Gospel of Blood

Chapter 403: Blessing Ritual

The scene shifts to a day earlier.

When Sebastian arrived in the forest near the Castell Mining District, the werewolf Luff, having already received the news, was waiting respectfully with dozens of the most devout believers.

“High Priest Luff of the Bloodwolf Tribe, along with all the faithful… greets Lord Sebastian.”

Luff drew a Thorny Rose symbol on his chest, his expression devout and respectful.

Sebastian glanced at the well-disciplined believers behind Luff and nodded slightly.

“At ease, rise.”

Luff slowly stood up and motioned for the other believers to rise as well.

Then, they escorted the travel-worn Sebastian deeper into the forest.

After bypassing a wooded area, the view gradually opened up.

This was the settlement of the Blood Wolf Tribe.

Or more accurately, this was a settlement established jointly by the demi-human miners of the Castell Mining District and the migrating Blood Wolf Tribe, devoted to the True Ancestor of Blood.

Within the settlement, roads crisscrossed, and the buildings, numbering over a thousand, had replaced the previous simple tents with new wooden houses. Defensive walls had even been erected on all sides to ward off magical beasts.

At the center of the settlement, a small square had been cleared, featuring a tall altar dedicated to the Thorny Rose symbol.

The settlement was populated primarily by werewolves and other demi-humans, but if one looked closely, there were also some humans.

As Luff and the others passed by, everyone stopped their work to greet them warmly.

“Good morning, High Priest.”

“High Priest, may the True Ancestor be with you…”

Luff responded with a smile, nodding to everyone.

It wasn’t until they reached his cabin with Sebastian that he finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.

“Luff, it seems you’re doing well. You’re looking more and more like a true High Priest.”

Sebastian said with a smile.

Luff scratched his head sheepishly.

“Lord Sebastian, you jest. This is all thanks to you and the grace of the True Ancestor.”

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“If it weren’t for your shelter back then, if it weren’t for the True Ancestor’s salvation, I probably wouldn’t be alive today. Not just me, but the entire Blood Wolf Tribe might not exist anymore. And there’s no way we’d have the opportunity to build such an idyllic village.” ȑÀŊȰ฿Ę𝘚

Sebastian nodded slightly.

“The True Ancestor is indeed merciful.”

With that, his gaze shifted to the village outside the window.

“Now… how is the church developing? How many believers do you have?”

Luff pulled out a prepared scroll of parchment from his bosom, handing it to Sebastian as he respectfully reported.

“As of now, the church has officially registered 3,345 believers. Among them, 2,624 are demi-humans, 678 are humans, and 43 are half-elves.”

“There are even half-elves?”

Sebas showed surprise.

Luff explained.

“They are former half-elf slaves. After the Borde-Castell War, they escaped from the defeated noble families and found refuge with us, accepting the faith of the True Ancestor.”

“As for the human believers, they are mainly miners from the mining district and some refugees from the war. The church’s acceptance of refugees during the Lagrisse rebellion gained a lot of goodwill and supporters. We now even have a branch in Silver Mine City.”

“Of course, considering secrecy, the church has not been preaching extensively in Silver Mine City. The chosen believers are all verified to have clean backgrounds and steadfast faith.”

Listening to Luff’s report, Sebastian felt both satisfaction and amazement.

Due to the need to hide their identity, the True Ancestor had always forbidden public preaching. Yet, in less than two years, the church had grown from just over a hundred werewolf believers to over three thousand, which was surprising.

“If it weren’t for the restrictions on preaching, there could be more.”

“Lord Sebastian, the North is indeed a very suitable land for spreading the faith. There are many unbelievers who have fled from various places, and even the followers of the Holy Court are mostly shallow believers with weak faith.”

“Forgive my bluntness, the God is too distant from mortals, but the True Ancestor is very close. As long as the True Ancestor can more widely display miracles and mercy, gaining more followers would not be difficult.”

“The main limiting factor is probably the sensitivity of the True Ancestor’s identity.”

“Oh, and there’s also the issue of core doctrines and priests.”

“Many demi-human tribes have bloodline ties to the bloodborne. Their devotion to the True Ancestor is akin to ancestral worship, making it easy to rekindle their faith. But for non-bloodborne related entities, we lack core doctrines to build stronger cohesion and recognition…”

“As for priests, their numbers are quite small, and they don’t possess divine spells like those in other churches, only awakening some innate magic abilities.”

