There was still one last experiment to test. Namely, to check if the Blood Energy stored in these rings were processed differently by his body when he transferred it back to himself.
To be sure, Ikaris reabsorbed in his own body 5 of the 11.7 points stored in his Blood Energy Sublimation Ring. Logically, he expected his Blood Energy gauge to read 6.1/10.
That was not what happened.
[Blood Energy: 4.6/10 points]
Although the Blood Energy stored in his ring was accounted for in some way, his body was obviously making a difference. Adjusting his System and Appraisal Spells, he managed to get the interface of his Blood Energy Sublimation Ring to display an additional data.
[Grade 0 Blood Energy (46%): 6.7/1000 points]
The Grade 0 referred to the fact that this energy was inferior to the one generated by the most basic human blood, while the 46% was the theoretical maximum of his personal Blood Energy gauge when using this poor quality source to replenish his batteries or feed himself.
Blood Energy was not all bad. When this gauge was sufficiently full, Ikaris could easily tell that he was not hungry at all. As long as it was high enough he didn't need food or water to maintain his mental acuity and physical performance. A Vampire theoretically didn't need to sleep either.
Done with his tests, the teenager transferred the Blood Energy from the Sublimation Ring to the Blood Energy Storage Ring, deciding to fill the first ring with ordinary animal blood at the first opportunity. Perhaps he would have the chance sooner than he thought back to Tartarus Shade.
Ikaris shared his intentions with Malia and Ellie, filling the former in on the insights from his System and she took note with her head bobbing up and down repeatedly as he made his point to show that she was listening.
At the cost of half his Stamina, he took the risk of scanning Malia with her consent. He wasn't sure he could overcome her Magic Defense, but by exerting his full concentration like never before he had narrowly succeeded.
In doing so, he had been able to discover that her Blood Energy Rank was level 3, with the gauge stagnating at about 11/40 after his breakfast. The tank capacity seemed to double with each advancement.
On the downside, as Magnus had informed him earlier, a purer Bloodline and a higher Blood Energy Rank heightened both the pros and cons of being a Vampire. Even when consuming gallons and gallons of animal blood, she could not recharge her Blood Energy gauge beyond 11/40, which was only 27.5% of her actual capacity.
Yet because her tank capacity was four times greater than his, she could go without blood longer than he could just by consuming animal blood.
Malia may have been sired by a Vampire Emperor, but she was only a Dhampir, not even a true Vampire like Ikaris. Her Bloodline's standard was above his, maybe around that of a Vampire Knight but nothing transcendental.
By this alone, Ikaris could already determine that animal blood would become totally ineffective from Rank 4 or 5 onwards even if he remained an ordinary Vampire. This only strengthened his conviction to find a reliable source of human blood in the future.
Furthermore... He hadn't changed his original plan. For his return to Tartarus Shade, he wanted to be in peak condition to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. And for that he needed to fill at least half of his Blood Energy tank to enjoy the Rank Bonus.
"Malia, I know I'm going to ask you something that goes against your principles but I need you for something..-"
At first the young woman was delighted that Ikaris was asking for her help, but as she listened to his request her delicate face visibly darkened.
"No! I don't want to drink human blood." She flatly refused at the end of his pitch.
"I'm not asking you to drink human blood. Stay weak and hungry if you want, but I won't!" Ikaris retorted in a chilling tone. "If I die because of an empty stomach when I could have prevented it, the remorse will torment me even in my next reincarnation. And it's not just about me. With human blood, you are by far our best fighter. But right now ? Believe it or not, but if I could beat you yesterday, it will be a piece of cake today. Especially with human blood."
She began to twitch from her internal dilemma and the boy felt that she was beginning to waver. Sensing that he was about to convince her, Ikaris added,
"We will only use volunteer donors and they will be compensated very generously with some Rank 4 meat. With this, they can recover the blood lost in a few hours. If we pick strong guys like the Werewolves, it should be even faster."
Malia stood still for a long moment, undecided, and it was the return of Ellie, dressed and made up, that put an end to the blank. Her gaze paused pensively over the blonde student and she seemed to come to a decision, a determined look settling on her face.
"Fine, I'll do it." She relented, almost feeling relieved as she gave in to his request.
No sooner said than done, Ikaris took her by the wrist and led her for a walk outside with him. The sun was now fully up and he winced as he received the gentle caress of the sun's rays. It would take him some time to get used to it. Even with the ring.
It was almost time for the daily summoning ritual, but before that the duo visited Liam, who now also had his own cottage that he shared with his grandfather and his two daughters.
Ikaris was expecting an outright unwilling or even scandalized response after explaining his intentions to the Alpha Werewolf, but he just nodded indifferently.
"No problem."
Ikaris and Malia were both taken aback, but when she remembered that in Karragin the new prisoners also had to donate blood to keep the terminally ill Grallu alive and lure the Crawlers away from the sleeping villagers in the process, she realized that she had been fussing over nothing.
Liam's eyes went blank as if he was in a trance and Ikaris guessed he was using his telepathic link to communicate with the rest of his pack. A few seconds later, his gaze focused back on them and he snickered as he stared at Malia.
"Do I have something on my face?" She frowned as she scratched her chin with an irritated look.
"You're looking for Werewolf blood, right? My subordinates are all willing, but one of them rightly reminded me that you already have more than enough volunteers in your care."
Ikaris facepalmed as he understood what he was getting at.
"Our prisoners, of course..." He sighed in exasperation. "I can't believe I forgot about them."
The worst part was that he had gone to the cellar that morning to get some meat for Malia after wolfing down everything stored in their kitchen. Since they had to return to the Onyxcrest Pride once brainwashed, he had unknowingly persuaded himself that he had to preserve them as much as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. But objectively speaking, drawing some of their blood shouldn't leave any after-effects...
"Thanks Liam, wonderful idea!" Ikaris laughed happily, slamming his shoulder with his hand.
"...You're welcome." The Alpha Werewolf grunted, arching an eyebrow.
Even Malia was eager. Having brainwashed them during the past few days, she knew what kind of vile individuals they were and would have no qualms about killing them if Ikaris ordered her to.
The only catch was that when draining their blood she would have to adjust their memories somewhat, but making them believe that they had run into a swarm of mosquitoes or something like that on the way back wouldn't raise any suspicions. After all, these insects were also rampant in the Warring Lands.
Back in the cellar, Ikaris finally got a first-hand demonstration of Malia's Bloodmancy. With his blessing, she did not pull any punches and drained the envoy's Werewolf bodyguards to the limit, to the extent that their lives would be in danger if she squeezed one more drop out of them. The envoy was not spared either.
By the time the operation ended, they had filled their Blood Storage Rings with 12 to 13 liters of fresh blood each, and had replenished their Blood Energy. Malia finally had a healthy glow, her bloodless face usually going unnoticed because of her tanned skin.
Her red eyes glowed like two luminescent rubies and a faint crimson halo radiated from her body, giving away that her body was overflowing with Blood Energy.
"Annnh, I feel soooooo good!" Malia exclaimed as she gracefully stretched out her arms above her head like a feline, showing off her curves and natural charm.
Ikaris had felt no aversion to drinking the blood of these criminals either. If he focused on the act itself he could quickly develop a sense of disgust, but he had no qualms about it.
Out of curiosity, he tried to scan Malia again, but with the Rank 3 Blood Energy Bonus, his Stamina vanished without effect and he stopped right away, realizing that it had become impossible unless he was prepared to pass out during the attempt.
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