Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Evelynn walked alone in the ballroom as she searched for Lord Alexandria.

  It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

  Moreover, Evelynn’s impression of Alexandria had faded, so even if she encountered him, she might not recognize him.

  What should she do? Should she return? She had just come out to look for Alexandria. If she returned now, Lord Sherlock would be suspicious of her.

  Evelynn was in a dilemma. She felt extremely nervous in this situation.

  “Excuse me, Miss Succubus, are you Lord Sherlock’s dance partner?” A voice came from behind her as she was hesitating.

  “Ah? Are you talking to me?”


  Evelynn turned her head to look at a Sludge Monster dressed in a black western suit. Due to the sticky liquid on the Sludge Monster’s body, the western suit was soaked and sticky. He looked disgusting, and Evelynn had no intention of extending her hand to touch him.

  “Of course, I’m talking to you, Miss Evelynn,” the Sludge Monster said politely to Evelynn.

  “I’m Lord Sherlock’s dance partner. How can I help you?” Evelynn turned around and said courteously to the Sludge Monster.

  “That’s great, I’m looking for Lord Sherlock,” the Sludge Monster said happily.

  “Can you take me to see Lord Sherlock?” the Sludge Monster asked Evelynn earnestly.

  Take him to see Sherlock? Of course. Evelynn didn’t know why the Sludge Monster was looking for Lord Sherlock. It was most likely business-related.

  Evelynn decided to take the Sludge Monster back to meet Sherlock.

  She had just left Sherlock, so he should still be at the buffet area.

  When she turned around, her vision was blurred. It was as though Mana was engulfing her.

  The vision of the Sludge Monster became blurred. Evelynn felt weakness in her body, and her vision was like shadows being cast on the water.

  “What happened to me?” Evelynn was puzzled. She shook her head before she blacked out.

  She was standing in a black room, and the surrounding area was quiet.

  There was a pool of water on the floor of the room. In front of Evelynn, there was a huge metal cage with a yellow seal that had the large word “Seal” on it.

  Heavy breathing sounds came from within the cage.

  It was as though a huge and terrifying creature was sleeping inside.

  Evelynn was bewildered. Suddenly, a hand grasped and pulled her out of the room for a second. She was back in the ballroom.

  “Evelynn, are you alright?” Sherlock looked at Evelynn with concern.

  The guests were looking at her curiously.

  It was as though Evelynn had done something strange.

  “Apologies, Lord Sherlock. I’m alright. I merely felt giddy just now. Yes, a Sludge Monster was looking for you just now. Where is he?”


  Evelynn rubbed her temples as she looked around. She only saw curious stares from the guests, but there was no sign of the Sludge Monster.

  “Let’s not talk anymore. We’ll go out for a breather.”


  Sherlock took Evelynn’s hand and pulled her outside the ballroom.

  It was quiet outside. Neat rows of green plants were arranged artistically in the courtyard, while illumination came from distant lamps. Occasionally, couples were spotted strolling among the trees.

  Evelynn blushed. Was Lord Sherlock hinting something to her? To Lord Sherlock, she was Polio. Was Lord Sherlock in love with Polio?

  He was a tomcat!

  Her imagination went wild in a short period of time.

  “Polio?” Sherlock frowned and asked Evelynn.

  “Polio, he’s in my…… hmm?”


  Evelynn caught herself saying the wrong thing. She squinted her eyes as Sherlock stared at her.

  “You’re Evelynn. You’re not Polio.”


  Evelynn was blushing with embarrassment. Sherlock was right.

  Sherlock rubbed his temples as though he had a headache and said, “This is very strange……”


  “Sorry, Lord Sherlock, I’ll not do it next time. Please don’t be angry with me,” Evelynn said as she lowered her head. She thought Sherlock was angry with her for deceiving him.

  “I’m not angry, but I have a question for you.” Sherlock looked at Evelynn and asked solemnly, “Are you always like this?”


  “Like this? Lord Sherlock, don’t misunderstand, I’m not a liar. I only wanted…… to be with you……”


  Evelynn lowered her head, and her voice became softer and softer.

  “Don’t be mistaken, I’m not blaming you,” Sherlock said as he waved his hand.

