Lorevil sent a message to Madam Sharon using her communication blood crystal, informing her of the situation.
“You are still too anxious.”
Not long after the message was sent, Madam Sharon’s reply came through.
Lorevil paused. What did Madam Sharon mean?
“Going out in person this time sends a signal,” Madam Sharon replied with a light smile on the other end. “If they are interested, they will naturally know you have visited. Without your financial investment over the years, their lives might not have been easy. Compared to you, they are actually more anxious to find a new source of income.”
“So what should I do now?” Lorevil asked, puzzled.
She understood what Madam Sharon was saying. Most members of the Thorns relied on the organization for survival, and many matters involved family secrets, so they could not easily leave. There would always be a few who remained.
“You do not need to do anything else for now. Just return to Holy Blood Academy for classes as planned.” Madam Sharon held the communication blood crystal. “In a few days, they will come looking for you.”
“Understood. Thank you, Madam.”
After hearing this, Lorevil breathed a sigh of relief. The morning’s work had not been in vain; it had at least served some purpose. If nothing had come of it, Lorevil could only have considered herself unlucky.
—
The 2-day holiday following the 3-day practical training passed in a flash. Lorevil stayed home and lived happily with her wife, Noxia, finally pulling herself away from the frustration of searching for the Thorns’ members that day.
On Monday, Lorevil obediently went to class according to Madam Sharon’s instructions. Although the current curriculum was somewhat simple for Lorevil after her practical training experience. After all, theory was theory, and actual combat was actual combat.
The lessons repeated the knowledge of advancing from 2nd-Rank to 3rd-Rank and the use of bloodline energy within the body.
When the bell rang at the end of class, Jerwen suddenly knocked on her desk. “Lorevil, come with me. Catherine is looking for you.”
By now, Lorevil was basically certain that her final grades would not be too bad. Her daily mission scores were perfect, plus she had the additional points from being in the top 10 of the practical combat leaderboard. Even the somewhat strict Instructor Jerwen turned a blind eye toward Lorevil. As long as nothing too outrageous happened, he would not interfere.
‘Catherine is looking for me; she must be fulfilling her promise to take me to see the instructor responsible for 3rd-Rank awakening guidance, Vivian.’ Lorevil’s thoughts flashed quickly.
*Click.*
As she followed Jerwen and pushed open the office door, Catherine was buried under a stack of practical combat data. Having gone through many things with Catherine, Lorevil had gradually come to understand what kind of Vampire she was. She was a pure, simple, and yet extremely restrained Vampire when it came to her desires.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to see Instructor Vivian.” Catherine stuffed the documents into a drawer and looked up at Lorevil with her ice-blue eyes.
“Is it… that eccentric Vivian?” Jerwen suddenly interjected from the side.
“If she knew you were describing her that way, she would definitely tear your mouth off,” Catherine said, her expression turning so cold it seemed like it could freeze into ice shards.
“Lorevil, I won’t disturb you further.” Before the words had even landed, Jerwen had already pushed open the door and scurried away. “I just remembered I still have lesson plans to write. I’m leaving now.”
It was as if there were some terrifying beast behind him.
“The outside world has some misunderstandings about Instructor Vivian,” Catherine explained to Lorevil as they walked. “She is just too obsessed with her research into Vampire secret arts, so her personality has become a bit withdrawn. She isn’t good at socializing. But when it comes to the intricacies of the 3rd-Rank awakening ceremony, no one in the entire academy is more proficient than she is.”
Catherine hadn’t finished her thought. Vivian was not only a mystic at Holy Blood Academy but also an extremely powerful early-stage 6th-Rank Vampire.
6th-Rank Vampires were as rare as phoenix feathers in the entire Holy Blood City. Aside from a few ancient, major clans, to independently cultivate to the 6th-Rank required monstrous talent. One had to realize that the amount of blood crystals consumed for each rank was massive. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Vivian was a mobile blood crystal mine.
Lorevil nodded, her heart growing more curious about this mysterious instructor. To be able to strike fear into Jerwen and be so highly praised by Catherine, she must be someone of unfathomable strength.
They eventually reached the fifth floor of the faculty building. Catherine walked to the very last room in the hallway and stopped.
“This is where Instructor Vivian stays.”
Lorevil pushed open the door. What met her eyes was a smooth marble floor. Near the window was a wall of transparent glass, but most of the view was blocked by rows of towering bookshelves. Even the sunlight could not fully shine inside.
However, the room was empty. There was no sign of the Vivian that Catherine had mentioned.
“Wait a moment, Lorevil. I’ll go find Instructor Vivian.” Catherine was not surprised by this. Instead, she walked familiarly into the middle of the bookshelves and began rummaging through a mountain of stacked books.
Immediately afterward, Lorevil saw her grab a gray hem of a garment from behind a pile of books and give it a gentle tug.
Then, with a *clatter*, a little loli wearing an oversized professor’s robe was forcibly pulled out. She looked to be only 13 or 14 years old, with a petite frame and messy hair piled on her head. Her eyes were still tightly shut as if she were in a deep sleep.
‘This… this is Vivian? That legendary 6th-Rank Vampire who makes Jerwen tremble with fear?’
‘A little loli?’
Lorevil could hardly believe her eyes, her pupils shrinking slightly. She had curiously assumed that a 6th-Rank Vampire would be a mature woman with a powerful aura. How could she look so young?
Catherine picked up the “instructor” directly and shook her vigorously. “Wake up. A student needs to undergo the 3rd-Rank awakening.”
“Stop shaking! Stop shaking me! I’m already awake!” Vivian grumbled discontentedly, finally opening her eyes.
A pair of clear, almond-shaped eyes held the haziness of someone who had just woken up. Seeing this, Catherine stopped and set her on the ground.
Vivian rubbed her eyes, her gaze falling on Lorevil as she looked her over curiously. “This is that little one you mentioned, Lorevil, right?”
“Yes, Instructor Vivian.” Lorevil suppressed the shock in her heart and bowed respectfully.
“Take your clothes off.”
Vivian spoke suddenly, her tone as blunt as drinking a glass of plain water.
“What?” Stunned by the command, Lorevil wondered if she had misheard.
“I told you to take your clothes off. Are you deaf?”
“…Vivian.” Beside her, Catherine gave a cold snort, her angry gaze sweeping over.
Frightened, Vivian immediately shrank her neck and fell silent.
“I just wanted to see Lorevil’s physical condition,” Vivian explained defensively, sounding aggrieved. “And check if the bloodline energy in her body can meet the standard for advancing to the 3rd-Rank… This is the most direct way.”
“That is something that can clearly be done with an energy testing orb,” Catherine said crossly. “Why would you have my student take off her clothes? Isn’t that utterly ridiculous?”
“Ho ho ho, Catherine.” Vivian put her hands on her hips, wagging a finger playfully in front of Catherine’s eyes. “You dare say you don’t want to see? Aren’t you also…”
Vivian didn’t finish her sentence, but she looked at Catherine with a cunning glint in her eyes.
“…Vivian!” A flush of red rose on Catherine’s fair, pretty face because of Vivian’s words. “Have you researched secret arts until your brain broke? Have you become an idiot?”
Vivian was so annoying, yet Catherine could do nothing about it. Catherine was extremely embarrassed. She turned her face away, not wanting to speak to her own instructor, Vivian, anymore.
Meanwhile, Lorevil watched the childish interaction between this teacher and student. She suddenly felt as if the bloodline awakening she valued so much had become a bit of a joke.