Chapter 107: The Vampire Capital
The airship arrived at the port near the capital. After disembarking, they had to take a carriage for a long journey. Those old geezers in the Council of Elders must be terrified of death, Jasmine thought. They know how dangerous airships are. If the port were located within the capital, and an airship crashed into their residences during the day, they would be incinerated.
To be safe, the airship port was located far away from the capital.
Moreover, the vampire capital’s design was absurd. It had thirteen concentric walls, each enclosing a smaller area. And as a human, Jasmine wasn’t allowed to enter the area within the third wall.
Adele could only find an inn for Jasmine in the area within the fourth wall.
Of course, that was just for show. As soon as Adele arrived at the Blake manor within the second wall, Jasmine slipped in through a window that Adele had left open for her. Adele closed the window and drew the curtains.
“How was it?”
Jasmine took a sip of water. Although the Blake manor had been unoccupied for a long time, it was still fully staffed with low-ranking vampire servants: butlers, maids, and footmen. A maid had boiled water for Adele, then been dismissed. Adele had even prepared a glass of cold water for Jasmine.
After quenching her thirst, Jasmine said, “As expected of the capital, the seat of the Council of Elders. The number and strength of the patrols are far superior to those at Blake Castle.” Hearing Jasmine’s subtle jab at Blake Castle, Adele didn’t mind. After all, the Blake family was the weakest among the Thirteen Clans.
“And how does it compare to Deli territory?”
Hearing this, Jasmine stiffened. Right, Adele had named her entire territory “Deli.” It was all Jasmine’s fault for suggesting that ridiculous name. Now there were countless “Delis” everywhere. The thought of their love being plastered all over the place made Jasmine want to curl up and disappear.
But she still had to answer Adele’s question. Although her expression remained neutral, her voice was filled with pride. “Our territory is even stronger.” Although the vampire capital had tens of thousands of low-ranking vampires and nobles, and the patrol teams were composed of elites, the vampires hadn’t implemented any specialized units. They simply divided the vampires into small teams and had them patrol in rotation. The only distinction was that the team leaders were stronger than the others.
This was no match for the patrol teams in their territory. Although Jasmine wasn’t a military expert, she had been exposed to modern knowledge and understood the importance of specialization. The patrol teams in their territory were divided into overt and covert units, each with specific responsibilities. And with their superior equipment, they could hold their own against even the vampires in the capital.
But attacking the capital would be difficult. As Jasmine had said before, those old geezers were terrified of death. They had built thirteen walls, and to breach them would require a massive sacrifice of lives. Jasmine didn’t want the Human Resistance Army to be decimated just to get past the walls.
Adele wasn’t thinking about such things. Hearing that their territory’s patrols were stronger, she felt a surge of pride. After all… the funding and resources she had provided had played a major role in equipping the patrols. It would have taken the Human Resistance Army years to develop such advanced weaponry on their own.
After resting for a night within the second wall, Adele was summoned by the Council of Elders’ servant the next day, escorted to the area within the first wall, where the Elders resided. Jasmine had discreetly attached a bracelet to Adele’s wrist. She couldn’t accompany Adele directly, but she was worried about her safety. It wasn’t the straw bracelet they had won at the ring toss game a few years ago. That bracelet had withered and fallen apart after a month. Adele had later made more beautiful bracelets using jewels and gold and silver threads.
But Jasmine, as a mere maid, couldn’t wear such extravagant jewelry. She could only keep it close, hidden beneath her clothes, attached to her body with threads. Today, with Adele going to the Council of Elders, Jasmine had woven some of her own threads into the bracelet. The threads were made from her hair. Although they were no longer attached to her body, she could still control them.
“If you encounter any danger, just tear the bracelet apart. I’ll control the threads, turning them into needles that will attack anyone around you. And I’ll come to you immediately.”
Jasmine explained the bracelet’s function. Adele nodded, indicating that she understood. She looked at the bracelet on her wrist. The gold and silver threads were interwoven with black threads, creating a beautiful pattern.
“I didn’t know your threads could do that.”
Jasmine replied casually, “They can do many things you wouldn’t expect.”
Adele, following her train of thought, asked, “Like what?”
