Inside the Odra family's villa in West District, Backlund.
Summoned by the call, Emlyn White took off his hat and coat and entered the living room to wait.
In this room, besides him, there were several other vampires whom the big shot had also summoned. After glancing around, Emlyn chose a seat next to a man whose nose was so high it seemed slightly deformed.
The man had brown hair, red eyes, and sharp facial features. He was holding a picture album, flipping through it aimlessly.
He was the very vampire who had previously provided Emlyn with information about the abandoned castle deep in the Dreyer Forest. His name was Ernest Boyar, a viscount.
Emlyn had originally planned to visit this Viscount in the next few days, but he didn't expect to run into him here. After thinking it over carefully, he spoke in a measured tone:
"Viscount, I'm very curious. Where did you get the information about that abandoned castle in the Dreyer Forest?"
"What? Did your client tell you there weren't any ancient vengeful spirits there?" Ernest Boyar tore his gaze away from the album and glanced at Emlyn.
"No, that's not it." Emlyn didn't explain, but persistently emphasized his previous question. "I'm just very curious about the source of that information. It doesn't seem so simple."
Ernest Boyar closed the album and nodded slightly.
"That's not a secret. I learned about it from Lord Nibyas. To be honest, I'd never heard anything about it before. It's hard to imagine that there's such a castle in the Dreyer Forest."
Lord Nibyas… A thought instinctively popped into Emlyn's mind: "Another probe…"
But isn't this kind of probe too dangerous? It even required Mr. Fool to handle… Emlyn frowned slightly, recalling some details he had considered before, and tentatively asked:
"Viscount, why didn't you explore the castle yourself? I recall you're an archaeologist. Besides, you could have harvested the Beyonder materials corresponding to the ancient vengeful spirits along the way."
Ernest looked at Emlyn oddly and said:
"Lord Nibyas told me it's very dangerous there. It's best not to go near it without at least a Count's rank."
Emlyn's mouth was half open, a slightly stunned expression on his face.
He immediately suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice:
"Why didn't you warn me about this earlier?"
Ernest let out a laugh:
"Isn't it obvious? If a Beyonder creature whose specific location and situation are known to our race still exists, how could it have survived without some special reason?"
Seeing that Emlyn looked puzzled, he added:
"The information should normally be: 'There might be ancient vengeful spirits somewhere in the Dreyer Forest. Someone has encountered them, but couldn't find the source.' This means finding them is a difficult and troublesome task, and the time cost would likely outweigh their value. That's why they managed to survive until now. I thought you could easily spot the problem with that information. And your client too. If they decided to act, they must have had the corresponding confidence."
For the first instant, Emlyn thought Viscount Ernest made a lot of sense and was completely unable to refute him. He thought it was his and Miss Magician's own stupidity for clashing with the danger, and it had nothing to do with the viscount.
In the next instant, Emlyn felt both ashamed and angry, full of self-loathing.
In the third instant, Emlyn realized another problem:
"Regardless of whether the information itself implied danger or not, Ernest Boyar should have clearly stated it. Understanding the degree of danger, the source of danger, and the manifestations of danger is extremely important for any subsequent exploration. It's indispensable!"
"He did it on purpose!" Emlyn made his final judgment internally. His scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and lifting his chin, he said:
"Indeed, it's easy to see. But what I really want to know is the exact danger lurking in that abandoned castle."
Ernest picked up the blood-red black tea beside him, took a sip, and said:
"I don't know either. Lord Nibyas didn't say."
Emlyn's expression darkened. He was about to make a sarcastic remark when he suddenly saw Casimir Odra enter the living room. Casimir looked at him and said:
"Emlyn, the big shot wants you to see Him."
"Alright." Emlyn composed himself, held down the lower part of his vest, and stood up at a leisurely pace.
After descending the stairs to the underground area, he finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice:
"Baron Casimir, who exactly is the big shot? How should I address Him?"
Casimir, who looked like a middle-aged gentleman, no longer hid it and replied with a voice full of respect:
"His Grace, Duke Olmer."
Duke Olmer… Emlyn instinctively straightened his back and stared at the lamp stand on the wall, as if trying to check his appearance in its shiny metal surface.
He was one of the three Dukes currently ruling the vampire race, an ancient powerhouse who existed before the Great Catastrophe, bearing the title "Full Moon", over three thousand years old, and had once followed the Ancestor Lilith!
Without a doubt, he was the embodiment of the vampire race's history and glory!
Passing through layer after layer of secret doors, Emlyn and Casimir arrived in an iron-grey hall.
The ground and walls here were covered with grass, flowers, and grain. Countless insects crawled amongst the dense vegetation, making Emlyn feel as if he had left the city and arrived in the countryside, feeling the vibrant life.