Chapter 71: The Orb of Eternal Night
“Achoo…” Jasmine, the subject of Adele’s thoughts, sneezed involuntarily. She rubbed her nose, puzzled. Could it be that pretending to be sick so often has actually made me susceptible to illness?
“Lady Dawn, are you alright?”
Jasmine shook her head at her companion’s concerned question, “I’m fine. Let’s continue.”
As a cheater with superhuman physical enhancements, it was impossible for Jasmine to get sick. She was stronger than an ox. From birth, she had never been sick, not even a minor injury, let alone headaches, colds, or fevers.
The only time she felt physically uncomfortable was during her period. Other than that, she was always full of energy. Despite this, Jasmine still reported being sick two or three times a year, using it as an excuse to visit the village at the foot of the mountain.
Initially, she had simply wanted to rest and slack off. With no days off, she needed to find opportunities to recharge, both physically and mentally. Even though her body wouldn’t tire, prolonged work could be mentally exhausting.
During her first two years at the castle, she hadn’t even considered feigning illness. It wasn’t until she saw another maid reporting sick and being disdainfully sent to the village by the former head maid that she realized: So that’s an option!
There were no real doctors in this era, only people with rudimentary medical knowledge. Their remedies were mediocre at best. Looking at the medicine she received, Jasmine lamented the primitive state of healthcare. Only the school doctor at the vampire academy seemed to possess genuine medical expertise.
Therefore, unlike Jasmine, the other servants who were sent to the village to recover were genuinely miserable. They would tearfully promise to get better quickly and return to the castle to continue their servitude. Except for Jasmine, who was faking it, they were truly ill, sent away to prevent contagion, forced to care for themselves, and worried about being replaced while they were gone.
Many never returned, their spirits broken by worry and despair.
So, no one at the castle wanted to get sick, nor would they use illness as an excuse to rest. The castle servants were all workaholics, eager to burn themselves out for the vampires, terrified of being sent to the farms or blood banks.
Under such circumstances, no one would bother checking on the sick in the isolation ward. Only if someone didn’t return at the appointed time would someone be sent to check if they were dead. If they were, their bodies would be disposed of, taken far away, cremated, and buried.
Over time, Jasmine stopped worrying about being caught faking her illness. She knew no one would come to check on her while she was supposedly “recovering” in her room.
From initially using her “illness” as an excuse to rest, Jasmine had graduated to taking long trips. And after she began helping the Human Resistance Army, her sick leave became a necessary tool for responding to their calls for help.
Two days ago, Jasmine had learned from the Human Resistance Army outpost in the village below Blake Castle that they were looking for her. Since they didn’t know where she would be, they spread the message through their network at every outpost.
Upon learning this, Jasmine seized the opportunity, feigning illness and securing five days of freedom.
With the current state of transportation, even sneaking onto an airship wouldn’t allow her to make a round trip within five days. But Jasmine was different. She could rely on her own two legs. Her speed was astonishing. She could receive a message in the morning, report her “illness” to the head maid in the evening, and arrive at the Human Resistance Army base before dawn the next day.
Even Jasmine was amazed by her own speed. She sometimes couldn’t grasp the extent of her abilities, but these feats were a testament to her extraordinary power.
If she had to make a comparison, she felt her strength was similar to a certain anime protagonist she had watched in her previous life: a weaker version of the bald, caped hero. She probably couldn’t split the moon in half with a punch, but with some effort, she could create a crater in the ground. She had actually tried it. In short, she was very strong.
Upon arriving at the Human Resistance Army base, Jasmine learned that they had encountered a problem while attacking the White family’s fifth stronghold. They had planned to attack during the day. Although it might seem cowardly to attack vampires during their weakest hours, when their survival was at stake, did it really matter?
But they had run into a problem. The White family’s fifth stronghold was their most profitable asset: a massive entertainment complex and the largest red-light district in the vampire world. It housed casinos, dance halls, and various other entertainment venues, generating a significant amount of wealth for the White family. It was also one of the most notorious places for human exploitation.
Humans there were forced into various jobs, including sex work.
