Chapter 314
Let’s kill one first.
Just as Eivass was about to walk towards the entrance, the man in black, wearing an Animal Mask, suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
His movements were violent, and his hand on Eivass’s thin shoulder caused some pain.
She keenly realized that if she took another step forward, she might be pushed down. So she immediately stopped.
“Are you going to kill him… my dear Master?”
The Shadow Demon’s voice whispered low in her ear.
“Don’t rush, let’s see what he’s going to do first.”
Despite her outward unease and panic, Eivass calmly replied to the Shadow Demon in her mind.
The man in black took a chain from his embrace and skillfully attached it to the collar around Eivass’s neck.
Then, he led Eivass out of the room, pushing her slightly from behind, causing her to stumble forward. He followed behind, pulling the chain.
In the narrow corridor, only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side, they saw cell doors opening one after another. Men in black, each wearing a different Animal Mask, were leading out young men and women from the cells. They were dressed thinly but possessed exquisite appearances and figures.
They looked at each other, but being far apart, they couldn’t greet one another. They walked barefoot, one by one, on the cold wooden floor.
The winter weather was cold, and Eivass couldn’t help but hug her shoulders tighter. This made her look more fragile—though it wasn’t an act; she was genuinely cold.
Contrary to the impression of weakness from always being in a wheelchair, Eivass’s body was quite strong. After all, she used to play sports, and her height was over 1.8 meters. Although her spacious clothes usually hid it, she was actually full of muscle.
The last time she suffered from the cold was probably during the most difficult winter she spent with Yulia at the Orphanage.
Back then, their clothes were thin, and the Orphanage’s fireplace wasn’t very warm. At night, they could only sleep by hugging each other for warmth.
And now… perhaps because of her severe anemia, Eivass felt this winter was even more difficult than that one.
As she walked, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
…But perhaps it was precisely because her body was trembling that no one noticed her shadow also shaking irregularly.
They, the Blood Slaves, lived on the second floor. Led by the men in black, they descended two floors via a Spiral Staircase to the Basement. Only then did Eivass begin to feel warm—
It was completely different from upstairs. The Basement, carpeted with thick wool, even the carpet felt warm, as if it had underfloor heating.
They quietly walked through a relatively dim “staff corridor.” From a distance, they could already hear the reserved laughter of men and women at a banquet and the crisp sound of clinking glasses.
Finally, they were led to a Giant stone pillar, about five or six people wide. The pillar had intricate relief carvings that formed hooks. The man in black leading Eivass hooked her chain to one of them and then attached a “14” tag to the end of the chain.
“Eat. Eat quickly,”
He patted Eivass’s shoulder and left.
Hanging on this pillar were other young girls.
In front of these pillars were fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as some desserts and wine. These desserts had a rich Iris Flower style—in simple terms, they were beautiful, with plenty of fruit decorations on the mousses, puddings, and tarts.
Eivass glanced around and found that there were even twelve or thirteen different types of wine, none of which were cheap.
The other girls went straight for the wine.
Then, someone patted number 14’s shoulder: “Shall we share a bottle today, 14?”
It was a girl with short, curly golden hair and wet eyes like a small animal. She looked a bit older than the “14” Eivass was portraying. Perhaps that’s why she had the desire to take care of her.
Another girl with silver hair, who was also patted on the shoulder, agreed.
“Okay.”
Eivass nodded slightly and followed.
The other girl’s face showed a moment of hesitation and confusion, but soon she put on a composed expression and walked forward with her chest held high.
…Eivass immediately recognized that this person must be an Ascender.
The reason was simple.
Their current identity was Blood Slave, yet her demeanor was too noble, and her mental state was too good, which was incompatible with the status of someone who had been suffering for a long time.
So, who was she?
—Ban? Stranger? Philosopher? Or Ghoul?
While thinking, Eivass subtly observed the golden-haired girl’s gaze, searching for the wine they usually drank. This was easy for Eivass—she just needed to find the bottle the girl subconsciously looked at. So Eivass quietly picked up a bottle of low-alcohol pineapple fruit wine.
She didn’t try to open it but handed it directly to the golden curly-haired girl.
The silver-haired girl picked up another bottle of wine that had been extinct for many years. She looked intently at the label on the bottle, seemingly tempted.
“Sister Number 7… are you changing your preference?”
The golden curly-haired girl looked a little uneasy. “But that might anger the Masters, won’t it?”
Eivass immediately understood what they were doing.
—They were using food and wine to mix the taste of blood?
“No, I was just picking it up to look.”
Number 7 paused, then put the bottle back.
She looked up and sized up Eivass and the other girl with a sharp gaze.
Eivass’s acting was clearly good enough—the other person mistook her for an NPC.
After all, Eivass hadn’t asked which bottle they were drinking from the start, and she directly picked the correct one. She also appeared timid and afraid to speak…
If there was an Ascender who was introverted and timid, it would be understandable—but the only person who might fit this description was “The Hatter.” However, The Hatter was an old woman, and she could only transform into a man. So Eivass definitely wasn’t her.
