Leaving the Count Mansion, the guards of Castel did not trouble Count Yulster further.
Until the Blood Count returned to the wrecked tavern did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, and his mood relaxed considerably.
For so reason, although he did not encounter any threatening forces at the Count Mansion, ever since eting Count Castel, Yulster had felt an inexplicable anxiety and pressure.
Even he could not pinpoint where the pressure ca from, yet he felt it might be related to the mysterious deity backing Castel.
Perhaps... during his recent conversation with Count Castel, that mysterious deity had been secretly watching him!
With this thought, Count Yulster grew restless again.
The task given to him by the Duke was deed completed for now.
He undeniably engaged in a gamble between legend and myth, and now he just wanted to leave North Port as quickly as possible, report everything, and return to stay in his own castle.
"Count, you’re finally back! How did the negotiation go? Can we return to Falling Star now?"
Seeing Yulster return safe and sound, the tavern owner was overjoyed, nervously and eagerly inquiring.
Clearly, this leader of the Nais Bloodline’s underground outpost had been terrified by the various round-ups by Castel in recent tis, and now even the tavern was smashed; he just wanted to seize this chance to flee, to escape from this trouble-ridden place...
Count Yulster gave him a strange look.
Relaxing, the Blood Count also felt a bit of a jesting mood coming on.
He chortled and nodded:
"The negotiation went very smoothly."
Upon hearing this, the tavern owner’s eyes lit up.
But Yulster then took out a bag of gold tanas and stuffed it into the owner’s hand:
"Take good care of the tavern. From now on, your task will be even more challenging."
"Ah? Fix the tavern? Aren’t we going back?"
The tavern owner looked puzzled, holding the gold tanas.
Yulster grinned and said:
"Yes, we are going back, but you need to stay here."
"We will soon be collaborating with Castel, and we need a window for dialogue. I’m too busy to travel back and forth between Falling Star and New Moon frequently, and you... will need to act as our Nais representative and liaise with the Count Mansion."
With that, Count Yulster took out a Communication Crystal from his cloak and placed it on the tavern’s counter:
"This is a Communication Crystal that can reach , and for now, I’m entrusting it to you."
"Keep it safe; such precious magic devices are rare even within our clan."
The tavern owner was stunned, but under Yulster’s intense gaze, he finally gathered the courage to accept the crystal.
"Work hard, and if you prove yourself, I will grant you Origin Blood as a reward."
Count Yulster added.
The tavern owner’s eyes brightened, and he eagerly said:
"Thank you, Count! I’ll do my best! I’ll do my best!"
It is difficult for the Bloodline to enhance their power.
And for the low-tier Bloodline, Origin Blood granted by high-ranking Bloodlines represents the greatest hope for increasing their strength.
Having cald down the clan representative at their outpost in North Port, Count Yulster hastily embarked on the ship and left.
He needed to report the contents of his negotiation with Count Castel to the Duke as soon as possible.
"The Duke was right, the deity behind Castel is likely facing so issues in recovering its strength, otherwise... the young Countess wouldn’t have been so interested in the ans to restore Divine Power!"
"No wonder though His Holy Emblem has been on the continent for hundreds of years, it has never made a significant na; perhaps due to limited strength, it has been lying low, only gradually gathering so power in recent years..."
"From this perspective, this mysterious deity could actually be a suitable collaboration partner for Nais, after all... Despite being a deity, it seems not to pose a great threat!"
On the Caric Sailing Ship, with sails hoisted, Count Yulster scribbled vigorously on a parchnt scroll, while muttering to himself.
Inside the cabin, candlelight flickered, pale blue smoke from the incense swirled around, exuding an invigorating and aromatic mist.
It must be said, his own clan’s fleet indeed knew how to enjoy life; even the cabin’s incense was of high quality, energizing and focusing, and Yulster felt tempted to ask where it was purchased.
However, recalling the intelligence regarding the Blood Demon Church that Castel had ntioned, his brief interest soon faded, and his brow furrowed again:
"The Blood Demon Church... Could it be that Elder Maxim hasn’t abandoned their plan to collaborate with them?"
"They appeared in the Northern Land... Could it be Elder Maxim’s doing?"
"No, I must also report this matter to the Duke as soon as possible!"
After a mont of contemplation, Yulster picked up the feathered pen and sped up his report writing on the parchnt. At this mont, the cabin door was gently knocked:
"Count, it’s tea ti. Today’s refreshnts are Blood God Flower red wine and New Moon almond cake."
Hearing the voice outside the cabin door, Yulster subconsciously paused.
Work was undoubtedly important, but for the elegant and pleasure-loving Bloodline, life was equally significant.
The Nais Bloodline might have been driven into rural castles by mortal nobles, but they could never skip their daily afternoon tea!
Unless they went to sleep in a coffin.
"Co in," Count Yulster said indifferently.
The cabin door was gently opened, and a young Bloodline walked in holding a tray.
Yulster casually glanced and recognized it was one of the Bloodline mbers escorting the delegation to the Northern Land.
