Chapter 498, Section 497: Xiaoxi's Loyalty

Sigismund did not leave the royal hall immediately after the parliamentary session ended.

Empires have always respected the strong.

He had just completely defeated Mofrey in the battle of wits, so His Majesty deliberately overlooked his mistake in the meeting to save face. This was the respect he deserved.

However, this does not mean that the heavy losses suffered by the army due to command errors and the hindrance to subsequent strategic deployments are simply glossed over.

It should be noted that even the prince who failed in the council meeting just now due to the force majeure of rage received some punishment, let alone him.

However, Sigismund came prepared.

In the shadows beneath the stone steps, Sigismund knelt on one knee, holding up a platinum container engraved with intricate runes in both hands.

Before the emperor could speak, he spoke first: "Your Majesty, please allow me to present 'Twilight Kiss'."

“Twilight Kiss…” Mortis leaned on his throne, gesturing for a guard to take the container and open the lid. Inside were just some seemingly ordinary bloodstains.

"This is the culmination of a special half-elf's painstaking efforts, nurtured and selected over a long period of time," Sigismund said humbly. "Every drop is imbued with the ultimate deliciousness."

Mortis looked at the scarlet liquid inside but didn't show much expression.

He knew Sigismund was trying to curry favor with him in exchange for a lighter punishment, but just this one can of blood…

For vampires, the taste of blood from different races may vary, but ultimately they still savor the power within it.

The stronger a person is, the more powerful their blood is.

Cultivating blood is something that vampires have tried before, but the result was that they spent a lot of effort and time, but only made a negligible difference in taste, so there was really nothing to look forward to.

Furthermore, it has taken the name "Twilight" without authorization...

Looking at the jar of blood, Mortis was reminded of that human swordsman.

The powerful figure who left a wound on his neck, which hasn't fully healed yet and has to be concealed by his blood-red armor.

His blood should be full of power, making it ideal for either direct consumption or for using [Blood Manipulation]. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry to break the Demon King's seal and didn't have time to deal with his corpse. What a pity.

Mortis glanced at Sigismund, who was still kneeling below. Although he didn't have high hopes, he would still give him face.

The ring on the ring finger of his right hand flashed several times, and subtle magical fluctuations enveloped the entire container, but no toxins were detected.

Mortis then took a small sip.

Sigismund remained kneeling with his head bowed at the bottom of the steps, his gaze only catching a glimpse of the hem of His Majesty's black robe.

Suddenly, the feet in the gold-threaded boots tensed slightly.

Although it was fleeting, this subtle change did not escape Sigismund's notice.

It's done!

A clear swallowing sound came from the throne, followed by a second bite, a third bite...

Mortis was, after all, an emperor, and possessed extraordinary self-control.

After taking three sips, he put down the jar, which still contained half the blood.

“Sigismund,” the Emperor said, trying to keep his voice calm, “you should understand that the leniency shown in Parliament today does not mean that the Empire will forget your mistakes.”

"Understood," Sigismund replied, bowing his head.

“However, your initial judgment wasn’t entirely wrong. Dragon Roar Valley only suffered from a lack of intelligence…” Mortis tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingertip. “Then hand over the management rights of the two mines in the Eastern Territory, and use 20% of the taxes from the next three years to compensate for Verallis’s losses.”

The punishment was much lighter than expected.

Sigismund was secretly pleased, but on the surface he remained obsequious: "I will obey Your Majesty's decree."

After a brief silence, Mortis asked casually, "This 'Twilight Kiss'... must take quite a long time to cultivate, right?"

"They certainly need careful care. These special, pure half-elves only eat [delicious] fruits, and they eat even better than most nobles. In addition, special rituals and secret medicines are used to achieve such results..."

In his mind, Lin Jun watched Xiao Xi spouting nonsense; how could he possibly know where the blood came from?

And yet, she's a pure half-elf!

Lin Jun knew perfectly well what kind of people her own D-level personnel were.

There were no half-elves, but there were plenty of burly, ruthless men with hairy legs and chests.

Xiao Xi... has the potential to be a salesman!

After a non-existent tale of arduous cultivation, Sigismund finally uttered the words the emperor most wanted to hear: "If Your Majesty so desires, I may present you with one jar each month."

“Then so be it,” Mortis nodded in satisfaction, and then gave a final instruction, “Now that the war has temporarily ceased, we should find a way to retrieve the Holy Scripture. I’m not comfortable leaving Eleanor alone, so you should go and assist her as well.”

"yes!"

After Sigismund left, Mortis rubbed his forehead, pondering his various plans.

The demons have always had a way to roughly locate the Holy Scripture. Previously, the Holy Scripture fell into a dungeon in human territory, leaving them with no way to retrieve it.

The latest location data shows that the Holy Scripture has appeared in the north, which may be related to the unusually cold climate of that region.

It's time to retrieve the sacred texts; leaving them to languish abroad will only create more problems.

When the seal was broken, their first suspicion was the Holy Scripture.

However, this possibility was ruled out after the location was determined.

What remains a mystery to this day is who broke through that barrier, and how.

There's a mole inside.

In Mortis's view, this was obvious.

The Demon King has escaped his seal, the hero is still growing, and there are still traitors within the ranks who haven't been caught...

Internal and external troubles have left even the monarch who rules the most powerful empire on the continent feeling exhausted.

He instinctively raised the gold container and took a small sip.

Glug—

【Delicious LV6】

An unprecedentedly delicious flavor bursts forth between my lips and teeth. In that instant, all the worries of the past few days seem to melt away with this delicacy.

Unfortunately, wonderful times are always short-lived.

When he came to his senses, the container was already empty.

He knew that Sigismund must have kept some for himself, but he figured the amount was limited.

Such a treasure should be difficult to obtain. As an emperor, he wouldn't stoop to scheming against his ministers' collections just for a delicious meal.

"A month...?"

The soft murmurs echoed gently in the empty hall.

...

Meanwhile, on the post road back to High Castle, Sigismund was drinking heartily.

Glug glug—

Unlike the exquisite containers presented to the emperor, what he held was just an ordinary glass jar, and what it contained was slightly different—he was drinking [Delicious LV10].

As supplies for this trip, two large bags of these blood canisters were prepared.

Having just escaped a calamity, Sigismund indulged himself, drinking several cans in succession. The sweet blood slid down his throat, bringing an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

"Speaking of which, that old guy wants you to find some holy scripture, what are you planning to do?" Lin Jun asked.

Sigismund wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, already used to his roommate's utterly disrespectful words.

“It’s just assisting that idiot Eleanor in carrying out a mission. Even if she fails, she’ll be punished first.” He gently shook the half-full glass jar in his hand, gazing at the crimson shimmering within. “In comparison, His Majesty’s recent deployment of Blood Guards and spies is more noteworthy. My intuition tells me that there must be some important secret hidden within.”

Lin Jun smacked her lips twice.

Xiao Xi, aren't you being a little disloyal with what you're saying...?

I like!

(End of this chapter)