In Morland Village, the little players were huffing and puffing as they dug holes.
They planned to bury the innocent villagers killed by the Witch Hunters. At first, they'd only been putting on a show to prove how "reliable" they were in front of Murphy, but after Mirian gestured and gave these "kind souls" a pile of bloodstained coins, the whole thing took on a completely different meaning.
Although the player interface hadn't gone live yet, the little players stubbornly believed this was a quest.
Come on, a pretty NPC lady had given them money, hadn't she?
She was still chattering away about something. They couldn't understand a word, but it had to be effusive praise and thanks. Wasn't this exactly how NPCs gave out quests?
As players, it would be absolutely outrageous to turn down a quest that had landed right in their laps.
However, the truth was—
"Murphy, could you please do something about your otherworldly warriors?"
Mirian said awkwardly to Murphy, who was enjoying the approaching nightfall:
"I said we should pile up the corpses and burn them, so they wouldn't turn into wraiths or ghouls later! Places where massacres happen are especially prone to those awful things.
But they don't understand me, and insist on digging a huge pit. It seems to be some kind of custom where they come from, but at this rate, how long will it take them to finish?"
"If they want to dig, let them dig. I told you, my warriors are very kindhearted people. They're enthusiastic and stubborn. If you try to stop them, they'll only get upset.
And if they get upset, someone's going to have a bad time."
The unlucky vampire had no interest in dealing with this.
At the moment, he was watching with interest as Meow Brother and Chen Dian Niu Niu fiddled with the Automatic Hunter Crossbow.
Meow Brother, drenched in sweat, lifted the heavy contraption, then, with Chen Dian Niu Niu's help, unfolded its built-in support legs and aimed it toward the edge of the village.
The leering grins on their faces made it clear they planned to "have a go" before getting kicked offline.
But after all their fumbling, the two idiots still couldn't figure out how the thing worked. It had some similarities to machinery in the real world, but its underlying design principles were completely different.
"Where's the safety?"
Chen Dian Niu Niu, a sports major, kept pulling the trigger but couldn't activate the finely made steam engine.
Meow Brother was just as clueless.
As a high-level corporate drone doing software outsourcing, he'd never had a chance to handle something so criminally dangerous. Maybe his two middle-aged friends, Mud Truck and Forklift Operator, could've figured it out, but the two unlucky bastards, who'd spent half their lives doing machine work, had already been killed by this thing.
While the two of them fumbled around, Mirian finally stepped in.
She went over, crouched beside Meow Brother, and swiftly inspected the Automatic Hunter Crossbow. Then she opened the safety catch hidden beneath a mechanical latch.
The steam engine started up again with a rumble, and the metal bolt magazine began rotating with a series of clacks.
"There's still plenty of gold-burning catalyst in the steam engine, but it doesn't have much fuel gas left. Use it sparingly."
As an outstanding student at Chardo Craftsman University, Mirian was in the administration department, but her extracurricular work took her to inspect halfling factories. She wasn't an expert on steam machinery, but she knew enough to operate it.
Unfortunately, she and the little players didn't speak the same language.
She chattered away to Chen Dian Niu Niu, who was holding the Automatic Hunter Crossbow, but he could only stare at her with the innocent expression of someone listening to a lecture in a foreign language.
"What's this NPC saying?"
Niu Niu turned to ask. Meow Brother rolled his eyes and said:
"She says you're handsome."
"Hey, of course! I was the handsomest guy in my year in the sports department. My nickname was 'Niu Chuanfeng.' Didn't expect this NPC to have such a good eye."
The simple-minded sports student immediately grinned like an idiot, but then realized that Meow Brother couldn't understand what the NPC was saying either. So the bastard had probably just made it up.
Damn, what a slippery social animal!
"Can you repair that thing?"
Murphy asked softly. He'd clearly noticed Mirian's "hidden talent," and she glanced at him as though she'd seen right through his intentions.
She shook her head and said:
"I'm not in the mechanical engineering department. Besides, this model of automaton is ancient. The halfling mechanics in Chardo stopped using single-boiler systems to power weapons ages ago. The Witch Hunters maintained it well, but they must have acquired it at least a hundred years ago. You'd need an experienced, professional mechanic to repair it. Hmm?
What's that?"
Mirian pointed behind Murphy in surprise.
The vampire turned around. A Blood Eagle Firework was hovering in the night sky behind them, and its familiar pattern made Murphy narrow his eyes.
"That's the Midnight Hunters' rally signal. That direction is where the Witch Hunters fled. They're finished!"
