Chief Justice sighed and said, “John Bennett, you are the prime suspect in this matter, but, Baker, until the real culprit is found, you are also a suspect!” Although Chief Justice was extremely reluctant to admit it, there was no other way. The consciousness of the carnivores could only be held when all seven elders of the Camarilla gathered, so in this world, at present, only these two are carnivores, and both are the only suspects—of course, John Bennett is the more likely one. “Then…” John Bennett opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say. His expression had already returned to calm; the composure of an enforcer allowed him to regain control of his emotions in a very short time, and he tried to find a breakthrough in the case.

Chief Justice asked, “Have either of you made any progress in your work recently?” Both shook their heads. “I only saw a mysterious person at the entrance of the Leson Brujah family. His status is very high, but there’s no way to determine who he is,” John Bennett said flatly. Baker also said, “Apart from holding rituals every night to offer sacrifices to the Dark Lord, Peter Yates has been very well-behaved these past two days.” Chief Justice frowned: “Go and find out exactly what kind of ritual Peter Yates is performing!” John Bennett immediately responded, “You suspect…” Chief Justice nodded. John Bennett frowned and asked, “What kind of ritual could achieve such a result?” Chief Justice shook his head, “I’m not sure either. Dark magic is vast and profound; what we know is just a drop in the ocean. I need to go to the secret archives to check some information!” With this breakthrough, John Bennett felt a bit more energized: “So what should we do these next two days?”

“You two continue your work, but the elders will send people to monitor you. Also,” Chief Justice paused and said, “the elders have decided to hold the bloodbath ritual ahead of schedule!” “Why?!” Baker and John Bennett were both confused. The bloodbath ritual is the ninety-carnivore ritual; before the matter is clarified, such an important ritual really shouldn’t be held rashly! “The elders are in urgent need of new enforcers!” Chief Justice was clearly reluctant to answer this question. At this moment, Baker and John Bennett found themselves in the same position: the elders no longer trusted either of them!

This time, the two did not leave together. The burly blond man opened the door twice, feeling a bit displeased. Those who passed through the door felt even more displeased.

Chapter 005

The secret domain of the blood clan is a vast underground world, where important sacrificial items and ancient archives of the blood clan are kept, along with the most complete collection of dark magic materials. After strict identity verification, Chief JusticeCaroline passed through seven magic-reinforced gates before entering this gloomy, dark underground world. Under the dim blue lights stood rows of bookshelves taller than a person. On them were thick, yellowed ancient books, each at least four fingers thick. On the shelves farther away, there were even ancient parchment scrolls. Chief Justice walked to the central bookshelf, which was arranged in chronological order; the central section was roughly the era when medieval magic flourished. She pulled out a book, found a table, and sat down to read it carefully.

On the night when Peter Yates performed the bloodbath ritual, the full moon hung high, and the clear moonlight was the source of power for all dark creatures. Choosing this night was also to ensure the ritual could proceed smoothly. The last to arrive were three people: Chief Justice, John Bennett, and Baker. Chief Justice was busy searching for information, while John Bennett and Baker’s reason for not wanting to arrive too early was self-evident—they didn’t like this new companion.

Because of Gragu’s death, Susan Bennett’s qualification was also questioned, so this time, only Peter Yates would undergo the bloodbath.

Tonight, Peter Yates rarely took off his fashionable attire and changed into a classic, ancient outfit: a black velvet tuxedo, a black brocade jacket with a front opening, embroidered with his family’s mysterious totem! The Brujah family to which Peter Yates belonged was not active tonight; the cold relationships among the blood clan were especially evident here—let alone someone like Peter Yates, who, even within his own family, was not widely accepted.

But none of this could dampen Peter Yates’s spirits. He stood atop a huge slab of gneiss, which seemed out of place in this modern hall and whose origin was unknown. His deep-set eyes brimmed with excitement! Even the blood clan, who usually preferred silence, could not remain unmoved at this moment, let alone the always flamboyant Peter Yates!

The venue for the ritual was a secret property of the blood clan. On the surface, it was a food processing plant, but secretly, it provided supplementary meals for some of the blood clan: animal blood products. The establishment of this factory was highly controversial, as it used blood to support certain foods, rather than having the blood clan drink fresh blood directly as before. With this factory, the blood clan could, like humans, store food in refrigerators and eat it straight from the package. This idea caused a huge stir at the time; many elder blood clan members firmly opposed it, but the new generation had already grown accustomed to this lifestyle and strongly supported it. Amid endless debates, it was Elder Patrick who stepped forward to support the creation of such a factory. In the end, the factory proved highly successful. Although the elder blood clan members still stuck to their own ways, they were no longer able to force the new blood clan to live as they wished.