CA – Chapter 60
Chapter 60
The northern border of the Shas Principality was adjacent to the Blood Domain, while its southern border was next to Witch City. Due to its geographical location, it had always been plagued by vampires and Black Witches. It was later nearly carved up, saved only by the intervention of the Holy See.
Therefore, the Shas Principality was one of the first countries on the Statu Continent to agree to the establishment of a branch of the Holy See, for the sole purpose of completely expelling the vampires and Black Witches.
When the Holy See's prestige was at its zenith, after the Shas Principality established a branch church, the vampires and Black Witches indeed did not dare to act recklessly and were all forced to go underground. However, as time passed, the Holy See's prestige was no longer what it once was. In recent years, the vampires and Black Witches had begun to run rampant again.
According to Monica's understanding, Bishop Anthony of the Shas Principality had not returned to the Holy See for some time, as he was busy expelling vampires.
After waiting at the church for a while, the cleric sent to find Anthony had yet to return. Not wanting to waste any more time, Monica temporarily left the Light Believers from her group at the church and took the clerics and Holy Knights to find Anthony directly at the place where he was supposedly expelling vampires.
A fourth-generation vampire had occupied a city within the Shas Principality, leading its descendants to establish a temporary Blood Domain. According to the Holy See's clerics, the Blood Domain had existed for some time, but Monica had never heard of this back in the Bill Empire.
The few cities surrounding the Blood Domain had already been cleared out. As Monica walked down the empty streets, she could see the location of the Blood Domain just by looking up. A pale red mist condensed above it, unable to be scattered by the cold wind or penetrated by the sunlight. It was a paradise for vampires.
The scale of this Blood Domain was much larger than Monica had imagined. She frowned, and Jonas, standing beside her with a grave expression, advised, "Priest Monica, we should report this to the Central Church first."
Seeing the red mist lingering over the Blood Domain, Jonas felt that Bishop Anthony, who had been gone for many days, was likely in grave danger.
Monica shared this concern. She nodded with a stoic expression and signaled for the Holy Knights to withdraw.
Suddenly, the door of a closed shop next to them was pushed open from the inside. A disheveled cleric lifted the curtain and stepped out. He hadn't expected to see Monica and her group in an empty city. His expression froze for a moment, and a flash of panic crossed his eyes when he realized this priest and her clerics were not from the Shas church.
Monica raised a hand, signaling the Holy Knights to halt. She stepped out from behind the knights, her cold gaze sweeping over the cleric from head to toe. A button was missing from his collar, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his robes were wrinkled-not at all the appearance of a proper member of the Holy See.
A flicker of anger appeared in her eyes. Monica said coldly, "I am Priest Monica of the Bill Empire's Holy See."
The cleric quickly straightened himself up, trying to remain calm. "Cleric Louis of the Shas Holy See."
Monica smelled alcohol on the cleric. She glanced at the tavern behind Louis. "What are you doing here?"
Louis looked flustered. He subconsciously blocked the tavern and replied, "...I was searching for clues about the vampires."
Monica stared at him coldly for a moment before signaling a nearby Holy Knight to go inside and check. The Holy Knight pushed aside the blocking Louis, reached out, and opened the door, pulling down the curtain in the process. The stench of alcohol mixed with the smell of blood wafted out.
Monica smelled a metallic, rust-like odor and her expression changed slightly, thinking this might be a place where vampires imprisoned their blood slaves. She took out her staff of light and walked in behind the Holy Knight. The room was dimly lit, and Monica gestured for the Holy Knights to open all the windows.
She walked down a long corridor, hearing sounds of laughter coming from the room next door. Monica frowned, pushed the door open with her staff, and a scene of debauchery was instantly exposed to her view.
Pure white robes and brightly colored, beautiful dresses were scattered all over the floor. Laughter and lewd moans intertwined, creating a noisy scene. Among the pairs of intimately entwined figures, Anthony, dressed in a bishop's robe and embracing two seductive women, was particularly conspicuous.
Monica froze for a moment, then her face slowly darkened.
The commotion at the door caught the attention of the people inside. Anthony turned around in confusion. When he saw Monica, he was startled, thinking he was seeing Archbishop Reese. But then he noticed her priest's robes and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Anthony had spent some time at the Central Church and knew a little about Reese, including that she had a twin sister.
As Anthony's mind raced, the seductive woman leaning against him glanced at Monica, her red eyes flickering slightly.
Monica took a deep breath and rebuked him in a cold voice, "Bishop Anthony, you have actually betrayed the Holy See and are consorting with vampires."
The Holy See explicitly forbade its clergy from marrying, but it was no secret that not everyone could control their desires, and some secretly kept mistresses or lovers.
The Inquisition turned a blind eye to this. As long as it wasn't exposed, didn't affect the Holy See's reputation, and produced no offspring, the Inquisition would not intervene.
Having been in the Holy See for so many years, Monica was aware of this. If Anthony were simply meeting with a mistress, she would look down on it but would not interfere.
However, the beautiful and seductive women in the room were clearly vampires.
Consorting with vampires was not as simple as keeping a mistress.
Anthony's expression changed. He pushed away the person leaning on him and took a few steps toward Monica, forcing a somewhat stiff smile. "Priest, you've misunderstood," he said, trying to defend himself.
