Fars's full name in life was Fars de Long. Although the Long family held merely a count's title in the Osi Empire, it was undeniably an ancient lineage with a rich history. "True nobility requires at least three generations of cultivation," was a common saying among the aristocracy. Fars's family had once been immensely glorious, but with the changing dynasties and the fierce power struggles among nobles, they had fallen to the point of merely guarding their ancestral lands, their title reduced from duke to count. Yet, the legacy represented by the Long name, spanning over a thousand years, remained recognized by high society. Perhaps in life, Fars had already lost his title and was even forced into exile. However, if one day he re-entered high society bearing this name, the family's heritage would immediately come into play, earning him recognition among the nobles. Thus, Fars's descendants could continue to inherit this glory.
In the dark world, it was said that every vampire's bloodline originated from the ancient evil gods of the Abyss. Fars was unsure of the truth behind this claim. However, since the formation of the cocoon, the bloodline within him had been reawakened. Just like before, Fars once again gained some legacy from his blood. This time, unlike the last, it was not merely abilities; he had nearly mastered the basic skills and secret arts of a vampire viscount. Moreover, judging by the effectiveness of his recent actions, the blood control technique could be considered quite formidable, making it exceedingly convenient for deceit.
After consuming the blood of several humans, particularly that of Carter, the high-level swordsman, Fars felt an overwhelming surge of power within him. Upon reaching a certain threshold, he was fortunate enough to trigger another awakening of his bloodline. In just a few months since his transformation into a vampire, he had fully attained the power level expected of a vampire viscount. If other vampires were to learn of this record, they would undoubtedly be envious. Of course, if one had been exceptionally strong in life, such as a level seven swordsman, it was likely that they could skip the viscount stage upon being embraced. Fars had directly bypassed the ranks of vampire thralls, knights, and barons. These ranks were typically reserved for those who had been ordinary people or of lower status in life.
After this evolution, his wings had expanded to nearly three meters, far surpassing most ordinary vampire viscounts. This phenomenon could occur either due to the purity of the vampire's bloodline or the extraordinary strength of the vampire who granted the initial embrace. It was clear that Fars's bloodline was undoubtedly very pure.
This time, Fars finally learned an important piece of information about his bloodline—Hill, a surname. Perhaps Fars did not yet fully understand what this surname represented, but it was certain that if it had ever appeared within the vampire community, his identity would be recognized. If there were other vampires in Elras bearing this surname, then regardless of how Fars had become a vampire, as long as his bloodline was pure enough, he would be acknowledged by this family. If the family no longer existed, Fars could still use this surname to establish a new Hill family and continue its legacy.
Among vampires, bloodlines were crucial. Even those adept in transformation could not mimic the taste of another's blood. However, as vampires proliferated over time, many with mixed bloodlines emerged, some so diluted that they could not awaken the characteristics or secret arts of their families. The aristocratic vampires, who placed immense value on bloodlines, could not accept these beings, often expelling them from their families or forbidding them from using the surname, relegating them to peripheral members. This outcome was harsh; a vampire's strength relied on their bloodline, akin to talent. A diluted bloodline generally indicated insufficient power, making it exceedingly difficult for those expelled from their families to find their footing, as they faced various forms of oppression from the world of light.
Countless tragedies unfolded, yet this did not evoke a shred of sympathy from this cold-blooded race. In the eyes of the self-proclaimed noble vampire aristocrats, it was akin to purifying their lineage. This indifference sparked a rebellion among the numerous vampires with diluted bloodlines. They not only resisted the church and hunters pursuing them but also began to clash with the aristocratic vampires.
As the number of vampires grew, even those with poor talent inevitably produced a few strong individuals. Under the leadership of these strong figures, intense conflicts erupted with the old aristocrats. Much like human commoners opposing noble oppression, this time the outcome was a peace agreement after both sides suffered heavy losses. The identities of the vampires with diluted bloodlines were confirmed, allowing them to establish their own families, provided they were of baron rank or higher.
If Fars were unaware of his surname, he would need to seek out experienced vampires after emerging from his seclusion for identification. If the results proved his bloodline was pure and belonged to a noble family, that would be fortunate. However, if it turned out he was merely a common vampire, then Fars would tragically be a lowly vampire without a surname. With the strength of a viscount, Fars had the right to establish a family, but to gain recognition among vampires, he would need to invest considerable effort into building a reputation for this new surname. The difficulty was no less than that of a commoner becoming a noble.
