Chapter 58: Blood Stone

The suffocating atmosphere lasted for a while as the two stayed in the middle looking at each other.

The middle-aged man was examining Keith's body with his blood-qi, but he didn't find anything interesting. That was precisely what was making him restless. 

Staying calm inside the body tampering chamber made for final stage blood warriors was already incredible. The man didn't find any signs of warrior frame activation or any other blood-qi technique.

If he were to use any blood-qi technique to stay unharmed inside this chamber, that would've been easier to digest. But the boy in front of him didn't use any such technique, at least he couldn't detect it.

This was incredible considering he didn't have that much experience in manipulating blood-qi. Even if he did, staying calm like this was still shocking. At least a normal vampire who activated blood-qi would fight the pressure and show some sign of struggle.

This young man in front of him showed no such sign. After examining Keith, the man activated his card and the pressure slowly faded and the blood runes returned to their original arrangement.

"You are quite the interesting specimen." 

"Mr. Visit, you are saying as if you will dissect me," Keith said with a frown.

"Oh! I would've if you weren't a student of this academy. Labeling an unknown freak as a unique research specimen wouldn't be that hard. Just have to stay away from those council dogs." Mr. Visit said with an indignant expression.

"Then I have to thank the ancestors, for bestowing me such incredible luck," Keith replied.

"Hmm… Hmm… You are indeed lucky. How about you join our Department." 

"This… I just arrived here. I haven't seen a fraction of the campus yet, not to mention the other departments. I appreciate the offer, and I might take it, but I need some time to decide what is best for me." 

"Fair enough. You are special and I know it. If we don't snatch you from those other departments, that will be m… our loss." Mr. Visit looked at Keith with greedy eyes.

" Sir, if you keep looking at me like that, I'm afraid I will have to join another department.

"Ahem! Sorry for that. I can't control myself when something catches my attention."

He turned around and walked in a certain direction.

"Come, I will show you the best training chamber for final stage barons. You will surely like it." 

Keith followed him and soon reached another hall, but this was the opposite of the first one he entered. This chamber was illuminated by large lamps and blood runes filled the room with ambient blood-qi which was three times higher than the cave he absorbed corrupted blood-qi.

Contrary to the corrupted blood-qi in that cave, this place was filled with the purest blood-qi he had ever encountered. He also knew that regular vampires couldn't absorb blood-qi from regular vampires due to the conflicting attributes.

So this whole place had to be filled with human blood. 

"Sir, how can this place help the blood warriors?" Keith asked.

"When you master your warrior frame and can control your blood-qi output, this place will stimulate your frame and help you condense blood-qi many times faster. This is only useful to the blood warriors, as warrior frames have a special trait that allows them to condense blood-qi faster.

'It's definitely because the warrior frame acts as an auxiliary blood core.' Keith thought.

After upgrading his warrior frame to viscount level, his frame was able to condense blood-qi within it. It was way slower than the blood core, but both of them combined, the efficiency was significantly higher.

" What do you think?"

"It's a good place, but it won't be enough to keep me here." Keith looked at him with a disappointed face.

He was trying to see how far Mr. Visit will go to keep him in this department. Even if he didn't get anything better, it was worth a try. Besides, his primary goal was to join the Blood Esper department.

"You haven't created your warrior frame yet, but you want better environments. You have quite the appetite." Mr. Visit frowned.

"If this is what you can provide me, then I will take my leave. It was nice talking to you, hope to meet again, when you've lost your interest in me." Keith turned around and started walking.

"Alright. You want a good reason to stay. Very well." He threw something toward Keith.

Its trajectory arced in the air and headed straight to Keith's hands. 

Keith also sensed the throw, so he opened his fist and caught it. When he touched the object his whole body jolted.

[ Purified blood essence detected ]

A loud system notification rang in Keith's head.

[ What? Who woke up this goddess? You…]

'Shut up!'

