The heroic deeds of Lord Gregorio of Wolf's Valley gradually spread throughout the Kingdom of Spain, eliminating demons and clearing out cultists. In recognition of such great achievements, Gregorio Salazar was bestowed the title of Count by the King and entrusted with the duty of sealing demons, to be passed down through generations…
It was just a pity that if you don't cut the grass by the roots, it will grow again with the spring breeze.
Although the first Demon Sealing Count, Gregorio Salazar, eliminated The Illuminados and a large number of Plaga parasites, the Sadler Family was not completely wiped out.
They still led the surviving descendants of their family to live on, and holding the doctrines of the first leader of The Illuminados, they understood the power of the Plaga parasite and began to hide their identities, attempting to one day restore the glory of The Illuminados!
…
Not long after, the second conflict between the Salazar Family and the Sadler Family began to erupt again, and the battle between The Illuminados and the Demon Sealing Count resumed.
The epic Demon Sealing War was officially launched by the second Demon Sealing Count, Hipólito Salazar.
During his tenure, the surviving Sadler Family discovered that the underground of the castle built by the first leader of The Illuminados was actually the nest of the divine Plaga parasite.
They then led their people back to the dilapidated The Illuminados castle, destroyed the seals inside, and released all the long-imprisoned Plaga parasites.
Large numbers of dense Plaga parasites surged from the depths of the castle, beginning to bite and parasitize all wild animals in the Wolf's Valley forest, including humans in the villages.
Facing such a massive human catastrophe, Hipólito Salazar, as the second Demon Sealing Count, bravely stepped forward, leading a group of knights and uniting with the kind villagers of Wolf's Valley to fight against the terrifying demons.
Ultimately, at a great cost, the second Demon Sealing Count Hipólito Salazar successfully sealed the Plaga parasite again, once more crushing the ambitions of The Illuminados and the Sadler Family, filling the large pit beneath the castle, and even reinforcing the seal to prevent more demons from pouring into the human world.
The defeated Sadler Family suffered a severe blow and even had no place to hide in Wolf's Valley. The helpless Sadler Family could only take their remaining cultists and Plaga parasites to seek refuge on an Island near Wolf's Valley, to avoid being completely annihilated by the Salazar Family.
And due to the heavy losses in the Demon Sealing War, Hipólito Salazar, as the family head, was also severely wounded in the war and died of his injuries not long after…
Due to the unexpected death of the former Lord Count, Gregorio II Salazar was forced to assume the role of the third Demon Sealing Count and Lord of Wolf's Valley. This Gregorio II did not inherit the courage and resourcefulness of the first Demon Sealing Count; on the contrary, he was incredibly timid.
Because he feared the demons would return, he not only reinforced the ground seals multiple times but also rebuilt The Illuminados' castle, transforming it into a massive ground fortress, moving his family into The Illuminados castle to guard the seal.
He also set up a large number of cannons and various intricate mechanisms within the castle. All these actions almost completely squandered the vast wealth accumulated by the Salazar Family over several generations.
It was not until the fourth Demon Sealing Count, José Alonso, took office that he, through his own efforts, restored the Salazar Family to its former glory.
However, the fifth Demon Sealing Count, Alejandro Salazar, was a cynical master. He not only loved gold, silver, and jewels but also built a huge courtyard garden and ballroom for his own enjoyment. But due to excessive indulgence, he died young not long after…
Subsequently, the sixth Demon Sealing Countess, Maria Isabel, took office. She was the only Countess among the successive Demon Sealing Counts. She was granted the title of Countess due to her outstanding abilities.
She was benevolent, meticulous in her actions, no less capable than a man, and deeply loved by her servants and villagers. She was also the longest-reigning head of the Salazar Family, slowly passing away at the age of 90.
Afterward, the position of family head passed to the seventh generation, Diego Salazar.
However, due to the development of the times and the departure of the British from the Spanish colony, the title of Count gradually disappeared. Nevertheless, due to the exemplary effect of his ancestors, Diego Salazar continued to manage the family and the important task of guarding the seal in a traditional manner, acting strictly but methodically.
And up to this generation, the Salazar Family had remained diligent and flawless in sealing the demons. It was just a pity…
…
"Rustle…", "The story is over, little Luis. How was it? Grandpa's story today wasn't bad, right? This is a story passed down through generations in Wolf's Valley, very real…"
An old and dilapidated small house stood isolated in a vast lake. The furnishings inside were old and rusty, and the air was filled with a large amount of sawdust and dust.
