Gospel of Blood

Passing through a layer of transparent fluid, a gentle repulsion came from all directions, mild and silent.

In an instant, Charlotte’s vision was covered by a vast white, and her extended perception was cut off.

It felt like crossing a boundary of the void. In the blink of an eye, the cut-off perception reconnected, and Charlotte’s vision gradually tinged with crimson.

This was a vast land.

Mountains undulated, guarding towering castles, with dense forests stretching infinitely around.

At the center of the castle group stood a tall palace, a crimson beam of light connecting the palace to the sky, illuminating the entire world.

The red glow spread everywhere—the sky, the earth, the trees, the castles—all presented different shades of dark red, giving a deep and mysterious feeling.

Charlotte and her companions appeared just outside the central palace of the castle group.

“Your Majesty Charlotte, please wait here for a moment. I will go report to the Prophet.”

Sophia bowed to Charlotte and said.

Charlotte nodded slightly.

Sophia turned and entered the palace, while Charlotte curiously surveyed her surroundings, eager to focus her senses.

The moment she arrived here, she sensed a strong pulse from the Gospel of Blood deep within her consciousness, feeling a strong attraction.

That attraction was omnipresent, yet on closer inspection, it seemed to come from all directions.

Simultaneously, Charlotte’s bloodline also felt a resonance. She sharply sensed thousands of bloodborne auras distributed throughout the castle group, and similarly distant auras emanated from the mountains beyond.

Charlotte’s heart stirred. She split a wisp of her consciousness into her mental world, summoning the crimson star sea representing the bloodbornes, and then discovered that those previously vague, unlocatable bloodborne presences of the Harcos Clan could now be pinpointed.

They were located in this dark red otherworldly space.

Roughly sensing, there were about seven or eight thousand of them, with about half concentrated in the castle group, and the rest scattered in the distant mountains.

Besides these seven or eight thousand clearly perceptible bloodbornes, there were also some vague presences. These presences were faint, but with careful sensing, they could also be located, likely some still in slumber.

Charlotte sensed briefly and found that the total number of clear and vague presences was about thirteen thousand. This should be all the bloodbornes of the Harcos Clan within the “Sanctuary.”

Adding the bloodbornes she sensed maintaining the northern barrier below the temple outside before entering the “Sanctuary”, the members of the Haarcos Clan should not exceed fourteen thousand.

However, this was not the main focus of her bloodborne perception.

In Charlotte’s senses, the strongest bloodline resonance came from beneath the castle group.

Or more accurately, the “underground” of the castle group.

This part of the bloodline resonance was peculiar. Besides the bloodline pulsation, Charlotte also vaguely sensed some chaotic feelings similar to when Sigurd’s bloodline went berserk, and a great attraction acting on her bloodline.

Especially the Gospel of Blood deep in her consciousness, which throbbed the most strongly.

This was also the main source of the attraction Charlotte felt, as if the source of these bloodline resonances was an excellent tonic for the Gospel of Blood.

This stirred Charlotte’s heart.

In the memories she read from Sigurd, it was said that the Harcos Clan would kill “fallen bloodbornes” and seal or bury their bodies. Could it be that these unique pulsations came from the “fallen bloodbornes’ tomb”?

It was not impossible. Bloodbornes’ bloodline power would dissipate upon death. If the Harcos Clan could not “purify” the “fallen power” of the fallen bloodbornes, they could only seal those “powers” even if they killed them.

“The power the Harcos Clan fears is a tonic for the Gospel of Blood. Perhaps I could find an opportunity to explore the underground of the Harcos Sanctuary.”

Charlotte thought.

Of course, although she was eager to act on the Gospel of Blood’s throb, Charlotte was well aware of her location.

This was the Harcos Sanctuary, the domain of the Crimson Queen Rowena. Even if she wanted to make a move here, she had to meet Rowena first.

However, what surprised Charlotte was that after further bloodline sensing, she did not perceive the presence of the Crimson Queen Rowena.

Though the huge star representing Rowena was in Charlotte’s consciousness, still shining brightly, it did not produce the same throbbing as the other stars.

This discovery was unexpected.

From Sigurd’s memories, the Crimson Queen Rowena was said to be “in seclusion” deep within the Queen’s Palace.

This meant that Rowena should be in the Sanctuary.

But while Charlotte could sense even the auras of sleeping bloodbornes, she could not sense the presence of the Crimson Queen.

This was intriguing.

Charlotte could think of two possible reasons.

This indicated either that Rowena’s power had far surpassed Charlotte’s, making her undetectable when deliberately concealing her aura, or the memory she read was incorrect, or rather, Sigurd’s understanding was inaccurate, and the Crimson Queen Rowena was not within the “Sanctuary.”

This was not impossible, as she had learned from the Harcos Clan members that the Crimson Queen Rowena had not appeared in about three hundred years.

Charlotte did not know which possibility was true.

But either way, honestly, it was not what she hoped to see.

Especially the second possibility.

Perhaps it was a residual effect from the Stargazer Casey, she could not help but think of the eerie stone door that appeared after Casey’s guise was removed and the strange plea for help behind it.

“Maybe… after meeting the Harcos Clan’s spokesperson, I could probe a little.”

Charlotte thought.

As Charlotte pondered her next move, the palace doors suddenly opened.

Charlotte’s heart stirred, and she looked at the palace doors to see Sophia emerging with an elderly woman.

The elderly woman made an ancient bloodborne gesture to Charlotte and then smiled.

“Saintess of the Creator God, Descendant of the Royal Kirali Clan, Queen of Starfall, and Lord of Castell… Your Majesty Charlotte de Castell—”

“I am the Prophet Margo Harcos, and I welcome your visit.”

Legendary…

Sensing the powerful aura from the elderly woman, Charlotte’s expression became serious.

But soon, she realized something was off with the titles used by the elderly woman.

Wait…

Saintess of the Creator God, and… Descendant of Kirali?