When the plot-skips players into the game world

Having exited Room One, he proceeded deeper until he reached a dead end at the end of the passage.

Two sinister statues stood at the terminus—winged beasts perched atop pillars. They possessed bat-like wings and the fierce heads of demonic hounds, as if standing guard over something.

By turning the statues inward, making them face each other instead of watching over the exterior, and then twisting the painting at the end of the corridor, a narrow crevice, just wide enough for one person to pass through, was revealed.

"—The so-called 'secret passage' entrance is right here."

A middle-aged man with a head of short, curly red hair respectfully informed Miss Beyard, "But to be precise, it is not exactly a secret passage, just an underground tunnel that has been concealed."

"An underground tunnel?"

Miss Beyard crossed her arms with interest, asking, "What's it used for? Could it be... to prevent adultery from being discovered?"

"You know it well."

The man, standing straight like a butler, simply smiled, "Additionally, some high-status individuals whose identities are inconvenient to disclose occasionally visit Crescent Moon Manor. They are not suited to enter through the main entrance, so at those times, they use this passage to come directly in. From here, they can go straight to the rooms without passing through the banquet hall, and then directly summon the Blood Slaves to the respective rooms."

"With the soundproofing of your rooms?"

Miss Beyard couldn't help but pull Room 14, whom she was holding by the hand, closer to her side, and complained, "What kind of soundproofing have you done here?"

"Oh..."

The middle-aged man nodded thoughtfully, promptly admitting the mistake, "I'm terribly sorry, Miss Beyard. It seems there's been a misunderstanding of your requirements by our staff, I'll make sure they are reprimanded afterward.

"The thing is, our rooms are normally assigned adjacent to each other. There is no soundproofing effect for the room next door, but for someone lying on the bed, there is rather an amplifying effect—it's a special design to stimulate the shy customers and their Blood Slaves, not a failure of soundproofing. At least nothing can be heard from outside the door, which is sufficient proof that our soundproofing technology is not flawed.

"If guests have secrecy needs for their activities or need to discuss certain matters, we would specially assign them to a room towards the back and clear out both sides."

"I see..."

Miss Beyard nodded her head.

"Now you understand," the middle-aged man courteously stepped into the secret passage first, leading Miss Beyard onward, "It's just that our mutual understanding isn't deep enough. It's your first time reserving a room, right? Next time you come, I'll make sure they arrange a room at the back for you."

"No need for that, I have Room 14 with me."

Miss Beyard blurted out, "I think it will be a very long time before I return."

"Oh, you will come back eventually."

The middle-aged man, seemingly well-acquainted with such scenarios and having heard such statements many times before, showed no change in expression, "We enjoy a lengthy lifespan, but Blood Slaves do not. Inevitably, they will grow older and age, their appearances will decline, and their bodies will no longer be agile and supple.

"When the time comes, you can always come here for a look. Perhaps you will fall in love with a new Blood Slave and take her away—with us, trading in the old for the new is also supported. The old one can be sold back to us at a reduced price. If you find the Blood Slave purchased for your home too willful and undisciplined, yet feel too deeply attached to dispose of them cruelly... you can also hand them over to us. However, the resale price may not satisfy you, especially for someone not in want of money like yourself.

"But we have other methods of dealing with this. As you know, our business has only just begun in the Imperial Capital less than a year ago, so many of our services are old projects carried over from Parthia. Now we know that people of the Empire are very romantic and sentimental... and so we have recently introduced a new service.

"We have noble Son of the Moon Alchemists and Jewelers who can turn those aging companions into all sorts of gemstones and further refine them into beautiful and eternal jewels. Capturing them at their most beautiful moment, thus preserving in memory all that is pleasant—their transition to eternal rest requires only that you let them sleep in their food one day, after which they will painlessly turn into the everlasting during the ritual.

"If you are willing to spend a bit more, we also offer distinctive thematic jewelry sets designed by our gemstone designers. We have amber artisans here too... if you pay a little extra, we can also preserve their souls within the gemstones. Should you suddenly miss them, you can awaken them. They do not realize they have died, allowing for normal conversation and companionship with you." Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire

The man went on, his conversation flowing warmly and politely, "Of course, if you wish to torment these souls..."

"—Let's talk about that when the time comes."

Miss Beyard tersely rejected the man's business pitch and cut him off, "I just want to leave here quietly with my little pet. If possible, I'd like to treat her to another late-night snack."

"Of course, of course. She is yours now. You have the final say."

The man, who seemed to only know the phrases "of course" and "you have the final say," smiled gently.

But then, he glanced back at Aiwass with a slight turn of his head.

The passageway was pitch-dark, with only the Sons of the Moon, who possessed night vision, able to navigate normally.

The activated night vision turned his pupils a filthy, bloody red. The man's face wore an elegant and gentle smile that, paradoxically, sent chills down one's spine, "I hope to never see you again, Number 14. Miss Beyard spent a six-figure sum in Gold Coins to purchase you; I hope you understand what Miss Beyard has done for you, and appreciate the great sacrifice she made."

Number 14's body trembled slightly, as if frightened. She curled weakly into Beyard's arms, while Beyard, in return, held her close.

"Don't scare her, Director Cornelius. This child is vulnerable; she cannot take fright easily."

Beyard warned, "And I didn't spend hundreds of thousands directly—I just wrote off our debts."

"Of course, you have the final say."

Cornelius said with hands clasped behind his back and a beaming smile.

Listening to Director Cornelius' briefing, Aiwass was gradually coming to understand the common knowledge of the empire's last days.

It was indeed a chaotic time when human life was as cheap as dirt.

The Alchemy Association and the Art Association soon joined forces, hunting down the high-ranking Demon Scholars with the Sons of the Moon... which eventually led to the desperate Demon Scholars summoning powerful demons, causing the royal family to die out and triggering the six-year-long War of Fissured Land.

—A year before the War of Fissured Land, the famous painting that sparked the fierce conflict between the Alchemy Association and the Art Association, "The Alchemist," had been created.

Now, these Sons of the Moon could openly rear Blood Slaves on their estates. They had clearly gained sufficient status and influence. This meant that the Sons of the Moon had been in the Imperial Capital for a while; according to Cornelius, they had been there for about a year.

So, all things calculated, there was less than a month left before the large-scale demon summoning that would lead to the fall of the empire.

An empire that was already internally crumbling, rife with factions, ceaseless shadow-fighting, and relentless hatred. If its royal bloodline and all legitimate heirs were to die out suddenly in a single day...

It meant that true chaos was about to ensue.

The "high and mighty" individuals who would die in such times of chaos would undoubtedly be numerous.

Miss Beyard was just a residual phantom of the ritual awakening, but the Shadow Demon was real. She had Beyard's memories, so she surely knew many people of the era.

—Aiwass might even dig up friends of Beyard when he followed his mentor on archaeological excavations in the future.

Because of the severe chaos at the end of the empire, much of the history from that period was unverifiable. Today, much of the empire's history was reconstructed from truths strenuously pieced together by archaeologists' investigations... but there were still lots of speculation and conjecture involved.

Since the Shadow Demon came from that era... that meant she was a living fossil from the end of the imperial era.

She surely knew many secrets.

Like where a powerful figure was buried or where hidden resource points might be...

—From this perspective, the Shadow Demon was practically Aiwass's mobile panel!