Chapter 240 Trolling Trouble
"You seem to be enjoying yourself in this new era, foster father," a familiar and beautiful voice spoke. Vlad's patience waned as he stared at the screen, as if confronting his nemesis.
Despite his sour mood, a smile graced Vlad's face as he looked up and saw the familiar visage of Maria, his foster daughter. Her presence managed to slightly improve his disposition. She sat opposite him on a couch, sipping a hot coffee she had brought from outside. Maria placed another cup of coffee on the low table in front of her and pushed it toward her foster father.
"Here, your favorite, Mocha," Maria said, offering a steaming cup of mocha coffee to him.
The scent of the coffee strangely brought a sense of calmness to Vlad and helped him appreciate the wonders of this modern era, where he had awakened from his long slumber in the embrace of death. Thanks to the vast knowledge bestowed upon him by his master during his first resurrection, Vlad had few difficulties living in this contemporary world. Still, he often felt out of place, preferring to linger in the shadow realm, faithfully serving his master like a loyal hound.
However, what truly made him feel like he belonged to the current era was the coffee offered by his foster daughter, who appeared to have been resurrected by their master before he was. This strange, yet novel drink called coffee, not available during his reign in Wallachia during the 14th century, especially the type known as mocha, brought him a sense of joy and comfort he thought he had lost. It momentarily allowed him to forget that he was, in fact, a monster hidden beneath the facade of nobility.
Vlad accepted the cup of mocha with joy, savoring its aroma for a moment before taking a sip.
"Yes, you're right, and to enjoy it to the fullest, you should call me papa, or daddy, just like little Princess Sylvana calls our master," Vlad suggested with a kind smile, radiating noble elegance.
Hearing her foster father's words, Maria nearly spat out her coffee in surprise.
"No... I think I'll pass," Maria replied. As an adult, she found the idea rather awkward. Sometimes her foster father could be a little bit silly, she thought to herself.
[Beep]
Vlad's smartphone emitted a beep, prompting him to place his coffee aside and glance at the screen. A frown of annoyance marred his usually composed face. Maria, intrigued by the rare sight of her always-elegant foster father displaying such an expression, decided to investigate.
She stood up and walked over to Vlad, peering at the smartphone screen in his hand.
— Private Chat Box —
Wolfy_Biker: Oi, Daddy_Bat, I'm in Germany! I've already told you where I am. I'm seeking attention right now. Why don't you come and teach me a lesson?
Wolfy_Biker: Where are you? Daddy_Bat? Some basement in your mama's house? Or are you in some backwater country, playing in an internet cafe because you're so poor you can't afford to come find me?
Wolfy_Biker: Or maybe you're here in Germany but you're afraid to face me, quaking in your boots and wetting your pants right now?
Wolfy_Biker: I know your kind. You say you're going to come find me, but you can't because you either suck, you're a noob, or you're just too poor.
Daddy_Bat: You, f*cking little shit.
Wolfy_Biker: Boohoo, are you gonna cry? Why don't you just let it all out?
—
Reading this, Maria was stunned. What was this guy doing, provoking her foster father like that? Even though this troll was hiding behind a screen and likely felt safe, if her foster father asked her to find this idiot's location, he could instantly teleport there with his shadow power, and there would undoubtedly be a bloodbath.
Vlad, now gritting his teeth, displayed visible veins of anger on his forehead as he seethed with frustration. Unintentionally, he tightened his grip on his smartphone. Fortunately, this smartphone was a special product from their master's lab, designed for durability while maintaining the ease of use of a normal smartphone. Otherwise, in the heat of his anger, this little device might have been reduced to scrap.
As she observed her foster father teetering on the brink of an explosion, Maria hesitated. She knew that, at this point, her foster father wouldn't simply listen to her as he normally would. He'd likely demand that she locate this troublemaker's whereabouts and would certainly head there, potentially exacerbating the situation.
