After sleeping until dawn, Li Xiuman, fully revived, planned to go to the library again to borrow a book.
Passing by a nice prime location, he noticed that a plot of land that had remained unsold for the longest time had been bought by someone.
With such a massive plot of land, the buyer clearly had grand plans.
Even the foundation being laid using Earth Magic was incredibly spacious.
“Who has so much money that they'd directly buy land to build a house like this?”
“Let me see...”
“The White Feather Merchant Association... What a strange name. A new merchant association in White Bear City?”
Li Xiuman studied it for a moment, simply marveling at the wealthy owner's grand scale of spending.
Since a big boss like that had absolutely nothing to do with him anyway, Li Xiuman lost interest in watching and made his way to the library.
After borrowing two books from the library, Li Xiuman headed back home along the same path.
This time, he didn't even spare a glance at the White Feather Merchant Association, walking straight past it and returning home.
Pushing the door open, he finally saw a living vampire.
“Master, you've returned.”
Rorona quickly bowed to Li Xiuman.
“Yes.”
Li Xiuman simply nodded and hung his coat on the rack without saying much.
Maintaining his majesty in front of the vampires was very important.
However, when he entered the basement, his composure almost cracked.
What was going on? Was it just his imagination, or had the number of vampires increased?
What was up with this feeling?
It felt exactly like feeding a stray dog, only for that stray to bring back even more strays.
“Master, besides our compatriots working in key positions,”
“all the other vampires, including the newly gathered ones, are present!”
“Please give us our next instructions, Master!”
Rorona puffed out his chest, looking like he was eagerly waiting to be praised.
After all, he had personally rescued and transported all these vampires from Iron River City to White Bear City.
Even though he had been bestowed a True Name by his Master, he had still barely escaped death several times during the journey.
Yet in the end, he had successfully completed his mission and brought his compatriots back to White Bear City.
The experiences of the journey had also allowed the new vampires to quickly identify with the organization and integrate smoothly.
So it was you!
I was wondering why I hadn't seen you since I got home, and it turns out you were preparing such a massive surprise for me.
But where on earth did you pick up all these vampires?
“...Where did you rescue these compatriots from?”
Li Xiuman asked after a long silence.
But Rorona's next response only made Li Xiuman sink into a deeper silence.
“Master, following your guidance, these are the compatriots we rescued from Iron River City.”
Rorona omitted the fact that Mamarin and a few other vampires were still stationed in Iron River City waiting for the next step of the plan.
Since all of this was within the Master's expectations, the Master was probably just testing him by asking this.
The Master's painstaking efforts to groom him were truly...
“...!!?”
Why Iron River City?
Why is it my guidance?
Whom did I guide?
And who in the world guided me?
Li Xiuman wanted to ask, but doing so would make him look incredibly foolish.
It felt like something had subtly shifted within this group of vampires.
Thus, he could only brace himself and reply.
“You have not disappointed me.”
Upon hearing those words, Rorona's shoulders trembled slightly.
“I would gladly go through fire and water for you, Master.”
Everything he had done was witnessed by his Master.
This was enough. As long as he could repay his Master's kindness, what did it matter if he had to go through fire and water, or tread a path of thorns?
Having his Master watching over him from behind was satisfying enough.
“...”
“Rorona, select five compatriots who have made outstanding contributions.”
“Tomorrow night, I will bestow upon them one High-Tier True Name, two Mid-Tier True Names, and two Low-Tier True Names.”
A High-Tier True Name cost Li Xiuman the most to bestow, which was “Li”; the Mid-Tier True Name was next, which was “Pound”; and the Low-Tier True Name cost the least, which was “Xiuman”.
Although Li Xiuman didn't quite understand what the vampires were up to anymore,
but having so many extra vampires help him explore dungeons to earn money was a fantastic thing, wasn't it?
Thus, before these new vampires, he might as well generously deliver on the promises he had made to his senior employees, giving these newcomers even more motivation.
Plus, he could gain experience from his Kin as well—killing multiple birds with one stone!
Hearing this, Rorona's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
At the same time, remembering Jetis's teachings, he quickly pondered the deeper meaning behind his Master's words.
Is Master satisfied with our achievements in this phase, which is why he is rewarding us?
It seems we have not strayed from Master's path.
Or is it a decision Master made to help the new vampires integrate into the group more quickly and feel more motivated?
Rorona racked his brain trying to grasp Li Xiuman's deep intent as he answered.
“Yes!”
Late that night.
A large number of vampires passed through a secret tunnel, gathering in a basement situated in a dark alleyway.
This was a secret meeting room for the vampires of White Bear City.
After all, ever since their business expanded beyond pure dungeon exploration, the vampires had gone their separate ways.
Consequently, if they continued using their Master's house as their sole meeting place, their frequent comings and goings would easily draw attention and bring trouble to their Master.
Therefore, the vampires had established several other contact points, with this basement being one of them.
All of the vampires gathered here, including the newly rescued ones. Only the few left behind to guard Iron River City were absent.
Currently, the number of vampires present had reached over thirty.
Looking at so many of their compatriots, the newly arrived vampires couldn't help but feel a profound sense of belonging.
“Master actually said that...”
After listening to Rorona's recount, Jetis once again overanalyzed some sort of deep meaning behind it.
However, she did not say much more, simply asking instead,
“So what about the candidates? Have you decided on them?”
Jetis looked at Rorona.
“Eh? I'm the one to decide?”
Rorona cast an appealing look toward Jetis.
“This is a task the Master entrusted to you.”
Seeing Jetis's expression, Rorona realized he needed to step up and stop being so hesitant.
Thus, Rorona read aloud the candidates he had prepared long ago.
They were all vampires who had contributed the most during this period, and none of them felt the list was unfair.
Among them, the only slot for a High-Tier Kin's True Name was, without a doubt, awarded to Jetis.
The next night, in the dark basement.
The fire on the candle stand flickered gently, reflecting in pair after pair of crimson pupils.
A crowd of vampires gathered around the five selected candidates, watching with looks of intense fervor and reverence.
Making his appearance, Li Xiuman gazed down at the five vampires kneeling before him.
Aside from Jetis, the other four were all somewhat familiar faces.
Stepping up to the first vampire, he drew Crystal Orchid and rested the flat of the blade against their shoulder.
“Your name?”
“Tanal, Master.”
“I bestow upon you your True Name: Tanal Xiuman.”
With the naming, his experience bar decreased by one thousand experience points.
He had bestowed upon them [Hyper-Regeneration Lv. 1]. Coupling a vampire's natural self-healing with the troll's [Hyper-Regeneration] would vastly improve a vampire's survivability.
Under the injection of experience, Tanal's level also soared all the way from Lv. 13 to Lv. 16.
Rate on N.U.
