Camon City, “Upper District” Cathedral District, Silent Forest Villa No. 22.

Knock knock.

After three seconds of respectful knocking, a cold voice came from inside: “Come in.”

Gesas, the orc, pushed open the door and entered the study, which could be called a small library – with a height of 7.7 meters and an area of 79 square meters. All the walls were adorned with goblin-crafted carved bookshelves, and even the ceiling was covered with glass curtains, behind which were ancient scrolls created by secret magic in ancient times. The floor was covered with a layer of soft, purplish-pink veela fur carpet.

Although it was not the first time he had been here, every time Gesas saw this luxurious room, he couldn’t help but bow lower.

Not to mention the precious knowledge that would never be circulated behind the curtains, just the purplish-pink carpet alone made it impossible for anyone to have any rebellious thoughts – after all, veela fur came in many colors, and purplish-pink could be said to be the rarest and most beautiful.

How many veelas had to die to weave such a carpet?

Of course, Gesas did not believe that the owner would resort to any illegal means for a carpet. According to the owner’s personality, he would never display dirt so openly. Therefore, this carpet was a legal and legitimate work of art.

He guessed that the owner might have purchased it from the research institute, or it could have been a gift from a blood saint scholar – almost all products related to corpses came from the research institute.

Only the research institute, which had access to all corpse resources, could “legally and legitimately” produce such a dazzling and breathtaking work of art.

Walking through the book forest along the carpet, Gesas’s eyes fell on a desk that looked like a tree trunk. The room was not lit, and the pale red moonlight shone through the French windows, divided into two halves by the chair, gently spreading around the desk.

The person on the chair bathed in darkness. When he opened his emerald green eyes, Gesas lowered his head and looked at his toes, not daring to meet the elf’s gaze.

“You don’t look like you’re bringing me good news, Gesas.”

“We have found Ronald and sent two Gold Beaks and seven Silver Beaks, but they were still unable to capture him due to the ferocity of the ‘Death Eater’. All black market medics are under surveillance by the Woodpecker, and if they seek treatment, they will definitely be captured by us.”

“Well, what else?”

“Although there have been no eyewitness reports, based on shopping and garbage collection, we can be sure that Igura Bokin is hiding in the apartment of the Bloodthirsty Hunter Amy Lexus. But we can’t conduct further searches because Amy Lexus is a member of the Moonshadow Clan.”

“Even the Moonshadow Clan is willing to shelter him?” The elf was somewhat surprised. “They must have been deceived. Most of the Moonshadows are simple-minded monsters… What else?”

“Several affiliated hospitals’ ‘Corpse Recovery Departments’ have reported that when they went to recover the bodies according to the coordinates given by the Falconer’s Hall, they did not find any corpses. A Falconer branch in the Upper District arrived at the crime scene within ten minutes of receiving the ‘death signal’, but did not find any bodies, and could not even trace any traces.”

“There have been several sensational murders in the Lower District. The leaders of several gangs under the Eternal Wine Club suddenly went mad and slaughtered their subordinates. The bodies of the killers showed obvious signs of necromancy.”

“A former member of the Eternal Wine Club died in his sleep without any signs of resistance.”

“The clean and skilled way the bodies were handled, as well as the modus operandi with a controlling style, clearly indicate that the ‘Necrophiliac’ Aqiborde Harvey is seeking revenge.”

Gesas said, “Based on his activity range, we can basically determine that his base is in the Pig District. Give me three more days, and I will definitely find him!”

“I don’t doubt your ability, but you definitely won’t be able to find him.”

The elf tapped the desk lightly with his fingers. “This necromancer has violated the taboos of the Blood Saint Clan. The Falconer’s Hall must have spared no effort in tracking him down these days… Perhaps, as we speak, he has already been captured by the Bloodthirsty Hunter and is being bled like a pig, with his memories being extracted and his body being disassembled into various materials – when it comes to enemies who can touch their interests, the Blood Saint Clan always shows respect.”

“Although we didn’t catch anyone, these four can be considered good news. So… what else?”

“What else?”

Gesas trembled all over, his knees went weak, and he knelt down, pressing his forehead against the carpet. Even though his heart was gripped by boundless fear, his words were still fluent. “I’m sorry, Woodpecker really couldn’t find any trace of Asho Heath, not a single piece of information.”

