Secret: The undead do not die in the fire

Chapter 223 White Hair and Red Eyes
"Do you crave power?"

The silver-haired girl looked up at the man holding the heart, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and a trace of fear and worry still remained in her eyes. But as if encouraged by his words, the girl trembled and stretched out her hand, tentatively reaching for the ember's palm, but she was afraid to let go.

Until Yu Jin took the initiative to hold the girl's white and tender hand and placed the blood-red heart in her palm.

Ornia looked nervously at the heart in her palm, which was bigger than her palm, as big as an adult's fist, bright red, and slightly expanding and contracting. She was so nervous that she didn't know what to do and could only look to her aunt for help.

But Aleka was obviously more helpless. She had never experienced such a thing and didn't know how to help Ornia.

Lilith puffed up her cheeks and said in a rather sour tone:

"Even if that's the case, there's no need to give her the blood essence, right? A first embrace would be enough, and she's just an ordinary person. She can't absorb the blood essence of the vampires at all. She'll die right away, right?"

It’s not like there haven’t been humans who have tried to plunder the blood essence of the vampires in the past, but their endings have always been the same—

Unable to withstand the enormous energy of the blood essence, they explode and die. Occasionally, they are transformed into horrible monsters that look like a pool of rotten meat.

"……will die?"

Aleka became more panicked and begged, "My lord, Ornia is still young and doesn't understand anything. She doesn't want power, she just wants to be alive..."

"Aunt, I want strength."

The silver-haired girl pursed her lips and whispered, "I don't want to be bullied anymore..."

Aleka's eyes dimmed. Although Olnia was the daughter of several "guardians", she did not inherit the blood of the vampires, and therefore could not enjoy the treatment of being the children of the "guardians". Only Master Carlos, who inherited the blood of the vampires, was eligible to enjoy the treatment of the heir. The children of other maids were simply reserve servants with red eyes.

Men will become blood servants of several masters in the future, while girls like Ornia will have the same fate as her aunt, or even more miserable. Aleka once overheard a conversation between several guardians, and they seemed to think that marrying a descendant with red eyes like Ornia would give birth to a descendant with vampire blood...

Although Ornia was not yet at the most suitable age for childbearing due to her age, she had not yet been killed, but this day would eventually come. Although Ornia was still young, the guardians had not yet attacked her, but children like them were just servants of Master Carlos in the castle and were often bullied by him.

Even though the three guardians have been killed, the rulers will not disappear, but will be replaced. The two in front of us can become the new rulers if they are willing, but they seem to be just passing by and will not stay for long. When they leave, the new rulers will most likely be Lady Aisha's family. Ornia's future fate may be to become Master Carlos's wife or concubine.

Aleka had foreseen all this happening, but she was powerless to do anything about it, because they had no power to decide their own fate. They didn't even have the option of escaping, because they didn't know where other human settlements were outside, and the most likely thing was that they would die in the wild due to exhaustion and hunger.

Even if they managed to escape to other human settlements, how much better would the situation be? The best outcome would probably be to become the wife, concubine or maid of a certain guardian, right?

In contrast, if I could gain power, perhaps everything would be different...

The confusion in Ornia's eyes dissipated a lot, and her eyes gradually became firm - maybe it would be better if her body didn't tremble so violently.

Yu Jin looked at the silver-haired girl who was ready to die, patted her head and comforted her:

"Don't worry, I won't die. I know my limits."

Lilith's expression also became a little complicated, and she hesitated and said:
"Do you really have a way for ordinary people to directly absorb the blood essence of the vampires?"

Yu Jin hesitated for two seconds and said seriously:
"Theoretically it's possible."

It is theoretically feasible, but it still lacks a little practice.

So, isn't he here to practice?
Lilith's eyes were filled with suspicion. She believed in Yu Jin's strength, but was not so confident in his 'theory'.
-
The weekly Tarot Club is held on time.

The deep red light surged out like water, submerging everything and carrying the members of the Tarot Club above the gray fog.

