Chapter 150: The Vampire Lord’s Interest

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: The Vampire Lord’s Interest

Ronan’s second day in Bloodfall City’s dungeon was considerably more interesting than the first.

Not because his situation had improved.

He was still chained to the wall, his strength suppressed by the Blood Prison Formation, with no obvious way to escape.

However, he had begun to receive information.

And information was something he valued almost as much as power.

The first of his controlled vampires had visited him that morning under the pretext of delivering food.

After placing the tray on the table, the vampire approached the restraints and quietly reported what he had learned.

"Several western settlements have stopped sending their usual supplies. The military has increased its patrols, and Lord Varkos has ordered additional scouts to investigate the situation."

Ronan listened without interrupting.

"Do they know why the settlements stopped sending supplies?"

"Not exactly. Some believe the local rulers are refusing to acknowledge Lord Varkos’s authority. Others suspect that something happened to the caravans traveling between the territories."

"Anything about Selvara?"

The vampire hesitated.

"I heard her name mentioned once, but I couldn’t confirm anything. Apparently, some vampires believe she has been searching for a powerful undead."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That was interesting.

He had already suspected that Selvara’s activities might extend beyond her own territory. If she had been gathering information about him, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume she had contacted other powerful vampires.

Unfortunately, the information was too vague to be useful.

"Continue investigating," Ronan instructed. "Don’t draw attention to yourself. I want facts, not rumors."

"Understood."

The vampire bowed and left the chamber.

Ronan watched him go before leaning back against the wall.

’So the western territories are more complicated than I thought.’

He had initially viewed Bloodfall City as a convenient place to obtain information about Selvara. Now, it appeared that the city itself was dealing with a situation that might affect his investigation.

Whether the two matters were connected remained unclear.

Still, he wasn’t going to ignore the possibility.

---

Later that afternoon, his second controlled vampire arrived with something more useful.

The older guard entered the dungeon carrying a small bundle of documents. After checking the restraints, he placed the papers on a nearby table and waited until the other guards had left before speaking.

"I found records concerning the old underground passages."

Ronan immediately became interested.

"Tell me."

"Most of the tunnels beneath the castle were constructed before Bloodfall City expanded to its current size. Some were used to transport supplies, while others connected important buildings beneath the inner district."

"And the western wing?"

"Several passages were sealed after a collapse. However, the records mention another route that remained accessible for maintenance workers."

Ronan’s gaze sharpened.

"Where does it lead?"

The vampire unfolded one of the documents.

"The passage begins beneath an old storage chamber. According to these records, it connects to a maintenance tunnel extending toward the western district."

Ronan glanced toward the damaged map fragment lying in the corner.

The lines on the fragment might correspond to the route described in the records.

"Can it lead outside the city?"

The vampire shook his head.

"The records don’t say. The passage might connect to other tunnels, but the older sections haven’t been fully mapped."

Ronan fell silent for a moment.

It wasn’t the escape route he had hoped to discover, but it was progress.

More importantly, the existence of an unmapped section meant there might be places within Bloodfall City that even Varkos’s forces didn’t fully understand.

That could become useful.

"Can you reach the maintenance tunnel?"

"Possibly. The storage chamber is accessible, but the entrance to the older passages is sealed."

"Find out whether it can be opened without attracting attention. Don’t force your way through anything."

The vampire nodded.

Ronan continued, "And find out whether the fragment in the dungeon matches the records."

"I’ll investigate."

After the vampire left, Ronan looked toward the damaged fragment again.

He was beginning to understand why it had caught his attention.

It wasn’t simply a map of underground passages.

It might be a piece of a larger network that had existed beneath Bloodfall City long before Varkos became its ruler.

If so, the current inhabitants might not know everything hidden beneath their own feet.

Ronan smiled faintly.

---

His third controlled vampire had not yet returned from the western territories.

That wasn’t surprising.

The journey would take time, and Ronan had specifically instructed him to avoid unnecessary risks.

For now, he had to be patient.

Unfortunately, patience became considerably more difficult when the dungeon door suddenly opened.

Two heavily armed vampires entered the chamber.

Behind them stood a familiar figure dressed in black and crimson robes.

Varkos.

The Vampire Lord glanced at the chains binding Ronan before looking directly into his eyes.

"Come with me."

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

"Am I finally being released?"

One of the guards glared at him.

Varkos, however, smiled faintly.

