TBR CH74

Chapter 74: The Tip of the Duckweed

Of course, the Church of Light was the state religion, and its presence was nearly everywhere. But there would always be those unwilling to declare wholehearted devotion to any being that claimed to be above them, even at the cost of power and authority they could have obtained. A portion of humans honed themselves to their limits or made short-term deals with non-humans, becoming mercenaries or assassins.

They served the powerful, solely for money.

“The Azure Word” was not just a simple tavern. In fact, it was the largest information trading center in the entire capital, and also a market where you could buy a life with money in the most convenient way. On this day, at 9:34 in the evening, the wind chime on the tavern door jingled. The owner knew who had arrived without looking up. He polished the cup in his hand and asked nonchalantly, “Haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been lately? Is that wound of yours any better?”

The newcomer tipped his hat. His muscles were firm and powerful, and a hideous scar ran across his face, making even his smile look a bit scary. He sighed and casually found a nearby seat.

Most people knew to shut up automatically just by seeing him.

“Same as always.” The leader of the largest mercenary organization, “Silver Wolf,” seemed to be in a very troubled mood. Without needing to be told, a large mug of iced beer was delivered to his table. He slowly took a sip. “Sometimes I really envy that bunch of old fossils in the Holy See,” he said. No priest would come to a noisy tavern in private, so he spoke his mind without any scruples. “To possess power above humans… what do they call it? The grace of the God of Light can heal your wounds. Hmph, how nice. People like us can only find anonymous foreign doctors in the black market and pay an unexpectedly large sum of money.”

“Speaking of elves,” the tavern owner spoke up, “did you know that the old doctor who used to live on Gold Coin Street was murdered?”

The mercenary leader stared blankly at the swaying liquid in his cup, then sighed, which served as an answer to the question. “What a world. He was the only doctor who charged a fair price. I’ve even thought about joining the Church of Light, but they wouldn’t want me. I’m too famous, and I don’t look pious enough—that part’s not wrong at all.”

They both chuckled. There was a short silence, as if the laughter had extinguished their words.

“I mean,” the tavern owner suddenly lowered his voice. His turbid eyes, which had seen the ways of the world, were now surprisingly bright, as if hiding a young sun. He blinked mysteriously and nervously at the mercenary captain. “Have you heard? That news. Not many people know about it yet, but if you’re interested…”

The beer was finished. The mug made a small, crisp sound when it landed on the table.

The mercenary stared intently at the tavern owner, and after a long moment, let out a sigh. “So it’s true,” he said. “I guessed that if anyone had reliable information, it would be you. It’s just that, you know, I suddenly feel like I’m witnessing something happening.”

“A good premonition?”

“I can’t say for sure until you tell me more facts,” the man thought absently for a short while. “But I think it’s good, and it will change everything. The current order, the established hierarchy… at least we ‘Silver Wolf’ must keep up with all developments.”

They talked until late at night, until the tavern had to announce it was closing and drive out all the drunk customers. Under the silvery moonlight, those who were still awake had their own thoughts. Certain ideas flew into their minds, for now just whispers in the most secret places.

But no one doubted that these fragments would brew into an unprecedentedly fierce storm.

The storm would announce, and would only announce, one fact:

The advent of a new god.

Edwin raised his blade under the silver moonlight. The tip of the blade glittered. He cut the neck of a creature with fangs and asked him, “Where is your king?”

He was already very familiar with this action. These days, Adelaide, as a teaching tool, had allowed him to practice countless angles and forces for cutting through skin and muscle. This made Edwin feel that the blade was gradually integrating into his body, moving with his will. He spent the entire day improving his strength, and at night, he handled other matters—sometimes slaughter, sometimes roses.

For now, he was still the Pope of the Church of Light. It was his duty to hunt down the fugitive Holy Son. Of course, he was now doing this more for personal reasons. He had already heard everything about Noah from the Dark God.

Besides what Tar had told him, the black dragon had also tearfully mentioned his past of being blinded by love these past two days.

Edwin sheathed his blade. The other panted heavily, tears of fear already streaming down his cheeks. A little more, and the swift and sharp blade would have taken his life. The Bishop’s indifferent pupils shifted slightly as he commanded the vampire, “Take me there.”

Generally speaking, Edward would leisurely pour a large glass of wine-like blood on a full moon night and enjoy life with a beauty by his side. But this moonlit night was completely different. He was restless. The wine glass fell to the ground and shattered. A servant silently came in to clean it up, not daring to make the slightest noise.

The terrace was filled with roses, but there was no beauty, only a faceless person in a black robe, covering his face.

He seemed unable to speak directly and had to use a prop to make a hoarse, strange sound, but his voice was heard clearly by Edward. This pair of once-lovers were now at daggers drawn. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were enemies.

