Read Novel Full Chapter 1623: There is always an Exchange for everything!!
Chapter 1623: There is always an Exchange for everything!!
After realising that Mary herself had stepped into the auction, Victor formed a simple, almost predatory plan... let her outbid everyone, let her drown in her own pride, and quietly drain her wealth... like a silent black hole swallowing light.
The idea should have been clean, effortless.
Yet, what caught him off guard was Amara’s sudden announcement, granting 2 million units freely to each Empire.
It only fueled Victor further, pushing him to toy with Mary even more.
And so he did... nudging her bids, disturbing her rhythm just enough to keep her climbing higher.
Strangely, she fell right into it, almost willingly, as if chasing something far beyond the auction itself.
Sniff... sniff...
The faint sound of suppressed sobbing broke through the heavy silence of the chamber. The grand hall, once filled with competitive tension, now stood nearly empty, leaving behind only Mary... and Amara, who stood poised, her composed smile unwavering as she awaited payment.
Mary’s fingers curled slightly, nails pressing into her palm as she bit her lower lip, her voice trembling despite her attempt to steady it.
"C-Can you... Perhaps give me a discount?"
Amara tilted her head ever so slightly, "Empress Bloody Mary, as you are well aware, this is an auction. The amount you bid is the amount you are required to pay for the product."
Mary’s lips quivered, "W-What about... some form of credit?"
Amara’s smile remained, "Empress Bloody Mary... we do not operate on credit."
A quiet groan escaped Mary as she turned her face slightly, biting her lip harder.
’One trillion Zenith... That’s insane... Morgana will kill me if she finds out I spent that kind of amount...’
Her gaze returned to Amara, softening into something almost pleading.
Yet Amara did not budge. She simply stood there, waiting for the full payment as if time itself answered to her.
Behind the podium, half-hidden in the dim lighting, a lone figure in a perfectly fitted black suit observed everything from beginning to end.
***
Outside the company building... Workers moved back and forth, carrying heavy containers, while Julian directed them, overseeing the separation of the 2,000,000 units allocated to each Empire.
Boxes were loaded one after another into waiting carriages, the wooden wheels creaking under the growing weight.
The group had received their share, yet they were still dissatisfied.
Mary had claimed the entire container.
"Maybe... we should have pushed harder for it..." Aqualina muttered.
Several others nodded in agreement, their gazes slowly drifting toward Victor.
There was an unspoken understanding among them... had he given a single word, a single signal, they would have poured their resources into the bid without hesitation, regardless of the cost it might bring later.
But he had remained silent.
Victor simply shrugged, his expression calm, almost indifferent.
"We received 2,000,000 units free of cost... That alone holds more value than anything we could have spent chasing the rest."
His tone was flat, but his eyes were elsewhere, fixed on Julian... and the young man assisting him.
The man carried himself with quiet confidence.
’Who is that...?’
Victor narrowed his gaze slightly, ’Ah... right. Rosavere’s fiancé. But what is he doing here?’
As if on cue, Julian finished giving his instructions and began walking toward the group, the young man following closely behind him.
Both stopped a few steps away and bowed their heads respectfully.
"We have finished loading everything into your carriages," Julian said with a hint of pride.
Before he could continue, the young man lightly nudged him from the side. Julian flinched ever so slightly, then gave a small nod, as if reminded of something important.
Clearing his throat, the old man straightened.
"Also... if you don’t mind, allow me to introduce someone important."
He gestured toward the young man beside him, his expression brightening.
"My future son-in-law... Henry Walt."
Everyone’s brows lifted almost in unison.
"Oh? Then it seems he’ll soon be handling the Rosavere Company," Aqualina remarked with mild surprise as her gaze settled on the young man.
Henry stepped forward, straightening his posture before giving a respectful nod, "Thank you for your gracious words, Princess Aqualina. I am still in the learning phase, so I have much to understand before I can take on such responsibility."
Everyone nodded acknowledgement, but then a short, sharp laugh cut through the air.
"Pfft! Is that why you tried to run away?"
Every head turned instantly toward... Thalia, her words landing without hesitation or restraint.
Of course, everyone noticed it when he tried to escape, but they weren’t low enough to point it out.
