Hawk led Katherine Pierce, who was following behind him, back to the main building of the manor.
However, as Katherine approached the main building, Caroline, who was sitting on the sofa talking to Elena and the little black Witch Bonnie, had already instinctively stood up.
After all, it was Katherine who had suffocated her in the hospital, causing her to transform into a Vampire.
So Caroline was very sensitive to Katherine's presence.
"Katherine!"
"What?"
"Hiss!"
Elena and the little black Witch on the side looked at Caroline, who had shot up from the sofa, and after instinctively asking, they then saw Katherine not far away, following behind Hawk, looking exactly like Elena, practically carved from the same mold, but with a completely different temperament from Elena, truly two extremes.
Gwen looked at Katherine, whom Hawk had brought in, raised an eyebrow, got up from the sofa, and walked over.
"Gwen, Pierce, Katherine Pierce."
"Ms. Pierce, Stacy, Gwen Stacy, my fiancée."
"Hello, Ms. Stacy."
"Hello."
Gwen shook hands with Katherine, smiling, and said, "Welcome to Fox Manor."
Katherine said thank you.
Hawk then said, "There are some things I need Ms. Pierce to help verify. I'll take her back to the room first."
Gwen nodded upon hearing this.
"Alright."
"Let's go."
Hawk said to Katherine, then walked towards the staircase leading upstairs.
After Katherine apologized to Gwen, she caught up with Hawk. The two went upstairs, one after the other, then returned to Hawk and Gwen's room. After they entered, the door was closed.
Seeing this, Gwen withdrew her gaze and returned to the sofa.
The next second.
She looked at Caroline, who was staring intently at her, and also at Elena and the little black Witch Bonnie, whose eyes were wide open. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Caroline.
"What?"
"Hiss!"
Caroline gasped again, her eyes darting around. She lowered her voice and looked at Gwen incredulously: "Cousin, you just watched Cousin-in-law take Katherine into the room like that?"
Jesus.
God.
Holy Mary.
Is this how city people are?
Are they this wild?
Gwen looked at Caroline, who was leaning close to her, speaking in a low voice, her eyes darting around. She was startled at first, then realized, looked up, and tapped Caroline's little head.
"Bang!"
"Ow, it hurts, Cousin."
"Even if you're a Vampire now, I'm still your cousin."
Gwen rolled her eyes: "What are you thinking? Since Hawk brought her here, it must be for something serious."
Caroline bared her teeth, rubbing her little head that Gwen had just smacked. Hearing Gwen's words, she was a little curious.
"What is it?"
"It's none of your business."
"But…"
Caroline blinked, looking at Gwen, whose expression was very calm: "Cousin, aren't you worried that Hawk won't be able to resist temptation? Katherine is very beautiful, and she's a Vampire; she's very good at seducing men."
Gwen chuckled, looking at Caroline with a bright smile.
"You mean, I need to worry about Katherine?"
"Of course."
"Katherine is a bad woman."
Caroline said quickly, then looked at Elena and the little black Witch: "Am I right?"
Elena and the little black Witch didn't speak, just nodded.
Gwen chuckled, looking at Caroline: "Guess what would happen if Katherine tried to seduce Hawk?"
Caroline thought for a moment.
"Hawk would fall for it?"
"Hawk would kill her, without any hesitation."
Gwen smiled, glancing at the stunned Caroline: "If you weren't my cousin, believe me, none of you would have made it back alive last night."
She didn't understand Vampires.
But she understood Hawk very well.
So… after saying this, Gwen got up from the sofa and walked towards the backyard.
She planned to go look at the manor's back garden to see if there were any good varieties that she could transplant into the backyard garden of 521A Palm Street when they returned.
As for what Caroline said, worrying that Hawk and Katherine would do something?
Heh.
Gwen never doubted Hawk's loyalty to her, just as she never doubted her own charm.
In the room.
Katherine Pierce stood with unfocused eyes.
Deep within her soul.
Hawk, using the daylight ring he made with the Reality Stone that Katherine Pierce wore on her hand to transmit messages, stood in a World full of purity. He looked at Katherine, dressed in White, her soul crystal clear, her eyes slightly closed.
"You can go see for yourself. It's in the depths of the soul of Heaven, the deepest part. If you see it, you'll know."
"The deepest part of the soul."
Hawk once again recalled Mephisto's mysterious words. His Sixth Sense converged as he peered into the deepest part of Katherine's soul.
The next second.
He saw a huge, sacred, ancient, non-human, indescribably massive being.
But Hawk knew what this thing was.
He had even seen it.
Just recently.
The Celestials!
But it wasn't the Celestial Tiamut, who was still sleeping in the Earth and hadn't had enough rest.
This Celestial should be—
Arishem the Judge?
Just then.
Hawk's heart stirred. The moment his Sixth Sense sounded, he withdrew all his gaze, pulling out of Katherine's soul.
The Sixth Sense warning also disappeared.
So… this is what Mephisto wanted him to see?
Behind the Heaven Dimension, there are Celestials?