Noah knew that Edward had lost all love for him without the halo. For him, he had nowhere to escape at this moment, so he had to find his former lover and ask for some benefits before they could fully understand his betrayal.

“…So,” his voice sounded somewhat desolate and resentful, “after I lost my looks, you don’t love me anymore, and you’re not even willing to provide me with shelter, is that it?”

“Of course, I…” Edward really wanted to shout at him that openly offending the God of Light was not a good idea for anyone of any race in the world, unless you were the Dark God himself. The problem was he wasn’t. He was upset and just wanted to throw Noah, this hot potato, away. The youth’s questions pierced his eardrums one by one, making him undoubtedly feel a bit confused.

He had clearly loved him so much before. How could that paranoid, crazy love just disappear without a trace?

According to Noah, he had done nothing else wrong. It was precisely because their relationship had been discovered by the God of Light that he had suffered such fierce and cruel retaliation. As a superior, to personally say he was helpless and to try to send away a lover he had once slept with didn’t seem very decent.

Whether it was decent or not was not that important. The problem now was—

“I know many of your secrets, Edward,” Noah threatened so. “You were completely open with me before. If my informant left behind doesn’t receive news of my safety, all the conspiracies and secrets of the vampire race will be leaked. I guess you can’t afford that consequence.”

“What on earth do you want?” The person in front of him had also completely become an ugly and strange existence, but Edward had to admit that, without knowing if it was true or false, Noah’s threat was powerful.

The youth opposite him spoke in a greedy and disgusting tone that he had never been aware of before. “Find a way to get me out of the capital, and give me a large sum of money.”

“Impossible,” Edward frowned. “The Church of Light has already sealed off the capital. The new Pope does not allow any suspicious persons to enter or leave. He…”

“Even if he is powerful, he is just a human,” Noah did not back down at all. “I have props on hand. Outside the capital, I can escape and will not cause you any more trouble. You are the king of the vampires. You should be able to do this much, right?”

Easy for you to say. Edward swallowed the “How did you become like this?” that almost came out of his mouth. The disappointment and disgust in his eyes were undisguised, but Noah was right. From this matter, if he could send the youth before him away without alarming the God of Light, it would not be a loss for him.

“Then, as you said—” Before Edward finished speaking, joy appeared in Noah’s eyes.

These two days had been really hard for the youth who had lost everything. He was like a startled mouse hiding in the capital, unable to rest for a moment. Every time, his heartbeat would reach the closest and most urgent point with the sound of footsteps. Noah tried to hide himself anywhere, everywhere he could think of, but it was all useless.

Whenever he stayed in one place for a short while, before he could catch his breath, his pursuers would arrive as expected.

He had to frequently use the props Adelaide had left for him to switch locations. The dragon’s props were the most precious things on his escape route, but no treasure could make one rest easy. As the number of uses increased, Noah gradually felt the magic contained within them slowly fade. He had to find a way to break through, or he would just be worn down to death in the city.

Worn down to death.

This word couldn’t help but make him shiver. He felt like he was being stared at by a venomous snake, so much so that his back went cold. Sometimes he wondered if those perfectly timed escape opportunities were intentional, if the opponent had the intention of watching him flee in panic, gloating over his temporary safety.

Anyway—even if he was very unwilling to risk seeking help from his old lover, this seemed to be the only way. Just don’t believe in love anymore, because that was absolutely the most unhelpful means of solving the problem at this moment.

Just leave the capital.

He held this hope. As long as he left the capital, hiding would not be so difficult. He might be able to hide himself tightly like a tree hidden in a forest. Although this hope had no basis, it was the only life-saving straw Noah could grasp, whether emotionally or rationally.

The words Edward said could simply save his life.

Noah couldn’t help but show his joy, staring at the vampire king’s mouth, trying to capture the words before they melted into the air.

Just then, Edward stopped speaking.

The atmosphere suddenly became terrifyingly solemn. It was as if ominous poison flowed in the air. The roses on the terrace shone with a demonic light under the moonlight. This place was well guarded by vampire sentinels and extremely hidden. It should have been so. However, just below the terrace, a human stood, raising his eyes to them. That pair of eyes were gray like mist.

It’s too late, Noah thought. He pressed the mechanism of the prop at the first moment, as he had in the past.

However, the prop flickered weakly twice, as if it was about to run out of energy.

Noah bit his lip, his teeth leaving deep marks. But no one could see it now. He covered his ruined entire face with a tight black cloth. Just a slight glimpse when it was blown up by the wind was enough to make the last bit of warmth in Edward’s eyes be completely replaced by fear and disgust.

He forcefully twisted the mechanism, trying his best to press it to the bottom.

This time it worked.

This would probably also be its last time working.

