Chapter 211: Bloodseekers
Bloodseekers are a very interesting group because they are not an independent race, nor are they a profession, system, or legacy. They can be any race—human, elf, orc, Dwarf, Half-Orc, Lizardmen, etc. Aside from some subtle characteristics, they look almost identical to ordinary people, but their inner nature is vastly different from their 'kin'.
Bloodseekers possess many unique talents. For example, their physical abilities dramatically increase in the dark, they feel lethargic at sunrise, they spontaneously master an ability called 'Blood Magic' upon reaching adulthood, they can regenerate limbs by expending the power within their blood, their lifespan is at least five times that of their normal 'kin', the stronger they are, the longer they live, and they can recruit followers… I mean, assimilate others through an ability called 【Blood Embrace】.
In short, they look exactly like the vampires we know.
But in fact, Bloodseekers are completely different from vampires in the usual sense. They are not a bunch of morbidly Gothic beautiful men and women; they don't like living in coffins unless they are desperately poor, they don't have two terrifyingly long fangs, and they are not afraid of garlic, holy water, or sunlight. While being impaled through the heart with a wooden stake will kill them, most races would die if impaled through the heart with a wooden stake, wouldn't they?!
Bloodseekers are even less like vampires than the bat-blooded tribes among Half-Orcs. At least the latter can transform into bats using their racial talents, and they are afraid of silver, garlic, and sunlight. More importantly, their fangs are indeed very long.
As for Bloodseekers… their most vampire-like trait is probably that they drink blood.
Yes, they really do drink blood…
However, blood is not something akin to a drug for Bloodseekers. Even if they don't drink blood for a long time, they won't experience full-body tremors or rolling on the ground; they will simply starve to death.
They just starve to death, very simply.
This is also why this group is not very well-regarded on the Innocent Continent, as not everyone likes to get too close to someone who will drop dead on the spot if they don't drink blood for an extended period.
In short, players often confuse Bloodseekers with vampires and bat-species Half-Orcs when they first hear about them, while NPCs often confuse them with bat-species Half-Orcs.
And the bat-species Half-Orcs… are quite innocent.
Ms. Gulu Siweiwen, a famous bat-species Half-Orc Thief nicknamed 'Batman' in history, once stated: The difference between bat-people and Bloodseekers is as obvious as the difference between wolf-species Half-Orcs and Dog-Headed Kobolds.
And a similarly famous Bloodseeker, Illyria Bathory, known as the 'Crimson Siren', held the same opinion.
The only thing the two ladies didn't agree on was the question of 'which one is equivalent to a Dog-Headed Kobold'.
In summary, the Dog-Headed Kobolds are also very innocent.
So how did Mo Tan discover that Shaliya was a Bloodseeker?
It was simple: two days ago, when he first arrived in Lake Light City, he accidentally saw Shaliya drinking blood. The victim was a Mudchu.
Mo Tan then developed a slight interest and inquired through various channels. The process basically involved first withdrawing some money from the Gold Coin Merchant Guild, then spending some money at the Thieves' Guild, and soon he obtained a not-very-detailed but still worthwhile Bloodseeker dossier…
After reading it, he became even more interested. He then conducted a brief investigation into Shaliya and, naturally, discovered the 'pursuers'.
Ultimately, what was originally a rather complex matter… naturally became even more complicated with someone's involvement.
Of course, he expressed no pressure about this, so after parting ways with a few 'enthusiastic' players, he leisurely strolled back to the west gate to rendezvous with Shaliya.
“Faster than I expected.” The latter leaned in a shadow and chuckled softly, tilting her head to ask, “Can we leave now?”
“We can.” Mo Tan nodded, then seriously cupped Shaliya’s pretty face and sternly told her, “If you’re imagining all sorts of messy things, believe me, the duration has absolutely no meaning; it only depends on my mood.”
Then he strode towards the city gates. Shaliya stood still, reacting for a while, before her face flushed red as she chased after him, extending her right foot to kick Mo Tan’s calf hard.
【It’s really strange…】
In a short while, they left Lake Light City and arrived by a rather large lake. It had an awkward name—Butterfly Light Lake, which was also the origin of the small city behind them.
