Shadow of the Beautiful World

Alisa Makinos, this is a name that is quite unfamiliar to ordinary people. In the circle of vampires, it is also quite low-key. Except for some ancient vampires, almost no one knows the existence of this legend .

As a vampire, it's a comparative failure of this life, unlike Dracula, Vlad III, or even Countess Elizabeth, who have very famous stories handed down. But on the other hand, never has a vampire lived as comfortably as it did.

Vampires are almost naturally hostile to humans because of their bloodthirsty nature. Wherever they go, there will be targeting and hostility.

But only Mr. Alisa Makinos, the Supreme Grand Duke, is an exception.

When the Supreme Family was active in Europe, even the most radical demon hunters would not target it and its family, because in that circle, anyone who knew the existence of the Supreme Duke knew that the legendary vampire was an inviolable vampire. guy.

It is immersed in its own obscure and crazy research, and it poses no threat to others.

After moving to New York, the Magic Congress and the Supreme Family cautiously contacted for a period of time, and regarded them as harmless forces. Now they have become friends of S.H.I.E.L.D. It can be said that in this respect, the Grand Duke is a real legend.

If one day, the legendary old ghosts who are still alive in the world want to select a Human Goodwill Ambassador, then this gentle Supreme Duke will definitely be on the list.

When Merlin arrived at the Supreme Family's manor on the outskirts of New York City, it was exactly 9 o'clock in the evening.

Nissa didn't lie, this was a private dinner, so the manor was very quiet, completely devoid of the madness of other vampire forces at night. All the vampires in the manor were dressed very formally, and they were all as polite as the retainers of those ancient families. The whole manor was filled with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.

This made the peaceful Merlin feel better about the Supreme Family.

However, Merlin was a little disappointed when he saw the Grand Duke himself.

This ancient legendary vampire is not beautiful, at least not as handsome as in those vampire love movies.

When Merlin walked into the study, His Excellency the Grand Duke was sitting by the fireplace with Fury, chatting softly about some issues of mutual interest.

Father, Your Excellency Merlin has arrived.

Nissa led Merlin into the room, and she called softly.

The next moment, the Grand Duke stood up tremblingly, holding a bat-shaped cane, and looked back at Merlin.

It is very old, its hair, eyebrows and beard have all fallen out, it looks like a weird big bald head, its skin is abnormally pale, although there is a gentle smile on its face, but that kind of smile matches those dark red eyes, It seems a little scary.

This is actually quite normal. Although vampires have a long lifespan, ancestors like Dracula can still become true immortals, but time only slows down the speed of progress on them, and they are not completely immune to the influence of time.

According to what Nisha said before, this Supreme Grand Duke, His Excellency Alisa Maginos, has lived for at least 1,200 years. If it does not use various methods to change its appearance, then a 1,200-year-old vampire would be It should be as ugly as it is now.

Hello, Your Excellency the Grand Duke.

Merlin put his left hand on his chest, nodded slightly, and paid tribute to the ancient man.

Your Excellency Merlin, don't be so polite.

Alisa Makinos leaned on a cane with both hands, and said to Merlin:

Come and sit down, there is still some time before the dinner, I talked a lot with Mr. Fury, and he spoke highly of you. From what I understand, you are definitely an excellent young man , a rising star in full bloom. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a vibrant young hero.”

This is really an extremely high evaluation.

Merlin walked forward with a smile and sat beside Fury.

His immediate superior looked at the dress on Merlin, and the one-eyed dragon whispered:

The clothes are nice, which museum did you get them from?

A generous gift from a 'friend'.

Merlin said casually:

Do you want it? I've got several lace-trimmed ones that should suit you, Fury.

It's Vlad's clothes.

The Grand Duke waved his hand, signaling his daughter to prepare for the dinner, while he himself took a bottle of amber wine from the wine cabinet, and walked to the fireplace with two glasses.

The legendary vampire just glanced at Merlin's attire before saying where it came from.

Only Vlad likes to adorn such an elegant dress with these tacky shiny accessories. He was a luxurious nobleman and general before, and after becoming a blood clan, he hasn't changed his slightly vulgar aesthetics.

Merlin looked at Alissa who was hanging the glass and pouring wine into it. He asked softly:

Have you had contact with Vlad III?

certainly.

The Grand Duke glanced at Merlin, and there was a hint of nostalgia in his tone. He handed two glasses of wine to Fury and Merlin, and then said:

Europe is so big, there will always be some intersection between legends and legends. Our blood races also have organizations similar to human clubs. Let me think about it. It should be more than 500 years ago. Vlad and I were in the same chess club In that period of time, he was my best chess friend.

You don't sound like friends.

Fury said:

Do you have a bad relationship?

Indeed, it is a pity.

The Grand Duke leaned on his cane, looked at the dancing fire in front of him, and said:

Vlad III is kind of young among us, he's blood because of Dracula, he doesn't want to be one of us. He's always cynical, and conceptually, seems closer to Dracula despite his Hate him very much. It's easy to understand, Vlad was a brutal human, and before he became a vampire, he liked to torture his enemies with stakes.

Before his body changed, his soul had actually been transformed. Dracula probably saw this, so he gave his source blood to Vlad. Based on what I know about Dracula, Although there are many small families attached to him, he himself is not a legend who likes to develop followers.

About Dracula.

Merlin asked:

Have you heard of it in recent years?

No, I just know that Dracula's resurrection in 1992 suffered some accidental factors, and his castle in Romania was abandoned, but I don't know more. And, at least in front of me, you should call Dracula he.

