The Patriarch Has Decided, You Will Be the One to Deliver, Uh, Cough, Cough, Bear This Important Responsibility!

The Patriarch has decided, you will be the one to deliver... uh, cough, cough, this important responsibility!

Cadman City was as peaceful as ever today. Although the clouds of war were looming, considering that damn war had been going on for nearly ten years, the citizens, long accustomed to rationing, declared their emotions to be stable.

What else could they do if they weren't stable?

Rebel?

The Vampire lords in the city had been waiting for them to do just that. Didn't see that coming? Those bastards who literally squeezed the marrow from their bones were lamenting the lack of good cannon fodder to send to the front lines. Therefore, the sensible citizens naturally wouldn't comply with their wishes.

"Look, that scummy vampire is here to get relief again!"

"Shhh, keep it down, don't let him hear. He's an official member of the Blood Vulture Clan, after all."

"What are you afraid of? I heard from my neighbor's second uncle's third cousin's roommate's aunt, who works as a kitchen helper at the city hall, that this kid and his Progenitor are the infamous 'Blood Vulture Wastrels.' They say he's just one step away from being kicked out of the clan. What can he do even if he hears us?"

"Exactly! A vampire, of all people, coming to compete with us commoners for relief? Shameless! Even the servants of those down-on-their-luck knights who fled from East Prussia know to cover their faces when collecting relief food! Unlike him, so brazen, what a disgrace!"

"But you have to admit, this kid is quite handsome."

"Nonsense, would 'Greedy Triss' be interested in him if he wasn't? I heard this kid used to be a Pretty Boy who charmed thousands of girls... Uh, he's looking over here, quick!

Smile!"

As Murphy, who was in the crowd, turned his head, the group of people whispering immediately turned their faces in unison, offering beautiful and fawning smiles.

Just like the respect and hypocrisy they showed to other members of the Blood Vulture Clan.

"Good morning, you boring idiots who gossip behind people's backs!"

Murphy returned them a perfect, impeccable smile, greeting them in his "hometown dialect" along the way.

Although their bowing and scraping in return seemed satisfying, bullying these foreign illiterates who didn't understand foreign languages was getting a bit boring.

Mainly, even the most fun game would become tedious if played for a whole month straight.

But his shoulder-length black hair, his strikingly clear black and white eyes that seemed to speak, and his androgynous features made the young women and married women in the crowd's eyes light up. Unfortunately, his unnaturally pale skin and the hint of bloodlust deep in his eyes made them hesitate.

Vampires.

Legendary supernatural beings.

Dark creatures, they were nocturnal and always engaged in nasty activities like imprisonment, conditioning, and blood-sucking, which gave them a terrible reputation throughout the continent. But this was the Transylvania Region of the Porsia Confederacy, a territory controlled by vampires, so their reputation here was slightly better.

Uh, "slightly better" here meant that the public wouldn't openly curse them and attack them with pitchforks, but being gossiped about behind their backs, like just now, was still unavoidable.

After all, the direct result of the Blood Vulture Clan's four hundred years of deep cultivation in this region was that it had the highest number of ghost stories on the continent. The number of people who went missing near Cadman City alone each year could form an reinforced battalion. Under such circumstances, it would be a miracle if ordinary people and vampires could get along.

Murphy was accustomed to the whispering around him.

He ignored the varied gazes, good and bad, with the aloof demeanor befitting a vampire. He law-abidingly waited his turn in line, patiently, and even gave up his spot to a lady holding a hungry child.

This detail made several scholars in the crowd have a slightly better impression of the young vampire. However, Murphy himself didn't know what use their goodwill would be.

Emmm, never mind if it's useful or not, getting some good favor is a good deed in itself.

"Two servings of Type A relief rations, please."

When it was his turn, he generously and gently said to the soldier distributing food, his demeanor impeccable, as if he were entering the royal court to meet the king, even when collecting relief rations.

The main point was elegance.

However, the "king" before him had a deathly pale face. He tossed two rough packages to Murphy, not even bothering to look at him.

Even though the name tag on the soldier indicated he was a servant of a vampire, or a "Blood Servant" for short, he was theoretically supposed to show utmost respect to all vampires.

Unfortunately, Murphy was clearly not on his "respect list."

"Little Murphy, your and Ms. Triss's 'good days' are coming to an end."

Just as Murphy turned to leave, a mocking voice suddenly echoed in his ear like a whisper. He looked back and saw the vampire supervising the food distribution from the shadows behind him offering him a hypocritical smile at the opportune moment.

Murphy didn't recognize this guy, as he had only "arrived" a month ago.

Perhaps his residual memories contained information about this guy, but Murphy couldn't be bothered to search for clues because his new identity was rather awkward.

