OBS Chapter 4228 The Old Stories of Delineor
Chapter 4228 The Old Stories of Delineor
Chapter 4228 The Old Stories of Delineor
Shade shook his head:
“I don’t know you, but I have a friend who does. He mentioned that the current curator of the Apuna Library is a rather old gentleman with twelve rings.”
This was what Old John told Shad after the Battle of the Pantanal. Because there were no members of the Secret Order in the Pantanal region, Old John was temporarily sent to the Great Swamp to witness the birth of the Chosen One.
After that incident, Old Man John mentioned to Shad that he had met the librarian of the Apuna Library on an island in the middle of the lake called "Heart of the Pantanal" (Chapter 1131). Although Old Man John only gave a rough description of the other party's rank and general appearance, Shad still remembered it at this moment.
"Friend? Aside from the library staff, not many people know me these days. I wonder which friend you are?"
The old man asked curiously, and Xia De replied:
"He was also a friend of Mr. Finch."
The old curator then understood that Xia De was referring to the Secret Order, and did not ask any further questions.
"Yes, I am Duer Higgins, the current director of the Apuna Library, and these two are also members of the library."
Mr. Bernhardt then introduced himself:
“Good afternoon, Mr. Higgins. I am the leader of the foreign vampires, you may call me ‘Vantor’. The young gentleman beside me is not a vampire, but he is a friend of all vampires.”
The pseudonym Mr. Bernhardt gave was the surname of the last leader of the Vampire Demon Party, and it was also a surname very much in the style of vampires, which was basically equivalent to saying that it was a pseudonym.
"You two are so young. Good afternoon, let's sit down and talk."
Both sides took their seats, but only the old librarian of the Apuna Library sat down. Of the other two, one stood by the window looking out, and the other stood behind Mr. Higgins.
Tea was already set on the table, but Mr. Bernhardt merely picked it up symbolically without tasting it. Since he had been invited, he wasn't in a hurry to speak.
The elderly gentleman with the twelve rings volunteered:
“I know you are surprised by this invitation, but I think it would be a bit wrong for us to do nothing since the story of the tenth selected person is happening right on our doorstep.”
Mr. Bernhardt and Shad exchanged a glance. Even if the Apuna Library intended to get involved in the Chosen Ones' story, there was no reason for them to seek cooperation with the vampires. The vampires had not shown any inclination towards the Chosen Ones, and among the various forces currently gathered in Arcadia City, they were by no means the most powerful.
“Mr. Higgins, let’s get straight to the point.”
Mr. Bernhardt said:
“I know very well that we foreign vampires are only in this city in search of our missing kin. The story of the Chosen Ones is none of our business. If the library wants to find partners, it should not be looking for us.”
So, what exactly does the Apuna Library want to achieve?
The old man smiled and stroked his beard.
"Alright then, I won't bother with formalities. Let me first offer my hand—I can tell you about the secrets of the local vampires during the Delineor era, and I promise that the Apuna Library will provide assistance for your operations in the area for the foreseeable future."
In exchange, I would appreciate two favors. First, I've heard that some members of the vampire race also revere the Sage of the Moon, and we desire information about the library circulating among the vampires that relates to that sage. Second, I would like to ask you to help me contact the 'Summoner'.”
Shad then understood that the Apuna Library was still pursuing the Silver Moon Library. In fact, the three keys to the library—the Red Moon Tablet among the three Moonstone Tablets—were obtained from them (Chapter 1002), and they seemed unaware of its importance to this day.
"The Red Moon Stone Tablet, originating from the Apuna Library headquartered in the Arcadia region—was this all foreshadowed?"
Mr. Bernhardt hesitated for a moment:
"The Library of Sages? I've heard the legends about it, but most of them are unreliable, like stories. It's not that the materials are off-limits for trade, but Mr. Higgins, even if you get them, you probably won't gain much."
"It's alright. There aren't many ancient groups related to the moon left in the material world. We even managed to contact the Crescent Moon Cult a while ago, but unfortunately, those sorceresses ignored us."
Mr. Higgins said that Mr. Bernhardt then nodded and agreed to their first request.
Shad also wanted to find the Silver Moon Library, but instead of opening the door with a ritual, he wanted to gain higher-level access to the library and touch the fragment of the primordial moon that floated above the library.
He had made many efforts in this regard. He had already learned about the vampires through Mr. Bernhardt, and they were indeed just myths and legends. The Crescent Moon Cult had participated in the Battle of Vista Grove, and this organization composed of female sorceresses of different races was most likely related to Miss Bister, the Silver Wolf. Shad had also discussed this matter with them.
