CA – Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Although the Mentos Desert had always been classified within the borders of the Gosse Empire, in reality, it was more like a lawless land. The climate was harsh, with fierce sandstorms and a scorching sun, making it unsuitable for human habitation. Even a squad of knights wouldn't dare set foot in it without a Sword Saint among them.
But that didn't mean the Mentos Desert was completely devoid of people.
Legend had it that the descendants of the God Race lived in the heart of the Mentos Desert, isolated from the world, making them the most mysterious race on the continent of Statu.
After returning, Tang Qiu went to see Reese, just as she had told Erin she would. While at the Gosse Church, Reese was staying in Tang Qiu's small estate. The estate had a modest garden where she spent most of her time. The once-neglected and overgrown garden had been taken over by blooming wild roses since her arrival.
Beautiful things always brought joy to the heart. As Tang Qiu walked toward Reese, she casually plucked a vibrant rose, lowered her head to smell it, and the rich fragrance brought a slight curve to her lips.
"In a good mood?" Reese watched Tang Qiu sit down opposite her, her gaze lingering for a moment on the smile playing on her lips as she asked softly.
Tang Qiu picked up the teapot on the table and filled the cup in front of her. The temperature of the rose tea was just right. The floral scent lingered between her lips and tongue, improving her mood even further. She set the cup down, let out a long sigh, and said, "It was terrible before, but it's better now."
She winked at Reese and smiled faintly. "Your tea is comparable to a healing spell."
Reese chuckled softly. She reached for the rose Tang Qiu had placed aside, intending to brew another pot of tea, but her hand was unexpectedly pressed down by the person opposite her just as it touched the stem. She raised an eyebrow, looking at Tang Qiu questioningly.
Tang Qiu shook her head at her and said gently, "I picked this to give to a knight."
"Oh?" Reese withdrew her hand and stood up, walking toward the rose bushes behind her. As she selected a flower, she teased, "A rose for a knight. Don't tell me this knight is a woman?"
Tang Qiu smiled but didn't answer. Seeing Reese carefully choosing a rose, she took the initiative to bring up the topic of the Divine Ruins. "What does the Holy See want to get from the Divine Ruins?"
"The Godhead of the Earth Mother." Reese pinched a rose stem and turned to look at Tang Qiu, her expression languid. "Something uncertain, ethereal, that may not even exist."
"Godhead?"
"It's a gem that gods use to store their divine power."
It was similar in nature to a Light Crystal, which stored the Power of Light, except a Godhead stored divine power. Anything related to the gods that appeared on the continent, no matter what it was, would attract countless pursuers.
Because "god" represented immense power.
A gem used to store divine power... Tang Qiu frowned and asked a question that had been puzzling her for a while. "How did the Holy See know the Divine Ruins were about to appear?" Counting from the time the gods left the continent of Statu, the Divine Ruins had been buried for nearly ten thousand years. During that time, people from every race had explored the Mentos Desert, but aside from sacrificing some companions, they had never obtained any information about the gods.
And now, it wasn't just the Holy See that knew about the emergence of the Divine Ruins; the Black Witches, Elves, Werewolves, and even that third-generation vampire from Rose Manor—Tang Qiu had a feeling that this Evan had also come for the Divine Ruins.
Where on earth did they get their information?
Reese wasn't very clear on this matter either. She frowned and looked at Mario, who was standing to the side. Mario had investigated the source of the news, but the results were vague. "The news was brought back by a Holy Knight close to the Pope. It's said he captured a Black Witch, and she was the one who revealed it."
This Holy Knight later went to investigate the Mentos Desert and did indeed discover some anomalies.
Tang Qiu hadn't expected this to be related to the Black Witches again. She frowned and said in a low voice, "...The Black Witches might be planning something." She told Reese about the Dark Arrays that had appeared all over the continent of Statu.
Reese hadn't had as much contact with the Black Witches as Tang Qiu, so she didn't have any particular thoughts on these Dark Arrays. However, seeing the serious tone in Tang Qiu's voice when she mentioned it, she thought for a moment and said, "The Holy See places great importance on the Godhead, so they didn't just send me to handle this."
"There's also Archbishop Vogt and Archbishop Bruce. They should be arriving soon."
The Holy See had dispatched three Red-robed Archbishops at once, which showed just how much importance the Pope placed on this matter.
The Pope was old, nearing the age where he would soon meet the Light Goddess. Whether he wanted the Godhead to extend his own life or to secure the Holy Son's position, Reese had no interest in either.
