They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

"That's what my lord said."

Vincent didn't dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction. The Medical Association had promised him that through a ritual, his life would "evolve" and he would become an immortal species called "Dead Apostle".

Greed was like a blazing flame, licking his agitated heart with its tongues of temptation.

The two left the helipad and entered the elevator. After arranging people to move the items, they went to the bottom of the deck where Maria, the first generation Saint Star, was imprisoned.

Vincent recalled Star Maria's out-of-control behavior and couldn't help but gasp, "Sir, if you want to hold the ceremony without being observed, the top floor suite would also meet the requirements. Why choose this place?"

The masked representative of the Medical Association spoke in a meaningful voice, "Charon, are you satisfied with achieving immortality? Are you planning to abandon the Saint you believe in?"

"This..." Vincent lowered his head and did not dare to respond to the question.

In the last century, he was indeed a knight who loyally supported the Saint, and they were full of vigor and vitality in the polar regions searching for the gate to the kingdom of God.

But his courage disappeared completely before the actual voyage. Vincent was afraid of taking risks and could only watch the saint and his colleagues enter the dangerous area.

As expected, the Saint suffered a horrific accident, contaminating her bloodline. Vincent witnessed Star Maria's gradual loss of control and transformation into a dragon, and personally imprisoned her, using her as a signboard to attract investment.

"A simple and weak Changsheng is just a lamb to be slaughtered, Charon. Only by becoming a god can one completely escape from all dangers. Even a timid and cowardly person can dominate the world. And being the experimental vessel for becoming a god is all thanks to your Saint!"

"Becoming a god..." Vincent was moved by these words.

Chapter 266: Not Dead

The warm sun shines on the excellent port of Lisbon, Portugal, and retro Portuguese buildings are lined up in the mountain city.

The extraordinary sunshine brought by midsummer delayed the sunset time here to after 9 pm. Even though it was late, the sun was still shining brightly. This scene made Su Xiaoqiang, who was unable to adjust to the jet lag for a while, yawn and walked off the ship leaning on the handrail.

She had come here during the summer vacation to visit her mother's family. She had originally planned to bring her father along, but the coal mine owner, who was always busy with his work, was still unavailable. Su Xiaoqiang criticized her for working overtime despite her health.

Su Xiaoqiang thought that if he couldn't do it himself, he should ask his mother to persuade him instead. His father's last physical examination didn't look very good, and he also had been attending social events and drinking heavily for a long time. If this continued for a long time, his body would definitely not be able to bear it.

It just so happened that my cousin Mariana Santos had recently sent me a rare letter, saying that there was a happy event in their family and she hoped that Su Xiaoqiang's sister would come over to celebrate...

She was a little puzzled. What could this be? Why was he so secretive and had to wait until they met to tell her...

"Xiao Qiang!"

As Su Xiaoqiang walked into the crowd, a blonde woman with a Western face soon waved and shouted. Although the other party must have practiced the pronunciation of Chinese names in advance, Su Xiaoqiang couldn't help laughing when he heard the strange tone.

"Cousin!" Su Xiaoqiang responded in Portuguese, but soon saw her cousin Mariana running over and leaning close to her face.

Su Xiaoqiang dodged slightly to the side nimbly. His cousin did this not because she had any special hobby, but because it was a popular etiquette of cheek kissing among relatives in Portugal.

Although this is very popular among relatives and friends here, Su Xiaoqiang thinks that she doesn't have much daily contact with her relatives from her mother's side, and she really can't adapt to it.

Mariana noticed Su Xiaoqiang's agile reaction and was surprised, but not embarrassed. "Let's go! The car is ready."

The two started their journey to Santos's home. Along the way, Mariana said to Su Xiaoqiang that it was a pity that they arrived too late and missed the Santo Antonio Festival in Lisbon. Otherwise, they would have seen the entire district decorated with ribbons, rosemary, and carnations, and tasted grilled sardines and green wine on the street.

