Manager, give me a membership card too!

Upon hearing this, Luo Xia's face lit up with interest. He didn't care about his current state, since his opponent was many rounds older than him anyway. He simply found a comfortable position, raised his hand, and said, "Tell me about it. As long as it's not too outrageous, I can consider it."

Hearing that Luo Xia was inclined to agree, the mermaid girl's face lit up with joy, but that sweet smile was replaced by endless hatred in the next second.

“That man, I want that man! The man who turned me into that person, the man who made me suffer for hundreds of years. I want the power to decide what to do with him, he is the only reason I have survived until now.”

Looking at the face before him, a face that, despite uttering words of deep resentment, still evoked no ill will, Luo Xia remained unmoved and asked calmly:

"You want revenge on him? Revenge for everything he did?"

"Yes, I want revenge on him. I want him to regret what he did!"

Id made no attempt to conceal the boiling hatred and rage within her, a dim light settling into her eyes, which were as clear as the ocean. Through her narration, Rorschach once again pieced together a hidden chapter of the de la Poulet family's history.

As the only noble scion in the town of Hamlet, his ancestor, with his noble blood, handsome appearance, and elegant speech, was practically the dream lover of every young woman in town. His educated and trained knowledge and learning were like a deadly poison, exuding a fatal attraction. Whenever he spoke eloquently with other scholars from all over the world by the town's fountain, he would always attract a crowd of female admirers.

Anchoro Ides, then only thirteen or fourteen years old, was one of these adoring girls, deeply captivated by her ancestor's handsome appearance and witty conversation. However, unlike those women who lacked self-awareness, Ides, born into a merchant family, was acutely aware of the gap between herself and her ancestor, this nobleman of Delapour. The almost insurmountable class divide left her with no other thoughts than to gaze at her idol from afar.

For Ides, who was just beginning to experience romantic feelings, just being able to catch a glimpse of her idol and follow him from afar was already a great happiness.

From the day she first saw Hamlet, Ides would spend her free time in the woods near the gates of the De La Poy manor, searching for her idol. Whenever she saw him leave the manor, Ides would secretly follow him, wandering the streets and alleys of Hamlet in his wake, captivated by his silhouette and the occasional glimpse of his profile.

Over time, Ides almost became the ancestor's shadow. Whenever he appeared, Ides could always find his trace and quietly follow behind him, silently watching over him in her own way. It wasn't until the ancestor returned to the secluded De La Poul Manor that she left with a somber expression.

This prolonged and frequent tracking naturally attracted the attention of the ancestor, who had begun to truly engage with mythological matters due to the incident involving the Countess of the Courtyard. However, instead of summoning his butler to drive away the girl who was almost obsessed, the ancestor played 'games' with her with great interest.

For his ancestor, who had been surrounded by countless beauties since his youth, this simple and persistent little girl brought him a rare sense of novelty. It was a novel experience that those socialites, prostitutes, maids, and even so-called noble ladies could not provide. While exploring those magical mysteries, he was able to obtain some 'games' that could make his restless mood more pleasant.

Occasionally, when the mood struck, the ancestor would even arrange some 'chance encounters' so that Ides could talk to him face to face and feel up close the girl's excitement that was almost trembling. He would comfortably enjoy the admiration and worship in her eyes, and with Ides's surprised and delighted expression, he would promise to invite her to 'have a chat' at his manor in a while, and then drift away, leaving Ides alone in disbelief.

But a game is just a game. For this man, the unknown and mysterious were far more attractive and worthy of his attention. Compared to the mysterious and unknown truth, women were merely a pastime to be summoned and dismissed at will during his free time. Even some special women were not worthy of the great Delapour's excessive attention.

Life seemed to have returned to its previous pattern. Delapour studied countless classics, talked and discussed with scholars from all walks of life, and when he was tired, he would occasionally take a walk and rest in Hamlet Town, or even go to the tavern for a drink to understand the hardships of the lower classes and show his friendliness.

With immense anticipation welling up inside her, Ides followed quietly behind her ancestor, as always, waiting for the fulfillment of their promise. Even though nearly half a year had passed since her ancestor made the promise, Ides still firmly believed that her idol had not forgotten her.

'He's just a little busy. Once he's done, he'll come to welcome me into the Delapour family manor and fulfill our little promise.'

Countless times Ides watched her ancestor enter the Delapour Manor, gazing at his tall figure disappearing into the distance, and silently told herself this. What the young woman didn't know was that her ancestor hadn't forgotten their promise, but the way that promise was being fulfilled wasn't as pleasant as Ides had imagined.

