Even though Su Ling knew the other party could not see her, she still took a step back.
“Master High Priest of Divine Knowledge, this is the sacred object I recovered from the heretics in Ansels.”
Tii, standing in front of her, spoke respectfully.
Su Ling remembered Tii telling her that in the doctrines of the Valivadan religion, all valuable things in the world belonged to God, and the priests were merely God’s agents.
Therefore, whenever they wanted to collect taxes or plunder, they used the word “recover.” Whenever they encountered someone they disliked, they labeled them a “heretic.”
‘Truly, the art of language!’
“Bring it up.”
Tii presented the small jar containing Nori’s Heart Core. The High Priest took it and held it up to the bright light to examine it closely.
“This… this is actually…!”
Suddenly, a change appeared on that stiff face. The High Priest stared at the Heart Core in the jar, his skin wrinkling as he revealed an expression of disbelief. His mouth hung open wide enough to swallow a Ming Snake.
This shocked appearance affected everyone else present, leaving them all bewildered. The Divine Servant and Tii both raised their heads, looking at the jar in the High Priest’s hand.
‘Is there something special about that jar? To make this old man, who has seen so many storms, this agitated?’
“Are… are you certain this is the Heart Core of the Third Princess of the Blood Clan?” The High Priest suddenly turned his head, his voice trembling as he questioned Tii. “Not the Crown Princess’s?”
“Yes, yes. I would not dare deceive you, Lord.”
Tii answered quickly, not daring to hesitate for a single second.
“Gulp… Hahaha, how interesting. This is far too interesting!” The High Priest thought for a moment before laughing in a sinister, eerie voice. His voice echoed in the empty room like the howling of a ghost.
“Since ancient times, there has only been one person in each generation with the qualities of a Blood Clan leader. The succession of power has always been undisputed.
“But… ha! The heavens have changed! I never expected the Third Princess to also have the qualifications to become King—no, if my judgment is correct, every single child sired by the current King of Ansels has the potential to become King!”
The old man’s eyes suddenly widened, his eyeballs nearly bulging out.
“This is the judgment the gods have cast down upon the heretics! It is hard to imagine what a ridiculous farce will play out in Ansels!”
The Divine Servant looked at the High Priest of Divine Knowledge blankly. He puzzled over it for a long time, but his mind seemingly could not keep up.
“Master… why do you say that? I do not understand. Please enlighten me, Master High Priest.” He bowed before the old man once more, his forehead lightly touching the floor.
Su Ling had also heard Tii mention this behavior of seeking guidance on the way here.
The High Priest of Divine Knowledge was essentially the supreme ruler of the country. However, in a formal sense, the High Priest was equal to all living beings—simply an ordinary person responsible for relaying God’s will, presiding over religious ceremonies, and performing divination.
One of the ways to relay God’s will was through education. In Valivadan, every Divine Official could be considered a Teacher in a certain sense (even if they did not necessarily engage in full-time educational activities). If the believers had doubts, the Divine Officials had an obligation to provide answers.
This was why the Divine Servant asked the High Priest so humbly.
“Hmph, asking me such a question… have you not been studying the records of the Blood Clan research I gave you?” The white-haired old man smiled somewhat terrifyingly. “Fine, I will say it one more time.
“As everyone knows, the Blood Clan gains extended life and various abilities through the Moon Eclipse Rite.
“During the Moon Eclipse Rite, besides the sacrificial offerings, ritual vessels, and altars, there is one more thing that is vital: the Holy Seal. Only a member of the Blood Clan who possesses the Holy Seal can preside over the entire ceremony and convert fresh blood into power and life.
“However, in every generation, there is only one member of the Blood Clan who possesses the Holy Seal. That individual bears the mission of influencing the prosperity or decline of the entire race and thus naturally becomes the leader of the Blood Clan…”
Tii listened quietly.
Su Ling was so absorbed in the explanation that she could not help but move a few steps closer.
The Divine Servant, however, was listening with a dazed expression. He scratched his head and then secretly patted his stomach. He looked quite distracted, as if he were suffering from a bout of restlessness.
The High Priest gave him a sharp glare. Only after the man trembled in fear did the High Priest continue.
“The current King of Ansels—Steyat—is the owner of the Holy Seal. Under normal circumstances, after his death, the Holy Seal would be inherited by his first child, who would then become the new King of the Blood Clan.
“But the heavens did not intend to let those filthy vampires have it so easy. Heh, come here and see—”
As he spoke, the old man shook the small red stone inside the jar.
“The children qualified to inherit the Holy Seal have patterns on their Heart Cores from birth, known as the Divine Seal Flower. Nori was clearly the third daughter, yet her Heart Core also bears this pattern.”
He took out the dark red, pebble-like stone and held it up to the window. In the bright light, one could see a flower-like radial mark in the center of the semi-transparent crystal with the naked eye.
“This is truly a miracle unseen in a hundred years. The Blood Clan has three members of royalty who can perform the Moon Eclipse Rite at the same time—even though the Third Princess is dead, the remaining two princesses are both qualified to become the King of Ansels!
“But how can a country have two Kings at once? They will surely fall into endless internal strife. This is the perfect opportunity the gods have granted us!”
After hearing the High Priest’s words, everyone present fell silent. The massive space suddenly felt as if it were empty.
Su Ling was completely stunned.
‘Does this mean Sista… has the qualifications to become the King of Ansels?’
Due to the detachment of blood relations and emotions, in the values of the Blood Clan, seniority was not the basis for determining the right of succession. The only thing that could make others bow their heads in submission was absolute, unique ability.
If Sista also possessed the leadership ability…
A fragment of memory surfaced in Su Ling’s mind. It was from the day she and Tii fled Hailuosen together; Tii had told her something on the road.
“The Heart Core is extremely important to the Blood Clan, but I do not know why Sista did not want Moria to obtain Nori’s Heart Core. It is very likely related to the conflict between the two of them…”
Right, back then Tii said that Sista would rather let them take it than have Nori’s Heart Core fall into Moria’s hands.
Because if Moria discovered that she could also inherit the throne, a struggle would be inevitable… Was this the reason?
Sista knew everything from the beginning, but she had no intention of becoming King, nor did she want to compete for power and profit with Moria. She only wanted to fulfill her duty as the Second Princess.
Knowing she had the chance to share power equally with Moria, she chose to endure in silence because she feared the extra Holy Seal would bring unnecessary turmoil to the country.
‘Sista, you really are stubborn…’
The lonely silhouette of that vampire girl seemed to appear before Su Ling’s eyes again.
Having spent so much time with Sista, she realized she only had a superficial understanding of the girl. She had never truly sat down and properly considered Sista’s thoughts until now.