The Count's Daughter

　　The interior of the coffin exuded a serene and tranquil atmosphere. While pure darkness might instill fear in humans, for the blood clan, it was quite the opposite; they reveled in it. 

　　Caesar twitched his nose slightly, detecting a unique fragrance emanating from the coffin, likely a characteristic of the material. 

　　He settled his mind and began to meditate. 

　　The blood within him and his mental power started to resonate. 

　　After entering the Marquis realm, Caesar discovered that his cultivation speed had significantly slowed down, dropping many folds. The path from Marquis to Duke was exceptionally arduous and fraught with challenges. 

　　Many of the existing Marquises among the blood clan had entered this realm over a thousand years ago. 

　　Yet even today, they remained stagnant in their progress. 

　　A thousand years as a Marquis, and another thousand years still as a Marquis. 

　　The harsh reality was enough to drive one to despair! 

　　Some had divided the journey from Marquis to Duke into four stages: Zero-Wing Marquis, Two-Wing Marquis, Four-Wing Marquis, and Six-Wing Marquis. 

　　These corresponded to the early, mid, late, and peak stages of the Marquis realm. 

　　Currently, Caesar was a Zero-Wing Marquis. 

　　He had yet to evolve wings… or rather, "Holy Wings." 

　　Thus, the power gap between Marquises was considerable. 

　　It was said that Prince-level vampires possessed twelve Holy Wings, which is why they were referred to as the "Twelve-Winged Blood Ancestors." 

　　Unfortunately, aside from a few Duke-level ancient beings from the seven great clans who had lived for tens of thousands of years, no one had seen a true Prince. 

　　Only after becoming a Marquis would one truly comprehend just how difficult it was to grow a pair of Holy Wings.

　　...

　　The next morning, 

　　Caesar climbed out of the coffin and approached the window, pushing it open. 

　　Brilliant sunlight flooded in, warm and pleasant, dispelling the chill and dampness of the night. 

　　After a night of cultivation, he barely noticed any progress. 

　　At this rate, without the aid of life force, he feared it would take him hundreds of years to grow six Holy Wings. 

　　Caesar gazed at the dawn and suddenly had a whimsical idea. 

　　He had previously attempted to cultivate under the sunlight but had failed; while he could temporarily absorb solar fire, the conversion rate was nearly zero. 

　　Now that he had broken through to the Marquis level, entering a higher tier of life, would the situation be different? 

　　With that thought, he proceeded. 

　　"Whoosh~" 

　　Caesar took a deep breath, and a faint layer of reddish-golden radiance suddenly enveloped his skin. The temperature in the room rose sharply, filling the air with the powerful aura of solar fire. 

　　He transformed into his solar form. 

　　The power of the sun flowed through him. 

　　Then, he opened his mind, bathing in the sunlight and beginning to meditate. 

　　Gradually, strands of solar fire began to seep through his pores, merging with his life force. 

　　This time, it didn't dissipate! 

　　His body was truly decomposing and absorbing the solar fire. 

　　After becoming a Marquis, he could indeed cultivate with the aid of sunlight! 

　　"Tsk, I might be the only vampire in the blood clan's history capable of 'photosynthesis.'" 

　　Caesar raised his eyebrows, feeling exceptionally pleased. 

　　Cultivating at night in the coffin and meditating under the sun during the day— 

　　Dual cultivation meant his progress would be incredibly rapid! 

　　"System, check in." 

　　"Ding! Check-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Beastman blood x1." 

　　Caesar pouted. 

　　With a snap of his fingers, the sound of an eagle cry soon echoed in his ears as Billy flew in through the window. 

　　"Consider it a treat." 

　　Caesar tossed the drop of powerful life force-laden beastman blood into the air. 

　　Billy, ecstatic and thrilled, expertly caught it with its beak. 

　　"Chirp~" 

　　It flapped its wings and affectionately nudged its head against its master's hand. 

　　"Go have fun, but don't wander too far. Even though you're a battle beast now, it's the low-key ones that live the longest… eagles are the same." 

