The First Pope - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After the collapse of the Sitatul Continent, humanity's former homeland was destroyed along with it. The cities that existed now were all built by the Vampires to more conveniently control the continent.

But the Vampires, after all, preferred to live in their own territories. They had built fewer than a hundred cities, leaving most of the Sitatul Continent as desolate wasteland.

Although the distance between Hatz City and Ochester was only a handspan on the map, in reality, it took Cynthia and her group over a month of traveling day and night to finally reach it.

And this was only because Susan had her knights bypass Death Valley to bring them a carriage, allowing them to travel by vehicle.

Ochester was not the name of a city, nor was it the name of a mountain or a plain. It was an area specifically designated by the Vampires, known as Ochester, or more accurately, the Ochester Swamp.

Unlike the Slade Sea Region, which was also named by the Vampires and had several cities built nearby, the land of Ochester not only had no cities, but even the Vampires themselves were reluctant to set foot there.

This was because it contained a death swamp where even a sixth-generation vampire could lose their life if they stepped in carelessly.

Not to mention the monsters that slumbered there, fond of the environment.

However, such a dangerous place had its advantages for Cynthia and her group: they wouldn't encounter any Vampires here.

As long as they avoided the death swamp and the slumbering places of the monsters, they could pass through Ochester without alerting the fourth-generation vampire in Manden City and continue heading west.

To this end, the witches had begun studying maps on the road and had even used divination several times, making all necessary preparations to cross Ochester.

But Susan had little faith in them. The moment she stepped into Ochester, the grave expression on her face never faded.

Having grown up in Hatz City and dealt frequently with Vampires, her understanding of Ochester was far more reliable than that of these witches, who had only heard of it but never truly been there.

She knew just how dangerous this place was.

Susan turned her head to look at the silver-haired God Race member beside her and advised for what felt like the hundredth time, "We've only just entered, so there's still a chance to turn back. Ochester is really not as simple as these witches think."

Cynthia was observing the environment. Hearing Susan's words, she nodded casually, then looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and said thoughtfully, "Is the weather here always like this?"

The weather in Ochester was unlike that of Nobi City or Hatz City near the Slade Sea Region, which had occasional sunny days and frequent downpours. Here, the sky was perpetually gloomy, with a ceaseless drizzle. The moisture in the air was so thick it made breathing feel a bit difficult.

Moreover, they had been in Ochester for some time, but Cynthia noticed the sky remained a constant gray, with no clear distinction between day and night.

The difference between this place and the Slade Sea Region was quite stark.

Seeing that Cynthia had completely ignored her well-intentioned advice, Susan was speechless. But since her life was now in someone else's hands, and her persuasion was ineffective, she could only order her knights to scout ahead.

"Why must you all come to Ochester?" Susan lifted her cumbersome skirt, her feet treading on the soft, slippery ground as she walked forward with some difficulty.

She had long lost her former radiance. Her beautiful dress was stained with dirt, the white boots on her feet were almost dyed black by the mud, and her hair, damp with moisture, stuck to the sides of her face, making her look utterly wretched.

The witches were faring much better than her, but the moisture had still dampened their clothes and hair. Only Cynthia remained as she always was. Her moon-white robes seemed to glow with a holy light against the gray sky, and her silver boots remained pristine and white, unstained even after stepping into the muddy water.

Susan and Jenny were both human, their constitutions weaker than those of the God Race and the witches. Seeing their faces had already turned a little pale, Cynthia chanted a spell and summoned two barriers to envelop them.

The barriers blocked out the moisture. Jenny and Susan's breathing became easier, and their complexions gradually improved.

Susan hadn't expected to receive a barrier herself. She was momentarily stunned but quickly returned to normal, asking Cynthia the same unanswered question again, "I said, why did you all have to come here?"

On the road, Susan had tried to probe them, both overtly and covertly, but she still couldn't figure out why they had to come to a place as dangerous as Ochester.

Susan stared at Cynthia for a while, initially thinking she would get no answer this time either. But to her surprise, Cynthia actually responded, "We're going west, so we have to pass through Ochester."

Susan frowned, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be faster to go through Manden City? And less dangerous."

Cynthia glanced at her and said with amusement, "City Lord Susan, are you not clear on whether Manden City is dangerous or not?"

Her thoughts seen through once again, Susan pouted in annoyance. As a human, her stamina was limited, and her legs already felt too heavy to lift. Susan waved a hand at Cynthia and, ignoring the mud on the ground, sat down to rest.

Cynthia called out to Betty and the others walking ahead, deciding to take a short break there.

The witches' divination had a certain probability of helping them avoid potential dangers. While Susan and the others rested, the witches found an open space and began to perform their divinations.

Chelsea was the most skilled at divination among the witches. Cynthia was about to walk over to her but suddenly stopped halfway.

Betty, who was following her, saw her stop and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Cynthia took out the Divine Stone Sarah had given her from her Space Gem. The small white stone was now flashing with a dazzling golden light, and Cynthia could even feel it growing warm.

"What-what's wrong with it?" Betty asked, looking at the Divine Stone in Cynthia's palm in astonishment.

"It seems to have sensed something," Cynthia said with a frown, her fingertips gently stroking the Divine Stone.

The commotion on their side attracted the attention of the others. Sarah came running over, looked at the Divine Stone, and said in an excited tone, "There's a God Race Descendant nearby."

She grabbed the Divine Stone and said happily to Cynthia, "My grandmother said that if we encounter another clan member carrying a Divine Stone, it will react just like this."

"Cynthia, we have a clan member nearby!"

