The Day the Blood Vultures Fall

Chapter 42: The Day the Blood Vultures' Nest Fell

While the little players were taking action, the NPC group was also carrying out their own tasks.

Mirian, along with nearly a hundred people rescued by Murphy, was heading towards a safer area outside the city. Murphy had asked them to establish a temporary base there and discuss distribution once the little players brought back enough supplies.

He had considered sending Maxim to help maintain order, but Mirian stated she could handle it alone.

The young woman knew the situation was urgent, and her major was in administration, specializing in the art of management and governance. She saw this as a great "internship opportunity." Moreover, her current identity as a "Murphy Blood Servant" was enough to intimidate the commoners who had long been ruled by vampires.

After she left with the group, the safe passage by the city wall ruins suddenly became empty. Murphy and Maxim took over the little players' monster grinding spot, continuously clearing out the twisted creatures crawling out from the shadows.

Triss, resting nearby, occasionally cast a few Psionic Spells to clear the area while explaining the origin of these creatures to the two rookies.

"These aren't Astral Creatures.

They are merely aggregations of corrupted Astral Energy in the Material World, attracted by the fear and various emotions of the living in this city, thus forming strange entities. You could say they represent the invisible dark thoughts within this city. Just looking at the sheer number of them tells you how much sin Cadman City has buried.

The number of actual Astral Beasts present in the city now is far less than you might imagine."

Triss said, closing her eyes to rest:

"In countless legends about the Astral Plane, it's not a place suitable for survival. Therefore, any monsters thrown into the Material World have their own unique skills, and you must not underestimate them. The Astral Energy has already seeped deep beneath the surface of this land. Until it's depleted, similar Despair Derivatives will continue to appear endlessly.

With so many deaths this time, the lingering pain will make their souls restless. Later, we can expect troublesome things like Wrathful Spirit graveyards and Ghoul nests to appear."

"But how did this happen?"

Maxim, while slaughtering the Despair Derivatives before him with Blood Vulture Swordsmanship, asked Triss respectfully:

"Madam Triss, why has Cadman City encountered such misfortune?"

"Enemy attack, of course!"

Triss glanced at Maxim, then at her Little Murphy.

She could sense a Psionic imprint from another vampire on Maxim, indicating that this robust Blood Servant belonged to someone else. However, he showed Murphy such respect, as if serving a Progenitor, making it easy to guess that Little Murphy must have ulterior motives.

Triss didn't intend to get involved in such matters. However, due to Murphy's presence, her attitude towards Maxim was also good, and she proceeded to explain:

"An Astral Rift of this magnitude could absolutely not be a natural phenomenon. I have lived for five hundred years, and I can tell you with certainty that the largest Astral fluctuations in the past were at most the engulfment of unfortunate villages. An encounter like Cadman City's must have involved Psionic Masters who calculated this area's coordinates in the Astral Plane beforehand!

They used some kind of large-scale ritual to temporarily rupture the separation between this area and the Astral Plane, thus triggering this disaster.

But..."

Triss hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke directly:

"There's a traitor in the city!"

"Hmm?"

Murphy swiftly dispatched the Despair Derivative lunging at him with a few sword strikes, then flicked his hand, unleashing a large-area Psionic blast at the street corner ahead, shattering the Astral shadows there.

This precise and fatal attack successfully leveled his Psionic Apprentice profession to level 8, while his Blood Vulture Swordsman level reached 9, indicating his understanding of Blood Vulture Swordsmanship was progressing from "Proficient" towards "Master."

He glanced at his own experience bar, which was also at level 9. He was just one step away from activating the Silver Trial and breaking free from the Professional tier.

"What do you mean, there's a traitor in the city?"

The vampire retreated a few steps, yielding the "monster grinding spot" to his loyal servant, and returned to Triss's side, asking in a low voice:

"Did you sense something?"

"Does this even need sensing?"

Triss rolled her eyes, pulled out a small bottle of wine, and took a sip. She said to Murphy:

"To open an Astral Rift so precisely, a super-large ritual alone isn't enough. Little Murphy, they needed a guiding coordinate. This means that when the Astral Rift opened, there must have been one or more traitors within Cadman City guiding the ritual's direction.

Furthermore, the 'Nocturne' Psionic Great Barrier that the Blood Vulture Clan established in Cadman City over 400 years did not activate when danger arrived. This in itself explains the problem.

The Blood Vulture Clan, led by Salokdar, is already riddled with holes! Even without this attack, it would have been destroyed by these traitors sooner or later.

Disaster was inevitable; it would have just come in a different form.

But if you want me to name the mastermind, I'd tell you that in the human world, only the Ring Tower has the capability to perform such a super-large ritual. And the only ones who could develop spies in a place ruled by vampires would be our compatriots in the night, so..."

