Crimson Servant

John and Frances did not use "traditional" transportation when leaving Dark City. Now that Mariana has taken control of the blood area and quickly stabilized order after the attack, the two of them can leave the city gate of the blood area openly, under the watch of the vampire hunters in the shadows.

A city gate guard with blood-red eyes handed an ornament to the warlock, which was a silver pendant with a cross embedded in a blood-red stone in the center.

"This is what Lady Mariana ordered me to give to Your Excellency."

John turned to look at the dark elf who had walked into the sunlight. Francis was wearing his dark magic cloak, hiding all exposed skin in the shadows under the cloth. The edge of the hood turned and the shadow seemed to make eye contact with John.

John accepted the silver pendant from the vampire's hand.

"It doesn't look cheap."

The vampire guard replied: "This originally belonged to Count Smelky and was part of his most valued property. Even a single value is enough to buy a small city. Ms. Mariana accepted the inheritance of these counts."

"So, this is the travel fund Mariana gave us?" This is not like Mariana's style, but considering that she recently occupied the property of the Blood Count, her personal wealth has skyrocketed, and it is understandable to take care of us two paupers. .

Warlock blood research costs money, and John's personal financial situation can only make a slight profit by packing trophies during blood hunting. As for Francis, he always travels to various places mysteriously, and he doesn’t like collecting like Nora. Without the help of Mariana and others, John guessed that he might have to live in the wilderness for the rest of his life.

Hearing that the warlock was trying to sell the pendant, the vampire guard stared at him fiercely, his blood-red eyes full of anger. For the vampires, this is a cultural relic whose history can be traced back to the True Ancestor period, and its historical weight has long exceeded its own value.

The vampire gritted his teeth and said, "Ms. Mariana asked you to handle this [Silver Blood] freely, but this artifact itself is contaminated with Count Smelky's aura, which will attract the attention of that adult, so please keep it properly."

Now John understood Mariana's purpose, this thing was a bait. If the Earl, who loves money, notices that this treasure is missing, he will definitely send his remaining troops to pursue it. When they find that there are only a few people in the team carrying [Silver Blood], they think they are just ordinary thieves who stole the treasure. Can't help but take action.

Mariana, who was as sure of their strength as she was of their poverty, had not the slightest fear in handing over this dangerous decoy to John and Francis.

John left the city gate and came to Francis, and the voice of the dark elf happened to appear in his ears.

"What do you plan to do with the 'pocket money' Mariana gave you?"

The warlock's eyebrows raised in displeasure. John was sure that Francis walked into the sunshine first so that the vampire could only hand the things to him, just to induce his misunderstanding and to tease him now. This is what he did when he saw the future.

"Keep it. Trading this item to others will only cause trouble. It's better to deal with those blood-sucking bugs ourselves."

Francis nodded, having no objection to the warlock's choice.

"Being able to suppress personal emotions and make the most rational choices is something you and Mariana have in common. I'm glad you learned this quality from her."

The dark elf's words aroused John's interest. Because Francis often appeared and disappeared, and every brief meeting would produce some unfunny humor, John always thought that he was a person with clear ideas and not a talkative person.

He has never expressed his views on other people, and now that the two are about to embark on a long journey without Mariana and Nora, maybe Francis is planning to change his personality in the heart of the warlock.

"You rarely talk about Mariana," John said.

"Everyone will talk about trouble." Francis said, lifting a stone with his foot. The falling stone triggered a trip wire trap not far away, and several lurkers hiding behind the tree trunks shrank. "As for Mariana, she is the easiest friend to get along with. She can always think from your perspective and detect your desires. There is nothing much to say about her. My impression of her is basically the same as what you think."

Francis paused, then spoke slowly.

"But those discordant parts were deleted."

John followed the dark elf with a normal expression, as if he didn't hear his last words clearly. But under the black robe, tentacles of excitement were twisting wildly in his sleeves.

The warlock turned his head and looked at the robbers who were warned by Francis. As long as they made the slightest move, the lurking blood chains would turn them into corpses.

Unfortunately, the Dark Elf's warning was very effective. Perhaps the ambush robbers couldn't stand the murderous intent unleashed by John, so they retreated away from the two men until they disappeared.

"Consider them lucky," John said viciously.

night.

They camped out in the dense woods outside Dark City, and Francis took over almost all the work of surviving in the wild. He took off his cloak and coat to protect him from the sun. His purple-black skin shone in the moonlight, and his muscles were tight and burly through training. He looked like a ferocious jungle lion and was full of energy.

Francis hunted two wild boars, one became their dinner tonight, and the other became the magician's wilderness work.

"Many of these beasts escaped from the Dark City experimental area. Many of their organs are toxic and will contaminate the meat if they are not careful. You can handle them and let me see what you are capable of."

Francis threw a skinning knife to John. It had a bone blade, a leather-wrapped handle, and crude artificial marks. John seemed to be able to smell the grease on it.

John raised his hand, a ball of blood pooling in his palm.

"I can use spells..."

"Crimson spells will make the pollution worse."

The warlock sighed, and under Francis's gaze, he picked up the knife and followed the dark elf's instructions step by step to kill time before the meal.

"Are you planning to train me into a warrior again?" John asked.

The former warlocks were weak due to corruption and could not receive combat training at all, so they mainly received education about spellcasters in Juancrit. But now that the warlock's body has recovered, Francis's patient guidance gave John a strange feeling.

John got an answer from Francis.

"No, letting you work part-time as a warrior now would give up your advantage, which could easily backfire."

"Besides, warriors should learn in battle, not from ingredients."

"I just want to teach you how to deal with it."

Francis' words made John's already low mood even lower. He simply put down the knife and let the half-processed wild boar hang to dry on the wooden frame.

The dark elf didn't say much. After John gave up, he cut off the roasted pig's hind legs and handed it to him. He took the knife and continued to finish the unfinished part of the warlock. He briefly processed it and then dried and marinated it.

John silently watched the dark elf's operation, not taking a few bites of the food in his hand. When Francis finished his work, the two sat around the campfire together.

The warlock spoke to break the calm.

"Why did you suddenly have such an idea?"

Francis devoured the meat.

"Is this a strange idea? Both Mariana and Nora have educated you, and there will be times when I want to share knowledge. I don't want to lag too far behind my friends."

John was silent for a few seconds, looked at the barbecue in his hand, and took a bite.

"Actually, Nora didn't teach any useful knowledge. There is no such thing as being backward."

The dark elf raised his head.

"Although being on par with idiot druids is no consolation."

"But I'm glad to hear you say that."