Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 319: -76- Pray to the deity!

Chapter 319: -76- Pray to the deity!

"Heh, the Great Elder and Duke Yoroc are truly regressing with age, actually wanting to make contact with a suspicious entity whose divine nature is unknown even to the gods," he said. "It seems that the passage of time has made them forget that Observation is not omnipotent, and not all beings hold good intentions towards the Bloodline!"

"Yulster, a deity who has entered Eternal Sleep cannot possibly offer protection to their Favored. The Nais clan must seek another way..."

"With the arrival of the Holy Presence Day imminent, and as the first of the gods both awakened from slumber and of the same Bloodline, it is the Blood Demon Duke who represents the future for Nais!"

Elder Maxim spoke with a booming voice, his demeanor exuding authority.

Upon hearing his words, Yulster’s expression shifted slightly:

"Lord Yabaton? You... You’re not collaborating with the Blood Demon Duke! You’ve actually sided with the Blood Demon Duke!"

Elder Maxim glanced at him indifferently:

"Sided with him? Even if that is the case, why should it not be?"

"Although you did not live through the era of the War of the Gods, you did witness the power of myths during the King Blood Era. Thus, you should understand that in this world, only by possessing the Mythical... can one control their own destiny!"

"The source of Transcendent power comes from the divine, and all glory belongs to God. Without divine protection, what is called ’Transcendent’ is but water without a source, a tree without roots."

"Even if one manages to scrape by for a while, with the passage of time and the weakening of the bloodline, one is bound to face destruction and extinction..."

Yulster’s eyes widened:

"So... you’ve chosen the Blood Demon Duke? Elder Maxim, have you forgotten what a mad deity he is?!"

"Mad? And so what if he is mad? Yulster, if you had experienced the War of the Gods, you would understand that compared to madness... a rational deity is far more terrifying to us mortals."

Elder Maxim shook his head slightly.

"You’re mad! You must be mad! Wanting to switch allegiance to the Blood Demon Duke! Do you want Nais to become another Blood Demon Church, hunted by all?"

"Even if Lord Cosy has truly entered Eternal Sleep, even if the Nais clan has lost its protective deity, the future of the Nais clan will never be placed in the hands of a lunatic from the depths of hell!"

Yulster exclaimed angrily.

Elder Maxim’s expression changed slightly, darkly saying:

"Yulster, considering that you are also of the Nais Bloodline, I can forgive your offense this one time..."

With that, he coldly looked towards Yulster:

"Now, I give you two choices."

"One, submit to me, sign a Blood Covenant with me, pledge your loyalty to me. I will not pursue your past mistakes; on the contrary... I will grant you further potential."

"Two, you may choose to refuse, but if so, do not blame me for using the Blood Profanity Staff to turn you into a Blood Servant..."

"A Blood Servant! You actually want to turn a member of the Bloodline into a Blood Servant! You... you lunatic!"

Count Yulster shouted in anger.

Elder Maxim glanced at him indifferently:

"When tumultuous times approach, all old rules will be broken. Those who cling to ancient decrees and past laws will be eliminated by the times..."

"Yulster, I appreciate your skill in Magic Inscriptions, after all... you were once an Alchemist on par with the Legendary Mage Nicholas..."

"The era governed by humans is coming to an end. Following that good-for-nothing Yoroc will not bring you a better future. Rather than wasting away in your provincial castle, why not swear allegiance to me? I shall grant you a better future."

"Yulster, I will give you three days to think it over. In three days... I will come to inquire again."

"Either you become one of my followers, or you become a Blood Servant, utterly stripped of freedom and will!"

After speaking, Elder Maxim turned and left.

"Wait! What about my Bloodline kin?"

Yulster called out.

Elder Maxim paused briefly, saying faintly:

"Rest assured, those of your Bloodline who followed you on the mission are still alive."

"Of course, whether they live or die hereafter depends on your choice..."

Having said that, Elder Maxim spoke no more and left the room, locking the door behind him.

Yulster was left alone, his face grim as he stared at the dim room.

"Bang!"

He punched the wall, his already pale complexion turning ashen.

...

Count Yulster had no idea how long he had been confined.

Inside the dimly lit room, he could not perceive the passage of time; even the candlelight on the table had been removed. Even though his long lifespan made him insensitive to the flow of time, at this moment, he still felt agonizingly tortured.

He did not know whether Duke Yoroc had noticed his disappearance, nor did he know where his Bloodline followers now were.

He hoped that the Duke would notice his absence.

But reason told him that the likelihood was virtually nothing.