Henry’s face flushed deep red.
His lips parted as he struggled to form a response, his hands tightening slightly at his sides.
"I-I did not run away... I... I... was—"
While Henry struggled to maintain his dignity before the rulers,
’Aether...’
A voice, soft yet clear, echoed within Victor’s mind.
’Is this alright? Hiding from the others?’ Celestia’s voice carried a quiet concern as her attention lingered on the ongoing transaction between the pitiful Mary and the visibly pleased Amara.
Victor exhaled slowly, his expression remaining unchanged as he responded inwardly.
’Yes.’
There was a brief pause before his thoughts continued.
’I know I’m hiding it from everyone... but there’s a reason.’
His gaze lifted, settling on the elegant name board above the building entrance.
’We still don’t understand her abilities, Celes. Rosavere... that company has endured through changing rulers, shifting powers, empires... yet it continues to thrive.’
His eyes narrowed slightly.
’And according to your report, it didn’t just survive. It flourished the moment Amara Rosavere took control.’
’We don’t have the luxury of being careless. That’s why Lackey must remain separate.’
Celestia’s voice turned curious, ’What do you mean?’ as she caught sight of Amara, who approached with an expression glowing with satisfaction after receiving the massive transaction.
He folded his arms slowly,
’There’s something about her that doesn’t sit right with me. She managed to establish connections with the Terra Empire... and even Mary is dancing in her palm.’
’It feels less like a coincidence and more like control. As if everything is unfolding exactly how she wants... or worse... how she already foresaw.’
Celestia’s tone dipped, ’You think she might have an ability like Delphine? To see the future?’
Victor let out a quiet breath.
’Not exactly. I won’t jump to that conclusion... but I can’t rule it out either.’
His fingers curled slightly against his arm.
’Most rely on Arcane energy to manifest their weapons. But there are exceptions... weapons that don’t require Arcane energy at all. or even bloodline ability that still could be used’
His eyes darkened faintly.
’What if hers is one of those?’
A flicker of memory surfaced... The encounter with Vesperine, who escaped through the portal.
That mistake cost so many lives!!
Victor’s expression hardened before he shook the thought away.
’It’s too dangerous to gamble blindly.’
Celestia processed his words, ’So you’re saying we isolate Lackey completely... present him as nothing more than a mysterious partner who only deals with Amara and the Rosavere Company?’
Victor’s response came without hesitation, ’Exactly. Lackey exists for that purpose alone. There’s no need for the world to know anything beyond that.’
There was a brief pause before Celestia spoke again, her tone shifting toward curiosity.
’Then what about the container we lost to Mary? Doesn’t that count as our loss?’
Even as she spoke, she continued her external conversation with Amara, discussing payment details and the share allocated to Mr. Lackey.
Inside, Victor’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
’About that...’
A quiet confidence slipped into his voice, almost playful beneath the strategy.
’Don’t worry. I’ve already thought of something... interesting.’
’In fact... we’re going to have very cheap.’
Celestia paused
’...Cheap?’
***
Soon, everything was over.
Mary, her face drained of pride and hardened into quiet defeat, returned to the Empire only to be met with fury. Her sister did not hold back.
Words lashed sharper than bloody blades, followed by blows that left no room for dignity, punishing her relentlessly for wasting one trillion.
As the night crept closer, stretching shadows across the land like slow-spreading ink.
Victor stepped through the palace gates and made his way down the dim corridors.
Once inside his room, he removed his mask, then peeled away the illusion layered over his presence.
The air seemed to shift as his true self settled back into place.
He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, exhaled slowly, and closed his eyes, his fingers pressing briefly against his temple.
Now to deal with that thing inside his blood.
His consciousness drifted slowly.
In the Twin Domains:
Aether stood far from the vast blood ocean, its surface writhing and folding as if alive, restrained by chains that stretched and compressed the blood ocean to hold it together.
He turned his head toward Grace, who remained seated within the cage.
"I was in a tight situation before. I had to leave urgently..."
"There is no need to explain... I am nothing more than a prisoner here," Grace replied, her tone flat and indifferent, her eyes never shifting toward him.
Aether watched her in silence for a few seconds.
