Book 3: Chapter 319: Blood Clan Territory

The train slowly came to a halt upon arriving at the northernmost city, and the group stepped down from the carriages, curiously taking in their surroundings.

This was the Mage Alliance's northernmost city, "Shelter Cove," built along the shores of Ice Sea Lake. A massive mountain to the north shielded it from the wind, which was precisely why the city had been able to be established.

Many of the city's residents made their living from fishing. The aquatic catches hauled from the Ice Sea were divided three ways: some were processed into high-grade canned goods and shipped south, some were meticulously preserved and served on the tables of nobles and the wealthy, and certain special fish and shellfish were purchased by mages as materials for alchemy and medicine.

Because it was far removed from other regions, this city had not been struck by the "Flesh Plague" disaster. However, after the plague outbreak, many shipping routes were shut down, which dealt a partial blow to the local economy.

Although the Sinking Fog season had reduced grain harvests and caused food shortages elsewhere, things were different here. Since the local food supply came primarily from the sea rather than agriculture, the residents didn't feel much impact. Moreover, with the Gale Season ending and the Sinking Fog season arriving, storms at sea had calmed considerably, giving people more opportunities to go out fishing. In fact, the economy was actually faring slightly better than before.

After settling in temporarily, many members of the delegation took to the streets out of novelty and curiosity to explore the city.

"I know there's a great restaurant over there. Their 'silverfish' dishes are absolutely delicious." Carmilla held Sylutia's hand as she walked ahead.

The young woman nodded but felt somewhat curious.

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"Carmilla, how do you know about it? Have you been here before?"

"Of course I have." At this, Carmilla's expression turned slightly annoyed.

"I drifted across the Ice Sea for who knows how long back then. Finally, a fishing boat spotted me, and I ended up following them here. I stayed in this city for a while, took the mage assessment exams, and only then went to the Asra District."

"I see, so that's what happened." The young woman giggled softly behind her hand.

The two then made their way to the restaurant Carmilla remembered. Surprisingly, a decade had passed, yet the decor and staff were largely unchanged from when Carmilla had first visited.

"I suppose it's because the residents here rarely change. Not many outsiders come, and the locals are too lazy to travel far." Carmilla mused.

Picking up the restaurant's menu, Carmilla flipped through the listings and deftly selected several items.

"Two servings of white-pepper silverfish soup, two orders of fried eggs, and one baked soft flatbread."

"Very well, you two lovely young ladies." The server nodded, jotted down the order, and told them to wait a moment.

After the server left, Carmilla told Sylutia how delicious the silverfish here were.

"Ya, you know, when I was drifting at sea for those few months, I'd lost so much of my power that I was terribly weak. At my hungriest, I nearly fainted inside the boat. Fortunately, a school of fish happened to pass by just then, and a wave knocked several silverfish right into the boat. That was the first time I ever tried raw fish sashimi."

"Carmilla, you were very strong back then."

She understood why Carmilla remembered this so vividly and felt so emotional about it. For someone born a Blood Clan princess, this was probably the lowest point of her entire life. It was hard to imagine how Carmilla, who had always been pampered and waited on hand and foot, must have felt facing herself so utterly powerless and fragile. That situation must have been agonizing.

Drifting alone at sea, having no idea where to go, and having lost the power she had once taken such pride in...

Carmilla herself hadn't thought much of it at first, but hearing Sylutia's words suddenly brought back those feelings from that time.

After a brief moment, she shook her head and said, "That's all in the past."

"But Ti Ya, you think of so many things. I only mentioned the silverfish, and you immediately picked up on my state of mind back then."

"That's..." Sylutia found herself at a loss for how to explain. Perhaps it was just her nature.

Before long, the silverfish soup Carmilla had ordered arrived, and Sylutia finally got a look at this somewhat peculiar fish.

Silverfish, true to their name, had bodies that were snowy white and translucent, resembling white jade. One could vaguely see the bones and intricate blood vessels inside their bodies. The texture was tender and delicate, and with a light dipping sauce, it made for an excellent dish.

Because silverfish preferred warmer waters, they only appeared off the coast of the Ice Sea, making them a specialty of the Seventh Continent. Back when she had lived in Quebec, Sylutia had seen this type of fish before.

After enjoying their meal, the two walked hand in hand to continue exploring the seaside city.

Although it was located at the northernmost tip of the Mage Alliance, the temperature here was actually somewhat warmer than on the frozen tundra. Perhaps it was because of the seaside location, which helped moderate the climate.

