Lorevil glanced through the drawer and remembered there was still a high-quality blood crystal inside, one she had specially prepared back when she was pursuing Catherine.
It was the size of a fist, with a deep crimson color and a pure scent.
This also meant the bloodline energy contained within it was extremely potent.
Seeing the blood crystal, Linuoer forgot all about her shyness. She quickly leaned her head forward and, almost without hesitation, opened her mouth and bit down.
Crunch, crunch—
The crisp chewing sounds echoed within the stronghold. The fist-sized blood crystal visibly shrank in her mouth.
Linuoer ate with a look of utter satisfaction, her twin tails swaying slightly, her purple eyes brimming with happiness.
It was as if she were tasting the most delicious delicacy in the world.
Watching this scene, Lorevil couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.
In no time at all, the entire fist-sized blood crystal had been completely devoured.
Linuoer licked her lips, not leaving a single crumb, and gave Lorevil a sweet smile. “M-more… I want more…”
Lorevil stared at her now-empty palm, momentarily stunned.
Noxia’s eyes also held shock. This little girl was way too good at eating.
Even the original owner of this fist-sized blood crystal hadn’t been willing to give it all to Catherine at once, preferring to keep it for herself.
‘I can’t afford this. I really can’t afford this.’
Even so, Lorevil decided to keep Linuoer.
Thorn’s low-end combat strength was sufficient, but they were still sorely lacking in mid-to-high-tier fighters.
As an anomaly, Linuoer could erupt with third-tier strength, which was barely acceptable. With some nurturing, she might become useful.
But the fact that even walking consumed her bloodline energy, forcing her to eat blood crystals, gave Lorevil a headache. ‘Would I have to find a Vampire to push her around in a wheelchair?’
Lorevil spent some time studying the little girl.
She discovered that Linuoer’s Devour trait had relatively low absorption efficiency for low-tier energy. Eating it wouldn’t alleviate her hunger, which was why she had left it for Thorn to reorganize.
For years, Linuoer had barely survived by devouring the blood energy of low-tier blood beasts in the wild.
“Forget it, Ira. Arrange a separate supply of high-tier blood crystals for Linuoer going forward. Allocate it according to the standard for Thorn’s core members.”
Lorevil turned and instructed Ira beside her.
“She has the Devour trait, after all. Perhaps she can become a fixed special combatant for Thorn. Focus on nurturing her.”
“Understood, Lady Lorevil. I will arrange it immediately.”
Ira bowed in acknowledgment and noted the matter in the notebook she carried.
Noxia, meanwhile, started chatting with the adorable little girl, the atmosphere becoming quite harmonious.
“By the way, has Elini’s schedule been finalized?”
Lorevil stood up and stretched, remembering the matter of entrusting Elini to create a training plan for Noxia.
Noxia had been feeling somewhat insecure lately because of the attack on her.
Getting her started on training earlier could also help divert her attention.
“Rest assured, it’s been confirmed with Elini. She needs to handle the basic training schedules for Thorn members today, but she has a free slot tomorrow morning.”
Ira replied respectfully.
“I’ve already made arrangements with her. She will go directly to your residence then, so as not to inconvenience the Madam.”
“That’s good.”
Lorevil nodded in satisfaction. “There’s no need to rush for quick results. The important thing is that she can persist while ensuring safety.”
“If any auxiliary equipment or nutritional supplies are needed, take them directly from Thorn’s resource warehouse. Put it on my account.”
“I will relay that to her.” Ira responded.
By the time Lorevil finished handling these matters, it was already evening.
After instructing Ira to select a new stronghold for Thorn as soon as possible, Lorevil left the Thorn stronghold with Noxia.
She first took Noxia home to rest, then took a detour to the cafe where Mahina worked.
Ever since their agreement to attend Mary’s funeral, she had been resting at home for two days and hadn’t been able to contact Mahina during that time.
It had genuinely made Lorevil a bit worried.
After all, Mary’s death would be very hard on Mahina.
At this hour, there were very few customers left in the cafe. Warm yellow light illuminated the tabletops.
Mahina was there, head bowed as she carefully wiped a coffee cup. Her jet-black hair hung down on either side, and her profile looked exceptionally soft and beautiful under the light.
Hearing the door push open, Mahina instinctively turned to look.
Seeing it was the Lorevil she had been longing for, Mahina’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“It’s so late, Lorevil. Why did you come?”
Mahina put down the coffee cup she was wiping, walked over to Lorevil, and asked.
“I haven’t seen you for the past few days. I thought something might have happened to you.”
Lorevil felt a pang of guilt. She really had been neglecting Mahina these days.
“I came to ask if the time for Mary’s funeral we agreed on before has changed?”
Lorevil walked over and sat down in her usual spot by the window, remembering the purpose of her visit.
“I was just about to tell you. The priest sent someone with a message saying the funeral has to be postponed until the morning.”
“The location is still the original boarding house.”
Mahina thought for a moment, then pulled over a chair and sat down opposite Lorevil, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
“I wanted to tell you, but I don’t know where you live, and I don’t have a communication crystal. I could only pay extra attention to the window while working every day, hoping to tell you the time.”
Mahina lowered her head and said softly, a hint of grievance in her voice.
“It’s alright, I’m here now, aren’t I? And don’t worry about wasting my time,” Lorevil said awkwardly, rubbing her nose.
It was also fortunate that Noxia’s corruption value had dropped, otherwise she wouldn’t have found it so easy to placate Noxia.
Nor would she have had the chance to come to the cafe.
But she understood the girl’s meaning.
Mahina wanted more of her time, even if it was just a few minutes.
But Lorevil hadn’t been able to spare even that little bit of time.
This made Mahina feel lost, immensely wronged, and even led her to think of her own tragic circumstances because of Lorevil’s neglect and Mary’s funeral.
Lorevil’s arrival was just in time. The girl was only one step away from breaking down, from falling into the abyss of endless despair.
Death, whether for Humans or Vampires, is a terrifying thing.
It was at this moment that Mahina truly felt how important Lorevil was to her. She clung desperately to this faint glimmer of light.
Although Lorevil didn’t know what Mahina was thinking or what she had been through recently, what she saw was a girl crying and shedding tears.
She already understood everything.
“Don’t cry, it’s alright…”
Without realizing when, Lorevil’s hands were already cupping Mahina’s face, gently wiping away her tears.
“Next Wednesday morning at 8:30, I’ll come pick you up at the cafe entrance.”
Hearing this, Mahina looked up at Lorevil, her eyes red from crying, looking pitifully charming. “I won’t keep you waiting long.”
Lorevil chatted with her for a few more minutes, asking about her recent work situation.
Only after seeing that her condition had stabilized did Lorevil get up and leave.