Chapter 65 The So-called Vampire vs. Vampire Set

When the clock tower in the royal capital struck the twelfth time, Avril regretted taking this shortcut.

The fog in the alley was so thick it seemed to have substance. Avril hugged her bag defensively with both hands. She asked tremblingly, "Is anyone there?"

Hundreds of bats flew in the sky, covering the night.

A bright scarlet light emerged from the fog. Before Avril could shout for help, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She fell to the ground with a thud and fell into endless darkness.

When the night watchman found her, the bell tower had already struck the first bell of the next day. Guard Hannah sent a signal bird to the healing home to find a nurse while squatting down to look at the victim.

Her face was pale, and there were two tiny needle holes on her neck, and the surrounding skin was a strange purple-blue color.

"This is the fifth one...same symptoms, same teeth marks." Hannah said helplessly.

Reid said, "The victims included both elves and humans... all young women, attacked while walking alone late at night. Their blood loss was similar, around 500 milliliters."

Hannah looked solemnly at the moonlit forest outside the city wall. Coincidentally, a few black ravens flew over the forest, looking particularly solemn under the crimson moonlight.

"People are starting to panic. Everyone's saying that... that person has woken up."

When the signal bird dropped the new day's edition of the Starry Sky Daily at the door of the tavern, Ye Wan was cooking a pot of preserved egg and lean meat porridge.

Cook until the rice grains bloom and a layer of shiny rice oil appears on the surface of the pot. Cut the pork into shreds and the preserved eggs into cubes. Finally, add some sesame oil to enhance the flavor and sprinkle with a handful of chopped green onions.

Muffin took the daily newspaper on his short legs, and a garlic was hanging on the newspaper.

Ye Wan took it curiously and asked, "Why is today's gift a garlic?"

After much thought, he concluded that the newspaper could only be distributing unsold agricultural products. Ye Wan peeled the garlic, chopped it into small pieces, and threw it all into the porridge pot.

You An was sitting at the dining table seriously, seemingly reading a letter. Ye Wan brought over some porridge and fried dough sticks. "Stop reading and eat first."

She opened the daily newspaper herself to see if there was anything interesting.

Today's headlines from Starry Sky Daily:

[Emergency Notice] According to the Night Watch Association! Young women should refrain from going out alone late at night!

Recently, many women have been attacked late at night in several blocks of Kalmet, and the victims have shown severe anemia symptoms. The Night Watch Association has strengthened night patrols and citizens are advised to be vigilant.

After consulting the Night Watch Association, this newspaper issued the following proposal:

1. Avoid walking alone late at night, especially young women. Choose brightly lit streets or walk with friends.

2. Carry protective gear with you (like the garlic included in today's newspaper, which can be hung on the door or made into a necklace)

3. If you find a victim, please contact the night watchman and the healing center in time.

The case is still under investigation. This newspaper will update the progress of the case regularly. Citizens can also go to the bulletin board in the City Hall Square to check the latest information. If you have any clues, you can provide them to this newspaper or the Night Watch Association.

Safe at night, you and I protect it together

Jointly released by the Night Watch Association and the Star Daily

(This issue comes with a garlic bulb, which has been sent to the church for blessing, doubling the evil-repelling effect!)

Ye Wan stirred the porridge in his hand guiltily: "Oh my god, I even chopped up all the garlic and poured it in. I don't know if it will have any effect after I eat it."

You An was much more relaxed than her. He tore open the crispy outer and soft inner fried dough sticks and dipped them into the porridge with skill. The warmth soothed his stomach in one bite.

Ye Wan couldn't eat any more: "The report didn't mention it was a vampire."

She remembered that yesterday, Lassen drank a large bottle of white wine in the tavern to calm himself down, and then said that it seemed that the vampire who had been sleeping outside the city for a hundred years had been resurrected.

Kiara said that there were indeed many young girls admitted to the healing center at the same time, and all of them had pale faces.

But I seem to have lost some memory.

The sheriff, the night watchman... wave after wave of people went in to question them, but they all shook their heads and only said that they saw black bats all over the sky, and then they couldn't remember anything.

Blood loss, black bats all over the sky...it seems that no detailed evidence is needed, and the citizens have already pointed the finger at Dracula's Villa in the Moonlight Forest, where a vampire is sleeping.

According to historical records, this vampire lord sealed himself in Twilight Manor a hundred years ago for some unknown reason.

