters too.

    Anyway, I approve of this game¡¯s degree of freedom.

    By the way, are you going to ept my quest or not? And what style of weapons do you n to order for your guild members? Do you want fantasy-style or more practical ssic styles? Do you want me to rmend some?¡±

    ¡°No need, KA-BAR will do.¡±

    Joy Stick epted the order quest and said, which immediately made Master Broken de¡¯s eyes light up, instantly knowing this person¡¯s unusual background.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°Do you want the ssic version or thememorative version? I¡¯ll tell you in advance, the quality of the iron ingots provided by the camp is average, so even if it¡¯s Masterwork, don¡¯t expect it to be as durable as the original.

    Also, thememorative version costs extra!

    And the waiting time will be longer, because the special anti-rust treatment and handle are more troublesome to make. My younger brother and I still need to get some specialized tools in the game before we can start working.¡±

    ¡°If you can make thememorative version, that¡¯s even better! Money is not an issue, after all, you can¡¯t buy it in reality, so it¡¯s fine to y with it in the game.¡±

    Joy Stick¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Then he looked at Master Broken de with a strange expression. With a sense of awe, he said in a low voice:

    ¡°What do you do in reality, brother? From what you¡¯re saying, do you havememorative versions in stock? Willing to sell?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a humble man with a small knifepany, making a living.¡±

    Master Broken de grinned and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°We do have stock, but I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t afford that price. There¡¯s no need to be a sucker in reality if you¡¯re not a dedicated collector. Anyway, this game is so realistic, it¡¯s good enough to y here.

    My younger brother and I are preparing to start replicating ssic knives in a while, why don¡¯t you pre-order one?

    Since you¡¯re a fellow enthusiast, we can negotiate on the price.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Joy Stick thought for a moment and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with a Napoleonmand sword.¡±

    ¡°Piece of cake. Deposit 30, full payment 100, pick up in two months. Guaranteed Quality above Masterwork Veteran.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Why don¡¯t you just rob people? With this money-making speed, I¡¯m thinking about switching to cksmith too.¡±

    ¡°You can. My brother and I also take apprentices. Pay 10 gold coins as tuition, and we can start now. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s expensive. You know Lady Aqua, right? She¡¯s a famous fashion designer, born with the ¡®Master Tailor¡¯ talent. The three tailor NPCs in the camp are now her apprentices, and she can even get special allowances from the administration.

    Sigh, indeed, knowledge is power!¡±

 Chapter 220:

    While Joy Stick and Master Broken de were bargaining, in another tent of the forward camp, three craftsmen with tailoring skills who had escaped from Kadman City were undergoing an ¡°assessment¡±.

    But it wasn¡¯t from Professor Malcolm, who was currently in charge of various production ns in the camp. The deputy of Regent Miriam was standing nearby, with her assistant holding a notebook recording everything happening before them.

    The new yer Lady Aqua, who had the ¡°Master Tailor¡± talent, sat in a chair, carefully examining three pieces of preliminarily tanned leather in her hand.

    She looked very carefully, asionally picking up tailoring tools by her side to test the toughness of the leather, while the three tailors in front of her were anxious, just like students taking an exam.

    The testing of the finished products didn¡¯t take long. After a few minutes, Lady Aqua raised her head with a smile and brushed her hair, saying:

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well. It seems you¡¯ve all mastered the new techniques I taught. We can move on to the next stage.¡±

    Hearing this evaluation, the three tailors in front of her immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

    They were no longer young, and had been tailors in Kadman City for many years. In theory, they should have the pride of being craftsmen, but at this moment, they couldn¡¯t put on airs in front of Lady Aqua.

    The person before them was a true master tailor. On her first day of arriving at Crimson Citadel, she had used her vast professional knowledge to criticize their proud works as worthless.Not only that, Lady Aqua had personally demonstrated to them how to make superior garments using the same materials.

    Thepetition between craftsmen is always simple and brutal, because craftsmanship and works don¡¯t lie.

    The gray suit-like work uniform on Professor Malcolm beside them was made by Lady Aqua, and its craftsmanship and design style were highly praised even by the professor who had lived in Shaldor port for many years and was well-informed.

    Since their skills were inferior, there was no shame in learning from her.

    Especially in Transia, a region with fierce customs, if you¡¯re not as good as others, you have to admit it. If you get hit, you have to stand up straight, otherwise you¡¯ll soon be harshly pummeled by reality.

    ¡°Today we¡¯re going to learn about the improvement and making of half-body inner armor.¡±

    Lady Aqua picked up the leather beside her and took out the previously drawn patterns, calling out to the three professional tailors, then carefully exining this ¡°improved¡± production method to them.

    This wasn¡¯t her original leather-making technique, but her professionalism as a designer and tailor allowed her to easily find this ssical leather armor production method in another world, and with a little processing, she could bring it into the game to teach NPCs.

    What Lady Aqua was teaching was the ¡°Moloch¡± leather-making technique originating from the modern Middle East region. Although ancient in origin, it had been improved by countless craftsmen and was now a masterpiece in this field. The finished products, whether in terms of aesthetics or practicality, were several levels higher than the craftsmanship passed down in the Transia region.

    This world has only progressed 1111 years from the pre-era to now, which can¡¯t bepared with the thousands of years of historical umtion in the little yer¡¯s world.

    In fact, it¡¯s not just leather-making and tailoring. The reason why Master Broken de and Hundred Forging Great Horse could be the leaders of cksmiths in the camp and even bring many apprentices is also due to this kind of historical craftsmanship umtion.

    Just the diverse forging techniques and the use of special methods to remove impurities during the forging process were enough to be called ¡°secret arts¡±, and had already convinced the cksmiths in the camp. It¡¯s not that there are no crafts on this continent that can match these ¡°otherworldly techniques¡±, but they are often held by special groups.

    For example, the dwarves¡¯ forging techniques are unparalleled on the continent, with their quality and craftsmanship not inferior to otherworldly techniques.

    Another example is that the elves¡¯ leather workers also possess quite powerful leather-making secret techniques. However, the problem is that these groups holding special techniques will not so easily pass on their technology.

    Just as Leading Pigeon hadined when learning alchemy, this medieval-background world is still at the level of ¡°technology blockade¡± and ¡°treasuring one¡¯s own broom¡±, and various academic fields have no channels for mutualmunication.

    The ¡°NPCs¡± in the yers¡¯ eyes rarely encounter masters who possess skills and are willing to impart them wholeheartedly. For example, the three tailors in front of them are extremely attentive when listening to Lady Aqua¡¯s exnation, and even take notes of various key points in small notebooks.

    This exnation and teaching didn¡¯tst long. Lady Aqua divided her ¡°course¡± into six lessons. On one hand, she¡¯s abat profession yer, and her littlepanions are waiting to go out and y together.

    On the other hand, Lady Aqua, being a master-level expert in the industry, knows very well that teaching too much at once is not conducive to learning. After she finished her lecture and answered a few questions from her ¡°students¡±, she announced the end of today¡¯s teaching.

    As she stood up and stretched her exaggerated body, Professor Malcolm also came forward timely and said to Lady Aqua in a gentle tone:

    ¡°Thank you for your help to the camp¡¯s handicraftsmen, Master Aqua. This is your teaching allowance.¡±

    His assistant presented a small money bag.

    Lady Aqua didn¡¯t refuse and took it with a smile.

    While other yers were still struggling to do quests and earn money, Lady Aqua had already started to fleece the NPCs. Earlier, when Regent Miriam invited her to give lessons to the tailors, it was already agreed that she would be given 50 gold coins for each lesson, and this was promoted in the form of a manufacturing quest, so Lady Aqua naturally regarded it as her due reward.

    But that¡¯s not all. Professor Malcolm went on to say:

    ¡°I¡¯ve had discussions with Regent Miriam, and we feel that we should have special uniforms made for the administrative managers of the territory to distinguish them from the civilian areas. This is an attempt. Perhaps in the future, depending on the different work shouldered within the territory, more uniforms will be produced.

    The Regent hopes that you can take the lead inpleting the design and production of new uniforms.

    Of course, we will give you the remuneration you deserve.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The Computation Bead on Lady Aqua¡¯s wrist rang, representing the refresh of another new manufacturing quest:

    ¡¾Manufacturing Quest ¨C ¡®New City, New Atmosphere¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Objective: The Regent of Crimson Citadel and her deputy hope that with your outstanding professional knowledge, you can design work uniforms for administrative managers of the burgeoning Crimson Citadel for identity distinction.

    You canplete this quest alone, or guide your current three apprentices toplete it.

    Basic Quest Reward: 300 gold coins.

    Advanced Quest Reward: Additional rewards will be given based on whether your finished product can be approved by Count of Kadman.

    Quest Time Limit: 72 hours.¡¿

    ¡°Aren¡¯t other peopleining on the forum that gold coins are hard to earn in this game? Why have I already earned nearly 500 gold coins in just three days since I entered the game? Is it possible that other people¡¯s way of ying the game is not quite right?¡±

    Lady Aqua epted this quest and made a smallint in her heart.

    She chatted with the erudite Professor Malcolm for a few sentences, and after collecting various elements needed for this design, Lady Aqua, in a good mood, hummed a song and left the tent, leaning on her thorn staff.

    The apprentices of the busy NPC tailors around all stopped their work and saluted this tailor master with a monstrous figure.

    Lady Aqua waved her hand to indicate that these hardworking children need not be so courteous, and even stepped forward to correct some incorrect techniques of leather tanning by a few apprentices.

    After doing all this, she finally left here humming a song. Her fourpanions were already waiting for her not far away.

    ¡°Here, my wages for today, all handed over to the team ountantdy.¡±

    Lady Aqua giggled and threw the money bag to Sister Pomegranate, who epted it with a wooden face. Lady Aqua¡¯s gaming career over the past few days hadpletely overturned Sister Pomegranate¡¯s perception of ¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    If other yers are ying in normal mode, then thisdy in front of her is definitely taking the VIP channel.

    As soon as she entered the game and passed the professional skill assessment, she was personally summoned by the territory¡¯s regent, then given professional quests to teach apprentices, earning wages without spending a penny herself. The most BUG thing was that Lady Aqua, without being in an administrative profession, was still specially assigned two female Witch Hunter veterans with Master stealth action skills as bodyguards for ¡°close protection¡± by the Crimson Regent.

    The reason given was also simple.

    Lady Aqua, this rare master tailor, is an ¡°important asset¡± of Crimson Citadel. Both she and Lord Murphy cannot allow such a manufacturing master to encounter dangers during adventures.

    This treatment.

    Just say, who wouldn¡¯t be envious seeing this?

    We¡¯re all ying the same game, why is your starting point already beyond the endpoint that we old yers have struggled to reach?

    ¡°This is unfair!¡±

    Sitting by the carriage, Little Ashina chewed on a fruit-vored lollipop andined bitterly:

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing that you¡¯re being kept as ady by a rich husband in reality, but howe you¡¯re even being actively supported by NPCs in the game? You big-boobs fairy.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps because I can make clothes and I¡¯m beautiful and kind-hearted?¡±

    Lady Aquaughed, bent down to poke Little Ashina¡¯s cheek, then put her hands on her hips and asked:

    ¡°So, my darlings, where are we adventuring today? I need to log off early today. Besides making dinner for my husband and baby, I also need to spend some time collecting clothing design drawings that fit the game¡¯s background here.

    I just epted a quest to design uniforms for the territory¡¯s officials, with a basic reward of 300 gold coins.

    Although I don¡¯t know what the advanced reward is, I¡¯m unusually full of motivation.¡±

    She looked back at the busy people in the camp behind her and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to like this virtual world. The people here are very simple and eager to learn. They have respect for skills and pursuit of knowledge. Most importantly, they are made very realistically.

    I always feel like I¡¯m in a real otherworld.

    On and waiting to be revived, passing on my knowledge to more people who need it.

    Wow, this feeling is really great.

    It¡¯s like going back to when I was still working. If I hadn¡¯t met my husband, I might have be a professor in the design department by now? Oh my, although I haven¡¯t worked for many years, I still have a heart for teaching and nurturing people.

    However, speaking of leather-making, I¡¯m indeed not an expert. Helping them improve their leather armor making is already my limit.

    To achieve a real breakthrough in craftsmanship, we need to find professional people.

    I think I still have contact information for a few colleagues¡±

    ¡°What? Are you also going to drag people into this pit?¡±

    Lumina, who was polishing her beloved instrument on the carriage, grinned and said:

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who was full of doubts about this game before? You even said we were dragging you into a fire pit, but now you¡¯re enjoying the career of being a master in the game.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Lady Aqua didn¡¯t mind herpanion¡¯s teasing.

    She climbed onto the carriage and sat next to Little Ashina. As the carriage started, she sighed and said:

    ¡°Although I¡¯m satisfied with my life, having a husband who loves me and a pair of lovely babies, the knowledge I learned in the first half of my life is obviously not useful in the housewife profession. I don¡¯t mind that knowledge being sealed in my mind, but now having an opportunity to teach it to people who need it is also very nice.

    Even if they¡¯re just NPCs

    Even if it¡¯s just a game test, this experience of revisiting the past is quite good, and they have many things here that I¡¯m very interested in.

    For example, the unique aesthetic style of vampires, and the exotic charm formed by the unique culture of the Nordtov Kingdom. These designs different from Earth, I find it hard to believe how the development team could create such diverse aesthetic characteristics.

    They don¡¯t seem to be borrowing and reorganizing, but rather designing aplete set of social humanities and customs from scratch.

    Frankly, I don¡¯t think this is possible through purely technological means¡±

    At this point, she paused.

    Fatal Orchid Huahua, driving the carriage in front, grinned and said to Lady Aqua in private chat:

    ¡°So, what exactly do you want to say?¡±

    Lady Aqua nced at Fatal Orchid Huahua and replied in private chat:

    ¡°Character modeling can be made realistic, gamey can be continuously updated, and evennguage systems can be created through special methods, but the details of folk customs and social humanities cannot be entirely based on virtual foundations.

    No matter how advanced their technology is, they can¡¯t achieve this.

    It¡¯s equivalent to creating a world from scratch, which no one can do.

    Because we humans cannot imagine colors we¡¯ve never seen, naturally, we cannot create an otherworld that has never existed out of thin air.

    So, Fatal Orchid Huahua, do you think there¡¯s a possibility.

    I mean, are we really in apletely real otherworld right now?¡±

    ¡°Smart!¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua shrugged and said in private chat:

    ¡°But I can return to reality just by closing my eyes, and there¡¯s even a yer interface and quest system, even a game-like leveling system.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overlooking a very important point. Your thinking has entered a misunderstanding. Is what you see necessarily true? You should know that the current quest system is based on the Computation Bead.

    I specifically asked Lumina, the first batch of testers didn¡¯t have these when they first entered the game.

    I guess, you¡¯ve been deceived¡±

    A glint of wisdom shed in Lady Aqua¡¯s big eyes beneath her gentle smile. She stroked the Computation Bead on her wrist and replied to Fatal Orchid Huahua in private chat:

    ¡°I suspect it¡¯s a conspiracy. Someone has specially created a virtual otherworld for us! Of course, it¡¯s also possible that their technology level is indeed very high, high enough to be indistinguishable from reality.¡±

    ¡°Yes, weck various evidence now, we can only guess.¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua sighed and said:

    ¡°Has Concrete Heart contacted you offline? She warned me yesterday to stay away from this thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she did.¡±

    Lady Aqua snorted and said:

    ¡°But I can¡¯t be bothered with her. She just knows how to show off her wisdom all day, it¡¯s so boring. If my daughter grows up to be like her, I¡¯d really be devastated. I heard she found someone in the group to help her explore the truth, that guy is hiding in the forum now.

    But honestly, this game is really nice for entertainment, so you don¡¯t n to AFK, right?¡±

    ¡°If I leave, what about the three of them?¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua replied helplessly:

    ¡°Especially Little Ashina, you know her situation, she can¡¯t possibly leave this. So, I suggest, let¡¯s pretend we didn¡¯t discover anything and keep our suspicions buried until more evidence appears, okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Lady Aqua brushed her hair and said to Fatal Orchid Huahua:

    ¡°But you need to help me find something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A dictionary!

    The dictionary that children in this world use to learn writing. I want to spend some time learning the writing of this ce. I guess if we can understand the history of this world andmunicate with the natives of this world without relying on the Computation Bead, we¡¯ll definitely be able to find more evidence we need.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Oh my, letting smart people into the game is indeed risky.¡±

    In the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, who had just finished fencing with the ¡°Evil Master¡±, overheard theplete conversation between Lady Aqua and Fatal Orchid Huahua through the core orb. This made him realize that these two cleverdies have started to doubt the authenticity of ¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    He could kick them offline now and permanently block their login permissions.

    But Murphy ultimately didn¡¯t do so.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be hidden.¡±

    He reached out to grasp the Necessary Evil floating beside him, twirled the sword in the darkness of the corridor, and muttered softly to himself:

    ¡°One day, all truths will be revealed. I never doubt the wisdom of mypatriots in this regard, let alone these elite human females. However, discovering the truth is one thing, understanding the facts is another.

    Concealment is just a means, cooperation can achieve a win-win situation.

    I¡¯m also looking forward to the reactions of these super-intelligent beings after knowing the truth. Will they flee in panic from this real world?

    Or will they enthusiastically embark on a truly unique adventure?

    Hmm, I¡¯m looking forward to it.

    Before discovering the truth and making a decision, lend me your strength and wisdom! I need you, thisnd needs you, this world also needs you.¡±

 Chapter 221:

    Among this batch of new yers entering the game, there are no more than 10 yers specializing in manufacturing and administrative professions. The remaining 60 neers are still ¡°ssicbatants¡± who enjoy hacking and shing.

    Moreover, even though manufacturing and administrative professions also have three profession slots, for example, Life Is Pretty Good has already decided to be a reserve vige chief, but this doesn¡¯t prevent him from nning to change his profession to a Trickster apprentice.

    In any case, on the second day after the Dawn of Transia main quest was updated, in the eager anticipation of the little yers, the new NPC ¡°Civilian Protection Officer Kudel¡± finally respawned in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    This guy no longer has his previous appearance.

    Murphy found him a set of sufficiently luxurious and more defensive family elder heavy armor in the family vault.

    The crimson battle armor almost covered Kudel¡¯s entire body, with two huge night bat wing designs on the shoulders giving him that ssic NPC-specific ¡°wildly cool and badass¡± look.

    A crimson greatsword as tall as a person was slung on his back, and with the full-coverage Blood Vulture battle helmet, this guy walked like an iron giant.

    When the yers saw this design, they knew this NPC was full of ¡°the beauty of strength,¡± and as Civilian Protection Officer Kudel¡¯s temporary entourage, the Brother Mao quintet was even allowed to follow him, making them puff out their chests with pride.

    Kudel is a traditional vampire.He avoids appearing during the day, but this high-level spirit armor with built-in ¡°shadow cloak¡± allows vampires to maintain some resistance in sunlight.

    At the very least, ughtering a few gnolls wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Of course, the Civilian Protection Officer has a taciturn personality. Although he took on the responsibility of leading yers to eradicate gnolls from Murphy, he still wouldn¡¯t loudly proim his orders like other NPCs, but instead used the Computation Bead to issue pre-edited quests.

    After waiting for the yers to gather here and reach a scale of 100 people, he led them out of the city in grand fashion.

    The ¡°challenge level¡± of wild gnolls is mostly above level 5, belonging to the middle tier of wild monsters in the Transia region. Moreover, they are very scattered, which makes the difficulty of hunting gnolls actually lower than exterminating those ghouls in the sewers that always move in groups and know how to ambush.

    Most importantly, the outdoor terrain is open and well-lit, much better than that unfortunate, stinky, and dark sewer environment.

    Staying in a ce like the sewers for too long would make anyone depressed.

    Previously, there was no main quest guidance, so yers weren¡¯t very interested in gnolls. Now that the quest has arrived, these gnoll bandits running all over Transia have naturally be the ¡°new darlings¡± of the little yers.

    ¡°Ah, Cheche is finally back at full health!¡±

    Among the crowd, Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, who wrapped himself up like a dumpling to avoid direct sunlight, was hiding in the carriage. These vampire yers shouldn¡¯t be active during the day, but they certainly didn¡¯t want to miss the main quest update, so they came to join the excitement even if they had to endure the daytime debuff.

    ¡°You have the nerve to say that!¡±

    Leading Pigeon in the carriage was irritably concocting healing potions and scolded Cheche, Ah Yuen, and Spicy Gugu Chicken with a re:

    ¡°The stupid thing you three did, trying to fly on your own and getting yourselves killed, is really enough! It makes me, as your dorm leader, unable to hold my head up in front of Meow King and the others. Theyugh at us every time they see us.

    And we had to pay fines for you three!

    250 gold each, let me tell you, this counts as what you three owe us! You¡¯ll have to pay it backter, understand?¡±

    ¡°We understand, who knew these new wings would be so fragile? Good Leading Pigeon, don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    Ah Yuen also had an apologetic expression,forting the angry good pigeon on the side. The three of them knew they had done something stupid, making the team¡¯s already tight cash flow even more strained due to the fines.

    Naturally, they were very obedient now, not talking back even when scolded by Leading Pigeon.

    Spicy Gugu Chicken propped up his face, feeling the constant irritation and difort in his heart as a vampire in the daytime environment. He said:

    ¡°I think we¡¯d better go to the sewers for now, and then go out to hunt gnolls after the sun sets. The vampire race is cool, but the daytime debuff is too ufortable.

    In this situation, forget about fighting gnoll elites, I think even fighting ordinary ck Iron monsters would be difficult.¡±

    ¡°I know, we¡¯re justing out to scout,¡± said Leading Pigeon, vigorously shaking the basic healing potion he had just mixed in his hand to make the alchemical substances blend more smoothly. While busy, he said:

    ¡°We haven¡¯t had much interaction with gnolls before, so we¡¯reing over now to see their strength and fighting style, and to mark out a target area. When nightes, we can start killing directly. The main thing is that we don¡¯t know how this main quest hunting method works right now.

    Is it the traditional ¡®go somewhere and kill a certain number¡¯?

    Or is it a server-wide progress bar mode?

    I asked the veterans in the camp before, and they told me that even in all of Transia, ck Iron Rank gnolls are rare, let alone elite monsters like den leaders.

    My point is that even fighting ordinary gnolls is hard to increase skill proficiency, so we might as well leave that to the new yers and focus on the important targets.

    Maximize efficiency.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that makes sense!¡±

    Ah Yuen, hugging his dual des, said:

    ¡°Gugu Chicken, Cheche, and I need to finish making our tomb badges before tonight to officially change professions. The Ebony Stone we applied for will be issued this afternoon, so we need to go to the sewers to find the ghost tombter.

    But I heard that during the three days we were dead from falling, Brother Stick organized his guild?¡±

    ¡°The guild system isn¡¯t open yet,¡± said Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees, who was applying poison to his vampire night ws without looking up.

    ¡°He just registered at the administrative office, formed a battle team. Besides him and Tiger Leopard Rider brothers, he also recruited 20 neers. I heard Brother Stick wants to train troops during this gnoll eradication operation.

    We all know he¡¯s always wanted to form a rge army¡¯ to satisfy his desire to be amander.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for satisfaction,¡± Leading Pigeon shook his head and said:

    ¡°Brother Stick really is a Mastermander, it would be a shame not to make good use of such a big advantage, right? But Brother Stick has alreadypleted his army organization, while we¡¯re still just scattered soldiers, which doesn¡¯t feel quite right.

    Why don¡¯t we go register a battle teamter?

    When the guild system opens, we can smoothly transition, bring in all the students from our school, and everyone can share resources.¡±

    Just as Leading Pigeon finished speaking, everyone¡¯s Computation Beads vibrated simultaneously.

    ¡¾Main Quest Chapter One ¨C ¡®Dawn of Transia¡¯ has been updated! ¡®Gnoll gue¡¯ operation has been triggered!

    Quest content: The gnoll bandits roaming various parts of Transia have always been an unavoidable problem in thisnd. Although the locals have be ustomed to these robbers and pigers who can never bepletely eradicated, even seeing them as part of thisnd of suffering, for the Count of Kadman who seeks to establish stable rule, gnolls are still a problem that cannot be ignored!

    And now, Lord Murphy has decided to eradicate this poisonous tumor troubling thend of Transia!

    You!

    Brave and loyal warriors, you are the de with which Lord Murphy and the Crimson Citadel dere war on the chaotic wilderness!

    Quest Objective:

    Phase 1: Clear all gnoll bandit dens within the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory in the shortest possible time. After this phase ispleted, it will enter Phase 2.

    Phase 2: The clearing target will expand to all gnoll dens within the entire Transia territory!

    Time limit: Failure toplete Phase 1 within 20 days will be considered a quest failure. Failure toplete Phase 2 within 40 days will be considered a quest failure.

    Quest failure penalty: All testers¡¯ leveling function will be disabled for 30 days.

    Quest Reward:

    This operation is part of the main quest, rewards are calcted using a ¡®point pool¡¯ mode, divided into ¡®individual¡¯ and ¡®group¡¯ pools, with rewards calcted separately.

    Killing a normal gnoll or kobold earns +1 point, killing a ck Iron rank gnoll or kobold earns +5 points, killing an elite gnoll or kobold earns +20 points, killing an elite leader earns +50 points.

    Individual reward pool basic reward: All individuals with over 1000 points can obtain ¡®Hunter¡¯s Key¡¯ x1, with one basic reward for every additional 1000 points.

    Individual reward pool top 10 rewards: Blood Vulture n Warrior Chest Key x1, special title ¡®Gnoll Butcher¡¯.

    Individual reward pool top 3 rewards: ¡®Grand Duke¡¯s Guard¡¯ set x1, special title ¡®Gnoll Disaster¡¯.

    Individual reward pool 1st ce reward: Blood Vulture Named de ¨C Cold Night, special title ¡®Crimson Hunter¡¯.

    Group reward pool basic reward: All groups with over 5000 points can obtain ¡®n Veteran¡¯ set x5, with one basic reward for every additional 5000 points.

    Group reward pool 1st ce reward: ¡®n Guard¡¯ set x10.

    note!

    Group rewards are only open to ¡®battle teams¡¯ officially registered at the Crimson Citadel administrative office.

    Current participating group list:

    Silver Moon Pride Team ¨C Leader: Lumina Yanghen.

    Soldier Strike Macho Team ¨C Leader: Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood.

    Crimson Hammer and Sickle Team ¨C Leader: Onboard Joy Stick.¡¿

    ¡°Damn! We¡¯re the only ones who didn¡¯t register, how did these guys sneak ahead!¡±

    Upon seeing the quest update, good pigeon immediately roared in anger, wishing he could rush back to the Crimson Citadel toplete the registration. It¡¯s all because those three idiots Cheche, Ah Yuen, and Gugu Chicken messed around with flying and got themselves killed, look at how much this has dyed!

    However, the other student party members were focused on something else.

    ¡°This is going to exterminate all the gnolls in Transia!¡±

    Ah Yuen eximed:

    ¡°Just the uncapped point pool and the full 40-day event period are enough for yers to plow through the entire Transia!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, with this level of rewards,¡±

    The usually optimistic Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche also felt sorry for the future of the gnolls in thisnd. He was a yer himself, and no one knew better than him how much power yers could unleash under such terrifying reward incentives.

    Those gnoll bandits roaming thends of Transia were no longer monsters now.

    They were clearly walking points!

    They were humanoid treasure chests!

    ¡°We definitely can¡¯tpete for the first ce in the group reward,¡±

    Does the Cyborg Snail Dream of Electronic Trees sighed and said:

    ¡°Brother Stick¡¯s side has 30 people, they¡¯ll definitely take first ce. But even the basic reward is good enough, although we can¡¯t use the veteran set, we can save them up and sell them to neerster.¡±

    ¡°We might not necessarily fall behind,¡±

    Good pigeon narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°We certainly can¡¯tpete with them during the day, but the night is our domain! Brother Stick needs to train neers, hisrge team operations are destined to only farm normal monsters. We¡¯ll do the opposite! We¡¯ll specifically kill elites at night!

    One elite is worth 10 normal gnolls. As long as we kill enough and fast enough, we might not be inferior to them.

    Ah Yuen, Gugu Chicken, Cheche, go back to the city now to change your profession to Tomb Guard. I¡¯ll go back to register our team, and we¡¯ll start farming tonight!¡±

    ¡°What about enemy detection?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark questioned:

    ¡°Elite leaders won¡¯te out voluntarily for you to kill. The gnolls in this game aren¡¯t stupid either. Once yers mobilize en masse, they won¡¯t stupidly stay in their dens.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how about borrowing troops?¡±

    Ah Yuen suddenly said:

    ¡°Ask Lord Murphy to lend us his powerful bird. That bird¡¯s reconnaissance is very powerful. Last time when we killed the Spirit Hunter at the Circle Tower, it was guiding our direction from above our heads. We¡¯re ¡®Murphy¡¯s Descendants¡¯, the elder should give us this small favor, right?¡±

    While the student party was still thinking and discussing tactics, Onboard Joy Stick at the front had already gotten carried away.

    Under the sunlight, he wrapped himself up like a dumpling, riding on his tall horse and shouting:

    ¡°Brothers! The big score is right now! Brothers of the Crimson Hammer and Sickle Team, follow me! Find the nearest gnoll den! Start farming! Start farming! Farm the hell out of them!¡±

    ¡°Damn, Brother Stick, calm down.¡±

    Tiger Leopard Rider brothers riding on horses next to him quickly pressed Onboard Joy Stick down to prevent him from growing wings and flying out. They shouted:

    ¡°We still need to lead the neers! They¡¯re all waiting for yourmand, don¡¯t rush in and fight hard by yourself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! That team first ce is mine! Whoever dares to drag us down will face militaryw!¡±

    Brother Stick gripped the reins and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°It¡¯s time to show ordinary yers the strength of our professional team. Lord Murphy said I don¡¯t have much feeling for thisnd, I¡¯ll let him see that I can also make the people of thisnd like me and worship me.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Damn, this new main quest is actually a point pool mode? How cunning is that?¡±

    On the game forum, the spectators had also seen the quest notifications fed back in real-time by the yers. They were discussing one by one, but the Meow King sextet were already itching with impatience.

    They had died in Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s reconnaissance mission earlier and still needed a full day to resurrect. They were so anxious now that they were scratching their heads, wishing they could physically cross over.

    The Four Heavenly Kings were also anxious.

    They weren¡¯t pursuing the first ce in team rewards. Their small team couldn¡¯tpare with Brother Stick in terms of numbers, let alone the student party. They also didn¡¯t have the vampire¡¯s night bonus and had to dy for a whole day. Now they could only hope for the individual reward list.

    But Meow King¡¯s social wisdom didn¡¯t disappoint his brothers. He calmed himself down and said to his five brothers:

    ¡°We won¡¯tpete with them. They should be going to the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory. After we resurrect, we¡¯ll go north to Baron of Leim¡¯s territory. There are many trees and dense forests there, which is perfect for us Witch Hunters.

    When the second phase opens, we¡¯ll go directly to Count of Seicob¡¯s territory further north.

    I heard it¡¯s all mountains and forests there, perfect for us to y to our strengths.¡±

    ¡°We can also seek support from fellow Witch Hunters!¡±

    Little Hand reminded in the group:

    ¡°We¡¯re all church friends, and gnolls seem to be one of the evil creatures that Witch Hunters need to eradicate. Guildmaster Natalie might be able to provide support, even if it¡¯s just enemy detection and reconnaissance.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my great sword is already itching!¡±

    ck Stockings Under the Keyboard shouted in the group like he was going crazy:

    ¡°That named de that sounds so amazing is mine! Don¡¯t anyone fight me for it!¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget that this reward mode is again about opening treasure chests,¡±

    Day One No Fap said very desperately:

    ¡°With our luck, I think it¡¯s doubtful.¡±

    ¡°How about we just sell the keys?¡±

    Electronic Subus Old Tune suggested:

    ¡°Specifically find those with great luck, like Sister Pomegranate. After she opens good items, we exchange keys with her? Even if we exchange two for one, we won¡¯t lose.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re such a little clever one!¡±

    Meow King eximed:

    ¡°Using others¡¯ luck to meet our needs, excellent! Let¡¯s do it! Also, find someone with great luck in the game. Our team really needs a super lucky person, really needs one.¡±

 Chapter 222:

    Murphy very cunningly created a point pool for this task of exterminating the gnolls. He wanted to try using this ¡°more work, more gain¡± model to see if it could better motivate yers and increase participation of all yers by setting amon goal.

    If this method works, the vampire lord would have another ¡°weapon¡± at his disposal.

    However, the number of yers is still too small at present. Even if all 140 people under hismand each kill 20 gnolls per day, they would only eliminate nearly 3,000 in a day. But the exact number of gnoll bandits and their kobold servants on the Transiannd is aplete unknown.

    ording to Tris, since the 4th ck Disaster 110 years ago, Transia has been in a state where ¡°monsters outnumber humans¡±.

    The reason why gnoll bandits haven¡¯t been able to upy this ce is partly because of their beastly nature and their great pleasure in internal strife, and partly because the Blood Vulture n has been guarding here, preventing gnolls from acting recklessly.

    But now, the Blood Vulture n is gone, and the cunning gnolls have witnessed the scene of Kadman City being destroyed, which is enough to stir up these barbarians.

    When the Witch Hunters were moving to Murphy¡¯s territory earlier, they discovered that the gnolls in the Anderma Hills had already begun abnormal gathering and movement. Such rapid integration of wilderness bandit groups among the gnoll race can only mean one thing!

    That is, a ¡°warlord¡± has emerged among them.

    Weak gnoll bandit groups will naturally gather around the warlord, and then form a snowball-like expansion effect. In the past, once there were signs of a warlord emerging, the Blood Vulture n would immediately send out Midnight Hunters to clear out the potential threat. But Murphy now has a pile of things to deal with and doesn¡¯t have so many resources for this kind of ¡°precision decapitation¡±.ording to his prediction, perhaps in less than half a month, the gnolls in Anderma Hills would gather into a real army and advance towards the Crimson Citadel. He must be prepared before such a thing happens.

    ¡°You have justpleted the investigation of the Transian gnoll bandit strongholds, which is productive work, proving that you are quickly integrating into our new system. But now the situation has changed subtly.

    I need the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to send out another elite cavalry to enter Anderma Hills and conduct a deeper reconnaissance of the rapidly expanding bandit groups there.¡±

    In the office, Murphy inteced his fingers to support his chin, saying to Natalie, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild who hade at his summons:

    ¡°Regarding the warlord who is supposedly rising on thatnd, I need a detailed report.

    As you can see, Guildmaster Natalie, my warriors have already started clearing the gnolls in the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain today, and Anderma Hills is our next target. I need the Witch Hunters to gather enough intelligence before the action begins.¡±

    ¡°Gathering intelligence is no problem at all, it¡¯s our duty to fulfill.¡±

    Natalie nodded and said:

    ¡°But your warriors are too few in number. Even if you spread them all out, it¡¯s not enough. Given the vast area of the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain epassing so many viges andplex terrain, it might take them over two months toplete the cleanup.¡±

    ¡°I bet they¡¯ll finish in 20 days!¡±

    Murphy said quite confidently.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    Natalie immediately retorted:

    ¡°Even if they are otherworld spirits and have the assistance of your Kadman People¡¯s Army, they can¡¯t do it! They are humans, and humans always have limits.¡±

    ¡°Humans have limits, but yers don¡¯t.¡±

    Murphy said in Mandarin.

    Natalie looked at him puzzledly, and the lord didn¡¯t bother to exin. He said to Natalie:

    ¡°I don¡¯t need them to kill every gnoll they see, just destroy the organization of these barbarians and reduce their numbers to an eptable level. But this is not what I want to discuss with you.

    The second important matter for which I summoned you is the key point.

    The scattered viges in our territory are about to be relocated around Crimson City. In at most one more week, they wille to establish the first batch of collective farms, and my administrative team is already working overtime to prepare.

    But there is one area they cannot reach.

    Faith!

    The relocated subjects will harbor resentment, which is caused by the anxiety of changing their familiar lives. I hope they can settle down faster and establish new homes. This aspect cannot do without the support andfort of faith.

    Therefore, I need the Avalon Church to send priests to settle in five collective farms!

    You need to establish nature cathedrals tofort the people, and at the same time use your perception and maniption of nature spirit energy to fertilize thend and prepare for next year¡¯s spring plowing. This is the specialty of Druids.

    Although you are not Druids, I believe you also understand the mysteries therein.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have priests, we evenck missionaries.¡±

    Natalie said with a headache:

    ¡°Now there are only two nuns in the cathedral, Sister Jules and Marianne. We simply don¡¯t have time to cultivate new church hosts.¡±

    ¡°Does this even need cultivation?¡±

    Murphy asked back in surprise and puzzlement:

    ¡°You have 1,000patriots in Mond Vige, they are all devout believers who have gone through the Ten-Year War but still have not changed their faith in Avalon. Can¡¯t you just pull a few out, put on nature priestly robes, and they can change profession to Avalon priests?

    Don¡¯t tell me that as sincere Witch Hunters, you are not as familiar with the scriptures of the natural church as ordinary people?

    If that¡¯s really the case, then you are undoubtedly heretics.¡±

    ¡°How can this be the same!¡±

    Natalie red fiercely at the outspoken Murphy, wanting to rebuke him for his disrespectful tone towards the gods, but then she thought that he was a vampire, and this was indeed a ¡°racial disadvantage¡±.

    So, the president of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild changed to an exnatory tone and said:

    ¡°In the old church system, Witch Hunters belong to the fighters. Although we also study scriptures and divine teachings, our understanding of the ssics is far inferior to that of missionaries like Sister Jules. We are Avalon¡¯s sword, but His precepts are the responsibility of church members who are good at this to spread.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not asking you to debate scriptures with the priests of the Winter Wolf Church, right?¡±

    Murphy spread his hands and said quite frankly:

    ¡°I just need you to use religious rituals to stabilize my subjects, tofort their barren hearts that are longing for a sense of belonging. I don¡¯t need the priests you send out to be of high quality. To put it bluntly, as long as they can teach the subjects to recite scriptures and hold a nature nurturing service in the church every Sunday, I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    Natalie was really angry this time. She stood up, pped the table and rebuked:

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing that you don¡¯t believe in gods, but this behavior of treating sacred faith as a naked tool of rule is too much! In the past, just this sentence of yours would have been enough for the Gray Knights toe and arrest you and tie you to the stake.

    Murphy!

    I know you¡¯re an unbelieving vampire, but you can¡¯t despise the gods like this.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t faith a tool in the hands of rulers?¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t get angry.

    He just calmly asked back:

    ¡°After enduring ten painful years due to your adherence to faith, you are still so naive? Has everything the old church went through still not made you realize the weight of church power versus royal power? You don¡¯t really think that the Avalon Church waspletely banned by the Goldflower Kingdom just because youunched that rebellion, do you?

    Let me tell you, Natalie, as an individual, I am willing to respect your faith and protect your right to choose your faith, but I am a lord!

    My rule alwayses before my faith, and you are now part of this ruling system.

    You must understand this point too!

    If you insist on cing your faith above the safety of my territory, then the newborn Avalon Church may soon suffer everything the old church once experienced again.

    You¡¯re not convinced, right?

    Fine.

    Now ask your god.

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Tell your god these sphemous words of mine, and see if Avalon will ask you to punish me, this sphemer, with your sacred de, or if He will ask you to obey my orders.

    I consider you to be the shepherds of God on earth.

    Your duty is to expand God¡¯s flock, not to artificially create chaos and discord within the flock, let alone think about destroying the entire pasture and releasing the flock back to the dangerous wilderness.

    You are truly the most unqualified group of shepherds I have ever seen.

    Go ask.

    Go to that small cathedral and inquire of your god.

    But I need an answer by tomorrow morning, Natalie. Whether you like it or not, you must give me an answer tomorrow morning!

    If you are unwilling to fulfill your duty as the current nominal leader of the Avalon Church, don¡¯t me me for bypassing you to recruit new nature priests from among my warriors. But honestly, I can¡¯t imagine how those guys would interpret Avalon¡¯s teachings.¡±

    ¡°What you want is not just this.¡±

    Natalie took a deep breath. She stood up, looked at Murphy, and said:

    ¡°You want to interfere with our church reorganization. I should have known. You want to build a new Avalon Church in your own way, to serve your regime. Avalon above, you¡¯re the most dangerous vampire I¡¯ve ever seen.

    How dare you stick your hand into the gods¡¯ te?¡±

    ¡°What if I tell you that I¡¯ve spoken with your Avalon god? Would you be surprised?¡±

    Murphy stood up, turned his back to Natalie, and poured himself a ss of wine with a drop of fresh blood. He spoke gently without turning his head:

    ¡°Your god has acquiesced to my actions. Your god knows better than you what His followers need. It¡¯s not me who¡¯s wrong, Natalie. You should change your thinking.

    Transia will be a different ce, and you need to learn to embrace change. That will be the most beautiful thing I bring to this world. You can see it with your own eyes. That¡¯s also what your father hoped I would teach you.

    He wanted you to be an outstanding leader!

    Unfortunately, until now, you¡¯ve only been satisfied with being an outstanding warrior. Ah, your Silver Trial is almostplete, right? But I think what you need now is not strength.

    You should talk more with my Crimson Regent, learn more history from Professor Malcolm, and draw the wisdom you need from it.

    If you want to be Avalon¡¯s most outstanding shepherd, you still have a lot to learn in terms of the art of management.¡±

    Murphy turned around and raised his ss to Natalie. Thetter nodded farewell with a frosty face and left without a word.

    ¡°She has grown a lot.¡±

    Tris¡¯s voice sounded from the shadows in the corner of the office, with a hint of teasing:

    ¡°If it were the hot-headed woman from before, the moment your rebuke touched on faith, her sword would have been out. You need to give her some time, little Murphy. She¡¯s very talented, she can learn. But you said you spoke with Avalon?

    Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    Murphy shrugged, took a sip of wine, and said:

    ¡°Avalon even said I¡¯m handsome.¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Tris was shocked by Murphy¡¯s shamelessness. She said:

    ¡°The ¡®Rat King Doomsday¡¯ spirit Convergence Stone is ready, but you need to readjust the way it takes effect if you want to add ¡®hidden drops¡¯ to it.¡±

    ¡°No need to be so troublesome, just make it a hidden token. Call it ¡®Echo of the Rat King¡¯, set the drop rate to 0.3%.¡±

    Murphy responded:

    ¡°Then link a trigger-type quest, let the lucky ones who get the hidden token take it to the Blood Rat Gang, find ¡®Razor¡¯ Dorothy to exchange for the design drawing of the ¡®Soul-stealing Scythe¡¯. That thing is a forging + alchemy item, right?

    Just right, your alchemy cottage can also skim some profit from it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Tris was a bit confused by Murphy¡¯s series of responses. Then, sheined:

    ¡°If your little yers knew that you want to squeeze them to the extreme at every step, they would definitely draw their swords to chop you.¡±

    ¡°But my lovely little yers don¡¯t know all this, so they will only praise me as a generous and handsome lord, and they gain happiness throughout the process, especially when they get the hidden token and learn that they can obtain a hidden weapon.

    Trust me, every little yer who goes through this will cheer for their ¡®red hand¡¯.

    They will be immersed in the satisfaction brought by their luck for at least one night.¡±

    Murphy held the wine ss in front of his eyes, looking at the floating halo in it.

    He grinned and said softly:

    ¡°This kind of happiness, satisfaction, and sense of achievement is the reward I give them. Everyone is just taking what they need, it¡¯s not about squeezing or using them. Tris, you need to truly understand this point to better integrate with them.

    By the way, about that pearl bracelet we got from Zweig earlier, do you have any results from your reverse tracking?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, the other party is hiding very deep.¡±

    Tris answered lightly:

    ¡°Leave this matter to me. You have too much to be busy with, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll handle it well.¡±

    ¡°Mm, if you really don¡¯t want me to intervene¡±

    Murphy lowered his head and said:

    ¡°Tris, you¡¯re not hiding anything from me, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t overthink it.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The speeding arrow drew a red light in the darkness, crossing a distance of over 10 meters to urately shatter the head of a gnoll Animal Trainer.

    Its eyes were burst open, but it still didn¡¯t die immediately.

    This creature had a humanoid form, about 2.3 meters tall, weighing around 136 kilograms, but covered all over with spotted mane, with flexible ws that could grip various weapons. The fellow had a fierce hyena head. With this build, it could easily tear apart an ordinary adult in closebat. If they happened to have gnolls¡¯ favorite ils or morning stars, these heavy weapons, then the battle scene would turn into a meat-grinding massacre.

    Therefore, any rational being wouldn¡¯t think of engaging in closebat with an elite gnoll, unless they were very confident in their own skills to attempt this deadly challenge.

    Previously, little yers thought dealing with gnolls would be easier than dealing with ghouls, but today¡¯s experience was enough to tell them that trying to pass the ck Iron Trial with elite gnolls was no less difficult than challenging the stinky ghouls in the sewers.

    However, the good news was that gnolls were living individuals, they could feel pain and fear, and would be weak when injured. Therefore, the ¡°long-range one-cut style¡± invented by Little Ashina was very effective against them.

    Themon characteristics of these barbarians were a mouthful of sharp teeth and a swaying tail. When walking upright, they were faster than ordinary people running, exuding a beastly aura and extremely ferocious. They often had cowardly but extremely numerous kobolds as servants to digfortable nests for them to live in.

    They also tamed beasts.

    The hyenas tamed by gnolls possessed supernatural powers just like them.

    These beasts were loyal and savage. It was said that a litter of hyena pups could hunt on their own in just half a month, which obviously didn¡¯t quite fit the circumstances that naturally born life should have. But considering this was a fantasy world, seeking naturalws here was somewhat unnecessary.

    ¡°Puff¡±

    A second arrow with a crimson glow shot out from the darkness again, piercing through the other eye of the gnoll that was trying to get up while growling. The Dark Spirit attached to the arrowhead produced a slight internal explosion in its skull.

    This spirit-enhanced heavy hit finallypletely defeated it, making it fall to the ground.

    It could smell the stench of a vampire emerging from the darkness, while Miaomiao Shark from the student party put away the vampire hunting crossbow in his hand and drew out the n guard halberd from his back to thrust forward fiercely, sending this ck Iron Animal Trainer cornered into death.

    The number +5 jumped on his character interface, reaching 15 points, but it couldn¡¯t even enter the top 30 in the gnoll hunting action point pool that had already started. Currently, Sister Pomegranate ranking first had reached an astonishing 44 points!

    Brother Mao¡¯s 41 points followed closely behind.

    ¡°Sigh, professionals are indeed different.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark sighed.

    He was also in the first echelon among yers, with good equipment and skills, and had even changed profession to Midnight Hunter to learn advanced skills that could add extra spirit damage to his arrows. However, the gap between people was indeed too big.

    He crouched down, pulled out his hunting knife and removed the gnoll¡¯s teeth, w des, and tail mane. These were all collectible materials that could be exchanged for usable low-level potions at the alchemy cottage.

    But just as Miaomiao Shark was about to leave, he suddenly heard a strange call.

    It sounded like the cry of some young beast, which immediately interested Miaomiao Shark. He explored forward in this smelly beast den, and a few minutester, this guy came out smiling with a litter of four hyena pups that had just opened their eyes.

    Hey, he was envious of Feel You Poor¡¯s manticore earlier, and now he suddenly had his own little pets too.

    As an Animal Trainer, a branch of Midnight Hunter, he should indeed start practicing his professional skills from now on. He was going to be the man who would be the midnight cat-petting king in the future! Let¡¯s start with petting these blood-thirsty hyenas.

    Ugly, indeed a bit ugly, but it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. However, he still needed to consult a professional about how to raise these things after going back.

    ¡°Little Rich seems to have specially hired a fierce beast keeper to help him take care of the manticore. That guy is called Belly. Hmm, I¡¯ll go ask himter.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark, carrying the yapping hyena pups, thought while walking:

    ¡°The yers in this game are all talented, with people from almost all walks of life. If you know it¡¯s a game, it¡¯s fine, but if you don¡¯t know, you might think it¡¯s some kind of weird social experiment. Speaking of which, could it be true as the rumors on the forum say, that this is some damn little experiment conducted by aliens?

    Ew~ that¡¯s creepy. Never mind, I¡¯ll go kill a few more gnolls and call it a day.¡±

 Chapter 223:

    Miaomiao Shark¡¯s ideal is to be a ¡°Beast King¡±!

    Well, there¡¯s currently no such profession specialization in this game, so he settled for bing an excellent vampire midnight hunter beast tamer.

    Although for vampire hunters who can fly, whether or not they have a war beast at their disposal is not a necessary factor, due to some stubborn cognition, Miaomiao Shark feels that hunters without pets are nothing.

    He has a ¡°Pet Expert¡± character trait, probably because he¡¯s been helping out in his family¡¯s pet shop since childhood, and has been eager to catch a baby pet to y with since entering the game. He even wanted to coborate with his little rich brother Feel You Poor earlier to see if they could get a manticore from the sewers.

    It wasn¡¯t until the witch hunters of the White Oak Battalion arrived in Transia that he learned that on this continent, no beast tamer has yet been able to tame giant creatures like manticores.

    Or rather, the intelligence and wildness of beasts above the giant creature temte are too strong, making it impossible for them to be tamed by simple beast taming techniques.

    Even the elf hunters who are closest to natural creatures can only tame beasts up to therge beast size at most.

    This once made Miaomiao Shark very regretful, but after unexpectedly finding four newborn hyena pups during today¡¯s gnoll hunt, this regret quickly turned into satisfaction.

    ¡°Awooo¡±The hyenas¡¯ calls are quite strange and unpleasant, even the pups are noisy. These calls, when heard too often, sound like humanughter, not only making one¡¯s hair stand on end but also easily raising blood pressure.

    Therefore, when Miaomiao Shark brought the four little beasts back to the student party¡¯s temporary camp, he was constantly criticized by others.

    ¡°Say, how can your taste be so strange?¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche, who was wiping his staff nearby waiting for sunset to go on another killing spree, couldn¡¯t help but mock:

    ¡°If you say you can¡¯t catch good pets, don¡¯t rush. Wait until we level up and can leave the newbie vige, we brothers will get you a leopard or a tiger or lion to bring along, how cool would that be? If worsees to worst, learn from Lord Murphy and catch a bird, that¡¯s not bad either.

    Look, a hunter with a falcon, how cool!

    You insist on catching a few hyenas

    These things are ugly as hell, and they¡¯re not good-natured. Be careful they might bite you back, I¡¯ve heard these bloodthirsty hyenas are blood rtives of the gnolls, they might not be tameable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just talking nonsense! I specifically asked Bursting Belly, he told me that if raised well, hyenas can be very loyal.¡±

    Miaomiao Shark ignored Cheche¡¯s nonsense.

    He took out meat strips from his spirit bag, tore them into pieces, added some water and bread crumbs to make a paste, and fed it to the four little hyenas crawling around his feet.

    His movements in taking care of these little ones were very skillful, clearly an old hand at raising pets.

    Beside him was a handbook on beast taming from the witch hunters, which not only described in detail the techniques of using nature spirit energy to gain the approval and following of beasts, but also had a section specifically collecting the habits of various beasts currently on the continent.

    Miaomiao Shark teased the four little hyenas with his fingers and said with a pout:

    ¡°I got a book from the witch hunters, it says that even by the most picky standards, bloodthirsty hyenas are excellent war beasts. They are loyal and brave, dedicated and united, and among the most intelligent of medium-sized beasts.

    They also know how to use tactics and can form good cooperation with hunters.

    Many hunters, when traveling, would go to the Dark Mountains wanting to obtain their own bloodthirsty hyena.

    It¡¯s just that these creatures live alongside gnolls and only recognize one master in their lifetime, making it very difficult for other races to get purebred cubs, which is why they are so rare.

    I just checked, among my four little doggies, there¡¯s one female. I can cultivate her into a hyena queen, this way, I can have my own hyena pack. Then I¡¯ll be a hunting squad all by myself.

    Do you understand how valuable this is?¡±

    ¡°I understand, I understand, who dares not to understand the title of African Hyena?¡±

    Cheche yawned.

    He¡¯s a standard ¡°looks dog¡±, obviously not interested in ugly beasts like bloodthirsty hyenas. Of course, if they could turn into bipedal beast furry people, he might give them a few nces.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost dusk! It¡¯s time for Cheche¡¯s killing spree!¡±

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche looked up at the nting sky. This daytime is too torturous for vampires, he was listless even though he was wrapped up tightly, and he didn¡¯t dare to look at the real-time refreshing score pool on the character interface.

    Currently, thepetition for the ¡°Super Killer King¡± at the top is extremely fierce, Sister Pomegranate and Brother Mao are like in apetition, one moment you surpass me, the next I surpass you.

    They have forcefully created a gap with the third ce.

    Now Sister Pomegranate¡¯s score is 58, Brother Mao is 61, and the third ce East River Lion¡¯s Roar is only 38 points, not to mention the brothers behind.

    Both Sister Pomegranate and Brother Mao have their own teams, and basically only ck Iron rank elites can ensure they achieve such godlike results. These two groups are each guarding a small gnoll nest in battle, but other yers don¡¯t have such good conditions.

    They can only follow around Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s ¡°Crimson Hammer and Sickle Team¡±, waiting for Stick Brother tomand his brothers to break through the defenses of a medium-sized gnoll nest, and then everyone rushes in to grab kills.

    There are still few yers, so everyone generally adopts a very clever strategy.

    First, they take out the small and medium-sized gnoll nests in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory, then go to gnaw at thoserge nests with over a hundred members.

    But even so, today¡¯s harvest still extremely shocked the Civilian Protection Officer Kudel, who serves as themander of the encirclement operation, to the point of horror.

    What¡¯s wrong with Murphy¡¯s warriors?

    Don¡¯t they feel tired?

    They are so enthusiastic about killing, each like a barbarian berserker from the Ice Bay region. Not only those well-equipped ck Iron rank veterans, but even the recruits wearing squire leather armor can hold their ground and never retreat when facing dangerous gnolls.

    And once the opponent shows any signs of copse, these guys will immediately and extremely fiercely swarm up, defeating the enemy with decisive and dangerous meleebat to the apaniment of some strange and sharp instrumental music.

    What shocked Kudel the most was not how exquisite these warriors¡¯ techniques were, nor how frightening their courage was, but that kind of frenzy, the indescribable frenzy disyed in battle.

    It seems that in their understanding, death is as simple and normal a physiological activity as eating and drinking, not worth fearing, not even worth caring about.

    This was a strange emotion that Kudel had never seen in his human lifetime plus the long hundred years of vampire life.

    It was as if¡­

    As if what was in front of them were not ugly and barbaric gnolls, but walking humanoid treasures.

    ¡°How many?¡±

    Kudel, riding on his bright red warhorse, which was specially selected for him by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as the most magnificent demon-hunting steed, with added horse armor, making his warhorse look like a ferocious tank, asked the administrative officer sent by Baroness Miriam beside him. Thetter looked at the notebook in his hand and therge pile of bloody gnoll fangs, ws, and blood-stained tails ced nearby. This glorious Transian civil servant shrank his neck and said softly:

    ¡°From dawn until now near dusk, in 8 hours we¡¯ve killed 557 ordinary gnolls, 36 ck Iron individuals, 7 elite leaders, captured 2 gnoll chieftains alive, and destroyed a total of 13 medium and small-sized nests.

    The number of killed kobold ck Iron individuals has also reached 60, 9 elite kobold geomancers were killed, and 4 captured elite individuals will be sent to Lord Maxim¡¯s fight club along with the gnolls to be used as diators.

    As for the casualties of ordinary kobolds living alongside the gnolls, it¡¯s impossible to calcte!

    Those dog things run too fast in the dark, even Lord Murphy¡¯s fearless warriors find it difficult to catch up with them in the dim tunnels.

    But ording to the witch hunters, the local kobolds are naturally weak and only attach themselves to the strong. Without the fierce and unruly gnolls taking the lead, these guys won¡¯t pose any threat. I remember when I was a child, my friends and I would drive away those thieving kobolds with wooden sticks under the leadership of the vige veterans.

    They are indeed very cowardly.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Kudel nodded, this result could be called brilliant.

    But it¡¯s still some distance from Murphy¡¯s goal of clearing the entire Count of Kadman¡¯s territory within 20 days. However, considering that vampire individuals will join the hunt after nightfall, today¡¯s hunting target should be achievable.

    He asked again:

    ¡°What about the casualties among the warriors?¡±

    ¡°No injuries, only a few recruits were too rash in pursuit and were killed by fleeing gnolls,¡±

    The administrative officer in charge of statistics said very regretfully:

    ¡°They are all very brave people, the most valiant warriors born on thend of Transia. It¡¯s really a pity. If our recruits could be as fearless as these mountain warriors, even the ck gue wouldn¡¯t be worth fearing.¡±

    ¡°No, child, you say such foolish things because you haven¡¯t seen the ck gue with your own eyes.¡±

    The Civilian Protection Officer said calmly:

    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced it personally, and I can tell you, it¡¯s not a disaster that individual bravery can reverse. When a true ck gue erupts, even the gnoll vanguard used as cannon fodder would be stronger and more ferocious than these barbarians you see before you, and beyond individual strength, their terrifying numbers are enough to overwhelm everything in their path.

    The gnolls in Transia are a degraded species, far less dangerous than their ¡®rtives¡¯ in the Dark Mountains.

    I admit the fervor of these warriorsmands my respect, but they need to be even stronger, no, they need to be much stronger, to have a chance at protecting everything that¡¯s newly emerging in Transia. However, this fierce spirit is indeedmendable.

    You take today¡¯s spoils back to the city.

    Remember to disy these trophies in the camp, Murphy¡¯s subjects need confidence, and these trophies will restore their confidence and sense of security.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, my lord.¡±

    The administrative officer bowed slightly, then turned to direct several camp guards to load these gnoll trophies onto carts. His mission for today in this encirclement operation was over.

    The daylight hours above were entering their countdown, night was about to fall, the crimson hunting ground belonging to the vampires was about to open its curtains, Transia¡¯s true terrors were about to join the hunt, and that meant the real show was about to begin.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Puff¡±

    Sister Pomegranate single-handedly dealt with a gnoll ck Iron barbarian, crushing the guy¡¯s head entirely while she herself was hit by the opponent¡¯s stone warhammer, tumbling to the ground and spitting out blood as she got up.

    Of course, this was just the injury effect simted by the physical projection.

    For digitized yers, the state of weakness is always difficult to define.

    Depending on each yer¡¯s sensitivity and tolerance to pain, their performances when weakened also vary. For example, the unique Little Ashina can continue fighting with bone-chilling pain, but the pampered little rich brother Feel You Poor would howl in pain even if he identally stubbed his toe.

    However, it¡¯s certain that only when they die will they truly stop fighting.

    ¡°Power of nature, please soothe this warrior¡¯s pain.¡±

    Lady Aqua, with great role-ying spirit, chanted the name of Avalon¡¯s deity, waving her thorn staff to cast a rejuvenating wind. Emerald spirit energy poured into Sister Pomegranate¡¯s body, bringing healing that immediately invigorated her.

    The ¡¾Bruise¡¿ and ¡¾Bleeding¡¿ effects on the character interface were quickly cleared away.

    Because three of Lady Aqua¡¯s five character traits passively enhance the effect of healing spells, this makes her Winds of Rejuvenation as a professional even more effective than the still embarrassing Meow King who has already passed the ck Iron trial.

    It¡¯s worth mentioning that this kind of ¡°super healing¡± ability would be seen as a ¡°divine blessing¡± in today¡¯s Avalon Church, and coupled with Lady Aqua¡¯s outstanding appearance, Old Eugene and Sister Jules have already begun discussing whether to cultivate Lady Aqua into a new ¡°missionary¡±.

    It¡¯s just that the Avalon Church doesn¡¯t go for the ¡°Holy Maiden¡± setup, otherwise with Lady Aqua¡¯s qualifications, she would definitely not escape the strange nickname of ¡°Nature¡¯s Holy Maiden¡± in the game.

    ¡°Pomegranate, take a break, you scared us.¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua, leaning on her blood-stained kite shield, stepped forward and pressed Sister Pomegranate, who was about to get up and continue hunting, to the ground, saying:

    ¡°You¡¯re very different today, you weren¡¯t this belligerent before.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t stop her, she just doesn¡¯t want that annoying Brother Mao to surpass her.¡±

    The clear-headed Little Ashina chewed on fruit candy beside them, opened the interface to look at the personal score pool, and said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°But someone just killed an elite monster, Pomegranate, that someone¡¯s score has surpassed yours.¡±

    ¡°Stop stirring things up, you idiot!¡±

    Lumina Yanghen tapped Little Ashina¡¯s forehead, then looked up to check their position.

    This small nest that had been cleaned out was strewn with corpses, with over 20 gnoll barbarians all killed. Unfortunately, there was no elite leader here, and the apanying kobolds had already fled through the tunnels when they saw the situation was unfavorable.

    Those small guys are good at digging and ambushing, but are cowardly by nature. Without gnolls to back them up, even elite kobolds don¡¯t dare to face human soldiers directly.

    It¡¯s quite a pitiful creature.

    But they¡¯re different from gnolls. ording to Lady Tris, kobolds are not a ¡°gift¡± from the ck gue but a native species of Transia, and in fact, these creatures are widely distributed across the continent.

    It¡¯s said that even the cold Great Wilderness is covered with their nests, and even the most well-informed spirit mages or sun priests can¡¯t say how many kobolds there are on this continent.

    Therefore, from an evolutionary perspective, the kobolds¡¯ survival strategy is clearly quite sessful.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him surpassing you, the night timeing up is your stage.¡±

    Lady Aqua looked at the time.

    She needs to disconnect from sleep mode to make breakfast for her husband and children, and it will be at least 3 hours before she cane online again. Before logging off, this smart and gentle housewife advised Sister Pomegranate:

    ¡°After nightfall, there¡¯s no need to focus on ordinary gnolls anymore. Take advantage of your and Little Ashina¡¯s ability to fly, attack ck Iron and elite individuals to quickly rack up points. Facts have proven that Brother Mao¡¯s skills are indeed a notch above yours, and his team is far superior to our five-person group in terms of destructive power.

    But this doesn¡¯t prevent you from ying to your own strengths.

    Don¡¯t be reckless at all costs.

    If you get too anxious and something goes wrong, all your efforts will be in vain.¡±

    After saying this, by the campfire lit by Lumina Yanghen, Lady Aquaid out a mat and logged off, while the other four gathered around the fire for the great traveler Fatal Orchid Huahua to make them a meal in the game to replenish their tired bodies.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sat to the side maintaining her battle ws, and after a few minutes of silence, she let out a long sigh and said to the other three:

    ¡°I was too invested today, ignoring your feelings. I know you don¡¯t actually like all this fighting and killing. I just really hate being surpassed by others.

    Second ce is meaningless.

    Only the champion has the right to enjoy flowers and praise.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re already so amazing.¡±

    Little Ashina nestled next to Sister Pomegranate, skillfully disassembling her two crimson hand cannons for maintenance while saying:

    ¡°You¡¯re the most amazing woman I¡¯ve ever seen! Even more amazing than my grandmother. Do you know how my grandmother deals with the gophers on the farm? She smashes their heads with a rake! But the sight of you smashing gnoll heads would make my grandmother exim ¡®Oh my God¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You just haven¡¯t encountered a worthy opponent for a long time, and suddenly meeting a formidable one triggered your professional habit.

    This is normal, don¡¯t worry about it.

    It¡¯s like a few years ago when I was stupid on the Sichuan-Tibet line, insisting onpeting with a fellow traveler, really couldn¡¯t stand the sight of him, and ended up climbing too fast and getting altitude sickness.

    In the end, it was him who carried me all the way down from the teau, and we¡¯re still good friends now.¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua, who was mixing various dry foods and cooking them over the campfire, said gently:

    ¡°Rx your mindset, Pomegranate. You¡¯re not a professional athlete anymore, don¡¯t put so much pressure on yourself. You need to learn to enjoy a rxed and happy pace of life.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡±

    The three girls by the campfire all looked at Fatal Orchid Huahua, who was ying the role of the ¡°understanding big sister¡± at this moment.

    A few secondster, Sister Pomegranate coughed and said in a low voice with a straight face:

    ¡°But I¡¯m more concerned about whether anything happened between you and that gentleman who carried you down.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯mforting you! You ungrateful thing, mind your own business about my affairs!¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua scolded fiercely, causing the other three to burst into strangeughter. However, Little Ashina, with the keenest perception, suddenly stoppedughing halfway and covered Sister Pomegranate¡¯s mouth beside her. She stood up alertly, pricked up her ears to look around, and said:

    ¡°I heard a sound, someone is shouting ¡®help¡¯. The tone is very strange¡­ it¡¯s nearby, no, it¡¯s in this gnoll nest! Quick, spread out and look. Fatal Orchid, you stay here to protect Lady Aqua, don¡¯t let others take advantage of her.

    Her husband is known for being protective, not easy to mess with.¡±

    Under Little Ashina¡¯smand, the three girls immediately spread out. Fatal Orchid Huahua stayed in ce cooking porridge but also loaded a hunting rifle and kept it at hand. A few minutester, Little Ashina¡¯s strange cry came through the team channel:

    ¡°Holy shit! What the hell is this? Quick,e here! I found it! It¡¯s a¡­ gnoll locked in a cage, but it can talk!¡±

    ¡°? What do you mean it can talk?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I mean exactly what I said! Don¡¯t dwell on these details, I feel like I¡¯ve discovered something incredible, hurry up ande!¡±

 Chapter 224:

    ¡°That¡¯s how it happened, Lord Kudel.

    We interrogated it, and it told us it came from Anderma Hills, a messenger from some newly risen warlord there,ing to recruit the gnoll ns in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory to serve that warlord. But the gnolls here beat it up without honor.

    If we hadn¡¯tunched our attack on them today, this poor wretch would probably have be that n¡¯s breakfast tomorrow morning.¡±

    Little Ashina eloquently told Kudel the whole process of how they captured the gnoll messenger. The Civilian Protection Officer of the Blood Wings, now with his wings folded, lowered his head and looked at the small, skinny gnoll tightly bound with rope but bruised and swollen.

    Thetter seemed to feel Kudel¡¯s cold gaze beneath his face mask, shuddered without daring to make any movement, and even lowered its head in fear.

    ¡°No! It didn¡¯t tell the truth.¡±

    Kudel observed carefully, even reaching out to press his hand on the skinny gnoll¡¯s neck to examine its fur closely, then said coldly to Little Ashina and Sister Pomegranate who had escorted the prisoner:

    ¡°The spots on this one¡¯s fur are not in the shape of Transia gnolls. I saw simr fur spots over 100 years ago.

    It¡¯s from the Dark Mountain range!To be precise, from the gnolls¡¯ holynd, the Moss Valley by the Eternal Rift!¡±

    ¡°Ah? How dare it lie!¡±

    Little Ashina swiftly drew her hand cannon and pressed it against the small gnoll¡¯s head, cursing:

    ¡°You ungrateful bastard gnoll, I even shared half of my dinner with you! But you dared to lie to us?¡±

    ¡°Gah, no lie! No lie to powerful vampires!¡±

    With the cold gun barrel pressed against its forehead, this talking gnoll began to tremble all over.

    Its grayish-green eyeballs, which seemed overly ¡°flexible¡±pared to other gnolls, rolled around as it screamed in a strange ent:

    ¡°I was born here! Really! Truer than a kobold¡¯s candle! But, but my old man was indeed a holy warrior abandoned here to die, I didn¡¯t lie to you! Kind vampires who gave me dinner.

    Listen, the warlord King Kenport of the Anderma Great Beast Den is really dangerous!

    I can tell you his ns, you¡¯ll find me useful.

    Don¡¯t kill me!

    Please!¡±

    ¡°What a cunning fellow.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate said with a sneer:

    ¡°It¡¯s really a miracle that such a lying creature can be born among gnolls. Perhaps we should kill it? I think this guy is still lying, at least not telling the whole truth. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°No, if it¡¯s really smart, it should know not to conceal anything at this point, and I think you¡¯ve really caught a smart enough barbarian. This is indeed a small miracle.¡±

    The well-traveled Civilian Protection Officer shook his head.

    Leaning on his crimson greatsword newly stained with the blood of the gnoll elite leader, he said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°Individuals like it are not rare in the ck Disaster, especially those gnoll secret mages. Those fellows are no less cunning than other races. During thest ck Disaster, there were instances of gnolls persuading defeated soldiers of various races to surrender, and more than once.

    But the appearance of such a creature now, before the ck Disaster hase, seems to forebode ill.

    However, its fate should not be judged by us. Warriors, I need you and your team to escort it back to Crimson Citadel immediately and hand it over to Lord Murphy. The information it provides about that warlord in Anderma Hills might offer extra help for the second phase of this gnoll hunt.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    A new quest was triggered.

    Little Ashina looked at the content and shook her head, saying:

    ¡°This Quest Reward isn¡¯t good either, probably just a message delivery task. I¡¯ll take it back alone, Sister Pomegranate, you and the others stay here to continue the hunt. You need to grind your points, right? I¡¯ll secretly tell you, I absolutely support you!

    Don¡¯t let that annoying Brother Mao surpass you, okay.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate nodded, watching Little Ashina spread her wide Blood Wings in the night, taking off amidst the terrified screams of the bound small gnoll.

    Several days of flight training had allowed her to master the technique of swift night flight. She made a not-so-proficient turn in the air and disappeared into the night sky under the guidance of the purple light from the Astral Realm¡¯s creation in the distance.

    ¡°Lady, are you one of Maxim¡¯s warriors?¡±

    As Sister Pomegranate was about to leave, Kudel suddenly called out to her from behind. This Civilian Protection Officer examined the exuberant fighting spirit enveloping Sister Pomegranate, a quality rarely seen in vampires. The dark nature of the midnight kin always made it difficult for true heroes to emerge among them.

    Therefore, Sister Pomegranate had unsurprisingly caught Kudel¡¯s attention.

    He looked her over and said:

    ¡°Your elder Maxim challenged me, and without doubt, he failed, but his loyalty was both touching and unsettling. You, however, are another extreme. Seeing you reminds me of those human warriors who specialize in their craft.

    Ah, during the ck Disaster a hundred years ago, I fought alongside the guardian monks of the Winter Wolf Church, and I¡¯ve gained some insight into the use of hand-to-handbat. My years of traveling have also allowed me to umte some valuable skills that I can¡¯t use but are quite precious. I hear you like powerful challenges, so, would you like to have a small huntingpetition with me under the moonlight?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the reward?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate didn¡¯t refuse this task that came to her doorstep. She extended her ws and looked back at the Civilian Protection Officer, who let out a hoarseugh beneath his mask and said:

    ¡°You warriors are indeed as frank as Murphy said. Well, of course there will be a reward, just as I promised to the warriors I favor. If you can hunt down 5 gnoll elite leaders faster than me before dawn, I¡¯ll teach you thebat techniques I¡¯ve mastered.¡±

    ¡¾Ding! Special Quest ¨C ¡®Training in the Way of the Monk¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: Civilian Protection Officer and Hunting Baron Lord Kudel have taken an interest in yourbat skills. He seems to have developed a fondness for talent and has issued a huntingpetition to you with a generous prize prepared.

    Quest Objective: Complete the hunt of 5 elite gnolls before Lord Kudel before dawn arrives! Note, in this fairpetition, Lord Kudel will not use powers or skills beyond the ck Iron Rank.

    Quest Reward: Sanda Sect Monk¡¯s Secret Manual ¨C Gale Fist.

    Time Limit: Until dawn.

    ept this invitation? Yes/No¡¿

    ¡°Of course! Tonight, I will win back a bit of face for my embarrassing monster elder, Civilian Protection Officer.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate swiftly spread her wide Blood Wings, slowly rising into the air as her wings fluttered. She made a warrior¡¯s salute to Lord Kudel in the air, then turned and darted into the night.

    ¡°The otherworldly monk¡¯s legacy, huh?¡±

    Kudel let out a lightugh beneath his full-face mask.

    He turned and also pped his wider bat wings, suppressing his Silver rank power to the ck Iron Rank as he leisurely sped off in another direction.

    Meanwhile, at the resting point under the night sky, the Soldier Strike team of four was eating and maintaining their weapons. East River Lion¡¯s Roarined:

    ¡°Damn, Brother Mao is too fierce! I originally thought I could still practice with him, but seeing his heroic figure killing enemies on the battlefield today, I realized he¡¯s been going easy on us all along. But he¡¯s been a bit too intense today, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know shit.¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle chuckled, while concocting some strange alchemical substance, and said:

    ¡°Brother Mao is under a lot of pressure. You know he had a fight with Sister Pomegranate in the arenast time, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we all know that. Brother Mao won, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl said:

    ¡°What? Is there some inside story to this?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is!¡±

    Dog Paddle brother shared mysteriously:

    ¡°Brother Mao actually only won by one move, you know what I mean, anyway, ording to him, he only won by half a move. It seems it was because Sister Pomegranate had some injuries from her days as an athlete that caused some ws in her boxing technique or something. Anyway, it felt a bit like an undeserved victory.

    He really almost lost. That woman is fierce, you know.

    So, you see, our Brother Mao is under a lot of pressure. Sister Pomegranate is clearly trying to make aeback on the points leaderboard, and Brother Mao doesn¡¯t want to lose, so he can only go all out.¡±

    And there¡¯s also Lord Kudel¡¯s quest!

    For Brother Mao to be his warrior, he must hunt down 20 elite leaders alone within 10 days, isn¡¯t that too harsh? To be honest, I really feel like we¡¯re not even ying the same game as Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate.

    We¡¯re ying happy Candy Crush.

    They¡¯re ying Dark Souls.¡±

    ¡°Actually, we can y Dark Souls too, it¡¯s just that everyone will have to work a bit harder.¡±

    South Mountain Tiger¡¯s Howl, who had been quiet all along, finished the gruel in his hand in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and stood up leaning on his crimson halberd, saying to the three brothers:

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided! I want to learn from them! I¡¯m going to start hunting elites too, bullying ordinary monsters is no fun. Are you guys in?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in! You think we¡¯re afraid of you?¡±

    ¡°As if anyone wouldn¡¯t dare. How about this, whoever dies once during the process has to cover the meals and drinks for the other three brothers for a week after, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The standard can¡¯t be lower than 200 yuan per day, you know.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s do this! We came in as professionals, don¡¯t let ordinary yers look down on us.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°What? A talking gnoll? You mean a spirit individual? But how could Transia have such a thing? We rarely even see gnoll secret mages around here.¡±

    Tris, who was preparing some advanced potions in the alchemy cottage, received Murphy¡¯s message. The Spirit Sovereign felt a bit surprised, so she handed over her work to her two apprentices selected from among the vampires.

    She quickly returned to the Blood Vulture Halls. By this time, Murphy and his warrior Little Ashina were already ¡°interrogating¡± that small gnoll.

    The ropes on thetter had been untied, but it didn¡¯t dare to move at all.

    Because the Astral Direwolf George was lying at Murphy¡¯s feet and staring intently at it. The Astral Direwolf, raised by Murphy to be fat and strong, was full of aggression. If this gnoll made the slightest move, it would receive an ¡°intimate contact¡± from the wolf¡¯s jaws.

    Although it also has the word ¡°wolf¡± in its name, there¡¯s no way for a material world gnoll to im ¡°kinship¡± with the Astral Wolf pack.

    Besides, gnolls actually only look like hyenas.

    From their reproductive patterns to their civilization temtes, they are actually more simr to humanoid barbarians than true beasts.

    ¡°Oh? This is a gnoll from Moss Valley! How peculiar, Transia actually has such unique individuals?¡±

    After Tris arrived, like Kudel, she immediately recognized this gnoll¡¯s true origin.

    This made Murphy look at her with surprise, his eyes full of curiosity, obviously asking Tris how exactly she could tell this fellow¡¯s ¡°bloodline¡±.

    ¡°Carefully observe the spots on the mane where its spine connects to its neck.¡±

    Tris pointed her Nocturne Scepter at this small gnoll, exining to Murphy and Little Ashina:

    ¡°The spots on ordinary gnolls are random, asionally showing peculiar patterns but not worth noting. However, gnolls from the Moss Valley, the holynd of gnolls, have quite unique leaf-shaped and vine-like patterns around their necks.

    It¡¯s said this is because Moss Valley is supposedly one of Avalon¡¯s holy ces in the mortal world. It was once a mystical ce where shadow elves worshiped the spiderdy Avalon. After the third ck Disaster, gnolls took it from the shadow elves.

    And these fellows, through some strange means, are able to enjoy blessings from nature there, thus awakening true intelligence and being endowed with spirit talent.

    Of course, the above theory is just spection. Given the unique location of Moss Valley in the Dark Mountain range, it¡¯s impossible to enter and explore on arge scale outside the time periods when foul spirit energy weakens.

    Such gnoll individuals are the ¡®nobles¡¯ of their race. Most of the famous gnoll warlords in history came from this ss.

    For example, the gnoll king ¡®Gnawbone¡¯, who almost conquered the world in thest ck Disaster, was a unique individual born in Moss Valley.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s eavesdropping!¡±

    Little Ashina, who had been paying attention to the prisoner¡¯s expressions, suddenly shouted.

    Although the manes covering gnolls¡¯ faces make their expressions hard to read, Ashina saw the movement of this fellow¡¯s eyeballs. When Lady Tris was talking about the ¡°Moss Valley¡±, this gnoll was obviously listening intently.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s eavesdropping. Gnolls with awakened intelligence are no different from civilized races, we can¡¯t treat them with the attitude we use for barbarians anymore.¡±

    Tris didn¡¯t mind.

    She stared at the small individual before her, casting a special spell at it. Clusters of crimson light points circled around the gnoll several times before dispersing.

    This greatly disappointed Tris. She said:

    ¡°Very ordinary spirit talent. It seems it¡¯s not a secret mage, hunting priest, or gue sorcerer. This one isn¡¯t ¡®high-grade goods¡¯, just has a bit of thin bloodline.¡±

    ¡°It said its father came from Moss Valley.¡±

    Murphy exined to Tris:

    ¡°This is what it told Kudel, and it was precisely this honesty that won it the chance to be sent to us. Kudel thought the information this fellow had about the newly risen gnoll warlord Kenport in Anderma Hills would be useful to us.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Tris shook her head and said:

    ¡°Although there are many gnolls in Transia, they are just the remnant troops left here from thest ck Disaster. Being isted from the Dark Mountain range means they have no chance toe into contact with the truly cruel survival of the fittest in gnoll society.

    It can be said that in over 100 years, the local gnolls have evolved into apletely different form of civilization from those in the Dark Mountain range.

    The gnoll warlords that can emerge here are not worth worrying about too much. Moreover, it¡¯s been such a short time, even if Kenport could gather gnolls, his army wouldn¡¯t exceed 10,000 people.¡±

    ¡°17,000 people!¡±

    The small gnoll messenger suddenly spoke up to correct:

    ¡°King Kenport is very powerful, and Kenport is not a local gnoll from Transia! Hees from the Dark Mountain range, he¡¯s a hunting priest, and he was sent by the big boss. The big boss sent many warriors into Transia 80 days and nights ago, but it¡¯s said only Kenport survived and walked out of Foul Swamp alive.

    He hid in Anderma Hills while humans were ughtering each other.

    After the Blood Vulture n weakened, Kenport began organizing my people on arge scale. He recruited in the name of the big boss, and many fools obeyed him. He imed that the big boss would conquer thisnd when the ck Disasteres, and give it to the local gnolls as a permanent kingdom.

    I¡­

    My n was taken away by him like this!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize you were a leader,¡±

    Murphyughed, looking at the gnoll with unique fur patterns before him. After a few seconds, he asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s your name? Do you have a name?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    The small gnoll¡¯s green eyeballs rolled a few times. Under the gaze of the three vampires, it said tremblingly:

    ¡°I named myself Nash¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand to interrupt him.

    Under the gaze of Tris and Little Ashina, he reached out and handed a handkerchief to the gnoll before him, gesturing for it to wipe the blood off its face.

    The vampire lord looked at the small gnoll wiping its face with the handkerchief. He sensed something from this fellow that no other gnoll had given him, as if there was a soul hidden in that small body, full of discontent with reality but unable to find a solution.

    Murphy was very familiar with this feeling.

    So he narrowed his eyes, a very subtle and unique expression appearing on his handsome face, and he said in a low voice:

    ¡°That¡¯s not your real name. That¡¯s just a fake name you use to avoid terrible trouble. Your real name is ¡®Gnawbone¡¯!¡±

    ¡°???¡±

 Chapter 225:

    Gnawbone, a name that sounds rather crude to humans. Anyone with a bit of culture or a cultured family member would never agree to give themselves this name. However, in the history of the continent, this is not a simple name, especially for Transians.

    After all, 110 years ago, during the 4th ck Disaster, the gnoll king who conquered half the continent and nearly destroyed human civilization was called ¡°Gnawbone¡±.

    When Murphy uttered the ¡°true name¡± of the small gnoll before him, not only Tris but even little Ashina, who only knew a bit of history, widened their eyes.

    But she was truly clever, so she quickly understood what her Murphy was nning to do.

    Goodness!

    This is about fostering forces for internal disintegration and ¡°peaceful evolution¡±!

    ¡°Exin yourself clearly!¡±

    Tris, who also understood, questioned:

    ¡°In your thinking, is it surnamed ¡®Gnawbone¡¯? Or is it from the ¡®Gnawbone n¡¯? These are two different concepts. The Gnawbone n is still in the Dark Mountain range, one of thergest ns among gnolls.I¡¯ve heard they are very cruel to their own kind. If you let this fellow falsely im kinship, the oue definitely won¡¯t be good.¡±

    ¡°But this is in Transia, not actually in the Dark Mountain range. No matter how powerful the Gnawbone n is, they can¡¯t interfere with Transia¡¯s internal affairs, at least not yet!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand, maintaining a mysterious smile as he said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, relying solely on my soldiers and warriors to clear out one den after another is too slow. Perhaps we can use a smarter method to end Transia¡¯s gnoll gue more quickly.

    Even solve this hidden danger once and for all.

    If the ck Disaster is indeed certain toe, rather than waiting for Transia¡¯s first warlord to be killed before a second appears, we might as well be decisive and grasp the power to choose the warlord in our own hands.

    Tris, even if my warriors kill all the gnolls, thisnd with its vast number of kobolds is still a problem. But I¡¯ve heard kobolds are excellent at mining and digging holes.

    If I dere that Transia wees all homeless beings, then I must fulfill the promise I made to thisnd.

    Do you understand my meaning?¡±

    Murphy pointed at the skinny but already dazed gnoll in front of him and said:

    ¡°It, they, the gnolls and kobolds, are they not residents of thisnd? I once told my regent that our Transia would not discriminate against any race, that no one would be pushed out of thisnd because of their ethnicity or appearance.

    This is an opportunity.

    Not just for it, but for me as well. Each race has its own talents and strengths, each race has its own value, and whether a lord can properly utilize the value of his subjects is a very important assessment criterion.

    So, it is Gnawbone.

    The son left behind in Transia after the Gnawbone King was defeated and died here 110 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Grandson,¡±

    Tris corrected:

    ¡°Gnolls don¡¯t live that long. In the harsh environment of the Dark Mountain range, their average lifespan is 35 years. Even in conditions where survival pressure isn¡¯t as great as in the outside world, gnolls can¡¯t live past 70 years.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, grandson! This fits its supposed background even better.¡±

    Murphy took a few steps, circling around the trembling small gnoll in front of him.

    He stroked his chin and said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°Legend has it that the Gnawbone King died on the way back to the Dark Mountain range while retreating from the Foul Swamp, but neither humans nor other races have been able to find the exact ce where that barbaric king fell. So when he was defeated, one of his offspring who had always followed him became separated from the Gnawbone n and had to stay in Transia.

    It knew it should inherit its father¡¯s ambition to conquer the continent, butcking strength and fortune¡¯s favor, it could only do its utmost to rally the local gnolls.

    But the suppression from the Blood Vulture n ultimately led to its dejected demise.

    Interbreeding with local gnolls allowed it to have offspring before death. The mixing of noble blood withmon blood caused the Gnawbone King¡¯s grandson to lose the distinctive noble fur patterns of Moss Valley, even blending in with themon gnolls.

    The poor Gnawbone descendant inherited neither its grandfather¡¯s strength nor its father¡¯s will, but its innate cleverness and cunning allowed it to have its own small n in Transia.

    It originally thought its life would just pass like this.

    But fortunately or unfortunately, the ever-changing fate gave it an opportunity!

    Like other chosen ones, after a failed messenger job, it was finally pushed to the forefront of the era through the shame of being captured

    It has already sensed the call of destiny.

    It is very afraid.

    It doesn¡¯t know whether to ept the goodwill from the Count of Kadman, but there¡¯s a voice in its heart telling it this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.¡±

    Murphy put his hand on the small gnoll¡¯s shoulder and said in a low voice:

    ¡°Why can that big-headed, brainless fool Kenport be a warlord? By what right can it rudely seize the n you¡¯ve worked so hard to maintain? By what right can it upy your two favorite females? That self-proimed warlord in Anderma Hills is neither as cunning as you, nor can it understand at all what disaster its actions will bring to the local gnolls.

    And you¡¯ve already witnessed the valor and ruthlessness of my warriors firsthand, that was just the vanguard I sent out!¡±

    The vampire pointed at the bewildered little Ashina and said:

    ¡°I have a full 10,000 warriors like her! You have no chance of victory, but before facing death, you can still get an opportunity.

    I¡¯m not asking you to be a traitor, Nash

    Uh, that name is too terrible, it has no distinctiveness at all!

    From today on, you¡¯re called ¡®Hog¡¯!

    Hog Gnawbone!¡±

    Murphy patted the gnoll¡¯s shoulder, using his Power of Desire to listen to this fellow¡¯s inner voice.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time the vampire had done this, he was already quite Proficient, like the best musician rhythmically plucking strings.

    He said:

    ¡°Look, Hog, I¡¯m not asking you to be a traitor!

    I¡¯m just inviting you and your n to join us as the Governor of Transia, to be members who aren¡¯t hated by thisnd. You¡¯re not selling out your people¡¯s interests or seeking personal gain.

    This is just an invitation, a different concept from betrayal.

    Of course, you also know that gnolls are full of violent individuals, wisdom hasn¡¯t blessed them, leaving them ignorant and savage, satisfied with living like beasts.

    But is there even a shred of dignity in such a life?

    You can change all this.

    In previous eras, the entire continent gave you no choice, but now, Transia opens its arms to you. We wee gnolls like you who are intelligent, rational, and willing to ept order.

    New gnolls!

    That will be gnolls who bid farewell to barbarism and move towards civilization!

    You will be a pioneer, even entering the annals of history like your ancestor, the great Gnawbone King.

    I can even allocate territory to you!

    How about Smuggler¡¯s Woods?

    Have you been there? Do you know it¡¯s very fertile and upies key transport routes? Just nod, and it will be the territory for you and your n. No one will hunt you, and no one will even disturb you.

    I am the lord of thisnd, my word isw here. I can give you everything you want.¡±

    Murphy smiled.

    He had already captured that strange emotion floating in the heart of the skinny gnoll before him.

    It was indeed very clever, perhaps the blessing from Moss Valley truly awakened its wisdom. Not every gnoll could learn the Transiannguage, this fellow before them was an ¡°oddity¡± among its kind.

    Murphy liked oddities!

    Oddities meant not being epted by their original environment.

    They would be more eager for recognition than others, more eager to see change and embrace it with a more positive attitude. Murphy was like this, Maxim was like this, Tris was like this.

    Even the youngdy, Adele, and Miriam were the same.

    Transia would be and ruled by oddities, destined to be out of ce with the rest of the continent.

    But that didn¡¯t matter.

    Murphy knew that this gnoll, which he had just given a new name and ¡°background story¡±, could also be one of their ¡°oddities¡±.

    The prerequisite was that it had to convince itself.

    Well, the seed of desire had been nted, now he just needed to wait patiently for it to bloom and bear fruit. Murphy felt it wouldn¡¯t take much time.

    ¡°It seems you need some time to convince yourself.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve arranged a quiet enough cage for you, it¡¯s in the darkness, and I¡¯ve prepared clean water and food for you. You have 7 hours before dawn arrives.

    Go.

    Convince yourself.

    This isn¡¯t something hard to ept, gnoll culture doesn¡¯t have things like ¡®dignity¡¯ or ¡®backbone¡¯.

    Don¡¯t always think about what you¡¯ll lose, change your mindset, think more about what you can gain?

    That¡¯s the winner¡¯s mentality.¡±

    He gave little Ashina a meaningful look.

    She snapped to attention and escorted the skinny gnoll towards the detention area of the Blood Vulture Halls. After they left, Tris, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that no one has tried tomunicate with gnolls before. After the first ck Disaster ended, there were insightful humans who attempted to sign contracts with gnolls, but it was useless, Murphy.

    With the gnolls¡¯ terrible living environment and their overly barbaric inheritance methods, you simply can¡¯t find a leader who can live long enough. Even if a contract is signed, there¡¯s no guarantee their sessors will honor it.

    More importantly, the ck Disaster from the Dark Mountain range is a kind of naturalw.

    You can¡¯t constrain it with civilized methods. Gnolls never have enough food, and they have to attack outwards if they don¡¯t want to starve to death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°And it¡¯s too far off to think about how topletely solve the ck Disaster now, Tris. I¡¯m just making an attempt. Even if Hog can only bring me a small n of less than 100 people, it¡¯s an absolute victory for me.

    Because I haven¡¯t paid any cost at all.

    All the risks of choosing this path are borne by itself. In the initial stage of this n, I don¡¯t even need to make any promises to it. Since there¡¯s no loss, why not give it a try?

    If we killed it, all we¡¯d get are a few teeth and ws.

    We may be poor, but we¡¯re not short of such small things.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡±

    Tris nodded, raising her hand somewhat dejectedly. She sighed and said:

    ¡°So this is how the Power of Desire is used? I thought it was just a small means to listen to others¡¯ inner voices, but after witnessing your technique of plucking heartstrings, I realize this thing has more radical uses.

    I¡¯m starting to understand why I was so fanatical about wanting to see the seed of life take root and sprout back then, even willing to sacrifice my power and future for it.

    It turns out I was also one of the victims of the Power of Desire.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also exploring,¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°If you praise me like this, I¡¯ll be arrogant. Let¡¯s talk about the main issue. Hog has brought us definite news about Kenport, the gnoll warlord in Anderma Hills.

    That fellow has already gathered an army of 17,000 gnolls, and it¡¯s still continuously recruiting more gnolls. This has clearly exceeded the limit of what conventional tactics can handle. Even if I exhausted myself summoning otherworld spirits, I couldn¡¯t solve it in a short time.

    But the good news is, we now know the specific location of thatrge bandit group.

    This means we might be able to use some ¡®unconventional¡¯ tactics, tactics that can turn the tide of battle in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Tris blinked her eyes. She heard a hint of ominousness in Murphy¡¯s tone.

    She asked:

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t answer immediately.

    He looked up at the dome of the Blood Vulture Halls, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the bricks above to the starry sky above the earth.

    After a few seconds, he lowered his head, leaned close to Tris, and asked in a low voice:

    ¡°The Astral Realm rending grand ritual, can you use it? Just like how the Circle Tower used it to destroy Kadman City, we can also replicate this tactic. I¡¯ve even found someone who can guest star for precise positioning.

    If we time it right, forget about 17,000, even 100,000 gnolls could be annihted in one battle.

    The best part is, we don¡¯t need to initiate a ritual asrge-scale as the Circle Tower¡¯s.

    Just a third or even a quarter of the scale would be more than enough.¡±

    Tris held her breath.

    Her bewitching eyes danced with contemtive light, apanied by the calctions and deliberations of a Spirit Sovereign¡¯s expertise in this professional field. After fifteen seconds of thought, she said:

    ¡°The principle of Astral Realm rending isn¡¯t difficult, and Transia already has the existence of the Astral Realm Rift. That thing makes the separation between the material world and the Astral Realm near thisnd unstable. In the current situation, initiating that kind of ritual would indeed be easier.

    But this is risky, little Murphy.

    We still can¡¯t understand what changes therge-scale entry of wild and foul Astral Realm spirit energy into the material world would bring here. And precisely because the separation between the two dimensions is unstable, I can¡¯t guarantee that once the spell seeds, it won¡¯t produce worse results.

    For example¡ª¡±

    ¡°A second Astral Realm Rift?¡±

    Murphy stroked his chin and said:

    ¡°Indeed, this risk is quite high. What if we reduced the ritual scale to a safe threshold?¡±

    ¡°Then the destructive power wouldn¡¯t be enough,¡±

    Tris shook her head and said:

    ¡°Under the premise of ensuring absolute safety, the Astral Realm rending I could induce wouldn¡¯t even be one-tenth the scale of Kadman City¡¯s doomsday. If they stand densely enough, it might be able to take out a few hundred at once.

    But that would be the limit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s enough!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°The true power of this thing isn¡¯t actually in its killing power, but in the interference with ordinary life¡¯s thinking and the intimidation it brings to emotions and minds after the Astral Realm rift is opened. For gnolls with theirpletely unguarded savage minds, they¡¯d probably go mad the instant they¡¯re hit by the Astral Realm Spirit st.

    And dealing with a group of terrified barbarians is definitely easier than dealing with tens of thousands of rampaging pigs.

    Let¡¯s go with this n.

    Femis can just be your assistant, and those ck Iron Rank Spirit Mages among my warriors can also guest star.

    They¡¯ve been here for so long, it¡¯s time to give them something truly powerful, to let them truly experience the majesty of being Spirit Mages. We can¡¯t really satisfy them with just being the most ordinary foot soldiers.

    Power can bring dignity and satisfaction, and this is exactly what they need most in this otherworld.

    Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

 Chapter 226:

    Chapter 226:

    The time it took for the gnoll Nash, no, the gnoll Hog Gnawbone to make a decision wasn¡¯t as long as one might imagine.

    On one hand, perhaps it was because even with their newfound intelligence, gnolls find it difficult to engage in deep,plex thinking without formal education. After all, having talent and being able to use it well are two different things.

    On the other hand, this gnoll didn¡¯t know if that vampire had cast some kind of ¡°evil spell¡± on him.

    After being locked in the cage, his thoughts became unusually active, like a brainstorm had been stirred up. It was that awful state where even trying to pause one¡¯s thoughts was impossible, as if something inside his mind had been ¡°ignited¡±.

    Murphy¡¯s words kept echoing in his head, like invisible hands stirring up the thoughts of this skinny but cunning gnoll.

    He could clearly feel his mind was abnormally excited, even starting to fight against what little reason he had left.

    It was as if a voice was shouting, urging him to constantly think about what he would gain if heplied, if he epted that ¡°invitation¡±.

    Be civilized?

    Be a recognized part of thisnd?No!

    These held little allure for a gnoll.

    Just as humans cannot imagine colors they¡¯ve never seen, gnolls cannot imagine a life they¡¯ve never experienced. But those more tangible things wereid out before him, seemingly within reach.

    Smuggler¡¯s Woods!

    Of course he knew about it!

    Hog¡¯s former small n wasn¡¯t far from there. He knew that before the damn human war started, that forest was very busy, with smugglers transporting goods through there every week.

    Arger n called ¡°Thorn¡± upied the area. Their n members didn¡¯t even need to go out hunting or steal food from humans. They just needed to guard the road, and caravans unwilling to cause trouble would provide them with a constant supply of food.

    The Thorn n thrived because of this.

    Unfortunately, after the war started, the forest was abandoned, and the Thorns could no longer obtain free meat. But their n members had already been spoiled into ziness¡±.

    They clumsily began to relearn gnoll traditions, but it was toote. The surrounding ns, long envious, swarmed them, and overnight, Thorn became history.

    Hmm, his second mate was a member of the Thorn n, that female gnoll with smooth mane often described the ¡°good old days¡± to him.

    He was always willing to listen to her rambling stories. He learned his Transian from her.

    Because the Thorn n had tomunicate with human caravans, the clever ones among them could always speak a few fluent everyday phrases.

    Unfortunately, she had bad luck. During the previous battle when Kenport seized his n, she couldn¡¯t escape and had her skull smashed by a fierce barbarian.

    Hog couldn¡¯t help but start thinking.

    If he could have a n again, if he could be the master of Smuggler¡¯s Woods, if that vampire lord could fulfill his promise, could he also live a good life where he didn¡¯t need to hunt to eat his fill?

    He didn¡¯t understand why humans would kill each other.

    He had once led his n members to sneak onto the battlefield on the Transian border at night to scavenge for ¡°meat¡± to eat. He had seen how those humans fought, their methods of killing their own kind made even gnolls feel afraid.

    But now the human war was over, so that woond would be prosperous again like before.

    Ah, this sounds like the beginning of good days.

    Hog was a cunning fellow.

    He was also one of the few leaders who managed to survive after the warlord Kenport took over the n. Of course he knew there were risks in obeying a vampire. Once the n members found out he was a traitor, he would be meat in the pot for those hungry fellows.

    He should have been more rational.

    But tonight¡¯s emotions were very strange.

    He wanted to think carefully, but he couldn¡¯t. He wanted to calm down, but he couldn¡¯t. He wanted to weigh the pros and cons, but he couldn¡¯t.

