Chapter 797: Reward
Inside Odora's villa, Emlyn saw Cosmi, who was also a Baron like he was.
This Sanguine who seemed like a man in his prime was Nibbs Odora's
spokesperson.
*I'm also a Baron, and one that recently achieved adulthood at
that...* Emlyn mumbled inwardly. He got up from the sofa in the
activity room and bowed.
"Good evening, My Lord."
Cosmi was just about to say something when his nose twitched. He then
cast his gaze towards the wooden chest beside Emlyn's feet.
"The smell of fresh blood?"
As he asked in puzzlement, he seemed to connect the dots and added after
a second of thought, "You killed another target?"
Emlyn curled his lips and shook his head.
"No."
Then, before Cosmi could ask further, his smile turned profound.
"Not one, but two."
Two? The middle-aged gentleman was taken aback as he watched
Emlyn bend down to open the lid.
During this process, Emlyn's facial muscles winced a little as this
series of actions had touched the wound on his right hand.
Holding back the change in his expression, Emlyn allowed his arm to hang
down slightly, allowing the chest to tilt and reveal its contents to the
Sanguine Baron opposite him.
Two charred, bloody heads were stuffed inside a pile of old newspapers.
By the side were two transparent objects which resembled hearts---one
red with vitality, and the other nearly black.
This impactful scene was reflected in Cosmi's eyes as he looked up in
surprise, staring at Emlyn blankly as he blurted, "You did this?"
Although he had only managed to recognize one head being Galis Kevin's,
but the two Vampire Beyonder characteristics couldn't be faked!
Emlyn put down the wooden chest and allowed his right hand to hang down
naturally. Surreptitiously, he flicked his right hand very slightly
along the corners of his trousers as he replied with a smile, "Of
course.
"This is the thing: After receiving the 7,000-pound reward back then, I
bought a particular Baron's legacy at a particular Beyonder gathering.
With it, I advanced.
"I don't wish to use money to satisfy the murderers who hunt us
Sanguine, but I didn't wish for this legacy to land in the hands of
others; besides, the seller wasn't necessarily the hunter."
Taking this opportunity, Emlyn revealed the fact that he had already
become a Baron. Furthermore, every word he said was the truth.
This was a technique he had learned from the Tarot Club.
*I long knew that you were a Baron. Do you think your frequent purchases
of all kinds of items with spirituality and the borrowing of books that
explain potions would go unnoticed? If it weren't because of certain
factors, we would've questioned you long ago... What I'm surprised about
is your combat ability. You don't even have a single mystical item, and
with you only wishing to buy dolls, it's not easy to hunt two artificial
vampires without causing a commotion, even for a Baron... Even I would
need to make plenty of preparations and acquire detailed intelligence
before it's possible... Without anyone noticing it, Emlyn is already
this strong?* Cosmi Odora couldn't help but lampoon as he
revealed a fake smile.
"So that's the reason...
"Emlyn, why did you hide it from us? Don't you wish to be addressed as
'Lord' by the other Sanguine?"
Emlyn glanced at the Sanguine's expression and tilted his chin.
"I was planning on telling everyone, but since there was the hunting
competition, I decided to give everyone a surprise.
"Cosmi, I've already hunted three of the Primordial Moon believers, and
you gave five targets. Does this mean that I've won?"
He couldn't wait to change his form of address from 'Lord' to 'Cosmi.'
Cosmi's eyelids twitched as he chuckled.
"Yes, that's right. You can ignore the two other targets. Leave it to
Rus Báthory and the rest. This way, they might still be eligible for a
consolation prize."
Having said that, Cosmi found his attitude a little too cold, so he
hurriedly asked in concern, "Were you injured?"
"A little." Emlyn raised his right arm and stretched his fingers.
To be frank, on his hunt that night, the worst injury he suffered was
after he teleported out of East Borough. He had ripped apart his skin to
wipe his blood across the cover of Leymano's Travels.
Cosmi didn't develop the topic as he said after a few seconds of
silence,
"Congratulations on being the victor of this hunting competition. You
will receive two prizes.
"First, if there's a chance to become a Viscount in the future, you will
enter the final list of candidates, receiving free help for the ritual.
"Second, you will obtain a mystical item. It's a ring personally created
by the Ancestor. Although it doesn't contain any godhood, it possesses
potent and very mystical powers. As the Ancestor didn't name it, we all
call it 'Lilith's Ring.'
"Also, according to convention, these two Beyonder characteristics will
belong to the entire Sanguine race. This way, we might be able to have
two more newborns, and you would receive 3,000 pounds in cash in
return."
A ring personally created made by the Ancestor... Although
Emlyn was somewhat disappointed that the reward wasn't a Viscount's
Beyonder characteristic, with it only being candidature and a free
ritual, the ring made by Sanguine Ancestor Lilith herself was enough to
put things right.
