Adam had previously thought that early contact with other Otherkind was not a good thing, precisely because he was at a disadvantage in such interactions.
After all, he was not yet an adult, and those Otherkind – not to mention anything else,
But now, after Adam confirmed that some of these them had lost their ability to conceal their abnormalities, he could take the initiative in his interactions with them.
"Of course, there's no hurry right now," Adam thought as he mingled with the calm crowd, hawking meat pies from his basket.
"With the witch doctor arrested, some Otherkind who frequently bought medicine will definitely expose their identities. The church will act these days, and contacting them now might just drag me in."
"Furthermore, for some deeply hidden Otherkind, being as cautious as they are, they will surely have backup potions. They can last longer, and I just need to find them before they can't hold on anymore."
Selling a meat pie to a customer, Adam, like most people, was smiling. The reasons for their smiles differed, but the joy was the same.
By the time the bonfire on the high platform was no longer bright, Maggie had already found Adam. The meat pies sold well today; although some were left, they could be taken home to eat.
Lina also followed behind Arlis, happily calling out, "Big Brother Adam," then scampered over on her short legs to hug Adam's thigh. It seemed she had a great time tonight.
Soon after, they found Arlis, chatted about the day's immolation, and returned home.
Adam stood in the attic, quietly completing his transformation, then quietly listened to the surrounding movements.
Tonight was not suitable for going out. The church had probably prepared various traps, just waiting for those who couldn't contain themselves due to the witch doctor's arrest to show themselves.
However, this blockade should only last a few days. Firstly, the Church's people also needed rest and couldn't set traps every night. Secondly, while some Otherkind might be irrational, after these irrational ones had sacrificed themselves, the remaining ones would be smart, or at least cautious enough.
Catching these smart ones couldn't be solved simply by staking out.
"My bloodline has become even more restless." After listening for a while, Adam transformed back into his human state and lay on the bed. In his werewolf state, he didn't need to think much, so all the information he gathered had to be carefully considered in his human state.
"In about half a month to a month's time, my bloodline will reach maturity." Adam was full of anticipation: "Next up is the preparation for contacting others."
He reached out and gently stroked the V-shaped scar below his eye, and some distant memories surfaced in his mind. That period of memory was not beautiful, but it was not terrible either.
In the following days, the nights were not quiet, and Adam felt his bloodline's restlessness intensify.
Through daytime observation, everything seemed to have returned to calm.
"Should I keep waiting?" Going out now was definitely not safe, but Adam touched the scar on his face. After waiting two more nights, he chose to go out again.
The silence of the night made one feel a trace of panic. Adam looked into the distance; apart from a few scattered lights, the entire city was pitch black.
In his werewolf state, Adam did not hesitate, quickly advancing towards Baron Mansla's mansion, then skilfully climbing up the wall covered in climbing vines.
He planned to first gather intelligence on Baron Mansla before exploring other places for traces of Otherkinds.
Just then, Adam's beastly intuition suddenly sensed something amiss.
"It's as if I've intruded into another beast's territory!" Through his beastly intuition, Adam vaguely perceived a frantic, unknown fluctuation impacting him, as if an invisible collision was occurring. His bloodline became restless once again, and a burst of power was unleashed.
Originating from his bloodline, it surged from all parts of his body directly into his brain, and then everything seemed to explode, and in a trance, he was in an unknown realm, both real and illusory.
A werewolf, seemingly composed of black smoke, its eyes dragged two streaks of crimson light directly towards him, its form growing larger and larger, as if to completely fill Adam's vision.
Adam steeled his heart and lunged forward as well. If you dare to lunge at me, I'll lunge back!
In his werewolf state, Adam didn't overthink things; he simply followed his instincts. "Charge" was the only word needed.
Adam and the werewolf made of black smoke lunged and collided. The giant wolf formed of black smoke dispersed and then reassembled, spinning its body and raising its massive claws to strike at Adam's back.
Its intangible body simultaneously enveloped him, seemingly trying to completely cover everything about Adam.
All sorts of chaotic things began to assault Adam from everywhere: fragmented whispers, distorted images, or various howls that were pure noise.
It was at this moment that Adam's figure suddenly faded, disappearing into the embrace of the other werewolf.
Adam only felt a pain in his brow, exiting that unknown realm that was both real and illusory. He was still lying on the wall by the window.
The door at the end of the corridor opened, and a burly man with long wavy brown hair, a full beard, and a loose long robe walked out. His brown eyes swept around, as if staring through the wall at Adam's location.
With a push of his foot, his entire body transformed into a brown-furred werewolf, like a cannonball, pressing down with a fierce aura.
A kin! And an extremely powerful one at that.
After sensing this, Adam followed his subconscious; he directly jumped down the wall, and with a swift movement, he had already leapt over the courtyard wall.
The brown-furred werewolf came to the window, directly leapt and half-crouched on the windowsill, his hands braced on either side of the window. His gaze swept towards the shadows, only seeing a fading silhouette.
"This fellow?" The werewolf quickly changed back to human form, jumped back inside, and pulled the ties of his long robe, re-tightening his clothes.
"Who was it?" Baron Mansla, dressed in noble attire and somewhat balding, walked out calmly. However, a closer look would reveal a somewhat complex emblem mark already appearing on the back of his hand.
The mark was a combination of a semicircle and a triangle, with various symbols inside.
"A little fellow." The burly man had no desire to pursue. That little fellow had good potential. His bloodline hadn't even awakened yet, but he could forcefully enter the perception realm during a perception collision with him and even manage to handle his own perception and successfully retreat. Such control over one's own perception was rare among werewolves. Those sorcerers would probably like him very much.
"With witch doctor Hodd dead, all sorts of people are really coming out," Baron Mansla said with dissatisfaction, looking at the shattered floor in the corridor and the claw marks on the window. The emblem mark in his hand had not dissipated as he looked down at the burly man and said, "Also, don't make a move here!"
"Got it!" The burly man scratched his cheek, glanced at the emblem, and nodded, as if he didn't care about Baron Mansla's arrogant words.
Nobles were different from Otherkinds. Although they also gained power from their bloodline, the nobles' power was not just their own, making it even more terrifying.
...
After circling twice more to confirm he wasn't being followed, Adam no longer had the inclination to search for Otherkinds and returned directly to the attic.
"This Baron Mansla has some wild connections!" Adam rubbed his head, feeling a headache. Baron Mansla not only kept a group of bandits outside the city, but he also had ties with werewolves within the city.
It was important to know that unlike other countries, in Heavenly Sound Country, a theocracy, the church placed significant restrictions on nobles. For this baron to dare to have such intimate relations with werewolves, he had quite a lot of nerve.
"Did I overestimate myself after all? If this is the case, the plan must change." Adam began to meticulously calculate the various relationships in Roya's southern district, then clarified his action plan.
Finally, he could no longer hold on and fell into a daze, sleeping curled up in the corner of the bed.