Chapter 176: Eclipse Princess of Black Blood
Loose on the outside, tight on the inside.
To prevent tipping their hand and to guard against the worst-case scenario, the empire appeared stable on the surface. However, secretly, all assassins and spies were dispatched to carefully gather information about the mysterious Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, or known as Black Princess Altrouge.
In any case, the success of this mission was paramount.
This marked the empire's first confrontation with the vampires, the prologue to a millennium-long war. This prologue had to be executed flawlessly and grandly, to boost morale and let the entire world feel the power of the Dragon Emperor and his empire's strength.
'This Black Princess seems to be the ultimate boss this time.' Artorius made conclusion. 'That fellow must be thinking the same now. Hmph...'
He smiled joyfully, recalling the final battle 1500 years later.
In that decisive battle, the performance of the White Wing Lord, Trhvmn Ortenrosse, had left a deep impression on him.
Of course, it was a negative one.
But on the flip side, if that man were to confront Artorius now, the empire might not withstand it. The empire was still in its baby stage and not yet as mighty as the empire of 1500 later.
However, affairs were ever-changing and evolving.
This version was top-notch; the next might be weakened, possibly even discarded into the gutter. Some people had never been improved, always scraping the bottom of the barrel.
'I wonder what that woman is doing now.'
Artorius pondered while stroking his chin.
'Gathering her army?'
'Summoning reinforcements from other Dead Apostles and True Ancestors?'
'Or perhaps, indulging in a blood-soaked feast in some castle?'
Despite her beautiful appearance in photos, Black Princess Altrouge was an alluring yet monstrous vampire.
With her jet-black hair, porcelain skin, exquisite features, and curvy figure, she was the embodiment of an alluring seductress. But ultimately, she was a bloodsucker, feeding on human blood.
The empire, considering itself humanity's guardian, would never allow such monsters to exist and would never compromise with them.
'In any case, she must be stopped, the sooner, the better...' Artorius thought to himself.
"So, Artorius~"
Clearly, Morgan was displeased with the conclusion "Let's continue this later tonight". So, she grabbed Artorius's arm and playfully brushed against him with her big breast as if wanting to continue their previous rhythm.
But he gave her a stern look, and she immediately went limp, not daring to resist.
'Artorius still likes me the most, hehehe~' Morgan, with her bizarre thought process, happily accepted the treatment.
However, she didn't know that Artorius no longer held a place for her in his heart at this moment.
'Black Princess Altrouge, my greatest enemy of this time, where are you, and what are you doing?'
All his thoughts were focused solely on Altrouge.
===
Back to three days ago.
Within the city of Orleans, the Black Princess strolled happily through the city, accompanied by her knights.
"This city is quite nice..." Altrouge said with delight.
"..."
"Indeed." Rizo-Waal Strout, also known as the Black Knight Strout, replied with an expressionless face.
While Fina-blood Svelten, also known as the White Knight Blood, a self-proclaimed gay, responded respectfully:
"It leans towards Roman aesthetics but with a more uplifting touch, eliminating the decadence and extravagance found in Rome. The population leans more towards Germanic, yet lacks the dirtiness and chaos of Germanic cities. One could say the emperor blended the strengths of the Germanic peoples and the Romans while discarding their weaknesses. It's truly remarkable."
"Dragon Emperor Artorius is truly an extraordinary man." Strout chimed in.
"Of course, no matter how extraordinary, he is still just a mortal in the end." Svelten chimed in with a cheerful tone. "In the presence of true elegance and nobility like us, even the Dragon Emperor is nothing more than a ruler of mortals, insignificant."
"What about him being a dragon?" Strout retorted.
"Heh, he's not a true dragon. If he were, he should've gone to the reverse side by now." Svelten responded nonchalantly.
"Fufufu..."
"..."
Hearing this, Altrouge chuckled lightly, while Strout furrowed his brows, feeling uneasy about his colleague's words but not saying anything.
"Leaving aside this topic about his strength and accomplishments, there's still civilization and scenery worth admiring." Altrouge spoke in a relaxed tone. "Since we rarely go out, let's take a stroll here."
"Yes, but—"
"—Task from Mother will be fulfilled, but not right now."
Svelten wanted to remind Altrouge but got interrupted by Strout.
A willful young lady and her loyal retainers, Altrouge enjoyed her shopping and made quite a haul.
In the commercial district of Orleans, hundreds of shops offered a plethora of goods.
Silk and porcelain imported from the East.
Spices and gemstones from India.
Coffee from Arab, incense from China, African rhinoceros horns, ivory, and gold.
As for products from other European regions, they were still lacking. Mainly due to inadequate production techniques and capabilities, so they were only limited to small crafts.
In contrast, although the Holy Roman Empire was also in Europe, it had greatly improved its standards, and specialty products were selling like hotcakes.
Various blended dyes, fabrics, a wide array of clothing and jewelry, glassware, porcelain, wine, splendidly crafted weaponry—everything was available.
There were even shops selling magic potions and mystic codes. These shops were tucked away deep within the commercial district and sold everything from magic-powered airships to magic furnaces, as well as trinkets like amulets and earrings.
Despite being a vampire, Altrouge didn't mind, and she splurged, emptying the wallets of Strout and Svelten. She happily satisfied the common female desire for shopping.
'What a wonderful city...' Altrouge said inwardly. 'I must think of a way after Mother conquers the world to have her hand this city over to me.'
On the way back home, Altrouge's thoughts were filled with the city of Orleans.
Unaware of the connection between a 'city' and a 'nation' and why Orleans had experienced significant development was due to the empire's power and governance.
The naive vampire lady believed all of this was what a city should naturally possess.
Besides the shops selling expensive items, peddlers and street vendors were selling all sorts of stuff in the alleys. Of course, most of it was food.
Various sugars, candies, confections, chocolates, ice creams, pastries, grilled meats, juices, and more.
From fried noodles, egg-filled pancakes, egg scones, oily noodles, and meat buns. People were selling a wide variety of dishes.
The appearance of the Dragon Emperor not only enriched the empire's merchandise but also its culinary culture.
Although she was a vampire, just the aroma alone and the sight of so many delicious snacks made Altrouge very hungry, and she wanted to try everything.
However, the Black Princess encountered a massive challenge.
"What?! Sold out?!"
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