No one's wealth is earned by mere chance.
The Luo De family, with their global financial empire, naturally accumulated their vast fortunes through their own "diligence and hard work" over generations.
This is the official story—
But within the innermost circle of the Luo De family, an ancient and mysterious legend has been passed down through the ages.
It is said that when the great deity bestowed the verdigris-covered cross upon his most admired disciple, he asked him, "Do you know why this cross is tinged with verdigris?"
The disciple replied he did not.
The great deity then told him, "Because copper represents wealth! In the East, there is even a saying about the 'stench of copper.' As long as you possess this cross, you will obtain immense wealth."
The disciple was puzzled. "If possessing it grants immense wealth, then, great deity, why have you been rolling on the ground in poverty all these years?"
Because I am a person of noble thought.
The great deity enlightened his disciple. "To gain immense wealth with the verdigris-covered cross, you must take it and make a transaction with vampires. Hand the cross to the vampires and agree to one of their demands. Then, in the shortest time, the vampires will help you acquire immense wealth."
The disciple finally understood.
He asked, "Great deity, does this cross possess a use for vampires that we, common folk, cannot comprehend?"
The great deity nodded and said yes.
Vampires could achieve immortality.
However, they could only operate within the darkness of night!
This greatly displeased the vampires, who wished to change their fate.
They hoped to live in the sunlight like humans in the future, drinking blood as they pleased.
But to achieve this desire, they needed the help of a super-deity among humans to forge a supreme sacred artifact that could shelter them!
Once they obtained this artifact and negotiated a condition with the great deity, they could realize their lifelong wish.
The great deity, who was rolling in poverty, truly wished to escape such a destitute existence. Thus, he forged this cross from copper, which symbolized wealth.
The vampires were overjoyed!
The great deity then asked them what condition was necessary for him to become wealthy.
The vampires replied, "Allow us to bite you, and let you be infected with one-tenth of vampire bloodline. Furthermore, for us to walk in sunlight forever, you must ensure your descendants' bloodline remains absolutely pure, never marrying outside the clan."
When the great deity heard this—
"Holy cow, isn't this inbreeding!?"
The great deity certainly did not wish to do this and thus refused the vampires' condition, terminating the transaction.
However, the vampires had seen a glimmer of hope and were unwilling to give up.
Vampires could not afford to offend the great deity, but they could incite his disciple to betray him, kill him, and seize the cross.
This disciple was none other than Judas.
The great deity did not want his descendants to suffer for his contemporary wealth, but Judas did not care.
Thus, after secretly striking a deal with the vampires, Judas betrayed the great deity.
The great deity, fully aware of this, thought, "Damn it, this is fate. I've calculated it, and there's no escaping it!"
Although he could not escape the tribulation of being crucified, the great deity was unwilling to let the vampires achieve their wish just like that.
Therefore, the great deity infused his purest, most innocent soul into this cross!
The cross, in turn, transformed into a sacred artifact capable of sealing vampires!!
Then.
At the Last Supper, the great deity passed the verdigris-covered cross to his most admired disciple.
And earnestly instructed, "If you truly cannot bear the hardships, then make a deal with the vampires. But remember, once you have obtained satisfactory wealth, you must use the cross to seal those vampires forever in hell! Then, enshrine the cross in the highest place. As long as the cross remains, vampires can be eternally suppressed, ensuring your wealth for generations. If the cross is lost, the sealed vampires will escape from hell, and your empire of wealth will collapse in a short period."
The disciple's eyes gleamed.
"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate—"
The great deity declared resolutely, "I would rather give the cross to you than let those vampires and the traitor Judas succeed. Damn them for daring to scheme against me! I will make them lose both their lives and their wealth!"
And so.
The ancestor of the Luo De family obtained this verdigris-covered cross.
After the great deity was crucified, the disciple, having suffered enough from poverty, immediately found the vampires.
They then feasted like brothers and signed a contractual agreement.
Soon.
The vampires began to walk in the sunlight, and the disciple's wealth skyrocketed!
Just as the vampires were becoming increasingly comfortable, the disciple suddenly turned on them!!
Using the verdigris-covered cross, he sealed them in hell.
The vampires, who valued contracts, were furious and wailed day and night in hell.
They cursed the disciple relentlessly, "Luo De, Luo De, may your descendants perish! Don't gloat, you'll be cuckolded sooner or later!"
