Chapter 371
The Royal Palace of the Emerald Grand Duchy was grand, magnificent, and richly decorated. Most of the buildings were gray-white, avoiding a gloomy atmosphere. Vampires in this world had the ability to walk in the sun, so if they wanted to integrate into the human world, their palaces needed to resemble those of human countries, rather than the castles favored by vampires like Bernard, the Lord of Donghai City.
Under the guidance of the cabinet minister, William soon arrived at the palace. They passed through a spacious Palace Square, encountering guards, nobles, and officials in charge of Court Affairs. Despite William's higher rank, vampires usually appeared human, so it was difficult to distinguish them from humans without physical confrontation.
Their retractable fangs and aversion to certain objects like garlic, light-related sacred items, and holy water were some ways to identify vampires preliminarily. However, these methods only indicated their aversion and did not instill fear in them. Vampires had few true weaknesses in this world, and their ultimate goal was to obtain the Blood Dragon Essence to break their eternal curse.
Vampires, the king of the Emerald Grand Duchy, appeared as a strong middle-aged man. He was fishing in the hot sun, catching a goldfish and then releasing it back into the water, displaying his benevolent nature.
After hearing William's approach, Vampires turned and greeted him with a warm smile, inviting him to sit on a stone chair in the shade. William, however, lifted a heavy stone chair weighing over 100 kilograms and sat comfortably under a tree's shade.
William wanted to engage in a conversation with Vampires, who seemed to enjoy fishing under the scorching sun. His actions puzzled William, who believed that even Professionals would choose a cooler spot for fishing. The tall trees around provided shade, making it unnecessary to expose oneself to the intense heat.
William casually mentioned that the Legendary Boss, level 139, could only reach epic level by level 1, and he believed that Vampires was the strongest in the Emerald Grand Duchy, similar to the most powerful vampires in Lan Yu Grand Duchy and Night City. He explained that these vampires were once human but had obtained extended lifespans, though they were now cursed, unable to reach the epic level without the Blood Dragon's blessing. However, with the Blood Dragon extinct, they had no hope of breaking the curse, leading them to search desperately for the Blood Dragon Essence.
Vampires' noble goals of breaking their shackles and achieving freedom were often tainted by ambition. As they grew stronger, their ambitions shifted, and they lost sight of their original intentions. Vampires seemed surprised by William's words but continued to smile. William suggested that vampires' desire for the Blood Dragon Essence was not purely for noble reasons but also driven by ambition.
Vampires seemed to agree, acknowledging that some vampires had become corrupted by their newfound strength and wealth after obtaining the Blood Dragon Essence. William continued to provoke Vampires, revealing his intention to use the two fake Blood Dragon Essence blood maps he possessed as bait to lure vampires out and find Brian Chi Yan. Vampires, intrigued by the idea, agreed to cooperate and promised to send someone to contact William later.
William, displaying an arrogant attitude and contempt for vampires, managed to convince Vampires to take the initiative in dealing with vampires from Night City and Lan Yu Grand Duchy. Their conversation set the stage for a chaotic conflict between the three factions, all while holding the two maps as leverage.