The faction he belonged to at the Central Church was not on good terms with Reese's. Anthony was very wary of that seemingly gentle but ruthless woman. Even now, facing Monica, who looked identical to Reese, he still subconsciously avoided her gaze.
Monica turned away coldly. "Save those excuses for the Inquisition."
The Holy Knights and clerics surrounded Monica, protecting her as she left. Anthony's face darkened as he watched her back. Just as he was about to stop them, the two seductive vampires he had been with made their move first.
Both were sixth-generation vampires, and there were several seventh-generation ones in the room. On Monica's side, she was the only Priest. They were too close to fend off so many vampires.
After a fierce struggle, Monica and her group were pinned to the ground by the vampires and lost consciousness.
Anthony had been watching from the side without intervening. Seeing the vampires tying them up with ropes as if to take them away, he couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking them?"
"This is all delicious food." A vampire caressed Monica's face and chuckled softly. "Of course, we're taking them home to store them."
The vampire looked up at Anthony and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I guarantee they won't make it back to the Holy See. You can continue being a bishop in peace."
Anthony's expression shifted repeatedly. He couldn't let Monica, who had seen him with vampires, return to the Holy See. Letting the vampires handle it was for the best. As for Archbishop Reese... he had heard that her relationship with this twin sister was quite poor.
It probably wouldn't get her attention, right?
Only after returning to the church did Anthony learn the purpose of Monica's visit to the Shas Principality. The Light Believers had to be escorted to the Central Church, but Monica certainly couldn't be allowed to return. He planned to delay as long as possible. When he could delay no longer, he would send someone else to escort the Light Believers to the Central Church and, at the same time, spread the news that Monica had been captured by vampires.
Unaware that Monica was already in trouble, Tang Qiu, after spending some time in the werewolf territory, finally received news that Jennifer had arrived in the Gru Empire.
After Erin was rescued, Tang Qiu had not cut off contact with Mark's Grocery Store. She continued to try and request information from them, and to her surprise, they still replied.
After sending away the skeletal rat that delivered the message, Tang Qiu found Lucille and Erin to discuss their departure time.
They had stayed in the werewolf territory long enough, and it was time to leave. During this period, Tang Qiu had not been idle. She had built a good relationship with younger werewolves like Jemma, who held less hostility towards the Holy See, and learned a great deal about the werewolves from them.
However, no matter how she inquired about the name Ophelia, the young werewolves were completely unfamiliar with it.
The identities of Ophelia and the original Grace remained a mystery.
Before leaving, Tang Qiu went to bid farewell to Faye in person. Faye's attitude was the same as when they first met-polite yet distant, offering no openings.
Instead, it was on her way back from Faye's that she encountered Fanny. After a few casual words, Tang Qiu noticed something was amiss.
Fanny's attitude towards her was much warmer than before. This warmth wasn't a matter of smiling at her, but a natural kindness that emanated from her.
Fanny already knew Tang Qiu was leaving and had come specifically to see her. She handed Tang Qiu a Space Gem, her tone calm but lacking its usual coldness. "This is for you. A thank-you gift for saving Eva and Jillian."
Tang Qiu took the gem and inspected it in her palm. It was filled with many herbs she couldn't name. She asked in confusion, "What are all these?"
Fanny handed her a piece of parchment. "Just some herbs for strengthening the body. I've written down their names and effects here."
Werewolves often chewed herbs that were good for their muscles and bones to maintain a strong physique, especially in the first few years after coming of age. Fanny didn't want their young master to be underdeveloped due to a lack of "nutrition."
"You people from the Holy See are too weak. You need to supplement more." Fanny looked deeply at the blonde priest. There was a pile of words she wanted to say, but thinking of Faye's orders, she could only sigh in the end.
Tang Qiu put away the parchment and the Space Gem, saying softly to Fanny, "Thank you. I'll be sure to take them."
"Let Jemma and the others see you off." With that, Fanny left. Tang Qiu watched until her figure disappeared before turning to walk back to her quarters.
When she returned, Jemma and several other werewolves who were on good terms with Tang Qiu were waiting for her. Seeing her return, they all crowded around her, stuffing the things they were holding into her arms.
Tang Qiu subconsciously raised her arms, which were then piled high with items. She glanced down, a faint smile touching her lips. "Thank you." She stored the items in her Space Gem, then took out some Holy Water of Light and distributed it among Jemma and the others.
Holding the Holy Water of Light, Jemma wasn't very happy. "Can I come find you at the Holy See in the future?"
Tang Qiu thought for a moment and said tactfully, "You might encounter some unfriendly clerics at the Holy See."
Jemma lowered her head and sighed.
Tang Qiu reached out and stroked her hair, her tone gentle. "We'll have a chance to meet again."
She was a werewolf; she would definitely return here one day. Tang Qiu gazed out at the vast, white ice field, her eyes deep.
Jemma and two other werewolves transformed into their wolf forms to carry Tang Qiu and her companions away from the ice field. On a towering peak, Faye stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the three wolves running across the ice field and the people on their backs.
Her gaze was fixed primarily on the blonde priest. As the figure grew smaller and smaller, Faye's hand, hanging at her side, unconsciously clenched and unclenched twice. Her sky-blue eyes deepened as she murmured to herself, "Grace..."
"Promoted to priest in just a few short months." Faye lowered her gaze slightly, her expression profound and inscrutable.
Grace... was she destined to belong only to the Holy See...?
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