While Mum was polishing Edward's nails, Lu Yao handed out a tablet and let the loving father choose a manicure style.
Edward was still amazed at Mumu's ability. The vampire's claws could retract freely. In order to make it easier for Mumu to sharpen his claws, he deliberately exposed the tips of his claws.
His hands were paler than those of ordinary people, with long phalanges, rounded finger edges and sharp fingertips.
Even without manicure, it looks pleasing to the eye.
Edward pushed the tablet away, raised his chin slightly, and said proudly, "I won't choose yet. Xiao Ming will definitely make a nice pair of nails for Dad."
Mum was also very excited. She quickly polished Edward's nails and took out a row of dark nail polishes from the drawer.
Lu Yao was watching from the side. Mum probably knew Edward's preferences very well. She polished the nail surface, applied protective nail polish, and after shining the light, she started working without much thought.
Two new apprentices, Ambrose and Clarissa, also stood by and learned.
Mumu first applied two thin layers of black, then used a brush to lightly blend them, layering them together to create a textured, transparent base color.
Then change to a small brush, draw a cross pattern on the nails, apply silver magic mirror powder, and sweep away the remaining powder to create a dark retro manicure style.
That wasn't enough, Mum also painted silver cat-eye nail polish on Edward's fingertips and used a magnet to draw a shallow silver crescent.
After finishing the four fingers, Mumu took out a bottle of green nail polish and a bottle of light blue nail polish and pushed them in front of Lu Yao: "Jiji."
Lu Yao listened to Mumu's mumbling for a while, then sat down in front of Edward, picked up the brush and started mixing colors.
Mumu wants a painted nail, but he hasn't learned it well enough to make it look the way he wants, so he asks the shop owner for help.
Lu Yao adjusted the color of the nail polish, pinched Edward's fingers, and started working.
Edward was a little resistant to being touched by humans. When Lu Yao reached out his hand, he frowned and withdrew his hand.
Mumu made a "chi" sound, and he stopped reluctantly.
The vampire's hands were cold and white, like the plaster statues in the studio, and felt even colder to the touch.
Mumu intentionally left the ring finger without base paint. Lu Yao took out white nail polish and applied a thin layer of it to create a pure white base color. Then he changed to a thin soft brush and began tracing.
Edward stared at Lu Yao closely, with a hint of disdain between his brows.
He really didn't trust this human race.
Lu Yao first dipped a little light blue nail polish and applied it on the nail.
As soon as the brush fell, Edward made an impatient "tsk" sound.
He doesn't like this light and fresh color.
Lu Yao sped up and drew the shape of a blue slime in just a few strokes. Edward's expression paused.
As the brush repeatedly outlined, a small illustration of "Slime squinting, leaning against a black green-eyed bat" appeared on the nail, and Edward gradually lost the ability to control his expression.
The composition that Mumu wanted was really a test of technique. The main reason was that the color and style were completely different from the other four fingers, and it would be very fragmented if not handled properly.
Lu Yao's paintings are angular, but very cute, like fairy tale illustrations, yet have an inexplicable hard, mechanical feel.
Mumu lay on the table, stared at the picture for a long time, and nodded with satisfaction.
He turned around and took Edward's other hand, held his index finger, and asked Lu Yao to draw another one.
Edward pursed his lips, his eyes drifted away, and his hands stopped dodging.
This human race can draw, which is quite useful.
This time I painted another scene, with the upper half of the nail black and the lower half white, separated by a strip of glue for coloring. Then I used a thin soft brush dipped in a little dark red nail polish to outline the window frame.
It was dark outside the window, and the crescent moon was crescent. The little slime and the bat wearing a small cape were squatting on the windowsill looking at the moon.
"grumble!"
As soon as Lu Yao finished drawing, Mumu shouted excitedly.
Edward slowly raised his hand, a light flashing in his eyes.
Even though he could protect himself from the sun's damage for a short period of time, Edward himself still hated being exposed to the sun and would not easily go out during the day.
Many nights, he held Xiao Ming and lay on the windowsill of the dormitory to look at the moon.
He always thought that the little slime understood nothing, but it turns out that he remembered everything.
Lu Yao gently reminded: "Turn on the light first."
After turning on the light, Lu Yao first drew two kinds of magic circles, light and dark, on the painted nail surface and fixed them.
Edward was a little surprised, it was rare to see a human who was powerful but did not have the demeanor of a strong man.
Ambrose's red eyes trembled. Even without considering the abyss magic, he was very interested in this human's use of magic.
She used the strongest attack magic and the strongest repair magic on the armor, and combined them very skillfully.
After Lu Yao finished the work that Mum asked him to do, he stepped aside, supported his chin with his hand, and watched Mum work on Edward's other hand.