Then he spoke again,
" Alucard Xal’thren... isn’t he the one killed by Mary Scarlet? Hundreds of years ago... if I remember correctly?"
Grace paused, her lashes lowering slightly as if searching through fragments of memory. Then she gave a small nod.
"Indeed... she killed him."
"Then how is he alive? In my blood?" Aether stepped closer to the cage.
Grace’s fingers brushed lightly against the cold bars of the cage as she spoke, her voice quieter now.
"That’s something even I don’t know... All this time, I believed he was truly dead." Her gaze shifted toward the violent crimson ocean, where waves rose and collapsed.
"Yet here he is... resting within blood itself... a clever bastard, no different from the rest of the assholes," she muttered, a flicker of something old and bitter passing through her expression.
Aether exhaled sharply and shook his head, "I don’t get it... How does someone even exist in blood? I mean... I took blood from Lia—"
"Wait." Grace’s head snapped toward him, her composure cracking for the first time. "Lia? You mean Aurelia Scarlet?" Her voice carried clear shock now, eyes widened in disbelief.
Aether gave a short nod, "Yes. She offered me her blood."
Grace blinked, once, then again, as if trying to process what she had just heard.
"What? You drank a vampire’s blood? Just like that?"
"Let’s... leave that part for later. I know it’s my fault. But right now, that doesn’t matter. What matters is this... how the fuck is he alive inside my blood, and how do I get rid of him?"
Grace let out a slow, frustrated breath, dragging a hand across her face before speaking again.
"I can’t believe this... You willingly drank the blood of a primordial vampire." She shook her head, "Wait... don’t tell me you were trying to become a vampire. Is that why you drank it?"
"...I told you, it wasn’t planned." Aether’s voice lowered, "It happened in the moment. I lost control and... I fucked up. I know that. But I need answers."
Grace studied him for a second, then sighed, "I wish I had those answers," she admitted.
"This is the first time I’ve ever seen primordial blood being devoured by another primordial. And even that alone shouldn’t have been possible. Yet it happened... right in front of me." Her gaze drifted again to the restless ocean.
"It has never happened before. So tell me... what exactly do you expect me to say? Because even I don’t understand how he survived all this time."
Aether clicked his tongue softly, ’Should I remove the chains and let Log run the diagnosis?’ he thought, but... hesitated.
What if that Primordial had taken hold of the blood itself... and through it, controlled his body?
That vampire had been ancient, far beyond ordinary comprehension. Who knew what kind of hidden methods it possessed, what kind of contingencies it had buried within its own essence?
’Log told me it devoured the blood... and Grace said the demonic essence still remains in my blood as a characteristic of what I absorbed...’ Aether’s thoughts moved quickly, threading fragments together.
"Come to think of it... Thalia told me she acquired the Primordial Phoenix Bloodline. But it was always there, dormant within her blood, never activated until the day I forced her to fight for her life." His voice slowed and was thoughtful,
"She even said she spoke with blood itself... like it had a will of its own. Like everyone lying through the blood?"
Aether’s eyes drifted toward the chains binding the restless ocean below. The crimson waves reflected faintly against his pupils,
"Huh..." he murmured, quieter now, as if testing the idea before fully accepting it.
"So the Primordial progenitor of a species... doesn’t just pass down power. Its essence... its soul... lingers within the blood itself?"
Grace raised her eyebrows slightly, considering his words before giving a slow nod.
"It’s plausible," she said with a careful tone,
"But not in the way you’re thinking." She paused, her fingers lightly gripping the cage rod, "Maybe fragments... impressions... core memories etched into the bloodline." She shook her head faintly.
"But one thing is certain... It’s not the soul."
Aether’s brows drew together, scepticism surfacing immediately.
"How can you be so sure about that?" he asked, "You just said you didn’t fully understand this yourself. Now you’re certain it’s not the soul?"
Grace didn’t answer.
Aether let out a quiet breath, "I—"
"I was the one who destroyed his soul with my own hands."
"Huh?"
Aether’s eyes widened as he turned toward her fully.
Grace met his gaze without hesitation, her eyes cold.
There was no pride in her voice, no regret either, only a quiet finality.
"That’s the deal I made with... Mary Scarlet in exchange for Aurelia Scarlet’s soul."