Su Xiaoqiang waved her hand, she couldn't come earlier - if she came earlier, it would still be summer vacation before her!

However, the two of them never stopped eating on the way. Mariana bought cinnamon egg tarts and some sardine snacks for Su Xiaoqiang to fill his stomach and keep him awake.

After getting off the car, the two walked into a manor that exuded an ancient atmosphere. Finally arriving at her mother's house, Su Xiaoqiang couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, what's going on that needs to be said in person?"

"Well..." Mariana hesitated for a while and was about to explain, but when she walked to the main entrance and met an elderly man in formal attire, she suddenly shut her mouth.

"Grandpa!" Su Xiaoqiang called politely. The wrinkled old man was named Alfonso Santos, Su Xiaoqiang's mother's biological father and the owner of this estate.

"It's Xiaoqiang. Your mother, Beatrice, is still at the office. I'm afraid she won't be home until after sunset."

Grandpa Alfonso shook his head. "Beatrice and your father, Su Jiannan, are the same. Once they have a job, they forget everything else. I don't know how these two got together in the first place."

Su Xiaoqiang felt that she couldn't laugh anymore. It sounded as if this was the result of "an accident outside of work".

Mariana asked cautiously, "Can I tell Xiaoqiang about that?"

Alfonso took a look and said, "Tell me, the success of our business might be related to Xiao Qiang."

He took out a letter and said, "You should take a look at it too. This is really strange. Even the cardinal sent a letter."

Mariana took it and unfolded it. Sure enough, it was the Latin used in official church documents. "...Oh, it's actually true. Xiao Qiang was mentioned too."

"Cardinal?" Su Xiaoqiang was confused. What was going on?

"Actually," Mariana thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Qiang, do you believe that there are all kinds of legendary monsters in this world?"

Although Mariana discovered that Su Xiaoqiang had some skills, he was probably still an ordinary person with no experience.

"..."

Su Xiaoqiang was silent for a moment, her cousin's words bringing back memories. One night, she had witnessed those terrifying monsters with human heads and snake bodies. Such creatures were definitely not something an ordinary person could deal with, nor did they exist among the diverse animal species in nature.

Then, she luckily survived and was rescued by a red-haired man.

She didn't know who that person was, and later she tried her best to find no information about him. It was as if that person and the incident that day were blocked by invisible fog. There was an invisible barrier that blocked Su Xiaoqiang's unnecessary curiosity and desire to explore.

Su Xiaoqiang started to practice martial arts on her own since that day, but she still didn't know if she could deal with the monster at this level... No, she still didn't know if she could struggle a few more times in front of the monster.

With her temperament, she has always been brave and fearless in facing the world. However, facing this monster that is not understood by ordinary people, Su Xiaoqiang still feels at a loss.

Could it be that I don’t have the same magical power as that red-haired man, so I will never be able to resist that monster in my entire life?

"I believe."

"You might not believe it...eh?"

Mariana thought to herself, "Why don't you speak according to the routine?" ...Oh, yes, Xiaoqiang is young and should still be at the age of fantasy, so it makes sense that he believes it.

"Okay, okay, if you believe me, that's all. Then let me explain to you the so-called truth of the world..."

So, Su Xiaoqiang listened to her cousin's explanation of the dragon clan, the half-bloods, the secret party, the Holy Church... The more she listened, the wider her eyes widened. So there was a hidden "inner world" beneath this surface world?

No wonder every time Su Xiaoqiang wanted to look up some information, he always got no results for some unknown reason. Could it be that these people in the other world had joined forces to completely deceive ordinary people and fooled the people all over the world?

No, even if that's the case, doesn't the Santos family on my mother's side know about this? So you, my mother, cousin, and grandfather, were also deliberately hiding this from me?

"...It wasn't intentional," Mariana said embarrassedly.

"You know, mixed-bloods... people with rare bloodlines are not uncommon, but the concentration of most people doesn't reach the standard for awakening. For example, our family has been unable to awaken since our grandfather's generation. If this continues, we will become ordinary people and have no right to participate in the affairs of the other world."

