Star Forge Titan

An unexpected voice came from outside the door.

"A stranger friend."

Chapter 9: The Sinful Ship

"A strange friend?"

Alvin put down the broom he was using for sword practice.

Considering that all fluctuations of magic power on the ship were likely to be monitored, he did not use abilities like [Reshaping the World] which required a large-scale mobilization of magic power.

Walking to the door, the black-haired boy's eyes radiated slightly. Seeing that there was a human figure with ordinary magic fluctuations outside the door, he opened the door directly.

"Would it be convenient for us to talk?" The visitor was a middle-aged man with a slightly bald and graying head, but the rest of his hair was still combed meticulously. He was dressed simply but also very neatly.

Even so, he exudes the aura of a social animal programmer who works 72 hours a night and still looks as energetic as a young man at the age of 20.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Although he asked this, Alvin still stepped aside and motioned the other party to come in.

"Just a useless sheriff, and you have to add 'former'." The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and walked into his room.

Sheriffs are similar to police officers in many countries. They are mainly responsible for solving various cases and arresting criminals.

The two men sat down on the chairs at the table, and the middle-aged man began to introduce himself.

"My name is Frank, Frank Drubben, from Linde. What about you, young man?"

"Just call me Alvin. I'm from Elrond, and I'm an oceanographer." Alvin introduced himself simply and clearly:

For a moment, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Although Alvin didn't feel it, Frank obviously didn't expect this.

He was already middle-aged, so naturally he wouldn't harbor hostility toward the Elronds because of the Empire's propaganda smearing them. But the other person was just a young man, and if he harbored a subjective aversion to the Linds because of external propaganda, the subsequent conversation would be somewhat troublesome.

As if seeing the hesitation in the middle-aged man's heart, Alvin couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Please don't worry about that. There are more important things right now, right?"

The young oceanographer (self-proclaimed) spread his hands to indicate that the other party should not worry about those things.

"Indeed, there are more important things to deal with right now." Frank nodded cautiously.

"You and your companions are not ordinary people, right? I'm sure you've noticed something's wrong with this ship."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but how do you know we're not ordinary people?" Alvin frowned. Just based on their disguise, there shouldn't be any flaws.

"The difference in temperament is too great." Frank shook his head.

"You must be a noble, right? Unlike the ordinary people around you who were entering such a high-end restaurant for the first time, your companion showed some discomfort, but you seemed completely unfazed by the environment. Your demeanor and behavior were completely natural and not a bit nervous. In contrast, the difference is hard to miss."

The former sheriff's words made Ivan look enlightened. Whether as a modern man or as Prince Elrond who attended various social occasions with Afrediya, he would not be timid because of a mere high-end restaurant. However, he did not expect that this would become a flaw in his disguise. It seems that he has to pay more attention to it in the future.

By the way, as long as you turn on the disguise skill in the game, these details will be automatically sorted out by the system. Players only need to make the individual people who see them performing actions that are inappropriate for their identity disappear to ensure a perfect infiltration.

Reality is indeed different from games!

While expressing his feelings, Alvin also did not forget to express his gratitude to the old police officer.

"I see. Thank you for your guidance." As he said this, the black-haired young scholar (probably) bowed slightly to thank the other party for the guidance.

His actions surprised Frank, and he even wondered if he had guessed wrong. After all, he had the impression that the nobles of Linde would never bow or say thank you to those of lower status than themselves.

Perhaps the nobles of Elrond were different? Or was it the young man before him who was different?

Putting these questions aside for the moment, Frank continued to describe the problems with the ship.

"There's no need to express your gratitude so early. It won't be too late to talk about it after we get out of this situation." The former sheriff sighed and looked solemn.

"Young man, do you know the probability of an accident happening on a new type of cruise ship like this?"

"Never known." Alvin shook his head.

"Very low. Ever since the invention of steamships, the probability of accidents on ordinary routes has been so low that it's probably only slightly higher than the probability of an ordinary person breaking their neck by falling at home." Frank told a not-so-funny joke.

Of course, he himself had no intention of laughing at all.

"By chance, I discovered that every three to five years, a cruise ship would have an accident. And it was the kind of major accident where all the people on the ship were killed and there were no survivors." Frank's expression became more serious.

“I originally thought that those were just accidents, but…” The former sheriff clenched his fists tightly, a look of pain in his eyes.

"Until my daughter was involved in a similar shipwreck." Frank insisted on telling the story with red eyes.