Triss reached out and touched Murphy's cheek.

She glanced at the fierce yet obedient Astral Wolf behind Murphy and said softly:

"Wolfsbane! It must be them. You've had contact with them, right? This Wolf Bat power, is it a 'trophy' you obtained?"

"Mm, I took down a troublesome Wolfsbane punk."

Murphy didn't hide his battle. He recounted his fight with Jovan to Triss. After listening, she tilted her head in thought and said:

"Scion of Corando? I haven't heard of anyone named Corando in the Wolfsbane Clan. Perhaps a recent rise, not worth noting. But my Little Murphy is truly amazing. Without me giving you true Bloodkin power, you could still defeat a Wolfsbane Warrior who had activated the Silver Trial."

Triss pinched Murphy's cheek, smiling sweetly.

"I really underestimated you. But what about those 'Blood Servants' of yours? I can sense they don't have a true physical form in the Material World. So, are they your Summons?"

Triss's immediate recognition of the little players' true nature didn't surprise Murphy. She was a level 30 Psionic Master! Although she lacked power, her insight was clearly still sharp.

So, Murphy presented the explanation he had prepared long ago. He said in a low voice, with a hint of nostalgia:

"Remember that failed summoning that almost killed you and me? It wasn't a failure, Triss. That ritual, in my near-death state, established a connection with another realm. I was granted certain knowledge."

After I recovered, I tried summoning creatures from that world, which is how I got my warriors.

But this is a secret, so..."

"So you need to hide them better!"

Triss said seriously to Murphy:

"This is your unique secret technique, and no one else should be able to figure out the principles. You must disguise your Otherworld Warriors more, so that people can't see through them at a glance."

"I already have an idea about that."

Murphy told Triss the method he got from the Young Miss, but his Progenitor scoffed at it.

She tilted her delicate, upturned nose and said dismissively:

"What does that slightly talented little girl Fimis know about the true meaning of psionics? A Trickster, how laughable! Don't deal with those Evil Creatures. I have a simpler method.

Steal from the family's underground warehouse in the outer city..."

"Ah, you don't need to steal anymore. Go and openly take some Mithril Bars. I also need a set of Alchemist tools; they should be there too."

Triss gave a charming smile and stretched again. Then she flicked Murphy's nose and said:

"I'll help my Little Murphy solve this problem, but you need to keep your distance from Fimis from now on, understand? That little girl... has some terrifying shadows about her. I don't want you to get pulled into that vortex."

Triss spoke very seriously. Murphy had many questions, but he didn't rush to ask. He took out a calculation orb and handed it to Triss, saying:

"You can use this to communicate with my warriors. You can give them some errand tasks. They are full of curiosity about this world and are very motivated. If used well, they will become the best assistants, the fiercest soldiers, and the most insane butchers."

Triss took the calculation orb.

But she kept staring into Murphy's eyes until Murphy felt a bit uncomfortable. Only then did she look away and sigh:

"You've changed, Little Murphy. Perhaps this journey on the brink of life and death has made you discover more hidden thoughts in your heart. I don't know if this is a good thing. We vampires live in darkness, and it's very easy for us to fall into the abyss. I've seen too many such things in my life.

Even myself..."

She touched the terrible wound on her neck, signifying her worry about the changes in Murphy.

"But you'll pull me back, right?"

Murphy took Triss's cold hand and joked:

"Before I do anything terrible, you'll pull me back and never give up on me, right? You're my Progenitor; it's your responsibility to guide my future."

"Alright, I will."

This rhetorical question made Triss pause for a moment, and then she broke into a bright smile, teasing:

"After all, I owe you a life, Little Murphy. Until this debt is repaid, I have to take good care of you. Your warriors are back. They seem to have brought back something very interesting."

Murphy immediately stood up and looked towards the end of the safety passage.

Chen Dian Niu Niu, who had rushed back, was dragging a cart from somewhere, piled with messy supplies, and two unconscious individuals lay on it.

"It's the Young Miss! Lord Murphy, we found her and her butler by the Astral Rift."

Niu Niu reported loudly:

"Ge Bao also found a basement full of people on the other side of the street. We're rescuing them, but the black snow in the city is getting heavier, and those invisible monsters are becoming more frantic."

"Be careful, and don't go too deep into the city for now," Murphy instructed. After Niu Niu left, he bent down to look at the Young Miss and Madam Adele on the cart.

The two of them were covered in wounds, as if they had been bitten by some dangerous beast. Such injuries were not fatal to vampires, but they were still in a deep coma.

Murphy reached out with his psionic-infused finger and patted the Young Miss's cheek hard, but he still couldn't wake her.