Compared to the excited and thrilled Sarah, Cynthia was remarkably calm. She reached out and patted Sarah's shoulder, signaling for her to calm down first, and said in a deep voice, "Let's see the witches' divination results first."

Having a member of the God Race nearby was indeed good news, but not if the land they were standing on was Ochester.

Cynthia led Sarah towards Chelsea. Her gaze swept over to Susan, who was resting on the ground, and she noted how Susan seemed completely uninterested in their commotion. Her eyes deepened slightly.

Divining good or bad fortune was the most practiced form of divination for the witches, but when the matter being divined exceeded their abilities, the divination would fail.

This time, they were only divining something as simple as whether they would encounter danger ahead, yet the divination unexpectedly failed.

All the witches, including Chelsea, frowned. Sometimes, a failed divination was a result in itself.

But regardless of the divination's outcome, Cynthia had already decided to investigate in the direction indicated by the Divine Stone.

She had a rough idea of why a God Race Descendant would be nearby.

With the decision made, they continued on their way, only changing their direction of travel.

Sarah had gradually calmed down from the joy of finding a clan member. Thinking about the witches' failed divination, she said with some worry, "If we go looking for our clan member, will we encounter any danger?"

Betty comforted her from the side, "Not necessarily. That's not what Chelsea and the others were divining."

Sarah clutched the Divine Stone and said hesitantly, "Are you sure we don't need to divine again?"

As she spoke, she looked at Cynthia's back walking ahead. The witches had wanted to try another divination just now, but Cynthia had stopped them.

Chelsea said coolly from the side, "Divination should only be used in times of uncertainty."

From Cynthia's expression, it seemed she already knew something.

Cynthia led the way with Susan, while the knights, as if sensing potential danger ahead, stayed close by to guard them.

Cynthia toyed with the still-glowing Divine Stone. Her peripheral vision caught Susan's distracted expression. She smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, "Are you worried?"

Susan lifted her skirt, her mood low as she asked, "Worried about what?"

"Worried about encountering Vampires."

Susan paused for a moment. She looked up at Cynthia but said nothing.

Cynthia wasn't looking at her, but at the backs of the knights walking ahead. "You kept saying Ochester is dangerous, but it's not because of the death swamp and the monsters, is it?"

"I heard a fourth-generation vampire came to Manden City, and she's been capturing members of other races on a large scale. You captured Betty and the others to fulfill the Vampires' orders, didn't you?"

Cynthia turned to look at Susan and said flatly, "Those Vampires brought all the captured people here. You knew Vampires would be active in this area recently, which is why you said it was dangerous."

And the God Race member the Divine Stone sensed was likely one of the unfortunate captives.

After she finished speaking, she saw Susan's expression was a bit strange and couldn't help but frown. "Did I say something wrong?"

Susan glanced up at the barrier protecting her from the moisture, remained silent for a moment, then shrugged and said, "Everything you said was right, but there's one thing I need to correct."

"The one in Manden City is no fourth-generation vampire." Susan held up three fingers and enunciated each word, "It's a third-generation Elder."

Seeing Cynthia's brow furrow deeply, she couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. "How about it? It's not too late to turn back now. You might not want your life, but I still want mine."

"If I had known you were coming to Ochester, I wouldn't have even bothered capturing you," Susan said, her face full of regret at the thought.

Now look at the mess. She was caught up in the danger too.

Cynthia glanced at her, smiled faintly, and dispelled her barrier.

Caught off guard, Susan was enveloped by the damp air. She glared at Cynthia several times in anger. "I warned you." It was just that her warning hadn't been very serious.

---

Manden City, located right next to Ochester, was currently shrouded in a thick, blood-red fog. Within the once-simple city, several magnificent castles had appeared out of thin air. Fifth and sixth-generation vampires, and even fourth-generation lords, could be seen everywhere on the streets.

In a white castle situated in the very center of Manden City, a beautiful vampire with long brown hair leaned against a large, comfortable throne. Her right leg was bent, her foot resting on the platform below, and her arm was casually draped over it. Her fair fingers toyed with a dark green stone, but upon closer inspection, one would notice the stone had a peculiar shape.

It resembled both human and beast, with a humanoid upper body and a snake's tail for the lower half.

She idly spun the stone in her hand, glanced sideways at the vampire who had just walked in from outside, and asked, "Where are the people from Hatz City?"

The vampire stopped ten meters from the throne and answered respectfully, "Elder Della, the city lord of Hatz City has gone missing."

Della said with displeasure, "I don't care if she's missing or not. I only care where the people she captured went."

Hatz City had sent word earlier that they had captured some non-humans and were sending them over. She had been waiting patiently for a long time.

The vampire lowered his head and said cautiously, "Those people are also missing."

The stone made a crisp sound as it was tossed onto a table. Della's face turned cold, and the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

From a side door behind her, a man and a woman dressed in black robes emerged. The man heard the vampire's words and said in a deep voice, "Without those few from Hatz City, we don't have enough people. The Dark Magic Array cannot be activated."

Della lowered her leg and sat up a little straighter. She reached out, and a mass of black energy wrapped around the dark green stone on the table and delivered it to her hand. She caressed the stone's cold surface and said impatiently, "Then just capture a few more."

The black-robed man wanted to say something but was stopped by his companion. The black-robed woman pulled down her hood, revealing a cascade of long, grayish-white hair. Her features were somewhat plain, but the color of her pupils was also grayish-white. "The array is complete, Elder Della. When do we depart?"

Della tossed the dark green stone in her hand to the woman, then took out a blue crystal. A low laugh escaped her lips. "Of course... now."

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