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Heir of the White Lotus (Web Novel) - Chapter 2017: Purely Utalitarian
Chapter 2017: Purely Utalitarian
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Adam and the councilors came to an agreement.
The mana coursing through their veins served as the foundation of the oath. A faint fluctuation of magical energy spread through the chamber as both sides bound themselves to its terms.
Adam and Luca would not reveal the council’s secret arrangement with the vampires to the rest of the adventurers. In return, none of the councilors would directly or indirectly attempt to harm them.
The terms were simple. The consequences of breaking them, however, were not.
"So now that we’re technically allies," Adam began in a solemn voice, "why don’t you tell me why it is that you allied with the very monsters we’re supposed to be fighting?"
Aramen remained silent, his expression unreadable. Umlo, meanwhile, seemed equally unwilling to say anything.
Eventually, it was Kesha who spoke.
"It was the only way," she said softly, a bitter smile on her face.
Adam raised a brow. Meanwhile, Luca scoffed in contempt.
Kesha continued, "The Vampire King guards the only known exit from this secret plane. Or, at least, that’s what he claims anyway. For years, we have tried everything we could think of to find another way out."
Gregor nodded solemnly.
"We’ve tried everything," he said. "Explored ruins, searched the city, fought the monsters, looked for another passage. Nothing worked."
His expression grew grim and helpless. "We failed every time."
Kesha sighed. "The arrangement with the vampires is the only thing we’ve found that offers even a glimmer of hope."
She looked at Adam and continued, "We may not like it, but without their cooperation, we have no way of leaving this place."
Adam rapped his finger on the table, deep in thought. Almost a minute later, he spoke again.
"So, what? You supply them women, and in return, he allows you to leave the secret plane?"
Aramen scoffed.
He turned to Adam and replied, "Only if it were that easy."
Adam arched an eyebrow. "Do explain."
Gregor chimed in. "We did sign a mana oath with the Vampire King. In return for offering maidens to him, he will show us the way to leave his kingdom."
"Key word — show us," Kesha added.
Adam’s finger slowly stopped tapping against the table.
Maidens? He thought with a frown.
Gregor let out a bitter sigh. "The Vampire King never promised to let us leave the secret plane. He only promised to show us the way out."
"And whether we can actually leave or not," Kesha continued, "depends entirely on us."
For a moment, silence descended upon the chamber.
That was the glimmer of hope the councilors had been desperately clinging to. They knew the Vampire King would not simply open the gates and allow them to walk out of his kingdom. The mana oath did not bind him to do so.
All he was obligated to do was reveal the path.
What lay beyond the path, what dangers guarded it, and whether they possessed the strength to overcome those obstacles and escape the secret plane were all problems they would have to face themselves.
Still, after years of searching without finding anything, even the knowledge that an exit existed was enough.
It was the only hope they had.
Adam’s eyes grew dark and grim.
He wasn’t looking down on the councilors for desperately clinging to the thin thread of hope Jacob had dangled before them. After being trapped inside this cursed secret plane for years, he could understand why they had chosen to grasp at even the slightest possibility of escape.
But that was precisely what worried him.
A thread of hope can just as easily become a noose around one’s neck, he thought.
What if the Vampire King had never intended to let them leave?
What if this entire arrangement was nothing more than a game?
A carefully constructed illusion meant to keep the adventurers obedient and desperate enough to continue supplying him with whatever he wanted?
The more Adam thought about it, the more sinister the entire situation appeared.
But even that was not what concerned him the most. His thoughts drifted to Genevieve. Then to the other maidens who had disappeared from the city.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist beneath the table.
The councilors believed they were sacrificing a few lives for the sake of hundreds. Perhaps, from a purely utilitarian perspective, Adam could even understand their reasoning.
But what exactly did Jacob want with these women?
That was the question Adam could not ignore. The monsters had been abducting maidens for years. Yet the Vampire King had apparently never revealed the purpose behind it.
Just what are you planning? Adam wondered grimly.
Something told him that the answer would not be pleasant. So he couldn’t help but ask:
"Do you all know his motives? Why is he so obsessed with taking maidens?"
Kesha was silent for a moment before answering, "Earlier, we believed it was simply to satisfy his carnal urges."
Adam’s eyes flashed with barely concealed wrath.
"But over the years, we learned that it was something more," Kesha continued, her expression turning serious.
"He had been doing this for countless years. And the only maidens he accepts are human women."
That detail immediately caught Adam’s attention.
Gregor nodded. "At first, we thought it was merely the preference of an ancient vampire. But the more we observed, the less sense that explanation made."
Kesha continued, "We believe the maidens are being used for something else. A ritual."
Adam nodded subconsciously. This was what he had learned from Genevieve before she was kidnapped.
"That is all we know," Kesha added with a helpless shake of her head. "As for what kind of ritual it is, what purpose it serves, or why human maidens are specifically required..."
She shook her head slowly.
"We could never find out."
The urge to visit the second spot marked with an X on Sandra’s map grew stronger in Adam’s heart.
He suddenly asked, "Has any of you met the Vampire King before?"
All the councilors subconsciously turned to the silent Aramen.
Adam turned to him and asked solemnly, "How strong is he?"
Aramen remained silent for a long time before turning to Adam. He looked him in the eye and said flatly:
"He stands at the pinnacle of the Mana Seed Rank."
