Episode 381
The young vampires, known for their fearlessness as part of the Red Eye clan, exchanged uneasy glances after hearing Zeke’s words. Despite their reputation, the aura emanating from Zeke was enough to make them hesitate.
Just then, the door of the tattoo parlor swung open, and a woman stepped out. Her pale skin was adorned with tattoos that covered her arms and neck, and piercings glinted on her eyebrows and nose. She lit a cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke, and spoke in a languid voice.
“He’s with us. Take him away,” she instructed, gesturing to the fallen gang member. The vampires, startled by her command, quickly dragged the unconscious figure away.
With a casual air, she offered Zeke a cigarette. When he declined, she finished hers, stubbed it out on the ground, and finally addressed him. “Come inside.”
Zeke followed the vampire woman into the shop. It seemed to be a legitimate tattoo parlor, with chairs scattered around and needles soaking in disinfectant.
“Thinking about getting inked?” she asked as Zeke surveyed the room. He shook his head again.
“Not much fun, are you?” she remarked lazily, leading him to the back of the building. She opened a trapdoor in the floor, revealing a staircase leading down.
As they descended, she suddenly spoke up. “I heard you’re Bacchus’s brother. You don’t look alike.”
Zeke didn’t respond, and she didn’t press further, continuing silently down the stairs. At the bottom, they reached a door. She knocked lightly. “It’s me, Nikki.”
The door slid open, revealing a large, bearded male vampire covered in tattoos. He acknowledged Nikki and Zeke with a nod, gesturing for them to enter.
Inside, the dimly lit hall was alive with magical lights and thrumming music. Dozens of vampires danced, entwined with each other, while humans mingled among them, their eyes glazed over as if under a spell.
‘What is this place?’ Zeke wondered, noticing the humans’ entranced state. In one corner, vampires were drinking blood from a severed human head, then kissing each other passionately.
Zeke realized this was a feeding ground for vampires. He’d heard rumors of such places, where vampires lured humans into a state of euphoria to drink their blood. The air was thick with the scent of blood.
Ignoring the scene, Zeke followed Nikki through the noisy hall to a quieter room.
“Bacchus,” Zeke greeted as he entered. Bacchus rose to meet him, having been informed of Zeke’s arrival the moment he set foot in the neutral city.
Zeke removed his cloak, revealing his true form. Nikki studied him closely, nodding in recognition. “You do look alike.”
Bacchus ignored her comment, gesturing for Zeke to sit. “I prepared some tea for your visit.”
Zeke accepted the tea, nodding in appreciation. “It’s good.”
He glanced at Bacchus’s regenerated left arm. “Is the new arm working well?”
Bacchus chuckled wryly. “No complaints. Thanks to you, the Black Stage has stopped pursuing us.”
In truth, it was more that Arthur Draker had decided to leave Bacchus and Carmilla alone for now, knowing Zeke was aware of them.
Bacchus, leading an information network, likely understood this too. He sipped his tea, then asked, “You came sooner than I expected. I thought it would take longer.”
Zeke replied, “I had other business in the neutral city.”
“Because of the Alchemist Guild?” Bacchus guessed.
Zeke set his cup down. “Have you been digging into my affairs?”
Bacchus shook his head. “It’s common knowledge here. The guild is in a tizzy over a new drug from Phaenan Pharmaceuticals.”
Zeke nodded, unfazed. “They’ve been profiting off subpar drugs for so long, it’s no wonder they’re reacting strongly to a new competitor.”
“It’s not a trivial matter,” Bacchus warned. “The guild is likely to fight tooth and nail. If that drug hits the market, they’ll be obsolete.”
Zeke frowned. “Refusing to certify a perfectly good drug is absurd.”
“There are ways around it,” Bacchus explained. “They could claim the drug’s ingredient, soma, poses addiction risks, or question its safety.”
Zeke scoffed. “Grasping at straws.”
“They’ll do whatever it takes to block it,” Bacchus continued. “But you came to ask about the guild, didn’t you? To find leverage against them.”
Zeke nodded, though his true motive was different. He already knew the guild’s secrets and weaknesses from his past life. He wanted to gauge the vampires’ information network against his own.
‘Can they match the Syndicate’s level?’
Bacchus handed Zeke a file. “Here’s what we have on the Alchemist Guild.”
