Calming... with an Unexpected Person

When Luo Wei rushed out of the ancient castle, he found that the Vampire Ancestor had been reduced to a pitiful state.

Well, to be fair, it never looked human to begin with. But after being violently torn apart by Nyarlathotep's minions, its spectral form grew increasingly dim. By the time Luo Wei approached, it could no longer make a sound or react in any way.

"Dead?" Luo Wei tentatively poked the spectral entity. It remained motionless, merely floating lightly in the air, completely at his mercy.

For a being of this nature, he wasn’t sure what truly constituted death—or if it was just pretending.

The [Hunting Horror], seeing that its target was no longer moving, turned its sinister crimson eyes toward Luo Wei, who was now standing dangerously close.

Under its gaze, Luo Wei felt a chill crawl down his spine. He muttered under his breath, "Why are you looking at me? We’re on the same side now..."

The [Hunting Horror] seemed to catch the scent of Nyarlathotep on Luo Wei. Its massive head tilted slightly, as if suspicious.

In the end, it didn’t dare attack him. Instead, its bloodthirsty gaze shifted toward the humans and vampires still inside the castle, and its enormous form lunged in their direction.

Luo Wei’s heart tightened. He was now a servant of Nyarlathotep, but Evelyn and the others weren’t. The [Hunting Horror] was about to begin its slaughter, just like in one of Saint Callen’s previous timelines.

Realizing he could no longer control it, Luo Wei quickly retrieved the mysterious polyhedral artifact and ended the summoning ritual.

"Go back where you came from."

The [Hunting Horror] let out an irritated growl before its form gradually dissipated into the air, merging with the darkness.

Luo Wei finally exhaled in relief and turned his attention back to the Vampire Ancestor’s spectral remains.

"Stop pretending," he sneered, tapping the sacred reliquary in his hand. The lid creaked open slightly.

The Vampire Ancestor shuddered violently, as if startled, and fled back inside in a panic.

With a mocking grin, Luo Wei snapped the reliquary shut. After tonight’s ordeal, the creature was likely too terrified to ever emerge again, no matter how fervently its descendants called upon it.

The outside world was far too terrifying—where eldritch minions and their masters lurked around every corner...

Luo Wei slowly made his way back to the banquet hall, only to find an eerie silence. Aside from Helena and the others, everyone was watching him with wary eyes.

As the chaos subsided, the power he had borrowed began to fade. Yet even so, no one dared challenge him now...

But this display of dominance didn’t bring him any joy.

After using the [Authority] granted by Nyarlathotep, Luo Wei felt his connection to Him deepening. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from a good thing...

The power was exhilarating, but once tasted, it demanded more. He had opened Pandora’s box.

Just moments ago, Luo Wei had realized how intoxicated he had become—how he had eagerly anticipated the chaos, even longed to create more of it...

This wasn’t like him at all. He didn’t know what he would become in the future—whether he would, as Nyarlathotep desired, fully embrace the path of chaos and descend into darkness...

Lost in thought, Luo Wei suddenly heard the faint giggle of a little girl.

He looked up. Though he couldn’t see Him, he could sense His presence—watching him, delighting in His scheme, whispering temptingly:

"Tonight’s performance wasn’t quite enough. Do better next time, okay~?"

"Hehe, don’t you want even greater power?"

Luo Wei snorted coldly. Once the remnants of [Chaos] had completely faded, he could no longer feel Him at all.

In a foul mood, he walked over to Evelyn. Her condition had improved slightly, but she was still in no state to move freely.

"I’ll be fine by morning," she reassured him, gingerly touching her neck before wincing in pain.

Luo Wei studied the dark bruise-like wound marring her otherwise pale skin. The Vampire Ancestor had nearly snapped her neck.

Gently, he helped her up and guided her to a nearby chair—one that had miraculously survived the night’s events. Coincidentally, it was the very chair the Duke had occupied earlier, positioned at the center of the hall, symbolizing the seat of the family’s head.

Luo Wei retrieved a healing salve from his enchanted pouch and carefully applied it to Evelyn’s wound.

His touch was light, almost tender, but the cool ointment still made her gasp softly in discomfort.

Embarrassed, she murmured, "Luo Wei, not here... There are too many people watching. Can’t we do this in our room?"

Luo Wei shook his head. "No. This medicine works fast—you’ll feel better soon."

