novelonline Chapter 3966 The Vampire Mystery
Chapter 3966 The Vampire Mystery
Chapter 3966 The Vampire Mystery
When the mayor's wife brought up the issue of childbirth, Viggo secretly observed Xia De's expression. She noticed that Xia De had no expression, clearly not interested in this topic.
The banquet officially began at 7:30, and the guests took their seats. The seating order was also particular; although Wei Ge did not have a title, she was seated in a relatively prominent position.
The servants then served the dishes in order from the main table to the side tables. However, since all the guests were locals from Arcadia, the dinner menu did not consist of familiar local dishes, as the locals were already used to the local flavors.
However, there were no dishes of Dela Rion style on the table; in these times of war, no one wanted to cause trouble for themselves.
Caviar salad, roast beef, roast goose, fruit tarts, chocolate pudding, and clam chowder were served amidst hushed conversation. At the head table, where Xia De and Wei Ge sat, were the most important guests of the charity gala, and the conversation mainly revolved around "future plans for the charity project," "royal developments," and "international affairs."
The conversation was dominated by men, and at Viggo's prompting, Shad also talked about some things he had heard from the blonde princess during his private meeting with her over the past month and a half of vacation. As a result, people's understanding of Shad, this visitor from Velendale with his northern appearance, was further enhanced by the label that he was "suspected to have a close friend of a high-ranking military official."
During the banquet, the topic of the Anjou royal family's heirs inevitably came up. It was clear that Margaret's eldest brother, Samuel Anjou, was the most popular candidate, but Margaret's name was also mentioned several times.
However, this is a sensitive topic, so there isn't much discussion about it.
The core of this charity gala was the fundraising speech, which began almost at the end of the event.
First, the Duchess of Russell thanked the guests and explained the current situation of refugees outside the city. Then, the mayor presented the plans of the Arcadia City Hall, hinting that the refugee problem would worsen if the war continued.
Although the refugees are currently stuck on the edge of the outer city, mostly setting up tents in the desolate area between the outer city and Grey Rock Pass, and have little to do with those of you living in the upper city, if the number of refugees increases, it will eventually affect every corner of the city.
After the mayor's speech, representatives from charitable organizations such as Snakeheart Hospital took turns on stage to appeal to people to donate money to refugees who are starving.
Even the church sent representatives to the scene. It is worth mentioning that although the Vatican, which created the church, is not far from Arcadia City, there are still churches dedicated to all five of the true gods in the city.
The person who came this time was the old priest of the Church of Peace. The full name of the Church of Peace is "Church of War and Peace". The duality of the true God led to the Church of Peace being the church with the fastest increase in faith during the war years.
Those who crave victory and those who pray for peace go to church to worship, and they are often present at events that raise funds for war refugees.
After a series of speeches, five small donation boxes were placed on the left side of the banquet hall, after which the dinner moved into the social segment. On the right side of the banquet hall, a small auction was held, with pre-prepared items including gemstones, paintings, sculptures, and even spices.
Shade had inquired with Vigo about the auction not having the Rhodes Card, so he wasn't interested. After getting up, he first accompanied Vigo to donate 200 crowns, after which Vigo led him to Baron Ramsay.
Baron Ramsay was a tall, thin middle-aged man with a handsome mustache and neat short black hair. He was more suited to a university classroom than a politician.
His triple identity as a nobleman, deputy mayor, and member of the Royal Academy of Sciences made it difficult for Shad to understand the man's personality before meeting him. But once they met, Shad found that the baron was the kind of person who didn't like to waste words and spoke very directly.
So after Viggo introduced them, Shad directly stated that he wanted to obtain the original design manuscript of the Mark I steam engine from him.
Professor Thorne, a botany scholar, had warned Shad about the difficulty of the matter, but Shad still hadn't expected the Baron to refuse without even a second thought:
"I'm sorry, that manuscript is not for sale. If you need it, I can give you other steam engine design manuscripts from my collection, or invite you to my collection room to see my collection. You can even make copies or take photos, but I will absolutely not give that manuscript to anyone else."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. But he didn't want to truly offend Viggo Astley, so he then spoke to the dark-haired woman:
“Ms. Astley, I’m sorry, I cannot agree to the deal your friend proposed. I really don’t want to give up that manuscript.”
