Chapter 17: Inheritance

"Wa—wa—"

The hoarse and rough cawing of crows echoed through the Gorlson Forest, where the leaves were so dense that not a single beam of moonlight penetrated. The darkness carried a sense of desolation and eeriness.

Several vampires with bat wings unfolded, some even carrying non-flying companions, darted through the thick branches of the tall trees like arrows released from a bowstring, causing the crows to scatter in panic.

As one of the vampires landed, the damaged bat wings instantly retracted. He dropped to one knee, his face contorted in pain. He covered the large chunk of flesh torn from his abdomen by a werewolf, which continued to bleed profusely.

This was the day after the rebellion led by Michael, the day when Daisy was dissected.

These vampires were the guards who had managed to break through the encirclement during Michael's rebellion, escaping with injuries.

Vampires who could still walk supported their injured companions, quickly finding a thicket. They then lifted the soil, revealing an entrance leading to a spacious underground area.

Only the vampires under Daisy's command knew that beneath the Gorlson Forest, there lay a palace capable of accommodating tens of thousands of vampires, with its entrance concealed within lush bushes.

Under the azure glow of flames, several stone pillars supported this grand palace. The pillars and the surrounding walls were intricately carved with mysterious and complex patterns, resembling numerous ancient runes.

At the center of the palace, a statue of a bat stood tall, reaching over ten meters in height and dozens of meters in width. Crafted from jet-black stone, the wings were spread wide, as if ready to take flight.

The bat statue's wings were thin as umbrellas, and its eyes emitted a blood-red glow, lifelike and masterfully sculpted. Just by gazing at this statue, an inexplicable sense of awe and reverence would naturally arise.

—This was the statue of the Blood Ancestor.

The ancestral statue stood in the center of a circular blood pool. The blood in the pool roiled, boiling as if heated, emitting steam, and red mist hung in the air.

The flames cast an eerie light, revealing the elaborate carvings on the statue, and the atmosphere in the underground palace was filled with an indescribable solemnity.

Above the blood pool, at the gaze of the Blood Ancestor's scrutinizing eyes, a drop of blood condensed in the blood-colored mist. Gradually, it transformed into a blood sphere, growing larger, but the changes were slow.

Within the palace, there were many vampires, some unscathed, while others bore injuries, their wounds wrapped in bandages.

At this moment, all the vampires surrounded the blood pool, gazing up at the blood sphere. Together, they sang praises in a solemn and reverent atmosphere, honoring the heroic blood ancestors.

Among them, there were five thousand vampires who hadn't received blood offerings; they were members of the underground organization with the code name "A." Those who had received offerings were the guard soldiers around the castle.

After Michael's successful rebellion, all the guards who managed to escape with injuries, to divert attention, spent nearly a day circling before gradually arriving here, totaling around three thousand individuals.

The newly arrived vampires were informed by others about the current situation. They too gazed at the blood sphere above the blood pool, singing songs of praise with respect and admiration, contributing their reverence.

Originally, they were reluctant to tend to their own wounds in order to sing praises. However, upon hearing other vampires stating that the queen ordered them to heal first, they finally agreed to dress their wounds.

So, what exactly was this blood sphere?

All blood descendants knew that the Blood Ancestor, in his lifetime, had crafted a ring using magical powers. On the ring was engraved the totem of his true self, containing formidable power. Since the Blood Ancestor led the blood race to glory, this ring became the symbol of supreme authority among the vampires.

Subsequent kings, in their pride, considered it an honor to wield the power of the Blood Ancestor's ring.

The vampires also had an ancient legend that the Blood Ancestor's lover was a deity, and their child was a vampire with divine powers. He sealed his unparalleled divine power as an inheritance in the Blood Ancestor's ring.

If one obtained this inheritance, they would possess godlike powers.

Furthermore, all vampires must bow before the inheritor.

