Gospel of Blood

“… Rise.”

Her calm gaze swept over the many bloodbornes, and Charlotte motioned for them to rise.

As for the increasingly long and numerous titles… she had already gotten used to them.

With the girl’s words, the bloodbornes stood up one by one, respectfully standing in the hall.

Charlotte could clearly sense that after the battle with the Old Gods Alliance, the bloodbornes worshiped her even more and feared her even more.

In fact, it made sense. The battle with the Old Gods Alliance had almost destroyed the entire Dragonspine Mountains, and the “creation phenomenon” Charlotte caused had nearly altered the entire region’s ecosystem.

Whether it was the incredible power or the defeat of the Old Gods and the subjugation of the Gods as her vassals, such miraculous feats were enough to overturn everything.

The ultimate result was that Charlotte’s already lofty status within the Free City-State Alliance had risen to another level.

Of course, it was as the Bloodborne Progenitor and Savior of the alliance, “Lilith.”

Having defeated the Old Gods Alliance and elevated her bloodline power and divine flame to their peak, Charlotte had no further reason to stay in this era.

She needed to return to the future and quickly perfect her bloodline path to take the final step toward becoming a God.

“Those whose names I call, stay. The rest of you… you may leave.”

Charlotte’s gaze slowly swept across the hall as she called out one name after another.

At Charlotte’s command, the bloodbornes not called bowed and respectfully withdrew. Those whose names were called remained.

Among them were not only the leaders of various legions and city-state governors of the Free City-State Alliance but also the renowned Blood Princes from later generations.

This included figures like Abaddon, Casey, and Rowena. The only one absent was Harald, who was still in deep slumber.

According to Charlotte’s estimate, he would need a few more months to wake up.

Of course, the Demigods who had accepted the bloodline power and were brought back by Charlotte were not present either.

Although they possessed mythical power and had become the first batch of Blood Princes, they were not included in the high ranks of the alliance due to their status.

Charlotte currently regarded those beings merely as “henchmen.”

Despite signing a blood pact, until they pledged their loyalty from the heart, they could not receive the treatment befitting princes.

Now, those Charlotte had asked to stay were essentially the true high ranks of the Free City-State Alliance.

Most of the bloodbornes left the hall, and those who stayed quickly realized their commonality.

When they noticed that the high-ranking members of the alliance were almost all present, they immediately

understood that the Progenitor on the throne likely had something important to announce.

The atmosphere in the hall quickly became solemn, the bloodbornes’ expressions grave, and the silence profound.

Charlotte exhaled lightly. As she stroked the dragon egg beside the throne, she spoke.

“I will need to slumber for a while.”

Upon hearing Charlotte’s words, the bloodbornes were slightly taken aback and then couldn’t help but stir.

Charlotte’s gaze swept over their faces. She saw shock, unease, worry, and confusion.

Especially Bardock, an elder with high prestige among the bloodbornes, who had the most expressive face.

She smiled at him and said,

“Bardock, if you have something to say or ask, just say it.”

“Savior, no, Your Eminence, the Progenitor, are you… injured in the divine battle?”

Bardock asked with a worried expression.

Charlotte shook her head.

“I just gained some insights during the battle and need to slumber to digest them.”

The bloodbornes breathed a sigh of relief, and the worry and unease on their faces mostly disappeared.

There was no helping it. Charlotte was the cornerstone of the City-State Alliance. If something happened to her, all the bloodbornes would be nervous.

“Then… how long will you slumber?”

Casey asked.

Charlotte thought for a moment and said,

“I’m not sure. It could be a few months, maybe half a year, a few years… or even longer.”

The hall stirred again, and worry and unease resurfaced on the bloodbornes’ faces.

But Charlotte indeed couldn’t give a definite time.

She was certain that after returning to the future, she could manipulate the next time travel to return to this era again, but she wasn’t sure exactly when that would be.

Moreover, Charlotte was certain that her current body was the adult version of herself. She wasn’t sure if “Lilith” had really left behind any backup plans after she “slumbered.”

It was also possible that after traveling back to the future, “Lilith” would resume her role as the True Ancestor of Blood, or perhaps once she slumbered, the “Lilith” identity would truly slumber too.

So… she really couldn’t make any promises.

