"What was that?" Delia asked, trying to come to her senses after what she saw.

"It is the leader of the beasts and protector of both the dark lands and the cities of the humans. He and I have an agreement that makes us and the beasts allies."

"Damn, that was scary. Not even in the Blood Arena have I met creatures with such a terrifying aura. I still get goosebumps." Vlad said.

"Well, it seems that the humans had a strong ally even without us. I don't know anyone who could defeat that serpent. Even if all the elders united, it would hardly have any effect. We are like insects to him." Delia muttered.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure Teres won't hurt us, but we have to be careful. In any case, he hasn't sensed any hostile intent from you, and that's a good thing. We should move on." Wain said.

"Yes." Delia and Vlad nodded and followed him.

...

They quickly ran through one of the four cities and headed toward the main base of Last Light on Merge Island.

Delia and Vlad looked at the cities and the people they met. Wain didn't fool them, every one of them was a human, and this was a real treasure to vampires. They understood that this opportunity had fallen to them and no one else. Only the beasts were connected to the humans.historical

"This is your main base?" Delia looked puzzled at the huge wooden and stone structures in front of her.

"Yes, don't be surprised. Before the Merger of Worlds, there were constant battles in our world, and recently there was nothing but forests and ice and fire lands on this island. It is a great achievement of our artisans that they could create something like this so quickly." Wain said and headed toward the main building where Gisle was.

Aside from the usual residents, here mainly were the strongest members of Last Light, so no one stopped Wain. They knew who he was.

Gisle's office was upstairs with a great view of the waterfall and the dark lands and cities on the other side.

Click.

Wain opened the door and stepped inside.

The first thing Delia and Vlad saw was a massive wooden desk in the center of the room piled high with stacks of papers. It even completely hid whoever was sitting at the table.

Gisle pulled the stacks of papers apart and smiled slightly.

"Wain...how glad I am to see you...I finally have a reason to take my mind off this endless work..." Gisle said as if he was about to die the next moment. His voice was weak, and there were big bags under his eyes from severe sleep deprivation.

"Huh, it's a good thing I'm not in your shoes. I hate this boring and torturous job."

"Me too, but it's my duty. I have no other choice. What's more, Elsa asked me to fill out everything correctly and accurately so there are no misunderstandings and the work goes smoothly."

Gisle looked at Delia and Vlad standing behind Wain and asked, "Who's that?"

"You look exhausted. Can't you tell from their blood red eyes that they're vampires?"

"Vampires?" Gisle wondered. This was his first encounter with this race.

Like Wain, he knew what vampires looked like since the image of these fantastic creatures was often used in various books and stories, but imagining and seeing was a very different experience.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Gisle Enge, and I'm in charge here, although I haven't felt that way lately. Have a seat."

Delia and Vlad nodded and walked over to the table. They felt strange. They had a mixed first impression of Gisle. They thought the leader of the humans had to be someone almost as strong and powerful as Wain, but Gisle didn't seem that way.

Like all other races, vampires greatly valued strength, which was one of the reasons why Delia and Vlad communicated so freely with Wain.

"Wain, tell me about the situation. Why are these two here?"

"It's simple. By some random coincidence, I ended up at Vlad's estate and in the city of vampires. Then they were attacked by angels, I helped them, and they agreed to become our allies. Delia, the head of the vampire city, and one of the elders came here to discuss terms with you in more detail."

"I see, nothing out of the ordinary."

It was unclear whether Gisle had said this because he was tired and didn't have the energy to wonder or because every time Wain disappeared for a long time, something like this happened.

Vlad and Delia were puzzled by this reaction. It seemed to them as if Gisle didn't understand at all the importance and uniqueness of the situation in which they found themselves.

"Delia, what are your terms? I'm sure you have certain wishes. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here in person." Gisle asked seriously. In an instant, his gaze and voice changed, and an unusual aura emanated from him.

Delia smiled. Now she felt that she had the leader of a great city and a powerful race before her.

"Yes, first I want to decide the most important thing, blood. I won't hide it, we vampires love blood, and it seems that the blood of the humans is the best and tastiest of all."

For vampires, blood was not only food but also an effective way to become stronger. Vincent mentioned this to Vlad many times.

Many vampires did not store energy and fought quite rarely. They drank blood and slept in their coffins. Their bodies did all the work for them, and yet, thanks to their instincts, they were extremely dangerous opponents in battles. Even some of the Pillars dreamed of such abilities and envied the vampires.

"So you want blood, I see. That was expected. Okay, I don't mind, but you have to offer something in return. To us, blood is practically nothing, but to vampires, our blood is a priceless treasure. I hope you understand that I expect an equal exchange."