One evening a month later, the head of the De La Pour family encountered a minor, insignificant problem.

He ran out of money.

A very awkward, yet very real, problem.

As the son of an earl, his ancestor De Lapur naturally possessed immense wealth, but he squandered it all.

In retaliation for the nobles who murdered his father and then turned against the De La Porte family, his ancestor hosted a lavish feast that lasted for months. The endless consumption of ingredients, fine wines, and the costs of hiring various people nearly emptied the De La Porte family's coffers. Adding to this the later expenses of purchasing various occult books and inviting scholars to discuss the subject, the seemingly glamorous Viscount was actually unable to even pay his servants' salaries for the following month.

As for the taxes of Hamlet Town? Don't be ridiculous. That money couldn't even buy a handwritten copy of the Necronomicon, let alone withstand the extravagant spending of our ancestors.

In order to maintain his research and the last vestiges of the De La Pue family's dignity, the ancestor had to resort to some less-than-orthodox methods.

Those are spells recorded in a book of spirits, capable of summoning ancient beings from the depths of the abyss. By fulfilling the requests of these 'things,' one can obtain countless treasures from the seabed, which can be exchanged for vast amounts of money and mystical materials.

Following the incantation in the book, the ancestor unleashed a summoning spell. He didn't have to wait long before those vile beings rose from the boundless abyss and offered the ancestor a price in exchange for treasures.

They have lost the totem of their tribal faith and hope that their ancestors can find one according to certain conditions. In addition, they also hope to obtain a pure living sacrifice to become their tribe's 'queen'.

Without hesitation, the ancestor agreed to the conditions of these 'new friends,' for to him these were insignificant matters. Having received a satisfactory answer, the creatures of the abyss quietly returned to the dark depths of the sea.

However, just as the ancestor turned around with satisfaction, preparing to return to his manor, a slightly trembling flame in the distance betrayed that petite figure.

Did she see it?

How much did she see?

She must die!

Watching that familiar figure frantically flee into the pitch-black night, the ancestor, finally regaining his senses, suddenly had a wicked idea that would satisfy both sides.

The next day, feeling uneasy because she had seen something she shouldn't have, a luxurious carriage arrived at Ides's door. The butler from the Delapour family respectfully invited Ides to the manor and conveyed a message from his master.

"This is an agreement between the two of us."

Almost the instant the butler finished speaking, Ides stood up in ecstasy. At that moment, all her worries and anxieties vanished, replaced only by the joy and excitement of her idol fulfilling his promise and responding to her heart's desire.

Eagerly changing into the most expensive and beautiful white evening gown in the house, and wearing the white silk gloves her mother and father had worn at their wedding, Ides, dressed in her finest attire, boarded the carriage bearing the crest of the Delapour family under the slightly worried gazes of her parents, and headed towards the ancient manor perched on the cliff in the soft red moonlight.

A magnificent manor, respectful servants, a grand banquet, and the man she longed for, the man she used to only dare to secretly watch from behind.

Sweet talk is an essential skill for every noble heir. As a playboy who came of age at the age of 13 with the help of a maid, winning over the naive and innocent Ides was a piece of cake for his ancestor.

A few cheesy sweet nothings and some promises he himself didn't believe were enough to make the girl in front of him willingly let himself be manipulated.

Under the pretext of taking a walk and having a heart-to-heart talk after dinner, the ancestor invited Ides, who was now only focused on himself, to go for a stroll on the beach. The innocent girl, whose mind was already filled with the ancestor's cheesy sweet talk, had no idea what she had seen the night before. Without hesitation, she followed him out of the gates of Delapour Manor and walked towards the beach at the foot of the hill under the slightly eerie red moon.

With ease, the ancestor lured his innocent little prey into the trap he had set beforehand. Before Ides could even begin to admire the moonlit beach, he suddenly pulled out a specially crafted shackle from behind and bound it to the girl's slender waist. To Ides's disbelief, he then fastened the other end of the shackle to an ancient statue that had been erected nearby.

With a gentle push, the girl in the pristine white evening gown tumbled into the waves. Even though the waves were barely knee-deep for an average person, Ides seemed to fall into an abyss, disappearing completely from the surface without a trace. Vanishing with her was also the strange statue sculpted as a human figure with bizarre bat wings and tiny tentacles covering its mouth.

After a long time, the waves receded, revealing countless magnificent jewels and gold piled up on the white sand beach, which even the ancestors found breathtaking.

As for the missing Ides? Who cares about her life or death if we just use this gold and jewels to hire someone to get rid of her parents?

