Vampires are very peculiar creatures.

In folklore, vampires live on the blood of humans and animals, and they draw their strength from blood.

This statement cannot be wrong, but it is not accurate.

According to wizards, vampires are magical creatures that are very similar to humans, and in the dissection experiments of wizards on vampires nearly a thousand years ago, they found that the internal organs of vampires are 95% similar to humans, which is enough to prove that the evolution of vampires and humans comes from the same origin.

Like a river branching off in its track, humans and vampires have evolved over thousands of years for unknown reasons to become two completely different beings.

The wizard's explanation for this is that in ancient times, some primitive people who could sense the existence of magic suffered from a special kind of "hemophilia" for various reasons. Since he can't produce heme on his own, he has to suck the blood of others to replenish this essential element of the body.

And this crazy and evil behavior further caused the vampires' bodies to mutate, so that they have far more power than ordinary people, and even the body structure has changed.

Of course, this explanation is generally not accepted by vampires, who stubbornly believe that their bloodline is sacred, and even create some ethereal legends that associate their race with gods. When someone mentions their origins in front of a vampire, it is often perceived as a taunt by the vampire.

In general, canine teeth, dynamic vision, sharp claws, twisted hideous skin, these are the characteristics of vampires.

The longer vampires exist, the more exaggerated their appearance becomes, with high-level vampires growing bat wings and legendary vampires having their own unique appearances.

Of course, it doesn't matter how they look, what really matters is that once the vampires reach the boundaries of legendary creatures, they will be born with their own unique powers, which are almost impossible to imitate.

"Dracula's legendary power is called 'River of Blood.'"

In an abandoned factory in Manhattan, Miss Bloodstone, while sorting through the old and broken text in her hand, says to Merlin and Blade:

"Everyone in the Bloodstone family knows how dangerous Dracula is. The power of the Blood River gives Dracula the attribute of almost immortality, and every life that it has absorbed blood will become the source of Dracula's power, becoming its 'blood double', and Dracula will not suffer a real fatal blow until the power of the Blood River is completely consumed. ”

"So, how many lives are buried in Dracula's river of blood?"

Merlin asked:

"How many times can it come back from the dead?"

Elsa glanced at Merlin, a flash of silence in her pretty blue eyes, and after a moment she replied:

"Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands... No one knows, and the question is meaningless, the only thing we know for sure is that unless Dracula voluntarily gives it up, it is immortal in the true sense of the word. ”

"It's tough."

Blade frowned as well, and it was clear that he had sensed how tricky Dracula's power was from Elsa's explanation.

"But you don't need to worry."

Elsa Says:

"It is the mission of the Bloodstone family to resist and seal Dracula, and it must step over the corpses of every Bloodstone hunter before it can wreak havoc on the world. After my father disappeared, it was my fate. ”

"Alright, alright, Miss Bloodstone."

Old Whistler sat on the side, drinking a small bottle of wine, and said to Elsa:

"Stop telling Dracula's horror story, you see you scared both boys. Let's talk about the trouble we have at hand. About that blood god..."

"Well, I was about to say that."

Miss Bloodstone placed the open, heavy book in front of Merlin and Blade, and she pointed to the open page, saying:

"Whistler and I solved the mystery of those ancient texts, and the good news is that it wasn't Dracula who left the source blood behind. But the bad news is that this legendary vampire has some connection to Dracula..."

"Vlad III?"

Merlin looked at the page in front of him, he looked at the illustration drawn in a retro way, he looked up in some surprise and looked at Elsa:

"Isn't that the real name of the vampire Dracula? The famous 'Piercing Male' is a story that even children know. Elsa, if you're not kidding, then you mean that Vlad III and Dracula are actually two people, not one? ”

"yes, that's what I meant."

