Trillian said disdainfully:
"Oh dear, aren't you too timid? How can a grown man be so afraid to even talk to someone?"
Just as Michael was becoming increasingly anxious, Draco gave him a boost of confidence. "Don't worry, Singe is just asking for your opinion. If he's against you, I'll make sure you're safe."
With Draco's assurance, Michael finally felt a little more at ease. But he still had to face a Werewolf scientist who looked at him like a living experiment and a stoic vampire killer, which still made his scalp tingle.
However, he still nodded reluctantly:
"Okay... okay then."
With the arrangements made, Draco, Hermione, Trillian, Kraven, and Selene went into the study, leaving Michael and Singe sitting face to face in the living room. Soren, as an observer, leaned against the wall, watching the two expressionlessly.
In the study, Draco, Hermione, and Trillian sat side by side on the sofa, while Selene and Kraven sat facing each other on the single sofas on either side. Before Kraven could speak, Trillian asked, "Why didn't you tell Selene sooner that Victor was the murderer of her entire family?"
Kraven was taken aback by the sudden question. Selene, who was opposite him, was also waiting for his answer. Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her voice, turning to Draco beside her to ask, " Victor, is he really the murderer who killed Selene's entire family?"
Draco nodded and replied in a low voice, " Kraven said so; he used to be Victor's bodyguard."
Hermione nodded in understanding, realizing the whole story.
After a brief pause, Kraven revealed the reason he had kept quiet for so many years. "It's not that I didn't want to tell her, but Selene has been brainwashed too much. If I told her, she would definitely suspect me and then drag me into a confrontation. That would not only kill me, but Selene would also die. You've all seen what happened today."
After hearing his explanation, Trillian mercilessly exposed his pretense. "In the end, you're just thinking of yourself."
" Selene has been deceived for six hundred years, hunting Werewolf, and now, after being deeply poisoned, she is forced to tell the truth. You're not afraid of her dying; you're just choosing the most advantageous time for yourself, while she suffers in the days to come."
After speaking, Trillian looked at Selene with deep sympathy, and Hermione also sighed, feeling pity.
"You're not afraid of a confrontation," Selene cut to the chase, "You're afraid that if something goes wrong, your conspiracy with the Werewolf will be exposed, ruining your power plans that you've coveted for hundreds of years, aren't you?"
"Yes." Kraven's candor was almost cruel. "I'm a selfish person; I can't be a saint. I want power. I may have mercy, but I won't take any risks. Because I've waited thousands of years for someone insignificant and severely brainwashed. I weighed the pros and cons and found it wasn't worth it."
Trillian frowned and asked,
Is power really that important?
Kraven showed no remorse for Trillian's confusion, readily admitting his extreme obsession with power.
"Yes, power is that important."
"With power comes the ability to monopolize everything. In a highly centralized society, everything is at the mercy of others."
Kraven gave the group several examples.
"Take resource monopoly for example. All the blood essence, habitats, and dark powers that vampires rely on for survival are controlled and allocated by the top leaders. The upper echelons squander them at will, while the lower-level vampires may not even be able to get a share of the capital for advancement even after a thousand years of hard work. They are locked into their original class from birth."
"Information monopoly: the top level controls all truths, all secrets, and the historical truths of all ethnic groups. They can arbitrarily distort the past, bury sins, cover up conspiracies, and silence everyone. What the lower levels hear, see, and know is all a filtered illusion, a set of illusions that you are allowed to know. You will forever live in an information prison woven by others."
"Education is monopolized. The schools we attend and the knowledge we learn are all pre-designed. Every branch of the vampire clan that wants to get into the top schools at headquarters spends billions in sweat and effort. But at headquarters, vampire students can get in just by wanting to. You think you've gotten into a good school? Actually, those are the remaining spots."
"That's why I only gave you a little soup because others didn't want it,"
"They have better opportunities, like going to the human world. They wouldn't even look down on the lousy teaching resources at headquarters, or rather, it's just a stepping stone. They've already been assigned jobs after graduation. Only the lower-level vampires consider getting into headquarters a great honor, and they boast about it and spread the word far and wide."
"Of course, this is a source of pride and honor for the family, but don't you think it's incredibly unfair? Why can he just lie down and get into the main campus, while I have to study hard for years? But what can I do if I don't take the exam? Are there any other options? Yes, but it takes courage."
"This is not the only choice in life."
"Education is nothing but a facade, a tool for deception and exploitation. It has always been this way. Why keep reforming? Because hereditary succession is too easy. It's full of slackers with no real skills. There's no other way. If the elders want to maintain their power, they need to create some real, hands-on positions for these people to do the work."
"Therefore, it can be said that job monopoly led to education monopoly."
"The factors mentioned above have led to the monopoly of money and resources. All the wealth, rare materials, and cultivation resources of the clan are controlled by the powerful and wealthy. The upper class is extravagant and possesses everything, while the lower-class clansmen struggle to survive. The gap between the rich and the poor has divided the entire clan, materially trapping the backbone of ordinary vampires."
"The final form of ideological monopoly is the most deadly and thorough. The top leadership constantly brainwashes all the lower-level members, establishing a false sense of ethnic faith, a false sense of honor, and a false standard of right and wrong. Everyone is made to regard obedience to the powerful as their duty, questioning the higher-ups as betrayal, and revealing the truth as a sin, willingly being manipulated, used, and sacrificed."
"In the end, it's individual monopoly. In the end, you're not yourself anymore. Your thoughts, your perceptions, your sense of right and wrong, your love and hate, your life, your destiny—none of it belongs to you. The tribe tells you who to hate, and you have to hate them; the powerful tell you who to kill, and you have to kill them; the upper class demands your sacrifice, and you must do it without hesitation. Individual will, dignity, and life are worthless in the face of totalitarian power."
Kraven stopped, letting out a soft breath. "There are far too many monopolies like this... too many to count."
He didn't list them all; if he were to go into detail, it would take until tomorrow to finish. Trillian listened quietly and then asked, "Then why did you dare to say these things?"