Luo De paid no mind to the vampires' curses.
He simply followed the great deity's instructions and enshrined the verdigris-covered cross in the highest place.
He lived a life of debauchery until his deathbed, only then revealing this secret to his few sons.
And repeatedly warned them, "Although we are confined to intra-clan marriage, which has many drawbacks, we can still select elite offspring if we have many children. Therefore, do not take the flaws of intra-clan marriage too seriously. Your task is to ensure the verdigris-covered cross eternally guards the Luo De family! Once the cross is lost, the sealed vampires will escape from hell and rampage through the world. Our wealth will also be lost quickly. Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate, remember, remember."
The above—
Is the legend at the core of the Luo De family.
Jessica, after being chosen as the matriarch's consort, was fortunate enough to learn of it.
However, she never took it seriously.
Especially in today's highly developed technological civilization, who would believe ancient legends?
But now—
As a terrifying disease is sweeping across the globe.
Crucially, this disease has been spontaneously renamed "vampirism" by people worldwide.
Does this signify that the vampires sealed by the verdigris-covered cross have escaped from hell?
Yes!
Besides this explanation, Jessica could not think of a better reason.
After all, the vampires ravaging the globe were orchestrated by the Luo De family (who are the largest shareholders of International Ruixue).
What's more terrifying is that the vampires are mutating.
International Ruixue's previously developed "Luminaries" were utterly incapable of curbing the mutated vampires!
How many global vampire patients would die? How many families would be ruined?
The Luo De family would not care.
But they truly cared about the legend that, once the vampires escaped hell, their empire of wealth would collapse in a short period.
Jessica finally believed the family's most ancient legend.
She also prayed devoutly in her heart that the verdigris-covered cross was still in the confessional.
As long as the verdigris-covered cross remained, the Luo De family would avoid facing the terrible consequences foretold in the legend.
However—
Emma emerged and replied cautiously, "Madam, I searched every corner of the confessional and could not find the cross you mentioned."
Not found?
Jessica stumbled, her eyes flying open, and she demanded sternly, "Are you sure!?"
Emma was startled and hurriedly nodded, "I am sure, it was indeed not found. Ah, Madam, be careful!"
Jessica shoved her aside, no longer caring about anything else.
She rushed into the confessional, knelt directly in the ashes after the water had dispersed, and searched frantically with her hands, "Get Ronnie here! Ask him who came to put out the fire."
Jessica still held a sliver of hope.
That the person who put out the fire had taken the cross.
No.
When Ronnie personally led the firefighting team, he merely stood at the entrance, spraying water inwards with hoses, and did not enter.
After extinguishing the flames, Ronnie and his men left the scene.
After all, a confessional burning down was not a matter of great concern to anyone.
(The ancient castle was a stone structure. The fire on the top floor was immediately contained by the timely firefighting efforts, and no widespread fire occurred.)
"The verdigris-covered cross must have been taken by Li Qianfan casually."
Suddenly, Jessica, kneeling and searching for the cross, realized this.
Her bewildered heart instantly calmed down.
As long as the cross was taken by Li Qianfan—
Given their relationship, especially with the child in her belly, the probability of getting it back was high.
"But I absolutely cannot let Li Qianfan know how important the cross is to our Luo De family."
"Otherwise, he might truly destroy it at all costs."
"No matter what, with those old folks gone, no one will dare question the legitimacy of the child in my belly anymore."
Jessica felt even more at ease with this thought.
"Madam."
As Jessica slowly walked out of the confessional, Emma reported in a low voice, "The airport just called. Billy and the other six men responsible for apprehending one of the white-bellied birds have all met a tragic end."
Jessica fell silent.
After a long pause, she said, "I underestimated Li Qianfan."
"Madam, let's go down. It's windy here. And the Earl, having heard the tragic news, will be back soon."
Emma advised in a hushed tone again.
Jessica nodded and turned to descend the stairs, but could not help but look into the distance, "Emma, delay the public announcement of the Luo De family being massacred by the white-bellied birds by twelve hours. We need to buy Li Qianfan time to return to Lass Town. Otherwise, once the news is released, the hidden operatives around him on the dark web will immediately identify him as a white-bellied bird. Then the operatives will flee, Li Qianfan will realize he's exposed, and we won't be able to capture him alive in Blackwater Forest."
The direction she looked—
Was towards Bear Country's Lass Town!!