Lord of Prayer

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Year 234 of the New Calendar. Hong City.

Inside a secret laboratory.

A few members of the Blood Race lay comfortably under artificial sun lamps, enjoying a sunbath they had once thought impossible.

They were originally low-ranking members of the Blood Race. But after their transformation with Eternal Energy, they became the world’s first of their kind to be unafraid of sunlight and Silverware. Their status soared. They were no longer lowly, despicable inferiors, but the noble “New Blood Race.”

“The experiment was a great success. There have been no adverse reactions so far. The defects deep within the Blood Race’s genes have been completely repaired. I believe they have finally shed the ‘curse’ that comes with being undead.”

The elderly and frail Professor Howard looked over the medical reports, unable to contain his excitement. He clenched his fists and exclaimed, “This is the evolution of life! From flawed undeath to perfect eternal life, we are making history!”

“No.” Steve, the Blood Race’s agent in Hong City, shook his head slightly. He took a light sip of red wine from his goblet and smiled at Howard.

“—We are creating a miracle!”

“A miracle…”

“Yes, a miracle. For the Blood Race, this is an absolute miracle. Professor, you’re human. You can’t understand how terrified we are of sunlight and Silverware, how desperately we want to be rid of these fatal flaws and escape the label of ‘creatures of Darkness.'”

Steve spoke, his expression turning nostalgic. “Think about it. From the time you’re a child, your parents and elders tell you that the thing called the ‘Sun’ is harmful, that it’s dangerous. But as you grow up, you see humans and other species walking about safely under the sun, and you feel this profound confusion. ‘Why aren’t they hurt by the sunlight like the elders warned?’

“But then one day, you get curious. You reach a hand out from the shadows, trying to touch the warm sunlight, and you learn the price of defiance. Your hand is instantly scorched. The pain is so searing it’s branded into your memory, enough to make any of us lock away our curiosity for good. From that moment on, you believe your elders without question. You begin to fear the Sun and the light it casts.”

“And so you hide in dark corners, day after day, year after year, like a rat that can’t stand the light. But deep down, you can’t help but yearn for the beautiful Sun and its bright, warm rays.”

“Sadly, that hope is always crushed by the cruel fist of reality. We are like moths drawn to a flame, or mayflies born at dawn only to die at dusk. Fearing sunlight is our instinct. Before the grand laws of nature, an individual’s will is insignificant. Perhaps reaching Tier Five would bring about some kind of Transformation, but unfortunately, the Blood Race has never had a Crowned King.”

“From our first progenitor to the newest generation, every generation of the Blood Race has dreamed of walking in the sunlight. We paid countless, terrible prices for that dream, but no matter what we did, the ‘Curse’ loomed over every last one of us. Over time, the ‘Sun’ became an insurmountable mountain in our minds.”

“But now, something countless of our kind believed impossible is happening right before our very eyes. This will shatter the preconceived notions of not just the Blood Race, but all races. So tell me, how can that not be called a miracle?”

“Indeed.” Howard nodded. For the Blood Race, this was undeniably an absolute miracle.

“How long until the next experiment is ready?” Steve asked.

The medical reports for the first batch of test subjects were in. All physical indicators were normal—they were healthier than ever before. Everything was progressing just as they had hoped. It was time for the second round of experiments to free more of the Blood Race from the “Curse.”

“The Alchemy Association already delivered the machine. Installation is halfway complete, but we’ll still need to do some precision tuning after that. It should take about two more days… What about the Energy Source?” Howard then asked about the most crucial component. Only a quality power core could provide the Eternal Life Machine with an unending supply of Energy.

“We ordered an ‘Eternal Burning Star Core’ from the Helandy Alchemy Workshop,” Steve said with a smile. “We don’t have to worry about power anymore.”

“You actually managed to get your hands on one of those? No… you’re telling me the Helandy Alchemy Workshop actually sold one to you?”

Howard looked completely astonished. ‘An “Eternal Burning Star Core” is a massive Energy Source, incredibly expensive to produce, and one of the most advanced Alchemy Creations in the entire World. I can’t believe the Blood Race actually managed to get one.’ Still, this was a good thing. With the “Eternal Burning Star Core,” their energy problem was solved for good.

“With enough money, nothing is impossible. Besides, the Helandy Alchemy Workshop is run by a group of Merchants, and it’s only natural for Merchants to make a profit.” Steve smiled and took another sip of wine. The one thing the Blood Race never lacked was money.

He drained the rest of the wine in his goblet. After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice, “Professor, we need to speed things up. The Crimson Sect is secretly searching for this laboratory, and it won’t be long before they find us.

“We’ve made arrangements with the Hong City Star Association, so they’re willing to turn a blind eye for now. But we’ve hit a snag. For some reason, the special operations team leader from Jinzhu City is dead set on bringing her people here for a full investigation. The intel doesn’t say she knows about the Eternal Life Project, but I have a very bad feeling about this.

“The president of the Hong City Star Association is holding her off for now, but he can’t delay her for long. Once the Star Association Headquarters gets involved, that bastard will surely sell us out. When that happens, everything will be over.

“We’re running out of time. We really are.”