The day after ten individuals were hanged for their crimes, the heavy oak door of Aurora's house creaked open, revealing Sir Grace and his family standing on the threshold. Aurora recognized them immediately; Sir Grace was the current secretary of the city, and his daughter was the little girl Afra had saved the previous day.
Upon seeing Afra, Sir Grace approached, offering her an iron box and expressing his gratitude. "Thanks to your bravery yesterday, I was spared the anguish of losing Gaoqiusa. I had hoped to host a banquet in your honor, but recent events have made that impossible. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation."
Afra waved dismissively, indicating that it was unnecessary. Sir Grace lowered his head and gently pulled forward the timid little girl. "Gaoqiusa, thank your savior, Afra."
Gaoqiusa, with wide, curious eyes, looked up and uttered a soft, "Thank you, sister Afra."
Afra, always tenderhearted toward children, especially young girls, couldn't resist ruffling Gaoqiusa's hair. It was evident that Sir Grace was preoccupied with pressing matters, and he departed hastily after a brief exchange.
Intrigued, Afra opened the iron box Sir Grace had given her. Inside, she discovered four rows of seven silver coins, a total of 280.
"Goodness me!" Avril exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "That's a fortune!"
Afra picked up a coin and examined it. The obverse featured the portrait of a young woman, while the reverse depicted a string of pearls. "This is a Silver Pearl, a valuable currency," Avril explained, her knowledge as the daughter of a tavern owner evident. "It was issued by the Duke of Roses for his daughter thirty years ago. One Silver Pearl can buy two loaves of bread."
The bread in question was the coarse, dark variety commonly known as black bread. Although difficult to eat, it was a precious commodity, especially for the poor, who often subsisted on a gruel made from grains. A single loaf of black bread could provide sustenance for ten meals, making it equivalent to one hundred portions of the meager gruel. Given that a Silver Pearl could purchase two loaves, its purchasing power was substantial. 280 Silver Pearls could buy a house in the Sunshine District or two warhorses.
Avril's exclamation reminded Afra of a troubling fact. In her past life as a gamer, she had primarily used gold coins, and even then, they were rarely spent. In reality, she had had little opportunity to engage in monetary transactions. This realization made her acutely aware of her previous ignorance regarding money. She recalled the mountain of gold coins—Golden Dragons, the most valuable currency—that guarded the Dragon's Sleep. 280 Silver Pearls were equivalent to more than twenty Golden Dragons, a staggering sum of wealth she had unknowingly forfeited.
Before Afra could dwell on her loss, her attention was diverted by an unexpected disturbance. The usually tranquil Sunshine District erupted in chaos. Loud shouts, roars, the shattering of glass and wood, and the chilling sound of blades piercing flesh filled the air.
The door of Aurora's house was violently flung open, and several servants were knocked to the ground by a horde of crazed individuals. These individuals had bloodshot eyes and bodies shrouded in a white smoke. They wielded various weapons, wreaking havoc and destruction. Afra ushered Aurora inside, while Avril drew her beloved dagger and followed closely behind. As they retreated to the basement, Afra turned to see several servants lying lifeless on the floor.
"Blood slaves," Afra muttered, recognizing these creatures immediately. They were the product of vampires, weak but highly contagious and numerous. Fearless and mindless, they were a formidable threat. The most disturbing aspect was their sun-scorched skin, a testament to their mindless aggression.
Something was amiss. While Gelfant, a vampire, was only in the mid-stages of bloodthirst, the appearance of blood slaves was a perplexing anomaly. Regardless, the immediate danger required her attention. Afra activated her [Fire Control] ability, summoning a ball of fire that soared into the sky.
A dark cloak shielded a pair of scarlet eyes that watched Afra's efforts to eliminate the blood slaves with flames. The eyes were filled with resentment and jealousy. She loved Gelfant deeply, and her master had intended to give her to him as his vampire bride. Now, Gelfant's attention was drawn to Afra, igniting her jealousy and driving her to the brink of madness. She would be Gelfant's bride, and no one else.
With this thought, she pulled the winch of her crossbow, setting a sharp armor-piercing arrowhead. The vampire bride possessed enhanced vision, a gift from Gelfant. At a distance of fifty yards, she was confident in her aim. However, she was unaware that this distance was precisely her downfall. The distinctive sound of the crossbow string was detected by Afra's [Vibration Sensing] ability. She turned to see the vampire bride standing on the roof. After a brief exchange of glances, Afra activated her [Fear] ability.
In a flash of black lightning, the armor-piercing arrowhead struck Afra's head. Under her cloak, the vampire bride smirked in satisfaction. However, her smile froze as Afra, instead of falling, stared at her impassively. Afra's head exploded, releasing countless tentacles that pierced more than twenty blood slaves. The tentacles then devoured the flesh of the unfortunate victims.
The vampire bride gasped and attempted to flee, but she collided with a wall and collapsed to the ground. The tentacles had not touched tiles, but something sticky and repulsive. Looking down, she saw that the house had transformed into a writhing wall of flesh, and her hands were covered in blood. Vampires were not afraid of blood, but the vampire bride was terrified. She realized she was trapped within the stomach of an unknown monster, and she felt herself beginning to melt.
The surrounding meat walls pressed in, enveloping her in darkness. "Ah..." she cried out, gasping for air. The suffocating sensation was unbearable. If she hadn't inherited a portion of the vampire's resilience, she would have perished. She had fired the crossbow arrow instinctively, and its destination was unknown. The vampire bride glanced at the courtyard, where only a charred piece of meat remained. Afra's figure was nowhere to be seen.