"She was accepted into a painting academy in Genoa at the time. Although a sheriff's salary wasn't high, there was a cruise ship selling tickets at half price, so I gave her a cruise as a gift. It also happened that she could go to school in Genoa. But I didn't expect..."

Alvin did not interrupt the other person, but he had already guessed the outcome of the matter.

"Sorry, I lost my composure." Frank wiped his red eyes.

"I couldn't bear the thought that such an accident in which everyone was killed could be a coincidence, so I started investigating privately. I found out from the old files that similar accidents have occurred almost every once in a while over the past twenty years." The former sheriff's expression turned serious.

"Each of them individually is a heartbreaking surprise, but when you look at the big picture, you see a highly unnatural, ordered frequency."

"After realizing it wasn't a coincidence, I began investigating the origins of the wrecked ships. I discovered that while they had diverse backgrounds and names ranging from 'Sweet Bee Bird' to 'Hungry and Tasty' and 'Wine Group', their origins were all connected to a century-old guild."

"That's a chamber of commerce that started out with gray income. After some investigation, I found out that they originally made a fortune by selling stolen goods to pirates as an underground chamber of commerce. They didn't start to clean up their books until twenty years ago. But they still control various illegal armed and violent groups in private, and there are even signs of extraordinary people entering and leaving them." At this point, Frank couldn't help but quicken his breathing, revealing a nervous look.

"Didn't they notice you?" Ivan suddenly asked.

"Although I have been traced back, at least they don't know my true identity yet." Frank answered simply, but the danger and crisis contained in it were by no means easy to deal with.

"I am no longer a sheriff, but as a father, I ask for your help. I want to find out who is hiding behind the scenes and bring them to justice!" said the former sheriff firmly.

"Vampire." Alvin calmly said the answer the other party had been looking for for a long time.

"What?" Frank was stunned.

The young oceanographer (who called himself) continued in a casual tone:

"The people behind this ship are vampires. I came here to kill them all."

Chapter 10 The Night Banquet Begins

Why did things become like this?

Frank remained in shock until he walked out of the room.

Although he had no intention of deceiving the young man, after guessing that he was a noble, he still felt that he had to at least explain the interests involved and let him know the danger he was in before he could convince them to act with him.

After all, even the youngest nobles were mostly pragmatic and apathetic, expressing unnecessary suspicion about everything.

But Frank never expected that the truth would be laid out before him so unexpectedly, and the other party also said very readily that he was there to deal with the matter.

Meanwhile, Ivan hadn't been suspicious of the former sheriff's sudden appearance. With his current perception, at this distance, he could easily tell if the other person was lying, such as pupil constriction and dilation, or changes in heart rate, which were hard-to-conceal instinctive reactions.

Since the other party was indeed a former sheriff, he was naturally happy to have an extra helper.

So, Alvin asked the other party to lead other civilians to a safe place for refuge after chaos broke out on the ship.

As for the dozens of vampires, he was responsible for them. If the other party needed them, he could leave one or two for Frank to take back to court.

The night passed quickly, and when the sun rose the next day, the cruise ship was bustling with activity again. Unexpectedly, people were enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine on the spacious open deck, while the waiters, wearing similar smiles, stood in neat rows under the shade of parasols.

All the passengers, whether they won prizes, bought half-price tickets, or simply happened to be on the cruise ship, had a pleasant and relaxing day. They savored delicious food, enjoyed fine wine, and laughed heartily with their families in the ocean breeze.

As for Ivan and Khayon, they were like two bored and idle young men. They chatted with the pretty maids and wandered around the ship, but at the same time, they inadvertently memorized the general structure of the ship in their minds.

Until night fell again, an invitation to a dinner party was sent to the selected passengers. They were young girls, handsome young men, middle-aged people who finally had a decent life after going through hardships, and young mothers with newborn babies. There were only about thirty people in total.

As for the others, they did not receive any invitations, so they just stayed quietly in their rooms and lay down to rest early.

"Interesting, it seems they want to hold a dinner party." Alvin held the invitation between his fingers. Although a smile appeared on his face, there was no warmth at all.

His invitation letter was written with a few lines of admiration in beautiful handwriting, which clearly showed the teasing intention. At the end of the handwriting was the name 'Isabella' and a bright red lipstick mark.

Along with the invitation came two maids, who were carrying an extremely gorgeous men's formal suit, a matching silver wig, and a large amount of makeup.

Those are Lind's most popular luxury styles nowadays, which can completely transform a young man dressed simply into a Lind aristocrat from head to toe. Of course, this only refers to the appearance.

