Chapter 169 : Chapter 169
Chapter : 169
I casually tossed the invitation aside and clapped my hands.
The small fries have been shaken off. Next is this 'Morgan's Heart'.
I toyed with the chess piece in my hand. This 'Morgan's Heart' felt cold to the touch. Its texture was like jade, yet it lacked that warm, smooth feeling. Instead, it was icy cold, with a chill spreading from the chess piece into my palm.
Looking at the appraisal result displayed on the system panel and the [Tracking Magic (Active)] in the status bar, I raised an eyebrow slightly.
From the moment I got this 'Morgan's Heart', I discovered the tracking magic on it. Speculating further, I quickly realized that this tracking magic was most likely cast by the person who put it up for auction—the one who originally obtained this 'Morgan's Heart' from Mandiper.
The purpose was probably to lure out the faction that posted the bounty, to achieve some goal.
It's just a pity that my appearance as an anomaly messed up the other party's goal.
I narrowed my eyes and didn't wipe off the tracking magic on it, nor did I put it into my backpack to isolate the magic. I just stuffed it directly into the inner pocket of my clothes.
No matter who it is, let me meet them.
I sent a message to Isabel, telling their people to go to the address I gave those Beastmen earlier to pick up the new NPC labor force, and then walked towards a remote part of the city.
After setting off a few smokescreens midway to confuse the small fries who had groped their way back, leading them around in circles, I finally completely left the encirclement that had vaguely formed since I came out of the auction house.
"Boom—"
A noisy sound came from the distant auction house, and the sounds of fighting could be vaguely heard. Even though I was about to leave the city, I could still hear the commotion coming from there.
It should be the people from 'Blood Mist' making their move.
I looked back and suddenly felt something was wrong.
Someone is following me.
Are they here?
I was a little surprised. I originally thought the person behind the scenes wouldn't find me using the tracking magic so quickly; I expected them to show up in a day or two.
I didn't expect that just as I shook off those people and hadn't even completely left the city, this person would impatiently catch up.
My figure paused slightly, then I quickly ran towards the outside of the city. The person tracking me seemed to have anticipated this, effortlessly keeping pace with me, running out of Slanlipa City one after the other.
Before I could make a move, the person behind me attacked first. I backhandedly pulled out the heavy sword I had used very smoothly at the Sigret Academy of Swordsmanship from my backpack to meet the attack. Instantly, an ear-piercing friction sound rang out.
Sharp claws rubbed against the heavy sword's blade, producing a few sparks. Missing a hit, the comer quickly adjusted their posture, and the next claw strike came again.
I quickly bent down to dodge this attack, swinging the heavy sword in my hand to hack at the figure opposite me. It was only at this moment that I discovered the comer was actually the boss of 'Blood Mist', Yuchir.
The other party had done some disguises; his face was covered, and his dark clothes were not conspicuous in the pitch-black night.
There were no identifying items on his body. An average person would find it difficult to discern his identity from this appearance. However, I was someone with a cheat.
The glaring NPC name above the other party's head had long exposed his identity to me.
The astonishment lasted only for a moment; not a trace showed on my face. The other party's attack speed was simply too fast, so much so that I couldn't spare any attention to think about whether Yuchir was the one who auctioned off 'Morgan's Heart'.
I could only passively respond to the battle.
When I was in my twenties (levels), Yuchir was all question marks to me. Now that I am level seventy-four, Yuchir is still all question marks.
I don't know if it's because his level far exceeds my current detection range, or if he has some special ability to block the detection function.
Even the system's detection could be blocked. I had only seen a similar ability once, which was that time I accidentally bumped into Divic in Mandiper.
Yuchir's movements were decisive and rapid. The iron claw gauntlet in his hand, which looked like sharp claws, was wielded with terrifying power, aiming for my vitals every time.
A silver light flashed by, the sharp claw tip grazing my nose. I dodged perilously, and immediately, my heavy sword smashed down unceremoniously.
Seemingly surprised that my strength exceeded expectations, Yuchir's movements became even more ruthless, leaving not a sliver of opportunity to escape, making my hand wielding the heavy sword strain slightly.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from my temples. Looking at Yuchir, there was an added touch of caution in my eyes.
This guy is very strong.
Too strong, seemingly without an upper limit. No matter how I probed, the other party's movements remained fluid and aggressive, and he even got stronger as we fought.
Tsk.
I knew that continuing to fight with him offered no chance of winning. Relying solely on swordsmanship, I simply couldn't beat this physical combat monster opposite me.
I have to run.
I don't have many other skills, but I have plenty of life-saving skills. Running away isn't difficult; the Substitute Doll I left nearby can do just that.
Before facing Yuchir, I had considered that in case the comer was too powerful, I would need a skill to escape.
