Iver's Activity Panel

After leaving No. 1 Suite, walk deeper and deeper until you reach a dead end at the end of the passage.

Two menacing statues stood at the far end—winged beasts crouching on a pillar. They had bat wings and ferocious heads like vicious dogs, as if guarding something.

Rotate the statues inwards so that they are facing each other from the outside. Then rotate the portrait at the end to reveal a gap that only allows one person to pass through.

"—The entrance to the so-called ' Secret Passage ' is right here."

A middle-aged man with short, curly, bright red hair respectfully explained to Miss Bayard, "But strictly speaking, it's not a Secret Passage; it's merely a hidden underground passage."

"An underground passage?"

With his arms crossed, Bayard asked with interest, "What's it for? Perhaps... to prevent being caught in the act?"

"It's good that you know."

The middle-aged man, who looked like a butler, stood up straight and simply smiled, "There are also some important figures whose identities cannot be revealed, who occasionally come to the Crescent Moon Manor. But it's not appropriate for them to enter through the main gate, so they come in directly from here. From here, they can bypass the Banquet Hall and go directly to the private rooms, and then just call the Blood Slave to the corresponding rooms."

"The soundproofing in your private room?"

Bayard couldn't help but pull the girl he was holding, No. 14, closer to him, complaining, "How did you guys do the soundproofing?"

"Oh..."

The middle-aged man nodded thoughtfully and readily admitted his mistake. "I'm very sorry, Miss Bayard. I think the staff member misunderstood your request. I will reprimand him later."

"That's right. Generally, our private rooms are assigned one next to the other. The rooms don't have any soundproofing effect on the next room; in fact, they amplify the sound for the person lying in bed—this is a special design to enhance the experience for shy guests and Blood Slave, not because the soundproofing is bad. At least you can't hear what's happening inside from the doorway, which is enough to prove that our soundproofing technology is not a problem."

"If guests have a need to keep the rules of the game confidential, or if they want to discuss something, we will give them a room further back, leaving the left and right sides empty."

"So that's how it is..."

Bayard nodded.

"Now you know," the middle-aged man said solicitously, stepping into the Secret Passage first and leading Bayard forward. "It's just that we don't know each other well enough. Is this your first time booking a private room? Next time you come, I'll definitely have them arrange a room for you in the back."

"No need, I have No. 14 with me."

Bayard blurted out, "I think I probably won't be coming for a long time."

"Oh well, it will come eventually."

The middle-aged man seemed to have seen this kind of thing and heard this kind of talk many times before, so he remained completely unfazed. "We have long lifespans, but Blood Slave do not. They will grow up and age one day, their appearance will fade, and their bodies will no longer be light and supple."

"When that time comes, you can come and take a look. You might fall in love with new Blood Slave and buy them—of course, we also support trade-ins, where you can sell your old ones back to us at a discount. If you feel that the Blood Slave you bought are too unruly and you've developed too deep an emotional attachment to them, and you want to discard them but can't bear to do it... you can also give them to us. However, the buyback price might not be satisfactory for you, especially for a wealthy person like you who doesn't lack money."

"However, we have other ways of handling this. As you know, our business in the Empire has only been around for less than a year, so many of our projects are old ones brought over from Parthia. And we now know that the Imperials are very romantic and nostalgic... so we recently launched a new business."

"We have noble Child of the Moon alchemists and jewelers who can transform those aging companions into gems of various colors and further polish them into beautiful and eternal jewels. They are frozen in their most beautiful moments, so that only beauty remains in memory—all you need to do is let them fall asleep during a meal on a certain day, and they will be eternalized in a completely painless ritual."

"If you're willing to spend a little more, we also support having a gem designer create a unique themed jewelry set for you. We also have Amber Artisan... If you spend a little more, we can even preserve their souls within gemstones. If you suddenly miss them, you can awaken them. They don't know they're dead, so they can talk and chat with you as usual."

The man spoke eloquently, both enthusiastically and politely. "Of course, if you want to torment these souls..."

"We'll talk about the future later."

Bayard curtly rejected the man's sales pitch and interrupted him, saying, "I just want to leave here quietly with my little pet. If possible, I can take her out for one last midnight snack."

"Of course, of course. She's yours now. You're in charge."

The man, who seemed to only know how to say "of course" and "it's up to you," simply smiled gently.

But then he glanced back at Iver.

The passage was pitch black, and only the Child of the Moon, who had Night Vision, could move forward normally.

The activated Night Vision made his pupils crimson, appearing filthy and bloody. The man wore an elegant and gentle smile, yet it sent chills down one's spine. "I hope I never see you again, No. 14. Miss Bayard spent a six-figure sum of gold to buy you. I hope you know what Miss Bayard did for you and appreciate the enormous price she paid for you."

No. 14 seemed a little scared, and trembled slightly. She weakly shrank into Bayard's arms, and Bayard hugged her back.

"Don't frighten her, Supervisor Cornelius. The child is delicate; she can't be easily frightened."

Bayard warned, "And I didn't spend hundreds of thousands directly—I just wrote off our debts."

"Of course, it's up to you."

Cornelius stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he spoke.

As he listened to the introduction from Supervisor Cornelius, Iver gradually came to understand many common facts about the late Empire.

This was indeed a chaotic era where human life was worth less than grass.

The Alchemy Association and the Art Association quickly joined forces again, hunting down high-ranking Demon Scholar alongside the Child of the Moon... This ultimately led to the Demon Scholar, pushed to their limits, summoning powerful demons, causing the imperial family to die out, and subsequently triggering a six-year-long Land Partition War.

—A year before the Land Partition War, around the time that famous painting was created, the one that sparked the fierce conflict between the Alchemy Association and the Art Association, "The Alchemist."

Now, these Child of the Moon are able to openly keep Blood Slave on the manor. They have clearly gained sufficient status and influence. This means that the Child of the Moon have been in the Imperial Capital for some time now; according to Supervisor Cornelius, they have been here for almost a year.

So, all things considered, the massive demon summoning that will lead to the empire's demise... is probably less than a month away.

A large empire already riddled with internal divisions, factions, constant infighting, and endless hatred. What if its royal family and all its legitimate heirs suddenly died out one day...

That means a real period of chaos is coming.

Many "high-ranking officials" will surely die in such chaotic times.

Miss Bayard was merely a remnant awakened by the ritual, but the Shadow Demon was real. She possessed Bayard's memories, so she must know many people from this era.

—Maybe when Iver goes on an archaeological excavation with his mentor, he'll unearth some of Bayard's friends.

Due to the intense chaos at the end of the empire, much of its history is now lost to history. Much of the empire's history is reconstructed through the efforts of archaeologists... but much of it still involves speculation and conjecture.

Since Shadow Fiend comes from this era... that means she is a living fossil from the end of the Imperial era.

She must know a lot of secrets.

For example, where a powerful figure is buried, or where there are hidden Resource Point...

—In this respect, Shadow Fiend is practically Iver's live-action panel!