Chapter 316: Blood Dedication and Blood Healing
"Miss Bayard."
Just then, a black-haired young man who looked equally young came over.
He raised his ceramic cup, filled with blood, in a friendly gesture.
Following closely behind him was a beautiful girl with long blond hair—Aivaz had just seen her in the lounge; she was number 15. Her deep blue eyes also held a sense of intoxication and attachment, and therefore seemed empty.
"Sir Lind."
Bayard's interest was interrupted and he looked unhappy.
She raised a finger to push up her glasses and responded coldly, "What are your instructions?"
"No, Miss Bayard. I dare not give you any instructions."
The handsome black-haired young man smiled and personally poured Bayard a glass of aperitif wine. Then, when Bayard picked up the porcelain cup with one hand, he gently clinked it with his, making a crisp sound.
"No business at the manor," Bayard warned.
"certainly."
Sir Linde smiled and nodded, patting the girl beside him. "I'll trade this girl for one night with Number 14... Is that okay? I haven't drunk her blood tonight, and she's been nursing for a week, so her blood is abundant. Unlike this child... She's only been here a short time, and you've tapped her three times in a row. I'm sure her blood is almost exhausted."
"As you can see, I just want a light taste - what delicious blood must it be to make you so attached. I'm curious, and I want to feel the same emotion as you, to have a common language with you."
Linde made a polite and melodious voice like that of a nobleman.
Hearing Lind's words, the girl next to him looked at him with a heartbreaking look. Her empty eyes showed the grievance and pain of being abandoned. But she also did not make any resistance.
"don't want."
But Bayard refused without hesitation: "She is mine until death."
"If you keep sucking," Lind looked at Aiwass with a look of pity, "she might really die."
Bayard just laughed mockingly and repeated his words: "Until death."
A wave of sweetness and intoxication surged through Aiwass's heart—yet, deeper within, he watched the entire thing with aloof eyes. This gave him a strange sense of separation, an irrational emotion swelling and flowing uncontrollably like overflowing wine. Yet, deeper within him, he simply gripped the glass, letting the wine flow through his arms and seep back into his body.
Lind's tone turned less friendly, his nose in frustration: "You love her too much, Miss Bayard. This is not good for her."
“This is the best.”
Bayard replied.
Sir Lind sighed, leaned over, and bit the girl's neck. Her pupils instantly filled with the black smoke of the Path of Love, her body trembled violently, and she whimpered with passion.
Her face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, while Lind's eyes were filled with a wild joy that was on the verge of getting out of control.
His handsome, slightly sinister, pale face was outlined in an intoxicating smile, even revealing two dimples. The girl in his arms gradually quieted down - or even nearly fainted.
As he let go of the girl, two men in black, wearing animal masks, immediately came over and supported her—or rather, held her. Satisfied, Lind looked back at the "aperitif" in his hand, his eyes filled with disdain.
He casually handed the glass to the waiter beside him: "For Cody."
"yes."
The man in black replied.
A doubtful thought flashed through Aiwas' mind - who is Cody?
And soon she was cleared up.
A pitch-black, nimble hound rushed out from the shadows, its pupils crimson, and a circle of black tentacle-like smoke slowly emanated from its body.
It seemed to understand human language, wagging its tail and nuzzling Sir Lind. Then it glanced at the girl in his arms and circled around him in a fawning manner.
"I can't give this to you, Cody. This is mine."
Sir Lind smiled, his face flushed from having just sucked blood, and he looked full of life, as if he were still alive. "That's yours."
The hound named Cody understood what he said and came to the waiter, who then fed it the cup of blood.
Its lips were covered in blood, and then it obediently returned to the edge of the field.
--What's this?
Aiwass was puzzled.
He had never seen such a monster before - not even in the game.
But Shadow Fiend suddenly spoke, replying in Miss Assassin's honey-sweet voice. "This is a blood-sniffing beast, a synthetic beast once popular during the Imperial era. It was used to track down those targeted by the Moon Children... They can find high-quality blood in a crowd; if they drink someone's blood, they can smell the blood's owner. Later, the technology was eliminated—mainly because the materials were too expensive and useless, so the Moon Children switched to using rituals to find people."
"Which energy level?" Aiwas asked in his heart.
