There are quite a few old shops here.
This grocery store is one of them.
The goods inside were incredibly diverse, ranging from old pianos to antique spoons—virtually everything imaginable.
Many tourists like to come to these small shops to find unique items that interest them as souvenirs for their trip. However, it's clear that Song Mengmeng and her friends didn't have that as their goal.
They were greeted by an elderly woman. After hearing their story, the woman's expression changed noticeably. She hesitated for a moment, then asked them a few more questions. Seeing that they answered correctly, she nodded cautiously, pointed to the stairs, and whispered, "Go on up. Old Tom is waiting for you."
The old Tom the old lady was talking about was the owner of the grocery store and the person who had given them the information earlier.
The elderly man, who looked quite old, had a head of gray hair, wore a vest and bow tie, and gold-rimmed glasses. Upon seeing them come upstairs, without waiting for introductions, he very familiarly asked, "Would you like something to drink? Black tea or coffee?"
"You don't need to be so polite. We just came to ask you about some things."
Both Song Mengmeng and Hu Yue felt somewhat embarrassed that an elderly person was running around doing things for them.
Hu Yue politely tried to persuade the old man to sit down and rest, but was met with strong disapproval from old John: "You are distinguished guests who have come from afar. As a gentleman, I cannot let you sit here and talk."
"Coffee it is then! I just received it yesterday; it's excellent coffee beans, freshly ground!"
Old Tom was quick; he only got up and went to work for a short while, and the whole room was already filled with the rich aroma of coffee.
After he finished his work, there was not only coffee on the table, but also some small snacks such as pancakes.
This is already considered a pretty good afternoon tea setup.
“Reynolds is a stubborn man.” Old John couldn’t help but sigh when he mentioned Reynolds, and briefly recounted what had happened before to them.
“I’ve known Reynolds for a long time.”
The reason I know him is because I'm a vampire.
Now that he had spoken, Old John did not hide his identity: "You should know that the conflict between the vampires and the Church lasted for almost several centuries."
Although the world may seem peaceful now, it is only on the surface.
Both the Papacy and the vampires have long disliked each other, and now they are just looking for an opportunity to make a move!
I met Reynolds when the conflict was at its most intense.
We were about the same strength back then. Although we both wanted to kill each other, neither of us could actually kill the other.
And so, we remained in a stalemate for two or three decades, until Varenna's incident.
"You're the one who successfully turned Valenna into a vampire, aren't you?!" After hearing this, and considering what Reynolds had said before, even the most naive person would now understand what had happened.
Song Mengmeng asked Old John with a hint of certainty.
"Ha, it seems Reynolds really trusts you, he even said this." Song Mengmeng's words clearly surprised Old John, but only for a moment. He quickly recovered and laughed: "In that case, I feel more at ease speaking."
That's right, I helped him transform Valenna into a vampire.
Because of this, our relationship gradually eased, and later, with the signing of treaties between vampires, humans, and the races of the underworld, we were finally able to live in peace.
Over the years, we've even become good friends who trust each other, and sometimes we even get together for a nice drink.
About five or six years ago, Reynolds began to suspect something.
At this point, old John paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts or recalling something, before slowly saying, "To really explain this matter in detail, we have to start with a murder case in his parish."
A normally gentle and harmless woman suddenly seemed to have become a different person. First, she killed her husband, and then she almost killed her two children.
As luck would have it, Reynolds happened to be nearby on business and stumbled upon the incident.
He acted swiftly, saving the two children and simultaneously subduing the woman.
Originally, this matter would have only aroused suspicion from outsiders at most.
But soon, Reynolds discovered that things were not as simple as he had thought.
After the woman regained consciousness, she actually went so far as to publicly recant her case and claim that she did not do the previous thing, that she was only coerced, and that she was innocent.
Many people certainly wouldn't believe this claim at first.
However, Reynolds believed it anyway.
Although it didn't change the woman's fate, Reynolds did begin to investigate the matter.
As Old John spoke, he stood up and went to the side to get a large file bag.
Hu Yue and the others, who had previously been in contact with Reynolds, immediately recognized the file folder as the one Reynolds had been holding when they met him in China.
"This was left by Reynolds. He said that if he lost contact during this trip, and you came here in person, he would give this to you."
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