Triss, who was riding on Murphy's back, had downed several bottles of liquor to numb the pain of her wounds during their escape. So by the time they reached the "safe zone" outside the city, she was still a little groggy.
After sensing the drop in astral energy, Triss struggled to open her eyes. She looked at the little players beside Murphy in confusion, then couldn't help asking:
"Little Murphy, who are these..."
"They're my servants. I'll explain everything later."
Murphy spoke softly to Triss, then reminded her:
"I'll have my assistant take you somewhere safer. Wait there and recover. Once I've dealt with the trouble here, I'll meet up with you."
Triss looked around.
She noticed the dazed survivors who had escaped the city and were now sobbing with their heads in their hands. She assumed Murphy was staying in this dangerous place because he wanted to rescue more people.
Triss was moved by the thought that her little Murphy really was a kind-hearted vampire. She didn't try to stop him, but refused to leave.
She told Murphy:
"I'm staying here. Don't rush to answer—hear me out! You know nothing about the dangers of the astral realm. I've seen a thing or two, and I can tell you that Cadman City's situation is extremely unusual.
"It's so unusual that nothing like it has happened anywhere on the continent in nearly a thousand years. You have no experience to draw on, Murphy.
"If you're going back into the city, you'll have to adapt as you go. As for my injuries... I'm a vampire, and you've just rescued all these people."
Triss blinked and said:
"It's only fair to ask them to pay a little 'blood tax,' isn't it? Don't worry, I only need a little blood to recover. At least I won't be a burden to you."
"This..."
Murphy could tell how determined Triss was. He hesitated, but didn't refuse. Instead, he entrusted her to Mirian, who helped her approach the survivors and collect her "rescue blood tax."
Commoners who had lived in Cadman City for a long time were used to vampires' demands. And now, when they had to rely on Murphy and his blood-servant army to survive, several young women were immediately pushed forward when Triss asked the virgins in the crowd to offer her their blood.
No one dared defy Triss at a time like this.
Taking the opportunity, Murphy also used Scout on his useless elder.
He wanted to satisfy a question that had been nagging at him: just how strong was Triss?
He hadn't forgotten that when he'd rescued her from the manor ruins, the corpse of a huge astral monster had been lying beside her. From its size and presence, it had looked like a powerful boss.
That was more than enough proof that Triss wasn't as useless as she seemed.
As soon as Murphy's Scout landed on Triss, she noticed it. She was holding a young woman and drawing blood to recover, but sharply turned around when she realized little Murphy was watching her. She gave him a friendly, seductive smile. With blood still staining her lips, she looked extraordinarily alluring.
Just like the blood-witch of legend.
The little players beside them were dumbstruck.
They had noticed this female vampire clinging to their NPC's shoulder and acting very close to Murphy. They had been speculating about the relationship between them.
But when they got a good look at her, every single one of them was captivated by Triss's mature, bewitching charm.
"Damn! This woman's way too seductive. That character model... I have a feeling the 3D section is about to get wild."
Meow Brother murmured in awe, and the other little players nodded.
As regulars in the 3D section and self-proclaimed "art connoisseurs," they agreed with his assessment. The only shame was that the terrible scar running down from Triss's neck badly marred the astonishing beauty she would otherwise have had.
Murphy also received detailed information about Triss. A translucent status label appeared beside her:
Name: Scarlet Witch Triss Caventina Jia Lorraine Lasombra
Rank: Level 40 · Golden Body · Common template, elite module lost due to depleted blood essence
Classes: Level 30 Psionic Overlord · Dark/Level 30 Alchemy Master/Historian · Theology specialization
Status: Soul weakened · Gravely wounded · Ominous aging
Character evaluation: Dangerous · Friendly, intimate, dependent
"?!"
Murphy's pupils contracted. Triss was a Gold-tier vampire? And both her classes sounded incredibly powerful.
No wonder she had once been an elder of the Blood Eagle Clan, and always called herself their most talented elder. When she got drunk, she would reminisce about her wonderful past, boasting about how she had mingled with all the big names among the vampires.
