Yes.
The rougher the seas, the more expensive the fish!
Risk and reward are always directly proportional.
Hawke had two paths before him.
The first path:
Find the Heaven Dimension, they say it was a misunderstanding, then he drops it and watches from the sidelines.
But obviously, that was impossible.
It was still the same saying.
He was never a Saint, and he would not allow anyone to test him, then say it was a misunderstanding, shake hands, and be all chummy.
Such a thing would absolutely never happen.
Just like Hawke had dealt with HYDRA before.
A test?
If you dare to test, then you can forget about keeping your claws; if you dare to test today, tomorrow you'll dare to walk all over him, and the day after, you'll dare to piss on his head.
Whether the Heaven Dimension's actions were a misunderstanding or a test, in any case, this war was started by the Heaven Dimension, so how it ended would be up to him.
So... Hawke was inclined to cooperate with Mephisto.
Even though Mephisto's credit was very poor and he was already on his list of untrustworthy individuals, he was still inclined to join forces with Mephisto to deal with the Heaven Dimension.
The reason was simple.
He didn't understand the Heaven Dimension, but he understood Mephisto very well.
Since it was a cooperation, he naturally sought to cooperate with someone he knew inside and out, even if that partner was a lying Devil, it was still better than a stranger who would stab him in the back without a word and whose true intentions were completely unknown.
Speaking of intentions.
Hawke recalled the time he was a guest at the Hell Tavern, when he asked how a dimensional space could support him in developing his own Universe, and Mephisto's words and mysterious expression.
"Deepest part of the soul, there will be the answer I want?"
What answer?
Hawke, whose left arm was being used as a pillow by Gwen, leaned on the bed, his mind replaying Mephisto's mysterious expression when he left, confidently stating that Hawke would definitely choose to cooperate with him after seeing the answer, and he couldn't help but wonder.
Just then.
Hawke came back to his senses, lowered his gaze, and watched Gwen's eyelashes blink before she slowly opened her eyes, smiling slightly.
"Awake?"
"Mm."
A gentle smile appeared on Gwen's pretty face, her voice soft.
"How long did I sleep?"
"Three hours. Sleep a little longer, anyway, breakfast time has already passed."
"No more sleeping."
Gwen shook her head. As she got out of bed, she pulled the bath towel from beside the bed, wrapped herself in it, and walked towards the bathroom: "If I sleep any more, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Hawke shrugged: "It's fine. Tonight, do it a few more times, and you'll fall asleep when you're tired."
Hearing this, Gwen turned around, cast a charming glance at Hawke, then said nothing and walked into the bathroom.
The next second.
Hawke also got up and rushed into the bathroom.
Gwen was slightly startled.
"Why did you come in?"
"To shower together."
"I... Ugh!"
An hour later.
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Gwen, looking radiant, opened the door and was the first to walk out of the room.
"I'm going downstairs first. You change and come down."
"Alright."
Hawke, once again in his sage time, wanted to be quiet, and his voice, also very sagely, came from the room.
Gwen then closed the door and walked towards the staircase.
However, when she reached the first floor, she didn't see her grandfather William in the living room.
But while her grandfather wasn't in the living room, her cousin was, along with two other people.
Gwen looked at Caroline, who was currently sitting on the sofa, seemingly waiting for her and hadn't chosen to go home: "Don't you need to go back and catch up on sleep?"
Caroline heard this and said with a smile: "Cousin, I'm a Vampire. Vampires don't need to sleep."
Gwen then looked at Elena and Bonnie, the little black Witch, who also got up from the sofa after Caroline did, both looking noticeably listless.
"Are they too?"
"They're not. Bonnie is a Witch, Elena..."
"Witch."
Gwen heard this, sat down on the sofa, and looked at Bonnie a few more times.
She didn't react negatively to Bonnie's skin color.
After all, she was the least prejudiced person in the entire family, whether it was the Fox Family, the Stacy Family, or even the Phoenix Family.
At least, on the surface, that was the case.
Goodness.
I'm carrying the banner of non-discrimination for three families all by myself.
Gwen's thoughts raced, then she smiled slightly at Bonnie: "I also know a Witch; she's a Salem Witch. Are you from Salem too?"
The black Witch Bonnie was slightly startled.
"I'm not."
"Alright then."
Gwen smiled again, then looked at Caroline: "Where's Grandfather?"
Caroline said: "Mom came to pick Grandfather up to go to town for a haircut."
This was the rhythm of something needing to be said.
Gwen heard this, thought to herself, and looked at Caroline.
"Something wrong?"
"It's about that Klaus we just talked about."
Caroline saw this, took Elena's hand, and then told Gwen in detail about Elena's situation, including how they had made a deal with the Original Elijah, that as long as they could find the moonstone, the Original Klaus would spare them.
Gwen listened very carefully, occasionally glancing at Elena. After Caroline finished speaking, she asked curiously: "What about that Vampire?"
Caroline was slightly startled.
Elena said: "Stefan was afraid of upsetting you, so he didn't come along."
Gwen smiled and shook her head, then said to Caroline: "I understand. I'll talk to Hawke about it."
Just then.