The system suddenly went silent. After a few moments, it noticed that the thing in Keith's hands was so rich in blood essence, that the system had almost mistaken it for a blood core. But after examining it, there was no sign of blood-qi, only pure attributes with less blood essence.

"What is this?" Keith asked while turning around.

"A high-grade bloodstone. Hope this changes your mind, because no one in the other departments can give you this much bloodstone, let alone this grade." 

"Then, why are you giving me such a precious treasure?" Keith couldn't rationalize Mr. Visit's action.

Did he want to recruit him for the department, or did he want to keep him by his side, so he could study him? Like he previously said, he would've made Keith his lab rat if not for the student id he had on him.

Still, giving him such a valuable item, what did he see in him? Sure, he did pretty well inside the blood tampering chamber, but it was nothing outstanding. He didn't even show him his warrior frame.

How was he so sure that Keith had what he was looking for? Or did he do this without the hope of gaining anything? But why? Who would gamble on a nobody they just met?

"I know what you are thinking, but you don't have to give me that strange look. I have a lot more of these stones lying on my lab." Mr. Visit said with a proud smile as if flaunting his wealth.

"Sir, who are you? How can you afford this much? I refuse to believe you are just a retainer at this training facility."

The number of resources the man in front of him claimed was by no means a small amount, quite the opposite. This much resource was unheard of in his hometown. Even Ennes' family didn't have this much.

"Well, you could say I'm kind of a retainer because I made this place and all the training grounds were designed by me. So of course I will have this much." Mr. Visit proudly declared.

"You are a blood ritualist." Keith joined the pieces together and came to this conclusion.

"Of course. How would you explain all the clearances, considering I'm not even a blood warrior? I simply like this place so I stay here all the time.

The dean also gave me a position, so it doesn't look like I'm idling around, which I never do." 

"So what are we doing now?" Keith asked with a frown.

" This is part of my job too. To seek talented seedlings for the department. You have caught my eyes, so I will have to try everything in my power to lure you into our department." 

"One question? Why do you keep saying our department? I thought, blood ritualists have a separate department, dedicated to various research," Keith asked.

"Meh, it's just them slaving me away. I don't want to act on their orders. I want to do whatever I like. How dare they tell me to sit at one place and make countless blood runes. Hateful" 

Keith was amazed by this man's deposition. Also, his lack of care for any of the seniors was something he found amazing. If you think about it, in general, it was impossible to disobey superiority in this hierarchical environment, It could only happen if the person was really influential.

"From the look on your face you might be thinking, who am I to disobey the Director? Well, they don't have a choice. I am the only one who can make what they want. Even though I'm not a count, I am more important than a Duke.

Ritualists are very rare, to begin with. But some of them also specialize in certain fields, so their value is way higher than ordinary ritualists. What I'm capable of, only a handful can do in the entire continent." 

Keith looked at the middle-aged man in a whole other light. At first, he thought he was just a crazy old man who was a cannibal, trying to lure him into his trap. But now that he found out about him and his capabilities, he didn't take him lightly.

He clenched the bloodstone in his hands and felt the rich blood essence flowing within it. This man was rich, very rich in fact. He could provide him with blood stones if he could keep him interested in him.

[Quick! Quick! Agree! I want that blood stone. My energy has been running out lately. I can't come out as often like before.] 

'You better stay inside and not eat my brain, or else I will return this blood stone to him.

[Okay! Okay! I will shut up.]

Keith looked at Mr. Visit, who was smiling at him.

"I will.."

"What's that?"

"I will join this department, but on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You have to give me one of these every week," Keith replied with a serious face.

"Hey! Do you know how valuable these are? I'm not that benevolent."

"Alright, no deal then." Keith turned around to leave.

"Kid, you better become my lab assistant, if you want to get one high-grade blood stone each week." 

"See you later, Mr. Visit. I might never visit you… Haha," Keith waved his hands as he walked forward.

"FINE! But you must give me one day to study your physique. This is my final offer."  A look of frustration flashed in his eyes.

Keith turned around and smiled gently.

"Now, this marks the start of a great partnership."