P.S.: I rewatched Darkest Dungeon these past couple of days and realized that the Ancestor is the epitome of a scumbag and a troublemaker. He's involved with every boss, including both DLCs—so despicable. P.S.2: My go-to gym closed down. I never thought I'd get ripped off like that. I bought a three-year membership, only used it for a year, and now the owner is just playing dead and disappearing. Unbelievable.

Chapter 444 The Scumbag's True Wish

Chapter 444 The Scumbag's True Wish

“The deep-diving creatures who dwell beneath the deep sea dragged me into that abyss, corrupting my body and soul with ancient and filthy spells, transforming me into one of them.”

"They forced me to take a compound potion mixed with evil witchcraft, making my body lay eggs like a real fish, rapidly expanding the size of the swarm. At that time, I was their nominal queen, but also their de facto slave."

"Although I later succeeded in overthrowing the rule of the Deep Ones with the help of my daughters and killed them all, I could never become human again and was forever bound by an ugly and repulsive skin."

Ides' voice was like a cuckoo's mournful cry, plaintive and resolute. Drops of crystal tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the water's surface, turning into smooth pearls that slowly sank to the bottom. One of them landed right in Rorschach's palm and he held it in his hand.

“I cannot forgive him, I cannot forgive him for what he did to me. He not only sacrificed me to those deep-sea creatures, but also sent people to kill my parents and throw their bodies into the sea. When I watched my parents’ bodies being devoured by countless sea fish in the water, and I could only lie helplessly in my cell, forced to lay eggs, I vowed to make that man pay the price!”

Gently stroking the smooth pearl in his hand, Luo Xia stared directly into the mermaid girl's eyes, which were filled with hatred. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "You know what that man has become now. In order to ensure that the 'sterilization' is thorough, I cannot promise to hand him over to you for disposal. However, if the situation allows, I can let you finish the job."

"Thank you, Lord Rorschach, this is enough."

Ides bowed respectfully, expressing her deepest gratitude to the man before her. Even if she couldn't repay him for all the suffering she had endured, killing him with her own hands was enough to fulfill her wish; she couldn't ask for more.

"From this day forward, I and my people will become your sword and your shield, and we will live up to your will and glory with our lives."

The mermaid girl solemnly swore her oath. For her, a medieval girl from hundreds of years ago, this was the most solemn vow, her way of expressing loyalty. However, Rorschach, the one being sworn to, twitched his lips somewhat uncomfortably, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Ides, it’s 2020 now, no, it’s 1929. The so-called knights and lords, honor and loyalty are no longer popular. Nowadays, people value the spirit of contracts and laws and regulations more than honor. I have a profile and job posting for the Umbrella Corporation here. Take it back and read it carefully before deciding whether you want to ‘submit’ to me.”

With a flick of his wrist, Luo Xia produced a thick brochure and printed paper, thoughtfully wrapped in a waterproof plastic film, and handed it to Ides, who was somewhat dazed.

The mermaid girl looked at the thick brochure and job description in her hand with a blank expression, then looked up at the smiling man in front of her. After a long while, she hesitated and nodded.

“I understand, Lord Rorschach. I will study this book carefully and give you a definite answer.”

Ides left, her entire body transforming into a pool of clean water, disappearing into the bathtub Rorschach used for bathing, along with the Umbrella brochure, returning to the deep sea near Anchester.

The next day, Nyaruko and Sakura were pleasantly surprised to receive a gift from Rorschach: a pearl bracelet handmade by the shop owner. The bracelet was simple yet elegant, with subtle adjustments made to suit each girl's personality and preferences, bringing joy to everyone who received it.

After giving away all the pearls that Ides had left in the bathroom the night before, Rorschach began his new day's work.

To completely quell the mythical anomalies surrounding Anchester, Rorschach needs to deal with all the supernatural entities in the vicinity. For example, the Deep Ones—well, perhaps now more accurately described as the Merfolk tribe—of Ides's tribe are relatively harmless. Since Ides came to power, they haven't actively invaded the continent, so we could try to appease them.

However, apart from Ides, the remaining mythical anomalies are not so friendly.

Not to mention the courtyard where the bloodline hides, the blood-sucking stink bugs there can devour all living things within hundreds of miles, making them creatures that must be humanely destroyed.

The 'target' we need to deal with today is someone just as troublesome as the Bloodline.

It was a dense forest some distance from Anchester, teeming with miasma and teeming with insects. Large mammals were rarely seen; only a variety of chilling arthropods and fungi filled the forest, which gradually expanded outward over the years.

