Chapter 298 Blood Clan

Qin Mo didn't understand why Saint Heather's attitude towards him had suddenly become extremely hostile, and she would always find some trivial matter to mock him.

"Mr. Qin Mo, why do you wash up before eating? Do you think your skin isn't fair enough?"

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, do you not have an appetite without spices? Do you know that the pepper you use in one meal is enough to feed your family for half a year?"

Heatherine kept finding fault with Qin Mo, thinking she was scolding Qin Mo, but she didn't realize that she was different now. She was no longer as indifferent as before; she had emotions, albeit negative ones.

Qin Mo was utterly speechless at this sudden, minor accusation. Was he supposed to explain to the great and wise Holy Maiden that washing hands before meals was due to bacteria? Should he also explain the origin and mystery of bacteria on hands?

Does he expect to eat a so-called "thick soup" made of boiled raw meat and vegetable leaves in salt water and then exclaim "It's delicious!"

“Your Highness Heatherine, everyone has their own way of life, and improving one’s living conditions is a goal that everyone must strive for. Creating and enjoying a good life is the essential difference between us and those barbaric orcs.”

Three days later, Qin Mo couldn't take it anymore. She was being criticized for even eating hot and sour soup. How could she live such an embarrassing life?

"Your Excellency Qin Mo, greed is the original sin, and the desire for pleasure is a warrior's most dangerous enemy. The cultivators of the Holy Temple should not be obsessed with pleasure."

Heatherine's reprimand to Qin Mo startled the cultivators surrounding her, causing them to shift slightly and create a small distance between themselves. Only Xu Luo, laughing and joking, remained firmly by Qin Mo's side.

"Am I indulging in luxuries? I'm just making a bowl of soup. Is that considered extravagant?" Qin Mo was genuinely puzzled, so he turned to the kind-hearted Kelly and asked, "Kelly, do you think I'm indulging in luxuries?"

Honest Kelly said shyly, "Qin Mo... my father is also a marquis! But... we've never been this extravagant... pepper is very expensive..."

Qin Mo was speechless. When he came from India, he didn't bring much porcelain or silk. The most he brought were gemstones and pepper. Gemstones could be exchanged for money, and pepper was used to mix with rice. Pepper, which others considered as precious as gold, was just a rare seasoning to him.

"Alright! I won't put pepper in your soup anymore." Qin Mo added a generous amount of pepper to her and Xu Luo's bowls and ate with gusto. The others, who were holding plain soup, swallowed hard and looked on with resentment.

Feeling victorious, Heather picked up her food and floated back to her carriage. The taste of boiled pork belly filled her mouth. Today's broth was unusually greasy and fishy, ​​and she suddenly felt as if... she had done something wrong.

Heatherine, leading Qin Mo and the others, finally arrived at the southern end of the Alps. From here, they would continue to cross the Alps. The entire northern part of the mountains was the stronghold of the vampires, with Bern, Zurich, and Geneva being important cities for them.

After the "Millennium Covenant," the vampires chose the northern foothills of the Alps, known as the "Roof of the West," as their habitat. Many ancient vampire clans built castles in the mountains to recuperate and recruit people.

Although some of the vampires' habits are horrifying, the torment of hunger makes them more likely to succumb. After the great war, the land was scorched, and many homeless poor people gradually became subjects of the vampires.

After nearly a thousand years of reproduction, human cities have appeared in the vast majority of vampire territories, with populations even exceeding those of other cities in the Western Continent.

Humans, relying on the technology and land bestowed upon them by the vampires, have multiplied and survived generation after generation. The vampires' rule is deeply ingrained in their bones, and they believe themselves to be far happier than the poor people of the West Continent.

They had reason to be happy. The vampires had extremely high attainments in engraving magic arrays and precision machinery. After settling down, the small number of vampires gradually began to open up low-level technical restrictions to the common people.

Numerous workshops sprang up across the northern foothills of the Alps, and sophisticated clocks, magical array weapons, and armor sold extremely well. The enormous profits truly made the vampire territory "well-fed and clothed."

Although people are still occasionally chosen by vampire nobles to become "food," the distorted mentality formed over thousands of years makes them feel that this is all as it should be, and they can only accept it without being able to resist.

As the embodiment of light, the temple was naturally unwelcome in the vampire's territory. Therefore, Qin Mo and his group planned to travel east through Austria, then turn north to the Rhine River, take a boat from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and then transfer to a sea vessel to reach the allied camp on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

"Your Highness Heatherine, I've heard that the vampires' magical weapons are exceptional in Great Xia, but it's a real pity I won't be able to see them this time." Qin Mo said with slight disappointment after learning of Heatherine's decision to detour.

"You can go and see for yourself, but be prepared to be eaten as the main course," Heather said expressionlessly, her tone cold and barbed.

"I'll have a chance to check it out sometime. Thank you for reminding me."

Qin Mo said calmly, continuing to prepare her dinner. She didn't know when it started, but Heatherine stopped scolding and disciplining Kelly and the others who came to freeload. Sometimes Kelly would secretly serve Heatherine a bowl, and she no longer refused.

“A few days later, we’ll stop in Liechtenstein for a day. There are vampire shops there where you can stock up on weapons, if you can carry them.” Heather said coldly again, then got up and returned to the carriage. She always ate alone.

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