Jasmine leaned in, whispering in Adele’s ear. These were things she couldn’t say aloud. Her voice was soft, her breath tickling Adele’s ear, just like when she had whispered her mischievous plans to Adele years ago.
Even up close, all Adele could hear were vague words like “tie up” and “bind.” Jasmine pulled back, and as expected, Adele’s cheeks were flushed. But after several years together, they were both experienced drivers now. Adele was even intrigued by these suggestions.
“Then… should we try it sometime?”
“…” Jasmine felt like she had dug her own grave. She couldn’t handle Adele’s straightforwardness. “We’ll talk about it later,” she said, trying to change the subject. “The most important thing now is to go to the Council of Elders.” Then she quickly excused herself.
While Adele was being escorted into the area within the first wall, Jasmine didn’t just stand there doing nothing. Under the cover of night, she also snuck in. She followed Adele at a distance, ready to intervene if anything happened.
But the security within the walls was tight. When they reached the entrance to an underground bunker, Jasmine could no longer follow. There was only one entrance, guarded by two rows of vampires. Even Adele had to undergo multiple checks before entering. It would be impossible for Jasmine to sneak in undetected.
Again, those old geezers were truly paranoid.
Jasmine could only wait in the shadows near the entrance. She could force her way in, of course, by taking down all the guards. But this wasn’t the time to attack the Council of Elders. They needed more time to prepare, to build a stronger army, to develop more advanced weaponry… All of this required time.
Adele had agreed to the Council’s summons because she didn’t want a direct confrontation yet.
But if anything happened to Adele, Jasmine would charge in, no matter the cost.
Unlike Jasmine, who was waiting outside, Adele was escorted deep into the bunker. It wasn’t just a bunker in name. It was a true underground castle, its structure resembling an inverted pyramid, wider at the top.
Adele couldn’t help but think about Jasmine’s words. She had repeatedly mentioned how terrified of death the Elders were. It seemed to be true. Their paranoia was palpable. As long as they stayed underground, they would never be exposed to sunlight.
Although it was a good strategy for vampires, Adele felt that it went against their nature. They were vampires, creatures favored by the Moon Goddess. By hiding underground, the Elders might have avoided the threat of sunlight, but they were also cut off from the moon. They had turned their backs on their patron goddess.
Adele descended the spiral staircase, her footsteps echoing in the darkness. She hadn’t expected this underground castle to have thirteen floors as well. She descended thirteen flights of stairs before finally reaching the bottom level, where the Council of Elders resided. Here, she had to undergo even more stringent checks.
The vampire who inspected her was a high-ranking noble with pure blood. She was beautiful and elegant, but her methods were thorough. As a noble of the Thirteen Clans, Adele wouldn’t be subjected to a physical search. That would be an insult, an act of war.
But the vampire held a magic stone, which emitted a bright light, scanning Adele’s body from head to toe. The previous checks had been similar, but this light was more intense, making Adele uncomfortable.
She was wearing a formal gown, without any pockets, but there were many places to conceal weapons. Some clever vampire had figured out that since they couldn’t physically search nobles, they could use magic instead.
After a thorough inspection, the vampire lady confirmed that Adele wasn’t carrying any weapons and allowed her to proceed. The vampire who had escorted her stopped here, replaced by the inspecting lady.
They stopped at a door. The thick, heavy door masked any scents or sounds from within. The walls of this underground castle were probably embedded with magic stones, blocking vampires’ ability to sense each other’s presence. Even scents and sounds were muffled. Adele was a bit worried. Could Jasmine find her in this situation?
But then she calmed down. She’s Jasmine. She can do it. She’s incredibly powerful, unlike anyone else in this world. If I can’t do it, she definitely can. And she wasn’t here to fight. The Council of Elders didn’t know about her secret activities, so they wouldn’t harm her.
The door opened, and Adele’s eyes widened in surprise. The scene before her was completely unexpected. She had imagined a study, a meeting room, or even a drawing-room, but she hadn’t expected a garden.
Yes, deep within this underground castle, there was a garden. And it was filled with blooming white camellias. In the center of the garden was a pavilion, where a figure sat.
“Miss Adele Blake, please enter,” the vampire beside her said.
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