The Abraham Vampire clan has made a colossal mistake due to the dormancy of its members and the errors of its current decision-makers.
However, compared to Norton, other species that have survived to this day do not have any good coping strategies.
The Vampire race now consists of only three major clans: the Abraham Clan, the Duoxia Clan, and the Elizabeth Clan.
The Abraham Clan inherited His Majesty Norton's will, and their rebellious nature was passed down through generations. For example, Gejin disregarded the words of his ancestors and led the remaining Vampire to establish their own power base, enjoying life and authority.
Because of Duoxia's own strong will, the Duoxia Clan selected only kind and virtuous members with strong convictions. Following ancient tradition, the two remaining Fifth-Generation Vampire discussed their options and decided to officially emerge from seclusion to stop the Holy See's grand examination. However, this was no easy task. Although religious reforms had been implemented, thousands of years of religious development had left this world permeated with religious artifacts, and even the smallest inhabited area was imbued with a strong religious atmosphere.
If Abraham were alive at this moment, he might have been able to hold out for ten minutes or so under God's holiness in order to escape, but these two Fifth-Generation Vampire... the religious pendants hanging on other people's carriages would have been enough to burn them to ashes.
As for the Elizabeth Clan, they are somewhat peculiar.
As the only Vampire who hoped for Norton's revival, Elizabeth did not conceal Norton's existence and regarded unsealing Norton as her highest ideal. However, because the Holy See and others could not enter, and they did not even dare to enter the major cities, she had made no progress for more than a thousand years.
Humanity has brought this upon itself by attempting to conduct scientific research on the Holy See, which is exactly what the Elizabeth Clan wanted.
However, it is now divided into two factions, with a sense of mutual antagonism.
One side is heavily brainwashed by Elizabeth and desperately wants to release the progenitor Norton; the other side is like Gejin, wanting to enjoy their current life of freedom and power and not wanting to find themselves another father.
Regardless, Elizabeth the Progenitor has never revealed her existence over the past thousand years. Some Vampire fear that revealing it would alert humans and create further restrictions, making the rescue of the Progenitor even more distant. Vampire, like Abraham and Duoxia, fear that revealing it would attract unwanted attention and risk breaking the demonic seal for immortality.
Therefore, whether or not to rescue the progenitor, the two sides made a rather tacit decision.
As for the Werewolf clan, they have now been weakened to the extreme.
With the sealing by the progenitor Norton, the power within them was gradually sealed. Now, Werewolf are divided into two factions: one faction's humanity surpasses its bestial nature (mating with humans), and their growth cycle is greatly extended. In the past few hundred years, they had enough power to reproduce extensively, but now they have been reduced to solidified human form and can no longer transform into Werewolf form.
The bestial faction (who mates with wolves) degenerates into wolves and is unable to transform into Werewolf.
Furthermore, their immense power and regenerative abilities are gradually weakening. Some newly minted Werewolf are now unaware they are Werewolf; some have become professional scholars, some business tycoons, and some are begging on the streets...
From this perspective, the renewal of blood is ultimately much better than immortality, because it means integrating into the times and never being eliminated by them.
Unlike the Vampire clans of today, who have become like rats in the gutter, stubbornly and arrogantly maintaining their so-called noble demeanor, yet have fallen to the point of near extinction.
Regardless, the Holy Lord Holy See examination ceremony will ultimately take place as scheduled!
In 1561, after several rounds of renovations and expansions, the Holy Lord Imperial Court welcomed a steady stream of carriages.
The weather is perfect; the sky is clear and blue today, ideal for scientific expeditions.
This expedition will last for three months, and its main focus will be on the entire Holy See, which has never been open to the public before, including but not limited to: architectural style, Holy See music, ancient murals, preserved art, and ancient versions of the Bible, the Holy Covenant, and the Garden of Eden preserved by the Holy See.
In addition to scientific expeditions, the Holy See is also opening its doors to the public this time, allowing any Holy Lord Church or believer to enter the Holy City and experience God's holy radiance up close.
This complete opening of the Holy See is unprecedented in the thousands of years of the Holy Lord Church. In the past, this place was a solemn and sacred place with strict rules and regulations. Not only was it open to the public, but even emperors from various countries had to make reservations in advance to come and worship.
With the Reformation and the rise of other New Faith, the authority of the Holy Lord Church has declined. In order to regain its supreme position, it has finally decided to open the Holy See to the public for three months, which is truly not easy.