Audrey was about to stand up and greet Mr. Fool when she suddenly saw a strange figure standing next to the magician Fors!

A new member? A lady...

She discovered a problem with some confusion and expectation, that is, women were on the left and men were on the right.

This should be Mr. Fool's deliberate division. I wonder if there is any symbolic meaning in it... Well, the left side is the lady, the right side is the man, and the one who is neither left nor right is Mr. Fool, the god who cannot be defined by gender. Oh, yes, and Mr. World... Hehe, is he neither male nor female, or even human? Audrey, you think too much. This is because Mr. World is the follower of the Fool, right?

Audrey stood up and saluted briskly:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

In response to Miss Justice's pleasant greeting, Klein would normally curl his lips and nod slightly. But at this moment, he frowned slightly because he suddenly discovered a problem.

There was no one at Yu Jin's position, because he failed to find Yu Jin's "flame", and the other party was absent from the Tarot Club again...

This time it has nothing to do with me!
Klein's eyes twitched slightly. He was worried that others would ask him questions and he didn't know how to explain it. But he soon realized that Miss Justice didn't stop and turned her gaze to the other side:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man."

This time, she did not follow the order of the tarot cards, but the order of their membership.

After this round of greetings, Ms. Hermit got to know everyone, so there was no need for me, Mr. Fool, to introduce them separately... Miss Justice obviously did this on purpose. She was really thoughtful. As long as the Beyonders in the Audience field are serious, they will be different in this regard... Klein was stunned at first, then he suddenly realized something, and at the same time he also realized a problem.

Miss Justice and Yu Jin have always been inseparable. Since she is not in a hurry, it means that she should know where Yu Jin is going, and there should be no need for him, the Fool, to explain.

Following Justice's introduction, Cattleya's eyes swept over the members of the Tarot Club one by one, while others were also quietly sizing up the new member, exploring the details she showed.

But soon, the Hermit's gaze suddenly paused.

She also discovered a pattern where women were on the right and men were on the left.

The positions are arranged in the order they joined, one next to the other. Starting with Mr. Fool, the left side is full of women:
A girl who was suspected to be an upper-class noble in Loen, took the initiative to greet her and introduce others to her, and was suspected to be a founding member, whose name was not yet known;
The 'Judgement' is short in stature but full of dignity;
A 'magician' with a lazy temperament who is easily overlooked;
Finally, there is her, the newly joined 'Hermit';
On the right is a man:
The 'Hanged Man' who is suspected to be a member of the Church of the Storm;
The 'sun' who is suspected to be underage, wearing rare clothing, suitable for fighting;
'Moon', sitting casually, with black hair and red eyes, wearing the priest robes of the Earth Mother;
There is also a 'world' sitting at the end, with a gloomy temperament, wearing a hooded robe, and not like a living person.

Their positions are obviously related to the order in which they joined the Tarot Club, but the problem is that there is a position between "The Hanged Man" and "The Sun" for some reason, as if it was left vacant intentionally.

Was there no one there originally, or did something happen to the owner of that location?
Cattleya was inclined to the second guess, that the owner of that location might no longer be alive...

The Hermit Cattleya retracted her gaze and made eye contact with the Justice Audrey who happened to be looking over.

Realizing the other party's intention to ask, she nodded slightly and said:
"The Hermit."

"justice."

Audrey smiled faintly and responded, "Good afternoon, Ms. Hermit."

Miss Justice finished introducing them one by one, paused for two seconds, and then carefully considered her words and said:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fool, but Mr. Lover may not be able to attend the Tarot Club in the next few weeks."

"You won't even join the Tarot Club organized by God? What a big deal!"

'Moon' Emlyn White was stunned and complained in his heart.

The Hermit Cattleya's expression slightly changed. This was completely different from what she had guessed.

It should be possible to ask for leave in advance for this kind of meeting, but that also requires asking Mr. Fool for permission in advance. But judging from Miss Justice's reaction, Mr. Lover, whom she had never met before, did not seem to have informed Mr. Fool in advance, otherwise there would be no need for Justice to convey the message.

