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Chapter 161: Lanchi Discovers the Hidden Vampire Cutie
Chapter 161: Lanchi Discovers the Hidden Vampire Cutie
Half an hour later, as the midnight clock struck one in the depths of the night, a bedroom in Lichtenstein Castle exuded a particularly cozy ambiance.
The brown hardwood floors, vintage carpets, and luxurious textiles emitted a subtle homely fragrance under the warm glow of lamplight, providing an intangible sense of warmth amidst the chilly depths of late autumn.
Within the bedroom, the atmosphere between Cardinal Lanchi and Priestess Stesila had long since transformed from hostile adversaries to something akin to classmates leisurely chatting away the evening.
Anyone who truly regarded Lanchi as an ally would keenly sense the reassuring aura that emanated from him.
After conversing with Lanchi, Stesila felt as though her future was brimming with newfound possibilities, as if she had truly been granted a fresh start.
Perhaps this was the blessing she received from the Goddess of Fate after inadvertently swearing an oath to her that afternoon.
And Lanchi was the angel of redemption sent by the Goddess herself.
"It's getting late; let's call it a day," Lanchi said as he closed the notebook in his hands, clipped his pen to its cover, and prepared to depart, resembling a teacher at the end of a lesson.
There would be other opportunities in the coming days to delve further into the matters concerning the Resurrection Church with Stesila.
Assistant Bishop Huberian, ever mindful of her role, was also ready to depart with Lanchi at a moment's notice.
She noticed a hint of reluctance on Stesila's face when she heard Lanchi suggest concluding their conversation for the day.
When brainwashing is approached with sincerity and benevolence, it becomes a form of moral persuasion. Yet, when that persuasion is laden with ulterior motives, it veers back into the realm of brainwashing.
One might call his actions virtuous, but they also bear a criminal taint. And yet, try as one might, no law has been broken.
Oh well, some things will never change in his lifetime.
Huberian had always been a quiet girl.
"Right, Stesila, what are your abilities and objectives as a vampire turncoat in this shadow world?" Lanchi asked as he stood up and pushed his chair back under the table.
This was the last piece of the puzzle he sought.
"Look into my eyes," Stesila replied without directly answering the question. As she spoke, her entire appearance began to shift and transform, her stature growing slightly taller until she perfectly resembled Princess Alixandria.
Huberian stared at Stesila in astonishment, unable to detect even the slightest difference between her and the real Princess Alixandria!
"My blood master, Count Seburn, possesses the vampire ability 'Blood Disguise,' which allows me to perfectly impersonate anyone I've touched until I choose to revert to my original form," Stesila explained, her voice now an exact replica of the princess's.
Because she was intimately familiar with Princess Alixandria, she was able to mimic the princess's mannerisms and tone with uncanny accuracy.
Even Lanchi would have been unable to distinguish the real princess from this impostor had he not witnessed Stesila's transformation with his own eyes.
"...”
Lanchi fell silent for a moment, contemplating the implications of this ability.
While it didn't seem to enhance her combat prowess, this was arguably the most formidable vampire ability he had encountered thus far.
Its potential was limitless in any situation beyond direct confrontation.
As the vampires gradually regained their strength in the mortal realm, they could erode the foundations of the Kreese Empire at an unimaginable pace, with Count Seburn seamlessly replacing key figures within the empire's hierarchy.
Perhaps, in the end, even the emperor himself would be supplanted by the count.
Huberian, too, felt a chill run down her spine as she grasped the full extent of Stesila's ability.
Upon reflection, within the context of this shadow world, following the normal sequence of events or adhering to the true historical narrative, if the bearer of 'Blood Frenzy' had initiated their killing spree on the first night, the very identities of the victims could have been disguised by 'Blood Disguise' starting from the second day. This would have exponentially increased the difficulty of unraveling the truth for the challengers, plunging the remaining four days into a maelstrom of doubt, deception, and brutal psychological warfare!
Huberian couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that Lanchi and Fred, the dynamic duo, had put an end to the game in half a day, fundamentally altering the nature of this shadow world.
