The First Pope - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Before the elves left, they opened all the iron cages in the town. But the humans, having been locked up for so long, were like startled birds. They were afraid of Cynthia, Chelsea, and the others, worried this was some new trick by the vampires. Very few dared to run out of the cages.

They had witnessed vampires slaughtering each other before. If they tried to escape during the chaos, death would be their only reward. But if they were obedient, they had a small chance of survival as "food."

The cage doors were wide open, yet few people ran out, which gave Chelsea and the others a headache.

Nobi City sent people to the various towns every day to select new blood slaves. They couldn't stay here forever. The elves were gone, and if another sixth-generation vampire showed up, Chelsea felt their luck wouldn't hold out a second time.

A few witches gathered to discuss the matter and decided to first call the humans out of their cages. There were over a thousand of them in the town, and Chelsea's group couldn't bear to just leave them behind.

Vampires were cruel by nature. Having lost a sixth-generation member, they would surely demand more blood and death to appease their anger. The idea that obedience could ensure survival was truly laughable.

While the witches were rescuing the humans, Cynthia did not participate. Instead, she was searching the vampire corpses with her longsword.

Cynthia had seen plenty of bloody scenes of beasts hunting their prey, and she was no stranger to the sight of mangled bodies. But this was the first time she had seen a human corpse.

Although the bodies lying before her belonged to vampires, they didn't seem all that different from humans after death.

She rummaged around on a vampire's body with the sharp tip of her sword for a moment, then cut the cord of a Space Gem hanging at its waist, knocking it to the ground. Cynthia searched through her own Space Gem for a long time before finding a handkerchief. She used it to pick up the Space Gem from the ground and inspected its contents, shaking her head in slight dissatisfaction.

These vampires' Space Gems were filled almost exclusively with blood, or some dark, ominous-looking blades.

In Cynthia's eyes, it was all garbage.

Cynthia looked up, scanned her surroundings, and quickly found her next target. She walked toward the garden bushes, where Viscount Bert's obese body was stuck, looking both pitiful and comical.

A long green arrow was embedded in his chest, and his stiff arm was raised above his head, as if he had been wiping sweat from his brow before he died.

Although Viscount Bert had always longed to become a vampire, he had died a human. Thus, the contents of his Space Gem were far more varied than those of the vampires.

Cynthia took one look, and her brow smoothed, a smile gracing her lips.

"What are you doing?" Betty had noticed Cynthia's strange behavior for a while. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she ran over to ask.

She still remembered how this silver-haired God Race member had effortlessly severed the chains. Betty felt the woman was shrouded in a veil of mystery that constantly drew her closer.

"I'm seeing if there's anything useful in their Space Gems." Cynthia pulled a soft piece of bread from Viscount Bert's Space Gem and gave a playful wink with her golden eyes. "See? Food."

She had thought so. There was no way Viscount Bert's physique came from drinking blood. The amount of food in this Space Gem could feed several hundred people for a week.

Besides the food, there were also many clothes made of soft fabrics. Cynthia took out a white cloak with even softer fur and put it on. Her long silver hair cascaded smoothly down her back. The dim, yellowed sky didn't seem to affect her. Betty stared at Cynthia, a ridiculous thought crossing her mind that the person before her was glowing.

She shook her head, casting the strange idea aside, and asked with interest, "Is there anything else in there?"

Cynthia rummaged for a moment and pulled out a ruby necklace, her expression subtle. "There's this."

There were also many gems of various colors and gold bars inside.

It seemed that no matter how harsh the living conditions, humans could never give up such things.

The ruby was clear and translucent, its luster alluring. Lying in Cynthia's palm, it made her skin appear even fairer.

Betty paused for a moment, then reached out and took the ruby necklace. She held the gem up between her thumb and forefinger, squinting as she looked at the overcast sky through it.

The gloomy, dark sky was tinged with a faint red in her vision. Betty's lips curved into a slight smile, her tone noticeably gentler as she said, "When I was little, I secretly read the clan's ancient texts. I found out the Sitatul Continent wasn't always like this."

Cynthia glanced at Betty and asked with a smile, "What was it like?"

"In the past, the Sitatul Continent had both light and darkness. Different races lived in their own territories without interfering with each other, including humans and vampires."

"Although monsters often appeared on the Sitatul Continent, they would quickly be dealt with by the gods. The gods sometimes had friction and would occasionally start wars, but they protected this continent."

Betty lowered the ruby, her eyes fixed on her feet as her tone suddenly grew somber. "But in the end, the gods abandoned the Sitatul Continent."

Cynthia had been wanting to learn about this continent's history but hadn't found the chance. Now that Betty had brought it up, she certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity. "Why did the gods abandon this continent?"

"It's unclear. The ancient texts only recorded that they left the Sitatul Continent to go to the Divine Realm, without mentioning the reason." Betty frowned, her earlier lightheartedness gone, replaced by a hint of pique and dissatisfaction. "Perhaps sealing all the first-generation vampires before they left was their final act of mercy to the Sitatul Continent."

But what was the use?