Portable Anchor teleportation requires casting time. Coupled with [Unyielding Will], I could manage the casting time to teleport away, but this Yuchir is too mysterious.
I can't even figure out his level and strength. The low health and [Healing Forbidden] debuff after using [Unyielding Will] are too fatal.
I'm not sure if this guy would pursue relentlessly and track me down again during my debuff period. In that case, what difference would there be between me and fish on a chopping block?
[Sylval's Longing] can also be used. Although it also requires casting time, it's not long. It's just that sending me to the Elf territory in one go is really too inconvenient, so it can only be used as a last resort.
In comparison, the Substitute Doll is the best choice. By swapping positions, after opening up the distance, I can continue to use other skills to make a clean getaway.
The only thing to consider is: the Substitute Doll's swap distance isn't far. If the opponent's reaction speed is too fast, and I can't open up a large enough distance, I won't be able to escape.
I must have a skill to deter the opponent and buy myself enough time to open up the distance.
A thought moved in my mind, and I thought of the Talent Skill [Advent of the Demon King] that I had kept at the bottom of my chest and rarely taken out to use, only using it a few times before to scare people.
This Talent Skill is the only one among all my skills that ignores level and can cause true deterrence to everyone.
After all, the name is Advent of the Demon King; the actual use can be imagined.
Is there any existence in this world more terrifying than the Demon King's aura? Even the God of Earth, one of the Six Great High Gods who was the only survivor from the War of the Gods, wouldn't dare say He isn't afraid of the Demon King.
The reason the God of Earth survived that war was also because He was unwilling to participate in the war and had no blood of innocent beings on his hands.
When the war was about to end, He decisively stood on the Demon King's side and made a contract with the Demon King.
After the Divine War ended, He would stay in the temple forever and never come out to harm living beings, which was why the Demon King let Him go.
Even gods are afraid of the Demon King, so how could you, a human, not feel fear?
Just a brief flow of thoughts allowed Yuchir to seize an opening. A claw grabbed straight at my face. I couldn't dodge in time, and the sharp silver blade left a bloody scratch under my left eye.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't enough. This bloody scratch just grazed me lightly, without causing a flesh-splitting effect.
My heart shivered. I knew my speed had dropped during the continuous high-intensity fighting, which was why I couldn't dodge in time.
Now there's just a bloody scratch on my face. Wait a bit longer, and I'm afraid those sharp claws will directly poke four holes in my chest.
He is an enemy, not a friend. Leaving first is the best policy.
I didn't have time to think too much. Following my previous thought, I swung the heavy sword to block the opponent's attack and hacked towards him with the momentum. Not surprisingly, the opponent was able to block it in time, but in that instant, my Talent Skill activated.
【Advent of the Demon King】
You are the supreme King of this world. You ended the catastrophic War of the Gods. You led all races to rebuild their homes.
You brought light back to this world... Your subjects are still waiting for your renewed mercy. (After use, you will briefly become the Demon King, casting a favored glance upon your people.)
An indescribable invisible aura unfolded, sweeping overwhelmingly towards the man with the iron claw gauntlet on his left hand. Just as I expected, Yuchir's movements paused slightly for that instant.
Because of the close-quarters combat, even in the darkness, I could clearly see the opponent's pupils constrict for a moment, as if completely awed by my Talent Skill.
I knew I succeeded. Without staying a moment longer, I activated the Substitute Doll's active skill in the next second to swap positions.
Space distorted for an instant. In the blink of an eye, I appeared five hundred meters away. Without waiting to catch my breath, I maxed out my escape speed, used every lightness spell I had, and ran into the crowd without looking back.
Incidentally, I changed my roleplay target. within just a few breaths, I was like a fish in water, slippery and gone without a trace.
By the time I completely blended into the crowd, Yuchir had already arrived at the position I swapped from, holding the Substitute Doll I left behind, staring at the empty corner with a face as dark as water.
***
After confirming that guy Yuchir wasn't following me, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I returned to Slanlipa City again. Playing the trick of 'it's darkest under the lamp', Yuchir probably wouldn't think that after using so many methods to escape with difficulty, I would turn around and return to Slanlipa City.
If I get discovered again this time, I will really have to use [Sylval's Longing] and run to the Elf race. The journey back from there isn't ordinarily far.
I returned to the crowd, silent and unnoticed, without letting anyone discover anything wrong.
But even if I made some noise, probably no one would pay attention to me.
Because the city was chaotic. The streets were full of noisy crowds. People on the road still had time to gossip amidst their panic.
After listening to a couple of sentences, I had to lament that the residents of Slanlipa City really had a good mentality.
The people of 'Blood Mist' were still fighting fiercely with the guards around Fitch, who were disguised as ordinary servants.
I watched a bit more, then returned to the inn where I had been staying for the past few days, waiting for tomorrow's developments before considering the next plan.
