Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 83 - 80 Liveser

Tonight, Alianna was clad in white, her flowing dress loose and billowing like a fashionable bathrobe adorned with lace. She rested her right elbow on the table, chin propped upon her hand; in her left, she held a few sheets of manuscript marked with gray spots on the back, their state of decay reminiscent of something freshly unearthed from a grave.

It was sheet music, and Lyle could barely make out the antiquated musical scores upon them.

"Sphield’s final masterpiece, a composer once fond of depicting death, who will no longer sing praises for the ’Lady Crow’."

"Is it precious?"

"To my eyes, yes. Although the composer himself discarded them as if they were nothing, it does not prevent them from holding a place in our hearts as listeners. I likely lost myself in excitement for twenty minutes upon acquiring it. It will be the climax of my next concert."

"That’s truly something to look forward to."

Her gaze, fixated on the manuscript, shifted to this side.

"The venue is the grand theater in the center of the City of Wandering. The time is during the next red eclipsed moon. Would you like to come, Plague Doctor?"

The red moon here reaches fullness on the fifteenth of every month and wanes at the beginning and the end—it was approximately three or four days from month’s end. If the investigation of Naranya’s vampires goes well, Lyle might accept her invitation.

"I’m sorry, Alianna, but I need to travel far for the next while and I’m afraid I won’t make it back in time. I deeply regret this," after I have found a way to survive in your singing.

"Hmm," a reply that was part wistful and part polite, Alianna looked away once more.

"Alianna, I’ve seen Beatrice at the Bloody Rose." Since Beatrice had already spotted me, it’s better to inform Alianna, without disclosing the secret of William and my smuggling. The best way to cover a lie is to tell a partial truth.

At the mention of "Beatrice," Alianna gently set down the manuscript. Then, hearing "Bloody Rose," she slapped the manuscript onto the table with force well beyond normal, a sound accompanied by the sight of fragments flying from the poor Mr. Sphield’s final work—hopefully not from any portion with writing on it.

"..."

"That is not a place fit for you, Plague Doctor, at least not a place where someone obsessed with money should be."

"I realized as much not long after I entered. Indeed, I cannot afford the expenses there. But what I really want to ask is, Alianna, I’m not sure if you know, your sister is..."

"A high-ranking vampire, or should I say, a member of the Blood Clan?" She leaned back in her chair, gazing at the dazzling light cast by the extravagant crystal chandelier, "After myself and Helena, she also chose her own path. Beatrice disappeared from her castle residence, and my sister and I searched for her a long while until, on the third day as we were about to accept the cruel reality, Beatrice returned to us after her initial embrace."

"Her change is negligible compared to our concern for her."

"Even if she feeds on human blood as a vampire?"

Alianna pondered for a moment, "Plague Doctor, your sense of justice is admirable, especially in such a world. I cannot do as you do, wishing well for every person in sight. My sisters, to me, are far more important than anyone else. I’m not sure if Beatrice has harmed anyone, but I love her, and if I had to choose, I would choose Beatrice."

"In my memories with Beatrice, she’s a good girl, albeit with controversial speech and actions, fond of pranks—but she’s my family."

"Moreover, in my recollection, Beatrice has never harmed anyone over her bloodlust, although there might be a considerably large number of people who have suffered from her, for other reasons."

"The talent of Beatrice of the Blood Clan is Intoxicating Blood. Apart from the enhancement of her charm, she has the ability to assuage her thirst by consuming alcohol, which is also what she most often does at home. Her drunk appearance is indeed quite adorable."

It seemed like good news, that girl with the malicious smile might indeed be an anomaly among vampires.

Lyle made his way to Andrey’s courtyard teleportation circle. There were more pressing tasks for him tonight.

Before closing the door, Lyle delivered one final statement to the serene Alianna.

"What if Beatrice really did something behind your back, if she couldn’t control her vampiric impulses?"

Alianna stood up from the chair, arms crossed in front of her waist.

"I trust her, she has never let us down."

...

"Lord Plague Doctor." The grape poked her head out of the pocket, her cooperation might be necessary for tonight’s work.

Through the teleportation portal, he arrived at the City of Wandering.

Night was Andrey’s time; the streets were less crowded with other races. He checked the equipment in his cane and handbag—Medusa and the Talent Sphere were with him, and his pockets held Light Bat Grapes.

"This is all my belongings; I hope there’s nothing amiss."

He knocked on the carved door before him.

Mr. Echel was waiting at Twilight Memories. Here, members whispered among themselves, but with Lyle’s arrival, they offered their blessings. Tonight was the agreed hunting time; Lyle was going to Liveser in search of his Sword Dance Mandrake.

Mr. Irene pulled a teleportation gate out of the void, his technique reminding Lyle of the scholar, wondering if all high-tier Spellcasters had a similar habit.

Echel greeted Mr. Reed, "Tin can, won’t you go back and take a look?"

"No need. Drayia’s rule is firm as ironstone."

"Aren’t you going to see Lena, who you miss? She probably doesn’t even know of your whereabouts. Reed..."

"What would telling her accomplish? Why should our offspring worry for us? Having become like this, we should not intrude upon their lives anymore."

"...I’ll ask Kale about Drayia for you."

"Let’s go, Lyle. The hunt begins."

.....

He stepped out of the teleportation gate.

Moonlight pierced through the dense tangle of branches, carving a path of light across the patchy grassland.

Trees, gigantic trees.

Overlapping vines wrapped around their trunks, with massive main stems fifty square meters in diameter blocking the sky. They were like huge sequoias, but the density of their leaves and branches even blocked out the light—this was an unanticipated primordial jungle. Lyle found himself standing on an outcrop of rock, at the foot of a mountain range. In the farthest reaches of his sight, lay endless plains, but before him stretched a vast primordial jungle.

The Scansor Mountains.

Echel led Lyle deeper into the jungle.

The dense underbrush reached chest high, the canopy above blocking out the moonlight, with only the luminescent moss clinging to tree trunks weakly illuminating their path.

Echel refused the illumination from the Light Bat Grapes.

He moved through the night, adeptly weaving through the clutching plants.

Even with Echel’s guidance, Lyle had difficulty progressing; the vegetation was too dense. Only the slightly bent grass blades guided his steps. The serrated leaves scraped against Lyle’s black coat. In contrast to the silent Echel, Lyle felt as clumsy as a bear.

His self-mockery quickly earned Echel’s mockery.

"The bears of Liveser are much smarter than you."

Traversing deeper into the forest, surrounded by repetitive flora, Lyle looked around, seeing no difference—Echel was his only landmark.

They delved deeper for who knows how long, and Lyle had completely lost his sense of direction.

Echel halted, posing a question.

"By the way, Lyle, there’s a question I forgot to ask, and it concerns whether you’re qualified for everything that follows. I hope you’re prepared."

"Can you climb trees?"

Following Echel’s pointing finger, Lyle looked upward.

About thirty meters above ground on a giant tree, dozens of wooden car hood-sized massive structures were set upon the main trunk, each the size of a sports field, blending seamlessly into the surrounding greenery. He could faintly see lights illuminating the depths of the dark, dense jungle.

"Liveser, the Tree Nation, a country atop the trees."