American Comic Dimensional Trading Device

"...That sounds interesting. So, after all this time, you should have some clues about that organization by now, right?" Josie nodded slightly and then asked.

“Very few. All I know is that their name is Twelve Palaces. They must have come from Europe. The potion is also called Twelve Palaces,” Malik said.

"Cough cough cough cough... The Zodiac?" Josie, who had just taken a sip of coffee, almost choked to death.

"What? You know about this organization?" Malik asked, somewhat surprised.

"I do know a little bit, but not more than you do!" Because it was too obvious, Josie simply admitted it.

Of course, the Zodiac here has nothing to do with the awesome organization in the comics. Instead, it should be a semi-agent, semi-terrorist organization similar to Leviathan.

And Josie only knew a little bit, such as the drug Malik mentioned. In the MCU, before Agent Carter appeared, there was a short film about Agent Carter that was more than ten minutes long.

In the story, Carter, while being ostracized by the Strategic Scientific Corps, tracks down a vial of a drug called Zodiac, and then receives a call from Howard inviting her to participate in reorganizing the Strategic Scientific Corps and establishing S.H.I.E.L.D.

This scene should take place after the Agent Carter series, because the short film ends with Howard and Dam Dugan looking at bikini-clad women, and bikinis didn't appear until the latter half of 46, while the timeline of Agent Carter's first season is set in the early 46.

“Then…” Malik’s eyes lit up when he heard that Josie also knew about this organization.

"Don't even think about it. I only know them, but I don't actually have any contact with them!" Josie rolled her eyes and refused before Malik could finish speaking, but she didn't completely refuse. "However, you can have the beast transformation potion. Just pay for the extra amount. Anyway, that little bit of money is nothing to you."

"That's good! That's good!" Although he was a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to pull Josie into his camp, Malik's main objective had been achieved.

Having achieved his goal, Malik didn't linger any longer. Just as Josie had said before, it wouldn't be a good thing if the old man of the council found out that the two of them were too close.

However, Malik had only been out for a few minutes, and Josie was just about to get up and leave, when there was another knock on the door.

When the door opened, a person was found completely covered up.

Good heavens, who else could it be but Hugh Jones?

"You must have arrived quite early, right?" Josie asked, raising an eyebrow as she saw Hugh Jones.

As a vampire, Hugh Jones is extremely sensitive to the scent of humans. He could have come knocking on the door after the meeting, but he only came now, obviously because he noticed Malik's movements and waited until now.

"Yes, I've been waiting for a while!" Hugh Jones did not deny it. He walked in, took off his mask, hat and other sun-blocking items, revealing a slightly pale face.

These things are actually useless to him indoors. What he fears is sunlight, not ordinary lighting, and there are no ultraviolet lights in the club.

“But don’t worry, there’s no one else but me!” Hugh Jones added.

“I believe that. Most of the board members shouldn’t be that free to keep an eye on others every day. How have you been lately? Are you adjusting well? I only have red wine here, please don’t mind!” Josie asked, while gesturing for Vito to pour a glass of red wine.

"Of course I don't mind. Vampires aren't completely incapable of eating human food, they just can't digest it! As for life after becoming a vampire, it's alright, except for that damn bastard and Howard Stark," Hugh Jones waved his hand and said.

"...You'll get used to it. But tell me why you wanted to see me. You don't want me to kill Howard, do you?" Josie couldn't comment on other people's private affairs, so she just laughed it off and pretended not to know.

“No, that’s not it. I came to you because of something else. I only found out after I came back that there are vampires in America, and quite a few of them, so I need your help!” Hugh Jones said.

I'll post a 4,000-word chapter first, and another chapter will be posted in the early morning—okay, in the morning.

Chapter 134 Energy Industry

"...You want to subdue them?" As soon as Hugh Jones spoke, Josie basically guessed what the other party wanted to do.

The vampires in this world don't have any of the titles and ranks found in novels, such as Grand Duke, Earl, or Knight. Most of them are just titles they held in life or disguised identities, and they have nothing to do with their strength or level.

There isn't even a clear division of strength levels.

The only relatively clear rule is that, in most cases, the older the vampire, the more powerful they are.

However, even bloodline vampires, with the help of external forces, are not without the possibility of killing those progenitor-level vampires.

Therefore, it's not unrealistic for Hugh Jones, as a newly minted vampire, to want to subdue other vampires in America, including some of the older ones.

With enough power, it's not impossible to get a top-tier vampire like Dracula to work for you.

“That’s right. I only found out after doing some research that the vampires have quite a bit of influence in the United States, and they usually hide among us. They are a very good force. But as you know, my strength is limited, and my armed forces are also limited. So I need your help to sell me a batch of those electromagnetic weapons. Of course, if you are willing to sell me the technology, that would be the best!” Hugh Jones also readily admitted his purpose.

"...I don't quite understand. Although ultraviolet light is the best weapon against vampires, artificial ultraviolet light isn't some particularly advanced technology. With the industrial capabilities of the Roxon Group, there shouldn't be any need for them to buy electromagnetic weapons from me, right?" Josie asked, frowning slightly.

While in Europe, Josie and Hugh Jones conducted experiments on some low-level vampires.

Among non-supernatural substances, things like garlic essence and silver generally have a certain killing effect on vampires, but it is only a certain killing effect, not a sure kill.

For example, with silver weapons, you can only achieve a one-hit kill effect if you cut off or pierce the vampire's head or heart.

Otherwise, if you only manage to cut a vampire, it will only injure them, instead of making them instantly obliterate as depicted in movies and TV shows.

The same goes for garlic. Plain garlic can only frighten or injure vampires, but only refined garlic extract can cause sufficient damage to vampires.

As for holy water and crosses... haha! Maybe there are genuine ones, but at least Josie hasn't seen any that are useful yet.

