The snowfield of evernight, washed in moonlight, harbored a hidden, bone-chilling danger.
Bright and pure though the moonlight was, it could not entirely dispel the shadows shrouding the snow.
Xigelei stood in front of Lanqi, fists clenched tight as the cold wind stirred her hair.
The beret she had never once taken off had fallen away during the blizzard and tumbling when they leapt from the sleigh moments ago.
Atop her pale hair sat a pair of wolf ears, resembling those of a beastman.
Her breathing was ragged, each breath forming a small puff of white mist that melted into the falling snowflakes.
"Xigelei..."
Lanqi had never been interested in prying into others' secrets, but seeing Xigelei's ears finally confirmed a few of his suspicions.
According to the ancient texts he had read in the previous Shadow World, the Banquet of Sanctuary Villains, pureblood members of the Wolf Clan manifested certain beastman-like lupine traits under moonlight.
And under the moonlight's blessing, Xigelei had clearly grown stronger.
"I'm not human, but I'm not a bad person."
Xigelei gazed wearily up at the night sky, murmuring under her breath.
Though she grew stronger at night—enough to match Tier 6—the absolute chasm between Tier 6 and Tier 7 could not be bridged by any technique.
What was worse, the night merely enhanced her physical capabilities and regenerative power, whereas the Blood Clan possessed true immortality beneath the night sky.
Even a Tier 7 powerhouse might not be able to outlast a Blood Clan Count.
Xigelei did not understand why the Blood Clan Count in the distance had stopped attacking, but he had clearly noticed her ears as well.
Until, that was, the Blood Clan Count bowed with a touch of elegance toward the man behind her.
"Mr. Luoqi, you interest me greatly. If you are willing to cooperate with our Blood Clan, we will not harm you."
Count Gregory looked at Lanqi rather amiably as he spoke.
He had already learned of this artisan's craft—capable of restoring and perfecting divine-quality works of art. To harm a human who was such a treasure would be a shame.
Whether turning him into his own thrall or offering him to the Progenitor, the man held immeasurable value.
"Though I am quite curious as to who you truly are in the Polant Empire, that can be asked at our leisure."
Count Gregory crossed his arms, speaking with an effortless, relaxed air.
A royal grand artisan like him would surely be a national treasure in the Polant Empire, yet according to his intelligence, the Polant Empire had no notable dignitary by the name of "Luoqi McCarthy."
The reason he had traveled to the orc city-states under the guise of Luoqi McCarthy was most likely because of his high standing in the Polant Empire, which he wished to avoid drawing attention to.
At most, though, he was probably a minister.
In any case, that only added to his value.
Planting a high-ranking spy in the Polant Empire during wartime was no easy feat.
"..."
Xigelei tightened her grip on Lanqi's wrist.
She could not understand why the frail artist behind her remained so calm even now.
It was as if he didn't even have a heartbeat.
Had he figured out that the Blood Clan would never bear to kill him?
"Very good. I do like humans who can be reasoned with."
Gregory observed Lanqi's composure, thoroughly pleased.
The man showed neither panic nor hostility toward the Blood Clan; he was a sensible human who understood the situation.
"However... if you want me to treat you well, there is only one thing you must do right now."
Count Gregory continued, raising a pointed finger toward Xigelei.
"Hand her over to me."
In truth, before tracking them here, he hadn't expected any extra prize.
To actually stumble upon a remnant of the Wolf Clan.
Moreover, the more he looked at her hair and eye color, the more Gregory found them promising.
Barring any surprise, she was precisely the werewolf His Grace Duke Eduardo, the Fourth Progenitor, had been searching for.
As Gregory's words fell, dense crimson mana surged following his fingertip, forming invisible walls around Lanqi and Xigelei and shrouding them in a crimson curtain of light.
Xigelei's instincts, sharp as a blade, detected the bizarre, escalating danger filling the air.
A colossal transparent cage abruptly materialized, the Count's distinctive Blood Clan mana trapping everything around Lanqi and Xigelei.
"Little one, the reason I haven't harmed you yet is that I wish to ask: did you escape from the Moon Goddess Temple?"
