Gospel of Blood

“The final oracle?”

Sophia was slightly stunned.

Seeing the solemn and resolute expression on the Prophet Margo’s face, she felt a stir in her heart and couldn’t help but ask.

“Prophet, is it… related to the future of our clan?”

The Prophet Margo withdrew her gaze and neither confirmed nor denied.

“You will know in three days. For now… make preparations.”

“Also, keep the passage to the Sanctuary closed. Without my command, it must not be opened anytime soon.”

Sophia hesitated.

Her hesitant expression did not escape the Prophet’s notice.

The Prophet Margo sighed softly and asked.

Sophia hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.

“Yes… I have some questions.”

“Prophet, after I woke up, I… heard some rumors. These rumors seem to come from those clan members and blood thralls who were fortunate enough to escape the disaster…”

“There are rumors that the one who saved us… that Excellency…”

“They are the same person who brought the curse upon our clan and the destruction to the bloodbornes in history…”

“There are also rumors that you have decided to abandon our past faith and lead the clan to follow that Excellency again.”

“I didn’t believe it at first, but after talking with you, I… I…”

“Prophet, are these rumors… true?”

The Prophet Margo gave her a deep look.

“If they are true, what will you do?”

Sophia fell silent.

Her expression changed several times before she finally sighed.

“Honestly, although all the major clans avoid mentioning that Excellency’s name and even regard Them as the source of all disasters…”

“But… She is still our Progenitor, the mother of all bloodbornes.”

“Her Majesty the Queen never denied the crimes committed by that Excellency, but likewise, she never denied Her greatness either.”

“If… if it really is Her Majesty the Queen’s oracle… I am willing…”

The Prophet shook her head.

“Sophia, I know what you are worried about.”

“Indeed, that great being created the bloodborne but also brought terrifying disasters to the bloodbornes, ultimately leading to the united rebellion of the princes and disappearing after the holy war…”

“But, there is no need to worry.”

At this point, the Prophet’s gaze became somewhat nostalgic.

“You are all very young and did not witness the golden age when that Excellency led the bloodbornes to sweep across the continent…”

“But I lived through it.”

“If the fall and division after a thousand years of chaos were a terrible disaster, then… that era full of myths and legends was a magnificent epic belonging to us bloodbornes.”

“It was a grand era. In that era, all bloodbornes were proud of their identity. This pride continues to this day. Even though we are feared by everyone, the bloodborne remains the most elegant nobles of the night…”

“Yesterday, when that Excellency stood up to turn the tide, the figure I saw was not the terrifying figure deep in my memory that all bloodbornes feared.”

“On the contrary, it looked more like the figure that led us to the peak during the rise of the bloodbornes…”

“Isn’t it strange? Clearly, they are the same True Ancestor, but She give people completely different feelings, as if… as if there were two True Ancestor.”

“But one thing is certain, just as you guessed, She is indeed the Bloodborne Progenitor, the supreme True Ancestor!”

“No…”

“Or rather, the one who has returned is not the one who lost Herself in power and fell into madness in Her later years.”

“Instead, it is… the True Ancestor who has successfully escaped from Her loss and regained Her rationality!”

“The True Ancestor who has regained Her rationality…”

Hearing the Prophet Mago’s words, Sophia widened her eyes, seemingly enlightened.

She took a deep breath and saluted the Prophet.

“Prophet, I understand.”

After reporting, Sophia respectfully withdrew.

The Prophet Margo let out a long sigh of relief. Her previously stiff expression seemed to relax as she successfully convinced the other.

Taking a deep breath, she tidied her clothes and walked out of the side hall towards a heavily guarded castle not far away…

…

“How was it? It seems your persuasion was quite successful?”

In the castle, Charlotte, sitting on the throne, played with a crimson book, smiling at the approaching Prophet of the Harcos Clan.

She had already returned to her original form.

However, for the Prophet who had witnessed the “transformation” process of the True Ancestor, it made no difference.

Hearing Charlotte’s teasing, the Prophet Margo felt a bit embarrassed.

She respectfully saluted Charlotte and then smiled wryly.

“Indeed, nothing… escapes your sight.”

“Great True Ancestor, please understand that many bloodbornes have a shadow in their hearts from the events a thousand years ago… so… I had to use this indirect method to persuade everyone.”

“But rest assured! The Harcos Clan, unlike other clans, did not participate in the siege of Kirali Clan. Most of those who had psychological shadows about you have lost their memories. Plus, with Her Majesty the Queen’s oracle, persuading everyone to submit… won’t be a problem!”

“Three days, just give me three days! I’ve already instructed many blood thralls to secretly spread the news of your return. With psychological preparation, plus Her Majesty the Queen’s final oracle, harcos… will once again sincerely become your loyal followers.”

“Please believe that everyone… will accept it. After all, this is also Her Majesty the Queen’s final command.”

Seeing the Prophet Margo’s cautious demeanor, Charlotte shook her head.

“You don’t need to be nervous. As you told Sophia, the current me is not the evil and chaotic True Ancestor in your memory, so… you don’t need to worry about angering me.”

“Although you used my regained rationality as a reason to persuade the clan, in my view… it’s not entirely wrong.”

At this point, Charlotte stroked her chin and suddenly changed the subject.

“But… there is one thing I am very curious about.”

She looked at the Prophet Margo, her gaze becoming deep, with a hidden brilliance flowing in her golden-red pupils under the surge of divine power.

“Do you… truly believe there were two True Ancestor?”

The Prophet Margo was slightly stunned.

Her eyes became somewhat dazed, and she instinctively replied.

“Of course not. I… just wanted to convince the clan in that way.”

Silence…

The brilliance faded from Charlotte’s eyes, and the Prophet’s gaze returned to normal.

