Volume 1, Chapter 26 – Transaction

After making her request for blood to the merchant, he immediately offered his own. Yisi did not refuse the readily available supply, taking a small cup’s worth before using healing magic to stop his bleeding.

Now, Yisi was seated on a plush chair draped with a velvet carpet. Grateful for her help, the merchant had brought Yisi and Camilla to his residence to avoid detection by the Church.

“Miss Loiswell, is this amount really enough?”

The merchant looked at his blood on the table with concern, as if he felt he should have given more.

“Hmm? What do you think? Although I said I needed a lot of blood, I didn’t mean an excessive amount from a single person. What I need is blood from many different people.”

Quantity was necessary to satisfy her thirst, while diversity was key to finding the champagne-flavored blood. Without any clear leads, casting a wide net was her only option.

As she spoke, Yisi picked up the goblet on the table—this was the second cup of human blood she had obtained. If human blood generally carries an alcoholic taste, then champagne-flavored blood must surely come from humans.

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At this thought, a sudden doubt arose in her mind: Why did the Count’s eldest daughter despise drinking male blood, always targeting only women as her prey?

Perhaps it was simply her preference for women influencing her tastes.

Without dwelling on the details, Yisi took a sip of the blood.

Her face instantly turned pale.

A bizarre mix of spiciness, bitterness, and astringency flooded her taste buds. Yisi was certain this was the most disgusting beverage she had ever tasted. If the merchant hadn’t been standing right beside her, she would have spat it out immediately and gulped down several glasses of water to rinse her mouth.

That would have been far too rude, though.

Suppressing the churning in her stomach, Yisi calmly set the glass down. It took her a full three minutes to recover enough to speak. Needless to say, she had no intention of finishing this cup of blood.

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The merchant remained oblivious to her distress.

“Blood from many people? Do you only want human blood?”

Cough. “Not just humans. I also need blood from beastmen and elves—but only from healthy individuals. I don’t want to get sick from drinking tainted blood.”

“I’m not sure why you think you’d get sick, but… understood. I’ll try to find strong, healthy slaves.”

It seemed this world hadn’t yet developed the concept of contagious diseases. Yisi sighed inwardly.

“Not just men—women’s blood too. And make sure to store them in separate containers labeled by source.”

“As you command, Miss Loiswell.”

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From the merchant’s blood, she had learned that not all human blood carried an alcoholic taste. Her initial assumption had been wrong, but Yisi wasn’t discouraged. Smooth sailing was a rare occurrence—as long as she kept searching, she would eventually find the champagne-flavored blood.

She rose from her seat.

“That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll come here every evening just before sunset to meet you. Remember to start collecting the blood only when the sun is about to set.”

Clotted or cooked blood had no effect on vampires. Over the past few days, Yisi had experimented with blood-based dishes like blood curd, but the only result was that they tasted good—nothing more.

The merchant stood as well.

“Are you leaving already? There might be Church members outside. If they find you—”

“I know what I’m doing.” She paused mid-sentence, then turned back to face him. “I need some magic books, Ymir Theocracy gold coins, and an experienced carpenter.”

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Her warehouse contained nothing but in-game currency and the vampire nation’s Hyurent gold coins from the Count’s eldest daughter’s stash. Using Hyurent coins would expose her as a vampire, hence her request for Ymir coins.

After speaking, Yisi pulled out a handful of Ragnarøk gold coins from her pocket. Though the in-game currency couldn’t be used in this world, the gold could be extracted and traded as precious metal. Magic books and purchasing slaves would already cost a fortune—if she bankrupted the merchant by demanding too much, it would be far too inconsiderate. Moreover, from a long-term perspective, it was best to actively support him to pave the way for her future life in the human world.

Having more connections always meant more solutions.

“These are ancient coins I collected in the past. The gold inside can be refined and used as your payment.”

“You’ve already done me such a great favor—how could I accept gold from you? The high-grade magic potion you used would cost me my entire fortune to buy! I absolutely cannot take this money.”

The merchant seemed the type who felt compelled to repay kindness. He grew visibly flustered, but Yisi ignored his protests and bluntly held out her hand.

“Then hand over the Ymir Theocracy gold coins.”