Louisa stepped into the stone room. Lin Jun’s Voice Puffshroom cut straight in. “Heard of the Blood Seizure Ritual?”
Using the Voice Puffshroom ensured Yellow Codex’s words weren’t hidden.
“Blood Seizure Ritual?” Louisa shook her head, puzzled.
Sounded like a vampire magic array, but she’d never heard of it.
“Humans turned up nothing either…”
Lin Jun had Edin and Inanna dig through their channels for this “promotion ritual” Yellow Codex mentioned. No luck. Even Piggy, a vampire viscountess, was clueless.
He didn’t think Yellow Codex would lie now, but clarity was needed.
Marshal Puffshroom’s tendril grazed Yellow Codex’s thin page, rubbing back and forth.
[Boss! I’m not lying! Don’t tear a good book!] The page shook, words skewing.
[If everyone knew, would it be a ‘secret ritual’?]
[I bet, including the Emperor and two princes, no more than five living things know it!]
[Know why?]
Lin Jun stayed silent, tugging the page.
[No no! No teasing! I’ll spill!]
With just one precious page, Yellow Codex poured out the truth like beans.
[Today’s vampire promotion ritual needs a higher-tier same-bloodline vampire to willingly infuse origin blood, breaking the lower-tier’s rank barrier!]
[Different bloodlines can’t help.]
[Origin blood grows with time—higher ranks need more!]
[Key point: the higher-tier has total life-or-death control over the lower-tier!]
[That’s the current ritual.]
Louisa nodded instinctively. Yellow Codex’s words matched her knowledge.
She caught on to what Lin Jun and the book were discussing, fists clenching—could her rank climb higher?
Yellow Codex went on.
[Blood Seizure Ritual is different.]
[Ignores bloodline! Ignores consent! Grab a higher-tier vampire, and you might forcibly extract their origin blood!]
[Now you see why it’s hidden?]
“Once it leaks… endless infighting,” Louisa murmured, a chill creeping up her spine.
Under the current system, same-bloodline vampires competed fiercely but stayed loyal to their duke source.
Betrayal meant no promotion, keeping vampire traitors rare.
But if this ritual spread… selling out your duke for another’s promotion? Hunting kin for blood?
Louisa couldn’t imagine the chaos in vampire ranks.
[Not that simple,] Yellow Codex added timely.
[Needs tons of high-grade Magic Crystals, and this shady ritual is risky.]
[ Bigger rank gaps, bigger risks! Different bloodlines can be seized, but that ups the death chance!]
[Since its creation, it’s only been used once officially.]
“Who made it? Who used it?” Lin Jun asked.
Yellow Codex didn’t dodge.
[Created by the former Vampire Archduke, a failed tweak to the promotion ritual.]
[The poor guy aimed to boost vampires but birthed this instead, even got it used on himself, haha!]
[The only official user? Current Vampire Archduke, now Emperor—Mortis Dracorne!]
It casually spilled jaw-dropping secrets. Piggy stood speechless, shocked.
Lin Jun cared little for vampire gossip. Expecting to leverage “Emperor’s dark history” to strong-arm Mortis into opening the Empire for his Mycelial Network? Dream on.
If he were the Emperor, anyone waving such dirt—true or not—would get crushed to dust first thing!
Old secrets aside, Lin Jun focused on the ritual’s practicality. “Used once officially—reliable?”
Yellow Codex jumped in.
[Reliable enough! Only used once officially, but the old Archduke tested it plenty on ‘material.’]
[Risks are real, as said. And our case… is special, right?]
Special how? Piggy’s half-mushroom state, obviously.
“You know a lot,” Lin Jun said suddenly.
Cores, secret rituals…
[Cough… I was lucky to linger near Lord Demon King briefly…]
“Oh? Planning to save your ‘master’ someday?”
[Former master! Boss! Former!]
[My life’s in your hands—I’m your loyal dog!]
[If one day your mighty self pries some soul info about me from my former master… I’d be endlessly grateful!]
“Thinking too far. You haven’t atoned yet.”
[Yes yes! Whatever you say! I’ll brave any danger!]
“What do you think?” This was to Louisa. It was her life on the line.
Ritual, Emperor, Demon King…
Too much to process. Louisa was dazed, but the question snapped her awake.
“Using Yuneer for the ritual?” Her eyes flared with near-mad zeal. “I’m in! Absolutely!”
“Even if I die, I’ll die chasing power, not rotting in a swamp!” Her voice rasped with excitement, no fear of death, only burning ambition and hope.
Whoa…
Fanatic go-getter…
Marshal Puffshroom subtly wriggled away, dodging her infectious fervor.
A life-gambling ritual full of unknowns? Lin Jun would pass.
In Louisa’s shoes, he’d probably accept his lot and coast.
The kicker? She’d need to gamble not once but every promotion! Even optimistically, a 50% success rate for four jumps to vampire max level 90 meant a one-in-sixteen shot. Real odds sounded worse.
Felt like suicide…
But it was Piggy’s choice, her life. If she succeeded, he’d gain a stronger fighter. Win-win.
A tendril patted Louisa’s shoulder. “Go for it. If you fail… I’ll send Yellow Codex to keep you company.”
[???]
(End of Chapter)
