While Alcat was engrossed in studying the arcane arts, the sound of wings flapping came from outside the window. A palm-sized bat flew in through the half-open stained glass window. Alcat squinted slightly, recognizing it as one of the bats kept at the Vampire Castle, used similarly to homing pigeons for sending messages.

He extended his hand, and the bat circled the room once before landing lightly on his palm. Bringing the bat to his ear, a voice emanated from it: "Your Excellency, the Progenitor, please return to the castle as soon as possible."

This was a rare form of arcane magic known as the Voice Message Spell, a 2nd-level spell. Alcat had not learned this spell, as the Vampire Progenitor had little interest in auxiliary arcane spells. Only two second-generation bloodlines had learned this spell, and the voice belonged to one of them, a female vampire named Lucy.

Alcat was also quite curious about the Vampire Stronghold—the castle. As the Vampire Progenitor, it was high time for him to return, as vampires were his true roots.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed it was already three in the afternoon. Though clocks existed in this world, time was referred to as "solar hours." One solar hour was equivalent to one hour, which was peculiar but not difficult to remember.

Alcat shook the arcane bell in the room, and its clear, pleasant sound echoed through every corner of the Arcane Tower. A few minutes later, the sound of Amelia’s footsteps approaching could be heard.

Knock, knock, knock~

The door was pushed open, and the girl took a few breaths, her chest rising and falling several times before she recovered. Amelia's face was slightly flushed. "Master Alcat, what are your orders?"

Alcat used his usual excuse, "I have some new arcane insights and need to go outside the city to practice on some magical beasts."

Vampires needed to consume fresh blood once a month. While regular food provided some energy, it could not supply the unique substances found in blood. This was true for every vampire, even the Vampire Progenitor. Without fresh blood, a vampire’s life would be at risk.

The Vampire Progenitor usually did not target ordinary people, so he needed to return to the castle once a month to replenish his blood. The bloodline of the Vampire Progenitor was extremely mysterious, and even extraordinary arcane mages could not uncover his true identity by conventional means, making it relatively safe for him to hide in Aventon City. He never engaged in actions that could easily expose his identity.

Thus, Amelia was accustomed to Alcat’s frequent absences. "Master Alcat, please stay safe. I will keep your room clean."

Alcat nodded slightly. After giving some final instructions, he prepared to leave for the castle. His innate talent included immunity to sunlight, making the sun, a vampire’s greatest enemy, harmless to him. He could go out at any time.

Vampires had a terrible reputation among humans and were seen as mortal enemies. If discovered, they would be hunted by the military and arcane mages. To avoid his stronghold being exposed, Alcat’s castle was built deep in the remote mountains, five hundred kilometers from Aventon City.

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After making the necessary arrangements, he descended from the seventh floor to the first floor. Along the way, he encountered about a dozen arcane apprentice mages, all of whom bowed respectfully to him. These apprentices, taken in by Alcat over the past three years, had the potential to become arcane mages, despite not having exceptional talent.

Being an arcane mage required immense talent and was one of the most challenging professions. So far, none of these apprentices had grown into full-fledged arcane mages. Alcat nodded slightly, indicating his acknowledgment. Initially, these apprentices were recruited mainly to cover his identity, so the previous Vampire Progenitor hadn’t taken their training seriously. Now, Alcat had no interest in teaching them either and would have to deal with them when he had more time.

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In front of the Crimson Arcane Tower, two servants had already prepared the carriage. As Alcat, dressed in a blue high-ranking arcanist robe, appeared on the street, the surrounding crowd instantly showed expressions of fear. Many commoners even lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at him.

Due to their reclusive nature from spending years studying arcane arts, most arcanists tend to have peculiar personalities. Therefore, it's well known that arcanists can be quite temperamental. Mastering mysterious arcane powers that far exceed those of ordinary people, arcanists are both envied and feared by commoners. Offending a noble might result in a few lashes, but offending an arcanist could mean facing a deadly spell.

Seeing the mix of envy and fear on many faces elicited no reaction from Alcat; these scenes were all too familiar from his memories. Even the nobles of Aventon City dared not act presumptuously in front of a high-ranking arcanist who wielded great power. "Arcane is truth," a maxim of the Arcane Goddess, remains the ultimate belief among arcanists.

The interior of the carriage was very luxurious, with cushions sewn from the fur of some unknown magical beast, embroidered with blooming irises. The soft cushions were even more comfortable than a sofa, sinking deeply when sat upon. Glass windows on either side of the carriage blocked the cold wind, and lifting the curtains revealed the scenes along the street.

Despite the city's exotic charm, the dirt and disarray made Alcat, accustomed to the cleanliness of modern cities, frown. Clogged sewers, rats scurrying onto the streets, and even beggars relieving themselves in alleys—all these scenes highlighted the era's ignorance and backwardness, but were also so real that Alcat couldn't take his eyes off them.

Whether it was the haggling street vendors or the passing nobles, their expressions, body language, and behavior all indicated that this world was not a virtual game. Each person had their own soul and was a living being.

After a full one and a half solar hours, the carriage finally passed through the towering city walls. This city, with a population of a million, was unbelievably large. Without modern skyscrapers, the land usage was astonishingly low.

Not far beyond the city gates, Alcat had the servants stop the carriage by a deserted woodland and got off alone. The servants were accustomed to his behavior and, after bidding him farewell, drove the carriage back to the city. Alcat entered the woods and used a 2nd-level spell—Detect —to ensure no one else was around.

With a thought, he opened his attribute panel and looked at his skills. Alcat then used the vampire racial ability—Shadow Bat Doppelganger. As long as there was one bat, he could be reborn anew. He could also simply sprout bat wings and fly at 50% of a small bat's speed.

This skill was arguably the vampire's best survival ability. Transforming into shadow bats, even if only one bat escaped, he could be reborn. This ranked high among escape skills and could also be used for travel. Since it was a racial ability, casting it was even easier for Alcat than casting a minor flame spell.

Swish~

A wisp of black smoke flashed, and Alcat's figure instantly disappeared, replaced by hundreds of bats flapping their wings as they took to the sky.