Three days felt incredibly long for someone forced to make a decision under duress, but for a Blood Duke waiting for a subordinate to report back, it was just a blink of an eye.

Count Yulster knew he had to make a decision.

He was aware that Elder Maxim would never let him leave in peace.

It seemed he had choices, but in fact, he had none.

Betray the Duke he followed and desecrate the honor of the Bloodline,

or stay true to himself, but inevitably end up being manipulated and become a Blood Servant...

"This is no choice! No matter what... I will ultimately become a tool for Elder Maxim to use against the Duke, even against the Great Elder!"

"The Blood Demon Church has no boundaries, and the Blood Demon Duke Yabaton is a paranoid madman; they are not the future of the Nais!"

"Working with the Blood Demon Church would only make the Nais Clan a tool for the Blood Demon Duke, a stepping stone for His descent into this world!"

"No wonder the Duke said my journey would likely decide the future of the Nais... Elder Maxim, as a senior executive elder for many years, has probably swayed countless members of the Bloodline!"

"No! I must find a way to report everything to the Duke! I must issue a warning! Elder Maxim has already started using the thorny rose’s Blood Profanity Staff to create Taboo Blood Servants, he’s gone mad, he wants to destroy the very foundation of the bloodline that the Nais Clan has maintained for thousands of years, he wants to ruin the entire Nais Clan!"

The more Count Yulster thought about it, the more terrified and anxious he became.

But when he looked around, he felt a surge of despair.

He was imprisoned.

All of his belongings had been confiscated.

Even his own bloodline powers had been temporarily restrained.

Now, did he have any way to contact the Duke?

Feign submission, looking for an opportunity?

No, that was impossible. Elder Maxim would never give him a chance. Once he submitted, the other party would surely force him into an unbreakable Blood Covenant. Even if he wasn’t a Blood Servant, he would lose the ability to resist.

Think quickly!

Think of any possible way!

Unable to help himself, Count Yulster got up and paced back and forth in the room.

However, this did nothing but make him more anxious.

At this point, Yulster suddenly felt some regret.

He regretted returning from North Port in such a hurry, regretted leaving too swiftly.

If he had stayed in the Northern Land a little longer, or more directly, if he had communicated with his own Duke via a Communication Crystal before leaving the Northern Land, perhaps he wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

Maybe he would still have been attacked, still have been kidnapped, but at least... he could have passed on the results of the negotiation with Castel beforehand, instead of being locked up before the news could be sent out like now.

He could even foresee that Elder Maxim would certainly blame his disappearance on Castel!

Wait...

Castel?

It was as if he had thought of something, and Count Yulster’s figure halted.

A glimmer seemed to flash through his mind, and at this moment, Count Yulster suddenly entertained a bold idea...

"Wait..."

"If I can’t contact the Duke, then... can I try praying to the thorny rose?"

This thought scared Yulster himself as soon as it emerged.

Praying to a deity one did not believe in was a very dangerous thing, particularly since he knew nothing about that god.

In fact, most of the time praying to an alien god did not bring a response, at best one might be greeted with an instant glance filled with "polluted" power.

However, once Yulster had this crazy idea, he could no longer suppress this audacious thought.

Even though such an idea to seek help by praying to other gods was essentially no different from siding with Blood Demon Duke Yabaton and Elder Maxim...

"No... it’s different. Believers are often influenced by their gods, and from what I’ve seen in my interactions with Count Castel, that mysterious deity doesn’t seem like a mad god..."

"Although I have not yet established mutual trust with Castel, he did not reject the possibility of cooperation, and behind this... there must be the deity’s tacit approval!"

"Not to mention... I have made a promise to provide a method for restoring Divine Power!"

"From this point of view, that mysterious deity might very well respond to my call!"

"Moreover, although the Holy Royal Court has obscured the truth to some extent, I know that the Blood Demon Church recently tried a failed Divine Descent ritual, and the one who stopped it wasn’t anyone else—it was that mysterious god!"

"The mysterious deity behind Castel... most likely also has an irreconcilable grudge against the Blood Demon Church!"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the Nais Clan... has something that the mysterious deity needs!"

"Praying to Him, perhaps... He really will cast His gaze and lend assistance!"

With these thoughts in mind, Yulster took a deep breath, and his expression gradually firmed.

Rather than bowing to the infamous Blood Demon Duke, he preferred to reach out to that one behind Castel!

After making up his mind, Yulster no longer hesitated. He bit his fingertip and began to draw the mysterious symbol he had seen under the dim light...