Oil

evening.

Han Dong and Wen Li each slept on one side of the three-meter-wide, Soft Bed.

Even Though with the bedding completely separate, Wenli still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Vice Captain... are you asleep?"

"Huh? You want me to sleep on the floor?"

If the large bed hadn't taken up most of the bedroom, and the hallway hadn't been so cramped that Han Dong wouldn't have ended up sleeping with Wen Li... After all, he could tell that Miss Wen Li rarely interacted with men.

"No... no! I just have some trouble sleeping. Can I have a chat with you, Vice Captain?"

"Um."

"Vice Captain... You must work very hard to reach this level and capture two powerful summoned creatures, right?"

My master once said that no one is born powerful; every Knight Order has their own untold hardships behind the scenes.

They all seemed to share a grand ideal, similarly willing to sacrifice their lives for human freedom.

However, I didn't have such ideals or enough awareness. I just had to complete the tasks assigned to me by my master every day.

They say how beautiful the world outside the city is, but that's all in the past... I, on the other hand, feel that it would be quite nice to live out my life in the Holy City.

"Vice Captain, what wishes or ideals motivate you?"

"Isn't living for myself enough of a reason?... I'm a rather selfish person, and I don't have much of Chivalric spirit. I definitely wouldn't risk my life for someone else."

Pfft...

Winnie burst out laughing.

On ordinary days, when she chatted with the apprentices in the Blacksmith Shop, they would all talk about all sorts of grand ideals, such as joining the Knight Order and dedicating everything to the Holy City.

This was the first time Wen Li had ever heard Han Dong give such an answer.

Just as some unusual thoughts were beginning to stir in Wen Li's mind, she tried to move closer to Han Dong was sleeping on the other side.

Han Dong continued speaking:

"As I said, I have no Chivalric spirit whatsoever."

We will encounter more dangers as we move around the castle. If you, Miss Winry, make a grave mistake and find yourself in dire straits, I will only be able to save myself and may not have time to rescue you.

Therefore, you should get some rest early to replenish your physical and mental energy.

Wen Li's heart skipped a beat. She bit her lip and made no further move toward Han Dong. Her voice was slightly low as she said, "Okay... I will be serious and will definitely not cause any trouble for the Vice Captain. Good night."

"Good night."

This straightforward answer was something Han Dong said on purpose... He didn't want their relationship to become too intimate.

Because of this sentence, Wenli stopped overthinking and quickly fell asleep.

"At first I thought Winry was also faking it... I never imagined there would be people like that in the apocalypse."

Seeing that Wen Li was completely asleep, Han Dong slowly sat up, showing no intention of going to sleep.

If he really needed to rest, he would return to his residence directly after obtaining the "key".

There's a reason for choosing to stay in the castle... Every second counts in order to successfully steal the "land deed".

During the early hours of the morning, Han Dong had to act alone.

However, because Wenli was somewhat timid, leaving her alone in the castle bedroom would inevitably cause her to have trouble sleeping and be filled with anxiety all night. Therefore, Han Dong had no choice but to stay with her until she fell asleep, and then take action on his own.

We must ensure that Winry is in top condition when we launch the operation tomorrow.

Otherwise, the final step of the plan will not be possible.

"Camouflage"

Han Dong was not posing as a blacksmith, but as Dr. Swollen.

Having had in-depth exchanges with the PhD, he was able to achieve a high degree of imitation in both speech and action.

Tonight's task is simple.

Find out how to get to the top floor of the castle.

Gaga~~

Under the camouflage, Han Dong's two legs split into multiple tentacles, and a polluting aura also emanated from them. He left the room with a huge, swollen head on his head.

"Hmm? I didn't expect... this way of moving is quite comfortable."

For the first time, Han Dong experienced the wondrous sensation of tentacles wriggling and moving, swift and rapid...

I thought it would take some getting used to, but it moves as smoothly as silk.

"The human body is inherently flawed, so isn't this kind of Tentacle Transformation a form of 'evolution'?"

Before leaving the room, Han Dong left a letter in case Wen Li woke up in the middle of the night and panicked.

As the doctor slowly made his way through the spacious red-carpeted corridors of the Upper District, some of the guards lingering there would greet him.

"According to the map, the Fourth Floor can still only be reached through a restricted corridor... Only the Grand Lord's relatives and his personal steward can pass through."

Fortunately, this private butler lives on the Third Floor.

Knock knock knock!

Han Dong knocked on the Wooden Gate with the nameplate "Butler - Barbara Prisetti" hanging on it.

Creak...

The door opened by itself, and a greasy smell wafted out, giving the feeling of stepping into Oil Refinery.

This steward is mainly responsible for the Grand Lord's nutritional needs... Han Dong had already prepared himself mentally.

"Doctor, is there something you need from me so late?"

To everyone's surprise, the voice coming from the inner room was a soft, gentle female voice.

Han Dong mimicked the professor's way of speaking, "The nutritional supplements from the [Ghoul Factory] have a problem, and I'd like to discuss it with you... Also, there are already a large number of invaders in the Graveyard District, and I urgently need some potent nutritional supplements."

"Come in."

Han Dong Door Opening.

A strong, greasy smell wafted towards me.

This bedroom is more than three times larger than the blacksmith's room, indicating that there are differences in status among the family's leaders.

The large bedroom was dimly lit, with only a small candlestick hanging from the ceiling.

Squeak, squeak~ (sound of liquid being squeezed)

A viscous oily liquid continuously seeped out from between the two walls, and even spread a thick layer of oil on the ground, which was in a semi-solid state, making it very easy to slip and fall when walking on it.

Han Dong, who walks using his tentacles, is unharmed.

The most important thing is that the aura emanating from the depths of the room is superior to that of the barber and the blacksmith.

"They're really tough to deal with... This kind of person should be considered a high-ranking official."

The large bed was empty.

The nutritionist and personal butler is preparing nutritional supplements in a separate study.

When it crawled to the door of the study.

A bizarre scene unfolded before Han Dong.

The study... is more like a nutrient refining room.

Some Ghoul with high-quality bodies are sent here, where this nutritionist is responsible for extracting Ghoul oil containing high nutritional value.

A woman is carefully baking the leather with a candle.

"Barbara... it's been a long time."

"Doctor, I'll be frank."

The lord's health has been declining rapidly lately, requiring large amounts of nutritional supplements... Your factory can't afford any problems. Otherwise, the lord might use you to refine oil!