The current situation is two choices out of twenty-one, which is much less probable than Xia De’s five choices out of twenty-nine.
But no matter what, the girls had to continue choosing.
The older sister in the white dress told her worried younger sister not to be afraid, and when she was about to speak, Xia De tapped the table, signaling her not to open her mouth yet.
He frowned again and took another sip of the liquid in the cup. This demon’s blood brew wasn't very harmful to the body; it was just the bitterness that was hard to accept:
“Saint, you said that if I brought more blood, I could exchange it for a better blessing at the end.”
“Yes.”
The Vampire God knew what Xia De wanted to say. He stared at the Outsider at the other end of the long table:
“So, you want to give up the blessing I gave you to help these twins?”
Xia De glanced at the two girls out of the corner of his eye:
“Yes.”
It wasn’t just out of sympathy for them, but also because Xia De really didn’t want to accept the blessing from the God in front of him. After all, the other party was an evil god, and casually accepting an evil god’s power was not a choice a normal person should make.
Of course, if the other party was willing to directly give him a drop of divinity, Xia De would never refuse. But that was clearly impossible now, so Xia De chose to exchange the opportunity to be blessed by an evil god for an opportunity to help the girls.
“I can agree to your request, but you must think carefully. I originally wanted to give you some power related to the ‘Blood Moon’.”
The Saint’s eyes seemed to convey another meaning:
“Yes, the Blood Moon of march.”
Xia De only hesitated for a moment before shaking his head directly:
“Power can be obtained at any time, but I still want to help them... Is it possible to be divinity?”
He still asked a bit greedily, but the Saint didn’t get angry; instead, He laughed:
“If the treasures you brought were delicious enough, I would certainly not be stingy with that power. But unfortunately, they were interesting enough, but not delicious enough.”
“Then can you answer a question?”
Xia De spoke very directly:
“Why, strictly speaking, is it not the sixth epoch?”
The twin girls didn’t understand these two conversations.
The Vampire God simply shook His head:
“I cannot tell you that, after all, it is only the fifth epoch now. How could I know about the sixth epoch?”
He said in delarion.
“Alright then, I willingly give up the blessing you intended to give me, to make their remaining choices simpler.”
Xia De didn’t ask for the twin girls to directly pass the final stage of the banquet, because the God hosting the banquet would certainly not let them off so easily.
“Sir...”
The Black Dress Girl said softly. This was the first time in the banquet that someone dared to interrupt the God while He was speaking:
“Actually, you don’t have to...”
“No need to say more. I am willing to help you simply because I met you. Just remember to thank me in your hearts.”
Xia De glanced at the girls. The two little girls, who looked thirteen or fourteen, were even younger than Angelina Cavendish, the youngest girl Xia De was familiar with:
“I don’t know what kind of people you will become in the future, nor do I know what you will do. But if you can retain memories of me, remember to find Miss Mana Feilianna after you become Witches. That would also be helping me.”
The two girls nodded together, and the God said:
“Since you willingly gave up the blessing, then let’s play one last game.”
After a snap of the fingers, a reddish-brown six-sided die spun wildly to Xia De’s right, and when it stopped, the upward number was six:
“Try your luck. You throw it. The number multiplied by two is the number of remaining wine bottles.”
This meant that even in the worst case, the girls would only need to choose two from twelve bottles.
Xia De picked up the die, narrowing his eyes slightly:
“God, I am not questioning your fairness, but will you manipulate the result of this die?”
“Oh, unexpected guest, I haven’t even said that you have the blessing of the God of Gamblers, and you already doubt my fairness?”
Xia De nodded, thinking that what He said made a lot of sense.
He casually tossed the die onto the table. After a few clanging bounces, it spun and stopped on the number 1, meaning only two bottles remained. Two out of two, and the banquet was over.
Xia De knew his luck was good, but he still couldn’t believe that the God opposite him would let the girls off so easily. He looked up, wanting to speak, but the Saint had already opened His mouth:
“Look, girls, this gentleman in front of you has really good luck.”
The God acknowledged the result, as if it was expected.
