Honghu City’s bustling CBD, the Aphrodite Theater, teeming with people.
The brightly lit city burned beautifully, its glass reflecting colors she loathed.
Jiang Mu sat by the window, observing the guests below.
In the VIP parking lot behind the theater, a commercial van slowly pulled in.
Before it had even stopped, she heard the roaring sounds of more and more engines.
These were extremely low-key luxury cars, their windows tightly curtained.
Occasionally, someone inside would lift a curtain a tiny bit, observing the outside.
Aphrodite is a typical theater-style standalone building, constructed twenty-one years ago.
It was a project initiated by the Honghu City government at the time to attract visitors, and it achieved immense success.
Theater tickets sell out daily, and it has now become a famous internet-famous check-in spot, with countless luxury cars passing by its entrance.
Likewise, it is now also one of the Blood Clan’s gathering places.
The car door opened, and the driver was the first to emerge.
The driver bent down to pull open the car door, shielding the edge with a hand to prevent their boss from accidentally hitting their head.
The esteemed guests in the back seat slowly descended; they were all older individuals.
These elders did not enter the theater but instead walked towards a two-story building next to the theater.
Some elders looked up before entering, sensing the gaze.
Their seemingly benevolent eyes, though, couldn’t hide their chilling intensity.
“How perceptive,” she thought.
Jiang Mu raised her glass to the old fellows below.
Even as the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, a rising star among the Blood Clan families in Huaguo, she might be able to act arrogantly relying on her family’s power.
However, these elders were, after all, the Blood Clan’s elders, and she still needed to restrain herself.
The Blood Clan is the rule-maker for all Blood Clan in the world.
Its Elder Council consists of the oldest and most influential old Blood Clan members.
Some have lived for thousands of years, revered as family ancestors, and only appear during major events.
“Tonight, a member of the Elder Council is holding this meeting in this city. Webb Yates, whose age cannot be traced. The Yates family was once the spokesperson for the European Blood Clan forces and was involved in mining, producing two Duke-level members.”
Jiang Mu’s female secretary explained beside her.
“One hundred and twenty years ago, this family immigrated to Huaguo and went into hiding. Today, there are not many members left in this family, only one Earl-level descendant. Webb Yates is in a very concerning state.”
“Lingering on, they should be eliminated. An outside family, still qualified to hold a meeting.” Jiang Mu pulled down the curtain, looking at the glass wall connected to the next room.
“Within the Elder Council, the Yates family no longer has a say, but they can still gather other families. And your father indeed needs to leverage the power that comes with an Elder Council seat. The Jiang family and the Yates family have cooperated for many years,” the female secretary smiled.
“What does father want to do?”
“It should be related to the awakening of the Prince-level Blood Clan,” the female secretary suppressed her smile and lowered her voice.
Prince-level Blood Clan, to express it in common terms relatable to film and television works, would be the Blood Clan ancestors in the real world, rumored to be the first monsters born in the world.
The First Generation.
Aside from humans, the Blood Clan’s understanding of the First Generation is also minimal. They firmly believe they are god-like beings, profoundly called by their bloodline, allowing them to wield the power called ‘Prerogative.’
Hearing “Prince-level,” Jiang Mu showed a very interested expression.
She was the only young person summoned. When she arrived, she was eager to know the meeting’s content, and this was her first time being summoned.
Everyone was seated in the dimly lit room, with only candlelight flickering.
There were a total of four people, three men and one woman, the most influential Blood Clan elders in Honghu City and several nearby cities.
Webb Yates sat at the head of the table, the man and woman sat on either side, and opposite them was the local Blood Clan family of Honghu City.
The Jiang family patriarch, Jiang Mu’s father.
Webb Yates was so old that his age was indistinguishable. His facial skin was wrinkled and sagging, and he wore an unchanging bathrobe, leaning on a cane.
Behind him stood two burly bodyguards in suits.
“It is an honor, as a member of the Blood Clan Elder Council, to meet with all of you. Those present are representatives of the Blood Clan forces.”
The old man’s cloudy gaze passed over everyone in turn.
“Marquis, we are all in a hurry,” the male elder on the left said impatiently.
The female elder on the right looked at Webb: “Marquis, it has been eleven years since your last council meeting.”
“Then I’ll get straight to the point; it’s about the revival of the Prince-level,” Webb’s voice was hoarse and low.
This was a secret known to very few Blood Clan members, and both chose silence, except for the Jiang family patriarch, who already knew.
Historically, how these ancestors were killed has always been a mystery. Only some hastily vague ancient texts and prophecy stories have revealed that those called First Generation Princes died in the judgment of gods.
But no one cared who the gods were, treating it merely as a story. Human history needed such high-octane legendary stories as beliefs. There are no gods in this world; even if there were, they could only be the highest-level Blood Clan.
The woman broke the silence:
“Is the Prince about to awaken and return?”
“I think so, otherwise the person speaking here would be my grandchild.”
“Your congenitally disabled grandchild? His bloodline is inherently incomplete, reduced to a mentally deficient little monster indistinguishable from a familiar, because your grandson, his father, married a human.”
The irritable man couldn’t help but mock.
The old man’s expression remained unchanged; he showed no anger, as if he didn’t care at all.
