Pirate Kingship-Chapter 556 - 409: The Crimson Holy Grail, Blood of Immortality
Atahualpa had arranged for Byron and Violet to stay in equally sumptuous chambers, the highest level available among all guest rooms.
Lying on a large bed carved with llamas at each corner, Byron held a tome bound in gold-leaf pages, his mind elsewhere as he flipped through it casually.
Here, paper had not been invented yet. The Divine Descendants used thin gold leaves to record transcendent characters, while common folk used a knot-tying system of record-keeping called quipus.
The transcendent book that Byron held, a part of the *Book of the Beast Kinship* (Volume II), was placed on the bookshelf in the guest room for visitors to peruse at leisure.
In the Hundred Beasts Paradise, this was clearly not some secretive tome of precious Black Sorcery.
Instead, like the Silver Law that covered the entire Silver Continent, the *Book of the Beast Kinship* (Volume II) was also firmly anchored in the Spiritual World.
It belonged to a type of universal knowledge that didn’t conflict with any path.
Any Nature Spirit could instinctively gain this knowledge upon awakening their spiritual wisdom.
This also gave the continent a hint of being Mother of Monsters·Echidna’s private domain.
A brief perusal helped Byron complete another part of his knowledge system—the Ritual Witchcraft that uses humans as believers and for Anchoring.
The deep-sea Source Tide is the foundation of the Supernatural World, and so too is human Mind Wish Power. The book says that Nature Spirits are stronger than humans because they can utilize Mind Wish Power from birth, whereas human Transcendents only gain the ability to actively cultivate followers and collect Mind Wish Power after ascending to Fourth Order Mythical Creatures and stepping into a Divine Domain. Human Willing Power is countless tiny ’variables,’ as well as the ’Anchoring’ of Mythical Creatures in the Material World. Upon reaching the Fifth Order, one can extract their own Immortal Stairway and, propelled by this Mind Wish Power, achieve immortality at once. They can also establish a Divine Domain similar to The Domain of Royal Power according to their own wishes, altering the rules of the area they reside in. This is far beyond what an Earth-bound Spirit like Ampu can compare to. By this comparison, even the Silver Law is built upon the massive collective Mind Wish Power of all humans from the Old Continent, an extension of the creator’s power. This powerful ’variable’ from humans is also the source of power when God decreed ’Let there be light,’ and light appeared.
I sit on a vast population, believers, and the Deity Mask of the Mad Hunt Deity; Anchoring and Mind Wish Power are already more than sufficient. All the Transcendents in the world combined don’t have the superb conditions I possess, secretly controlling a Native Empire at a mere Third Order. Even if my Storm Knight hasn’t ascended yet, I can use the knowledge from this second volume of the *Book of the Beast Kinship* to complete my bloodline sublimation ahead of time. The biggest obstacle now is that the Ritual of the Crimson Holy Grail I hold is still incomplete.
Last time, when Byron ascended to the rank of Prince of Night Demons, he had already obtained part of the ritual knowledge from Lilith’s Corpse:
Ascendants must be from the ruling and exploiting classes (regardless of generation); the hand of a loyal retainer (thirteen in total); the bone of a kinsperson (six, none deceased more than three years); and the... of a beloved (unrequited love is ineffective).
Regrettably, not only was the ritual still missing a good portion, but even missing a little bit was unacceptable.
Eternal life was within reach, and Byron couldn’t help but feel an itch in his heart.
At this thought, his mind involuntarily recalled the "noble lady" he had just encountered.
Although the information is incomplete, my senses as a Prince of Night Demons wouldn’t be wrong. The aura on that native princess definitely belongs to a pure Fourth Order Night Demon. Logically, a Night Demon named Theresis Achebeir has infiltrated Atahualpa’s Royal Palace by drinking the princess’s blood and using Shapeshifting, attempting to interfere in the Sun Empire’s succession. I’ve only found one near Atahualpa so far; who knows how many more are hidden in the shadows? And what about the other princes?
Byron pinched the bridge of his nose; the worry he had long harbored was manifesting.
A normal person with self-awareness is a Black Witch; those utterly submissive to Beastliness are the Ancient God’s Chosen Races.
With the same Old Gods’ Corpses, the same World Rift.
Since Slumbering God Kraken and Rift Whale Leviathan both have their own fully devoted Fallen Kin.
Why can’t Mother of Creation, Lilith?
When he discovered the Deep Dive Church and the Rift Monastery, he wondered whether he might encounter his path’s Fallen Ones in the Southern Continent.
It turned out his concerns were justified.
But this might not be entirely a bad thing.
