CA - Chapter 184
Chapter 184
The ice field was vast and free of obstacles, so Tang Qiu quickly found Faye's dwelling on her own.
It was the same simple and unadorned igloo, with nothing special about it. The wooden door of the igloo was open as if welcoming a guest.
Tang Qiu stopped at the entrance and only stepped inside after the person within noticed her. Her tone was gentle and natural as she called out, "Clan Leader Faye."
Faye wasn't surprised to see Tang Qiu. She gave her a slight nod. "Bishop Grace."
She walked over to an ice chest, bent down, and took out a glass cup. The cup was coated in frost, and inside was a liquor that gave off a crisp, clear aroma. Faye handed the cup to Tang Qiu with a smile. "Care to try some?"
Tang Qiu went over and took the cup. She lowered her head and sniffed it, finding the aroma of the alcohol unusually strong. She raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What is this?"
"It's a liquor brewed from Dian fruit. The young werewolves are very fond of it."
Faye took a cup for herself, tilted her head back for a drink, and then raised her glass to Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu glanced at her, smiled, and brought the cup to her lips. The first sensation was a biting cold. She tilted her head back and took a sip. The icy liquid traveled down her throat, but upon reaching her stomach, it slowly grew warm.
The liquor the werewolves drank was stronger than what was available outside, but the taste was quite good. Lucille would definitely like it more, Tang Qiu thought. She rubbed the frost on the outside of the cup, the corners of her lips curling into a pleasant arc. "This is very good wine," she praised.
Faye smiled faintly. "I'm glad you like it."
Her gaze towards Tang Qiu was completely open, devoid of any schemes or calculations. Of course, there were no feelings related to kinship, either.
Faye's frankness was somewhat surprising to Tang Qiu. She held up the envelope Delphine had given her and waved it slightly. "Did Clan Leader Faye invite me here just for a drink?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Of course not." Faye set down her glass and pondered for a moment as if organizing her thoughts. "I heard you intend to ally with the Elf Race to fight the Black Witches, is that right?"
"Delphine said you promised to help the Elves reclaim the Tree of Life?"
Tang Qiu nodded. "We did indeed make such an agreement, but Delphine is actually still considering it." The Elf Race and the Wolf Race were in constant communication, so Tang Qiu wasn't surprised that Faye knew about this.
"Delphine has a stubborn and cautious personality, so it's normal for her to hesitate." Faye looked at Tang Qiu with a gentle expression and said with a smile, "But I'm different from her. Would you consider an alliance with the Wolf Race?"
"Oh?" Tang Qiu raised her eyes to meet Faye's and asked impassively, "What kind of alliance?"
After deciding to accept the invitation, Tang Qiu had been pondering Faye's motives. Faye already knew she wasn't the original person, but she likely didn't know that Tang Qiu had learned this from Delia. Tang Qiu had always assumed Faye would try to scheme against her on this front, but she never expected Faye wouldn't even mention their relationship.
An alliance? Did Faye also want the Tree of Life?
But this time, Tang Qiu guessed wrong. The Wolf Race leader, who would collude with Vampires for the sake of her clan's propagation, had always possessed astonishing courage, and her ambitions were never small. "Darkness is descending, and all the races of the continent have been affected, but the Holy See is undoubtedly the one most impacted."
"The Pope has been on the throne for nearly two hundred years, hasn't he?" Faye's lips curled slightly, her smile deepening. "If I'm not mistaken, he's preparing to abdicate, isn't he?"
Although the change in the papacy was a secret to the outside world, someone like Faye had already guessed the reason after seeing the Pope summon the bishops to the Central Church.
A thought stirred in Tang Qiu's mind, and she vaguely guessed Faye's intention. She rubbed the cup in her hand and nodded with a smile. "You're right."
"So, do you want to be the Pope?"
Faye watched her with a gentle, smiling expression, but her sky-blue eyes were filled with ambition. "The Pope's heir is young and inexperienced, and the upper echelons are chaotic and corrupt. The only thing that can stop you from ascending to the papacy is the Tzimisce clan behind the Pope."
"How about we join forces and uproot the Tzimisce clan?"