Other toxic chemicals can also harm vampires, but these substances are also very harmful to the user.

Therefore, after comprehensive testing, ultraviolet light is still the most effective weapon against vampires, at least for regular vampires.

Ultraviolet light could already be artificially produced in the early 20th century, which was not high technology at the time. Josie would never believe that the Roxon Group couldn't produce it.

“That’s true, but those vampires aren’t primitives. They can use guns and bombs too. As soon as they discover that my people are using ultraviolet devices, they will prioritize targeting those devices. Also, without a fixed power source, my bunch of useless guys can’t make batteries that can keep high-powered ultraviolet lamps running!” Hugh Jones said helplessly.

Josie understood now; the protective capabilities of the ultraviolet devices were just a pretext.

Hugh Jones is eyeing the battery technology of the Magnetic Storm Infantry Suit.

The energy used by the magnetic storm infantry armor cannot be generated out of thin air; it mainly relies on the extremely advanced battery technology on the armor.

While this battery technology can't compare to the Arc Reactor, in terms of efficiency, it surpasses even the battery technology of the 21st century in Josie's previous life. In this era, it would be considered a true black technology.

More importantly, the batteries of the magnetic storm infantry armor are equipped with the regenerative feedback current coil technology unique to the Russians in Red Alert World.

Anyone who has played Red Alert knows that the Soviet Union's power plant is a device called a magnetic reactor.

However, to be precise, the magnetic energy reactor is not a generator in the traditional sense, but a secondary generator.

What does that mean? It means that this thing is actually just a large battery, but the key is that it has a device called a regenerative feedback current coil installed on it.

When the reactor is discharging, this device uses the voltage generated during the discharge to produce a new current.

To put it simply, it means being able to generate electricity using electricity.

However, the newly generated current will be significantly attenuated compared to the original current.

Therefore, this is not a perpetual motion machine, does not violate the law of conservation of energy, and its power generation is far less than that of a normal turbine generator.

The only advantage is that it increases the utilization rate of electrical energy by 30-40%, greatly reducing electricity costs, and also indirectly enhances the battery's range by 30-40%.

Okay, this one advantage alone is already incredibly impressive.

Energy is already a highly profitable industry, which means there's an extra 30-40% profit margin out of thin air.

"So you've got your eye on my battery technology! My friend, you guys at Roxon are in the energy business too, I'm sure you know how huge the profits are!" Josie said with a smile.

Whether it's battery technology or this regenerative feedback current coil technology, either one of them is enough to change the landscape of the global energy industry. Is it something that your Roxon Group can just take over as it pleases?

“Of course I understand, but developing new technologies requires a huge investment of resources and will encounter various obstacles along the way, won’t it? But if you have a partner that is already strong enough, the situation is different,” Hugh Jones said with a confident smile.

"Heh...you think you've got me figured out?" Josie scoffed. Of course, the problems Hugh Jones mentioned were true, but did Josie care about that now?

"No, no, no, don't misunderstand. I'm not threatening you. I just believe that the conditions I offer will definitely satisfy you!" Hugh Jones shook his head slightly upon seeing this.

"Oh? Tell me about it?" Josie couldn't help but become interested when she heard Hugh Jones say that.

“15% of Rockxon Energy Group’s shares!” Hugh Jones offered.

Goodness, Josie was really surprised this time; the price was indeed beyond his expectations.

Don't be fooled by the price Hugh Jones offered—it's just shares in Rockxon Energy Group, not shares in the Rockxon Group itself—although the difference is only one word, "energy," the value is worlds apart.

After all, Rockxon Energy is only a part of the Rockxon Group.

While Rockxon Energy Group does not represent the entirety of the Rockxon Group, it is certainly its most essential component.

It encompasses all of the upstream and downstream industrial chains related to the Roxon Group, including oil, coal mines, gas stations, and power plants. These industries of Roxon Energy account for 40% of the total related industries in the United States.

And 15% of the shares is by no means a small number.

After all, the energy industry is not an ordinary industry; there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, even in the United States, which is known for its free trade.

Even if Josie were to establish a new energy company herself, it would be difficult to guarantee that she would retain more than 50% of the shares under normal business means. As for 100% control? Don't be ridiculous. It might be easier to just start an army and conquer the entire United States.

Therefore, even if Josie's battery technology is advanced enough, it would still be a worthwhile investment to acquire 15% of the Roxon Group's shares.

After all, that's just battery technology, not resources or power generation technology.

Of course, there is another very important point: although Josie seems very wealthy now, she actually doesn't have much money or energy to invest in the energy industry.

However, if you add regenerative feedback current coil technology, 15% becomes significantly less effective.

“Not enough!” Josie shook her head.

“Josie, you can’t be too greedy!” Hugh Jones frowned as he saw Josie refuse.

“No, it’s not that I’m greedy, but there’s another technology involved.” So Josie brought up the regenerative feedback current coil technology.

“I see, 15% is indeed a bit too little.” Hugh Jones realized this and quickly made a decision: “In that case, let’s make it 30%!”

“It’s a very fair price, and I can’t find a reason to refuse. But if I remember correctly, you yourself only own less than 30% of Rockson Energy, right?” Josie nodded and then said.

Although Hugh Jones is one of the founding family members of the Rockxon Corporation and is also its current leader.

However, as mentioned earlier, the energy industry, which is vital to a nation's economy, is almost impossible to be completely monopolized by a single family or individual, unless that family or individual is the ruler of that country.

Therefore, the Jones family as a whole does not hold 50% of Rosen Energy's shares, and Hugh Jones's personal shareholding is even smaller.

“That’s right, I can’t come up with it myself, but I can persuade the other shareholders to contribute some shares and make up 30% for you!” Hugh Jones said confidently.