Marvel: The Super Player

New Orleans.

A city where mystery held a far greater presence than modern technology.

Located in the southern region of the country, the name alone immediately conjured numerous historical connections to France.

In fact...

New Orleans was one of the few cities that could be linked not only to witches, but also to werewolves, vampires, mages, and it even retained a deep history of voodoo.

Once upon a time...

During those spirited, historical eras, captured slaves from the African continent arrived at the ports of New Orleans in an endless stream before being transported to various parts of the country.

At that time, Africa possessed the art of voodoo.

Naturally.

In order to smoothly capture those individuals who attempted to resist using voodoo, vampires, werewolves, and witches—who were all busy making a living in the mortal world—followed those groups of slaves and arrived in New Orleans.

Fundamentally, almost any supernatural ability that set foot in the country used New Orleans as a starting point before spreading outward.

Even...

It was rumored that to this day, vampires and werewolves still existed within New Orleans. It was an openly acknowledged secret that New Orleans used its unique charm to attract tourists, who ultimately became a source of food for the vampires.

It followed the exact same rules as the vampires in New York.

However, Locke had not crossed paths with any vampires in New York so far. It seemed that whenever he went somewhere, the vampires would actively steer clear of him.

Which was rather fascinating.

As for New Orleans?

Vroom!

A silver-white Audi R8 had already left the main city area of New Orleans at this moment, hurtling directly toward their destination, Lake Lery, like a streak of silver lightning.

Inside the car.

Locke reported that they had arrived safely to Gwen, who had called, and then hung up the phone. He looked toward Carrie, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. "And here I thought New Orleans would be teeming with vampires and werewolves."

Carrie looked at Locke. "There aren't any?"

Locke shook his head. "I wouldn't say there aren't any. They are very few, and the scent is a bit different."

Carrie opened her mouth.

"Scent?"

"Yeah."

"..."

Noticing the gradually peculiar look in Carrie's eyes, Locke realized what she was thinking and explained, "I mean their scent, not their flavor. I haven't eaten a vampire or a werewolf yet."

Carrie's eyelids twitched. "Yet..."

What, did he genuinely plan to taste a vampire or a werewolf if given the chance?

If Carrie had not known Locke for so long, she probably would have assumed he was some sort of psychopath.

Wait.

Was he?

Carrie fell into a brief daze, feeling completely bewildered.

After speaking, Locke focused his attention back onto the road ahead.

He logged those scents and traits into his mental records based entirely on what he saw, heard, and sensed.

But...

When it came to vampires, Locke had only ever encountered one, and that one felt like a mutated variant. As for the genuine, classic vampires who feared garlic and silver, Locke had not seen a single one.

Mavis?

Mavis was not a pure, classic vampire. She was the daughter of a vampire and a witch. To put it this way, Mavis's bat form was not achieved through vampire abilities, but rather through the witch powers she inherited.

From a certain perspective, Mavis did not fear sunlight at all either, though she seemed to be entirely unaware of that fact.

In short...

If it were diamond vampires, Locke would be incredibly familiar with their scent. But here in New Orleans, the scent was quite similar to the vampire-like scent he had encountered in New York City.

The reason he called it similar was that Locke had never actually seen the vampires of New York City either. To reiterate, the vampires in New York City would literally go out of their way to avoid Locke even if they sensed his presence.

"Forget it."

Locke smiled, looking over at Carrie. "It shouldn't involve those bats anyway."

His primary focus for completing missions was still within the ordinary world. If he could avoid getting involved in supernatural missions, there was no need to seek them out. After all, given the choice between an absolute stomp and an easy win, the preference was clear.

After a short while.

Locke slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Opening the door.

Locke removed the sunglasses from his face—which were not a system product—and looked with curiosity at the crowds of people moving toward Lake Lery as if gathering for a mass assembly.

"What are they... doing?"

"The witch trials."

"What?"

Standing by the passenger door, Carrie heard this response and could not help but look toward the direction of the voice, only to see a woman standing next to Locke.

The woman was not the point; the fact that she was a witch was the point.

This person is a witch?

Locke glanced at the woman who spoke, smiled slightly, and extended his hand.

"Locke Broughton. This is my sister, Carrie."

Cordelia Foxx shook hands with Locke. "Foxx. Cordelia Foxx."

"So..."

Cordelia looked at Locke with a face full of curiosity. "Mr. Broughton, aren't you and your sister here to attend the witch trial assembly?"

Locke shook his head. "No."

To be completely honest.

Cordelia smiled. "If you aren't here to attend the witch trial assembly, then very few outsiders come to this place, especially New Yorkers."

Locke raised an eyebrow. "I am not a New Yorker."

"Oh."

