"My lord, I think the rumors may be a little off."
Amid the city ruins shrouded by the astral shadow, Murphy and Maxim hurried through one silent street after another, heading for the clan's warehouse in the outer city.
As they traveled, Maxim gripped a spear and warily scanned their surroundings for ambushes. Then he quietly said to Murphy:
"Lady Triss doesn't seem to be quite as the rumors say. I mean, she's very forceful! Even more so than Lord Jade. After you rescued her from the city, it seems she regained the dignity she once had as an elder."
"I don't know what happened, but I'm sure Triss definitely doesn't like this city."
Murphy sighed.
"She sees it as a Bind. To put it bluntly, after seeing with our own eyes how badly Cadman City has been ravaged, Triss and I are probably the only two Blood Eagle members who feel relieved.
Does that make you uncomfortable?"
"No, my lord. I'm loyal to you, not the Blood Eagle Clan."
Maxim answered quietly:
"Actually, I didn't feel much happiness serving the Blood Eagle Clan either. I have to repay Lord Jade for his kindness, but aside from that, this family doesn't seem to have given me much else worth remembering."
"I'm the same, actually. No wonder we get along so well."
Murphy replied.
The two fell silent and said no more. They walked quickly, and after crossing an alley occupied by a group of astral salamanders that weren't actively attacking, they reached the site of the family warehouse Triss had marked.
It was underground.
Above ground, it had been disguised as the human fire station in Cadman City.
There were three other underground warehouses like it in the outer city. But aside from this one, which was relatively remote, the others were all in densely populated areas. They had surely already been occupied by fearspawn lurking in the astral shadow and predatory astral beasts.
Murphy planned to hand the remaining three warehouses over to the little players as "challenge locations."
The five players who had died tonight would be revived, giving him a total of sixteen people. Split into three groups, they'd be just right for some simple "dungeon testing."
"Looks like I'll have to recruit another batch."
As Maxim searched the wrecked fire station for the entrance to the underground passage, Murphy looked past a collapsed wall at the gloomy, dim surroundings and the strange sky overhead, still flickering with coiling violet light. He thought:
"I currently have forty people in total. There's no need to hold any more back; I'll send them all out at once.
Now that Cadman City has been dragged into the astral realm, these remaining ruins have plenty of places worth exploring. I don't have enough people to cover them, and there's also the beginner tutorial quest for the sixth ring.
That quest requires me to obtain my own territory.
I thought I could use the young lady's connections, but now there seems to be a better, though more difficult, choice.
The Blood Eagle Clan is beyond saving!
Though only ruins remain here, there are people, supplies, and even a 'monster spawn point' that will last for a long time. This might be the best 'starter village' I can find in the Transia region!
But I'll need to think carefully about how to run it."
Murphy pondered his next move, then logged into the forum.
In the application section, he saw a large number of test applications, but almost all of them had come through word of mouth from the existing little players.
True Otherworld hadn't done any promotion in the players' world, and Murphy had neither the intention nor the means to do so. He briefly reviewed the nearly eighty applications he had so far, then chose the twenty-four applicants with the best overall qualifications based on their test application results and sent them invitation codes.
That way, no later than twelve hours from now, a new batch of adorable little players would enter the ruins of Cadman City and serve as a "vanguard group" that dropped from the sky in times of crisis.
Oh, right!
To make all this look more like a game gradually opening up its official test, Murphy figured he should post a more formal announcement on the forum.
He'd do it after he finished with this underground warehouse!
"Lord Murphy! I found the entrance, but we need the blood of a Blood Eagle Clan member as a signal to get in."
Maxim's voice came from the records room in the ruins. Murphy hurried over. Behind a pushed-aside filing cabinet, he bit his finger and pressed a drop of blood onto the center of the dark-red spell formation on the wall.
With a series of clacks and a flicker of light, the passage to the underground opened.
He and his loyal servant went inside, one after the other.
This wasn't the family's actual treasury. No matter how far the Blood Eagle Clan, one of the seven great vampire clans, had fallen, its treasury couldn't possibly be this shabby.
This place was only used to store important but common supplies, so it had no constructs such as gargoyles or psionic sentries—the kind of "professional security" found across the continent.
The area below wasn't large, about the same size as the fire station above.
It was divided into separate rooms for different supplies, mostly raw materials for making weapons and armor, along with some finished products displayed in cabinets.
Murphy casually opened a cabinet and took out a vampire rapier decorated with blood-rose patterns to examine.
Item identification activated, and an information tag appeared:
Name: Guard's Warblade Quality: Fine Craftsmanship · Recruit Traits: Enhanced Sharpness · Enhanced Piercing · Durable · Treacherous Blood Groove (Can Be Poisoned) Requirements: Talent · One-Handed Weapon Mastery, Agility ≥ 6 Description: An elite weapon made by Blood Eagle Clan smiths especially for family recruits. Sharp and deadly, it's well suited to blood-servant soldiers who have mastered Blood Vulture Swordsmanship and advanced swordsmanship. This weapon has long held the top spot on the "Cadman City Finger Protection Association's" complaint list, because using it really does require a little skill.
