Chapter 33:
When Murphy tasted that there was another flavor in Adele’s blood, it was already too late, as the initial embrace ceremony cannot be stopped midway once it has started.
Because essentially, it is not simply an exchange of fresh blood.
This involves the unique reproduction mode of the vampire bloodline, and as is well known, any behavior related to reproduction is very difficult to stop midway.
Murphy suppressed the doubts in his heart, and after drinking three large mouthfuls of virgin blood as an “gift” offered to the elders for his progeny, he raised his left hand and used his index finger to touch the bite mark on Adele’s neck, using the vampire’s control over blood to continuously extract her blood from her body.
His finger wrapped in dark spirit energy prevented those scalding hot blood from falling, instead making it swirl in his palm like a non-Newtonian fluid, changing its shape.
This looks cool, but actually requires 100% submission from the one being initially embraced. If she resists even slightly, this blood extraction process will not be so smooth.
The unconscious Lady Adele could not resist at all, and could only become weaker and closer to death as her blood continuously flowed out.
Her originally plump, fair skin became withered and dull, and even the shocking size of her chest rapidly shrank. Under Miriam’s covered mouth in horror, the once cold but tall Lady Adele quickly became like a “desiccated corpse”.
The plague poison instilled in the blood by the Wolfsbane Clan also rapidly dissipated at this moment due to the blood leaving the body.
Murphy raised the “blood sphere” that had become purified under the night sky, and at the gesture of Lady Femis, bit into his own right hand finger to make his vampire blood, which was clearly thicker and more crimson than ordinary human blood, well out drop by drop.He fused the two together, like a “dyeing” process when the ratio of the two was precisely controlled at 1:3, Adele’s blood was completely dyed the same color as Murphy’s blood.
“That’s enough! Inject it back in.”
The Young Lady prompted.
Murphy brought the blood sphere to his mouth, swallowing all the blood just like a huge meal, and then repeated the first step, biting into the corpse-like neck of Lady Adele and using his fangs to re-inject the renewed blood back into Adele’s body.
It was at this moment that a special prompt suddenly appeared before Murphy’s eyes:
【Please select an inheritance template for the progeny ‘Bella Bernice Adele’.
Currently available character templates: Standard/Rare.
Character template inheritance rules are as follows:
1. If you choose to inherit the standard template, the progeny will have complete vampire traits and normal racial base values. This option has no additional cost.
2. If you choose to inherit the rare template, the progeny will have complete vampire traits and 150% racial base values, and will randomly inherit one of the talents and specialties you possess.
This option will additionally consume 30% of your blood, and will create a deeper blood connection between you and your progeny.
Note!
A deep blood connection is not always good for vampires! Please consider carefully.】
“So character templates have such a wonderful use?”
Murphy blinked his eyes, without much hesitation choosing the second option.
He did not intend to have too many progeny, so quality was very important. And since he was doing this favor for the Young Lady anyway, he might as well go all out!
He thought that after he had put in so much effort, even the Young Lady would not want to dig too deep into some previous “accidents.”
【Rare template inheritance selected!
Additional cost activated!
Extracting inherited ability for the progeny…Inherited ability is: Summoning – Astral Dire Wolf. This progeny has no summoning talents, so this ability is downgraded to: Summoning – Astral Wolf.】
“Ugh…”
Murphy groaned in pain, causing Lady Femis who was presiding over the ceremony to be stunned.
From Murphy’s pained expression, she could tell that this family’s outsider was actually dividing out a portion of his own fresh blood essence to give to Adele as well.
For a vampire, this was an immense gesture of generosity, not only allowing the progeny to gain greater power, but even helping them bypass the long “adaptation period” after becoming a vampire.
This act did indeed cause the Young Lady’s perception of Murphy to change subtly at this moment.
Murphy was a capable person!
When it mattered, he truly went all out!
His skills were admittedly lacking, but he was generous and willing to go the extra mile, had a good head on his shoulders, was decisive and had strong execution ability, he was truly worthy of forming a deep connection and being cultivated.
For example, if it weren’t for him, intercepting the transport team would definitely have failed.
So…favorability increased!
The other two observers did not know what had happened in those few seconds. They could only see Lady Adele’s body rapidly recovering from its withered state to her original voluptuous, coldly alluring figure, like inflating a balloon. However, the effects of the blood had already begun to change Lady Adele’s life form.
Her skin became even more fair while her pupils began to emit a scarlet glow, and her heart started beating again but at only one-tenth its original speed or even slower.
But more in-depth changes still needed time to complete.
Generally speaking, it takes at least five to seven days to awaken after the initial embrace, though this is not absolute.
If an elder particularly favors a certain blood servant and is willing to give more power, then during the initial embrace process, they will use their own strength to simultaneously transform the blood servant’s blood and body.
For example, Murphy’s situation now.
