Chapter 41: Purple Scar
Han immersed himself in bloodline research so deeply he didn’t even have time to play with Hanna, who sat beside him. She didn’t mind. He read through bloodlines with a soft smile that reminded her of passionate, talented warlocks.
I love to see Master putting his genius to use.
It was a sharp contrast to his former self. He used to blow his allowance on alcohol. She hummed beside him as he studied.
A lot of lesser Demi-Humans share similar patterns in their bloodline layers. It must be because they’re all lesser Demi-Humans, closer to monsters than to intelligent beings.
As he studied the bloodlines’ traits and how their innate powers were coded, Han discovered a hidden element he hadn’t seen before: a purple scar in the bloodline string. No human had this element, so it had to be unique to Demi-Humans.
Knowing the origins of Demi-Humans from his Father’s Artifact, Han began to suspect what kind of prowess this element could trigger in humans. Even so, he could only theorize without proper experiments. Fortunately for him, he had a strong healer on his team and plenty of slaves who would love to feel her warmth.
Han smiled.
I’ll combine Appraisal with Obsidian Cauldron and start toying with their bloodlines and that purple element. Let’s see how it goes. For now, though, I can’t do shit because we’re on the road, and slaves must stay silent.
Han turned to Hanna.
She met his eyes.
Things fell into place. She embraced him and let him kiss her mouth and skin to his heart’s content. Hanna could hide the kissing marks with her scales, so no matter how hard her master ravaged her, she could cover it and keep working as if nothing happened.
One convenience of being a dragon, Han guessed.
Once the sky darkened, they were far from the Tenaxis main household, and the battlefield’s mana had waned. He liked the idea of stopping and setting up a tent for the night. He smelled monsters all around them. A clear source of food.
The train of carriages stopped by a pond. The horses panted and plunged their muzzles into the water, while Han and Denver climbed down from the driver’s seat.
"I can turn the driver’s seat into a roofed bed. All for you, Han!" Denver said.
Han harrumphed. "Not skimping on your comforts? I’ll take it. Go sleep with the slaves."
"Uh... well, I’m fine sleeping under the stars." Denver looked away.
He’d rather freeze than sleep alongside the smelly, hateful slaves. He walked off to find the least windy spot. Meanwhile, Han flew up to the roof and sat between his pets.
He rested a hand on his knee and let one leg dangle off the edge. He wanted to talk about the Steel Fortress, the Nevolnik Dark Family, and the purple element he’d found in the Demi-Humans, but the open sky and the full moon overhead stole his attention.
Feels good to be free.
His shoulders loosened. He took in the pond’s noisy ripples.
"You look like a retard," Xena said.
His jaw ticked.
"Yeah, you had to be the one to ruin a good moment of peace, right?" Han rolled his eyes at the hot bitch and flicked her forehead.
Bellatrix sighed.
Han did too and got to the point. "So, Steeferce, the Steel Fortress. Anything I should watch out for when we get there?"
"Just don’t tip off Nevolnik or Awberg, and you’ll be fine. Set clear boundaries: you’ve come to this city with either money or a clear business in mind, and you’re competent. If not, and if you appear too weak, Awberg will use you as an example to show they’re dealing with the Underworld, but that’s just pretense. Sticking with that merchant will give you enough cover for now," Xena said.
She might be a bitch, but she was an experienced one who knew her stuff. Han nodded at her.
Bellatrix surprised them both. "It sounded like genuine, heartfelt advice. Has the smacking gotten to you, Xena?"
Han’s eyes gleamed, and a wide smirk spread across his face. The look tipped Xena off. She cursed loud enough for every slave in the long carriage train to hear.
She shouted, her cheeks flushed red. "You shut up, holy whore, preaching about goodwill and shit to everyone despite not knowing their lives! You haven’t realized after all these years how laughable and narrow-minded you are! How can you know whether I liked that bastard smacking my ass or not?"
"So did you like it or not?" Han asked as Bellatrix’s smile vanished.
Xena bit her lip and refused to answer. Blood trickled down her chin as she held it back. Han burst out laughing at the sight and waved his hand.
So you like it, huh?
Han asked about Awberg.
"It’s a subfamily of the main family, Esberg, which belongs to the Order of Law," Bellatrix explained. "The Order of Law is a coalition of various nobles formed after the fall of the Yumaria Kingdom. Many have a say in this Order, which makes it prone to corruption. I’ve met a lot of great people there, so I see light in them as well."
"As well? Ha." Xena clicked her tongue.
"I see. Now, about the purple element I found in the Demi-Humans," Han said, mentioning his recent find.
"You found it in your own bloodline?" Xena asked.
"No," Han replied.
"Either you’re still trash, you don’t have it, or it’s different. Got any idea what it might be?"
Han nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the moon. More than an idea.
Han believed the purple element tied to the origin of Demi-Humans, Wyrds. Born from humanity’s woes, it likely evoked an instinctive fear in humans. Anyone weak who saw even an average Demi-Human would break into a cold sweat and fear for their life. It was part of the food chain, and that purple element surely heightened those feelings.
If I’m right, I can convert that innate presence into fear toward Demi-Humans or any other specific race, making those slaves particularly effective against a limited group of other races.
Had Bellatrix heard him, she would have sweated profusely.