'Morgan's Heart' had been completely stored in my backpack, isolated from the outside world. This way, the tracking magic on it would also lose its effect.
I washed up in the inn's bathroom, stored the costume in my backpack, and then took it out to wear again.
The cash-shop costume came with a self-cleaning function, making my clothes look brand new, allowing me to change into a clean set without even using a Cleaning Spell.
After doing all this, I collapsed onto the made bed with my head still a bit damp.
At that moment, exhaustion hit me from all limbs and bones. Completely relaxing, I finally felt a slight stinging pain on my face.
Reaching out to touch the scratched area, since the wound wasn't deep and the player's body had strong healing abilities, the wound was almost scabbing over and disappearing in this short time.
Logically, I shouldn't feel stinging pain. I frowned, opened the status bar to check, and saw the [Poisoned] debuff hanging in my status bar, glittering to show its presence.
Me: ...
Alright, case solved. That guy's iron claw gauntlet was poisoned.
What a sinister guy. It's probably not a simple poison either. Otherwise, with a player's body, it would at most be an additional countdown debuff, and I wouldn't be affected by the status.
I pressed between my eyebrows.
This debuff didn't have much impact. At most, I'd just turn around and ask Merlin for help. With Merlin's ability, what debuff can't be dispelled? If that really doesn't work, I can go find Legolas; Elves are best at magic for removing negative statuses.
Mainly, I was a bit melancholy.
I thought that since I was level seventy-four, no matter what opponent I faced, I would at least have the ability to fight. In any case, it shouldn't be that I was suppressed and beaten the whole time. But the result really was—I was suppressed and beaten by Yuchir the whole time.
I've been a bit slack in leveling up recently, tripped up by messy matters. Indeed, this won't do; I still need to go all out to improve my strength.
Now it's just a 'Blood Mist' boss. If I face the Eternal Divine Sect or the Church of Light in the future, what if the opponent's strength is also much higher than mine?
I am no longer the Lord of Eternity who could rally multitudes with a single call, nor do I have the strength of His Highness the Demon King to fight a hundred alone.
It can't be that when facing the Eternal Divine Sect, I have to embarrassingly use my Talent Skill to deter the opponent and then run away, right? That would be too shameful for the Demon King.
I thought gloomily.
However, after returning to a safe place, I also had time to start thinking.
First of all, Yuchir isn't necessarily the person auctioning 'Morgan's Heart'. 'Blood Mist's' target this time is clearly Fitch, and the manpower deployed was also directed at Fitch.
If this 'Morgan's Heart' were in their hands, there would be no need to take it out to fish for Fitch again.
According to my initial guess, the person auctioning this 'Morgan's Heart' is also fishing. The other party likely didn't have a precise target, so they needed the auction to observe who cared most about 'Morgan's Heart', who wanted to obtain 'Morgan's Heart' the most; that person would become the other party's target.
The tracking magic on 'Morgan's Heart' also explains this problem. The other party definitely didn't have a clear target at the beginning, so they needed to rely on tracking magic to find this person.
However, the person bidding against me until the end was Fitch. If not for me, this accident, presumably the person who finally won 'Morgan's Heart' would be Fitch, and then Fitch would become that person's target.
This conflicts with 'Blood Mist's' behavioral pattern.
To be honest, I was also surprised when I discovered that the person following me was actually Yuchir.
I didn't expect it to be Yuchir at all; this is illogical.
If my previous guess about the person auctioning 'Morgan's Heart' is correct, then for Yuchir to appear behind me and fight me, there is only one possibility.
Yuchir also knows the origin of 'Morgan's Heart', or rather, he also wants to obtain 'Morgan's Heart'.
If I remember correctly, at the auction, there was indeed another top-floor private box competing with us for the ownership of 'Morgan's Heart'. It was just that after I took the lead in raising the price to an exorbitant amount, the other party backed down.
Only the most luxurious private box was left to continue competing with me for 'Morgan's Heart'.
If Yuchir hadn't suddenly popped up, I would have really forgotten about this.
Too many messy thoughts made my head ache faintly. It was probably the [Poisoned] debuff affecting me, making me temporarily unable to tease out that single thread from the messy ball of yarn.
Forget it, I won't think about it.
Yawning, a magic wand appeared in my hand. With a gentle flick, magic containing the fire element wrapped around my still-dripping hair, instantly taking away the water droplets on it, returning it to a dry state.
I pulled open the quilt, balled myself up, and prepared to sleep, planning to check on Isabel's progress tomorrow morning.
Hands folded relaxedly on my lower abdomen, I closed my eyes, lying very straight.
Lying stiff as a board.
"..."
The noisy sounds outside seemed to have all moved away from me at this moment. The clock in the room ticked, turning, and I slowly entered sleep...
