Lord Leo said calmly, “Although using our Arthur Cn's secret arts might lead to some fws in the blood core you form, which could hinder future growth, I doubt you would care.”

  Charlot’s face lit up with surprise as he replied, “Being able to form a blood core is already an unimaginable blessing. How could I dare ask for more? Your Lordship's grace will never be forgotten for as long as I live.”

  Lord Leo waved a hand dismissively and said, “According to Imperial w, you are not qualified to peruse the Vampiric Scroll. I only allowed you to take a look because I value talent. However, this must never be spoken of. If you reveal this to anyone, I will personally kill you.”

  Charlot nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself: As expected, the byrinth I imagined in my mind is still fundamentally a cssical byrinth—it’s not a true game system, and these NPCs are not actually NPCs.

  “All I did was mention saving Lord Leo, and I haven’t even acted on it yet, but he’s already handed me the Arthur Cn's Vampiric Scroll?”

  As for Lord Leo’s warning—‘Using the Arthur Cn’s secret arts might lead to fws in the blood core, which could hinder future growth…’—Charlot truly didn’t care. After all, he wasn’t a vampire.

  The overwhelming dominance of Blood Glory over vampires stemmed from Protagoras single-handedly sughtering thousands of the blood cn and wiping out six of the thirty-seven cns. Its power was undeniable! Techniques like the Blood Vortex to enhance secret arts, the ability to simultaneously cultivate techniques from all thirteen cns, and the Blood Banquet Meditation were all testaments to its might.

  Charlot had no intention of returning the Vampiric Scroll Lord Leo had given him. After all, Leo wouldn’t leave Machubi Fortress anyway, so taking back the scroll would be pointless.

  Charlot tucked the Vampiric Scroll into his coat, turned around, and disappeared into the depths of the ruins. Lord Leo raised his anti-space long-range rifle again, and the battle resumed.

  Harriet Alva, his body riddled with injuries, was already in dire straits under Lord Leo’s relentless pursuit. Now with Charlot targeting him as well, Harriet knew there was no hope of survival. Suddenly, he shouted loudly, “I am Harriet Alva!”

  “Aubrey Tildon Atwood, Venie Arsenault, if you can hear me, deliver a message to the Empire! Byron is plotting a great conspiracy! Charlot is a Byron spy...”

  “Charlot is a vampire!”

  His cries echoed through the ruins of Machubi Fortress.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood had long since escaped the fortress, so he could not hear Harriet's shouts.

  Venie Arsenault, however, did hear Harriet’s voice. She was momentarily stunned, unable to understand why this duelist was framing Charlot.

  Venie Arsenault knew Charlot’s background. After all, Charlot’s cousin worked at her detective agency, and both Charlot and Sylvie Martin were products of the Empire’s standard education system. It was almost impossible for them to be Byron spies.

  More importantly, Venie knew Charlot cultivated Blood Glory, and someone cultivating Blood Glory could never be a vampire.

  Sylvie Martin also heard the accusations. She trusted Harriet even less than Venie did. Sylvie had known Charlot’s family for years and remembered exactly what he had been like growing up.

  Though Charlot had seemed strange recently, particurly with his rapid growth in strength, Sylvie would sooner believe that her former fiancé had summoned an evil god than believe he was a vampire.

  Charlot smiled faintly, unconcerned by the “snder.” After all, this was Machubi Fortress—the kind of pce where “no one hears you, no matter how loud you scream.”

  Having reached an understanding with Lord Leo, the blood cn lord’s shots became less accurate. Instead, he deliberately fired toward Harriet’s three o’clock position, forcing Harriet to move in specific directions and “deliver himself” to Charlot. Lord Leo, having been in Machubi Fortress for some time, was somewhat familiar with the byrinth and, as an NPC, had access to minor privileges.

  Charlot seized the opportunity to deal another heavy blow to Harriet.

  After briefly forcing Charlot back, Harriet stopped running altogether. Plunging his military saber into the ground, he bellowed, “You vampires! You covet my life, don’t you?”“Well, I won’t let you have your way!”

  “Aubrey Tildon Atwood, Venie Arsenault, please deliver my message to the Empire! Charlot is a Byron spy—he is a vampire...”

  With his final shout, Harriet abruptly sshed his bde across his neck.

  From a distance, Charlot threw Blood Rose, which pierced Harriet’s body.

  A few minutes ter, Charlot approached Harriet’s now withered corpse, retrieving his rapier and picking up Harriet’s military saber. He silently performed an Imperial salute.

  At the very least, Harriet had been a worthy soldier. In his final moments, his only wish was to send Byron’s intelligence back to Fars.

  Charlot, however, could not allow that to happen. Harriet would never leave Machubi alive, but Charlot still respected him as a soldier who fought to the bitter end.

  Meanwhile, Lord Leo disappeared from Charlot’s view. The enemy who had been fighting him moments ago was nowhere to be seen, and the byrinth’s pathways suddenly became clear.

  Overjoyed, Lord Leo leapt high into the air and transformed into countless small bats. This time, there was no invisible barrier preventing his escape—he soared higher and higher, breaking free of the byrinth and disappearing into the clouds.

  Unlike his previous attempts, when the Blood Bat Technique had failed to lift him higher, this time he succeeded.

  It wasn’t until he had flown some distance that Lord Leo remembered his two retainers and the “loyal Kainan” were still trapped in that accursed byrinth. But he showed no hesitation—he merely accelerated the bats’ flight and muttered to himself, “Your sacrifices are not in vain. When I return, I will report your contributions to the military. No one will erase your achievements.”

  Not once did the blood cn lord consider turning back to save anyone.

  Charlot watched Lord Leo fly away before unfolding the Arthur Cn’s Vampiric Scroll. After a moment’s hesitation, he closed it again.

  Lord Leo had a point. True vampires should indeed focus on forming a blood core to prepare for their advancement to baron rank. But Charlot was no vampire. With two evil gods threatening to descend at any moment and the third wave of Orc Assassin Alliance killers on its way, Charlot needed to strengthen himself quickly.

  Activating Blood Glory, Charlot slowly absorbed the life essence he had consumed, channeling all of this battle’s gains into Fme Dragon’s Hand.

  The Vampiric Scroll〢〨 consisted of seventeen pages, recording seventeen secret arts of the Adonis Cn. If Charlot failed to master these techniques within the given time, he would lose his identity as the author and be cimed by the blood cn’s descending evil god Karnstein.

  The deadline had been repeatedly deyed, but fewer than seventy days remained.

  In comparison, forming a blood core was neither urgent nor necessary.