The new-style vampires in Rino City were completely wiped out in an instant.

Norton's casual action instead became an extremely terrifying unsolved mystery for Father Abraham and the other vampires.

After all, there were over a hundred new-style vampires in the slums of Rino City! For them to collectively disappear without making a sound or leaving any trace, this was even more frightening than God descending to earth!

Father Abraham and his group were also new-style vampires, they were the same species. If over a hundred vampires in the slums could vanish completely without a trace, then Father Abraham and the vampires within the Church could also disappear just as silently!

Anyone would be terrified by this possibility.

So, after all the new-style vampires in the slums disappeared, the entire city of Rino fell into a period of eerie calm.

Time passed slowly, and the first snowfall of the season arrived today, coming even before all the leaves had fallen from the trees.

Carl, who hadn't been seen for a long time, came again on this snowy day.

"Old Norton, put on these clothes. I don't want to come next time and only find a stinking corpse!" Read complete version only at NoveI-Fire.ɴet

The twelve-year-old Carl was completely different from the kind-hearted little boy he used to be.

After being influenced by Norton for so long, he had successfully transformed from a wealthy young master who had never seen the darkness of human nature into a wealthy young master who understood the darkness of human nature.

Even his way of speaking had changed, from the soft "Mr. Norton" of before to the current "Old Norton."

This made Norton sigh at the unpredictability of human nature.

Although Carl's mouth had become more venomous, his feelings toward Norton were still quite decent.

When this year's first snow fell, he had even skipped his studies to bring Norton a cotton-padded jacket.

Carl, wearing a luxurious and exquisite leather coat, handed the thick cotton-padded jacket to Norton.

"What brings you here today?" Norton had always held a favorable impression of Carl. Although he wasn't as polite as when he was a child, Norton had watched him grow up after all, and seventy percent of the reason Carl had turned out like this could be blamed on Norton himself, which made Norton view Carl even more favorably.

A hoarse voice came from Norton's mouth, but after all these years, Carl had long grown accustomed to it.

"Ah." Hearing Norton's question, Carl sighed deeply, looking at Norton with complex emotions as he put on the cotton-padded jacket and squatted back in his usual spot.

After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to invite Norton to his home to take shelter from this year's famine and severe cold.

As he grew older, his knowledge and thinking had also matured. When he was a child, he had invited Norton to his home for shelter, but now, with more thoughts and increased concerns, he found it difficult to make such an invitation again.

The emergence of complexity signified a person's true maturity.

He had truly grown up.

"What are you sighing about?" Norton squatted back in his usual spot. Although he was no longer afraid of the cold, Carl's concern still touched him.

After all these years in the Papal States, this kid Carl had always been the one who cared about him the most.

Norton thought that perhaps when Carl grew old, he could have Coal Ball transform him into a vampire, granting him eternal life.

As for feeding his own flesh and blood to Carl?

That wouldn't do. Human nature was extremely complex, and Norton understood this very well, so he didn't want to take any risks by cultivating something even he might struggle to control.

Coal Ball's transformation had already revealed a problem to Norton: the first-generation species cultivated from his flesh and blood required long-term feeding to undergo complete mutation, giving him control over them. Norton couldn't guarantee that Carl's thoughts wouldn't change in some way before he could be fully controlled.

So he would only choose creatures like bats and dogs, which lacked complex human nature, as his first-generation cultivators.

"Rino City... might become dangerous soon, Old Norton. I suggest you find a place to hide to avoid any potential dangers." After pondering for a moment, Carl finally spoke to Norton.

Now that he had more considerations, he knew what he should and shouldn't tell Norton, which led to some concealment.

The day before yesterday, he had overheard Bishop Good's conversation with his father, in which he claimed to have discovered that Bishop Doxia was secretly contacting spies from the Boar Empire. Although he didn't know Bishop Doxia's specific intentions, it was clear that he already had the potential to betray them.

In addition, Bishop Good had undergone some changes. Carl wasn't too clear about the specifics—their conversation was quite obscure—but he knew that even the few words he had overheard definitely couldn't be repeated.

Carl couldn't possibly reveal such secrets to Norton. He could only subtly warn Norton to ensure his safety.

"Hah, you've matured, Carl! You wouldn't have concealed things like this before."

"Everyone matures, Old Norton. It's an inevitable part of growing up.

Actually, if it weren't for our relationship over all these years, I would have had someone arrest you and throw you in jail long ago. Inquiring about Church internal affairs without reason is a serious crime of disrespect! Hahaha..."

Before he could finish, Carl started laughing himself.

"Hahaha... You've really grown up, Carl." Norton also laughed heartily, filled with emotion.

Time passed too quickly. Carl, who used to pester him asking why girls didn't like him, now had his own thoughts.

Originally, Norton thought that even with eternal life, it would take at least several decades or even a century before he would feel that things had changed and people were different. But he never expected that in just a few short years, things had already reached this point.

"I suppose I should thank you for your teachings over these years, for educating such a beast as me." Carl laughed heartily, then took a silver ring from his finger and handed it to Norton.

"I'm leaving, Old Norton."

"Where to?"

Norton took the ring with his completely cloth-wrapped hand. He knew what this was.

Nobility in Central Europe typically used unique patterns engraved on rings, clothes, carriages, and other items to display their status, and this exquisite silver ring with its pattern was undoubtedly the identity token representing Carl's family.

As relatives of Bishop Good, Carl's family could be considered among the highest-ranking nobility in Rino City.

With this item, Norton wouldn't be harassed by the Church's missionaries at all.

And since Carl was handing over this item, it seemed he was truly going on a long journey.

"My father had detailed discussions with Bishop Good and decided to branch out the family. My older brother will stay with my father in Rino City, continuing to live under Bishop Good's protection, while I will be sent to the Vatican for training.

Perhaps in the future, I'll become a priest."

Carl gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

He still hadn't told the whole story. Bishop Good seemed to have promised substantial benefits, otherwise his father wouldn't have been so happy.

But such benefits definitely came with some dangers, so to avoid putting all eggs in one basket, Carl's father decided to split the family. His older brother would remain in Rino City with Bishop Good and the family to continue thriving there, while he would be sent to the Vatican to become the family's second path.

But clearly, his path was undoubtedly the most difficult. And it was basically equivalent to being exiled by the family.

Become a priest?

"Damn it! Carl, you have to promise me that you'll never develop a liking for young boys!" Norton looked at Carl with a serious expression as he gave this instruction.

Norton really didn't like priests!

Carl grinned, his young face showing an indescribable lecherous expression: "Remember what you taught me? Old Norton."

"What?" Norton suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Whether it's boys or girls, I want them all!" Carl clenched his fist fiercely, his young face already showing some resemblance to a priest.

"I'm leaving, Old Norton. The tavern next door belongs to our family. With this ring representing me, you can stay there, eating and drinking for free. If any Church personnel deliberately give you trouble, you can show them this ring, and they'll naturally let you go.

We've known each other for seven or eight years, and to this day, I've never once seen your face. I wonder, since we're about to part ways, if I could take a look.

After all, we might not meet again." Carl's gaze remained fixed on Norton.

He wanted Norton's response, but for some reason, he also somewhat didn't want it.

But fortunately, Norton declined his request just as he always had: "I actually think you're wrong about that. We will meet again, Carl. It's just that when we meet next time, I hope you won't want to stab me in the ass."