Volume 2 Chapter 22: A Chance Encounter at the Banquet

In the Death Notice, besides the character status panel, items category, storage space, and exchange list, a combat profession panel had now appeared once again. In the combat profession panel, there was currently only a single lonely skill icon.

Qin Lun focused his consciousness on the icon and immediately received an introduction to a summoning skill.

Mazer Summoning Art: This summoning art possesses an independent summoning space. When the summoned creature is in the summoning space, the Apostle can maintain its survival by consuming a small amount of energy points. Materializing the summoned creature requires a large one-time consumption of energy points, with the specific value depending on the summoned creature’s life rank.

Mazer Summoning Art belongs to the enslavement type of summoning arts, ranked as intermediate. It contains a summoning contract and temporarily has only one summoning slot. This summoning art can establish summoning contracts with creatures below the fourth rank, limited to beings with complete souls.

Enslavement summoning art is one of the three major types of summoning arts; the other two are equal contract summoning art and sacrificial summoning art. Among them, sacrificial summoning art is the easiest when establishing a summoning contract, while enslavement summoning art is the most difficult to form a contract with a summoned creature. As long as the summoned creature has strong willpower, it is almost impossible to form a contract with any Summoner.

Existing summoned creature: Black Bear BEN, can be actively abandoned. This summoned creature has a life rank of three, belongs to a large terrestrial beast of prey, and after becoming a summoned creature, it ignores survival environment restrictions. In unsuitable living environments, the master must consume energy points to maintain its survival. Its existence time is limited by the master’s energy points; after death, it returns to the summoning space.

In fact, Qin Lun did not know that he had gotten a great deal this time. The Golden Summoning Scroll’s rank was very high, capable of accommodating up to a fourth-rank summoned creature, which just barely entered the intermediate life form.

A large beast like BEN had actually reached the peak of ordinary creatures and could even compete with some beings possessing special talents. Those with special talents, transcending the category of ordinary life, have a minimum rank of four.

Qin Lun had not been in his room long when a servant came to notify him to attend the evening banquet.

Because many Demon Hunters had arrived this time, Albert Castle did not hold the banquet in the dining hall but instead set it up directly in the main hall of the main keep, hosting a buffet.

Tables covered with white cloths surrounded the hall, while several small salons were scattered in the corners. The center of the hall served as the dance floor. When Qin Lun entered the hall, the banquet had already begun. The castle servants moved among the guests, providing food and drinks.

Qin Lun took a glass of red wine from a passing wine boy and walked alone toward a corner by the window.

“Doctor Stan, you’re here! Come sit over here!” Odo’s voice came from a nearby small salon.

“Thank you!” Qin Lun’s eyes shifted, and he sat down beside Odo.

Before entering the Maiar Forest, it would be a very good choice to try to gather some secrets from these Demon Hunters.

In this small salon, besides Qin Lun, there were only two Demon Hunters: one was Odo, and the other was the female giant Demon Hunter he had seen during the day.

Initially, Qin Lun’s view was blocked, so he did not see this giant sitting behind the curtain; otherwise, he would never have sat down. The Serial Killer’s intuition was very sharp; he always felt that this female Demon Hunter had been paying attention to him all afternoon and really did not want to provoke this big trouble.

“You are Doctor Stan!” Unexpectedly, as soon as he sat down, this female Demon Hunter stared intently at him. Her voice was deep, sounding somewhat muffled, but her tone was still quite respectful.

“This is ‘King’s Flower’ Nova!” Odo smiled and introduced to Qin Lun.

Demon Hunters each had their own nicknames; for example, Odo had the nickname “Bartender.” During the afternoon’s exchanges, Qin Lun also learned that the reason Odo could defeat Katharine in the inn industry was not only due to ample funds but also related to his exceptional bartending skills.

Ample funds allowed him to hire younger and more beautiful inn maids, and Odo could also mix high-quality alcoholic drinks. It was no surprise that he could win in the competition with Katharine.

If Odo had not always adhered to the Demon Hunter principle of not interfering in the ordinary human world and refrained from using other means to harm Katharine’s inn, the middle-aged beauty’s inn would have closed long ago and could not have lasted until now.

“Hello, Lady Nova!” Qin Lun smiled and nodded to King’s Flower, showing no visible abnormality on his face, though his neck seemed slightly stiff.

“Doctor Stan, this… thing is for you!” Nova keenly sensed Qin Lun’s rejection. After a moment of silence, she picked up a cowhide package from beside her feet, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it toward the doctor.

“Ah? This… thank you!” Qin Lun was slightly stunned and habitually wanted to decline, but he suddenly felt someone kick him under the table. The corner of his eye immediately noticed Odo winking at him, so he changed his words to express thanks.

Seeing Qin Lun accept the gift, Nova immediately beamed, the thick flesh on her face relaxing. Seeming to feel that the food on the table was insufficient, King’s Flower stood up and went to a nearby table to get more food.

