The First Pope - Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Late at night, a dense black mist suddenly appeared in the sky above the quiet and silent Mentos Desert. Under the bright moonlight, the mist gradually spread, soon shrouding a patch of the world.
A splash of crimson tore through the black mist, and a group of magnificently dressed, red-eyed vampires walked out. The vampire in the lead had a grim expression, his hair was messy and disheveled, and his chest was stained with blood.
The black mist, torn apart by the crimson, slowly coalesced again. A dark shadow with indiscernible features appeared before Edeli, two eerie green flames flickering faintly where its eyes should be. "You were too reckless, Edeli."
Olivia's longbow arrow was not something one could easily block. Edeli clutched his wound, his eyes cold. His fangs were faintly visible as he spoke. "Shut up. It's not your place to lecture me."
The Grand Elder, having dealt with vampires for years, was accustomed to Edeli's disrespectful attitude. He wasn't angry, but said calmly, "Because of your recklessness, the plan to destroy the Giant God's temple has failed."
Edeli didn't yet know what had happened at the temple. Hearing the Grand Elder's words, he asked with displeasure, "What's wrong with the temple now?"
"A member of the God Race broke into the temple while you were fighting the elves and werewolves. She freed the sacrifices and destroyed the dark array."
Edeli's face darkened. "Weren't you guarding the temple?"
"That God Race member is very strange. She awakened the statues inside the temple, and I was driven out by them."
"Useless trash." Edeli snorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Don't you claim to be the number one dark mage on the Sitatul Continent? You can't even handle a single member of the God Race?"
The Grand Elder was silent for a moment before emphasizing heavily, "I told you, that God Race member is very strange."
Edeli was dismissive. "How strong can one God Race member be?"
The Grand Elder wanted the vampires to take the God Race seriously. Just as he was thinking about how to correct Edeli's perception, a gentle voice suddenly sounded in their ears. "If you hold your enemy in contempt, you will never know where you truly failed."
"How did the Elf Queen's arrow taste, Edeli?"
The space beside the Grand Elder and Edeli tore open, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped out. Her long, snow-white hair cascaded smoothly down her back. The bright moonlight enveloped her, and her powerful aura made the vampires behind Edeli retreat several steps involuntarily.
Edeli frowned upon seeing the newcomer. Although his tone was still unpleasant, his attitude toward her was much better than toward the Grand Elder. "How was I supposed to know Olivia would recover so quickly?"
If he had known that Olivia had recovered eighty percent of her strength, he would have thought twice before provoking her.
"Olivia shouldn't have recovered this quickly." The white-haired woman seemed to recall something. She raised a hand to touch her arm and said, "It's that God Race member by her side. She's been using the Power of Light to regulate her condition."
"Elder Eden is right, that God Race member is very strange." The white-haired woman glanced toward the dark shadow, giving a slight nod as a greeting. "You should have listened to me and sent people to lie in ambush at the temple, waiting for the werewolves and elves to attack Pegel on their own."
But Edeli was too arrogant. Not only did he go and provoke them himself, but he didn't even leave anyone to guard the temple.
The high and mighty Second Generation Vampire had been lectured twice in a row, and by other races he looked down upon, no less. This ignited Edeli's fury. "What, are you here to lecture me too?"
Sensing the dissatisfaction in Edeli's tone, the white-haired woman promptly changed her own, speaking gently, "Of course not. Don't misunderstand, Elder Edeli."
"It's just that we didn't catch that God Race member. I'm worried she'll cause trouble for the vampires in the future."
"This was a perfect opportunity. That God Race member is always with the Elf Queen. Who knows how long we'll have to wait for her to act alone again."
The white-haired woman's softened attitude earned a cold snort from Edeli. He was about to speak when he sensed something and suddenly paused.
The white-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Edeli's face was grim. He didn't speak, but raised his hand slightly. A thick, crimson mist appeared in the empty space beside him. The mist swirled slowly, and an image appeared within it: a luxurious palace, where a blonde, red-eyed vampire sat leaning back in a chair, a white cat with matching red eyes perched on her shoulder.
Upon seeing the blonde vampire in the image, the white-haired woman was the first to speak, offering a pleasantry. "Elder Talia, long time no see."
Talia gave her a slight smile, looking her up and down before raising an eyebrow. "It's been a while, and you've grown stronger."
After speaking, she shifted her gaze, scanning the desert behind them with narrowed eyes. "What are you all doing in the Mentos Desert?"
Her gaze settled on Edeli as she asked, "I noticed the divine power in the Giant God's temple is slowly recovering. What happened?"
Even though they were both Second Generation Vampires, there was still a hierarchy within their race. Talia could be considered the leader of the Lasombra clan, so after a moment of silence, Edeli answered honestly.
After listening, Talia nodded slightly and said nonchalantly, "Well done, Edeli."
Edeli lowered his head and said nothing. The fire of anger burning in his heart had been extinguished the moment Talia appeared.
"So, the dark array in the Giant God's temple needs to be set up again?" Talia said, mocking Edeli, before glancing at the dark shadow.
"Not just the array," Eden said in a low voice. "The sacrifices, too."
