Chapter 120:
Countdown 3, 2, 1】
As the flickering Note appeared on the character card in front of Murphy, the Note that had already appeared when he drank the origin blood in the Sacred Blood Pool was finally confirmed.
Murphy stood in the secret treasury, looking at Tris in front of him.
At this moment, he felt uneasy in his heart.
He did not know what Tris’s image in his heart would become after losing the blood pact connection.
Frankly, this was not part of his plan.
But seeing Tris’s determined expression, he knew that if he did not take this step, Tris would never ascend to the throne of the Blood Vulture Grand Duke.
He could never refuse any request from Tris.Although he had realized long ago that this was actually a huge hidden danger.
“Hmmm”
The faint tremor on the spiritual plane affected reality, causing Murphy and Tris to simultaneously reach out and cover their chests, as if the pain of a piercing blade had appeared, and then subsided in the next moment. It was as if something had been taken away from their bodies, but it also seemed as if nothing had been destroyed.
When Murphy opened his eyes again, Tris was still the Tris he remembered, but it was as if a layer of gauze had been suddenly removed from her.
The blurred perfection seemed to have been pushed back into reality.
This allowed Murphy to confirm that his past self had indeed been influenced by the overbearing effect of the pact connection. In his eyes, Tris was still alluringly attractive, stirring his heartstrings, but that almost uncontrollable longing and infatuation had now returned to calmness in an instant.
Just like a normal man who would subconsciously pay attention to his demeanor when facing a seductive lady.
Murphy did the same.
For the first time.
He very naturally and almost completely restrained his emotions in front of Tris, just as he did in front of others.
The elegant and gentle expression, frozen like an emoji, still existed on his handsome face.
But it was as if a mask was wedged between him and Tris, and for the first time, he clearly noticed the scar on Tris’s neck that extended down into her bodice, and for the first time, that scar, like a centipede, appeared somewhat horrifying to Murphy.
The Tris sitting in the chair in front of him was like a walking poison, making one unable to help but gaze at her while also tasting the hidden danger she embodied.
At this moment, Murphy finally understood why the little players on the forum all called Tris a “witch.”
That word really vividly described Tris’s unique aura, oscillating between extreme seduction and subtle danger as a peculiar individual. After the “cognitive filter” was removed, Murphy’s thoughts flickered, and he began to reconsider Tris’s meaning in his life.
Tris keenly noticed this change in his gaze.
The crimson witch let her guard down.
She knew that her blood pact with Murphy had been completely erased.
“You still need some time to readjust to this calm return. There’s no need to rush to say anything, go out first, I need some time to prepare.”
Tris nodded and said a sentence to Murphy, whose mind was unsettled at the moment.
He hesitated for a moment, bowed, and then turned to leave. As the secret treasury door closed behind him, Tris, sitting in the chair, let out a long sigh.
She did not know if her request of Murphy was cruel, but she knew it was necessary and right.
If she allowed this child to continue developing, perhaps in a few months, he would become a loyal dog at her feet, only obeying her orders. In fact, Murphy had already shown this tendency and was expressing it in a rather crazy way.
After all, which marginal person of a vampire clan would go so far as to plan the assassination of the Patriarch and a regime change, just because an elder was harmed over a hundred years ago?
Not only did Murphy plan this!
He even successfully completed it in an almost impossible manner and viewed it as a duty he must naturally undertake.
This kid was much crazier than she was in her youth!
Tris had never seen the influence of a blood pact go this deep before. Perhaps it was because Murphy himself was an extremely sensitive person on the spiritual plane?
“Even in vampire society, certain taboos still exist.”
Tris stroked her braid and softly repeated this warning the Noble Lady had given her before.
She shook her head and cast it aside.
Now she had given Murphy and herself freedom, and let fate drive all future developments.
The crimson witch stood up.
She drank the Origin Blood, completely severing the last influence of her blood pact with Salrokdar.
After feeling the liberation of her soul, she crushed the Grand Duke’s Heart with her five fingers, allowing the concentrated crimson radiance to transform into a storm of power, enveloping her.
With each breath, Salrokdar’s fresh blood essence fused into her weak and haggard body.
A golden-tier fresh blood essence was, of course, insufficient for Tris to recover to her prime, mainly because Salrokdar’s power was inherently that of a Midnight Sword Saint, while Tris was a Spirit Sovereign, and their powers were not entirely compatible.
However, the renewal from the replenishment of the missing origin allowed Tris to quickly rid herself of the bone-gnawing, poisonous weakness that had plagued her for over a hundred years.
With each breath, she grew stronger.
Her aura grew and finally stabilized at the realm she had once reached. After the not-so-comfortable return of power, a pair of massive blood-red bat wings, entangled with fresh blood and Dark Spirit, and as shocking as dragon wings, finally unfurled again from behind Tris’s slender and bewitching body after a hundred years.
