Islands typically have strong sea breezes, so foggy weather is a rarity.
And even if it were foggy, the wild cattle and sheep should still be leisurely grazing in the fields before nightfall.
But now, not only were there no cattle or sheep, but there was also garlic scattered across the grassland.
What was the garlic for?
In China, it might be a key ingredient in a delicious meal. But here, in this context, it was a danger signal.
Vampires are allergic to garlic. These peeled cloves scattered across the grass were clearly intended to deter vampires.
However, this method only repelled vampires; it couldn't kill them.
Rowena and Helga exchanged a glance, confirming their shared suspicion. They quickened their pace slightly, with Helga maintaining a position one step behind Rowena as they matched speed.
They had crossed two-thirds of the grassland.
There was less visible garlic now, but the smell was even stronger than before. From here on, it seemed that much of what had been spread on the grass was garlic essence.
Garlic essence is a viscous liquid, a concentrated extract of garlic. If injected into a vampire, the pain would be excruciating enough to make them want to commit suicide.
With garlic essence spread around, it was no wonder there were no cattle or sheep to be seen.
Vampires hate garlic essence, and so do livestock. Even dragons would dislike such a pungent, irritating substance.
Intuition told Rowena and Helga that vampires were causing trouble for the MacFusty family. Otherwise, there wouldn't be garlic and garlic essence all over the grassland for no reason.
Vampires causing trouble for wizards was puzzling. After all, vampires were the weaker party.
Wizards created vampires. Against the myriad spells of a wizard, vampires had no advantage other than superior physical abilities.
A powerful wizard could easily handle multiple, even dozens, of vampires. For vampires to take on wizards, they would inevitably pay a heavy price.
Now that vampires were seemingly hell-bent on targeting the MacFusty family, the reason behind it was certainly thought-provoking.
---
There was a tall iron gate outside the manor's garden.
It was nearly three meters high, spiked at the top, simple and archaic in style.
When Rowena and Helga arrived, a person was already waiting behind the gate.
He was a black-haired man, around forty years old, dressed in a butler's uniform. Standing by the gate, he slid open a viewing port, revealing only half his face. Seeing Rowena and Helga approach, he immediately asked, "Can I help you ladies?"
"We are here to visit Mr. MacFusty."
Rowena, tall, noble, and elegant, always commanded attention. The butler couldn't help but stare for a moment, a flash of admiration clearly visible in his eyes. However, after a brief pause, he replied coldly, "I'm sorry, the Master has been unwell lately and is not receiving guests."
Such a cold dismissal was rude and unbecoming of a butler's demeanor.
Rowena wasn't offended by the butler's attitude. She maintained her smile. "Please inform Mr. MacFusty that we might be able to help him."
"No, you misunderstood me. We do not need help. Please leave immediately."
The butler grew impatient with Rowena's persistence, his voice rising. A hint of malice appeared in his eyes, and after speaking, he licked his lips—as if suppressing a hunger for Rowena's beauty.
Aside from the malice, his expression was normal, but that lip-licking betrayed his inner thoughts.
Rowena frowned slightly. Beside her, Helga's gaze turned cold.
Just as Helga stepped forward to reprimand the butler, Rowena held her back and shook her head gently.
"Very well. Please tell Mr. MacFusty that his friends came to visit. We will take our leave now."
Rowena kept her smile. After speaking, she pulled Helga along, turning to leave and abruptly ending the visit.
The butler watched through the iron gate as the figures of the two beautiful women gradually disappeared into the mist.
Now alone, he no longer hid his lust. He took one last greedy, lingering look before turning away.
---
"That man is highly suspicious. And there are vampires following us," Helga said suddenly once they were enveloped by the fog.
Rowena nodded. "Yes, that's why we're leaving now."
"Apparition."
The two exchanged a knowing smile, and their figures vanished instantly. The group of men stalking them from behind pounced on empty air.
"Such beautiful women..."
Back at the gate, the butler muttered in admiration, smacking his lips. Remembering the two women, he felt a surge of possessive desire.
He pushed open the main door and entered the grand hall.
"Lord Evos, I have sent away the visitors."
Entering the hall, the butler knelt on one knee and reported respectfully to a man around thirty years old.
The hall was enormous, easily two or three hundred square meters, but right now, it felt crowded.
A dark mass of people stood around the perimeter, leaving only the central aisle clear. Even the corridors on the second and third floors were lined with people.
Most were dressed uniformly in black cloaks, men and women alike, ranging from twenty to forty years old.
Their expressions were solemn, their auras cold and eerie, yet their eyes burned with feverish intensity as they looked toward the center of the first-floor hall. In terms of aura, they all seemed cast from the same mold.
Scattered along the central aisle lay many corpses—men, women, and children.
Only one old man, white-haired and covered in blood, clung to a sliver of life. He was slumped in a chair in the center of the hall.
Standing beside the old man was the thirty-year-old man—Evos. He was handsome, cold, elegant, and radiated aristocracy in every gesture. In his arms, he held a sleeping infant wrapped in a quilt.
The burning gaze of everyone in the room was fixed on the infant in this man's arms.
The kneeling butler was reporting to this man holding the baby.
---
"Fred, why?"
The old man slumped in the chair stared at the butler kneeling on the floor and asked weakly.
"Master, why?"
"Isn't it simple? I am just an ordinary man, and I have a terminal illness. You refused to save me. So, I had no choice but to pledge my loyalty to Lord Evos," the butler named Fred replied, a vindictive smile on his face.
"It wasn't that I refused to save you, but that magic couldn't save you..."
The old man looked helpless. Staring at the bodies of his children in the aisle, his eyes were filled with hopeless grief.
"You couldn't save me, but Lord Evos can." At a signal from Evos, Fred stood up respectfully.
The old man shook his head. "So, you willingly fall into the abyss of darkness to become a vampire who can never see the sun again."
"Master, with the sleeping young master, vampires might have a chance to walk in the daylight too." Fred looked at the infant in Evos's arms and let out a triumphant laugh. He seemed to envision a future where, after turning, he could live under the sun.
"He has been asleep since birth; he won't wake up, he won't wake up..." The old man muttered incessantly, gazing lovingly at his son in another man's arms.
"What's all the noise? Evos, give me the baby. Let me have a few sips first."
A roar interrupted Fred and the old man. A thick-browed, scarred vampire stepped out from the crowd, making a move to snatch the baby from Evos.
"Hmph. What's the rush? We need to find a way to wake him up. Only his blood after he comes of age will be enough to resurrect you fully. Drinking his blood now would just be a tasty snack."
Evos shot a murderous glare accompanied by a cold snort, freezing the scarred vampire in his tracks. Although stopped, the vampire looked furious, seemingly on the verge of exploding, but ultimately held back.
"Now, Mr. MacFusty, could you tell me how to wake up your son, who possesses the Dragon Bloodline?"
Evos bowed slightly, holding the infant before the old man, asking in a very respectful and peaceful tone. He acted like a respectful junior addressing an elder.
After a long silence, the old man looked up and asked, "You really want to know?"
Evos smiled. "Of course. He is crucial to us vampires. If he can grow to adulthood, he will be the root of our vampire resurgence. I promise to love him like my own son. That way, the MacFusty line will still have a living heir."
Hearing this answer, a flush of mockery appeared on the old man's face. "Good. Good. Just help me kill him, and I'll tell you."
The old man turned his head to stare at the butler opposite him and laughed happily.
---