Talia's hand, resting on the arm of her chair, curled slightly. Her fingertips tapped a few times, making a dull sound.
The tapping sound seemed to echo in Edeli's heart. Unable to bear the silent atmosphere, he spoke up. "Give me ten days. I'll capture enough sacrifices."
Talia glanced up at him and said flatly, "The werewolves and elves won't give you another chance to occupy Pegel."
On the table beside Talia was a large chessboard, covered with strange, multicolored, yet lifelike statues. She pushed the statue of the Giant God off the board and said, "Forget it. Let's change targets."
She tilted her head, scanning the "pieces" on the board, seemingly contemplating her next target.
From the white-haired woman's angle, she could only see a corner of the board, but that didn't stop her from knowing what it was. Seeing Talia considering her next target, she lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, then a smile touched her lips as she said softly, "No matter which temple you choose as a target, the elves will come to interfere."
Talia glanced up at the white-haired woman, picked up two game pieces, and said unhurriedly, "Mm, so?"
"So, why not give them a little surprise."
"A surprise?"
"Making the Goddess of the Forest's temple the next target—wouldn't that be a big enough surprise for the Elf Race?" The white-haired woman shrugged. "Don't you think Olivia has been a bit too arrogant lately?"
The Goddess of the Forest's temple was located in the Elf Territory. This proposal was tantamount to a direct attack on the Elf Race.
"Olivia… is indeed a problem." Talia casually tossed aside the statue in her hand, then picked up the one of the Goddess of the Forest. She tossed it up slightly before catching it in her fist, saying thoughtfully, "And she has always been one to cause me trouble."
"But dealing with her won't be so easy."
The white-haired woman smiled slightly and said softly, "Of course I'll help you. But, after it's over, the Elf Race's Tree of Life must be mine."
Hearing what she wanted to hear, Talia let out a soft laugh. "As long as we can take care of Olivia, it's all yours."
Olivia had interfered with her plans time and time again. Even considering Olivia's strength, Talia's patience had reached its limit.
Besides, after turning the Sitatul Continent into a Blood Domain, she had no intention of letting the Elf Race survive anyway. So, eliminating them was just a matter of time.
However, although the Elf Race was small in number, they were all powerful and just as troublesome as the werewolves. She would have to deploy her forces carefully.
While Talia and the white-haired woman were discussing targeting the Elf Race, Elder Eden remained silent. Only after they had finished did he say to Talia, "I encountered a Second Generation Vampire at the Giant God's temple. I suspect they were sent by the Ventrue."
Talia's hand, which had been toying with the game piece, paused. The smile on her face froze. She asked in a low voice, "Did you recognize who it was?"
The dark shadow flickered in the wind as if it might dissipate at any moment, but the voice that came from within was as clear as ever. "I have never seen this Second Generation before."
The white-haired woman thought of something and asked, "Did that vampire have red hair?"
Eden was a little surprised. "You saw her too?"
"I have. Her name is Avira. She's been disguised as a human, staying by that God Race member's side." The white-haired woman raised her hand slightly, and a white mist in the air sketched out Avira's likeness.
Edeli looked up, his eyes widening. He gritted his teeth and said, "Avira… Amelia. It was her."
Amelia Ventrue. Hadn't that woman gone into slumber?
After recognizing Avira, Talia's brow furrowed tightly. The white cat, which had been leisurely grooming itself on her shoulder, twitched its ears at the name Amelia and looked up curiously, staring at the figure sketched in the white mist for a moment.
After driving away Edeli and his vampire subordinates, Helen simply moved in with the Wolf Race to occupy the Giant God's temple, preventing them from returning to seize it again.
Olivia also stayed for a while, but seeing that the vampires had no intention of retaking the place, she began to think of leaving.
She had been away from her territory for too long. Since Pegel was very close to the Elf Territory, it was time for her to make a trip back.
But should she take Cynthia back with her? Olivia's brow furrowed slightly. A scale in her heart tipped back and forth.
Cynthia wasn't familiar with the Wolf Race, so she might not want to stay here. Sending her back to the Slade Sea Region wasn't a concern for safety, thanks to the Teleportation Array.
However, Cynthia had mentioned more than once that she wanted to see the Elf Territory. Now the opportunity had arrived, and as an ally, she should extend a polite invitation.
But taking Cynthia back to her territory always gave her a strange feeling.
Polly, who had been summoned by Olivia, stood waiting for a long time without receiving any command from her queen. She couldn't help but ask, "Her Majesty the Queen, what's wrong?"
She had seemed distracted ever since she arrived.
Olivia snapped back to her senses slightly. She glanced at Polly, her eyes flickering for a moment before she looked away and said flatly, "Go ask Cynthia if she wants to return to the territory with us."
Polly didn't know what Olivia was struggling with. Hearing her words, she simply nodded and turned to leave.
Olivia watched Polly's back until she disappeared, then retracted her gaze. If Polly asks, then it's Polly's invitation.
They had been to the God Race's territory; as a matter of courtesy, they should invite Cynthia to be a guest in their territory. It was the polite thing to do.
Olivia reached up to smooth the pale green hair at the side of her face. Her fingertips brushed against her somewhat hot cheek, and she pressed her lips together uncomfortably.
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