Chapter 332: It sounded cool in my head.

"You leave that to me."

Lucian spoke with a confident look on his face.

Aurelia stared at him for a short moment, then she shrugged with an impressed look on her face.

"Alright."

She nodded as she then prepared to stand up.

"Wait, wait, wait."

Lucian stopped her.

"Hmm?"

The Vampire tilted her head in confusion.

"I need your help."

Lucian asked and she stared at him with a flat look on her face.

"You just said you’ll handle it, quite confidently too, if I might add."

"It sounded cool in my head."

Lucian was honest.

Aurelia stared at him with the same flat look on her face, trying to think what was wrong with this man, but then she just let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.

He was... very interesting indeed.

"What do you want?"

She asked.

"I need to talk to Varek."

"Oh."

Aurelia’s face changed.

If Varek talks and tells them anything, even the smallest bit of proof that the Arcelis have Neroth’s Heart—

Everything will change.

So it was definitely one move they could consider, just that...

"You think he will tell you anything?"

Aurelia asked.

The last person Varek would want to talk to right now would be Lucian. Even if his return to Arcelis was part of the plan, Aurelia highly doubted he would say anything to the one who made it possible, while ripping off his hands and legs.

"I am saving his life, aren’t I?"

Lucian smiled.

They do not leave him alive once they get his Essence, so even if it wasn’t explicitly mentioned anywhere, Arcelis do plan to kill him.

Varek obviously does not know that, else he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

Now, he might not trust Lucian, but Lucian had proof and for some odd reason, Lucian felt like he was the best person, or perhaps the only person, the Vampire would trust.

Aurelia thought about it for a moment, then she nodded.

"It is worth a try."

Lucian smiled at that.

Then, he looked at her and—

"That’s what you wanted from me, correct?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Aurelia feigned ignorance. Lucian, however, was very sure.

"I was suspicious from the beginning. I am not foolish enough to think you would suddenly tell me everything about Arcelis’s little pet project when you explicitly tried to keep me out of it all this while."

"Well, you did reject my offer yesterday. So I thought you didn’t have any use for the favours you’ve been collecting anymore."

Aurelia smiled.

Lucian smiled back as his purple eyes shone.

"I have many uses for my favours, Lady Aurelia. Please do not think I’ve given up."

Aurelia raised an eyebrow at those words, however, before she could think too much about them.

"Be honest, you wanted me to talk to Varek, correct?"

"Yes."

She nodded.

"Why don’t you do it on your own? With these reports you have, he would have listened, especially considering it is coming from you. He would have told you everything he knew, then why aren’t you talking to him?"

The question made Aurelia go silent for the next few seconds.

Lucian waited.

He had all the time in the world, but he wasn’t letting Aurelia get out of this without answering.

There was something she wasn’t telling him.

"I cannot be near Varek."

And Aurelia finally answered truthfully.

"...what does that mean?"

Lucian frowned. Aurelia exhaled deeply, then, she looked outside the window and started explaining.

"When a Vampire from a significant House enters another Ancient House’s territory for an official visit, there is a custom.

They offer a drop of their blood to the host House."

Lucian frowned.

"...why?"

He didn’t understand.

"So the House can put it into the House Formation."

"A House Formation?"

"Every Ancient House possesses one."

Aurelia nodded.

"Arcelis calls theirs the Crimson Hearth."

"Crimson Hearth..."

Lucian repeated those words.

Aurelia nodded and continued explaining.

"The Hearth is woven throughout Arcelis territory. The barriers above us, defensive formations around important buildings, emergency seals, internal detection systems... many of them are connected to it in one way or another."

"Wait, are you talking about the barriers outside that protect the Vampires from the Sun?"

Lucian asked.

The two of them had talked about those barriers before.

"Yes, those barriers are part of the Crimson Hearth as well, but protecting the Vampires from the Sun is not all they do."

Lucian’s face changed.

"In simpler terms, it is like a central formation controlling the territory."

"And the blood?"

Lucian asked.

"The drop acts as an identification signature."

Aurelia answered.

"Once my blood is introduced into the Crimson Hearth, the formation recognizes me. Officially, it is stated that it’s done to make sure the formation never actually hurts the Vampires inside in case it is activated during an emergency and while that may be true..."

"That isn’t all it does."

Lucian slowly understood.

Aurelia nodded.

"They always know where you are."

Lucian spoke.

"Precisely."

Aurelia nodded.

"So as long as you are inside the Crimson Hearth, House Arcelis can track you down whenever they want.

And... Crimson Hearth is everywhere."

Lucian spoke, looking outside the window, at the transparent barrier that was far more important than what he thought.

"So this is why you cannot go to Varek."

"If I am even near the underground prison where Varek is being held, the Arcelis would know."

"And we obviously can’t have that, they would destroy evidence."

Lucian sighed.

Aurelia nodded.

"How did you even agree to it?"

Lucian couldn’t understand.

He would never be comfortable with someone tracking him all the time. There was a reason he had such a strong hatred for those internet companies who he was very sure kept their data even when they said they didn’t.

"It is courtesy."

Aurelia shrugged.

"I am not above Vampire Society."

"That’s... oddly humble of you."

"What do you mean?"

Aurelia tilted her head at the statement.

"I am always humble."

And Lucian—

He just stared at this woman with a flat look on his face.