202: Chapter 202 Mira's First Bloom! Three months later! Chaos begins to emerge!

Gino City, Dawn Cathedral. Inside Chief Priest Adrian's quiet room.

Upon hearing that Count Golden Flame, Rowan, was visiting, he was slightly startled, but quickly regained his composure and had someone bring Rowan to a reception room.

In the reception room, Rowan concisely explained the purpose of his visit. He objectively stated the current problems existing in Maple Flower Territory—chaotic accounts, loss of resources, and the local church families suspected of being involved...

Priest Adrian listened and fell silent for a moment. His gaze lingered on Rowan's face for a few seconds, as if weighing something. Finally, he nodded slowly:

"I am aware of this matter. As for the church, I will dispatch a team of reliable supervisory priests to accompany you."

"If it is confirmed that church personnel have engaged in misconduct in the affairs of Maple Flower Territory, whether it is corruption, shielding others, or abuse of power, I will deal with them according to church law and will never tolerate it."

Hearing this, Rowan stood up, smiled, and performed a Dawn salute: "Thank you for your support, Priest."

Adrian returned the salute and smiled slightly: "You are too polite, Count. Maintaining the purity of faith within the territory is my duty."

A day later, the County Council passed the resolution to send a joint investigation team to Maple Flower Territory without any suspense. The investigation team set off.

In less than a week, all the shady dealings in Maple Flower Territory were thoroughly exposed. Then, without any surprises, Maple Flower Territory got back on track.

The people Rowan sent took full control of the territory's operations, and Mira officially moved into Golden Flame Castle to be neighbors with Elena.

That night, on the top floor of Golden Flame Castle. The night breeze was gentle. The thousands of lights of Gino City were like scattered stars in the night. On the terrace, Rowan and Mira sat opposite each other.

Mira was wearing a pale red long dress. Her flame-like long hair was scattered behind her shoulders, making her look a bit less heroic and a bit more soft and beautiful than during the day. She picked up her wine glass, took a light sip, and then spoke, her voice lower than usual: "Rowan... thank you."

Rowan leaned back in his chair and chuckled: "You've already said that quite a few times."

"I know," Mira lowered her head, "but I still want to say it. If it weren't for you, I might still be in that study worrying over account books, being played for a fool by those people." "I... I never thought that being a lord would be such a difficult thing."

As she spoke, she suddenly put down her wine glass, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, and her beautiful eyes became a bit hazy. She stood up, walked around the round table, and wobbled over to Rowan.

She looked down at him, the night breeze blowing her fiery red long hair, which looked like dancing flames under the starry sky. Then, she mustered her courage and bent down... Under these circumstances, Rowan naturally had no way to refuse. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently brought her into his embrace, then picked her up horizontally and entered the room.

After a soft moan tinged with pain, rapid breathing began to rise... ... I don't know how long it had been... The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped. In the bedroom, Rowan sat leaning against the headboard. He looked at the white bedsheet, where a bright red plum blossom had quietly bloomed.

The panel notification quietly appeared and then faded away: [ Charm Lv3 Proficiency +48 ] [ Drain Lv3 Proficiency +124 ] [ Obtained Free Attribute Points +280 ]

The first bloom of an 88-point woman yielded very considerable gains. However, he felt a slight regret in his heart. He had originally planned to wait until Mira's score reached above 90 before harvesting, so as to maximize the gains. But given the situation tonight, it was certainly impossible to refuse her... He could only blame his own Charm for being too great... He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. Then he pulled the warm, soft body beside him into his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

Three months later. Golden Flame Castle, study. The sky outside the window had already darkened. Rowan sat behind the desk with a security briefing just sent by the City Guard spread out in front of him. His fingertips tapped lightly on the paper, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Recently, there had been more and more outsiders in the territory. Since the beginning of summer, the floating population in Gino City and the surrounding areas had increased significantly. At first, it wasn't very noticeable, just a few more merchants and mercenaries speaking with foreign accents. But as time went on, the number of people flooding into the territory grew, and their composition became increasingly complex.

There were treasure hunters, down-and-out noble scions, fugitive criminals, strangers wearing black robes with mysterious movements, and some silent and vigilant guys whose backgrounds even the City Guard couldn't figure out. The frequency of violent incidents also rose sharply. Fights, thefts, robberies, and even six bloody conflicts involving extraordinary individuals occurred.