Hawk thought to himself.
At the same time.
Katherine's unfocused eyes returned to normal.
Hawk suppressed the confusion in his heart and smiled slightly at Katherine, who had come back to her senses.
"Thank you."
"I'm honored I could help."
"You certainly did. Again, thank you."
Hawk said with a smile, then looked at Katherine, thinking of Katherine's doppelganger downstairs. He then said, "The first time I helped, I helped you escape from the grave. Now you've helped me, so in return…"
Katherine quickly waved her hand upon hearing this: "No need, you helping me escape the grave is enough."
Hawk smiled faintly, looking at Katherine.
"Do you want to hear what kind of reward I have prepared?"
"No need."
Katherine was very decisive, shaking her head: "For me, helping me escape the grave is already enough."
She was a smart woman.
Always has been.
If she wasn't smart enough, she wouldn't have escaped from Klaus. If she wasn't smart enough, in five hundred years of fleeing, she would have been caught by Klaus countless times by now.
Katherine knew how to deal with people.
Especially with powerful figures she couldn't afford to offend.
Unlike Damon.
Hypnosis, hypnosis, all he knew was hypnosis. Sooner or later, he would accidentally hypnotize some minor figure that a powerful person cared about, bringing about his own demise.
It was precisely because of this that the unruly Damon was never her favorite.
She still preferred Stefan, who, like herself, was cautious and also knew how to use ordinary people to hide himself.
Katherine thought to herself, then looked at Hawk: "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Hawk looked at Katherine, who seemed genuinely uninterested in his upcoming reward, and chuckled.
"The gift I want to give is something very few people don't want."
"So…"
"You can end your five hundred-plus years of fleeing. I will tell Klaus not to hunt you anymore when I see him."
It's well known.
Hawk didn't like owing favors.
He preferred an eye for an eye rather than making promises of favors.
The most important point.
One sheep is a flock, two sheep are also a flock.
Anyway, he had already promised Gwen to talk to Klaus about Elena when they met. Since that was the case, mentioning Katherine wouldn't be a big deal.
Once again.
Klaus would agree, out of respect for him.
After Hawk finished speaking, he smiled, watching Katherine's expression change at a visible speed, from initial shock, then to astonishment, confusion, and finally to relief and disbelief.
After Katherine processed Hawk's words and realized what gift he had given her, her heart was completely stirred. Her mouth slightly agape, she looked at Hawk.
"I… I don't know what to say."
"Say thank you."
Hawk smiled faintly: "You helped me, and I said thank you. Now it's my turn to help you, so, thank you is enough."
Katherine took a deep breath, not doubting the truth of Hawk's words, and looked at Hawk with grateful eyes.
"Thank you."
"That's enough."
Hawk smiled, then opened the door.
A moment later.
After seeing Katherine off at the manor gate and watching her leave, he returned to the manor and found Gwen in the greenhouse behind the manor.
"Your guest left?"
"Caroline Fox, strictly speaking, we are the guests here."
Gwen, who was admiring the flowers in the manor, stood up, looked at Hawk walking in from outside, corrected him, and then nodded, saying, "Yes, they left. How about your guest?"
Hawk also nodded.
"Just sent her off."
"Was the confusion resolved?"
"No, it's even greater now."
Hawk said, then hugged Gwen and kissed her. "I need to go see Mephisto again."
Gwen heard this, released the hug, and looked at Hawk.
"Cooperating with Mephisto?"
"Let's see what price he can offer."
"Last time you trusted Mephisto, you almost fell into his trap."
"I know."
Hawk understood that Gwen was reminding him that demons are not trustworthy, and he smiled, saying, "But a demon with a hidden dagger is always better than an Angel who looks pure but stabs you in the back, don't you think?"
Gwen rolled her eyes at Hawk.
"We really have no chance of going to Heaven."
"Opportunities are seized, Gwen."
Hawk smiled, casually tearing space, then looked at Gwen: "Going to Heaven is boring. You have to be pious and do good deeds and all that, it's too much trouble. It's easier to fight your way into Heaven than to get in by examination. So, don't worry, I'll bring you a Heaven back."
With that said.
He stepped into the spatial rift, and instantly, the spatial rift closed.
Gwen watched the disappearing Hawk, shook her head, smiled, and crouched down again, looking at the flowers in front of her while checking prices on her phone.
In a word.
If it wasn't expensive, she didn't want it.
Hell Dimension Tavern.
When Hawk pushed the door open and walked in, Mephisto this time was not sitting at the old table, but had appeared behind the bar.
Mephisto, with his back to Hawk, was rummaging through the wine rack inside for fine wine and spoke without turning his head.
"I remember that when Earthlings reach an agreement, they always drink champagne to celebrate a pleasant cooperation."
"I haven't decided whether to cooperate with you yet, Mephisto."
Hawk sat on a high stool, placed his hands on the bar, and looked at Mephisto, who turned around with a bottle of champagne in his hands: "After all, you are already considered a disloyal person in my eyes. What if we cooperate and you stab me in the back?"
