The Martial Unity

Rui and Amare gazed at him dumbfounded. “I only say this because we have good relations with the Kandrian Empire and Gen Temple,” he spoke with a serious tone. “I expect you to keep this a secret.”

They quickly nodded, still stunned. “Was the drinking blood thing also fake?”

“No, that was all real,” he shook his head. “Messing with blood gets messy. Very messy.”

Rui wasn’t sure if he wanted to know exactly how messy it got. “Still, the blood-drinking does scare people off and reinforce our image,” the man grinned. “It allows us to continue our research in peace.”

“…What is your business model?” Rui frowned. “If the Blood Cult is simply a research organization in disguise as a cult, then where are you getting your funds?”

“Our members work for free, as do our Martial Artists. Their only compensation is knowing that they are getting closer to their goal,” he remarked. “We are self-sufficient largely, but we do indirectly trade through numerous shell organizations and fronts. We do not officially engage in any trade whatsoever. It helps reinforce the image. For engaging in trade officially would require diplomacy and rationality.”

“…Fascinating,” Rui muttered. “I still am having a tough time believing you, if I’m being entirely honest. This place is still, well, unpleasant.”

And yet, the longer the Blood Lord spoke, the more it became clear that he wasn’t lying.

Granted, there were still many extremely unsettling aspects of the Sage-level powerhouse, but the deeper they went into the Blood Cult, the more it resembled a giant mega-research organization.

The lowest of members were still fully indoctrinated, of course.

They had to be for this giant sham to work.

But the higher-ups were clearly aware of what was happening. It was a strange atmosphere that Rui couldn’t really describe very well. It was just so unlike anything he had ever expected and unlike anything he had ever seen. It would be as though the Sages of the Virodhabhasa Theocracy were entirely in on the secret that the Transcendent Prophet had told Rui.

Still, while it was a relief that Blood Lord Vrukshus seemed like a rational person when one actually conversed to him, he was not comfortable in the Blood Cult. Amare was the same.

The explanations and rationales didn’t quell her unease.

In fact, they even exacerbated it. Neither of them wanted to stay in the Blood Cult for even a minute longer than they needed to. “So, I have a rather busy schedule at the moment,” Rui coughed uncomfortably. “If you don’t mind, I’d like just get my business with the Hellbringer and breakthroughs done as quickly as possible and then move on.”

Blood Lord Vrukshus raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would have liked to get some rest first from your long journey. Reaching the Blood Cult isn’t a relaxing journey, after all.”

That was true, but Rui had the Blood of Solaris, and Amare didn’t mind testing her stamina limits by immediately journeying to the next Sage-level powerhouse.

“Ah, we’re good. Really. So let’s just get this over with.”

“Is that so? Very well then,” Blood Lord Vrukshus nodded. “However, I do have a favor to ask of you.”

His tone was normal.

And yet, Rui felt chills across his skin.

“Don’t worry, it will only take a few minutes if that is what you want,” the Blood Lord smirked mischievously. “Of course, it can take hours, too, if that is what you want.”

Rui furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m really not inclined to fulfill any favors. Just—”

“I thought you might say that; that is why they brought you here,” Blood Lord Vrukshus remarked, gesturing to the door before them. The seemingly endless corridor that they had begun pursuing from the start finally hit a dead-end to a large door before them. “…Where’s ‘here?’” Rui narrowed his eyes.

Blood Lord Vrukshus smiled as he opened the door. “This is where we store our treasures.”

Rui widened his eyes in shock as the door opened to reveal a treasury, unlike anything he had ever seen.

It was an enormous open space lined with rows of all manners of objects.

Some were straightforward; he spotted Transcendent esoteric substances that were understandably treasures.

He even spotted some blood samples that sent tingling sensations across his nerves.

They passed by all of them as they eventually arrived by a nursery that seemed to harbor a specific species of flora.

Carnivorous flora.

The plants seemed to have giant mouths with teeth, leaving absolutely no doubt about what their purpose was. It was attached to an enormous pouch armed with veins popping out of it eerily.

However, Rui remained frozen with shock as he gazed at the plants. That was because his Enlightenment of the Tree of Life told him that this species was not natural.

It wasn’t outside the Tree of Life, unlike the alien flora species back home.

But it was like a leaf that had emerged from diverging branches merging back into one, giving rise to this one species.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen.

“Meet the Bloodwhirler species,” the Martial Sage gestured at the carnivorous plants. “These plants are actually an artificially designed and created lifeform, courtesy of none other than the Divine Doctor himself, centuries ago.”

Rui grew curious at the mention of the Divine Doctor.

Anything that involved him was extraordinary by default.

“You see…” he began. “This carnivorous species consumes blood. It traps its prey in the pouch that you see while little organic tubes dig into the prey’s body sucking blood out. Ordinarily, the prey would die on the spot, but this particular species enhances the regeneration of the blood of the prey, allowing it to recuperate the stolen blood, which it then steals once again.”

“What…?”

“That’s not all,” the Blood Lord Vrukshus smiled. “This creature’s consumption of blood acts like a filtering process similar to that of the Body Evolution process. In other words, the prey’s blood slowly evolves while it remains within the plant’s pouch. For Martial Artists in particular…”

His smile widened. “…It enhances their power greatly, allowing their Martial Bodies to grow stronger.”

Rui’s eyes lit up at that revelation.

“What do you say, Dawnbringer?” he gestured to a bloodwhirler plant. “Interested?”