Awakening in Sickness, I Ask Where My Rewards Are

# Chapter 18: Starting Up in the Midst of Deathly Illness, Asking with a Smile Where the Rewards Are?

At high noon, the convoy that had already left Morland Village and was advancing toward the Filthy Swamp was dead silent.

The thirty-plus Midnight Hunters that Lady Femis had gathered were distributed among the ten carriages, lying in luxurious coffins, immersed in wonderful slumber.

For these orthodox vampires, venturing out under such a damned clear sky was absolutely forbidden.

Sunlight would burn their overly "delicate" skin. Although resistance to sunlight increased with strength, an aversion to light was a tradition—the nobler the bloodline, the stronger this aversion.

This created a peculiar spectacle.

Among the entire convoy, only the blood servants driving the carriages were active. Though these were the elite forces of the vampires, a group of humans was steering the direction, and mixed among them was an anomaly hiding in the last carriage, earnestly studying a handbook.

Murphy's stubborn human habits kept him energetic during the day, allowing him to take advantage of this perfect opportunity to openly gather the players for a meeting without his vampire kin noticing anything amiss.

"Stop. Rest and eat. Depart in one hour."

The blood servant driving the lead carriage—Lady Femis's personal attendant, a mature woman in elegant butler attire holding a black umbrella, with a cold expression and a rather hot figure—issued orders to the coachmen, and the entire convoy halted on a patch of wilderness.

This aloof lady was named Adele, and the blood servants respectfully called her Lady Adele.

She was said to be Lady Femis's only personal blood servant to date, and her most trusted human "friend," currently managing the entire convoy's logistics.

Mirian and Maxim were sent by Murphy to eat from the communal pot, while he himself slipped out of the convoy wrapped in a hood, sneaking into a forest to summon the players.

Unfortunately, since Murphy was still a weakling, the dark spiritual energy in his body wasn't enough to summon all the little players at once—he had to do it in two batches.

Once summoned, the little players obediently gathered around Murphy. They had already heard about the "hidden favorability" in the game group chat, and now their gazes toward Murphy, the main storyline NPC, were even more fervent.

Being stared at "affectionately" by a group of men made Murphy quite uncomfortable.

Damn!

These guys were way too pragmatic, weren't they?

"Ahem, before we formally talk, I need to fulfill my promise."

Maintaining his elegant vampire demeanor, Murphy took a folded crimson cloak from the spiritual energy bag he had scrounged, and under the players' watchful eyes, personally tied it around the shoulders of Chen Dian Niu Niu, who had "higher favorability."

This luxurious cloak was of excellent quality, wrapping around Niu Niu's tall frame and fastened at the collar with an exquisite buckle. Its most eye-catching feature was the upright collar embroidered with golden threads.

Once Niu Niu put it on, he had a distinct anime fantasy villain vibe, instantly making him the flashiest guy in the crowd. Murphy also had a blood-colored Midnight Hunter mask.

Made of metal, clearly matching the cloak's aesthetic style, it could be fixed to the upright collar to protect the throat.

This should have been a very cool accessory, but unfortunately, Niu Niu was just a rookie little player, wearing only a pair of "newbie boxers" that looked utterly destitute.

It clashed horribly with the luxurious cloak.

If one had to describe it, it was like a zero-dollar-shopping hip-hop black guy snatching a tuxedo—full of awkwardness. A perfectly good midnight aristocratic cloak worn like a black bear spirit who had stolen a monk's robe, perfectly illustrating the phrase "a monkey in a crown."

The Spicy Gugu Chicken beside him widened his eyes and exclaimed:

"Damn, this is clearly a VIP+8 premium outfit at least, and you're just giving it away? Has Alpha Company finally come to its senses and installed a payment window in the game?"

Murphy glanced at him and replied with the composed demeanor expected of an NPC:

"I don't understand what you're saying, warrior. Perhaps it's praise from another world. Well, I'll take it as praise.

This cloak is a reward I fought for you from that cunning and cold Lady Femis. Though it's merely a decorative item, possessing it means you are officially under the protection of the Blood Eagle Clan.

All of you have one!

Even those warriors who haven't recovered yet.

