Chapter 32

Seeing that Sally seemed to want to say something, Rodi thought he could ask her about the Luciferon family. After some consideration, he offered a tempting condition: "How about we talk about our own experiences? Since you're curious... I'll tell you as much as you tell me. It's a fair trade, okay?"

Sally was somewhat surprised by Rodi's sudden request. After some thought, she nodded readily: "Alright, I'll go first."

"The Luciferon family—how should I put it? Our territory is vast, and both the lord and even the royal family fear my father's power. The territory extends from..."

Most of what the girl said was already in Rodi's mind, and this was just a confirmation. However, when Sally mentioned her father, Rodi perked up his ears— "My brother was originally very confident about inheriting the title, but Father seemed to sense something. After falling ill a few years ago, he began to distance himself from both of us. Even now, he hasn't mentioned anything about the succession to the outside world. Perhaps because of this, Francis is now trying to kill me..."

At this point, her mood became somewhat low, but her curiosity about Rodi's background was even greater. She hugged her knees and asked softly: "So... it's your turn, Captain Rodi."

"Me? Ha..." A somewhat helpless smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Rodi pondered how to describe his background. After a moment's thought, he replied: "How old do you think I am?"

"You? Nineteen? Twenty? At most, twenty-two?" Sally gave Rodi a serious look. Due to the various battles, she hadn't had the chance to observe the young man in front of her closely. Now, as she stared at him, she felt she might have forgotten to be reserved, and her gaze quickly moved away, but her heart beat faster for no reason.

To be honest, this guy was quite handsome...

"Alright, to be honest, I'm thirty-two this year." Rodi shrugged. "My appearance was fixed at nineteen due to a curse from a wizard. I've actually been in wars and adventured in this world for seven years. I just wanted to settle down, so I took this job. I didn't expect even being a scout to be so unstable..."

His words were filled with sighs and laments. Rodi's casual fabrication actually fooled Sally, leaving the daughter of a duke with her mouth open in an "O" shape for a while.

"What? Don't believe me?"

Rodi raised an eyebrow, shaking his head with a look of deep concern: "Actually, this is the first time I've said this. It's normal not to believe it..."

"R-Rodi, that—-" Sally hesitated for a moment, then made a request that left him speechless: "The wizard who cursed you... can he curse me too? I don't want to get old..."

Rodi's expression suddenly became strained, and he wanted to slap himself—how could he forget the allure of such a reason for women? Now, he couldn't explain it away...

Fortunately, there was no way to verify this. Rodi started to ramble about his "adventures"—which were actually his gaming experiences. The geographical and cultural details matched what Sally had read in books, making her believe about sixty to seventy percent of it. She even started to think there was a curse that could keep one's appearance unchanged...

However, Rodi skillfully steered the conversation back to Sally, preventing the young girl from delving into the topic of "eternal youth."

"Has the Duke not tried to stop the conflict between you and Francis?"

Sally opened her mouth slightly, hesitating—such family secrets shouldn't be spoken lightly. But she clearly trusted Rodi, so she whispered: "Father has always watched our struggles with a cold eye. Over the years... his smiles have become fewer, and he spends his days locked in his study, lost in thought. His indifference towards Francis and me is as if we never existed. It's a lonely and painful feeling."

Rodi seemed to recall something, throwing a piece of wood into the campfire. Under the orange-red glow, he suddenly asked: "When did your father's personality start to change? Did he used to care about your feelings?"

Sally frowned, recalling for a moment before answering: "Five years ago. Father used to take Francis and me on tours of the villages in our territory every summer, but five years ago, he suddenly stopped. Do you know the reason? Have you heard of something similar?"

Rodi seemed not to hear the rest of Sally's words. He was recalling the events of the sixth year after "Rift" launched. When the Kingdom of Carren was almost completely fragmented, some documents pointed to the Undead Kingdom of Tassman, causing a stir among players. Many pieces of evidence suggested that the collapse of the Kingdom of Carren was not just due to the orc invasion but also because the Undead had secretly dealt a very sinister blow, leading to the downfall of the kingdom's largest lords and the collapse of the situation...

What were the Undead best at? If it came to political struggles, the first things that came to mind were alchemical potions and assassins.

