Once only four people remained in the hall, Marcus slowly descended from his throne and finally admitted, "I did indeed have the idea of releasing William. I wanted him to become Half-blood as well, to regain his sanity."
Trillian poured cold water on the situation directly:
"That's impossible. We've all met your father. He said even his blood can't bring William back to his senses."
These few words instantly threw Marcus off balance. He leaned forward abruptly, his voice trembling. "What did you say? You've seen Alexander? My father?"
Alexander, the only original ancestor in the world and the source of immortal blood. But he was aloof and stayed away from the conflict between the two tribes. He hid in the world for thousands of years, and his whereabouts were elusive. Even his own son rarely found any trace of his father.
Marcus couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
He pressed for an answer:
"When and where? How did you come to see him?"
He lost his composure.
"It seems I let something slip..." Trillian touched her nose.
Then she changed the subject, "But you seem to have misunderstood. We're asking you, not the other way around."
"That's not important," Hermione interjected.
"The important thing is, it's impossible for William to regain his sanity. Even the Wizarding World's methods can't save him."
Hermione's words were not unfounded; there were precedents. The Wizarding World had tried to save the Longbottoms, whose minds were destroyed by the Cruciatus Curse, but all their efforts were in vain. They could only provide care, but could not heal their shattered minds.
Marcus finally admitted, "I do have other ideas. If I'm this strong after fusing with mixed wolf blood, perhaps I could become even stronger if I found William and fused with his blood."
Draco asked casually:
What's the point of becoming stronger?
Marcus, as if he'd heard a joke, retorted, "Aren't you constantly getting stronger too?"
"No," Draco denied, then explained:
I have no need to become stronger.
Marcus paused for a moment, then said, "That's because you're incredibly strong, unmatched by anyone, so you don't have that need. I'm not strong enough, far inferior to you, so I want to become stronger."
"I'm not your enemy either, and you don't need to compare yourself to me," Draco said calmly. "Because I won't be staying in North America forever. If I leave, you'll be a top-tier fighter. So, in your current state, there's no need for you to become stronger."
"Unless..." Hermione's eyes sharpened.
"Unless you have other needs, what do you want to do?"
Marcus had no choice but to state his purpose:
"Of course I also want to conquer the werewolves and combine the power of the two races. But I'm different from Viktor; he only wants to enslave the werewolves. I've changed with the times. Werewolf have developed reason, so we can no longer treat them like livestock. I will make them enjoy the same treatment as vampires, and Werewolf officials can also hold positions within the vampire clan."
Hermione pointed out his biggest flaw, saying, "You want to unify the two races, which is certainly possible. After all, the two races share the same origin, and whether they are managed separately or under unified management, it's all good. But under the current conditions, the resentment between the two sides runs too deep. You absolutely cannot conquer them by force or make them obey you by force."
Draco chimed in on Marcus's point. "His idea was probably to restore William's sanity and have him lead the werewolves; he would lead the vampires. Their combined prestige would allow them to rule together."
Hermione frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Since William can't regain his senses, why don't you choose someone else? Wouldn't Lucian work? Isn't he highly respected among the wolf pack?"
" Lucian does indeed have extremely high prestige among the wolf pack and could lead the pack. But he doesn't have the blood of the progenitor, so he's not qualified."
"So even knowing that William has lost his mind and is beyond redemption, you still want to find him at all costs?"
"Yes," Marcus answered without hesitation.
Hermione bluntly pointed out:
"Your ruling philosophy is too extreme. You're not even as good as Kraven; at least that guy analyzed the pros and cons and did what was advantageous. You're stubborn and act only according to your own ideas, and in the end, your people will only become your victims."
" Kraven?" Marcus scoffed. "Just an opportunist who only knows how to seek profit and avoid harm, and how to live a life of ease. He gravitates towards profit and shrinks from danger. He can gain temporary stability, but he can't solve the age-old deadlock in his blood."
After dismissing Kraven with disdain, Marcus seized on a point Hermione had made and retorted, "You say I'm sacrificing my people, but change is never without its costs."
"The two races are killing each other, and countless people are dying in the endless fighting. Is it not a sacrifice to continue maintaining the status quo and watch wave after wave of our people die from hatred?"
Kraven's approach was merely patching up the existing mess; the contradictions and the hatred remained.
"The next conflict will again result in bloodshed."
"I admit that some will resist the transformation, and some will endure the pain of change. But if we succeed, future generations of our people will no longer be shackled by the sunlight and silverware, no longer burdened by the destiny of killing each other across generations. A short pain is always better than an endless, prolonged one."
Marcus's tone grew increasingly firm:
"It's not that I can't see the suffering of my people, but I'm unwilling to compromise with the quagmire of reality. Kraven may compromise and back down for the sake of immediate gains and losses, but what the First Ancestor should do is not to indulge in the current pain, but to cut off the root of the problem."
In your eyes, this is called acting willfully.
In my eyes, this is the only way to escape the cycle of reincarnation.
"As for those who are unwilling to accept it... if a new world is already before them, and they still cling to old grudges and blood feuds, then they are destined to become victims of the times."
Minmin caught the key information in his words: "Wait, you said we won't be bound by silverware and sunlight anymore?"
Draco noticed this as well.
Marcus nodded. "Yes."
This was a novel idea, suddenly opening up the minds of Draco and the others, who had been led astray by Lucian and his group.
Half-blood requires obtaining blood from vampire elders and then experimenting on werewolves. After Alexander appeared, Half-blood was no longer so difficult; all it took was drinking a sip of the ancestor's blood.
In that case...
Seeing their reactions, Marcus seemed to see a glimmer of hope and began to boast about his idea. "I want to find William and obtain his blood for fusion. After a successful fusion, we won't be afraid of sunlight or silver. Then, we can extend this to our people, turning them all into Half-blood life forms, and then there won't be any distinction between you and me."
"It still doesn't feel right."
Hermione quickly regained her composure, thought of something, and shook her head, pointing out the fatal flaw in Marcus's plan: