My Players Are So Fierce

Of course, an important part of the celebration was to commemorate those poor souls who had perished in the city’s disaster. Although not all the missing people had been confirmed dead, to be honest, those vast numbers of ordinary people swept into the Astral Realm were unlikely to survive in that mysterious otherworldly plane.

According to Tris, even if you threw an unprepared Golden Realm expert into the Astral Realm, it was hard to say if they could last seven days there.

It was a place entirely different from the material world, with its own unique environment and rules. Even Tris, a Spirit Sovereign, had very limited understanding of it, and just what little was currently known was enough to make a regrettable judgment.

For example, Tris had explicitly told Murphy that in certain parts of the Astral Realm, the mapping of space and time was chaotic, and just this one point alone would be enough to kill 99% of material world lifeforms.

But these were not issues Murphy needed to consider at the moment, especially not tonight!

He had to fulfill his responsibilities as a lord, not only to protect the personal safety of his subjects, but also to care for their spiritual needs.

As night gradually fell during the twilight hours, under the guidance of camp guards, the strong and healthy survivors began carrying long wooden tables made by carpenters into the cleaned-up city square in the outer city.

The camp’s chefs, led by the head chef Franks Xiovan, had been busy here since the afternoon.

They set up large pots that the rookie players had found in the city, and were throwing in some dried meat, beans, wild fruits, and high-end seasonings found in the ruins of the city’s restaurants to cook them. This would be the free food provided to all participants at tonight’s celebration.

The smell was not bad, but the taste, well, could only be described as just passable.

But considering this was provided for free, don’t ask for too much.

There were also some chef apprentices nearby making grilled fish. These fish had been caught this morning by the fishermen in the camp in a nearby river, not without the hard work of the veteran angler “Full Coverage Half Off”. On regular days in the camp, this was considered a “special ration” that needed to be exchanged with labor points, but tonight it would be provided for free as well.

But only half a fish per person.

The leader of the camp’s gatherers, the stout Aunt Palen Fedo, was instructing her girls to pour the berries they had gathered from the woods into large barrels for washing, then scoop them into baskets and place them on the long tables.

These would serve as side dishes for tonight’s celebration.

Further away, a few young men from Maxim’s Kadman Civilian Self-Defense Force were rushing with donkey carts, carrying barrels of liquor that had been stored as “strategic reserves” from the cellars beneath the frontlines and transporting them to the square.

Just ordinary liquor.

But in the current scene, it had already whetted the appetites of many drunks, who were following behind the donkey carts happily lending a hand.

Murphy decided to have tonight’s celebration in the form of a self-service buffet, allowing as many people as possible to participate. This was the most efficient method, and it was not his original idea, the Transia region already had this kind of celebratory form, so the camp’s survivors, under the guidance of the elders, were quite familiar with getting to work.

In the afternoon, Miss Miriam had announced in the camp that there would be no labor in the afternoon and evening.

So even though the celebration had not yet begun, the city ruins were already full of people.

Some were helping out in the square, and some children were running and playing carefree among the crowds. A few people went in groups to their former residences, placing a roughly made candle in the ruins to light and commemorate their past times.

Laughter and crying echoed again in the twilight hour, causing Murphy, standing on the collapsed city wall watching this scene, to also fall silent for a moment.

“There were 150,000 people in Kadman City once.”

Beside him, the fully armed Maxim opened his mask, sighing in an emotional tone:

“Now there are only this many left.”

“But they’re still alive!”

Murphy gripped the ominous hilt of Necessary Evil at his waist and said softly:

“So this is something worth celebrating. Escaping death is the greatest luck, whether they want it or not, they will have to shoulder the hopes of those who have passed on and continue living here.

Rebuild the city, rebuild their homeland.”

Maxim nodded.

He absolutely believed in his master Murphy’s words, and his own mood was also a bit anxious and expectant, because after tonight’s celebration would be the moment for him to complete his initial embrace.

From now until midnight, this would be his last time walking on this land as a human.

“Go on, bid them farewell, bid farewell to human life,” Murphy said.

Maxim replied with a soft grunt and turned to leave. Murphy reminded him:

“Don’t wear your armor or worry about your appearance. Go to them openly and boldly. They all know you, they all know your name, they’ve all heard about your fighting and rescuing in the city. You are their protector, you deserve respect.

Others may call you a monster, but you can’t think of yourself that way.”

“Don’t worry, Sir,” Maxim said as he walked down the city wall. “I haven’t thought that way for a long time, and ‘monster’ is no longer an insult to me, but more like a compliment to my uniqueness and difference from others.”

