When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1096: Do you know there are loyalists overseas?
The sun had not yet risen, but the crescent moon, shrouded in a few scattered stars, hung in the sky.

Under the moonlight, the black and red paving stones of the Chamber of Commerce Street thumped loudly as the vampires, having finished their nighttime activities, stepped on them.

It was as if they were deliberately trying to wake the merchants from their sweet dreams.

Along the street, which is about ten meters wide, there are either square sandstone houses or Gothic houses with pointed towers.

Despite the vampires' efforts, they were exhausted after a whole night and didn't make much noise.

At the street corner, outside a house with a cast-iron fence, there was a cacophony of noise that seemed out of place with its surroundings.

"Dagno! You damned human liar! Get out here!"

Outside the inn, the roar of Acrius, the vampire ship lumber merchant, pierced the morning's stillness.

"Danio, you're capable of lying but not of admitting it, aren't you? I've already brought my ship here, and I've paid a hefty daily docking fee. Are you trying to renege on your debt?"
Look at your bunch of good-for-nothings, and you, you're neither human nor ghost, and you still dare to lie to me?
"Don't let me see you on Chamber of Commerce Street at night. If I do, I'll slap you across the face, you hear me!"

He looked up and pointed at Danio's room on the second floor, his scarlet eyes almost spitting fire: "Hiding in there like a coward? I know you're there!"

"That's just how the Holy Alliance people are. No wonder the Empire people always say Thousand River Valley is a den of thieves!"

Acrius cursed for a full hour, until the sun rose and it was a bright, sunny day. He continued cursing under the sun for another half hour before finally leaving in a huff.

There's something fishy about this hotel; even he couldn't sneak in and catch the person.

Hearing the shouting outside stop, Danio dejectedly stood up from the oak chair and went to the washbasin.

The person reflected in the water was disheveled and had a scraggly beard, resembling a middle-aged man.

Seven days have passed since the ship was seized. He has tried everything he could, studying during the day and practicing at night, but he still couldn't find a single clue.

It was as if there was an invisible hand constantly hindering his actions.

Everyone knows something, but no one says it.

The shipyard merchant, Acrius, had generously said that the docking fee was nothing, and that it wouldn't matter for our sake.

But the next day, they suddenly changed their attitude, came to his door shouting and cursing, and demanding money from him.

He has gone from initial anxiety to later madness, and now to numbness.

Looking at his reflection, Danio felt like a clown.

He's so stupid, really. He only wanted to save face for himself, but he never expected that he would actually cause this mess.

Since yesterday, Ezuan has been asking if he can be taught Baroque.

Isn't it obvious? They're implying they suspect he's selling counterfeit goods.

If he weren't actually a fraud, he would have definitely done his part to prove himself to Ezuanlu!
But it was too late to say anything now. Danio picked up the cheap ale he hadn't finished last night and plopped back down in his seat.

The future is bleak.

Danio took out the confession and gave a bitter smile. Well, whether he cowered or not, he was going to get stabbed anyway, so he might as well be more carefree like Saint Sun.

After you finish this courage-boosting drink, go and confess your feelings to Ezuan.

"Dong dong dong."

The knocking on the door came abruptly, and Danio froze: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Mr. Danio," came the innkeeper's voice from the doorway. "There's a vampire downstairs who says he's looking for you."

Vampire? This must be one of Achilles' men!
“The person he’s looking for isn’t here!” Danio picked up his glass again.

"He said he knows your ship has been seized and he knows who did it. Would you like to meet him?"

Amidst a flurry of hurried and chaotic footsteps, the door creaked open.

Danio leaned half his body out and looked downstairs, only to see a figure wearing a hooded cloak.

Judging from the fact that half of his chin was exposed and his pale skin, he must be a vampire.

After a moment's thought, Danio waved to him and said, "Come on up."

Given the current situation, let's try anything, even if it seems hopeless!

"Good morning, my fellow believer." As soon as he entered, the vampire lowered his hood, revealing a long, horse-like face. "I am Sux, a believer from your foreign land."

"A fellow believer? A brother?" Danio gripped his saber tightly. "Who are you?"

“A thousand years have passed since the feigned conversion, yet there are still loyalists overseas?” Sux sighed, but a rare fervor appeared in his eyes, a trait rarely seen among the lifeless vampires. “We are followers of the Holy Tree Sect. Although we are vampires, our hearts remain human.”

