Chapter 1578: Chapter 1578

When the Church sent Jenkins and Miss Capet to meet the Countess for the second time, they hadn't instructed them to ask any questions. Everything Jenkins had just said was entirely of his own accord. But Miss Capet didn't question him; she knew that the Church's Saint must have his reasons for his actions.

"Answering questions wasn't part of our deal."

The Countess spoke with hesitation but didn't refuse immediately, which indicated that in her eyes, the three items were more valuable than her collaborators. If Jenkins's guess was correct, her relationship with the group behind her was not a solid alliance. It was likely a simple partnership, or perhaps even less than that.

"The Church has already shown its sincerity. You see, we've brought the items. Now, all you have to do is name that organization, or give us a few names, and our cooperation can continue. Didn't you say you wouldn't show your face again for a hundred years after this? Even if that group finds out you betrayed them, can they really find you?"

Whether it was due to Jenkins's skillful rhetoric or the Countess's genuinely poor relationship with her benefactors, she was actually swayed by his words.

She glanced hesitantly at Miss Capet. At a signal from Jenkins, Miss Capet first took out the small copper box containing the Bloodsucking Fangs and placed it next to the silver goblet. The fang would only remain odorless when stored in a pure copper container; otherwise, it would release a nauseating but harmless, foul odor into the air.

"This is a token of our sincerity,"

Jenkins declared, glancing at the pocket watch in his hand to check the time remaining before the two-minute limit was up.

"The Church has ordered us to be out of here within two hours. Otherwise, they'll consider the deal broken and will resort to other means to deal with you. You'd better think carefully."

"Actually... it's not impossible for me to reveal the identities of those people."

The Countess wavered, never guessing that the words coming from the young man's mouth were all a bluff.

"But I have another request."

Jenkins replied politely. After all, he had no intention of honoring any promise he made. Even if she demanded to become the queen of Beldiran, he would have dared to negotiate the specific details and plans with her.

"Thirty seconds to go~"

he thought to himself, trying his best to suppress a smile.

"I know that to deal with my kind who have been appearing in the Nolan area, the Church of the Righteous God had its apothecaries recreate the Hemolytic Toxin, which is no longer in circulation in the material world. I want ten samples of the toxin. This isn't to find a way to counteract it, but merely for self-preservation. As you know, my means of escaping from Nolan to Beldiran were not exactly honorable. My kin will likely see me as a deserter, or even a traitor. As for the people behind me, they are part of a vast coalition, including believers of different evil gods and various heretical cults. The leading organization among them is the Tree..."

"You'd betray us for a mere ten doses of Hemolytic Toxin? It seems trust, not only between humans but also between humans and exotic species, is just as cheap and pathetic. I suppose this is the tragedy of sentient beings..."

The voice came from the other side of the banquet hall, opposite where Jenkins and Miss Capet were sitting. A man stepped out from behind a tapestry embroidered with an abstract pattern of vampire bats. Jenkins squinted at him; he hadn't noticed his spiritual aura before because the complex colors of the Blood Mosquito Curse and the arcane lock were enough to mask the much smaller aura of a human Enchanter.

What infuriated him even more was that the man's appearance had startled the Countess. The bewitching woman shot to her feet and took two steps back, moving just outside the effective range of his hair's ability.

The hair's effect required a continuous duration. With that, his efforts to stall for time had been for nothing. Even if she re-entered its range, he would have to find a way to delay her for another two minutes. The source of thɪs content is n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

"I am, of course, the person the organization sent to watch you. And just as we thought, if you were capable of betraying your own kind, you're just as capable of betraying us. A creature like you is doomed to die a terrible death."

"The one who provided me with information was the Treehouse."

The Countess finished her earlier sentence, then glanced at the Elements' Blood and the Bloodsucking Fangs on the table before asking the newcomer in a mocking tone:

"While I don't know how you managed to sneak into my arcane lock, you can't possibly think you're a match for me, can you?"

Her confidence was well-founded. The man from the Treehouse was only a level-six Enchanter, the same as Jenkins's true level.

"Not to mention we're inside my arcane lock, the power I've gained from the Blood Mosquito Curse alone is enough to crush anyone. Even the Church of the Righteous God doesn't dare to storm in here and fight me. Who do you think you are?"

"Let me correct one thing. The Church outside isn't afraid of you; they're worried about the Blood Mosquito Curse contaminating Beldiran. Otherwise, you'd already be dead."

the man retorted, before posing a question of his own.

"As for the arcane lock... if I remember correctly, this isn't knowledge you brought from your homeland outside the material world, but something you acquired through a trade with a human Enchanter in Nolan. Take a guess, who was that human you just so happened to run into, the one so desperate for money that he was selling off the forbidden tomes in his possession?"

He wore a smug smile. Jenkins understood the feeling—laying countless plans and then revealing them after the target has fallen into the trap was indeed a deeply satisfying experience.

The Countess finally understood.

"The arcane lock itself is genuine, the real deal. But we altered parts of the ritual array, creating a loophole that isn't really a loophole. Your purpose has now been served; the Church's attention has been diverted to Beldiran for long enough. Our plans in Nolan should be proceeding smoothly. To ensure you don't sell out the organization's secrets, it's time for you to die."

Crimson mist surged, filling every corner of the banquet hall. The vampire's innate talent for manipulating blood, combined with the strange power granted by the Blood Mosquito Curse, allowed the Countess to command the blood energy as if it were an extension of her own arms.

A torrent of spirit vibrated through the air, threatening to crush everything in its path. But the target of this power was not Jenkins or Miss Capet, but the man from the Treehouse.

"The loophole that isn't a loophole," the man said calmly, "is that the ritual array can be destroyed. And it can be destroyed by mundane means."