    There was a fire burning in his heart, burning so much that he tossed and turned, unable to settle down.

    Having never learned knowledge, the gnoll who could be called ¡°half-educated at best¡± didn¡¯t know that thing was called ¡°desire¡±.

    He just knew he longed for the good life he had imagined.

    He wanted that fantasy toe true.

    And the voice in his heart was telling him that he could never have such a life under Kenport. That savage big boss didn¡¯t trust him at all. Coming from the Dark Mountain range, he also looked down on the local Transian gnolls, berating them as ¡°mongrels¡±.

    Perhaps

    He should reconsider the bad vampire¡¯s suggestion?

    And even taking a step back, what would he gain if he didn¡¯t agree? A death? A death that no one would know about, that wouldn¡¯t be turned into crude stories told by n members?

    Ah, and Gnawbone

    Every gnoll has heard the story of the ¡°King Gnawbone¡± from their parents. Of course, in gnoll stories, King Gnawbone was always very powerful!

    He was a super barbarian born of the gnoll god!

    He could smash the heads of the strongest human knights with his il, then eat them along with their warhorses! He could crush the craziest dwarves and roast their hearts and livers to eat! He could even defeat the legendary elves, break the legs of those sissies, and leave them crying to death on rocks!

    King Gnawbone was invincible!

    Even though 110 years had passed since the 4th ck Disaster, the local Transian gnolls still firmly believed that King Gnawbone wasn¡¯t dead!

    He was just injured!

    He just found a ce to hide and recover like ordinary gnolls. When his bones healed, when his strength returned, King Gnawbone would reappear!

    He would lead the gnolls to roam the world as before, burn every city they saw, eat all the food they found, and let every pup eat until their bellies were round.

    Could he really im to be King Gnawbone¡¯s grandson?

    What if King Gnawbone suddenly appeared?

    He definitely wouldn¡¯t acknowledge him!

    After all, he was so skinny, so small, he couldn¡¯t even beat the weakest barbarian under Kenport. How could the mighty King Gnawbone have such a weak grandson? A fake like himself would be pummeled to death by King Gnawbone.

    But Smuggler¡¯s Woods.

    Ah, how he wanted it!

    To have a n again, mates and pups, and meat that never runs out.

    Hog tossed and turned in his cage. He was tired, but he couldn¡¯t sleep. Tonight was a difficult night for the gnoll, and unusually, not because of hunger.

    Outside the cage, Little Ashina had been observing this strange, skinny gnoll.

    Although she didn¡¯t have much social experience, Little Ashina could be sure that this gnoll had been moved by Lord Murphy¡¯s words. He might be considering whether to ept Lord Murphy¡¯s invitation.

    He might not even realize the danger in it.

    But Little Ashina was born in a world with 5000 years of history. She could think of no less than 10 simr historical stories just by blinking her eyes, and themon point of those stories was to teach Little Ashina that in such situations, one must absolutely maintain their true heart.

    Hey!

    Hog, there¡¯s a 10,000-meter deep abyss in front of you!

    Don¡¯t jump, you¡¯ll be worse than dead!

    Little Ashina sighed.

    She had witnessed a plot by Lord Murphy, and now she didn¡¯t even feel like going out hunting.

    Sitting in the darkness, she connected to the squad¡¯smunication and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what I just saw. The NPCs in this game are so scary, Lord Murphy is so scary¡­ I feel like if we try to outsmart him, we probably won¡¯t be able to beat him.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Lumina Yanghen, who was currently searching for the next gnoll nest in the dark night with Fatal Orchid Huahua and Lady Aqua, couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, listen to me.¡±

    Little Ashina poured out everything she had just seen and heard to her teammates. After she finished speaking, the other three fell silent.

    ¡¶Reality Realm¡· boasted that every NPC in the game was deeply role-yed by AI. The test group proudly imed they were smarter than real people, and Little Ashina¡¯s experience seemed to confirm all of this.

    Not only was Lord Murphy, this main storyline NPC, cunning enough, but even a captured gnoll prisoner would toss and turn due to his thoughts.

    ¡°Persuade it!¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua quickly made up her mind and replied to Little Ashina with the courage befitting a traveler and explorer:

    ¡°This is obviously a Hidden Quest! It might even branch out into a separate storyline. If you help Lord Murphy persuade that gnoll named ¡®Hog Gnawbone¡¯, we might be able to ept this Hidden Quest.

    Based on the current main storyline, I estimate that the rewards forpleting this quest line will be absolutely amazing. It might even be directly rted to that ¡®mysterious expansion pack¡¯ that hasn¡¯t had much information released about it.

    I¡¯m now fairly certain that the expansion pack must be rted to the ¡®ck Disaster¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll give it a try then.¡±

    Little Ashina cut off themunication.

    She organized her thoughts in the darkness, then knocked on the cage. The gnoll sat up with a roll, its bright green eyes staring at her in the darkness.

    To be honest, it was a bit creepy.

    ¡°It¡¯s not time yet! Dawn hasn¡¯te, you can¡¯t kill me!¡±

    It let out a scream.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, I¡¯m not here to kill you.¡±

    Little Ashina stood by the cage and asked:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you agree to Lord Murphy¡¯s offer? You should know that Lord Murphy is a very powerful lord. If you don¡¯t agree, you¡¯ll anger him, and he¡¯ll tie you to a cross and burn you alive! Have you ever seen vampires burn their own people?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Hog squatted in the cage, this skinny creature said somewhat nervously:

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid King Gnawbone will beat me to death.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    None of Little Ashina¡¯s prepared scenarios included this answer. She wanted to tell the gnoll in front of her that their King Gnawbone had died over a hundred years ago, and he didn¡¯t need to worry about a ghost that couldn¡¯t evene back to life.

    But as the words were about to leave her mouth, the 155cm shorty suddenly rolled her eyes.

    She snorted and said:

    ¡°Indeed! If King Gnawbone saw his grandson being so cowardly and indecisive, he would definitely beat you to death with his own hands and consider you a disgraceful fellow.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Hog shook his body, then asked:

    ¡°I know what ¡®cowardly¡¯ means, it¡¯s not a good word. Humans always call our kobold servants cowardly fools. I also think kobolds are very timid. Even though there are so many of them, they¡¯re like a bunch of frightened rabbits, needing gnolls to lead them to be brave.

    But what does ¡®indecisive¡¯ mean?¡±

    ¡°Is that what you should be concerned about right now, you idiot!¡±

    Little Ashinaughed in exasperation.

    She knocked on the cage and said:

    ¡°You need to dare to fight to win! I know this is very risky, you might be eaten by your nsmen, but think positively. It¡¯s precisely because the risk is high that the reward is high. Haven¡¯t you heard the saying ¡®the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish¡¯?

    Let me tell you, Lord Murphy¡¯s intention is to eliminate all gnolls in the entire Transia, and we will definitely achieve that!

    Every gnoll we encounter will be mercilessly killed by us.

    Unless you can gather your brethren together before we kill them all. This way, you¡¯ll be Lord Murphy¡¯s servants and can strut around Transia. As long as you obey, no one will harm you.

    Look.

    Your nsmen were originally going to die, but because you bravely stepped up to lead and protect them, now they don¡¯t have to die and can even live a good life.

    They should thank you!

    You¡¯ll be the only gnoll big boss in all of Transia!

    All gnolls and kobolds will listen to you. If King Gnawbone appears at that time and sees that you¡¯ve already be a formidable leader, perhaps he¡¯ll show mercy.

    After all, he¡¯s the king of all gnolls!

    You¡¯re his grandson!

    You should at least be the king of Transia¡¯s gnolls to be worthy of this bloodline, right?

    You can¡¯t be afraid!

    It¡¯s precisely because you know you¡¯re not yet worthy of King Gnawbone¡¯s bloodline that you need to work harder, do better, make King Gnawbone satisfied with you and agree to let you use his name, right?

    So what are you still hesitating about?¡±

    Little Ashina urged:

    ¡°Quickly pledge allegiance to Lord Murphy! This opportunity won¡¯te again.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but King Kenport¡­ and the Gnawbone n, and my former nsmen¡­ they all know I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey, small problem, just kill them all, won¡¯t that do? When you be the king of gnolls, if you say you¡¯re Gnawbone¡¯s grandson, then you are! No one will dare deny your words, and King Gnawbone won¡¯t deny it either.

    You know you can¡¯t do it yourself, no problem, we¡¯ll help you!

    Lord Murphy will help you too, isn¡¯t that the meaning of allegiance?

    Use loyalty to exchange for some things you need, so, think carefully, what do you need most right now?¡±

    ¡°Uh, some food? I¡¯m so hungry¡­¡±

    ¡°No! You idiot! What you need most right now is to keep your head! What time do you think it is! Still thinking about food? You¡¯re about to lose your life!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Very good, you made your decision faster than I expected, which fully proves you¡¯re a smart person.¡±

    Murphy looked with satisfaction at the skinny gnoll kneeling in front of his desk, and the smug Little Ashina standing beside it. A smile appeared at the corner of the vampire lord¡¯s mouth.

    He took out a Computation Bead from his Spirit Bag and threw it to Hog, saying:

    ¡°Someone will teach you how to use this thingter. Don¡¯t worry, Hog, I¡¯ll arrange everything for you. Just follow my instructions, and everything you want wille true.

    As for you, my warrior Ashina, fate has pushed you and yourpanions into this whirlpool, and you seem to be prepared for it. Therefore, I¡¯m going to entrust you and yourpanions with an important task.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    A new task note popped up on Little Ashina¡¯s character interface:

    ¡¾Special Plot Branch ¨C Hidden Quest ¡®The Rise of Hog Gnawbone¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Content: You witnessed the entire conversation between Lord Murphy and Hog Gnawbone. You know what Lord Murphy wants to do, so you can no longer stay uninvolved. Lord Murphy has decided to entrust his important n to you, and you all know that whether this n seeds will directly affect the future of the entire Transia.

    It¡¯s very important!

    So you absolutely cannot fail!

    Quest Objective: First step! Help the special plot character ¡®Hog Gnawbone¡¯ rebuild his n. Note, you can help Hog quickly form his barbarian guard and servants through the ongoing gnoll extermination war.

    Quest Requirements: Before the end of the first phase of the gnoll extermination war, Hog¡¯s new n must reach 30 members, including at least two elite leaders and ten ck Iron barbarians.

    Quest Reward: New faction (yer-led) unlocked!

    Note!

    This quest is a special plot branch quest. Such quests often directly affect the plot direction of a certain region. Please treat it carefully and think through each decision.

    Note!

    The maximum number of people this quest can be shared with is: 5.

    Note!

    This quest is the second link in the ¡®Murphy¡¯s Warriors¡¯ series of quests. If the quest fails, Lord Murphy will be very disappointed in you.¡¿

    ¡°Go now, use your wisdom and courage. I¡¯ll be looking forward to your victory.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand in a rather formic manner.

    Little Ashina pulled the still somewhat confused but now ¡°neutral target¡± Hog Gnawbone out of the office. Outside the door, the 155cm shorty put her hands on her hips and said to Hog:

    ¡°Very good, from today on, I¡¯ll be your kobold strategist, Chief. Now let¡¯s go have a meal first, then get you some proper attire. You lookpletely devoid of authority right now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But you¡¯re not a kobold! Kobolds are about as tall as you but they¡¯re not as smart as you¡­¡±

    ¡°¡®Kobold strategist¡¯ is just a figure of speech, okay? You stupid half-educated gnoll. And listen up, if you make fun of my height again, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±

 Chapter 227:

    The storyline involving the gnoll Hog Gnawbone has been triggered, but it¡¯s just an inconspicuous part of the ongoing gnoll extermination campaign.

    At least for now, it hasn¡¯t been able to make waves.

    Whilebat yers are busy farming points in the score pool to exchange for rewards, and new yers are busy leveling up and getting equipment, the game pace of administrative career yers hasn¡¯t been affected by the great war that has begun externally.

    For example, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman, the chief architect of Crimson Citadel, and his roommate assistant Bricyer, logged on early today and rushed to the construction site in the city area of Crimson Citadel.

    Today is a very important day for both of them, as the first 3-story ¡°residential building¡± designed by their own hands is about to rise from the ground today.

    If this seeds, it means that Murphy¡¯s Crimson Citadel reconstruction work can truly progress to the implementation stage.

    More importantly, the construction of this building today is probably the first attempt to apply the ¡°new construction method¡± on this continent, and the two ¡°architects¡± themselves aren¡¯t confident about whether it can seed or not.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying, it feels weird to construct without cement or measurements, relying solely on blueprints,¡± Bricyer, holding a stack of blueprints,ined to the equally anxious Grayman beside him at the busy construction site outside the city area:

    ¡°And do you really believe their ¡®stone to mud¡¯ spell can progress ording to our expectations? If it ends up as something bizarre, that would be a huge embarrassment.¡±¡°I don¡¯t know, who am I supposed to ask if you¡¯re asking me? You won¡¯t find a single senior who can build houses with spirit energy spells even if you search the entire design institute,¡± Grayman sighed for the 17th time.

    He looked at the blueprints again, and finally shook his head and looked towards the ¡°model¡± that was being set up by the camp workers in front of them.

    It really was just a model!

    The 3-story design had onlypleted the first floor, with the model¡¯s main body fixed with long wooden boards and wedges, just like children ying with Lego, building from the foundation ording to their design drawings.

    Four wooden boards were joined together with reserved wedges and grooves to form a ¡°hollow column¡± to support the structural strength of the entire first floor.

    Because it was an experiment, Grayman and Bricyer didn¡¯t start by building exactly ording to the nned 10 rooms per floor.

    They made a series of three rooms, and it took the workers a full 4 days toplete the entire model. Now from the outside, it already looked like a proper square ¡°wooden house¡±.

    Workers standing ondders were performing the ¡°capping¡± operation.

    They ced the hollow boards, which had been pre-assembled at the construction site, on top of the square house ording to pre-drawn positions, leaving interfaces to connect its interior space with the hollow columns below, forming a ¡°hollow structure¡± protected by wooden boards.

    To ensure the structural strength of the house, Grayman and Bricyer made these ¡°wooden molds¡± quite thick, basically equivalent to the thickness of standard concrete walls and floor bs.

    This made the footprint of the wooden ¡°model¡± in front of them look quite grand.

    ¡°Yo, this ¡®building block toy¡¯ looks really good,¡± Dump Truck Iaido, Bulldozer Man Charging, and Half Off With Full Coverage, the first three guys to try administrative careers, strolled onto the construction site.

    They critiqued the ¡°house mold¡± that was being built in front of them, and Dump Truck very humbly asked:

    ¡°So, are you nning to build houses using a method simr to ¡®casting¡¯? I heard you mention before that you¡¯d first make a set of house molds, then have Spirit Mages use the stone to mud spell to reshape the stone material, letting the stone slurry flow into the mold and finally solidify, and after removing the external mold, a standard room would be formed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the principle, simr to the mainstream method used on construction sites back home, except there¡¯s no steel reinforcement here,¡± Bricyer sighed and said:

    ¡°Although we¡¯ve consulted Lady Tris and received an affirmative answer, to be honest, we two brothers aren¡¯t sure if it will work. In theory, as long as the Spirit Mage can ensure that the stone slurry flows evenly in the house mold and shapes quickly, it should definitely work.¡±

    ¡°Sounds convenient,¡± Bulldozer Man Charging rubbed his chin and said:

    ¡°If this works, wouldn¡¯t you be able to continuously ¡®replicate¡¯ simr houses with one set of mold temtes? Theoretically, if there¡¯s enough stone material and the Spirit Mages can hold up, you couldplete the residential area construction within a month, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that fast!¡± Graymanined:

    ¡°Designing and making molds also takes time, and the workers aren¡¯t skilled in assembling them yet. Most importantly, no one knows if the structural strength can support three floors. What if it copses? That would be disastrous!

    This is just the beginning, there are still many testing procedures to be der.

    And even if it really works, this modr construction method can only be used for basic buildings, only square or geometric structures can be made. If you want to add specific functions to the floors or do some fancy work on the building details, it still needs subsequent processing.

    That would take a lot of time.

    We¡¯re recruiting stonemasons, but this profession is considered ¡®high-tech talent¡¯ in Transia, it¡¯s hard to find suitable ones, we can only select clever and dexterous ones from ordinary workers and start training them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking quite far ahead,¡± Dump Truck scoffed:

    ¡°Just look at those tents in the camp first, the survivors would be grateful just to have a house that shelters them from wind and rain, who would be picky enough to demand patterns and statues? Those are things we need to consider when we¡¯re prosperous in the future.¡±

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯ve even reserved space for water pipes in the house mold? What¡¯s thatrge passage through the floor b for?¡± Half Off With Full Coverage walked around the construction site and quickly noticed the unique features of the house mold designed by Grayman. He came over to ask:

    ¡°I saw the workers stuff three wooden stakes into the hollow mold, won¡¯t that leave gaps through the floor b after the stone slurry is poured? Won¡¯t that weaken the solidity?¡±

    ¡°It will weaken it, but it won¡¯t cause structural problems, we¡¯ve repeatedly calcted using 3D modeling,¡± Grayman exined:

    ¡°Those reserved holes willter be ¡®floor heating¡¯. We¡¯ve designed apanying steam hot water pipes for these residential buildings. When winteres, a superrge boiler equipment will continuously provide hot water flowing through these holes, achieving 24-hour ¡®central heating¡¯.

    Of course, this rudimentary heating method can¡¯t adjust the temperature, and stone materials have poor heat transfer efficiency, so it¡¯s probably just better than nothing, barely able to ensure that the temperature inside the house won¡¯t fall below a certain lethal limit.

    It might even bring side effects like dampness, requiring annual reinforcement with spirit energy spells to prevent water seepage.

    But if this function can really be realized, then I can proudly guarantee to Lord Murphy that his subjects won¡¯t freeze to death this winter.¡±

    ¡°Damn! That¡¯s awesome!¡± The other three guys heard Grayman¡¯s exnation and introduction and immediately gave thumbs up, shouting ¡°666¡±. However, after shouting, Dump Truck Iaido, the oldest, blinked and said to Grayman and Bricyer:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you young people heard of something called a ¡®kang¡¯? Make a small fire kang for each room, it¡¯s just a matter of adding a chimney. Along with your rudimentary central heating, I estimate these survivors won¡¯t even need to wear cotton clothes in the house this winter.¡±

    ¡°Brilliant!¡± Bricyer¡¯s eyes lit up. He grabbed the design drawings and opened them, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ll add it right away. You older brothers are indeed more knowledgeable and experienced.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The three older guys chuckled, and started chatting and boasting again. Half an hourter, the workers¡¯ ¡°capping¡± was finished, and a square wooden house mold stood before everyone.

    Lady Tris and Lord Murphy also arrived by invitation.

    A group of workers saw the lord arrive and immediately became a bit fearful. They gathered at the side of the construction site, whispering.

    Although Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman had a good reputation in the camp, and they all knew that this young man was very learned, this method of building houses was after all the first time they had seen it. Everyone hoped to see if these days of busy work could yield a result.

    ¡°Hmm, this mold is well made, so intricate,¡± Murphymented.

    Tris, wrapped up tightly and still a bit sleepy, circled around the house mold and came back to whisper to Murphy:

    ¡°This looks like the work of an old craftsman, designing such an intricate hollow mold requires years of experience and umted craftsmanship. However, your warriors are so young, to be honest, I don¡¯t quite believe they¡¯re all geniuses.

    So is this the wonderful use of that ¡®super library¡¯ unique to their world that you told me about before?¡±

    ¡°I never said that thing was called a ¡®super library¡¯, that¡¯s your own interpretation,¡± Murphy maintained the proper smile an NPC should have on his face, and replied using voice mimicry techniques:

    ¡°But it indeed possesses all the functions of any super library you can imagine. As long as they¡¯re willing and master certain search techniques, they can find all the knowledge they need in it.

    There aren¡¯t that many geniuses in their world.

    But by our standards, every one of them is a genius. Endless knowledge awaits them to seize and utilize, and the only thing limiting them from bing masters in a certain field is self-discipline and the perseverance to keep learning.

    However, this is the hardest part, regardless of which world you¡¯re in.¡±

    ¡°What an unimaginable miracle and great achievement,¡± Tris sighed:

    ¡°If only we had something simr here.¡±

    ¡°We can!¡± Murphy gently patted Tris¡¯s wrist and said:

    ¡°The matrix formed by the halflings¡¯ Computation Beads has already touched that realm. As long as they continue to develop, something simr will be born here too. Tris, if you¡¯re willing, you can join in as well.

    But now I need you to help my warriors build this house. We¡¯ve seen their hard work and efforts.

    They urgently need some positive feedback, and we also urgently need a set of building methods that can be quickly replicated in the territory, to ensure that our territory won¡¯t have one or two unfortunate souls die when the heavy snowes.

    I don¡¯t want to see my tragedy repeated on others, after all, not everyone can encounter a beautiful and kind-hearted vampiredy on a winter night.¡±

    ¡°But you can do this too, Murphy. You¡¯re also a formal Spirit Mage now, and turning stone to mud isn¡¯t a difficult technique. Among the dwarves, it¡¯s even considered a trick,¡± Tris nced at Murphy.

    She shook her head and stepped forward, her fingers flipping to hold the luxurious Nocturne Scepter in her hand, casually pointing it forward.

    Those stones that had been prepared in advance and piled around the mold were immediately ¡°captured¡± and lifted into the air by the vibrating spirit energy. Under the precise maniption of earth spirit energy, the solid rocks ¡°melted¡± quickly before the little yers¡¯ eyes.

    Its material form was temporarily changed into fluid stone slurry, and then under Tris¡¯s maniption, it was pushed by invisible hands from all sides to flow into the holes reserved in the house mold.

    It looked exactly like liquid flowing.

    The stone slurry continued to move forward along the geometric ¡°channels¡± shaped by those hollow wooden boards, filling every space.

    This scene was like mercury pouring down, and under the action of gravity, the fluid stone slurry made a pleasant rushing sound, as if a delicate container was being filled bit by bit, settling from the holes on the ground to the foundation built in the same way further below, and then quickly changing back from fluid to cold, solid rock as Tris withdrew her magic at the right time.

    But their form had already been permanently changed into another appearance under the constraint of the wooden mold.

    The entire spellcasting processsted 5 minutes.

    This was the result of Tris, a Spirit Sovereign, personally manipting it. If it were an ordinary Spirit Mage or Spirit Mage apprentice, this process would be prolonged.

    But to be honest, in Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s original vision, this house wasn¡¯t going to be ¡°formed in one go¡±. He would havepleted the construction of the house ording to strict standards, repeating the process from foundation to pirs to capping.

    Today¡¯s experiment was just to verify whether the ¡°rapid construction¡± method designed by him and Bricyer could take effect. Of course, it¡¯s hard to say if this is their original creation, after all, in real society, the same concrete pouring method is used when building high-rises.

    It¡¯s just that here, it¡¯s reced by more mysterious spirit energy means.

    ¡°Done!¡± Tris stopped casting, and as the spirit energy vibrations gradually subsided, she brushed her hair and turned to the excited Grayman and Bricyer, saying:

    ¡°All the spaces in your mold have been filled with stone slurry, and they¡¯ve solidified. Go on, remove the outer mold and see your work.¡±

    ¡°Go! Take it apart!¡± The excited Grayman gave the order, and the workers who could no longer contain themselves immediately went forward to dismantle the outer wooden mold.

    The three older guys also ran to help, but the inner mold had already been sealed into the formed house structure ording to Grayman¡¯s design when the stone slurry solidified. Now they only needed to remove the outer mold to see the real condition of the house.

    As they were dismantling, Bricyer, who was always clear-headed, suddenly pped his forehead and said:

    ¡°Ah! We don¡¯t need to remove the outer wooden boards! After you remove them, you¡¯ll still need to paint the walls andy tiles, right? Why not just leave them as they are, consider it as a ¡®protectiveyer¡¯ for the outer wall? Whether it¡¯s painting or secondary processingter, isn¡¯t it better than working hard on the stone?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Grayman had been too excited to think of that.

    Hearing Bricyer¡¯s suggestion, he immediately agreed and ordered the workers not to remove the wooden boards. He himself grabbed a big hammer under everyone¡¯s gaze and walked to the wall.

    He looked at Bricyer, who nodded vigorously at him.

    So Grayman took a deep breath and swung the big hammer towards the wall in front of him.

    This was to test the solidity of the formed house, with Half Off With Full Coverage beside him providing ¡°voice-over¡±:

    ¡°Eighty! Eighty! Eighty!¡±

    ¡°Damn, how am I supposed to test with you doing this?¡± Grayman, who had hammered three times,ughed. He put down the hammer and cursed.

    But everyone was looking at the wall in front of them. The three hammer blows had smashed the wooden boards, revealing the smooth stoneyer inside, without any cracks or peeling.

    This solidity wasn¡¯t much inferior to concrete, after all, the stone materials produced in Transia were quite solid to begin with.

    ¡°All of you, step back!¡± Tris said from behind.

    She made everyone keep their distance, then started with a spirit energy heavy strike, smashing into it. With a loud boom, one-third of the newly built house was shattered under the rampaging spirit energy, as if it had been hit by an aerial bomb.

    ¡°Ah, this!¡± Bricyer patted away the dust flying in front of him, saying very disappointedly:

    ¡°Looks like the solidity isn¡¯t good enough.¡±

    ¡°Not good enough?¡± Tris smiled and exined:

    ¡°With the destructive power of that spell just now, ordinary houses would have beenpletely leveled, but more than half of your building is still standing. This already proves that it¡¯s more solid than the previous buildings in Kadman City.

    Congrattions, warriors.

    You¡¯ve invented a quite powerful ¡®rapid construction technique¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I should give you adequate rewards. Whatever you want, I¡¯ll fulfill it for you,¡± Murphy stepped forward and took Tris¡¯s arm. He said to Grayman and Bricyer in front of him:

    ¡°Your efforts have alreadyid a solid hope for the future of Crimson Citadel. From now on, our reconstruction will no longer just stay on paper. You¡¯ll be busy for the next two months. Besides building residential areas for the survivors, I also need you to construct sufficiently solid houses for my subjects in the five nned collective farms.

    This will be a big project!

    But I believe you can do it well.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡± Grayman¡¯s Computation Bead made a light sound. He looked down and eximed:

    ¡°I¡¯ve passed my administrative trial, I¡¯m now an official vige chief! Why does this profession quest called ¡®Rise of the Stonemason Brotherhood¡¯ feel strange? I¡¯m not surnamed VanCleef, and do I really have to design and build a new city?

    Damn, that¡¯s really impossible!¡±

 Chapter 228:

    Grayman and Bricyer sessfullypleted their most urgent task at hand. After proving that their newly developed ¡°Rapid Construction Technique¡± was entirely feasible, the enthusiasm of the workers at the construction site was also ignited.

    They had been informed earlier that this residential area was for the survivors in the camp to live through theing winter.

    Since they were building houses for themselves, of course they couldn¡¯t be careless.

    Without even needing Grayman and Bricyer to urge them on, they very actively engaged in the work of making new house molds under the leadership of their respective foremen.

    They had simple blueprints drawn by Bricyer in hand, and for the past 4 days, they had learned how to make these not-so-intricate things under Bricyer¡¯s hands-on guidance. Therefore, the Stonemason¡¯s Guild¡¯s two ¡°designers¡± no longer needed to oversee the site for the uing work.

    They had already been assigned a new task, and this task was giving the two design research students quite a headache.

    ¡°Tsk tsk, designing the new city n for Crimson Citadel, that¡¯s equivalent to being responsible for nning a small county town, can you guys do it?¡±

    In the tent of the Pioneer Camp, three administrative professionals sat with Grayman and Bricyer, studying the side quest that Grayman had just triggered, while Bricyer was lost in thought, contemting his career path.

    It turns out that the trials for administrative professions are indeed a bit easier thanbat professions. From Grayman¡¯s experience, as long as he could lead thepletion of the construction of the survivor residential area, he would be an ¡°official vige chief¡±.Not to mention various administrative profession benefits, just the ability to have 4 guards!

    Tsk tsk, now he would be so impressive when going on inspections, should he choose 4 female soldiers like Half Off With Full Coverage?

    And give them cool armor to wear.

    Hah, just thinking about it was a bit exciting.

    ¡°What are you smiling about, looking so lecherous, did you think of something good?¡±

    Bulldozer Man Charging suddenly asked, startling Bricyer from his beautiful fantasy. He immediately coughed twice and said with a serious expression:

    ¡°I was thinking about this important side quest for Grayman and me. We¡¯ve discussed nning a city before, and it¡¯s something we two simply can¡¯t do on our own. This isn¡¯t a modern city, and there isn¡¯t much information about this online.

    We can¡¯t just take an existing temte and modify it either, because there are just too many things to consider.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Bulldozer Man Charging tossed berries from the table into his mouth, chewing with his mouth full of juice, and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve already triggered an important side quest, you¡¯ve been entrusted with the task of building a city, you can¡¯t possibly give up on the quest, can you?¡±

    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t underestimate yourselves. Although you might see yourselves as novices in this field, I dare say that among all the people in Transia right now, including the gnolls and kobolds, no one is more professional in this aspect than you two.

    So go ahead and do it boldly!

    At worst, it¡¯ll just be a bit ugly, the NPCs won¡¯t care.

    It¡¯s just a matter of being mocked by future yers, right? And this is an opportunity to independently take charge of a super project!¡±

    Bulldozer Man Charging¡¯s eyes lit up as he said:

    ¡°Think about it carefully, who in the real world would give such a big project to you two students who haven¡¯t even graduated yet to practice on? Even if it doesn¡¯t involve your professional field, just the management and operational experience you¡¯ll umte afterpleting this process will be enough for you to benefit from for a lifetime.

    This is much better than doing some damn internship at a designpany.

    This is real work where you can learn skills.¡±

    ¡°Mm, Bulldozer is right,¡± Dump Truck Iaido nodded and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, just do your best, don¡¯t feel pressured.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Grayman was being stubborn at this point.

    He pushed up the noble sses on his nose bridge, stroking the design drawings beside him, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m not really concerned about being mocked, the main problem is that this is the first city in Transia. No matter how much we ignore its political significance, we can¡¯t change the reality that as soon as this city is born, it will be the capital of thisnd.

    This is our ¡®newbie vige¡¯!

    If we just muddle through it casually, it might bring quite terrible negative impacts to our future gaming career, and Lord Murphy has entrusted this important task to us, we can¡¯t let him down!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone crazy from ying this game!¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage sneered and said:

    ¡°No matter how perfect Lord Murphy is, he¡¯s still just an NPC, and this is just a task you need to face. It¡¯s good to empathize with people, but you need to distinguish between reality and virtual. I can understand your thoughts, but the problem is we don¡¯t have a way now, do we?¡±

    ¡°No, there is a way!¡±

    Grayman rubbed his brow hard, he seemed to have made a difficult decision, and then pped the table saying:

    ¡°I want to bring my mentor in. He has simr experiences and has enough knowledge and experience to preside over such a big n.¡±

    ¡°Old Chen?¡±

    Bricyer was stunned, then said with a wry smile:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Although Old Chen is very interested in the construction ns of Kadman City and always asks about this and that, it doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯lle and y games with us. He¡¯s a proper old professor, an academic giant in the circle.

    Although he¡¯s about to retire, he¡¯s still very busy every day.

    How would he have time to mess around with us?¡±

    ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t work before,¡± Grayman rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been watching the news these past few days? That big flu is getting worse and worse. When I went to the cafeteria for lunch yesterday, I heard some teachers from the neighboring department say that the school might be locked down. Old Chen can¡¯t attend several of his meetings either. Why do you think he¡¯s been so free these past few days?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, that big flu.¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido also recalled the news he heard when having dinner with some buddies yesterday. He said with some concern:

    ¡°I heard from some of my friends abroad that they¡¯ve started hoarding medicines and masks over there. It¡¯s really causing panic. Although it hasn¡¯t happened in our country yet, I guess measures will be taken soon.¡±

    ¡°I heard there might be a city lockdown,¡±

    Half Off With Full Coverage said in a low voice:

    ¡°I have friends in high ces who sent me messages, telling me to stock up on some things. Let¡¯s not talk about reality, just about this matter at hand. Are you sure you can invite your mentor in? And how about the invitation code?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Brother Alpha to make an exception,¡±

    Grayman shrugged and said:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say exceptions were made before? During the battle prevention at Smuggler¡¯s Woods, didn¡¯t Meow King ask the test group to get an invitation code for Stick? Besides, Brother Alpha said on the forumst time that they need professionals to enter the game now to help test various functions.

    I think with Old Chen¡¯s status, giving an extra headset is just a matter of Brother Alpha submitting a report to the development team.

    But I need to talk to him first.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go check out the terrain of those nned farms,¡±

    Bricyer stood up and said:

    ¡°Try to get the nning map done before logging off today. It¡¯s just farms, it can¡¯t be harder than building a city, right?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    The three camp manager brothers also stood up.

    They had all received tasks from Miss Miriam, and the uing farm construction also needed to draw manpower from under theirmand to assist. As middle-level leaders in Crimson Citadel¡¯s current ruling system and the ¡°leading horses¡± among administrative yers, the three brothers must shoulder the responsibility of manpower mobilization and the promotion and application of the new order.

    This is also the main game content for these administrative yers.

    It does sound a bit boring, not as exciting as fighting and killing, but as said before, the definition of ¡°fun¡± is different in everyone¡¯s eyes. There are always people who can find different kinds of happiness from these ¡°special gamey¡±.

    Not to mention, when the three brothers ride on tall horses, followed by 4 or 5 secretaries, and a total of 12 clearly armored guards marching out in grand fashion.

    Tsk, that scene is quite impressive.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s how things are, Brother Alpha. I know this doesn¡¯t conform to the rules of our test group, but it¡¯s indeed a special situation, so I hope you can submit a report to the development team to apply for it.¡±

    Grayman sent a message to the administrator Alpha on the forum, exining his ideas and the difficulties he¡¯s currently facing.

    Alpha, respectfully called ¡°Brother Alpha¡± by the testers, was as Duty-Bound as ever and quickly replied.

    Alpha: ¡¾Sure, this kind of thing isn¡¯t against the rules. In fact, the development team has been inviting professionals from various fields to participate in the game development and modification process, but not every expert is willing to participate in the project, which also gives us a headache.

    If you¡¯re sure you can invite your mentor to participate in the testing process, the development team would be very happy.

    But the question is, can you convince your mentor?

    You need to understand, little brother Grayman, the rules of the current testing phase are entirely voluntary. We can¡¯t ignore your mentor¡¯s personal wishes and forcibly send him a headset, can we?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Hehe, as long as you don¡¯t make things difficult, I¡¯ll go persuade Old Chen to fill out the test application right away.¡¿

    Alpha: ¡¾Wait a moment, download this and transfer it to your mobile device. I¡¯ve given you special download permissions.¡¿

    After saying this, Alpha sent apressed package marked as ¡¶Shaldor Engineering Academy Architects¡¯ Study on Foreign Architectural Styles ¨C Elves and Sanghai General Outline¡·. This impressive but confusing name left Grayman bewildered.

    Then he activated the download permission and downloaded thispressed package to his tablet. After dpression, there were two documents in a folder, both already tranted into Chinese.

    The first was about the architectural style of Castilia elves, including an overview and diagrams. The second was about the unique architectural style of the Sanghai Empire in the originnd.

    The two quite professional papers were authored under the name of a certain halfling architect, with a watermark stating ¡¶Reality Realm ¨C Development Team Modeling and Story Background Setting Internal Document ¨C Strictly Confidential¡·.

    ¡°Damn, awesome! Look at the strength of this development team! It¡¯s made-up stuff but it looks just like a real paper!¡±

    Grayman excitedly shouted.

    He certainly knew why Brother Alpha gave him these two documents.

    This was meant to be bait, with Old Chen as the ¡°lucky koi¡± that must take the hook.

    The cunning graduate student thought carefully for a moment, then opened his mentor¡¯smunication and sent over the two documents without saying much more. He casually ordered takeout for himself and Bricyer.

    Just as he finished eating fried chicken and was happily drinking soda, themunication on his phone started ringing like crazy.

    He picked it up and looked, not surprisingly.

    Hey, Old Chen took the bait.

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Where did you find these materials? Is this from the documents in that game of yours? Can young people nowadays make up stories to such a realistic extent? What style exactly are the architectural aesthetics of these elves and Sanghai people based on?

    How can they use nt vines and trees themselves as building materials?

    And!

    Can¡¯t you send the full thing when you send stuff, you little devil?

    You only sent the overview of both papers, what are you trying to do? Tease me?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Hehe, mentor, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to send the full version, but the development team only gave me this much. This is an internal document, as you can see, it¡¯s clearly a textbook from a background force in the game.

    We haven¡¯t pushed the plot to that stage yet.

    Why don¡¯t youe in and see for yourself?

    You can guide your student¡¯s work while you¡¯re at it.

    I¡¯m not exaggerating, the NPCs have asked me and my junior to n and build a city for them. Although it¡¯s only equivalent to a small county town on our side, we two can¡¯t handle it, so we need a pir like you to step in.¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾??? I asionally watch my grandson y games, and although I don¡¯t understand much, doesn¡¯t he just click a couple of times on the screen and it¡¯s done?

    What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t you two click the mouse? Or can¡¯t you look up guides?

    Surely you¡¯re not worse than my teenage grandson?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Oh my, it¡¯s hard to exin to you. How about this? You fill out a test application first. I¡¯ve already sorted out the rtionship with the development team. As long as you submit the application, they¡¯ll send a headset over. You¡¯ll be able to enter Transia by tomorrow at thetest.

    Then, you¡¯ll know what kind of hot potato your student has taken on.¡¿

    After saying this, he copied the test invitation link from the forum and sent it to his mentor. A few minutester, his mentor replied:

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Why do I need to fill in mymunication address and contact information? Are you sure this isn¡¯t some new type of scam? Be honest, are you being threatened by someone? Are you now trying to drag this old man down with you?

    If it¡¯s true, you should report to the police immediately! Or should I report for you?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Your vignce is too high, isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t consider these things when I filled it out. Don¡¯t worry, mentor, quite a few students in our school are ying it, it¡¯s definitely not a scam. By the way, do you think I would dare to joke about this with you when my graduation is at stake?¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Hmm, that¡¯s true. Then how should I fill in this ¡®specialties¡¯ column?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Just take a photo of those awards you¡¯ve won and upload it.¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾No way, what if someone uses my photo and identity to do bad things? I¡¯ve heard that there are many incidents of fake photos online nowadays. A professor from the neighboring college had his identity information impersonated.

    He was almost arrested in the end.

    I¡¯ll just write ¡®construction site supervisor¡¯.¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Alright, alright, whatever you say. Anyway, I¡¯ve already talked with the test group, they know your academic value. I¡¯ll go into the game to prepare for you first. When the headset arrives, call me, and I¡¯ll teach you how to use it.

    You can also check out the posts on the forum, there are special tutorials for neers. If you don¡¯t understand anything, just ask me.

    I¡¯m more or less a veteran yer now, already one of the only four vige chiefs in the game.¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Ah? What¡¯s a ¡®vige chief¡¯? Is it some kind of game profession? The more you say, the more confused I am. Why do I feel like you¡¯re not ying a game but participating in some kind of pioneering?¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Oh, it¡¯s really hard to exin. Let¡¯s talk after you enter the game. Didn¡¯t you always teach us to see is to believe?¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Fine! But let¡¯s make things clear upfront, Little Du. If you¡¯re making fun of this old Chen, then we¡¯ll have to reconsider your graduation. Anyway, the employment situation hasn¡¯t been good these few years. Why not stay with me for a few more years.

    This old man can still support you two.¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾No, please, mentor!¡¿

    Diligent and Industrious: ¡¾Regretting now? Toote! I want to see what kind of mischief you two are up to.¡¿

 Chapter 229:

    Professor Chen, who always refers to himself as Old Chen, is over 60 years old this year. He has a kind personality and possesses the integrity of the older generation of intellectuals. It is said that when he was young, he worked in several design institutes and once had the opportunity to pursue a career in politics, but ultimately did not take that path. In the end, after many twists and turns, he returned to his alma mater to serve as a mentor in the design department.

    He doesn¡¯t dislike the job of being a teacher.

    Unfortunately, in a non-famous major at a well-known university, to be honest, it¡¯s difficult to get any significant benefits. But perhaps it¡¯s because there¡¯s little financial gain that he gets along well with his students, without too many troublesome matters.

    Grayman and Bricyer are thest batch of graduate students he¡¯s mentoring. After these two unreliable fellows graduate, Old Chen ns to go home and enjoy his retirement.

    His wife passed away a few years ago, and his two sons have already established their own families and careers. asionally they bring the grandchildren back for a visit, making Old Chen¡¯s elderly life quite fulfilling.

    Generally speaking, people who have a fulfilling reality don¡¯t tend to seek sce in virtual worlds. Of course, the main reason Old Chen ys few games is that he didn¡¯t catch the right timing.

    When he was the same age as Grayman, even arcade machines were still rare.

    Therefore, when his two students said they wanted to invite him to y a game together, Old Chen refused.

    On one hand, due to years of self-discipline, he really doesn¡¯t like this kind of entertainment. With that time, wouldn¡¯t it be better to y Go with some good friends or go fishing?On the other hand, he truly feels he can¡¯t keep up with the times.

    His expertise in hand-drawn blueprints seems somewhat out of ce in this era where everything is done onputers. Although he can use mainstream software and his thinking as a designer is barely keeping up, his students have developed quite well after entering society and asionallye back to see him. But his signature two-finger typing sometimes makes the young teachers in the department whisper among themselves.

    He knows it all.

    He just pretends not to know.

    Ignorance is bliss, after all.

    But before he could seriously refuse, just after filling out the test application and having a meal and taking a stroll downstairs, a delivery box quietly appeared at Old Chen¡¯s doorstep.

    This startled the old man.

    Although he doesn¡¯t live in a luxurymunity, it¡¯s the first time he¡¯s seen a delivery sent directly to his doorstep. Moreover, isn¡¯t this shipping speed a bit too fast?

    His students said it would take about 12 hours, but it¡¯s been less than 5 hours.

    ¡°Is the shipping location very close to here?¡±

    Old Chen picked up the delivery box and entered the house, examining it very carefully.

    The sender only had one line ¡°Alpha Company ¡¶Reality Realm¡· Test Group Invites You to Join the Grand Event¡±, with a virtual protected generated transfer number used as the contact number below,pletely untraceable.

    He mumbled something and opened the box, inside was a ck motorcycle helmet-like game hardware.

    No protective case, no support stand, not even the cheapest stic foam.

    This is really quite shabby!

    ¡°I heard them say, just put this thing on and that¡¯s it?¡±

    Old Chen is a professor after all, and themon sense of a senior intellectual tells him this thing is not very reliable.

    Although he specializes in his own field of expertise, the academic circle is only so big, and he really hasn¡¯t heard of virtual reality technology being implemented to the point where it can be used to develop games in recent years.

    He doesn¡¯t dare to put something without even a production mark on his head.

    What if this unbranded product suddenly explodes?

    He remembered his student Xiao Du mentioning there¡¯s a forum he can visit, so he took the helmet to his study, turned on the newputer his eldest son had set up for him, logged onto the forum website, and found the official guidance post for the game helmet.

    After reading through it roughly, he found that this thing¡¯s functions are quiteprehensive. He exited the post and randomly clicked into a few of today¡¯s hot water-army posts.

    He didn¡¯t really care about the content, he just wanted to find some details to prove that this wasn¡¯t a prank.

    As a result, he found that the hottest topic of discussion on the forum now is about the ¡°gnoll¡± extermination action. Many people are discussing which team will top the points leaderboard, which team is more powerful, and there are even some prediction posts and betting pools set up by those who haven¡¯t received the helmet yet and are trying to satisfy their curiosity.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem fake, Xiao Du wouldn¡¯t hire over 300 people to y a joke on me, right?¡±

    Old Chen spent about 10 minutes gathering enough information, and he began to believe that this game really exists, and that through the helmet in his hand, he could enter this so-called ¡°brainwave-sensing¡± virtual reality world.

    ¡°Although I¡¯m not an expert in this field, this theory doesn¡¯t seem quite right, does it? I remember the technology rted to brainwave sensing doesn¡¯t work like this.¡±

    Professor Chen mumbled as he sat in hisputer chair, staring at the game helmet in his hand for nearly a minute before finally making up his mind.

    He picked up his phone and sent a message to his good student, telling him to wait for him in the game, then put the helmet on his head.

    Hey, you know what, this thing seems to be custom-made.

    The size is just right.

    The inner lining made of some unknown material feels quitefortable against the scalp, and the view in front of the eyes turns into that unique semi-virtual feeling of VR devices when the helmet powers on.

    There are only three initial icons in it.

    A forum entrance, a built-in browser, and finally the icon for ¡¶Reality Realm¡·.

    The icon is very exquisite, like a miniature woodcut, depicting a city under starlight. Seeing this extremely technological minimalist design, Old Chen¡¯s worries werergely put to rest.

    His grandson has a VR device, which he has also yed with, and the operation is basically the same.

    ¡°It seems there¡¯s really something to this.¡±

    The old professor adjusted his chair to afortable position, then reached out to click on the game icon.

    In the next instant, a ball of light shed before his eyes, not ring but very gentle. The light rendered the entire view before turning into a dim neb drifting, then produced a slight feeling of weightlessness under the illumination of the starry sky.

    It was as if the spirit was entering some kind of container.

    Thest glimpse Old Chen saw was a sky full of stars.

    Then, he opened his eyes.

    Perhaps due to the special habits of the elderly, he didn¡¯t immediately get up, but first felt his body and sense of touch, then observed his surroundings.

    The view swayed along with the movement of his eyes and head, so real as if he was lying on his own bed at home.

    He smelled the unique damp and cold scent of a dark ce, reminding him of the basement he had rented for a while when he first started working as a young man, that was a memory from long ago.

    Hmm?

    Not right!

    His mind seemed to clear up a lot all of a sudden, no longer having that fatigue brought on by age as in the past, and even his body seemed to have returned to its prime years.

    This is not an illusion.

    Old Chen turned over and got up from the stone tform he was lying on. He could feel the power called ¡°youth¡± contained in his new body.

    He seemed to have suddenly returned to his peak at twenty-something!

    Then, his gaze turned forward, and the environment of the midnight chamber came into view.

    The light from the gasmp overhead cast shadows on the pirs and floor. There were tforms standing around but not a single person, only a figure walking out of the shadows could be seen at the far end of his vision.

    He could hear the footsteps of shoes colliding with the ground, getting closer and closer.

    The person¡¯s cloak was still swaying behind him, his shadow casting an ominous silhouette on the ground, as if just looking at him directly would give a sense of dissonance.

    ¡°My warrior.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s maic voice in the darkness had just begun when the old professor suddenly took a step back.

    It¡¯s too real!

    Old Chen heard that voice.

    But he suddenly felt a kind of fear from the bottom of his heart, had he reallye to another world?

    This doesn¡¯t seem like ying a game at all!

    Damn it!

    He still has family on the other side.

    Driven by this sudden emotion, Professor Chen sat up from hisputer chair in one motion, taking the game helmet off his head with both hands. He looked at the familiar study in front of him, panting, along with the glowingputer screen and the various professional books arranged on the bookshelf behind it.

    Four or five of the books among them were authored by himself.

    A pot of pothos was ced on the edge of the desk.

    It¡¯s said that this thing can reduce radiation fromputers. Well, the professor knows that¡¯s impossible, but old people seek psychologicalfort.

    ¡°This thing¡±

    He sat in theputer chair, holding the game helmet in his arms, and after taking a deep breath, he shook his head and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible, no wonder those two young people are so addicted. Even an old man like me almost lost control.¡±

    He calmed himself down, got up to make a cup of tea, and then put the helmet on his head again.

    This time he wasn¡¯t as cautious as before.

    However, a note popped up in front of him, saying that because his emotions were too intense earlier, it triggered a forced disconnection, and he needs to wait 15 minutes before logging in again. The helmet¡¯s built-in AI suggested that he activate the helmet¡¯s physiological monitoring first.

    Before Old Chen could figure out where that switch was, his phone rang. After answering, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman¡¯s panting voice came from the other end:

    ¡°Old Chen, are you alright? Brother Alpha just messaged me saying that the test personnel support team at Alpha Company detected very intense emotional fluctuations from you in the backend, triggering a safety rm. He asked me to confirm your physical condition and get back to him.

    I thought you didn¡¯t have heart problems before?

    Do you want me and Brother Sun toe over now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just startled.¡±

    The old professor felt more at ease when he heard that Alpha Company really had a test group monitoring yers¡¯ mental states in real-time.

    He chuckled and said:

    ¡°This game is too realistic, you know, I felt like I really went to another world, and I was thinking that these vampires¡¯ herworld style¡¯ aesthetic is quite unique.¡±

    ¡°You can still make such jokes, seems like you¡¯re really fine.¡±

    Grayman on the other end also breathed a sigh of relief, and only hung up the phone after confirming that Professor Chen was truly alright.

    ¡°Almost made a fool of myself.¡±

    Old Chen was also amused by himself.

    He shook his head and clicked on the game helmet operation guide on the forum again, turned on the built-in physiological monitoring program, and sessfully logged in again.

    It was the same process as before, the same spiritual connection, the same reopening of eyes.

    But this time, Old Chen was no longer afraid.

    He could leave this game world at any time.

    As long as the logout function is still there, as long as he can return to the real world at any time, isn¡¯t this just an overly realistic game?

    ¡ª¡ª

    In the midnight chamber, Murphy was also startled.

    He knew Professor Chen wasing to Transia and had nned to personally wee him to express his respect for senior intellectuals and professional talents. But just as he opened his mouth, Professor Chen¡¯s body in front of him dispersed into a ball of light.

    Huh?

    Is he so terrifying in Old Chen¡¯s eyes?

    Made him disconnect out of fear?

    It can¡¯t be that bad.

    Such a handsome vampire like himself should theoretically be attractive to both men and women.

    After waiting for several minutes, Murphy sensed Old Chen reconnecting, so he cast the summoning spell again, going through the same process of simting a physical projection with spirit energy, after which Old Chen nimbly climbed up from the stone tform.

    ¡°Hello, my warrior.¡±

    This time, Murphy made his expression more gentle, extending his hand with full affability to the professor whose game ID was ¡°Construction Site Old Man¡±, saying:

    ¡°My two architects have rmended you to me. They praised you as a first-ss architectural master from another world. My territory and I warmly wee your arrival, and your wisdom and knowledge will surely move Transia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you tter me.¡±

    Professor Chen felt that this NPC in front of him was really good at speaking, and his demeanor was truly elegant, his face handsome enough. If his little grandson could grow up to look like this, it would be very reassuring.

    However, when their fingers touched, the unique coldness of vampire skin made Old Chen instinctively curl his fingers.

    He felt like he was touching a block of ice.

    It was only then that he saw the blood-red glow deep in Murphy¡¯s eyes and his overly pale skin.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a vampire?¡±

    ¡°Yes, for an atheist like you, a creature like me is indeed difficult to understand. But I believe you¡¯ll soon realize that I¡¯m different from other vampires.¡±

    Murphy smiled and replied, saying:

    ¡°Your students are already waiting for you outside the secret chamber.¡±

    ¡°Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh¡±

    As Murphy was speaking, the group of six led by Meow King, who had identally disconnected earlier, also revived at this time. As soon as they came online, they hurriedly got up and rushed out of the secret chamber.

    They needed to quickly report their ¡°Big Bird Spin Spin Spin¡± team to the administrative office and then participate in the extermination of the gnolls.

    They were already far behind.

    ¡°Oh! A neer has arrived!¡±

    Little Hand, who had the sharpest eyes, looked back and eximed:

    ¡°Howe it¡¯s an old grandpa? Damn, the test group is treating us young and strong people asborers, and they¡¯re not even sparing old grandpas?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Meow King, who was running in front, immediately mmed on the brakes when he heard this. With his ck Iron Body¡¯s super agility, he smoothly turned a corner and took a big jump, spinning in the air andnding steadily and precisely next to Old Chen.

    The cunning socialite extended his hand with a beaming smile, saying to the old man:

    ¡°You must be Professor Chen, Grayman¡¯s mentor, right? Hey, that kid mentioned on the forum earlier that he was going to invite you to Transia to guide our work! Oh my, we young people are just not reliable enough in our work, we still need experienced seniors like you to help us check things over. We¡¯re really troubling you.¡±

    This speech amused Old Chen.

    He squinted his eyes and said:

    ¡°Young man, you must often do reception work, right? You speak officialnguage so fluently, one after another. My two students have also been taken care of by you all.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, we all support each other. Well, you go ahead with your business, we have things to do. We¡¯ll visit you another day when we have time, I still have a few boxes of good tea.

    Lord Murphy, please rest assured!

    We will definitely eradicate those damn gnolls and protect the order of Transia!¡±

    Meow King quickly excused himself and ran out with his brothers.

    Murphy, in his NPC role, also gave Old Chen a few words of advice, suggesting he be an administrative personnel in the territory before turning and leaving the midnight chamber.

    Old Chen strolled out, enjoying the feeling of being young again, leaving the midnight chamber with a smile on his face. As a result, he immediately saw his two students waiting outside the door.

    ¡°Professor, you¡¯re finally here! Come quickly and take a look at our nning drawings.¡±

    Grayman stepped forward and unfolded the drawings for his mentor to see. Old Chen didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, took them over and nced at them, then said in a strange tone:

    ¡°The drawing is okay, but there¡¯s one very important issue¡­ did you calcte the feng shui before drawing?¡±

    ¡°What? We¡¯re in a game now, are we still talking about that stuff?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, even urban legends like vampires exist here, the importance of feng shui, which in reality is just for peace of mind, goes without saying here. Who knows what other supernatural things exist here?

    You two!

    You talked about applying what you¡¯ve learned, but you haven¡¯t even understood the four words bine with reality¡¯. Materialism doesn¡¯t mean you should deny these things, it means you should ept them while making necessary modifications ording to actual situations.

    Take it back and redraw. Before you start drawing, first ask a local master to calcte the fortune and auspiciousness ording to their methods.

    This is a new city!

    I saw on the post that this city has just suffered a disaster, and some evil spirits haven¡¯t been cleaned up yet, so we can¡¯t be careless about this aspect.¡±

 Chapter 230:

    ¡°Why is the desertification of this ground so severe?¡±

    Old Chen came to the ruins of the inner city above the Blood Vulture Halls, led by his two students. He immediately noticed the terrible soil condition on the ground, bent down to grab a handful of soil and squeezed it in his hand.

    Therge clump of soil immediately scattered under external force, without any stickiness.

    Moreover, the color of the soil appeared oddly grayish-white, making Professor Chen frown deeply.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to start construction directly in this condition, even with reinforced foundations. Have you measured it? How thick is this type of soil?¡±

    ¡°At least 1.5 meters down, mentor,¡± replied Grayman, pushing up his decorative sses. He said to Old Chen:

    ¡°I asked around, and they say it¡¯s because of the erosion of Spirit energy from the Astral Realm outside this world, causing the life force of thisnd to drain rapidly. The entire surface part of the city has been dragged into that alternate dimension, and the remainingnd has been eroded by polluted energy, turning it into this state.

    I think what the locals refer to as the loss of nd life force¡¯ probably means this loss of fertility and desert-like condition.

    And look!¡±He pointed to the sky. There¡¯s a 12-hour time difference between the game and reality, so it was nearly dawn when Old Chen entered the game.

    He raised his head and could see the strange Astral Realm rift emitting a purple glow in the sky above, like a crack in the sky that was incongruous with the surrounding starry sky.

    ¡°The polluted Spirit energy from the Astral Realm is still constantly pouring in here. Lady Tris said this situation willst at least 10 years. Under its cover, the inner city area can¡¯t return to its original soil quality. To be honest, the outer city area is slightly better.

    They previously paved the roads with stone bs there, which somewhat blocked the energy intrusion, and they have underground water channels, which to some extent alleviated the spread of desertification.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± Old Chen scattered the sand in his hand and patted his hands, saying:

    ¡°We need to think of a solution. If we must start work on suchnd, we first need to remove these non-cohesive, flowing sandy soils. In our world, we could directly dorge-scale reinforcement of underground structures and then pour special cement to make building tforms.

    But that won¡¯t work here.

    Doesn¡¯t this world have magic? Do they have simr technologies?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve asked about this too. Grandma Marianne, who is knowledgeable among the Witch Hunters, said that the earth priests of the Silver Dwarves are very good at dealing with this kind of thing. They can perform the Mother Earth¡¯s divine arts here to restore thend¡¯s vitality,¡± Bricyer replied:

    ¡°But the awkward thing is, the Silver Dwarves are allies of the Goldflower Kingdom, and the Goldflower Kingdom has just defeated our Portia Federation. Although the war is over now, both sides are still in a hostile state.

    However, Grandma Marianne also said that the Avalon Church can nt some special trees on suchnd. Under the catalysis of Nature Spirit energy, they can grow quickly, and when their roots intertwine to a certain extent, they can restore thisnd to be sturdy enough to supportrge buildings.

    She said if we start now, everything going smoothly, we can achieve a simr effect in just over 3 months.

    But the problem is that this is a vampire city, and nting so many trees feels a bit odd.¡±

    Bricyer said awkwardly:

    ¡°This is our second n with Grayman, and we haven¡¯t reported it to Regent Miriam and Lord Murphy yet. That¡¯s why we invited you toe and see if there are any other solutions.¡±

    ¡°You can nt trees?¡± Old Chen hesitated for a moment and asked:

    ¡°And it only takes 3 months? So, those ¡®Witch Hunters¡¯ actually have ways to make nts grow, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are experts in this field,¡± Grayman exined:

    ¡°Although the old church no longer has Druids who are more skilled in this area, they can all use Nature Spirit energy to promote nt growth.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s nt grass,¡± Professor Chen narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the Northwest for an investigationst year? Refer to the sand fixation technology there, look for simr nts locally, use grid-style nting and irrigation methods, these sandy soils are still within a manageable range.

    Of course, we should nt trees too!

    The entanglement strength of tree roots is much stronger than grass, and thebination of the two might be even more effective. Besides, it can be considered as preliminary greening for this ruins area. 3 months is alsopletely enough for you two to adjust the city nning, and then slowly push forward.

    However, we need to think of a solution for that big ravine.¡±

    He pointed to the huge ravine between the inner city and outer city areas, saying:

    ¡°We need at least 3 bridges, otherwise just material transportation will be a big problem. If you don¡¯t n to fill it inter, then introduce local water sources and turn it into an artificial river. Passing through the main structure of the city can also bring in some shipping industry and exotic vor to this city.

    Now tell me, how do you n toyout the functional areas of this city?¡±

    Grayman and Bricyer exchanged nces and took out the map they had just brought, saying to their mentor:

    ¡°The outer city area is small and thend is less affected, so we n to first establish a temporary gathering point in the outer city and build the residential area. The remaining area will be divided into 7 main streets along two central axes, making it square-shaped to improvend utilization.

    With the current poption of Crimson Citadel, the outer city will be sufficient for use for a long time after it¡¯s built. After the inner city is rebuilt, the outer city will be used as arge trading area.

    Thisrge ravine can serve as a separation between the inner and outer cities, dividing the trade and residential, administrative and church areas.

    Although Lord Murphy hasn¡¯t specifically designated it, we think we should build a new ¡®Midnight Tower¡¯ in the center of the inner city area during theter stages of city construction as andmark building for Crimson Citadel.

    Both inner and outer city areas have rtivelyplete sewer systems that can be used directly, but previously they directly discharged domestic sewage into the Kadman River. Of course, we can¡¯t do that now, so we need to build a sewage treatment and filtration ce outside the city and also create several water storage areas.

    In the recent Ghoul Disaster event, there were viins who tried to poison the city¡¯s underground water system! So Lord Murphy gave special instructions to separate the underground water from the daily-use water sources.

    Regent Miriam¡¯s intention is to use the Baron of Leim territory in the north as the core residential area of the Count of Kadman territory in the future. She hopes we can also do some water conservancy nning to facilitate irrigation for the 5 collective farms and such.

    But this really touches on our knowledge blind spot.¡±

    ¡°So, your job is not just building a city, but also doing construction nning for the entire count territory? This is equivalent to doing overall nning for a prefecture-level city. No wonder you were in such a hurry to pull this old man into the game,¡± Old Chen grinned and said:

    ¡°This job is indeed not something you two greenhorns can handle.¡±

    The two guys grinned.

    Obviously, it was because their experienced mentor had already boarded the pirate ship.

    Oh my, now they have someone to take the me, which greatly reduced the pressure on these two whocked confidence.

    ¡°We¡¯ve roughly calcted, mentor, that the entire Transia region is equivalent to the ovep of one and a half central provinces, but this ce is famously sparsely popted. Even at its peak, the poption of such arge area didn¡¯t exceed 2 million, and now after 10 years of war, the poption here has sharply decreased to below 300,000.

    So the nning isn¡¯t very difficult. With an expert like you taking charge, it can be done in a few months,¡± Bricyer ttered on the side:

    ¡°If you go with us to register with the Regent now, you¡¯ll be the chief architect of Transia. You¡¯ve never taken on such a big job in reality, right? How exciting is this? And the NPCs basically don¡¯t interfere with our nning, the freedom in this aspect is super high!

    You can even build a pyramid in Transia if you want, as long as the reason is appropriate, it can be approved.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    Old Chen admonished:

    ¡°Where would they find enough manpower here to build a pyramid? With their current small poption, it¡¯s already difficult to build this city, and this job isn¡¯t as easy as you think.

    Before I start mapping, I need to walk around the entire Transia area, look at the topography here, and also need some local chronicles and such. You two should follow me for some field trips next.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s chaotic out there,¡± Grayman shook his head and said:

    ¡°Other yers are still eradicating gnolls now. If you want to go out, the NPCs won¡¯t let you. It takes 3 days to respawn after dying once, which is too time-consuming. Why don¡¯t you go check out the collective farms first?

    Let¡¯s three master and apprentices settle this matter first to show the NPCs the capabilities of our ¡®Stonemason¡¯s Guild¡¯, then we¡¯ll talk about the whole Transia affair.

    I think this is the main quest for us administrative yers.

    Combat professions need to pacify the threats on thisnd, manufacturing yers need to make this ce prosperous, and we administrative yers are responsible for construction. This game has actually made clear the gamey for various professional factions from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand much of what you¡¯re saying, but everyone doing their part is obviously a good thing,¡± Old Chen nodded and said:

    ¡°It seems the NPCs in this game are really intelligent.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just intelligent, professor. Take a look at this first,¡± Grayman grinned and handed several nning drawings to Professor Chen. Thetter took them and nced at them, then frowned and said:

    ¡°What is this drawn here? A child¡¯s scribble? If this house design were actually built, I¡¯d write my name backwards if it could withstand one rainstorm without copsing.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, this was drawn by my ¡®apprentice¡¯,¡± Grayman said proudly while scratching his head, but was red at fiercely by Old Chen, who said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know your own level? Still teaching apprentices, you¡¯re misleading the younger generation!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a professional quest, professor,¡± Bricyer sighed continuously and said:

    ¡°We have to take apprentices. Grayman took 5, I took 6, all smart boys and girls carefully selected by Lady Miriam from the camp. We need to get them to pass the ¡®Junior Architect Assessment¡¯ within 3 months.

    It¡¯s not just us.

    All administrative and manufacturing yers have to take apprentices.

    This is part of the professional gamey. This damn game always makes these details particrly realistic. Those kids are quite eager to learn, but all kinds of problems give us headaches.

    I feel it¡¯s almost the same as the apprentices in the old society. Anyway, Regent Miriam¡¯s original words were that if their learning progress is unsatisfactory or they disobey our orders, we can even use corporal punishment or send them to prison.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The old professor¡¯s eyes widened as he eximed:

    ¡°Have games be so crazy now? Doesn¡¯t this vite the relevant legal regtions?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we say this game is real,¡± Grayman sighed and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you y longer. Anyway, there¡¯s always been a saying on the forum that the underlying logic of this game is designed topletely mimic the operation mode of the real world in the Middle Ages.

    The development team has been emphasizing that their goal is to create a 100% real virtual world. Some people even guess that this might be a big project with national backing, aiming to develop the legendary ¡®Second Life¡¯ to alleviate various social contradictions in the real world and such.

    Anyway, they blow their own horn with vivid details.¡±

    ¡°100% real? Is that possible?¡± Old Chen hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Have you two tried making cement here?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The two graduate students looked at each other, not quite understanding their teacher¡¯s meaning. Professor Chen walked forward while reminding them:

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate cement. Although its manufacturing process isn¡¯t difficult, the various materials and preparation processes involved all follow physicalws. I believe current technology can simte a rtively realistic virtual reality, but if they want to create a 100% realistic environment, they need to put effort into these invisible foundations.

    Apletely real world cannot be built on the basis of illusory world rules.

    In other words, if you can make cement in this game, it proves that the development team isn¡¯t joking.

    They are really seriously simting the basic logic of the real world¡¯s operation, and have even simted the physical and chemicalws of the ubiquitous substances that make up the world.

    To put it more mysteriously, it¡¯s gone from ¡®looking like¡¯ to the level of ¡®truly meticulous¡¯.

    To be honest, I don¡¯t quite believe they can achieve this step. Just the manpower and resources needed to simte the real world to this extent are too great, but it doesn¡¯t prevent you two from trying in your spare time.

    Also, I just had an idea.¡±

    Old Chen stood by a weathered ruin in the inner city area, casually picked up a cracked wooden board from the ground, looking at the faintly visible patterns on it, he said:

    ¡°You two have about 2 years until graduation, so let¡¯s make the urban nning of Transia your graduation project.

    What you two said earlier is right, this old man can¡¯t mobilize so much manpower and resources in reality for you two to practice, but in this very realistic game, you already have all the conditions that building designers dream of.

    Complete it as perfectly as possible!

    Such a big project, whether from the design perspective or the project management and personnel mobilization experience in implementation, material allocation and other details, is invaluable wealth for you.

    If you do well, I won¡¯t hold back your graduation and I¡¯ll write you job rmendation letters.¡±

    He turned back to Grayman and Bricyer with a smile and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me as just an ordinary teacher now, I still have some connections in several design institutes, so, for the sake of your future, work hard.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    The two guys were momentarily struck by lightning, they now deeply regretted pulling Old Chen into the game and letting him see the vast world of Transia.

    What to do now!

    What was originally supposed to be writing a thesis and doing a few designs to graduate has suddenly upgraded to this hellish difficulty?

    ¡°Ah, um¡­ Professor, can we call for help?¡± Grayman scratched his head and said:

    ¡°Like our senior schoolmates who have graduated before, we two alone really can¡¯t handle this job.¡±

    ¡°Ha? Dream on!¡± Old Chen, wearing novice boxer shorts, put his hands on his hips and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own apprentices? Don¡¯t you like to teach? Figure it out yourselves, if you dare to call for help, forget about graduating. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s difficult, just as you said earlier, the current state of Transia waiting to be rebuilt is like a nk canvas, allowing you to wield your brush freely.

    So, be bold, don¡¯t be afraid of making mistakes.

    I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll remind you two before you make a big mess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, don¡¯t be afraid of making mistakes, be bold and do it!¡±

    In the night sky above the three, the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor flew by silently.

    Through its eyes and perception, Murphy heard the conversation between this master and two apprentices. Sitting in the office of the halls, he smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken, and said in a drawling voice:

    ¡°Even I, the local lord, am not afraid, what are you afraid of! Ssh your knowledge and your creativity freely on thisnd waiting to be rebuilt. Everyone will thank you, my warriors!¡±

 Chapter 231:

    Chapter 231:

    ¡°This is quite formal, it feels exactly like a job interview.¡±

    As the sun rose, Old Chen, dressed in an intern administrator outfit, arrived at the Administrative Building. He was ying with the spirit dog tags and Computation Bead in his hand, leaving the ce under the guidance of his two students.

    The casual suit-like outfit he was wearing was designed and made by another renowned manufacturing yer ¡°Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua¡± and her apprentices. It had already gained unanimous approval from the glorious Transia civil servants.

    Lady Aqua alone had earned over 1,000 gold coins from this single design task.

    This was enough to prove that manufacturing seemed to be the ¡°version¡¯s darling¡± in the current version.

    Professor Chen also gained new insights into the game at this moment. Just earlier, he had a conversation with Regent Miriam and Professor Malcolm, easily impressing the two officials with his solid decades of professional knowledge.

    Especially Professor Malcolm.

    As a proper professor from Shaldor Engineering Academy, he could easily distinguish between a true master and a chatan.

    Therefore, when Old Chen left, Professor Malcolm had already started addressing him as ¡°Master¡±, and Regent Miriam didn¡¯t hesitate to grant ¡°Construction Site Old Man¡± the very formal title of ¡°Transia Chief Architectural Master¡± and full authority over the territory¡¯s nning and construction.This made Professor Chen leap to be the ¡°front runner¡± of administrative professions, surpassing the three old brothers Dump Truck Iaido, Bulldozer Man Charging, and Half Off With Full Coverage. However, the three old brothers had noints about this, after all, Old Chen was a truly capable big shot.

    The only problem now was that Old Chen was essentially still a yer. Although he came to Transia to ¡°guide the work¡±, his career path still had to follow the ¡°kill monsters and level up¡± routine step by step.

    ¡°8 points in Intelligence, 6 points in Charisma, five character traits, teacher, you¡¯ve got the ¡®chosen one¡¯ starting temte,¡± Grayman said, looking askance at Old Chen fiddling with the character interface projected from the Computation Bead in his hand. Although it was also 30 points in total, this kind of situation where one attribute was at maximum value was still very rare among little yers today.

    Even rarer were Old Chen¡¯s five character traits:

    ¡¾Master Builder¡¿, ¡¾Master Designer¡¿, ¡¾Educator¡¿, ¡¾Worldly Wise ¨C Charisma Check +2¡¿ and ¡¾Erudite ¨C Learning Ability X1.5, Learning Time -20%¡¿.

    None of these werebat traits, but they were definitely top-tier for administrative professions.

    The most impressive thing was that Old Chen was probably the only yer in the game who was born with a ¡°profession¡±. His main profession in the three profession slots was fixed as ¡°Architect¡± at birth, and after switching to an administrative profession, his second profession also became ¡°Reserve Vige Chief¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on construction sites all my life, isn¡¯t it normal to have these traits?¡± Faced with the surprise of Grayman and Bricyer, the old professor himself looked nonchnt.

    Although he didn¡¯t say it, he was actually very satisfied in his heart.

    Especially the respectful attitude of the two NPCs greatly satisfied his self-esteem as an intellectual. He himself was also in the master category and could easily judge whether the person opposite was truly capable or just a numbskull.

    Miss Miriam was obviously a bit inexperienced, but Professor Malcolm was definitely an academic researcher like him.

    It was said that he was a history professor from one of the three major universities in this game, no wonder talking with him felt like attending a seminar at school.

    ¡°Oh, as you say, the map isn¡¯t open yet, otherwise I¡¯d really like to go and see the Shaldor Engineering Academy, how different is it from our universities?¡± Old Chen was in a good mood. He nced at his main quest.

    Although he had just entered the game, his first triggered quest was to make an overall n for the construction of five collective farms, which already surpassed the difficulty of all quests that had appeared in the game so far.

    However, this wasn¡¯t much for Old Chen, he had done simr work many times before.

    Designers of his era always had to do a lot of practical work. Although they were often ridiculed by the new generation forcking style and imagination, from a pragmatic point of view, Murphy would rather trade 100 postmodern designers for one sufficiently practical Professor Chen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, first to the designated areas of those farms to have a look.¡±

    Old Chen waved his hand, intending to walk.

    But Grayman had already arranged everything for his mentor. A ck carriage, not luxurious but very practical, was parked at the entrance of the Administrative Building. Grayman¡¯s two assistants, the Palen sisters, and his three apprentices were all waiting by the carriage.

    ¡°This is my mentor, Professor Chen, a true master of architecture.¡±

    Grayman proudly introduced to his apprentices and assistants. The five of them bowed to Old Chen in unison, but the old man easily noticed that these two very simr-looking girls seemed to be closer to his student.

    He shook his head and red at Grayman.

    Obviously, with his integrity, he disapproved of such behavior.

    But Grayman had his own difficulties that he couldn¡¯t express. He really didn¡¯t intend to do anything weird. Given the current situation where even yers¡¯ dicks were controlled by Lord Murphy, even if he wanted to do bad things, he didn¡¯t have the ability!

    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ll go apply for guards for you.¡±

    Bricyer had already realized something was wrong and immediately took off. As he ran, he shouted:

    ¡°The Regent has specially assigned two elite Witch Hunters as your guards. I¡¯ll go get them for you. We¡¯ll meet at the farm!¡±

    He ran off in a sh, leaving only the stern-faced old professor to board the carriage with his student.

    The scolding along the way made Grayman miserable, increasingly feeling that bringing the teacher into the game was a mistake.

    But it was toote to regret now.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Over the next few days, everything proceeded as nned.

    Thebat profession yers were clearing gnolls in the wild at an extremely fast pace, and as their levels increased and they became more Proficient, just the 30-person team of Onboard Joy Stick had already challenged severalrgeirs in a row. Other individual yers also actively formed teams to tackle simr ces.

    They quickly discovered the second joy of this activity besides the leaderboard.

    You see, the main role of gnolls on thend of Transia is as robbers and thieves, right?

    Since they are bandits, they must have loot!

    Although the gnolls¡¯ style of robbery is to take both people and money, and for them, robbery is only to satisfy the most basic physiological needs, that is, to fill their stomachs, over time, the plunder in some gnoll banditirs has umted to a considerable amount.

    The chaotic state of the Transia region doesn¡¯t provide gnolls with channels to ¡°fence¡± their goods. Even the craziest underground gangs don¡¯t dare to do business with gnolls. Who knows when they might be meat in the gnolls¡¯ pot?

    Under these circumstances, the subsequent search after yers conquer somergeirs can bring them extremely rich ¡°profits¡±.

    Although there isn¡¯t much currency among them and asionally they might find ¡°suspicious meat¡± which makes people tremble with fear and sends chills down their spines when they think about it carefully, those looted goods found in theirs can all be exchanged for money from NPCs!

    How could this be!

    Not only can they farm the point pool, but they can also get gold coins?

    Oh my, the gnoll brothers are too kind!

    ¡°These items are of average value, but they can indeed be used in the reconstruction of Crimson Citadel. Warriors, this is the reward you deserve!¡±

    In the temporary camp established by Kadman People¡¯s Army on the edge of the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory, Maxim, who had brought new recruits for training, handed a bag of gold coins to three eager little yers in front of him and watched them turn away with beaming smiles.

    A very strange and helpless expression appeared under Maxim¡¯s face mask.

    He looked back at the threerge boxes that the three little yers had delivered on a tbed cart. The dried blood stains on them proved that these must be spoils found in gnollirs. The boxes contained stacks of slightly damp fabric due to poor storage, which should be handmade cloth rolls from the Ice Bay region.

    Another box was preliminarily tanned leather, of quite good quality.

    These three boxes of goods could have sold for about 60 gold coins in the former Kadman City, with the box of leather alone worth 40 gold coins, and that¡¯s at the purchase price. But just now, he only gave the little yers 10 gold coins plus a few dozen silver coins, which was enough to make them beam with joy.

    ¡°So useful,¡± Maxim murmured, instructing his quartermaster to register and store these supplies.

    At the camp entrance, a squad of disheveled new recruits was returning with several ck Iron rank gnolls tied up with ropes. They were the supporters borrowed to Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s team this morning, and from the looks of these recruits, their battle had not been easy.

    However, fortunately, there weren¡¯t too many casualties.

    It seems the warriors had adhered to the agreement and hadn¡¯t used the new recruits as cannon fodder.

    This discovery made Maxim even more satisfied.

    Although Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors were very useful, there were too few of them. To truly protect the territory, they still needed to train elite local soldiers.

    Thisrge-scale gnoll extermination came at just the right time. All 300 people in the Kadman People¡¯s Army now must pass this realbat test before they can be entrusted with more important missions.

    Maxim nned to cultivate the loyal and brave soldiers he had personally trained as futuremanders. Once those captured armed Blood Servants were sent back,rge-scale army building would be put on the agenda.

    With these 300 veterans who had experienced the Kadman disaster and various realbats as the core of the new troops, Maxim was confident that he could train an army capable of fighting for Lord Murphy before the ck Disaster arrived.

    ¡°My lord, we have enough new diators,¡± said a descendant named Norbert, reporting to Maxim. In the twilight, he wrapped himself tightly to avoid direct sunlight and spoke in an ufortable hoarse voice:

    ¡°The Blood Rat Gang hase to receive them. Lady Dorothy wishes to speak with you. She says she has a task from Count Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Maxim made a puzzled sound.

    He assigned a task to Norbert and then went to meet Dorothy. At this time, four carriages were parked at the rear of the camp, with metal cages mounted on the wagon beds. Soldiers were putting the elite and ck Iron gnolls captured in battle into the cages.

    These fierce creatures had all been injected with weakening potions, enough to ensure they wouldn¡¯t cause trouble before being delivered to the Fight Club.

    Some shifty-looking fellows wearing ck uniforms were standing guard with whips. These were newly recruited members of the Blood Rat Gang, and their leader, ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy, was leaning against the first carriage, ying boredly with a strangely shaped dagger.

    Maxim had never seen such a peculiar short de before.

    The thing was clearly modeled after eagle ws with a recurved de and a ring at the end, looking quite odd. Dorothy wore the w dagger on her finger, demonstrating her impressive dexterity like a butterfly flitting through flowers.

    She quickly noticed Maxim¡¯s gaze and casually tossed the ck w dagger, which had undergone annealing and had beautiful cloud patterns, to the vampire warrior to hold.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice weapon, isn¡¯t it? Very suitable for an assassin¡¯s style. I asionally saw those mountain cksmiths forging simr weapons in the camp, so I ordered 50 at once for my subordinates to use.

    I call it the ¡®Rat w¡¯, as the new symbol of the Blood Rat Gang.¡±

    Dorothy said with her hands on her hips, then said to Maxim in a low voice:

    ¡°You¡¯re the operator of the Fight Club. Tonight is the opening day of the second diatorialpetition. Aren¡¯t you going back to the city to preside over it personally?¡±

    ¡°I have more important tasks, and you¡¯ve promised to run that ce well. If you can¡¯t do it, it proves you have no value! In Transia ruled by Lord Murphy, those without value won¡¯t live long.

    The master¡¯s mercy is a virtue of the superior, unfortunately, I don¡¯t possess it.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s fingers moved, reverse gripping the w dagger and shing it through the air with a piercing whistle.

    He made a fewbat moves, very satisfied with this vicious weapon, seemingly already envisioning its fierce stance as it sliced across an enemy¡¯s throat. He casually put it into thebat pack at his waist.

    He looked up and said to Dorothy:

    ¡°Speak, what task do you have?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a strange task,¡± Dorothy pouted, saying to her temporary superior in a low voice:

    ¡°Some of the lord¡¯s warriors found me, wanting me to cooperate with them on something.

    They brought a strange gnoll, saying it was a new servant Lord Murphy had taken in. They want me to sell them the gnoll diators who have survived three battles at a low price, to build a n for that skinny, talking, odd gnoll.

    I don¡¯t know what Count Murphy means by this.

    But such a thing has never happened in Transia before, so I¡¯m taking the opportunity ofing to receive the diators to ask you about it.

    I heard you¡¯re the person Lord Murphy trusts the most, perhaps you could exin the deeper meaning of this matter to me?¡±

    ¡°Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors are supremely loyal, you needn¡¯t doubt them. If they say it¡¯s the lord¡¯s order, you just execute it,¡± Maxim shook his head and said:

    ¡°If the lord thinks you shouldn¡¯t know, then there¡¯s no need for you toe ask me.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not actually interested in the truth, I just want to find someone to pass the buck to,¡± Dorothy shrugged, saying very frankly:

    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve reported to you, so if this causes troubleter, it can¡¯t be med on me. This is the survival rule for us underground rats.¡±

    ¡°So cunning, not befitting a warrior,¡± Maxim waved his hand and said:

    ¡°But this has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m just temporarily managing you. Once Adele returns, you¡¯ll be her problem. How¡¯s the situation on the third level of the sewers now?¡±

    ¡°Same as usual,¡± Dorothy pouted and said:

    ¡°All the warriors who don¡¯t fear death have gone to exterminate gnolls. No one¡¯s managing the ghouls on the third underground level. They¡¯re always wandering around and asionally charging up to the second level. This is the second reason I came to find you.

    I hope you can assign some veterans to form a defense line on the second level.

    The newly recruited people under mymand are all novices. It¡¯s a bit too much to ask them to deal with ghouls.¡±

    ¡°I said, those without value won¡¯t live long,¡± Maxim said coldly:

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 30 veterans, but they¡¯ll only do defense. Clearing out the ghouls is the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s task, and you must find a way toplete it! We¡¯ve already cleared out the leaders of the underground ghouls, leaving only scattered troops.

    If you can¡¯t even pass this hurdle, what qualifications do you have to serve Lord Murphy?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± Dorothy was a bit confused by Maxim¡¯s unreasonable and overbearing attitude. She asked in return:

    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t loyalty be rewarded? I¡¯m just asking for help. I can¡¯t do this¡ª¡±

    ¡°Reward? Loyalty itself is the best reward you can get!¡± Maxim interrupted her question and said:

    ¡°You have to figure out how toplete your work yourself! There¡¯s no room for negotiation on this point. If you really don¡¯t know what to do, why not ask those warriors for help? Aren¡¯t they asking for your assistance?

    But you need to be careful.

    If you can¡¯t provide them with the reward they deserve, the result won¡¯t be too good.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Dorothy blinked her eyes. She seemed to understand what Maxim meant.

    Several hourster, in the sewers of Crimson Citadel, near the Fight Club where this week¡¯s diator tournament was about to begin, in the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s stronghold, Dorothy, who had hurried back covered in dust, yed with her eagle w dagger while looking at Little Ashina and Lumina before her.

    She said:

    ¡°You want those elite diators who can survive three matches. Of course I can give them to you, and you don¡¯t even need to pay. But as you can see, my Blood Rat Gang is severely understaffed right now, and Lord Murphy requires us to deal with the ghouls on the third underground level.

    This troubles me greatly.¡±

    The cunning thief sister put her hand on the Computation Bead on her chest, blinking at the little yers in front of her and saying:

    ¡°So, let¡¯s make a deal.¡±

 Chapter 232:

    Chapter 232:

    ¡°Damn! These NPCs are so cunning!¡± Little Ashinained rather unhappily to Lumina beside her:

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just buy their gnoll diators with money? They insist on doing quests, but I still want to boost my score on the leaderboard. Now I¡¯m being called back to kill ghouls again. I hate those stinky things!

    Now I¡¯m doing Hog¡¯s Hidden Quest, exchanging diators for him, but it takes 100 ghoul ws for just one? This is too ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, aren¡¯t all sequence quests like this? One link after another,¡± Lumina didn¡¯t have manyints.

    She looked at the quest just given by Dorothy. The Blood Rat Gang¡¯s boss didn¡¯t want them to spend money, just help solve the gang¡¯s troubles. It sounded like it had that ssic RPG quest chain vor.

    ¡°But we won¡¯t get any points by staying here killing ghouls,¡± Little Ashina was still unhappy.

    She said glumly:

    ¡°The top 10 have awesome rewards! And there¡¯s also our group point pool reward. Sister Pomegranate is in first ce now, she definitely won¡¯t want to give that up.¡±

    ¡°So why not just let her not give up?¡± Lumina said with a pout:¡°Ghouls are nothing. You, me, and Lady Aqua cane back and take care of it, and we can also help Lady Aqua grind some skill proficiency to prepare for her ck Iron trial. Let Orchid apany Sister Pomegranate to continue grinding her gnoll points.

    Hog just needs a batch of loyal subordinates, the number doesn¡¯t need to be toorge.

    We can finish it in 2-3 days, then go back to continue grinding gnoll points. This way we won¡¯t dy much.

    I¡¯ll tell Orchid and Lady Aqua about this first. You take Hog to the arena to check it out. Tonight¡¯s diators are all gnolls, let it pick a few it likes.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Little Ashina nodded and waved to Hog Gnawbone, who was wrapped up tightly in a hood not far away.

    She could chat well with this skinny gnoll, and Hog truly regarded Little Ashina as its ¡°doghead strategist¡±, often consulting her on some issues.

    The reason they got along so well was probably because the two were about the same height?

    Little Ashina at 155 cm was the shortest of all the yers, while Hog was among the thinnest and smallest batch of gnolls, no taller than 160 cm.

    In fact, Lord Murphy thought this gnoll was likely ¡°born with disabilities¡± or had dwarfism. In any case, it wasn¡¯t much bigger than a kobold.

    Lumina didn¡¯t go to the main venue of the Fight Club. It was already packed with NPCs who came to watch the excitement and some yers who were keen on PVP.

    After the Blood Rat Gang took over this ce, they also made ¡°professional¡± improvements to the previous betting process. There were even smooth-talking guys as hosts, provoking the crowd to burst into cheers.

    Lumina didn¡¯t really like these frenzied diatorial matches. She shared the current situation with her other three teammates through team chat in a quiet ce in the first level of the sewer, which was no longer very dangerous.

    After hearing that they had triggered the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s quest in the sewers, Sister Pomegranate replied with some regret:

    ¡°Forget it, you wait there, we¡¯lle back to help right away. There¡¯s not much point in grinding this leaderboard anyway. Our ¡®exclusive¡¯ side story quests are more interesting to do.¡±

    ¡°Just pretend to be generous. I haven¡¯t seen you put down yourpetitive spirit,¡± Orchid mocked:

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you to continue grinding points. Lady Aqua can go back. Lumina is right, with our currentbat power, this quest can bepleted in 2-3 days at most. It won¡¯t dy much.¡±

    ¡°You little fools, why do you think this quest must be done by us personally?¡± Lady Aqua obviously didn¡¯t like the dirty environment of the sewers. She said in a puzzled tone:

    ¡°This quest is to help Hog Gnawbone build its own n, not for us to be nannies for that gnoll. Do you think after we work hard to exchange for the first batch of n warriors for it, we still need to continue protecting it until it bes a power?

    That thinking is too stupid!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lumina, who was called a ¡°fool¡±, asked back:

    ¡°So, what¡¯s your idea?¡±

    ¡°Just exchange for 3-4 elite gnolls to form the first batch of n warriors!¡± Lady Aqua said:

    ¡°Let it exchange for the rest on its own! Lord Murphy wants to cultivate it into a real gnoll chieftain. How can this be easy and simple? It has to rely on itself to gather its own n and be the savior of those imprisoned gnoll diators!

    Not relying on us for help all the way.

    Hog Gnawbone itself is one of the weaker types among gnolls. If it wants to convince its future nsmen and establish initial prestige, it has to suffer hard.

    I even think this quest doesn¡¯t need you two to show up at all.

    Lumina and Little Ashina go kill ghouls now, exchange for the first elite diator and then don¡¯t bother anymore. Prepare weapons and armor for them two, let them go down to the second level of the sewers to kill monsters and then exchange for more diators from Dorothy.

    They are gnolls!

    Their individualbat power is much stronger than ordinary ghouls. Letting them form their own group and snowball is the correct solution to this quest, understand? If their progress goes smoothly, Hog should have at least a dozen people under itsmand by the time weplete the first stage of gnoll extermination.

    Therefore, my suggestion is to leave Little Ashina at most to help there, you hurry back here to continue the main quest.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    Lumina replied slowly after several seconds:

    ¡°I feel my IQ has been crushed again. You housewife are too much, how can you y this game of driving wolves and chasing tigers so skillfully?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re stupid, it¡¯s that you¡¯re beingzy. Your tactical diligence can¡¯t hide your strategicziness,¡± Lady Aqua said mercilessly:

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even consider a more efficient way. In the real world, big viins don¡¯t personally handle everything when supporting puppets. You¡¯re the host of this matter, not a nursery school teacher.

    Do you really want to treat this as a raising sim game?

    It¡¯s not impossible, but who would seriously raise gnolls?¡±

    ¡°Stop scolding, stop scolding, the child is about to go stupid.¡±

    Lumina wailed and was lectured for a few more sentences before hanging up the call. She sent a private message to Little Ashina, who was watching the excitement at the Fight Club and had even ced bets, telling her toe back quickly to grind monsters.

    Little Ashina looked regretfully at the exciting battle in the arena below. She stood up, threw a small money bag to Hog, and said:

    ¡°You keep watching here. This money is enough for you to ce two bets. Although you¡¯re too weak to be a good berserker, I think you¡¯re very smart and agile. Perhaps you should learn to make good use of the power of wisdom and agility.¡±

    With that, she picked up her hunting rifle and left, leaving Hog, who was wrapped in a long robe, alone among the frenzied spectators.

    To be honest, it felt terrible for a skinny gnoll to be surrounded by so many humans.

    Hog felt like it might be killed by these guys rushing in the next second, but it touched the Computation Bead hanging on its chest, which seemed to give it a bit of confidence.

    It had already been chosen by Lord Murphy to be the grandson of the ¡°Gnawbone King¡±.

    It had a new identity now, under the protection of Lord Murphy¡¯s domain. Now it was time to think about how to build its own n. These elite berserkers who were captured and forced to fight for human entertainment would be its future nsmen.

    Hog pulled its hood, with only two grayish-green eyes visible on the cloth covering its face.

    Amidst the piercing noise, it stared intently at the arena below, where a gnoll berserker and a ferocious ghoul were fighting as a ¡°warm-up¡±.

    Its fellow gnoll, wearing ill-fitting leather armor and wielding a sword it wasn¡¯t used to, was struggling under the ghoul¡¯s ws.

    It had been told that only by winning could it survive.

    What cruel rules! Even crueler than hunting and robbing in the wilderness. Failing at hunting just means going hungry, but losing here means bing food for ghouls.

    Lord Murphy¡¯s advice to it was to find diators who could survive three rounds without dying to be its nsmen. Those who could survive three rounds of such brutalbat must be the elite of the elite.

    In the past, such elite berserkers would have disdained to speak to a weak gnoll like it, but now, it held the power to rescue them from this diatorial hell!

    Ha!

    Hog¡¯s mouth moved under its hood.

    It knew it must use this precious power wisely, and it might not necessarily be able to subdue those unruly elite berserkers, so perhaps it should start with ¡°easy mode¡±?

    The clever gnoll made up its mind.

    It saw its fellow gnoll below struggling to defeat the ghoul, but was immediately facing a second battle against a veteran from the Kadman People¡¯s Army.

    The good news was that this time it wasn¡¯t a fight to the death, just to determine a winner.

    The opportunity hade!

    Hog squeezed through the crowd to the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s betting point, threw its money bag on the table, and said in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°All in on your veteran winning.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Old Pete, the Blood Rat Gang member in charge of collecting money, keenly noticed the furry paw under Hog¡¯s hood. He was startled and about to call for help, but saw the other party grab the Computation Bead on its chest and wave it at him.

    Alright.

    This was an approved ¡°insider¡±.

    ¡°Tch, this Crimson Citadel is a strange ce. Why would vampires allow a gnoll to strut around here? You should really thank Lord Murphy for his mercy. In the past when the Blood Vultures were in power, you would definitely have been stewed into gnoll meat soup.¡±

    Old Pete sneered, mocking Hog a few times, but still epted the bet.

    A guest is a guest, and must be treated with care.

    This was Big Sister Dorothy¡¯s instruction.

    A dozen minutester, the gnoll berserker, beaten bloody, was dragged back to the diator preparation area by the Blood Rat Gang. As a ck Iron rank berserker, it had defeated the ghoul but lost miserably in the fight against the veteran.

    The veteran didn¡¯t take its life.

    After all, it was just a warm-up, no need to go that far.

    Dorothy couldn¡¯t really use the gnoll berserkers as cannon fodder, as cultivating diators also required costs. The badly beaten berserkery limp on the ground, unable to get up for a long time. It let out a wail as ifmenting its fate.

    But in this human city, it couldn¡¯t find anypanions to save it. Humans wouldn¡¯t let it die so easily. It would survive but would live in day-to-day battles until one day it died at the hands of an opponent.

    ¡°Hey! Do you want to live?¡±

    Just as the miserable berserker was struggling to get up and lick the blood stains on its fur, a voice suddenly sounded from the shadows behind, making this gnoll with a scratched face turn around with difficulty.

    It saw a short figure in a hood holding a bag of money walking towards it.

    But this wasn¡¯t a human!

    The gnoll¡¯s keen sense of smell allowed it to detect the same scent on this fellow as its own. Was this a gnoll?

    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know me, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Hog pulled back its hood with its paw, turning its green eyes to look at the novice diator before it who had one win and one loss.

    It bared its mouth full of sharp teeth and said:

    ¡°I can save you from here!¡±

    ¡°Ow?¡±

    The gnoll diator widened its eyes, looking not very intelligent.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made a deal with the Blood Rat Gang boss. For every 50 ghouls I kill, I can exchange for one of our kind to leave the arena. It¡¯s difficult, but I think I should do something for my kind.¡±

    Hog took out a piece of smoked meat from its pocket and threw it to the diator in front of it. Thetter grabbed it and started tearing at it. It urgently needed energy to recover.

    ¡°I know you have another diator match soon. Your opponent is an Astral Realm wildcat.¡±

    Hog said in a low voice:

    ¡°You must win tost until I can rescue you. I¡¯m going to deal with those ghouls now. Thanks to your victory just now, I only need to kill 49 ghouls to exchange for your freedom.

    But you must also make a pact with me.

    After I rescue you, you have to stay here and kill more ghouls with me.

    You know, humans are exterminating us. Our capable brethren will be sent here continuously.

    We need to rescue them all. I¡¯ve lost my n just like you, but perhaps we diators can reorganize into a new n.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a gnoll!¡±

    The injured diator finished the smoked meat. It pulled out a cracked tooth from its mouth, which made its whole body tremble with pain.

    But it still said haltingly:

    ¡°You¡¯re more like a cunning human. Pah, rotten meat that we eat! Who exactly are you? Are you sure you can rescue me? Why don¡¯t those humans throw you in here too? You traitor!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Do you think you¡¯re the first gnoll in this arena?¡±

    The cunning Hog scolded, half truthfully and half falsely:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been through things you can¡¯t imagine, and my escape from here on my own is something you simply can¡¯t do. I exchanged my freedom with the enemy¡¯s fresh blood, you fool.

    Listen well, my name is Hog!

    Whether you believe it or not, I will rescue you, but the premise is that you can¡¯t die under that Astral Realm wildcat¡¯s wster, understand? I¡¯ve found you a weapon you¡¯ll like better. Hope it can save your life.¡±

    A bloody ck il was thrown to the diator in front of it.

    This was the weapon gnolls most liked to use. It was powerful and had a long attack range, allowing gnolls to fully utilize their advantages in brute force and agility.

    ¡°Ugh, I hate you!¡±

    The diator grabbed the il, red at Hog, but still said in a low voice:

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Very good, you seem a bit smarter than the average gnoll. No wonder you could pick up a life from those crazy warriors.¡±

    Hog let out the strangeugh peculiar to gnolls and said:

    ¡°Onest question, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Big Bone.¡±

    The gnoll diator said in a low voice:

    ¡°My name is Big Bone!¡±

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s not even a name, you idiot!¡±

    Hog shook its head, returning to the shadows while saying:

    ¡°Your name is¡­ Nash! Got it? From today on, you¡¯re called Nash. Don¡¯t die here, Nash. Wait for me toe back and rescue you.¡±

    Under gnoll Nash¡¯s gaze, Hog disappeared into the diator preparation area.

    It really didn¡¯t like this gloomy fellow.

    But even with its brain, it could guess that this fellow must have some unusual connections. At this moment, outside the diator preparation area, ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy looked at the money bag Hog handed over with a strange expression and said:

    ¡°Are you sure you want this one? It just lost, and it might not win the third round either. I thought you¡¯d choose someone more capable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too weak.¡±

    Hog said in a low voice:

    ¡°I can¡¯t control the capable ones. In gnoll ns, the weak have no right tomand the strong. It¡¯s not time to get those capable ones yet. I¡¯ve raised hyenas before. I know that to control them, you have to start training from when they¡¯re pups.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re indeed clever.¡±

    Dorothy tossed the money bag in her hand and said:

    ¡°But I agreed with your human friend that this doesn¡¯t require money. You can take it back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m not giving you money to buy them.¡±

    Hog shook its head.

    A glint of cunning shed in its green eyes as it whimpered:

    ¡°I want to ask for your help, to change the order, let them fight in the arena but don¡¯t let them die so quickly. Make them suffer, make it hard for them, make them hope for someone to rescue them! In human terms, I hope you cooperate with me¡­ uh, what¡¯s that word?

    Drama?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you want me to help you cheat?¡±

    Dorothy¡¯s expression became subtle.

    She looked Hog up and down, shaking her head and saying:

    ¡°Then this little money is not enough. This is something that will stake the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s reputation. But you do have something I need.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Hog raised its head to see Dorothy throw her eagle w knife to it, saying:

    ¡°Join the Blood Rat Gang, gnoll. I¡¯m in great need of manpower now, especially cunning types like you. I can lower the standards for my own people. 40 ghouls for one ck Iron gnoll, 120 ghouls for an elite, 20 ghouls for a kobold.

    Of course, the premise is that they must survive three diator matches for me.

