The reason this God is called Vampire Duke Loyaer is because in the early years of the fifth epoch, he used a body called “Duke Loyaer” as his Saint’s Vessel, committing great crimes in the material world. The changing of epochs has long since veiled what truly happened then, but clear evidence indicates that it was the appearance of Vampire Duke Loyaer that led to the rise of the Vampire race in the early fifth epoch.
Therefore, later generations often refer to this God of Vampires as Vampire Duke Loyaer.
The purpose of the God of Vampires appearing in the material world is mostly to taste the blood of different wisdom beings in various evil and bizarre ways. Sometimes he only takes a liking to a specific target, while other times, like the Blood Feast Lord, he wants to devour as much mortal blood as possible.
The situation Xia De encountered this time should be the former, but he doesn't know if he is the only guest at this banquet.
Thinking these complex thoughts, and after confirming no other information came to his ears, Xia De stepped forward. The surrounding white mist immediately dispersed, and he arrived in a corridor lit by kerosene lamps.
But unlike the corridors of Terror Castle, this corridor was clearly from a frequently used aristocratic building. To the left was a row of windows, through which he could see the eerily quiet night of the courtyard outside; to the right were closed doors, from which strange laughter could faintly be heard.
“If I sing the Witches’ song here, I wonder which point in time of the Witch Council I would enter.”
Xia De thought to himself, a little curious that he didn't immediately encounter danger this time. But the atmosphere in this corridor, and the oppressive night outside the window, made him very uncomfortable, so he walked forward along the corridor.
After dozens of steps, he reached a corner in the corridor, where he could only turn right. After turning right, there was also a relatively spacious corridor, with walls on both sides. The bottom section, about a palm’s length, was white, and the area above it was entirely painted with crimson pigment.
Faded, ancient oil paintings hung on the walls. By the light of the oil lamps hanging on nails, one could see terrifying execution scenes and creatures beyond human imagination depicted in the paintings.
Even Xia De dared not look at those oil paintings for too long; the spiritual corrosive effect of these paintings was truly beyond his expectation.
He walked forward with his head as low as possible, but his ears were still filled with whispers trying to make him stop and examine the oil paintings. Half a minute later, he reached the end of the corridor, where there was an imposing pair of golden double doors. The relief on the doors depicted a lively banquet. But if one looked closely, some of the people at this banquet seemed out of place.
However, before Xia De could clearly see the entire picture, the two doors simultaneously opened inward, revealing the room behind them to Xia De.
Knowing that he had reached his destination, Xia De took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and then stepped inside.
Behind the doors was a large aristocratic dining room, seemingly built for giants. From ceiling to floor, it was at least as high as the first floor to the attic of Xia De’s house, but the area was still barely normal.
The floor of the room was paved with white porcelain tiles, which were rare even in the sixth epoch 1853. High-hanging crystal chandeliers descended one by one from above, illuminating the room along with bat-shaped kerosene lamps on the walls.
There was an eerie silence and immense pressure in the room. Xia De’s nose twitched; the air was filled with a bloody scent. But unlike the almost blood-dripping mist when the Blood Feast Lord appeared, the bloody scent in the air now was mixed with the aroma of fruit wine, which was not very unpleasant.
To the left of the room was a row of windows. The curtains were not drawn tight, but the windows were closed, allowing him to see the oppressive and eerie night of the manor courtyard. To the right were some small tables, chairs, and cabinets, as if for guests who could not sit at the main table.
A long table, covered with a white tablecloth, was placed in the center of the room. Directly opposite the entrance where Xia De stood, at the furthest end of the long table, sat a man in a blood-red cloak, with a fair and handsome face, appearing to be in his thirties.
With just one glance at him, cracks appeared on the skin of Xia De’s hand, and then flecks of golden light seeped out from the cracks in his skin.
He understood; this was the host of the banquet.
“How interesting. The last guest to attend this banquet on time is truly a surprise.”
The Saint gazed at Xia De, welcoming him in the delarion of the sixth epoch, with a strangely enthusiastic tone.
“Good evening, God.”
Xia De dared not look at the Saint for long, so he bowed slightly to show respect.
With a grating sound, the two doors closed behind Xia De, and Xia De also noticed the other five people sitting at the table.
A corpulent, balding middle-aged man in a magnificent robe and wearing a crown; two young girls, around fourteen or fifteen, dressed in black and white gauze dresses respectively. Their pretty faces were extremely similar, both with long black hair and blue eyes, likely twins; an arrogant woman in a dark blue long dress, who looked forty or fifty but still retained her grace; and an old man in thick brown cloth armor, with long-sleeved leather gloves, a face full of weathered cracks, sharp eyes, but white hair—this was clearly a seasoned warrior.
Unfortunately, there were no male Extraordinary individuals in the fifth epoch, so he was merely a warrior.
“It seems I didn’t encounter Miss Felianna this time.”
“Only that adult woman is a Witch.”
