CA – Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Gale-force winds howled across the Mentos Desert. Under the pitch-black night sky, yellow sand swirled over a hundred yards high, nearly obscuring the crescent moon. The Garcia Family had dispatched four red-robed witches, and their Dark Domain enveloped an area nearly a hundred miles wide. A bridge of bleached white skeletons stretched from a lone city all the way to the edge of the Mentos Desert.
Glanna stood on the skeleton bridge, the night wind rustling her red robes and whipping strands of hair across her face. She gazed at the sandstorm that blotted out the sky, her gray eyes deep and profound. Her hood concealed her expression, hiding the countless schemes and conspiracies within.
An excited, unrestrained voice broke Glanna out of her reverie. She turned her head slightly. Beside her, Noah was looking up at the swirling sand. This usually composed woman could no longer contain her emotions, her gaze burning with an intensity that would startle anyone. Her breathing was ragged as she laughed aloud, speaking as if to herself, “The miracle has appeared, the Dark God is descending! Let the Statu Continent return to the embrace of darkness.”
“The reign of the Light Goddess has come to an end.” Noah turned and spread her arms, closing her eyes to embrace the darkness, a look of pure bliss on her face.
Glanna watched her quietly for a moment, a slight smile playing on her red lips. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice, “The omens from your witchcraft… do they say the Dark God wishes to descend upon the Statu Continent?”
Noah glanced at her, her smile mysterious.
Glanna’s eyes narrowed. “But after the gods went to the divine realm, they could no longer return to Statu…” Before she could finish, Noah’s expression darkened.
Glanna shrugged and raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Just a joke.”
Discussing the Dark God with a Garcia witch in a fanatical state was truly not an interesting affair. Glanna’s interest waned. She rested her hands on the bone bridge, staring blankly at the demonic beasts patrolling below.
She and Noah had grown up together. Her friend had a steady personality and a good temper, and in some respects could even be considered “soft-hearted.” She would grant almost any request Glanna made, as long as it didn’t involve the Dark God.
Glanna clicked her tongue, a flash of impatience crossing her face. What was there to miss about a god who had already left?
If the Black Witches of the three great families could unite, they wouldn’t have been suppressed by the Holy See for so long.
The Morgan Family had always remained in seclusion, and the Garcia Family’s minds were entirely focused on the Dark God. That left only their Anderson Family. How could they possibly stand against the Holy See?
At the thought of the Holy See, Glanna frowned. She looked up at Noah, who had approached her at some point, and asked, “Are you confident you can get the Godhead?”
As she spoke, she glanced around. All four corners of the Mentos Desert were already occupied by others. She didn’t need to think to know who they were, given their powerful auras.
The Elf Race was determined to get the Godhead, and the ever-greedy and power-obsessed Vampires wouldn’t give up easily either. And then there was the Holy See… although they hadn’t appeared yet, they would certainly intervene in any matter concerning the gods.
Glanna knew Noah had made many preparations for the appearance of the miracle, but… it was also a fact that the Black Witches were not in an advantageous position in this struggle.
The fanaticism in Noah’s eyes had faded somewhat. Facing the night wind, she nodded confidently. “Of course.”
Glanna reminded her, “The Holy See will definitely make a move.”
Noah looked down and smiled, her tone meaningful. “Even if the Holy See makes a move, the Godhead will definitely be mine.”
Glanna twirled a bone knife in her hand, nodded, and said with a smile, “I’ll help you.”
“Don’t forget what you promised me,” Noah said, glancing at Glanna. “Little Erin.”
Glanna casually tossed the bone knife to her. “You get the Godhead, and I’ll bring her to see you,” she said nonchalantly.
The Godhead, and Erin too. She was curious to see just what Noah was planning.
Although the Central Church had ordered the Gosse Church to focus on the miracle, Tang Qiu was still corresponding with Maggie Smith. Upon learning which cities were being harassed by Vampires or Black Witches, she would secretly dispatch people to support the empire’s knights and soothe the commoners’ emotions.
