Chapter 34: The Vanguard

Half an hour later.

After listening to Gunie's full account.

Old Cohen pondered for a long while, then raised his head to look at Gunie and slowly spoke: "A blood curse master?"

"Mm."

Nowadays, all kinds of supernaturals were no secret.

This was a new era—the era of supernatural steampunk.

Not the feudal age of the churches where they ruled supreme.

Darkness, the undead, blood, and other supernatural elements were all sources of supernatural power.

It was always people who were evil, not the power itself.

Thus, those seemingly evil sources of power were no longer discriminated against or suppressed.

"A blood curse master is a very powerful supernatural profession, but do you know its drawbacks?"

Old Cohen's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"On the night of the Blood Moon, one's blood boils, power wanes, and one may even completely lose combat capability."

As Gunie explained, he gently rubbed his temples, showing a hint of helplessness.

At the same time, he muttered inwardly.

"Do so many people know about the drawbacks of a blood curse master?"

"If fewer knew, it would be one thing, but with so many knowing... hmm... more people will fall for it."

Old Cohen turned a blind eye to Gunie's slight show of helplessness.

"The blood curse master is a rather special supernatural profession. Since you're already aware of its pros and cons, I won't elaborate further."

"Originally, I planned to take you to receive the inheritance of a supernatural profession when you graduated."

"Who would have thought that you've already accepted the inheritance of a supernatural profession now."

"Since you're already a supernatural, there are some things I need to tell you in advance."

After a long pause, Old Cohen finally exhaled slowly: "My identity is not simple."

Gunie leaned forward slightly and listened attentively.

Gunie had long known that Father Cohen's identity was not simple.

After all, before taking in Gunie, Old Cohen had already been continuously taking in orphans in the city of Sugg Ruins.

Moreover, these orphans all possessed considerable supernatural talent.

Gunie wasn't stupid; he naturally understood that Old Cohen was probably secretly funneling talent to some mysterious organization.

"Beneath the calm surface, there are always hidden intrigues, killings, and struggles."

Old Cohen spoke softly.

"And the organization I belong to is such a mysterious existence that secretly resists those evil forces."

"Its name—the Vanguard!"

"The Vanguard." Gunie silently committed the name to memory.

"In the northern continent of Oya, led by the three powerful empires of Yulan, Shenhui, and Tianyao, all other 'empires' and 'duchies' have joined the 'Supernatural Association,' a unified supernatural front organization."

"Our Yulan Supernatural Association is one of the three giants within this association, one of the most powerful forces."

"And the Yulan Supernatural Association is merely the official organization that floats on the surface and is known to the outside world."

"In reality, within the Yulan Supernatural Association, there are several relatively independent, highly concealed, and extremely powerful organizations."

"Among them, the Vanguard is one."

"The Yulan Supernatural Association, the Vanguard."

Gunie savored these pieces of information in his mind.

Then Gunie asked the key question.

"Then... what kind of enemies does the Yulan Supernatural Association, and even the Vanguard, resist?"

"Such that all the official forces of the entire northern continent need to unite."

From the various supernatural information Gunie had encountered so far.

The Supernatural Association was undoubtedly a behemoth, backed by the three most powerful empires in the northern Oya continent.

Its officially announced supernatural masters numbered over a hundred.

One must know that supernatural masters were beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans.

Even the imperial military had to make way before these supernaturals.

If the enemy were not powerful enough, these formidable beings would certainly not cooperate easily.

"There are many enemies, beyond your imagination."

Old Cohen's voice was somewhat hoarse and low.

"The churches in the south that still stubbornly insist on religious mystery and ecclesiastical authority are our most powerful enemies."

"To this day, the borders between the northern and southern forces of the Oya continent are lined with a large number of supernaturals."

"Those mysterious heretics who want to encroach on our empire's territory and spread their faith are also hidden dangers, impossible to kill off completely."

"More importantly, we also have to deal with those失控的神奇封印物 that appear within our territory. If not handled in time, they can cause large-scale memetic death incidents."

"Those mysterious invaders from other dimensions, coming from异度空间, also give us headaches sometimes."

"Of course."

Old Cohen's tone grew even more somber and oppressive.

"What we fear most are those..."

"Unspeakable... terrifying existences."

"Unspeakable... terrifying existences!"

Gunie murmured softly in his heart.

The mysterious veil of the supernatural world had never been fully lifted.

The more one knows, the more one realizes how much there is that we don't know about this world.

Supernatural sealed objects that can cause chaos and death.

Layers of mist-shrouded异度空间.

Abnormal creatures from foreign lands.

Those terrifying existences deep in the mist.

Gunie sketched out the images of these many enemies in his mind.

"These enemies... are quite a lot." Gunie gently rubbed his slightly numb forehead.

After speaking for a while, as if tired of sitting, Old Cohen stood up, stretched a little, and walked to the window.

"Of course, you are still weak, and danger doesn't need to be faced by you."

"According to the normal course of events."

"I would have told you these things when you graduated, and then asked if you were willing to become a supernatural and serve the Supernatural Association."

"But now, you've already acquired the blood curse master, this special supernatural profession."

"Your talent as an apothecary is already known to some."

"Even if you want to extricate yourself... I'm afraid..."

Old Cohen didn't say more, but Gunie understood what he meant.

"Extricate myself?"

Gunie smiled and twisted his neck slightly.

Crack, crack, crack...

A crisp sound came from the joints of his neck.

Having traveled through time, with a system, and in a dangerous world where one could die at any moment.

Extricate himself?

Was that possible?

Standing up, Gunie said in a serious tone.

"Dad... actually, I really want to get to know this terrifying and mysterious supernatural world well."

"And... I also want to become a powerful, long-lived supernatural."

Having come to this world, not to explore the deeper scenery would be a great disservice to all the advantages he had.

"Mm! Good."

Old Cohen turned around, a smile appearing on his aged, wrinkled face.

"Someone from the Vanguard will come in a few days to make initial contact with you."

"Mainly because of your talent in alchemy."

Gunie was not surprised by this.

All along, he had shown incredible talent in alchemy.

In terms of combat.

He had not displayed it in front of Old Cohen.

"Mm, I understand." Gunie nodded.

"By the way."

From a sofa nearby, Old Cohen picked up a stack of five thick books.

"Last time, those potions helped Baron Tram. These are books that Baron Tram specifically asked me to give you."

"All on alchemy, and all from the White Tower of Longyu Mountain."

"Alchemy books from the White Tower of Longyu Mountain." Gunie's eyes lit up.

The White Tower of Longyu Mountain housed many supernatural alchemy mentors and held considerable authority in the academic field of alchemy.

These books would be extremely useful for his advanced studies in秘纹药剂学.

After all, the White Tower of Longyu Mountain was at the forefront of research in '秘纹药剂.'

Gunie's eyes lit up.

After all, the White Tower of Longyu Mountain was at the forefront of research in '秘纹药剂.'