Lord of Mysterious Wizard
Chapter 307: 305: Altar and Red (First update, asking for monthly tickets!)

Chapter 307: Chapter 305: Altar and Red (First update, asking for monthly tickets!)

The Nihility Nest was slowly opening, signaling that the countdown for the arrival of the “Immortal Earl” had begun.

Although Esmeralda and the other Witches, or the descendants of the twelve patriarchs, had actually never seen Samuel Winston, the Ancestors had, for before they became Ancestors, they were merely servants of the Earl’s Castle.

The fear of Count Samuel Winston, like a virus, seeped into the blood of the Thirteen Ancestors, leaving behind a curse, a shadow, passed down generationally, and through years and various changes, the fear not only did not dissipate but became even more intense.

The Witch Leader could feel just how terrifying the Earl about to descend was.

The moment she agreed to Tang Qi’s terms, she saw the mist in the depths of the side street shatter, a clanging, magnificent Caravan charging towards them, twisted ghost light surging from within the Caravan, wrapping around both Tang Qi and Esmeralda, pulling them into the vehicle.

Tang Qi’s expression shifted slightly, offering no resistance.

“Hu”

With a flash of light, the Caravan disappeared into thin air, along with Tang Qi and Esmeralda.

…

A breath? Or perhaps even a shorter span of time, as Tang Qi reopened his eyes, he saw a very disordered scene; he should be inside a motorhome, which was also a very special “studio”, with drafts spread out, various colored ink, and some household items.

First impression: the independent space of a homebody comic artist, though messy, oddly conveyed a sense of peace to the soul.

“The power of witchcraft.”

Tang Qi silently mused as his gaze once again fell on Esmeralda in front of him.

The Witch Leader seemed not to mind the chaos of her private space at all, her gaze on Tang Qi was gentle and filled with wisdom, she said softly, “Guardian of Sally, young Son of the Melting Furnace, do you have any secrets you’d like to tell me?”

“Madam, I indeed know some secrets that might help the Merada Group permanently resolve the curse.”

“But before that, I need to confirm something, and I hope the lady will cooperate.”

Esmeralda heard what sounded like “good news” but did not show obvious ecstasy; her expression remained calm, guessing that since Tang Qi requested to speak in a private space, the so-called “cooperation” was offensive.

In the outside world, the Witches and Tree Demon fans likely would not be able to endure it and might attack Tang Qi.

The Witch Leader’s guess was not wrong at all.

It was only a brief halt before Tang Qi spoke again: “Madam, I need you to now let down your… Soul Defense.”

“Buzz”

“Boom”

Almost instantaneously, Tang Qi felt a gaze, slightly different from before, fixed on him.

It also carried an unbelievably terrifying aura.

Esmeralda, the Witch Leader who had always presented herself as a “gentle weird aunt,” a “homebody comic artist,” finally revealed her other aspect in this moment.

She was the leader of a Witch Group, and the Merada Witch Group hadn’t broken its lineage for hundreds of years.

The White Witch Zoe that Tang Qi had seen before couldn’t compare to her at all.

Now, Tang Qi was asking such a powerful individual to voluntarily drop her soul defense?

To a certain extent, this was a serious act of seeking death.

Before Tang Qi’s eyes, the other scenes grew blurry, only a solemn, indifferent gaze remained, odd and dazzling fragments shining, surrounded by exceedingly dangerous turbulence, vague roars like the mumbling of devils persistently drilling deep into Tang Qi’s heart…

At this moment, Esmeralda was extremely dangerous.

Yet, even so, Tang Qi showed not a hint of retreat, gazing steadfastly at Esmeralda, then firmly stated: “I can help Sally, but it’s different for you. I cannot help you defeat the Earl or remove the curse without reason.”

“What I am doing now is only for Sally, but before that, I must make sure that I will not be harmed by the allies behind me, madam, rest assured, I will neither tamper with your soul nor perform any sacrilege, it’s just a confirmation.”

“If the lady doesn’t trust me, perhaps we could sign a Contract first?”

After Tang Qi finished speaking, he fell silent, looking calmly at Esmeralda.

The Witch Leader also heard his hidden meaning, that this was his final explanation. If she didn’t agree, Tang Qi might not disclose the method to lift the curse.

Previously, following the “prophecy,” she had sent the Daughter of Destiny and her guardian, the Son of the Melting Furnace, into the Land of Termination.

Judging from Tang Qi’s current reaction, the prophecy seemed to be correct.

The Son of the Melting Furnace had indeed found a way to lift the curse inside Winston Town.

Only, there was a minor mishap: The Daughter of Destiny’s guardian did not trust the Merada Witch Group all that much.

If it were any other Transcendent, Esmeralda might have chosen to directly use witchcraft to extract the method.

But the other party was the Son of the Melting Furnace.

As a powerful Witch, although her dream was to become a “Bestselling Comic Artist,” her attainment in Mysticism was undoubtedly profound, as could be seen from the vast amount of Mysticism books she had previously given to Tang Qi.

Esmeralda knew too well that even a young “Son of the Melting Furnace” would be difficult to deceive.