So... was it possible that before the orcs decided to invade the Kingdom of Carren, the Undead had already planned to act... and had already acted?

Recalling Sally's words, Rodi quickly remembered a notorious poison—"Soul Stripping Potion." This potion was colorless and odorless, extremely difficult to detect. Long-term use would make the user indifferent, eventually leading to complete memory loss and the loss of basic thinking ability, turning them into a living dead.

Historically, this potion was first discovered in a major lord who strongly supported the rebels within the kingdom. The lord was originally a strong supporter of the rebels, but his personality suddenly became cold, and he no longer cared about his children. He eventually locked himself in his room, not even allowing his servants to enter, and starved to death in bed...

"Have you heard of the Undead?"

Rodi's sudden change of topic caught Sally off guard, but she followed his train of thought and nodded: "I've read about them in books. The Undead Kingdom of Tassman, located in the southwestern part of the kingdom, has not had contact with the kingdom for over a hundred years. There are rumors that they sealed off their only connection to the outside world?"

"That's right, there is a country full of the living dead."

Rodi's eyes suddenly became deep. In the 595th year of "Rift," the Undead Kingdom of Tassman finally tore off its mask, invading the Kingdom of Carren and dividing large areas of land with the orcs... almost erasing the kingdom from the map.

Those damn Undead were no good. Rodi clenched his hand slightly. In his memory, these Undead were even more terrifying than the orcs. The orcs were the embodiment of madness and savagery; as long as you were stronger than them, they would obediently return to their pastures. But the Undead... were far from it.

The "crackling" of the campfire made the forest seem even more silent. After resting for the entire day, Rodi knew he needed to continue his journey. The night in the Whispering Forest was actually safer than the day, especially at "Styler's Stream," where the most time-consuming threats, such as swarms of bees and mosquitoes, did not appear at night. This unique pattern saved Rodi at least a day of travel time.

However, what he now faced was the final boss of this dungeon. Only by defeating it could he continue on his journey.

"Styler's Stream" was not a mindless monster-killing dungeon. Its story was related to the native "Wood Elves" living in the forest. These elves had a village in the Whispering Forest, which was the main hub for quests when players first explored the area. The initial plot revolved around the wood elves discovering that the stream's water was toxic at certain times. The village chief then issued a quest for players to investigate, and the final dungeon quest was for players to go through great lengths to defeat the boss polluting the stream—a Level 10 Scorpion King named "Seryx" who could summon large numbers of poisonous scorpions.

Although Rodi was not here to complete quests and gain experience, if he didn't fight this boss, he would have to take a detour that would take at least three days, and the dangers along the way would be far more terrifying than a Level 10 Scorpion King.

"If your father still ignores Francis's actions after we return to Holier... I think you should be prepared for the next round of assassination attempts." Rodi slung his horn bow over his shoulder, organized the remaining dozen arrows, and picked up a crude shovel made of wood and stone, ready to extinguish the campfire. However, he noticed Sally suddenly pulling on the hem of his cloak—

Rodi turned back in confusion. When their eyes met, Sally's gaze made him feel a bit strange.

"If... I mean, if I encounter such a situation again, would you... come to help me?"

Sally was not a naive girl. She understood the political situation and the current circumstances better than Rodi. Her words carried a hint of hope and even some ambiguity, but perhaps in her heart, there was a more probing tone.

After all, as the daughter of a duke, if she asked any normal man, he would likely make all sorts of promises to win her favor. Sally was prepared for a quick and easy answer, but she was surprised by his response.

"Me? I'm not as capable as you think. Once we reach Holier, everything will depend on you— I don't have the time to get involved in your conflict with Francis... Besides, I don't have the ability to do so now."

Rodi neatly folded the remaining vines and answered calmly.

If Rodi were just a casual player, after being reborn, he might have thought about dating, making money, and living a so-called happy life. But clearly, as someone reborn with a vendetta, what he wanted to do was prevent all the tragedies he remembered from happening...

In his eyes, Sally was a variable that could change the tragic fate of the Luciferon family. To put it more bluntly— if Sally couldn't change the outcome of Francis's eventual power grab, Rodi wouldn't waste any effort protecting her.