But the reason they appeared in this mysterious palace was not because they came here on their own initiative, but because they were summoned by Mr. Fool. Could it be that Mr. Lover had some means to resist the summons of Mr. Fool?
That's a real god... No, maybe that's why! A being who has the ability to resist the call of God is qualified to refuse to participate in the Tarot Club without even saying hello! Who is this Mr. 'lover'?

"I knew it……"

Klein sighed in his heart. You disappeared without even saying hello. This makes me feel very uncomfortable!
He was extremely curious about where Yu Jin was now, but he was too embarrassed to ask. After all, he was the Fool, so shouldn't the question of where Yu Jin had gone be a small matter to him?
What Klein was even more curious about was why Justice didn't explain this to him in advance, but waited until the Tarot Club?

Klein's eyes flickered. He tapped the table with his fingers and chuckled.

"Ms. Justice, are you in trouble?"

"I really can't hide it from you."

Audrey nodded slightly and explained:
"In fact, I am now traveling with a demigod of the Audience Path. In order to avoid being discovered by her, I may not be able to actively pray to you in the near future."

"Demi god?"

Everyone in the Tarot Club changed color slightly.

Although their organization has a real god, demigods are still out of reach for them! And now Miss Justice is traveling with a demigod? What's going on?
"Do you need help?" Magician Fors asked hesitantly.

"No, not yet."

Audrey shook her head slightly and explained:
"She and the 'lover' are old acquaintances. They once entered the painting world of the Steam Church together. She should have no ill will towards me. I will not be in danger."

Klein raised his eyebrows slightly. After all, he was a demigod. Since Miss Justice used the word "should", it meant that it was uncertain whether the other party had malicious intentions. Miss Justice was only Sequence 7 now. How could she guarantee that she would be safe?

"Unless Miss Justice has a way to counter it..."

Klein thought of a possibility. The dogs that Yu Jin rented to him were already mid-sequence Beyonders, so how could he not leave some backup for Miss Justice? A bodyguard at least at the demigod level, what a luxury! ... Klein was a little envious.

The Hanged Man had a look of surprise, because he had also guessed this possibility. After all, he had seen Ember summon Silver Knights before, and each of those Silver Knights was equivalent to a Sequence 5 Beyonder. Ember himself had a record of hunting down many demigods, so it was not too strange for him to have a demigod-level "summoned creature".

Derrick the Sun couldn't help but ask:
"Miss Justice, has Mr. Lover come to the God-Forsaken Land again?"

Audrey hesitated, but looking at Derrick's eager eyes, she replied softly:
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is. The demigod who was traveling with me entered the painting world with Mr. Lover a few days ago and has been missing since then. But he seemed to have anticipated this and will be back soon."

After a pause, Audrey continued:

“Perhaps you can ask Mr. Fool about this question.”

After all, the last time Yu Jin disappeared, Mr. Fool was the only one who knew where he was, and he could even observe Yu Jin's location. Maybe it will be the same this time? After all, Mr. Fool is omnipotent, so he must know everything, right?

"Don't look for me, how would I know where he is?"

The corners of Klein's eyes twitched. Ember kept disappearing, and it was difficult for him!
Last time, he was able to divine Justice's traces with the help of the ring that Yu Jin gave him, but who knows if it will work this time? It's obvious that Yu Jin's disappearance is definitely not just in space, otherwise his flame would not have disappeared. Klein could already vaguely guess that the thousands of crimson stars above the gray fog were actually everyone's projection in the spiritual world.

As long as one is still in this world, he will inevitably leave a "projection" in the spiritual world, unless that person is not in this world at all... or in other words, not in this world now!
This is the case with Ember. His 'disappearance' not only involves 'space', but also 'time'.

He might be in the Second Age, or the Third Age, or the Fourth Age, or even in the future... All of these are possible. Klein has no way of making an accurate judgment. Divination is unlikely to work because of the lack of a medium. He also doesn't know if divination using the sacrificial ring will work...

and many more!

Klein suddenly froze for a moment, as if he remembered something.

(End of this chapter)