Because this painting depicts more of the night scene and black is dominant on the nail surface, Mumu changed the base color of the other four fingers to white, painted a checkered pattern with black nail polish, painted black cat-eye nail polish on the fingertips, and used a magnet to draw a small crescent.
The ten fingers are completed with black and white alternating, forming a pair of exquisite and distinctive mandarin duck nails.
Mumu tilted her head and looked for a while, then slowly moved down the stool.
A moment later, he came back with two small boxes of decorations. He opened the boxes with his little claws, picked and chose, and finally selected a few silver accessories.
Mumu pushed the accessories in front of Lu Yao and asked her to help shrink them.
Lu Yao couldn't help but look at Edward's expression. Mumu picked out a silver cross and silver chain for the vampire.
Edward didn't react when he saw the cross. He even reached out to touch Mum, but Mum leaned back to avoid him.
"… "
This vampire is probably beyond saving.
Lu Yao raised his hand and drew a magic circle. A black light enveloped the trinket and it slowly shrank to the size Mumu wanted.
Mum lifted Edward's finger, carefully applied glue, and used tweezers to pick up the silver cross and place it on the nail.
Edward looked at Lu Yao suddenly and finally understood what she meant by the look she had just given him.
Mum had been living with Edward in a castle deep in the forest, and no one could break into the residence of the original vampire.
He didn't know that vampires were superstitious about silver objects and crosses.
However, the trinkets used in the store are not real silver products, so there is no danger.
After putting on the cross, Mum put a fashionable thin silver chain on Edward's other finger, and the elegant retro manicure gradually turned to a cyberpunk style.
Mumu completed the entire nail surface. Lu Yao spent some time drawing light and dark magic circles on each finger. Finally, Mumu used sealing magic to finish it.
Edward picked up Mumu and spoke with a surprised tone as if the little slime had just saved the world, "Xiao Ming has even learned magic, he is worthy of being my son!"
Shop assistant: “…”
Mumu was happy and made a shy "ji" sound at her fingers.
Edward held Mumu and turned around a few times before putting her down, raising his hands and looking at her.
The black and white nail plates are affixed with miniature crosses and silver chains. The hand-painted checkered lines are simple and elegant, with a touch of contrasting colors and a bright cat-eye effect, which is very much in line with the aesthetics of the vampires.
Edward half-closed his eyes, staring at the paintings on the ring and index fingers of his left and right hands, a hint of tenderness flowing in his eyes.
He likes these two paintings the most. He likes the composition, color and style. They are perfectly integrated into Xiao Ming's design and unexpectedly become the soul of the entire manicure.
But because it was painted by humans, he decided to appreciate it secretly in his heart and didn't want to say it out loud.
The best part is that under the hold of the magic circle, even if he retracts his fingertips, the painted nails will only be compressed a little smaller and will not be damaged at all, and there is no need to worry about scratches during a fight.
Edward admired it silently for a while, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he felt.
Mumu came over and carefully tugged at his cloak, "Jiji."
Edward lowered his head and picked up Mumu, "What's wrong?"
Mumu told Edward about her life outside during this period, including the loneliness of living alone in the wild, being rescued by the store owner when in danger, becoming a clerk, learning how to receive customers and do manicures...
Mumu: "Chiji!"
He now wants to continue studying and become a manicurist in the future.
Edward was silent for a long time after hearing this. The feeling of loss and recovery had not yet subsided. The sorrow of his child growing up and wanting to leave home once again entangled him.
He is the first vampire in the world and he will be the last.
The original vampire was also full of vigor and glory in his early years, and his followers were spread all over the continent of Alexandria.
But the humans are very strange, when they have no power, they are diligent and kind, and try hard to survive.
Once they gain power, they are like evil spirits emerging into the world, and begin to slaughter humans on a large scale, often not for food.
When they could no longer feel superior to humans, their followers began to kill their own kind.
In human stories, the original vampires are always described as evil and terrifying.
No one knows, because the human race killed each other, and the ancestor fell into a deep sleep for two thousand years.
When Edward woke up again, almost all of his family members had been wiped out by the Templars.
He did not go looking for the few relatives who had managed to survive, but instead found a quiet place to recuperate, raising a group of low-energy little monsters and living a carefree life.
Following Ambrose out this time was actually an accident.
He was just a little curious about the fact that his peaceful neighbor, who had lived there for two hundred years, was moving, so he ran out recklessly and took a walk in the sun. To his surprise, he found Xiao Ming.
Xiao Ming is his favorite little monster.
But now the monster said that he wanted to stay in this town and this shop.