After the gods left, the Sitatul Continent collapsed. The sky fell, the earth split, rivers dried up, and the harsh climate was no longer suitable for human survival. Even the elves and werewolves were affected. Only the vampires could adapt quickly, no matter how harsh the environment.

Even though the gods had sealed the first-generation vampires, the vampires, under the leadership of the second generation, quickly took control of the Sitatul Continent. With blood as their food, all other races became their prey.

The centuries following the gods' departure were the darkest time for the Sitatul Continent. Humans and witches struggled to survive and flee from the vampires' pursuit. Werewolves and elves were the only two races that could contend with the vampires, but due to reproduction issues, they could only remain in their territories and bide their time. As for the rumoredly most mysterious God Race Descendants, they were, in fact, just pitiful fugitives.

No one knew when the God Race Descendants had appeared. It seemed that by the time they were first discovered, the Sitatul Continent had already fallen into the hands of the vampires.

Moreover, the number of God Race members was even smaller than that of the werewolves and elves. Besides their blood being highly favored by vampires, no one knew what other abilities they possessed.

Over a hundred years ago, perhaps because the vampires had grown bored, ten clans led by the Ventrue chose to withdraw from Sitatul and return to the Blood Domain. However, one or two clans refused to leave and continued to cause chaos on the continent.

But the large-scale withdrawal of the vampires did give the other races some breathing room.

"The Sitatul Continent shouldn't stay like this," Betty sighed, speaking in a low voice. "I want to change it."

After saying this, she touched her nose, a little embarrassed. Betty didn't know why she was telling someone she had just met so much. She stole a glance at Cynthia and asked quietly, "Do you think my idea is ridiculous?"

When she had mentioned this to the elders in her clan, they had always mocked her for being too naive.

Cynthia shook her head and smiled gently. "No." If no one on this continent had such thoughts, then this continent would never change.

Receiving encouragement from Cynthia made Betty happy. She stroked the ruby, the gloom in her heart lifting, and said with a helpless smile, "Unfortunately, I'm too weak. I was captured right after leaving my territory."

In truth, being captured had been a significant blow to Betty. But after seeing those elves, hope had rekindled in her heart. Their witch clan would grow stronger too.

Cynthia didn't know what she was thinking. Seeing her dejected expression, she comforted her, "It's okay. Wasn't I captured by your friend too?"

"It was a bit risky, but we're still alive."

Betty, who had just asked Chelsea about Cynthia's identity, already knew how they had met. She shook her head with a light laugh and tried to defend her friend. "Chelsea isn't really that cold-blooded."

She had just asked. Chelsea said she had captured Cynthia because she was curious, having met a God Race member for the first time, and also because… she needed someone to give her directions at the time.

As for whether she would have handed Cynthia over to find out where they were being held, Chelsea wouldn't have resorted to such a terrible method unless it was a last resort.

Unaware that Betty and Cynthia were talking about her, Chelsea saw that the humans had mostly gathered and waved to the two of them, signaling that it was time to leave.

They couldn't bring these humans with them indefinitely. Betty took out a map and studied it for a while, deciding to take them to Snochi Valley.

Snochi Valley was some distance from Nobi City. It was remote, and few vampires ever set foot there. If they were lucky, the humans could live there without being easily discovered.

However, leading over a thousand people to Snochi Valley was an incredibly arduous task.

Not long after they had left Stone Town, while trying to cross a dense forest, they encountered three seventh-generation vampires wandering about.

These vampires had followed the scent. Seeing the massive crowd of people, they felt no threat. Instead, they grew excited. "Have I stumbled into a party hosted by Nobi City?"

A gray-haired vampire's greedy gaze swept over the crowd. When he saw Cynthia and the others at the back, he paused, his nose twitching a few times. "...Brujah? No… this scent is a bit strange," he said with surprise.

The Brujah were the most skilled fighters among the vampire clans and had notoriously bad tempers. Even seventh and eighth-generation members were much stronger than those of other clans.

Many vampires preferred not to encounter members of this clan.

The scent from the pouch Chelsea had given Cynthia had faded over time, so even a seventh-generation vampire noticed something was off.

While the vampires hesitated, Chelsea, hidden under her cloak, slightly raised her staff and began to chant in a low voice.

Betty and the other witches did the same. Gray mist appeared above their heads, slowly coalescing into a humanoid shape. A giant hand reached out to grab the vampires.

"It's witches." The moment the gray mist appeared, one of the vampires recognized them. They dodged the gray shadow. Remembering the rumors that witches' blood was also very sweet, the greed in their eyes intensified.

The gray mist formed a barrier overhead. Cynthia pushed her hood up slightly, looking thoughtfully at Chelsea and Betty beside her.

Their chanting was very quiet. Cynthia focused, trying to repeat a few lines, but it had no effect. She frowned and recited a few more lines. She didn't know which syllable it was, but when she uttered it, her palm suddenly grew hot.

White light swirled around her fingertips. Cynthia watched it curiously for a moment, wanting to shape the white light into a form like the gray shadow, but she couldn't figure out the trick no matter how she tried.