The first flap shredded the clothes on her body, revealing her slender yet perfectly rounded and scientifically implausible figure.
Alas, gravity apparently does not exist in this otherworld.
However, the covering of clothes was still fine, but now, without any restraints, Tris’s scars became even more apparent.
They were even more eye-catching than her bewitching, heaven-bestowed body itself. The scars that had almost torn her apart ran from her slender, graceful neck, down through her protruding snowy peaks, then spread across her flat abdomen, finally resting on her lush hips.
They were terrible wounds!
Mementos of the past and a grim lesson about blood pacts.
She truly did not wish for the same thing to happen to Murphy.
Of course, with the physical enhancements brought by her returning power, Tris could remove these scars and return to perfection, but at this moment, she reached out and touched the scar on her collarbone, ultimately deciding not to remove it.
The past will never truly disappear!
Just like burning wood in a room, even if you open the windows and clean away all the ashes, the drifting smoke remains. The past lingers like smoke, existing in every breath you take, forever entangled with you until you close your eyes for the last time.
Rather than pretending it never happened, it’s better to engrave it firmly in your heart, so you don’t repeat the same mistake in your life ahead.
Tris made up her mind, letting her braid fall across her chest. She spread her arms smoothly, and with a light motion of her fingers, the Grand Duke’s regalia flew out from the pile of coins behind her and settled onto her pure, rounded body.
All Vampire regalia is essentially unisex and can be worn by both men and women.
Unless their wearers deliberately wish to exploit their biological advantages for a certain purpose, Vampires born in the midnight appreciate this harmonious beauty.
A few minutes later, the secret treasury door opened.
Everyone outside turned their heads at that moment to see Tris, expressionless and clad in the Blood Vulture Grand Duke’s regalia, stride out.
In her left hand was the Nocturne scepter, in her right the Fragment of Desire. The Grand Duke’s crown on her head was slightly tilted but did not affect her demeanor, and the crimson cape secured on her left shoulder swayed behind her black, thigh-high boots.
“We pay our respects to you, Your Grace!”
Femis was the first to bow.
Then came Adele, Maxim, and Miriam, whose face showed confusion as to why Tris had ascended to the Patriarch’s throne.
As for the raving Bonnie who Tris had picked up as a guard, upon seeing her mistress appear in the Patriarch’s regalia, she became so excited that her expression twisted, this was the scene that had repeatedly appeared in those true or false memories in her mind!
The identities of “Patriarch” and “Mistress” merged perfectly at this moment, leaving no doubt in the mind of Bonnie, once the captain of the Patriarch’s personal guard, about her master’s status.
She almost prostrated herself at Tris’s side.
It seemed that her chaotic life, ravaged by calamity and unable to return to normalcy, had regained meaning at this very moment.
Tris maintained her dignity, looking ahead.
Palanno, the Knight Lord who had appeared as an observer of the ceremony, extended the most standard knightly salute of utmost respect to her.
It was not merely the respect of an outsider for a Grand Duke, but stemmed from his extreme pursuit of beauty in his heart. Tonight’s Duchess Tris was undoubtedly the most perfect, awe-inspiring midnight creation that could be born on this dark land.
In Palanno’s heart, he also greatly appreciated the decision ultimately made by Murphy and Tris.
Given Tris’s reputation in other clans in the past and her relationship with Salrokdar, having her inherit the position of Blood Vulture Grand Duke would certainly leave Lord Payne feeling very satisfied and secure.
Tris’s gaze continued outward.
Finally, she made eye contact with Murphy standing ahead. Their complex gazes met, but after a few seconds, Murphy did not show the smile from the bottom of his heart that he usually had upon seeing her. Instead, like the others, he bowed to the new Grand Duchess.
Seeing this, a barely audible hint of darkness flickered in Tris’s bright eyes.
Alas.
The relationship had faded after all.
In fact, Tris was not confident about the decision Murphy would make after being freed from the blood pact.
She was also apprehensive that the clearheaded, calm little Murphy might resolutely leave her, continuing to wander the world alone in misery.
But since the decision had been made, there was no need for regret!
More than the outcome of Murphy leaving, Tris was more unwilling to see her little Murphy lose his will and become her obedient dog. For any man with self-respect, that would be the most terrible humiliation. So the theoretical basis for the profession of being a simp simply does not exist and is self-contradictory from the start!
Love has never been about such a twisted, self-debasing thing! Please do not use it to profane love.
Tris quickly reined in her thoughts.
She knew she had to say something as the first order of business after her accession as Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, especially regarding the new arrangements for the clan that had now hit rock bottom. How would she establish an effective rule?
Vampires are a competitive race.
For a leader, you can be vicious, greedy, or even crazy, but you must demonstrate your governing power over the clan and your plans for the tribe.
A Grand Duke who cannot display their authority is unqualified.
Not only would they be mocked by other Patriarchs, but they would also cause their clansmen unnecessary worries, which could transform into more dangerous actions.