She didn’t realize that she had just been influenced by divine power and continued.

“Additionally… the clan’s loss report has also been prepared. Please review it.”

Saying this, she respectfully presented a parchment scroll.

Charlotte casually took it.

Although she had already understood the situation through “peeking”, she couldn’t help but feel a bit queasy when she saw the loss of 1.2 billion gold tana.

1.2 billion!

Not 120 million!

That’s a huge sum! A whopping fortune!

On the Myria continent, it’s equivalent to the ten-year fiscal revenue of the Starfall Kingdom!

And then… it was just gone!

Charlotte felt a bit regretful.

She wondered if she should have taken action earlier or if she should have never allowed that “monster” to appear.

After all, with the Harcos Clan now submitting to her, the wealth of the Harcos Clan could indirectly be considered her resources!

The bloodborne society is inherently hierarchical, and most of the wealth of the blood clans is primarily controlled by the ruling organizations such as the Elder Council or the Queen’s Palace.

With the Harcos Clan under her control, she becomes the Master of the Queen’s Palace.

Round it up, it’s like she directly threw away 1.2 billion to show off!

Needless to say, if she could have gotten hold of that 1.2 billion, it would have been more than enough to fund the integration of the Starfall Kingdom and the development of the magical industry!

Seeing Charlotte in silence, the Prophet Margo cleared her throat and respectfully said,

“Great True Ancestor, we were fortunate that although many magic arrays and buildings were destroyed, the overall loss wasn’t too significant. Converted into Myria currency, it was only 1.2 billion gold tana.”

“It’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t intervened in time, the clan’s losses would have been much greater.”

Charlotte: …?

She took a deep breath and instinctively straightened her posture.

“O… only?”

The Prophet hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, only this amount, but… excluding the barrier left by Her Majesty the Queen.”

“However, for you, the barrier… shouldn’t be a concern anymore, right?”

Charlotte fell silent.

She suddenly realized a problem.

Indeed, due to the rampage and mutation of the bloodline, the Harcos Clan had declined even more severely than the Nez Clan.

But the reasons for the decline of these two clans are fundamentally different.

The Nez Clan was exhausted by the Star-Moon War. To support the Starfall royal family in winning the Star-Moon War, the Nez Clan spent a lot of money to fight the Crescent Kingdom, or more accurately, the Crescent royal family supported by the Holy Court.

Later, the Nez Clan was defeated and was overthrown by the combined forces of the Starfall nobles and the Holy Court, directly driven out of the center of power in Starfall, with much of their property taken by the church and the nobles.

In other words… the Nez Clan’s overall strength declined, and they nearly lost all their wealth.

But the Harcos Clan is different.

The Harcos Clan has always lived in an alternate dimension, completely uninvolved in the continental disputes, and the vast wealth accumulated during their peak has been preserved.

Their decline was entirely internal.

Moreover, the fall of the high-ranking bloodbornes actually resulted in their wealth being confiscated and further concentrated in the Harcos Queen’s Palace. Over time… although the Harcos Clan’s strength has dwindled to one-tenth, their wealth… probably hasn’t decreased much.

Furthermore, as the ruling center, the Queen’s Palace might even be wealthier than when the clan first migrated!

Hiss…

Charlotte instinctively leaned back.

“Margo, currently… how much funds can the Queen’s Palace mobilize?”

She calmed her mind and asked.

The Prophet Margo thought for a moment and replied.

“Great True Ancestor, if we exclude the costs for rebuilding the Sanctuary and settling the awakened clan members, it should be nearly 1.4 billion gold tana in Myria currency.”

“Of course, nearly half of it is priceless extraordinary materials, not suitable to be measured in money, and… there are some extraordinary items that are hard to value in money.”

Charlotte: …

What the hell.

Seeing Charlotte in silence, the Prophet felt she might have grasped something.

She thought for a moment and cautiously asked.

“Great True Ancestor, do you… need funds?”@@novelbin@@

Charlotte felt a bit uncomfortable.

Although, as the Lord of Castell, she was already considered wealthy, there are always those richer and more powerful.

Compared to ancient forces like Harcos, which have accumulated wealth for nearly two thousand years, castell, with its mere few hundred years of history and just a county, is insignificant.

Even the Starfall Kingdom is insignificant!

Of course, excluding divine artifacts and high-tier magical artifacts.

For powerful forces like the Harcos and Nez Clans, money is an external thing. Divine artifacts that suppress the clan, and invaluable treasures are the foundation.

But for her identity in the mortal world, this staggering wealth… is just right.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte calmly said,

“Yes, I do need some funds.”

“You know, my other identity is the Queen of Starfall. Given the current situation, bloodbornes can only operate in the shadows. On the surface, we must rely on the human forces of the secular world.”

“You should also know that I plan to establish my own faith… and whether for the purpose of spreading faith or strengthening influence in the secular world, significant expenses are necessary.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the Prophet Margo nodded.

“I understand. I will arrange for the necessary funds to support your activities on the Myria continent.”

So considerate!

Charlotte’s mood brightened immediately.

“However…”

The Prophet Margo hesitated for a moment and then said,

“We couldn’t find the Faceless Statues and Cursed Pages you need.”

“The clan did collect many Cursed Pages and three Faceless Statues, but those items… were originally divine artifacts. During the ritual, we offered them as sacrifices for the ascension ritual.”

“After the ritual failed, all the sacrifices disappeared with Her Majesty the Queen’s complete fall…”

“I think… perhaps they were also destroyed with Her Majesty the Queen’s fall.”

Hearing the Prophet’s words, Charlotte shook her head slightly. She glanced at the crimson book in her hand and smiled.

“Divine artifacts don’t get destroyed that easily.”

“But you don’t need to keep looking for them. I already know where they are.”