During the last incident of Professor Higgins’s “blood debt”, Shad had a good impression of Mr. Armand Bernhardt.
Therefore, even though he knew that the other party was a vampire and that he was staying in a local winery, he did not report it to the church. This time, the witches obviously would not treat this person as non-existent, and it was even more obvious that even if the other party was a vampire from the Central Ring, he would definitely not be able to defeat any of the great witches in the room.
"Good luck to you."
That was all Shade could think as he walked towards the warehouse.
The size of the coffin cannot be seen in the photo, but the actual size is the same as a normal coffin, so Mr. Bernhard obviously cannot carry it back. According to the auction process, this kind of bulky goods that are difficult to transport are to be transported by the Cassandra Auction House's carriage tomorrow, but Mr. Bernhard obviously likes the antique coffin he bought very much, so he must take it away by carriage tonight.
Of course, it would be suspicious to leave immediately after buying something, so Mr. Bernhardt remained at the Fire Worship Festival banquet, and the black metal coffin remained in the warehouse. As one of the organizers of the banquet, Cassandra Auction House naturally had the key to the warehouse, and even the security company hired was from Cassandra Auction House.
The warehouse was in the basement on the east side of the first floor of the Mechanics Institute of Fort Midhill. It was originally a shelter for the front-line military camp, and later became the storage room of the institute. Cassandra's maid, the lady with the second ring of power, led Shade all the way to the underground. After verifying his identity and conducting multiple tests, he passed through three doors and opened at least three large locks before he could see the coffin.
Gas lamps were lit in the basement. After thousands of years, the metal coffin had long been rusted. It was placed in a vertical wooden box with straw and cotton pads for cushioning. Soon the lid of the wooden box would be closed, nailed and then transported away.
As for whether this is a relic, Shade didn't know the answer until he touched the object. It was very unexpected that this was not a relic, and there was not a single whisper element. Unless this relic had the characteristic of "hiding whisper elements", Shade would definitely not be wrong.
But after further inspection, Xia De found some scratch-like marks on the inner wall of the coffin, which he interpreted as ancient foreign cursive writing:
My love sleeps here.
"Could it be that this is an antique used by a previous vampire, so Mr. Bernhardt wants to buy it as a souvenir? It's just like the Witch Council likes to collect items used by the Witch Emperors."
Xia De muttered to himself, wondering whether he should lick it to further confirm that the coffin was really an ordinary item. But just as he rejected this disgusting idea, the guard outside coughed clearly.
This means someone is coming and Shade needs to leave immediately.
“Go!”
After waving to the maid and the armed bodyguard of the security company, the four of them left the warehouse. The two sturdy bodyguards quickly closed and locked the door, and then stood in front of the door, looking very loyal to their duties. Xia De and the maid did not leave the basement, but turned behind the metal container at the door of the warehouse.
The maid threw down two spells to cover the sound and shadow. Just as the two of them hid, there was a noise from the stairs. It was Mr. Bernhardt who came in with a few workers. Although he still had to attend the banquet, he wanted to have the coffin taken away now.
"Are you in such a hurry?"
After avoiding Armand Bernhardt, Shade and the maid returned to the lounge on the east side of the first floor and told the two witches what they had seen underground. After hearing that the coffin was indeed not a relic, the witches lost interest in the matter. Even though Shade said that the other party might be a vampire, they were no longer interested in the matter:
"Let's just call it a vampire. Vampires have nothing to do with the Chosen Ones and the matter of the narrow space. We should concentrate on preparations and investigate the matter of the hole you mentioned tomorrow."
Ms. Aurora said while holding the teacup, looking up and down at Shade:
"But you're really quick. No wonder Karina always says you're useful. Moreover, even mother-in-law can't tell you're a vampire."
Shade shook his head:
"I've dealt with vampires in Tobesk before, and they seemed very confident in their ability to hide. But I still don't understand, if it's just an ordinary antique, why did you raise the reserve price by five times to buy it?"
“It’s very simple.”
The knowledgeable old witch smiled and said:
"It is estimated that they want to smuggle this antique to Carsenrick. The foreign antique dealer and Viscount Bernhardt are partners. They use the legal auction process to transfer the antique from the name of a local to that of a foreigner, and then use Bernhardt's identity as Viscount Carsenrick to obtain export convenience. Although this will increase taxes, it bypasses Delarion's strict antique export policy."
"is that so?"
Xia De was still a little hesitant, but no matter what, the coffin was indeed an ordinary item.
Fortunately, Mr. Bernhardt escaped from the hands of the two great witches.
After solving the problem of the black coffin, there was only one hour left before the night dance began. Xia De still wanted to see the local Rhodes card players, so he stood up and prepared to say goodbye to the witches.
But before he could stand up, there was a knock on the door of the lounge.
"Lady Cassandra, Lord Darak of Campbell wants to see you."
"A landed earl?"
Shade looked at Grandma Cassandra in surprise, and she nodded:
"The local nobles, who inherited their ancestral legacy, actually only have the power to collect taxes in the town."
Xia De stood up, knowing that it was inappropriate for him to appear in this situation. He looked around and stared at the wardrobe in the corner, but Miss Aurora pulled him back:
"Stand behind me."
Shade immediately walked around the sofa, first took out a black narrow-brimmed round hat from his pocket and put it on, then threw his formal dress jacket for the banquet behind the sofa, and then took out an old black coat and put it on. He did not button it up to reveal the two pistols on his waist.
He stood firmly against the wall behind the sofa, his feet apart, his hands clasped together and hanging naturally in front of him, with a serious look on his face, as if he might draw his gun and hurt someone at any time.
"very nice."
Miss Aurora was amused by his appearance, and after a little teasing, she nodded to the old witch. The latter's smile disappeared, her eyelids drooped, and she said in an old voice with a very cold tone:
"Come in."