Chapter 102: A New Golden Patron

Qian Ye stood still, not turning around, and said, “You know the answer, why bother?”

She replied, “But you didn’t attack me, did you? That means you still want to hear what I have to say.”

“Speak then.”

“Shouldn’t you at least offer me a drink first? I did come with good intentions.”

Finally, Qian Ye turned. The figure before him, although entirely shrouded in a black robe, couldn’t hide her graceful form. Her eyes had an exceptionally beautiful outline, with a wild and rebellious glint, yet they were also hauntingly familiar.

“Dusk, this may not be the Empire, but I don’t have much affection for your kind. Since you’re here, I assume you’ve prepared for the possibility of not returning?”

Dusk smiled lightly, “You’re not that heartless. Besides, it’s not so easy to keep me here, is it?”

Her words had just ended when she suddenly found herself lifted into the air by Qian Ye, his hand clamped around her throat. His grip was swift as lightning; she saw his move, but in an instant, her body turned weak and sluggish, leaving her helpless in his grasp.

The feeling was the complete suppression by a higher bloodline, something she had only experienced before the presence of a duke or even a prince.

“Duke!” Dusk exclaimed in shock.

Ignoring her, Qian Ye dragged her into the adjacent reception room, tossing her onto a sofa. He pulled a chair over and sat down in front of her, saying, “Say what you need to. Let’s see if I’ll let you go.”

Dusk tried to get up but was forced back down by Qian Ye’s stern gaze. She adjusted her position, revealing a large part of her neckline as her black robe fell open. Looking at Qian Ye, she said, “Is this how you want me?”

“I am not tempted.”

Dusk’s eyes sparkled as she exhaled, “You don’t have to resist. Perhaps you could try and see what the difference is between a pure-blood of the Twelve Clans and a human.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Really, there would be a big difference!”

However, under Qian Ye’s cold gaze, Dusk finally gave up, sitting properly and with a touch of self-mockery, “Even as an original bloodline, am I really that unappealing to you?”

“I’m only half-vampire.”

“Is it because of Yen Pupil?”

Qian Ye didn’t deny it, and since Dusk was being direct, he asked, “How is she now?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you don’t want to say? If you truly know nothing, then you seem to have no value.”

Sighing, Dusk placed her hand on Qian Ye’s. When he tried to pull back, she gripped it tightly. Qian Ye frowned, “If you know anything, speak now.”

“I really don’t know much. I only heard that she returned and was immediately taken away by the council. It’s said that several senior councilors personally welcomed her, and the grandeur was astounding.”

Qian Ye didn’t show it, but he believed her. Yen Pupil’s second awakening had shown unfathomable power, marking her as someone truly significant. However, Qian Ye knew little about the ancient history of the bloodline, making it impossible to guess her true identity.

Feeling that Dusk genuinely didn’t know anything, Qian Ye withdrew his hand, “Then, why are you here?”

“To join you, of course!”

“Are your jokes always this bad?”

Dusk pouted, “You can take in werewolves, why do you have such a prejudice against me? Don’t forget, you have our bloodline in you.”

“Those werewolves sincerely serve me. You, on the other hand, are different.”

“I am sincere too. Look, I’m willing to give myself to you. Isn’t that sincerity?”

A flicker of bloodfire ignited on Qian Ye’s fingertip, stopping Dusk from getting closer. “I don’t trust you. Say what you came to say. My patience is running thin.”

Sighing, Dusk said, “How boring. Alright, we’ve heard that your development in Yonglu is going well, and your exploration of the new world is progressing. You must need a lot of supplies and equipment. So, the elders sent me to see if we could make a deal.”

“A deal? What can you offer, and what do you want?”

“The weapons of the vampire race are renowned, whether it’s swords, guns, or force rifles. We can also sell you a batch of slaves, mostly vampires, oh, and bound by blood contracts.”

There were many reasons why vampires could become slaves, some due to betrayal, some due to losing conflicts, and others due to insurmountable debts. Slaves with blood contracts were often formidable, making them ideal for mercenaries and cannon fodder. With a blood contract in hand, there was no fear of their betrayal.

Qian Ye hadn’t expected the vampires to seek him out for business. “Why come to me?”

“Equipment, essence blood, slaves, castles, even ancient blood pools, none of these are free. Those old fogeys, who spend all day in their blood pools, fear the day they can’t wake up. Their desire for immortality far surpasses any other. If there’s money to be made, don’t think they have any limits or reservations. Your recent major purchases have reached the ears of the Eternal Night. They wouldn’t miss out on such a big client.”