But since you don't have your own spiritual energy bags yet, I'll keep them safe for you."

These words made Meow Brother blink. He whispered to the little players beside him:

"Is this 'fashion gear'? And shouldn't it be the 'closed beta reward' the admin mentioned earlier?"

"Definitely."

A-Cha watched Niu Niu proudly flaunting his cloak with envy, staring at Murphy's low-key elder armor set, and said excitedly:

"I bet this is part of a set. Once we finish the initial testing, we'll be able to collect the whole thing."

"The stats on starter gear are probably average."

The Electronic Succubus Lao Qu beside Meow Brother also whispered:

"But if this game ever gets a transmog system, we'll be golden. This is definitely a limited-edition item. Wearing it to stand around in town would be absolutely flashy."

Murphy secretly observed the little players tugging at Niu Niu's cloak and critiquing it, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

Ah, his adorable little players were so easy to satisfy.

Look, they didn't even want money! A set of clothes was enough to appease them. This was a fine quality, definitely worth promoting, and it fully proved that he truly understood the little players' preferences.

His earlier move to ask Lady Femis for cloaks and formal wear had been the right call.

Every high-ranking vampire had at least a wardrobe full of such ceremonial clothing. A love for luxury was a shared trait among all vampires.

Even Triss, who had been down and out for over a hundred years, still had several nice outfits she only wore on formal occasions. She wouldn't even let Murphy hand-wash them for fear of damaging them.

For Lady Femis, these "fashion items" were a trivial effort, but for Murphy, they could become the "carrot" to motivate his little players.

However, such little tricks could only be used occasionally. Players were, after all, pragmatic.

Their pursuit of strength was endless, so he would still need to stockpile some powerful equipment as genuine quest rewards.

"Alright, my warriors, now it's time for business."

Murphy raised a hand and pressed it down slightly, and the players quieted down to hear their main quest NPC outline their next course of action.

But Murphy's knowledge of this operation was limited to what Lady Femis had told him.

He had no idea about the enemy's cargo, numbers, or scale, but the fact that the lady had been rallying the Midnight Hunters all along without calling on more of her family's forces said enough.

The enemy might be troublesome.

But their numbers probably wouldn't reach the level of a real army! Otherwise, there'd be no need to use a smuggling route that had been abandoned for years.

The Filthy Swamp, bordering the dangerous outskirts of the Dark Mountains, was no pleasant place. A large force would have a hard time getting through safely, so Murphy guessed the transport team was between 100 and 200 strong.

"Damn, this is just using us as cannon fodder!"

One of Meow Brother's good buddies, a player with the ID "Black Silk Under Keyboard," cursed loudly:

"Even counting our three NPCs, our squad's only eighteen people. Intercepting a 200-man transport team—how's that any different from suicide? If Witch Hunters are that tough, a real army would slaughter us like chickens! This isn't like other games where you can respawn fast and zerg them down!

A three-day respawn time is brutal."

The other small-time players didn't look too happy either. Even the Dormitory Six Bros, who had the least real-world experience, could feel how vicious and difficult this quest was.

"Ahem, let me explain, my warriors. Witch Hunters aren't as weak as you think."

Murphy lowered his voice and filled them in on the basics of this world:

"The Old Church's Witch Hunters may be at a disadvantage against vampire warriors, but they've already stepped into the realm of supernatural power. These guys are chosen from childhood by the Old Church's regional councils and trained with various natural secret arts to become demon-hunting fighters. Their vitality and destructive power far exceed ordinary soldiers.

But even the most elite veterans of the Plantagenet Kingdom are still within the bounds of normal humans. What I mean is, the gap between you and those veterans is far smaller than the gap between you and a Witch Hunter."

"No wonder!"

Hearing this, Lumina Sunscar clapped her hands in sudden realization:

"I knew that Witch Hunter yesterday was off. Getting hit by a lead ball from a smoothbore musket at that range and only spitting blood—that's just unscientific.

For a normal person, one shot would've shattered their bones."

"Right, right, right!"

Brother Black Silk waved his hand and said:

"Meow Brother and I stabbed him with pitchforks for a good few minutes and still couldn't take down that one-armed old man. I knew his health bar was way too thick. Turns out he's a 'psychic-enhanced human' after all."

