Chapter 19: Infilitrate

Arriving at the doorsteps, he gave a gentle knock on the wooden door.

The knock on the door was immediately responded by a person behind the door. Not wanting to open the door, a peephole of the size of a small window slid open, revealing the face of an old granny.

"What's your purpose here in the middle of the night?" The old granny's voice sounded cautious and coarse.

Her sudden appearance had caught Venn by surprise and made him freeze on the spot.

He did not expect anyone to answer the door, let alone right away, especially not with a gentle knock in the middle of the night. 

He was originally planning to snoop around the orphanage to investigate the place, knocking on the door was just a test to see if there were any NPCs inside the orphanage that was still awake.

The old granny's immediate answering of the door was too suspicious. A strange feeling arose within Venn and he felt that he might have been overlooking some things.

Learning from his previous lessons, Venn carefully mulled over every detail relating to the quest to find out the anomaly. 

"The only explanation on why anyone would answer the door so readily could only be that the person was already expecting visitors in the first place." Venn's eyebrows furrowed greatly while deep in his thought.

Though his face wasn't particularly dashing by any means, his seriousness exuded a charming aura.

"I might have been on the wrong track from the beginning."

"Unlike the players who have instant communication with each other as long as they are in-game friends, the NPCs in the game had no effective tools of communication at all. The seven days mentioned in the letter might just mean that the annual meeting will be held for seven days instead of seven days later."

"It would make more sense that way."

"I have to say something to get in now or the opportunity is gone." Venn looked at the old granny with an intense gaze. 

It was the moment of truth. There was no going back and trying again, he had to think quickly on his feet.

His past experiences dealing with the game NPCs had taught him that they behave just like real people, complete with their own dislikes and preferences, so he had to treat them as such.

And the art of bullshitting dictates that he had to act the part and speak as vague as possible to avoid any slip up.

Thus, channelling his inner Oscar acting skill and mustering his courage, he acted as aloof as he could and spoke with a cold tone.

"I'm here for the annual meeting."

"Here for a meeting? In the middle of the night in an orphanage? Are you a buffoon? Go away and stop bothering my sleep." The old granny replied, seemingly irritated.

However, it did not faze Venn. He was certain that he was at the right place, and the caretaker of the orphanage would know something or two about the blood serpents.

"You dare to question me? Know your place!" Venn pressured her with a loud roar. Like people in real life, the NPCs in the game react the same when subjected to intimidation and fear.

As expected, the next moment, the old granny's face became very ugly.

"Y—You are here for the initiation process right?"

"But that can't be… everyone that was supposed to come has already arrived. The disciples of Master Ves, Master Quinn and Master Lexor had already entered an hour ago. Even those absentees who were unable to come had sent a message as well."

"U—Unless… you are the disciple of Mistress Granhiert?" The old lady with trails of winkles over her forehead paused for Venn's confirmation with a humble gaze, her attitude differed completely from before.

Who the hell is Mistress Granhiert?

Although Venn mentally retorted, he was perfectly happy to let the old granny misunderstand his identity. He couldn't help but want to praise the old lady for her great assist even though he never really did anything notable. Now that he had a better look at her, he couldn't help but found her looking amiable.

"Nice assist!" Venn mentally noted.

After which, he gave a slight nod to her and resumed his act as a heartless assassin even though he was extremely elated inside.

[Ding]

[Your power of persuasion improved. Charisma increased by 1 point. (+1 CHA)]

"Oh! My sincerest apology! It is just that Mistress Granhiert rarely attended these meetings so I assumed she wasn't coming. I didn't know she had sent you as her representative for the guild members initiation. I'm terribly sorry for my mistake."

"Come in quickly. We better hurry! The meeting had begun an hour ago!"

Upon finishing her words, the old granny opened the wooden door, allowing Venn to step inside. Once she saw that Venn had entered, she closed the front door and led the way to the second level of the orphanage, signalling Venn to follow her.

Along the way, Venn attempted to gather more information by asking in the most ambiguous way. However, the old lady simply urged Venn to quicken his steps.

Before long, Venn and the old lady reached the second level of the orphanage. Here, Venn could see a dozen of poorly dressed children fully asleep in their respective wooden bed frames.

Observing the children, he could tell a sleeping spell was casted on them. It seems that the blood serpents were using the kids as a cover for their activities. 

Arriving at the middle of the second storey, the hunchback old lady passed a lantern that she had taken from a corner to Venn.

[Ding]

[Lesser Magic Lamp Obtained. (Rare Tier)]

[Durability: N/A]

[Requirement: None]

[An all-purpose lamp. Allows one to see past lesser illusions and see ghosts. Good for late night studying.]

Pointing at the wall at the end of the passageway, the old granny smiled.

"Now, hold tight on this lantern and run into the wall over there. Don't ever hesitate, you have to sprint at full speed."

"What?!" Venn exclaimed at her ridiculous words. He was unsure who was bullshitting who now.