After finishing breakfast, the two of them cleared the table together.
Once the chores were done, Nolan prepared to head out and begin the day’s investigation into the cultists.
The knight sat upright in a chair while Vivian stood on a small footstool behind him. She was busy helping her knight husband into his armor.
A full set of knightly plate armor was impossible to put on alone. In a knightly family, this task was usually handled by a squire or a servant. Of course, a married knight could also have his wife assist him. They viewed this as a part of their daily romantic routine, much like Vivian and Nolan were doing now.
…
Vivian’s pale fingers nimbly wrapped around Nolan’s waist, fastening the last leather strap. The armor was finally in place.
She took out her small wooden comb and tidied Nolan’s neat, short blonde hair. Then, she stepped in front of him, looking him up and down.
He looked quite the part. Vivian nodded in satisfaction.
Nolan stood up and moved his limbs slightly, confirming that his joints could move without hindrance before strapping his longsword to his back. He walked to the front door, ready to head to the church to continue his investigation.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to say goodbye to Vivian. “See you tonight, Vivian. If anything happens, come find me at the Shimmering Church.”
With that, he leaned down slightly and bowed his head, leaving a warm, gentle kiss on Vivian’s forehead. This was his response to his wife’s passionate love.
“Mm, see you tonight,” Vivian whispered, lowering her head as her voice trailed off like the buzzing of a mosquito.
Nolan pushed the door open, and the morning mist rushed in. He stepped out and walked toward the church without looking back. Eventually, his figure disappeared around the corner of the street.
Vivian’s gaze remained glued to Nolan’s broad back, looking just like a wife watching her husband march off to war. Only after he vanished did she retract her gaze.
She wiped some non-existent sweat from her forehead and rubbed her cheeks. The tenderness on her face faded, replaced by her usual, unchanging calm.
‘Alright, I need to get to my own work too,’ Vivian muttered to herself as she turned to close the door and went back inside.
She walked over to her coffin. Shedding her bear pajamas, she changed into a long black dress. She tied up her messy, flowing hair with a red hairband and pinned a small bat hairclip to her head.
Next, she pulled a small handheld bronze mirror from the coffin. She tilted her head in front of the mirror, looking left and right. Seeing her cute reflection, Vivian felt quite satisfied.
‘Everything looks fine. Even though I was a boy in my past life, I’ve never really been against wearing dresses. If I ever was, it was probably just because I wasn’t cute enough back then. I don’t think anyone could refuse a cute girl. And if that’s me… well, that’s just wonderful.’
Vivian stood there admiring herself for a long time. Finally, she reluctantly put down the mirror.
She fished out a small wooden sign from her coffin. On it, several elegant words were written: “Treating external injuries, fifty copper coins per session.”
During the day, she would wander through the streets and alleys of Maen City, looking for people who were injured and in need of help. Then, she would use her innate vampire blood magic to heal their wounds in exchange for payment.
A traveling doctor — that was Vivian’s job in this world.
The work was usually quite tiring and the income wasn’t high, but it was enough to support her household. Therefore, Vivian had no complaints.
She was well aware that she possessed extraordinary power. She could use that power to quickly amass some rather dishonorable wealth, but she was unwilling to turn violence into profit. She believed that once she stepped onto that path, there would be no turning back. Sooner or later, she would become a villain and die in some forgotten corner.
‘Ordinary days like these… they’re quite nice,’ Vivian thought from the bottom of her heart.
Of course, that didn’t apply to bad people. Nowadays, her power was mostly used to “communicate” with difficult patients.
‘Alright, time to go earn some money!’
Vivian gave herself a mental pep talk. She hung the thin string around her neck, letting the small wooden sign rest perfectly against her flat chest.
She pushed open the door.
Vivian looked out into the distance, taking a deep breath of the morning air that was mixed with a strange, faint odor. She took a moment to enjoy the morning of this world.
The sun in the distance had just peeked out, surrounded by a vast expanse of purple clouds. This was a fantastical sight unique to this world. She had never seen such a scene back on Earth. Even now, Vivian found it fascinating.
However, the locals were already used to it. They called it the “Purple Sun.” Legend had it that the Sun Goddess wore purple pajamas when she slept at night. In the morning, when she got up to change her clothes, she left behind those purple clouds.
‘What a romantic legend,’ Vivian thought.
But she didn’t actually believe it. She felt that this Sun Goddess was just a pervert… changing her clothes right in front of the whole world.
‘You truly have no shame.’
—
A few birds flew across the morning sky, and a black tail feather fell at the girl’s feet. The warm sunlight filtered through the colorful clouds, shining onto Vivian’s smooth, pale skin.
The sunlight caused a *sizzle* on her skin, and a trail of white smoke rose. Her vampire blood was boiling! The scalding blood was violently crashing against her vessel walls, trying to escape the light that didn’t belong to her.
Vivian unhurriedly reached out her hand, palm facing upward. A mass of fresh blood gathered in her palm. The blood continued to grow upward until it surpassed her head. Like blooming petals, it spread out in an instant.
Ultimately, it formed a black sunshade umbrella, topped with a pair of pointed bat ears. Vivian grabbed the handle, rested it on her shoulder, and walked toward the Black Rat Market, disappearing around the corner.
—
In the only market within the Rust Hammer District, it was loud and boisterous.
The many stalls in the market were as chaotic as the order in the Black Rat District. There was no planning to speak of; they were simply placed haphazardly across a small open space. Stalls were claimed by whoever grabbed them first. Merchants who arrived late would even block the path of pedestrians to set up their stalls.
Regardless, no one cared. Cries of vendors and the chatter of trade rose and fell.
“Good morning, Miss Vivian.”
The owner of a venison stall greeted Vivian warmly as she passed by.
“Good morning, Mr. Ethan.”
Ethan was a hunter and one of Vivian’s regular customers. He had once been gored by a frenzied boar while hunting in the wild. After a simple self-dressing, he hadn’t sought medical help in time. Instead, he had insisted on coming to the market to set up his stall to make a living.
By chance, Vivian had passed by Ethan’s stall that day. She saw his arm wrapped in layers of burlap, with blood still seeping out. Vivian couldn’t bear to see it and gave him a free treatment. In the end, Vivian had two pieces of roasted venison steak for her dinner that night.
“Miss Vivian, you have to be careful!” Ethan said with an exaggerated expression, gesturing wildly. “The city’s been getting restless lately. They say demons have sneaked in!”
“Just last night, the church was attacked by a ferocious demon. That demon was a terrifying sight — it had two skeletal heads and mouths all over its body. It swallowed the entire church in one bite!”
Ethan embellished the story as if he had been right there on the scene during last night’s attack.
“Really? Then… was anyone hurt?” Vivian covered her mouth with her hand, a look of surprise on her face. She pretended not to know anything to let Ethan continue his tall tale.
“No, no.” Ethan shook his head. Then he leaned forward and waved for Vivian to come closer.
Vivian didn’t know what Ethan was up to, but seeing his mysterious appearance, her curiosity was piqued.
‘I was there last night. Is there really anything I don’t know?’
Vivian leaned in.
Ethan covered his mouth and lowered his voice, speaking cryptically. “I’ll tell you a secret. A knight from a great family happened to be passing through this godforsaken place. Last night, that Lord stepped in and pierced that mountain-sized demon right through with a single sword strike!”
Ethan’s emotions grew heated as he finished, his voice suddenly rising several notches.
“Ah, haha. That certainly was lucky,” Vivian replied with an awkward, stiff smile.