Chapter 287 (2/2)

“Yes, we do. But it’s not filling enough, so we still need blood to maintain our vitality,” Hessiana said as she glanced admirably at Vivian. “I really envy Lady Vivian; she can live entirely on human food, but we can’t. We still depend on the reserve in the blood bank—you know, it’s not easy to find food anymore nowadays!”

Listening to the way Hessiana spoke, Hao Ren quickly spotted the similarity—it was hereditary; Hessiana had indeed inherited it from Vivian. But one thing was obviously different— the magical powers in Vivian’s blood were not present in Hessiana’s. The bloodline had been diluted. Vampires of the Hessianite Family could only gain full vitality by feeding on blood, although they could still survive on human food. He watched the going-ons in the hall as a complicated but subtle feeling riddled him. The vampires were gobbling up the food like there was no tomorrow, and just like Hessiana, they had that same devil-may-care attitude; they just did not possess the quality of elegance and impassiveness of the pure Blood Clan. Sitting among the pile of food on the tables were glasses of red liquid. It was this kind of stuff that normal people would consider gross. Hao Ren could not help asking as he pointed to the glass before Hessiana, “Is that blood?”

“Yes, you want some? I can pour you some, but just for the sake of Lady Vivian. You know that I don’t like you, but you’re still my guest.” Hessiana held up her glass and gave it a little swirl as she continued, “I’ve heard that some human shamans actually drink blood, pretending to be big-tailed wolves.”

Lily responded by hitting the table. “The tail’s a source of pride! Don’t belittle it!”

“Shh, it’s got nothing to do with you.” Hao Ren shoved Lily behind him, and then looked at Hessiana awkwardly. “I’ve also heard that vampires keep humans as blood slaves. They harvest fresh blood from the human like one would milk a cow—just keeping them barely alive, without any freedom. May I ask, is this blood—”

“Lady Vivian told you that?” Hessiana gave Hao Ren a sideways glance. “I just don’t understand what’s so great about you that Lady Vivian would be willing to follow you. Don’t worry. Times have changed and so have we. I don’t know about those fuddy-duddies, but we do things the new way—the civilised way. Our blood supply comes from humane sources and the dealings are absolutely fair as well as open…”

Nangong Wuyue frowned. “Just tell us where it comes from.”

Hessiana turned her face away. “The hospital’s blood bank. And some are sourced by way of procurement agreement. Hunting is a dying practice nowadays. Cruel practices such as blood slaves will get ourselves killed.”

“All right, I can accept the idea of a blood bank although that’s a little novice. What about the agreement?” Hao Ren asked.

Hessiana had a forced smile on her face. “You know, while humans and otherworldlings are generally enemies, there are those who have a more unorthodox way of thinking—those like the heretics, cultists, satanic-worshippers, vampire societies and etc. Got it? These people are the source of blood for the otherworldings in this sanctuary. We even have assets out there such as businesses and mines, which are manned by humans. But behind the walls of these normal looking businesses, the bosses could be members of the Blood Clan or even demons. How do you think a sanctuary as large as this survived till this day?”

Hao Ren’s mind was stimulated. He could imagine a flashy, publicly-listed company operating a totally legit business under the sun. When the sun went down and the company closed its doors for the day, the CEO, whose face was always splashed on TV would assemble his or her stuff in the office. The CEO would set up an altar, draw some magic circles and chant some incantations. The individual would praise as well as worship the vampires or demons while waiting for his or her blood to be taken. After that, the company’s financial reports and bags of fresh blood would be delivered underground… The picture could not be more real.

If that was the case, how many of these company bosses were actually killed by demon hunters?

It seemed that the conflict between demon hunters and otherworldings had evolved; it was not just a close quarters one. They infiltrated and assimilated into human society to carry on the war. No one could tell how things would unfold.

But at the moment, Hao Ren could only lament.

The otherworldlings had indeed kept up with times.