Chapter 323
Eivass’s Activity Panel
Emerging from Private Room No. 1, they walked further into the depths until they reached a dead end.
Two ferocious statues stood at the end—winged beasts crouching on pillars. They had the wings of bats and grotesque heads like ferocious dogs, as if guarding something.
The statues were turned inward, changing from guarding the outside to facing each other. Then, the portrait at the end was twisted open, revealing a gap that could only be passed by one person.
“—This is the entrance to what is called a ‘secret tunnel’,”
The middle-aged man with short, curly, fiery red hair respectfully and politely introduced to Miss Beyad, “But strictly speaking, it’s not a secret tunnel, just a hidden underground passage.”
“An underground passage?”
Beyad crossed her arms and asked with interest, “What is it used for? Could it be… to prevent being caught in the act?”
“You know it well.”
The middle-aged man, who acted like a butler, straightened his back and simply smiled. “Also, some important figures whose identities are inconvenient to reveal occasionally visit Crescent Moon Manor. But they are not suitable to enter through the main entrance, so they would come directly from here. From here, one can go directly to the private rooms without passing through the banquet hall, and then directly summon a blood slave to the corresponding room.”
“With the soundproofing of your private rooms?”
Beyad couldn’t help but pull No. 14, whom she was holding, closer to her and complained, “How is your soundproofing done?”
“Oh…”
The middle-aged man nodded thoughtfully and readily admitted his mistake. “I’m very sorry, Miss Beyad. I think the staff misunderstood your request. I will discipline him later.
“You see, normally our private rooms are adjacent. The rooms have no soundproofing effect with the next room, and instead have an amplifying effect for the person lying on the bed—this is a special design used to enhance the fun for shy guests and blood slaves, not that the soundproofing is bad. At least, you can’t hear what’s happening inside from the entrance, which proves that our soundproofing technology is not a problem.
“And if guests have confidentiality needs for their activities, or need to discuss something, we will specifically assign them rooms further back, leaving both sides empty.”
“So that’s how it is…”
Beyad nodded.
“Now you know,” the middle-aged man eagerly entered the secret tunnel first, leading Beyad forward. “It’s just that our understanding of each other is not deep enough. This is your first time booking a private room, right? When you come again next time, I will definitely have them arrange a room further back for you.”
“No need, I have No. 14 with me,”
Beyad blurted out, “I don’t think I’ll be coming for a long time.”
“Oh, you’ll come eventually.”
The middle-aged man seemed to have seen and heard this many times before, so he remained completely unfazed. “We have long lifespans, but blood slaves do not. They will eventually grow up, grow old, their appearances will fade, and their bodies will no longer be light and soft.
“When that time comes, you can come and see. Perhaps you will fall in love with a new blood slave and buy her—of course, we also support trade-ins, and the old ones can be sold back to us at a discount. If you find the blood slave you bought home too defiant, and have developed too deep feelings, and want to discard her but cannot bear to… you can also hand her over to us. However, the回收 price may not be satisfactory, especially for wealthy people like you who are not short of money.
“But we also have other ways of handling them. As you know, our business has only been in the Empire for less than a year, so many of our services are old projects brought from Anxi. And we now know that people in the Empire are very romantic and nostalgic… so we have recently launched a new service.
“We have noble Child of the Moon alchemists and jewelers who can turn those aging companions into various colored gems and further polish them into beautiful and eternal jewelry. Freeze them at their most beautiful moment, so that only good memories remain—you only need to let them fall asleep during their meals on a certain day, and they will turn into eternity in a completely painless ritual.
“If you are willing to pay a little more, we also support gem designers to design a unique themed accessory for you. We also have amber craftsmen here… If you add some more money, we can also preserve their souls in the gems. If you suddenly miss them, you can reawaken them. They don’t know they’re dead, so they can chat with you as usual.”
The man spoke incessantly, enthusiastically and politely. “Of course, if you want to torture these souls…”
“—We’ll talk about future matters when the time comes.”
Beyad impatiently rejected the man’s sales pitch and interrupted him. “I just want to leave here quietly with my little pet. If possible, I can take her for a late-night snack again.”
“Of course, of course. She is yours now. You decide.”
The man, who seemed to only know how to say “Of course” and “You decide,” simply smiled gently.
But then, he glanced back at Eivass.
The passage was dark, and only the Child of the Moon with night vision could move normally.
The activated night vision made his pupils scarlet, appearing turbid and bloody. The man wore an elegant and gentle smile, yet it was chilling. “I hope not to see you again, No. 14. Miss Beyad spent a six-figure sum to buy you. I hope you know what Miss Beyad has done for you and are grateful for the immense price she paid for you.”
No. 14’s body seemed somewhat frightened, trembling slightly. She weakly shrunk into Beyad’s embrace, and Beyad hugged her back.
“Don’t scare her, Supervisor Cornelius. This child is very delicate and cannot be frightened,”
Beyad warned. “And I didn’t spend hundreds of thousands directly—I just settled our debt.”
“Of course, you decide.”
Cornelius said with a smile, his hands behind his back.
Listening to Supervisor Cornelius’s introduction, Eivass gradually understood many common sense facts about the late Empire.
This was indeed a chaotic era where human lives were cheaper than grass.
The Alchemist Association and the Art Association soon united with the Children of the Moon to hunt down the Demon Scholars in high positions… This ultimately led to the Demon Scholars, who were pushed to their limits, summoning powerful demons, causing the Imperial Royal Family to become extinct, and subsequently triggering a six-year War of Succession.
—One year before the War of Succession was the time when that famous painting, “The Alchemist,” which caused the intense conflict between the Alchemist Association and the Art Association, was created.
And now, these Children of the Moon can openly raise blood slaves in the manor. They have obviously gained sufficient status and influence. This means that the Children of the Moon have appeared in the Imperial Capital for some time. According to Supervisor Cornelius, they have been here for about a year.
So, at most, the large-scale demon summoning that led to the Empire’s demise… is probably less than a month away.
A large Empire that was internally fragmented, faction-ridden, full of hidden strife and endless hatred. If its royal family, all its legitimate heirs, suddenly died on a certain day…
It means that a true chaotic era is coming.
In such a chaotic era, there will certainly be many “high-ranking individuals” who die.
Miss Beyad was just an afterimage awakened by a ritual, but the Shadow Demon was a real existence. She had Beyad’s memories, so she must have known many people from this era.
—Perhaps Eivass will be able to dig up Beyad’s friends when he follows his mentor on archaeological excavations.
Due to the intense chaos of the late Empire, much of the history at that time is unrecoverable. Now, much of the Empire’s history is the truth painstakingly restored through the investigations of archaeologists… but there are still a lot of conjectures and assumptions.
Since the Shadow Demon came from this era… it means she is a living fossil from the late Imperial era.
She must know many secrets.
For example, where a powerful individual is buried, or where there are hidden resource points…
—In this regard, the Shadow Demon is simply Eivass’s activity panel!