Edward's heart began to ache, just as it had done more than two thousand years ago.
Whether it's a follower or a monster, they will always find a reason to leave.
Edward raised his hand to cover his chest and looked at Lu Yao. There was a sly flash in his emerald eyes, and his magnetic voice was slightly tempting: "I can embrace you for the first time. Do you want to become my dependent?"
More than two thousand years later, the First Ancestor decided to embrace a human race again.
Regardless of the outcome, he will take full responsibility for this decision.
Eugenia, who was sitting next to them, could not hide the astonishment in her eyes when she heard this.
She hadn't noticed yet that she was the only truly ordinary human in the entire store.
Harold was so angry that he stood up, separated Edward, and blocked Lu Yao behind him, his eyes were heavy: "What nonsense are you talking about? Lu Yao will not become a vampire, stay away from her."
Clarissa quietly summoned the red sickle, and except for Eugenia who was still unaware of the situation, the other employees secretly went into alert.
Edward looked confused: "I am the original vampire. After I embrace her for the first time, she will not only gain power, but also eternal life. Why are you trying to stop me?"
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Lu Yao poked his head out from behind Harold, a little confused and curious: "Why do you want to hug me for the first time?"
The identity of the original vampire was surprising, but Lu Yao clearly felt that Edward disliked the human race and suddenly proposed a first embrace, which was indeed a bit strange.
Edward's emerald green eyes rolled around, as if he didn't understand why Lu Yao asked this question, and he replied perfunctorily: "Because you are the chosen one, I want to grant you supreme power."
Lu Yao took a step back and said, "No, no, no."
This sounds like empty talk. The middle school cells in Lu Yao had long been drained of their energy by the dream-fulfilling system, and he no longer desired any power.
Edward was even more confused. Why wasn't she interested
More than two thousand years ago, as soon as those humans heard that they could become his followers, they almost flocked to him.
Mumu tugged at Edward's cloak and chirped excitedly.
Edward frowned, his already pale face seemed even more bloodless. He raised his toes and gently kicked Mumu: "You heartless little thing, I was just testing her, and you're already worried."
Lu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out to be a test.
Edward left, leaving in the scorching midday sun, without taking Mum with him.
Mumu stood at the door, chirping a few times mournfully, watching Edward's figure disappear, and finally returned to the store silently.
-
Braibis, Royal Palace.
The high priest was urgently summoned back to the palace by His Majesty's three imperial edicts.
Under the throne, Carlos was wearing a silver robe, with flowing silver hair, his eyes closed, and he leaned slightly to salute Bais III.
According to the time, Bais III was already in his 90s.
His Majesty, who was sitting on the throne, was as strong as an ox, and looked like he was no more than an old man. His thin and sharp eyes concealed a sharpness, and he seemed to still have ambitions.
"There is no need to be so polite, high priest. I have urgently summoned you back to the palace because there is something that requires your assistance." Bais III looked at the blind priest in front of him with a respectful tone, and relying on the fact that the priest could not see, his dark brown eyes revealed hidden resentment and unwillingness.
Carlos was unaware of this and said in a gentle voice, "What can I do for you, Your Majesty? Please give me your orders."
Bais said in a deep voice, "There is a small town on the northern border. There is a store in the town, and it is rumored that a giant dragon is entrenched there. I want you to call on the Knights of Light in the Temple to accompany Lord Jinklai to Emerald Town to investigate the matter. Just in case, I would also like to ask the priest to make a contract."
The temple was originally the place where the high priest was responsible.
All the Knights of the Temple obey the High Priest and protect the capital and His Majesty.
But about ten years ago, the high priest accidentally injured his eyes while refining a secret medicine for His Majesty, and most of the power of the temple was taken away.
Now, only the most elite team of knights of light are still firmly controlled by the high priest. No one can command them without the order from the high priest himself.
Even Your Majesty cannot issue orders to them.
Carlos lowered his head slightly and pondered for a while, seeming very puzzled. "All the Knights of Light in the Temple obey your Majesty, so why do you need me to give orders? As for the contract, your Majesty also knows that the accident many years ago took away most of my power. Now that I can no longer make a strong contract, please ask your Majesty to find another expert."
Bais grabbed the armrest of the throne hard to prevent himself from having a fit.
He understood that he had already alienated himself from the high priest.
If Carlos had not always controlled the Temple's most elite Knights of Light, he would have long since eliminated this disobedient high priest.
A silent and tense atmosphere spread between the king and his subjects, and in the end Carlos was defeated.
He sighed helplessly and compromised, "The only holy knights of light that the palace can call upon now are the twin goblins. If Your Majesty does not mind their humble origins, I can order them to accompany Lord Jinklai to the northern border."