  He looked at Evelynn to ensure that she wasn’t lying and hiding the truth, then said, “Evelynn, wait for me at the buffet area. I’ll join you later. Remember, no matter who speaks to you, don’t chat with them. That Sludge Monster was using Mind Mana to control you, but you resisted based on your willpower.”


  “What? Such a thing happened? Why did he do that?”


  Evelynn was puzzled. Why did the Sludge Monster do that to her? She wasn’t an important creature. Could it be because of Lord Sherlock? Did he want to kidnap her and blackmail Lord Sherlock? If Lord Sherlock hadn’t rescued her and she was kidnapped by the Sludge Monster, would Lord Sherlock not have had to rescue her with great effort? Oh my god! Evelynn would have caused a lot of trouble to Lord Sherlock!

  Evelynn’s mind was filled with her worries.

  When she recovered, Sherlock had left.

  “Lord Sherlock, where are you going?” Evelynn asked nervously.

  “Don’t worry, I’m looking for Nicholas.”


  Sherlock turned his head to smile. He didn’t look like he was angry. Sherlock opened his palm at Evelynn and left. Evelynn could only follow Sherlock’s instruction to return to the buffet area.

  Bru said to Sherlock, “This Evelynn isn’t simple, Lord Sherlock. Is she lying to us? Who sent her to Eternal Kingdom as a spy?”


  “A spy wouldn’t sell such a good Dungeon to me,” Sherlock rebuked Bru’s speculation.

  “That’s strange, I can’t figure her out. I thought she was able to resist the Mind Control Mana because she was Polio. I think only the 72 Devils could resist such a strong Mana source. Yet Evelynn actually possesses such powerful Mana, and we didn’t even know! This is very surprising.”


  Sherlock pondered and said, “Evelynn isn’t aware of what’s happening, nor does she know of her potential power. We also don’t have the time to figure it out at the moment. Let’s find the Sludge Monster that attacked Evelynn,” Sherlock said as he walked along. A commotion was heard in front of him.

  “What happened over there?”


  “A Sludge Monster was killed!”


  “Are you sure? This is a Merchant Alliance Ball!”


  “The representative of the Northern Dukedom was killed. I took a glance just now. The death of the Sludge Monster was grotesque.”


  Sherlock quickened his pace and passed through the crowd. He saw a Sludge Monster that was almost in liquid form on the ground.

  There was a Dagger in the Sludge Monster, and it was emanating a brilliance of Mana.

  The Sludge Monster was killed by the Dagger. An ordinary Dagger was unable to kill a Sludge Monster that didn’t have a solid body, so the Dagger was enchanted with Mana.

  “Give way. Please give way.”


  Armored Orcs and Gnomes arrived at the scene. They carried a stretcher and some yellow warning tape and soon cordoned off the crime scene.

  The Orcs wanted to place the Sludge Monster on the stretcher, but they were unable to do so as the victim was in liquid form.

  When the Orcs touched the Sludge Monster, the body would soften like a liquid and flow on the ground. The untouched parts of the body remained in gel form.

  The Sludge Monster had just died.

  “Lord Sherlock! Lord Sherlock!”


  When Sherlock was observing the Sludge Monster, he heard Nicholas’ shout. Sherlock turned his head and saw Nicholas pushing through the crowd.

  Nicholas managed to push through the crowd and came before Sherlock.

  “Lord Sherlock, please follow me. This place isn’t safe.”


  Sherlock nodded and left with Nicholas.

  The surrounding creatures also followed the workers of the Merchant Alliance to the safe zone.

  “Lord Sherlock, are we leaving like this? The perpetrator is in the crowd. Shouldn’t you adjust your spectacles and shout for everyone to stop in their tracks? Tell them that one of them is the murderer and that you’ve discovered the truth. If you’re shy, we can hypnotize Nicholas. He’s a suitable candidate for the task,” Bru said happily.

  Bru liked such a chaotic situation. He was enjoying himself.

  “Apologies, Lord Sherlock, please follow me. I’m afraid the Ball is canceled. Please have a good rest tonight. I’ll arrange for you to participate in other activities tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll be very busy,” Nicholas said as he smiled awkwardly.