Now, Fars had finally set aside a significant concern, having discovered the family from which his bloodline originated. In the future, he might even find a powerful ally. To ensure he did not forget his family from his previous life, Fars decided to rename himself "Fars de Hill." This practice of adding a surname between his first name and last name typically indicated that a person not only inherited the glory of one family but also bore the legacy of another. Vampires often chose to prepend their former surname to their vampire surname as a way to express their enduring remembrance of their past lives.
Having accomplished such a significant feat, Fars felt it was worth it. He had yet to collect his spoils, and Jessy, who lay unconscious on the ground, had not yet awakened. Glancing at the sky, which was beginning to brighten, Fars knew he needed to act quickly. Although his strength had increased, he still feared the sunlight. With only an hour or two left before the day fully broke, Fars hurriedly searched Carter's belongings. This was not his first time doing such a thing; he had become quite adept at it.
Valuable items were typically found on the leaders of a group, and to Fars's surprise, he discovered a spatial ring on Carter. He casually erased the mental imprint on the ring. If a high-level swordsman's mental strength surpassed that of Fars, who was a quasi-high-level mage, Fars would have to find a place to weep in shame. He quickly donned a robe he found inside, as his clothes had disintegrated during the explosive awakening of his powers. With a woman present, even if she was still unconscious, Fars felt a strong sense of modesty. He also found the two magical cores they had hunted, along with some gold coins and various clothing, likely belonging to Jessy. After all, carrying a burden was not easy, and not everyone could afford a spatial ring.
Fars did not overlook the bodies of the remaining members. He picked up the unconscious Jessy and headed back to the battlefield. The two magical beasts were still there, guarding their territory, but they had regained some strength. Looking at the scattered limbs and remnants, Fars understood what these beasts had done. However, there was little he could do; who could control their primal instincts? Fars had no necrophilia tendencies; he had drained the blood, and leaving some meat for the primary combatants of this battle was only fair. After all, magical beasts did not consume weapons or the belongings they carried.
He also collected the scrolls he had buried earlier, which had gone unused, and reluctantly searched through the corpses again. The rugged warrior had little worth, just a broken shield, which Fars decided to keep since he still had space in his ring. To his delight, he found a wineskin at the warrior's waist, still half-filled with strong liquor. It might be low-quality swill, but Fars, who was short on supplies, did not mind. He happily stowed it away in his ring.
The mage's body yielded some decent items, including a fine black robe, clearly of good material, similar to the one Allen wore. He also found some minor spellcasting materials. It was not surprising that he did not find any items with storage space; Fars had never possessed such things in life, so he took some comfort in his findings.
As for the first victim, Hiu, aside from the dagger he had already taken, Fars found a few small tools typical for thieves. He was fortunate to discover several types of poison, including the precious wormwood poison.
Surprisingly, even the unremarkable and poor warrior, Frosa, had nothing useful left except for his greatsword, which the esteemed viscount Fars had graciously accepted. Frosa's body, being largely intact, had attracted the most attention from the two magical beasts, resulting in his clothing being torn to shreds.
Overall, Fars's greatest gain from this encounter was the lovely woman in his arms. He smiled wickedly; there was still plenty of time ahead. To make this girl willingly serve him, it was said that while acquiring a person is easy, winning their heart is much more challenging. Fars would need to take his time to train her. After all, vampires had long lifespans, and slow cooking brings out the best flavors. He chuckled at the thought, feeling an urge to laugh out loud. His future days would finally be filled with more ways to pass the time.
Carrying someone while flying was not particularly fast, and as dawn broke, Fars still had not reached the ruins. With no other choice, he braced himself, expending his magical energy to shield himself from the sun's harmful rays. Perhaps Fars's resistance had significantly increased with his newfound strength, as he finally arrived at the ruins just before he was about to exhaust himself, carrying Jessy with him.
Having been away for two days, the ruins looked the same as before, with no unwelcome guests in sight. Fars needed to rest well; his nerves had been on high alert, leaving him feeling utterly drained. He had no interest in further exertions at the moment. Digging through his belongings, he found a rope about the thickness of his thumb and gently bound Jessy with it. The sleep spell he had cast on her was about to wear off, and Fars did not want her to awaken and disrupt his rest. After securing her, he settled down on his bed, clutching the phoenix egg, and fell into a deep sleep.