Maggie walked through the dense forest, and occasionally the howls of monster hunters could be heard in the distance.
She approached the increasingly dark and desolate center without changing her expression. Many trees along the way were dead, their withered forms resembling vengeful spirits, their drooping branches seeming as if the dead were greeting her.
Every now and then you can see white skeletons lying somewhere, most of them incomplete, looking like they died tragically before they were born.
Maggie walked past these scenes that resembled something out of a horror movie without any expression on her face, seemingly unafraid that something might come back to life, and went straight inside.
In theory, these monsters would attack on their own initiative, but her current status is special, so she is the only one in this territory who will not be attacked, although this is only temporary.
Maggie thought about the curse on her body, but her steps never stopped. Her feet trod on broken branches and withered leaves, and she could occasionally hear the sound of bones breaking. Gradually, the trees began to thin out, and a dark and terrifying ancient castle gradually came into view.
Thorns entwined the outer wall, covering the bricks and iron gate, with faint traces of rust visible beneath.
Maggie was soaked to the bone, her hair and dress dripping with every step she took. Her clothes were tattered and her waterlogged black hair was slightly curly and stuck to her neck. If it weren't for Maggie's resilient face, people might mistake her for a water ghost filled with resentment.
She stood somewhat disheveled in front of the castle gate, with small puddles gradually forming at her feet.
"Ulysses, open the door."
Even so, Maggie's expression remained unchanged; she simply raised her head and spoke.
Ulysses wasn't entirely without control over Thorn Castle; otherwise, it would have been surrounded by vampires long ago to prevent anyone from getting close, and he would never have been able to awaken again.
Ordinary vampires who step into this territory will be killed before they even get close to Thorn Castle.
With the added bloodline suppression, once they get close enough here, they will be controlled by Ulysses. Therefore, very few vampires will actively approach this place. They will only intercept humans or blood servants carrying 'Night Blood' from the outside.
There was no sound coming from inside the castle, except for the occasional cawing of crows flying overhead and the occasional nimble bats flying by. The door showed no sign of opening.
Maggie took a deep breath, her already bad mood now even more irritable, so she repeated it again in a cold voice.
"Open the door for me. My time is precious, unlike you, Ancestor, who sleeps all day and is incredibly idle."
As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings became eerily quiet. All sounds disappeared, and even the crows that had flown away stopped cawing, almost falling from the sky.
"The Holy Maiden is as sharp-tongued as ever."
In less than a moment, the thorns that had been wrapped around the gate finally receded, and the gate slowly opened in front of her, accompanied by Ulysses's deep, playful voice.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Maggie took this as Ulysses's approval of her and showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, she gave a polite and ladylike smile.
"But... Miss Saintess seems a bit disheveled today."
Ulysses' tone was intriguing; it was hard to tell whether he was mocking her or laughing at her. But Maggie didn't care and simply brushed off what had just happened.
"It was just a small fish I encountered on the road."
She walked along the moss-covered path into the castle, where the eeriness was even greater than outside. It felt like she was in another world, empty and desolate, with gusts of cold wind blowing in from time to time in this sealed castle.
Maggie, who was already soaked, felt even colder, and her fingertips began to freeze stiff.
Maggie lowered her eyes and calmly stepped up the stairs without making any attempt to warm herself, because it was unnecessary and would only reveal her current weakness.
Stepping into the castle hall, it was so empty that you could hear an echo if you spoke. Surprisingly, there was no decoration around him, but there were some magic arrays used to seal him. However, they were too old and had lost their magical support, so they had long since become ineffective.
Only faint traces of the magic circle pattern remained on the ground.
He is no longer trapped by the magic circle. As long as he collects the minimum amount of 'Night Blood', he can awaken from his slumber.
"I brought you the things."
Maggie pulled the prism-shaped stabilizer from under her neck, opened the black cloth covering it, revealing the dark red 'Blood of the Night' inside, which was now radiating a captivating yet eerie color, making one irresistibly want to touch it.
Anyone who sees it will be chosen by Ulysses as a blood servant puppet.
After obtaining it, Maggie kept it wrapped in black cloth the entire time, so that it would not be seen in the slightest.
"Speaking of which, your people also deserve credit for my falling into the water; they went to great lengths to stop me."
She walked with the prism stabilizer toward the coffin in the center of the hall, and unsurprisingly, the creature was lying inside.
Legend has it that most pure-blooded vampires are exceptionally handsome, but will this vampire progenitor, whose blood has been drained, look like a dried-up corpse?
Or perhaps it's like a mummy?
Maggie's thoughts wandered freely.
Since the story of Ulysses' resurrection didn't appear in the comics, Maggie didn't know what state he was in before. Now that she has the opportunity to see it, she can't help but imagine some strange things.
"This is also part of the deal."
Ulysses chuckled, seemingly unconcerned about Maggie's accusations, and even kindly offered a reminder.
"It's truly disappointing that our Ancestor holds such a grudge."
Maggie smiled, took two more steps forward, and finally stood beside the coffin. However, her words were so hypocritical that even she couldn't help but laugh. After all, she was a very vengeful human.
Regardless of what Ulysses thought, Maggie's gaze finally shifted downwards, landing on the man lying peacefully inside the coffin.
To Maggie's surprise, she thought she would see a withered shell, but even though he was sealed, Ulysses was still... as handsome as a work of art.
Although both are cold-blooded animals, Ulysses and Perkin are almost completely different.
Perkins was also very handsome, but his expression was always gloomy and cold, which easily made people feel intimidated and dare not approach him.
Ulysses, on the other hand, had an eerie gray-white skin, but his features were deep and captivating, exuding a mysterious and noble air, like a sleeping noble gentleman.
Occasionally, it exudes a faint aura of evil, but this does not frighten people at all; instead, it only makes people more attracted and arouses their desire to explore.
Vampires are not human after all; the only color on their bodies is their almost scarlet lips.
They look... inexplicably feel very close.
The thought flashed through Maggie's mind, startling her so much that she quickly banished it; becoming infatuated with this guy would lead to no good.
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