[V6C30 – Sorrow of a Silent Parting]
On the side of “Giant’s Repose” controlled by the Evernight Council, there were experts from various dark races entering in turn. A certain werewolf count hugged his family members one by one, whispered something to a viscount of the council and, with a long howl, leapt off the cliff in his werewolf form.
Nighteye looked down at the prismatic turbulence from atop a stony cliff jutting half a dozen meters outward. A dozen or so armed guardians adorned with the council’s insignia were standing behind her.
None of the dark race experts on the side enjoyed such a luxurious lineup, even those who were of a much higher level. The highest number of council experts behind them was three, and some didn’t even have any. The presence of a direct subordinate expert meant that this person had received the recognition of the Evernight Council.
The two factions had already figured out the rules after a wave of exploration. A primo like Nighteye who possessed an extremely powerful eye ability was simply made for this. Naturally, the council valued her greatly, and there were even some major characters who had their eyes on her. This was evident by the number of guardians around her; the number had exceeded the sum of everyone else’s.
Nighteye finally awoke from her reverie after standing for a fair length of time and took a step forward. Those council guardians also started moving at this point. Meanwhile, those elders wearing the Monroe family crest were wearing pained expressions—their lips moved as though they wanted to say something.
It was at this time that a hoarse voice arrived from afar, “Please wait, Your Majesty Nighteye!”
A black dot appeared over the horizon and flew over from above the clouds. The visitor was extremely fast and arrived at the cliffside in a flash, landing softly in front of Nighteye. It was a tall vampire with a pale, slender face. The corners of his eyes and mouth hung down sharply, forming an expression of cruelty and pride.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” He bowed so deeply that his upper body was almost parallel to the ground.
Nighteye frowned after seeing the Perth clan insignia on him. “What’s the matter?”
Standing before her was a marquis, one who could be considered an important character even on Twilight Continent. His calling upon Nighteye specifically at this moment caused the Monroe clan elders to feel anything but assured.
That marquis gazed deeply at Nighteye before pulling out an odd, cruel smile. “My name is Yuri, and I come representing the Holy Son. His Majesty the Holy Son wishes to know your thoughts on that matter.”
Nighteye’s expression sank. She was just about to speak when Yuri interrupted her with a waving finger. “Please don’t be in a rush to refuse. His Majesty proposes a new condition. If you’re willing to accept his kind intentions, he’ll guarantee you a shard of ancient essence. With that, your chances of becoming a prince in the future will increase exponentially.”
An ancient essence fragment! The Monroe clan elders glanced at one another, unable to disguise their astonishment. Even if they managed to seize all of the remaining fragments in Giant’s Repose, the number of ancient essence fragments wouldn’t exceed twenty, and the vampires would share no more than six. The Monroe clan’s situation was special, so it was likely that they wouldn’t even get a single fragment.
Now, the Holy Son was actually willing to take out a fragment. That was likely his own share. The sincerity was definitely there.
Yuri continued, “Additionally, the Holy Son promises that you can retain your Monroe clan identity. There’s no need to join the Perth clan. Even if you become a magnificent prince in the future, you’ll be a prince of the Monroe clan. Lastly, the descendants produced by you and the Holy Son may be distributed between the Perth and Monroe clans alternately.”
The Monroe clan vampires were all moved after hearing this. This was especially true for the last two terms because it was of great significance to the Monroe clan. Regardless of whether Nighteye became a prince or a grand duke, she would still remain with the Monroe clan. This wasn’t just a simple nominal affiliation but also involved the entire string of asset allocations.
This meant that the Monroe clan could still retain their top-three position among the vampire clans. Upon deeper thought, this was a strong signal that the Perth clan would give up attacking the Monroe clan. With the Queen of the Night awake, there was no vampire capable of defying her will. If Lilith were to attack recklessly, it wasn’t impossible for her to eliminate the entire Monroe clan.
On the contrary, the pure-blooded descendants produced from this union had become relatively unimportant.
All of the Monroe vampires thus looked toward Nighteye, the anticipation in their eyes fairly evident. This was simply good fortune falling into their laps. The Perth clan wasn’t pressuring the Monroe clan like before during Lilith's awakening and had, instead, relaxed their conditions significantly. These terms could be considered quite generous even if one were to ignore the old enmity between Lilith and the Black-Winged Monarch and think of it in terms of an ordinary marriage offer.
However, Nighteye replied instantaneously and without any hesitation, “I refuse.”
Yuri was fairly surprised, and his smiling face became frozen immediately. He gazed at Nighteye moments later and said, “Then, I wish you good luck. I also wish your family good luck. I heard Viscount Aaron just encountered a misfortune. He… won’t be the last.”
Nighteye’s face turned pale, and her fingers were trembling slightly. However, she returned the stare without shrinking back and said word by word, “I also wish His Majesty and his relatives good luck!”
