Sigurd's Blood Rage was merely an episode.

Charlotte could easily sense that, after "saving" this member of the Harcos Clan, the entire Bloodline team's attitude towards her had once again changed.

If previously they were cautious and wary, now... the Bloodline's gaze towards her had gained a lot more sincerity, with even less hesitation when answering her questions, and a greater sense of respect.

Especially after Charlotte had stepped in again to help those other Harcos Clansmen who also showed faint signs of Blood Rage return to normal.

The Harcos Bloodline's gaze towards her became even more respectful.

Charlotte was quite pleased with this herself.

This included the change in the Harcos Clan's attitude, but most importantly, after the Purification of Sigurd's Bloodline, Charlotte was surprised to find that the power of the Blood Holy Scripture had faintly increased once again.

Although it was just a trace, and not as fast as the recovery from retrieving Curse pages, Charlotte was absolutely not mistaken in her feeling.

Moreover, helping other Harcos Bloodline's members with Purification of their Bloodlines also had the same effect.

"The Curse pages are called such by the Bloodline because the power of the Curse pages will lead the Bloodline to lose their way, eventually losing themselves and turning into irrational monsters."

"The 'Fallen' of the Harcos Clan also seem to share an uncanny resemblance with this. Could it be... the 'corruption' that leads them to 'fall' is the same power as the 'curse' in the Curse pages?"

Charlotte thought this to herself.

Not only that, she even thought about her second Crossing to the past when she encountered the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora.

The changes during the Harcos Clan's "fall" also differed somewhat from the other Bloodline's Rage; it was definitely not just the curse left by Charlotte when she bestowed the Bloodline to Lilith, but something that took on an additive "deformation" aspect beyond the Bloodline's original curse.

If Charlotte remembered correctly, the Blood Holy Scripture also vibrated when she battled Adora; only... she had Crossed back to this era before she could absorb the captured Adora's Divine Power.

All of these made her consider two rather bold guesses:

Could it be... the Harcos Clan had once absorbed the power of the God of Hatred and Deformation, Adora?

Is the power of the Blood Holy Scripture, the Old Gods, and the force causing the Harcos Clan's Blood Rage... in some sense, actually from the same origin?

This is quite possible.

After all... Charlotte had already made guesses about the origins of the Blood Holy Scripture.

Combining some historical records, the Blood Holy Scripture might well have been forged by Lilith using the powers of other Mythical beings, after defeating other gods.

And the "other Mythical beings" naturally included the Old Gods of the Mireya Continent.

This also made Charlotte even more interested in the Harcos Clan.

"In the memories of Sigurd I accessed, there seems to be quite a few 'Fallen' Bloodline members sealed in the depths of the Harcos Clan's 'Holy Land.' If I could Purify all these 'Fallen' Bloodline... how much power would the Blood Holy Scripture regain?"

"Even if the gain from Purifying a single individual is limited, after so many years, the number of 'Fallen' Bloodline within the Harcos Clan is definitely not small; the accumulation of many could be considerable!"

"Not only that, this could also be an opportunity to build a good relationship with the Crimson Queen Royena, negotiate a deal, or even establish cooperation..."

Charlotte thought to herself.

The Crimson Queen was the only known Demigod to Charlotte who had not yet slumbered and still remained in the Mireya Continent.

Facing such a Demigod, becoming allies with her was better than becoming enemies.

Moreover, if she could get on good terms with her, Charlotte might also learn some Ancient Era secrets through her.

What exactly transpired between Lilith and Haral, perhaps, could also be unearthed.

As for subjugating the Crimson Queen... considering the relationship the major clans had with the Blood True Ancestor and taking into account Charlotte's current strength, she dared not entertain too much of that idea for the time being.

Of course, should the opportunity arise, she would not mind striving for it.

After all, she was the genuine "Bloodline Ancestor."

Thinking of this, Charlotte looked forward even more to her upcoming actions.

The group continued northward.

Along the way, there were more signs of Blood Rage within the Harcos Clan's Bloodline, but... they were all resolved one by one by Charlotte.

