Chapter 516: Before I figure it out, don’t die
"I gave the Blood Ancestor her first embrace."
The moment Vladimir uttered those words, even Master Fool was stunned.
Everyone, whether they knew the Blood Ancestor or not, fell silent.
The first embrace was a ritual in the blood clan, akin to creating a new vampire. Mike had never imagined that Vladimir would be so bold. He hadn't attacked the Blood Ancestor-he had turned her into a vampire!
In a way, Vladimir had *created* the Blood Ancestor!
Dracula's face was contorted with rage, his eyes burning with fury. He looked like he wanted to reduce Vladimir to ashes.
If it hadn't been for the sudden rise of the last Blood Ancestor, Dracula would have become the final Blood Ancestor himself! History would have been rewritten! At the very least, Dracula wouldn't be in the position he was today.
In a fit of rage, Dracula grabbed Vladimir by the throat and shook him violently. "The Blood Ancestor should have been me! Tell me, why did she become the Blood Ancestor? Tell me!"
He was practically losing his mind.
Vladimir, rolling his eyes from the lack of air, muttered, "Maybe because she beat you up during the River of Blood trial?"
Dracula's expression darkened even further.
Losing to the Blood Ancestor during the trial had always been one of Dracula's most embarrassing memories. Anyone who brought it up was as good as dead!
But Vladimir, in his current state of reckless abandon, didn't care. If he was going to dig his own grave, he might as well go all the way.
The Lower Three Races had a defining characteristic: whoever had the biggest fists was the leader.
The Blood Ancestor and the Elf Ancestor had both risen to power through trials that tested their strength.
The Wolf Alpha was even more straightforward anyone, even a non-werewolf, could become the Alpha as long as they defeated the current Alpha in combat.
In other words, in the contest for the position of Blood Ancestor, the highly favored Dracula had lost to an unknown girl?
Mike fell into deep thought. *This sounds like the plot of a web novel.*
"This is getting messy. Let's sort it out," Mike said, stopping Dracula and motioning for Vladimir to sit back down in the "defendant's seat."
"You bought Lilith and her sister, accidentally gave her sister the first embrace, and then what?"
"No, no, no," Vladimir corrected. "I only gave Lilith's sister the first embrace. As for how Lilith became a vampire, I have no idea."
Lilith had no ambition whatsoever, and Vladimir had never considered her worthy of the first embrace. Even back when he was just a Count, Vladimir wouldn't have turned just anyone into a vampire. The more powerful a vampire was, the more they valued the purity of their bloodline.
Everyone's reaction was the same: "And then?"
"And then?" Vladimir's expression grew complicated as he looked at Mike. "The day after the first embrace, I received a notice from the Duke: the great Prince Dracula was on a northern hunt and might pass through my territory. I was instructed to prepare for his arrival. After I finished making all the arrangements, my subordinates informed me that a group of humans had gone missing. I didn't think much of it at the time..."
It had been so long ago.
Dracula vaguely remembered the northern hunt, but he had no idea that, in preparing for his arrival, a vampire Count had worked himself to the bone, neglecting to notice that a newly created vampire had escaped. That vampire would later become the Blood Ancestor, sweeping through the ages like a storm.
It was like a domino effect, setting off a chain reaction that would change the course of history.
Countless years later, in this small room, the truth was slowly unfolding before everyone's eyes, leaving them speechless.
"The most ridiculous part is..." Vladimir rolled his eyes. "The great forbidden prince Dracula never actually passed through Count Vladimir's territory!"
Dracula: ...
After hearing this absurd yet true story, Mike couldn't help but sigh. "Bureaucracy kills."
If Dracula hadn't gone on the northern hunt, Vladimir wouldn't have had to prepare for his arrival. If Vladimir hadn't been busy preparing, the still-weak Blood Ancestor wouldn't have had the chance to escape. If the Blood Ancestor hadn't escaped, Dracula would have become the new Blood Ancestor...
Everything that followed wouldn't have happened, and history would have been rewritten.
"Alright, I think that's about as much as you're willing to confess," Mike said, clapping his hands to signal the end of the conversation.
Vladimir's secrets had been dug up thoroughly. But at the end of the day, the Blood Ancestor was dead, and all discussions about her were just reflections on the past.
The living had to keep living.
"I'll give you all a piece of information for free."
When the word "free" came out of Mike's mouth, everyone present frowned.
In Thor's world, anything free was bound to be the most expensive!
"I'll have to find another way," Mike thought to himself.
He decided to ask Apollo for help. If that didn't work, he'd consult the Tower Spirit.
"Meeting adjourned!" Mike clapped his hands, dismissing everyone.
The matter of the Blood Ancestor was now closed.
Mike still had his Abyss internship to attend to-he needed to head to the Eighth Abyss to
deal with Poseidon.
Even with Maxen accompanying him, Mike wanted to be fully prepared.
...
Back in the Forest of Truth, Mike hesitated for a moment but decided not to seek out Apollo.
For one thing, the white cloud hadn't appeared, which meant Apollo hadn't initiated a
conversation.
For another, Mike wasn't the same person he used to be!
*It's just a trip to the Abyss. Do I really need Apollo to save me every time?*
A potential Supreme Being should act like one!
Mike decided to toughen up for once!
He walked down the main road of the Forest of Truth, his chest puffed out, feeling a surge of
confidence rising within him.
But he hadn't taken more than three steps before he froze, his body stiffening, his pupils
contracting.
At the other end of the road, Mike saw... a butterfly. Normally, a white butterfly could easily be mistaken for a moth.
But as soon as this butterfly appeared, Mike knew it was no ordinary butterfly. It was like a
cloud, a butterfly as pure as white clouds.
Mike didn't move, and the butterfly flew toward him.
"Good morning," Mike said cautiously.
"Good morning," the butterfly replied, its voice ethereal and distant, in the familiar style of
Apollo.
After exchanging greetings, the butterfly landed in front of Mike and said seriously, "I'm
close to figuring it out."
Mike's heart skipped a beat. He decided to play dumb and asked, "Figuring out what?" The butterfly replied earnestly, "Whether I'm a butterfly or Apollo." Mike realized he couldn't play dumb anymore, so he asked, "How long?"
The butterfly gave a time frame. "As short as three to five days, as long as two months."
Compared to the many years Apollo had spent pondering this question, this was a blink of an
eye.
For Apollo, figuring this out was undoubtedly a good thing. After receiving the answer, Mike asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?" The butterfly in front of Mike could be considered Apollo's projection, or perhaps even his
avatar. For Apollo to appear in this form was extremely rare, which meant he had something important to ask of Mike.
If Mike needed something from Apollo, he would go to Apollo. But if Apollo came to Mike, it
meant Apollo had a request.
Mike was the only one who could understand this dynamic so quickly and ask the right
question.
In a way, after so many interactions with Apollo, Mike had mastered the art of efficient
communication with the Supreme Being.
The butterfly answered seriously, "Before I figure it out, don't die."