Both vampires were filled with suspicion and uncertainty, yet the cross on the table seemed to show no reaction whatsoever to their arrival.

This made Norton and Priest Abraham both deeply paranoid.

"Could it be that the cross only harms vampires when stabbed directly into their hearts?"

The two vampires—one crouched on the roof and the other at the doorway—shared the exact same thought simultaneously.

Among them, Priest Abraham's confusion ran deepest.

This was his first time being a vampire, still in that initial period after transformation where everything felt uncertain and alarming.

Generally speaking, during this phase, newborn vampires exhibit a childlike curiosity toward everything, wanting to test whether objects can truly harm them.

And Priest Abraham was absolutely going to experiment, because even though he had become a vampire, he still didn't want to leave the Church, nor abandon his current lofty status and authority! He desperately wanted to continue hiding within the city as a priest, rather than fleeing into the wilderness to live like a stray dog.

Norton had improved considerably by now;

he no longer experimented recklessly just to verify things. But he could certainly watch Priest Abraham conduct his tests.

Sure enough, having entered the room earlier without being harmed by the cross seemed to have emboldened Priest Abraham slightly.

After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately took a step forward and entered the room once more.

The cross lying on the table still showed no unusual reaction.

Priest Abraham grew a little bolder, slowly stepping forward and approaching again.

Still, no issues arose.

"Could it really be that the cross only effectively kills vampires when pierced through their hearts?" Priest Abraham recalled the lessons he had once studied in the Church about how to deal with vampires.

Indeed, those lessons contained nothing about crosses being able to harm vampires from a distance;

the only two things capable of remote damage were sunlight and images of God.

On this point, Norton also found it strange.

Both were imbued with God's holiness, so why could only God's image and sunlight harm vampires remotely, while the cross could not?

Priest Abraham felt slightly more reassured. He cautiously approached the table, moving closer to the silver cross.

Even as his body drew near the cross, there was still no reaction.

Norton held his breath, bracing himself.

Priest Abraham also exhaled deeply, then, with a trembling arm, extended his clawed hand and gently reached out with one finger to touch the cross.

"Sizzle!"

A sound like raw meat pressed against a grill rang out. Where Priest Abraham's finger made contact with the silver cross, white smoke rose as his flesh was scorched.

Following that came Priest Abraham's agonized scream.

"Aaarrgghh!!!"

A piercing howl erupted from his mouth. He instantly jerked his arm back, but even so, the index finger he had used to touch the cross was burned all the way to the joint.

In that brief moment of contact, the cross's power had scorched away half his index finger, leaving ash-like remnants at the wound.

It seemed holy energy lingered;

the severed half of his finger showed no signs of regeneration after moving away from the cross.

The cross's power left Priest Abraham utterly terrified. He scrambled backward, no longer daring to approach the silver cross on the table.

"What do I do now! What can I do! How can I return to the Church, how can I face God's holiness directly, how can I continue being a priest... sob... sob... I'm doomed, completely doomed!"

Priest Abraham broke down. Becoming a vampire hadn't shattered him, drinking human blood hadn't broken him, but being unable to continue serving as a priest genuinely caused his spirit to collapse entirely.

Wailing in misery, he grabbed the vampire books he had brought and fled wildly through the door.

Judging by the direction he went, he probably returned to the cellar to drink blood again.

Leaving only Norton, who quietly jumped down from the roof.

"The cross actually has such power?" Norton frowned deeply, staring at the silver cross on the table.

The Church-issued silver cross was exquisitely crafted. It wasn't merely a simple vertical and horizontal bar;

intricate patterns were carved into it, complemented by the pure silver's luster, making it appear refined yet simple, majestic yet holy.

The Church's aesthetic sense was absolutely top-tier.

Gazing at the beautiful cross on the table, Norton halted his steps.

"A pure silver cross... So was it the cross that harmed Priest Abraham, or was it the silver that harmed him?"

If the cross harmed Priest Abraham, then there was no question—it proved the cross truly had terrifying lethal power against vampires. But if it was the pure silver that harmed him, that would only confirm one thing.

This Priest Abraham, this newborn vampire, was indeed created according to his, Norton's, imagination!

After all, vampires in this world weren't supposed to fear silver items!

If Priest Abraham was truly afraid of silver, then Norton's earlier hypothesis was completely validated!

Moreover, just as Priest Abraham had mentioned earlier, vampires feared crosses because being impaled by one led to death—that was the Church's research finding.

The book they had just read didn't mention that touching a cross to a vampire's body would cause intense burning effects, and back in the cave, Norton had made a cross himself to test it and found it completely useless.

But perhaps that was because his handmade cross lacked God's holiness.

Therefore, Norton also wanted to test it, at the very least to see his own resistance to the cross, so he wouldn't be caught off guard if he encountered Church personnel wielding one in the future.

Besides that, it was about verifying his own theory.

Norton's eyes fixed on the cross on the table. Remembering Priest Abraham's condition, after a brief hesitation, he slowly extended a withered finger, gently reaching forward until it touched the cross.

"Hiss..." Original content can be found at noᴠelfire.net

A cool sensation transmitted from the cross.

"No feeling!" The anticipated burning sensation never arose. The silver cross showed no abnormality upon contacting Norton.

And Norton himself felt nothing unusual.

Norton even picked up the silver cross, lay down, and placed it on his chest or forehead—only a pressing sensation remained, as if something heavy was resting on his chest or forehead. Exactly the same result as when he made his own cross in the cave for testing!

"Abraham really is the classic vampire from my previous life, created by my subconscious! And I, Norton, truly possess the magnificent power of creation! Hahaha..."

Norton grinned from ear to ear, utterly delighted.

Everything clicked into place. His mood, his spirit—all flowed freely now.

He, Norton, possessed the power to create like God Himself! The rank of his soul stood equal with God's!