The reason she had vied for this mission was, in fact, to be deliberately inefficient.
Of course, if she could get her hands on the Godhead, she certainly wouldn't let the opportunity slip by.
Three Red-robed Archbishops should theoretically be enough to handle anything. Tang Qiu temporarily set aside her unease, but she became even more wary of the Black Witches.
By the time she returned from Reese's place, the sky was almost completely dark. Erin was sitting at the table, feeding Little Fur Ball. Seeing Tang Qiu enter, she asked curiously, "Did you find out what's inside the Divine Ruins?"
"There's a Godhead." Tang Qiu recounted what Reese had told her about the Divine Ruins while looking down at Little Fur Ball, who was busy eating. Although Little Fur Ball was a size larger than before, it still looked very small.
Tang Qiu rubbed her chin and asked with interest, "Will it ever grow up?"
Erin reached out and stroked Little Fur Ball's head, her expression a little hesitant. She cleared her throat and said, "It's not that it can't grow up..."
In between bites, Little Fur Ball nuzzled against Erin's hand.
Erin said vaguely, "You'll get to see it grow up when the time is right."
Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow. Seeing Erin's conflicted expression, she chuckled and didn't press further. Instead, she looked at the leaf Little Fur Ball was eating and asked, "What is it eating?"
"Tuo Leaf." Seeing that Little Fur Ball was almost finished, Erin took another leaf from her Space Gem and placed it in front of it. "It's a type of witchcraft material."
Tuo Leaf wasn't a particularly rare material. The reason Little Fur Ball loved to eat it was probably because, like the E Leaf, it also grew in the Dark Realm.
It was just that E Leaves were very difficult to obtain, while a large pile of Tuo Leaves could be gathered simply by ordering the black crows to fetch them.
After all, Little Fur Ball had come from a summoning array, so Erin had always thought of it as a magical beast from the Dark Realm. It was only natural for it to eat things from there.
As Erin and Tang Qiu were talking, a strange noise suddenly came from the closed window. A gust of wind blew the window open, and Lucille leaped in from outside. Dressed in a shirt and trousers, her black knight boots made a dull thud as they hit the floor. Her long, dark red hair, draped in the night, had a unique charm.
She closed the window behind her and leaned against the wall. Her dark red eyes lifted slightly, her gaze lingering on Tang Qiu for a moment before finally settling on Erin.
Erin cleared her throat, picked up Little Fur Ball, and said tactfully, "I'll be going."
She stood up with Little Fur Ball in her arms, but her eyes were secretly glancing at Tang Qiu, hoping she would call her back.
To Erin's disappointment, however, Tang Qiu just nodded and walked over to Lucille.
Erin dawdled to the door. Before leaving, she turned to look at Tang Qiu, who was now talking to Lucille. She stroked Little Fur Ball's head and sighed faintly, her tone a little sour. "I was clearly the one who met Grace first."
How did that vampire end up being closer to the blonde bishop in the end?
Erin felt a pang of bitterness. She felt a little better after rubbing Little Fur Ball's head for a while. Little Fur Ball lay in the crook of Erin's arm, its eyes dazed, but it would nuzzle its forehead against Erin's arm to comfort her.
The rose plucked from the garden now had a purpose. Tang Qiu pinned it to Lucille's clothes and asked with a smile, "Did you find anything in the Mentos Desert?"
Lucille and Lola had been scouting the area around the Mentos Desert recently.
Lucille took the rose off, lowered her head to smell it, and then stored it in her Space Gem. Her cold expression softened considerably when she looked at Tang Qiu. "There are several powerful presences near the Mentos Desert, including the Dark Elves we saw at Rose Manor."
So they really are here for the Divine Ruins... Tang Qiu frowned and asked, "Are there any werewolves?"
Lucille shook her head. "Haven't found any yet."
Tang Qiu was a little surprised by this answer. Were the werewolves not planning to get involved with the Divine Ruins, or were they hiding in the shadows?
If it was the former, it was undoubtedly good news for her. No one knew what would happen after the Divine Ruins emerged. Without werewolves around, the chances of her being forced to transform and expose her identity would be smaller.
Tang Qiu's thoughts had already drifted far away, but Lucille was staring at her, gradually becoming lost in thought. Although she wasn't in a state of thirst, the greed in her heart, for some reason, began to stir again. She licked her sharp fangs, reached out to grab Tang Qiu's wrist, and bit down on her arm.
