Chapter Seventy: My Domain, My Rules

“He really said that?”
Lox raised his head, gazing in surprise at the subordinate before him—it was the young knight who had previously intervened with Jan.
“Yes, sir, he said he has considerable experience adventuring in the Underdark and is certain he can be of help to us. I can’t say if he’s telling the truth, but the man exudes confidence… Of course, he’s also quite arrogant.”
Lox frowned, pondering the report in silence for a moment. With Bishop Alex of the Divine Circuit now dead, Lox had been stripped of his authority to lead the Order of Paladins in their search of the Underdark as punishment. The entire Order had been placed under the command of Archbishop Borson’s confidants. All that remained within Lox’s power was to safeguard the Temple’s rear stronghold in the Underdark and to assign tasks to the mercenaries. On the surface, the number of people he could command far exceeded those in the Paladin Order, but Lox knew full well this was yet another snare Borson had set for him. Anyone with eyes could see what a rabble these mercenaries and fallen nobles were. Should they stir up any trouble, Borson would have ample grounds to accuse Lox of “ineffective leadership” and thus further diminish his authority.
Not all these mercenaries were useless, of course. They’d come to the Underdark for profit, yes, but most possessed a measure of skill; otherwise, if they couldn’t even handle roadside bandits or wild wolves, what hope would they have in the Underdark but to court death?
Unfortunately, while some of the mercenaries were competent, they lacked discipline. It was hardly surprising. Armies and mercenaries were not the same. Armies demanded strict obedience, whereas mercenaries would never charge forward without profit. Lacking unified training, their battles were chaotic affairs—one was lucky if they didn’t strike down their own companions.
All these were issues, but the greatest problem of all was that no one truly knew the Underdark. Progress was made step by tentative step. Disappearances were not uncommon—likely men lost in those labyrinthine tunnels, unable to find their way out, dying of thirst or hunger, or else falling prey to subterranean monsters. Some, driven by curiosity, had even eaten the local mushrooms, only to be poisoned. All this stemmed from their utter ignorance of the Underdark and their helplessness in its depths.
If, as his subordinate claimed, someone truly was familiar with the Underdark, that could be a boon. However...
“Do you think he is capable?”
“I can’t say for sure…” The young knight frowned at Lox’s question.
“To be honest, sir, I’m skeptical. The man can’t be more than twenty, very young, and he’s dressed from head to toe in finery—he looks more like a noble headed to a banquet than an adventurer. But…”
He hesitated for a moment. “He certainly seems confident—he doesn’t strike me as a braggart. And the girl beside him… she seems to be an intermediate-level mage.”
“Oh?” Lox’s eyes brightened.
The Temple did have spellcasters, but, by its nature, most were priests. Priests were excellent for healing and dispelling, but when it came to true battle and damage, mages were superior. For this operation, the Temple had invited mages, but few were willing to venture into the Underdark. At this outpost, including the mercenaries, there were nearly a hundred people, yet aside from the five accompanying priests, not a single other spellcaster could be found. If an intermediate mage joined their ranks, it would greatly enhance their combat strength. One intermediate mage was worth thirty mercenaries!

