Mo Yu passed through the crowd of vampires, walking along the red carpet at the center, and came to the area behind the seats. There was a room there, and the maid had already entered. He didn't pause at all, stepping straight into the room.
The air was cold, and the candlelight was warm-toned, yet it cast no warmth on anyone it touched.
Elise sat on a long bench with her back to the entrance. The maid stood beside her, holding a small brush, helping tend to her long golden hair.
Several vampires knelt near the doorway, led by a woman.
Mo Yu recognized her. She was Number 7.
The other vampires were all Elite-level, and he found them somewhat familiar too—they were the bait who had left by the other two routes during this afternoon's operation.
Elise's operation plan had been meticulous.
Three vans had left the amusement park in different directions, and it was only by using rewind to stake out the area that Mo Yu had accurately identified the vehicle escorting Mary.
These vampires trembled in fear.
The room was silent, the atmosphere oppressive.
Even without words, Mo Yu could sense Elise's fury. He stayed silent, waiting for her to make the first move.
Blood Thorn emerged from beneath the bench, then grew wildly, like a predatory python surging out in every direction, and in an instant bound both Mo Yu and the kneeling vampires.
The air churned violently, snuffing out most of the candle flames, plunging the room into deep gloom.
Several vampires let out shrill, agonized screams, Number 7 among them, their bodies visibly shriveling before everyone's eyes, while the Blood Thorn gave off a hazy glow, growing a little stronger, as if it had just enjoyed a satisfying meal.
"Young... Miss..."
Number 7 let out a wail of despair. She was the last one drained, crumbling into a handful of black ash scattered across the floor.
The maid's hands paused briefly, then she resumed grooming Elise's long hair with an expressionless face, as if such things were nothing unusual to her.
Mo Yu didn't move a muscle.
Thorns wrapped around his entire body, many of the barbs piercing his skin, greedily drinking his blood. The other strands of Blood Thorn shifted, forming a Vortex centered on him, flowing without pause.
Elise spoke, her voice cold and detached: "Give me a reason not to kill you."
Mo Yu's tone was calm, his answer confident: "You won't kill me."
"I want a reason." Elise's voice rose sharply.
The Blood Thorn contracted slowly, the barbs pressing inward bit by bit, beginning a countdown to death.
Mo Yu still showed not the slightest trace of panic, saying calmly, "I saw it."
The barbs paused for a moment, then continued contracting inward.
Mo Yu went on, "They were killed because the mission failed. It's exactly this ruthlessness, suspicion, and caution that will help Young Miss become the future Great Emperor. As the last person with knowledge of this operation, it's only natural I'd be suspected."
The barbs kept contracting.
"My ability lets me see future fragments connected to myself—not that of a Strategist, as Young Miss suspects."
"This future isn't fixed either. It changes depending on the choices I make. It's also because of this ability that I've been hunted by enemies."
Mo Yu once again used his Prophecy ability as a shield.
"Young Miss, they must have told you the state Mary was in when she was delivered, right? I'm the one who dug out the tracker on her. I think that's proof enough of my ability. And right now, my ability is telling me that as long as I come clean to Young Miss about everything, I won't die."
The barbs stopped.
Elise finally spoke: "Where did you go after handing Mary over to Number 12?"
Mo Yu: "..."
The barbs contracted again.
Elise pressed, "Why aren't you answering?"
The maid spoke up, "Young Miss, wasn't he with you the whole time?"
Elise said coldly, "Are you questioning me?"
The maid bowed. "I wouldn't dare, Young Miss. I checked his mobile phone location—after he left for Volcano Castle, he stayed by your side the entire time."
Elise: "?"
Mo Yu coughed once, offering a timely reminder: "Young Miss, please turn around."
Puzzled, Elise turned to look—and froze in place at a single glance. She turned back around, covering her face with one hand. How exactly was she supposed to explain the fact that a subordinate had followed her around all afternoon without her noticing, and that she'd mistaken him for some handsome stranger trying to pick her up?
The maid looked on in confusion, startled to see embarrassment and flustered anger on Young Miss's face.
Mo Yu smiled and said nothing.
After a moment, Elise steadied herself and said, "No... that's not enough. This still isn't enough."
Mo Yu continued:
"I hate to admit it, but I have to say, Young Miss is still in a phase of keeping a low profile—your strength still needs to grow."
"The Moon Tear Organization, the two great Demon Hunter families of Black City, and the two great Vampire Family lines—these five Factions are not ones Young Miss can stand against yet. That's precisely why you've been so cautious."
"My ability can help you, Young Miss. We need each other."
Elise said, "Tell me something I don't know—something that actually proves your ability."
Mo Yu: "Alice isn't Human."
That piece of Intelligence, he had no choice but to hand over.
After a silence, Elise said, "I'll look into it. You may withdraw."
"Yes." Mo Yu stepped back, but just as he turned to leave, Elise called out to stop him.
"Wait. Come here, in front of me."
Reluctantly, Mo Yu circled around to stand directly in front of Elise.
Elise wore a classic, plain long dress, reclining gracefully on the bench. She beckoned to Mo Yu, signaling him to come closer and kneel down.
Mo Yu leaned in.
Elise extended her slender arm, wrapping it around his neck, and sank four sharp, small fangs into his throat.
Mo Yu felt his upper body go numb, unable to move.
Wasn't the deal that a Servant wasn't food?
His blood was drawn.
As he hesitated over whether to rewind, he felt something being injected into his body.
Elise released him, took the handkerchief the maid offered, and dabbed at the corner of her mouth as she said:
"You may go now."
"What's inside me?"
Mo Yu touched his neck—the wound had already vanished, though he could feel something moving through his body.
Elise answered, "My blood. It will slowly change your body, eventually turning you into a vampire. When that happens, your Sequence Ability will stop working too. It'll need to be suppressed periodically by me—this is a pre-conversion Ritual. You could think of it as a kind of curse."
"Is this proof that I'm one of your own now?" Mo Yu ventured. "Can you sense my condition through the blood?"
"I can sense my own blood," Elise answered.
"Can you pinpoint its exact location? Or is it more of a vague sense?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"You know how the corpus cavernosum works, right? It fills with blood. What if, say..."
"Shut up!"
A blush colored Elise's cheeks. "It only lets me roughly pin down your location," she explained.
The maid shot Mo Yu a look that screamed "you've got some nerve"—daring to tease Young Miss herself.
"Well, that puts my mind at ease." Mo Yu answered, quietly rewinding a bit to snip out his own line of questioning, returning to right after Elise had said "you may go now."
"Sbarashi! My thanks for Young Miss's grace."
Mo Yu put on a show of excitement as he bowed, then stepped back and withdrew. He could feel the foreign presence inside him—Elise's blood flowing toward his heart—but he'd already thought of a way to deal with it.
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