Chapter 47: Practical Training
After her initial excitement, Helen paused, as if realizing that it might not have been a good idea. She asked Jasmine anxiously, “I… I didn’t ask you before telling others… Is that okay? I’m so sorry…”
Jasmine didn’t mind. She had already anticipated this. The family of a declining noble like Helen’s master might not even have a single low-ranking vampire maid, only human maids. In their household, the number of humans might far exceed that of vampires.
This also aligned with the information Jasmine had gathered. As long-lived beings, vampires were naturally few in number. It was only because she was at the Blake family castle, a member of the thirteen clans, or at the school that vampires seemed to outnumber humans.
In remote areas, under normal circumstances, humans far outnumbered vampires. But humans had been ruled by vampires for so long that even if there were only a handful of vampires in their environment, constantly bullying them, they couldn’t muster the courage to resist.
Simply put, they lacked courage.
Helen was different now. Her courage had been ignited, and she had spread it to others. The only question was whether those other maids had also awakened, gained courage, and dared to challenge vampires.
If not… Helen might be in danger.
She did hope that Helen and the other maids would carry the torch to their workplaces and homes, but it had to be done slowly, calmly, and without risk, like an underground movement. But there was a big problem with Helen’s current approach: she seemed too excited.
Like a child who had just received a new toy, eager to show it off to everyone.
This was too dangerous.
Facing Helen’s question, Jasmine first shook her head, indicating that it was fine.
After Helen relaxed, Jasmine continued, “But for your own sake, it’s better not to tell anyone else for now.” Helen looked at her in surprise, confused. Jasmine explained, “Have you considered what might happen if one of those maids tells your master?”
When Helen had taught the other maids the exercises and what Jasmine had taught her, she had been clearly excited. Even when talking to Jasmine, she was still excited. Excitement was good, but it could also cloud judgment, preventing her from thinking things through.
Now, facing the calm and collected Jasmine, Helen also calmed down and followed Jasmine’s line of thought. Then, her face paled. After thinking for a moment, she asked Jasmine, “Then why aren’t you afraid of this happening when you teach us?”
Just like Helen teaching other maids, it was also very dangerous for Jasmine to teach them at school.
But Jasmine was strong. She wasn’t afraid of such things happening. Even if the vampires came after her, she could easily fight back. But she couldn’t tell Helen this reason. Helen wouldn’t believe her. So, Jasmine thought about what kind of impressive words she should say in this situation.
She pondered for a while before saying, “I’m not afraid because the seed has already been sown.”
—That sounds so cool, and it’ll definitely have a great effect.
As expected, Jasmine’s words had a profound impact on Helen. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried her best to hold them back. She bit her lip, suppressing the emotions welling up inside, and said, “Then… then I can also…”
—No way. You’re too weak. Just protect yourselves.
“It’s enough for me to do it alone.”
Jasmine’s words completely overwhelmed Helen. In the end, she couldn’t hold back her tears and left while wiping them away. Jasmine sighed. Helen was truly an emotional girl.
The first half of the new semester was no different from the previous one. But after the midterms, things changed drastically—Adele and her classmates had to attend practical training. Each student was assigned a location for their practical training. Since most students were nobles, to ensure the credibility of their training results, the school specifically chose remote farms and banks for them to manage.
Although these were remote areas, their safety was still guaranteed. The school had already sent personnel to the nearby villages to ensure their security.
Adele’s assigned location was a farm. If Jasmine remembered correctly, this would be the first time Adele had ever been to a farm. In contrast, Jasmine had been to countless farms. Farms were cruel places for humans. They were both workers and livestock.
But the textbooks provided by the vampires glorified their actions. The teachers told the vampire students that farms were safe havens for humans, and they were doing their best to protect them. Without their farms, humans would have been killed by otherworldly beings.
Jasmine had flipped through Adele’s textbooks while she was preparing for her training and knew how ridiculous the vampires’ claims were. The thick textbook could be summarized in two words: cannibalism.
A quote from a famous writer in her previous life fit perfectly here. And vampires were literally cannibals. They sucked the marrow and drank the blood, no different from eating humans.
After receiving her assignment, Adele asked Jasmine to help her pack. Jasmine did as she was told, and on the day of departure, they were carrying almost nothing, just like when they had first arrived at school.