He couldn’t quite rember which generation exactly—perhaps the ninth or tenth—with strength close to Second Tier Silver Moon, making him a core strength of the escort team.
"Count, please enjoy the refreshnts."
The Bloodline stuttered a bit, seemingly nervous.
Seeing him in this state, Yulster couldn’t help but let out a muted laugh.
The hierarchy within the Bloodline was strict, and many low-tier Bloodline mbers behaved like this upon seeing him.
As a progressive mber of the clan, he didn’t consider the gap in status as important as the more conservative Bloodline mbers did, yet he felt rather helpless and had grown accustod to it over ti.
Yulster covered the parchnt slightly and nodded gently, elegantly lifting his goblet.
However, just as he was about to sip the red wine, a sudden intuition stopped him.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the Bloodline mber who had brought the refreshnts had not left.
Moreover, the individual was staring intently at the red wine in his hands while their hands under the sleeves trembled slightly.
Their heart thumped in a rhythm that, to Yulster’s senses, shone like stars in the night...
Yulster slightly furrowed his brows.
Without making a sound, he sniffed the red wine carefully, his expression changing slightly as it turned grim.
He let out a snort and casually threw the goblet to the floor, then with a light gesture, the Bloodline mber in front of him was suddenly pulled by an unknown force.
Inside the cabin, the candlelight flickered, the wind howled, and the Bloodline mber, pale and frightened, was "lifted" into the air by Count Yulster, unable to move at all.
Yulster looked at him calmly, his crimson eyes filled with mockery:
"My child, didn’t the people behind you tell you that your frantic heartbeat cannot be hidden from a high-tier Bloodline?"
"Speak, who ordered you to do this?" Yulster’s voice bood, oppressive as thunder.
In front of him, the pale Bloodline mber trembled violently, his expression fearful.
Just then, a commotion ca from outside the cabin, mixed with exclamations, curses, and screams.
A faint scent of blood gradually spread, entering the nostrils of Count Yulster.
Count Yulster’s expression subtly changed.
He tossed aside the "lifted" Bloodline mber, rolled up the parchnt, and rose to leave the cabin.
On the deck, chaos reigned.
When Yulster arrived there, he saw a fierce battle unfolding.
The Bloodline mbers who were part of his delegation were completely surrounded by the escorting Bloodline mbers, who had been tasked with safeguarding this diplomatic mission. Commanding them was the captain of the ship, a Blood Viscount nad Zachley.
At that very mont, this captain, also a mber of the Nais Bloodline, raised a silver sword, aiming it at the chest of one of Yulster’s followers.
Witnessing this, Yulster flew into a rage.
He let out a furious shout, conjuring a shadowy tendril that toppled his attacker to the ground. He then turned into a swirl of black mist, appearing in front of the surrounded Bloodline mbers, and coldly stared at their attackers:
"Zachley! Have you lost your minds?"
"Cough, cough..."
Bloodline Captain Zachley clambered up, giving Yulster a complex look before bowing his head and saying,
"Sorry... my lord, my superior didn’t want to see Castel, so... we had to inconvenience you."
Enraged, Yulster replied:
"Inconvenience? Is drawing swords against your kin what you call an inconvenience?!"
With that, Yulster’s body radiated a crimson glow, and his aura surged.
However, at that mont, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, turned pale, and couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of black blood.
His aura instantly faltered, and he collapsed.
Poisoned?
When?
Yulster was shocked.
Observing his astonished expression, Bloodline Captain Zachley said gravely:
"My lord, you should try not to use your powers anymore."
"The fragrance of the Illusion Death Flower, the more you use transcendental power, the weaker you beco..."
Upon hearing the captain’s words, Count Yulster’s expression changed slightly:
"Fragrance? Incense...! Did you tamper with the incense?!"
Bloodline Captain Zachley neither confird nor denied:
"Sorry, Yulster my lord, you are after all a Count, and to deal with soone of your caliber, I had to resort to dishonorable ans."
Count Yulster’s expression turned ugly.
He snorted coldly and said:
"Zachley, I don’t know which old bastard is pulling the strings behind you, but... if you think you can deal with a Blood Count by poisoning, then you are greatly underestimating a Count’s power!"
"I will tie all of you up, I will bring you before the Elder Council, and I will make you and your backers face the clan’s punishnt!"
Upon saying this, Yulster shouted angrily, forcibly circulating his power and deploying his Spiritual Force Field.
However, just at that mont, a resonant dragon cry suddenly sounded from the sky.
A force, stemming from the sa source as the Spiritual Force Field, crashed down upon Yulster, causing his forcefully deployed Spiritual Force Field to weaken and showing cracks.
As the Spiritual Force Field is connected to the soul, damage to the field also hard the soul.
Count Yulster turned pale and almost instantly spat out another mouthful of black blood.
He staggered, nearly falling, but was promptly supported by the Bloodline mbers behind him.
A massive shadow lood over the ship, and a majestic Black Dragon slowly descended.
Looking at the figure cloaked in a black robe, wearing a Demon’s Eye mask on the dragon’s back, Count Yulster’s expression subtly changed:
"Blood Demon Church!"
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