The Invitation

It was getting late.

As the sun set, its crimson rays painted the sky and earth, bathing the world in a red glow. The girl wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to look towards home. It was dinnertime, and the aroma of food wafted on the breeze. Food must be prepared at home, waiting for her. Thinking this, the girl chuckled softly. She waved her cane, urging her sheepdog to lead the flock home. Just then, a dark figure darted out from the edge of the woods, catching her attention.

It was a beautiful black cat, crouching not far from the edge of the grass, watching the girl and the sheep with a lazy expression. And when the girl turned around, it opened its small mouth and yawned, flicked its tail, and wiggled its paws, seemingly basking in the last rays of the sun in boredom and leisure.

"What an adorable kitten!"

The girl immediately laughed. She turned and walked towards the black cat, stretching out her hands. In her eyes, the cat was so small, and the woods were clearly too dangerous for it. It seemed like a poor little thing that had been abandoned by someone.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take you home."

Unlike the girl's gentle smile, the sheepdog beside her stared intently at the cat. Its instincts, beyond human perception, made it feel the danger before it. To the sheepdog, the kitten was anything but cute; on the contrary, it exuded a dangerous aura. So, the sheepdog immediately growled softly, warning its owner not to approach the frightening cat.

"Jack, don't shout, you'll scare it!"

Noticing her sheepdog barking loudly, the girl turned around angrily to scold it. Just as she turned, the cat suddenly looked at the sheepdog that was barking at it, a faint red light flashing in its eyes. The sheepdog's fierce barking abruptly stopped; it quickly retreated, tucking its tail between its legs, and lay flat on the ground, its eyes filled with fear and terror.

"Jack?"

The girl was surprised that her dog was so obedient today, but just as she was about to check on her beloved pet, the black cat suddenly leaped up and quickly disappeared into the woods.

"Ah! Don't run away!"

Acting purely on instinct, the girl hurriedly followed the kitten into the dark woods. Completely absorbed in the kitten, she didn't notice that her ever-present sheepdog was pawing the ground, tail tucked between its legs, trembling with fear, staring at the gloomy grove that grew increasingly cold with the approaching darkness.

The grove was dark and even somewhat hazy. The red glow of the setting sun pierced through the gaps, giving the entire grove an eerie atmosphere. When the girl came to her senses, she had already wandered deep into the woods. She looked around blankly, feeling a little scared for the first time. But soon, a soft meow caught her attention again. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a cute little black cat lying on a rock, meowing at her curiously and friendly.

Is this your home?

The girl slowly walked up to the kitten and reached out to stroke its head. The kitten seemed to enjoy the touch, closing its eyes and softening its meows—then, the kitten suddenly lunged forward and bit the girl's wrist.

"Why?"

A slight stinging pain shot through her, and the girl's eyes widened in surprise. But in the next instant, darkness overwhelmed her will, and soon, she knew nothing more...

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Angela stood up, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the slight bloodstains from the corner of her mouth. With a satisfied smile, she looked at the shepherd girl who had fainted on the ground, a trace of blood still remaining on her neck.

"While the blood of those wealthy young ladies in the city is also good, the blood of virgins, naturally grown, has a unique flavor..."

As she muttered to herself, Angela's expression darkened slightly as she gazed into the shadowy depths of the woods.

"Besides, what are you doing here? I never intended to invite you to dine with me."

Don't worry about me.

With that leisurely sound, Kalin's slender figure jumped down from above, landing softly and without making a sound.

"I've never seen Vampire Species feed before, so can't I come and observe out of curiosity?"

"A lady's dining is not for show, you ignorant fool."

Angela put away her handkerchief and stared at the elf before her with a cold expression.

"Oh dear, don't worry about it so much. Isn't having a broad mind a sign of good manners?"

As she spoke, Kalin scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, while casually sweeping her sharp, eagle-like eyes over Angela's barely noticeable breasts, which were barely visible against her gorgeous attire.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"... I really don't know why my master would make something as tasteless as you."

Angela's eyes glowed red, and perhaps because she had eaten, her tone was slightly softer.

"If you were even one-thousandth as good as Sister Nia, you wouldn't have disgraced your master."

"That bookworm? Forget about it."

Kalin waved her hand helplessly.

"If I were like her, I'd be in trouble. So many books, I'd get a headache just reading one. Besides, you're not right to talk about me like that, little one. After all, I'm one of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, so talking about me like that is the same as talking about you, isn't it?"

"What does this have to do with the master?"

Angela frowned slightly, and Kalin's movements stopped for a moment.

"Oh, is that so? Little one, you haven't heard? Never mind then, pretend I didn't say anything... Anyway, you're just like me. Isn't it said that like father, like son?"