“Sir, would you like to meet them?”
“…No.”
After a moment’s thought, Lox shook his head in response to his subordinate’s query, a faint smile playing at his lips.
“But since they’re so confident, I’d like to see just what they’re capable of.”
As for Lox’s intentions, Jan paid them no mind. He was seated on a stone chair, leisurely leafing through a hefty tome bound in white, its edges gilded with gold, lending it an air of mystery.
This was the Compendium of All Magic, the reward Jan had received for completing the “Evil Eye” quest.
Despite its grandiose name, the Compendium’s use was somewhat limited. It could automatically record a spell chosen by its owner and set it as a subject of research. In other words, if Jan took a liking to a spell, he could have the Compendium record it, then study it in the Great Library; upon success, Jan would be able to cast that spell himself. In short, the Compendium allowed him to direct his research toward a specific spell rather than relying on chance.
Yet, the Compendium had its drawbacks: it could only record one portion of a spell at a time. This meant if Jan wanted to master a spell, he’d need to witness it being cast several times to record it fully. The length and complexity of a spell’s incantation determined how many repetitions were needed—the more powerful the spell, the longer the incantation, and seeing a legendary spell cast ten times over was hardly feasible. Even Jan would be half-dead if struck by ten legendary spells.
Still, as a supplementary tool, the Compendium was intriguing.
After he revealed his identity, the young knight had promptly gone to report to the Paladin Commander. They hadn’t slighted him, though; another paladin was sent to guide him, clearly to ensure he didn’t cause trouble in the outpost. Jan didn’t mind. He took the opportunity to slip the paladin a few gold coins and had him arrange a cave near the outpost as a temporary residence. Though remote and not particularly safe, as long as he was away from the vulgar mercenaries and had a quiet place, Jan was satisfied.
“Are you truly going to help these humans, my lord?”
After leading the three to the cave, the paladin pocketed Jan’s coins and left with a cheerful farewell, while Pix busied herself tidying up. Only Iris stood beside Jan, frowning slightly as she asked in a low voice.
“Why not?”
Jan chuckled, glancing at the girl. Iris shook her head in reply.
“My father once warned me never to trust humans. You never know what they’re plotting, and by the time you do, it’s often too late to remedy things. Other races are straightforward—serpentfolk are as they appear, grey dwarves are as they appear, bugbears are ugly and stupid, and dark elves are sly and cunning—but humans are different. Their natures are ever-changing, unpredictable. They call themselves children of the light, yet walk in darkness. Sometimes, they’re even more ruthless than we who dwell below. The wisest course is to wipe them out completely—leave no root to sprout again.”
“If it were that easy, humanity would’ve been destroyed long ago—they wouldn’t still be here.”
Jan shook his head with a smile. He understood well why Eilath harbored such hatred for humans. Half-vampires were born of humans and vampires. While there were stories of true love—like in ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’—far more often it was a vampire who fancied a beautiful human maiden, abducted her, and used her for blood and pleasure. Some were rescued, yet pregnant with a vampire’s child, and thus half-vampires were born.
In childhood, these half-vampires were often angelically beautiful—boys handsome, girls lovely. As they grew, they enchanted all who beheld them, causing mortals to become hopelessly infatuated, with no shortage of suitors pleading for their hand.
But a half-vampire is still a half-vampire. Sooner or later, the vampire blood awakens, and they become ravenous beasts, attacking those around them—angels turned to demons. Because of this, ordinary people shun half-vampires, subjecting them to discrimination and humiliation. It was never their choice to be born so, and thus they hated the fickleness of humans all the more, loathing both humans and the human half of their own blood. Consequently, many half-vampires eventually turned to preying on humans, seeking to become pure-blooded vampires. If humans cared nothing for their shared blood, half-vampires saw no reason to claim kinship.
Iris, for instance, though she was a perfect specimen and did not suffer the bloodthirst of common half-vampires, and though she appeared entirely human, nonetheless kept herself separate from them, making no secret of her disdain.
“Besides, what good would it do to wipe them out now? Humanity breeds faster than goblins. Look at this outpost—we razed it to ruins, yet in the blink of an eye they rebuilt it, and more people arrived. Even if we slaughter them again, nothing will change. On the contrary, their numbers will only grow, until they overturn the entire Underdark. Surely you understand that much.”
“But…”
Iris frowned, sharp as she was, though her knowledge of humans came solely from the teachings of those in Obsidian Stone City. Jan’s brief words were enough for her to realize these humans would not give up easily. Still, she did not understand what this had to do with Jan disguising himself as a human and joining their company.
Thud, thud, thud…
At that moment, heavy footsteps heralded the return of the young knight outside the cave. Seeing him, Jan narrowed his eyes, a faintly amused smile on his lips.
“Is there something you need, Sir Knight?”
“Yes, actually.” The young knight glanced in surprise at the now-spotless cave Pix had arranged, then spoke.
“News just came from the outpost—a patrol was attacked by subterranean monsters. To prevent further incidents, we’re organizing a team to eliminate the creatures lurking nearby. Upon hearing of you, Sir Jan, Commander Lox has ordered that you and your companions be invited to join the squad, to ensure the mission’s success. Would you be willing to participate?”
Jan smiled faintly.
At last, the main act was about to begin.

P.S.: No one commented on yesterday’s chapter title—perhaps that’s the generation gap at work, OTL.
P.S. 2: I never expected to reach second place on the Sanjiang rankings in just one day. You’ve all been amazing! >V