Volume One: Intrigue and Deception in the Imperial Capital - The Ship Arrives in the Imperial Capital

Back in my room, I looked at my hand. The sensation of Elder Hong's hand still lingered on it.

I let out a heavy sigh.

Looks like I really have been dragged into the Si Nan Family's mess...

And I still had questions of my own left unanswered, like the strange "blood crystal" I'd created when facing the Beast Tide.

I opened my hand slightly and released a tiny drop of blood, letting it float above my palm. I tried to gather my power into the droplet... As my concentration grew, I felt my mind sink into the deep sea of consciousness, descending through darkness until it finally focused on the Blood Core inside me.

The Blood Core, which had been floating quietly, suddenly began to tremble with a low hum. The tearing pain returned, but by now I was gradually getting used to it. A thread of strange energy flowed out of the Blood Core and surged through my limbs. I hurriedly used my mind to rein in this energy, wild as a runaway horse, and guide it toward the droplet of blood in my palm...

"Crack!"

At the strange sound from the droplet, I slowly opened my eyes. The blood, which had been liquid, had crystallized. The vivid red crystal was dazzling, its colors shifting between deep and pale in the light. It had the elegance of crystal, the splendor of diamonds, and the spirit of jade. I was certain there wasn't a more beautiful crystal anywhere on Earth.

And... go!

At a thought, the blood crystal shot toward the wall. The hard wall was slashed open, as easily as cutting through mud. This blood crystal was far superior to a directly formed Blood Blade in both hardness and sharpness.

Though it had come as a surprise, I'd more or less confirmed it: this was an "advancement" of my ability.

When I'd researched supernatural abilities at the Winter Arrival City Library, I'd learned that a person's ability didn't necessarily stay the same forever. Repeated use could make it stronger and stronger, and once it reached a certain point, some external stimulus might trigger its evolution. That was what an ability advancement was.

A person's first awakened ability was called their "Basic Supernatural Ability." Once it advanced, it produced a new power, usually an extension of the original ability, called an "Advanced Supernatural Ability." If a Basic Supernatural Ability was the trunk, then an Advanced Supernatural Ability was the branches and leaves extending from it, capable of raising the user's strength by a little or a lot. Some people's abilities never advanced in their entire lives; others advanced more than a dozen times. Some advancements brought little improvement, while others made the ability unbelievably powerful. It all came down to luck.

My ability's advancement had undoubtedly brought a huge improvement. I wondered how many times my ability could advance. I thought back to the terrifying power of its original owner in my dream, draining countless corpses dry in an instant. Would I become that strong someday, too?

Come to think of it, the original owner of this ability... it had to be the Blood Mist. And from what I'd seen in my dream, it—or should I say "she"?—had once been humanoid, and a woman. Whenever I had free time, I'd try to work out her identity based on my dreams about the Blood Mist. Now I could be sure of a few things: the Blood Mist had once been called "Blood Fiend." She was a woman, a subordinate of some powerful man, and had been sent to gather materials for the World Crossing Gate. Then, for some unknown reason, her body had fallen apart and she'd crossed over to Earth.

That powerful man was gathering materials for the World Crossing Gate. So was I. In the not-too-distant future, I'd probably be bound to come into conflict with him. And he seemed to be in charge of some organization. He was definitely no good...

Looks like I had to hurry up and get stronger. If my power had been passed down from that Blood Fiend, then as long as I worked hard, I should be able to become as strong as she was.

With that in mind, I stopped letting Si Nan Ying drag me around and went out to find an empty room, where I could train my Advanced Supernatural Ability. I could now form blood crystals through sheer force of will, but my speed and efficiency were so pathetic it was almost unbearable. I was still a long way from using them freely in actual combat.

Once we reached the Imperial Capital, I was sure to run into plenty of powerful opponents... Whether to protect myself or others, I needed greater strength.

I spent the remaining days of the journey training.

Several days later—

"Blood Blade!"

A curved arc of blood shot toward the wall.

"Crystallize!"

With a clink, the edge of the blood blade crystallized, its sharpness surging. In an instant, it reduced the wall to rubble.

"Crystal Shield!"

Blood crystals gathered in front of me, forming a massive shield covered in intricate patterns in the blink of an eye. Flecks of crystal light gleamed across its surface. It was indestructible.

"Nice..."

Looking at the results of my training over the past few days, I was extremely satisfied. If I ran into that Desolate Beast again, I was confident I could beat the hell out of it without any weapon enhancement!

Bang!

The storeroom door was shoved open, and Si Nan Ying rushed in, brimming with excitement.

"Quit hiding in here and come look!" Before I could ask what was going on, she grabbed me and dragged me outside.

"What on earth happened?" I was completely baffled.

"We're here! The Imperial Capital!"

We made our way through the corridor and up the stairs, finally reaching the deck. The bright sunlight stung my eyes, and I rubbed them. When I opened them again—

"Incredible..."

