CA - Chapter 143
Chapter 143
The resettlement of hundreds of thousands of civilians was a thorny issue, even for Maggie, the queen of the Gosse Empire. In the end, however, she withstood the pressure and cleared out all the cities near Anersai City within the time frame requested by the blond bishop.
Her father's death had given her a deeper understanding of humanity's weakness and the cold-blooded cruelty of dark creatures.
If she wanted to hold on to this empire, she had to expel all dark creatures from her territory at any cost.
Otherwise, the Gosse Empire would sooner or later fall into the hands of these dark creatures.
Because there were too many civilians to move and time was tight, Maggie could only temporarily settle them in Kondir City, which was two cities away from Anersai City.
To find out what the blond bishop was up to, Maggie even came to Kondir City herself. However, to her disappointment, Tang Qiu was not here. Instead, the Holy See had dispatched a team of priests to be stationed in the city.
Jennifer climbed the city's lighthouse and looked at Karen, who was leaning on the railing and gazing down. She frowned and asked, "What exactly does Bishop Grace want to do?"
She leaned against the railing, looking up in the direction of Rose Manor, but because it was too far away, she could see nothing but green hills and trees.
Karen pulled her gaze back from the crowd below. She reached up to touch the longsword at her waist, thought for a moment, and said, "Bishop Grace wants to drive the vampires out of Rose Manor."
Jennifer was taken aback, a trace of worry showing between her brows. "Isn't Rose Manor occupied by a third-generation vampire?"
She still remembered the last time they tried to expel the vampires from Rose Manor, an experience that had nearly gotten them all wiped out.
Karen saw Jennifer's concern, but she didn't know the blond bishop's specific plan either. She could only comfort her, "Let's trust Bishop Grace."
Jennifer frowned and said nothing. A brown-haired woman, holding a small silver-haired girl with one arm, suddenly appeared on the lighthouse, startling Jennifer. She subconsciously took out her staff of light. When she looked up and saw the woman's face clearly, her eyes widened in an instant. "It's you!"
It was the sixth-generation vampire who had almost drained her dry.
Lola put Kama down and looked at Jennifer with a baffled expression. She had hunted far too much prey to have any impression of ever having targeted Jennifer.
She glanced at Jennifer once before losing interest and looking away. Lola lowered her head, scanned the crowded area below, and said to Karen in a low voice, "Clear out that area. Have Holy Knights and priests guard it. If you see any vampires appear, purify them immediately."
She paused, then added with a smirk, "It's an order from Grace."
Hearing the blond bishop's name from Lola's lips stunned Jennifer. Then, thinking of the incident with the Inquisition, she pursed her lips and said coldly, "I'll go make the arrangements." With that, she turned and left.
Fine, she would just pretend she hadn't seen anything. The Black Witch and the vampire didn't exist. The blond bishop was still the Light Goddess's most devout believer.
Jennifer muttered this to herself several times, then let out a slow sigh.
As long as one's heart was turned toward the light, one was still a believer of the Light Goddess. It had nothing to do with who she associated with.
Having come to this realization, Jennifer's mood was no longer troubled. She put away her staff of light, called over a Holy Knight, and began to carry out the blond bishop's orders.
Night fell quietly. Delia jumped down from the high wall, glanced sideways at what was behind her, and entered the woods to her right with a blank expression. A patrolling vampire saw her and tentatively asked where she was going, but she dismissed him with a few words.
She passed through the woods, heading north under the cover of night. Vampires were incredibly fast, and it wasn't long before she reached her destination: a boundless desert.
A figure stood beside the desert, their form hidden by a black cloak. Their long golden hair was exceptionally conspicuous in the darkness.
Delia stopped a dozen meters from the figure. This was a safe distance; if there was an ambush, she could retreat quickly. While cautiously scanning her surroundings, she spoke, "What's your plan?"
The figure turned around. Fair skin, perfect features, and a pair of sky-blue eyes that seemed somewhat deep against the backdrop of the night. The corners of her lips curved into a beautiful arc, and her gentle voice could always make people let down their guard. "What plan do you want?"
Delia frowned. She didn't see the person she had hoped to see beside the blond bishop, and she felt a little disappointed. "Without Faye and the Elf Queen, we can't kill Evan."
Tang Qiu tossed the box she had been toying with to Delia. "We?" she said, her voice tinged with a hint of mockery.
Delia's expression changed slightly, but she suppressed her reaction. She caught the box and looked down at it. "What is this?"
"A Godhead."
Delia was shocked. She opened the box and found it empty, which made her angry. "Are you messing with me?"
Tang Qiu chuckled lightly. "A box that was once used to hold a Godhead. Haven't you noticed the aura of a Godhead on it?"
Dubious, Delia lowered her head and sniffed. She did indeed smell the faint aura of a Godhead.
"Use it to lure Evan here," Tang Qiu said flatly, glancing at Delia. "And your mission will be complete."
"The other fourth-generation Tzimisce vampires are all in the manor," Delia said cautiously. "Are you sure you want to make a move on Elder Evan now?"
She began to wonder if betting on Tang Qiu had been the right decision.