There was still no news from the Mentos Desert. Audrey was still trying to interrogate Lisa for useful information, so she hadn’t transferred them to the Inquisition yet.
Audrey wasn’t in a hurry to take Lisa and Karen back to the Inquisition, and Tang Qiu was even less so. She patiently waited for the right opportunity while immersing herself completely in church affairs.
The Gosse Empire was not at peace. Letters from the imperial knights arrived one after another, and Jennifer had to make several trips a day just to deliver them.
After coming so many times, she began to notice a problem.
The blonde bishop seemed very tired recently. When reviewing church documents, she would support her forehead with one hand in a languid posture, occasionally covering her mouth to yawn.
After placing the letters on the desk, Jennifer stared at Tang Qiu for a moment and asked, “Bishop Grace, did you not sleep well last night?”
Tang Qiu’s hand, which was rubbing her brow, paused. She met Jennifer’s gaze and replied with a smile, “Too many things have happened recently. It’s affecting my sleep a little.”
Jennifer thought of Karen, who was locked up by the Inquisition. She frowned, her expression worried, but she didn’t know how to comfort Tang Qiu. She hesitated, then finally just sighed and said, “Bishop Grace, please take care of your health.”
A faint smile touched Tang Qiu’s lips as she nodded at Jennifer. She watched her turn and leave, and only then did the smile slowly fade.
She lowered her hand and rubbed her sore wrist, her expression a little strange.
She really did need to “take care” of her body. She had been too indulgent lately; she couldn’t just let Lucille have her way.
Vampires had boundless energy and never tired, but she wasn’t like that. Even with the dual relief of Holy Water of Light and healing spells, a night of indulgence with Lucille still left her feeling exhausted.
Besides, vampires drank blood whenever they got excited…
Spring had arrived. Logically, she, the werewolf, should be the one feeling restless. Why was Lucille so full of lust?
Tang Qiu pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head slightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
Not long after Jennifer left, a dark figure leaped in through the open window. Lucille appeared at Tang Qiu’s side in a flash, turning to lean against the desk. Seeing Tang Qiu rubbing her forehead, she frowned and asked, “Are you not feeling well?”
These past few days, she had been thoroughly sated in body, mind, and appetite. The blood-red tint in her eyes had faded considerably, and even her previously unstable aura had calmed.
It was just that Tang Qiu had paid a slightly higher price. Lucille had never expected that she would one day desire someone so intensely.
When she saw Tang Qiu look up and smile at her, Lucille’s calm thoughts were once again thrown into disarray. She lowered her gaze to the blonde bishop’s rosy lips. The hand hanging at her side twitched, then rose, reaching for those lips.
Her hand was intercepted halfway. Tang Qiu grabbed Lucille’s palm, brought it to her own lips, and gave her fingers a playful, gentle bite. “Behave,” she said teasingly.
A slight curve appeared on Lucille’s lips, and her cool gaze softened. She didn’t pull her hand back, letting Tang Qiu hold it. “There’s a strange phenomenon in the Mentos Desert.”
Tang Qiu, who was toying with Lucille’s fingers, raised an eyebrow. “A phenomenon? Is the miracle about to appear?”
Lucille nodded. “On my way back, I saw the priest who serves that Red-robed Archbishop also rushing back from the Mentos Desert.”
The priest who serves the Red-robed Archbishop… Tang Qiu thought for a moment, then looked up at Lucille. “Are you talking about Mario?”
Lucille reached out and stroked the end of the blonde bishop’s eyebrow. “I suppose so,” she said faintly.
A phenomenon in the Mentos Desert meant the miracle was about to appear. The Holy See couldn’t possibly wait any longer. They would set out for the Mentos Desert, and Audrey would have to go with them. When she left the Gosse Church, she certainly wouldn’t leave Lisa and Karen here…
Tang Qiu’s thoughts raced, several ideas flashing through her mind. She let go of Lucille’s hand, picked up the quill on the desk, and began writing quickly on a blank sheet of parchment. As she wrote, she said in a low voice, “Go find Erin. Have her get Karen out of her cell.”
