Chapter 71: Clearing His Name

Chapter 71: Clearing His Name

In the hearts of every Sanguine present, even if Emlyn could not be called the strangest of their kind, he would definitely rank among the top ten.

As members of a race born with extremely long lifespans, cultivating one or even several hobbies to pass the time was quite common. Emlyn was far from the only Sanguine who liked dolls. The problem was that aside from buying new dolls, matching them with new clothes, and going to hospitals in search of blood to drink, he almost never went out. He was not fond of interacting with his own kind either. Unless he particularly craved fresher blood, needed to study history, or had to exchange relevant materials and items, he basically never attended their gatherings.

This kind of lifestyle was almost the same as those high-ranking figures so old and decrepit that they had no choice but to lie in specially made coffins to barely maintain their existence. No one could see the slightest trace of a newly adult Sanguine in him. Naturally, Emlyn became a topic of casual chatter whenever other Sanguine gathered.

In previous years, everyone had merely mentioned it in passing and joked privately, the way they might discuss Backlund’s many eccentrics. But after it was said that Emlyn had “gotten lost” and walked into the Harvest Church by himself, only to be caught by a bishop of Mother Earth and locked in the basement, his image began sliding all the way toward shame of the Sanguine and protagonist of every joke—nearly beyond recovery.

Yet this very fellow, who had brought embarrassment to their entire race, had actually hunted three believers of the Primordial Moon in succession!

And every one of them had been an artificial vampire!

Did he ask the clergy of the Church of Mother Earth for help? Or hire some especially formidable bounty hunter?

One thought after another flashed through the minds of different Sanguine as they speculated on what method Emlyn had relied upon to win the competition.

Just then, Casimi gave a light cough and said, “Emlyn collected the corresponding characteristic legacy on his own and has already become a Baron.”

Baron…

When the Sanguine looked at Emlyn again, the bewilderment and doubt in their eyes had lessened. Instead, there was more shock, surprise, and astonishment.

For the first time in his life, Emlyn was watched by his own kind with such gazes. All at once, he felt as if his entire body had become light and buoyant. Delight filled his mind, making him strongly wish to raise his chin proudly and say, “You should address me as Your Excellency Baron now.”

This satisfaction is like saving money for a very long time and finally buying the doll I wanted…

Emlyn silently sighed in praise, restrained the words that had risen to his lips, and, with a faint smile, slowly swept his gaze around the room. Then he buttoned his coat, stood, and walked to Casimi Odora’s side.

Only after the other Sanguine returned to their senses and looked toward the two Barons before them with complicated expressions did Casimi finally speak.

“The winner of this hunting competition will directly enter the candidate list for Viscount and receive free assistance with the ritual.

“In addition, he will receive a ring personally made by the Ancestor.”

As he spoke, Casimi took a silver jewelry box carved with intricate patterns from his pocket and snapped it open, displaying it to every Sanguine present.

Inside was a ring whose entire body was semi-translucent, as if made from pale-red amber. At its top was set a blood-colored gemstone, half the size of a fingernail, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

“It is called Lilith’s Ring. It makes the wearer more charming and keeps them constantly in the excellent state produced by a full moon,” Casimi introduced roughly. “It can also cause the surroundings to enter a full-moon state, greatly enhancing corresponding Beyonder abilities. At the same time, it can project a door—a door that leads into the depths of the spirit world.”

Casimi paused, then added, “That door is a Door of Summoning. It allows creatures from the depths of the spirit world to come to the real world through it, but there is only one chance within a certain period of time.

“A spirit world creature passing through that door is equivalent to signing a corresponding agreement with the wearer. It can serve the wearer for a certain period of time, roughly five minutes. If it needs to be maintained longer, the wearer must personally communicate with that spirit world creature and sign a contract with a longer duration.

“Under normal circumstances, the summoned spirit world creature’s strength will be equal to or slightly stronger than the wearer’s, though there are also possibilities of summoning something weaker or far stronger. There was once a Viscount who relied on this ring to summon a demigod-level spirit world creature.

“The stronger the spirit world creature, the more capable it is of resisting the Door of Summoning’s own agreement and endangering the wearer. If such a situation occurs, one must decisively cancel the projection and terminate the summoning.

“Its negative effect is blood thirst. Every hour, at least one blood collection vial of human blood must be drunk to alleviate it. Otherwise, one’s own blood will begin boiling and evaporating, and within less than fifteen minutes, it can kill a Baron.”

I do not reject this. In fact, I deeply desire drinking blood often. The problem is that I cannot obtain that much blood…

Emlyn controlled his joy and excitement and began thinking about how to deal with the negative effect.

At that moment, Casimi turned his head and glanced at him.

“The additional blood requirement will be provided by the clan.”

Then the problem becomes how to modify bottles and carry so much blood on me…

Emlyn swept his gaze over the other Sanguine, whose faces showed envy and jealousy, then took the initiative to ask, “If I am not wearing it, will I still suffer from blood thirst?”