Jasmine was disgusted by this. Vampires had a very liberal view of sexuality and didn’t mind engaging in sexual activities with other species, even while feeding. In the White family’s fifth stronghold, the city known as “Nevernight,” humans often died in vampire beds.
Drained of their blood.
Naked and lifeless, their bodies were unceremoniously wrapped in rags and dumped in mass graves outside the city. It was no wonder the Human Resistance Army was determined to liberate this city of sin.
It was a paradise for vampires, but a living hell for humans.
But the name “Nevernight” wasn’t just a fancy title. While it typically described a bustling city, illuminated by lights like daytime, for vampires, it was ironic and mocking. Nevernight never saw the light of day. It was more like “Eternal Night.”
The reason was a magical artifact placed atop the central castle tower: the Orb of Eternal Night.
Legend had it that the Moon Goddess had bestowed this treasure upon vampires. As long as it was powered by magic, it could maintain eternal darkness within a certain radius, blocking out sunlight. After generations of research by human scientists working for the vampires, its effective range had expanded to encompass an entire city.
But by the standards of this era, it wasn’t a very large city. It was more like a medium-sized town in Jasmine’s previous life.
Despite its relatively small size, maintaining eternal darkness required a tremendous amount of magical energy. It probably cost billions of dollars each year to operate. Money was valuable in this era. Jasmine’s monthly salary wouldn’t even cover a day’s worth of the Orb’s operating costs.
This little artifact was a major obstacle for the Human Resistance Army. As long as the Orb of Eternal Night existed, vampires would always have the upper hand.
But the commander of the Human Resistance Army, codenamed “Commander,” was determined to destroy it. That was why the outposts had been searching for Jasmine. Everyone knew that Lady Dawn’s strength was unfathomable. They couldn’t destroy the Orb, but Lady Dawn might be able to.
Facing the Commander, Jasmine accepted the mission and discussed the situation at Spark Farm.
After their discussion, she left the base alone, heading towards Nevernight at incredible speed. She arrived at the village outside Nevernight during the day and contacted the local outpost. She learned that the Human Resistance Army was hiding in a nearby valley, ready to attack.
“Wow, what a big black bowl,” Jasmine said, standing on a mountain peak, looking at the city several kilometers away. Although it was daytime, the sun shone brightly, dispelling the winter chill. But Nevernight was shrouded in darkness.
The black barrier created by the Orb of Eternal Night was hemispherical, just like Jasmine had described, like a giant black bowl covering the city. The barrier was semi-transparent. Even from this distance, Jasmine could clearly see a room atop the castle tower emitting black mist.
That must be where the Orb was located.
Jasmine knew so much about the Orb of Eternal Night because the vampires had ruled for so long. The White family had proudly boasted about the Orb’s power to all vampires, inviting them to visit Nevernight. It was like some modern cities spending fortunes on technological marvels, not only not hiding them but actively promoting them.
Combined with some confidential information obtained by the Blake patriarch, Jasmine had a good understanding of the situation.
She signaled to the Human Resistance Army soldiers hidden in the valley and headed towards Nevernight alone. It was at that moment, standing on the mountain peak, that she sneezed, making her companion worry about the mighty Lady Dawn’s health.
The Human Resistance Army soldiers had heard of Lady Dawn’s strength, but they didn’t know the extent of it. Jasmine had been less active in recent years, and many new recruits had joined the army. So, they had only heard stories of her power without witnessing it firsthand.
Someone even whispered to their comrade, “Can Lady Dawn… really destroy the Orb of Eternal Night?”
They had tried many methods before, including posting bounties with the Hunter’s Association and sending covert teams to infiltrate the city and sabotage the Orb. Nothing had worked. Hearing that the base had sent the mysterious and powerful Lady Dawn, they were filled with hope. But when she arrived, they found that she looked no different from an ordinary human.
Even the few human mages among them confirmed: they couldn’t sense any magical energy from Lady Dawn… So, what made her so powerful?
Some started to doubt her abilities. The image of the mighty Lady Dawn began to crumble in their minds. But at that moment, the lookout shouted excitedly, “The barrier is gone!”
Leave a Reply