Born in Blood

Chapter 426 Address

Inwardly, Liam cursed. He'd swear physically, but not when under such scrutiny from all four angles.

There were four parties involved.

The vampires, the Dual Imperialists, the allies, and the Temple.

And now, Kuan had arrived.

He wore his usual platinum robe, a mane of glorious golden hair falling over his shoulders.

'Stupid prick was biding his time,' Liam cursed. 'And now he shows up.'

And there was probably nothing Liam could do about his presence.

'I'm gonna lose my mind if another powerhouse appears.'

No matter how tight knit the alliance was with the Temple of Shadow, a Rank 6 powerhouse had too much authority for it to matter.

In general terms, this meeting was between Liam and Alucard, giving them more or less an equal ground to negotiate on.

Power dynamics were a thing.

And now, with Kuan's arrival, that equal ground had shifted significantly.

If one saw this as a meeting between shareholders, the percentages between Liam and the other two would be glaringly different.

To Liam's disadvantage, of course.

For that, Kuan was marked for death. Sooner or later.

Kuan's gaze fell to the left, where the Imperialists were.

Then, it fell to the right, where the vampires and the alliance was.

And finally, it arrived back at the center of the field, to Liam and Alucard.

"What a brat," Kuan shook his head with a solemn look. "Perhaps I treated him too harshly."

A blind man could tell the relationship between Usan and his father was not normal.

The two were deeply estranged, and had even been enemies at one point.

Liam could relate.

But still, relationships between kin are not easily severed in the cultivation world.

Despite their fights, Usan and Kuan were still father and son.

"You've caught us at the wrong time," Alucard deadpanned with a blank look. "This doesn't concern you, friend."

There was a silent pause.

Other than the whistling of wind and the folding of ocean waves, nothing was heard.

Kuan gave a toothy smile.

"You're right. It doesn't."

A pause.

"Except… all this barren ground," Kuan's gaze fell on the remains of the Dual Empire. "I don't think you'll have much use of it."

Liam hid a grimace.

The land was up for grabs!

"Said who?" Alucard said with a small frown. "Acting like a vulture is bad manners, Mister Kuan."

"Ha!" Kuan laughed, but it sounded more like a bark.

"Vulture, he says. Might I remind you what you just did to those two corpses? If that wasn't vulturing, I don't know what is."

Fair point.

Alucard's eyes went dead. "Then you don't know what it is," he retorted. "I killed them. You did nothing."

Kuan shrugged with a sarcastic face, still unfazed by the threats.

"Tomato-tomahto. What use do you have for land anyway? Authority has its reach. You've built yourself a cushy nest back in Korsa. What's the point of moving?"

There was another silence.

Kuan's point was true.

Korsa was already massive, and the more one stretched out their authority, the less authority they had.

That didn't mean land was useless, though.

It gave more jurisdiction over surrounding areas, if the powerhouse in question had enough strength to protect them.

"If you think I'll just gift you a country," Alucard said with dead eyes and a monotone voice, "you've thought incorrectly."

Liam was silent throughout the ordeal. He just hoped the two would give him safe passage before they clashed.

"Woah, woah," Kuan said placatingly, raising his hands in a 'calm down' gesture. "I never said anything about a fight. I'll offer something in return."

The fact that Kuan avoided a fight with the Pashah was a testament to his power.

But Liam had a feeling he knew what that 'offer' was.

"I'll give you the Sacrosanct Tree."

A pause.

Alucard actually looked like he was considering it, behind the dead mask he wore as a face.

He looked at Liam.

"What about you?" Alucard asked. "You want no part in this?"

Liam was taken aback from the offer, but he didn't let it show.

Liam wouldn't really mind the free space.

One, to accommodate the growing forces of the Temple. The island was getting too cramped.

Two, the Dual Empire was in a perfect place, geographically.

It was distant from Echoria and the Imperial Legion, which was a major, major plus.

After all, with Usan gone, Echorian forces could get brave. Sure, Alucard's support was there, but it wasn't like the vampire king would live with him.

And three, if given the Dual Empire's lands, Liam could actually pave his way into making the Temple of Shadow a separate, independent country.

That way, he could distance himself from politics as he got stronger.

But there were several things wrong with this line of thought.

Seizing land came with politics!

It was unavoidable when pulling himself into that sort of thing, unless he was a Rank 6 powerhouse.

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. It was a catch-22 situation in a nutshell.

And with no powerhouse to his side, he wouldn't be able to maintain such a vast country on his own.

Liam looked at Kuan. "Are you planning to move from Ilali, then?"

Kuan hummed to himself in thought. "Maybe. Maybe not. I want to expand, not restrict myself."

A moment later, Kuan realized the purpose of the question.

Liam was just worried that Kuan might snoop around his work, since Usan could no longer provide that support.

"Ha! Don't think so mighty of yourself, kiddo. I don't care enough to meddle in your affairs."

Reassuring, if not a little condescending.

But if they wanted to play politics, two could play that game.

Liam looked back to Alucard. "Mind giving me a minute?"

Alucard raised a brow, but he slowly nodded.

The trading session came to a strange stand-still.

Liam glanced at Ryu. "Do you have your voice amplifier?"

Ryu fumbled for a few seconds and nodded hectically.

Ryu had a powerful Rank 4 voice amplifier, which he used to 'motivate' undisciplined acolytes with his grand speeches.

He took it out and handed it to Liam.

Raising its volume to the max, Liam placed it on his throat.

Then, he flew his dragon a little higher, where the Dual Imperialists could see him clearly.

The cloak... the hood... the clawed hands...

It was him!

The Reaper was to address them.