The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Just then, the double doors at the entrance of the tavern were pushed open.

Night Breeze wasn't the only one to enter the tavern; a tall, burly man also entered, so much so that he had to duck slightly to avoid bumping into the doorframe.

The man was nearly two meters tall, with a thick beard and a deep scar on his face.

What was most striking was his attire: he wore a thick fur coat with a lot of fur sewn into the collar, and the hat he wore also seemed to be made from the fur of some kind of wild animal.

As soon as he stepped into the tavern, the man's gaze slowly swept over the mess inside, finally settling on Morian, a stranger.

"An outsider?" he asked uncertainly.

Who is this? Morian raised an eyebrow and met his gaze.

He then learned the identity of the newcomer from the whispers of the other patrons.

The other party appears to be a well-known hunter in the area, known as "Black Bear Buck".

The name comes from the fact that he once fought a fierce brown bear alone and eventually hunted it down.

Amid the murmurs, the man saw Fellman pinned to the table, unable to move, and his two other subordinates rendered incapacitated. His brows furrowed in dismay.

"Outsider," he suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep. "You think you're so tough, that's why you're causing trouble here, isn't it?"

How did it become that I was the one causing trouble... Morian muttered to himself.

It was clearly the other party who refused to accept their loss, yet now they're turning around and blaming me?

The man called Buck took a step forward, then pointed to the hat on his head and said:

"I'm sure you've heard that I made this hat myself from that beast's pelt, haven't you?"

"I've seen plenty of people like you," he continued. "You came to Xunfeng Street looking for trouble, thinking you were tough enough, but I broke a few of your bones and you crawled out."

Buck grinned and took a few steps closer:

"If all you want is to fight, then I'll teach you a lesson."

As soon as the words were spoken, the tavern's patrons made way for the two of them, moving further away as if they were already used to it.

Interesting... Morian released Fellman's nape, and the latter immediately slid to the ground like a lump of mud, no longer caring about dignity, and just desperately crawled backward.

After pushing aside the tables that were in the way, he put on a friendly smile and walked towards Black Bear Buck.

……

The sounds of fighting and commotion emanated from the tavern.

In the blink of an eye, the leather hat was on Morian's head.

"Nice hat, I like it." He crouched down and looked at Buck, the black bear lying on the ground, and gave his opinion.

At this moment, Buck lay on the ground, his face pressed against the cold wooden board, forcing out a fawning smile, but daring not to utter a single complaint.

He was knocked down before he even realized what was happening!

After dealing with Buck, Morian stood up and returned to Fellman.

Fellman was still slumped under the bar when he saw the boots stop in front of him, and he was so frightened that he dared not make a move.

Monster! I don't know how I provoked this monster!

Morian casually slung the hat over Fellman's head, the fur hat crookedly covering half of his face.

He leaned down and asked with a smile:

"Now can you tell me some things I want to know?"

"...Yes! Of course!" Fellman swallowed hard and answered without hesitation, "What would you like to know?"

After a moment's thought, Morian decided to ask a few key questions first:

"Did your lover exhibit any unusual behavior before the incident?"

Unusual behavior? Fellman paused for a few seconds, as if recalling something, and finally just shook his head.

"...No, Valera acted perfectly normally. She came to the tavern to see me as usual that day."

"However, she told me that there have been some rumors circulating in Xunfeng Street recently, that there are blood-sucking monsters around."

"Go on," Morian said succinctly, staring at the other person.

Felman's face was somewhat pale. After thinking for a moment, he continued:

"I warned her before not to go out at night. Even if there are no blood-sucking monsters in Xunfeng Street, there might still be a deranged killer copying my crimes."

"But she just wouldn't believe it, saying it was all just made-up rumors to scare people, and if it were true, she'd like to see it for herself."

Morian asked thoughtfully:

"So, for that reason, she really did go out at night that day?"

"...I think so," Fellman said softly.

His voice held a hint of regret, and he sighed:

"I know that there have been several cases in Xunfeng Street before this, but I couldn't persuade Valera. If only I had been more forceful back then."

"After the incident, did the police ask you to go to the scene to investigate?" Morian asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing this question, a hint of struggle flashed in Fellman's eyes, as if he was unwilling to bring it up.

"……some."

"But the scene was horrific," Fairman said, closing his eyes as if the image was flashing before his eyes. "I swear it was the bloodiest scene I've ever seen, and I'll never forget it."

"What did you see there?" Morian asked.

"A murder scene with ritualistic features... When I arrived, Valera's body was almost a mummified corpse, with two deep teeth marks on her neck, resembling dog bites."

Ritual features?! Morian was somewhat taken aback, but his expression remained unchanged.

He originally thought this was just an ordinary vampire murder case, but if it involved certain sacrificial rituals, then the nature of the case would be different.

This shows that the killer did not commit murder randomly, but rather deliberately chose the time, place, and people involved.

"I was terrified," Fairman said, clutching his head, his voice trembling. "After seeing the crime scene, I always think of those blood-sucking monsters, even though it's still just a legend. Every night when I close my eyes, I think of that mummified corpse."

So that's how it is. No wonder the other party was unwilling to mention this matter at first... Morian thought to himself.

"But there's one more thing, and I don't know if I should mention it..." He suddenly looked up, hesitating.

Seeing Morian nod, he took a deep breath and continued:

"On the night of the incident, Valera wore her finest jewelry. Her pearl earrings were her most valuable possessions. Looking back, I realize that she was dressed as if she were attending a grand banquet."

"I learned from the police that the other young female victims were also wearing expensive jewelry on the day they were murdered."

"Everyone was dressed much more formally than usual."