Adam looked into Morca's eyes and knew there was no point in refusing. Reluctantly, he nodded.
Morca led him to register the paperwork. Except for the official who raised an eyebrow at their attire in relation to their titles, everything went smoothly. Soon, Adam received his noble ID and family crest—a small wooden plaque carved with an apple sprouting bat wings. He smiled. Being a vampire, he had an instinctive fondness for bats.
Returning to the Corsica mansion, Adam felt drained. Really take up the post? The daily expenses alone would run into thousands of gold coins. Even if the count had lands, it wouldn't last. Even if he managed to locate the Athena Library's hidden collections, mastering vampire secret arts in such a short time seemed impossible.
Sighing, he pushed open the slightly ajar door.
In the basement, Silver Bell was dozing while holding a grimoire, and Yu Jia was busy with experiments.
"Silver Bell, your father and brother have arrived." Adam patted her shoulder.
"Huh?" She rubbed her eyes groggily."I said, your father and brother are here.""Ah!" She snapped awake, jumping to her feet. "Where are they?""Not yet. The sun's about to set; they're still in the boxes." Adam pointed toward the ceiling.
Silver Bell froze, her beautiful eyes quickly misting over. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her face and dashed toward the bathroom. "I'll go freshen up first!" Her cheerful laughter echoed, filling the space with warmth.
Yu Jia sighed. "Looks like the last name on the bounty list is about to appear. Our place has officially turned into a den of thieves."
At that moment, a bat flew in through the entrance, transforming into a humanoid figure—the plump Lizard Lord.
He glared at Adam in the doorway. "Step aside! You wanna get chopped?"Seeing Adam's muscular frame, he sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled back. "M-Master? I—I got the wrong person… please, go ahead." He spun to leave.
Adam grabbed him by the collar, whispering, "I'm Adam."The Lizard Lord froze. Slowly, he turned, scrutinizing Adam. Trembling, he said, "It's… really you, Your Highness!" Tears welled up in his eyes.
He flung himself to the floor, clutching Adam's leg, bawling, "Your Highness! I've searched for you endlessly! I followed you from North Africa! I'm your servant! How could you leave me behind?"Snot and tears soaked Adam's pants. The scene was both absurd and chaotic, making the workers moving furniture shiver.
Adam kicked him aside and demanded, "Who told you I was here?""Lord Smoke!" the Lizard Lord said, wiping tears.
Adam frowned, calculating. Only a few days since the letter, and Smoke managed to get here so quickly—with the Lizard Lord in tow?
The Lizard Lord continued: Smoke, Classical, Vine, and Smoke's eldest son, Frost, had arrived at Klimasa. Smoke risked everything to bring the Lizard Lord. The four vampires had made it to the outskirts by early morning.
"Where's the money?" Adam pointed at the new furniture."It's borrowed from Mr. Drywood," the Lizard Lord answered."Drywood's money?" Adam raised an eyebrow."Our own funds are still en route. Before leaving, Mr. Drywood reminded us you were worried about finances, so we hit a few government treasuries—about a hundred thousand gold coins."
Adam nodded, evaluating calmly. Smoke had risked everything and now displayed loyalty and capability.
As the four vampires and the Lizard Lord gathered in the basement, the room filled with the quiet hum of people reacquainted, moving, adjusting. Smoke stepped forward, scanning the space, his sharp eyes resting on each member briefly. His presence alone brought a sense of order to the chaos, and Adam felt the team, finally complete, ready to move.