CA - Chapter 242

Chapter 242

After the Shas Principality campaign ended, Gabriel refused to return to the Holy See. This led to his various factions within the Central Church being dismantled by the joint efforts of the Saintess and Reese. Eden was one of them.

Eden was a place where darkness festered within the Central Church. Reese loathed it, and almost immediately after taking it down, she had everyone inside arrested and thrown to the Inquisition before sealing the place off.

Led by a squad of Holy Knights, Tang Qiu, Faye, Delphine, and the others ventured deep into the forbidden area of Eden. The closer they got to the location of the Tree of Life, the more they could feel a burgeoning life force mingling actively with the aura of light.

The usually composed Delphine suddenly became emotional. Blinking her pale green eyes, she stared intently in a certain direction, her low voice unable to conceal her excitement. "...The Tree of Life is calling to me."

Her hands hanging at her sides clenched involuntarily. She turned to Tang Qiu, gave her a slight nod, and said quickly in a low voice, "Pardon my rudeness."

With that, she was already heading toward the Tree of Life.

Watching Delphine's retreating back, Faye remarked with some emotion, "These years of her reign haven't been easy."

The plundering of the Tree of Life had a tremendous impact on the Elf Race. Over a thousand years, they lost two Elf Queens, and their population dwindled to less than thirty percent of its peak. Although Delphine always appeared relaxed, Faye knew that she was always prepared to die for the continuation of her people.

"Not anymore." Tang Qiu lowered her gaze to the staff in her hand and said softly, "I was entrusted by someone to give Delphine a gift. With it, the Tree of Life will no longer be affected by anything."

"Oh?" Faye asked curiously, "What gift?"

Tang Qiu smiled slightly but didn't answer directly. Instead, she said softly, "You'll see in a moment."

In the middle of a clear, trickling stream stood a green plant. Its long, slender branches stretched out wantonly under the sunlight, adorned with greenish fruits. The extremely potent life force had nearly cleared out the surrounding aura of light. The moment Tang Qiu and Faye stepped into the area, their spirits were jolted.

The Tree of Life was also very excited upon sensing Delphine. Its slender branches wrapped around her wrist, rubbing against it affectionately. A ripe Elf Fruit, enveloped by leaves, was presented to Delphine as if it were a treasure.

Delphine gently touched the Tree of Life's branches, her eyes tinged with sorrow. She sighed silently. "I can finally take you back to our domain."

After more than a thousand years, the Elf Race was finally going to be at peace again.

"Although the Tree of Life has been well protected, I still cannot forgive the Holy See for this act of thievery." Delphine soothed the Tree of Life with her aura, then turned her head to look at Tang Qiu beside her. Her pale green eyes studied her for a moment before her lips curved into a slight smile, her tone becoming lighthearted again. "However, the Holy See is the Holy See, and you are you."

"Grace, during your tenure as Pope, the Elf Race is willing to restore a friendly alliance with the Holy See."

"That's wonderful." Tang Qiu pointed her staff in Delphine's direction and said jokingly, "I thought that by becoming Pope, I would lose you as a friend."

Seeing Delphine lower her eyes and chuckle, she smiled as well. Tang Qiu stroked the Light Crystal on her staff, pondered for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Someone asked me to give this to you."

She separated the Light Crystal from Cynthia's Staff and handed the crystal to Delphine.

Delphine took it with a bewildered expression, glanced down at it, and asked, somewhat dazed, "...To me?"

Although she didn't recognize the Light Crystal, she had just seen Tang Qiu detach it from Cynthia's Staff with her own eyes.

Cynthia's Staff belonged to the Holy See; its preciousness went without saying. Why was this gem being given to her?

Delphine subconsciously glanced at Faye, who also found it strange. She shook her head at Delphine, indicating her confusion.

"To be precise, it should be given to the Elf Race." Tang Qiu put away the staff, now without its crystal, and said with a smile, "The Tree of Life is easily affected by darkness. Placing this crystal in the stream can purify the darkness for it."

"I think this crystal was probably always with the Elf Race, but it went missing for some reason." Tang Qiu thought for a moment and asked, "Did the Elf Race ever change its territory?"

Delphine frowned. "A thousand years ago, to escape the Holy See's pursuit, the Elf Queen at the time did indeed lead her people to several different territories."

The crystal must have gone missing during that period, and was later found by Kama.

The Light Crystal was a gift from Cynthia to the Elf Queen Olivia, meant to protect the growth of the Tree of Life. It just seemed that Queen Olivia never told her people about the crystal's existence.

Over a thousand years ago, traitors within the Holy See, vying for the position of Pope, went so far as to ally with the Vampires to besiege the Elf Race. But they probably went to their graves never knowing that the crystal from the tip of Cynthia's Staff, which they had coveted and searched for for thousands of years, was with the Elves all along.

Fate has always been so winding and dramatic.

The Light Crystal emitted a faint aura of light. Separated from the staff, the crystal even looked a bit unremarkable. Delphine examined it carefully, then tentatively asked Tang Qiu, "...Can you tell me who asked you to give it to the Elf Race?"

She had an answer in her heart, but it felt somewhat incredible.

Tang Qiu thought for a moment, then replied with a smile, "A member of the Holy See who doesn't wish for such a beautiful race as the Elves to perish."

After speaking, she winked at Delphine.

Delphine was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with a hint of resignation. "Alright, then please thank her on behalf of the Elf Race."

Transplanting the Tree of Life back to the Elven domain was no simple task. Delphine and Faye chose to stay in the Holy See's nation with their people for the time being. After seeing them back to their residence, Tang Qiu was about to return to her own manor when she unexpectedly ran into Elder Winnie and her group on the road.

