Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

"Billy?" Janky frowned, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "Impossible! He's just a researcher. He didn't even dare resist when we made that decision—how could he possibly be the traitor?"

"I'm only suspicious, that's all," the Elder said with a furrowed brow. "If it's not him, then all the better. After all, he's in charge of that technology—if he were the traitor, it would cause a great deal of trouble."

"Hahahaha…" Janky suddenly burst out laughing. "Elder, if it were anyone else, I might believe they could betray us. But Billy is different—a coward like him could never pull something like that off."

"It's better to be cautious." The Elder shook his head. "He is one of the few members who holds a lot of important secrets in our group. If he were to betray us, it would be a real problem."

"Hahaha… Elder, I can guarantee he'd never dare betray us," Janky sneered. "On the contrary, the person most likely to betray us is… Simon."

"Simon? The father of that girl?" The Elder frowned, asking in a low voice.

"That's right," Janky said with a smirk. "That man is definitely resentful about letting his daughter marry my son, so he's been looking for ways to delay the wedding."

"If you're looking for someone most likely to betray us, it's Simon."

"No way!" The Elder shook his head. "Simon may have his differences with you, but he's a smart man—he's not foolish enough to do something like that."

"Elder." Janky hurried to explain, "It's exactly because he's smart that he has the highest chance of betraying us."

"Think about it: what if Simon doesn't want his daughter to marry my son, and decides to offer the girl as a gift to Catherine instead?"

The Elder inhaled sharply, his gaze sharpening, full of killing intent. "You're right. Simon is a dangerous pawn. We need to keep him under control."

"Hahaha…" Janky laughed heartily. "Elder, just leave that to me. I know his weakness."

"Hm?! You mean… his wife?" The Elder glanced at Janky, frowning.

"Not exactly, but we can use her as a temporary hostage."

Hearing this, the Elder was a bit puzzled. "His wife is only a temporary hostage? Then…"

"Elder…" Janky began to explain, "He used to love another woman, but was forced by his family to marry Noralia."

"After Lylia was born, she immediately moved out of Simon's family to live on her own, too resentful to stay with him."

"Even so, Simon still feels guilty about it, and always wants to make it up to Noralia."

"Ah!" The Elder shook his head. "In that case, she's not exactly a highly valuable hostage."

"Hahahaha… Elder, I haven't finished yet," Janky said with a laugh. "Simon may not love Noralia that much, but he truly adores his daughter, Lylia."

"If we can control Noralia, then Lylia will be in our grasp as well."

"With both Lylia and Noralia under our control, Simon won't have a single chance to betray us."

The Elder nodded in satisfaction, his eyes flashing with approval. "You're absolutely right. Very well… I'll leave this matter to you. I hope you'll succeed."

"If you cause any more trouble, though… I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you."

"I understand, Elder," Janky replied, bowing his head.

He then turned to look out the car window, his gaze cold and tinged with ruthless greed.

…

More than thirty minutes later, Carlotta was tightly embracing Noan, her body trembling violently.

Of course, just like before, they hadn't crossed the final line.

Noan, however, couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied. Even though being used by such a beautiful woman made him happy, was this really all there was to it? And what about him? Who cared about his feelings?

Carlotta let out a long breath, her eyes glinting strangely as she gazed at Noan, then—

BAM!

She suddenly punched him in the chest, sending him flying backward.

He landed on the ground, clutching his chest, feeling as if something vital was missing from within him.

Noan looked down and saw a gaping hole where his heart should have been—a completely empty cavity.

"This… Pfff!" Before he could finish his sentence, blood spurted from his mouth.

His gaze shifted to Carlotta, just in time to see her holding his heart, lifting it to her lips, and—eating it.

What happened after that, Noan couldn't remember, for his mind plunged into darkness.

"Master…"

"Master…"

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed. Noan frowned, slowly opened his eyes, and vaguely saw a girl standing before him.

"Vylyss?!" Noan managed to utter with difficulty.

"Master?" Vylyss exclaimed in relief, embracing him tightly. "Thank goodness, you're still alive."

Noan: "..."

Of course he was still alive. With the 'Immortal' talent, unless his entire body—including his head—was reduced to ashes, he could always come back.

But this time, upon reviving, Noan felt an excruciating pain and fatigue throughout his body, as if he had lost something vital.

"Hm?!" Noan suddenly realized that a new kind of energy seemed to be stirring inside him.

This energy was blood-red in color, maintaining a strange equilibrium with his Void Energy.

Ordinary white energy, on the other hand, was trembling, shrinking down to the size of a bean and hiding timidly in a corner.

"What is this... this red energy?" Noan tried to sense it, but the energy seemed to have a will of its own, immediately resisting his consciousness.

"What the hell?" Noan frowned, his worry deepening.

Suddenly having a mysterious energy inside him, one that even resisted his control—how could he not be alarmed?

He raised his hand and tried to use the red energy. Strangely enough, he found he could use it as if it were any other energy.

Not only that, but he could even combine the red energy and Void energy together with no rejection at all.

"This is strange... What on earth is going on?"

Noan frowned, deeply puzzled.

"Master... this blood-colored energy is..." Vylyss hesitated, stammering.

"You know what it is?" Noan asked, frowning.

Vylyss shook her head. "No, it's just... I sense that it's truly terrifying. It doesn't lose out in the slightest to Void Energy."

Noan was startled at her words. What exactly was this energy, to be so powerful?

"Maybe I should ask Malrik," Noan thought, recalling that Malrik was known for his vast knowledge—he might be able to explain the existence of this crimson energy.

Noan let out a long sigh and, together with Vylyss, returned to his territory.

Ever since coming back, he felt somewhat exhausted, yet he still forced himself to stay alert, waiting for Malrik to arrive.

Naturally, Malrik appeared almost immediately. Upon seeing Noan, he frowned and said, "Master, this type of energy is none other than the energy of the Immortal Clan."

"Immortal Clan?" Noan furrowed his brow. "How did I end up possessing this kind of energy?"

Malrik glanced at him, then replied, "This proves that… Master, you have formed some kind of contract with the Immortal Clan. However, this is only the first stage of the contract."

"Wait a minute!" Noan held his head, feeling somewhat bewildered, and asked, "Explain it more clearly. I really don't understand what you're saying."

Indeed, all Noan knew was that Carlotta seemed to be a member of the Immortal Clan.

Malrik sat down across from him and began to explain: "Master, I'm sure you already have some understanding of what the Immortal Clan is, right?"

Noan nodded lightly, replying, "Yes, you've explained it to me before."

Malrik nodded, then continued, "The Immortal Clan truly cannot be killed; they can only be sealed."

"Because they are immortal, even if they're burned to ashes, they won't die. While they cannot die, they also have a fatal weakness—they cannot die."

Noan: "…"

He held his forehead, letting out a sigh, feeling as though his head was starting to ache even more. But he didn't interrupt Malrik, silently listening on.

Malrik continued, "That is both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. Other races have exploited their immortality to torture them, making them suffer endless pain that they can never escape from."

"To prevent such things from happening, the Immortal Clan created a type of contract, known as the Blood Pact."