"If that were my intention, you wouldn’t need to ask."

"That’s disappointing."

The Vampire Lord gestured toward the restraints.

The crimson chains immediately loosened, though they didn’t disappear completely. The guards stepped forward and secured Ronan’s wrists with a different set of restraints before leading him out of the dungeon.

Ronan examined the new chains.

They were lighter than the Blood Prison Formation’s restraints, but he could still feel the energy suppressing his strength.

’They don’t intend to let me move freely.’

He hadn’t expected otherwise.

The guards escorted him through several corridors before arriving at an enormous chamber.

Unlike the dungeon, this room was decorated with crimson banners, dark pillars, and intricate carvings depicting battles between vampires and other races.

At the far end stood an elevated platform with a black throne.

Varkos walked toward it and sat down.

Ronan was brought before him.

For several seconds, the Vampire Lord simply observed his prisoner.

Then he spoke.

"You have an unusual bloodline."

Ronan remained silent.

"You’re a ghoul, yet your body possesses characteristics that shouldn’t exist in an ordinary ghoul. Your blood is also considerably different from that of common undead."

Varkos leaned forward.

"And your mark identifies you as the Ghoul Lord."

Ronan tilted his head.

"Is that supposed to impress me?"

A few guards immediately stepped forward, but Varkos raised his hand.

They stopped.

The Vampire Lord chuckled.

"You’re quite confident for someone standing inside my castle in restraints."

"I’ve been told confidence is a valuable trait."

"Perhaps. But confidence without sufficient strength is merely foolishness."

Ronan smiled.

"Then I suppose we’ll find out which one I possess."

For the first time, Varkos’s expression became slightly more serious.

He studied Ronan for another moment before changing the subject.

"Tell me about Selvara."

Ronan’s smile didn’t disappear, but his attention sharpened.

There it was.

He had hoped Varkos might possess information about her, but he hadn’t expected the Vampire Lord to bring up her name so quickly.

"What about her?"

"She has operated in the outer regions for some time. Her ambitions have occasionally interfered with the interests of other vampire rulers."

Varkos rested one arm on the throne.

"Recently, however, rumors about her activities have become increasingly strange. Her forces have suffered losses, and several individuals associated with her have disappeared."

Ronan listened carefully.

Varkos continued.

"Some claim she encountered an unusual undead. Others believe she has discovered a bloodline capable of changing the balance of power among vampires."

His crimson eyes fixed on Ronan.

"Since you possess such an unusual bloodline yourself, I wondered whether you knew anything about these rumors."

Ronan almost laughed.

The situation was becoming amusing.

He had entered Bloodfall City hoping to interrogate Varkos about Selvara. Now, the Vampire Lord was asking him questions about her instead.

Of course, Ronan had no intention of revealing everything.

"Perhaps she’s made some enemies."

"Perhaps."

Varkos’s expression remained unreadable.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No."

It was the truth, at least.

He knew Selvara had escaped their battle, but he had no idea where she had gone afterward.

Varkos watched him for a moment longer.

Then he leaned back.

"Interesting."

Ronan narrowed his eyes slightly.

He couldn’t tell whether the Vampire Lord believed him.

But something about the conversation bothered him.

Varkos had asked about Selvara, yet he hadn’t demanded an explanation for the Ghoul Lord’s presence near Bloodfall City. He hadn’t even asked Ronan why he had been investigating the city’s defenses.

It was almost as though the Vampire Lord was more interested in his bloodline and Selvara than in the supposed intrusion itself.

That raised an important question.

What did Varkos actually want from him?

Before Ronan could ask, the Vampire Lord spoke again.

"You will remain in my custody for the time being. I have no intention of killing you before I understand what you are."

Ronan sighed.

"So I’m a research subject now?"

"Think of it as an opportunity."

"An opportunity to do what?"

"Remain alive."

Ronan stared at him.

Then he laughed.

Varkos’s expression didn’t change.

"Take him back."

The guards immediately escorted Ronan out of the chamber.

As he left, Ronan glanced back at the Vampire Lord.

Varkos was already looking away, as though the conversation had been nothing more than a minor interruption.

That bothered Ronan more than he wanted to admit.

A ruler of Bloodfall City’s size wouldn’t keep a dangerous prisoner alive without a reason.

And whatever that reason was, Ronan intended to discover it before Varkos decided to act on it.