In a gloomy, eerie forest several hundred miles from Ochester, a functioning teleportation array flickered with a faint black light under the dim sky. Witches in vibrant red robes stood together in twos and threes, while pitch-black eagles circled in the sky above them.

The dense flock of eagles resembled a dark, oppressive cloud. They circled silently, flying toward Ochester and the Slade Sea Region only when guided by the witches.

Camille sat on a high tree branch, looking up with great interest at the eagles soaring through the air. Her blood-red robes made her skin look exceptionally pale. A black feather drifted down onto her shoulder. She glanced at it, then reached out and pinched it. The feather dissolved into a black mist in her hand.

As if she had received an interesting gift, she looked down and happily showed it off to Elder Molly, who was standing beneath the tree. “Elder Molly, look at this.”

The black mist in her palm slowly transformed into a new eagle. Its jet-black feathers made it look incredibly valiant. Camille admired it, saying with a grin, “I love dark magic. Look how amazing it is.”

This kind of magic, which could summon demonic creatures just by chanting a spell, was much simpler than their method of using sacrificial offerings.

Molly, who was leaning against the tree and trimming her nails, heard Camille call her and glanced over casually. Her red lips curved slightly as she said in a casual tone, “When the Sethite wizards arrive, we’ll have to thank them properly.”

Maia had genuinely wanted to cooperate with the Anderson witches, so the spells she had prepared were also very sincere.

Since the Anderson witches had begun studying the power of darkness, this was the first time they had obtained so many powerful offensive dark magic spells. While satisfied with the payment, Molly’s perception of the Sethite clan had also changed. So, the Sethite clan had this much dark magic in its possession.

But where did they get it?

Although the Sethite wizards had started researching dark magic earlier than them, their clan’s focus had always been on emulating the Tremere family to become a new line of vampires.

Molly didn’t think they had developed this on their own.

Therefore, the source of this dark magic was very interesting.

“Even Sister Eunice doesn’t know this much dark magic.” Camille released the eagle from her hand, then tidied her wind-blown hair. “The Sethite wizards are so impressive. Does their clan also have someone like Sister Eunice?” she said casually.

Molly blew on her freshly trimmed nails and said meaningfully, “We’ll only know that after we’ve thanked them.”

To express her “gratitude” to the Sethite wizards, she had brought quite a few of her clan members.

The sky grew darker as night slowly fell. While Molly and Camille were talking, a black vortex suddenly appeared next to the teleportation array. A group of six or seven witches in black robes emerged from it, but the one in the lead was not Maia.

Molly looked up and scanned the group. Not seeing Maia, her eyes darkened for a moment. She caressed the bone staff in her hand and, unlike before, did not go forward to greet them.

Camille jumped down from the tree and skipped over, searching the group before asking curiously, “Why didn’t Sister Maia come?”

Ryan glanced at Molly, who remained where she was, and was displeased by her disrespectful attitude. His face darkened, and his tone was unfriendly. “What’s it to you?”

Being scolded, Camille lowered her head, looking somewhat wronged, and silently stepped aside.

Ryan snorted coldly and strode past her. He had come this time to check on the witches’ progress in sabotaging the teleportation arrays. Looking at the flock of eagles above, which was like a dark cloud, a satisfied smile touched his lips.

Molly walked over to Ryan, bone staff in hand, and followed his gaze up to the oppressive black sky. She said with a smirk, “The God Race is short-handed. The teleportation arrays in the cities are all guarded by humans. Even if you gave those foolish humans a hundred chances, they would never discover that the arrays have been tampered with.”

As she spoke, she waved her bone staff and softly chanted a spell. A faint black mist appeared on the empty ground before them, and within the mist, the outline of a city materialized.

A controlled eagle landed on the roof of the castle where a teleportation array was located. Below, a team of knights was on patrol. Just as Molly had said, they had no reaction to the eagle on the roof.

Molly glanced sideways at Ryan. Seeing him watching intently, a flash of contempt crossed her eyes but quickly vanished.

As she had expected, the Sethite wizards had no real understanding of the God Race’s strength. Although the teleportation arrays in the cities were guarded by human knights, every city had members of the God Race stationed there. In addition, there were the humans the God Race called Light Believers and knights who could wield the power of light.

Ordinary humans might be slow to sense danger, but the God Race was sharp. They had already tampered with quite a few teleportation arrays, and Molly suspected that some of the God Race might have already noticed something was wrong. That was why she had just ordered the other witches to stop sabotaging the arrays.

However, she wasn’t going to tell Ryan that.

Ryan stared at the image in the mist and nodded slowly. He had no reason to doubt Molly’s words, but he found their pace a bit slow. “Speed it up. At this rate, when will we ever be able to make a move against the God Race?”

Molly raised her bone staff and casually waved it, dispersing the black mist. She asked with interest, “When do you plan to make your move?”

Ryan glanced at her and snorted. “Just do your job. That’s not for you to ask.”

He turned to leave with an arrogant expression, but a bone staff suddenly appeared across his chest, blocking his path. The staff’s owner, Molly, saw Ryan’s face darken and smiled faintly. “Being too arrogant can get you taught a lesson.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes, suddenly sensing a hint of danger from Molly. The witches behind him had already raised their bone staffs in alarm.

