Seeing that Molly was unmoved by her initial protests, Adele had no choice but to confess what had happened. After hearing the full story, Molly couldn't help but rub her forehead in exasperation. Should she criticize Adele for being completely inept at washing clothes? Or should she applaud her for at least trying? Or maybe she should be relieved that Adele didn't attempt to wash her lace-trimmed nightgowns and dresses…
"I didn't do it on purpose," Adele began, her voice shaky at first but growing more assertive as she went on. "I always saw you washing them so easily, so I thought I could do it too. But when I tried to scrub the delicate lace on those small clothes, it just fell apart…" She started with a guilty tone but ended with an indignant huff, concluding, "Molly, if you hadn't left me alone for so long, this wouldn't have happened!"
Molly replied, "Well, then, Miss, next time I have to go out, please don't try to wash clothes on your own."
Adele was even more annoyed. "What am I supposed to do with the clothes then? Let them pile up until you come back?"
This option was feasible, but Adele had a bit of a cleanliness obsession. There was no way she'd allow her clothes to sit around, gathering dust and odor. Molly thought about suggesting that someone else could wash them, but Adele was too shy. She'd rather wash them herself than ask another maid.
Seeing that Molly couldn't come up with a solution, Adele smugly huffed, "So, from now on, you can't leave me behind! And you can't stay away for so long. Even if you have to go somewhere, you have to take me with you!"
In the end, Adele was just being her usual, spoiled self, and Molly couldn't help but smile. She finally relented, "Alright, if it's not a special circumstance, I won't leave you behind."
With Molly back by her side, Adele's productivity soared. Everything seemed better with Molly around—the nights felt darker, the moon brighter, and even the tea tasted better. Having Molly nearby made Adele more efficient in everything she did.
The researchers Molly had brought back were all exceptionally talented. Within days, the young girl wearing thick glasses—who was only about thirteen or fourteen—came to Molly and Adele with a stack of plans. At first, the researchers felt uneasy at the farm. They had expected to be taken to a resistance base, not a place where multiple species lived in harmony.
But after a few days, they began to appreciate the farm's atmosphere. Once they realized Adele was genuinely committed to creating a peaceful coexistence among all species, the young girl brought forward her plans.
Human life is short, whether in the previous world or this one. Yet, despite their brief lifespan, humans possess creativity and intelligence that rivals any other species. Just look at how humans, in only a few hundred years, went from an agrarian society to a modern one in the previous world. If given the same amount of time, who knows what they could accomplish here?
This young girl, though small in stature, had an astute understanding of the vampire banking system. The documents she brought were designed to challenge the very foundation of that system.
She placed the heavy stack of documents on the table and began explaining her ideas to Molly, Adele, the commander, and a few key members of the resistance.
"First, we need to understand what lies at the core of the vampire banking system," she began.
Molly, lacking an intellectual cheat, didn't understand a word the girl was saying. The other resistance members were just as lost. Even though they had some knowledge of the subject, the underlying principles were beyond their grasp.
Only Adele seemed to follow along, hesitantly suggesting, "Is it… blood?"
The young girl nodded. "Yes, the foundation of the banking system is the exchange of currency for blood. Vampires sell their blood to the bank in exchange for currency, which they then use to purchase goods, including more blood."
Hearing this, Molly finally understood. It was like the concept of a standard currency, something she had learned in high school back in her previous world. There, currency was tied to precious metals, whereas here, it was tied to blood.
The young girl continued, "This system has been in place for nearly a thousand years and is quite robust. But it has a fatal flaw. What happens if the amount of currency in circulation exceeds the amount of blood stored in the bank?"
"The system would collapse," Adele answered quickly. She had consistently ranked first in school for six years straight, so her quick thinking was no surprise.
The young girl nodded approvingly. "Exactly. What we need to do is disrupt this exchange system."
This was easier said than done. If it were simple, the system wouldn't have endured for a millennium, even incorporating other species into its structure.
The key was how to accomplish this.
