Shu Yue discreetly sized up the girl who pushed open the door.
She wore an elegant, dark green dress that accentuated her graceful figure, with various gemstones highlighting her curves.
The most dazzling piece was the pigeon-egg-sized, oval emerald around the girl’s neck.
The room was well-lit with ample sunlight from the windows, and the light-colored decor allowed for plenty of diffusion.
Coupled with the Magic Power lamp stones on the ceiling, the illumination was quite bright.
Even under such intense light, the gemstone emitted its own radiant glow.
‘A mana-infused gemstone? Or some kind of magical artifact meant to protect the wearer?’
Shu Yue’s gaze met the black-haired girl’s eyes.
Vanessa was exceptionally beautiful, but that wasn’t Shu Yue’s immediate focus.
She was certain this beautiful girl wasn’t part of the Alchemists Guild but a Noble from Grey Pine City.
That was why Shu Yue was confused about why she had walked in.
Vanessa had actually seen Shu Yue shortly after she entered the guild building, having caught a glimpse of her from a distance through a window.
This was their first time standing only 3 or 5 meters apart.
Shu Yue’s appearance was somewhat unexpected.
Since learning that Emily had such a fiancé, Vanessa had asked around for information regarding Liya White.
The reports described a somewhat feminine youth who seemed a bit dull but possessed very clear amber eyes.
Meeting him now, the description seemed to fit.
Vanessa looked at Shu Yue, who remained seated.
It was the first time she had been treated this way by a male of her own age.
Usually, men would put on a fawning expression the moment they saw her, all just to earn a single smile.
Shu Yue’s brow furrowed slightly.
At first, she thought the girl might have entered the wrong room, but seeing how the girl sized her up without any hesitation, Shu Yue realized she had come specifically for her.
She slowly stood up but did not speak.
Vanessa held her long skirt and performed a Noble lady’s salute, her movements elegant and proper.
“I’m very happy to meet you, Liya White. My name is Vanessa Herman.”
“Hello, Miss Herman…”
Shu Yue recognized the name.
Wasn’t that the Herman family of Grey Pine City, the house of the Viscount?
In a place like Grey Pine City, the highest-ranking rulers were people like Viscount Herman.
Of course, the Viscount did not rule the city alone; there was also a City Lord who controlled the city guards.
These positions rotated periodically to maintain a balance of power among the local elite.
This was the system in most imperial cities in this world.
The young lady before Shu Yue was a true daughter of heaven in Grey Pine City.
But why was she looking for her?
Shu Yue soon found out.
After introducing herself, Vanessa went straight to the point of her visit.
“I heard just now that you want to purchase Dragon Blood, Mr. White?”
“Yes.”
Shu Yue nodded.
Vanessa let out a charming, soft laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.
Unfortunately, Shu Yue remained entirely unmoved.
Vanessa’s eyes dimmed slightly as she spoke.
“However, it’s quite unfortunate. I’ve already pre-ordered this batch of Dragon Blood.”
“…”
Shu Yue fell silent.
She was very unhappy.
She had gone to Baron Leicester’s mansion and even gotten blood on her hands just for a bit of Dragon Blood, and now Vanessa had come in here to proudly announce that she had pre-ordered it?
As expected of a Noble, they really loved flaunting their privileges.
Vanessa was startled by Shu Yue’s gaze.
She hadn’t expected Shu Yue to be so blatantly angry with her.
She found it rather interesting.
As the daughter of Viscount Herman, the “local king” of Grey Pine City, her status was no different from that of a princess.
She had never met a male peer who dared to treat her this way.
Those she had met before were often willing to kneel at her feet, taking pride in cleaning the dirt from her shoes.
Even knowing this was Emily’s fiancé, Vanessa felt a desire to claim him for herself and toy with him.
All sorts of wicked thoughts sprouted in her mind, though she maintained the appearance of a gentle young lady on the surface.
Shu Yue suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if a monster were staring at her with greedy eyes.
Suppressing the discomfort, she said to Vanessa, “Miss Herman, did you come to see me just to tell me that?”
“Of course not,” Vanessa said, shaking her head.
“Even though I’ve pre-ordered it, I have no immediate use for that Sub-dragon blood. If you need it, I can sell the portion I have to you at cost. What do you think of this gift?”
“Gift?”
Shu Yue keenly caught the keyword.
Vanessa smiled softly.
“Aren’t you going to invite me to sit down?”
“…Please, take a seat.”
Shu Yue just wanted to get the Dragon Blood as soon as possible.
Only the Dragon Blood could provide her with a sense of security now.
However, being impatient wouldn’t help.
After the two sat down, the door was closed, leaving Shu Yue and Vanessa alone.
Vanessa continued to lead the conversation.
“Emily and I are very close friends. I’ve already heard about your engagement to her.”
“Oh, are you here to persuade me to break off the engagement?”
Shu Yue felt a headache whenever Emily was mentioned.
This cheap fiancée provided no value and only brought trouble.
