Chapter 86 Jiang Yang of Blackrock City hates drinking, but after drinking, he will…

Ji Yang and Xie Lu met Wu Yibai on their way to the First District. At that time, the two were about to get off the car and head to the bar street where a certain lord in the First District was located.

"What is he doing here?" Ji Yang couldn't help but wonder. The trial in Blackrock City was not like Un Entertainment. Before the Tower had fully obtained the authority, there would be no situation like the re-signing of authority when it was delegated. So Wu Yibai's appearance meant either that someone was under S-level supervision in this trial, or that there was some new arrangement that the Tower could not directly delegate.

Ji Yang immediately made the decision, "I'll go down and take a look in a bit."

The two sat in the car patiently waiting for Wu Yibai to leave. Ji Yang also told Jiang Yang about it. Then they went to the direction where Wu Yibai had appeared and patiently searched. Finally, they found a black walnut-colored suitcase near the trash can at the back door of the bar.

Sherlu initially thought it was just some junk left behind, but he discovered a symbol on it that would never appear in Blackrock City: a cross.

Vampires have a natural fear of the Church, so there shouldn't be anything like this in Blackrock City. This means it's highly likely that Wu Yibai placed it there, but why would he do that... and what's inside...?

To avoid triggering some mechanism that would directly transmit the message to Wu Yibai, they simply squatted to the side and observed. Ji Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully, his brows furrowed. He suddenly asked, "What are we doing here?"

“I’m looking for someone to cooperate with,” Xie Lu said, then explained, “If all the members of the chariot participate in this auction, including those they hunted, there should be ten Blood Servants. The number of lords and dukes currently existing in the First District is about eight or nine.”

"To be on the safe side, let's have Kirby bid on Nan Ke, and then find someone to collaborate with on bidding on Jiang Yang."

Ji Yang seemed to be deep in thought. The task on the panel was still about participating in the Blood Servant Auction. He and Xie Lu had taken advantage of a loophole in the rules to participate as bidders. If the purpose of the Blood Servant Auction was to get them into the first district, then the new task would most likely be related to the people who participated in the auction. "Let's go and take a look near the other lords."

The two hit it off immediately. As Ji Yang had predicted, the same box also appeared in a duke's art gallery and a lord's tomb. It seemed that Wu Yibai had made preparations in advance for the evening's auction. As for the contents of the box, even if they couldn't open it, it was probably aimed at vampires.

"What are the chances that these lords and dukes will not be auctioned off?" Ji Yang asked.

Xie Lu shook his head and denied it outright, "No way."

"What about the possibility of us filming them all?"

"This is the last auction before the end of the year. The ownership of the Blood Servant slots will directly affect the power structure of each party next year. It is no less difficult to win all of them than to make them not participate at all."

"I see... Have there ever been cases where an item failed to sell at auction?"

"I don't recall any, but... there were a few times when the transaction price was much lower than we expected, but that was because the Blood Servant itself had defects."

“A flaw,” Ji Yang murmured, turning his head to beckon Xie Lu. Xie Lu immediately leaned in, and after hearing something Ji Yang said, he looked momentarily stunned, even asking incredulously, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Ji Yang rolled his eyes at him. "What, are you scared?"

"How could that be!" Xie Lu retorted stubbornly. "Then I'll explain to Kabi."

"Yes, just focus on the Hanged Man and Xiong Bingxin, we can put the others on hold for now."

Ten minutes later, the two returned to the bar street.

The car stopped at the street corner, and Ji Yang, led by Xie Lu, walked to one of the shops. Black Stone City was deserted during the day, and almost all the shops were closed. Xie Lu stepped forward and gently knocked on the door. A face that looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old peeked out from inside. The boy had a cold, pale face with an incongruous aloofness. He asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Xie Lu narrowed his cold eyes, sharply scrutinizing the person from head to toe, before solemnly fabricating a story: "Where are your parents? Hiring child laborers in a bar violates Blackrock City's regulations and can land you in jail."

The boy glanced at him sideways, then turned and walked inside without a word. Xie Lu curled his lip in boredom and beckoned Ji Yang to join him inside. The shop was dimly lit, with only a beam of white light shining on the man mixing drinks behind the bar.

The boy stepped forward and said coldly, "Someone is trying to arrest you."

Ke Ren nonchalantly stirred the cocktail glass with a spoon, a smile unconsciously appearing in his eyes as the vortex in the glass swirled. Xie Lu nudged Ji Yang with his shoulder and turned his head to introduce him in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: "His name is Leto, and he is the second lord of the first district."

As he spoke, Xie Lu walked to the bar. Leto was pouring white liquid into a glass. Seeing Xie Lu approach, he pushed the glass in front of Xie Lu and said with a smile, "Drink this before you grab something."

“I’ll call this glass plain water. What would your friend like to drink, Lu?”

Xie Lu picked up his glass and swirled it gently. The liquid hit the glass and bounced back quickly, like waves hitting rocks. "He has to drive later, so he can't drink."

