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Section 17: Intimidation

At night, the Dark Castle resembles a towering pillar.

There really aren't many people here—although the new city is bustling and populous, the Dark Castle isn't technically in the new city, but on the outskirts of the city—it's just very close. The significance of this practice is unclear, but it is indeed unconventional, as other lords have built their castles in the middle of the city.

The benefits of the castle being placed in the center of the city are obvious. But the vampire's castle does not stand in the center of the town, and he does not have a mansion in the city.

As is known, if someone asks to see the Scarlet Duke, he should pay a formal visit during the day - no different from a visit to a normal human lord. Usually, vampires can meet as long as they are at home. Moreover, vampires are not the kind of monsters that cannot be reasoned. To date, there has never been a case of a visitor being killed by him. In the worst-case scenario, where the two sides are not speculative, the vampire simply orders the "undesirable guest" to be driven out of the castle. To be honest, this practice is already much more disciplined than many human lords.

Anyone who has ever seen a vampire admits that vampires are not only intelligent, but also rational, organized, and surprisingly judgmental. But all those who have seen a vampire also admit that although they look like a human (and usually hide their fangs), a little longer with him will make it clear that he is not human.

"Those eyes...... That's the eyes of a dead thing, not a living man!" said someone who had met with a vampire in private. The church's propaganda that "a vampire is a carrion corpse, but its own strong will and the magic of black magic make it live again" has also been recognized by many people.

However, during the day, you can come to the door to ask to see the Scarlet Duke, but at night you can't. After dark, the guards who had been on duty at the gates of the Dark Castle would evacuate and the castle gates would be closed—a clear sign that there would be no visitors at night. But if the "guest" felt that such an attitude did not stop him, things would have turned out to be very different.

As mentioned earlier, the so-called "Dark Castle" is a tower in appearance. And the tower has enough windows open, but there are no moats, low walls, moats, and so on on the perimeter. The shortest of them could even be climbed empty-handed by a nimble man. And even those high-point windows, as long as they are assisted by hooks, it is not difficult to climb up.

In addition, since there were many "regular" guests who had legally (and often invited) entered the castle and were given the opportunity to visit it, the interior of the castle is not a secret – at least not in the eyes of those who care about it.

So it's easy to guess that in the more than 20 years that vampires have ruled this land, I don't know how many people have sneaked into the castle at night with various purposes.

Then, those who go in disappear from this world. It is said that many thieves are among the most famous thieves in the capital.

That's why Faure said that kind of thing before.

But tonight, Ashrufat became one of these "fools".

It was already the middle of the night, and after dinner, before the middle of the night, Ashrufat had laid out his puzzle as much as he could. Speaking of which, he was also lucky, he actually found a person with a similar figure to him, and successfully bribed the other party with a sum of money. The man was willing to wear his full outfit, including his helmet, for five days. For the past five days, the stand-in will claim to be unwell and stay in the room and not go out.

In addition to this, he had received valuable news from the side of the road: it was that the vampire seemed to have recently traveled south to meet with the dark mages, and would not be in the Dark Castle for a day or two.

As long as the twins are not involved in this matter, Ashrufat is more than seventy percent sure. He knew he was good at surviving in the wild—and if there was anything he had improved greatly after this journey through the Chaos Realm, it was his ability to move in the wild. Whether it's tracking or anti-tracking, he's now enough to make the most skilled scouts of the Seven Kingdoms deflated. And Sivania is surrounded by mountains. As long as you can go to the wild, it is high and the birds can fly. Even a vampire is helpless against him.

As for Faure, Ashrufat didn't mean to deceive him, but to be honest, for Faure, ignorance was the best-case scenario.

The silence outside the dark castle was terrifying. As the southernmost point of human territory, Sivania can be said to be like spring all year round. But around the Dark Castle, there was no sound of insects. This vision itself suggests that there is something wrong with the castle.

Now Ashrufat is dressed in a black tight-fitting suit, exactly like the "Night Thief" in a children's storybook. In his hand, he holds a hook that is sold everywhere. With this simple piece of equipment, he was free to choose between those high and low windows.

As mentioned earlier, the windows on the lowest floor of the Dark Castle can be climbed with bare hands. Since the Scarlet Duke had the confidence to open such a low window, he must have been prepared. But the question is, what exactly is this "preparation". Maybe it's magic, maybe it's a mechanical trap, maybe it's a guard, and most likely, it's all there.

However, after being so close to the castle, Ashrufat was already convinced that there was definitely no magic in this "preparation". Because even at this distance, he didn't feel any of the energy flowing from the wind of magic.

So is it a machine or a guard?