The witches who had been controlling the eagles just moments ago had, at some point, gathered around them. The dark flock of eagles above also stared intently at Ryan and his group.

Ryan’s heart sank. He demanded, his voice harsh but his fear plain, “What are you doing?”

Camille stood beside Molly and kindly informed him, “Did you know the God Race has a talent for prying into people’s memories?”

“We’ve developed something similar, and we wanted to find someone to test it on.”

Ryan never expected the Anderson witches to turn on them so suddenly. He gripped his bone staff tightly, trying to negotiate. “Aren’t we partners? The dark magic spells we gave you before were only part of the payment. Once this business with the God Race is settled, I can propose to the Grand Elder that we give you an additional third of the reward.”

Camille’s eyes darted around. “How do you have so many dark magic spells?” she asked.

Ryan’s eyes flickered, and he didn’t answer.

Seeing his expression, Camille suddenly burst into laughter and shook her head. “Looks like it’s a secret.”

Molly gave a signal to the witches behind her and said softly, “I just love prying into other people’s secrets.”

The witches unleashed the spells they had long prepared. The flock of eagles above dove down, instantly overwhelming the witches behind Ryan. Screams of agony pierced the dark night.

Ryan, who had been in the middle of chanting a spell, watched his clan members vanish. His eyes widened instantly. He swallowed nervously, his face gradually turning pale.

Camille looked at the incredulous Ryan, a brilliant smile slowly spreading across her face. But shrouded in the night, her smile looked incredibly sinister. She looked up at Molly and said with a puzzled expression, “Why is he so surprised by our betrayal? We even betrayed the God Race.”

They had betrayed the God Race, who had helped them and were well-liked by the other two families. And yet, the Sethite wizards still dared to seek an alliance with them.

How amusing.

Chains of darkness bound Ryan’s hands and feet. The eagles, having devoured the other witches, perched in the trees, their eyes still fixed on him. Ryan lay prostrate on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, a completely different person from the arrogant man he had been moments before.

Molly handed her bone staff to a nearby witch, then walked over to Ryan. She bent down slightly, her cold hands gently cupping his head.

She chanted a spell in a low voice, then slowly closed her eyes.

Ryan’s face contorted in pain, but restrained by the dark chains, he was powerless to struggle. In just a few short seconds, the light in his eyes began to fade.

When the God Race pried into someone’s memories, it had no negative effects on the person. But for witches to forcibly probe using the power of darkness was a different matter entirely.

However, in Molly’s eyes, Ryan was already a dead man. Of course, she wouldn’t care about a dead man’s feelings.

A flood of information poured into Molly’s mind, causing her to frown. She only managed to hold on for less than a minute before stopping the spell.

She let go of the unconscious Ryan and rubbed her temples.

Camille, who had been waiting by her side, asked with concern, “Did you find out where the Sethite wizards got their dark magic?”

Ryan was also an elder in the Sethite clan, albeit a low-ranking one, but he was still privy to some of the clan’s secrets.

Molly sorted through her thoughts and slowly began to speak. “…The spells and arrays they have all came from the Temple of Darkness.”

Camille was surprised. “They found the Temple of Darkness?”

“No, not yet.” Molly’s expression was a bit strange, as if she had learned something peculiar. “The Vampires gave it to them, claiming it came from the Temple of Darkness. However, the Vampires have already told the Sethite wizards the location of the temple.”

She paused, her tone odd. “Guess where the Temple of Darkness is.”

Camille was taken aback and shook her head honestly. “I don’t know.”

Molly let out a low laugh, her eyes dark and heavy. She said, word by word, “In the Capri Plains.”

The Capri Plains, their former territory. The Temple of Darkness was actually there. They had lived in the Capri Plains for decades and never knew.

And yet, the Sethite clan had foolishly hoped to use their divination skills to find the temple’s exact location.

Molly’s words caused an uproar among the other witches. The rising voices became noisy and chaotic. A flash of impatience crossed Camille’s face but quickly vanished. She tugged on Molly’s sleeve and asked, “Is there any other interesting news?”

Molly thought carefully. “Does the Vampires’ plan to besiege the Elf Race count as interesting news?”

What she had pried from Ryan were his most vivid memories, and this was one of them.

However, Molly had no interest in the Elf Race, so to her, it wasn’t particularly noteworthy news.

But what Molly found uninteresting, Camille was unexpectedly concerned about. She even pressed further, “When are the Vampires going to make their move?”

“In three… four days.” Molly glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Camille let go of Molly’s sleeve and ran toward the teleportation array. “Let’s go back quickly, Elder Molly,” she said as she ran. By the time she finished speaking, she was already standing in the array, calling for the other witches to come over.

A witch walked up to Molly and asked her how to deal with the unconscious Ryan.

Molly thought for a moment. “Kill him and dump him in Ochester.”

The Sethite wizards probably wouldn’t let the God Race off. They would give the God Race a little warning, lest this battle end too quickly and bore them, the spectators.