Having trapped the two, Count Gregory inquired at an unhurried pace.
"..."
Xigelei stared coldly into the distance, tightening her hold on Lanqi's wrist once more.
"Heh heh."
Seeing that Xigelei gave no answer and the imperial artisan showed no reaction, Count Gregory shook his head with a chuckle.
"To tell you the truth, on the day of the Wolf Clan's Blood Moon Calamity—the slaughter of the Wolf Clan's last pure sanctuary—I took part as well. How many wolves did I kill? I can't quite remember."
He looked down at his fingers and counted, but came up with no answer.
"All I know is that there was a wolf with the exact same hair color as yours who proved terribly troublesome. He fought the Fourth Progenitor one-on-one with everything on the line, just so a few more weak wolves could escape."
Gregory gazed up at the moon veiled in the clouds, reminiscing. It had been an unforgettable spectacle: gazing out from afar, the once-flourishing sanctuary of the Moon Goddess Temple had been reduced to ruins, with desiccated severed limbs of the Wolf Clan scattered among the collapsed buildings.
Be they elderly sages, wolf maidens, or children, their blood had long been drained dry or evaporated into nothingness; merely walking past, a rich, heady aroma of blood would assault the senses.
The entire sacred ground of the Wolf Clan had fallen into a banquet hall left in the wake of the Blood Clan's revelry.
"A pity, though, that in the end a single cub still managed to slip away."
At the thought, a smirk of gleeful satisfaction crept unbidden onto Count Gregory's lips.
It was just as he had anticipated.
Across the snow, Xigelei stood in silence, her face clouded in shadow and her hair veiling her eyes.
She had not wavered or lost her composure over Count Gregory's words, yet her fingers trembled faintly, veins pulsing on the back of her hands from the fury threatening to incinerate her from within.
In the memories dredged to the surface, crimson moonlight shone down, casting a suffocating sense of absurdity and delusion over the last Moon Goddess Temple.
Even now, it made her want to shudder.
"Little girl, from your reaction, it seems I guessed right."
Count Gregory snapped his fingers. Staring at Xigelei, he asked with growing certainty,
"...Do you have any idea how hideous and pathetic your father looked when his spine was ripped out as he fell before the Fourth Progenitor? To think I'd bump into you here. I believe when I bring your corpse before the Fourth Progenitor, he will be thoroughly pleased."
Count Gregory watched with satisfaction this half-grown, trapped wolf cub, eagerly anticipating her breakdown.
She truly lived up to being the offspring of the Wolf Clan's mightiest warrior, possessing combat talent even the Wolf King lacked.
At such a young age, she had clawed her way to Tier 5 entirely on her own.
Fortunately, she would not be allowed to grow any further.
From now on, the Progenitor would never have to worry about the revival of the Wolf Clan; he needed only to snuff out this final sprout.
After killing Xigelei with his own hands, he would earn the reward of the Fourth Progenitor, Duke Eduardo.
Ascending to the rank of Blood Clan Marquis was impossible without a bestowal of blood essence from one of the first five Progenitors.
This flawless turn of events intoxicated Count Gregory with rare bliss.
Far across the snowfield, Xigelei still offered no response.
"..."
Xigelei was certain that, in the end, she had not escaped after all.
Ever since the day she had miraculously fled her homeland, day and night, she had felt as though the Blood Clan were pursuing her.
In the end, she was an existence that never should have lived on. Perhaps it would have been better to die alongside her parents that day.
"You've wanted to die for a long time, haven't you? I know living is agony for you. I'll send you to see your parents right away. This human treats you well, doesn't he?"
Gregory's eyes could not conceal his rapt fascination, openly flaunting his desire to shatter Xigelei's spirit completely.
"If you want him to survive by protecting him like this, you'd best not keep dragging him down."
Count Gregory raised his palm, fingers curving lightly upward, seemingly capable of bringing the entire snowy domain under his dominion at any moment. A glimmer of mock mercy showed in his gaze, as though admiring prey he had snared.
He wanted the little werewolf to know that he wouldn't mind slaughtering this human as well, so she shouldn't harbor any delusions of using him as a shield or bargaining chip.
