"Threatening the farm and the old man took it a step too far, and I wasn't exactly feeling all that generous that time," said Li, recalling the vampires that had shown up to the cottage doorstep and how he had used his eldritch powers unregulated, whittling away at his sense of self. 

"Quite unfortunate we met upon such circ.u.mstances."

"It's not unfortunate if, at the end, good came from it." Li waved the current conversation topic away and went back to Alexei's potential plan. "I'm not trying to pressure you as I have full trust in your capabilities, but I'm still curious what you're planning on doing about the matter of an heir. You'll need one to prop up the duchy's stability if you decide to get rid of the d.u.c.h.ess, right? And doppelgangers are out of the question."

"That is, unfortunately, a matter that I cannot take into my hands." Alexei eased his posture, lying his back upon the soft, cus.h.i.+ony velvet of the couch. He reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a wooden pipe lacquered to a s.h.i.+ne, etched with elaborate sigils of eyes. 

"You do not mind the smoke, do you?"

"It's not exactly a pleasant sight for my eyes."

"Ah, then my deepest apologies." Alexei quickly put the pipe back in his pocket and put a questioning finger to his neatly trimmed goatee. "Might I ask why? I do not seek to push you, I am merely curious."

"It's funny to think that I, a being of unfathomable power, have an issue with smoking, I know. Let's just leave it at bad memories." Li shrugged, remembering how the smog choked his past world, cloying in thick, dusty layers that strangled the sun and poisoned his parents' lungs. He had never smoked in the first place, but after his parents had pa.s.sed, he could not stand to be near others who smoked either. One of his few sensitive points.

Alexei nodded before smiling slightly. "It is amusing to know that mortals believe long lived beings such as ourselves forget the past. But it is the sheer breadth of our many years that in fact makes the past that much heavier, the notable moments that much more momentous. 

In that regard, I do have an answer for this heir issue. I will simply wait and bide my time until one suitable arises from the common muck. A being of centered principles capable of drawing the love of the people. 

The people will not believe the d.u.c.h.ess's crimes while she has an absolute hold over their love, but a brilliant, new beacon of hope to rally upon will surely make new truths that much more palatable." 

"That might take decades for someone like that to appear."

Alexei crossed his legs, mirroring Li's pose. "And years, we have plenty of. It is a more viable plan than you would believe. I only require a little seed to poke its head through the dirt, and then I can nourish it, backing it against the d.u.c.h.ess through the shadows." 

"Well, I did say I had confidence in your abilities, so I'm in no position to start questioning you, and even caring this much about the petty geopolitics of this world doesn't suit me." Li reached forward to take a sip of tea, letting the deeply herbal taste linger on his artificial taste buds, as if to cleanse his mind of the current topic. 

"Now then, let's talk about more important business."

Alexei straightened his posture, his pointed ears twitching in alertness. "About your farm, I presume?"

"It's good to know you have a good sense of my priorities. Yes. How'd distribution for the last harvest go?"

Alexei clasped his hands together. "Excellently. As per your specifications, I yielded the necessary percentage of the harvest to the temples and the city as tax. The remainder, I spread upon the orphanages under my funding. 

Your grain is of a quality that has never been seen before, far surpa.s.sing even that grown upon the mystical earth of Duvin. It is magnitudes more nouris.h.i.+ng, not to mention its superb taste. Rumors have circulated about this so called 'divine wheat', and it is such that I have had to run security patrols around the orphanages to prevent break ins."

He paused, casting a sidelong glance at Li. "As a result, I have not been able to make the donations public yet under Old Thane's name. I feared it would bring unduly attention upon your farm. Already, there are countless requests by restauranteurs scrambling to know who it is that grew such grain."

"You did good with that," said Li. "I'm not expecting you to follow my orders like a robot. If you feel like at some point that some things are better done under your discretion, then feel free to do so. Just let me know like you're doing now.���

Alexei nodded. "Understood. Also, I thought it rude of me to do this without your permission, but might I inspect this grain? There is an expansive laboratory built into the foundations of this mansion, and there, I wish to see if I can perceive its composition."