A light laughter came from behind the desk. “Under the glory of the Blood Moon, everyone is equal, not to mention that you, Gesas, are a Second Wing Artificer, bathed in the Golden Rain. Don’t bow so easily.”

Faced with this seemingly soothing consolation, Gesas didn’t dare to move. The prodigy among the orcs, he still maintained the most humble posture, exposing his defenseless back to the eyes of his master.

Yes, he was like the master, a Second Wing Golden Artificer. If placed elsewhere, Gesas wouldn’t say he could sit on an equal footing with the master, but at least he wouldn’t be so humble… However, this was the Blood Moon Kingdom.

The law was the will of the gods, and the rules were the desires of the gods.

Unless willing to rebel against society, willing to leave civilization, willing to become a beast, willing to not play this trash game, even legendary artificers had to abide by social rules in a game with rules – and in a game with rules, resources were the greatest power of speech.

Power was one type of resource, an important one, but not the only one. The more stable the society, the lower the value of power as a resource. In this civilization that had been passed down for over a thousand years, power had become nothing more than a threshold, just like an academic qualification.

Non-artificers can only obediently become fuel for society. Although artificers are qualified to participate in this game, it is only a qualification. This is a PvP game that started a thousand years ago, and there is no beginner’s village or low-level area. All new players who join face various guild bosses (entrepreneurs), hardcore players (upper-class individuals), max-level players (legendary artificers), and even cheaters (Blood Moon Clan).

The most interesting thing is that although it is a PvP game, the society is a safe zone, theoretically not allowing mutual attacks.

Therefore, new players only have two paths – to be the dogs of old players, benefiting from the resources that old players share with them, or to become fuel and be silently isolated and excluded by old players.

Gesas is a new player who only created an account in this game 36 years ago. Although he is indeed talented, as an orc, he was able to reach the Second Wing at the age of 30. However, his master is an old player who joined this game 180 years ago.

Compared to artificing, connections, power, and resources are the most terrifying powers for elves.

The president of the Elf Rights Association, city council member, and school professor are prestigious titles that go without saying. Just the identity of the “Falconer behind the scenes” can easily ruin Gesas’ efforts over the years. Although Gesas is currently the leader of the Falconer, most of the core members of the Falconer can be directly controlled by the master.

Ironically, as an organization that does dirty work, the core members of the Falconer do not receive wages. Even if their labor rights are violated, labor laws will definitely not protect them. However, the Hunting Hall may be able to help them seek revenge.

The main source of income for most members of organizations like the Falconer, including the Falconer itself, is loans.

The rewards they receive are temporary loans from financial companies. Of course, as long as they work honestly, they will not be asked to repay the money, let alone pay interest. But once the financial company chooses to collect the payment, all those who cannot repay the money will become “untrustworthy individuals.”

In the Blood Moon Kingdom, becoming an “untrustworthy individual” is equivalent to sleeping in a cardboard box under a bridge. They cannot use any means of transportation, cannot enter or exit any checkpoints, cannot engage in high consumption, cannot rent a house, and cannot even communicate. It is like being kicked out of civilized society.

Perhaps someone may wonder why anyone would join the Falconer under such harsh conditions. Can’t they just work honestly and sign a legal and compliant labor contract that protects their rights?

Because almost all members of the Falconer cannot tolerate the income from a regular nine-to-five job. And for an artificer, unless they join specific institutions like research institutes, most jobs are a waste of time for them.

Artificers need to dedicate themselves to learning, and it costs a lot of money.

Even if they want to borrow money to dedicate themselves to practice, banks will not approve such loans. In comparison, the Falconer’s offer of “unlimited interest-free loans” becomes very attractive. If they can become a Second Wing artificer, the Falconer will naturally waive the loan and even promote them. Even if they cannot become a Second Wing, as long as they remain loyal to the organization, the Falconer will not ruin their credit.

It is also possible to work and practice at the same time. In fact, people like this will be promoted as inspirational examples. But since it is “inspirational,” it shows how difficult this path is. Successful individuals are those who possess talent, work hard, and have luck, breaking out of an ordinary life.

People with these qualities, if they had joined the Falconer earlier and taken the wrong path, they might have succeeded faster.

The growth of the Falconer is not a fluke. Even without the Falconer, these wicked artificers would still seek refuge in other forces in exchange for resources (especially time resources). Even if they have to sign more stringent contracts and become dogs, they are willing to do so.

