Repulse Street, Outer District, North Hong Kong Island.
Outside the tall city walls, low and dense buildings are built against the walls, forming crooked streets on the water. Narrow and agile boats shuttle on the water, and ragged boatmen work hard to hold the boat pole and shout to attract passengers.
Next to the waterway, in a simple civilian hotel.
In the guest room built by the water, a brilliant light flashed, and a huge circular magic circle emerged in the void. Two embarrassed figures, one tall and one short, swayed slightly and fell out of the magic circle.
They landed hard and came into close contact with the wet wooden floor. They hit the ground with a bang. For a moment, the whole room trembled slightly, as if it would collapse at any time.
They were none other than the vampire girl Agnes and the middle-aged knight Lahail.
The two looked quite embarrassed.
Agnes was pale, looking like she had consumed too much magic power, while Lahaie was even worse, with bloodstains all over his body and a large dent in the armor on his chest.
As soon as she landed, Agnes limped to her feet and quickly came to La Hire, saying anxiously and worriedly:
"La Hiel! How are you? How are your wounds?"
"Ahem... I won't die for now."
La Hail coughed violently a few times and said weakly.
After that, he said apologetically:
"Miss... I think we forgot our title deed to the Mercenary Association..."
"It's already this late and you're still talking about the title deed! If it's gone, it's gone! We've been exposed and can't go back anyway, so hurry up and stop the bleeding and heal your wounds! I'll help you up, and you drink the blood!"
"Damn it, I knew this cheap hotel wouldn't even have anything to stop the bleeding!"
Agnes cursed as she fumbled around the guest room.
The next second, the door of the guest room was pushed open from the outside with a bang, which scared Agnes.
She picked up the weapon on the ground cautiously and looked towards the crooked wooden door, only to see a chubby-looking woman sticking her head in and yelling sharply:
"What are you making so much noise for?! What if you disturb the neighbors?!"
"Be gentler! Don't you know how to be gentler? You damaged my guest room. Can you afford to pay for it?"
However, as soon as the woman finished speaking, her eyes met with the disheveled Agnes.
Seeing the two people covered in blood, she was stunned for a moment, then quickly closed the door.
The sharp cursing voice gradually faded away outside the door:
"Damn it! Mercenaries are barbaric! Old man! If you dare to accept the room fee from a mercenary again, I will break your legs!"
"Double it! The room rate must be doubled!"
"Ahem... Miss, who is it?"
Lahail coughed violently and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword cautiously.
"Don't worry, it's the innkeeper's wife, and... don't hold your sword by the hilt, it's broken."
Agnes said.
Lahail looked down at the sword that had just been shattered by the elf's sword when he was fighting with him, and fell silent.
After a few seconds, he sighed softly and said in a complicated voice:
"It's only been a few days since I last saw him, and he... seems to have gotten stronger again."
"Alright! No matter how strong he is! Drink his blood first! Once we recover a little, we'll leave here!"
Agnes said as she brought the blood bag to La Hire.
Lahail obediently took the blood bag and started to drink it up. As the blood went into his mouth, his face gradually regained its color.
After a while, the plump hotel owner came back.
Seeing the lady boss looking at them curiously, Agnès blocked the middle-aged knight who was drinking blood and said vigilantly:
"We will pay for the room, now please leave."
The proprietress snorted, threw a bulging bag of things on the ground, and cursed:
"Double it! It has to be doubled! Don't die in my hotel, I still have to run my business!"
After saying that, she left again.
Agnes picked up the package thrown by the other party with doubt, but was soon stunned.
"Miss... what is it?"
Rahel asked weakly.
"do not move… "
Agnes stopped his violent movements, then pursed her lips and softened her voice:
"It's linen bandages and herbs to stop bleeding..."
With the linen brought by the landlady, Agnes simply bandaged La Hire's wound.
Although theoretically as a vampire any injury can be healed as long as they have enough extraordinary blood, their stock is limited to begin with, and at this moment the blood packs have already run out.
