"Oh? I wonder what Mr. Oliver plans to use to win me over?" Cold Night Feather asked with keen interest.

"The blood of the demon-slayer clan!" Oliver said with a smile. "I believe Miss Cold Night Feather must also be interested in divine blood, right? Though by our generation, it’s become so diluted it can’t get thinner. But it’s still a chance to ascend to godhood!"

"Oh? You’re right. I am indeed interested in your blood. But I could simply capture one of your clansmen for experiments. No need to bother with such troublesome, thankless tasks."

"You certainly could," Oliver replied. "But then you’d only get a diluted sample. The Cromwell Clan, however, can offer our years of research on divine blood! And high-purity divine blood produced through artificial means!"

"You’ve actually researched divine blood so deeply? Hmph. As expected, mortals always yearn to glimpse the divine realm."

"Of course," Oliver smiled. "Divine blood flows in our veins. No one can resist the allure of such a supreme substance. So, Miss Cold Night Feather, what’s your decision?"

"I have one last question," Cold Night Feather said, her crimson eyes locking straight onto Oliver’s. "If I get the answer I want, I’ll accept your commission. Exchanging years of hard work for the destruction of a major Heavenly Mandate stronghold—what drives your obsession probably isn’t just so-called justice. What benefits do you gain?"

"A large amount of development data on special equipment," Oliver replied, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "And Heavenly Mandate’s most crucial asset—their research on divine power!"

"Oh? Does Heavenly Mandate also research divine blood?" Cold Night Feather asked with keen interest. "Are they also a demon-slayer clan?"

"They are not a demon-slayer clan. They seem to study a different god. But divine power is fundamentally universal. They’ve developed it to a certain extent, so we aim to absorb Heavenly Mandate’s research and achieve a major breakthrough all at once."

"Hmm. Very well, I accept the commission," Cold Night Feather nodded. "But only after these girls finish dealing with the vampire issue."

"Of course. Let’s advance the payment first," Oliver said, snapping his fingers. A bald, muscular man in a suit and sunglasses entered from the side door, carrying a silver-white briefcase with a silver dragon-head emblem. Oliver nodded to him. The man placed the case on the table with both hands and left.

"What’s this?" Bai Xin and the others gathered around, curiously inspecting the case. While Cold Night Feather and Oliver negotiated, the girls had retreated to the table’s edge, bored and playing on their phones. Their quiet conversation went unheard, but the suited man—a large, obvious figure—placing a sizable case on the table was impossible to miss.

Oliver pressed all ten fingers on the briefcase’s touchscreen, then entered a long password. The case emitted a soft *ding* and opened with a series of mechanical clicks. White gas billowed out—carbon dioxide used to keep the interior cold. Once it cleared, the contents were revealed: a quartz glass vial, no bigger than a thumb, filled with golden liquid and nestled in white dry ice. It glowed eerily and beautifully under the light.

As Cold Night Feather observed, the three girls suddenly gazed dazedly, reaching out to grab the divine blood. Cold Night Feather instantly released a moderate mental shock, snapping them back to their senses.

"This is an inferior product, Mr. Cromwell," she said, quickly stuffing the vial into her deep cleavage. Her jeans pockets were too shallow, and dropping it would be disastrous—though quartz glass wouldn’t shatter from a simple fall.

"I… I felt the whole world go dark," Bai Xin said, pale-faced and staring fearfully at Cold Night Feather’s neckline. Lin Mi and Shuo Ye looked no different. "Only this bottle was a light, tempting me to grasp it, to open it."

Oliver just smiled nonchalantly. "To mortals, isn’t divine blood like poppy? Beautiful yet dangerous—that’s one of its traits. Of course, this is inferior, hence its strong allure for them. But you and I are fine, right? The clan wouldn’t give perfect divine blood upfront. That’s your mission reward. This is just a small down payment."