"Of course, Supre One. No problem at all."
Alia responded without a hint of hesitation, even helpfully adding, "Besides William Stryker, is there anyone else you'd like us to look for?"
"Remy LeBeau—code na, Gambit."
"Logan—code na, Wolverine."
"Fred Dukes—code na, Blob."
Alex paused for a mont, then calmly listed three nas.
Among the trio, Gambit knew the precise location of the secret base, Blob knew where to find Gambit, and Wolverine had a knack for tracking down people like Gambit.
Alex wasn't sure how far along the Wolverine plotline had progressed in this world, so he had no choice but to cast a wide net and have Alia search for all of them at once.
Too bad I've never t these guys… I don't even know what their voices sound like.
Alex frowned slightly, a trace of frustration flashing in his eyes.
His enhanced hearing could pick up every voice in New York City—but there were simply too many voices, too much noise.
Without a reference point, he had no way of identifying the voices he needed. He couldn't just eavesdrop and hope to catch phrases like "mutant base" or "secret facility." That would be like fishing in the ocean blindfolded.
And who's to say those people were even in New York?
Which ant… apart from enlisting the help of the vampire coven, he didn't have many better options.
Even Superman isn't omnipotent. So what if he's Holander?
That said, Alex wasn't particularly anxious.
Taking down Stryker? That was bug-squashing level difficulty—not worth stressing over.
"I've morized all the nas, Supre One," Alia said respectfully.
"Good. That's all for now," Alex said casually. "Now, get a place to live. And assign so personnel I can command."
"Yes, Supre One." Alia nodded and turned to a subordinate. "kraven, fetch the full catalog of our clan's assets."
"Yes, Elder!" kraven responded promptly and walked off quickly.
No one noticed the flicker of resentnt that passed over kraven's face the mont he turned away.
For years, the day-to-day affairs of the vampire clan had been under his control. The Elders rarely interfered in mundane matters. kraven was, in all but title, a king beneath the Supre One—free to do as he pleased.
And now? An outsider had descended from the heavens like so crownless emperor—and kraven was being reduced to an errand boy? Ridiculous.
He'd sched with the werewolves to fake Lucian's death, all to secure his current standing—and certainly not to play the role of glorified courier.
Still, kraven knew better than to show any open dissatisfaction. He'd seen how the Elders groveled before the new Supre One. He wasn't about to dig his own grave.
Fifteen minutes later, kraven returned holding a thick ledger bound like an ancient to.
Alia accepted the book from him and handed it to Alex with both hands. "Supre One, this contains a full record of our clan's industries accumulated over the centuries. Please review it at your leisure."
Alex flipped through it casually—then sharply sucked in a breath. He almost blurted out Holy sht!*
Beside him, Raven and Hank leaned in to take a peek. The mont they caught a glimpse, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Loaded.
Insanely loaded.
Just from skimming, Alex saw at least three sprawling estate-style properties—each comparable to Charles Xavier's manor.
And that was just what he stumbled upon at random.
The rest? High-end hotels, exclusive clubs, luxury bars—there were too many to count.
People used to think Charles was rich—obscenely rich. But compared to this vampire clan? Charles was playing in the kiddie pool.
Then again, it made sense. Three hundred vampires with lifespans spanning centuries? Of course they'd built up an empire.
"You guys own a lot," Alex said, eyeing Alia with a mix of amusent and curiosity.
Weren't vampires supposed to be above materialistic desires? Aside from blood, what else did they even care about?
Then again, maybe that was just his stereotype talking. He didn't actually know much about vampire culture.
And with such long lives, if they didn't find ways to stay entertained… boredom might just kill them before sunlight ever could.
"We don't have much of a choice, Supre One," Alia replied with a faint, wry smile. "To humanity, we're monsters. Rejected by society. If we want to survive in peace, we need to keep a lot of mouths fed."
"And if we wish to live with dignity and elegance… well, that takes resources."
Alex nodded in understanding.
He didn't say much more. Flipping through the directory, he eventually pointed to a villa.
"This one'll do."
Alia glanced at it and imdiately handed the book back to kraven. "Go make the arrangents. And gather all clan mbers. The Supre One's orders."
"Yes, Elder." kraven bowed and left again.
Alia remained at Alex's side, conversing with him while they waited.
Alex took the opportunity to dig deeper—curious about vampire society in this world.
As it turned out, his earlier assumptions were spot on.
This world had many vampire clans. And without exception, each clan could trace its origins to a single Supre One who had turned them.
Of course, the reverse wasn't true—one Supre could create multiple clans.
Take, for example, Alexander Corvinus—the original vampire from the Underworld films. He was a Supre too.
But unlike others, Corvinus stayed mostly out of the picture. He rarely involved himself with his descendants, more or less retired from the world stage.
As a result, Alia's clan—descended from Corvinus—occupied an awkward position among the vampire factions.
And now, Alex finally understood why Alia had submitted so readily.
She likely hoped to use him—the newly arrived Supre One—to elevate her clan's status.
People are always driven by self-interest. Vampires are no exception.
Not that Alex minded.
If they were truly loyal to him, helping them a little in return wasn't out of the question.
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