"Lady of the Lake?"
The vampire frowned slightly and nodded slowly:
"This is a local folk legend. I heard similar stories when I was a child. For example, a brave man sought strength, and then after a test, he pulled out a sword; a wise man sought wisdom, and then after a test, he obtained an ancient treasure book. These stories are plausible and have been circulated locally for a long time."
He paused.
"Before I left this place in early autumn, there was news on the black market that someone had really encountered the Lady of the Lake. If you need more detailed information, I can help collect it. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will give you the intelligence I have collected so far."
"That's really too much trouble for you."
Xia De raised his glass and clinked it lightly with Mr. Bernhardt:
"Also, since we are in a new city, can you introduce me to the local black market? I really want to see the local specialties."
"That's no problem. The number of ring sorcerers in Huntington City is no less than that in Midhill Castle."
"So, besides the Orthodox Church, are there any ring wizard organizations here that we need to pay attention to?"
Shade asked, and Mr. Bernhardt thought about it:
"There are none within the city limits. To the east are large vineyards and farms, with a small permanent population. But to the west, in the Pantanal swamp, there is the 'Pantanal Voodoo Society' composed of swamp aborigines. These people are strange and good at using magic such as toxins and plagues. They have different beliefs and some even believe in the Pantanal region itself. Because they polluted the groundwater near Huntington City in the early years, they were put on the wanted list by the Church of Nature. Of course, there are also many good guys among them, but when interacting with such people, never take the water and food they hand over casually."
"Is the Pantanal Voodoo Coven powerful?"
Xia De asked again, and the vampire thought about it:
"The organization's members are spread all over the Pantanal Swamp, and they make a profit by selling rare herbs and animal products in the swamp. They are really good at this. If you are interested in going deeper into the swamps and wetlands, the small houses you see in the uninhabited mountains and forests, or the pharmacists who grow herbs on the outskirts of remote villages, most of them are members of the Pantanal Voodoo Society. However, this organization is only active in this area, and they can hardly be found in other parts of the Old World and the New World."
Xia De had indeed never heard of the name of this organization before:
"There should be high-level sorcerers in the voodoo society, right?"
"Of course there are, but the highest level is only nine rings. The Voodoo Society's organizational structure is very loose, so the organization itself is full of contradictions. It is not as tightly structured as most organizations we know."
Mr. Bernhardt shrugged:
"You know, wherever there are people, there will be disputes. This is normal."
The two of them excitedly discussed the local situation. Mr. Bernhardt, who had lived here for many years, was very talkative and even wanted to invite Shade to visit his estate outside the city tonight.
Today was Thursday, and Shade had nothing to do, so he wanted to agree immediately. But at this moment, the club waiter hurried over and leaned over to whisper something in Mr. Bernhardt's ear. The latter showed a surprised expression:
"Oh, I see. It's my pleasure. I'll go right away."
He put down his wine glass, wiped his mouth hastily with a napkin, and said to Xia De embarrassedly while stroking his hair:
"There is a distinguished guest who wants to see me upstairs, Mr. Watson. You can have your meal here first. I will pay for the meal. I will be back as soon as possible. Yes, that person... Is my hair messy now?"
"Not messy, very good, do you need a comb?"
Xia De understood that "that one" referred to the princess. As he spoke, he took out a wooden comb from his pocket and handed it to her:
"Then please go up quickly."
He understood this and was very curious about what Princess Margaret of Anjou wanted to do with this vampire lord.
Mr. Bernhard combed his hair and left with the servant nervously, leaving Chad to continue eating. Although he was a distant relative of the Anjou royal family, he did not often meet with the royal family.
It was originally thought that Mr. Benhart would be away for a long time, but before Shad finished eating the Huntington secret honey grape steak in front of him, the gentleman came back worriedly.
He handed the comb back to Shade, and took the napkin handed to him by his servant and wrapped it around his neck again. Shade believed that his expression was like "I'm curious" was written on his face, and Mr. Bernhardt also understood Shade's expression and said with some annoyance:
"It's still related to this matter."
He pointed to the newspaper on the dining table about the princess's visit to Tobesk, and Shad nodded:
"Although this kind of diplomatic visit is very important for the two countries in peacetime, it shouldn't be necessary for you to go with us, right?"
"No, no, what does this have to do with me? It was Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret who visited Tobesk and wanted to prepare a gift in her personal name, so..."
