The Wolf Race loves intense sunlight and dry air, but the territory they inhabit is an ice field perpetually covered in swirling snow.

After the environment of the Sitatul Continent deteriorated, many plains once suitable for human habitation turned into ice fields. The excessively low temperatures of the ice fields deterred many humans from setting foot here, even when fleeing for their lives.

This spared the Wolf Race a lot of trouble, as they are a race that places great importance on the purity of their bloodline.

When the Elf Race and God Race reproduce, the inheritance of their talents is not restricted by gender. The Elf Race has excellent male warriors, and the God Race has male Light Magic users with decent aptitude.

But the Wolf Race is different. Their powerful strength and outstanding speed are talents and qualities passed down only among the females. This is a race where women are strong and men are weak; only women are born with the ability to transform into their werewolf form.

The males of the Wolf Race are merely a bit more robust than humans. They carry werewolf blood within them but lack the ability to transform. They possess a certain degree of combat strength, but it is far inferior to that of the Wolf Race females. Moreover, because they cannot even transform, other races do not recognize their status as members of the Wolf Race at all.

The greatest significance of the Wolf Race males is to continue the clan’s bloodline.

Because they are more robust than humans, they can adapt well to the harsh environment of the ice field. Across the vast expanse of ice, sparsely scattered villages and towns added a touch of life to this frigid place.

In the depths of the ice field, two women with snow-white hair, both exuding powerful auras, were engaged in a fierce battle. They used neither their domains nor their werewolf powers, relying solely on the strength of their fists to suppress each other.

The dull thuds of fists striking flesh drowned out the sound of the ice cracking beneath their feet. The werewolf being suppressed had a pale face, and the crimson blood at the corner of her mouth had begun to dry. She was forced to retreat continuously, her arms numb with pain from blocking the attacks.

She wanted to counterattack but could find no opportunity. A seemingly light blow from her opponent slammed her to the ground, and a cold, slender hand clamped around her neck.

Being seized by her most vulnerable, fatal spot announced her defeat. Hanni lay on the ice, her sky-blue eyes filled with dejection and a hint of unease.

“Is this the result of your training expedition?” Joanna withdrew her hand and rose from Hanni’s body. Joanna, who was usually exceptionally gentle and kind to others, spoke to her own daughter in a tone of utter indifference. “How can you defeat Hanna like this?”

Hanna was Clan Leader Helen’s daughter, a werewolf of the Field clan. She was Hanni’s friend and a formidable rival in the competition to become the Wolf Race’s young chief.

Joanna had not held back against Hanni at all. Hanni lay on the ground for a while to recover before her wounds began to heal on their own. She propped herself up on her elbows, trying to stand, but found she couldn’t. She looked to Joanna for help, but seeing that her mother had no intention of helping her up, she simply lay back down and retorted defiantly, “I’ve beaten her before.”

Hanni stubbornly insisted, “I don’t lose to her every time.” She and Hanna had grown up together and often sparred. Their strengths were evenly matched, so it was normal for there to be wins and losses.

But no matter how hard she tried, Joanna never seemed satisfied. Her defeat in the previous contest for the position of young chief had fully triggered Joanna’s disappointment in her.

Joanna lowered her gaze and stared at Hanni for a moment, then shook her head slightly. “But you lost the most crucial time, Hanni.”

She sighed, her expression momentarily dazed, as if lamenting something. “You didn’t win the most important battle, so you will forever be a loser.”

Even if… that “winner” could no longer defeat her, the brand of a loser was forever on her.

Hanni didn’t realize Joanna’s thoughts had drifted away. Hearing her words, she fell silent for a moment before she couldn’t help but argue back, “Hanna… Hanna is exceptional. I lost to her, and that’s that. The young chief should be the most outstanding person.”

She felt no resentment about losing to Hanna. Hanna was also very talented and worked extremely hard; she had accepted her defeat gracefully.

If she couldn’t be the young chief, she could be like Joanna, staying by Hanna’s side to support her and be her backup.

Joanna saw through Hanni’s thoughts at a glance, which made her expression immediately darken. She frowned and said, “You are more outstanding than she is, Hanni.”

Hanni was startled by her suddenly stern tone and subconsciously said, “But… but…”

Joanna cut her off, speaking coldly, “You have one more chance to defeat Hanna. This time, I don’t want to see you in such a pathetic state again.”

The battle for the position of young chief was not yet over. After Hanni and Hanna trained for a few more years, when their strength had grown and their personalities had matured, that would be the time for the final duel.

“Clan Leader Helen has taken people to Yezreet to stop the Vampires from attacking the temple again. I will lead people to support her tomorrow. You will stay in the clan and train in seclusion.”

Hanni asked cautiously, “Is Hanna going?”

Joanna frowned and said nothing.

Her silence was the answer. Hanni said resentfully, “I want to go too.”

