Chapter 217: Count D'Artagnan

Charlot carefully examined the object again and finally confirmed it: the faint golden "spots" he had noticed earlier were actually Blood Runes.

Activating Blood Glory slightly, Charlot checked again and confirmed that it was indeed the blood core of the Dorian Clan.

The Dorian Clan's secret arts were rooted in the Blood Chain Technique. Upon advancing to the Transcendent level, one could condense a blood chain, which unlocked endless secret techniques specializing in long-range attacks. Although the Dorian Clan was neither one of the Three Emperor Clans nor one of the Six King Clans, their arts were undeniably powerful. Many of their Transcendent practitioners had achieved fame, contributing greatly to the Byron Empire.

Princess May showed no interest in the port and said, "Let us depart! The sooner we reach Strasbourg, the better."

Charlot quickly summoned Dark Luxury, allowing Princess May to board the carriage before closing the door. Knowing that it was highly inappropriate for a man to share a carriage with a princess, Charlot reluctantly climbed into the driver's seat.

Fortunately, the driver’s seat of Dark Luxury was equally comfortable, complete with a canopy overhead. Moreover, the magic spirit horses required no actual driving. Issuing mental commands to the eight magic spirit horses, Charlot set off toward Strasbourg, leisurely flipping through the Vampiric Scroll and pondering how to utilize the blood core.

Because his Origin Blood Ignition was active, ordinary methods such as Blood Glory or other clan techniques could not facilitate the absorption of this blood core. To fully utilize it, he needed to cultivate the Dorian Clan’s secret arts to the level of Origin Blood Ignition and condense his own blood core before he could begin assimilating the Saint-rank blood core.

Of course, using it this way would result in significant waste. At most, the Saint-rank blood core could elevate someone to the initial stages of the High-rank and could not be converted without losses.

To avoid such waste, it would be best to use it to forge a Saint-rank extraordinary artifact, which would maximize the blood core's value. However, forging such an artifact would require a Saint Alchemist, along with an array of rare materials. Even though Charlot could afford the astronomical costs, he was not eager to make the investment.

After all, even if the artifact were successfully forged, Charlot doubted he could keep it safe.

While Saint-level individuals might not covet mundane wealth, they would certainly vie for a Saint-rank artifact.

Being only at the Mid-rank, Charlot didn’t need a Saint-rank artifact, nor would he have much use for it even at the High-rank. Pondering the blood core for a long while, Charlot mused, "It will likely take this Saint-rank vampire over a decade to re-condense their blood core. Whether they can recover their strength depends on their luck—perhaps it will take ten years, or decades, or they may never recover."

"The lifespan of a Saint-rank vampire far exceeds that of humans, and their strength is comparably overwhelming. For the Grand Princess of Ingrima to take on two Saints and extract one’s blood core—just how terrifying is her power?"

Charlot pressed the blood core into his right arm.

The blood core penetrated his skin and merged into the blood vortex in his right arm. Lifting his arm, Charlot scrutinized it again, finding no trace of imperfection.

The blood core had seamlessly fused into the blood vortex.

It was a stroke of luck that the seventh blood vortex he had opened with Blood Glory had been intended to condense the Dorian Clan’s Blood Runes. Any other blood vortex would have clashed with the Dorian Clan’s Origin Blood, making it impossible to conceal the blood core. However, this particular vortex fit perfectly, allowing the blood core to remain hidden.

Having secured the blood core, Charlot decided to put the treasure aside for the time being, returning to his study of the Adonis Clan’s Scroll and the secrets of the magic flame horses.

The Adonis Clan’s secret arts were rooted in Bloodflame Aura, from which all their abilities originated. Techniques such as Bloodfire Transfiguration, Flame Dragon’s Hand, and Flame Dragon’s Roaring Bullet were all advanced applications of Bloodflame Aura.

The magic flame horse, alternatively known as the Summoned Flame Horse, was distinct. It used the Adonis Clan’s blood energy as bait to lure a flame horse from another realm, subsequently binding it through secret arts.

Charlot reversed his Blood Glory, converting all his blood energy into Bloodflame Aura. Immediately, the two vampiric weapons he carried—Blood Rose and Withered Rose—seemed to resonate with the aura.

Although both weapons belonged to the Arsilo Clan, the Bloodflame Aura could harmonize with vampiric weapons of any clan, allowing him to manipulate them.

Charlot, accustomed to using Angel’s Twelve Movements in combat, realized that switching to Bloodflame Aura would necessitate changes to his fighting style.

For instance, wielding Blood Rose in one hand while a Flame Dragon’s Hand held Withered Rose.

Had his Berserker Blade still been with him, he could have employed two additional Flame Dragon’s Hands to wield it—or personally used the blade while the hands managed the two vampiric weapons.

The Adonis Clan, despite being one of the Six King Clans, had always prided themselves on their formidable combat strength. With Bloodflame Aura, they possessed long-range attack capabilities. Cultivating Flame Dragon’s Hand was akin to gaining an additional doppelgänger.

However, cultivating additional Flame Dragon’s Hands required immense time and energy. A coordinated assault using multiple hands was akin to being attacked by several Adonis Clan vampires simultaneously.

As a result, the Adonis Clan was notoriously referred to as the "most shameless vampires."

Even other vampiric clans disliked them and avoided duels with the Adonis Clan, finding it too disadvantageous.

...

The speed of Dark Luxury was astounding. Passing through the war-torn regions of the Fars Empire, Charlot encountered several skirmishes along the way. However, with his formidable strength, minor enemies posed no threat.

Moreover, traveling with the Saint-ranked Princess May of the Ingrima Empire, Charlot was untouchable by the small forces of the Byron soldiers, Black Phoenix Dynasty, or orc warriors he encountered.

Charlot encountered no major armies, whether friend or foe.

After several days of travel, he returned to Fars.

The first thing Charlot did was report to the Central Government Office, which then forwarded formal documents to the Foreign Minister’s Office.

Hearing that Princess May Guillaume of Ingrima had arrived in Strasbourg, Count D’Artagnan rushed to greet her.

This was Charlot’s first time meeting the Count, who held a prestigious hereditary title within the empire. As a younger man, the count must have been quite the heartthrob; even now, he maintained the appearance of a debonair gentleman, impeccably dressed. Following imperial protocol, he invited Princess May to stay at one of the royal palaces.

While hosting the princess, the count did not neglect Charlot, offering him some reassurances and permission to return home to await further imperial instructions.

Having been away from home for too long, Charlot was relieved to escape the duties of hosting the princess. Feeling a tinge of joy, he bid farewell to Count D’Artagnan and returned to 58 Elysée Avenue.

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