After the double prologue, "several months later" (actually about 18 months) Harlan Draka finally enters the story with his friends Kurjak and Tesla:
(Sign in Romanian) “Future site of Dracula Park – Ministry of Tourism”
“The sign is still there, and yet the park project has been abandoned for over a year, at least in this area.”
“You know how it is. Romanians are relaxed. They like to take their time with things.”
“When it gets down to it, they are an easygoing people, or so they say.”
Later in their hotel, Tesla the vampire is eager for sunset so she can get to work.
“You’ll regret it if you leave me here alone in this room this time. As for what we have to do, we have to wait for darkness.”
“Yeah, I remember now. The last time we were here, you were literally 'shocked' by a bad experience.* But there are no more Blue Wolves in Transylvania, my dear Tesla. The deformed remains of Lester de Vere lie in the grounds of his castle in Scotland. He's the guy who made you fly out the window, if I remember correctly.”
*See Dampyr No. 22, 'The Secret of the Seven Cities.'
“His name was Yasur. Or perhaps 'is'. The last time I saw him, he had effectively become some sort of werewolf, and my father was taking him away from the dungeons of the Black Bier. I still wonder how he managed to do it. That place was a trap, and the only way out was the trap door you pulled me out of.”
“Don't underestimate your father, Harlan. Maybe he knew a secret passage. It is said that deep under the Himalayas, roads branch out from the city of the King of the World, reaching every corner of the earth.”
“Where did you get this nonsense from?”
Again, Harlan's father is the vampire lord Draka, whom we've already met. They are not on good terms, though Draka has been known to help Harlan occasionally. Once again casual smoking, this time from Harlan on page 30. Notice the careful positioning of Kurjak's hands in the penultimate panel.
These pages have a lot of exposition tieing past and future story threads together. "King of the World" is a phrase from a book Kurjak is reading. We'll learn more about it on the next page. The authors of this series scour fantasy literature from around the world for story hooks, and the main characters are equally well read.