Murphy knew as soon as he saw the firework that the message he'd sent with Maxim had gotten through. He let out a long breath, feeling the weight lift from his heart.
Then he called out to the little players, who were still busy:
"My dangerous and arrogant kin are on their way, my warriors. You must return to your own world now. Get some good rest, and await my next summons—and the grand plan that comes with it. Of course, in honor of today's victory, I'll have the rewards you deserve ready for you when you return!
That's a promise from Murphy!"
The players were a little disappointed.
They'd wanted to play a while longer, but the little players who'd grown tired of digging secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Imitating Mirian's mannerisms, they awkwardly used the gestures of this world to bid Murphy farewell with proper courtesy. Then, amid the shimmering light of dismissal, they vanished from the spot.
The armor and weapons they'd been wearing lost their support and fell to the ground as if from nowhere.
Murphy shook his head at the sight.
No matter how he looked at it, the players' exit effects were way too flashy.
But apparently, this only happened when an administrator forcibly kicked them offline. Once players could connect freely in the future, their physical bodies would probably remain behind when they temporarily logged off.
At least they wouldn't have to put on their gear all over again every time they logged in. But the visual effects when they died still needed some thought.
The sight made Mirian blink, too. The clever but sly girl gave Murphy a suspicious look but said nothing.
"Patch them up. If they survive, good for them. If they don't, they were unlucky."
Murphy pointed at the unconscious female Hunter and her two subordinates, all of whom were tied up.
The little players were brave, but they still didn't have the guts to kill anyone in this fully immersive game. They had the education they'd received in a civilized society to thank for that. So although they'd beaten a squad, only one person had actually died.
He'd bled to death.
The leader, Grey-Haired Huntress Natalie, had been injected with a sedative. The scout Amber and the one-armed veteran Porter had both survived, though their injuries were severe. The four Witch Hunters who'd escaped the fighting had instead run straight into the Blood Eagle Midnight Hunters.
Their fate was truly uncertain.
Tsk. If only they'd known better, they could've surrendered peacefully. Wouldn't that have been the smarter choice?
Soon, the neighing of warhorses rang out in the night. Murphy stood at the wrecked entrance to the village and spotted his loyal servant at a glance.
When Maxim rode up and saw Murphy, tears of joy welled in his eyes. The devoted, fanatical admirer of vampires hurried over.
Struggling to contain his excitement, he called out to Murphy:
"I've fulfilled my mission, Lord Murphy! I delivered the clan leader's secret order to the contact and asked them to come to our aid. I'm so glad to see you safe and sound."
Murphy said little. Weary from the battle, he simply reached out and patted Maxim on the shoulder.
Now he could be sure that this albino servant was someone he could trust and rely on. Though he was technically still another vampire's blood servant, Murphy had already decided to ask Lord Jade to hand Maxim over once they returned to Cadman City.
Murphy could never have too many capable and loyal people like him.
After they exchanged a few words, the vampire spotted five "people" descending from the sky behind them.
Their broad, elegant crimson cloaks and exquisite, luxurious dark hunting clothes marked them as elite Blood Eagle hunters. Their official title was "Midnight Hunters," a combination of hunter and assassin.
Just standing there, they seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness. They were far more impressive than a rookie like him.
While Murphy watched the vampires, they watched him too. In the end, they came to the conclusion that he was incredibly weak.
He'd even bungled a simple message-delivery mission. What a disgrace to the Blood Eagle Clan.
The short vampire at their head, however, still had some of a Midnight noble's dignity. She didn't mock him outright. Instead, she first surveyed Morland Village. Her eyes narrowed briefly at the sight of the burned corpses, then she composed herself and spoke in a cool, even voice:
"Congratulations, my kin. It seems you've just completed a hunt and won a valuable victory, bringing to justice the villains who dared invade Blood Eagle territory and slaughter our subjects. On behalf of the family's current magistrate, I thank you.
"I perhaps shouldn't interrupt you as you savor the sweet taste of victory. However, there is something you possess that I need."
A woman?
Murphy blinked.
Then he reached into his clothes and pulled out the small psionic decoding seal, handing it to her.
She took it, then retrieved the clan leader's secret order that Maxim had delivered earlier. Only when she placed the seal on the scroll did it unlock the psionic device used to encrypt it.
Seeing this, Maxim, who was standing beside Murphy, finally understood. His heart filled with admiration for Lord Murphy's boundless wisdom.
His lord had given him the secret order but not the decoding seal. So the hunters who'd received the order, however reluctant they might be, had to come aid Murphy to keep the seal out of the Witch Hunters' hands.