Zeke quickly scanned the documents, impressed by the detailed and organized information.
‘This is more comprehensive than I expected.’
Bacchus, a former member of the Draker Black Stage, was skilled in handling information. The thoroughness of the data, including connections and relationships, surprised Zeke.
“How does it look? Enough to rival the Syndicate?” Bacchus asked, aware of Zeke’s test.
Zeke closed the file, nodding. “I didn’t expect this level of detail. It’s impressive.”
“Even if the Draker Black Stage was a hellhole, it taught me how to handle information. With Red Eye’s network and our connections, we can provide results that even you would find surprising.”
Zeke acknowledged Bacchus’s information prowess. Though he had his own intelligence unit, it was more of a covert operations team. Bacchus’s network would be a valuable asset.
“Where’s Carmilla? I’d like to speak with her,” Zeke inquired.
Bacchus shook his head. “She’s not available right now.”
“Is she still recovering from her resurrection?”
Bacchus’s expression shifted slightly. “Something like that. I can’t go into details, but communication isn’t possible at the moment.”
“When can I see her?”
“At least three weeks from now.”
“Three weeks…” Zeke stood. “Understood. How should I contact you?”
Bacchus handed him a secure communicator. “Use this. Nikki will be your contact.”
Zeke pocketed the device, glancing at Nikki. “You’re not an assassin or a swordsman. A mage?”
Nikki met his gaze. “An illusionist. If you were an ordinary man, you’d be crawling at my feet by now.”
Zeke’s resistance to vampire charms kept him unaffected. Bacchus admonished Nikki, “Don’t use your illusions on just anyone.”
Nikki shrugged, returning to her languid position on the sofa. Zeke remarked to Bacchus, “Your team is certainly… unique.”
”…”
He gave Bacchus, who was shaking his head in disbelief, a reassuring pat on the shoulder before leaving Red Eye’s secret hideout and returning to the hotel where he was staying.
The mischievous twins didn’t return until much later that night.
They had caused so much trouble that it took them the entire day just to go around and apologize with flowers.
Under Zeke’s watchful eye, they had no choice but to settle down quietly for the night.
The next day, a welcome guest arrived at the hotel where Zeke was staying.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
It was none other than Princess Melissa of Alencia.
She appeared more mature and graceful than before.
“It’s been a while, Sir Zeke.”
When Melissa first dealt with Zeke, he was merely a knight with potential. But now, he had transformed completely, setting unprecedented records across the continent and earning widespread fame.
Melissa had always admired Zeke, but now he seemed like a distant star, far beyond her reach.
Unaware of her feelings, Zeke ordered breakfast for them, and they enjoyed a leisurely morning meal together.
Melissa spoke as she looked at Zeke.
“I reviewed the documents you sent. The Alchemist Guild is being utterly unreasonable.”
The new drug from Feynman Pharmaceuticals was to be sold through the Reinhardt Trading Company, which Melissa owned. However, without the guild’s approval, selling it on the continent was impossible.
Thus, Zeke had called on Melissa, the true owner of Reinhardt Trading, to negotiate with the Alchemist Guild.
Zeke nodded at Melissa’s words and replied, “Even if we speak to them, I doubt the guild will grant approval.”
Melissa was taken aback.
“But you’re the guardian knight of the Draker family, Sir Zeke. Surely, they wouldn’t be so obstinate. I suspect they’ll come to the table for price negotiations.”
Zeke sensed the unspoken implication in Melissa’s words: “What kind of retaliation are they expecting?”
No matter how much the Alchemist Guild acted like bullies, they were nothing compared to the Draker family. If the Draker family decided to confront the guild, it would be the guild that suffered.
However, Zeke had no intention of using his family’s power to pressure them. He planned to use this opportunity to teach the guild a lesson in his own way.
He turned to Melissa and said, “Princess, do you remember the contract I made with Cliff?”
It was an old agreement that even Zeke had nearly forgotten until recently. He had asked Cliff for three favors: the first was to secure a ship to the south to deal with Don Juan, and the second was to borrow a Reinhardt Trading ship to rescue Carly from a southern island.
Now, the final favor remained.
Melissa looked at Zeke and said, “Of course. Go ahead.”
Zeke spoke slowly, “I want to establish a new Alchemist Association centered around Reinhardt Trading.”