The sound of the violin floats on the top layer, with the sounds of the silver flute and the single yellow pipe underneath, and finally the soothing cello music with a Carsenlike style as the base, which is the typical style of Carsenlike dance music.
The entire first floor of the Rothschild manor was opened as a banquet venue, and the hall, which occupied a quarter of the first floor area, was the main banquet venue, which was prepared specifically for the banquet.
It was still early and Princess Margaret had not yet given her farewell speech. Gentlemen and ladies in exquisite gowns were enjoying their time under the crystal chandeliers.
Shade, who was not very good at speaking Carsenrick, followed Mr. Bernhard and found his friends at the long table. They were blood-sucking species with small bats hanging on their heads. There were about seven or eight of them, all dressed in white shirts and black suits, but each of them had different decorations such as pocket watches and badges.
They each held a glass of red wine, and when Mr. Bernhardt came over, they loudly talked about the grape harvest this autumn. Similar to their fellow vampires in Midhill Castle, most of the local vampires also run wine businesses, and even most of the people in the local wine guild have a vampire background. Shade believed that this was related to the god they believed in.
"Oh, look who's here?"
The middle-aged man with a rough beard, who looked more like a bear-man or other alien creature than a vampire, called out to Mr. Bernhard loudly:
"Armand, when did you return from Fort Midhill? Is business going well?"
"I came back two weeks ago. As for business? Well, my colleagues in that mountain city actually don't welcome me."
Mr. Bernhardt also smiled and hugged him, then patted Shade on the shoulder and introduced him to everyone:
"Everyone, this is my friend from Draerion. Although he is not one of us, he is on our side."
Although the introduction was cryptic, people understood what he said.
"Good evening, gentlemen."
Shade spoke in Kasenric, shaking hands with these gentlemen, and judging from this, most of them were low-ring, with only one being five-ring. In comparison, Mr. Bernhardt, who was seven-ring, had the highest level, and it finally made sense that he was sent to carry out the mission of Midhill Castle in the fall.
Mr. Bernhardt was well-known in the local area, so Shade, as his friend, was also warmly welcomed. People asked him about the interesting things about Delarion, praised his appearance, and marveled at the exquisite workmanship of his dress. Mr. Bernhardt was very happy to see his friend being welcomed. He took two glasses of red wine from the tray in the waiter's hand, handed one of them to Shade, and then said:
"Is there anything interesting happening in the city recently? I've been recovering from my injury since I came back. Yes, I encountered some things in Middlesbrough, so I don't know much about the interesting things happening in the city recently."
As he spoke, he tapped the glass with his ring and winked at Shade. Shade knew that Mr. Bernhardt's ruby ring was actually an alchemical item he made himself, which could give the wine the taste of blood.
"Something interesting?"
The old man, whom Mr. Bernhard called "Count Ronan", raised his glass and clinked it with the former. The old man held a gold-plated cane, and wore three gem rings on the five fingers of his right hand. The buttons on his black coat looked like pure silver, and each of them had a subtle pattern of a small bat. But this look did not seem abrupt, but rather had a sense of low-key luxury:
"Yesterday, Count Sachia died in the White King Club not far from here. The murderer was his lover."
Count Ronan said, and Mr. Bernhardt nodded slowly:
“It’s really surprising.”
Xia De also echoed:
"It's surprising. I didn't expect the public security in Huntington is so bad."
"It's not that the local security is bad, there is actually something hidden behind this matter."
Count Ronan lowered his voice and raised his eyebrows at Shade:
"Sir, you've just arrived here, so you may not be well-informed. I heard that the church also arrested a man from the Pantanal yesterday."
He blinked, and Mr. Bernhardt made a knowing expression:
"It's them. They are so brave."
As he spoke, he also explained to the "ignorant" Shad beside him the meaning of the people coming from the Pantanal.
"What do they want to do?"
Baron York, who had a small braid on the back of his head, asked while holding a wine glass. He wanted to touch Mr. Bernhardt's ring with his glass, but the latter dodged with a smile.
This time it was the bear-like Viscount Ramadi who answered him. The Viscount's voice was very elegant, which did not match his appearance at all:
"I have heard some news, but I can't guarantee its authenticity."
Everyone looked around, and the Viscount lowered his voice:
"It is said to be related to the Heart of Pantanal. There are many rumors in the swamp right now. The herbal medicine business run by Count Sachia has extended its reach too far and blocked roads that should not be blocked."
“What is the Heart of the Pantanal?”
Xia De was suspicious, but before he could ask, the Baron of York, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, said:
"Come to think of it, I do have some news. This is exclusive news, even the church doesn't know it. The Association for the Quest for Truth, yes, that academic organization further south, has sent people to our place. They are said to be looking for something."
