XaiJu
Axel
Axel

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Chapter 414: Honorable Charlot Mecklenburg, You Truly Keep Your Promises

Annie Mecklenburg’s novels have taken the Old Continent by storm, elevating Charlot's reputation to a level rivaling the five greatest masters. Antonio, poised to become the next foremost powerhouse of the Fars Empire, may not even match Charlot Mecklenburg’s renown, particularly among noblewomen and even aristocratic matrons. In certain circles, Charlot’s fame outshines that of all the Old Continent’s champions and, in some respects, even surpasses that of various kings.

Had Charlot not been acquainted with Annie for many years, simply announcing his name and verifying his identity in any country could earn him extraordinary treatment—such as an unexpected nighttime visitor slipping under his covers.

Sarah and Renee, the Axel sisters, quickly struck up a conversation with Annie.

Sarah harbored a faint infatuation with Antonio, while Renee preferred the Charlot Mecklenburg of Annie’s novels.

These two young women, however, were not fools. Despite Prince Redmir Axel’s prior instructions and their attempt to garner attention with small gestures like horseback riding, they understood their chances were slim.

Antonio, though prodded by Charlot’s mischievous suggestions, was no fool either. He swiftly saw through the ploy but chose to leave decisively, signaling his lack of interest.

As for Charlot…

Well, considering Annie had effortlessly outshone the Empire’s First Rose Menielman Soumet, Grand Princess May Guillaume of the Ingrima Empire, and the Rose of Strasbourg, Sarah and Renee doubted they could rival these celebrated beauties for even a fleeting moment of brilliance.

Without employing any overt tactics, Annie had subdued these two relatively ineffectual competitors.

Charlot departed, not merely to escape the trouble but also to fulfill an obligation.

He had promised Amon five hundred sinister crew members.

Casting Swiftstep Technique tenfold in succession, Charlot ran over ten kilometers before coming to a halt. Using his Eye of Insight, he ensured no one was nearby. Satisfied, he rubbed the Omibera Ring on his hand, summoning the legendary warship Radiant Holy Kingdom. The colossal vessel appeared silently on the ground, pressing the surrounding trees and grass firmly into the earth.

The divine entity Omibera remained motionless, but its brilliance was even more intense than before.

Charlot didn’t have to wait long before five hundred orc labyrinth guards emerged and silently boarded the legendary ship.

Retrieving the Radiant Holy Kingdom Nautical Log, Charlot saw a line of text materialize on the page: “Honorable Charlot Mecklenburg, you truly keep your promises!”

At that moment, Charlot felt a peculiar sensation—a mysterious contract had formed between him and the Radiant Holy Kingdom, though the contract’s nature, terms, and clauses were entirely unknown.

As he raised his left hand to withdraw the ship into the Omibera Ring, Omibera softly murmured, “Charlot Mecklenburg... Charlot Mecklenburg…”

The whispered words sent cold sweat trickling down Charlot’s back. Forcing himself to reclaim the ship, the entire Radiant Holy Kingdom transformed into a radiant glow and entered the golden ring.

“This legendary warship is truly sinister,” Charlot muttered under his breath.

“I wonder how it will evolve once I gather the venomous fang of the Sea Serpent Queen Posugi, the tear of the Whale King, and a branch of the ancient Gomodoro Tree?”

Returning to the camp, Charlot found that Annie had already returned to Miss Pumpkin, but the two Miss Axels were still absent from the carriage. When they saw Charlot, their eyes lit up slightly, but he merely greeted them before retreating to Dark Luxury. He had no intention of wasting time on idle chatter with irrelevant individuals, as his daily training was a priority.

Charlot began cultivating Blood Glory, practicing for over half an hour.

When all his blood energy converged beneath his ribs, the eleventh Blood Vortex silently formed.

Blood Glory could consolidate thirteen Blood Vortices, of which Charlot had already formed nine. The other two vortices were absent from the Protagoras Scrolls, stemming instead from fortuitous encounters.

Activating this eleventh vortex slightly increased Charlot’s blood energy, pushing him from the fifteenth rank to the sixteenth. According to the blood clans’ hierarchy, ranks thirteen to fifteen correspond to blood barons, while ranks sixteen to eighteen denote blood viscounts. Purely by rank, Charlot now surpassed the Baron Leo he had encountered in the past.

In terms of combat strength, Charlot no longer feared even the most elite high-ranking extraordinaries.

Rank alone indicated the strength of one’s energy reserves, but practical combat prowess depended on the mastery of extraordinary abilities.

Charlot’s repertoire of abilities now far exceeded that of an ordinary high-rank extraordinary.

Elated by the formation of the eleventh Blood Vortex, Charlot reversed the energy flow from all eleven vortices, directing it toward his throat. A previously nascent Blood Rune erupted into full form, etching itself onto the black leather cover of a thick book adorned with countless fragments of golden runes.

This was the Blood Butcher’s Seed, a rune that, while theoretically trainable by proper vampires, was rarely pursued. Most would instead embed it into a blood thrall.

Pushing open the door of Dark Luxury, Charlot found the camp quiet except for the alert guards on night duty. Without disturbing them, he summoned a former pirate from the Golden Rams Fleet.

This pirate, once known as the Sea Serpent King and one of the fleet’s five deputy commanders, was a thirteenth-rank extraordinary who had stepped into the high-rank class. However, his numerous heinous crimes had rendered him unacceptable to Charlot, who had converted him into a labyrinth guard.

Despite his transformation into a labyrinth guard—a type of sinister being—the Sea Serpent King retained remarkable intelligence. When Charlot produced a fragmented Blood Rune, the former pirate initially resisted but ultimately accepted the Blood Butcher’s Seed.

Charlot observed the ex-pirate closely as a faint red glow emanated from his body, suggesting subtle physical changes.

Most extraordinaries would never willingly become blood thralls. Vampires typically sought physically robust ordinary individuals, turning them into thralls and training them to become extraordinaries.

Juno Arthur had once told Charlot that transforming a low-rank extraordinary could take weeks or even months, while the process for mid-rank extraordinaries would take even longer.

As for high-rank extraordinaries...

Even vampires found it exceedingly difficult to recruit such blood thralls.

High-rank extraordinaries often held influential positions in their respective empires. Even those who faced temporary setbacks had bright futures ahead and would never stoop to becoming thralls.

For a vampire of Juno Arthur’s saintly caliber, enticing such individuals to embrace full vampirism was the best possible outcome. Talent was precious and could not be squandered frivolously as Charlot had done.

Slightly disappointed, Charlot realized he had been overly optimistic.

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