Whispering Verse

The sound of the violin floats on the top layer, with the sounds of silver flute and clarinet underneath, and finally the soothing cello sound with Kassenlick style is the foundation, which is the typical style of Kassenlick dance music.

The entire first floor of the Rothschild Manor was opened as a banquet venue, and the hall, which occupies a quarter of the first floor, is the main banquet venue. This place itself is prepared for banquets.

It was still early and Princess Margaret had not yet given her farewell speech. The gentlemen and ladies in exquisite dresses under the crystal lamp were enjoying the moment.

Shade, whose English was not very good, followed Mr. Bernhardt and found his friends at the long table with him. They were vampires with little bats hanging on their heads. There were about seven or eight of them, all dressed in white shirts and black formal suits, but each one had different decorations such as pocket watches and badges.

Each of them was carrying red wine, and when Mr. Bernhardt came over, they talked loudly about this autumn's grape harvest. Similar to the vampires in Fort Midhill, most of the local vampires are also engaged in the wine business. Even most people in the local wine guild have a vampire background. Shade believes that this is in line with the beliefs they believe in. related to a god.

"Oh, look who's here?"

The middle-aged man with a rough beard, who looked more like a bear-like alien creature than a vampire, greeted Mr. Bernhardt loudly:

"Armand, when did you come back from Fort Midhill? Is business going well?"

"I came back two weeks ago. As for business? Oh, 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 to everyone:

"Everyone, this is my friend from Delarion. Although he is not from us, he is still from our side."

Although this introduction was very cryptic, people understood what he said.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

Shade spoke in Kasenric and took the initiative to shake hands with these gentlemen, and judged from this that most of them were low-level, and only one was a fifth-level. In comparison, Mr. Bernhardt of the Seventh Ring has the highest level. It finally makes sense that he was sent to perform the mission of Fort Midhill in the autumn.

Mr. Bernhardt had a high reputation in the local area, so Schade was warmly welcomed as his friend. People asked him about interesting things about Delrayon, praised his appearance, and marveled at the exquisite workmanship of his dress. Mr. Bernhardt was very happy to see his friend welcomed. He picked up 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 going on in the city recently? I've been recovering from my injuries since I came back. Yes, I encountered some things in Middleburg, 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 then winked at Shade. Shade knew that Mr. Bernhardt's ruby ​​ring was actually an alchemical item he made himself, which could make wine taste like blood.

"Interesting things?"

The old gentleman whom Mr. Bernhard called "Count Ronan" raised his glass and clinked it with the former. The cane the old gentleman held was covered with gold, and he wore three gemstone rings on the five fingers of his right hand, black. The buttons on the coat looked like sterling silver, and each one had a subtle pattern of a little bat. But not only does this look not appear abrupt, but it has a low-key sense of luxury:

"Count Sagia died yesterday at the White King Club not far from here. The murderer was his lover."

Count Ronan said, and Mr. Bernhardt nodded slowly:

"What a surprise."

Shade also echoed:

"It's surprising. I didn't expect the security in Huntington to be so bad."

"It's not that the local security situation is poor. There is actually a hidden agenda in this matter."

Earl Ronan lowered his voice and raised his eyebrows at Shade:

"Sir, you just came to the local area, so you may not be very well-informed. It is said that the church also arrested a person yesterday, a person from the Pantanal."

He blinked, and Mr. Bernhardt made a clear expression:

"It's them, they are so brave."

As he said this, he explained to the "confused" Shade the meaning of the people coming from the Pantanal.

"What do they want to do?"

Baron York, who had pigtails on the back of his head, asked while holding a wine glass. He wanted to touch Mr. Bernhardt's ring with his own glass, but the latter smiled and dodged it.

This time, Viscount Ramadi, who looked like a bear man, answered him. The Viscount's voice was very elegant and did not match his appearance at all:

"I did hear some news, but I can't guarantee it's true."

Everyone looked around, and then the Viscount lowered his voice:

"It is said to be related to the Heart of the Pantanal. There are a lot of rumors in the swamp. The herbal medicine business run by Count Sagia has stretched his hands too far and blocked the road that should not be blocked."

“What is the Heart of the Pantanal?”

Shade was suspicious, but before he could ask, Baron York, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, said again:

"Speaking of which, I have another piece of news. This is exclusive news. Not even the church knows about it. The Association for the Search for Truth, yes, that academic organization further south, sent people to our place. It is said that they are looking for something. thing."

Shade was stunned:

"The Truth Society?"

He almost blurted out, but luckily he stopped in time.

