NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 2: Chapter 2
"All the beasts on the ground howled, proclaiming that they had no need for the divine protection. So, the gods withdrew and left the mortal world for a time."
"Suddenly, an endless stream of radiant light poured down like a mighty flood. The starry sky was ablaze, the bright moon was serene, and the scorching sun was dazzling. All three, for a moment, shone together in the same vast sky."
"The beasts writhed in agony under the intense light, wailing miserably. Filled with dread, they pleaded desperately for the gods to return."
"After the light had purified the world, the gods descended once again. Shedding tears of compassion for the dead beasts, these tears nourished the earth, and the desolate land was restored to its former lushness."
"Those tears were the gods' merciful compassion." - The Holy Scripture: The Age of Desolation
Walter gently ran his fingers across the ancient - looking cover of The Holy Scripture, then slowly closed it. A complex expression flickered in his eyes, and he didn't turn the pages any further. He knew the words in the book by heart. This time he reopened it just to take a look at the unique illustrations. In this era when printing technology was still underdeveloped, although the text of The Holy Scripture was the same everywhere, the illustrations varied greatly. They were all painstakingly drawn by the most outstanding local artists. By looking at these illustrations, one could get a glimpse of the local painting skills.
The Arthur family was strapped for cash and couldn't afford books at all. This copy of The Holy Scripture was lent to him by Friar Fula yesterday. Friar Fula highly regarded Walter and thought he was incredibly talented. He believed that if Walter could study at the seminary, he would surely become an excellent friar in the future. However, Walter politely declined the offer, using the excuse that the tuition was too expensive. Although Friar Fula was disappointed, he generously lent him the book.
Thinking of this, Walter unconsciously rubbed his temples. An unpleasant memory welled up in his mind. In the Holy Empire of Diwei, a theocratic country, as a werewolf, he felt as if he was trapped in an invisible net of death. The threat of death loomed over him constantly, and he had no sense of security whatsoever. He was extremely eager to gain powerful strength. Strangely enough, compared to his knowledge of the world's theological system, he knew very little about the power system.
At present, Walter's only extraordinary ability was the strong physique brought about by his werewolf transformation. With this, he could handle ordinary bandits without much trouble. But if he encountered other powerful beings with extraordinary abilities, the outcome was uncertain. "I must be extremely careful in tonight's action. Baron Kurtis definitely has extraordinary abilities," Walter mused to himself, with the information he had collected before flashing through his mind.
In this world, all nobles possessed extraordinary powers. If a noble didn't, then they were either a fake noble or had impure bloodlines. Such nobles would soon be stripped of their noble status and reduced to commoners. Since Baron Kurtis had built a huge power base in Shates City, he must have extraordinary powers. "I heard that the nobles' extraordinary abilities are related to their family crests?" Walter recalled his knowledge of heraldry from his previous life. In that world, the family crest was a symbol of the family and also a sign of honor and achievement. But in this world, the family crest was the source of power. However, this power required a specific bloodline to cultivate. Knowing that he didn't have such a bloodline, Walter didn't dwell on it any longer.
As the sky gradually darkened, the night fell over the land. Walter said hello to Ailis and Mary, and gently patted Yara on the head before returning to the attic where he lived. He took off his coat and lay down on the bed, quietly listening to the sounds downstairs gradually fade away. When everything was quiet, he carefully opened the skylight of the attic, pricked up his ears to listen to the surrounding movements. After making sure there was no abnormality, he began to prepare for the transformation.
The moonlight filtered through the skylight and fell on Walter's face. He had dark - colored skin, and his thin face exuded a sense of determination. Under his black bangs, a scar shaped like a "<" could be faintly seen under his eyes. In the blink of an eye, his originally pitch - black pupils suddenly turned into blood - red beast pupils. Immediately after, his body began to change drastically. His muscles tensed up, his bones cracked, his face gradually elongated, sharp fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth, his ears became sharp and erect, and his originally black hair instantly turned white. In just a few breaths, a tall, snow - white werewolf appeared in the attic.