In this case, it is “surgery today, work today”.
However, the vast majority of vampires are selfish bastards, they would never waste their power on blood servants, not giving even a tiny bit extra.
“Not disgraced by fate.”
Murphy took a step back.
He swayed weakly and was supported by Maxim. Nodding to the Young Lady with a complex expression, he then turned and left.
The prominent 【Anemic Weakness】 status on his character card showed it would last 48 hours. The loss of one-third of his fresh blood meant Murphy could not engage in strenuous activity for the next three days, and it would likely take even longer to fully recover.
But he did not actually lose out.
In addition to selling a favor to the Young Lady and gaining a rare template progeny at the Black Iron rank, he also had other gains:
【Blood Descendant Shaping complete, you now have your first progeny!
Bella Bernice Adele Lessenbra has established a deep, mysterious connection with you based on blood.
Vampire Racial Exclusive System – Blood Pact Covenant unlocked!
Your current strength rank is: Professional, you can form 【1/1】 Blood Pact Covenants.
The specific terms of the Blood Pact Covenant are as follows:
I. Symbiosis Covenant:
For each additional progeny, the progenitor’s maximum life will increase by 10%/15%, with the specific increase depending on whether the blood connection between progenitor and progeny is profound. This bonus is not counted in character attributes.
For each additional progeny, the progenitor’s self-healing, stamina recovery and spirit recovery speeds will increase by 10%/15%.
For each additional progeny, when other progeny are in joint combat, their maximum life, maximum spirit pool, and combat resource recovery speed increase by 5%/10%.
II. Command Covenant:
The progenitor has the right to issue any command to blood descendants except ‘suicide’ and ‘harm yourself’.
The progenitor has the right to suppress a blood descendant’s blood essence at any time, putting them in a ‘weakened’ or ‘bloodthirsty’ state.
The longer the connection between progenitor and blood descendant, the weaker the blood descendant’s will to resist the progenitor, until they eventually wholeheartedly uphold the progenitor’s authority. The time for this effect depends on whether the progeny resists fiercely, but the progeny will ultimately view the progenitor as their sole master.
III. Death Covenant:
When the progenitor dies, blood descendants will immediately suffer 90% maximum life damage and permanently lose 30% vitality, be afflicted with the 【Soul Weakness】 status, with all attributes reduced by 50%, and this weakness cannot be lifted until they have a new progenitor.
When a blood descendant dies, the progenitor will immediately suffer 20% maximum life damage and permanently lose 10% vitality.
Note!
When the blood connection between progenitor and blood descendant is “profound”, if the progenitor dies, the blood descendant will immediately die.
Note!
When the blood connection between progenitor and blood descendant is “profound”, if the blood descendant dies, the progenitor will immediately suffer 70% maximum life damage and permanently lose 30% vitality.
Note!
The above damage takes effect immediately, without any restrictions, and cannot be exempted by any means.
Note!
Drinking the clan’s source blood can dissolve the Blood Pact Covenant, but currently there are no other confirmed ways to dissolve it.】
“It’s really a clause that makes one despair, luckily my progenitor is the friendly and gentle Tris, otherwise I would truly be scared to death already. This is even more excessive than a slave contract!
It’s practically devouring people.
Speaking of which, my current abnormal adoration for Tris in my heart…could it also be because of this?”
Murphy looked at the Blood Pact Covenant tab in front of him, with every word behind it full of the progenitor’s control and manipulation over blood descendants.
Under such an unequal covenant, blood descendants had no way to resist the progenitor’s will.
But blood descendants would develop new blood descendants, causing this unequal covenant to constantly extend, eventually weaving a large net covering the entire vampire civilization.
However, looking more closely, this covenant could also be seen to not only represent an oppressor-oppressed relationship, but had other manifestations of symbiosis. For example, under the instructions for unlocking this vampire racial “special gameplay”, he saw another prompt:
【Initial Embrace complete!
During this process, Bella Bernice Adele Lessenbra fed back part of her power to you, specifically manifesting as:
Agility +1, Intellect +1, Perception +1
New Skill – Shadow Elf Secret Technique – Mejeva Family Sword Arts obtained, you can now learn this advanced sword art from the Shadow Realm.
New Talent – Marksmanship Mastery obtained, greatly increasing your accuracy with ranged physical attacks.
New Talent – Shadow Affinity obtained, fusing with your original Dark Spirit Manipulation talent into the new Shadow Mastery talent, slightly enhancing your dark spirit perception, and making you swifter, faster and silent when shadow walking.】
See, this initial embrace process does not only benefit the blood servant!
Through the fusion of the blood connection, the progenitor also gains “power feedback” from the blood servant, like some damn “service fee”.
According to vampire family tradition, this “initial embrace tax” ratio between one-fourth to one-third is quite appropriate.
