Just as Charlotte had expected, the basement of this little building was indeed quite large. The kitchen beside the stairs was big enough for seven or eight cooks to work in. Though it had no windows, it had vents and a chimney, so it was neither dark nor stuffy.
The rest of the space was divided into four large storerooms and one small one, respectively for storing food, wine, firewood, and slightly more valuable items. One storeroom held a small pile of firewood; all the others were completely empty.
Charlotte did not stay long. Once he confirmed there was nothing unpleasant to see, he went upstairs.
Although the new home still lacked many things, such as sufficient clothing, Charlotte decided to rest properly for a day and not go out.
He returned to the small study, took off his coat, placed the Vampire Hand Axe hidden in his sleeve on the desk, and removed his holster, hanging it on the wall together with the newly purchased imitation antique rapier.
Charlotte lay on the sofa and practiced Bloody Glory for a while.
This was something the previous owner had done every day. Ever since Charlotte had transmigrated here, his mind had been unsettled and work had kept him too busy, so he had not practiced for quite some time.
Now that his life had finally settled down, Charlotte decided that from now on, he would spend some time every day practicing this Transcendence secret art.
Hundreds of years ago, when Great Human Philosopher Protagoras was young, his beloved wife was abducted by vampires, her fate unknown. Grief-stricken, he swore to create a secret art that would slaughter every vampire in the world.
This Great Human Philosopher traveled across the world and studied dozens of arts. He also infiltrated vampire society and fought countless vampire masters. Later, he secluded himself for forty-five years atop Mount Jogel, the highest peak of the Old Continent, before finally creating the secret art known as Bloody Glory.
Bloody Glory was divided into two parts: the Protagoras Breathing Method and the Blood Feast Meditation Technique.
The Protagoras Breathing Method could temper thirteen vampire secret apertures and condense thirteen Bloody Vortices. The Blood Feast Meditation Technique could nurture thirteen Mystical Runes, granting the practitioner thirteen strange abilities.
Using this secret art, Protagoras single-handedly slaughtered thousands of vampires. He even exterminated six of the vampires' thirty-seven clans, leaving them with only the Thirty-One Clans. At the height of his fame, his name could stop vampire children from crying at night.
In his old age, Protagoras freely donated this secret art to four universities: Royal Hogwich University, Hartingen University of Thunder and Storms, Sheffield University, and Gorgia University.
It was precisely because of this Great Human Philosopher's selflessness that Charlotte, as a student of Sheffield University, had the chance to practice this secret art.
The peculiar Breathing Technique created by Protagoras made Charlotte's restless blood rise and fall with each breath, surging like the tides.
Since transmigrating here, this was the first time Charlotte had truly immersed himself in cultivation.
Protagoras had once written in a handwritten secret scroll: The vampires have thirty-seven clans. In theory, Bloody Glory can condense thirty-seven Bloody Vortices. Alas, I was unable to exhaust the mysteries of this art. I hope later scholars can complete it.
In theory, once one Bloody Vortex had been condensed, one could attempt to use the Meditation Technique to nurture a rune and thereby gain a special skill.
In practice, most who cultivated Bloody Glory began working on the Blood Feast Meditation Method only after condensing seven or eight Bloody Vortices. Many never successfully meditated a single rune in their entire lives. Only a very few could master one or two skill runes and gain supernatural abilities.
Charlotte had condensed only one Bloody Vortex between his brows, yet he had acquired the Insight rune. It was rather baffling, purely the result of exceptionally good luck.
The power of Insight faintly spread along with the refinement of Bloody Glory.
Though Charlotte's eyes were closed, he could still sense everything within the small study from afar.
The fluctuations of Bloody Glory swept over the Vampire Hand Axe on the desk.
This weapon exclusive to vampires formed a subtle resonance with the Bloody Glory inside him.
Charlotte followed the flow, stirring the Bloody Glory within his body and extending it toward the axe.
The Vampire Hand Axe trembled slightly, then suddenly developed an infinite hunger, frantically devouring Charlotte's Bloody Glory.
Charlotte did not open his eyes. He allowed it to consume his blood energy, eager to see what strange changes this Vampiric Weapon would undergo after being infused with Bloody Glory.
More than ten minutes later, the fully satiated Vampire Hand Axe suddenly sent back a strange blood energy. Just as Charlotte was rejoicing, the diary hidden on the bookshelf seemed to be drawn by the aura. It leaped out, floated in the air, and its pages began flipping with a rustle.
A majestic voice came from some distant, unknown place and rang directly through his mind. "Why are you still alive?"
"Mortal, you actually deceived me!"
Charlotte was horrified, his hands and feet turning cold. He had no idea what had happened.
Ever since returning from Senis, he had never opened the original owner's diary. He had always worried about becoming entangled with an evil god again. Now, he finally no longer needed to worry...
The evil god had never gone far!
Faced with certain death, Charlotte was unwilling to bow down and await slaughter. Just as he reached for the Vampire Hand Axe to make a final stand, vast billows of black mist suddenly erupted from his body, exhaling an evil aura that did not belong to this world. An endless corridor appeared before him, and a monster over three meters tall, crimson all over and seemingly skinless, slowly stepped out of the void carrying a massive warhammer.
The majestic voice thundered through heaven and earth, laced with boundless fury. "Mortal, you still dare conspire with Agmilas against me... That mere evil god from overseas..." The sinister aura radiating from the diary swept toward the monster in the endless corridor. The majestic voice declared the beginning of battle: "Agmilas! You have only a negligible remnant of consciousness left, yet you still seek to stop me?"
The crimson, skinless monster over three meters tall suddenly threw back its head and roared like some primordial beast. Endless corridors layered over one another, erupting with vast Fel Energy beyond mortal imagination as it tried to stop the other evil god from descending through the diary.
The two immense powers used Charlotte's consciousness as their battlefield, colliding violently like heavenly thunder striking earthfire.
Charlotte could not help screaming. It felt as though someone had ruthlessly driven a wedge into his brain, the pain beyond all endurance.
In only an instant, it surpassed the limits of what he could bear. His consciousness was torn to pieces by the two powerful waves of Fel Energy, and he felt as though the entire world had ceased to exist.
The once ordinary diary sent countless pages flying chaotically through the air. Its cover continuously bulged; at times it showed a castle, at times an endless corridor, at times a majestic middle-aged man seated in a luxurious chair, and at times the crimson, skinless monster. A great hand of blood flame reached out from the diary, only to be scattered by a massive warhammer...
No one knew how much time had passed. In the wrecked room, only Charlot Mecklenburg remained, lying on the floor and barely breathing.
Beside him lay the diary, its cover black as night. On the floor was a line of hastily scrawled, blood-dripping words: I will return and take the soul owed to me according to the contract.
Before you continue