American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 361 The Elders' Ambition

Archina was completely won over by Roy and was completely obedient to him, so naturally she wouldn't hide anything from him.

Then Roy understood what had happened to the European Presbyterian Church.

First, there is the collective weakening of the third generation of vampires.

This was actually predictable, because with the balance of power shifting between humans and vampires, vampires are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain good food.

Some might argue that with the blood plasma market being so large, vampires shouldn't be lacking food.

However, vampires don't actually survive just by drinking blood. While they drink human blood, they also absorb a portion of the human's vital energy, which is the key to their strength.

Therefore, if a powerful vampire wants to maintain normal activities, it must drink the blood of living people.

This is something that governments around the world have been tacitly cracking down on. No matter how much Europeans are involved with vampires, they do not want vampires to become powerful.

As long as there is no fresh blood from living people to drink, the overall strength of vampires is destined to become weaker and weaker.

The third generation of vampires had to remain in a state of long-term slumber to reduce energy consumption for this reason; however, this slumber could mean they would never wake up again.

So here's the question: don't the vampires know this?

I definitely know, but there's nothing I can do about it.

This sudden madness of the elders is probably the last struggle of the vampire forces.

"Valentine is considered the strongest fourth-generation vampire below the third-generation vampires. He is just at a threshold that he can withstand. His strength is very close to that of a third-generation vampire, a duke. He can barely maintain his energy consumption, so he is the current leader of the Elder Council."

Achina seemed to really enjoy playing with the cat toy, constantly rubbing her face against it, and even applying a thick layer of face mask to her own face.

The face mask was so sticky that Achina could barely open her eyes, but she was still enjoying it.

"So how does the Elders' Council plan to turn the tables?"

this is the key of the problem.

"Roy, have you ever heard of the origins of vampires?"

"Is it the one about Cain, or the one about Dracula?"

"Of course it's the legend of Cain. Although Dracula was also very powerful, he was a person from the early Middle Ages. Vampires were born before the Great Flood."

Roy touched Archina's hair. The female vampire's hair felt quite stiff, and touching it really felt like touching a Siberian silver shaded vampire.

Especially the way Achina was waving the taillights and constantly scratching the cat toy.

Should we get Archina a set of cat ears and a cat tail next time?

Wait, why am I already thinking about next time?
"Yes, I've heard of it."

"There is a legend circulating among the vampires that after God cursed Cain, He also gave Cain a way to break free of the curse: to find the Holy Grail that God gave to Jesus, obtain the holy blood of Jesus contained in the Holy Grail, and he could completely break God's curse and ascend to a higher existence."

Upon hearing this, Roy's expression turned strange, because just two days ago, he had drunk a knock-off version of Jesus' Blood at the Time Bar.

How could it be such a coincidence?

"So the elders came to America?"

Achina nodded.

"The Elders searched for the Holy Grail in Europe for hundreds of years before finally discovering that it had arrived in the Americas with the Mayflower. Then, they spent another hundred years finding the Shadow Hunters who were responsible for protecting the Holy Grail."

The Shadow Hunter likely refers to Claire's mother, Jocelyn Frey.

If that's the case, then everything makes sense.

The elders, unable to capture Jocelyn, attempted to lure her out by capturing Claire, but unexpectedly, Claire turned out to be a half-angel.

"Archina, do you know where the Elders' headquarters are in Los Angeles?"

Achina was enjoying dessert when she answered Roy in a muffled voice.

"I'm not sure about that, but it's definitely a safe place, usually underground."

Underground? Could it be a ghoul's lair?
Roy also remembered the vast space he discovered in the abandoned subway lines, where vampires might be hiding.

I glanced at the time; it was almost 9 o'clock, and it was about time to leave.

"Achina, thank you very much for the information. I have to go now."

Roy quickly got up, dressed, and prepared to leave the bedroom.

After walking only a few steps, Roy felt Archina hugging his leg.

Looking down, I saw the longing look in Archina's eyes.

"Roy, will you come looking for me again?"

"Pide next time."

Seemingly sensing Roy's dismissive tone, Archina quickly added fuel to the fire.

"Next time, you can invite Bella, Cassandra, and Daniela to come and keep you company!"

Bella, Cassandra, and Daniela are the three vampire girls.

Vampires are unable to reproduce; they can only propagate their offspring through the Embrace.
These triplets are three sub-lineage vampires embraced by Archina. They usually address each other as mother and daughter, but they are not actually related by blood.

(The Timitrescu sisters)

Well, Roy found it hard to refuse; Archina's hospitality was simply irresistible.

"I will be back."

Upon hearing this, Archina's eyes lit up, and she lay on the ground watching Roy leave.

"Roy, you must come back to find me!"

Back at the Sangeviki bar, it was already closed, with only three vampire girls and Saltana remaining.

The three vampire girls' eyes lit up when they saw Roy, making Roy wonder if his charm had an extra effect on non-human beings.

Saltana looked at Roy with a mocking expression.

"nailed it?"

Roy nodded.

“Yes, Archina told me some important information.”

After listening to Roy's account, Saltana's expression turned serious.

"This doesn't sound like a simple incident!"

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the three generations of vampires are older than human history. If the Elders were to really go all out and fight, it would be a disaster for most countries.

"Yes, these remnants of the old era should be swept into the dustbin of history!"

Roy is definitely on the side of humanity. Since the elders are trying to cause trouble, they should just be shut down.

“Roy, this incident is a bit beyond my authority. I need to go back and report to my superiors.”

“I understand. I’ll take you back to the Dolphin Hotel first. I should probably head back to the Shadow Hunters’ base too.”

As he spoke, Roy took his phone out of his pocket and saw that it had a lot of missed calls, all from Claire.

Oh no! Something must have happened!