As He revealed a meaningful smile, the blood of the unfortunate struck by lightning and the blood of Priest Augustus automatically flew up, filling their cups.
These two types of blood were actually human blood; drinking them had no side effects other than being a bit disgusting.
The girls solemnly raised their cups to Xia De in a salute. Xia De also raised his cup, which had only one last sip left, clinked it with the twin girls’ cups across the air, and then they all drank their respective blood brew.
“Your wish is to sever that ancient contract, to not have to fulfill the obligation of sealing, and thus to be together forever.”
The God said softly:
“Although the blood you brought is precious, it is not enough for me to grant such a complex wish. But I can give you power, allowing you to seek help from other deities.”
A blood mist rose, then gradually gathered in front of the twin girls. The dispersed blood mist slowly converged, eventually transforming into a fluttering Red Butterfly in front of the girls.
Xia De frowned. He had recently investigated the Red Butterfly in his own timeline, and he didn’t expect to encounter it again in the past.
The Red Butterfly, formed from blood mist, finally landed on the table in front of the girls, and then transformed from something alive into something completely inanimate. The Red Butterfly split down the middle, becoming two halves, one left and one right:
“Each of you holds one half, which can temporarily postpone the fate destined to befall you. Before the Red Butterfly disappears, you can seek the twin gods, the deity who holds the power of Balance, opposition, and twin Guardians. This is information about Him; I think finding Him will not be difficult, and for the sake of this Blood Butterfly, He will help you.”
A scroll of parchment fell beside the split Red Butterfly. Xia De had no intention of checking it. After all, in his era, the twin gods had already departed, and this was Knowledge granted by a God to the girls; he probably would only see a blank if he tried to look.
“However, I must warn you.”
The God again revealed a meaningful smile:
“If you merely want the twin gods to help you sever the responsibility of the ancient contract, that is probably quite simple. But if you seek the power to be together forever from Him, then He might give you some interesting choices. After all, that twin gods is a Twin Union, not a twin duality like you. The true form of twins in His eyes is different from yours.”
When He said “Twin Union”, He also glanced at Xia De.
The double doors of the now blood-red hall opened. The Black Dress Girl and the White Dress Girl each picked up half of the Red Butterfly, and the parchment was collected by the White Dress Girl, who was the older sister.
They held hands, stood up, and bowed slightly to the God in thanks:
“Thank you for your generous gift, but no matter what, we must try. Oh God, please allow us to offer sacrifices to you in the future, to repay this kindness.”
After thanking the God, the girls did not leave immediately, but bowed to Xia De in the same posture:
“I am Grace.”
The White Dress Girl introduced herself.
“I am Helen.”
The Black Dress Girl introduced herself.
“These are our names, and we have decided to abandon the surnames given by our family, to live only for ourselves, so please forgive us for not being able to tell you our surnames. Thank you again, truly thank you very much, sir.”
Xia De shook his head slightly. Regarding the girls abandoning their responsibility to oversee the seal, he neither approved nor disapproved, and therefore made no comment:
“I helped you simply because I met you, girls. This is your own good fortune. Live well. Also...”
He suddenly frowned:
“The place your family is responsible for sealing, it wouldn’t be the boundary Between Life and Death, would it?”
“You really are good at making connections.”
“She” said, laughing in Xia De’s ear.
“No, it’s not.”
The girls shook their heads together:
“It’s an evil entity from a subspace.”
Xia De nodded:
“That’s good, it seems I was wrong... I cannot judge others’ actions, but if you gain power in the future, remember to find a way to resolve that place that needs sealing. You have escaped your own fate; if possible, do not let more twins in the future repeat that terrible fate.”
The girls nodded, looked at each other, and then each untied the ribbons holding their hair. Grace’s white hairband was white, and Helen’s black hairband was black, each adorned with black and white butterfly decorations.
They tied the two hairbands together, letting the black and white butterflies overlap, and then handed them to Xia De:
“Sir, I know you wouldn’t want too precious a gift.”
This was deduced from Xia De’s refusal of the demon hunter seal from the old man who had already left.
“These are ornaments we have carried with us since childhood. We hope they can accompany you and wish you good luck.”
