Murphy easily found the underground black market in the rationing city and did some shopping. He spent every last bit of the large sum of money that had fallen into his hands for free, then brought a pile of supplies back to the manor.
The reason he didn't leave the money with Triss was simple.
That woman would definitely spend it all on alcohol, then rely on a vampire's exceptionally long endurance to fight off hunger while drinking herself into oblivion. She'd proudly told him she'd spent a full sixty years living that way.
Murphy strongly suspected that this was the main reason Triss was so weak.
She'd been such a pretty young woman, and now she'd practically starved herself stupid.
Triss was still resting upstairs, so Murphy didn't disturb the patient. He put the sliced bread and some canned food into the rattling mechanical refrigerator.
If Murphy remembered right, the clunky monstrosity in front of him was nicknamed the "Steam 800." Supposedly, it had been invented in Year 800 by a Shire halfling mechanic. It was a signature creation of this world's unique "steam machinery."
To be honest, Murphy could understand the principle of using steam to heat food, but how exactly did using steam to cool things work?
Of course, this wasn't the time to delve into the fantastical physics of another world and turn his brain into a pot of mush.
The unlucky vampire packed enough food for three days and a few odds and ends into his bag. Then he wrote down the recipe for a simple dish he'd made, with instructions so detailed that Triss could follow them as long as she hadn't drunk herself stupid.
At last, he pulled out his battered pocket watch and checked the time.
It was nearly dusk. He had to leave.
The windows behind Murphy were covered, leaving the room dim. He didn't bother lighting the gas lamp, which was older than he was. Instead, he walked slowly through the gloom and out of the place he'd called home for a month.
The vampires' punctuality was on full display.
As Murphy reached the gate, the sound of bells announced the arrival of a black carriage. It emerged from a small alley across the street and stopped in front of the manor.
It wasn't anything luxurious, just an ordinary four-wheeled carriage used by traveling merchants. Inside sat eight blood thralls, gaunt and vacant-eyed. Murphy frowned at the sight.
"Blood slaves" would probably be a better name for them.
They looked like seriously ill people who'd been kept in captivity and drained of blood for so long that they'd lost their wits. Forget going to war or carrying out a mission; it'd be a great success if they made it to dawn without dying in front of Murphy.
The driver was a fairly burly man whose hood hid his face. He was the only one among all the people that the "kind" clan leader's guard had assigned to Murphy who looked remotely capable.
Healthy, tall, and built like a mountain. He inspired a sense of security at a glance.
When he saw Murphy, the man greeted him at once.
"Greetings, Mr. Murphy. We're servants sent to support you by Lord Jade. The armor and weapons you requested are in the carriage. Shall we set off?"
"So that guard's name is Jade."
Murphy committed the name to memory.
The man had probably given him this "help" out of pity, but help was help. Murphy might be down on his luck, but he didn't owe anyone a favor.
If he made it back, he'd find a way to repay this kindness.
He nodded to the driver but didn't climb into the cramped carriage. Instead, he took the bag containing the armor and weapons from inside.
Then he sat beside the driver.
The view was good here, and there was plenty of fresh air. If danger showed up, he could make a run for it at the first opportunity.
"Let's go."
Murphy pulled his hood over his face and spoke to the driver, but the man didn't raise his whip. Instead, he said quietly,
"Sir, your elder is over there!"
"Hm?"
Murphy turned around in surprise. Triss, who'd been resting just moments ago, now stood barefoot by the garden at the edge of the shabby courtyard, a red cloak draped over her shoulders. She watched him silently, like a mother seeing her child off on a journey.
"Wait a moment."
Murphy told the driver, jumped down from the carriage, and hurried over to Triss. Frowning, he asked,
"Why did you come out without shoes?"
"So that's what you most wanted to say to me before leaving, little Murphy?"
Triss brushed back her long hair and rolled her eyes.
She shook her head, then reached out to adjust Murphy's hood and mask until they sat just right. As they stood close together, Triss looked him in the eye with an earnestness that startled him. Something unfamiliar flickered in her crimson gaze.
She patted him on the chest and whispered,
"Once you leave, don't come back! Take this chance to get out of Cadman City and leave Blood Eagle territory for good!
"Head north to the Kingdom of Nordtov and seek refuge with the Thorn Clan, or go south over the Dark Mountains to the Mist Coast and join the Blood Dread Fleet. You could even seek out the Blood Covenant Knights who patrol around the Dark Mountains.
