Uphemia’s heart tightened, but she still maintained her calm facade:
"Yes, Father. To successfully approach the target, I had no choice but to temporarily accept the monitoring of the observation station."
"Foolish!"
Aiden’s anger erupted like a volcano, causing the entire domain to tremble under his wrath.
In the distance, within the Garden of Sorrow, the blood-tear flowers wilted under the horrible oppressive force:
"How could you allow that decrepit old fool to leave a mark on you? It’s a contamination of the purity of the bloodline!"
Blood tentacles began to twist madly, emitting a terrifying energy capable of tearing through space:
"I must immediately remove this damn mark! Completely remove it!"
"Wait! Father, listen to my explanation calmly!"
Uphemia hurried to stop him, her voice full of urgency:
"The presence of this mark actually benefits our plan! Truly!"
"Benefit?" Aiden’s voice was full of skepticism, "Give me a reason not to remove it immediately!"
Uphemia took a deep breath, employing the survival tactics she had learned since childhood—how to find a glimmer of hope amidst Aiden’s fury:
"Think about it, Father..." Her tone became sincere:
"If I didn’t have any monitoring on me, with Uther’s suspicious and paranoid nature, he would never allow me to approach Ron. He would consider me a threat and eliminate me directly."
She observed Aiden’s reaction:
"But now it’s different. He thinks he can completely control my actions through this mark.
It will make him lower his guard, giving me a better opportunity to get close."
Aiden’s anger slightly subsided, the spiral in his vertical eye slowed its rotation.
His remaining rationality began to analyze his daughter’s words.
"Continue..." His tone was still dangerous but no longer purely murderous.
"Moreover, Father..." Uphemia continued, her voice carrying an appropriately excited tone:
"Through this ’cooperation,’ I’ve secured an official position at the observation station! This means I can stay by Ron’s side long-term, having ample time to slowly execute the plan!"
This statement drew Aiden into contemplation.
From a strategic perspective, long-term lurking is indeed more effective than short-term assault.
Moreover, with Uther’s cautious nature, without sufficient control measures, he wouldn’t let a suspicious person roam freely.
"What you say... has a point..."
The King of Blood’s tone began to soften but was still full of warning:
"But the existence of that mark still makes me extremely uncomfortable... It will restrict some of your actions, and might even expose our plan at a critical moment..."
"Rest assured, Father."
Uphemia hurriedly reassured, feeling thankful in her heart for the other’s persistent foolishness:
"I’ve already found ways to circumvent the monitoring. Utilizing the mark’s own traits, I can shield its perception at certain critical moments."
Her words actually contained a plethora of information manipulation and logical traps.
But for the rationally impaired Aiden, these seemingly plausible reasons appeared quite convincing.
"Alright..."
Aiden finally made his decision:
"Temporarily keep the mark. But remember, once the mission is completed, I will remove it entirely. I won’t allow any external force to linger long-term on my daughter."
"I fully understand, Father."
Upon hearing this decision, Uphemia breathed a long sigh of relief in her heart.
If the King of Blood removed Uther’s mark now, she would truly have no way out.
"Now, let me prepare some additional assistance for you..."
Aiden began to mobilize deeper powers, the ends of the blood tentacles splitting into several smaller branches:
"Since you are performing a mission in that dangerous environment, you need sufficiently strong guards..."
From the tentacles emerged four humanoid figures, each possessing perfect female appearances but with unnaturally pale skin.
More unsettling was the lack of any personal emotions in their eyes, only absolute obedience to their creator.
These were Aiden’s proud creations—the "Blood Brides," each crafted from carefully selected materials as high-level bloodline constructs.
"Let them prove their worth..."
Aiden’s voice carried a cruel expectation: "Only the strongest one qualifies to be your guard..."
The four Blood Brides immediately entered combat mode upon receiving the command.
Their fighting style differed completely from ordinary members of the Blood Race.
No frenzy, no roar, not even any superfluous movements.
Every strike was precise and lethal, every dodge just right.
Like four exquisitely precise killing machines, executing a dance of beautiful yet brutal death.
The battle proceeded intensely yet quietly.
The only sounds were the claws cutting through flesh and the droplets of blood hitting the ground.
Ultimately, a Blood Bride with deep crimson hair emerged victorious.
She immediately began to devour the blood and abilities of the defeated, undergoing significant enhancement during the process.
Her already perfect figure became more splendid, skin exuding a pearl-like sheen.
Most importantly, her power reached the verge of the Moon Level.
"Consume this and complete the final transformation."
Following Aiden’s instruction, Uphemia extracted a precious Blood Dew Crystal, handing it to the evolved Blood Bride.
The crystal contained pure life essence, valuable enough to drive countless bloodline scholars insane.