Book 3: Chapter 324: Blood Clan Girl·Sylutia

Cliffside Royal Court·Red Sparrow Tower

The white tower had an elegant exterior, adorned with two tiers of balconies that resembled a mushroom's skirt. Inside, dark red patterned curtains blocked outside light and prying eyes.

This was the 'Red Sparrow Tower', a small tower built specifically for Sylutia, for her to live in and conduct experiments and research on ordinary days.

On this day, after finishing her research in the laboratory, Sylutia set it aside for the time being and prepared to go out for a walk.

Rarely, the weather was nice today. The cloud layer had become slightly thinner, and a burst of warm sunlight peeked through a gap in the azure sky, shining down upon the land.

Ever since the Sinking Fog season arrived, clear days had become precious, each occurrence celebrated like a festival.

Walking to the door at the base of the tower, Sylutia had just stepped out a few paces, bathed in the sunlight, then retreated back. Her fair white arm reached out toward the sunlight outside,

A faint stinging sensation traveled up her arm. Though it wasn't enough to cause injury, it was far from pleasant.

No wonder Carmilla always carried a parasol when going out on sunny days. Sylutia shook her head slightly, then took out the prepared parasol from the room and opened it, before slowly stepping out of the tower.

Today she wore a noble's formal gown in black and white as the primary colors, with several bright red roses adorning the hem and waist, giving her quite the Blood Clan demeanor. In truth, this gown had indeed come from the hands of the Blood Clan's royal tailors.

Because Sylutia had resided in the Royal Court for so long, her food, clothing, and daily necessities had been incorporated into the Royal Court's expenses. Catella had instructed the palace butler to provide Sylutia with three sets of quality dresses and formal gowns every month. The quality of these garments was at minimum Third Tier or above, with an occasional few using precious Fourth Tier materials, making the girl marvel at the luxury of the Blood Clan royal family.

With soft silver hair and true crimson eyes, walking along the Royal City streets, ordinary people would assume this girl was the scion of some great Blood Clan noble family.

Since accepting the 'Blessing of True Crimson Blood', her eyes had turned a transparent red. Combined with her already snow-white skin and hair color, her aura gained a few degrees of bewitching charm, markedly different from the pure, bright blue of the past.

The effects of the curse made Sylutia somewhat uncomfortable with sunlight, but the benefit was that her authority over and perception of the 'Bloodline Aspect' had also become considerably stronger. Now, aside from researching ways to solve the curse, she had also organized a small garden beside the tower, used for planting 'Blood-Dripping Roses' to study the characteristics of combining the 'Bloodline' Aspect with 'Verdant Nectar'.

Walking along the small path outside the 'Red Sparrow Tower', Sylutia entered the main street. The Royal City was quite lively today, with plenty of pedestrians and vendors appearing on the streets, most likely taking advantage of the clear weather to go for walks and get some activity. Occasionally, one could even see Blood Clan nobles bringing their families out for an outing.

Sylutia first strolled along the main street, browsing the shops and stores here.

The goods within the Blood Clan were not as abundant as those of the Mage Alliance, but there were also some local specialties rarely seen in the outside world. And because their cultural heritage was inherited from the Blood Dynasty, the clothing styles, furniture, and types of beverages sold here were all different from other places on the continent.

"Gilded Flying Bird Pattern Ice Chest, only 89 gold coins."

"A fine rapier forged from Claw Silver, superior quality. Whether for bloodletting or dueling, it sits extremely well in the hand."

"Blood Network Silk, 50 gold coins per bolt."

Sylutia stopped in front of a shop selling fabrics and clothing, then looked up at the signboard and stepped inside.

Rows upon rows of exquisitely crafted Blood Clan formal gowns hung here, most in black and red as the primary color scheme, unified in style.

"Welcome, honored guest. May I ask what you would like to see?" The shop's manager walked over. He appeared around forty, somewhat portly, with a genial expression.

"I heard about the 'Blood Network Silk' outside, and wanted to take a look." The girl turned around, her silver hair swaying to reveal snow-white, delicate earlobes. Paired with those breathtakingly vivid crimson eyes, she gave off a stunning charm.

"This..." The manager, upon clearly seeing the girl's appearance, couldn't help but freeze for a few seconds before snapping back to his senses. He hurriedly nodded, then averted his eyes, not daring to look further.

Although this girl was extremely beautiful, within the Blood Clan, such a lovely appearance paired with those vivid crimson eyes meant she was absolutely of Blood Clan noble birth. Moreover, her status was extremely high, definitely not someone a shop clerk or manager like him could offend.