After the loyal servant left, with the whisper of the wind, Blood Wings retracted, and Lady Adele descended from the sky, landing precisely beside Murphy.

She reported in a low voice:

“Sir, a total of 122 people who were unwilling to stay have set off. Miriam has dispatched guards to escort them to Morland Village, where the Witch Hunters are camping.”

“Let them go,” said Murphy, his gaze unwavering as he looked towards the children playing in the distant square. “Those without a sense of belonging have never mattered. To this land, they are meaningless, individuals as rootless as drifting weeds are meaningless to anyone. I heard you selected three descendants from Maxim?”

“Yes, some of the surviving fellows from the traitor Jed’s group. Their condition was poor, so I chose the three best females and formed blood pacts with them. Maxim has also selected three to be his future servants and descendants.

The final four were given to Lady Bonnie, as Lady Tris needs to re-establish her Patriarch’s personal guard, and these fellows were originally selected by Jed from the reserve members of the Patriarch’s guard.”

After her report, Lady Adele added in a low voice:

“But it was only through experiencing the blood pact ritual myself that I truly realized the precious gift you gave me during that initial embrace. I must thank you again, Master Murphy.”

“It took you so long to think of thanking me, it really hurts my feelings,” Murphy joked with a shake of his head. “You were once an excellent infiltrator and wanderer, so I hope you can now become a ‘career trainer’ for my warriors, helping those aspiring to walk the path of shadows better unleash their power.

When Lord Palanno’s entourage arrives, you can be relieved of this duty.

Also, I’m giving you this for your new role in the Blood Vulture Clan.”

He took out the miser’s signet and placed it in Lady Adele’s palm, saying:

“You were once Femis’ excellent steward, now you are the steward of the entire Blood Vulture Clan. There will be dedicated accountants in Miriam’s camp to coordinate with you, so I ask that you take this responsibility to heart.

Tris also wants to complete your, Maxim’s and Bonnie’s rewards tonight, so I wondered if you have any requests for your own territory?”

“Requests…actually, I don’t have much need for power,” Lady Adele said as she slipped the crimson signet ring onto her right pinky, watching it transform into an exquisite and antiquated bloodstone ring. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “But if possible, I hope to have my territory near the Foul Swamp.”

“That’s not a very good place, more like exile to the frontier than a reward,” Murphy looked at his scion with surprise, then asked, “Does it have something to do with your origins? I heard you say your mother left you something?”

“Not an inheritance, Sir, but my birthplace,” Lady Adele could now share the deepest secrets of her heart with Murphy without reservation. In the glow of dusk, she brushed her long hair back and said softly, “It’s a secluded valley near the desolate mountains even further south of the Foul Swamp, just at the outermost edge of the Dark Mountain range, inhabited entirely by mixed-blood elves like me. Our origins are quite complex, not something that can be explained in a few sentences.

“But it has existed there for nearly sixty years. My mother was once one of the leaders there.

I hope my territory is nearby, so it will be more convenient for me to serve your cause in the future.”

“How many people are there?” Murphy blinked.

Lady Adele raised three fingers and said, “There were three thousand when I left, but twenty years have passed, so I cannot answer what it is like there now.”

“So thirty spots then,” Murphy quickly did the conversion in his mind and nodded, assuring Adele, “I will discuss this with Tris. For now, don’t be in a hurry. After the rebuilding of the ruins is on track, I promise I will allocate a force to help you achieve your wish.”

“There’s no need, Master,” Adele shook her head stubbornly. “I can handle this myself, because for certain historical reasons, my clansmen are quite xenophobic, and contact cannot be rushed.”

“But perhaps external opportunities could be created?” Murphy said softly. “After all, the Black Disaster is coming, isn’t it?”

Adele’s eyes instantly lit up.

She nodded but did not dwell further on the topic. A few minutes later, as the circling silhouette of the Blood Vulture Spirit Revnor appeared before Murphy, the vampire lord stretched his shoulders and spread his Blood Wings in the twilight.

He said to Adele, “Go and enjoy tonight’s celebration in your usual way. I need to check on my warriors, they’ve been looking forward to this day for too long, I can’t keep them waiting.”

——

With the familiar gathering of light points into starlight, and then dissipating in the blink of an eye, the rookie players who had died three days ago and been resurrected opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

They had returned once more to this game world they had grown accustomed to and fond of, but this time, their resurrection point was not in the familiar presence of Lord Murphy, but in another location.

The vast and spacious underground warehouse was clearly the area where former civil defense official Kudel had previously sheltered the survivors in the Blood Vulture Halls, but it had now been renamed the “Midnight Chamber” to serve as the respawn point for the rookie players in the newbie village.