Although this incident caused panic among the citizens of the royal capital, it also caused a "vampire craze". After all, Ye Wan himself is also a loyal fan of "Twilight".

Like Emma, ​​she wore a necklace made of red rope on her chest, with a garlic in the middle of the necklace, and the smell was scary.

However, she was still clutching a copy of 'A Study of Vampire Species', chatting enthusiastically with Ye Wan across the counter. "Oh, I think vampires are a truly mysterious and interesting race. I remember when I was little, my cousin wanted to drag me on an adventure to Dracula's Villa, but my uncle found out and gave him a good beating. My cousin still says he didn't get into St. Berkeley College because my uncle beat him so hard that it damaged his brain."

Ye Wan was frying garlic behind the counter, and the aroma of garlic immediately exploded throughout the space. Emma sniffed: "Oh, it smells good, what are you doing?"

"The anti-vampire meal, to be more precise, is stir-fried everything with garlic," Ye Wan said.

Add a spoonful of chili pepper to the garlic paste, throw in the marinated prawns and stir-fry until the prawn shells turn red and crispy.

Ye Wan poured soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc. into the pot, added a handful of vermicelli, and scooped a spoonful of water, then simmered over high heat to reduce the sauce.

To be honest, Ye Wan didn't think that stir-fried everything with garlic would be particularly useful. If he really encountered a vampire, he wouldn't throw a plate of garlic vermicelli and prawns on the vampire's head.

However, the popularity of vampires did catch on a bit, and many exorcists, bounty hunters, and adventurers came to the tavern to see if there were any delicious anti-vampire meals.

As a result, Ye Wan served everyone a serving of garlic shrimp. It didn’t matter if you didn’t like shrimp, there were also garlic lettuce, squid, and enoki mushrooms to choose from.

The freshly-cooked garlic vermicelli prawns exude a strong aroma, the prawn shells are fried until slightly crispy, the prawn meat inside is plump, and a thick layer of garlic and chili is spread on top.

The minced garlic becomes more mellow after being fried. Diners mix the minced garlic on the bottom plate into the rice and mix it with the sauce to eat together.

"It's a pity that I didn't see any oysters at the market, otherwise the garlic oysters would be very delicious." Ye Wan said regretfully.

The door of the tavern opened again.

"Welcome." Ye Wan said.

The person who came in was a young woman with beautiful short red hair.

She wore a burgundy shirt, a high-necked waistcoat with a thorny rose pattern embroidered on the collar, high-waisted leather pants and long boots.

It can be described as heroic and valiant.

It is worth noting that she has a weapon strap on the outside of her thigh and a half-sword on her waist. There are already many bounty hunters sitting in the store, and they are all secretly looking at her with curiosity.

"Hello, this is our menu." Ye Wan handed it to her, and she smiled gently: "I was passing by here and was very interested in the anti-vampire set meal at the door."

She looked down at the menu.

While Ye Wan was getting something from the kitchen, Emma swooped in. "Oh, that red-haired beauty! She's a vampire hunter. Merlin, this is the first time I've seen a vampire hunter."

It is said that a hundred years ago, the vampires who called themselves "Nobles of the Night" did not hide in various dark caves like they do today, but openly entrenched in the royal capital. They wore expensive silk and velvet, viewed humans as "walking blood bags", and even hunted for fun, to see who could hunt down humans in the shortest time.

At that time, you could often see pale bodies with holes in their necks discarded in the depths of the streets.

Vampires are brutal, but they also have weaknesses. They are afraid of light, silver, holy water, holy emblems and prayers, and even cheap plants like garlic. The pungent smell of this plant will make vampires feel extremely uncomfortable.

Therefore, vampire hunters came into being. They hid various silver throwing knives and wooden stakes soaked in holy water on their waists, boots, and vests, and fought with vampires under the bloody moonlight.

Later, the then King Charles I could no longer tolerate it and ordered the Paladins to stop other tasks and completely eliminate the vampires in the royal capital. Their leader Dracula sealed himself in the manor, and this terrible disaster was finally stopped.

Vampire hunters disappeared from the scene.

Emma was very excited: "Even vampire hunters have reappeared. These incidents must have been done by the remaining vampires. Look at the girl's dress, it's definitely the dress of a vampire hunter from a hundred years ago."

As a fan of vampire literature, Ye Wan was also very excited and specially gave the red-haired vampire hunter a glass of butterbeer.