Judging from the Silver Knight who was ignited by white light and turned to ash, the God Race was not without abilities. It was just that she had no related memories in her mind, so she couldn't find a way to use them.

She had to find other God Race members. This continent was too dangerous. Without the ability to protect herself, she couldn't dispel the shadow of death hanging over her head. Cynthia didn't think her luck would always be this good.

As long as it wasn't a sixth-generation vampire, the witchcraft of Chelsea, Betty, and the others was enough to handle them, though it would take some time.

While Chelsea and Betty were directing the gray shadow to entangle the vampires, a few other witches put down their staves, took out many materials Cynthia didn't recognize, and knelt on the ground, quickly sorting and mixing them. Their hands moved so fast it was dazzling to watch.

"A little faster," Betty stopped chanting and urged in a low voice.

A witch carefully poured some ground powder onto the ground, sketching out a small formation. "It's ready. Northwest direction."

Chelsea and Betty directed the gray shadow to drag the vampire to the formation's activation point. Cynthia caught sight of another lone vampire out of the corner of her eye and reminded them in a low voice, "There's one more on the right."

Chelsea nodded and was about to direct the gray shadow over, but another gray shadow appeared out of nowhere, knocked hers aside, and then fiercely pounced on the vampire.

Chelsea's hand paused, and she frowned in displeasure.

"What's wrong?" Cynthia keenly noticed Chelsea's unusual reaction and asked.

Chelsea didn't speak, but Betty at her side suddenly lowered her staff and exclaimed with delight, "It's Eunice!"

After the suddenly appearing gray shadow tackled the vampire, a gray-eyed girl in a red robe walked out of the woods. She was twirling a dagger in her hand and boldly approached the entangled vampire, intending to plunge the dagger into its chest.

But the vampire's speed and reflexes were far superior to a witch's. Eunice's attack failed, and instead, the vampire scratched her arm. Blood soaked through her sleeve, and the pain made Eunice's expression twist. "Damn it."

Chelsea expressionlessly moved her fingers. Another gray shadow wrapped around the vampire and pushed it into the formation. A black light flashed above the array, and the trapped vampire vanished in the blink of an eye.

Cynthia looked in the direction the vampire had disappeared, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Where did he go?"

"Teleported away." Chelsea lowered her staff and explained, "It's a small teleportation array. The destination is unknown, but it should be very far from us."

Very few of the witchcraft and formations they studied could directly kill an enemy; most were survival techniques like this.

"Who told you to teleport him away, Chelsea?" Eunice stared gloomily at the blood that had already trickled down to her palm and gritted her teeth. "He hurt me. I was going to rip out his heart and chop it to pieces."

"Too much trouble," Chelsea replied flatly. "This is simpler."

Eunice snorted contemptuously. "Coward." She shot Chelsea a cold glare, then her gaze shifted to Cynthia beside her. Her eyes narrowed, and her tone was strange. "God Race?"

Eunice had seen through the witchcraft Chelsea had used to change the color of Cynthia's eyes at a single glance.

Faced with Eunice's malicious scrutiny, Cynthia simply smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Hello, my name is Cynthia. I'm…" Her gaze flickered between Chelsea and Betty before settling on the latter. "Betty's friend."

Betty stepped in just in time to ease the tension. She put away her staff and ran to Eunice's side, looking at her arm with a worried expression. "Vampires are so dangerous, why did you get so close?"

She carefully supported Eunice's arm. "Let me bandage it for you."

Towards Betty, Eunice's hostility lessened considerably. She sat down as Betty suggested, her other hand restlessly checking Betty for injuries. "Serves you right for getting caught without waiting for me," she said, feigning anger.

Her words weren't polite, but her tone was much more affectionate than before.

Cynthia stroked her chin, amused by Eunice's starkly different attitudes towards Chelsea and Betty. "Aren't you friends? She doesn't seem to like you very much."

Eunice leaned on Betty's shoulder, watching her bandage the wound, occasionally glancing their way with a look of heavy hostility.

Cynthia felt that this hostility was definitely not directed at her.

"We are not friends," Chelsea said coldly. "And I don't like her."

She fell silent for a moment, then muttered under her breath, "She's a madwoman."

She, Betty, and Eunice had grown up together, but from the moment they met, she and Eunice had disliked each other. Eunice's actions were too extreme for Chelsea's taste.

Although this was the first time Cynthia had met Eunice, she strongly agreed with Chelsea's words. "She certainly seems quite mad," she said with a smile.

As they were speaking, a little girl under the age of ten ran out from where Eunice had emerged. Her red robe was torn by branches, and there were scratches on her face. She looked utterly disheveled.

The little girl rubbed her sore legs, looking around for something. Her search stopped when she saw Betty, and she lowered her hands and ran towards her.

Cynthia watched the little girl's back and asked, "That is…"

"Eunice's sister, Camille." Chelsea averted her gaze and said expressionlessly, "What a terrible day."

She would rather face a sixth-generation vampire than have to deal with these two.

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