Chapter 43:

“My lord, I feel the rumors seem to have some bias.”

In the city ruins shrouded by the Astral Shadow, Murphy and Maxim hurried through one lifeless street after another towards the family vault in the outer city.

As they proceeded, Maxim, gripping a war pike, cautiously surveyed their surroundings for potential attacks while softly saying to Murphy:

“Lady Tris does not seem as rumored. I mean, she is very domineering! Even more domineering than Lord Jed. After you rescued her from the city, she seems to have regained her former dignity as an elder.”

“I don’t know what happened either, but one thing is certain. Tris absolutely hates this city.”

Murphy sighed:

“She sees it as a constraint. To put it bluntly, after witnessing the devastation of Kadman City, Tris and I are probably the only two Blood Vulture members who feel relieved.

Does this make you uncomfortable?”

“No, my lord, my loyalty lies with you, not the Blood Vulture Clan.”

Maxim answered in a low voice:

“To be honest, I didn’t find much joy in serving the Blood Vulture Clan either. I must repay Lord Jed’s kindness, but apart from that, this clan doesn’t seem to have given me much else to cherish.”

“I feel the same way, no wonder we get along so well.”

Murphy replied.

The two then fell silent, quickening their pace. After passing through an alley occupied by a group of Astral Slugs that did not actively attack, they reached the location of the clan vault marked by Tris.

It was underground.

On the surface, it was concealed as the human fire station of Kadman City.

There were three similar underground vaults in the outer district, but apart from this relatively remote one, the other vaults were located in densely populated areas, which had undoubtedly been occupied by fear-spawned creatures and predatory Astral beasts from the Astral Shadow.

Murphy planned to designate the remaining three vaults as “challenge sites” for the little players.

Tonight, the five deceased players would be revived, giving him a force of 16. This would allow him to split them into three groups for simple “dungeon testing.”

“Looks like I’ll need to recruit another batch.”

As Maxim searched through the ruined fire station for the underground passage, Murphy gazed at the gloomy and overcast environment beyond the collapsed walls and the bizarre sky overhead, still swirling with flickering purple lights. He thought:

“Currently, I have a total force of 40. No need to keep more. I’ll send them all out at once.

After Kadman City was dragged into the Astral Realm, there are many areas worth exploring in these remaining ruins. With too few people, it won’t be enough. Plus, there’s the last Newbie Guide Quest.

This quest requires me to acquire my own territory.

I initially thought I could rely on the connections of the young lady, but now there seems to be a better yet more difficult option.

The Blood Vulture Clan is beyond saving!

Although this place is now just ruins, we have people, resources, and sustainable ‘spawn points.’ This may be the best ‘starter village’ I can find in the Transia region!

But how exactly to operate it still needs careful planning.”

Murphy pondered his next steps, then logged into the forum.

In the application area, he saw many test applications, mostly from word-of-mouth among the existing little players.

《Reality Realm》had no publicity in the players’ world, and Murphy had no intention or means to do so. He briefly browsed the nearly 80 test applications he had received and selected the 24 with the best overall qualifications from their test application scores. He then sent the test invitation codes to them.

This way, at the latest in 12 hours, a batch of new adorable little players would enter the Kadman City ruins and serve as the “footmen pioneer team” descending from the heavens in times of crisis.

Oh, right!

To make this whole process seem more like a gradual launch of an official test game, Murphy felt he needed to post a more formal announcement on the forum.

He would do that after dealing with this underground vault!

“Lord Murphy! I’ve found the entrance, but it requires the blood of a Blood Vulture Clan member as a beacon to enter.”

Maxim’s voice came from the records room amidst the ruins. Murphy immediately rushed over, bit his finger, and placed his blood at the center of the dark red sigil on the wall.

With a creaking sound and flickering light, the passage leading underground opened.

He and his loyal servant entered, one after the other.

This was not the true clan vault. As one of the seven major vampire clans, the Blood Vulture’s clan vault could not possibly be this shabby, no matter how fallen they were.

This place was simply used to store important yet not scarce resources, so it lacked stone guardians or spirit sentries, those “professional security” constructs found throughout the continent.

The area below was not large, roughly the same size as the fire station above.

It was divided into different rooms storing various resources, mostly raw materials for crafting weapons and armor, as well as some finished products arranged in cabinets.

Murphy casually opened a cabinet and pulled out a vampire stiletto adorned with blood rose patterns, examining it in his hand.

