"How is this possible? Aina, what are you talking about?" Xia Lun looked incredulous. "We never had any descendants back then."
Aina belonged to the Blood Clan, commonly known as vampires. As one of the highest-ranking beings among them, she had even surpassed the progenitor of the Blood Clan, possessing an almost eternal lifespan.
Due to their differing races, there was a degree of reproductive isolation between Aina and Xia Lun, making the probability of conception extremely low—though not zero. In other words, persistence could eventually overcome the odds.
"Do you remember, Xia Lun? We once had a child..." Aina spoke slowly.
Wolund stood rooted to the spot, not daring to utter a word.
Xia Lun's expression darkened as unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind. "Aise?"
"Yes, Aise. Your own son." Aina nodded slowly.
Aise was the first—and so far, the only—child of Xia Lun and Aina.
And Xia Lun had executed him personally, driving a longsword through his heart.
Distant memories resurfaced in Xia Lun's mind.
"Father... I love you." Aise spat blood, his face twisting into a grotesque smile. "I will become a shadow you can never forget..."
Aise was a monster.
Though he wore human skin and was the son of a hero, he was born evil—a true incarnation of malice. No matter how Xia Lun and Aina tried to discipline him, his nature remained unchanged. In the end, after he committed an unforgivable atrocity, Xia Lun ended his life himself.
"Don't dwell on it, Xia Lun. Don't torment yourself over that wretch. It wasn't your fault." Aina held onto Xia Lun's arm. "Back then, I could have done it for you, but you refused..."
"You were his mother, Aina."
"I never had much affection for him. He was just an accident born from our pleasure. It was only because you wanted a child as a symbol of our love that I gave birth to him. To me, you are the only one who matters."
"Don't say that. Aise was our child." Xia Lun murmured.
"You're too kind-hearted. That’s why he hurt you so deeply..."
Wolund remained motionless, his expression unchanging. This wasn’t the time for him to speak.
Mida finished her ice crystals, seemingly full, and curled up on the soft fur rug.
"Then, who is he...?"
Xia Lun turned his gaze back to Wolund.
"A maid violated by Aise bore his child." Aina explained in a detached tone. "She secretly gave birth to Aise’s offspring."
"Why would she do that?" Xia Lun couldn’t help but ask.
"According to her diary, by the time she realized she was pregnant, it was too late for an abortion. Forcing one could have endangered her life."
Medical knowledge back then wasn’t advanced, and a maid certainly couldn’t afford a high-tier healing mage.
"Then... why didn’t she come to us?" Xia Lun pressed.
"You were the great hero." Aina leaned against Xia Lun’s shoulder. "After what Aise did... she felt she and her child would tarnish your reputation..."
"That’s absurd!" Xia Lun’s voice rose slightly. "Did I... fail her in some way? Did she not trust me?"
"No, you did everything right. You were the finest of heroes..." Aina gently patted his back. "She was originally going to be sold by her family into prostitution, but you bought her freedom. Working for our household, she earned enough to live comfortably. Later, after the incident with Aise, she received substantial compensation... She was grateful to you, even idolized you. That’s why she hid it—she didn’t want to stain your name."
Xia Lun took a deep breath, his eyes softening with sorrow. "What a foolish girl... My reputation means nothing compared to her happiness."
"Don’t worry. Aise’s child was filial to her." Aina squeezed Xia Lun’s hand. "She lived a peaceful life... She recorded everything in her diary and made her descendants swear to keep it secret. It wasn’t until the fifth generation, when their family faced a crisis, that they sought my help. After verifying their bloodline, I began assisting them.
Your descendants didn’t inherit much of my Blood Clan traits, but it was enough to let them live over a century."
Xia Lun nodded. The fifth generation... By then, he had already passed away.
So, Wolund was his eleventh-generation descendant?
"But why does he call you by name?"
"Why not?" Aina countered. "I told him to. Should he call me ‘great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother’ instead? So everyone knows how ancient I am?"
"Never, Aina... To me, you’ll always look just past adulthood."
"Hmph. My appearance hasn’t changed anyway." Aina sniffed.
Wolund stood there, bewildered. He had never imagined someone like Aina could display such a playful side.
Xia Lun turned back to Wolund, his gaze now much gentler. "I’m sorry... child. I misunderstood earlier."
Wolund snapped out of his daze and offered a shy smile. "Then, how should I address you... Ancestor?"
"Just call me by my name, like Aina." Xia Lun waved a hand.
With his body rejuvenated, his mindset had grown younger too. The thought of Wolund—who looked older—calling him "ancestor" felt oddly uncomfortable.
"Alright then... Xia Lun." Wolund didn’t press further.
"This kid adapts fast." Xia Lun whispered to Aina.
"Of course. I looked after him when he was little." Aina replied telepathically. "Most of your descendants were disappointments, so I ignored them. Wolund’s the only one with decent magical talent."
If Aina approved, then Wolund’s aptitude must be noteworthy, Xia Lun mused silently.
"So... Wolund, why have you come to see me?" Aina gestured to a nearby chair. "And sit down."
"Yes, Aina."
Xia Lun was surprised. Despite addressing Aina casually, Wolund clearly still feared her—he hadn’t moved until she permitted it.
Wolund began, "Recently... a cult has emerged within the Yalan Empire. They’ve secretly conducted blood sacrifices across several villages, attempting to revive the evil god they worship."
Aina narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Are they so strong that you can’t handle them?"
"No... I've already eradicated all the troublemakers... Though some remain hidden too deep to be rooted out yet," Wolund replied, then glanced at Xia Lun. "However... they referred to the malevolent deity they worship as... the 'Hero.'"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