Faye's proposal coincided with what Tang Qiu had said when trying to persuade Delphine. She lowered her gaze slightly, not agreeing at once. Instead, she contemplated for a moment before asking in a calm tone, "Your objective?"
Faye smiled faintly. "My objective is to see the Holy See return to the right path. Only if there is light on the continent can the Wolf Race continue to survive."
If darkness controls this continent, the Wolf Race's living space will shrink until they face extinction.
Delphine didn't trust the Holy See, and neither did Faye. But there was one difference between Faye and Delphine: Faye trusted Tang Qiu, and she was more willing to take a gamble.
The nature of the Wolf Race and the Elf Race was different. The death or injury of the Elf Queen would be a devastating blow to the Elves, which was why Delphine was so cautious and unwilling to take risks before giving birth to the next Elf Queen. But the Wolf Race was different. Even if she died, the Wolf Race would have a new leader.
Faye's philosophy was basically in line with Tang Qiu's. It was just that Faye was a profound person, difficult to fathom. So, Tang Qiu still considered it for a moment before nodding. "You've thought it through very clearly. Only light can allow the Wolf Race to continue."
She tilted her head back and drank the rest of the liquor in her cup, then blinked at Faye and said softly, "Could I have some more of this wine?"
This was a signal of her agreement to the alliance. Faye smiled knowingly and casually tossed over a Space Gem. "If you like it, you can send me a message anytime."
Tang Qiu caught the Space Gem and smiled slightly, her sky-blue eyes clear and gentle. "I will."
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning "Grace." Tang Qiu had transmigrated and occupied someone else's body, but it wasn't her wish. The situation also involved the Wolf Race's prophecy and Ophelia, who had indirectly caused all of this. It was too complicated to sort out. Faye's avoidance of the topic actually made Tang Qiu feel more at ease.
She preferred this kind of relationship, based solely on interests without any other factors.
With the alliance established, the atmosphere between Tang Qiu and Faye lost its initial coldness and gradually became more natural. They exchanged some information about the Holy See and the Vampires. Seeing that the sky outside was beginning to lighten, Tang Qiu took the initiative to leave.
But before she left, she thought of something else and decided to give Faye a warning. "I don't know if you're familiar with the witch Glanna from the Anderson Family."
"She's been secretly creating werewolves. I went to Witch City some time ago and discovered she has already succeeded."
Faye narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"
"They're defective products, but they are indeed werewolves who can transform freely." Tang Qiu shook her head slightly. "She has been working with Evan all this time. She must have obtained quite a few Elf Fruits over the past few decades."
Tang Qiu felt that the "werewolves" she had seen in Witch City last time were definitely not all of them.
Not long after leaving the igloo, she saw Erin, Eva, and the others waiting nearby. Tang Qiu glanced around and noticed that the Black Witches from the Morgan Family were gone.
Elder Winnie had said something to Erin, and Erin still looked preoccupied after seeing Tang Qiu.
After politely declining Eva and Jemma's offer to escort them back, Tang Qiu said a reluctant goodbye to Jemma and left the ice field with Erin. The surrounding temperature returned to normal, and some color returned to Erin's pale face.
She stroked the little furball in her sleeve and said to Tang Qiu, "Elder Winnie said Glanna has assembled a monster army and plans to wage war on the Holy See."
It wasn't surprising that Glanna would do such a thing, as it had always been her goal. Tang Qiu turned her head to look at Erin's expression and asked, "Then what is the Morgan Family's stance?"
Erin scratched her head. "Elder Winnie said the Morgan Family will not participate in the war between the Holy See and the Black Witches."
Tang Qiu frowned. "Then what are they doing with the Wolf Race?"
"It seems they didn't come to see Faye." Erin glanced back, where she could still faintly see the silhouette of the ice field. "Werewolves have long lifespans, but their combat strength declines with age. Deep within the werewolf territory live many elderly or injured werewolf elders."
"Elder Winnie seems to be acquainted with them." Erin looked baffled as she said this; she had never heard of any relationship between Black Witches and werewolves.
