The chilly night wind in the royal city failed to dispel the stale tavern air clinging to Lin Xi's robe, nor could it ease the weight of the intelligence package she clutched. The shackles scraped against the cold stone steps, their monotonous echoes reverberating through the silent palace corridors. Each step felt like a hammer blow to her taut nerves.
The study door slid open silently. Lucifer remained seated behind the obsidian desk, his posture unchanged from hours ago, as if time had left no trace upon him. The flickering hearth fire cast half-light, half-shadow across his sharply defined profile. Those crimson pupils locked onto her the instant she entered, like a predator awakening in the darkness.
Lin Xi came to a halt before him, not speaking immediately. First, she drew the "Shadow Fang" insignia from her lining and placed it gently on the smooth tabletop, the metal meeting stone with a crisp click. Only then did she produce the oilcloth bundle and lay it beside the insignia.
"Mission accomplished." Her voice was hoarse from exhaustion and the recent fight, yet unnaturally steady. "Intelligence is here. Contact eliminated. Blood Clan spy... escaped."
She omitted all process, stating only the outcome. Before Lucifer, excessive detail only invited suspicion.
Lucifer's gaze first settled on the badge, which seemed to retain the warmth of her palm. Then he looked at the bundle, not reaching for it immediately. His fingertips tapped rhythmically on the tabletop. His gaze lifted again, settling on her dust-stained velvet robe, flecked with a barely perceptible trace of blood, before finally resting on her calm, unruffled eyes.
"Escaped?" He repeated the word, his tone devoid of emotion.
"He killed the contact to silence him, then left," Lin Xi replied. "He left a message."
"Speak."
"'Tell your master that the Shadow sends his regards.'"
"The Shadow..." Lucifer murmured the words, something flickering in the depths of his crimson pupils, too swift to grasp. He leaned forward slightly, his invisible alpha dominance spreading like a tide. Though not directly oppressive, it thickened the air itself. "Why do you think he chose to... pay his respects to you? Or rather, to me?"
This was a trap. Whether she answered yes or no, it could spark deeper suspicion.
"I don't think so." Lin Xi met his gaze without flinching. "I merely relayed what I heard. As for its meaning, Your Majesty can judge for yourself."
Lucifer stared at her for a long moment before suddenly tugging at the corner of his mouth. It wasn't a smile, more like contemplation of some amusing phenomenon. He finally reached out, picked up the oilcloth bundle, and effortlessly untied the cord with his fingertips.
Inside lay a black crystal stone, thin as a cicada's wing, and a folded parchment treated with a special potion.
He picked up the parchment first, his gaze sweeping over the symbols written in cryptic script. His expression remained unchanged. Then, a barely perceptible thread of energy gathered at his fingertip, gently touching the black crystal. Ripples spread across its surface, projecting a blurred image and fragmented voices into the air—
"...border patrol routes... night of the full moon... 'Bone-Eating Grass'... can temporarily disrupt the power of the wolf clan..."
The image shattered, the sound cut off. Yet the revealed information was terrifying enough. The Blood Clan not only possessed the Wolves' patrol secrets but was also planning an assault using a special drug.
Lucifer waved his hand, dispelling the image. Silence returned to the study. He tossed the crystal and parchment carelessly back onto the desk, as if they were mere trivial objects.
"So," he turned his gaze back to Lin Xi, his eyes sharp as blades, "a 'sacrifice' capable of easily obtaining and retrieving intelligence of this caliber, an existence that prompts the Blood Clan's 'Shadows' to pay their respects... Should I believe you were merely fortunate, or should I believe you are an integral part of this scheme?"
His suspicion was stark and direct.
Lin Xi's heart beat steadily within her chest. She knew this was the true test, a hundred times more perilous than the tavern brawl.
"Your Majesty may believe," she spoke slowly, her voice not loud but carrying an unusual weight, "that a 'tool' who craves survival and possesses the ability to deliver value to you... is far more useful than a dead sacrifice, or an uncontrollable 'ally'."
She used the word "tool" again, placing herself in a position lower yet safer. She lifted her gaze, meeting Lucifer's soul-piercing crimson eyes:
"My life rests in your hands, Your Majesty. And my worth has just averted a potential border crisis for you. This is my 'loyalty'—the price I can pay at present."
Lucifer fell silent, the study filled only by the crackling of the hearth fire. He studied her—from her resolute gaze to her slightly clenched jaw, to the fists unconsciously tightened beneath her wide velvet robe.
Suddenly, he chuckled softly. The sound was low, carrying a cold, all-consuming control.
"Very well." He rose, circled the desk, and stepped before her. His towering presence brought an intense sense of pressure. "You have proven your 'usefulness'—for now."
He reached out, not to pick up the badge, but to trace his fingertips lightly over the dried, fine blood trails on the side of her neck—scratches left by the mercenary's nails. The motion carried a tenderness bordering on cruelty.
"These wounds... were they suffered for me?" he asked, his voice mere inches from her ear.
Lin Xi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. "For the mission."
Lucifer withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemingly still tinged with the faint scent of blood.
"Remember your words, 'tool'." He turned, walked back to his seat, and pushed the black crystal toward her. "You retain your 'Shadow Fang' identity for now. Take this. I need to know its full method and range of transmitting information. This is your next mission."
[Side Mission Update: Analyze Intelligence Item "Shadow Eye".]
He made no further mention of the vampire spy's escape, nor did he press her about the "Shadow" salute. But Lin Xi knew the seeds of suspicion had been planted. She had won a moment's respite, only to step deeper into the fog.
She picked up the cold, black crystal and gave a slight nod.
"Yes, Your Majesty."