Section 47 states

"Hehe, indeed, on the surface, a total of six ambitious families are qualified to become leaders. Let's not talk about anything else, the internal friction alone is enough. Although the little girl's words lacked skill and were too direct, little Grufiz did not think of it. However, the core of the internal friction is that there is no authoritative adjudicator. A dispute between two ordinary people can find a judge to make a decision, and there is no such 'judge' between two countries, or between two powerful forces. But this time we were in a different situation. It should be said that we have experienced quite a long time of internal quarrels. Even my elder brother was elected Grand Duke on the premise of 'non-hereditary'. ”

"Not hereditary?, so the next Grand Duke ......"

"That's right, we have a secret agreement internally. The next Grand Duke will not be directly inherited by my eldest brother's son, but will go through a 'nomination' procedure to choose a suitable successor within the six families. Of course, only one member of each family can participate in the election. Little Grufiz said with a seemingly understatement. "It's a fair way to give the weak a chance: even if they fail in the race for the Grand Duke this time, they can try again the next time, and to make sure that the best of us becomes the ruler. ”

"Why are they...... Believe that the Grand Guild of Grufiz will act according to this secret agreement?" This time, even the little girl noticed the loophole in her words. Hereditary succession can be said to be an unwritten rule in the entire human world! Historically, there have been many such ad hoc "non-hereditary" agreements, which have led to an alliance between opposing political forces. But history is also a cold record of the fact that all of these agreements were broken in the last place. In modern times, there has never been such a thing, because no one would believe that it would be executed.

"Ha Lu Ha...... Well, all I can say is that there is a way to convince everyone. Grufiz Jr. replied.

"Do you believe this yourself?"

"Why don't you believe it?" said little Grufiz with a little regret. "What is agreed upon cannot be changed. Besides, it's a good thing for me personally. What I have to do is try to teach my child well so that he has a chance to inherit the throne of the Grand Duke. ”

......

As little Grufiz walked out the door, he glanced at the tavern hostess, who was still napping. I don't know if this was deliberate or accidental, but in short, this qualified hostess never woke up from his sleep, so he didn't hear anything.

It's really amazing, that little girl...... It's a pity. Little Grufiz secretly felt sorry for the little queen in his heart. Although she quietly gathered her own strength at this age, far beyond the expectations of others, but it is a pity that the general trend has gone. Unless Garunas is reborn, this is the situation...... No matter how you look at it, there is no hope.

The little queen also confessed before leaving, "Please don't tell anyone about our meeting." Well, this sentence alone shows that this little girl is not mature enough. Of course, for her age, she has done enough exaggeration, but the rules of this world are not that the young and weak must be taken care of.

He stopped again at the tavern door. Where the hell did the wind chimes go? I can't find them in such a dark light, I can't even ask someone.

As he hesitated, he heard a slight sound of wind. Then a figure jumped from the roof next door to the tavern.

"Ah, Miss Wind Chimes!" little Grufiz breathed a sigh of relief. "Where have you been? ”

"It's nothing, it's just an acquaintance. The sound of the wind chimes sounded uneventful, but her robe was stained with water. Since it wasn't raining at this time, little Grufiz could only assume that she had either thrown her robe to the ground or had accidentally fallen. However, of the two possibilities, the latter is really not very large. And her behavior just now, well, to say what "meeting an acquaintance" is, undoubtedly just a casual reason. "It's a pity for me...... Hey, is it really more nostalgic?"

The wind chime suddenly frowned, then closed his eyes and sniffed in the air.

"Strange, how can this place smell of blood?"

"The smell of blood?" asked little Grufitz, a little surprised.

"Well, the smell of blood. Wind Chime replied, and she opened her eyes, her gaze wandering around the tavern. "It's from this tavern...... Should be ...... today. At most, there was bloodshed here yesterday. I'm afraid that more than one person died. What are you doing here?"

"This ...... I was actually looking for you, and then I met ...... on the way Someone you know. Little Grufiz thought about it, and finally decided to answer like this. "It's pretty late, though......"

"It doesn't matter, compared to our Lord Byron, there will be patience waiting for us. Wind Chime replied unabashedly. "If he doesn't have the patience...... Then others will have this patience. ”

The contempt in her voice made little Grufiz feel uncomfortable for a while.

"Alright, Miss Wind Chimes, let's hurry over. He barely smiled. "In any case, the Duke of Byron is also the regent of this country, and it is not polite to let him wait too long. ”

......

As the two of them walked through the darkness, in another part of the city, the "Red Rose" tavern in the Flower Block, Rhodia walked into her shop through the back door of the hotel. As with all taverns, there is a back door behind the tavern counter to facilitate the movement of goods in and out, but this back door is always closed during normal business hours.

