After letting out a sigh of relief, Vivian pulled out her card, which featured a High Priestess in white robes as its standby screen. From it, she began dumping the magic items she had obtained this time onto the expensive-looking carpet.
“These are...”
Lilith bent down to pick up a uniquely shaped, long-handled double-edged axe woven with black and red, still stained with water and moss.
“Magic items. Loot from this dungeon trip,” Vivian replied nonchalantly, resting her chin on her hand.
“Your Eminence, may I use this axe?”
The housekeeper Lilith had been captivated by the axe's appearance the moment she saw it. She held it in her hand as she asked Vivian.
“Didn't I say you could use whatever you want? Just make sure to register it.”
“Understood. Thank you, Your Eminence. Also...”
“What else?” Vivian asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.
“Your clothes are dirty. Would you like to clean up first?”
“...”
Vivian looked down at the dark grey sludge clinging to her pure white dress. She fell into thought for a moment before a smile played across her lips.
This sludge had gotten on her during her playful tussle with Gu Xiaobei; it was a kind of memory. Vivian shook her head.
“Forget it. Just have someone bring me a new set.”
“Of course.”
With that, Lilith prepared to leave to call people to transport the massive pile of magic items.
However, Vivian called out to stop her.
“By the way, have the people looking for dungeons found any leads?”
The profits from this expedition had shown her the potential of dungeons, so she had decided to make a move into them.
In fact, since the dungeons first appeared, she had been having her subordinates search for them.
She had participated this time specifically to see what the returns were like in such places.
The results were gratifying.
Although her gains didn't compare to those of Hierophant and The Tower—she only had a hundred or so magic items—the World Items and other materials produced were the real deal.
Even if that particular dungeon was unique due to its seal, obtaining any magic items at all was a massive profit for her.
“They found two. Judging by the color, they should both be low-level dungeons.”
“That's good. Have the men prepare; we'll go conquer them tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Eminence.”
“One more thing. Pass down the word: if anyone sees a woman with scarlet eyes, try your best not to provoke her. Also, find someone to buy identification glasses from the nearby settlements and the world channel.”
Thinking of Lan Qingyou's Magic Eye, Vivian gave one last instruction as Lilith was about to leave.
It wasn't that she was afraid of Lan Qingyou's Magic Eye, but rather that the ceiling for the Magic Eye talent seemed incredibly high.
If they provoked a witch with an attack-type Magic Eye, they might not even know how they died.
“Understood.”
Lilith replied and then left, carrying the giant axe.
Vivian stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open.
It was already evening. The afterglow of the setting sun hit her face, bathing her small features in a rosy red hue.
She was currently inside a solemn and mysterious Gothic castle nestled in the mountains.
This castle was her Level 6 shelter.
Below the castle ran a small river about twenty meters wide. Along its banks stood various Gothic cottages, some still under construction and others already completed.
Beside these cottages were many magic tents.
A total of ten thousand vampires lived here.
These were Vivian's subordinates.
As a vampire, her sensitivity to and control over blood were naturally unparalleled.
So, when Chu Yuan had given her ten thousand portions of Star Dragon King Essence Blood and asked her to create a mana liquid that could evolve people into vampires, she had divided those ten thousand portions into twenty thousand to produce it.
With her precise control over blood, splitting one portion into two was trivial for a Vampire True Ancestor like her.
Though she suffered from social anxiety, it didn't mean she didn't want to interact with others.
After all, all sapient beings have a social nature, and she was no exception.
It would be one thing if she were the only vampire in the world, but the Supreme Council also had ten thousand of them.
She needed ten thousand of her own to protect herself.
Who knew how the Supreme Council would treat vampires in the future? One could never be too careful.
Furthermore, now that she had become the 'True Ancestor' of all Phantom Mist Vampires, she was a being who could dominate them all.
She no longer had to fear being bullied as she had been before.
Thus, she had distributed the remaining ten thousand and sixteen portions of vampire mana liquid—everything except for the drop she used herself and the ones lost in experiments—to the people in the surrounding shelters.
Those people hadn't hesitated for a second.
Even though they knew that becoming a Phantom Mist Vampire meant becoming Vivian's subordinate, they didn't care.
After all, there were people all over the world right now who would bankrupt themselves just to get a single evolution item.
Being a mere subordinate was nothing in comparison.
Moreover, as a 'celebrity' who unabashedly displayed her castle shelter, Vivian had earned their respect.
One might ask, what if someone didn't respect her?
Apologies, but those who didn't had already perished during previous attacks on the castle.
Being so ostentatious inevitably attracted the gaze of those with ill intentions. Since her shelter was Level 2, people had constantly been trying to 'make a quick buck.'
Without exception, they had all died beneath the castle walls and were buried in the forest behind it.
Inside her castle, besides herself, there were sixteen other vampires.
Every one of them had awakened with the strength of a Marquis after using the mana liquid.
As such, they had moved directly into her castle.
Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron?
This was simply a hierarchy of vampire strength she had modeled after novels.
Even the vampire race itself was something she had imagined using the power of her own imagination while creating the mana liquid.
There was no harm in borrowing a few titles.
Of course, the most important reason was that it made it easier for her to manage these ten thousand-plus vampires.
Or rather, it made it easier for her to be a hands-off boss, delegating management to others.
After all, one couldn't expect a nineteen-year-old shut-in girl to manage a listed company with ten thousand employees.
As for why these sixteen people were in the castle, it was entirely a misunderstanding.
When she was distributing the mana liquid to the surrounding crowds, being poor with words, she had chosen a silent approach.
This behavior gave others the impression that she was 'aloof and regal, like a queen.'
Thus, the people who had been struggling on the edge of life and death suddenly felt as if they had found a faith, viewing her as a goddess. This was why Vivian was addressed as 'Your Eminence.'
It was precisely this 'aloof queen' persona that led everyone to start a battle after becoming vampires.
Rate on N.U.
