Blood diet didn't just exist as a ritual. It did have practical value as well.
Allowing the vampire candidates to adapt to subsisting off of blood in advance not only helped the siring go smoothly, but it also allowed them to quickly adapt to their new physical abilities and habits after the siring.
It was better to get one's body conditioned first than to rely on genetically-forced habit changes.
But on the other hand, it was a kind of torture for many people to accclimate themselves to a blood diet while they were still human and completely lacked any of the primal desire for blood within their bloodline.
But this couldn't hinder Zhong Die at all, since this was why she wanted to become a vampire in the first place.
The other matter was regarding the choice of sires.
The sire was the one responsible for conducting the siring. Generally speaking, the relationship between the sire and the sired would be particularly close, just like a parent and child.
"Christina… Who's that?" Of course Zhong Die heard Gu Nan, but this name that sounded a bit roundabout confused her a little.
"The strongest vampire below the princes, and her reputation is a little obscure. She will advance to Legend Rank in half a year at most," Gu Nan answered casually.
The Capital of Blood and the Raymond vampire clan were also distinguishing features of the Undead Kingdom, so Gu Nan knew a lot about them from his previous life.
Christina was a rather low-profile vampire within the clan. She lived in deep seclusion and practically didn't participate in any activities hosted by the nobility. Instead, she dedicated herself to combat and cultivation.
If the player didn't trigger Shana's quest line, then Christina would be the most suitable puppet leader to use to control the Capital of Blood.
"I understand!" Zhong Die nodded forcefully.
...
Shana had been successfully sent away and Zhong Die had also settled down, so Gu Nan finally had time to pick up that item.
The remnants of a god was sealed inside the Sacred Catacombs of the Undead, but only special items could awaken him.
There were many items capable of this, but considering the difficulty of obtaining them, Gu Nan easily narrowed it down to one target—Cain's Left Hand.
"It's not easy to get this hand. It has to be fed a large amount of blood…" Gu Nan recalled the method for acquiring Cain's Left Hand.
...
"Cain's Left Hand?" Lu Xinhuan, who was sitting in a temporary villa she just bought, frowned.
"Yes. Cain is the ancestor of the vampires. According to ancient legend, all of the modern vampires are his descendants," Du Ke was obviously more familiar with the Undead Kingdom and explained respectfully.
Lu Xinhuan fell silent. Her fingers drummed the desktop lightly, deep in thought.
Originally, she'd already made up her mind to "buy" the entire Raymond clan and then banish Zhong Die.
Lu Xinhuan wanted to use a very simple method. The Raymond clan was currently undergoing the newest round of elections for clan head. As long as she could put someone loyal to her in that position, then this trivial matter with Zhong Die wouldn't be difficult to resolve.
Money represents an external resource. As long as this resource was used well, it could absolutely influence a group's internal politics.
Originally, she was already trying to contact candidates, but things suddenly changed at this juncture.
The original election process was canceled—now, whoever could find "Cain's Left Hand" would become the clan head!
"Where did they get this information from? How are they so certain?" Lu Xinhuan couldn't figure out why the Raymond clan changed their attitude so drastically overnight.
No one doubted the truthfulness of this information?
"I heard… that the clue about their ancestor has actually been inside the Raymond sanctuary the whole time and was only discovered by chance a few days ago," Du Ke answered somewhat unnaturally.
A sense of foreboding surfaced in Lu Xinhuan's heart. "Who discovered it?"
"It was our Eldest Miss."
...
Recently, the entire Raymond Clan was in an uproar.
Only four descendants passed this year's Ceremony of Blood. Originally, this would've been a very troubling matter, since it meant they would have to find a way to develop additional descendants from other sources.
But no one expected for one of these four descendants to actually bring them a huge pleasant surprise!
The seal containing information on their ancestor's inheritance was unintentionally opened by a little fellow who wasn't even a vampire yet!
"The Ancestor's Staff must be retrieved. Whoever can retrieve it will be the next clan head!" This was the consensus that had been reached within the Raymond clan.
Of course the vampires wouldn't call their ancestor by name, and among the vampires, Cain's Left Hand had always been believed to be a staff.
But a day later, these vampires' moods fell once again.
