Bound to a tree, with no teeth left in his mouth, the unnamed vampire twisted his body like a maggot, kicking and struggling. He watched the approaching crowd with fear, wishing he had died earlier to avoid such suffering. However, with most of his bones shattered and his tendons severed, even death was a distant hope.
"Kill him," someone shouted.
Though a powerful fifth-level life form, the vampire dared not approach the ordinary people. Yet, pebbles rained down on him, causing him little physical harm but immense humiliation. He, a formidable warrior, was being pelted by a mob of commoners. He acknowledged this was merely a prelude to the torture that awaited him.
A stone tablet stood beside the vampires, inscribed with: "Avenge the 57,783 residents of Cado City who died at the hands of vampires."
The inscription, written in the blood of vampires, was sharp and powerful, a testament to the writer's peerless cultivation.
The identity of the writer was not initially revealed. However, priests from various temples who arrived later interrogated the surviving vampires, revealing the name: Mourinho. It was Mourinho who had launched a midnight raid on their lair, Mourinho who had captured all the vampires, Mourinho who had built the mound of skulls overnight, Mourinho who had erected the monument, and Mourinho who had captured and bound this particular vampire.
Aimei Bo, a priestess of the Goddess of Magic, gently stroked the vampire. "Don't worry. If we can't make you die within two years, it would be a sign of our incompetence. We have dark sorcery, shamanistic orc arts, and forbidden magic. We'll ensure you're kept plump and healthy."
Aimei Bo's tenderness evoked memories of a kind mother, yet the vampire trembled as if he were about to wet himself. A divine light, weak at the level of a second-tier spell, fell upon him. Immediately, pea-sized pustules erupted on his skin, and his flesh began to burn as if seared by flames.
Screams of agony from the vampire echoed outside the city gates, met by a city-wide cheer that pierced the sky.
On the city walls, Li Xi stood beside Aisi, watching as the vampire was repeatedly tortured by divine and dark magic, only to be healed and then tortured again. Each scream from the vampire fueled the jubilant cheers of the crowd. Priests from various temples took turns, proudly showcasing the power of their divine arts to the common folk.
The vampire had considered suicide, but the presence of two figures in black robes, exuding an aura of deathly coldness, made even that impossible. While dark magic was considered evil by many, certain dark arts were incredibly beneficial when used against vampires, like potent tonics for humans.
"Is this what you did yesterday?" Aisi asked, her gaze filled with worry for her man, unaffected by the celebratory atmosphere. The potent aura of the two deceased seventh-level vampires had instilled a sense of dread in her, let alone the pile of vampire corpses. She could only imagine what her man had faced the previous night.
Li Xi nodded, looking at the crowd. The Assassin's Alliance, except for their leader, the so-called "Gravedigger," who had vanished, had been annihilated. He believed his master and Andy could now rest in peace. His transmigration had brought some closure to Miduo. As for the vampires and the mound of skulls, they were merely side effects of his actions.
Nothing was more inspiring than witnessing one's enemies suffer and die repeatedly before their very eyes.
"If there's anything like this again, tell me. I don't need you to be a hero. I just need you to come back safe and sound for dinner every day."
Aisi's eyes held a mixture of blame, concern, and pride. How could she not fall for a man who seemed to have stepped out of a novel? He had fought thousands of miles away, slain enemies, and returned safely. Even if he wasn't the main force, he had contributed. Who else, outside of such tales, would dare to infiltrate a vampire lair guarded by seventh-level beings?
"Don't worry. This was all Lord Mourinho's doing. I had nothing to do with it. I was just outside, keeping watch, and didn't even see a single vampire. I'll focus on completing my missions from now on and be a good mercenary, catching up to your level as soon as possible."
Li Xi was currently a C-rank mercenary, while Aisi was B-rank, one level higher. He only needed to complete four B-rank missions to be promoted.
As Cado City found increasingly inventive ways to torture the sole surviving vampire, in the silent depths of an abyss, a blood pool larger than a city churned. Red waves surged, exuding a palpable killing intent. A pale young man emerged from the bloody depths.
He had only one arm. His entire right arm and half his chest were gone, his beating organs visible through the wound. His appearance was identical to the Dracula clone that had descended during Nasser's divine manifestation. This was the progenitor of vampires, Dracula, wounded by the Dark Lady.
Dracula looked up at the red moon in the sky, as if able to see through the layers of the abyss to the surface. After a moment, he used his remaining left hand to slash through the space before him, tearing it open. The dark, inner space was filled with nothing but spatial storms. Dracula's eyes scanned briefly before locating his desired destination. He subtly moved his lips, and a voice traveled through the spatial rift.
In a castle in a major city in the main world, someone hosting a wine party for the upper nobility, who had been engaged in conversation, suddenly froze. After excusing himself rudely, he entered his room, knelt respectfully, and said to the sky, "Your subordinate obeys."