The journey to the remote area took much longer than returning to the Blake castle. Although airships sounded impressive, they couldn’t compare to airplanes in her previous life. Jasmine didn’t think they were any faster than buses. The only advantage was that they traveled in the sky and didn’t have to take detours.
They spent almost six days on the airship before reaching their destination. By the time they arrived, there were barely any passengers left. Jasmine guessed that if it weren’t for the Blake family’s eldest daughter, the airship company wouldn’t have bothered making the trip, as it was probably not profitable.
After arriving at the port, they had to transfer to a carriage to reach the farm. There weren’t even any vintage cars here. They had to travel in a horse-drawn carriage. Jasmine was actually curious about riding in a carriage. The Blake family always traveled in vintage cars and never used such a medieval mode of transportation.
In her previous life, she had only seen horse-drawn carriages in scenic areas or theme parks. And riding in one cost extra. So, after getting into the carriage, Jasmine looked around curiously.
Adele was also curious, but as the master, she had to maintain her dignity in front of Jasmine. She didn’t crane her neck like Jasmine to examine the carriage, but instead coughed softly, “Jasmine, be more composed. Don’t look around like that. People will think we’re country bumpkins who have never seen the world.”
“…” You’re also curious, aren’t you?
Remembering her role, Jasmine realized that she was indeed a bit out of character. She sat properly and stopped fidgeting.
The carriage ride wasn’t too bumpy. After all, with the invention of vintage cars, carriages must have also undergone several improvements. The current carriages had good suspension, and apart from the occasional bump when passing over rocks, the ride was quite smooth.
The carriage arrived at the farm. From afar, Jasmine could see someone standing at the entrance, waiting to greet them. As the carriage approached, Adele was the first to get off, followed closely by Jasmine. She saw the person who had come to greet them. It was a low-ranking vampire, his face beaming with a smile and obvious flattery.
“This must be Miss Blake, right? I extend my most sincere greetings. Your presence truly honors Oakham Farm.” He rubbed his hands as he spoke his welcoming words. Jasmine thought he resembled the manager from the airship incident.
However, unlike the manager, he looked plump and greasy.
And he was enveloped in a lingering smell of blood.
Adele, with her sharp nose, also smelled it. She frowned and even took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket to cover her nose, “You can skip the pleasantries. I am Adele Blake, sent here by the school for practical management training. During my stay, I expect your full cooperation.”
“Yes, of course…”
Adele then asked casually, “Your name is Oakham, right?” Many vampire farms were named after their managers, so when she heard the low-ranking vampire mention the farm’s name, Adele naturally knew his surname.
“Yes, Miss. I am Oakham. I have been managing this farm for over two hundred years and have supplied the bank with a considerable amount of high-quality blood.” Oakham’s smile made Jasmine feel nauseous. She glanced around.
They were standing at the entrance of a lavish manor. Jasmine guessed that this was Oakham’s residence, and the farm must be nearby, but not too close, as vampires would feel offended if they felt too close to humans.
A low-ranking vampire managing a farm in a remote area could afford such a manor… Jasmine sensed something was amiss. Perhaps this low-ranking vampire had violated the Council of Elders’ “Sustainable Development Guidelines.”
Oakham was exceptionally enthusiastic, leading Adele into the manor. As they entered the hall, they saw two rows of human servants lined up neatly on both sides. One row was attendants, the other maids, all young and attractive. However, both Adele and Jasmine could smell the blood on them. It seemed that Oakham had been feeding on these attendants regularly.
Adele wrinkled her nose. The further they walked into the manor, the stronger the pungent smell of blood became. She covered her nose even tighter.
As if trained beforehand, the servants bowed deeply when they saw Oakham entering with the two of them and said in unison, “Welcome, Miss Blake, to Oakham Farm!”
Jasmine wanted to applaud Oakham. He was really good at putting on a show. Even at the Blake family castle, when the lady returned, they didn’t have such a grand welcome. The maids simply greeted her. It wasn’t this excessive. Jasmine’s sharp eyes could tell that these servants had definitely practiced this countless times. Otherwise, how could their bows be so perfectly synchronized?
This Oakham fellow, if given a little power, would probably become a corrupt official no matter where he was.
Leave a Reply