Chapter 28: Queen Q: The Beautiful Witch in the Dark Shadows
Curse Propagation?
Danny was a little disappointed with this result. Compared to curse propagation, he still preferred immortality.
Even an incomplete immortality would be better than curse propagation.
The latter had too much uncertainty.
He tentatively accepted this result.
Danny could largely confirm that even complete immortality was not true immortality.
Immortality also meant limitations.
Just like killers such as Jason and Michael Myers—if they couldn't be killed, then they should be sealed directly or confined to one place.
Or, as Art the Clown's abilities described, a destructive blow with overwhelming force might also be capable of killing them.
The matter concluded there.
Danny planned to attend Professor Goodman's class at UCLA after Halloween, and also see if he could visit the home of the famous paranormal investigators, the Warren couple.
The Warren couple were the demonologists from The Conjuring.
Their main task was to investigate paranormal phenomena across the country and report them to the Church.
These two were very famous on the paranormal forum, and many people had sought their help.
The website Danny logged into last time, which contained paranormal events shared by users from various states, was actually the horror enthusiast forum.
Danny remembered the Warren couple's home contained many sealed artifacts and cursed objects. If he could become an unofficial investigator for the Church and then ask for the Warrens' help, perhaps the ghost cards could be quickly filled.
But that was uncertain. In any case, let's get through Halloween first.
Danny stretched, cleaned up the crime scene traces, and then left the building.
It was already morning when he left.
The sky had just begun to lighten.
There were also many more pedestrians on the streets.
It still felt safer during the day.
Danny called and arranged to be picked up.
Setting everything else aside, his family was indeed wealthy, but this wealth was inherited, especially after his parents passed away.
Previously, Danny couldn't stop certain opportunists, so he'd simply sold most properties and lived comfortably off the proceeds. If it were now, he'd send Art the Clown to visit them one by one and teach them some manners.
However, even after dealing with them, he'd still sell most of the properties.
Danny had realized that having too much money was still powerless in the face of certain supernatural things. Enough money was sufficient.
At least in Massachusetts, he could be considered well-off.
Noon.
Collinwood Manor.
Strictly speaking, this estate was not inherited by Danny's family but was purchased from a declining wealthy family.
Spanning several hundred acres and having been renovated, its name was quite famous in New England, with dozens of staff members maintaining the property.
As the car drove into the manor,
the newly paved driveway was smooth, the lawn was meticulously trimmed, and old stone pathways wound through the gardens, specifically chosen from weathered materials that showed their age.
Danny could see staff coming and going and gardens like something from a period film, and further ahead,
from a distance, he could see the Victorian Gothic mansion standing prominently.
Frankly, Danny was very satisfied. Originally there were more people, but he'd dismissed them, keeping only the necessary staff.
Now, it seemed he needed to reduce them further.
If Danny could accommodate entities like supernatural guardians, perhaps only minimal staff would be needed for security and maintenance.
After getting out of the car,
the estate manager spoke first: "Sir, Jennifer and her friend are visiting. Several rooms remain locked as you requested."
The manager was an older man with graying hair and a professional demeanor, somewhat resembling Alfred from Batman but less formal.
"Thank you, James."
Danny preferred keeping things professional with staff.
After James left,
Danny did not immediately enter the mansion. This was his first time returning to Collinwood Manor after obtaining the ghost cards, so of course he had to check it out.
Even if just for a brief assessment.
But before he could take out the cards to check, the top-ranked Queens of Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, and Spades suddenly activated.
It should be noted that 'Q' represents the Queen.
Finally, the Queen of Diamonds materialized in his hand.
[Traces of Queen-qualified entity detected: Witch Angelique]
[Collinwood Manor can be accessed through time]
This was a change Danny had never seen on the ghost cards before. The Queens were indeed different from the other cards.
Upon detecting an existence qualified to be a Queen, would it actively reveal itself?
However, Witch Angelique certainly had that qualification.
Upon seeing the name, Danny immediately thought of Dark Shadows.
He'd only seen a portrait of the witch before, but that was a long time ago, so it was normal not to remember clearly. At that time, his parents had just bought this manor from its original owner.
It wasn't until now that the ghost card revealed her true identity.
The power of Witch Angelique was undeniable, as she'd lived for centuries.
As for the story of Collinwood Manor, it dated back to the 18th century.
Danny couldn't quite recall the full plot, but he still had some impression of this beautiful witch.
He'd heard she was spurned by some guy she loved.
This time, a new option even appeared.
Access through time?
Just from the phrase, it felt extraordinary.
Danny guessed it meant letting him go back to a certain point in time at the manor? Of course, all of this would only be known after trying.
He didn't dare try now. The alpha crawler might truly be no match for Angelique.
He still needed to get stronger.
Putting away the Queen of Diamonds, Danny formally entered the mansion, which was still as he remembered—Victorian Gothic style with pointed arched windows, vaulted ceilings, ornate details, and stained glass.
However, after renovation, it had become somewhat modernized.
After all, Danny was now the owner of the manor, so his renovation naturally prioritized his comfort.
If conditions allowed, he also wanted to add a pool and gardens in the back. Property boundaries weren't an issue—just expand, and if anything came up, he'd tell any supernatural residents he'd made arrangements.
Jennifer and her friend were not seen on the first floor.
But upon hearing the door open,
two faces peered out from the second floor.
Jennifer waved excitedly.
"Hi, babe, you're back!"
Danny looked up and said, "Come down if you want to talk."
"Tap tap tap."
Jennifer and her friend ran down the polished stairs, and when they were almost at the bottom, Jennifer leaped into Danny's arms.
Danny caught her and asked, "How was it?"
"It was amazing! The manor is huge! Oh, this is Heather, my good friend," Jennifer said, gesturing to Heather.
Heather was one of the few genuine friends Jennifer had at school, undoubtedly one of the most attractive girls there.
"Nice to meet you."
Dark hair, dark eyes, tall and athletic, a bit different build than Jennifer, but still very attractive.
However, in Danny's opinion, she still couldn't compare to Jennifer, but she was indeed very pretty.
Without much introduction from Jennifer, he knew and was familiar with Heather.
How could he not know the female lead of Texas Chainsaw 3D?
Could it be that female leads from horror films liked to hang out with other horror film protagonists?
Jennifer seemed not to want Danny to pay too much attention to Heather and turned to ask.
"Babe, do you have any plans for Halloween?"
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