Peter Yates is not an ascetic; he does not resist his own desires, and the things his intuition urges him to do are also a kind of desire. Peter Yates gently pushed open the door. The study was spacious, with bookshelves over two meters high lining the walls and filling the entire room. The master is truly knowledgeable! At this moment, Peter Yates no longer felt uneasy—this was who he was. Since he had made up his mind, there was no need to hesitate any longer. Peter Yates crouched and slipped into the study. He didn’t know what was drawing him here; the master could return at any moment, so he had to hurry. The newly initiated carnivore used his newly acquired ability, “Eye of Darkness,” for the first time. Nothing in the study could escape his sight. He found it: behind the thirteenth bookshelf, there was a hidden compartment, inside which was a magical key. Peter Yates took out the magical key—it was a black crystal orb. This was no challenge for Peter Yates; he had learned from a half-baked dark mage and recited a spell he could barely remember. A wisp of black mist slowly rose from the crystal orb. As the mist dispersed, a strange space appeared before Peter Yates.

Peter Yates reached inside and rummaged around. The first thing he pulled out was a file folder. He opened it and saw a genetic test report inside. Strangely, one of the gene names used for comparison was actually John Bennett! How could this be here? He was puzzled and set the folder aside, then reached in again. This time, he pulled out a thick notebook, bound with large brass nails, its pages already yellowed. On the title page, written in ancient vampire script, was “The Leshenba Clan Chronicle.” If the High Judge were still alive, she would surely recognize it. Peter Yates opened it—fortunately, it was recorded in two languages, one of which he could read. The more he read, the more shocked he became. Such an earth-shattering secret had been buried so deeply! He quickly closed the book and, without hesitation, reached into the space a third time. This time, as he withdrew his hand, he brought out a roll of parchment, loosely rolled and not tied with anything.

John Bennett was still surveilling the Leshenba clan. Several times, he had nearly been discovered, but fortunately, his strength was extraordinary, and each time he managed to escape. However, this had already aroused the clan’s suspicion, and there had been no movement for several days. John Bennett simply decided to hide for a while and not show himself, letting them lower their guard. Today’s weather was quite good; in such a cold region, blizzards were commonplace, so just having a level five or six cold wind was already considered good weather—what more could you ask for? John Bennett was still sitting in that café; he had become a regular there. He had chosen this café after much consideration, because among the businesses near the Leshenba clan, this was the only one not secretly controlled by them. This was thanks to the café owner’s older brother, who was the mayor of the city. Sabbat liked to stir up trouble, but as the saying goes: “A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its own burrow”—who would want to cause trouble at their own doorstep?

John Bennett knew he would definitely gain something today, because the last time he saw that mysterious figure, the car he was riding in was parked at the entrance of the Leshenba clan today. He finished a cup of coffee, ordered another, and sipped it slowly. He pulled two bills from his wallet and placed them under the cup, in case he had to leave suddenly and didn’t have time to pay.

The main gate opened. First out were members of the Leshenba clan, whom John Bennett didn’t recognize, followed closely by that mysterious figure he had been waiting for. John Bennett was excited, struggling to control his emotions and not give himself away. The car started. John Bennett pressed his hand into the shadow beneath the window, as if opening a door, and his whole body slipped into darkness. Then he appeared at the street corner outside, just as the car drove by. The technologically engineered, one-way car windows that could only be seen through from the inside out were no match for the “Eye of Darkness.” John Bennett clearly saw the mysterious figure take off his trench coat in the car, revealing a black shirt embroidered with a beautiful rose in golden thread! John Bennett was shaken to his core: there was only one person in the world who could wear a golden rose—the head of the Toreador clan, Lord Patrick!

Chapter 010

John Bennett could hardly believe it—this was the revered Lord Patrick, the one who had removed the black veil and no longer abided by the rules of seclusion! He truly couldn’t understand why Lord Patrick, who had founded the Camarilla together with the other six elders, would now come to negotiate with the Sabbat, who never followed the Six Traditions.

Knowing the true identity of the mysterious figure did not solve the riddle in his heart; instead, it became even more confusing and enigmatic.

John Bennett returned, full of thoughts. As soon as he got off the plane, Baker was waiting for him at the airport. After meeting, Baker greeted him like an old friend: “We’ve been working together for one hundred and seventy-five years, haven’t we?” John Bennett was a bit surprised at Baker’s sudden change in attitude this time: “Yes, you remember very clearly.” Baker said, “I’ve been a carnivore for almost two hundred years. In these two hundred years, I’ve had six partners—you are the best! You are strong, you became a carnivore later than I did, but you are the most powerful. You complete tasks excellently; there’s almost nothing you can’t do. When you’re around, we all feel at ease!” John Bennett gradually sensed that something was off.