Elsa brushed a strand of hair from her ear, and she said seriously:

"It's hard to pass on the truth from one generation to the next in a short life. I don't need to repeat the story of Vlad III, I can only say that those stories are true, he was indeed a sincere man during his lifetime, and then, because of a painful and desperate love, he reneged on his faith and became the legendary terrifying Piercing Prince. ”

"But the story after that, ordinary people can't understand."

Miss Bloodstone pointed to the spread book and said to Merlin and Blade:

"Look here, my ancestors recorded in detail the scene of the meeting between Vlad III and Dracula. It was 1477, and Vlad III was on the verge of victory as he fought the Ottoman soldiers on the battlefield, unable to stop his ferocious attack. But the night before he died, in the ruins of an abandoned castle, soldiers under Vlad III dug up a quaint sarcophagus. ”

"The murderous man opened the sarcophagus with his own hands and freed Dracula from the seal. As a 'gift' to get out of trouble, Dracula generously gave Vlad III his strength. ”

Elsa shrugged:

"Vlad III could not harness the power of the legend, he slaughtered his most elite troops overnight, and that night, it drank blood... And when the sun rose, the real Tepes died, abandoned his surname, and since then has wandered like a ghost in the land of Romania, where it was the fiefdom of its lifetime. ”

"Because Vlad III's bloodline comes directly from Dracula, its strength is very similar to Dracula, and even its appearance is extremely similar.

At this point, Elsa paused, and after Merlin and Blade had accepted the truth, she continued:

Vlad III died at the end of the 18th century by a group of master demon hunters in his castle in Romania. That couldn't be faked, because my grandfather was one of the Master Witchers who killed Vlad III. ”

"But that era also happened to be the time of the great migration of European immigrants to North America."

Merlin rubbed his chin as he looked at the words in front of him that recorded the truth, and he said:

"The legend that Diacon was given the first vampire forerunners to set foot on the American continent was probably Vlad III and his followers. The timing was correct, that is, Vlad III had a premonition of his own death, so he prepared in advance to place his source blood in a place that would be difficult for witchers to find. ”

"It's in the Temple of the Eternal Night!"

Old Whistler picked up a piece of paper and placed it in front of Merlin and Blade, and there were 12 strange symbols on the paper that were different from each other, but of the same origin.

"This is the emblem of the pure-blood family of the 13 Presbyterians of the American Bloods, and turning them over is exactly the emblem of the vampire lineage recorded in this book. 13 It is likely that the presbyterian council was originally established to guard the tombs of their ancestors and to await their ancestors from the dead. ”

"That doesn't make sense."

Merlin looked at the symbol, and he frowned and said:

"If the Blood Clan Elders would have known this secret all along, then why had they dragged on for more than 200 years? They should resurrect their ancestors as soon as possible, right, don't vampires take the inheritance of bloodlines very seriously? ”

"The answer is simple."

Miss Bloodstone crossed her waist and whispered:

"Because they don't want to die either."

"According to the records of the broken text, opening the seal of the Temple of Eternal Night requires the sacrifice of the purest bloodline of the 12 families. Vampires are not stupid, and those who can become the heads of their families are the most cunning and vicious of the vampires. They do worship the power of the bloodline, but this worship has not yet risen to the point where it is worthy of their dedication. ”

"But now, they have to do that."

Merlin Says:

"Deacon is a careerist, it will not allow its plans to be abandoned halfway, it seems that the Blood Clan Elders, this time it is difficult to escape."

"I have a question!"

Blade, who had been silent, suddenly spoke:

"It takes the pure blood of 12 families to open the Temple of Eternal Night, but there are 13 families of the Blood Elders, which means that among them, there is a legacy that does not belong to Vlad III."

"It's Gataro."

Old Whistler pursed his lips and said:

"The pure-blooded vampire who has been the Speaker in the past 30 years. I've heard before that the Gaitaro family appeared in North America later than the other 12 families, and now it seems that that rumor is true. The legacy of the Getaro family should come from another legendary vampire. ”

"Of course, this has nothing to do with what is happening now."

