Chapter 39

Despite being demoted to a countess, Countess Elizabeth Báthory remained unperturbed, using her immense wealth to continue her quest for eternal youth. To Elizabeth, her title and power were less valuable than the essence of cold mountain goat fat from Hagalos in her hand.

However, the legacy of the blood of the Valkyrie hero was real.

As a descendant of the Valkyrie, Elizabeth Báthory was inevitably bound by various responsibilities and strategic significance. The powerful hero's bloodline would not disappear just because Elizabeth Báthory was obsessed with beauty. Elizabeth Báthory was destined to be burdened by this gift.

Not only did the human alliance, allied with the righteous gods, need Elizabeth Báthory, but the evil from the deepest depths of hell also had its eyes on her and the power of the Valkyrie, the greatest female hero of humanity.

Asmodeus had been waiting for an opportunity, a chance to corrupt Elizabeth, to achieve what he could not with her resolute mother.

It was not until Countess Elizabeth Báthory was forcibly sent to the battlefield to pursue the remnants of a demon army that Asmodeus' opportunity finally came.

Asmodeus sent his trusted lieutenant, the Queen of Succubi, Gressia, to transform into Elizabeth Báthory's maid to corrupt the countess.

Through conversations about maintaining youth and beauty, Gressia gradually eroded Elizabeth Báthory's already wavering mind and bestowed upon her the ability to remain youthful in flames.

Finally, the corrupted countess became疯狂 and brutal in the evil flames that could beautify and corrupt the mind, killing the allied soldiers who followed her and joining a group of demons.

In the game of corrupting Elizabeth Báthory, Gressia emerged victorious, for only a woman knows how to please another woman...

Legend has it that the half-human, half-demon Elizabeth Báthory received help from someone—some say it was a projection of Asmodeus—who built an inverted tower underground in an unknown, mysterious corner of space-time, making it almost impossible to find, hence it was called the Tower of Forgetfulness.

Of course, this is still just a rather convoluted game story.

Whether Elizabeth Báthory is the daughter of the Valkyrie, the most notorious cruel noble of medieval Europe, or the queen of castles in vampire culture, none of this really matters.

For players, the most important thing is that the Tower of Forgetfulness is a hidden map, and a place almost no one can find—because its location is always changing!

...

...

"I don't know the exact location of the Tower of Forgetfulness. If you want to challenge the countess, I won't stop you, but I can't provide any help," Jennifer said firmly when Alpha asked how to find the Tower of Forgetfulness.

However, from the rare experiences of players with the Tower of Forgetfulness and the detailed descriptions from NPCs, it was clear that Jennifer knew more than she let on.

Obviously, this was her revenge for not telling her about the Bloodbird's secret.

Alpha felt it was time to loosen up. He had already seen that Jennifer was being stubborn because he had kept quiet before, so he decided to reveal a bit about the Bloodbird.

Amidst the gazes of the others, who wondered what Alpha was going to do to the beautiful Jennifer, Alpha pulled her into her small office cabin and tightly closed the door:

"In fact, I discovered a clue to solving the Pale Canyon problem during my battle with the Bloodbird. If successful, we can completely eliminate the threat of the Pale Canyon and even destroy the Bloodbird. But this requires the help of the Great Sage. I kept it from you because I was afraid your special feelings for the Bloodbird might have a negative impact."

"Are you serious?"

Jennifer's eyes burned with hope, but Alpha also saw a hint of sadness. It seemed there was a story, but Alpha didn't have the time to delve into it. He just nodded at Jennifer, planning to investigate her and the Bloodbird's story after truly destroying the Bloodbird.

It's not that Alpha was nosy, but he understood that NPC stories are quests and rewards.

"You should understand that I have nothing to hide from you, after all, the complete disappearance of the Bloodbird is of great importance to you."

Without knowing the true entanglement between Jennifer and the Bloodbird, a neutral statement of fact was the best choice. Indeed, Jennifer's eyes revealed warmth, and Alpha felt his approach was correct.

"Since that's the case, you should also improve your strength. The burden you bear may be greater than you imagine. Venturing into the Tower of Forgetfulness might bring you unexpected rewards."

Jennifer paused.

"But the Tower of Forgetfulness is a very dangerous place, and you need to be mentally prepared."

Alpha nodded obediently, thinking he was well-prepared. He urged her to provide the information.

"In fact, I really don't know where to find the Tower of Forgetfulness."

Jennifer seemed to be teasing Alpha, a mischievous smile in her eyes. As a standard older sister type, this expression, common on a young girl's face, seemed out of place, and Alpha immediately noticed it.

