The blood prince, when speaking those words, didn't include himself in the group of men he was referring to. He still saw himself as Yu Deng's guide, maintaining a fragile boundary between them.
However, to Wen Luo, the blood prince holding the little vampire in his arms at that moment seemed no different from the others.
Yu Deng, puzzled by the prince's reminder, tilted his head and emphasized, "I'm wearing clothes properly, you know."
Ronald's hand still rested on Yu Deng's waist, the warmth of the little vampire's body felt even through the thin fabric, his soft skin evident to the touch. In this position, the prince could smell the distinct, sweet fragrance that was uniquely Yu Deng's.
In a low voice, the prince responded, "Is that so? Your clothes were all messed up earlier."
Yu Deng hadn't noticed the small details, only aware of the ticklish sensation from the prince's hair. He shrugged off the prince's warning, muttering dismissively, "So what if they're messed up? It's no big deal."
"And besides," he added, "if it weren't for these endless banquets, I wouldn't be wearing these long clothes and pants. It's so hot."
"...Hot?"
Ronald frowned. He turned the fidgeting little vampire in his arms so that he was facing him, his fingertips gently pressing against Yu Deng's brow to check if anything was wrong.
Yu Deng blinked up at him, remembering what the butler had explained to him earlier. He casually reassured the prince, "It's nothing major. Wen Luo said I haven't fully adapted to the temperature and habits of blood vampires yet. My powers are still developing, so I'm more sensitive to heat than you guys."
After summarizing, Yu Deng added, "So, I need cooler bathwater and different clothes."
Different clothes…? Ronald suddenly realized the implication in Yu Deng's words. His tone softened as he asked, "So, what kind of clothes are you wearing, baby?"
At this question, Yu Deng became quite animated and eager to share the most comfortable outfit he'd worn in this world. "Of course, shorts! And the shirt has to be short-sleeved too, it's super cool!"
He raised one long, slender leg and gestured to the length of his shorts near his thigh, proudly showing off his outfit.
Ronald: "…"
The strange, unspoken frustration inside him grew stronger, now tinged with a more intense, uncontrollable irritation.
The dining table trembled under the blood prince's surge of power, and the chair at the farthest end shattered into dust, the air growing thick and heavy.
Yu Deng blinked, noticing a piece of fruit roll off the table, his lashes flickering in surprise. "Huh?"
The prince, looking down at the delicate little vampire in his arms, forced himself to suppress the rising emotion. His gaze turned cold as he addressed the butler.
"Agnes, you should reflect on your work."
The black-haired butler, standing nearby, sighed deeply and responded, "It is my negligence."
After all, Wen Luo hadn't anticipated that the young master would be wearing such short shorts when seeking out other men.
Yu Deng glanced at the butler in confusion. "?"
What negligence? He was quite pleased with it.
At that moment, an electronic voice echoed in his mind, detached and emotionless, as always.
[Player Yu Deng, please note that both of the special mission targets present must be dealt with using the highest-level response method. Especially the fourth target, who needs to be completely sealed.]
The tone of the system was chilling, its indifference almost unnerving.
[Or, eliminate them entirely.]
Yu Deng furrowed his brows upon hearing the system's voice. Whether it was because of the bond of "First Embrace" he now shared with the blood prince, or simply his growing defiance, he found himself rejecting the system's words and the suggestion it offered.
"It's my mission right now, okay? You just watch, don't go giving orders."
After saying that, something clicked in his mind, and with renewed determination, he added, "By the way, have you processed the report I had Tongtong file about you maliciously withholding player points? Your efficiency is so low, what's taking so long?"
The system was momentarily stunned: [...] Wasn't this guy normally slow and awkward around bad men? Why was he suddenly so sharp-tongued when it came to criticizing it?
The system, which had hoped Yu Deng would help complete the mission, found itself unable to immediately come up with a counterargument, its frustration palpable as it retreated in defeat.
System 01 chuckled softly in Yu Deng's mind.
"Don't laugh, Tongtong, I'm really annoyed right now," Yu Deng said, frowning deeply.
He had just realized something—if the blood prince was as powerful as he seemed, how was he supposed to seal him? Was it going to be like the last instance, where a contract could be signed to seal his power?
But this blood prince guide wasn't as tame as his late husband...