Murphy had thought it was just the idle fantasy of a low-class drunkard.
But from the little he'd learned about her identity, Triss probably hadn't been bragging. She really did have a mysterious past and a life full of secrets.
Still, the three severe debuffs in Triss's status made it clear how bad her condition was. She was nowhere near as strong as Qiaopan had been. Her actual combat strength probably didn't exceed the limit of a Black Iron-tier vampire.
Calling her a cripple wasn't exactly wrong.
The little players nearby took the opportunity to run over to Maxim, who was resting by the barricade, and quietly ask about Triss.
When they heard that this beautiful, sexy, alluring mature lady was the elder from Murphy's stories, the looks they exchanged grew even stranger, and they started whispering even more among themselves.
"No wonder our NPC charged into the city without a care for his life. He was keeping a beauty hidden away!"
"You guys don't get it. 'Elder' means parent in vampire culture, so Lady Triss is basically our NPC's mother.
"Don't get any weird ideas."
"What the hell do you know? They're not blood-related! At most, she's his adoptive mother. Damn, isn't this the hottest 'stepmom' trope right now?
"Our NPC looks all stern and respectable, but he's actually into some wild stuff."
"Not just that. I think this is the version with the Little Dragon Girl storyline: bound together by fate, inseparable in life and death, both teacher and mother, sister and wife! Slurp, slurp. The devs really know what they're doing! I'm shipping them. You do you."
The little players thought only they understood their dirty jokes, but they didn't notice Murphy's expression growing increasingly complicated.
Damn!
So you're the ones making all those lewd jokes, huh?
Fine. I'm writing your names down!
If I let you enjoy this game, then I, Murphy, will write my name backward!
Shipping everything really will only hurt you, you little idiots.
Murphy decided to teach the little players a lesson, while also giving himself a reasonable excuse for claiming the next "monster spawn point."
He rolled his eyes, pulled a large bag of silver coins he'd scavenged in the city from his psionic inventory, and tossed it at the little players' feet.
It was the reward for the first stage of their quest chain.
"Ahem. My warriors, you've seen the terrible state Cadman City is in. My elder tells me the city is being dragged into the mysterious and dangerous astral realm, and the process will take no more than a week."
Murphy put on an expression of painful indecision and said to his little players:
"In these circumstances, we should stay away. But there are still many innocent people in the city, and Lady Femis is missing. I can't make up my mind.
"So I'd like to ask for your wisdom.
"Should we stay here, do what little we can to help this doomed city, and risk searching for our friends?
"Or should we leave now in the name of safety?"
He looked at the players.
The little players immediately started chattering. They'd faced a similar question in the Smuggler's Woods, so they knew another branching-story choice was in front of them.
But this time, they decided much faster. They barely discussed it or hesitated before answering Murphy all at once:
"Of course we're staying! We're going to loot—uh, rescue people! This is a true warrior's quest."
"Exactly. We didn't come all this way just to take a lap around the city walls and leave. There are so many monsters here. It's a rare chance to go all out and level up."
"We want to contribute to your cause, Lord Murphy. If we retreat over a little difficulty like this, how will we carry out the grand plan later?"
Seeing that they were all in agreement, Murphy nodded, grinning to himself.
All right, you chose this yourselves. Don't go complaining on the forums later that I pushed you into a death trap!
"Excellent. You truly are the warriors I had in mind."
Murphy nodded.
He took a map of Cadman City from his psionic inventory, spread it out on a nearby rock, and—with Triss's help, now that she'd recovered a little after drinking blood—divided it into three zones. He then explained to the little players gathered around him:
"The outskirts of Cadman City are still relatively safe. Astral energy blankets the area in deep shadows, with foreign creatures from the astral realm lurking within, but they're not hard to deal with.
"Going into the city center means taking an enormous risk. An astral rift has opened there, and dangerous dimensional meteorites have crashed into the ground. Whatever's in there is beyond your ability to handle right now.
"So you can only operate in the outskirts. Don't cross that rift."