Mr. Bernhardt tapped the floor with his leather shoe uneasily twice, and drank the red wine in his hand:

"The Truth Society?"

He lowered his voice as much as possible, narrowed his bright eyes, and wrinkles appeared on the pale skin of his forehead:

"I also met this group of lunatics in Middleburg. What are they doing here? Is it related to the people in the Pantanal?"

"It doesn't matter. Academic organizations like the Truth Society look down on the country bumpkins in the Everglades and think they are uneducated."

Viscount York said with a smile, everyone in the circle smiled, and Shade also laughed in agreement. Even among ring wizards, there is a chain of discrimination.

"The Truth Society only sent three people, and they were accompanied by a cleric from an active illegal religious group who believed in incorrect gods. They found me on the black market, bought some special drugs, and asked me about the banquet. information, and bought four invitations at a high price. Those people are really rich."

The "drug dealer" disclosed the information about his customers without any care:

"I don't see them yet, but they are definitely coming."

Shade immediately scanned the surroundings, and then heard someone ask again:

"Why are you related to evil, ahem, I mean illegal believers again?"

This time it was Mr. Bernhardt who gave the answer:

"The Truth Society suffered a big loss in the Fort Midhill Incident. Almost all the professors they sent were arrested for illegal prostitution. Moreover, they never mind cooperating with illegal elements. After all, most illegal elements do not They're so crazy."

Because they belong to the same race, these vampires trust each other and gather together to exchange various local news using metaphors that ordinary people cannot understand. During this period, Shade listened quietly and wrote down the contents.

However, the diet of vampires is a little different from that of normal people, so they each took some fruits and vegetables on their plates and did not touch the meat.

Since Shade had no acquaintances, he didn't run around. Even when he saw a crowd of people playing Rhodes gathered in a corner of the hall, he didn't rush over to join in the fun.

However, the middle-aged priest with the Holy Emblem of the Peace Church on his chest came over to shake hands with Mr. Bernhardt. He seemed to be an acquaintance of Mr. Bernhardt. At this time, the other vampires tacitly changed the topic to the next chapter. Before a snowfall, in the name of the Huntingdon Winery Association, we went to the local church to donate money to the Huntingdon Orphanage and Welfare Home.

It seems that they have completely integrated into the lives of ordinary people.

Shade did not take the initiative to talk to strangers, but someone came to talk to Shade. It was a group of local aristocratic girls who gathered together. They smiled and pushed one of the girls in a red skirt and handed Shade a handkerchief. After Shade took it, he discovered that it contained an address and name.

Looking at the girl again, she was already a little shy and went to join her friends.

Seeing Shade's surprised look, Baron York, the "drug dealer", smiled and joked again:

"We girls from Huntington have always been so enthusiastic and bold. The one I saw just now seems to be the daughter of the MacDonald family. She is a good marriage partner. Their family's vineyard is bigger than Bernhardt's. "

"But the quality of their wine is not as good as mine. The red wine produced by the Bernhardt family is sweeter than the blood of virgins!"

Mr. Bernhardt immediately retorted, and everyone around him laughed and joked, but they did not deny that the quality of his wine was very good.

Shade looked at the handkerchief and then touched his face. He was not in 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, finally accompanied by the accompanying Willendale nobles, Appeared on the platform above the stairs.

While the spotlights of the newspaper's cameras kept flashing, the music stopped and the voices in the banquet hall also stopped abruptly. Shade held the wine glass and looked at the princess with long pale golden hair who was standing on a high place with these rather upper-class and respectable vampires. Under the reflection of the surrounding gas lamps, her whole body seemed to be shining.

She did not take out the speech notes, but started speaking directly.

"Citizens of Carsonique, I would like to speak on behalf of the Angevin royal family and the delegation from Tobesk in 1853. Peace has come to the Old World for nearly a century, and the friendly relations between Delrayon and Carsonique , stretching from my ancestor, the great Corleone I."

"gentlemen."

Shade was looking up at the princess when a young lady's voice came from behind. Turning around to look, I saw that it was a girl dressed as a maid. This is a ring sorcerer with the power of a witch. Shade has seen her before. When he met Miss Sylvia at the Owl Club, she was the one who served Miss Sylvia:

"The lady wants to see you."

The maid whispered, Shade nodded, and then said to Mr. Bernhardt:

"That lady has something to ask me for. I'll be back soon."

"be careful."

Mr. Bernhardt patted Shade on the shoulder worriedly, and then watched Shade gradually walk away as the maid walked through the crowd.