The airship flew to a port near the capital. After disembarking, they still had to take a long ride in an old-fashioned car. Those old vampires in the House of Elders must be very afraid of death, right? Because they know that airships are quite dangerous, and if the port were located within the capital, a mishap during the day could crash right into their resting place, turning them to ashes.
To be safe, the airship port was far from the capital.
Besides that, the vampire capital was built in a ridiculous manner, with thirteen concentric walls, each enclosing a smaller circle. As a human, Molly wasn't allowed to enter beyond the third wall.
Adele had to find a hotel for Molly within the fourth wall to stay.
Of course, this was the official story. In reality, when Adele checked into the Black estate within the second wall, Molly simply slipped in through the window. Adele had deliberately left the window open for her. Once Molly was inside, Adele closed the window and pulled the curtains shut.
"How is it?"
Molly took a sip of water after entering the room. Although the Black estate had been without its owner for a long time, the butler, maids, and servants—all low-level vampires—were still there, fulfilling their duties. The maid had boiled water for Adele, but Adele dismissed her, leaving a cup of cool water for Molly to drink as soon as she arrived.
After taking a drink, Molly finally spoke: "This is indeed the capital, the seat of the House of Elders. The number of patrols and their intensity are far beyond what we have at the Black estate." Hearing Molly subtly belittle the Black estate, Adele didn't mind. After all, the Black family was the most minor among the Thirteen Clans.
"How does it compare to the Daili territory?"
Hearing Adele's question, Molly stiffened slightly. Yes, Adele had named the entire territory "Daili." It was all her fault for speaking too much earlier; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many "Dailis" around. Thinking about how this openly broadcasted their affection to the whole world, Molly felt a bit embarrassed.
However, since Adele had asked, Molly still answered. Although her face showed no expression, there was a hint of pride in her voice: "Our territory is even stronger." Although the capital had tens of thousands of low-level vampires and elites in its patrol teams, the vampires hadn't divided the patrols into specialized units. The only distinction was that the leaders were stronger than the others.
This was entirely different from the patrols in their territory. While Molly wasn't an expert, her modern knowledge made her understand the importance of specialized roles. Thus, their patrols were divided into visible and hidden teams, each with its specific duties. Moreover, with top-notch equipment, they wouldn't be weak against the vampires here.
However, attacking the capital would be challenging. As Molly mentioned before, those old vampires were extremely fearful of death, constructing thirteen walls. To breach them all would require massive casualties, something Molly wasn't willing to sacrifice the human resistance for.
Adele hadn't thought that far ahead. Hearing that her territory's patrols were stronger, she felt a bit proud. After all, the patrols had reached their current strength thanks to the funds and resources Adele had provided. If the human resistance had to make gunpowder by hand, they would never have reached this level of equipment.
After spending a night in the second wall, Adele was summoned to the House of Elders within the first wall—the place where the elders resided. Molly had tied a bracelet to Adele's wrist before she left. Since Molly couldn't follow Adele directly, she had to take precautions. The bracelet was not the one they had won at the Blessing Festival years ago, which had dried out and broken within a month. Adele had since made a more beautiful bracelet with jewels and gold and silver threads.
However, as a mere maid, Molly couldn't wear it openly. She had to carry it secretly, using a string to hang it around her neck. Now that Adele was heading to the House of Elders, Molly decided to weave her string into the bracelet. The string was made from Molly's hair, and even though it was no longer attached to her, Molly could still control it.
"If you encounter any danger, just break the bracelet, and I'll immediately control the string to turn into needles and attack your surroundings, while rushing to you as fast as I can."
Molly explained the function of the string. Adele nodded to show she understood. She raised her wrist to look at the bracelet. The intertwined gold, silver, and black threads made it quite attractive.
"I didn't know your string had such a use."
Molly casually replied: "There are plenty of uses you wouldn't expect."
Adele followed up, "What uses?"