Murphy noticed Maxim's change in expression and gave him a subtle look, letting him draw his own conclusions.
Heh. To these ruthless vampires, caught under the threat of war, a weak messenger with no backing and an obscure nobody in the family were both people they could sacrifice without a second thought.
Murphy hadn't been a vampire for long, but Triss had taught him to be wary of his own "kin."
After a few too many drinks, Triss often told him that when fighting alongside vampires, watching out for a knife in the back from one's own side mattered far more than guarding against attacks from the enemy.
After opening the clan leader's secret order, the cold, aloof Midnight Hunters had little else to say to Murphy. They were waiting outside the village for more hunters to gather, likely preparing to carry out the secret mission entrusted to them by the Blood Eagle Clan leader, Lord Salokdar.
But Murphy didn't care about any of that.
Now that he'd completed the messenger mission, he desperately hoped he'd be allowed to return to the safety of Cadman City and talk with Triss about getting the hell out of here.
He hadn't realized it before, but after this trip and seeing how thoroughly the Blood Eagle Clan had been infiltrated, Murphy didn't want to spend another day in this godforsaken place, Transia.
Besides, Triss had said she was somewhat renowned among the other vampire clans. He could take her with him, and have the little players, who were slowly growing stronger, protect them along the way.
With a world this big, where couldn't he go?
"Ravnos Murphy Lasombra!"
As Murphy pondered this, the same cool voice rang out again. He turned and saw the short woman who led the hunters standing silently beside him.
Beneath her crimson cloak's hood, she stared at him with sharp eyes. After a brief pause, she said:
"I need to requisition you and your servants to complete a secret mission from the clan leader. This mission is crucial to the war in Transia and even the entire Bosia Confederacy.
"So I hope—"
"Before you give me orders, ma'am, shouldn't you tell me who you are?"
Murphy yawned, interrupting the female vampire's lengthy speech.
He stared at her and imitated the shadowy tone unique to vampires in her voice:
"I may be an obscure member of the family, but I was sired by Lady Triss, a former clan elder. I should at least know which distinguished figure I'll be serving, don't you think?
"I believe that's my right."
"Triss is a disgrace to the family! Every Blood Eagle knows that."
The leader of the hunters snorted, showing no mercy as she insulted Murphy's "sire."
"I need to know who you are!"
Murphy couldn't argue that Triss was a disgrace to the family, but he spoke with complete seriousness and stubbornness:
"That's the only way I can make sure you won't throw me and my servants away as cannon fodder. Technically, my messenger mission is already over, ma'am. I can return to Cadman City right now.
"You know that very well.
"We Blood Eagles follow the rules. We're nothing like those lawless thugs in the Wolfsbane Clan."
The leader of the hunters hesitated at this. Perhaps Murphy's appeal to the family's rules had persuaded her. A few seconds later, she pulled back her hood, revealing a very young face—so young it could even be called childish.
She had long black hair like Murphy's.
But her eyes were crimson, and with her short, petite stature and baby-fat cheeks, she looked like a child who hadn't yet grown up.
No wonder she'd bundled herself up so tightly. She certainly didn't look very authoritative in wartime.
Still, Murphy recognized her at once from his memories. The unlucky vampire immediately gave the petite girl a proper Blood Eagle salute and bowed slightly.
He said softly:
"So it's you, Lady Femis. In that case, my servants and I are willing to devote ourselves to serving you and your father's cause."
"Not for me and my father!"
Lady Femis Cecilia Lasombra wrinkled her adorable little nose and corrected him with great seriousness:
"This is for the survival and continuation of the Blood Eagle Clan! My father may be the clan leader, but you don't need to be so respectful to me because of that. After all, I'm just an ordinary member of the family."
"Right, right, of course. You're absolutely right, young lady."
Murphy replied perfunctorily, wondering if the children of the powerful were truly that innocent—
Or if she was a natural-born schemer.
But just as the young lady finished speaking and turned to leave, Murphy's eyes suddenly lit up.
He cleared his throat and said:
"Wait a moment, young lady. My servants and I are more than willing to serve you—uh, I mean, to serve the family's great cause. But I'd still like to ask for a small favor for my loyal people."
"Hmm?"
Miss Femis turned around in surprise and looked at Murphy.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I mean, I'd like to have something of yours to inspire my servants' enthusiasm, pride, and ambition. Don't misunderstand!
"It's nothing important, and I'm sure you'll be happy to give it to me..."
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