Murphy took out another vampire-style one-handed hunting crossbow and examined it.
It was also a fine-crafted recruit weapon, which made him nod in satisfaction.
These weapons had been made with special traits. Their craftsmanship and materials were clearly far superior to the plain follower weapons the players were using.
They'd make perfect quest rewards or prizes for new gameplay.
In another room, Maxim found a whole crate of elite recruit armor that hadn't yet been painted, making Murphy even more pleased. Now that the Blood Eagle Clan was a thing of the past, he could paint the gear himself and draw a clean line between it and the clan's history.
He tossed Maxim four psionic packs and gestured for him to put the supplies inside, then continued exploring deeper into the warehouse.
The elder armor Triss had given him was fine-crafted, commander-grade advanced psionic armor. That meant Murphy would have a hard time finding any gear better than "Lady Triss's Original-Scent Elder Armor" for a long time. So his next goal was to find usable equipment for Maxim, Mirian, and Lady Adele.
The three of them were now Murphy's "three generals," and he had to arm them properly.
Triss had also said there might be advanced skill manuals in the warehouse, for the clan's elite to study. That was another important goal for Murphy.
Blood Vulture Swordsmanship was only a basic skill. He couldn't rely on it to lead the little players through their battles. Fortunately, the warehouse had no hidden rooms, so Murphy soon found the library. A few ancient-looking books sat on one of the shelves.
He took them down and leafed through them:
"Graveguard Manual," "Blood Torturer's Notes," "Nightstalker Codex · Volume One," "A Detailed Guide to the Art of Midnight Hunting"
These clearly copied books each represented one of the professional paths the Blood Eagle Clan had developed over its long history.
Murphy could tell they represented swordsmen, psionicists, assassins, and hunters. Of course, in this real world, professional divisions weren't so clear-cut or strict.
As long as they had the time and energy, even a swordsman could study psionic techniques.
But these books, which could be used for "class changes," would mean a lot to the little players. Murphy knew all too well how passionate the "build optimizers" were about researching game classes and strategies.
Perhaps he could translate some of the books and post them on the forum, to whet the appetites of those "spectator players" who'd passed the test application but hadn't yet received invitation codes.
Wait!
Why translate them himself?
Murphy blinked.
The little players had so much energy, and now they had calculation orbs. They could handle this themselves.
It would deepen their engagement with the game and keep them from getting bored and making trouble for him.
Two birds with one stone. What could be better?
"Heh heh."
Murphy chuckled in the dark warehouse, then put the precious skill books into his psionic pack. Holding the "Graveguard Manual," he kept reading as he continued searching for anything valuable.
A few minutes later, a new notification appeared:
New Skill Acquired · Advanced Swordsmanship · Graveguard Swordsmanship! Notice! This swordsmanship is a physical/dark psionic skill. Learning it requires a certain degree of psionic talent (Mind ≥ 5). This is an advanced skill of Blood Vulture Swordsmanship. The prerequisite for learning it is Master-level Blood Vulture Swordsmanship. The current proficiency cap for this swordsmanship is "Proficient." Once Graveguard Swordsmanship reaches "Proficient" and you craft a "Graveguard Badge," you may advance to the Blood Vulture Swordsman advanced class "Graveguard," unlocking new skill proficiency caps.
"Got it!"
Murphy let out a long breath.
He knew that Graveguards were a "unique unit" of the Blood Eagle Clan. They were versatile, able to attack and defend while drawing on dark psionics.
Of course, being versatile meant being mediocre at everything. But for a specialized class that combined physical and magical abilities, what more could you ask for?
The Graveguards also held a special position.
They were the elite of the Blood Eagle family. Lord Jade had probably been an outstanding Graveguard.
The other vampire clans also had their own distinctive units, which together covered all the paths of power on the continent. But they had no contact with one another.
That was what made them special as the Eternal Sinborn.
They could have been a powerful force if they'd united. Instead, for a thousand years, they'd all acted on their own, occasionally stirring up trouble for one another. The whole race seemed so neurotic you'd think they'd really been cursed by some nasty thing.
"My lord! I found something good!"
Maxim's excited shout came from behind Murphy.
When Murphy hurried over, he found that his loyal servant had discovered a secret compartment behind an emptied cabinet. Maxim had broken through the wall and dragged out two long, dust-covered cases.
"I learned this from your warriors. I've been watching them, and they always manage to find strange things in strange places."
Maxim stood nearby and whispered in a strange tone:
"I've spent so much time around them that this odd habit seems to have rubbed off on me."
"That's a good thing, Max. Looting is an essential skill for becoming strong."
Murphy chuckled.
Together, he and Maxim opened the cases. Inside was a whole set of vampire-style weapons, both long and short—more than thirty pieces in all.