    After the ghouls underground are dealt with, I¡¯ll gift you weapons and supplies and send you away. I¡¯ll personally train you to be an excellent gnoll thief.

    Your small build and cunning nature are very suitable for this line of work.

    Deal?¡±

 Chapter 233:

    Chapter 233:

    ¡°That Hog Gnawbone is so clever! I thought he would choose that elite barbarian soldier who won four consecutive matches tonight, but he chose that weak guy who was almost killed by the Astral Realm mountain cat. That weak gnoll almost knelt down to Hog when he was taken out of the arena.

    He even knows how to win people¡¯s hearts, specifically buying healing potions for him.¡±

    Little Ashina, who had already left the Crimson Citadel with Lumina and was heading towards the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory in the approaching dawn, said:

    ¡°Hog clearly has his own strategy, although it¡¯s still quite crude and easily seen through, but this guy is really quite smart.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s learning,¡± Lumina said. ¡°Learning from you, from everyone he¡¯s seen. He¡¯s been through the process of Lord Murphy recruiting him, so he naturally knows how to recruit his own subordinates.

    If I had to guess, Hog probably won¡¯t recruit those elite diators until he has his own base. He¡¯s likely to start with the ck Iron gnolls, then recruit elite kobolds, hunting ghouls in the sewers while reorganizing his new n.

    No matter how useless this guy is, he was once a n leader before.

    He¡¯s not as stupid as you think.

    And when we left, Hog already had the eagle w knife with the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s mark, he must have reached some agreement with the cunning Dorothy.Ah, Lady Aqua was right.

    This quest doesn¡¯t seem to require our full participation, we just need to help him at certain key moments. The ghouls on the third level of the sewers are not easy to deal with, there are many elite monsters there. I guess Hog will request our help during the final stages.

    Come to think of it, why do I feel like we¡¯re raising a BOSS?

    Do you think Hog might be a BOSS for a 5-man dungeon or a raid in the future?¡±

    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Little Ashina tossed a piece of candy into her mouth, chewing noisily as she said:

    ¡°Just look at his name and you¡¯ll know. With such an imposing name, it would be a waste of the developers¡¯ specially nted easter egg if he doesn¡¯t be a mini-boss killer. Come on, I¡¯ll fly you over, Lady Aqua and the others are waiting for us.

    Meow King¡¯s ¡®Big Bird Spin Spin Spin Team¡¯ is rushing so fiercely, their team score is almost surpassing the student party¡¯s ¡®Beast Team¡¯.

    We need to step up our game too.

    We definitely can¡¯t match Meow King¡¯s team score, but we can¡¯t fall out of the top three either, that would be too embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you fly me!¡± Lumina shouted. ¡°Last time you nearly dropped me to my death!¡±

    ¡°Ohe on,st time was just an ident. I have a flying license now, I¡¯m an old pro, very stable. Don¡¯t be afraid,e on, be good, I¡¯ll carry you while flying. Don¡¯t move around in the sky, it wouldn¡¯t be good if you fall off.¡±

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    Huge blood-colored bat wings rose in the pre-dawn night sky, swaying as they took off with the screaming Lumina, then spun a few circles in the air before speeding towards the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory.

    ¡ª¡ª

    At the same time, in the far north of Transia, at the edge of the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory, almost at the border between Transia and the Ice Bay region, in the forest.

    Young Lady Femis walked out from behind the half-copsed watchtower, massaging her neck, while her other hand held something as transparent as a blood stone.

    A vampire heart, freshly extracted.

    Tris had been collecting these things, which were very cruel to vampires, but not to absorb the power within them.

    ording to the Grand Duchess, when the Blood Vulture n obtains a new Sacred Blood Pool in the future, the blood essence contained in these traitors¡¯ hearts can make the Sacred Blood Pool enter its prime at a faster rate. Only when the Sacred Blood Pool is sufficiently abundant can the Blood Vulture n transform more and more elite nsmen without going through the Embrace.

    Of course, this method of using blood essence in reverse is considered ¡°dark magic¡± even by vampire standards, but given the Blood Vulture n¡¯s current declining state, although Femis was repulsed by this method, she didn¡¯t resist the orders from Tris.

    After all, traitors must be severely punished!

    Rather than leaving their hearts to rot in the sunlight, it¡¯s better to let their deaths add fuel to the n¡¯s rebirth.

    But at this moment, there was no joy of victory after battle on Femis¡¯s face. On the contrary, that chubby face was filled with dissatisfaction, helplessness, and anger.

    It was evident that she wasn¡¯t in a good mood tonight.

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    In the faint sound of wind, E-Sister Adele folded her wings andnded beside the Young Lady.

    She sped her hands over her t abdomen in a ssic pose and said softly:

    ¡°Young Lady, all the traitors around have been cleared out. No one escaped our ambush. These are pretty much thest group of entrenched traitors hiding in the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory. The rest have fled at the news, not worth our attention anymore.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, Grand Duchess Tris¡¯s authority has been proimed, and the traitors have received their due punishment, but we still arrived a step toote,¡± Femis said with some regret. ¡°I just ¡®questioned¡¯ their leader a bit, and ording to her, most of the Blood Vulture traitors have already crossed the border into the Saxony region. Obviously, someone there is receiving them. It seems it¡¯s not just the Thorn n wanting to take a bite out of us while we¡¯re weak, the Wolfsbane n is also not content to remain quiet.

    Those left behind here are all the old, weak, sick, and disabled, not much to gain from them.

    Let¡¯s gather up their personal belongings and prepare to return.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really changed,¡± Adele said softly. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have bothered to collect these things before. You used to think obtaining resources from the dead was undignified and shameful.¡±

    ¡°I used to think I was really daddy¡¯s little princess too,¡± Femis rolled her eyes and said. ¡°But reality has proved that this world is far less gentle than I imagined, so let¡¯s not talk about the past anymore. Not only Murphy collects these items, but the Blood Pact Knights team also has simr principles.

    I¡¯ve been on a few missions with them in the Dark Mountain range, and those elite knights never miss any opportunity to replenish themselves. Lord Payne even specially opened a training course for the squire knights on how to loot spoils of war for their own use.

    Compared to my pragmatic kinsmen, I was really too naive and stupid before.¡±

    ¡°You will be an excellent leader, I¡¯m certain of this,¡± Adele offered a small constion, then asked, ¡°So, about Lady Cecilia¡ª¡±

    ¡°No news, no news at all. It¡¯s as if she never appeared, never even existed,¡± Femis said with furrowed brows. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Mary swearing to the Night Mother that she really saw those traitors with her own eyes, I would even think this was intelligence fabricated by Murphy. That mother of mine doesn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary person.

    Perhaps there are people specifically erasing the traces she left behind.

    I know she was born in Seicob City, but that city has now be a gue-riddennd of death.

    Compared to here, even the sewers of Crimson Citadel could be considered a cozy nest.

    We simply can¡¯t enter the city ruins to search for useful information, and those supposedly existing Seicob Winged Cavalry, we¡¯ve been here for almost a week, but there¡¯s absolutely no news of them.

    The locals are helping them hide their tracks.

    It will be very difficult for Murphy to upy and rule this ce.¡±

    ¡°He will do it. Master Murphy has always been very capable in this regard,¡± Adele said. ¡°So, are we returning now? ording to the messages sent back by the Computation Bead, Master Murphy is conducting arge-scale purge against the gnolls. He will need our strength.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t find those legendary winged cavalry anyway, staying here is aplete waste of time,¡± Femis nodded and said. ¡°I¡¯ve checked before, the residual spirit gue in the Seicob City ruins will take some time to decrease to a level that allowsrge-scale entry. We cane back again when that happens. Send messages to Mary and other vampires of the Midnight faction.

    We¡¯ll leave before dawn.

    Oh, by the way, Adele.

    Is that Andrei and his servants still behaving? Have they shown any transgressive behavior?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯ve been carrying out their assigned tasks, very obedient. I¡¯ve been monitoring them personally, but that Count of White Mountain seems to have truly epted his current situation of being managed by Master Murphy,¡± Adele said with a frown. ¡°He even takes the initiative to stop conflicts between his subordinates and Mary¡¯s group, but this guy is a gloomy vampire. I feel he must be nning something in private. After all, as long as Lord Murphy can¡¯t fulfill his agreement with the Wolf Queen, Andrei can take the position of Transia governor.

    With such huge interests at stake, he won¡¯t remain indifferent.¡±

    Femis nodded, twirling a lock of her hair. After a few seconds, she said:

    ¡°What do you think, Adele, should we proactively create an ¡®opportunity¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, a bright spirit firework exploded in the night sky behind them.

    It wasn¡¯t the signal firework used by the Blood Vulture n, but the symbol of the Thorn n.

    However, this location was still some distance from the border of the Nordtov Kingdom, so this firework must have been set off by Andrei¡¯s group.

    They¡¯ve encountered trouble!

    They¡¯re calling for help.

    ¡°This is an opportunity!¡± Adele said. ¡°Perhaps we could turn a blind eye?¡±

    ¡°But what in the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory could threaten him and his few servants? They¡¯re all ck Iron rank vampires. Even if they can¡¯t win, can¡¯t they run?¡±

    Femis spread her Blood Wings behind her back, narrowing her eyes as she said:

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve stumbled upon the people we¡¯ve been searching for all along. Isn¡¯t this forest also the former territory of those elusive winged cavalry? They¡¯ve appeared! It¡¯s perfect timing!

    Gather the troops, Adele.

    Let¡¯s go take a look!¡±

    Then, the Young Lady flew alone towards the location where the distress firework had risen.

    She flew rapidly through the air, having entered the White Silver rank allowed her racial potential to be further developed.

    Unlike the ck Iron rank which focused on building a foundation, the White Silver rank enhancement was about exploring the power deep within one¡¯s physique. To be precise, supernatural beings like vampires at this rank need to excavate power from their bloodline source!

    Commonly known as ¡°atavism¡±.

    For example, the special biological weapon ¨C Night ws possessed by Murphy and Maxim is a manifestation of atavism reaching an extremely deep level.

    Of course, under normal circumstances, this atavism is just a symbolic description, referring to enhancing racial advantages whilepensating for racial defects, rather than actually reverting vampires back to their ferocious night bat original form.

    For the Blood Vulture n, their biggest feature at this stage is that their wings will continuously growrger, until they form huge wings almost like dragon wings, like those of Tris and Salrokdar.

    That represents the vampire¡¯s racial potential being fully explored, and the benefits ofrger wings are not just for looks, of course.

    While increasing flight speed, it also allows the children of the blood vultures to enter a new stage in their mastery of the sky, even enough to change their previousbat methods.

    Like now.

    It took the Young Lady less than a minute to fly over arge area of forest to reach the airspace above the battlefield.

    She reached back into her spirit bag and took out a blood n battle staff interwoven with silver and red, with a unique gargoyle carving at the top and a spiked spearhead adorning the bottom. This was a gift personally bestowed to her by Lord Payne during the previous interrogation.

    Named ¡°Night Howl¡±, it was a masterwork Sovereign-grade weapon, a divine weapon gifted to the lord by elf craftsmen when he was ¡°young¡±.

    In terms of craftsmanship and grade alone, it was no different from the Nocturne Scepter in Tris¡¯s hands. This was perhaps some kind of pensation¡± from the lord to Femis.

    After all, ording to vampire tradition, the position of Blood Vulture Grand Duchess should have been hers.

    As soon as this thing was taken out, a swirling Blood Spirit aura spread from the top of the staff, dyeing half the night sky with a crimson light screen, as if setting a crimson coordinate in the sky. With the Young Lady¡¯s elegant wave, a superrge-scale spirit binding was thrown towards the forest below.

    In the dark forest below, Count Andrei and his loyal servant Vesta were trapped in a forest clearing, while other Thorn servants were enduring repeated charges from a squad of winged cavalry on the outskirts.

    These legendary Seicob guardians rode armored tall horses,unching fierce and sharp charges through the forest at an almost impossible swiftness, in areas where cavalry normally couldn¡¯t maneuver.

    The surrounding forest couldn¡¯t hinder their high-speed unusual movements at all, as if the forest itself was protecting them.

    This was no illusion!

    This forest was one of the sacred ces of the mountain people and the Ice Bay barbarians, and the Seicob Winged Cavalry were descendants of both. Each of these te-armored knights was over 2 meters tall, and their most distinctive feature was the peculiar ¡°wings¡± adorning the back of their heavy armor, like some kind of armor decoration.

    However, in this world where spirit energy exists, the wings of the winged cavalry were certainly not just for show.

    During their lowered charging posture, the ¡°wings¡± on the back of their armor would spread out t, bringing whistling wind sounds while helping them stabilize their charging posture and enhance the force of impact. When necessary, they could even deploy spirit shields to protect the knights.

    In other words, the essence of the Seicob Winged Cavalry was a group of spirit-enhanced shock heavy cavalry. They were the highest-grade military force that could be born on thisnd of Transia.

    The battle formationposed of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s armed blood servants was only fit to be scattered like smoke and clouds under the charge of the winged cavalry. Even General Loren, who used troops like a god, was at his wits¡¯ end with this group of winged cavalry. In the battle two years ago, he had to resort to gue weapons, which were very undignified even for dwarves, to destroy Seicob City.

    Do dwarves who care so much about honor really want to poison their enemies with gues?

    No!

    If he had a choice, he wouldn¡¯t use such a vicious and dishonorable method.

    But what choice did he have?

    After all, even the wall spell jointly cast by the proud Spirit Mages of the Circle Tower plus the continuous bombardment of cannons couldn¡¯t stop the winged cavalry of Seicob from dominating the battlefield with their heavy armored charges. What else could a half-dwarf like him do?

    Back to the present, the Young Lady¡¯s spirit binding came at just the right moment.

    The crimson flowing light scattered onto the ground as if shaping a quagmire, causing the momentum of the heavy cavalry squad¡¯s unstoppable charge to suddenly sink into a mire. Their speed continuously decreased, allowing the already precarious defense line of the Thorn n to stabilize again.

    Seeing more Blood Vulture vampires gathering in the night, themander of this winged cavalry squad decisively blew his whistle. The 12 cavalrymen also quickly turned around with artistic horse control skills and darted into the forest, almost disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

    Though they were heavy cavalry, they possessed the agility of light cavalry, truly breathtaking.

    However, the Young Lady had already ced a spirit mark on one of the cavalrymen. She ignored the Count of White Mountain thanking her below, pped her wings like the wind and rushed into the forest. Quickly hunting and seeking the enemy, she soon cornered that knight in a mountain hollow.

    Thetter raised hisnce without a word, ready tounch an attack on the Young Lady.

    But she could fly, and no matter how formidable your cavalry is, can you defy thews of physics and charge into the sky?

    This was obviously impossible.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight like a cornered beast, I¡¯m not here to take your life!¡±

    The Young Lady pped her huge wings, hovering above the mountainous terrain. She said coldly:

    ¡°I bring goodwill from the Count of Kadman. I want to talk to your leader. For the sake of your little life, dismount now! I promise to give you treatment befitting your status.¡±

    ¡°For the sake of your little life, put down your weapon now, female vampire! We promise to give you treatment befitting your status.¡±

    Another deep voice sounded from the forest, carrying a chill and killing intent.

    The Young Lady suddenly turned her head, and saw over 30 winged cavalrymen slowly walking out of the surrounding forest without a sound, under themand of a particrly tall figure. Among them were two spirit knights holding steel staves shaped like battle spears.

    They cast spells simultaneously, calling forth the spirit energy in the forest to converge, just like the scene in Smuggler¡¯s Woods reyed, sealing off the sky and trapping the Young Lady in the forest.

    So this was a trap?

    Was her confident self actually the prey?

    ¡°I hate forests!¡±

    She muttered quietly.

    The Night Howl Staff in her hand twirled once before being gripped with both hands. The Blood Spirit aura continuously spread, putting the Young Lady into a true battle state.

    She was no longer that little girl who would cry when scared by an old knight. When fighting alongside the Blood Pact Knights, she had already learned how to deal with situations like this.

    Moreover, Lord Payne had also taught her how to use another kind of power within her body.

    ¡°Crack crack crack¡±

    Amidst the strange sounds, blood-colored vines extended like giant snakes from the shadows of the surrounding forest, making even the moonlight of dawn take on a lingering crimson hue. Everything became shadowy and indistinct. This strange phenomenon made the warhorses of the winged cavalry neigh uneasily.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it onest time!¡±

    Femis¡¯s eyes zed with blood light. As her long hair fluttered, she said:

    ¡°Surrender! Knights, your lord, Lord Murphy, wants to talk to you! I am his messenger,ing with goodwill, and of course, I also have a portion of the power of midnight in my hands.

    I have opened my arms.

    Do you want to continue the war that has already harmed us all? Or win for yourselves a peace that you don¡¯t want but desperately need?

    Now, make your choice!¡±

 Chapter 234:

    The battle ultimately did not break out.

    On one hand, the youngdy disyed considerable strength. It was nighttime, which caused herbat power to soar. Combined with the unique abilities of the life seed within her body manifesting at the Silver rank, she represented a certain unique extension of the power of the Nature God on earth, perfectly counteracting the bonuses the Seicob Winged Cavalry gained in the forest.

    On the other hand, the Blood Vulture vampires arrived quickly.

    For these beings capable of supersonic flight at night, most terrain obstacles were meaningless.

    The rescued Thorn n also arrived soon after, though a few unfortunate souls under Count Andrei were injured. The loyal servant Vesta was left behind to care for the wounded.

    By the time the Count of White Mountain arrived, sword in hand, both sides had already transitioned from a tense standoff to a not-so-peaceful conversation.

    A line of Blood Vulture members hovered in the air, sealing off the surroundings, while the Winged Cavalry spread out through the forest on alert, leaving the conversation space to the leaders of both sides.

    The Count of White Mountain was very proper and knew when to advance or retreat. He did not demand to listen in or approach, but simply found a good spot to sit down and rest under Adele¡¯s vignt gaze, taking out his poetry collection to read.

    In the center of this encounter in the forest, in a mountain valley at dawn, the youngdy leaned on her Night Howl Staff, staring at the Winged Cavalry leader who had just jumped down from his tall horse before her.Thetter walked forward and removed his helmet when he was about 7 steps away from the youngdy, revealing a rough face of a man probably in his forties or fifties. He had short graying hair, sharp eyes, a standard square face with a full beard. His eyes weren¡¯t veryrge but his features appeared very rugged.

    The most distinctive feature was his high forehead.

    This was the most obvious biological characteristic of the Western Sassa barbarians of the Ice Bay region. As for the rugged face, it was amon trait among mountain dwellers. Understanding this, it wasn¡¯t hard to see why old Eugene wouldin that Murphy¡¯s warriors didn¡¯t look like mountain folk at all!

    Where in the world were there mountain people with such delicate skin like them?

    The man before her, 2.5 meters tall and as burly as a bear, with every muscle in his body exuding an aura of wildness and violence, was the standard mountain man, wasn¡¯t he?

    However, the most striking thing about the man before her was still the scar on his face.

    In these years of war, having a scar on one¡¯s face was quite normal. It was the ¡°gentlest¡± memento that war left on life. But a scar sorge that it ran from the forehead across half the face to the chin was not quite normal even in this era where human life was treated carelessly.

    It must have been left by some kind of de, passing through the left eye. Perhaps it was just a hair¡¯s breadth from gouging out his eyeball.

    This guy was really lucky to be alive.

    ¡°Seicob Winged Cavalry Second Regiment Commander, Knight Colonel Vnd Osprey Ophol! Thest Winged Cavalry Commander.¡±

    Thismander looked the youngdy, who only came up to his waist, up and down, his gaze as fierce as a knife. He introduced himself:

    ¡°You, Blood Vulture vampire, what have youe to do on our ancestralnds?¡±

    ¡°To rekindle friendship.¡±

    The youngdy calmly said:

    ¡°As early as the first ck Disaster, the Lessenbra family and the Seicob family¡¯s Winged Cavalry lords were already friends. This friendship hassted 400 years. It will not be severed because of the gnoll threat, nor will we forget each other because of a war thatsted ten years.

    Let me introduce myself.

    My name is Femis!

    Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, leader of the Midnight faction of the Blood Vulture n, Countess of Anderma in Transia.

    I have note to provoke, much less for war.¡±

    ¡°Friendship, what a beautiful word. However, are you blood-sucking vultures worthy of speaking of friendship?¡±

    The youngdy¡¯s words elicited a contemptuous coldugh from the Winged Cavalrymander before her. He spat rather crudely to the side and said:

    ¡°Two years ago, when Seicob City was besieged by the Pioneer Army, we sent seven valiant knights carrying Count of Seicob¡¯s letter requesting aid to Kadman City! We held out for three months in a desperate situation, but what did we get in return?

    When those shameless spirit gue jars from the Goldflower Kingdom were hurled into the city, when the skies over Seicob City were dyed ink-green, when our people were suffering heavy casualties and struggling on the brink of hell, what did we get?

    When Seicob City was burned to the ground and a century of foundations crumbled in an instant, what did we get then?

    It¡¯s been two years!

    A full two years, youngdy!

    Your father ignored us as if we had never existed, and we went from being full of confidence at the start, to hopeful and pleading midway through, to finally despairing. Your so-called ¡®friendship¡¯ made us feel as if we were fighting side by side against external enemies with an imaginary friend!

    So why act so surprised?

    Femis!

    Of course I know who you are! The genius youngdy of the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    Vnd waved his hand with a cold smile, saying:

    ¡°However, on thisnd, anyone who speaks of ¡®friendship¡¯ is hiding a knife in their smile, and words promising to aid friends are not to be trusted. Now, take your so-called new lord¡¯s orders and get out of our forests!

    The moment my liege, the Count of Seicob, as steadfast as a mountain rock, died in Osprey Castle, we ceased to have any rtion with you!

    Perhaps your lord wants to take thisnd. He¡¯s wee to try!

    That arrogant dwarf opposite spent two years and sacrificed countless warriors¡¯ lives without being able to set foot in these forests. What force can your lord muster to threaten us?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡±

    Femis wasn¡¯t angered.

    Everything that happened in Seicob City gave the colonel before her ample reason to be angry and refuse dialogue, but fortunately, her task was to find the Seicob Winged Cavalry, and she had alreadypleted this task.

    The troubles that followed were not hers to deal with. Let Murphy worry about them.

    ¡°Let someone more specialized talk to you. I¡¯ve never been good at running my mouth.¡±

    The youngdy quite casually tossed over a Computation Bead, then spread her wings and rose into the air, hovering at a subtle position two heads higher than the knight before her, bowing politely to the Osprey knight as she took her leave.

    Within minutes, all the Blood Vulture vampires had withdrawnpletely.

    They even showed no reluctance to leave.

    This behavior left not just Knight Vnd, but all his subordinates staring at each other in bewilderment.

    Huh?

    Have these Blood Vulture n midnight rats turned over a new leaf?

    When have we ever seen them give up something they¡¯ve set their eyes on so easily?

    The Osprey knight didn¡¯t immediately mount his horse to leave. Instead, he stood in this forest protected by the ancestors, feeling the movement of the cold wind from Ice Bay blowing through this woond as dawn approached. That wind mixed with cold invigorated him, while the call of the distant mountains in Saxony that they could never return to still refused to quiet in his heart.

    The history behind these people was veryplex, not something that could be exined in a word or two.

    But one thing was certain, their homnd was far more than just this Count of Seicob domain in northern Transia.

    Vnd yed with the Computation Bead in his hand. Although Transia was an isted ce, he had once been a member of the nobility in thisnd and naturally knew about these little gadgets invented by halflings.

    This bear-like man took out a snuff bottle and took a hard sniff under his nostrils, letting his beard be tinged with a grayish-yellow before this robust knight finally made up his mind.

    He activated the Computation Bead.

    Soon, amunication request vibrated in his hand.

    ¡°Hello, friend on the other side.¡±

    Murphy¡¯s gentle voice rang out on the Computation Bead through the spirit resonance phenomenon that transcended space. He said:

    ¡°Let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Murphy, and I am the governor of Transia jointly recognized by the Goldflower Kingdom, the Kingdom of Nordtov, and the Blood Vulture n, as well as the Count of Kadman of the Blood Vulture n. I myself am a vampire, and Femis, who was certainly just berated by you, is mypanion.

    I must say, your anger was misdirected.

    But that¡¯s not the point.

    I need to take up a little of your time to discuss two things with you. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take more than five minutes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound like a vampire.¡±

    The Osprey knight said mockingly:

    ¡°You sound more like a sissy hiding far away! Are you too afraid toe and meet us in person?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, provocation! A very useful negotiation tactic, but you clearly haven¡¯t mastered its essence. You should first present your own views and demands, then use your various methods to achieve them.¡±

    Murphy was not provoked at all. He said:

    ¡°A true decision-maker shouldn¡¯t be so rash. You¡¯ve been in a stalemate with the Pioneer Army in the forests for two whole years. Strength alone couldn¡¯t achieve this, there must be wisdom driving it behind the scenes. So I can deduce that you are probably not the leader of thest Winged Cavalry.

    Or rather, you¡¯re just the militarymander.

    Alright, I understand.

    Please ry my next words to your lord, knight!

    This is important for both you and us.

    You shouldn¡¯t have the authority to reject another lord¡¯s initiative on behalf of your lord, so please listen carefully to what follows.¡±

    The vampire knocked on the table on his end and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Firstly, the ck Disaster ising, in no more than 5 and a half months! This has been confirmed by the Blood Pact Knights team. If you still have observation windows to the outside, you should have noticed that both the Goldflower Kingdom and the northerners of Nordtov have already begun preparations.

    An action on such arge scale can¡¯t be faked.

    The Portia Federation was established precisely because of the ck Disaster. All people living on thisnd have an ancient and sacred duty regarding the ck Disaster! I don¡¯t care how you view my new regime, nor do I mind what opinions you have about my im to rule over all of Transia.

    I¡¯m just telling you this!

    You¡¯re defending your homnd and forests, but if you don¡¯t act quickly, soon you¡¯ll have no homnd left to protect.

    That¡¯s what I wanted to say.

    Additionally, I¡¯m currently eradicating local gnoll bandits in my territory. The next step is to defeat the rising gnoll warlord Kenport in the Anderma Hills.

    If you¡¯re interested, I¡¯d wee powerful Winged Cavalry to join me on the battlefield, fulfilling our ancient mission.¡±

    To this, the Osprey knight said nothing, but the female knight beside him, only a head shorter and equally robust and rugged, had already taken out a notebook to record this important information.

    As for why the Osprey knight himself didn¡¯t record it¡­

    It wasn¡¯t because he was arrogant, but because he was illiterate.

    Well, who says a powerful knight must be both literate and martial? Must one be able to write poetry off the cuff to be called a knight?

    For mountain folk and barbarians, these two sub-races, their biggestmonality is that they don¡¯t view writing and knowledge as necessities of life, and they have excessively strong power to ensure their life choices can be carried out to the end.

    After all, when faced with fists as big as cooking pots, even the most beautiful poetry can hardly soothe aching cheeks.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t refuse or continue to insult me. That¡¯s a good start.¡±

    Murphyughed on the other end and said:

    ¡°Now for the second matter, which is actually a continuation of the first. I¡¯d like to invite the Count of Seicob who currently leads you to meet me at Crimson Citadel to discuss the division of power in the Transia region together.

    I am the governor.

    But I don¡¯t refuse to let the Count of Seicob continue to hold his power. That¡¯s also part of the ancient agreement.

    Of course, I understand you have concerns, so I cane over too.

    The time and ce can be set by you. I can show my sincerity this way.

    However, it might need to be a bitter. I need to deal with the gnolls in the Kadman domain and Anderma Hills first. It won¡¯t beter than 2¡­ hmm, 1 and a half months!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    The Osprey knight finally spoke up. He said:

    ¡°You don¡¯t have nearly enough soldiers to eradicate the gnolls in two count domains in just a month and a half. Those dog-things practically grow with the wind. You can¡¯t kill them all. The order in all of Transia has long since copsed.

    Without your blood servants to eradicate them, this will only make the gnoll numbers swell even more.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then how about we make a bet?¡±

    Murphy said very candidly with a smile:

    ¡°If we resolve the gnoll problem within a month and a half, you and your lorde here for a visit. If we can¡¯t resolve it, that means my lovely Crimson Citadel will be surrounded and destroyed by gnolls.

    Naturally, you won¡¯t have to worry about proposals from a clueless and presumptuous governor anymore.

    You see, this proposal carries no risk for you, right?¡±

    Knight Vnd exchanged a nce with his wife, who shook her head at him. He was about to refuse this childish proposal when he heard Murphy say to him:

    ¡°One more small matter. I¡¯ve reimed the production lines of Seicob City from the Carpe family in the Anju region. Those are the ones that were taken from your city back then. Perhaps after a while, those production lines will be sent back.

    I don¡¯t have a good ce to settle them right now.

    What I mean is, if your lord is interested in this, we can certainly discuss it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the count¡¯s ancestral property!¡±

    The loyal knight rebuked:

    ¡°You can¡¯t upy it privately!¡±

    ¡°Thene and talk to me about it. After all, I paid quite a price to get back those things you lost. I can¡¯t operate at a loss, can I?¡±

    Murphy said gently:

    ¡°You know where to find me. Let¡¯s leave it at that. I¡¯m looking forward to meeting the Count of Seicob. Good night, everyone.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    He cut off themunication without giving the Osprey knight more room to respond.

    The tall knight didn¡¯t hesitate at all. With a whistle, he summoned his warhorse, mounted it, and disappeared into the ancestral blessed forest with his knights.

    In the office of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy set down the core bead with a smile on his face and said to Crimson Regent Miriam, who was sitting across from him:

    ¡°It¡¯s done. We can be sure that the Count of Seicob¡¯s lineage hasn¡¯t been broken. The Winged Cavalry still have a master. This means you can start preparing for negotiations with them.¡±

    ¡°But my head is already swollen!¡±

    The Crimson Regenty on the table, covering her head, lookingpletely defeated. She wailed:

    ¡°Just in this half month, I¡¯ve started losing hair. The envoy from the Ministry of Finance of the Nordtov Kingdom has already arrived in Bataxin City. I still need to go there personally to negotiate deals with them and ept the prisoners they¡¯re returning.

    But I don¡¯t understand that economic theory you proposed at all. I¡¯ve tried hard to understand, but I¡¯m really not cut out for this. I didn¡¯t inherit any of my mother¡¯s talent for doing business, and this knowledge from another world is really obscure andplex.¡±

    ¡°You can pick a few people to bring with you.¡±

    Murphy instructed his regent:

    ¡°Among my warriors, there are professional financial talents. I¡¯ll have them serve as negotiation advisors to strategize for you and also act as your guards.¡±

    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s good!¡±

    Miriam nodded repeatedly, but then heard Murphy say to her:

    ¡°But the reward for this task will have toe out of your own pocket. This counts as your personal task now. That¡¯s reasonable, right?¡±

    Miriam¡¯s face soured again.

    She had to quickly think about what to give the otherworld warriors as rewards. She couldn¡¯t just give them money directly, could she?

    That would be too insulting.

    However, Miriam soon had a good idea. She recalled that Murphy had given every important person in Crimson Citadel the privilege of selecting ¡°warriors,¡± and she currently only had three warriors. Perhaps she could use this unique title as a reward.

    Moreover, the Iron Warden in her possession seemed to be highly sought after by the warriors. She had already obtained the blueprint from Grandma Marianne, so this rare weapon blueprint could also serve as a reward?

    She was about to stand up and take her leave when she heard Murphy¡¯smunication bead emit a soft ¡°ding,¡± indicating that amunication request had been triggered.

    Murphy picked up the bead with surprise, looked at it, and connected. Then the Osprey knight¡¯s voice rang out from it.

    This time it carried a hint of gravity. The mountain knight said:

    ¡°The Count of Seicob thanks you for your reminder, Count of Kadman. She has instructed me to report an important matter to you as a basis for rebuilding trust between our two sides. The Wolfsbane n has entered Transia!

    This is intelligence we extracted from the Blood Vulture traitors hiding in our forests. It¡¯s the vanguard of the Wolfsbane n re-entering the continent, calling themselves the ¡®Greyw¡¯ faction. Their leader is a vampire named ¡®Korando¡¯.

    They are currently hiding in the Anderma Hills.

    Combining this with the news you sent earlier, the count believes that the suddenly rising gnoll warlord there might be rted to them. You should be careful. This is not a simple coincidental event.¡±

 Chapter 235:

    Murphy was aware of the Wolfsbane n sending people into Transia.

    During his previous negotiations with the dwarf marshal, he had informed Murphy about this matter. If the Wolf Queen from Transia gave Governor Murphy the ¡°trial mission¡± to deal with the gnolls in Transia, then Marshal Loren¡¯s ¡°trial¡± was obviously rted to these ill-intentioned Wolfsbane pups.

    Murphy had already prepared to respond to the provocations from the ancient fierce enemy, but he didn¡¯t expect things to start developing in a ¡°strange direction.¡±

    The two problems he needed to solve had actually merged into one?

    Could there really be such a good thing?

    ¡°You¡¯ve made a terrible usation, Osprey Knight,¡± Murphy said gravely to Knight Vnd on the other end, holding the core bead.

    ¡°I¡¯d believe anything bad the Wolfsbane n does, after all, pursuing violence and fear is the style of those thugs, they don¡¯t even try to hide their nastiness. But to mingle with gnolls and secretly support an foreign warlord who¡¯s about to wreak havoc on Transia when the ck Disaster is imminent¡­ tsk tsk, this is an usation on a whole different level.

    Although I don¡¯t like those savage scum, we need evidence in matters like this. Those bastards are still members of the vampire race, after all.¡±

    ¡°If you want evidence, go find it yourself!¡± Knight Vnd replied irritably.¡°We just intercepted this information, maybe those Blood Vulture traitors are ying with us at the cost of their lives? You said you wanted to rebuild mutual trust, and the Count of Seicob has already fulfilled his obligation. You can treat it as false.

    It doesn¡¯t make any difference to us.

    That¡¯s all.¡±

    With that, themunication was cut off.

    Because Murphy¡¯s bead was in open voice mode at the moment, it allowed Regent Miriam, who was present, to hear the warning from the Seicob wing cavalry. The strangeness of this matter made this local non-vampire stand up abruptly.

    She eximed, ¡°Do you think this is true? Some faction of the Wolfsbane n is trying to use gnolls to destroy us?¡±

    ¡°It makes a certain amount of sense, just judging from logic,¡± Murphy said, rubbing his chin.

    ¡°Now that the threat of the ck Disaster has been confirmed, if the Wolfsbane nunches an attack on us Blood Vulture remnants again, it would be equivalent to ignoring Lord Payne¡¯s order to prepare for war. They wouldn¡¯t be that stupid.

    And having the wandering gnolls in Transia carry this out seems reasonable from all aspects. After the gnoll warlord destroys the Crimson Citadel, those long-waiting Wolfsbane ruffians can swoop in and take out the gnolls who did the dirty work.

    This way, they won¡¯t be reprimanded, and they¡¯ll even be praised by Lord Payne for stopping the gnoll uprising in Transia.

    What a simple and perfect n, full of a kind of quick and easy beauty.

    I guess this probably isn¡¯t old Edward¡¯s personal handiwork, an ancient one wouldn¡¯t leave such easily detectable traces for a group of barbaric mountain cavalry to capture.

    Korando¡­ hiss, why does this name sound so familiar? I feel like I¡¯ve heard it somewhere before?¡±

    Murphy rubbed his brow in confusion.

    He had so many things to deal with on a daily basis now that even his vampire memory seemed to be somewhat insufficient. Instead, it was Miriam in front of him who reminded him:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the elder of that Wolfsbane little ruffian we killed in the Smuggler¡¯s Woods? Didn¡¯t he say he was a ¡®descendant of Korando¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, our dear Mr. Joban, I¡¯ve forgotten about him for too long, this is too inappropriate,¡± Murphy nodded.

    He took out the Wolfsbane sword-cane that he had ¡°collected¡± for a long time from his spirit bag, holding it in his hand and examining it carefully. There was still dried blood on it, the midnight blood of Murphy and Joban had left traces of a death duel on this sword-cane.

    He also kicked George, the Astral Direwolf lying at his feet, who was drowsy.

    The ability to summon this fellow was also bestowed by that ¡°gift-bearing child¡± Mr. Joban. In many ways, he was Murphy¡¯s ¡°benefactor¡± at the beginning of his destiny.

    ¡°What a small world,¡± the vampire lord stood up, ying with the sword-staff in his hand. He said to Miriam:

    ¡°I was thinking of sending this thing back to Greenleaf Ind to announce the death of Mr. Joban to his elder after the situation in Transia stabilized, adding another stroke to the ancient hatred. I didn¡¯t expect him to deliver himself to our doorstep.

    Fate is often so wonderful in many ways.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t this be very dangerous?¡± Miriam asked worriedly.

    ¡°That gnoll warlord Kenport from the Dark Mountain range already has nearly 20,000 gnoll barbarian soldiers, which is enough to overwhelm us. Now with the Wolfsbane n meddling in the middle, is our current strength really enough?

    Although I was againstrge-scale conscription among the survivors before, now it seems that Maxim might be able to be busier?¡±

    ¡°Not enough! New recruits can¡¯t be used right after being drafted, they need training, and I don¡¯t think the Wolfsbane n will give us that time,¡± Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry too much, I already have a preliminary n. The best part is, if the gnolls really have assistance from the Wolfsbane n, it means we¡¯ll also have a group of angry warriors joining us on the battlefield.

    You don¡¯t need to worry about this.

    War is men¡¯s business, at least at this stage.¡±

    The vampire lord patted the weary Miriam on the shoulder and said softly:

    ¡°Go back and rest. Tomorrow we¡¯ll set off for Bataxin City, where you¡¯ll work with Knight Palen to secure that war aid from the Kingdom of Nordtov for us. Yourplexion looks terrible, Miriam, perhaps you should quickly find some helpers for yourself.

    If this continues, you¡¯ll be crushed by the heavy work pressure.¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ve already written a letter and sent it to Shaldor port through the Carpe family¡¯s channels, but my ssmates and those senior and junior students might not be willing toe to a ce like Transia,¡± the Crimson Regent sighed and said:

    ¡°Our ce has such a bad reputation on the continent, even with promises of high positions and generous sries, not many people would be tempted.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because their vision is poor,¡± Murphy snorted and said:

    ¡°Those who are used to adding flowers to brocade with their petty cleverness are destined to be nothing more than boring embellishments under prosperity anywhere. Only those with great determination who understand the value of sending charcoal in snowy weather are qualified to share in this delicious cake we¡¯re baking.

    Such virtue is destined to be possessed by only a few, just as true talent is always rare.

    If they don¡¯te, then we¡¯ll cultivate our own!

    I firmly believe that Transians can manage our homnd and ournd just as well. You need to hurry up and design the administrative system with Professor Malcolm. Only then will your pressure be reduced.

    Otherwise, when your body breaks down, I¡¯ll have no choice but to turn you into a vampire to prevent you from dying of overwork. You must understand, if it reallyes to that point, I won¡¯t ask for your opinion anymore, my regent.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me with that eternal life in darkness, Murphy, I barely managed to refuse it,¡± Miriam grinned. She shrugged and said:

    ¡°My hair can probably hold on for a while longer, I¡¯m a young person full of energy! So let¡¯s each do our own job, my lord. Please have your professional warriors ready, I have many questions to ask them on the way to Bataxin.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Murphy nodded, watching Miriam leave the office.

    Then he yed with the core bead, sending out a random event trigger mission to the six dormitory brothers who were currently enjoying the pleasure of the great gnoll hunting operation in the night, along with Meow King and his old friend Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off.

    The six student party members led by Leading Pigeon were all students from the finance department of prestigious universities, while Meow King had many years of experience in the business world, and his old friend Little Hand was a professional financial spector.

    These people gathered together were enough to form a ¡°financial advisory group¡± for Miriam,bining theory and practice. Of course, at their level in another world, they certainly wouldn¡¯t be involved in such national decision-making, but haven¡¯t they at least seen pigs run even if they haven¡¯t eaten pork?

    Who hasn¡¯t yed armchair politician on the inte?

    This was precisely an opportunity to give them the power to participate in actual decision-making, while deepening the veteran yers¡¯ profound understanding of ¡°game freedom.¡±

    Killing two birds with one stone!

    As for whether this would affect the ongoing great gnoll hunt?

    No!

    It wouldn¡¯t.

    There were also gnolls around Bataxin city.

    These damn things were very ¡°evenly¡± distributed everywhere in Transia, like seasoning sprinkled on bread. No matter where they went, they could find enough gnolls to hunt.

    It was unrealistic topletely eradicate the gnolls from thisnd.

    They bred too quickly!

    What Murphy wanted to do was to take down thoserge nests, and finally leave only a few insignificant scattered soldiers. This would also perfectlyplete Her Majesty the Wolf Queen¡¯s task.

    After issuing the random event mission requiring specific little yers to gather at the administrative office early tomorrow morning to set off with Miriam, Murphy left the Blood Vulture Halls.

    He needed to visit the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ camp in the ruins cemetery of the main city district.

    He wanted to inform Lady Lainnia about the intelligence that the Wolfsbane n might be involved in the rise of the gnoll warlord. He believed this news would be enough to make the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ anger soar, and once solid evidence was obtained, Murphy could take the opportunity to request more support from Lord Payne.

    Incidentally, he could also irritate that old Edward, a bastard he had never met but was already at odds with!

    But just as Murphy spread his wings ready to fly, he sensed Tris¡¯s presence at the alchemy cottage in the outer city district, which immediately piqued Murphy¡¯s interest.

    Howe this Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, who always used to find a good ce to ck off in the night, was so well-behaved tonight, still working overtime in her cottage? Was there something important to do?

    Murphy made an almost 90-degree high-speed right-angle turn in the air and flew towards Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage. However, his spirit vulture Revnor was actually flying above the old city district at this moment, allowing Murphy to directly see the situation in the alchemy cottage through it.

    Tris was still cking off.

    She was holding a bottle of wine, satisfying her oral desires, but she wasn¡¯t exactly cking off.

    Because at this moment, she was teaching those apprentices who had learned alchemy in her capacity as a Grandmaster Alchemist, and they were now gathered in the open space of Tris¡¯s cottage, chattering about something unknown. Murphy had to amplify Revnor¡¯s senses to the maximum to hear a few threads of their conversation.

    ¡°Is this going to work?¡± a little yer apprentice alchemist said anxiously in a low voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re imitating that thing from reality, right? But in this world, we haven¡¯t discovered anything like gasoline yet, and you¡¯re just messing around with alchemy?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean messing around! This is the ratio I found through scientific experiments, that¡¯s what you call skill, okay?¡± another new yer scolded, seemingly very upset by hispanion¡¯s distrust.

    This was a truly new yer, one of the 70 yers who entered the game together with Lady Aqua and Life Is Pretty Good, but unlike the other little yers who were now hunting gnolls, his level was not only not high, but he hadn¡¯t participated in any external battles at all.

    He seemed to have been delving into the alchemy of this world all along.

    This guy¡¯s ID was ¡°What Color is Loyalty¡±, which sounded like a Khorne worshipper.

    And at this moment, this fellow in his forties was smilingly fiddling with several ss bottles, pouring some strange things into them.

    ¡°F**k! Be careful, if that explodes in your hand, we¡¯re all done for!¡± another little yer eximed, but Brother Loyalty sneered and said:

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? I¡¯ve added a stabilizer to it, okay? It will only ignite quickly when it encounters an open me. Step back! All of you step back! Don¡¯t you see Lady Tris watching?

    Now let this otherworldly alchemist demonstrate to the beautiful mentor what ¡®the art of war¡¯ is!¡±

    He waved his hand to make the surrounding little yers and NPC apprentices move away, then carried a straw man as a target and set it up in the yard.

    By this time, Murphy had silently glided onto the eaves above the yard. Tris must have sensed it, but the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess was now fully focused on watching the ¡°new trick¡± that the little yers in front of her were pulling off. She was also very curious about what kind of new gadget these little guys would create with their ¡°otherworldly knowledge.¡±

    So under the interested gaze of Murphy and Tris, Brother Loyalty held a bottle half-filled with liquid and stood at the front, while another little yer tremblingly held a torch. After Brother Loyalty stuffed a rag into the bottle to soak it, thetter immediately lit it and then quickly retreated to a safe distance.

    ¡°Burn! Burn!¡± Brother Loyalty shouted, violently throwing the lit bottle in his hand towards the straw man in front of him.

    The bottle traced an elegant arc and shattered on the target. At the moment of impact, a dazzling me rose into the air, the scattered liquid carrying mes in all directions, instantly igniting the surrounding area within a few meters, and also adhering to the ground to form a sea of fire.

    ¡°Incendiary bottle? Molotov cocktail?¡± Murphy saw this scene and immediately knew what these guys hade up with, and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly criticize harshly:

    ¡°You guys are really something!¡±

    Tris also nodded with satisfaction when she saw this scene.

    Although this was just a secondary use of Combustion Oil and zing Gel, which already existed in alchemy, and there were no less than seven variants of such thrown incendiaries in basic alchemy, which didn¡¯t seem worth being surprised about, she, as a Grandmaster Alchemist, clearly saw the advantages of this crude handheld weapon.

    First, the raw materials were cheap enough.

    It could be made with wine bottles and Combustion Oil, and a small can of Combustion Oil could be used at least five times when prepared in this way.

    Second, the production was simple enough.

    It was so simple that even a person with no alchemy experience could learn it after watching once, making it very suitable for militia and new recruits to use.

    Finally, there was an effective functional extension.

    Tris clearly saw that this ¡°Brother Loyalty¡± had just added different ingredients to several different bottles, so she asked:

    ¡°My apprentice, will adding those ingredients give this simple weapon different effects?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my mentor. Please allow me to introduce you to the weapon I personally developed, which I have named ¡®Loyalty Red No. 1¡¯!¡± Brother Loyalty exined to Lady Tris with a face full of joy, pointing at those bottles:

    ¡°I changed the ratio of ordinary Combustion Oil to make it more viscous, and divided the standard portion of zing Gel into three parts and added them in a fixed proportion, thus forming its basic form.

    But on this basis, we can add somemon materials to give it more effects beyond simple adhesive burning.

    For example, adding white phosphorus powder can make its instantaneous explosion burn more violently, adding flour can make it melt metal, adding peanut butter can make it burn longer when adhered, adding some herbal extracts can make it release poison gas when burning!

    I found acid in yourboratory, which can be added to give the mes a corrosive effect when added.

    I believe that more ratios and more utilities will be developed as it enters the battlefield. It¡¯s simple, but it¡¯s the war weapon that best suits our territory¡¯s current situation!

    May I ask, is this finished product satisfactory to you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, although simple, it has myriad uses. Indeed, it¡¯s not bad alchemy wisdom,¡± Tris took a sip of wine and praised:

    ¡°You will be a true Grandmaster Alchemist in the future, and I must reward you.¡±

    After saying this, Tris pulled out an alchemy form scroll and handed it to the joyful Brother Loyalty. However, thetter still made a request, saying:

    ¡°I currently have a second ongoing research project, respected mentor. I want to improve the firearms currently in our territory, but I need those tools for modifying specialized bullets.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I allow it,¡± Tris nodded and waved her hand, saying:

    ¡°Go ahead and experiment boldly. The essence of the alchemical way lies in experimentation. Also, the incendiary bottles are very useful, our warriors need them. Make 300 of them within three days! Loyal Maxim will pay for this.

    Of course, you need to convince him first.¡±

 Chapter 236:

    Brother Loyalty didn¡¯t expect that the otherworld version of the Molotov cocktail he concocted would actually trigger a ¡°Military ¨C Order Quest¡±. This is a unique benefit for manufacturing yers, but this order is a bit different from usual.

    Although the Quest Rewards order price is much higher than normal orders, its time limit is also very tight, with only 3 days. This is half the deadline of other orders.

    Fortunately, Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage has enough materials, and Molotov cocktails are indeed not difficult to make.

    Brother Loyalty quickly got busy.

    He¡¯s a clever guy, nning to ¡°outsource¡± this job to the NPC apprentices in the alchemy cottage, and just give them somepensation.

    Obviously, Brother Loyalty has bigger ambitions.

    He¡¯s not satisfied with just making Molotov cocktails in the game, as can be seen from his application to Lady Tris to use those tools.

    This guy is clearly nning to do something big.

    The tools he needs refer to the processing items that Lord Payne entrusted Lady Lainnia to send to Crimson Citadel. It¡¯s a small production line that can self-produce bullets and repair firearms, but no one in the camp knows how to use it, so it¡¯s been gathering dust in the camp warehouse since it was sent over.Somehow Brother Loyalty discovered it, and he was as excited as if he had discovered a new continent.

    He spent some time teaching Tris¡¯s NPC apprentices how to make Molotov cocktails. This thing only needs attention to a few key points to be made well, it¡¯s indeed not too difficult.

    After negotiating the ¡°subcontracting price¡± with these NPC apprentices, he generously gave 30 of the 60 gold coins he would receive from this order to the apprentices, which motivated them greatly. After Tris left, they started working on making Molotov cocktails in the yard.

    The basement of Tris¡¯s cottage was full of various wine bottles, so they could use local materials without needing to collect them specially.

    Thanks to the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¯s almost endless demand for strong liquor, there would be no material problems in the production of Molotov cocktails. This is also equivalent to Tris making her own ¡°contribution¡± to Transia¡¯s military affairs?

    ¡°What are you sneaking around here for?¡±

    In the dark alley outside Tris¡¯s alchemy cottage, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, holding a wine bottle, blocked Murphy who was about to follow Brother Loyalty and the others as they left. She said in an annoyed tone:

    ¡°Are you nning to do something bad to my students?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to see their ingenious ideas,¡± Murphy exined.

    ¡°And rather than doing something bad to your students, I think this beautiful mentor should be more concerned about her own ¡®personal safety¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Go away, this is in public, behave yourself,¡± Tris rolled her eyes and pushed away Murphy¡¯s hand, saying:

    ¡°But you certainly wouldn¡¯t stay upte at night instead of sleeping to follow me. Don¡¯t you like to take a short nap at dawn? Has something happened?¡±

    ¡°Big news,¡± Murphy told Tris about the Count of Seicob¡¯s warning and the possibility of the Wolfsbane n being involved in the gnoll warlord¡¯s affairs. Tris immediately shook her head and said:

    ¡°It definitely wasn¡¯t instructed by old Edward! That cunning ancient one always has a clear grasp on these ¡®bottom line issues¡¯. He wouldn¡¯t risk offending Lord Payne just to gather a bunch of gnolls toe and kill us.

    The wisdom of the ancients can¡¯t be just this far, the risk and benefit arepletely disproportionate!

    I suspect it was the decision of Korando, the leader of the Greyw faction, and it fits with the trend of declining quality of n members after Wolfsbane n¡¯s rapid expansion after retreating to Greenleaf Ind.

    In order to expand the n¡¯s influence years ago, old Edward indiscriminately incorporated various thugs and petty criminals from Greenleaf Ind into his n, which stripped his n members of any semnce of midnight nobility.

    Especially these ¡®young people¡¯ under 100 years old, they like to disregard traditions and warnings, and those from thug backgrounds are particrly wild and disregardws, they really dare to do anything.¡±

    Tris said contemptuously:

    ¡°They¡¯re ying with fire. I guess you¡¯re nning to tell Lainnia about this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I n to report it,¡± Murphy stepped forward and said to Tris:

    ¡°If we can pass this information to Lord Payne through Lainnia, that would be even better. With a great enemy at hand, everyone is actively preparing to deal with the ck Disaster, yet the Wolfsbane n is colluding with the enemy. No matter how merciful Lord Payne is, he will surely fly into a rage when encountering such a thing.

    By then we can watch old Edward¡¯s misfortune with a smile.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. The faction problem among the blood ns has already be an unsolvable deadlock,¡± Tris wasn¡¯t so optimistic. She said:

    ¡°Just as the Count of White Mountain can recruit Blood Vulture traitors without Shani¡¯s permission, Korando can also conspire with gnolls without reporting to Edward. Even if thises to light, it won¡¯t implicate that old guy.

    At most it will make him lose face.

    I even think this itself might be old Edward¡¯s trick of ¡®killing with a borrowed knife¡¯.

    To strengthen his control over the n, he sends some ¡®unstable elements¡¯ to the front to cause trouble for us. This way, whether we win or Korando wins, old Edward will have a good harvest.

    Murphy, don¡¯t underestimate the ancients!

    Compared to their overwhelming power, the wisdom formed after experiencing the world is their most difficult aspect to deal with. Look at how cunning I am, wasn¡¯t I still yed like a fool by Salrokdar over 100 years ago?

    This is a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I humbly ept your teachings, my elder,¡± Murphy said softly, making Tris purse her lips. She said:

    ¡°I¡¯m not your elder.¡±

    ¡°You could be.¡±

    The vampire lord stepped forward and embraced Tris¡¯s slender waist in the darkness before dawn, lowering his head to kiss his former elder in this deserted alley.

    The good news is, Tris no longer resists this level of intimacy.

    The bad news is, it¡¯s limited to just this level.

    Murphy could feel that there was still some unknown hesitation in Tris¡¯s heart, which prevented her from making up her mind, even though she didn¡¯t dislike being treated so tenderly and sweetly.

    To go further, Murphy would have to unravel the source of Tris¡¯s hesitation like a great detective and destroy it with his own hands.

    Just as Lord Pnno said in his parting words.

    If Murphy wants to pick a thorny rose, he must be patient enough.

    ¡°I thought you would use Spirit st to hit my face,¡± Murphy whispered after several minutes of passionate kissing.

    ¡°After all, my naughty and greedy hands have already been ced where they shouldn¡¯t be. How do you maintain your figure? You don¡¯t seem to drink too much blood, and I don¡¯t see you being particrly restrained with food either.¡±

    ¡°I have to give you some sweetness, my count, beauty is also an important weapon in a vampire¡¯s hands,¡± Tris snorted, pushing away Murphy¡¯s hand that was caressing her round buttocks and stepping back. In the darkness, she blew Murphy a seductive flying kiss, her long hair hiding her eyes for a moment as she said:

    ¡°Continue to serve the Blood Vulture n, little Murphy. If you do well, I don¡¯t mind giving you more sweetness.¡±

    Murphy shrugged.

    Watching Tris transform into fluttering little bats and disappear in the first ray of sunlight approaching, he hummed a tune and walked towards the camp with his hands behind his back.

    Tris had just given him a suggestion.

    Perhaps he should present this report to Lady Lainnia after obtaining concrete evidence. This way, he wouldn¡¯t seem like a whining gossip spreading rumors.

    Although he hadn¡¯t met Lord Payne yet, Murphy felt it was time to pay attention to his image in the eyes of that respected lord.

    If he couldtch onto this midnight big leg, his career would get enough effective advancement.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Completely 18th century level processing equipment, with terrible processing precision and production efficiency. If you count the fully manual design, I would give it an even lower rating. No wonder they haven¡¯t developed cartridges yet and are still using spherical bullets.

    I thought this was a bug in the game background, but I didn¡¯t expect the reason to be so simple.

    It¡¯s purely because the processing precision is not enough!

    Of course, it¡¯s also possible that we can only find machinery of this precision in the newbie vige. I heard that those halflings could make steam trains a hundred years ago, so high-end manufacturing technology shouldn¡¯t still be at such a backward level.¡±

    In the camp¡¯s warehouse, Brother Loyalty, who had been granted permission to use these ¡°strategic materials¡±, circled around the small production line in front of him in a seemingly professional manner.

    He first expressed his disdain for these tools in front of him with an ¡°insider¡± posture, but then rubbed his hands together, saying with an eager look on his face:

    ¡°We need to modify this thing first! Let me go back and search for some blueprints in this area, then we can try to produce pointed bullets.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this!¡±

    The few little yers who followed Brother Loyalty here looked at each other, and one of them said softly:

    ¡°Brother Loyalty, I¡¯m not saying anything, but what exactly are you nning to do? From what you¡¯re saying, it sounds like you¡¯re going to do something very illegal?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You guys only realized this now?¡±

    Brother Loyalty grinned, took out a small bag from his spirit bag, and mysteriously poured out a pile of powder from it onto the table.

    He pinched some of the fine grayish-ck powder and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve had this idea since before I entered the game. At that time, I asked Meow King and Brother Stick to help me collect some gunpowder of various types in this game. These past few days, besides doing alchemy, I¡¯ve been working on these things.

    Let me tell you a little secret.

    The basicposition of gunpowder in this world is no different from ours!

    Whether it¡¯s the gunpowder used in dwarf firearms or the explosives added to the Witch Hunter¡¯s bombs, they¡¯re all standard ck powder extensions. It¡¯s just that the production level is very low, and those dwarves and halflings haven¡¯t even figured out picric acid.

    Not to mention more powerful things like TNT and RDX.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just game background, isn¡¯t it all made up by the development team?¡±

    A little yer next to him said with a smirk:

    ¡°And they have spirit energy here! Steam technology, Brother Loyalty, you¡¯ve seen those unscientific steam furnaces too, so small yet able to produce kic energy stronger than internalbustion engines, thispletely vites the principles of physics.

    They¡¯ve made it clear that they¡¯re not following physics!

    You¡¯re still here worrying about the history of gunpowder development in this game, isn¡¯t this like asking fish to climb trees?¡±

    ¡°Psh, what do you guys know! All day just ying games, y y y! Don¡¯t you understand looking at the essence through phenomena?¡±

    Brother Loyalty immediately became unhappy and scolded with his hands on his hips:

    ¡°They¡¯ve said that this game is meant to be 100% realistic, do you understand what that means? If they really start from this angle, there¡¯s no possibility of making things up in the game background!

    The halflings and dwarves in this game have already figured out ck powder, and I¡¯ve read the history books in the library and specifically asked Professor Malcolm, that professional historian.

    Dwarves started using explosives and firearms in the year 400 of the calendar, which was 700 years ago!

    Can you understand?

    Gunpowder and firearms have existed in this world for 700 years! And dwarves and halflings have been using them as weapons of war all along, so why after 700 years of development is gunpowder technology still at such a primitive stage?

    But on the other hand, the firearms revolution driven by steam technology has been ongoing!

    They haven¡¯t paid attention to ammunition but have gone further and further in the field of projectileunchers, which doesn¡¯t conform to thew of development of things! We¡¯ve all seen that automatic hunting crossbow, the mechanical level of that thing is at least 19th century or even early 20th century.

    Don¡¯t you find this strange?

    Processing standards and firearms are improving, they¡¯ve even created the Computation Bead, a fantasyputer based on the mechanicalputing principles of difference engines.

    However, only the level of gunpowder is standing still.¡±

    Brother Loyalty shook his head and said:

    ¡°There must be a reason for this! And I think this is definitely a pit that the game has deliberately dug in this aspect, just waiting for us to step in and discover those truths hidden in the game¡¯s history on our own. It might even be a hidden main quest.¡±

    The other yers looked at each other.

    They all thought Brother Loyalty was obsessed. Why are you arguing with a game? Isn¡¯t it enough to just have fun ying?

    Seeing the expressions on the others¡¯ faces, Brother Loyalty felt a bit tired.

    He sighed and said:

    ¡°Forget it, forget it, I¡¯ll do this myself. You guys go find some tools to bring back, pliers, wrenches, and such things. Let¡¯s disassemble these tools first. After I go back and get the blueprints from the inte, we¡¯ll modify it.

    Let¡¯s make some pointed bullets, and then change those weird gun structures back to the way they are on our side.¡±

    ¡°Ah, do we really need to do this?¡±

    A short little yer couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°Is it necessary, Brother Loyalty? The dwarves and halflings already have mature manufacturing experience and systems, can¡¯t we just use theirs? Developing our own different standard framework is too time-consuming and energy-consuming.

    Most importantly, our bullets and guns might not necessarily be more powerful than the dwarf¡¯s spherical bullets here.

    You might end up doing all this work for nothing.¡±

    ¡°This is where you don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Brother Loyalty grinned like a fox that had stolen a chicken, and said:

    ¡°I admit that dwarf and halfling steam technology is mind-blowing, but let me ask you, no matter how small those steam engines are made, it¡¯s still quite troublesome to install them on firearms. However, I can hand-craft an AK for you that can achieve the same rapid-fire effect. So, with limited weight capacity, would you prefer to carry a precision steam rapid-fire gun that could break down at any time? Or would you prefer to carry a rugged and durable AK?

    I¡¯m not trying to rebuild another set of framework standards, my brothers, I¡¯m trying to use the advanced technological umtion from our side to get more advantages for us!

    AK is just an example!

    Don¡¯t you want to use rocketunchers to shoot gnolls? Don¡¯t you want to sweep through thousands of troops with a Gatling gun?

    If you do, then go find me some tools!

    Let¡¯s start hand-crafting these little darlings right now. Let me say one more thing, would you dare to do these things in reality? But no one¡¯s stopping you from doing it here, right? Don¡¯t you really want to try hand-crafting an AK? If you really don¡¯t want to, then why are you here hanging out with me?

    Why don¡¯t you go outside and kill gnolls?¡±

    ¡°Holy shit! Awesome!¡±

    The group of little yers immediately became noisy.

    They rushed out of the warehouse like unleashed wild dogs to find the tools Brother Loyalty needed.

    Hand-crafting big toys?

    What man wouldn¡¯t be tempted by that?

    Brother Loyalty stayed alone in the warehouse, shook his head and turned back to check the structure of the tools. After about ten seconds, he heard footsteps and turned back to shout:

    ¡°That was fast¡­ Ah, Lord Murphy!¡±

    Brother Loyalty was about to stand at attention and salute Murphy but was interrupted by the vampire lord. Murphy¡¯s expression was very peculiar at this moment.

    His blood-colored eyes stared at this ordinary-looking old man in front of him who possessed three very illegal specialties: ¡¾Explosive Manufacturing Specialist¡¿, ¡¾Gunsmith¡¿, and ¡¾Intelligence Gatherer¡¿.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°I overheard your speech just now as I was passing by, and I suddenly realized that perhaps you otherworld spirits have inadvertently discovered some¡­ truths about our world! I mean, those details that most people wouldn¡¯t notice.

    Regarding the arguments between gunpowder, technology, and firearms, I admit, your statement seems to have opened up a new train of thought for me.

    It seems we must have a talk, my warrior!¡±

 Chapter 237:

    When Brother Loyalty heard Lord Murphy¡¯s words, his heart immediately began to pound with excitement.

    He felt that he might have triggered the legendary ¡°Hidden Quest¡±, but this quest didn¡¯t appear immediately. Instead, Murphy, like a real NPC, first started chatting with Brother Loyalty about ¡°history¡±.

    He looked at the gray-ck gunpowder powder that Brother Loyalty had processed twice, and extended his finger to rub some between his fingers.

    The characteristic smell of gunpowder made him twitch his nose.

    ¡°I just heard your doubts outside, about the dwarves and halflings¡¯ck of progress in gunpowder craftsmanship. Your assertion is incorrect, my warrior. They haven¡¯t given up on researching this art of war, it¡¯s just that youe from another world and aren¡¯t familiar with our history here.¡±

    Murphy shook his head and said to the wide-eyed Brother Loyalty:

    ¡°The halflings not only haven¡¯t stopped researching gunpowder, but they actually came up with upgraded excellent products shortly after the dwarven firearms appeared.

    ording to my shallow knowledge of history, I can tell you with certainty that in the year 430 of the calendar, during therge-scale mineral exploration operation carried out by the dwarves on the outskirts of the Dark Mountain range, their prospectors identally found some magical minerals.

    It was the appearance of those minerals thatpletely changed the history of halflings and dwarves on this continent.That thing is called ¡®Combustion Gold¡¯.

    Have you heard of this name?¡±

    ¡°Mmm hmm!¡±

    Brother Loyalty nodded vigorously, saying:

    ¡°In Lady Tris¡¯s alchemy ss, this thing appears as frequently as the word ¡®loyalty¡¯ in Lord Maxim¡¯s mouth.¡±

    ¡°Uh, you can¡¯t let Maxim hear that, it¡¯s very damaging to the hearts of the loyal ones.¡±

    Murphy was amused, waving his hand as he said:

    ¡°Anyway, Combustion Gold is quite magical, it has all kinds of wonderful properties.

    If you¡¯ve ever disassembled a Witch Hunter¡¯s automatic hunting crossbow, you¡¯ll easily find that the reason why that small steam engine can provide such powerful energy is because Combustion Gold Catalyst has been added to itsbustion furnace.

    Just a piece of metal rod the size of a fingernail can give it power far beyond the ordinary in the wondrous movement of steam.

    I¡¯m not an expert in this field, so I can¡¯t exin to you in detail how this thing works.

    But the fact is, I¡¯ve heard Miriam say that one of her steam engineering professors once summarized in ss that half of the foundation of halfling technology development is built on the research and use of Combustion Gold.

    The most powerful thing about this stuff is that it can also be used in gunpowder making.

    Have you seen those special ammunitions used by Witch Hunters?

    Those bullets have a tiny amount of Combustion Gold powder added to them, just a little bit can turn ordinary ck powder into something miraculous.

    Being hit by such a bullet, even a vampire like me would feel quite painful.

    We all thought this was normal before, but after hearing your brilliant analysis just now, I suddenly realized that what we see as normal might be the most abnormal thing in the eyes of you otherworlders.¡±

    Murphy paused, giving Brother Loyalty a little time to think.

    Then he asked:

    ¡°So, in your world, there doesn¡¯t exist such an almost omnipotent mineral as ¡®Combustion Gold¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Brother Loyalty thought to himself that this NPC was truly intelligent, and talking with him really gave a wonderful feeling of chatting and discussing with someone from another world. This game¡¯s sense of immersion and engagement was really unparalleled.

    He replied:

    ¡°The technology in our world follows the principle of a tech tree. One technology needs to be illuminated before it can drive the progress of other technologies. There isn¡¯t a magical substance that can be used across various industries. From what you¡¯re saying, Combustion Gold can be used both as abustion agent and as a catalyst to elerate steam power.

    This is indeed quite incredible.

    But your exnation also rifies my confusion. If just a little bit of Combustion Gold powder can make ck powder explode with several times more destructive power, then halflings and dwarves indeed don¡¯t need to continue in-depth research on the basic ck powder level to illuminate tech trees they don¡¯t need at all.

    Ah, it seems my understanding of this magical world is still not enough.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but I have a quest for you!¡±

    Murphy patted Brother Loyalty¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°I want to ask you to make some weapons for us in the way of your world. I mean, design new weapons following your tech tree. Transia needs new weapons.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Brother Loyalty asked in confusion:

    ¡°But you already have such a wonderful substance as Combustion Gold, why would you¡­¡±

    ¡°Because Transia doesn¡¯t produce Combustion Gold! My warrior, at least in my memory, ournd hasn¡¯t received the love of Mother Earth.¡±

    Murphy said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Those minerals, though magical, are all in the hands of the dwarves.

    Only Gaia¡¯s priests have mysterious ways to discover the associated Combustion Gold hidden in minerals, and how to process these ores to make them truly usable substances is even more of a secret of the dwarves and halflings.

    Most importantly, they view it as a technological monopoly and don¡¯t intend to share the secrets of Combustion Gold with other races.

    The firearms used in the military reform of the Goldflower Kingdom are all made based on the most ordinary ck powder. I¡¯ve heard that King Louis is also looking for Combustion Gold ore in his country, and his Circle Tower has already figured out some clues.

    As for us¡­

    Transia doesn¡¯t have so many resources for us to squander, my warrior.

    How can we rely on the mercy of halflings and dwarves for important power like weapons? We had no choice before, all the technology was in the hands of the halflings, we couldn¡¯t even steal it.

    But now, you have appeared!¡±

    The vampire lord¡¯s eyes were gleaming with light as he said to Brother Loyalty:

    ¡°You have brought us the art of war and steel from another world. Do you know what this means? We no longer have to rely on the technical support of halflings and dwarves. We will also have an independent and profound military manufacturing industry¡­

    Yes, new standards!

    Not relying on the power brought by the mysterious Combustion Gold, but building step by step¡­ in your words, illuminating those wonderful tech trees! Hmm, this is really a vivid way of putting it, fully proving my warrior¡¯s super potential in terms of wisdom.

    Go ahead and do it.

    I absolutely support your attempts in this regard.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The beautiful quest trigger sound made Brother Loyalty¡¯s heart surge. He lowered his head and looked:

    ¡¾Hidden Quest ¨C ¡®Otherworld Heavenly Fire¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest content: Lord Murphy was attracted by your strange talk, and he realized that he now has a second choice in his hands. The strength of Transia at the power level may rely on this long conversation between you and Lord Murphy.

    In any case, the vampire lord has made up his mind not to let his territory be controlled by others, and he has boldly begun to try to use the power of steel and gunpowder from another world.

    Of course, both he and you know that this is bound to be a long and arduous process.

    Quest Objective: Within 20 days, make an ¡®otherworld ¨C modern¡¯ style firearm for Lord Murphy, with a Quality no lower than Standard ¨C Recruit, and capable of normal firing.

    Quest Reward: Independent manufacturing workshop x1, initial research startup fund 5,000 gold coins.

    Development team note!

    This quest may touch on taboos in certain countries and regions, so testers mustplete all manufacturing activities within the game!¡¿

    ¡°5,000 gold coins? Holy crap!¡±

    Brother Loyalty was immediately at a loss due to the reward for this quest. He realized that he might have inadvertently triggered the special gamey for manufacturing yers in the next stage.

    It means establishing your own factories and workshops!

    This also means that as long as they are managed properly, manufacturing yers are likely to be the richest group of yers in the game.

    Perhaps this is also a kind ofpensation for manufacturing yers?

    After all, except for rare yers like Lady Aqua who are naturally gifted with master skills, most manufacturing yers can¡¯t bnce both manufacturing andbat. This game is really wild in this aspect!

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, Lord Murphy.¡±

    Brother Loyalty immediately nodded and epted this quest. Murphy smiled and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°Do your best, I look forward to the finished product you¡¯ll present.¡±

    After saying this, he turned and spread his wings, disappearing from Brother Loyalty¡¯s sight before the sunlightpletely covered thend. This little yer was rubbing his hands excitedly while thinking to himself:

    ¡°The forum says that the development team especially favors yers with skills, it seems this is not an exaggeration. Very good, very nice. So for the first task, let¡¯s hand-craft a ssic big toy. Hmm, Old Li? Water Pistol? Or 98K? Type 56 Assault Rifle? How about a Colt?

    Forget it!

    What choices do adults make?

    I want them all!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Why were you two suddenly selected to join Regent Miriam¡¯s advisory group? Just because you¡¯re eloquent? Or because you¡¯re both cunning fellows?¡±

    As the sun was rising, several demon-hunting steeds were speeding from the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ territory towards the Crimson Citadel. The ¡°Big Bird Spin Spin Spin¡± team formed by Meow King and five others was conducting a ¡°strategic advance¡±.

    They were originally having a great time grinding gnolls with everyone else over there, but Meow King and Little Hand suddenly received a task, asking them to participate in the event of protecting Regent Miriam as she goes to Bataxin city to negotiate with the envoy from the Nordtov Kingdom¡¯s Ministry of Finance.

    Of course, the task could be refused, but how could yers refuse a task that¡¯s delivered to their doorstep?

    Anyway, they were already far behind Brother Stick and several other teams on the team score leaderboard because they were two dayste, and Meow King wasn¡¯t in a hurry topete for first ce. Plus, they could still eliminate gnolls to earn individual points on the way to Bataxin city, so they happily epted the task and prepared to meet up with Miriam.

    But Day One No Fap and ck Stockings Under the Keyboard, riding on horses, were still very unhappy.

    They felt they were underestimated!

    They were also very capable, why didn¡¯t they receive tasks specifically assigned by Lord Murphy?

    ¡°We¡¯ve told you to grind for favorability, but you just wouldn¡¯t listen!¡±

    Meow King said proudly while riding his horse:

    ¡°This must be because our Meow has higher favorability with Lord Murphy and Baroness Miriam, that¡¯s why we received the task! Moreover, the development team¡¯s note in the task has already made it very clear.

    They chose us as advisors to Lady Miriam because our test applications have specialties rted to the financial field, and this negotiation is going to rely on these specialties.

    This is obviously a task specially set up by the development team to enhance yers¡¯ sense of perception and immersion, okay?

    On the surface, it¡¯s Lady Miriam going to negotiate, but in fact, the plot development and negotiation results all depend on how yers operate. After all, the Quest Description also said that Lady Miriam is not good at economics, so she needs the wisdom of the testers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Don¡¯t Need Hands to Show Off next to him also grinned and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m a professional financial talent, okay? My brother also graduated from finance, and the student party going with us are all top students in finance. Isn¡¯t it very obvious? The development team wants to make the best use of the testers.

    I guess this game will not only have merchant gamey in the future, but it¡¯s very likely to allow yers to participate in the economic construction of the territory.

    Damn, looking at it this way, their ambition is quite big.¡±

    ¡°After all, it¡¯s 100% real. Based on this goal, it¡¯s not surprising that the development teames up with all sorts of weird activities,¡±

    Electronic Subus Old Tune said with a yawn:

    ¡°Those things that are taken for granted in reality seem particrly strange when put into games, but this is also the charm of this game. We are the real plot leaders, and this feeling of not having to be sidekicks is really great.¡±

    They quickly rode their tall horses into the Crimson Citadel, and found that in these few days, a square three-story terraced dormitory building had sprung up in the outer city area of the Crimson Citadel.

    Workers led by Bricyer were doing exterior decoration and corrections on this first ¡°residential building¡±, and some camp carpenters were making windows, doors, and simple furniture for these houses on the construction site.

    ¡°Wow, these administrative yers are doing a good job!¡±

    Led More Than Three to Five Pecks looked at the decent-looking building from afar on horseback, and couldn¡¯t help but criticize:

    ¡°It¡¯s just that their intentions are a bit bad! Isn¡¯t this just a copy of Khrushchyovka? Letting people from another world live in tube-shaped apartments, cold in winter and hot in summer, their conscience is really bad.¡±

    ¡°They were living in shacks before, so don¡¯tin,¡±

    Meow King said, leading his brothers to the administrative building. Just as he was about to dismount, he unexpectedly saw an NPC wearing a ck robe pulling and tugging with a little yer.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, there¡¯s no such vulgar detection spirit ability!¡±

    The ck-robed NPC scolded somewhat exasperatedly:

    ¡°Spirit magic is all sacred, how could you use it to peep at women? I¡¯m really furious! Someone like you would be burned to death in the Circle Tower!¡±

    ¡°But before you took me as your disciple, you clearly said that detection spirit ability was quite powerful!¡±

    That little yer also didn¡¯t give in, retorting with hands on hips:

    ¡°Otherwise, how could I have been tricked by you? This detection spell has nobat power at all. I don¡¯t care! You¡¯re my mentor, you have to teach me! I want the kind that can see through clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°I said, there¡¯s no such detection spell!¡±

    The detection Spirit Mage Helu was so angry that he wanted to smash his ¡°apprentice¡¯s¡± head with his staff. He was also a member of Lady Miriam¡¯s diplomatic team, and was just happy about having the position of ¡°Administrative Knight¡±, but was now very angry at the outrageous request from his apprentice.

    Seeing several warriors watching nearby, he angrily shook off his apprentice¡¯s hand, then turned and walked away with the elegance and decorum that a Spirit Mage should have.

    ¡°Hey, brother, what were you arguing with that NPC about?¡±

    Meow King came over and asked. The guy in front of him, named ¡°Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡±, snorted and said with hands on his hips:

    ¡°I was tricked by that cunning NPC. He said I had talent and asked me to be his apprentice. I thought it was a hidden profession, so I switched to ¡®Detection Spirit Mage¡¯, but this profession is too pitiful! All detection-type spells!

    It¡¯s fine that there are no attack skills.

    But these detections can¡¯t even see through NPC¡¯s clothes. So what¡¯s the use of learning these?¡±

    ¡°Damn! This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone express their thoughts so frankly! To be honest, I also want to learn this spirit detection art that can see through clothes.¡±

    Meow King was suddenly struck with admiration. He said to theining Tobo Mulberry in front of him:

    ¡°We two brothers can definitely be bosom friends. Why don¡¯t you join my team? We happen to be short of a full-time scout and logistics personnel. Consider it.

    When this game opens 18+ features, I¡¯ll treat you to a good time, brother!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you said it, Meow King. It just so happens that I don¡¯t have a team either. Let¡¯s y together. By the way, where are you guys in real life? Why don¡¯t we meet offline, and you can treat me to a good time?

    People nowadays are just too hypocritical!

    Unlike us two brothers, we should be frank!

    As the saying goes, a gentleman is open and aboveboard, while a petty man hides his little brother.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re really a talented fellow. Alright,e over another day, and I¡¯ll let you experience and enjoy yourself, brother.¡±

 Chapter 238:

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, quite an entric little yer.

    His Character Attributes were extreme. With 8 full points in Perception and 7 in Agility, even Meow King was astounded. What¡¯s more incredible were his two character traits.

    One was ¡¾Flight Expert¡¿.

    This was an extension of Tobo Mulberry¡¯s real-life profession.

    In reality, he was an instructor at a civil aviation school. Before bing an instructor, he flew special aircraft for a while, the kind used for crop dusting, firefighting, and cloud seeding.

    The second trait was even more impressive, called ¡¾Danger Intuition¡¿.

    The trait description stated that he could sense impending danger and prepare for it. ording to Tobo Mulberry himself, this might also be a special result of his career.

    ¡°Think about it, flying nes sounds cool, but the chances of surviving when things go wrong are minuscule. In our line of work, you need to be bold yet cautious, and when necessary, dare to take risks.

    I¡¯m not bragging, but in the past few years of flying, I¡¯ve encountered several dangerous situations, all of which I managed to turn around through some extreme maneuvers.¡±In thest carriage of the convoy departing from the Administrative building, Tobo Mulberry was boasting about his past career to Meow King¡¯s group of six.

    You have to admit, in reality, you don¡¯t often meet such ¡°special talents¡±. After all, flying nes is indeed a technical job that most people can¡¯t handle.

    ¡°Ah, but doing this job for too long makes you scared, not just yourself, but your family too,¡± Tobo Mulberry said, pounding his knee and sighing:

    ¡°After that time when I had to free-fall from 2,000 meters and eventually had to parachute to escape, my family wouldn¡¯t let me continue no matter what. I could only switch careers and open a school to train young sessors, as the country is also opening up in this area.

    The business is barely enough to make ends meet, but sometimes I still want to fly again.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple, why don¡¯t you just transform into a vampire?¡± Led More Than Three to Five Pecks, who had been listening to his boasting with enjoyment, interjected:

    ¡°Not only can you fly, but you can fly on your own, with wings. Isn¡¯t that awesome?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to be a vampire, but to be honest, flying with wings is different from flying a ne. It feels different,¡± Tobo Mulberry said, shaking his head:

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll see when the timees. My flying skills are no joke, whether it¡¯s falling leaf maneuvers or cobra maneuvers, they¡¯re all a piece of cake for me.¡±

    ¡°Old brother, can you introduce me to a flight attendant?¡± ck Stockings Under the Keyboard joked: ¡°You must know quite a few as an insider in the industry.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, they all look pretty, but if you really had a flight attendant girlfriend, you¡¯d be in for a headache. Just the irregr work hours alone would drive you crazy. To be honest, there are quite a few scandals in this industry. It can¡¯t be helped, with the pressure of flying back and forth every day.

    The handsome guys and beautiful girls need some way to rx, you know.¡±

    Tobo Mulberry said with a grimace: ¡°Besides, I used to fly special aircraft, notmercial flights. How would I have so many channels to meet flight attendants? But now that you mention it,e to think of it, several of my ex-girlfriends ended up bing flight attendants.

    Maybe they were influenced by me and fell in love with the feeling of flying back and forth?

    How about this, let¡¯s set up a time to meet offline, and I¡¯ll see if I can get you some phone numbers or something. It¡¯s rare for us brothers to hit it off, so I¡¯ve got to help a brother out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a real brother!¡± Meow King gave a thumbs up.

    He felt that this brother in front of him was really interesting, with quite a free-spirited style. ying with someone like this would surely not lead to any troublesome situations.

    Most importantly, they had amon interest!

    So, joining the ¡°Big Bird Spin Spin Spin¡± team was naturally ¡°destined¡±. In more poetic terms, wasn¡¯t this a fated encounter?

    ¡°Let¡¯s grind some gnolls on the way,¡± Meow King said to the people in the carriage:

    ¡°Although we definitely can¡¯t get the top spots on the individual or team leaderboards anymore, since it¡¯s a main quest, we can¡¯t just let it go. There are gnolls along this route too, so as long as it doesn¡¯t dy things, we can still do our part.

    Old Tune, go out and take a look around, find a small gnoll nest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already here, and you still want my brother to scout physically? You¡¯re really underestimating us Detection Spirit Mages,¡± Tobo Mulberry, sitting opposite him, snorted and casually cast the basic detection spell he had learned from his mentor Helu, albeit not very Proficiently.

    A blurry mirrorposed of spirit energy was projected before everyone¡¯s eyes, like a bird¡¯s-eye view from the sky, constantly changing perspectives under Tobo Mulberry¡¯s poor control of details.

    A bird¡¯s-eye view sounds cool, but Tobo Mulberry¡¯s control was so bad that the image looked like it had been pixted ten times over. However, they could at least see some ck dots representing moving creatures.

    After about ten seconds, they spotted a group of gnolls wandering around, poking their heads out in a forest outside an abandoned vige ahead.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for them,¡± Meow King quickly decided on the target. He asked, ¡°Tobo Mulberry, how far are these guys?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, wait, let me calcte first. The projection form for this detection spirit energy is a bitplicated. No wonder they say people who are bad at math can¡¯t learn spirit energy well. Even the most basic detection spell requires calcting projections and applying two forms.¡±

    Tobo Mulberryined as he took out a piece of paper, scribbled on it for about ten seconds, then scratched his head and said:

    ¡°Probably, possibly, maybe 3-5 kilometers away? This is my first time using it, and I used a bit too much spirit energy earlier, so my head¡¯s a bit dizzy now.¡±

    ¡°That far?¡± Meow King¡¯s group of six were suddenly surprised. He eximed, ¡°You¡¯re using a basic detection spell, right? And it can reach as far as 3 kilometers? Then wouldn¡¯t an advanced detection spell cross tens of kilometers?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re underestimating the spirit energy spells of this world,¡± Tobo Mulberry exined, rubbing his head and leaning against the carriage wall:

    ¡°ording to my unreliable mentor, the honorable Helu, when he uses detection spells with the assistance of a Computation Bead, he can easily detect detailed situations of predetermined targets within a 30-kilometer range and make some spirit energy marks that only he can perceive.

    He said that when they were executing ¡®D-n¡¯ at Pioneer Fortress before, the detection spell for Kadman City was operated by him and several of his fellow disciples together.

    That was over 300 kilometers in a straight line!

    And those Spirit Masters¡¯ detection techniques can even cross half a continent, like directly observing the terrain of Transia from the White Cliffs and so on.

    Of course, that level of detection spell often requires the assistance of some powerful spiritual items.

    What bothers me is this point.

    If they can see things tens of kilometers away, why can¡¯t they develop a spell that can see through clothes? This should be a piece of cake in theory.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s due to the ethics and decorum of Spirit Mages?¡± Old Tune next to him said quietly: ¡°After all, using spirit energy spells for such things sounds odd, what¡¯s the difference between this and using a cannon to shoot mosquitoes? It¡¯spletely unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°If he won¡¯t teach you, why don¡¯t you develop it yourself?¡± ck Stockings Under the Keyboard said with a rather peculiar smile, patting Tobo Mulberry¡¯s shoulder: ¡°When you develop it, don¡¯t forget to teach me.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Do you know how difficult it is to create your own spirit energy?¡± Tobo Mulberryined: ¡°One of the hard requirements for advancing to Spirit Master at Circle Tower is to create your own spirit energy technique. I¡¯ve been learning from Helu these past few days, and I¡¯ve only managed to learn this eagle eye spell and another prying eye spell. This stuff is much harder than Spirit st.

    I¡¯ve sneaked a look at Helu¡¯s spell book, and even a mid-level spirit energy spell there requires memorizing over four forms and mentally calcting some data. Even with the assistance of a Computation Bead, I can¡¯t handle it.

    I¡¯m here to y a game, not to receive re-education!

    I think my Detection Spirit Mage profession is wasted. Luckily I still have two profession slots, I¡¯ll have to study carefullyter. I¡¯m going to take a nap now, wake me up when we get there.¡±

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    A vampire-style short-handled staff was thrown to Tobo Mulberry by Meow King.

    Thetter caught it and took a look. This Masterwork Veteran-grade midnight secret energy staff made his eyes widen. Then he saw Meow King grin at him and say:

    ¡°I used this before, now it¡¯s yours. Consider it a gift for joining the team. Our team is going for elite status, everyone is a brother. Your detection spell will be very useful, so make sure to practice well.

    From now on, you¡¯ll be the ¡®all-seeing eye¡¯ of our Big Bird Spin Spin Spin team.¡±

    ¡°Damn! I¡¯ve heard people say that you old yers who entered the game first are all rolling in wealth, now I see it¡¯s true!¡±

    Tobo Mulberry¡¯s headache was gone, his chest no longer felt ufortable. He leaned on the thick, hard, and stylish crimson staff in a very ¡°peculiar¡± up-and-down rubbing motion. Patting his chest, he grinned and said:

    ¡°Brother Meow is generous. Next time we go out to have fun, it¡¯s my treat! None of you are allowed to fight me for it.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Team One, fall back! Retreat slowly, lure those gnolls chasing you out for me.¡±

    ¡°Team Two, prepare to charge! Shield bearers in front, melee in the back! Don¡¯t mess up.¡±

    ¡°Team Three, everyone except the archers, get your grenades ready. Wait for mymand, remember to dy three seconds before throwing them out!¡±

    In a hilly woond area of the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain, Onboard Joy Stick, pping his wings and observing the battlefield from the air at dusk, grabbed his Computation Bead and issuedmands from time to time.

    20 meters below him on the ground, the yers of the ¡°Crimson Hammer and Sickle team¡±, whom he had divided into three teams, were following his orders to encircle a medium-sized gnoll camp.

    They were far outnumbered by the enemy but remained calm in the face of danger. It had been five days since the mission to exterminate the gnolls was issued, enough time to hammer the green recruits into soldiers who knew how to follow orders.

    Of course, expecting yers to be as obedient as soldiers was impossible, but Joy Stick was very satisfied with the current situation.

    At the very least, they would advance strictly ording to his instructions, neither rashly charging in to die nor cowardly throwing down their weapons and fleeing. This point alone made Joy Stick extremely gratified.

    At this moment, flying in the air, Joy Stick felt that the ground before him was like a ¡°chessboard¡±, with the yers moving ording to orders as his chess pieces. He, the chess yer, was surveying the overall situation from an excellent vantage point.

    He saw over 30 gnoll barbarians howling and chasing after the retreating 9 members of Team One, hacking and shing wildly. But the Tiger Leopard Rider brothers were already battle-hardened veterans.

    They used their shields to protect their bodies, retreating unhurriedly out of the gnoll camp¡¯s range, like bait used to lure hungry fish, enticing the frenzied barbarians away from their main formation with the temptation of delicious prey.

    The enemy gnoll barbarian leader seemed to realize the danger as well.

    It shouted and roared, ordering its soldiers toe back! But this strange roar instead exposed its position, allowing Joy Stick in the air to pull out therge-caliber hunting rifle from his back, p his wings to hover in the air for aiming, and then pull the trigger.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The fired bullet hit the barbarian leader¡¯s chest armor, causing it to stumble and fall. Chaotic arrows flew into the sky, but Joy Stick had already increased his altitude, letting the wind from his pping wings swat away the arrows that had no killing power at this height.

    The barbarian leader wasn¡¯t dead, only bleeding from a non-fatal wound.

    But it no longer had a chance to save its subordinates!

    ¡°Team Three! Throw!¡±

    Joy Stick shouted in the teammunication. Those assigned to Team Three were all new yers.

    Their levels were low and their weapons and equipment were average, but they remembered their orders well.

    Although there were two idiots who threw the grenades as soon as they lit them in their excitement, the remaining eight people mentally counted to three before using all their strength to throw the round grenades into the midst of the 30-plus gnolls ahead.

    These things exploded on impact, immediately sting four or five unfortunate ones into the air. Then Team One changed formation and counter-charged, while the melee fighters of Team Two also charged out from all directions guided by the piercing sound of the charge horn.

    Within a few minutes, over 30 gnolls were cut down, with Joy Stick¡¯s battle group unscathed.

    There were only 50 to 60 gnolls in this medium-sized camp in total. Losing half of them in one go immediately crushed the enemy¡¯s morale, leaving the few barbarian leaders and their chieftain shouting and yelling but unable to turn the tide.

    At this point in the battle, it was impossible for any further twists to ur.

    Havingpleted an excellentmand, Joy Stick breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his hand in the air, and the 40 new recruits of the Kadman People¡¯s Army, who had been pre-positioned in the woods behind the camp, finally received the order to charge out at this moment, cooperating with the yers to begin a pincer attack on the scattered gnolls.

    As for the elite boss and a few elite barbarian leaders, they were naturally prey for Joy Stick and his Tiger Leopard Riders.

    They switched to blunt weapons and entered the fray, intending to capture these elites alive to sell to the Fight Club for money.

    An elite barbarian was worth 50 gold coins, an elite spellcaster 70. These were good ways to earn extra money. Even ordinary ck Iron rank gnolls could fetch a price, but only 2 gold each, mainly sold in bulk, almost given away.

    Anyway, they were just cannon fodder used to warm up the arena when sent to the diator fights.

    In these five days, just by selling elite monsters, Joy Stick had earned about 1,000 gold coins. Although he had to share with his team members, it still made him sigh that war was indeed the most profitable business.

    ¡°Brother Stick! I¡¯ve reached level 10, save a tough elite for me to pass the trial!¡± a yer shouted from the crowd.

    This guy¡¯s personal image was very eye-catching, with his bald head being quite distinctive. He also carried a strangely shapedrge sword on his back that looked very fierce, but embarrassingly, his current strength couldn¡¯t even lift this thing, so he could only carry it as a ¡°cosmetic item¡±.

    Yes.

    This was the slightly crazy ¡°Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle¡± that Joy Stick had met earlier.

    The person was indeed a bit crazy.

    But he did have some talent inbat and also had the dumb luck to receive a Hidden Quest from Lord Kudel to transform into the rare monk ss. He was already one of the fastest leveling among this batch of 70 yers.

    ¡°Give him a better set of armor, Giant Shark¡¯s current equipment obviously can¡¯t withstand the attacks of gnoll elite barbarians,¡± Joy Stick said to Tiger Leopard Rider ¨C Lin beside him as he pped his wings andnded.

    Thetter nodded, went over and gave Giant Shark Uncle a set of veteran equipment he had previously used. The recipient thanked him profusely, then the yers formed a circle to watch him duel a battered elite gnoll barbarian.

    Joy Stick now had no interest in such ¡°simple battles¡±.

    He was more concerned about whether there were any spoils of war in this camp that could quickly make him ¡°rich¡±.

    As the team leader, his goal was to equip his 30 team members with Veteran-grade armor and weapons by the time the next phase of the gnoll extermination war began, and if possible, to help his carefully selected team members quickly pass the ck Iron trial.

    ¡°Brother Stick, there¡¯s something I want to discuss with you,¡± a request popped up in Joy Stick¡¯smunication just as he was waiting to inspect the spoils of war. It was from Lumina on the girls¡¯ team side. After connecting, he heard Lumina say:

    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered arge gnoll nest on our side, upying a small mountain. Niuniu and Sister Pomegranate went in to scout, there are at least 400 gnolls inside! This is definitely thergest bandit nest in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain.

    The Blood Rat Gang has even put out a bounty on the leader and bosses of this bandit group.

    This target is too big for us to handle alone. Are you interested in joining forces?¡±

    ¡°Sure! It¡¯s rare for you girls to think highly of me, of course I¡¯ll help!¡± Joy Stickughed heartily, then changed his tone and said:

    ¡°But I want 40% of the profits!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll give you 20%, we¡¯re not just asking you,¡± Lumina bargained:

    ¡°Sister Pomegranate asked Lord Maxim to lend us troops, which also requires payment. 20% is already the limit.¡±

    ¡°30%!¡± Joy Stick agreed immediately, saying:

    ¡°And I want priority in selecting the spoils! If possible, I can bring my people over now. Including Brother Mao and his five, I have 15 ck Iron rank fighters on my side.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh oh! Indeed, I, Giant Shark, am a once-in-a-century talent!¡± A hoarse roar interrupted Joy Stick¡¯s words. He nced back, then grinned and said:

    ¡°Now I have 16 ck Iron warriors. I think we¡¯re worth this price! What do you say?¡±

 Chapter 239:

    Chapter 239:

    The gnollir discovered by the girl squad was located near the Foul Swamp.

    It was already at the southern border of Transia, and not far from the mountain pass where Fort Crimea, currently upied by the Nordtov Kingdom, was located.

    That gigantic fortress, which the Blood Vulture n and the Grand Duchy of Kafhoka had spent countless resources and efforts to build after the first ck Disaster, was strategically important. It guarded the only entrance from the Foul Swamp to the fertile ins.

    During the subsequent three ck Disasters, this fortress shouldered the responsibility of meeting the first wave of gnoll armies and was never breached. However, even the most fortified fortress couldn¡¯t withstand a copse from within.

    At the end of the Ten-Year War, to be precise, on a certain dayst month, the garrison at Fort Crimea surrendered to the Winter Wolf Legion, dering that this fortress on the border of Transia and the Kafhoka ins hadpletely fallen into the hands of the northerners.

    The 20,000 elite Blood Servants stationed there and some Blood Vulture elites were also smoothly recruited into the Thorn n under the personal invitation of Grand Duchess Shani.

    In the subsequent meeting between Shani and Tris, both sides tactfully avoided mentioning this matter.

    It was tacitly considered as an approval of this ¡°transfer¡±.

    Sopared to Grand Duchess Shani¡¯s shrewd and precise tactics, Count of White Mountain Andrei¡¯s small operation in Bataxin City not only lost in terms of grandeur but alsocked any highlights in execution.However, this majestic fortress, as unbreakable as a wall, was not the focus tonight.

    Although the fortress¡¯s mounted scouts quickly discovered Transians attacking therge gnollir at the foot of the mountain and reported it to the Winter Wolfmander in the fortress, thetter didn¡¯t care.

    Amander of his rank was already privy to the knowledge that the Wolf Queen had appointed a Blood Vulture vampire as the governor of Transia, which represented Her Majesty¡¯s attitude that Transia¡¯s affairs should be handled by Transians themselves.

    This was also good news for the Winter Wolf Legion, meaning that his brave soldiers wouldn¡¯t have to rush out to confront those savage gnolls for the safety of Transians.

    This indifference and detachment were equally beneficial for the little yers and the vanguard of the Kadman People¡¯s Army, meaning that Maxim and Kudel wouldn¡¯t have to divert their attention to deal with ¡°allies¡± with unclear intentions.

    ¡°Fort Crimea, the unbreakable wall.¡±

    At this early evening hour, Civilian Protection Officer Kudel, mounted on a majestic demon-hunting warhorse, gazed at the magnificent ce beyond the mountain pass in the distance and shook his head, saying:

    ¡°Transia has lost it forever.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just temporarily handed over to the northerners,¡± Maxim, serving as his temporary deputy, responded in a low voice:

    ¡°Under the leadership of Lord Murphy, we will eventually take it back! It¡¯s the wealth and symbol of Transians, not just Fort Crimea, but also the fertile Kafhoka ins, the ancient forests of Saxony, the estuary of Ice Bay, the viges of East Prussia, and Lake Sulpice in the Cato region. All those things we¡¯ve lost, we will eventually reim them under Lord Murphy¡¯s leadership!¡±

    ¡°You seem quite confident, but I would call it ¡®foolish belligerence¡¯,¡± Kudel casually remarked.

    He had an aversion to all vampires, but setting aside this instinctive rejection, his impression of the few vampires currently around Murphy was not bad.

    Especially Maxim.

    This elite vampire with unique appearance possessed undisputable loyalty, which happened to be the quality most admired by Kudel, who saw himself as a symbol of ssical knighthood.

    Therefore, in this gnoll hunt jointly led by the two, he got along quite well with Maxim. Although he was a bit annoyed by the strength challenges Maxim asionally initiated, it wasn¡¯t a big problem.

    Bravery was also a virtue of knights, and Maxim indeed had remarkable talent in martial skills.

    In the high-intensity confrontations with Kudel, Maxim¡¯s swordsmanship grew rapidly, and the potential belonging to vampires was constantly being released. This growth rate was considered quite extraordinary even among vampires. ording to Kudel¡¯s estimation, if the loyal Maxim continued like this, he mightplete the path of potential release in just a few months, which would take other vampires more than a decade to aplish.

    He never shied away from war, so war rewarded him, allowing Maxim¡¯s potential to rapidly transform into actualbat power!

    The simplest example was that Lady Lainnia, the archer knight who could easily defeat Maxim before, now avoided him in the Crimson Citadel. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t win, but this guy was too stubborn and progressing too quickly.

    Each victory was bing increasingly costly for Lainnia. Although the Blood Pact Knights wouldn¡¯t shy away from battles, they were vampires, not berserkers. No one would like unnecessary fights.

