Chapter 115: Swift Pursuit Across the Great Lakes

A group of people flew to the shores of Campus Lake, where Lin Xiao invited them aboard his family’s yacht. He swiftly started the engine, steering toward the river mouth at the far end of Campus Lake to pursue the members of the Sanctum Paradise Church.

Seeing their resolve to pursue, Michael finally regained his composure. They gathered in the yacht’s lounge to discuss how to rescue his sister, Nancy.

Present were No. 11, Zoe, and Misty—the three witches—as well as Duke Karen, Stefan, and Michael—the three vampires. Witches and vampires joining forces against a common foe was likely an unprecedented event.

“No. 11, you still can’t pinpoint their location?” Lin Xiao asked, glancing back as he steered the yacht.

“No, that person has blocked my detection. My psychic roaming can't uncover them,” No. 11 replied, opening her eyes, shaking her head weakly—clearly she’d exerted herself to the limit.

“There’s no need for such trouble. Psychic roaming drains too much mana. Actually, there’s another method to investigate our enemies,” Misty said with a smile. With a wave of her hand, a small leather pouch appeared. She opened it and drew out a deck of tarot cards, placing them on the center table and began to shuffle them.

“Tarot reading? Isn’t that witchcraft for predicting the future? Can it really locate someone?” Stefan asked curiously. He was by far the most unfortunate of the group—first lured by Lestat for revenge, then captured alive by Lin Xiao and made a prisoner, now dragged along by his father to chase the Sanctum Paradise Church. He felt helpless, swept along by events beyond his control.

“Stefan, you really are ignorant. Tarot readings can predict the future—so locating someone is a simple matter. Oh, I forgot to ask—have you seen Damont? I asked Lestat to protect him, but now Lestat has been killed. What’s become of Damont?” Duke Karen suddenly inquired. Lin Xiao, at the helm, was startled and jerked the wheel, nearly capsizing the boat.

Damn, he’d forgotten about this. Not only had Lestat died at his hand, but Damont was also cut into four pieces, buried at the nearby dock they’d just passed. Cold sweat broke out across Lin Xiao’s forehead. He braced himself for trouble, ready to activate his Shadow Passage secret technique to escape. If that failed, he’d surely be doomed.

Stefan’s expression shifted slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm and feigned ignorance as he replied:

“I don’t know. I never saw Damont—only Lestat. He said he lost Damont and asked me to help find him. That’s when he clashed with Jonathan, and Jonathan killed him.”

Hearing Stefan’s explanation, Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn’t killed Stefan back then—otherwise, no matter how much Duke Karen cared about Michael, he’d have gone berserk and slaughtered them all.

Lestat, when he returned for the Bloodshadow Mirror, had already harbored treacherous intentions and never revealed Damont’s death. Thus, Duke Karen remained unaware that his eldest son's grave was already sprouting weeds.

Had he known, he would have erupted on the spot, killing Lin Xiao at the helm to avenge his son.

Duke Karen was half-convinced, but with Michael’s situation weighing on his mind, he didn’t dwell further. Besides, Damont was fond of roaming and feeding on human blood—rumor had it he was hunting extraordinary humans lately, perhaps delayed by that pursuit.

Lin Xiao, steering the boat, felt uneasy. What was going on? He’d killed Damont, captured Stefan, almost executed him—yet Stefan was covering for him. Did he want Lin Xiao to reciprocate with his own body?

No, absolutely not. Lin Xiao liked women—he’d never be interested in men. Stefan could abandon that hope.

“You at the helm—how did you kill Lestat? He was useless, but he had the Bloodshadow Mirror. By rights, you shouldn’t have been able to kill him,” Duke Karen questioned, eyeing Lin Xiao. He sensed hidden secrets in this young man, and for some reason, Lin Xiao carried a familiar scent—almost like Damont’s aura.

Lin Xiao quietly stowed away the crimson Count of Blood necklace, unconcerned about the temporary drop in HP. Who knew if the duke would detect Damont’s scent and turn hostile?

“Heh, it was all an accident. He tried to capture me as blood food, attempting mental control. Luckily, I had a treasure that could resist his mind manipulation. I pretended to be under his control and ambushed him,” Lin Xiao lied, improvising a plausible story. The actual events were not much different, though perhaps less suitable for younger audiences.

“Is that so? Hmph. Lestat was a fool—always thinking his mind control was supreme, never expecting to die by his own favored tactic. He deserved it. His death enabled me to locate the young master. It wasn’t convenient to say earlier, but now I warn everyone—do not spread word about the young master. I don’t want too many people to know.”

Zoe and Misty were puzzled. They suspected Michael’s identity was unusual but didn’t know the details. No. 11, however, vaguely guessed the truth, though she’d never betray her young lover.

Then Misty performed a tarot reading, drawing a card—the High Priestess. She stared at it, as if, through its face, she could see the Sanctum Paradise Church’s destination.

“My guess was correct—they’re heading straight for their main headquarters, located at Silent Hill, on the shore of Eagle Lake in Maine.

Their route should be across Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, through Niagara Falls, and then east along the Saint Lawrence River back to Silent Hill,” Misty announced, setting down the tarot card. Lin Xiao pondered silently—the Sanctum Paradise Church’s destination was far; perhaps they’d have a chance to catch up and rescue Nancy. But the key question remained—could they defeat their adversaries?

Even with Duke Karen’s addition and Misty as a high-level witch, their combined strength should rival their enemies.

However, Duke Karen had his own agenda and might not give his full support. Misty was not adept at combat. In the end, the main offensive would likely fall to Lin Xiao again.

From his experience fighting Duke Karen, Lin Xiao knew that high-level witches skilled in dark magic were far beyond his capabilities. If they caught up only to find themselves outmatched, it would be awkward indeed.

For a moment, no one spoke. The yacht sped forward, soon crossing Campus Lake and reaching the river mouth.

From here, they would leave Hawkins Town and truly enter the territory of the Great Lakes.

“Don’t worry, Jonathan. I’ll message the super witch and ask her to come help us. We’re sure to defeat the Sanctum Paradise Church and save Michael’s sister,” Zoe said at the right moment, offering comfort.

Duke Karen snorted dismissively, striking back without mercy: “I’d advise against it. Don’t let your super witch come to her death. I knew your previous super witch, and I wouldn’t want to see her successor die tragically at the hands of the Sanctum Paradise Church.”

Zoe and Misty’s faces soured, suppressing their anger without daring to argue.

Lin Xiao grew ever more puzzled. Why was the super witch, so renowned, looked down upon like this? What was the story? Was she perhaps appointed not for her skills, but through connections and backdoor deals?