Roy and Archina were fighting deep underground in the bar, an environment where even satellite phones couldn't get a signal, so he had no idea that Claire had called him so many times and sent him several text messages. He quickly dialed Claire's number back, but this time she didn't answer.

"Sister Saltana, it seems something happened to Claire, so I won't be able to take you back to the Dolphin Hotel!"

"What about the little girl?"

The Abigail captured by Roy was put into the trunk of Bumblebee.

"Let her stay in the trunk for now, and I'll interrogate her when I have a free hand."

After saying that, Roy rushed out of Sanjiviki, and the voices of three vampire girls came from behind him.

"Father, please come visit often!"

Roy:? ? ?
How did my seniority increase again?
Rewind to an hour earlier, at the Shadow Hunters' base, where Claire had just woken up.

Claire had only slept for four or five hours, and her sleep was extremely restless, filled with all sorts of bizarre dreams.

So after waking up, Claire still felt a little tired, and to make matters worse, she found that Roy was not around, and there was a ghost in a red dress in the room.

"Are you awake?"

Claire was startled when she saw Francesca's translucent body.

"Are you a ghost?"

Francesca nodded.

“I am Roy’s ghost. He left because of something. There was a note he left on the bedside table.”

Claire then noticed a note on the bedside table, with a revolver with an ivory handle pressed down on it.

After reading Roy's message, Claire learned that Roy had received new intelligence and left the Shadow Hunters to investigate.

Relieved, Claire had thought Roy didn't want her anymore.

At this moment, Claire noticed Francesca sitting on the sofa, whose demeanor was indistinguishable from that of a real person, except that her body was semi-transparent.

"Madam, what's it like to be a ghost?"

“You can call me Francesca. Being a ghost has its advantages and disadvantages. You can experience many things that living people can’t do, but you can’t do many things that living people can do.”

"for example?"

"I can't eat normal food anymore, and Roy can only feed me occasionally. My senses have also basically disappeared, leaving only sight and hearing."

Claire shuddered after hearing Francesca's words.

"If that's the case, being a ghost doesn't seem like a fun thing. So why don't you go to heaven?"

“I stayed in the human world voluntarily to repay Roy. Little girl, you'd better not think too much. Being a ghost is very painful. I can only feel more at ease when I'm with Roy. When I was binding spirits in the local area before, it was even more painful than this.”

Claire scratched her head, as if to ask some further questions, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Ms. Frey, Mr. Black, are you awake?"

The speaker was Hodge Starkweather.

Claire panicked slightly.

"What do we do? Roy isn't here!"

"Don't panic. I'm going back into the revolver now. Keep the gun on your person, and summon me if anything happens."

Francesca remained relatively calm, which immediately gave Claire a sense of security.

So Claire followed Francesca's instructions, put the note and the M629 revolver into her pocket, and then went to open the door.

The door opened, and there stood Hodge and a row of Shadow Hunters.

Hodge glanced around the room and noticed that Roy wasn't there; a subtle change occurred in his expression.

Where is Mr. Blake?

"He... he went out on business."

After much deliberation, Claire decided to tell the truth. After all, Roy wasn't there, and there was no point in telling lies that would be exposed immediately.

Upon hearing this, Hodge smiled.

“Ms. Frey, we have prepared the ceremony, and you may go to your mother now.”

Claire hesitated.

"But Roy hasn't returned yet. Why don't we wait for him to come back before performing the ceremony?"

“Ms. Frey, your mother is in danger right now. The sooner we find her, the less danger she will be in!”

Hodge seemed to be entirely in Jocelyn's best interest, but Claire felt there was something wrong with what he was saying.

However, because she hadn't slept well, Claire's head was still a little foggy, so she didn't notice the problem with Hodge's words, and just hesitated instinctively.

“Ms. Frey, don’t waste any more time! Jocelyn may be in grave danger right now!”

Hodge kept saying that Claire's mother might be in danger, and finally Claire nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's begin the ceremony."

"follow me!"

Hodge led Claire to the main hall inside the base, where seven strange-looking old men dressed in black robes were already preparing.

These old men in black robes stood in a circle around a large stone basin, looking very mysterious.

"Mr. Starkweather, what should I do?"

"It's actually very simple. In a moment, the seven wizards will chant incantations and perform the first step of the ritual. You don't need to participate in this step. When the second step begins and the water in the stone basin glows, you just need to cut your finger with this knife, drip blood into the stone basin, and finally think of your mother's appearance in your heart. Then you will see your mother's position in the water."

Hodge handed Claire a small, ornate knife inlaid with jewels.

"That sounds pretty simple, so let's get started!"

Claire took the knife; she was genuinely worried about her mother Jocelyn's condition, so she urged Hodge to begin the ceremony.

"Wait a moment."

Hodge nodded to the seven black-robed wizards, who soon began chanting incantations.

As the ceremony progressed, the surrounding light seemed to converge in the stone basin at the center of the ceremony hall, and the light grew stronger and stronger, becoming almost as bright as a searchlight.

Five minutes later, the black-robed wizard stopped chanting the spell.

"Now! Ms. Frey, go and drip the blood!"

Claire quickly went to the stone basin and used the ornate knife in her hand to cut her finger, and blood immediately dripped into the clear water in the basin.

In an instant, all the light disappeared, and at the same time, Claire felt a cold numbness in the cut part of her finger, but she didn't pay attention to it, thinking it was just part of the ritual.

Then, Claire was surprised to see her mother Jocelyn's image appear on the surface of the water in the stone basin.

"mom!"

Unfortunately, this was just a visual; Jocelyn in the video clearly couldn't hear Claire's voice.

“Ms. Frey, don’t get agitated! Observe the scene in the picture carefully and then determine Jocelyn’s approximate location!”

(End of this chapter)