Yu Deng, having been stuffed full, had no appetite left. He was afraid the prince and the butler would try to feed him more, so he quickly rejected their offer to carry him back. Seizing the opportunity when they weren't paying attention, he flew back to his room.
The prince watched him leave from the main seat. He thought about the restriction his little embrace had placed on him—no limiting Yu Deng's freedom. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, barely holding back his desire to follow, instead relying on their bond to sense whether Yu Deng was safe.
Once in his room, Yu Deng sat at the edge of the bed, absentmindedly patting his pocket. He was surprised to find it stuffed with something.
Huh? What was this?
He pulled out a small, lightweight box, roughly the size of a ring box. Carefully, he opened the lid. A dazzling golden light flashed, revealing a silver cross inside, with several visible cracks on its surface. At its center was a gem that shimmered with radiant colors.
[Ding. Congratulations, Player Yu Deng, you have obtained the item: Broken Sacred Relic.
Item function to be explored by the player. Note: This item is a dungeon-specific item and cannot be taken out of the dungeon.]
A Sacred Relic? That sounded impressive.
Curious, Yu Deng reached out and touched it. Immediately, a sharp burning sensation shot through his fingertip. The pain made him tear up as he jolted back, dropping the box in shock.
"???"
Yu Deng sucked in a breath, blowing on his fingertip, utterly confused. Why did this item attack him? How was he supposed to explore its function if it hurt him like that?
Yu Deng scornfully closed the box, deciding to ignore the mysterious item for now.
He then turned his attention to his special mission progress, finding that all three mission objectives he'd tried to engage were still marked as incomplete.
"System, they were all so cooperative! Why didn't it work...?" Yu Deng sought advice from his system, puzzled, "What could have gone wrong?"
[Host, your methods weren't wrong, but perhaps you haven't yet reached the level needed to sign a contract to complete the mission.] System 01 carefully phrased its explanation, trying to guide the slow-witted host to understand the pattern.
[You can recall how you completed the mission in the last instance.]
Yu Deng rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
The last instance... His mission targets were the late husband and the stepson. The father-son duo from the Cheng family were already very compliant with him. The turning point for the mission was when he fulfilled the late husband's wish to remarry him again, after being thoroughly exhausted from the effort.
As for his bratty stepson, Yu Deng pondered for a long time before hesitantly recalling that he had promised the stepson a grand future, saying they would meet again, which completed the mission.
"Ah..."
Yu Deng's brow furrowed as he felt like he'd stumbled upon something.
So troublesome, with so many missions to handle; he had to think for each one.
I wonder how the other players are doing? They don't have special missions to worry about, so they should be a lot more relaxed.
---
At that moment, aside from Yu Deng and Qin Jun, the remaining four players were still in the game.
One of the rooms was a locked-room escape scenario, with two players and an NPC.
One player, known to the audience as "Little Gao," was a female player who had been chased by the three-headed dog during the second game night. The other player was the guy who had backstabbed another player earlier. Accompanying them was a werewolf lackey from Anders.
The difficulty of this room's game was quite high, filled with various terrifying traps. The male player, after triggering a trap out of curiosity, instinctively tried to push "Little Gao" forward as a human shield.
Unfortunately, this time he miscalculated. Little Gao, who had already prepared herself, swiftly dodged and refused to help someone like him.
The male player, with eyes full of resentment, was eventually caught in the jagged traps. Before dying, he screamed, "Do you think you can escape? You're human too!"
The room was left with just Little Gao and the werewolf subordinate. Facing the werewolf's suspicious gaze, Little Gao quickly came up with an idea. She began to lavish praise on the young bloodsucker, Yu Deng, and after praising him, she said, "The head of the Archiayoli family and the young master are simply a match made in heaven! If they ever become partners, make sure to invite me to the wedding!"
The subordinate was confused. "?"
How strange. Why bring up the young master all of a sudden? But this werewolf had a good eye, and since he agreed that the head's choice of a partner seemed perfect, it couldn't be too bad, right?
[Hahaha, how hilarious. Deng Deng: suddenly has a seven-level pagoda of admiration.]
[Deng Deng baby just appeared in a weird way.]
[You should go watch that chubby kid's live stream next door, it's just as funny!]
Not far away, a chubby wizard who was also a new player, much like Yu Deng, was running for his life.