However, no one knew the truth of this legend. It was only recorded in history that a king, resisting an invasion from foreign races, died in battle. Then, the thousands of loyal subjects who deeply revered him sang praises. In their songs, the king passed the Blood Ancestor's test and received the inheritance. He was resurrected after rebuilding his physical body and single-handedly repelled the invaders. Some even said he received the favor of a deity.

But even such an extraordinarily powerful king eventually died. Considering that vampires were immortal unless killed, this was an inexplicable occurrence that cast doubt on the authenticity of the inheritance.

Moreover, apart from writing his life story in the records of the successive kings, the king left no evidence for future generations to examine.

The king's records could only be read by later kings, so currently, only the queen might know the truth about the inheritance.

For other vampires, whether it was the inheritance or that king, the ages were too distant, making it impossible to verify the authenticity.

Thus, with too many unknown factors, the inheritance had become a mere legend, and no one truly believed it existed.

But regardless of the truth behind these histories and legends, they all signify that the inheritor will forever be revered by the vampire race.

So, how does one obtain the inheritance?

Combining history and legend, the previous king who received the inheritance was favored by a deity. After his death in battle, amidst the praises of thousands of subjects, he passed the Blood Ancestor's test, resurrected after rebuilding his physical body, and gained the inheritance.

Daisy is currently attempting to undergo this process. The blood sphere represents the physical body she is trying to rebuild. If she passes the Blood Ancestor's test and successfully rebuilds her body, she will be resurrected and receive the inheritance. However, if she fails, she will die permanently.

Before going to the M.R laboratory, Daisy instructed her subordinate Patrick in the Gorla Forest. Patrick was the leader of the underground organization with the code name "A" on the surface, but in reality, Daisy was the true leader. All the emblem team leaders were high-ranking members of the A organization.

Daisy's words to Patrick indicated that the internal decay of the vampire race was unbearable. As a young queen who ascended the throne at the age of nine, she had been in office for just over two hundred years. She couldn't directly deal with internal corruption and eliminate dissidents due to the constant threat from various external forces.

Only when all vampires with rebellious intentions had taken action could she have sufficient justification to openly punish traitors and rectify the corrupt atmosphere within the vampire race.

Of course, all reforms and changes relied on her possessing the power that would make all vampires awe-stricken.

Her previous powers seemed formidable, but they were far from enough, as the true source of awe for all vampires was the inheritance within the Blood Ancestor's ring.

She informed Patrick that the seemingly incredible legends were all true, and to obtain the inheritance, one must follow these steps.

She suspected that Danny's capture was a conspiracy aimed at eliminating her. So, she devised a plan, intentionally allowing herself to die. She ordered Patrick to inform all emblem team leaders to lead the guard soldiers in escaping during the rebellion. If they couldn't escape, even if they were captured or surrendered, they should not let themselves be killed.

And they had to act convincingly, without revealing any flaws.

To achieve great things, sacrifices were necessary. Daisy's method was the least costly way to completely rectify the deeply rooted corruption within the vampire race over millions of years.

Thus, they all deeply admired their queen, who loved her subjects like children.

Daisy also told Patrick that if she failed to resurrect, the vampire who successfully ascended during this rebellion would be the new king. They could all pledge allegiance to him, ensuring they wouldn't be implicated, punished, or killed because of her.

It should be noted that in the known history of the vampire race, there were three hundred and eighty-four kings, but the family tree only recorded one who obtained the inheritance from the Blood Ancestor's ring. This indicated that the probability of successfully obtaining the inheritance was very, very low.

However, whether it was Patrick or the other vampires here, they were all personally cultivated by the queen. Even if she were to die, they would rather die than betray her and join the traitors.

Nevertheless, the queen believed in her own success, and they, too, believed that their queen would not fail.

At midnight, Patrick arrived at the forefront of the blood pool, kneeling on one knee, calmly reporting the news to the blood sphere, as if their beloved queen could still hear.

"Your Majesty, I have just received information. Traitor Michael will hold a formal coronation ceremony one month from tonight. May you pass the Blood Ancestor's test soon, rebuild your physical body, inherit the supreme power of our ancestors, and punish all traitors in this rebellion."