Conversation and Conditions

"Looks like you've already taken care of your problem…"

"Not completely. You're just in time." Seeing Mr. Azik arrive, Ebner smiled and replied, "I actually have something I'd like to ask for your help with."

Mr. Azik looked over at him. He had a good impression of this detective, who had once helped him recover his memories, so he chuckled and said, "Help? You mean that sealed artifact in there?"

As he spoke, he seemed to sense something and continued, "Its aura is a bit troublesome, but it possesses the characteristic of 'being alive.' That makes it easier to communicate with."

Ebner wasn't surprised in the slightest that the Tudor Emblem had the property of being 'alive.' After all, if it weren't alive, how could such a simple 'ritual' keep it sealed? And how could it favor members of the Sauron family?

Only something alive could have 'preferences.'

"That's right. I was hoping you could negotiate with it and loosen the carrying conditions a bit," Ebner nodded.

"I'll give it a try." Mr. Azik hummed in response, then walked up to the altar and placed his hand directly on the emblem.

At that moment, Judy sneakily leaned closer to Ebner and whispered conspiratorially, "Is he really Silica's father?"

"How did you know?" Ebner asked in surprise.

"Cullen is a trusted comrade of mine and the captain—someone we can entrust our lives to. Naturally, he wouldn't hide something like this from us," Judy said seriously at first. Then, she broke into a mischievous grin and winked. "But the first time he came looking for Cullen, he scared the hell out of him. Cullen was out of it for days!"

So when you said 'entrust your lives,' you actually meant 'die of embarrassment'… Ebner silently ridiculed. He suddenly felt that Judy really was Lady Closfia's daughter—the way she smirked just now was exactly the same.

So even 'silly girls' have a hidden talent for stirring up drama…

Nearby, Cullen, who had just finished calming Silica down, sighed helplessly. "Could you two behave? The person involved is standing right here, you know."

Are you even considered a person? Aren't you a vampire? Ebner mocked inwardly but only shrugged on the surface, signaling that he hadn't said anything. Instead, he turned to Cullen and asked about something that had been on his mind for a while.

"By the way, Cullen… I was wondering if I could borrow the second half of The Feast of Blood… and what price I would need to pay?"

Cullen gave him a strange look and said, "You're the third person to ask me that recently."

Ebner was momentarily stunned, his mind working rapidly. He asked in return, "Who else? Emlyn?"

It made sense to him. Since "The Fool" had already obtained the first half of The Feast of Blood from him, it was only natural for Him to be curious about the rest. In fact, He had even asked about Cullen's whereabouts through His Blessed before. Ebner had refrained from providing the information back then since he hadn't obtained Cullen's consent… So there was a high chance that "The Fool" had turned to Emlyn instead.

"Yeah, that guy was one of them…" Cullen massaged his temples before continuing, "The other one was Lydia… Heh, speaking of which, I need to thank you for telling me about her discovery of the so-called Golden Serpent's Treasure. Once we're done here, I need to deal with that…"

Lydia? Why would she ask about this?

Could Roselle's treasure actually be connected to that book?

Based on what that old scoundrel wrote in his diary, he clearly wanted to mess with Cullen… So did he use knowledge related to that tome as bait to lure Cullen in?

As his thoughts raced, Ebner asked again, "So, what exactly do I need to do to earn the chance to read the second half of The Feast of Blood?"

"To be honest, even though I'm a direct descendant of The Feast of Blood's author and have read the second half, I still don't fully understand how it determines eligibility…"

Cullen paused to organize his thoughts before continuing, "According to the decree handed down by the Progenitor, one must offer a 'relic' of an ancestor to qualify for reading the second half of the book. Additionally, they must swear not to disclose anything after reading it.

"As for why I was allowed to read it… in a certain sense, I myself count as an 'ancestor's relic'…"

In the world of the supernatural, most Beyonders' children are basically just 'free extras' that come with consuming too much potion… Given that perspective, calling a descendant a 'relic' actually makes sense…

Ebner pondered for a moment before asking, "Is there a specific standard for these so-called 'relics'? Or any particular traits they must have?"

"I don't know… Everything is judged by the one appointed by the Progenitor," Cullen said, shaking his head at first. Then, as if recalling something, he added, "Oh, right. According to family legend, at the end of the Fourth Epoch, a high-sequence Beyonder from the Gravedigger Pathway was permitted to read the second half of The Feast of Blood, and the item he exchanged for it was nothing more than an ordinary glass bottle.

"Of course, this is just a story passed down within the family. Whether or not it matches reality is unknown…"

It's already been established that the Beyonders brought over by the 'Pure White Eye' exhibit a peculiar 'gravitational' effect toward each other. However, since a previous host must perish before the 'Pure White Eye' selects a new one, these travelers are always separated in time, never meeting each other directly…

And because of this 'gravitational effect,' later travelers always seem to stumble upon the 'relics' left behind by their predecessors… Could this be what the Progenitor of the Blood Race—Lilith—is actually searching for?

Is she trying to use these items to track down new travelers brought by the 'Pure White Eye'?

Has she always been harboring goodwill toward these outsiders?

Why? Just because that Blood Race Duke from the past was one of them and had her favor?

Hmm… I have quite a few 'relics' in my possession that fit the criteria—several mystical books I could trade, and even the photograph I obtained today might work… But there's no need to trouble Cullen to pass anything along…

Since the second half of The Feast of Blood was in Lilith's possession, there was nothing stopping him from simply visiting her at Harvest Church once he returned to Backlund. She always seemed rather… "available" anyway.

With that matter settled, Ebner had just been about to ask Cullen if he could share Silica's summoning ritual with a certain friend when he suddenly saw Mr. Azik pick up the emblem from the altar. The gentleman turned toward Ebner with a smile and said, "It's done. It agreed not to exert any negative effects while merely being held or worn…

"But in return, it must be provided with Woffal bee wax daily.

"Of course, if the wearer is a descendant of the Tudor family, that still won't work."

With that, he casually handed the emblem—an artifact nearly equivalent to an Earl of the Fallen—over to Ebner without hesitation.

Then, Mr. Azik's gentle smile faded as he turned his gaze toward Cullen, who was currently nuzzling Silica in an affectionate display.