"Welcome to Vindice once again, Exorcist Vasco Strada."
The old but muscular man gives me a gentle smile and responds,
"Please, call me Vasco, Lord Millefiore."
"Then please, call me by my given name."
"Lord Valerian, then."
I nod and say, "Please, take a seat."
"Thank you."
He sits on the couch in front of me.
"So! What can I do for you?"
"You might already know, but I came here to ask for permission to open a church in Romania."
He looks me directly in the eyes. Through my Senjutsu, I can sense the emotions radiating from him—shame and guilt, but underneath it, a firm determination.
"We know we failed to send our best fighters to aid Romania, but we are willing to do our best to ensure this relationship works."
I consider his words. As much as I don't want them to gain influence over my territory, making an enemy out of them would be unwise. I take a moment to think before an idea comes to mind.
"You know what? Okay. I'll give you a chance. There are groups of vampires from Moldova who refuse to change their ways. They still believe they can cross into Romania to hunt humans. We can't do much about them because the Moldovans refuse to let us enter their territory, fearing we might expand our influence into their country."
That's another thing that frustrates me. Moldova hates these vampires yet refuses to eliminate them or even ask for our help. Instead, they worry about us gaining power over them. It is as if we need to invade when we could just as easily influence them through trade and medical aid.
Because of this, remnants of the Tepes and Carmilla clans have begun migrating to Moldova.
"I'll grant you a portion of land along the Moldova-Romania border. In exchange, I want you to ensure that no vampires cross into Romania through that area. What do you think?"
With the Northeastern border secured by the church, we can shift our focus westward. The presence of vampires has led to the birth of numerous monsters; creatures spawned from the vile energy these vampires release into the world.
Some of these monsters manifest from nothing, while others mutate from existing animals. The majority of them emerge in Western Romania, which is why the Uzumaki clan wants to turn the Făgăraș Mountains into a training ground. A hunter needs a hunting ground, and that place is perfect for it.
I am planning to send his people to the Northeast, but with the church taking control there, I can redirect my forces toward Northern Romania. Unlike the western side of Romania, the northern part does not have that many monsters but contains monsters that reach an Ultimate Class. They can destroy a city or two if they go on a rampage. If we can control that part, we will gain a lot of resources that can only be grown in that area.
That doesn't mean I'll give the church full control. I'll make sure they have no power over my rule. I won't allow history to repeat itself—no church will hold authority over me. I'll keep them on a leash.
This deal is a calculated move—offering just enough to keep them from being offended, while making it clear that I don't trust them fully.
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Valerian. We will make sure not to disappoint you."
"I know you won't. However, be aware—the vampires hunting in Romania are strong. They are mutated, allowing them to survive under the sun to a certain extent."
That's another problem. Some mutated vampires, originally created by the Tepes clan, managed to escape. Now, they are spreading their mutation to other vampires in Moldova.
"We learned that this mutation spreads through a bite—a mutated vampire can turn a regular one into another like itself. That means if we eliminate all the regular vampires, the mutation dies with them. Or we can hunt down all the mutated ones before they infect more."
"Easier said than done. Vampires are slippery creatures."
"That they are. But that's not your job. I only need you to prevent any vampires from Moldova from entering Romania. At the very least, reduce their numbers significantly."
"We will perform this duty gladly. Fighting against vampires is something we take pride in."
"Then there's nothing more to say other than—good luck. Do you want me to tell you the location of your new base, or would you rather wait for someone from your headquarters to arrive first?"
"We will wait for them to arrive. I shall inform them of this good news, and they should be here within a day or two."
I nod and rise from my seat. Vasco follows suit, and we shake hands before he leaves my office.
Now that he's gone, I can think about my next move. With the Uzumaki clan now part of my family, I wonder… should I travel to another world to search for more resources?
There's a lot I can take from the Naruto universe.
I pull a small notebook from my drawer and skim through the list of items I could retrieve from that world.
"Jutsu scrolls, sealing techniques, legendary swords, summoning scrolls…"
The last one is tricky. The summoning scrolls I obtain are tied to the system, and I don't know if they'll work when summoned from this world instead of theirs. According to Fukasaku, the summoning I perform functions differently—the same goes for those who sign a contract through the system's scrolls.
Apparently, a few extra steps are involved in the process.
I also want to pick Chakra Fruit, but I don't think I can fight Kaguya on equal ground at the moment. Maybe when I receive two or three more templates from the system before attempting to take Chakra Fruit from her.
Other than that, there are plenty of other worlds to visit if I need to.
No Game No Life is an intriguing option, but unless I'm willing to take a high-risk approach, there isn't much I can gain from it. Drawing Tet's attention is bad enough. Gaining the interest of the other Old Deus would be an even bigger disaster. Unlike in Disboard, they aren't bound by Tet's rules—meaning they could invade this world if they wanted to.
RWBY… now that's an interesting one. Their technology would be useful. In fact, we've already started integrating some of it here.
The problem? Dust.
That world's tech relies entirely on Dust—an exclusive energy source found only in Remnant. We could import it, but that wouldn't be cost-effective. It's better to reverse-engineer their technology to function with this world's resources.
Byakuran's world… We already have their tech. Slowly but surely, we are merging KHR's technology into ours. Their energy sources—Dying Will Flames and Electricity—are compatible with what we already use.
However, their advancements aren't that far ahead of ours. I'd need to jump to KHR's future timeline if I want true future tech. But Byakuran himself advised against that—his future counterpart would probably kill me on sight rather than help.
Gintama's world… Hmm. That one has potential. Their technology is bizarre—some are laughably outdated, while others are absurdly advanced. Unfortunately, most of it consists of weapons since the aliens focus on military technology rather than medicine or infrastructure.
Though, that might be intentional—perhaps the aliens don't want humans gaining access to anything beyond what they already show to the humans.
You know what? I should visit that world next and see for myself.