Unlike the relatively egalitarian and relaxed social environment of the Mage Alliance, within Blood Clan territory, hierarchy and status were of paramount importance. Any offense or disrespect from an inferior would invite severe punishment.

"Apologies, apologies."

"I didn't realize an important personage had entered. I shall fetch you the finest 'Blood Network Silk' in the shop right away." Having said that, he hurriedly went to the back room of the shop, then emerged carrying an exquisitely packaged gift box.

Opened before the girl, the box revealed blood-red silk of incomparably pure color, without a single trace of impurity. Even plucking a single thread at random, one would not find any fraying or color gradation.

"This is superior-grade 'Blood Network Silk' from the Julianne territory. The silk weavers there extract the blood of pure maidens, then fuse it with silkworm thread according to secret methods to weave this silk. Its color will not fade for a hundred years, and it excellently nurtures the weak, subtly enhancing the vitality of their blood and body."

"Pure maidens' blood?" Sylutia blinked her eyes, somewhat curious.

"Indeed, it is generally taken from maidens yet to be married. It is said such blood has not yet been defiled." The manager informed Sylutia that this was a traditional craft passed down from the Blood Dynasty.

Truly... she didn't know how to evaluate this. Sylutia shook her head. She had never been to that place, so she didn't know whether this was merely promotional advertising or truly the case.

However, this method of weaving could indeed only be found among the descendants of the Blood Dynasty. Other races and factions, even if they practiced and utilized the 'Bloodline' Aspect, could not match the 'Blood Dynasty' in development and refinement.

Stroking the silk within the box, a shimmer of light circulated in Sylutia's eyes as she analyzed its quality and composition. Soon, information appeared in her mind.

【Blood Network Silk】(Third Tier·Superior)

Special fabric woven from blood and silkworm thread using the Blood Dynasty's unique craft. Provides minor enhancement to 'Bloodline'-related abilities, medium defense, superior aesthetics. (Bloodline Enhancement +1, Flexibility +2, Aesthetics +3)

"How much is the price?" Sylutia asked.

"Honored lady, for such Blood Network Silk, one box requires only 400 gold coins." The other party laboriously made a hand gesture, seeming to have weighed countless considerations in his heart.

Quite expensive. Sylutia thought back to the Third Tier quality fabrics she had seen in the Mage Alliance. This price was a bit high, but considering the Blood Clan's production level and rarity, it was still reasonable.

"Wrap it up for me." Sylutia spoke, then took several gemstones from the hairpin at the back of her head and placed them on the table.

"Yes, yes." The manager hurriedly agreed, then had someone begin packing.

Come to think of it, Sylutia didn't actually lack such fabrics and materials, but perhaps seeing it for the first time, she wanted to buy it as a collection. After all, it was rarely seen outside. Now she wasn't short on money, and sometimes even had no place to spend it, so she would buy some Blood Clan specialties as collectibles.

Afterward, Sylutia also looked at the clothing in the shop. The quality of the garments here was decent, but compared to what she wore, they were vastly inferior. After all, royal tailors had personally cut and sewn her clothes, and within the entire Blood Clan, it would be hard to find better.

After that, she continued browsing other shops along the commercial street, and along the way bought some more Blood Clan specialties, such as a Blood Clan rapier with a gold filigree handguard. Its style was lavish, and it felt exceptionally light and swift to use.

Additionally, she purchased a set of Blood Dynasty-style teaware and a quill pen, as collectibles.

In terms of armor, Sylutia also saw the 'Blood Rider War Armor' bearing the lingering charm of the Blood Dynasty. If its design were slightly modified, replacing the armor plates with petal patterns and adding an elaborate pleated blood-colored battle skirt, it would become the 'Floral Battle Armor' she remembered from Blood Rose Princess 'Ilenetina' when she set out for battle.

Back in the Hidden Grove, she had owned a color-altered 'White Flower Battle Armor'. That armor had also been worn when assisting Princess Mursa in restoring her kingdom in Regas. But those were all past matters now.

Stepping out of the shop, Sylutia lightly twirled the handle of the parasol in her hand. The beautiful blood-red floral ornamented parasol shifted aside, revealing the azure sky above. Bright sunlight spilled through the girl's fingers, some falling upon her fair cheeks and collarbones, creating attractive dappled light and shadow against the off-shoulder black and white gown.

Even if there was a faint stinging sensation, the feeling of being bathed in sunlight was still somewhat warm and comfortable. Perhaps it was precisely because of the lack of sunlight that the rare clear days gave people a sense of happiness.