Chapter 447: Messenger

Ma Xiu slightly shook his head and said calmly:

"I haven't taken this matter to heart; after I encountered that follower of the Primeval Moon again, I rarely attend internal gatherings of the blood clan."

"If it weren't for the chance to obtain an extra Witch King trait this time, I wouldn't have gotten involved."

Bei Ersi gave a gentle nod, not lingering on the issue, and turned to ask:

"He could make you sense danger even when he was just a druid?"

Ma Xiu is a blood clan member who has lived over two hundred years, and has lingered long enough at Rank Five of the hierarchy; both his combat experience and the wondrous items he possesses have become abundant through the long accumulation.

In such a case, Ma Xiu would still sense danger from the other party—either the other wields an extremely powerful wondrous item, or the other is itself a terrifying extraordinary being.

Ma Xiu paused briefly, his expression unchanged, and let out a light laugh as he said:

"It may sound somewhat ridiculous, even embarrassing, but that's how it is; on him I always sense a faint, lingering danger, as if a slight misstep would send one plummeting into an abyss."

"Perhaps it's because the Primeval Moon's influence and contamination on our two paths is more severe."

"He was born on a Blood Moon night under the gaze of the Primeval Moon, so he inevitably has a deeper connection with the Primeval Moon, which may be the source of the danger I feel."

"Blood Moon and Primeval Moon? Perhaps because of that thing," Bei Ersi squinted slightly, murmuring two low words to himself.

While they were exchanging words, Lei Kedun had already sat back down; hearing Bei Ersi's murmur, he turned his head, gave the other a glance, and said calmly:

"That thing? Are you referring to the Beauty God trait mastered by the Rose School? It has no direct connection with the Primeval Moon."

"How do you know this? Regarding that Beauty God trait, even among the blood clan, only a few high-ranking members are aware."

Bei Ersi's gaze toward Lei Kedun suddenly turned dangerous, as if ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.

Lei Kedun gave a mildly indifferent chuckle, tapped his left index finger on the table a few times, summoning two invisible hands that dragged the wooden chair in the room behind Bei Ersi and Ma Xiu.

"Sit down and speak; it looks like we'll be chatting for a long time."

Bei Ersi sat down without hesitation, crossing his right leg, exuding a casual arrogance from deep within, and said somewhat urgently:

"What do you mean when you say that the Beauty God trait has no direct relation to the Primeval Moon?"

"The Blood Moon is the effect of the Primeval Moon releasing its power, unrelated to the Desire Mother Tree, but the latter, through the Rose School, has mastered a Beauty God trait, so it occasionally substitutes for the Primeval Moon in responding to believers, issuing a divine decree, just as the Primeval Moon interferes with the Earth Mother's decree."

Lei Kedun gave a brief explanation of the relationship between the Primeval Moon and the Desire Mother Tree, then looked at Ma Xiu and asked:

"How much do you know about that Primeval Moon follower named Suo Li Ke?"

Ma Xiu lowered his head slightly, as if sunk in unpleasant memories, his complexion growing worse; after a while he murmured:

"He is a complete madman, exuding madness from the inside out."

"He enjoys studying all kinds of life, whether animal, plant, or even bacteria; he constantly tries to crossbreed these completely different organisms together to create a perfect being."

"I once saw him crossbreed lizards, bats, sea fish, and some strange fungi in an attempt to cultivate a dragon, but it only yielded an indescribably malformed lump of flesh."

"He showed me those grotesque, disgusting flesh tumors while demanding my blood, saying he wanted to use blood clan blood to strengthen the bat's genetic factors, thereby improving his specimens."

At this point Ma Xiu's complexion turned very sour, as if recalling some terrible scenes.

"When you clear those Primeval Moon's followers in a few days, you can have Count Bei Ersi intervene to avenge you."

Lei Kedun timely interjected, cutting off the other's narration; he felt that if he let the other finish, he might not be able to eat dinner tonight.

From the blood clan viscount's reaction, it seems he was forced by Suo Li Ke, and what was lost wasn't just blood; I can't keep thinking, or else inappropriate images will flash in my mind.

However, he managed to leave the other's laboratory intact, and thereafter did not lose control nor was affected by the Primeval Moon, which to some extent shows his strength is still decent, otherwise he would have become another specimen on the experimental table.

Bekelande, Queen's District.

Audrey summoned a Knowledge Rabbit through a ritual, handing over the letter she had written and a brooch belonging to Alfred to the past.

After the Knowledge Rabbit took the items from her hand, Audrey smiled and said:

"Can you locate his master using this brooch?"

The Knowledge Rabbit stared blankly at Audrey for a while, then slowly nodded, preparing to return to the spirit realm along the path it came.

"Wait, would you become a messenger? My house has a large collection of books, and the knowledge recorded in those books can serve as payment."

Audrey suddenly called out to the departing Knowledge Rabbit, proposing a messenger contract,

This ritual to summon the Knowledge Rabbit was taught to Tarot Society members by Mr. Bai Ta; without his permission, it's better not to teach it to others. If I have my own messenger, I can contact Ao Erfu Leide at any time.

The Knowledge Rabbit stared blankly at Audrey, nodded slowly and said, "Okay."

The Knowledge Rabbit's voice was very childish, like a child who hasn't grown up yet; Audrey was slightly taken aback—it was her first time hearing a Knowledge Rabbit speak.

"Audrey, it can speak; is it also an extraordinary animal?"