To a proud Sanguine with a sense of racial superiority, this was the
highest form of honor!
As his joy was quelled, Emlyn, who had participated in several Tarot
Gatherings and had completed two hunts, felt that things weren't that
simple.
*I was sent by the Ancestor to Mr. Fool, and now, I'm receiving a ring
from the Ancestor? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?* Emlyn
thought for a moment and couldn't figure out the answer. He finally
decided to pray to Mr. Fool later, describe the entire situation, and
see what advice "He" could give him.
Noticing that Emlyn's joy had subsided and that he had remained silent
for more than ten seconds, Cosmi cleared his throat.
"That ring and the cash will be given to you tomorrow.
"When the time comes, I'll summon Rus Báthory and company, officially
announcing your victory in this hunting competition. Then, the ring will
be given to you."
"No problem." Although Emlyn lacked the experience in such matters, he
knew that "rewards" couldn't be given in private. It needed to be given
in front of all the participants.
Without staying any longer, he bade farewell and left Odora's villa in a
rental carriage.
As the carriage slowly drove off, Emlyn took a look at the crimson moon
which was hanging silently in the sky. His mind gradually calmed as he
couldn't help but recall everything that happened that very day. From
that, he concluded lessons and gained experience.
Finally, he began counting how many Beyonder powers he needed to record
onto Leymano's Travels.
*I used all of the five Lightning Strikes... One Teleportation, one Door
Opening, one Astromancy... A total of eight times. In addition to that,
I need to pay two additional powers, making it ten.*
*This will be a little difficult. There are some Beyonder powers that
probably can't be recorded; for example, my self-recovery powers... I
can only repeat them... Heh, after I obtain the Ancestor's ring, I can
try recording the Beyonder powers it possesses...*
Lilith's Ring? Above the gray fog in the palace that looked
like a giant's residence, Klein sat in the high-back chair belonging to
The Fool as he quietly pondered over Emlyn White's prayer.
He had originally imagined that he would be woken up in the middle of
the night, having to provide a particular inexperienced vampire help,
but to his surprise, Emlyn had finished everything by eleven and had
even "submitted" the mission in.
*Back then, Emlyn prayed to The Fool because of a revelation from the
ancient god, Lilith... Now, he has received "Her" ring... Regardless of
who Lilith is, I need to be wary and observe...* Klein seriously
contemplated for a few seconds before replying to Emlyn's prayer in a
staid manner, "When praying to me or participating in the Gathering in
the future, take off that ring."
After giving his instructions, Klein returned to the real world. Without
worrying about being woken up in the middle of the night, he slept till
daybreak.
After breakfast and taking a rest, it was time for his etiquette lessons
with Wahana. It was a special lesson for the ball he was hosting at his
residence on the weekend.
Wahana's soft black hair flowed as the ends of her dress twirled while
she led Dwayne Dantès into familiarizing himself with the opening dance.
In the brisk and comforting music, this etiquette teacher suddenly said,
"I heard Ma'am Mary visited you yesterday afternoon?"
"Yes." As Klein poignantly reflected on how there weren't any secrets in
the world of social networks, he nodded frankly.
Wahana nodded gently and said after two seconds of silence, "I heard
that Ma'am Mary has pledged all her shares to the bank to borrow a large
sum of money."
*This is a warning for me to be careful, so that I wouldn't fall into a
scam... The help I previously provided had not only allowed me to
quickly enter the social circles in Böklund Street, but it has also
continuously brought me benefits... However, Ma'am Mary's pledging of
shares was to secretly acquire more shares...* Klein listened in
silence before revealing a warm smile.
"Thank you."
He paused and added, "I believe in the character of every friend, but in
the field of business, caution is forever the first principle.
"I've already gotten Walter to hire an independent lawyer and accounting
team to perform the due diligence, and come up with a proposal that can
protect my interests and avoid taxes in the best way possible.
"Before that, I won't make any decisions."
Wahana raised her head a little and looked into Dwayne Dantès's deep
blue eyes before suddenly sighing with a laugh.
"You truly are a wise person."
Klein originally wanted to attribute it to maturity, but thinking back
to how Wahana's husband had previously been in a scam over his cloth,
and he had only managed to reduce his losses thanks to him, such an
answer easily made her imagine things and make comparisons. Since it
would appear like a mockery, he changed his excuse and said with a
chuckle, "My wisdom comes from the lessons I've received in the past."
"It's hard to imagine you being duped." Wahana chuckled as she lowered
her head. "Is it due to all your experiences that you can appreciate the
different kinds of charms for all kinds of ladies?"
When is this rumor ever going to end... Klein said with a
helpless smile, "Every flower has something beautiful about it."
After familiarizing himself with the entire process and the
corresponding dance, Klein walked Wahana out. Together with his valet,
Richardson, he took up Ma'am Mary's invitation and headed for the Coim
Company in Cherwood Borough.