Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 865 - 865: Vampires at the Banquet

The sound of the violin was changing, accompanied by the soothing cello music with a hint of Carsonrick style, followed by the silver flute and clarinet.

The entire first floor of the Rothschild Estate had been opened up for the banquet, with the grand hall occupying a quarter of the floor space as the main venue. This area had been prepared specifically for such events.

It was still early, Princess Margaret had not yet delivered her farewell speech. Under the crystal chandelier, gentlemen and ladies in elegant attire were enjoying the moment.

Shard, who wasn't very fluent in Carsonrick language, followed Mr. Benhart and found his friends by the long table. They were vampires with small bats hanging above their heads, about seven or eight of them, dressed in white shirts and black formal wear, each adorned with different accessories like pocket watches or badges.

Holding glasses of red wine, they were loudly discussing this year's autumn grape harvest as Mr. Benhart approached. Similar to their kin in Midshire Fort, most local vampires were also in the wine business. In fact, a large part of the local wine guild had vampire backgrounds, which Shard believed was related to the deity they worshipped.

"Oh, look who is here?"

A middle-aged man with a rough beard, resembling a bear rather than a vampire, greeted Mr. Benhart loudly:

"Armand, when did you return from Midshire Fort? Was business going well?"

"I returned two weeks ago. As for the business? Oh, the peers in Mountain City were not that welcoming."

Mr. Benhart hugged him with a smile, then patted Shard's shoulder and introduced him to the group:

"Everyone, this is my friend from Draleon. Although he's not one of us, he is indeed one of ours."

Though the introduction was cryptic, everyone understood it.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

Shard said in Carsonrick language, shaking hands with these gentlemen. From this, he judged that most of them were Low Rings, with only one being a Five Ring. In comparison, Mr. Benhart, a Seventh Ring, had the highest level, which explained why he was sent to handle the autumn task in Midshire Fort.

Mr. Benhart had high local prestige, and as his guest, Shard was warmly welcomed. They inquired about interesting stories from Draleon, praised his appearance, and admired his finely crafted suit. Mr. Benhart was pleased to see his friend being well received. He picked up two glasses of red wine from a waiter's tray, handed one to Shard, and then asked:

"Any interesting things happening in the city lately? I've been recuperating since I returned, yes, had some trouble in Milestone, so I'm not up to date on the city's latest news."

As he spoke, he tapped his glass with his ring and winked at Shard. Shard knew that Mr. Benhart's ruby ring, an alchemical item he made himself, could make drinks taste like blood.

"Interesting things?"

Addressed as "Earl Ronan," the old man clinked glasses with Mr. Benhart. His golden-handled cane, rings adorned with three gemstones on his right hand, and the pure silver buttons with hidden bat motifs on his black coat exuded a subtly luxurious vibe:

"Earl Sachia was killed yesterday at the White King Club nearby, by his lover."

Earl Ronan said, prompting Mr. Benhart to nod slowly:

"That's quite shocking."

Shard added:

"Very shocking, I didn't expect the security in Huntington City to be this poor."

"It's not about local security; there's more to this story."

Lowering his voice, Earl Ronan raised an eyebrow at Shard:

"Sir, being new here, you might be out of the loop—it's said the church captured someone yesterday, someone from Pantanal."

He blinked, and Mr. Benhart responded knowingly:

"It's them, quite bold."

He then explained the significance of the Pantanal people to the "befuddled" Shard.

"What do they want?"

Baron York, with a small ponytail, holding his wine glass, inquired, attempting to clink glasses with Mr. Benhart's ring, but the latter evaded with a smile.

This time, Viscount Lamadi, who looked like a bear, answered in a refined voice at odds with his appearance:

"I heard some things, though I can't guarantee their truth."

Everyone glanced around before the Viscount lowered his voice:

"It's said to be related to the Heart of Pantanal. There are many rumors around the swamp nowadays. Earl Sachia's herbal medicine business extended too far, blocking some undesirable paths."

"What is the Heart of Pantanal?"

Shard wondered silently, but before he could ask, Baron York, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles, spoke up:

"Speaking of which, I have exclusive news, even the church doesn't know. The Truth Society—yes, the academic organization from the south—has sent people here, reportedly looking for something."

Shard was stunned:

"The Truth Society?"

He almost blurted it out, but stopped in time.