Why was she the one left behind in the clan again?

Joanna gave her a deep look and sighed. “When will you ever just listen obediently?” Seeing Hanni’s indignant expression, she shook her head. “I’ll have Elder Sena watch you. Don’t even think about running away this time.”

With that, she turned and left, giving Hanni no chance to refuse. Her figure quickly vanished from Hanni’s sight.

The Wolf Race’s healing ability was very strong. After lying on the ground for a while, Hanni’s numb arms and legs slowly regained feeling. The low temperature of the ice field had little effect on werewolves, and Hanni’s complexion gradually became rosy again. She propped herself up with her elbows and climbed up from the ground. The first thing she did was cough up the blood that had been welling up, which she had been forcefully suppressing.

“That old woman is too cruel, isn’t she?” A soft, pleasant voice sounded by Hanni’s ear. She froze for a moment, subconsciously looking up, but only saw a strand of red hair. An arm had wrapped around her waist at some point, and a warm body pressed against her back, making her want to squirm away uncomfortably.

“You’re the old woman.” Realizing the newcomer was Avira, Hanni slowly relaxed.

Avira had one arm around Hanni’s waist while the other roamed over her body, checking her injuries. Her tone was surprised. “Isn’t she your mother? How could she be so ruthless?”

Hanni’s movements were restricted by her injuries, so she couldn’t break free from Avira. She could only watch as Avira’s hand explored her body. A blush crept onto her face, and her sky-blue eyes flickered as she lowered her head and said, “Why are you here again?”

“I’m hungry.” Avira rested her head on Hanni’s shoulder, yawned, and said languidly, “Came to find food.”

“You’re the food.” Hanni reached out and tried to push her away, but failed repeatedly. She could only say angrily, “Let go of me.”

“You’re really bold. If the elders find you in a bit, you won’t be able to escape even if you want to.”

Although Avira was a Second Generation Vampire, they were standing in the very heart of the Wolf Race territory. Joanna and the elders would soon detect Avira’s aura.

Avira tilted her head and said with a grin, “Are you worried about me?”

Although Hanni was used to Joanna’s temper, being scolded still left her in low spirits. Seeing her dejected, Avira thought for a moment, then released the arm around her waist and grabbed her wrist instead. She deliberately exchanged a few moves with her, then pretended to be subdued, pulling Hanni down to the ground with her.

Hanni stared blankly at Avira, who was now pinned beneath her. Avira’s long red hair was spread out on the ground, and the collar of her clothes had opened slightly during their brief exchange, revealing fair skin that looked all the more alluring against her red hair.

Hanni averted her gaze uncomfortably and asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”

As she spoke, she tried to release her hold on Avira, but Avira held her hands in place. Avira winked at her, and for the first time, Hanni saw a hint of playfulness on that gorgeous face. “See? You’ve subdued a Second Generation Vampire.”

“You…” It took Hanni a moment to realize that Avira must have overheard her conversation with Joanna and was trying to comfort her. This filled her with complicated feelings.

The childishness this arrogant, overbearing vampire occasionally showed her always reminded her of how Avira had looked when she was disguised as a human.

Back then, she had genuinely wanted to protect this good-looking human.

Hanni slowly let go of Avira and muttered, “You’re so strange.” A Second Generation Vampire, pestering her day after day.

Avira sat up and casually straightened her clothes, her crimson eyes holding a trace of nonchalance. “I try to cheer you up, and you call me strange.”

When had she become so tolerant of her “food”? Avira raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping dangerously over Hanni.

Hanni’s hair stood on end under her stare. She asked warily, “What are you up to now?”

Avira’s red lips curved slightly. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly sensed something, and her brow slowly furrowed. She glanced in the direction behind Hanni, clicked her tongue, and said with displeasure, “Trouble’s here.”

As soon as Avira’s words fell, Hanni also sensed auras approaching them. She quickly identified them as belonging to Joanna and the clan elders.

The Wolf Race excelled at direct combat; they had no fear of a single Second Generation Vampire. Avira’s unauthorized entry into Wolf Race territory was a provocation to them.

Although many of the clan’s warriors had been taken away by Clan Leader Helen, there were still quite a few elders in the clan. Avira was alone. As long as Hanni could stall her until the elders arrived, Avira would not be able to escape.

Various thoughts flashed through Hanni’s mind, but her arms remained hanging at her sides, showing no intention of making a move. The auras grew closer and closer, causing her to tense up involuntarily.

Even though she had been discovered by the Wolf Race, Avira was not the least bit flustered. She glanced at the nervous Hanni, then suddenly reached out and pulled her to her side, saying nonchalantly, “Let’s go find Cynthia to play.” She had come here to take her “food” away in the first place.