She whispered in Xia De’s ear.
Among the five, the arrogant woman sat directly opposite the Saint, which was at the other end of the long table, closest to the door.
The balding middle-aged man and the armored old man sat on the left side of the long table; the former was five seats away from the Witch, and the latter was in the exact center between the two.
The two young girls sat on the left side of the long table, next to each other, but three seats away from the middle-aged Witch.
The mortals were all in seats far from the God, and at this moment, they were all looking at Xia De.
“Unexpected guest, please take your seat. The banquet is about to begin, and I am quite looking forward to it now.”
The red-robed God urged, then added:
“Starting from your next sentence, they will all understand your language.”
Xia De nodded, intending to sit between the armored old man and the balding middle-aged man, which was directly opposite the two young girls. Unexpectedly, as soon as he lifted his foot, he heard the black-robed, red-cloaked God say sternly:
“You, move your seat.”
The middle-aged Witch, who had turned to look at Xia De, trembled, then turned back, supported herself on the table, and stood up with her head lowered. She sat in the seat to her left, leaving one seat between her and the end seat, and also one seat between her and the two young girls.
“Take your seat, unexpected guest.”
He invited.
Xia De sighed and walked towards one end of the dining table under the gazes of the other five people. The chair automatically pulled out, and when Xia De reached the table and sat down, the chair moved forward to the appropriate position on its own.
Observing the five people with varying expressions, Xia De said nothing. He rested his right arm on the pristine white tablecloth, leaned slightly forward to his right, and raised his face, looking straight ahead.
As he met the God’s gaze, dense patterns spread across his body, and streaks of light bloomed like burning golden embers. The cracks even passed through his eyes from his cheeks, making his right eye, which was gazing at the God, shimmer with golden light as if it were cracked.
Fortunately, this was merely decorative; in essence, it was just the divinity within his soul spontaneously emitting a faint afterglow.
“Duke.”
Xia De said, enduring the immense mental pressure that almost made him faint. The other five people all froze simultaneously, clearly realizing that they understood Xia De’s words:
“This Blood Feast…”
The balding man was surprised, the two young girls were terrified, the armored old man frowned in hesitation, and the middle-aged Witch’s expression was solemn.
“How can it end?”
No one expected Xia De to ask such a question, nor did they expect to see such a terrifying abnormality on a man’s body.
But no one dared to speak to Xia De, because the God was communicating with him:
“Mortals who willingly come here all desire to obtain blessings through my Blood Feast.”
The God of Vampires clasped his hands on the table. He was quite rational, and even looked nothing like an evil god. At this moment, the table was empty except for three candelabras:
“He wants to save his crumbling country.”
This was definitely referring to the balding man; Xia De had already guessed that he was some kind of king.
“They want to break curses and contracts, to never be separated.”
This was definitely referring to the two young girls in black and white gauze dresses.
“He wants to repay a kindness.”
This should refer to the armored old man.
“She simply seeks greater power.”
This was said of the middle-aged Witch.
“So before the Blood Feast begins, please tell me, what do you desire, unexpected guest?”
The God asked. If Xia De hadn’t known about him, he probably would have thought he was a benevolent god from his tone.
“I want to participate in your Blood Feast and have it end at an appropriate time.”
Xia De said honestly.
“But as a guest, you didn’t bring a gift for the Blood Feast, which is that sufficiently precious blood.”
“But I…”
He wanted to extend his wrist.
“I don’t want your blood.”
The God of Vampires’ tone was exceptionally elegant:
“I only needed to twitch my nose to know that your blood means nothing to me.”
Indeed, although Xia De’s soul could store divinity, this former vagrant’s body had nothing special about it. It was understandable that the God with the title “God of Vampires” looked down on his blood.
“Then I’ll come again next time?”
Xia De probed again, while also wondering where he could get blood valuable enough.
“No, no, no. This time I allow you to come empty-handed, but not next time. Next time, remember to make up for the blood you didn’t bring this time. Precious value, the story of the blood, or simply being very rare—any of these will do.”
Just like the original Innocent Creator, the God of Vampires also knew about Xia De’s situation. But it seemed to them that a mortal coming from the distant future to the present was not surprising.
“Then gentlemen, ladies, I declare the Blood Feast of Night Manor officially open!”
“God, I am honored to be able to taste wine with you, but may I ask how this Blood Feast will end?”
Xia De had not forgotten what he wanted to do.
“Do you like to drink?”
The God of Vampires asked. Xia De hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth:
“Unless necessary, I usually don’t drink.”
“Then your life is truly uninteresting.”
The Saint laughed:
“To participate in my Blood Feast, you offer enough fresh blood and taste the blood brew I provide. Those who survive can leave. It’s very simple; you and they just need to taste the wine with me. As for the Blood Feast ending? When all the mortals participating in the Blood Feast die, or all the blood brew has been tasted, then the Blood Feast will naturally end.”
