"Since that's the case, I'll leave the next task to you."
Kael made a polite gesture of thanks and then shouted loudly, "Jonathan!"
The sound of steady footsteps approached, and Jonathan, dressed in leather armor, walked in from the doorway.
At this point, a few players noticed that the few remaining customers in the tavern stood up one after another and walked directly behind Jonathan as he entered.
Kael gave a slightly apologetic smile to the group, saying, "Sorry, the territory has been a bit tense lately, and my subordinates are worried about my safety.
When you head to the Dungeon later, Jonathan and his men will take you down, and of course, please look forward to the rewards after the mission."
As he finished speaking, a tall figure appeared next to Kael, "Lord, I've brought the items."
It was Old White.
He had been hiding in a dead angle out of sight from the beginning, quietly guarding his young master.
He was always the type who preferred action over words, but when it came to matters concerning the young master, he hesitated to handle things directly.
The young master had grown up, and in the absence of the lord, as the old housekeeper serving Anthony's lineage, he felt it necessary to let the young master understand the various aspects a lord must pay attention to, within the limits of what he could take on.
For the housekeeper and the master, their fates were intertwined. Seeing the young master grow rapidly during this period, he felt a heartfelt relief.
But...
Old White glanced indifferently at the four players, who were somewhat stiff, and snorted before saying,
"If you don't curb this kind of disrespectful behavior a bit, the glory of the Sunflower Covenant will be shamed by you all eventually."
Evidently, the players used their scouting skills on Old White the moment they saw him.
But to their frustration, unlike the Rangers in the other taverns, the scouting skill failed immediately when used on Old White.
Like the friendly Lord, after the skill failed, the only information they got was Old White's name and his identity as Lancaster's housekeeper. There was no other useful information.
This gave them some ideas.
After all, the general background of "Gate of the Nether" was laid out clearly: This was an era of Nobles.
In the grand environment transitioning from the late Middle Ages to the early stages of industrialization, the Nobles held power while also leading individual might.
They could scout the attributes of most lightly-armed Light Cavalry and sentries in the tavern without being noticed, and even Jonathan, leading the group, had various attributes visible.
They saw information about Jonathan's profession as a LV7 Cursed Swordsman variant.
But when it came to the Lord and the old housekeeper, besides their names and identities, the only label left was "High Danger."
What's more, that young lord could bypass the System's designated safe zones to punish them.
Holy cow, brothers, there's a cheater!
The group looked at Kael with more seriousness.
It was clear that this Lord was not the kind of ordinary NPC you interact with a few times and never see again in many virtual games. He was a character with strong enough power and a noticeable potential for significant advancement.
Or to put it more accurately, by just looking at Kael's appearance, one could tell he was no ordinary person.
Although the few present were players, they were evidently far from being chaotic evil pranksters; they took virtual games seriously.
Not to mention, the head housekeeper's current gaze seemed quite unfriendly.
"All right, Grandpa White, don't scare them. Let's have some mutual understanding; none of us have seen the Sunflower Covenant's Divine Kingdom, so different customs are normal."
Kael reached out and took a small pharmaceutical bottle from Old White, hesitating for a moment. His slender incubus tail behind him stood slightly upright, emerging from his waist.
Seeing everyone's attention on Kael, he hesitated, not needing to guess that this group of dunces had already activated the System's built-in recording function.
Being directly recorded made him feel a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, but he was never the type to let his emotions affect his plans.
In the next moment, the Heart at the end of the tail opened up, revealing sharp barbs inside, from which natural Magic Potion dripped slowly into the bottle.
"Hiss~"
"Wow~"
The male players gasped.
On the other hand, the female player, Kōzan's Wanderer, had a slightly flushed expression from the inexplicably erotic scene but quickly suppressed the emotion.
With a face full of curiosity, she looked at Kael and asked, "Can I touch your little tail?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized she had done something impolite.
But somehow, she felt as if she had been controlled, and the words slipped out before she knew it.
Oh no! The group was taken aback.
"Insolent!" ×N
Unsurprisingly, the housekeeper and Rangers became furious.
Jonathan even directly pulled out a short sword from his waist, pointing it at Kōzan's Wanderer and saying sternly:
"The Lord's honor cannot be sullied. Although harming a weak woman goes against the Knights' code, as a Knight, my life is tied to the Lord's glory.
Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable! To defile Lord Kael's honor, an Undead like you should cleanse the filth with your own blood! If you still hold the light of your faith, pick up your weapon and duel!"
He flung the short sword in front of Kōzan's Wanderer and took a wooden training sword from his back.
"Pick up the sword!" Jonathan shouted angrily, evidently on the verge of losing control.
Kael sighed, realizing that without intervention, the situation wouldn't be resolved. The small tail he held suddenly opened up.
A breeze blew, making everyone feel as if they were in the Moli Flower Workshop, with the exquisite essence and sweet fragrance spreading freely in the confined space.
Bloodline Magic [Sweet Aroma], activate.
As everyone's expressions gradually calmed, Kael gave them an apologetic look.
The original version of Sweet Aroma wouldn't have such effects, but Kael didn't mind investing.
Whether from allocating exclusive skills or from a long-term perspective, Kael had already planned out his future.
He had long determined the development path for his Magician profession.
Revise for a new main class, with the Magician class as support, so the skills from the Magician class would be tailored to assist his future primary class.
Kael also knew that mere charm could never last long.
Humans are complex creatures.
Though they may lament the impossibility, people enjoy watching a playboy succumb to fidelity, a conspirator to loyalty, a thief to charity, a selfish person to sacrifice, a sunflower to dawn, and a weed to an unnoticed breeze.
An incubus? Believe it or not, even a real incubus would be criticized for immorality once players transition from Pleasure Mode to Wise Mode.
Such unsustainable behavior in harvesting the players' interests was something Kael couldn't afford to engage in.
He had another method...