Xia De was stunned:
"The Truth Society?"
He almost blurted it out, but fortunately he stopped himself in time.
Mr. Bernhardt tapped the floor twice with his leather shoes nervously and drank the red wine in his hand:
"The Truth Society?"
He tried to lower his voice, narrowed his bright eyes, and wrinkles appeared on his pale forehead:
"I also met these crazy people in Middlesbrough. What are they doing here? Is it related to the people in Pantanal?"
"It doesn't matter. Academic organizations like the Truth Society look down on the country folks in the Great Swamp, believing them to be uneducated."
Viscount York said with a smile, and everyone in the circle smiled, and Shade also laughed. Even among the ring sorcerers, there is a chain of discrimination.
"The Truth Society only sent three people, accompanied by a clergyman from a... vibrant illegal religious group that believes in an incorrect god. They found me on the black market, bought some special drugs, asked me for information about the banquet, and paid a high price for four invitations. Those people are really rich."
This "drug dealer" casually revealed the news of his customer:
"I haven't seen them yet, but they're definitely coming."
Xia De immediately glanced around, and then heard someone ask again:
"Why are you associated with evil again? Ahem, I mean, illegal believers?"
This time it was Mr. Bernhardt who gave the answer:
"The Truth Society suffered a great loss in the Midhill Castle incident. The professors they sent out were almost all arrested because of... illegal prostitution. Moreover, they have never minded cooperating with illegal elements. After all, most of the illegal elements are not as crazy as they are."
Because they belong to the same race, these blood-sucking species trust each other and gather together to exchange all kinds of local news using metaphors that ordinary people cannot understand. During this time, Shade quietly listened and wrote down the content.
The diet of vampires is somewhat different from that of normal people, so they each took some fruits and vegetables from their plates and left the meat alone.
Since Xia De didn't know anyone there, he didn't run around. Even though he saw a group of people playing Rhodes cards gathered in a corner of the hall, he didn't rush over to join in the fun.
However, a middle-aged priest with the holy emblem of the Church of Peace on his chest came over and shook hands with Mr. Bernhardt. He seemed to be an acquaintance of Mr. Bernhardt. At this time, the other vampires tacitly changed the topic to donating money to the Huntington Orphanage and Welfare Home in the local church in the name of the Huntington Wine Association before the first snow fell.
It seems that they have completely integrated into the lives of ordinary people.
Xia De did not take the initiative to talk to strangers, but someone came to Xia De to chat. It was a group of local noble girls who had gathered together. They smiled and pushed one of the girls in a red skirt and handed Xia De a handkerchief. After Xia De took it, he found that there was an address and name on it.
When I looked at the girl again, she was already shy and went to meet her friends.
Seeing Shade's surprised look, the "drug dealer" Baron York laughed and teased:
"Our Huntington girls are always so passionate and bold. The one just now seems to be the daughter of the MacDonald family. She is a good marriage partner. Their vineyard is even bigger than Bernhardt's."
"But the quality of their wine cannot compare to mine. The red wine produced by the Bernhardt family is sweeter than virgin blood!"
Mr. Bernhardt immediately retorted, and everyone around him laughed and joked, but they also did not deny that his wine was of good quality.
Xia De looked at the handkerchief and then touched his face. He didn't have the habit of messing with strange girls.
When the clock tower in the center of the city rang seven times in succession, Princess Margaret of Anjou, wearing a blue princess dress and a silver crown on her head, finally appeared on the platform above the stairs accompanied by the accompanying Willendel nobles.
As the flashes of the newspaper's cameras continued to flash, the music stopped and the voices in the banquet hall also stopped. Shade, holding a wine glass, looked at the princess with long blond hair standing high up, shining under the surrounding gas lamps, with these upper-class and respectable vampires.
She didn't take out her speech but just started speaking.
"Citizens of Carsenrick, I am speaking here on behalf of the Angevin royal family and the 1853 Tobesc delegation. Peace has been in the Old World for nearly a century, and the friendly relations between Delarion and Carsenrick have been going on since my ancestor, the great Corleone I..."
"gentlemen."
As Shade was looking up at the princess, he heard the voice of a young lady behind him. He turned around and saw that it was a girl dressed as a maid. This was the ring wizard with witch power. Shade had seen her before. When he met Miss Sylvia at the Owl Club, she was the one serving Miss Sylvia:
"The lady wants to see you."
The maid whispered, and Shade nodded, then said to Mr. Bernhardt:
"That lady wants to talk to me about something. I'll be back in a moment."
"Be careful."
Mr. Bernhardt patted Shad's shoulder with some concern, and then watched Shad walk away with the maid through the crowd.