CA - Chapter 176
Chapter 176
The time agreed upon with Cambecus to travel to the werewolf territory was set for ten days later. Factoring in travel time, she wouldn’t have long to stay in the Gosse Empire.
The day after her reunion with Lucille, Tang Qiu took her people to the Elves’ location to see Delphine.
Although Delphine was willing to help Tang Qiu protect the Gosse Empire, her clan’s hostility toward the Holy See had not diminished much.
Just as the carriage entered their territory, a volley of arrows suddenly flew from the woods, halting the convoy.
Dark-skinned Dark Elves holding longbows appeared on the tree trunks, staring coldly at the Holy See’s procession. It was as if the next volley of arrows would not land in front of them, but on them, should they advance another step.
Mario signaled for the group to stop, his expression somewhat grave. This was the first time he had witnessed firsthand just how deep the Elves’ animosity toward the Holy See ran.
Tang Qiu stepped out of the carriage, glanced up at the Dark Elves in the woods, and said to Mario in a low voice, “You all wait here.”
Mario subconsciously refused. “It’s too dangerous for you to go in alone…”
Karen, standing behind Tang Qiu in armor and a silver-white mask, was displeased to hear this. “I will protect Bishop Grace’s safety.”
This man was clearly Reese’s attendant priest, so why did he always act like a Holy Knight when he was around the blonde bishop?
Karen pouted. She was the one who was the blonde bishop’s Holy Knight.
As if he hadn’t heard Karen, Mario dismounted his horse and said with a deadpan expression, “I will accompany you. Archbishop Reese instructed me to protect you.”
Tang Qiu glanced at him, thought for a moment, and nodded. “Alright.” At a time like this, perhaps there was no need to hide certain things from Reese anymore.
She would need Reese to clean up the aftermath of Cambecus’s assassination.
The convoy remained where it was. Tang Qiu entered the forest with only Mario and Karen. Some of the Dark Elves didn’t recognize the blonde bishop, and seeing them approach the territory, another volley of arrows flew over.
Karen drew her longsword and stood in front of Tang Qiu, deflecting the arrows. Mario raised his staff, about to chant a spell, when his peripheral vision caught Tang Qiu bending down to pick up a black arrow that had fallen to the ground. He frowned, about to warn her that an arrow condensed from the power of darkness would corrode her hand, only to see her casually flick it. The arrow left several afterimages in the air before disappearing from sight.
Mario: “…”
The staff in his hand paused. Mario stared at the blonde bishop in astonishment, forgetting even to chant his spell.
The arrow pierced the dense treetops, and a Dark Elf with long, silver-gray hair leaped down. She was still holding the black arrow Tang Qiu had thrown, which slowly dissipated in her hand.
“I’m here to see Delphine.” Tang Qiu smiled at the silver-gray-haired Dark Elf. “Am I not welcome?”
Patricia, who had spotted the blonde bishop long ago but had been hiding and watching the show, snorted coldly. She raised a hand to stop the other Dark Elves from attacking. Her silver-gray eyes stared at Tang Qiu as she said with detached indifference, “What are you here for?”
Tang Qiu stroked her chin and thought for a moment before replying playfully, “To reminisce.”
“Delphine sent a message asking me to see her.”
Patricia’s expression tightened. She stared at her with deep eyes for a moment before turning around expressionlessly. “Follow me.”
Hadn’t Delphine mentioned that this Dark Elf had only recently come of age? Teasing children is so much fun, Tang Qiu thought with a light chuckle, and followed behind Patricia.
Delphine had sensed Tang Qiu’s group the moment they entered the territory. She had come out to greet them and happened to meet them halfway.
“Long time no see.” Delphine tilted her head, looking at Karen and Mario behind Tang Qiu. A trace of confusion flashed in her light green eyes. “Why didn’t you come alone?”
It was one thing to have a group from the Holy See waiting outside, but now she had brought two of them in. They didn’t welcome other members of the Holy See, a fact the blonde bishop should have known.
Tang Qiu shook her head with a helpless look and sighed, “My current identity is an envoy of the Holy See.”
Delphine blinked. “What kind of envoy?”
“An envoy to negotiate with the Elf Race.”
The smile on Delphine’s face slowly faded. “Oh? Negotiate what?”
Both Mario and Karen noticed the change in Delphine’s expression and grew secretly vigilant.
Tang Qiu wasn’t bothered by Delphine’s change of face. She turned to the two behind her and said in a low voice, “Wait for me here.”
Without giving them a chance to speak, she gave Delphine a meaningful look. “Shall we talk alone?”
Delphine glanced at her, then turned slightly to the side, gesturing for her to enter the treehouse with her.
Due to time and environmental constraints, the newly built treehouses here were not as comfortable as those in the Elven territory. As Tang Qiu and Delphine entered the treehouse, Patricia lowered her eyes in thought and followed them inside.
Delphine glanced at Patricia, who had come in with them, but said nothing. She looked up at Tang Qiu and frowned. “What did you mean just now about being an envoy?”
“It’s nothing.” Tang Qiu knew Delphine would never agree to the Pope’s proposal. Mentioning it would likely only deepen her disgust for the Holy See, and it wouldn’t be good if it affected their “friendship.”
So, from the very beginning, Tang Qiu had no intention of helping the Holy See negotiate anything with the Elves.
“Just some of the Pope’s absurd ideas.”
Delphine’s face had turned cold the moment she mentioned the Pope, but it softened slightly when she saw that Tang Qiu didn’t seem to intend to relay his message.
