Before the 19th century, Brown Castle's most important function was as a toll station on the highway, strategically placed on a major thoroughfare, where its owners imposed a 3% tariff on goods entering and exiting Transylvania for 300 years.
This toll was a considerable source of revenue until 1836, when the boundaries between Transylvania and Wallachia were redrawn, gradually diminishing the castle's significance.
The vampire legends associated with the castle not only relate to the infamous Impaler but also tightly weave into the castle's long history as a toll station.
In that era, travelers carrying goods could only pass under the castle, where they were stopped to pay the tax. Those caught evading taxes were severely punished—a scenario that morphed into tales of vampires dragging people into the castle to drink their blood.
These patrols, often conducted at night to catch tax evaders, further fueled legends of nocturnal vampires.
Due to the castle's construction spanning several centuries atop a rocky terrain, it acquired an asymmetrical and irregular appearance.
The southwestern corner's conical round tower, initially not a gunpowder store but a typical medieval tower, was the earliest constructed. The north side features a rectangular main tower, the tallest structure in the castle.
In the 16th century, the defensive eastern tower was added, adorned with stone blocks and known as the "Stone Tower"; the square gate tower built in the 17th century now serves as the main entrance to the castle, with a courtyard enclosed by towers and walls, called the "inner courtyard."
However, everything Liang En and his companions see now was constructed in the early 20th century when King Ferdinand I of Romania purchased Brown Castle as a birthday gift for his wife, Marie.
By then, the castle had long been abandoned and was in a state of disrepair. Marie hired Czech architect Karel Líman to extensively renovate the castle, importing furniture and decorations from Western Europe, transforming it into a royal summer palace.
Although the castle still looks like a military fortress on the outside, it has become a modern leisure castle, suitable for human habitation.
Unfortunately, since the place now functions as a museum, Liang En, as the castle owner, cannot find a place to live within its walls; his only option is to reside in a two-story guesthouse at the rear of the castle.
After a quick tour of the castle's rooms and exhibits, the two went to the green-roofed double-story house at the back of the castle.
According to a prior agreement, the castle's handover also took place here, making it a significant reason for their visit, primarily to sign the final documents.
At the entrance to the small house, Liang En and his lawyer, who had arrived earlier, entered the room to sign the last document, formally transferring ownership of the castle to Liang En.
Although the agreement grants Liang En the right to alter the castle's status, meaning he could even convert it into private property and cease museum operations, owning a museum is evidently more valuable to him than owning a residence he could hardly live in a few times a year.
Moreover, if the castle ceased to operate as a museum, the annual taxes and maintenance costs could amount to between 500,000 and 600,000 euros—a considerable expense even for someone with a substantial income.
After signing the documents, the lawyer and the previous owner left the room, leaving Liang En and his companion alone.
The house, truly meant for residence, was well-maintained with all daily necessities provided; according to prior discussions, even 3,000 euros were prepaid for utilities.
However, the refrigerator was stocked only with mineral water, showing no consideration for those who might stay long-term. Fortunately, Brown Town was just downhill, making shopping for necessities hardly a challenge.
Half an hour later, after purchasing a substantial amount of food in the town, Liang En and his companion returned to the castle, where they began cooking.
Since it was now midday, they decided it was appropriate to eat lunch first, and Liang En took this opportunity to reflect on the current situation.
According to his memory, this castle was known in another world as Dracula's Castle, attracting 500,000 visitors annually and being a popular tourist destination.
However, the situation here was quite different; the sparse tourists on the mountain road indicated that this world's castle did not enjoy the same fame as its counterpart in the other world.
After lunch, Liang En quickly started researching, thankful for the good internet connection at this tourist spot, which allowed him to gather the necessary information swiftly.
In this world, although Bram Stoker was a very famous novelist, considered one of Ireland's most famous authors, and Liang En had even studied his travelogues in elementary school, Stoker had not written the famous novel "Dracula," so the vampire craze had not taken hold, making vampires far less renowned than in Liang En's previous life.
This was why
the castle was not famous here—compared to other castles, it held no particular appeal.
Although the castle had once served as a royal palace, the vast number of Habsburgs made such palaces quite common, and most people would not travel to this remote location to visit a palace they considered mundane.
If they really wanted to see such palaces, there were plenty near Vienna, each more luxurious and well-preserved than this one, so there was no need for them to make a long journey here just for this palace.
This aligned with the visitor statistics Liang En had researched earlier; only a very few nationals came specifically to see this castle, while the majority were merely passing through.
For Liang En, this was not good news. Although he now had ample assets and a stable income, the idea of a financial liability was still bothersome.
Fortunately, turning the situation around did not seem an impossible task. After all, the popularity of vampires had originally stemmed from a series of literary works.
In his previous life, Liang En had written a web novel that spanned multiple worlds and had researched many books, including the famous "Dracula" and another more modern vampire novel, "Twilight."
He planned to stay here for a while, then attempt to recreate those books from memory and contact his acquaintances in the publishing industry, hoping to attract enough tourists to his castle.
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