Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 876: Worry-Free, Three Lives (4)

For countless years, the thirteen clans have been divided into four main factions based on different formations: the Hidden Alliance, the Demon Feast Alliance, the Independent Clans, and the Extinct Clans.

For centuries, these clans have been in constant friction due to their differing ideologies.

Internal strife is not unique to humans alone.

According to Cythacyl, the conflicts between the various factions have evolved from physical confrontations to competitions in different fields.

Yet, they all adhere to the same principle—striving together to create a world better suited for vampires to survive.

While they may fight internally, they unite against external enemies, displaying a unique combination of disunity and solidarity. This is why the vampire community has endured in the dark world for millennia, largely thanks to the existence of the thirteen clans, who have built a vampire dynasty lasting thousands of years.

However, the thirteen clans are not the only vampires. Others exist, such as the Takizawa family, who became vampires through forbidden methods, the infamous historical figure Vlad the Impaler, or descendants of the vampire Lilith from another myth.

The thirteen clans have always prided themselves on being pureblood and orthodox, positioning themselves at the top of the vampire hierarchy. Over the years, even individual vampires powerful enough to challenge one of the clans have been unable to join the Elder Council formed by the thirteen clans.

Though there is no concept of a vampire emperor, the Elder Council of the thirteen clans acts like the ruling power over all vampires.

Cythacyl sighed and said, "In fact, not only are the thirteen clans the most powerful in terms of strength, but weaker families also rely heavily on them in many areas. The most crucial factor is the strict control the thirteen clans maintain over the production of pure blood and purification serums.""Pure blood, purification serums?" Luo Qiu asked two questions.

Cythacyl instinctively shrank his neck, feeling as though he was about to become a traitor spilling clan secrets to an outsider.

Still, he nodded and explained, "Pure blood is pristine blood. The providers of pure blood have been the blood slaves raised by the thirteen clans since ancient times. Most of these blood slaves live within the territories of the clans and are unaware of their purpose. Each clan has its own secret base for producing pure blood, so hidden that outsiders cannot discover it. It’s said that the production sites preserve primitive ways of life, untouched by modern civilization, which is why the production of pure blood remains possible."

Luo Qiu frowned and asked, "You said modern civilization can't invade—what do you mean?"

Cythacyl replied, "Toxins. Modern humans' blood is unhealthy for us. We've concluded that the advanced development of modern civilization has led to various forms of pollution entering human bodies. Viruses from promiscuity, chemical residues from excessive synthetic substances—all these are toxins for us. The pure blood bases supply the thirteen clans, with only a small amount leaking out, which cannot meet the needs of the other vampires. You can imagine how such unequal distribution inevitably creates conflict."

Luo Qiu nodded. "What about the purification serum?"

Cythacyl explained, "As I mentioned, the supply of pure blood is limited, yet our population continues to grow. Vampires have long lifespans and are scattered across the world. We cannot suppress our nature—we need to survive. When we cannot access pure blood, hunger drives us mad, and instinct defeats reason. We still end up feeding on unhealthy blood. The toxins accumulate in our bodies, making us weak and draining our life force. This led to the creation of the purification serum, developed through the cooperation of the Independent and Extinct clans. It's an antibody that helps counteract the toxins, but it needs to be used regularly to maintain its effects."

Cythacyl shook his head with a sense of helplessness. "The thirteen clans control the two things most vital to our survival. Even if some of us occasionally try to resist, we are ultimately powerless... Until the concept of true blood was introduced. A synthetic, pollution-free alternative to pure blood. Do you know what that means for the oppressed vampires?"

Luo Qiu thought for a moment before replying slowly, "Freedom."

"Freedom." Cythacyl nodded firmly. "If we can master the creation of true blood, we will have the power to challenge the dictatorship of the thirteen clans. With true blood, we could quickly unite and force our way into the Elder Council, gaining a voice."

Luo Qiu was silent for a while before suddenly saying, "The fourteenth clan, perhaps?"

Cythacyl opened his mouth, then smiled bitterly. "Your insight is intimidating. Indeed, some among us have proposed this idea and have been working toward it."

"Go on," Luo Qiu said calmly. "What does this have to do with your presence here today?"

"I represent the Fernandez family," Cythacyl said. "It's an ancient vampire clan. There's also Lady Eve’s faction, the Takizawa family behind Mr. Takizawa, Elizabeth’s people, and finally, Karen—who is with us. Tu Shenyi is Karen's descendant and the one who proposed and researched the idea of true blood. For years, we've supported his research, but so far, we've only managed to create near-complete products, which are the 'Worry-Free' series."

Luo Qiu asked, "If true blood is your means to form the fourteenth clan and join the Elder Council, shouldn't it be a secret? Why make the 'Worry-Free' series public and sell it so high-profile at auctions, with rumors of a wealthy merchant disappearing after drinking it?"

"That was a decoy," Cythacyl sighed. "The thirteen clans monitor their people closely. They likely sensed something, so we decided to be bold instead of hiding. We presented the nearly complete true blood in a different form and reported the plan to the Elder Council."

Cythacyl paused before adding, "You should know that we vampires are not truly immortal. We are just difficult to kill by natural causes. But humans possess many ways to kill us. Besides the demon hunters, some of humanity’s weapons also terrify us. We seek survival, not war with humans. That's why every act of feeding requires reporting. When we staged the auction, it was I, Eve, and Elizabeth’s father who bought the three 'Worry-Free' products at high prices to boost Tu Shenyi’s reputation. This way, as a renowned wine master, he could attract more people."