Although the injury has stopped worsening, Lahail's condition is still not good and he may not be able to fight again in the short term.
"I'm sorry, miss... I made you worry again."
Looking at the worried girl who was bandaging his wound, Lahail said apologetically.
Agnes shook her head and said:
"No... Today is my fault. It's all my responsibility. I didn't expect to actually run into her..."
"No, I should have thought of it a long time ago! The party will be held the day after tomorrow, she will definitely be back by now!"
"Damn it! Why are we so unlucky! We even run into her when we go to sell a house!"
Agnes cursed and cursed Castel's ancestors for eighteen generations.
However, she didn't have to wait long before she heard a loud noise coming from the waterway.
Her heart skipped a beat and she walked cautiously to the window and looked outside. In the distance, she saw several long boats belonging to the city guard passing by on the water, carrying fully armed guards.
Agnes's expression suddenly changed slightly:
"Are you sending out the guards so soon?"
"No! They know we're still in town!"
"La Hiel! Quick! We need to get out of here as soon as possible!"
However, the middle-aged knight did not take any action.
"La Hiel?"
Agnes repeated.
Looking at his own injuries, La Hail sighed:
"Miss, you should go first. I am too seriously injured and will be a burden to you."
"Bullshit! I'll help you up, and let's go together!"
Agnes said.
But the next moment, the door was opened again from the outside, and the proprietress's chubby head poked in again.
Agnes looked at him warily, and he looked at her in surprise:
"The city guards are searching for a man and a woman. Is that you?"
Agnes: …
"You guys committed a crime?"
Agnes: …
Agnes became more alert as she looked at the gossipy proprietress. But the next moment, she saw her take out two tattered cloaks and throw them to them:
"Take cover and escape through the back door! There is a small boat over there that can lead you out of North Harbor."
Agnes was stunned:
"You... are helping us?"
"Why are you helping us?"
The proprietress said:
"Castel won't let us live. They are a big family with a lot of power, no one can afford to offend them. But... the guy who goes against them deserves admiration!"
Agnes pursed her lips:
"Thanks… "
"Alright, alright! Let's go! The pursuers will be here soon!"
The proprietress waved.
…
The entrance to Shallow Water Street.
Charlotte stood on the longboat, looking at the dense and messy low buildings in front of her, with an inexplicable expression:
"Is it possible that Beigang, a city on the water famous for its wealth, also has such a dilapidated place?"
Beside her, Sebastian looked around and sighed:
"Shanshui Street, the famous slum in Beigang, hasn't changed much in the past ten years. No, it seems to have expanded a bit."
"Slums... All I've seen along the way is the prosperity of Castres. I thought there were no such places in North Port."
"Master, it is impossible for a city to exist without slums. If there are rich people, there will naturally be poor people. This is normal."
"Is this normal..."
Charlotte couldn't help but repeat herself, obviously not satisfied with this statement.
Soon, several fully armed guards rowed a long boat to her, saluted respectfully, and said:
"My Lord Earl, we have surrounded Shallow Water Street and are now searching house to house for the criminal's whereabouts."
Charlotte nodded slightly, but suddenly heard a sharp voice coming from not far away:
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you guards doing barging in? What if you damage my house?"
"There are no suspicious people! I told you, there are no suspicious people here!"
Attracted by the voice, Charlotte looked over and saw a chubby woman standing in front of the guards in front of a shabby hotel not far away, speaking angrily.
Around her, there were many tenants who came to watch the fun, many of whom were low-level free mercenaries.
Although they were watching the fun, their eyes towards the guards were full of vigilance and hostility.
Charlotte looked around.
As the guards poured in, many residents on both sides of the waterway on Shallow Street poked their heads out to watch the excitement.
With her keen spiritual perception, Charlotte could clearly sense the fear, vigilance and hostility contained in that gaze.
Just like when she first entered Castel Territory.
However, unlike then, she did not reveal her identity as a member of the Castel family, and this place... was not one of those affiliated noble territories.
