Avira hadn’t come to fight, nor had she come to apologize as she told Hanni. In truth, she was here for Cynthia.

In the battle that took place in the Elf Territory, although Talia and the others had lost to Olivia, Cynthia’s final performance made Avira feel that this member of the God Race was a far greater threat than the Elf Queen.

The Elf Queen was only a threat within her own territory, where the Temple of the Goddess of the Forest was buried underground. But Cynthia… she could draw a bow that only a god could use and could condense the Power of Light in a place that wasn’t a temple to the Goddess of Light. Either of these two points was shocking enough.

Allowing this God Race member to continue living might cause the situation to spiral out of her control. Aside from secretly observing Hanni, Avira had spent the rest of her time weighing the pros and cons of letting Cynthia live.

Should she continue with this game of chess? After deep consideration, Avira discovered that she no longer seemed to have the right to stop it whenever she pleased.

Cynthia was no longer that minor God Race member she could eliminate so casually.

But up to this point in the game, aside from the variable that was Cynthia, everything was developing just as she had anticipated.

Would one rogue chess piece affect the entire game? Avira thought perhaps not.

Olivia was still in her recovery phase. After Avira dodged her attacks several times, she simply withdrew her Nature Power, and the forest returned to its previous tranquility. Although the Lasombra vampires were the ones who had attacked the Elf Race, Olivia detested all vampires, including Avira, who had interacted with Cynthia several times before.

Vampires were cold-blooded and selfish, caring only for their own interests. Olivia did not trust them, nor did she deign to have any contact with them.

However, though she disliked vampires, she would not interfere with Cynthia. After retracting all her spells, Olivia walked to Cynthia’s side. Her frosty, light-green eyes gazed elsewhere, but her body subtly shielded Cynthia behind her.

Cynthia looked at Olivia’s profile, raised her right hand, and gently brushed it against her waist. Her red lips curled up unconsciously, her golden eyes filled with a warm smile.

Sensing Olivia’s hostility, Avira tactfully retreated a few meters to Hanni’s side. She draped an arm over the great white wolf, her gaze shifting between Cynthia and Olivia. She had wanted to tease them a bit, but worried about provoking Olivia, she swallowed her words. She pouted and said, “Don’t be so hostile toward me. I’m not going to do anything.”

“I came here to help you.” Avira stroked the great white wolf’s neck and said nonchalantly, “Don’t you want to know which temple is the Lasombra’s next target?”

She glanced at Cynthia, her tone gentle. “It’s not Yezreet.”

“Help us…” Cynthia let out a soft laugh, as if she had heard something amusing. “Let’s be a little more honest, Avira.”

“The Ventrue clan wouldn’t want to see the temples destroyed either, right?” Cynthia said slowly, looking at Avira, who suddenly met her gaze. “If the temples are destroyed, the seals within them will weaken. If the seals fail and the things inside escape, will the vampires still be able to live as leisurely as they do now?”

“Seals?” Avira narrowed her eyes and suddenly smiled. “What are you talking about? I don’t seem to understand.”

“You don’t know?” Seeing that Avira was unwilling to admit it, Cynthia feigned surprise. She turned her head to look in a certain direction and said with a smile, “The Temple of the God of the Ocean is right under the sea. Why don’t I take you to see what surprising things are inside?”

Previously, on the way to Pegel, Cynthia had tried to probe her about the new races. But at the time, Avira could tell that the woman was only guessing and wasn’t entirely certain, so she hadn’t paid it much mind.

But for her to bring it up this time, it was as if she was completely certain that new races were indeed sealed within the temples.

Why was Cynthia so sure? What did she know? Avira studied Cynthia with a probing gaze. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke slowly, “How did you know?”

Cynthia wagged a finger at her and said with a grin, “That’s a secret.”

Seeing that Cynthia already knew the secret of the temples, Avira couldn’t be bothered to hide it any longer. She leaned against the great white wolf for support and said with a serious expression, “Then let’s talk frankly.”

“Of course I don’t want the races sealed in the temples to be released, and I believe you don’t either.” The gods were not harmonious with one another. During the era of the gods, many chaotic wars were caused by conflicts between them, and the races they created inherited these “conflicts.” If a group of powerful non-human races appeared on the Sitatul Continent, it would surely descend into chaos once more.

