The speech was accompanied by expressions and exaggerated body movements, and the Countess, dressed in a pig doll, seemed like the competent actors in a humorous puppet drama. The children have gathered around to watch this free show, while other people seem to be accustomed to it and are now accustomed to it.
"Go back and tell my husband that I'm going out of town and I'll be back before dinner."
After hearing this, the members of the three groups hurriedly said, "Get out of the city! Countess..."
"Mmm~" The pig puppet pressed the young knight who had said the wrong thing forward.
Looking at the doll's eyes that were almost bigger than his own head, the young knight paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Hmm... cute... Miss Pig, do you need guards when leaving the city?"
"Do you need protection?" The repeated tone gave a feeling of discomfort. Although puppetry is so cute, it still brings a sense of threat to people.
Just as they were about to take a step back from their sadness, a group of people approached and said, "So please be careful, lovely Miss Pig. We will pass on your matter to the Count."
"Oh! Okay. So, Monica, let's go!" The pig puppet turned around and held the bear puppet's hand.
"Shouldn't I be called the cute Miss Bear?"
"It's okay! Let's go, let's go!"
The five knights stayed in place and watched as the two puppets walked briskly away.
"Senior, yesterday was a penguin and hamster costume, the day before yesterday was a pigeon and duck costume, and the day before yesterday was... are they really strong?"
"Beautiful roses are prickly, cute puppets are violent... Sigh~If you can tell a person's level just by looking at their appearance and professional level decorations, then the continent will be much more peaceful. Let's go! We have to go back and report to the Count."
On the roads outside the city, the chattering pig puppets were also the focus of attention, while the quiet bear puppets seemed a bit unnatural. At one point, Monica wanted to draw a clear line with Miss Pig next to her and didn't want to walk together.
Inexplicably taken out of the city, Monica only spoke up now, partly to stop Yanni from speaking meaningless words. "Yanni, what are we going to do when we leave the city?"
"Oh! I need to go to a nearby farm where crops were not harvested before."
The bear puppet showed a surprised expression and said, "Would you care about this?"
"Of course it will! If crops fail to harvest, it means there is a problem with the land or people. Whether it is a lack of care from farmers or excessive land use, it will result in a failure to harvest. This also means that the harvested crops are not much better, just barely edible. No matter how good the cooking skills are, without good ingredients to match, the cooking will not be delicious. So I have reason to care."
"Yes, yes," Xiong Bu Bu responded with a helpless expression.
"Moreover, J Days is also approaching. Once J Days pass, it will be spring again, which is the season for farming. So these issues need to be dealt with quickly."
"Why not give it to your husband?"
"Is it okay to be idle? And he's currently preparing for the J-Days celebration. As a wife, could you please help out a bit?"
"Ah~You always look for reasons like this."
"Hehe!" The pig puppet awkwardly smiled.
"Forget it! Have you ever thought about what might be the reason?"
"Mmm~" The pig puppet crossed its hands and thought for a moment. "I don't know. According to the lunar calendar, these years should have been fruitful."
"How is this year's lunar calendar arranged?"
"There are six months in a year, the Golden Wood Earth Water Fire Month, which is divided into six seasons: spring, summer, dry, autumn, frost, and winter. Each round has thirteen days, and this year's monthly round is divided into five, five, two, seven, and three, a total of 364 days. J-Days, which do not belong to any month, are additional days in the late winter and early spring, totaling 365 days. In leap years that occur every four years, J-Days only have two days. However, it is reasonable to say that there are a total of five rounds in the dry and frost seasons this year, so there should be no shortage of harvest."
"Is that so?" Monica responded thoughtfully.
That's right! Usually, as long as the dry and frost seasons last for more than eight rounds, we would store more grain in the first one or two years for emergency needs. The calculation of the calendar has existed for a long time before January 1st of the standard calendar year, and there has been no record of any natural disasters in the past five thousand years! Even natural disasters such as epidemics, earthquakes, typhoons, etc. can be calculated. Our ancestors avoided many natural disasters with this calendar system, so no one dares to abolish the lunar calendar. Most of them adopt a parallel system of dual calendars, at most changing the year name of the standard calendar as the beginning of a new dynasty, after all, the standard calendar is only recorded in the records. It's much easier. "
"It's not a natural disaster, that's a man-made disaster."
"Human error?" Yan Ni asked inexplicably.
