Daphne pushed open the door and stepped out into the tunnel corridor. Just then, she happened to see Hetty passing by outside with a bucket and a mop in her hands.
"Hetty," Daphne called out to her.
"Miss Daphne, is there anything you need?" Hetty put down the things in her hands and trotted back to Daphne. She looked up and forced a bright smile at her.
"Have you seen Grover?"
"Oh, Lord Grover. He's still in the strategy room, the slightly larger cave chamber we were in just now. You'll be able to see him if you go there," Hetty pointed to her right.
"Thank you. You can get back to your work now," Daphne nodded.
"Well, if you need anything else, please feel free to call me." The black-haired girl trotted away again.
She was so lively that she didn't seem like an undead at all. This little maid really didn't fit in with the style of Clogthia at all.
Daphne made a littleretort in her heart and then turned around and walked towards the strategy room.
Sure enough, Grover was in the previous cave chamber. He was facing the map of the North Territory, playing with a crystal ball shaped like a skull in one hand and using a quill pen to mark on the map with the other.
"I thought those beastmen were just rough and stupid fools. I didn't expect them to do a pretty good job... In this way, the Holy Mary Religious Territory will..."
He was muttering to himself in a low voice.
The undead flames in his eye sockets flickered on and off. This "Dead Falcon's Beak" was clearly brewing some sinister and evil plan.
Daphne pretended not to care, but in fact, she was listening intently.
"I'm going out for a while, but I'll be back," she said as she walked towards the exit on the other side of the cave chamber.
"Respected Death Messenger," Grover bowed slightly to Daphne, and the medals on him clinked together. "May I ask for details? You..."
The skull on his head glowed with a dark golden luster. The lich gently raised his head, and the blue flames in his eye sockets seemed like a pair of eyes glancing over here.
"It's none of your business, lich," Daphne frowned slightly. "Don't ruin the revenge plan of the Great Lord of the Ice Tomb because of your useless curiosity."
After a pause, she suddenly felt that such wording was a bit inappropriate, so she changed her tone: "I can reveal a little bit, but don't leak it to others. This is because of the expectation and trust the Great Lord has in you. Don't let him down."
Grover seemed stunned for a moment. The suspicious look that had just appeared on his face disappeared completely. He immediately knelt down, his tone almost as if he were on the verge of crying with gratitude.
"I swear by the past glories that Grover Crane, the Dead Falcon's Beak, will never leak a single word. Please let this foolish me have a glimpse of the wisdom and foresight of the Great Lord Alsuga!" The lich banged his smooth and hard skull on the ground.
Daphne wanted to laugh but held it back.
"There's something wrong with your inside man in Cole Town, but don't worry. I'll take care of it," she said in an indifferent tone. After finishing speaking, she swung her cloak and turned to leave, leaving behind a patch of frost and ice shavings on the ground.
Grover stared blankly at the back of Daphne as she disappeared. Thoughts were swirling like a storm in his mind.
"My inside man is a vampire. The messenger of Lord Alsuga is also a vampire. Only vampires can blend in among the living!" He seemed to have come to some supreme truth all of a sudden and was so excited that he started dancing with joy. "No wonder a half-vampire was appointed as the Death Messenger... Truly worthy of being the Great Lord of the Ice Tomb! Is this the foresight of Lord Alsuga?"
Daphne couldn't hear what the thousand-year-old lich was babbling on about after she walked out of the tunnel.
She did plan to go to Cole Town, but not directly.
The advantage of being a vampire was that one could choose an object to imitate and disguise in all aspects, and even inherit the other's profession. If she chose the right object, her actions in Cole Town would be much easier.
Although she had gained new skills, spells, and traits after obtaining the faith, the spell "Painful Lash" required magic power to be cast, and the trait "Night Throttle" was also a passive related to saving magic power. Without a profession and magic power, they were useless for the time being.
So Daphne's target should be a spellcaster, inherit his appearance, identity, and profession, and take his place.
Although the inherited profession level would drop back to level 1, it was already a huge leap for Daphne, who didn't have any profession before.
She had already decided on the victim in her heart.
...
Before dawn, the simple and empty room was dim.
Edith sat down and lit a candle. The faint flame flickered between the bronze mirror and the girl. Her long, golden curly hair shone with a luxurious halo in the mirror, like waves of wheat swaying in the gentle spring breeze.
Her blue eyes were like the sea, deep yet bright.
She looked at herself in the mirror. There was a faint trace of sadness on her delicate face that should have been bright.
There was a knock on the door.
Edith seemed to be startled. She pressed her hand to her chest and then anxiously lifted the light blue long dress. Her little leather shoes made short steps as the girl quickly walked to the door.
Adjusting her expression, Edith rubbed her cheeks to keep a faint smile on her face before opening the door.
Outside the door was a girl about the same height as her. The platinum long hair flowing down her shoulders was like a waterfall. Her equally green eyes were even clearer, like the sky.
But her face was expressionless.
The silver cross crown was still on her head. The girl outside the door had clearly just rushed back from outside and hadn't had time to change clothes or rest - that crown also indicated the girl's identity. She was the current Saintess of the Blazing Sun Church, the deputy head of the Temple Knights.
She was also Edith's sister who was not related by blood.
"Welcome back, sister," Edith forced down the anxiety in her heart. She held onto the forearm of Gervia. "Was it cold at the foot of the mountain? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Gervia held Edith's hands in return. She looked up to observe Edith's expression and paused for a moment. "We still haven't found His Holiness the Pope... We've searched through the ruins and the entire foothills, but there's no trace of him at all."
Edith felt as if her heart had emptied. She lost her balance a little, but Gervia quickly pulled her hands to steady her.
"What are you planning to do today?" Gervia asked softly.
Edith's lips moved. A look of disbelief flashed in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "If Father still hasn't come back... I'll continue to help take care of the wounded. The attacks by the beastmen are getting more and more rampant. It seems that not only the roads in the forest but also the highways on the plains are now in danger. We've lost contact with an entire logistics team."
"Then I'll go ask Mr. Alvis later. He's fought against these beasts before, so he should have a way," Gervia lowered her eyelids slightly.
Edith pursed her lips. She wanted to say something but stopped herself. Finally, she opened her arms and hugged Gervia tightly. "It'll be okay, sister. Father is very powerful. He'll be fine."
The body of the saintess was very cold. There were ice chips on her cloak, and there was crushed snow on the soles of her high heels.
"I'm going to the town to have a look. Do you want to come with me, sister?" Edith askeddo sth of one's own accord.
Gervia tilted her head back and thought for a moment. "The members of the knight order are already very tired. They'll stay in the town to rest for a day. I don't have anything else to do today."
"Then it's settled. Please wait for me to dress up a little," Edith's sad expression disappeared, and she smiled again.
The girl with long golden curly hair took two steps back. She tilted her head and carefully examined the graceful figure of Gervia that was accentuated by the saintess's dress. There was a hint of cunning in her gentle smile.
"Sister, do you want to change into a more casual dress? This isn't working hours, right?"
"Me?"
Gervia looked down at herself. The dress was snow-white with golden edges, holy and flawless. Only the thighs covered by the white silk stockings were exposed from the high slit on the side, and the outline of the mermaid line was faintly visible.
After a moment of hesitation.
"I'd better not," she replied.