The guarding Holy Knights saw Winnie and the others and instantly drew their longswords, warily watching their every move.

After the coronation ceremony, the Saintess had sent people to lead the Black Witches away to rest. It was less about resting and more about isolating them from the other guests, with an undertone of surveillance.

The Black Witches had been well-behaved during the ceremony, but that didn't mean the mark of their evil sins could be washed away. After all, the Shas Principality campaign had just ended not long ago.

Even if the Morgan Family had always remained in seclusion, the image of Black Witches as madwomen was deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Although they were constantly being watched, Elder Winnie didn't mind. She had waited by the roadside with her people specifically for Tang Qiu to pass by. As for how she knew Tang Qiu would appear here... the Witches' divination was sometimes more effective than the God Race's prophecies.

"We should be leaving, but I haven't congratulated you yet." Elder Winnie looked at Tang Qiu with a deadpan expression and said, "Congratulations, Pope Grace."

Tang Qiu was startled for a moment upon seeing the group of Black Witches. Then, remembering something, she gestured for the nearby Holy Knights to stand down. She walked over to Elder Winnie and looked down at the little witch standing by her leg, asking thoughtfully, "Is this a little witch from the Garcia Family?"

Elder Winnie nodded. The little witch by her leg looked up at Tang Qiu with curiosity, her eyes not yet tainted by "faith," appearing innocent and pure. However, the leg bone she clutched in her hand somewhat diminished that innocence.

Behind Elder Winnie, a few little witches were huddled together, brandishing a dagger at the air. Their smiles were bright but inexplicably sinister. Tang Qiu glanced in their direction with a peculiar look in her eyes. "Those must be Anderson witches."

Garcia and Anderson witches were that easy to tell apart. Compared to the Garcia, who were driven to a frenzy of faith by their contract with the Blood Demon, the Anderson, who had no such contract, seemed to have wickedness etched into their very bones.

At times like this, Tang Qiu couldn't help but marvel at how rare Erin's normality was.

The adult witches of both families were already dead. It would only take a dozen or so years for these little witches to grow up. Tang Qiu raised a hand to her chin and asked in a neutral tone, "What do you plan to do with the witches from these two families?"

Even knowing that these little witches might cause bloodshed when they grew up, it would be too cruel for Tang Qiu to eliminate them now.

Winnie looked down at the top of the little witch's head and said in a deep voice, "...I will take them into seclusion."

"Oh?" Tang Qiu said with a half-smile. "Can you guarantee they'll still listen to you when they grow up?"

Winnie fell silent.

"Among the witches, I only trust Erin." Tang Qiu withdrew her gaze from the little witch and said flatly, "Erin is in the Dark World right now."

"The Dark World?" The calm on Elder Winnie's face shattered. She lowered her eyes and murmured, "No wonder I could never divine her location..."

"Do you have a way to open the gate to the Dark World?"

"That..." Elder Winnie answered cautiously, "I'll have to go back and study the ancient texts."

"Erin might be the only one who can resolve the contract between the Garcia and the Blood Demon." Seeing a flicker of change in Elder Winnie's expression, Tang Qiu lowered her eyes, handed her a teleportation scroll, and said in a low voice, "Contact me when you find a way."

Her conversation with Elder Winnie had taken some time. By the time Tang Qiu returned to the manor, the sky had completely darkened. The manor entrance was heavily guarded by Holy Knights, and attendant priests were waiting at her bedroom door. Tang Qiu dismissed them all, then pushed open the bedroom door. The room was dark, but her superior werewolf vision allowed her to spot Lucille leaning against the window, reading a book, at a single glance.

Lucille was still wearing the knight's attire she had worn to the ceremony. Perhaps impatient from the influence of the light aura, she had casually unbuttoned a few buttons at her collar. The exposed skin, contrasted by her red hair, appeared exceptionally fair and delicate.

She looks a little tempting, Tang Qiu thought pensively, closing the door behind her as her eyes roamed up and down Lucille's form.

Lucille leaned against the window frame, turned a page, and said flatly without looking up, "You're back late."

"I ran into Elder Winnie on the way." Tang Qiu walked to the cabinet, poured a glass of water, and headed toward Lucille as she drank. "So I was delayed a bit."

Lucille hummed in acknowledgment, her eyes still fixed on the page as if she were deeply interested in its contents.

Tang Qiu glanced at her, then reached out and snatched the book away, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "What book is so captivating?"

"I don't know." Lucille looked up and stared at Tang Qiu for a moment, then suddenly reached out, pulled her closer, and began toying with the tassels on the waist of the papal robes. "I just grabbed it randomly," she said in a low voice.

Tang Qiu looked at Lucille suspiciously. "Then why were you reading it so intently?"

Lucille didn't speak. Her hand had already crept onto Tang Qiu's waist. The papal robes were thick and elaborate, and her hand fumbled for a long time without finding an opening in the hem.

A hand pressed down on Lucille's wrist. Tang Qiu used her index finger to tilt Lucille's chin up. Lucille met Tang Qiu's gaze, but looked away after a second.

The corners of Tang Qiu's lips curved up as she directly exposed Lucille's little scheme. "You're doing this on purpose."

She took Lucille's hand and placed it casually on her own chest. Watching Lucille's eyes darken after a moment of shock, she smiled slightly, leaned down to her ear, and whispered, "Next time, try seducing me like this."

"It's more effective than trying to make me jealous like you just were."

Lucille: "..."

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