Chapter 235

Chapter 235
## Chapter 235

Karma Shopping (3)

Deep within an isolated mountain settlement, a considerable distance separated the area from the primary metropolis of the Zepia Republic.

The Main God Church, maintaining its status as the most expansive faith across the continent, had erected modest sanctuaries even within tiny hamlets possessing minimal populations like this one.

Naturally, the setups were basic, managed by a solitary training priest fulfilling an assignment alongside a few neighborhood monks. Yet, the local residents held this humble sanctuary in incredibly high esteem.

Even the minor spiritual blessings a training priest could channel sufficed for urgent medical treatment, allowing the locals to easily benefit from its presence.

Setting personal convictions aside, no sensible person would turn away such practical assistance.

Yet at this moment, inside the walls of this consecrated sanctuary—

A covert rendezvous was unfolding, one entirely divorced from any sense of piety or reverence.

“How does it feel to be touched by His favor, Obaifo? For a creature of the night like yourself, the synchronization ought to be rather excellent.”

“Kuh, truly… it is quite tolerable… When you arrived out of nowhere, I wondered what sort of deception you were orchestrating…”

“I feel slightly slighted. I believed we had established a degree of reliance after all this duration.”

A disrespectful dialogue took place within the sanctuary, which was decorated with the emblems of the Main God Church.

The leader of the Obaifo Clan, the Sacred Blood vampire Obaifo, spoke alongside—

“You were the initial one to compromise that reliance, Revolutionary. You cannot claim innocence regarding the demises of the Enamel Clown and the Southern Barbarian King…”

“My regrets for those occurrences. A pressing matter arose, forcing me to sever communications abruptly.”

The mastermind fueling the continent’s turmoil, the architect of the Oath of Heaven’s Defiance, known as the Revolutionary.

“And that precise reason is why I have arrived to assist you now. Endowed with that strength, you will not be brought down as effortlessly as the others.”

“Kuh huh… I have already dispatched the primary impediment, the Zepia Commander… My desire was to turn him into a thrall, but mastering a transcendent combatant is no simple feat… A pity…”

A startling disclosure indicating that even the supreme defender of the Republic had fallen.

Furthermore, with the champion—another prospective hurdle—having already acquiesced to the vampires’ dominion over the Talia Kingdom, it would be problematic for him to meddle in the domestic matters of the Republic.

The sequence of recent disruptions had also successfully distracted the populace, engineering an advantageous climate for Obaifo.

“What is the status of the Vice President? She functions essentially as the figurehead for the dissidents.”

“Hmm, that female…? She has outlived her utility. My intention was to eliminate her shortly… There is little she can achieve regardless, given her movements are completely restricted…”

They had permitted the vampire-loathing Vice President to remain breathing solely to harvest data regarding the dissenting factions.

They had been pulling her strings for an extended duration, finalizing their arrangements…

“You appear entirely certain of yourself. You are aware she has already established contact with the western Hybrid, correct?”

“Kuh, that self-entitled Sovereign of Vampires…? Utterly ridiculous… He possesses no understanding of the true fountainhead of blood, posturing as if he rules the world…”

Naturally, the movements of both the Vice President and Hybrid were already known to him.

Yet he remained unbothered, even with an impending confrontation on the horizon.

He possessed an asset that gave him total assurance.

“Regardless of his might… so long as the blood of our kind courses through his veins, he cannot overcome me… the individual positioned nearest to the primordial source… I ought to offer him gratitude for clearing away the tedious obstacles…”

He actually appeared to be looking forward to the encounter.

He anticipated the self-entitled Sovereign of Vampires marching directly toward him.

The exact instance he mastered him would mark the day he assumed authority over every vampire traversing the continent.

“The moment I possess the core traits of Brokoslack and Ufersh… every scattered lineage of the dawn will be reunited… And during that hour, this reality will finally encounter the genuine Sovereign of Vampires…!”

Obaifo, who had spent an age gathering the forgotten remnants of the ‘original bloodlines’.

He felt a rush of euphoria, envisioning the realization of an immaculate lineage to rule over absolutely everything.

He remained completely oblivious to the fact that the two heritages he desired, alongside every follower under Hybrid, had dropped their absolute purity long ago, corrupted by blood origins belonging to an entirely separate reality.

—

I contemplated the digits displaying the price of the object, keeping my arms folded.

“Hmm.”

It represented a minor drop of just 300,000 points when contrasted with the staggering 30 million—a tiny 1% shift—however…

This marked the very first occasion I witnessed the valuation genuinely fluctuate, which naturally captured my focus.

‘What could that signify? What caused the valuation to suddenly… Did a follower of mine uncover a lead?’

My working theory was that the cost was dictated by the object’s inherent worth and the friction involved in obtaining it, though that was by no means an absolute rule.

Still, evaluating the costs of alternative options made this look like the most realistic conclusion.

‘If I can deduce what triggered the valuation shift, I might succeed in unmasking the object itself. To begin, let us verify if any interconnected data has been brought in…’

Yet as I attempted to evaluate the circumstances,

I recognized the task was far from straightforward.

‘Simply considering the data pipelines I can access…’

The phantom reconnaissance division, deployed across the lands under the direction of Olivia.

The Hybrid vampires, woven into the hidden layers of civilization, alongside the illicit syndicates responding to their orders.

The intelligence scrutiny department of the Main God Church, aggregating and distributing reports from every corner of the continent.

The informants of Hubert’s Trading Company, gathering data tied to commercial affairs and monitoring the distribution of commodities.