Shu Yue had long since wanted to give her a piece of her mind.
Vanessa shook her head and smiled.
“It seems someone has already caused trouble for you. But I’m not here to do that. I can see that you are actually quite excellent—a man worthy of Emily.”
“…”
Shu Yue was speechless.
It was one thing to praise her for being excellent, but was being “worthy of Emily” really a compliment?
‘Hmph, I have the Star Tempering Art and a future of infinite possibilities. Is Emily worthy of me?’
She really disliked Vanessa’s last remark.
It sounded as if her hard work was only meant to make her an appendage to another woman.
Since surviving her scabby-headed master, Shu Yue had lived for one goal: to become powerful.
Powerful enough that no one could bully her!
If Vanessa could see favorability levels, the bar next to Shu Yue would be plummeting right now.
Her favorability had already dropped to the 60 passing mark—the level of neither liking nor hating someone.
The options for deeper interaction had disappeared.
‘Want to unlock a CG for Shu Yue? In your next life!’
If Vanessa hadn’t promised to sell her the Sub-dragon blood, the favorability would have dropped even lower.
So, don’t you dare insult Shu Yue’s hard work!
Vanessa noticed that Shu Yue’s expression had turned visibly colder.
Though she was confused about what she had said to cause offense, she immediately moved to make amends.
“By the way, I happen to have a portion of triple-purified Dragon Blood as well. Since you need it so much, I’ll sell that to you at the standard market price too. How about it?”
“That’s great!”
Shu Yue’s face instantly lit up with joy.
Her gloomy expression vanished like a storm clearing, and her favorability toward Vanessa shot up, heading toward 80.
Vanessa kept the smile on her face, but she was secretly surprised.
How could a newly titled Noble youth care so little about an engagement to a Baron’s daughter and so much about Dragon Blood?
What exactly was he using it for?
Driven by curiosity, she asked tentatively, “Liya, I’m curious. You need so much Dragon Blood… what are you planning to do with it?”
As a Viscount’s daughter who frequently visited the Alchemists Guild and possessed an extraordinary status, Vanessa knew far more about potions than most people her age.
Dragon Blood usually referred to Sub-dragon blood.
Sub-dragons were large, and a single hunt could yield a vast amount of blood, but it was unprocessed.
The blood sold on the market had all undergone at least one stage of purification.
Sub-dragons originated from Magic Beasts that had acquired the bloodline of legendary dragons.
Through generations of breeding, a vast Sub-dragon lineage had formed, but it also meant the original dragon blood grew increasingly thin.
Purification was meant to remove “impurities” and increase the percentage of that sliver of true dragon blood.
The only truly useful part of the blood was that trace of the ancient dragon bloodline.
Every purification was difficult, and the difficulty increased exponentially with each level.
Of course, high difficulty meant high returns; the more times it was purified, the closer it became to true dragon blood, making any resulting potions far more powerful.
Vanessa knew the primary use of this blood was to strengthen the human body.
However, the side effects were immense.
Most people could not withstand the violent energy within it.
At best, their blood vessels would burst; at worst, they would explode on the spot!
She didn’t think Shu Yue intended to use it on himself, as he followed the path of a mage.
Shu Yue had no intention of answering the question.
It involved her secrets and could not be shared.
“Miss Herman, I’m sorry, but I cannot answer that.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Vanessa hadn’t expected an answer anyway.
She intended to chat more, as her interest in Shu Yue was quite strong.
Toys like this weren’t common, and she was starting to find him quite endearing.
Shu Yue, however, had no time for idle chatter.
She said directly, “Where is the Dragon Blood? Bring it up now.”
“…”
“You should have workshops here, right? Lend one to me. I have things to do.”
“Hehe…”
Vanessa’s smile turned a bit forced.
Shu Yue’s focus was entirely elsewhere, which annoyed her, though not enough to make her truly angry.
“I’ll have someone arrange it.”
She stood up and called for an assistant to prepare an independent workshop for Shu Yue and deliver the Dragon Blood.
Shu Yue hurried away excitedly, leaving Vanessa standing there.
For once, the girl showed a rare expression of displeasure.
She was clearly irritated by Shu Yue’s behavior.
To walk away from a Viscount’s daughter without a second glance—was she, Vanessa, really less charming than a bottle of Dragon Blood?
Emily stepped out from the adjacent room.
She looked at the frustrated Vanessa with surprise, curious about what Shu Yue could have said to make her usually smiling best friend this angry.
“Vanessa, is that Liya a total jerk?”
“No, he’s not a jerk at all. In fact, he’s quite interesting~”
Vanessa quickly regained her smile and teased Emily.
“If you don’t want him, I’d be happy to take him off your hands.”
“Oh, if you want him, go talk to your father. I don’t care about him anyway. You know me—I only like girls. Pretty, soft, sweet-smelling girls!”
“I think if he wore a dress and some makeup, he’d be quite pretty too~”
“How is that the same?”
Emily pouted.
“Only the original is the best!”
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