Today, the "Red Rose" is temporarily closed, so the outside gate is locked, and the inside is dark. The tavern is not a big deal to close for a day, at least on the surface, so no one cares too much about it, although the bustling streets are bustling with people. Almost no one noticed that the hotel's owner, Rhodia, had quietly returned to his shop through the back door. Of course, even if her whereabouts are seen, what does it matter?

In the dimly lit hotel, a light was turned on. Rhodia sat alone under the lamp and made herself a glass of pink wine. Each pub has a different style and faces a different clientele. Her tavern is the type that specializes in cocktails of all kinds. Because the guests who come here are never specifically for drinking. A small glass of beautiful and expensive wine is king.

Although things went a lot smoother than expected...... But...... It seems that she has been dragging on for a long time, and she has not come back until now?Rhodia is well aware that her current sister has a strength that greatly exceeds that of ordinary humans, and is very familiar with the terrain of the city, but ...... She's been dragging on for too long.

For what, there is some kind of ...... An unsettling premonition?

She made herself a second drink. She added a lot of honey to this glass of wine. The sensation of a mellow and sweet drink in the mouth, turning into a stream of heat down the esophagus, is at least intoxicating, if not intoxicating. When it comes to bartending, she is already a master, and she can even be considered a master.

It's almost there...... No, it should be said, only a little bit. She had made the most of everything she could take advantage of, and now all she needed to do was be patient.

It's a shame if there is an ally who is both capable and loyal...... She thought as she admired the remnants of wine in her glass. If there is such a person, maybe she can organize a gang openly and make herself invisible as a behind-the-scenes operator...... That Ashrufat would have been a good fit. Such a strong-willed, skillful man is suitable for this. It's a pity that although he is powerful and trustworthy, he seems to have no ambition at all.

Someone knocked a few times on the back door. One heavy sound, two light sounds, is the code of the agreed.

Rhodia stood up and opened the back door. Walking in outside the door was a girl who was very similar to her, so similar that anyone could see the blood relationship between the two at a glance.

"Laria, why has it been so long?" asked Rhodia, who casually led the door.

"Met someone who shouldn't have been. Scarlet Rose, or Laria's maiden, said in a tone that she didn't know whether she was sighing or afraid. "A companion of my past. ”

"Companion, what's going on?"

"Her name is Wind Chime, and she is a girl who was sold to West Vania like me. Suddenly Lalia took the half glass of wine from her sister's hand and drank it all in one gulp. "And I met on a journey, on a slave ship. I still remember that the night on the boat was very cold, and we huddled together to keep warm. Later, she and I used to sleep in the same room...... And then we accepted the vampire deal together......"

"What do you mean...... She's coming for you?"

"No, she didn't come to me on purpose. It should be said that it was just a chance encounter. She's been sent here for another business. I fought with her for a long time, but at the end of the day, she may have remembered the time when we snuggled together and kept warm, and maybe she was not sure to beat me. Anyway, she let me go...... He also promised to help me hide it as much as possible. But it's just 'doing her best', she's already sold her soul to the vampire, so there's a good chance that the vampire will know about me. ”

"Wait, is it possible that she is like you?"

"No, I'm afraid it's too late...... She genuinely accepted the vampire's deal. I think her soul is already under the complete control of the vampires. Laria dropped her glass. "But it's normal, I noticed it when the two of us were together...... She seems to be grateful to the vampire and even kind of like it......"

At the mention of the word "vampire", Laria's body twitched visibly, and there was more fear than hatred on her face.

"You mean, a vampire would ...... if she had complete control over her soul"

"At least on the surface, she was uncontrollably in love with the monster. Laria said. "I laughed at her, saying that the monster had a lover for a long time, and that if she was going to be his lover, she should at least be prepared to sleep with ten women...... Do you know what she said? She said that if a vampire would want her to sleep, she would be willing to share it with fifty women. ”

"The vampire took control of her soul?"

"It should have been, if I had been ...... Then...... If I hadn't chosen to stay, I would have probably become like this. Laria slowly drew her sword from her waist. This is a weapon that is slightly thinner than an ordinary long sword, and the sword body is as smooth as a clear spring, which can clearly reflect her mirror image. Although this sword killed many people today, there was not even a trace of blood left on the sword, let alone a gap or anything. A fool knows that this is no ordinary weapon, but it is not a magic weapon. Even the most brilliant magicians could not detect any special energy on the sword, and the dwarven craftsmen who were the most skilled in the craft of forging could not distinguish the metal of the sword.

"Anyway, Sivania is too far away, even vampires can't do anything about me!"