  The death of the Northern Dukedom’s representative was a huge problem for the Merchant Alliance.

  The Merchant Alliance invited many important guests to attend the event, but a murder occurred on the first night. How was the Merchant Alliance going to carry out the subsequent activities?

  It was as though the Merchant Alliance was given a slap on the face. That was unacceptable to the Merchant Alliance.

  “Nobody wanted such a thing to happen, Nicholas,” Sherlock consoled Nicholas.

  “Let’s find Miss Evelynn. I saw her at the buffet area……” Nicholas said as he led the way to the buffet area. There they saw Evelynn.

  But she was surrounded by a few Orcs.

  Those Orcs were in Garrison Guard uniforms of the Merchant Alliance.

  “I don’t know what you’re saying. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t kill the Sludge Monster.”


  Evelynn was nervous. She said loudly to the Orcs, “I have been here all the while. I didn’t go elsewhere.”


  “Miss, don’t be agitated. We’re only suspecting you. We didn’t say you’re the murderer.”


  A fully armed Orc said to Evelynn, “Some creatures witnessed your conflict with the Sludge Monster. You emitted powerful Mana. As you’re the only creature to have a conflict with the victim, we have to investigate. Please cooperate with us.”


  “Captain, she’s from Eternal Kingdom,” another Orc said to his Captain.

  “Eternal Kingdom? The Dungeon that everyone has been talking about?”


  The Captain was dumbstruck. He was hesitating about what to do when Nicholas walked up to him and said, “Apologies for disrupting you. I think Miss Evelynn isn’t your suspect. She’s with Lord Sherlock and is his dance partner. Such an important guest wouldn’t do anything to a Sludge Monster.”


  Nicholas lifted his head and said in a commanding voice, “Even if she wanted to deal with the Sludge Monster, she wouldn’t do it in public.”


  “Lord Nicholas.”


  The Orcs bowed to Nicholas.

  “Go and find the real murderer. Don’t disturb our important guest.”


  The Orc Captain nodded and left with his subordinates.

  “Lord Sherlock.”


  Evelynn quickly went to Sherlock’s side, clearly nervous. She was given a fright by the Orcs.

  “Don’t worry.”


  Sherlock patted Evelynn’s shoulder as a parrot flew towards Sherlock from the crowd and landed on Sherlock’s shoulder.

  The parrot lowered his head and whispered in Sherlock’s ear, “Lord Sherlock, I have made a small discovery.”


  Sherlock caressed the parrot’s head, but he didn’t reply to the parrot.

  Sherlock smiled and said to Nicholas, “Let’s proceed, Lord Nicholas.”


  “Please follow me.”
……

  Dragonborn walked outside of the small house and looked at the forest. He was sure that he didn’t recognize the location.

  He had already uploaded the photographs of the nearby terrain to the discussion forum. The gamers searched Goldshire Town and Victoria City, but they couldn’t find Dragonborn’s location.

  He only knew that the hunter had saved him and was the Chief Imperial Guard that became a fugitive three years ago.

  It wasn’t appropriate for Dragonborn to ask about the hunter’s identity and reason for being a fugitive since the hunter had just saved him. Most importantly, the hunter had two huge gray Wolves, and he didn’t have the capability to question the hunter.

  He could be killed if he dared to question the hunter about his arrest warrant.

  The hunter was a Chief Imperial Guard that became a fugitive. His identity was like a legendary NPC.

  The hunter wasn’t hostile to Dragonborn. Besides letting Dragonborn recuperate there, he didn’t talk much. The young Wyvern was locked up in the cage. The hunter explained, “If the young Wyvern isn’t locked up in the room, its Wyvern mother could find us. I don’t want a Wyvern to disturb our peace.”


  That was the hunter’s reason.

  Dragonborn couldn’t say much since this place was the hunter’s home. He could only interact with the young Wyvern while it was locked in the cage.

  He fed the young Wyvern with some wood while it chirped at him.

  The wood was provided by the hunter who knew very well what the Wyvern liked.

  Dragonborn walked one round and decided not to waste time. He had to trigger new developments in the Plot. Otherwise, he would have to recuperate there for a few months.

  He wouldn’t have fun playing the game!