Chapter 25: The Eight Sages

The sun dipped low, and the vampires within the manor began to stir; footsteps echoed from the basement. Mo Yu retreated to his room.

He handed the "Research Records on the Origins of Witcher Magic" to Alpha, instructing it to scan the contents, index keywords, and cross-reference them with the historical database.

Alpha quickly provided a significant clue regarding the "Eight Sages."

Historical records indicated that periodically, a powerful monster would emerge claiming to be one of the Eight Sages. Their titles, abilities, personalities, and goals varied wildly, but they all shared that common prefix.

"The 'King' favored power and excelled at deception, establishing a grand monster dynasty during the Era of Fragmentation."

"'Flower Spirit' was elusive, possessing unfathomable abilities; one could have a wish granted if they satisfied its curiosity."

"'Abomination' was a killing machine that slaughtered indiscriminately. The grand dynasty established by the 'King' was ultimately destroyed by the 'Abomination'."

"'Quantum' joined the Human Revival Organization during the Era of Ruin, providing the critical momentum for its development. Most of the technology behind the space stations was closely linked to 'Quantum,' though detailed records regarding it have been erased."

Alpha ceased its report. The information was sparse.

Mo Yu rubbed his chin, intrigued by the Eight Sages. Based on this, there should be four other sages whose deeds remained unrecorded. This research document must have been written by one of the Sages active in that era, though the author had left no title behind.

Mo Yu opened the window to watch the sunset. As he pondered what to have for dinner, a knock sounded at the door. He opened it to find the maid holding a box.

She pressed the box into Mo Yu’s hands and urged, "The young mistress ordered this to be delivered to you. Eat quickly; we are going out with her once the sun has fully set."

"Where are we going?" Mo Yu asked, puzzled.

"Have you forgotten what you said yesterday?" the maid replied.

Mo Yu understood immediately. It was about Alice. Since Illyse was taking personal action, it was clearly a matter of great importance to her.

The maid added, "According to our informants, the two major families and the Riven Moon Organization held a meeting last night. Starting today, witchers have begun gathering in Black City. We expect a large-scale conflict within a few days. We must move early, or the area will be swarming with witchers in two days' time."

"Understood. I will find the young mistress as soon as I finish eating."

The maid left. Mo Yu returned to his room and opened the food box. It contained four dishes, a soup, and rice—two meat and two vegetable—all prepared with exquisite care. The treatment was decent enough.

He enjoyed a hearty meal. Afterward, he approached his bed, which held seven or eight weapons—knives, swords, and spears. All were spiritual artifacts; given the limitations of his rewind ability, he was destined to require a large arsenal.

He selected a short spear, about 1.2 meters long, and wrapped it in cloth. It would serve him well tonight. A spear was a versatile tool—perfect for throwing, and his rewind ability provided the necessary margin for error. With a 100% hit rate for a supersonic spear, he could snipe most monsters with ease.

Instructing Alpha to continue scanning the books, Mo Yu shouldered the spear and departed.

When he found Illyse, he discovered the young vampire noble had changed. She wore a gothic-style gown dominated by black with red accents, paired with black silk stockings and high heels. Her hair was swept up, topped with a lady's hat adorned with feathers and a black veil. At a glance, she looked like a classic, dreamy noblewoman.

The three of them reached the underground garage. The maid drove, Mo Yu took the passenger seat, and Illyse sat in the back. The car pulled away, heading along the outer ring road.

The night was windless and moonless—an overcast sky hid the stars, and once they left the reach of the streetlights, the darkness was absolute, thick enough to swallow one's hand. Only in the distance could the faint glow of the city be seen.

Alice lived on the other side of the city in a large manor villa on the outskirts. Half an hour later, the car came to a stop at their destination.

The location was remote, with no signs of human life for two kilometers; only the isolated manor stood tall. The site was unsettling. On such a dark night, the massive manor was devoid of any light. It was pitch black, resembling a graveyard.

A small, shadowed figure emerged from the darkness. A vampire knelt before Illyse and said, "Young mistress, this manor is strange. Whether we sent scouts or dispatched squads to enter, communication was severed instantly. And those squads consisted of our elites."

"I see," Illyse replied. She looked ahead, her gaze piercing the night to lock onto the manor.

Mo Yu observed as well. Vampires possessed night vision, but he did not; he could only barely make out the people around him. He waited for a prompt from his system interface, but there was nothing—only the sight of vampires and blood-sucking bats lurking in the shadows.

His intuition told him this place was dangerous. Had Alice not discovered their arrival? Given her attitude toward Illyse, one would expect a face-to-face confrontation.

Illyse remained silent for a moment before ordering, "Let's go in."

The maid and the small vampire took the lead; both were knight-level vampires. Illyse followed in the center, and Mo Yu brought up the rear. The manor's iron gate was unlocked, and the small vampire pushed it open with ease.

As they stepped inside, the three vampires suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Because he lacked night vision, the move was no different from walking in total darkness for Mo Yu. He bumped into Illyse’s back, stepped back, and whispered, "What happened?"

"It’s foggy. Stay close to me," Illyse said. "There is no trace of the living here."

Mo Yu moved closer. Dark red pools of blood spread from beneath Illyse’s feet, and blood-red thorns erupted, expanding to cover a three-meter radius around her, shielding Mo Yu as well. The maid and the small vampire grew alert, blood overflowing from their bodies to manifest as weapons in their hands.

They pressed on. A large, long-abandoned fountain emerged from the fog. It was dry, filled with fallen leaves and debris.

As the four of them approached, red dots appeared in the darkness, converging from all directions.

"They’re here."

The maid and the small vampire charged. Sounds erupted from the darkness: blades tearing through flesh, the clash of metal, eerie shrieks, agonizing wails, and the crunching of bone.

Mo Yu frowned. Without night vision, he couldn't see what was happening; he could only see the red dots vanishing rapidly as they were dealt with. What unsettled him was the lack of any system prompt.

Those red dots were not monsters. He remembered the zombie dogs; there had been no prompts for them either. This meant that what lurked in the darkness, attempting to ambush them, was a special ability of a monster, not individual entities themselves.

He had found the master of the zombie dogs. It was indeed related to Alice.

But he didn't understand—what was Alice trying to do? Based on the intelligence gathered, her feelings for Illyse were quite peculiar. Illyse had come to her doorstep in person—why set an ambush? Was this some twisted way of trying to win her back?

As Mo Yu pondered, he felt something approach, only for it to be instantly shredded by the blood-red thorns. Blood splattered on the ground, releasing a hot, metallic gust.

He feigned fear and crouched down, clutching Illyse’s thigh.

"What are you doing?" Illyse’s voice sounded with a hint of annoyance.

"Young mistress, what is all around us? I can't see, and I feel like this place is very dangerous," Mo Yu replied, casting nervous glances in every direction.

Illyse gave a soft huff. She didn't answer, nor did she push him away, silently accepting his behavior.

Mo Yu scanned the surroundings rapidly, his cheek pressed against Illyse’s leg. If Alice were watching, she would surely want him dead; the moment she revealed herself, the system interface would lock onto her.