    Well, except for Maxim and the fanatical little yers.

    But this might also be another intention of Murphy in specifically assigning Maxim as Kudel¡¯s action deputy, he hoped Maxim could learn from Sir Kudel, this senior.

    Kudel shifted his attention from the distant Fort Crimea back to the battlefield before him. From his position, he could clearly see the progress of the yers acting as vanguards, leading the veterans and recruits of the Kadman People¡¯s Army charging into therge gnollir ahead from three directions.

    Just like every battle that had urred in the past 6 days.

    yers took the lead, while NPCs followed up.

    This had almost be the ¡°basic tactic¡± of the Kadman People¡¯s Army. After the yers fearlessly opened up gaps in the battlefield, they would expand the advantage with resolute actions and high morale, often quickly determining the course of the battle.

    Tonight was no exception.

    Even though they were facing an extrarge gang of over 400 gnolls, the assault teamposed of nearly 70 yers leading 50 veterans and 200 recruits didn¡¯t have much of a numerical disadvantage, and thetter had advantages in equipment and firepower.

    ¡°Murphy¡¯s warriors are impressive in every aspect,¡± Kudel couldn¡¯t help but remark again:

    ¡°Their courage, their acumen, their determination, even their talents are rarely seen in my lifetime. Have you noticed, Maxim? Just 6 days of intense fighting has turned those recruits into qualified veterans.

    I even witnessed a recruitpleting the ck Iron trial a few hours ago.

    This is insane.

    It takes years for a standard human warrior to reach this stage, but they did it in just 6 days!

    If it were just one or two geniuses, it could be called a coincidence, but they are all like this. This is something that can be described as a ¡®miracle¡¯.¡±

    ¡°No, Sir Kudel, you can analyze this matter from a different perspective,¡± Maxim shook his head, leaning on the Jade de enchanted by Lady Tris:

    ¡°Lord Murphy once analyzed this issue for me. He said the key factor determining how fast a warrior grows is not time, but the umtion of experience and skills. Although only 6 days have passed, have you seen any warrior who needs as much time to recuperate as our soldiers?

    They are experiencing dangerous battles almost non-stop, rushing to the next one as soon as one is finished. Therefore, the intensity of battle they endure in 6 days is simply unimaginable for ordinary human warriors!

    If we break down these battles and calcte by frequency and intensity, this basically equals the sum of battles an ordinary warrior would experience in a year or several years.

    I made a small private statistic, these warriors before your eyes kill an average of nearly 50 to 60 gnolls per person per day in 6 days!

    What a glorious hunt is this? And what a heavy burden?

    Looking at it this way, it¡¯s not surprising that they can break through themselves and enter the ck Iron realm in 6 days. This is pushing their potential to the limit, and also their life creed.

    What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Your exnation is novel, but indeed makes sense. After all, the ck Iron trial is only a test of basic skills,bat experience, and will. It doesn¡¯t have a rigid standard. If a talented ordinary warrior could achieve the same battle frequency and intensity as these warriors, he might indeed break through to the ck Iron realm in a month or two.

    But Maxim, you¡¯re obviously changing the subject!¡±

    Kudel pushed the vulture face mask on his face and said:

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to deliberately conceal the ¡®secret¡¯ of these warriors in front of me. I already know they¡¯re not mountain folk from the Saxony region. Murphy has exined everything to me. I know theye from another world, and I know they don¡¯t fear death because they truly won¡¯t die.

    But I still admire this fanaticism and persistence in battle.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great,¡± Maxim visibly rxed. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t good at lying, yet the origin of the warriors was a secret he had to guard for his master.

    ¡°But I want to remind you, the ¡®mountain folk from Saxony region¡¯ exnation seems reasonable at first, but after prolonged contact with these warriors, even my limited rationality warns me that this exnation is full of holes!

    Theirnguage, their living habits, even their mannerisms, except for asional neurotic behavior and indescribable strange actions simr to mountain folk, they are almostpletely ipatible with mountain people.

    So perhaps you should suggest to Murphy to weave a more usible origin for the warriors in time.

    If you really want to keep this secret.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®you¡¯, it¡¯s ¡®we¡¯, Sir Kudel. You¡¯re one of us now,¡± Maxim said, eyes straight ahead:

    ¡°I think your concerns are also in Master Murphy¡¯s thoughts. But I believe more that one day, all these mysteries won¡¯t need to be concealed anymore. Perhaps it shouldn¡¯t be answered obliquely by us anymore, it can be known by anyone.

    But for now, we all still have our own responsibilities. We mustplete them to receive the reward of stepping into more distant realms.

    I don¡¯t want to miss Master Murphy¡¯s legendary story. I hope even more to y a praiseworthy role in it. I believe you¡¯re the same, whether as a vampire or as a ranger knight from the old era.

    You should know that Master Murphy¡¯s friendliness towards you isn¡¯t because you¡¯re a vampire. He respects your unyielding soul, just as he respects all lives willing to contribute to thisnd.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I appreciate those words,¡± the Hunting Baron nodded.

    He saw mes rising from the upper caves of the gnollir, indicating that the vanguard warriors had caused enough chaos and attacked the core area of the gnoll gang.

    ¡°We should enter the fray too,¡± Kudel spurred his warhorse, grasping the crimson greatsword on his back. He said:

    ¡°We can¡¯t let the warriors have all the glory. After thisrgeir is subdued, the gnoll poption in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain will drop to an eptable level, and our battle here will be dered over.

    The next step is to go to your and the Baroness of Mond¡¯s territories toplete the same expulsion and hunting.¡±

    ¡°They might not need us there,¡± Maxim also spread his Blood Wings and slowly rose into the air.

    He chose not to use his sword but called forth Night ws in the darkness. He said:

    ¡°There are nearly a thousand Witch Hunters residing in Miriam¡¯s territory. They also followed Master Murphy¡¯s instructions, driving out and hunting while we¡¯re in action, and they¡¯re good at this. As for my territory¡­

    Before meeting you, this outstanding opponent, I would seek gnolls as punching bags for practice on every sleepless night.

    I can only say that the situation on my side is much better than here.¡±

    ¡°This is good news,¡± Kudel rode forward. As his horse elerated, he said:

    ¡°So, is the next target actually that gnoll warlord in the Anderma Hills? Hmm, now that¡¯s an interesting opponent! Murphy wants to establish his rule over Transia, this requires victories of sufficient weight to establish authority.

    For example, a gnoll warlord with vast power and fierce momentum would be quite suitable.

    Ah, I¡¯ve experienced enough in my life, but to witness and participate in the rise of a vampire governor, it¡¯s an unimaginable turn of events.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Up ahead! It¡¯s running! Quick, block it!¡±

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar, wielding a greatsword and passing through a burning cave, shouted in the team channel:

    ¡°This one¡¯s the boss of thisir, it¡¯s on the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s wanted list. That¡¯s a 100 gold coin bounty! Dog¡¯s Paddle! Bring people to block it!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright! Coming!¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle replied.

    He led four veterans, jumping directly down from the upperir, blocking the path of the gnoll elite leader who was frantically fleeing with a ming il in hand.

    Dog¡¯s Paddle, wielding a lion hunting spear, might have a silly name, but his battle skills were anything but silly.

    He met the gnoll with a vicious spearman¡¯s thrust, instantly discing several steps, and with a ¡°swoosh¡± sound, pierced the sharp spear into the gnoll¡¯s left shoulder.

    Thetter howled in pain, swinging its bloodied il to bring down the meteor hammer-like attack head towards North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle, but was nimbly dodged by thetter using the shadow step.

    This ¡°perfect dodge¡± inherent to the shadow elf secret sword technique was famously useful in such close-quarterbat, leading to yers who pursued improvement to try their best to get ten victories in the Fight Club, in order to purchase this advanced manual from the Blood Rat Gang.

    It¡¯s not only useful in closebat, but even in rangedbat!

    Especially after Little Ashina, the gunner, developed ¡°Gun Kata¡±, the shadow step had be standard for high-end yers.

    Quite ironically, this was actually just aplementary step to the Mejeva Family Sword Arts, but now in the eyes of yers, it had be a more precious ¡°passive skill¡± than the overly intricate andplex elf sword technique itself.

    ¡°Lie down, you!¡± Dog¡¯s Paddle dodged twice in session, then drew the warhammer from his waist as he rose, smashing it onto the gnoll elite¡¯s wrist with a ¡°bang¡±, causing thetter to drop its weapon. Then, East River Lion¡¯s Roar, who had caught up from behind, delivered a vicious killing blow from the back. With blood sshing, the front and back attack left this gnoll leader with nowhere to run.

    Not just it, simr battles were happening all over thisrgeir at this moment.

    The yers didn¡¯t even bother to execute ordinary gnolls.

    They only sought ck Iron rank or elite individuals, frantically farming points and hoping for good luck to drop some decent weapons and armor. But the new recruits of the Kadman People¡¯s Army weren¡¯t picky about targets. It was absolutely fine to chop any gnoll they saw.

    They all knew they were the officer candidates for the real army that Lord Maxim was about to form. If they didn¡¯t take advantage of this favorable situation to grab more military merits now, don¡¯t me the lord for being unsentimental when arranging officers to grassroots positionster.

    ording to the military merit system just established by the administrative department, ten gnoll heads only counted as one level of military merit. This meant that in this hunt, not only were the yers working hard, but the NPCs couldn¡¯t ck off either!

    ¡°Hey, 100 gold in the bag! We¡¯ve got the money for the Computation Bead plugin, brothers.¡±

    East River Lion¡¯s Roar swung his sword to cut off the head of this elite monster in front of him, saying cheerfully to North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle. Thetter gave a thumbs up and didn¡¯t waste time, turning around to find more elites to practice on.

    However, he had just started when Brother Mao¡¯s exmation sounded in the teammunication:

    ¡°There are vampires here! Not Blood Vulture people, there are three! They ran out mixed with the gnolls. Quick! Block them! These are definitely important plot characters.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How can there be vampires from other ns in a gnollir?¡± North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle was stunned for a moment.

    But this didn¡¯t prevent him from immediately switching targets and then, by sheer dumb luck, he happened to see a vampire wearing a top hat glide down from above, unfortunatelynding right in front of him and East River Lion¡¯s Roar.

    ¡°Stop right there, thief!¡± Dog¡¯s Paddle was overjoyed, shouting as he ran a few steps and hurled the lion spear in his hand fiercely. With a ¡°swoosh¡±, itnded right in front of that vampire.

    The two little yers pounced like tigers and wolves, causing the Wolfsbane n ¡°emissary¡± to look desperate.

    At the same time, at the edge of thergeir, two female Wolfsbane vampires supporting each other as they fled hadn¡¯t yet escaped the edge of thergeir when a crimson wind pped down from above. In the midnight-like cold wind, Maxim folded his wings andnded on the ground.

    His ferocious Night ws were dripping with fresh blood, and the cold eyes under the vulture mask were fixed on the two enemies before him.

    He said:

    ¡°You seem to be lost,dies of Greenleaf Ind smelling of ¡®wolf¡¯. Do you need me to point you the way to hell?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be polite, I¡¯d be happy to do so!¡±

 Chapter 240:

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The Wolfsbane emissary, who entered the Wilderness Transformation state and attempted to fight for his life with brutal force, was knocked away like a ball and fell unconscious before hitting the ground.

    Kudel clearly held back his strength, only shattering the emissary¡¯s hand bones and ribs without killing him instantly.

    Although Kudel¡¯s nominal strength was only at the elite Silver rank, in addition to being a Night de Sword Master under the vampire system, he also had the bonus of the ¡°Holy Grail Knight¡± secondary profession. This allowed him to exertbat power far beyond that of ordinary Silver individuals, otherwise Salrokdar wouldn¡¯t have picked him up like a treasure during the 4th ck Disaster and brought him back to Kadman City.

    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that Civilian Protection Officer Kudel is now the second strongest fighter in the Blood Vulture n after Tris. The youngdy, whopleted the Silver trial and discovered her unique power, could rank third, while the humble Lord Murphy naturally ranked fourth.

    Of course, Murphy had a slight ¡°objection¡± to this ranking.

    He felt that although he was no match for Kudel, if he were to fight the youngdy to the death, it was still uncertain who would win or lose.

    In any case, for a unique individual like Kudel, whose actualbat power was severely inconsistent with his nominal rank and who had incredibly richbat experience, ordinary Iron-rank Wolf w warriors were as good as dead if they even brushed against him.

    These weakrades posed even less of a threat to the Civilian Protection Officer than the bloody il wielded by the gnoll chieftain.However, encountering Wolfsbane n¡¯s minions in the southernmost part of Transia was indeed a strange thing, causing Kudel¡¯s expression to turn serious under his face te.

    As he withdrew his greatsword, he had to start pondering an important question: what exactly were these bastards nning to do on Transia¡¯snd? The doubt that followed was, although the Wolfsbane n was known throughout vampire society for not following rules, these unscrupulous fellows had actually started mingling with gnolls.

    This was obviously a bit too abnormal.

    Were they trying to recruit these gnolls?

    If we start from this slightly terrifying conclusion, it¡¯s worth pondering whether the gnoll warlord who recently rose to power in the Anderma Hills really gathered arge gnoll army solely based on its ¡°personal charm¡±.

    ¡°During the ck Disaster, you still dare to collude with gnolls! Your guts are truly big, but this might not be a bad thing. Murphy has been trying to find more helpers, and your stupidity will give him a perfect reason to ¡®seek aid¡¯.

    What¡¯s that phrase they always have on their lips?

    You guys are quite good.¡±

    Kudel¡¯s tone was full of contempt.

    He waved his hand on horseback, and several veteran soldiers of the People¡¯s Army following him immediately swarmed forward, using shackles to lock up the dying Wolfsbane vampire emissary.

    The Hunting Baron had now noticed that something was wrong. He raised his head just in time to call out to the other vampires, only to see Maxim slowly descending while holding a female vampire who had been torn off two arms and a leg, and was now hovering between life and death.

    In Maxim¡¯s other hand was a still-beating vampire heart. He really showed no mercy to the fairer sex. By the looks of it, if he hadn¡¯t wanted to keep a prisoner for interrogation, both Wolfsbane girls would have died miserably under Maxim¡¯s ws.

    This kind of internecine killing among the same n can hardly be called a virtue, but Kudel knew that with just one nce from Murphy, Maxim would mercilessly turn his de against anyone.

    Loyalty is often a term of praise in many situations, but it can asionally make people feel terrified as well.

    ¡°Max, you shouldn¡¯t be so rough withdies.¡±

    Kudel, as a former Holy Grail Knight, shook his head and reminded:

    ¡°Although I despise the borate etiquette of vampires, you are after all a member of the Blood Vultures. You should act ording to the traditions of the ancient blood ns, otherwise other vampires will consider you uncultured. You may not care about these things, but it will affect the face of your superiors.

    You need to distinguish between how you treat traitors and how you treat others, even if they are enemies.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Lord Kudel.¡±

    Maxim nodded very seriously.

    Coming from a humble background, he indeed didn¡¯t care much about etiquette and had no intention of changing hisbat habits. However, if this matter involved Lord Murphy¡¯s image, then it must be taken seriously.

    Therefore, the Baron of Leim, who had just stretched his limbs, immediately decided that after returning this time, he would have to ask Adele about the traditional etiquette of the Blood Vulture n in this regard.

    This is the downside of being a vampire, there are standards for everything you do.

    Moreover, those pedantic standards have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years. Except for the generally ¡°low-quality¡± Wolfsbane and the mad blood n that has been sealed since before the current era, other ns still value these quite a bit.

    The older the vampire, the more they care about these superficial practices.

    ¡°There are quite a few Wolfsbane emissaries here.¡±

    Kudel sensed the chaotic battle ahead, keenly detecting several individuals with auras different from the gnolls. He said:

    ¡°First, let¡¯s figure out their purpose foring here. Afterwards, I will take the warriors back to Crimson Citadel to report this matter in person to Grand Duchess Tris.

    You and your army continue to stay here, spend some time clearing out the remaining gnolls in the vicinity, then head to the quarry near Baron Mond¡¯s domain for rest and preparation, waiting for the next hunt.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Maxim nodded in agreement, but then he reminded:

    ¡°I think we should let the warriors handle the task of finding intelligence. Their talent for looting far surpasses ours. As long as you give the order, they will turn this den upside down, and it won¡¯t take more than an hour.¡±

    ¡°Order.¡±

    Kudel grasped the Computation Bead hanging on his wrist.

    He was still not very ustomed to using this method to mobilize the warriors, so Maxim took the initiative and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it this time, sir.

    But you must learn this method as soon as possible. Properly distributing tasks is the most important aspect when dealing with warriors. Also, I must remind you that the two otherworld warriors you¡¯ve been favoring these past few days were ¡®warriors¡¯ I had pre-selected.

    Although it¡¯s not very proper to say this, you need to find your own twelve ¡®warriors¡¯ and ¡®champion warrior¡¯ instead of directly taking them from me.

    We are Blood Vultures.

    We need to do things by the rules.¡±

    ¡°But I despise the tradition of keeping blood servants!¡±

    Kudel said with a straight face:

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this mode of vassge based on blood connections.¡±

    ¡°This is not the tradition of blood servants, Lord Kudel. Only those important figures recognized by Lord Murphy have the right to recruit their own twelve warriors. You can view them as your warrior retainers or even knight apprentices.

    They are absolutely not blood servants in the traditional sense, because once you choose your own warriors, you need to put effort into nurturing them.¡±

    Maxim exined:

    ¡°Grand Duchess Tris, Adele, and Miss Femis all have their own twelve warriors, and even Lord Murphy has them. You can understand this as a ¡®new tradition¡¯ of the Blood Vultures. Most importantly, the selection of warriors is not limited to vampires.

    Anyone you recognize, regardless of their race, can be your warrior. They will act in your name throughout Transia and even the entire continent.

    Therefore, you need to be cautious.

    If your warriors cause trouble, you¡¯ll be personally responsible for dealing with it. This is a rtionship where you share both glory and disgrace. You can even grant your knightly titles to them.

    They are equivalent to your vassals.

    In human noble terms, this is a symbol of ¡®honor¡¯!¡±

    ¡°I see! It seems I still don¡¯t fully understand the new Blood Vulture traditions that Murphy has been shaping.¡±

    Kudel nodded thoughtfully.

    Since it wasn¡¯t the decadent system of blood servants, he was indeed interested in cultivating his own twelve warriors. He hoped to personally train several ¡°Holy Grail Knights¡± like himself in the past to serve as guardians of justice and order in Transia.

    This was obviously difficult, andrgely dependent on luck.

    But Kudel hoped to aplish this.

    After a few seconds, he made a decision and dismounted to say quietly to Maxim:

    ¡°But I indeed have my eye on that warrior named ¡®Mao¡¯. His pursuit of skill, thirst for victory, and adherence to principles remind me of my younger self! What¡¯s even better is that, like me, he resists the call of midnight, seeking to reach the pinnacle of power and skill with a pure human body.

    I very much hope to personally train him to be the next ¡®Nantes Ranger¡¯ or ¡®Transia Ranger¡¯, so, Max, can you part with him?

    I will offer a reward that satisfies you in return.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    The request from Lord Kudel made Maxim hesitate.

    He currently had four warriors.

    Besides Brother Mao, there were Sister Pomegranate, Khaki Tony Tai, and Path of Mud and Oil. He could see Brother Mao¡¯s super talent, but thetter adamantly refused to join the Blood Vultures to serve Lord Murphy, which indeed made him feel a bit ufortable.

    He wouldn¡¯t distance himself from Brother Mao because of this, but the difference in their understanding of ¡°loyalty¡± made it difficult for Maxim to wholeheartedly cultivate that warrior.

    Lord Kudel before him was the best person he could find to entrust with both strength and integrity. Perhaps handing Brother Mao over to the Blood Vulture Civilian Protection Officer was the right choice.

    However, Maxim still didn¡¯t agree immediately.

    He seriously replied:

    ¡°We need to ask for his own opinion! Lord Murphy won¡¯t allow forced exchanges of warriors to happen on thisnd. If he agrees, then I have no objections.

    Of course, as part of the ceremony and ¡®punishment¡¯, he mustplete a difficult task that benefits Lord Murphy¡¯s grand cause for me, to bid farewell to my faction and join your ¡®Civilian Protection Officer faction¡¯.

    Actually, his fourpanions are also very talented. Perhaps you might consider them as well?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s how it should be!¡±

    Kudel nodded with satisfaction.

    Clearly, he had no objections to this approach full of ¡°knightly virtue¡±.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°A new quest has been triggered, Brother Stick!¡±

    On the Onboard Joy Stick team¡¯s side, who had just captured a Wolfsbane emissary alive, Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle, who had just passed the Iron trial, excitedly ran over and shouted:

    ¡°Lord Maxim wants us tough and domineering warriors to find evidence of these Wolfsbane pups colluding with gnolls! Is this the legendary looting quest?¡±

    ¡°No, this should be a new branch storyline, consider it a random event. This damn game has tons of random events, but most don¡¯t have much payoff.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick sat on a box resting, and said to hispanions standing beside him:

    ¡°Now that the battle is over, we can indeed start looting. Let¡¯s start from the cave where the gnoll leader was and spread out in a carpet search. You all know the rules, all spoils must be turned in!

    No matter how good the items are, we¡¯ll discuss distribution at the post-battle sharing meeting! Anyone who dares to embezzle privately and gets caught will be kicked out of the team immediately!

    This is a bottom line issue, no room for negotiation.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Brother Stick, we¡¯re all hot-blooded men, how could we do such a shameful thing?¡±

    Tiger Leopard Rider ¨C Soldier replied, holding a firearm with a bay, then dispersed with other yers to carry out their favorite looting phase.

    Thanks to Brother Stick¡¯s investment deal with Little Rich Brother in real life, he had already registered apany, and the first batch of employees were his nine brothers.

    This allowed everyone to maximize their daily online time, and the families of the brothers didn¡¯t have much objection, after all, they were earning more money than when they were working their miserable jobs before. Moreover, Brother Stick paid three months¡¯ sry in advance as a deposit. This pile of cold hard cash immediately boosted the team¡¯s cohesion.

    Although the business model of this gamepany is still not transparent, Brother Stick is confident in managing it well.

    He was still calcting the profits from this time.

    ording to his agreement with Little Rich Brother, one-tenth of all the gold coins obtained from spoils and quests had to be sent to Feel You Poor. This distribution ratio was fixed.

    It sounds a bit unfair, but Brother Stick had noints about this. After all, the other party had invested real money to support his group of brothers, so what¡¯s giving them some game currency?

    But it wasn¡¯t easy to distribute the physical items seized in the game.

    Currently, there¡¯s no official auction house or simr institution in the game, causing yers to still be in a primitive state of ¡°barter¡±, which is really frustrating.

    Most importantly, there¡¯s no reasonable valuation method.

    If they really get some divine weapons and tools in the future, pricing will be a big problem no matter how they do it.

    But Brother Stick guessed that the development team certainly wouldn¡¯t leave this situation unattended. Perhaps there will be patches for this aspect in future updates. The best solution would be for officials to set up pricing authority or simply open an auction house, so that yers won¡¯t have much toin about.

    ¡°It would be best to have an official game currency exchange mall.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stick rubbed his chin and thought:

    ¡°The current 1:10 exchange rate for game currency is still a convention among yers. It¡¯s convenient, but when there are more people in the future and things get mixed up, trouble might ur. This Alphapany is really strange, they have all kinds of money-making methods at their disposal but don¡¯t use them. It really makes one wonder what their background is?

    They don¡¯t even want free money?¡±

    ¡°Brother Stick! Come quickly, we¡¯ve found something good!¡±

    Tiger Leopard Rider ¨C Forest¡¯s shout rang out in the team framework, making Brother Stick perk up.

    This guy was recognized as the luckiest one in the Crimson Hammer and Sickle team. He had found good items in the previous few prize draws. Hearing his excited shout now, Onboard Joy Stick was delighted and immediately got up and ran over.

    In a hidden cave deep in the gnoll den, yers had already gathered.

    Torches were lit, making it as bright as day.

    The people from the girl team who initiated this operation were also here, and beside everyone were numerous piled-up boxes. These were the umtion of years of looting by this group of gnolls, all items that couldn¡¯t be eaten or used up, including several boxes of alcohol and iron ingots from the dwarves.

    Judging from the drag marks in the cave, this should have been specially piled up by the gnolls recently.

    ¡°There are several boxes of armor and weapons here.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate, with her arms folded, kicked the box beside her, making the metal items inside ng loudly. She said:

    ¡°They all have the emblem of a certain forge from the Goldflower Kingdom, definitely not something these gnolls looted! I¡¯d say, it might be stuff those Wolfsbane punks brought over for trade. Although the Quality is generally average, it¡¯s already quite good equipment for gnolls.

    There¡¯s clearly some private dealing going on between them.¡±

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve triggered quite a quest.¡±

    Onboard Joy Stickughed, and the atmosphere in the cave lightened up. But next came the loot-sharing phase that had to be taken seriously. Lumina was the first to propose:

    ¡°The things here can¡¯t be directly divided, we can¡¯t use them even if we take them. My suggestion is to bring them back to the administration for NPC appraisal and purchase. Then we split the money ording to the previously agreed ratio?

    This is the most convenient way.¡±

    ¡°The NPCs will definitely lowball us!¡±

    Feel You Poor, holding a torch in the crowd,ined:

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such stingy NPCs. If we can get 60% of the original price for all these things from them, we should consider ourselves lucky.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Little Ashina shrugged and said:

    ¡°If we don¡¯t sell to the administration, who else do you want to sell to? There¡¯s no other force in Transia that can take all these things, right? We can¡¯t sell them to the northerners in Fort Crimea, that would be treason.

    How about this?

    We first send this batch of goods for appraisal, then our ¡®Silver Moon Pride¡¯ team will pay a 10% premium to buy them.¡±

    This suggestion was outrageous!

    The hidden agenda was almost bursting onto Onboard Joy Stick¡¯s face. Even if he was slow, he had already noticed something was amiss.

    ¡°What exactly are you guys trying to do?¡±

    Brother Stick narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°You also took all the supplies from the previous few camps. I guess you used the several thousand gold coins you bought from that gang treasurest time to purchase these supplies, right? You must have found a good way to make money, and keeping it hidden is a bit unfair.

    Let¡¯s all make money together.¡±

    Lumina, Orchid, and Lady Aqua discussed in low voices for a while, then she coughed and said:

    ¡°We can tell you, but then you won¡¯t get a share of the profits this time. But in my opinion, exchanging these things for information is really not a loss.

    Trust me.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯m not listening anymore. I¡¯m now operating as apany, and constantly not seeing profits will cause problems. Let¡¯s do as you said before, first transport these things back to Crimson Citadel for appraisal.¡±

    Brother Stick waved his hand, not asking any more questions.

    He was nning to ask Meow King after logging off. That cunning guy must know some inside information.

    Speaking of which, Meow King¡¯s team seems to have been collecting these resources that can¡¯t be directly exchanged for money in the past few days. It¡¯s said that they even rented arge warehouse in the camp.

    So it turns out that several forces have already taken action, and only his side was busy recruiting and training people, so they didn¡¯t figure out the ¡°little trick to get rich¡±?

    Damn!

    These guys are ying dirty.

    Brother Stick admitted that he and his group of brothers weren¡¯t as smart as Brother Meow and the girl team. When others had discovered business opportunities, they were still kept in the dark.

    Although their ambition wasn¡¯t to make money, it¡¯s not good to always be one step behind others.

    It seems he really needs to recruit some advisors.

 Chapter 241:

    The yers set out to return to Crimson Citadel early the next morning. Just transporting therge amount of supplies back would take two days and three nights on the road, causing yers toin furiously about how hardcore and meticulous this game was in this aspect.

    They said, ¡°Why not just open a portal and let everyone return to the main city? That would be so much better! Instead of wasting time on the road like this.¡±

    Fortunately, there were still remnants of roving gnolls along the way, so it wasn¡¯tpletely uneventful. They could pass the boring travel time by casually farming some points.

    However, those wolfsbane cubs who were capturedst night had already been sent back to Crimson Citadel ahead of time.

    Due to the gravity of the matter, Hunting Baron Kudel personally escorted them. Before the first ray of dawn arrived, these fellows had been delivered to the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Murphy and Tris had received the news in advance.

    But the one who came to receive these prisoners was not the two of them, but the Silver Bow Knight Lainnia Gnord Cappadocia, themander of the Blood Pact Knights stationed in the Transia region, with a cold expression on her face.

    Clearly, Murphy had yed a little trick.

    He didn¡¯t intend to personally appear before the Blood Pact Knights to use the Wolfsbane n of colluding with gnolls in an attempt to subvert Crimson Citadel. He knew well that truth only has meaning when it¡¯s discovered by the right person.And the Bow Knightdy was also very willing to y the role of ¡°inquisitor¡± at this time.

    Judging from the coldness emanating from thisdy¡¯s entire body, she obviously had ¡°opinions¡± about the Wolfsbane n intervening in Transia¡¯s situation at this time and in this manner. Moreover, when ites to the art of ¡°interrogation¡± among vampires, even the most excellent Blood Inquisitor of the Blood Vulture n could only bow in defeat before the arrogant descendants who could directly smell sin.

    As long as Lainnia wanted, these Wolfsbane prisoners would definitely confess everything honestly, even down to how many lovers their own mothers had.

    This process would naturally be apanied by indescribable pain, which was the inevitable punishment for having one¡¯s crimes exposed. But this was not something Lord Murphy needed to worry about now.

    At this moment, he was in the Blood Vulture Halls weing the youngdy and her group who had sessfullypleted their mission and returned.

    ¡°Adele, there¡¯s a new Blood Rat Gang in the sewers, led by Dorothy. They have some abilities and might be of great use in the future, so they¡¯ll be under your Shadow Intelligence Bureau¡¯s management,¡± Murphy said to his vampire housekeeper, with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°The Blood Rat Gang currently has a ¡®big job¡¯ on their hands. I need you to take over immediately and personally be responsible for the uing operations. Dorothy will brief you on the specifics.¡±

    ¡°As youmand, Master Murphy,¡± Lady Adele nodded, then quickly vanished into the shadows of the hall.

    As Transia¡¯s first intelligence director who asionally doubled as Murphy¡¯s own housekeeper, she always had many things to keep her busy. This trip to the Seicob domain with the youngdy was even considered an ¡°administrative vacation¡± for her.

    Perhaps she should thank that mysterious Lady Cecilia for nurturing her over the past many years, making her long ustomed to assisting superiors as an outstanding deputy with the identity and mindset of an excellent vice officer.

    ¡°Count Andrei, you and your servants can rest in the halls for a few days, but there will be important tasks entrusted to you afterwards,¡± Murphy then said to the White Mountain Count, whose status and position in today¡¯s Transia was quite ¡°delicate¡±.

    ¡°Also, my regent is currently in Bataxin City negotiating aid with officials from the Nordtov Treasury Department. I heard from Miriam¡¯s report that the remaining members of the White Mountain faction of the Thorn n will also arrive in Bataxin City soon.

    As their leader, I think you should personally go to wee them.

    I will designate a special ¡¯embassy area¡¯ for you midnight exiles in the Blood Vulture Halls. Once my city construction reaches a certain scale, I will also build a diplomatic residence for you that may not be exquisite but will definitely be adequate.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Count Murphy. This matter is very important to me,¡± Andrei thanked Murphy with impable royal etiquette, and then said to Murphy with a hint of what might or might not be ¡°gratitude¡±:

    ¡°At the same time, I also thank the Blood Vulture n for epting us, a group of losers with nowhere to go, at this time when we are in a precarious situation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Murphy waved his hand and replied in a gentle yet distant tone:

    ¡°In the face of a situation like the ck Disaster, everyone should work together for mutual benefit. Moreover, the alliance formed between Grand Duchess Shani and Grand Duchess Tris is enough for us to address each other as ¡®brothers¡¯ at this moment. I mean, there¡¯s no need to say these distant words.

    Get ready.

    The brothers of Blood Vulture and Thorn will face amon enemy in theing days. You will soon know the specific contents of the action, and I¡¯m also looking forward to your performance on the battlefield.¡±

    The White Mountain Count nodded and left the entrance of the hall with his servants.

    There was no need to say much about the dozen or so vampires who followed Femis, led by the ¡°Crimson Lady¡± Mary. They all had their respective responsibilities in Crimson Citadel, and they didn¡¯t dare to have any outbursts in front of Murphy, whose authority was growing day by day.

    Without even needing the governor¡¯s orders, these guys obediently scattered to do their jobs on their own initiative.

    So only Murphy and Femis were left at the entrance of the hall. Murphy made a ¡°please¡± gesture, Femis nodded and went first, with Murphy following half a step behind.

    ¡°I must report to you that Andrei behaved very properly during this trip,¡± the youngdy said softly to Murphy.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t find any opportunities that could be exploited throughout. He¡¯s very clever, he knows his situation so there was nothing presumptuous about him, just like a cunning little mouse.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll catch an opportunity sooner orter. We can wait patiently for a long time, while Andrei, who¡¯s treading on thin ice, only needs to make one mistake to fall into a desperate situation. The advantage is on our side!

    Moreover, given the current situation, these northern exiles living under our roof are no longer a big problem.¡±

    Murphy sighed and told Femis about the coboration between the Wolfsbane n and the local gnolls that he had just learned about.

    The youngdy¡¯s expression was quite wonderful after hearing this.

    She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So old Edward has gone mad? How could he choose to cooperate with gnolls at this juncture? And even secretly support a dangerous gnoll warlord? Doesn¡¯t he fear Lord Payneing to his doorstep to cause trouble?¡±

    ¡°ording to Tris, this might be an independent action by an internal faction of the Wolfsbane n, simr in nature to the foolish actions of Andrei¡¯s White Mountain faction in Bataxin City,¡± Murphy replied in a serious tone.

    ¡°I think Tris¡¯s guess is probably correct, this matter shouldn¡¯t have much to do with old Edward.

    However, there¡¯s another possibility. The Wolfsbane Grand Duke might have known about all this from the beginning, but he¡¯s clearly choosing to y dumb. After all, whether the Greyw faction seeds in destroying us independently or his unruly subordinates get eliminated, he would have a satisfactory gain either way.

    A standard two-pronged strategy.

    But for us, this is a hot potato that we can¡¯t refuse to deal with even if we want to.

    However, the good news is that my warriors and the Kadman People¡¯s Army have entered the final stage of clearing the gnolls from the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain. They have achieved an indisputable great victory!

    Next, they will need a day or two to regroup and resupply.

    After the witch hunters clear out the gnoll gue in the Baroness of Mond¡¯s domain, I will lead the army into your territory. We will face off against that ambitious gnoll warlord on the Anderma Hills.

    The battle will be decisive as soon as it starts!

    We can¡¯t fight a war of attrition with them, and in this battle, you will be the absolute core.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Femis looked at Murphy in surprise. She said, ¡°I know that¡¯s my territory, but Murphy, I don¡¯t even have a decent armed blood servant under mymand, let alone any semnce of control over the Anderma Hills. Yet you say I¡¯m the core of the battle, I can¡¯t quite understand.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to try to understand, because we have a new n this time,¡± Murphy revealed a mysterious smile.

    He pushed open the door to Tris¡¯s office. As Femis walked in, she immediately saw the usually cking Blood Vulture Grand Duchess concentrating intently on studying a spirit energy model that looked veryplex.

    Jumping crimson light points floated in front of her, forming nested rings of miniature projections of spirit energy formations, one after another. It looked like she was trying to solve a super difficult geometry problem.

    At this moment, Tris was frowning, attempting to reconstruct andplete the creation of a new spirit energy spell from theseplex formation projections.

    This was apletely unimaginable operation for ordinary spirit mages, but for a Spirit Sovereign like Tris, it was just a ¡°slightly challenging¡± task.

    How should I put it?

    Well, since Tris regained her power, Murphy hadn¡¯t seen her use ordinary spirit energy techniques in several battles. All the skills used by the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess were her ¡°original¡±bat style.

    Although most were based on minor modifications to ordinary spirit energy, this behavior of being able to create a set of unique skill trees specifically tailored to one¡¯s ownbat style is generally referred to as ¡°super genius¡±!

    Murphy looked at all this with satisfaction. He felt that his ¡°girlfriend¡±, apart from being a bit too ¡°mature¡± due to her age, was simply perfect.

    Femis widened her eyes.

    She watched Tris¡¯s mysterious operations before her. As a high-level spirit mage herself, she could only discern a bit of thought and trajectory from those strange operations. She could barely see that the purpose of this superplex formation was to break some kind of ¡°istion¡±.

    ¡°I heard that in the promotion assessment for Spirit Masters at the Circle Tower, there¡¯s a hard requirement that high-level spirit mages mustplete the development of a new spirit energy to serve as their ¡®sacrifice¡¯ to the mysteries of spirit energy and to pray for more power and wisdom,¡± Murphy said, standing behind Femis.

    He ced both hands on the shoulders of the short Femis, a scene that looked very much like the interaction between siblings. He said to the youngdy who was dumbfounded:

    ¡°Look! The task you need toplete is right before your eyes. Tris will serve as a ¡®special guest tutor¡¯ to guide you inpleting this spirit energy mystery that belongs only to you. The moment it is first released in this world, you will also be qualified to proudly call yourself a ¡®Spirit Master¡¯.

    Oh, by the way.

    I¡¯ve already given this soon-to-be-born spirit energy mystery a name.

    Tris and I agree, we want to call this yet-to-be-born legion-level spirit energy technique ¡®Cataclysm¡¯!

    If you think this name is too serious, then we can use a more yful term.¡±

    The vampire lord grinned, and under Tris¡¯s pouting gaze, he stared at thoseplex spirit energy models he couldn¡¯t understand at all, and said:

    ¡°We can call it ¡®The Youthful Mini Luxury Edition of the Astral Realm Ripping Grand Technique¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Uh, let¡¯s just keep calling it ¡®Cataclysm¡¯,¡± Femis said with a twitching eye corner.

    ¡°The second name¡¯s frivolous and joyful style might be a bit too early for a traditional vampire like me, but I guess your warriors would definitely love its dangerous yet yful naming style.

    They always seem to be eager for all things ¡®abnormal¡¯.

    I will do my best toplete this mystery, but there¡¯s one more thing I need to report to you and Tris, Murphy.

    About my discovery in Count Seicob¡¯s domain.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, this matter can be put off for now,¡± Murphy politely bid farewell to the twodies who were about to get busy. He shook his head and said:

    ¡°It seems a bit unsightly for us to discuss how to upy thatnd when the real owner of the Seicob domain hasn¡¯t even appeared yet. We can talk about this as victors after we¡¯ve resolved the war in the Anderma Countess¡¯s domain.

    Therefore, I, an uneducated summoner, won¡¯t disturb the two super schrs in their research of the mysterious spirit energy secrets here.

    We¡¯ll meet againter.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s how things stand, my lord,¡± 30 minutester, in a dark room in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Lady Lainnia, who had justpleted the interrogation, was making a remote report to her direct superior, the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ Third Knight Lord ¡°Arrow of Retribution¡± Yvette Liad Cappadocia, through a blood-colored crystal.

    She told her lord all the information she had tortured out of the Wolfsbane prisoners, and after several seconds of dy, azy and hoarse woman¡¯s voice came from the blood crystal.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re sure you have evidence of the Greyw faction of the Wolfsbane n colluding with gnolls? Do you know what this means?¡±

    ¡°Yes! My lord,¡± Lainnia replied sternly.

    ¡°Such behavior would be despised even in normal times, let alone at this moment when the ck Disaster is approaching. This can already be called ¡®betrayal in the face of battle¡¯! The leader of that Wolfsbane faction actually coborated with the enemies of order to eliminate the Blood Vulture remnants. They must be subjected to severe punishment.

    And I am very willing to carry out this punishment in the name of the Sovereign and the Blood Pact n!¡±

    ¡°So, do you need me to send troops to support you? You only have 30 reserve knights and an equal number of blood servants in your hand now, which is hardly enough to make a difference against a warlord who has already established his power,¡± the Third Lord on the other side yawned in a way that invited imagination. She said in a slightly oddly paced panting voice:

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have many knights I can mobilize now either. The situation in the outer defense areas near the Dark Mountain Range has started to deteriorate. Lainnia, you know the responsibilities we bear and where our work efforts should be focused!

    Haven¡¯t you eaten? You pitiful creature.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hearing that rebuke, Lainnia, who was trying hard to maintain her seriousness, couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.

    She certainly knew what her lord was doing.

    Just as Trisined that all three Knight Lords of the Blood Pact Knights were psychopaths, the loyal Bow Knight had to admit that Grand Duchess Tris¡¯sints in this regard werepletely correct.

    Lord Pnno¡¯s pursuit of ¡°pure love¡± regardless of the asion was at most inappropriate, but the personal lifestyle issues of the Third Lord on the other side were obviously more serious, to the point where her subordinates had to cover for the Third Lord.

    And the most terrifying thing was that the promiscuous Third Lord not only sought out handsome men, but also wouldn¡¯t spare beautiful women. In terms of appetite, she could be described as ruthless.

    However, considering the Third Lord¡¯s ¡°background¡± issue, this ¡°bad habit¡± wasn¡¯t surprising.

    After all, the Third Lord of the Blood Pact Knights was a dark elf, the race unanimously recognized by all forces on this continent as the most ¡°yful¡±, bar none! Yvette was already considered a ¡°conservative¡± among dark elves, at least she only ¡°yed¡± with humanoid creatures she approved of.

    Therefore, for Lainnia personally, being able toe to Crimson Citadel on a ¡°business trip¡± at this time was not just about rxation.

    She felt like she had almost escaped the ¡°den of evil¡± by the skin of her teeth.

    The reason for saying this was because she was one of the few people under the Third Lord who hadn¡¯t sumbed to ¡°workce sexual harassment¡± yet, but the problem was that as a dark elf, the Third Lord obviously had a great ¡°interest¡± in ¡°severely humiliating¡± her, a former noble high elf, in certain situations.

    Ah, it¡¯s embarrassing just to say it out loud.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re under great battle pressure right now, so I¡¯m not asking you to send troops to support our fight in Transia. I¡¯m only requesting your permission to officially participate in the cleansing war that the Blood Vulture n is currently conducting,¡± Lainnia said seriously to her direct lord, trying hard to ignore those strange ¡°off-screen sounds¡±.

    ¡°My reserve knights and I will participate in the punishment of the Wolfsbane n as a force under Lord Murphy, and I will temporarily transfer themand to Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Approved!¡± Lady Yvette¡¯s voice came from the blood crystal, sounding satisfied. She said in a gentle tone:

    ¡°But be careful, don¡¯t cause unnecessary casualties. Also, in a few days, I need you toe back ¡®personally¡¯ to report. I¡¯ve prepared a rather ¡®pretty¡¯ outfit for you.¡±

    ¡°Mydy! This is outright workce sexual harassment, Lord Payne will punish you for this! And justst year, you were punished exactly 245 times for this issue!

    I think even if you¡¯re a dark elf with terrible character, you should have learned your lesson from those whips.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that even better? Just thinking about the Lord¡¯s majestic and handsome appearance and demeanor makes my whole body hot.

    And then thinking about his punishment.

    Ah, let that scorching whip fall with its sting. The more intense the pain, the more wonderful the pleasure it brings. It would be best if the Lord carried it out personally. Mmm, I¡¯m feeling¡­¡±

    ¡°Click¡±

    As the Third Lord¡¯s voice became both high-pitched and shrill, themunication through the blood crystal was promptly and decisively cut off by the expressionless Lainnia.

    She felt that if she listened any longer, she would suffer irreversible ¡°mental pollution¡±.

    ¡°How can someone so fierce and cold on the battlefield, like the Grim Reaper itself, be so depraved in private? Could the rumors be true?¡± the Silver Bow Knight put away her blood crystal, unable to help butin bitterly in her heart:

    ¡°It¡¯s said that because Lord Payne¡¯s ancient bloodline is too powerful, it causes the children he personally transforms to be unable to bear the power enhancement from the vampiric source, causing any bloodline that epts the Sovereign¡¯s embrace to develop all sorts of weird habits.

    All three Knight Lords are like this.

    So, is this the price of obtaining power?

    It feels really scary.¡±

    Thinking about such undignified rumors about her superiors, the stern-faced Bow Knight pushed open the door of this secret room.

    As expected, Lord Murphy was waiting for her outside the door.

    Through the crack of the opening door, Murphy could see the Wolfsbane prisoners in the darkness who had turned into strange ssy statues. This was the first time he had seen this unique form of ¡°eternal silence¡±.

    ¡°Their awakened sins consumed their will, burning all life force from the inside out, and they met eternal silence in extreme pain.

    This is the unique power of the descendants of Pride.

    It sounds simr to the Thorn n¡¯s emotion ignition, but they¡¯re not the same thing. Ours can only be used on people burdened with sins, and there¡¯s a limit to the number of times it can be used within a certain period. It¡¯s convenient for interrogation, but not as effective as the Thorn n¡¯s talent inbat.¡±

    Lainnia exined briefly, then said to Murphy in a knightly manner:

    ¡°The sins of Wolfsbane have been confirmed!

    In the name of this unforgivable betrayal, the reserve knight regiment under the Third Lord of the Blood Pact Knights requests to join the punitive war against the gnolls and the Wolfsbane n! Please allow us, Lord Murphy.¡±

 Chapter 242:

    Murphy sessfully obtained what he wanted.

    As he had anticipated, it wasn¡¯t difficult at all.

    Although the strength of the gnoll warlord entrenched in Anderma Hills was still growing day by day, Murphy was also uniting his own forces, and he didn¡¯t feel that he had no chance of victory.

    The individualbat prowess of gnolls was quite impressive, and as supernatural beings, they possessed better physical conditions than humans. However, even in a ce like Transia where order wascking, they couldn¡¯t turn the tables.

    Their worship of barbarism left little room in their walnut-sized brains forplex thoughts beyond ¡°eating meat¡± and ¡°eating more meat¡± as well as ¡°mating¡± and ¡°more mating¡±.

    Their civilization was still in a rather primitive state.

    Although some gnolls had awakened and were moving towards civilization, from an overall perspective, this species could still be called ¡°absolute barbarians¡±.

    Numbers were their advantage, but theck of organization was a fatal problem that went hand in hand. Before the gnoll poption reached an irresistible absolute threshold, there were many ways to deal with them.

    Although in Murphy¡¯s view, vampires and other civilizations on this continent weren¡¯t particrly advanced either, but in the face of the barbaric races of the primitive era, the organization derived from ¡°higher civilizations¡± was already a ¡°dimensional reduction attack¡±.Not to mention, in the previous four ck Disasters, no matter how obvious the gnolls¡¯ advantage was in the early stages, the sudden copse in theter stages had already yed out four times. Did the gnoll leaders not know where the problemy?

    No!

    They were clearer about it than anyone else, they just had no way to make effective adjustments, that¡¯s all.

    It was something even the King of Gnawbone couldn¡¯t do.

    While Murphy was considering his next strategic tactics, he decided not to put more pressure on his lovely little yers who had just finished fighting for the next couple of days.

    Let them y around and rx for a while.

    A big battle would soon be waiting for them, and resting and recuperating was also an important part of ensuring the yers¡¯bat effectiveness. Being both tense and rxed was necessary to maintain the yers¡¯ fighting power.

    That¡¯s what Murphy thought.

    His thoughts were good, but the yers simply couldn¡¯t stay idle.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run dungeons! Let¡¯s run dungeons!¡±

    Little Ashina, who had just returned to Crimson Citadel from the Baroness of Shadows, was now pping her wings and circling around Lady Aqua like someone with ADHD, just like a big fairy. She waved her hands and screamed:

    ¡°Quick, quick, there¡¯s a new dungeon on the third level of the sewers. They say there¡¯s even hidden loot. If I take you through it once, you¡¯ll probably reach level 10, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only level 7 now.¡±

    Lady Aqua obviously wasn¡¯t that optimistic.

    But she wasn¡¯t pessimistic either. As a perfect woman who viewed ¡°housewife¡± as her ultimate life profession, even when ying games, she didn¡¯t care much about improving her personal strength.

    She was less interested in the ck Iron Trial than spending some time studying the unique aesthetic style of vampires and the characteristic customs possessed by the locals.

    But since it was a game, levels were certainly very important, and she did indeed need some new equipment.

    The other girls in the group were all physical sses, and their leather armor and chainmail weren¡¯t suitable for Lady Aqua, who was an absolute magic user. She needed to save up some Recruit Badges to exchange for a set of veteran mage equipment from the Blood Vulture quartermaster before she could enter the only current team dungeon, ¡°Advance into Blood Vulture Halls¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve calcted it all for you. We¡¯ll run through four five-person dungeons today, and then again tomorrow should be enough. We¡¯ll collect badges at the same time, 24 badges in total from two runs, enough for you to exchange for 8 pieces.

    We¡¯ll even get the weapon sorted out, easy and pleasant.¡±

    Little Ashina counted on her fingers with an energetic look, making Lady Aqua feel too embarrassed to refuse.

    Plus, Fatal Orchid, the powerful tank, was already in position holding her red tea and shield. So soon, the three of them teamed up to head to the sewers to try their luck in the new dungeon ¡°The Rat King¡¯s Doomsday¡± and see if they could get any hidden loot.

    By the way, it¡¯s been five days since this new dungeon was released, and no one has gotten any hidden loot yet.

    After the three girls left their tent, Lumina and Sister Pomegranate were left with nothing to do. After fighting for seven consecutive days, even Sister Pomegranate, a battle maniac, rarely felt mental fatigue.

    She nned to walk around the city with Lumina this afternoon to see if they could get new sheet music as a way to rx, then sleep at home for a day tomorrow, and go out for a stroll in the afternoon after dressing up nicely.

    She couldn¡¯t always y games, if she really became a gaming otaku, it would be terrible.

    But before she could finalize her rest n, she saw North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle from the Soldier Strike group peeking around outside their tent, holding a basket of freshly picked fruit.

    ¡°What are you doing? Brother Dog,e in.¡±

    Lumina, who was polishing her instrument, had sharp eyes and cheerfully called out. North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle also chuckled stupidly as he lifted the curtain and walked in.

    He acted as if he was really visiting, first putting the fruit in his hand on the table and exchanging pleasantries for a few words before getting to the point. He stole a nce at Sister Pomegranate, who was maintaining her w weapon, and this usually forthright soldier said softly:

    ¡°Well¡­ Sister Pomegranate, I¡¯m a rough man, not very good with words. Anyway, my brothers and I want to ask if you could go easy on us in the uing hunting battles.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate raised her head in surprise, unable to understand North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle¡¯s meaning for a moment.

    So Brother Dog exined somewhat helplessly:

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Brother Mao took a quest from Lord Kudel. That Civilian Protection Officer really appreciates Brother Mao¡¯s battle talent, and he wants Brother Mao to transfer from Maxim¡¯s faction to under hismand, to be the warrior of the Hunting Baron.

    Lord Maxim didn¡¯t rebuke and agreed to this faction change, but he gave Brother Mao a challenge.

    He requires Brother Mao to take first ce in this gnoll hunt before he¡¯ll let him go. Lord Kudel also thought this was a warrior¡¯s journey and agreed to this harsh condition.

    But¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate immediately understood what North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle meant by ¡°go easy¡±.

    She nced at the current individual score rankings. The third ce had already changed to Niuniu, whose score had reached an astonishing 642 points.

    However, Brother Mao in second ce had 843 points, while Sister Pomegranate, the ¡°Ultimate Wolf yer¡± in first ce, had 880 points.

    This was already a crushing lead at a different level.

    Considering that the current gnoll grand hunt had only cleared one baron¡¯s domain, and when all three count domains of Transia were cleared, it was enough to guarantee that the scores of the top ten would definitely break through to over 2000 points. So it could be fully understood that the yers in the top thirty of the scoreboard were truly ¡°blood-handed wolf yers¡± in the real sense.

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Before Sister Pomegranate could speak, Lumina objected first. She put down the instrument in her hand and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s not even mention the difference between Sister Pomegranate and Brother Mao, but what about the benefits Sister Pomegranate would lose by giving up first ce? We do have a good rtionship, but we can¡¯t just make such an excessive request without offering anything in return.

    We don¡¯t know what Quality that Blood Vulture Named de for first ce is, but as the top prize for a major plot, it must be the best weapon yers can get right now!

    These things with the ¡¾Named de¡¿ tag are all divine weapons, and even in the game¡¯s background, they are absolutely precious collectibles.

    This really isn¡¯t something we can give up just because you say a few words!¡±

    ¡°We willpensate!¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle waved his hands and said:

    ¡°How could we let our own sisters suffer losses? The four of us have already discussed it. Whether it¡¯s in-game materialpensation or offline economicpensation, it¡¯s fine. When we open treasure chestster, no matter how valuable the items we get are, we¡¯ll each give half to Sister Pomegranate.

    You can pick whatever you like.

    Brother Mao¡¯s personality obviously gets along better with Lord Kudel, which is really important for his career development in the game. I mean, maybe we could discuss this privately¡­¡±

    ¡°Dog Paddle! What the hell are you doing! Get back here!¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, Brother Mao¡¯s angry voice rang out outside the tent.

    The other three brothers looked embarrassed as they followed behind, obviously this matter couldn¡¯t be kept secret at all, and this scene also made Lumina and Sister Pomegranate exchange nces.

    Come to think of it, how could someone with Brother Mao¡¯s upright personality possibly do such a thing of private dealings?

    It was indeed these guys who came to negotiate privately behind his back.

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle hung his head, knowing he couldn¡¯t escape a scolding today, but before he could get up, Sister Pomegranate called out discontentedly:

    ¡°Are youing here to show off your authority?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Brother Mao didn¡¯t know how to respond for a moment, then saw the two girls lift the tent curtain and walk out. Sister Pomegranate crossed her arms and looked at him, saying:

    ¡°Your brothers are thinking for you, and you¡¯re here cursing and swearing. Who are you putting on a show for? Is this how you be a leader?¡±

    ¡°I just want to be fair and aboveboard! This is my bottom line as a person.¡±

    Brother Mao retorted, sticking out his neck.

    ¡°Fair my ass!¡±

    Sister Pomegranate sneered and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m a vampire, you¡¯re a human. The attribute points alone differ by 10. No matter how good you are, you can¡¯t be faster than me at night. You can barely keep up now, but once the hunting time extends, you¡¯re bound to lose!

    Unless I have an ident midway, but do you think that¡¯s possible?

    Actually, I don¡¯t care that much about first ce either.

    I mainly want that Blood Vulture Named de. Letting you have first ce toplete your faction quest is not impossible, but that de has to be mine!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡±

    Brother Mao replied firmly:

    ¡°A win is a win, a loss is a loss! There¡¯s no need for much talk. If you¡¯re better than me, I ept it. If my skills are inferior, I acknowledge it. But since we¡¯re ying a game, let¡¯s not do private deals. I don¡¯t like that!¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t joke with your career either. This game doesn¡¯t allow resping. Lord Kudel¡¯sbat style clearly suits you better. Even Maxim has agreed to let you go, obviously wanting to support you.

    Don¡¯t be ungrateful!

    Let me tell you, the NPCs in this game hold grudges. If you keep being stubborn like this, you¡¯ll probably annoy Maxim too.

    We veteran yers have watched Maxim grow from the first test. I¡¯m telling you, that guy¡¯s personality is extremely intense and he¡¯s deeply trusted by Lord Murphy.

    If you anger him, you¡¯ll definitely suffer the consequences.¡±

    Lumina, holding her freshly polished trumpet, also chimed in:

    ¡°How about this: this time, you ept my Sister Pomegranate¡¯s goodwill. After it¡¯s done, you two can have a match in the arena, fairly deciding a winner, without hard feelings.

    But you probably don¡¯t want to owe anyone a favor.

    So let¡¯s agree in advance, if our Silver Moon Pride team needs help in the future, you and your brothers muste help unconditionally.

    At least 3 times!

    And no excuses!¡±

    ¡°Brother Mao, let¡¯s just agree. We can¡¯t joke with your career,¡± the other three brothers also persuaded:

    ¡°Besides, think about our team. Lord Kudel really appreciates our unity. He¡¯s already said, either he takes all five of us or none at all. If you¡¯re this stubborn, how will our team develop in the future?

    Didn¡¯t you already make a grand wish to lead us four across the continent toplete a ¡®chivalrous journey¡¯?

    We¡¯ve all agreed to it!¡±

    Brother Mao stood with a wooden face, not speaking. This stalemate made even Sister Pomegranate ufortable. She beckoned to him, and the two walked aside and said something privately.

    A few minutester, Brother Mao returned with a sour face and nodded.

    He had agreed to this deal.

    Lumina watched the Soldier Strike group leave with great curiosity, then asked quietly:

    ¡°What did you say to him? To make that stinky, hard stone actually nod?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to travel with my little brother in a few days, and visit some uncles to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. It¡¯s an errand from the elders at home,¡± Sister Pomegranate stretched her body on the spot and said:

    ¡°We¡¯re nning our travel route. I said I could make a trip to the southwest where he lives. Fighting in the game is exciting, but itcks that vor. I want to have a fight with him in reality!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, meeting online friends offline!¡± Lumina¡¯s eyes widened, and she said very gossipy:

    ¡°You¡¯re going to meet in person! You must let Niuniu record it for me. Do you need cosmetics? I can buy them here and mail them back to you. There should still be time.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to talk? What do you mean by ¡®meeting in person¡¯? Exin it clearly!

    Can¡¯t you put anything serious in that brain of yours?

    Don¡¯t run!

    Come back.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate, annoyed, pressed Lumina¡¯s head hard and rubbed it around, making her scream repeatedly, finally not daring to speak nonsense anymore.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°What are you sneaking around for?¡±

    In the ¡°Rat King¡¯s Doomsday¡± Convergence Stone-crafted illusion dungeon in the sewers, Little Ashina, who had developed her own fighting style, had just shattered the body of the scythe-wielding death god with her Iron Warden. She was enjoying the thrill of victory with a satisfied face, feeling that the equipment in this game was indeed worth every penny.

    Her powerful weapon, custom-made at great expense from Grandma Marianne, was far more powerful than the standard elite firearms of the Blood Vulture n!

    But when she turned around, she unexpectedly saw the little yer dressed in all-ck stealth gear lingering beside the BOSS¡¯s corpse.

    He seemed to want to say something but didn¡¯t know how to start. Little Ashina¡¯s eyes rolled, and she grinned teasingly:

    ¡°Is this what they call social anxiety disorder?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no! I just rarely interact with people,¡± the yer named ¡°Frostfang w¡± shook his head and scratched his head embarrassedly, saying:

    ¡°I just wanted to ask, what is this ¡®Rat King¡¯s Malicious Echo¡¯? I just touched the BOSS¡¯s corpse, and this special token appeared on my character interface.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Hidden loot!¡±

    Little Ashina was startled when she heard this.

    She leaned over to look. The description of the token on Frostfang w¡¯s character interface read ¡°The malice of the gue Rat King Zweig remains gathered within.¡± It sounded very powerful.

    ¡°Is this your first time running this dungeon?¡± Orchid also came over, leaning on her masterwork kite shield and asked:

    ¡°Getting it on your first try? Such good luck?¡±

    ¡°Uh, this is actually my first time running a dungeon with others,¡± Frostfang w answered quietly, somewhat embarrassed:

    ¡°I¡¯m not very used to acting with others. I¡¯ve been doing Miss Dorothy¡¯s quests alone all this time. Also, I wanted to ask what the title ¡®Warrior¡¯ means?

    This morning, after I finished a profession quest, Lady Dorothy said that from now on, I¡¯m her number one ¡®Warrior¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯ve already won Lady Dorothy¡¯s trust and she sees the potential in you, recognizing that you¡¯re qualified to be a powerful lone rogue! It must be your perseverance that moved that cunning gang boss.

    Based on my observations of the Blood Rat Gang, this is not easy at all.¡±

    Another administrative profession yer, ¡°Honorary Knight Typal,¡± who was tagging along with the three girls for the dungeon, came over. This guy, who dressed himself up like a pdin, said to Frostfang w with a serious face:

    ¡°This is a great opportunity for you, rogue! You¡¯ve gained the trust of ady with a mysterious past. You can¡¯t let her down.¡±

    ¡°Hey, why do you talk like that?¡± Little Ashina blinked and said:

    ¡°Oh, I know, you¡¯re the legendary ¡®RP party¡¯, right? Lumina said you¡¯re a true role-yer.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, beautiful and dashingdy,¡± Honorary Knight Typal replied with a straight face in a tone identical to the NPCs, making the other three girlsugh out loud. It was mainly because his style was so strong. Especially that ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    This was Lord Murphy¡¯s catchphrase, and this guy imitated it perfectly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s follow Fangy to see what this hidden loot can be exchanged for,¡± Little Ashina called out, leading the way and being the first to exit the dungeon.

    But Typal didn¡¯t move.

    He still wanted to explore thepleted dungeon process a bit more. Lady Aqua, thest to leave, looked at this deep role-ying party member and asked curiously:

    ¡°You¡¯re an administrative yer, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have already received an official appointment from Crimson Regent Baroness Miriam!¡± At the mention of this, Honorary Knight Typal immediately puffed out his chest proudly and replied:

    ¡°I just need toplete the rigorous administrative assessment, and I can go to my own fief with my loyal guards. It¡¯s in one of the five collective farms under the Baron of Leim¡¯s domain. I¡¯ve already decided to name my vige ¡®Newbie Vige¡¯!

    After I¡¯ve settled everything there, I will send invitations to the three beautifuldies who helped me today, sincerely inviting you all to my manor for a banquet befitting our status.¡±

    ¡°Ah, your way of speaking is too intense,¡± Lady Aqua waved her hand, feeling a headache:

    ¡°I really can¡¯t get along with you weird guys. But I will attend your knight¡¯s banquet, Lord Typal. I hope it will be a banquet that doesn¡¯t disappoint ady.¡±

    With that, Lady Aqua pinched her skirt and gave Typal a very standard and elegant court curtsy. Typal¡¯s eyes lit up, and he immediately responded with a perfectly standard knight¡¯s bow, then watched Lady Aqua disappear into the illusion.

    ¡°Ah, I truly love this game!¡± In the dungeon illusion where only he remained, Typal spread his arms wide, as if a sun knight embracing the world, and shouted:

    ¡°Gentlemen! I have found my long-sought holynd. I willplete the second life I¡¯ve been nning and longing for in this world!

    Gentlemen!

    Please witness the legendary story of Lord Honorary Knight Typal!

    I want to¡­

    Hm?

    What¡¯s that strange noise nearby?

    There shouldn¡¯t be any monsters left in this dungeon!

    Could it be?

    Hidden plot!

    Ha, I truly am the chosen knight, right? Transia is indeed my destined holynd!¡±

 Chapter 243:

    Chapter 243:

    ¡°Hey, why do you have some special aura on you?¡±

    When Frostfang w returned to the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s hideout with the three girls after obtaining the hidden drop, ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy, who was peeling an apple with her eagle w knife while practicing her hand skills, immediately felt the vibration of the Computation Bead hanging on her wrist.

    This meant that the first person to get the special ¡°Rat King¡¯s Echo¡± token was approaching her.

    Thinking of Lord Murphy¡¯s specific instructions, Dorothy pursed her lips, stood up, threw the thin apple slice into her mouth, and said with her hands on her hips to Frostfang w, who was both her warrior and currently one of her only two apprentices:

    ¡°Did you encounter something ¡®unclean¡¯ while wandering around down there?¡±

    ¡°Oh, a special dialogue has been triggered.¡±

    Little Ashina, who was eager to see what the hidden drop was, immediately widened her eyes.

    She pushed the wooden-like Frostfang w from behind, and thetter reluctantly stepped forward and briefly exined how he got the special token.

    ¡°Oh, so the Convergence Stone is that special spirit item that Lady Tris deliberately ced? I did hear that some lucky folks could be blessed by the goddess of fortune in the memory recollection and find something different that remains.They say it¡¯s a gift from the mysteries of spirit energy, anyway, I don¡¯t understand it.

    I¡¯m just an uneducated thief.¡±

    Lady Dorothy shrugged and repeated what Lord Murphy had taught her to say.

    This was a very perfunctory attitude.

    Because she felt it was like ying house with children, but the more she acted like an expressionless NPC, the more the surrounding little yers realized that this AI in front of them seemed a bit dumb.

    Hmm, not as smart as other NPCs.

    Could it be that the development team waszy and made a inferior AI for this module? That can¡¯t be right, Dorothy¡¯s NPC modeling is actually quite good-looking, especially her proportionate figure which would definitely get high scores from many yers, and she even has a very rare ¡°social big sister¡± style.

    ¡°Come on, give it to me.¡±

    Dorothy raised her Computation Bead, and Frostfang w also raised his bead.

    The moment the two Computation Beads touched, the special token recorded on him was transferred to Dorothy¡¯s Computation Bead. Then, while eating an apple, this carefree thiefdy rummaged around in her tent for a while and finally threw out a rolled-up blueprint.

    ¡°This is your reward! In Lord Murphy¡¯s words, it¡¯s a reward for the ¡®lucky one¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Quick, let¡¯s see what it is!¡±

    Little Ashina and Fatal Orchid Huahua leaned in with expectant faces.

    Frostfang w unfolded the blueprint in front of the three, revealing a bone scythe that looked very evil, along with a series of manufacturing parameters and specific forging methods.

    Frostfang activated item identification, and the information tag for this thing quickly popped up:

    Name: Forging Blueprint ¨C Soul Reaper Scythe

    Effect: To be learned by cksmiths, enabling them to master the method of forging the special weapon ¡®Soul Reaper Scythe¡¯. The Quality and attached attributes of the finished product will vary depending on forging skills and materials used, but it will definitely have the two basic attributes of ¡¾Dark/Death Spirit Enhancement¡¿ and ¡¾Life Force Drain¡¿.

    Note!

    This weapon is aposite manufacturing product, requiring the cooperation of an alchemist during the forging process.

    Learning Times: ¡¾1/1¡¿

    Item Description:

    ¡¾The ritual scythe to which the Soul Reaper Scythe belongs is a signature weapon type of the Netherworld ne, which under certain conditions will trigger special reactions from spiritual beings. Therefore, you might want to think carefully about the adverse effects it might bring you before using this weapon.

    What I mean is, if you¡¯re very afraid of ghosts, then I really! really! really don¡¯t rmend you y with this thing. ¨C A kind reminder from Tris.¡¿

    ¡°Wow, this is probably the first advanced forging blueprint in the game, right?¡±

    Little Ashina said with sparkling eyes:

    ¡°And this thing looks so cool, it¡¯s exactly the same as the weapon held by the spirit monster summoned by the final BOSS in the second phase of the Rat King Doomsday instance! Put it on and cast a levitation spell on yourself, and you can cosy as the Grim Reaper.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a magic weapon that can be used as a staff, and if necessary, can even be used for chopping,¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua next to her said, rubbing her chin:

    ¡°Its appearance does have a very ¡®hell style¡¯. Is the ¡®Netherworld¡¯ mentioned in the Item Description the same kind of alternate dimension as the ¡®Astral Realm¡¯? This seems to point out some extended background of this game in terms of spirit energy.¡±

    ¡°Huahua, let¡¯s make one for Lady Aqua!¡±

    Little Ashina tilted her head and nced at Lady Aqua.

    She imagined in her mind how cool and awesome it would look if this monster-figured woman wore a priest¡¯s robe but carried a huge hell scythe on her back.

    She suggested to Fatal Orchid Huahua:

    ¡°The veteran weapons that Lady Aqua can exchange now are just those mystic staves from vampires, which don¡¯t coordinate well with her own nature spirit energy, and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild hasn¡¯t opened up the exchange for Witch Hunter system equipment sets yet.

    Why don¡¯t we use this thing to rece the current white-quality Thorn Staff? It says that the attributes of the finished product can be adjusted by adding different materials during forging, right?

    If we add natural spirit energy wonders to the forging process, the finished product will definitely have natural spirit energy enhancement.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, this idea is indeed good, and the cost-performance ratio is indeed quite high. We only need to spend some gold coins to save the effort of searching for suitable weapons for Lady Aqua everywhere. The saved instance badges can be exchanged for some life-saving essories.

    It¡¯s just right for her to pass the trial.¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua nodded and said:

    ¡°Butpared to the reasons I mentioned, you must simply want to see the brutal appearance of the delicate Lady Aqua carrying a big scythe, right?¡±

    ¡°Tch, don¡¯t you want to see it?¡±

    Little Ashina retorted:

    ¡°Anyone would want to see it, okay? Lady Aqua should be grateful that I¡¯m not a man, otherwise I¡¯d fight to take her home as my mountain-top wife, making her wear all sorts of weird clothes every day~¡±

    ¡°But this thing isn¡¯t ours,¡±

    Fatal Orchid Huahua looked at Frostfang w and reminded:

    ¡°There¡¯s only one production drawing, and there¡¯s a spirit seal on it. Only by removing the seal can you read all the content, and there¡¯s a limit to the number of times it can be learned. I guess this thing can only be learned by yers specialized in forging.¡±

    ¡°Hey, brother, would you sell this to us?¡±

    Little Ashina patted Frostfang w¡¯s arm. The socially anxious yer in night clothes hesitated for a moment, thinking that these three kind girls had helped him run the instance. If it weren¡¯t for their help, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten this thing no matter how good his luck was. So he didn¡¯t hesitate much, rolled up the blueprint and handed it to Little Ashina.

    ¡°It¡¯s for you, thanks for taking me through the instance,¡±

    he said softly, his voice very low, as if the act of actively conversing with strangers had already consumed most of his energy.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just take your thing for free,¡±

    Little Ashina insisted on paying, but Frostfang w wouldn¡¯t ept.

    He said somewhat helplessly:

    ¡°I have thief profession quests, I really don¡¯t need it. I can practice lockpicking by picking up boxes in the sewers, and asionally get gold coin rewards. I¡¯m not short of money!¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright,¡±

    Seeing that he really didn¡¯t want payment, Little Ashina¡¯s eyes rolled and she said:

    ¡°Then how about we take you through instances again? The recruit and veteran badges are good stuff, you¡¯ll need them for basic equipment when you take the ck Iron trialter, and exchanging for veteran equipment sets is always worth it.

    In a few days, our Silver Moon Pride guild will be running instances and bringing in new yers. You muste then.

    Come on, let¡¯s add each other as friends first.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡±

    Frostfang w nodded, agreed on the time to run instances with Little Ashina and the others tomorrow, and watched them leave happily.

    Before leaving, Lady Aqua looked ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy up and down. Out of a designer¡¯s ¡°professional ethics¡±, she took the initiative to remind:

    ¡°The outfit you¡¯re wearing is very well chosen, it reallyplements your outstanding waistline and leg shape that even I envy, but the color of the cloak is a bit too dull. I suggest you could try blue or red, it would better show your temperament.

    Also, you could tidy up your hair a bit.

    I think long curly hair would suit your face shape better. You¡¯re clearly very young and have enough to be proud of, why do you have to dress yourself up like an old granny?¡±

    ¡°Mind your own business! You¡¯re really meddlesome.¡±

    Dorothy snapped back quite unhappily.

    This unhappiness mostly came from her unique life experience, for the past ten years, she had to disguise her true appearance every moment to avoid trouble.

    And a small part of the unhappiness came from Lady Aqua¡¯s figure that all women envied and hated.

    Faced with Dorothy¡¯s displeasure, the professional designer just shrugged.

    She didn¡¯t get angry either, after all, she was just offering a suggestion, and it didn¡¯t matter to her whether others epted it or not.

    After they left, Dorothy sat on the table angrily, continuing to cut and eat apples. She saw her currently only apprentice staying nearby, seemingly waiting for a task.

    She sighed and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re really like a piece of wood, not talking all day, even though you¡¯re so skillful. Anyway, let¡¯s proceed with today¡¯s training. I know there¡¯s a small treasure spot of the former ck Fang Gang near the 17th tunnel in the east area of the first level of the sewers. There seems to be a box inside that¡¯s said to be very valuable.

    Go and find it.

    If you can open the lock, then as per our previous agreement, I¡¯ll take 60%, and the rest is yours. I¡¯ll also teach you a thief¡¯s trick.

    But there¡¯s a group of wraiths lingering around there, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Frostfang w epted the task and was about to leave, but Dorothy called him back.

    The leader of the Blood Rat Gang threw thest slice of apple, cut as thin as a slice of beef, into her mouth. Her slender fingers flipped, reverse-gripping two w knives. She said to her apprentice:

    ¡°Just knowing how to steal doesn¡¯t make you a thief. Being able to escape a beating when discovered is the true way of a stealth expert.

    Come on!

    Let me see if you¡¯ve been cking off these past few days, my warrior. This time, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°A high-level forging blueprint dropped from monsters? Wow, this kind of exotic weapon can¡¯t be made in reality at all! Even if it could be made, it would just be a craft item. To be honest with you, we two brothers have wanted to try these magic weapons for a long time.

    Meow King still has a task that hasn¡¯t beenpleted for someone.

    Mainly because we haven¡¯t made the thing he wanted before, so we didn¡¯t dare to start randomly. This blueprintes at just the right time!

    With such detailed forging methods listed, it can give us brothers some practice.¡±

    In the cksmith shop in the camp outside the city, Master Broken de and Hundred Forging Great Horse, who were making KA-BAR military knives for Brother Stick¡¯s team, immediately became interested when they saw the forging blueprint brought by Little Ashina.

    After a discussion, the two brothers reached an agreement. Master Broken de said to Little Ashina:

    ¡°How about this, we keep the blueprint, you bring your own spirit energy materials, and we won¡¯t charge a processing fee this time. We¡¯ll make it for you for free! We¡¯ll pay for the iron ingots needed out of our own pockets. We guarantee the finished product will be at the veteran level, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°What about masterwork? Don¡¯t you want masterwork traits?¡±

    Little Ashina chewed on fruit candy, crossed her arms, and put on a very street-smart pose, bargaining with the two older brothers:

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to take advantage of us just because we don¡¯t understand everything. This scythe is for Lady Aqua to use. She¡¯s also a master tailor, and she¡¯s already told us that even for equipment of the same rank, standard craftsmanship and masterwork craftsmanship arepletely different things.

    We even spent money to buy this blueprint from a big red-handed yer.

    There¡¯s only one in the game right now!

    So it must be masterwork craftsmanship at veteran Quality, of course, if it can reach ¡®Commander¡¯ Quality or have very rare traits, then standard craftsmanship is fine too.¡±

    Master Broken de and Hundred Forging Great Horse looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, exchanged nces for a few seconds, then Master Broken de said through gritted teeth:

    ¡°Fine! But we need to see the required materials first.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I knew you guys were reasonable. Please, go ahead.¡±

    Little Ashina stepped back and made a ¡°please¡± gesture. The two cksmith brothers came forward, tore off the spirit seal on the blueprint, and browsed through theplete forging diagram.

    Then the two brothers found that the crafting process for this thing was a bit moreplex than they had imagined.

    Master Broken de frowned and said:

    ¡°Following this method, it would take at least 3 days to make a nk, and it would need to be processed with alchemy techniques before final quenching. However, it is indeed possible to attach different traits depending on the different materials added.

    But there¡¯s one material we don¡¯t have here.¡±

    He turned to Little Ashina and said:

    ¡°We need a set of creature spine bones imbued with death spirit energy, the moreplete the better, with no less than 7 vertebrae, and we need a rib bone as decoration for the scythe de.

    The note on the blueprint says these can be found on ghouls, water ghosts, or simr undead creatures.

    You¡¯ll have to handle this yourselves, after all, my brother and I aren¡¯t good at fighting, and we have a lot of orders piled up now, so we don¡¯t have time to go to the sewers to ¡®restock¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Alright, no problem, we¡¯ll go dive into the sewers right away.¡±

    Little Ashina grinned, agreed that the materials would be delivered in 3 days, and then bounced out of the forge. But on the way, she discovered a new stall being set up on a cart.

    Several alchemy apprentices were arranging some bottles and jars there, with a homemade sign next to them that read ¡°Heavenly Fire¡± in Chinese characters.

    This was clearly something yers hade up with.

    The NPC residents of Transia couldn¡¯t have learned suchplex ideographic writing as Chinese.

    Little Ashina immediately became interested. She ran to the stall, picked up a bottle, examined it in her hand, and activated item identification:

    Name: Alchemical Molotov Cocktail ¨C ssic Otherworld Explosive

    Quality: Standard ¨C Consumable

    Traits: Impact Explosion ¨C Intense Burning ¨C Toxic Smoke Dispersion

    Crafter: What Color is Loyalty

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This is the art of war from another world. After alchemical substitution and processing, its crude yet terrifying power has been reduced rather than increased.¡¿

    ¡°Damn! Is this the legendary Molotov cocktail?¡±

    Little Ashina startled, almost throwing the incendiary bottle in her hand.

    But she quickly realized that this was obviously a good thing, especially for a ranged shooter like her whocked closebat skills. It was absolutely a ¡°standard supply item¡±.

    Something that could be lit and thrown easily and could burn continuously was much more convenient than the heavy and expensive Witch Hunter bombs they were using now!

    ¡°How much is this?¡±

    The little dwarf grabbed an alchemy apprentice yer and asked. Thetter looked and said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°20 silver each!

    Don¡¯t think it¡¯s expensive. That dog Brother Loyalty has applied for a patent for this thing¡¯s form with Lady Tris. Now even if we apprentices make it ourselves, as long as we use the tools and materials provided by Lady Tris, we have to pay Brother Loyalty 5 copper ¡®patent fee¡¯ for each one sold.

    It¡¯s really infuriating.

    It¡¯s a craft that can be seen everywhere, but that guy is too cunning!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit expensive, this is a consumable item!¡±

    Little Ashina wanted to bargain.

    The little yer rolled his eyes and said:

    ¡°How about you buy in bulk? Brother Loyalty only said to sell this cart, he didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t sell it all to one little richdy at once. I¡¯ll give you a discount. There are 50 incendiary bottles here, how about 9 gold coins?¡±

    ¡°8 gold coins! Final offer, if you don¡¯t sell, I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Little Ashina snorted and rolled her eyes.

    The little yer selling the items didn¡¯t want to give in at first, but then he thought, anyway, his wholesale price from Brother Loyalty was only 10 silver coins each, so even at the price Little Ashina offered, he would still make a profit. The saved time could be used for leveling up, so he simply nodded.

    Both partiespleted the transaction very happily.

    The little richdy used a special spirit bag for weapons to pack all 50 incendiary bottles and threw them in. She was in a good mood, humming a tune as she was about to go back to find Lady Aqua and Fatal Orchid Huahua. However, just a few steps out, she heard Brother Loyalty¡¯s hoarse voice shouting:

    ¡°Freshly made incendiary bottles! Essential for monster hunting and instance running, a symbol of power yers! Carry 10 of these and easily pass the ck Iron trial! Come and buy quickly, first day promotional sale today, only 15 silver coins each!

    For 15 silver you can¡¯t go wrong, for 15 silver you can¡¯t be cheated,e quick!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Little Ashina was immediately enraged when she heard this shout.

    The incendiary bottles they developed themselves are only selling for 15 silver, and you, a middleman, dare to add a third to the price? You¡¯re really looking for a sucker!

    And he actually found one!

    Herself!

    She was the sucker!

    Although she had a lot of money, she couldn¡¯t stand such spending. She angrily turned back intending to argue with that cunning guy, but he had already disappeared in a sh.

    ¡°What was that guy¡¯s name again? Schr something? Xiao Zhou? Or Xiao Li? Hey, I knew nothing goodes from those with such names!¡±

    Sword Saint Ashina gritted her teeth and shouted on the spot:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let me catch you, Schr, or I¡¯ll shove your incendiary bottles down your throat and blow you up! You even cheat your own people, you bastard, you really have no conscience!¡±

 Chapter 244:

    Murphy and Maxim, the current militarymander of his territory, worked together to n the next steps for eradicating the gnolls. He had previously received support from the reserve knights of the Blood Pact Knights regiment, but in his and Maxim¡¯s calctions, these forces were still far from enough to directly engage the gnolls in battle.

    Therefore, they could only choose to deal with the warlord Kenport through surprise attacks.

    Currently, the high-level forces of the Crimson Citadel have gathered, however, Murphy still needs some elite troops who can shoulder the main responsibilities in the uing stealth warfare.

    The 500 new recruits from the first recruitment of the Kadman People¡¯s Army under Maxim¡¯smand are still in training. Murphy ns to give them another 10 days toplete their formal preparation.

    Apart from these professional soldiers, he has another important force under hismand that cannot be ignored.

    Witch Hunter!

    To be precise, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    When Guildmaster Natalie, who was busy selecting talented youths to join the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and building the framework of the new organization, received Murphy¡¯s summons, she had already guessed the task they would be shouldering next.

    Therefore, when she saw Murphy strolling along the ruined walls patched with Astral Realm shadows to the camp, Natalie submitted a form she had just finishedpiling.Murphy took it in hand and nced at it, immediately raising his eyebrows.

    ¡°600 people, that¡¯s a lot? When you attacked the Circle Tower before, you could only mobilize 500 people.¡±

    He asked puzzledly:

    ¡°I know you want to show your sense of responsibility towards Transia, to better integrate into this ce you now call ¡®holynd¡¯. But considering you only have about 1,000 people in total now, isn¡¯t such arge-scale corv¨¦e a bit too much?

    I don¡¯t want to see the Witch Hunters who have submitted to me being forced to rebel again.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking a bit too negatively, Lord Murphy. We Witch Hunters are all soldiers,¡± exined Natalie, who had been jokingly called ¡°ck-Hearted Witch Hunter¡± by yers due to her harsh pricing of Computation Bead plugins.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly not feasible to send our old, weak, sick, and disabled to deal with Spirit Knights and Spirit Mages, but if the opponents are just gnolls, even those teenage new recruits in Mond Vige now won¡¯t be afraid.

    In fact, in the old church system, the mostmon enemies faced by a reserve Witch Hunter were pests like gnolls and kobolds that gue the continent. asionally, they also had to deal with more troublesome foes like the wave fish people on the coast and goatman sorcerers hiding in dark areas.

    My people certainly can¡¯t lead the charge, that¡¯s not our way of fighting.

    But if it¡¯s just reconnaissance and hunting, we absolutely have no problems.

    The gnoll gue on thisnd is indeed quite serious. If eliminating them can allow my people to enjoy a peaceful life and prepare for the arrival of the ck Disaster, we definitely won¡¯t hold back!

    More importantly, even if you pity us now and refuse to let us participate in the battle, once the ck Disaster truly takes shape, we still can¡¯t escape the fate we must bear. So we might as well prepare for battle starting now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that does make sense. I¡¯m increasingly feeling that bringing you into Transia was a genius idea. You¡¯re just as martial and fearless as the Spartans of Transia,¡± Murphy nodded, handing the list back to Natalie, saying:

    ¡°Then select 300 people as elites to form a fast-moving hunter reconnaissance team.

    The rest will serve as instructors, distributed to forward camps and our collective farms, to help Miriam train the militias in various ces, as well as those subjects who have already arrived at the collective farms ready to start their new lives.

    If things don¡¯t go smoothly, they might also have to take up arms to defend their homes.

    I¡¯ve already spoken with Miriam, forming a militia will be one of Transia¡¯s new regtions. In the future, every vige will have to spend a certain amount of time each year on militia training.

    I n to permanently entrust this task to you, after all, for militias, the most threatening things they usually have to deal with won¡¯t exceed ghouls and wraiths, which is precisely your area of expertise.¡±

    ¡°We have no problem with that,¡± Guildmaster Natalie nodded solemnly.

    She clearly doesn¡¯t seebat as a burden.

    The Witch Hunters who have survived until now and followed her to migrate to Transia also wouldn¡¯t view sleeping with weapons as an unfamiliar experience.

    Over the years, they¡¯ve had enough of the kind of life where they couldn¡¯t survive without fighting, and they don¡¯t mind taking up arms again when necessary to protect their new home that has finally epted them.

    Then, Natalie brought up another matter.

    She pointed to several newly erected tents on the outskirts of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp, saying:

    ¡°Old Eugene and his disciples went back to Mond Vige a few days ago and sorted through the supplies we brought back from the Pioneer Fortress. As you previously instructed, several hundred sets of gear and weapons specifically for Witch Hunters and Oak Apprentices have now been organized.

    You can take them back to your quartermaster now.

    These past few days, your warriors have beening to ask us when we¡¯ll open the ¡®equipment exchange¡¯. Although I still can¡¯t understand their extreme desire for equipment, perhaps this can settle one of their concerns.¡±

    Natalie seemed to recall some interesting interactions between herself and some of the little yers who had joined the Avalon Church. She smiled and continued:

    ¡°These leather armors and robes have been specially treated by our alchemists, providing some enhancement to nature spirit energy. Of course, you can¡¯t expect us, being poor as we are, to make them too good.

    But for beginners, they should be more than sufficient.¡±

    ¡°Let me see,¡± Murphy became interested.

    He followed Natalie into the tent and opened a box first, taking out a piece of Witch Hunter armor to examine.

    The quality and craftsmanship were undeniable. After all, the old church was an ancient religion with over 500 years of heritage, and it had its own system of simple yet distinctive aesthetic design in terms of armor style.

    Murphy was very satisfied with what he saw.

    This nature-friendly style could perfectly distinguish itself from the gloomy crimson style of the vampires, allowing the current two profession systems to achieve a clear distinction in appearance.

    He put the armor back in the equipment box and picked up a ssic-looking hunting knife, ying with it in his hand as he said to Natalie beside him:

    ¡°You have your own quartermasters, so there¡¯s no need to put these weapons and equipment in my ce for them to exchange. The Blood Vulture Halls already have a clear system for equipment exchange and recovery. Just have your quartermasters spend some time learning from us, and they can officially start work.

    However, you need to find a way to get some of Avalon Church¡¯s elite equipment, as well as high-level equipment to be exchanged for them in the future.¡±

    Murphy reminded her:

    ¡°My warriors upgrade their equipment at a speed beyond your imagination, and they also have a certain hoarding tendency and collection addiction. If there isn¡¯t aplete equipment system, it will cause you to fall behind the Blood Vulture n in terms of power, and even the newly established Blood Rat Gang.

    This is extremely unfavorable for the future development of the Avalon Church.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Natalie was a bit depressed.

    She brushed her short hair, thought for a moment, and said:

    ¡°We didn¡¯t bring that many blueprints when we escaped. In the old church, there were special church members responsible for storing these things, and there was even a special underground cave in the holynd of mo for storing various ancient armor and weapon blueprints.

    But we can¡¯t go back now.

    However, I think in the Cato region, known for its excellent weaving skills, there should still be simr things in the southern cathedral of the Avalon Church that once stood there, and the quantity should be more than enough.

    The Circle Tower¡¯s destruction of churches in the Cato region was far less thorough than in other regions. Given the chaotic situation at the time, it¡¯s unlikely that anyone would have specifically gone to the underground storage rooms to look for manufacturing blueprints.

    So if we¡¯re lucky, we should be able to retrieve some usable things from that ce.

    It looks like I¡¯ll have to go to the Cato region myself in a while.¡±

    She shook her head and said:

    ¡°Ordinary people can¡¯t find where the southern cathedral hides things, but Grandma Marianne was one of the Witch Hunters responsible for protecting the southern cathedral before joining the White Oak Battalion. She was born there and must be very familiar with the ce.¡±

    ¡°See, see, I told you to make good use of my warriors¡¯ power, but your first reaction when encountering trouble is still to do it yourself,¡± Murphy shook his head, sighing as he reminded her:

    ¡°You can keep these blueprints as a piece of ¡®hidden information¡¯, divide the map and information of that southern cathedral into several parts, and give them to those warriors you trust the most. If you have enough leisure time, you can even make a puzzle for them to solve.

    Trust me!

    As long as you design it well enough and cleverly enough, those energetic fellows will actively go and bring back the resources you need, even without you actively proposing it.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡±

    Natalie wanted to argue.

    But after thinking it over, she felt Murphy¡¯s suggestion was indeed a good idea.

    As the first batch of believers after the reconstruction of the Avalon Church, entrusting them with the task of retrieving ¡°ancient heritage¡± was something even the most stubborn Old Eugene wouldn¡¯t object to. This was the best way for believers to express their sincerity.

    Moreover, as long as the warriors could find the underground storage room of the southern cathedral, she wouldn¡¯t even need to prepare the troublesome ¡°Quest Reward¡± for them.

    Letting them freely scavenge in that abandoned ce would allow them to be ¡°self-sufficient.¡±

    ¡°Your warriors have such strange habits in this regard. They actively seek out troublesome tasks that others avoid,¡± Guildmaster Natalie could only shake her head helplessly and say:

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine their mental state, but you¡¯re right. I still need to learn from you vampires in this aspect. Let¡¯s do it after the gnoll war. I¡¯ll share this information as a ¡®hidden treasure¡¯ with them.¡±

    ¡°You have many hidden treasures to share, Natalie. You should make good use of the knowledge in your mind,¡± Murphy continued to remind her:

    ¡°For example, the 150 replica sacred des lost by the old church. What great material, what a great blueprint for hidden treasures. Now only 2 sacred des have been recovered, which means you have 148 exclusive quest lines that can be created and distributed.

    Tsk tsk, even a vampire like me is envious.

    This is a huge and valuable wealth for you. You need to use this knowledge wisely.

    If you use it well, the prosperity of the Avalon Church is just around the corner. 150 sacred des mean 150 saints. I can¡¯t even imagine how powerful they would be when gathered together.¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop, stop! You¡¯re making my head explode,¡± Guildmaster Natalie waved her hands, rubbing her brow as she said:

    ¡°You have too many crazy ideas, Lord Murphy. I need to think about it. After all, using objects of faith as tools is something that requires self-persuasion for us devout believers.¡±

    ¡°I thought we had rified these things in ourst conversation,¡± Murphy snorted, folding his arms behind his back, and said:

    ¡°You are Avalon¡¯s shepherds. At this stage, expanding the flock as much as possible is your main quest. We¡¯ll talk about the restter.

    Be realistic, Natalie.

    This does no harm to you or your faith.

    Alright, gather your Witch Hunters. I¡¯ll notify you before the formal action against Anderma Hills begins.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±

    The Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild nodded, watching Murphy leave along the wall.

    She returned to her tent and took out a pair of replica sacred des left to her by old Finoch, polishing and maintaining them in her hands. She yed with these exquisite instruments of killing, looking at her eyes reflected in the de.

    At this moment, she once again realized that she was now thest leader of the Witch Hunters.

    Just as her father had advised, she could no longer be satisfied with being just an outstanding warrior.

    ¡°Ah, shepherds and flocks, my God, would you be willing to see us being so practical and realistic?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Stop, stop, stop! That move is wrong. You guys go back and charge again! This time, act more fiercely, make your movements more exaggerated! Haven¡¯t you all watched superhero movies? How do those guys look cool? You do the same.¡±

    At noon, outside a small gnoll den on the edge of the Baron of Leim¡¯s territory, a little yer was waving his hands and shouting at the ¡°actors¡± in front of him.

    He kept adjusting these guys¡¯ attack moves and even designed a few lines for them.

    It was just like making a movie.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that nonsense? Superheroes can act cool because they won¡¯t be taken down by minions, but we haven¡¯t even passed the ck Iron Trial yet. If we¡¯re not careful facing these gnolls, we might end up dead.

    Under this kind of pressure, how can we be rxed?¡±

    The little yers being directed were very unhappy.

    They had been called over by this guy earlier, saying they were going to shoot a CG movie, which seemed interesting at first. But after several retakes, they became impatient.

    They were allining.

    The yer named ¡°Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion¡± who was directing from a distance also had something to say.

    He put his hands on his hips and retorted:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t an unreasonable request. I¡¯m just asking you to act normal, don¡¯t be so exaggerated. I need to choose some impressive scenes for editing. Just tell me, don¡¯t you want more brothers to y with? Once we finish this blockbuster, hey, I¡¯ll upload it to a certain website.

    Won¡¯t that attract a lot of attention?

    Besides, everyone needs something to remember when ying games. After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll send it to everyone. When we¡¯re old, won¡¯t it be nice to dig it out and watch it to reminisce about our youth when we have nothing else to do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have time to finish watching all the Japanese teachers¡¯ films every day, where would I find time to watch this crap of yours?¡±

    The little yer carrying a war spear grinned and said:

    ¡°We¡¯ll y along with you for two or three more times at most. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯re quitting. We haven¡¯t cleared our daily dungeons yet. I¡¯m just two parts away frompleting the veteran set. After that, I need to go to the Fight Club to pass the ck Iron Trial.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s finish this quickly. How about we go clear dungeons togetherter?¡±

    Great Sion looked helpless, coaxing his four team members like children.

    They were all casual yers who hadn¡¯t joined any guilds but chose to y on their own. Their personalities matched, so they formed a fixed small team, clearing dungeons and doing quests every day, without much calction or desire.

    But the joy they gained was no less than that of Meow King and Brother Stick.

    It can only be said that everyone¡¯s understanding of happiness is really different.

    ¡°By the way¡­¡±

    The guy who had justined to Great Sion, with the ID ¡°One Punch to Destroy the Gxy,¡± carried his war spear and returned to the charge point with the other three brothers.

    While preparing, he grumbled to the three people beside him:

    ¡°Since entering the game a week ago, I haven¡¯t rewarded myself at all. My heart ispletely on this damn game, and I can¡¯t even think about that other stuff.

    I haven¡¯t even had time to watch the recent well-reviewed movies I downloaded. Every day at work, all I think about is how to get equipment and how to kill gnolls. And the most absurd thing is that because of going to bed and waking up early every day, my body and mind have actually gotten much better.

    I feel like I¡¯m both energetic and obsessed now.

    Are you guys the same?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Another shorter but stocky brother named ¡°Ruthless Horseshoe Crab¡± responded with a bitter face:

    ¡°I¡¯m not like you. Although I also go to bed and wake up early, I¡¯ve been preparing for pregnancytely¡­ you know? Ah! My legs are about to go soft.¡±

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve had it tough!¡±

    The other two guys showed mischievous expressions and teased:

    ¡°But I think you don¡¯t know how lucky you are. Us single guys are so envious.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡±

    The flirtatious brother waved his fist fiercely and cursed:

    ¡°When you guys get to this age, you¡¯ll understand. Sigh, even the most wonderful things can drive you crazy when they be work. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore, let¡¯s finish this quickly and go clear dungeons.

    I need to log off early today to go to the gym and work out a bit. If I don¡¯t go soon, that membership card will expire. What a waste.¡±

    ¡°666¡±

    ¡°Brother, I think you¡¯re showing off. Don¡¯t expect us to save youter when you get kicked around by gnolls.¡±

    ¡°Are you all ready? Prepare to start shooting!¡±

    Great Sion adjusted his angle from a distance and shouted:

    ¡°This time, take care of those few gnolls in front as well. Once you¡¯re done, charge!¡±

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    The flirtatious brother roared, swinging his one-handed hammer and shield as he charged out, as fierce as a mad tiger, as if wanting to vent all the depression and fatigue of recent times in one go.

    Seeing him so brave, the other three brothers also howled and pounced out.

    This momentum made Great Sion very satisfied, and he started running behind them.

    But just a few minutester¡­

    ¡°F**k! How did an elite monster spawn in this small den? Retreat, retreat! Regroup!¡±

    ¡°Regroup my ass, you guys spread out, don¡¯t let the minions get close. Even though I haven¡¯t got all my equipment, I¡¯m going all out today, I¡¯ll ascend right here! Ahhhh! My scorching left hand is burning hot, it¡¯s roaring for me to grasp victory!

    Breaking through the ck Iron Trial is now!

    Brothers, cover me!¡±

    ¡°Molotov cocktails! Don¡¯t forget the Molotov cocktails we bought earlier! Gnolls have fur, and fur is weak to fire! Get it! Flirty brother, kill it and show off your manly prowess!¡±

 Chapter 245:

    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.

    ¡ª¡ª

    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¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 246:

    Pangolins are animals widely distributed across various parts of the continent.

    They also exist in Transia, and not just one species. Certain parts of their bodies are used by alchemists as basic materials, but due to the Ten-Year War, there weren¡¯t many hunters to catch them, allowing these animals skilled at hiding to nearly overrun the forests.

    Gnolls¡¯ favorite foods used to be rabbits, wild boars, and deer, but when extremely hungry, if they couldn¡¯t catch humans, they would also catch pangolins to satisfy their hunger.

    The problem is that pangolins have many scales that are difficult to deal with, which are quite unfriendly even to gnolls¡¯ sharp teeth.

    Hog didn¡¯t like the taste of pangolins, just as it couldn¡¯t understand why its codename would be called as such.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just Hog who couldn¡¯t understand.

    Lady Adele, who came to deliver the order, also couldn¡¯t understand why Master Murphy insisted on giving Hog such a strange codename.

    If it was based on the characteristics of a concealer, wouldn¡¯t ¡°Night Bat¡± or ¡°Snake¡± be more fitting? And it would better suit vampires¡¯ aesthetic view of animals.

    Although Lord Murphy exined that it was an association he had when he saw a nest of pangolins while out yesterday, Adele guessed that the truth probably wasn¡¯t so simple. As a blood-rted descendant, she could more clearly sense Lord Murphy¡¯s emotions.When the master said the name ¡°Pangolin¡±, he obviously had a kind of inexplicable sense of joy in his heart, though it was unclear what he was happy about.

