Destroying a person’s reputation did little in the short term, so much so that one could call it folly. However, those looking at the long term couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spine.

How great were Qianye’s ambitions?

The two werewolf generals didn’t dare think too deeply, and the Wolf King wasn’t willing to explain further. He simply drew two circles on the document and tossed them over. “Hand them to the people from the heavenly monarch’s residence, have them take the documents back.”

The werewolf generals were dumbstruck as they looked at those imperfect circles, not knowing what they meant.

“How about the reply?” one of them asked.

The Wolf King pointed at the circles. “That’s enough to tell them I know. That’s all.”

“T-This is disrespect to the heavenly monarch.”

“It has been more than a day or two that I’ve disrespected him. He knows.” The Wolf King cut the general short.

The werewolf in charge of internal affairs said, “Great Chief, you said something big is about to happen. Should we make any preparations in our tribe?”

“No need. I’m not fighting for hegemony, why should I join the fray?”

The two werewolves exchanged puzzled glances. Was the Wolf King planning to close his doors and enjoy life?

Even they did not understand the Wolf King’s intentions, much less other people. Meanwhile, the leaders of the major families in Tidehark were engaged in an intense argument.

“If that Qianye dares to come to Tidehark, I’ll make it so that he never returns.”

“Humph! He’s the city lord as recognized personally by the heavenly monarch. You’re overstepping your bounds, don’t you think?”

The first person said furiously, “How am I overstepping? You know exactly how he became city lord.”

The second person sneered. “What I mean is, even the heavenly monarch had no choice but to appoint him as the city lord. Do you think your meager family is enough to do him in?”

The first person’s face flushed red. “My family certainly doesn’t have this ability, but this matter requires everyone’s cooperation, don’t you think?”

“You’re not the city lord, nor do you have the right to order everyone.”

“Hump! What, are you planning to yield to an outsider already? City Lord Luo’s bones are still fresh, you know. Who would’ve thought you’d turn out to be an ungrateful lowlife!?”

The two families had been at odds for many years. The meeting hadn’t even begun, but they were already starting to quarrel.

The major mercenary bands of Tidehark helped to defuse the situation and finally managed to calm the two down. A merchant group director said, “This matter is highly important, and so is the heavenly monarch’s true intentions. Who has familiar contacts at the heavenly monarch residence, someone who knows the situation over there? Please share whatever you know so that we can make a decision. Now isn’t the time to hide things.”

“Yes, yes, that is how things should be.”

However, only silence followed. Some of them tested the waters by offering some information, but none of them offered anything new.

Now that was a problem.

A merchant director said, “Perhaps we should just save ourselves some trouble. That Qianye has people like Song Zining at his side. This person might be mediocre in strength, but he is an expert in military strategy. You can see his skills from how Southern Blue was transformed overnight. Qianye being city lord might not be a bad thing.”

These words received nods from several directors and family lords. To them, it was not important who acted as city lord as they would still be able to bask in Tidehark’s prosperity.

But there were more people who disapproved. Some of them owed debts of gratitude to Luo Bingfeng, while others were afraid of offending the heavenly monarch’s residence. After all, Qianye had taken this position by force. Zhang Buzhou would seek revenge sooner or later.

“How does the Wolf King see this?” someone asked.

This issue was fairly important. With Zhang Buzhou in isolation and Su Modao injured by Qianye, the Wolf King was the only card the heavenly monarch’s residence had left to play.

The person in charge of contacting the Wolf King looked rather awkward. “The Wolf King has been holed up in his rear courtyard with his concubines. He doesn’t even leave the house anymore. The messengers I sent didn’t get to see him even once.”

“The Wolf King has concubines!?” Everyone was surprised.

“Reportedly, he just took some in.”

“When did that happen?”

“A month ago.”

The Wolf King’s actions had always been weird and difficult to understand. Not knowing what to do at this point, the crowd resumed their original stances and started quarreling again. This type of argument couldn’t be solved with violence, and everyone had their own valid reasoning. Who knew when they would arrive at an outcome?

Fortunately, Qianye never made an appearance all this time, and this left them with ample time to keep arguing.

While the neutral lands was filled with undercurrents, the situation between the Empire and Evernight became ever more critical.

A massive coalition of demonkin and arachne airships had arrived at the void continent, pushing the Imperial fleet back and securing the route to Evernight and the other continents. Under their protection, a stream of transports arrived to unload construction squads and mountains of supplies.

The Empire naturally would not sit idly by. A mobilization order was issued once again, demanding that the major clans recruit more people and head to the void continent for war.

At the same time, the national treasury was opened up to recruit independent experts and expedite the production of equipment. The Emperor decreed that two sufficiently equipped sub-fleets be built within a single year. The aerial advantage over the void continent had to be maintained at all costs.