Molly leaned in close to Adele's ear, whispering things that couldn't be said aloud. Her voice was soft, her breath warm on Adele's ear, just like when she had told Adele about her naughty plans years ago.
Even though she was so close, all that could be heard from Molly's lips were vague words like "tie up" and "bind." After finishing, Molly stepped back, and sure enough, Adele's cheeks were flushed. However, after a few years together, Adele had become more experienced and seemed eager to try.
"So… should we give it a try?"
Molly felt like she was digging a hole for herself. She was almost speechless in the face of Adele's straightforwardness, mumbling something about "another time" while slipping out of the room.
When Adele was brought into the first wall, Molly didn't just sit idle. Taking advantage of the night, she slipped in as well, following Adele at a distance, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
However, the security within the walls was indeed tight. When they reached a bunker entrance, Molly could go no further. The bunker had only one large door, guarded by rows of vampires. Even Adele had to undergo multiple checks before being allowed inside. Getting in without alerting anyone was nearly impossible for Molly.
To reiterate, these old folks were genuinely afraid of death.
Molly had to stay hidden near the entrance, waiting. She did have a way to get in—by taking out all the vampire guards at once and then rushing inside. But the plan wasn't to take down the House of Elders now. They needed more time to develop, to strengthen the resistance, to acquire better weapons… All of that took time.
Adele had accepted the House of Elders' summons because she didn't want a direct confrontation with them just yet.
But if anything went wrong with Adele, Molly would rush in, no matter the cost.
Unlike Molly, who was waiting outside, Adele followed the vampire who had escorted her into the bunker's deepest level. The bunker wasn't just a metaphor; it was a literal underground castle, structured like an inverted pyramid, growing larger the further down it went.
Adele couldn't help but recall Molly's words. Since arriving in the capital, Molly had repeatedly said that the old vampires in the House of Elders were extremely afraid of death. Now it seemed she was right. They practically wore their fear on their sleeves. As long as they stayed underground, they would never be exposed to the sun.
While this might be a good idea for vampires, Adele felt it was a violation of their ancestral teachings. Vampires were creatures blessed by the Moon Goddess. By hiding underground, they avoided the sun's threat, but they also turned their backs on the moon.
Adele descended a spiraling staircase, going down thirteen floors before reaching the lowest level, where the House of Elders resided. Here, she had to undergo an even more rigorous inspection.
The inspection was conducted by a high-blooded vampire lady, who appeared beautiful and elegant, but her examination of Adele was meticulous. As a member of the Thirteen Clans, Adele naturally wasn't subjected to a physical search, which would have been an insult and tantamount to a declaration of war.
Instead, the vampire held a magical stone that emitted a beam of light, scanning Adele from head to toe. The previous checks had been similar, but now the light was even more intense, making Adele uncomfortable.
Adele wore a dress with no pockets, but there were still plenty of places to hide something. Whoever came up with this method of magical inspection was clearly a genius.
After the thorough examination, the vampire lady concluded that Adele wasn't carrying any weapons and allowed her to proceed. The vampire who had originally escorted her stopped there, and the vampire lady took over, leading Adele further inside.
They stopped at a room door. The heavy door obscured any signs of what lay within. The walls of the underground castle were likely embedded with magical stones, blocking vampires from sensing anything inside, including scents and sounds. Adele felt a twinge of worry—could Molly really find her quickly in such a situation?
But then Adele calmed herself. She believed that if anyone could do it, it was Molly. She was the strongest human in the world, an unparalleled force. Whatever Adele couldn't do, Molly could. Besides, she wasn't here to start a war. The House of Elders didn't know about her private activities, so they wouldn't be targeting her.
When the door finally opened, Adele's eyes widened in surprise. The room was nothing like she had imagined. She had expected a study, a conference room, or even a reception room, but instead, it was a garden.
Yes, in the thirteenth level of this underground castle, there was a garden. And it was filled with blooming white camellias. In the center of the garden stood a pavilion, with a figure already seated inside.
"Miss Adele Black, please enter." The vampire beside her urged Adele forward.