But that's the problem. He had just asked Grand Duke Antos to log in and play for him a month ago, but the old knight Silvis had joined the expedition and arrived in Klaf City in the second half of last year.
What boss has been taking half a year to defeat and is still not finished?
Even the World of Warcraft raid doesn't have anything like this...
Moreover, regardless of whether the battle ended in victory or defeat, [ Howling Pothos ] felt there was a significant problem.
As is well known, just as players did with Oliver, Bennett, and Luoli before, the Blood Corpse's breaking of the seal is conditional.
The High Tier of the Blood Corpse, the later the seal will be broken. And due to the powerful sealing force of the two Short-Eared Elf, it is very difficult to break the seal from the outside by brute force.
Therefore, even players who want to capture a Blood Corpse with a title need to first break the seal with blood and then use various methods to capture it.
This is one of the reasons why players are so cautious about this; if you want to kill or capture Blood Corpse, you have to release them first.
However, if the situation cannot be handled after the release, the problem will become very serious.
Furthermore, there is a minimum amount of blood required to break the seal, which is to fill the seal runes completely.
If the blood volume is below this level, the seal cannot be broken.
Therefore, based on the information above, [ Howling Pothos ] believes that Silvis's answer is problematic.
Now that we have an expeditionary force, let's assume they can break the seal on Grand Duke Antos.
Regardless of how much blood was needed to break the seal of an ancestor, or where the expedition team obtained that blood from, let's not even consider the details.
Even if Grand Duke Antos is unsealed in his most Fragility form, the expedition's campaign will ultimately only have two possibilities: victory or defeat.
If the expedition team had won, Grand Duke Antos would have been dead by now, so naturally he wouldn't have logged in and played for him a month earlier.
Moreover, as a member of the same lineage who was personally transformed, Bennett could not possibly be unaware of Antos's death.
But if the expedition lost, how did Silvis survive?
The gaunt old knight in front of him looked to be at most Middle Tier Low Level knight, around level 30, but in the Grand Duke's eyes, he was just an ant.
Even assuming the victorious Grand Duke of Antos spared Silvis for some unknown reason, what did the Grand Duke do during those six months?
According to the encyclopedia and lore, vampires are known for their sinister and arrogant nature. [ Howling Pothos ] doesn't believe that a freed Grand Duke could escape without triggering a Corpse Tide within half a year.
That's why he asked the question, trying to get an answer from Silvis about whether the Grand Duke of Antos was still alive.
The answer doesn't have to be correct, but it must at least be logically consistent so that he can trust the old knight in front of him.
Upon hearing [ Howling Pothos's ] question, the pride that had been on Silvis's face vanished.
He said in a low voice:
"Alive, thriving deep within this city."
[ Howling Pothos ]'s expression also became very serious:
"You mean the expedition failed?"
"Yes, it failed."
Silvis openly acknowledged the defeat in the Eternal Domain:
"What army in the world is invincible? Temporary setbacks are acceptable."
What do you mean, no? I only know of an army that has never lost since its founding.
[ Howling Pothos ]'s expression became more serious, and his tone also carried a hint of accusation:
"Sir Silvis, now that the expedition to the Eternal Domain has been defeated, why are you still here? And why is Grand Duke Antos deep within this city without causing chaos throughout the world?"
Silvis sighed:
Good question, young man.
"In fact, I did not personally participate in that battle—unlike Xilǐ'er, I was not Knight of Conquest directly appointed by the Twin Kings, but a knight under a marquis."
"After we reached the outer edge of the seal, my lord, who was also the commander of the expedition, put me in charge of covering the rear."
"At that time, a large number of Blood Corpse of the Antos Lineage were constantly reviving, and someone was indeed needed to cover the rear. Otherwise, once Antos absorbed the flesh and blood of those Blood Corpse, everything would be irreversible."
"So I just watched them enter Antos's sealing chamber, and then someone blocked the door."
"What happened next was not something I witnessed firsthand, but rather my speculation."
"Guess?"
[ Howling Pothos ] continues to press for answers:
So, is the defeat just your guess?
"To be precise, it's an inference."
Instead of being annoyed by [ Howling Pothos's ] barrage of questions, Silvis began to recount his story earnestly, as if he had found a suitable confidant:
"The Grand Duke's sealed land has a very special structure. If they win, the stone door should open from the inside."
"They lost, so the stone door won't open?"
[ Howling Pothos ] retorted:
"To kill a titled Blood Corpse, you need to break its seal first, and then engage in battle, right? If the expedition loses, shouldn't what's left be an Antos has already broken free of the seal?"
"Yes, young man, you're right. The expedition did break Antos's seal. I even heard his hoarse, soul-piercing scream."
Silvis smiled at [ Howling Pothos ]:
"That is true for your forces, but the Eternal Domain is different. Don't forget, Eternity is the Authority of the Twin Kings. If the two lords wish, they can make the seal exist forever."
"My lord carried a sword blessed by the Twin Kings, a sword capable of resealing Antos."
"So you mean the expedition behind the stone gate failed, and your lord...?"
Silvis nodded:
"Yes, my lord must have died in battle, but before he died, he must have plunged that sword into Antos's body, which is why no sound has come from behind the stone gate since."
"I think that, apart from Antos who is sealed away, there should be no one alive behind that stone door anymore."
The old knight's tone carried a hint of sorrow:
"His Majesties' plans are always comprehensive. If the expedition fails to return to the Eternal Domain as scheduled, reinforcements will certainly be sent to support them."
"I killed many Blood Corpse in front of that stone door and waited for a long time, but there was no movement inside and no reinforcements outside."
"I think perhaps the reinforcements couldn't find the location of the sealing chamber, or perhaps there were too many Blood Corpse that revived along the way. After all, at least 100,000 Blood Corpse revived in this city the moment Antos broke free of the seal."
Hearing this, [ Howling Pothos ] couldn't help but feel genuine respect for the old knight before him, and he tentatively asked:
"So, you just kept killing Blood Corpse and monsters all the way here?"
"That's right."
Silvis nodded:
"I believe reinforcements will come."