Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"A family?" After seeing Herbert pour himself another half glass of red wine, Charles waved to Mary at the door. "Please boil some more water for me."

Herbert also turned to look at Mary, giving her a "charming" smile. Mary had seen many strange creatures up close, so she gradually became less afraid of this vampire.

Ciel was already used to it. So what if his face was a little gray and his teeth were a little longer? It was much better than turning green, getting shorter, and going bald.

“I’ve been a vampire for who knows how many generations,” Herbert said, picking up his wine glass and sniffing the red wine. “Listen to my ‘father,’ let’s call him father for now. He always told me to call him ‘sir,’ but most of the time he just saw himself as a guide.”

"When I was about to come of age, my father asked me many times if I wanted to become a vampire. If I didn't agree, he would give me a large sum of money when I came of age, and then I would leave the family and live on my own." He took a small sip of red wine, then paused, as if savoring the wine, but more like reminiscing. "If I agreed, he would turn me into a vampire, and then I could take over the family business and take on the responsibility of finding Ears for Jealousy."

"Your father..." Charles sat on the sofa, looking at the vampire in front of him. His hair had turned completely pale white, a color different from the white hair of the vampires in his race. Herbert looked even more ashen and withered.

“I know what you want to ask,” Herbert smiled. “He is not my biological father. No vampire wants his child to suffer this curse. I was a beggar when I was a child. Because of the misdeeds of the nobles, my village was destroyed. I was only five or six years old at the time, but I managed to run to the town and survive.”

He looked up at something, then looked down at the goblin in front of him. "I will never forget that night when my father appeared in front of me wearing a black cloak, just as I was about to be attacked by some wild dogs."

"So this is how your family has reproduced?" Charles looked at the other person with great interest; this was indeed different from what he had imagined.

“Yes, my father told me that this has been the case for many generations,” Herbert said, slowly swirling his wine glass, the rich aroma filling the reception room. “And only those who agree to be transformed into vampires can inherit the family name.”

"So what's your last name?"

"Dawn," Herbert said calmly, but Charles seemed to see a complex emotion in his eyes—pain, expectation, and resilience.

"That's a very nice surname, Mr. Herbert." Charles returned the smile, feeling that the name must have some meaning.

"Of course, our family wasn't originally called that, but over hundreds or thousands of years, we've long forgotten our original surname, and now we use Dawn as our surname." Herbert pursed his lips, seemingly trying to control his emotions. "Doesn't that sound a bit ridiculous, a vampire family using Dawn as their surname?"

"Well, to be honest," Charles leaned back slightly, "I don't think it's a big deal. It's like us goblins, exploring the infinite possibilities of fantasy novels, all within the category navigation. Most of us don't have surnames, and our first names are just a code."

"I'm sorry," Herbert said immediately upon hearing Charles's reply. Seeing that Charles waved his hand dismissively, he smiled and continued, "This surname represents a ritual in our family. If a vampire no longer wants to live, he will quietly wait for the sunrise at dawn and then be burned to ashes in the first rays of sunlight."

Charles frowned slightly as he looked at the vampire opposite him. The vampire was smiling as he spoke, gazing at the red wine in his hand with a hint of affection, as if he were describing how he had met a beautiful woman and was captivated by her beauty.

"Surprised?" Herbert took a small sip of red wine. "From the moment we become vampires, we are destined to never walk in the sunlight, and we can only feed on blood all day long. Although we possess powerful blood magic and can live for a long time, we will eventually grow old, but this time is extremely long. However, in our lives, we must constantly change our living places, otherwise we will be targeted by the Church of Death, and there are also those annoying bounty hunters."

"But no one ever knew that we are the race that most yearns for sunlight. We also long to walk openly in the sun, greet passersby, and take out candy from our pockets to give to the children on the street." Herbert smiled bitterly. "But this is something that other humans can do easily, yet it is a luxury for us."

"Do you also age?" Ciel tilted his head, looking at the vampire opposite him with great interest. He had originally thought that vampires were already fixed in their form when they were transformed.

"Of course, we will grow up and get old." Herbert nodded slightly. "But it will be a long time, so long that no one wants to live to that point. It's a devastating feeling. You have to leave the people around you for your safety and lie alone in a coffin or on a single bed, constantly thinking about everything you've experienced over the past decades or centuries."

"This loneliness of being alone in the darkness will eventually kill you." He sighed, put down his glass, and said, "My father walked calmly into the sunlight right in front of me. It was a spring morning, and the temperature was still a bit cold, but he took off his clothes, opened his arms, and walked out to embrace the sunlight and also embrace death."

Charles didn't speak, but calmly looked at the vampire opposite him. He could sense that when Herbert said those words, he wasn't in pain, but rather with a hint of relief.

"Therefore, I would like to make a request of you." Herbert slowly stood up from the sofa, walked to the side, and solemnly knelt on one knee, saying seriously, "Please help me find that damned ear and lift the 'curse' on our Dawn family."

Charles didn't speak, but glanced at Mary who came over with a kettle of hot water. Mary placed the kettle on the coffee table and then took a few steps back.

“Mr. Herbert,” Mary said softly, “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I’d like to say that I’ve had similar experiences of despair before.”

She glanced at Charles on the sofa, and his encouraging gaze spurred her on.

"All I want to say to you now is, don't give up hope."