Volume 4, Chapter 16 – Mixed Blood—Saliva?

Perhaps because she was exhausted from the day’s activities, the count’s eldest daughter did not reappear after she vanished.

Do souls need to sleep, too?

With this question in mind, Yisi quietly used a short-distance teleportation to leave the city lord’s mansion in Termi City.

She should have asked Camilla to come with her, but Camilla was not a vampire. Even if she went to the Blood House with Yisi, she couldn’t do anything but stand there, which felt quite pitiful. So, Yisi went alone.

“That being said, why do I feel so guilty… I’d better not tell Camilla I snuck out when I get back.”

Having made up her mind, Yisi habitually put on her mask and walked out of the alley. She didn’t wear a cloak because in the land of the blood clan, hiding her wings would only cause trouble. Just as the proprietor of the Blood House had said in the morning, at night, many lower-class vampires craving blood would hide in corners and secretly attack non-vampire races. When Yisi was in the alley just now, she had sensed several gazes on her, sizing her up.

Of course, when she revealed her red wings, which grew from her waist rather than her back, those gazes retreated like rats exposed to sunlight. According to the information Yisi had, as a pureblood, she could command these lower-class vampires to do anything at any time. Even if a pureblood didn’t announce their identity, the lower-class vampires had to obey, or they would be charged with rebellion.

Purebloods were not even one in ten thousand among the vampire race, so rare that an ordinary person would be lucky to see one in their lifetime. Coupled with their naturally superior bloodline and the fact that the entire country’s upper echelon was composed of purebloods, it was not strange for them to enjoy such privileges.

In fact, when Yisi walked onto the main street, the vampires on the street acted as if they had seen the plague. While trying not to be noticed by Yisi, they quickly ducked into the alleys.

“As expected of a blood clan territory, right? Very much their style.”

Unlike the sparsely populated streets during the day, the streets at night were unusually lively. Apart from the fact that they were all avoiding her, the night of the blood clan and the day of the blood clan were like two different worlds.

“Even without lights, there are voices everywhere. The sweet smell of blood is stronger than during the day, and there are merchants hawking their wares. Maybe I should have covered my wings.”

It didn’t matter if people on the street avoided her, but her destination was the Blood House. Not only might she scare away the customers, but if the feminine owner was too scared to come out, her trip would be wasted.

“I’d better cover them with a cloak.”

The feeling of being avoided was not something to be enjoyed.

Putting on her cloak, Yisi quickly arrived at the entrance of the Blood House.

Unlike the pitch-black appearance during the day, the Blood House was very bright at night.

“Speaking of which, they used lights at the banquet in the city lord’s mansion, too. Vampires should be able to see more clearly in the dark, so why use lights…” ¹ i wonder why too…

“It’s a habit passed down from the human world a long time ago.”

The lipstick-wearing, feminine-faced innkeeper appeared next to Yisi, holding a wine glass. The way he leaned his upper body against the doorframe reminded Yisi of a pose from a movie—it would be even more fitting if he had a rose in his mouth.

The innkeeper looked Yisi up and down, his gaze finally resting on the cloak on her back.

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“Oh my, a new guest. Welcome to the Blood House. We have every type of blood here, except for the forbidden pureblood blood and some rare types.”

“Let me just ask, do you draw the blood from living people on the spot?”

“Of course not. Only high-end establishments that cater to nobles have the financial resources to keep livestock. A small place like mine can only recruit people who want to exchange blood for food or money during the day, and then sell the blood at night.”

The owner swirled the glass in his hand.

“Would you like a glass? The blood is well-preserved with magical tools, so there’s no stale taste from being kept for too long.”

“Of course.”

Nodding, Yisi walked into the establishment.

It was less of an inn and more of a tavern for people to eat. Oil lamps hung from wooden pillars, and the seats were filled with customers who had come to taste blood. Most of them were ordinary people with patches on their clothes.

Finding an empty seat, Yisi ordered a small glass of mixed blood. According to the owner, when human and vampire blood were mixed, the taste would change explosively. Although different vampires would taste different flavors from the same glass of blood, there were some commonalities in their evaluations. For example, it was generally believed that the blood of a healthy person was more delicious than that of a frail person, women’s blood was more delicious than men’s, and half-dragon blood was superior to that of other races—with the exception of purebloods.

The same was true for mixed blood.

“Mixed blood…”

She had always wanted to experiment with mixed blood but had never had the time to try.

The mixture of Andrea’s blood with Camilla’s and Mary’s seemed to have a sleep-inducing effect. If all mixed blood could produce such changes, she might be able to concoct expensive magic potions just from blood alone.

Perhaps that was the reason why mixed blood was so delicious.

The blood she ordered was served quickly. Since the count’s eldest daughter’s body couldn’t drink male blood, all the blood in this glass came from women. A small glass cost Yisi one silver coin, a price that was hard for ordinary people to afford.

In fact, when the waiter came out from the back with the blood, all the surrounding patrons stared intently at the glass, perhaps wanting to see its prestigious contents or hoping for a taste.

Lifting the glass, Yisi took a light sniff.

The smell of alcohol was very strong, almost on par with that of Margaret.

“Wine.”

To determine if this mixed blood had any special effects, Yisi looked at it with “God’s Eye,” but nothing was displayed. This drink didn’t even count as an item.