The Temple Knight Order of the church and the City Guard were dispatched more and more frequently, far exceeding records from the same period in the past. Rowan had to issue a curfew ordinance. After the sun went down, no one was allowed to stay on the streets without permission; violators would be detained and could only be released after paying a fine the next day. But he also knew this was just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. The root of the problem did not lie here.

He put down the briefing in his hand, stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The night breeze, carrying the warmth of late summer, hit his face. He looked up at the night sky. A full moon hung high in the sky, bright and clear, beautiful and magnificent. But if he sensed carefully, he could perceive the [Vampire Prince] characteristic in his own furnace fluctuating slightly. The recovery of the Red Moon was accelerating.

He sighed softly, closed the window, turned back to the desk, sat down again, picked up his quill, and continued to review the briefing he hadn't finished reading. ... Meanwhile. Further north of Golden Flame Territory. The Lance Family's Vast Plains Territory. In Vast Plains City, flames soared into the sky.

The offensive of the Blood Barbarians came swiftly and suddenly, and it was unknown how they suddenly broke through the city gate and charged directly into the city. Those barbarian warriors, clad in animal skins and with blood tattoos painted on their faces, poured into the streets of Vast Plains City like a tide, immediately engaging in fierce street fighting with the City Guard. Houses were burning, the cries of women and children intertwined with the clashing of weapons, and the whole city fell into chaos and panic.

Vast Plains Castle, council hall. The air was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere, like a taut string. Galvey Lance stood in the center of the council hall, her light red long hair tied into a neat single ponytail behind her head, with a few stray hairs scattered across her forehead and cheeks. She wore a suit of silver-white light armor, with the Lance Family crest engraved on the armor plates—a gray wolf with its head held high, roaring.

Her posture was as straight as a pine, her shoulders and back lines smooth and powerful, possessing both the suppleness of a woman and the heroism of a knight who had long been on the battlefield. Most striking were her eyes, a translucent crimson, which were now burning with flames of intertwined anger and disappointment, staring fixedly at the man opposite her who looked five parts similar to her—her own brother, Richter Lance.

"Why?" Her voice trembled slightly from suppressing her emotions, "Why do this? The Blood Barbarians are our enemies! You led them into the city; do you know how many civilians will die because of this?!"

Richter Lance stood opposite her, his face somewhat ferocious, his voice hoarse and hurried: "Why? You still have the nerve to ask me why? The royal family has clearly abandoned us!" "After Prince Howard was transferred away, the northern defense line retreated again and again, and we lost too much!" "We, the Lance Family, have guarded the north for the royal family for so many years; what did we get in return?" "We got Duke Witton pressing in step by step, and the royal family standing by and watching!" "What reason do we have to keep persisting?!"

Galvey looked at him in disappointment, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow and pain: "Witton is a madman. Relying on him will not lead to a good end. Brother, wake up—"

"Is that so?" Richter suddenly calmed down, a calmness more unsettling than his previous ferocity. He said slowly: "Sister, haven't you realized it yet? The losses of the royal family and the church in the Twilight Canyon battle are far greater than we imagined!" "They no longer have the strength to care about the life or death of the north. If our Lance Family wants to survive, we must find our own way out."

"But—" Galvey wanted to say something more, but just then, a middle-aged man beside Richter suddenly spoke. The man was wearing a dark gray robe, with an ordinary face and average build, the type that is hard to find once thrown into a crowd. But his voice carried a low texture that could not be ignored: "Lord Richter, it is almost time."

Hearing this, a flash of hesitation crossed Richter's eyes. But that trace of hesitation was quickly drowned out by a stronger resolve. He took a deep breath and nodded: "Lord Karen, I leave it to you."

The middle-aged man called Karen smiled slightly, a smile that carried a calm certainty. He stepped forward, his gaze falling on Galvey, and he said in a calm tone: "Lord Blood Rose Knight, please."

Galvey bit her lip and stopped speaking. She knew that at this moment, any words had lost their meaning. She slowly drew the sword at her waist. A majestic aura burst forth from within her. Around her, a blood-colored Rose Battle Aspect, condensed from battle aura, slowly bloomed. Each petal of that rose was condensed from pure battle aura, presenting a deep and magnificent dark red, with faint golden halos at the edges. The petals unfolded in layers, enveloping Galvey within, which was both a defensive posture and a precursor to an impending attack.