Moreover, most artificers do not even have the opportunity to become dogs.

They can only be dogs to the dogs.

If the income from a regular legal job is 1, then the level of dog food like Gesas is 15, the income from the Falconer’s Silver Beak is 5, and the income from the Gold Beak is 10.

So even if Gesas now has the potential to kill elves, he can only be humble and bow his head.

Even if he kills his master, so what? He cannot inherit any of the elf’s inheritance. The Falconer, burdened by debt, will not recognize a criminal leader, and everything the elf possesses will be divided among players of the same level. As a rule-breaker, Gesas will only be sent to the Broken Lake Prison, being squeezed dry of his last drop of dignity in the Blood Moon livestream as a “vicious criminal leader.”

The best outcome would be if another “old player” appreciates Gesas and saves his life, taking him under their wing. In short, Gesas would just change masters.

This is the racial equality of the Blood Moon, where everyone is equal to the lower class in the face of the long-lived species.

This is the human rights freedom of the Blood Moon, where one can freely choose which old player to serve as a dog.

Gesas has known for a long time that the Blood Moon is a paradise for the long-lived species. In this game where there is no inheritance, no accumulation over generations, and all new players need to “start over,” lifespan is the most powerful cheat code.

The longer the lifespan, the more resources one can obtain; the longer the lifespan, the more one can become an “old” player; the longer the lifespan, the more one can form an interest group centered around oneself.

This is why the Blood Moon Clan is the ruling class and why elves are known as the “stewards of society” – for the Blood Moon Clan, elves are the only race qualified to be on equal footing with them.

As for the short-lived species that will die within a hundred years, they are not worth paying attention to. It has nothing to do with discrimination, and it is not even related to interests because, in the eyes of the long-lived species, the short-lived species are just their resources.

Lifespan is the greatest class divide.

So even if Gesas has to bow and kneel, even if he is as lowly as a maggot, he must earn enough money to undergo life-extending surgery at the research institute.Sometimes, Gesas would wonder, if he hadn’t been born in an orphanage in the lower district, if he had decided to go to middle school, university, and finally succeeded in entering a research institute to become a Blood Saint, would everything be different?

But there are not so many ifs in the world. If he was not born into the right family, if he did not excel in school, he could only take the hardest path.

Time ticked away, and the study was so quiet it seemed to solidify. Just when Gesas’s clothes were soaked with cold sweat, the elf’s voice slowly rang out, “Keep an eye on Jielade.”

After a moment of silence, Gesas asked, “The captain of the Bloodthirsty Hunters, ‘White-haired Butcher’ Jielade Weisiminsite?”

“Asho Heath made him lose face, Jielade will definitely hunt him down personally. If Jielade kills him on the spot, then it’s all over; if Jielade chooses to capture him, sparing his life…”

“Then the woodpecker will eat this pest.”

To kill Asho Heath in front of a three-winged sorcerer?

Even thinking with his guts, he knew how difficult this task was, but Gesas responded without hesitation, “Your command will be carried out, but since two days ago, Jielade has been elusive, even the hunting hall doesn’t know his whereabouts, I don’t know…”

“He’s probably at Observation Point No. 53.” The elf said, “Go, may the blood moon light your way.”

Gesas left the room with measured steps, gently closing the door behind him.

The elf opened the file next to him, which was Asho Heath’s resume, detailing his birth record, orphanage background, middle school awards, and university activities.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, his nails were very slender, making a ‘da, da, da’ sound on the wooden table…

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

The elf looked up to see the hooded man in front of the desk.

The hooded man walked out of the shadows of the study, stepping into the blood-lit ground, wearing a mask, his eyes full of surprise.

“Indeed, even among two-winged sorcerers, there are differences.” He chuckled, “If a two-winged sorcerer can detect me, it seems I can’t bluff in front of Jielade anymore…”

“Aren’t you Gesas’s follower?” The elf frowned, “Who are you?”

He had noticed this man earlier, but he thought he was Gesas’s follower, so he didn’t pay much attention.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized something – Gesas never brought anyone to see him, only the leader of the woodpeckers had the privilege to meet him…

“It’s really heartbreaking, I escaped from the Broken Lake with great difficulty, and you, professor, can’t even recognize your proud student.”

He pulled down his mask, revealing a refreshing smile.

“Nice to meet you, Xilin Dor, I am Asho Heath.”