Our family has fallen?

This thought flashed through Su Xiaoqiang's mind, and then he heard Mariana say:

"I mentioned celebrating something earlier, and that's actually it. It's said that the Holy Church is recruiting and training believers skilled in combat to become 'Agents.' They prioritize talent, gifts, and faith over bloodline."

"Luckily, I was selected not long ago!"

"Is that so? Congratulations, cousin!"

"No, no, no, I feel like it's all thanks to you, Xiaoqiang," Mariana waved the letter in her hand. "For some reason, the new Cardinal Cervantes specifically mentioned that if you're interested, Xiaoqiang, you can make an exception and obtain the agent's training method..."

Although he had not yet entered the Holy Church and was not clear about its rules and regulations, it was a bit too much to give such preferential treatment to a newcomer who had not yet joined and a relative.

Even though his cousin said so, Su Xiaoqiang couldn't understand why he was treated specially.

"Is it that good? Then can I start going tomorrow..."

"You are too happy too early." Grandpa Alfonso said suddenly.

"Take a close look at the back of the letter. It contains the latest news from Cardinal Cervantes. The diocese has been experiencing unrest lately. People have been missing in the countryside of Lisbon and other parts of Western Europe. In some areas, large numbers of mummified corpses have been discovered, suggesting the area has been infested by vampire monsters."

"The Cardinal will probably be too busy with these matters to take time off to look after you. At that time, the best you can do is take the letter to the church to receive the training method. The church is currently short of staff, so it's impossible for them to arrange for someone to guide you. Otherwise, you can just practice on your own."

"Ah? How could this be..." Mariana was disappointed after reading the rest of the letter.

"Then just practice on your own. What are you afraid of, cousin!"

Su Xiaoqiang was quite interested.

When she was practicing martial arts before, her martial arts master praised her for her extraordinary talent and rapid learning, so she was very curious about the real practice methods in this world.

"That's too inefficient. If I have to figure it out on my own..." Mariana's eyes lit up. "By the way, Xiaoqiang, you're here and I didn't have time to entertain you. Let's plan a trip tomorrow!"

Alfonso frowned and said, "Have you forgotten what I just said? It's not peaceful outside right now. Although there is no big news in Western Europe, it is suppressed by local organizations..."

"Oh, it's okay!"

Mariana said, "I'll ask Aunt Beatrice if she can arrange some luxury cruise tickets. We can take advantage of the warm weather and go straight to the Arctic! Vampires wouldn't visit the uninhabited Arctic, would they?"

Chapter 267 White Moon Princess

“It would be nice if the sky was cloudy.”

"It would be nice if I could regret it sooner."

"If only he hadn't lied to me."

"If only I hadn't lost control."

"And—it would be nice if you didn't come back here."

Ridgelife felt inexplicably like she was lying in a cold coffin. Everything was empty and seemed unreal. After a long and meaningless wait, she seemed to hear someone speaking to her in a dream.

Who is it?

Rigidlove gradually entered an absurd dream, where she saw an astonishingly large white full moon, half of which occupied one side of the sky, and the other half sank below the horizon. She stood on the wasteland and looked at the white moon. A crazy idea prompted her to run towards the moon and jump into it, as if she wanted to throw herself into a mother's arms.

"Regi Reve, Regi Reve."

The voice continued in her ears, causing her to stop running. The tone and voice became more and more familiar, and the echo became clearer and clearer.

"...Run away, kid! Go to Antarctica! It's the safest place in the world. Don't come back... No, no, it's too late! Everything on earth will be bleached..."

It's Grandma (Maria of the Star)! The voice of Grandma Maria!

The various memories swirling in Reggie Reeves' mind suddenly became active.

Since she was a child, Reggie Love has been very familiar with the voice of her grandmother Maria.

At that time, Star Maria still maintained her human appearance. When she came into contact with Regis and the other clones, she treated them like her granddaughters, holding their hands and telling them many stories about the cruise ship and the world outside the ocean, so Regis called her Grandma Maria.

