Chapter 673: Vampire
Eventually, the coffins entered the gates of Metropolis, prompting the royal guards to create tighter security and prevent anyone from simply walking through the road and blocking the parade.
As soon as the coffins entered the gates, they stopped in place.
The crowd waited with bated breaths before the sound of creaking wood echoed through the streets. One by one, the coffins opened up as men and women with pale skin floated up from their lying position. They all wore a black robe that they draped all over their bodies, shielding most of their skin from the sun.
Gasps and whispers echoed out as people began talking to themselves, amazed at seeing Vampires for the first time in their lives.
"Woah... they look menacing."
"Hey, don’t be rude! Vampires are just like any other people."
"They’re so strong that I can feel their power in the air!"
There were lots of rumors about Vampires, some of them were true, while some of them were just pure myths. However, one thing they definitely got right was the fact that they were considered to be pretty strong among the beastfolks.
Werewolves were physically the strongest, but they lack power in magic. Conversely, the Elves were strong in magic, but lacked physical prowess. Just like the Mermen, Vampires were strong in both regards. Both were strong in their element, the mermen with water, and the vampires with the night.
Michael stood atop their rooftops with Reed by his side.
"Do you know these Vampires?" he asked Reed.
"Some of them, but the only one I really know is the guy over there, the only one among them with short hair."
Among the group of Vampires floating in the streets, with their eyes still closed, Reed pointed to the guy who was positioned furthest to the right.
"That’s my friend, Guillermo. He’s part of my network, and he’s the one that helps me deal with business regarding Vampires and Werewolves."
Just then, the Vampires opened their eyes and floated down into the ground. As soon as they stepped foot in Metropolis soil, they nodded in satisfaction.
Then, they waved.
As soon as they did that, it was as if all the tension in the room was broken. Among the rumors about the Vampires was that they were quite standoffish and anti-social because of their extremely long life span. However, this simple wave of theirs made them look approachable to the masses.
Finally, the crowd erupted in cheers. They felt extremely honored to be the first few people in the Royal Continent that had the privilege to see actual Vampires roaming in the daylight!
Then, the Vampires walked forwards, following the path of the route that Alaric chose for them.
With their long robes still draped over their bodies, they looked like they were just gliding over the ground as they walked through the streets.
And as they walked, some companies used his opportunity to advertise their companies.
"Welcome Vampires! Would you like some grade A blood from mountain sheep?"
"We offer garlic-free meals at the ready!"
"Do you miss the night? Well, we have changed our buildings to allow no sunlight at all to pass through them!"
Despite this, the Vampires continued to walk along the streets, talking amongst themselves as they got immersed into human culture. Some they found amusing, some they weren’t interested in.
However, the Vampires never stopped to enter any of the shops or buildings.
One could see from their eyes that despite Metropolis’ best efforts to accommodate them, it truly wasn’t enough to get them interested in any way shape or form.
But finally, the Vampires entered the Upperwoods District and passed through the Main Street.
The Vampires were just about to walk past the whole corner before one Vampire noticed someone waving at them from atop the roofs.
Guillermo, Reed’s so-called best-friend, looked up and saw a familiar face.
And for the first time, a Vampire broke off from the parade and entered into a company’s building.
"That Vampire’s inside the Reborn company store!"
"I can’t believe it! What did he offer to attract them?!"
"They don’t even offer blood!"
Michael and Reed floated down into the store and met up with Guilllermo.
"Ah, Reed, my old friend! I wasn’t expecting to see you here," Guillermo said.
And even though his words seemed warm, his face was completely nonchalant. There was no expression of joy.
But Reed knew that this wasn’t a problem at all. That was just how Vampires worked. They only looked emotionless.
"I thought Mermens weren’t supposed to go here till later?"
"We had a... family emergency," Reed said.
Immediately, Guillermo knew what he was referring to, and a sad expression dawned on his face. "Ah, Nixie... I prayed that she would get better once you’re here in the surface world. Is she in relatively good health?"
Reed then showed a big smile, something that Guillermo wasn’t expecting to see.
"You should see her now! She’s walking, talking, and she even has some human friends!..."
Reed then went on and on, bragging to his friend about how Nixie was slowly starting to become normal.
And after hearing how Nixie, the girl plagued with the curse of the Dao Heart, was interacting with other people on her own, Guillermo was stunned.
The curse didn’t just affect mermen. They affected all Beastfolk, so Guillermo knew just how impossible it was for Nixie to recover so fast, when not even a month ago, her heart was on the brink of critical failure. It would practically take a miracle for her to recover.
"I don’t understand how that’s possible," Guillermo said, his face churning for answers.
"It’s possible. And it’s all thanks to this man right here. Guillermo, I want you to meet Michael."
Guillermo’s eyes went over to Michael.
"A kid?"
That wasn’t out of offense, but one of curiosity. Guillermo couldn’t believe that a kid would be able to solve a millenia-long problem that plagued all beastfolk.
"It’s true. Do you know me to be a liar?"
There was still a hint of doubt in Guillermo’s face, but he was now starting to accept it.
"I heard that humans are very creative. Has he found a medicinal cure? A panacea?"
Michael shook his head. "No, I just gave her a rollercoaster."
Of course, Guillermo had no idea what that was.
"Oh, you should see this rollercoaster, Guillermo. It’s an amazing feat of architecture that trumps anything that you’ve seen in the surface world. I even think that your Dao Heart will feel stimulated."
Guillermo was quite shocked to hear that. Reed knew just how much a Vampire’s Dao Heart was hard to stimulate, so he wouldn’t say those words just for nothing.
"Truly? If that is so, then my family will be more than pleased to see it."
"Why not? We’ll go there right now," he said, extending an invitation.
"Ah, but I cannot be too long away from the parade. It is our duty and obligation to be in Metropolis at least for a day," Guillermo respectfully declined.
"Don’t worry," Michael said, waving away his worries. "It will only take a few minutes."
Michael used his shadow transportation skill as his shadow enveloped the three of them in an instant.