Jerusalem.

Princess Sibilla held her son, softly reciting from a newly added thick tome. On the cover was a middle-aged man with two swords on his back, white hair, and a stern expression.

This was a fantasy novel that had recently taken Jerusalem by storm.

"Behind Van Helsing are two swords: the steel sword to cut down villains, the silver sword to slay demons. People fear yet need them, calling them mutated bastards on one hand, yet unable to live without their help..."

Sibilla's gentle voice narrated the story of the legendary Demon Hunter.

Little Baldwin listened intently, curled up motionlessly in his mother's embrace.

"That's enough for today."

"Mother, is it over already?"

Little Baldwin was somewhat disappointed.

Sibilla's face turned stern as she said seriously, "This is just entertainment; you must not indulge in it. Always remember, you are the Kingdom of Jerusalem's future Crown Prince."

Little Baldwin said with a hint of yearning, "If only I could become a Demon Hunter, even if it meant living in a damp swamp with swamp ghosts and woodland witches."

"The Demon Hunter's magic seals, crossbows, silver sword, and his strong physique, sharp swordsmanship—Mother, it's all so fascinating."

He babbled on excitedly.

The life of the Demon Hunter in the novel, camping out and facing the elements, had captivated him. He couldn't imagine the pain of hunger and cold; he just found it cool and dashing.

Being born into the royal family is both a blessing and a curse.

As the sole heir of Baldwin IV, he is always caught in the whirlpool of political strife.

Countless eyes peering from dark corners, with ulterior motives and ill intentions, are innumerable.

In these years, he could count on his fingers the number of times he had left the palace.

Princess Sibilla's face showed a hint of severity: "Born into the royal family, you bear a sacred mission, just like Princess Ciri, the sole heir of the Sintra Kingdom, described in the novel."

"But didn't Princess Ciri also travel across lands with Van Helsing?"

"You can see it as a knight saving the last royal princess; Princess Ciri will eventually reclaim her rightful power in the future, reigning over the kingdom as a woman."

Sibilla's expression was solemn, and she said matter-of-factly, "Jerusalem always belongs to our Baldwin Family."

But where is my Van Helsing?

...

In the vast desert.

The Jerusalem Knight Order, clad in blue cloaks, surrounded the royal carriage and proceeded slowly.

Smiling, Baldwin IV handed the book given to him by Losa to Lord Godfrey, who was sitting opposite him.

"Lord Godfrey, if you have some free time, you can take a look at this novel."

Godfrey was somewhat surprised and said, "Is this the one given to you by Baron Losa?"

"Indeed, aside from entertainment, I found many novel ideas in it that might subtly alter people's perspectives."

Just as a thousand people have a thousand interpretations of Hamlet.

In this "Demon Hunter" written by Losa, he saw a governance philosophy similar to his own.

Revenge only deepens the conflict between nations.

The discrimination faced by non-human creatures is akin to the heretics in many noble domains within the Jerusalem Kingdom, who are never regarded as humans.

If the Kingdom of Jerusalem is merely a colonial regime where the few rule over the many, it will eventually be devoured by the ever-growing power of the Fire Worship.

For overseas, compared to the vast number of heretics, Christians and Franks are the minority, and they cannot eradicate all the heretics to completely change the population of the land.

The gap between Saracens and Franks is not as large as that between Indians and Anglo-Saxons.

Only by allowing those heretics to also have a seat at the table sharing interests can the kingdom sustain itself in the long run.

In this respect, the Umayyad (Umayyad) dynasty of Iberia seems to have done better.

In that country, the Jewish people, who were once outsiders, have a status similar to the Fire Worshippers, and they naturally fight to protect their hard-won living space with their blood.

...

In the tavern.

A minstrel played the lute, using a charming exotic accent to recite the song from the prelude of the Demon Hunter novel—White Wolf and Lilac.

"Well sung, Irish from Munster, it's truly a tragic love story, but what I want to know is, who is the White Wolf?"

"Of course, it's the great Demon Hunter Van Helsing. This is the hottest story in Jerusalem right now. Legend has it that Van Helsing is the reincarnation of Archangel Gabriel..."

"Oh, Heavenly Father above, that's blasphemy against the Holy Angel."

Someone smirked, "What blasphemy? You'd know if you read it—the Demon Hunter upholds justice and punishes evil, more relatable than the Holy Angel described by the priests."

Immediately, a heated argument erupted in the tavern.

Some believers considered the novel blasphemous to the divine, while others argued that a fantasy novel with an alternate world setting should not be criticized too harshly. Some even believed that if God could indeed uphold justice, wouldn't that be more deserving of reverence than the mud and wood carvings on the walls?