"That's right!" The teddy bear nodded. "Although the lunar calendar has allowed people to avoid many natural disasters, there have been several major famines and epidemics in history. The most recent one was the application of a wrong technique by Feng Shui master Masayoshi Ando 800 years ago, which resulted in the entire Eastern continent having no land to cultivate and all plants dying. At that time, King Naxin put in a lot of effort to transport food and prepare the land, only to restore the original appearance of the Eastern land ten years later. He minimized the number of starving deaths at that time, but millions of people also died within ten years. You should know this history too! All natural disasters that occurred began with human disasters."
Turning to the head of the Piggy Puppet, Yanni asked, "But what kind of human disaster will happen within the territory of Platinum City?"
"Who knows? Adam is not here, let's rely on our own eyes to see."
"Hmm!" Yan Ni nodded slightly, and her foot speed increased significantly.
Far away from Platinum City, besides caravans and adventure groups, there were more ordinary villagers wearing coarse linen clothes on the road. Either small groups of women gather together, or a group of young crop boys.
Looking at the simple faces, Monica had a familiar feeling. She has also had that kind of expression before, and like them, she has talked to her respective good friends about topics such as "this year's harvest is still decent.".
When did those things disappear from her side? Half of life must be spent avoiding the sunshine, and only the night is her destination. Even if walking under clear sky, one must hide oneself and bury oneself in deep darkness.
But I am not lonely either. In my impression, there was once a woman like her who, as a night tribe, longed for sunshine. I still remember when I truly understood what kind of world I was in and how wonderful it was to have a companion with a similar mindset. But
"Joanna G Victoria..."
※※※※※※
I woke up again in a strange place, but this time there was nothing so advanced as to be out of place with me. The simple decoration and the small candlelight at the bedside bring a different sense of peace of mind.
Monica touched her abdomen and muttered to herself, "Am I not dead yet?" The place where the short sword was originally inserted now has no wounds.
"Is it okay?" A woman walked into the open door, with an ordinary appearance but countless hidden vitality, which gave Monica a slight nostalgia, as if returning to her past life in the village. Girls of the same age all have such an expression.
"Here, this cup is for you. Drink it down, it will be better for your health." The woman brought a cup filled with bright red liquid and handed it over.
Monica reached out and took it, feeling a strong smell. She couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"Fresh blood, it was just taken out."
After listening, Monica was so scared that she let go. Just as it fell from the cup and blood was about to overflow, a large black hand reached out to catch the cup.
"Don't waste it even if you don't drink it, it's hard won."
Turning her head, Monica saw a man dressed in all black clothing, covering his head to his feet. The rounded brim of the hat buried his eyes in the darkness, and the contents of the poured cup flowed into the man's mouth. The bright red that leaked from the corner of the mouth was also licked into the mouth by the tongue.
Monica stared foolishly at the man in front of her, drinking dry blood, and stuttered, "You... that cup... I thought... I thought..."
"Can't even speak well? What do you think? Do you think this cup is tomato juice? It seems like you're just a newbie. Card card card~" The man in black lightly placed the cup he had drunk on the low cabinet by the bedside and said with a smile. At the same time, he took off his gloves on his right hand, wiped the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth with his bare hand, and licked the last bit of freshness.
"Master, don't scare people like that. There are really few people who are not scared when they see your appearance," said the woman beside her with a hint of anger
"She's not human either, what's the point, rookie?"
"Mmm~Master, my name is Joan..."
"When you're out of the age of breastfeeding, you can expect me to call you by your name, rookie! Kaka Kaka~" Amidst laughter, the man didn't even open the door and walked through the room.
The woman lowered her head in disappointment and sighed, then regained her cheerful expression and looked up at Monica. "Hello, first time meeting. My name is Joanna G Victoria. And you?"
Monica was startled by Joanna's ability to quickly change her facial expressions, and after a while, she said, "Monica. Monica H Fislow."
Joanna happily grabbed Monica's hand and said, "Ah~It's so nice to see you, Monica. Can I call you Monica?"
Joanna's enthusiasm made Monica a bit overwhelmed and she hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly in agreement. Just as Monica was about to ask a question, the door opened again and a woman in her twenties walked in. A fluffy and curly head of long hair, a delicate face with a bit of perseverance, coupled with a cigarette dangling from the corner of the mouth, gives the overall feeling of dominance, like a natural leader or decision-maker.
"Has your body recovered?" The woman pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. When she saw the dried cup placed at the head of the bed, she said, "It seems that you have regained your energy."
