After the two elders of the Arcane Hermitage, Chief Raymond, and the investigators had all departed, another hour passed before the old mansion finally welcomed its last guest.
Monica, dressed in a long overcoat and a wide-brimmed sun hat, knocked on the door.
Ophelia ushered her into the living room and, taking in her attire, couldn't help but remark, "It's the peak of summer, and you're dressed like that? Aren’t you afraid the city guards will recognize you?"
"I tried to keep it as low-key as possible," Monica replied, placing her sun hat on the coat rack before curiously surveying the interior of the old house. "So this is where Lady Evelyn used to live? I heard she was reluctant to leave, but I don’t see what’s so great about it."
"I don’t think much of it either—small and outdated," Ophelia said as she prepared a cup of black tea for her guest. "But the reason your lady didn’t want to leave wasn’t because it was comfortable."
"It’s because Luo Wei lives here, isn’t it?" Monica smirked, sitting across from Ophelia. "Thanks, but I don’t drink tea."
"Oh, right. I forgot," Ophelia chuckled, shaking her head. "You’re not Evelyn."
She couldn’t help but think—a vampire who adored human cuisine and cluttered her coffee table with random snacks was probably a one-in-a-million rarity, even across millennia.
"How’s Evelyn been lately?" Ophelia asked casually.
"She’s practically frantic," Monica sighed. "After hearing about what happened in the capital, she lost her appetite, neglected her duties, and just paces around her room. If you hadn’t insisted otherwise, she would’ve dumped all her responsibilities on me and rushed here herself."
"Her coming wouldn’t have helped," Ophelia said sternly. "Once you’re caught in the capital’s turmoil, escaping is nearly impossible. As the head of the Thornflower family, Evelyn is far more useful to me leading an intact faction, untouched by the capital’s chaos."
"She understands that. She’s just worried about you all..." Monica mused, recalling Ophelia’s plans. The Thornflower family, staying clear of the conflict, would indeed play a unique role in the capital’s upheaval.
Evelyn was too emotionally invested to see the bigger picture, unlike the princess before her, who had likely been strategizing with the Thornflowers for a long time.
After the small talk, they turned to business.
"Your Highness, we’ve accomplished what you and Luo Wei asked of us."
Monica gestured toward the door, and soon, a young man dressed in coarse farmer’s clothing was brought in by Joe.
"Long time no see," Ophelia nodded at the elder vampire, Joe.
Joe acknowledged her before kicking the young man to the ground. The man trembled, kneeling silently, not daring to lift his head.
"So this is...?" Ophelia scrutinized him.
"Yes, the crown prince of the Wintertide Tribes," Monica said with a smile.
"Impressive," Ophelia praised. "I thought it’d take longer, but you pulled it off so quickly."
"Just a bunch of barbarians," Monica shrugged. "But you should thank Lady Evelyn for this success."
"Oh?"
"After inheriting the family relic, the Blood Tome, Evelyn’s power surged. She’s now a Vampire Prince. She led the assassination herself—the entire leadership of the largest Wintertide tribe was wiped out. The chieftain and his four sons’ heads are currently displayed in our hall."
"Really?" Ophelia’s eyes widened. "A 276-year-old Vampire Prince—she’s made history."
"Her talent was never in doubt. I’m not surprised by her ascension," Joe sighed. "If only the Duke could’ve seen this day."
"Honestly, it’s the power of love," Monica giggled. That woman pushed herself to the brink, training obsessively just to avoid being a burden...
"Thank her for me—and all of you," Ophelia said sincerely. She knew well the capabilities of vampires.
Back when the Empire was rising, General Abraham’s elite unit had left a lasting impression.
Vampires were natural "masters of assassination," perfect for night raids. That unit of high-ranking vampires had once moved like shadows, eliminating countless enemy commanders. And now, Evelyn had replicated that feat shortly after taking power.
"So, what will you do with him?" Monica asked.
Ophelia studied the kneeling tribal prince. "No rush. It’s not time yet."
The Wintertide Kingdom lay north of the Empire, bordering the frigid northern territories. This tribal nation had clashed with the Empire throughout history. Recently, under Eleya’s influence, tensions had flared, with whispers of a southern invasion.
Of course, despite the posturing, they wouldn’t dare march south—just raid a few merchant caravans. After the Empire’s industrial boom, the times had changed. Those once-feared northern warriors had turned into... enthusiastic performers.
"Is he completely under your control? No risk of leaking the plan?" Ophelia pressed.
"Relax," Joe hauled the trembling prince up. "He’s my blood thrall now. His mind and will are bound to me—absolute obedience."
"So this is the legendary Blood Bond?" Ophelia mused. "Never betraying you... sounds quite useful."
A stray thought crossed her mind.
If she’d had this power earlier, she would’ve turned Luo Wei into her thrall long ago—saving herself the trouble of brainwashing...
...
While Ophelia conversed with her vampire guests, intelligence updates streamed into the mansion.
A dozen Shadow Guards continuously relayed reports from the capital, allowing Ophelia to assess the situation and issue new orders.
Seeing she wasn’t needed yet, Monica settled on the sofa, observing the princess with interest.
Since she had time to spare, she watched Ophelia command the various squads, curious how the Fifth Princess intended to orchestrate the capital’s grand performance.
"Some of the arrested resist violently, even fighting back?" Ophelia raised a brow. "Then bypass their families and move to the next target. Pick the softest fruit first—our goal isn’t really to arrest them anyway."
After a series of orders were relayed, the shadow guards who had been bustling through the parlor all departed, and the room fell silent once more.
“Are you having those agents disguise themselves as the Royal Mage Corps? And then falsely using Prince William’s name to arrest opposition members?” Monica asked curiously.
“It’s not entirely false,” Ophelia replied with a smile. “After all, William is indeed hunting down assassins. But, well, I feel his search isn’t thorough enough. The wealthy districts of Saint Callen, the mansions of the great families in the eastern sector—why doesn’t he dare touch those? Since he won’t act, I’ll help him along.”
Monica casually tallied the names. “From what I just heard, among those arrested, aside from a few officials opposed to the second prince, there are also plenty of fence-sitters, like the old nobles of Wegener and members of the Imperial Council... You’re really stirring up trouble everywhere, offending everyone.”
“The second prince will soon face widespread outrage,” Joe remarked, watching Ophelia and realizing he had still underestimated the fifth princess’s cunning.
“There’s more,” Ophelia said, turning her gaze to a shadow guard hurrying toward her. He brought news from Chief Raymond.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
