Chapter 1462: Chapter 1462

It was now known that many of the unidentifiable Mysterious Objects appearing in the Nolan diocese were connected to Carmel's Junk Shop. In fact, there was clear evidence that some of them had come directly from there.

"If we consider the powerful alchemical items of ancient times as the equivalent of modern Mysterious Objects, could it be that Carmel, the owner of that junk shop with all its numbered items, is a descendant of the ancient traveler I just met?"

There was no solid evidence linking the two, but Jenkins had long since learned that coincidences were a rarity in his life. Whether his guess was correct would have to wait until he returned to Nolan. Uncovering the purpose behind the junk shop's sale of these objects would be a tremendous help to the Church in apprehending its owner.

More than half the night had passed, and after hours spent reading, Jenkins abandoned any hope of sleep. He stood by the window, breathing in the fresh air for a moment, then left his room, replaying the ancient traveler's recipe for the translation dust in his mind.

The traveler had been right; the formula was surprisingly simple, and even in the 18th Epoch, the ingredients were easy to find. Although some of the material names and units of measurement had changed drastically over time, it was no great challenge to convert them and mix the powder.

The airship was well-stocked with supplies, and the church had its own material stores. Despite a few minor hurdles, Jenkins had the finished product in just over twenty minutes. No one asked what he was concocting, and he was happy to avoid any explanations. He tucked the small glass vial into his pajama pocket, returned to his bed, and slipped under the covers, once again opening "Black Town Secret Records" to the eighth story.

"'Vampire's Obsession'? Why does that sound like some modern female author's unrealistic romantic fantasy about vampires?"

With that thought, he found himself once more in the dreary landscape of Black Town. Snowflakes drifted from the sky, marking the season as winter. Standing on the street in his pajamas, Jenkins felt decidedly out of place, though fortunately, there was no one around to see him.

This particular story had a distinct fairytale quality, its moral easily deciphered: a warning to young women against falling for the silver-tongued words of handsome young men.

"Judging from the story's background, the timeline is still after the great decline of the exotic species. The only person who seems to be a Benefactor is the old priest at the church, and even he only managed to temporarily drive away the vampire with something like a Holy Light spell."

Musing on this, Jenkins trudged through the snow until he found the town church of that era. It was clearly a local branch of the Church of the Unlit Moon, but it was so small that, aside from the holy symbol hanging above the door, it was indistinguishable from an ordinary two-story house.

"This is just pathetic," he muttered to himself.

He changed his attire, flicked a small amount of the translation dust onto his face, and reached out to knock on the church door. A moment later, it creaked open, and an old man who looked remarkably like his description in the story peered out.

"A Level 2 Enchanter, not a vampire in disguise... Wait, the light points of his abilities... What does this aura distribution mean...? Right, the system for ancient Enchanters was different from the modern one. It seems this time period is even more ancient than I thought."

The old church priest didn't recognize Jenkins but politely asked his business, taking him for a traveler seeking shelter. Jenkins had his story ready. Since he could leave as soon as the tale was concluded, he wasn't worried about his lies causing any trouble.

"I'm a vampire hunter. Yes, that's what I am."

He nodded as he spoke, convincing himself of the fact to better communicate with the old man before him.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of the profession..."

A profession he had, of course, just invented. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel•fire.net

"But the truth is, I travel the world, specializing in hunting the ancient vampire clans that remain active after the decline of the other exotic species. I happened to be passing through this town when I caught the stench of those bloodsuckers. It's quite distinct. I thought the local church might have some information."

The old priest, still holding the doorknob, studied Jenkins carefully before nodding and beckoning him inside.

"I don't have much to offer you, but if you'd like to stay, there are plenty of guest rooms. Did you say you hunt vampires? That's truly remarkable. There aren't many human spellcasters left in the material world these days. You must have some incredible stories."

This era was in worse shape than Jenkins had imagined. He quickly discovered that the shabby church was staffed by the old priest alone. He also learned from the man that it wasn't just the exotic species that were in decline; the number and strength of human Benefactors were fading as well. Outside of the church's influence, it was rare to find any Benefactors at all. All the power and traces of the old era were vanishing, and people were forgetting the turbulent, magnificent history of the past.

So, upon confirming that Jenkins was a "spellcaster," the priest was overjoyed and completely believed the fabricated identity he'd presented.

"To hunt vampires alone, you must be incredibly powerful. No, don't tell me your caster level. Your willingness to help the town is more than enough. What is it you wish to know? I'll answer you as best I can."

The impoverished church had no formal reception room; their conversation took place in the priest's study. The space also served as the church's archive, meeting room, and confessional. Jenkins had never seen a church so destitute.

"When did the vampire first appear in town? Have there been any victims? How strong is it? What intelligence has the Church gathered so far?"

He fired off the questions in quick succession.

"The vampire appeared three months ago. Since then, it has periodically struck at night, killing townspeople. I don't know how strong it is, but it's certainly more powerful than I am... The only thing we know for sure is that the vampire is disguised as a resident, living among us. All the evidence points to it. It only reveals its true nature on those brutal nights. The town has tried to take action. After every murder, the people gather to cross-reference everyone's alibi from the night before, then they... select one person to kill."