"Wherever you go, it'll be far better than staying here! Just remember to avoid the thugs and ruffians of the Wolfsbane Clan.
"When you get there, find the clan leaders or elders and give them my name.
"I'll only say this once!
"My full name is Triss Cavendina Jia Loring Lasombra.
"Here in Cadman City, I'm just a useless nobody, forgotten and officially declared dead. But I still have some standing among the other clans. If the old men and women from my generation are still alive, they'll take you in.
"Little Murphy, listen carefully!
"The Blood Eagle Clan is beyond saving.
"We've violated the 'Veil Codex' that all vampires have been required to obey since the Blood Pilgrimage. We stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight and brazenly provoked a clash between civilization and kingdoms. Even the most tolerant Blood Covenant Knights won't help us now.
"And that's only the least of all our sins.
"Go, little Murphy.
"Don't pay any attention to that order. It's only meant to send you to your death."
Those words sounded nothing like something the drunken King of Cripples would say. Murphy was genuinely astonished. He stared at Triss.
She shook her head, telling him not to say anything more, then turned away without hesitation.
She gave Murphy no chance to ask questions.
Murphy turned her words over in his mind.
He watched Triss return to the main house, then climbed back into the carriage. Soon, the clatter of bells faded as it disappeared down the desolate evening street.
He could feel someone watching him from behind.
He knew Triss would be watching him leave from the balcony, and at that moment a pang of reluctance rose in his heart.
He'd only lived here for a month, but the experience had left a deep impression. After all, in his other world, he'd lived for more than thirty years without ever suffering this much!
And yet the reluctance was real.
Lady Triss was a truly unusual person, and her final warning seemed to cloak her in even more mystery, leaving Murphy unable to stop his mind from wandering. But leave?
What a joke!
He wasn't going to slink away like that!
If he had to run, he'd take Triss with him. He might be down on his luck in another world, but Murphy didn't owe anyone a favor!
On the balcony of the main house, Triss stood in the evening light, half-hidden in shadow. Her alluring eyes narrowed as her pale fingers, wrapped in a handkerchief beneath her cloak, curled into fists.
In the ruined courtyard, now empty but for her, she clenched her teeth and whispered,
"Did it really have to go this far, Salokdar? You deliberately gave the child the wrong summoning ritual and nearly killed him. Wasn't that enough? Now that he's managed to survive, you're sending him to his death again.
"You really won't allow me to have anyone close to me, will you? You filthy old dog. You're afraid I'll expose your sordid secret.
"But you've already crossed the line!
"I'm not going anywhere, Salokdar. I'm staying right here! I'll stay in the kennel where you keep me, and I'll watch you and your family fall with my own eyes.
"Heh.
"It won't be long now."
Once Murphy's carriage had vanished from Triss's night vision, she turned and dragged her increasingly cough-racked body back into the dim room. At once, she spotted the paper Murphy had left on the table, with its detailed "cooking guide."
The strange handwriting made Triss shake her head.
She remembered that when she'd found the boy on a snowy night more than a year ago, his handwriting hadn't been this terrible.
Sigh. Such a handsome young man, and he'd gone and messed himself up until he was stupid.
Triss, Triss, what a sinful woman you are.
She opened the rattling steam refrigerator and saw it packed with bread and half-prepared dishes. The child had probably bought all that food because he was afraid she'd starve herself to death.
The thought was both silly and warm. Triss rolled her eyes again, but the next moment, an indescribable loneliness overwhelmed her.
She should have been able to bear it!
She'd spent the past century living in isolation and madness.
She really should have been able to!
She was strong enough, and she wasn't some cowardly five-hundred-year-old!
She could have done all of it—if only she hadn't spent the past year or so relying on someone.
"Sigh. In the end, I'm alone again."
A long sigh.
It vanished into the shadows.
While Murphy rode off under the stars, carrying eight walking corpses in a carriage and heading out of Cadman City to his death, the same sort of "great adventure" was unfolding in another world.
In a university dorm room, five sworn brothers crowded around Ge Bao, who was holding a screwdriver and preparing to take apart the sleek, high-tech-looking black helmet in front of him.
Ge Bao was one of the two young players who'd just taken part in the first round of testing for the True Otherworld game. The other was Leading Pigeon.
That's right!
He was the short, lecherous guy who'd tried to take his pants off in front of Murphy and been stopped.
"Damn, where do I even start?"