The locals of Anchester tried everything to stop the 'forest' from expanding: logging, burning, and even using toxic chemicals. But each attempt yielded only limited results and couldn't last. Eventually, they gave up on stopping the forest's expansion and instead warned locals and passersby not to approach the forest, as it was extremely dangerous.

Even so, the forest still devoured countless locals and travelers every year, making Anchester famous far and wide. The number of merchants coming to trade decreased year by year, and the entire town began to decline.

After countless years of growth, the forest has partially enveloped Anchester, but strangely, it hasn't directly swallowed the town. Instead, it seems to have consciously avoided the townspeople's living areas. It looks like a laboratory lab rat leaving a nest for its subjects to reproduce on their own.

But all of that is in the past now, and it's meaningless. Because today, countless enormous machines painted with striking red and white umbrella-shaped markings stood on the outskirts of the forest, their engines spewing thick smoke.

Those were specially modified logging machines that could chop and shred everything in their path with extremely high efficiency. Even huge and solid rocks, or some strange creatures, were only a matter of a few seconds in front of these behemoths equipped with alloy blades.

These steel monsters, with their fully enclosed cockpits and self-circulating air systems, driven by roaring high-performance engines, slowly and steadily erased a portion of the 'forest' from the map, like an eraser on a canvas.

Repeatedly cutting and recutting, the vast forest was divided into more than a dozen sections of varying sizes. From these sections, the 'harmful' and 'harmless' parts were identified. After the logging machines had stripped away all the harmless forest areas, these massive steel behemoths moved with heavy steps, slowly retreating under the watchful eyes of countless people in the forest.

The metal creations, far ahead of their time, instilled fear in the forest's 'inhabitants' for the first time. These were not flesh and blood creatures to be hunted at will, but terrifying monsters made of solid metal.

Their shells were impervious to sharp teeth and fangs, and the toxic fumes and miasma could not affect their respiratory systems that spewed thick black smoke. Spore parasitism and acid corrosion could not shake those iron lumps coated with special coatings. The residents who had been dominating the forest with these powerful weapons for hundreds of years felt for the first time that the current situation was beyond their control, and a sense of foreboding welled up in their hearts.

Just as an indescribable emotion began to spread through the separated forests, the last logging machine, with its five pairs of road wheels turning, spewed thick black smoke and left the seemingly living forest, its shell covered with strange scratches and splattered with various bodily fluids, slowly heading towards the plains outside Anchester.

The forest dwellers instinctively breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, thinking that the human resistance had come to an end. But before they could cheer and rejoice, a series of terrifying howls, foreshadowing death, slowly echoed from the sky above them.

The inhabitants of the dense forest subconsciously looked up at the sky. They recognized the huge 'birds' soaring above. According to the memories of those humans captured by the forest, these man-made birds were an object called 'airplanes,' a means of transportation that humans had only recently created.

So they were just those flying carriages! The forest dwellers were relieved. As long as those steel behemoths spewing black smoke stopped entering the forest, they had nothing to fear. It was just a dozen or so flying carriages; they posed no threat to the vast forest.

Today's harvest has caused considerable damage to the forests. They need time to recover and rebuild the trees felled by the logging machines, as well as the various mutated creatures that died during the attack on the logging machines.

Humanity is currently in a stronger position, so let's take a break for now. After all, my lifespan is almost infinite. I'll make these humans pay the price when I've developed a mutant creature capable of fighting those iron lumps!

Thinking this, the inhabitants of the forest began yet another round of the horrific experiments that had been going on for hundreds of years. Strange spores, highly poisonous plants, rare minerals, and the mutilated limbs of mutated creatures were placed in a filthy and dilapidated crucible, stewed, churned, and stirred, producing countless strange chemical reactions and the most bizarre and unknowable terrifying mutations.

Just as the latest batch of potion, concentrated with malice and curses, was about to be produced, the terrifying howl overhead reached its climax. A gap opened in the 'belly' of these enormous steel birds, and dozens of long, cylindrical metal objects, under the influence of the Gravity Lord, plummeted from thousands of meters in the air, falling straight down into the forest below.

One of these dozens of metal cylinders fell right in front of the forest dwellers, crashing into the dilapidated crucible that was bubbling with ominous smoke.

"What is this...?"

'boom!!!!'

The raging flames, like the breath of a dragon, swept through the entire forest in just a few seconds. These bombs, mixed with sticky gasoline adhesive, were like demons in an endless purgatory, laughing wildly and bestowing equal death upon all living beings within their attack range.

Napalm bombs are lethal weapons whose bodies are filled with flammable liquid. While their detonation radius is smaller than traditional bombs, their destructive power is no less. The specially formulated liquid can reach temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius upon ignition, instantly incinerating all vegetation within its range, leaving only scorched earth.

