Seeing Ed's helpless expression, Gray explained:
"Okay, I must have forgotten, but that's right. The battle between the two sides and the demon Blood Corpse has never stopped, but the Eternal Domain believes that the Blood Corpse should not be used as consumables, so there has always been a conflict between the two sides."
"That's quite considerate."
" The Eternal Domain believes that every Blood Corpse must be killed."
"... Very good, very equitable, this is true humanistic care."
Ed felt that everyone in the world was Master hellish jokes, and whenever he made a heartfelt remark, he would inevitably be choked back by it.
Gray didn't notice the change in his expression, and simply sighed before continuing:
"Because most people in the Graycast Corridor have undergone modification, they are not so afraid of the Blood Corpse infection. But the Eternal Domain... I'm not sure. Logically, they should also have their own methods to prevent infection, but their hostility towards the Blood Corpse might simply be a desire to exterminate them. After all, they are said to be quite traditional."
"So despite both sides expanding eastward, the border area remained a constant battleground."
"In fact, both sides have tried to tone it down recently, but unfortunately the effect is not obvious, and most of the time the situation remains deadlocked."
After listening to Gray's account, Ed actually had the idea of mediating the war between the two sides. After all, as part of the pan-human... or rather, pan-order faction, it was right to prioritize a heavy blow against such monstrous things as Blood Corpse.
But then, thinking about his current "vast" sphere of influence, encompassing a town and a barony, Ed felt that he had been dreaming too big a dream. Participating in the struggle between such powerful forces was like a clown making a scene, not even enough to provide amusement for everyone.
"So I encountered a small Corpse Tide on my way here, which is why I ended up like this."
Gray sighed:
"Although it only takes a few Blood Corpse to infect a nomadic tribe, I still don't understand where the original Blood Corpse came from."
Ed blurted out almost without thinking:
"If the information you provided earlier is true, then it means that the seal on one of the Grand Dukes has been breached, right?"
For Ed, who had read many similar fantasy works in his previous life, the Shattered the seal seemed to be a perfectly normal thing. After all, such things are like world records, which exist to be broken.
But as a native of another world, Gray's views are quite different.
Upon hearing Ed's theory of the seal Shattered, he almost immediately experienced a pupil dilation shock. Ed looked at the shocked merchant:
Is there anything strange about that?
Gray nodded:
"How could the seal be broken?"
Ed was momentarily speechless. He mentally reviewed his own logic, confirming that the problem didn't lie with him.
"Of course it's possible it could be broken. After all, if you could kill it, why would you choose to seal it?"
Gray nodded with a hint of doubt, as if trying to convince himself. Ed then asked:
"By the way, who was the person who sealed away the three vampire dukes? Are they still alive?"
"They were said to be two elven sealing Master, but no one has seen elves for the last seventy or eighty years; perhaps they've become extinct."
Gray's tone carried a hint of regret, while Ed seemed to have just remembered that there was an elven race in this world.
But ultimately, this is still a Western fantasy world disguised as chaos, and elves seem to be one of the must-eat items. I wonder if they are currently living in seclusion or have their own troubles...
It sounds like they were on the side of order at least seventy or eighty years ago; maybe we'll have a chance to meet them again or try to win them over in the future.
Ed looked at Gray:
"Let me double-check, there have never been any Blood Corpse in this area before, right?"
Gray nodded firmly:
"My master has been running this route for fifty years, and I've been running it for several years now, and I've never seen a single Blood Corpse."
"Now that the Blood Corpse have reappeared, it's only a matter of time before they arrive here."
Upon hearing this, Ed sighed, becoming even more certain of his guess.
Just like that wooden cabin monster that slowly rose from the ground, Ed always felt that wherever he and the lovely players went, landmines would be detonated prematurely.
However, this is also a good thing. If everything were so peaceful, many players who enjoy combat might get bored.
Now that the existence of the Blood Corpse has been confirmed...
Ed felt it was time to start the game's new main storyline.
I was just wondering what kind of limited-time event to arrange for the players. After all, last time it was about fighting in White Wax Town, and if we were to fight in other towns this time, it would inevitably lead to aesthetic fatigue.
Fortunately, the unknown Blood Corpse seemed to be able to solve the problem he was facing.
Since the previous Reclaim White Wax Town was an attack from the attacker's perspective, this defense against the Corpse Tide is a defensive operation.
With such a collaboration, those players... should like it, right?
But will the Blood Corpse really come?
Like traditional zombie apocalypse literature, without external interference, zombies should move around peacefully in one area, unless a "zombie king" appears. Of course, in this world, such a thing might be the so-called vampire grand duke.
The fact that Gray is still alive suggests that the Grand Duke has not yet recovered, or is still quite far away, which dispelled some of Ed's doubts.
Ed could certainly promise that as long as the Blood Corpse side did not use the Grand Duke first, he would not use Seraphina first either.
But what if Gray runs too far and gets out of the Blood Corpse ' olfactory range?
If they say the Blood Corpse is coming but it doesn't, wouldn't that be a repeat of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"?
Ed looked at Gray and asked the question that had been bothering him:
Are you sure the Blood Corpse will find this place?
Gray nodded firmly:
"Definitely."
"Why?"
Two reasons.
Gray said:
"When the number of Blood Corpse reaches a certain level, they will be drawn by some kind of life force and spontaneously move towards places rich in life. In this desolate wasteland and its surroundings, apart from those few nomadic tribes, only your place meets their needs."
Ed nodded:
"What's another reason?"
Gray looked a little embarrassed.
"I've killed quite a few Blood Corpse, and their soul imprints remain in my body, so it's only a matter of time before they arrive here."
Ed looked surprised upon hearing this:
"You mean, even after Blood Corpse dies, it leaves a mark on the killer?"
"... That's how it is. That's why people in the Graycast Corridor usually use automated machines to kill Blood Corpse instead of doing it themselves."
Gray nodded, Ed pressed further:
What is the effective duration of the tag?
The traveling merchant looked away awkwardly.
"Permanent."
Ed let out a low shout of excitement, while Gray assumed his hearing was impaired due to his serious injury, because he thought the young lord had shouted something like—
"Very good!"