Therefore, the number of visitors was extremely large, with carriages crowding the surrounding roads and the number of people reaching hundreds of thousands.
The sun was shining brightly as Qiaona led Luowei through the dense crowd. Everywhere they looked, there were heads surging and people everywhere.
Under the sunlight, the dense crowd exuded a sour, fishy, and pungent odor, which was like torture to smell and was even more disgusting than being in a sheep pen.
The crowd was packed tightly together, with bodies rubbing against each other and the stench of sweat creating a truly unbearable atmosphere.
Even amidst such a dense crowd, there were still devout believers who, with the utmost piety, prostrated themselves every three steps and kowtowed every five steps, kneeling and bowing their heads all the way from the city gates of the Holy See to the Holy See itself.
The sheer number of devout believers behaving this way is surprisingly large, which has exacerbated the already congested crowds, making it difficult for them to move forward even after half a day.
"Damn it, why does the Holy See insist on opening the road for visitors and letting these foolish believers come over? If it's an academic expedition, then it's an academic expedition. What's the point of letting them interfere? Aren't they just causing us trouble?" Luowei said angrily, looking at the crazed believers blocking the road.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare say that! The main purpose of this so-called scientific expedition is for the Holy See to enhance its reputation and secure its position as the leading religion in the Southern Continent. In reality, although it's called a scientific expedition, our scientific expedition is just a side event; the main purpose is to have these people come and observe. Alright, we're about to go in. The Holy See has strict rules, so once inside, speak and do less, and observe and listen more!" Qiaona gave him a warning look.
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When the sun was high in the sky, a group of theologians, led by Qiaona, finally met inside the Holy See.
The mutual compliments need not be elaborated upon. All the researchers had their own research projects, so after exchanging ideas and agreeing to share their findings upon completion of the expeditions, they each went to their respective areas to conduct their investigations.
Qiaona's theological research focuses primarily on ancient texts and the writings and murals found on all ancient sites.
Therefore, the ancient classics preserved by the Church were naturally the first stop on his scientific expedition.
After verifying their identities, the Church sent priests dressed in pure white robes to lead the scholars to the storehouse to read Church scriptures.
The Holy See has never been open to the public, and its interior is shrouded in mystery, which holds a fatal attraction for these scholars who are already bursting with curiosity.
Even though Qiaona had seen many wonders and holy sites, he still harbored a strong sense of curiosity like everyone else, looking left and right along the way, observing the layout, decorations, and images of God inside the Holy See.
"Clap, clap, clap..." The sound of steel armor stepping on the hard marble floor was crisp and pleasant.
The Church knights, clad in pure white armor and carrying greatswords, changed shifts in defense.
These standard armors were exquisite and heavy, painted with religious patterns, and exuded a sense of oppression. The strong religious atmosphere they contained was fatally attractive to these scholars.
"Look at this old-fashioned armor. It's said that the style of Church knights' armor has never changed from ancient times to the present. Moreover, it's said that there is a type of Church knight with superhuman strength, but there's very little information about it, and the armor style has never been shown."
Qiaona stared intently at the knights' armor adorned with Church patterns, overwhelmed with emotion.
The other scholars also looked over one by one, and one researcher even said bluntly, "I once asked the Holy See to let me see that kind of armor, but I was not granted permission... In recent years, royal families of various countries have been obsessed with ocean voyages and Eastern firearms, believing that the future does not lie in so-called personal martial prowess, but in the ingenious and cunning Eastern weapons of yellow guns and cannons. They have never thought about studying the extraordinary knights of the Holy See in the old days, which is really too short-sighted."
I have researched many historical fragments, the oldest of which is the Boya Empire, which dates back more than 1,700 years. Its historical records state that the Holy See possessed a secret and miraculous method for training people into powerful warriors. The warriors trained were fearless of death, tireless, and even possessed immense strength. Isn't this far superior to those so-called yellow guns and cannons! Even immortality might be worth trying!
"There's no way around it. Although the history of my Southern Continent is long, it is extremely chaotic, especially the mythological Epoch. In just over a hundred years, its records are disorganized and hundreds of wonders have been created. The records on them are completely different, making people think that Vampire are just a species made up in their spare time, and that mythology is a product of the Renaissance in ancient times."
Vampire and immortality are elusive and remain unresolved to this day. Instead, the ingenious and cunning schemes of the East have played a truly decisive role in this era. For the sake of the Southern Continent's development, these royal families have had to abandon those ethereal myths and focus more on firearms and artillery!
