Chatty Hollywood

"Unfortunately, a non-stop rain basically trapped us inside our house...Thunderstorms were bigger and scarier than I've ever seen before."

"One night, a dazzling lightning flashed across the lake. The pine trees on the Jura Mountains were clearly visible, and everything was illuminated in an instant. In the darkness, the only thing heard was the thunder and thunder overhead. It was really scary."

This is a passage from Mary Shelley's diary in 1816. It tells the story of the couple's experiences while living in Geneva during the Year Without Summer.

As the second wife of the famous poet Shelley, Mary Shelley is also famous in the history of literature——

"Frankenstein", which she created in 1818, is not only the world's first true science fiction, but also a piece of horror.

Mary Shelley was no stranger to Charlotte, who had studied the history of Eastern and Western ghosts before traveling through it, trying to detect traces of spells.

He knew that, according to Mary Shelley's autobiography, the idea for the "Frankenstein" story originally originated in 1816.

That year, the Shelleys lived in Geneva and met Byron, who was also a famous poet.

The few people chatted happily, but because of the continuous storms in the year without summer, they were often trapped at home and unable to go out.

Under such circumstances, poets and writers who were extremely bored began to tell each other ghost stories.

——So, there is Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein".

——There is also Byron's "Dracula".

Although "Vampire" is technically the work of Byron's personal physician Polidori, everyone knows that there are serious traces of Byron in it.

And "Vampire" provided inspiration for Bram Stoker's later creation of "Dracula".

——It was this work that completely turned Dracula into a synonym for vampire.

Originally, Charlotte thought it was just a natural evolution from a folk legend to a literary masterpiece, and did not consider any ghost factors in it.

But after listening to "Al Pacino's" ghost version of Dracula's history, and hearing the other person talk about the year without a summer in 1816, he realized that maybe Byron and the Shelleys' ghost story gathering There are also ghosts hidden in it.

"You told Byron the story of Dracula?"

Charlotte asked curiously.

"I was just an old man passing by and told them a story casually, and then..."

"Al Pacino" spread his hands,

“As for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, that was an unexpected bonus.”

——I feel like my worldview needs to be reshaped again! What kind of ghost is this guy! ?

In her mind, Charlize was completely confused.

Charlotte, on the other hand, was still dubious.

——Don’t rush to believe his words, none of this needs to be verified.

Charlotte calmed down and asked again,

"In other words, the reason why Dracula finally turned into a vampire, a ghost-like being instead of a god, was actually your punishment for him breaking the contract?"

"You can understand that."

"Al Pacino" glanced slightly proudly at Charlotte, who was wearing Charlize's body.

"Cardinal Richelieu once said that the pen is mightier than the sword. I just put it into practice."

"I think this is basically three people becoming a tiger, using messages to kill people."

Following Charlize's usual behavior and rolling her eyes, Charlotte brought the topic back to reality.

"Your revenge is indeed powerful. But since you have already taken revenge on Dracula, why are you still chasing him now?"

As he spoke, he pointed at Keanu Reeves, who still looked dull.

"You said that what really attracted you was the curse from Dracula on him, but that's not Dracula himself after all, right? Just coming here for a curse, is that all?"

"It seems you don't understand what this curse is."

"Al Pacino" shook his head,

"However, you may have heard of a term related to vampires - "first embrace"?"

"A ritual for vampires to transform living people into the next generation of vampires?"

Charlotte naturally knew this term, and he glanced at Keanu Reeves doubtfully.

"The curse on Reeves is the First Embrace? But he is still alive! Or is the First Embrace not what the legend says!?"

"It is indeed different from the legend. The truth of magic is always hidden under history and legends."

"Al Pacino" said a line that perfectly fits Charlotte's point of view,

"And the true first embrace is not actually a ritual to create the next vampire, but a ritual of reincarnation."

"Reincarnation!?"

Charlotte suddenly understood,

"You mean Dracula wants to take over Keanu Reeves' body with the help of First Embrace!?"

"Yes, just like you are occupying this beautiful girl's body now."

"Al Pacino" glanced at Charlotte and then said,

"However, his possession will be permanent - although he was held back by me and did not become a god, as a half-human and half-ghost, Dracula is still powerful, but he is also subject to many restrictions. "

"For example, unlike ghosts, their resistance to the erosion of time is very weak, right?"

Charlotte already understood what the other party meant,

"So, he has to change his body every once in a while, and Keanu Reeves is his next target?"

"Your guess is absolutely correct."

"Al Pacino" clapped his hands,

"It seems that you are really knowledgeable about ghosts and spells. So, exorcist whose name I don't know, do you want to make a deal with me?"

"Is there really a deal?"

Charlotte showed an "unsurprising" expression,

"No wonder you were willing to chat with me for so long."

"Al Pacino" shrugged.

"My punishment for Dracula's violation of the contract is not only to destroy his chance to become a god, but also to keep him in a decayed half-human, half-ghost state and regret it."

"That's why you came here because you wanted to destroy Dracula's reincarnation?"

"That's right. This is punishment!"

"Al Pacino" nodded,

"What I want you to do for me now is to break the first embrace curse on this kid and return this power to me."

"Can't you do it yourself?"

"If it were up to me, I would have to kill this kid!"

"Al Pacino" said very scary things as if nothing happened,

"And, even then, I can't directly take back this power. I originally planned to just kill this kid and destroy Dracula's reincarnation, but after discovering your arrival, I had plans to ask for your help. ."

"Yeah?"

Charlotte nodded,

"It's not impossible to break the curse on Keanu Reeves, but first you have to explain to me, what exactly is this curse called "First Embrace"?"

"This is actually a curse that makes people feel lonely!"

There was a cold air in the words of "Al Pacino\

,""The cursed people, including friends, relatives, wives, and children, will gradually die under the influence of the curse. In the end, there will be only one cursed person left. At that time, his state of mind will be very consistent with that of a vampire. The lonely state of mind——"

"It's time for Dracula to be reincarnated!"

Charlotte understood what the other party meant, and he nodded,

"I can help you lift the curse on Keanu Reeves, but what's the reward? Three wishes?"

"I haven't done that kind of thing for a long time!"

"Al Pacino" shook his head, then stared at Charlotte with burning eyes,

"But I can still grant you a wish, but do you want to sign a contract with me?"