Trafford's Trading Club

Xitacil shook his head, somewhat helplessly, “The Thirteen Clans essentially control the two most important things for our survival, and even if we occasionally have individuals who want to rebel, in the end, they are powerless… until the True Blood concept was proposed. A synthesized substitute for pure blood, free from pollution. Do you know what this means for the oppressed clansmen?”

Luo Qiu pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “Freedom.”

“Freedom.” Xitacil nodded heavily, “If we can master the creation of True Blood, it would be equivalent to possessing the power to oppose the dictatorship of the Thirteen Clans. We would rapidly develop and rally as a force, piercing into the Elders’ Council to gain a voice.”

Luo Qiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “The fourteenth clan, perhaps.”

Xitacil opened his mouth, then smiled wryly, “Your gaze is intimidating… Indeed, some among us have proposed this viewpoint and have been actively working for it.”

“Go on,” Luo Qiu said calmly, “how does this relate to your presence here today?”

“I represent the Fernandis Family,” Xitacil replied, “It’s also an ancient vampire family. There’s also the force behind Lady Eve, the Takizawa Family behind Mr. Takizawa, Queen Elizabeth’s kin, and lastly Karen, which is us. As for Tu Shenyi, he is Karen’s descendant and the proposer and researcher of the True Blood concept. Over the years, we’ve continuously supported his research on True Blood… But for years, we haven’t succeeded, and what we have are mostly semi-finished products, not ideal in effect. Through years of research, we’ve only produced a batch that can be used and is even better than pure blood, the ‘Forget Worry’ series.”

Luo Qiu puzzled, “Since True Blood is your planned means to create the fourteenth clan and join the Elders’ Council, it should be quite confidential, right? Why, then, let the world know about the ‘Forget Worry’ series and even auction it publicly, leading to tales of wealthy merchants disappearing after drinking it?”

“It’s just a facade.” Xitacil sighed, “The Thirteen Clans’ control and monitoring over their kin are extremely strict. They seem to have vaguely sensed something. So, we came up with a way; rather than hiding it, we openly revealed it to the world… presenting True Blood, which was almost a finished product, in another guise. We also reported this plan to the Elders’ Council.”

Xitacil paused and continued, “You should know, the undead aren’t truly immortal. We merely don’t die naturally. Humans have many ways to kill us. Besides exorcists, some human weapons make us fearful. We just want to survive, not to spark a full-blown war with humans. Thus, any act of blood-sucking needs to be reported. So, we planned an auction, with myself, Lady Eve, and Queen Elizabeth’s father, each buying a ‘Forget Worry’ series at a high price, to make Tu Shenyi famous. That way, the winemaker Tu Shenyi could attract many people to him.”

“So, for the past twenty years, every time Tu Shenyi unveils a new wine, there’s a tasting event, which is when you dine?”

Xitacil nodded, “Yes, we need to keep doing this, so the Elders’ Council won’t suspect us. Because we have no shortage of time, the patience of the Elders’ Council is beyond imagination… Until this past year or two, has surveillance on us gradually relaxed.”

“The rumor about the wealthy merchant? Queen Elizabeth’s father?”

Xitacil hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “He truly disappeared after drinking the Other Shore Flower. This was unexpected to us. Afterwards, we could only tell the Elders’ Council that it was a deliberate illusion to enhance Tu Shenyi’s legendary status.”

Luo Qiu said, “What happens after drinking the nearly finished True Blood, the ‘Other Shore Flower,’ do you not know? Isn’t it strange that it’s unpredictable?”

“No, no, no, we truly don’t know.” Xitacil hurriedly said, “The Forget Worry series was accidentally created by Tu Shenyi… he indeed said so. Initially, it could indeed replace pure blood, but later we discovered that each one, after drinking, produces some side effects. ‘Other Shore Flower’ allows one to see deceased lovers, bringing ‘heart death.’

Each True Blood has strange abilities, ‘Other Shore Flower’ can make one’s ‘heart die.’

‘Naihe’ brings the ability of division to bloodsuckers but also causes personality splits, enduring two different thoughts daily.