Adam suddenly remembered the figure the bandits had been chasing last night. A faint smile appeared on his face.
He found a few tattered burlap robes in the bandits' quarters, slipped them on, and walked to the dungeon door.
"Please… give me some food and water. I beg you," a voice pleaded from inside. The woman must have heard Adam approaching; her tone grew more urgent.
"What's in it for me if I give you food and water?" Adam teased.
After drinking the blood of fifty people in one night, his body and mind had fully recovered. Now he was in the mood to toy with a woman.
"You… you shameless thief! Despicable! Filthy—" curses poured from inside. Clearly, she thought he was just another bandit and imagined the worst. Adam… wasn't entirely wrong.
"Do you still want water?" Adam shouted, and her words instantly stopped.
Silence fell. She clearly wrestled with hunger, thirst, and the fear of losing her modesty.
Adam reached for the door lock—he didn't have a key. A quick glance around revealed nothing resembling one.
But this was no challenge for Adam. With a decisive move, he retracted his fangs and nails, then stabbed his bare hands through the solid wood, ripping the lock clean off.
A scream tore from the dungeon. She had clearly been terrified by his sudden action.
Expressionless, Adam pushed the damaged door open.
Inside, a pale, beautiful woman lay slumped on a straw pile, staring at him in horror.
Moonlight spilled across him. His skin was almost ghostly white, bald and without eyebrows. The features of his once-handsome face were now harsh, almost monstrous. His lowered neckline revealed two hard, defined pecs—muscular and imposing.
"Y-you…" she stammered, unsure what to say.
"Weren't you asking for water and food?" Adam smiled. "Come with me." He turned and walked. Hesitating, she quickly followed.
In Adam's eyes, she was very beautiful—but compared to Yilin, Eve, or Gabriel, not in the same league. Those were mythic-level beauties. Yet, by normal human standards, she was stunning.
"You're not afraid I'll run?" she asked.
"Suit yourself. The ones chasing you yesterday are camping outside now," Adam replied, gesturing to a nearby shed. "That's the camel pen. You could ride one out… if any of the camels are still alive. By the way, what's your name?"
"Fengmi. My name is Fengmi."
"Fengmi? That's… unusual," Adam said, glancing back with a smile.
Fengmi didn't fully understand him—or what had happened. But the castle's eerie silence quickly caught her attention.
Everything was plunged into terrifying darkness. The torches lit yesterday were all gone; she stumbled more than once.
The humans were missing too. Yesterday, the bandits had thrown a banquet; today, not a sound. The castle was empty.
What had happened? Fengmi didn't know. But Adam's demeanor was friendly enough, and her hunger and thirst outweighed her fears. She followed him closely.
They reached the castle kitchen. Adam seated Fengmi in a chair while he fetched food and water. By now, he knew the castle's layout—and where supplies were stored.
"Drink." He set a small cup of water in front of her.
Having gone a full day without a drop, Fengmi gulped it down instantly. Not enough. She handed the cup back, eyes fixed on Adam and the remaining food and water.
Adam refilled it, but didn't immediately hand it over. Instead, he smiled:
"No questions. Only answers. Answer to my satisfaction, and you get water and bread. If I'm not satisfied… you get nothing."
Tempted by food and water, Fengmi nodded emphatically. The deal was clear.
Using his finger, Adam drew a simple world map composed of triangles on the table.
"Tell me… where are we?"
Fengmi hesitated, surprised. She tapped the map.
"Sahara… the desert?"
Adam raised his nonexistent eyebrows, sliding the cup of water to her while keeping his eyes locked on the map.
Fengmi drank quickly, then blurted out, "You… know the Sahara Desert?"
Adam's gaze hardened. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand, lightly scraping her finger with his nail.
"What are you doing? Let go! You… you killer!" Fengmi panicked, struggling violently—but she was far weaker than him.
Regret washed over her. She should never have trusted a bandit, no matter how friendly he seemed.
Ignoring her thrashing, Adam tasted her finger. His eyes widened; he relaxed slightly, allowing her to pull back.
"You… you're from Eden?" he asked, discerning her identity through her blood.
The world map had hinted at something unusual before, but her strange question about the Sahara confirmed it.
They were in the desert. Her knowledge of its name suggested more than mere curiosity.
If she knew the desert's name, yet locals didn't use it… then she must be connected to the Eden lineage.
Adam had his answer—and tasting her blood confirmed it.
"How… how did you know?" Fengmi asked, astonished.
Indeed, she was a member of Eden. Yet they rarely traveled and were indistinguishable from native humans. Even with her local accent, she hadn't been discovered before. How had he guessed so easily?
Her mind raced with questions.
"I said: only answer. No questions," Adam said with a smile. Seeing her as Eden, the situation was now manageable.
He broke a small piece of bread and placed it before her, smiling.
"Now… tell me. After the Eden lineage came to this world, what exactly happened?"