44: Blood disease

The carriage returned silently to Charles Manor before dawn.

After a simple rest, everything seemed to return to peace.

A few days later, Charles Manor, Castle Restaurant.

The fire in the fireplace crackled and jumped, emitting a warm glow that dispelled the chill outside the window.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted bread, mixed with the tempting sizzle of frying meat.

Li Ke sat at the head of the long dining table, elegantly cutting the steak in front of him.

The silver knife and fork sliced through the tender pink meat, oozing a hint of blood.

Butler Barton, in a crisp black butler's uniform, stood respectfully to the side.

"My Lord, news just came in."

"The Belford Family, south of Xilin Town... was accused by the neighboring Ironwood Family of colluding with a cult last night."

"The Ironwood Family, along with two other minor nobles, launched a surprise attack overnight."

Barton's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"The Belford Family resisted for a night, but their manor was eventually breached."

"It is said that... their entire Family, from top to bottom, was escorted to the Oak Tree City prison, awaiting execution."

"Their territory and property have already been divided by the Ironwood Family."

This was the fourth noble Family in Oak Tree Territory to be "purged" in just over ten days, following the Varnes Family.

The Belford Family was not without Clairvoyance; although there was only an aged Brass-ranked Knight, they were not entirely defenseless.

Li Ke listened calmly to the report.

His fingertips gently caressed the strange parchment on the table, which recorded the "Dietary Supplement Secret Art."

The distorted patterns drawn on the parchment seemed to come alive under the flickering firelight of the fireplace.

"The Ironwood Family, huh..."

Li Ke's mind brought up information about this Family.

The Ironwood Family is one of the old noble Families of Oak Tree Territory, and their strength is considerable.

It is said that they possess a Bloodline that can harden skin and grant immense strength.

This Bloodline might be quite practical on the battlefield...

"My Lord."

Just then, Hatties walked in from outside the door.

His figure was lean and capable, his back straight, and he carried a hint of the cold wind and snow.

"The sentries around the Manor have discovered that in the past few days, unidentified individuals have been active on the edge of our territory, seemingly conducting reconnaissance."

Hatties's voice was low.

"The Ironwood Family's patrol teams have also been closer to our borders than usual."

Li Ke wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

He walked to the tall French window, looking at the silent, falling snowflakes outside.

The chaos had already begun.

The calm of the past few days had given him time to carefully review the situation.

The "purge operation" initiated by Alvin Oak had a strange air about it.

The Holy Meal Society stronghold he had taken down was also unreasonably strong; an outlying stronghold in a small town actually housed enough power to wipe out most of the nobles in Oak Tree Territory.

Adding to this, the fragmented information he obtained during soul-searching.

He vaguely felt that beneath the seemingly calm surface of Oak Tree Territory, a huge conspiracy was brewing.

His gaze fell in the direction of the study, seeing the unfolded map of Oak Tree Territory.

Charles Manor, Xilin Town, Ironwood Family...

The corner of Li Ke's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

"Perfect, I still need more nourishment to complete my Foundation Establishment..."

"The Ironwood Family might be a good choice."

...

At the same time.

Oak Tree Earl's Mansion,

In a dimly lit study.

Alvin Oak stood with a gloomy expression in front of the desk, facing a constantly twisting and rolling mass of dark mist.

"The stronghold in Xilin Town has been taken down! Even Ghoul Kasa is dead!"

"Alvin Oak, did you leak the news and attract powerful individuals from the Holy See?!"

A hoarse, unpleasant voice came from the black mist, filled with angry questioning.

"Shut up!"

Alvin Oak's eyes flashed with anger, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"You yourselves acted too ostentatiously!"

"You caused such a huge commotion before the plan was even fully rolled out!"

"First, attacking Charles Manor, then assassinating Baron Harman!"

"You even openly killed a Deacon in the church! Such a provocation to the Holy See!"

Alvin Oak's face was contorted with anger, and fine roots subtly wriggled beneath his skin.

"If I hadn't covered for you, you would have been exposed long ago!"

"Now, as soon as the purge plan was announced, you eagerly wiped out the Varnes Family, completely disrupting the process of annexing the mixed Bloodlines!"

"Causing such a huge commotion, you truly are starving mad!"

"What?!"

The black mist in front of him churned violently, and the Holy Meal Society's voice also became furious.

"I told you long ago, we didn't do those things!"

"We have no idea what happened!"

Alvin Oak sneered, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"After several incidents, I secretly dispatched Knights to investigate all the scenes."

"There were clear traces of the Living Corpse Path involved!"

"Don't tell me you don't know again! Control those mad dogs under your command!"

The black mist was silent for a moment, seemingly trying its best to suppress its anger.

"Ultimately, this operation is about using the Bloodlines of those mixed-Bloodlines to nurture a substitute Undead, to transfer your Bloodline illness."

"Lord Witch King places great importance on this experiment, and we should all be more serious."

"There can be no more mishaps, otherwise neither of us can bear the consequences!"

The voice in the black mist grew cold.

"Likewise."

Alvin Oak said coldly as well.

Both sides warned each other, and the atmosphere was stiff.

Finally, the black mist slowly contracted, condensing into a transparent crystal core the size of an egg, clear and translucent.

After hovering in mid-air for a moment, it silently landed on the table.

Alvin Oak picked up the crystal core, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Ah!"

Just then.

Outside the study door, a short, shrill scream suddenly rang out!

Alvin Oak's face instantly darkened, and he abruptly pulled open the door and rushed out!

Outside the door in the hallway, stood a withered figure.

It was his father, Oak Earl.

At this moment, Oak Earl's expression was stiff and blank.

All the exposed skin on his body was strangely covered with fresh green sprouts!

One particularly thick green sprout, Li Ke a twisted vine, was deeply embedded in the chest of a maid at the study door!

The maid's expression was terrified and blank, but her body was completely unable to move.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

Countless tiny, tender green sprouts grew wildly from her flesh at a visible speed!

Then they quickly withered and died.

In just a few breaths,

The maid transformed into a terrifying mummy, Li Ke a wooden sculpture!

"Hoo..."

Oak Earl let out a soft huffing sound and slowly retracted the thick sprout.

At some point, countless fine, hair-Li Ke roots had grown at his feet.

These roots easily penetrated the hard bluestone floor, deeply embedding themselves in the soil below.

They rapidly absorbed the vitality and moisture from the surrounding ground, leaving behind a dry, dead, grayish-white trace.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Oak Earl slowly lifted his foot.

The roots embedded in the ground snapped one by one, making a sound that set one's teeth on edge.

Then, he took a step, landing on the next untouched section of the floor.

The roots spread again, absorbing...

Leaving another grayish-white trace...

"Crack, crack, crack..."

He continued to walk forward, step by step, numbly.

"Father."

Alvin Oak's voice carried a hint of fatigue and pain.

"Go back to the green liquid pool to rest; there isn't that much vitality outside for you to absorb."

However, Oak Earl seemed not to hear.

He continued to walk forward numbly, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the hallway.

Gazing at his father's receding back,

Alvin Oak's face was terrifyingly gloomy, and he silently clenched his fists.

"I will definitely find a way to solve the Bloodline illness."

"The glory of the Oak Family will never decline Li Ke this..."