"The first task of the traitor is to uncover the identities of the werewolf and the witch, and the second task is to obtain fresh blood from the werewolf and the witch within three hours. Then, go to the secret room beneath the castle's wine cellar and release 'Augustine, the Blood Viscount who has been missing for many years' from his seal. Subdue and enslave him as a specimen, and use his power to erase the blood kin mark on yourself, freeing yourself from the control of the blood master. However, upon completing this task, you will lose the ability to use the blood sovereign's power."
Stesila continued, divulging everything in detail.
Meanwhile, the task information panel for Cardinal Lanchi and Assistant Bishop Huberian, as the challengers, also began to update.
However, the Shadow World seemed to glitch for a moment.
The challengers' Task Objective 2 should have been gradually deciphered and inferred as the Shadow World progressed, rather than being outright explained by the traitor.
Gradually, the task panel displayed critical changes.
Task Objective 2: Uncover the Secrets and Dangers Hidden Within the Ancient Castle – Intelligence Unlocked
Phase One: Challengers are to protect the werewolf and the witch, preventing the traitor from releasing Viscount Augustine's seal.
Phase Two: If Viscount Augustine's seal is broken, resealing him will return to Phase One.
Phase Three: If Viscount Augustine is under the traitor's control when the Shadow World time limit ends, the task objective will fail.
Thus, the challengers could finally understand the true nature of this Shadow World's backstory.
Many years before the Cathedral Dinner, Viscount Augustine had been sealed in this place by the witch and the werewolf.
Years later, the owner of this castle, High Priest Caligula, invited twelve members of the Anti-Blood Sect to gather in this ancient castle perched on a cliff during this late autumn.
However, among the twelve, there were two blood kin with ambitious hearts. They had learned of the secrets beneath the castle and the presence of the witch and werewolf within the church from other sources.
Desiring neither to submit to the blood kin nor to be their enemies, they planned to release Viscount Augustine from his seal and control him, erasing the blood master's mark and possibly studying the mysteries of the blood kin.
The originally forming resistance against the church was thus dealt a devastating blow.
"Sigh, it seems that the prototype of this Shadow World is actually a tragedy."
Lanchi closed the semi-transparent Shadow World information interface and sighed. In that era without magic cards or even mature human magical scripts, the "Cathedral Villain's Dinner" should have been a brutal and forgotten chapter of history. How many survived, and whether the church members or the traitors ultimately won, remained unknown, but it certainly wasn't as smooth as their experience.
"I never thought that in this era, the greatest obstacle to anti-blood kin sentiment would be humans themselves."
Huberian's expression also turned complex.
Absurd laws, secretive breeding programs, and a power that even demons dared not challenge—it was hard to imagine the cost humans had to pay to rebel against the all-powerful blood kin in their prime. And yet, on this already doomed path, there was still ridiculous infighting.
"I wonder how humans eventually won. I guess we'll have to wait for the story to unfold in the remaining two Blood Moon Calamity Shadow Worlds. As long as we achieve an SSS rating in this world, we'll be able to continue into the Blood Moon Calamity era series of Shadow Worlds."
However, Lanchi didn't dwell on his musings.
As an ecologist rather than a historian, his job was to investigate and address any potential issues arising from the blood kin.
A man of action.
He carefully reviewed the content of Task Objective 2 once more.
Then, deep in thought, he asked Huberian, "As long as we don't let the traitor control Viscount Augustine, we win this Shadow World, right?"
"......Yes."
Huberian checked the task details herself and confirmed.
Although she didn't understand the significance of Lanchi's question, a sense of foreboding began to grow in her heart.
She felt that Lanchi's manic episode that night might not have ended but had only just begun!
And so, as Huberian's heart began to race, she heard Lanchi tell her—
"In other words, if we, as challengers, control Viscount Augustine, it should be fine, right?"
Lanchi straightened his suit, his sunny disposition unchanged, confident in his impeccable logic.
(End of Chapter)
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