Chapter 93: The Vampire Castle

“Yes, we saw him when the mission began. On the armor of the guard he was escorting, there was a red triangular emblem.”

This was a pleasant surprise indeed. After hearing that, Lu Kuan almost instantly concluded that Meng Ge’s capture had to be connected to Tang Jie.

In his previous life, Tang Jie had been sentenced to hanging by the lord of Lavaburg for greed and illegal slave trafficking. According to players who had taken part in the related quest back then, when Tang Jie died, the wealth found in his home amounted to well over a hundred thousand gold coins.

He was practically the fantasy world’s ultimate corrupt magnate.

“Wonderful, ha-ha. You really are my lucky star.”

Unable to contain his excitement, Lu Kuan said, “You’re going to the Alchemy Hall? Want to come with me on this quest? A chance encounter quest is pretty rare.”

Seeing Lu Kuan grinning like a child, Qingyi’s lips curved into a faint smile as well. She shook her head and said, “No, I’m still going to practice alchemy. You... you go ahead on your own.”

Lu Kuan did not press her any further after that. In any case, there was little reward in this quest. If Meng Ge happened to be selling anything his friends could use, Lu Kuan could simply buy it for them outright.

“Oh, right. I nearly forgot about this,”

Lu Kuan slapped his forehead and smiled at Qingyi. “If you three aren’t busy, go to Clear Spring Village on Banyan Grassland after dawn. There may be a large-scale story quest there. If you pick it up early, the final rewards should be better.”

Earlier, Lu Kuan had triggered Tao Bo’s storyline, and afterward Clear Spring Village would surely open up its own story quest in short order. Although the overall direction of the quest was already in Lu Kuan’s hands, the influence of branch quests could not be underestimated.

What was more, it was a story quest. At the very least, there ought to be an extra skill point reward. It was worth doing.

“Mm, got it,” Qingyi nodded, quietly filing the information away.

The two parted at the intersection. Watching Lu Kuan jog off into the distance, Qingyi’s face lit up with a faint smile.

Today, Wu Xiaoxiao was in an excellent mood, because the Liu Xueliang who had been pestering her for many days had actually failed to show up.

After being harassed for so long, her parents had nearly decided to call the police. No matter how formidable Liu Xueliang’s background might be, for their daughter’s safety, Wu Xiaoxiao’s parents could not simply stand by and watch things grow worse and worse.

But this afternoon, Liu Xueliang did not appear at the entrance to the neighborhood.

The dark cloud that had hung over the girl’s heart for days finally dispersed, if only for the moment. No wonder Wu Xiaoxiao was so happy today.

...

When Lu Kuan arrived outside Tang Jie’s residence, he narrowed his eyes at the towering stone-brick wall.

At the mansion gate stood two guards: one a holy knight clad in full steel armor, the other an ordinary guard in battle gear. By the torchlight at the entrance, one could make out the red triangular emblem on the latter’s shoulder armor.

That was Tang Jie’s personal crest.

Tang Jie’s residence stood right beside the lord’s manor, surrounded by the elite guards and patrols of the lord’s household, and more than half of those soldiers were holy knights.

The lord of Lavaburg himself was a high-level holy knight, and under his command was an elite guard unit made up entirely of holy knights. The members of that guard unit held positions no lower than squad leader, dispersed throughout every layer of Lavaburg’s military structure.

These core forces were like a tightly woven net cast by the lord, holding the entire city firmly in his grasp.

“The movements around the lord’s manor must all be under the lord’s control. Would Tang Jie really risk being discovered by sneaking Meng Ge into his own mansion?”

Lu Kuan asked himself the question, then shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t. Tang Jie can’t possibly be ignorant of how terrifying his boss is... So where would he take Meng Ge? The place would have to be hidden, secluded, and suitable for brutal interrogation...”

At that thought, Lu Kuan’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively looked toward the northwest.

Two li west of Lavaburg, then north across the Ragewater River, there stood an old castle by the riverbank. On the map, its current name was Vampire Castle.

This was a military lookout post on the outskirts of Lavaburg. In his previous life, the vast trove of gold, silver, and jewels Tang Jie had hidden was dug up here.

Lu Kuan found a hillside and watched without moving for twenty minutes. He discovered three visible sentries, four hidden ones, and two patrol routes that moved on fixed circuits. None of this came from any skill; it was all the product of rich combat experience.

“Tang Jie really is bold and cruel to hide treasure in a place like this. He should know that holy knight squads from the city patrol here at regular intervals too...”

Lu Kuan had to admire Tang Jie’s nerve, but this was no time for admiration. After observing for a while, and taking advantage of the blind spot in the enemy’s patrol timing, he slipped silently into the water.

Swimming underwater along the bank, Lu Kuan reached a gap in the wall, leapt into the castle, and immediately crawled into the sewer.

Some of the terrain had grown fuzzy in his memory, but once he was actually on the spot, he could always recall details he would not usually have thought of. After a little time, Lu Kuan successfully found his way to the castle’s underground prison.

This was the most suitable place for interrogation. Lu Kuan first came to the end of the corridor and peered out. Outside the iron bars, he could see two guards leaning against the wall.

“What do you think the boss caught this little thief for? And why’s he so tense about it? Makes no sense.”

“Shh... Do you want to die? The boss naturally has his own reasons...”

“Relax, damn it. It’s just the two of us down here. Those lazy bastards are all upstairs stuffing themselves with meat and wine.”

“You idiot... I heard this kid stole something from some noble. It was worth a fortune, and our boss has his... particular hobbies, you know what I mean.”

“Tsk, that is odd. What expensive thing could there be in Lavaburg anyway?”

...

The two were chatting animatedly. Lu Kuan decided not to disturb them and turned toward the dungeon.

The conditions here were even worse than in Lavaburg’s prison. The only advantage was that, aside from a faint moldy smell, the air was still fairly fresh.

Lu Kuan examined the cells one by one, and soon found his target, but when he saw the scene before him, he could not help frowning.

In the corner of the cell lay a frail figure. His clothes had been lashed to tatters by a leather whip, revealing bright red welts across his back and swollen, raised wounds. The sight was dreadful.

But Lu Kuan knew this fellow all too well. He would not die so easily.

“Meng Ge,” Lu Kuan called softly.

Meng Ge’s body trembled faintly, but there was no response.

Lu Kuan glanced back toward the corridor and said in a low voice, “I’m here to save you. Stop playing dead and get up!”

Only after a long while did Meng Ge laboriously turn his head, revealing the face of a handsome halfling: a pointed chin, a sharp nose, his face smeared with blood and grime, and his originally lively blue eyes now bloodshot and exhausted to the extreme.