Chapter 177

Chapter 177
## Chapter 177

The New Talia Kingdom

The Talia Kingdom stood as a unique realm where vampires had emerged from the shadows to openly integrate into human society.

However, because they were forging a brand-new social order without historical precedent, minor and major frictions erupted continuously across the land.

Under the governance of Heinz the Second, the entire population was now protected, strictly limiting the available pool of blood sources. Furthermore, feeding to a lethal degree was completely forbidden, with an exception made only for prisoners facing capital punishment.

This restriction proved to be an immense source of frustration for the vampires, who were accustomed to hunting whoever they pleased based on personal preference.

“This is the Inspection Department. We require you to accompany us immediately for questioning.”

“Are you serious right now? I verified that the man was a lawbreaker and simply carried out the penalty. What exactly is the issue here?!”

“It appears you have neglected to thoroughly review the . The individual committed a mere theft; your instructions were to drain enough blood to satisfy yourself while leaving him among the living. He represents a precious state asset, yet you let your rapacity get the better of you.”

“Dammit!”

Though the vampire population had undergone various advancements after absorbing Heinz’s “Refined Blood Essence”, the act of feeding remained fundamentally tied to their primal urges.

Consequently, it was inevitable that certain individuals would attempt to skirt the regulations to feed their unchecked desires.

“How much longer must we permit these beasts to dominate our lands while we are reduced to living like livestock? We must band together to reclaim our freedom!”

“But given that even the Holy Church appears to have surrendered, what options do we truly have left…?”

“Rest assured on that front. In truth, the Sharotti Kingdom is covertly supporting…”

Crash—!

Rumble!

“These are the insurgents. Secure every last one of them!”

“Gah! How did you uncover our location?!”

“…My apologies. But those who can be saved ought to be spared, right? Besides, life under the current regime isn’t actually that terrible…”

“Deception…! To think you would play us for fools!”

Clandestine factions attempting to secretly stir up discontent among the human populace began poking their heads out one after another.

Naturally, these elements were swiftly detected by Hybrid, who maintained an absolute grip on the kingdom’s criminal underbelly, yet these subversive plots—widely believed to be financed by rival border nations—persisted.

Those foreign powers merely feigned total ignorance, quickly severing ties to avoid political fallout.

Yet, contrary to what outsiders might expect, the average citizen viewed the new regime quite favorably.

Word spread that conditions had vastly improved for the impoverished classes, who had previously spent their days merely trying to survive.

“Bless you, Healer. I am deeply grateful for your assistance.”

“Think nothing of it. It is simply my responsibility. Next patient, please step forward!”

The administration had recruited a massive contingent of practitioners from every corner of the realm, delivering medical treatment at virtually zero cost to the public.

They went so far as to invite clergy members from the Main God Church to conduct routine recovery gatherings within local shrines and sanctuaries.

All varieties of toxic narcotics that damaged human health were eradicated from Talia overnight, and the pestilence and squalor previously rampant throughout the slums dissolved rapidly under the state’s aggressive social programs.

Furthermore, citizens received wholesome sustenance simply by volunteering to give blood, turning the kingdom into an absolute sanctuary for the destitute who possessed no other resources.

-Seeking a simple way to earn money? The entire process is swifter than consuming a warm beverage! Zero adverse effects and flawless medical monitoring assured!

-Gather blood donation points to unlock a wealth of perks! From everyday necessities to premium housing options, an array of rewards awaits you!

-Healthy, unwed citizens in their early twenties are highly preferred. Bonus stipends offered based on specific qualifications.

Not only were transfusion hubs established across every district, but even administrative buildings were plastered with promotional materials.

It had truly become a society where an individual could maintain a comfortable lifestyle solely by consistently selling their blood.

‘Furthermore, by employing blood sorcery, we can drastically quicken the physical recuperation of our volunteers. This allows us to harvest blood much more frequently than standard methods permit.’

The crown even pledged national accolades for exemplary citizens who maintained regular donation schedules, and they instituted a direct pairing system for vampires seeking highly particular blood profiles…

In a very literal sense, these transfusion hubs were transforming into the foundational pillar of the New Talia Kingdom’s infrastructure.

‘Granted, donors with premium blood types, such as youthful and attractive women, will receive far superior compensation… That is simply the nature of supply and demand. It poses no significant issue.’

Naturally, if an ordinary state distributed public welfare on such a massive scale, its treasury would swiftly face bankruptcy, but the Talia Kingdom under the sovereignty of Heinz Hybrid the Second operated differently.