The vampire hunter smiled and nodded at her, "Thank you, kind girl."

Ye Wan scratched his head awkwardly: "You're welcome. I'm the owner of the tavern. My name is Ye Wan."

The latter replied in a friendly manner: "I am..." She seemed to hesitate: "My name is Rose."

"Your name suits you. Your hair is as beautiful as a rose." Ye Wan said enthusiastically.

Rose was visibly stunned, a hint of sadness etched across her face. "Oh, that's really high praise."

She is really a beauty, with short red hair like crushed flames and a pair of light blue eyes. She is a very gentle and beautiful sister.

After finishing her meal, Emma played with Pancake for a while, and then gave Ye Wan a few apples: "Share it among your family of three."

"What do you mean by a family of three?" Ye Wan muttered.

Emma looked around: "Where did Youan go? Why didn't I see him?"

Ye Wan accepted the apple and said, "I don't know either."

......

The parliament hall of the royal palace is not as magnificent as ordinary citizens imagine.

Instead, it was a bit chilly, with the towering dome hidden in the shadows. The only light came from a few ancient carved wall lamps on the wall, and the air was filled with the smell of parchment.

Euan, the Crown Prince of the Osenna Kingdom, stood before a massive French window. Outside lay the crouching lights of the capital. Through his telescope, he saw the silhouette of Twilight Manor, like a dormant giant, silently rising and falling outside the city walls.

Today he wore a well-tailored dark-brown suit, with dark silver thorns emblazoned around the collar and cuffs, and a rose emblem symbolizing royal authority resting on his shoulder. His cold, smoky eyes, now exposed in the dim light, were the only thing he could see.

The footsteps echoed in the empty hall, with deliberate respect and a hint of imperceptible tension.

Three high-ranking Vatican officials, clad in scarlet vestments, bowed before entering. Leading them was Archbishop Clennot's trusted confidant, Morey Fairwin. His face was adorned with a formulaic expression of compassion, and he cautiously leaned toward the young yet oppressive figure at the window.

"Your Highness." Morey's voice was particularly clear in the silence. "May Merlin bless you."

Youan didn't turn around immediately. His eyes were still fixed on the outline of the villa in the distance.

Morey wiped the sweat from his forehead, his Adam's apple rolling, and then he unfolded the parchment file in his hand and reported in a steady voice:

"In compliance with your orders, the Paladins have repeatedly confirmed that the dark aura remaining on the necks of all victims is highly consistent with the mark left by Count Dracula at Twilight Manor."

He deliberately emphasized the words "left a mark".

"Currently, the Fifth Guards Regiment has been deployed outside the villa in coordination with the Paladins, awaiting your orders to annihilate the vampires in one fell swoop."

"Combining ancient records with recent unusual astrological phenomena, we have reason to believe that a dormant ancient threat is on the verge of awakening. If not eradicated in time, it could lead to even greater disasters."

"In summary, the Tribunal has unanimously ruled..." Morey's voice was tinged with a subtle fervor and urgency: "Use armed forces to completely eliminate the hidden danger!"

The air seemed to freeze. The flames of the wall lamps danced restlessly, stretching his figure into a twisted shadow across the vast obsidian floor. They waited with bated breath for the Crown Prince's decision.

Youan finally turned around slowly.

The light outlined his sharp, angular profile. His smoky, crystal-colored eyes swept across the three bowing cardinals before him. Their calmness was unwavering, yet it sent a chill down Morey's spine, as if layers of disguise had been ripped apart by invisible blades. The Crown Prince's gaze finally fell on the file in Morey's hand, lingering for several seconds.

Youan said with a frightening scrutiny: "Your chain of evidence looks complete."

"Yes, Your Highness! The evidence is conclusive! It must be a vampire." Morey quickly agreed, bending even lower.

"Really?" Youan asked softly, his lips curling up in a faint, cold arc, so quick that it seemed like an illusion. He didn't look at Morey's instantly stiff expression, and just said lightly:

"turn down."

"The investigation into Twilight Manor and its related incidents has been temporarily suspended."

"Without my personal order, no one is allowed to enter the ten-mile radius around the villa. Those who violate the order..." He tilted his head slightly, and his cold eyes swept over the three people behind him who were as stiff as sculptures.

He didn't say anything else, just looked out the window again. There was another crimson moon tonight.