As Dusk spoke, her tone was full of mockery. “And you’re not the only one.”

“What do you want then?”

“Preferably, the water from the Sacred Tree Lake and the minerals from the island in the middle.”

Qian Ye shook his head, “I don’t have much of that water, and the minerals from the island? What exactly are they?”

Looking into his eyes, Dusk slowly said, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t have them. Can you share some of the lake water? Just enough for ten thousand people. The rest can be exchanged for dark gold ore.”

“Dark gold ore isn’t very useful to you, is it?”

“It has its uses. Some large statues require lightweight, high-strength metals. Alloys with dark gold sand fit this requirement perfectly.”

After a moment’s thought, Qian Ye said, “I can agree to that.”

This deal was beneficial for both sides. Qian Ye would receive a large supply of ready-to-fight materials and a loyal vampire army. These could be immediately deployed in the new world, delivering immediate benefits.

For the vampires, they would acquire strategic resources and luxury goods. While they wouldn’t pose an immediate threat to Qian Ye, the long-term profits would be substantial.

From the knowledge he inherited from the Blood River, Qian Ye had some information on ancient blood pools. To maintain their efficacy, rare herbs and the blood of fierce beasts, even void behemoths, were needed, and the maintenance costs were astronomical. Therefore, he generally believed Dusk’s words.

In addition, the vampires wanted some wood from the forest, with specific requirements for the tree species. To Qian Ye, these were just older trees. But the fact that the vampires needed them conveyed an important message.

Qian Ye didn’t immediately agree, only saying he would consider it. If he agreed, he would prepare the necessary amount when their goods arrived.

Having achieved her goal, Dusk set a time for their next meeting and quietly left.

Once she was gone, Qian Ye went to the new world, first circling the single Holy Tree Forest. He quickly found several trees that met the vampires’ requirements and ordered them to be cut down and analyzed back in the Eternal Night.

The analysis results came quickly, showing that this wood was light and strong, similar to some tree species in the Great Vortex. It had excellent support for force arrays, making it ideal for large force constructs.

While valuable, the wood wasn’t particularly precious. The Great Vortex had even stronger resources, but they were never developed due to the high transportation costs. In the new world, however, there were no such issues. Large quantities could be harvested, and the cost of transporting them through the gate was low. A forest’s output was limited, but the demand for such materials was endless, making it perfect for the construction of floating ships.

Concluding this, Qian Ye returned to the new world, surveying the controlled forests. He found that the Four Holy Tree Forests had more and better ancient trees. The oldest ones had significantly increased in strength, almost matching those in the high-gravity zones of the Great Vortex.

Qian Ye immediately organized a team to harvest these ancient trees, preparing to ship them back for the remodeling of the Valhalla. With this material, the progress would be greatly accelerated, forming both the internal structure and the external hull. The rest was fine-tuning the interior.

As for the wood for the vampires, Qian Ye decided to use the most common forest, cutting down a batch for them.

In these two days, Yonglu had become busier, with floating ships coming and going, and large cargo fleets becoming a common sight. This attracted many star pirates to the neutral zone.

However, upon arriving, the star pirates discovered that most of the fleets belonged to powerful factions. The escort warships alone were more than they could handle, and many of these factions would surely retaliate. Moreover, Imperial patrol fleets were frequently seen along the route to Yonglu.

Qian Ye had originally planned to take another Three Holy Tree Forest, but was preoccupied with worldly affairs on Yonglu.

Duke Gale acted swiftly, publicly declaring that Qian Ye was the true Son of Darkness and that Gale Land would be annexed into the Emerald Sea. This news shook Yonglu. Before the various factions could react, Qian Ye had already positioned the family coalition at the border between Gale Land and Flame Land, blocking the key routes.

Indeed, the following day, Duke Flame publicly denounced Qian Ye as a fake Son of Darkness and launched a massive attack on Gale Land.

His assembled hundred-thousand-strong army soon hit the iron wall of the family coalition. Under the unprecedented fierce firepower, the Flame Wolves, who only knew how to charge in groups, suffered heavy losses, falling in swathes. The carnage was so intense that even the soldiers of the family coalition felt some hesitation.

After a whole day of ferocious attacks, the Flame Wolves gained nothing, leaving behind tens of thousands of corpses, and failed to breach the family coalition’s defenses.

On the flanks, the Gale Wolves held their ground, leaving no gaps. In just one day, the enemy army lost half its strength, enraging Duke Flame. He personally rushed to the front lines, only to be intercepted by Duke Gale. Their battle, like previous ones, ended in a stalemate.