    But one thing was certain: this codename was definitely not chosen randomly.

    Now, the freshly minted Blood Vulture ¡°Senior Agent Pangolin¡± Comrade Hog was waiting in a solution cave on the third level of the sewer. It had changed into a set of tailored old leather armor, with two wave-ded assassin knives and two eagle-w throat-slitting knives inserted at its waist.

    This outfit was slightly different from ordinary gnolls.

    Generally speaking, gnolls make their own armor, thus full of a rough ¡°n style¡±.

    However, although they are barbaric, they also learn.

    Especially after the fourth ck Disaster swept across the continent, gnolls learned many things from various parts of the continent that they had overturned by half, which led to some leather armor made by skilled old gnolls being no worse than that made by human craftsmen.

    But overall, the gnolls in Transia had not developed their own survival system, which resulted in very few of them owning armor.

    Armor is also a symbol of status in gnoll tribes.

    Now, the 15 ¡°nsmen¡± of varying heights and builds behind Hog were all armored, though only with old goods scavenged from the Blood Rat Gang, but could already be considered well-equipped.

    The nsmen Hog had chosen for himself included kobolds in addition to gnolls.

    Seven kobold elites were mixed among them. These widely distributed but weak-natured species didn¡¯t look as fierce and powerful as gnolls from the outside.

    They always hunched their bodies with long, bare tails, heads simr to wild dogs, and a pair of ¡°big eyes¡± that emitted light in the dark.

    Kobolds are also quite a magical race.

    They reproduce even more than gnolls, giving birth to over a dozen in a litter, three to four litters a year, which means that even the most learned Spirit Mage on the continent can¡¯t say exactly how many kobolds there are.

    But the reason kobolds can live well under the noses of other races is that they are not actually aggressive, and are good at digging holes and content to live in dark caves.

    Their food is also easy to obtain. The omnivorous kobolds can even survive on eating grass when extremely hungry.

    This quite easy-to-feed characteristic makes kobolds the favorite vassal race of other races, and the kobold civilization system is even more backward than the n-based gnolls. They don¡¯t even have their ownnguage and writing, so there¡¯s no sense of honor or loyalty to speak of. There are evenrge numbers of koboldborers helping dwarves dig in their mines.

    However, kobolds have a very unsettling characteristic.

    Part of their cowardly nature is very simr to ¡°domestic dogs¡±, that is, they are harmless when they have no master, but once they have a master¡¯smand, kobolds will quickly be aggressive and cruel.

    Before their master dies, they will offer loyalty and be very obedient.

    But once the master dies, these fierce fellows will scatter, bing harmless again until the next master who conquers them appears.

    Gnoll ns often tamerge numbers of kobolds as servants, helping them dig out hiding caves, helping them smelt crude weapons, helping them serve as cannon fodder in battles, and even in years of great disaster, kobolds are also very good ¡°hunger-satisfying food¡±.

    After all, the cost of keeping them alive is basically negligible.

    In addition, in some of the bizarre legends about kobolds, there is a saying that would anger dwarves. It is said that because kobolds have lived underground for a long time, they have also been noticed by Mother Earth Gaia, so among the vast number of kobolds, some individuals who can use crude earth spirit energy are often born.

    These individuals are respectfully called geomancers and often serve as leaders of kobold tribes.

    Considering the exaggerated total number of kobolds, even if this proportion is very low, there are enough geomancers among kobolds. There are also rumors that gnoll secret mages initially learned how to manipte spirit energy from kobold servants, but this rumor is unfounded.

    In any case, by the time of 1111 in the history of the continent, gnolls and kobolds had be a symbiotic group.

    Both sides take what they need.

    Oh, by the way, all legends about kobolds will notck stories of kobolds and candles. They need lighting to live underground, so the first candle in this world that brought light was made by kobolds.

    On this point, even the elves with the strongest self-esteem cannot deny it.

    It can be said that it was the kobolds who brought the first ray of light to the unsettling darkness of this world, which is their greatest, and possibly only, contribution to this world.

    And candles are a symbol of status and position in kobold society. They always put their favorite candles on top of their heads, only lighting them when necessary.

    For example, now the 7 kobold elites in Hog¡¯s n were arranging their precious candles, and helping each other put the best candles in the strange hats on each other¡¯s heads.

    There was a special base on that hat for cing candles.

    Like a strange ritual, it made the kobolds about to embark on the escape route feel satisfied, and quickly smoothed out the fear in their hearts.

    This was the ¡°supplies¡± Hog had exchanged for them from the Blood Rat Gang. Just these thick andrge candles that could burn for a long time were enough to make these not-so-bright elite kobolds offer loyalty to Hog.

    After all, other gnoll masters wouldn¡¯t bother to actively seek candles for their kobold servants.

    ¡°Hog, are theying or not?¡±

    Just as Hog was preparing for the imminent ¡°escape¡±, Nash, the gap-toothed gnoll beside him, anxiously approached and asked:

    ¡°It¡¯s been 7 hoursses of time, and there¡¯s still no movement from them. I suspect they¡¯re all dead. Why don¡¯t we leave first?¡±

    Nash¡¯s words immediately elicited approving howls from the other gnolls.

    They were all nsmen carefully selected by Hog, stronger than ordinary gnolls but not to the level of elite leaders, and each had cunning Traits, with brains a bit better than ordinary nsmen.

    Hog liked such gnolls.

    It didn¡¯t like those fools who acted recklessly relying on strength, those guys couldn¡¯t be controlled at all, but thesepanions could.

    They could understand its ns and why they needed to do so. Realizing that everyone¡¯s interests were aligned, they could even do things well without Hog¡¯s supervision.

    Hog obviously believed this was what a qualified n should look like.

    ¡°Be patient, Nash, my barbarian leader,¡±

    Hog imitated Master Murphy¡¯s tone when speaking, saying calmly to its impatientpanions:

    ¡°Of course we can leave now, but with just this few of us, even if we make it back to Anderma Hills alive, we won¡¯t get King Kenport¡¯s attention. Have we gone through all this just to go back and continue being cannon fodder? No! We poor souls who have lost our own ns have reorganized into the Blood w n, we have agreed to survive, and to live better.

    We need them! More and stronger nsmen, just like hunters need fierce hyenas.¡±

    It was not yet Proficient at painting rosy pictures for its nsmen, it said:

    ¡°If each of us has 3 barbarians under ourmand, then when we band together we won¡¯t be bullied by other nsmen. If each of us has 5 barbarians under ourmand, then we can make King Kenport look at us differently.

    We are all powerful warriors who have survived 3 matches in the arena, this is our advantage. If we want to gain recognition, we must strengthen this advantage.¡±

    Nash beside immediately made a strange cry.

    It felt what Hog said made sense.

    But it really didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer now. For 7 days it had been killing ghouls here to exchange for nsmen. Those disgusting rotten flesh had almost made it lose interest in eating meat. If it stayed any longer, it estimated it would really go mad.

    However, 7 days had already allowed Nash to see Hog¡¯s uniqueness.

    This was not an ordinary gnoll, it was wiser than ordinary gnolls. Perhaps Hog¡¯s constant boasting that its bloodline came from the holynd of Moss Valley might not be a joke.

    It really came from the Dark Mountain range, from the birthce of the god-like powerful King Gnawbone.

    This invisibly added a ¡°mysterious orthodoxy¡± to Hog in the eyes of the gnolls. In their crude and wild worldview, ces like Transia were just the edge of the world, only the Dark Mountain range was the ¡°center of the world¡±!

    As for Moss Valley, that must be the holynd at the center of the world.

    ¡°They¡¯reing, I hear the sound,¡±

    The hunter ¡°Old Blind Eye¡± of the Blood w n howled. This one-eyed gnoll hunter grabbed its vampire hunting crossbow and aimed forward. Other gnolls also grabbed their il weapons.

    Under their vignt gaze, over a dozen gnoll diators were jumping down from the second level of the sewer to the third level.

    ¡°Foolish! Quick, stop them! This noise will attract ghouls!¡±

    Nash shouted.

    Immediately two barbarians rushed over to help their pitiful nsmen. They had obviously suffered in the arena, each fellow carrying a bloody smell.

    But the good news was that when these fellows escaped, they also ¡°casually looted¡± the diators¡¯ armory, giving them leather armor and weapons.

    They even brought some jerky as rations for the journey.

    ¡°Good, good!¡±

    Hog stood up, shaking its short tail.

    It went forward under the protection of a group of elite kobolds, looking at these miserable gnoll diators before it, among which were mixed a few aggrieved kobolds whose candles had been snatched away by little yers.

    Hog¡¯s ¡°wealthy¡± kobolds immediately came forward, distributing the smallest and thinnest of their candles to their nsmen, after all, a kobold without its own candle was really too pitiful.

    ¡°The fact that you coulde here shows that you¡¯ve all made up your mind to escape from the vampire city. I will lead you out underground, we will return to the wilderness that belongs to us,¡±

    Hog said loudly:

    ¡°But I will only take my nsmen away! If you want to leave, you must join us, join the Blood w n!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this name,¡±

    An elite barbarian with drooping arms said discontentedly:

    ¡°It sounds like a name vampires would use! I hate vampires.¡±

    ¡°This is indeed rted to vampires, my nsman,¡±

    Hog snorted, pointing at its head:

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget where we escaped from. We must repay the vampires¡¯ humiliation a hundredfold! This name is to remind us not to forget the great sins of the vampires!¡±

    ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll join. My n is gone anyway,¡±

    That barbarian sighed and said:

    ¡°I saw with my own eyes my chieftain¡¯s head cut off by the vampires¡¯ckeys. His head is now disyed in the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s warehouse. They say they want to use that head to make some magical items.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re the same,¡±

    The other diators were now so frightened they just wanted to run quickly, and didn¡¯t object to Hog¡¯s requirement for them to join the n.

    Soon, Hog¡¯s n expanded to over 30 members.

    Apart from him, all were absolute elites who had achieved 3 victories in the arena, plus 10 elite kobolds. Though small in number, the quality was superb.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Leave this ce,¡±

    Hog waved its hand, leading its nsmen quickly along the river channel in the third level underground cave towards the deepest part. It took the lead in jumping into the rapid water flow below, holding its breath while searching for that confirmed underground passage.

    It quickly found the ce.

    After all, it was the location Lady Adele had repeatedly described to it while holding a map.

    Those vampires had even ¡°thoughtfully¡± locked up a skeleton, deliberately arranged in a strange way and hung below the entrance of the passage as a marker.

    The bedraggled gnolls were continuously pushed into it by the water flow, then moved forward along the dark and damp underground waterway covered with moss.

    They didn¡¯t dare to stop, could only quicken their pace.

    Finally, after tens of minutes of rapid movement, they reached the final exit. Climbing up along the steep rock cave, what met their eyes was the quiet wilderness under the night and the serene Kadman River flowing across thend.

    ¡°Ha, we¡¯ve escaped!¡±

    Nash excitedly shouted.

    It waved its ws, revealing the brand on its shoulder representing diator ves. Other gnolls and kobolds all had simr shameful marks.

    Hog had one too.

    But that was personally branded on it by Lady Dorothy. It had to have this mark to lead these fierce diators.

    ¡°Good news, I¡¯ve been here before,¡±

    Hog pretended to climb high and survey the surroundings as if distinguishing the terrain, then it said to its nsmen:

    ¡°Anderma Hills is just opposite. Once we cross the river we can find our nsmen. Let¡¯s go! We need to reach there before dawn.¡±

    ¡°Hog! There are people ahead!¡±

    Old Blind Eye quickly discovered movement in the abandoned vige near this riverbank. It grabbed its hunting crossbow and shouted:

    ¡°Seems to be our people, a migrating n. Should we go over and take a look?¡±

    ¡°Of course we should go over,¡±

    Hog¡¯s eyes rolled, and it ordered:

    ¡°Get ready for battle.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Other gnolls looked at their chieftain in surprise. Hog exined:

    ¡°Once it¡¯s known that we were ves, we¡¯ll be seen as a joke by our nsmen. We must hide this secret. And look at our miserable state now! Do you think if we go over, those nsmen will spare us fellows who look like beggars?

    Survival of the fittest is the gnoll¡¯sw of survival!

    Either we absorb them and equip each of us with barbarians and servants, or they absorb us and turn us into their servants.

    You choose!¡±

    ¡°There must be females in that n. A gnoll without a mate will be sneered at,¡±

    Nash bared its teeth in the darkness and said in a low voice. The other gnolls immediately started howling, their eyes shining like real wolf cubs.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go, two for each!¡±

    Hog waved its hand.

    The gnoll diators immediately followed it forward.

    ¡°All the candles of those kobold servants over there belong to you!¡±

    It shouted to the elite kobolds in its n, and the kobolds also became agitated.

    Candles!

    Ah, candles, beautiful candles

    Light in the darkness, that which makes one intoxicated. For it, kobolds could give everything, just like the hungry and thirsty gnolls now.

 Chapter 247:

    ¡°These bastards are really ruthless, they just escaped and already blood-bathed an unfortunate n,¡± said Murphy, standing on the ruined city wall in the night of Crimson Citadel, withdrawing his vision. The aerial view from Revnor allowed him to keep track of Hog¡¯s group¡¯s movements at all times.

    He saw how the ¡°Pangolins¡± he personally selected savagely killed their way into that abandoned vige, and how cruelly they executed the leader and barbarian soldiers who disobeyed it, then distributed all the female gnolls in that n to its nsmen.

    Murphy wasn¡¯t a biologist and had no interest in watching ¡°gnoll porn¡±, so he stopped looking to avoid getting eye strain.

    ¡°This is their way of survival, master,¡± said Maxim, who had rushed back from the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain, standing behind Murphy. He said in a low voice:

    ¡°They live a life of plunder like bandits, taking everything by force. Although everyone on thisnd despises gnolls, in fact, many people know that those who are robbed the most by them are actually their own kind.

    However, even gnolls have their merits.

    After each plunder, they only kill the males who resist, but females and cubs are not harmed at all. They even raise cubs that don¡¯t belong to them and then drive them out of the tribe to fend for themselves when they grow up.

    From this point of view, these barbarians still have some humanity.¡±

    ¡°This may be why there are so many different races in the Dark Mountain range, yet only gnolls can stir up the ck Disaster that shakes the continent. It is also the source of their strength, that instinctive desire to protect females and cubs ingrained in their bones.Protecting females can give birth to more children, and protecting children can ensure that the race¡¯s bloodline will not be cut off. These two points are enough to guarantee that gnolls will always be in a state of expansion.¡±

    Murphy said softly:

    ¡°Sigh, this is more than some ck-hearted human civilizations, forget it, let¡¯s not talk about them anymore. Hog is a cunning dog, it will protect itself well. The next time we contact it, I¡¯m afraid it will be the time to decide victory or defeat.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you afraid it might betray us?¡±

    Maxim asked somewhat puzzlingly:

    ¡°Gnolls can¡¯t be talked about in terms of loyalty at all. Although I also think that Hog is strange and unlike a proper gnoll, it¡¯s possible that it will be captured by its own vile nature.¡±

    ¡°Then what would we lose?¡±

    Murphy asked in return:

    ¡°Our investment in Hog so far has only been some shabby leather armor and cold weapons. It¡¯s certainly pleasing if it maintains loyalty to us, but even if it betrays us, at most it would only lead the way for gnolls, letting them attack Crimson Citadel through that underground tunnel.

    But don¡¯t forget what¡¯s on the third level of the sewer.

    If King Kenport is willing to contribute manpower and effort to help us thoroughly solve the headache of the ghoul gue in the sewer, I might even award it a ¡®Good Citizen¡¯ medal as the Governor of Transia.

    Most importantly, Max!

    When I said I wanted to give all living beings on thisnd an equal life, I wasn¡¯t joking or painting a pie in the sky for idealistic intellectuals like Professor Malcolm.

    I really intend to do so.

    Hog is an experiment.

    If it and its nsmen are willing to abandon their savage nature and be part of thisnd, I will really give them Smuggler¡¯s Woods as their territory and turn it into a ¡®gnoll reservation¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand, sir.¡±

    Maxim was always very honest in front of Murphy, he said:

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying equality isn¡¯t good, but I always feel that your ideal is difficult for others to ept. I was once human, I know there are also hierarchies among humans, even if you give them equal personhood, it won¡¯t change anything.

    Rich people will always oppress the poor, people with power will always treat the rich as servants, and people with strength can freely use the former three.

    This is the tradition of the continent, and it¡¯s not something that can be changed by your decree alone.¡±

    ¡°This is not purely idealistic, Max.¡±

    Murphy was always willing to exin his thoughts to people close to him and persuade them to join him rather than issuing orders. He also didn¡¯t view this kind of exnation and teaching as a waste of time.

    He said:

    ¡°I actually proposed such a slogan out of quite selfish purposes.

    Think about it, if in the future Transia could have gnolls as vanguards, kobolds to mine andbor for us, humans¡¯ wisdom to preside over the development of thisnd, dwarves and halflings¡¯ technology as logistical support, elves¡¯ dexterity to make various utensils for us.

    During the day, we have Sanghai people blessed by the sun to protect thend, and at night we have powerful vampires patrolling all around.

    Whenever our warriors charge forward at the front, there are healers from the Avalon Church behind them, the brave and keen Winter Wolf monks are our eyes and ws, and Mother Earth Gaia¡¯s guardians are our unbreakable walls.

    Can you imagine the power that such a country could consolidate?

    Each race has its own strengths and value, and when they can be used by you, it¡¯s not just a case of 1+1 equals 2.

    No one has ever tried to gather everyone under the same banner before, it¡¯s certainly difficult, but we should try, after all, the Blood Vulture n is now poor and destitute, there¡¯s no extra cost to try.

    And most importantly.¡±

    The vampire lord turned back to look at Maxim, he said seriously:

    ¡°My warriors like this style! Theye from a more advanced and civilized world, and when they see what we¡¯re doing, they¡¯ll realize that we¡¯re the group representing the most advanced ideas in this world.

    Ideals!

    Max, this ideal is not just mine and yours and Tris¡¯s and Miriam¡¯s, it¡¯s also my warriors¡¯.

    The power that can be unleashed by warriors armed with ideals and hope is enough to change the world

    It¡¯s not something ethereal!

    I¡¯ve chatted with them, I know simr things have happened in their world.¡±

    Maxim listened to all this with a wooden face.

    After Murphy finished speaking, he still replied very honestly:

    ¡°Actually, when you mentioned Sanghai people and vampires fighting together, I already couldn¡¯t understand. Please forgive my stupidity, but I really can¡¯t imagine what kind of disastrous scene the cooperation between the Children of the Sun and the Offspring of Midnight would be like.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you should go to Professor Malcolm¡¯s history sses more often when you have nothing to do. Learning more history will always be useful for your brain that now wants to think but doesn¡¯t have the ability to thinkplexly,¡±

    Murphy snorted.

    He didn¡¯t rebuke Maxim, but pointed towards the direction of the Baron of Leim¡¯s domain, saying:

    ¡°That will be your battlefield next. Just like what you did in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain, sweep through there in seven days, drive all the gnolls to the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain and Anderma Hills.

    After this operation is over, we¡¯ll start dealing with King Kenport¡¯s big bandit gang.¡±

    ¡°I can understand this, and I¡¯m very willing to do such simple things for you, so, at yourmand! My master.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    The gnoll warlord Kenport, who was being discussed by Murphy and Maxim, was also having a nighttime conversation with another vampire at this moment.

    Of course,pared to the polite ancient descendants, the conversation taking ce in Anderma Hills was more or less ufortable in both content and style.

    Kenport was a powerful gnoll barbarian leader.

    His full name was Kenport Gnawbone!

    From this meaningful surname, one can see this lord¡¯s ¡°extraordinary origin¡±. He came from the Gnawbone n, which was established by the Gnawbone King who stirred up the Continental Disaster 111 years ago.

    If gnolls also cared about order of seniority and status hierarchy, then the Gnawbone n would undoubtedly be the ¡°royal family¡±.

    Unfortunately, gnoll civilization is a group that has inscribed the survival of the fittest into their bones, so after the Gnawbone King disappeared in Foul Swamp, died in battle and was defeated, the Gnawbone n also lost its leading position.

    However, as one of the strongest branches among gnoll ns, they still had the qualification to live in Moss Valley, which made the members of the Gnawbone n fat and strong, almost like apletely different species from ordinary gnolls.

    Take Kenport for example.

    His height reached an exaggerated 2.8 meters, like a ¡°giant species¡± among gnolls.

    Beneath that mane with special patterns was a muscr body. He could pick up with one hand a heavy shield that ordinary gnolls needed two people to lift, and his most proficient weapon, a skull il, had its hammer head split into three strands and had been enchanted with vicious spells by sorcerers.

    What most indicated his status was that this guy had a set of te armor!

    Real te armor.

    Although the craftsmanship was rough, only the gnoll elders in Moss Valley would make such terrifying armor, making Kenport look like an iron can when wearing it. Add to that his Silver rank strength and true Elite Temte, once this guy got serious, not to mention gnolls, even trolls had to retreat.

    Strong personalbat power is standard for gnoll leaders, but what¡¯s unique about Kenport is that he¡¯s both a barbarian and a ¡°priest¡±.

    Although gnolls don¡¯t have their own god, they, like vampires, have created faith out of thin air for themselves.

    Vampires call upon the Night Mother, while gnolls call upon the ¡°Lord of the Hunt¡±.

    Although no deity can bestow divine magic upon them, who knows what kind of insane thinking the gnoll hunting priests have been doing during the more than 200 years of upying Moss Valley. In any case, they¡¯ve really summarized some rituals that other races would consider indescribably barbaric.

    The most ridiculous thing is that these strange and savage rituals can really grant gnolls certain power enhancements.

    The signature skill of hunting priests is ¡°Blood Frenzy¡±. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that during the 4th ck Disaster, gnolls used this thing to thoroughly trounce all races on the entire continent from head to toe.

    The fact that King Kenport is a hunting priest indicates that he¡¯s cunning and intelligent, which makes the n of the guy sitting in front of him now to deceive him not so easy to achieve.

    ¡°Lord Kenport, your army has nearly reached 30,000 men, and the barren Anderma Hills simply cannot support so many bandits.

    Moreover, each of your soldiers has an appetitepletely disproportionate to their strength.¡±

    A gloomy voice sounded in this strangely smelling tent, he said:

    ¡°You must march immediately! The situation at Crimson Citadel is changing every day, but it¡¯s certain that the cunning vampire lord Murphy and his mistress Tris have prepared arge amount of food for his subjects over there.

    That food is enough to feed your soldiers, and can drive them to conquer cities and territories for you.

    The fertile Kafhoka ins are already within sight, the Winter Wolf Legion guarding there is understaffed, and the weak Thorn vampires are even less courageous than the Blood Vultures. They, who have been led by women for generations, simply have no strength to guard the fertilend under the night.

    Aren¡¯t you tempted?

    An opportunity to rival the achievements of the Gnawbone King is right before your eyes.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡±

    King Kenport, who was gnawing on fresh meat in big bites, rolled his eyes. To be honest, it¡¯s very surprising and even terrifying for a gnoll to make such a humanized expression.

    But as a hunting priest, he really had enough wisdom to understand what the vampire in front of him wanted to say, and to think about what consequences it would lead to if he acted ording to his instigation.

    So Kenport made the peculiar mockingugh unique to gnolls.

    He said:

    ¡°I have ¡®friends¡¯, my ¡®friends¡¯ will send enough food for my cubs, after all, that¡¯s what we agreed on initially, right? Lord Korando.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    The vampire whose name was called snorted.

    He hid his entire person in a mist of shadows, preventing his face from being seen by the gnoll warlord in front of him. But faced with this gnoll¡¯s shameless statement, the leader of the Greyw faction of the Wolfsbane n refuted mercilessly.

    He scolded:

    ¡°My agreement with you was based on the premise that you would definitely attack the remnants of the Blood Vulture n, but now you have no intention of fulfilling the contract at all, so why should I continue to provide you with enough food?

    In order to provide these things for you, my small fief in the Cato region has started to suffer from famine.

    I even sent my servants to help you persuade more gnolls to join you. The fact that you have so many barbarian soldiers under yourmand is all thanks to me!

    Kenport!

    If it wasn¡¯t for me, you¡¯d still be guarding your pitiful little n in Anderma Hills waiting for an ¡®opportunity¡¯ toe, and I¡¯ll tell you mercilessly, the opportunity you¡¯re expecting will nevere.

    I don¡¯t expect you beasts to learn gratitude, but you should have a little virtue of fulfilling contracts.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    Kenport bared his teeth in displeasure, those teeth that had just eaten delicious fresh meat were covered in blood stains. He liked to eat venison, and detested human flesh.

    He felt that human meat wasn¡¯t good, it was fishy and got stuck in the teeth.

    The gnoll warlord¡¯s hand had already gripped the three-headed il beside him, which in gnoll ¡°culture¡± was basically a symbol of negotiation breakdown.

    ¡°Think it through yourself!

    I just need to cut off the support to you, and your huge army will fall apart in less than 5 days! Yes, I am threatening you, Kenport.

    I don¡¯t mind spending money to keep you.

    But you need to show me something real to see that my money is being spent usefully. I could at least hear a ssh if I threw my money into water.¡±

    Korando couldn¡¯t be bothered to say more to this gnoll warlord who was smart but not smart enough.

    He knew that Kenport came to Transia must be because the chief of the Gnawbone n gave him a secret mission, but the Wolfsbane vampire didn¡¯t care about the mission of this gnoll in front of him at all, he also had his own goals and purposes.

    Old Edward was already full of vignce against the rapidly expanding Greyw faction, and began to use other factions to suppress this young but vibrant faction.

    The old guys were unwilling to give up their territories and power in hand, so the ambitious Korando had to demonstrate his great talent in front of his nsmen to gain more midnight blessings.

    Therefore, the Blood Vulture n, which old Edward had personally arranged but failed to resolve, was an excellent target.

    If Korando could personally destroy the hundred-year-old enemy of the Wolfsbane n, his prestige would reach a peak, and he could even confront old Edward face to face.

    The Greyw leader Moriarty Korando Gongreau didn¡¯t care about the ancient traditions of vampires!

    Like many Wolfsbane descendants, he came from the bottom of Greenleaf Ind. When he was still human, he had already controlled the dark area of a small city, and when the human godfather transitioned to a vampire, how could his ambition stop at just being a faction leader?

    Most importantly, he had some ¡°personal grudges¡± with the Blood Vulture n.

    Joban Marci, his most valued descendant, died at the hands of a Blood Vulture member, and Joban was not just a subordinate he carefully cultivated.

    That was also his illegitimate son when he was human.

    Whether as a qualified leader or an unqualified father, Korando had enough reasons to personallyplete the revenge against the Blood Vultures.

    ¡°7 days!¡±

    Korando stood up in the midnight shadow and said to the teeth-baring Kenport:

    ¡°You mustunch a decent attack within 7 days, otherwise let¡¯s call it quits. You gnolls, this is all you¡¯re capable of. You can¡¯t even take down Crimson Citadel, what big things can I expect you to do?¡±

    After saying this, Korando disappeared from the gnoll warlord¡¯s sight in an almost arrogant manner.

    This is the style of Wolfsbane, simple, direct and weighty.

    After all, their original sin is ¡°fear¡±, they take pride in mastering fear and being able to project fear onto others.

    Being ruthless is their virtue, leaving no bottom line is their tradition.

    They are a group of thugs, and they advocate acting in the way of thugs, they are hungry wolves under the midnight, viewing those who harbor fear as delicious blood food.

    Unfortunately, as old Edwardmented, Korando was too focused on immediate interests, pursuing quick and brutal results too much andcking some prudent thinking. He didn¡¯t realize that there were also differences among gnolls, and the Kenport in front of him was obviously different from other gnolls.

    After all, Korando, who was only turned 30 years ago, had not truly experienced the ck Disaster in a real sense.

    His body had already be a Wolfsbane, but his understanding of the world seemed to still remain at the time when he was a human. The story that had happened four times on the continent and was feared by countless people was just an ancient legend to him. He didn¡¯t have a qualified understanding of the destructive power that gnolls could cause and the threat posed by truly powerful individuals among them.

    Just as normal people would never fear ants, but when countless ants gather, even the strongest person is just struggling food.

    Just this one cognitive error is fatal!

    And based on the fear power Mr. Korando has shown so far, it seems to be just a bit short of making a gnoll from the Gnawbone n bow down and submit.

 Chapter 248:

    After resting for two days in the Crimson Citadel, the yers set out again towards the Baron of Leim¡¯s territory, eagerly beginning to hunt the gnoll ns there. However, this campaign saw a decrease in bothbat intensity and frequency.

    It wasn¡¯t that the little yers, stimted by the point pool, had started cking off. They were still as full of energy and courage as before. It was purely because many of the local gnoll ns had already moved towards the Anderma Hills. Additionally, the student party and Meow King¡¯s team, summoned by Miriam as negotiation consultants, had been hunting around Bataxin, along with some new Witch Hunter recruits who had wandered here to hunt.

    They hadn¡¯t been idle these past few days. Thebined effects of multiple parties directly resulted in a sharp decrease in the number of gnolls in the area.

    This led many solo yers to give up on continuing to hunt gnolls in the wild for points, especially those who had entered the game recently and were urgently trying to level up to prepare for the ck Iron Trial. They had shifted back to the sewers beneath the Crimson Citadel.

    The ¡°reserve¡± of ghouls here was still quite abundant, allowing them to engage inbat to quickly raise their character levels. Meanwhile, they could also grind for a set of ¡°ghoul series¡± equipment from the Blood Rat Gang. This set of armor, which had been used by Tris¡¯s alchemist apprentices for practice with basic enchantments, adding weak effects of endurance and agility enhancement, was now of qualityparable to the veteran set.

    At this point, there seemed to be a subtle imbnce again between the yers¡¯ enthusiasm and the monster supply.

    The return of some yers made the previously empty sewers lively again, which made ¡°Frostfang w¡±, who had been wandering in the sewers doing quests recently, feel very ufortable.

    He was a lone wolf.

    Seemingly a bit socially anxious, he didn¡¯t like to move with many people, which was the main reason he chose to be a thief under the Blood Rat Gang.¡°Too many people, time to leave.¡±

    Thinking thus, Frostfang brought back a few boxes he found from the edge of the sewers, and with the posture befitting a qualified thief, he slunk along the walls back to the Blood Rat Gang¡¯s base.

    It had already been transformed into a small underground tavern. Gasmps hung in the partitioned rooms, an elder of the Blood Rat Gang was ying bartender here, some tables and chairs bearing the marks of time were arranged, and a few guard-like fellows were sitting together enjoying their cking off time.

    You have to admit, it looked quite atmospheric after being tidied up like this.

    However, Frostfang looked left and right but couldn¡¯t find his professional trainer and Rat Gang boss, Lady Dorothy. He was hesitating whether to go ask the bartender Freeman when he saw the Rat Gang¡¯s number two man make a subtle gesture to him.

    This was a gesture only people living in the ck areas would understand, meaning ¡°The boss isn¡¯t here, she went to hideout number two.¡±

    Frostfang nodded.

    He had been grinding reputation with the Blood Rat Gang since he entered the game, and after bringing back ¡°treasures¡± from the dangerous areas of the sewers several times, he was now truly regarded as a member of this underground team. So he didn¡¯t waste time, gave the few boxes he found to old Freeman toplete today¡¯s task, then turned and headed towards the more hidden hideout number two.

    But before he got close, he heard whimpering criesing from ahead, which startled Frostfang.

    Is there a vengeful spirit here?

    No way!

    This should be a safe zone.

    He crept forward stealthily, but before he had taken a few steps, he heard a reprimand from ahead:

    ¡°Who¡¯s there! Get out here!¡±

    It was Lady Dorothy¡¯s voice, but unlike usual, itcked that familiar bluntness and had a touch of cold killing intent.

    Frostfang immediately jumped out from the shadows, and then saw that his mentor hadpletely changed.

    Not only had she changed into the Blood Vulture n nightwalker¡¯sbat suit and cloak, but her appearance had also changed from human to vampire, as if she had purchased a ¡°race change¡± service.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡±

    The little yer was startled and asked nervously.

    Dorothy, with puffy eyes, had already grabbed her w dagger, but after seeing it was her disciple, she sighed and said with a worried frown:

    ¡°What else could it be? I was bitten by a vampire! Those damn creatures forcibly turned me into one of them, but this wasn¡¯t in my ns. Bing a vampire was never my life goal.

    Ah, I hate Transia!¡±

    ¡°But, but I saw on the forum that the Embrace must be agreed upon by both parties, otherwise it can¡¯t be done.¡±

    Frostfang said suspiciously in his characteristically reserved voice:

    ¡°So, you actually agreed?¡±

    Lady Dorothy, who had been grieving over her lost human identity, suddenly stopped crying. She pouted, turned around with her hands on her hips, and scolded the apprentice who had seen through her feigned sorrow:

    ¡°You think you¡¯re so clever! How could I refuse in that situation? And how dare I refuse?

    I have a terrible dangerous past on my back, those ghost-like folks have been chasing me for many years, and now there happens to be a Blood Vulture n willing to protect me, I couldn¡¯t be happier. But I also need to give an exnation to the gang members, so I had to put on a show with Lady Adele.

    Let me tell you some good news, Fangy.

    From now on, we master and apprentice will be eating from the ¡®imperial granary¡¯. Not only did I sort out my own identity issue, but I also begged a favor for you from Lady Adele.

    After youplete the ck Iron Trial, you can directly join under Lady Adele as her ¡®warrior¡¯ without needing to go through further tests.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®Fangy¡¯!¡±

    Although socially anxious, Frostfang was still a grown man and had always been ufortable with such cute nicknames. He waved his hand and said:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t made a decision yet, but vampires are too high-profile, doesn¡¯t really suit me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t do!¡±

    Dorothyughed heartily as she strode forward and very boldly put her arm around her apprentice¡¯s shoulder. She said:

    ¡°I just took a job from Lady Adele, and I still need your help. It¡¯s perfect timing to help youplete your ck Iron Trial while we¡¯re out. How¡¯s your thievery and lock-picking practice going?¡±

    Frostfang nced at his character interface and replied:

    ¡°Thievery Master, lock-picking already at Grandmaster level.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I knew you had talent.¡±

    Dorothy raised an eyebrow and said:

    ¡°The two of us are to follow Lady Adele¡¯s other three descendants to Anderma Hills, make a round in the gnoll¡¯s main camp for reconnaissance.

    This job is quite dangerous.

    We need to find a ce for you to practice first. I heard there¡¯s a secret treasury in the Blood Vulture Halls.

    I wouldn¡¯t have dared to think about this before, but now that I¡¯m also a Blood Vulture member, it¡¯s only natural to go pay respects to the family¡¯s holy ce.

    Of course, I can strut right in, but you need to sneak in without being discovered.

    If you can do that, I¡¯ll teach you the ¡®Shadow Step¡¯!

    This is a genuine secret technique that I learned from a halfling thief master back when I was in the Adventurer¡¯s Association, took me a long time to learn!

    How about it?

    I told you I wouldn¡¯t shortchange our own people.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Thirty minutester, Murphy, who was having his daily sword practice with Necessary Evil, suddenly heard a loud boom from the corridor, followed by a piercing spirit resonance from below.

    That was the signal of the secret treasury being breached, the anti-theft spirit array Tris had set up there had been triggered.

    Huh?

    A thief in the headquarters?

    Or did a Wolfsbane nightwalker sneak in?

    Murphy raised an eyebrow, grabbed the suspended Necessary Evil, and dashed over.

    When he arrived, he saw a little yer wearing night clothes bound in a very awkward position by dense purple spirit chains like a spider¡¯s web, unable to move.

    He was still holding the thief¡¯s tools for lock-picking.

    Most exaggeratedly, the sevenyers of spirit + mechanical cipher locks of the secret treasury in front of him had already been opened threeyers.

    Fortunately, Tris had been cautious and rearranged the spirit traps of the secret treasury after bing the Grand Duchess, otherwise this ¡°audacious¡± little thief might have broken through.

    But what surprised Murphy was that this little yer in front of him, although at level 10, hadn¡¯t passed the ck Iron Trial. So, how did this guy manage to slip in under theyers of strict patrols of the corridor guards? And where did he get the courage to dare to infiltrate the Blood Vulture Halls alone?

    Was it that the guards arranged by Tris were cking off?

    Or was this guy truly talented in sneaking and thieving?

    With these doubts, Murphy stepped forward with his sword, reached out and pulled off the headscarf Frostfang was using as a mask, revealing a somewhat handsome face.

    This guy¡¯s features looked quite androgynous, though very young he had a strange sense of world-weariness. Upon touching his Computation Bead, Murphy also extracted this little fellow¡¯s character information:

    Test Personnel ID: Frostfang w

    Rank: Level 10 ¨C Professional

    Profession: Level 10 Thief / Level 10 Wanderer / Master Appraiser ¨C Archaeology Specialization

    Character Traits: ¡¾Ambidextrous¡¿, ¡¾Eagle Eye: Can quickly judge the value and authenticity of items due to long-term archaeological work¡¿, ¡¾Social Anxiety: Due to strong aversion tomunicating with others, long-term efforts to lower presence have reduced the chance of being perceived by others.¡¿

    These three character traits made Murphy¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    Damn!

    Could it be we¡¯ve recruited a tomb raider?

    Then he looked at this guy¡¯s test application carefully with a strange expression on his face through his admin system, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    The good news was that this brother in front of him had no record of illegal activities, so Murphy didn¡¯t need to consider how to contact the local police uncles.

    The bad news was that he was actually an ¡°official¡± personnel, a business backbone of an archaeological team from a certain province in the Midwest, and had some reputation in the industry for participating in the excavation of severalrge tombs.

    No wonder he was allowed into the game, this guy was indeed talented.

    ¡°Little one¡±

    Murphy released the embarrassed Frostfang w from the spirit imprisonment with a cold face. He patted the little yer¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°Do you know that your actions just now have triggered serious disciplinary measures of the Blood Vulture n? I might have to tie you to a cross for the Sunscorching Punishment.¡±

    ¡°Gulp¡±

    Frostfang swallowed hard and stammered:

    ¡°This this was my profession quest! Lord Murphy, I didn¡¯t want to, I was just set up by my mentor!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy narrowed his eyes.

    He saw the w dagger hanging at Frostfang¡¯s waist, a weapon that only the Blood Rat Gang used in his territory.

    He immediately understood that this must be ¡°Razor¡± Dorothy¡¯s small ¡°protest¡± against Adele forcibly embracing her. That cunning female thief knew Murphy wouldn¡¯t really punish his warrior.

    This was clearly a prank.

    The Frostfang in front of him was indeed set up by an NPC. It seems he really doesn¡¯t have a concrete concept of the ¡°dangers¡± in this game.

    ¡°Alright, you look foolish, no wonder you were taken advantage of.¡±

    Murphy put away Necessary Evil and said to the anxious little yer in front of him:

    ¡°I can refrain from punishing you, but you must atone for your crime for the Crimson Citadel. Go to Anderma Hills, make good use of your well-practiced stealth and infiltration skills, and collect evidence of their collusion with the Wolfsbane n in the camp of the gnoll warlord Gnawbone.

    As long as you bring back enough intelligence, your crime of trespassing into the treasury will be forgiven.¡±

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The sound of the Hidden Quest triggering made Frostfang sigh.

    Getting a Hidden Quest should have been a happy thing, but he really couldn¡¯t feel happy. Sigh, the NPCs in this game are too cunning, who could have thought that even his own mentor would set him up?

    Indeed, his life motto for the past 20-plus years was correct, too much contact with others only brings misfortune!

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Your name is Hog? You¡¯re the one who just reported to my guards that you have information about a passage that can smuggle into the interior of the Crimson Citadel?¡±

    In the gnoll¡¯s great tent in Anderma Hills, warlord Gnawbone looked suspiciously at the skinny little tribesman in front of him.

    This guy was too weak.

    He might be suffering from some disease. Such individuals in the gnoll ns of the Dark Mountain range would be considered an ill omen and would be strangled and discarded at birth. Only in a remote ce like Transia would such an individual survive.

    As a warlord, it originally didn¡¯t want to receive such a fellow, but the mixed-blood fur from the Moss Valley on Hog¡¯s body won him a sliver of opportunity for an ¡°audience¡±.

    Even in gnoll society, ¡°regional discrimination¡± exists.

    The big shots from the Dark Mountain range are the bosses, you Transian mongrels can keep your opinions to yourselves even if you have any!

    ¡°Yes, Great King!¡±

    Hogy prostrate under Gnawbone¡¯s ¡°throne¡± made of mountain tiger and bear bones, full of fear.

    He didn¡¯t conceal anything, telling the whole process of how he was sent out by Gnawbone to recruit southern gnolls some time ago, how he was captured, how he was thrown into the vampire¡¯s arena, and finally how he plotted his escape.

    He used some linguistic skills, speaking in a disorderly manner like a real gnoll.

    But Gnawbone understood.

    Especially after hearing that Hog escaped from a hidden waterway in the sewers of the Crimson Citadel, a cunning light immediately shed in the warlord gnoll¡¯s deep green, merciless eyes.

    It realized that it now had intelligence that could satisfy the insatiable Korando, and incidentally shut that guy¡¯s mouth.

    Korando¡¯s intention to use the gnolls to attack the Blood Vulture n was crystal clear, but Gnawbone wasn¡¯t a fool either. It came to Transia with an ¡°important mission¡± from the Gnawbone n, and the army it had gathered wasn¡¯t for realizing some damned vampire¡¯s hellish ambitions.

    What it should be considering is establishing a force in Transia and cooperating with its superiors toplete the important task assigned by the n, then seizing the opportunity to destroy the defenses of Transia and the surrounding areas before the ck Disaster officially urs.

    Even gnolls would disdain to use their own cubs to pave the way for Wolfsbane vampires.

    ¡°Good! Very good! Excellent!¡±

    Gnawbone stood up satisfied.

    It circled around the trembling Hog a few times, seeing the undeniable humiliating ve mark on his back and various wounds on his fur.

    These were clearly formed after fierce battles.

    This skinny cripple wasn¡¯t lying, and he wouldn¡¯t have the guts to dare deceive himself.

    ¡°Do you still remember that route? Can you lead people to find it?¡±

    Gnawbone asked in a low voice.

    Hog hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Very good, wait here for a moment.¡±

    The warlord called over its elite barbarian soldier and told him to fetch Korando, then it gave Hog personal instructions:

    ¡°You¡¯ll lead those Wolfsbane vampires to retrace the path.¡±

    ¡°Great King! I¡¯ll die! Great King.¡±

    Hearing this, Hog hugged Gnawbone¡¯s furry leg tightly in fear, crying weakly:

    ¡°I barely escaped, don¡¯t send me back to my death, Great King, for the sake of my bloodline from the Moss Valley!

    I¡¯m loyal to you, Great King.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sending you to your death!¡±

    Gnawbone was very contemptuous of this cowardly fellow, but since it needed him now, it ¡°gently¡±forted:

    ¡°You just need to lead them to the entrance, they¡¯ll walk the rest of the way themselves. As long as you shut their mouths, you¡¯ll be considered meritorious. Didn¡¯t you say earlier that one of my subordinate leaders rudely took away your n?

    Then I¡¯ll give your nsmen back to you, and appoint you as a centurion, granting you some females. Looking at you, although you¡¯re cowardly, you¡¯re still proud of your bloodline from the Moss Valley, right?

    When the great ck Disasteres, I can take you back to the holynd!

    Don¡¯t you want to go back?¡±

    ¡°I do! I dream of it, my father was still describing the grandeur of the holynd to me before he died¡±

    Hog swallowed hard, seemingly moved by these words.

    After repeated hesitation, he finally made up his mind and nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Very good, go make preparations, Hog.¡±

    Gnawbone waved its paw, letting this mongrel cripple leave its tent, and a few minutester, Korando appeared again in front of Gnawbone in the form of a shadow manifestation.

    This time the gnoll warlord was full of confidence. It sat on its bone throne, smugly saying to its coborator:

    ¡°I¡¯ve paid with many elite casualties, and finally found a secret path that can lead directly into the interior of the Crimson Citadel for you, Korando. I¡¯m not as shameless as you think, I also have the virtue of honoring contracts.

    Of course I can inform you of this secret passage, and send people to help you overthrow the Blood Vulture n in one fell swoop.

    But I want to make a deal with you.¡±

    Seeing this gnoll so confident, Korando¡¯s heart stirred.

    Vampires excel at these decapitation operations. If there really was a path that could infiltrate the enemy¡¯s headquarters, supplemented with enough cannon fodder, he could personally y the enemy chief.

    As far as he knew, Salrokdar, the patriarch of the Blood Vulture n, had been killed by Witch Hunters, and the current governor of the Transia region was just a ck Iron Rank vampire. The Thorn n was also consuming the Blood Vulture traitors, indicating that the Blood Vulture n no longer had the strength to maintain its rule.

    This is the weakest moment for this n in Transia.

    They¡¯ve even deployed new recruits to the battlefield, they no longer have more military power to guard their own headquarters.

    Most importantly, for this matter itself, although using gnolls is convenient, news of his collusion with gnolls would indeed be troublesome.

    If he could personally eliminate thest stubborn bone of the Blood Vultures, he wouldn¡¯t mind exercising a bit.

    ¡°Speak!¡±

    Korando replied coldly. Gnawbone didn¡¯t mind his rudeness, the warlord said:

    ¡°The Cato region! I know the Wolfsbane n has chosen that ce as your second headquarters. You help the Gnawbone n open the path to the Cato region. After our army enters the continent, we can ignore the defense areas your faction is responsible for guarding there.

    I just want to destroy that ce, everything left in the ruins belongs to you.

    Since you¡¯ve already cooperated with us, why not go a step further?

    Look, no matter how powerful the ck Disaster is, it will eventually recede. An ambitious wolf like you wouldn¡¯t want to always be under your n leader, right?

    Don¡¯t you want to establish your own family?

    After we retreat, thends of Transia and Cato will all be yours.¡±

    ¡°How do you know about the Wolfsbane n¡¯s defense ns in the Cato region?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern, we gnolls have our own friends and they are incredibly capable!

    Give me your defense map of the Cato region! Not only can I help you destroy the Blood Vultures! I¡¯ll also help you eliminate thosepetitors known as ¡®brethren¡¯! And all you have to pay is a defense map that you ¡®identally¡¯ lost.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, that sounds nice, let me consider it first.¡±

 Chapter 249:

    Hog Gnawbone quickly received his first task after returning to the gnollir.

    Unsurprisingly, Kenport demanded that he go back to risk his life again after escaping danger. Clearly, this gnoll warlord didn¡¯t care about the life of a crippled low-born. He didn¡¯t even try to hide this fact.

    But Hog Gnawbone never had any illusions about Kenport, so he wasn¡¯t disappointed by the current situation.

    This wasn¡¯t the only ¡°secret mission¡± Hog Gnawbone was shouldering.

    Now, the skinny gnoll was riding a dirty, scruffy earth wolf, leading his elite nsmen as they galloped through the vast gnoll camp.

    Nominally, he was looking for a ce for his ¡°Blood w n¡± to set up camp, but in reality, he was using this opportunity to record the generalyout of the entire gnoll camp with the Computation Bead hidden in his chest armor.

    This was a matter that had to be taken seriously!

    Because Kenport¡¯s forces had now swelled to over 30,000 gnolls, it was no longer feasible to stay in their previous border mountain valley. So Kenport chose a new location for hisir.

    This ce wasn¡¯t far from where the Kadman River flowed through the Anderma Hills, it was close to the forest for easy logging, and there was a trade route leading to the East Prussia region, convenient for the supplies arranged by the Wolfsbane n to be continuously sent over.It sounded perfect, but the atmosphere in the entire camp at this time could not be described as ¡°harmonious, all ns as one family¡±, but rather as a scene of ¡°vibrant life, all things thriving¡±.

    What would it look like when over 30,000 gnolls and their kobold vassals gathered together?

    The answer was simple.

    Chaos! Chaos! And more f***ing chaos!

    Although Kenport had arranged his camp quite distinctly ording to a fouryer structure of ¡°core-elite-main force-cannon fodder¡±, even in the second circle where the elite barbarian soldiers were located, Hog Gnawbone could always see gnolls fighting each other, sometimes even brawls involving dozens or hundreds of individuals.

    And the reasons for their fights were merely because someone took an extra piece of meat, or someone red at others.

    This could hardly be called any symbol of a clear ruling system, and warlord Kenport only symbolically sent his guards to patrol this area.

    His only requirement for these Transia low-borns under hismand was that there should be norge-scale deaths. Other than that, they could do whatever they wanted.

    If even the elite barbarian soldiers were like this, the chaos in the outer circle of cannon fodder was even more indescribable. If one had to describe it, perhaps even migrating herds of beasts would be more orderly than them.

    ¡°ck Disaster.¡±

    Hog Gnawbone, riding his earth wolf, ran up to a hill outside the camp.

    He brought his most trusted guard Nash and three kobold geomancers. From here, they could vaguely see the entireyout of therge camp.

    As far as the eye could see, it was a ¡°sea¡± of bobbing heads, a dark mass apanied by morous noise, truly like a disaster about to engulf everything, more like a hungry savage beast waiting to prey.

    Hog Gnawbone had never seen the ck Disaster.

    But from this camp of 30,000 gnolls before him, he seemed to have already seen the scene when the ck Disaster would ur. That wouldn¡¯t be 30,000 people, nor 300,000 people, but quite possibly 3 million.

    This had already exceeded the limits of Hog Gnawbone¡¯s imagination, even making him feel fearful.

    In contrast, Nash beside him was feeling honored to be part of such a vast and powerful super n.

    His shoe-horn face with missing teeth was full of desire, seemingly already imagining the scene when this great army would attack Crimson Citadel.

    After all, who could resist such an army?

    Hog Gnawbone had a different view on this, but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to discuss this matter with Nash, whose brain wasn¡¯t as big as a walnut. That would be less pleasant than talking to a random stone by the roadside, at least the stone wouldn¡¯t ask him some stupid questions in return.

    ¡°Let¡¯s pack up, Nash,¡± Hog Gnawbone said, riding on the earth wolf to make his ¡°height¡± exceed that of his guard. He said to Nash:

    ¡°Go find ourpanions and tell them to set up camp on the outskirts.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Nash asked in confusion:

    ¡°We are the elites personally appointed by King Kenport, Hog Gnawbone! We can stay in the better conditions of the inneryer, the King has specifically given us enough supplies.¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s not easy to escape when chaos breaks out, you idiot! You¡¯ve only met him once and you¡¯re already going on about ¡®King this, King that¡¯. I saved you from death¡¯s door and I don¡¯t see you respecting me like that.

    Still can¡¯t see clearly who the boss is, worshipping fists over trusting brains, really can¡¯t keep such a bastard around.¡± Hog Gnawbone shouted in his heart, but when the words reached his mouth, they became:

    ¡°Because we still have a mission, don¡¯t forget the King requires us to go back again with those vampires.

    Alright, I know none of you want to, so I¡¯ll go myself.

    While I¡¯m gone, you and the others should recruit more leaders from other ns, but remember, not too many people, and we don¡¯t want idiots who only know how to eat meat, mate, and fight. At least not dumber than you!¡±

    ¡°By gnoll standards, I¡¯m not considered stupid! Besides, Hog Gnawbone, this isn¡¯t our usual way,¡± Nash called out, craning his neck. He bared his teeth and said:

    ¡°We have plenty of strength now, Hog Gnawbone, we¡¯re even more elite than King Kenport¡¯s elites, we can recruit hundreds or even thousands of people overnight, there are plenty of pups who want to eat meat and will obey us.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t need so many idiots who only know how to eat meat and only think about eating meat!¡± Hog Gnawbone lost patience with Nash¡¯s stubbornness and said in a harsh tone:

    ¡°You can recruit those stupid cannon fodder anytime, thisnd is never short of thugs, but hasn¡¯t the humiliation in the arena taught you a lesson yet? Often the best fighters are also the ones who die the fastest!

    Only thebination of strength and brains can make our nst long. You don¡¯t want to finally grab a good territory only to lose it because our nsmen die too fast to defend it, do you?

    Anyway, I might need two days toe back.

    When I return, our n should not exceed 200 people! I will personally inspect them, and if they¡¯re all idiots, you won¡¯t get to eat meat for a month.

    Think about yourself, Nash.

    Even among our current nsmen, you¡¯re not considered a good fighter. If more brutal bastardse, can you still protect your mate, your servants, and the meat in your pot?¡±

    Nash was unwilling to listen to everything Hog Gnawbone had said before.

    But thest sentence struck right at his heart, making this fellow who actually had some brains but just didn¡¯t like to use them, suddenly rmed.

    ¡°Now you understand? You¡¯re my deputy, you¡¯re the second-inmand of the n, you need to maintain your power and authority, just like I did before,¡± Hog Gnawbone said persuasively:

    ¡°Before you can fully control those idiots whose brains aren¡¯t as big as walnuts, don¡¯t recruit them in, just like how I recruited you. You should learn from me, as I learn from greater wisdom. Ha, you wouldn¡¯t understand more than this.

    Go do your job.¡±

    He waved his paw, sending the nodding Nash to find their nsmen with the three loyal kobolds.

    He stayed on the hillside, looked around to make sure no one was approaching, then quietly took out his Computation Bead. He clumsily edited a ¡°report¡± with his paw, which was actually not suitable for gnoll writing, and sent it to his superior along with the map of the gnoll camp.

    Of course, the signature was still that weird ¡°Pangolin¡±.

    ¡°Ipletely cannot understand how this thing works, it¡¯s said to be made by halflings,¡± Hog Gnawbone carefully examined the Computation Bead in his hand, which had countless wonderful uses. His green eyes were full of a strange light. He thought:

    ¡°Perhaps when I have my own territoryter, I should capture, uh, invite some halflings to teach me. Master Murphy uses this thing to manage andmand his warriors, I should learn from him. Maybe I will also have my own Crimson Citadel, perhaps not as big as this messy camp before me, but definitely more loyal and united.

    Then I¡¯ll call it ¡®Hog Castle¡¯ or ¡®Wolf Castle¡¯!¡±

    As he was drawing such big ns for himself, the gnoll leaned against his earth wolf, opened another interface of the Computation Bead, and began toboriously read ¡¶Continental History¡·, which had been greatly simplified by Professor Malcolm.

    This wasn¡¯t because he loved learning.

    This was one of his ¡°tasks¡±!

    Lady Adele, who was his direct superior, had said that there would be a test every five days, a total of ten tests, and he needed to pass at least seven to fully gain control of Smuggler¡¯s Woods.

    Hog Gnawbone didn¡¯t dare to be negligent.

    Even though he knew that Kenport¡¯s power was now far stronger than Crimson Citadel, and he seemed to have chosen to join a less advantageous force.

    However, while it seemed he had a choice, in reality, he had no choice at all.

    Because that arrogant idiot Kenport didn¡¯t even give him a chance to cling to his thigh!

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Our high-level agent ¡®Pangolin¡¯ has already sent over the map of the gnoll camp in Anderma Hills. Now you two calcte the most perfect position to open the Astral Realm rift,¡± Murphy said in the Blood Vulture Halls, while sending the map from the Computation Bead to Tris and Femis:

    ¡°Evaluate it based on maximum damage, while also considering the psychological deterrence on the enemy, and leave a safe enough route for our army to attack and retreat. Is the construction of this spirit magic formation finished?¡±

    He asked.

    Tris poured herself a ss of wine, and while drinking, she said:

    ¡°It¡¯s almost finished. It¡¯ll be done in a few days, but this spell requires coordinate guidance when activated. Are you sure that ¡®Pangolin¡¯ can handle such a task? It¡¯s almost like sending it to its death.

    With the slightest mistake, it could be consumed by the Astral Realm spirit energy. A gnoll shouldn¡¯t be loyal to you to the point of death, right?¡±

    ¡°I never use ¡®loyalty¡¯ to describe Pangolin. That would be an insult to truly loyal ones, but I¡¯m absolutely confident because it has no choice,¡± Murphy poured himself a ss of wine too and exined:

    ¡°Hog Gnawbone¡¯s innate conditions destine it to not make much of a ssh in gnoll society, and we have leverage over it. Even if it¡¯s just a fictitious identity, I think King Kenport wouldn¡¯t let a bold gnoll iming to be ¡®Gnawbone¡¯s grandson¡¯ live carefree.

    Moreover, if it wants to integrate into thisnd, it has to contribute!

    That¡¯s how it is for me, for the Witch Hunters, for my warriors, and it and its Blood w n can¡¯t be an exception. How could it be possible to gain control over such arge area as Smuggler¡¯s Woods without paying some price?¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to bestow the title of ¡®baron¡¯ on it? Knighting a gnoll? I can hardly imagine,¡± Femis eximed:

    ¡°Others will think you¡¯ve gone mad.¡±

    ¡°When I wanted to ally with the Witch Hunters to counter-attack Salrokdar, you also thought I was crazy, but look who¡¯s Sovereign over thisnd now?

    Facts speak louder than words, but I don¡¯t n to give Pangolin any positive rewards. In others¡¯ eyes, it¡¯s just a dangerous gnoll. If its identity as a ¡®double agent¡¯ is used well, it will bring us unimaginable benefits in the future.

    However, I do need to delegate some power to it. That¡¯s part of the agreement.¡±

    Murphy rubbed his chin and said:

    ¡°Anyway, our chosen ck Disaster resistance front line is between the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain and Foul Swamp. Once that defense line is established, the Smuggler¡¯s Woods area will be actively abandoned, so there¡¯s no problem handing it over to gnoll management.

    If Pangolin is smart enough, it can even interact with our warriors like we do.

    In any case, the spirit energy decapitation part is up to you two.

    I¡¯m not professional in this.

    So, I won¡¯tment on it.¡±

    ¡°You can be professional! You¡¯re also a Spirit Mage, although leaning towards summoning.¡±

    Tris was quite dissatisfied with Murphy¡¯sck of interest in spirit energy matters. She said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°Little Murphy, I know you prefer swordsmanship, but this won¡¯t do. If you can¡¯t pass the test I¡¯ll give you in a few days¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m already reviewing, Tris. You know I¡¯m very busy, so give me some time, please.¡±

    Murphy didn¡¯t even drink his wine anymore and turned around quite awkwardly, leaving the n leader¡¯s office amidst Tris and Femis¡¯s strangeughter. He nned to find a ce to carefully read through the notes Tris gave him, but after walking not far, he saw the Count of White Mountain ahead.

    This wasn¡¯t a chance encounter.

    Andrei was specifically waiting for him.

    ¡°Is there something?¡±

    Murphy asked politely yet with a sense of distance. Andrei didn¡¯t exchange pleasantries either. He blinked his grayish-blue eyes with a tinge of crimson and said to Murphy:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning, but I saw Lady Lainnia earlier training her knights and attendants, seemingly preparing to participate in the crusade against the gnolls. However, when the Blood Pact Knights came, they clearly stated they wouldn¡¯t participate in simr actions.

    The situation has obviously changed. I guess this must be rted to the Wolfsbane n¡¯s activities in Transia?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very perceptive,¡± Murphy nodded, not denying it.

    The Count of White Mountain immediately said:

    ¡°Then, please entrust this part of the responsibility to me and my followers!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Murphy looked at the very formal and serious foreign vampire in front of him with surprise. After a few seconds, he asked:

    ¡°Why? You have no reason to help us, and this doesn¡¯t align with your personal interests. Given the current situation, shouldn¡¯t you be more looking forward to seeing me embarrassed by the gnolls, and eventually taking over?¡±

    ¡°If I were a fool or a short-sighted person craving authority, I would indeed think that way. But unfortunately or fortunately, I¡¯m not,¡± Andrei shrugged. This not-yet-mature but constantly striving vampire faction leader said:

    ¡°We do have conflicts of interest in this regard, but I want to take this opportunity to reiterate my philosophy to you.

    The White Mountain faction I established doesn¡¯t exist for the interests of the Thorn n. This might sound a bit arrogant and not in line with the ancient traditions and virtues of the vampire race, but the fact is, the members of my faction, like me, are mostly vampires with close ties to the Nordtov royal family.

    Our goal is to help the country be better, far from being stuck in internal power struggles within the n.

    We disdain immersing ourselves in such pitiful ideals, and won¡¯t be satisfied with just a taste of leftovers.

    In the face of the ck Disaster threat, whether I can get the position of Transia governor is actually not important. Getting through this ck Disaster safely, ensuring that we who are trapped in Transia can survive and have a ¡®future¡¯ to speak of is the top priority.

    And to be honest.

    I¡¯ve been with you for almost a month now, and I have to admit, you¡¯re superior to me in various aspects.

    In this situation, lying low and learning from you is the right thing to do.

    Moreover, Lady Shani and Tris have already formed a blood pact, which means we havemon interests in fighting against the Wolfsbane n.

    I hope to shoulder this task!¡±

    The Count of White Mountain emphasized:

    ¡°This is not just for my personal honor, but also for my country and my n.¡±

    ¡°A righteous reason, very good,¡± Murphy nodded, seeming to ept this exnation. However, he then changed his tone, staring at Andrei, and said:

    ¡°But I don¡¯t believe a word of it! You need to give me more convincing reasons.

    We are vampires, Andrei. We don¡¯t do things that don¡¯t benefit us. This selfish nature isn¡¯t even from our own will, but a rule binding us under midnight.

    Unless you¡¯re truly a rare vampire saint like Lord Kudel, who enjoys helping others the most.

    But based on my observation, you¡¯re not.

    So, please honestly tell me, what benefits can you get from this that makes you so eager to help yourpetitor?¡±

    Andrei hesitated for a moment.

    After a few seconds, he lowered his voice and said:

    ¡°The remaining members of my faction will arrive at Crimson Citadel tomorrow. The White Mountain faction has been disbanded, which has greatly impacted the morale within my faction and the unity I¡¯ve been struggling to maintain. I urgently need a victory to inspire people.

    Most importantly, I must prove to those watching me that I still have the ability to be a leader.

    To my followers.

    To my n leader.

    Finally, to my sister sitting high on the ice pce throne!

    I want to prove my growth and my abilities. I want to prove that I can be the Count of White Mountain and faction leader not just because of my bloodline, but also because of my abilities!

    Most importantly¡­¡±

    He looked up at Murphy, with an undisguised sense of frustration, displeasure, and stubbornness, and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°You and I were turned at the same time, Murphy! If you can do it, why can¡¯t I?¡±

    Thest reason was like child¡¯s y.

    This was definitely not something a mature and aloof vampire count should say.

    But Murphy chose to believe it.

    ¡°Ah, the uniquepetitiveness and desire to prove oneself among young people, truly a terrifying thing.¡±

    Murphy sighed.

    The voice of the heart he heard through the Power of Desire was the same, proving that Andrei wasn¡¯t lying.

    Although he and Andrei were turned around the same time, and even their actual ages were simr,pared to himself, Andrei was indeed a bit impulsive and childish.

    This was unavoidable.

    After all, he only looked young, but inside this vampire body was the soul of a cunning socialite. He had long passed the stage of trying to brute force things because of unwillingness to admit defeat, while Andrei¡­ he was truly still very young.

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°My descendant Adele will cooperate with you toplete this ¡®dancing with wolves¡¯ operation. You want to prove yourself, so I¡¯ll give you this chance. But please be more careful this time, don¡¯t mess up again.

    Face is often given by others, but it¡¯s also often lost by forcing oneself into situations.

    I¡¯ve given you face, Andrei.

    So, you now have one more person to prove your abilities to!

    Don¡¯t disappoint me!¡±

 Chapter 250:

    That night, Murphy received a message from Miriam.

    She hadpleted three days of negotiations with the financial representatives of the Nordtov Kingdom, signed a memorandum and a series of terms, and would be setting off to return to Crimson Citadel after tonight¡¯s dinner.

    Murphy was quite satisfied with this.

    The red-haired Miriam was bing more and more suited to her role. The once vige chief¡¯s illegitimate daughter who hated vampires could now serve as a representative of a vampire lord without any psychological barriers, truly participating in the circle of ¡°continental politics¡± that had previously seemed unattainable to her.

    Compared to her progress, the ¡°advancement¡± of himself, Maxim, and Adele in this period was indeed somewhat worrying.

    So, could the legend be true?

    After bing a vampire and being granted immortality by midnight, is the human talent for quick learning and curiosity removed, turning one into azy and indolent being like other transcendent races?

    No wonder he had no interest inplex spirit knowledge. It turned out that changing races resulted in losing all learning ability.

    Ah, it shouldn¡¯t be like this.Murphy felt a bit mncholy, but he quickly cheered up. As usual, after reviewing all the quest contents issued by NPCs to little yers today, he began his nightly patrol of the territory.

    There wasn¡¯t much to see in the Baroness of Shadows¡¯ domain that had just been cleaned up. The situation in Baron Mond¡¯s domain, which had been precisely hunted by Witch Hunters, was also stable and improving. So Murphy went to Baron of Leim¡¯s domain.

    He had no doubt about the little yers¡¯ enthusiasm for clearing out gnolls. Their dedicated work attitude could be seen from the constantly refreshing personal scoreboard.

    An hour ago, Brother Mao, currently ranked first, had already broken through 1300 points, while Sister Pomegranate, closely following, had reached 1290 points.

    The stable 10-point difference meant that these two must have reached some tacit agreement.

    But Murphy didn¡¯t care.

    He only looked at results, not concerned with the process. Moreover, little yers were free in this world. As long as they didn¡¯t do anything unforgivable, Murphy didn¡¯t intend to interfere too much in their gaming careers.

    However, 1300 points was indeed a bit shocking.

    With the current progress of gnoll hunting entering its 11th day, it meant that Brother Mao had to kill 100 gnolls on average every day. Of course, the specifics weren¡¯t calcted like this. His little yers were more focused on hunting higher-scoring elites and ck Iron individuals, but even so, this kill efficiency was still terrifying.

    Besides Molotov cocktails, they didn¡¯t have any decent firearms in hand. Hacking out such terrifying scores with just des, one could only say that Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate were truly ¡°Khorne¡¯s chosen ones.¡±

    But it didn¡¯t seem particrly good to always have these two dominating.

    Perhaps he should introduce a petition¡± mechanism in the next little yer selection? Murphy thought, maybe he could recruit some real ¡°professionals,¡± like the three suspected official background individuals lurking on the forum.

    Introducing official forces certainly meant risks.

    But this ¡®risk¡¯ wasn¡¯t for Murphy. He believed that at worst, he couldn¡¯t be cross-world enforced. The real risks would ultimately be imposed on his little yers, which Murphy didn¡¯t want to see.

    So, perhaps he should find a way to ¡°contact¡± the officials appropriately. When they realize this is just a ¡°game,¡± many misunderstandings would have the possibility of further consultation.

    As for what to doter, Murphy didn¡¯t know.

    He also didn¡¯t want to waste brain cells on it now. Just take it one step at a time.

    Moreover, the best advantage of introducing official forces was that there would be a continuous stream of ¡°professionals¡± entering his ¡°talent pool.¡± This is what ¡°otherworld pioneering¡± should look like, right?

    For example, these current ones

    The vampire lord silently patrolled in the air, pping his wings. Below him in the night stood several buildings that had already sprung up using the ¡°mold manufacturing method.¡±

    That was the residential area that Old Chen had prepared for his five collective farms with the help of Grayman and Bricyer. They were square Khrushchyovka-style buildings, focusing solely on practicality without considering aesthetics.

    The vigers who had been relocated here could still live in tents like real medieval people for now, but they would soon reach 20th-century living conditions.

    ording to the daily reports submitted by the civil servants of the Administration Office, it was estimated that in a few days, the first batch of residents would move into the ¡°residential buildings¡± in Crimson Citadel.

    The settlement of the five collective farms would be a bitter, to bepleted after the gnoll hunting activity ends. By then, the administrative yers would truly begin their ¡°vige chief¡± careers.

    The first batch of grain handled by Knight Palen and her ¡°Bataxin Chamber of Commerce¡± had already been delivered to Crimson Citadel and distributed to the collective farms by the administrative department.

    Like the former survivor camp,bor points and rationing system were implemented here, along with militia patrols and curfews, making the overall order still eptable. But as Murphy flew over the farms, he could still hear the voices of unease from the hearts below.

    The vigers here were forcibly relocated.

    They hadn¡¯t ¡°shared hardships¡± with Murphy like the residents of Crimson Citadel, and they were very uneasy about how the lord would treat them.

    On this continent, in this era, these bottom-tier residents lived without any dignity to speak of. That was something they simply couldn¡¯t afford to think about, after all, it was already hard enough trying to fill their own and their families¡¯ stomachs every day.

    But.

    This was a good thing for the lord.

    In Murphy¡¯s view, as long as the foundation was low enough, any small improvement would make the residents grateful.

    If the vampire lord had learned any experience from his years of struggle in another life, it was that free things would never be cherished! Like free breakfasts, like the love of a simp.

    He believed that his administrative yers should perhaps learn this as well.

    ¡°This is the ¡®Transia Demonstration Zone¡¯ after all.¡±

    Murphy spread his wings to fly higher, letting the spirit vulture Revnor follow beside him.

    He looked down from the high altitude at the five farms neatly arranged along the nned ¡°main road¡± of Baron of Leim¡¯s domain. On the chaotic Transiand, such a small orderly area looked out of ce, but Old Chen had already started nning for the entire Count of Kadman domain.

    Murphy believed that the old professor would definitely design his territory to be very beautiful.

    This ce would be filled with beautiful scenery full of a sense of order and unity, and it would have human care far beyond this era and this world.

    That would be a solid rule established from the grassroots, which was Murphy¡¯s greatest source of confidence.

    This was a dimensional reduction attack of civilization against civilization.

    The future of Transia would be limitless under the brick-by-brick efforts of his little yers. Of course, the premise was that he could lead them through this ck Disaster.

    Ah, the ck Disaster.

    Just as little yers want to be strong by breaking through the ck Iron trial, the Transia he owned, wanting to stand on the continental stage again after having its backbone broken, also needs to pass this trial!

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s so tiring to deal with these guys.¡±

    In the ¡°City Hall¡± of Bataxin city, which had been renovated by the Chamber of Commerce, Regent Miriam, dressed in a red gown with her hair up and looking very morous, returned to her resting seat with a ss of wine.

    Sheined to Lady Palen beside her, who was smiling contentedly:

    ¡°I really can¡¯t understand why these northerners have to recite some sour poems before drinking. The poems written by Lord Andrei are much better than theirs.¡±

    ¡°This is their way of life, Lady Miriam, and it will be your way of life in the future,¡±

    Lady Palen shook her head and said:

    ¡°This circle has its own set of rules. I also find it troublesome, but you have to admit thatpared to the verbal sparring at the negotiation table, these northerners are obviously more rxed in this kind of situation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not used to it,¡±

    Miriam pouted and said:

    ¡°If this is what being noble means¡­ No, it¡¯s not! After all, I haven¡¯t seen this kind of problem with Lady Tris and Lord Murphy. Those two were said to have been nobles before bing vampires?¡±

    ¡°Well, gossiping about superiors is not something we should do,¡±

    Lady Palen grinned and said:

    ¡°Of course, I also believe that our lord is different, in all aspects.

    Crimson Citadel has been standing for a month now, but apart from a simple celebration, our lord hasn¡¯t even held a single party in his own castle, and Grand Duchess Tris has noints about this.

    This is obviously different from the vampires in rumors who are said to love luxury and socializing.¡±

    ¡°So is there a possibility that Murphy doesn¡¯t hold parties because he and Tris are too poor and don¡¯t even have a castle that can serve as a venue for parties?¡±

    Miriam made a witty remark, causing Lady Palen to cover her mouth and chuckle lightly.

    Although her plump physique made this action look quite awkward, given Lady Palen¡¯s current status in Bataxin city, no foolish person would dare toe and criticize her for it.

    As the two were talking, Professor Malcolm, also dressed very properly and leaning on a cane, walked over with a ss of wine.

    The professor was a man of experience, having attended many such asions in Shaldor port.

    Tonight¡¯s party reminded him of the past, but it also made the no-longer-young professor feel somewhat overwhelmed.

    He sat down next to Miriam, looking at his wife dancing with a representative from the north who was as big as a bear in the dance floor before him, and sighed:

    ¡°Fiona seems to be enjoying this long-lost rxed life. My wife, who has been umting too much dissatisfaction, just told me that she wants to live in Bataxin city with our two children. The environment here is a bit better than Crimson Citadel.¡±

    ¡°I would be very wee for your wife to settle here. I will arrange a safe andfortable residence for her and your two children,¡±

    Lady Palen immediately said, but Professor Malcolm shook his head and said:

    ¡°I refused, so she¡¯s very angry. That¡¯s why she¡¯s dancing with that rude northerner who always mocked my leg and walking posture during the negotiations, right in front of me.

    But don¡¯t mind it.

    It¡¯s just Fiona¡¯s little mood acting up.

    She¡¯s also a faculty member of the Shaldor Engineering Academy, and she¡¯s about to take up the position of senior secretary in the administrative department.

    So she knows why I refused her.

    Bataxin city is good, your chamber ofmerce has managed this ce quite well, and the restarted business with the Nordtov Kingdom is destined to make this ce prosper again. However, Crimson Citadel needs us more.

    I also don¡¯t want my children to miss the opportunity to witness the entire process of a city and a regime being born. When they grow up, they will realize what a rich spiritual wealth this is.¡±

    ¡°You always have such strict requirements for yourself and your family, Professor. Madam Fiona has stuck with you through thick and thin for many years. Personally, I think it¡¯s quite normal for her to want an easier life,¡±

    Miriam said in a low voice:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that Madam Fiona might really be seduced by that northerner? He¡¯s a noble count with family territory, and I heard his wife just died. He¡¯s like a bear in heat right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a count too in the future, if I want to be,¡±

    Professor Malcolm shrugged. This schr who had seen the vicissitudes of life, under the influence of alcohol, said with a slightly frivolous smile:

    ¡°Governor Murphy is a very generous ruler. The best thing is that he knows how to use people. I even feel that if I were willing to nod and be a member of the Blood Vulture n, he could directly get me a duke title.

    But we all know that those luxurious titles are just for our own amusement so far.

    Actually, there¡¯s another reason why I don¡¯t want to leave Crimson Citadel.

    I don¡¯t want to interrupt my studies.¡±

    ¡°Studies?¡±

    The twodies almost choked on this reason.

    They looked at the middle-aged professor in surprise. Although in the schr circles of the continent, Professor Malcolm couldn¡¯t be considered truly top-tier in terms of reputation or knowledge, his knowledge at this age clearly destined him for future greatness.

    In Miriam and Lady Palen¡¯s view, they really couldn¡¯t imagine what Professor Malcolm could learn in that rebuilding ruins of Crimson Citadel.

    Thetter took a sip of wine, and under the gaze of his student and colleague, he said quite seriously:

    ¡°Yes, studies!

    I¡¯m learning from Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors. The knowledge andpletely different history they bring, for example, I¡¯ve made a small deal with ¡®Lady Aqua¡¯ and ¡®Professor Chen¡¯.

    I will choose a shop in the city for that charming and wisedy and support the aesthetic style and design concepts of different races she wants to collect. I will also try to collect some architectural ssics for the mature and steady professor. In exchange, they will take time to teach me some of the history they know.

    The descriptions of the two are slightly different, butparing them allows me to see the real history that happened in another world.

    Perhaps I¡¯m too slow, I¡¯ve just learned about the ¡®Homeric Epics¡¯ and ¡®The Strategy of the Warring States¡¯.

    I hope my wife can forgive me, but the fact is, I really don¡¯t want to miss those beautiful and extremely vorful epoch epics.

    Can you imagine, Miriam?

    That¡¯s over 5,000 years of profound history, and it actually happened in another world! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me! Missing it would break my heart, even if it¡¯s historical material that can never be made public on this continent.

    But it can still teach us many, many lessons.¡±

    ¡°Such as?¡±

    Miriam knew that her deputy professor had beenmunicating with little yers about this, so she asked curiously. Professor Malcolm nced at her and said softly:

    ¡°For example, I finally realized what kind of country Lord Murphy wants to build Transia into. His connection with his warriors is closer, so he knows more than me, and his learning about the other world is deeper than mine.

    I can¡¯t summarize what Transia looks like in Murphy¡¯s eyes for now, but I have to admit, I¡¯m already fascinated by it.

    I¡¯m already fascinated by everything that will happen in thisnd in the future.

    This will be the confluence of two worlds, two civilizations!

    It will undoubtedly be the center of the continent and the world! And I will be the recorder of this ¡®Transia Epic¡¯. The changes recorded by me will eventually be legends in children¡¯s mouths as time passes, and after you and I have perished in history, it will be elevated to myths experienced and recorded by Mortals!¡±

    ¡°Frankly, I think you¡¯re already obsessed, perhaps because you¡¯ve had too much to drink tonight,¡±

    Miriam whispered critically:

    ¡°Some of my previous immature actions and words made Maxim constantly rebuke me as a coward wanting to flee my homnd, but in my view, you¡¯re already too immersed in the history that doesn¡¯t belong to us.

    You¡¯ve gone too far down the path of ¡®betraying your homnd¡¯.

    After all, no matter how glorious the past was, it¡¯s still someone else¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Rather than betrayal, I prefer to call it ¡®assimtion¡¯, and this is just the beginning. We are all being assimted, Miriam, you just haven¡¯t felt it yet,¡±

    The middle-aged professor raised his ss and said with a rxed expression:

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of! The weak learn from the strong to be strong. We already have a more wonderful example to emte than the Goldflower Kingdom. Um, it seems our warriors are in trouble.¡±

    Miriam followed Professor Malcolm¡¯s gaze and saw that those warriors she had chosen as advisors, dressed in Blood Vulture ceremonial outfits, were being ¡°harassed¡± by the femalepanions brought by the northerners at the edge of the party.

    The young men were somewhat at a loss.

    Despite being vampires, their faces were still flushed red, showing a naive demeanor. Meanwhile, old hands like Brother Meow and Tobo Mulberry were already gracefully inviting two nobledies with at least D+ cups to the dance floor.

    Although they couldn¡¯t do anything, it didn¡¯t stop these flirts from fully enjoying the ¡°exotic vor¡± the game brought them.

    As Murphy said, their lives here are free.

    ¡°Miriam, those kids,¡±

    Professor Malcolm looked at those student yers being ¡°harassed¡±, he saw Cheche, with his cute face and puppy-like charm, being sandwiched between two girls and at a loss for what to do, which made himugh.

    He said:

    ¡°The knowledge possessed by each of them is enough to make them outstanding teaching assistants at Shaldor Engineering Academy, but they always self-deprecate as ¡®poor students¡¯, and in the few days of interaction, they always inadvertently reveal their confusion about the future and anxiety aboutpetition.

    Do you know what this means?¡±

    The professor posed a question, and Miriam pondered for a moment as a student.

    Then, she answered:

    ¡°It means that even though they can crush the financial representatives of the Nordtov Kingdom in the economic field with their so-called ¡®basic knowledge¡¯, they are just ordinary people in their homnd.

    This also reflects from the side that their homnd¡¯s knowledge transmission and talent education are beyond our imagination. Their general education has developed to a level that seems divine to me.

    But people with empty stomachs have no mood or energy to study. They are already in their twenties but still full-time students, which is enough to prove that in their world, they have already escaped the constant invasion of famine, war, and disease.

    No!

    It can even be said that they have conquered the malice of the world, they have been able to Sovereign the changes of their world with their own will.

    Ah, I think I understand where your previous obsession came from.

    What a wonderfully heavenly world that must be, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t imagine it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a crushing at the civilization level,¡±

    The professor lowered his head and drank a ss of wine, as if wanting to get drunk in this night.

    He said softly:

    ¡°What I¡¯m grateful for now is that this ¡®power¡¯ is only in the hands of Lord Murphy alone, and he doesn¡¯t have the ability to truly open a door connecting the two worlds.

    Transia¡¯s future is destined to be incredibly glorious, Miriam.

    This is the grace bestowed upon you by fate. You must constantly learn. Perhaps in the future, you will be a pivotal figure in our history. Perhaps in the future, the two worlds will truly make contact, and you

    You and Lord Murphy will be our representatives!

    You must understand the weight of your responsibility. You can¡¯t even have a moment to catch your breath. I even feel a bit sorry for you, child, but I also feel honored for you. You will be my most outstanding student, you will be the pride of Shaldor Engineering Academy.

    No one else!¡±

 Chapter 251:

    ¡°Those nobledies were so enthusiastic, I¡¯m sure that when the party endedst night, Lady Natalie¡¯s invitation to take a walk in the garden was anything but innocent. Her gaze was like she wanted to devour me whole, skin and bones!

    I never imagined that an old bachelor like me would be so popr in the game.¡±

    Early the next morning, on the carriage leaving Bataxin city, Meow King whispered to Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry beside him with a smug expression of reminiscence:

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a pity that we¡¯re all a bunch of ¡®dead eunuchs¡¯. Damn Alpha Company, they have the ability to make 18+ content but they just won¡¯t do it! Not only do they not make it, but they keep teasing us in various ways, like tickling us.

    It¡¯s infuriating.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry looked around with a strange expression, then leaned in to Meow King¡¯s ear and said something, then made a gesture with his fingers. His lewd expression made Meow King¡¯s eyes widen instantly.

    ¡°Holy crap! You can actually do that? How did I not think of it? You bastard! Damn, I feel like you might have identally found a very scary bug.¡±

    ¡°Well, well, it was just a little taste. Who knew it would actually work¡­¡±Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry stroked his fingers with a ¡°full of memories¡± posture and said softly:

    ¡°And I didn¡¯t dare to risk my game ount on something like this. When I saw her still giving me bedroom eyes and inviting me to continue, I made an excuse and ran. I¡¯m not lying, I was worried about getting kicked offline all night.

    Heaven¡¯s my witness, I really didn¡¯t mean to!

    But the character modeling in this game is so damn realistic! In every sense of the word, it¡¯s unbelievable!¡±

    ¡°Shh, shh, shh, we can¡¯t let this spread.¡±

    Meow King anxiously pulled Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let others know! If this gets out and the dev team finds out they missed blocking this part of the 18+ game content, who knows what might happen.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid?¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry pouted and said:

    ¡°I finally found such a fun bug, of course I¡¯m keeping it to myself. Now only you know, and if you don¡¯t tell and I don¡¯t tell, no one will know.¡±

    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s agree to keep this secret together!¡±

    Meow King solemnly raised his pinky finger, and Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry linked pinkies with him like children. As for the student yers who had desires but no courage, they were still in another carriage, heatedly discussing which female NPC fromst night was prettier.

    They werepletely unaware that while they were still at the level of ¡°screen licking¡±, theirpanions had already tasted the meat.

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche was bragging about being invited to dance by two nobledies, but was severely mocked by the others. They had all seen how awkward and flustered he lookedst night,pletely out of his element.

    However, apart from these little yers who were jubnt about their ¡°worldly experiences¡±, there were a few morerge carriages in this convoypared to when it departed, and they were all filled with coffins.

    Those were the die-hard members of the White Mountain faction of the Thorn n, who were following Regent Miriam back to the Crimson Citadel to meet with Count Andrei.

    Miriam was also eager to return and report the results of this trip to Murphy, so the convoy was moving quickly.

    Now the Crimson Citadel administration had upgraded its equipment. After obtaining 500 demon-hunting warhorses surrendered by the Witch Hunters, even the carriage horses were reced with good ones. At this speed, they would be able to return to the Crimson Citadel by midnight today.

    Almost at the same time, in the ¡°diplomatic area¡± of the Blood Vulture Halls in the Crimson Citadel, Count Andrei was discussing the specifics of the job he had just ¡°secured¡± with his most trusted subordinate.

    However, because it was daytime and dawn was approaching, Vesta, the servant who was utterly loyal to Count Andrei, was having trouble concentrating. The unbearable drowsiness forced him to drink hot tea one cup after another, but with little effect.

    Although Andrei himself yawned asionally, his condition was obviously much better than Vesta.

    Perhaps that damn ¡°day walker trick¡± Murphy introduced earlier really worked?

    ¡°So the problem now is that we have a gnoll agent codenamed ¡®Pangolin¡¯, and he has already made contact with the Wolfsbane n. He will act as a guide to bring the Wolfsbane into the Crimson Citadel.¡±

    Andrei looked at the three-level seweryout map in front of him, narrowing his eyes as he said:

    ¡°We need to take advantage of this opportunity and continuously expand our advantage to ultimately lure those Wolfsbane bastards into the deadly trap we¡¯ve prepared for them and then crush them in one strike!

    It sounds simple, but when ites to execution, the problems be veryplicated.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    Vesta yawned and said softly beside the count:

    ¡°The biggest problem is that we¡¯re short-handed. Although your dozen or so servants are absolutely loyal, they¡¯re all brave warriors who voluntarily joined the Thorn n with you from the royal servants, when ites to cunning, they certainly can¡¯t match the crafty Blood Vultures. They¡¯re fine for fighting and killing.

    But for this kind of strategy that requires intelligence, we need to choose different personnel.¡±

    ¡°This problem will be resolved soon. The core members of the White Mountain faction will arrive shortly, and we¡¯ll be able to see them tonight.¡±

    Andrei took a sip of royal red tea and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°Our faction being removed by the Grand Duchess doesn¡¯t seem to be a bad thing now. Those uncertain opportunists have already left voluntarily, and those remaining are trustworthy loyalists! I suddenly feel that our previous approach had some issues, Vesta.

    Perhaps we should re-examine the internal structure of the White Mountain faction and draw some wisdom from this failure.

    If I were to say what I¡¯ve learned during this time in Transia, it¡¯s that ideals alone can¡¯t get things done.

    I was too idealistic before.

    My dear Vesta, we need to rebuild the White Mountain faction from the ground up. Murphy¡¯s management model for the Blood Vulture n is worth learning from, so I¡¯ve already made a decision. I want to appoint you as my intelligence director.

    Just like Lady Adele¡¯s position by Murphy¡¯s side, you¡¯ll be fully responsible for the work handover with Lady Adele this time.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m willing to serve you, master.¡±

    The loyal servant Vesta nodded, but then added:

    ¡°However, establishing our intelligencework in Transia will be quite difficult.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean we shouldn¡¯t consider whates after for now. We should first integrate into Murphy¡¯s system, view ourselves as part of the Transia system, and obey his orders. Let¡¯s learn first! Then we can talk about growth.¡±

    Andrei corrected:

    ¡°From now on, we need to put aside the idea of confrontation with them and integrate into thisnd in the name of dealing with the ck Disaster.¡±

    ¡°But this doesn¡¯t benefit your interests at all!¡±

    Vesta was startled and immediately advised:

    ¡°Her Majesty the Wolf Queen has given you preferential treatment, master! As long as Lord Murphy¡¯s rule fails, you can be the master of thisnd! This is clearly your sister¡¯s guilt andpensation for you in her heart. You shouldn¡¯t refuse this reward. We¡¯re already being quite decent by not sabotaging the Blood Vulture n, how can we help your political enemy stabilize the situation?

    This is equivalent to you personally giving up this territory, which might make Her Majesty the Wolf Queen feel disappointed in you.¡±

    ¡°What if I tell you that I never intended to interfere with Transia¡¯s affairs from the beginning to the end, would you think I¡¯m crazy?¡±

    Andrei drank thest of the hot tea in his cup.

    He leaned back in his chair, looking at the loyal servant who had taken care of him since he was a child.

    When he was still a child, Vesta, who was still quite young at the time, was assigned as his butler. It could be said thatpared to his sister who was always distant from him, Vesta was more like his family and elder.

    Therefore, in front of this servant who was so loyal that he stepped into midnight with him, Andrei rarely concealed his thoughts.

    He rubbed his brow and exined softly, as if sharing a secret:

    ¡°Turning Transia into my own fief was never part of my n, not just because thisnd is isted, barbaric, and difficult to manage, and not just because it seems to be cursed by disaster and has to endure endless malice from the world.

    It¡¯s also because I realized very early on that our country could never control Transia!

    The line from Ice Bay to the Kafhoka ins is already the farthest frontier that the Kingdom of Nordtov¡¯s power can reach. Vesta, our country is like a giant on the verge of death.

    It still has a good appetite, but its aged and decayed body is no longer able to support it in swallowing morend.

    In fact, the reason why my sister agreed to King Louis¡¯s invitation to send troops was not out of her desire. I¡¯ve talked with her before, and sending troops to seize benefits during the Ten-Year War was to appease the hawks at home.

    For my sister, her interest in internal reform is far greater than in foreign wars.

    She¡¯s very clear that taking fertilend but being unable to manage it effectively would cause trouble for the country, just like a wound that won¡¯t stop bleeding.

    Your family has served the royal family for generations, you should know better than me what a mess our country is in right now.

    The fertility of the Kafhoka ins is far from enough to restore the country¡¯s vitality. On the contrary, we have to inherit the hostility and resistance from the people for upying new territories.

    The Winter Wolf Legion has been stationed in the core area of the Great ins for less than a month and a half, and has already suppressed more than 40 rebellions of various sizes.

    This is terrifying.¡±

    Andrei sighed like a mncholy poet, saying:

    ¡°We can¡¯t even swallow the Kafhoka ins, so even if I took Transia, what then? It would be a victory in name only, but in reality, it would only further deplete the country¡¯s already scarce precious vitality.

    Our rigid system is different from the Goldflower Kingdom.

    We can¡¯t quickly digest and umte strength through expansion, so when my sister sent that agreement with Murphy, I knew what she meant.

    She didn¡¯t want to give me a chance to be governor out of guilt, she just hoped that I could sessfully break free from the control of the Thorn n and my ancestor through this situation.

    My sister does feel guilty towards me, but not the kind ofpensation you think.

    But for me personally, getting training and growth in Transia, and thus bing someone beneficial to the country is more important than my personal honor or disgrace!

    My country needs me, and my sister needs me too.

    Vesta, I told you when I was little that I have no interest in the throne, but I¡¯m willing to fulfill my duty for this bloodline.

    So, do you understand?

    What I¡¯ve always wanted to do here was never topete with Murphy for that dispensable governor position, but to use this ce as my trial ground, to make myself stronger as quickly as possible.

    My sister is a queen destined to do great things, she could give me a fief a hundred times better than Transia with just a wave of her finger.

    But do I really need it?

    No.

    What I need is growth.

    Not just in personal power, but in other aspects as well.

    Even when Grand Duchess Shani dissolved the White Mountain faction, which seemed to be hitting me, I¡¯vee to understand in these days that my ancestor just saw through my immaturity and the White Mountain faction¡¯s facade of strength.

    She dissolved that faction that couldn¡¯t aplish anything to give me a chance to start over.

    Right here!¡±

    Andrei narrowed his eyes and said coldly:

    ¡°Right here, facing the threat of the ck Disaster, just like throwing a piece of ordinary iron into a furnace. Either be reborn in fire or die defending the bloodline of the Hero King. I want to rebuild my faction!

    And this time, it will no longer be child¡¯s y.

    Just as fire tempers a precious sword, you always need a worthy opponent to test the de. The Greyw faction of the Wolfsbane n is the first opponent I have to face.

    We must defeat them!

    We will devour their blood and nutrients, we will build the foundation for the rise of the White Mountain faction on their corpses, and ultimately truly be the shadow of Nordtov.

    We will eventually be the shadow of the Wolf Queen!

    We will eventually promote the change of the Thorn n, making this foreign race that has been independent within the kingdom for hundreds of years truly be a part of Nordtov¡¯s ruling system.

    We will make the blood n assassins under the night be the sharpest royal de in my sister¡¯s hand when she rules her country!

    Yes.

    This is my ideal.

    I¡¯m no longer lost, Vesta. I already have the motivation to move forward and won¡¯t lose my way again in this chaotic world.¡±

    These words were spoken with great conviction.

    But there was undisguised worry in the eyes of the loyal servant Vesta. This worry even overcame the call of midnight at this moment, making him wake up from his drowsiness.

    He had raised Andrei from an infant in swaddling clothes, and he knew his young master too well.

    There was a part of Andrei¡¯s personality that couldn¡¯t be made public, such as his worshipful, feverish obsession with his half-sister.

    Although Her Majesty the Wolf Queen was indeed an outstanding young ruler in all aspects, Andrei¡¯s obsession would sooner orter bring him terrible trouble.

    Moreover, his young master was very stubborn and had never truly sworn allegiance to his n.

    Vesta knew very well.

    The object of Andrei¡¯s loyalty had always been only his sister, and Grand Duchess Shani obviously knew this too.

    One day, the Count of White Mountain would have to choose between his n and his country, and at that time, he would have to face his true ¡®ancestor¡¯.

    Shani

    This vampire grand duchess who could push her own elder into the fire pit with her own hands and see her off to eternal rest with a smile on her face, would definitely not show mercy because of her blood rtion with Andrei when facing such a situation.

    Therefore, Vesta knew that his young master had chosen a dangerous path full of thorns, even for vampires.

    It was at this moment that Vesta suddenly understood, as if lightning had struck in his mind, making him exim:

    ¡°You¡­ you n to ally with Lord Murphy?¡±

    ¡°Ha, you finally understand, my dear Vesta.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain finally showed a smile from the bottom of his heart, and he said:

    ¡°Yes, Murphy is an outstanding leader. Even though he can¡¯t possibly submit to my sister, he has already defeated one vampire grand duke with his own hands and ¡®conquered¡¯ another.

    Of course I want to ally with such a person, just for greater goals and interests.

    I believe that when I have to make the difficult choice between country and n in the future, Murphy and his Blood Vulture n will be one of my biggest backings.

    My ancestor has never hindered my ambitions.

    She seems to be looking forward to the final answer I will give. I know it¡¯s difficult, but I won¡¯t give up. I will eventually be the first male grand duke in the history of the Thorn n.

    I will lead my n to join my country, bing my sister¡¯s undisputed loyal servant, and protecting her country and her beliefs for her forever!

    This is the promise I made to her when I was a child.

    Of course, these are all things for muchter.

    Now we must solidlyplete the task at hand, how to lure the Wolfsbane n into this first hunting trap set by me, a novice hunter.¡±

    ¡°This is not difficult, master.¡±

    Vesta narrowed his eyes and said:

    ¡°We can let that Pangolin bring people over, then catch them and force them to change sides. The Thorn n has always been quite good at this.¡±

    ¡°No, this is too risky. We can¡¯t underestimate Mr. Korando¡¯s acuteness. That¡¯s a lead wolf who has fought his way out of a wolf den.

    We need to be smarter, make them eliminate the risks themselves, make them willingly step into the trap.¡±

    Andrei looked at the sewer map in front of him, and after a few seconds of silence, he said:

    ¡°Vesta, have you ever gone fishing?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The loyal servant was a bit confused by this question.

    Fishing?

    In that hellish ce of Nordtov where even rivers freeze in summer, who would have the mood to go fishing?

    ¡°I¡¯ve recently taken a liking to angling, and I¡¯ve be fishing buddies with a warrior who also enjoys it.¡±

    Andrei chuckled, seemingly recalling some happy memories, and said softly:

    ¡°That warrior shared his homemade bait with me and taught me the secrets of fishing. For example, groundbaiting is a very important step. We need to first use delicious things to groundbait, to give the hungry and mindless fish a little taste. Then, tempted by the food, they will bite hard on the hook that will be their demise.

    My dear Vesta, I remember you had a part-time job at the grand theater in North Wind Castle a long time ago, right?

    So, you must be very good at acting?¡±

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s just a small hobby of mine, master, but I do indeed enjoy the feeling of performing.¡±

    ¡°Very good, I¡¯ll need your talent in this area next. If a weak Blood Vulture count is not enough to lure the wild wolves, then adding a Thorn count who is full of disappointment due to demotion and has serious conflicts with the local lord should be enough to emit an enticing scent of victory.

    I must make good use of my unique identity.

    Hmm, the Wolf Queen¡¯s brother, a discontented big shot eager for change, would be the best bait in any situation.¡±

 Chapter 252:

    While Andrei and his servants continued to n and refine their strategy, Murphy¡¯s little yers had fewer concerns.

    They had already begun their action, but not on arge scale. To be precise, there were only 4 people.

    2 NPCs and 2 yers.

    2 mentors and their 2 apprentices.

    Mr. Helu, the Detection Spirit Mage who had just been released from Baroness Miriam¡¯s negotiation team, was still immersed in the pleasant memories of the high-society party in Bataxin City. However, that banquet seemed to have ¡°drained¡± his energy, causing him to yawn continuously even as he galloped on his unique donkey.

    However, this seemingly unreliable appearance couldn¡¯t hide the fact that this former Spirit Mage from the Circle Tower was now part of the ¡°high-end spellcasting force¡± of the Crimson Citadel.

    His mastery of detection spirit magic was exactly what Murphy and Tris needed most at the moment. Therefore, after Helu followed the Witch Hunter to the Crimson Citadel, as he had hoped, the down-and-out mage was immediately entrusted with an important task, and even received personal instruction from Tris, the Spirit Sovereign.

    This was an unexpected delight for Helu. After all, even in the Circle Tower, there were less than 5 Spirit Sovereigns, and the positions they held there were far beyond the reach of a ck Iron rank detection mage like Helu.