Molly chuckled softly and led the other witches toward the teleportation array.

Molly had led her clan members out under the pretext of a patrol, and the teleportation array was set up in a very hidden location. But as soon as they emerged from it, they saw Eunice standing beside the array, watching them with an icy gaze.

More witches emerged from the array. Eunice estimated their numbers, and her face grew even darker. “What were you doing?” she demanded.

Molly shrugged, looking innocent. “Patrolling.”

Eunice sneered. “You can use that excuse to explain yourself to Elder Kana in a moment.”

One of the witches, angered by her attitude, had already raised her bone staff, but Camille reached out and stopped her. Camille ran to Eunice’s side and said with a grin, “We didn’t secretly go kill humans, Sister Eunice.”

Eunice glanced at her and snorted. “I’m not interested in what you were doing. Go tell Elder Kana.” With that, she turned and strode away.

Camille chased after her, ignoring Eunice’s cold attitude, and shamelessly struck up a conversation. “Sister Eunice, we just met a Sethite wizard. He was very mean and looked down on us witches, so Elder Molly killed him.”

Regardless of whether Eunice responded, she continued, “But we peeked into his memories and learned something.”

“The Vampires want to deal with the Elf Race, and they’re about to make their move. Can you go tell Cynthia so she can tell the Elf Queen, please?”

Eunice didn’t stop walking. Her tone was mocking. “You’d be so kind?”

Camille sighed. “I don’t care about the Elf Race, but I’m worried Sister Betty will be sad when she finds out.”

The mention of Betty made Eunice frown slightly. She was silent for a moment before saying coolly, “Mind your own business.”

Eunice walked quickly, and Camille soon grew tired of following. She stopped and watched Eunice’s cold, retreating back, shouting, “Remember to tell Sister Betty that I was the one who told her!”

If Betty weren’t unwilling to see her, she wouldn’t have let Eunice pass on the message.

Molly walked to Camille’s side, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Why did you have her warn Cynthia?”

“Sister Betty and Cynthia are friends, and Cynthia is so close to Queen Olivia. If I tell Sister Betty this news, and she finds out it’s true, she’ll definitely see me in a better light,” Camille said in all seriousness.

Of course, since Cynthia and Queen Olivia were so close, Cynthia would definitely go to help when she heard the news.

And if she was unfortunate enough to die at the hands of the Vampires, Camille would be even happier.

Cynthia, far away in Ochester, was still unaware of Camille’s little scheme. However, the patrol of knights had found the witch’s body that Molly had ordered to be dumped in Ochester and had already informed Cynthia.

After examining the body, it was easy to identify him as a Sethite wizard.

Although it was just a corpse, the dark aura emanating from it still repelled the God Race.

“The wounds on his body were left by dark magic.” Darcy lifted Ryan’s sleeve to look at the gashes on his arm and said in a low voice, “If a witch used dark magic in our territory, one of our clan would have surely noticed.”

The appearance of this body was too suspicious.

Cynthia lowered her gaze, her eyes scanning Ryan’s body before finally settling on his collar. She bent down slightly, her long fingers parting the collar a little, and picked up a tiny black feather.

A golden flame suddenly appeared at her fingertips. The black feather ignited, turning into a ball of dark power.

Darcy looked at the black mist enveloped in golden light and frowned. “A feather containing the power of darkness?”

“It’s not a real feather.” Cynthia reached out and dispersed the dark power. After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly turned to a nearby knight and asked, “Have there been any abnormalities in the territory recently?”

The knight thought for a moment and replied, “Some of the teleportation arrays in the territory have suddenly failed.”

Cynthia frowned. “How many have failed?”

“About thirty or so.”

Thirty-something was nearly a quarter of the total.

This was the first Darcy had heard of this. She asked with displeasure, “Why did no one report this to me and Cynthia?”

The knight hurriedly explained, “It was Clan Leader Chloe who discovered it. She said there was no need to report it to you, that she was leading people to investigate the matter.”

Darcy was about to say more, but Cynthia raised a hand to stop her. Cynthia turned her head to look at a dark corner, her golden eyes narrowing slightly as she said in a low voice, “Someone…”

Darcy followed her gaze, confused. In the darkness, she could vaguely make out two figures tugging and pulling at each other. She grew vigilant and was about to draw her staff when a ray of golden light shot out, illuminating the darkness.

After the darkness dissipated, the figures of Avira and Hanni were exposed to Cynthia and Darcy’s view. The two of them looked as if they had just been in a fight, their hair and clothes somewhat disheveled. But judging from Hanni’s almost completely flushed face and Avira’s suggestive grappling, it seemed like it had been more than just a fight.

Cynthia: “…”

With a calm expression, she raised her hand to dismiss the golden light. Then, she said coolly to Darcy and the others, who hadn’t yet reacted, “Let’s go. We need to find Chloe first.”

The sudden failure of the teleportation arrays was no small matter.

Darcy glanced back into the darkness. Sensing something, she asked thoughtfully, “Is it alright for a werewolf and a vampire to be mixed up like that?”

Cynthia caressed the staff in her hand and shook her head. “It seems fine for now.”

But the future was uncertain.