Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Yes... the Blood Clan has certain innate advantages in that regard, and quite a bit has been passed down regarding the advancement ritual.”

How to draw the Progenitor’s gaze had clearly troubled Serana for a long time.

Seeing Fu Qian brush past the topic so lightly left her somewhat disappointed.

Even so, she answered his question honestly.

”I see. So for the Blood Clan, there’s always been a complete methodology for advancement?”

Fu Qian understood at once.

Come to think of it, that made sense. For one thing, their lineage spanning over a thousand years had never been broken; the accumulated experience of their predecessors alone was enough to fill whole volumes.

For another, as noted earlier, they were the kin with the most clearly defined identity—an exceptionally pure sample compared to other transcendents.

Anyone carrying the Blood Clan bloodline was an Offspring of the Progenitor, walking almost the exact same path.

Add to that the personal guidance of the Progenitor back in the Mythological Era.If they still hadn’t figured out a complete Path to Godhood under those conditions, they could only be called far too lazy.

Judging by the reactions of Yuan Shan and the others, this innate advantage of the Blood Clan wasn’t much of a secret either.

”Yes. In fact, the rifts between several families are tied to this as well, since each made its own adjustments to the ritual.”

What Serana said next, however, clearly fell into the realm of secrets.

He had heard before that despite the Blood Clan’s sparse numbers, their internal relations were none too harmonious—so this was the reason behind it?

Still, this piece of secret history was the sort of thing that sounded fine at first, yet felt strange the more one thought about it.

The reason was simple: shouldn’t it be easy to verify whether a ritual was right or wrong? There hardly seemed to be room for everyone to claim their own version was valid.

”And those rituals all proved effective?”

For a moment, Fu Qian pictured a rather peculiar scene.

”Or rather, sometimes none of them work...”

A bitter smile touched Serana’s lips.

...

Just as he thought. Was this another reflection of the world’s chaos playing out within the sample that was the Blood Clan?

Serana’s meaning was simple: if sometimes none of them worked, it meant each version had times when it did. For a Path to Godhood, that felt a bit lacking in rigor.

Fortunately, drawing on his usual academic foundation, Fu Qian had little trouble understanding it—

After the Long Night, the underlying rules of the Transcendent Tier had long been battered beyond recognition by the raging storms, far less clear than they once were.

To say nothing of the fact that the Progenitor the Blood Clan prayed to was not in the most stable mental state herself.

Under such circumstances, it was no surprise that the rituals were affected, nor was it strange that beings as proud as they were had fractured over it.

”Even so, isn’t your success rate a little too low? Are the materials needed for the ritual especially hard to find?”

Still, one had to keep distinct matters separate. No matter how messy the Blood Clan’s reference answers had become, could they really have it harder than those rogue cultivators out there?

And yet under conditions like these, Brother Taylor had somehow managed to end up sharing equal fame with Jiang En?

The talent reflected in that feat really forced a reassessment.

”Actually, it isn’t all that hard... The most crucial material is even something the Blood Clan is born with.”

Excellency Serana even twisted the knife further, delivering another startling answer.

...Born with the main material? Were these the legendary Celestials?

As Brother Taylor’s talent grew ever more dazzling, Fu Qian also gained a deeper appreciation for the weight behind Yuan Shan’s condition of ”having a child.”

Sure enough, there was a reason they were born proud.

”It’s just that when it comes down to the specifics, it’s very subtle. Even though the thing is right inside our bodies, grasping it depends heavily on luck.”

Seeing both Yuan Shan and Fu Qian listening with keen interest, Serana paused briefly before deciding to share more.

”We call it the Progenitor’s grace. Her blessing wanders through every corner of the world.

”At some unpredictable moment, it guides us to feel what noble blood truly is—like right here.”

As she spoke, Serana made a startling move. After gesturing for everyone to look at her, she pulled open her collar, baring a wide expanse of skin from her neck down to her left shoulder.

Right away, that pale, bloodless skin began to flush rapidly with deep crimson, outlining a distinct shape.

Even someone as strong as Fu Qian felt a sharp sting to the eyes from it—along with a sense of familiarity.

A flower?

”The Starry Sky Rose—at least, that is what the Gulade Family calls it.”

Amid their amazement, Serana indeed uttered a familiar term, indicating that this was the core material.

”The Blood Clan’s advancement almost always involves it, and it is likewise treated as proof of one’s bloodline.

”Yet its appearance is truly hard to grasp. At least as far as I can tell, no active method of seeking it out has ever proven effective... All we can do, it seems, is wander and wait—wait for the Progenitor’s grace.”

So that was it. Did that mean Brother Taylor might simply have bad luck?

The saying against jumping to conclusions without knowing the full picture seemed to have proven itself once again.

What Serana described was actually quite wondrous.

A certain power flowed constantly through the blood, yet like a safe that had lost its Key, it needed the right moment to be unlocked and help its bearer achieve Sublimation...

Why did that sound somewhat similar to his own Transcendent Architecture Theory?

Moreover, judging by Serana’s account, they clearly believed that what granted the Key was none other than the power of their Progenitor.

Considering Annalise had died early on, it became much easier to understand why the Blood Clan hadn’t flourished much after the Long Night.

”That thing doesn’t look like something Taylor and the others could handle.”

As fascinating as the story was, it didn’t stop Fu Qian from raising a slight doubt.

This was something that felt ”stinging to the eyes” even to him right now.

”That’s because it only grows clearer as one’s Rank rises. What appears on them is only a very faint mark.”

Sure enough, Serana indicated there was more to it.

”And once each advancement is complete, no matter how much has accumulated on the body, it is completely consumed. One can only wait for the next awakening.”

...

”I see... Though if that’s the case, your luck seems a little too good, doesn’t it? It’s only been a few days.”

With the logic falling neatly into place, Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction, though he still didn’t let Serana off the hook.

”That is because I have always had it...”

Serana showed no displeasure at the probing, her voice merely dropping low and distant.

”Compared to Ambor, I probably made my preparations in this regard much earlier... I just kept hesitating over whether to prepare the other things.”

Not bad. This seat really hadn’t misjudged her—in fact, not even Excellency Ambor had misjudged her. If memory served, the very moment that fellow advanced to the great perfection of Tier 2, he had lamented that she was wasting her talent.

One remarkable piece of information followed another, drawing a faint sigh even from Fu Qian in that moment.

And by the looks of it, Serana really had harbored a rebellious streak from early on.

She had the ritual and she had the main material, yet she stubbornly dragged her feet and refused to try taking the next step... Did she have that little faith in the Progenitor up above?

”Understood, though there’s still one thing I’d like to point out.”

Setting his musings aside, Fu Qian soon tipped his chin toward the ”Starry Sky Rose.”

”We usually call that one a briar rose.”

Indeed, the Imprint on Serana’s body was practically identical to what had been pulled out of the Rose of Lies.