Spellcasting Gods

"I'm sorry, ma'am, while I'd love to grant your wish, there's simply no time. An uninvited guest walked into the hotel just half a minute ago. If nothing unexpected happens..."

boom! boom! boom!

Before Zhang Cheng could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.

“Boss! A guy who calls himself Eagle Hamilton wants to meet you. He says he’s your friend. Also, all the men I had keeping watch around here were attacked by unidentified people. According to them, they were knocked unconscious.” Yelena’s urgent voice came through the crack in the door.

Clearly, the rapidly deteriorating situation made her so nervous that she forgot what kind of person she was loyal to.

"Have him wait for me in the lobby downstairs! Don't panic, this guy isn't an enemy, at least not yet," Zhang Cheng ordered without hesitation.

In fact, from the moment this half-vampire entered the hotel, he had already been detected by his increasingly powerful senses.

However, what he couldn't understand was why this old guy who secretly controlled the United States would come all the way to Peru.

It's important to understand that although Latin America cannot escape the influence and control of the United States in terms of economy, military, and politics, the South American Supreme Council of the underworld is no weaker than North America, and is even more powerful.

In particular, the Iberian Peninsula was under Arab control for a long period of time, so the supernatural elements incorporated very ancient and mysterious elements from the Middle East and North Africa.

After Spain gained independence, these people who possessed mysterious powers were not expelled. Instead, they were absorbed by local supernatural organizations and became the first pioneers to set foot on the American continent.

Furthermore, in the wars they later launched, they repeatedly seized a large number of precious manuscripts and knowledge from the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, gradually forming a unique system in South America.

In contrast, North America was far less fortunate; by the time the Supreme Council was established, there were hardly any targets for plunder and integration.

What's even more interesting is that the South American Supreme Council has never gotten along with the ancient European Parliament, unlike the North American Council which has close ties with Europe and often works together.

"I smell the scent of the Fallen! Are you going to see this blood-feeding monster?" Tassimma wrinkled her nose, revealing an indifferent expression.

Clearly, she had a very negative view of vampires; in fact, she found them repulsive.

Zhang Cheng shrugged dismissively and retorted, "Don't be so narrow-minded! I told you before, this world has long since become all about profit. Race, skin color, good and evil, gender, religion, beauty and ugliness are all unimportant. As long as someone can bring me enough benefit, I don't care if their hands are stained with the blood of innocent people. I will still welcome them with open arms."

Chapter 0724 For More Mushrooms

As soon as Zhang Cheng entered the lobby, he saw the half-vampire sitting on a sofa in the corner. He walked over and greeted him in a calm tone, "Good evening, dear friend. Could you please explain how you knew I was here, and why you traveled all the way to Peru?"

“Good evening, Your Excellency. Please give me a few minutes, and I will give you a reasonable explanation.” Eagle Hamilton stood up, bowed slightly, and gestured for his men to leave.

After all, the presence of a dozen or so men in suits with serious expressions in the small town of Arequipa was already conspicuous enough; he didn't want to attract any more unnecessary attention.

“You have five minutes!” Zhang Cheng gave a very short time limit directly.

“Thank you very much! Before we begin, I would like you to take a look at this document.” Eagle Hamilton quickly handed over a file.

He was undoubtedly well aware that if his next answer failed to satisfy the young man in front of him, he would face utter disaster, so he acted very humbly and cooperatively.

Zhang Cheng took it and flipped through it briefly, discovering that it was a list of US nuclear warhead maintenance and decommissioning from 1983 to the present.

It details the number of nuclear warheads the United States destroyed through various methods after the two major camps, the US and the Soviet Union, reached an agreement to mutually supervise the destruction of nuclear weapons.

Interestingly, some of these hydrogen bomb warheads marked as destroyed were circled in red, suggesting there was some unspeakable secret behind them.

Thinking of this, he immediately raised his head and asked with a half-smile, "Don't tell me that all these nuclear warheads are in your hands. There are a total of sixty of them, with yields ranging from eight megatons to twenty-three megatons of hydrogen bombs."

"You guessed right! These hydrogen bombs marked as obsolete are indeed in our hands. Initially, we only intended to use them as a trump card, as bargaining chips when Congress began its purge. However, since you need them, we are more than happy to share them. Forty of them have already been delivered to a warehouse on a farm outside New York. I have already completed the transfer of ownership of the farm, so it will be your property from now on, and you don't need to worry about attracting outside attention..."

While speaking, Eagle Hamilton carefully observed Zhang Cheng's reaction, trying to glean something from that face that maintained a faint smile throughout.

Unfortunately, he chose to give up not long after.

The reason is simple: even the most perceptive person cannot read a completely unchanging expression.

Holding this list, enough to cause global panic, Zhang Cheng's eyes gleamed meaningfully. He remained silent for a full minute before speaking, "Sixty? You really have a formidable trump card hidden away. Tell me, if the Supreme Council is prepared to take action, what are your chances of actually being able to use them?"