“Okay, Lu, is this the friend you mentioned earlier? But he doesn’t seem to be the same as you described.”

Ji Yang didn't speak, his gaze inadvertently shifting between the two. Xie Lu held up his cup, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one gulp. The taste of white rum spread in his mouth. He casually wiped his lips with the back of his hand and replied, "It's not him."

Leto was referring to Nanke, and Xie Lu emphasized again, "They're not friends either."

Seemingly unwilling to dwell on this issue, Xie Lu quickly changed the subject, asking, "Who is that child?"

“My father’s illegitimate son who had been living away from home. When I got home after hearing the news, I saw him covered in blood, ignoring everyone and not saying a word. I didn’t know what he had been through, so I took him in.”

"Hey kid, come here," Leto beckoned to the boy, who walked up to him like a zombie. Leto pinched the boy's cheek. "Leco, call me brother."

Leco slapped away the hand in front of him and coldly replied, "Childish!"

Leto, feeling awkward, rubbed his nose and turned to Xie Lu. "So what brings you here?"

"The Blood Servant Auction is coming up soon, and I'd like to collaborate with you," Xie Lu said.

"You know, the first sentence in my old man's last will and testament was that Number Two doesn't need blood servants to make a show of things. We didn't participate before, and we don't plan to participate this time either." When talking about business, Leto instantly dropped his gentle expression, becoming as sharp as a thorn on a rose stem.

“I understand, but I just want Number Two to help us with the bidding. Kirby will handle the related expenses and subsequent contracts.”

"Lu, even if I agree, the old folks left in the family won't agree. I'm sorry."

"Okay, I'll think of another way."

Xie Lu got up to leave, but Ji Yang, who had been silent, pressed Xie Lu's shoulder down and pushed him back into his chair. His finger traced the menu on the table as he asked, "Could you make me a glass of 'empty'?"

Leto stared into Ji Yang's eyes. Those dark eyes were expressionless, yet they unexpectedly gave him a sense of being seen through and made him feel guilty. He lowered his head evasively. "Of course."

Leto took a new glass from the wine rack behind him, then picked up a solid ice cube from the ice box on the table and placed it in the glass to stir. After the ice cube frosted on the glass, it strangely split into several lines from the center of the bottom of the glass to the rim. Leto took the ice cube away, and the white light from above shone on the glass, refracting two letters.

JY

Ji Yang's emotions were unclear, and a message notification sounded on the panel.

There was no liquid in the cup in front of me, but perhaps there was still the gentle tears welling up in my eyes.

He took the glass of wine called "Empty," and as it cooled slightly, he lowered his head and sniffed it lightly. "So it's the taste of horned honey rum."

Upon hearing this, Leto lifted his eyelids and asked Xie Lu persistently, "Lu, do you know what you put in that glass you just drank?"

"I don't know," Xie Lu said. He and Leto had known each other in Black Rock City for a long time. Every time he came, it was because he was too lovesick and couldn't sleep, so he didn't care what was in the drink. "But it's very good," he said. It was always delicious.

Ji Yang put down his wine glass, which clinked against the table, scattering the initials of Jiang Yang's name. Leto looked up and subconsciously sighed, "It's empty."

“But it can also be filled,” Ji Yang said, pulling out a metal plaque engraved with the word “I” and inserting it diagonally into the cup.

Leto's soul jolted. He looked sharply at Ji Yang, then turned to Xie Lu. He clenched his fist and then suddenly relaxed it, seemingly struggling internally. Finally, Leto asked Xie Lu, "Is he among the people you asked me to help bid on?"

"who?"

"You are not a friend."

"Um."

"I can help you bid, but I have to win the bid and I need to see him."

"Okay," Xie Lu agreed readily and decisively.

At this moment, Ji Yang's observation room was crowded with onlookers, and one observer couldn't help but ask, "What kind of massive battleground is this?"

Someone roared, "They just agreed like that! Aren't they afraid of a fight?! Isn't Xie Lu still having a falling out with Nan Ke?!"

It's no wonder they said that. In fact, even Ji Yang couldn't help but glance at him. But Xie Lu, who was slow to react, never cared about any feelings other than Nan Ke. To him, Wright was nothing more than a colleague in Blackrock City who didn't cause trouble and made things easy for him. At best, he could be considered a friend. As for what Wright really thought, he didn't care.

Nan Ke, who had originally sought comfort from Jiang Yang, slipped back to her room after failing to find solace. Jiang Yang, seeing the bottles and drinks scattered on the sofa, couldn't bear it any longer and began to clean them up.

After doing all that, he lay down on the sofa. His gaze inadvertently fell on the half-empty bottle of wine left on the small coffee table. As if possessed, he sat up, stretched out his arm, and grabbed an empty wine glass. He took only one sip, and the strong alcohol irritated his throat, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Jiang Yang hates drinking.

But after drinking, he'll want to talk to people.

He only said two words, "Ji Yang".

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Author's Note: Merry Christmas everyone! Yay! I'm out having fun! So happy!