The Fox Family's treasury is located in the Underground Room of the manor's annex.
After William pushed open the door and turned on the lights, the entire square treasury instantly came into Hawke's view.
To call it a treasury was a misnomer; it didn't feel like one at all.
Instead, it felt incredibly eerie.
Because—
There were chairs made from slave hair.
Drinking vessels made from skulls.
And even chopsticks made from bones.
It was no exaggeration to say that if the items in this treasury were brought out, they would undoubtedly cause a massive earthquake.
Some would recall that beautiful era.
Of course.
Others would utterly detest that era.
Without a doubt.
Hawke belonged to the former, wishing he had lived in Lincoln's time.
Because if he could have been a contemporary of Lincoln, he would have definitely stopped Lincoln from pursuing those terrible ideas.
However…
Among the many treasures collected by the Fox Family, what truly caught Hawke's attention wasn't these artifacts made from Black slaves, but a skeleton.
A—
Angel skeleton?
Hawke looked at the Angel skeleton before him, which, even in its skeletal form, had its skull, limbs, and the pair of wings behind it firmly chained and fixed to the treasury wall, in a kneeling posture. His heart stirred, and he looked at William beside him.
"This…"
"Yes, an Angel skeleton."
William Fox met Hawke's gaze, smiling, and said with a definitive tone, "A genuine Angel skeleton."
Hawke raised an eyebrow.
William Fox's gaze rested on the kneeling Angel skeleton before them, and he said with a hint of recollection, "Hawke, that era was the most primitive, but also the best. This Angel skeleton was found by my grandfather after he disembarked from the ship and arrived here."
Hawke frowned slightly.
"Did he kill it?"
"Kill it?"
"No, no, no."
William Fox looked at Hawke and shook his head, "This is an Angel, Hawke. When the first generation of the Fox Family came here to build their house, they dug it up from here. And when it was dug up, this Angel skeleton was already in this state."
Yes.
It was already in this state when it was dug up.
The Fox Family also came from the Mayflower. After they arrived here, they were preparing to build their house when they unearthed this Angel skeleton from the ground. It was precisely because of this that they built Fox Manor here, also constructed an annex, and permanently placed this Angel skeleton in the Fox Family's treasury.
As Hawke listened to William Fox's narration, his six senses circled this Angel skeleton.
He had probably guessed the origin of this Angel skeleton.
As is well known.
Jehovah and Angels once existed on Earth.
Mephisto could prove this point.
In those days, the souls of Earthlings were in the hands of the Heaven Dimension. Mephisto arrived, and after a divine war between Angels and Demons, Mephisto ultimately triumphed, while Jehovah, His Angels, and the Heaven Dimension lost jurisdiction over life and death on Earth.
So, if there were no surprises, this Angel skeleton should be an Angel who fell during the divine war between the Hell Dimension and the Heaven Dimension back then.
However…
"These five chains are for…"
"Jesus resurrected three days after His death. My grandfather told me not to touch these chains, and not to expose this Angel skeleton to sunlight, otherwise, it would resurrect."
"…Alright."
Hawke heard this explanation and nodded with a slight smile.
Resurrection was impossible.
After all, to resurrect, one would have to follow basic principles, right?
Even he needed both soul and body to resurrect his sister.
This Angel skeleton, apart from its remaining bones, had no flesh or soul. If it could resurrect, it would only be if Jehovah was truly omnipotent.
But He was not.
Because Jehovah could not create a rock so heavy that He could not lift it, Jehovah was not omnipotent.
But…
"Jehovah."
"Heaven."
"Angel?"
"Heh."
It was evening.
After having dinner with Gwen, his grandfather William Fox, his aunt Liz Fox, and his cousin Caroline Fox, Hawke returned to the manor's guest room. Lying on the bed, he recalled the Angel skeleton he had seen in the Fox treasury that afternoon, lost in thought.
William Fox taking him to see the Angel skeleton, touted as the Fox Family's biggest secret, was not a whim or an impromptu decision.
Because his grandfather William wanted him to inherit Fox Manor.
It sounded absurd, but William Fox had indeed said so.
The reason? William didn't say, and Hawke didn't ask.
However, if Hawke were to guess, it might be related to William Fox knowing that his time was limited.
Yes.
William Fox was ill, with at most a little over a year left. So he was thinking of finding an heir for Fox Manor.
Hawke was somewhat curious why William Fox chose him and Gwen.
But this wasn't what Hawke was most curious about.
