Section 53 Pursuit

"He said he wanted our souls. He said that the soul must be traded willingly, and that any inner resistance would invalidate the transaction. So he put forward his terms, and we give our souls to him, and in return, he will help us fulfill a wish. ”

Ashrufat felt a sense of absurdity. This kind of "soul contract" is not unfamiliar, because those stories of coaxing children to sleep, those bedside books, there are a lot of stories of this type. Often, the villain in these stories is an evil magician (and nine times out of ten a black magician). These magicians use their dark knowledge to do evil, hoping to use this soul contract to gain loyal servants and henchmen. Of course, the outcome of such stories is similar at best. A decent protagonist such as a brave knight, a mercenary with a sense of justice, and a clever burgher will use his strength and wisdom to finally defeat the evil magician.

However, Ashruphat himself is a magician, and he has a certain understanding of both the winds of magic and the dark arts. Well, maybe he's a master in terms of pure knowledge. So he was able to understand that this kind of "soul contract" or something like that, at least magically, was pure fiction. Not to mention specific spells, even theoretically they are unattainable. It's common sense for dark magicians.

However, this common sense seems to be wrong. At least Ashrufat didn't think that vampires would play a boring prank on their slave girls. What's the deal about? Vampires want a reliable group of minions? But does it make sense? Even if vampires can somehow give power to ordinary humans, the lifespan of humans is only a short split second compared to vampires...... Vampires are immortal, unless they are violently killed. Wait, can't it be......

"There should be a lot of vampires...... This kind of female slave. Ashrufat thought. Legend has it that vampires gathered countless beautiful maidens in their castles for their own consumption and other uses. There is even another legend that states that vampires don't actually eat very much, so he gathers more girls than he actually needs. Normally, this is explained as "greed" or "lust", but it seems that there is another explanation.

"There are many, but ...... He only chose a small number of people to trade this soul contract. ”

"Anyway, you agreed to the deal...... And then the vampire gave you a lot of strength, and how did he give you a lot of power?"

"I don't know what to do...... I was asleep, and when I woke up, I found myself naked in my bed, and my mind was ...... It appeared inexplicably...... Lots of relevant knowledge and skills. ”

"Knowledge and skills? and then all at once...... Got it?"

"It's hard to explain that feeling...... It's as if all of a sudden everything is understood. The knack for moving the body, the familiarity of using weapons...... Magic Tricks...... It's as if I remember these things. All it takes is a little refresher and you're good to go. ”

"And then you get the amount of force...... And ran away?"

"My wish to vampires is that I want to get revenge on the slave traders who sold me to West Vania. "It must be noted that at the beginning, Laria struggled fiercely, and many words were squeezed out between her teeth. But now, either she resigned herself to her fate, or she was tired, and it was becoming more and more difficult for her to resist the force that invisibly controlled her. "So the vampire told me to go back to Eagle City and fulfill my wish with my own hands. ”

In this case, it is easy to understand. The vampire may have been negligent or had too much confidence in himself, in short, he made a logical mistake. Originally, he was supposed to get the other party's soul first before he could give the other party a force, but now he gave Laria a force first. The whole story is like the typical pattern of business fraud that you can often hear about: one party gets a deposit and immediately leaves the country, rather than staying to fulfill the transaction.

Of course, the vampire seems to have made some preparations. It's just that it doesn't seem like that's enough.

"West Vania...... I heard that vampires live in a magical castle?" Ashruphat asked out of nowhere.

"Yes, a ...... A castle with powerful mana. Its exterior is completely different from its interior...... It's incredible. ”

"Tell me more about what you experienced in that castle. ”

Laria began to tell about what happened to her. Although it was years ago, this memory was very clear to her, so she spoke in detail. She recounts the various situations she encounters in the castle and how the girls inside the castle are divided into strict hierarchies. And the guards who trade eternal slavery for eternal lifespan. The ogres who guarded the gates of the castle, and some unknown strange things, especially strange things made of metal but possessed intelligence.

She spoke of the horrific scenes she had seen in the castle, the cruel torture instruments and blood-stained shackles. All the new girls are sent to visit the horrible places to discourage them from escaping. People disappear all the time—every now and then, the companion you shared yesterday is gone. No one ever asked where the disappeared people were, because everyone knew where they were.

When Laria finally finished telling the story, she noticed a change in Ashrufat's face. Although she didn't understand what it was for.

"So that's what happened. Ashrufat smiled reluctantly. "Tell me, is your sister planning something...... I remember she said that she wanted to be the ruler of the Underworld Realm of Eagle Falcon City. ”

"Yes......" Laria's struggle grew stronger, but the force forced her to reply.

"Why is she doing this? You have banished the hooligans of the Flower Block, and you have already ...... for yourself Create a quiet paradise with girls like you. Think about it, because of the vampire's mistakes, you have been given a great deal of power, and with such a perfect and peaceful living environment, what are you after? Is it really a never-ending desire?"

"Eagle Castle...... The slave trade was once again ...... It flourished. Lalia said with difficulty.

Ashrufat immediately remembered what Akin had told him earlier.

"Now, a certain high-ranking official of Gruni has deployed his power in the Underground World Realm of Eagle Falcon City. Thanks to his connivance and control, now the slave trade is once again ...... Becomes frequent. The slave trade, which had been tightly controlled, was now becoming more and more ...... Get out of hand. A lot of innocents are ...... This is something that neither my sister nor I can tolerate!"