The ‘Brokoslack Clan’ had maintained a firm grip on the realm’s financial assets for generations, and more importantly, the corrupt bureaucrats who used to siphon off state revenues had been entirely eliminated!

Additionally, the welfare funding—which might seem squandered on the surface—served the same strategic purpose as military allocations by keeping the vampire population under control and functional, meaning it was a highly practical investment.

‘With the aristocracy dedicating their energies to administrative duties rather than wasting resources on extravagant indulgences, this place has evolved into an exemplary state.’

To be entirely accurate, the nobility simply lacked the freedom or the hours required to pursue such luxuries…

But the end result was precisely the same!

“My Lord? Heinz?… To drift off into your own thoughts while a guest is seated right across from you. It has crossed my mind before, but your self-absorption truly knows no bounds…”

“Briki.”

“Goodness, you were paying attention after all? Teehee— I was merely teasing.”

“Drop the antics. Tell me how the assignment progressed.”

He instantly halted Briki’s playful giggling, steering the conversation directly to business.

She remained virtually the sole individual permitted to converse casually with Heinz, a privilege granted because he tolerated informal speech when they met without auditors.

‘Even though we operate within a hierarchy of master and follower, a substantial age gap remains between us.’

Having walked the world for more than a millennium, she embodied the literal chronicle of the vampire heritage—a walking relic of ancient times.

Moreover, her martial capability was not drastically inferior to his own, meaning he could grant her the minor concession of informal dialogue out of respect for her longevity.

“…I feel somewhat insulted. You weren’t harboring any disrespectful thoughts just now, were you?”

As one would expect from a Sacred Blood endowed with supernatural perception, she appeared to catch a trace of his internal monologue.

The dark-haired maiden fixed a sharp, crimson gaze upon him through narrowed eyelids, though his own emotional control was far too disciplined to betray his true musings under a simple stare.

“Do not deflect from the matter at hand. Deliver your account.”

“…Hmph, very well. To begin, I journeyed through Sharotti, Tulk, and Lesque, before proceeding into the central and western territories of the Azeria Empire. Moving across the lands proved effortless, as the Ufersh youngsters utilized their Blood Gates to pave the way…”

While the vampire factions across Auterica were dominated by a tri-partite rivalry consisting of Ufersh, Brokoslack, and Obaifo, these groups did not encompass the entirety of their species.

In terms of population, those three major entities comprised roughly half of their kind, which conversely meant the remaining half belonged to fragmented, lesser factions.

‘And that collective population is far too substantial to disregard.’

These minor sects had seen their own Sacred Blood lineages die out, leading to their decline or separation from the primary bloodlines.

They shared a mutual trait of being exceptionally difficult to track down, having heightened their methods of concealment to guarantee survival due to their fragile military strength.

Even so, the Ufersh Clan—whose sphere of operations blanketed the entire continent—possessed records detailing the general territories of many such groups.

Briki’s specific directive for this operation was to travel to those hidden sanctuaries in person and convince the inhabitants to align with them.

Her objective was to bring them into ‘Hybrid’, the unified Auterica Vampire Clan Alliance, as their sole means of ensuring long-term survival.

‘Employing intimidation serves as an excellent tool in arbitration. It is a fundamental rule of statecraft.’

In reality, the proposition was highly advantageous for the hidden factions.

It offered them an ideal path to abandon a lifetime of paranoia and integrate into the most dominant vampire coalition on the continent!

Furthermore, by swearing allegiance at this juncture, they would receive the privilege of upgrading their physical forms through the “Refined Blood Essence,” making a rejection highly improbable.

It seemed Briki shared this exact assessment, as she proudly carried on with her report.

“Granted, a few absolute simpletons failed to grasp the situation even after I presented them with such a generous path, so I was forced to persuade them thoroughly before guiding… ahem, escorting them back here. Hehehe.”

The campaign of pacification had concluded triumphantly, and her units were presently routing the new recruits through the established Blood Gates.

The haul proved quite impressive, yielding a handful of True Bloods alongside a vast number of Purebloods.

‘Possessing a subordinate with the specific capabilities of a Sacred Blood is incredibly efficient. Managing this expansion without Briki would have proven immensely more agonizing.’

Under normal circumstances, even within diminished factions, the ruling figures would possess power equivalent to a True Blood.

To thoroughly pacify such a collective, one would typically need to deploy an overwhelming military force.

Yet within the Talia Kingdom, which stood at the epicenter of this societal transformation, every high-tier operative was buried under administrative duties, while Briki—who held no responsibilities—was content to simply loiter around doing nothing.