Professionals also have some intangible level differences, something like the “Bright Knight,” recognized by the Mysterious Side as strong Professionals.

The Melter Wizard was also on that list.

However, to gain trust by letting down “Soul Defense” was also difficult for her to accept.

Signing a Contract would be a good choice originally, but for some reason, when Esmeralda heard the word “Contract” from Tang Qi’s mouth, she always felt an ominous premonition.

As a Witch, she trusted her intuition.

Just as she was facing a dilemma, suddenly at that moment, Tang Qi and she seemed both to have sensed something.

“Hu”

Esmeralda tapped a finger on a drawing board beside them, and at once, light shimmered out, projecting the scene of Winston Town before their eyes.

A bustling town in the midst of carnival, dense black fog surged from deep within the distant land, occupying every inch beyond the town, shadows of countless monsters squirming within. The view slowly shifted, sweeping past the black fog, monsters, the crowd… and finally converging at the center.

There lay ruins.

But at this moment, a phantom slowly became real.

A luxurious yet terrifying castle!

It was enveloped in malice and the Great Horror spewed from the Nihility Nest, becoming the source of the horror.

Gurgle!

Without warning, a sound like that of spring water burst forth from inside the castle.

Then, they flowed out.

Scarlet, viscous, blood-like “seawater” surged from the ruins of the castle. It spread calmly yet eerily, trickling into every corner of Winston Town, and then it began to rise.

Above, hung the Scarlet Moon.

Below, the scarlet seawater flooded the ground, the streets, the rooms, the furniture, and soon threatened to engulf the reveling crowd…

A chilling scene unfolded; unbeknownst to them, the residents of Winston Town seemed to have completely lost “themselves,” perpetually in the grip of the carnival, even as they were to be submerged by the blood-like seawater. They danced and sang in the seawater, its spray sticking to every face, every head of hair, then streaming down, as if this place were hell.

“It’s begun!”

Tang Qi’s face suddenly tensed, his gaze fixated on the origin of the scarlet seawater.

That castle, as if from an Old Calendar Era, in the depths of the illusion, endless seawater flowed, from its depths a massive vortex slowly forming, within which seemed to be the deepest darkness and horror, a cold, mad aura gushing forth.

Also at this moment, on the outskirts of Winston Town about to be submerged, the pulsing black fog became stagnant due to the emergence of the scarlet seawater, with the squirming, flickering monster shadows within also solidifying, but only for the span of a breath, like the last struggle of a wild beast at death’s door.

The black fog boiled, the monsters began to struggle, and twelve roars in succession came from within.

“Summon the Ancestors!”

“Summon the Ancestors!”

“Boom!”

“Thunderous boom!”

With these roars and tumultuous commotion, within the black fog, one after another, huge altars began to appear, each unique and indescribably terrifying, even overshadowing the aura of the Witch Leader before Tang Qi, emerging from the depths of the altars.

The black mists, stirred by these auras, began to counter the scarlet seawater.

At the border of the two, a hissing sound could be heard.

As if two forces were engaged in a deadly combat.

As for the citizens of Winston Town caught in between, neither side seemed to care.

…

“I’ve agreed!”

Out of nowhere, an imposing voice rang out before Tang Qi.

Turning his head, Tang Qi saw another entirely different Witch Leader.

Esmeralda, her face, revealed an expression called “fear.”

It seemed not of her own volition; it was ingrained within her bloodline.

In her eyes, gushing crammed with endless blood, Earl Castle reflected, that was the “nightmare” imprinted in the blood of every generation of Merada Witch. Receiving bloodline power from the Ancestors also meant inheriting the curse.

The two were inseparable.

The resisting descendants of the twelve patriarchs were so, as were the Merada Witches.

“What exactly do you want to verify? You can start now.”

Esmeralda had agreed to Tang Qi, but her eyes still held doubt.

Obviously, she believed they should be on the same side, especially since she had already shown goodwill towards Sally, even planning to train Sally to be the next Witch Leader after lifting the curse, while she herself would continue to pursue the dream of a Bestselling Comic Artist.

Under such circumstances, Tang Qi’s mistrust remained, leaving the Witch Leader indeed perplexed.

However, the method to lift the curse was in Tang Qi’s hands.

Esmeralda had no choice.

After she agreed, Tang Qi smiled.

He withdrew his gaze from the drawing board, looking directly at the Witch Leader, watching as layer upon layer of illusionary Defense disappeared from Esmeralda’s body, swiftly revealing a much more real Witch Leader.

She still felt incredibly dangerous to Tang Qi, but at the same time, she also became very vulnerable.

Though it was a forced trust, at this moment, Esmeralda was indeed taking a risk.

Should Tang Qi harbor any malice, this powerful Witch Leader, renowned in Secret Phoenix State and even throughout the Federation, might very well perish at the hands of an “unknown soldier” in an instant.

However, Tang Qi did indeed have something to verify.

“Lady, the answer will soon be revealed, and you will surely not regret it.”

“Red!”

As Tang Qi’s words fell, a world of illusion, entwined with golden Light Flames and the utmost red, suddenly pulled Esmeralda’s soul into it.