His luck had been terrible tonight. He had randomly landed in a combat-type game, and his teammate was an irritable bloodsucker. The chubby kid was now cornered, trying to keep up a calm facade while his palms sweated profusely as he babbled nervously.
"Do you know the young bloodsucker? He's such a great guy, he doesn't mind my background and really appreciates my abilities. We're friends! Are you sure you want to hurt me?"
The bloodsucker looked at him suspiciously, and after some thought, surprisingly stopped his attack.
The chubby kid was overjoyed. "?!". He owed his life twice to the young bloodsucker. From now on, he'd be praying to him every day.
...
Meanwhile, Yu Deng was unaware that the players had begun to treat him like a get-out-of-jail-free card. In an unexpected twist, the little bloodsucker had inadvertently saved two players and gained some cyber merit in the process.
Yu Deng returned to his room to rest for a while. He still felt somewhat full. The exotic beast blood that Prince had given him was delicious, but it was a bit too heavy and filling.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Deng decided to go for a walk to digest.
The castle hallway was quiet, and Yu Deng didn't see any non-humans or players, likely because they were still in their games.
As usual, the castle was dimly lit at night, but Yu Deng wasn't afraid. Perhaps it was because his powerful guide was right there in the castle.
The Cerberus and the little bat finally found a moment when there were no bad men around Yu Deng. They happily followed him, acting as his bodyguards.
However, they had been educated by a certain bloodsucker, so the little animals were much more restrained now. They didn't dare to rub up against Yu Deng casually. They just followed closely, guarding him.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Suddenly, the Cerberus barked a warning. Yu Deng looked up and saw Qin Jun, who had just parted ways with him not long ago.
He was casually strolling toward Qin Jun's room.
Qin Jun paused for a few seconds and then raised his tone slightly. "Baby, are you here to see me?"
"Mm..."
Actually, not really. He was just taking a walk and happened to end up here, but since he was already here, he figured he might as well discuss the dungeon storyline with the player expert. Yu Deng nodded and said, "Yes, I just finished eating and came to find you."
Qin Jun's movements slowed, and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he felt a certain sweet joy.
[Baby, you... little liar. But how cute you are even when you lie...]
[Not at all, this isn't lying, it's being flexible and considerate! I willingly fall for your sweet words!]
[Exactly, look how happy the dog is to be tricked!]
Qin Jun moved aside, letting Yu Deng in, his gaze never leaving the beautiful little bloodsucker. He casually closed the door behind him.
Outside, the Cerberus and the little bat stared in confusion. "?!"
Qin Jun stood in front of Yu Deng, staring at him seriously. Just moments after parting from the little bloodsucker, he realized that his wound had already healed.
Such a rapid healing speed far exceeded the self-healing effects brought on by his werewolf nature. So, there could only be one explanation: the little bloodsucker had done something.
But how did this delicate and somewhat slow little bloodsucker manage to heal him completely in such a short time, with results rivaling the healing items from the system's shop?
Qin Jun's eyes grew darker, and the sense of a certain suspicion became stronger.
"Aren't you going to talk about the journal with me? Hurry up," Yu Deng urged, unaware of what Qin Jun was suspecting.
"Mm. The journal we saw recorded past events in the castle," Qin Jun suppressed his doubts and briefly recapped the information. "From the contents, it looks like Skeleton Jack voluntarily infiltrated the banquet."
Yu Deng continued analyzing, "Are they the ones who came to hunt us non-humans before?"
"Most likely, even if not, they are still our enemies."
Infiltrating the castle and attending the banquet while risking death could either be for some gain, wanting to get something from non-humans, or it could be to eliminate key threats.
From the journal, it seemed to be the latter.
What happened in the past was unclear—Jack must have learned some hidden truth and eventually abandoned this idea.
Following Qin Jun's train of thought, Yu Deng slowly sorted through the plot.
What he already knew was that the non-humans had had significant conflicts with the Church, almost a blood feud.
Turning from the hunted into the ones hosting a banquet to slaughter humans, something must have occurred that Yu Deng was unaware of to cause this change.
"And there's one more thing," Qin Jun added. "The thing mentioned in the journal is also important."
Ah, that thing. Could it be the sacred artifact Skeleton Jack gave him?
Yu Deng hesitated and didn't tell Qin Jun that the box was in his possession for now. His intuition told him this item might be useful for something else.
