Chapter 468 259: Borrowing the Tiger's Might (2)

As she spoke, Vivian somehow produced several large buckets of fresh blood. She continued speaking as she poured the blood all over her delicate, doll-like body. Under her control, the blood transformed into a magnificent gown.

She said, "Tonight, Dragon Devourer Cultists will cause trouble in London City in waves to tie up the Wizards from the London Tower, as well as the local Demon Hunters and Templar Knights. At the same time, all railway lines leading from Inner London through Berthelili have been blown up by the Dragon Devourer Cultists. And in the skies, they've long since released Celtic Winged Dragons, specifically to counter the Griffins."

"So, Mr. Constantine, you can forget any plans of escaping through the window. I can tell you with certainty that just outside that window, a team of Cultists who have transformed into Dragon Attendants are lying in wait in the darkness to hunt you… I imagine that for a hunting party tasked with cornering prey, killing a single Bronze-level person should be a simple matter."

Baron lowered the curtain. The superior Night Vision Ability bestowed by his Blood Faction, combined with the heightened five senses of a Dragon Knight, had indeed allowed him to perceive something unusual outside the window.

'Looks like I was right from the start,' he thought. 'The Dragon Eater Association is still going to make a move, just in a different way.'

"Mr. Constantine has probably also discovered that all of Berthelili's external communication lines have been cut, right? These preparations began half a year ago."

Vivian conjured a pair of long Blood Blades from the fresh blood. They were less like blades and more like two short daggers. Dark red blood flowed slowly over their surface. When the wind blew the curtains aside, moonlight shone in, revealing an almost transparent blue hue on them.

"So, Mr. Constantine, you don't need to be thinking about that Golden Mage… The Dragon Eater Association has made many preparations for this day. They naturally know the Golden Mage would be their greatest obstacle. How could they not have a plan specifically for him?"

Vivian tilted her head to look at Baron. "Mr. Constantine can hide in the shadows. I will carve a path out in a moment. You can come out three minutes later."

The main door began to give way. A Knight's Longsword was thrust through the gap in the door, straining against the silvery Alchemy Matrix on the door. A sharp-eyed Knight outside peered through the crack and saw Vivian, enveloped in her wings, holding her Blood Blades. He shouted loudly:

"In here! She's in here!"

The Knights swarmed forward, and more swords, sabers, spears, and axes appeared in the widening crack.

Vivian looked at Baron, who seemed to have something to say but held his tongue. She said, "Don't worry about me… The Blood Race is very hard to kill. As long as there is enough blood, I can heal from any wound, no matter how severe."

'No, I'm not worried about you,' Baron thought. 'I just want to ask if you know anything more about the Dragon Eater Association's specific plans.'

Of course, Baron wouldn't say this out loud. Instead, he obediently hid himself behind the curtains, only letting his deep-set eyes peer through a gap in the overlapping fabric to watch Vivian, who still maintained the form of a little girl.

As for why she hadn't reverted to her previous curvy, femme-fatale figure, Baron guessed it was probably because a child was better at evoking people's protective instincts. Also, a smaller frame was more advantageous for weaving through the flashes of blades.

If Vivian knew what Baron was thinking, she would probably just say that Mr. Constantine was overthinking things; she had simply run out of blood.

Just as the crack in the door widened to half a palm's width, Baron saw Vivian turn her head slightly and say:

"I killed my grandfather."

Baron was stunned. He then heard the sound of the door cracking further, followed by the righteous roars of the Knights:

"Blood Race! This Perfectly Defiled little girl is from the Blood Race!"

But Baron guessed they couldn't enter the room yet, as he hadn't heard the door collapse. The Knights hurled their swords and spears into the room, but all of them missed, either grazing past Vivian or being batted away by her massive wings.

Vivian said in a low voice, "Because his true identity was an Alchemist. The 'Demonization' I carry is his creation. He collected various types of Demon's Blood, mixed them together, and had me drink it. I am his most perfect creation…

He disguised himself as an old man and adopted me in Berthelili… Along with me were a few other orphans. He told us his name was Dunbar, he bestowed names upon us, and he didn't mind if we called him grandpa."

Vivian didn't need to say more for Baron to understand the rest. It was likely that the orphans adopted by the "grandpa," who was secretly a mad scientist, were nothing more than test subjects. Their main purpose was to test his concoctions. The fact that Vivian hadn't mentioned the other orphans much suggested that their fates were likely grim.

'Isn't this the same kind of scheme as the welfare home system that European Priests love to use?' Baron mused. 'Except the Priests need little boys, while this grandpa obviously needed his own team of little supersoldiers… hmm, no, test subjects.'

But Vivian said no more. The Knights outside didn't give her time to chatter. The door was smashed open. Hiding behind the curtains, Baron saw Griffin feathers fly in from outside. He saw Knights shouting as they charged in with swords and sabers raised. He saw Vivian spread her wings, like a white bird on a cliff, unfurling against the wind.

The still-wet blood on the floor stuck to the Knights' feet, slowing them down. Vivian swept through the crowd. The moment she rushed out of the room, she sent Baron a message with her Spiritual Power:

"The reason I told you the story of Dunbar is because I once saw your photograph there."

Baron was horrified.

But he could only watch silently as the Knights in the room broke free from the clots of blood stuck to their feet and charged out the door with their weapons held high.

By the time Baron snapped out of his mental turmoil, some time seemed to have passed. He could hear no sounds and see no one.

His Dragon Knight instincts told him there was no danger. He pulled back the curtain but froze abruptly, coming face-to-face with a Knight. Without a second thought, he threw a punch.

"Ouch! Brother Constantine, you've got the wrong guy!" Jack, wearing Griffin Knight Armor with his Face Armor down, clutched his now-black eye and yelled.

Baron said irritably, "How was I supposed to know you'd show up here at a time like this, wearing the Armor of the Griffin Knight Order? It's a testament to my politeness that I didn't just shoot you."

He added, "And another thing, you were stealing like that at the auction. How could Governor Howard possibly allow you to do that? No wonder you asked to borrow clay from me back then!"

Jack said righteously, "What do you mean, 'stealing'? This is 'containment.' Besides, never mind whether Governor Howard would allow it; this time, it was his idea."

"He suggested what?" Baron was astonished. In his mind, Westminster Cathedral was a neutral Law Enforcement Organization with arguably the most funding not just in Britain, but in the entire world.

If they really wanted a Taboo Item, they could just buy it… Baron's gaze fell on Jack's Holding Ring. 'Hmm, if I remember correctly, Jack's monthly salary is five thousand pounds… At that rate, 'containing' so many Taboo Items for five thousand pounds a month is indeed a bargain.'

Jack pointed at his own head and said, "He told me to follow that S Level specialist, Kasha, and provide you with support."

Support me… Baron asked, "And?"

Jack said, "That's it."

That's it? Baron was a bit surprised. "What does that have to do with you 'containing' Taboo Items from the auction?"

Jack said, "You don't get it. This was all a test from Vice-Governor Howard. If he simply wanted me to support you, he absolutely wouldn't have knocked on my head ten times after saying it."

Baron was puzzled. "Knocked on your head ten times? Could that have meant he wanted you to go to his office at ten o'clock at night?"

He knew his *Journey to the West* all too well.

Jack, however, looked genuinely surprised. "Doesn't it mean I'm supposed to contain ten Taboo Items?"

Baron was just as confused. He said, "So, is the Red Dragon Reverse Scale in your possession?"

He hadn't forgotten what the High Priest had said on stage.

"The Red Dragon Reverse Scale?" This time, Jack looked somewhat bewildered. "I didn't take the Red Dragon Reverse Scale."