Adam then asked questions that had been bothering him for quite some time.
How powerful was the Vampire King truly?
How many vampires did he have under his command?
The answers truly surprised him.
The Vampire King was far more powerful than Adam had anticipated. Even Aramen, the strongest among the councilors, could not last more than a few minutes against him.
That alone was enough to put things into perspective.
Aramen was a Templar Paladin. He stood at the pinnacle of strength within City Hall and was powerful enough to kill most monsters in the secret plane without much difficulty. Yet before the Vampire King, even he could barely survive for a few minutes.
And the most disturbing part was that Aramen's survival had not been the result of his own strength.
He had survived because Jacob had allowed him to.
The Vampire King could have killed him if he truly wished to. The fact that Aramen had walked away alive was merely the result of Jacob's passing whim.
Adam's expression grew increasingly grim as he absorbed the information.
Then came the matter of the Vampire King's forces. His court contained several vampires at the Mana Seed Rank. And beneath them were hundreds of weaker vampires.
Adam fell silent upon learning that. That was not a force he could casually deal with. Even if he somehow managed to kill a few Mana Seed-level vampires, there were still the others. And beneath them were hundreds of vampires who could overwhelm him through sheer numbers.
He was not so conceited as to believe that he had a chance against Jacob and his army all by himself.
For a moment, Adam reconsidered everything that had happened since entering the secret plane. His decision to cooperate with City Hall had been correct. There was no question about it.
Had he chosen to act alone, he would have been walking straight into a death trap. No matter how many tricks he had up his sleeve, there was simply too great a difference between fighting a handful of powerful enemies and confronting an entire vampire kingdom.
Not to mention, he lacked the magic he was most proficient in — summoning magic.
Most importantly, he now understood, no matter how much he despised it, why the councilors had been willing to swallow their pride and make a deal with the very monsters they were supposed to fight.
Most importantly, he now understood, no matter how much he despised it, why the councilors had been willing to swallow their pride and make a deal with the very monsters they were supposed to fight.
The thread of hope Jacob had dangled before them might be thin, fragile, and perhaps even dangerous. But without it, they had nothing.
He discussed a few other topics with them. Through it all, Aramen remained silent, barely speaking a few words.
For now, he didn't disclose his own partnership with one of the vampires — Sandra — for he didn't trust them at all. Nor did he tell them about the map and the information he had found in the Sun Temple.
However, he did make his intention to travel beyond the mountains known to them. The reason he gave was that he wanted to personally scout the lands beyond the mountains. But the truth was that he wanted to visit the second spot marked on the map.
With the mana oath in place, the councilors didn't think that Adam would do something to sabotage them. Besides, they believed that if he wanted to leave the secret plane, then his best bet was to ally with them.
Adam and Luca soon left the meeting chamber.
The councilors assigned them private chambers on the same floor, allowing them to remain within City Hall under their supervision.
Luca was immediately taken to the infirmary, where the healers treated his injuries. With the mana oath in place, neither Adam nor Luca believed the healers would dare try anything.
Once Adam was finally alone, he closed the door and retreated into the mysterious space within the Lotus. He hovered before a new floating sphere of light.
Inside it were the memories of Philippe d'Aubigny, the first king of the Valouis Kingdom.
Without hesitation, Adam extended his hand and pressed it against the orb. Then he slowly closed his eyes and began absorbing the memories.
***
Adam arrived on a vast, beautiful plain covered in lush greenery.
The scenery before him slowly changed as Philippe's memories began to play out.
A young Philippe rode at the head of a small party, his horse moving steadily across the open grassland. Behind him were several armed men, all dressed in the attire of warriors.
Eventually, they reached the edge of a cliff. Philippe reined in his horse and looked down.
Adam, as a bystander, turned his head and followed Philippe's gaze. His eyes narrowed.
A large group of people could be seen in the distance. Unlike Philippe and his companions, they wore strange, unfamiliar clothes. Several caravans and horses surrounded their camp, while many of them slept on the grass or in tents.
Philippe stared at them for a long moment, his eyes glinting. A cruel smile appeared on his young face as he asked, "So what do you think?"
One of his companions glanced around at the endless plains. "It is certainly fertile. There is plenty of water nearby as well. The mountains behind us serve as natural barriers."
Philippe nodded. "More than enough room for our people to settle, aye."
Another man looked toward the distant camp. "What about them?"
Philippe's expression was full of disdain. "Those people?"
"Yes. They were here before us."
Philippe gazed down at the distant settlement with undisguised contempt.
"Then they will have to be removed," he spoke coldly.
The men behind him exchanged glances. One of them said, "This is just one tribe. There are countless more occupying these lands."
Philippe spoke indifferently. "These lands are perfect. We cannot allow a bunch of primitive gypsies to remain here and interfere with our settlement."
His eyes turned cold, and his words colder still.
"We did not cross countless miles to share this land with them. We will build our kingdom here."
"But these people—" One of the men tried to speak, but was ruthlessly interrupted.
"These people will be eradicated," Philippe declared.
He turned his horse away from the cliff and commanded his men.
"We shall not live under the same sky as these heathens."
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