Governments around the world adopted firm policies, stating they would not allow these rumors to continue spreading. However, on that same day, three murders occurred in Downing Street, England. No high-ranking officials died. But the drained bodies deeply disturbed the powerful figures in Downing Street.
However, before governments could take any action, more events erupted. Even Lu Xuan, far away in China, received various reports. Many of these were fabricated by Dracula himself. But others were genuine events from the mystical realm.
Especially the dark creature summoned by the remnants. Dracula had merely given them an old black magic book he'd collected years ago. Unexpectedly, those guys actually managed to concoct a small version of it.
Dracula's letter said that the thing was extremely dangerous, seemingly a creature from some dark dimension. It retrieved the spellbook and repeated the ritual several times, but to no avail. Its appearance seemed somewhat coincidental. Regardless, however, it was an extremely dangerous entity.
Dracula personally intervened, and although he could completely overwhelm the creature in terms of combat power, its survival abilities far exceeded expectations, and it ultimately escaped. It is now lurking in the human world, and Dracula is powerless to stop it.
More vampires, demons, and even wizards appeared. The British government was the first to reap the rewards. Using national resources and setting up numerous traps, they successfully captured a wizard.
Although that guy was one of Dracula's men, he was a genuine wizard with magical powers and the ability to use some dark magic. This was a huge boon to the British, who quickly established a separate special department to research and contain such cases.
Germany followed suit, while France was a step behind. However, France also established a similar department. Subsequently, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, and other countries began to tacitly acknowledge the authenticity of such events and established similar departments, starting to treat all incidents with greater care.
As these countries acted, Dracula clearly sensed a change. As an immortal being who had inherited the bloodline of an unknown, ancient, dark creature, his innate abilities far surpassed those of most mystical beings.
It had begun to faintly sense that the energy in the air seemed to be showing signs of activity. Although very weak, it was absolutely real.
"Lu, I can hardly believe it. Your plan is actually working. I can already feel the increased energy activity across Europe. God help us, perhaps we really can create our own era. But I've also discovered some problems with your plan."
Our original plan was to operate in secrecy, circumventing the government. But I'm now finding that involving them to a certain extent seems to be speeding up the process.
I have a hypothesis: perhaps public perception also influences the activity of energy. And if the government intervenes, it's tantamount to the state, in a broader sense, acknowledging the authenticity of these things. This feedback to the public could then quickly advance our plans. Of course, the government also prefers secrecy. Therefore, we need to do more.
After reading Dracula's letter, Lu Xuan seemed to understand something.
"Get ready, we're going to meet some people."
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 225 Earth Immortal Village
Just to clarify, there were two updates yesterday. However, the second update was blocked again... To revise the two blocked chapters, I deleted a lot of plot. Once the blocking is lifted, you'll find the flow might be a bit disjointed. But there's nothing I can do about it. This volume is almost finished. Please look forward to the next volume!
The United States is quite different from Europe. In Europe, there are various sightings of dark creatures, and even cases of their containment. But in the United States, there is only killing and death.
Since the Salem incident years ago, all the mystical events occurring on American soil have been accompanied by bloodshed and death. A man claiming to be possessed by a demon who killed his entire family, a town vanishing without a trace, a church mysteriously burning, a ghostly killer lurking on the highway...
Adam was actually quite helpless. He was in charge of the project in North America. But what frustrated him was that after collecting all sorts of dark magic and ritual magic and trying them out one by one, he discovered that the most prevalent thing in North America was the spirit of the dead.
Whether it's the Semler incident (the content added in the censored chapter is irrelevant to the overall picture), or ghost possession and phantom killers, they are essentially driven by vengeful spirits or simply the work of malevolent entities. Simply put, all mystical events in the United States are extremely hostile.
Adam found almost no real wizards. The girl who was burned at the stake was probably the only one. But she was burned by a mob.
Adam was so enraged that he nearly slaughtered the entire town. But before he could act, the town's inhabitants were wiped out by another force.
The other evil spirit incidents were all orchestrated by Adam. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a single evil spirit he could communicate with. They were all rabid dogs, exuding overwhelming ferocity and viewing living beings as enemies.