“This place looks so boring.” As Avira spoke, she raised a hand, and a blood-red vortex appeared out of thin air. Without waiting for Hanni’s response, she pulled her directly into the vortex, and the two of them quickly vanished.

After Avira and Hanni left, the red mist that formed the vortex gradually dissipated. Several white figures arrived belatedly. By the time Joanna and the elders arrived one after another, they only saw the red mist that had not yet completely dispersed.

Joanna’s expression was cold as she scanned the surroundings. When she discovered that Hanni’s aura had also disappeared, her brow furrowed deeply.

An elder gave chase to search, but could no longer find any trace of Avira.

“How did a vampire get in here?” Elder Sena, whom Joanna had instructed to watch Hanni, reached out and grabbed a wisp of red mist, sniffing it. She said with some uncertainty, “Ventrue?”

“It’s Amelia.” After sniffing out which vampire clan the aura belonged to, Joanna easily confirmed Avira’s identity.

“Isn’t she investigating the Lasombra and Tzimisce? What is she doing in Wolf Race territory?” Sena was a little worried about Hanni’s safety. “And she took Hanni with her.”

Amelia was the sister of the Ventrue clan’s leader. During the period when the gods departed and the Vampires began to control the Sitatul Continent, she rarely appeared in Sitatul, instead spending her time sleeping in the Blood Domain.

Although she spent most of her time sleeping, the prestige she had accumulated during the era of the gods meant her status among the Vampires was second only to her sister’s.

Such a troublesome vampire had taken Hanni. Could it be that she knew something?

Joanna glanced around and, seeing that all who had arrived were elders from her own family, she retracted her gaze and said flatly, “Don’t speak out of turn, Sena.”

Sena, having been warned, quickly composed herself and lowered her head. “Then… what should we do?”

Since Hanni had previously tried to hide Avira’s identity from her, Joanna didn’t think Avira had taken Hanni to harm her. But the fact that Hanni had run off with a vampire displeased her. Joanna lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Take some people to the God Race territory and search in secret. If you find Hanni, capture her and bring her back.”

That vampire seemed to have an unusual relationship with Cynthia. It was highly likely she had taken Hanni to the God Race’s territory.

A Ventrue vampire, the suddenly ascendant God Race… the very people she least wanted Hanni to associate with were the ones Hanni always ended up with.

To help Susan establish her nation, the territory they currently occupied was far from sufficient. Having learned from Cynthia that the Vampires were focusing all their energy on destroying the temples, Darcy also realized that now was the time for development. She began discussing the next phase of their expansion plans with Cynthia and Susan.

After securing their own territory and their lives gradually stabilized, the God Race had also grown much stronger. The clan had welcomed some new lives, and the members who were now strong enough to stand on their own were almost all following Darcy on campaigns. Some of the not-yet-adult or newly adult God Race members were supervised by Chloe in their study of Light Magic, while the very young children of the clan all followed Doris.

Doris had a gentle personality, a good temper, and patience. The children of the clan were very fond of her, running around her almost every day.

Although Susan had already begun discussing expansion plans with Cynthia and Darcy, the plan to clear the land and request the Elf Race’s help in planting food was still proceeding in an orderly manner.

After the nation was established, more and more humans would come seeking refuge. They had to prepare an ample food supply to slowly win over the people’s hearts.

While the elves were helping to plant fruit trees, Doris also brought the clan’s children over to help. Many young elves also came over to play, and before long, a crowd of children had gathered around her.

Doris was very good at getting along with children; even the young elves liked to flock to her side.

When Cynthia found her, she was demonstrating Light Magic to the young elves. Not far away, the knights and elves were busy at work. The somewhat gloomy weather did not affect the children’s spirits. The cheerful and harmonious atmosphere seemed to infect the very ground beneath their feet, as tiny, tender green blades of grass sprouted from the earth, quickly turning into a soft carpet.

Cynthia stopped in her tracks and watched them from a distance for a while, her gaze primarily fixed on Doris.

This God Race member possessed a prophetic ability that no other God Race member had. Not only that, but according to Darcy, Doris was also exceptionally sensitive to the Power of Light, and like her, had once been a clan member who had wandered alone.

Cynthia studied Doris thoughtfully for a moment, her interest piqued by where she had lived before reuniting with Darcy and Chloe.

Doris, who was intently watching a young elf use nature magic, soon noticed Cynthia’s arrival. She looked up slightly, and after her eyes met Cynthia’s, she was surprised for a moment. Then she bent down and said a few words to the young elves and the children of her clan before walking over to Cynthia.

Doris hadn’t interacted with Cynthia many times and was still a bit reserved when they were alone. “Good day, Cynthia.”

Cynthia nodded slightly at her and said softly, “Are you enjoying your time with the young elves?”

“Very much.” Doris raised a hand to touch her hair, her smile a little shy. “They are all very cute.”