But some black-hearted vampires even take away half the blood servant’s power, directly causing the newborn progeny to have neither power nor potential, and can only become a fringe member of the family, bearing the name of a vampire but without the abilities to match.
Eh, why does this situation sound so “familiar”?
“If I didn’t know Tris is truly a weakling, I would even think she’s also a black-hearted vampire.”
Murphy inwardly grumbled heavily, returning to the bonfire with Maxim’s support and using a handkerchief to wipe the blood stains from his mouth.
He felt he really needed to rest now, taking this chance to browse the forums and bring a little New Year’s treat to the small players.
But at the moment he closed his eyes to rest, his previous grumbling about Tris transformed into a barely audible longing.
It had been six days since leaving home.
The longer the time, the more he missed the dilapidated yet stable life in that manor, or perhaps his and Tris’ blood pact covenant was truly taking effect, making his impression of that useless queen Tris better and better.
But in reality, Tris was indeed the most generous.
She would not even collect any “service fee” from blood servants, probably because the blood servants she chose had no power to speak of in the first place?
As for that kind of affection called “longing”
Ummm, it probably wasn’t just because of the blood pact covenant, right?
Probably.
——
On the forums, in the game group chatting and messing around, a message suddenly caused an uproar.
Alpha: 【@all members, I’m excited to tell you all some good news! After several days of hard work and debugging by the development team, a better and greater new test server has been set up! Therefore, the《Reality Realm》Alpha 1.0 test version will officially go online in 16 hours!
Please refer to the official post on the forums for details!
The development team has invited an experienced Taoist elder to bless our new server. I need to hurry and go watch the commotion while getting a talisman, and burn some incense to pray it doesn’t suddenly have issues.】
MeowKing: 【Dammit! Another surprise attack? Does this company have any rules at all!】
AhYuen: 【Don’t complain, Brother Meow, quickly look at the post! Tons of fresh stuff! Everything you could want, it’s like New Year’s!】
Brother Meow disbelievingly exited and refreshed to the homepage, where sure enough a new official post had been made under Alpha’s ID. The name was very simple, but the content was not:
【《Reality Realm》Alpha 1.0 Closed Test Version Update Announcement:
After getting the test team members to collectively go camp out in the development office for five days, our first official test version has finally succeeded in going online before the DeadLine triggered, and has successfully resolved several issues that the current testers have concentrated feedback on.
Specific information:
1. With the help of the development team, the main line NPC Revnor Murphy Lessenbra, this handsome guy, has finally gathered all the materials needed to improve the Otherworld Summoning ritual.
After the update is complete, the player active login function will be open!
Considering the server load and the orderly progress of testing and bug fixing work, the current open time is 6 hours/day, so players please reasonably arrange your playtime.
While the game is great, don’t be too greedy.
2. Forced by the repeated pressure from tester feedback, our development members had to urgently contact the halfling mechanics of the Genoa Peninsula, and through a series of PY transactions, successfully obtained the latest crystallized products of steam engineering.
After the update is complete, the player interface system will be online!
In pursuit of a truly realistic and hardcore gaming experience, the development team has specially written a reasonable origin and explanation for the player interface functions. Specific details await the testers’ personal experience and submission of precious evaluation reports.
3. Although development progress is very tight, we still took some time to conduct an overall evaluation of the current game helmets, to better guide new testers on getting started. This evaluation post has been pinned on the forums, and we want to especially thank the tester “Meow King” for his enthusiastic help.
The development team has also carefully prepared a gift for him, please go to the main line NPC after going online to collect it.
4. New map “Kadman City” and new force “Blood Vulture Clan” online, related quests await testers’ self-exploration.
5. Closed test player rewards implemented, please collect from the NPC after completing the Kadman City exclusive quest line.
6. Optimized more realistic physics engine, and added more interactive intelligent role-playing NPCs and random events.
7. Fixed minor bugs.】
The post content was very straightforward, but the small players commenting below were concerned about another matter.
LeadingPigeon: 【@Meow King, is your butt sore?】
AhYuen: 【@Meow King, need some lube? I’ll order it online right away, is ten bottles enough?】
DumpTruckIaido: 【@Meow King, Old Yang worked hard ah, please keep it up and maintain a good relationship with the dev team, everyone’s gaming experience relies on you, slyeye.jpg】
KonoMaomaoShark: 【@Meow King, electronic fairy Brother Meow!】
InvincibleTyrannosaurusCheche: 【Damn! Why does Brother Meow always find the PY route, Cheche also wants to PY ah, Cheche also wants special rewards ah!】
MeowKing: 【Facepalm. Enough from you all! There’s no such thing as private PY, I just randomly took a quest from the admin, damn! Stop PMing me, I said there’s no route! No photos! And I don’t like men either!
Enough already!
If you keep it up I’ll block you all!】