"I don't think so."

Angela snapped her fan shut, and then hundreds of bats flew out of the darkness and surrounded her.

"A failure like you should have been abandoned by your master long ago. Your existence only makes others question your master's taste. If you have any shame, you should end your own life as soon as possible."

With a cold, final remark, Angela's figure vanished into the darkness.

"Wow, as usual, such a vehement statement. The little one has such a cute face, but the things he says are so vicious."

Kalin feigned a hurt expression, then looked around before leaping away again.

Only the shepherdess remained asleep in the woods.

The reason Angela could eat so leisurely was that although the caravan had arrived in Dragon Cry City, the capital of Kudel, with the royal knights, it was unable to advance any further. The fully armed royal guards were preventing these caravans, which included Dark Elf, from entering. Of course, facing the two men, Li Lin and Angela, who were seriously discussing whether to simply kill these obstacles and rush in, the terrified prince immediately promised to persuade the royal guards to let the caravan into the city. Of course, this was no easy task. Even a caravan with Dark Elf slaves would be subject to the strictest surveillance in every city, let alone these Dark Elf who were not slaves. They were fully armed and spirited—after the Elf Goddess lifted their curse, the Dark Elf were no longer so afraid of the sun's rays.

Li Lin wasn't worried at all about the prince taking the opportunity to escape. Although he hadn't used any spells or curses to control the prince, the contract he had with Maya was enough to guarantee that. If the prince tried anything against Li Lin and the Dark Elf, divine punishment would immediately follow. Although the Dark Maiden was currently only a weak deity, she was still a true god, and her power was immense, something no mortal could withstand.

Now, his identity has also changed. After scholar and advisor mage, Li Lin has added a third title to himself, "Dominator of the Dark Elves."

He knew very well that this well-deserved title would attract a lot of attention, and his identity as a mage could potentially cause some problems. However, he believed that an old lich in Beacon City could solve these problems for him. The reason he hadn't killed the old mage but instead transformed him into an immortal evil lich was precisely to use him in this situation. Long before entering the Black Road, Li Lin had already given the lich orders to prepare a complete disguise as an advisor mage (a title he had heard from Nia), and now these disguises were working.

As the "Dominator of the Dark Elves," Li Lin could naturally approach high-ranking officials in each country more easily. If he could prove he truly controlled these evil, treacherous, and cunning individuals, his value would increase significantly in the eyes of the rulers. Humans are inherently inclined to believe that those not of their kind are necessarily of a different mind, so they would likely not think a human manipulating the Dark Elf help them against them. That would be the time for Li Lin to act. Although he had previously maintained a low profile, doing so would make it increasingly difficult to approach those... Clearly, creating chaos within the entire nation at the highest levels is insufficient. And incidents like those involving the Temple and Grand Duke Lalia cannot be allowed to repeat themselves. Therefore, it is crucial to cultivate a sufficient force capable of approaching and influencing the upper echelons of power. Moreover, while both Dark Elf and Elves are unpopular races on the surface, the latter are merely seen as commodities, while the former are perceived as a threat. It's like comparing a tiger to a cat; even a pack of cats won't garner much attention, but someone who owns a pack of tigers is unlikely to be underestimated.

"In short, that's the plan."

After Li Lin finished telling Nia about his current plans, Angela and Kalin returned one after the other.

"This operation requires a bit of luck, but fortunately, we received some news."

As Li Lin spoke, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and he patted Angela's head.

"The mercenaries just received news from the villagers that a few days ago, in a small village in Lalia, for some unknown reason, the entire village of men, women, and children was killed by a knightly order dispatched by the Temple... The Temple announced to the outside world that it was due to a 'plague'."

"..."

Hearing this, Mina and Fina exchanged a glance, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent. Angela out a cold snort.

"Plague? Hmph, those brain-dead fools who worship gods can only come up with such a lame excuse. It's truly disappointing. Without imagination, there is no development. No wonder the Temple has remained a slum for so many years."

"I believe this will be a major 'plague'."

Li Lin reached out and pinched Angela's soft cheek, while the little one shook her head slightly in dissatisfaction—it actually felt quite nice.

"So, what about Suoxiate next...?"

Kalin stopped speaking as soon as she opened her mouth. Her pointed ears twitched slightly as she looked towards the outskirts of the camp. Soon, the fat merchant, covered in sweat, walked over. Only after arriving in front of the group did he have time to wipe away his cold sweat, and then spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

"Well... Master, someone from the royal palace just came to invite you to come..."

As he spoke, he took out a gold-embossed invitation from his pocket.

"And His Highness is also waiting for you..."

They arrived really quickly.