In the theologically rich atmosphere of Jerusalem, such debates were inevitable.

This only added fuel to the fire for Archbishop William, who was already worried sick about how to account for the loss of the Holy Object.

...

Princess Isabella, feeling somewhat fatigued, rubbed her brow. Her brother's personal expedition was seen by many as the final swan song in the governance of her genius brother.

Even though Jerusalem was almost emptied.

Yet, the remaining nobles continued their private machinations, and Princess Isabella and Princess Sibilla, both with rights to royal succession, naturally became the center of this vortex.

"The love between Van Helsing and Yennefer is truly something to yearn for."

"If I could be like Yennefer and possess powerful magic, I could open a teleportation gate to go anywhere—I haven't seen my family for three years."

The whispered gossip of the maids was making her restless.

"What are you talking about? What Van Helsing, what Yennefer, just another cliché story from some legendary novel?"

"I warn you, don't disturb my nap again!"

She said with some disdain.

Yet, in the afternoon, when she attended a noble gathering, she found almost everyone at the banquet was discussing this novel.

As a dignified princess, she couldn't even get a word in, so she resolved to summon a literate tutor after returning to her chambers, to properly read through "The Witcher" for her.

...

Losa did not know that before he left, his order for a small batch of "The Witcher" novels to be released from the printing workshop had already started to become popular across Jerusalem.

Or perhaps it was something he had anticipated.

Compared to knight novels, the more vibrant and colorful content, and the magnificent and fantastic world it described—beyond the imagination of most people—left the spiritually starved populace longing.

Even the extravagant nobles often preferred to spare a portion of the time wasted on their beds to listen to this novel.

At this moment, Losa was sitting on the ground, somewhat exhausted.

Killing the Crocodile God had successfully elevated his level, but this fatigue was more mental due to harnessing that vast blood magic power than physical.

[Your level has been raised.]

The system's prompts were endless.

Killing the Crocodile God had earned him an exceptionally rich amount of experience, jumping directly from less than level four to level six, more than halfway to the next level, gaining a total of nine attribute points.

You have completed the milestone "Godslaying Act," and you will receive a talent lottery focused on enhancing personal abilities, with a minimum guaranteed quality of epic level.

The system's milestone completion prompt informed him of the Crocodile God's death, which finally eased the tension in his mind.

He did not hesitate and chose the lottery directly.

Although the Crocodile God was dead, the power borrowed from Furinjira was also exhausted, and this sense of powerlessness made him feel particularly insecure after just experiencing great power.

Golden light lit up in the narrow chamber.

Losa's eyes brightened. Besides Prajna's arrival, this was the first time he saw such golden brilliance in a system lottery!

Like fish swimming in the air, they eventually targeted Losa, who was sitting before the shattered sculpture of the Crocodile God in the chamber, rapidly converging on him.

You have obtained a legendary-level talent.

Dragon Bloodline: In your body flows the ancient bloodline of the Dragon Descendant, which had become extremely thin over generations but has revived with vitality in your generation.

Your all attributes are increased by twenty percent.

Your life value and recovery ability will be greatly enhanced.

Your resistance to witchcraft and curses will receive a one hundred percent additional bonus.

You will be immune to most diseases.

Your chance of producing offspring is reduced by ninety percent.

Your lifespan will increase by one hundred years.

When you complete personal elite, your talent Dragon Bloodline will advance to "True Dragon Body."

Losa was silent for a moment, then chuckled, "There's no Dragon Maiden attendant in the system, so I've become a little dragon man?"

In the darkness, he opened his eyes, a golden gleam flickered within them; the twenty percent increase might have limited effect due to his low attributes.

But this sensation akin to a rebirth made him feel as though the entire world looked different to his senses.

The most apparent change was acquiring "Dark Vision," allowing him to see clearly even in the pitch-black chamber.

"It's a pity that God knows how long it will be until I upgrade to the elite level."

Attendants can upgrade through cash, but his main body can't.

Although his max level only reached fifty-five being a three-star attendant benchmark, leveling via regular means might take decades...

Or should I, as the executioner, just dispose of all the war captives once I achieve victory in the next war?

Or perhaps, by researching the Black Death, spread the plague to city after city of heretics, leading to the death of thousands...

At the birth of this thought, Losa felt a chill in his heart.

No!

Something's wrong!

How did I develop such inhumane thoughts?

Or could it be that the change in bloodline is truly influencing my spirit?

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