Especially the ancestral spirits summoned by those Native American shamans. They harbor an extreme hatred for the entire United States. They don't even need to lift a finger; those evil spirits directly target the United States.
However, Adam managed to suppress their riot. These individual evil spirits couldn't cause much of a stir. Although they could kill a few people, they would soon be quelled.
Yes, evil spirits can be killed. Those Catholic holy water and crosses, for example. They actually have some effect. But the funny thing is, while these items work, Adam has never seen a truly powerful priest...
Adam had suppressed these forces for over a decade, but at the moment the mysterious events in Europe erupted, he finally let go, allowing all the evil spirits that had accumulated over the years to roam freely.
This time, the parade of a hundred demons isn't in Tokyo, but in the United States.
Countless vengeful spirits of Native Americans raged across the United States. For a time, the entire world was terrified. Haunted? They exist all over the world. But the kind of haunting in the United States is truly rare.
Lu Xuan hadn't paid much attention to ghost stories in the United States. Compared to the diverse range of ghost stories in Britain, the American ones were simply too low-tech. It has to be said, when it comes to the mystical, ultimately, history has to do with it.
Seeing that his two allies had already put their plans into action, Lu Xuan prepared to make his own move.
However, he took Dracula's advice to heart and this time he carried out the mission under the name of a national archaeological team.
Lu Xuan provided the funding, equipment, and manpower. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage sent an expert with four students, essentially as a figurehead for the operation. Lu Xuan had previously stated that all the results of this operation would be handed over to the state, as a way of supporting national cultural heritage protection efforts.
“My goodness, this is truly impossible. Others may not know, but I do. Every single person in this room, except for me, is a highly accomplished cultivator. If you can't handle this, then there's no way I can either.”
The speaker was Sun Guofu, the inheritor of the "Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique." His specialty was the Zhou Tian Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Therefore, Lu Xuan planned to bring him along as an advisor on this trip, as Lu Xuan himself wasn't very skilled in divination.
But Sun Guofu was a man of genuine ability. He cast a divination for himself and found the hexagram obscured by some domineering force. He couldn't discern anything. He knew this matter must be of earth-shattering importance, far beyond his capabilities to intervene. He resolutely refused to go.
One million US dollars.
"..." What does one million US dollars mean in this era? Simply put, it means financial freedom. Sun Guofu was stunned. This money wasn't easy to get. If it were anyone else, they'd probably risk their life for it. But Sun Guofu was a man who firmly believed in fate.
He knew that by taking the money, he was now involved in the matter. Once entangled in karma, it's difficult to extricate oneself.
Lu Xuan glanced at Sun Guofu with some surprise, and then spoke.
"Then I'll add one more condition. All these years, you've been running a street stall. Although it seems carefree, you're ultimately just drifting from place to place. Help me this time, and I can arrange a consultant position for you at the Cultural Relics Bureau. The treatment of a state cadre. A legitimate professorship."
"I'll do it." Sun Guofu agreed immediately after Lu Xuan finished speaking. He could resist the temptation of a million dollars, but proving his life's work was something he couldn't pass up. Throughout history, most fortune tellers have wandered the streets and alleys, braving wind and rain, and in the end, they usually end up alone.
Because most of these people believe in fate and know they are destined to be alone. This is the price fortune tellers pay. It's the same principle as the five ailments and three deficiencies—you can't escape them.
There's only one way to solve this problem: you need to enter the imperial court. To put it bluntly, you need to be affiliated with the state. The overall political climate will then easily offset any backlash you might suffer. Therefore, throughout history, there have always been all sorts of capable people or charlatans trying to enter the imperial court; ultimately, it's the Six Doors (the government's secret police) that offer the best opportunities for advancement.
Sun Guofu had originally calculated that while his lineage wouldn't be completely wiped out, it was likely to decline. With the founding of the People's Republic of China and the flourishing of humanity, the divination results were becoming increasingly blurred. But now, it seemed there was still a glimmer of hope.
"Very good." After Lu Xuan finished speaking, he took out something and gave it to him.
It was a round bronze mirror. The mirror's body was bluish-gray, with a slight patina of verdigris. The back was covered with densely packed dragon patterns and a ring of small seal script. However, the front of the bronze mirror was sealed off by another silver metal plate.