247: Chapter 247 Aurora's Choice! The Embrace! The Current State of Velen City!

In the night wind.

Aurora, hearing this, abruptly raised her head.

Bloodkin!

She, of course, understood the meaning of this word.

As a Four-Ring Wizard specializing in the Red Moon domain, she had read too many ancient texts about Vampires and knew deeply what it meant to become Bloodkin.

It was the complete control of the blood-giver over their descendant.

She looked at Rowan in front of her.

In this form, he appeared exceptionally handsome under the moonlight.

A strange emotion surged in her chest.

Her eyes became hazy.

Her red lips parted slightly, and then, she heard her own trembling voice:

"I... I do..."

Rowan smiled faintly.

He reached out, his slender fingers gently lifting Aurora's delicate chin, making her tilt her head back slightly, fully exposing her long, graceful neck.

Then, he leaned down, his teeth elongating, and bit into her fair, delicate skin.

Aurora couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, her body tensing slightly.

But soon, she relaxed again, closing her eyes, feeling a cold yet fervent power surge from her neck into her body, merging with her blood.

A moment later.

Rowan, familiar with the process, completed the Embrace ritual, straightened up, and looked at the girl before him.

She was already extremely beautiful, with a vibrant, fresh beauty like spring sunshine.

But now, her beauty held an indescribable charm.

It was an otherworldly, enchanting beauty with a hint of the non-human.

He found that the extraordinary traits of a Red Moon Wizard were indeed very compatible with Vampire power.

At this moment, Aurora also regained consciousness.

She looked down at her hands, feeling the unique clan talent within her—

Mimicry!

She suddenly looked up at Rowan, exclaiming in shock:

"You are the newly promoted Vampire Prince? The one with the clan talent Mimicry!"

Rowan, hearing this, frowned slightly.

He remembered that he had not displayed his Vampire form in public, so why would she know and say such a thing?!

So, he asked:

"Why do you say that? I don't recall ever showing these things in public, do I?"

Aurora, hearing this, her eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, she explained:

"In some secretive circles, certain rumors are circulating."

"The general idea is that a new Prince has appeared among the Vampires. It is said that the Vampires are searching for this new Prince's whereabouts, but have had no success."

"I only heard these rumors before and didn't take them seriously."

"But just now, when I inherited your clan talent, I understood that the rumored new Vampire Prince is you."

At this point, Aurora's tone carried an unconcealed hint of awe.

Rowan, after listening, frowned slightly and asked:

"Why do the Vampires know this news? How did they confirm the birth of a new Prince?"

Aurora, hearing this, pondered for a moment before replying:

"The Vampires possess a Second Primordial Sacred Artifact, called the primordial grail."

"That sacred artifact can query the clan lineage of all Vampires in the world."

"Any change among Vampire Princes in the world will be sensed by the grail."

"Therefore, the Vampires know that a new Prince has been born, and their clan name is Mimicry!"

After speaking, Aurora looked at Rowan with bright eyes.

Just now, she was still worried about how to conceal her Vampire identity in certain situations in the future.

But now, there was no need to worry about that problem!

Rowan, hearing this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he fell silent.

The Vampires' Second Sacred Artifact? The primordial grail?!

Aurora watched his contemplative expression, her eyes shifting, and she added with a smile:

"My Lord, you don't need to worry too much. Although the grail can sense the birth of a new Prince, it doesn't have the ability to locate people."

"As long as you don't actively expose your identity, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack for the Vampires to find you."

Rowan looked up at her enchanting and captivating smile under the moonlight, his heart stirring slightly.

He said nothing more, merely lifted her smooth chin once again.

Aurora paused for a moment, then understood, and slowly closed her eyes.

Seeing this, Rowan no longer hesitated, chuckling as he leaned in.

Warm breaths began to intertwine and merge...

After a long while, the two separated.

In the night wind.

Their breaths became somewhat erratic.

But neither of them forgot the main task.

They simultaneously activated their Mimicry talent, gradually retracting their Vampire characteristics.

A moment later, both returned to their usual appearance.

Aurora whispered:

"My Lord... let's go check on Velen City now."

"Mm."

The two remounted their horses and galloped towards Velen City.

...

The night before dawn was the darkest.

When the two reached a hill outside Velen City, the sky was already tinged with a faint glow of dawn.

They looked down at the ancient city, its outline gradually emerging in the morning light.

The city walls still stood, and faint wisps of smoke rose from the roofs of several buildings within the city. A faint scent of blood wafted through the air.

Figures could still be vaguely seen on the streets, moving bodies and clearing rubble, and it hadn't become the complete desolation of a dead city.

Rowan watched for a while, then turned to Aurora and asked, "It looks like heavy casualties, but not as severe as imagined?"

Aurora also gazed at the city, mused for a moment, then replied, "My Lord, the Lord of Scarlet itself does not have the ability to actively harm people."

"Its substitution ritual requires the sacrificers to complete it personally. Therefore, for a large city like Velen City, with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, that group would only choose the most essential parts for sacrifice, and it's impossible to sacrifice everyone in the entire city."

"After all, if the difference in level is too great, the benefits they receive are also limited."

Rowan nodded thoughtfully at this, then said, "So, mainly the high-ranking officials of Velen City suffered heavy losses, while ordinary civilians, though affected, were not sacrificed on a large scale?"

Aurora nodded and said:

"That's one way to look at it."

"That group's objective is clear: harvest the most valuable sacrifices, then quickly withdraw."

"They don't have the time and energy to search for ordinary civilians house by house, and large-scale witchcraft has limited damage against such a large city."

"Unless the one making a move is a 7th-Ring Wizard."

Rowan looked at the city below, contemplating.

With Velen City's high-ranking officials wiped out, the order within the city could be said to have completely collapsed.

Those low-value sacrifices that Great Knights and higher-ranked individuals wouldn't bother with might not be unattractive to other predators lurking in the shadows.

Without the protection of the Church and Earl Silverleaf, Velen City would soon become a tempting target in the eyes of wandering mercenaries, rogue extraordinaries, and cultists.

But he had no spare energy to deal with these matters.

He was only one person; it was already good enough if he could keep Gino City safe.

With no Church stationed in the city, he now didn't dare to leave the city for too long.

Rowan was silent for a moment, then sighed softly:

"Let's go, we're returning to Gino City."

"We can't do anything about Velen City for now. May the Goddess bless them..."

"Mm," Aurora softly responded.

The two did not linger, turning their horses and riding away.

Behind them, the outline of Velen City became increasingly hazy in the rising morning mist.

...