"Sure. I've been curious of that myself, but I'll tell you right know that you probably won't find anything noteworthy." Li recalled how both he and Iona had used their forest spirit senses to a.n.a.lyze the grain to find it not out of the norm. "But go ahead. It was given to me by the d.u.c.h.ess as a sort of gift, though I suspect she simply wanted me to test it out."

"It may very well have simply been a gift of goodwill to try and curry your favor, for at the very least, she perceives the magnitude of your might. Regardless, I thank you for your permission." Alexei moved on, "Now then, for the matter of this sudden furor over your grain."

"Solution seems relatively simple to me," said Li. "The east seems like a great copout to anything these people don't understand because they have no idea about it. Just say I got the grain from the east but make sure to emphasize that it's Old Thane that decided to donate all of this."

"Even if this will bring upon attention to your farm?"

"I despise unwanted attention, but to spread Old Thane's name, I'm willing to stomach it. Besides, I guarantee that whatever ruckus that gets on my farm, none of it will be harmful. My farm is far too well guarded. Most I'll have to do is answer a few pestering questions here and there." 

"With a greater demon and forest spirit at your behest, I do suppose that there is no chance for harm to your property. I merely worried for your convenience."

Li raised an eye. "You knew I had a demon and forest spirit there? Their disguised forms are on par with mine in terms of suppressing and hiding their presence."

Alexei tapped the middle of his forehead, where his third eye was supposed to be. "I hold powerful clairvoyant vision that lesser members of my kind do not. That is why had I been the one to encounter you that night my subordinates foolishly hara.s.sed you, then our meeting would have been far more amiable. But alas, bygones are bygones."

He took a moment to consider a thought. "And, If you will, please forward my apologies to the forest spirit."

"Hm?"

"She and I have had a few disagreements in the past few years, though it seems she has put it past her knowing that Black Vine has been thoroughly dismantled by you. When Black Vine yet operated, she routinely broke into our shops to sabotage our products. She even attempted to follow our underground drug network to me as you did, but unfortunately, my forces were too much for her to challenge by herself." 

Li crossed his arms, nodding in wonder. "I'm surprised you didn't try to get rid of her more thoroughly, knowing the way you do things. You're pa.s.sive and let things move at their own pace, but when you have to seize a moment, like when there's an active threat to you, you don't waste time."

"Oh, to be certain, at first I did consider her a sizable threat to neutralize, for any forest spirit of merit can challenge even me in combat." Alexei shrugged with a nonchalant air. "But upon further investigation, it became known to me that she was nothing of the sort, diluted as she was by consuming humans and allowing herself to wallow in thoroughly unproductive self-pity and despair. 

I daresay her attacks upon my establishments were akin to a child's tantrums, las.h.i.+ng out as she had nothing else to live for, homeless and friendless as she was. I surmised that when she understood her efforts were futile, she would simply give up again, and she did. She simply was no threat to me." 

"I see." Li knew that Iona understood he worked with Alexei and his vampires considering his transport consisted solely of their kind, but she never mentioned it. He had always thought she simply did not care anymore after Black Vine was torn down, but perhaps there were deeper scars to heal here. "Well, I can relay the apology, but it'd be better if you could sort it out in person with her when you have time." 

Alexei nodded; his air very much business-like. "I will see to it, then." 

"Also, something you said before stoked my interest a little. Your subordinates must have reported that I've started to raise a wyrm, no?"

"I have heard of the news, and I must congratulate you for obtaining such a rare beast."

"Not a beast," said Li, his tone a little curt. 

Alexei nodded in quick understanding. "Forgive my loose tongue. I did not know that it meant so much to you."

"I'm responsible for her being motherless, and so I have a duty to raise her right," Li explained. "But that aside, you mentioned restauranteurs wanting to know who made the donation, right? Let them know a day or two before anyone else."

"Are you certain of this? They will be relentless in attempting to pursue some form of business relations.h.i.+p with you."

"A farmer's crop isn't just meant to sit and rot, after all. I can afford to distribute a little of my harvest to one of these high cla.s.s restaurants so that I can get access to premium ingredients to feed my wyrm with. Attention's going to come to the farm regardless of what I do, and I might as well make it productive.

Plus, I hear the chefs they hire know how to prepare food from any monster or plant. Summoning sentient monsters for slaughter doesn't sit too well with me, but if they can prepare some of my plants, then I'll have access to the best food this entire world has to offer."