Carnivores

The glittering, lively banquet soon moved on to its next phase after President Lincoln's toast.

The ladies and young women continued dancing, sampling desserts, comparing their jewelry, and solemnly discussing snippets about the war they had heard from the men in their lives.

O'Hara was very uncomfortable in this setting. She was, after all, a simple country girl. Though she had longed for the bustle and splendor of the city, she now deeply understood what it felt like to be out of place.

Fortunately, First Lady Mary kept her by her side, introducing O'Hara to others and deflecting many unfriendly questions. This made a number of well-connected society ladies quite interested in her.

Meanwhile, the men—the true holders of power—tacitly moved in groups of two or three to a reception room. It was not a large room, but it was comfortable, with elegant leather chairs arranged here and there and an open space in the middle. There were few attendants, but they all seemed highly capable, and their service was exceptionally attentive.

President Lincoln patted the chair beside him, inviting James to sit at his side. While the crowd was still milling about and before everyone had arrived, he spoke to him in a low voice.

"I had the troops in every theater of war search for Mr. Logan, but there's been no word of him. He hasn't appeared on the battlefield. We have a trading post in Kenya. I personally had my secretary issue instructions through the White House's chain of command. They'll look after your friend, so don't worry."

James was silent for a moment, then said sincerely to Lincoln, "Thank you for your help, Abraham. I'll have to deal with Victor myself. Be extra careful with Adam. From what we've learned from the vampires, pure silver can barely hurt him. I've fought him, and he's completely different from ordinary vampires, let alone the hordes of inferior blood slaves on the battlefield."

The president laughed heartily. "Ha ha, don't worry. By the way, how's your factory coming along? You're rising fast, but these old fellows have spent their whole lives in industry. You could say they built America's capitalist industry from the ground up. Competing with them won't be easy."

Lincoln pursed his lips and gestured toward the red-faced magnates, most of them sporting beards. James, by contrast, seemed rather relaxed as he replied casually, "I've put most of my energy and funding into researching some new types of power machinery. Over the past two years, two French scientists, Lenoir and Rosa, have made significant progress in that field. Building on their work, I've recruited quite a few talents from Germany and the United Kingdom. My mechanical research factory is bustling, though it's burning through money."

"That's an excellent direction! Modern industry depends on constant technological advancement. There—"

"Mr. President, everyone has arrived." The secretary had no choice but to interrupt President Lincoln and James. The small, somewhat private gathering was about to begin.

James nodded to Lincoln, then surveyed the room. There were about thirty people. Apart from the military brass, all the key political and business figures in the American Federal were present.

President Lincoln walked to the open space in the middle and rested a hand on an antique, dark brown wooden table, bringing the day's discussion to order.

"Gentlemen, there's little need to elaborate on the course this war will take from here. For now, I'd like to hear your thoughts on matters concerning the rights of Black people after the abolition of slavery."

"Abraham, you know perfectly well why all of us here are fighting this war. We in the North want growth. We want American industry and capital to grow stronger! The South? Ha! Those landowners only care about selling their cotton. We've been wrangling over tariffs for more than a decade. Could we really avoid a fight? And as for the slaves—well!"

The corpulent, balding man took a puff of his cigar. His fingers, adorned with a gold signet ring, twitched as he continued bluntly, "Everyone knows how things stand. So we support your abolition—but if you're saying those Black fellows are going to eat in the same room as me from now on? Heh. Not a chance!"

As soon as he finished, the people in the room began murmuring among themselves. Some voiced their support, while others frowned and shook their heads.

James smoked his cigar in silence, breathing in its hazy scent as he looked toward the somewhat helpless president. He was quite surprised that Lincoln would raise such an unpopular subject here.

The Civil War in America seemed to be a righteous struggle for the advancement of human civilization, but at its core, it was simply a battle over the fundamental interests of two capitalist blocs.

After American independence, the North and South began developing along two different paths. In the North, the capitalist economy grew rapidly. Starting in the 1820s, the northern states began their Industrial Revolution, while the South's plantation system of Black slavery severely stifled the growth of northern industry and commerce.

The newly annexed lands in the West became another source of conflict between northern and southern interests. The North wanted higher tariffs to compete with British industry and capital. The South, meanwhile, wanted low tariffs or even free trade so it could sell cotton and other plantation goods. The two sides had become each other's greatest enemies.

As for the original sin of slavery in the South, it was merely a pretext the North used to proclaim its own progressiveness and the righteousness of the war. Those Black people who fled to the "free" North would face sweatshops no less brutal than the plantations.

The discussion soon shifted to the division of interests after the war. The North wanted easier access for its capital to the South, where it could build factories and sell goods, as well as a say in the level of tariffs on foreign trade.

James also put forward one of his own demands, concerning the sale of land in the South. Once his new power machinery was developed, the resources buried deep beneath the vast southern lands would become the lifeblood of the world.

As for the rights of Black people in the present, James had no intention of getting involved. The most he could do was offer them somewhat better treatment in his own factories and businesses.

In an era like this, the modern idea of racial equality was itself a major problem.

In times like these, all sorts of people could be found, and with a war going on, people with missing limbs or other grotesque injuries were hardly uncommon. But the people of Jacksonville had never seen a "man" like the giant in the circus stories.

Standing more than two meters and twenty centimeters tall, with a body like a water tower, he prompted the townspeople to clear a wide path for him. The man wore an enormous cloak that hid his brow and eyes, with only his long, brownish-yellow hair hanging down on either side. He had a broad chin and a thick, unkempt beard. He headed toward the edge of town.

A few quick-witted people hurried off to notify the mayor and sheriff. People had been disappearing from the town lately. The few who were found were corpses, and desiccated ones at that.

Of course, no one knew who was behind these terrible incidents. But seeing such a frightening-looking outsider, they naturally began to blame him for all the bad things that had happened.

Victor had no idea where Adam was, but instinctively, he sensed Adam's location. He followed the general direction southward, and the closer he got, the stronger the sensation became. Once he reached the town, Victor could not only sense Adam—he could clearly smell the trail he had left behind.

Adam was here.

Over the past few days, everyone has been discussing things with great enthusiasm. Many of your comments have been concerns and suggestions about the story, and honestly, that makes me really happy. I'm glad you've been following the work so closely. I want to tell you not to worry: in just a few chapters, I'll reveal answers to the questions you've been asking, such as why he hasn't used his wolf claws and how he'll build up his forces. I can put it this way: so far, the predictions about the wolf and the tiger have only been a tiny bit on the mark—and only a tiny bit. Both chapters are out today, but there'll still be plenty of speculation, and tomorrow it may all be overturned again.

The first volume is almost over. When it ends, I'll write a special chapter to explain everything in detail. Finally, thank you all again. Love you—smooches.