245. Mrs. Prince's Anger
Prince's Mansion, Capital City.
Mrs. Prince sat at her dressing table, admiring her dignified and noble reflection in the mirror. With exquisite makeup highlighting her features, a subtle smile played at the corners of her lips.
The Prince family maintained extensive intelligence networks throughout the capital. Just yesterday, an informant had rushed to tell her that the Cascadia Admiral had arrived at Martial Abbey, and Theodore Montgomery had been reduced to merely a Spirit.
She hadn't stopped smiling since.
After meeting that young lady last time, I thought Cascadia was quite brave and independent—I even admired them. But it seems they're nothing special after all.
She had instructed her security staff to watch for a Redeemed Spirit coming to seek help.
What a delightful spectacle that would be!
This time, she wouldn't make it easy for him to see her. She could make him wait outside for ten days, perhaps even longer. If he lacked patience, he could simply return to Seattle.
The disciple showed such arrogance back then, clearly well-taught by the master. Now they come begging only when their eyebrows are on fire.
Cascadia might be anxious, but she felt no urgency whatsoever.
They could wait patiently until her anger had run its course.
As for offering help...
Hmph, Mrs. Prince recalled the bitter reluctance she felt when sending her son to the Red Party.
Not everything in this world gets a second chance.
She impatiently toyed with a jade bracelet in her hand, thinking it was about time they came begging for help.
Just then, her security lead burst into the room, her breath ragged as though she had sprinted the entire way.
"What's so urgent? Haven't I taught you to remain calm even if a mountain collapses before you? How can someone in your position allow herself to become so flustered?" Mrs. Prince reprimanded.
"Forgive me, Madame. I rushed here because you instructed us to report immediately if we received any information about Cascadia."
"Has Montgomery arrived yet?"
"No, Madame. Theodore Montgomery is no longer the Admiral of Cascadia. The new Admiral is that Dark Armor General who visited the mansion last time."
"..."
Mrs. Prince raised her eyebrows.
Cascadia had appointed a new Admiral! Had Theodore Montgomery been so gravely injured that even his Redeemed Spirit was about to perish?
If true, Cascadia's crisis was likely far more severe than she had first thought.
"Hmph." She sneered. Theodore Montgomery's disciple refuses to bow to me, so he sends that young General Kane instead.
With this thought, Mrs. Prince waved her hand dismissively. "If he comes to visit, simply tell him I'm not at the mansion."
Did this young man truly believe she would treat him as an actual Admiral just because he'd been given an empty title?
"Madame..." The security lead hesitated, then whispered nervously, "he likely won't be coming to the mansion."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Prince asked, her fingers impatiently tapping her bracelet against the dresser's surface.
"He didn't come to the capital to seek aid..." The bodyguard's words were cut short by the sharp crack of Mrs. Prince's jade bracelet shattering between her fingers.
"Are you speaking in riddles?" Mrs. Prince rose to her feet, her cold gaze fixed on the bodyguard.
The security lead flinched, then spoke quickly. "Admiral Kane has been promoted again—he's now the Deputy Inspector of H.A.R.M.! And there's been no news of vampire outbreaks in Cascadia."
Hearing this, Mrs. Prince was stunned.
H.A.R.M. Inspector?
She suddenly realized she had completely misjudged the situation.
Had Cascadia already resolved their vampire crisis? And even if they had, how could someone like him secure such a prestigious position? Killing a Vampire King wouldn't qualify anyone for the role of H.A.R.M. Inspector.
As Mrs. Prince's thoughts raced, the security lead continued. "H.A.R.M. contacted us minutes ago. Inspector Kane has requested a spacecraft to Florida." The security lead paused, then gingerly asked, "The airport is asking whether to comply with the request."
Mrs. Prince remained perfectly still for nearly a minute before finally exhaling and sinking back into her seat.
"Orlando airport is under maintenance. Fly him into Georgia. Or he can wait until tomorrow." From Georgia to Florida, Kane would have to pass right through the Vampire King's territory. She thought to herself, Let's see how capable the new Inspector really is.
Then she instructed, "Find out which court of the Martial Abbey Inspector Kane is staying in."
While the title of Inspector surprised her, being a Golden Vessel prospect would be something entirely different.
Didn't that young lady mention he followed the Path of Nature? She recalled asking about this specifically. I must inform the Red Party immediately. New Terra might have another Ward of Nature on the loose.
Every one of New Terra's Wards of Nature was designated for deployment on the frontline. If she could send Kane there, she could ensure he would never come back.
I'll ensure everyone in New Terra understands that crossing me means certain death.
… …
Two riders tore through the Suwannee River Basin like flint across dry stone—raw, relentless, and pulsing with urgency. The morning light hadn't yet breached the canopy when they galloped southward, brushing past hanging moss and startled wildlife. Each hoofbeat struck like a war drum on wet loam, echoing louder than thunder in the still, waiting forest.
The two half-vampire steeds stood taller than General Grant's crimson bloodsteed, their jet-black fur contrasting sharply with snow-white hooves. Scales adorned their bodies, giving the appearance of natural black armor.
The Admiral of East Savannah had furnished the Inspector with the finest bloodsteeds available. The vampire calamity ravaging the neighboring state had left him anxious and restless for years. Now, with the Inspector's arrival, he finally glimpsed a ray of hope.
Getting close to Florida, Kade Marrow suddenly smacked his forehead: "Oh no!"
I slowed down the horse and looked back: "What's wrong?"
"Inspector, I forgot to collect rewards for my colleagues..."
General Marrow wore a cold dark armor but couldn't project any imposing manner, looking like an old farmer bent by life's hardships.