"third."
Shadow Demon knew what Aiwass was wondering about, so he explained: "That's not shadow stealth, but just ordinary 'blur'."
"Blur" refers to the ability to blur the outline of a figure in bright light, making it invisible in low light or no light. Compared to true invisibility, blurring during movement distorts the surrounding air, making it easier to detect once in motion.
"Even dogs are at the third energy level..."
Aiwass murmured.
His heart sank slightly.
In that case, it doesn’t seem surprising that there are guests at the fourth or even fifth level among these guests.
While he was thinking calmly in his heart, he also played his role attentively.
"Ms. Bayard..."
The girl made a weak and uneasy sound: "Why reject him? Sir Linde seems a little angry..."
She had fallen under Bayard's spell. Thinking about her, considering her, was perfectly natural. Aiwass didn't deliberately twist his thoughts, nor did he resist. Instead, he pushed against the impulse within him, adjusting it to his own understanding and embellishing it slightly.
In short, just add some tea.
A cursory glance would reveal the tea's flavor. But Aiwass was already under the influence of the enchanting kiss, and her words were all truthful. Miss Bayard, of course, knew this. So, her words would only make her think she genuinely cared about her—and then it wouldn't be tea, it would just be endearing.
Bayard certainly didn't expect that another person had quietly replaced the body of No. 14, whom she had been watching for three consecutive days.
She just felt that the child was becoming more and more lovable.
So she just said gently: "I already told you to call me Sister Bayard."
As she spoke, she kissed Aiwass's earlobe, then licked behind his ear and down his neck.
She whispered, “Linde doesn’t want to protect you, little cutie… He just wants to use you as a topic to flatter me.
"Because his mining company is in trouble—a group of furious mine spirits have appeared in his mining area. He needs my financing, and he also needs my people to help him eliminate those troublesome mine spirits."
Bayard chuckled. "But I don't need his crappy company. So he has to raise the price even higher."
"...Can't he find someone else?"
Aiwass suddenly asked.
She was keenly aware of Bayard's attitude—there was no need for her to say these things to a blood slave, unless she wanted some appropriate feedback.
So Aiwass followed the drive of the "enchantment" state and began to ask questions with the psychological excuse of "making her happier".
When Bayard saw that Aiwass responded to her, she not only did not express doubts about it, but became happy: "I thought you were not interested in these things, dear.
"Yes, of course he could go find someone else. But no one would accept it."
Bayard smiled and said calmly, "That would mean being my enemy. But we value love for each other."
As she spoke, a mocking smile played at the corners of her mouth. She spoke these words without reservation—not only to the men in black, but even to her own people. Yet, no one commented on her words; some even raised their glasses to her from afar.
Bayard buried his head in Aiwass's neck, breathing in the fragrance of her blood and letting out a barely audible sneer.
As he listened to her words, Aiwas' heart tightened slightly.
Bayard's words and attitude... meant that Bayard's identity and status might be even higher than he imagined.
——So what is her strength as the Moon Child?
The fourth energy level, or the fifth energy level? Without Lily as a turret to unleash the Shadow Fiend's full power, I, with only the second level of Shadow Affinity, couldn't fully unleash the Shadow Fiend's power...
"Then...can you take me away?"
She took the initiative to turn her body over, sitting on Bayard and looking directly into her eyes.
The young body, weakened by the excessive blood loss, opened its clear eyes and uttered a pitiful voice, "If I stay here... I'll die sooner or later."
"Then please me, dear."
Bayard smiled gently, but there was a sense of superiority and alienation in his smile.
She looked at Aiwass as an equal, just as she looked down at her own people.
"If I'm happy, I'll think about it."
She said so, and looked at No. 14 with scrutiny.
And Aiwass raised his neck, hugged her and closed his eyes.
She whispered, "I willingly give my blood... to you."
Looking at the girl's clumsy reaction, Bayard couldn't help but laugh and shook his head.
What is she thinking about? She is just a little girl...
Bayard leaned over and kissed the girl's neck.
The fangs pierced the flesh, and blood was sucked into the body through the hollow fangs.
But the next moment, Bayard suddenly opened his eyes wide.