If they failed, Evan would surely not let her off.
"Are all his descendants there?" Tang Qiu touched her chin and said with a smile, "Then it's a perfect opportunity to get rid of them all at once."
Delia stared at Tang Qiu and said in a low voice, "Are you insane?" How could they possibly be eliminated all at once? Had the Holy See sent three more Red-robed Archbishops?
"After all your scheming, isn't this your one and only goal?" Tang Qiu took the Godhead box from her hand and said nonchalantly, "Cowardice will get you nothing."
Delia looked at her in silence, her expression shifting several times. Finally, she made up her mind. "I'll find a way to bring him here."
"Before the night is over."
Delia took one last look at the Godhead box in Tang Qiu's hand, raised her own, and attached a wisp of dark energy to it. Then she turned and disappeared into the darkness.
After she left, several figures suddenly appeared behind Tang Qiu. They were magnificently dressed, with blood-red eyes. Judging by the aura around them, they were all fourth-generation vampires.
Lucille walked to Tang Qiu's side. Beverly glanced in the direction Delia had left, raised an eyebrow, and said playfully, "A traitor in Evan's camp?"
"If hoping for Evan's death with all your heart counts as being a traitor, then yes, she is." Tang Qiu stepped into the desert and placed the box on the ground.
Beneath the desert lay a buried temple. The box emitted a faint glow in the night, and under the temple's influence, the aura it gave off grew stronger.
It was as if it truly contained a Godhead.
Beverly walked over and examined the box, asking with interest, "Is this the Godhead?"
Although she hadn't participated in the fight for the Godhead, she had been following the news about it.
When she heard that Evan had been thwarted by the Holy See and the Elves, she had even laughed about it with other vampires.
The Brujah clan was born without fear; they had little respect for the third-generation elders of other clans.
"It's just an empty box." Tang Qiu set the box down and gestured for Beverly and the others to find a place to hide. "After Delia brings Evan here, you must keep him here."
"Keep him here?" Beverly narrowed her eyes. "My purpose is to rescue someone."
"I'll help you rescue your brother." Tang Qiu raised her hand and pulled up the hood of her cloak. The strands of hair left outside had already turned snow-white. She smiled at Beverly and said, "I swear by the Light Goddess that I will deliver your brother to you completely unharmed."
The change in her aura made Beverly take a few steps back. Looking at the smile on Tang Qiu's face, Beverly felt a stir of interest. This was her type of beautiful human. She licked her lips, about to make a flirtatious comment, but a cold glare from nearby made her abandon the thought.
Lucille was staring coldly at Beverly, the pressure around her dropping to its lowest point.
Beverly shrugged. She regretfully pulled her gaze away from Tang Qiu's face and gave a look to her clansmen behind her. The vampires turned and quickly vanished into the darkness.
After seeing them all hidden, Tang Qiu said softly to Lucille beside her, "Be careful. Watch for Erin's signal."
Lucille hummed in agreement. She pulled Tang Qiu closer, lowered her head to kiss her forehead, and said in a low voice, "You be careful too."
Delia returned to Rose Manor from the Mentos Desert. She looked up at the castle walls, took a deep breath, and then rushed into the castle with a look of urgency.
Delia wasn't the only fourth-generation vampire in the castle. Someone spotted her and blocked her path, asking quizzically, "What's wrong?"
Delia steadied herself and said with a hint of joy in her voice, "I've discovered something very important. Where is Elder Evan?"
The vampire eyed her suspiciously for a moment before pointing to Evan's room. "Elder Evan is feeding."
Delia nodded to the vampire and headed straight for Evan's room.
Evan had just finished feeding and was in a relatively good mood, so he didn't scowl when he saw Delia. "What is it? Is there news of Lucille?"
Delia shook her head. Seeing Evan's face darken, she quickly said, "Elder Evan, I found the Godhead in the Mentos Desert."
"The Godhead?" Evan was taken aback, frowning. "Wasn't the Godhead taken by the Black Witches?"
"I don't know what happened either," Delia explained. "I was out hunting and felt something was off when I passed the Mentos Desert. I went to investigate and found it."
She waved her hand, and dark energy coalesced before her. An image of the Mentos Desert appeared in Evan's view. In the middle of the vast desert sat a box, shimmering with a faint light.
Even though it was an image projected by dark energy, everyone present could feel the Godhead's aura emanating from the box.
Evan stared at the image for a while, then gave a look to a vampire beside him. The vampire nodded and left, brushing past Delia's shoulder.
Delia felt a little nervous. She lowered her eyes, wanting to persuade Evan to go get the Godhead himself, but she was afraid he would see through her ruse.
Just as she was hesitating, Evan, who had been gazing at the Godhead box in the image, slowly rose. He waved his hand, dispelling the dark energy, and said in a deep voice, "Come with me. I'll go see for myself."
It had to be said that Tang Qiu's decision to use the Godhead as bait was a rather wise one, as its allure to Evan was even greater than that of Lucille, the perfect hybrid.
Hearing Evan's words, Delia lowered her head and agreed. As she followed behind him, a weight slowly lifted from her heart.
Comments
Post a Comment