Most of the buildings here were of white limestone. The entire city was built against a hillside, and standing on the sloping streets, one could look down upon the white sandy coastline below, as well as the vast blue expanse of the sea in the distance.

The sound of the waves was quite gentle. Even during such a harsh and perilous Sinking Fog season, this place remained as tranquil as a paradise, maintaining its serene atmosphere.

...

The next day, Sylutia and Carmilla were summoned by the Sage leading the delegation, "Xialanni," who informed them of the upcoming itinerary.

"This time, we'll be taking an airship to the Blood Clan territory in the north. However, there are a few matters I need to ask Carmilla about."

Carmilla's identity had already been disclosed to several Sages of the Mage Alliance. While quite a few were astonished, thanks to the guarantees provided by Sylutia and several Named Ones, the Sages didn't make things difficult for her.

After all, these Sages had all stepped into the Seventh Tier through their own strength. By comparison, the Blood Clan was still far too weakened. Even when Carmilla had been a candidate for the Blood Queen, she was only Sixth Tier, never having reached Seventh Tier.

Catella had likely stepped into the Seventh Tier by now, and even counting several Blood Clan Grand Dukes, there wouldn't be more than five Seventh Tier existences. So the high-ranking officials of the Mage Alliance weren't particularly worried about the Blood Clan.

Seeing this Sage addressing her, Carmilla recalled her past experiences and told the other woman.

"The airship can land at Mandra's territory on the coast. That's the Blood Clan's region for foreign trade and exchanges, and some humans live there as well. However, if we continue further north toward the royal court, the route passes through the territories of several Blood Clan great nobles. They have the duty of protecting the royal court and generally won't allow airships to pass through, unless there's a decree from the Queen."

"It seems we'll have to land at Mandra's territory first and then assess the situation." The Sage nodded slightly and put away the map on the table.

"Please make your preparations. The airship will depart tomorrow."

...

Several days later, the group traveled by airship across the skies of the Ice Sea and landed in the trade district of Mandra's territory.

Before long, the local Blood Clan administrators came over to inquire. They assumed this was a merchant delegation from the guild coming to discuss trade. However, when Carmilla also stepped off the airship, these Blood Clan members were instantly frozen in shock.

"Her... Her Majesty the Queen?" They sounded surprised and uncertain.

The woman before them, dressed in an elegant black and crimson formal gown, looked almost exactly like Queen Catella. Not only that, but the Blood Clan royal aura radiating from her, along with an inexplicable sense of pressure, was also uncannily similar, just slightly weaker.

"No, no, Her Majesty the Queen wouldn't be accompanying a human merchant group." One of the minor nobles shook his head vigorously, then immediately sent someone to notify the lord of Mandra's territory, "Count Coller."

Half an hour later, Count Coller arrived with a group of Blood Clan elites and came face to face with Carmilla, who was standing with the delegation.

Although he too was startled by how identical this woman was to the Queen, he didn't cry out in shock. Instead, he immediately figured out what was going on.

"Is this Princess Carmilla?"

"That's right. Doesn't Count Coller even know basic etiquette?" The Blood Clan princess, who had completely shed the warm and amiable demeanor she showed around Sylutia, arched her eyebrows. Merely the shift in her gaze and posture exuded a distinct aura of cold arrogance that made the Blood Clan members present involuntarily shiver. The pressure radiating from their bloodline nearly caused several of them to lose their footing.

"Your subject has been rude. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Count Coller immediately led several hundred Blood Clan elites in kneeling on one knee. Seeing these Blood Clan members, draped in blood-red cloaks, showing such reverence, even the members of the mage delegation were stunned by the sight.

After all, no one had known beforehand that Carmilla was the Blood Clan princess and heir to the Queen's position. They had only assumed she was an ordinary Blood Clan member.

Well, quite a lot had happened in recent years. The unprecedentedly long Sinking Fog season, a plague calamity only ever heard of in history books, and now a living, breathing Blood Clan princess standing before them... All these sights had already overstimulated these mages to the point of numbness.

"Even though we don't know why there's a Blood Clan princess in our group, we can't worry about that right now." Everyone had to quickly come to terms with the situation.

From that point onward, with Carmilla and Count Coller leading the way, the group's journey was completely unimpeded. Unfortunately, the Blood Clan territory had no trains, only carriages pulled by special blood demon horses. They would need to spend several days crossing the territories of the various great nobles before finally reaching the Cliffside Royal Court.

Five days later, after a whirlwind dash of blood demon horses across wind and snow, the group, having endured countless hardships, finally arrived before the Blood Clan royal court, nestled at the northern edge of the continent and shrouded in swirling snow.