The old hunter looked at the others in front of him, and finally his gaze fell on the pensive Merlin, and he said:

"What do we do now? In order for Deacon to achieve his goal, he must get rid of the Blood Elders, and the Elders' family will not sit idly by... There will be wars between them, inspiring and brutal wars. Are we getting involved now, or are we waiting to see what happens? ”

"Why are you looking at me?"

Merlin looked up and saw that the other three were all looking at him.

"You're the official representative, Mr. Merlin."

Whistler laughed and said:

"Even a vampire hunter like Blade and I have heard that in the past few years, S. . . L.D.'s new order against the North American outliers. Obviously, in this case, no matter what choice we make, you are the real master. ”

"If things go to the worst and Vlad III wakes up in this era, we'll need support."

Elsa also spoke:

"Although I have only been in S.H.I.E.L.D. for one day, I also know that among the people present, you are the only one who can find enough support for us."

"Your agents are neat and clean, and I've seen them eradicate vampires in Queens, and I appreciate that cold-blooded style."

Blade pushed his sunglasses, and he said:

"If there is to be a war, I also hope that they can become my comrades-in-arms."

Hearing these explanations, Merlin shook his head, and instead of answering immediately, he took out his phone and gestured to the others:

"Wait a minute, I'll make a call."

—————————————————

"That's it, Fury."

In the corridor outside the abandoned factory, Merlin told Fury exactly what was going on, saying:

"There aren't many options in front of us right now, and I need your advice."

"Which one do you prefer?"

Fury didn't immediately give his own advice, on the contrary, the old god of the bureau chief asked:

"You must have a plan of your own, right?"

"My idea is that Deacon's side is too dangerous, and that guy is a 'big vampireist', and although he claims to rebel against the vampire's internal system, he himself is a big supporter of the bloodline theory, so I won't support it."

Merlin Says:

"But the Presbyterian Church of the Americas hasn't done well in the last few years. They have been defying the order we and the Magic Congress have been pushing for, and this time they should probably be allowed to bleed in the infighting. ”

"Oh, you mean, weaken them, and then take control of them?"

Fury coughed lightly, and he said to Merlin:

"Good idea, but your thinking is too idealistic."

"The Presbyterian Church of America has controlled the North American vampire community for more than 200 years, and their influence among the vampire community in this land is extremely profound, maybe Deacon's challenge will make them rejuvenated, but once Deacon is dead, those radical vampires are suppressed, maybe it won't be a few years, and the Presbyterian Church of the Americas will be strong again."

"They need to be weakened, and we must make sure they never return to their full glory!"

Fury's voice became cold:

"We have to find them an equal opponent and make sure that neither side has the strength to annex the other in one fell swoop after the war, and by that time, the vampire society will be polarized. L.D. l.D. will lend a helping hand to those civilian vampires, and the situation will develop smoothly and orderly under the confrontation between the three parties. ”

"The most important thing is that only after the power and power are dispersed, in order to avoid being swallowed up by the other two parties, they will willingly join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s monitoring system for aliens."

"I see!"

Fury is worthy of being Fury, and playing the game of checks and balances is simply a set.

At his reminder, Merlin immediately noticed the factors that he had overlooked.

On the East Coast, the vampires are not only the Presbyterian Church of the Americas and the Deacon Radicals, but also a very low-key, non-existent third party.

The supreme family that calls itself the ruling party of vampires, the family of vampires who fled from Eastern Europe to North America more than 50 years ago.

It is said that the Presbyterian Church of America has always been very wary of the old blood grand duke of the Supreme Family, and they have stifled the development of the Supreme Family in all directions in the past 50 years, and now it seems that the low-key Supreme Family may be more suitable than the Council of Elders to become a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vampire civilization monitoring system.

Merlin hung up, he had already made up his mind.

A moment later, he returned to the factory floor, he looked at the three witchers in the workshop, and said:

"It's time to go."

"We've got work to do."