Hawke's voice came from behind: "Talk to me about what?"
Gwen turned her head to look, seeing Hawke, who had changed into a White T-shirt and black trousers, looking even more muscular, and said with a smile: "It's about that Original Klaus. Caroline said that if they can find the moonstone and give it to this Original Klaus, he will pardon them."
Hawke leaned down, kissed Gwen, who was sitting on the sofa, then chuckled, looking at Caroline, Elena, and the little black Witch Bonnie.
"Who told you that Klaus needed the moonstone to unlock his Werewolf bloodline?"
"Elijah."
"Klaus's brother."
"He said if we could find the moonstone, he would ask Klaus to forgive us."
"Oh, Elijah said it."
Hawke heard this, looked at the three, a look of realization on his face, then chuckled.
"He and Klaus teamed up to trick you."
"What?"
"Trick us?"
"What the f..."
"Hey, language!"
Gwen looked at her cousin Caroline, who was about to swear, and warned with her eyes: "I accept the fact that you've become a Vampire, but that doesn't change the fact that you won't be eighteen until after Christmas this year, so, language, young lady."
Caroline opened her mouth, looking at Gwen, who was glaring at her, then smiled sheepishly and changed the subject: "Cousin-in-law, you just said this was a trick. What did you mean?"
Elena and the little black Witch Bonnie on the side also stared at Hawke with wide eyes.
"Literally."
"Klaus doesn't need the moonstone to unlock his Werewolf blood."
"The moonstone isn't used to unlock it; it's used to seal Klaus."
Hawke sat down beside Gwen and said to the three with a smile: "The moonstone only tortures Klaus, making him aware of his sealed Werewolf blood, feeling the sealed Werewolf blood, and thus suffering immensely. The moonstone isn't an antidote."
The little black Witch Bonnie was shocked.
Caroline was also stunned.
Elena said with some disbelief: "But Elijah told us..."
Hawke smiled and interrupted: "Again, this is a trick. To be precise, the Mikaelson Original Family used the moonstone to trick everyone."
Elena opened her mouth.
"Why?"
"Of course, to prevent others from knowing the real cure."
It wasn't Hawke who spoke, but Gwen.
Gwen answered Elena's question, then looked at Hawke: "The moonstone is just a smokescreen thrown out by the Mikaelson Original Family to hide the real cure, isn't it?"
Hawke smiled, looking at his fiancée.
"I just love how clever you are."
"I know."
Gwen smiled brightly.
Caroline on the side, feeling the rising cheesy atmosphere, quickly interrupted: "Cousin-in-law, if the moonstone isn't the key to unlocking Klaus, then the key to unlocking him is..."
Hawke's gaze shifted to Caroline's face: "The blood of a Doppelganger and the blood of a Werewolf, plus the help of a Witch on the night of a full moon, that's all it takes."
Yes.
Klaus unsealing the werewolf blood within him didn't need to be that complicated. With the blood of a doppelgänger and the blood of a Werewolf, on a full moon night, and with the help of a Witch, he could break the seal his mother had placed on the Werewolf blood inside him.
As for why everyone was led to believe it was the moonstone.
It was to divert attention.
Klaus was an Original Vampire, after all.
He might have few friends, but he had many enemies, and those enemies wouldn't just stand by and watch him successfully unseal his powers.
So, he threw out a smoke bomb, the moonstone, letting those potential enemies fight over that useless stone, thereby ensuring the safety of the true key to the unsealing.
As for the second point.
It was fun, of course.
After all, watching a bunch of people fight over a useless broken stone, even coming to blows, beating each other senseless, that was quite an exciting game.
It's well known.
Scheming from behind the scenes, that's also a villain's favorite pastime.
Coincidentally.
Klaus was a villain, but the cute and charming kind. After all, Klaus, by his own efforts, had transformed himself from a villain into the protagonist of New Orleans.
The three girls were once again shocked listening to Hawke reveal the key to Klaus's unsealing.
Especially Elena.
"So Elijah told us that if we could find the moonstone, it was actually just to keep us stable?"
"Yes."
"Hiss!"
Elena instinctively gasped, her grip tightening on Bonnie's hand beside her.
Bonnie cried out in pain.
Elena came back to her senses and quickly released her hand.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
The dark-skinned Witch, Bonnie, shook her head, then, as if making a vow, looked at Elena and said, "I will never let anything happen to you."
Elena's expression was grateful.
"Bonnie!"
"Elena~~"
"Cousin-in-law!"
Caroline quickly looked at Hawke: "This is much scarier than Klaus wanting the moonstone, Cousin-in-law, you have to help us."
Hawke looked at the scene, raising an eyebrow: "Did I miss something just now? Klaus only needs her blood and the blood of a Werewolf. I didn't say he needed their lives, did I?"
Caroline said, speechless, "To take Elena's blood, isn't that taking her life?"
Hawke was a bit speechless: "You bleed every month too, and I haven't seen you..."
Gwen patted Hawke.
"Hawke."
"Cousin-in-law."
Caroline reacted: "You mean, just blood?"
Elena and the dark-skinned Witch, Bonnie, also quickly looked at Hawke.
Hawke chuckled.
