Though Adam's disdain for the blood slave reached its peak, he still resolved to make use of him.
Adam never considered himself a virtuous man; he buried the bodies of others carelessly, then usurped their identities, savoring the affection of their families. In doing so, he lowered the moral standards of what it meant to be a "good person"—all in pursuit of an opportunity for himself.
The difference between him and that repugnant human filth lay in the fact that Adam fully recognized the filthy, disgraceful nature of his actions. He would never stoop to such depraved acts for causes unrelated to his own gain.
Had he not been reincarnated as an otherworldly being, perhaps he would have truly become a cultivator by now, basking in the adoration of the public, fighting against the malevolent otherworldly creatures.
But reality was as it was, and Adam lacked the power to change it.
He placed the book he had obtained from the blood slave beneath his bed and did not rush to read it, instead opting to rest immediately.
Even though he was a werewolf, rest was still necessary, especially after expending all his energy in a state of heightened perception, leaving his mind in a somewhat weakened state.
The following day, Alva finally began his work. He instructed Adam to scrape off the top layer of a wall, clean it thoroughly, and then mix materials according to a specific ratio. The pigments varied, so the materials were divided into several types, which he applied in even layers across the wall.
The mural consisted of two types—painted and painted-craft. Alva employed the latter, which could be further subdivided into various categories. Strictly speaking, this was a fusion of sculpture and painting.
As the materials began to solidify, Alva started his work, using different chisels to carve away the excess.
Soon enough, a mural rich in depth appeared before Adam's eyes, its layers differing in texture and color.
When the carving was nearly complete, Alva took out a collection of colored stones, shells, and gems from a side box and embedded them into various spots. Then, using a finer chisel, he meticulously worked on the details.
Adam followed closely, constantly swapping tools, clearing the discarded material, and occasionally mixing paint to touch up the colors.
By evening, a portion of the mural had taken shape.
Vivid in color, distinct in layers, and rich in texture, the figures on the mural seemed alive—so lifelike that their skin appeared almost real.
Alva was undoubtedly a master in this craft. Adam, though not merely performing menial tasks, had learned much, particularly in the precise material ratios, should he choose to pursue a career as a painter.
"Clean up," Alva said, waving his hand. Without concern for the scattered tools on the floor, he swayed toward the exit.
Adam looked down at one of the compartments in the toolbox, noticing several unused gems.
He smiled and shook his head, taking a piece of wood and scraping the leftover materials onto it, layer by layer. After tidying up the tools, he returned with the wood in hand.
Adam understood that success lay in the details. Since he had chosen to hide behind the guise of a painter, he had to perform the duties expected of an apprentice. While gems were valuable, he did not believe he could truly keep them, nor did they offer him any substantial benefit.
Therefore, to him, the gems were as inconsequential as pebbles on the roadside.
As he walked along the road, Adam idly fiddled with the wooden piece in his hands, using twigs or stones when a chisel was unavailable.
He realized this was a great way to hone his perception—sensing the texture and layers of materials, the shifting of colors, and the rate at which materials solidified.
Adam believed Alva's perceptive abilities were extraordinarily sharp.
Before reaching the Bokoo household, Adam noticed a stray cat by the roadside. He crouched and waved his hand.
Sensing the aura of warmth emanating from Adam, the cat hesitated for a moment before approaching.
Adam offered the little creature a small piece of leftover pickled bread, rubbing its head affectionately, a smile forming on his lips.
As the sun began to set, Adam stood and returned to the Bokoo household, greeted Aris and Maggie, played with little Lina, and then retreated to the attic, his mind swirling with various plans.
The church, the nobility, the garrison, the otherworldly beings... the various bits of information he had gathered over time flowed through his mind, and he strategized for each potential outcome, reassuring himself repeatedly, mentally preparing to react swiftly and correctly when confronted with these situations.
Finally, under the light of the waxing moon, Adam transformed into his werewolf form and began reading the book he had taken from the blood slave.
It was a disorganized manuscript, even containing some journal entries.
"Who writes journals if they're normal?" Adam mused, seated on the bed as he flipped through the pages with one hand.
The book's owner, Adel Lien, was none other than the revolting human filth Adam had suspected.
The handwriting was erratic, riddled with mistakes, and the content was often disjointed. The journal entries were fraught with errors in grammar, making them a headache to read.
Yet, Adam managed to glean a wealth of information.
Though Adel was a local of Roya, as a free man in his youth, he harbored grand ambitions of becoming a renowned adventurer.
But during one ill-fated adventure, Adel was captured by a vampire, who then transformed him into a blood slave and made him a semi-assistant.
This manuscript contained some of the fragmented notes he recorded during his time as an assistant.
Adel was undoubtedly fortunate—after the vampire encountered a powerful ascetic, Adel managed to escape, avoiding becoming the vampire's next experiment.
Afterward, Adel returned to Roya, but he dared not enter the city, instead hiding in the forest for months. Eventually, he established connections with some otherworldly beings in the city and met the witch doctor Hoda, and only then did he return to reside in Roya.
However, due to his failed adventure, he was penniless. The expensive cost of magic potions forced him to move to the slums, where it was easier for him to hunt.
This was good news for Adam—at least it meant the pure vampire was not in Roya.
The other information was also valuable. Werewolves were distinguished by their purity, while vampires were distinguished by their authenticity.
The key difference lay in the fact that a werewolf's purity was defined by bloodline inheritance, while a vampire's authenticity depended on the correctness of their transformation ritual.
From the records, it was clear that the pure vampire continued his bloodline experiments, creating blood slaves and attempting to transform them into true vampires, rather than non-pure "vampires" masquerading as the real thing.
"Why did this vampire choose to conduct experiments in the Holy Sound Kingdom?" Adam furrowed his brow. The Holy Sound Kingdom was the heart of the Holy Sound Church. Had the vampire fled here due to his birth circumstances? What about him?
With no answers, Adam let the question go and continued extracting knowledge from the book. The most valuable piece of information to him was the vampire's experiments on werewolf bloodlines.
"When a werewolf matures, their bloodline fully develops and triggers an awakening."
"In that moment, the power of the bloodline blossoms, manifesting miraculous abilities, tracing ancestors, uncovering past lives, and discovering unique personal talents that form their awakening ability."
"Some develop extreme regenerative abilities, others acquire highly infectious wolf venom, while others manifest even more mysterious powers."
"Non-pure werewolves, formed by infection rather than inheritance, lack the ancestral tracing during awakening, which results in weaker abilities."
"Notably, the closer it is to the full moon, the faster the bloodline matures. During awakening, even pure werewolves struggle to control the turmoil of their bloodline and can become agitated."
Reading this, Adam furrowed his brow and looked up at the sky through the attic window. The waxing moon was high, and in about seven or eight days, the full moon would arrive.
If Adel's records were correct, Adam would indeed experience his bloodline awakening during that time.
"Uncontrollable agitation? I'll need to prepare for that," Adam muttered, his frown deepening.
"Tracing ancestors, uncovering past lives, discovering personal talents?" Adam gazed at his white fur and furry paws. He had scarcely met his biological father and knew little about his family. How could he trace his past or uncover his talents?
"My past and my talents..."