With the title secured, Adam finally had a way into the Athena Library.
At least in theory.
Whether the answers he needed actually waited inside was another question entirely.
One step at a time.
Adam placed ten gold coins onto Rat's table.
The sharp clink echoed through the cramped room.
Rat's pupils shrank instantly.
Adam didn't explain.
He never wasted words on obvious transactions.
"Medical expenses," he said.
Rat laughed and swept the coins away.
Both men understood what was truly being purchased.
Silence.
After arranging to meet Morca outside the Hall of Nations the next morning, Adam left with Yinling.
Foreign titles required official recognition there. Without certification, nobility meant nothing.
Corsica belonged to Greece in name—
but bureaucracy insisted otherwise.
Which meant payment.
Again.
Five hundred gold coins.
Possibly more.
Adam calculated automatically.
Buying the title itself now felt like the cheaper part of survival.
Maintaining existence under sunlight cost far more than prestige ever would.
He almost admired the irony.
Even immortality came with operating expenses.
He departed late on purpose.
The sun already ruled the sky when his carriage arrived.
Adam glanced upward.
Every unnecessary minute outdoors translated directly into loss.
If Morca wasn't here yet—
if officials hadn't started work—
he would literally be burning money.
Fortunately, Morca stood waiting near the entrance.
"Finally," Morca called. "Thought you'd backed out."
Cleaner today. Straighter posture.
Still wearing poverty like a second coat.
"After investing this much?" Adam stepped down calmly."I'm committed."
The guards looked at them with open contempt.
Until Morca raised his crest.
The gates opened immediately.
Titles still mattered.
Even broken ones.
Inside, authority announced itself through luxury.
Tall chairs. Wide desks. Carefully arranged greenery beside sunlit balconies overlooking Athens.
Behind the desk sat a mustached nobleman writing with a feather quill.
Modern tools existed.
Greek aristocrats simply preferred tradition.
Appearance was power.
On a nearby sofa, a young woman reviewed recruitment papers with growing irritation.
Dailes Asahi.
She had come personally to push progress forward.
Her brother's expedition date approached—and he still lacked a proper escort.
Someone had to solve the problem.
Apparently, that someone was her.
"No suitable candidates?" she asked.
Kerry Asahi continued writing.
"Then we continue searching."
His handwriting remained steady, though ink gathered slightly where the quill paused too long.
"You don't have unlimited time," Dailes said."I won't be able to manage this much longer."
Kerry finally looked up.
"Inspector duties already overwhelming?"
She lifted her chin proudly.
"I joined the Metropolitan Inspectorate."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"A peaceful assignment."
He returned to the document.
"Unless trouble stops being human," she replied.
That earned her his attention.
"The Vampire Kings are moving," Dailes said quietly."Advance groups have entered Athens."
Kerry leaned back slightly.
"All of them gathering in one city…"
Unusual.
Danger rarely announced itself without reason.
Dailes hesitated before adding,
"The local vampires refuse to provide visitor records."
Kerry gave a soft, humorless laugh.
"They probably don't have them."
Rivalries among vampire rulers were infamous.
If they were converging now—
something significant was coming.
Neither sibling noticed how the sunlight near the balcony dimmed momentarily behind drifting clouds.
Dailes shook off the thought.
"Anyway," she said, brightening, "I met someone outside a few days ago. A Corsican baron's guard. Extremely strong."
Kerry raised an eyebrow.
"Strength alone wins little."
"You didn't see him," she insisted."He felt… reliable."
A pause.
"If nothing else," she added lightly,"he'd make an excellent arrow shield."
A knock sounded.
"Enter."
A civil attendant stepped inside and bowed.
"Your Excellency, Marquis Morca requests an audience."
Kerry froze for the first time.
Morca.
A proud man who vanished rather than seek assistance after losing his lands.
Which made this visit… unexpected.
"He petitions recognition of a foreign count."
Now that was strange.
A fallen marquis sponsoring nobility.
For an outsider.
Inside Athens.
Kerry slowly set aside the quill.
Footsteps approached beyond the door.
Dailes turned casually toward the entrance—
still speaking mid-sentence.
The handle moved.
The door opened.
And the moment she saw who entered—
her expression changed.