Chapter 942: Adam

"Huh"

Hearing her father’s blessing, Dorothy froze, her mind—clouded from prolonged overtime—suddenly clearing.

"Whoa, today’s my birthday?"

Only now did she realize it.

Perhaps because she’d just napped for a few hours and her spirit had partially recovered, after that brief jolt, she snapped awake, her sluggish mind regaining its usual agility.

"No wonder everyone looked so weird when I said we’d hold a victory banquet tomorrow."

Only then did it click.

But it wasn’t really a big deal—birthdays are meant for family to gather, feast, and celebrate anyway. Now these two joys coincided perfectly: double fortune. She decided to upgrade the banquet’s ingredients by one tier.

Still, the banquet could wait. Dorothy’s attention remained fixed on Adam and Anne before her, and a mischievous grin spread across her face as she looked at her father.

"Dad, I’m glad you came to celebrate my birthday, but sneaking over to my window at this hour? A bit inappropriate, don’t you think? Why not come back properly tomorrow daytime?"

The House Witch said.

Heehee, Anne had just said it too—Adam was too scared to show up in Radiant Domain during daylight, so he chose this midnight ambush.

Why was he scared to come by day? Obviously, he felt guilty.

After all, Dad had once been the Grand Steward of Radiant Domain, yet he’d fled with her. He hadn’t just offended Long Ma—he’d offended the entire Radiant Domain, led by Long Ma.

Even if Long Ma, out of respect for Dorothy, had let past deeds slide, anyone else in Radiant Domain wouldn’t be so forgiving if Adam showed his face again.

Of course, Adam wasn’t a coward—he’d never have stolen Dorothy in the first place if he were. Nothing’s more reckless than kidnapping the heir of a witch domain.

The truth was, he himself felt guilty, so he couldn’t face the people of Radiant Domain.

"Cough, no, no—I’ve celebrated your birthday for years now. This time, I’ll let your mother have it."

Mocked by his daughter, Adam’s handsome face flushed. He awkwardly scratched his cheek, then pulled a gift box from his pocket and handed it over.

"This is your birthday present. I’m giving it to you now."

Beside him, Anne also produced a gift box.

"Mm, this is my gift to you. Happy birthday, Dorothy."

The petite, adorable stepmother said.

Dorothy naturally wouldn’t refuse a birthday gift from family. She happily accepted both boxes.

"Can I open them now?"

She looked at them with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Of course."

Adam nodded with a smile.

"Mm, do as you like. It’s yours now—you can handle it however you want."

Anne crossed her arms, sounding slightly aloof.

"Yay!"

The House Witch cheered.

After all, in front of her parents, why be shy? Who isn’t still a child at heart? And who can resist the lure of unwrapping birthday gifts?

Dorothy opened Anne’s gift first—after all, the stepmother ran the household, was the head of the family. She owed her some face.

"I wonder what it could be… I’m so excited!"

The House Witch dramatically declared.

She could already guess what Anne had given her—she’d secretly seen it before.

Sure enough, as the box opened, a dazzling crimson triangular hunter’s hat appeared before Dorothy’s eyes, embroidered with the mark of the Blood Moon—Anne’s symbol.

Of course, this was also the mark of the Blood Moon Sage—though the unawakened stepmother herself might not even realize it.

Even just as a hat, it was a high-tier magical item. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the powerful magical aura radiating from it confirmed its quality.

"Whoa."

Dorothy picked up the hat and gasped involuntarily.

This wasn’t dramatic acting—it was genuine awe. Though she’d seen the hat before at home, she’d never handled it closely, and Anne had sealed it tightly to preserve the surprise.

Back then, Dorothy only knew the hat was probably good—but now she realized her stepmother had truly gone all out.

The hat sealed the power of a vampire marquis. From its strength, it was clearly at least a Marquis-level vampire—remember, each of the Thirteen Vampire Clans had only three Marquises total.

But the sealed power wasn’t a vampire witch marquis—it was a genuine Abyssal Demon Vampire Marquis.

Dorothy briefly examined it and found that wearing the hat would let her borrow its vampire power—not just magical energy, but all the vampire’s special abilities too.

She glanced around the room, saw that Sister Fan was still asleep, then placed the hat on her head.

Hmph. Somehow, it felt like sneaking around behind your wife.

Once worn, her aura instantly shifted—elegant, mysterious, noble even in darkness, radiating the aura of a night aristocrat.

With a wave of her hand, blood seeped from her fingertips, coalescing into a long blade of crimson.

Blood Control—vampire technique.

She pressed the hat down with her palm—her body instantly dissolved into mist.

Mist Form.

As the mist dispersed, the flutter of bat wings echoed. A cluster of beautiful, adorable little bats reformed into human shape—Dorothy’s figure reappeared.

Bat Transformation.

As her lovely peach eyes narrowed, a flash of crimson appeared—her entire being turned seductively beautiful, then instantly reverted to plain, ordinary, like any village girl.

Soon, Dorothy fully mastered the vampire hunter hat’s abilities, and a wave of emotion welled up inside her.

Anne had clearly put tremendous effort into this gift—it was almost custom-made for her.

Of course, for the weakling she’d been a year ago.

Back then, she lacked magical energy—the vampire marquis power solved that.

She feared her beauty would draw trouble—so the vampire’s charm ability helped mask it.

And since she often taught Alice magic and was familiar with vampire witch powers, mastering the marquis’s abilities came easily.