The feeling of werewolf transformation was mysterious and wonderful. Walter found it hard to describe it accurately in words. This time, during the transformation, he clearly felt an uncontrollable restlessness welling up from the depths of his blood. He had a hunch that his werewolf bloodline was about to mature, but he had no idea what would happen after it did.
After the transformation, Walter was so tall that he had to hunch over slightly to avoid hitting the ceiling and making a noise. He listened carefully to the surroundings again, then gently leaped out of the attic, jumped off the roof, and quickly disappeared into the shadows of the moonlight, dashing towards his destination.
The werewolf's transformation ability came from a mysterious bloodline. This bloodline was not just ordinary blood, nor was it completely equivalent to the genes Walter understood in his previous life. It contained a more mysterious power. Unfortunately, Walter didn't know how to tap into the power within his bloodline. Instead, he was more familiar with how to hide the abnormalities of his bloodline.
The moment he landed, Walter's sharp nails popped out and dug deep into the ground, allowing him to stand firmly. He quickly hid his body in the shadows and controlled his breathing to be very light. After the transformation, Walter was completely different from his usual self. Although he still retained some rationality, his personality and way of thinking had changed a great deal. If the human - form Walter was cautious and steady, always liking to think things through carefully and make comprehensive plans, then the werewolf - form Walter was more like a cold - blooded predator.
Contrary to people's common impression of werewolves, the werewolf - state Walter was cold - hearted, cunning, and decisive, with a powerful and keen predatory instinct. Just then, two men carrying oil lamps walked by on the adjacent street. They were wearing friar robes and were obviously friars from the church. "Are we finally going to catch that evil creature?" "Yeah, hurry up, don't let him escape." From their conversation, Walter knew that they had discovered another so - called "evil creature." He quietly waited for the two to walk away, silently praying in his heart that their next target wouldn't be the Arthur family.
With a flash, Walter quickly climbed over the courtyard wall. When the two fierce big dogs in the yard saw him, instead of barking wildly, they wagged their tails affectionately and ran towards him. This was Walter's special talent. After several reconnaissance trips and contacts with these big dogs across the courtyard wall, they became familiar with Walter and were willing to get close to him. Walter gently stroked the dogs' heads, motioned for them to go back and lie down, and then quietly climbed up the wall covered with ivy. His sharp claws dug tightly into the wall, and since there was ivy covering it, he didn't have to worry about leaving climbing marks.
Walter carefully observed the situation inside the house through the second - floor window. He gently sniffed, and all kinds of smells rushed into his nostrils. After transforming into a werewolf, his sense of smell had become extremely sensitive. Although he usually didn't like to use this ability because the environment in this world was so bad that the smells in some places were almost nauseating, like a toxic fog zone. "Are the lights still on?" Walter looked at the brightly lit room and had no intention of taking hasty action. He quietly lay by the window, carefully sniffing the smells while pricking up his ears to listen to the movements inside. Intelligence was crucial. Any small clue could give him the upper hand when dealing with the baron in the future.
At three o'clock in the morning, after making sure that everyone in the mansion was asleep, Walter quietly slipped into the house. He took a round in the mansion, collected some useful information, and then quietly left. He chose a different route to return to the vicinity of the Arthur family's house. After confirming that there was no abnormality around, he returned to the attic through the skylight. At this time, he faintly heard some noisy sounds in the distance, but he knew that they had nothing to do with him.
In the early morning, Walter got up early to fetch water from the well, planning to take a bath. His enhanced sense of smell after the transformation made him a bit of a clean - freak. When he passed by a street corner carrying a bucket, he found that the platform there was already piled high with firewood. It seemed that the person hunted by the church last night hadn't escaped. Perhaps before long, a cruel "bonfire execution" would be held here.