“During my slumber, Bardock will temporarily manage the Free City-State Alliance. After Harald wakes up, he will resume his role as the alliance leader.”

“The Old Gods Alliance has been defeated. The Alliance needs to recuperate and should not start new conflicts for a while.”

“The elves are unlikely to invade again in the short term, and the other Old Gods will be quiet for a while. However, bloodline training must continue. The war just paused, not ended.”

“The Demigods I brought back from the Dragonspine Mountains will become the Alliance’s Guardians, holding the title of Blood Prince. They will follow the directives of the Alliance’s Elder Council. This is the blood covenant.”

“During my slumber, it will be difficult for me to respond to any summons. If you encounter insurmountable difficulties, you can take my token and send someone to the North Sea to seek help from the Sea King, Oceanus…”

Charlotte calmly explained the various matters after her “slumber.”

As she methodically arranged the “aftercare”, the bloodbornes gradually calmed down, listening respectfully to her instructions.

It could be said that the years of territory management after time travel had trained Charlotte well. As the highest symbol of the City-State Alliance these years, she had accumulated rich experience, making her handling of the situation quite smooth.

Most importantly, Charlotte had been preparing for this day ever since she traveled through history.

Many arrangements had already been made in these years to ensure that even if the worst happened after her slumber, there would be no chaos.

Of course, with historical inertia, Charlotte believed there shouldn’t be any issues.

Her main concern was the specific changes after her “slumber”, especially regarding the “Lilith” identity, which might only be known when she “woke” again in this era.

After making all the necessary arrangements, Charlotte dismissed the bloodbornes. The concerned bloodbornes also respectfully saluted and withdrew.

Charlotte’s arrangements had left them with plenty of tasks, keeping them busy for a while.

As for the dragon egg… Charlotte finally called out to Rowena, who had become her personal maid as history had unfolded.

“Rowena, take care of this dragon egg for me.”

Charlotte said.

Rowena was flattered and quickly and respectfully agreed, carefully taking the dragon egg from Charlotte.

She looked at the dragon egg, then at Charlotte, hesitated, and asked.

“Your Eminence, what if it hatches before you wake up? I’ve heard… dragons see the first person they see after hatching as their parent. And names… if it hatches early…”

Charlotte shook her head and said.

“I have already infused it with my bloodline power. It recognizes me as its master. As for the name…”

She thought for a moment, then smiled suddenly and said,

“You can name it!”

Rowena’s eyes lit up.

She thought for a moment and said,

“I’ve heard that in the era when dragons fought against Gods, powerful dragons liked to name themselves after gemstones…”

“Being your magical pet, it will naturally be a powerful existence. If it’s a male dragon, how about calling it Brook? If it’s a female dragon, how about Eudoxia?”

Brook… was said to mean obsidian in the ancient Myria language, believed to have originated from dragon language. Eudoxia meant onyx.

Charlotte’s expression was indescribable. A subtle emotion flashed through her heart.

She smiled and nodded slightly.

“Very well.”

…

After arranging everything, Charlotte left the hall.

Dismissing everyone, she went alone to the underground of the Central Tower, descending the steps.

The underground of the Central Tower, once a dungeon, had been transformed into the Alliance’s forbidden area. In the deeper part of the forbidden area was the place Charlotte had prepared for her “slumber.”

She had been preparing this sleeping place for three and a half years. For safety, she not only set up various magical wards but also borrowed a special protective artifact from Oceanus.

It was all about being fully prepared. After all, Charlotte wasn’t sure if her body would indeed “disappear” after she began to merge with the identity of “Lilith” and “slumbered.”

Even the coffin was custom-made, although… Charlotte didn’t know why she ended up with a coffin instead of a comfortable bed.

Maybe… it was just a habit.

Of course, she didn’t forget to add a special observation recording spell to her coffin, to record the changes after her “slumber” and “travel” back to the future. This was a basic skill for someone who grew up under the red flag on Earth.

Changing into the clothes she had prepared, Charlotte skillfully lay down in the coffin and then… slid the coffin lid over herself.

She gently closed her eyes, sinking into her consciousness, communicating with the faintly visible Gospel of Blood.

The familiar sensation of detachment came over her. Soon… Charlotte fell into “slumber.”