Chapter 850: The Princess and the Wine
“The Lake Goddess?”
The Vampire frowned slightly, then slowly nodded.
“This is a local folk legend; I heard similar stories when I was a child. Stories like brave warriors seeking power, then passing tests to pull out a treasured sword, or wise men seeking wisdom, then passing tests to obtain ancient scriptures. These stories are half-true, half-false, and have been circulating locally for a long time.”
He paused.
“Before I left this area in early autumn, there was news in the black market that someone had truly encountered the Lake Goddess. If you need more detailed information, I can help gather it. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will give you all the information I can collect.”
“That would be too much trouble for you.”
Xia De raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Mr. Bernhardt’s.
“Also, since I’ve arrived in a new City, could you introduce me to the local black market? I’m very curious to see the local specialties.”
“No problem. Huntington City doesn’t have fewer Ring Sorcerers than Middelburg.”
“So, besides the Orthodox Church, are there any Ring Sorcerer organizations here that I should be aware of?”
Xia De asked. Mr. Bernhardt thought for a moment.
“There aren’t any within the City limits. To the east are large vineyards and farms, with not many permanent residents. But to the west, in the Pantanal Great Swamp area, there’s the ‘Pantanal Voodoo Society’ composed of swamp aboriginals. These people are strange, skilled in using Miracles related to poisons and diseases, and their beliefs are not unified; some even worship the Pantanal region itself. Years ago, they polluted the groundwater near Huntington City and were placed on the wanted list by the Natural Church. Of course, there are also many good people among them, but when dealing with them, never casually accept water or food they offer.”
“Is that ‘Pantanal Voodoo Society’ very powerful?”
Xia De asked again. The Vampire pondered.
“Its members are spread throughout the entire Pantanal Great Swamp region, profiting from selling rare herbs and animal products from the swamp. They are indeed good at that. If you are interested in venturing deep into that swamp and wetland, small houses seen in uninhabited mountains and forests, or herbalists growing herbs on the outskirts of remote villages, most of them are members of the Pantanal Voodoo Society. However, this organization only operates in this region; they are almost nowhere to be seen in other parts of the Old Continent and New World.”
Xia De had indeed never heard of this organization before.
“The Voodoo Society should have High-Ring Sorcerers, right?”
“Of course, but the highest is only Nine Ring. The Voodoo Society’s organizational structure is very loose, so the organization itself is also full of contradictions, unlike most organizations we know that have strict structures.”
Mr. Bernhardt shrugged.
“You know, where there are people, there will be disputes. That’s normal.”
The two enthusiastically discussed the local situation. Mr. Bernhardt, who had lived there for many years, was very talkative and even wanted to invite Xia De to his manor outside the City that evening.
Today was Thursday, and Xia De had nothing planned, so he was about to agree immediately. But at that moment, a club waiter approached quickly, leaned over and whispered a few words into Mr. Bernhardt’s ear. The latter showed a surprised expression.
“Oh, I understand. This is my honor; I’ll go immediately.”
He put down his glass, hastily wiped his mouth with a napkin, and while smoothing his hair, he apologized to Xia De.
“A distinguished guest upstairs wants to see me, Mr. Watson. Please finish your meal here; this meal is on me. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Yes, it’s that one… Is my hair messy right now?”
“No, it’s fine. Do you need a comb?”
Xia De understood that “that one” referred to the Princess. As he spoke, he pulled a wooden comb from his pocket and handed it over.
“Then please go up quickly.”
He expressed understanding and was very curious about why Princess Margaret Anjou wanted to see this Vampire Viscount.
Mr. Bernhardt, while combing his hair, left somewhat nervously with the servant, leaving Xia De to continue his meal. Although he was a distant relative of the Anjou Royal Family, he didn’t actually meet members of the Royal Family very often.
Xia De initially thought Mr. Bernhardt would be gone for a long time, but before he had even finished the Huntington Secret Honey Grape Steak in front of him, the gentleman returned, looking worried.
He handed the comb back to Xia De and took the napkin his servant offered, re-tying it around his neck. Xia De believed his current expression practically screamed “I’m very curious,” and Mr. Bernhardt understood Xia De’s expression, saying with some annoyance:
“It’s still related to this matter.”
He pointed to the newspaper on the table with news about the Princess’s visit to Tobesk. Xia De nodded.
“While such diplomatic exchanges are very important for two countries in peacetime, it shouldn’t involve you, should it?”
“No, no, what does this have to do with me? It’s Princess Margaret’s visit to Tobesk, and she wants to prepare gifts in her private capacity, so…”
Mr. Bernhardt shook his head.