If Erin didn't know much about the Morgan Family, Tang Qiu knew even less. Skipping over their connection with the werewolves, Tang Qiu looked at Erin and asked, "Then what did she say to you?"
Erin was silent for a moment before sighing. "She wanted me to go back to Witch City with her."
"Oh?"
"She said it would be better for me to return to Witch City." Elder Winnie didn't explain why, so Erin was still a bit confused. "It's not that she wanted to hand me over to Glanna, just that she wanted me to go to their territory."
Tang Qiu frowned. "It's also possible she's tricking you."
Erin rubbed the little furball's head inside her sleeve and nodded. "That's why I refused."
She had been betrayed too many times and no longer dared to trust others so easily.
Besides, with darkness so rampant, she couldn't just think about hiding herself away.
Not long after Tang Qiu left, Faye also emerged from the igloo. She walked under the warm sunlight to the northwest corner of the ice field, a place much more remote and desolate than the other areas.
Faye pushed open the door of an igloo. The inside was cold and covered in dust. Her gaze swept around the room and finally landed on a white wolf curled up in a corner. The wolf's fur was dull, and it looked extremely listless.
Hearing the door, the white wolf stirred but didn't get up.
Faye walked over, lowered her gaze, and stared at the white wolf for a moment before calling out in a low voice, "Ophelia."
The white wolf buried its head in its paws, motionless.
Faye crouched down and stroked the white wolf's ear. She parted the fur on the side of its neck, glanced at it, and asked, "Have your injuries healed?"
"...Why did you only come to see me now?" The white wolf's voice was hoarse. She rested her head by Faye's feet and accused her aggrievedly, "Are you angry because I hurt Grace? But she hurt me later, too."
Faye stroked the white wolf's neck and said flatly, "Grace is already dead."
The white wolf froze and lifted its head. "What?"
"Killed by your own hands."
"...I didn't." The white wolf was in disbelief. "I didn't kill her."
Faye didn't want to explain too much to Ophelia. She just stroked her ear with a blank expression. When her mother was pregnant with Ophelia, she was severely injured by Vampires while fighting for an Elf Fruit. As a result, Ophelia was born with a very weak constitution.
Because of her frail body, Ophelia couldn't live with the other young werewolves. Aside from the Wolf Race elders, the person she saw most often was Faye herself.
It could be said that Ophelia's dependence on Faye was directly related to Faye's indulgence. Ophelia's mind had never matured.
It was also because she had been raised in a restricted area due to her poor health since childhood that Ophelia empathized so deeply with Delia's experiences. Faye had only seen Delia as a plaything, and there was no harm in letting her keep Ophelia happy for a while.
It was just that the plaything had become disobedient, leading to the current situation.
"Do you remember Glanna?" Faye lifted the white wolf's chin, forcing it to look into her eyes, and said flatly, "She used the wolf villagers you gave her to create a werewolf army."
The white wolf's eyes were vacant. "...Sh-she lied to me. She said she had a resurrection array."
"I wanted to resurrect Dini..."
Faye frowned. "Is Dini that important?"
The white wolf lowered its head dejectedly and fell silent.
Faye stared at the white wolf for a while, then let go. She tossed her a few bottles of Holy Water of Light to help her recover and turned to leave.
She hadn't yet returned to her own igloo when a rush of footsteps came from behind. She turned her head and saw it was Fanny. "What is it?"
Fanny stopped, frowning. "Ophelia ran off."
Faye wasn't surprised by this. She just nodded and said in a flat tone, "Send a few people to follow her."
As she spoke, she walked towards her igloo. "Let her clean up the mess she made herself."
Fanny watched Faye's back, fell silent for a moment, then followed and asked tentatively, "We're not going to help her?"
She wasn't worried about Ophelia, but about the fact that Ophelia alone couldn't possibly deal with the entire Anderson Family.
That's right, the entire Anderson Family. When Fanny had overheard Faye say that Glanna was creating werewolves, killing intent had already risen within her.
"No rush. We'll talk after they come out of Witch City." Faye paused, a cold glint flashing in her sky-blue eyes. "Those who defile the werewolf bloodline must be prepared to pay the price."
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