Adventure

Goblins lived much like rats. They usually appeared in groups, raiding food and crops before returning to their lairs, waving weapons that might have been scavenged or stolen. Once they had eaten the food, they would venture out again, repeating the cycle. A lone goblin was no match for a human. Even a strong young man could easily knock one to the ground with his bare hands. A group of goblins, however, was not so easy to deal with.

And that was exactly what worried the elder. It was harvest season, and the whole village was hoping for a good yield. No one wanted to watch those damned creatures make a mess of the crops that were nearly ripe. At first, the village's young people had organized night patrols on their own initiative to keep the cursed creatures away from their fields. The method had worked quite well at first, but its drawbacks soon became apparent-people did not have unlimited energy, after all. If they stayed up guarding the fields at night, there naturally would not be enough hands to harvest the crops during the day. Before long, things were back where they had started. The goblins stopped coming out at night and switched to stealing crops and food during the day. They would even snatch harvested crops from under the farmers' noses while they rested.

But if no one patrolled at night, there would be nothing left to harvest the next morning.

According to the elder, the goblins had only recently arrived, and the villagers had never dealt with them before. But now, those damned "pests" had nearly ruined the entire village's fields. Once the best time to harvest had passed, the whole village would suffer heavy losses because of the goblins.

That was certainly not something the paladins wanted to see.

Of course, Li Lin had not joined this adventure. As a "scholar," he did not need to take up a sword and kill enemies. Besides, the God of Justice would not allow paladins to drag others into danger while carrying out a mission, so he had been left behind to look after the carriage and Angela. Fina had stayed with him. After all, five paladins and a priest were enough to deal with a bunch of goblins.

"Miss Fina."

Li Lin soon noticed that the priestess was rather distracted. Most of the time, she simply stood there in a daze, as if savoring the memory of something. Although Li Lin did not know exactly what had gotten into her, he only had to think for a moment to find the reason.

And in fact, just as Li Lin had guessed, Fina was troubled in a way she had never experienced before. The sensation Angela had left on her had sunk deep into her body like a burn from a fire. The young woman's pure body had never experienced such stimulation. Like an utterly pure sponge, it absorbed everything it could feel. The sensation struck straight at her soul, and the intense stimulation it brought was more than she could easily bear.

If Fina had read even a little about the Vampire Species, she would have known that nearly all high-ranking members of the Vampire Species were masters of arousing lust and desire. A pure young woman who had only just begun to understand such matters, and who blushed even when speaking to men, naturally stood no chance against Angela. It was like a sheep meeting a wolf: it had no way to resist, only bleat and wait for the inevitable.

Now, Fina could not help sinking into her earlier memories. As far as she could recall, she had never experienced such contact, not even in the temple. Her days were spent praying, resting, and training. Even when friends occasionally shared an intimate gesture, they never went beyond a simple handshake. She sighed softly, her right hand involuntarily beginning to touch her own breast. That tingling, electric sensation had been so pleasant. Deep down, the young priestess wanted to experience it again, but another voice in her head warned her that it seemed rather improper.

So when Li Lin called her, Fina did not immediately come to her senses. Only when he called her name a second time did she raise her head in a fluster and look at him with an uneasy, bashful gaze.

"Mr. Li Lin? What is it?"

"Nothing. I just thought it was a little strange to see you spacing out. And..."

As he spoke, Li Lin handed her some bread and sausage.

"It's already time to eat."

Taking the food Li Lin offered, Fina was too embarrassed to know what to say. Not only had someone seen her spacing out, but she had also been thinking about some... very strange things. The young priestess felt terribly uncomfortable. She hurriedly accepted the food, thanked him in a low voice, and walked aside, trying to distract herself from those strange thoughts by watching the busy harvest scene in the village.

Li Lin said nothing more. He knew that Angela's "Erosion" was changing the young woman's body, and then her soul. This power of the Vampire Species was terrifying: it could make everyone like them, adore them, and even fall madly in love with them. Angela had once told Li Lin about the three great rules of the Vampire Species, one of which was "do not let yourself be loved for being too charming." The existence of such an obviously self-protective rule meant either that vampires were excessively narcissistic or that the danger was real. Considering that most members of the Vampire Species were handsome men and beautiful women, the second possibility was clearly more likely. Angela had also told Li Lin the story behind the rule.

"There was once a vampire who didn't know how to control his charm—or perhaps he did it deliberately. As a result, the people of an entire country worshipped him like a god. Men and women, young and old, political enemies and longtime friends alike were all willing to lay down their lives for him. For this man, they could even kill newborn babies without mercy and commit the most blasphemous acts without feeling any guilt."

"And then?"

Li Lin asked curiously.

"Was he destroyed?"

"No."

Angela shook her head, a trace of fear showing in her eyes.

"He was eaten."

"..."

"He was too confident in his own charm. He believed everyone would love him, and he wasn't wrong about that. But he overlooked humanity's most basic desire: the desire to possess. The more people loved him, the more they wanted to possess him, body and soul. So, at one event, people frantically tried to touch him and claim everything he had. At first, he barely managed to escape, killing quite a few people along the way. But their mad love made his subjects utterly ignore their fear of death. In the end, the unfortunate vampire was torn apart and eaten alive by a hundred of his subjects, becoming the most famous figure in vampire history. After all, quite a few vampires have been destroyed, but he is the only one ever to have been eaten alive. He is absolutely one of a kind. So later, when the three rules were established, that possibility was specifically taken into account."

Though it sounded almost unimaginable, Li Lin also knew that the naturally playful vampire had once deliberately gone to a nearby church and cosplayed as an angel. With her pure face and sweet voice, she had tempted the devout worshippers into committing wildly promiscuous acts inside the church, ultimately causing quite a stir. That alone showed how terrifying a vampire's charm could be.

As he passed the time idly with Angela, Li Lin's unease grew stronger and stronger. The sun was about to set, yet Duncan and the others still had not returned. That was clearly not a good sign, and Angela, too, had narrowed her eyes in thought.

A group of goblins—if the goblins in Li Lin's memory were still worthy of the name-would not be difficult to wipe out. At first, Li Lin had not even considered that it might take much time. With the paladins' strength, they would need no more than half a day to clear out the goblins.

But now, it seemed something had changed.

At last, Li Lin made up his mind.

"Angela, keep watch for me. I'm going to see what happened."

"As you command, Master."

Angela giggled and left the carriage. Li Lin took a deep breath, then began chanting an ancient incantation under his breath.

At the same time, magical characters of different colors gradually appeared on his previously unmarked skin. They shifted and rearranged themselves as Li Lin chanted, vanishing after forming a new incantation. Then Li Lin murmured to himself and gently touched his eyes with both hands. Soon, the power of magic was released, and everything nearby appeared before his eyes.

Omnidirectional Vision.

This spell allowed everything in the surrounding area to become the caster's eyes, letting the caster see what they wanted to see and hear what they wanted to hear through them. Li Lin now used it to quickly trace the route the elder had described.

Soon, he found what he was looking for.

Or rather, one of them.