Yesterday I received a new task from the system. This one seems a little more complicated than the last ones. The mission specifically asks me to find a direct follower, which cannot be just anyone.
However, for today at least, I have come to a decision. I am going to put off the system's task as there is a vital concern I need to take care of before I leave Japan.
But first, I need to start with something I have been neglecting.
'I need to practice blood magic for a bit before going out.'
Using <Analyze> on the blood magic skill in my status, I read over the description.
{Name: Blood Magic
Details: A versatile magic with qualities similar to water magic. Unlike water magic, however, blood magic will also utilize the essence within the blood of a creature to do things water magic cannot. Blood magic also tends to have many uses in special rituals. In the past on Earth blood magic was considered taboo magic only used by evil beings.}
Unlike talents, skills do not have a grade. Usually, a skill is only limited by the person using it, excluding some noncombative skills like, for example, <Analyze>.
So instead, you would rank the users as follows novice, intermediate, advanced, master, and finally grand master level. Of course, there is demi-god, god, and true god, but those are few enough to not be on the scale.
As for blood magic itself, as the description says, blood magic is highly versatile. It is capable of doing everything water magic can do except typically better; however, it is limited by one simple factor, blood. Unlike water magic that can magically produce water, blood magic requires a source of blood. Not only that, but some blood is better than other blood. My blood, for example, would have a more powerful effect than some random humans.
While I am at it, I will take another look at the title I was given.
{Name: Heir of Blood
Details: The one who holds this title is worthy of sitting upon the High Throne of Blood.}
I asked the system what this meant, and all it would say was...
[Host will learn more about the High Throne of Blood in the future.]
The system isn't that helpful most of the time. I am not sure whether the information on the High Throne of Blood was deliberately withheld from the inheritance, or I just didn't get any info on it.
'Okay, lets practice.'
What I will be practicing is intermediate level blood magic.
Taking my index finger, I cut the palm of my left hand. Since I don't plan to stay here too much longer, I am just going to use the refrigerator as a dummy.
Holding up my bleeding palm, I aim it toward the refrigerator, and say the words, "blood spike!"
Saying the name out loud isn't necessary, but I just wanted to for my first time. As the name suggests, a small hardened spike of blood shoots from my hand toward the fridge.
**Boom! Crunch!**
After staring at the scene for a moment, I move to take a closer look.
"Did...did it go all the way through?"
Opening the fridge door, I see where the spike passed through both the back of the fridge and the wall behind. Peaking through the hole, I see the spike lodged in the wall of the vacant house next door. Crumbling up a piece of paper, I stuff it into the hole in the wall.
'That's enough blood spike for the day.'
Moving on, I start to play around with the other magic I was interested in trying. Holding my hand upwards, I further open up the wound from earlier.
Saying the words "Bloody chains!" Red chains shoot from my palm and burst into the ceiling — pieces of drywall rain down onto my head and floor.
'Oops. Let's try that again.'
Figuring out how to contract the chain back into my palm, I begin to play around with it. For a while, I continue learning how to expand, contract, and better control the movements of the chain. Having gotten a good feel for it, I glance around the room at all the broken targets.
'I should probably stop. There isn't enough room for this kind of thing.'
Giving up, I start preparing to leave.
Today I am wearing a frilly sleeved red dress, black knee-high socks, and a pair of black gloves that meet the sleeves of the dress. Again I am still wearing my coat and sunglasses; however, today, I am also using the umbrella I bought.
Walking out the door, I begin thinking through the vital thing I need to do before leaving Japan.
Last night I took my first bath since the inheritance ceremony. I spent a while just staring at myself again. I don't know why I'm so obsessed, but I felt like a bird looking at its own reflection in the mirror.
Anyways all I had to wash with was my all in one shampoo, conditioner, and body wash combo leftover from before my transfiguration. So right now, I have an overpowering scent of sandalwood, which feels a little unsuitable for my delicate appearance.
While thinking about how I should buy new bath products, I realized that there is a lot of Japanese things that I love that will be inaccessible in the future, specifically food! Although vampires can live on just blood, eating regular food is still a pleasant activity and can also extend the time vampires can go without blood.
Even when I leave, I would still like to eat things like pocky, melon pan, anpan, mochi, crepes, ramen, and all the various chocolates. Although some of these might be in specialty stores in the U.S., this stuff is going to be very limited! Trading across the Pacific won't be reasonable in the future, and that's assuming they're even still producing these things.
I ran some tests with the storage ring last night using hot food, and it seemed to preserve everything in that same state you put it in. Hot food never went cold, no matter how long I left it in there. Not all storage rings have this function, so it's necessary to test. However, mine does, which means I can store a lot of food in it!
With this in mind, I enter a local grocery store. Grabbing a shopping cart, I fill it to capacity within a couple of minutes. When I approached the register, the cashier gave me a suspicious look. Luckily, she didn't say much and just rung everything up.
I probably could have just stolen everything, but why bother? I have money to burn, and it'll all eventually be worthless.
After paying, I left the store, stored everything in the ring, and then went back into the store. I repeated this two more times before the store's manager came out and started personally helping me.
Leaving the store, I then started to travel to every ramen shop in my area. I would order several servings store the food, bowls, and chopsticks, then leave before anyone noticed and later do the same thing at another location. After that, I spent the afternoon going from food stall to food stall.
Finally, while trying to store a crepe, the storage ring refused to hold anymore.
'I probably stored at least a few years worth of food.'
Finding a park and a bench, I sit holding my umbrella. While enjoying the sweet taste of the crepe, I watch the people scurrying around.
For a time, I sit and use <Analyze> on all the passerby's to find someone deserving my time. All I've been able to confirm thus far are these humans stats do indeed average around four or five.
Throwing my head back, I stare at the bottom of my umbrella.
'Tomorrow, I'll try to make more progress, but for now, let's just relax.'
As the sun sets, I continue to sit and watch the never-ending stream of bodies.