As the unexpected offspring developed by Ms. Triss, the "famous wastrel" of the Blood Vulture Clan, after a severe alcohol-related incident, Murphy's status in the clan was truly heartbreaking to hear and tear-jerking to witness.

In the year since he became a vampire, this unlucky fellow had only entered the "Blood Vulture Corridor" of Cadman City a handful of times, let alone received party invitations from other clan members. He had no way to contact other vampires.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that in the month he had been here, Murphy had seen more fat rats in Triss's dilapidated manor than vampires.

But although Murphy "lived in seclusion," he was actually quite famous in the Blood Vulture Clan. Even the old aunties who were Blood Servants responsible for sweeping the floors and cleaning the toilets in the Blood Vulture Corridor knew him. After all, Murphy was the first descendant in Cadman City to remain loyal to the "Wastrel Queen" Ms. Triss.

He had lived in Triss's dilapidated courtyard for a year since being turned into a vampire, serving her as if she were a family member.

Such a touching story was quite "legendary" in the vampire clans, which were filled with conspiracy and violence. Its popularity had been listed among the "Seven Wonders of Cadman City" and other strange tales.

"What do you mean?"

Murphy's lips remained still, maintaining his composure, but his voice reached the vampire in the shadows.

Ventriloquism!

The most basic use of the innate Dark Psionic talent of vampires.

[Successfully used a low-level psionic technique. Proficiency in Dark Psionic Perception and Manipulation has increased. Current level: "Beginner."]

The moment Ventriloquism finished, a line of text popped up before Murphy's eyes, but he was already used to it. He could only sigh once more at how difficult it was to improve skills.

It had been a whole month, and he was still only at the introductory level.

"It's nothing much, just wishing you a pleasant 'journey'."

The Vampire replied with a subtle tone.

Perhaps feeling that this mockery wasn't enough, he made another gesture. The Blood Servant responsible for distributing food immediately and obsequiously shoved three more packs of relief rations into Murphy's arms.

What did this mean?

Murphy blinked and, without missing a beat, bowed slightly to his kin as a farewell. The other party also gave a perfunctory bow in return, adhering to the clan rules of the Blood Vulture Clan.

On the way back to the manor, Murphy looked at the five packs of relief rations in his arms and couldn't help but think:

"'Eat well before you go'? What kind of crazy talk is that! I'm already this low-key and down on my luck, and someone's still trying to mess with me? These damn Vampires really all need a good beating!"

Complaining to himself, he quickly slunk along the shadows of the walls towards his "manor." However, every 100 meters, a line of text would pop up.

[Successfully completed one instance of Shadow Walking. Stealth·Sneak skill proficiency increased. Current level: "Proficient".]

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was practicing his skills, but in reality, it was just a matter of necessity. After all, who would choose to sneak along the walls like a thief if they could walk on the main road?

It was already nearing nine o'clock, and the sun had become venomous. The most difficult time of day for Vampires was fast approaching. To avoid being burned by the sunlight, Murphy, who couldn't afford expensive sun-blocking products, could only walk in the shadows.

Normal Vampires wouldn't be active in the sunlight; the arrival of night was the beginning of their daily revelry. But Murphy didn't have such extravagant habits.

On one hand, his family was poor, and life forced him to rush to collect food first thing in the morning, or he and his useless mother, the Progenitor, would go hungry.

On the other hand, the otherworldly soul within his Vampire body had a very stubborn sleep schedule.

When he first "arrived," out of curiosity, he tried to sleep during the day and be active at night. The result was like a thirty-year-old man staying up all night at an internet cafe and needing three days to recover.

He could stay up late, but only a little.

"Sigh."

Even though it was only early morning, this was the seventeenth sigh Murphy had let out today.

Clutching the food, he pushed open the iron gate of the "manor." He used too much force, causing the rusty, dilapidated iron gate to crash down entirely next to the "garden," which was covered in dust and overgrown with ivy and weeds. The loud noise startled three fat rats, which scurried away.

[Successfully performed an instance of scene destruction. Melee Combat skill proficiency increased. Current level: "Introductory".]

The familiar prompt popped up again, making Murphy feel weary.

This introductory-level Melee Combat skill had been provided by this poor iron gate for about half of the past month. So, shouldn't he be thanking Uncle Iron Gate?

Murphy looked at the "manor" he had been living in for a month. From the mottled buildings, he could vaguely see its former glory. It was a classic "secluded mansion in a bustling area," with a meticulously arranged garden covering nearly a thousand square meters of the courtyard.

There was also a hidden wine cellar and a towering observatory. The main house itself was beautifully designed, even adorned with unknown statues.

Unfortunately, that was the scene from at least a hundred years ago.