Yu Deng felt a bit dizzy as he thought, these must be the past events and puzzles mentioned in the side mission, right? He just needed to follow this thread and look deeper.
Yu Deng sighed, his mind a bit muddled, "This castle really is full of mysteries."
Qin Jun nodded in agreement. It all seemed like a maze.
[Ding. Congratulations, player Qin Jun has triggered the hidden side mission: Explore the past and mysteries behind the castle's grand banquet and break the maze.]
[Ding. Two players have triggered side missions.]
Qin Jun: "?"
So, he triggered a hidden mission just because of what the little vampire said?
This was the first time he had encountered an NPC like Yu Deng—an NPC who could help players trigger or complete missions, who would analyze the plot and interact with players with far more flexibility than other ordinary NPCs, almost at the level of a boss.
But Yu Deng had no hostile intent toward them, the players.
A certain possibility was beginning to emerge.
But if... his absurd guess was wrong, once this dungeon was over, he might never see the little vampire again.
The dungeon hadn't clarified how long it would last over the past few days, so Qin Jun wasn't as eager as the other players. However, now that the dungeon was almost over, he wasn't sure if he would see Yu Deng again, and he truly began to feel anxious.
In his more than twenty years of life, Qin Jun had never felt so indecisive. He was even a little afraid to hear a bad answer.
"Qin Jun? Why aren't you speaking?"
"I just suddenly thought of something tricky."
"Hm?" Yu Deng followed Qin Jun's words with a puzzled hum.
"Baby, are you going to live in the castle from now on?"
What kind of question was that... Yu Deng thought about his character and nodded, "I guess so."
Qin Jun clenched his fists, testing, "Then, baby, do you want to come with me?"
Yu Deng was confused. "Where to?"
"Leave the castle, leave here, and go somewhere farther."
Yu Deng tilted his head.
Huh? Why did that sound familiar? Oh, right, his annoying stepson had asked him the same thing.
Wait, was he about to be found out?
Yu Deng thought he had been very cautious. He covered his player disguise as best he could and slowly asked Qin Jun, "Qin Jun, do you want to see me in the future?"
The question was so straightforward it left no room for escape. Qin Jun, facing his inner desire, answered confidently, "… Yes."
Qin Jun could hardly imagine what he would feel if he never saw Yu Deng again in the future. Just the thought of it was enough to plunge him into a painful, beastly agony.
He didn't even know the little vampire's name.
His emotions—anxious, desperate—formed a twisted, obsessive longing that screamed to take the beautiful little vampire away.
"…"
Yu Deng quickly activated his brain, trying to keep up the NPC facade: "Then why don't you come find me? The banquet is held every three years."
Qin Jun paused for a few seconds before murmuring, "Because after this, I probably won't come back here again."
He had almost directly revealed his identity. Experienced players in the Player Center had concluded that players wouldn't re-enter the same dungeon.
The tall man lowered his eyes and gently held Yu Deng's hand, looking somewhat pitiable as he pleaded, "Baby, I don't even know your name."
He looked so miserable, like a big dog that couldn't earn its master's affection, humbly begging for just a little pity.
Yu Deng made an "oh" sound, feeling a little uncomfortable under Qin Jun's pitiable yet burning gaze. He fell into a brief silence to think.
Qin Jun was his special mission target, so he was undoubtedly going to complete the task.
But telling him his name now was not an option... Yu Deng was always cautious about the system's notifications. Qin Jun was an experienced player who had completed several dungeons, so he would know about the rankings. That would mean he'd discover that Yu Deng was the new top player on the list.
If he were to tell the pitiful big dog his name, it could only be at the very end—when the dungeon was about to be finished. That way, even if Qin Jun knew his name, the dungeon would be over, and Yu Deng could wear his cloak every day in the Player Center, ensuring Qin Jun wouldn't be able to find him.
This plan was absolutely perfect!
Yu Deng finally figured it out. He waved his hand, beckoning Qin Jun over.
Qin Jun obediently lowered his head and stared into Yu Deng's round, bright eyes.
"Then you have to listen to me," Yu Deng's voice was soft, and the pitch of his words rose slightly, sounding a little sly.
"If I'm in a good mood later, I'll tell you. Who knows, you might even have a chance to see me again in the future."