There were all kinds, from common swords and shields to rare knuckle blades and flails.
They looked like a matched set, and the faint glow clinging to them in the darkness showed that they were all rare psionic weapons.
The vampire took out a sheathed longsword and drew it. Its gleaming blade flashed with a cold green light in the darkness, and its item tag appeared before Murphy:
Name: Ambition and Dreams · Warehouse Guard Mick's Battle Sword Quality: Fine Craftsmanship · Elite Veteran Traits: Extreme Sharpness · Enhanced Piercing · Enhanced Psionic Perception · Permanently Poisoned Maker: Blood Eagle Weapons Master Segur Description: Mick, a warehouse guard, was a vampire outsider with great ambitions. Though his talents were mediocre, he still longed to make a name for himself in the family. To that end, he secretly used the advantage of his job to stash away a set of psionic weapons meant for the family's personal guard captains. Mick planned to use his collection to win himself a chance to rise in the world! He kept preparing for that day until he was sent to scout the outskirts of the Dark Mountains. He brought every supply he could carry, but in his excitement, he forgot the weapons he'd hidden away. Oh, right. This happened a hundred and ten years ago.
Notice!
The "Elite" tag is a special item tag. It only appears on weapons and armor with a history of their own, far surpassing items of the same quality but not reaching the next quality tier.
Such items often have special "collectible value."
Other special tags include Shadow-forged/High-End Replica, True-forged/One of a Kind, All Show No Substance, Work of Art, and so on.
"What a sad story. Let's take a moment of silence for Mr. Mick and his great ambitions."
Murphy roasted him mercilessly in his mind.
The sword was still inferior to Triss's fine-crafted commander-grade Blade of the Desire Lineage, so he shook his head and tossed the poisoned sword to Maxim. He took a crimson poisoned hunting crossbow from the case, hung it at his waist, and stood up.
"These are yours. I don't need them.
Take a few out for Adele, and keep the rest for your collection. Also, I'll teach you a little trick for getting along with my warriors."
"Go ahead, my lord. I'll remember it."
Maxim happily stowed the two weapon cases in his psionic pack. Loving fine weapons was every warrior's nature, so as he listened carefully to Murphy's advice, he headed out of the warehouse.
Murphy patiently advised him:
"Once you become a vampire, you'll need your own followers, right? Why not start choosing the most talented members among my warriors now, then keep testing how their strength and skills improve?
Hmm, once every three days or once a week. Wait for them to challenge you to a spar.
If their progress meets your standards, give them these excellent weapons as a reward and as a token of their future follower contracts.
That way, you'll gain promising followers, and I'll get to see my warriors improve faster.
But there's one thing!
Max, don't go easy on them. Got it?
If it's a test, give it your all. You know they won't really die, so don't hold back. If they understand the risks and still accept the challenge, then even if they die by accident, it just means they weren't strong enough.
Trust me, my warriors love the feeling of challenging powerful enemies.
The stronger you are, the more they'll like you.
Here, take this 'Shadow Elf Family Secret Sword Art.'
I copied it last night. To help you memorize it, make thirty more copies for me.
If any warrior manages to beat you three times in a row, you might as well teach them this unique foreign sword art too. Just make sure you stay safe.
Wear your best armor!
Stop in time if you're about to lose. I don't want to lose my best assistant and friend for some ridiculous reason. And don't underestimate my warriors. They'll always come up with all sorts of weird ideas to snatch a win from you.
Outsmarting each other is fun too. At least, I think so."
"That does sound like a strict way to choose them, my lord."
Maxim nodded in strong agreement. He stroked the longsword at his waist, named "Ambition and Dreams," and said eagerly:
"If this is your will, I'd be more than happy to be your warriors' opponent!"
Walking through the darkness, Murphy grinned.
Hey, there was another unique gameplay feature! Want the best equipment available at this stage? Then come challenge the "strongest fighter" under my command, warriors!
And even if you can't beat him, it doesn't matter. There'll be more gameplay like this later. There's bound to be something everyone likes.
P.S. 1:
Thanks to "Huo Zheng Ting Hao" for the Silver Alliance! The extra chapter will count toward the launch-day chapter marathon! The current total is 20 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 20 = 55 extra chapters.
That's terrifying!
Today, there's only one chapter. Since every chapter is a hefty 4,000 words, I've been updating too quickly during the new-book period. While other novels are only at 100,000 words by this point, I'm already almost at 200,000. Once a novel reaches 200,000 words, it becomes ineligible for certain good recommendations, so my editor specifically asked me to keep the word count under control for the next couple of days.
So, there'll only be one chapter today and tomorrow. I'll probably return to two chapters a day the day after tomorrow, and once the novel is available for purchase, I'll post three chapters daily. Thanks, everyone, for your support and for following along!
Happy Qixi Festival, my brothers! May everyone find their perfect match~
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