Unable to argue, Evelyn sighed in resignation. "Fine..."

Once her wound was treated, Luo Wei handed her the reliquary with a smile.

"This family heirloom is dangerous. It’s yours to deal with now."

Evelyn frowned as she accepted the sacred artifact—the very thing that had nearly cost her life.

"Father must have hidden this well. I don’t know how those two got their hands on it..."

She had no idea what to do with it, nor was it her place to decide. Her gaze instinctively sought out the elder members of the family.

Joe was watching her with an unreadable expression but remained silent.

"You should take it," Evelyn said, trying to return the reliquary to Luo Wei. "It’s clearly afraid of you."

But Luo Wei only chuckled and refused.

His eyes swept over the silent vampires before settling on Evelyn, seated regally at the heart of the hall. The act of passing her the family relic carried an unspoken sense of ceremony.

"You’d look even more like a queen if you wore the crown," Luo Wei mused, stroking his chin. "Hmm... That would really complete the image."

"Absolutely not!" Evelyn rolled her eyes, still shaken by the earlier ordeal. She wouldn’t dare open that thing again in her lifetime.

"But there’s a fake one, right?" Helena chimed in excitedly. "I’ll go find it!"

"That’s enough," Evelyn said, waving her off. She glanced at the vampires silently observing her—she was already the center of attention as it was.

"Luo Wei..." She looked up suddenly and asked, "Is it really over? All of tonight’s madness..."

"It's not completely over yet." Luo Wei gazed out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the snow-capped mountains. Tilis and that priest had disappeared into the distance, and from the depths of the mountains came occasional tremors, their battle's outcome still unknown.

Though he had full confidence in the witch's abilities and believed she would emerge victorious, even if her fight concluded, the chaos within the ancient castle was far from resolved.

His eyes scanned the crowd of vampires, searching for something—or someone. Today's intricate puzzle still had one final piece left to uncover.

Had the Duke truly died?

And were the twists and turns of today's events truly orchestrated by the Duke, playing a pivotal role as Luo Wei had speculated earlier?

As he pondered this, Luo Wei—along with everyone else present—heard a commotion from the second floor.

Evelyn recognized the voice immediately and frowned. "That's Aunt Shirley!"

"The Duchess?" Luo Wei suddenly recalled an earlier incident. Under the influence of his [Authority], that woman had been driven to murder her own husband...

"Let's go!" Luo Wei called to Helena while quickly helping Evelyn to her feet.

If the Duke had somehow survived, only to be finished off by his own wife, the irony would be too much. He needed to check immediately.

As the three hurried upstairs, Joe, Monica, Emily, and the others followed closely behind. When Luo Wei reached the parlor where the Duke had died, he was met with an unexpected sight.

"Annie?" Evelyn stared in confusion at the figure before them, then glanced at the unconscious Duchess sprawled on the floor.

Standing before Luo Wei was none other than Annie, the head steward who had been absent for so long.

Annie had initially been responsible for guiding the guests into Thornflower Castle, but after the banquet began, Luo Wei hadn't seen her again.

In today's chaos, such a pivotal figure to the Abraham family had been entirely absent—a fact that raised many questions...

"Miss Evelyn..." Annie's smile was weak as she turned to the others. "And Joe, Monica... You've arrived just in time..."

"What happened to you?" Evelyn noticed how unnaturally frail she seemed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I..." Annie clutched her chest with a pained expression. "Never mind me for now. Come with me. There's somewhere I must take you. The Duke entrusted me with a task—to reveal something to you all..."

Luo Wei supported Evelyn as they followed her. Emily, brimming with curiosity, tried to join them, but Annie gently stopped her.

"This concerns family secrets. Only Miss Evelyn, Miss Monica, and Joe may enter." Annie patted Emily's head. "You should take care of your mother."

"Fine..." Emily pouted as she watched the group walk away.

Inside the parlor, Luo Wei's gaze fell upon the Duke's body. He sat peacefully in his chair, eyes gently closed as if merely asleep.

Evelyn stared at her father's lifeless form, her expression distant. Luo Wei squeezed her hand reassuringly.

The group followed Annie into the study, where a hidden door rumbled open with a deep, mechanical sound.

Annie spoke softly, "Though Danton renovated the castle, he never discovered this passage. The family's most important secret lies below."