The Carnivores

The ostentatious and lively banquet quickly entered its next phase following President Lincoln's toast.

The ladies continued to dance, sample desserts, and compare their jewelry, discussing with feigned seriousness the fragments of war news they had overheard from their men.

O'Hara felt quite uncomfortable in such an environment; she was, at heart, a simple country girl. Although she yearned for the bustle and glamour of the city, she realized deeply at this moment what it felt like to be a complete misfit.

Fortunately, Mary, the President's wife, kept her close, introducing O'Hara to others and fending off many ill-intentioned inquiries, which led many high-ranking noblewomen to take a keen interest in her.

As for the men—the true holders of power—they moved in small groups with tacit understanding toward the side parlor. It was a small, comfortable room, furnished with scattered, exquisite leather chairs and a slightly open space in the center. There were few servants, but they appeared highly capable and provided exceptionally attentive service.

President Lincoln patted the chair beside him, signaling James to sit, and began to speak with him in a low voice while the crowd remained somewhat distracted and not yet fully gathered.

"I have ordered all theater commanders to conduct searches, but there is no news of Mr. Logan; he has not appeared on the battlefield. We have a trade office in Kenya, and I personally had my secretary issue instructions under the authority of the White House. They will look after your friend, so rest assured."

James fell silent for a moment, then said sincerely to Lincoln, "Thank you for your help, Abraham. I must resolve the matter of Victor myself. You must be very careful regarding Adam. Based on the intelligence obtained from the vampires, pure silver does almost no damage to him. I have crossed blades with him; he is completely different from ordinary vampires, not to mention the large numbers of inferior blood-slaves on the battlefield."

The President laughed heartily. "Haha, don't worry. By the way, how is your factory doing lately? Although you are rising quickly, these old fellows have spent their entire lives in the industrial sector; you could say they built the American capital industry themselves. Competing with them in the future won't be easy."

Lincoln pursed his lips and gestured toward the group of bearded, ruddy-faced tycoons. James, appearing much more relaxed, said casually, "My main energy and funds are focused on the research of new types of power machinery. Over the past two years, a scientist named Lenoir and another named Rosa in France have made significant progress and research in this area. Building on that, I have scouted quite a bit of talent in Germany and England. My mechanical experimental factory is very busy right now, though it is a money pit."

"That is a good direction! Modern industry relies on the constant renewal and progress of technology. With—"

"Mr. President, everyone has arrived." The secretary had to interrupt the conversation between President Lincoln and James; this somewhat private, small gathering was about to officially begin.

James nodded at Lincoln and then scanned the room. There were about thirty people; aside from the high-ranking military officials, the key political and business figures of the American Federal were all present.

President Lincoln walked to the open space in the center, his fingers lightly brushing a dark brown solid wood antique table, and introduced the topic of the day.

"Gentlemen, there is no need for further elaboration regarding the subsequent development of this war. At this moment, I would like to hear your views on the affairs concerning the rights of black people following the abolition of slavery."

"Abraham, you know very well why everyone sitting here fought this war. What we in the North want is development, the strength of American industrial capital! The South? Hah! Those country bumpkins only think about selling their cotton. These tariffs have been a tug-of-war for over a decade; could we really avoid a fight? As for the matter of black slaves, pfft!"

The fat, balding man took a puff of his cigar, his fingers adorned with a gold crest ring trembling, and he continued in a rough tone: "Everyone knows how it is, so we support your abolition, but if you're talking about having those darkies eating at the same table as me in the future? Heh, don't even think about it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the room whispered to one another, with some voicing their support from time to time, while others frowned and shook their heads.

James smoked his cigar in silence, inhaling the incense-like aroma, and looked at the somewhat helpless President. He was even surprised that Lincoln would bring up such a topic here—a very unpopular topic.

The American Civil War might appear to be a righteous battle for the progress of human civilization, but in essence, it was merely a fundamental conflict of interest between two capital groups.

After the United States gained independence, the South and the North began to develop along two different paths. In the North, the capitalist economy developed rapidly; starting from the 1820s, the northern states began the Industrial Revolution, while the South practiced a plantation-based black slave system, which severely stifled the development of northern industry and commerce.

The new territories incorporated into the map in the West became the soil for the growth of contradictions between the North and the South. Furthermore, one side hoped to raise tariffs to compete with British capital industry, while the South, for the sake of selling cotton and various plantation commodities, proposed low tariffs or even zero-tariff free competition, making them each other's greatest enemies.

As for the original sin of the South practicing the black slave system, it was merely a nominal means for the North to tout its own progressiveness and the righteousness of the war. Once these black people escaped to the "free" North, they faced sweatshops that were no less miserable than the plantations.

The topic quickly shifted to the issue of post-war interest distribution, which was nothing more than the North's capital wanting easier access to the South to open factories and sell goods, as well as the extent of foreign tariffs.

James also brought up his own demands regarding the purchase of land in the South; once his new power machinery was successfully developed, the resources deep within the vast lands of the South would become the world's lifeblood.

As for the current rights of black people, James had no heart to concern himself with them. The most he could do was provide them with relatively better treatment in the factories or industries under his command.

Against such a historical background, the modern attitude of racial equality was actually a major problem.

In this day and age, to be honest, there were all kinds of people, and with the war, there was no shortage of people with missing limbs or strange appearances. But the people of Jacksonville were seeing a "person" like the giant from a circus story for the first time.

His height of over two meters twenty and his water-tower-like build caused the surrounding townspeople to consciously clear a wide path for him. This man, draped in a huge cloak, kept his brow and eyes covered, with only long, brownish-yellow hair hanging down on both sides. His chin was broad, and his beard was wild and thick. He walked toward the edge of the town.

A few quick-witted ones hurried to notify the mayor and the sheriff. People had been going missing in the town frequently these days, and those occasionally found were nothing but corpses—dried-up corpses.

People certainly didn't know who was responsible for these terrible disasters, but seeing such an outsider with a terrifying appearance, it was natural for them to try to pin all sorts of evil deeds on him.

Victor did not know where Adam was, but he had an instinctive, peculiar sense of Adam's location. He followed the general direction toward the south; the closer he got, the stronger this feeling became. Once he reached this town, Victor could not only sense him, but could clearly smell the scent he had left behind.

Adam was right here.

There has been quite a heated discussion these past few days, much of it regarding worries and critical suggestions for the plot. Actually, I am especially happy. I am happy that everyone has been paying attention to the work. I want to tell everyone: don't be anxious. In just a few chapters, the various questions you are concerned about will be revealed, such as why the wolf claws haven't been used, the development of forces, and so on. It can be said that the current predictions regarding the wolf and the tiger are only slightly touching the surface, and even then, only just a little. After today's two chapters are posted, there will still be many guesses, and tomorrow they might be overturned again.

The first volume is about to end, and I will write a separate chapter then to talk about it in detail. Finally, thank you all again. I love you, keep it up.