In short, Xavier didn't sense any submissiveness or sense of belonging from him when facing himself.
This was an incredible thing, because it was in the nature of lower-level vampires to submit to purebloods. It was a genetic signal ingrained in their bones and bloodlines.
When facing vampires of a higher level than themselves, submission was their instinct.
Because between vampires of different ranks, the gap in strength was enormous. Submission, to some extent, was a form of self-protection.
And Xavier, having seen too many vampires obey him unquestioningly in his life, could precisely sense any vampire's attitude towards him and discern how high their level of submission was.
But from this general guarding the border, Xavier couldn't feel any obedience towards himself.
Whether physiologically or psychologically, this was clearly very unusual.
No vampire would have such an attitude when facing the vampire progenitor.
Unless this general wasn't a vampire, or rather, he was no longer a vampire.
Xavier broke down this reasoning and transmitted it telepathically to Chloe.
Due to her age and lack of experience, Chloe's perception of people and things wasn't as precise as Xavier's, so when she first heard this news, she was utterly shocked.
Goodness, had her father become this formidable?
Just by looking and exchanging a few words, he could judge so much?
Chloe felt a bit unconvinced. She thought she should surpass Xavier and become such an impressive figure herself...
Just as she was thinking this, Xavier patted Chloe's head, his tone resigned:
"Now is not the time to think about these things."
He told Chloe of his discovery to make her alert, not to inadvertently provoke her competitive spirit.
Chloe came back to her senses and then nodded seriously.
She understood. Wasn't it just that this general was problematic?
This matter was actually quite easy to resolve, Chloe thought.
Couldn't they just kill the general and be done with it? Dead men never betray the vampire race. Besides, there were so many vampire soldiers and commanders. If he died, there would be plenty of people to replace him. Why keep such a ticking time bomb?
As Chloe pondered this, she fixed her piercing gaze on the general walking ahead.
The general only felt a chill run down his spine, and his heart couldn't help but feel uneasy. He hurriedly turned his head to look back.
He saw Chloe with a soft gaze and focused eyes. Seeing the general turn his head, she grinned and made a heart shape with her hands.
Chloe loved making this gesture.
It could express affection when used positively, or disgust when used negatively.
It was truly a versatile gesture.
The general was caught off guard by this young one making a heart shape at him and was momentarily stunned.
In the end, he said nothing, scratched his head, and continued forward.
Then that chilling sensation on his back returned.
The general struggled to suppress his urge to turn around and walked straight to the tent, lifting the flap and making a gesture of invitation, ushering Xavier and Chloe inside.
The facilities in the military camp were quite decent. This large tent, specially reserved for the general, had ample space and was fully furnished.
In the center was a huge sand table displaying the entire camp's defensive layout.
In the interstellar age, information traveled rapidly through networks, but at the same time, network security posed enormous risks.
Most commanders in vampire military camps, including Xavier himself, preferred not to store highly confidential military matters in cloud networks when handling them.
Looking at the huge sand table before her, Chloe became quite interested.
She stood on tiptoe at the edge of the sand table, her gaze sweeping over the models within, and finally said:
"Is this the city wall?"
Hearing this, the general turned his gaze towards her and said:
"Yes, young miss."
His tone carried a hint of pride: "The city wall was built and reinforced by the soldiers under my command. This wall could easily withstand an attack from thousands or tens of thousands of Werewolf Race soldiers."
"Oh," Chloe uttered an indifferent monosyllable, then seriously corrected him, "They're not your soldiers, they're my father's soldiers."
"Your military rations are all issued by my father, your weapons and armor are all allocated by my father, so naturally, they're all my father's soldiers."
The general's expression froze, and he instinctively wanted to refute, but suddenly caught Xavier's calm gaze from the side.
His eye twitched slightly, and then he said with a smile on his lips:
"The young miss is right. In this vast vampire territory, who isn't a subject of His Majesty?"
"Good that you know." Chloe didn't even look at him, reaching out to poke at the houses on the sand table.
The general's expression stiffened. He wanted to say something but ultimately gave up.
Instead, he turned to Xavier and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty..."
"Sit down. I have something to discuss with you."
Xavier sat in the leather chair, his posture casual yet dignified, gesturing for the general to sit.
He naturally possessed the ability to turn any place into his own domain.
Even though they were in the general's territory, in the tent where the general rested day and night, he felt that Xavier before him was the true master of this place.
Xavier raised his eyelids, his tone calm but carrying an intangible pressure.
This alone made the general unable to raise his head for no apparent reason.
"I've heard that there are soldiers in the camp accepting bribes from werewolf nobles to let members of the Werewolf Race into the city?"
A moment of silence.
As soon as these words were spoken, the general's mouth hung slightly open, unable to speak.
It wasn't until Chloe yawned by the sand table that the sound finally brought him back.
The general's throat bobbed: "This... perhaps it's a misunderstanding..."
"I come to Puze County once a year, with the purpose of offering sacrifices to the gods," Xavier interrupted him. "I never intentionally conceal this information. So, knowing that I was in the city, you still chose to accept bribes from the Werewolf Race and allow werewolf nobles to cause trouble in Puze County, is that right?"
The general froze completely.
He unconsciously licked his dry lips:
"Your Majesty, perhaps such things happened, but it wasn't me who did it, it was the soldiers under my command..."
"Without your permission, how would the soldiers dare to let the Werewolf Race in on their own?"
Xavier's eyes carried a sharp edge: "You've failed to control your subordinates, General."
The general was stunned by this series of statements. He nodded repeatedly, indicating that he had indeed made a mistake:
"But I swear! I truly did not allow the Werewolf Race to enter the city! Your Majesty, please see the truth! I am absolutely not the kind of person who fears death and craves wealth!"
The general hurriedly expressed his loyalty:
"I live as a Vampire, and I'll die as a Vampire ghost. There's no way I would do anything to harm the interests of the Vampires. There must be some misunderstanding!"
As he said this, his eyes darted around, and then he continued:
"Your Majesty, I just remembered, there's a young soldier in the military camp who has been acting nervous lately. He's clearly guilt-ridden, as if he's done something wrong! Letting the Werewolf Race into the city must be connected to him!"
The general waved his hand and shouted to those outside:
"Summon Aaron here, quickly!"