So, she calmed herself and directly started inquiring for information: “Who have you been taking care of recently?”
Eivass flinched and ignored her. Instead, she took a full glass of golden sparkling wine handed to her by the golden-haired girl, picked up some grapes beside her, and took a sip of wine.
“…Just the usual ones, you know.”
The golden-haired girl replied casually, “It’s still those three for me, basically unchanged. Today, I might get to rest. But lately, Number 14 has been favored by Miss Beyad. She’s been requested by her for three consecutive days… I expect she’ll come today too.”
Holding a peach and eating it while drinking—it was less like using wine to complement the meal and more like using the meal to complement the wine. For these girls, who looked under eighteen, drinking so much alcohol on an empty stomach was somewhat taxing. And they chose low-alcohol options; Eivass even saw some girls sharing 30-proof wine…
“Do you just go and get your blood sucked directly?”
Number 7 asked directly, lowering her voice, without any pretense.
“Of course not…”
The other girl looked at her strangely. “Why would you ask that?”
“Just answer me,”
Number 7 said impatiently. “What do those Masters do to you?”
As she asked, she quickly ate fruits and pastries.
She first ate a fruit pudding, then a strawberry mousse cake. After that, she took a sip of wine and began to rapidly bite into an apple, trying to restore her energy quickly.
Her chewing was so fast that it made a noticeable sound. Eivass clearly felt that others were targeting her—or rather, her purpose was to be targeted.
Just then, a man in black wearing an Owl Mask suddenly entered their lounge.
He directly picked up a notebook and read out numbers: “Number 7, Count Alonso. Number 12, Madam Marta. Number 14, Miss Beyad. Number 15, Sir Linde. Go change clothes.”
The short golden-haired girl beside her panicked: “Why so early… Master, Number 14 hasn’t eaten much…”
Just as she was about to step forward, she was pushed aside by the man in black. He then used a small golden key from his embrace to unlock Eivass’s collar.
The moment the heavy metal collar was removed, Eivass took a deep breath. She felt a sense of relief, as if she could finally breathe freely.
…The keys are in their embrace? Does everyone have one, or only this person with the Owl Mask?
Eivass pondered.
She glanced at Number 7 out of the corner of her eye, lowered her head slightly, and a faint smile touched her lips.
Although this mission was rated as “pointless slaughter”… and this body was too weak to excel in combat.
However, Eivass could clearly feel that Number 14 had a Mana Pool—she was likely a First Tier Demon Scholar, with three points of dark attribute mana within her.
This mission spanned sixteen hours, and after midnight, the restriction of the Illusion Card would refresh. This meant she could theoretically use the same Illusion Card twice.
But she probably wouldn’t have a chance to sleep, nor a way to restore her mana.
This meant Eivass could use Shadow Cloak twice, or summon an Earthbound Spirit once—
So she only had one chance.
However, the Shadow Demon did not consume mana.
Whether it was “finding companions” or other missions, as long as one could eliminate someone first, they would gain initiative.
Because only you know if you have killed someone.
In other words—if you eliminate a companion, you will know more precisely than others “how many people are left.” This makes it easier to achieve a special victory.
You could even shift the identity of the “informant” onto the “missing” person, thus hiding yourself.
If there were other informants, they should also consider this.
Because only an escapee would worry about “not enough manpower.” But for an informant, it doesn’t matter.
Moreover, look at the forest outside—
In the middle of winter, in this dense forest… how could this group of pale, anemic people without shoes escape?
Thinking of this, Eivass suddenly paused.
She thought of another possibility.
—Could everyone be an informant?
That was also a possibility…
However, killing her now would be too easily discovered. After all, she had already been named and was under scrutiny.
…Wait until her “shift” is over.
A Blood Slave should only entertain one guest at a time, otherwise, the blood in their body would probably not be enough. Judging from what the girl said, not everyone is requested every day—and it’s likely once a day.
After her shift, Number 7 would have a reason to “disappear.”
Eivass’s thoughts raced, and in an instant, she decided on Number 7’s death.
She was bumped into by the noticeably nervous Number 7. Number 7 didn’t turn back to apologize but merely glanced back at her before striding forward without looking back.
Eivass, on the other hand, put on a timid expression, shrunk back, and said nothing.
She just narrowed her eyes, drank the wine in her cup, and then quickly walked towards the changing room with a piece of mousse cake.
—But for some reason, as Number 7 followed Number 12 towards the changing room, she suddenly felt a chill deep in her heart.
It was as if some demon was secretly watching her.
Update, woohoo!
I accidentally fell asleep after eating… but after waking up, my fever is completely gone, yay!
I hope it stays this way and I don’t get a fever again tonight. I’ve already become a little cat with a mild fever…
