Is this... a pet?
[ Soaring Clouds ] stared blankly at the contents of the semi-transparent text box, standing there in a daze.
Ed's reward was indeed beyond his expectations. He opened the small cloth bag and roughly counted the seeds. There were about twenty seeds, while his team, including himself, only had sixteen or seventeen people.
In other words, even if everyone receives one seed, there will still be some left over. These surplus seeds will become limited-edition items for a period of time.
Once the Vine Dog is cultivated, he can submit his work to the "Rare Things in the World of Disorder" section. At that time, he will not only be envied and hated by others, but also raise the profile of his studio to a new level.
However, on the other hand, he now owns a vampire count; could that also qualify him for the competition for the most valuable item?
Lost in thought, the unsettled Soaring Clouds bid farewell to Ed and returned to the outskirts of Valhalla.
"Boss!"
Several Soaring Sky Studio players came forward to greet him warmly. [ Soaring Clouds ] glanced at them and found that, apart from those who were assigned to gold farming tasks, all of his subordinates were waiting outside the cabin.
Why are you all outside?
[ Soaring Clouds ] asked in confusion:
" Luoli's been left unattended; I hope nothing bad happens to him."
One player explained:
"It was Brother [ Do Some Farm Work ] who sent us out. He said Bennett was going to give Luoli one-on-one professional coaching, and he was worried that there would be too many people and he'd get nervous."
"Oh, so that means [ the Do Some Farm Work ] are still included?"
Upon learning of this, [ Soaring Clouds ] was not so panicked. After all, Farm Work farmhand was considered a top-tier player. Although he was unlikely to defeat two vampire counts, he could still maintain order. At most, if problems arose, he could call on Ling Xiao for support.
Just as he was thinking this, a loud shout came from inside the house.
Everyone tensed up instantly, ready to rush into the house and drag the Blood Corpse Counts back.
However, as the sound reached everyone's ears, everyone became puzzled again.
That was Bennett's old, hoarse voice:
"No, that's not how it works in the Prisoner of Souls game. You should first insult the Soul Returner, then get hit with 'Aaaaaaah!' which triggers a defeat CG, then hold on tight and refuse to give in, get hit with 'Aaaaaaah!' again which triggers another defeat CG, and finally, under immense external pressure, you'll have no choice but to surrender and work for them, triggering a corruption CG. Why did you swear allegiance right from the start? That's not how it works in the Prisoner of Souls game!"
This was the first time Soaring Clouds had heard Bennett speak so much. He had thought that the old man had lost his ability to speak, but it turned out that not only was his language ability still there, but even his lung capacity was still very healthy.
And what exactly was he saying?
If [ Soaring Clouds ] hadn't been familiar with the voice, he would have almost thought it was a player speaking.
Although Bennett spent several months studying in the Great Labyrinth City with the players, she's been thoroughly "marinated" (i. e., thoroughly seasoned).
Also, why does his voice sound so vulnerable?
Could it be that...
As everyone was puzzled, Luoli's voice rang out. Although both were old men, he seemed to be in slightly better spirits than Bennett, and his voice sounded a little younger. The difference between the two was roughly that of an eighty-year-old and a sixty-year-old.
The conversation between the two continued, and Luoli quickly responded to Bennett's discomposure:
"Why do this? Senior Bennett, instead of suffering so much, why don't I just skip to the final step and serve the Soul Returner faithfully?"
"No, no way! You spineless coward, how could you abandon the glory of the Adelaide Lineage so quickly? Do you even know what loyalty is?!"
"Of course I don't understand, Senior Bennett. You heard me reminiscing just now. If I understood what loyalty was, there would be no Luoli Adelaide."
"The Grand Duke of Adelaide must be blind to have included a traitor like you in his lineage!"
"Grand Duke Antos is no less impressive..."
"I'm not like you; I've been through a lot of cruelty..."
"But didn't you still surrender, 'senpai'?"
"This is different! It's so different! I've held on for so long, but I just can't keep going..."
Bennett's voice trembled slightly, as if he were some great and loyal subject.
Standing behind him, maintaining basic order, [ Do Some Farm Work ] thoughtfully raised his finger and gently tapped the wheelchair handle.
Bennett was indeed too foolish; he spent his entire life doing this thankless and exhausting thing.
When he was human, he neither resisted to the end nor surrendered immediately, but chose to give up after holding out for a while.
After being captured as Blood Corpse, he neither remained defiant nor immediately surrendered. Instead, he was electrocuted for several days before finally submitting.
That's just his personality: irritable, frivolous, and indecisive.
His life was also burdened by his own personality, causing him to suffer a great deal of hardship for no reason.
In contrast, Luoli's ability to assess situations is undeniably strong, befitting a vampire count who climbed his way up from the bottom.
In the ten minutes or so of their conversation, Luoli had gained a very clear understanding of the current situation. He knew exactly what the Soul Returner wanted to do by capturing him alive.
Even in an attempt to flatter him, his tone gradually shifted towards the subtly influenced manner of Bennett, demonstrating his exceptional learning ability.
At first, Bennett was the one putting on airs and instructing Luoli, but it quickly turned into a balance of power, and in the last few minutes, there has been a trend of reversal.
I believe it won't be long before Luoli becomes the most loyal servant of that Soul Returner, and as for Bennett...
He should just go back to being his new energy engine chief.
It's only natural that Bennett, who was pretending to be reserved, would feel his defenses crumble when faced with such a flexible junior.
Just then, Bennett slowly turned his head, two streams of murky tears hanging on his face, making him look quite comical.
He looked at [ the Do Some Farm Work ] and almost pleaded:
"Lord Soul Returner, you heard it with your own ears. He said he has no loyalty whatsoever. Can such a man still be trusted?"
[ Do Some Farm Work ] paused for a moment, looking at Bennett with some disbelief:
You don't actually believe there's any trust between us, do you?
His expression gradually became subtle:
"For us, loyalty is useless, and disloyalty is unimportant..."
Bennett looked aggrieved:
"Then what is important?"
[ On the Do Some Farm Work ] pulled down the lever, and said amidst a spasm and trembling:
"Having everything under control is the most important thing."