"I am from Texas, ma'am."

Locke made a gesture as if tipping a cowboy hat.

You are the New Yorker, your entire family is.

A New Yorker?

These days, aside from New Yorkers proudly declaring themselves as such, who else would actually care to call themselves that?

I belong to the great state of Texas, the Lone Star State.

A Lone Star Texas Cowboy!

The birthplace of great cowboys, the crossroads where demons and contracts intersect, a mystical land blessed by the Lone Star.

Of course.

Saying this actually carried a tiny bit of alternative intent.

If the legends of New Orleans belonged to witches, vampires, and werewolves, then the legends of Texas belonged to demons, evil spirits, and hell.

What did New York have?

Probably absolutely nothing.

Looking at Locke as he mimed tipping his cowboy hat, Cordelia Foxx was slightly taken external. "Is that so? You are Texans?"

"Yes."

"Well, my mistake."

Cordelia spoke smoothly. She suspected Locke's words might have carried an underlying implication, but she had no proof.

However...

It was a good thing they were not here to participate in the witch trial assembly.

Thinking this in her heart, Cordelia smiled at Locke and Carrie, said, "I hope you two have a wonderful time," and then took her leave.

A short while later.

Locke drove into the small town, located a coffee shop that had clearly been open for quite a number of years, and selected a seat near the window before sitting down.

Through the window, one could clearly observe the crowds of people departing one after another toward Lake Lery, seemingly heading out to participate in some sort of witch assembly.

Just then.

The proprietress of the coffee shop walked over to ask Locke what he would like to order.

Locke ordered two coffees and a box of pastries, then looked at the proprietress and began to inquire out of curiosity.

The proprietress glanced at Locke and Carrie.

And then...

"From out of town?"

"Yes."

"Just arrived, right?"

"...That's correct."

"No wonder. You came from New York, didn't you?"

"..."

Locke and Carrie looked at each other, confirming that neither of them had any labels slapped onto their faces. Earlier, Cordelia Foxx also seemed to have discerned their origin at a single glance.

But Cordelia was a witch, which made it understandable.

But this proprietress before them?

Was she using a cheat code?

Seeing the expression on Locke's face, the proprietress smiled and pointed toward the Audi R8 parked right outside the window. "That is your car, correct?"

Locke looked at the proprietress with a hint of confusion and nodded.

What did the car have to do with New York? Audi did not sell cars exclusively within New York City.

The next second.

The proprietress smiled. "The Peerless Assassin!"

For some unknown reason, Locke felt like he understood completely.

The proprietress followed up by saying that starting from January of this year, the number of New Yorkers driving Audi R8s, or coming to New Orleans to rent cars for self-driving trips—specifically renting Audi R8s—seemed to have increased significantly.

As residents of a third-tier tourist town, learning to distinguish what kind of tourists came from major cities and could be overcharged was a mandatory subject.

Naturally, the Audi R8, driven by New York's cultural influence, topped the list.

As for why this happened.

It was likely that those New Yorkers residing in New York City assumed that since an Audi R8 wouldn't even be targeted by car thieves inside New York City whether locked or unlocked, it would be much the same outside of New York.

However, the harsh reality taught them a brutal lesson.

Carrie pursed her lips, looking with a smile at the joking proprietress. "Ma'am, you aren't planning to overcharge us, are you?"

I advise you to choose kindness, ma'am.

The proprietress laughed. "I've run this coffee shop for almost thirty years. Aside from regular customers, who else comes here? However, if you two intend to go to Lake Lery, it is best to hire a local guide."

"Why?"

"Without a local to lead the way, you will get completely lost inside the forest."

It seemed rare for the proprietress to encounter out-of-town tourists here, so she opened up and said, "Never mind you two, even for us locals, if a few people wander in by chance, they might not make it back out. Legend has it that Lake Lery swallows people."

Carrie was slightly taken external. "No way."

Locke also looked at the proprietress curiously. "I did some research before coming here, and I didn't find anything unusual mentioned."

The proprietress looked at Locke. "The research you did covers the modern Lake Lery. Do you know the origin of Lake Lery?"

Locke shook his head.

"Legend has it..."

Speaking up to this point, the proprietress paused, looked at Locke, and smiled warmly. "We have a newly released cake in our shop that tastes quite wonderful. Would you like to try some while listening to my story?"

Locke felt somewhat speechless, but he still nodded. "Of course."

Smart!

Thinking this in her heart, the proprietress looked at Locke and Carrie and said, "This matter, speaking of which, is directly connected to the witch trial assembly you saw when you first came in."

With that.

Prompted by Locke's willingness to spend, the proprietress began to introduce the origin of this so-called witch trial assembly.

"Have you two ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials?"