The first thing that came into view was an endless stretch of vermilion city walls, towering high and enclosing the entire Imperial Capital. The buildings grew taller the closer they were to the center. At the very heart of the city stood a snow-white tower. Even from outside the city, I could feel its magnificent presence. I could just make out several black "ribbons" stretching from the tower, spiraling down around it and spreading through the streets below.

Outside the city walls lay an exceptionally wide moat. The Longbridge Canal ran along the west side of the Imperial Capital, right beside the walls, and formed part of the moat. Two man-made tributaries branched off from the canal. One wound through the Imperial Capital; the other skirted the walls and encircled the entire city, completing the rest of the moat.

A city gate stood open to the north, south, east, and west. Four enormous elevated bridges crossed the water, connecting the Imperial Capital to the outside world. The west gate beside the Longbridge Canal was the city's main entrance, and the elevated bridge leading to it was more than a hundred meters wide—a truly grand sight.

"Everyone entering or leaving the Imperial Capital has to cross an elevated bridge. Even the Si Nan Family is no exception," Si Nan Ying explained eagerly. "So once we dock, we'll transfer to the convoy waiting here and ride into the city."

"Talk about tight security..."

"Once we get to the Imperial Capital, we'll head back to the Si Nan Main Family and get some proper rest. Then I'll show you around. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great~"

At the Si Nan Family's North Compound.

"I heard little sister is back?"

A tall, lean man sat beside the table. His deep purple hair fell to his shoulders, and his deep purple eyes were inscrutable. His posture looked casual, yet he radiated an air of invulnerability.

"That's right. And word is she's finally learned to control her ability."

"Oh?" The tall, lean man—Si Nan Xing—raised an eyebrow. "So we can't treat her like that little lamb who used to let everyone push her around anymore? What a pity..."

At the Si Nan Family's East Compound.

"Lord Feng, Lord Feng, I want you~~~ Ah~~~~~~~"

With a cry of climax, the naked beauty's body went limp. She collapsed onto the bed, lost in the sweet afterglow.

Si Nan Feng put on a robe, its open front revealing his strong muscles. He glanced back at the bed. Seven or eight stunning women lay sprawled across it, panting softly, while Si Nan Feng was still standing at attention, nowhere near satisfied.

"Hmph. You're all finished so quickly, every last one of you. You're so useless..."

At the Si Nan Family's West Compound.

"Brother Gan Ming, is it really all right to handle this problem this way?"

"Of course it's fine, Ah Cheng. Just listen to me. As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about a thing."

In the bright, spacious room, two men sat facing each other. Both had purple hair and purple eyes, but the auras they gave off were worlds apart.

Si Nan Ganming was quite handsome, a wicked glint flickering in his eyes. Si Nan Cheng, on the other hand, had a baby face, and every move he made seemed timid. He didn't look like he had an opinion of his own.

Ah Cheng... you've always been like this since you were little. You have no mind of your own and rely on me for everything, Si Nan Ganming thought.

So just be my puppet like a good boy!

At the Tartaglia Family's dungeon.

Crack! With a terrifying snap, a long, thick leather whip lashed across a naked man's body, sending blood flying.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that..." The woman holding the whip wiped the sweat from her brow. "You really won't talk? Where's that shipment?"

"Save your breath. I'll never betray the boss!" The man furrowed his brow, refusing to yield an inch.

"Tch... If the Mind Reading user weren't away, I would've—"

"What's going on? What's with all the noise?" Suddenly, a sweet, clear voice rang out from the dungeon doorway.

"M-Miss Haoyue! What brings you here?"

"I was just in the mood." As she spoke, the beautiful young woman walked gracefully toward the man. He lifted his head to look at her. The moment he saw her, he froze completely.

"Staring at a lady's face isn't very polite, you know. I heard a little of the interrogation just now. You certainly are a man of principle."

Only then did the man come to his senses. Forcing himself to ignore the girl's breathtaking beauty, he gritted his teeth. "Are you trying to use your beauty to seduce me? How many times do I have to say it? I'll never give in!"

Looking at the stubborn man, the girl only smiled. Her red lips parted, and she named a number. "400."

"F-Four hundred?"

"1000." The girl named another number.

"What are you talking about!?"

"I'm just making an offer." Her smile didn't change in the slightest.

"On the black market, 400 Tong Coins is enough to buy one night with your beautiful wife. Add another 600 Tong Coins, and you can buy your adorable daughter's virginity, too."

"You!?"

Five minutes later...

"I'm sorry... I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you anything. Please, don't touch them..." The man was on the verge of breaking down, his earlier resolve gone without a trace.

"See? Was that so hard? It's a pleasure doing business with you, my good sir."

Haoyue Tartaglia covered her mouth with a smile and glided out of the gloomy dungeon.

The girl in pure white hummed softly as she strolled through the sunlit courtyard. The scene was beautiful and unreal, as if it would dissolve like the morning mist if one looked away for even a moment.

"The weather is lovely today, isn't it?"

Haoyue murmured to herself.

"I have a feeling I'll meet the person fate has chosen for me today~"