Tang Qiu had been watching Delphine’s expression closely. Seeing the coldness in her eyes slowly melt away, she continued, “Actually, I didn’t come here for the Holy See this time.”
Tang Qiu glanced at Patricia. “Your little guardian should have told you, right? So, what do you think of my previous proposal?”
The previous proposal… Delphine smiled faintly. “I’m considering it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought my people here.”
“But I have no intention of helping the Holy See expel the darkness. I need to make that clear to you in advance.”
Tang Qiu lowered her eyes in thought, then said with some helplessness, “You’re too stubborn. If the Holy See is overthrown by the Black Witches and the Statu Continent is completely consumed by darkness, even if the Elves can reclaim the Tree of Life, I’m afraid you’ll only be able to produce Dark Elves in the future.”
Delphine frowned but said nothing.
“The dark forces are insatiably greedy. Do you think the Dark Elves can coexist with them?”
The Black Witches were eccentric and their ideas were insane. Once they controlled this continent and had slaughtered all the humans, their sights would turn to the other races.
What did it matter if the Elves were powerful? Their small population would always be their weakness.
By the same token, the Wolf Race would suffer the same fate.
Only the light could accommodate all races coexisting peacefully on this continent. Darkness would only devour dissenters step by step, ultimately leading to destruction.
The Statu Continent was not without a history of being ruled by darkness. After the gods left, the continent fell under the control of the powerful and united Vampires.
The dark forces could not tolerate outsiders. At that time, every race was prey for the Vampires. The living conditions for the werewolves and elves were even worse than they are now.
And the Black Witches would only be crueler than the Vampires.
Delphine was not unaware of what Tang Qiu was saying. She and Faye both knew full well what this continent would become if the Black Witches succeeded.
It was just… they didn’t trust the Holy See.
Seeing Delphine’s expression soften slightly, Tang Qiu knew she was also worried about the coming darkness. She smiled faintly and said, “Suppressing the darkness requires the power of the Holy See.”
Her tone shifted. “However, after the darkness is suppressed, the Holy See doesn’t have to be the same Holy See.”
Delphine looked up, meeting Tang Qiu’s gaze, and said calmly, “How can you guarantee that?”
Tang Qiu leaned forward slightly, her sky-blue eyes filled with sincerity. “The real threat to the Elf Race has always been the Vampire forces behind the Pope. If we join forces…” She made a wiping gesture with her hand.
The Holy See had seized the Tree of Life on the Vampires’ orders. It was the Vampires who had always needed the Elf Fruit.
Delphine slowly lowered her gaze, thinking for a moment before suddenly asking, “What is your objective?” Her gaze toward Tang Qiu held a hint of inquiry. “Do you want to be the Pope?”
The Vampire forces behind the Pope were powerful and mysterious. If they were easy to deal with, Delphine would have joined forces with Faye to act long ago.
But now, the blonde bishop had set her mind on it. She seemed to have no connection to these Vampires. Other than wanting to become the Pope, Delphine couldn’t think of any other reason.
Tang Qiu knew that if she didn’t resolve the question in Delphine’s heart, she would never gain her trust. “This has nothing to do with the papacy.” She paused, then said calmly, “It’s just that those Vampires are threatening the safety of the most important person to me.”
“Oh?”
“Do you remember that vampire who was with me?” Tang Qiu lowered her eyes and said faintly, “A third-generation vampire named Eden has been trying to capture her.”
A flash of understanding crossed Delphine’s eyes. “You killed Evan?”
Tang Qiu didn’t hide it, nodding lightly.
This surprised Delphine. She tapped her fingers on the table, lost in thought for a moment, before saying gravely, “I think there’s something you should know.”
“Among the Vampire forces behind the Pope, Evan is nothing.”
Tang Qiu frowned. She indeed didn’t know much about this. Although she knew of an Elder Eden, she didn’t really know the full extent of this vampire’s background. She looked at Delphine quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Delphine pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “The true Vampire power behind him is the entire Xi-Tai Clan.”
“Eden is just one third-generation elder in the Xi-Tai Clan.”
A clan had more than one elder. And although it was said that the second-generation vampires had fallen into slumber after the Holy War, a second-generation vampire had participated in the assassination of the Pope over a thousand years ago. Though, Delphine had heard that particular second-generation vampire was from the Tzimisce Clan.
Tang Qiu was stunned for a moment, her eyes darkening. She hadn’t expected the entire Xi-Tai Clan to be involved in the creation of hybrids.
Facing the pressure of an entire clan was much more daunting than dealing with a single third-generation elder.
Tang Qiu was silent for a while, then raised a hand to rub her brow. Her voice was soft but her tone was firm. “Although it’s more troublesome than I imagined, my mind hasn’t changed.”
If she didn’t eliminate them, Lucille would always be in danger.
Delphine looked at Tang Qiu and said softly, “I will seriously consider your proposal.”
This concerned the survival of the Elf Race; she had to decide carefully.
Tang Qiu hadn’t expected Delphine to make a decision immediately. She had only come this time to test her reaction. Learning about Eden’s background was an unexpected gain.
The atmosphere in the treehouse suddenly fell silent. Delphine, deep in thought, suddenly remembered something. She took an envelope from her Space Gem and placed it next to Tang Qiu’s hand. “By the way, this is for you.”
Tang Qiu glanced down at it. “What is this?”
Delphine gestured for her to take it, her expression somewhat strange. “I don’t know either. Someone asked me to pass it on to you.”
Tang Qiu opened it and glanced at the signature, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Nevertheless, she put the letter into her Space Gem.
Comments
Post a Comment