EnCoffin Me Chapter 3
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 3
At that moment Alexio simply found the situation ridiculous but he had not yet realized how serious it truly was. It wasn't until Andrei introduced the floating metal devices as cameras that he understood. Even if there were only few people present, millions had watched his entire resurrection through something called livestreaming.
“Dark creatures are sensitive and shy, so we didn't deploy many people on site. We only made some simple arrangements,” Andrei said, his silver eyes showing caution and sincerity. “This doesn't mean we don't value you. You are our treasure.”
Alexio… Alexio felt his whole body fill with awkwardness.
“This livestream was initiated by ‘Pupil.’ If you feel offended, we can immediately submit an application to request its termination,” Andrei added apologetically.
The comments section instantly flooded with crying emojis. Some rational viewers tried to comfort others, saying what Andrei said made sense, but most just wanted to watch a little longer.
【No no no! I still want to see Xixi a bit more, huhuhu!】
【If Xixi feels uncomfortable, then there's nothing we can do…】
【A legal expert who's read the Dark Creatures Protection Act here… Xixi has that right, and a big one at that. If he doesn't want to, we aren't even allowed to talk about him.】
【Waahhh, I want to see Xixi walk through the flower archways… There are still so many, many decorations behind…】
Alexio couldn't see these comments, but he noticed that the human named Ellie suddenly tense up before forcing herself to calm down, her head lowered in dejection. His gaze fell on the archways and banner in the distance. The dome above was clearly man-made and newly built. It blocked most of the sunlight, making him feel very comfortable.
He pursed his lips slightly.
“No need.”
【Aaaahhh, praise Xixi! We can keep watching!!!】
【Xixi, look at the flower wreaths! Behind them are our flower baskets! The officials won't accept other gifts, but you can touch the banner if you want!】
Andrei's eyes widened a little before a deeper smile appeared. Behind him, Ellie's eyes sparkled with excitement. She simply couldn't hide her feelings. Everything was written clearly on her face.
“Everyone really likes you,” Ellie couldn't help but say. “After ‘Pupil’ announced your imminent resurrection, the public outcy grew so overwhelming that the authorities opened a special channel where people could select their preferred flowers and designs. Our center organized the weaving of flower baskets for you.
“We received many creative ideas and did our best to include the best ones. You'll be able to see them once you pass through that archways.”
Those splendid sights were not far away, and Alexio couldn't help but take a step forward. Suddenly, he remembered something, turned back to the coffin, glanced at the saint inside, and closed the coffin lid again.
Yes, close it.
Only then, guided by Andrei, with a mix of surprise and confusion, did he move forward to see what had been prepared for him. Vampires did not enjoy the favor that the light creatures did. In his long life, he had also learned not to expect affection from others. The only one capable of normal interaction with him, from beginning to end, was the lunatic.
Moreover, when they had met in earlier years, it was always in life-or-death struggles.
The floral archways were made entirely of stacked fresh flowers, many of which looked completely unfamiliar to Alexio. These were probably newly cultivated species. He passed through one arch, only to find another ahead, and then another. The arches stretched continuously all the way to the end of the red carpet, where vehicles were parked and a small gathering of people stood at the ready.
Alexio was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected so many.
The flower baskets Ellie mentioned were arranged along both sides of the path, extending all the way into the sunlight beyond the dome, blooming so brightly they almost formed a sea of flowers. Each basket was unique, yet without exception, every one was adorned with roses, as if by prior agreement. These roses brought Alexio a faint sense of familiarity.
“Some remaining records confirm the connection between roses and the vampire race,” Ellie, now the main speaker, explained eagerly. She knew everything about these fan displays like the back of her hand.
“Do you still like them?” she asked cautiously at the end.
Alexio was examining a lovely flower basket made of multicolored roses. Hearing this, he was about to nod, but the words that came out were different.
“I once had an estate where I grew many roses.”
Ellie's face lit up with joy.
“It's wonderful that you like them!”
Alexio turned his head slightly, shifting his gaze. But no matter where he looked, these overly extravagant baskets filled his sight. Occasionally, he caught glimpses of blessing cards with simplified characters weaving one exaggerated praise after another, along with some cute little drawings.
He walked through the sea of flower baskets, and just as he was about to board the strange vehicle, he glanced back once more at the coffin's location.
Andrei, thoughtful as ever, quickly said, “You don't need to worry. Whatever remains in the coffin will be transported along with your vehicle to the Conservation Center.”