Eagle Hamilton shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't know! The power wielded by the Supreme Council is too great. I have no idea whether I have the power to negotiate or retaliate. That's precisely why we are so eager to obtain more and more powerful supernatural forces."

"That's right! Looks like you're not completely stupid after all! Remember, never even think about using these nuclear warheads, or you will face annihilation. And I guarantee you won't have a chance to detonate a single one of them," Zhang Cheng warned with a cold laugh.

"Why?!" Igor stared wide-eyed in surprise.

"Have you heard of the Supreme Council Joint Conference? It's an important meeting held every ten years by regional councils and local supernatural ruling bodies around the world. You can think of it as the United Nations of the underworld, but far more authoritative than a nominal UN. Once a decree is established at this conference, even the North American Supreme Council cannot change it. In the year the atomic bomb was detonated, the Supreme Council Joint Conference issued a very important decree: any underworld resident who attempts to manufacture, sell, or use nuclear weapons will face the highest level of pursuit. Believe me, you don't want to know how miserable the consequences will be for those who commit this crime," Zhang Cheng explained with a cold smile.

Although he had used one less than ten hours earlier, it did not stop him from despising the other party's overestimation of his abilities.

Fortunately, the members of the North American Supreme Council did not notice these behind-the-scenes maneuvers; otherwise, these behind-the-scenes manipulators of the United States would probably have been uprooted long ago and would not be alive today.

"Damn it! How come I've never heard of this before!"

Igor trembled slightly and involuntarily all over his body. If it weren't for his half-vampire bloodline which prevented him from sweating, his clothes would have been soaked with sweat long ago.

As someone with a deep understanding of the North American Supreme Council, he was well aware of the terrifying energy that this ancient and mysterious organization would unleash once it took action.

"Hmph! Who do you think this decree is meant to restrain? Those idiots who can't even tell the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission? No! It's meant to restrain smart people like you and me who understand the power and value of nuclear weapons. So for your safety, immediately hand over all your nuclear warheads to me for safekeeping."

After rambling on for so long, Zhang Cheng finally revealed his true colors.

That's right!

A mere few dozen nuclear warheads are simply not enough to satisfy his ambitions and appetite!

In addition, he did not believe that the mastermind behind the United States of America would have fewer than a hundred nuclear warheads.

It's important to know that since the Soviet Union and the United States signed the nuclear arms reduction agreement in the 1980s, in just a few decades, their combined arsenals have been reduced by more than half.

Especially for Russia, whose economy has declined rapidly since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of nuclear warheads has been reduced from 40,000 to around 10,000.

Isn't such a large-scale destruction a perfect opportunity to embezzle money under a pretext?

With just a few signatures from responsible individuals, a nuclear warhead that could have served for another ten years could be scrapped and secretly sent to a designated warehouse.

Judging from his own experience, Zhang Cheng felt that if he had such an opportunity, he would definitely not let it go easily and would definitely make a fortune.

Igor was clearly terrified by the decree issued by the Supreme Council, standing rooted to the spot with a conflicted expression on his face.

After about two or three minutes, he sighed helplessly: "Sigh... Fine! You win! Although I know you want to force me to hand over all the nuclear warheads, I don't dare to gamble, nor do I want to make an enemy of the entire underworld. Give me a month, and I will transport the rest to the farm."

“A wise man’s choice! I’m not a stingy person, so in return, I’ll give you this divine artifact.” With that, Zhang Cheng tossed over the essence of divine water that originally belonged to Bachu’e.

Oh my God!

Eagle was immediately captivated by the unidentified liquid emitting an emerald green glow, and his pupils emitted a faint red light characteristic of vampires when they were agitated.

Chapter 0725 Resolving the misunderstanding

"How pure! How perfect! It's simply the most perfect creation I've ever seen in my life! And... and it seems to have its own independent consciousness?"

Eagle Hamilton exclaimed in an excited tone as he felt the essence of the divine water through the outside.

In all his years of life, this was the first time he had ever seen such a powerful and precious magical item.

"Of course it has consciousness! You know what? This liquid is actually a collection of consciousness born from a lake that has been worshipped by humans for a long time. You can think of it as an elemental life form born from the spiritual world. If it had continued to develop in this way, it might have eventually evolved into a top-tier elemental spirit with full intelligence after thousands of years of evolution. But unfortunately, someone interrupted the whole process, or even usurped the faith, and made it into what it is now." Zhang Cheng replied casually.

Although many people believe that the essence of divine water can provide the holder with almost 360-degree protection and can also be infused with magical energy to create a lake spirit with considerable combat power, it is simply a divine artifact that combines offense and defense.

The problem is that it lacks independent consciousness and requires its owner to issue corresponding commands.

For a truly strong person, this time would have been enough to use other means to retaliate, or to choose a strategic retreat.

