On the quiet streets of St. Petersburg, the cold wind blew howling. At one o'clock in the morning, there was no longer a pedestrian on the empty streets.
Under the full moon shrouded in darkness at night, four giant bats spread their black wings and flew away into the air with hundreds of black bats behind them that blocked the sky and the sun.
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The principal was sitting alone at the bar counter, quietly drinking a glass of liquor.
More than twenty members of the Russian branch stood quietly guarding behind the old man like an iron tower.
"Holy weapon, borrow it, Lesembra, Xiaobei." Drinking the whiskey in the glass, a gleam of wisdom flashed in the principal's dark blue eyes.
He is trying to connect these unrelated things together.
"teacher."
Minister Ivanov, who was about two meters tall, gently called his teacher, his voice as deep as a bell.
"What's wrong?"
The principal smiled kindly.
"We haven't seen each other for a long time since we met in the college last year. Come on, sit down and have a drink with me."
Minister Ivanov sat very reservedly next to the principal. His giant-like figure and rigid limbs formed a sharp contrast.
"Teacher, how are you doing recently?"
"Well, it's not bad. I can probably live a little longer with my old bones."
The principal smiled kindly and poured Minister Ivanov a glass of wine.
"Do you have any questions to ask me now?"
Minister Ivanov hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The principal smiled and raised his eyebrows, "Then I'll give you a test to see if you've made any progress over the years."
Minister Ivanov is decisive in killing people. Since he became the minister of the Russian branch, there has not been a single incident related to the Devil Party in Russia.
But this fierce and resolute minister, who when he just took over the Russian branch, led all the members to wipe out the remnants of the evil party hiding in Russia, actually showed a child-like shy smile in front of his teacher.
"Teacher, you know me, I am not Pierce. His mind works very fast and he can see many things at a glance. I, I can't do it..."
The principal held the wine glass, smiled and shook his head.
"You are all my most outstanding students. I have never had any doubts about your abilities. You all have your own best qualities, and you all have things that you are not good at. You cannot deny them just because of certain flaws.
Own."
"Now, tell me your answer. It doesn't matter if you are wrong. I just want your answer, just like when I taught you the lesson. Mistakes are not terrible. The important thing is that you say it."
Facing his teacher who was still trying to persuade him as before, Minister Ivanov nodded and spoke in a deep voice the questions in his heart.
"Teacher, I don't understand why you agreed to their request? Although these neutral clans have not had many direct conflicts with us like the devil party, they have been making small moves over the years, even the betrayal of the French branch.
I had a direct relationship with them."
Minister Ivanov frowned his brown eyebrows.
"In the middle of the Ten Years' War, although it was not stated explicitly, neutral clans did appear on the battlefield of the Demon Party. Even just after the Ten Years' War, they openly stood with the Demon Party! Until dozens of
Years ago, you promised not to be hostile to them anymore, and they returned to their previous neutrality."
Minister Ivanov shook his head and said with some disappointment.
"Teacher, I thought I was going to completely erase the people of these neutral clans from history today, but the result..."
After listening to Minister Ivanov's words, Principal Vanzhuo showed an expected smile on his face.
"But it turned out that I was just drinking and chatting with them, and even reached some kind of deal with them, is that right? I understand, kid, can I ask you a question? What do you think the ten-year war was about?
Still wrong?”
Without any hesitation, Minister Ivanov answered.
"Yes! Because without that ten-year war, we wouldn't have these strange abilities like we do now. It can be said that the Camarilla's achievements today are all due to the ten-year war you led."
"But we also lost eternal life."
The principal pointed out the most critical point.
"Thanks to the ten years of war, we have indeed gained a lot of unimaginable capabilities, but in contrast, we have also lost the most important things. This has shown that the war was wrong. Am I right?"
"teacher......."
Principal Fanzhuo picked up the wine in the glass and stared deeply at the liquid in the glass.
"I have been reflecting over the years. I have been reflecting on whether my decision back then was too extreme. Obviously, yes. The evolution of the blood race cannot be solved by a war alone, otherwise Archduke Abraham would not have regrets in the end.
He committed suicide and died alone in his room, while the Hebrew prophet..."
"The prophet Hebrews has already left us revelations, but I have ignored it. A hundred years ago, I took a completely opposite path to him and chose a path that is no different from that of the great prince Abraham."
"Indeed, as the leader and initiator of that war, I am not too willing to admit my mistakes, but mistakes are mistakes. Your teacher is not so obsessed with face."
The principal held the wine glass in his hand and spoke thoughtfully, "I have told you before that mistakes are not terrible. What is terrible is refusing to admit them and covering them up. This is the so-called mistake again and again."
"So now, I just hope to find the right path while I am still alive."
The principal drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Minister Ivanov seemed to have anticipated something and asked in a trembling voice.
"Teacher, have you discovered anything?"
The principal turned to look at him, his eyes filled with endless relief.
"It seems that the decision to let you go to the Russian branch for training was right. Otherwise, you would not have grown so much. Remember, you were just like Andreev now, just a pure warrior.
But now you are an outstanding leader."
Listening to the teacher's comments, Minister Ivanov lowered his head in embarrassment and crossed his fingers nervously.
"Now that I sit in this position, of course I can't just fight and kill like before. I should also learn to think. After all, I carry the lives of dozens of members on my body, and I have to be responsible for their lives."