    This fully demonstrated that Helu¡¯s ¡°better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox¡± career strategy was a great sess!¡°Say, why do you look so listless? You¡¯re even younger than me,¡± Dorothy, pping her newly grown wings and experiencing the unique feeling of flight, followed beside Helu¡¯s ridiculous donkey and quietlyined, ¡°You look like you haven¡¯t slept for two days and two nights, as if your body has beenpletely drained?¡±

    ¡°Ah, who can me those northerndies for being so passionate? The beauties who grew up in the Great Wilderness are as cold and proud as ice and snow on the outside, but as hot as mes on the inside! Myte teacher¡¯s guidance was correct! Women, ah, they¡¯re truly terrible creatures that can make talented people willingly degrade themselves. The first hurdle to bing an excellent Spirit Mage is to resist temptation!¡±

    Helu couldn¡¯t help but grumble quietly, with a hint of pride.

    This poor boy from the rural area near the emerald forest of Antani had never imagined that he actually had the potential to be a ¡°pretty boy¡±.

    But his mind was still clear, knowing that the small power and status he currently enjoyed came from the local lord¡¯s favor. So he stopped talking about these things and forced himself to perk up, turning to look at Dorothy beside him.

    He asked quietly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you bringing more people? Aren¡¯t you afraid of something going wrong with just you and your disciple sneaking into the gnoll¡¯srge camp?¡±

    ¡°My current subordinates are all a bunch of useless people. It¡¯s fine to let them gather some intelligence, but I wouldn¡¯t trust them to do this kind of thing even if they were willing,¡± Dorothy pursed her lips and said, ¡°Besides, don¡¯t we have you and your disciple? With your detection spells assisting, Fangfang and I will be very safe, as long as you two don¡¯t mess things up.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, I can¡¯t guarantee anything else, after all, Grand Duchess Tris hasn¡¯t formally taught me evocation spirit magic yet, but when ites to detection techniques, it¡¯s my old specialty. I used to serve Marshal Loren! Trust me, absolutely professional!¡± Helu immediately puffed out his chest, assuring the newly turned vampiredy beside him:

    ¡°As long as your footsteps are light enough, we¡¯ll definitely be able to bring you out safely. But I¡¯m curious, how does it feel to be a vampire as a human?¡±

    ¡°The feeling of wandering in the night is fantastic, all sorts of mysteries are like being reborn. However, once the annoying sunlight appears, you¡¯d hate to tear off your own delicate skin and bury yourself in the coldest tomb,¡± Dorothy sighed.

    She honestly expressed her true feelings after bing a vampire, then nced at Helu who was curiously examining her wings, and drawled, ¡°What? Are you interested in the night¡¯s blessing too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say I¡¯m not, but my interest probablyes from a different ce than yours. I came from the Circle Tower, although I wasn¡¯t particrly outstanding, I understand how supernatural powers work. To be honest, the transcendent powers possessed by vampires are insignificant in the face of true wisdom,¡± Helu, wearing a ck robe, said honestly:

    ¡°If I were to choose to be a vampire at the risk of being beaten up by my aunt or even being disowned, there would definitely be only one reason.

    It¡¯s not for the transcendent power, but for worldly power!

    I want to stand out from the crowd, I want to go back home in glory and bring my parents and family over to live the good life of upper-ss people that they wouldn¡¯t even dare to imagine.

    But in and ruled by vampires, even if Lord Murphy keeps proiming racial equality, vampires will still be the uncrowned kings in the darkness.

    However, given the current situation in Transia, it¡¯s not enough for me to bet everything I have, which isn¡¯t much, in a desperate gamble.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re an interesting little fellow,¡± Dorothy pped her Blood Wings, nimbly flying from one side of the ¡°war donkey¡± to the other. She said to Helu:

    ¡°To call you stupid, well, you see these things clearer than most people. But to call you smart, you dare to tell your innermost thoughts to someone you¡¯ve just met, and who¡¯s a member of the Blood Vulture n at that.

    I get it, you¡¯re probably one of those legendary ¡®smart but stupid¡¯ people.¡±

    ¡°Tch, I just wanted to make a friend,¡± Helu pursed his lips. Dorothy drawled again:

    ¡°Freely sharing your thoughts with strangers isn¡¯t the way to make friends. It only makes me think you¡¯re a fool, and allows me to easily grasp the desires in your heart. Little boy, it seems you¡¯re stillcking in dealing with others.

    Why not join my Blood Rat Gang?

    I now serve Lady Adele, and Lady Adele is Lord Murphy¡¯s direct descendant. Don¡¯t you want power and status?

    Following us to act in the shadows can fulfill your wishes!

    The best part is, you don¡¯t even need to face the difficult choice between bing a vampire or continuing to maintain your human status.¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what I want!¡± Helu revealed a sly smile on his donkey, saying quietly:

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to make friends with just any stranger, but before joining you, I need to talk to my aunt. Only if she agrees can I choose to walk into the shadows where you are.

    Don¡¯t give me that strange smile! You damned vampire.

    When my aunt and I left the vige together, my parents asked her to take care of me, even though I¡¯m older than her. Anyway, under the witness of the Emerald Forest, Aunt Amber has be my guardian outside of my hometown.

    I must seek her opinion for any important decisions. This is the tradition of Antani, but I don¡¯t think it will be very difficult.¡±

    Helu stroked his smooth chin, grumbling quietly:

    ¡°My once shrewd aunt has now been captivated by the magic called ¡®love¡¯, but she doesn¡¯t seem to realize that she has already unconsciously gotten too close to that strong but slow-witted warrior. Sigh, I knew it, someone with her personality would sooner orter be eaten up by another man. Even though we¡¯re both children of the Emerald Forest, she¡¯s not carefree at all in this aspect.

    Far from being as open-minded as I am in this regard.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hanging out with those Witch Hunters, right?¡± Dorothy had onest question, she asked:

    ¡°You should be holding a public office in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, why do you want to enter the shadows?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m a Spirit Mage,¡± Helu shrugged and said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in the god they¡¯re always preaching about. The Circle Tower¡¯s attitude towards all deities is unfriendly. Those powerful Spirit Mages believe that the interference of the Astral Realm gods in the material world alwayses with a purpose. This is the main reason why I can¡¯t join the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    Alright, let¡¯s get down to business!

    Here, put this on first.¡±

    Helu took out a very special metal chip from his spirit bag, reminding her:

    ¡°This thing is called a ¡®Shadow Patch¡¯, it¡¯s a quite special plugin. Put it in your Computation Bead, it can indicate your position to me and enhance our mentalmunication.

    After you enter stealth mode, it can also strengthen your connection with the shadows and reduce the probability of you being discovered.

    This is also something I brought out from the Pioneer Fortress, and it¡¯s one of my privately hoarded good items. There aren¡¯t many, but it¡¯s quite useful for thieves.

    If the Blood Rat Gang needs it in the future,e to me to buy it. Now that I¡¯m about to be a member of the Blood Rat Gang too, so, we can negotiate on the price.¡±

    While the NPCs were conversing, the two little yers following behind were also chatting.

    As the only apprentice of Mage Helu at present, Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry was full ofints. Riding a witch hunter¡¯s steed rented from the Witch Hunters, he grumbled to the taciturn Frostfang w beside him:

    ¡°I had already made ns with my brothers to raid the Blood Vulture Halls tonight. I heard the equipment there is the best, but my unreliable mentor dragged me here to do this kind of thing instead.

    Although it¡¯s a Hidden Quest, the rewards don¡¯t look good either. What the hell is ¡®depending on the quest results¡¯?¡±

    Tobo Mulberryined, but Frostfang w was socially anxious.

    He just quietly listened to Tobo Mulberry¡¯sints without answering. Feeling bored talking to himself, Tobo Mulberry turned his head to look at Fangfang and asked curiously:

    ¡°Brother, why aren¡¯t you talking? Are you mute? Or are you offline?¡±

    ¡°No! I just don¡¯t like talking. You speak, I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see, I see. Trying to act cool like a pro, right? I get it, you guys who like to y rogues are all like this, all have a heart wanting to be experts. Lone wolf and all that, sounds so cool. But listen, I¡¯m the one responsible for guiding your position once you sneak inter, shouldn¡¯t you try to butter me up a bit now?

    What if I identally lead you into a mob of monsters with a slip of the hand?¡±

    ¡°This is a quest, so you won¡¯t do that. After all, failing would deduct favorability points.¡±

    ¡°Tch, no fun at all. Not a shred of humor.

    By the way, can¡¯t you guys steal things from NPCs? I have a bold idea. I think Lord Murphy¡¯s flying sword looks pretty cool, so how about¡­¡±

    ¡°I tried before. Don¡¯t even think about it. It¡¯s impossible to steal that sword. It has self-awareness. If you dare to reach out, it will dare to chop your hand off.¡±

    ¡°Damn! I was just saying. You actually dared to try? But since you dared to steal from Lord Murphy, wasn¡¯t there any punishment?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why do you think I¡¯m here?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh, I see.¡±

    The group of 4 galloped through the night. Their witch hunter steeds were exceptionally capable. These war horses, raised from birth with nature spirit arts by the Witch Hunters, were not only highly enduring but also incredibly fast. Mage Helu¡¯s donkey looked quite undignified, but surprisingly, the beast was able to keep up with the witch hunter steeds¡¯ speed. It was clearly no ordinary donkey.

    Perhaps it was a ¡°new product¡± developed by the Circle Tower?

    In any case, the 4 of them only took a few hours to reach the border of Baroness of Mond¡¯s domain, stopping at a bay of the Kadman River.

    ¡°We¡¯re less than 5 kilometers from the gnoll camp now. We can¡¯t go any further. My apprentice and I will set up detection spells here, but you two must follow ourmands once you go in!¡±

    Mage Helu found a spot that wasn¡¯t easily discovered and said sternly to Dorothy and Frostfang w:

    ¡°Don¡¯t go to ces we tell you not to go. Although I already have a detailed map of the gnoll main camp, there¡¯s no guarantee there won¡¯t be any dangerous areas.

    Remember your mission. Collect the intelligence and leave immediately! Don¡¯t do anything you¡¯re not supposed to do.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I worked for a thieving gang for a few months before. I¡¯m familiar with this kind of job.¡±

    Ms. Dorothy, with her extraordinarily rich past career experience, pulled up her face covering, disguising herself like a vampire ninja.

    She nodded to Helu, then grabbed her apprentice Fangfang¡¯s hand and flew into the night sky, speeding towards the distant gnoll camp.

    Helu began the casting motions for the eagle eye detection spell at their location. While fine-tuning the observation point, he said to his apprentice Tobo Mulberry beside him:

    ¡°I¡¯ll be responsible for Lady Dorothy¡¯s side, searching for traces of the wolfsbane vampire. You guide her apprentice to enter the core area of the gnoll camp, find some key objects, and nt the positioning crystals.¡±

    ¡°Roger that!¡±

    Tobo Mulberry began casting efficiently, but he still asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Earlier in Bataxin, uh, I¡¯ll be frank, I heard you were taken to bed by those thirsty nobledies in turns? I also heard those crazy nobledies just wanted to taste what a Spirit Mage was like.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    Mage Helu almost lost control of his casting.

    He turned his head to re at his apprentice with a mischievous grin, and scolded:

    ¡°Who told you that! How disrespectful of you! Is this something an apprentice should be asking?¡±

    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re not even older than me, why put on airs? You horny mage, you fake prude! Come on, tell me quickly, how many did you sleep with? Was it juicy?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was juicy, and when they went wild, it was wild enough to be called debauchery. As for how many¡­ Tch, why am I even discussing this with you? You¡¯re my apprentice, okay? Cast your spell now!

    Stop fooling around. Once weplete this mission, I¡¯ll teach you a new positioning spell.

    And I¡¯m not just saying this, but since you have such talent in this area, why waste it, understand? Put more effort into studying. Knowledge will never let you down.¡±

    Meanwhile, Lady Dorothy carried Fangfang, flying silently through the night sky, approaching the gnoll main camp ahead, which was still chaotic even at midnight.

    While looking for a suitablending spot, she said quietly:

    ¡°3 positioning crystals for you, 3 for me. ce them in the center of the camp forming a triangle, with at least 800 steps between each other. Make sure to include the central tent.

    This is our Blood Rat Gang¡¯s first operation. Whether we can make a name for ourselves depends on this time.

    Are you still angry?

    Fangfang, I was just joking with you¡­¡±

    ¡°I was almost cut down by Lord Murphy¡¯s sword¡­ I don¡¯t like this joke! I trust you, but you set me up¡­¡±

    Dorothy felt awkward.

    She said softly:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll make it up to you. Tell me what you want, my apprentice. I¡¯ll help you get it.¡±

    Frostfang w remained silent. He was truly angry.

    It wasn¡¯t until the twonded outside the camp and were about to enter shadow walking that he quietly said to Dorothy:

    ¡°You mentioned before that halflings have a Thieves¡¯ Guild? I want to join! Also, don¡¯t let there be a next time. I don¡¯t have that much trust to give to others.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the Thieves¡¯ Guild. They don¡¯t have a branch in Transia.¡±

    Dorothy had a headache and said:

    ¡°The nearest guild base is in Cato. I¡¯ll help you sort out the introduction process, but you¡¯ll have to do the rogue¡¯s trial yourself. By the way, I think the Blood Rat Gang could also join them, bing a branch wouldn¡¯t be bad either.¡±

    The female vampire looked at the enormous foreign monster camp ahead, which seemed alive even in the night. She took a deep breath. In her previous life, she had never had such an exciting experience.

    But she had been granted eternal life by the night¡¯s blessing, and perhaps her once dim life should change because of this.

    She turned back to smile at Fangfang behind her and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, my disciple. Let us dance in the shadows.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Frostfang w nodded, following Dorothy forward.

    He proficiently sensed and summoned the embrace of shadows, making himself nearly silent as he walked in the night and entered a unique state of ¡°visual concealment¡±.

    Very simr to stealth in other games but also different, true shadows wouldn¡¯t be so generous in sheltering him, let alone spoil him. He had to walk carefully with every step.

    But he wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with this. It was like walking in an ancient and silent mysterious tomb, conversing with those corpses that had been dead for hundreds or thousands of years through history.

    He liked this feeling of solitude.

    ¡°Beep¡±

    The Computation Bead tightly bound to his wrist vibrated slightly, then Tobo Mulberry¡¯s voice resonated in his heart along the spirit energy vibration:

    ¡°Position confirmed, eagle eye spell deployed!

    There¡¯s a patrol of 7 gnolls 300 meters directly in front of you. They have blood-thirsty hyenas with them. ording to Miaomiao Shark who has raised hyenas, these beasts have very keen sense of smell. You need to avoid them.

    Go to the left!

    I¡¯ve nned a new route for you. At your stealth speed, you should reach the target area in about 10 minutes. Not many monsters, good. Maintain your current speed and direction, move forward steadily¡­ By the way, brother, that mentor of yours is pretty hot, with a kind of sassy beauty like a street-smart big sister.

    So you like this type? Tsk tsk, you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover, huh? Not bad, not bad!¡±

    Slip.

    Fangfang almost slipped out of his shadow walking state. He responded sternly:

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, getting flustered, I see, I see. We¡¯re all men here, I understand. I heard from those horny guys like Meow King that there¡¯s a hidden R18 game mode in this game. And to be honest with you, brother, I caught a pretty awesome bug earlier.

    Basically confirmed their guess is true.

    I suspect that once we keep advancing the plot to a certain degree, that pipe will be usable too. Wouldn¡¯t it be great to ride this beauty then? But remember to grind more favorability points, asionally give some gifts and such. Women all fall for that stuff.¡±

    ¡°F**k! Be serious! We¡¯re on a mission here!¡±

 Chapter 253:

    The coordination between the two NPCs, Dorothy and Helu, was naturally quite professional. Theymunicated with each other using quick and concise phrases, especially Mage Helu, whose rhythmic instructions and callouts indicated that this was far from his first time doing such things.

    It¡¯s said that this type of infiltration operation was originally developed by the Circle Tower, and after being refined during the Ten-Year War, it had formed into a rather mature model. Naturally, Lady Adele wanted to try out this ¡°new-style tactics¡± after taking over the Blood Rat Gang.

    From what we can see now, the effect is quite good.

    However, there were some issues with the coordination between Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry and Frostfang w.

    But this problem wasn¡¯t with the mode of operation or the corresponding skills of the two. Even if little yers haven¡¯t eaten pork, they¡¯ve seen pigs run, everyone¡¯s familiar with special operations.

    Theck of smooth coordination between the two was purely because Frostfang w was socially anxious, while Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry was a chatterbox.

    The difort of these two working together goes without saying.

    Now, Frostfang w, who had already infiltrated the gnoll camp toplete the quest, faced not only the threat from the gnolls and their trained bloodthirsty hyenas but also had to constantly endure the pressure of ¡°bombardment of nonsense¡± that Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry brought him on a mental level.

    Especially when Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry vividly described some overly vivid details of that ¡°bug¡± he had encountered before, Frostfang w really wanted to abandon the mission right now, rush out, and give that chatterbox a good beating!It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t like hearing these things that all men enjoy, but the problem was that now wasn¡¯t the time, damn it!

    Brother, I¡¯m surrounded by tens of thousands of gnolls, one wrong step and I¡¯ll be done for. Can you not add to my pressure right now, okay?

    ¡°We¡¯ve reached the first checkpoint! It¡¯s 200 steps ahead of you, there¡¯s a tent storing misceneous items that¡¯s suitable for burying the positioning crystal. But be careful, there are patrol barbarians riding dire wolves around.

    The time interval is about 5-10 minutes.¡±

    Although Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, this chatterbox, still seemed somewhat reluctant to stop, he was quite reliable when it came time to do the real work. He cautiously reminded:

    ¡°The design of this instance is quite interesting. It looks chaotic on the surface, but in reality, the gnolls have ced patrols in various areas.

    They¡¯re always advancing along fixed routes. If we were to tackle this instanceter, these would be like ¡®patrol monsters¡¯. I¡¯m now very suspicious that this instance must have some kind of ¡®special mechanism¡¯, otherwise just the terrifying number of monsters would be enough to drive people crazy.

    Even if we yers were all Super Saiyans, we probably couldn¡¯t handle so many gnolls.

    Do you see the position I¡¯m pointing out to you?

    It¡¯s right in front!¡±

    ¡°Entering now, please wait,¡± Frostfang w replied briefly. Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry immediately reminded:

    ¡°Stop! Wait a moment, a patrol is turning this way. By the way, can you do the ck Iron Trial now? I see there are quite a few elites in this instance, why don¡¯t I find you an easy one to deal withter?¡±

    ¡°No! It will leave traces.¡±

    Frostfang w was somewhat tempted.

    After all, with his personality that doesn¡¯t like to be in the spotlight, he¡¯s not very fond of participating in Fight Club activities. But the elites in the wild have been mostly cleared by that group of overachieving little yers, causing his quest to be stuck here. However, the rationality from being a thief quickly suppressed this idea.

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, however, was somewhat disapproving of hispanion¡¯s excessive caution. He reminded:

    ¡°Since we started, I¡¯ve seen many gnolls fighting in the camp more than once, and those barbarians don¡¯t care at all. It seems to be their tradition. So as long as you disguise the murder scene well enough, no one will discover it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that afterpleting the mission! You keep an eye out for me.¡±

    Frostfang w replied, and Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry also entered ¡°energy-saving mode¡± and quieted down.

    A few minutester, when Frostfang w took out a small shovel and began to bury the positioning crystal personally made by Lady Tris in the misceneous items shed, he fixed the perspective of the Eagle Eye spell to conductrge-scale positioning reconnaissance for the infiltrator.

    While the two were cooperating in their actions, Lady Dorothy had already entered another area deep in therge camp. Few gnolls set foot here, but it had indeed been cleared out into a quiet area.

    In the night, you could still see several Wolfsbane vampires disguised as human bandits, walking back and forth around. Dorothy stopped and, with the blessing of the Night Mother, stayed here waiting for Helu¡¯s further reconnaissance.

    As a formal Detection Spirit Mage from the Circle Tower, Helu¡¯s professional skills were unquestionable.

    His use of the Eagle Eye spell now was much more advanced than Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s basic spell. Not only could he view the overall situation, but he could also perform ¡°zoom-in¡± operations toplete subtle reconnaissance and make invisible marks.

    ¡°There are 17 Wolfsbane vampires in the camp, all at the ck Iron rank and with strong auras. They should all be faction elites. Besides that, there are an unknown number of Blood Servants. However, these guys have to follow human biological characteristics, so most of them have gone to sleep by now.

    What you¡¯re looking for should be in therge tent in the innermost part.

    The good news is that there¡¯s no one there, not even guards. The bad news is that I can¡¯t determine when the owner of this ce will return, so you need to get in and out quickly!¡±

    Mage Helu¡¯s voice floated by Dorothy¡¯s ear. He warned:

    ¡°Lady Adele emphasized that the onemanding the Wolfsbane vampires is a faction leader, which means he¡¯s at least at the White Silver rank. If he happens to appear at an unfortunate time, I think your operation tonight will probably be nine deaths and one life.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Say something auspicious.¡±

    Dorothy scolded.

    She adjusted her breathing, gathering more shadows around her body through the Night Mother¡¯s love for vampires, and then began to move swiftly.

    Actually, when ites to the profession of midnight thief, choosing to join the Blood Vulture n isn¡¯t really the correct career direction.

    Among the seven vampire ns, the true cream of the crop of dark walkers beloved by midnight basically alle from the Thorn n. The Blood Vultures can only be said to be slightly above average among vampires in the field of covert operations.

    But the good news is that Murphy¡¯s Crimson Citadel is in a special situation.

    Count of White Mountain Andrei is stationed here for a long time, and Andrei, who has always been cultivating his connections, is very willing to impart some professional techniques of the Thorn n to his heterogeneouspatriots.

    Now is a good time to test these Thorn Nightwalker techniques.

    Dorothy slipped into the Wolfsbane vampire camp with quite light steps, using the specially made powder of the Thorn n topletely shield her aura without leaving even a trace of smell. With Helu¡¯s help, she entered the core area of the camp like a ghost, and then began searching for the intelligence she needed one tent after another, finally sessfully finding thetter¡¯s notebook in Korando¡¯s tent.

    This guy really isn¡¯t a proper vampire!

    What proper person would maintain the habit of writing a diary every day?

    Although she didn¡¯t know where that Wolfsbane n faction leader was now, Dorothy knew she had to act immediately.

    She reached out to grab the Computation Bead to record the spirit image, but just as she was about to open the diary, another voice that didn¡¯t belong to Mage Helu suddenly sounded in her mind, startling her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! There¡¯s something on the pages of the book¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Dorothy was startled.

    Fortunately, the infiltrator¡¯s hand was steady enough due to her professional training, and she didn¡¯t immediately open the diary. Then she recognized that this voice belonged to Lady Adele.

    It seems that the entire operation of their small group was being observed by a higher-levelmander.

    ¡°There are three strands of hair in the gap of the diary. As long as you move them, it will definitely be discovered. Note their positions, take them out, and put them back after you¡¯ve finished looking.¡±

    Count Andrei¡¯s voice, feigning mature calmness, also sounded by Dorothy¡¯s ear along with the vibration of the Computation Bead. As an excellent member of the Thorn n, he was crystal clear about these little tricks to ¡°prevent thieves¡±.

    Under his guidance, Dorothy¡¯s movements became even more gentle.

    Before long, the three strands of hair from the notebook were taken out with tweezers, and then the thick notebook was opened. Dorothy didn¡¯t look at the content at all, just flipping through it page by page at a fixed rhythm.

    Through the recording of the spirit bead, these things could be taken back and studied slowlyter.

    ¡°Dorothy! Prepare to retreat! Someone¡¯sing back, they¡¯re approaching the camp, and the one in the lead should be Korando!¡±

    Mage Helu¡¯s voice now carried a hint of nervousness, but Dorothy, who was usually careless, showed surprising calmness andposure at this moment.

    She seemed not to have heard Helu¡¯s note at all. Her hand flipping through the pages was as steady as if it had a Special Effect added, not shaking at all,pleting the recording ording to the rhythm and using tweezers to put the three strands of hair back in their previous ces. She even very professionally erased all traces she had left in the tent.

    It was almost seconds before Korando walked into the tent that she slipped out quietly.

    ¡°Damn, that was thrilling!¡±

    Dorothy, who had been sprinting in the shadows all the way out of the camp, let out a long breath. It wasn¡¯t until now that her hands started to shake.

    ¡°I heard that you were once a member of the Explorer¡¯s Guild? I think you chose the wrong profession. You should have joined the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain¡¯s praise resonated through the Computation Bead. He made no effort to conceal his admiration for Dorothy, saying:

    ¡°Would you like me to write you a letter of rmendation? You know, the Thorn n is one of the founding members of the Thieves¡¯ Guild.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take two. My disciple needs one as well. I believe his performance is equally worthy of your praise.¡±

    Dorothy replied in a light tone, yfully mimicking Andrei¡¯s distinctive northern ent. However, she didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, she turned back to the gnoll camp, intending to check on her apprentice, Frostfang w.

    How was Frostfang w doing at this moment?

    He was quite busy.

    The task of nting 3 positioning crystals was alreadyplete, and he was now advancing towards the core area of the gnoll camp under Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s ¡°persuasion¡±.

    This was clearly not part of the n, but Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry had convinced him with a rather devilish argument.

    ¡°Think about it, isn¡¯t it too boring to y by the rules in a 100% realistic game? You¡¯re a thief, brother. No matter what rules you follow, those who can be thieves are neverw-abiding citizens.

    Your instincts have chosen a path you yearn to walk.

    Therefore, your already impressive skills should be used in a more efficient direction. What I mean is, let¡¯s take advantage of this opportunity to grab some benefits we usually can¡¯t get.¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry persuaded in a veryzy voice:

    ¡°There must be good stuff in such arge camp!

    ording to typical game logic, the best items are always ced in the safest ce. You just need to sneak into the boss room of the team dungeon. If you can find a treasure chest, wouldn¡¯t that be a big win?

    Don¡¯t worry!

    I just saw that big gnoll boss Kenport leading his men away from his main camp, patrolling among his barbarian troops.

    At his speed, it will take at least 30 minutes toplete a round ande back. That¡¯s plenty of time!

    Yes!

    That¡¯s the right direction!

    Keep going forward, avoid the cages ahead, they¡¯re housing arge pack of hyenas. If we find something good, we¡¯ll split it 50-50.¡±

    ¡°70-30!¡±

    Frostfang w responded:

    ¡°I¡¯m taking all the risk, you¡¯re just talking.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t like hearing that, buddy. How about this? I¡¯ll remove the Eagle Eye spell now? You can rely on your own perception to act?¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry retorted unhappily, but a few secondster he took a step back, saying:

    ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong, you are taking more risk than me. So, 60-40! No more negotiation, OK?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Frostfang w didn¡¯t object to this ratio. He soon entered the core area of the gnoll camp under Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s excited guidance.

    This area was guarded by Kenport¡¯s elite barbarian troops.

    They were all Elite Temte creatures, and asionally there would even be a terrifying ¡°Gnawbone Elite¡± popping up.

    These were the personal guards cultivated by Kenport using the secret techniques of the hunting priests. They were huge but looked clumsy, wearing chain mail which was rare among gnolls, and wielding ils as fierce as armor-piercing hammers. However, there weren¡¯t many of them. ording to Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s reconnaissance, there were less than 12, scattered in different ces tomand the elites for Kenport.

    These two daring little yers were also lucky, as they managed toe all this way without being discovered by any elite soldiers. Perhaps the gnolls weren¡¯t worried about anyone daring to challenge them in such a vast beast den?

    By the time he stepped into Kenport¡¯s chieftain¡¯s tent, Frostfang w¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat.

    Just this 10-minute journey had increased his ¡°Shadow Walking¡± skill proficiency by 2 full bars at the Master level!

    Perhaps this was the correct way to upgrade skills. After all, as the old saying goes, you never know your limits until you push yourself.

    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

    Frostfang w wiped his sweat and reported back. Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry immediately replied:

    ¡°Scan the area quickly, we don¡¯t have time for a thorough search. Just grab something valuable and leave. You wasted a bit too much time earlier, Kenport is already heading back.¡±

    ¡°Keep an eye out for me!¡±

    Frostfang w had already locked onto his target.

    He spotted a n-style chest ced next to Kenport¡¯s bone throne and immediately moved to unlock it, but unexpectedly, a note caught his eye:

    ¡¾This item is equipped with a powerful spirit technique, requires Master-level Trap Disarming to bypass!¡¿

    ¡°Damn! Why now of all times?¡±

    Frostfang w was very frustrated.

    He decisively gave up and turned to leave, but soon he spotted several small boxes decorated with peculiar beast bones on the other side of the tent. Following the principle that a thief never leaves empty-handed, he ran over to check them out.

    These boxes didn¡¯t have spirit techniques, so he immediately took out his thief tools and started picking the locks.

    Thanks to Dorothy¡¯s careful teaching over this period, this task was no challenge for him.

    ¡°Frostfang w! Hurry up! Damn it, the BOSS is back! Shit! It¡¯s toote.¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry was also anxious and upset, seeing Kenport approaching the tent with his guards. He sighed and said:

    ¡°Forget it, this one¡¯s on me! I¡¯llpensate you for your losses, brother¡­ Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, who was about to give up, suddenly saw through his Eagle Eye that Kenport and his guards had turned around and rushed towards another side of the camp.

    He switched his perspective in surprise and found that a fire had started somewhere in the camp, and as luck would have it, it was right where the gnolls stored their supplies.

    This unexpected turn of events excited both Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry and Frostfang w.

    With more time, the thief continued opening the boxes. The first box opened contained some kind of evil-looking magical device made from the skull of who knows what.

    Frostfang w didn¡¯t have time to examine it closely, so he tossed it into his bag and started on the second box. A few minutester, he opened it to find two pale bone daggers inside, but daggers made for gnolls felt like a pair of short swords, one long and one short, in his hands.

    As the third box was being opened, Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s voice became shrill, he shouted:

    ¡°Run quickly! The BOSS is reallying back this time!¡±

    ¡°Rip!¡±

    Frostfang w didn¡¯t have time to look closely, he grabbed the folded papers inside, tore off a corner and threw it aside, then tossed out two Molotov cocktails to start a fire here, before darting out himself.

    ¡°Fire! Fire!¡±

    The gnoll guards screamed as they rushed in to put out the fire. In the chaos, no one noticed the thief running towards the distance, but this time luck was no longer on his side. Soon, the howls of hyenas from the outskirts of the camp indicated that hunters were on his trail.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, it¡¯s just one gnoll with 3 dogs! That¡¯s an elite! Get him!¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry shouted.

    Frostfang w knew that running like this wasn¡¯t a good option. He steeled himself and turned to pounce on the pursuing gnoll elite hunter. His wrists turned, gripping the two bone short swords he had stolen earlier. As he grasped them, he activated the identification:

    Name: gue¡¯s Fangs ¨C ssic Barbarian Bone Weapon

    Quality: Masterwork ¨C ¡¾Souvenir¡¿Commander

    Traits: Extreme Poison ¨C Extreme Piercing ¨C Enhanced Bleeding ¨C Enhanced Cutting ¨C Bone Weapon

    Special Effect: When hitting, there¡¯s a chance to summon the spirit of the hyena leader ¡°gue¡± to impact the enemy, inflicting a ¡¾Fear¡¿effect.

    note!

    This weapon is a ¡¾Bone Weapon¡¿, weapon degradation speed is doubled when used. Special maintenance methods need to be learned for repairs. Once the weapon is damaged, it is considered permanently destroyed.

    Crafter: Rending w n gue Shaman Flesh Ripper

    Item Description:

    ¡¾gue was Kenport¡¯s hyena war pet since childhood, the strongest and most ruthless leader among the bloodthirsty hyenas. Kenport learned from the Rending w n how to enhance his pets with toxins, making its teeth filled with terrifying venom.

    Unfortunately, during Kenport¡¯s power struggle within the n, gue died in a warlord challenge.

    Its death bought a bright future for its master, and Kenport, who became a warlord, kept gue¡¯s canine teeth and asked his old friend to craft them into weapons.

    This gnoll warlord doesn¡¯t often use it, but undoubtedly, this pair of assassin bone knives is his beloved possession, as if his loyal hyena was still by his side.¡¿

    ¡°Impressive!¡±

    Frostfang w¡¯s eyes under his nightwalker mask shed with a cold light, as he pounced towards the gnoll hunter shooting at him in a life-or-death manner.

    He couldn¡¯t care about the scene of 3 ferocious hyenas tearing at him, he had to take down this guy before he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, toplete his ck Iron trial.

    But unexpectedly, even minutester when Frostfang w, having exhausted all his tricks and methods, finally cut the gnoll hunter¡¯s throat with the bone knife, the imagined hyena attack still didn¡¯t happen.

    He panted heavily as he pulled out the arrow stuck in his chest, copsing weakly on the ground. Looking up, he saw a pretty yet carefree figure in front of him, ying with her w dagger while observing him.

    ¡°Too substandard!¡±

    Lady Dorothy kicked the corpses of the 3 ferocious hyenas at her feet, she mocked:

    ¡°It¡¯s too substandard, whether by thief standards or assassin standards. Luckily you have a good mentor, so, can you forgive me now? My little grudge-holding Frostfang w.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    He nodded, his eyes softening under the mask.

    ¡°Awesome, brother!¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s excited shout echoed in his mind.

    That guy had witnessed Frostfang w¡¯s entire battle, he whistled and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re actually a dual-wieldingbat rogue! Impressive, impressive, my apologies. But I should get my share¡­ hehe, you took the daggers, so that magical device is mine, right? We really are the perfect partners, unstoppable when we work together, right?¡±

 Chapter 254:

    ¡°How could you let this happen? How did assassins manage to sneak into the camp and set fires?¡±

    Outside Kenport¡¯s half-burned tent, Korando, who had rushed over clutching his undamaged diary, scolded harshly:

    ¡°You have over 30,000 gnolls, yet you can¡¯t even protect your own main tent?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that!¡±

    The enraged gnoll warlord, now wielding his three-headed spiked skull il emitting faint green light, roared:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be blessed by the night? Why didn¡¯t you detect the vampire assassins sneaking in? They almost burned all our supplies! It¡¯s fortunate my pups reacted quickly and put out the mes!¡±

    Korandoughed bitterly at this fool¡¯s retort.

    Damn it, you¡¯re asking Wolfsbane n vampires to catch assassins? And quite possibly excellent assassins from the Thorn n? Who on the entire continent doesn¡¯t know that Wolfsbane produces warriors and brutes?

    Are warriors counters to rogues?They can¡¯t even fight them properly!

    Shouldn¡¯t you have found a Blood Dread n greed hunter for this kind of thing?

    Shit!

    All these bastards raising so many hyenas is such a waste!

    But after interacting with Kenport for so many days, he knew this bastard¡¯s personality wouldn¡¯t listen to reason. So he simply dropped the matter and asked directly:

    ¡°Did you lose anything from your tent?¡±

    ¡°My collectibles were all stolen! Ah, damn it!¡±

    Mentioning this made Kenport even angrier.

    His two most beloved hyena relics had been stolen, which made him both furious and heartbroken.

    Although gnolls are savage, their name still contains the word ¡°person¡±, indicating they have emotions, just much more mutedpared to civilized people. For example, Hog would be sad if his mate died, but that wouldn¡¯t stop the skinny gnoll from finding himself a new mate.

    ¡°What else besides those?¡±

    Korando asked emphatically:

    ¡°Are the things I gave you still there? Don¡¯t tell me you lost those defense ns too? Those are life-and-death items!¡±

    ¡°No, they were burned.¡±

    Kenport clutched a handful of ashes of a unique material, saying:

    ¡°Those guys probably didn¡¯t have time to take it away, but it doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ve memorized those positions.¡±

    ¡°What good does your memorizing do?¡±

    Korando mocked:

    ¡°If they looked at the map and realized what it was, you and I would both be finished! So, do you still n to drag this out? The enemy has already started moving, who knows how much longer that head of yours, which is useless for anything but eating, willst.

    So, shouldn¡¯t you show some initiative?¡±

    The gnoll warlord was so angered by these caustic words that he clenched his paw.

    But he knew what needed to be done now, so he gritted his teeth and barked at his servant:

    ¡°Go! Summon all tribal chiefs with over 800 followers toe here. I want to annihte those shameful thieving bastards! The day after tomorrow! We march on Crimson Citadel the day after tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Korando nodded with satisfaction.

    This was what he had hoped to see. However, since the gnolls were set to move the day after tomorrow, tomorrow night would be the time to scout that road they imed.

    While the gnoll army was pressing forward, he would personally lead Wolfsbane elites to raid Crimson Citadel.

    Hmm, a great battle is about to begin, and the leader will perish.

    That sounds so pleasing to the ear.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hehe, this thing is not bad at all. I knew it, high risk brings high rewards.¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, who was now riding a horse back, yed with the oddly shaped skull ornament in his hand, smiling broadly as he said to Frostfang w, who was riding a horse beside him with a sour face:

    ¡°See, I told you this job could be done, right? We brothers should get closer in the future, this is our unique ¡®way to get rich¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Cooperation, fine¡±

    Frostfang w had now passed the ck Iron Trial and was very excited. Dorothy had also promised to get him a letter of introduction to the Thieves¡¯ Guild, which gave him a way forward for his second profession change.

    But he stillid down three rules for Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry:

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much when we¡¯re working in the future! I¡¯m not used to it. To be honest, it¡¯s a bit scary.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What are you afraid of? My words sound so nice.¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry asked curiously. Frostfang w was a bit embarrassed, but under thetter¡¯s questioning, he sighed and said softly:

    ¡°I often work in ancient tombs. If someone suddenly starts talking next to me, things could get really bad.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry¡¯s eyes widened, and he eximed:

    ¡°Brother, what do you do? Grave robbing? Howe you¡¯re going into tombs? I¡¯m not kidding, you bettere clean! I¡¯m about to call the police, you know.¡±

    ¡°Archaeology¡±

    Frostfang w sighed with a mncholic face:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in the Lop Nur for almost two months. Sigh, I¡¯m almost turning into a wild man.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, that¡¯s really tough. No wonder you y games to rx.¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry finally rxed and kept asking Frostfang w about tomb exploration, but unfortunately, this socially anxious Frostfang w really didn¡¯t have much to tell him, and there were many things in this line of work that couldn¡¯t be discussed.

    With no other choice, he could only continue to y dumb.

    After talking for a while without getting any response, Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry also felt bored, so he started examining the good stuff he had received.

    The bone item that fell into his hands should be some kind of eerie magical instrument. It looked a bit like a dried animal head, with the beast¡¯s eye sockets emitting a green light in the darkness, looking quite creepy.

    However, its attributes were really good:

    Name: gue¡¯s Head ¨C ssic Barbarian Sacrificial Instrument

    Quality: Masterwork ¨C ¡¾Souvenir¡¿Commander

    Traits: Extreme Spirit Enhancement ¨C Extreme Dark Assistance ¨C Enhanced Spirit Recovery ¨C Enhanced Spirit Perception ¨C Bone Weapon

    Special Effect:

    1. Using the gue¡¯s Head can release ¡¾Fear Spell¡¿, causing a ¡¾Panic¡¿ effect on the enemy¡¯s mind, with a chance to make them flee or faint.

    It can be released ¡¾3/3¡¿ times before the spirit technique enters cooldown and recharge, with a recharge time of 12 hours.

    2. Using the gue¡¯s Head can summon the spirit of the evil dog gue to fight for you. This spirit is considered an undead creature ¨C wraith, possessing mental attacks and weak physical attacks, and can be considered as an evil spirit upying the enemy¡¯s body, causing continuous mental damage,sting for 30 minutes.

    Blood is required to summon the spirit before using this skill, with usable times ¡¾1/1¡¿, and a recharge time of 48 hours.

    Note!

    This item is a ¡¾Bone Weapon¡¿, with double wear rate. Special maintenance techniques must be mastered for repair. Once damaged, it is considered permanently destroyed.

    Usage requirement: This item is an evil artifact. A certain level of mental resistance is required to ensure that the user¡¯s mind is not interfered with during use. Requires Mind ¡Ý 13.

    Crafter: Rending w n gue Shaman Flesh Ripper

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Even in death, the loyal hyena¡¯s wild soul still yearns to continue serving its master.¡¿

    ¡°Hey, Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry, let¡¯s make a deal.¡±

    Just as Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry was admiring his new ornament, his mentor, Mage Helu, sneakily approached on a donkey and rubbed his hands, saying to his apprentice:

    ¡°I¡¯m very curious about this thing of yours. Well, it¡¯s just a Spirit Mage¡¯s curiosity about spirit items. I can see at least two spirit techniques on this thing that I could learn. Although they¡¯re all evil magic, there¡¯s no Circle Tower to restrain me now, so could you lend it to me for research?

    You can¡¯t use it right now anyway.

    Your spirit maniption is still very crude, forcibly using this level of evil object would cause terrible bacsh to you.

    Trust me, I¡¯m your mentor!

    After you¡¯re able to use it, I¡¯ll definitely return it to you intact.¡±

    ¡°Ha, you might fool an 8-year-old kid with that talk!¡±

    Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry rolled his eyes and tucked the gue¡¯s Head into his chest, saying disrespectfully to his mentor:

    ¡°I can¡¯t use it now so I¡¯ll keep it hidden. Anyway, I¡¯ll be able to use it soon. At worst, I¡¯ll find someone to help me level up. Actually, lending it to you for research isn¡¯t impossible, after all, you¡¯ll have to teach me the spells you learn.

    But you can¡¯t just take it empty-handed.¡±

    He snorted, rubbing his two fingers together, saying shrewdly to his mentor:

    ¡°You need to give me some coteral, right? In case you go back on your wordter, I won¡¯t end up empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your mentor! You bastard!¡±

    Helu was so angry his nose was almost crooked.

    He deeply felt that this era truly had no manners or morals. As a dignified mentor from the Circle Tower, what¡¯s wrong with taking something from this disrespectful disciple for research? As a mentor, could I possibly steal your treasure?

    Howe there¡¯s not a bit of trust between people anymore?

    But seeing his stubborn disciple¡¯s unyielding attitude of not giving in until he saw the coffin, Mage Helu was at a loss. He could only reluctantly take out a very beautiful eye-shaped pendant from his bosom, fondled it in his hand, and then, with a heavy heart, handed it over to Thirty-Year-Old Tobo Mulberry.

    Thetter took it in his hand with a chuckle and activated the appraisal, ncing at it:

    Name: Scout¡¯s Amulet ¨C Circle Tower Standard Spirit Artifact & Graduation Certificate

    Quality: Standard ¨C Commander

    Traits: Extreme Spirit Enhancement ¨C Enhanced Spirit Coordination ¨C Enhanced Spellcasting Speed

    Special Effect: ¡®Eagle Eye¡¯ skill proficiency +1, ¡®Hidden Eye¡¯ skill proficiency +1, ¡®Scout Sentry¡¯ skill proficiency +1, ¡®Scout Beacon¡¯ maximum deployment number +2.

    Built-in skill: Spirit Absorption Shield [3/3]

    Current Bound Owner: Ratel Helu Constance

    Crafter: White Cliff Headquarters Logistics Tower No. 14 Alchemy Lab No. 7 Enchanting Station

    Item Description:

    ¡¾This eyeball-shaped amulet is not just a spellcasting medium, it also represents that a Spirit Mage has been officially recognized by the Circle Tower! It can represent the authority of the Circle Tower anywhere outside of White Cliff.¡¿

    ¡°This thing is the proof of all my efforts and achievements in the first half of my life! Although I¡¯m no longer a member of that organization, it still holds special meaning for me,¡± Helu said very sentimentally.

    ¡°I¡¯m pawning it to you, and I¡¯ll take it back when I¡¯m done with my research. Don¡¯t you dare break it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, no problem. You¡¯re my mentor, how could I dare to break your beloved possession?¡± Smoke Mulberry agreed glibly, handing over his gue¡¯s Head to Helu.

    Thetter took it in his hand, marveling at it. He wasn¡¯t trying to swindle his disciple¡¯s treasure, but was genuinely curious about the spirit techniques of this vicious creation popr among the barbarian tribes.

    He was, after all, a Spirit Mage.

    Although he had be somewhat mercenary, the pursuit of truth and wisdom was still one of his principles of conduct.

    The 4 of them returned to the Crimson Citadel in the morning. Dorothy took Fangfang to report the results of this trip to Lady Adele and the Count of White Mountain, and also to show them the strange map that Fangfang had stolen from Kenport¡¯s main tent at thest moment.

    There were some things written in code on it, secrets that Dorothy, a ¡°novice vampire,¡± couldn¡¯t decipher.

    However, the Count of White Mountain and Lady Adele weren¡¯t much more professional in the vampire race than she was. The 2 of them studied it repeatedly but couldn¡¯t figure out what this map represented.

    It wasn¡¯t until they sent this thing to Murphy and Tris that Tris, who was well-traveled and had journeyed across the continent more than once in her youth, although drunk at the moment, immediately recognized what this thing was.

    ¡°This is a defense map of the Dorod Fortress Group on the western shore of Lake Shulps! That ce is the only gateway to enter the Cato region bynd from Transia,¡± Tris said, rubbing her eyes.

    ¡°The code on it is written in the Wolfsbane n¡¯s writing style. It will take some time to decipher, but each red mark represents a stronghold that the Wolfsbane n ns to establish near this ancient fortress group.

    It seems that the rumor Shani, that flirtatious vixen, mentioned before is true. Old Edward led the Wolfsbane n to pledge allegiance to King Louis and received the Cato region as their new territory on the continent.

    They really know how to pick a location.

    The Cato region borders the Emerald Forest of Antani to the west, the Genoa Penins to the south, and shares Lake Shulps with Transia. That ce is a true strategic location.

    Old Edward has good vision, but unfortunately, his management of his subordinates is terrible.

    Even this thing ended up in the hands of the gnolls.

    I dare not imagine what kind of devastation the gnolls would wreak on that ce if they crossed the Foul Swamp, turned direction in Transia, and charged straight into the Cato region when the ck Disaster happens.

    They might even easily seize the second route into the hearnd of the continent. From the Cato region, crossing the narrow Dna Mountains to the north, they could rush into the t Anju ins, which is the ruling hearnd of the Goldflower Kingdom!¡±

    ¡°It seems our kinsman Lord Korando has yed a bit too big this time. This even goes beyond the definition of madness,¡± Murphy¡¯s fingers twitched.

    He picked up the leaked defense map before him, bid farewell to Tris, and immediately headed to the Blood Pact Knights¡¯ station.

    When he handed this map with a missing corner to Lady Lainnia, the color drained from her face in an instant.

    It¡¯s not easy to see such shock on the face of a moon elf vampire with already pale skin, but Murphy knew very well where Lainnia¡¯s fear came from.

    Once the Dorod Fortress Group in the Cato region is breached by the gnolls, they can not only attack the Goldflower Kingdom to the north but also continue westward along the advance route of thest ck Disaster and charge into Antani.

    That region directly borders the elf kingdom bynd, and the Emerald Forest burned by the gnoll army more than 100 years ago still hasn¡¯t recovered.

    ¡°Madmen! The Wolfsbane n are all madmen!¡± The bow knight of moon elf royal descent was almost driven mad. She cursed in a mannerpletely unbefitting the double elegance of elves and vampires:

    ¡°This is no longer just a matter of colluding with gnolls. The Wolfsbane n has crossed the line! They leaked a major secret of the civilized camp to the gnolls. This must be reported to Lord Payne! The Wolfsbane n must be punished!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it must be reported! I no longer wish to conceal my malice towards my kinsmen, but this is exactly what I wanted to see,¡± Murphy said in a deep voice.

    ¡°We, the defenders of civilization, are fighting at the frontlines, persisting in the first line of defense against the gnolls for the safety of the continent, but s, there are always bastards trying to stab us in the heart. Always like this, how can we fight this war?

    As the governor of the Transia region, I don¡¯t have many demands, but please make sure to convey my opinion to the esteemed Lord Payne.

    My soldiers, my people, and the innocent people of the Cato region need an answer!

    Will he, in his wisdom, deal with such matters that touch the bottom line or not?¡±

    ¡°Stop stirring things up!¡± Lainnia looked at this dramatic vampire governor before her with some exhaustion. She sighed and said:

    ¡°Rest assured, Lord Payne won¡¯t tolerate such matters. But those Wolfsbane pups who have crossed the line¡­¡±

    ¡°Please rest assured as well, mydy,¡± Murphy said softly.

    ¡°I guarantee that Transia will be their final step to audience with the Night Mother, and whether to forgive them or not is a power that belongs only to the Night Mother. We, the midnight kindred, are only responsible for sending these disgraceful fellows over.

    Well then, I¡¯ll leave the task of reporting to you.¡±

    In the Dark Mountain range, in the barren mountains south of the Foul Swamp, right at the subtle boundary between the ¡°civilized border¡± and the ¡°barbariannds,¡± in the station of the Blood Pact Knights.

    The Third Lord Yvette, wearing ck and red hunting light armor that blended the styles of shadow elf and vampire, walked into Lord Payne¡¯s tent with a serious expression. As expected, she saw the revered lord with his long hair over his shoulders, wearing a burgundy robe, holding a brush and creating yet another piece of art.

    She knew this was the lord¡¯s habit.

    He would always start creating a piece of art to record history before every major event, and she guessed that the name of this painting before her eyes should be ¡°The 5th ck Disaster.¡±

    The tall shadow elf vampire lord didn¡¯t disturb the revered lord¡¯s painting, but after a few minutes, Lord Payne sighed because of the interruption.

    He put down the brush in his hand. The fiery gaze of his own decadent descendant made it impossible for him to maintain the mentality of an artist during creation.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Lord Payne said in a low voice as he wiped the paint off his fingers with a handkerchief, then reached out to collect his beloved brushes and tools.

    Lady Yvette said in a hoarse voice beside him:

    ¡°Moriarty Korando Gongreau, the leader of the Greyw faction of the Wolfsbane n, hasmitted a grave error. That pitiful madman handed over the defense map of the Dorod Fortress Group in the Cato region to Kenport, the newly risen gnoll warlord in Transia.

    The Blood Vulture n has obtained evidence of this, and it has been confirmed by my descendant Lainnia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, midnight gave us the eyes of the night, yet there are always those who refuse to use them to seek the light.¡±

    Lord Payne didn¡¯t seem surprised by this situation. This ancient being who had lived for 1,100 years sighed and asked in a low voice with a strange sense of loss:

    ¡°Where is Pnno now?¡±

    ¡°The First Lord has arrived in the Misty City. Perhaps this matter can be handed over to him to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Let him wait there! Spellcasters, prepare to open the Astral Realm teleportation. Yvette! Bring the sacred spear from the armory and apany me to the Misty City. I want to ask Edward in person. I¡¯m very curious to know what my ancient brother intends to do as this storm is about to rise.¡±

    The Third Lord turned to leave, but after taking just one step, she heard the revered lord add:

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring a cross as well.¡±

    Yvette was stunned for a moment, then understood and immediately quickened her pace to leave.

    She was a bit frightened.

 Chapter 255:

    ¡°This is the ce! Go down from here, follow the underground river and you¡¯ll reach the sewers of Crimson Citadel.¡±

    On the night of the second day after the gnoll camp was attacked, at a river bend where the Kadman River flows through Anderma Hills, Hog, riding a scruffy earth wolf, hunched his shoulders and said to the Wolfsbane vanguards beside him:

    ¡°My nsmen and I escaped from here, but I must warn you, they might have discovered this ce, and there are dangerous things on the third level of the sewers.¡±

    ¡°We know, just ghouls,¡± said the leading Wolfsbane vanguard, a tall figure. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his features somewhat resembled those of Joban Marci, who had been killed by Murphy.

    Especially the cruel look in his eyes beneath the full beard, which was almost identical to Joban.

    He was Joban Marci¡¯s half-brother, another son of Korando, named Stander Korando Gongreau.

    It was clear that although Lord Korando had been a vampire for over 30 years, he still believed in the concept of ¡°father and son fighting together¡±. Besides his sons, he also had two daughters in his faction.

    However, the two Korando sisters were currently still on Greenleaf Ind helping their father manage the territory there, and had not participated in this operation in Transia.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve arrived, I¡¯ll be going back now, huh?¡± Hog appeared very frightened.He portrayed the character of a cunning but fearful weak gnoll so realistically that the Wolfsbane n members could even smell the terror of his anxious heart.

    This elicited contemptuousughter from these brutal fellows.

    ¡°Go back? Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Stander sneered, grabbing Hog by the cor and pulling him off his equally small earth wolf mount. Pointing at the hidden river pit not far away, he said:

    ¡°Your chieftain¡¯s order was for you to lead us into Crimson Citadel for reconnaissance. How do I know you won¡¯t deliberately lead us to our deaths?

    Go!

    Lead the way in front.¡±

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t part of the agreement!¡± Hog shouted, but was immediately pped twice by a Wolfsbane huntress who stepped forward, leaving him dizzy. Her wolf-bat ws, sharper and more ferocious than those of other ns, pressed against his throat as she said coldly:

    ¡°Either lead the way! Or die!¡±

    ¡°King Kenport won¡¯t allow you to do this,¡± Hog whimpered very pitifully, but having no choice, he could only call for his earth wolf mount to wait for him nearby, then was coerced into leading these Wolfsbane vanguards back into the passage towards the sewers of Crimson Citadel.

    His pitiful state was not an act.

    His fear was also very real!

    After all, the Wolfsbane vampires he was dealing with werepletely different in their ways from the members of the Blood Vulture n he had encountered before.

    Even though gnolls could hardly understand what civilized races called ¡°elegance¡±, he knew that these guys around him were all murderous thugs who wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at killing someone. If he didn¡¯t follow their hearts, being killed would just be a matter of a few w swipes.

    And Kenport wouldn¡¯t fall out with the Wolfsbane n over a ¡°crippled bastard¡± like himself.

    The more this happened, the more Hog hated these bastards.

    Not just hating the Wolfsbane vampires, but also hating that fool Kenport with his grandiose yet ipetent ways.

    How could such a big idiot lead the Transia gnolls well?

    If the so-called ¡°nobles¡± in the Dark Mountain range were just this stupid, it¡¯s no wonder the gnolls hadunched four ck Disasters but never managed to conquer the continent.

    Such power without the restraint of wisdom could only harm others and oneself!

    Meanwhile, in the Blood Vulture Halls, Count Andrei, who was discussing action ns with his subordinates, raised his head to see his room door being pushed open.

    Lady Adele stood in the doorway, making a gesture to him.

    The Count of White Mountain immediately walked out of the room, and in the shadows, Lady Adele said in a low voice:

    ¡°The Computation Bead signal of the ¡®Pangolin¡¯ is approaching Crimson Citadel. It should be leading the Wolfsbane vanguard close to here. I don¡¯t know how prepared you are, but there¡¯s no time left for you to prepare further.

    Start your performance.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Count Andrei took a deep breath as the moment arrived. He said to Lady Adele:

    ¡°Please inform Lord Murphy that I¡¯ll be waiting for him in the Fight Club.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Although the Wolfsbane n¡¯s vanguards were brutal and still hadn¡¯t shed that air of street thugs, they weren¡¯t stupid. After Hog led them into the underground tunnel, these guys had been very careful all along.

    The style of the Greyw faction they belonged to could be simply summarized as follows: even among the notoriously rule-breaking Wolfsbane n, the Greyws were considered one of the more ¡°extreme¡± factions.

    They craved expansion and power. Having originally been fierce urban thugs, with the addition of the never-ending fearful desire granted by the Wolfsbane blood, their actions became even more radical.

    The Greyw faction had several cities as their territory on Greenleaf Ind, but they weren¡¯t satisfied. They often initiated actions to swallow up the territories of other factions, and they disliked being suppressed or restrained. This annoyed old Edward to no end, which was why he transferred them to the continent as the vanguard of the Wolfsbane n¡¯s participation in the ck Disaster affairs.

    The reason Korando was able to obtain the defense map of the Wolfsbane n in the Cato region was also because of this responsibility.

    After pledging loyalty to King Louis, the Wolfsbane n received a reward. A part of the Cato region was allocated to them as territory, as a new stronghold for the Wolfsbane vampires on the continent. Old Edward clearly intended to manage it well.

    Regaining territory on the continent was of great significance to the Wolfsbane n, who had been forced to withdraw from the continent and even faced extinction at one point under the joint suppression of the Avalon Church and the Circle Tower years ago.

    Unfortunately, the Wolfsbane descendants, who didn¡¯t value tradition, really couldn¡¯t understand old Edward¡¯s painstaking efforts. The eager Greyw faction had already viewed the entire Cato region as their own possession.

    Especially for Korando.

    His most important task now was to expand the faction¡¯s influence. He had no intention of directly confronting the ck Disaster and fulfilling Edward¡¯s duties at the cost of his own faction¡¯s annihtion.

    A qualified Wolfsbane member was far from being that noble.

    ¡°The exit is just ahead,¡± Hog, leading the way in front, held up a torch, illuminating the path ahead at the end of the dark natural tunnel. He pointed at the spiral water flow and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to swim up yourselves, I¡¯ll wait here!¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked into the water by a Wolfsbane vanguard behind him. With no choice, he could only ssh forward to avoid being drowned by the somewhat rapid water flow here.

    The other Wolfsbane vampires didn¡¯t rush into the water.

    They patiently waited for Hog to disappear into the water and only several minutester, under Stander¡¯s lead, did they cross that underwater whirlpool.

    Vampires don¡¯t particrly like water, but their supernatural characteristics as transcendent beings allowed them to easily pass through this level of water obstruction.

    After several minutes of holding their breath and swimming, these vanguards sessfully entered the underground cavern on the third level of the sewers.

    As soon as they entered, they were nauseated by the pervasive smell here. Those with good eyesight had already seen the ghouls wandering aimlessly in and out of the honeb-like holes in the walls of this underground cavern.

    ¡°So many?¡± Stander had previously thought there were only a few hundred ghouls underground in Crimson Citadel, but now seeing it with his own eyes, there were at least several thousand, possibly even over ten thousand.

    ¡°You tricked us?¡± He drew his sword cane and red fiercely at Hog, who was curled up in front of him. Thetter timidly said:

    ¡°I told you beforehand, there are arge number of ghouls here! Otherwise, how do you think we could have escaped so easily? While we were captured here as diators, we were also being exploited by the Blood Vulture vampires to clear out the ghoul infestation. It was because of this that I found this secret path.¡±

    ¡°How are we supposed to get through this?¡±

    A Wolfsbane female warrior cursed:

    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can get up to the sewer without alerting the ghouls.¡±

    ¡°You can! I know a small path, you can fly up there! Don¡¯t you vampires have wings to fly?¡±

    Hog quickly screamed:

    ¡°Up there! Look, there¡¯s a hole blown out earlier, that¡¯s the passage they made when exterminating ghouls. The ghouls around there have all been cleared out, you can go up from there!

    I swear!

    I swear by the Lord of the Hunt!

    That¡¯s the fastest way, but up there the Blood Rat Gang, humanckeys of the vampires, are already patrolling. I can¡¯t go up!

    Please!

    If they find out I¡¯ve escaped, I¡¯ll be dragged back to the arena. I don¡¯t want to go back there.¡±

    No matter how much the Wolfsbane n warriors threatened, Hog just wouldn¡¯t move forward, even when whipped hard he just curled up in ce.

    He portrayed the image of a coward incredibly realistically.

    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t even an act?

    ¡°Judy, you stay here and watch him! The rest of you follow me up to take a look.¡±

    Stander had no choice but to leave someone here to keep watch, while the other vampires quickly climbed up the steep walls of the cavern.

    Hog, this cowardly gnoll, thought all vampires could fly freely like the Blood Vultures, but that was just amon misunderstanding other races had about the Midnight Vampires. Vampires from other ns didn¡¯t have suchrge wings to carry their weight swiftly through the night, and the Wolfsbane n was especially bad in this regard.

    They put all their points into muscle, making it difficult for them to even glide short distances perfectly.

    But you win some, you lose some.

    Other vampires of the same rank had no chance of defeating Wolfsbane warriors in direct meleebat. They were the muscle men among the vampire ns.

    Their powerful strength propelled them swiftly up the cliff face, and they soon nimbly entered the second level of the sewers.

    Just as Hog had revealed, there were Blood Rat Gang thieves patrolling here, but these ordinary humans simply couldn¡¯t detect the vampires¡¯ presence in the darkness.

    Stander cautiously used some kind of spirit item, and only after confirming there were norge-scale detection spells in the sewers did he feel at ease to disperse his few followers, relying on vampires¡¯ keen sense of life to begin advancing and reconnoitering in the sewers.

    He himself was very ¡°lucky¡±.

    Soon, guided by the convergence of life energy, he approached the Fight Club near Sewer Entrance No. 7.

    It was bustling with noise here, as if a grandpetition was taking ce. The shouting and yelling of those blood servants alone carried far in the sewers, and the Blood Rat Gang members who should have been patrolling nearby had even slipped away, hiding on the side to watch this match intently.

    ¡°Hey, that Thorn pretty boy is no match for our Lord Murphy at all! He dares to provoke him, I say we should sh up his face!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know shit!

    His identity and background are a big deal. I heard from my cousin who¡¯s already joined the People¡¯s Army, he secretly told me that these hateful Thorn n brats are all spies sent by their flirtatious Grand Duchess!

    Our Lord Murphy made a bet with their queen, with the position of Transia Governor as the stake, and that Thorn pretty boy is the guy the Northerner queen sent to rece our Lord Murphy.¡±

    ¡°Huh? There¡¯s such a thing? Then why keep him around? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just kill him? We Transians don¡¯t put up with those Northerners¡¯ stinking habits!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t kill him! Don¡¯t dare kill him, this pretty boy has quite a background, I heard he¡¯s a count of the Northerners? Maybe even the young queen¡¯s lover.

    Hehe.¡±

    The whispers of a group of Blood Rat Gang members on the outskirts were heard crystal clear by Stander hiding in the darkness. As vampires with ¡°wolf¡± in their names, their hearing and perception were keener than other vampires.

    This was determined by racial characteristics.

    Stander felt he had gained important information. He hesitated for a moment, then ventured to slip into the upper level of the Fight Club, lying down by a broken wall to survey below.

    In the arena below illuminated by gasmps, two young and handsome vampires were engaged in a duel to the death.

    It really was a duel to the death!

    They showed no mercy, one using strange Night ws, the other wielding a sword emanating chilling air, but the one using ws was clearly more skilled, almost dominating the other.

    Thetter was covered in blood but unwilling to retreat.

    Unfortunately, will doesn¡¯t equate to strength. In one assault he was grabbed by the face and mmed to the ground by his opponent. That wasn¡¯t the end of it, the victorious Blood Vulture vampire pinned him down and left scars on his handsome face.

    This kind of injury wasn¡¯t much for vampires, they could heal scars, but being watched by so many lowly Mortals was a terrible humiliation for a vampire.

    ¡°Arrogant Northerner, you¡¯vee to Blood Vulture n territory so you must obey our rules!¡±

    Murphy berated harshly:

    ¡°This is just a small lesson for you, Andrei! Next time, I¡¯ll gouge out your eyes and send them back to your sister!

    Don¡¯t think the Wolf Queen¡¯s reputation scares anyone!

    We Transians don¡¯t fall for your tricks!¡±

    The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in cheers, delighted at their lord¡¯s victory, but Stander hiding away felt a jolt in his heart.

    This Thorn pretty boy who had just been humiliated in front of everyone was actually the Wolf Queen¡¯s brother?

    This was big intelligence!

    Stander¡¯s heart leapt with joy, just as he was about to leave with his findings, in the next instant he saw Murphy pping his wings to fly up to the arena, proudly waving to his blood servants in acknowledgement, while beside him a coquettish female vampire with a voluptuous figure fawningly presented him with his weapon.

    A sword cane.

    A Wolfsbane style sword cane.

    This thing made Joban¡¯s second brother¡¯s eyes bulge. He recognized it as his brother¡¯s sword! The gray wolf head emblem on the hilt was unmistakable.

    That was his father¡¯s faction symbol.

    ¡°So it was you!¡±

    Stander gritted his teeth, he had caught the murderer of his brother, this vampire called ¡®Murphy¡¯, a ck Iron rank trash!

    From his appearance he seemed to be the current Governor of Transia?

    That ridiculous rumor was true, a ck Iron rank vampire had gained control of the now riddled-with-holes Transia through sweet talk and currying favor with humans.

    ¡°Very good, very good¡±

    The Wolfsbane warrior stared intently as Murphy left escorted by several pitiful vampires, he also saw that humiliated vampire count being supported away from the arena by his servants.

    He quietly followed.

    The other was a member of the Thorn n so he didn¡¯t dare follow too closely, he could only prick up his ears to listen.

    ¡°Today¡¯s grudge will be repaid in the future!¡±

    The pretty boy said sternly:

    ¡°I will kill him! How dare he humiliate the bloodline of the Hero King like this! Vesta! The things I asked you to do¡±

    ¡°All done, master.¡±

    Another sinister voice replied:

    ¡°Murphy is currently troubled by the gnoll warlord in Anderma Hills. The assassins he sent out failed, they didn¡¯t manage to burn the gnolls¡¯ food supplies but instead enraged them.

    He¡¯s too preupied to monitor us now.

    I¡¯ve already stockpiled enough explosives in several hidden locations in the sewers of Crimson Citadel as per your instructions. At yourmand, thisughable Crimson Citadel will be engulfed in mes.

    This will be your fief, my master! Today¡¯s humiliation naturally cannot be let go easily, he will kneel before you begging for your mercy, and you will cruelly deny him!

    Grand Duchess Shani has already made preparations in secret, as long as you can eliminate Murphy and his weakened elder Tris, our nsmen will support you in annexing this ce.

    You will realize your ambitions!¡±

    ¡°But those gnolls.¡±

    Andrei hesitated somewhat, his servant immediately replied:

    ¡°Their existence will keep Murphy too upied to pay attention to us, master. Moreover, in the face of the Thorn n¡¯s midnight assassins, a mere warlord is nothing. Once their leader is gone, the gnolls will scatter!

    They¡¯re always like that.

    No need to consider them!

    How to kill Murphy is the pressing issue you need to resolve right now.¡±

 Chapter 256:

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The veteran yer Meow King was posing as an Oak Knight should, riding his demon-hunting steed in a proper manner, leading hispanions in pursuit of a fleeing pack of gnolls.

    With a replica sacred de at his waist, he swung the witch¡¯s staff in his hand, throwing out a thorn entanglement to trip up the gnoll¡¯s earth wolf. He was quite eager to move in for the kill, but unexpectedly, a light sound popped up on his yer interface.

    Looking down, he saw that the quest had updated:

    ¡¾Main quest updated! The gnoll threat in the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory has been reduced below the safety threshold. Phase 1 of the ¡®Gnoll gue¡¯ operation has sessfully concluded, and Phase 2 is now officially underway! The hunting area has expanded from the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory to the entire Transia region!

    Note!

    As the plot progresses in this phase, the time-limited team dungeon ¡¶Decisive Battle at Anderma Hills¡· will be unlocked, along with the new optional faction ¡®Seicob Winged Cavalry¡¯ and a mysterious force.

    For specific details, please refer to the update thread on the ¡¶Reality Realm¡· official forum.¡¿

    ¡°Damn! This sted game always sneaks in updates!¡±Meow King cursed loudly.

    But in fact, he had already sensed that the war against the gnolls was likely about to reach a turning point. The reason was very simple: he and his brothers had been hunting gnolls in the Baron of Leim¡¯s territory for some time, but both the quantity and quality of the enemies had decreased severely.

    When the event first started, riding on horseback for 30 minutes would lead to at least two gnollirs. But now, with the help of Tobo Mulberry¡¯s eagle eye technique, they could only take down a few dozen gnolls a day.

    This harvest was a cliff-like drop.

    But thinking about it, it made sense. The gnoll storyline had been going on for 15 days now, and given the yers¡¯ enthusiasm for killing monsters, the wild creatures in just the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory were really not enough. The gnolls killed by yers, ifid head to tail, could probably circle the count¡¯s territory several times.

    Just look at the top 10 on the score leaderboard, which of those godly yers hasn¡¯t scored over 1,200 points? The leaders, Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate, have even reached the shocking score of 1,600.

    In this game that emphasizes realism, no matter how fast gnolls can reproduce, they can¡¯t withstand such frenzied ughter from you killers.

    ¡°Surround them! Surround them, capture those three elite kobolds and send them to the Fight Club.¡±

    Meow King shouted from his warhorse to the 20 People¡¯s Army recruits following behind. These native NPCs obediently spurred their horses forward, taking charge of the gnolls and kobolds who were already frightened, trembling, and surrendering on the spot.

    Because the benefits of simply killing monsters had sharply decreased, Meow King and his team were forced to take on a daily ¡°train recruits¡± quest from Maxim while out hunting gnolls.

    They could bring 20 recruits each time, and each queststed 14 hours, which perfectly matched the total daily game time for yers.

    To have the recruits keep up with their pace and receive enoughbat scenarios and a series of tactical arrangements,pleting one quest would earn 10 gold coins from Maxim.

    But that¡¯s if the recruits don¡¯t die!

    If unfortunately, one or two recruits die midway, the yers would have to pay Maximpensation for the fallen soldiers¡¯ funeral expenses.

    The profit wasn¡¯t much, and there were risks, so casual yers generally wouldn¡¯t take it. But Meow King¡¯s group didn¡¯t mind, as they valued the reputation with the Kadman People¡¯s Army more, and they weren¡¯t particrly short on money.

    In this game that emphasizes realism, reputation was quite easy to gain up to the ¡°respected¡± level, but progressing beyond that required slowly grinding over time.

    Fortunately, the NPCs in this game were also quite intelligent and didn¡¯t require yers to babysit them the whole time. As long as they weren¡¯t too wild during the quest, this daily task was hard to fail.

    ¡°Look, look! The forum posts all say that the next step of the great gnoll hunt is indeed in Anderma Hills. We¡¯re finally going to deal with that gnoll warlord who¡¯s been eyeing us covetously!¡±

    Little Hand, riding his horse close to Meow King, excitedly said to his cousin:

    ¡°Brother, quick, look at the post! The NPC hiring you¡¯ve been dreaming of is finally opening up! Once we get through this storyline, as long as our reputation is high enough, we can sign employment contracts with the People¡¯s Army.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Meow King, who had beenining about the game¡¯s sneak updates, immediately became interested.

    He jumped off his warhorse, tossed the reins to Little Hand, and leaned against a tree. While taking a drink from his water skin, he opened the in-game forum.

    The pinned hot post of the day was about the game update announcement, still an online update notice for a minor version:

    ¡¾¡¶Reality Realm¡· Alpha 2.1 Closed Beta Version Online Update Announcement:

    I¡¯d like to give you a very formal and efficient version exnation, but I¡¯ve been working overtime for several days straight, and a few guys from the development team seem to have caught the flu recently. We¡¯ve started isting at work, so we¡¯re currently short-staffed. Therefore, let¡¯s get straight to the point.

    Alpha 2.1 version update contents are as follows:

    1. New yer-interactive factions added to test the in-game reputation system

    1.1 Faction Update ¨C Blood Rat Gang:

    An underground gang led by ¡®Razor¡¯ Dorothy. They were lucky enough to escape the catastrophe that befell Kadman City, but were unlucky enough to fall into the hands of the gue Rat King. Thanks to Lord Murphy and his warriors¡¯ battle in the sewers, the Blood Rat Gang was saved from annihtion.

    To repay the warriors¡¯ kindness, and to contribute their strength to the establishment of Crimson Citadel, Miss Dorothy has decided to step forward and be an idol¡­ oops, I misspoke. Sorry.

    Anyway, Dorothy has joined the Blood Vulture n as Lady Adele¡¯s descendant, and her gang has officially taken over the operation of the Fight Club under Maxim¡¯s appointment.

    This faction¡¯s features: Walk in the shadows, teach thief, pickpocket, Rogue, grave robber, and locksmith profession skills, and possess the unique mechanism ¡®Wanted¡¯. Every week, the Blood Rat Gang will release a new wanted list. yers whoplete wanted tasks will receive reputation, money, or material rewards.

    Rumor has it that Miss Dorothy was a globe-trotting adventurer before entering this line of work, so she knows many rumors about secret treasures spread across the continent.

    P.S.:

    Due to AI upgrades and the poprization of the Mind Microphone plugin, Lady Adele has finally figured out what her nickname ¡®E-sister¡¯ means. So, please try to avoid mentioning this unfortunate name in front of her.

    The development team reserves the right of final interpretation for any personal reputation and material losses caused by such provocative behavior.

    1.2 New Faction ¨C Seicob Winged Cavalry:

    The intelligence unlock progress for this faction is not ideal. Currently, what we know is that the winged cavalry from the Count of Seicob¡¯s territory has always been a legend of bravery on thend of Transia.

    These heavy shock cavalrymen were once the nightmare of all enemies who wanted to set foot on thisnd. But unknown to the little yers, these valiant winged cavalrymen have already had contact with the wise and martial Lord Murphy. Perhaps they will soon make their debut in the story of Transia!

    Faction features: Waiting for yers to discover and promote intelligence unlock.

    1.3 New Faction ¨C Unknown:

    A mysterious unknown faction is growing silently like a shadow in the night. While most people are still unaware, a new character will enter the otherworld life of the warriors.

    I know you¡¯re all curious, but don¡¯t rush.

    Some of you have not only seen and known about them, but are even secretly promoting the rebirth of this new faction.

    Note!

    The birth process of this faction will reveal a heavyweight gamey in the ¡¶Reality Realm¡· game system. But who will have the honor to personally raise the curtain on all of this?

    Ha, let¡¯s wait and see.

    2. Reputation system improvement ¨C new function ¡¾Employment Contract¡¿ing soon

    Thanks to the progress of testers in the story mode, the strength of the Count of Kadman¡¯s territory has begun to quietly recover. Although the people on thisnd are barbaric and ignorant, they at least understand gratitude.

    After the ¡®Gnoll gue¡¯ storyline ends, the Crimson Citadel administration and the Blood Vulture n will issue ¡®Employment Contracts¡¯ to yers who have reached a certain level of reputation.

    Through this officially certified contract, yers will be able to hire a certain number of native warriors from the Kadman People¡¯s Army, Blood Vulture n, and Adventurer¡¯s Guild to fight for them for a specific period of time.

    The number, strength, and duration of natives that yers can hire are all rted to the yer¡¯s reputation with that faction.

    However, due to the game¡¯s focus on 100% realism, in this mode, once a native suffers serious injury or death, the yer must pay a certain amount ofpensation to the respective faction.

    Note!

    The development team has simplified the superplex AI deep learning function, so yers have a certain chance of hiring natives with quite quirky personalities.

    Please treat them well, otherwise, the ¡®Transia Human Rights Protection Organization¡¯ will demand fines from you!

    Note!

    Please negotiate the payment with the hired person before signing the contract. Ifbor disputes arise, double fines will be imposed ording to the Transia Administrative Office¡¯s ruling.

    3. Manufacturing industry function preliminary testingpleted, shop systeming soon, stay tuned

    After the ¡®Gnoll gue¡¯ storyline ends, Crimson Citadel officials will begin selling a series of properties in the area designated as the ¡®trade zone¡¯ of the city. After obtaining the deed, yers can personalize their rooms and open corresponding shops.

    It should be noted that this function is currently only open to yers whose manufacturing skills have reached the ¡®expert level¡¯. The Bataxin Chamber of Commerce, led by Knight Palen Fedo, will provide a certain amount of financial support for each shop.

    But they need to see returns before deciding whether to increase investment.

    The ¡®order task¡¯ system, a special gamey for manufacturing yers, will also be further enhanced.

    After the ¡®Gnoll gue¡¯ storyline ends, manufacturing yers will be able to issue order tasks to natives with Computation Beads and pay them a certain reward.

    Note that thesemercial activities will be recorded and a certain percentage of business tax will be collected by the administrative tax officer at the end of the month.

    For this gamey, the development team needs to additionally remind that the first batch of ¡®tax officers¡¯ will also be yed by yers with administrative professions!

    Therefore, little yers who want to evade taxes, please begin your performance.

    4. Optimized more realistic physics engine, added more interactive intelligent NPCs and random events

    Fixed a small number of bugs.¡¿

    ¡°It¡¯s all updates rted to the reputation system. Looks like the development team is very satisfied with the currentbat system. There are also benefits for the manufacturing industry, but unfortunately, that¡¯s not relevant to us. However, this Seicob Winged Cavalry and the mysterious faction are quite intriguing.¡±

    Meow King finished his water andined to the few brothers gathered around:

    ¡°This damn game is good in every aspect, but it just loves to hide things.

    Many things have to be unraveled by yers themselves in the storyline. For example, the content rted to that mysterious faction is described in a vague and obscure manner, hinting between the lines that some yers among us have already gotten ahead of us.

    Sigh, I originally thought I was quite clever, but after entering this damn game, I¡¯ve been hitting walls and falling behind others in various ways.

    It¡¯s really frustrating.¡±

    ¡°Ha, don¡¯t belittle yourself, Meow,¡±

    More Than Three to Five Pecks very optimistically patted the boss¡¯s shoulder and said:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also see the prospects of that ck Disaster and start hoarding stuff? Although I won¡¯t deny that you¡¯re a fool, you¡¯re actually quite amazing already.¡±

    ¡°Get lost! Do you even know how tofort people?¡±

    Meow King kicked Three to Five Pecks away in extreme displeasure. He was about to ask someone about the situation when he unexpectedly saw a call for help message scroll by in the world channel.

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾At the border of Kadman River and Anderma Hills! Coordinates XXX:XXX, brothers nearbye quickly! We¡¯ve cornered an elite squad of Wolfsbane vampires, but they outnumber us and are strong fighters!

    We can¡¯t hold out for long, we¡¯ve already had casualties!

    Urgently need support!¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾Forgot to mention, they have ¡®special drops¡¯! Come solo the BOSS, farm equipment like crazy!¡¿

    As soon as the words ¡°special drops¡± refreshed in the world channel, it immediately made everyone in Meow King¡¯s group light up.

    ¡°Tobo Mulberry! Are we far from where Silver Moon¡¯s team was ambushed?¡±

    Meow King shouted to the team¡¯s new scout, who was already starting to cast eagle eye spells towards the specific location. Riding on his horse without turning his head, he said:

    ¡°Very close! At top speed on the demon-hunting steeds, it¡¯ll take 10 minutes at most! But I can¡¯t see them, the enemy probably has a Spirit Mage doing interference.

    Damn!

    I knew this beginner skill wouldn¡¯t be much use, and it looks like they¡¯re indeed tough nuts to crack.

    Are we charging in or not?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re charging in, it¡¯s special drops!¡±

    Little Hand was the first to mount his horse, with Curved Brother close behind carrying his gun. He said loudly:

    ¡°The girls¡¯ team has been sneaking aroundtely, Brother Stick is busy with hisrge troop formations, Soldier Strike is busy farming points, and the student party has been in Bataxin all this time. Nobody has had time to do hidden storylines privately. I now suspect that mysterious faction is rted to the girls¡¯ team!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thatter! We¡¯re all brothers and sisters ying the game together, if the enemy bullies one of us, they¡¯re bullying all of us!

    Charge!

    Let¡¯s teach those bastards a lesson!¡±

    Meow King mounted his horse and, using his identity as an Avalon believer, employed the ¡°Beast Tongue¡± talent to pat his warhorse, exining the situation to it.

    So without him actively controlling the horse, the demon-hunting steed let out a roar and charged forward.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Meow King and his group were already rushing over, but they weren¡¯t the first to arrive.

    The girls¡¯ team had lost their weakest member, Lady Aqua, and their tank Orchid, leaving only three people struggling to hold on. Just then, amidst the sound of hoofbeats, five tough guys from the Soldier Strike team had already charged into the battlefield.

    Because Brother Mao had to ensure his score advantage on the leaderboard, they had nned to enter Anderma Hills to continue farming points as soon as they saw the main quest update. As luck would have it, they happened to run into the girls¡¯ team¡¯s call for help.

    The group currently hunting these girls was none other than the Wolfsbane vanguard that had retreated from the secret waterway.

    They were all elites and not at all afraid of closebat. Moreover, they were very strategic, almost instantly taking out the weakest but most troublesome Lady Aqua in the first encounter. This fully proved how dangerous the healer ss could be when initiating a battle in a realistic game.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    Brother Mao, charging on horseback, swung his greatsword and shed head-on with a Wolfsbane swordsman. This charged attack, which could easily crush a gnoll barbarian, only made the vampire opposite him step back a few paces.

    This scene immediately made Brother Mao realize that these opponents were tough!

    ¡°Spread out! Don¡¯t engage in hardbat!¡±

    He shouted to his brothers.

    But the warning came a bitte.

    West Valley Wolf¡¯s Prowl had just raised his hunting crossbow when he was swarmed by 7 Astral Wolves summoned by the opponent, knocked off his horse, and then stabbed several times by a Wolfsbane hunter with a sword cane before dying on the spot.

    This terrifyingbat power made the Soldier Strike team realize they couldn¡¯t match up. They immediately changed tactics and began extreme kiting while calling for help in the world channel. Many solo yers and small teams were rushing towards their location.

    If they could just hold on!

    Victory would certainly be theirs!

    ¡°Run! Run!¡±

    Little Ashina, wielding her cool Iron Warden while fending off a Wolfsbane warrior, shouted in hermunication channel to the unfortunate Hog who was hiding:

    ¡°Our people areing soon, don¡¯te out or you might get killed as a wild monster. Hide far away! You still have a quest on you!¡±

    ¡°Awooo¡±

    The cunning but unlucky Hog, who had been inadvertently caught up in this battle, didn¡¯t hesitate. It dragged a fallen, dying female Wolfsbane warrior, jumped on its messy-haired earth wolf, and charged out. As for whether these Wolfsbane vampires could make it back alive, it couldn¡¯t care less.

    After all, its mission as the high-level Blood Vulture agent ¡°Pangolin¡± to guide the way was alreadyplete. The rest could be left to Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors to deal with.

    Seeing these arrogant Wolfsbane vampires in trouble, Hog grinned happily on its messy-haired earth wolf.

    Hehe, you bullied me, didn¡¯t you? Serve you right!

    Ah, Lord Murphy¡¯s warriors are truly good people. I must repay them properly when I have the chance.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 257:

    ¡°Brothers, hang in there! We¡¯reing to help.¡±

    Meow King, who had been rushing over, saw his own brothers already fighting with the Wolfsbane scoundrels up ahead. His raspy voice echoed in Lumina and Brother Mao¡¯s Computation Beads before he even arrived.

    They quickly approached the battlefield, which had already turned into a huge melee.

    In just 10 minutes, over 20 little yers had rushed over from all directions, already outnumbering the Wolfsbane vanguard by more than 2 to 1, not to mention Brother Stick¡¯s 30-man team that was moving towards this area.

    The only pity was that they were too far away and would likely be unable to arrive before the battle ended.

    Compared to other random yers who came to join the fun, Meow King¡¯s team was formidable. The addition of their 7-man proficient T1 squad to the battlefield was absolutely overwhelming.

    The 7 or 8 Wolfsbane vanguard had already entered the stage of fighting and running to break through, but as soon as Meow arrived, he started with a group Root Bind for crowd control. Then the 3 charges from the team¡¯s one tank and two swordsmen all precisely locked onto the same target. Combined with Old Tune¡¯s long-range sniping, one wave of focused fire left the opponent at low health.

    Another reckless Wolfsbane swordsman waved his sword-staff and tried toe up to rescue, but as soon as he charged forward, a small hand jumped out from the shadows and threw a handful of sh powder in his face.

    The tall Wolfsbane vampire who had already revealed his Wilderness Transformation howled and covered his eyes as he stumbled backwards. As a result, the bloodied Brother Mao stabbed him through the heart from behind with a sword thrust. That wasn¡¯t the end of it ¨C Little Ashina glided over, raised her Iron Warden, and fired a shot almost point-nk, blowing off half the Wolfsbane swordsman¡¯s head.With two more casualties in an instant, Stander Korando¡¯s heart sank sharply.

    They couldn¡¯t stay here any longer!

    Even though he had already entered the Silver rank, seeing these Transia maniacs joining the battlefield in endless waves and charging at them fearlessly round after round made him feel extremely uneasy.

    Although he could certainly overwhelm and kill all these guys with his Overwhelming Strength, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t alert the few remaining elites of the Blood Vulture n.

    Moreover, he was carrying important information at the moment.

    They didn¡¯t have convenient items like Computation Beads to ry messages, so he had to escape before his squad was wiped out.

    But one thing must be stated clearly!

    He wasn¡¯t scared ¨C these armed Blood Servants and new vampires weren¡¯t worth fearing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t linger in battle! Go!¡±

    Having made up his mind, Stander let out a whistle, summoning more Astral Wolves to cover for them.

    He himself pounced over to pick up a teammate whose leg tendons had been cut, while the others charged fiercely in one direction under hismand.

    With the Astral Wolf pack as their vanguard, the little yers were currently unable to withstand the impact of this elite group.

    A gap was torn in their encirclement, and they could only watch helplessly as those few ¡°rare elites¡± mounted Astral Direwolves and ran off towards a more distant ce.

    Some little yers didn¡¯t want to let these low-health monsters get away, and followed with shouts and yells.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go! They¡¯re too tough, you can¡¯t handle them!¡± Brother Mao kept shouting from behind, but the yers who had already gotten fired up weren¡¯t listening. Anxious, he mounted his horse to chase after them but was stopped by Meow King.

    ¡°You stay here and guard. We¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Seeing that this ¡°veteran¡± Meow King had spoken up, Brother Mao naturally went along with it and watched as the group of 7 chased after them.

    He looked back and saw Dog¡¯s Paddle and Tiger¡¯s Howl ¡°collecting the corpses¡± of Wolf¡¯s Prowl, while Lion¡¯s Roar was cursing as he executed the few Wolfsbane vampires who had been left behind.

    It was the same with the girls¡¯ team.

    Lumina was ¡°collecting the corpses¡± of Lady Aqua and Fatal Orchid, while Little Ashina and Sister Pomegranate were sitting on the ground catching their breath.

    Brother Mao himself was also very exhausted.

    The fighting style of these Wolfsbane elite vampires waspletely different from the Blood Vulture traitors they had dealt with before.

    Their directbat power was ridiculously strong, overwhelming the current little yers in strength and endurance. They could also summon Astral Wolves to assist in battle, basically creating a PVPPP situation when encountering one. If you weren¡¯t careful, you¡¯d easily be taken out.

    ¡°If this is the true power of the vampire ns¡­ tsk, it won¡¯t be easy to deal with.¡±

    Brother Mao sighed and sat down to rest, taking out his water skin for a few sips.

    ¡°Hey! Come get your loot.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate called out from the side.

    She was tired too, but still forced herself to call out to the little yers who were still guarding nearby.

    This sister was very generous, all the equipment from the four Wolfsbane vampires left behind by the yers had been stripped off and thrown on the ground.

    Even four vampire hearts wereid out.

    The yers gathered around to take what they needed most, of course the most precious vampire hearts were not given out.

    The random yers didn¡¯t have any objections to this.

    Although everyone hade to help, these four elites were basically taken down by the girls, the Soldier Strike team, and Meow King¡¯s group. They were already satisfied to get a few pieces of equipment for just assisting.

    Little Ashina and Lumina hadn¡¯t lied when they asked for help in the world channel earlier.

    The equipment on this group of Wolfsbane elites was indeed powerful, with the worst being Veteran grade and asional Masterwork pieces. However, due to their fighting style, these looted items were more suitable for melee fighters.

    On average, everyone present could get more than two pieces, but soon little yers started arguing over the four cool sword-staves.

    This kind of Exotic Weapon was considered a ¡°exclusive drop¡± for the Wolfsbane n.

    Apart from them, basically no other vampires used these things. The four sword-staves had a low-key and simple appearance, polished into the shape of ck canes, all decorated with wolf head designs of different forms on the handle. Just press the mechanism and a thin long de could be drawn out.

    Although the Item Description of this thing had already warned that using an Exotic Weapon required special techniques, the little yers didn¡¯t care about that, as long as it looked cool!

    You could still kill people even if you just swung it around blindly.

    Moreover, this kind of cool and unique exclusive drop naturally attracted attention, so of course no one was willing to give it up.

    ¡°Stop arguing, stop arguing! We¡¯re all brothers here, don¡¯t hurt our rtionships over these material things. The Wolfsbane vampires are right here and won¡¯t run away. When we all level up in the future, we can rush over and kill them all! Then everyone will have one, right?¡±

    Little Ashina, carrying an Iron Warden as tall as herself, came forward to ¡°mediate¡±. She really enjoyed this feeling of being watched by others, so she immediately suggested:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we auction them?

    We have four sword-staves here. Let¡¯s auction the first one, starting price 10 gold coins, each bid must be at least 2 gold coins more, with a cap of 100 gold.

    The second one will start at the final price of the first one.

    The money from the auction will be split equally among all the brothers who participated in the battle. This way everyone gets something, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Good, good! That¡¯s great!¡±

    ¡°Little Ashina is so clever!¡±

    ¡°Hey, little sister, are you selling that cool gun of yours? Why don¡¯t we auction that too? I¡¯ll go find people to pool money now!¡±

    ¡°My precious gun is not for sale, this is a quest reward,¡± Little Ashina shook her head vigorously and said, ¡°But Grandma Marianne in the church district has the crafting diagram for ¡®Iron Warden¡¯. As long as you can afford the 100 gold crafting fee, she can make one for you.

    That Dog brother, you have good speaking skills, why don¡¯t you host this auction?¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright, I¡¯ming.¡±

    North Forest Dog¡¯s Paddle, who was invited, didn¡¯t refuse.

    He stepped forward and picked up a Wolfsbane sword-staff in a professional manner, looked at it in his hand, and then drew it out and waved it in the air with a very professional posture.

    Then he said loudly:

    ¡°Wolfsbane sword-staff, Masterwork Veteran Quality, with special affix ¡¾Damage Amplification¡¿,patible with the sword skill ¡®Wolf¡¯s Kiss¡¯, requires Agility ¡Ý 7 to use!

    Brothers, let me be honest, this thing is a bit form over function for us.

    First of all, we have nowhere to learn thepatible sword skill.

    Moreover, the sword-staff is more troublesome to use. You see it as one weapon, but it¡¯s actually divided into sword and staff. The difficulty to learn this is too high.

    Therefore, I suggest you don¡¯t get too excited!

    It¡¯s definitely not worth 100 gold coins, I think even 50 would be overpriced, but if you buy it for collection, that¡¯s absolutely no problem.

    This thing looks very cool, and I estimate that in Transia, apart from killing wild rare elites, there¡¯s no other way to obtain it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± A little brother below immediately refuted, ¡°Last night at the Fight Club I saw Lord Murphy use the Wolf¡¯s Kiss sword skill when he was fighting Andrei, the Count of White Mountain. Lord Maxim was even guestmentating on the side.

    I remember very clearly, Maxim said Lord Murphy¡¯s Wolf¡¯s Kiss sword skill had reached the Master level.

    Since the developers designed this unique drop, they must have left a way, right? Maybe if you take this sword-staff to Lord Murphy, he¡¯ll teach you?

    It might even trigger a Hidden Quest.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense, brother.¡±

    An older guy who was about to give up onpeting suddenly brightened up and immediately raised his hand to shout:

    ¡°Then I bid 30 gold!¡±

    ¡°Cheapskate!¡±

    Little Ashina had been waiting for this opportunity. She immediately raised her hand and screamed:

    ¡°I bid 100 gold!¡±

    ¡°Hey hey hey, you can¡¯t y like this, Ashina, you¡¯re breaking the rules! None of us have that much money in our pockets right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notpeting with you for the first one either, just leave thest one for me, okay? My little Sister Pomegranate is a martial artist, you know?

    She mainly fights with her fists, but her swordsmanship is not bad either. She definitely needs to learn this sword skill. So, can everyone give me some face?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll also bid 100 gold coins for one,¡± Brother Mao stepped forward and said to the other fellows, ¡°The advanced profession I transferred to is ¡®Weapon Master¡¯. This profession requires me to master multiple weapons and sword skills to level up, brothers, give me some face.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s already 200 gold coins, plus the remaining two, if we split it evenly, everyone can get dozens of gold coins. Not a bad deal.¡±

    The yers whispered among themselves, and finally agreed to this distribution.

    A few minutester, the first and second sword-staves were sold for 45 and 75 respectively. Little Ashina and Brother Mao also paid and got their acquisitions. Then Brother Dog¡¯s Paddle piled up the gold coins, waiting for Meow King and the other brothers to return before dividing them equally.

    This wait ended upsting 30 minutes.

    When Meow King and his team returned, they were in a mess. They said they went to chase, but it looked like they had suffered heavy casualties. On Meow King¡¯s side, Old Hand had died tragically, while only two or three of the other random yers were left.

    ¡°Those damned Wolfsbane are very powerful, they even ¡®power up¡¯ when they¡¯re about to die!¡± Meow King cursed on horseback, ¡°The brothers paid the price for their inexperience, but it¡¯s okay, we caught up and killed two more.¡±

    ¡°Where are the sword-staves? Bring them out for auction! Quick!¡±

    The other yers shouted, leaving Meow King confused.

    However, this matter ended with each participant getting two pieces of equipment and over 30 gold coins. Everyone was satisfied, eximing that the elites farmed in the wild were indeed generous, and they should find and farm more in the future.

    Although people died.

    But is this even an issue for yers?

    Just 3 days, bear with it and it¡¯ll pass.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°You went with 11 people and only 5 came back?¡±

    In the gnoll camp in Anderma Hills, in the small camp of the Wolfsbane vampires, Korando looked at his second son in front of him with anger. He pped the table and scolded:

    ¡°No matter how many faction elites we have, they can¡¯t withstand your wasteful use! When will that muscle brain of yours grow a few more strings? This is a secret infiltration, not asking you to go capture gs and kill generals!¡±

    ¡°We lost six elites, but the Blood Vultures lost even more elite Blood Servants, at least 18 died!¡± Stander retorted with his neck stretched out, ¡°This is not an unbearable loss. I¡¯m sure those guys are definitely Murphy¡¯s elites. Although their strength is a bit inferior, that kind of fearless spirit is not ordinary.

    You can tell at a nce they¡¯re carefully trained. In this wave, their losses are greater than ours!

    And I¡¯ve already found out some information, there¡¯s an internal conflict between the Blood Vultures and Thorns going on inside Crimson Citadel. Murphy humiliated Count Andrei of the Thorn n in front of the Blood Servants and humans.

    It¡¯s a fight to the death between them!

    Most importantly, Father, I found the killer of my brother! It¡¯s Murphy, that bastard lord, my brother¡¯s sword is in his hands.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Korando was more helpless. His sons were truly capable fighters, but they were also truly stupid, not inheriting any of his wisdom beyond strength and brutality. He sighed and said, ¡°How can there be such a coincidence? You just went over and saw Murphy humiliate the Thorns? Why don¡¯t you think about whether this is them putting on a show for you to see?

    We are vampires, child. We can¡¯t rely on luck when we do things.¡±

    ¡°Of course I thought of that,¡± Stander shook his head and said, ¡°If it was just this bit of information, I could have brought people backst night. But we infiltrated Crimson Citadel and looked around, and the Thorn n has stored arge amount of explosives around the city to ambush Murphy.

    Their people don¡¯t follow the rules of Crimson Citadel and were even put in cages. I used the power of midnight to charm a few people from the Blood Rat Gang.

    They said with certainty that Count Andrei of the Thorn n is Murphy¡¯s biggestpetitor for the position of Governor of Transia.

    And you¡¯ll never guess the true identity of that Andrei, Father!¡±

    At this point, Stander¡¯s face was full of joy.

    He stepped forward and whispered to Korando about the true identity of the Count of White Mountain. When he heard that Andrei was the half-brother of the Wolf Queen, Korando stood up abruptly.

    A sh of excitement and anticipation also shone in his gray eyes.

    This identity was incredible!

    If we could capture him, we could exchange a lot of benefits from the Kingdom of Nordtov and the Thorn n. More importantly, if we hand over this heavyweight prisoner to King Louis¡­ Hehe, whatever old Edward could get from the royal family, I could get too!

    ¡°I originally thought the only valuable target in Crimson Citadel was the Blood Vulture remnants, I didn¡¯t expect there to be an unexpected harvest. Good, very good!¡±

    Korando narrowed his eyes and quickly made up his mind.

    He said:

    ¡°Gather the faction members!

    I¡¯ll go ask Kenport for people. Since therge number of ghouls in the third level of the sewers doesn¡¯t allow forrge-scale entry, it¡¯s time to put this cannon fodder of gnolls that we¡¯ve long prepared to use.¡±

    ¡°Should we also gather the n members from the Cato region?¡± Stander asked, ¡°It will take them at least 3 days to get here.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Korando sneered, ¡°Leaving them in that ce is useless anyway. Withdrawing our members can also make the other factions let their guard down. The gnolls already know the defense situation there, that ce is already doomed. After we seize Crimson Citadel, we won¡¯t have to rely on others¡¯ mercy anymore. Our ambition to break away from the Wolfsbane n and establish our own family will be within reach.

    Since we¡¯re doing something big, we must go all out like a lion hunting rabbits!

    This time, the Greyw faction will fully mobilize! Send messages to your two sisters, tell them to bring the wealth and n members from Greenleaf Ind to join us in Transia.

    We can¡¯t stay with old Edward anymore!