He emphasized:
"My elder, my servants, and I will guard this safe passage. Search for survivors as thoroughly as you can, and bring back any supplies we need. And you'll have to move fast!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the players' computing orbs gave a soft chime, signaling an update to their quest:
Prologue · Cadman City's Last Night
Quest Two: Day of Disaster!
Description: Warriors from another world have decided to rescue the innocent people of Cadman City before it's dragged into the astral realm, and have persuaded Murphy to help them. But you must act fast, as the situation is still getting worse.
Objective: Rescue the innocent and salvage various necessary supplies.
Requirements: Rescue at least 600 survivors. Each player must collect at least 200 pounds of food, medicine, ammunition, and valuable odds and ends.
Time limit: 72 hours.
Rewards: A number of Porsia gold coins and access to the next stage of the quest.
The little players who accepted the quest didn't waste time. They immediately set out in teams. Dormitory Six Bros and Niu Niu naturally grouped together, while Meow Brother and his two bodyguards went the other way, with Happy Rod as their "tagalong."
Clearly, even though the game had only just launched, different groups with distinct play styles had already formed among the little players.
"Any ideas about this quest?"
The Electronic Succubus came over and asked. Meow Brother thought for a moment, then said:
"Don't waste time searching the streets. Let's head into those fancy-looking houses. This game's environment isn't just a bunch of textures. In a realistic setting, the better the house, the more valuable the stuff inside.
"We can definitely find good gear hidden in places like that.
"We don't have as many people as the student group, so we can't compete with them on numbers. We'll focus on efficiency. Rod, what do you think?"
"You've already said it all. What do you expect me to add?"
Happy Rod rolled his eyes.
"We'll search this area and no farther. I'll find a high vantage point and keep watch while you loot. Remember to find a handcart or something. We can't carry much on our backs or in our hands.
"We split the profits evenly in the end?"
"Sounds good! Move out!"
Meow Brother waved his hand and led his two bodyguards toward the tallest, fanciest house on the street. They smashed the door open and charged inside.
Unlike their small group, which had a clear purpose, the student group had the advantage in numbers but no particular plan. They headed toward the city center along the main road.
They chatted and laughed along the way as if they were on a field trip, having a great time.
These guys might have been a little dumb, but they were genuinely reckless.
When Leading Pigeon suggested they go for a stroll by the dangerous astral rift, they quickly agreed. They crossed the collapsed buildings, picking up some coins and light supplies along the way, and soon reached the massive rift Murphy had explicitly forbidden them to cross.
"Wow, that's incredible! It's like a sinkhole!"
A-Cha gasped in amazement, and the other little players hurried to take pictures.
The huge rift, carved straight through the city by a dimensional meteorite, stretched nearly a hundred meters across. It wasn't just a dark pit below, either. Looking down from the edge, they could see what looked like a "galaxy" hidden inside.
They had no idea what the points of light were, but they glimmered with a mysterious violet radiance in the gloom, like dangerous radiation.
Cheche stood at the edge of the rift and peered down. He could also hear unsettling howls rising from below.
"This is definitely a high-level map!"
Cheche turned to his best friends and said with certainty:
"I bet we can't explore it until we're at least level 20."
"There are people! Look, there are people on the other side! Lots of them!"
Bionic Snail was short but sharp-eyed. He raised a hand and pointed.
All the students looked across at once. Through the swirling black smoke and sandstorm-like haze, they could just make out some stiff, oddly shaped figures wandering about.
A few seconds later, a dark shape shot out from among them. As the players watched in stunned silence, it streaked diagonally through the air and crashed down right in front of them.
"What the hell?"
The players jumped in fright, all retreating a step before forming a circle around it. Niu Niu, the bravest of them, stepped forward and prodded the mass of black smoke with his spear.
Once the smoke around it dissipated, they saw two people embracing like a mother and daughter. Niu Niu immediately cried out:
"It's the young lady! And her butler! Wait, wasn't the butler left in the carriage? How did she get here? They're both badly hurt!"
"Quick! We must have triggered a story event. Take them back to Lord Murphy!"
Leading Pigeon whistled smugly and said:
"See? I told you wandering around and exploring the map before doing a quest would pay off!"
Before you continue