Xia De hadn't expected the other party to be so resolute. Wei Ge wanted to continue persuading her, but then she started coughing again. She hadn't brought out the blood wine at the banquet, and now her condition had worsened.
Seeing this, Shade could only bid farewell to the Baron for the time being, then helped Viggo to the corner rest area. After shielding her from view, he had her take a small sip of the perfume, and her complexion improved somewhat.
"I'm so sorry, I thought that given my status, the Baron wouldn't refuse so readily."
Shade shook his head:
"It's normal to have some difficulties. This is our first time dealing with this. We'll investigate the Baron's lifestyle to see if he has any urgent needs or special preferences. We'll find a solution eventually, and besides, I'm not in a hurry."
However, Vige still felt somewhat guilty. She had arranged to meet Xia De under the pretext of communicating with the Baron, but in the end, she only managed to exchange a few words with him after spending the entire night with him, which she felt was a waste of Xia De's time.
Just before she could speak again, a commotion erupted from the side of the banquet hall closest to the auction. People turned to look, and then Shad saw that it was Mrs. Connaught, whom Viggo had mentioned before, arguing with her young male companion, just before the banquet officially began.
However, seeing that everyone was looking at them, the plump viscountess, in a fit of anger, pushed the young man onto the carpet, then stormed towards the door in her high heels. The young man, who had gotten up, quickly chased after her with his head down, and only after he disappeared did people begin to murmur among themselves.
"One is attracted to the other's youth and enjoys their flattery; the other is attracted to the other's wealth and hopes to change his life through it."
Wei Ge shook her head:
"Such connections are inherently chaotic. They do not stem from genuine mutual understanding, but are a temporary patchwork of interests. They lack a clear future direction and a solid emotional foundation, leaving only chaos and ambiguity intertwined with desires."
She didn't really want to discuss those two; to the witch, who firmly believed in "destined soulmates," even glancing at them would taint her eyes.
"So, shall we go check out the auction now? Or perhaps you could accompany me to meet the local nobles again? There's no ball at the charity banquet, but the total amount raised will be announced before the event ends, and each participant will receive a souvenir. It's best not to leave before then."
Xia Degang was about to nod when he saw a familiar figure walking over.
Armand Bernhardt, dressed in a black suit like Schade, but with a red tie, approached with a wine glass. He first politely greeted the lady beside Schade before extending his hand to Schade.
“Mr. Watson, I saw you just now. I’m sorry, I was chatting with an acquaintance and didn’t have time to come and see you.”
Shade shook hands with him, and he didn't seem to mind. He then introduced Mr. Bernhardt and Viggo to each other.
Mr. Bernhardt then said, somewhat embarrassed:
"Madam, may I borrow your male companion for a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with him alone."
Wei Ge nodded:
“Of course. I’ll head over to the auction now, Mr. Watson. You can find me there later.”
"Ok."
Once Viggo was out of sight, Mr. Bernhardt didn't waste time exchanging pleasantries with Shad, and got straight to business, raising his wine glass:
“I just smelled the scent of a high-level vampire on someone. I’m absolutely certain I can’t be wrong about that scent. She’s not a vampire, but she must have consumed the blood of a vampire recently.”
The blood of vampires is highly toxic to ordinary people, but according to Shad's understanding, it can be made into a slowing-down potion that ordinary people can use through special means. However, this potion has extremely severe side effects; addiction and photophobia are just the least noticeable ones, so very few people use it.
"Oh? Who is it?"
"The fat woman who ran out the door with her male companion just now."
Mr. Bernhardt said this, and Shad raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly:
“I understand. Then let me go out with you and see what's going on. Maybe this is a clue we can follow. The other person has been gone for five minutes, is it still possible to track them down?”
“Okay, I’ve applied a ‘hunting mark’ to it.”
The two left the exhibition hall one after the other, their faces disappearing from view. Even at night, the temperature wasn't particularly low, so many guests stood at the entrance of the exhibition hall with their wine glasses, enjoying the park's night view and chatting with their companions, none of them noticing the disappearance of Mr. Shad and Mr. Bernhardt.
Mrs. Connaught hadn't gone far; she was in the park's lake. Although there were no lights on the lake, Mr. Shad and Mr. Bernhardt could still see a small boat floating in the middle of it.
Upon reaching the lake, the two could see more clearly: on the boat were Mrs. Connaught and her young lover. As for what they were doing, Shad was reluctant to describe it:
"Weren't they arguing just now?"