My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 118 - 98: A Life-Saving Divine Skill?

It was obvious Lotte didn't like Nick, but he reluctantly accepted Gwendolyn's arrangement.

"I'll go with this brat and get the wheat," Nick said, having recovered some of his strength, as he got to his feet.

"Who are you calling a brat?" Lotte retorted, displeased.

"Hah. Take a guess which 'man' here hasn't even hit puberty yet?" Nick said with a sneer.

"Nick, when I grow up, I'm going to learn Swordsmanship and give you a good beating!" Lotte shouted, his face red as he shook his fist.

Though Nick and Lotte were at odds, they both obeyed Gwendolyn's instructions and left with Emily.

After the three of them left, Fang Zhen looked at Gwendolyn.

Clearly, Gwendolyn had sent them away because she had something she wanted to discuss with Fang Zhen alone.

"Foreign Ranger Fang Zhen, if I may call you that. Please don't find this presumptuous," Gwendolyn began, looking at Fang Zhen. "And please don't hold Nick's strange temper against him. He's been like this ever since his beloved daughter was 'offered.'"

"'Offered'?" Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow.

"Every month, Lord Ellick demands that the territory provide one young person. Children and women are given priority. This poor soul is sent to the Ancient Castle, supposedly to serve as an attendant. The people of Ellick call this an 'offering,' but in truth, those who go never come back. They simply vanish," Mark explained. "Nick lost his daughter eight years ago."

At these words, something stirred in Fang Zhen, and he looked over at Mark.

Mark's face was devoid of expression. "I lost my younger brother twelve years ago."

It dawned on Fang Zhen.

'He'd been curious about Gwendolyn's criteria for accepting apprentices. Nick, for example, seemed to have a personality completely different from hers.'

'Now he understood. All of Gwendolyn's apprentices were people who harbored a deep, irreconcilable hatred for Ellick.'

'It made sense. With backgrounds like that, personality compatibility was secondary. Their loyalty would be unquestionable, and she would almost never face betrayal.'

'The other piece of information was that the Vampire Lord Ellick 'consumed' one person a month.'

'He had a preference for young people, children, and women.'

'Twelve people a year. The number didn't sound enormous, but to the common folk of the Ellick Territory, it was still terrifying.'

'The thought that one's own children, relatives, or siblings could be demanded as an 'offering'—as food for an old vampire—at any moment must have cast a constant pall of terror and panic over the territory's people.'

"Let's be open with each other," Gwendolyn said to Fang Zhen. "A moment ago, Nick revealed an unmastered Gang Zan Seal. That is a basic seal, one that represents protection."

"You must be aware of Curse Sealers and their seals, so you can likely guess my identity. I won't hide it from you."

"I am Gwendolyn, a Curse Sealer," she said, her expression quite sincere. "Fang Zhen, you are a foreigner here in Ellick. What have you come here to do? And what do you seek to gain?"

'So she's showing her hand,' Fang Zhen thought with an inward smile now that she had spoken so plainly.

"I'm a Ranger. I like to right wrongs," Fang Zhen said. "I heard that the Vampire Lord of Ellick has grown very weak recently. I came here specifically to kill this infamous ruler."

"This will allow me to make a name for myself."

"At the same time, I'm searching for Curse Sealers and members of the Whig Society. I wish to learn about seals, as I need greater power. I also despise these inhuman, otherworldly rulers. My ambition is to slay every last one of them, so that humanity can reclaim its rightful place as masters of this world and restore justice under the heavens."

"Slay all the otherworldly rulers and let humanity reclaim mastery of the world?" Mark, who had been listening intently off to the side, felt his eyes brighten at those words. He stared at Fang Zhen, his gaze intense, his blood stirring with passion.

'It seemed no one in Mark's usual environment had ever spoken like that.'

'It made sense. Master Gwendolyn didn't seem the type to be a master orator who brainwashed people. He figured that when she encouraged her apprentices, her pep talks probably went no further than 'kill Lord Ellick.' She didn't paint a very big picture.'

'But Fang Zhen came right out of the gate talking about slaying all otherworldly rulers and restoring peace to the world. Whether he could actually do it or not was another question, but the vision itself was far loftier.'

'Modern people were used to hearing empty promises; almost no one took them seriously anymore, and they especially detested grand-sounding blueprints for the future.'

'But that same rhetoric, in this day and age, held an incredible power to inspire the imagination. It was charismatic and alluring.'

Gwendolyn was far more seasoned than Mark.

"Your ambition is stirring, truly grand and inspiring. I am deeply impressed."

"However, perhaps we should ground that ambition in reality and start with a smaller goal? For example, we could first determine whether Lord Ellick is truly in slumber or if this is all a trap, and then decide our next move?"

Gwendolyn said.

"Of course. That is my purpose in coming here," Fang Zhen replied, not the least bit embarrassed. "Master Gwendolyn, what is the situation in the Ellick Territory right now? Is that Vampire Lord really dormant?"

Gwendolyn studied Fang Zhen for a moment. Seemingly deciding she could trust him with this matter, she said, "I don't know the true situation either."

"What I can confirm is that Ellick has not appeared in his territory for ten years."

"However, the monthly 'offering' continues. Every month, some poor soul is chosen by lottery and taken away."

"I cannot determine Ellick's current state from these outward signs alone."

"Only by actually entering the Ancient Castle can we learn the truth of the matter."