The principal patted Principal Ivanov on the shoulder and poured him another glass of wine.
"The same goes for the teacher. The teacher is also responsible for everyone in the secret party. By the way, you just asked me if I had discovered anything? There is indeed one thing, Ivanov, I can tell you now."
I wanted to pick up the wine glass and take another sip, but for some reason, I put it back before it reached my mouth.
Looking at the crystal clear glass in his hand, the principal sighed softly, his eyes full of self-deprecation for himself and his ancestors.
"I'm not willing to accept the results of my research, but that's the fact, you know? After so many years of research, I found that there is indeed some kind of curse on the holy artifact, including us."
"Curse?" Minister Ivanov asked in disbelief.
The principal nodded.
"Yes, that rumor is correct. There is indeed a curse on the holy artifact, and it includes all of us. This is the curse that the second generation ancestors will forever imprint on the depths of our souls when they die."
Having said this, the principal smiled bitterly.
"This is probably the reason why we have been unable to evolve, because from the moment the third generation ancestors wiped out the second generation ancestors, a curse was planted on us."
"This is the undying curse from the second generation of ancestors! Before they died, they used their souls and blood to leave a curse for their descendants that will last forever and cannot be eliminated. I call it the natural chasm."
After unbuttoning the first button of his shirt, the principal drank the spicy wine in his glass silently.
"A chasm we can never cross."
Listening to the principal's discoveries over the years, Minister Ivanov fell into a brief trance.
Curse, the curse of everyone, the curse that is imprinted on every vampire newborn as soon as they are born...
As long as the vampires still exist, this curse will never disappear...
Because they are all descendants of the third generation ancestors, they will always bear the curse of the second generation ancestors...
After a while, Ivanov remembered something and asked in a trembling voice.
"Teacher, do you already have a solution?"
The principal's hand reached for the wine bottle and paused.
The expression on his face was slightly lonely, and two simple words came out of the principal's mouth.
"Peace."
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Picking up the wine glass and continuing to pour himself a glass of wine, the principal spoke in a deep voice about his discoveries over the years.
"The Hebrew prophet actually devoted his whole life to improving the relationship between the thirteen clans, but unfortunately, because of the mistakes of Duke Abraham and the hatred accumulated from hundreds of years of war, the prophet's gains were minimal."
"In the ancient parchments left by the prophet, although he did not point out it directly, the meaning is already obvious."
The principal closed his eyes and pondered in a low voice.
"If I'm not wrong, only peace can bring about real evolution."
"Ivanov, this is why I agreed to the request of the four of them. In fact, if their request was a little more extreme, for example, asking me to withdraw from the Camarilla, I would also agree. After all, peace may really be the key to peace.
The key to opening the door to vampire evolution."
After finishing his words, the principal turned his head slightly and looked at the "Swan Princess" on the wall of the bar with a helpless smile on his face.
"But peace is not that easy. Not to mention neutral clans, we have been at war with the Demon Party for thousands of years. How can the hatred between the two sides be resolved with just one sentence?"
"I can only do my best. I hope that within my lifetime, you can all evolve into true vampires and become the existence second only to God."
"Ivanov, I hope you can remember what I said tonight. If one day I accidentally die, you will continue to walk along this path. Do you understand?"
"This is the right way."
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Facing the teacher who asked him about his funeral, and facing this last chapter that seemed to have been seen in "Chronicles of the Blood", Minister Ivanov stood up in a panic. While standing up, he accidentally knocked down the chair next to him.
"Teacher, why do you say such things?"
The principal withdrew his gaze and concentrated on drinking the whiskey in his glass.
"It's just a hunch. Besides, I've lived long enough and I don't care when I go to see God. I just hope that I can leave you with more precious wealth before I go to see God."
"teacher......."
"Okay, let's not talk about this, Ivanov. From now on, if it is not necessary, if the demon party has not taken the initiative to attack us, don't take the initiative to attack them. Maybe the two sides really should try to sit down and talk.
"
"I understand." Minister Ivanov stood up subconsciously and stood up straight.
The principal patted his arm.
"Don't be so restrained, just like you were in the academy. Weren't you willing to sit and drink with me before?"
Hearing the principal's teasing, Minister Ivanov smiled awkwardly.
"In the past, it was that guy Pierce who led me to fool around. Actually, I'm not too, too...teacher, I've actually grown up a lot now."
"I can see that."
The teacher and student fell into a brief silence.
One was sitting at the bar counter, drinking freely.
The other one sat aside, holding a glass full of wine in his hand, bowing his head and saying nothing.
Finally, five minutes later, Minister Ivanov raised his eyes slightly and looked at his teacher who was not drunk at all.
After hesitating for a while, Minister Ivanov withdrew his gaze and bit his lip.
"Teacher, you just mentioned Lilith, right? And her son."
The principal took out a lighter and lit a cigar.
"I remember, didn't you meet Xiaobei? And you left one behind. Don't let me see this useless comment in this life."
Minister Ivanov's face suddenly turned pale.
"It's the same now! Just teacher, I want to ask you, how did Lilith disappear back then? Why has there been no news for so many years? She is so terrifying. It is absolutely impossible to be assassinated. Teacher, you also know
,Lilith was the most powerful among us back then..."
"She may have been lost in Cain's right hand."
The principal lowered his head and drank the wine in the glass. (To be continued)