“Elder Yates, I believe the Prince’s revival is worth discussing,” the woman said.
Her tone was more respectful.
Then, with a puzzled expression, she continued, “What I can’t understand is, what does this have to do with us? Because historically, there has never been a successful case of a Prince awakening.”
The old man spoke slowly:
“Because no one knows the true method of a Prince’s awakening. We’ve overlooked the real power flowing in our bloodline.”
Both the man and woman were stunned.
The old man fully opened his eyes, which were deep crimson.
“It’s inheritance.”
“Are you saying… inheritance?” the woman hesitated.
Indeed, everyone believed that ancestor-level Blood Clan would always awaken and return, and once they did, it would be the end of the world.
However, it never went smoothly, as legendary human figures would always emerge to slay them, or they would be forced back into their graves during the awakening process.
But as for how a Prince awakens, even other Blood Clan members were completely unaware.
Monsters can advance their bloodline class by consuming blood and human flesh, but it’s very limited.
If one is born a normal pureblood Blood Clan of the lowest rank, the highest class they can reach is merely Viscount.
The second method, however, is… inheritance.
As the name suggests, it means inheriting the authority of a higher-ranking Blood Clan’s bloodline, but this is a veiled way of speaking.
Inheritance, in other words, is usurpation.
The essence of the Blood Clan is monstrous; they prefer to wear human skin to better blend into human society. Their true forms are merely ugly and terrifying. They also have hearts, but they are vastly different from human hearts.
They beat faintly, yet are cold and devoid of warmth.
In the perception of the elder generation of Blood Clan, inheritance has always been referred to as a taboo, and very few new Blood Clan elites know about it.
And the few people present happened to have some understanding.
That’s why they gathered here.
“I see. You mean that the reason Prince-level Blood Clan can revive and live eternally is actually just because they are inherited by their descendants, along with their names, which creates the illusion of immortal ancestors.”
The woman pondered for a moment, then paused before continuing.
“Marquis, this is just your speculation. It completely overturns our understanding. You need to provide evidence.”
“I have no evidence, so I plan to verify my speculation through practical means,” the old man shook his head.
“This is why I summoned you all today. Now, there is news of a Prince-level Blood Clan about to awaken, and I expect our biggest enemies, those power-wielding organizations, are preparing for it.”
At this point, the man slammed the table, ready to leave, no longer patient to listen.
“Farewell!” His face was grim; he believed this old man was spouting nonsense.
With a bang, the room door closed again, leaving only three people at the table.
Webb Yates didn’t look at him and continued slowly:
“I think… if possible, the Blood Clan should have a Prince emerge again. Right now, our struggle with the power-wielders is at a disadvantage…”
“Marquis, you should discuss this with the Elder Council, not us!” Before he could finish, the woman couldn’t help but interrupt.
She took a deep breath, telling him, “This is absurd!”
The woman abruptly stood up and strode away, also withdrawing from the impromptu meeting.
After a long silence, the Jiang family patriarch, who had not spoken until now, chuckled, “Elder, you are too hasty.”
“There aren’t many pureblood Blood Clan left in the world,” the old man sighed.
“Over three thousand,” the Jiang family patriarch said.
“What’s optimistic is that together, we have tens of thousands of blood slaves.”
“It’s always easy to be around you. Perhaps that’s why I chose to be your friend.”
“The honor is mine,” the Jiang family patriarch smiled.
“Without a Prince-level Blood Clan, we are bound to lose in the decisive war of the future,” the old man sighed.
“But now, the young elites still believe that Prince-level is just a mythical legend existing in history, impossible to revive.”
“I don’t believe those power-wielders can threaten us,” the Jiang family patriarch heard a tapping sound on the glass beside him, turned to look, and frowned.
His daughter was a bit bored.
“No, it’s not the power-wielders,” the old man denied, but offered no explanation.
He took a deep breath, smiling as he looked at the glass wall.
“Since those people aren’t interested, I’ll just have to give this opportunity to her.”
“Hello, Marquis,” Jiang Mu took her seat.
“The Elder Council’s decision,” the old man said.
“They wish for a child to enter the St. Antiona School, what we call the ‘Bloodline Baptism’ project. You are currently the sole candidate.”
Jiang Mu was slightly surprised, looking at her father who nodded.
She had heard everything clearly from outside.
It sounded like this old man was not representing the Elder Council; he had privately summoned other Blood Clan members solely for the absurd idea of targeting a Prince-level Blood Clan.
He wanted to usurp the ancestors’ authority.
Those two elders cherished their lives too much and left without a second thought; they dared not overstep the Elder Council.
And after those two elders left, the old man finally revealed his true purpose.
Webb Yates had carried the Elder Council’s mission all along.
He was good friends with the Jiang family patriarch, so he used a little maneuver to reserve this opportunity for Jiang Mu.
“To go undercover?” Jiang Mu mused.
“St. Antiona is the largest power-wielder organization in the world. Any Blood Clan-related incident often involves them. I hope you can gain their trust.”
“What is the Bloodline Baptism project?”
“Just understand it as a promise,” the old man said.
“A promise?” Jiang Mu played with the wine glass in her hand, smiling.
“You will be a Duke.”
Jiang Mu drained the red wine in one gulp.
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