141 Gossip
On the road to Surrey...
Gordon Yang pulled on the reins, guiding the Solar Nomad steadily toward the city. As a colonel of H.A.R.M., very few people had the privilege to request him as their driver.
Though initially reluctant about the carriage-driving orders from his superior, he was now fully convinced of the assignment's importance.
Even though the passengers were colonels themselves, when had anyone seen four Crystal Realm experts traveling together in one carriage? He even felt himself unworthy of such an important assignment.
Inside the carriage sat the two master Templars. They had previously sent a petition to General Laurent, and now that the matter was resolved, they felt compelled to come in person to express their gratitude—even though they knew he wasn't in the city. They dared not be discourteous.
They felt no particular concern about carrying the Will Embodiment of Sword manual with them.
After all, few would dare challenge them, especially with Colonel Kane by their side. Who in Surrey would dare show disrespect or harbor ill intentions?
… …
I closed my eyes to rest while contemplating the Melting Sun Furnace.
Given my current strength, I could easily handle a fully crystallized vampire lord in combat. At last, I would be able to make use of that wisp of Mountain Lord's essence sample.
Yet I still maintained my habit of seeking constant improvement.
The Melting Sun Furnace came as a reward from H.A.R.M. for slaying the sea vampire.
Though it was an internal technique for breaking through to the Wave Realm, the Furnace it created shared a deep connection with the Vampire Devouring External Crystal.
Having connected 275 orifices earlier, the External Crystal no longer caused any trouble.
However, I could only fill it halfway, putting me at the level of a mid-stage crystallizing expert.
I had just learned the Will Embodiment of Sword. Although I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, judging from the two old Templars' previous performance, this was clearly another technique that demanded significant amount of essence.
Given these circumstances, the External Crystal, and in turn the Melting Sun Furnace, had become my bottleneck...
[You have successfully connected the 26th new orifice.]
[The Melting Sun Furnace, constructed from 301 major orifices, seems to have reached its limit...]
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 12 years]
Over 1,400 years of absorbed lifespan had been depleted.
Dark red veins grew more distinct, coursing through my body as waves of suppressive power surged repeatedly through my sea of essence.
It dawned on me then that the continued practice of vampiric martial arts would inevitably lead to strange manifestations, like the Vampire Devouring External Crystal or the consciousness of vampire lords, taking root within me.
To avoid any problems during training, this kind of suppressive method was naturally the stronger the better.
… …
I reopened my eyes. If I wasn't mistaken, in just a short hour, the woman beside me had "inadvertently" glanced at me a dozen times.
I smiled at her. "Sister Rose, if you have something on your mind, please feel free to share it."
Rose had taught me valuable vampire hunting techniques during our pursuit of Peter Volare. She had also risked her life to protect me throughout our journey. While the two old Templars had received benefits from our mission, Rose hadn't gained anything in return.
If she needed anything, I would traverse the deepest oceans or scale the highest mountains for her. Though I couldn't guarantee success, she should never hesitate to ask.
Rose glanced over, then quickly averted her eyes, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "I wanted to ask if you're thirsty."
"..." I rolled my eyes silently.
She was now a Crystal Realm Silver Bell Vampire Hunter—how could she be more bashful than before? Back in Pinewood County, she at least knew to ask when hungry and commandeer my clothes when cold. She had seemed much more confident then.
Suddenly, a resonance vibrated through the carriage as our silver bells hummed in unison. As we neared Surrey, other Vampire Hunters came within range of our bells, their excited chatter carrying through.
I reached out and brushed my silver bell, a flicker of anticipation quickly fading into disappointment. Another great vampire to hunt? No, it was merely idle gossip from an unknown source. I got to figure out a way to turn this off.
Rose, however, seemed intrigued. "Senior Sister Patani has left Vancouver?" she echoed, the news from the silver bell momentarily eclipsing her earlier reserve.
The two old Templars immediately sat upright, ears perked attentively.
Noting their eager expressions, I grew curious. "Who is Senior Sister Patani?"
Upon hearing these words, the entire carriage fell into a stunned silence.
The other three exchanged glances.
Master Arden, being the most direct among them, gaped as if he'd seen a ghost. "Sir Kane hasn't heard of General Aisha Patani?" he stammered.
For someone from H.A.R.M. to not know Aisha Patani was as absurd as a scholar being unable to write.
Even Rose, who knew me well, was dumbfounded. After all, anyone who had spent two months in H.A.R.M. should know about her.
Moreover —
Rose's eyelids twitched. "General Grant invited her to Vancouver to subdue a vampire. Hasn't he told you about this?"
"We're not that close." I shook my head. In fact, I've only met him twice, and I didn't even speak. I was too focused on obtaining the Leviasaur core to spare any attention for the old man.
I saw no reason to hide this fact. After all, any colonel who had been to Crown Mountain would be aware of it.
Hearing this, Master Rhys quickly intervened to smooth things over. "It's perfectly normal to not know Aisha Patani well. Very few people in all of Cascadia are truly acquainted with General Patani. The vampires might know her quite well—or rather, they did, until she killed most of them."
My calm and nonchalant expression seemed to fill Rose with unexpected joy.
I noticed their misunderstanding but chose not to correct it. Rather than discussing some famous martial artist, I was far more curious about the vampires in Vancouver. "Which vampire was she called to subdue?"
I had only one Mountain Lord of Chuckanut Mountains to track down, which was far from enough to satisfy my appetite. Given the right opportunity, I wouldn't mind traveling to Vancouver to claim some spoils, especially the vampire's crystal core.
"You must know about the Crown Mountain incident, right?" Rose asked, having grown accustomed to my ignorance of worldly affairs. To her relief, I nodded once.
She breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "During that time, General Grant slew the Pacific Leviasaur and defeated both the Crown Mountain Headmaster and the Ancestral Sword. Just as he was preparing to depart, a vampiric aura—at least at Crystal Realm—suddenly erupted from the mountain."
The two Templars listened eagerly and asked, "Why would General Patani need to be called in for a mere Crystal Realm vampire?"
Rose rolled her eyes at the two of them. "It's not that simple. The vampire made no attempt to hide its aura—it was clearly taunting General Grant. But when he unleashed his Redeemed Spirit to destroy it, the aura vanished instantly."
"Teleportation technique!" Master Arden exclaimed with certainty. "For a vampire to evade General Grant's detection so completely, it must be at least a fully crystallized great vampire—perhaps even one who has achieved harmonization."
"General Grant thinks so too." Rose nodded, then suddenly found that the young man beside her had turned to gaze out the window, lapsing into silence.
… …
An uneasy look flickered in my dark eyes, hidden beneath my hair.
Teleportation technique, comparable to a fully crystallized vampire lord.
How ironic that they could arrive at the right conclusion through completely wrong reasoning.
That vampire that suddenly appeared on Crown Mountain was most likely myself, having just crafted the Vampire Devouring External Crystal.
I couldn't claim those spoils.