The Bloodthirsty Cult had busied itself for centuries only to advance the Forbidden Book to a Third-order Great Wizard, yet this Heretical Cult had already produced a Fourth Order Mythical Creature!
This means that without having to make sacrifices in the Blood Source Secret Realm, the much-coveted Crimson Holy Grail and Blood of Immortality are already within reach. The key lies with that Night Demon disguised as Perta Kapak!
I must find a way to capture her.
Byron’s breathing gradually became more labored.
However, since she’s cloaked in a disguise that no one else has detected, I definitely can’t make a move on her without a good reason. I need to wait for an opportunity.
"Byron, what are you thinking about? You seem so excited all of a sudden," a bell-like, pleasant voice asked from below him.
At this moment, Byron was lying spread-eagled on the bed.
After bathing tonight, Violet, maintaining the appearance of a native beauty, wore only a black stocking on her left leg. With small glasses perched on her nose, she lay on one of his legs like a docile cat.
She was flipping through a document on Whale Oil technology, preparing to find some ready-made technological reserves to bring the technical route Byron had just sent into her mind to reality.
The wheat-colored skin pressed against Byron’s body was as smooth and fine as satin.
One side was "original flavor chocolate," and the other was "cream chocolate"—compared to her three non-human forms, it was a different kind of soul-stirring experience that made one’s blood race.
The moment Byron saw the girl, he immediately cast aside the series of prerequisites from the Promotion Ceremony in his mind: "the... of a beloved..." and so on. Wanting to seize the opportunity of the succession to plot for the Promotion Ceremony required long-term planning. Before that, life had to go on.
He swallowed hard and was about to make a move.
But Violet, who was lying on top of him, had already licked her cherry-colored lips and sent an electrifying look through half-lidded eyes, then slowly lowered her head.
"HISS!"
"HEHE..."
After confirming the look in her eyes, it was clear she was a lawless Little Witch who didn’t hesitate or play coy.
But Byron, equally lawless as an Outlaw Madman, was absolutely smitten with this type.
「In another corner of the palace complex.」
In the palace garden belonging to the widowed Princess Perta Kapak, the noble Madam who had just returned from her illicit hunt was clearly far from satisfied.
The luxurious bedroom was inexplicably filled with a pink mist.
A Grimoire inscribed with the words *Book of the Pink* floated above the large bed, from which a pink curtain hung.
The svelte noble Madam twisted her slender waist like a snake, her pale golden eyes hazy, and she murmured:
So fragrant, that stranger smells so good...
The image of a tall, gallant young man grew clearer in her mind.
The target she was about to ensnare, Captain of the Guard Xinji Roca, faded rapidly into the background.
Under the curtain, a very handsome young Attendant could not help but speak up, begging with difficulty, "No, no, that’s three times already, I can’t do it, please, Your Highness..."
A captivating smile that could charm all living beings appeared on the noble Madam’s lips.
More pink mist surged from the *Book of the Pink* above, dyeing the handsome young man’s eyes pink.
"As a man, how can you say you can’t? Hold on a little longer, my darling, and I will grant you the most wonderful pleasure in this world."
The next moment, the young man’s body bulged with veins, a horrific sight.
His eyes widened, and one could vaguely see countless pink tendrils wildly dancing behind the noble Madam.
Then, his body aged rapidly at a visible rate.
Age spots appeared on his skin, his hair fell out, his teeth loosened, his eyes became cloudy and lifeless... until he was reduced to a withered, shriveled mummy.
And the increasingly radiant noble Madam, her skin growing more lustrous, raised her neck high and let out a long sigh.
But then she shook her head, clearly not satisfied with him.
Delicacies are right before me, yet I can only eat these dry little biscuits. It truly makes one lose their appetite. No matter who that fragrant guest is, I must have him. I’ll make him a loyal dog at my feet. Delicious things must be savored slowly; I absolutely cannot prioritize momentary gratification over long-term enjoyment. The kind of puppy who would obediently lick my toes if I asked! Unfortunately, if I had met such a desirable target before I embarked on this supernatural path, I might have fallen in love on the spot. As for now... Heh, ever since I completed the Crimson Holy Grail and became a Mythical Creature, there’s no such thing as ’love’ for me anymore. The apex of the human Kingdom’s food chain is, by rights, a feast for Giant Dragons and Night Demons. The blood-kin, nobles among Night Demons—as Profiteers, Exploiters, and the Bloodthirsty—can have cold, calculated marriages of interest and lovers to vent desire upon. But how could I allow a deeply cherished love to leave a flaw in my soul? Giggling...