Towering castles and spires stood in staggered array. Guarding the gates was a squad of knights clad in full plate armor. Their antique and elegant armor still bore traces of the former glory of the "Blood Dynasty." Unfortunately, the number of these Fourth Tier "Blood Knights" was already quite limited.

Sylutia recalled that during the Blood Dynasty's heyday, Fourth Tier Blood Knights could form a massive cavalry formation of tens of thousands. With blood-red banners flying, that colossal host of Fourth Tier Blood Knights was a slaughter machine that made battlefields tremble, easily razing cities and destroying nations.

After the announcement was delivered and permission granted, several knights at the gate slowly pulled open the iron doors. The group then passed through the towering gates and stepped into the royal court.

Curiously, upon entering, the temperature quickly warmed up. The grass here remained lush and green, and in the gardens they passed, "Blood-Dripping Roses" bloomed in white and red, exceptionally gorgeous and beautiful.

"The Blood-Dripping Rose, a specialty of the Blood Dynasty. The rose blooms white, but the petals bear irregular blood-red blotches, as if blood had been splattered upon them. It's said this flower was cultivated by Princess Teana in the final years of the dynasty. This princess was one of the rare gardeners and horticulturists among the Blood Clan royalty. She disliked conflict and devoted her entire life to improving rose varieties."

"Her most famous masterpiece was the 'Blood Flower Fairy.' She used her own flesh and blood, soul, consciousness, and everything else to nourish a single flower. When that flower bloomed, her original self would die and vanish, giving birth to a Blood Flower Fairy that carried the memories of its former host."

"Looking at it now, the 'Blood Flower Fairy' seems similar to the memory awakening within the Blood Clan royal bloodline. Both use memories and bloodline to give birth to a new self. That princess probably drew upon the 'True Crimson Blood' inheritance secret technique to create such a special 'Blood Flower Fairy.'"

Shaking her head, Sylutia put these irrelevant thoughts aside and followed the maidservant leading the way up the steps.

Under the guidance of several Blood Clan court maidservants, the group passed through layer upon layer of the palace guarded by sentries, finally arriving at the throne room. It was here that Sylutia finally laid eyes upon the Queen seated upon the throne, a woman who could have been Carmilla's mirror image.

The same amber-gold hair, the same vivid crimson eyes, the same cold and proud aura. But the difference was that her gaze was extraordinarily indifferent, as if her entire being was shrouded in a layer of frost. Carmilla, by contrast, was different. Having lived in the warm human society with Sylutia for so long, her aura carried a great deal of warmth and tenderness, occasionally revealing hints of a young woman's playfulness and charm.

The moment the group stepped into the hall, the Queen's gaze lifted slightly and remained fixed on Carmilla. The other Blood Clan ministers standing in the hall also almost all had their eyes on Carmilla. No one paid attention to the human Sage who had walked in, or the rest of the delegation.

In their eyes, these people were inconsequential. Carmilla's return, however, signified many things.

Was she here to settle scores with Catella and contend for the throne? Or did she have other intentions? They never expected this princess and heir to the Queen's position to now be mixed up with humans. Was she planning to use the mages' power to pressure Catella?

For a moment, everyone's thoughts ran wild, imagining all sorts of possibilities.

The Blood Clan had exceptionally long lifespans. For them, ten years felt roughly like an extended summer vacation. As for the famine and plague the human society was currently experiencing, they didn't feel much empathy, because all of that was too far removed from the Blood Clan's territory. Besides, similar famines and disasters happened every Sinking Fog season. They had long grown numb to it. As long as it didn't affect their own lives, that was all that mattered.

Seeing the atmosphere in the hall gradually turn cold and silent, the Sage leading the delegation, Xialanni, finally couldn't hold back and let out a light cough to break the silence, then stated the purpose of their visit.

Over the following few minutes, the Sage of the Salt Faction, Xialanni, first gave a detailed account of the plague calamity currently afflicting the Mage Alliance and numerous regions, as well as its severe contagiousness and lethality. Then the conversation turned to Sylutia's genius-like creation of a new type of treatment tincture capable of quelling the plague's devastation. However, the materials needed to produce the tincture were currently in short supply, and they hoped to obtain assistance from the Blood Clan.

"So, that's all?" Catella's faint voice echoed through the hall, cutting off Xialanni's words.

"I understand the situation. You may stay in the palace for now." She didn't give an immediate response, simply instructing them to settle in first.