186. Check on My Crystal Cores
Keisha's emotions churned with turmoil.
After Albany abandoned his plans to leave Cascadia, Kane promptly unveiled an even more daring scheme.
Albany, though unsettled by his concerns about Aisha Patani, at least had the wisdom to consult Hunter Maes first. Kane, however, intended to charge straight into the Blood Moon Vampire King's territory alone.
It was true that his teleportation technique dominated Cascadia.
This was because Cascadia had no Ward of Nature. The Admiral, being a Seeker of Redeemer, relied on his Redeemed Spirit for combat and had no need to practice movement techniques to enhance his physical ability. However, Blood Moon was a genuine Vampire King—one comparable to a Ward of Nature.
A mere teleportation technique could not bridge the vast power gap between Realms.
"Why don't you let Senior Brother go with you? You could watch each other's backs." Though Rose Hightower hadn't meant to caution him again, she found herself stepping forward involuntarily.
Albany Laurent lowered his clasped hands, a wave of self-pity washing over him.
He distinctly remembered Rose cautioning him about going out of Cascadia just moments ago. Yet somehow, when General Kane was involved, everyone's attitude seemed to shift completely.
Upon reflection, it made sense. General Kane's brilliant performance naturally drew admiration from those around him.
Well...
At least Junior Sister Patani was unlikely to be swayed like that, given that her talents matched Kane's own.
With this thought, Albany Laurent found some comfort. He retrieved two auras from his storage treasure and said, "These are what I previously asked Granny Chloe to collect for me. The Gold Bell Vampire Hunters possesses a superior essence-gathering technique that can pinpoint vampire locations more precisely. General Kane, please take them."
The two essence samples were dense and tangible, flickering like living flames.
"If you change your mind before departing, I'm ready to accompany you at any moment."
"Thank you, General Laurent."
I took the auras from his palm. With just a brief touch, I could sense the intense vampiric energy within them—dozens of times more potent than the Mountain Lord's aura.
"The two Nemean Lions are blood brothers who never leave each other's side. As high-cultivation Vampire Lords, they've earned the Blood Moon Vampire King's trust, which is why he assigned them to guard the Red Mane Snow Rabbit."
Having dealt with these three Vampire Lords for many years, Albany knew their tactics and behavior patterns intimately.
There are three stages within the harmonizing stage: planting the seed, nurturing the embryo, and finally forming the Infant or Redeemed Spirit.
The Snow Rabbit was merely equivalent to a human Realm Breaker who had just planted the seed, yet either lion alone could crush someone at the embryo stage. Together, they posed such a threat that even Laurent—a Redeemed Spirit warrior who had passed all three stages—struggled against them.
"I'll just test the waters. If things don't go well, I'll retreat to Cascadia right away." I nodded, keeping my promise modest.
The fighting techniques I had mastered—at the cost of a great amount of absorbed lifespan—were finally revealing their true power now that my realm had caught up.
Whether it was the Will Embodiment of Dragon and Tiger Sword, the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection, or even the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization itself—mastering even one of these techniques was enough to fight opponents beyond my Realm.
However, no one knew whether the vampires possessed any blood gifts as their trump cards.
Anyone who reaches such a level of cultivation would certainly possess methods to save their own life.
"Now that we've finished discussing business, I'd like to ask a personal question..." Albany Laurent said with self-deprecation. Here he was, a H.A.R.M. General, wasting Kane's precious time with personal matters while all of H.A.R.M. Cascadia fought for the twelve cities' survival.
"I heard that General Kane visited the capital with Junior Sister Patani. I wanted to ask about her… emotional state..."
Halfway through his question, he felt foolish. Given Junior Sister Patani's cold and distant nature, even if she did experience emotions, how would General Kane possibly notice?
"Emotional state?" I shifted my gaze from the auras and placed them in the silver bell, pausing to consider. "I think she's doing quite well. At least she smiles more than before."
During our return journey, Aisha Patani—having advanced further in her realm—became more talkative than before, engaging in occasional conversations with me.
This was quite a change from her usual detached demeanor.
Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with the vampires of Cascadia, I hadn't paid close attention to our conversations and couldn't recall more details.
"Smiles more..." Everyone in the room fell silent, taking a long moment to picture such an unexpected image.
Albany shook his head, concluding that General Kane was merely trying to comfort him. "Thank you, I understand."
"Then I'll be going now." I gave a slight nod, rose from my seat, and walked outside.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, it was best to go check on my vampire crystal cores as soon as possible.
My abrupt departure surprised Albany, causing him to glance subconsciously at his junior sister, Rose Hightower.
Rose was used to my abrupt manner. Back in Pinewood County, I had simply tossed sandwiches on the table and walked out the door. At least this time he said goodbye.
She just lowered her eyes with a touch of disappointed yearning.
John had promised a detailed conversation that night—or at least nodded clearly in agreement when she asked—yet he had simply forgotten.
With this departure, there was no telling when they would meet again.
He was about to undertake something so dangerous, yet—as always—he wouldn't leave even a single word behind.
If only she had worked harder then—accumulated more merit and used the Martial Abbey Cleansing to improve her Realm—she wouldn't be in this position now, watching helplessly as John ventured forth alone.
With this thought, Rose glanced at the silver bell hanging from her waist, determination flickering in her eyes.
"Senior Brother, I must go!"
She turned to leave, but Keisha caught her arm. Albany looked at her and said flatly, "While I can't control General Kane's actions, I can prevent you from putting yourself in danger. Stay in Bellingham until your return to top form."
After saying that, he sighed. "If General Kane returns, I will inform you immediately."
...
Along a stream at Bellingham's edge.
A gust of wind accompanied my materialization. I found a quiet spot and settled down.
I prepared to depart from Cascadia's territory. Although it wasn't my first time, I remained vigilant.
I retrieved the vampire cores that Aisha Patani had lent me. There had been fourteen in total; now five remained.
Opening the panel, I continued simulating the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization technique. It had to be said, while this core had a much larger volume than others of the same Realm, it consumed resources at an astounding rate.
Five vampire cores slid into my stomach, draining another three hundred and seventy years of absorbed lifespan.
Compared to before I reached the harmonizing stage, the speed was now about thirty percent faster.
Yet I felt no joy.
The increased speed wasn't due to my improved skill—rather, the seed itself was actively devouring the vampiric power.
The process known as Harmonization and Spiritualization is quite simple.
At its core, it involves using the energy of heaven and earth to nurture a living being into existence.
At this moment, blood-red threads spreading out from the crimson light spot, gradually taking the shape of limbs and a torso. Though only a faint outline, it already possessed a sense of self-awareness.
This development already diverged from what was described in the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization manual*.*
Typically, even the faintest self-awareness doesn't emerge until the end of the embryo stage—right before the transformation into an infant. To reach that phase, I would still need two more crystal cores matching the snow rabbit vampire's quality.