'boom!!!!'

The second squadron of bombers, painted with Umbrella markings, roared over the dense forest, and dozens of napalm bombs fell from the underside of their cockpits, landing in long streaks into the already infernal forest, igniting another round of towering flames.

Team 3, Team 4, Team 5...

Thousands of napalm bombs were dropped on all the forests marked 'hazardous,' and this devastating attack would not stop until everything within them was completely incinerated. Those strange spore-bearing plants and mutated creatures had to be purified; not a single one could be left behind.

Standing on the small hill in the courtyard of the Delapur Manor after the last bombardment, Rorschach calmly looked at the distant forest where thick smoke billowed and eerie howls echoed. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the yellowed parchment in his hand, which recorded another chapter in the history of the Delapur family's scum ancestors.

After sacrificing Ides to the Deep Ones, the ancestor, now wealthy with a large amount of gold and silver, once again enthusiastically studied mystical knowledge, enjoying the wonderful feeling of wandering in the ocean of knowledge.

A few weeks later, a young woman claiming to be a master of herbalism arrived at the gates of De La Puy Manor, hoping to see the ancestor. The ancestor, engrossed in occult matters, initially intended to ignore the woman, but changed his mind when he saw a small vial of potion brought by the butler.

After a period of in-depth communication in various senses, the ancestor unexpectedly discovered that this beautiful and alluring woman possessed far more profound knowledge of herbalism than he had. In addition, she was proficient in arcane and necromancy, mysteries that even a genius and wealthy ancestor had not explored extensively.

The woman's exceptional wisdom, knowledge, and professional skills impressed the proud ancestor. Her profound and extraordinary knowledge of mysticism made him set aside his aristocratic status and, with a sense of admiration, seek her advice as an equal.

The ancestors' abundant wealth and power allowed them to collect many delicacies and treasures that women could not obtain, while the women's rich knowledge filled the gaps in the ancestors' knowledge of mysticism.

The two of them planted herbs together, conducted experiments together, read books together, ate together, danced together, and partied all night long, using those wonderful drugs that could stimulate the human body to vent their most primal animalistic desires.

Unfortunately, good times are always short-lived. After the initial honeymoon period of about six months, the ancestor, who had been enjoying the company of many beauties, quickly grew tired of this woman. The initial wonderful things quickly turned into a series of vices in his eyes, and he grew increasingly disgusted with her.

Finally, after thoroughly absorbing the woman's last knowledge, the ancestor coldly and ruthlessly arrested her on charges of being a 'witch,' took all her belongings, and banished her to the woods outside the former Hamlet town of Anchester, leaving her to fend for herself.

The fact that they weren't killed on the spot was already a sign of their ancestors' magnanimity, considering the deep bond they had developed after their conversation. Stroking the ancient book in his hand, filled with countless herbal recipes, the ruthless man smiled smugly.

Chapter 445 The Legendary Witcher

Chapter 445 The Legendary Witcher

The forest fire burned for three days and three nights before gradually being extinguished, only because Rorschach had sent people to create a firebreak beforehand. If a firebreak hadn't been prepared before setting the fire, the nearby forests would likely have burned for months, just like in Australia.

However, the fire had a significant effect, not only burning away all the poisonous spores in the dense forest, but also wiping out all the deformed mutated creatures, including the 'witch' who had become inhuman due to drinking too much of the compound potion.

Although Rorschach sympathized with her being abandoned by her scoundrel, the witch was not as harmless as Ides. The dense forest not only frequently devoured passing villagers and adventurers, but would even actively capture and kidnap humans when resources were scarce. This alone demonstrates that the witch had long since lost her humanity and could no longer reintegrate into human society.

The only thing Rorschach could do was to quickly clean up the mess left by the Delapour family ancestors and then send that man to hell to keep the witch company. Presumably, at that time, this witch who had endured for hundreds of years would be quite happy to share a cell with her ancestor and have a good chat.

Stroking the fragments of his ancestor's diary that remained undamaged even after being roasted in a fire for three days and three nights, Rorschach opened the folder in his hand and placed these few yellowed parchment sheets together with the other ancestor's diaries he had collected.

The presence of these indestructible diaries in courtyards, bays, and dense forests is certainly not without reason. Given the ruthless and self-serving nature of the De La Pue family ancestors, these diaries must have served a very special purpose.

Perhaps it's a secret incantation used to open a hidden door. Perhaps it's a map guiding the way, leading his descendants to their deaths one after another. Or perhaps it's a special key connecting to a hidden other side.