Item appraisal activated, information tag popped up:

Name: Warden’s Battle Blade

Quality: Masterwork – Recruit

Properties: Enhanced Sharpness – Enhanced Piercing – Durable – Insidious Blood Slot (Can be Poisoned)

Usage Requirements: Talent – One-Handed Weapon Mastery, Agility ≥ 6

“It’s a good thing, Maxim, scavenging is an essential skill for becoming strong.”

Murphy laughed.

He and Maxim opened the boxes together to find a whole set of vampire-styled long and short weapons, numbering over thirty pieces.

From common swords and shields to rare knuckle dusters and flails, they had it all.

Their appearance marked them as a set, and the faint glow they emanated in the darkness revealed they were rare spirit weapons.

Murphy drew an ornate sheathed longsword, unsheathing it to reveal a brilliant green-tinged blade flashing coldly in the darkness. Its item tag also appeared before his eyes:

Name: Ambition and Dreams – Vault Guard Mick’s Battle Sword

Quality: Masterwork -【Elite】Veteran

Properties: Extreme Sharpness – Enhanced Piercing – Enhanced Spirit Perception – Permanent Poison

Creator: Blood Vulture Weapon Master Segul

Item Description:

【Vault Guard Mick was an ambitious vampire outcast who, despite being averagely talented, still yearned to make a name for himself in the clan. To this end, he secretly stashed a set of spirit weapons meant for the clan’s elite guards, taking advantage of his job.

Mick planned to use his collection to seize an opportunity to stand out!

He prepared for this until one day when dispatched to scout the outskirts of the Dark Mountains. He brought all the supplies he could carry, but in his excitement, forgot about the hidden weapons.

Oh, that happened one hundred and ten years ago.】

Note!

The【Elite】tag is a special item tag that appears only on weapons and armor with a certain pedigree, far exceeding the quality of their rank yet not reaching the next tier.

Such items often possess special “collector’s value”.

Other similar special tags include 【Shadow Forged/High-end Replica】, 【True Forged/Unique】, 【Form Over Function】, 【Artisan Craft】, etc.

“Ugh, what a sad story. Let us mourn the ambitious Mr. Mick.”

Murphy inwardly sneered.

The quality still did not match Tris’ masterwork commander-grade Blade of the Desire Clan, so he shook his head, tossed the poisoned sword to Maxim, took a crimson poisoned hunter’s crossbow for himself, and stood up saying:

“These are yours, I have no use for them.

Pass a few to Adele and keep the rest as your collection. Oh, and let me teach you a little trick for getting along with my warriors.”

“Please share, my lord, I’ll remember.”

Maxim happily packed the two weapon crates into his spirit pouch, as warriors naturally love fine weapons. So he listened attentively to Murphy’s advice as they walked out of the vault.

Murphy gently guided him:

“When you become a vampire, you’ll have your own subordinates, right? Why not start selecting the most talented of my warriors now, and constantly test their growth in strength and skill?

Hmm, say every three days or once a week, wait for them to challenge you to a spar.

If their progress meets your approval, gift them these quality weapons as rewards and proof of their future subordinate pacts.

This way, you’ll gain potential subordinates, and I’ll see my warriors progress faster.

But one thing!

Maxim, you cannot go easy on them, understand?

Since it’s a test, you must go all out. You know they won’t truly die, so let loose. If they understand the risks yet still accept the challenge, even if they die through their own weakness, it’s on them.

Trust me, my warriors relish the feeling of challenging formidable foes.

The stronger you are, the more they’ll like you.

Here, take this《Shadow Elf Clan Secret Sword Art》.

I just copied it last night. Recopy it thirty times to reinforce your memory.

If a warrior defeats you three times in a row, feel free to teach them this unique foreign sword art as well, but be mindful of your own safety.

Wear your best armor!

Stop in time before you’re about to lose. I don’t want to lose my best assistant and friend for some ridiculous reason. And don’t underestimate my warriors either, they’ll always try to devise ways to snatch victory from you.

Battling their wits and valor is its own pleasure, or so I believe.”

“It does sound like a rigorous selection method, my lord.”

Maxim nodded approvingly, caressing the sword named “Ambition and Dreams” on his waist as he said eagerly:

“If this is your will, then I am more than willing to become an opponent for your warriors!”

Murphy grinned as he walked in the darkness.

Hey, wasn’t this another unique gameplay element emerging? Want the best equipment available at this stage? Warriors, come challenge my “Strongest Man” then!

Even if you can’t win, it’s fine. There will be more and more of such gameplay in the future, something to satisfy you all eventually.