With the territory system officially opened and the recapture of the Blood Vulture Halls, Murphy had established the players’ first “birthplace” here.

Of course, as his territory gradually developed, the rookie players could later choose their own respawn points.

Perhaps they only needed to converse with special NPCs scattered around the territory to complete the binding. The only regret was that this world lacked any magical hearthstones to allow instant town portals. Well, it’s not that they were completely unavailable, but there had been no such need before, since travel within the Astral Realm was not exactly safe.

But for the rookie players, risking a bit of danger for the ability to quickly return to town was extremely appealing. So perhaps they could request “Doraetris” to research this area? If town portal scrolls or something similar could be created, that would be even better!

“There’s a celebration outside tonight! It’s gonna be super lively, let’s go go go!”

This was little Ashina’s first experience of resurrection. Feeling exceptionally curious yet disdainful, she patted her “beginner outfit” and pulled Lumina to run out of the warehouse. But at the entrance, they saw something like a “storage locker.”

It had the players’ names on it, locked with simple spirit magic spells, just like smart locks using fingerprints.

Little Ashina quickly found her personal storage locker and, upon opening it, took out the equipment she had been wearing before dying, especially those two expensive crimson revolvers she loved so dearly.

Swiftly changing into her gear, the noisy rookie players quickly left the respawn point.

Most of them were not as interested in tonight’s celebration as the female players. What they really cared about was the reward they would receive after the hard-fought battle.

The surviving Meow King, Cheche, and Niuniu were also waiting for them outside the warehouse, as the quest log instructed them to come here to receive their rewards.

As the rookie players gathered at the spawn point, they saw a pair of massive Blood Wings spread open from the shadows ahead. Then the handsome Lord Murphy retracted his wings and glided down, landing before them in an elegant pose.

“My warriors! Welcome back to your second homeland!” Murphy opened his arms with a smile, announcing to the rookie players before him with the signature enthusiasm of an NPC:

“It is with immense joy and satisfaction that I announce to you, my most trusted and dearest warriors: Our campaign against Salrokdar was a great success! The new territory we were reborn into has finally endured through the most difficult times under your unwavering courage and protection!

And with this, I am able to bestow my meager gratitude upon the true warriors.

Accept with an open heart the thanks from Kadman City and the Blood Vulture Clan, warriors of the night, this is what you rightfully deserve!”

As Murphy’s words fell, a delightful “ding ding ding” sounded on the players’ interfaces, the beautiful sound of quest completion:

【Prologue – The Last Night of Kadman City

Quest 5: Epilogue – Drowned in the Blood of the Past, Victory on the Horizon (Completed!)

Prologue Quest Series Completed!

Series Quest Reward: Cosmetic – Blood Vulture Clan Midnight Hunter Ceremonial Outfit Set 【9/9】 Obtained. Please visit the Blood Vulture Halls Treasury to receive from Lady Adele.

Main Quest Reward: Blood Vulture Clan Warrior’s Treasure Chest x1 Obtained. Please collect from the Blood Vulture Halls Treasury.

Dungeon Achievement Reward: Special Title ‘Kingslayer’ Obtained. Please equip from the Titles interface.

New Quest Triggered!

Quest Name: Drink to Victory!

Quest Details: Enjoy the revelry tonight.

Quest Objective: Attend the victory celebration in the ruins of Kadman City and witness the rebirth of the Blood Vulture Clan!

Quest Reward: Server will update in six hours. New patch incoming.】

“Yay!!!”

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

The cosmetic outfits, titles, physical rewards and news of the new version had the players rejoicing. However, among the crowd, the Meow King’s group of six felt an unsettling feeling rise up when they saw the note about claiming the Blood Vulture Clan treasure chest.

“What the f**k! We’re opening lootboxes again?”

The Electronic Succubus cursed:

“What a doggish move from the devs! Why do they have to shove this crap activity in our faces? Just give us a fixed weapon or let us choose one of three or four equipment pieces as a reward instead of gambling on our luck, huh?”

“Look on the bright side,” said the newly joined ‘Don’t Need Hands to Show Off’, still unaware of the severity of the issue. This old pal was very optimistic: “Maybe our luck will explode today?”

As he was surrounded by rookie players heading towards the Blood Vulture Treasury, Murphy glanced sideways at the Meow King’s group of six from the corner of his eye.

Hey, you were the ones who just called me a “dog developer”, right? I heard every bit of it!

Good!

Quite daring!

Let me jot that down in the ‘Book of Grudges’!

I’ll show you what a real dog developer looks like!

If any of you six get something good today, I’ll write Tris’ name backwards!