Even royal courts have blood fetishes?
Danio looked him up and down: "I still don't understand, you guys..."

"Since the fall of the Holy See, we've been cut off from the Pope for three whole years. We were all in despair until we heard from merchants that the Holy Alliance had a new Pope, and then we realized that the Gospel had never been broken!"

"You must be here to make contact, right? Otherwise, why would you stop at every port to spy on this 'Bagoda'?"

"So you're Bagaudal? You had connections with the Pope before?"

“We are allies with Bagaudar.” Sux used his palm to remove Danio’s underwear from the chair before sitting down. “As for the Pope, we have connections with almost every pope.”

An unexpected bonus?!
Does this mean the Pope has been making peace with the royal court vampires?
As a foreign power, has the Empire been supporting the Royal Court's non-official profit-making organizations?

So the Vatican has this trick up its sleeve?

It's also because Serfaye was killed too quickly back then, and Horn didn't have time to take over the political legacy of the previous papacy.

However, the problem now is that, judging from his appearance, he should be a traditional Theocratic like the former pope.

However, the Holy Alliance Pope is not the Holy See Pope. If they knew about the Holy Way Sect's ideology, who knows whether they would agree with it or not.

Danio made a decision in an instant: he must not let Sux know about the current situation of the Holy Alliance.

To ensure the purity of the Holy Alliance, it is even more important to sever ties with this Suks, provided that information is extracted from him.

"Well, the Pope of the Holy Alliance welcomes you... but let's not talk about that now." He composed himself. "You said you know why the ship was seized?"

“Of course.” Sukes composed himself and recounted everything about Hafari to him.

Putting everything else aside, just hearing the words "people of the Thousand River Valley" and "Duke of Jeanne d'Arc" made Danio immediately understand.

"I never imagined there were still remnants of Duke Dane's faction overseas!" Danio stroked the hilt of his sword, wishing he could go and kill that Hafari right now.

Don't think he's incapable of doing it. Back in Rapids City, he was one of those people who went out to assassinate priests.

However, considering the current situation and the official position of that Commissioner Halfari, Danio calmed down.

People under the eaves have to bow their heads.

Danio, ever the smooth talker, immediately and sincerely grasped Sux's hand: "Do you have a solution to this matter, Fellow believer Sux?"

"Don't panic," Sux patted Danio's hand. "We actually have a way."

Although the Holy Tree faction vampires are minor figures in Black Tower Harbor, they still have high-ranking representatives.

Like the Empire, the Royal Court has always tried to appease secret societies within its borders, as long as they don't cause trouble.

Even in the royal court, the governor's office, and the supervisory offices, there are many spokespeople for the Holy Tree faction.

The Empire will at least put on an act, but the Royal Court isn't going to put on an act at all.

"Tomorrow night is the start of the arena competition, and the governor will also be present. At that time, I will have our men put in a good word for you, and releasing the ship will not be difficult."

Danio was overjoyed and was about to thank them when Suks changed the subject: "But we have a condition."

"Tell me, and I'll try my best to meet your needs."

“We have over thirty of our companions captured and forced into gladiator duty.” Sux’s eyes sharpened. “We’re going to break them out this week. Once you’ve sold your spices, make room to take them with you.”

Furthermore, we have a smuggling port further south, so we can take care of all your sugar and spices from now on.”

Compared to the Holy El Empire, the Royal Court has preserved El culture in its entirety.

Not only did every major city have a gladiatorial arena, but there were also racetracks and public baths.

They also retained the custom of throwing prisoners or slaves into gladiatorial arenas to fight, and in order to maintain stability, they often distributed blood for free and invited low-ranking vampires to come in for entertainment.

It seems the Holy Tree faction vampires aren't as honest as Sux himself.

Upon hearing this, Danio's heart skipped a beat.

They actually had a solution: could these vampires really have a say in the governor's eyes?

"In addition, we also need a portrait and autograph of the Pope of the Holy Alliance!" Suks added after thinking for a moment.

Thinking about this, Danio felt a toothache. He had already decided to give it a try, but he still needed to give a heads-up: "This Holy Alliance Pope is a little different from what you think..."

“Hey, I know, isn’t it just the Holy Path Sect?” Suks waved his hand. “We converted a long time ago.”

"Ah...oh oh." Danio's words were stuck in his throat, and he could only stammer.

"That's it?"

"it is good!"

(End of this chapter)