It did not take long for Ye Ming to make his way out of the dense forest. After continuing to travel for some time, he finally reached the outskirt of the city of Benguela. Like the other cities he had been to, Benguela was also a city governed by Vampires. Thanks to the memory of the previous owner of his body, Ye Ming knew that Benguela was under the jurisdiction of the Brujah clan.
Ye Ming walked towards the city without much hesitation. Inside Benguela, Ye Ming noticed that the city was a little different from other Vampire cities, in that there were actually humans walking about in it. These humans were not like the ones he saw in Marquis Andrew’s territory; they were not captives and were able to move freely around the city. Some of them even seemed like they had a high status and could give orders to other humans.
Ye Ming was very curious. Being new to Benguela, there was still much he did not know about the city. He must quickly familiarize himself with the situation here.
The roads in Benguela were mostly stone roads. Walking down the streets, Ye Ming saw that, although there were a lot more humans here compared to other Vampire cities, there were still not that many of them. It was understandable, because this was still the Vampires’ turf after all. No matter how well the humans reproduced, it was impossible for them to catch up to the Vampires’ numbers.
Ye Ming walked into a store. A human store clerk saw Ye Ming and eagerly came over to attend to him. The store clerk peeked at Ye Ming’s fingers and teeth and quickly identified Ye Ming as a Vampire. He respectfully asked, “How can I help you, my lord?”
“Oh, I’m just looking around. What do you sell here?”
“We’re a clothign store, my lord. We specialize in custom-tailored high-end attire. Would you like a new set of clothes? I can see that the colors have faded from the clothes you’re wearing. It’s the perfect time to get some new ones.”
“Hmm, you’re right. Alright, please help me get my measurements.”
“Why don’t you decide which style of clothes you want first. I’ll help you get your measurements after that,” suggested the clerk respectfully.
Ye Ming pointed to a set of clothes being displayed in the store and said, “That one will do.”
“No problem. Now, lift your arms for me, please.”
Ye Ming lifted his arms as instructed. The clerk wrapped a measuring tape around Ye Ming’s chest.
Ye Ming was not actually there to buy new clothes. His actual purpose was to get some information about the city. He started casually chatting with the store clerk.
“Nice city, this. Who’s the lord here?”
“Oh, don’t you know? The one governing this city is Marquis Ollier Brujah. He’s actually pretty kind to us humans. Unlike other city lords who treat us humans like animals, he allows us to work freely. We can even open our own stores. We just have to pay taxes in blood instead of gold, but he doesn’t take that much, so we don’t mind. We’d be a food source for the noble Vampire race everywhere we go in Nehekhara anyway. Staying here is much better than staying in other places.”
“Oh, I see. Are there other notable figures in the city?” Ye Ming asked.
“There are also some Counts living in Benguela – more than ten in total. Okay, you can put your arms down now,” said the clerk. He then started measuring Ye Ming’s torso.
“You must be open during the night as well, right?” asked Ye Ming.
“Of course, but that’s not compulsory. We have freedom in that regard. Other noble Vampires would be doing business at night, so we don’t want to compete for business with them. Of course, if any esteemed Vampire admires our skills and come to us themselves, then of course we’d have to do business. But generally, human-run stores rarely open at night.”
“Is that so. Sounds like it’s not that hard to find a job in this city.”
“Of course. Being a Vampire, if you try asking at the stores that open at night, it shouldn’t be a problem. Okay, I’ve finished measuring your torso, chest, and arms. Now you just need to choose the fabric and pay the deposit, and we’ll start working on your clothes right away.”
“Okay, give me a second,” Ye Ming pretended to rummage through his pockets. He suddenly jumped up in shock and exclaimed, “Oh no, my money! I’ve lost my money!”
“Huh??” The clerk was speechless. He had put in all that work for nothing.
“Sorry, I have to go look for it right away. Maybe I can find it if I retrace my steps here.”
The clerk did not doubt Ye Ming because Ye Ming’s acting was impeccable. “Okay. You better hurry up.”
Having successfully fooled the clerk, Ye Ming quickly left the store. He had already formed a plan in his mind. Since he could now move around in daytime and considering the governing lord here was very lenient in his management of humans, why not just disguise himself as a human? Even if those hunting him pursued him here, they would never suspect that Ye Ming would be hiding among the humans. The pursuers would also be active mostly at night, so their activities would be on a different timeline to Ye Ming’s. Yup, let’s do that.
With the plan in mind, Ye Ming started looking around the city of Benguela. First, he must find a dentist to pluck out the fangs that would give away his identity as a Vampire, then cut his nails short. That way, he would look no different from a human.
As luck would have it, the moment he thought of doing that, he already saw a sign of a dental clinic up ahead.
Ye Ming instantly went in. Like before, it was a human who received him.
“Are you here to have a dental check-up, my lord?” The dentist was really puzzled to see Ye Ming there. Vampires very rarely visited his dental clinic. They always had really good teeth, so they had no need to see a dentist at all.
Ye Ming immediately sat down on the reclining chair. “I need you to pull my fangs out.” He opened his mouth, revealing the sharp fangs inside.
“Pull… pull your fangs out, my lord?” The dentist stared at Ye Ming in surprise.
“Yes, that’s right, pull my fangs out. Hurry up.”
The dentist did not dare ask any more questions when he saw how insistent the Vampire was. He performed the operation according to Ye Ming’s request.
Ye Ming’s heart screeched in pain. Removing the four fangs turned out to be really painful.
After the operation concluded, Ye Ming told the dentist, “Can you help me trim my nails too?”
The dentist got even more baffled. Why would this Vampire want to pull out his fangs and cut his nails? Was he sick of being a Vampire?
“Hey, snap out of it. Can you do it or not?”
“Um, sure.”The dentist dared not hesitate for long. After all, despite all the conveniences afforded them, the humans still did not enjoy a very high status in this city. The dentist fetched a pair of scissors and carefully trimmed Ye Ming’s nails.
“Good job.” Ye Ming inspected the finished work and found it satisfactory. He took out a gold coin and tossed it to the dentist.
“That’s too much, my lord.”
“Consider the rest your tip,” said Ye Ming before he walked out of the clinic.
Ye Ming felt slightly more at ease now that he looked no different from a human. His fangs would take some time to grow back out. During this time, he could live like a human.
He continued strolling around Benguela. He saw a trading house that was hiring a deliveryman, so he walked in to inquire. After the owner found out the reason for Ye Ming’s visit, he thought Ye Ming was a suitable candidate, so he hired him.
The owner took Ye Ming to the back of the trading house. “You can stay here,” said the owner.
“Thanks, boss.”
“You’re welcome. Put down your things and come to the front. I’ll explain a few things to you,” the owner said before he left.
Ye Ming pushed open the door, only to hear the sweet sound of the system notification.
“Wow, we’re starting off with a bang!” Ye Ming was overjoyed. He needed only a single glance into the room to discover the treasure chest under the wooden bed. He hurried over and opened it. The chest contained another skillbook:
[{Stealth}: After activating the skill, you will enter a state of invisibility which lasts for ten minutes. Receiving or initiating an attack will end the skill.]