Under the dim, flickering oil lamp, a white-haired old hunter leaned against a hunting rifle on the wooden wall, a pipe in his mouth, puffing smoke as he told a bedtime story to a bright-eyed little boy in front of him.
Although the old hunter's face was full of wrinkles, he looked at the little boy in front of him with exceptional tenderness. This was his son's pride, and also his pride as a grandfather.
If he hadn't been trapped in this remote village, if he had gone out into the wider world to study, this child would surely have become an excellent scholar.
"No, no!"
"Grandpa, I still prefer the adventure stories of Don Quixote, right! Sancho—!!!"
The little boy was not impressed by the story his grandpa told today. He shook his head vigorously, riding a small wooden horse beneath him, holding a wooden stick, and pointing at a small wooden puppet nearby, he couldn't help but shout loudly.
Seeing this, the old hunter could only shake his head with a helpless smile, took a few puffs from his pipe, and continued to tell his beloved little grandson the favorite adventure story of Don Quixote…
Chapter Two: Don Quixote
Don Quixote is a long anti-chivalric novel published in two parts by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605 and 1615.
When the story takes place, knights had already been extinct for over a century, but the protagonist, Alonso Quijano (Don Quixote's original name), became obsessed with chivalric novels, often fantasizing that he was a Middle Ages knight, and thus proclaimed himself "Don Quixote de la Mancha" (the guardian of the La Mancha region).
He dragged his neighbor Sancho Panza to be his servant, "righting wrongs" and traveling the world, performing various acts that were contrary to the times and utterly bizarre.
For example, Don Quixote named his horse Rocinante, meaning a former labor horse, found a spear and shield, imagined a countrywoman as his lady as a knight, and then left the village to right wrongs and travel the world.
He even invited his honest neighbor Sancho Panza to be his squire, promising to make him governor of an Island in the future. So, Sancho, full of dreams, rode his donkey and went with him as a squire to "achieve great deeds."
During his two adventurous outings as a knight-errant, he made countless jokes, foolishly mistaking windmills for giants, an inn for a castle, galley slaves for persecuted knights, and wineskins for the heads of giants, etc. Finally, Sancho locked him in a cage and pulled him back by ox-cart.
The final result was Don Quixote hitting dead ends everywhere, eventually awakening from his fantasy and returning to his hometown to die…
…
Undoubtedly, this was actually a true portrayal of Luis's entire life.
Or rather, Don Quixote was him.
As a child, he was obsessed with various stories and novels, especially yearning for the world beyond the village. After his grandfather, the old hunter, was accidentally bitten and infected by a Plaga parasite-infested wolf and was dying, and Luis saw his grandfather self-immolate in the lake house and pass away,
Luis, around ten years old, left the village alone and headed towards the big city. Relying on his clever mind and his yearning for knowledge and dreams, Luis completed his biology courses in just a few years and became an expert in biology.
Luis, returning home in glory, intended to develop the impoverished village. However, when he returned, he found that everything in his hometown had changed, including people and things.
The villagers were taciturn, as if under some evil spell, and had even built a religious church.
Subsequently, a preacher in a black robe embroidered with strange spider-like patterns found Luis and, in the name of the Salazar Family, hired Luis with a large sum of money to research the Plaga parasite. At this time, Luis, keen on biological research, had his eyes blinded by curiosity.
He dedicated himself to researching the Plaga parasite in the Institute on the Island in Wolf's Valley. He discovered that this parasite was completely different from any parasite found in modern times; it was the most outstanding product. It could bring new life to those with paralyzed nerves.
If researched properly, Luis would become the most outstanding biologist of the new era. Therefore, Luis also improved many versions of the Plaga parasite, including the later terrifying monster, the Regenerator—
And gradually, after overhearing a private conversation of Sadler, the leader of The Illuminados who had originally hired him, Luis finally understood the conspiracy of these cultists: they actually wanted to control powerful nations like the United States and even the entire world using the Plaga parasite.
Furthermore, the development of the Plaga parasite was rapidly changing, and monsters that even Luis could not imagine had already emerged. At this moment, Luis finally woke up as if from a dream, realizing the truth.
Like Don Quixote, he clearly understood how absurd and foolish his actions had been all along, essentially helping the cultists to do evil.
Therefore, Luis, full of regret, decided to turn over a new leaf and remain in The Illuminados' Institute on the Island, lurking there to seize the opportunity to disrupt The Illuminados and Sadler's conspiracy.