Inevitably, Heinz, who detested watching his personnel waste time, effectively compelled her to undertake the expedition…

And the consequences, as evidenced by her return, were highly gratifying.

“Mmh, excellent. You performed admirably, Briki.”

“Do you truly mean that? I certainly feel as though I strained myself this time around…”

“In that case, take a brief intermission before departing to manage the remaining territories. A vast number of regions still require your attention. A single day ought to suffice for the rest, correct?”

“…Your capacity for demanding labor remains utterly relentless…”

Thus, Hybrid solidified its structural foundations as a legitimate nation in the eyes of the world, adjusting seamlessly to its revamped infrastructure while covertly multiplying its numbers by absorbing the fragmented vampire populations drifting across the land.

Yet there remained one specific territory that Heinz the Second monitored with absolute vigilance, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.

Naturally, his focus rested upon the final member of the three dominant vampire factions.

The eastern territory of the continent: the Zepia Republic, which served as the sovereign domain of the Obaifo Clan.

—

Chirp, chirp— Chirp—

The morning broke with tranquility, filled with the melodic choruses of various woodland birds.

“Warm tidings, Harris. A splendid morning to you.”

“Harris, please accept this fresh produce I gathered moments ago.”

“May serenity walk with you. The climate is absolutely marvelous today.”

‘Harris Granwood’, who had recently undergone a transformation into a new High Elf within the Elven Kingdom, strolled through the corridors of the grand palace—the sole architectural marvel physically bound to the World Tree—while basking in the enthusiastic adoration of everyone he passed.

“Hahaha, my thanks to you all. May the benevolence of the World Tree watch over your paths.”

Such was the reality of a High Elf.

Though his transition was incredibly fresh and he had yet to perform any grand feats for the public, the Elves of this realm showered him with boundless devotion.

‘Well, it is an inevitable reaction. The tangible manifestation of their deity looms directly beside them, and those of us who become High Elves are viewed essentially as his chosen clergy.’

Still, he found no reason to complain about receiving such adulation.

To be perfectly candid… he had been placed upon a pedestal so frequently by now that he accepted the reverence as a natural state of affairs.

‘At any rate, I have only listened to descriptions of this sector; this marks my initial visit. Let us see… the direction toward the residence of the arborists… ’

He possessed a deliberate motive for venturing into this quarter.

While absorbing the introductory protocols of High Elf existence alongside Cecily earlier that day, an intriguing piece of information had caught his attention.

Consequently, Harris made it a point to venture here—the dedicated commune where the ‘gardeners’ responsible for the upkeep of the World Tree resided—the moment his studies concluded, intending to verify the details with his own eyes.

‘I exchanged courtesies with their commanding officer immediately following my awakening, but this is the first instance of me entering their actual compound.’

The caretakers of the World Tree occupied a social station akin to cloistered monks or spiritual ascetics, dedicating their entire existence exclusively to tending to the World Tree while remaining entirely detached from secular politics or external matters.

Even though the World Tree served as the literal embodiment of their God, he remained rooted to the earth in the physical shape of flora, meaning it was deemed appropriate to have dedicated attendants look after his form.

‘Then again, considering it is the World Tree, there likely is not much actual maintenance required. If it were an ordinary plant that needed constant care, imagine the sheer number of personnel required to tend to a organism of this magnitude… ’

Thus, their primary responsibility consisted of taking flight at regular intervals to survey the upper canopy for signs of blight, alongside gathering the dried wood that the World Tree shed naturally through self-pruning.

“Oh, is that not Lord Harris? What could possibly bring a High Elf to our humble quarters…”

“Greetings to you. Having been elevated to a High Elf through the benevolence of the World Tree, I felt it only proper to extend my personal respects to those who labor closest to his presence.”

“Oh…! To think an individual of your stature would hold such consideration for us…”

And that exact detail was the hidden catalyst for Harris’s excursion.

It meant that an immense quantity of the World Tree’s timber—even if dried out and severed from its primary spiritual conduits—lay gathered in massive stockpiles within this very facility!

“…With that in mind, would there be any objection to me inspecting your storage and workshop areas?”

“None whatsoever. It would be an honor to show you around. A fair number of our staff are currently out on patrol duties, but those who remain will be absolutely thrilled by your presence.”

“Hahaha, I simply hope I am not causing an inconvenience to your daily routines.”

Yet behind the gentle, welcoming smile on his face,

Far removed from his customary indolence, Harris’s gaze was rapidly charting the entire layout of the facility, completely consumed by an intense focus.