A round table meeting was underway inside the sanctuary of the Ceremony of Blood.
"Who the hell leaked it?!" The current matriarch, Lady Mara, asked with a frosty expression as she slammed her hand onto the table.
Six other vampire powerhouses were sitting around the round table. These seven people were the real top brass of the Raymond Clan. Every single one of them was a Legend Rank powerhouse.
"After the seal was opened, it was the seven of us who viewed it together. Even that little fellow named Zhong Die didn't get to see the content. Who else do you think could've leaked it?"
Lady Mara's furious roar echoed continuously throughout the room.
Of course she was angry—because the Ancestor's Staff, which should've been top secret, was known by the entire public the next day!
Right now, the entire Capital of Blood was afloat with rumors that the vampire race's divine weapon would soon appear, and that whoever obtained this divine weapon would be able to quickly achieve Legend Rank and even have hopes of igniting their divine fire.
Only Mara and the others knew that the Ancestor's Staff could only be considered a divine weapon in the hands of vampires. Outsiders wouldn't be able to use it at all!
"Calm down, Lady Mara." A handsome middle-aged man spoke from next to her, "You should know that none of us here have a reason to do this."
Leaking information on the Ancestor's Staff wouldn't benefit anyone present.
The Ancestor's Staff would bring benefits to the entire Raymond clan, which was why its ultimate owner would become the next clan head.
Mara gave him a cold glare, still furious. "This better be true!"
This lady clearly didn't have enough trust in her clan.
"Alright, everyone." The middle-aged man spoke again, "This is not the time to put the blame on people. We must acquire the Ancestor's Staff before everyone else."
...
Outside Qinghe Pavilion, Du Ke was instructing a few subordinates on work matters when a familiar figure appeared by the gates.
Du Ke looked at Gu Nan in shock and blurted out, "You… You still dare to show your face here?"
Gu Nan gave Du Ke a strange look, then glanced back at himself. "Why wouldn't I dare?"
The tone of his voice really made people feel conflicted. He was clearly the one who abducted Qinghe Realm's Eldest Miss, yet his expression seemed to ask, "Just what kind of grudge do we have?"
Du Ke was in precisely such a conflicted mood. He didn't know how strong the person in front of him was, but since Gu Nan could throw Noken with his bare hands, he probably wasn't too weak. Thus, Du Ke concluded that Gu Nan was probably a Void Cutter expert.
However, Du Ke naturally didn't fear the other party, because he had the backing of the entire Qinghe Realm! 'If not for that damned rule…'
A secretive glint flashed through Du Ke's eyes. If the other party made the first move, then there was nothing in Qinghe Realm's rules stopping him from retaliating in self-defense.
Du Ke asked cautiously, "What are you doing here?"
"Is Lu Xinhuan interested in Cain's Left Hand? I know where it is. I'm here to lead the way," Gu Nan said earnestly.
Du Ke stared blankly, unable to understand Gu Nan's attitude. 'Could it be that this person realized he'd offended Qinghe Realm and came here to make up for it?'
But Du Ke himself had no intention of forgiving the other party. He was about to find a way to anger Gu Nan.
'Anger him, so that he'll make the first move and attack…'
With this thought in mind, Du Ke immediately sneered. "Is Miss Lu someone you can see just because you feel like it? If you want to see Miss Lu, you'll have to go over there and knock on the door yourself."
Qinghe Pavilion's gates were closed today due to Lu Xinhuan's preoccupation with the vampire matter, but there were still a few guards from Qinghe Pavilion standing at the entrance.
They instantly understood Du Ke's intention, and ferocious smiles appeared on their faces.
But Du Ke's voice had just fallen when he saw Gu Nan give a nod, then grab Du Ke with one hand and casually throw him at the Qinghe Pavilion behind him.
Under the terrifying force, Du Ke's entire body turned into a black line and smashed right into Qinghe Pavilion's gates. The impact collapsed the entire first floor of Qinghe Pavilion.
A white light lit up all the way to the sky. Lu Xinhuan's figure instantly appeared, rushing up to Gu Nan and shouting furiously, "Lord Gu Nan, do you want to start a war with my Qinghe Realm?"
Gu Nan cast a glance at her and shrugged. "I was just knocking on the door."