Chapter 403: Blood Race, the Corpse-like Immortals

’A Thin Blood Clan from outside the Thirteen Clans?’

The Blood Race is said to be comprised of the Thirteen Clans, but in reality, there are fifteen clans.

They are divided into five factions.

The dominant Secret Alliance is made up of seven clans, commonly known as the Secret Faction.

Then there is the Demon Banquet Alliance, made up of only two clans, also known as the Demon Faction.

The Neutral Faction, formed by three clans.

Beyond them is the higher-tiered Death Clan. This clan is similar to an Elder Council but has little presence and doesn’t interfere in the development of the Thirteen Clans.

It’s difficult to even find them.

As for the Thin Blood Clan, the name implies they are outcasts—vampires not accepted by the orthodox Blood Race.

The Blood Race blood in their veins is extremely thin.

This was represented by the foul, rotten blood Qi Suian had seen when he’d fought Baron Fisher.

There are many such members of the Blood Race. Most are defective products created by the Thirteen Clans through means other than the true Embrace.

Ghouls are, in fact, vampire servants. The name just sounds better. They are similar to the living dead and provide the Blood Race with a source of blood.

The blacksmith’s daughter was one such ghoul, created by Fisher.

She not only had to serve as his blood bag but also provide physical services for Baron Fisher.

And she actually ended up conceiving a child with Fisher.

If the child had been born, it would have been another vampire of the Thin Blood Clan.

The Thirteen Clans, for instance, typically use the Embrace to create more of their kind. These are the orthodox Blood Race.

In contrast, members of the Blood Race born from a live birth are all considered defective.

Baron Fisher’s father was a Baron, and his mother was a member of the Blood Race. She gave birth to him, and he inherited his father’s title. That’s how his story began.

In terms of social structure, the Thin Blood Clan leans more toward humanity, with the custom of raising their offspring.

The Church, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely.

It consists of devout humans who gain Divine Techniques and possess Extraordinary power through their faith.

One must practice the various precepts of the Church to acquire sufficient Divine Techniques.

Therefore, Priests are divided into three groups: Discipline Priests, Ascetics, and Demon Hunters.

The first group is comprised of ordinary Priests. Many of them lack Divine Techniques, and their quality varies greatly. The position is often filled by the illegitimate sons of nobles and the like.

They are the most numerous group within the Church and control all power at the local level. Many problems arise because of them.

The Ascetics, in contrast, are believers who strictly adhere to the precepts. They have mastered a great number of Divine Techniques and are the true guardians of the kingdom, protecting it from invasion by the Blood Race.

If the Ascetics are humanity’s guardians, then the Demon Hunters are its hunters.

They are the Church’s militant arm. They operate in organized units, stand against the Blood Race as equals, and actively hunt them down.

In terms of numbers, while there are more of them than Ascetics, they are still quite rare and far outnumbered by the Discipline Priests.

Let alone compared to the Blood Race. Thus, the need arose for civilian Demon Hunters.

These are ordinary people who have mastered the skills to hunt the Blood Race.

Most are well-trained Warriors who use Fire Guns, Holy Water Long Swords, Secret Silver Armor, and other equipment specifically designed to counter the Blood Race, allowing them to hunt them efficiently.

However, lacking any Extraordinary power, they can only kill Blood Race members of the Baron and Viscount ranks. Anything higher is beyond them.

Most of the time, they just deal with ghouls. Killing an actual member of the Blood Race requires paying a heavy price.

As for the titles of the Blood Race, not all of its members have one. Only those with sufficient power can be granted a title.

Take Baron Fisher, for example. His title isn’t recognized by the Blood Race clans, making him a marginal figure among them.

But as for the true origins of the Blood Race, Baron Fisher knew nothing.

The Thin Blood Clan are all outcasts; they never receive the complete heritage.

Since they are not born of the Embrace, they are naturally considered unworthy of it.

Even those of the Blood Race who are born of the Embrace might not know the full story; their inheritance is more focused on dark, bloody power.

These were the special abilities that Qi Suian had been unable to analyze or comprehend.

"I’ve told you everything I know. Let me go."

"Without me, the Fisher Territory will descend into chaos," Baron Fisher said.

"No rush. I want to know, what about your mother?" Qi Suian asked.

"She’s dead. Burned to death," Baron Fisher said weakly.

"I’m curious. Why would she have a child with your father?"

"From what you’ve said, I can tell your father was the one in a position of power," Qi Suian said.

’He didn’t quite understand the man’s tastes, but to each their own.’

’However, how could the man have possibly forced a vampire to bear his child?’

"My father learned my mother’s true name. That’s how he controlled her." After saying this, Fisher continued, "Only the Thirteen Clans and the Death Clan possess true names."

"It is both their power and their very self. But the Thin Blood Clan, born from unions with humans, do not have true names."

"That is why the Thin Blood Clan will always be weaker than the Thirteen Clans and the Death Clan."

"At the same time, it’s also a restraint."

"The sire, after the Embrace, also learns the true name of their childe. Everything about the childe will then be under the sire’s control."