“Counting myself, there are currently 37 priests, all recognized and blessed by the True Ancestor.”

Sebastian was not surprised by Luff’s words.

In history, any rapid expansion of a God’s church happened when God walked among mortals.

More interaction with and blessings to the followers naturally resulted in more followers.

Although the True Ancestor had not bestowed widespread blessings, in this era of slumbering Gods, occasional direct responses to prayers already surpassed many Gods.

As for the lack of core doctrines and priests…

Sebastian’s visit to the mining district this time was to address these two issues.

“As for the core doctrines… the True Ancestor has given a divine command. Henceforth, the church’s doctrines will revolve around Darkness and Order.”

Sebastian said.

“Darkness… and Order?”

The werewolf Luff was taken aback.

Sebastian smiled slightly and explained to Luff, mimicking Charlotte’s earlier explanation.

“Darkness represents the extraordinary world of Myria.”

“The extraordinary world is dark, cruel, oppressive, and difficult to control, but darkness does not necessarily mean evil.”

“Darkness represents the other side of light, the irrational side of the world. Only by embracing darkness and understanding it can we control it and thus control the extraordinary…”

“The Bloodborne hierarchy is strict and bloodbornes highly value order. Order is also one of the key tenets of my Lord’s faith.”

“The world cannot exist without order. By controlling darkness, we can bring a new order to a world that is becoming increasingly chaotic. With order, we can restrain the extraordinary, the powerful, and the mundane, thereby changing the world…”

Sebastian’s expression became solemn as he continued in a serious tone.

“The guardian and enforcer of darkness and order—this is the symbol of our Lord’s faith!”

“Darkness and order…”

The werewolf Luff fell into deep thought.

After a long while, his eyes brightened, and he bowed deeply to Sebastian.

“Lord Sebastian, I have learned much.”

Sebastian nodded and continued.

“As for the priests… strictly speaking, the priests in our church cannot yet be considered true priests, as the True Ancestor had not been fully prepared for formal preaching before.”

“However, things are different now. I have come under the True Ancestor’s command. The True Ancestor has decided to formally bring the church onto Myria’s stage.”

“Formally bring the church onto Myria’s stage?”

Luff was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed.

“Could it be… the True Ancestor’s power has further recovered?”

Sebastian nodded slightly, smiling.

“You could say that.”

“Lord’s power has indeed further revived, and She has decided to formally begin preaching in the North.”

“Luff, gather the priests and believers, and prepare for the prayer ritual. I have brought the divine decree, but the actual divine oracle for preaching needs to be delivered by our great Master Herself.”

“Of course… this also includes the blessings of the God.”

…

“Supreme True Ancestor…”

“Embodiment of Darkness and Shadow…”

“Source of all Blood Descendants…”

“Your humble and devout believers beseech your blessings…”

Before the tall altar, the werewolf Luff followed Sebastian, leading many believers in prayer to the Thorny Rose.

Gazing at the divine symbol on the altar, Luff’s expression was fervent and full of anticipation.

At the same time, Charlotte, having received the prayers, turned her attention to the altar.

“Are we… ready?”

Seated high on the Throne of Blood, looking at the many devout and expectant believers in the “scene”, Charlotte’s expression also became solemn.

With the prayers of the believers, she could feel an increasingly strong connection with them, hear their thoughts, and sense their bloodline powers.

She could even clearly perceive that droplets of bloodline power were gathering towards her along the faith network with each prayer, converging into the divine flame in her chest, and being refined into the purest divine power.

Gods are shepherds.

Believers are the sheep of the Gods.

And extraordinary power is the wool that the sheep continuously produce.

At this moment, Charlotte had a deeper understanding of the essence of the relationship between Gods and believers in the world of Myria.

Although she had believers and had formed her own church more than a year ago, the church had never been complete—at best, it was a semi-finished product.

Now, since her divine power was no longer in short supply and she planned to officially start preaching, it was time for her faith system to take shape and for the church to become formal.

With this thought, Charlotte manipulated the blood divine power, extending it along the faith network toward the distant altar.

The next moment, the Thorny Rose divine symbol on the altar emitted a dazzling crimson light, and an immense, majestic will slowly descended.

Under the fanatical, shocked, and excited gazes of the believers, an ethereal projection appeared above the altar.

A solemn and dignified throne, a tall and graceful figure, and those mysterious golden-red eyes hidden behind the crimson mist.

It was Charlotte, seated high on the Throne of Blood in her “adult form.”