Up until that point, I had inquired with everyone I knew about the vampire blood and ways to acquire them.
As it turned out, the common populace didn't have access to any vampire blood better than the lowest level harvested from the foot-soldiers from the hybrid vampire army and even that blood was so expensive that average income families would need to save for years to be able to pay that amount.
That blood didn't even guarantee people's breakthrough to the Initium Hunter Class, and might even make them stuck at the 'half-awakened' status for life.
However, that didn't stop people from accumulating money throughout their life and wasting it all in two swift blows, one when paying a new teacher, and another when acquiring the lowest quality vampire blood.
Since I didn't want that, I tried to ask for better quality vampire blood from people I know. Unfortunately, the people I knew were too few and too helpless.
There was one though, who had given me some clues regarding a better quality vampire blood. This was the blood that guaranteed one's breakthrough to the lnitium Class, but they would be stuck there for life without being able to advance to the Medius Class.
It was the Mayor's guard who had scolded me when we had tried to climb over the walls of the Mayor's courtyard and then encountered me twice along with the Mayor. His tone was quite stiff when he informed me of the channels, but his intention was kind.
The big merchant guilds, elite merchant families, trade unions, black market brokers, all these people sold the second-worst quality vampire blood. Of course, their asking price was many times more than the first.
The provincial academies, which could only be called that if they recruited 'half awakened' from all over their province, had an even higher quality of blood present, usually the blood of the pure-blooded vampires.
This made me realize that another Initium Class Hunter that I had heard of, our city's chief of border guards, had access to an even higher quality of blood, that made it possible for him to advance to the Medius Class if he worked hard enough.
Therefore, when Aunt Enka told me of the Central Academy that provided blood infusion for free to their top applicants, I first needed to confirm whether that was true and what the quality of blood would be.
My only source was my benefactor, the block of wood that seemed to have become my brother's potioneering teacher recently.
Therefore, after silently yet 'joyously' celebrating my brother's 18th birthday, which was also a turning point in his life since he would need to get employment soon and help our father with supporting our family, I kept thinking about how to get my answers out of Uncle Albert quickly.
The next morning, I started walking straight towards his shop as soon as his opening time drew close, and I reached right on time. He had just finished opening the shop and was about to sit back in his usual place.
With my improved eyesight, I had managed to spot his movements from a street's distance away.
Even after 4 years of growth and development, 33rd Street was still the same. Some potholes couldn't even be covered up well while the new and smaller ones were just waiting for a flow of traffic and time to grow in size and volume.
Casually skipping over them, I chased after Uncle Albert, hoping that he would be able to answer me early in the morning.
Thankfully, he didn't neglect me when I asked what quality of blood was the Central Academy giving and gave me a succinct reply, "For top ten, Pure-blooded vampire's blood, for the champion, the blood of a Vampire Baron."
To be answered this quickly was probably the good fortune that resulted from the good karma of my previous lives. Again, a cycle of despair and hope, the circle that began with Uncle Albert and ended with him was complete.
I didn't leave that chance to acquire more knowledge that could prove to be beneficial to me further in my path.
"Um Uncle, how do I reach the capital?"
"Uncle?"
"Should I just keep walking east? What if there's a cliff? Should I jump over it?"
"I wish I could fly there, it would save me quite a substantial amount of time."
Finally, I had cast my shame and embarrassment aside and began applying the Chloe move, which was to act cute and nag him until he answered. For casual questions, the method worked surprisingly well on Uncle Albert.
This was also the reason why I had come to the shop so early. If my brother Rowan was present while I did all that, he would surely feel that his little sister was being weird.
Thankfully, I was able to get an answer out of him before he came and it was an answer that made me bloom in joy. He told me, "Come again after 3 weeks, you can travel with me."
Yes, that was a sentence that practically turned my life and thought process upside down. He didn't tell me to wait or took time to think about his decision but told me of his plans to travel to the capital after three weeks, and he was a man of his word.
If I traveled along with him, I was sure that I would be able to reach the capital safely.
And with that, I made the most critical decision of my life… which was to leave my home and travel far east towards the capital of the Duopis Kingdom, the Vernaris City.
Of course, I needed to convince my family of that first, but since I was already sixteen, I would be allowed to move out by my parents if they could be reassured of my safety.
And to do that, I needed to make more convincing plans. Since the journey itself might take months, it would be at least another year before I returned home.
I could also try to take Rowan along if he could get Uncle Albert to give him a job. Perhaps, as his potioneer assistant, or even better, as a librarian.
Uncle Albert had given me three weeks and I wasted the first just thinking of means that I could use to convince my parents.
Even though they had been nothing but supportive ever since we had that accident in Crimson Lake, there was bound to be difficulties in making them agree to send their 16-year-old daughter on a journey that would take me months to complete.
That was why I was thinking of convincing Rowan since they could at least be assured that their children would be traveling together and could take care of each other.