Mr. Bernhardt shook his head:
"Someone just mentioned to Your Highness that I have a few bottles of good wine here, and I also manage the White River Valley vineyard for the royal family, so Your Highness asked me to take out some of this year's batch of wine from the wine cellar."
Although what Shade saw was fermenting wine, there was actually wine left over from previous years in the warehouse. The princess did not need to prepare the gifts between the Anjou royal family and the Cavendish royal family, but she was going to give gifts to important nobles and officials in Tobesk in her personal name, which she needed to take care of herself.
"What's so difficult about this? Aren't there plenty of wine in the cellar?"
Shade asked, and Mr. Bernhardt shook his head:
“Yes, but the quality is… very poor.”
This very respectable gentleman weighed his words:
"Because of the climate in recent years, the quality of grapes grown in the White River Valley vineyard has been declining year after year, which is also the reason for the continuous reduction in profits. Therefore, every summer, when I send the wine from the vineyard to Willendel..."
He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows to Xia De. Xia De knew that this involved some private topics, so he immediately said:
"I won't tell anyone."
"The vineyard can make a loss, but it would be disgraceful to send out bad wine. The summer wines in recent years are actually produced by my own winery."
Mr. Bernhardt crouched down and spoke quickly, looking around.
This is actually a small matter. Although Mr. Bernhardt's approach was not quite correct, it was at least not wrong. He maintained his dignity, received subsidies for the entrusted vineyard, and the royal family also received good red wine.
"So, the princess thought the wine from the winery was very good?"
Xia De asked with a smile, and the middle-aged noble sighed:
"Yes, but the problem is that all the wine from my own estate has been sold out this summer, and there is not a single bottle left."
This was a very embarrassing thing. Mr. Bernhardt could admit the source of the red wine he sent every year, but this would make him lose face. Therefore, this gentleman planned to buy a few bottles of good red wine at a high price and let Margaret Anjou take it to Tobesk.
Of course, the second princess of the royal family is very good at wine tasting, so Mr. Bernhardt must find a good wine that the princess has never tasted, otherwise the princess will immediately find out that the source of the wine is wrong.
This matter is not complicated, but it is not easy to do, so Mr. Bernhardt felt a little embarrassed at this time.
Xia De didn't expect that this gentleman who even participated in the God's Descent event would be troubled by such a small matter, so he suggested:
"Good wine? I guess you don't have to look for it. I have some nice wine here."
Helping this gentleman is just a piece of cake. He will need his help with many things in this city in the future.
As he said this, he first asked the vampire servant beside him to fetch two new goblets, then reached into his pocket. After looking around to see if anyone was paying attention, he "pulled" out two red wine bottles from the inside of his clothes and placed them on the table.
Mr. Bernhardt raised his eyebrows:
"You took the bottle with you when you went out?"
"No, no, I seldom drink. But when I go out, how can I not bring some wine with me?"
Xia De joked and distinguished the two bottles:
"Not this one, this is cider, and this one is wine."
He handed the bottle of cider to the returning vampire servant and asked him to pour wine for the two of them:
"Vicomte, I know these two bottles of wine don't look very good."
After all, even wine bottles are recycled for a second time.
"But please try this cider."
Xia De said confidently, and Mr. Bernhardt sat on the chair with his body tilted:
"Well, I rarely drink apple wine. I hope this will surprise me."
The fruit wine made from blood wine does not have extraordinary properties, but no matter what kind of wine it is, it will have the same scarlet color as wine.
Mr. Bernhardt looked at the wine in the glass with great surprise. The wine looked like liquid ruby. He picked up the wine glass and carefully observed the color under the light. He couldn't help but exclaimed:
"This color is really amazing. It's a noble color."
Shade had already taken a sip of cider. He was actually very sorry that blood wine brewing could only make wine and not non-alcoholic juice:
“Please taste it.”
"Just by looking at the color, I can tell it's... ... why is the cider that color?"
Hesitantly, he stretched out his nose and sniffed lightly. The powerful sense of smell of the vampire allowed him to fully smell the rich aroma of high-end wine. In an instant, it seemed as if the world was spinning. Mr. Bernhardt took a deep breath and tilted his head back, his eyes wide open:
"Oh my God, this is awesome!"
The second half of the sentence was Carsenrick slang, and Shade hoped that his translation was correct:
"This isn't some banned item like Middlesbrough's blood brew. You're exaggerating."
Although he knew this would have this effect, Xia De still smiled. He couldn't help feeling a little proud at the moment.