Dracula shook his head once he thought that Alaya was dead. That wouldn't be possible. He would have heard about it if she died.
"Very well, tell me what it is that you want. You came all the way from your mermaid kingdom to speak to me and I can see it on your faces that you do not like this. What was so important that it made you desperate enough to seek my help,"
Dracula said this while narrowing his eyes at the mermaids and Talia stood up slowly and took in a deep breath before she finally told Dracula about everything. She told him about how the mermaids and the lizardmen have been having a territorial battle for the last few months. She told him about how the lizardmen were trying their best to chase the mermaids out of their territory and she also told him about the way that the lizardmen were resorting to violence to try and chase out the mermaids.
Dracula was actually stunned by this. The lizardmen were trying to chase the mermaids out of their territory. That didn't make any sense at all! The demon lord gave each race their own territory to live in and no race has any right to try and take away the territory of another race. Even if the demon lord supports constructive conflict, this is not constructive at all! This is just pure idiotic conflict that could end in the eradication of both the lizardmen and the mermaids!
What the hell was Alaya thinking!? Don't tell me that her condition is so serious that she cannot even see how important this is! Does she want the demon lord to erase her race from the face of Aradite?
Dracula tapped his finger on the arm of his throne and he thought deeply for a moment. After some time, he spoke up and asked Talia what it was that she wanted. Dracula already knew exactly what Talia needed. She needed a ruler that would be able to speak to the lizard men's leader and come to a compromise with him. The leader of the lizardmen won't listen to her so she has to come and ask him for help. Dracula already knew all of this, but he wanted Talia to say it herself. That would allow him to get a lot more out of this deal.
"I want you to help us with the negotiations between the mermaids and the lizardmen. If you stand in as the faux leader of the mermaids we will be truly grateful. I am sure you already understand the gravity of this situation and there will be a lot of problems if the demon lord were to find out about this,"
Dracula rose a brow. Why the hell was Talia making it sound like the vampires would also have problems if the demon lord finds out about this? The only races that would have problems are the lizardmen and the mermaids. The vampires are clean of any blame because it isn't the vampires that forced those idiotic lizardmen to go and do what they are doing. And if the demon lord finds out about this, then Dracula can simply wash his hands of all his connections with the problem.
On the other hand, once Dracula accepts this deal, then this will become a problem and he will also have to deal with a lot of trouble if things don't work out and the demon lord finds out. Accepting this deal is like saying he agrees to an alliance between the vampires and mermaids. Dracula would need a lot of compensation for that.
"One hundred women. That will be the payment for the help that you want me to render to you. I want you to deliver one hundred human women to the vampires in the next two months,"
Talia blinked in surprise for a moment. She was a little stunned by the absurd request but she didn't allow it to shock her for too long. Talia knew that the vampires needed human blood to live. The human men were stronger and their blood would be much more nutritious, but the men could not last forever. The vampires needed women that would give birth to the next generation of blood banks and that is what Dracula is asking for. Dracula didn't even bother asking for males since it would be easy to impregnate all the women. After all, you only need one man to impregnate a hundred women easily.
It is always more difficult for mermaids to capture women because of how the men protect the women and children, but Talia didn't think that it would be impossible. Actually, it might be very possible! Many families were moving over the seas during this period as they tried to escape from the continent and go towards Volcanica or Mogul. The human families all heard what happened to Uta and they decided that since there are no more kingdoms to protect them, then they would just leave the continent.
The mermaids have been capturing the men that they needed for procreation and throwing the women and children away, but if the mermaids start capturing the women alive, then they will be able to deliver a hundred women in two months just like Dracula wanted!
Talia finally rose her head and nodded to Dracula and she told him that she agreed to the condition. She didn't even bother bargaining and she didn't bother changing the number! That is how much she needed Dracula's help!
Dracula rose a brow at the desperation he could sense from Talia. How desperate are they that they didn't even bother to bargain? Dracula rose from his chair and he told his attendant to prepare to leave. They will be meeting with the leader of the Lizardmen immediately.
Talia was stunned as she spoke up.
"We're going right now?"