Xia De hesitated for a moment, then accepted this inexpensive gift:
“Alright, hurry and leave here.”
“Goodbye.”
Grace and Helen held hands and quickly walked out through the door behind Xia De. The door closed with a grating sound, though Xia De noticed that every time he had come before, the door made little noise when opening.
In this hall, only Xia De and the Saint remained. The two looked at each other:
“So, can the banquet end now?”
Xia De said softly, holding the intertwined hairbands.
All the blood brew had been drunk, but Xia De could only leave when the God opposite announced the end of the banquet. This key to the fifth epoch 3014, although it didn't bring Xia De much gain, he got many interesting stories.
If it ended peacefully like this, it seemed good too.
“No need to rush. I can answer one of your questions.”
The Vampire God said with a smile:
“No need to ask; I will answer directly.
Let me tell you a basic rule: when you come to a time that does not belong to you, the Father of Infinite Trees’s power has always protected you. Therefore, no matter who you face, as long as you do not actively provoke them, a God like me cannot kill you. The Ancient Gods have departed, but They are also forever present.”
Xia De suddenly understood. So the evil god in front of him had always been just amusing himself with him, without causing any substantial harm:
“I was indeed curious about that, but why did you tell me this at the very end?”
“Because you are leaving, and knowing this, won’t your future journeys be more interesting?”
The God said with a smile:
“Although you refused my blessing, this banquet indeed became more interesting because of your presence. So, here’s a small gift for you.”
He didn’t give Xia De any time to refuse. A red light directly entered Xia De’s right eye:
“When you use your Miracle, Blood Echo, you will be able to clearly distinguish any Vampire race. They cannot hide from you.”
This was considered adding a new characteristic to Blood Echo.
“Thank you for your generosity, but are you really not interested in my blood at all?”
“Yes.”
The Saint said very seriously:
“Perhaps you don’t understand it yourself yet, but the moment you do, you will realize that I am interested in the blood of any mortal creature, but uniquely not interested in your blood.”
Xia De nodded and stood up, ready to leave. It was now the 23rd minute since entering Night Manor, and it was his first time leaving without exhausting all the time.
“Also.”
As Xia De stood up, he couldn’t help but ask again:
“Do you know the fates of the other four people who attended the banquet?”
This belonged to future events.
“Of course, I do.”
“Then...”
“They all died.”
“Is that so...”
“All mortals must die, and all things have an end. Do you think you can still see them in the distant future?”
The God asked. Xia De stood by the chair, thought for a moment, and shook his head:
“Yes, all things have an end, and all will die... Speaking of which, the blood of the magma clusters you tasted, it contained Phoenix blood, right?”
“Yes.”
“It seems the Spiritual Cultivation Order is indeed connected to the Phoenix of Sicar Mountain. The so-called Ancient One sealing the mountain peak passage is most likely an ancient Phoenix. Oh, this also explains why the relic-level flame in Sister Devlin’s hand could guide me in the Gap. I remember thinking at the time that the flame felt so familiar (Chapter 598). Now that I think about it, I had seen similar fire in the Darkness Domain (Chapter 522).”
He thought to himself, then said aloud:
“Then again...”
He almost said “goodbye,” but Xia De quickly focused his attention. He didn’t want to encounter this evil god again:
“Then let us part ways here. Your banquet was excellent and very tasteful.”
He bowed to the God by the table in salute.
“Thank you for the compliment. Then leave, unexpected guest.”
Then He watched Xia De walk into the white mist behind the double doors, until the white mist disappeared.
The God sat alone in the blood-red banquet hall, in this ancient Night Manor, with a smug expression on His face. His fangs slightly protruded from the corners of His mouth. He tapped the table and said with a smile:
“Then, we shall meet again next time.”
PS: To reiterate, in the second volume, “Darkness,” Xia De had two drops of divinity in his hand, and one was used during the upgrade at the end of the volume. Currently, Xia De still has one drop of divinity, which he plans to use for the level three to four consumption. Therefore, currently, Xia De has no intention of using divinity to resolve the Between Life and Death.