The faucet in the bathroom seemed not to be tightened. The sound of dripping water came, accompanied by the sound of the clock turning, hypnotizing me bit by bit, making me feel a little sleepy.
The fragrance in the room smelled quite nice; I wonder what fragrance the inn uses.
"..."
Wait.
It's already good enough for a cheap inn to ensure the sheets and duvet covers are clean. Where would they use any fragrance for guests?!
I opened my eyes instantly, forcibly dispelling the drowsiness. Sniffing carefully, I could indeed faintly smell a light floral scent in the air.
It just wasn't obvious. I only noticed this scent because I was about to fall asleep and had completely relaxed, amplifying my senses.
I sat up, sniffed everywhere, and discovered with astonishment that this scent was actually emanating from my own body.
Me: ?
What's the situation? Didn't I just wash up? I don't recall the bath beans I used having a floral scent; that was a type of bath bean I used frequently.
My brows furrowed tightly. If I smelled this scent in the room, it would be one thing, but since it was emanating from my own body, I had to be suspicious.
Just as I was puzzled, the tips of my ears moved slightly. A nearly imperceptible sound of footsteps approached from far to near. The speed wasn't fast; the comer seemed to be trying very hard to hide their tracks.
My eyes condensed. instantly switching to the Joker identity, I quietly got up and pressed against the side of the blind spot at the entrance.
Sure enough, the faint footsteps got closer and closer, stopping in front of my door.
I felt I could hear faint breathing from across the door. I held my breath, worried that my breathing would expose that I was right behind the door, waiting for the other party's next move.
"Click, click..."
The doorknob was gently turned twice.
I narrowed my eyes. It's really coming for me?
Who is it?
Yuchir? Someone from 'Blood Mist'? Or the person who auctioned 'Morgan's Heart'? Or maybe small fries sent by those who failed to grab 'Morgan's Heart' found this place?
My expression was very solemn. After the doorknob turned twice, it stopped moving. I didn't let my guard down because of this and continued to slow my breathing.
After a dozen seconds, movement came from outside the door again. This time it wasn't the doorknob turning, but the clicking sound of the lock. Hearing this, I knew the person outside was trying to pick the lock of my room door.
The noise was very small. If I had already fallen asleep, it would probably be hard to discover that the door was about to be opened.
I really wanted to facepalm. After this incident, no matter who is outside the door, I probably won't be able to stay in inns peacefully in the future.
Once locks are picked in the middle of the night, there will be a second and third time.
I miss Lilian a little again. Although Lilian is also a little useless thing who only knows how to eat and sleep, at least having a little thing by my side and being scared together feels much better than being scared alone.
I thought this way.
The rustling clicking of the lock lasted for about another dozen seconds. Accompanied by an inconspicuous click, the lock was opened.
The doorknob was gently pressed down, and with a slight creak, the room door was opened a crack.
My back was pressed against the cold wall, staring at the sliver of light leaking onto the floor because the door was opened a crack. The person was right outside; I was very certain.
I still didn't act rashly, waiting for that person to enter the room before I would deliver a fatal blow to subdue the opponent.
However, the person outside didn't move.
The crack in the door stayed there, but there was no movement from the person who picked the lock outside for a long time.
I was in a stalemate with the other party. Anyone who saw us would think we were playing 'Red Light, Green Light'.
The faint breathing was still there. I was sure the other party hadn't left.
Then why not come in?
Picked the lock, opened a crack in the door, just to stand at the doorway in a daze?
Or has the other party already discovered my existence and is wary of entering? Waiting for me to reveal a flaw first?
I pulled the corner of my mouth. My spirit became even more excited because of this, without any feeling of drowsiness from waiting.
After a stalemate of about two minutes, the person outside finally made the next move. The open crack in the door was pushed open a bit wider. More light from the inn corridor poured into the pitch-black room, illuminating a small area at the doorway.
However, I remained in the dark area where the light couldn't reach, waiting for the prey to enter my trap bit by bit.
The sound of breathing seemed to merge with the ticking of the clock. I was like a feline entering hunting mode with ample patience; even my heartbeat slowed down accordingly.
Finally, a slender black shadow appeared in the light on the floor. It was the shadow formed by the comer blocking the light projected from the corridor.
I leaned forward slightly.
The shadow gradually shortened and approached, completely stepping into the pitch-black room. The other party's steps remained light. If my hearing hadn't been enhanced after transmigration, I might not have heard it.
That person quietly approached the bed. Because I had just slept there, the quilt was raised in an arc, looking as if someone was lying there fast asleep in the dark room.
That person reached out towards the bed.
"Don't move," a voice sounded in that person's ear.
That person's figure paused, reacting very quickly to retreat, but a cold sensation pressed against the position of their back heart. Instantly, their body stiffened in place.
"Move again, and your heart will be pierced by this dagger." I said coldly, pushing the dagger in my hand forward a little.