"I've been saying 'blood' all along, I didn't even say 'fresh blood'."
"I misunderstood."
Caroline quickly explained.
Hawke chuckled, looking at Gwen: "And this, a Vampire? Probably the one with the worst hearing among Vampires."
Gwen glanced at Caroline, whose face was a bit embarrassed, shook her head, and said to Hawke, "It's normal for them to be scared. He's an Original Vampire. If you weren't by my side, I'd be scared too. So as long as Elena gives her blood, Klaus won't target her. But, how much blood is needed?"
Hawke's peripheral vision caught Elena, who was perking up her ears.
"All of it."
"What?"
Caroline's eyes widened again upon hearing this: "Doesn't that still mean..."
Gwen looked at the startled Caroline with some helplessness: "Can't you have your friend release blood over several months? Didn't Hawke just say that only blood is needed, it doesn't even need to be fresh blood."
Caroline's expression brightened, and she looked at Elena.
Elena, listening to Gwen's explanation, also showed a look of sudden understanding.
Releasing all the blood in one go would definitely kill her.
But what if it was released in batches?
However... Gwen frowned slightly, looking at Hawke: "Will that Klaus agree?"
Hawke looked at Gwen with a slight smile, saying nothing.
Gwen blinked.
The next second.
She understood the meaning of Hawke's smile.
Gwen pursed her lips.
"Sorry."
"If you want, I can kill Klaus too."
Hawke smiled, looking at Gwen: "You know me, whatever you say, I'll do it. But your cousin, with her bad hearing, will probably die too."
Caroline's eyes widened instinctively upon hearing this, looking at Hawke: "Cousin-in-law, what does you killing Klaus have to do with me?"
Gwen also frowned, looking at Hawke: "If Klaus dies, why would Caroline die too?"
Hawke shrugged.
"That's a characteristic of the Mikaelson line of Vampires. If an Original Vampire dies, all Vampires of his lineage will die."
"What?"
"But it was Stefan's blood that turned me into a Vampire."
Caroline instinctively looked at Hawke: "What does that have to do with Klaus?"
Hawke was about to speak when he suddenly raised an eyebrow, sensing a figure appearing at the Manor's entrance. He rose from the sofa and looked at the shocked Caroline.
"Who turned Stefan?"
"Katherine?"
"Who turned Katherine Pierce?"
"I don't know."
"Katherine Pierce was turned by the Vampire Rose. Guess who turned that Vampire Rose?"
...Klaus?"
"Then tell me, to whom can your Vampire lineage be traced?"
"Klaus?!"
Caroline answered instinctively, then her eyes widened.
Hawke smiled faintly, looking at Gwen: "Your cousin isn't completely stupid."
Gwen looked at the smile on Hawke's face, shook her head helplessly, then looked at Hawke, who seemed to be preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"To meet someone at the entrance."
Hawke said without looking back, walking towards the outside of the Manor.
Caroline, with Hawke's help, had sorted out her Vampire family tree and looked at Gwen with some disbelief: "Cousin, what Hawke said isn't true, is it?"
Gwen looked at the gazes of the three people directed at her and shook her head: "Hawke never deigns to lie, and he has no reason to lie."
The three girls gasped in unison.
Gwen suddenly felt the surroundings become noticeably warmer.
The three girls' six eyes met.
Caroline said thoughtfully: "So, if Klaus dies, I'll die too?"
Elena also said with a confused expression: "Stefan was also turned by Katherine, so if Klaus dies, Stefan will die too?"
The dark-skinned Witch beside them also looked a bit confused: "Klaus's mother must have been a powerful dark Witch."
Hawke didn't dwell on the three girls' concerns.
Just like when Gwen asked him if he was confident he could persuade Klaus, he had remained silent, simply looking at Gwen.
It was a joke.
With his current strength, he had long since cultivated the 'Face-Face Fruit' (a metaphorical term for influence/reputation).
Unless that person was completely brain-dead, no matter what request he made, they would basically agree out of respect for him.
Moreover, he wasn't even stopping Klaus from unsealing his Werewolf blood.
He was just asking Klaus not to drain Elena's blood all at once; drawing it in batches would at most just take some time.
However, Klaus had waited hundreds of years, waiting another year or two, regularly drawing Elena's blood, was no big deal.
As for the Werewolf, that was none of his business.
So... Klaus was just an interlude.
Hawke was more concerned with his own matters.
The next second.
After exiting the Manor, taking one step, Hawke had already arrived at the Manor's entrance, looking at a figure standing gracefully outside the Manor: "Good morning, Ms. Pierce."
Katherine Pierce, standing outside the Manor, turned, looked at Hawke, and smiled slightly.
"You sent me a message."
"Yes, please come in."
Hawke extended an invitation to Katherine.
Only then did Katherine step forward, entering the boundaries of the Manor.
Vampires of the Mikaelson lineage follow the ancient rule that they cannot enter a house without an invitation from the Master of the house.
Although Hawke was not the Master of Fox Manor, Gwen was a member of the Fox Family, and he was Gwen's fiancé, so his invitation was also valid.
If his invitation hadn't counted.
Katherine would have been suffering from a splitting headache by now!
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