The Empire’s spies in Evernight had begun taking action as well, seeking to instigate problems between the four major races and thereby reduce the pressure on the front lines. They had used this move several times before and the enemy should’ve noticed it under normal circumstances. But it just so happened that the relationship between the dark races had always been complicated and they were always trying to harm one another in secret. At times, they would go into obvious traps to further their ambitions, allowing the Empire to succeed.

The Evernight side didn’t sit still, either. They also mobilized their hidden assets in an attempt to stir up wind and rain inside the Empire.

…

Outside of the Imperial Capital, a well-covered carriage was entering a certain courtyard.

Such vehicles had long since been replaced by jeeps, but many of the Empire’s upper echelon favored old things. Hence, some of these decorated carriages could still be seen in the Imperial Capital and some big cities of the Qin Continent. Those who could afford them were either rich or of great status.

The courtyard wasn’t big, but it was silent and well decorated. The scenery here, simple yet well-thought-out, was evidently the work of a rich master.

A man in his thirties walked down from the carriage. His face seemed rather ordinary, but there was a transcendent aura about him.

He asked as soon as he got off, “Has the guest arrived?”

A servant replied, “Already in the study.”

“Very well, bring me to him.”

When he arrived at the study a while later, he saw a person enjoying tea there. The latter’s every movement was shrouded in an aura comparable to a deep lake.

The middle-aged man sat down and sipped a mouthful of tea. “Good tea! It’s not easy to find something like this elsewhere. You should try more.”

The other man was clad in black, with the depiction of a swallow embroidered on his chest. He looked no more than twenty and was extremely handsome. Picking his cup to drink a mouthful of tea, he said, “Not bad indeed, but it’s lacking a certain strength. I’ll let you drink the best blood wine when you visit our place.”

The middle-aged man smiled. “I might not have that luxury. Speaking of which, the other side actually sent someone like you over. They’re quite generous in terms of manpower. Aren’t you afraid your getup will attract attention?”

The young man smiled. “I’ll be able to escape easier if negotiations break down.”

The middle-aged man replied, “You jest, surely. We’ve worked together so many times now. There won’t be any problems even if negotiations fail.”

The black-robed youth laughed. “It’s a good policy to treat humans as first-time partners, no matter how many times we’ve worked together in the past.”

“Caution is always good. Dispatching a duke such as yourself must mean your party has something important to discuss. We shouldn’t remain here for too long, so let’s get down to business.”

This black-robed youth was actually a vampire grand duke. His appearance outside of the Imperial Capital could be considered extremely dangerous. Once compromised, he would surely be hunted down at all costs. Back in the year, Habsburg had stirred up a great commotion just by setting foot on the Western Continent. This person was now at the heart of the Empire. One could also see how capable the owner of this courtyard was, that he would dare make such an arrangement.

The vampire grand-duke said, “My family lord has sensed some changes in the Imperial Palace.”

“People like us have no chance to interfere, even if there are.”

“My family lord wishes only to remind you. He doesn’t wish to see you wiped out in the internal conflict since we have cooperated quite well. Your race’s palace conflicts are quite notorious.”

“We won’t trouble your lord with this.”

The grand duke said, “Our family lord wants someone dead.”

“Who?”

“Zhao Jundu!”

The middle-aged man’s expression fluctuated briefly despite his calmness. “You jest.”

“This is no joke.”

“Is your lord serious?”

“Naturally.”

The middle-aged man looked serious. “You know what sort of person he is. Your side has schemed and plotted for so long, yet you still can’t kill him. Borrowing our hand to kill him is too far-fetched of a plan.”

“The benefits of success will also be unimaginable.”

The middle-aged man frowned. “What benefits?”

Smiling, the grand duke fished out an exquisite golden dagger, with which he pierced his chest and slowly withdrew. There was a drop of golden blood at the tip of the dagger. It was perfectly spherical like a pearl, a stark difference from ordinary blood.

The grand duke produced a beautiful box and placed the blood inside. The drop of golden blood rolled about on the black velvet. One could easily mistake it for a golden pearl if they didn’t look carefully.

“One drop of my origin blood as the down payment.”

The middle-aged man’s breathing sped up, and his eyes couldn’t move away from the origin blood. A grand duke’s origin blood, given to a human, would turn him into a vampire at the level of a glorious marquis. Strength was just secondary to the long lifespan that would come with the transformation. This was a priceless treasure for those old men with one foot in the grave.

And this… was just the down payment.

The middle-aged man looked up with a sharp gaze. “Tell me the truth, why must Zhao Jundu be killed?”

The grand duke said calmly, “Because his azure blood is the key to opening the new world.”