He now possesses the runes, ciphers, and keys, and even knows that Ms. Carter once opened the library on Mount Karas. Therefore, all he needs to do now is wait for Ms. Carter to return and resurrect, explaining her past experiences, so that Shadby can go further than the Apuna Library.
The exchange between Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Higgins continues:
"As for the second request, if you want to contact the Summoners, it's more direct to go to the church or the witches than to us. We do have some connections with that gentleman, but they are just ordinary connections."
Mr. Higgins shook his head:
"The church won't help us contact the Evoker. We're still under observation, and we can't take any actions that seem high-risk at such a sensitive time. As for the witches, we know there should be at least one powerful witch in the area, but we don't have any money to offer them for their help at the moment."
Mr. Bernhardt understood now; because vampires were weaker than witches, that was why the Apuna Library had approached them.
"But we and the Summoners of Gods."
"Please don't say such things. You must have a way to contact the Summoners. I only extended the invitation after confirming this fact."
Shad tapped his knee unconsciously with his fingers resting on his lap, and Mr. Bernhardt nodded, feigning difficulty.
"Since you put it that way, I can write to the Summoner, but whether that sir is willing to respond is not something I can know."
Mr. Higgins smiled with satisfaction:
"That's good. I think Your Excellency the Summoner should understand what we want to do."
He then added:
"Then the transaction is considered successfully completed. We can send representatives to discuss the library's support for you later. Now, let me answer some questions you two want to know."
He had prepared materials from the Delineor Kingdom era in advance, sealed them in a file folder, and handed them to Mr. Bernhardt, but Mr. Bernhardt understood that some things could not be written down:
What exactly was the relationship between the vampires of the Delineor era and the royal family?
"There aren't many people who can answer your question now. The Church of Creation certainly knows, but they won't say it. In the early days of the kingdom, there was a female vampire count who fell in love with the king. The church discovered their relationship in time and stopped their interactions, but what happened next was something no one expected: the vampire count became pregnant."
Mr. Bernhardt looked surprised. In addition to blood-making rituals, vampires can also reproduce naturally through intermarriage within the vampire race.
Besides, although vampires are not reproductively isolated from most humanoid races, the probability of a human getting a vampire pregnant, especially an ordinary human getting a high-ranking vampire count pregnant, is even smaller than being struck by lightning three times in a row while walking down the street.
That child
Out of curiosity, Xia De also joined the conversation.
"Of course, the royal family couldn't accept him; an illegitimate child would damage the royal family's reputation, and the church certainly didn't want a vampire to be the heir to the crown. So the child was raised by the vampire alone, and it seemed like that was the end of it. But when the child grew up, he learned about his origins and told his descendants this secret."
Thus, outside the palace, a hidden royal bloodline was passed down from generation to generation.
Mr. Higgins sighed:
"Four generations have passed since then. I don't know exactly what happened, but in order to save his ailing queen, the king of that generation contacted the vampires, hoping they could provide assistance. As a result, the descendants of that bloodline met the king smoothly, and since then, the vampires and the royal family have established a stable relationship."
I know what you're wondering: why didn't the Church discover this secret? Actually, the Church isn't omnipotent; this was an oversight on their part. Or rather, the bloodline connection created an indescribable link between the royal family and that vampire race. They were bound to establish a connection; I'd even call it a connection of destiny.
Vampires crave power. Although the royal family is hesitant to engage with too many supernatural powers due to the presence of the Church, they hope to gain health and a longer lifespan through vampires.
The records of what happened after that are even more vague. In short, after several generations, the bloodline of the vampires who shared a common ancestor was eventually integrated into the royal bloodline through some means, which made each subsequent king very healthy, and their mental and physical strength were much better than their ancestors.
They did it very discreetly, and the royal bloodline did not gain any extraordinary power; it merely received some enhancements based on human blood. It cannot be considered negligence that the church did not discover it immediately.
By the time the Church finally discovered this secret, it was already during the Southern Unification Wars. But as the Church gradually uncovered more and more information, the siege of Arcadia broke out, and the Southern Unification Wars ultimately ended with the Duke of Astley's advocacy for surrender.
Arcadia was incorporated into Carsenric, the Anjou royal family ascended to the throne, Delineor was destroyed, and most of the local vampires either fled or disappeared without a trace. The church's investigation came to an abrupt end, and the church might not even know as much as we do.