Harem Overlord: I ALWAYS Finish Quick!

"Bloodlines?" Ryan hadn't heard of bloodlines, only about races. He looked at the vibrating egg, "Can you perhaps expand on that?"

"Bloodlines are powers outside of the heavens' parameters. In fact, cultivation wasn't the main source of power in the Multiverse until the heavens descended," Yoko said as the egg shook.

"Bloodlines of the strongest races once activated to their true potential, can be just as devastating as the best cultivators in the Multiverse, if not better."

"There was even a bloodline so powerful that the heavens removed them off the face of the Multiverse by giving anyone who saw them a quest to kill them. The quests caused a mass exodus of the greatest race the Multiverse had ever seen," Yoko said, shaking her shell.

"Are they still alive?" Ryan asked, intrigued about the story. He always loved rooting for the underdogs.

"My mother said they probably still exist but have found some way of hiding their identities from the heavens."

Ryan's head was spinning from all this knowledge that he had to get back to the main point.

"Okay, bloodlines. Does that mean I get your bloodline... or?"

"When we form a soul contract-"

"If we form a soul contract," Ryan corrected, interrupting Yoko.

"If we form a soul contract, we form a bond that allows us to advance our bloodlines several times faster. The only catch is that the two people forming the contract have to have similar types of bloodlines," Yoko stated.

"Yes, I'm sure that's the only catch," Ryan muttered.

"So, what type of bloodline do you have?" Ryan asked, now curious at what his bloodline was.

"Uh... well... I have the bloodline of the Evil Dragon," Yoko said, trying her best to sound as innocent as possible.

"Actually, you don't have an evil bloodline within you, but you can change it to one," Yoko said, seeing Ryan's glum face.

"What do you mean? You can change bloodlines?" Ryan asked, baffled at this piece of news.

"Normally, no, but it looks like something is corroding your soul. If you allow it to corrode further."

"How much would I have to corrode it exactly?" Ryan asked, not counting out any possibility.

"You'd have to change at least 50% of your soul into what the heavens determine is 'evil'. Personally, I think they're the evil ones," Yoko said, whispering the last sentence.

"Says the one who killed someone who went crazy with love for them," Ryan retorted, referring to Yoko's not-so-subtle killing of The Old Man.

Seeing the egg twitch and fall silent, Ryan fell into contemplation on whether he should make a proverbial deal with the devil, signing his soul unto evil.

===

Back on Ravier, The Duchess's POV...

"Volf," the Duchess sighed, "what do you think Ryan was doing in that cave?"

Volf lay on the ground, eyes rolling back and forth between the hologram, the Duchess, and the cupboard with all the excellent food.

He gave a little whimper. 'Maybe his master would feel bad for him, or she may get angry again and empty all the cupboards. What a feast! Too bad those men had come in and interrupted. I could've eaten for days while the Dutchess lay sobbing on the floor.'

The duchess stamped her feet on the carpeted floor, "Why didn't the video feed work when Ryan was in the cave! Blast!" The wine in her hand almost went flying over her newly clean home.

"Ryan was looking pretty good after he swaggered out of that cave, though, Volf," the Duchess said, eyebrows wiggling at the wolf.

'In fact,' she thought, swirling her wine around in her glass, 'Ryan was looking pretty fine this whole trip.'

"I can see why Emily likes him. He has strong muscles and stamina...," the Duchess explained to Volf, using her free hand to fan her face, "but he still isn't good enough for my daughter."

The Duchess stared at the screen again. Ryan was on his flying stick weaving in and out of the trees, his hair blowing back in the wind, his shirt open, revealing his tanned, muscular chest.

She began to get an idea in her mind. "Volf, I'm thinking about my life. It's a little lonely right now. After all, I am a duchess. I deserve to be happy. No matter who I take as a partner, no one can say anything. Even if I take on an orphan."

"On the other hand, Volf, there's Emily. Young and beautiful, she has her whole life ahead of her. My Emily is untarnished, pure, and doesn't need to marry. She is valued. The empire loves her. I think even the Empress may have her eye on Emily. Ryan will only take her away from her future. What do you think, Volf?"

Volf looked at her and looked back toward the cupboard. Maybe he could give her subliminal messages. Food. Food. Food. His eyes moved back and forth from the Duchess to the cupboard.

"I think I will do my daughter a favor, Volf," the Duchess said, finishing the wine in her class and pouring some more. "What if I take that poor orphan off of her hands? Emily would be so grateful to me. Maybe not at first. She might get a little upset at the start. But then she'll know his true colors, and she set her sights on something much higher than a hot boy."

Volf whined.

The Duchess clapped her hands. "Volf! In order to make a new plan we need to think. Really think. And you know what?" The Duchess' eyes glistened, "Thinking requires food."

Volf's eyes brightened, and his head lifted off his paws. 'It worked?' He tilted his head.

The Duchess got up off the couch and padded over to the cupboard. Volf followed his tail, wagging back and forth.

"Let's see, crackers, cheese, and some dried meat," the Duchess said, not noticing Volf panting at her side.

The Duchess took her snacks and sat down at the table. Opening the packages, she chewed a few pieces and threw some little bits to Volf, who caught them mid-air.

"Volf, you are so smart. I know precisely what I will do," she said, clapping her hands. "Let's have a dinner. A sweet dinner of seduction. We'll see what Ryan's made of and show Emily that no one is good enough for her on this planet."

Volf placed his head on the table next to the Duchess. She leaned down and grabbed his neck, giving him a big hug. Volf's tongue was just able to reach the pack of dried meat. He held it with his tongue, took it in his mouth, and swallowed it. He liked this plan.