What Hawke was most curious about was the very faint, yet undeniably present, familiar scent he had detected from the Angel skeleton when he was observing it with his six senses.
That familiar scent he had smelled from Dr. Mallick's soul, counting this time, he had smelled it for the fourth time.
The first time, Damon outside the manor.
The second time was Caroline.
The third time was Elena.
The fourth time was this Angel.
If ranked from highest to lowest concentration, Elena's scent was the highest, and this Angel's scent was the strongest.
But Elena's soul scent was not the same as the scent on Dr. Mallick's soul.
She had merely been tainted by it.
However, Hawke already had a guess as to the true owner of this scent.
This was also why, after seeing Elena, he had first been in a daze, then suddenly understood.
But whether it was true or not, he still needed evidence.
Just then.
Gwen also came out of the bathroom after showering, combing her long hair, and looked at Hawke lying on the bed: "Are you sure you're not going to tell me what's in the treasury?"
Hawke returned to his senses and smiled slightly: "Sorry, Grandpa said not to."
Gwen shrugged: "Even if you don't tell me, I can probably guess. It must be something that would give me nightmares if I saw it."
She knew how the Fox Family had made their fortune.
So…
Gwen also had some guesses about what might be in the treasury.
If he didn't want to say, then so be it.
She was even afraid of having nightmares if she knew.
"Alright, go take a shower."
"I'm planning to go out for a bit."
"Hmm?"
Gwen paused slightly, then looked out the window at the sky, her eyes lighting up: "Now? To see a Vampire? Can I come?"
Hawke chuckled: "Haven't you already seen one?"
Gwen blinked, thinking Hawke was referring to when they entered the town: "No, when we entered the town, you only mentioned it once. I didn't even see a Shadow."
Hawke shook his head: "No, you saw one, and you've been watching it all afternoon."
I saw one, and I've been watching it all afternoon?
Gwen was stunned by Hawke's words, then her thoughts churned, and she seemed to realize something, looking at Hawke, her pupils gradually widening.
"You mean my cousin…"
"Yes."
"Hiss!"
Gwen gasped, then looked utterly shocked.
The next second.
She shook her head.
"That's not right."
"What's wrong?"
"If she's a Vampire, shouldn't she be unable to walk in the sunlight?"
"Didn't you notice the ring on her hand?"
"I saw it, and I even specifically asked her about it. She said it was a sister's ring."
"That's a Witch's ring."
Hawke smiled faintly: "That ring is enchanted by a Witch. After a Vampire puts it on, they can walk freely in the sunlight."
Gwen's mouth dropped open in surprise, and her mind suddenly replayed her aunt Liz and cousin Caroline's reactions when her fiancé had mentioned Vampires.
"Then my aunt…"
"She's not."
"But she knows Caroline has become a Vampire?"
"Mm."
Hawke nodded: "It's normal. If your daughter becomes a Vampire, you can't just kill her, right? You'd definitely help her keep it a secret. Besides, not all Vampires are bad."
This was undeniable.
Just like HYDRA.
Although Anna was also a member of HYDRA, Anna was a good person, at least in Hawke's eyes.
Gwen pursed her lips and sat on the bed, handing the comb to Hawke: "Was she forced, or did she willingly become a Vampire?"
After taking the comb, Hawke naturally ran it through Gwen's hair, thinking about the plot from 'The Vampire Diaries': "Do you know the steps to becoming a Vampire?"
Gwen nodded: "I do."
It wasn't easy for an ordinary person to become a Vampire, nor was it possible to become one by simply being bitten by a Vampire and not dying.
That wasn't a Vampire; that was a zombie.
To become a Vampire, one didn't need to be bitten by a Vampire, but rather to drink a Vampire's blood in reverse.
That was only the first step.
The second step was for the ordinary person who had consumed the Vampire's blood to die, because only by dying could the consumed Vampire blood begin to circulate throughout the body. Once the Vampire blood filled the entire body, the previously deceased ordinary person would resurrect.
This led to the third step, and the most crucial one.
The resurrected ordinary person was now in the Vampire transition phase; they needed to consume human blood within twenty-four hours.
If they failed to consume human blood within twenty-four hours.
Sorry.
Once twenty-four hours passed, they would die, a death from which they could never resurrect.
But if they did consume it.
Hehe!
After consuming human blood, they would successfully transform into a Vampire!
No longer human.
But a Vampire.
Supernatural!
Vampire!
…
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