“Someone just mentioned to Her Highness that I have some excellent famous wines here, and I also manage the White River Valley Vineyard for the Royal Family, so Her Highness asked me to take out some of this year’s wine from the cellar.”
Although Xia De only saw wine that was currently fermenting, there was actually wine from previous years stored in the warehouse. The exchange of gifts between the Anjou Royal Family and the Cavendish Royal Family didn’t require the Princess to prepare them herself, but she intended to privately present gifts to important nobles and officials in Tobesk in her personal capacity, which required her to manage it herself.
“What’s so difficult about that? Aren’t there many wines in the cellar?”
Xia De asked. Mr. Bernhardt shook his head.
“There are, but the quality is very poor.”
The dignified gentleman chose his words carefully.
“Because of the climate in recent years, the quality of grapes grown in the White River Valley Vineyard has declined year after year, which is also why profits have continuously shrunk. So, every Summer, when I send the wine from the vineyard to Weilandale…”
He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow at Xia De. Xia De knew this involved some private matters and immediately said:
“I won’t say anything.”
“The vineyard can lose money, but sending out such terrible wine would be too undignified. The wine from the past few Summers was actually produced by my own winery.”
Mr. Bernhardt leaned in and spoke quickly, then looked around.
This was actually a minor matter. While Mr. Bernhardt’s approach wasn’t entirely correct, it wasn’t wrong either. He maintained his dignity, received subsidies for managing the vineyard, and the Royal Family received good red wine.
“So, the Princess thought the wine from the winery was excellent?”
Xia De asked with a smile. The middle-aged noble sighed.
“Yes, and the problem is, this Summer, all the wine from my own manor has already been sold. There isn’t a single bottle left in stock.”
This was a very awkward situation. Mr. Bernhardt could admit the source of the red wine he sent every year, but that would cause him to lose a lot of face. So, the gentleman planned to purchase a few good bottles of red wine at a high price for Margaret Anjou to take to Tobesk.
Of course, the second Princess of the Royal Family was very skilled in wine tasting, so Mr. Bernhardt had to find good wines that the Princess had not encountered before, otherwise, she would immediately discover that the source of the wine was incorrect.
This matter was not complicated, but it was not easy either, which was why Mr. Bernhardt was feeling a bit awkward at the moment.
Xia De hadn’t expected that this gentleman, who had even participated in the God Descent incident, would be troubled by such a small matter, so he suggested:
“Good wine? I think you don’t need to search; I have some excellent wine here.”
Helping this gentleman was just a small favor. He would need this gentleman’s help with many things in this City later on.
As he spoke, he first had the Vampire servant nearby fetch two new stemmed glasses, then reached into his pocket. He looked left and right, ensuring no one was paying attention, then “pulled” two red wine bottles from inside his clothes and placed them on the table.
Mr. Bernhardt raised an eyebrow.
“You carry wine bottles when you go out?”
“No, no, I rarely drink. But when you’re out and about, how can you not carry wine with you?”
Xia De joked, distinguishing between the two bottles.
“Not this one, this is apple wine. This bottle is grape wine.”
He handed the apple wine bottle to the returning Vampire servant, motioning him to pour drinks for them both.
“Viscount, I know these two bottles don’t look very good.”
After all, even the bottles themselves were recycled.
“But please try this bottle of apple wine.”
Xia De said with confidence. Mr. Bernhardt leaned back in his chair.
“Alright then, I rarely drink fruit wine made from apples. I hope it brings me a surprise.”
The fruit wine made with Blood Wine Brewing does not have extraordinary properties, but no matter what kind of wine it is, it will have the same crimson color as grape wine.
Mr. Bernhardt was very surprised to see the wine in the glass, which looked like liquid rubies. He picked up the stemmed glass and carefully observed its color under the light, unable to help but exclaim:
“This color is truly astonishing; it’s a noble color.”
Xia De had already taken a sip of the apple wine. He actually regretted that Blood Wine Brewing could only brew wine and not make non-alcoholic fruit juice.
“Please have a taste.”
“Just by looking at the color, I can confirm it… Why is apple wine this color?”
He hesitated, then gently sniffed. The Vampire’s powerful sense of smell allowed his nose to fully detect the rich aroma of high-grade wine. In the moment, it felt as if the world spun. Mr. Bernhardt gasped, tilting his head back, his eyes wide.
“Oh, my God, that’s really something!”
The latter half was Carson Rick slang. Xia De hoped his translation was correct.
“This isn’t contraband like Mi Fort’s blood brew; your reaction is too exaggerated.”
Although he knew there would be such an effect, Xia De still smiled. He couldn't help but feel a little proud at that moment.