"But don't get too happy too soon."

Murphy poured cold water on them at just the right moment, narrowing his eyes:

"The Plantagenet Kingdom's escort soldiers are easy to deal with, but that powerful human nation doesn't just have soldiers. Their official psychic organization, the 'Tower of Rings,' has the largest number of psychics on the continent.

If this escort mission is as important as Lady Femis says, there's bound to be a psychic overseeing it.

And just like the Blood Eagle Clan helps the Bosia Confederacy hold off the Plantagenet Kingdom, there's another vampire faction lurking in the shadows on the enemy's side.

Those bastards are called the 'Wolfsbane' clan.

They're the lowest, most violent, most lawless bunch of scum in all vampire society. They can't soar through the skies like the Blood Eagles, but they're masters of close combat and can summon astral wolf packs to aid them in battle.

I've heard their chieftain, old Edward, has a secret pact with the Plantagenet front-line commander, General Loren. The Wolfsbane clan serves as his best scouts and assassins.

So I have good reason to believe we might run into those Wolfsbane thugs."

Murphy paused, looked around at the small-time players, and emphasized:

"So we can't fight them head-on—we have to outsmart them!

I repeat, my warriors, even though your otherworldly spirits won't truly die in this world, I won't use you as expendable cannon fodder.

I won't stake all our futures on the Blood Eagle Clan's selfish interests.

They're not worth it!

I've already seen your courage and strength. Now, I need your wisdom. Let's pool our ideas and find a tactic that minimizes our losses.

Is there a professional soldier among you? Or an experienced commander?"

"No, sir."

Meow Brother gave a mock salute, clearly trying to farm some goodwill, then stepped forward and whispered mysteriously to Murphy:

"But I have a professional friend back home with some military knowledge. Maybe I can ask him for advice."

"Us too."

Ge Bao and A-Cha exchanged glances and stepped forward:

"I also have a classmate in military school. I can ask too, sir. Leave it to us. We'll come up with a suitable plan before the operation starts."

"Excellent!"

Murphy nodded in satisfaction.

He actually had his own plan, but since this was a game, he had to consider the small-time players' experience. With two days left until they reached the Filthy Swamp, he decided to let them go all out.

He could also participate in real-time on the forum under another identity, letting them propose the action plan and carry it out themselves.

If he could win this, then his difficult Newbie Quest, the fifth ring, would be successfully completed.

"So, you may go prepare, my warriors."

Murphy waved his hand grandly and said:

"I'm already securing the best armor and weapons for you. I'll handle the logistics. Let me see the fire of your wisdom! In the name of the Grand Plan, we will complete this challenge!"

"For the Grand Plan!"

The ten small players shouted in unison, waving their hands, then agreed on a time with Murphy once more before vanishing from his sight in a dismissal summon.

Murphy bent down and picked up the scarlet cloak that had dropped from Niu Niu. With his hands clasped behind his back, he hummed a tune as he walked back to his carriage, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Murphy felt like he was being watched. He looked left and right but found no one. He replayed the sensation in his mind, pinpointing when it had started. After confirming that the watcher likely hadn't seen the players appear and disappear, he stopped worrying and quickly returned to his carriage.

This was a convoy of vampires and blood servants. It would be stranger if there weren't any of the young lady's eyes lurking about.

Toward these kin, Murphy had always maintained 200% vigilance.

After Murphy returned to his carriage, Lady Adele—cold-faced but with a figure that was, well, at least a D, possibly reaching an E—silently appeared in a patch of shadow at the edge of the woods.

Right near where Murphy had held his meeting with the players.

This human stalker, in the prime of her mature charm, professionally looked left and right, trying to find traces. But the cunning Murphy had already used a psychic shock to erase all evidence of the gathering before leaving. No amount of professional investigation could find anything useful.

The lady frowned and decided to record this discovery in her journal to report to Lady Femis tonight.

Murphy, this seemingly ordinary and unthreatening fringe member of the family, might have some issues. Her young lady must be on higher alert. Though, given the young lady's peculiar personality, she'd probably not care about it anyway.