He saw that it was a monstrous bird resembling both an eagle and a wyvern, its body as large as an enormous airport. Its wings and beak looked like solid iron, sharp beyond measure.
"First time seeing a Watcher?"
Suddenly, a man beside him struck up a conversation.
Che Quan coldly withdrew his gaze and looked toward the voice.
The man bore some resemblance to Chang Jianfeng, but he had a shifty, ratlike face. His eyes held none of Chang Jianfeng's warmth, only calculation and sleaziness.
Che Quan disliked him at first glance, and his expression grew even colder. When his blood-red eyes met the man's, the man involuntarily shuddered and dared not say another word.
Che Quan turned and left.
But he had no destination in mind.
His surroundings were no longer the same as they had been before his slumber.
All kinds of humans surrounded him.
Not a single fellow vampire was in sight.
Che Quan's red eyes, flecked with gold, and his slightly exposed fangs made him stand out among the crowd, drawing countless stares.
Many people stopped in their tracks upon seeing him, unable to resist murmuring in amazement.
"Is-is that him...?"
"The new player who led the clear of [Haunting]?"
"That's right! I heard he's a pureblood vampire noble with incredibly powerful abilities!"
"Oh my god, and he's so, so beautiful..."
Che Quan had heard such remarks endlessly since childhood, so they stirred nothing in him.
As he continued walking, an imposing glass building with an irregular shape suddenly came into view.
The sign above it read-Northern Player Reception Center.
Che Quan considered it, then stepped inside.
Only a scattering of people occupied the lobby. Two people dressed as receptionists, a man and a woman, stood behind the front desk.
As Che Quan approached, the male receptionist smiled and asked, "Hello. Have you just cleared your first instance?"
Usually, only beginners who had cleared their first instance and the occasional player needing to file an appeal or complaint came to the player reception center.
Che Quan gave a brief "Mm."
The male receptionist immediately offered him a booklet. "This is the beginner's guide. The game provides it free to new players."
Che Quan did not take it immediately. He lowered his eyes to examine it, then asked upon seeing the densely packed text, "Is there a simpler version?"
The male receptionist paused. "Yes, there's a digital version that can be transmitted directly into your mind, but... but it costs 100 points."
Most new players would not have that many points.
Beginners who cleared their first instance usually received only five to ten points.
But to the male receptionist's surprise, Che Quan said without batting an eye, "That's fine."
"???"
After buying the digital beginner's guide, Che Quan took another look around the player reception center and discovered that he could also file complaints.
So he took the opportunity to file both a complaint and a report against Jiang Cong.
The receptionist also told Che Quan how to get to the housing rental and sales center.
Day and night alternated here, too.
After dark, the danger outside increased severalfold. Many veteran players, no longer constrained by morality or law, deliberately sought out clueless newcomers to kill and rob, rapidly increasing their strength through plunder.
Che Quan was not worried about any of that. He simply needed somewhere to rest.
But when he arrived at the housing rental and sales center the receptionist had mentioned, his finely shaped brows drew into a deep frown.
What was this shabby dump?
A slum?
Che Quan coldly surveyed the uneven buildings before him, which looked like crumbling ruins, then turned to leave.
A voice suddenly called out behind him, trying to stop him. "Hey, don't go! Don't go. Take a look at the houses here. Good quality, low prices-a real bargain!"
Che Quan ignored it and kept walking in the opposite direction.
But the "person" behind him suddenly teleported in front of him. She was a woman with cunning written all over her face, wearing the enthusiastic smile of a salesperson. "What's the rush? The housing here really isn't expensive. Just three points gets you a whole month."
Che Quan remained unmoved and said without looking aside, "Move."
The woman paid no mind to his indifference, her smile still radiant. "Little player, if you don't choose this place, you'll be paying fifty or a hundred points a night elsewhere. But here~ fifty points will get you a whole year. Take my advice and don't waste your time. It's nearly dark, so just settle down here~"
Che Quan coldly raised his eyes at that and stared at her for a moment.
Then he took out 100 points and said, "Take me somewhere else."
The woman froze at his words, looking almost bewildered as she stood rooted to the spot.
Her habitual smile, both eager and sly, froze on her face as well.
She began to suspect that her hearing and eyesight had failed her at the same time.
"S-sorry, could you say that again?"
But Che Quan could not be bothered to repeat himself. He simply regarded her without emotion.
After taking two seconds to process it, the woman hastily nodded her agreement and accepted the undeniably enormous sum of 100 points as quickly as she could, her face once again wreathed in smiles.
"Of course! Absolutely. I'll take you to the most comfortable place right away!"
With that, she took out an item that appeared to be what had allowed her to teleport earlier.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please close your eyes."
Che Quan closed his eyes.
In an instant.
When he opened his eyes again, Che Quan had arrived somewhere completely different from the dilapidated slum.
Everything before him glittered with opulence, and the people coming and going all had luxury cars and expensive clothes.
The woman smiled ingratiatingly. "What do you think of this place? This is the most luxurious hotel in the north!"
Che Quan neither answered nor looked at her.
After stepping off the item, he headed straight toward the magnificent hotel, then stopped a short distance from the entrance.
His keen sense of smell immediately picked up an unpleasant scent inside, so pungent it stung his nose.
He turned away and told the woman to take him somewhere else.
Having earned so much today, she naturally complied with delight.
But they tried several places in succession, all among the north's finest hotels and mountain resorts, and none satisfied Che Quan.
In the end, the woman could only take him to the north's quietest and most expensive district of private courtyard residences.
Even from several hundred meters away, the woman kept swallowing at the sheer luxury emanating from the place.
"H-how about this one, boss? There's nothing wrong with it, except for one thing-it really is expensive..."
"How much?"
Che Quan asked casually as he surveyed the surroundings, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
The woman answered cautiously, "At least three digits' worth of points per night."
Che Quan gave her another 100 points and ordered, "Find one. I want to move in now."
The woman's eyes immediately lit up, as though she would gladly brave blades and fire for him. "Yes, yes, of course! I'll go right away."
The woman vanished in an instant. Expressionless, Che Quan closed his eyes to rest where he stood.
Suddenly, he caught a faint trace of a familiar scent.
Che Quan sniffed lightly.
The scent was very faint. Its source was probably some distance away, but not too far.
It was Jiang Cong.
Before you continue