Arthur only truly relaxed when he saw Airo greedily drinking the blood.
Being able to drink blood so unreservedly in front of him meant that Airo had already developed a basic level of trust in him.
Half-bloods, like other undead creatures, were feared and reviled by normal society.
At least in Anm's eastern regions, once an undead creature was discovered, the various churches would immediately eradicate it.
This explained why the female thief was always so suspicious and on guard.
Recalling the harrowing moment when scissors were pressed against his neck, Arthur still felt a lingering fear.
As a Chinese person who had transmigrated to another world, he rarely encountered such life-or-death crises.
But he still decided to take a gamble.
When he was in prison, he asked the Warden to let him see the female prisoners who had shared a cell with Airo.
Some of them had teeth marks on their necks, and what they called 'witchcraft' was probably the paralyzing toxin released by vampires when they drank blood.
This toxin would make the person being bitten feel euphoric, thus preventing them from realizing they were being fed upon.
It was then that Arthur initially deduced Airo's identity.
What intrigued him was that the Warden had said that priests of Mother Earth had come to investigate but found nothing.
This meant that holy water, exorcism prayers, and some low-level ritual spells had no effect on Airo.
In Arthur's understanding of DND, only high-level vampires and half-bloods known as 'Daywalkers' could resist these.
After leaving the prison, Arthur ruled out the possibility of a high-level vampire, because even powerful high-level vampires also feared sunlight.
Therefore, Airo's identity could only be a Daywalker.
The only thing left to do was to ascertain whether Airo had lost her sanity due to thirst, becoming a bloodthirsty beast.
Fortunately, Arthur's gamble paid off.
"So, Son of the Wolf, how exactly did you know my real name?" Airo asked after drinking the blood.
Arthur, of course, couldn't say that it was revealed by the intelligence system, so he casually brushed her off: "Can I say it's a trade secret?"
"Alright, then I can't tell you where my companions are either."
"Mhm, just as we agreed." Arthur didn't care about this. "Tell me about Qingfeng Valley."
"That could take several days to explain. Do you have the time?"
Arthur walked to the window, looked at the sun outside, and estimated the time.
He still had business at the dock in the afternoon, so time might be tight.
Just then, a shout came from outside, someone was looking for him.
Arthur motioned for Airo to wait and stepped out of the room.
At the entrance of the stable, stood an elderly servant.
"Oh, Young Master, you're here." Seeing Arthur, the old servant let out a long sigh of relief. "My master sent me to assist you in tallying the supplies delivered by the council."
Arthur recognized the person but didn't know his name.
Seemingly noticing Arthur's confusion, the old servant introduced himself: "My name is Bard, and I'm mainly responsible for the castle's material reserves.
"We met at last year's Midwinter Festival. I performed the chicken song then, and you even praised me for imitating the chicken so well."
Arthur searched his memory and quickly recalled some impressions.
He showed his characteristic smile and went to meet him, "Oh, of course I remember.
"I didn't expect father to send you. I know you have a lot of experience in logistics."
Arthur's praise flattered Bard, and he quickly said he didn't deserve it. Then he looked around, "Oh, damn it, where did Rotten Tooth go.
He should have prepared the carriage and been waiting for us. I told him this morning.
Please wait here for a moment, Young Master, I'll go find someone. For Mother Earth's sake, these damn lazybones..."
While Bard was looking for someone, Arthur returned to the room and said to Airo: "It looks like we'll have to talk next time.
Where did you hide the coachman? I need him to prepare the carriage."
The female thief spread her hands and replied: "If you're talking about that drunken, rotten-toothed fellow, he's sleeping next to a mule."
Upon hearing this, Arthur sighed and instructed: "Clean yourself up and wait here for me to return. Then we can continue our conversation, alright?"
"I have no objections. Hey, Son of the Wolf, were you serious about asking me to be your guide?"
"Of course, unless you can find me someone who knows Qingfeng Valley better than you."
After leaving these words, Arthur walked out of the room and shouted in the direction Bard had left: "Rotten Tooth is in the mule pen."
Bard's voice came from nearby: "Yes, I found him.
Damn it, I must report this to the steward. This damned good-for-nothing, drunk in broad daylight.
What an outrage! Don't worry, Young Master, I'll arrange a new carriage right away."
At this point, Arthur suddenly felt something was amiss.
Although Rotten Tooth was a heavy drinker, he wouldn't get this drunk in broad daylight.
He looked around and found the stable unusually quiet today; normally, there would be many stable boys running around.
A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and Vanka ran into the stable with a panicked expression, anxiously searching for her young master.
A whistle caught her attention, and she followed the sound, seeing Arthur standing outside the tool shed.
Vanka's face lit up with joy, and she immediately ran to her young master, taking out a letter from her belt and handing it over.
"Miss Anna asked me... I came to deliver it, she said... she said it was urgent."
Arthur took the letter, opened it, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
After reading the letter, he snorted coldly, handed the letter back to Vanka, and instructed: "Burn the letter when you get back, then tell Anna that I've read it.
You are to stay in my room today and not go anywhere, understand?"
The little girl nodded and scurried away.
Arthur returned to the room and asked Airo: "How are your tracking skills?"
-----------------
Bard eventually found another coachman, and after arranging everything, he and Arthur went to the dock together.
On the way, the praised old servant, as if to prove himself, chattered incessantly about his arrangements.
"I've already spoken with the dockmaster this morning. As soon as the ship arrives, all personnel will prioritize your matters.
Your father, the Earl, specifically instructed us to assist you with all our might..."
Arthur didn't pay much attention to the old servant's words.
His mind wasn't on that now; he pulled back the curtain and looked out the window.
Currently, everything seemed normal, but he believed that at the next intersection, the carriage would turn left, heading towards the slums.
"Bard, have you ever killed anyone?"
"What?" The old servant was stunned by the sudden question. "N-no."
"Then have you ever fought? Or dueled with someone?"
Bard shook his head blankly.
Arthur smiled slightly: "Then I suggest you stay in the carriage later and don't move around."
"What... what does that mean? Young Master, I don't quite understand what you're saying."
Just as Arthur expected, the carriage turned left at the intersection.
He pulled back the curtain again and looked out; the brick buildings gradually disappeared, replaced by more wooden structures.
"This isn't the way to the dock," he murmured.
Hearing this, Bard also pulled back the curtain on the other side and looked out in confusion.
"Y-yes, this... this isn't the way to the dock. Damn it, does this new coachman not even know the way?!"
"Get ready, Bard, the road ahead might be very bumpy."
