The next day, the atmosphere in Baron Kaman's Mansion was more oppressive than usual, all because of an unwelcome guest.
Leonard Klein, the third son in whom the Count had placed high hopes, was now seated in the drawing room.
The oppressive aura he exuded seemed to make the very air in the room stagnate.
Velin's father sat uneasily across from Leonard.
This noble, a member of a minor branch of the family with little standing, tried several times to speak and ease the tension. But each time, he swallowed his words under Leonard's scrutinizing gaze, beads of sweat even forming on his brow.
Velin sat quietly beside his father, his gaze placid. He observed his arrogant cousin as if studying a lab specimen.
"Uncle," Leonard began, his tone arrogant, "the entire family is deeply concerned about cousin Velin's engagement to Miss Diana. Back then, Miss Diana was merely the second daughter of her house, while Velin had shown his talent early on. That, coupled with your friendship with the Count of Dawn, is what led to this engagement."
Leonard's tone shifted. "But since last year, when her parents and older brother were lost in a shipwreck, Miss Diana has inherited the title. Now, with such a heavy burden on her shoulders, what she needs is a powerful man who can stand by her side, not..." He shot Velin a contemptuous glance.
"My father has already invited the Countess of Dawn to Green Vein City to discuss deepening our trade cooperation. She will also attend the bloodline awakening ceremony the day after tomorrow, which is when I will be activating my bloodline. The family wishes for cousin Velin to voluntarily dissolve the engagement before the ceremony, so that all parties may save face."
Baron Kaman's face went pale. He was about to speak, but Velin raised a hand to stop him.
Velin lifted his gaze to meet Leonard's, his tone unexpectedly level. "I understand. I have no objection to dissolving the engagement."
'He truly had no interest in this marriage and certainly didn't want it to distract him from his exploration of the mysteries of bloodlines.'
Surprise flashed in Leonard's eyes, quickly replaced by an unconcealable smugness.
'He'd thought he would have to waste more breath on this, but he never expected this cousin, the one the family considered 'useless,' to give in so easily.'
"You really do know how to see the bigger picture, cousin." A mocking smile touched Leonard's lips. "However, to give the family and the Countess of Dawn a clear account, I must ask you to draw up a contract stating that you are voluntarily renouncing the engagement for no other reason."
At these words, Baron Kaman's head snapped up.
"Is this your father's wish as well? If something so dishonorable is put into a contract, Velin will only ever be able to marry a commoner!"
Leonard, still basking in his recent victory, failed to notice the anger and humiliation in the Baron's eyes.
"Whether there's a contract or not, does it really make a difference? Uncle, these are the family's arrangements. And don't forget, cousin Lilia's marriage prospects still depend on the family!"
Recalling Lilia's kindness and concern from the day before, Velin's eyes turned cold. "Enough!"
"Cousin Leonard," Velin's voice grew colder, "I admit I am not worthy of Miss Diana and am withdrawing voluntarily. But this was originally a matter between our two sides. Why are you in such a rush, even demanding I sign a contract?"
"Are you afraid that I, this 'useless' man, will go back on my word and pester her later? Or are you afraid your 'great contribution' here won't be conspicuous enough for you to take credit with your father and the Countess of Dawn?"
He paused, his gaze fixed on Leonard, filled with undisguised contempt.
"Instead of worrying about whether a 'bloodless one' will go back on his word, perhaps you should think more about how to make your own name ring a little louder, rather than just appearing on the Countess of Dawn's list of potential marriage candidates."
The smug smile on Leonard's face froze, as if he'd been seized by an invisible hand.
All his schemes and his sense of superiority shattered at Velin's words. "You... you useless trash, how dare you..."
"I am Velin Klein. And though I have failed to awaken twice, I have not fallen so low as to trade my dignity for so-called 'decency.'"
Velin slowly rose to his feet. His voice was not loud, yet every word struck Leonard like a slap. "What I pursue is the essence of knowledge, the very source of all bloodlines. These are things I doubt a cousin so single-mindedly focused on social climbing and currying favor could ever understand."
Leonard's face went from flushed to pale. He never imagined that Velin, a man he had suppressed to the point he could barely hold up his head, would dare to talk back to him like this.
Worse, every word had struck a nerve—he did, in fact, hope that by facilitating Velin's withdrawal from the engagement, he could win Diana's favor.
"You ungrateful fool!" Leonard shot to his feet, trembling slightly with anger, all his noble composure gone.
"Fine! Just fine! I'd like to see what you, this 'truth-seeking' piece of trash, will use to face Miss Diana in two days! With or without this contract, the outcome will be the same!"
With that, he swung his sleeves dramatically and stormed away.
...
The commotion stirred up by Leonard undoubtedly heightened Velin's sense of urgency.
That afternoon, he changed into an inconspicuous linen outfit, covered most of his face with a scarf, and slipped into an alley near the artisan district.
This was one of the entrances to the city's notorious black market, the "Shipwreck Bazaar." Velin had occasionally come here before to hunt for strange and ancient tomes.
He deftly turned into a deep, narrow alleyway, stopping before a shop with a dried octopus tentacle hanging from its sign.
The shop was dimly lit, and behind the counter sat a small, wizened man.
"I'm looking for a few things," Velin said, his voice low.
He reeled off the supplementary ingredients from the system's list, and the shopkeeper quoted the prices without even lifting his eyelids.
The handful of Silver Moons Velin had brought was just enough to buy all the ingredients.
"Do you have any Original Blood Crystal powder?" Velin asked.
Only then did the shopkeeper raise his head, his cloudy eyes sizing Velin up. "Original Blood Crystal? That's something only the noble masters can afford to dabble in. How much do you need?"
"Five grams."
"Five grams?" The shopkeeper's bony fingers tapped on the counter. "Twenty Golden Suns, and that's for the lowest grade."
'Twenty Golden Suns! That's almost half a year's income for Baron Kaman. Of course, a landless noble from a minor branch family like the Baron is basically just a glorified servant to the main house. His standard of living is only a bit better than that of a master artisan.'
"Well then... do you have any potions that can enhance a bloodline, or awaken potential?" Velin asked tentatively. He was thinking of the modified potion formula from the notes he had stayed up all night organizing.
The shopkeeper's face changed drastically, as if he'd heard something taboo. He shot up from behind the counter, his eyes darting around nervously.
"Gods above, are you insane?! Have you forgotten the Empire's Bloodline Purity Act? Trafficking in those banned substances is a one-way trip to the gallows!"
Then, he leaned in and whispered.
"—Even if I had something that good, a small shop like mine wouldn't dare touch it. If you've really got the connections, you should go to the Klein Family. They're the only ones in this whole city who'd dare."
Velin felt a pang of disappointment. 'So that path is a dead end,' he thought.
'If I could get money from the family, would I even need to be here?'
He silently paid for the other ingredients and left the shop.
As night fell, Velin walked back toward the Baron's Mansion, calculating how he could possibly make up the financial shortfall in two days.
Suddenly, a dark figure darted from the corner of an alley, blocking his path.
"Master Velin Klein?" a hoarse voice asked.
Velin stopped in his tracks, his guard instantly up.
"Don't be alarmed," the dark figure said, apparently sensing his wariness. "Countess Diana wishes to see you in private."
"Tonight, at midnight. At the old lighthouse by the Silver Moon Canal."
After speaking, the figure vanished into the night, as if they had never been there at all.
And in Velin's hand, there was now a crest, engraved with the image of a rising sun.