With a sigh, Maria made a difficult decision. She decided to set aside her pride. "Pa… papa… don't be angry, okay? Maria… Maria will personally make you a cup of mocha coffee, alright?" She adopted a coquettish tone, feigning the role of a spoiled child in front of Vlad. Her strategy had the desired effect, as it considerably reduced Vlad's anger.
Before either Vlad or Maria could say more, a familiar and hearty laugh echoed through the lobby's front door, drawing the attention of passersby. It was none other than James, a tall and muscular young man in a biker outfit who had arrived as the final member of the backup team sent by Odysseus to collaborate with Vlad on their European operation. Odysseus had noted that the three individuals had a connection and knew each other, making their cooperation beneficial.
[Beep]
Once again, Vlad's smartphone emitted a beep, capturing the attention of both Vlad and Maria.
— Private Chat Box —
Wolfy_Biker: What? Have nothing to say? I'm going to be more merciful to you, you noob. Now I'm in Heidelberg.
Wolfy_Biker: Do you know where Heidelberg is?
Wolfy_Biker: Tick tock
Wolfy_Biker: Tick tock
Wolfy_Biker: Tick tock, tick tock. Time's up!
Wolfy_Biker: It's in Germany, you idiot!
—
The string of messages reignited Vlad's anger. He was determined to confront this bastard and beat a shit out of him. If this bastard turned out to be a child, he'd beat a shit out of their parents and even kill their dog too, since they failed to instill good manners in their child.
"Maria! Look at this idiot! Hahaha!" James laughed and showed Maria his smartphone screen, displaying the chat history from the private conversation.
Seeing a familiar name on the screen, she quickly snatched the smartphone from James and examined it closely. This time, she was certain the name was very familiar.
"James, is it okay to be trolling around like that on this social network? What will you do if he decides to come find you in person and settle the score?" Maria asked, pretending to be concerned.
"What? You're worried about me, Maria? Aww, you shouldn't have. What will you do if I've fallen in love with you? Besides, even if this guy finds me, do you think a regular human could do anything to me? This is the modern era, not the Era of the Gods. Humans aren't that strong anymore," James replied with a teasing smile, annoying Maria to no end.
Hearing this, Maria decided to let nature take its course. She handed James' phone to her foster father.
Vlad was confused but chose to take the phone from his adopted daughter and examine it.
— James' Phone Screen - Private Chat Box —
Wolfy_Biker: Tick tock, tick tock. Time's up!
Wolfy_Biker: It's in Germany, you idiot!
—
Seeing this, Vlad didn't say anything and showed no reaction. Instead, he decided to type and send a message.
— James' Phone Screen - Private Chat Box —
Wolfy_Biker: Tick tock, tick tock. Time's up!
Wolfy_Biker: It's in Germany, you idiot!
Daddy_Bat: I've found you...
—
Vlad stood up and returned the smartphone to James, who was looking at the screen curiously. However, his expression suddenly turned deathly pale. In that moment, he knew he had made a grave mistake.
James attempted to use all his werewolf strength to escape, but his feet remained firmly in place. He looked down and saw a shadow extending from Vlad's own shadow, binding his legs. Desperate to free himself, James summoned all his mana and the muscular power of a werewolf.
Maria unlocked her phone screen and activated an anti-recognition barrier, making it so that only they or people with significant magical power could perceive their presence.
"Surprise... motherf*cker," Vlad said with a savage smile as he gazed upon his prey.
"How long are you going to take, Dad? We don't have much time," Maria asked, seemingly indifferent to the situation, considering that James had sought excitement for his own amusement. This time, however, things had escalated beyond James' control.
"Give me just one hour... no, one and a half, that's all I ask. I know of a good warehouse nearby where they store British black pudding. I'll treat Mr. Wolfy_Biker to a delightful black pudding feast!" Vlad said to his adopted daughter before taking James to his shadow dimension. James attempted to plead for mercy and seek help from Maria, but Vlad's shadow held him fast.
"Don't take too long, okay?" Maria smiled at her foster father while waving her hand, and with that, Vlad and James were enveloped by the shadow realm and teleported away. James was left helplessly bound, his pleas for mercy echoing in the shadow realm.
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