Chapter 99: Bloodborn Mist

Lieutenant Hyfer patted Ain’s shoulder in commemoration and said, “Without the Blood Potential Potion, the Order of Blood Origin’s collapse in our city is unavoidable. Ain, you’ve done an excellent job securing the Sanguine Pulse.”

At this point, seemingly remembering something, Sergeant Lunabrooke questioned, “Ain, why did that black-masked envoy imply that you were dead earlier?” Lieutenant Hyfer revealed a curious expression as well. He had already viewed the recording sent by Sergeant Lunabrooke.

That scene briefly flashed through Ain’s mind before he pulled out another book and replied, “Yesterday, I was ambushed outside the city. I found this on their bodies.”

Lieutenant Hyfer flipped through the book, examining its content, and discovered a photo of Ain. He raised an eyebrow, “They attempted to assassinate you?”

Ain nodded in affirmation.

Lieutenant Hyfer and Sergeant Lunabrooke exchanged glances before the latter continued, “Do you have a conflict with them?” The possibility of Ain being targeted due to the Sanguine Pulse was directly discarded. If the Order was aware of the Sanguine Pulse’s location, Ain wouldn’t be standing here with them.

“Aside from the book, I have had no connection with them before this,” Ain replied. Frans’ words and his own speculation appeared in his mind, and he continued, “It’s likely that I was targeted because of my performance at Red Oak Spirit Academy’s competition.”

“Red Oak Spirit Academy… didn’t the Order target some students from a spirit academy recently? Is it the same one?” Lieutenant Hyfer voiced his thoughts.

“Yes, it’s the same one. Moreover, Ain achieved the final victory in their recent academy-wide competition, standing above his peers. It’s possible someone didn’t like that,” Sergeant Lunabrooke explained, adding his own speculation at the end.

Lieutenant Hyfer arrived at a similar conclusion but didn’t continue. Instead, he kept the book and patted Ain’s shoulder once more, “Alright, you should head home now. It’s best you don’t leave the city for a while.”

“I understand,” Ain expressed his agreement and walked toward the exit. As he did so, Sergeant Lunabrooke’s voice appeared in his mind, “Ain, use the Ethereal Form runestone before you exit. Otherwise, your sudden appearance upon leaving the spell array might become problematic.”

Ain glanced back and nodded before activating the runestone. Just like before, his figure, along with the cat and pups, vanished from sight.

Lieutenant Hyfer and Sergeant Lunabrooke silently watched on. When Ain was out of view, the latter joked, “The book you were hunted for ultimately landed in your hands. Is this considered lucky or unlucky?”

“As long as it’s not with the Order, does it really matter?” Lieutenant Hyfer shot back nonchalantly before continuing, “Let’s head back as well. I don’t want this information to leak, even within the agency.”

…

Outside, Ain silently left the Viper Beast Provisions’ base under the cover of night. After traveling on foot for some time, the Ethereal Form runestone eventually lost its effect and become a useless stone.

The cat and pups poked their little heads out and curiously observed their surroundings in silence. With two tiny heads leaning on his shoulders, Ain scratched the cat’s chin quietly, but part of his mind kept replaying the scene from the basement. His abilities were subconsciously activated as his spirit energy was consumed minutely.

He began by analyzing the silver-masked envoy, followed by the blue-masked envoy. Their appearance, demeanor, speech, and actions were all repeatedly examined. With a mental note of the results, his focus shifted to the black-masked envoy.

The scene replayed once again. The cat was held by the scruff. The cat tore the envoy’s glove, revealing a storage ring. Then, the cat was struck.

Like an unfeeling machine, Ain repeated this numerous times, discerning as much information as possible.

A black cloak that blocked perception.

A black mask, possibly capable of altering their voice.

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Clean black leather boots.

Thin leather gloves, easily torn by a Rank-0 Spirit Beast.

A platinum blue storage ring on the right index finger.

Arrogant, pretentious, and impulsive speech and behavior.

Scorned Ain’s belongings as worthless - Wealthy.

Fair skin; likely young.

The numerous details formed a list within his mind, deducing more information. The black-masked envoy’s words, the recent assassination attempt, and the group chat incident came together to paint an image, leaving parts of it blurry.

As he reached the hoverbus station, Ain discontinued his thoughts, turning his attention back to the little ones. Soon, sparely occupied hoverbus reached its destination and he walked back home. Upon switching on the light, he stared at the messy apartment and decided, “It’s time to move.”

…

The central region of Duskfield City, gathering place of the city’s elite.