“I heard that when the weather is warm, many colorful Butterfrees constantly circle here all day long,” Mo Tan said softly to Shaliya beside him, gazing at the silver water surface shimmering slightly under the moonlight. “I imagine it must be very beautiful.”
“Perhaps.” The latter merely shrugged noncommittally, then turned to look at Mo Tan: “I’m very curious…”
“Don’t be so curious yet, my dear Shaliya.” Mo Tan extended his index finger and lightly tapped her cool, thin lips, smiling. “Let’s talk about the reward first.”
Shaliya was stunned: “Reward?”
Mo Tan nodded as a matter of course: “Exactly. I hope you give me that pendant. Although it’s far inferior to its owner, it’s still a rare work of art.”
“My pendant?!”
Shaliya frowned, her expression chilling: “You could indeed say you saved me. Although I hadn’t thought of it before, offering some reward is what I should do, but…”
【Incongruous… very incongruous…】
“But you can’t bear to part with it?” Mo Tan exaggeratedly opened his mouth wide, surprised. “I thought you’d be happy to give away this thing that almost harmed you~”
Shaliya was genuinely stunned this time. After reacting for a while, she asked with uncertainty, “You just said it… almost harmed me?”
“You’ve been chased by those guys for a long time, haven’t you?” Mo Tan turned his head, raised his chin towards Lake Light City, and raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you wondered why they’ve always been able to find you?”
How did he know?! Was I being followed?!
These two questions almost immediately popped into Shaliya's mind, then were interrupted by Mo Tan's smiling face before they could be verbalized.
“It’s a simple conclusion. You don’t seem to be a local of Lake Light City, or even Hussein Territory. You can tell just from your accent. And Bloodseekers have many powerful talents that can be used in games like hide-and-seek. While those people haven’t caught you, you haven’t shaken them off either…” Mo Tan said, then softly whistled and leisurely asked Shaliya, “Don’t you find it strange?”
Shaliya fell silent.
“There are many other obvious factors, but due to time constraints, I won’t tell you now.” Mo Tan slowly walked up to Shaliya and whispered, “For your safety, why don’t you let me keep it for a try? Although I just called it a ‘reward,’ when you want it back, I’ll definitely return it to you without a word. How about it?”
Shaliya was somewhat curious about the 'many other obvious factors' he mentioned earlier, but she didn't ask anything further. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her hands and gently unfastened the teardrop-shaped gem pendant from her neck, handing it to him: “I trust you…”
【Am I really too damn handsome? Or is she doing it on purpose? Or is it some problem similar to mine?】
“Honestly, if I weren’t good-looking, I might actually think you’re too trusting.” Mo Tan casually remarked, then took the pendant from Shaliya’s hand.
【blood essence crystal】
Category: Necklace
Quality: Epic
Equipment Restriction: Unlocked Race 【Bloodseeker】, Any Profession Level 30 or higher
Attributes: All attributes increased by 10%
Traits: ???, ???, ???
【Note: There seems to be a faint heartbeat inside.】
Mo Tan clicked his tongue, then unenthusiastically tossed it into his satchel, shrugging, “Now you don’t have to worry about being tracked for a while. This bag of mine is quite high-grade.”
“Thank you.” Shaliya gently pursed her lips and whispered, “That was my father’s relic, so I hope you can keep it safe for me. I will exchange it back with something else later.”
Mo Tan shook his head and casually found a relatively flat spot to sit down: “I’m no longer interested in your pendant. I’ll return it to you when you’re safe.”
“I’ve never seen a Bard like you, Tan Mo.” Shaliya sat down with her knees hugged, facing away from the lake in front of Mo Tan, her eyes filled with confusion and curiosity: “You’re unfathomable to me…”
【The sense of incongruity about you also makes me quite unsure~】
Mo Tan took down the Truelute hanging on his back, held it in his arms, and gently plucked a few ethereal, mournful notes, smiling understatedly: “Have I harmed you?”
“No.” Shaliya was stunned for a moment, then sincerely said, “At least so far, you’ve always been helping me, though I have no idea why.”
Mo Tan blinked and continued to ask, “Then do you think I have ulterior motives?”