Blood welled up from the wound, and she swallowed it in small sips. It was meant to satisfy a craving, but unexpectedly, it only made her hungrier, and her emotions grew increasingly unstable.
Tang Qiu noticed Lucille's abnormality. She used her other hand to soothingly stroke Lucille's hair. Seeing her release her arm and lean back against the wall to steady her breathing, a flash of worry crossed her face. "After this business with the Divine Ruins is over, you should go back to the Gangrel clan."
A sixth-generation Gangrel vampire could use the beast bloodline within them to strengthen a part of their body. Lucille was close to returning to the fourth generation, yet she didn't know how to use this gift.
Tang Qiu felt that Lucille's recent abnormalities were related to this.
Lucille knew what Tang Qiu was thinking, but she remained silent. She had never considered the Gangrel clan to be her people, so she had no desire to go back.
She didn't want to get mixed up with vampires.
She wasn't a monster, but she wasn't a normal vampire either.
Moreover, what the Tzimisce clan had done had only deepened Lucille's disgust for vampires. Even though the Gangrel clan had nothing to do with it, Lucille still felt that if they knew her and Lola's identities, they would surely harbor malicious intentions.
She hadn't rescued those vampires at Rose Manor out of sympathy or for any other reason; she had simply wanted to release them to cause some trouble for the Tzimisce clan.
Tang Qiu knew how deep Lucille's alienation from vampires ran, so she didn't press her. She moved closer to Lucille, tilted her head up slightly, and kissed the corner of her mouth, saying softly, "There's no rush. You have plenty of time to think about it."
The corner of her lips felt a little moist. Lucille raised a hand to touch it. Although she still didn't speak, her expression brightened again, and a faint trace of tenderness flickered deep in her eyes.
Mentos Desert.
Darkness enveloped the boundless yellow sand. Delphine led her people to the edge of the desert. She gazed into the distance at the sandstorm, which was being whipped up by the wind to a height of over a hundred meters. Her eyes were deep. Elves could sense the wind element, so she knew just how powerful these sandstorms were.
This is tricky, but I have to get the Godhead.
Delphine sighed silently, her light green eyes dimming slightly.
Suddenly, a flurry of panicked footsteps came from behind. Delphine and the other Elves turned in confusion to see the Elf who had gone to find a temporary shelter fleeing in disarray.
He ran frantically toward Delphine, an arrow formed of dark energy trailing behind him. He shouted anxiously, "Captain, save me."
Delphine frowned, flashed behind him, and caught the arrow in her hand. The dark energy slowly disintegrated in her palm and then dissipated into the wind.
Two figures emerged from the darkness. The one in front raised a longbow, her left hand drawing the bowstring and aiming in Delphine's direction. Her long, silver-gray hair billowed up behind her with the wind.
Delphine narrowed her eyes and slowly spoke the newcomer's name, "Patricia."
Patricia looked at her with a cold expression. She lowered her longbow an inch, released her left hand, and an arrow flew out, embedding itself in the ground at Delphine's feet. The arrow forced Delphine to take a few steps back.
Patricia lowered her longbow and said in a hoarse voice, "This is my territory."
The Elves gathered behind Delphine, glaring hostilely at the two Dark Elves in front of them. One Elf couldn't help but shout angrily at them, "How dare you show such disrespect to Her Majesty the Queen."
Delphine turned her head slightly and made a hushing sound, signaling the Elf to be quiet.
Patricia stared fixedly at Delphine's profile. When Delphine turned back to face her, she averted her gaze, looking down at the longbow in her hands. Her tone was icy. "Take your people and leave."
Delphine looked at her in silence for a while before saying softly, "You are my people too."
Before Patricia could speak, the Dark Elf beside her spoke up. "We are not your people. We are the outcasts, the abandoned freaks."
His tone was calm, but the slightly quickened pace of his speech proved he was not as composed as he appeared. The hatred in his eyes was completely undisguised.
Delphine opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to argue. She stared blankly at Patricia, hoping to hear something different from her.
But she was disappointed. Patricia turned away indifferently, leaving only her back for Delphine to see.
The Dark Elves disappeared into the darkness again. One of the Elves said indignantly, "Let's just beat them and drive them away."
"They're too despicable."
"The Tree of Life stopped bearing fruit because of them."
The words "Tree of Life" brought Delphine back to her senses. She stopped the speaking Elf and looked up in the direction Patricia and the other had left, her expression complicated.
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