“No.” Casimi shook his head firmly.

Emlyn stared at Lilith’s Ring and asked again, “If I wear it for fifty-nine minutes and then take it off, will blood thirst occur?”

The muscles of Casimi’s face twitched.

“The moment you put on the ring, you suffer from blood thirst. You must drink one blood collection vial of human blood to calm it for one hour. During that process, if you take it off and put it on again, blood thirst will be reactivated. Whether the previous hour has ended or not, you will have to drink blood again. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Of course. It isn’t a complicated question,” Emlyn said with a click of his tongue.

Casimi withdrew his gaze and looked toward the other Sanguine.

“I will now award this ring to the victor of this hunting competition: Emlyn White.”

“Congratulations, Emlyn.” He turned to Emlyn and extended his right hand, lightly shaking the other man’s hand.

Then he handed the blood-colored Lilith’s Ring to Emlyn.

“Thank you.” Emlyn smiled with restraint.

Casimi no longer looked at him. He said to the remaining Sanguine, “There are still two targets left. They are your prey. There will likewise be rewards.”

…

Ten o’clock at night, above the gray fog.

Klein received Leymano’s Travels from Emlyn’s sacrificial ritual and learned what the so-called Lilith’s Ring could do.

The rest is not much of a problem. What deserves the most attention is that Door of Summoning leading into the depths of the spirit world… Perhaps one day, the one who comes out through that door will be the ancient god Lilith… Of course, many prerequisites would definitely have to be met…

As Klein made bold guesses, he opened Leymano’s Travels and checked which Beyonder abilities Emlyn had used, and which ones he had replenished.

“Lightning Strikes are all gone. Travel is gone too… This fellow really doesn’t feel any pain when he’s using other people’s abilities…

“He replenished one Wings of Darkness. It can help the user gain a boost in speed and briefly possess the ability to fly. It can also transform into a swarm of illusory bloodsucking bats to attack enemies…

“One Full Moon, which can place a certain area under full-moon conditions, causing spirituality to grow and death-related powers to strengthen… This was recorded from Lilith’s Ring…

“One Corrosive Claws. It can cause the user’s own nails to grow an additional section inscribed with mysterious symbols and patterns. They become sharp enough to slice through steel and carry a powerful corrosive effect. They are the bane of defensive methods like scales and membranes…

“One Animal Senses, which allows communication with animals, driving them, and sharing their senses… If used well, it can create miraculous effects… Heh. I never saw Emlyn use it before. What a waste…

“One Abyssal Shackles, a spell-like ability in the dark domain. It can condense darkness or shadows into chains, restricting or controlling enemies…

“No Door of Summoning… As expected, this should be very difficult to record. With Emlyn’s personality, he probably gave up after failing a few times…”

Klein flipped through Leymano’s Travels while using divination techniques and mysticism knowledge to interpret the effects of the newly recorded Beyonder abilities.

Withdrawing his gaze, he beckoned and had the Sea God Scepter fly over, replenishing several Lightning Strikes into the notebook. This was based on his constant fear of insufficient firepower.

Afterward, Klein used the Sun Brooch to record Summon Holy Light and Create Holy Water, making the range of Beyonder abilities in Leymano’s Travels even more diverse.

After finishing all this, he closed the notebook and picked up the Nightmare Candle.

After resolving the secondary personality issue in the afternoon, he had not immediately returned this mystical item. Since it belonged to the Spectator domain, he had thought it might be able to help him explore the collective subconscious sea within Groselle’s Travels, so he planned to delay until the half-day rental period was almost over before giving it back to Emlyn.

Unexpectedly, after researching it, he discovered that the Nightmare Candle did not have the ability to soothe the mind or dispel negative emotions. It could only bring a person into the depths of a target’s mind, where one could plant suggestions or resolve problems.

Whew…

Klein exhaled, then used a bestowal ritual to return the Nightmare Candle and Leymano’s Travels to Emlyn and Fors respectively.

Returning to the real world, he comfortably took a bath, read newspapers and magazines for a while, then went to bed.

In a daze, Klein suddenly woke and knew that someone had entered his dream.

He saw the scene before him change. The sky high above became dark and profound, studded with glittering diamonds that inspired awe and serenity from the depths of the heart.

From the distance came the singing of hymns, ethereal and orderly, entering straight into the soul.

At the same time, the clouds moved, and the red moon appeared half concealed, half revealed, scattering soft light.

All of this made Klein feel as if he had come to the divine kingdom of the Evernight Goddess. Even inside the dream, his whole body relaxed, and he felt extremely comfortable.

This is…

Klein suddenly understood what was happening.

A Beyonder from the Evernight Church had come in the middle of the night to soothe the rich man Dawn Dantes through a dream, treating the psychological trauma he had received that afternoon.

If you do this, I actually can’t sleep well instead!

Klein sighed helplessly in his heart.