https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-825-Houbailian-Meets-Ifatiya-Part-1-/12934370/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-826-Torliado-s-Tearful-Overtime-Part-1-/12934384/
Chapter 825: Houbailian Meets Ifatiya (Part 2)
Chapter 825: Houbailian Meets Ifatiya (Part 2)
Without Sigrid's wolf blood, Ifatiya would still be hiding in the Brillada Black Hand Gang's underground ice palace, enduring the torment of the Blood King Flame every day.
Ever since meeting the Ice Maiden, Houbailian knew that the Archbishop had reached a friendly collaboration with the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and she understood that the Archbishop wasn't an enemy. Now, she couldn't bring herself to dislike the straightforward and generous Archbishop.
Despite this, she still had complicated feelings for this woman.
"Those who pray to the Goddess of Fate, or dare to pray to her, can't be bad people. That's what I firmly believe."
Talia always remembered this saying.
The divinity of the Goddess of Fate lies in the fact that as long as you pray to her, she gains the slight power to interfere with your fate, and the more devout and long your prayers are, the more your heart's voice will be conveyed to her.
Making a vow to a deity is a solemn matter, and people believe that the deity will hear it.
Oaths to any deity must be taken seriously, regardless of whether these divine beings still exist or can interfere in the world, as it may create cause and effect.
It's a bit mystical, but occasionally, there is some proof.
"At first, when I heard that you and she were like friends, I was astonished, but now I think it might be because I don't understand Sigrid very well."
Houbailian reflected.
However, recalling her interactions with Archbishop Sigrid in the North Continent and her encounter with Miss Sid, who was actually Sigrid in disguise, Houbailian felt that even if she wanted to get along with Sigrid, the other party probably wouldn't like her very much.
After all, from Sigrid's perspective, Houbailian was probably an incompatible junior priestess.
"Actually, Sid is quite easy to get along with."
Talia originally wanted to tell Houbailian that Sigrid had also kept watch over her last night, but seeing that Sigrid seemed to be avoiding Houbailian, as if she didn't want Houbailian to know that she liked her, Talia didn't say anything.
Let them figure out their own matters; Talia wouldn't interfere.
Sometimes, the answers directly told by others are wrong, and only what one realizes on their own is correct.
"I will sincerely thank her for saving my mother."
Houbailian nodded affirmatively.
They would surely meet again in this mansion.
Since Sigrid went to the Pantheon to pray to the Goddess of Fate and would worship the Moon Goddess tomorrow, there would definitely be something to talk about.
In the Creedentia Empire, there wasn't a specific church for the Goddess of Fate. To find a statue of the Goddess of Fate, one had to go to the Pantheon, where statues of various deities stood, and imperial priests who believed in various gods were responsible for maintenance.
Houbailian had always admired the Kreithian Pantheon, a famous ancient site in the southern continent.
While the Kreithian Empire primarily worshipped the God of War, the more popular site among the majority of priests and believers was the ancient Pantheon in the Elsaya Sanctuary, where most of the religious activities took place. This was in contrast to the newly constructed War God Temple in Kreithian, which was less than a hundred years old.
"Speaking of which, Elsa, your sister, also visited the Pantheon last time."
Ifatiya lightly touched her lips with her index finger, deep in thought.
That day, the afternoon schedule of Landry's younger sister, Elsa, was simple. She would pray to the goddess at the Pantheon as usual, and then return to school. However, she suddenly disappeared, which led to the incident where Lan Qi brought the Griffon heiress, Ursula, to Brillada to search for her.
It was this accident that caused Lan Qi and Talia to encounter Ifatiya, the true hidden boss of the Brillada Black Hand Gang.
It was inevitable that they would cross paths with the vampires due to the vampires' secret plotting.
"Elsa?"
This was the first time Houbailian had heard this name.
"She's Landry's younger sister. She's both a wolf clan priestess and a devout priest. You two should get along well. Perhaps you'll have the chance to meet her tomorrow at the Moon Goddess Festival in Saint Kreithian Monastery."
Talia began to tell Houbailian a story.
This happened before Houbailian arrived in Brillada, the capital of the Kreithian Empire.
The Moon Goddess Festival at Saint Kreithian Monastery the next day would be a grand event for all the students, much livelier than any other time at Ekeirete Academy. Lan Qi, currently assuming the identity of Landry, had a dual role and responsibility. As Elsa's guardian, he might also go to encourage her for the new school year, and as a professor, he would bless his own students.
