2 The Joy of Opening Treasure Chests

Twenty minutes later, Ye Ming returned to his room with hasty strides and immediately locked the door behind him.

Without wasting any time, he retrieved the Viscount Blood Essence from his mental space with excitement.

The presence of the Viscount Blood Essence immediately filled the small room with a surge of blood energy.

Sensing the power contained in the Viscount Blood Essence, the smile on Ye Ming's face widened. He could hardly tear his eyes away from the object.

The blood inside his body also started boiling with excitement upon the appearance of the Viscount Blood Essence. His entire being was consumed by the desire to devour it.

There was no doubt in his mind that by consuming the Blood Essence, he would obtain great power.

But Ye Ming did not lose his rational mind to the allure of power.

He knew his own strength very well. If he really were to swallow it directly, the only result would be him being destroyed by the tremendous power contained in the Viscount Blood Essence.

After all, the current him only had the strength level of a Last Generation Vampire. Without the help of any external power, there was no way he could endure the power contained within the Blood Essence.

Ye Ming thus diluted the Viscount Blood Essence into five portions.

He picked up a diluted portion of the Blood Essence and stared at it for a while. Then, he tilted his head back and poured it into his mouth.

Even after the precautionary measure, the power contained in the Viscount Blood Essence was still so potent that he felt like his body was going to burst apart.

An unbearable pain filled every inch of his body.

Only a few seconds had passed, but Ye Ming's forehead was already drenched in sweat. His teeth were clenced tight, his face a portrait of agony.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but to him, it felt like an eternity.

Finally, the pain gradually subsided from his body, a feeling of immense relief taking its place.

In this moment, Ye Ming could clearly sense an intense power filling up his entire body.

Although he had not promoted to a Baron, he was now much stronger than an ordinary Last Generation Vampire.

With his fists clenched, Ye Ming took a deep breath before he grabbed the second portion of diluted Viscount Blood Essence, tilted his head and gulped it down.

This time, although his body was still filled with a painful sensation, it was less intense than the first time.

Soon, the second portion of diluted Blood Essence was digested too. Ye Ming could already feel the metamorphosis happening inside his body.

Following the digestion of the third portion, significant changes could be observed in the muscles on his arm.

By the fourth portion, his sharp fingernails had grown out by about a centimeter, and they now had a chilly gleam on them.

If fangs were a symbol of status for a Vampire, then the fingernails were the Vampire's most powerful weapon.

The problem was that Last Generation Vampires had very thin bloodline, so they did not have sharp claws and sharp fangs.

His fingernails growing out was a sign that his strength had increased.

"One portion left. I wonder if it'll be enough to give me fangs," Ye Ming could not help but murmur as he stared at the final portion of diluted Viscount Blood Essence.

After saying that, he consumed it without hesitation.

Half an hour later, the absorption of the Viscount Blood Essence finally concluded.

Sensing some changes in his mouth, Ye Ming rushed to the mirror to took a look.

What he saw were two pointy teeth growing out on the edges of his lips.

They were not that obvious, but the difference could still be seen.

"I've grown fangs too!" Ye Ming could not help but feel overjoyed when he saw that. "According to the hierarchy of the Vampires, I should no longer be regarded as a Last Generation Vampire and is now a Traditional Vampire, which means I'm able to enjoy the legal protection of the Empire!"

"The next goal is to become a Baron. The problem is, I have no idea where to find more treasure chests."

After letting himself bask in joy for a while, Ye Ming started thinking about the Treasure Chest System.

According to the system, he would only discover a treasure chest if he was within five meters of it.

That means whether he would find one depended entirely on luck.

The one he found today was a silver treasure chest, so it seemed that there were different levels of treasure chests too.

He had no idea what kind of treasure chest he would encounter next and what it would contain.

This whole matter was full of uncertainties, but Ye Ming did know one thing.

Now that he possessed the Treasure Chest System, he could not let himself waste away in this tiny little castle.

Of course, it was not the time to leave yet.

Count Osrhein's residence was huge. Even if he were to leave, he must first pay a visit to every part of the residence to see if there were other treasure chests here.

If he could find one in the courtyard, he would surely find one in other places too.

In addition, the Vampires were very strict when it came to hierarcy. He now had the strength of a Traditional Vampire, so he did not need to worry too much, but this was just a beginning. He definitely would not be satisfied with just being a Traditional Vampire.

But once he reached the rank of a Viscount, he would have to register himself, and his identity would be checked.

The Empire surely would not treat a Vampire of unknown origin that kindly.

On the other hand, staying in Count Osrhein's residence could give his identity a layer of protection.

Concluding his thought process, Ye Ming carefully gauged the powerful feeling in his body.

He could hardly wait to try out his newly-obtained power to see how much stronger he had become, but reason prevailed in the end.

He was in the Count's castle. If he made any loud noises, he would surely be exposed.

If that were to happen, Count Osrhein might investigate the commotion, and that would be really bad for him.

　　...

The next morning arrived in no time at all.

Ye Ming glanced at the sky, wrapped his body in a black robe and left the room.

As was his usual routine, he headed to the study after he finished cleaning the courtyard.

Looking at the books lining up the shelves, Ye Ming got a little curious.

When he came here yesterday night, he left in a hurry after he finished cleaning because his mind was completely occupied by the Viscount Blood Essence. He did not take the opportunity to look through the books.

Well, he had time now.

Based on Count Osrhein's daily habit, he would not be coming to the study at this hour.

So Ye Ming definitely had enough time to read some books and learn more about the current world.

Sweeping his gaze across the bookshelf, Ye Ming's eyes fell on a book titled "The Origin of the Continent".

After flipping through it for a while, Ye Ming was left in awe.

The continent he was in was called the Holy Spirit Continent, which originated millions of years ago and went through turbulent times before finally arriving at its current situation.

The Vampire's Nehekhara Empire was located in the southeastern part of the Holy Spirit Continent, occupying only a small part of the continent. Even the Beastmen's territory was larger than the Vampire's.

And without a doubt, the race that occupied the largest surface area of the Holy Spirit Continent was the human race.

After millions of years of development, the humans, with their unparalleled wisdom, had researched and come up with various cultivation methods to strengthen themselves. They had now become one of the most powerful races, if not the most powerful race, among all the races on the continent.

At the same time, no other races could rival the humans in terms of numbers too.

Before Ye Ming realized it, more than half an hour had passed while he was engrossed in the book.

Ye Ming quickly went to put away the book so that he could resume his cleaning.

Count Osrhein may not be using the study for now, but being a servant, Ye Ming naturally could not stay in the study for too long, lest it attracted the attention of others.

While Ye Ming was putting the book back on the shelf, his eyes suddenly caught a golden glitter under the desk.

'That must be a treasure chest!' thought Ye Ming.

He went over to check and, lo and behold, there lay a golden treasure chest underneath the desk.

*Ding* [You have found a golden treasure chest. Would you like to open it?]