But the young girl had already thought it through. She took out a hundred-unit banknote from her stack of documents, her eyes gleaming with confidence. Since she was old enough to remember, she had been studying the vampire banking system. The vampires had sought to perfect their system, but she was a cunning, spiteful person who harbored deep resentment toward the vampires who had raised her. She had already identified the system's vulnerabilities, waiting only for the opportunity to exploit them.
Now that the opportunity had arrived, she wouldn't let it slip away.
"Counterfeit currency."
The vampire banking system was built on careful calculation, with strict controls over how much new currency was issued each year. A single misstep could bring the whole system crashing down. But the vampires had never encountered the threat of counterfeit money.
The girl's words brought a sudden clarity to Molly. She had been stuck in conventional thinking, believing that counterfeiting money was difficult. But in this era, although currency had been in circulation for over a thousand years, the printing technology was still relatively crude. Thanks to the vampires' technological monopoly, no other species had the capability to produce currency.
Adele was concerned. "Can we really produce counterfeit bills?"
"We can," the girl said firmly. "You have us. We are the foremost researchers of this era. Among us are experts in paper-making, ink production, and printing. I've studied the banking system for the longest time, so I know which bills are easiest to replicate. For those without the necessary skills, counterfeiting currency is nearly impossible. But for us, it's a piece of cake."
The girl's confidence reassured Adele. After all, Molly had brought her here, and Adele trusted Molly.
Though the girl made it sound easy, the task was anything but. They needed a lot of resources and had to start by building machines from scratch. Adele allocated a secluded area in a nearby valley for the research facility, and the commander brought in loyal resistance members to staff the facility. With everyone's efforts, the research facility gradually took shape.
But this was only the beginning. There was much work to be done. Before they could even think about producing counterfeit bills, they had to build the necessary machines. This required many materials, which Adele had to acquire through various means.
Despite the challenges, they eventually managed to create the machines. A year and a half later, when the first counterfeit bill rolled off the press, Adele felt like celebrating. But just then, she had to leave for Golden Castle because Miss Golden was getting engaged to the young master of the Green family.
After all these years, the young master of the Green family was now seventeen and would be attending vampire school next year. The Golden family head, fearing any changes, decided to arrange the engagement now, with the wedding to follow after the young master's graduation. As Miss Golden's cousin and former classmate, Adele naturally received an invitation from the Golden family.
Adele couldn't refuse, so she had to leave for Golden Castle. And of course, she took Molly with her. Together, they boarded an airship, which took several days to reach the Golden territory's air port.
From there, they transferred to the Golden family's car for the final leg of the journey.
Golden Castle was grand, on par with Black Castle. The Golden family arranged a suite for Adele, with her sister in the adjacent room. Adele's parents had their own rooms, as her mother, who had once been a Golden family lady, occasionally stayed at the castle. Her old room was still preserved.
It wasn't Adele's first time at Golden Castle; she had stayed there before.
Over the years, the second Miss Black had grown into a stunning young woman, now fifteen years old—two years younger than the Green family's young master. Upon learning that Adele had arrived, she brought her maid and knocked on the door. Given her personality, Molly had expected her to be accompanied by a low-level vampire maid, but instead, the girl beside her bore a striking resemblance to Molly herself—another human maid.
Unlike Molly, however, this maid had long, silky hair, not the short hair that Molly sported. The second Miss Black was much more well-behaved than before, even greeting Adele properly and addressing her as "sister."
The last time Molly had seen the second Miss Black so well-behaved was when she had wanted to join Adele and herself on an adventure to the village below the castle. Though polite, there was still an air of arrogance about her. After all, vampires were known for their pride.
It was worth noting that the guest rooms in Golden Castle came with a servant's room. This made sense, as guests would naturally bring their own trusted servants, who wouldn't want to share quarters with the host's servants.
After the formalities, the second Miss Black proudly declared to Adele, "Sister, look how well I've raised my maid!"
Molly's expression nearly slipped.
Molly: Seriously? You too, Second Miss?
Adele: Well done, you're truly my sister.