The college senior, who'd worked his way up to become dorm head at such a young age and had an unlimited future ahead of him, looked from the screwdriver in his hand to the "game helmet" in the other.
He pursed his lips and said,
"There isn't even a screw hole. Do I really have to smash this thing open with a stick?"
"Tch, if you can't bear to take it apart, then quit pretending!"
The six roommates had lived together for four years. How could they not see what Ge Bao was really thinking? They teased him:
"We all understand how it feels to finally get your hands on something that looks awesome, good boy. We don't mind you playing with a motorcycle helmet, just don't keep bragging about playing some super-realistic game.
"All six of us filled out that weird game beta application at the same time, right?
"So how come you're the only one who got one?"
The chubby kid with glasses snorted. He pushed his glasses up with the rolling, churning motion of a washing machine and said in a tone that suggested he saw right through everything,
"So this is a prank you cooked up yourself, right? I knew that application page looked way too amateurish. If they really had mature virtual reality technology, how could they not even make a decent webpage?"
"Fuck! I'm telling the truth!"
After getting mocked again and again, Ge Bao could barely keep it together. He hugged his beloved black game helmet and shouted,
"If I'm lying, you can all bend me over tonight and I won't say a word!"
"???"
The other five brothers stared at one another, then stepped back in perfect unison to get away from the furious Ge Bao. One of them said nervously,
"Don't be like that, Ge Bao. We're always joking around about bending people over. Don't take it seriously. Of course, of course, we're not prejudiced against sexual minorities.
"Just don't wear your long johns inside out, and we can all still be brothers."
"Ungrateful wretches!"
The dorm head was furious. Amid his wicked sons' laughter, he grabbed a broom handle and waved it around, shouting,
"I'll beat the hell out of you little bastards!"
"Room 2149! You've got a package! Come downstairs and get it!"
Before Ge Bao could finish his tantrum, his phone rang. He answered and heard the delivery guy's voice. The man teased him,
"Do students at a prestigious university buy motorcycle helmets in bulk now? Is there some kind of discount if you order five?"
"Hey! It worked!"
Ge Bao grinned, hung up with a flourish, and ordered his good sons to go downstairs and collect the package.
A few minutes later, all six roommates stared at identical black helmets in their hands. The chubby kid with glasses swallowed and ran his hand over the helmet's unusual, matte-textured surface.
He said quietly,
"Damn, this is for real? I'm kind of scared. Ge Bao, tell us honestly, is that game really that awesome?"
"Obviously. I tried it. I'll just say one thing: you can take your pants off in the game! How awesome is that?"
"666! Let's get in there and see if we can rub one out in the game."
"Fuck, we've got a pervert here! Somebody call the cops!"
"Wait, this doesn't look right. Why does it say 'testing time to be determined'? And there isn't even a forum or anything. This thing doesn't have a label, either."
"It does! Look inside the helmet. It says the company is called Alpha. I've got to hand it to them, the name and logo are pretty stylish."
While the dorm mates carried on noisily, two middle-aged men in a spacious office in another city, thousands of miles away in the same country, stared wide-eyed at the black helmet they'd just unpacked.
They looked at each other.
"That weird domain-name website? The one Old Yang forwarded us the other day with the game test? Wasn't that website giving a 404?"
One of them touched the helmet as he asked. The other tipped back a drink, looking thoroughly annoyed, and waved his hand.
"Who cares? If it works, we'll play. If not, forget it. Damn, handing over the factory we spent half our lives building really pisses me off. Sure, I've got money now, but I'm still pissed!
"Fuck!
"I guess I'll spend the rest of my life eating, drinking, and waiting to die.
"I just heard from Old Yang. He called and said he went in and tried it out. Said the game was awesome and we should get in there and add him as a friend. Something like 'Meow-Mew,' and he said the game was just like real life.
"If it really is real, that'd actually be better.
"What are you doing, trying to reel us in?
"Come on.
"First, you owe us a penalty drink. Then we'll have another round."
Across the ocean, in a student apartment, a long-haired young woman who'd just finished slaving over her thesis and was utterly exhausted rubbed her head. She stared in confusion at the black helmet she'd just taken out of the box.
She rubbed her eyes and cried,
"Did I buy another weird thing? I've almost spent all my allowance for the month. How am I supposed to get by if this keeps up? Huh, this thing lights up?
"It's pretty comfortable to wear. Looks like it was custom-made.
"But can someone please tell me what the hell this thing is?"
Before you continue