And their Vampire race… they had never been well-regarded during the era of the gods. One could only imagine how many potential enemies they would have.

“Our goals are the same. Talia already knows I’m on the Sitatul Continent. Right now, she just wants to destroy as many temples as possible to let the darkness on the Sitatul Continent grow, so the Blood Coffins can deploy their Blood Domain.” Avira stared at Cynthia and said in a low voice, “All the elders Talia brought out of the Blood Domain are injured. The Lasombra are in no condition to fight right now. Your chance has come.”

“How about we join forces to drive them from this continent?”

Her expression was stern, her attitude exceptionally serious. It truly seemed as if she wanted to join forces with them.

And the reason she gave for the alliance was very plausible. Hanni, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t help but look down at Avira, truly believing her words.

Unfortunately, the only one moved by Avira’s “sincerity” was Hanni. Olivia merely let out a cold snort, completely unmoved.

Cynthia lowered her eyes as if in deep thought. Avira felt that there was nothing wrong with her words or her attitude just now, and Cynthia had no reason to refuse a proposal that had no downsides for them. Leaning against the great white wolf, she reverted to her lazy demeanor and waited patiently for Cynthia’s response.

But to her surprise, Cynthia didn’t respond directly. Instead, she asked about something else. “Since the vampires don’t want the new races in the temples to be released, why are the Lasombra and Tzimisce clans still attacking the temples?”

It was very strange for the vampires to be divided on this matter.

Avira’s expression was a bit peculiar. “That’s because they never believed that new races were sealed inside the temples.”

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. “They don’t believe it?”

“Only a few elders could sense the seals in the temples.” Avira shrugged. “Obviously, that doesn’t include the idiots from Lasombra and Tzimisce.”

And unlike the other clans, these idiots wouldn’t obediently follow orders. They were ignorant and arrogant, and now she had to clean up their mess.

But while Avira complained, she somewhat understood Talia. If it were her, she wouldn’t have believed it either. Given her sister Samantha’s taciturn nature and the Brujah leader’s explosive temper, the two of them would hardly have the patience to explain things clearly to the other elders who didn’t know the situation. And the other elders who did know were all “strange,” and the things they said were nonsensical. It would be a miracle if Talia believed them.

The Lasombra elders, whom Avira had called “idiots,” were currently recovering in Talia’s castle. With a vampire’s self-healing ability, ordinary wounds could heal in a matter of seconds. But the injuries they sustained among the Elf Race could not be called ordinary, because they were wounded by divine power.

Whether it was the divine power of the Goddess of the Forest that Olivia had borrowed or the Power of Light that Cynthia had used, both had greatly slowed their healing speed.

Even Talia was affected. Her injured arm had yet to fully recover.

The vast castle was magnificent yet empty. Golden sunlight streamed in through rows of half-open windows, but instead of warmth, the castle felt even more gloomy and chilling. Talia was leaning back on her throne, her head lowered as she toyed with a statue chess piece. A cold pressure emanated from her, silencing the other vampires in the castle.

The faint sound of a chain hitting the floor broke the silence. A cat with snow-white fur appeared from nowhere, padding lightly to the side of the throne. With a leap, it landed on Talia’s shoulder and began to leisurely lick its paws, its crimson eyes staring with interest at the other vampires.

The white cat’s tail brushed against Talia’s cheek. The hand playing with the chess piece paused, and she turned her head to look at the cat, her crimson eyes gloomy and cold, her face devoid of any hint of a smile.

The white cat ignored Talia’s icy expression. Seeing her look over, it even moved closer and licked her chin affectionately. Its sharp fangs accidentally broke Talia’s skin, and a bead of crimson blood was licked into the white cat’s stomach along with it.

Talia raised a hand, grabbed the white cat by the neck, and lifted it onto her lap. The hand holding the chess piece slowly stroked its back as she said in a low voice, “I saw Amelia.”

The white cat, which had been enjoying being petted, twitched its ears at the name Amelia. It looked up to meet Talia’s gaze, its crimson eyes filled with obvious curiosity.