Although tonight’s events were sudden, fortunately the Blood Vulture Clan currently only has a few members, making it easy to arrange. Tris’s eyes flickered, she tightened her grip on the scepter in her hand, and said:
“Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, step forward!”
Under everyone’s gaze, in this dilapidated Blood Vulture corridor, Murphy stepped forward and half-knelt before Tris at her gestured indication.
Tris lightly tapped Murphy’s shoulders with the Nocturne scepter in her hand, as in a knighting ceremony, and said:
“For your contributions to the clan in the Kadman City incident and the subjugation of the fallen Salrokdar, as well as your efforts in breaking through the sub-space rift to prevent the entire Transia from falling into crisis, I, Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, in the name of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, with the authority of the Blood Vulture Clan’s 400-year rule over Transia, grant you the title and power of ‘Count of Kadman’.
Now that the clan has fallen into ruin and awaits revival, I hope you can lead your people in rebuilding the order of Kadman City and Transia.”
“I am grateful for your bestowal, my lady.”
Murphy responded softly.
As Tris’s scepter withdrew, a Note popped up on his character card:
【Special Title ‘Count of Kadman’ Obtained! This title, granted by the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, gives you legitimate dominion over the County of Kadman and surrounding areas.
Blood Vulture Clan faction renown reached Revered!
Renown Achievement 【Rising Fame】 unlocked, Renown Achievement 【Far-Reaching Fame】 completed 1/5.
Territory Achievement 【Lawful Lord】 unlocked!
Please develop the scale and quality of your territory as soon as possible to unlock higher achievements in this series.
Title function enabled, current wearable titles: 2.
Current titles: ‘Kingslayer’, ‘Count of Kadman’.
Rare title ‘Kingslayer’ effect: When wearing this title, there is a low chance to inflict the 【Intimidation】 effect on enemies. This effect’s trigger rate will increase as your strength grows.
Special title ‘Count of Kadman’ effect: When wearing this title, you can change laws, regulations, and implement planned development within your territory according to your planning. Popularity increases among residents within the territory!
Wear titles yes/no?】
“Confirm.”
Murphy equipped the two titles, then retreated back into the crowd.
Tris’s speech was not yet finished. Under Murphy’s gaze, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess raised her slender neck and called out again:
“Femis Cecilia Lessenbra, step forward!”
The Noble Lady took a deep breath, stepped forward and half-knelt before her Grand Duchess like Murphy. Tris tapped her staff on Femis’s shoulders as before.
She glanced at Palanno the Knight Lord and said solemnly:
“For your contributions to the clan in subjugating the fallen Salrokdar, as well as your great sacrifice, and your efforts in breaking through the sub-space rift to prevent the situation from worsening, I, Tracy Cavendina Chia Lorraine Lessenbra, in the name of the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess, with the authority of the Blood Vulture Clan’s 400-year rule over Transia, grant you the title and power of ‘Countess of Anderma’.
You shall represent the Blood Vulture Clan in an audience with Lord Payne Vernon Cappadocia. I hope you do not tarnish the ancient glory of the Blood Vulture Clan and win glory for us before the Lord.”
Femis’s eyes went wide, and the observing Palanno the Knight Lord was also slightly surprised.
Both knew the implication of Tris’s action.
This was the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess officially conferring a position of power to Femis within the clan. It also meant that Femis, this “remnant of the old regime,” was now under Tris’s protection.
With this, if Lord Payne intended to do something bad to Femis, it would mean the Blood Pact Knights and the Blood Vulture Clan would be completely at odds, possibly even triggering an inter-clan war.
This move was Tris shamelessly begging the Lord for leniency on Femis’s behalf, essentially providing her insurance. Even if Femis’s true identity was discovered, the situation would not immediately spiral into an irrevocable dead end.
Such an action could not be called insignificant, and Femis bit her lip.
She glanced at Tris, struggling to suppress the turbulence of emotions within.
She responded in a hoarse voice:
“As you command, my lady! I will not disgrace the Blood Vulture pride.”
“You two can grant titles to your subordinates yourselves. I’m tired.”
Tris withdrew her scepter, nodded elegantly to the observing crowd, and said:
“The Blood Vulture Clan has now fallen into such a sorry state that luxurious ceremonies and solemn proclamations are unnecessary. Please inform Lord Payne, Palanno the Knight Lord. Once the clan’s situation improves, I will personally visit the Knight headquarters to call on Lord Payne.”
“As it should be.”
Palanno the Knight Lord bowed elegantly in farewell, and the others also left one by one.
“Count Murphy, please wait a moment. I have something to tell you.”
Tris held Murphy back in the darkness, but not because of the sudden change in their relationship, but rather for real business.
In the darkness, the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess looked at Murphy and said sternly:
“About the Origin Blood, how much more do you still have hidden?”