To play along with Jennifer, Alpha quickly put on a disappointed face. Sure enough, Jennifer smiled triumphantly and whispered:

"But I know that the one-eyed old Joel in the Blackwater Marsh is the only person who has survived two trips to the Tower of Forgetfulness. You can try to find him—Old Joel has a very peculiar temper, so go alone and don't anger him."

Mission accomplished! Alpha's heart roared with excitement, and he logged off to cook dinner, feeling satisfied.

"I hope this time I can truly destroy you, Safina."

In the small cabin, Jennifer Lawrence whispered quietly, a tear silently falling onto her palm and shattering silently...

---

After dinner, the three of them rarely exchanged information outside the game, given the audience with the Great Prophet in Silvermoon City in 15 days, they needed to communicate more.

Qin Yu, Li Tuo, and Wen Xiaodao cleaned up the 5 pounds of spine bones, a pot of rice, and a plate of sour and spicy cucumber, leaving no trace.

Qin Yu kept scolding Li Tuo for being a meat-eater, while Li Tuo, in a frenzy to get more bones, kept putting cucumbers on Qin Yu's plate. Wen Xiaodao, with a smile, laughed all night until Li Tuo, with a mouth full of meat, said:

"Xiaodao, look at how virtuous our Yu brother is. Since you're single, why don't you take him in? He doesn't care about the title."

One sentence almost made Wen Xiaodao spit out her food. Qin Yu, who was scooping the remaining meat from the sauce, almost hit Li Tuo with the spoon but, thinking of the two pieces of meat in the spoon, changed his mind and kicked Li Tuo instead.

"Damn, good intentions turned into a horse's liver... Is there something wrong with you?"

"Your sister!"

Qin Yu lifted the pot lid to hit Li Tuo, while Wen Xiaodao, blushing, remained silent, clearly embarrassed.

Actually, Qin Yu wasn't embarrassed at all. When Wen Xiaodao blurted out that she had a boyfriend, Qin Yu already knew the truth.

—This girl was single, and saying that was just a subconscious self-protection.

Not to mention that Wen Xiaodao blushed first—would someone with a boyfriend blush when saying they were taken in front of a suitor? Moreover, the so-called boyfriend had never seen Wen Xiaodao, and how could he tolerate his girlfriend living with a man?

"You're not like you, Comrade Lao Qin."

Li Tuo, not understanding, kept eating, stealing a piece of meat from Qin Yu's bowl when he wasn't looking. Qin Yu laughed and scolded him, then turned to Wen Xiaodao:

"Just treat him like a fly."

"Okay..."

Wen Xiaodao's voice was as soft as a mosquito, her head down, shoveling rice. Being a foodie had its perks—no matter what, they could always focus on eating.

"Damn, I'm the extra person again..."

Li Tuo pouted...

...

...

After dinner, the three of them rarely exchanged information outside the game, but with the audience with the Great Prophet in Silvermoon City in 15 days, they needed to communicate more.

Qin Yu mentioned the task related to the Tower of Forgetfulness, and both Li Tuo and Wen Xiaodao were envious. After all, only a few people had been to the Tower of Forgetfulness, a true hidden map.

According to the few lucky players who found the Tower of Forgetfulness, the monsters on just the first floor were almost impossible to defeat. Although they were the lowest-level demons and ancient warrior zombies from the abyss, they were particularly difficult to handle, with a large number and strong combat power.

The most frustrating thing was that these monsters, ranging from levels 10 to 40, had extremely fast health regeneration. Without quickly resolving the battle, it was impossible to defeat them. However, the experience gained from killing them was many times that of ordinary monsters.

—This description of the rich experience from the Tower of Forgetfulness was given by a druid named Greenfield.

Li Tuo said that Greenfield was a famous druid in "Dungeons and Dragons," not only for his strength but also because he and his wife, Fairy Trace, were among the few professional adventurers in the game, exploring the game's landscapes as their main goal. The more places they visited, the more encounters they had, which in turn made them stronger.

Greenfield had posted about the Tower of Forgetfulness, saying that at level 50, he and Fairy Trace discovered it by chance in a place called Ouban Highlands. They fought a few level 10 monsters inside but couldn't defeat the higher-level ones, which were practically invincible due to their rapid health regeneration.

"These people found the Tower of Forgetfulness by chance, without any quest support, so your journey to the Tower of Forgetfulness might be more valuable."

"Why don't we go together? If the experience is really several times that of ordinary monsters, we can all level up there."

Qin Yu suggested.