Talia met the white cat’s gaze for a moment, and her expression suddenly grew even more sullen. She let out a cold snort and threw the white cat off her.

The white cat tumbled unhappily to the floor, then hissed and clawed at Talia.

Without warning, the light in the castle suddenly dimmed. Talia, who had been staring at the white cat, looked up. She gazed at the empty space before her, where space was being torn open. A slender man with an androgynous appearance stepped out. His long brown hair was woven into a loose braid that hung casually down his back.

When Talia saw the man, her brow furrowed slightly. “Harris, why are you here?”

Harris was the leader of the Tzimisce clan. While Talia had secretly come to the Sitatul Continent to handle matters concerning the temples and the Blood Coffins, he was supposed to have stayed in the Blood Domain to deal with the Ventrue clan.

Harris walked to the throne opposite Talia and sat down, crossing his legs and propping his forehead with one hand. His expression was somewhat melancholic. “I was kicked out.”

He looked Talia up and down and asked, “You lost?”

Talia’s face was cold as she remained silent.

Harris averted his gaze, and the castle instantly fell into silence.

A vampire walked in from the doorway, head bowed respectfully. “Elder Talia, the wizard Eden of the Sethite clan wishes to see you.”

“What is it?”

“They were driven out of the Capri Plains by a group of Magic Dragons.”

Talia frowned. “Magic Dragons?” Why were these monsters getting involved at a time like this?

“Have them find Edeli.” Talia couldn’t be bothered to deal with these things right now. “We’ll deal with the Capri Plains later. Have them destroy the temples first.”

The vampire nodded and turned to leave.

Hearing her mention the temples, Harris turned to look at her and asked abruptly, “Are you still going to continue?”

“Of course.” Talia picked up a chess piece, her expression impassive. “We’ve already stolen the Blood Coffins. Are you thinking of giving up now?”

Harris was silent for a moment before saying, “The Blood Coffins can’t be retrieved.”

Talia paused, her crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. “What do you mean? Weren’t the Blood Coffins already transported to the Mentos Desert?”

The Tzimisce clan was responsible for matters concerning the Blood Coffins, but they had decided on the hiding place together: the Temple of the Earth Mother, located beneath the Mentos Desert. As the guardian deity of the Sitatul Continent, only her temple could conceal the aura of the Blood Coffins.

And as far as she knew, the Blood Coffins had been moved and hidden in the Mentos Desert long ago.

“The Blood Coffins are indeed in the Mentos Desert.” Harris quietly averted his gaze, a faint sorrow coloring his androgynous features. “But they can’t be retrieved.”

“The entrance to the Temple of the Earth Mother suddenly vanished. We can’t get in.”

The Mentos Desert was dry and hot, with constant gales. The yellow sand was whipped up by the fierce winds, and whether by day or by night, the sky here was a blanket of gray. Not only humans, but even some low-level vampires disliked setting foot in this place.

In this boundless sea of sand, the wind-whipped dunes were like raging ocean waves. While the sand surged above, the temple buried deep beneath the earth was exceptionally quiet. Under the dim yellow light, the majestic and magnificent temple had an added air of being weathered by the ages.

The great doors of the temple were tightly shut. In the plaza before it, a statue of the Earth Mother sat in the very center. She held a shield in her left hand and a longsword in her right, gazing imperiously forward. Even as a mere statue, it radiated a powerful aura.

On the steps not far from the statue rested two dark red Blood Coffins. Two clouds of blood-colored mist floated around them. The mist tried to expand but seemed to be suppressed by something. Their presence was at odds with the temple, looking particularly out of place.

A shiny gold nugget appeared from nowhere and struck one of the Blood Coffins with a dull thud. Perched on the statues of mythical beasts that stood around the plaza were dragons of various colors. Some were sleeping, some were dazed, and a few were boredly throwing gold nuggets at the coffins on the steps.

More dragons appeared in the plaza, surrounding the statue of the Earth Mother. They maintained a distance of several meters from the statue, yet they greedily flicked their tails, trying to get closer, as if only by doing so could they feel the call of their main god.

They were a group of abandoned ones, unable to leave the temple, their existence unknown to anyone.