Mephisto heard this, met Hawk's gaze, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
"There is indeed that possibility."
"Heh, thank you for your honesty."
"Hey, I'm a demon, and a demon's words are not to be trusted. You said it, you can't even trust my punctuation marks."
"So..."
Hawk realized, looking at Mephisto with a half-smile: "You're lying again, you won't stab me in the back."
Mephisto shrugged, took out two wine glasses from below, and with a pop, the champagne symbolizing celebration was opened. He poured wine into both glasses while looking at Hawk.
"Can I kill you?"
"No."
"Then if I stab you in the back, you won't lose anything, will you?"
"But I'd find it disgusting."
Hawk took the wine glass Mephisto handed him, glanced at Mephisto, and then directly said, "Is the Celestials behind Heaven Dimension?"
Mephisto heard this and looked at Hawk with some surprise.
"You know them?"
"What's new."
Hawk chuckled, looking at Mephisto: "When I was an ordinary person, didn't I know you too?"
Mephisto shook his head: "Their legends only circulate in the Universe; Earthlings never know."
Hawk didn't come here to chat with Mephisto, and directly looked at Mephisto.
"Do the Celestials use Heaven Dimension to rapidly cultivate new Celestials?"
"..."
Mephisto heard this, and this time his expression was not feigned, but he genuinely looked at Hawk with great surprise: "You know that too."
Hawk chuckled.
"You said it."
"I didn't say that."
"You said that after Heaven Dimension acquires a living Planet, it will use the souls of that living Planet as fuel for their attack on the next living Planet, and the Celestials are behind Heaven Dimension, and the birth of a new Celestial also requires life energy. Heaven wants souls, and new Celestials want life."
"The most important point."
"I've seen a Celestial."
Hawk held the champagne glass in his hand, looking at Mephisto with a half-smile: "The one sleeping inside the Earth."
Mephisto gasped, carefully scrutinizing Hawk from head to toe.
"But you're still alive."
"Yes."
Hawk shrugged, enjoying Mephisto's genuine shock this time.
If he didn't want to tell Mephisto that he had also absorbed Tiamut's life energy, he thought that if he had said it, Mephisto would probably have found it even more incredible.
Mephisto was indeed shocked.
Although, theoretically, he and the Celestials both had the same direct superiors, the five creator Gods, 'Death' and 'Eternity'.
But... 'Death' had many death lords like him.
But the Celestials were 'Eternity's' servants.
Who was closer was clear at a glance.
However... after the shock, Mephisto looked at Hawk: "Since you already know, then you also know that Heaven Dimension is enough for your Universe to expand, so you should cooperate with me even more."
Hawk shook his head.
"Shouldn't I cooperate with Heaven Dimension? The Celestials are standing behind Heaven Dimension."
"They want to destroy the Earth."
"What do I care?"
Hawk scoffed, looking at Mephisto: "Let it be destroyed, it has nothing to do with me."
Anyway, he could traverse the Universe. If Earth were to be destroyed the next second, he could take the people he cared about and Gwen cared about away from Earth the second before.
As for where to go if Earth was gone.
That wasn't a problem.
The Universe was so vast, he could go anywhere.
The most important point.
Hawk looked at Mephisto: "You know I don't truly need a Reality Stone as a coordinate for expanding my Universe, right?"
A Reality Stone could indeed make it easier for him to expand the Phoenix Universe at that time.
But it wasn't a necessity.
After all, the Phoenix Galaxy in reality was right there. If worst came to worst, he could go to the Phoenix Galaxy to expand his own Universe.
At most, he would be targeted by the entire Marvel Universe.
After all, what he was doing was considered robbery.
But the Celestials were behind Heaven Dimension. If he robbed Heaven Dimension, he would also be targeted by the Celestials.
So... Hawk looked at Mephisto calmly: "Just a Heaven Dimension, that's not enough to pay for my cooperation with you. You're offering too little, old Mephisto."
Mephisto, hearing Hawk call him "old Mephisto," couldn't help but want to go fishing for Hawk.
But he forcibly suppressed this inexplicable impulse and met Hawk's gaze.
"What else do you want?"
"Souls."
Hawk had already decided what he wanted before coming. He looked at Mephisto, whose expression had darkened: "Don't worry, I don't plan to ask for a third or half of the souls. The souls of those I kill in the future will belong to my Underworld. This request should be acceptable to you, right?"
Mephisto chuckled.
"What if I agree now, and then you slaughter all life on Earth the next moment?"
"Am I that cruel?"
"Do you want me to accompany you to see the clan you slaughtered?"
"Black ones don't count. I just wonder, when you took over Earth, why did you think of including black ones in life? They're all disgusting."
"That's my business."
Mephisto heard this, refused to take the blame, revealed his red demon true form, and looked at Hawk: "If you think I made the Earth black, then you've got the wrong person. You should go settle accounts with Heaven Dimension, after all, Jehovah is black."
Hawk: "..."
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