"So, every time Tu Shenyi opens a new wine over the last twenty years, there’s a tasting event, followed by your feast?"

Cythacyl nodded. "Yes, we’ve had to keep doing this so the Elder Council wouldn’t suspect us. We have time on our side, and the Council's patience is immense... Only in the past year or two have they relaxed their surveillance."

"And the rumor about the wealthy merchant? Elizabeth's father?"

Cythacyl hesitated, then admitted, "He did disappear after drinking 'Flower on the Other Shore.' We didn’t expect it. Afterward, we told the Elder Council it was a fabricated story to enhance Tu Shenyi’s legend."

Luo Qiu asked, "You didn’t expect the effect of a nearly complete true blood like 'Flower on the Other Shore'? That’s odd."

"No, no, we genuinely didn’t know," Cythacyl quickly clarified. "The 'Worry-Free' series was created accidentally by Tu Shenyi, as he said. Initially, it could substitute for pure blood, but later we discovered that each one causes side effects after consumption. 'Flower on the Other Shore' allows one to see their deceased lover and feel emotionally dead."

Each true blood has a strange power. 'Flower on the Other Shore' makes one feel emotionally dead.

'Naihe' grants vampires the power to split but also causes them to suffer from split personalities, tormented by conflicting thoughts every day.

'Ninety-Seven' gives immense strength but simultaneously ages the vampire’s body. Every half-month, they become as weak as a ninety-seven-year-old for a full day.

"The one I have, 'Yellow Spring,' induces fear," Cythacyl said with a bitter smile. "It lets you summon the souls of the dead, but you experience death's pain every day. Of course, you don’t actually die, but the fear only deepens with each instance, until one day you can’t bear it anymore and long for true death."

"You don’t look like you've tried it," Luo Qiu remarked.

Cythacyl shrugged. "Of course not, I haven’t personally tested it. But collecting sample data isn’t hard, right? My wine taster couldn’t withstand the fear of death and eventually chose to burn himself alive under the sun."

"What about 'Three Lives' and 'River of Forgetfulness'?" Luo Qiu asked directly.

"'Three Lives' isn't a wine, strictly speaking, but a special gem," Cythacyl said. "When placed in pure spring water, it turns the water into delicious wine. It's said that 'Three Lives' allows one to dream of past and present lives, awakening memories of their previous incarnations."

"Said?"

"'Three Lives' belongs to Karen. That's her claim, but whether it's true, we don’t know." Cythacyl shook his head. "Before this, Karen suddenly mailed 'Three Lives' to me, asking me to bring it. I wanted to test it myself before things started, but the gem was sealed with Karen’s secret mark. I couldn’t open it. Only Tu Shenyi can, since he’s Karen’s descendant and shares her blood."

"And also the River of Forgetfulness, as well as the last one... It seems that the last one hasn’t been named yet, right?" Luo Qiu nodded.

Cythacyl’s face suddenly showed a trace of fear. "Strictly speaking, the River of Forgetfulness is a poison, the deadliest for us. Once we drink it, our bodies will decay, turning into a pool of pus and blood. But for ordinary people, it’s no different from regular red wine, even bringing them joy... As for the last one, it’s never been named because it hasn’t truly been brewed yet. It remains unopened and is kept in Tu Shenyi’s hands. This time, coincidentally, marks the third hunting day of the year, and Tu Shenyi has invited us. Not only that, but he even mentioned in the letter that the true blood has been successfully researched and will be revealed on the day of the hunt. However, he requests that we return our respective 'Worry-Free' series. We suspect the true blood is part of the final 'Worry-Free' series."

Having finished speaking, Cythacyl looked at Luo Qiu nervously, afraid that this man, who could easily kill him, wouldn’t let him go. "I've told you all the secrets about the true blood... If you're interested in the true blood, I can help you obtain it."

"What would I need true blood for?" Luo Qiu asked with amusement.

Cythacyl replied, "If Tu Shenyi has truly succeeded in developing true blood, possessing it would bring a massive upheaval to the vampire race. You would gain the support of a large number of vampires in a short time, and..."

Before Cythacyl could finish, Luo Qiu waved his hand, stopping him. "I'm not interested in your food substitutes. If anything piques my interest, it’s the 'Worry-Free' series, especially 'Flower on the Other Shore' and 'Three Lives'. They sound intriguing."

At that moment, Cythacyl suddenly stood up, his gaze burning. "Luo Qiu, my friend... no, Lord Luo Qiu! Your strength is beyond what I can fathom. Even a fifth-generation vampire couldn't defeat me so easily... You are comparable to the fourth or even the third generation of powerful immortals! Please allow me to follow you! I swear allegiance to you on behalf of the Fernandez family."

As he spoke, Cythacyl glanced at the faint crack on the ring he wore... It wasn’t that the ring didn’t react to Luo Qiu, but rather that the reaction was too intense, causing it to shatter in an instant.

Even the power of a fourth-generation vampire couldn’t break this ring!

A third-generation... that would be the level of a clan leader of the Thirteen Clans!

Luo Qiu glanced Cythacyl up and down and shook his head. "Too bad I’m in the wrong storyline; your loyalty is useless to me. But we can be friends... regular friends, nothing more. And maybe in the future, we could even do some business together."

At the same time, the wine in the bottle on the table began to ripple slightly, sending out small waves.

Cythacyl instinctively glanced in a certain direction, frowning slightly. "It seems they’ve already started hunting... but it’s getting a bit intense, isn’t it?"

Luo Qiu, however, slowly closed his eyes, his thoughts spreading out like a tide.