Joanna nervously raised her hand and whispered, "Hmm... Lord Lincoln, that glass of blood was drunk by the master."
"What! That guy..."
"Why did you give me that kind of thing to drink?" Monica interrupted the conversation between the two and asked the question impolitely.
The woman looked at Monica with a strange gaze and repeated, "Why?" Then she took off the necklace from her neck and handed it to her, saying, "Take it."
Monica inexplicably took off the necklace and threw it away as her hand started smoking. "So... what is that?"
"A silver cross."
Monica looked at the cross mark in her palm, and the slight pain disappeared in an instant, while the wound slowly healed.
"You are indeed a vampire, and you are also a subordinate. However, your master's ability should not be bad, otherwise the injury won't heal so quickly. By the way, who is your master?" The woman asked her own question.
"Master...?" Monica still looked at the other person with puzzled eyes.
"Oh! It's the vampire who turned you into a vampire."
When determining that the annoying term 'master' referred to that guy, Monica's expression dimmed. After biting his lips tightly, he finally said, "John Carroll." He stopped speaking.
And the two people on the side also remained silent after confirming with each other that they had heard the four words "John Carroll". After a while, the woman stood up and said, "It seems you need more rest, so I won't disturb you." Then she turned around and left. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "By the way! Don't casually tell anyone about your master being that guy John Carroll. Rookie, come out too."
"Mmm~That... sir, my name is Joe..."
"Let me call you by your name for another hundred years, rookie." The woman opened the door and left without looking back.
Joanna felt lost again for a moment, but immediately regained her usual demeanor. She said to Monica, "Let's rest well first. If there are any problems, we can talk later." She then walked out of the door and closed it.
Watching everyone's expressions, Monica's doubts only grew bigger and bigger in her heart. But now she is not in a hurry to get an answer, after all, those are just secondary. The most important thing to her is that she doesn't even know if there's a chance to approach it again. As for achieving it, she no longer hopes for it.
In the following days, Monica stayed under the Benetton Knights in this Christian royal hall to rest. The leader of the Knights of Benetton is Idegura F. Lincoln, and under her leadership, Benetton earnestly believes that all life on the continent is equal. There will be no discrimination against them due to differences in race, and on the contrary, they live in interdependence. Of course, the premise of all of this is that it does not hinder human survival and principles, which can be considered very inclusive. And this is also one of the reasons why some members of the Knights of Benetton do not belong to the human class.
And this farce between humans and vampires continues to this day, with four major forces emerging. One of them is the vampire organization led by John Carrot, who always lives with self centeredness and believes that vampires are a more progressive existence than humans. Although for humans, it can only be considered a minor harm because they never actively attack humans. But no one knows if they will play a game of "destroying humanity" when they go crazy. After all, being harmless does not mean being powerless.
The second is also a vampire organization, led by the Earl of D Denis of Arkansas, which is the great enemy of all humans. Wherever they go, humans and animals do not breed. They enjoy slaughtering and sucking blood, making them the most terrifying group in the night power. Whether as vampires or humans, they belong to the worst kind.
The third one is the Bachelor's Knights under the Catholic Papal Office, which is centered around humanity and is accompanied by extreme beliefs. The group they gather can be said to be the elite of humanity. Under the leadership of the Pope, full of fanaticism, they have unleashed a rare level of human destructive power, and countless non-human lives have been lost at their hands, whether good or evil.
The last one is the Knights of Benetton, where Monica is currently located. A military force established by four main vampires, seventeen affiliated vampires, and 145 humans, primarily composed of vampire Andrew M. Heikinin.
Monica once asked other vampires in the Knights of Benetton why they wanted to collaborate with humans, and their response was mostly "following Lord Heikening."
And Andrew's own answer was: "Card card~"
I also learned some knowledge about vampires during this period. The main vampire is the true night tribe, and its proportion is also the smallest.
Next is the true servant of the main vampire, the accessory vampire. In this rank, it is usually the virgin or virgin bitten by the main vampire. Affiliated vampires may vary among individuals depending on their master's strength, and both Monica and Joanna belong to this rank of vampires. By the way, Andrew's affiliated vampire is only Joanna. As for the reason, Andrew's answer is: "Card card~"
Furthermore, it is the most notorious part of the ghoul. Usually, non virgins and non virgins bitten by vampires will lose consciousness and turn into walking corpses. Their wild animal like behavior patterns make them only know how to search for food, and as foodies, after being bitten by them, they will also become the same existence.
