Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 638 - The Last Banquet

Chapter 638: Chapter 638: The Last Banquet

Chapter 638: Chapter 638: The Last Banquet

After saying farewell to Sister Delphine, Shard took Mia Cat and prepared to head home. On his way into the mountains, he had the misfortune of encountering an evil spirit again, but since there was no fog in the Sicarl Mountain at dusk, it seemed like it was just bad luck:

“Silvermoon Slash!”

An arc of light stretched between his clasped palms, slicing the evil spirit, which seemed to possess spatial powers and floated around erratically, into two halves.

“The evil spirits of Sicarl Mountain are not very strong, weaker than the merman in Coldwater Port who can resurrect swiftly in water, making the spirits much easier to deal with.”

At least that’s how it was for now.

After returning to Saint Delan Square, he first went to dine at the restaurant on Silver Cross Avenue with Dorothy. After dinner, Dorothy and Lecia swapped, with Lecia checking Shard’s progress in studying and copying stories. Seeing his rapid progress and that he could basically understand the story of the oldest known version of “Sleeping Princess” as well as the modern common version, Lecia, just as she had previously done with “Kiss of the Tree,” took Shard to the south of the city to watch an opera adapted from this famous fairy tale.

Recently, all was calm in Tobesk, and no unexpected encounters with Circle Sorcerers or Relics happened during the night out. After the opera ended, Lecia switched back with Dorothy, who, because she had to prepare for her own promotion ceremony the following evening, didn’t go to Shard’s house but rather parted ways with Shard and returned to Feather Quill Street.

After returning home, Shard set his alarm and went to bed early, marking a very peaceful day.

Before the first rays of sunlight rose from the horizon on Sunday morning, the rare sound of the metallic alarm clock rang out in the bedroom, but it chimed only once. Mia, who was still drowsy and hence particularly irritated, stood up from beside the pillow and, with a swift charge, knocked the alarm clock from the nightstand to the floor.

The clock ceased its ringing, but Shard was already awake.

He quickly got dressed, retrieved the three types of blood he had prepared from the basement, and placed them in a suitcase ready to be taken with him. Once back upstairs, after saying goodbye to the cat, who was puzzled by his early departure, Shard, holding the cracked key of the Year 3014 of the Fifth Era, stepped into the White Mist Gate from his bedroom doorway.

“May the World Tree bless me in time.”

“Meow!”

The still-groggy Mia meowed in response to the departing Shard, with no intention of getting out of bed at that moment.

[Outlander, you have stepped into the “Time Corridor.”]

[A message from the Ancient God “Father of the Infinite Tree”:]

[Spring, Year 3014 of the Fifth Era, Eastern Continent, Night Manor.]

[Event: The banquet of the deity of the Vampire Race.]

[Duration: Thirty minutes (3/3).]

[You have gained additional information.]

[The visage of the Father of the Infinite Tree continues to watch you.]

[The trial given to you by the deity of time continues.]

[Participate in “Vampire Duke Lowell’s” banquet with mortals, until the end of the banquet.]

[The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: Arcane Technique – Silent Moonlight, and a piece of true information – Elf.]

Yawning in the white mist, Shard took a step forward into Night Manor.

Turning to look at the window on the side of the corridor, the eerie night sky made the manor’s courtyard seem completely frozen, without any change. But Shard didn’t consider this place safe; Hope Town, the Forest of Thousand Trees, and Horror Fortress had all proven their strangeness. Night Manor might look fine, but it could be the most dangerous place.

Walking along the corridor and turning left at the corner into a narrow stone path, Shard’s peripheral vision scanned the horrific paintings on the wall, and the large doors at the end of the corridor automatically opened as he neared them.

After Shard left for the second time, the people around the table continued their rest-time game with the deity, but they weren’t playing cards this time, as Shard saw no one gathering playing cards.

Now the table was covered with various gold and silverware, and the glimmer of the blood-red candlesticks illuminated the abundant food lined upon the long table: roasted chicken, fish soup, champagne in ice buckets—all the food looked so luscious, and the appetizing aroma even diluted the bloody smell that permeated the wine banquet hall with its pervasive crimson hue.