...
Li Xi stared at the few available missions, lost in thought. It was the third day since the complete annihilation of the vampire castle.
As Aimei Bo had said, the vampire wouldn't die for at least two years. He endured unimaginable torture daily, yet the residents of Cado City showed no signs of revulsion, instead reveling in the gruesome spectacle.
Some even spent their own money to buy holy water and force the vampire to drink it. A fifth-level vampire drinking low-grade holy water would experience excruciating pain, akin to colic, but not death. Thus, he was constantly in a state of agony, as if suffering from severe colic.
To prevent his death, many taverns sent blood from poultry to replenish his body. If not for the constant stream of divine interventions, the vampire would have been kept healthy and well-fed by the residents of Cado City.
Aisi, with nothing to do and knowing the Wood Leaf Merchant Group was partly owned by her family, had proactively gone to assist Avril in managing the business. With both women present, their powerful auras made Li Xi hesitant to indulge in the pleasures of their company. Feeling guilty, he resolutely refused the temptation of comfort, leaving behind the phrase "a good man's ambition lies in all directions," and quickly packed his belongings, heading for the long-unvisited mercenary guild.
This was his first time looking at B-rank missions. Even his shadow clone mercenaries had reached E-rank. If Li Xi didn't act, he would soon be surpassed by his own clones.
'Find a magic crystal mine. Reward: Nobility or equivalent treasure.'
'Northern Highlands Merchant Group requires mercenaries of C-rank or higher for escort duty to the snowy plateau. Targets: barbarians, berserkers, orc tribes. Reward: 50% of the total value of goods, distributed according to individual contribution.'
'The Violet Royal Prince seeks a warrior of level six or above to impart martial skills for three years. Reward: Negotiable.'
'Seek the Kromgorn Battle Axe forged by Dwarf Master Bruhl. Reward: The dwarf's friendship. (99th year of bounty).'
'Seek materials from ancient dragons, unlimited types and quantities. Reward: Negotiable, long-term valid.'
'Combat the Greybeard pirates in Pabiti. Reward: 20 gold coins per pirate head. Seized supplies need not be handed in.'
...
The missions were indeed few. Li Xi had scanned the entire mission board, finding roughly a hundred. However, seventy of these had been posted for over five years without completion. For example, the mission to find the Kromgorn Battle Axe forged by Dwarf Master Bruhl had been up for 99 years. Missions expired automatically after 100 years, requiring re-posting. This meant many missions might not be a few years or decades old, but centuries or even millennia.
As far as Li Xi knew, Dwarf Master Bruhl was a figure from five hundred years ago. The weapons he forged were considered epic, and it was said that no less than two dozen powerful figures had died by the Kromgorn Battle Axe. It had simply been lost and its whereabouts remained unknown.
Such missions were a matter of chance. With good luck, one might complete them while simply using the restroom; with bad luck, even a god couldn't finish them. These represented the status of most B-rank and above missions.
More importantly, none of these B-rank missions were posted by Cado City. The mission locations were scattered across the continent, and each mission required a significant amount of time to complete, with none achievable in a few days.
But this was the reality of becoming a high-ranking mercenary. Large-scale missions wouldn't be readily available at your doorstep. According to Aisi, only a few S-rank missions were updated annually, and those who reached S-rank had to take on smaller tasks.
Li Xi had nearly memorized all the missions without finding one suitable for him, yet he didn't want to go home. The gazes of the two women were like ravenous wolves, and Li Xi feared not being drained, but being drained simultaneously.
Fortunately, besides Li Xi, there was a leisurely staff member in the B-rank mission hall. The two idle individuals sat down and started chatting.
From the creation of the world by the Creator God to the scandals between various deities, their gossip flowed freely. Although a mission was refreshed on the mission board every hour or two, by the time Li Xi looked, they were either in faraway lands or other planes of existence.
"You mean the current princes are not Caesar the Great's biological sons? How do you know such news?"
Li Xi's heart fluttered as if a kitten were scratching it. Cado City belonged to the Assyrian Empire, the largest human empire and the greatest nation on the continent, with immense military power. The emperor, Caesar XIII, was in his twilight years and had twelve sons and thirteen daughters. How could the princes not be the emperor's own? Li Xi smelled a strong scent of intrigue.
The young man named Jamberg, with his eyebrows almost flying off in his excitement, enthusiastically recounted the historical gossip he had heard from some unknown source. "Not only that, but it's rumored that besides the eldest and second princesses, none of the other princes and princesses are the current Emperor's children. As for whose they are, let me tell you in detail."
Such gossip was enticing. Zhen Huan and all the concubines giving the Emperor a cuckold's hat – it sounded stimulating. Was this man the imperial physician who could enter the harem, or was he their younger brother, Prince Guo? Or both? Li Xi eagerly wanted to know the answer.