After speaking, she looked up at Cynthia and asked tentatively, “Did you come to find me for something?”

“I’ve been wanting to chat with you, but I never had the time before.” Seeing Doris’s puzzled expression, Cynthia chuckled and explained more directly, “I’m very interested in your prophetic ability.”

“Prophecy…” Doris became a little nervous at the mention of this. “Actually, I’m not very good at using it.”

“I can only occasionally see some potential dangers.”

Her prophetic ability was unstable. After learning about the witches’ divination arts, Doris once felt that her prophecies were inferior to their divination.

Because her prophetic ability was uncontrollable, there had been many times when the God Race faced danger, but she had “seen” nothing at all.

“But most of the time, I can’t see anything,” Doris said in a dejected tone.

“Every one of your prophecies has helped the God Race avoid danger.” Cynthia reached out and patted her on the shoulder, saying with a smile, “You can’t be too greedy.”

After being comforted by Cynthia, Doris said with some embarrassment, “Chloe has said the same thing to me.”

Cynthia smiled and withdrew her hand. She pondered for a moment and said, “I heard from Darcy that they met you in Thacker Plain. Were there no other clan members with you at the time?”

Doris shook her head. “I don’t know if there are any other clan members there. My mother was taken by Vampires when I was seven, and I’ve been alone ever since.” She paused for a moment, as if remembering something, then added, “But Thacker Plain is very strange.”

Cynthia’s expression shifted, and she raised an eyebrow. “How is it strange?”

“There are many Vampires in Thacker Plain, but there are some places they rarely set foot in.” It was because of the existence of such places, which the Vampires disliked, that she was able to escape their capture time and again until she met Chloe and Darcy, and they finally escaped that place together.

The days of fleeing in Thacker Plain were not pleasant for her, because there were simply too many Vampires there.

“Places the Vampires are unwilling to enter?” Cynthia raised a hand to her chin and thought for a moment before asking, “Did you ever sense a light aura there?”

Hearing Cynthia ask this, Doris faintly guessed her thoughts. “You suspect the Temple of Light is in Thacker Plain?”

Cynthia nodded. She had been suspicious ever since Darcy told her that the Divine Stones they had used before were brought from Thacker Plain.

And that place had been occupied by Vampires for a long time; even the Elf Race and the Wolf Race did not dare to enter it lightly. Only the Temple of Light, the Vampires’ greatest nemesis, could make them attach such importance to it.

Although the Goddess of Light had departed, the Vampires’ fear of her still existed.

When Cynthia taught them Light Magic, Doris hadn’t yet learned to actively sense the Power of Light. But upon careful recollection, the aura there had indeed always made her feel very comfortable, even though the place was perennially shrouded in layers of Blood Domain.

“That’s also a possibility,” Doris said, but her tone suddenly became tinged with worry. “But that place is really dangerous.” The Vampires there were different from the ones they had encountered. Although Doris had never met one, she felt that there must be Second Generation Vampires there.

“It’s fine.” Cynthia glanced up at her, her voice gentle. “No matter how dangerous, it will eventually become our territory.”

Danger was never an obstacle. Starting from nothing, they had already gained so much. The Temple of Light would certainly not be the final stop.

Cynthia’s tone was casual, but the unease in Doris’s heart unexpectedly dissipated.

The first time she met Cynthia, Doris was stunned by her beauty and shocked by the Light Magic she used. At the time, she had only thought of Cynthia as a genius with exceptional talent and intelligence in the Power of Light. But the more she got to know this person, the more her astonishment grew.

To be trusted by the witches despite being an outsider, to be able to form an alliance with the Elf Race when the God Race was still unknown, to help Susan reverse the plight of humanity bit by bit, to recruit Light Believers and Light Knights to strengthen the God Race’s power—each of these things filled Doris with heartfelt admiration.

She had never seen emotions like hesitation or panic in Cynthia that would make those around her feel uneasy. She always maintained a composed demeanor, elegant and steady, making people want to trust her unconsciously.

No wonder Darcy and Susan would think of Cynthia first whenever they were undecided. She truly gave people an immense sense of security.

Cynthia asked Doris a few more questions about Thacker Plain and then left. Doris watched her back until it disappeared from sight before slowly retracting her gaze.

The sky was already growing dim. Doris looked up, and just as she was about to lead the clan’s children back, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a black shadow.

She paused and turned her head slightly. A jet-black eagle had landed on a tree, its sharp talons digging deep into the trunk.

Realizing it was just an eagle, Doris looked away and turned to leave, but then she suddenly stopped again.

She pressed a hand to her forehead. An image flashed in her mind, but it was too fast for her to see clearly.

What was it… Doris squeezed her eyes shut, but the image in her mind suddenly vanished.

She opened her eyes in a daze. Although she hadn’t seen the image clearly, a sense of unease inexplicably welled up in her heart.