　　Caesar advised it. 

　　Then, he opened the door and stepped out of the room.

　　...

　　Knock knock knock~

　　After a gentle rap on the door, there was no response. 

　　He knocked again, and finally heard Count Stephen's weak and aged voice, "Come… come in." 

　　Pushing the door open, 

　　"Are you here to… to collect my corpse? Ah, you'll be disappointed; I'm not dying today, Caesar. Come back tomorrow." 

　　His words sounded like a fevered dream, and he seemed barely coherent. 

　　Caesar's lips twitched slightly. 

　　He walked up to Stephen's coffin and said, "I went to the Joseph clan again." 

　　"Did… did you see him?" 

　　"I did." 

　　"What… what did he say?" 

　　"He gave me a drop of his life force to bring to you." 

　　Stephen's breathing suddenly became heavy. He struggled to sit up in the coffin, turning to face Caesar, but his eyes were blind, and he could see nothing. 

　　His face, lined with deep wrinkles, was filled with a desperate longing for life. 

　　"Please open your mouth, my lord Count." 

　　Stephen obediently opened his mouth, revealing that all of his teeth had fallen out, including the two fangs he had once been proud of. 

　　Caesar's expression remained calm as he stepped forward, extending his long right hand. 

　　He easily made a small cut with his thumbnail on his fingertip, allowing a drop of life force to seep out and fall into Stephen's mouth. 

　　An immense surge of life energy erupted within the old Count, like spring rain nourishing all things; this energy flowed through his limbs and bones. 

　　The impact of a single drop of Marquis life force brought about a tremendous change in this dying man! 

　　The death spots on the old Count's face slowly faded, and a hint of color returned to his skin, finally giving him a semblance of vitality. 

　　"It truly is Marquis life force!" 

　　Stephen spoke more clearly now, excitement radiating from him, "Thank you, Caesar." 

　　"Don't mention it; it's my duty as your steward." 

　　Caesar replied lightly. 

　　Although Stephen had not owed him any great debt, they had lived together in the castle for many years, and he was more or less a familiar face. 

　　He was not like the stingy and unfeeling Joseph Marquis. 

　　Bestowing a small act of kindness upon a pitiful, dying old man was something Caesar could certainly do. 

　　It was just a drop of life force; although it would take Joseph Marquis a very long time to recover, for Caesar, it would only take a short while. After all, he had the check-in system that could continuously replenish his life force!

　　"Ah~" 

　　A long sigh echoed in the air. 

　　Stephen wore a look of desolation as he said, "I don't know what the point is of hanging on like this, Caesar. Do you think I'm too afraid of death? Would it be a better choice to end my life myself?" 

　　Caesar shook his head. "Everyone has their own choices. You don't seem like someone who fears death; you endure the torment of a life worse than death every day yet still choose to suffer. There must be a reason for that. I'm just a steward; it's not appropriate for me to ask too much." 

　　Stephen fell silent. 

　　He sat in thought for a full minute before letting out another sigh. 

　　"Actually… this castle once had a mistress. I… I have a daughter." 

　　Caesar's eyes widened in shock! 

　　"Then why have I never heard James mention anything about the Countess or the young lady?" 

　　Stephen shook his head. "How could he possibly reveal the greatest secret of my life to others? I don't want to die because I don't want to enter the grave with such regret." 

　　"What regret?" Caesar's curiosity was piqued. 

　　"I want to see my daughter, Stephanie Duke, one last time." 

　　Stephen forced a smile. 

　　"Duke…" 

　　Caesar paused for a moment, feeling that the surname sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where. 

　　Suddenly, his expression lit up with excitement. "My lord Count, your daughter is from the Duke clan, one of the seven great clans?" 

　　The Duke clan, like the Joseph clan and the Jerome clan, was one of the seven royal families. 

　　"Indeed, surprised, aren't you? The royal legitimate daughter, a princess of the Duke clan, and her father is just an ordinary nobleman." 

　　Count Stephen sighed with a face full of emotion. "The story goes back twenty years…"