With just this hat, Dorothy could already count herself among the top young witches.

The only problem? Her own power level had skyrocketed too fast. In barely half a year, this vampire hunter hat already felt outdated—now it was barely worth storing.

Still, that didn’t stop Dorothy from being delighted—after all, the love embedded in this hat was far more precious than the gift itself.

"Thank you, Anne. I love this gift."

The House Witch smiled sweetly at her stepmother.

Anne turned her head away, slightly embarrassed.

"Pfft. I’m not blind—I can tell this hat’s kinda useless for you now. As long as you don’t hate it."

The petite vampire queen said.

The material came from the heart-core of a vampire marquis she’d hunted on the battlefield—among her entire fortune, it was one of her most valuable treasures.

Originally, she’d planned to save it for Alice to absorb later as nourishment—but after remarrying Adam and discovering this stepdaughter’s talent, she changed her mind, spending a fortune to have an old friend craft it into this hat.

But she’d never imagined this stepdaughter would grow so insanely fast. Just months ago, she was a harmless 10,000 mana witch—now even a near-peak witch like herself felt utterly baffled standing before her.

Hmph. After all, she’s the infamous Jester Grand Inquisitor. If I actually fought her now, I’d probably get crushed.

"It’s not useless at all—it’s still really useful!"

Dorothy firmly rebutted her aloof stepmother.

Anne knew this was just comfort—but still, her mood lifted considerably.

"Fine. If you like it, good. There’s still upgrade potential—if you’re strong enough, go to the frontlines, kill a vampire true ancestor, and absorb its power to strengthen it."

Dorothy: "."

She’d hunt a vampire true ancestor? That’s equivalent to a sage-level demon god! I’d be the one getting hunted, not the hunter. Stepmother, you really have high expectations for me.

Ignoring this overconfident aloof stepmother, the House Witch turned her gaze to the other gift box.

Adam’s gift.

Dorothy had no idea her father had prepared another birthday present. She’d assumed the vampire hunter hat was their joint gift—this was a real surprise.

But she genuinely couldn’t guess what Adam might have given her.

Logically, this lifetime’s Adam was just an ordinary human mage—even among humans, his power was legendary, but to witches, he was merely elite-tier, at most a weak great witch.

Hmm, right now, even without power boosts, Dorothy could easily one-hand beat her father. She couldn’t possibly expect him to give anything truly valuable.

But remembering the depth hidden beneath this seemingly ordinary father’s countless reincarnations—even the House Witch couldn’t be sure. Who knew if Adam had a surprise waiting?

Hmph. Now that she thought about it, she was even more curious.

Of course—blind boxes only feel thrilling when you don’t know what’s inside. Anne’s gift lacked that excitement.

"Dad, what’d you give me?"

She rubbed her hands together but didn’t open the box yet, instead looking at Adam.

"Open it and you’ll find out."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"I’m just adding ceremony! Give me a hint. You’d never give me a weapon—you’re desperate to keep me off the battlefield. You already gave me a magic bag. So… some rare spell?"

Dorothy speculated, but her father’s usually handsome face now wore that infuriatingly mysterious grin.

"Guess. Guess again."

He might as well have written those words on his forehead.

The House Witch: "."

I’ll guess your ass.

Dorothy abandoned all that ceremonial nonsense and simply opened the gift box, which wasn’t particularly large anyway.

Inside the box, a shrinking spell had been cast; as the box opened, the spell dissolved, and the object within instantly returned to its original size.

A heavy thud echoed through the room as something struck the floor.

Though the House Witch was caught off guard by this unexpected gift, she still managed to reach out and grasp the object inside—but even so, its weight exceeded her expectations, and it still crashed onto the floor.

But Dorothy had no time to mourn the floor; she could only stare in shock at the gift before her.

It was an enormous, heavy warbow—its absurd size made even the House Witch, who stood two meters tall, feel overwhelmed, as if this weapon were meant solely for giants of myth.

Whether its monstrous proportions, its crushing weight, the ferocious beast carvings along its surface, or the terrifying magical pressure it emitted—all of it screamed of its dreadful power.

This was a weapon of slaughter.

“Dad, did you suddenly change your personality—or get possessed? No, where did you even get this thing? Did you hook up with that rich woman again? I really don’t need San Niang right now.”

The House Witch blinked at Adam.

After all, this was utterly bizarre. Adam had always feared she’d become a war-mad monster like Long Ma. If he could help it, he’d never want her to step onto a battlefield, let alone stain her hands with blood.

So why had this father, who so dreaded violence, suddenly given her a weapon so bloodthirsty it made even her heart tremble? Something was deeply wrong.

Moreover, the bow’s rank was absurdly high—it was the most powerful weapon she’d ever seen, surpassing even the Divine King’s Sacred Sword that Sophilia had drawn.

This was a true divine artifact.

Could something like this really belong to my ordinary dad?

Yet Adam paid no heed to his daughter’s rambling. He merely gazed at the bow with a complex expression, then spoke.

“Stop talking nonsense. This is truly an ancestral heirloom. Our family has always been Heroes—some ancestors slew dragons, others saved nations. We’ve merely declined over time. Most of the Heroic divine weapons once used by our forebears have been lost, but this bow has been preserved all along, because no one has ever been able to wield it. I went back to our hometown specifically to retrieve it. Dorothy, you’re the one who can master it.”

“Its name: The Godslayer Bow—Hundred Beasts Slain.”

Adam continued his explanation.