    Once we truly annihte the Blood Vulture remnants, with our soaring reputation, that old fool will definitely hold them hostage. Hehe, even the Midnight Wolf King of the past has be senile and muddleheaded. It¡¯s time for a younger alpha to emerge.

    This is the rule of our Wolfsbane n.¡±

 Chapter 258:

    In the training area specifically opened up in the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy, who had justpleted his daily ¡°fencing training¡±, came out to find a group of little yers ¡°ambushing¡± him.

    These guys were all excited, and each of them had a sword cane still reeking of blood in their hands.

    Murphy immediately knew their intention.

    They hade here to try their luck andplete quests, but since these guys were holding sword canes, it meant that a group of Wolfsbane thugs must have perished at their hands.

    This was a good thing!

    Since his warriors had eliminated some of his major concerns for him, he, as the Governor of Transia, naturally couldn¡¯t skimp on rewards.

    It¡¯s just a Hidden Quest, after all.

    Give it!

    Give it generously!One for each person!

    So that yers from other games won¡¯t think my adorable little yers can¡¯t handle quests.

    ¡°Hmm, a sword cane from the Wolfsbane n, a malicious yet exquisite weapon that requires special methods to use properly. They call it the Wolf¡¯s w, and named their secret sword technique the ¡®Wolf¡¯s Kiss¡¯.

    Sometimes I wonder, these guys known for wolves really don¡¯t fit the vampire tradition.

    Our symbol under the midnight should be bats, after all.¡±

    Murphy took the sword cane handed over by Sister Pomegranate, casually unsheathed it, and with a twist of his wrist, executed a standard and elegant Wolf¡¯s Kiss sword technique. The de danced, drawing arge arc with a chilling aura resonating on the humming de.

    This move left Sister Pomegranate and Brother Mao staring in awe.

    As professionals, they could understand the value of this move, so the ever-elusive Lord Murphy must also be a hidden ¡°martial arts master¡±, right?

    ¡°Wolf¡¯s Kiss, the swordsmanship most adept at closebat and group fighting among the vampire ns. It¡¯s a ferocious technique tailored to the exaggerated muscles and strength of the Wolfsbane n. Although I know it, I¡¯m just a beginner newly entered into this art.

    I didn¡¯t intend to pass on the enemy¡¯s martial arts, but for warriors who have already imed victory, no amount of knowledge is too much to reward your contributions.¡±

    Murphy, as usual, spoke very pleasantly. While saying he hadn¡¯t nned to teach, he smoothly took out the ¡°Wolf¡¯s Kiss¡± sword technique manual that he had actually prepared in advance from his Spirit Bag, and handed it to his adorable and capable little yers.

    His understanding of this sword technique was currently at the Master level, so the manual he provided was sufficient for the little yers to practice it up to the Master level.

    Considering the difficulty of upgrading advanced sword techniques, this was enough for the little yers to practice for a long time.

    ¡°Go, make good use of this power from the enemy!¡±

    Murphy smiled and distributed the manuals to everyone present, one for each person, making the yers beam with joy.

    Indeed, their guess was correct!

    The development team had indeed designed a special skill acquisition method for this unique exclusive drop. Shouldn¡¯t they hurry to post on the forum? This secret information was that as long as you get the Wolfsbane sword cane, you can exchange it for the corresponding skill manual from Lord Murphy.

    This seemed to also announce the method of acquiring special skills in this game, perhaps you need to get simr ¡°tokens¡± to do so.

    Indeed, among the NPCs that have appeared in the game so far, Lord Murphy is the most conscientious! Other NPCs charge money for teaching skills, but Lord Murphy doesn¡¯t ask for anything, he just gives out skill manuals.

    Watching his little yers leave satisfied, Murphy¡¯s mood for the day also improved. He was about to walk away with his hands behind his back when he saw Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate turn back.

    ¡°My Lord! We want to challenge you.¡±

    Brother Mao cupped his fists and said sincerely:

    ¡°We want to witness the supreme art of the Blood Vulture n.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not a belligerent person, my warriors,¡± Murphy said, shaking his head without blinking:

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t deny that I¡¯m a proud person. I¡¯m too busy to spend much time practicing swordsmanship with you, but if you can gain the approval of my subordinates, I¡¯m willing to spend some time on it.¡±

    ¡°Ding¡±

    The sound of a quest triggering rang in front of the twobative yers. They looked down:

    ¡¾Challenge Quest ¨C ¡®The Supreme Pursuit of Combat Arts¡¯ has been triggered!

    Quest Description: You recklessly challenged Lord Murphy, but the friendly governor didn¡¯t get angry at the warriors¡¯ abruptness. He¡¯s always so gentle and calm.

    However, getting Transia¡¯s governor to spare time to evaluate your martial arts is not an easy task, after all, this is a proud soul.

    You need to first gain the approval of the warriors under Lord Murphy to get the qualification to challenge him.

    Quest Objective: Obtain 4 out of 7 rmendation letters from ¡®Baron of Leim¡¯ Maxim, ¡®Baroness of Shadows¡¯ Adele, ¡®Hunting Baron¡¯ Kudel, ¡®Count of White Mountain¡¯ Andrei, ¡®Moon Arrow¡¯ Lainnia, ¡®Osprey Knight¡¯ Vnd, and ¡®Countess of Anderma¡¯ Femis, to gain the qualification to challenge Lord Murphy.

    Time Limit: 3 months.

    Quest Reward: Recognition from Lord Murphy and his reward for outstanding warriors.

    Special Reward: If you persist to a level that satisfies him during the challenge with Lord Murphy, you can obtain the special title ¡°Champion of Transia¡± and the limited-time outfit ¨C Midnight Challenger¡¯s Coat.

    note!

    This quest is a ¡®challenge¡¯ quest, it doesn¡¯t require you to win against all targets, but you must make the targets express approval and praise for your martial arts to obtain rmendation letters.

    note!

    This quest can be shared with a maximum of 40 people, current participants: 2.¡¿

    After casually giving out a quest that was virtually impossible toplete, Lord Murphy smiled and bid farewell to the two little yers who were ¡°looking for trouble¡±, then drifted away.

    Only Brother Mao and Sister Pomegranate were left staring at each other.

    ¡°So, to challenge Lord Murphy, we need to beat all the named strong NPCs in the territory?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate eximed:

    ¡°And who is this ¡®Osprey Knight¡¯? I¡¯ve never heard of him! Is this a strong NPC that hasn¡¯t appeared yet?¡±

    ¡°Probably will be refreshed in future plot,¡± Brother Mao said, rubbing his chin and saying to Sister Pomegranate as he looked at this quest with a difficulty that almost transcended the sky:

    ¡°But have you thought about a question, if the difficulty of challenging Lord Murphy is even above these seven people, doesn¡¯t it mean that Lord Murphy¡¯s hidden strength is stronger than all seven of them?

    Lord Kudel and Lady Femis are true Silver rank! Isn¡¯t Lord Murphy still just a ck Iron vampire?¡±

    ¡°Rank doesn¡¯t representbat power! It¡¯s just a summary and ssification of different forms of life,¡± Sister Pomegranate pouted and said:

    ¡°How else did we pass our ck Iron trials? Isn¡¯t it normal for a main storyline NPC like him to be stronger? Forget it, let¡¯s share the quest.

    This kind of challenge quest, let¡¯s not let ordinary yers join in the fun, it¡¯s just a waste of spots.¡±

    ¡°You go tell them, see if they¡¯re willing?¡± Brother Mao sighed and said:

    ¡°This is ying a game, who can admit they¡¯re weak?¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re not convinced, they can fight!¡± Sister Pomegranate folded her arms and said nonchntly:

    ¡°If they can beat me in the Fight Club, I¡¯ll share the quest with them.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work, with your standard, few people can get a share,¡± Brother Mao shook his head and said:

    ¡°Let my four brothers fight them. If they can beat my brothers, it shows they¡¯re not ordinary yers. You can¡¯t be so domineering, you have to give others a sense of participation.¡±

    ¡°Who asked you to manage?¡± Sister Pomegranate rolled her eyes and left without saying whether it was good or not.

    Brother Mao shrugged, sighing in his heart that this tigress was really not easy to deal with, then sent a message to his brothers toe find him, he had something good to show them.

    Murphy wasn¡¯t worried that his adorable little yers would be scared by the terrifying difficulty of this quest.

    He was very clear about the personality of the yers, they always liked to do some very challenging things and enjoyed it, isn¡¯t that how achievement hunters andpletionists came about?

    After returning to his office, Murphy pondered for a while and felt that what he had casually done just now could actually be even more ¡°exciting¡±. Why not make it into a ¡°side quest¡± with enough content?

    Well, it¡¯s not like you can challenge the seven strong warriors whenever you want, they should also have their own side quest linesbined to form a super huge andplex ¡°super quest chain¡±, just like the three dragon quest lines when opening Ahn¡¯Qiraj.

    Only in this way can the weight and epic feel of this quest be reflected.

    ¡°Need to n it well!¡±

    Murphy found it more and more interesting as he thought about it, so he pulled open the drawer and took out his notebook.

    He was a dog game designer!

    He was responsible for enriching the gaming experience of his little yers, and by the way, call on the little yers to definitely move towards a ¡°martial virtue abundant¡± direction.

    This is how to be a true Transia person!

    However, Murphy didn¡¯t forget the main task. After making a rough task diagram, he took out his core bead and leaned back in his chair to send amunication request to a specialmunication frequency.

    Half a minuteter, the request was connected.

    Far away in the forests of the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain, ¡°Osprey Knight¡± Lord Vnd shouted in a very displeased, rude voice:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I have no interest in the alliance you proposed! Lord Murphy, and that¡¯s not something a loyal knight should worry about, my lord is considering it!

    Don¡¯t you understand the meaning of the word ¡®considering¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, Knight Vnd, I just wanted to inform you that I¡¯m nning to hold a super cool knight tournament in my domain, letting my 40 most valiant warriors challenge the strong ones in my domain. I wanted to ask if you¡¯d be interested in being one of the seven ¡®judges¡¯,¡± Murphy said, looking at the task diagram in his notebook:

    ¡°You¡¯re a knight, you should be enthusiastic about this kind of activity, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, war games? Okay, I am indeed very interested, but not now!¡± Murphy had been asionally in contact with this Osprey Knight these days, and the two were not as unfamiliar as before. After hearing Murphy¡¯s invitation, the Osprey Knight was initially enthusiastic, but thenined:

    ¡°We¡¯ve been very busy these days!

    It¡¯s all because you Kadman people are carrying outrge-scale extermination of gnolls, causing those bastards to run to the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain, and we have to drive them out.¡±

    ¡°Just leave them there,¡± Murphy said carelessly:

    ¡°After I deal with the gnoll warlord in Anderma Hills, my warriors and my soldiers will go to the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain to solve thest remaining gnoll problem in Transia.

    The warlord in Anderma Hills is ready for war.

    Its army has begun to advance towards the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain, the war is imminent. By the way, don¡¯t you and your winged cavalry want to join in the fun?

    Look, I exined it clearly before, the cleanup of gnolls is rted to whether the ck Disaster can be safely ovee, which is closely rted to the future of the entire Transia region.

    You and your lord may not recognize my rule, but you can¡¯t pretend that the threat of the ck Disaster doesn¡¯t exist.

    Therefore, I hereby formally invite you and your lord, the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain is about to engage in a decisive battle with the gnoll army, we invite the winged cavalry and the warriors of the Count of Seicob to join this battle that will surely go down in history!

    You are also part of thisnd, your lord actually has the right topete for the position of Transia governor, isn¡¯t he interested at all?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t give you an answer, although I myself am very interested in this war,¡± the Osprey Knight replied in a low voice:

    ¡°But I can understand what you mean, I will pass your thoughts on to my lord, and what kind of response he will make is none of my business. As for that knight tournament judge, save a spot for me!

    If you can still survive after the gnoll war, I would be very happy to have a bout with your warriors, Transia people never fear challenges!¡±

    ¡°Very well, then I¡¯ll await good news in the Crimson Citadel,¡± Murphy said satisfactorily as he cut off themunication.

    In the northernmost forests of the Count of Seicob¡¯s domain, Osprey Knight Vnd also put down the Computation Bead that he was using more and more proficiently.

    Murphy¡¯s ¡°phone call¡± actually came at just the right time, because Vnd was discussing this matter with his lord at this moment.

    The knight, as big as a bear, knelt beside a small table, looking at his lord in front of him, waiting for thetter to speak, and there was no one else in this traditional tent.

    The inheritance of the Count of Seicob was preserved in the war, but the price was heavy. The entire governance system of the count¡¯s domain waspletely destroyed, and even thest heir of the Count of Seicob could only have thest winged cavalry.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go!¡± A calm voice with a bit of a baby tone rang out in the tent.

    The owner of this voice said in a deep voice:

    ¡°We can¡¯t hesitate anymore. The Count of Kadman has shown enough patience and respect. I believe in his attitude and sincerity on this matter, and he¡¯s right! The ck Disaster may be just a fearful legend for people in other regions, but for us, it¡¯s a matter of life and death.

    Everyone on thisnd is responsible for it. If I want to take back thend of my ancestors and rebuild the glory of the Seicob family, then I must participate in it.

    Vnd, this time we¡¯ll bring all the winged cavalry and new recruits to the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain to participate in the decisive battle between the Blood Vulture n and the gnolls!

    I¡­ I will also apany you!¡±

    ¡°No! Not allowed,¡± Vnd immediately refused:

    ¡°You¡¯re too young, you can¡¯t even ride a horse well. If we are to participate in the war in the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain as scheduled, all knights will have to advance at full speed for 4 or 5 days, which is a terrible ordeal.

    You can¡¯t handle it.

    You should stay in this ancestral blessed forest and wait for the news of our triumphant return.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for your opinion, Uncle Vnd!¡± The heir of the Count of Seicob, who should not be very old, said loudly:

    ¡°I am ordering you as the daughter of the count, this is the first meeting between one lord and another, I must attend.

    Although we are unwilling to admit it, the fact now is that our forest is also suffering from covetousness from all sides!

    Not only does the Count of Kadman need political support from us to gain the right to rule Transia, we also need his military support to protect our sacred forest.

    You can¡¯t make the decision on this matter.

    Your brain can¡¯t think of suchplex things, so I must go with you.

    I¡¯m small, I can just sit in front of your warhorse, just like when you took me out of Seicob City before, we ran for 7 days and 7 nights that time, didn¡¯t I hold up then?¡±

    ¡°You lost an arm that time! Oh my, don¡¯t make me recall that guilt again.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Vnd, this is the destiny of us Seicob people! Take me with you, I must go!¡±

 Chapter 259:

    ¡°I gave you 500 men! Korando, I hope you don¡¯t let the blood of my warriors be wasted in vain!¡±

    Three nightster, in the gnoll camp, the warlord Kenport, riding his sturdy giant armored earth wolf, arrogantly said to the Wolfsbane n faction leader who was preparing tounch a long-range attack on Crimson Citadel:

    ¡°Although the moment of separation hase, I must say, working with you has been pleasant.¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending!¡±

    Korando, dressed in ck battle armor, didn¡¯t even bother to pretend anymore. He said sarcastically to the gnoll warlord in front of him:

    ¡°That expression on your face of sending off a gue god is barely hidden. There¡¯s been no pleasure in our cooperation either, it¡¯s basically been a state of mutual disdain. This is a relief for me too, we¡¯ll have no further rtionship after this, Kenport.

    I just want to reiterate once, if we take down Crimson Citadel¡±

    ¡°Ah, I will immediately turn my army towards the Cato region.¡±

    Kenport let out the strange and evilugh of gnolls from atop his earth wolf, saying:¡°I won¡¯t continue attacking the city that already belongs to you, that¡¯s our ¡®agreement¡¯, haha, but the other generals of the Gnawbone n may not be as agreeable as me, so my final advice to you is to think carefully about how to get closer to my n again during this time, my ¡®friend¡¯.

    You¡¯ll soon know who can save you in the face of the ck Disaster!

    Ha, enough talk, night has fallen, you should set out. ording to our gnoll tradition, we should offer you a bowl of farewell wine at this time, but I guess you¡¯re not used to our strong liquor, so, I wish you a smooth journey, my ¡®friends¡¯ under the midnight.¡±

    Faced with the gnoll warlord¡¯s false sentiments, the Wolfsbane vampires couldn¡¯t even be bothered to respond. They mounted their summoned Astral Wolves and turned into the morous and unsettling night.

    The 500 gnoll barbarians allocated for their use also rode earth wolves behind them.

    Kenport didn¡¯t break his word this time, he really picked 500 fierce barbarians and handed them over to Korando.

    This number of men wasn¡¯t much for the huge legion under hismand now, especially since they were just locally recruited Transia scum. If their lives could help the Wolfsbane nunch a surprise attack and take down Crimson Citadel, he could give not just 500, but even 5,000!

    This was also a good thing for Kenport, but Korando¡¯s imperious attitude made Kenport very unhappy, so 500 people were enough. Anyway, this bunch of bastards were going as cannon fodder to die. Did they really think he would spare them?

    Ridiculous!

    After getting the defense map of the Wolfsbane n in the Cato region, Kenport was already itching to act.

    Compared to the barren and unprofitable Transia, the prosperous Cato region was more like a juicy, sulent steak. As long as he could lead his army to break through there, he would not only gain a huge amount of military supplies, but also gain super huge prestige within the Gnawbone n.

    At that time, he could rightfully demand that Moss Valley send more elites to support him, and then turn around and take Transia too!

    That would be the real power to realize his ambitions.

    As for these Transia gnoll scum, tch, they were all small in stature and weak-willed, barely qualified to be cannon fodder. It was unthinkable to rely on them to achieve any great undertaking.

    From this point of view, it was really no ident that Kenport could cooperate with Korando. These two guys even wanted almost the same things.

    ¡°Great King, these Wolfsbane pups may not be able to take down Crimson Citadel.¡±

    As Kenport was pondering these issues alone, Hog, the ¡°lucky one¡± who had survived twice, came over and said quietly:

    ¡°They¡¯ve clearly underestimated their Blood Vulture brethren, they might take a big hit, but this is just an opportunity! If Crimson Citadel falls into chaos due to tonight¡¯s surprise attack, your great army can¡­¡± R?§¡?¨°???

    ¡°You¡¯re just scared by the Blood Vulture vampires, poor Hog, your courage is as small as your stature.¡±

    Kenport snorted at this argument.

    He nced at Hog.

    This guy¡¯s luck was indeed good, and his brain was useful, he could be considered promising material, but unfortunately he was a scum, and to make matters worse, he had half noble blood from Moss Valley.

    This mixture of noble and lowly made Kenport despise Hog even more!

    He felt this guy was the epitome of disgrace, but the problem was that he couldn¡¯t go back on his word in front of his own kind. He had promised Hog before that if he came back alive, he would be rewarded.

    Sigh, those Wolfsbane bastards couldn¡¯t even do this one thing right! Wasn¡¯t eliminating this crippled scum just a matter of one sword stroke? Why did they have to bring it back to annoy people?

    ¡°I know you¡¯re concerned about my conquest, I see your loyalty, but I¡¯ll make the decisions on these matters. Go im your reward, Hog, go pick out your previous nsmen. I allow you to reform your n and join the elite main force of the camp.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Great King!¡±

    Hog appeared very joyful.

    He shrank his body and tactfully withdrew from Kenport¡¯s side, then returned to his Blood w n amidst the disdainful gazes of other gnolls.

    In the two days he had run out to ¡°seek death¡±, Nash hadpleted the tasks he assigned quite well. He hadn¡¯t blindly recruited many gnolls with big appetites to fill the ranks. On the contrary, the current 100-odd gnolls in the Blood w n were all very clever fellows.

    Wisdom wasn¡¯t a necessary condition for survival in gnoll groups, so these smart gnolls were mostly marginal figures in various ns. Hog gathered them together so these guys wouldn¡¯t have to be bullied anymore.

    This way, both sides were very satisfied with the arrangement.

    Hog quickly announced to his new nsmen the Great King Kenport¡¯s high regard for their small n and the news of moving the camp to the central area.

    This made his nsmen even happier.

    Moving to the center of the camp meant more food rations and better weapons allocated. They could have more servants.

    ¡°Nash,e here, I have something to instruct you.¡±

    Hog called out quietly to his most trusted subordinate. Nash looked around and quietly followed his chieftain. The two gnolls talked in the darkness.

    ¡°Great King Kenport has given me back my previous n, there are over 200 people there.¡±

    Hog said to Nash.

    Thetter immediately cried out joyfully, saying:

    ¡°This is great news! Your previous n members will surely be more loyal to you.¡±

    ¡°This is not good news¡±

    Hog was very helpless.

    He knew that if he met with his previous nsmen, his im of being the ¡°grandson of Gnawbone¡± that he had dered to his current core nsmen would immediately be exposed.

    This was a deadly matter.

    When Kenport looked at him earlier, Hog clearly sensed the coldness and disgust in those eyes. He knew Kenport despised and loathed him, this mixed-blood.

    Given the chance, that brutal Great King would definitely not spare him, but he couldn¡¯t tell Nash about this either. This oaf definitely couldn¡¯t keep it secret.

    So Hog instructed Nash face to face, saying:

    ¡°You¡¯ve been putting in effort following me recently, especially when picking people for the new n, you didn¡¯t ck off and actedpletely ording to my instructions. This makes me very satisfied.

    I must generously reward you!

    So, I n to give you my original n!¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Nash¡¯s scarred face was full of flustered joy.

    Even in his original n, he was just a big-headed brute. Now he could actually be a chieftain, this was really unthinkable.

    ¡°Go, lead your n.¡±

    Hog patted his shoulder, saying:

    ¡°Lead them however you want, of course, you¡¯re still a member of the Blood w n, this won¡¯t change. If you lose your own n in the future, I also wee you to return to our big family.

    Go.

    Share this joy with your nsmen.¡±

    Nash dizzily jumped on an earth wolf, looked back at Hog, who was grinning and waving his ws at him. At this moment, Nash was extremely grateful to his Chieftain Hog.

    But after he left, a fierce look appeared in Hog¡¯s green eyes.

    His previous nsmen were a threat!

    If he wanted to be the grandson of Gnawbone, those who knew his origins must all be eliminated. Only dead gnolls would truly keep their mouths shut.

    But relying on himself, he couldn¡¯t achieve this in the current gnoll camp.

    Hmm, perhaps he should request a little help from his ¡°friends¡± in his capacity as ¡°Pangolin¡±.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°How many people came from the Cato region?¡±

    Moriarty Korando Gongreau, riding an Astral Direwolf and advancing in the night, asked his eldest son Mark as his cloak fluttered.

    They were currently heading towards the Kadman River Bay to infiltrate the sewers of Crimson Citadel through there to carry out the raid.

    Mark Korando, who had brought people from the Cato region, was also riding a giant wolf. His figure was even more massive than his brothers, like a muscle monster with an inverted triangle upper body.

    Faced with his father¡¯s inquiry, the scarred-faced Mark Korando said in a muffled voice:

    ¡°300 people! All elite ck Iron warriors, the rest who can¡¯t fight as well are continuouslying but they¡¯re slow. As per your instructions, I¡¯ve already extracted all our faction members from the Cato region.

    But Father, isn¡¯t this action tonight a bit risky?

    What if it¡¯s a trap?¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting my reconnaissance?¡±

    Stander immediately retorted unhappily:

    ¡°That was information I personally scouted and obtained! There¡¯s no problem at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth, I just feel there¡¯s something strange about this whole thing.¡±

    Markpletely ignored his stupid brother¡¯s rebuttal, he only looked at his father who was capable enough tomand his respect, and said quietly:

    ¡°You even had my two sisters take our nsmen and the Korando family treasures away from Greenleaf Ind. Did you sense somethinging?

    Is that old waste Edward going to make a move against us?¡±

    ¡°He sent the Greyw faction to the frontlines of the battlefield, and said to let us represent the Wolfsbane n in participating in the ck Disaster, isn¡¯t this obvious, my sons.¡±

    Korando said coldly:

    ¡°Edward has long seen us as thorns in his side threatening his control of the family. He wants to take this opportunity to eliminate us. Oppression from the n leader is very difficult for us to bear, my children.

    I¡¯ve also doubted whether this is a trap.

    But you have to admit, the blood feastid out before us is indeed very tempting. Even knowing it¡¯s bait, we must bite.

    As for your sisters.

    Well, I¡¯ve indeed been keeping some things from you, afraid that you¡¯d be unable to suppress your anger and do something stupid if you heard.

    Just a month ago, right after the Greyw faction left Greenleaf Ind, old Edward divided arge part of our territory and gave it to a mysterious woman called ¡®Cecilia¡¯.

    She established her faction on our territory.

    Children, we can¡¯t go back anymore, we have no home now.

    That dog Edward has already given us an ultimatum with this action, either stay obediently in the Cato region and help him expand Wolfsbane¡¯s influence on the continent as pioneers, or be devoured by other factions.

    Perhaps this is also good.

    After all, a true wolf pack shouldn¡¯t have a home!

    Children, our enemy seems to be that Blood Vulture called Murphy, but in reality, we¡¯re already standing in opposition to old Edward.

    He won¡¯t allow a strong faction capable of challenging his position to emerge within the Wolfsbane n.

    We either make an all-out effort to break through this, or just obediently bow our heads in submission. I don¡¯t know what you think?

    But I¡¯m not willing to go back and lick old Edward¡¯s shoes!

    Even dying here would be better than that oue.¡±

    ¡°How dare he!¡±

    Stander cursed loudly:

    ¡°That shameless, venomous old bastard, we must make him pay the price in the future!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the n leader, of course he dares.¡±

    Mark Korando was equally angry, but he still tried to maintain his rationality, and said coldly:

    ¡°Father is right, even if there¡¯s a trap ahead we must charge in. The fame of annihting the Blood Vulture remnants can give us enough prestige among our nsmen to resist old Edward¡¯s oppression.

    If we can also capture the prince of the Nordtov Kingdom, our voice will be even louder, we might even get direct support from King Louis.

    We have no other choice but to go all in!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget why our family joined the Wolfsbane n in the first ce, children.¡±

    Moriarty Korando Gongreau narrowed his eyes in the night, saying:

    ¡°We¡¯re not here for some midnight dignity, for some dog-shit vampire honor, we¡¯re here for power! For a future that leads to a brighter prospect.

    But those things nevere easily into our hands. If you want to wear the crown, you must have your hands stained with blood, either the enemy, or our own.

    Children, let¡¯s go all in!

    Children, let us be true predators tonight.

    Children, don¡¯t worry about what happens after us. Even if we return to eternal sleep tonight, the bloodline of the Korando family won¡¯t be cut off. Your sisters have inherited the cunning wisdom that you never possessed.

    They are also surnamed Korando.

    Melia and Winnie will eventuallyplete the unfinished business of the ipetent men in the family!

    Yes, I¡¯ve already arranged everything for us. Whether we live or die, we no longer have any attachments, nor do we need to have any burdens!

    Tonight, we only need to bare our fangs, drink the blood of our enemies and strengthen ourselves.

    That¡¯s all.¡±

    Korando¡¯s shouts spread through the night, making the Greyw descendants who followed him on this charge howl excitedly one by one.

    These thugs never concealed their desire for power and brutality, and they willingly obeyed Korando not only because he was the leader of the Greyw faction, but also because even before bing a vampire, the reputation of Moriarty Korando Gongreau as an underground godfather had already spread throughout the dark world of Greenleaf Ind.

    They were willing to obey such a powerful person.

    They knew their loyalty would earn them a future, or a glorious ending!

    The fanaticism of these Wolfsbane vampires at this moment made the gnoll barbarians following them look at each other in bewilderment. Listening to the fanatical howls rising and falling in the night, watching these crazy vampires who looked more like beasts than beasts, seeing the crimson in their eyes that seemed ready to devour people.

    All of this made the fierce gnolls couldn¡¯t help but ponder a very philosophical question

    Who the f**k is the real barbarian here?

    Riding on the back of an Astral Direwolf galloping under the midnight, Korando raised his head, looking at the silent spirit vulture soaring in the night sky above.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    A twisted and brutal smile spread across his pale face as he raised his finger in a gun shape, ¡°pulled the trigger¡± at Revnor who was overlooking from high above, and even made a sound effect.

    He knew there was a pair of eyes watching him up there.

    So let¡¯s say hello.

    Greet each other for the first andst time before we fight to the death.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±

    In the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy opened his eyes and withdrew his vision from Revnor¡¯s side.

    The vampire lord stood up and said quietly to the subordinates gathered before him:

    ¡°The Greyw faction has rallied over 300 elites and 500 gnoll barbarians as the vanguard. The good news is, Andrei, your fishing operation was sessful.

    The bad news is, it was too sessful.

    You¡¯ve personally hooked a hungry deep-sea giant shark. If we can¡¯t stop these wild guys, the ruling power of Crimson Citadel will change hands tonight.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we should blow up that passage?¡±

    Dorothy, standing at the edge of the crowd, participated in this kind of meeting for the first time and said quietly:

    ¡°If we blow it up, those Wolfsbane vampires won¡¯t be able to sneak into the city.¡±

    ¡°But that means we¡¯ll have to spread out to resist their attacks on civilians under the cover of night, which is even more unrealistic. We¡¯re the new Blood Vulture, not the old madmen who didn¡¯t care about human lives.

    Lord Murphy also won¡¯t allow us to exchange civilian lives for a victory.¡±

    Maxim said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Let theme! In the already emptied sewers, a life-and-death battle is about to begin! Members of the Wolfsbane, Blood Vulture and Thorn ns will offer sacred blood to the Night Mother tonight on this darknd with the final victory.¡±

    ¡°You have me, children.¡±

    Tris, holding a ss of wine, said:

    ¡°I alone can wipe them out!¡±

    ¡°For a faction leader¡¯s surprise attack to require our esteemed n leader to personally take action, that would be too embarrassing if word got out. The Blood Vulture n now only has this face left.

    We can¡¯t afford to lose face anymore.

    This is ourst remaining dignity, we have to pick it up with our own hands.¡±

    Femis leaned on her Night Howl Staff, shaking her head and saying:

    ¡°Leave this matter to us, Tris, you just watch.¡±

    ¡°The Thorn n is honored to fight alongside ourpanions.¡±

    Andrei gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

    The scar on his face had faded a lot but hadn¡¯t disappeared. Who knows what he was thinking, perhaps like Tris, he wanted to leave himself an unforgettable lesson.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s set out.¡±

    Murphy took out his broken pocket watch and checked the time, saying:

    ¡°Let the blood of the sinful descendants reach the heavens, and let the Night Mother judge the oue for us and them.¡±

 Chapter 260:

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The student yer Miaomiao Shark, who was practicing flying in the dark night, had just taken off by pping his Blood Wings when a quest trigger sound came from his Computation Bead. He looked down in the darkness and saw a very strange quest refresh:

    ¡¾Racial event ¡®Vampire: Dancing with Wolves¡¯ has been triggered!

    Event description: The vanguard of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s ancient enemy, the Wolfsbane vampires, is approaching Crimson Citadel. The berserkers from the Greyw n firmly believe in the weakness of the Blood Vultures. They want to put an end to the ancient grudge tonight andpletely erase the Blood Vultures from vampire history.

    Of course, this is not just a war about n grudges; it¡¯s also about power, prestige, and a future that cannot be abandoned.

    This is a struggle between ambitions!

    And you!

    As a young member of the Blood Vulture n, you must respond to this call of blood and participate in the interception of the enemy with supreme courage!

    This is a responsibility you cannot avoid.Event objective: Enter the city sewers and fight and hunt down all Wolfsbane elites who have entered Crimson Citadel until they are defeated or surrender.

    Event rewards: Vampire Blood Vulture n reputation ¡®n Knight¡¯ title granted, vampire special gamey ¡®Blood Spirit Capture¡¯ unlocked, Thorn n reputation shop opened, Blood Pact n reputation shop opened.

    Event failure punishment: Revnor Murphy Lessenbra dies in battle, Blood Vulture n exists in name only, control of Crimson Citadel and Transia changes hands to the Wolfsbane n.

    Developer¡¯s note!

    This event is a test session for the ¡®Racial Main Quest¡¯ storyline. The above rewards can only be obtained by official members of the Blood Vulture n.

    Non-Blood Vulture n members can participate in the battle as ¡®allies¡¯ and pick up drops, but cannot receive corresponding rewards for the racial main quest.

    Developer¡¯s note!

    This event is the beginning of the ¡®Racial Main Quest¡¯ gamey. Different racial main quests will beunched sessively in the game process for yers of different races to y.¡¿

    ¡°Damn? Suddenly pulling this intense stunt?¡±

    Miaomiao Shark, who was floating back and forth in the air, hurriedly folded his wings and glided towards the sewer. He kept elerating in the air, and when he finallynded, he saw that all the vampire yers had already arrived.

    In addition to the first batch of twelve Blood Vulture elites, there were more than 30 people who joined the n in the second batch. As one of the two mainstream power systems in the current game, vampires were still very attractive.

    Although other yers didn¡¯t trigger the racial main quest ¡°Dancing with Wolves¡±, they had already received the news and were rushing back to Crimson Citadel.

    Although this matter nominally had nothing to do with these humans, the quest also said that they could participate in the battle as allies and pick up drops.

    Isn¡¯t this a coincidence?

    A few days ago, a yer posted a strategy on the forum that the special weapon Wolfsbane sword cane could be exchanged for an advanced sword technique from Lord Murphy. Now, interested yers were looking for ¡°wild elites¡± everywhere. As a result, more than 300 were spawned directly, averaging two per person with extras to spare!

    Tsk tsk!

    The development team is really considerate, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Lord Murphy is here! The youngdy and E-sister are both here! Even Captain Bonnie and little widow Mary are here! Howe Count Andrei and the Archer Knight are also bringing people over? Damn, the Blood Vulture n is bringing the whole family in one go!

    Except for Lady Tris sitting tight, all the other vampire NPCs are here. It¡¯s a grand scene!

    Quick, quick, call for people on the forum!

    Tell those who just logged off toe back online and join the battle!¡±

    The little yers eximed.

    In the sky before their eyes were blood-colored wings spread out. Currently, the number of NPCs in the Blood Vulture n was notrge. Even counting the batch of members like the unfortunate Mary who were allowed to rejoin the n, there were less than 60 people. Adding the vampire yers, they were far outnumbered by the Wolfsbane n invaders.

    However, the good news was that the Thorn n and Blood Pact n had also joined the battle, and the Blood Servants of all three sides were allowed to participate. Counting this way, the defenders had a slight advantage in numbers, but the fact that the opponents were all elites still made this battle very dangerous.

    ¡°Neigh, neigh¡±

    The sound of war horses neighing came from the end of the street.

    The gathered yers turned their heads and saw Guildmaster Natalie from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild appear on the street, carrying her famous greatsword on her back.

    Femis saw her approaching and raised her hand to stop her. Hovering in the air, she shook her head and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but this is vampire internal affairs! Witch Hunters cannot participate.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to participate. Many Witch Hunters said that if you all died in the sewers, it would be the most perfect ending for tonight. Of course, I don¡¯t think this statement is correct,¡± Natalie replied, riding on her warhorse Maple Leaf:

    ¡°We will guard the sewer exits. Regardless of the oue of tonight¡¯s battle, Witch Hunters cannot allow Wolfsbane vampires to harm innocent people on thisnd. Old Eugene and Grandma Marianne have already set out. You can go down without worries.

    Leave the ground to us.¡±

    ¡°Your words sound strange, as if urging us to depart. Don¡¯t worry, Guildmaster Natalie, even if I have to crawl, I will crawl back to continue leading thisnd.

    My fate is now forever tied to Transia.¡±

    Murphy shook his head but didn¡¯t say much more.

    He turned back to look at his increasingly gathered yer warriors. He wanted to say a few more words to boost morale, but in this situation, the atmosphere had already naturally reached its peak, no longer needing him to give a pre-battle speech.

    So Murphy announced in a brief, deep voice:

    ¡°Members of the Blood Vulture n! In the name of Grand Duchess Tris, follow me into the sewers! Until thest of us returns to eternal rest, the territory of the Blood Vulture n will not allow other ns to taint it!¡±

    ¡°Kill them all!¡±

    Cheche and Ah Yuen waved their weapons and screamed, and other vampire yers also responded, as if at this moment they had truly be loyal elites of the Blood Vulture n.

    It was as if a new group had formed within the yermunity.

    Using identitybels to divide people is a very bad behavior, but you have to admit that when a group has somemonalities that everyone recognizes, their unity will greatly increase.

    ¡°Hohoho, today I, Giant Shark, will ughter for the Night Mother with my teeth!¡±

    In the crowd, a peculiarly styled bald vampire carrying a huge weapon raised both hands and howled, making other vampire NPCs look at him with strange expressions.

    Well, for vampires, a bald hairstyle is indeed a bit too avant-garde, and why does this guy look so crazy?

    Is he perhaps Captain Bonnie¡¯s descendant?

    ¡°Hey, say, you haven¡¯t thrown away that unfortunate weapon yet?¡± Brother Stick stepped forward and teased:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too much for a vampire on an agility path to use such a heavy weapon?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s for exercising the body, nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Giant Shark Uncle grinned and said proudly with his hands on his hips:

    ¡°I, Giant Shark, am a martial arts genius! Just yesterday, I was favored by Lord Kudel who taught me a set of Gale Fist techniques. I am the legendary first vampire monk!¡±

    ¡°You? The first?¡±

    Sister Pomegranate, who was nearby, heard this and rolled her eyes, saying:

    ¡°Where do you put me then?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how dare Ipare myself to you? I, Giant Shark, will always be your loyal little brother.¡±

    Giant Shark Uncle, who was just boasting proudly, immediately became submissive.

    He might be a bit reckless, but he¡¯s not stupid.

    Although both of them had transformed into the rare Vampire Monk, hisbat power was probably no match for a professional like Sister Pomegranate. He¡¯d likely be taken down within 10 moves.

    Both had received the secret manual of the Gale Fist from the Scattered Fighting Sect from Kudel, but the same set of fists in Sister Pomegranate¡¯s hands was infinitely powerful and varied, while in his hands, Giant Shark Uncle¡¯s moves were as threatening as a kitten¡¯s paw.

    ¡°Tch, keep up! I¡¯ll teach you something in a bit.¡±

    Sister Pomegranate snapped her fingers, and the bald vampire Giant Shark Uncle immediately followed with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we really go down and join the battle?¡±

    Some yers were left guarding on the ground.

    They were all members of the Avalon Church faction. The youngdy had just explicitly stated that this was vampire internal affairs, and Witch Hunters couldn¡¯t participate.

    This reason made this group of yers very frustrated, but Meow King didn¡¯t mind. On the contrary, his eyes lit up as if he¡¯d discovered a new continent, and he said to his brothers in his faction:

    ¡°If vampires have racial quests, then we humans must have them too, and I reckon Avalon Church might have simr main storyline conflictster!

    When that timees, it¡¯ll be our turn to carry the g, and the vampire yers will be drooling on the sidelines. You must always believe in the majesty of our God and the generosity of Avalon¡¯s boss!

    Besides, these vampires will definitely run out of the sewers.¡±

    Meow King said with a sneer:

    ¡°Keep a close watch!

    As soon as they run out, they¡¯re our prey. At that time, no matter how many you kill, as long as you participate in the battle, you¡¯ll get a share of the loot! I¡¯ll personally distribute it this time.

    We¡¯re all church brothers, Avalon people don¡¯t cheat Avalon people, and we won¡¯t do that auction nonsense, but if you ck off¡­¡±

    ¡°Pah! Only dogs ck off.¡±

    Feel You Poor, riding a manticore nearby, and hispanion Bursting Belly chimed in.

    They had just sent Life Is Pretty Good down to the sewers. That guy hadn¡¯t joined the old church, theoretically still a free agent, and was already eager to try out his ¡°Trickster¡± tactics. Along with him went a strange fellow named ¡°Typal¡±, also an administrative yer.

    Well, that guy was really strange in every sense of the word.

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°The ghouls have been disturbed!¡±

    In the third level of the sewer cavern, as the Wolfsbane n and Gnoll barbarians entered inrge numbers, those ghouls on the lower levels that hadn¡¯t been fully dealt with once again became agitated as they smelled the scent of life.

    These foul-smelling creatures rushed out in groups from the honeb-like rock walls, approaching the area where the Wolfsbane n and Gnoll vanguard were located.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem we need to worry about.¡±

    Korando didn¡¯t even look at those disgusting ghouls ahead. He said:

    ¡°Leave them to the Gnolls to handle. Isn¡¯t that why we brought them?¡±

    ¡°Father, those guys will run.¡±

    Stander stepped forward and said to Korando:

    ¡°These Gnolls won¡¯t fight to the death for our benefit.¡±

    ¡°No, they won¡¯t run. They¡¯ll stay here and fight for our benefit until the very end.¡±

    Mark Korando gave a coldugh.

    A few secondster, a muffled roar sounded from the tunnel behind. The Wolfsbane thugs who stayed behind used explosives to destroy the rear passage.

    Thispletely cut off any possibility for the Gnoll barbarians to leave.

    In the current situation, these elite Gnolls borrowed from Kenport had only one way to survive: to follow the vampires to the bitter end.

    As expected of the Greyw faction, considered extreme even among the Wolfsbane n, they were not only harsh on themselves but even harsher on others.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    At Korando¡¯smand, he led the Greyw faction¡¯s elites along the uneven cavern walls, nimbly rushing into the crevice between the third and second levels.

    In the ancient sewer area ahead of the Wolfsbane n, Murphy and his n vampires had alreadypleted their defensive positions.

    In the darkness of this sewer, Korando, holding his sword-cane, looked at those faces in the shadows ahead. He could clearly see that the opposing vampires were divided into two ¡°camps¡±.

    The NPCs all had grim faces, united against amon enemy, while the little yers were itching for action, clenching their fists in anticipation.

    Moreover, Korando not only saw the Blood Vulture n, but also the Thorn n standing with them, and most troublesome were the Blood Pact Bow Knights holding their war bows.

    ¡°No wonder you had the guts to set this trap!¡±

    The Greyw leader said with a cold smile:

    ¡°So you have Lord Payne backing you up. But you don¡¯t seem to be highly regarded by the Lord, Mr. Murphy. Howe only one Silver Rank bow knight came?

    Can I understand this to mean that in the Lord¡¯s eyes, you and the Blood Vulture n are of little importance?¡±

    ¡°What you think doesn¡¯t matter!¡±

    Murphy stood at the defense line leading to the first level of the sewer, both hands resting on Necessary Evil. Facing Korando¡¯s provocation and the intermittent wild howls of the Wolfsbane warriors in front, he said coldly:

    ¡°What matters is that we have all stepped into this fated ce! Uninvited guests, please don¡¯t mind the squalor of the Crimson Citadel¡¯s sewers.

    After all, by the standards of a tomb prepared for an ambitious person, it¡¯s really quite perfect.¡±

    As he spoke, Murphy took the sword-cane left by Joban from Maxim beside him.

    He threw this first memorable weapon he had personally hunted right in front of Korando. The Blood Vulture lord said softly:

    ¡°I¡¯m truly an unqualified vampire. I wasn¡¯t able to follow the ancient tradition of delivering the news of your son¡¯s death to you as his killer, adding another stroke to this ancient blood feud.

    But betterte than never.

    I dere to you, Lord Korando, that your illegitimate son and blood descendant, Joban Marci Gongreau, died by my hand.¡±

    ¡°You should call him by his true surname, he¡¯s a Korando!¡±

    Korando bent down to pick up his son¡¯s weapon, gripping the hilt to draw it out. He said:

    ¡°I¡¯m also a Korando! My future family will also bear this name.

    Gongreau is already an outdated past tense. As long as we seize victory tonight! Both the arrogance of Lessenbra and the decay of Gongreau will be buried in history!¡±

    ¡°Arrogant and boring ambition.¡±

    Lady Femismented:

    ¡°No wonder old Edward sent you here to die.¡±

    ¡°This is why you are an unqualified vampire, Femis.¡±

    Murphy shook his head.

    He raised Necessary Evil in his hand, its dim de pointing straight ahead.

    The entire sewer fell silent at this moment. Whether little yers or wild Greyw descendants, all their gazes were focused on Murphy.

    The Blood Vulture Count paused.

    He said in a low voice, as if making a deration:

    ¡°Ambition is a beautiful thing for us, it needs to be watered with fresh blood to bear the fruit of hope.¡±

    ¡°But hope never exists in the past, it only blooms in the future! Let the most outstanding ambitious ones cultivate it themselves.¡±

    As if in response, the sword in Korando¡¯s hand also pointed at Murphy at this moment. In the next instant as their eyes met, the most primitive and powerful core function of vampires, the blood thirst instinct, was activated simultaneously.

    Blood Wings spread open in an instant, and wild ws extended in response.

    The two were the leaders and vanguards of their respective factions. At the moment their weapons shed, the sparks that flew were like droplets falling into gasoline, causing the descendants of both sides to let out a war cry in unison.

    Like the collision of flood and fire, itpletely ignited the chaotic and cruel war in this sunless ce.

    This was destined to be a war with only victors!

    Because the winners would devour everything of the losers, skinning them to the bone and squeezing out thest delicious bits to strengthen themselves. There was no option to admit defeat, no possibility of surrender!

    Only the one still standing after thest glimmer of blood fades would have the right to sip the wine of victory.

    Just like the tragedy that the vampire ns have repeated for a thousand years on thisnd, betrayal, devouring, and conspiracy, the Night Mother seemed to never tire of this wonderful drama.

    So fight!

    Fight!

    For equally outstanding ambitions, add another stroke to the ancient hatred on this night.

 Chapter 261:

    Tonight, the curfew was reinstated in the camp outside Crimson Citadel. Not only was there no exciting Fight Club to watch, but there wasn¡¯t even any alcohol to drink. However, the people in the camp were surprisingly well-behaved.

    There were even fewints to be heard.

    This wasn¡¯t because the rough and barbaric people of Transia had suddenly learned tolerance, but because the camp guards had conveyed specific information.

    A group of very evil Wolfsbane vampires, unable to stand the sight of the disaster-stricken Transians living their lives, had traveled thousands of kilometers from Greenleaf Ind to kill the Blood Vulture vampires here.

    Now, the two vampire factions were shing with swords in the city¡¯s sewers, and whoever won or lost would directly decide the future of Crimson Citadel, which had just begun to show signs of improvement.

    At this critical juncture, Murphy¡¯s order for everyone to stay in the camp and not go out was more like protection than imprisonment.

    Of course, protection has always been a two-way street.

    The strong have the power to protect the weak, and the weak have the right to decide whether to ept that protection.

    Therefore, in the workers¡¯ gathering area of the forward camp, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman was stunned to see several foremen who hade to his tent to ¡°petition.¡±Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and his brother Bricyer had also wanted to join the excitement in the sewers, but Baroness Miriam had firmly rejected their request to participate in the battle.

    The reason was simple.

    They were exceptionally outstanding administrative Professional yers.

    Before entering the sewers, Murphy had already given clear orders that unless all the members of the Blood Vulture n andbat Professionals were dead, these hard-to-find ¡°prized possessions¡± were not allowed to go to the battlefield and die in vain.

    Administrative Professional yers going to fight might satisfy their own desires.

    But the price would be that if they died recklessly, they wouldn¡¯t be able to log in and handle official business for three days. Now that Transia was in the midst of reconstruction, how many things would be dyed by such actions?

    Moreover, given the generally poorbat skills and physical fitness of administrative Professionals, they might be able to bully gnolls or ghouls, but when faced with characters like vampires with maxed-out agility, they¡¯d probably be lying on the ground after just one round.

    For details, refer to Lady Aqua¡¯s encounter three days ago, which resulted in her being instantly killed.

    Originally, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman and Bricyer were about to log off to eat, but they were startled when several emotionally charged NPCs suddenly burst into their tent.

    ¡°What, what, what? What are you saying?¡± Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman pushed up his sses and eximed, ¡°You want to go help? Help who? Help the Wolfsbane fight the Blood Vultures? I thought Murphy was treating you quite well, even though you work hard every day and don¡¯t get much pay¡­ but surely you don¡¯t hate him to that extent, right?¡±

    ¡°No, sir!¡± The lead foreman waved his hands and said, ¡°We want to help our local vampires, the Blood Vultures! The workers all say that although the Blood Vultures aren¡¯t very nice, they¡¯ve managed this ce quite well recently and even drove away the gnolls. Even though we rarely see Lord Murphy, we all feel that Lord Murphy is different from other bad vampires.

    He¡¯s not so bad, and might even be a bit good.

    But if other vampirese and take over this ce, we¡¯ll all have to go back to living the way we did before. I mean, Kadman City is gone, who would still want to pay blood tax to vampires?

    Besides, many of the workers here were rescued by Lord Kudel from the Astral Realm disaster, we still owe Lord Kudel our lives!¡±

    ¡°Umm, but I can¡¯t take you out either,¡± Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman said anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m not even allowed on the battlefield myself.¡±

    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t go to the battlefield, you¡¯re a learned and talented gentleman,¡± the foreman said earnestly. ¡°How could someone as pampered and delicate as you go to the battlefield and risk your life like usmon folk? Your mind is so sharp, if you died senselessly on the battlefield, who would lead us to continue building houses? What I mean is, we¡¯ll go! The workers have all received militia training from the Witch Hunters recently, we know how to deal with vampires, those Witch Hunters taught us specifically.

    Transia has been at war for so many years, we¡¯re not afraid of fighting.

    And there are still firearms that the great chef Shovan, oh, now we should call him ¡®Master Shovan,¡¯ secretly brought back to the camp. Although Lady Miriam doesn¡¯t allow us to discuss it, everyone knows where those things are.

    We can go help!

    No matter how bad the Blood Vulture n is, they¡¯re still our Transian bad guys, it¡¯s not for those Goldflower vampires toe and bully them. And how should I put it¡­¡±

    The foreman started to fidget a bit embarrassedly, he stammered and said:

    ¡°Lord Murphy promised that those finished houses would be for us to use during the winter, we¡¯ve all promised our wives and children at home that we¡¯d have good houses to live in. We¡¯ve been working so hardtely that we haven¡¯t had time to stock up on wood and food.

    If we suddenly lose those houses, how are we going to get through this winter?

    We came here to ask you to plead with Lady Miriam, to let us take guns and go help. If that¡¯s not possible, we can use Molotov cocktails! Those things pack a punch!

    They burn as soon as you throw them out, so, let us burn those damn Wolfsbane vampires to death!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman finally understood.

    He looked back at Bricyer, who squinted his eyes and pped his thigh excitedly, saying:

    ¡°What do you call this?! Look, what do you call this?! This is what they call ¡®the people¡¯s hearts can be used¡¯! The people of our great Transia rejoice at the sound of war, spreading the news eagerly. This is the rhythm of bing invincible in the world!

    Let¡¯s go!

    I¡¯ll take you to find Regent Miriam!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go! Damn, there¡¯s a curfew right now.¡± Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman tried to stop him, but the already fired-up Bricyer didn¡¯t care at all. He argued vigorously:

    ¡°That curfew is for NPCs, how can it control me, a noble yer? Why are you ying the game so obediently? What are you trying to do? Help! Don¡¯t you understand? When war breaks out, do you think the enemy cares if you¡¯re an administrative profession or not?

    Lord Murphy favoring us is just game mechanics, but monsters don¡¯t care about that. If you don¡¯t take the chance to practice now, what are you going to do if you¡¯re really attacked in the future?

    Close your eyes and wait for death? Do you understand subjective initiative?¡±

    ¡°Damn! Although I know you¡¯re bullshitting, what you¡¯re saying actually makes sense. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go together!¡±

    These two immediately rushed out of the tent with the foremen, quickly gathered the construction workers together, and selected several dozen of the most capable fighters from among them. They then marched imposingly towards the administrative building.

    Halfway there, they encountered the middle-aged trio who had also sneaked out, and the two groups immediately hit it off. Half Off With Full Coverage, as the camp¡¯s security supervisor, went straight to open the camp¡¯s armory. Guns and explosives smuggled in from the Goldflower Kingdom were distributed, and several boxes of Molotov cocktails that Brother Loyalty had just finished making and submitted were carried away.

    Theirmotion was so big that it rmed the other administrative yers. After a brief and smooth conversation, the remaining administrative yers also ¡°defected¡± one after another, joining this group of ¡°rogue¡± fellows with excitement about causing trouble.

    Then, unsurprisingly, they were blocked by Meow King at the sewer entrance as they approached with a menacing air.

    ¡°You bastards, get back right now! Are you bringing a group of NPCs here to be mobile blood bags for the vampires?¡± Meow King was shocked.

    He jumped up and down on the spot, cursing loudly:

    ¡°No one¡¯s stopping you if you want to go die yourselves, but these NPCs can¡¯t go! Do you understand how precious manpower is now? Once they die, they¡¯re gone for good, don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    ¡°What the hell do you know!¡± The oldest of the group, Dump Truck Iaido, clutching a masterwork hunting rifle and covered in explosives, cursed back:

    ¡°You know the nature of this game too, we can lead the charge, but when ites to defending the homnd and all that, doesn¡¯t it have to be the NPCs? Why do you think they¡¯re designed to be so smart and so real?

    They all have growth potential!

    If you don¡¯t let them see blood now, when something really happens in the future, how many nails can you hammer with just one broken ship? We have so few people, we can¡¯t protect thempletely on our own.

    They need to learn to protect themselves.

    Get out of the way quickly!

    Do you understand that the people¡¯s hearts can be used? Do you understand that it¡¯s better to let them through than to block them? If you keep blocking us, we¡¯ll beat you up too! Let me tell you, if you get beaten by NPCs, that¡¯s on you, no one will back you up.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Meow King was about to argue back after being scolded, but he was unexpectedly pulled by a cunning little hand from behind. Old Brother whispered a few words to him, and Meow King immediately had a change of heart. He coughed a few times.

    He stepped aside and said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°Let me make this clear, if anything happens to the people you¡¯re bringing in, don¡¯t me it on me!¡±

    ¡°Brothers! It¡¯s time to protect our home and country! This ce belongs to us Transians! Let those Greenleaf dogs go back to their kennels!¡±

    Dump Truck Iaido raised the hunting rifle in his hand and shouted in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°Brothers, it¡¯s time to sacrifice for our country! Charge with me! For your homes, for your wives and children, charge!¡±

    He was the first to rush into the sewer, yelling, followed by a group of administrative yers shouting and charging in, with NPCs also getting caught up in the excitement, carrying torches and guns on their backs as they rushed in.

    After the Meow King¡¯s group of 7 let them charge in, Meow King coughed a few times and said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°Listen up, everyone! I just saw that many of these workers have already converted to our faith and are followers of our Avalon Church!

    As protectors of Avalon, how can we stand by and watch our believers being bullied by the evil Wolfsbane vampires?

    Brothers! Follow me! Now is the time to protect the faithful and spread our teachings!

    The big boss of Avalon is watching from above, it¡¯s time to show our sincerity and strength!

    Charge!¡±

    As he took the lead, the old church yers patrolling around also let out a roar and followed, they had been looking for a good reason to participate in this vampire main quest line, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

    ¡°Holy shit! You can do that? These cunning social yers are really something else!¡±

    Feel You Poor, who was flying in the sky with his manticore Stinky Treasure, widened his eyes. He immediately shouted to the ¡°professional breeder¡± Bursting Belly patrolling below:

    ¡°Quick! Let¡¯s follow them to fight monsters and loot equipment¡ªahem, I mean, to offer our loyalty to our god Avalon!¡±

    A few minutester, Amber¡¯s anxious voice sounded in Guildmaster Natalie¡¯s Computation Bead, the scout shouted:

    ¡°Guildmaster, those apprentices ignored the vampires¡¯ warnings and rushed in, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°What else can we do?¡±

    Natalie rolled her eyes. She had been waiting impatiently on the ground and gripped the hilt of her battle dagger ¡°Punishment¡± at her waist, kicking open the sewer entrance cover at her feet, and said:

    ¡°At this point, are you still nning to ck off on the surface? Did they bring in local believers? If so, we have a reason to intervene in the vampires¡¯ internal affairs.

    Let¡¯s go!

    The holynd generously bestowed by our god cannot fall into the hands of the vulgar Wolfsbane vampires!

    In the name of faith, the Witch Hunters join the battle tonight!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Fuck fuck fuck! We¡¯repletely outmatched!¡±

    In the sewer, Path of Mud and Oil, who was being chased by 2 Wolfsbane vampires, ran for his life while cursing:

    ¡°We¡¯re all vampires, why is your defense pration so strong when we¡¯re fighting with des? Are you all vampires turned by a bunch of goris?

    With such strength, why be vampires? Why not be werewolves?

    Damn it!¡±

    Hisints were not without reason, mainly because the stat distribution of these Wolfsbane vampires was the extreme opposite of the Blood Vultures. How could an agility-focused Blood Vulture vampire win in a de fight against these powerhouses?

    Every hit from them was an overwhelming critical strike.

    If it weren¡¯t for the maxed-out agility of the Blood Vulture n and the life-saving Blood Wings, he would have been broken through in one encounter.

    However, although Path of Mud and Oil was fleeing, he had actually gained something. 2 Wolfsbane hearts were lying in his Spirit Bag, which was the reason why the 2 Wolfsbane swordsmen behind him were in hot pursuit.

    Just earlier, he and his good friend Khaki Tony Tai had used a ¡°suicide tactic¡± to kill 2 Wolfsbane elites. As for Khaki himself¡­

    He had already been sacrificed as the ¡°consumable¡± of the ¡°suicide tactic¡±.

    When you can¡¯t win in a head-on fight, you can only use these ¡°unorthodox tactics¡±. For yers who get a new life every 3 days, sacrificing one¡¯s life is just an extreme optional battle strategy when necessary.

    ¡°Thud¡±

    An arrow shot from behind, hitting Path of Mud and Oil¡¯s shoulder, causing him to stumble and break his flight posture, falling towards the ground.

    The Wolfsbane warrior running wildly behind, who had fully exposed his ¡°Wilderness Transformation¡±, let out a cold and eerieugh in the darkness while holding a heavy crossbow.

    In their view, this weak and cunning Blood Vulture had no escape now.

    But there¡¯s always hope when all seems lost. Just as Path of Mud and Oil had resigned himself to fate and drawn his wing de, preparing for an all-or-nothing exchange, he suddenly heard amotion from behind. On the world channel, Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman reported coordinates:

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Brothers, lure the monsters to sewer entrance number 3! We¡¯ve brought the militia, our firepower is definitely sufficient! Don¡¯t say we administrative yers aren¡¯t helpful, hurry and lure them over to help you farm monsters!¡¿

    Path of Mud and Oil: ¡¾Good brother! You¡¯vee at the right time, I have 2 elitesing right over!¡¿

    ¡°Get ready!¡±

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman immediately yelled.

    He himself aimed a hunting rifle forward, while the worker squad he led also raised their guns, and other workers grabbed Molotov cocktails and were lighting them.

    A few secondster, Path of Mud and Oil, covered in blood, came tumbling out from around the corner, falling t on the ground with his health bar nearly depleted. The 2 enraged Wolfsbane vampires howling and pouncing out behind him were suddenly faced with over 20 dark gun barrels aimed at them, along with more than 10 lit Molotov cocktails ready to be thrown.

    Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

    In that instant, the grayish-green eyes of the 2 Wolfsbane members who had exposed their Wilderness Transformation widened, filled with the words ¡°F**k, you Transians fight dirty¡±.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Grayman was so excited his voice trembled.

    To be honest, although he had entered the game quite early, apart from the dungeon battle in the Blood Vulture Halls, he had barely fought at all.

    ¡°Bang¡±

    The bullet he fired predictably missed.

    But it didn¡¯t matter, as long as the density was high enough.

    In an instant, 20 bullets fired out, causing the 2 Wolfsbane thugs to bleed all over, and almost simultaneously, 10 Molotov cocktails smashed into them, setting them aze like human torches. Path of Mud and Oil, who had been lying on the ground with only a sliver of health left, suddenly felt a surge of courage. With a roar, he jumped up and thrust his wing de into one of the guy¡¯s heart.

    Simr scenes quickly spread throughout the sewer. The Wolfsbane thugs, who had been chasing and killing the Blood Vulture children, soon realized they had fallen into a terrible ¡°encirclement¡±.

    Those civilians who came to join themotion weren¡¯t Blood Servants at all! They hadn¡¯t undergone the necessary training.

    The Children of Wolfsbane could tell this. These dishonorable Blood Vulture n members actually sent civilians to the battlefield, something even we Wolfsbane thugs wouldn¡¯t do.

    Shameless Murphy!

    And you still dare to call yourself a good person?

    ¡°Swoosh¡±

    A silver-gray de burning with blue-green Purifying me shed across the waist of a Wilderness Transformation, amidst thetter¡¯s screams, the midnight power of the vampire was incinerated by the purifying force from Avalon.

    In the scattering crimson ashes, Natalie flipped her wrist, twirling her de before sheathing it.

    She could feel that she was surrounded by several Wolfsbane pups.

    But she wasn¡¯t panicking.

    Not just because she had passed the Silver Trial and was advancing towards a new realm, but more because she came prepared this time.

    Facing the wild Wolfsbanes¡¯ simultaneous attacks from 4 directions, Natalie lowered her body and gripped the hilt of the Watcher¡¯s sword on her back with her left hand.

    Feeling the slight vibration of this Great Oak Sacred de, the gray-haired witch hunter said softly:

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to talk to me, it seems my efforts have gained your recognition. Of course, I also find these Children of Midnight quite annoying, but isn¡¯t calling them ¡®poopoo¡¯ a bit too much?

    Your choice of words is really uncivilized, Sir Sacred de.¡±

 Chapter 262:

    ¡°ng¡±

    The broken de danced in the darkness, and as it separated with a piercing sound, the shattered de fragments scattered everywhere like stimting projectiles, but they didn¡¯t hit anyone.

    Because the speed of the two figures moving at high speed and attacking each other had already surpassed the speed of the falling fragments.

    Joban¡¯s heirloom sword cane had perfectly fulfilled its duty. It had be even more deadly in the hands of its new user, leaving wounds that deepened on the assassin¡¯s body. Unfortunately, against supernatural beings like vampires, the mere number of wounds couldn¡¯t determine victory.

    Necessary Evil thrust forward with a shriek, but was quickly deflected by ck Wood¡¯s staff.

    After this parry, the wolf-headed sword cane, carved with unusual vividness, unsheathed again, dodging and counter-attacking towards Murphy¡¯s heart. Unfortunately, this strike was precisely caught by the Count of Kadman, who transformed into a swarm of scattered bats at the moment the de came, perfectly evading it.

    Again, this strange evasion!

    Korando¡¯s gray eyes were filled with disgust.

    Previously, he thought that as a powerful Silver Hunter, dealing with a ck Iron Blood Vulture wouldn¡¯t take much effort, but after actually engaging, he found that this Murphy was indeed quite troublesome.¡°Such exceptional talent, it seems my child didn¡¯t die in vain.¡±

    He didn¡¯t rush forward to attack but stayed in ce, holding the staff horizontally in front of him with his left hand, and gripping the sword cane low at his side with his right. The protective leather armor he wore was of quite good quality, probably high-level protective gear, as even Necessary Evil¡¯s de only left insignificant scratches after multiple attacks.

    However, the fatal wound on his neck, which was rapidly healing within seconds, was a bit eye-catching, both for him and for Murphy, who was reforming his shape in the darkness ahead.

    Judging solely by the current appearance of the two, Murphy seemed to be at a disadvantage.

    He had more wounds, and even his massive Blood Wings had been torn apart, slowly healing under the influence of Dark Spirit.

    ¡°What if I told you that Joban actually died in an ident?¡± Murphy said in a low voice. ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t have so much power at my disposal. I was weak then, no match for him, just like now between you and me, the gap is visible to the naked eye.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Korando said, stretching his neck.

    His human form was gradually disappearing, reced by the wolf-bat true form released in battle. It was a true Wilderness Transformation, more ferocious than any Wolfsbane Murphy had seen before.

    It was a monster formed from the fusion of a giant wolf and a bat, a perfect blend of night and wilderness.

    The wolf-bat-like head and neck with flying mane, the hunched but muscle-bulging body, the reversed legs and strange arms connected to wings, and the constantly extending ws all made Korando¡¯s aura more wild and fierce.

    This indicated that the Greyw leader was gradually losing interest in the battle of techniques and began to pursue victory through absolute power crushing, which was the way of fighting that Wolfsbanes preferred.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care how my child died, not because I¡¯m cold-blooded,¡± Korando¡¯s voice became turbid in the release of Wilderness Transformation, like a beast¡¯s roar. He said, ¡°His death at your hands proves you¡¯re stronger than him. I¡¯ve always respected the strong, just as you should respect this power that¡¯s about to kill you now. It¡¯s strange. Even at this point, you still don¡¯t show a bit of fear. Isn¡¯t this power worth your fear?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I was born with a big heart, and I¡¯ve seen scarier things than you,¡± Murphy narrowed his eyes.

    He knew he couldn¡¯t drag this out any longer.

    Further away from his battlefield, in the shadows of the sewer-filled area, the Astral Direwolf George was fighting side by side with the Spirit Vulture Revnor against the Astral Realm wolf pack summoned by Korando. Although it was stronger than ordinary Astral Direwolves, facing the enhanced summoning talent released by more racial potential under the Silver rank, it was fighting very hard.

    Obviously, George, like its master, was also in a tough battle.

    Korando and his wolf pack were no ordinary opponents. In terms ofbat experience, fighting skills, and absolute strength, he was superior to the young Murphy.

    He indeed had the right to act arrogantly.

    Activating Shadow Step, Murphy charged forward, raising Necessary Evil in his hand, but it was knocked back by Korando¡¯s faster and stronger sword strike. However, Murphy didn¡¯t stop.

    He let go of the repelled weapon and called forth Night ws. The flying demon sword smoothly entered the ¡°Two-Person Tango¡± mode.

    When no one was holding it, its attacks became even more fierce, but this method, which had been very effective in the past, didn¡¯t work as imagined. Korando seemed to have been prepared for this move.

    The Night ws, carrying real damage, pierced into the Greyw leader¡¯s body, but Necessary Evil, attacking from the nk, was deflected by the sword cane. The ferocious demon sword wasn¡¯t angered but elerated its attack. However, in the nging of weapons, all of its killing moves were blocked by Korando.

    Murphy¡¯s ws constantly created wounds on the Greyw leader¡¯s body, but thetter, with his thick blood, could endure and take these attacks.

    He seemed to have truly transformed into a beast.

    With keen perception, he made his body dodge fatal wounds each time, and in constant attacks and evasions, he made it difficult for Murphy¡¯s ws to perform a one-hit kill.

    After each heart-piercing w thrust, those wounds would heal rapidly. Obviously, Korando¡¯s self-healing ability under his wolf-bat true form had reached a level that Murphy found difficult to ¡°break through¡±.

    Great strength, fast speed, unparalleled self-healing ability, beast-like danger perception ¨C this was the fully formed battle style of the Wolfsbane thugs now before Murphy¡¯s eyes.

    Murphy decided to call it ¡°Thick-skinned¡± for now.

    Apart from not being able to fly and having an ugly appearance, there were almost no exploitable weaknesses.

    ¡°You¡¯re so tough, why don¡¯t you change your name to Wolverine?¡± The Vampire Lord franticallyined in his heart, while seizing the opportunity to use Death¡¯s Grasp to bind the howling Korando in ce and pull him up. Taking advantage of the fleeting battle opportunity, he pierced Korando¡¯s heart from behind, crushing it, while Necessary Evil also pierced through his throat from the front, shattering his neck.

    Korando roared, swinging his ws to break free from Death¡¯s Grasp¡¯s binding, turned around to swat Murphy away with one w, then grabbed Necessary Evil and pulled it out of his neck.

    He seemed to have been waiting for this chance. As his ws gripped Necessary Evil, a ck spirit technique burst from some ornament entwined on his palm.

    In a sh of ck light, the entire demon sword was temporarily banished from the material world. Murphy could still feel Necessary Evil¡¯s existence, it was struggling to break the banishment and return to the material world, but this would take time.

    The double heavy hit finally took effect!

    The BOSS had gone berserk!

    And he lost his main weapon.

    Murphy, who had spun in the air once tond and dissipate the force, looked up to see that the chest he had just torn open still showed the crushed heart inside visibly reconstructing, while the neck that had been torn open by half by Necessary Evil was healing in an indescribably disgusting way, blood-bathed flesh rejoining.

    ¡°F**k!¡± he cursed inelegantly for the first time.

    How the hell could he fight this?

    The unreasonable healing of the guy before him had clearly approached ¡°immunity¡± to physical damage. It was said that the main way of growth at the Silver rank was to continually explore the potential of racial blood, so was the Korando before him the ¡°muscle devil¡± achieved by pushing the atavistic potential of ¡°wolf-bat blood¡± to the extreme?

    Of course, although Korando seemed to have a strong advantage, Murphy still keenly noticed that his fatal strike just now was not without effect.

    This guy¡¯s ¡°atavism¡± has be more severe!

    The beastly nature in his eyes has already overwhelmed the cunning and brutal midnight wisdom. His ws are almost like beast paws, unable to grip the sword cane. His entire body is supported by thick forearms, moving on all fours like a true monster formed from the fusion of a giant wolf and a bat. Blood-colored saliva constantly drips from the chaotic teeth in his wolf-like muzzle.

    ¡°Hmm, so the price for exchanging wolfsbane brute force is your brain, right?¡±

    Murphy stood up in ce. He no longer nned to engage in closebat with this guy.

    It¡¯s impossible to win!

    He had to change his fighting style.

    Fortunately, thanks to Tris¡¯s constant urging, Murphy¡¯s progress in the Spirit Mage field, although not as good as his swordsmanship, was no longer just an apprentice-level yer who could only throw midnight gori¡¯s big poop balls.

    ¡°Snap¡±

    The sharp de whipshed out. With the Astral Realm Animal Trainer¡¯s hunting whip cracking, the giant wolf George, who had already been beaten down, suddenly howled a few times. The Extended Summoning centered on it opened the summoning gate again.

    More than a dozen ferocious Astral Wolves pounced out from it, driving away the wolf pack summoned by Korando.

    The two packs of Astral Wolves engaged in a fierce battle in the darkness, but this was just the beginning. Murphy precisely controlled the distance, whipping the beast-possessed Korando with his de whip while continuously summoning beasts from the Astral Realm.

    4 big-mouthed frogs emerged from the shadows, each grabbing one of Korando¡¯s limbs. Like being dragged into mire, they pushed him into the floating shadows, slowing him down. Then several Astral Realm eagles caught him with their sharp talons. A few frenzied baboons rushed out from the Astral Realm light. They howled, wanting to charge out but were blocked by Murphy.

    Molotov cocktails were given to these crazy and noisy fellows. Murphy even rubbed out a spark of spirit energy to help them ignite. Then he watched as the self-destructive frenzied baboons howled and charged over like ¡°suicide bombers¡±, frantically wing at Korando while smashing the Molotov cocktails.

    mes rose up, entangling and enveloping the entire wolf-bat.

    The scratching damage caused by such an offensive was obviously ineffective in causing effective harm to Korando, but it severely slowed down his attacks, creating enough casting time for Murphy.

    Flickering dark spirit energy danced on the Count of Kadman¡¯s 10 fingers. He had chanted to the end of the most destructive spirit spell he currently mastered. As the wolf-bat, with its fur ignited, killed those annoying summons and rose into the air to kill Murphy, the Count of Kadman extended his 10 fingers forward in a ssic Dark Side casting motion.

    He almost poured all the spirit energy in his body into this spirit lightning bolt.

    The frenzied and dangerous Dark Spirit burst from his fingertips, transforming into dancing dark spirit lightning surging forward.

    The shooting dark electric current, carrying extreme numbness and pain, entangled Korando¡¯s body like arge, putting him in an irresistible ¡°electrocuted¡± state. His whole body went numb, losing his target and crashing into the stone wall next to Murphy.

    The impact was so great that rocks flew everywhere, but when he got up from the dust and debris, his movements were somewhat distorted.

    Those fine, dark lightning bolts crawled over his fur, making it difficult for him to quickly eliminate this bone-eating poison-like paralysis. Compared to this terrible restraint, the damage caused by the spirit lightning and the charred wound on his chest were secondary.

    If Korando still maintained his rationality, he would know to retreat now and use guerri tactics to consume Murphy¡¯s spirit energy. But the increasingly frenzied beast nature upying his mind could no longer make such exquisite tactics.

    He could only be driven by fierce killing intent tounch another attack on Murphy.

    Unfortunately, Murphy had already found the weakness of this seemingly invincible enemy.

    His repaired Blood Wings pped, carrying him into the air. Although the sewer terrain severely limited the flying advantage of the blood vulture, this cleared area also limited the space for wolfsbane to dodge and hide.

    Moreover, when facing an enraged beast, all of Murphy¡¯s long-range attack methods could take full effect.

    Indeed, ¡°kiting¡± is the correct way to fight warriors. However, just as Murphy took out the miser¡¯s crossbow to start the second phase, a chilling wind suddenly blew into this dangerous battlefield.

    The Count of Kadman looked back and saw Andrei appearing in the enveloping cold wind, holding the Frostfang de.

    He waved his hand, throwing 5 ice-sealed wolfsbane hearts to Murphy, then the Count of White Mountain said softly:

    ¡°Although this is a bit abrupt, I ask you to give your enemy to me, Count of Kadman.

    I need this perfect wolf-bat heart to submit to my ancestors, proving my growth and my hunt, to seek the qualification to rebuild my faction.¡±

    ¡°Say, when I was entangled with Korando earlier, you were hiding nearby peeking, right?¡±

    Murphy threw the ice-sealed hearts in his hand into the spirit bag, saying in an unfriendly tone:

    ¡°Were you nning to be an oriole? Or did you think the fisherman profession really suits you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as despicable as you think. I had no intention of killing two birds with one stone. I just used your brilliant battle to obtain a way to defeat this undead beast, after all, his strength far exceeds mine.

    But I also have my ambitions!

    I don¡¯t want to die here, so I must find an opportunity to survive and get an excellent trophy.

    Killing Korando is just an optional victory for you, but it means a lot to me. Moreover, the blood pact between Duchess Shani and Duchess Tris also needs the blood of amon enemy to embellish.

    It¡¯s better for both of us if I personally give this blood pact item.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain replied quite frankly:

    ¡°Please give me this opportunity. I promise that my faction and I will be your loyal subordinates in the uing ck Disaster battle.

    I swear in the name of my ancestor, the hero king Boris!

    We will fulfill our promise.¡±

    ¡°Whoosh¡±

    Murphy nimbly dodged the pounce from the deadly wolf-bat in the air, then smashed another charged spirit lightning bolt on it, refreshing the ¡°paralysis and slowdown¡± negative status that had just faded.

    He nced at Andrei, who had obviously activated some kind of winter power not belonging to vampires, and said:

    ¡°Although Korando¡¯s weak magic is a known weakness, with his destructive power in his wolf-bat true form, you might die if his ws touch you.

    Do you really have the resolve to dance on the knife¡¯s edge?¡±

    ¡°I can only answer you that I have my ambitions!¡±

    Andrei stepped forward, holding Frostfang.

    As he stepped into the darkness, the cold wind entangling around him suddenly intensified. Layers of swirling frost swept across the ground like an extreme freezing tide, causing visible white frost to extend and descend.

    ¡°He¡¯s yours, ambitious one.

    You still owe me a dawn poem of Transia. Don¡¯t die here, otherwise, it would be hard for me to exin all this to Lady Shani and your sister.¡±

    Murphy flew away from the battlefield in the frost impact,nding and reaching out to grab Korando¡¯s sword cane, which fell into his hand and was then sheathed in his cane. He left without looking back.

    He gave up this victory in exchange for a temporarily usable force. The role transition from warrior to ruler was smooth, and he didn¡¯t need this victory to prove himself.

    But Andrei really needed it.

    In the ce where Murphy had fought, he held Frostfang, looking at the ferocious wolf-bat covered inyers of frost before him. This was the most dangerous creature he had ever faced from childhood to adulthood.

    Second only to his sister.

    ¡°The winter wolves patrolling the great wilderness are as dangerous as you, but they¡¯re much more handsome than you.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain said in a low voice:

    ¡°I will make you into a gift. Your heart will be sent to my ancestors, your head to my sister. She will see my growth allowing me to get closer to her¡­ allowing me to be the shadow under that throne, the only shadow.

    I will eventually catch up with her steps.

    And you!

    You are the first step of this ambition!¡±

 Chapter 263:

    ¡°The shameless Blood Vultures have colluded with the Witch Hunters! Avalon¡¯s power covers this ce, we have suffered heavy casualties!¡±

    Wolfsbane¡¯s roar echoed in the dark sewers, representing the dramatic change in the battle situation. After the Witch Hunter faction joined the dark hunt, the original suppression of the Blood Vulture remnants by Wolfsbane¡¯s vanguard had been reversed, and as the battle between Korando and Murphy dragged on, the situation of the Wolfsbane warriors being defeated everywhere became precarious.

    This made Mark Korando¡¯s heart sink more and more as he led a group of elites raiding everywhere with unstoppable sess.

    They had already killed many of the Blood Vultures¡¯ elite Blood Servants, but this cold and cruel death not only failed to scare the opponents, but made their momentum even more fierce.

    That kind of shared hatred was being yed out in an incredibly ¡°horrifying¡± way in this sewer filled with hidden killing intent. Mark Korando had seen more than once those crazy ¡°Blood Servants¡± embracing bombs and perishing together with the Sons of Wolfsbane.

    He couldn¡¯t imagine the mental state of these guys!

    You¡¯re Blood Servants, damn it!

    He had never seen any Blood Servant on Greenleaf Ind be so fanatical for vampires, and were these Sons of the Blood Vulture really not afraid of death?

    This isn¡¯t right!No matter how tenacious the human spirit is, it¡¯s impossible topletely ignore the threat of death, but these guys in front of him were not just ignoring death, they were even despising and mocking it.

    ¡°Sorcery!¡±

    A Wolfsbane Spirit Mage beside Mark cursed:

    ¡°The damn Blood Vulture n must have used some kind of sorcery we can¡¯t understand to transform their descendants, they¡¯re too crazy! It¡¯s as if all their fear has been castrated. I can¡¯t feel any ripples in their hearts except for fanaticism and strange joy, they¡¯re just like a group of¡­¡±

    ¡°Herees my human flesh mega bomb!¡±

    Before she could finish her words, a hoarse voice shouted, followed by a little yer with bloodshot eyes leaping out from the corner ahead, his body covered with alchemical bombs that had all been lit.

    This guy was also clutching two lit Molotov cocktails in his hands, making his pounce like that of Crazy Ivan.

    ¡°Brother Loyalty! Don¡¯t do it! You¡¯re charging too fast, we can¡¯t keep up to heal you, you madman!¡±

    There was a group of little yers shouting behind him, but itpletely failed to stop the death attackunched by this madman in front of them.

    Mark saw him. As a descendant of Wolfsbane, he saw no trace of fear in the fanatical eyes of this madman before him. In those crazy eyes, there seemed to be a hint of something he couldn¡¯t understand¡­

    Eagerness?

    Hey!

    Wake up!

    Do you know what you¡¯re doing now?!

    ¡°Boom¡±

    As Mark¡¯s sword cane pierced Loyalty bro¡¯s heart, the ¡°enhanced¡± bombs on thetter¡¯s body also detonated at this moment.

    Terrifying mes rose along with corrosive poison liquid and toxic smoke bursting forth. Those sshing liquids were also too viscous, igniting as soon as they touched the hairy skin of Mark and the Spirit Mage beside him. £Ò?

    It simply couldn¡¯t be extinguished.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The Spirit Mage screamed and fell to the ground. Mark Korando tried to grab her but was pushed away by her hand.

    ¡°Go! Run quickly!¡±

    This female brute screamed at Mark:

    ¡°They¡¯re all a bunch of madmen! The Blood Vultures don¡¯t care about their lives at all, they themselves don¡¯t care, we¡¯ve been tricked! This is a death trap left for us, run!¡±

    ¡°Run? Where do you n to run?¡±

    A gloomy and brutal voice apanied the explosive sound of the wall breaking behind them. Mark Korando turned his head to see Maxim appearing in the darkness, holding a Wolfsbane warrior beaten to near death in each hand. He kicked open the ancient wall amidst flying dust, while Lady Adele and her descendant Dorothy also silently appeared from the dark nk.

    On the other side, the excited roar of the manticore heralded ill omen. In the joyful pursuit of Feel You Poor and Bursting Belly, they had already rushed out under the lead of the Grand Duchess¡¯s guard captain ¡°Crazy Bonnie¡±, blocking thest direction for a breakout in this four-sidednd.

    Wolfsbane can¡¯t fly!

    These few very powerful elite monsters obviously had no way to escape now!

    The little yers looked at the obviously umon equipment on Mark Korando¡¯s body, their eyes lighting up in the darkness with undisguised greed.

    Even though they had just lost manypanions, they didn¡¯t seem to feel the slightest emotion for these deaths.

    This unique and creepy gaze made Mark Korando shudder.

    He suddenly realized that his understanding of the Blood Vultures seemed to be limited to past hatred, while the current Blood Vultures had already undergone aplete transformation and were different from others.

    No!

    They were no longer even the familiar vampires, no longer the traditional and detestable children of midnight. They were more like a group of monsters wearing vampire skins.

    No one could imagine what kind of crazy stuff had been stuffed into those shells.

    Father made a terrible mistake!

    Mark Korando sighed in his heart. He pulled out his sword cane, and at this moment he thought that not only his father, but the entire Greyw faction seemed to have made a serious mistake.

    They firmly believed in the weakness of the Blood Vultures, but this family seemed to be reborn in a bizarre way that they could not even imagine.

    No.

    Rather than plete transformation¡±, perhaps ¡°reincarnation in a borrowed corpse¡± would be more appropriate?

    Such an exnation seemed to give a reason for tonight¡¯s failure. After all, no matter how fierce the warriors of the Wolfsbane n were, they were normal people. How could these normal people possibly be a match for a group of madmen who couldn¡¯t be measured bymon sense?

    On the other side, near the area of the ancient sewer.

    The youngdy Femis was performing the final ¡°ritual¡± here. ording to Murphy¡¯s previous instructions, she was to use spirit energy that could turn stone into mud to re-seal the crack leading to the thirdyer of the underground cave.

    This meant that the gnoll vanguards and a small number of Wolfsbane warriors still fighting with the ghouls in the thirdyer below would bepletely sealed in.

    Femis understood very well why Murphy wanted to do this, she just felt that this treatment was a bit cruel.

    Although she had also ruthlessly killed several Wolfsbane scum who tried to finish her off in the previous battle,pared to Murphy, the well-educated youngdy obviously knew more about the weaknesses of the Wolfsbane pups.

    They were the fiercest closebat experts among vampire ns.

    But they were also the weakest in Dark Spirit Maniption, which was normal. Strength always has its focus, and trying to have everything often results in getting nothing.

    Abandoning the blessing of spirit energy allowed the Wolfsbane n to reach almost the pinnacle in closebat, and their unique ¡°Wilderness Transformation¡± ancestral power further enhanced their excellent killing power in closebat.

    It¡¯s hard to say this was a wrong choice, after all, the horrific casualty ratio of both sides in the sewer at this time had already proved the rationality of Wolfsbane¡¯s survival strategy.

    If it weren¡¯t for the fearless little yers who didn¡¯t fear death and used suicidal tactics to contain Wolfsbane¡¯s fury, with the pitiful number of NPC vampires alone, they would have long been defeated and devoured by Korando¡¯s wolf pack.

    Korando didn¡¯t actively rush into the trap!

    That brutal and vicious leader had considered everything before killing his way in, except he couldn¡¯t understand the unique existence of the otherworldly spirits.

    And it was this point that doomed their failure.

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t his fault either.¡±

    The youngdy thought to herself while casting her spell:

    ¡°Korando has already done well enough, who could have imagined that Murphy could summon otherworldly people who are not afraid of death to contribute to the rise of Transia? This ispletely, well, in his words, a cheating method.¡±

    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re ndering me. Although I don¡¯t know why you sympathize with the enemy, I must rify that this is just the most suitable method at present.¡±

    Just as Femis¡¯s association was unfolding, Murphy¡¯s voice also sounded from behind.

    The youngdy looked back and found Murphy walking over with two swords in hand, Frostfang in his left hand and Greyw in his right, with Necessary Evil humming and floating beside him.

    That demon sword looked quite angry.

    And all three des were dripping with fresh blood, proving that they had just drunk their fill of others¡¯ suffering.

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation progressing?¡±

    The youngdy asked, and Murphy shrugged and said:

    ¡°Judging from the casualty ratio alone, we¡¯ve suffered heavy losses. A quarter of the 300-plus Wolfsbane warriors have been dealt with, but few of my warriors are left. Two of Maxim¡¯s three descendants are dead, and Adele only has Dorothy and Diana left as servants. The unfortunate little widow Mary¡¯s group has lost nearly half.

    Fortunately, the Blood Pact Knights and Thorn assassins are elite enough, with Lainnia¡¯s cover allowing our nsmen who have suffered further blows to retreat to safety.

    s, the already miserable Blood Vulture n is now adding frost to snow.

    If it weren¡¯t for Tris and I being cold-blooded enough and not caring about the casualties of our nsmen, this night¡¯s melee alone would be enough to extinguish thest bit of vigor of the Blood Vulture n.

    Korando is a very formidable opponent.

    He could have dragged the Blood Vultures to hell with him to achieve his ambition, but unfortunately, three dayster at dawn, those fearless heroic spirits will return to thisnd alive and kicking.

    So rounding it off, ignoring those ¡®necessary losses¡¯ of the old era, we can proudly dere that we have achieved an outstanding great victory! Therefore, I¡¯d like to ask you, Femis, what do you think of the future I¡¯ve chosen for the Blood Vulture n?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, but I¡¯m greatly shocked.¡±

    The youngdy pouted, waving the Night Howl Staff in her hand.

    She sealed thest crack with flowing stoneva,pletely silencing the howls of gnolls and ghouls from below in the earth¡¯syers.

    When it¡¯s opened again, only death and destion will remain inside.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what kind of frenzied state our n will be if the Blood Vulture n has 500 of these ¡®otherworld vampires¡¯. But I can be certain that once this number exceeds 5,000, the Blood Vulture n will be the most unorthodox among the seven ns.¡±

    The youngdy was quite pessimistic about this future, but Murphy wasn¡¯t as sentimental as her. He shook his head and said:

    ¡°We will also be the most prosperous member among the seven ns. Even the Blood Pact Knights under the Patriarch will have to bow their heads before us!

    It¡¯s not just about spreading the name of the Blood Vulture. Tris has been deeply researching the spirit projectionposition of the warriors.

    Perhaps soon, she will bring us more surprises.

    Can you imagine it?

    Femis, when my warriors can walk on the earth in the form of Wolfsbane or Thorn, or even Blood Pact Knights, as dwarf, elf and halfling?¡±

    ¡°Then Transia¡¯s reputation will bepletely ruined, both good and bad. Fortunately, we didn¡¯t have much of a reputation to speak of in the first ce.¡±

    Femis rolled her eyes. The youngdy didn¡¯t want to think about this terrifying future.

    Her work here was done. Murphy walked with her into the deep sewers. At their feety 4 or 5 Wolfsbane warriors with distorted bodies, all twisted and torn into pale wolf-bat statues by mysterious spirit techniques.

    As they walked, Murphy said quietly:

    ¡°I suddenly realized that my use of spirit energy is too shallow. I¡¯ll have to ask you to teach me moreter.¡±

    ¡°You have Tris, a Spirit Sovereign, by your side. Why do you need to learn from me?¡±

    The youngdy said in surprise:

    ¡°Can¡¯t Tris teach you? That¡¯s impossible, look at how inseparable you two are all day.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be mocked as an idiot by her.¡±

    Murphy sighed and said:

    ¡°Tris¡¯s tongue is too sharp, and she always likes to give me a hard time.

    Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a Summoner. The spirit spells I need to learn are more about control techniques for maniption. It won¡¯t waste too much of your energy.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m more than happy to help.¡±

    The youngdy brushed her long hair and said:

    ¡°Whether you¡¯ve realized it or not, you¡¯re now the absolute core of the Blood Vulture n. I¡¯ll do my utmost to satisfy all your needs.

    I also hope to see the name of Blood Vulture echoing under the midnight sky again.

    And you!

    You¡¯re the person most likely to achieve this in the shortest time. So, when you have some free time, I¡¯ll teach you the most basic spirit control techniques.

    We¡¯ll start with the variant techniques that can be derived from your unique ¡®Death¡¯s Grasp¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Awooo!¡±

    A piercing howl echoed through the sewer at that moment, interrupting the youngdy¡¯s words. It made her instinctively grip the Night Howl Staff tighter, while Murphy remained impassive.

    He looked at the uneasy darkness ahead, then nced at the Greyw sword cane in his hand.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°Korando is dead. The Greyw faction is finished. Hmm, ambition has died, but it will nourish another mind, leading the victor onto a thorny path.

    I¡¯m truly honored to witness this moment.¡±

    ¡°You handed him over to Andrei?¡±

    The youngdy immediately grasped the true meaning of Murphy¡¯s words. She said in surprise:

    ¡°I thought you would personally deal with Korando, after all, he challenged you, and your character wouldn¡¯t refuse.¡±

    ¡°I know how to share, Lady Femis.¡±

    Murphy smiled in the darkness and said in a soft voice:

    ¡°Wanting to monopolize all good things is painful. Only by sharing can one find happiness. Moreover, things like hatred are meaningless if not shared.

    Let¡¯s go.

    Come with me to apud the victor.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    Korando was dead.

    He had been almostpletely frozen into an ice sculpture. It was the final death achieved under the continuously released power of the winter spirit essence, freezing his flesh and blood essence.

    Faced with an enemy who could not be killed by swords, Count Andrei took the most direct and effective approach he could think of.

    Of course, to achieve this, he also paid a heavy price.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡±

    The blood-covered loyal servant Vesta rushed into the darkness and immediately saw Andrei slumped beneath the frozen wolf-bat ice sculpture.

    Thetter¡¯s left arm had beenpletely bitten off, his chest torn open to the extent that his internal organs were visible. To prevent further weakening, he had to freeze his own wounds to heal slowly.

    The Count of White Mountain¡¯s hair, eyebrows, and the beard he had just grown had all turned pure white like the north wind. This was the change that urred when pushing the winter essence of the wilderness bloodline to its extreme.

    The bloodline of Hero King Boris had its own wonders, but the Count of White Mountain had still paid everything he possessed for this hard-won victory.

    His second Frostfang de had shattered.

    That broken de was stuck in Korando¡¯s forehead between his eyebrows, while in Andrei¡¯s hand was a white silver vampire heart frozen like a jewel by the winter cold.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, let me stand up on my own¡±

    Vesta came forward wanting to support his count, but was refused by Andrei. This young vampire was already weakened to the extreme, but his eyes were full of joy and the pleasure after victory.

    He used the broken sword to prop himself up, patting the unique ice sculpture behind him shakily. The Greyw leader,pletely transformed into his wolf-bat true form, was frozen in a most realistic and brutal image at the end of his life. This was a legendary scene that even the most skilled sculptor could not replicate.

    ¡°This will be the best gift¡±

    Andrei looked at his work with satisfaction. He then handed the frozen vampire heart to Vesta, instructing:

    ¡°You personally deliver this heart and this ice sculpture back to North Wind Castle, into the Ice Pce. Korando¡¯s heart will be a gift for the 371st birthday of ancestor Shani, while the Greyw ice sculpture will be my gift to my sister. She will surely love this eternal imprint of the moment of victory, shaped by the death of our enemy.

    Vesta, you must deliver them personally.¡±

    The Count of White Mountain urged:

    ¡°This will allow our faction to be reborn.¡±

    ¡°I will not fail this task!¡±

    The loyal servant swore solemnly, then let two Thorn handmaidens support the count as they left the ce. As he walked out of the dark tunnel, he saw Murphy and Femis beside him ahead.

    The Count of Kadman looked up and down at the miserable Andrei, while the Count of White Mountain, no longer elegant and solemn as before, struggled to straighten his back.

    ¡°Not bad. From a soldier¡¯s andmander¡¯s perspective, you¡¯ve already been quitepetent.¡±

    Murphy gave a word of praise.

    He twirled the exquisitely carved wolf head sword cane in his hand, then handed it to Andrei with one hand, saying:

    ¡°But how can amander be without a suitable weapon? It¡¯s yours now. Congrattions on your ambition triumphing over others¡¯.¡±

    ¡°This thing is quite precious.¡±

    Andrei said hoarsely:

    ¡°I thought you would keep it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not very interested in these material possessions.¡±

    Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Victory is all I need! Yes, victory alone is enough to soothe my generous heart. Ah, another page has been added to the ancient grudge tonight. Listen, the wheel of resentment has begun to turn again.¡±

 Chapter 264:

    ¡°Damn, this is too brutal!¡±

    The Meow King¡¯s group of seven formed a standard hunting squad, moving through the pitch-ck sewers.

    Everywhere they looked, they saw the aftermath of a burning battlefield. The statues left behind by the defeated Wolfsbane and Blood Vulture vampires were bizarre and varied, but that was nothingpared to the state of the yers.

    Due to the disparity in individual strength, yers found it difficult to defeat Wolfsbane elites one-on-one. However, the allure of drops and the racial main quest pushed yers to adopt a rather ¡°aggressive¡± strategy.

    ¡°I think fixing the corpse-leaving bug after death isn¡¯t always a good thing,¡± Three to Five Pecks muttered softly.

    He nced at the charred bones at his feet, almost sted to pieces, and bent down to retrieve the twisted spirit dog tags from the carbonized corpse. The name ¡°Brother Loyalty¡± was barely visible on them.

    Next to this burned corpse was something indescribable, like a ¡°Wolfsbane chop¡± burned crisp on the outside and tender inside, vaguely resembling a human shape.

    The most tragic part was that the Wolfsbane Spirit Mage, who had been blown up and set on fire, wasn¡¯t dead yet. The superhuman constitution of Wolfsbane allowed her to still regenerate.

    ¡°Grab her, grab her! We can sell her to the Fight Club as a diator. This elite is worth at least 100 gold coins!¡±Nearby, Old Tune and ck Stockings had no psychological burden at all. They took out ropes and tied up the miserable Wolfsbane elite. Meow King ignored his brothers¡¯ actions, which resembled those of a ¡°ve-catching team,¡± and simply looked around at the sewers that were gradually quieting down.

    It was now approaching dawn, and more than three hours had passed since the Wolfsbane attack began. The most intense and frenzied battles hade to an end.

    Just from the scene before them, it was clear that both yers and NPCs had suffered heavy losses.

    Apart from the battle in the Blood Vulture Halls where only three people survived, this was probably the toughest and most brutal fight yers had experienced in the game.

    So Meow King quickly sent a message in the world channel:

    Meow King: ¡¾Any brothers still alive in the sewers? Make a sound, report your coordinates, we¡¯lle to get you.¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾None left, wuwuwu, they¡¯re all gone, I¡¯m the only one left from the Silver Moon team, it¡¯s a total wipeout this time, so tragic.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Sister Pomegranate died too? No way!¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾We encountered a very powerful named elite monster called Stander, the same one we met by the riverst time!

    Lumina and Fatal Orchid used bombs to hold him off, that useless Lady Aqua was taken out at the start just likest time, Sister Pomegranate finally did a ¡®Heaven and Earth Perish Together¡¯ move, anyway it was very impressive.

    But it doesn¡¯t matter much, we got some great drops.

    Look!

    Item link¡¿

    Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties: ¡¾!!! A Commander-level sword-staff and a full set of Wolfsbane battle armor? And it¡¯s Masterwork Quality? Damn! These stats are insane! Even better than the n guard set. This is probably the best Quality equipment dropped from monsters so far, right? My sister is in luck now.¡¿

    Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood: ¡¾Coordinates XXX:XXX! All brothers who can still move,e here, thest group of Wolfsbane thugs are hiding here! Come and finish them off!

    These bastards took out all four of my brothers, I can¡¯t swallow this anger!¡¿

    Tiger Leopard Rider-Dou: ¡¾Brothers who are still alive, sound off! Brother Stick was just ambushed and taken out by three elites, now it¡¯s my turn tomand.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾1¡¿

    Kind-Face Giant Shark Uncle: ¡¾2¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾3¡¿

    Frostfang w: ¡¾4¡¿

    Honorary Knight Typal: ¡¾27¡¿

    Feel You Poor: ¡¾28 sadly, my poor Manticore Keeper, poor Bursting Belly just had his head bitten off by an Astral Wolf, otherwise we¡¯d have one more.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Damn! Is this all that¡¯s left? No more? We lost 112 people in one battle? Don¡¯t you guys know how to y?¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾You should be content,st time we fought a raid instance only 3 survived in the end, now we have 30 left which proves we¡¯ve improved, okay?

    The enemies are elites from another family¡¯s faction, theoretically these monsters are about as strong as the Blood Vulture n hall guards, don¡¯t think they¡¯re just randomly spawned elite monsters.

    Alright, enough talk, hurry up and gather!