Her only choice was to die alongside this human, or let him live on alone.
"Now then, make your choice."
Gregory's voice tolled like a death knell across the snowfield.
Every syllable from Count Gregory brimmed with imperial authority.
Beneath this blood moon, he was the ruler of the night, before whom all human will seemed utterly insignificant.
"Blood Clan Count..."
Xigelei's voice trembled with long-suppressed rage.
Whenever she closed her eyes, there was not a single moment she was not lonely and wretched.
A Tier 5 Baron she could defeat; a Tier 6 Viscount she could fight under the cover of night.
But against a Tier 7 Blood Clan noble, waiting for death was her only option.
Too little time had passed; she had not grown strong enough to threaten the Blood Clan.
A heavy exhaustion and powerlessness crept through Xigelei's limbs.
Her gaze fell helplessly upon Lanqi.
"..."
It was a look of gratitude—grateful that, at the end of her life, she had met such an interesting person.
A pity, though, that she would never grow up.
After a moment, Xigelei called softly to Lanqi beside her.
"Mr. Luoqi..."
"Hmm?"
Lanqi tilted his ear slightly, listening to her words.
Before Lanqi could hear what else she had to say, Xigelei had already let go of his wrist. Her small figure walked out alone toward Count Gregory.
"Goodbye,"
she said.
Her life had little value, but she knew that a person like Luoqi could not die. As long as he lived, there was still hope for the Polant Empire; perhaps he could deceive the Blood Clan Count and escape back to the Polant Empire to serve as a double agent.
He was a good person.
"Now that's more like it."
Count Gregory showed a touch of approval and licked his sharp fangs. He could hardly wait to drain this wolf cub of her sweet blood.
Though a desiccated wolf corpse would be unsightly, keeping the remains of a near-extinct wolf cub preserved in his palace would make for quite a valuable collection piece.
"..."
Xigelei knew what fate awaited her.
She had seen too many of her kin die at the hands of the Blood Clan.
Strangely, she felt little fear in her heart right now; she only felt that relief was near.
Her only regret was that she could not return to the Polant Empire to tell the younger brothers and sisters waiting for her all the fascinating things she had seen along the way.
Just thinking about it, tears welled in her eyes for reasons she could not explain.
She didn't truly want to die. Only at the moment she resolved to embrace death did she realize the few precious things left that she still wished to cherish.
Perhaps her life had no meaning, but the sacrifices of her people had bestowed upon it a different significance: she was the final spark her father had fought desperately to protect.
Yet, just as the pain in Xigelei's chest grew too suffocating to bear,
she felt someone seize her hand.
It was a warm, large hand, just like the scant memories she had left of her parents.
Dazed and startled, Xigelei turned around.
Lanqi was looking at her, his eyes brimming with helplessness.
"..."
"You can negotiate, but never compromise with criminals. You still have a lot to learn."
Lanqi smiled and gripped her hand tightly, pulling her back.
His gaze seemed to tell her: don't worry.
Xigelei stared briefly into Lanqi's beautiful emerald eyes, her footing stumbling, her lips parting slightly.
Yet before a single word could leave her mouth, he had already drawn her to his side.
This sudden turn of events made Count Gregory frown across the distance.
Count Gregory began to approach once more, his footsteps making no sound upon the snow. Keeping a measured distance, he regarded them with aloof indifference.
Crimson mana began to focus at Count Gregory's fingertip. In the direction he pointed, the air warped into a deep blood-red ring that swallowed everything around it, as if poised to crush matter to dust in an instant.
Crimson arcs appearing throughout the space further restricted Xigelei and Lanqi's room to maneuver.
"Oh? It seems you two wish to die together?"
Count Gregory unfolded his crossed arms.
"And here I thought you were a smart man, Mr. Luoqi..."
Pressing his thumb against his knuckles, his voice sank lower, and a hint of murderous intent seeped into his eyes.
The airflow across the snowfield seemed ruthlessly pressed with a pause button. Amidst the dim curtain of snow, the aura of crimson mana rapidly heated up.
In the surrounding air, the sinister crimson halos grew ever denser.
Chapter 555