Bats can chirp, and their slight squeaking sounds added some amusement to Norton's otherwise boring life in the cave.
Originally, Norton could sit in his chair for hours on end, but now he had something to divert his attention, which slightly improved his scattered thoughts.
It had been almost sixty days, yet the hunger sensation still hadn't appeared.
Until another night fell.
“Squeak, squeak...”
The small bat hanging in the cave took flight, circling once above Norton's head before taking advantage of the darkness to fly out of the cave.
It was going hunting again.
This kind of vampire bat could not interrupt its daily hunting routine, or else it might be too weak from hunger the next night.
Norton still didn't feel hungry; his gaze fixed on the small bat wobbling as it flew away. He felt he couldn't keep hiding like this any longer.
The wilderness here was far too terrifying, which was precisely why he hadn't ventured far from Holy Lord City.The outskirts of large human cities were much safer compared to deep forests and mountains, just like ancient cities rarely had large ferocious beasts nearby. The Church ensured city safety by clearing out all kinds of monsters around their living areas. That was why Norton stayed here, afraid to venture deep into the wild or enter the city itself.
Otherwise, Norton would have left Holy Lord City long ago.
But now it seemed that even the city outskirts were not safe—in fact, they were even more terrifying.
Although he was certain that ordinary injuries couldn't kill him, what if he was hunted by other monsters and torn apart? Could he still recover as he did in his experiments?
Norton dared not risk his body to test this possibility.
He still couldn't hibernate like other vampires to cross the passage of time. So his choices were limited. (Staying holed up in a cave or finding a room without phone or computer for a day—boredom could crush a person.)
Should he continue living here, constantly facing the ever-present dangers in the forest, or try to survive squeezed into the relatively stable but still dangerous city?
Norton thought of the giant harpy he had seen, the unknown creature that killed it, and the scene of the hunting werewolves he had witnessed.
Neither choice seemed good.
In the forest, these monsters had keen senses and could track by scent, but the Church's tracking ability was obviously formidable as well.
What was he to choose? He could only face the danger and give it a try.
Norton finally understood the vampire progenitor Kuba. If being a vampire was this tough, no wonder Kuba wanted to kill God! If it were Norton’s situation, he would feel just as resentful!
Norton threw his self-made leaf cape into the coffin, then stood on the coffin lid and jumped into the nearby pond.
*Splash!*
The ripples spread as the first offensive move of the Central European vampire Norton began!
----
Holy Lord City.
Choosing Holy Lord City was truly a last resort. Norton didn't know the distribution of cities in this world; even if he wanted to leave Holy Lord City, he first needed to get a map or ask for directions inside the city.
The city where the Holy Lord Cathedral stood was Holy Lord City itself. This place was the sacred ground of the Holy Church, rumored to be where God created life.
Norton didn’t know if the rumors were true, but the massive scale and population of Holy Lord City clearly supported this claim.
He never imagined a Central European city could be so huge—so vast that standing on a treetop he couldn’t see its end.
In fact, the Holy Church should have treated Holy Lord City as the center of the Papal States, but since Holy Lord City was not only the place of God’s creation but also the site of God’s death, this caused the area to be extremely unclean and excluded from being the Papal States’ capital.
Holy Lord City had no walls—or rather, it used to have them. The Holy Lord Cathedral was the old Holy Lord City, but now it was only the Church’s domain. The huge population could only reside around the cathedral.
Outside the city, Norton found a household drying clothes, stole a piece of clothing, and then blended into the city without hindrance.
This was the second time he saw the true face of Holy Lord City.
The first time was during Mass, when all production and activity were suspended. He only saw a city full of flowers and the poor, with no glimpse of its actual operation.
But now, upon a rough look, he found this place was somewhat beyond his expectations.
The streets were filled with low and dilapidated houses, but most were built from stone, so the streets at least had some semblance of order.
When Norton left the cave, it was nighttime, and it had taken him a long time to arrive. Now the sky was slightly brightening.
At this hour, there were actually quite a few people on the streets. Though dressed in tattered clothes and filthy from head to toe, they seemed ready to go to work.
Some breakfast shops along the streets were already open, with freshly baked black bread mixed with bran and husks.
However, this was a luxury only for those with some savings; these early risers working from dawn had neither the qualification nor the money to eat it.
The ground in the city was covered with mud and scattered petals. The environment inside was filthy to the extreme, truly like Central Europe—some people woke early to stand at second-floor windows and throw excrement outside.
Outside some slightly wealthier brick houses, chimney-like pipes dripped waste bit by bit.
The stench assaulted Norton’s nostrils. If he weren’t a vampire who didn’t need to breathe, his sensitive sense of smell would likely have caused him to die miserably here.
Norton wandered through the streets, his alertness heightened to the max.
He didn’t dare go too deep, only lingering around the outskirts of Holy Lord City to avoid meeting Church personnel.
But as the Holy City of the Church and the place where God fell, the Church’s strength and number of followers here were outrageously high. Even patrolling the outskirts, he still saw missionaries heading out from time to time.
His skin was too pale, so he had to wrap himself tightly in a hood and his stolen clothes to avoid being recognized by the Church members at a glance.
Fortunately, most women here covered their heads with scarves, so he wasn’t too conspicuous.
This was under the jurisdiction of the Papal States, and the streets were full of religious elements.
For example, the God Shepherding His Flock mural painted on the street walls, and a small wooden cross hanging at every household’s door.
Even though this was only the outskirts of Holy Lord City, the religious atmosphere was still intense. Precious dyes were lavishly used on the walls to create noble images highlighting God’s holiness.
The various religious symbols greatly pressured Norton’s mind. He feared the so-called divine power of these sacred items might dissolve and purify him like in the movies.
Or rather, he was already feeling some bad premonitions.
The familiar God Shepherd mural on the street wall sometimes drew passing workers’ eyes to the lamb’s reproductive organs in the painting—truly a weird style befitting Central Europe.
Compared to these ordinary people who could find some amusement from the mural, Norton gained no pleasure from it at all.
A prickling burning sensation, like being scorched by sunlight, spread across Norton’s skin, causing his expression to change drastically.
“So they really do have methods targeting me!”
Norton panicked slightly and tried to slip into a nearby alley to avoid the mural’s gaze.
Immediately, the burning on his skin slowly faded, but Norton’s mood became extremely oppressive.
“I didn’t expect the Church to have actual methods against vampires. Could this thing even have tracking abilities?”
The more Norton thought about it, the heavier his heart felt.
“Now even murals can burn me. If they use Holy Water or the Holy Sword, wouldn’t they be able to kill me outright?”
Although he had died once already, Norton was not eager to be cut down again.
Moreover, this God Shepherd mural was strange. The figure was clothed and hooded, so theoretically even if sunlight shone on him, he shouldn’t feel pricking pain. Yet this divine image could penetrate his clothes and truly harm him.
This made Norton even more wary of the Church’s methods.