Charlotte casually picked up the diary, intending to ponder over the labyrinth of Agrimilas, when a sudden thought struck him, causing him to flip the diary over. The other side of the cover was blood-red, and as his fingers brushed against it, a line of text appeared: Blood-Sucking Scroll, Vol. 28 by Charlotte Mecklen.
When he opened the cover, a surge of consciousness flooded out: "Charlotte Mecklen summoned the overseas Labyrinth God, Agrimilas, and repelled a strand of the evil thought of the bloodline god Kahnstant, incorporating it into his diary, transforming it into the Blood-Sucking Scroll, Vol. 28. The scroll contains seventeen pages and records the secret techniques of the Adonis clan of bloodlines. If the author cannot master the Adonis Scroll within the specified time, he will lose his identity as the author and have his soul taken by the bloodline god Kahnstant upon his return. Countdown: 6 days, 20 hours, 23 minutes, and 57 seconds!"
"How can it be so urgent?" Charlotte murmured.
He noted that while Agrimilas's labyrinth gave him almost eight and a half months of buffer time, the Blood-Sucking Scroll provided less than seven days, which stirred a strong sense of crisis within him.
Charlotte had chosen the "Bloody Glory" technique in university, which also involved some knowledge of bloodlines. The Old Continent had thirty-three nations, of which the five most powerful—Ingrima Empire, Fars Empire, Byron Empire, Black Phoenix Dynasty, and Lionheart Kingdom—were known as the Five Great Empires. The Byron Empire was established by thirty-one clans of bloodlines and was a true vampire empire.
The creation of the Byron Empire was closely linked to the human philosopher Protagoras, who had single-handedly slaughtered thousands of bloodlines, exterminating six of the thirty-seven clans and leaving only thirty-one clans. His actions led to the forced gathering of these vampires, resulting in a grand alliance that accomplished two major tasks: compiling a comprehensive secret technique scroll for the thirty-seven clans and planning the establishment of the Byron Empire, which was later realized after enduring nearly a hundred wars with the human coalition.
The Blood-Sucking Scroll, Vol. 28, also known as the Adonis Scroll, is the hereditary secret technique of the Adonis clan, one of the six royal bloodlines. Kahnstant, the bloodline god, was the progenitor of the Adonis clan.
Charlotte sighed, thinking, "I really should find time to return to university and seek advice from the professors."
As he flipped open the first page of the Blood-Sucking Scroll, Vol. 28, he breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that while he couldn't understand the labyrinth of Agrimilas, he could comprehend the scroll due to his prior knowledge of bloodlines and his experience with Bloody Glory.
The Adonis bloodline's fundamental technique, known as "Blood Flame Qi," was recorded on the first page of the scroll. Interestingly, "Blood Flame Qi" was also one of the thirteen techniques of Bloody Glory, created by Protagoras, though it differed greatly from the Adonis technique.
As Charlotte read through the scroll and practiced gathering his Bloody Glory at his chest, he found that mastering the technique required activating the blood vortex at his heart, which proved surprisingly easy. Within half an hour, he had formed a second blood vortex in his chest, marking his advancement to the second tier of transcendence.
Advancing through Bloody Glory usually took at least a year of arduous training, but Charlotte's progress was accelerated due to his unique circumstances. With two blood vortices established, Charlotte's technique became more refined, and his "Insight" ability expanded its range further.
However, as he finished his training, a surge of consciousness from the diary interrupted him: "Bloodline god Kahnstant's descent countdown: 26 days, 5 hours, 13 minutes, and 7 seconds!"
Charlotte was both shocked and delighted, realizing that forming the second blood vortex had delayed Kahnstant's return by eighteen days. He wondered if continued training could indefinitely postpone the god's descent, though he knew this was unlikely.
As dawn approached, Charlotte suppressed his emotions and prepared to visit Kilmainham Prison to request leave, knowing it would be more appropriate to do so in person.
Upon arrival, however, Charlotte discovered that his superior, Menier Mann, hadn't shown up for work that day. After waiting for two hours, he decided to leave early.