Chapter 126: The Paladin

"My Lord, it seems our actions this time have piqued the interest of quite a few people," Rania said, offering a faint smile as she relayed the report from her vampire subordinates to Li Ren.

"Oh? So those players are finally making a move?" Li Ren turned to look at Rania’s enchanting face.

"Yes. A massive crowd of players is surging from Watchman City toward our position. Furthermore, those from the 'Mad Front' faction are not keeping to themselves either; they have the audacity to charge straight at us, plain as day." Rania made no effort to hide her mockery. In her eyes, these players were nothing short of fools.

With the vampire legion at his command and his own formidable strength as a bulwark, it mattered little if a city of Watchman City’s caliber were packed with players; sending them out in waves was a futile endeavor. As long as the damage Li Ren sustained could not outpace his own regeneration, he faced no pressure whatsoever. Besides, the vampire legion was no pushover.

"Ignore that lot for now. If we wait here, those players certainly won't come near us," Li Ren remarked, casting his gaze upon the nearby stronghold of the Wild Lion Guild. "Order the vampire legion to charge. Mind the formation. Taking this little place is child's play, but that isn't our true objective. Since those players want to join the fray, let them come."

Upon hearing his tone, Rania understood his intent. With a graceful sweep of her arm, the vampire legion surged forward like a torrent toward the Wild Lion stronghold.

A one-sided battle ensued. Although the players possessed guards assigned by the system, they were no match for vampires that outnumbered them tenfold or more. One by one, they met their bitter end. The players of Wild Lion lacked anyone as monstrous as Solon; at best, they were around level 50. Against a vampire legion averaging level 90, they stood absolutely no chance. Moreover, without the level-negating aura that had once covered Yuxiao City, the screen was flooded with "MISS" notifications and pitifully low damage numbers that made the players want to weep.

Watching this complete mismatch, Li Ren felt no interest. His eyes were fixed on the west—the direction of Watchman City. He was waiting. He was waiting for a group, or perhaps just one specific person. If that person failed to show, he would not mind hunting down these people they had painstakingly recruited until they were utterly broken.

Observing the endless stream of players flowing from the west, Li Ren let out a sinister chuckle. "Since you won't come yourself, I'll just collect some interest from your lackeys." As he watched the players charge forward with desperate zeal, Li Ren smiled. These people were the current fodder for Fallen Cloud City; the more who came, the faster the city would develop.

Once the players reached a certain range, Rania diverted half of the vampire legion—which had been leisurely assaulting the Wild Lion stronghold—to intercept them. Li Ren had assumed that upon seeing the vampire legion, the players would at least scatter, if they had any sense at all. To his surprise, they continued to charge forward as if their lives meant nothing. Though Li Ren did not understand why they would act this way, he was more than happy to harvest their equipment and experience.

As the vampire legion clashed with the players, the latter fell one after another under the overwhelming assault, leaving a carpet of corpses before they immediately respawned and returned to the city. However, the expected piles of equipment never materialized. Li Ren frowned in surprise. Looking closer, he realized these players were wearing the most basic, generic shop-bought items—purely "newbie" gear—as they threw themselves at the vampire legion in suicidal waves.

They couldn't deal any damage, but every time they died, they lost half their experience, and even dropped levels regardless of their rank. Li Ren couldn't fathom their logic, so he decided to ignore it for the time being. If their levels dropped, that was fine by him. It wouldn't be easy for them to climb back up, after all. With that thought, Li Ren hovered in the air, watching them throw their lives away.

Yet, Solon, the one he was waiting for, never appeared. There wasn't even a trace of him. The situation was strange, and Li Ren began to grow restless. Just then, a brilliant light erupted in the distance from Watchman City. Li Ren narrowed his eyes at the beam of light that seemed to pierce the heavens.

The source of the pillar of light within Watchman City was a magnificent cathedral. The walls of milky-white marble gave the structure a holy aura, and the entrance, several times larger than that of the City Lord's Mansion, underscored its grandeur. As the light faded, a line of knights clad in silver armor and wielding greatswords emerged from the cathedral. The leader was exceptionally tall, his presence so imposing that he seemed to stretch the very seams of his standard-issue armor.

The white mist of light steaming off his armor only added to his majestic appearance. Among the knights following him, the one at the very back bore a unique player insignia that revealed everything. A player had actually joined the Sanctuary and become a Templar!

The surrounding players were stunned. It was common knowledge that getting into the Sanctuary was impossible for ordinary players; the NPCs generally ignored them, and if one persisted, they risked being "sanctioned"—either attacked or thrown into prison and forcibly stripped of their freedom. After a few run-ins, the players had learned their lesson. They wouldn't have gone to such lengths if not for the legendary, powerful "Templar" class rumored to be found within. It was one of the few hidden classes whose specific stats had been officially released on the game's website.

"Lord Templar, a group of demons is slaughtering us innocent players. We implore you to act on our behalf!" The knight at the back, who had been speaking to the Captain of the Templars, flashed a faint smile. If not for the need to goad these perpetually stationary Templars into action, they wouldn't have had to sacrifice so many lives to clear the path. Although there was compensation for the fallen, losing that much experience was no small matter to recover.

"If that damned City Lord of Watchman City hadn't flatly refused to send troops, it wouldn't have come to this. Damn it all!" the player-templar thought, his heart filled with malice. A closer look at his level—a staggering 98—spoke volumes about his capability.