“Lady Nova doesn’t just give things away randomly, Doctor Stan!” Odo looked back at King’s Flower’s retreating figure and explained to the bewildered doctor. “Do you remember Morrison?”

“Morrison? Of course, I remember!” Qin Lun’s heart stirred; Morrison was the plague patient who had cooperated with him in the town square performance.

“Morrison is Lady Nova’s nephew. She is giving you this thing to thank you for saving her nephew!” Odo grinned and said. “When Morrison fell ill, Lady Nova was not in Audiya Town. By the time she returned, you had already arrived at the castle, and now you’ve become a Demon Hunter. Of course, she wants to repay you!”

Qin Lun felt a bit embarrassed. No wonder King’s Flower had been paying attention to him all afternoon; he had misunderstood her intentions.

“Morrison is Lady Nova’s nephew? How old is Lady Nova?” Qin Lun suddenly thought of a question and couldn’t help asking with a strange expression.

“Lady Nova is probably in her fifties? I’m not exactly sure. Why do you ask?” Odo looked at Qin Lun in surprise.

“Oh… fifties? Sir Odo, what about you?” Qin Lun, who was drinking, almost choked.

“I’m a few years older than Nova; I’m fifty-eight this year!” Odo shrugged and said nonchalantly.

“Oh!” Qin Lun was somewhat speechless. Odo did not look like a fifty-eight-year-old man. As for Nova, although her figure was peculiar, if Odo hadn’t said so, he would have thought King’s Flower was under thirty.

“Although Demon Hunters cannot live forever, most have longer lifespans than ordinary people. As long as they don’t suffer severe injuries in battle, Demon Hunters can easily live past one hundred and fifty years.” Odo seemed to understand what Qin Lun was thinking and patted his shoulder in explanation. “At our age, Nova and I can be said to be in our prime!”

“Then what about Baron Albert and Bonnie?” Qin Lun suddenly realized a very important question. His pupils contracted, and he immediately asked Odo.

“Their ages are roughly as they appear. The people of the Albert Family are different from ordinary Demon Hunters. This… I can’t say much. You’ll understand later!” Odo frowned slightly, offered an explanation, and then changed the subject. “Come, let’s see what good thing Lady Nova has given you!”

Odo cheerfully opened the cowhide bag Nova had left on the small table and took out an exquisite firearm.

“Oh, King’s Flower actually gave you her ‘Blood Wheel’!” Odo looked at the short-barreled flintlock in his hand and clicked his tongue in admiration.

Qin Lun took the firearm and examined it curiously. This flintlock resembled an enlarged revolver, with a thick barrel and a rotating cylinder in the middle containing four cartridge tubes.

“These bullets are all filled with silver pellets. They have powerful lethality against Witches and their Magical Creatures, and the attack area is large, very suitable for novice Demon Hunters like you!” Odo pulled out a brass bullet the size of an index finger from the cowhide bag and placed it in front of Qin Lun.

“I think I should thank Lady Nova when she returns,” Qin Lun said, looking at this ‘Blood Wheel’.

Compared to the “Wind Spirit Crossbow” in his storage space, this flintlock was of course far less valuable and could not be taken into the Shattered Starry Sky. However, in this world, it was more useful than the “Wind Spirit Crossbow” and seemed more powerful.

“Oh, by the way!” Qin Lun put down the “Blood Wheel” and pretended to ask casually, “Sir Odo, the Demon Hunters in the Aodia Region often fight against the Witch Maiar, so they must have paid a great price, right? It seems even the current heir of the Albert Family lost his life.”

“You mean that young man Stephen!” Odo’s face darkened slightly, and he sighed. “The members of the Albert Family are too headstrong. An outstanding young man like Stephen shouldn’t have died in a solo trial.”

“Was it just Stephen’s solo action?” Qin Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile flashing briefly across his face.

“Yes! When Baron Albert reported Stephen’s death to the Exorcist Organization, everyone was shocked.” Odo shook his head and did not continue the topic.

So, perhaps not all members of the Albert Family knew the truth about Stephen; maybe only Baron Albert himself knew the truth.

Qin Lun gently rubbed his temples, feeling more and more that there was a huge secret behind Stephen’s death. Only then did the doctor realize he had made a wrong choice; perhaps he should not have agreed to join the Exorcist Organization so soon at Baron Albert’s request.

Qin Lun thought of the white figure he had seen in the cemetery. If not every member of the Albert Family knew the truth about Stephen, then his initial judgment was mistaken. That white figure was very likely not on the same side as Baron Albert.

Judging from the specific circumstances of the Gargoyle encounter in the cemetery, it seemed that the white figure had been warning him about the Gargoyle’s sudden attack. In other words, it was not testing him for the Albert Family but had another purpose…