The Supreme Grand Duke said without a trace of fireworks:

Don't forget, Merlin, I am also a member of the 'it' you said. We are not beasts, and this kind of calling for beasts will make us feel very uncomfortable.

Merlin glanced at Fury, who gave him a slight nod, and Merlin said:

Well, because of the riots of the vampires a while ago, I got used to calling them that, uh, them.

I can understand.

The Grand Duke nodded in satisfaction, and said:

My compatriots, especially those born after the 19th century, cannot understand the impact and significance of the Nightcrawler Treaty on the blood race, nor have they seen the Middle Ages, when all other forces gathered to try to eliminate The blood race's terrifying war, they don't understand war at all, but they yearn for war. They are very immature, and this restless immaturity may bring disaster to us.

Humanity today is no longer the ignorant civilization of the Middle Ages. Once a war starts, the race of vampires will undoubtedly die. In fact, this is also the situation faced by all aliens now.

Alissa's cognition of the present world is so clear that it makes people feel surprised.

Especially for Merlin, he has dealt with vampires for several years, and he has never seen any vampire look at the problem so calmly.

Perhaps, this is the unique wisdom that the 1200-year long time brought to the legendary man before him.

Of course, this also leads to a new problem.

So, Your Excellency the Grand Duke, what do you think of the difference between humans and vampires, and what are your plans for the future of vampires?

Fury was holding a wine glass, he asked softly.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and as the operational commander under the World Security Council, when Fury contacts a force, he must first figure out the positions of both parties. It seems that this one-eyed dragon is also prepared today. .

Facing Fury's question, the Grand Duke frowned. He could fully understand Fury's meaning. After a few seconds of pondering, the old legendary vampire said:

You should know that the predatory nature of vampires is actually more like a virus. The development of human medical technology has finally given me a clear answer to my thinking over the past few hundred years.

It's a virus that hides in our bodies. It spreads through bodily fluids and flows through the blood vessels of the human body within 72 hours at the most. It performs some kind of sophisticated biological transformation on normal human bodies, turning them into another creature.

Alissa said calmly:

Including the evolution of vampires, I mean, after becoming a high-level vampire, bat wings are derived, or some alienated families will grow scales, etc. These are all derived from blood-sucking viruses after absorbing enough energy. derived tissue but since it's a virus, it can be modified in some way like any other virus.

In ancient times, I tried many methods, resorting to magic, alchemy and even black magic, etc. I made some progress, but I still didn't get any results. Until the human genetic technology made progress in the new century, I suddenly found that that was the hope I was waiting for.

The Grand Duke smiled, his smile was so horrifying, like a big villain in a b-grade horror movie.

He said:

I set up a large-scale biological laboratory in Europe, specializing in the study of mutants of blood-sucking viruses. The current progress is gratifying. Maybe ten or twenty years later, the blood-sucking habit of blood races will be terminated, and by that time, blood races and blood-sucking The biggest contradiction between human beings and other heterogeneous species can be completely resolved.

When the vampires stop feeding on other creatures, we become the most harmless of the multitude and once the relationship is eased, then contact can really begin, I mean Yes, in my opinion, there is no difference between vampires and humans, even those annoying werewolves.

We come from the same source and are brothers connected by blood. We naturally have to get along in a peaceful way. This is my view on the relationship between the blood race and human beings, and it is also my plan for the future of the blood race. This is why the supreme family will agree. The reason for intervening in the chaos in New York.

The Grand Duke coughed lightly, and said in a serious tone:

If we yearn for peace, then we should take actions instead of talking about it. I am not a hypocrite. I am willing to accept the new order promoted by SHIELD. Of course, I know that you will not believe us so easily , but time will tell.

The Grand Duke's voice fell, and his door was pushed open at this moment. A steward made a gesture to the Grand Duke, and Alissa turned her head and said to Fury and Merlin:

Okay, guests, the dinner party is ready. Please come with me and sit down.

This delicate, human dinner was a delight to eat.

During the banquet, the Grand Duke also opened a bottle of fine wine from 1793, which is said to be the booty captured by Napoleon after winning the Toulon War.

After dinner, at 11 o'clock in the evening, Fury and Merlin were sent out of the manor, and Fury drove Merlin back to Hell's Kitchen in his own car.

As they drove into downtown New York, Fury suddenly asked:

Do you believe what he said?

Facing Fury's question, Merlin raised his eyebrows and said:

To be honest, I don't believe a single punctuation mark. The Supreme Grand Duke is a character who once confronted Dracula and did not lose the wind. If he is said to be a real peacemaker, anyone with a higher IQ than his feet will not believe it. He definitely had some sort of purpose, including the virus experiment he was talking about.

But his cleverness is that, no matter whether he has other ideas or not, his current behavior is in our interests. We have no reason to target them. What a cunning guy.

Well, yes. He talks evenly, almost impeccably.

Fury nodded, and while turning the steering wheel, he said:

Before you came, Alissa invited the scientific research force of S.H.I.E.L.D. to join the project, but I declined. Before we figure out his purpose, we'd better not act rashly.

By the way, Fury, speaking of Dracula, I have something to tell you.

Merlin sat in the co-pilot, and he told Fury what the blade had discovered. The latter frowned. After a while, he said:

That vampire hunter blade, is it believable?

almost.

Merlin says:

From what has been shown so far, Blade is more inclined to the human camp. He firmly believes that he is more like a human than a vampire.

Then take him into our organization.

Fury said without hesitation:

We need this kind of high-end power. Maybe he can become an Avenger in the future, maybe.