Of course, his strength alone was not enough to turn the tide. Therefore, Luis decided to seek help from the outside world and sent news of the Institute on the Island and the Plaga parasite to his good friend from university, John Clemens, with whom he used to share everything.
The two had been the best of friends during their university days, and both were biology experts.
However, Luis, who had been in the Institute on the Island for several years, had no idea that his university friend John had already died many years ago.
His university friend, John Clemens, was actually the new director of the Cadre Training Institute, replacing Wesker and William during their time at the Umbrella Corporation.
But due to Marcus leaking the virus in an attempt to retaliate, most of the researchers in the Cadre Training Institute died, and John Clemens also died there.
However, because John Clemens was the new director of the Cadre Training Institute at the time, Miss Ada Wong, the international female spy who was still working for Tricell, secretly posed as John Clemens's underground lover to obtain biochemical virus data. The two knew each other. In Biohazard 2, Ada also began her investigation in Raccoon City under the pretext of looking for the missing John.
He was that lick-spittle director who changed the Cadre Training Institute's main computer password to Ada Wong, deeply attracted by Miss Ada's charm.
And after John's death, Ada had kept John's email box. Unexpectedly, a surprise occurred: Luis's distress signal serendipitously reached Ada's hands. After learning about The Illuminados and the power of the Plaga parasite,
Ada slightly edited the information and told it to her top partner and superior, Wesker. This made Wesker, who already intended to change and control the world, overjoyed.
He instructed and ordered Ada to immediately go to Wolf's Valley in Spain to rescue Luis, and as a trade, he wanted Luis to bring them the Plaga parasite sample, "Amber."
And so, the story lines miraculously connected.
It's just that Luis ultimately could not escape the fate of Don Quixote. After experiencing a new world outside, he attempted to return to his hometown to make a big impact,
But he did not expect to have aided evil, helping bad people. He finally came to a sudden realization but could not escape death, ultimately resting eternally in the homeland that had once nurtured him—
…
And at the end of the previous Demon Sealing War, why the Salazar Family, who were supposed to be a family of generational Demon Sealing Counts, was suddenly used by their mortal enemy, The Illuminados of the Sadler Family, the ultimate reason still lay with the eighth family head,
Ramon Salazar—
Ramon Salazar, due to a congenital deficiency, could not inherit any of his ancestors' virtues. As the son of a lord, Ramon's personality had always been arrogant and conceited.
Although his father, Diego Salazar, cared deeply about his son, he was always too busy with affairs to spend much time with him.
He could only entrust Ramon to his most trusted butler. However, the butler, as a servant, was unable to strictly discipline Ramon, which led to Ramon's values gradually deviating.
As he slowly grew up, he gradually discovered his differences from others. Because he suffered from insufficient internal hormone secretion, Ramon's physical development was delayed, and he remained a dwarf, his hair slowly turning white, like a goblin from legends.
This triggered a strong sense of inferiority in Ramon.
Coupled with his inherently arrogant and conceited personality, the two combined to form a strong distortion. He became not only short-tempered and moody, but his demonic thoughts also began to emerge.
One day, Ramon suddenly discovered that the family servants were secretly calling him a dwarf, a midget, a goblin behind his back. This made the already inwardly inferior Ramon furious.
He immediately called the servant to his private room, forced him to kneel before him, and poured strong acid from his pocket onto the servant's face.
Watching the servant's face gradually corrode from the strong acid, his skin falling to the ground like flakes, and the servant's body twisting in agony on the ground, the ten-year-old Ramon was not afraid; instead, he grinned and laughed loudly, like a demon, thoroughly enjoying the pain of others.
His inwardly inferior self could only find satisfaction in punishing others, just like a discarded eunuch who, unable to perform deeds, could only satisfy his twisted inner self by punishing others with whips and various instruments of torture.
Ramon was the same, except he had greater power to commit greater evil.
The butler, witnessing all this, was startled. Even now, he could not erase the young master Ramon's devilish smile from his dreams. He knew… the young master had gone astray.
And the true catalyst for his downfall was not long after, when the Sadler Family on the Island outside Wolf's Valley coveted him, unable to suppress their ambition to release the Plaga parasite, and Osmund Sadler, the current leader of The Illuminados,
After learning about the power of the Plaga parasite from his ancestors' doctrinal books, had already foreseen the opportune moment for the Salazar Family's decline.