34: Clues to the Secret Order

Emilia bowed slightly, hiding nothing, and recounted the origin of the secret codex in full detail.

"Master, I obtained this secret codex through an exchange with the Secret Cult. There are many people in this Secret Cult who possess extraordinary powers just like us."

"The Secret Cult?"

Locke nodded, pondering to himself:

"It seems to be an extraordinary organization in this world. That makes sense; after all, with creatures like Vampires, Jason, and Freddy already existing, it's not impossible for others to gain extraordinary powers."

"Correct."

Emilia nodded, then pulled a special black card from between her ample bosom and handed it over.

Locke took it, ignoring the lingering warmth on it, and examined the invitation card.

On the black invitation card, a circular symbol with three arrows pointing inward was outlined in gold thread, along with the capitalized English letters "MYSTIC."

The moment he saw these letters, Locke had a rough guess.

"MYSTIC, Secret Cult... If it's this kind of extraordinary organization, it's not particularly strange that they could produce a secret codex. But how did Kraven's people get the news that Emilia had obtained the secret codex? Could there be a connection between him and the Secret Cult?"

Locke held it in his hand for a moment, pushed his questions to the back of his mind, and then stuffed the card back.

He was indeed quite interested in this Secret Cult, because every extraordinary individual within it might trigger a quest for him; they were essentially walking rewards.

Not to mention that they might be connected to Kraven; he would definitely visit if given the chance.

Such a den of iniquity was the perfect breeding ground for Locke to grow stronger.

However, this invitation card had an ID on it, so it was likely specific to her; it would be useless for him to keep.

"You keep it. I might need you to help me gather information on this Secret Cult in the future."

Emilia puffed out her chest and took the card back: "I will obey the Master in everything."

After communicating a little more with Emilia, Locke and she stepped out of the train one after the other.

Emilia's subordinates, who were waiting anxiously outside, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the two walk out harmoniously.

"Lady Emilia, are you alright?"

Emilia shook her head, then said in an instructional tone: "From now on, in front of the Young Master, please do not address me as 'Lady.' Also, remember to show him the utmost respect when you see him."

As she spoke, she bowed slightly and gestured forward, indicating that Locke was the Young Master she referred to.

"Uh..."

Both Alek and the other female Vampire were stunned at this moment, not quite understanding what she meant.

"Elder Emilia, what is this..."

"I have already submitted to the Young Master. Although I still hold the title of Elder, it is no longer appropriate for you to call me that."

Emilia's expression was indifferent. She felt no shame in having submitted to Locke; on the contrary, as she spoke, everyone present could vaguely see a hint of pride on her face.

It gave everyone the impression that submitting to Locke was a great honor for her.

This left her three subordinates somewhat bewildered, and they blankly turned their gaze toward Locke.

Of course, this also made Kruto and the remaining werewolves feel it was unbelievable.

After all, Emilia's status was almost equivalent to their leader, Lucien.

Kruto looked at Locke's indifferent expression, his eyes filled with shock and admiration: "As expected of the man who could hit me. To have subdued Emilia, one of the three great Vampire Elders, in such a short time—this truly opened my eyes."

Seeing the inquisitive gazes of the crowd, Locke nodded indifferently. Emilia's three subordinates, having come to their senses, hurriedly knelt on one knee before him to show their respect.

Locke didn't pay much attention to the three, waving his hand casually, and then said to Kruto: "Kruto, take Emilia's three subordinates back and settle them. For the sake of my plan, they cannot appear at the Vampire base right now."

"You mean to have me, a werewolf, protect three Vampires?"

Kruto was speechless at this arrangement and even felt reluctant to accept it.

"That's right. I promised Emilia that as long as she submitted to me, I would spare the lives of her three subordinates, so I have to leave it to you."

"This... I guess it's possible."

Kruto thought of the commotion during the fight between Locke and Emilia earlier, and a bright idea struck him, prompting him to propose a condition.

"But I have one condition, if you can meet it."

"Let's hear it. If it's nothing major, I should be able to agree."

Locke was indifferent.

"That is, you and I have a spar right here. If you lose, you must apologize to my beloved GTR right here."

Kruto tilted his chin up, staring straight at Locke.

"That GTR is yours?" Locke hadn't expected that the car he had accidentally crushed was actually Kruto's, so he nodded and said: "Actually, there's no need for a spar. If you want, I can apologize to your car right now."

"No."

Kruto hurriedly shook his head: "We must have a spar."

Although the GTR was his beloved car, it was just an excuse for him to challenge Locke.

Challenging the strong was something Kruto had always pursued, and furthermore, being hit multiple times by Locke left him feeling unconvinced.

"Fine."

Locke couldn't be bothered to argue. With a wave of his hands, he drew his revolver and silver dagger, taking a stance: "So, do you want to compare marksmanship or swordsmanship with me?"

"This... neither."

Kruto wasn't stupid; naturally, he wouldn't choose to challenge Locke's strengths. Based on the marksmanship and swordsmanship Locke had shown earlier, if they really competed in those two, he wouldn't have a chance of winning: "What I want to compare with you is close-quarters combat. Do you agree?"

After saying this, Kruto's face felt slightly hot.

After all, in terms of physique, a werewolf's physical advantage at the same level is far greater than that of a Vampire. A Vampire's advantage lies more in speed; if they were to fight a werewolf in close quarters, they would have no advantage to speak of.

Emilia, who was standing behind Locke, heard this and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Locke's hand, shaking her head at him and whispering a warning: "Young Master, werewolves are terrifying in close quarters. No Vampire is willing to compete with them in strength. You cannot agree."

Locke didn't show any obvious change in expression after hearing this, as if he were thinking about something.

Because just as Kruto proposed the request for close-quarters combat, the system had suddenly refreshed a new quest.

【Timed Quest: Accept Kruto's challenge and defeat him】

Quest Difficulty: Minimal

Time Limit: 10 minutes

Completion Reward: 【Bat Affinity】