Take the example of defending against nuclear explosions. Zhang Cheng only needs a thought to teleport himself and those around him to a place hundreds of kilometers away, instead of foolishly staying in one place to be bombed.

Clearly, as long as this problem cannot be solved, the Essence Water does not deserve to be called a true miracle product, and its practicality and value will be greatly reduced.

This is why, when gods from multiple worlds create weapons, armor, and magical items, they imbue them with a certain degree of subjective initiative, and even give them independent thought and will.

But Eagle Hamilton clearly didn't understand this. Instead, he excitedly held it in his hand and kept trying it out, asking without looking up, "You mean... it originally belonged to a god?"

"God?" Zhang Cheng chuckled dismissively. "I suppose so. Besides, you still haven't explained how you found out my whereabouts. Don't tell me it was a coincidence, or I'll think you're insulting my intelligence."

“Of course not! In fact, this hotel happens to be owned by one of us, so if you were caught on camera walking into the lobby, the news would reach me within an hour at most. Please don’t misunderstand, I haven’t sent anyone to monitor you, nor would I dare to do so.” Eagle’s tone was sincere.

As someone who made a secret deal with a vampire family in order to escape death, he didn't want to provoke enemies who were too powerful.

Even when opposing the Supreme Council, it was merely out of self-preservation, not out of strong ambition or purpose.

If the council were willing to step forward and negotiate, he would even be willing to relinquish most of his power in exchange for the freedom to live without threats and enjoy the colorful world.

Unfortunately, the evaluation only involves negotiating with those of similar ability.

As for the weak, just wave your hand and crush them. After all, the dead don't need negotiation, and they won't sit down calmly like ordinary people do, fighting for their interests through words and arguments.

Similarly, Igor was unwilling to provoke this young man whose strength was unfathomable.

Given his vampire lineage, Zhang Cheng was clearly unable to use his psychic abilities to read the other person's superficial thoughts; he could only squint and stare at the other person.

About a minute or two later, he suddenly laughed, warning as he laughed, "Okay, I'll believe you for now. But remember, don't let it happen a second time."

“Understood! I swear this will never happen again,” Igor assured him confidently.

Just as Zhang Cheng was about to say something, Yelena suddenly ran in from outside and whispered in his ear, "BOSS! I just confirmed that our people are still alive, but they suffered varying degrees of severe blows to the back of their heads and have some mild concussion symptoms. They should be able to recover after a few hours of rest."

"I'm very sorry, miss, I had no choice but to do this. Your men are too vigilant, I couldn't get in without taking them down." The half-vampire's hearing was clearly several times that of a normal person, and he immediately stood up and bowed elegantly in apology.

"It's alright! Thank you for teaching my men a lesson. I believe the outcome will be different when we meet again." Yelena forced a formulaic smile, suppressing her anger.

Her smile was so sweet and charming that if it weren't for the words "I'll teach you a lesson one day!" and "Go to hell, pretty boy!" that kept repeating in her mind, people around her would probably think that there had just been a small misunderstanding, rather than that she had almost been wiped out by a surprise attack.

"No, no, no, I don't want it to happen again. To show my sincerity, I happen to have a phone number here. If you encounter any trouble in the future, or need help, you can contact my subordinate directly. He can even get planes and troops to take off from any US military base in the world."

After saying this, Eagle Hamilton bowed to Zhang Cheng again, then got into the car with the bodyguards waiting at the door and drove straight towards the airport.

"Who is he?" Yelena glanced at the small piece of paper in her hand and subconsciously frowned.

“You don’t need to know too much, just that this guy is a very powerful person in the ordinary world. Oh, by the way, where is Hilna? I haven’t seen her all afternoon,” Zhang Cheng asked, stroking his chin.

"She said she was going to visit the ancient city left by the Inca Empire, and she should be back soon. What's wrong? Is something urgent?"

"No, it's nothing. I just wanted to make sure she was safe. You have to understand, South America isn't my sphere of influence; it could easily cause trouble."

Yelena nodded, seemingly understanding, "Then I'll send someone to pick her up now."

“Go! I have some personal matters to attend to and need to leave for a while. If they haven’t returned in three days, book them a flight back to New York. Also, have Leonid go to Spain to investigate the name Camila de Silva Velázquez and the family represented by her surname suffix. Investigate thoroughly; I need all of her information.”

After dealing with the City of Gold, Zhang Cheng was finally able to free up his energy to begin working on the prophecy and figure out how the so-called power of destiny actually worked.

Before that, however, he needed to go to the tower to see if a door to a new world had opened.

As more and more of the fog was cleared, he felt it was time to find a place to integrate his power, especially to train his creative power from scratch, at least to the point where he could use it freely.

Chapter 0726 Preparations for War

Arriving at the towering spire via the parchment scroll, Zhang Cheng immediately saw the golem Northrend tending to a group of newly hatched dragons.