As for Elsa's good friend, the one who had accompanied Lan Qi to find Elsa that day, was the Griffon heiress, Ursula. As the sister whom the Ninth War Deity, Crystal of Ryan, considered a disgrace to the family, it was unlikely that Marquis Ryan would come to the monastery.
However, Talia believed that Lan Qi would still express his gratitude to Ursula.
After all, when Lan Qi was in his right mind, he was exceptionally reliable towards his students.
"The Ninth War Deity, Crystal of Ryan..."
Houbailian muttered the name with a hint of apprehension.
The young Imperial Lieutenant General was renowned for his bravery and combat prowess, said to be not much weaker than the Seventh War Deity, Blood Jade Philip, and the Eighth War Deity, White Gold Stone Conzale. He was one of the outstanding figures under the Sixth War Deity, Sapphire-Violet Violet. On the battlefield, he struck fear into the hearts of allied forces.
These War Deities had now returned to Brillada in the true sense.
This giant city in the heart of the empire was becoming more dangerous by the day.
"Could my father's disappearance also be related to these War Deities...?"
Houbailian had great faith in her father's strength and wisdom.
To push Duke Migaya to the brink, it might not be possible with just the vampires, who could only operate at night.
Perhaps the assistance of the Imperial War Deities was also required.
"That's a possibility, but actually, before you were born, your father, Duke Migaya, occasionally visited the Kreithian Empire."
Ifatiya thought for a moment and explained to Houbailian.
"Huh?"
Houbailian looked at Ifatiya in confusion.
She had assumed that Duke Migaya was investigating information about Ifatiya and came to the Kreithian Empire to find her, which led to his disappearance.
"Actually, before you were born, your father, Duke Migaya, had invested in a cross-border company called the Welfort Merchant House. With the help of this company's channels, he could easily assume different identities to enter the Kreithian Empire. Do you remember if he ever took you to Nanvantina Province when you were little?"
Ifatiya explained and asked Houbailian.
"Well, I don't remember. When I was little, he did occasionally take me to Nanvantina Province to play, but I don't recall what I encountered there."
Houbailian rubbed her head. At that age, she was still a child, and her memories were as hazy as dreams.
"Perhaps I'll only remember if I revisit those places..."
Moreover, at that time, she was particularly mischievous and aggressive. When she was bullied in the imperial capital of Ekeirete, she could only cry at home. Duke Migaya might have wanted to take her to a different environment to relax.
Unfortunately, the last time they went to Nanvantina Province, they had planned to play at the Blue Wave Coast, but they encountered the Rebirth Church's full-scale attack on Nanvantina Province, which prevented Lan Qi from taking them there.
"Wait a moment."
Houbailian suddenly realized the more critical part of Ifatiya's words.
The Welfort Merchant House?
Wasn't that Lan Qi's merchant house?
The Welfort family had become wealthy because of this. Even during the war, the Welfort family had a special freight channel, according to Noe. It was said that more than ten years ago, a mysterious merchant had left it behind, and this major shareholder had not only invested in the Welfort Merchant House but also helped establish a secret path for the Welfort family to travel between the Hutton Kingdom and the Kreithian Empire.
This secret was not even known to the head of the family, Noe Welfort, as it was a guarantee for the benefactor of the merchant house. It would not be exposed to anyone other than Noe and the mysterious merchant's butler, Hans.
Until now, when the Welfort Merchant House was in decline, the butler Hans mentioned it to Pranae during their casual chat.
"Tata, Lan Qi told you about the worldline that the Goddess of Fate allowed him to see, right? In that worldline, the Welfort family would experience a tragedy, and this was Lan Qi's original intention for coming to Ekeirete to change his family's fate."
Houbailian looked at Talia and noticed that Talia was also staring at her, with an enlightened look in her golden eyes.
"I know.
Talia nodded in deep thought.
The vampires of the Creedentia Empire, the Rebirth Church, the mystery of Duke Migaya's disappearance, and the future Welfort tragedy were all interconnected in ways that were difficult to explain.
The vampires had complete control over the Creedentia Empire's time, the time of Duke Migaya's murder, and the time of the Welfort Merchant House's annihilation all converged.
Moreover, the Welfort Merchant House was a crucial cross-border business and transportation channel between the Hutton Kingdom and the Creedentia Empire.
This was a chain reaction.
The essence of the Welfort tragedy was that if Houbailian died, and Duke Migaya developed a heart rift controlled by the Third Ancestor Rashal, then the Welfort family would also become a cross-border channel controlled by the vampires.