Lucille acknowledged with a sound, reached out to pat Tang Qiu’s head, then turned and leaped out the window again.
Tang Qiu put down the quill, folded the parchment, and walked to the door. She called out to a patrolling Holy Knight, handed him the parchment, and instructed, “Deliver this to Archbishop Vogt.”
The Holy Knight bowed, took the parchment, and was about to leave when Tang Qiu called him back.
Tang Qiu stroked her chin, pondering for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Find Jennifer. Have her assemble the team of priests.”
The Holy Knight took his orders and left. Tang Qiu looked up at the golden sun, squinted, and started walking towards the garden.
When the weather was nice, Reese was usually in the garden, and this time was no exception. When Tang Qiu arrived, Reese and Audrey were in conversation. The former was mostly listening, while the latter’s phoenix eyes were tinged with anger as she spoke.
Audrey had been interrogating Lisa for the past few days, but judging from the tone she was using with Reese, the results were not to her satisfaction.
Catching sight of the blonde bishop approaching from the corner of her eye, Audrey frowned. The anger in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by her usual calm and detached demeanor.
Reese looked up as the blonde bishop took the empty seat opposite her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “So leisurely today?”
She hadn’t seen the blonde bishop for several days.
Tang Qiu poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said with a smile, “I’ve finished dealing with some trivial matters.”
Audrey’s gaze shifted between Tang Qiu and Reese, finally settling on Tang Qiu. She could see how much Reese valued this person, but at the same time, she always felt a sense of incongruity from her.
A flicker of doubt crossed Audrey’s face. She looked Tang Qiu up and down, and was just about to say something when a sudden sound of footsteps interrupted her unspoken words.
Mario hurried to Reese’s side and whispered something in her ear.
Reese’s expression slowly shifted from relaxed to serious. She frowned slightly. Seeing that Tang Qiu and Audrey were both looking at her, she spoke up, “The miracle is about to appear.”
Audrey frowned and tapped her index finger on the table. “Gather our people and head to the Mentos Desert,” she said decisively.
She started to get up to deal with Lisa and Karen, but before she could leave her chair, Vogt strode into the garden with his attendant priests. His gaze swept over Reese and Audrey, then fell to the still-steaming tea on the table. His face darkened. “The miracle has appeared, and you two still have the leisure to drink tea here?” he said coldly. “Have you forgotten the Pope’s orders? How long are you going to delay?”
“Until the Godhead falls into the hands of dark creatures?”
Vogt was, after all, more senior and held a higher position. Moreover, his rebuke was directed more at Audrey; he didn’t vent his anger on Reese, who was also a Red-robed Archbishop.
Reese subtly glanced at Audrey and saw that her face had indeed turned grim.
Since they would be heading to the miracle together, Vogt didn’t want the atmosphere between them to become too tense. After a few more words of reprimand, he stopped and said directly to Reese, “I’ve already had my attendant priests assemble the team. The three of us will go to the Mentos Desert first.”
“We can’t let those dark creatures get the upper hand.”
Reese’s lips curved slightly as she nodded. “Alright.”
Audrey huffed but didn’t say anything in refusal. She beckoned to Liz, who was guarding the garden entrance, and whispered something in her ear.
Tang Qiu, holding her cup, glanced nonchalantly in Audrey’s direction, a smirk playing on her lips. She sensed a gaze on her and instinctively turned to find Reese looking at her.
She put down her cup and sighed at Reese, “I haven’t even finished a cup of tea, and it’s time to get busy again.”
Reese was speechless.
She shouldn’t think she hadn’t noticed the blonde bishop’s meddling.
Otherwise, how could Vogt have received news of the miracle’s appearance even faster than she did?
Vogt had only been at the Gosse Church for a few days; he hadn’t had time to arrange for people to scout the Mentos Desert.
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