Mystery: The Stranger

Chapter 43 United Empire

"We vampires only believe in the Red Moon and are loyal only to our progenitor."

This domineering yet confident statement really hits the DNA of the purebred vampires of the Northern Continent's Red Banner.

Even as the words that had lingered in her ears faded, and the crimson gaze that had enveloped Thranla receded, leaving her alone on the terrace, with only the faintly burning rune between her brows, Thranla remained standing there. She raised her head, gazing intently at the full moon in the sky, her scarlet eyes filled with excitement and anticipation, her body even trembling slightly with emotion.

Since the fall of ancient gods such as Lilith, the progenitor of the vampires, and the Elf King, the vampires have been leaderless and scattered, enduring a life of wandering for far too long. Her initial wish was merely to successfully ascend to demigodhood and preserve her family's legacy. She never imagined that she would receive the favor of the queen of another world, let alone learn the shocking news that her progenitor had not perished.

Now, her goals, direction, values, and growth path are all clear. For this young female vampire whose life was previously somewhat hollow, who only knew how to survive and enjoy life, this sudden mission and hope is enough to make her blood boil and unable to calm down for a long time.

She now truly wished she could offer her heart on the spot for the return of the progenitor.

...

In the distant Viscount's territory, the Moon Cup on the stone platform was empty. The last drop of moon dew transformed into a wisp of light, passing through the sacrificial void passage and merging into the hidden otherworldly symbol. Snow slowly loosened his grip on the Dark Empire's blade, the wisp of light fading from his fingertips. A hint of weariness appeared on his face, yet he couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes.

Whether it's Emlyn, the "Great Moon" of the Fifth Age, or this vampire countess of the Fourth Age, they are both so beautiful. Vampires are truly a group of adorable and fun supernatural beings.

The next second, Xalatas appeared out of thin air beside him, a playful smile on his face, his tone relaxed: "A few hundred-year-old vampire girl, so easy to fool. With her helping us spread the Red Moon faith, your divine fire will have enough faith power to burn in the future."

Snow nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the otherworldly runes engraved on the stone platform. His tone was calm and rational: "Using otherworldly symbols as a medium of conversion to collect the faith power of the Red Moon is entirely feasible. Even if we can't fully utilize the system of titles in this world, like other high-ranking beings, to receive faith without relying on external forces, it's still possible to design a set of titles and attach them to the symbols of the Astral Plane to receive prayers. And the Astral Plane itself has the advantage of being close to the source."

Snow designed it this way from the beginning. This was inspired by the Rose School in later generations. The moon itself, which is currently ownerless, fragmented, and objectively existing, the spiritually rich environment of the night, and the normal range of crimson moonlight scattered throughout the world, are the best communication stage and mystical teacher.

He is not a "favored one of the Red Moon", but as a related symbol of the astral moon concept, the otherworldly symbol itself is worthy of this position.

Snow hasn't truly ascended to demigod status yet, and his divine fire is limited. Having a demigod as his servant to manage the faith is more than enough for him to live a comfortable and prosperous life of nurturing his account.

The two briefly reviewed the interception and taming operation, their faces remaining expressionless, clearly believing the plan to be flawless. The method of intercepting prayers and beliefs related to the Red Moon and vampires through otherworldly symbols, and then diverting them to Snow's divine fire as a means of consumption and replenishment, was perfect in itself.

As for the words they just used to deceive Thranla—that the vampire progenitor Lilith hadn't completely perished, and that the Church of the Night shouldn't be allowed to monopolize the Red Moon faith—they were merely pre-arranged deceptions, half-truths, yet most effective at bewitching hearts. Snow truly knew that Lilith hadn't truly perished; she was now the Earth Mother. Xalatas, on the other hand, simply understood human nature, knowing exactly what words would best win over these vampires who craved belonging and advancement, making them willingly serve their purposes.

At this point, the affairs of the territory can operate on their own, the faith is taken care of by the vampire count, Snow only needs to do some transportation, and then there is nothing left to do.

Decades passed in this state, and soon it came to the year 510 of the Age of Gods. The gods and the great nobles finally agreed on the distribution of benefits, and the conflicts between the six gods were temporarily resolved. They jointly supported the Tudor and Terensost families, and ruled the northern continent in the form of two consuls (two princes of the order of execution) and a Senate, establishing the Tudor-Trensost United Empire.

Viscount Snow, as Earl Cullen's deputy, accompanied the ruler of the coastal province to the capital of the United Empire to participate in the founding ceremony of the United Empire.

Such a grand ceremony is not something that just anyone can attend. Snow didn't even bring his nominal eldest son, Eric, who has now inherited his baronial title. If Eric wasn't Earl Cullen's second-in-command, he wouldn't even be qualified to travel all the way to Backlund to participate.

Throughout the entire coastal province, the government of the United Empire only extended a formal invitation to Count Karen, a demigod of considerable stature.

The capital of the United Empire is in Backlund, which is geographically far from the coastal administration, spanning almost the entire northern continent. Count Cullen naturally took Snow directly there through the sealed artifact of the Gate. After arriving in Backlund, verifying their identities and confirming their invitations, special personnel took Count Cullen and Snow to find a place to rest. The official ceremony would not begin for another three days.

As the capital of the United Empire, the accommodations provided were quite nice. After Count Karen entered the room, he sealed it off with the power of the law, preventing any possible outside prying.

After all, it was a metropolis, a melting pot of all sorts of people, and Snow had already experienced a lot of hostility towards him along the way.

It wasn't intentional malice, it was just pure malice...

There was no deliberate targeting... it was just a matter of looking down on minor nobles in remote areas...

"Your Excellency, you are a member of the Angelic Family, after all. Look at the discrimination I have suffered along the way."

Because Karen closed the door directly, there were no attendants. Snow didn't mind and offered to make tea for the two of them, while also making some comments.

"Would a demon care about discrimination?"

Snow's question seemed rather impolite, but Karen Tamara's reply was not exactly polite either, and it also carried a hint of teasing.

Her impression of Snow has improved considerably. This is not only due to his decades of loyalty, but mainly because the divine fire in Snow's spiritual world has absorbed the moonlight spirituality and the red moon faith for so long. The power transformed from this has first improved Snow's appearance and extraordinary charm.

This is also why Snow experienced so much malevolence along the way.

Karen Tamara didn't think the demon in front of her had undergone plastic surgery. She simply assumed that the initially ordinary appearance was a deliberate disguise made by Snow when he replaced Baron Hawke. As a descendant of the Void Archdeacon, as a demon that seduces people and symbolizes desire, his true appearance was very attractive and deceptive, and it didn't seem strange at all.