The vampires had always treated humans as disposable.
Once the Welfort Merchant House's value was exhausted, they would naturally be eliminated without a trace by the vampires. In that failed timeline, the Welfort Merchant House might have known too much, and either way, it was a dead end.
So, from the beginning, Lan Qi's idea of wanting to ruin his own merchant house was correct, but not entirely. If the merchant house was ruined, even if Duke Migaya was truly controlled, the vampires would lose such a channel, reducing their connection to the Welfort family.
However, as time passed and the vampires had more resources, they might also eliminate the Welfort Merchant House, a small hidden danger left by Duke Migaya.
Destroying the merchant house was only a temporary solution.
The real solution was to protect Houbailian, as she was the true crystal.
The kind-hearted Lan Qi, by chance, became friends with Houbailian, and only gradually realized after protecting her that Houbailian was the person whose fate was intertwined with his own.
"It turns out that the major shareholder of the Welfort Merchant House is actually Duke Migaya."
Houbailian and Talia looked at each other, understanding each other without words.
At this moment, they finally understood the full cause and effect.
Unexpectedly, they had obtained a clue from Ifatiya's unintentional words.
"Tata, do you remember the last time we three went to the Welfort family? Their old butler, Hans, seemed to recognize me."
Houbailian asked Talia.
The last time they visited the Welfort family, Houbailian noticed that Hans was particularly respectful towards her, and he even called her 'Miss Houbailian' without her having to introduce herself.
"I didn't pay much attention at the time, as I was already very familiar with Hans."
Over a year ago, Talia had interacted extensively with the Lan Qi family's old butler, Hans, and the maid, Francing.
Now that she thought about it, it was indeed as Houbailian had said.
"Hans? Isn't he from our family?"
Ifatiya recalled that their family's old butler was also named Hans and asked in surprise.
"It seems that Migaya placed Hans in the Welfort family."
Upon hearing this, Talia understood everything.
Initially, she had said that the Welfort family was very wealthy, and it was impressive that they had a top-tier Sixth Rank Master like Hans as their butler and bodyguard in such a border province.
Such a butler was something that even the Nanvantina border lord's family might not have.
"Oh, that's right. Why do you both know about the Welfort family?"
Ifatiya couldn't understand why Houbailian and Talia were so familiar with the Welfort family, a merchant house in a border province.
Logically, her sister and daughter should have been living in the royal capital, Ekeirete, and they obviously didn't know about the connection between the Welfort Merchant House and Duke Migaya's family beforehand, as it had all been hidden by Duke Migaya.
"You didn't know? Lan Qi's full name is Lan Qi Welfort."
Houbailian looked at Ifatiya in confusion.
"What? My brother is a Welfort?"
Ifatiya asked in shock.
After saying this, Ifatiya covered her mouth.
"Brother?"
Houbailian's expression became even more perplexed.
She seemed to understand every word, but when put together, she didn't know what it meant.
"I... I'm talking about your brother, Lan Qi. He's like a brother to you, looking after you, right? If I were in Ekeirete, I would have arranged an engagement for you two when you were young."
Ifatiya's face flushed as she tried to explain.
She had been too careless, or perhaps too relaxed in her vigilance.
Now, she suddenly remembered something—when she gave birth, Lan Qi might have just been born, and it was truly embarrassing to treat such a child as her brother.
"Th-this..."
Houbailian's face turned red.
Hearing Ifatiya's mention of an arranged engagement, she didn't know what to say.
"..."
Talia looked at them in bewilderment.
She understood what Ifatiya and Houbailian were thinking.
Indeed, the issue of human generations was complicated.
The most difficult one was undoubtedly the generation gap between Ifatiya and Lan Qi.
"Sister, I won't interfere with your relationship with Houbailian. I'll support whoever wins."
Noticing Talia's gaze, Ifatiya felt torn but assured her firmly.
Usually, she loved to watch the drama with Antanas, but this time, the drama had come to her own family, and she couldn't describe the chaos in her mind.
The more Ifatiya thought about it, the stranger it felt.
If Talia won, she would have to call Lan Qi 'brother.'
If Houbailian won, Lan Qi would have to call her mother.'
For now, her mind could still process this.
She was just a little afraid that Lan Qi would marry both Talia and Houbailian, and then she really wouldn't know how to address Lan Qi.
Oh well, things had come to this point, and she could only cheer them both on. No matter what, they would be a loving family in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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