‘And that does not cover everything. There are secondary pipelines as well.’

Harley in the southern territories and Harris upon the Enamel Continent were naturally entangled in the developments sweeping their respective zones, while Hesperon’s leverage as the choice companion of the princess was an element that could not be disregarded either.

Barring Howard, who remained effectively isolated within his workshop, every single one of my manifestations functioned as an exceptional fountain of data.

‘…With such a vast torrent of reports arriving every single second, how am I supposed to isolate a detail tied to an unidentified object?’

I mulling it over briefly, then rolled my shoulders and dismissed the thought.

I felt a natural curiosity regarding the object, but wasting cognitive focus on an issue that offered no immediate clarity was an inefficient use of resources.

‘A minor 1% shift is not particularly impactful regardless.’

No matter its true nature, it remained entirely outside my current capabilities judging by that price tag.

The truth would manifest down the line if a major event took place.

My immediate focus did not belong to such an ambiguous matter.

Gulp, gulp—

I shifted my attention to the tiny youth, clad in an overly large shirt that hung down like a gown, consuming a tonic out of a glass container with his miniature hands.

“Kyaa—!”

He exhaled a satisfied breath upon draining the container and licked his lips, dragging his hand across his mouth.

Each motion carried an absurd amount of innocence.

‘Is his conduct being shaped by the youthfulness of his physical vessel?’

Alternatively, it could simply be standard behavior that appeared incredibly charming solely due to his current look.

In any case, it required no sleep lost on my part.

Distinct traits among manifestations were standard practice by now.

‘Auterica offers superior conditions for accelerated advancement. Yet I cannot simply deploy Horus, who is a mere youth, entirely unassisted. He requires an overseer, if only for appearances.’

While I remained immersed in these reflections, Hugo stepped into the chamber and commenced dressing Horus in the youth attire obtained via the “Avatar Cloud”.

Hubert, who managed miscellaneous logistics and resource distribution, had rapidly coordinated the delivery.

‘…Indeed, that remains the most logical path.’

Observing the scene, I finally locked in the choice for where to send Horus.

An individual lacking massive public leverage to avoid drawing unwanted scrutiny, yet someone who could reasonably justify looking after a youth.

‘Tarak, the location where Hubert’s Trading Company operates.’

An additional responsibility was placed onto Hubert’s agenda: managing a youth.

—

《Dracarion fixes their gaze upon you.》

That particular alert manifested in front of Horus the instant he set foot within Auterica.

‘The Dragon God?’

This was hardly his initial experience drawing such scrutiny, making it quite standard.

‘I would feel neglected if I failed to attract some level of focus these days.’

garnering the awareness of divinities, even if restricted to an alternate reality.

Given that I was obtaining substantial backing alongside that awareness, I found no reason to complain.

They would occasionally dispatch presents if they approved of the display.

“Huu— Pa—!”

Horus inhaled a massive pocket of air and grinned with genuine pleasure.

‘This is a distinct environment. The ambient energy is completely palpable here.’

In stark contrast to Earth, which lacked such vital forces, the dense ambient energy of Auterica surged directly into his Dragon Heart, elevating his condition through simple respiration.

Aided by the acceleration modifiers and the premium tonic, his progression moved at an astonishing velocity, catching even himself off guard.

‘Back on Earth, my capacity was restricted to restoring depleted forces rather than achieving actual progression.’

This limitation explained why individuals who drifted back could only refine their applications through physical practice, rather than expanding their fundamental capabilities.

Their thresholds were essentially locked the moment they returned home.

‘Such a restriction does not apply to my situation…’

I already commanded multiple formidable manifestations, yet it fell short of what was required.

I demanded a far more monumental, undisputed tier of dominance.

To bring down that spiritual entity… the director of the Heaven’s Turn Society.

And my most encouraging prospect remained this miniature dragon, Horus.

He squeezed his small hands together with absolute resolve.

‘Naturally, he is unprepared for active deployment quite yet. He requires an interval to master his draconic vessel and inherent traits.’

His primary staging area in this reality was the private estate of Hubert.

Retained employees managed his domestic comforts, permitting him to direct his entire focus toward refinement.

‘Very well, let the process commence.’

With that objective, Horus stretched out upon the mattress within his quarters, preparing for his internal refinement.

“Huu— Ha—.”

Measured respiration and quiet focus.

He systematically monitored his internal state.

After an interval, he altered his shape into a human form utilizing “Polymorph” and performed the cycle once more.

The actions might appear meaningless to an outside observer, but Horus adhered strictly to his regimen.

Plan: The Slumbering Dragon.

The miniature dragon, settled safely within a lavish estate, envisioned the future hour when he would dominate the upper atmosphere.

—

A hidden location within Auterica.

Inside a compact, shadowed cavern, insulated against all illumination and noise through a combination of material obstacles and mystical barriers.

Rumble—

A heavy vibration shattered the quietude that had persisted for centuries.

A set of eyes kindled within the shadows, gradually coming to life.

The entity evaluated its immediate environment, shifting its head with a sense of disorientation…

[Hmm? This location is…]

The being then produced a quiet intake of breath as a sensation washed over it.

A recognizable, yet distinct vibration—a member of its own draconic lineage.

[…Dracarion.]

It felt like an incredibly young vibration, effectively a hatchling relative to their lifespan.

Yet having detected the presence, ignoring it was out of the question.

[According to your desire.]

An entity shifted within the isolated cavern situated upon a forgotten landmass, far removed from the turbulence spreading across the continent.