I’ll just take a small sip.

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Lightly touching her lips to the rim of the glass, Yisi tilted it up.

Gulp.

—She couldn’t drink it.

It wasn’t because Yisi had changed her mind, but because all the patrons were staring at her. The originally noisy environment had suddenly fallen silent, to the point that when Yisi was about to taste the blood, she could clearly hear the sound of someone swallowing nearby.

Yisi glanced at the surrounding patrons, and they immediately looked away as if embarrassed.

I understand that you all want to drink it, but I had no choice but to order this…

Female blood was more expensive than male blood, and since it was mixed blood, the price was naturally too high for ordinary people to afford. Only a madman would give up ten days of living expenses for a single glass of blood.

There was no other choice. Yisi could only turn her back to the patrons’ gazes and down it in one gulp.

“Ugh.”

She wanted to spit it out immediately.

It wasn’t that it tasted bad, but it simply didn’t suit Yisi’s palate. This mixed blood was extremely spicy, no different from high-proof liquor.

But spitting it out would embarrass the owner, so Yisi took the simplest measure—she sent the blood in her mouth to her inventory and then chugged a large mouthful of water.

“Phew.”

The spicy taste in her mouth was washed away, and Yisi felt like she had been revived.

She checked her status.

Her level was still 427, and apart from her strength, none of her other stats had changed.

Her strength had increased by 50.

To use the people around her as an example, Camilla’s strength was in the double digits, approaching three, while Mary’s was twice Camilla’s. An ordinary adult’s strength was around 50 to 80. It was also worth noting that without using her third form awakening, Yisi’s own strength was close to six digits.

“It actually has an effect… I wonder if it’s the same for others.”

To verify this, Yisi ordered another glass of mixed blood from the waiter and quietly told him to give it to the patron at the next table.

After drinking the mixed blood, the man’s stats did not fluctuate.

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Yisi frowned.

“Strange…”

Back at Margaret’s tavern, she had already verified that mixed blood also worked on Camilla. At that time, she had absorbed Andrea’s blood due to a blood frenzy, and Camilla had immediately fallen asleep after licking the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth.

Since it also worked on Camilla, why did her strength increase when she drank the same mixed blood, while the patron next to her had no reaction?

Thinking carefully about the variables, Yisi tapped her knuckles on the table. After about three minutes, she finally realized something.

“Could the reason be me?”

The mixed blood Camilla had touched was the blood that Yisi couldn’t drink and had spilled from her mouth, while the mixed blood the patron drank had not touched her. Considering that mixed blood also had an effect on her, Yisi could only attribute the cause to herself.

Something on her body must have triggered some kind of mechanism.

As for what this “something” was, upon further thought, Yisi could only come to one conclusion—saliva.

“Hmm…”

An indescribably complex feeling flooded Yisi’s mind.

It was time to discard the idea of mass-producing magic potions with mixed blood.

How could she deliberately mix her saliva into blood and sell it to others? It was perverted, no, it was a crime.

If she were a princess in distress or the daughter of a wealthy merchant, she might be forced by reality to do some perverted things to survive, such as giving the ability-enhancing, saliva-laced mixed blood to the soldiers fighting for her or selling it for money. But now, she didn’t lack these things, so it was better to seal it away.

‘What are you so shy about?’

Suddenly, the voice of the count’s eldest daughter echoed in her mind.

“N-nothing.”

Subconsciously, Yisi spoke out loud, drawing glances from the surrounding patrons.

‘You seem to be doing something I’m not supposed to know about. What is it?’

‘Since I said you’re not supposed to know, how could I possibly tell you?’

‘Is that so…’ Edith’s voice fell silent. Just as Yisi was wondering if she should tell her, it suddenly became loud again. ‘Your saliva can give mixed blood the effect of enhancing strength, and you’re going to seal away such an ability?’

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‘Huh?’

More surprising than the fact that the count’s eldest daughter knew what she was thinking was that she didn’t call her a pervert.

‘Are you an idiot? These effects are hard to achieve even with magic potions. Just providing the finished product to assassins would be enough to create a powerful army in a short time, not to mention the effects it would have on even stronger individuals.’

‘But it’s saliva…’

‘So what? Aren’t the magic potions you’re using now made from monster materials? Liver, tongue, horns, bones, feces, genitals—saliva is just one of them.’

The magic potions I use aren’t actually made from monster materials.

Yisi stuck out her tongue.

As if she had thought of something, the count’s eldest daughter’s lips curved into a slight smile.

‘Start experimenting with different mixed bloods now. I want ten different types of enhancement potions within three days.’

‘If you want to do it, do it yourself. I have no interest in that. Speaking of which, you’ve been using this body for over ten years, have you never discovered that your own saliva can give mixed blood special effects?’

‘The problem should be with you—’

Just like during the chess game before, her words were cut short, and Edith’s presence suddenly weakened.

Yisi couldn’t help but press.

‘What’s happening to you?’

The count’s eldest daughter gave a cold, dismissive snort.

‘Nothing. I just used too much energy during the day and just now tried to forcefully read your surface thoughts.’

It seemed she would have to keep the White Barrier active for a long time to limit Edith’s actions.

As if in a great hurry, Edith ended the conversation with an abnormally fast pace.

‘I’ll try it myself tomorrow.’

The phantom disappeared into the black space.