Edward was still in a state of being dumbfounded. He subconsciously wanted to call for the sentinels, but suddenly realized that the human had walked here without the alarm going off. Something must have already happened. He looked to the side, but found that the youth who had been tightly covered by the black cloth beside him had already disappeared.

“First time we meet,” the human below stood quietly. His gray pupils completely reflected the moment Noah disappeared, yet this did not seem to leave the slightest ripple in those calm eyes. Edward suddenly felt a terrifying palpitation. The vampire king wore magnificent robes, and various defensive treasures on his body. He stood on the high platform. However, why did he have a strong illusion—

“I did not protect him.”

Since it had come to this, Edward said as friendly as possible, “You see, Noah has already left. If you really represent the will of the God of Light, there is no need to stay here long. Even I don’t know where he has gone.”

“I came to find you,” however, the bad premonition came true.

The human said so, taking a step closer, and seemed to smile slightly. “Don’t worry. He thinks I should be hunting bigger prey now. It’s just that.”

Tar took a stroll in the vampire king’s capital residence.

This place was not as secure as his house, but it was already quite good. Externally, this was just a brick wall at the end of a most insignificant small alley, but inside, there was a whole different world. Edward had arranged a courtyard in the capital according to his own taste, so magnificent it was a bit vulgar, and even built a Gothic castle.

It was by no means easy to find this place.

However, Noah’s spatial transfer prop was the most powerful tracking clue. The moment the youth entered the castle, the secret of this place was completely exposed in Edwin’s eyes.

The demon’s eyes were translucent and beautiful. He sized up the rose bushes around him and looked away with some pickiness. He walked aimlessly alone in the heavily guarded residence of the vampires. Even when he passed by magnificent statues inlaid with precious jewels, he did not stop his steps at all. This made him not look like a thief.

An intruder was worse than a thief.

Edwin had only dealt with the guards from the entrance to the inner section, while Tar wandered around without any attempt to hide, and walked into the sight of the guards on the other side. The vampire sentinels immediately drew their bows, the sharp arrowheads aimed at the intruder, sternly berating him to stop immediately, and carefully assessed the intruder’s threat level.

The demon did not look powerful.

His soft, straight black hair covered his shoulders obediently like raven feathers. He raised his eyes to look at the guards. That pair of eyes were also not like those of a high-level demon, with狰狞 vertical pupils, but a bright carnelian red color.

A low-level demon.

Although he was very suspicious, he was just a low-level demon. The guards’ breathing relaxed again. They stared sternly at this outsider, their bows still drawn, and sternly questioned, “Who are you? How did you get in?”

“I’m lost,” the demon said slowly, seemingly unconcerned about the arrowheads aimed at his body. Those arrowheads were all made of mithril and could cause equal damage to any creature, let alone the fact that they were clearly aimed at his heart.

This sentence was a lie at first hearing. No outsider could accidentally get lost into the heavily guarded vampire territory. The guards suddenly had an ominous premonition. They carefully listened for sounds from the main gate direction, but heard nothing, yet smelled the fresh scent of blood.

Their faces changed, and they were about to head to the other side to check the situation.

—Before that, leaving the demon alive was meaningless. Intruders were to be killed on sight. This was the mission they had accepted. Therefore, the sentinels finally squinted their eyes, staring intently at the demon’s movements. Prey would always flee before death. They had to predict the direction and then kill the intruder.

Tar curled his lips.

Arrows rained down. The silvery arrowheads chiseled heavily into the ground, all landing around the demon.

This was not because the guards had lost focus and missed their aim at the last moment. Tar raised his eyes to look in the direction of the guards. At this time, they were scattered, all paralyzed on the ground. And just behind them, Edwin was walking towards him.

“No need to be in such a hurry,” Tar said. “It’s fine if you don’t act. Not much time has passed. I thought you would still be dealing with things over there.”

“I’ve already dealt with it,” Edwin said in a low voice. He held the scepter in his hand, which was emitting a bloody light at this time, seeming to indicate the hidden meaning behind this sentence. However, when he stopped beside Tar, he withdrew all his sharpness. The rose scent on the demon richly surrounded him. The Bishop’s gray eyes softened. “I just missed you.”

“Me too…” Tar leaned over and hugged him, asking in a low voice, “You didn’t kill him, did you? Although it doesn’t matter even if he’s dead.”

Edwin of course did not kill Edward.

He had no necessity or reason to kill the other, especially since Edward, under brief astonishment and the threat to his life, had proposed many unequal treaties that could be signed. Tar had guessed it would take more time, but in fact, after hearing the Bishop’s request, Edward had agreed with almost no hesitation.

“I just didn’t expect that behind you was… that lord.” The vampire majesty had chosen his words cautiously at that time. If one were to ignore his slight dishevelment, such as the tip of the blade near his throat, his hair that was always neat but was now messed up, this scene could still barely be considered a diplomatic one.