A brutal glint flashed through Yuri’s eyes with blood boiling in their depths. It seemed as though he would attack at any moment. This short-tempered and violent marquis was known for his cruel methods. Even some of the gentler vampires couldn’t handle his ways.
But he still retracted his blood energy at the very end. He bowed toward Nighteye, withdrew slowly, and flew away.
All of the Monroe vampires wore anxious expressions. Nighteye’s refusal of the Perth clan’s offer meant that their Monroe clan’s situation would become even more difficult.
An elder with white hair and beard laughed wryly as he whispered, “Your Majesty, why didn’t you agree?”
“Why should I agree?”
“The conditions they have set forth are already quite generous. It’s very beneficial for our Monroe clan.”
Nighteye let out a mocking laugh. “It is indeed good for the Monroe clan. Moreover, you people won’t have to sell yourselves, right?”
The somewhat awkward elder explained, “This way, Your Majesty won’t have to risk your life in the Giant’s Repose! According to the latest news, a third of those who have entered are dead.”
Nighteye said word by word, “I’d rather die in Giant’s Repose than agree!”
The elder’s expression turned rather unsightly. “Even if not out of consideration for our family’s prince, won’t you do it for Count Claus and your other relatives?”
Nighteye clenched her fist until her fingertips turned slightly blue. She suddenly let out a sigh and said, “Do you know the first thing I’ll do if I agree to the Holy Son’s offer?”
“Pray tell.” The Monroe elder had clearly not thought about this problem.
“I’ll have all of you killed without exception! You people are not worthy of being the Black-Winged Monarch’s descendants. You’re not worthy of the Monroe clan insignia.”
The elder was momentarily dazed. If Nighteye really did propose such a term, the Holy Son definitely had the power to make it a reality. After all, the Perth clan was already attacking the Monroe clan continuously to begin with. The Holy Son’s generous conditions were there to move Nighteye, so it was no problem to kill some people.
“What do you think? Do you still want me to agree?” Nighteye sneered.
The Monroe clan vampires were at a loss for words as their expressions grew increasingly distressed. The others present revealed expressions of disdain. In any case, the Monroe clan was still the number two ancient clan. However, their display regarding this matter had been fairly weak since the very beginning.
The dark races worshipped the strong and revered power. Naturally, they were full of disdain for them.
Yuri had just left when a fluctuation suddenly appeared in the air. Soon afterward, the space therein became distorted as an imposing old man stepped out from within. His most eye-catching trait was a ruby scepter embedded in the left side of his face.
The moment he appeared, everyone below cried out in alarm, “His Excellency, Darkus!”
Darkus, known as the scepter of blood, was in charge of the Perth clan’s external affairs. He had always represented the Perth clan in handling relationships with the other clans or even the other races. He was also the Perth clan’s spokesperson in the Evernight Council. That was why, despite being a duke, he was the number one authoritative figure in the clan below the prince rank.
Everyone immediately performed their salutations after his arrival; even Nighteye had to bow in respect. Darkus was the embodiment of the Perth clan in the outside world. The reverence was not only toward him but also to his clan.
Darkus landed slowly, stood in front of Nighteye, and gazed at this young vampire who had recently risen to fame. In his eyes, Nighteye was merely a young girl who had just come of age. However, the bloodline power in her body shook Darkus’s blood core ever so slightly.
This wasn’t related to the magnitude of one’s power but its level.
“Nighteye?”
“That is me.”
A peculiar glint flashed through Darkus’ eyes, but he spoke slowly without a change in expression, “Her Majesty, the most honored Lilith, has spoken. She promises your freedom and to never get involved in your matters if you can bring back an ancient essence fragment from Giant’s Repose. Are you willing?”
Nighteye trembled as she looked at Darkus with incredulity. The main reason the Monroe clan had expressed weakness regarding her matter was due to the Holy Son using Lilith’s name to suppress them. Moreover, the veteran Evernight Council members from the Monroe clan knew that the council would likely awaken the Queen of the Night after confirming what Sky Demon was after. That was because, in the entirety of the Evernight world, only Lilith could restrain Sky Demon.
Now, the Queen of the Night had actually promised not to get involved. This meant that the Monroe clan only had the Holy Son’s faction to deal with. This was vastly different from going against the entire Perth clan.
Darkus leaned forward and said softly, “Her Majesty won’t get involved at all. Do you understand?”
Nighteye’s pupils became increasingly bright as she replied, “I understand. I’ll definitely obtain the ancient essence.”
“Very good. I believe Her Majesty will be willing to hear of this.” With that, Darkus rose into the air and stepped right into the void.
The Iron Curtain in the sky fluctuated slightly as a frosty intent swept over Darkus, but it was quickly dispersed by his Blood Energy.
Nighteye had no more hesitations as she walked over to the edge of the cliff and leapt into the clouds.
Far in the distance, Twilight emerged from the shadows and gazed toward where Nighteye had disappeared. There was a complicated expression as she let out a barely discernible sigh before vanishing once again.