Mr. Benhart uneasily tapped the floor twice with his leather shoes and downed the wine in his hand:

"The Truth Society?"

He lowered his voice as much as possible, his eyes narrowed with intent, and wrinkles appeared on his somewhat pale forehead:

"I encountered these madmen in Milestone as well. What are they doing here in Huntington City? Are they related to the people from Pantanal?"

"No connection. The Truth Society, being an academic organization, greatly looks down on the hillbillies from the Great Swamp Area, considering them uneducated."

Viscount York said with a smile, and everyone else smiled too. Shard joined in the laughter. Even among Circle Sorcerers, there existed a chain of discrimination.

"The Truth Society sent only three people, accompanied by a clergy member of an illegal, energetic religious group worshipping an incorrect deity. They found me on the black market, bought some special drugs, inquired about the banquet's details, and purchased four invitation letters at a high price. They are truly rich."

This "drug trafficker" nonchalantly disclosed information about his clients:

"I haven't seen them yet, but they will surely come."

Shard immediately scanned his surroundings and then heard someone ask:

"Why are they involved with cult—cough, I mean illegal worshippers again?"

This time, Mr. Benhart responded:

"The Truth Society suffered a setback in the Midshire Fort incident. The professors they sent were caught almost entirely due to... illegal brothel visits. Moreover, they have never minded collaborating with illegal elements, as most of these elements are not as crazy as they are."

Belonging to the same race, these vampires trusted each other and shared local news using metaphors incomprehensible to ordinary humans. During this time, Shard listened quietly, noting down the information.

However, the diet of vampires was somewhat different from that of regular people. So, they all took some vegetables and fruits but avoided the meat dishes.

Since Shard didn't know anyone, he didn't wander around even though he noticed a group gathering to play Roder Card in a corner of the hall.

A middle-aged priest wearing the Holy Emblem of the Peace Church came over mid-way and shook hands with Mr. Benhart, suggesting they were acquaintances. At this point, other vampires tacitly shifted the conversation to the first snowfall before the season, where they would donate to the Huntington City Orphanage and Welfare Agency under the Huntington City Wine Association's name.

It seemed they had seamlessly integrated into the lives of ordinary people.

Shard did not initiate conversations with strangers, but someone approached him to talk. It was a group of local noble girls huddled together, one of them, wearing a red dress, handed Shard a handkerchief with a smile. After taking it, Shard found an address and a name written on it.

He looked again at that girl, who had already shyly rejoined her friends.

Seeing Shard's surprised expression, the "drug trafficker" Viscount York jokingly said:

"Our Huntington girls are always so passionate and bold. That one seemed to be from the McDonald family, a great marriage prospect. Their vineyard is even larger than the Benhart's."

"But the quality of their wine can't compare to ours. The wine produced by the Benhart Family is even sweeter than a virgin's blood!"

Mr. Benhart immediately rebutted, drawing laughter and teasing from those around, though none denied the quality of his family's wine.

Shard looked at the handkerchief and then touched his own face; he wasn't in the habit of casually flirting with unfamiliar girls.

When the clock tower in the city center chimed seven times, Princess Margaret Anjou, dressed in a blue princess gown and wearing a silver crown, finally appeared on the platform above the staircase, accompanied by nobles from Velindale.

As the magnesium flashes from the newspaper cameras kept flashing, the music stopped, and the chatter in the banquet hall ceased. Shard, holding his glass, watched with these sophisticated vampires as Margaret, with her light golden hair, seemed to shine under the coal gas lamps around her.

She didn't take out a speech script but directly started speaking.

"Citizens of Carsonrick, I stand here on behalf of the Anjou Royal Family and the 1853 Tobesk Visiting Group to deliver this speech. Peace has descended on the Old Continent for nearly a century. The friendly relations between Draleon and Carsonrick have been unbroken since the time of my forebear, the great Colleone I..."

"Sir."

While Shard was looking up at the princess, a young lady's voice came from behind. Turning around, he found it was a maid. This was a Circle Sorcerer with witch power; Shard had seen her before, serving Miss Sylvia when they met at the Owl Club:

"Miss would like to see you."

The maid whispered, and Shard nodded, then said to Mr. Benhart:

"That lady needs to speak with me. I'll be back in a while."

"Be careful."

Mr. Benhart patted Shard's shoulder with concern, then watched as Shard followed the maid through the crowd and gradually disappeared from sight.