血王:夜王朝

Chapter 9：夜咒

The commercial district is flanked by the residential area and the never-sleeping district. It is now past ten in the evening, and the residential area is mostly dark, with only the streetlights providing illumination. In the commercial district, restaurants, leisure halls, shopping streets, accessory zones, and snack streets have mostly closed for the night, and staff can be seen cleaning up and tidying things away.

Dressed in work attire reminiscent of a bygone era's tailcoat, Rachel runs through the streets, heading for the never-sleeping district within the imperial capital. Apart from the military zone, the never-sleeping district is one of the few places in the capital that stays open all night. Naturally, it is also a den of indulgence, where drinking and debauchery are the norm, a place frequented by nobles, among others.

The never-sleeping district occupies one-tenth of the entire area of the capital, making it the smallest district. However, in terms of revenue, even the commercial district may not necessarily surpass it. The nightclub where Rachel works, named Night Charm, is located in this district. She is responsible for promoting alcohol and, if necessary, accompanying customers in drinking, but her duties do not end there.

"Your design tricked me, do you know that? Make her come out!"

At the seventh building to the right of the third street in the never-sleeping district, a commotion is unfolding outside Night Charm, where Rachel is employed. A drunken man, holding a broken bottle, is causing a scene. Several staff members attempt to intervene, but the inebriated man, whether genuinely drunk or feigning, easily knocks the young men to the ground. He then, without pause, smashes the broken bottle against one of the staff member's heads, the sound of shattering glass mingling with the victim's scream.

"Call that fox out for me! Tricking me so badly, is this a joke? Get out here!"

Rachel pushes through the crowd and steps into the center, signaling the stunned female employees at the entrance to tend to the injured staff member on the ground. She then turns to the man causing the disturbance: "I am the bartender here and also the self-proclaimed security consultant. Sir, your behavior here has severely affected our business. Please, could you stop? If there's an issue, we can discuss it privately in the back."

"Get out of my way, you little brat. What are you doing in a place like this? Who are you to say anything?" The man is displeased. Rachel's skin, due to her transformation into a vampire ancestor, appears even paler than usual, with an almost sickly hue, and her youthful face clearly indicates her young age. Such a frail child poses no threat.

The man doesn't use the broken bottle but instead raises his hand to slap Rachel. Although it's just a slap, the force of a grown man could be lethal to a delicate fifteen-year-old girl. The man expects this blow to knock Rachel unconscious.

"Sigh, can't avoid fights and brawls no matter where you go," Rachel mutters to herself, stepping back to dodge the man's intended slap. Before the man can react, Rachel unleashes a burst of deep blue lightning from her body, striking the man at close range. He lets out a cry, his body convulses and shudders before collapsing to the ground. The onlookers nearby feel a blinding flash of lightning and a slight tingling sensation on their skin, as if experiencing a minor electric shock.

Ignoring the gasps from the crowd, Rachel hands over the situation to the front desk and enters Night Charm.

"Hey, hey, it's all good now. That was just a misunderstanding. Everyone, continue having fun and don't let it ruin your good mood."

"Rachel, thank you so much. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to open tonight."

Rachel ignores the speaker, rolling her eyes as she moves behind the counter and carries a box of alcohol towards the bar.

"That man couldn't accept his loss. It's just because he gambled away everything. If you have the guts to play, then you should be prepared to lose it all. It's just our bad luck to encounter such a person. Fortunately, I didn't show up; otherwise, who knows if that jerk would have hit me. If he had scratched my face, how would I have lived with that? Right, Rachel?"

"Why not hire more staff, boss?" Knowing that the person would continue to nag if she didn't respond, Rachel reluctantly asks, turning to look at the individual who has been following her since she entered Night Charm, chattering away.

The woman has a rare silver, wavy hair, tied up on the left side and draped over the front. Her pure face, lightly touched with makeup, seems out of place in this environment. Her silk dress, which trails on the ground, appears revealing at first glance, but upon closer inspection, nothing is exposed. This hazy sense of exposure is more enticing than outright nudity.

This woman, with her strong presence and extraordinary beauty, is the owner of the nightclub. Her real name is unknown, and she is known publicly as Meier. Only those close to her can call her by this name. Most people refer to her as Sister Mei or Boss Mei.

Upon hearing Rachel's question, Meier habitually opens the folding fan she always carries, hiding her face behind it, and says with a smile, "Why spend that unnecessary money when I have you? You know, I..." Her words suddenly stop, and her eyebrows furrow as she leans in close to Rachel, an act that startles her.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's not that. I just feel like you're different today," Meier says, scrutinizing Rachel. "Your face is much paler, and your eyes have turned red, like rubies."

"What?" This is not something Rachel can ignore. She puts down the wine glass she is cleaning and rushes to the restroom at the back. When she sees her reflection in the mirror, she is speechless.

The mirror reflects her appearance—dressed in a tailcoat-like work outfit, with short, black hair just above her ears, and skin so fair it's almost sickly, now even more delicate than before.

She hasn't had a proper night's sleep, and her frequent all-nighters have taken a toll on her body. Despite the good foundation of her physique, it can't withstand such strain. Acne had begun to dot her face, marring her beauty, but now they are all gone. If Rachel had to describe her current appearance in one word, it would be 'exquisitely crafted doll.'

"How can this be?" Rachel stares blankly at her reflection, speechless for a long while. Since becoming a vampire ancestor, this is the first time she has examined herself so carefully. In addition to the exquisiteness, the most captivating feature is undoubtedly her ruby-like eyes. Of course, discarding the term 'ruby,' another adjective might be more fitting, one that Rachel herself would agree with.

"Blood?"