"Forget about the wig and powder. Please convey my gratitude to Lady Isabella. As for the dinner, I will be there on time." Throwing the invitation on the table, Alvin simply took the formal suit in the maid's embarrassed look and closed the door directly.

"Only those who are invited will attend the banquet, so what about the others?" Alvin's eyes became colder. He changed out of his plain long coat and put on a gorgeous and elegant formal suit.

In comparison, this dress was definitely much more expensive than his original clothes, but the former was prepared by Afrediya for him before leaving.

So, since I’m bound to get bloody anyway, I might as well wear this free set of clothes given to me by someone else.

Looking at the image in the mirror, although the style is exaggerated and heavy, this well-fitting dress perfectly highlights the temperament of the black-haired boy, making it difficult to look away at first glance.

After changing his clothes, Alvin took out two blunt silver knives from the pocket of his old clothes, turned them quickly a few times, and hid them in his sleeves.

He had taken this from the restaurant at noon. He didn't know if the vampires were too confident, or if this set of antique tableware with a century-old history was quite valuable. Even though it was a "dangerous" item made of silver, they didn't throw it directly into the sea.

For now, it saves me the effort of melting the silver coins into blocks.

When he opened the door, Alvin saw Ka Yang standing outside with a calm expression. He was still wearing the clothes of a small businessman and did not look like he was going to attend a party.

"What's wrong?" the black-haired boy asked curiously.

"It's a little different from the original plan." Khayang's expression was a little strange, and the bulging blue veins on his forehead could be vaguely seen.

"What do you mean?" Alvin didn't quite understand what he meant.

"To put it simply, I didn't get an invitation." Khayon narrowed his eyes and smiled, but that smile looked more like a suppressed volcano.

"Huh?" Ivan's mouth twitched, and he forced himself to suppress the urge to laugh.

"So, they, uh, think you're unsuitable?"

"It's even more obscene than frog piss. I was completely looked down upon by those guys."

Khayon, who usually spoke elegantly and tried hard to imitate the aristocratic style, now smiled and blurted out a vulgar remark with the accent of the lower city of Avonmore. Honestly, it was quite normal for a small businessman with a gloomy face and a hair like a straw pile not to be invited.

"In that case, you might as well transfer the ordinary people with Frank." Alvin thought about it and felt that this accident was not beyond his expectations.

"Can he be trusted?" Ka Yang asked immediately.

"Whether it's credible or not, someone has to be responsible for this matter." Alvin did not directly guarantee the other party's credibility.

"At least, this variable is still within our control."

"That's true." Ka Yang nodded and then talked about another more critical issue.

"Who will support you then? There's at least a Level 3 player in there."

"Yeah, a third-level one." Alvin chuckled and moved his fingers, and the friction between his joints made a clanging sound like metal swords colliding with each other.

"It's just the right time to test the extent of what we've gained during this period."

"Is it appropriate for you, a first-level cultivator, to say this?" Ka Yang couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his forehead, feeling a headache.

"At least I'm stronger than the average first-level transcendent." Alvin said half-jokingly.

"Just some..." Ka Yang frowned and resisted the urge to complain.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to deal with that armed pirate ship. Don't forget that there are hundreds of civilians on this ship." When he said this, Alvin's tone became serious.

They are certainly doing the right thing, but it also means that they need to shoulder a certain responsibility. Otherwise, good intentions without a sense of responsibility may even pave the road to hell, bringing themselves and other innocent people into that terrible disaster.

"Ha, if you can deal with that earl, leave the rest to me." Khayon showed his signature sarcastic smile, but his words were full of confidence.

"Then I'll wait and see."

"I should be the one to say this."

The two sides clapped their hands in tacit understanding, turned their backs to each other, and walked in different directions without looking back.

The night banquet has begun.

Chapter 11: The Burning Feast

Arriving at the banquet with others, Alvin immediately understood why Khayon did not receive an invitation.

Regardless of gender, or age, those invited to this banquet are either outstanding in appearance or have an extraordinary temperament.

By their standards, a small businessman with a gloomy expression and messy hair like dead grass would certainly not be invited actively.

Who can be blamed for this? Perhaps it's just that vampires are obsessed with appearances, and Khayon's disguise is just too good.

As expected of a professional traitor, he can indeed do things that ordinary people can't do.

As for whether or not to trust Khayon, Ivan had a clear idea. He knew Khayon was someone who was rarely influenced by personal feelings. After considering all aspects of the situation, from which auction house would be best for the blood of a vampire count to the price of a low-level vampire fang, it was not difficult to conclude that a joint effort would be most beneficial to both parties.