Chapter 489: Chapter 13: Son of the Era_2
"An underage prince? That’s something unprecedented in the Blood Clan, quite interesting." Adelle smiled helplessly, "Tell him that as long as I haven’t given up the Sambo surname, I will stand with the Sambo family and speak on their behalf. However, I must also consider my brother’s position. All the things they ask me to advocate for, the promises, must be decisions I can make independently. For example, the investments in Giant Snake City. They can continue to enjoy the right to the proceeds, but they must give me the decision-making power. Pass this message on."
"Yes, young master." The butler silently bowed and turned to leave.
"Hasn’t your family entrusted anyone to bring you a message yet?" Adelle asked Belle beside him.
"Not yet. My father doesn’t have such a keen sense of smell. But some people with a keen sense of smell have already arrived." Saying that, Belle looked toward the castle gate.
Outside the railing, the Blood Clan Lord who had hurriedly taken a bank note for a dinner seat from Belle before the hearing was now desperately waving towards Belle, still waving the note in his hand.
Maybe he knew it was impossible to get the seat at the original price now. Hesitant, he added another note, grinning awkwardly.
"Aren’t you going to take back the note? It’s double now."
"No, this amount is too small." Belle shook her head and looked at Adelle, "I’ve figured it out, I want to be the lady of Giant Snake City."
"Are you kidding?" Adelle laughed immediately, "That’s impossible."
"No, I’m not kidding." Belle raised her head, smiling, "And it’s indeed possible."
...
The stone gate opened with a roar.
This time, what appeared before Jones was no longer the empty, dark hall of the Blood Castle.
The entire hall was quiet but brightly lit, and already filled with elders. It seemed that this was how the hall was supposed to look like.
Yes, this time, even the bystanders were elders. Each elder’s face was exposed in the firelight, no longer like before, dim and shadowy like a phantom.
Sitting on the podium were three elders in total.
The elder in the center had a thin face, a tall figure, eyes like an eagle, a high nose bridge, and a stern face.
The elder sitting on the left looked very young, of medium height, with a fair and handsome face that could make most women scream.
The elder on the right was burly, muscular, with a big beard. Even though he wore a black robe, the outline of his muscles could still be seen through it. His arms were almost as big as Jones himself.
"Welcome, Jones Dracula," said the elder standing beside them, similarly dressed in elder attire but with a servant-like demeanor, "Let me introduce you."
Extending a hand, the elder looked towards the elder on the far right, "This is Elder Adrian, he is the ancestor of the Sambo family, the Ganggro family, the Clement family, the Funiye family, the Regina family, and the Flins family."
Looking at the elder in the center, he softly introduced, "This is Elder Bartholomew, our Blood Clan’s grand elder, the first Vampire of Keltos Continent. He is the ancestor of the Nikolaus family, the Cappadocia family, the Ludwig family...in simpler words, he is the ancestor of all Vampires. He is your great-great-great-great-grandfather."
Looking towards the elder sitting furthest to the left, he continued, "This is Elder Felix, your great-great-great-grandfather. He is also the ancestor of the Durand family, the Morris Family, the Messier family, and the Claudio family. In fact...I am your great-grandfather."
After speaking, the elder who introduced himself as Jones’s great-grandfather stepped aside.
Among the three elders, Elder Felix, who was the closest in blood to Jones, smiled and nodded at him. The smile seemed to convey a certain kind of approval.
With four Liches as his guards, Jones stepped into the center of the hall and stood at his previous position, respectfully saluting, "Giant Snake City Lord Jones Dracula, pays respects to the elders!"
The four Liches only gave slight bows as a gesture of salute.
Stroking his chin, Elder Felix smiled and said, "We did consider that one day we might be coerced by our descendants. After all, with so many descendants, there would eventually be someone remarkable. The Blood Clan would sooner or later produce a real strong person. Although overall very decadent, there would always be an exception, right? What we didn’t expect was to be coerced by a seventy-six-year-old child."
Slowly raising his head, Jones smiled and replied, "Thank you for your praise, ancestor."
"It’s not entirely a compliment, child. Don’t you think the key point of my words just now is ’coerced’? Don’t tell me you hadn’t considered it."
"I just followed my heart, moving forward on the road I believe I should take."
"Follow your heart? Is that also what your adoptive father taught you?"
"Yes." Jones looked up at the three elders without any avoidance, "May I ask, esteemed elders and ancestors, what important matter have you summoned me for?"
"What else?" Elder Adrian chuckled from the other side, "Do you think we summoned you to play chess with you?"
Looking at Elder Adrian, Jones smiled and said, "Elder Adrian, I respect you as an ancestor of Adelle, but if this is a formal meeting, please mind your words. From what I just said, didn’t you gather that I hope you get to the point?"
"You!" Elder Adrian’s eyes widened, his face turning green.
On the side, Elder Bartholomew, the ancestor of the Blood Clan, laughed and softly said to Elder Adrian, "I like this child very much. He is the only Blood Clan member I’ve seen dare to speak to us in this way. It’s quite peculiar, isn’t it?"
Taking a deep breath, he leaned back against the chair and looked down at Jones from the high platform, "You are very brave, my child. You are also very determined and stubborn. These are common traits of those with true faith. The Blood Clan has almost no one like you because we have no faith and cannot have faith."
"Why?" Jones asked.
"What you know is far too little. Compared to your mere 76 years of memory, our experience spans long enough to be tiresome. But it is not entirely useless. If there is a chance, I will tell you why the Blood Clan cannot have faith." Pausing for a moment, Elder Bartholomew continued, "Although we have infinite time to waste, at least at this moment, it is not time I wish to waste. Let’s get to the point as you wish. Throughout the long history, countless of your ancestors have tried to change the Blood Clan. But none of them had the power you possess, not enough to compel us to make a decision. Certainly, it is not only the power you possess that compels us to make a decision. It is also about what is happening in the north."
"Yes, the north." Elder Felix smiled, taking over from Elder Bartholomew, "We have long noticed the rise of the Lich King, and what’s happening in the north. That indeed is unprecedented for ten thousand years. Angels and demons are mainly tied down there. Though they still have many remaining forces, at least on the Keltos Continent, not much is left."
"Elder Felix, Your Highness, I don’t quite understand the purpose of your words." Jones looked dumbfounded at Elder Felix.
The entire hall was silent, all the elders were looking at Jones.
Elder Felix leaned forward slightly, smiling, "I want to ask you, you wish to maintain dual identities of Gruglu and Dracula. So, what are your specific plans for the future? This will help us make our final judgment."