Mansions were scattered about sporadically, exhibiting immense status and wealth. Inside one such mansion, the darkness of night was illuminated by bright lights as a family conversed with laughter. Servants arrived one after another, placing sumptuous dishes upon a grand table, serving dinner to their lords.

However, right below the mansion, deep underground, what appeared was a stark contrast. In a large dark hall, faint red lights drifted about, barely illuminating a distance of two meters around them. The warm summer nights showed no love here, bringing about a chilling coldness.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Two pairs of footsteps, emanating powerful auras, echoed in the dark hall as they approached a raised platform, where a figure sat cross-legged, deep in meditation. When the two figures reached the foot of the platform, they knelt on one knee and said respectfully, “Bloodborn Mist.”

The faint voice reverberated in the hall, addressing the figure on the platform. Time elapsed slowly, and two minutes later, the figure slowly opened its eyes, revealing two bright red pupils. One of the drifting red lights sluggishly floated over, illuminating the platform.

Light pressed on as the shadows slowly receded, revealing a pale white face accompanied by snow-white hair. He unhurriedly glanced at the two kneeling figures before asking indifferently, “What is it?”

“We’ve continued our search but have yet to find the Sanguine Pulse. It’s already been a month, and many are becoming restless without receiving their promised Blood Potential Potions. Moreover, Branor continues to recruit new members, and some questioning voices are appearing.”

“It’s all Branor’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, Viktor wouldn’t have been discovered by the Law Enforcement Agency, nor would we have lost the Sanguine Pulse. We’ve searched the entire region where he supposedly hid it, and still haven’t discovered it. I still believe the lieutenant who killed Viktor has it. Should we organize another attack?”

The two kneeling figures reported in quick succession, awaiting Bloodborn Mist’s response.

Bloodborn Mist’s red eyes stared stoically before responding, “Continue searching for the Sanguine Pulse, and don’t stop recruiting. Continue our preparations while concealing the missing Sanguine Pulse.”

Although Bloodborn didn’t clarify his stance on attacking the lieutenant, his subordinates read between the lines.

“We understand,” the two responded before one of them added, “Also, Branor is requesting an artificer to be dispatched to craft an Origin Bone Cauldron. His subordinate has recruited some members recently. Should we stop it? It was also one of Branor’s subordinates that led to Viktor’s exposure.”

“No need. Continue recruiting,” Bloodborn Mist responded calmly. Following his words, the red light drifting about him gradually floated away, shrouding him in darkness. His two subordinates acknowledged the dismissal and left the dark hall with a bow.

Once the echoing footsteps completely vanished, Bloodborn Mist stared off into the darkness, quietly mumbling, “I must succeed in the Bloodborn’s Trial…”

…

The morning sun had just graced the world when Ain awoke, turning the sky a deep orange.

He postponed his morning training and occupied the bed, the only viable piece of furniture in his home, alongside the four little ones. With a flick, the hololink projected its screen, and Ain began browsing for a new house.

With income measuring in billions of star coins, relocating to a better home was already on his agenda, alongside numerous other things. Yesterday’s break-in only served to expedite it.

Ain quickly searched for realtors, targeting the central region of Duskfield City. He browsed through the market, gaining a greater understanding of real estate in Duskfield City. As he expected, his vast wealth in star coins could indeed afford him large mansions and estates, achieving a noble and luxurious lifestyle.

Grand entryways, expansive gardens and courtyards, gourmet kitchens, game and recreation rooms, spas and wellness facilities, outdoor entertainment areas, large garages, ballrooms and event spaces, and breathtaking views were among the highlights of these impressive properties.

However, as Ain’s search continued, these features were gradually reduced to mere embellishments. Star coins were no longer supreme, giving way to energy crystals.

That’s right. What he aimed for were properties specifically targeted at spirit tamers. Ain believed himself to be well-disciplined, but his urge to salivate took immense willpower to control.

These properties supported features such as training rooms, meditation rooms, laboratories, workshops, spirit pet nurseries, and even artificial habitats, all accompanied by the previous extravagances. Moreover, spell arrays were standard in all these properties.

Ain’s search continued for over two hours before he settled on a few choices. The price increased alongside the available facilities, and despite his store of energy crystals, his financial reach was far from the top.

There were 6658.5 energy crystals in Ain’s account, which he also set as his upper limit. Once his business restarted, he would net hundreds of energy crystals every day, so he wasn’t distressed over this amount.

“Whew,” Ain breathed out slowly, preparing to leave. Considering the horrible security, he supported a large duffle bag strapped over his shoulder, revealing three small heads.