Caesar was left in a trance after he had heard what the eerie face explained. From his past understanding, the only requirement for evolving was further improving his strength and mana control. However, he had never thought out of the box, which was the answer all along.
It made sense; if you wanted to evolve into a particular creature, then you should start acting like it. He couldn"t remain human if he wanted to be a vampire and vice versa. Caesar couldn"t help but condemn his stupidity. His thirst for blood wasn"t too compelling, so he never felt inclined to indulge in such actions.
As for why he continued to act, eat, and drink like humans, well, it was presumably a cultivated habit. He couldn"t just simply change who he was, and even now, he felt that there was no incentive to actually change his persona. In fact, he felt as though his personality was just fine; it was merely his hobbies and actions that held him back.
Drinking blood from anyone other than Ahri seemed to be quite detestable, but Caesar would gladly partake in such activities if it improved his progression. He was in dire need of strength and was, by no means, powerful enough to take on the church as of this moment.
A frown appeared on Caesar"s face as he finally broke out of his stupor and exited the alley. He entered a small clothing shop on the corner of the street and inspected a few of the more expensive outfits.
The receptionist glanced at him strangely as he pulled out a few thick robes and masks from the shelves. A man of his beauty did not match the crude clothes he picked out, and she couldn"t help but feel it wasted his handsome appearance.
However, extra business and maintaining her job was more important than correcting a handsome man"s fashion choices. Thus, she kept her thoughts to herself and sold the clothes without making another peep.
On the other hand, Caesar scrutinized the cute girl in front of him. She possessed short brown hair that barely reached her graceful neck, a pair of Pheonix eyes, and thin lips. Her lovely eyes kept subtly glancing at his face and back on the desk repeatedly.
Caesar calmly purchased his clothes and took a few steps toward the door before he abruptly stopped, "Darling, are you currently in a relationship?" he asked while turning his body, a small smile playing on his lips.
The young receptionist stared at Caesar incredulously before a small blush crept onto her face. "n-no, I"ve never been in a relationship before…" she whispered and stared at her shoes, not daring to look Caesar in the eyes.
Caesar locked the door and flipped the sign so that it showed "closed" and loosened the collar on his shirt. He would immediately begin testing the eerie faces theory, besides, as long as he remained faithful to Ahri, it wouldn"t damage his moral code.
He approached the embarra.s.sed girl and wrapped his arms around her lower back before inserting his fangs into her neck. He gently knocked the young girl unconscious and sucked a non-fatal amount of blood from the la.s.s. Her body went limp into his arms and instinctively wrapped around the nape of the neck.
This highly suggestive position lasted for a few seconds before Caesar departed from the young girl"s graceful neck. He licked the blood that trailed down his lips and cleaned the woman"s neck with his tongue.
Her face was quite red as he softly laid her down the ground. He knew that sucking her blood would be stimulating for a maiden, so he made sure to knock her unconscious before he proceeded.
After making sure that she was safe and comfortable, he left the store with the door locked. She would wake up within the next ten to fifteen minutes. In contrast, his body felt great, as if he was revitalized.
The last time he had drunken any blood was on the battlefield against the trolls, and his body could feel the change. Although the strange and surreal robotic voice didn"t indicate any percentage gain, he instinctively knew that this was the right path. Perhaps, it was initially his fault for choosing the blood-demon out of all the options.
Alas, there was no pill for regret, so he decided to make his way back to the inn and wait for Joe"s inevitable return. He wasn"t quite sure how the brothels and bars worked in Limbo kingdom, nor was he aware of how expensive they were. Thus, he could only imagine what types of events and predicaments Joe went through.
He wiped the faint stain of blood that rested his pale chin and continued on his way, arriving at the tavern in around fifteen minutes or so. Caesar planned to tease Joe and prepare for his meeting tomorrow, so he went straight to his room and waited on the bed.
He placed a few of the thicker robes and masks in his nearby closet. The gowns were black and relatively simple. However, the masks were rather detailed. They were orange in color and looked similar to a fox.
He admired their life-like features and sat them on top of his robes. After which, he lit a few of the candles on the bedside and waited for Joe"s arrival. The room descended into silence, and as the sun fell, darkness crept onto the lands.
The harsh winds coursed through the surroundings and tapped onto the nearby window. Another hour went by in a similar fashion until finally, Caesar could hear the wooden stairs creak below him.
The footsteps periodically reverberated in Caesar"s ears, until finally, they stopped in front of his door. The doork.n.o.b turned and opened ever so slightly, revealing Joe"s haggard look. A few kiss marks were left on his face. However, the life in his eyes seemed to be lost.
Once he caught sight of Caesar, he rushed forward and grabbed him by the collars, "I ran out of money, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" he paused as tears fell from his eyes, "It was getting to the best part… I was this close to finishing!"
Caesar tried to maintain his serious expression, but he couldn"t contain his laughter. It mocked joe"s struggles and nearly woke up everyone else in the tavern.
"Don"t worry Joe; you"ll always get another chance. Besides, it"s better to experience it without paying money… especially if it"s your first time," Caesar explained with a solemn expression and entered into bed.
Joe clenched his fists and begrudgingly ented into his bed as well. A stream of curses escaped from his thick lips as he pulled the covers over himself.