Orson and Lolofey left the capital, crossing a vast snowy plain to reach a new area called the Blood Demon Forest.
The sky was a dull gray-brown, and the atmosphere was thick with a suffocating, eerie feeling.
Riding on Crimson Lizard King, Orson gazed down at the dense forest below. Several areas were surrounded by toxic green fog that never dissipated. Any ordinary player without a flying mount who mistakenly entered these areas would be met with toxic mist dealing 5000+ damage per second—certain death.
Above the forest, the skies were no safer. Swarms of 80-level Blood Bats roamed the air. These blood-red, pig-faced bats were weak individually with only 300,000 health, but their numbers were staggering, and they would attack anything that moved.
Lolofey rode a six-legged dragon, holding a peculiar torch that emitted a faint white glow. As she passed, the Blood Bats scattered.
Orson checked the torch's attributes—it was simply a basic magical item designed to repel Elite monsters, which held little interest for him.
"Ah, so it's here."
Orson's expression shifted slightly as he spotted a town several kilometers away.
This town, nestled between two mountain ridges, looked like a jagged rock embedded in the landscape. It stretched up to the mountainside, looking grim and forbidding, with no aesthetic beauty to speak of.
The once-grand city walls had collapsed, and though the surrounding ruins suggested it had once been a place of great prosperity, it now seemed abandoned.
"You have discovered the Ancient City of the Ghost King!"
Orson was surprised. In his past life, he had come here with a gold-farming group to complete a quest that involved clearing out the Blood Demon tribe. The monsters weren't too strong, but the gold drop rate was high. It wasn't long before this place became a hotspot for farming.
However, he couldn't understand why this place was connected to the hidden quest Blissful Purity. The eerie environment here didn't seem like a place the Holy Light Church would enjoy for entertainment.
Crimson Lizard King was still sulking. Before they could land completely, it transformed into a beautiful woman and slammed down to the ground.
"You—!"
Orson cursed, flustered. Laketon, unaffected by gravity, floated down gracefully beside him.
Orson grit his teeth, fumbled to switch to mage form, and used a spell to cushion his fall.
"How about acting like a super warrior for once?" Orson grumbled as he scolded Crimson Lizard King.
"My apologies, Master."
Crimson Lizard King raised her head, apologizing, but Orson could see there was no real remorse in her expression. It was likely she would act out again next time.
Berenice: "The big bad dragon doesn't listen! Servant boy, hit her! Hit her!"
Berenice continued to stir up trouble, hopping around on Orson's shoulder. Crimson Lizard King shot a murderous look at Berenice, scaring her into hiding inside Orson's robe.
"Under the golden staff comes the best dragon, don't blame my master for being ruthless..."
Orson raised his eyebrows, pretending to draw out a fire poker to smack her.
"I obey my master's will," Crimson Lizard King said, kneeling gracefully, her ruby eyes looking at him pleadingly.
"Ugh..." Orson hesitated, his anger dissipating as he looked at the innocent face. He couldn't bring himself to strike.
"I'm not called that," Crimson Lizard King replied seriously, looking embarrassed.
Orson squinted, asking, "Then what's your name?"
She hesitated, clearly struggling, her face turning redder by the second.
"I... I'm not good at naming!" she snapped, growing irritable.
She swung her bone sword, causing the nearby city walls to collapse once again.
Berenice and Orson both sighed in relief. Berenice clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "The big bad dragon is so dumb, nowhere near as smart as me. Let's let her go, master."
Orson rubbed his temples, feeling like he'd raised the strangest beasts.
A Celestial Winged Dragon who disliked names and had poor intelligence, a Spirit Dragon who treated her master like a servant, and a Phoenix that drank blood in its egg.
Just then, a group of church guards on horseback appeared, their vigilant gazes landing on Orson.
Church Guard: "Lolofey, who is this?"
Lolofey smiled and whispered a few words to the guards, then handed them a bag of gold coins. The guards immediately smiled and led the way into the city.
Orson observed his surroundings as they entered. There were few NPCs in service here—just vendors selling potions and blacksmiths. Most of the buildings and houses were in ruins, having been abandoned for many years, with charred remnants scattered throughout.
Some NPCs in Holy Light Church robes walked by, eyeing Orson suspiciously before quickly speeding up and walking away.
From the direction they were heading, it seemed they were all going to the same place.
Soon, the leader of the guards dismounted and entered a red-colored mansion.
Orson and his group followed, entering a strange, dimly lit room. The décor was covered in dust, and the place gave off an eerie, uncomfortable vibe.
The church guards moved a couple of long benches in a specific pattern, and the ground began to make mechanical noises.
Orson turned around to see a small teleportation array rise up in the center of the room.
"No wonder no one's found this secret realm," Orson murmured. He had searched high and low for hidden passages in his past life, but this teleportation point was cleverly concealed.
The clever part was the two benches—players would need to speak to two NPCs from the Hunter Guild to accept the sub-quests, but no one would suspect that the benches themselves had hidden mechanisms.
"Baron, this is the place you seek. Please, go ahead," Lolofey said, gesturing towards the portal before stepping aside.
"You're not coming with us?" Orson asked.
"I am a devout follower of the Holy Light. Going to Blissful Purity would tarnish my faith," Lolofey replied solemnly.
"I see..." Orson said with a smile, but Lolofey could not bring himself to look Orson in the eye. Nervously, he swallowed and forced out a grin. "Your anger could burn through the toughest dragon scales. I just want to stay alive..."
"What do you mean? I never said I was going to do anything to you," Orson said, puzzled.
Lolofey quickly turned and walked away, saying, "I'll go ahead. Good luck, Baron!"
Orson raised an eyebrow, increasingly suspicious of Lolofey's behavior. Just as he was about to ask Laketon to search his memories, Lolofey raised a hand, breaking a teleportation scroll and vanishing in a flash of white light.
"Could there be an ambush inside?" Orson wondered.
Lolofey didn't seem like the type to set a trap for him, though. If he had wanted to harm Orson, the best time would've been earlier at the Dust Light Church, the core of the Light Dragon Empire.
Orson felt a vague sense of unease but knew that as long as he was on a hidden quest, he'd have to deal with whatever came his way.
With Rootless Water at his side, the Queen of the Elves Statue cooling down, and Crimson Lizard King offering life-sharing, Orson felt confident he could easily turn the tables on any potential threat.
Orson stepped into the teleportation array.
Moments later, the light faded, and Orson found himself standing on a bustling street.
"You have discovered Blissful Secret Base One!"
Orson was a bit taken aback as he took in his surroundings. He was standing on a main thoroughfare, with rows of ten-meter-high wooden crosses on either side, each one hanging several corpses.
Blood flowed down from the crosses, soaking the ground and growing dozens of eerie red roses.
The sound of women screaming in terror filled the air, and Orson saw several naked NPCs nearby, their grotesque, pig-like faces leering as they tore the clothes off the women and carried on in public.
A carriage drawn by eight nightmare horses rolled past. A priest from the Faceless Sect was laughing maniacally, wildly whipping the horses as a dozen mutilated women were dragged behind the cart, their bodies torn to shreds.
Orson stood on a crimson carpet that stretched all the way to the end of the road. The strange sensation under his feet made him look down.
Carpet
Quality: Common
Effect: None
Description: Made from the skin of high-tier Blood Demon girls.
The stench of blood and rot filled the air, and Orson's eyes glazed over as he muttered, "Is this... hell?"