Chapter 71:

Sister Pomegranate is a girl with a tenacious personality and strong mind. She rarely admits defeat proactively, just like when facing those elite Witch Hunters earlier. Even though she knew she couldn’t win, she would actively think about how to entangle them to create an opportunity for Miriam to escape, and how to strike to deal maximum damage. However, when Sister Pomegranate saw the fully armed Lord of White Oak, the golden knight Finoch, she immediately realized that this was someone she truly couldn’t defeat! It wasn’t because she was cowardly. Rather, it stemmed from the terrifying difference in strength between them, which was evident enough from external appearances to make her lose all will to fight. She followed beside Miriam, staring at the old knight in his peculiar white wooden armor, carrying the Great Oak Blade on his back. To her, he felt like a sleeping tyrannosaurus rex while she was just a hissing little kitten before it. This description was not an exaggeration. “Is this the level of background strength currently in the game?” Sister Pomegranate pondered in her heart: “If his health bar was revealed, he’d at least be a world BOSS, right? Just not sure if such golden-level monsters will be running around everywhere after future version updates? Hmm, given this game’s rigorous nature, such a severe power imbalance situation probably won’t happen, right?” “My respects, Battalion Commander.” Miriam, on the other hand, behaved quite properly. She took the initiative to greet the old Finoch standing beside the red war horse, though her tone was tense to the point of nearly biting her tongue, her performance was still passable. This stemmed from Miriam’s recent experiences as a manager overseeing over a thousand people. Although just a novice, her habits and demeanor cultivated from her work allowed her to maintain basic decorum even before such a prominent figure. This was the change in personal demeanor reflecting the improvement in perspective and experience, just like how after chatting amiably with a high-ranking city official, one would no longer be nervous when facing a county magistrate. “So you’re the blood servant who rescued my subordinates?” This time, the old Finoch didn’t use his wondrous oak sorcery, but simply looked Miriam up and down while holding his oak war helmet. As for Sister Pomegranate beside her, the old knight deliberately ignored her. She was a fighter with potential, But only potential, not worth much attention in the current situation. “Speak, what message does Murphy want you to convey? You’ve seen that my time is limited, so you only have these few minutes to convince me!” The old knight said in a low voice: “Start your ‘performance’, red-haired young lady.” The other Witch Hunters beside them looked at the two vampire worshippers with varied gazes. They marveled at the courage of these two girls, but sneered at their choices. It was only because the Battalion Commander was present here; if they were free to act, on such a night these two vampire worshippers could be silenced without a second thought during the operation. These scum who entrusted their lives, souls, and faith to vampires were undeserving of pity! Miriam felt the gazes around her. But she was long accustomed to it. Ever since she entered the Shaldor Engineering Academy to study, her classmates from all over would reveal the same expressions upon hearing she was from the Transia region. Alas, regional discrimination was also a serious problem in this otherworld. “Esteemed Battalion Commander, Murphy wishes to engage in cooperation with you and your warriors.” Miriam tried to make her voice sound serious enough. She didn’t waste time on rhetoric, but cut straight to the point: “Just like the previous unspoken understanding between him and Miss Natalie, wiping out sixty elite Midnight Hunters in one fell swoop. Facts have proven that when there are shared interests, vampires and Witch Hunters can cooperate!” “When the interests are great enough, even angels and demons can sit at the negotiation table and chat amicably. I understand this principle, but the premise is ‘shared interests’.” The old Finoch sneered and said: “However, I fail to see any interests worth discussing between myself and your lurking Murphy.” “There are many! Quite a number!” Miriam’s heart lifted when she heard the old knight didn’t outright refuse. She glanced at the brief but not simple negotiation points sent to her computation bead by Murphy before she departed. After a few seconds of organizing her thoughts, she raised her head, looked straight into the old knight’s eyes, and said: “Through the previous messenger, Murphy has learned that your goal is to confirm the death of Patriarch Salrokdar. The information we can share is that after the Kadman City disaster, the Patriarch and the last batch of Blood Vulture members hid in the Blood Vulture Halls. Please, for the sake of those over a thousand lives, help us!” The old knight did not respond immediately. He turned to look at Natalie beside him, as if waiting for her judgment. After a few seconds of silence, the gray-haired huntress Natalie pulled back her hood, pointing to the not-too-unsightly scars on her eyes and face, and said to Miriam: “These wounds are from the torture and abuse by vampires, originating from that ambush in Morland Village, representing the enmity between myself and Murphy. Old Joe died at your hands! Along with Matt, John and Mond, I remember the name and face of every one of my subordinates I’ve lost, right on this detestable land. What I’m saying is... Listen well, emissary of the vampires! The enmity between myself, Murphy and other vampires will not be so easily extinguished. What I’ve lost, I will take back with my own hands. But I will also prove through my actions! Lady Tris’s description of us is true. Witch Hunters were not born as slaughter and war-mongers, we were once noble too. And tonight, we shall regain that nobility! Those at the survivors’ camp, we will protect them from the vampires’ threat. But this does not mean we will join hands in friendship with Murphy’s group.” “This is something you must do!” Miriam pointed fiercely towards Morland and said: “If it was someone else saying this, I might not be able to refute it. But you’re different, look over there! That’s where I was born, Natalie. You witnessed firsthand what your fallen comrades did there, how my father, my family, my companions died, you know better than I! That wasn’t the vampires we both despise who killed them! You said Witch Hunters were once noble, so prove to me that you’re different from those maniacs who came from you!” Mentioning the tragedy of Morland Village, Natalie’s tone immediately hardened. After all, that tragedy did originate from her fallen, destruction-reveling comrades. “It seems you’ve reached a consensus, although different from what I imagined.” The old knight, observing this exchange, said gloomily: “Natalie, you really need to practice your eloquence, or perhaps this fiery redhead can truly trample you in that regard. Fortunately, you can make up for it in other ways. Now, I command!” “Swish” Natalie immediately stood at attention. The Witch Hunters in the darkness also stood in military posture, listening to the Battalion Commander’s orders. “Squads one to five will temporarily be under Captain Natalie’s command. You will join in the protection of the survivors’ camp and the hunt for the vampire fanatics. I can hear the thirst for war in your hearts, now you need not suppress yourselves.” The old knight gestured and said: “After your operation concludes, come to the inner city and rendezvous with me. I will operate separately...Lieutenant Frayzer, who will you be following?” Upon hearing old Finoch’s inquiry, Lieutenant Frayzer, who had been hiding in the back, stepped forward. When Miriam saw this tall, lanky man in the Goldflower Kingdom’s military uniform appear, her expression immediately turned sour. She could reconcile with the Witch Hunters because they were only mercenaries, but a lieutenant from an enemy nation was an outright foe. Though she didn’t have much genuine feeling for her homeland, even studying far away on Genoa Peninsula, she had heard of the damage the Goldflower Kingdom inflicted on the Portia Federation during the decade-long war. “My personal strength is lacking, I wouldn’t want to cause you trouble, Battalion Commander.” Lieutenant Frayzer looked at the red-haired girl with interest. This Transian woman was truly fiery-tempered, completely opposite from the frail young ladies he had seen since childhood, practically like a lioness brandishing her claws and fangs. He had never seen such a fierce woman before. While finding Miriam somewhat uncouth, he was also filled with curiosity. The lieutenant said softly: “I will follow Miss Natalie, and document your annihilation of the Blood Vulture Clan’s last remnants along the way. I believe His Majesty the King would enjoy hearing tales of such intense battles and humanity’s heroism against evil during his leisure.” “And I shall be His Majesty’s eyes and ears.”