The Legend of Immortality

With a soft "pop," the cork was removed, and the rich, aged fragrance of a millennium-old wine filled the room, enveloping the two vampires and the dark mage in its heady embrace. With eyes closed, they inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma, reluctant to open their eyes for several moments. Liu Lei grinned smugly. "Ha, so what do you think, old fox? How does this compare to the wine from your vineyard?" 

Christopher's eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze on the bottle in Liu Lei's hands. "This is heaven and earth, Liu. You're incredible! After all these years as a senior councilor, about to be promoted to chairman, and you never gifted me a single bottle, yet he hands you one the moment you arrive! This is a treasure, buried when the fortress was first built—at least a thousand years of aging!" 

Niya, the woman who was both lacking in alcohol tolerance and etiquette yet a slave to her insatiable thirst, despite her protest, had her eyes fixed greedily on the bottle—she had never tasted such fine wine in her life. 

Seeing her expression, Liu Lei felt even more smug. *Let's see if you don't beg me for a sip this time.* He eagerly poured two glasses, handing one to Christopher. "Hey, old Chris, we've been through thick and thin. You've generously given me your cherished vineyard and winery, and now that I have some fine wine, I wanted to share it with you first. Cheers!" 

Christopher, flabbergasted, carefully took the glass, as if afraid to spill a drop. "Oh, Liu, you're such a great guy! All Chinese are like this, I've always known... Ah, this is truly exquisite!" 

Liu Lei lifted his own glass, but as Niya reached out to take hers, he brought it to his lips and took a sip. "Ah, excellent!" 

Niya's face darkened. After a few moments, she finally cleared her throat. Liu Lei, seemingly oblivious, continued to swirl the wine in his glass while addressing the old mage, who was relishing the drink. "This is truly marvelous wine—look at the color! And the aroma..." He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed deeply.

Niya, seething with rage, struck Liu Lei on the head with a swift blow. He staggered, and a few drops of wine splashed from his glass. With a strange yelp, Liu Lei's hand shifted rapidly in a blur of movements, managing to catch the spilled wine back into his glass. As he raised his head to curse, he saw Niya, her face flushed and brimming with fury, walking toward him. The words caught in his throat. 

Seemingly ignoring him, Niya marched straight to the bottle on the table. Grabbing it, she tipped it back, taking a swig. Liu Lei and Christopher simultaneously screamed, "My wine!" 

Niya, already slightly dazed, laughed and pointed at Liu Lei. "You pervert! How dare you not let me drink this fine wine? I'll drink it all myself..." Before she could finish her sentence, her head tilted, and she collapsed. Liu Lei, quick as a flash, lunged forward, catching the falling bottle in his arms. Cradling it close, he muttered, "Half a bottle left..." 

Meanwhile, Niya slammed to the floor, her head hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Christopher's inauguration ceremony finally arrived, and Liu Lei had a rough understanding of its proceedings: First, an oath of allegiance to the entire dark world; next, a "blood bath" presided over by the chairman; and lastly, Christopher's inaugural speech. As long as half of the forty-eight senior councilors and twelve other councilors applauded, he would be officially inducted. While simple in content, the ceremony was extraordinarily formal. Christopher left early to prepare, and by the time Liu Lei woke up, his ceremonial attire had already arrived.

The ceremony was held in the great hall of the stone fortress. Aside from the forty-eight senior councilors and twelve other councilors, about a hundred other chosen individuals were permitted to attend. The hall, though only fifty meters square, seemed vast with fewer than two hundred people gathered, yet these were the core figures of the Dark Association, the pillars of the dark world. All present were dressed in matching black velvet ceremonial robes, and they assembled under the statue of the Dark Lord at the center of the hall.

The first part of the ceremony was the oath. Everyone knelt on one knee, their right hands placed over their hearts. Christopher knelt at the front, while the chairman stood beside the Dark Lord's statue, holding an ancient book and reciting in a deep voice, "By the word of my lord: I will serve the darkness all my life, offering my soul and blood to the shadows. Let darkness envelop my heart and the world! The children of darkness shall be granted eternal life through destruction!" With each phrase, the crowd repeated in unison. In just half a minute, Liu Lei felt the chairman's "heart influence" at work again, subtly manipulating the minds of all present. No one seemed to notice, but Liu Lei could tell this was a perfect opportunity for mental control.

After the oath, everyone stood, but Christopher remained kneeling, as the second part of the ceremony—the "blood bath"—began. Two cages were brought forward, one containing a blood-sucking bat, the other a desert cobra. Servants removed Christopher's shirt, and with a snap of his fingers, the chairman killed the bat and the snake. The servants collected the blood and mixed it into a basin. The chairman rolled up his sleeves and dipped his fingers into the blood, drawing demonic runes across Christopher's body, before using the Dark Association's seal to mark his forehead. 

The "blood bath" ceremony was also a magical ritual, using the blood of specially bred animals and the chairman's secret method, allowing Christopher to wield the powers of the demons represented by the runes on his body.

The inaugural speech, which was supposed to be a formality, turned into a personal display of strength. After all, in times of turmoil, possessing great power was essential for a high-ranking dark being. However, today, Christopher delivered a lengthy speech—half an hour long—about his "policy outline." At its conclusion, the majority of the assembly clapped enthusiastically. After having seen the chairman's ninth-tier "heart influence" magic, Liu Lei felt indifferent to Christopher's display of his eighth-tier magic. 

The chairman shook Christopher's hand, praising him, "Christopher, such impressive magic!" The crowd, now realizing that Christopher had secretly demonstrated his power during his speech, responded with renewed admiration. One fellow dark mage exclaimed, "An eighth-tier 'heart influence'! Christopher, it looks like in fifty years, you'll be the first Grand Mage of the Dark Association in five centuries!"

Christopher, trying to hide his pride, bowed respectfully to the chairman. "I've embarrassed myself in front of you, my lord."

Liu Lei thought to himself, *You're the one truly showing off. He may be an old fox, but you're just a fox dressed as a deer.*

The ceremony ended, and most of the guests returned to their usual positions. Christopher stayed behind to handle some affairs, while Liu Lei and Niya remained with him. That evening, while Niya was away, Liu Lei and Christopher cautiously took out the remaining half bottle of the red wine they had nearly lost and began to taste it. 

Just then, someone outside called loudly, "Christopher!" followed by a knock on the door. Christopher stood to answer, and as soon as he opened it, the man outside asked, "Christopher, did you find the latest research on cloning technology I asked for?" Christopher opened his bag to fetch it.

After the visitor left, Christopher explained to Liu Lei, "He's also an excellent dark mage. As you know, dark mages rely on 'soul transfer' magic to prolong our lives, but if a 'rejection reaction' occurs, we're as good as dead. This guy came up with a method to clone yourself while you're still alive. Once your old body is no longer usable, you can transfer your soul into the clone's body, eliminating the rejection. If he succeeds, dark mages could achieve true immortality, just like you vampires..." 

Liu Lei, irritated, stopped listening, feeling a sense of unease. *Eternal life again?* A thought suddenly crossed his mind: what is the point of immortality? He had sacrificed so much and finally gained immortality, yet he didn't know why he was living. A life without any purpose made him feel increasingly confused by the allure of eternal life. He nodded absently at Christopher, then left the room, leaving the unfinished wine behind.