Occasionally, there are exceptions among ghouls who possess the characteristics of a ghoul while also possessing consciousness. But almost crazy, they can only do actions like ghouls, desperately creating monsters like themselves. This decades long battle between humans and vampires also began with such characters, with three consecutive cities filled with moving ghouls in the dark, which made the human camp determined to officially launch a major counterattack.
In the war to eliminate this group of walking corpses, various sacred or light weapons and magic shone brightly, leading to the growth of various churches. Among them, the Catholic Church, which was already a powerful religious group, expanded like a fish in water.
All holy water, crosses, and silver weapons can have a fairly good effect. Directly cutting off the head of the ghoul, damaging the heart, and even using fire directly are effective methods. But the most powerful weapon is still the sun, and no matter how proud the Night Clan is exposed directly to the sun, it usually only has the chance to completely disappear from the world.
And to what extent the true power of the main vampire has reached, Monica once teamed up with Joanna to ask Andrew. And the answer received was still just disgusting card laughter. Of course, facing this laughter, neither Monica nor Joanna had the strength to continue questioning.
"This is the current situation. Rather than being a holy war for religion, this war is more like a struggle between humans and vampires. The four existing forces are mostly hostile or do not interact with each other, and in any case, those outside of themselves can be considered enemies."
In the dimly lit basement, Andrew sat on a wall chair facing the door. The laughter of the card was like the sound he thought he was breathing, constantly coming out. Next to the only square table, Monica was learning from Joanna the necessary knowledge for the future.
According to Andrew, since we have embarked on this irreversible path, it is better to continue walking well. For such a reason, Monica forced herself to listen to these things that were probably unrelated to her. Even if she planned to regret them now, it was already too late.
"Hehe hehe~Rookie, do you understand?"
"Master, don't call me 'rookie', my name is Joe..."
"I'm not calling you, it's another rookie."
Monica finally realized that she was talking about herself, and it took a while for her to react. "Is there no way to save it?"
"Hehe hehe~Yes! Tomorrow morning, go and see the rising sun, everything has been resolved."
"Master, isn't that going to die?"
"Hehe hehe~Yes! Otherwise, there's no other way."
Joanna showed her helplessness blatantly, and in Andrew's eyes, he just gave a bitter smile before saying, "Rookie, if you yearned for a bright life so much, you shouldn't have agreed to be sucked by me in the first place. Life facing away from the sun will no longer be favored by the sun, but on the contrary, it has become a deadly weapon that can corrode our bodies. But now that you don't even drink blood, sooner or later you will lose the greatest characteristic of a vampire, and even lose your life again."
Joanna was even more disappointed. Andrew paused for a moment before saying, "Forget it! Occasionally having a vampire like you is also good. You should take a careful walk in the sunset yourself."
"Ah, yes, master." Joanna's expression finally forced out a smile, perhaps Andrew's support was what made her accept all of this.
The conversation between Andrew and Joanna gave Monica an incredible feeling, as if it were describing her future' Living like a vampire is probably the only way. Monica felt a slight sense of powerlessness. Although we have escaped the agony of hell, here we are only learning about the whereabouts of another hell, an indestructible hell.
But looking at it from another perspective, having a vampire like oneself is not necessarily a good thing. At least I still have a companion.
Andrew looked at the two women with a gloomy expression in front of him and said with a smile, "If you don't want to go to hell, then let's temporarily survive and find a solution. But now why not think about how to welcome the uninvited guests! Card card card~"
Joanna showed a puzzled expression. "Guest?"
A panicked young man ran into the open door and finally adjusted his breathing to speak. He said with a clattering sound, "Lord Heijining, a group... a large group of armed ghouls have attacked. We have already lost a lot of companions."
"Hehe hehe~"
Joanna looked at Andrew, who continued to giggle foolishly, but anxiously asked, "Master, what should I do now?"
"You go up and welcome me, it's just a ghoul anyway."
"Master!"
"Go up, rookie."
Joanna nodded helplessly and led Monica and the reporter out of the door.
"Rookie."
Joanna, who was stopped, turned back naturally and only heard Andrew continue, "Call everyone else out too. I want to be alone in the basement and be quiet."
"Yes, master."
"Touch!" A disheveled woman rushed over and knocked down Monica.
Yan Ni on the side stared foolishly ahead, unsure of what had happened. The woman hurriedly ran behind the two puppets to seek shelter. And Monica, who was lying on the ground, stared ahead, searching from her memory for any other knights on the continent besides Platinum City whose armor was green.