“No…” Shaliya first shook her head, then suddenly averted her gaze, her face slightly flushed: “Probably not.”
【There it is again, it doesn’t seem like acting at all… or rather, if she were capable of such acting, I wouldn’t find her so strange…】
“That’s good then. Since I have no intention of harming you, and ‘probably’ no ulterior motives, then whether I am a conventional ‘Bard’ or not doesn’t matter. Naturally, there’s no need to see me too clearly.” Mo Tan smiled at Shaliya, spreading his hands. “Just pretend I genuinely fell in love with you at first sight.”
Shaliya tightened her robe around herself, her eyes downcast, and said, “So, what you said earlier was just casual nonsense after all?”
“Who knows.” Mo Tan smiled playfully, then whispered, “Interested in talking about your story?”
Shaliya seemed to relax completely, covering her mouth and chuckling softly, “That depends on your purpose.”
“Just a little curious.” Mo Tan said without looking up, while plucking the strings, “As for measurements, I can tell enough just by looking, and I’ve already touched you several times.”
“Although I don’t know what ‘measurements’ are, I feel like you’re saying something very unpleasant.” Shaliya frowned, then sighed softly, “I’m from Fernan Territory to the north, a minor noble, I suppose…”
Mo Tan nodded: “Alright, stop there.”
Shaliya was stunned: “Huh? Aren’t we supposed to talk about me?”
“Yes, so you don’t need to say anything more. Anyway, I’m just ‘a little curious’.” Mo Tan yawned, pulled out a scroll of parchment from his satchel, and lightly shook it. “You said earlier you don’t have a pass, right? This document can get us smoothly to Crystal Wolf County.”
Shaliya sighed softly, her expression complex, and nodded.
“But you’ll have to change your name. If Shaliya is your real name, it’s best not to use it for a long time.” Mo Tan muttered to himself, rolling his eyes as he picked at a non-existent booger with his pinky finger. “Let me think… Leimiliya, how about the name Leimiliya Scarlet?”
Shaliya nodded, “Okay, Shaliya is indeed my real name… But how did you come up with a name so quickly? Is there really a person named Leimiliya Scarlet?”
“Yes, there is.” Mo Tan nodded readily and smiled, “She’s one of my old flames.”
Shaliya pouted: “I really shouldn’t have asked you that…”
【For now, I’ll take her with me and continue to observe…】
“Alright, that’s all for now, my dear Leimi.” Mo Tan stood up, re-hung the Truelute behind him, and smiled, “If we head west for about two hours, we should see a village…”
“Hmm, but why are you walking south?”
“Tch, can’t I just go pee…?”
…
At the same time
Violet Royal Capital, Saramun
Mage Guild Saramun Branch, Underground Level 2 Practice Area
Several streaks of ice dust swept out without warning, instantly leaving large, dense scorch marks on an Earth Elemental Puppet in the corner. Simultaneously, two lightning snakes, flickering with dark purple electric sparks, shot out abruptly from nearby, directly striking into the small-scale polar storm, shattering the low-level puppet, which was mass-produced by a perpetual summoning array. Before the scattered fragments could dissolve into basic elements, they were confined in mid-air by an invisible large hand and then slammed violently to the ground in the next second.
Bang!!!
That sturdy, clumsy, resilient Earth Elemental Puppet, used for low-tier mages to practice on, which had just been born less than two minutes ago, thus perished.
Not even a speck of dust remained.
“This is absolutely incredible…”
A middle-aged Half-Orc mage with a small mustache stood frozen, dumbfounded, staring with extreme horror at the petite figure nearby, his jaw almost dropping off.
He, a Mid-Tier fire mage, believed he couldn't be as decisive as she was.
“One minute and twenty-seven seconds.” A Dwarf girl with a Novice Mage badge pinned to her chest shivered, poking her Half-Dragon companion beside her: “How long does it take you, Wawago, to deal with a low-level Earth Elemental Puppet, as a fellow Junior Mage?”
The latter sighed: “Ten minutes, at least…”
“What was the previous record?!”
“Three minutes and twenty seconds, set by Senior Doma two years ago.”
“Is this sister even human…?”
“I don’t think so…”
Chapter 208: End