Now, this dilapidated manor was like a building slated for demolition, a place even homeless people wouldn't frequent. It was truly hard to imagine that this was the humble abode of a former elder Vampire who claimed to have lived for 500 years.

"Ravenor Murphy Lasombra!"

A cold shout suddenly rang out from behind him.

Murphy, who was skillfully closing the gate, turned around and saw a mass of shadow coalescing in the wall's silhouette. With a sound like a bat spreading its wings, a slender figure appeared before him.

This was clearly a profound psionic technique, but more importantly, it was the person before him.

He was a Vampire dressed in a luxurious scarlet robe, holding a short staff. From the exquisite emblem on his chest, it could be identified that he was a Blood Vulture Guard who directly took orders from the Patriarch.

They rarely appeared, and every outing represented the will of the Blood Vulture Patriarch, Lord Salokdar Lasombra.

An ominous premonition immediately surfaced in his heart.

But Murphy still paid his respects to this fellow countryman with perfect composure. The latter nodded indifferently in response, and at the same time, took out a sealed velvet pouch from his embrace and handed it to Murphy.

He said in a businesslike manner:

"The war on the front lines is urgent. The Pioneer Legion of the Guelderland Kingdom has approached the border of the Transylvania Region, and war is about to descend upon Cadman City. Every member of the Blood Vulture Clan must contribute to our territory.

This is your next mission.

Deliver this secret order from the Patriarch to the Midnight Hunter Camp, thirty li east of Morland Village. You have three days to complete it!"

Murphy's heart skipped a beat. He took the pouch and said softly, "But, I heard that the Witch Hunters of the Guelderland Kingdom have already infiltrated that area..."

"That's correct."

The Blood Vulture Guard nodded and explained, "Those Hounds under the Ring Tower are conducting tactical interdiction, which means you'll have to risk crossing their Ranger blockade at midnight.

But for a noble member of the Blood Vulture Clan, this task is not difficult."

"Hey, your conclusion of 'not difficult' is based on normal Vampires, right? Open your eyes and look properly! Besides being exceptionally handsome, in what way is the Vampire before you 'normal'?" Murphy's inner self roared.

But outwardly, he took a deep breath, maintaining an expression that was about to collapse, and said, "I need armor and weapons, and if possible, I also need some help."

"Hm?"

The words made the Patriarch's Guard in front of him blink. He sized up Murphy's overly "simple" appearance and said with a strange tone:

"You look like you've been Embraced for a while, yet you don't have your own Blood Servant yet? You don't even have armor or weapons... Wait, this is Triss's estate? Your Progenitor is that waste— uh, Former Elder Triss?

Hmm, that explains it.

I did hear some rumors about you in the Blood Vulture Corridor. I thought they were just absurd jokes at first. After all, no Bloodkin could be that pathetic."

After speaking, the Vampire patted Murphy's shoulder with what seemed like pity, saying in a subtle tone:

"It seems you've had it tough, child."

"Yeah, this is nothing like the vampire life I imagined."

Murphy could no longer hold back his true feelings.

He could tolerate mockery and malice, but the sympathetic gaze from the other party made him sigh deeply, his face filled with sorrow.

The scene made the Patriarch's Guard uncomfortable to say more, so he sighed and said:

"At dusk today, when you depart, enough Blood Servants will bring you the things you need. Also, if you don't return, someone else will—

Uh, I mean, someone reliable will take care of Elder Triss.

So, go bravely."

With that, he turned and transformed into a swarm of flying bats, disappearing into the shadows. Murphy was left standing alone, clutching the quest item.

"Is this them automatically assuming I'm dead? Hey, when you send someone to their death, can you at least spend a few seconds faking your expression and language?

Tch, good thing I have a cheat!"

He muttered to himself, then habitually glanced at the progress bar that occupied most of the semi-transparent interface in front of him:

True Otherworld Beta Administrator System Installation Package Decompression Progress: 99.87%, Please Wait Patiently.

"After holding out for a whole month, it'll finally finish decompressing this afternoon."

Murphy bit his lip. A genuine smile spread across his face, a smile that came from the heart, a stark contrast to the elegant posture he usually maintained, which had become a form of muscle memory.

Humming a tune, he bent down and hugged the relief supplies he held, walking into the courtyard. He thought:

"Once my cheat that defies fate arrives, I'll get rid of all you bastards. I've noted down everyone who spoke disrespectfully to me. I'm not exactly magnanimous, you know.

Heh, the good times are still ahead."

A good time for a new book's journey, come cast your collection and monthly votes. If you don't vote, I won't vote, when will handsome dogs get their day?

To all my esteemed elders and youngsters, brothers and sisters, a new book has arrived.

Seeking collections, monthly votes, and follow-up reads, please, please, please.