Today is Sunday, and Sylvasta, with no specific plans for the morning, woke up early and took a hot bath under the service of her maids.
Currently, Althia's mansion only had her as the sole owner, so she was unusually free.
After bathing, with her damp wavy hair draped over her shoulders, Sylvasta changed into a loose nightgown. With her bare, slender legs on display, she sank her body into the soft bed, holding a pillow in her arms. She leisurely squinted her eyes, enjoying the tranquility of the holiday.
A moment later, Sylvasta suddenly opened her eyes and looked around the empty bedroom, her eyes darting around.
"Let's try 'that' thing I just bought."
For some reason, her face blushed slightly, and she instinctively reached for the dimensional ring on her little finger.
However, the familiar metallic touch she was used to didn't register. Sylvasta's expression froze, and she quickly sat up from the bed.
Only then did she remember that she had given the ring to Char to borrow money and hadn't gotten it back yet. After all, 20,000 gold coins was no small amount.
"It's over..."
"It's over, it's over, it's over, it's over!!!"
Sylvasta was at a loss, tugging at her hair with both hands, completely devoid of her usual elegance and composure.
Why did she forget to take out such an important thing before leaving!
.....
"What did you say?"
Char slammed his hands on the counter, widening his eyes as he asked.
He had brought the 10,000 gold coins he won from Angelica and stored them in the dimensional ring. He intended to buy some virtual stone powder and then quickly head to the Witch's location.
Ever since he read the letter from the informant in the morning, an invisible sense of urgency had been pushing him forward.
It wasn't just about investigating the potential battles that "Sun" could trigger. It was highly likely that even the Althia family was now hostile towards him.
The rank of a Great Knight alone was far from sufficient.
Furthermore, Char's body was weak at the moment, and he needed to die quickly to refresh his status.
So he came specifically to this hidden channel, but the response he received chilled his heart halfway.
"So, I'm telling you, we're out of stock on things like virtual stone powder," a voice tinged with annoyance came lazily. "And hey, be careful, don't break my counter with your slamming!"
Char lowered his head and met the gaze of the petite figure behind the counter.
It was a small, adorable girl wearing a cute-style nightgown. Her white hair was somewhat messy, tied up loosely and resting on her partially exposed, tender pink shoulders. Rubbing her drowsy eyes, she impatiently looked over.
It's worth mentioning that her eyes shimmered with an unusual crimson hue.
Overall, she appeared to be nothing more than a young girl, no older than twelve. However, her tone of speech was surprisingly mature.
Char glanced down at her pink cotton slippers, twitching at the corner of his eye.
"If I were your age, I definitely wouldn't have the audacity to refer to myself as 'this lady,'" he sneered. "Right, old vampire hag with an actual age over a thousand years?"
The white-haired girl glared at him and waved her fist. "It's rude to casually discuss a woman's age, you brat!"
"And also, I am a member of the vampire race! The noble vampire race!"
"Eek!"
Seemingly due to her exaggerated movements, the loose and cute nightgown slid off her slender shoulders, freezing the previously arrogant expression of the little girl in an instant.
Afterwards, she twitched at the corner of her mouth and slowly pulled the nightgown back up onto her shoulders, feigning composure as she said, "Ahem... A virgin boy like you must have never experienced the wonders of a mature woman, right?"
"..."
Char sighed and slowly removed his hand from his forehead, shifting his gaze away.
They say "rich loli, rich loli," but to have such an extensive airport at such a young age. But upon closer thought, this person in front of him is already over a thousand years old. Even by the long lifespan of the vampire race, she could be considered an old woman. There's really nothing to be proud of.
The white-haired girl who was making a fuss is named Octavia Caess. Char saved her unintentionally five years ago. She is a vampire and a skilled alchemist who runs a magical instrument shop deep in a small alley on Minden Street.
Business is usually dismal, and apart from Char's regular visits, there are hardly any customers who come specifically to this place.
Octavia provides Char with the materials he needs, including the forbidden book for recording rituals.
However, Char has no knowledge of Octavia's origins, only knowing that she used to be a member of some vampire family.
"So, how much do you have left here now?"
Char sighed and watched Octavia as she tidied up her clothes, speaking.
Time is running out, with just over two days left until the meeting time proposed by the informant. Char cannot afford to meet people in his current weakened state.
Moreover, there are quite a few people in the capital who have their eyes on him now.
Upon hearing that, Octavia rolled her eyes and rummaged through the drawer under the counter. After a while, she finally found a slightly dusty glass test tube.
At the bottom of the test tube, there was a thin layer of sparkling powder, the same material that Char usually used for his rituals.
This was the invaluable virtual realm stone powder.
Looking at the amount in the test tube, Char furrowed his brow and reached out, weighing it in his hand. "There's only about one gram in total, but a ritual requires at least two grams, right?"
"Well, then you'll have to wait because my source seems to have run into some trouble recently and can't provide this stuff frequently," Octavia replied.
Octavia plopped down on the nearby chair, crossing her legs and letting her slippers dangle from her feet.
In reality, the small amount she just took out was from her old inventory.
"But I don't have time to wait," Char said impatiently, tapping his fingertips on the wooden counter. "Is there any other way, old hag?"
"Is that how you ask for a favor?"
Octavia let out a soft hum from her nose and kicked her pink cotton slipper in front of Char.
"Please enlighten me, Your Highness, the esteemed princess of the vampire race!"
Char picked up the slipper and walked over to her, helping her put it back on.
Then, like a true knight, he solemnly knelt on one knee, gently taking her delicate little hand and placing a light kiss on her fingertips.
"I'm not a princess, you know! I hate it!"
Octavia seemed quite pleased with the title, her crimson eyes sparkling. She held her face in her hands and spoke.
After spending so many years with this old woman, Char had long understood her personality and temperament.
"Well, actually, it's possible to simplify the procedure of the ritual a bit, as long as the entity you need to communicate with doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards you and doesn't consider simplifying the ritual as a desecration," Octavia said, resting her chin on her snow-white hand. "In that case, the corresponding amount of virtual realm stone powder can also be reduced by half."
"But if the quantity is too small, there's a chance it won't teleport precisely to the intended location. However, overall, the deviation won't be significant."
After smugly squinting her eyes and finishing her statement, Octavia opened her eyes again only to find that the young man had already disappeared from the shop.
"Hey!"
"You haven't paid yet! Damn smelly man!"