The sweet and smooth blood rushed into her mouth, making her feel an unprecedented stimulation - with a faint taste of alcohol, but not pungent; with a mellow and sweet taste like the best brulee, but not too sweet; at the same time, there was a fruity fragrance mixed with pineapple and pear.
Moreover, there was a vague sense of holiness that she couldn't identify...
Bayard's pupils were filled with scarlet in the blink of an eye. She suddenly lost control and violently pushed Aiwass onto the table, concentrating on sucking her blood.
Aiwass did not close his eyes while hugging her.
She stared at the ceiling blankly, but her empty pupils gradually became clear.
There is no difference between blood donated voluntarily and blood sucked... for ordinary people, there is no difference, but for her, it is different.
——Yes, this is pastoral care.
But this is not a successful pastoral method because Aiwass's path is still uneven at this time.
However, even failed pastoral care doesn’t matter.
[Blood and Blood Devotion (Purple): You have mastered the art of self-sacrifice. And now you will be even more proficient.]
This is the path trait Aiwass gained in her last promotion - the ability to make her flesh and blood even sweeter.
Even shadow demons, whose tastes were spoiled by the true shepherd method, wanted to try it. For vampires who had never tasted the shepherd's blood, it was already a supreme delicacy.
This was the first time Aiwass had used this Dao trait since he had acquired it...
The only risk is that he might be sucked to death by the out-of-control Bayard.
But Aiwass also considered this risk.
He had already made an agreement with the Shadow Demon - after he removed the charm chain and lifted the ban on harming the master, if she still did not stop sucking blood, he would attack her directly.
That's the worst-case scenario, but it's the only solution.
And Shadow Demon agreed without hesitation.
So when she felt that the shackles of enchantment on her were broken, she lifted the pastoral law.
The solution is also very simple.
When Aiwass is no longer voluntary, it can no longer be called "dedication", and thus the blessing of the path characteristics also disappears.
When the sacred demonic power in his blood faded away, Bayard was stunned for a moment before regaining consciousness and realizing what he had done.
She was stunned for a moment in disbelief. Then, looking at No. 14, who looked weak and pale, as if he was on the verge of death and about to fall asleep, her expression suddenly changed.
In that moment, she seemed to think of many things. After a moment's hesitation, she bit her finger and placed it in Aiwass's mouth. As the girl sucked on it instinctively like a baby, her complexion gradually returned to normal at a noticeable speed.
——This is blood therapy.
The mysterious art of "blood healing" is a transcendental ability of the Path of Love—the power of the blood of the higher being to heal the weak, regardless of the cause of illness. It is also a racial ability of the Moon Children.
For No. 14, who is only at the first level of energy, just one or two drops of Bayard's blood are enough to restore her body to health.
At a visible speed, Aiwass's skin, which had previously been dry, cracked, pale, and blue, became smooth and fair again. Even her hair, which had lost its luster, regained its shine. This made her appearance even more refined.
Seeing that Aiwass had regained some of her vitality, she picked her up directly.
“Open a lounge.”
She spoke to the black-clad men around her who were wearing animal masks.
"Room 1."
The man in black immediately took a key from the wall next to him and handed it to Bayard.
Aiwass closed his eyes, curled up in Bayard's arms and pretended to sleep, while asking the Shadow Fiend in his heart: "You are not worried about me at all?"
"Nothing will happen, my lord."
The Shadow Demon simply replied, "Bayard isn't like that. Although she's the Moon Child of the Path of Love, she possesses exceptionally strong reason and humanity. With just one flaw... she can break free from all control."
"Do you know her?"
Aiwass suddenly became interested.
Shadow Demon had always been reluctant to tell him his real name.
Now, it has finally revealed some of its true information.
"……Yes."
The Shadow Demon was silent for a moment before answering, "I once lived in this era.
“I also died in this era.”
More than 4,300 words! Seeking votes by the end of the month, just make it into the top 50!
Today is another 7,000-word update!
The fever has subsided for two days and my spirits are slowly recovering. Azithromycin is still effective.
Then, in reverse order, it might be Mycoplasma pneumonia... The only problem now is the severe cough. Apart from that, the problems of fever, sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, chills and weakness have all been solved.
I'll update more once the cat is fully recovered, and try to improve my results next month!
(End of this chapter)
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