There were many other clones at that time, and according to Vincent, none of them were as perfect as Ridgelove.

Therefore, inferior clones like Helver and Orluun need to hone their martial arts and serve as Vincent's guards to show their value. However, Saint Regislev is still unscrupulous. She does not have to do anything, just listen to Maria's stories and imagine and be curious about the outside world.

Then one day, Star Maria suddenly disappeared. Vincent lied to Regineve that she was dead, but Regineve later found Maria imprisoned under the deck.

Maria had already lost control at that time. Her body began to collapse completely, and then her flesh and blood expanded, her bones multiplied, and her bright blood vessels extended out of her body like branches, climbing inside the steel cabin.

In front of Ridgelife, Maria expressed her regret. She regretted that she still believed that Vincent would protect her like a knight as he did in the past. But after seeing the truth, she found that Vincent was full of lies and he only regarded Maria of the Star as a tool.

Therefore, Maria hopes to get the help of Regisleve to stop Vincent and bury all of this, bury it in Vincent's long-cherished goal - the gate to the kingdom of God that they had been searching for in the far north.

But before all this could happen as she wished, Reggie Love was taken away by a man who called himself Mr. McCarron, or codenamed Odin. In an unexpected way, the girl's dream of escaping from the cruise ship and going to the outside world was realized.

Unfortunately, Odin's actions were no different from Vincent's. She was sealed in darkness before she even had a chance to see the outside world.

Now, Ridgelife heard Grandma Maria's voice again. She didn't understand why Grandma told her not to go back. What did Grandma mean by "it's too late"?

Ridgelife suddenly remembered that she had escaped alone, but her grandmother was still trapped there, unable to escape. Her grandmother must have foreseen her return and tried to dissuade her.

But why didn't Grandma explain clearly what was about to happen? What did the dream of the huge white moon and the so-called "bleaching" mean?

"Regi Reve! Regi Reve!"

A short cry exploded in her ears, completely losing her grandmother's gentleness. In panic, Ridgeleve thought that her grandmother was angry because she found out that she didn't listen to her advice, but when she opened her eyes, she found that it was Helver and Orluen, both wearing strange maid outfits, looking at her with unfriendly expressions.

"Look! Our Saint has finally woken up. We've been checking her vital signs every day, fearing she might have hysteria or have fallen into a vegetative sleep. But what happened? She seems to be sleeping soundly."

Helweier leaned against the coffin and sneered, with a hint of resentment in her tone, as if she had been ordered to do many things by Xia Mi.

Orluen also responded. She took great pains to prepare a soft and comfortable mattress and down pillows for the Saint. As a result, Regisleph really gave her face and slept for several days!

"Yes, the Saint Lady seemed to have had a beautiful dream, mumbling in her sleep 'Grandma! Grandma!' Are you still the same three-year-old child who can't leave the adults and cries without anyone else's company?"

"Forget it, forget it. Don't bother with her. Let's report it to the Lord right away, shall we? He will definitely be interested in you," Helweier said in a sour tone.

Damn it, she wanted to improve too! Why did Reggie Reeves get such princess-level treatment right from the start?

"What are you talking about?"

Ridgelife stood up from the soft cushions and realized that she was no longer sleeping in a coffin, but in a bedroom filled with the scent of young girls. "How... is this possible? That man actually changed his mind and decided not to imprison me?"

Ridgelev still thought she was in Odin's hands.

"Hahaha!" Helver almost laughed out loud with pleasure when she saw Ridgeline's confused look. Orluen on the side couldn't help but smile as well, obviously mocking Ridgeline's random guesses and intending to play a trick on her.

Rigidreve frowned. She had not had a very good relationship with Helver and Orluen due to their previous status differences. Now it seemed that they still had not forgotten this old grudge and were planning to accommodate her?

But just as she was about to retort, the two maids suddenly became nervous. The next moment, the door opened with a bang, and a very pretty girl raised her eyebrows and looked unhappy: