The ones who are hardest on you are often your own people.
Moreover, Chu Yi had employed dishonorable tactics to compel these nobles to join. He demanded an entrance fee, stipulating that all their fiefs, resources, and properties were to be transferred to the Queen.
Just as the nobles were panicking over the loss of their fiefs and preparing to contact the Duke to serve as undercover traitors, the great Queen, in an act of apparent goodwill, launched a "referral program."
Anyone who recruited another noble would earn a portion of their fief’s resources. Furthermore, if those new recruits brought in others, the original recruiter would receive an additional small commission.
These perpetually arrogant Blood Race lords, having never encountered such cunning human tactics, quickly recognized this as a massive opportunity.
In this shattered Dark World, Blood Race titles were closely linked to fiefdoms.
If they kept recruiting, accumulating profits layer by layer, wouldn’t their fiefs become many times larger than before? This would surely enable them to ascend to higher titles in the future!
Instantly, the nobles’ grievances diminished somewhat. They began to praise the Queen’s benevolence, comparing her to the great Progenitor’s Daughter. Then, they started selling out their own kind and backstabbing friends.
This change of heart was also because the Queen’s ruthless young human servant—that detestable human—had also introduced a "last-place elimination" system. Anyone who failed to meet performance standards or ended up at the bottom would be sentenced to death, as the Queen did not tolerate incompetence.
This comparison caused the Blood Race Queen’s expression to darken within the tent, for in ancient legends, the Progenitor’s Daughter was an unspeakable creature born from a meteorite.
"Chu Yi, what did you do to them?"
Lias reclined on a luxurious, soft sofa. Her exquisite, flawless face held a hint of allure, and her piercing blue eyes stared curiously at the handsome young man massaging her toes as she asked.
She tilted her head and blinked, unable to understand.
The loyalty of these nobles was pitifully low. They even secretly hated her, their Queen, for seizing their fiefs, taking everything, and compelling them to betray the duchy.
Why not just kill them? Why keep them around, as if for some festival?
"Hmm... we have to find something for them to do."
Chu Yi smiled faintly. "Violence can’t solve problems," he said. "After all, we’ve received a proper education; we must win people over with virtue."
Lias was taken aback and gave him an odd look. This ruthless man, who had personally slain two great Marquises, dared to call *her* violent?
Infuriated, she stomped her Jade Foot, pressing its soft, pink sole against Chu Yi’s face. "Yes, I *am* violent!" she pouted. "Do you like it?"
Chu Yi grasped her ankle. "You’re now a Blood Race Queen, full of majesty," he mumbled. "Don’t be mischievous like a little girl... Well, you can be like that when it’s just us, but killing them wouldn’t destabilize the duchy’s rule."
"We need to divide some of the nobles first. Then, we’ll announce that the great Blood Race Queen will overthrow the Duke of Rein’s tyranny and liberate the duchy. Winning over some while suppressing others will alleviate some of the pressure."
"No, you don’t. You are a fool!"
"How dare you call *me* a fool? Chu Yi, are you tired of living? AWOO! I’ll bite you!"
"AWOO! I’ll bite you too!"
The sofa began to shake.
After a moment of playful wrestling, Lias felt limp and weak. Her dress outlined a captivating curve, and she exuded an intoxicating scent of roses, her beautiful face resting on Chu Yi’s chest.
Her pink lips pressed against the handsome young man’s shoulder, her pearly teeth leaving a faint mark as she softly murmured,
"Chu Yi, I want to go back."
Chu Yi was taken aback.
Although the girl had completed her bloodline transformation and become a glamorous Blood Race Queen, at heart, she was still an eighteen-year-old blonde girl.
Holding the girl tightly in his arms, his chin resting on her silken golden hair, Chu Yi gently said, "Then tomorrow morning, shall we leave?"
Lias’s bright eyes sparkled, suddenly remembering her teacher’s words that this Dark World was the source of her power.
She didn’t want to be surpassed by the Succubus Princess. She, too, wanted greater power to protect the things precious to her.
Her father, Chu Yi, her honor, and so on.
Lias made up her mind. Her hand pressed against the young man’s chest, her pupils shining like deep sapphires. "I want to become stronger. You’ll stay with me, right?"
Chu Yi smiled. "My Queen, your loyal Knight will forever be the sword that cuts through thorns for you, and your unbreakable shield."
He realized that when Lias got serious, she truly wanted to become stronger. She was afraid of the day she would be left far behind, unable to even glimpse his retreating figure, eventually leading them down separate paths.
As Chu Yi exited the camp, which was constructed from entwined and piled flowers, a maid, accompanied by an anxious middle-aged noble, cautiously approached him.
"Sir, here are the paintings you requested."
The middle-aged noble wore a top hat. He took out some portraits from it, lowered his head, and handed them to Chu Yi.
Chu Yi glanced at them and casually asked, "Are these recent?"
"Yes, Sir. These are portraits from the palace, including the Duke, the Duchess, and more than a dozen of their sons and daughters. Each one could sell for at least ten gold dragons."
The noble in the top hat raised his head slightly to explain, "To promote his achievements, the Duke commissioned not only paintings but also statues. I’ve collected some of them myself."
Chu Yi nodded. "You’ve done well. Alright, you may leave. The Queen is never stingy with rewards for her loyal subjects."
The noble bowed his head once more, a slight twinge of humiliation pricking him from within.
To reclaim his fief, he had to curry favor with this human and the so-called Blood Race Queen. This necessity filled him, a Blood Race lord, with profound humiliation.
But soon, the Duke would undoubtedly dispatch an army to crucify this band of traitors who persecuted the nobility.
And as for that Blood Race Queen... after her capture, considering the Duke’s peculiar tastes, he’d see if she remained so arrogant once her dress was torn from her.
The thought of the Count’s daughter, the alluring Blood Race Queen, caused a thick glint of greed to surface deep within his eyes.
Blood droplets splattered.
A rusted Short Spear pierced through his left ear, spraying a blossom of blood and pinning his skull to the ground.
Before he could utter a full scream, the twisting bones in his neck blocked his throat, and only a choked, painful whimper escaped.
"Ah, sorry about that," Chu Yi said apologetically, under the maid’s astonished gaze. "My hand was a bit shaky on my first sneak attack. Please understand."
He then once more manipulated the white bone to snap the top-hatted noble’s neck. The Divine Hand surged with a flowing white light, engulfing the Blood Race noble.
The top-hatted noble immediately turned into a mass of color, devoured by the Divine Hand.
"Alright, you may leave now," Chu Yi said, glancing at the maid with a smile after "consuming" the Blood Race noble.
The maid became apprehensive and carefully retreated.
Once the surroundings fell silent, Chu Yi smiled faintly and took out a pile of portraits.