"They inhaled too much of the violent Astral Psionics."

Triss came over, arms crossed, and took a glance before identifying the problem. She said to Murphy:

"That raw and foul psionics, unfiltered by the Material World, interfered with their minds, trapping their spirits in astral nightmares... Wait!

This scantily clad Half-Elf is your offspring?

Why did you choose her?"

Triss looked unhappily at the unconscious Madam Adele, scanning her up and down, and said coldly:

"As your offspring, to get injured like this saving another vampire, that's too disloyal, Murphy. You need to discipline her well.

Teach her what are the traditional virtues of a vampire, teach her who her master is.

An outsider running around without knowing who her master is, like a stray dog, needs to be hit hard on the head!"

"Madam Adele's situation is complicated, Triss. It's not something that can be explained in a few words."

Triss's sudden harshness made Murphy feel that this matter was related to him, but he decisively chose to play dumb. He briefly explained Madam Adele's relationship with the Young Miss. Upon hearing that this disloyal Bloodline had saved Murphy from the clutches of a Wolfsbane Warrior, Triss's expression softened slightly.

She stepped forward to check on the two, shaking her head:

"They need sufficient mental stimulation to wake up. You go and busy yourself; I'll handle these two. Also, your Blood Vulture Swordsmanship has reached a high level. There's no need to waste too much time on this basic swordsmanship anymore.

There should be advanced swordsmanship and other useful items in Family Warehouse #3. I've already marked the location on the map. You can take Maxim and go look for it.

And bring back some Mithril Bars while you're at it."

"Go!"

"Don't worry about me. I'm weak, but those Despair Derivatives still can't hurt me."

"Mm."

Murphy nodded and gestured to Maxim. The two of them followed the markings Triss had made on the map, heading through the ruins towards the underground secret vault hidden by the Blood Vulture Clan.

After the two of them left, Triss's expression suddenly turned cold.

She stared intently at the unconscious Young Miss Fimis before her. The nails on her left hand, entwined with crimson energy, elongated into sharp claws carved with scarlet patterns. She brought them to Fimis's neck.

Perhaps a gentle scratch would be enough.

"Spawn of Salokdar, you source of all evil!"

Triss whispered with utter disgust:

"Stay away from my Little Murphy! You ill-omened thing."

Snap

Triss ultimately didn't plunge her claws into Fimis's neck. Instead, she flicked her wrist, delivering several Psionic Big Fights to Fimis and Madam Adele.

As a Psionic Master, her actions were naturally extraordinary. Although her absolute strength was greatly diminished, Triss's exquisite control over psionics allowed her to inflict a brief but intensely stimulating mental shock on the two ladies. They woke up a few seconds later, clutching their chests and letting out a cry as they vomited.

Mixed in with the blood were pulsating wisps of black smoke that writhed like insects in the gore, twisting into bizarre shapes that looked eerie and mad.

"Speak,"

Triss said, her face cold, arms crossed, addressing the weak and disheveled Young Miss.

"What happened in the inner city?"

Before the Young Miss could speak, Madam Adele rose first, intending to help her up. Triss glared at her fiercely.

As Murphy's Progenitor, although she couldn't directly control the bloodline of her bloodline beyond Murphy, the inherited bloodline that traced back to him still gave her the power to suppress Madam Adele.

"Get aside! Clean up those Despair Derivatives."

Triss commanded icily:

"We'll talk about 'conduct' as a bloodline later, you impolite creature!"

Madam Adele didn't know why she couldn't muster any resistance in front of this weakened vampire, but she knew that staying here wouldn't help the Young Miss.

Under Triss's stern and critical gaze, she could only sway her hips, pick up the weapons on the ground, and silently walk towards the passage.

The Young Miss, seemingly stimulated by the encounter, finally came back to her senses. She looked at Triss, the notorious "family good-for-nothing." In the past, they hadn't interacted much, but at this moment, she showed a weak and desperate expression before Triss.

She said mournfully:

"A Dimensional Meteorite smashed through Blood Vulture Castle. Black Filthy Fire is everywhere. Although I didn't go deep into the Blood Vulture Corridor, I can feel that our Holy Pool has been polluted. No new clan members will be born, and the family's elites have all perished here.

They were invaded and corrupted by Astral Power, turning into monstrous Blood Vultures.

The Blood Vultures are finished."

"Tch."

Triss scoffed at this. She played with her black hair and said coldly:

"Isn't that better?

But I don't want to talk about that now. Little girl, let's talk about what's inside your body. You've actually guessed some of the truth. You risked entering the Blood Vulture Corridor just now to find answers, right?

But are you sure you're ready to face the truth?"