After asking the question, [ Nether Crossing ] realized he had spoken out of turn.
He was no longer a cardinal of the Theocracy, nor were he facing those Stained Ones blindly obeyed him.
The tone just now was a bit too didactic, which is how Sailesi's memories sometimes are—unintentionally influencing his thinking and judgment.
But words spoken cannot be taken back, so [ Nether Crossing ] looked at the vampire in front of him, waiting for the other's response.
"Hmm, that's actually quite easy to guess."
Kailun pondered for a few seconds before explaining:
"There are very few valuable things in the Demon Realm. If you had come here decades ago, you might have come for some of the last remaining demons who were on the verge of extinction."
"But it's too late to say you're here for that reason now—two months ago, the Duke of York found and executed the last shapeshifter, and now there are no other species left in the entire Demon Realm besides the Blood Corpse and you."
"At this point, you've come here, only for the Blood Corpse."
[ Nether Crossing ] nodded and said:
You're right, so I won't hide anything from you.
"We've come here to find a Grand Duke. If you can help us, you can certainly spare our lives."
"May I ask which Grand Duke you are looking for?"
[ Nether Crossing ] looked at Kailun and asked, feigning ignorance:
"What lineage of marquis are you?"
" Rosalind Lineage."
"Then I'll be talking to Grand Duke Wens; it won't have any impact on you."
[ Nether Crossing ] subconsciously assumed the other person was a supporter of Rosalind. In fact, most people would think the same after learning Kailun's identity, since who could guess that there was another Hall manipulating things under the suit?
Unexpectedly, Kailun shook her head upon hearing this:
"Then I can't help you."
She looked into [ Nether Crossing's] eyes and suggested:
"If you simply want to find the lineage master, how about changing your target? For example... Rosalind."
"Your lord? You're actually willing to betray her?"
[ Nether Crossing ] asked back with some surprise.
"That's right."
Kailun's tone was very firm:
" Rosalind is my lord, she must be sold for a good price."
"I think I'd be lucky to escape with my life."
[ Nether Crossing ] didn't press the matter further, but instead asked a different question:
Can you pinpoint Rosalind's location?
"Of course, but not the specific location."
Kailun replied without hesitation:
"We marquises are required to report to the Grand Duke regularly, so I can sense the Grand Duke's direction, but I don't know the exact distance."
"Then tell me, where is Rosalind's true form right now?"
Kailun pointed to the northwest upon hearing this:
"Over here, but it's a bit blurry, so it probably isn't very close."
"Um..."
Following the direction Kailun pointed, [ Nether Crossing ] looked towards a desolate area to the northwest, but did not choose to believe it immediately.
" Blood Corpse, an ancient race, have been the most terrifying type of demon since records began."
His voice was deep, but loud enough for Kailun to hear clearly.
All I know is your madness, and your... betrayal.
As soon as he finished speaking, [ Nether Crossing ] placed his hand on Kailun's shoulder.
A sharp, stinging pain shot through him. The vampire marquis, with the face of a young girl, turned his head and saw a cluster of blood-stained crystal flowers blooming on his left shoulder.
" Kailun Karen, if what you say is true, I will grant you additional favors once the plan succeeds. But if it's false, then go to hell and serve as Rosalind's vanguard."
"Don't worry, sir."
Kailun bowed slightly, her respect unlike that of a Blood Corpse with an underlying arrogance.
I will do everything in my power to... survive.
Deep within the Demon Realm, somewhere.
Nearly a million vampires have completely covered three consecutive barren hills, so much so that not a single patch of green can be seen.
From high above, not a trace of green could be seen. These vampires looked like a swarm of locusts that had devoured everything in their path, migrating south together.
Along the way, they devoured everything alive, everything that could be squeezed for life, until it lost its last hope of survival.
The extracted nutrients converged through countless tiny, almost invisible Blood Worm, and were eventually transported through channels made of flesh and blood to the very center of millions of Blood Corpse.
There stands a wooden platform tens of meters high.
If you have the chance to observe closely, you will find that this platform, which is about the size of a small cruise ship, is slowly moving.
The source of their power is the tens of thousands of Blood Corpse at the bottom, who are working hard.
At the very top of the platform, a noblewoman in a burgundy floor-length gown held a parasol that was more decorative than practical, her eyes gazing southwards into the distance.
And this is Rosalind, the " Gluttonous Lady," and her vampire army.
At this moment, these vampires are located on the northwest side of the Demon Realm. More than ten years have passed since they last came here, and the vegetation here has obviously recovered somewhat, allowing her legion to extract some nutrients from it again.
Although Rosalind is seen as a complete mad dog by everyone, including vampires, she is actually quite methodical in most of the time.
For example, she knows she can't break through the defenses of the Eternal Domain and the Graycast Corridor, so she chose to retreat inward and come to this land that is completely devoid of fertility to replenish her nutrients.
After finishing this area, she planned to lead her Gluttony Legion south, reaching the slightly warmer southern part of the Demon Realm before winter, where she might have to compete with Wens and York's vampire army for food.
I really want to eat them both up too!
Rosalind felt a long-lost appetite well up inside her, not from a physiological source, but simply from the instinct to devour her own kind.
Just then, a sudden thought struck her, and an indescribable sadness overwhelmed her.
The noblewoman's gaze shifted slightly to the right as she softly murmured the name:
Linda.
Her own child died in the southern part of the Demon Realm.
That was a vampire she herself had transformed over a hundred years ago, and her bond with Rosalind was quite deep.
Before the outbreak of the Demonic Tide, the spread of the Blood Poison was not so easy; there were even some ancient rituals that needed to be observed.
At that time, vampire was actually a synonym for elite, since vampires were happy to transform humans, and not all humans could catch their eye.
So at that time, the humans who were transformed into vampires were indeed traitors to the human race on one hand, but on the other hand, it was also an affirmation of their abilities.