The two conditions Guilliman offered clearly hit a nerve with the High Vampires, making them restless and striking a chord in their hearts.
Unlike Regis, the Queen of the Night, and Orianna, who were second-generation High Vampires, Dettlaff was older, belonging to the same generation as the Elder of Shadows, a hapless soul thrown into this world by the Conjunction of the Spheres.
Although he was young at the time, Dettlaff's memories of his homeland were not as profound.
But having survived alone in the Witcher world for a millennium, that homeland, which only existed in his memories, was an obsession in his heart, just like it was for the Elder of Shadows.
Conversely, High Vampire Orianna, having never seen the so-called homeland, was more interested in Guilliman's method of allowing female High Vampires to become pregnant.
Perhaps with just a little coaxing, she would also be willing to pay Guilliman for pregnancy, just like the Queen of the Night.
An even darker thought had already formed in their minds.
That was to capture this Witcher and turn him into a breeding machine for High Vampires, helping female High Vampires conceive.
However, very quickly, Guilliman used his Elder Blood ability to instantly transport himself and the two vampires hundreds of kilometers to Vizima, dispelling their notions.
This instantaneous leap of hundreds of kilometers made the two High Vampires' eyes widen, and also made them believe the Witcher's claim that he could travel between worlds and take High Vampires back to their homeland.
To be honest, although High Vampires were powerful and generally lived freely in human society, they did not like this world.
In the eyes of most High Vampires, they were the superior race, strong, long-lived, and able to recover quickly from any injury.
Humans, those short-lived creatures, were like uncivilized beasts, despicable, shameless, vicious, and barbaric.
Therefore, except for a few High Vampires, most of them even chose to live in seclusion in remote places rather than interact with humans, let alone understand them, befriend them, or make friends with them.
If human blood wasn't more palatable than other creatures', the most delicious food in the eyes of vampires, these super-powerful beings would probably never appear before humans.
After arriving in Vizima, Guilliman did not forcefully control the two vampires; instead, he politely invited them to the House of the Night.
From the cooperative attitude of these two High Vampires, Guilliman believed that his plan to cooperate with High Vampires was quite feasible... It wasn't until early the next morning that Guilliman returned to Toussaint from Temeria.
After meeting with the Queen of the Night, his negotiations with the two High Vampires went smoothly; the two vampires temporarily agreed to his requests for blood samples and some tissue collection.
Other specific collaborations would be discussed in detail later.
Although it was still early morning and the sky had not yet brightened, Toussaint's warm night breeze, imbued with the scent of grapevines, already brushed against him.
He silently blended into his vineyard like a shadow, arriving at the bedroom where he and Syanna had shared intimate moments several times.
However, as he approached, a discordant sound emanated from the room.
Guilliman suddenly revealed a smile of unknown meaning, approaching the wooden door of the bedroom like a predatory feline.
The door was not tightly shut, and a line of warm yellow light spilled out, accompanied by suppressed gasps and... the crisp, humiliating sound of some fabric being torn.
He gently pushed open a crack, and the sight before him made even this experienced Witcher raise his eyebrows slightly.
The fireplace flames danced, casting a flickering, dim yellow light over the luxurious furniture and the famous paintings on the walls.
But at this moment, the center of that halo was not the fireplace, but Duchess Anna Henrietta, who had been pushed to the center of the room.
She was sprawled awkwardly on the edge of a massive mahogany desk, her priceless Beauclair court gown already violently torn open, revealing a large expanse of smooth but slightly trembling back and one rounded shoulder.
On her ivory-white skin, several fresh red marks crisscrossed, clearly from being struck by some sturdy object, one of which was even slightly swollen, showing fine beads of blood seeping from beneath the skin.
Her hands were tied behind her back with the sash from her own dress, her golden hair disheveled, concealing her flushed face, a mixture of humiliation and disbelief. Her body was taut with pain and unspeakable shame.
Standing behind Anna, looking down at her, was her sister, Syanna.
Syanna's posture was like a dark queen performing an execution. She had shed the docile facade she usually wore in front of him, her eyes burning with a cold and fierce flame.
It was a flame woven from years of accumulated resentment, the sorrow of abandonment, and a deep, indefinable pain.
Clutched tightly in her hand was one of Anna's expensive, pearl-encrusted silk slippers.
The soft sole was now an instrument of torture. Syanna's breathing was also rapid, but not from exhaustion, but from intense emotion.
"Tell me, where is 'The Land of a Thousand Fables'?"
Syanna's voice was very low, but it was like the hiss of a venomous snake, every word laced with cold hatred and deeper obstinacy.
"Which corner of Beauclair have you hidden it in? My dear sister... tell me!"
She swung her arm, and the sole of the slipper landed precisely again below Anna's exposed shoulder blade, making another teeth-grindingly crisp sound.
"Ah--!"
Anna finally let out a short cry of pain, her body trembling violently, then bit her lip fiercely, trying to swallow back the humiliating moan, but tears uncontrollably welled in her eyes.
"You can't... how dare you..."
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
Syanna leaned down, her hot breath brushing against her sister's skin, taut with pain, her eyes filled with a mad mix of affection and cruelty.
"My dear Anna, everything you possess — the throne, the power, this duchy... half of it could have been mine!"
"But Father, and your rightful inheritance, brutally split us into two ends of hell!"
"I love you, my sister, my other half connected by blood..."
Her fingers, with their painted nails, traced the newest whip marks on Anna's back with a dangerous, caressing touch, feeling the burning swelling.
"But every time I see you, dressed in finery, sitting on that throne accepting the bow down of your subjects, that hatred corrodes my heart like venom!"
She suddenly raised her hand, about to strike again.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Three clear claps suddenly sounded at the study door, interrupting Syanna's violent outburst.
The two women in the room were startled; Syanna spun around like a frightened beast, the slipper still held in mid-air.
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