This made nearly all of the Harcos Bloodline increasingly grateful to Charlotte.

As for why it was "nearly"...

Feeling a somewhat complex gaze upon herself, Charlotte looked up and met Sofia's eyes.

Sofia hastily hid the complexity in her expression, giving Charlotte a slight nod before turning her head away.

This reaction sent Charlotte into a moment of reflection.

Why does it feel... like this Guard Captain of the Harcos Clan has become even more vigilant of her?

Charlotte felt a spark of interest in her heart.

She left a trace of her spiritual power on the other person, feigning ignorance, and continued marching with the main forces of the Harcos Clan.

The Northern Territory was cold.

The dense coniferous forest was perpetually blanketed in snow, and every step taken would leave deep footprints. After marching for about half a day, a veil of fog began to gather around them.

Upon seeing the fog, the Bloodline members of the Harcos Clan all breathed a sigh of relief.

Sensing the faint traces of magic power flowing through the air, Charlotte's expression turned somewhat intriguing.

The circulation of this magic power had a remarkable resemblance to the fog that shrouded Nais' stronghold. Obviously... the fog in front of their eyes was the very Magic Barrier known as "Mist Barrier" that the Bloodline favored setting up around their castles.

The procession delved into the fog, and the leading Sofia took out a magic lamp.

"Stay close to me, don't lose your way in the fog," she said to everyone.

The magic lamp lit up the fog, and wherever its light reached, the mist would scatter.

The squad continued to move forward, and after about fifteen minutes, a dilapidated Divine Hall appeared in front of everyone.

The Divine Hall had been around for some time, with patches of the years all over it. Fallen pillars and tall sculptures faintly allowed for the discernment of its former grandeur.

As she observed the Ancient Elf Text on the crumbling pillars, Charlotte realized that this must have once been a temple of an elf clan deity.

"Queen Charlotte, we have arrived, please stand back a little with the others," Sofia said.

Charlotte nodded, then stood still with the other people of the Harcos Clan.

Sofia placed the magic lamp on the ground and then entered the Divine Hall.

Charlotte curiously extended a thread of her spiritual power, monitoring Sofia's actions, but in the next second, her spiritual power was blocked by a familiar force.

"Is this... the Barrier that envelops the Northern Territory?"

Charlotte felt a stirring in her heart.

She unobtrusively circulated her Blood Divine Power and attempted to summon her Faith Network, and then she was surprised to find that her control over her faith had been greatly suppressed.

She pondered for a short while, carefully sensing the origin of the suppressive force, and found that this power stemmed from directly beneath the Divine Hall.

Charlotte instantly understood.

"It seems... the core of the Prohibition Array that envelops the Northern Territory should be right below this Divine Hall."

"Beneath this Divine Hall, there should also be a hidden Ancient Hall," she deduced.

Charlotte mulled it over and dismissed the idea of increasing her Divine Power to probe deeper.

This place must be within the realm controlled by the Harcos Clan. Although they had not yet entered the so-called "Holy Land," it was possible they had already entered the range where the Crimson Queen Royena could sense.

"It's better to be cautious," Charlotte thought to herself.

About five minutes later, a subtle energy fluctuation emanated from the Divine Hall.

The earth trembled slightly, and a huge circular Array faintly appeared in the mid-air of the Divine Hall, runes interweaving non-stop. In the center of the Array, a crimson beam converged, then descended to the ground.

Within the crimson brilliance, a massive "mirror" gradually emerged in front of the Divine Hall, the "mirror" shaped like an archway, with its surface being a wall of white, boundless light.

Seeing the "mirror," the Bloodline members of the Harcos Clan relaxed even more, and Sofia's figure also walked out from the Divine Hall.

She bowed to Charlotte, then said:

"Lord Charlotte, the portal to the Holy Land is now open, the Great Prophet is waiting for you, please follow us in."

With that, she stepped into the "mirror" first.

A magical portal connecting a different space then... Charlotte contemplated.

She took a deep breath and entered the "mirror" with the other Bloodline members.

————

I'll post a short chapter first, and there should be another one this evening.