The people here became alert and cautious just by seeing the city guards representing the Castel family.
"They... don't seem to welcome us?"
Charlotte asked softly as her eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.
"My Lord Earl, the people living in the slums are all unruly! These guys are undisciplined, disrupt public order, often harbor criminals, and never welcome us!"
A guard said.
After hearing his words, the other guards nodded one after another, obviously agreeing with him.
However, Charlotte frowned slightly.
Obviously, she was not satisfied with this statement.
She closed her eyes again and activated the Holy Book of Blood. After sensing with the help of the "Call of Blood", Charlotte slowly opened her eyes:
"Found them."
"But they are no longer here."
After saying that, her eyes fell on the civilians of Shallow Water Street who were arguing with the guards. She sighed softly and said to Sebastian beside her:
"Let's go, let's go catch it ourselves."
"If this continues, people will really run away soon."
…
Outside Shallow Water Street.
Agnes, wearing a cloak and holding the pole, looked at the North Harbor gradually receding behind her and breathed a sigh of relief:
"Huh, I finally escaped."
"Luckily we have the longboat provided by the lady boss, otherwise... we would really be stuck in the North Port today."
After saying this, she gloated a little:
"Lahail, it seems that the Castel family is not as popular in the North as the legend says! Did you see it just now? Knowing that they are hunting us, many people are covering for us!"
"I'm afraid the rumors are true. Most of the people in Castel are very dissatisfied with the young earl who has sided with the church. I think it won't be long before she is driven out of Castel by the people like Earl Tulip did before!"
Agnes felt much better after hearing the ridicule.
But the next second, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind the long boat:
"Oh? Drive out Castel?"
The voice was childish and pleasant to the ear, but it was completely devoid of emotion.
Agnes froze slightly.
She turned her head stiffly, and then her eyes shrank, and she saw that two figures had appeared at the stern of the long boat since she didn't know when.
A beautiful blonde girl in a black and white dress with an expressionless face.
And the tuxedo elf butler standing beside her, holding an umbrella for her.
Agnes instantly got angry and shouted:
"La Hail! Quick! Move!"
After saying that, she threw the pole in her hand towards the two people at the stern, then took out another scroll from her arms and was about to tear it into pieces.
However, before she could act, Sebastian appeared in front of her and snatched the scroll from her hand.
Looking at the complicated scroll, Sebastian raised his eyebrows:
"Instantaneous teleportation scroll? Ms. Agnes, using this when your magic power is almost exhausted is very dangerous. If you are not careful, you may get lost in another dimension."
"Miss!"
Lahail exclaimed.
He gritted his teeth, picked up the broken sword at hand, and rushed towards Sebastian with a roar. The source of power surged in his body, and he seemed to want to fight to the death, but he was soon chopped down by Sebastian's hand knife.
Already seriously injured, he was no match for Sebastian and was easily controlled by Sebastian.
"La Hiel!"
Seeing the captured middle-aged knight, Agnes shouted anxiously.
But the next moment, she was locked up by the magic-forbidden chains summoned by Sebastian with a snap of his fingers, and was tied up together with the middle-aged knight, with even her mouth blocked.
"Master, we caught them."
Sebastian dragged the struggling girl to Charlotte and spoke respectfully.
"Well, take them back to the Earl's Mansion. I want to interrogate them personally."
Charlotte glanced at the vampire girl who was glaring at her and nodded slightly.
Although she successfully captured the two vampires, Charlotte was not in a good mood.
Recalling the hostility she had just felt from the residents on Shallow Water Street, Charlotte suddenly felt that the flowery North Port was not as glamorous as it appeared on the surface.
A glimpse of the whole picture can give you a glimpse of the whole picture. The various situations she saw during the arrest of the two people made her vaguely feel a hint of undercurrents beneath the calm surface.
"Let's go, let's go back."
Charlotte turned around and took a deep look at Shallow Water Street behind her and said.