Before he finished speaking, he noticed the vampire recoiling slightly, as if startled by the assumption. His fangs showed briefly before retracting.
Alexio said slowly, “I'm just worried… about my coffin.”
“Then… the coffin will accompany the vehicle to the Conservation Center.”
Alexio fell silent.
The aircraft soared through the high sky. Sitting on this unfamiliar mode of transport, Alexio felt a twinge of sentimentality. Although his era had magic-powered devices, none matched the sophisticated performance of this one. The world ten thousand years later clearly leaned towards the technological side. At least since his awakening, apart from light creatures like Andrei and Augustus, he hadn't sensed any magical aura.
…So do they fight using technology now?
Alexio, who had often faced the knights of Silver Crusaders alone, fell into deep thought.
Andrei's movement broke Alexio's train of thought. He watched as Andrei pressed a button, causing a platform to descend in front of him. Then Andrei took out a white metal case and opened it, releasing a faint chill.
“We prepared all kinds of blood: animal, human, light creatures, and even dark creatures,” Andrei explained as he neatly arranged bags of blood on the platform.
“According to the information we have, some vampires consume blood stored at low temperatures. Do you like that? If you prefer it warmer, volunteers will have it ready once we arrive at the center.”
Low-temperature storage was indeed a favored method among high-level vampires, usually served in goblets. After all, many vampires disliked direct contact with blood servants. Alexio was quite used to this method and had no objections. Yet facing the feast of blood spread across the table, he found himself sighing for the first time.
It was too strange.
He chose a bag of whole human blood and pierced it directly with his sharp fang. Augustus, who had been holding out a straw for him, quietly withdrew his hand, something Alexio noticed.
Wonderful. A vampire feeding, an angel offering a straw… What kind of crazy world was this?
The sweet blood slid into his mouth, containing some anticoagulants, but it was no problem. No one could tamper with blood under a vampire's keen sense of taste. Alexio lowered his eyes and sucked on the blood, his peripheral vision scanning the few people around him, finding everyone wearing a relieved expression.
“It's good that you can eat,” Andrei said, likely voicing everyone else's thoughts. “Eat more, you've been asleep for so long… Your face?!”
Alexio finished the last drop and slowly raised his eyes. A black tattoo, centered on his right eye, grew sinuously, weaving intricate patterns of rose vines and longswords. The striking, eerie tattoo covered nearly half his face and complemented his deep rose-colored eyes. The tattooed roses seemed almost alive.
“It's nothing to make a fuss about. It's always been there.” Alexio picked up the second bag of blood and bit through it again. With this bag, he would be able to recover about sixty to seventy percent of his former strength. The tattoo on his face was the mark of his recovering power. It was called the【Roses Embracing the Sword】.
It was also—
A symbol of divine favor.
Alexio didn't elaborate on the tattoo on his face. He had no intention of revealing his divine favor now. Since he didn't particularly like sunlight anyway, it was better to keep this identity hidden for the time being. Not long after he finished eating, the aircraft emitted a pleasant chime indicating their imminent arrival.
Alexio looked down through the window. Below was a flying vehicle of a different design, presumably carrying the coffin and the lunatic inside it. Further down, he saw a calm expanse of emerald sea.
“This is the Emerald Inner Sea. The Conservation Center is located by the shore. Its full name is Dark Creatures Protection and Nurturing Center,” Andrei said with a smile. “Although it might sound a bit cliché, I still have to say one thing to you—”
The aircraft began to descend slowly. The outline of a large complex gradually came into view. The color scheme here wasn't the silver-grey or pure white that Alexio had expected. Instead, warm off-white and soft green tones filled the structures with a gentle warmth, blending beautifully with the nearby emerald sea.
Black-feathered birds built nests within the buildings, unwilling to extend a feather's tip beyond the shadows. A scorpion-tailed lion took two leaps and clung to the wall, watching the descending aircraft. Farther out over the sea, white birds soar while manta ray-like creatures breached the surface, their sharp bone beaks clearly marking them as dark creatures. Suddenly, the calm sea surface split open as countless streams of water cascade off the scales of a colossal serpentine creature, which spewed a brilliant burst of flame into the sky!
Alexio stared without blinking. The aircraft landed with a slight jolt. Andrei's voice came right then.
“Welcome to the paradise of dark creatures.”