Blood Baron

Zhang Ye stopped and looked down at the elderly man before him, who was both extremely nervous and somewhat frightened.

It was as if he were looking at another world.

An inner world that was closely connected to the surface world, yet clearly distinct from it.

With Kara’s help, Zhang Ye had already learned the old man’s identity. He was actually a supervillain known as Blood Baron, a vampire who had been embraced by the legendary leader of the bloodline, Dracula.

That was right. After deciding to make contact with this world’s magical circles, Zhang Ye had first set his sights on these supernatural creatures. Whether vampires, werewolves, or even those Hunter families, they all learned some magic for self-defense while dealing with such beings year after year.

Perhaps that magic did not seem particularly powerful, but it was more than enough for Zhang Ye, who was encountering this field for the first time. A person needed to know their limits. Zhang Ye knew that those ancient, unthinkable sorceries were far beyond his reach for the time being.

"Relax. I’m not here to cause you trouble. I only came to show you my goodwill and ask for a few small favors," Zhang Ye said calmly.

"Ask me for help? I don’t think I have any ability that could be of use to you. As you can see, I’ve fallen so low that I keep company with sewer rats. How could I possibly help you?" The old man shook his head, looking as though he wanted to keep everyone at arm’s length. "I haven’t drunk human blood in a long time."

"Don’t be so quick to refuse. I don’t care about your vampire bloodline." Zhang Ye smiled. "I heard that you studied magic before. I came here only because I hope you can share that remarkable knowledge with me."

At those words, John shuddered. He narrowed his eyes at Zhang Ye, frantically trying to recall whether he had ever crossed paths with him in some era.

John had always studied magic in secret. Though there were many sorcerers among the vampires, the overwhelming majority of them were rather hostile toward magic.

"Who… who exactly are you?" Changes gradually came over John’s aged face. The clearly visible wrinkles slowly tightened and faded, while his entire body straightened. His frail, broken body became fit and powerful. "I don’t remember anyone like you among the Midnight Sons."

"The Midnight Sons? Heh, you misunderstand."

Zhang Ye silently watched John’s display of rejuvenation, something that would have shocked countless people outside. Instead, the interest in Zhang Ye’s gaze only grew brighter. "I’m not a superhero. I’m just an ordinary person who wants to learn magic."

"If you want to learn magic, I think you should visit the New York Sanctum. I’d be happy to tell you where it is, as well as how to sneak inside."

John’s voice was now exceptionally clear, utterly lacking the feebleness he had displayed before. Yet his eyes remained intensely wary. His long-honed sense of danger told him that the man in black before him was full of unknowns, and the unknown meant danger.

"The Sanctum Sanctorum is indeed a good place to learn magic, but for certain reasons, I’m afraid I can’t appear before Doctor Strange. So I can only turn to a ‘wild mage’ like you to meet my needs."

"And what if I refuse?" A cold glint flashed through John’s eyes.

"I think I’ll persuade you." Zhang Ye had expected that answer. At the same time, he drew out his Black Umbrella. At its tip, the distinctive gleam of silver metal flashed and vanished, causing John’s brow to furrow slightly.

Silver. It seemed the other party truly had come for him. John clenched his fists slightly.

After years spent as a villain, the name Blood Baron had gradually gone from a terrifying title that could stop children from crying at night to one that no one cared about. Even if it was mentioned before ordinary people, they would only say something like, "Oh, that vampire who was killed by a hero."

John had realized long ago that before the endless stream of superheroes, an ordinary vampire like him could not stir up any real trouble.

Perhaps he could throw his weight around before ordinary people, but before heroes, he was truly nothing more than an ordinary villain. He had understood this when Doctor Strange had nearly exterminated every vampire on Earth.

That was precisely why John had given up his life as a villain. He chose to cling to life, turning away from prosperity to embrace darkness and decay. His food had changed from young women to rats in the gutters. All because he did not want to die, much less attract the attention of those superheroes.

But he had truly had enough of this life.

Looking at the man in black before him, John could say with absolute certainty that he was an ordinary human. Though he had no idea how the other man knew his identity, John was certain that he was even more fragile than he appeared.

Even if he was no longer a figure people feared, John still wanted this self-righteous fool to understand that his current miserable state did not mean he could be threatened by an ordinary human!

With that thought, John reached out with his right hand. A short wand resembling a dead tree branch slid from his sleeve and landed firmly in his grasp.

"Interesting. You know I’m a vampire who can use magic, yet you’ve brought nothing but silver weapons. I truly don’t know whether you’re arrogant or foolish. Fine, I’ll let you witness this wondrous power."

John gave a cold laugh and slowly raised the wand in his hand.

Suddenly, John’s hand was empty. By the time he reacted, the wand in his hand had vanished in an instant. Before he could figure out what had happened, a soft laugh came from somewhere ahead.

"So this is a ‘wand’? It doesn’t feel all that special. I thought legendary wands would be more exquisite. It’s completely different from what they show on television."

It was a silver-haired youth.

He kept fiddling with the deadwood wand in his hand. His nimble fingers made it dance up and down between them, as though he were deliberately humiliating John.

But when John used his night vision to see the silver-haired youth’s face, his entire body froze. A flicker of fear even crossed his eyes.

Staring fixedly at the youth, John finally understood how the other party had snatched away his wand in an instant. His trembling lips slowly parted, and he spoke the other’s name in disbelief.

"Q-Quicksilver!"