Chapter 65: The Witch, Zoe Farmiga (Bonus Chapter for 300 Bookmarks)

"Who are you? And what kind of poison did you give to Barbara?"

Lin Xiao was not swayed by the woman's beauty. No matter how lovely her features, if she were a venomous beauty, he would not hesitate to wield his Interstellar Annihilation Axe and cut her down without mercy.

"I am Zoe Farmiga, one of the directors of the Witches' Coven. That was not poison, but a love potion—a special concoction developed by our witches for men and women struggling in the sea of love." The woman smiled faintly, her hands elegantly folded before her abdomen, exuding an air of unhurried composure.

"Oh? So you are a witch as well? I suppose your appearance here is not simply to give Barbara a bottle of love potion and make me fall for her, is it?" Lin Xiao sneered. After werewolves, undead witches, and vampires, now a living witch had appeared—Hawkins was growing livelier by the day.

This woman, flawless in her beauty, was certainly not living here by chance, nor had she met Barbara by accident. She had come with a purpose, and that purpose was anything but innocent.

Barbara lowered her head in shame, realizing she had made a grave mistake.

"You are clever and perceptive, Mr. Byers. No wonder you were able to slay Melissa the Undead Witch. I have been observing you for several days now. You are unique, extraordinarily so, and carry a mysterious power within you. I can feel it growing stronger with each encounter. Every time I see you, you seem mightier than the day before," Zoe Farmiga said in wonder, her eyes roaming over Lin Xiao as if she could see through his flesh and blood to the extraordinary power hidden beneath.

Lin Xiao’s heart stirred. This witch was powerful—perhaps more so than anyone he had ever met. It felt as though, before her, no secret could remain hidden; everything was on the verge of being exposed.

No, he warned himself. He must not follow her lead. If she saw through him, who knew what consequences might follow?

"Melissa? So that undead witch was called Melissa. Who locked that madwoman in there? Did you not realize how many perished at her hands?"

Faced with Lin Xiao’s reproach, the witch’s expression remained serene as she replied, "Every person’s fate drifts in the long river of time. Sometimes, when one collides with the rocks in the current, shattering upon their hardness, it is simply a fate that cannot be altered. We tried to prevent the first owner from building a house there, but she would not listen. She thought we were being superstitious and shut us out. Thus, we knew it was a turning point in Melissa’s fate, that her Dark Goddess of Fertile Shadow, whom she worshipped, was secretly aiding her follower in escaping.

This so-called Dark Goddess may be a false deity, but she already possesses the beginnings of divine power. Our Coven of Witches did not wish to offend a goddess so close to ascending her throne for the sake of a haunted house. So we could only watch from afar and not intervene directly."

Lin Xiao understood. Despite her lengthy explanation, the reason was simple—they dared not offend the Scarlet Dominator, so the blame fell elegantly upon his shoulders.

Such is fate.

"If you feared offending the Dark Goddess, why did you seal Melissa there in the first place? Isn’t that a contradiction?"

Lin Xiao pressed on, knowing that the best way to regain control of the conversation was to keep asking questions until the rhythm returned to his hands.

Zoe regarded him deeply, aware of his tactic yet continuing, "Before her imprisonment, Melissa was not a follower of the Dark Goddess. She was sealed away precisely because this former arch-witch attempted to summon the goddess, seeking eternal life and youth.

Melissa went mad, massacring the residents of over a dozen nearby towns in a single bloody ritual, hoping that a massive scarlet sacrifice would bring forth the Dark Goddess. Her actions gravely violated the United Extraordinary Declaration of the Magicians’ Council, which prohibits any extraordinary being from interfering with or harming humankind.

Thus, our Coven of Witches mobilized to seal her at the bottom of Lake Campus. In the process, more than a dozen intermediate witches and two high-ranking witches perished, causing our order to fall into severe decline.

What we did not know was that, before her imprisonment, Melissa had already communed with the Dark Goddess and obtained a portion of her power. She has been trying to break the seal ever since.

Unfortunately, her luck ran out. Just as she was about to succeed, she encountered you. She must have expended too much strength breaking the seal, which is why you were able to defeat her so easily."

"Easily?"

Lin Xiao nearly cursed aloud. At that time, they had barely avoided complete annihilation. Had he not leveled up and unlocked the Thunder Summoning Talisman, or had Will not cleverly discovered Melissa’s weakness, his entire family would have met a tragic end together.

"Then why are you here? To monitor the undead witch’s movements?" Lin Xiao asked again, suspecting her true purpose.

As expected, Zoe replied, "Correct. I live here to watch over Melissa. But I have some bad news for you. Though you destroyed her soul, you did not annihilate her completely. Her soul’s imprint has already been offered to the Dark Goddess, and with her divine power, Melissa can be resurrected at any time. To destroy her utterly, you must sever her connection to this world..."

"Hold on, let me guess. You want to entrust this glorious task to me, don’t you?"

Lin Xiao asked, half-smiling. Clearly, this witch had her eye on his strength.

Zoe, unperturbed, continued, "I sense the Dark Goddess’s aura upon you. She is already watching you and will send her followers sooner or later. The most likely candidate is none other than Melissa herself, whom you have already slain once. Among witches, there is a saying: 'A feud of life and death is never forgotten.' I hope you remember this maxim."

Now Lin Xiao had to be vigilant. The system had also warned him—he was being watched by an ancient god from another dimension. Melissa herself might not be truly terrifying, but the Dark Goddess behind her was no small foe.

"So, how do I sever her connection to this world? Should I stop paying her phone bill?" Lin Xiao joked. Barbara and Will, standing aside, couldn’t help but laugh. Even in such a grave moment, he could still make light of the situation—his boldness knew no bounds.

Zoe, too, was amused. The witch gestured for them to enter the house so they could speak in detail.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Xiao decided to trust her. From her story, it was clear she was an ally, not an enemy. Besides, her power surpassed his own. If she meant him harm, there would be little he could do.

He brought Will inside. Barbara followed behind Zoe, not daring to meet Lin Xiao’s eyes.

Inside, the small cottage was clean and elegant. A round table stood at the center, surrounded by four stools carved from tree trunks—simple, unadorned, and returning to nature’s essence.

Zoe invited them to sit and, with a wave of her hand, four teacups floated over, each filled with steaming green tea.

Lin Xiao picked up his cup, eyed the liquid, and set it down again. He would not risk drinking a witch’s brew; who knew what ingredients she might have added—perhaps memory-loss water or love potion. Such things were hardly new.

"Afraid I might have added something extra? Rest assured, now that you know my identity, I would not risk our cooperation by tricking you with our special potions," Zoe said, sipping her tea.

P.S.: The number of favorites is dismal—just reached 300. I’m adding an extra chapter. Reaching 600 today is out of the question. This section may not be popular, but the climax is coming soon. Please be patient, everyone.