Mystery: The Stranger

Chapter 41 The Witch King Worships the Moon

Time flowed slowly amidst the faint flickering of the divine fire, and in the blink of an eye, it was a night of a full moon.

On the edge of the Northern Continent, in a castle hidden deep within a dark forest, the candlelight cast a dim, crimson glow over the room. A female vampire, dressed in a magnificent velvet gown, stood on the terrace, her scarlet eyes gazing at the full crimson moon in the sky. She held a fist-sized gem in her fingers; the gem was entirely red, as if formed from concentrated blood, radiating a soft yet pure light, like a miniature crimson moon.

That is the extraordinary characteristic of the fourth Witch King of the Moon Path Sequence, corresponding to the rank of Earl among vampires.

This female vampire is currently a viscount at the fifth rank, and tonight is the night she will attempt to advance to the fourth rank and become a vampire count. The ritual for vampires to advance from viscount to count has only one requirement—truly gaining the approval of the "moon."

In ancient times, extraordinary races like vampires didn't need complicated rituals for advancement; they could simply consume the corresponding extraordinary characteristics and forcefully fuse with them using their own bloodline foundation. But now, with the first and second blasphemous tablets already in existence and the system of twenty-two divine paths deeply ingrained, vampires have long since learned to adapt to the times.

Although this can reduce the risk of things getting out of control, a ceremony is still necessary, since the opportunity for promotion is hard-won.

The fourth-order Witch King was already difficult to fall. This was only because of the turbulent times of the Fourth Era. Her family chose to bet on the Solomon Empire, which only brought them peace for less than 300 years before the Witch King ancestor who was dependent on the empire perished. As a direct descendant, she was able to inherit this precious legacy. Otherwise, she would never have had the chance to be promoted to earl so early.

"You are the embodiment of beauty, the queen of the vampires, and the servant of the moon."

As she prayed, she used the vampire's inherited methods to absorb the extraordinary characteristics of the Witch King in her hands.

This promotion ceremony is not difficult for vampires these days.

Promotion Ceremony: Truly gaining the "Moon's" approval.

The Moon's pathway sequence 1, Athena, can, to a certain extent, borrow the Moon's authority.

All she needs to do is pray to the "Goddess of Beauty," Olnia.

This 'young' viscount did not think it was dangerous to pray to the vampire queen during the full moon. The name she recited was indeed directed at the vampire queen, not any other moon. Similarly, at this time, the Earth's barrier was still relatively strong, and the power of the truly dangerous moon outside the Earth could not penetrate much.

Who would have thought that a despicable outsider would be lurking in the Astral Plane under the guise of a vampire queen who had been demoted to a duke?

...

"A pretty nice girl."

A strange female voice suddenly rang in her ears, and Thranla froze, her heart clenching—this was a completely unexpected turn of events. Before she could even process it, an indescribable crimson gaze enveloped her, its aura both warm and majestic, as if truly a blessing from the moon. Her previously somewhat sluggish ascension process instantly became incredibly smooth, and the power of the Witch King's essence in her palm was being absorbed by her spirit at a visible rate.

"That's right, that's exactly it. You really are very talented."

The female voice remained gentle, even patient, slowly guiding her to adjust her breathing rhythm. Thranla was filled with helplessness, yet she couldn't stop the ascension process—the qualitative change in life brought about by the ascension to demigod was too intoxicating, too tempting. It should be known that the fourth-order Witch King was already renowned for his longevity among demigods, easily living to be a thousand years old. Such a life-altering advancement, crossing the boundary between life and death, was something no being could maintain absolute clarity of mind for.

Crimson moonlight poured down, falling softly on Thranla's silvery hair. On the terrace floor, her shadow twisted slightly, a blurry figure appearing and disappearing within it—it was Xalatas. The eerie power of the void, following the moonlight's trajectory, silently seeped into Thranla's body, instinctively devouring and assimilating it as part of her extraordinary nature—in other words, this "gift" was almost a form of hidden corruption.

"Who are you?"

After Seranra completed her advancement and her consciousness gradually returned, she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Having already advanced to demigod status, she was able to sense the aura of a superior vampire from this vague feeling and the trembling in her blood.

Little did she know, it was all a carefully crafted deception. The oppressive aura that made her tremble was merely a disguise created by the seeds of malice from the Blood Duke, whom Xalatas had harvested in the abyss, using the power of otherworldly symbols.

The symbol of the otherworld is indeed similar to the moon to some extent. Since the apparent fall of Lilith, the progenitor of the vampires, the concept of the moon within the Earth's barrier has indeed been without a master. During the special moment of the full moon, Xalatas can indeed indirectly borrow the power of the moon.

Meanwhile, in the distant Viscount's territory, Snow was using the Blade of the Dark Empire to maintain the sacrificial ritual. The moon dew in the Moon Cup was continuously consumed as a sacrifice to the otherworldly symbol, which allowed Xalatas to intercept Thranla's prayers, which were precisely directed at the "Goddess of Beauty," Ornia, through the otherworldly symbol.

It's safe to say that no one expected Snow to be so shameless as to anchor a set of self-composed prayers to the symbols of the otherworld.

A follower of the Crimson Moon, a traveler from another world, the mysterious companion of the Vampire Queen, a shadow from beyond the abyss, an ancient god from the endless dark ages...

Such a long, complicated, and chaotic name is attached to a symbol of another world.

The otherworldly symbol was once associated with the vampire queen. When vampires prayed to their superiors, they could easily make a small mistake that allowed the otherworldly symbol to receive their prayers. This was fine at other times, but during the full moon, the otherworldly symbol's ability to receive information was strongest due to the moon's heightened spiritual activity. Vampires also traditionally preferred to hold rituals and pray devoutly on the night of the full moon. As a result, after several full moons, some unlucky vampires would inevitably stumble into this carefully laid trap.

Normal prayers should indeed be directed towards the "goddess of beauty," Olya, but there are always people in the sky who, during the full moon, are filled with spirituality and intercept and capture signals related to the "moon" and "vampires." Basically, they will take a look at any prayer they can catch, and let go of those that are not valuable, while paying special attention to those that are.

"I?"

Salatas's laughter was soft and tinged with mystery. "Hehe, I am not Olnia, but I am also a queen of the vampires—in a way, you are my descendant."

When Thranla asked her question, she deliberately responded with vague words, leaving enough room for the other person to fill in the blanks in her mind.

"Queen... Ancestor... Are you Lady Seremia?"

Thranla shuddered, her voice trembling with barely concealed excitement and awe. The fact that the other woman addressed the strongest vampire of the day—"Goddess of Beauty" Olnia—so casually, almost as an equal, and called herself the queen of the vampires, immediately reminded her of the legendary "Queen of Another World," Sermia. Indeed, her bloodline shared a faint connection with that otherworldly queen.

In other words, within the vampire clan, almost every branch that can be passed down to the demigod level has some degree of blood relation with the vampire angels.

Due to their long lifespans and unique pathways, the transmission of extraordinary abilities and the solidification of social classes within the vampire clan are extremely rigorous.

It turns out that the otherworldly queen was named Seria.