Ashrufat thought about it, and finally chose the shortest window. If the vampire chooses a mechanical trap, then there is no difference between high and low. And if it is guards, then the probability of lax vigilance of guards at the lower level is much greater than that at the middle and upper levels.

The process of climbing into the window is not difficult. In fact, there are no traps in the window itself, just a very ordinary window sill. This was in line with Ashrufat's inference that if the trap had been in the window, the previous failed thieves and assassins would not have disappeared silently, but at least let out a dying cry to their companions waiting outside the castle.

Inside the window, there is a room that is clearly stacked with clutter, including some cleaning tools for cleaning. With his superhuman night vision, Ashrufat could clearly see that the grips of these cleaning tools were smooth, and it was obvious that they were used regularly. In other words, there are definitely people coming in and out of this room from time to time. Such a place is not suitable for arranging any mechanical traps.

Isn't there even a mechanical trap? Eshurufat grew more and more surprised. But at the same time, he is becoming more and more vigilant. That's not a good thing - it means that the last possibility, the guard, would be very powerful.

Ashrufat still remembers Laria's killing show. If only every vampire guard had Laria's level of power......

It only takes three for Ashruphat to summon his newfound Energy Shield armor. But that's an act of drinking to quench your thirst. Wearing armor (albeit light) will inevitably affect his movements, and he will probably not be able to run away from it.

If that were the case, Ashrufat would have to hope that he would be able to escape by resembling the Scarlet Duke's appearance (which had previously allowed him to have a great influence on Laria). However, this is best not to happen, as it is likely to attract the attention of vampires - and the frenzied hunt at all costs.

It's one thing to rescue a captive from a vampire. But influencing vampire rule is another matter. In the former, vampires may not particularly care, and in the latter, vampires are determined to go all out.

Ashrufa took his nerve and opened the door to the utility room from the inside (it was unlocked) and walked out.

......

The cells in the Dark Castle were surprisingly clean and spacious.

Prisons are often associated with words like dirty and smelly, not to mention the fact that there are people who build water prisons specifically for the abuse of prisoners. But the cells in the Dark Castle are not at all that concept. If you want to describe it, you can call it "small and neat". At least, after the little girl woke up, she didn't find it unbearable.

She and Laria were neighbors, separated by metal bars, but their hands could still fit through the gaps in the cages. This metal is not steel, and although the metal strip appears thin, it is far stronger than steel, and even Laria's strength cannot shake it in the slightest.

There are more than thirty cells lined up in the corridor, and there are only two of them. The number of guards was even smaller, only half - because the guard was at least half absent.

Naturally, the caretaker was the same person as Laria. Although it is beautiful, it is difficult to approach. She always kept a straight face, kept silent, appeared every other day, and then looked at the two prisoners and left.

"The vampire shouldn't be in the castle these days. When the guard left again, Laria said. "Otherwise, he'd already come to see us. Scarlet too, it shouldn't be there. ”

In the past, the little girl has always felt that Lalia is a very strong person - not only because of her fighting ability, but also because of her confidence. Even though she was besieged by the Chaos Legion before, Laria always seemed calm and confident, without fear at all. But now, she could clearly feel Laria's fear—she was afraid of the vampire.

"Guessed wrong. A voice rang out. Then, a familiar person, the wind chime, walked in from the top of the staircase. "The Duke is indeed not here for the time being...... But the captain is there. It's just that she's not available for the time being. ”

"What will we be going to do?" asked the little girl. When she saw the wind chimes, she felt a hot pain in her neck.

"It's up to the Duke to decide. Wind Chime replied with a blank face. "Or it's up to Scarlet to decide. Maybe die. As she said her last words, she looked at Laria. The two were the same age now, but on the surface, Laria was at least seven or eight years older than the wind chimes. In fact, the appearance of the wind chime looks about the same age as the little girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. "Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"I want to write a letter to my sister. Laria said. "Paper and pen are needed. ”

"I'll get some for you. Wind Chime replied. "If you die, I'll find a way to give it to your sister. It's a trivial matter, and the Duke won't care. However, whatever you write, you must be read by the captain before you can send it out. She paused. "If only her husband could be replaced...... There is no need for this redundant measure. It's a pity that your sister is married to General Bayral. ”

Laria stopped talking, perhaps acquiescing to the other party's request. When the wind chimes wanted to leave, the little girl screamed. "Murderer!

"As for you," the wind chime smiled, "don't worry, little girl, you won't die...... Theoretically, so. You look so much as Lord Duke wants, and I'm sure he'll love you so much!" was so much malice in her voice that the little girl took a half step back and couldn't help but hug her breasts. Of course, I don't actually have any breasts. i1292

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