"It's fine, we'll collect them when we return." I looked forward and continued riding.
"Return?" Kade Marrow found that this Inspector spoke as if this was a short camping trip. He always spoke in ways that left people confused, and his actions were equally puzzling, just like how he inexplicably left the capital yesterday.
Hearing that he came from Cascadia, did the H.A.R.M. there also speak and act this way?
"Inspector Kane, I'd like to report the situation in Florida to you again."
Kade hesitated, although he had already explained it three or five times, he still wasn't reassured that the Inspector heard him.
Because after listening, Inspector Kane's expression never changed at all, and his response was just a simple nod, making him wonder if he had even heard him.
There are two Vampire Kings!
"As you wish." I didn't mind this; if he wanted to talk, let him talk. At least it was more interesting than Theodore Montgomery's constantly chatting about his disciple.
I really couldn't understand how he managed to praise Aisha Patani's virtues from various angles and force it into my ears, like brainwashing.
"..." Kade Marrow sighed: "Never mind."
There wasn't much to say really. Florida was the smallest of the twenty-five states, with only eight cities under its jurisdiction.
Such a small place had attracted the attention of two Vampire Kings.
The entire H.A.R.M. Florida and Vampire Hunters had essentially done only one thing for the past two hundred years.
That was to desperately provoke disputes between the two Vampire Kings.
From scheming against their wives, children, and subordinates, to deliberately releasing news of treasures to cause conflicts between the two vampires, to spreading rumors about which one was stronger... they used every possible means, finally making them sworn enemies.
Even so, Florida paid a heavy price.
Four of the eight cities were lost.
These four cities were now ruled by one Vampire King, who kept the other Vampire King outside Florida.
Creating a three-way balance of power.
The Florida Admiral lost half his territory, lacking devotional power, and could barely maintain his Seeker of Redeemer realm.
But what truly broke this balance... was that the Unicorn Vampire King outside Cascadia was nearing the end of his lifespan, most of his vampire lords had died, and the rest had scattered, no longer able to resist the other Vampire King.
"That Vampire King wants to establish a temple with the power of faith to become a god... if it occupies Florida, unless a Fifth Realm Breaker intervenes, who could stop it?" Kade Marrow sighed.
Those who became H.A.R.M. Generals, who in their youth weren't full of ambition and passion, vowing to achieve great things?
Who would have thought they'd use vampires to resist vampires?
And even feel extremely troubled by the death of a Vampire King.
Become a god? I frowned slightly.
I'd seen this before. The river vampire in Temple Village had harbored similar ambitions, declaring itself the River God.
In the end, however, it merely exploited geographical advantages to occupy a portion of an insignificant county—and even then, the county town's residents refused to acknowledge it as divine.
In contrast, this Vampire King of Florida had conquered four entire cities.
The devotional power flowing from all those worshippers would be nearly enough to sustain a Seeker of Redeemer.
"Would ordinary people actually believe in a vampire as their god?"
Back then, the river vampire gained believers because of the turbulent waters of the Strait of Georgia, which the villagers depended on for their livelihood.
What could this Vampire King possibly offer to the people of four cities that would make them worship it as a god?
"Worship or die—they have no choice."
Kade Marrow closed his eyes. The notion that governance functions through a balance of kindness and force was merely an illusion. When force reaches its extreme, kindness becomes meaningless.
In such a hellish existence, simply being allowed to live was considered the greatest mercy.
"Inspector, more than half of Florida's H.A.R.M. Generals have perished. We can barely defend the remaining four cities."
It was less a plea for help and more a cry of despair.
Kade Marrow wasn't merely complaining; compared to the suffering of civilians in those four occupied cities, his own hardships seemed trivial—after all, he still had the freedom to travel to the capital and engage in this conversation.
He desperately needed Inspector Kane to understand the true severity of their crisis.
Being new to the Martial Abbey, Inspector Kane hadn't yet developed the mindset of centuries-old disciples—those who had shed their mortal perspective and viewed the Twenty-five States with cold detachment.
To those disciples, lives lost were merely statistics after a defeat—just numbers that could be replenished.
If only the Martial Abbey could swallow its pride and seek help from the Martial Orders, many of these disasters might have been prevented.
Without adequate strength, why persist in chasing the illusion of revival through a fragile, merely nominal three-way alliance?
Why not recall even a single Ward of Nature from the Red Party back to New Terra?
I made no further comment. I simply tightened the reins. My bloodsteed surged forward—not retreating toward the Capital City, but pressing onward to Florida.
Kade Marrow sighed deeply, then reluctantly lowered his head and followed.
He could only hope that once Inspector Kane witnessed Florida's desperate situation firsthand, he would advocate for them before the Martial Abbey.
As the road grew more treacherous, a desolate city appeared before us. Tattered flags hung from the city gate, while human heads were piled high along the walls.
"Inspector Kane, we need to take a detour to the right..." Kade Marrow said, lowering his head in shame, his voice trailing off as he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
How laughable and pathetic that members of the prestigious H.A.R.M. returning to Florida must first skirt around vampire and monster territory.
"..."
I pulled the reins, my gaze fixed calmly on the distant city wall.
I closed my eyes. The next moment, a Redeemed Spirit with misty white wings materialized in midair, silent as breath—like an angel descending upon the mortal world.
The Redeemed Spirit's face remained expressionless, yet its eyes blazed with unmistakable killing intent.
Lady Taurymne didn't know what lay ahead, nor did she care.
She knew only one thing when summoned by her master: it was time for slaughter.
Even if a Vampire King lurked inside, what of it?
Hmph, it wouldn't be the first one she'd killed.