"We lost great power, but in exchange, we gained freedom," Baron Fisher continued to explain.

Through this talk of true names, Qi Suian quickly understood that an extremely strict, insurmountable hierarchy existed among the Blood Race.

’Unless, of course, one could kill their own sire.’

"I see. Is there anything else?" Qi Suian asked.

Baron Fisher shook his head. "I’ve told you everything. I don’t know anything else."

"If you want to know more, you’ll have to find the Thirteen Clans."

Qi Suian stitched up Fisher’s wounds.

The dissection hadn’t provided Qi Suian with anything of value.

From an anatomical perspective, Fisher, a member of the Thin Blood Clan, was simply a corpse.

His body showed no signs of life, yet it could move and possessed self-awareness, which was bizarre.

To put it another way, even a zombie could be classified as a living creature, but not a member of the Blood Race. They are, in a physical sense, corpses.

And yet, empowered by some unknown force, they possessed all sorts of miraculous abilities.

As for drinking blood, Qi Suian had studied it. It wasn’t a daily necessity for them, but a physical craving.

For the Blood Race, drinking blood is like catnip for a cat—it provides them with a feeling of extreme pleasure.

This pleasure isn’t addictive, but the inherent emptiness of the Blood Race compels them to fill the void with it.

That’s why every member of the Blood Race keeps ghouls as their personal blood bags.

Of course, besides the pleasure of drinking blood, they also seek physiological and psychological gratification.

The former is like Fisher, who chased carnal pleasures.

The latter indulge in far more perverse games, with no shortage of gore, cruelty, and other extreme tastes.

The Blood Race are an immortal species. Unless killed by something that counters them, their lifespan is endless.

This was true even for Fisher, a member of the Thin Blood Clan.

Hunts by the Church and internecine conflict are the two main causes of death for the Blood Race.

"Where are the Thirteen Clans?" Qi Suian asked.

"There aren’t many clans in the Grand Kingdom."

"If you want to find them, you’ll have to go to the Kingdom of Wallachia and the Kingdom of Transylvania."

"The ruler of the Kingdom of Wallachia is the ’Son of the Dragon,’ Vlad III Cepes. He is the leader of the Demon Faction."

"A true king of the Blood Race who dares to confront the Church head-on."

"His father was the former ’Piercing Demon,’ a true second-generation member of the Blood Race, Vlad II Dracula."

"The entire Kingdom of Wallachia is a paradise for the Blood Race. They don’t need to hide, and all the humans are ghouls."

"And the ruler of the Kingdom of Transylvania is the leader of the Secret Faction, the ’Blood Bath Queen,’ Elizabeth Bathory."

"Like the Piercing Demon, she is also a second-generation member of the Blood Race. It is said she is a member of the Death Clan, but that hasn’t been confirmed."

Listening to these descriptions, Qi Suian felt a strange sense of familiarity.

’How is this so similar to some of the vampire lore from my past life?’

’It’s just that everything has been mashed together.’

Then, he tentatively asked, "Are there Werewolves?"

"Werewolf? What’s that?" Fisher was confused. "Is that some kind of title for a Church Demon Hunter?"

"No. A monster that can transform from a human into a half-wolf, half-human creature on the night of a full moon," Qi Suian said.

"No, I’ve never heard of such a monster." Fisher had never heard of anything like it.

’From this, Qi Suian could confirm that this world likely only had the self-proclaimed Blood Race of vampires, with no Werewolves in sight.’

’Or perhaps they just haven’t appeared yet.’

’Still, the origins of this Blood Race are probably not simple.’

’A member of the Thin Blood Clan, one of the Blood Race without a true name, could possess heaven-defying powers like conceptual abilities and an Undying Body.’

’More importantly, a team of well-trained civilian School Demon Hunters, with proper coordination, could use items that counter them to kill Fisher.’

It gave one the strange impression of a powerful being getting stabbed to death with pitchforks by common folk.

It gave Qi Suian the feeling of being in a myth or legend.

’If that’s the case, then the source of both the Church and the Blood Race must be a God-like existence.’

’There are no clear-cut power tiers, and sudden, plot-mandated deaths could occur.’

Combined with all the absurd variations, Qi Suian couldn’t help but entertain these thoughts.

’If that’s really the case, then this is going to be a real pain.’

"Mm, I understand." With that, Qi Suian grabbed Fisher and shoved him directly into the Melting Furnace.

The good news was that, unlike the ghosts of the Ghost World which were made of rules, the Blood Race could indeed be burned by the Melting Furnace.

And due to the unique nature of the Blood Race, the yield was quite good. He estimated he could get enough energy for at least one evolution out of it.

’Rules... they really are the best fuel. This is just fantastic.’

Qi Suian couldn’t help but smile.

’The higher the risk, the greater the reward. That saying is definitely true.’

’It seems this world really does have something like a World Core. Maybe it’s even related to the power of the Church and the Blood Race.’

’But if I want to find out, I’ll have to make contact with either the Blood Race or the Church.’

Qi Suian naturally leaned more toward the Church. The Blood Race wouldn’t necessarily welcome him. After all, he was, theoretically, still a human.