Tar listened to his description, his eyes sparkling, tinged with a smile.

“Let’s go,” he took Edwin’s hand. “The vampires have also made their choice. Edwin, the power in your hands has increased again. That’s not an easy race to control, a bit eccentric, and their aesthetic taste is not very good…”

What had clearly started as a very serious conversation later turned into Tar’s experience sharing, involving a very troublesome vampire traveler he had met a thousand years ago. They had had to spend two days and nights together. The demon had mischievously added chopped garlic to dinner, and the other had almost started a fight to the death with him.

Edwin couldn’t help but curl his lips. The small corner of sea mist in his eyes was gentle and moist. “No.”

“No what?” Tar asked. The atmosphere was good, and they were almost home.

“The power in my hands,” Edwin answered. “Not entirely so. Edward’s submission is not just because of my victory. It’s because of you. It’s not that I want to distinguish between them, it’s just… my power also belongs to you. At least half of it is completely shared with you. Just treat me as a believer who has dedicated everything to a god. I am willing. I really want to give you everything.”

Tar turned the doorknob. The door slid open lightly. Moonlight spilled into the courtyard.

“Want to be my bishop?” Because this sounded like a believer’s statement, Tar had long noticed the preparations Edwin was making in the capital. He had been surrounded by rumors, and at this time, he was also a skilled ambitious person who manipulated rumors. He had once asked the Bishop if he planned to change his work environment. The Bishop’s answer was that he would make a thorough and complete plan, about their future.

Edwin reminded him, a little helplessly and a little indulgently, “The highest position is Pope, which is my current position. Unless…”

“Unless the Dark Church has no crown higher than the Bishop’s.” Tar answered, repeating this sentence, and still couldn’t help but laugh. “Although the Dark Church sounds a bit strange.”

“Does it have one?” Edwin asked back.

“No,” the god tilted his head slightly to look at the human beside him, his eyes undoubtedly full of indulgence. “Here, the Bishop is the highest.”

What was unique about this Dark Church, which was still in its embryonic form, was not just the arrangement of positions.

Strictly speaking, what Edwin intended to establish was not a church in the traditional sense. Tarksius hated believers and would rather decide not to have any, losing the way for a god to increase his ability through faith. In ancient times, there were sacrifices to different gods, but now, the Holy See only represented the Church of Light.

The Bishop was very clear that the Church of Light was a completely distorted existence for Tar.

Faith was the standard for measuring everything in the Holy See’s evaluation system. Believers were required to offer everything to God. Even if it was only verbally so, repeating such words time and time again would also subtly influence people. For a human to gain power, they must first become a servant and be strictly restricted in their actions.

This path was twisted.

Edwin had to take this path because there was only this one path. He had to pretend to be humble, pretend to believe, pretend to be pious, so that he could approach the center of power step by step, stepping on white bones, and embellishing the white bones with flowers.

It was not just him walking on the edge of a knife. The people in the Holy See were not completely pious, but they had to complete the tedious regulations, tirelessly proving their loyalty to gain power. People outside the Holy See could not gain power. No matter what creature they prayed to, it was easy to fall into a vortex. In the end, they could only live their lives as humans. It was not necessarily easy to join the Holy See either.

The Bishop knew that if he replicated an identical church, Tar would not refuse. Tar was undoubtedly that good. It was precisely because of this that he tried to think of another way.

What if a church did not require a display of faith?

What if the Holy See did not blur the return of the god and the contribution of the believer, but clearly calculated it?

Just like a transaction, gaining power and at the same time giving back a return. This return would be more intuitive than the God of Light’s vague algorithm. Edwin had calculated that according to his plan, people would borrow the source of the Dark God’s power, increase their ability through slaughter and practice, and pay back a clearly priced rent.

When the number of people increased and the volume of believers became larger, the power Tarksius could obtain would be much stronger than the God of Light’s.

“Have I ever told you that you are truly a genius?” the god couldn’t help but sigh with emotion after listening to Edwin’s plan.

The problem was that Edwin had not just made a concept. He had completely set up the church’s power structure and top-down management methods clearly, designed the contract and guarantee for requesting and paying, and established the personnel review mechanism.

He had also calculated the short-term and long-term development expectations and had released some vague news. The news spread within a limited area. People mentioned it seriously and solemnly. Those who needed to know at the initial stage had already been given sufficient space for thought.

The Bishop didn’t mind going a little overboard. It didn’t matter even if he used himself for publicity.

His apostasy was a matter of time.

So, during this period, some unexpected visitors even appeared.

“Are you sure?” An unexpected time, an unexpected person, an unexpected request.

Edwin confirmed again. The person in front of him took a deep breath, but still trembled, yet nodded firmly. So the Bishop reached out and pressed the contract on the table. “Then, as you wish.”

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