    Hmm, Lord Kudel and Lord Murphy and the youngdy are here too, hurry up! Otherwise you won¡¯t get any drops!¡¿

    Frostfang w: ¡¾Um. I just epted a quest from the Blood Rat Gang. Dorothy wants us to capture Wolfsbane warriors alive as diators. As long as they¡¯re alive, we can exchange one for 300 gold coins plus reputation rewards.¡¿

    Feel You Poor: ¡¾Only 300? This NPC is too stingy.¡¿

    Frostfang w: ¡¾Equipment drops are all ours. She just wants the people¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾Hey, that¡¯s more like it! Brothers, our ¡®Big Bird Spin Spin Spin¡¯ ve-catching team is temporarily established, I¡¯ll entangle them, you all switch to blunt weapons.

    Go easy on themter.¡¿

    Construction Site Old Man: ¡¾What kind of broken name is that for your team! I had to look it up online to know what it means, it¡¯s corrupting public morals!¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾Damn! Mentor, why are you here too? You should go back quickly! A level 3 noob like you shouldn¡¯t join in such dangerous excitement!

    If you die, it¡¯ll take three days to respawn.¡¿

    Construction Site Old Man: ¡¾Get lost, character level is just superficial, the power of knowledge isn¡¯t limited by such things, I¡¯m directing my four guards to bury explosives now.

    You young people, ah, you should learn to use knowledge, understand?¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾??? Grandpa, what are you talking about? Why don¡¯t I understand?¡¿

    ¡°Boom¡±

    A subsequent huge explosion shook most of the sewer and filled the world channel with cries of distress.

    As the ground shook and debris flew everywhere, Professor Chen, the Construction Site Old Man, looked satisfied at the tunnel in front of him that had almost instantly copsedpletely due to several structural stress points being destroyed simultaneously.

    Under the dumbfounded gaze of Brother Mao beside him, and the apuse of Kudel, Murphy, and Femis, Old Chen, who had personally detonated the precisely buried explosives to wipe out the hiding Wolfsbane elites in one go, leisurely said in the world channel:

    Construction Site Old Man: ¡¾No need toe anymore, the enemies have been dealt with. I suppose this is what you call ¡®terrain kill¡¯?

    I really can¡¯t understand how you could suffer such heavy casualties when this could be solved with just a bit of Novice-level geological knowledge and some explosives.

    Children, ah, you need to use your brains even when ying games.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾666, Crazy Engineer Grandpa Chen is awesome! I¡¯m scared out of my wits.¡¿

    Meanwhile, at the entrance of the newly copsed tunnel, Femis was looking at Old Chen, who was saying something to Kudel, with a strange expression.

    This schrly old man had just buried 37 Wolfsbane elites with only seven or eight detonators, an efficiency of killingparable to a high-level spirit technique.

    ¡°Are even the old men from that side so crazy?¡±

    The youngdy poked Murphy¡¯s arm and said in a low voice:

    ¡°How on earth did you find these weird people? And how did he know that sting those key points and putting in explosives would copse the entire tunnel?

    He didn¡¯t even do much calction, just felt those ces, is he some kind of earth priest who canmunicate with earth spirits?

    No!

    Even an earth priest couldn¡¯t do something like this, I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°This is the power of physics and geology,¡±

    Murphy said softly:

    ¡°They have many things worth learning from, and this is a vivid example, but no matter what, we¡¯ve won, and that¡¯s enough!

    Let¡¯s go.

    Report this good news to Tris.

    She must be anxious by now.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    In the far northwestern corner of the continent, on Greenleaf Ind in the Misty City, the sky remained dim even at dawn in this peculiar city.

    Old Edward, the tanner who had justpleted an outstanding piece in his leather workshop, and also the Grand Duke of the Wolfsbane n, suddenly felt a pain in his chest.

    It was as if a small knife had lightly poked his heart.

    As an ancient being, he certainly knew this wasn¡¯t a sign of a heart attack, but rather the indication that one of his descendants had just passed away.

    ¡°Hmm, Korando, you ambitious criminal, a thug who dreamed of bing the king of criminals, a violent brute who stubbornly refused to submit to Wolfsbane¡¯s rules.

    A bloodthirsty wild wolf that was difficult to control, the news from afar heralding your death has made even me, the elder you saw as senile, taste the vor of ¡®sorrow¡¯ once again.¡±

    Old Edward sneered as he removed his tanner¡¯s gloves, his gloomy face showing no trace of sorrow.

    Although the death of a descendant would weaken him, for an ancient being who had entered the Golden rank 900 years ago, as one of the strongest powers on this continent, he had many ways topensate for this slight weakness.

    Fate is always exceptionally generous to the strong.

    The death of the uncontroble leader of the Greyw n meant that this despicable violent faction would soon vanish into thin air, bing just a minor ripple in the ancient history of the Wolfsbane n.

    This good news made the corners of Old Edward¡¯s mouth curl up slightly, and he even began to hum an extremely old bad, which was rare for him.

    He walked lightly to the study of hisrge vi in the inner ring of Misty City, took out a bottle of 400-year-old moonlight wine from his beloved liquor cab, uncorked it, and poured himself a small ss.

    Tonight was a moment worthmemorating, deserving of a small drink.

    But just as Old Edward was putting the fine wine back in the cab, he suddenly turned his head towards the window of the study. Under the dim night, ck rose petals were dancing in an eerie rhythm, representing an ¡°uninvited guest¡±ing to visit at this time.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    The Grand Duke of Wolfsbane let out an impatient nasal sound from his nostrils as his good mood was disturbed.

    But as an ancient being, he couldn¡¯t turn away a guest at the door, so he stroked his well-trimmed beard, leaned on his beloved ck wolf cane, and went forward to open the window.

    Amidst the thick scent of roses, Lord Pnno, with his golden hair like a lion¡¯s mane, appeared in his slender form in Old Edward¡¯s study.

    This romantic knight wasn¡¯t wearing heavy armor, but instead was dressed in traditional Greenleaf Ind attire, with a long-sleeved vest on top and bottoms that Old Edward found a bit hard to look at directly.

    To put it simply, Knight Pnno was wearing a skirt, but it wasn¡¯t women¡¯s clothing! Let¡¯s emphasize this once! This was the traditional costume of the Isa people of Greenleaf Ind.

    Who knows why the ancestors chose men¡¯s skirts as tradition, but history is often unreasonable in this aspect.

    ¡°I salute you, Rose Knight,¡± Old Edward said politely, leaning on his cane to this Golden Knight who visitedte at night:

    ¡°You should be at Dunwich Pce discussing with the sun-like King Louis about the response to the ck Disaster. What wind has blown you here?¡±

    ¡°Do I need a reason to return to my own home?¡± The romantic Knight Pnno was clearly in a bad mood tonight, saying in a harsh tone:

    ¡°This vi of yours happened to be part of my fief when I was still alive. Although my favorite castle has been leveled by time, thisnd still remembers its master!¡±

    This rare cold response made Old Edward blink his eyes. He also became impolite, raising his wine ss and saying:

    ¡°Then, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°The Greyw faction under the Wolfsbane n has done wrong!¡±

    Pnno didn¡¯t bother to waste words with Old Edward. As he had once imed, the Rose Knight was always unwilling to pay too much attention to ugly things he didn¡¯t approve of.

    And the ancient being before him, from any perspective, was very much not in line with Knight Pnno¡¯s aesthetics.

    So he said in an interrogative tone:

    ¡°You, Grand Duke Edward of Wolfsbane, do you know that the faction leader you personally appointed has colluded with the gnolls in Transia, attempting tounch a cowardly sneak attack on the Blood Vulture n, which has just rebuilt its forces?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir,¡± Old Edward rolled his eyes and replied rudely:

    ¡°I¡¯m old, my eyes are no longer sharp, and my ears are no longer keen.

    My authority is not what it used to be, I can hardly control those eager new talents in the family who are itching to try their hand, they increasingly disregard me, the old n leader.

    But isn¡¯t this the cruel thing forged by fate?

    Old men are always marginalized, and even in the Wolfsbane n, which you scold as not following rules, the Greyw faction is the most radical group!

    To prevent their wild actions from causing big trouble in Misty City, I specially sent them to Transia to assist in the defense against the ck Disaster.

    That ce is thousands of kilometers away from here, how could I possibly fully control my disobedient descendants?

    Moreover, given the century-old feud between Wolfsbane and Blood Vulture, to be honest, I don¡¯t think my descendants did anything wrong. This is how vampire ns interact with each other, Lord Pnno.

    You¡¯re not new to being a vampire, are you?

    Why make such a fuss?¡±

    ¡°I know our dark nature, but how do you exin your servants handing over the defense map of the Cato region to the gnoll warlords?¡± Pnno scolded.

    These words made Old Edward¡¯s heart skip a beat, followed by a vicious curse.

    Damn it!

    Korando had crossed the line!

    Colluding with gnolls to attack Blood Vulture could barely be exined as irrational behavior caused by family hatred, but handing over the defense information of an entire region to the gnolls was apletely different concept.

    No wonder the First Lord of this Blood Pact Knights team was so angry and came to rebuke him so undiplomatically.

    ¡°Then he deserved to die! Tonight¡¯s wine has been given the reminder of punishment,¡± Old Edward said coldly:

    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve beenx in educating my descendants. I apologize to you, Lord Pnno, but there¡¯s good news here that might soothe your anger.

    Just now, I sensed Korando¡¯s eternal rest from the distant blood vibration.

    That heinous traitor is already dead!

    Perhaps my old friend Lady Tris took action to give him a decent ending, avoiding further esction of the situation.¡±

    ¡°You and I both know that Korando¡¯s death doesn¡¯t solve any problems!¡± Pnno shook his head. He could feel Old Edward deliberately changing the subject, and this knight who pursued all things beautiful deeply despised such behavior. He said sternly:

    ¡°Your Wolfsbane n has a really big problem, you must give me an exnation, right here! Make a vow to change, otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise what?¡± Old Edward turned back, looking at the Golden Knight Pnno sinisterly.

    He said:

    ¡°What cruel threat does Your Excellency want to utter on Wolfsbane territory? You know, this doesn¡¯t conform to the ancient rules, although we don¡¯t follow those rules either.

    But Knight Pnno!

    I hope you realize your position. You are only the First Lord of the Blood Pact Knights team. You have no right to demand any guarantee or exnation from a Grand Duke.

    Even if you were once a prince of this country, that¡¯s in the past. You are now a guest! And I, I am the master here!

    So, please observe the etiquette a guest should have.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, Pnno doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to demand promises from the esteemed ancient one, so to make tonight¡¯s inquiry conform to ancient traditions, I had to put aside the defense matters of the Dark Mountain range and travel thousands of kilometers toe here in person¡­ However, the best reward I can get for this long journey is just an answer I don¡¯t care about.¡±

    As Edward¡¯s mockery fell, a chilling voice that made the Grand Duke of Wolfsbane¡¯s hair stand on end sounded from outside his study.

    As the door was pushed open from the outside, Lord Payne, dressed in a blood-colored ceremonial robe, walked in with his hands behind his back.

    He didn¡¯t look like a guest, but more like the master of this ce.

    Behind the Lord, the Third Lord, Lady Yvette, holding the crimson sacred spear ¡°Eternal Silence,¡± and carrying an exquisite blood stone cross, followed step by step.

    Seeing this crimson sacred spear symbolizing midnight arbitration and the cross torture instrument that once sent off the Blood Dread patriarch being brought into Wolfsbane territory on Greenleaf Ind by Lord Payne, Old Edward¡¯s eyes contracted to the extreme.

    He knew.

    He was in big trouble.

 Chapter 265:

    The most striking feature of Lord Payne was his smooth ck hair, hanging down on his shoulders like a woman, without any special styling, falling naturally.

    For a vampire lord, this seemed a bit too casual and even not very serious.

    But if judged by the standards of an artist¡¯s temperament, this appearance was just right.

    Neither rigid nor soft, neither proper nor effeminate.

    At first nce, he might seem rather ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could see his uniqueness, mainly in those eyes.

    The Lord¡¯s eyes had amber irises, with just a hint of crimson, like the most beautiful and bewitching gemstones.

    When one saw these eyes, they were enough to make most people overlook the features of his face.

    But in fact, the Lord was far from ugly. Although not as stunningly beautiful as Pnno and Murphy, from the aesthetic perspective of any race, he was definitely above average in looks.

    Secondly, Lord Payne¡¯s aura was inimitable.It was amanding presence developed over 1,100 years of serving as the leader and arbiter since the day vampires appeared on the continent. The legends and even ¡°myths¡± about him circting throughout the continent greatly reinforced this aura.

    Not to mention those vampires ¡°born¡± in recent times, even Old Edward, who was of the same generation and simr age to Lord Payne, would restrain his cold and domineering manner as the Wolfsbane Grand Duke when he saw him.

    This unique aura,bined with the pressure he exerted when appearing with the sacred spear ¡°Eternal Silence¡±, was even stronger.

    Old Edward¡¯s hand trembled as he held his wine ss.

    Not out of fear.

    The fact that the Lord came alone instead of bringing the elite of the entire Blood Pact Knights indicated that this matter was still negotiable, but since he had brought out the sacred spear ¡°Eternal Silence¡±, it probably wouldn¡¯t be easy to resolve this matter lightly.

    The cunning Wolfsbane Grand Duke¡¯s first thought was that he was in for a heavy price this time, followed by the thought that if he was fortunate enough to survive, he would probably have to pay dearly.

    How painful!

    Lord Payne didn¡¯t notice, or perhaps didn¡¯t care about, the changes in Old Edward¡¯s expression. He simply walked into the room with his hands behind his back, unceremoniously sitting down in the chair that should have belonged to Edward in the study.

    He waved his hand.

    The First Lord and the Third Lord then turned and left the study, closing the door behind them.

    The crimson sacred spear ¡°Eternal Silence¡± was left standing upright in the center of the room, maintaining a 90-degree angle with the floor without anyone holding it. Clearly, this was no ordinary weapon, and the faint light it emitted bathed the entire study in a soft red glow.

    Not just for show.

    In this light of arbitration, everything that didn¡¯t belong to the material world was exposed.

    Fortunately, Old Edward seemed to have kept himself clean so far, without much involvement with dangerous and mysterious otherworldly entities.

    ¡°I assure you, I knew nothing about Korando¡¯s affair,¡± Old Edward spoke first.

    He put his wine ss on the table and said softly:

    ¡°He has always been an uncontroble fellow, like an unstable metronome swinging back and forth between madness and savagery. If I hadn¡¯t brought the n, on the brink of death, to Greenleaf Ind in desperate need to preserve our lineage, I wouldn¡¯t have indiscriminately taken in such a person-¡±

    ¡°Spencer, these trivial matters you speak of are not worth my personal visit. I, and all the n leaders and elders still living, are well aware of how far our brethren can fall under the temptation of darkness.

    This has been happening for the past thousand years.

    Korando is not the first to betray the interests of our race, nor will he be thest.¡±

    Lord Payne interrupted Old Edward¡¯s exnation with a wave of his hand.

    The Lord leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across Old Edward¡¯s study, lingering briefly on a few paintings on the wall, but the artistic merit of these pieces was clearly not enough to warrant furtherment from the Lord.

    While maintaining his observant posture, he casually said:

    ¡°Since you obtained power over the Cato region under the cover of night from King Louis, you should have used it well instead of carelessly tossing it to some dangerous elements you can¡¯t control.

    But in the end, this is an internal affair of your Wolfsbane n.

    I have no interest in intervening nor do I intend toment further. You should know why I came here tonight, and why I made such a grand gesture-¡±

    The Lord changed his sitting position.

    He leaned his hands on the desk, interlocking his fingers to cover his mouth and nose. As his smooth hair moved without wind, his amber blood eyes fixed on Old Edward.

    He asked, enunciating clearly:

    ¡°How much were you involved in the matter of Salrokdar and the subspace rift beneath Transia? Answer carefully! Spencer, I will only ask this once, and you only have this one chance to exin yourself!¡±

    Old Edward¡¯s heart sank.

    He knew that Lord Payne wouldn¡¯t have left the defenses of the Dark Mountain range to travel thousands of kilometers to Greenleaf Ind just because of a misbehaving faction leader.

    He knew that the damned Blood Vulture Grand Duke would continue to cause trouble for him even in death! Damn it, Wolfsbane and Blood Vulture could indeed only coexist with one gone, right?

    He also knew that Lord Payne was already scrutinizing his sins.

    If there were any lies in his uing response, he might be forced into a life-or-death confrontation with his thousand-year-old brother right here.

    This confrontation would likely destroy half of Misty City, but he believed Lord Payne wouldn¡¯t show mercy because of that.

    His ancient and powerful brother could be as merciful as the saints in elf legends when he chose to be, but once he turned cold-blooded, nothing on this continent could stop him from achieving his goal.

    As an elder, Old Edward had witnessed simr events with his own eyes, and more than once.

    The Wolfsbane Grand Duke let out a long sigh, stepped back a few paces to pull out a chair, and sat down directly in front of the desk, right in front of the suspended sacred spear.

    This uniqueposition made the scene look like an interrogation.

    And he, the esteemed Wolfsbane Grand Duke Edward Spencer Gongreau, now sat in the ¡°confession chair.¡±

    He raised his head, looking into those amber eyes before him, as if facing the ancient rules of judgment of the blood n¡¯s thousand-year tradition, and said in a deep voice:

    ¡°I did not participate in the action to tempt Salrokdar!

    What I mean is, I knew about his strange changes in recent decades, I also knew he had been secretly associating with some odd characters, I even knew that he had been using the alias ¡®Count Fox¡¯ to seek out evil objects rted to subspace while tasting fine cuisine across the continent.

    But I had no intention of using this to deal with him!

    Although the hatred between Wolfsbane and Blood Vulture is deep, I know where the bottom line you set for us is, especially after our poor little brother Charlemagne was executed by you, our ¡®big brother,¡¯ 200 years ago. I know even more clearly that some things are untouchable.

    However, the situation changed quickly.

    Specifically, two years ago, when the Ten-Year War was in full swing, just after that dwarf general¡¯s pioneer army had taken West Seicob City, most of the high-ranking officials of the entire Portia Federation were captured in one fell swoop, and the Wolfsbane n also became involved as part of the war.

    That was just my way of expressing loyalty to King Louis, I didn¡¯t expect to use human wars to strike at Blood Vulture.

    But one of my descendants brought back a person for me.

    A woman!

    A woman called Cecilia.

    She was already on the brink of death, as if drained of life by some evil entity, like a candle in the wind, but this woman¡¯s identity was not simple.

    She had been Salrokdar¡¯s human mistress, and she said she had ¡®given birth¡¯ to a child for Salrokdar, she also said Salrokdar had taken that child away from her.

    She was raving mad, making me think for a while that this woman might be delusional.

    But I finally decided to take the risk.

    I turned her into my descendant, and then I saw some terrifying things from her memories, and it was those memories that gave me aplete n-¡±

    Old Edward nced at Lord Payne.

    Thetter¡¯s face was extraordinarily calm, showing no signs of rage despite his candor. That calm expression meant a terrifying fact.

    Everything he was saying now, Lord Payne might have already known!

    Even the n he had been secretly plotting to destroy Blood Vulture had never escaped the eyes of this ancient brother.

    ¡°You¡¯re being honest, at least up to now you¡¯re being honest. Continue,¡± Lord Payne said.

    ¡°Tell me the most important part of your n.¡±

    ¡°Dusk!¡±

    Old Edward uttered this word, saying:

    ¡°A person or organization calling themselves ¡®Dusk¡¯ was lurking around Salrokdar, they helped him modify that bold n for a ¡®perfect blood n¡¯ originally devised by the ¡®Crimson Witch¡¯ Tris for Salrokdar.

    They expanded it in an unimaginably mad way into areas rted to ¡®gods and subspace.¡¯

    Perhaps the Crimson Witch also intended to use this n to explore the mysteries of the gods, but the Dusk crowd was clearly crazier. They bewitched Salrokdar into wanting to directly create a ¡®god.¡¯

    A midnight god belonging to all vampires.

    I don¡¯t know why the once cunning and intelligent Salrokdar would believe such nonsense, but the fact is, he actually did it!

    From Cecilia¡¯s memories, I saw that this n had been in preparation since the birth of that little girl called Femis.

    Salrokdar intended to sacrifice his n toplete this mad enterprise.

    I took advantage of this n.

    My method was to ensure he could smoothly advance his crazy ideas. For this, I used my connections in the Goldflower Kingdom political arena to force the pioneer army to stop in East Prussia after destroying West Seicob City.

    I knew that Salrokdar would eventually destroy himself.

    But I didn¡¯t expect this matter to end in such a way. In my original thoughts, it should have been you personally stepping in to end this subspace-rted affair.

    Just as you annihted the Blood Dread n 200 years ago, I admit, I had intended to use you-¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡±

    Lord Payne rebuked.

    He stood up abruptly, his long hair flying, and said:

    ¡°You know why Salrokdar did this! You clearly know why our ancient brother was bewitched! You clearly know we all suffer from the same dark temptation!

    In every midnight, in every dream, in every time we approach the crimson holynd. Spencer, you know why Salrokdar did this, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The Lord¡¯s rebuke turned gentle in thest sentence, even somewhat neurotically sentimental.

    Faced with his question, Old Edward finally broke downpletely.

    A twisted expression appeared on his gloomy face, as if he had fallen into some painful ancient memories, pinching his brow.

    After several seconds, he said hoarsely:

    ¡°Yes, I know, those memories about the mist before the era, those memories we¡¯ve forever forgotten, about our origins, about the original sin of the blood n!

    Even today, I can asionally see some fragmented, incoherent scenes, in which I can see you, can see Salrokdar, can see Oxana and Charlemagne.

    I can even see myself.

    But Ipletely cannot understand what we¡¯re doing in those scenes!

    I can¡¯t even pursue whether those memories truly exist in our cursed, eternal life that has no beginning or end, no origin or destination!

    It¡¯s very likely just some illusions, strange phantasms formed from the golden life¡¯s keen perception of subspace.

    But I can confirm!

    It¡¯s no coincidence that Charlemagne and Salrokdar ultimately died from subspace disasters. That dangerous power, those dangerous shadows have always been calling and tempting us.

    You and I¡­

    We¡¯ve resisted that call.

    But Salrokdar finally couldn¡¯t hold on.

    He responded!

    So he went mad, so he destroyed his own n with his own hands, so he created a terrifying godly abomination with his own hands.

    I¡¯m even guessing, is the so-called ¡®Dusk¡¯ an organization imagined by Salrokdar? Perhaps it¡¯s a lie produced from the cruel torment of his mind by subspace?¡±

    ¡°No, they really exist,¡±

    Lord Payne waved his hand with a certain fatigue.

    He had asked all the questions he needed to ask, and Old Edward had passed this interrogation. It was time to say goodbye.

    He said:

    ¡°¡®Dusk¡¯ is an organization active in the shadows. For the past hundred years, they¡¯ve had a hand, more or less, in all subspace-rted hidden dangers and cmities across the entire continent.

    I¡¯ve already locked onto several of their members, I will handle the following matters.

    You!

    Don¡¯t pursue anything rted to them.

    Salrokdar is a very painful example, but Spencer, the fact that you stood by and watched your brother fall into the quagmire of subspace without lending a helping hand troubles me greatly. 1,100 years ago, on the day when we, the original blood n, supported each other as we walked out of the Dark Mountain range, we made a vow-¡±

    ¡°Huh? Did we?¡±

    Old Edward looked bewildered.

    He raised his head, looking at Lord Payne in surprise, and said:

    ¡°My earliest memory before the era is of you awakening me in the night at the foot of the deste mountain, telling me you had forgotten the past and so had I.

    We¡­ did we really make some strange vow?¡±

    ¡°We did,¡±

    Lord Payne looked into Edward¡¯s eyes and said:

    ¡°You, me, Charlemagne, Oxana, Salrokdar, and Constance, the six of us made a vow to lead the blood n to multiply and continue civilization on this strange continent, but only Constance and I could remember all of this. After Constance mysteriously disappeared, I became the sole keeper of that initial vow.

    Now only you and I remain of the original elders, Edward. If one day you suddenly remember those memories from before the era, be sure to tell me.

    Be sure to stay away from subspace!

    Nothing good wille from there.¡±

    With that, Lord Payne retrieved the sacred spear and walked towards the study door. Before leaving, he turned back to Old Edward, who was sitting motionless in his chair, holding his head in deep thought, and said:

    ¡°I think you should thank the Blood Vulture n for helping you solve that little trouble. A proper gift of gratitude is in line with tradition, don¡¯t you think? Also, the adverse consequences caused by the internal strife of the Wolfsbane n make me very unhappy. I don¡¯t want to see it happen a second time. That woman called Cecilia¡­

    Keep an eye on her!

    If she has any contact with Dusk again, report to me.

    Of course, all of this is just a suggestion.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I understand your meaning. I will personally take charge of the defense of the Cato region afterwards. I promise you will see your trustworthy old brother on the battlefield against the ck Disaster,¡±

    The Wolfsbane Grand Duke stood up and bowed to Lord Payne in farewell.

    He stood by the window of the study, watching Lord Payne and the two knight lords disappear from his territory. Only at this moment did Old Edward rx.

    He walked back to the desk and reached for the wine ss at the edge.

    He looked at the amber liquid inside.

    His thoughts seemed to suddenly return to the past, to the era before the epoch, in those strange buildings where he and his brothers and sisters were busy with work he could no longer understand.

    He didn¡¯t know where that was, he didn¡¯t know what they were doing.

    But he knew that it was the work of that day that burdened the vampire race with eternal ¡°original sin.¡±

    The Wolfsbane Grand Duke drained the wine in one gulp.

    Using this to scatter those memories he shouldn¡¯t recall again, then let out a long sigh, raised the empty wine ss high, facing the night, and said:

    ¡°¡®Chief Navigator¡¯ Salrokdar Collins, may your soul return to Eden.¡±

    A dozen minutester, a disgruntled Old Edward put on his tanner¡¯s gloves again and returned to his leather workshop, his face full of the dissatisfaction of a working man forced to work overtime.

    But what else could he do?

    Lord Payne had said to send a gift as a gesture of sincerity for a ¡°temporary truce,¡± so as the continent¡¯s finest tanner, he could only personally craft a set of fine protective gear for those who had eliminated Korando, to ¡°thank¡± them for removing one of his descendant.

    Sigh, he still ended up losing money after all.

    How annoying!

    Ah, why are things in Transia always so troublesome?!

 Chapter 266:

    ¡°Lord, are you returning already?¡± asked Lord Pnno in a soft voice, looking at Lord Payne who was resting with his eyes closed across from him in the luxurious carriage leaving the Wolfsbane territory.

    ¡°Well, after learning of your impending arrival, King Louis asked me to invite you to Golden Flower Pce for ate-night supper.¡±

    ¡°At this hour, by human customs, it might be more appropriate to invite me for breakfast,¡± said the Lord without opening his eyes.

    ¡°But since the local host has extended an invitation, it would be too arrogant of me not to go. However, we can¡¯t stay too long. I¡¯ve finally managed to get out, and I still need to stop by the Castilia Elf Kingdom and Sanghai Empire on the way.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it to discuss the defense against the ck Disaster with the Elf King and the Pharaoh?¡± Pnno, the Rose Knight, grinned and ttered:

    ¡°You really are busy managing countless affairs daily.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lord Payne opened his eyes with a strange expression.

    His amber eyes nced at Pnno, and he said softly:

    ¡°It¡¯s unrted to official business.I just heard that the Elf King found some decent artworks 30 years ago, and I want to go appreciate them. As for the Pharaoh, he will be holding a birthday celebration in a few months. King Tutankhamun sent me an invitation, but the ck Disaster affairs prevent me from attending then, so I¡¯m going to congratte him in advance.

    Well, I can certainly discuss the ck Disaster with those two while I¡¯m there, but after thest lesson, I don¡¯t think I need to remind them about this matter.

    King Quirion and King Tutankhamun are both very wise rulers.

    They can see the threat of the ck Disaster and are willing tomit their strength to it. In this regard, they are much wiser than the human kings.¡±

    ¡°But this time, Nordtov and the Goldflower Kingdom have performed quite well,¡± Pnno said quietly.

    ¡°As soon as I arrived, the two kings made decisions at the fastest speed. Currently, both countries are reorganizing their military, and their vanguards will soon enter southern Transia to assist in the defense.

    This is already a hundred times better than the shirking and ignoring during thest ck Disaster.

    But since we¡¯re on this topic, Lord, I still think we should send more people to Transia to help the Blood Vulture n establish defense lines.

    Their situation is a bit dire, and they may not be able to withstand the ck Disaster.

    Even if the Blood Pact ns can hold off the main gnoll forces in the Deste Mountains, we can¡¯t cover the entire Foul Swamp area. Even if only a small detachment enters Transia, it would be disastrous for the defensive forces there.¡±

    ¡°You seem to be underestimating the Blood Vulture n¡¯s new regime a bit too much, Pnno,¡± replied the Third Lord Yvette, who sat next to Lord Payne, maintaining the typical cold demeanor of an elf:

    ¡°After you left, everything they¡¯ve done in the area has exceeded our expectations. ording to the three reports sent back by my descendant Lainnia, the new Transia Governor Murphy has shown unexpected enthusiasm and ability in defending against the ck Disaster.

    They havepleted the cleanup of gnoll bandits in the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain and are about to engage in a decisive battle with the gnoll warlords of Anderma Hills that will determine the ownership of Transia.

    Moreover, they have also reached initial political alliances with Nordtov and the Goldflower Kingdom.

    The progress in this area is beyond our expectations, especially the great battle with the Wolfsbane vanguard in Crimson Citadel a few hours ago.¡±

    Lord Yvette clicked her tongue and said in an admiring tone:

    ¡°Less than 50 old members of the Blood Vulture n and their equally small number of about 40 new members, along with the remaining blood servants in the city, engaged in a fight to the death with over 300 elite Wolfsbane vanguards in the sewers.

    They annihted the Greyw faction at a heavy cost, not only defending their territory but also regaining their dignity.

    My descendant participated throughout.

    She wrote extensively praising the Blood Vulture n¡¯s fierce fighting spirit, hailing it as the most valiant among the vampire ns. I don¡¯t think Lainnia¡¯s description is exaggerated. Being able to achieve such a casualty ratio already shows the Blood Vulture¡¯s rebirth through disaster.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to say about that,¡± Pnno waved his hand and said:

    ¡°They have the Crimson Witch, who has regained her strength, at their helm. She¡¯s a rare genius Spirit Mage of our race, and she alone is enough to destroy the Wolfsbane vanguard who are not adept in spirit energy.¡±

    ¡°Haha, what foolish wisdom!¡± Yvette mocked:

    ¡°What if I told you that Grand Duchess Tris didn¡¯t even participate in the battle? She didn¡¯t even enter the sewers. The entire battle was led by Governor Murphy, Countess Femis, and the Count of White Mountain from the Thorn n from start to finish.

    As an ancient hereditary family, the Blood Vultures clearly know how to regain their lost face in a dignified manner. Their victory tonight is enough to be a memorable tale.¡±

    ¡°Tris didn¡¯t participate in the battle?¡± Pnno¡¯s eyes widened, and he said:

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Although the beautiful Murphy is very talented and courageous, he¡¯s only a ck Iron rank swordsman. Even if the Lord helped Countess Femis reach the White Silver rank, their basic strength is still insufficient. They couldn¡¯t possibly be a match for an elite faction that has existed for decades.

    Moreover, in an environment like the sewers, the Blood Vultures¡¯ advantages are limited, while it¡¯s the favorite enclosed battlefield for Wolfsbane to unleash their wildness and brutality to the fullest extent.¡±

    ¡°They certainly couldn¡¯t do it alone,¡± Lady Yvette waved her hand and said:

    ¡°Lainnia reported to me that the Witch Hunters also joined the battle when it was at its fiercest. Additionally, it seems that the ordinary people in Crimson Citadel have also be a source of strength under Murphy¡¯smand.

    It¡¯s hard to imagine what kind of spell that little Murphy used to bewitch the Witch Hunters into fighting for him. More importantly, how did he inspire courage in the cowardly civilians when facing such brutal enemies as Wolfsbane?

    Could it be that sister Tris has developed some strange new mind-control spell?

    She is indeed very skilled in that area.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the charm of personality and the art of governance,¡± Lord Payne closed his eyes again and waved his hand:

    ¡°If it were just civilians helping, it could still be understood as spell bewitchment, but the full participation of the Witch Hunters and the Thorn n wouldn¡¯t be that simple.

    I remember that Lainnia¡¯s orders were to assist the Blood Vulture n in establishing defense lines and training troops. Given her cold and arrogant nature as a moon elf, she wouldn¡¯t voluntarily involve herself in the grudges between Blood Vultures and Wolfsbane.

    In other words, that Lord Murphy persuaded her.

    Even if there were factors of Wolfsbane n viting traditions, being able to persuade a moon elf as stubborn as a rock with mere words already demonstrates that Murphy¡¯s talent in uniting others.

    He is undoubtedly an excellent lord, very good at properly utilizing all the forces under hismand.

    He even epted the Witch Hunters who had nowhere else to go.

    It¡¯s almost like a small miracle.¡±

    ¡°Lord, isn¡¯t that evaluation a bit too high?¡± Yvette snorted disapprovingly.

    She seemed to shed her elven haughtiness in an instant, and like a fairy, she reached out and leaned on the Lord¡¯s shoulder, half of her body hanging on Lord Payne¡¯s side. Pouting like she was throwing a tantrum, she said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve never evaluated me like that, even though I¡¯ve given you my everything.¡±

    ¡°Apart from your loyalty, I try to keep my distance from everything else you want to give me as much as possible,¡± Lord Payne pushed Yvette away with his hand. He said in an unchanged tone:

    ¡°And I¡¯m just telling the truth. Tris¡¯ descendant is indeed very different from our n members. I¡¯ve also heard many praises from little Femis that shouldn¡¯t be used on vampires.

    I think this little fellow might bring some surprises to our stagnant vampire society.

    Now, he already has Blood Vultures, Thorns, and our knights in his territory, and the rtionships between the three ns seem quite good under his maintenance.

    Perhaps I should give him a little more help.¡±

    The Lord pondered for a moment, then said softly to the Third Lord beside him:

    ¡°Yvette, return to the base immediately and go to Misty Coast on my behalf. Deliver a message to the leader of the Blood Dread Fleet. I need him to send out a reliable force to Transia, as a force to help the Blood Vulture n rebuild their system and shape Transia¡¯s defense line.¡±

    This order stunned both Pnno and Yvette.

    Then, the Rose Knight said in a low voice:

    ¡°Lord, do you mean that the 200-year-old expulsion order for the Blood Dread n is about to be lifted?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lord Payne said softly:

    ¡°Just giving them a chance.

    The pain that the Blood Dread n brought to this continent has yet to heal, and this is their indelible sin. However, 200 years have passed, and while they¡¯ve been away from the continent, they yearn to return under the midnight.

    That was a terrible sin, and naturally requires equally heavy redemption.

    The ck Disaster

    The ck Disaster is not all bad.

    It can forge a certain degree of unity, and naturally can also give those burdened a chance for redemption. If the Blood Dread Fleet can show their responsibility in the midst of crisis, then perhaps this continent will wee them back.

    But it¡¯s just a possibility.¡±

    ¡°The Blood Dread n has been away from the continent for 200 years. Letting them start their first step of atonement in Transia, which needs to be rebuilt from scratch, is indeed a very clever idea. I suppose human countries won¡¯t oppose this under the pressure of the ck Disaster,¡± Pnno praised:

    ¡°As expected of the Lord! Your wisdom and mercy are always so radiant and beautiful.¡±

    ¡°I personally executed their ancient n patriarch and ughtered their n down to just 99 people with my own hands, yet you say I¡¯m merciful,¡± Lord Payne sighed and said:

    ¡°Pnno, sometimes you really don¡¯t think before you speak.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± the Rose Knightughed awkwardly.

    He just wanted to tter his lord, what did he do wrong?

    But soon, Pnno raised another question. He said quietly:

    ¡°Do you really believe old Edward¡¯s exnation? To be honest, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Whether to believe or not is not the key to the problem. Although he wavered, he¡¯s still on our side, and that¡¯s enough,¡± Lord Payne didn¡¯t want to discuss this issue. He casually said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much my ancient brother remembers, but I guess he¡¯s certainly not as ignorant as he appears. However, the more he remembers, the more dangerous his situation bes.

    Those ancient memories are like a demon¡¯s temptation

    More like a door, once you find the key, you can¡¯t help but want to open it, even if you know that what¡¯s buried behind the door is something you shouldn¡¯t touch.

    Oxana was like this, Charlemagne was like this, and Salrokdar was the same.

    Ah, original sin.

    This is a burden we cannot bear, yet we must carry it until the day fate pronounces, Eden. Our beginning and our end.¡±

    Lord Payne was saying things that shouldn¡¯t be heard.

    But Pnno and Yvette acted as if they hadn¡¯t heard anything, obviously because the Lord knew these ancient secrets shouldn¡¯t be casually spoken of, so he used a bit of ¡°power¡±.

    After he finished speaking, the carriage fell into silence. A few minutester, the Third Lord Yvette asked quietly:

    ¡°It¡¯s said that Korando, whomitted a great mistake, still has two daughters. They left Greenleaf Ind two days ago with thest batch of Greyw¡¯s children.

    Lord, perhaps we should nip it in the bud?

    I would be delighted to engage in an easy and pleasant hunt.¡±

    ¡°Is their destination Transia?¡± Lord Payne asked.

    Yvette nodded and said:

    ¡°ording to reports from our eyes inside the Wolfsbane n, that¡¯s indeed the case.¡±

    ¡°Then let them be,¡± the Lord said casually:

    ¡°Lord Murphy is the victor, and it¡¯s his right to decide how to deal with the defeated. Hmm, I¡¯m bing more and more curious about this peculiar little fellow.

    Perhaps during the ck Disaster, I¡¯ll be able to meet this n member who has been praised by everyone.

    Perhaps I should make some preparations for this?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    At dawn of this long night, when Murphy dragged his tired body back to the Blood Vulture Halls with a bag full of Wolfsbane hearts, he was greeted by the bow knight Lady Lainnia, who had been waiting here, and received unexpected news from her.

    ¡°Who did you say Lord Payne wants toe to Transia to help?¡±

    ¡°The Blood Dread Fleet, or more precisely, the Blood Dread n,¡± the bow knight was obviously also confused about this order.

    After all, the Blood Dread n had been expelled from the vampire circle on the continent for a full 200 years. For some newborn vampires, it was almost a legendary name.

    She reported to Murphy:

    ¡°Lord Payne has requested the Blood Dread Fleet to send out a formidable force to Transia to assist in the defense, just like how the Thorn n sent out the White Mountain faction to assist.

    The Lord has also ordered that youmand this ¡®Atonement Force¡¯, and he¡¯s not reluctant to use them to clear the disaster that the Blood Dread n brought to the continent 200 years ago.

    This might be grace from the Lord, representing that the expulsion order for the Blood Dread n is about to be revoked.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a garbage dump!¡± Murphy didn¡¯t look happy at all, instead he said with a headache:

    ¡°Just coordinating the Thorn n and the Blood Vulture n has already cost me a lot of effort. The two families arepletely different in living habits and cultural traditions, and there are also you weird, rigid, belligerent, and conservative Blood Pact Knights causing trouble from time to time.

    The small Transia has already gathered three ns!

    If we count the Wolfsbane we just killed, that¡¯s four! Now the Lord wants a bunch of vampire pirates who have been kicked out of the continent for 200 years to join in the fun!

    What is he trying to do?

    y happy vampire family in Transia? Why doesn¡¯t he release the mad blood n sealed in the sacred bloodnd as well?

    Wouldn¡¯t that be better?

    Let¡¯s establish a vampire church on the ruins of Transia, and I¡¯ll be the church leader, how about that?

    This is ridiculous!

    I respect Lord Payne, really, although I¡¯ve never met him, but I respect him. But this time his decision is really a bit too careless.

    I¡¯m the lord here.

    I¡¯m doing business, not ying house!¡±

    ¡°But the Lord stood from your position and rebuked the Wolfsbane n, and demanded old Edward to send gifts to you and Grand Duchess Tris as a temporary reconciliation,¡± Lainnia emphasized:

    ¡°This is the Lord¡¯s goodwill, and he didn¡¯t say you have the right to refuse.¡±

    ¡°This is so annoying!¡± Murphy waved his hand and said:

    ¡°Go tell Tris about this, she¡¯s the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, let her handle these vampire diplomatic affairs. I have a pile of troubles here. The failed surprise attack by Wolfsbane has caused us heavy losses, and I don¡¯t think the gnolls will miss this opportunity.

    Perhaps soon, the gnolls from Anderma Hills will swarm up and devour uspletely. Lady Lainnia, I hope your war bow is ready.

    Next, it¡¯s time for a real fight.¡±

 Chapter 267:

    Chapter 267:

    The yer forum was very lively at this time.

    Of course, it¡¯s bustling every moment, as the eager yers never miss any disclosed game information to prepare themselves so they won¡¯t be flustered when entering the game.

    But after thepletion of the Blood Vulture n¡¯s first racial mainline quest, the return of over 100 yers who were sent back to the respawn point by the frenzied Wolfsbane vampires raised the forum¡¯s liveliness to another level.

    In the main game group created by administrator Alpha, everyone was discussing this matter.

    Meow King: ¡¾Damn! Are your mouths all machine guns? It¡¯s been such a short time, and it¡¯s already 999+, every day it¡¯s 999+, don¡¯t you all have jobs?¡¿

    Bursting Belly: ¡¾Work work, what the hell is work! I¡¯ve already quit my job, now I¡¯m curled up in my house ying games every day, except for three meals and toilet breaks, I wish I could spend 24 hours a day in Transia.

    They need me here!

    Lord Murphy¡¯s cause needs me!

    Feel You Poor¡¯s manticore also needs me! I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my imagination, but that dog thing¡¯s pte seems to be getting more pickytely.¡¿Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows: ¡¾@Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood, don¡¯t you dare go farm gnoll points while I¡¯m dead, you need to show some chivalry, understand?¡¿

    Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood: ¡¾OK, I¡¯m resting right now, this battle was too exhausting.

    I didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of the vampire n¡¯s strength before, always thought vampires were a marginal civilization on the continent, but after fighting with the elite of a faction under the Wolfsbane n, I realized that I might have underestimated the blood ns.

    I don¡¯t know about other ns, but just thebat power of Wolfsbane, if these 300 people were thrown into a pile of gnolls, they could probably take out several thousand gnoll barbarians in one night.

    Theirbat power under Night¡¯s Blessing is too exaggerated.¡¿

    Leading Pigeon: ¡¾Who says it¡¯s not? Good pigeon finally got a Wolfsbane down to low health, and guess what? They immediately transformed into their second form!

    That ghost wolf bat pounced on me and took away 80% of my health with three ws, inparison, our Blood Vulture is too weak, just a pair of wings that look cool but arepletely useless in battle.¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾If you¡¯re bad, just admit it, don¡¯t me it on the race!

    I saw Lord Murphy and Miss Femis killing Wolfsbane warriors like chickens, Lord Kudel could even go on a rampage among a group of Wolfsbane, howe it doesn¡¯t work for you?¡¿

    Leading Pigeon: ¡¾How can the temtes used by us yers be the same as NPCs? The talents we got are the monkey version, okay?¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾It¡¯s obviously focused differently, the Wolfsbane temte is clearly for warriors, Blood Vulture is for hunters, Blood Pact n is for charging cavalry, Thorn n is for assassins, the Secret Blood n that hasn¡¯t appeared in the plot yet should be for Spirit Mages, and the Blood Dread n is probably for hunters.

    Thest Mad Blood n is hard to define, but since they could be sealed away by their own people, I think they must not be good guys either.

    I think when these seven vampire ns arebined, they form a fully equipped army, probably due to gamey reasons, the developers separated them.

    It¡¯s a real pity.

    If I had well-coordinated seven-n vampire warriors under mymand, I could damn well fight through the entire continent! Conquer a vast territory for Lord Murphy¡¿

    Half Off With Full Coverage: ¡¾Hehe, dreams are free, go to sleep, Brother Stick, I just saw how miserably you died this time.

    Your head was bitten off.¡¿

    Shrimp Catcher: ¡¾What¡¯s going on? Howe I haven¡¯t even entered the game yet, and you guys have already finished the first chapter of the racial main quest?

    Damn!

    Can¡¯t you guys slow down a bit when pushing the plot?

    Don¡¯t hog all the good stuff, good brothers, can¡¯t you leave some for us?¡¿

    Fatal Orchid Huahua: ¡¾The faster we push the plot, the sooner you¡¯ll have a chance to enter the game, little brother. Now it¡¯s basically confirmed that the yer quota is rted to the poption under Lord Murphy¡¯s rule.

    Lady Aqua even made a form¡¿

    Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua: ¡¾That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve calcted the current poption of Count of Kadman¡¯s domain and the number of yers, it¡¯s basically a 1:100 ratio.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the subsequent release of yer quotas will also be adjusted ording to this ratio.

    I guess this should be some kind of hint from the developers.¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾Sister Aqua, tell us more about this hint.¡¿

    Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua: ¡¾Sister??? I¡¯m 35 years old.¡¿

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾Isn¡¯t that just right? Big brother here is 45, it¡¯s appropriate for me to call you sister, right?¡¿

    Spicy Gugu Chicken: ¡¾@Dump Truck Iaido, Dump Truck brother! Come quick, your record for the oldest yer is about to be broken! Oh no.¡¿

    Dump Truck Iaido: ¡¾Nonsense, have you forgotten about Professor Chen? He¡¯s the oldest yer, okay? When Wanderer brotheres in, he¡¯ll still beplimented for being a young man in good shape.¡¿

    Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua: ¡¾The target audience of this game is so weird, howe there are so many older brothers? Alright, alright, I¡¯ll tell you my guess.

    The developers probably want to remind yers that poption is an important resource in the early stages of this game.

    Especially for Transia¡¯s current situation, Lord Murphy wants to establish stable rule, and our main quest chapter one clearly indicated this point. Only with enough poption can a series of policies be implemented, and Transia¡¯s reconstruction can improve daily life.

    There¡¯s also the threat of the ck Disaster.¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾Excuse my ignorance, what is the ck Disaster?¡¿

    Gentle and Elegant Lady Aqua: ¡¾Uh, a world event, I guess it will refresh soon, probably simr to a monster siege? Anyway, if Transia¡¯s poption doesn¡¯t reach a certain number, I estimate we definitely won¡¯t survive this big event.

    Therefore, the developers linked the territory¡¯s poption with the number of yers, to create a hidden constraint, that is, yers can¡¯t achieve certain goals through some less humane methods like in other games.

    To put it simply, if yers want to have a good gaming experience, then in this game they have to pay attention to maintaining Transia¡¯s poption.

    Even actively help Lord Murphy expand the poption.¡¿

    Mustard Madman: ¡¾Sounds reasonable, these developers are talented, actually secretly burying such rule settings that are very simr to the real world.

    But I still have to ask, when will the helmets be distributed?

    I can¡¯t wait to offer my heart to Lord Murphy!¡¿

    Legendary Hero: ¡¾@Honorary Knight Typal, Sir Typal, the Torrent Knights have arrived as invited! We are fully equipped and ready to depart through the otherworld gate to Transia to assist in your ongoing endeavors. I am the vanguard sent by the knight order, responsible for liaising with you.¡¿

    Honorary Knight Typal: ¡¾Very good, Private Hero, at ease! I have been appointed by Lord Murphy, the governor of Transia, and am about to prepare anding point for our Torrent Knightrades. I will wait here for everyone¡¯s arrival. This continent is full of unsettling warfare.

    It needs us!¡¿

    Legendary Hero: ¡¾Yes, sir! The Torrent Knights will not disappoint, we will protect the weak and spread order. We firmly believe that the glory of Torrent Castle will be sung across this otherworldlynd.¡¿

    Life Is Pretty Good: ¡¾??? What¡¯s going on? Have otherworldly people infiltrated the forum? Why do you talk like this?¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾It¡¯s RP! Don¡¯t you understand? These are all deep RP parties. But I heard you call yourselves the ¡®Torrent Knights¡¯? @Honorary Knight Typal @Legendary Hero,e give us a password, Golden ins?¡¿

    Honorary Knight Typal: ¡¾!!! I didn¡¯t expect Miss Yanghen to also be from the same world as us. May I ask about your hometown and team?¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾Lumina Yanghen! Quel¡¯Ths Sunreaver Fleet Special Lieutenant, Dawn de Knight Order Vanguard Commander! I salute you, Sir Typal. We once fought side by side in the battle to reim South Sea Town, that was ten years ago.¡¿

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche: ¡¾Damn! Sister Lumina has found her group. Speaking of which, Cheche also has a little troll rogue, but I forgot the name.¡¿

    Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties: ¡¾Holy shit! New feature unlocked! Guys, I just turned in a Wolfsbane heart to Lady Adele, and she noted me to go learn the technique of ¡®strength extraction¡¯ from Lady Tris.

    We vampire yers can now extract skills from vampire hearts! But you must reach the n title of ¡®knight¡¯ or above to do so.

    Little Ashina got a skill to summon an Astral Wolf!

    I just saw it, it¡¯s so freaking cool.¡¿

    Multi-Turret Chief Disciple: ¡¾What? Vampires got buffed again? How are other races supposed to y now? Damn, I want toin about this behavior!

    Are the developers bncing with their feet?¡¿

    Meteor Big Brother: ¡¾What are youining about, you don¡¯t even have a helmet yet, just satisfy your curiosity, brother. It¡¯s fine if you deceive us, but don¡¯t deceive yourself.¡¿

    Bricyer: ¡¾Breaking news! Old Chen just epted a quest, Baroness Miriam asked Old Chen and us two brothers to design arge farm that can amodate at least 6,000 people.

    ording to reliable information identally revealed by the little sister in the administration, 6,000 armed blood servants released by the Kingdom of Nordtov will be sent back to Transia within half a month!

    Great news, brothers! ording to Lady Aqua¡¯s form, this means at least 60 slots will open up! You¡¯ll be able to enter the game in at most half a month!¡¿

    Shrimp Catcher: ¡¾Damn! Awesome!¡¿

    Heaven¡¯s Chosen Grayman: ¡¾That¡¯s not all, this is just phase one. The Goldflower Kingdom is still holding 10,000 of our blood servant prisoners, if they¡¯re all sent back, there will be 160 game slots, and the number of yers will double.¡¿

    Honest Dog Egg: ¡¾Then what are you waiting for? Go push the plot quickly! I¡¯ve been waiting so long I¡¯m growing hair, hurry up! Don¡¯t ck off.¡¿

    Ah Yuen: ¡¾? @Honest Dog Egg, Damn, how did you get in here too? Who brought you in? Um, the counselor has been asking us to contact you, saying that if you don¡¯te to ss this semester, your student status will be cancelled.

    Brother, I mean, why don¡¯t youe back for a few sses? Learning something won¡¯t really kill you, right?¡¿

    Honest Dog Egg: ¡¾sses my ass! Those teachers don¡¯t know as much as I do, what use is that graduation certificate, I have three offers in my hand right now, but I¡¯m just not going, heh, I¡¯m just ying.¡¿

    Ah Yuen: ¡¾Brother Dog Egg is awesome! As expected of the legend from the Finance Department. By the way, what about your girlfriend from the Art Department? Are you still together?¡¿

    Honest Dog Egg: ¡¾Broke up long ago.

    That woman had no sense, I was busy doing math, and she came whining and moaning, it was so annoying. She thought she was fun, but can she be more fun than math?¡¿

    Everyone: ¡¾.Awesome!¡¿

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion: ¡¾Brothers, stop chatting! A big event ising, the gnolls have crossed the Kadman River and are heading our way! They¡¯re going to attack the city.¡¿

    Everyone: ¡¾Holy shit?¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª

    Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion posted several pictures on the forum, which he had just taken.

    This lucky little yer who escaped death has been busy recording footage for the past few days, and now he¡¯s basically done. He ns to edit a segment of the Wolfsbane raid into his video as well.

    He was out to capture the dawn scenery, riding his horse leisurely near the Kadman River.

    The scenery here is the best.

    However, before he could start recording, he saw a mass of ck moving objects surging towards him in the pre-dawn darkness.

    The warhorse under Great Sion¡¯s thighs began to neigh uneasily, while he himself took out a brass telescope to observe in the night.

    This look almost scared the little yer senseless.

    Dense swarms of gnoll vanguards riding dire wolves were crossing the Kadman River. Among them, kobold geomancers used crude earth spirit techniques to build temporary bridges on the river surface for these fellows, and the gnolls, packed tightly together, were howling as they quickly crossed.

    These savage creatures were not peaceful even while advancing. Great Sion could even see them pushing and shoving each other, throwing many gnolls into the rushing river water.

    From his perspective, he could vaguely see this rolling ¡°ck turbid flow¡± extending to the limit of his vision.

    ¡°How many people are there? There must be tens of thousands, right? Damn, is this the legendary monster siege?¡±

    Great Sion¡¯s first reaction was not to run, but to adjust his angle to record this unimaginable scene. He wanted to add this to his video.

    Such a wild and primitive advance is rarely seen in other games, and the absolutely real perspective recording of such arge-scale monster migration adds an indescribable horror and momentum to this scene!

    This is not fake at all, look at these gnolls rolling in like a ck tide, look at their fierce and frenzied momentum.

    This is real!

    While Great Sion was frantically filming, at the original location of the gnoll camp, Warlord Kenport was looking at the animal skin mapid out before him. Its fierce gaze focused on the location of the Crimson Citadel.

    Behind it, a dozen Transia gnoll nmanders from its legion were bowing and listening to orders.

    ¡°That fool Korando got what he wanted and died on thend he desired to obtain. He¡¯s already buried there. Although I hated him, I have to admit that his pursuit of ambition is worth learning from.

    He and his wolf pups¡¯ failure is an excellent opportunity for us. I believe in thebat power of those mad wolves, even if they die, they will bite a big chunk of flesh from the Blood Vulture n.

    Murphy¡¯s elites have suffered heavy losses, and his so-called soldiers and militia can¡¯t stop our all-out army, it doesn¡¯t even need me to take action personally.¡±

    Kenport let out a shrill and arrogantugh.

    It turned to face its subordinate generals and roared:

    ¡°I will stay in the main camp with my elites. The gnolls of Transia will conquer that weak city for us! They want to build a defense line here to resist the ck Disaster, but they can only dream.

    The legendary fear of the Gnawbone King will be remembered by the continent again after one hundred and ten years, and after destroying the Crimson Citadel and letting the pups feast, our next target will be Cato!

    We are the vanguard of the ck Disaster! We are the servants of destruction!

    The ck Disaster has not arrived, but we have.

    Let the vampires die!

    Thisnd will belong to the gnolls!

    This time!

    This time it won¡¯t be taken away so easily, and I, Kenport, I will be the true King of Transia!¡±

 Chapter 268:

    What ¡°war correspondent¡± Big Sion could see, Murphy could also see, and even more clearly than the little yer.

    His other pair of eyes constantly patrolled and overlooked everything happening on thisnd from high above. Even when Wolfsbane attacked Crimson Citadel, Revnor¡¯s eyes never left Murphy¡¯s territory.

    In fact, Murphy noticed the gnolls¡¯ movements in Anderma Hills the moment they started acting strangely.

    That gnoll warlord Lord Kenport Gnawbone seems to understand the art of warfare well. Wolfsbane¡¯s attack happenedst night, and he can be certain that Crimson Citadel suffered damage as a result. Now is the perfect time tounch a full-scale offensive.

    In a sense, Kenport¡¯s strategy ispletely correct.

    If Murphy¡¯s subordinates were truly brave warriors recruited locally,st night¡¯s chaos would undoubtedly have a significant and unavoidable impact on Crimson Citadel¡¯s defenses at this critical juncture, perhaps even directly triggering an irreversible rout.

    But fortunately, Murphy¡¯s warriors get a new life every three days, so the vampire lord is not actually worried about the impending decisive battle.

    The yers still need two days and two nights to respawn, but honestly, given their current numbers, they can¡¯t y a crucial role in a battle of this scale between the two sides.

    At least on the front lines, yers are still unable to form a reliable, resilient force.Murphy and Tris are both very clear on this point. They haven¡¯t stopped their preparations because of the near-total loss of yers. At this moment, in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild camp in the inner city ruins of Crimson Citadel, Murphy¡¯s key personnel have all been gathered here.

    Before their eyes is ced a huge diamond-shaped spirit item. It looks like a wless natural gem carved into an exquisite shape with hundreds of facets.

    But upon closer inspection, one can see that each facet hasplex spirit runes carved on it. Under Tris¡¯s guidance with the Nocturne Scepter, this thing floating in the air is undergoing final adjustments.

    ¡°The Nocturne Barrier! The strategic-level item that has protected Kadman City for the past 400 years.¡±

    Miss Femis exined to the administrators unfamiliar with spirit energy and thisnd:

    ¡°What you see before you is one of the seven cores of the barrier, ced here is the main core, the other two spirit conversion cores are ced in the outer city area. These three cores can already reconstruct the Nocturne Barrier, creating a shield as solid as city walls for our city.

    You¡¯ll see it soon.¡±

    ¡°To be precise, in about 7 seconds,¡± Tris added softly.

    Then, as she gripped the Nocturne Scepter and tapped it in the air, the main core was activated.

    It was like a living thing being awakened. In the flickering light of the spirit runes on it, it began to absorb the free spirit energy in the environment and create a wondrous resonance with the two cores ced in the outer city area.

    So under the astonished gaze of Miriam and Professor Malcolm, streaks of crimson light prated the sky. With the zenith as the source point, an egg shell-like spirit shield slowly expanded in all directions, taking about a few minutes to envelop the entire Crimson Citadel.

    ¡°We only have three cores on hand, so we can only erect this singleyer of the barrier.

    Theplete Nocturne is aposite protective fieldposed of threeyers of barriers. The level of protection of this current one is basically equivalent to an ordinary city wall, so it can only be said to be passable, far from outstanding or perfect.¡±

    Tris patted the Nocturne protective core that had already started operating, very dissatisfied. The alluring Blood Vulture Grand Duchess said to those around her:

    ¡°The remaining 4 cores are still buried in the sewers of the inner city district. Considering that there are also many ghouls and wraiths there, and we don¡¯t have enough manpower to bring them out, everyone will just have to make do with this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything this exaggerated in Shaldor port,¡± Miriam said softly.

    ¡°Can it withstand the 20,000 gnoll vanguard that¡¯s marching towards us?¡±

    ¡°Do you think a gnoll bandit gang of 20,000,cking siege weapons and with very low organization, basically equivalent to a noisy rabble of scattered soldiers, could take down the original Kadman City?¡± Femis asked in return.

    Miriam shook her head and said with certainty, ¡°Given the thickness of the city walls of the original city, even without the barrier, they¡¯d need at least twice as many to stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough then,¡± the youngdy said cheerfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tris just has very high standards. The current barrier strength won¡¯t be worse than the defensive power of Kadman City¡¯s walls. But the problem is that we can¡¯t just defend.

    This protective shield won¡¯t protect us forever.¡±

    This statement made Professor Malcolm, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, furrow his brow again. He tasted a hint of foreboding in it, so he pushed up his sses and asked seriously:

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Let Maxim exin that, he¡¯s the military officer here,¡± Murphy said without turning his head, seriously observing the operating ritual stone, trying to decipher the principles of the barrier.

    ¡°Max, report to our administrative officers about our currently avable defensive forces and our full n for fighting against the gnolls.

    Keep it as simple as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master,¡± the loyal servant in full battle armor turned to face Miriam and Professor Malcolm. He said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Currently, the initial training of 500 people under mymand in the Kadman People¡¯s Army has beenpleted. The number of registered trained militia is around 1,000. This data includes the five collective farms currently under construction, and the residents there are already on their way to Crimson Citadel. We can¡¯t leave them outside the city unattended.

    That would just be feeding the gnolls.

    I¡¯ve also talked with Guildmaster Natalie, and she promised me that the Witch Hunter battalion can muster 500 elite cavalry. This is all therge-scale military force we have at our disposal.¡±

    ¡°So that means we only have 2,000 people as realbat strength,¡± Professor Malcolm sighed. He shook his head and said:

    ¡°It sounds quite meager indeed, but given the current total poption of the count¡¯s domain, this is already quite a militaristic level. So we can¡¯t engage in open field battles with the gnolls, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was going to say next,¡± Maxim nodded. He exined:

    ¡°I¡¯ve repeatedly simted with Lord Murphy, and we believe that on the Crimson Citadel side, we should rely on the defense of the Nocturne Barrier, gather our avable forces, and use hunting tactics to harass and strike at the 20,000 gnoll vanguard rushing towards us.

    But we can¡¯t fight a prolonged war with them!

    What we need to do is to contain this part of the barbarian vanguard within the Count of Kadman¡¯s domain, attracting them near Crimson Citadel, because ording to Lord Murphy¡¯s strategy, what follows will not be a battle of annihtion, but a battle of rout.

    Transia is about to enter a period ofrge-scale construction, and these gnolls can serve as quite good consumables.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Maxim¡¯s statement immediately aroused the surprise of Lady Lainnia, who was observing the Nocturne Barrier nearby. This haughty bow knight said frankly:

    ¡°Are you joking? We don¡¯t even have enough people to fill the gnolls¡¯ tooth gaps, let alone capture prisoners. You should be more realistic instead of having such wild fantasies.

    This is a more than tenfold difference in military strength!

    Even the Blood Pact Knights regiment wouldn¡¯t dare to be so presumptuous.¡±

    ¡°This is neither arrogance nor ignorance, rude moon elf. You¡¯d better listen carefully to the end!¡± Tris said in a low voice.

    Maxim also ignored the haughty knight¡¯s questioning. He often had private confrontations and sparring sessions with Lainnia these days, and he knew that this bow knight¡¯s haughtiness did not stem from her nature.

    It was just an external manifestation of herplex personality, and her questioning had no malicious intent.

    Maxim always respects those who are stronger than him and learns from them, and Lainnia¡¯s loyalty and strength are objects of his learning.

    He continued to exin:

    ¡°Lady Lainnia is quite right. Given our current military strengthparison with the gnolls, we couldn¡¯t possibly win in any normal war rhythm. Therefore, the best way to quell this decisive battle is to take an unconventional approach.

    And my master has had a secret n for a long time.

    I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but there¡¯s one thing in the current Transia that we can use to our advantage, and that¡¯s the unstable mapping rtionship between the reality world and the Astral Realm.

    I am not a professional Spirit Mage, so I¡¯m not responsible for exining the specific principles. I just want to rify to everyone that we will trigger a small to medium-scale Astral Realm tear in a specific area three days from now!

    It will be deployed at the core position of the current gnoll camp ording to precise calctions. Even calcting with the worst damage level, it can eliminate thousands of elite gnolls in one go.

    More importantly, an Astral Realm tear of this scale will create a zone of spirit energy chaos in the gnoll camp, which will effectively iste the gnoll warlord Kenport from contact with his army.

    This is our n of action for the next step.

    That is, a two-front battle!

    While holding off and resisting the enemy forces at Crimson Citadel, Lord Murphy will personally lead his warriors to carry out a high-difficulty decapitation operation.

    Once we sessfully execute it, the gnoll army will begin to disintegrate from its core.

    Given the chaotic racial nature of gnolls, they won¡¯t be able to elect a new warlord to lead the overall situation in a short time. And as external pressure continues to increase, the gnoll bandit gang that is still sticking together now will copse in an extremely short time.

    I¡¯ve asked Professor Malcolm, and he told me this is a tactic often used by the civilized allied forces in several ck Disasters.

    It has been proven quite effective by history.¡±

    ¡°The Blood Pact Knights regiment indeed often uses this kind of decapitation tactic when fighting against the gnoll tribes in the Dark Mountain range. It is indeed very effective, but I doubt whether you canplete this quite difficult decapitation,¡± Lady Lainnia said hesitantly.

    ¡°They¡¯ve sent out 20,000 vanguards, but there are still an equal number of elites in the main camp. Even if your Astral Realm tear can be sessfully deployed, the time left for your action is quite limited.

    Most importantly, the Blood Vulture n and the warriors of Transia have just suffered terrible losses. Do you have enough elites toplete this n?

    Why don¡¯t I go?¡±

    ¡°We do! And how could we trouble a nobledy like yourself to risk her life for such a thing?¡± Murphy turned back and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent out invitations to the mountain tribes where my warriors are from. Two dayster, another group of fearless elites will join this battle.

    I, along with Count Femis and Baron Kudel, will personally lead them into battle.

    We have another advantage: all three of us have experienced the whole process of Kadman City being swallowed by the Astral Realm. We are very familiar with fighting in the shadows of the Astral Realm and know how to protect ourselves from the washing of foul spirit energy.

    I don¡¯t think gnolls can figure this out on their own.

    Apart from my warriors, this battle doesn¡¯t need the participation of other forces. This is not to underestimate you, but because while I¡¯m on this adventure, you also have to shoulder quite dangerous responsibilities.

    Astral Realm tear

    Even a small to medium-sized Astral Realm tear is not so easy toplete. The amount of spirit energy needed to destroy the barrier between the material world and the Astral Realm is astronomical.

    Among all the methods we currently have, only one thing can do this in a short time.¡±

    Under the gaze of others, Murphy patted the core ritual stone floating above the ground beside him and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s this thing! The fact that three spirit energy cores can erect a barrier covering the city means they can also serve as a temporary substitute for spirit energy sources.

    Before the operation begins, we need to let the three spirit energy cores simultaneously enter a temporary overload state to provide a spirit energy storm that can break through the Astral Realm barrier.

    Tris will be responsible for advancing this ritual, you don¡¯t need to worry about this point.

    But this also means that in the time it takes for the three spirit energy cores to recover and re-erect the shield, the entire Crimson Citadel will be left without defense.

    I know that under such circumstances, asking you to fight against 20,000 gnolls with 2,000 soldiers is undoubtedly sending you to your deaths, but this is the situation in Transia.

    Now is also the moment when we can¡¯t survive without fighting.

    Everyone, we are once again standing at a crossroads of destiny.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever had even one battle that could be easily resolved?¡± Baroness Miriam quipped.

    ¡°Following you all this way, I can basically confirm that you¡¯ve already settled down and built a house at the crossroads of destiny, Murphy. Your bad luck has infected everyone.¡±

    This remark made the lord roll his eyes, but he had nothing to say. Guildmaster Natalie behind Miriam smiled and asked:

    ¡°So, how long do we need to hold out under the gnoll vanguard¡¯s assault?¡±

    Murphy looked at Tris. The Spirit Sovereign estimated and said:

    ¡°At least one hour, at most three hours. Spirit energy conversion cores of this level won¡¯t break down so easily, but it also takes more time to restart them.¡±

    ¡°And how long will your decapitation operation take?¡± Count Andrei, who was still recovering, asked with a pale face.

    ¡°Do you need the help of the Thorn n, who are skilled in assassination operations?¡±

    ¡°No, you stay here to defend the city. You¡¯re needed more here,¡± Murphy shook his head and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll end the battle as quickly as possible, but even at the fastest, it might take several hours, and I and my warriors won¡¯t be able to transfer back quickly.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a way, use this!¡± Tris took something out of her spirit bag and handed it to Murphy. The lord took it with surprise, activated the item identification, and abel popped up:

    Name: Tris¡¯s Prototype ¡°Return Scroll¡±

    Quality: Alchemical Consumable

    Effect: Bind a return coordinate for the return scroll. Within its allowed range, using the scroll can release a temporary portal allowing 1-3 people to pass through, sending the user back to the bound coordinate.

    Note!

    This item¡¯s spirit energy spell is based on Lady Tris¡¯s research on spirit energy teleportation theory. It¡¯s currently not finalized, and coupled with the inherent instability of spirit energy teleportation when passing through the Astral Realm, there is a small chance (about 1%) of putting the user into an ¡¾Astral Realm Lost¡¿ state when using this item.

    Note!

    This item¡¯s return coordinate can be bound to the save point most recently visited by the test subject.

    Crafter: ¡¾Blood Vulture Grand Duchess¡¿Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra

    Item Description:

    ¡¾Do you know why this world has never had a mature teleportation spirit energy system? Use this scroll once and you¡¯ll know why. If you¡¯re extremely lucky to be sent into the Astral Realm, don¡¯t rush to return to the material world, take a good look at the rare sights of the Astral Realm.

    Oh, by the way, another name for this thing is the ¡®Astral Realm Day Trip¡¯ one-way ticket.¡¿

    ¡°Umm, I feel like this thing seems a bit risky,¡± Murphy blinked and said to Tris:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try another method?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to use it!¡± Tris rolled her eyes and said:

    ¡°Let them use it, and then submit some user experiences and reports to me. I¡¯m still waiting to improve my teleportation spell. As long as they use this thing enough times, and bring me detailed user experiences, then that ¡®Hearthstone¡¯ you mentioned before, I¡¯m confident I can make it too.

    As for the risk

    Don¡¯t mind the risk!

    The exploration of spirit energy mysteries is always apanied by risks. It¡¯s rare that you have a group of fearless warriors under yourmand. Look, what great test subjects they are.¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 269:

    ¡°The turbulent waves of fate always wash over heroes especially heavily. How can you be timid if you want to lead them to do truly great things?¡±

    Seeing Murphy¡¯s hesitation about using the adorable little yers to test spirit techniques, Tris immediately rolled her eyes and emphasized:

    ¡°Some of their traits are perfectly tailored for exploring the truths of spirit energy, little Murphy. You can¡¯t constrain how your warriors live their lives, that¡¯s what you said yourself.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re already using them as test subjects. I can¡¯t even imagine what you¡¯ll dare to make them do in the future.¡±

    Murphy grumbled a little.

    He nced at the scroll of return in his hand, which was full of questionable points. In the end, he didn¡¯t give it back to Tris, but put it into his spirit bag. Then he said to Tris:

    ¡°They probably won¡¯t refuse this kind of consumable item. And this time, I need at least 200!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Tris nodded with satisfaction.Her work here was done, so she nodded goodbye to the administrative staff and returned to the Blood Vulture Halls under the escort of the crazy Bonnie.

    Maxim still needed to discuss the defense arrangements in the city with Guildmaster Natalie and Lady Lainnia. Count Andrei also joined in.

    Murphy didn¡¯t disturb them. He returned to the administrative building in the outer city district with Miriam and Professor Malcolm. On the way, he reconnected to Revnor¡¯s perspective to observe the movements of the gnoll vanguards.

    A few minutester, he withdrew his vision and said to the somewhat worried Crimson Regent Miriam:

    ¡°Those chaotic vanguards will reach the vicinity of Mond Vige in 6 hours at most. The Witch Hunters are retreating to the Crimson Citadel, and our subjects who migrated to the collective farms are also retreating to our city.

    Once they all enter the Crimson Citadel, the poption here will exceed 10,000 for the first time.

    Therefore, you need to coordinate the order of the residents well, Miriam. Treat this ¡®gnoll siege¡¯ as a drill before the ck Disaster arrives. You can let them hide in the rtively safe sewers. If you need it, the Blood Vulture Halls will also open as a temporary shelter.

    Also, I need you to punish those administrative staff who ¡®went rogue¡¯st night!

    Although they did indeed contribute to the fight against the Wolfsbane n, I don¡¯t want this kind of ¡®insubordination¡¯ to be a bad tradition in Transia.¡±

    ¡°You have to look at it from another angle, Murphy. Doesn¡¯t this prove that the people have already epted your rule and the order you¡¯ve brought, my lord?¡±

    Miriam said in a drawn-out voice:

    ¡°They volunteered to join the battle. You should have seen Grayman and his foremen making impassioned speeches in front of me. As far as I know, such proactive requests for battle have been rare in Transia over the past 400 years.

    I will punish those administrative officials who went rogue by sending them to organize the outpost construction in the collective farms, but I think we can promote this incident from another perspective.

    For example, the bravery of the Transian people is reflected in the fact that even our civil officials are not afraid to fight to the death with invading enemies.

    Trust me, Lord Murphy.

    Our people will like this kind of propaganda.

    Having a group of fearless civil officials will make them proud and see it as something worth boasting about.

    Oh, by the way, one more thing. Knight Shovan has returned. His arms smuggling operation was very sessful. Just this morning, he escorted a batch of old supplies from the Goldflower Kingdom border guards back to the city.

    Not only are there enough soldier firearms and ammunition, but he also brought back 8 cannons for us!

    I¡¯m not an expert on these things.

    But I can tell that they should be small-caliber field guns, well-maintained. Perhaps our soldiers should start learning to use this technological marvel now.¡±

    ¡°Very good. Even our Transian chefs are so martially inclined.¡±

    Murphy said quietly:

    ¡°Give Shovan and his brother-inw more funds. After the gnoll disaster is over, I need them to go to the Cato and East Prussia regions again, to bring back more simr items for me. By the way, tell those old soldier scoundrels there that if they want to make a living with their fighting skills, I¡¯d be happy to hire them.¡±

    ¡°If I may say so, my lord,¡±

    Professor Malcolm reminded at this point:

    ¡°I¡¯ve traveled to many ces, but no matter where, old soldier scoundrels are not trustworthy fellows. It¡¯s hard for them to serve the purpose you want.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Once theye here, some things will be out of their control,¡±

    Murphy waved his hand casually, revealing a smile, and said:

    ¡°We are vampires.

    We have many ¡®traditional¡¯ old methods to cure their bad habits, and I only need some professionals who know how to operate cannons.

    After all, we Transians don¡¯t like these fire-spitting things.

    In the face of the ck Disaster, I can¡¯t refuse these advanced weapons. I must make good use of halfling technology to arm my subjects and my soldiers.

    But learning also needs a process.

    If you two have no doubts about the tasks you will be taking on next, then let¡¯s all take action. The next 3 days will determine the future direction of thisnd.

    I can¡¯t promise you that once we get through this, the sea will be wide open for fish to leap and the sky will be high for birds to fly.

    But I can promise that as long as we survive, many things that could only be nned before can now be put into practice.¡±

    Miriam and Professor Malcolm nodded. They actually faced many problems but they were smart enough not to bring them up at this time.

    With the gnolls already pressing their forces and arriving at the city gates in at most half a day, bringing up all sorts of problems now would only be asking for trouble.

    And Murphy¡¯s small but elite administrative staff were all very smart.

    After the two left, Murphy also stretched his body and returned to the Blood Vulture Halls toplete today¡¯s fencing training with Necessary Evil as usual, then returned to his office.

    The Count of Kadman, who had appeared full of confidence outside, now had a fallen expression on his face.

    He sat back in his chairining softly, poured himself a ss of wine, and unbuttoned the first button under his neck. But before the wine could reach his mouth, a familiar voice sounded from the shadows in the corner of the room:

    ¡°Are you already under so much pressure? I rarely see you needing wine to relieve stress.¡±

    Tris walked out of the shadows, ying with her grand duchess scepter. She was carrying a bag of freshly made return scrolls. Murphy put down his wine ss andy on the desk, saying to Tris in front of him:

    ¡°I¡¯m actually not as nervous as you think, just a bit irritated. There¡¯s still no response from the Count of Seicob, which is a pity.

    I was hoping to see the legendary Seicob winged cavalry in action during this war.

    If we had such an imposing and powerful mobile force, we would surely have more advantages when facing the gnoll bandits.¡±

    ¡°Well, they didn¡¯te indeed, but look on the bright side, at least they didn¡¯t cause any trouble either.¡±

    Tris tossed the scrolls on the table and took out her delicate elf sk. She sat rather rxed on the edge of the desk, unscrewed the cap and took a swig.

    Then she stopped and looked down. Murphy¡¯s mischievous hand was on her calf.

    ¡°Are you looking for some courage?¡±

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess asked softly, and Murphy answered with his eyes closed:

    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to give me some courage.¡±

    He felt the smooth and slightly cold skin¡¯s beautiful curves with his fingers. After a few seconds, he said:

    ¡°I have a doubt, unrted to Transia¡¯s current situation. I don¡¯t think I should be pondering other things under these circumstances, but this question keeps lingering in my mind.

    Tris, what do you think Lord Payne is up to?

    I can understand that he reprimanded old Edward and demanded that bastard send us gifts as a symbol of reconciliation. This means that the Lord used his authority to provide us with a little protection. At least before the ck Disaster breaks out, we don¡¯t have to worry about the threat of small actions from the Wolfsbane n.

    But why did Lord Payne send the Blood Dread pirates, who have nothing to do with us, to support us as well?

    The Blood Vulture and Blood Dread ns don¡¯t have much history together, do they?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re overthinking it. The Lord just wanted to give those exiles a chance to return to the maind, and the Blood Dread n has probably been waiting for this opportunity.¡±

    Tris leaned down and stroked Murphy¡¯s hair.

    She said softly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little Murphy. You don¡¯t need to think about these things. This is vampire internal affairs, within my jurisdiction, so I¡¯ll help you deal with those guys.

    And if your hand goes any further into my skirt, I¡¯m going to hit you.

    Be a gentleman, kid!¡±

    ¡°Who was it that just said she¡¯d give me some courage? nning to y the goddess of victory but only getting started? You¡¯re really a cunning witch, Tris.¡±

    Murphy pouted and rxed back into his chair.

    He closed his eyes and pointed at his lips, seemingly expecting something. Tris looked around and showed a helpless expression as she leaned down and pecked him lightly on the corner of his mouth. But when she tried to withdraw, she found Murphy¡¯s hand had already encircled her slender waist.

    That force was restraining her.

    ¡°Just stay here with me for a while.¡±

    Murphy said softly, pretending to be pitiful:

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m about to go to war, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯lle back alive this time. If you deviate a little when casting spells on the night 3 dayster,

    I might also be thrown into the Astral Realm.

    To be honest, Tris, I think we¡¯re really crazy, trying to seek a difficult victory by bombing our own territory, and even if we get this victory, it won¡¯t help our situation much.

    On the contrary, if we lose, everything we¡¯ve worked so hard to build will vanish in an instant.

    I don¡¯t know if other lords had such a hard time developing their territories, but I can be sure that none of them had it as dramatically difficult as I do.

    Sigh, this damn game is really too hardcore.¡±

    ¡°There has never been a legend casually shaped, nor a country easily established. You¡¯ve already done very well, Murphy.¡±

    Tris whispered in his ear:

    ¡°Do you need more courage, little Murphy? Open your heart, let me hear what you¡¯re thinking now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get angry.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, trust me. I¡¯ve decided to y your goddess of victory, and I won¡¯t just get started and leave you here. Come on.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Murphy removed the protection from his mind, exposing his inner voice to Tris.

    The Blood Vulture Grand Duchess allowed Murphy to embrace her, making it convenient for her to rest her head on Murphy¡¯s chest. She listened to those voicesing from his heart, those scattered thoughts jumping on Murphy¡¯s mind.

    The good news was that the lord wasn¡¯t under as much pressure as she had imagined. The bad news was that the part of Murphy¡¯s imagination about her was indeed embarrassing.

    ¡°Too indecent!¡±

    Tris red at Murphy, and the lord shrugged.

    He had said earlier that Tris would definitely get angry, so he was about to give a small exnation.

    But in the next moment, this 450-year-old vampiredy in his arms flipped over and straddled Murphy¡¯s legs. She looked down at him from above.

    Murphy was a bit startled.

    Then he saw Tris flip her long hair, grip his face with both hands to lift up that handsome face, and lean down to kiss those lips so proactively for the first time.

    This sudden passion startled the vampire.

    But this wasn¡¯t a bad thing for him. Tris said she wanted to y the goddess of victory for a while, and Murphy finally understood what Tris meant.

    Emmmm.

    It seems he really needs some ¡°courage¡± now.

    And greedily craving for more, as always, the clever Tris always knows clearly how to encourage the young man at home.

    The count¡¯s hands also became less gentlemanly under this vague ¡°encouragement¡±, like a bold adventurer crossing snowy mountains, walking across ins, and advancing towards the legendary forest along the dim path.

    Such exploration was obviously not allowed in the past.

    But this time it seemed the goddess of victory made a small exception for him, able to caress that smooth porcin-like skin when not stopped.

    This was the first time Murphy knew that vampires could also tremble and breathe heavily from such caresses.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    5 minutester, Tris pressed down Murphy¡¯s hand that had an overly strong desire to explore. She straightened up and tidied her disheveled clothes, looking down at him again, saying:

    ¡°Greedy little devil! Are you willing to go get that victory you must have for your grand duchess now?¡±

    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re some legendary subus, tempting me to do something dangerous, but it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t negotiate. If this is a trade about courage,

    If you¡¯re willing to give me a little more¡­¡±

    Murphy shrugged.

    His handsome face once again wore that mischievous smile that only appeared when he was alone with Tris. He held Tris¡¯s waist and rather flippantly and boldly flicked the cor of her top, making the ck garment open before his eyes. Then he lightly kissed the exquisite corbone that was like a work of art.

    But he didn¡¯t continue further.

    The force transmitted from Tris¡¯s fingers tightly gripping his wrist indicated that she was clearly not ready yet.

    Murphy seemed to have regained his gentlemanly demeanor. He said softly:

    ¡°I will conquer the whole world for you, my Tris.¡±

    ¡°Huh, men.¡±

    Tris pursed her lips, but she didn¡¯t push him away. She just opened her arms and gently hugged his head, saying softly:

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in the Crimson Citadel waiting for your triumphant return. As you said, we still have an eternal life to understand each other and enjoy thatpanionship and embrace.

    I know deep down that you won¡¯t stop here, let alone be defeated by a bunch of stupid barbaric gnolls. I know that Transia is just your starting point.

    And I will apany you to the very end.

    Murphy,

    I swear, I will apany you.¡±

    ¡°So, you finally admit that you¡¯ve fallen for me too, cowardly witch?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s just like for now. To win the witch¡¯s love, you might need to work a bit harder, little Murphy.¡±

 Chapter 270:

    The little yers suffered heavy casualties in their previous counterattack against the Wolfsbane n¡¯s sudden assault, but they entered the resurrection countdown the moment they died.

    Murphy had nned the decapitation strategy based on this timing.

    As mentioned in the previous online update announcement, preparations for testing the second raid dungeon ¡¶Decisive Battle at Anderma Hills¡· have also been put on the agenda.

    The dog developer Murphy, adhering to the principle of emphasizing realism, has arranged an extremely cool boss fight and very intense dungeon mob setup for yers about to enter the second dungeon.

    The final boss is already prepared.

    That Gnoll warlord called Kenport Gnawbone has been written into Murphy¡¯s script. No matter the process, he must die at the hands of the little yers to enhance the storyline¡¯s immersion.

    Of course, as a humanoid monster, its drops will certainly be much more generous.

    This time Murphy also yed a ¡°trick¡±.

    While the little yers were waiting for resurrection, he opened a thread on the forum in the name of Alpha, releasing some real materials for the second raid dungeon obtained from his high-level agent ¡°Pangolin¡±, along with a CG cutscene!It was a reconnaissance report on the Gnoll camp from Revnor¡¯s aerial perspective, but its immersive and one-shot feeling still made the spoiler-hungry yers exim ¡°Holy shit!¡±.

    However, veteran yers with actual raid dungeon experience were already cringing and sucking their teeth.

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾Just looking at the monster density in this CG clip makes my scalp tingle. These damn developers clearly haven¡¯t learned their lesson from the Blood Vulture Hallsst time!

    They must havee up with another so-called ¡®heroic epic¡¯ raid design this time. Last time only three of us survived, I estimate it might be about the same this time.¡¿

    Precipitation Niuniu Is Not Afraid of Difficulties: ¡¾Brother Stick, we¡¯ve already received two raid dungeon quests from Lady Adele and Lord Maxim at the Blood Vulture Halls.

    Both can be shared.

    Lady Adele requires us to burn down several key buildings in the Gnoll camp, while Maxim wants us to bring back the heads of 10 Silver-rank Gnollmanders.

    There¡¯s also bad news, the Quest Reward for this dungeon is still opening boxes. Meow King cried about it. I just saw it with my own eyes, a 30-something-year-old adult crying like a man baby.¡¿

    Like A Tiger Can Edge Wood: ¡¾I also have a raid dungeon quest issued by Lord Kudel. He requires us to bring back Warlord Kenport¡¯s insignia.

    However, the reward here isn¡¯t opening boxes, but skill manuals and selection rights for Lord Kudel¡¯s weapon collection. But I can only share this quest with vampire yers.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾No worries, I also received a simr raid dungeon quest from Guildmaster Natalie, with the same rewards. My quest can only be shared with Avalon Church faction yers.

    It looks like it¡¯s a faction quest. And by the way, you were spreading rumors about me earlier, right? Niuniu, you naughty student! I¡¯ll have a bunch of gay men corner you one day!¡¿

    Life Is Pretty Good: ¡¾What about us yers who haven¡¯t joined any factions? Won¡¯t we just miss out on a reward?¡¿

    Bulldozer Man Charging: ¡¾What kind of eyesight do you have? It¡¯s posted at the Administrative Council¡¯s entrance. Baroness Miriam has also issued a quest with simr rewards.

    Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a share for everyone.¡¿

    Master Broken de: ¡¾Damn! Howe even us manufacturing yers have raid dungeon quests? Professor Malcolm requires us to collect Gnoll forging tools and materials from the Gnoll camp, and study their weapon forging methods. Isn¡¯t this forcing the manufacturing industry to go to the battlefield too?¡¿

    Khaki Tony Tai: ¡¾Brother! You¡¯re a yer! Choosing manufacturing and administrative professions doesn¡¯t change your yer identity, right? Thebat segment can be less but not non-existent, right?

    Besides, you can bring guards to the battlefield, which is much better than usbat professions.

    We have to tank monsters with our own bodies.¡¿

    Master Ziwei: ¡¾Enough talk! If you don¡¯t want to go, I¡¯m willing! Give me a helmet now, and I¡¯ll fight those Gnolls to the end!

    By the way, we¡¯re about to go to war, doesn¡¯t anyone want me to do a divination?

    Maybe I could divine your fortune, like where valuable treasures are located and such.¡¿

    Frostfang w: ¡¾Guys, I have a very strange quest here. Can you take a look?¡¿

    The not-so-talkative Fangfang directly posted the Hidden Quest he received from Lady Dorothy. That quest was quite bizarre.

    Its name was ¡°Find the Pangolin!¡±

    The quest content was even more explosive. ording to Lady Dorothy, the Blood Rat Gang leader under Lady Adele¡¯s intelligence system¡¯s ¡°new nobility¡±, Murphy had secretly dispatched a high-level agent codenamed ¡°Pangolin¡± to infiltrate the Gnoll camp before the war against the Gnolls began.

    Now that the decisive battle is about to begin, the Blood Rat Gang where Lady Dorothy belongs has also received an important task. They need to find the Pangolin in the chaos and help itplete its final mission.

    Border Town Wanderer: ¡¾¡¯Pangolin¡¯? Is it the pangolin I¡¯m thinking of? This codename is actually an Easter egg, right? Is the development team nting Easter eggs so bluntly?¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾This is good localization. I guess it¡¯s a trantion issue. This game actually has quite a few Easter eggs. For example, you can see a strange wooden carving in Murphy¡¯s office.

    It¡¯s said to be a vampire friend Murphy knew in his early years, but that guy wears a red eye patch and has a pair of demon wings, and carries dual swords.

    That¡¯s clearly a tribute to my Egg Brother.¡¿

    Invincible Tyrannosaurus Cheche: ¡¾Yes, yes, yes! When you go to learn Spirit abilities from Lady Tris, if you chat about otherworldly topics, Lady Tris has a certain probability of telling you a little story. She says that when she was young, a friend of hers summoned an otherworldly creature but ended up being eaten by the fire demon they summoned.

    The funniest part is that the man-eating fire demon was named Burning Ss.¡¿

    Fatal Orchid Huahua: ¡¾What¡¯s thatpared to mine? I overheard a farmer in the camp bragging earlier that he had killed several Witch Hunters with a rake, and said that Witch Hunters would die if they jumped from high ces.¡¿

    Feel You Poor: ¡¾There¡¯s a dirty horn hanging in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild tent. If you ask Guildmaster Natalie, she¡¯ll tell you it¡¯s called the ¡®Abyss Horn¡¯.

    It was seized when the White Oak Battalion previously eliminated a lich named Sandru on an ind in the Misty Coast.¡¿

    Sword Saint Ashina: ¡¾I know one too! I know one!

    When I go to Grandma Marianne to repair my gun, I often hear her mumbling that the Halfling gunsmiths have a grand n to build a Spirit gun that can shatter the earth.

    And the codename for that awesome gun-making n is ¡®BFG9000¡¯!¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾Aton¡¯s Spear! It¡¯s said to be the nickname given by a certain Dwarf general to the legendary Sanghai sun boat during the 4th ck Disaster.¡¿

    Sister Pomegranate Uproots The Weeping Willows: ¡¾Let me tell you one, have you noticed Maxim¡¯s surname? Hisst name is ¡®d¡¯~

    And his ideal is to be a powerful vampire.

    I¡¯ve noticed that Maxim really likes to impale enemies when using spear weapons.¡¿

    Dump Truck Iaido: ¡¾When Miss Miriam was still in the survivor camp, she told me that during a certain period in Transia¡¯s past, locals would reverently refer to Salrokdar as ¡®Dracon¡¯, and that Count of White Mountain from the Thorn n would asionally mutter about the legend of the ¡®Daywalker¡¯.

    Also, I saw in some storybooks from who knows where that the border defense line of the eastern Ancient Calum Kingdom was called the Ten Thousand Li Dragon Ridge, their emperor was called the Dragon Emperor, the capital was called Tiandu, and their faith was the mysterious Astral Realm Dragon Ao.¡¿

    Frostfang w: ¡¾Wait! Weren¡¯t we talking about these Easter eggs at first? Who exactly is this Pangolin in my quest?¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾Don¡¯t worry, Fangfang, just follow us when the timees. We know who the Pangolin is, hehe, there¡¯s still a lot more plot about itter.¡¿

    Meow King: ¡¾£¡£¡£¡So it was you guys! Thest announcement already said there would be a mysterious force appearing, so that was you guys who made it happen, right?

    I¡¯m not saying anything!

    How can you still keep it all to yourselves?¡¿

    Lumina Yanghen: ¡¾Of course, for Hidden Quests like this, it¡¯s all about individual ability, Meow King. Your words are unreasonable. This is a side quest that we painstakingly dug up, why should we share it with you?

    Aren¡¯t you also hiding and holding back the few Hidden Quests in your hands?¡¿

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾What¡¯s all this arguing about! If you want to argue, make your own group chat to do it. We¡¯re discussing tactics here, be serious! We can¡¯t rush in all at once and get wiped out likest time. This time there¡¯s no NPC assistance, you can imagine how difficult a real 100-yer raid dungeon will be!

    Pay attention, all of you!¡¿

    Leading Pigeon: ¡¾Attention? Where¡¯s the attention?¡¿

    (¡®Leading Pigeon¡¯ has been muted for 30 minutes by administrator ¡®Onboard Joy Stick¡¯.)

    Onboard Joy Stick: ¡¾Look at the mute hammer in my hand! Tell me who else? We¡¯ll resurrect the day after tomorrow, and there won¡¯t be much time to discuss then. We muste up with a strategy in these two days!

    This dungeon is so big, we need to split up. We must coordinate well who is responsible for which aspect. I know everyone wants to have it easy and fun.

    But since we¡¯re ying a game, let¡¯s y it well!

    Now let¡¯s start officially discussing tactics, beginning with task assignment.¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Achoo!¡±

    Hog sneezed hard. For a moment, this skinny Gnoll felt as if something very scary was targeting him.

    He looked around vigntly but didn¡¯t find any Gnolls other than those from his own Blood w n. This finally put him at ease a bit.

    Thanks to being reassigned to the elite area by Kenport earlier, he didn¡¯t have to cross the Kadman River with those Gnoll vanguards to attack Crimson Citadel.

    But this doesn¡¯t mean Hog could escape the ¡°duty¡± he shouldered in this battle.

    He knew his identity.

    On the Gnoll side, he was an insignificant small n leader, dispatched to patrol the outskirts of the camp. But in the Crimson Citadel faction, he was the ¡°secret vanguard¡± sent by the Governor of Transia!

    As long as hepleted thisst task, he would get everything promised to him. Although he didn¡¯t know if the vampires would fulfill their promise, Hog tried not to think about that.

    He knew that once Kenport gained power, life for ¡°mongrels¡± like him would only get harder.

    ¡°If you could just be a little nicer to us Transia gnolls¡­ Fool! Even just a tiny bit nicer would do.¡±

    In his dirty shack, Hog gripped a chisel and cursed through gritted teeth:

    ¡°But you treat us as cannon fodder more worthless than dirt, to be consumed at will. Even if we take Crimson Citadel, so what? We¡¯ll get a piece of meat at most, and then you¡¯ll send us to fight the Wolfsbane vampires in the Cato region.

    We¡¯re going to die anyway, do you really think we won¡¯t dare to resist at all?¡±

    While cursing, the skinny fellow hollowed out a section of the wooden pole in his hand. Then he looked left and right, took out a blood-colored crystal from his pocket close to his body.

    This thing was particrly exquisite.

    You could even see Spirit symbols floating like water inside it. This was personally given to him by Lord Murphy before he left Crimson Citadel.

    Hog wasn¡¯t a Spirit Mage. He didn¡¯t understand thoseplex theories, but he knew this thing could bring doomsday to Kenport.

    Doomsday in the truest sense.

    ¡°Hehehe¡±

    Hog let out the peculiar, grating, and cunningugh unique to Gnolls, stuffed the crystal into the wooden pole he had hollowed out, and after securing it firmly, connected this pole to the double-ded axe beside him.

    This n-style axe was something he got from Kenport¡¯s quartermaster. Its Quality was a bit better than the weapons used by ordinary Gnolls, and there were strange sun patterns on the surface of the axe. Who knows which bored fellow put them there.

    ¡°Chief! Nash is here.¡±

    A Blood w berserker called out in a muffled voice in front of Hog¡¯s shack. Hog nodded and said:

    ¡°Let hime over, I have something to tell him.¡±

    ¡°Aow.¡±

    The berserker responded, then walked away withrge strides, carrying a il on his back.

    These n members were all carefully selected by Hog. They weren¡¯t many but all very clever. By constantly stealing dried meat and grain from the camp¡¯s quartermaster, Hog¡¯s Blood w n had been living quitefortablytely.

    For Gnolls, as long as they¡¯re well-fed, loyalty naturally follows. A chief who can keep everyone fed is a qualified good chief!

    If there were a few females forpany, that would be even more perfect.

    ¡°Hog, I¡¯m here.¡±

    The Gnoll Nash strode in proudly. He had taken over Hog¡¯s previous n and was now in high spirits, walking with a spring in his step.

    Unlike the skinny Hog, Nash was a standard Gnoll berserker, rough enough, fierce enough, and thus quickly mixed in with that group of Kenport¡¯sckeys.

    He was even quite valued.

    He had hardly initiated contact with Hog these past few days, the implications were self-evident.

    ¡°Here, this is a good axe I got from the quartermaster. It¡¯s a powerful weapon. I heard you¡¯ve been assigned to guard and patrol the King¡¯s camp.

    That¡¯s a good job!

    With this axe, you¡¯ll definitely make other Gnolls fear you more.¡±

    Hog handed the double-ded great axe, taller than himself, to Nash. Although this thing wasn¡¯t the il that Gnolls liked to use most, it was indeed imposing enough. Nash took it and was very pleased.

    Hog chuckled and said to him:

    ¡°You¡¯re highly valued by King Kenport, that¡¯s good. Don¡¯t forget us old brothers when you make it big in the future. By the way, Nash, I¡¯ve never asked you before, what are your ns for the future?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The future was always a raremodity for Gnolls.

    They were used to living day by day, thinking about tomorrow after getting through today. When suddenly asked by Hog, Nash was a bit confused, then answered:

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to follow King Kenport and dedicate everything to the cause of Gnolls conquering the continent! I heard the King is going to raid the Cato region next.

    Don¡¯t worry, Hog.¡±

    Nash patted Hog¡¯s shoulder casually, saying like a big brotherforting his little brother:

    ¡°I remember the kindness of you rescuing me from the arena. I¡¯ll definitely take care of you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Hog sighed, saying in an envious tone:

    ¡°If only I were as strong as you. Sigh, I¡¯ll be counting on you in the future, brother. Take your battle axe, obey King Kenport¡¯s orders, and go embrace the glory of battle.

    We old brothers will bless you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Nashughed heartily, unceremoniously took the axe and turned to leave. Several Gnoll berserkers who had escaped from Crimson Citadel with him spat on the ground disdainfully.

    Obviously, Nash¡¯s petty official manner made everyone dislike him.

    But not Hog.

    Not only did he not show disgust, but a hint of relief appeared in his eyes.

    To be honest, if this Nash had really remembered old friendships a bit, he might not have been able to harden his heart to do this.

    ¡°You, yes you,e here!¡±

    Hog walked back to his shack.

    On the way, he encountered a small Gnoll, as small as him, who was feeding earth wolves. He suddenly felt this small one was pleasing to the eye and called him over.

    He looked the small Gnoll up and down and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Chief, my name is Little Bone.¡±

    That small Gnoll had a pair of eyes as cunning as Hog. When answering, his eyeballs kept rolling, probably racking his brains to think of some ttering words.

    ¡°No, your name is not Little Bone!¡±

    Hog patted the small one¡¯s shoulder. He imitated the manner of Lord Murphy giving him a new name back then, speaking in a tone so gentle it didn¡¯t seem like a Gnoll.

    He said in a low voice:

    ¡°From today on, your name is Nash. Remember that?¡±

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