Su Xi, pretending to be an ordinary golden retriever, looked at the bewildered Knowledge Rabbit with disbelief.

Audrey laughed lightly and explained to the golden retriever beside her:

"No, more precisely it should be a spirit‑realm creature, belonging to the friendly, human‑affinitive type."

While she spoke, the Knowledge Rabbit reached into its translucent body and produced a rolled yellow‑brown parchment, then handed it over.

Curious, Audrey took the rolled parchment, unfolded it before her eyes, and, after reading its contents, exclaimed in surprise:

"Huh~ this is a drafted messenger contract, witnessed by the Hidden Sage!"

"Hidden Sage? Who is that?" the golden retriever asked, puzzled.

Audrey laughed lightly, patted Su Xi's head, soothed its anxious mood, and then said:

"The Hidden Sage is a secret existence beyond the Seven Gods, apparently worshipped by a group called the Mo Si Ku Xiu Hui."

"It seems these Knowledge Rabbits themselves have some connection to it, which is why they use it as the contract's witness."

After explaining to Su Xi, Audrey picked up the round‑bodied steel pen on the table, ready to write her name on the contract; just as she was about to write, she suddenly froze:

"I can't use my own name; if I later need to tell the messenger's incantation to others, like someone in the Tarot Society, I'd directly expose my identity."

"Justice" won't work either; that codename isn't suitable for Ao Erfu Leide to know—he's now a colonel in the military and may encounter cases related to Bekelande and the Tarot Society, as well as future incidents.

As these thoughts floated, she glanced at the golden retriever Su Xi beside her, pondering and nodding.

"Audrey, what am I doing?" Su Xi asked, confused.

Audrey half‑crouched, placed the messenger contract in front of Su Xi and said:

"Su Xi, do you want to have a messenger of your own?"

"Huh? Messenger?" The golden‑haired big dog tilted its head toward Ao Daili, its fluffy face full of human‑like puzzled expression.

Ao Daili lightly nodded, saying in a very confirming tone:

"Yes, it's a messenger. If I sign a contract with my own name, I might expose my extraordinary‑being status, but you're different; you're just a dog. Even if someone knows the messenger's summoning incantation, they'll think it's a person named Su Xi."

"Hmm, that sounds reasonable, so it should be fine."

Su Xi hesitated for a moment, then nodded at that fluffy big head.

Ao Daili smiled and placed the messenger contract in its hand before it, and Su Xi, after hesitating, looked at its paw and said:

"But I can't hold a pen to write!"

How did I forget this point? It's because Su Xi usually behaves so much like a human that I subconsciously overlooked it.

Ao Daili, a bit embarrassed, turned her gaze to the waiting Knowledge Rabbit beside her and asked:

"Um, can you make Su Xi sign her own name on the contract?"

The Knowledge Rabbit stared blankly, turned around, examined Su Xi from head to toe for a while, then slowly spoke:

"Fresh blood press. Paw print."

"It can be done like this?" Ao Daili murmured softly, then fixed her gaze on Su Xi's plump paw.

The golden‑haired big dog instinctively shrank its paw; since becoming Ao Daili's pet dog, it had never been hurt, and suddenly being asked to make a wound made it a little afraid.

Ao Daili reached out, gently soothing the golden‑haired big dog, saying:

"Don't worry, it's just a tiny wound. You're an extraordinary dog, that little cut will heal by itself quickly."

"But it'll hurt a lot!" Su Xi, somewhat reluctantly, extended one paw.

Ao Daili took out the ritual silver dagger and made a shallow cut on its left foreleg's lower leg, watching the deep‑red blood seep out bit by bit, staining the surrounding fur.

Su Xi pressed the other paw onto the wound, and once enough blood was absorbed, it pressed its paw print onto the messenger contract.

Seeing the contract issue resolved, Ao Daili immediately got up, rummaged for the spare medical box in the room, and gave Su Xi's leg wound a simple bandage.

While she bandaged Su Xi's wound, the Knowledge Rabbit walked to the contract on the floor, took a gray feather pen from its translucent body, and wrote its name on the parchment.

Then it slowly looked up at Ao Daili, who was bandaging Su Xi's wound, and said:

"What incantation should be used for the summons?"

"Incantation? Let me think." After thinking seriously for a while, Ao Daili, modifying the messenger summoning incantation she knew from Lei Ke Dun, said:

"Spirit wandering in illusion, rabbit‑shaped entity cherished by knowledge, the messenger belonging solely to Su Xi."

The Knowledge Rabbit wrote this summoning incantation directly onto the contract, after which the grayish‑brown parchment was covered with a brilliant golden light, dissolving rapidly, leaving only two faint golden traces that merged into the bodies of the Knowledge Rabbit and the golden‑haired big dog Su Xi.

"How amazing, Ao Daili, I feel I've formed some connection with this strange rabbit."

Su Xi sprang up from the ground, looked at the Knowledge Rabbit turning and walking toward the spirit‑realm portal created by the ritual, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Congratulations, Su Xi. From now on, you officially have a messenger of your own! This is a privilege that most extraordinary beings don't have."

Ao Daili rose from the ground, looked at the spot where the Knowledge Rabbit had left, slightly lifted her chin, and said with a sense of achievement.

Even Su Xi now has a messenger, and I don't; when I get the chance later, I'll go to the spirit realm myself to recruit a messenger of my own.

(End of Chapter)