Ashrufat finally understood what Rhodia had said before. Indeed, the slave trade seemed tempting to Gruni. You could say it's full of sin, but you can't deny that it's really profitable. Ashrufaat couldn't help but think of the Yan Princes at the previous imperial meeting, and wondered with some curiosity which of them was meddling in this matter.

"So that's what happened, then what you did yesterday was ......"

"Remove some of the obstacles. Laria replied. Her answer was actually very philosophical, not about killing people, but about removing obstacles. But it's also the case.,How can I say that they relied on absolute violence to completely purge the hooligans who control the flower block.。

"I've told you everything you want to know, now let me go. Laria said.

"Will you obey me absolutely?" said Ashrufat, turning his mind to the matter at hand. "Do you have to obey me in everything, what if I make you kill yourself?"

"I have to...... I have to ......" Laria struggled, but couldn't control her mouth. "Yes...... Target...... I...... Even if you let me kill myself...... I have to obey ...... too" By the time she uttered the last sentence, her emotions were out of control. "Demons!" she cried.

"Okay, I got it. I don't like the slave traders, and so do the rascals. Ashrufat's words came as a surprise to Laria. "Just do what you want to do. You're good to go. ”

"You...... Won't enslave me?"

"What am I enslaving you for?" Ashrufat asked rhetorically. "I don't need guards or killers, even I'm someone else's guard. And I'm only going to be here for a year. You're good to go. He added the last sentence. "By the way, don't tell your sister about it. This is not an order, it is just to reduce unnecessary vigilance and conflict between us. I'm sure you can see what I mean. I'm not a threat to you, and I'm not going to do anything to you. ”

After Laria left, Ashrufat leaned hard against the back of her seat. It was only after he calmed down that he could feel the uneasiness that came from the bottom of his heart. Could it be that those dream things are ......

“...... Soul crossing is a special case. When someone dies, the soul detaches from the body, but instead of entering the realm of the gods, it enters another body. It will either suppress the original soul on the new body, or it will combine with the original soul on the new body to form a new soul......" The doctor's words rang in his ears again.

It is known that there is indeed only one vampire left in the world...... And I resemble the vampire so much that the vampire's minions have to obey me...... Ashrufat desperately didn't think in this direction, but the thoughts in his heart were like taking root, and he couldn't stay alive or dead.

When he came in before, he saw that the door next door was closed, but Ashrufat knew that Ajin should be in the room.

"Ah Jin, Ah Jin!" he came to the door next door and began to knock hard.

After a short while, the door was opened. Ah Jin appeared in front of Ashrufat in his pajamas. It looks like Ah Jin didn't sleep last night, so he's catching up on sleep now.

"What's the matter, Ashrufat. Ah Jin asked as he rubbed his eyes. "What's the urgency?"

"Akin. Ashruphat said in an urgent voice. "You should be in contact with various chambers of commerce or something, right?"

"Of course...... Why are you asking this?" asked Ah Jin, puzzled.

"You and Sivania's side...... Is there a connection? I mean can you get in touch with someone you can trust over there, a business partner. ”

"Sylvania, vampire territory?" said Akin, still looking sleepy-eyed. "Yes, what's wrong?"

"Can you help me ask what the vampire is doing? I don't want second- and third-hand information, I want first-hand information. Ask the reliable person to see it with his own eyes, and then ...... as quickly as he can Send it back with a magic communication. I can pay. ”

"Ah, magic communication, it's not cheap. Ashrufat's last sentence (to be more specific, the last word) drove the sleepy worm out of Ah Jin's body. A strange expression flashed across his face, but at this moment, Ashrufat didn't care about this at all.

"How much will it cost?" asked Ashrufat.

"At least two hundred Quiolis. Ah Jin rolled his eyes and quoted a price. "Ashrufat, we are friends, so I will give you a 20% discount on this price. As long as it's about the movements of the vampires?"

"This is three hundred gold oli. Ashrufat quickly pulled out a stack of bills from his pocket. "Ah Jin, please, use the fastest speed. Remember what I just said, I want to see with my own eyes, not hear about it. I want to know what the vampire has been doing in the past two days. ”

"The sooner the better?" Ah Jin took the money and confirmed it again. "Then there are the movements of the vampires that I witnessed with my own eyes. I'm right. It's okay for both days?"

"That's right. Ashrufat said.

"Wait a minute. Ah Jin turned around and went back to the dormitory, and after half a minute or so, he returned to the door and handed a folded piece of paper to Ashrufat. "The latest on the vampires, absolutely first-hand. ”

Ashrufat had no intention of pursuing Akin's actions at this time, and he quickly opened the paper with an urgent look and recognized it as a letter.

“...... The Scarlet Duke received me personally, and we talked very happily for the whole afternoon. I must assure you that vampires are an extremely wise ruler. He completely agreed with me and issued me the relevant documents and authorization on the spot. Dear cousin, things are going well on my side, and if your business is not going well, I suggest you come to my side. There must be a position for you here, and your faithful ......" The letter is followed by a name that Ashrufat did not recognize, and the time—the time was yesterday.

"My cousin wrote it to me yesterday. Ah Jin said. "He just met a vampire yesterday and got a commercial license. I think this news fits your requirements perfectly. ”