Whenever the age of mythology is mentioned, a group of scholars sigh and complain endlessly.
However, as they continued their discussion, they finally arrived at the Holy See's storage hall, which had never been open to the public before.
As the door opened, everyone looked inside and gasped in surprise.
In the very center of the hall stood a severely damaged, ancient, bloodstained golden suit of armor. The chest of the armor was dented inwards, as if it had been kicked, completely deforming the sturdy armor. Moreover, the helmet lacked eye slots; instead, two small golden wings served as eyes.
Such an unusual and bizarre design and battle-damaged style almost instantly raised the scholars' expectations to their peak.
"This... this... this is the armor worn by the legendary extraordinary knights of the Church?"
"My God, the Church is hiding such a secret? Look at the footprint on the chest of this armor, it's definitely a footprint, otherwise nothing else from ancient times could have left such a mark!"
"The extraordinary truly exists. What has the Church been doing, hiding such a secret for a thousand years?"
The scholars trembled as they stared at the golden armor before them, their eyes unwilling to leave it. This armor could be said to have completely opened the door to mythology; this armor alone made their trip worthwhile!
But this hall contains far more than just this little thing.
"Look! Isn't that the Tooth of God that the Church talks about? That magical dagger that never wears out!"
Qiaona struggled to tear his gaze away from the armor and quickly looked toward the display stand at the back of the hall.
In the very center stood an exquisite glass cabinet, inside which lay a strange dagger shaped like sharp fangs.
Upon seeing the dagger, Qiaona trembled with excitement, his eyes even turning red.
"It really is it! It's the Tooth of God! Ever since the news spread after the King of Saierxia saw it at the Holy See, I've been wondering if, based on Saierxia description, this thing might be the tooth of a creature from a mythical era. Now, seeing it, what kind of dagger is this? It really is a tooth!"
As he spoke, Qiaona reached out to touch the Tooth of God, but he had barely extended his hand when...
With a cold slash, two greatswords were simultaneously placed in front of Qiaona. The Church knight standing in the hall stared coldly at his movements, as if he would sever Jonah's limbs in the next moment if he did not retract them.
Qiaona awkwardly withdrew his hand, his eyes fixed on the Tooth of God in the glass case, feeling an itch all over his body.
Having no other option, he had to look away and examine other historical artifacts.
Although Norton was imprisoned for a thousand years, traces of him can be found everywhere in the Southern Continent.
Leaving aside the wonders and historical documents, the Holy See's main storeroom alone is like a Norton storeroom.
Once inside, Norton's influence was everywhere.
The Holy Knight's armor shattered by Norton, the dagger made from Norton's teeth, the greatsword that pierced through Norton, the torn clothing from when Norton spread his wings, and fragments of Norton's skin...
Those in the know will recognize this as the Holy See, but those who don't might mistake it for the Norton family's residence!
The scholars grew increasingly fascinated and lost in their own world as they watched. Just as they were becoming so engrossed that they were preparing to stay up day and night to watch, a series of chaotic noises began to rise faintly.
Afterwards, unable to resist the urge to investigate, Luowei ran all the way out of the Holy See and came running in from outside the hall, covered in sweat.
He grabbed Qiaona, who was engrossed in examining Norton's skin fragments, and then, panting heavily, said urgently, "Teacher, teacher! The research team conducting an expedition in the back mountains of the Holy See has drilled through the Holy See and discovered a blue crystal buried deep underground. Looking down from above, the back mountains of the Holy See seem to be completely hollow! It looks like a sealed ancient ruin!"
"What?" Qiaona, who was already impatient with being interrupted, shouted, grabbing his student's wrist and his eyes reddening.
"Teacher, it's an ancient ruin! Let's go take a look, the back mountain is already packed with people!"
"Fuck!" Qiaona, a man in his fifties with a full head of white hair, ran out like a young man, his back and legs no longer aching.
The other scholars in the hall were all the same; they were all acting like madmen!
At this very moment, a massive crowd had gathered at the back mountain, converging around the area beyond the guards of the Church knights.
The secret hidden in the mountains behind the Holy See for a thousand years has finally been revealed.
It cannot be said that Duoxia, Abraham, and the others were too naive in their precautions against Norton; rather, it can be said that none of them anticipated that they would fall into a state of hibernation and never wake up again.