Se asked this in shock and Dracula hummed at her. Didn't she come here for his help? Of course, he wanted to get done with this as quickly as possible. They would leave now and they would find out what was happening with the lizardmen.
......
The carriage that Floid was sitting in was very uncomfortable once again. Floid frowned out the window as he felt the entire carriage bumping along the road and he decided that he would start working in those shock absorbers before he leaves. He would just give the blueprints to Rizi and she should be able to build them before Floid comes back. These carriages are too uncomfortable to even be called a mode of transportation!
"We are three minutes away, my lord,"
Floid heard Alucard say this from the seat opposite him and Floid nodded. Floid was in the carriage with Alucard and Rosavellt. He sent Dragonnel ahead to the castle because Dragonne had to prepare for his own journey across Volcanica.
There was a lot of silence in the carriage for a long time and Floid was perfectly fine with that. He didn't like talking pointlessly and he would rather just stay silent like this till the end of the journey. But Alucard suddenly spoke up before they got to the demon castle.
"My lord, forgive my question. But I am very curious. Why are you so certain we will find the mythological dragon, Asgorath in the Duruvian mountains? I fear to say that it has been very difficult for anyone to find any proof suggesting that the dragon is even alive. Even the former demon lord wasn't able to find him anywhere in volcanica."
Rosavellt felt her eye twitch when she heard Alucard questioning the demon lord. This bastard dared to question something that the demon lord said himself! Is he insane!!?
Floid was also stunned by the question, although it didn't show. He knew that the members of his household would be curious about where he got the information about the Duruvian mountains from, but he didn't think that Alucard of all people would be the one to ask him this question.
But, it kind of made sense that Alucard would be the most curious one. Alucard has lived for a very long time, almost a thousand years. And he has heard about the myth surrounding the dragon Asgorath many times. It would be a little surprising for Alucard that Floid suddenly wants to go and find that unknown dragon.
Floid hummed as he thought of how to answer this question. He wouldn't tell them that he trusted his system a lot and that is why he was going. Floid liked to play his cards close to his chest and he didn't trust anyone in this world enough for him to tell them about his system. After everything that Floid and his household had been through together, Floid trusted them, but not that much.
Floid simply told Alucard that he was following a lead that he got in a secret library in Aquinas and Alucard hummed curiously. Alucard was with Floid for most of the time when they were at Aquinas and the only time when Floid entered a library was in the royal palace when they entered the royal library. Alucard remembered that Floid left for a while to enter a secret room behind the library and he wondered if that was the secret library that Floid was talking about.
Alucard asked Floid if the secret room he entered was a library and Floid nodded to tell him that it was.
Elias was in Aquinas when Floid and his demon army attacked the place and Floid noticed that the book spoke about Asgorath and how the former demon lord killed most of the dragons on Volcanica. Now that Elias has Givalich, Floid was sure that the next place he would find Elias was the Duruvian mountains in Volcanica and Floid was going to find him.
Flodi then told Alucard not to ask any more questions about the information and to simply trust him. Alucard knew that the demon lord wasn't telling him everything, but he also knew that everything the demon lord said was the truth. Alucard felt satisfied with the answer and he stayed silent again as they continued making their way to the palace.
Alucard could sense the slight anger from Rosaellt beside him but he didn't care about how angry she was. Rosavellt also understood why Alucard had to ask Floid those questions because Rosavellt was also very curious.
Alucard knew he didn't have a right to question the demon lord, but he also knew that the members of the household were not just the demon lord's servants, they were also his advisors and his voice of reason. Alucard just needed to make sure the demon lord was not going on a wild goose chase unknowingly.
But now Alucard was sure that the demon lord had a very good reason for going to the Duruvian mountains. Alucard didn't understand all of it, but for Alucard, this is enough. Alucard's father could also not understand everything that the former demon lord did, but the former demon lord never led them astray so Alucard would simply trust his lord.
As they got to the demon castle, Floid felt himself feeling calmer now that he was back home. Floid had been away from the castle for too long and now that he is back he couldn't help but feel relieved! Ever since Floid became a demon lord, the demon castle began to have a calming effect that would surround him and make him feel at home whenever he is here.
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