Some yellow beans lay on the porcelain plates in front of each person, and as Shard walked through the door, the four were busy throwing the beans off the plates. Shard had heard of wine party games involving counting or guessing beans, but didn’t know which one they were playing just then.

“Deity, I have returned.”

He bowed slightly at the door.

“Look, the unexpected guest has returned.”

The deity said with a smile, making a welcoming gesture.

The doors closed behind Shard as he walked in. As he moved, invisible wounds were left on his body by the seemingly unseen wind, and from those cracks, a golden radiance trailed behind him, leaving specks of afterglow.

As Shard took his seat and nodded to the smiling Armored Elder, the middle-aged Witch inspecting him, and the somewhat shy twin sisters, the deity of the Vampire Kind clad in a blood-red cloak took a deep breath:

“I do not smell the scent of Blood Brew on you, meaning you did not use that power.”

“No, I used it to brew some fruit wine, your taste is indeed excellent.”

“No need to flatter, but you’re right, my taste in wine has always been quite good.

If you have no use for it now, then I’m quite looking forward to seeing how long you can resist the temptation before bowing to the desires deep in your heart,”

the Saint murmured, then gestured for Shard to display the blood he had brought this time.

“Remember to supervise me, and prevent me from using the power of the Blood Brew at will.”

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Shard quietly reminded himself in his heart and after receiving a firm answer, he placed the suitcase on the table and began taking out the bottles:

“The first, blood of the unfortunate struck by thunder. The corresponding mortal, in life, was bound to be struck by lightning once a year, leading to the death of all family and friends. After death, his grave was hit by ever more frequent thunder strikes, until the graveyard where he was buried became a no-go zone of perpetual storms.”

Shard placed the bottle he had gotten from Old John on the table:

“I am curious, my god, who exactly did he offend?”

“That’s simple,”

the god of vampires answered:

“This style of doing things is clearly that of the deity of storms and thunder, ‘Fury Storm’. Oh, while this repeatedly thunder-struck blood might not necessarily taste great, I think as an appetizer it’s quite interesting.”

Shard had heard of the Evil God ‘Fury Storm’, one of the three native beliefs of Coldwater Port.

“The second blood, that of the Evil Spirit Demon – Devourer Sakato from the Third Era.”

This time, he took out the blood vial he had gotten from the Witch, and after some thought, Shard still decided to bring this blood.

“I have seen this Evil Spirit Demon in the distant past, an interesting opponent,”

the Saint briefly commented.

“Lastly, the blood of magma creatures, which contains the blood of all supernatural creatures in an entire magma community, properly blended to maintain just the right temperature.”

The Deity gestured with his hand, and the three blood vessels floated automatically before him. The silver flask provided by Sister Delphine opened itself, and the deity sniffed it:

“I see, so it really is from an entire magma community… Among the six types of blood you’ve brought, this can be said to be the most valuable.”

Shard frowned skeptically, as no matter how he looked at it, this mixed blood didn’t seem the most valuable:

“Could it be that Sister Delphine’s blood blending technique is very good?”

With a snap of his fingers, the three blood types Shard had brought during the second banquet also appeared on the table before the Saint.

Abyssal Dragon Squid, Rhine Monster, Priest Augustus, Demon, the mortal struck by lightning, magma community—six uniquely shaped bottles were arranged into two rows.

“Unexpected guest, you are even better than I imagined. I think, the third round of the banquet can officially begin,”

Declared the Saint, and the hall, seemingly designed for giants, began to tremble once more. The walls, which had already turned blood-red, were slowly covered in deeper, vein-like patterns. The thin, sharp fangs that hung from the crystal chandeliers were replaced by snickering red metal skulls, a blood hue covered the abundant food on the table, and the light from the candles between the gold and silver dishes, along with the chandelier and the wall-mounted oil lamps, all shifted towards a dim red.

Behind the Saint, the Holy Emblem of the Vampire God officially took shape on the blood-red tapestry. The emblem looked as though it were expertly embroidered on the tapestry, yet it also seemed to float in front of it.

The banquet grew ever more sinister and eerie, and the mental pressure on the people by the table increased.

“May I ask, for the third round of the banquet, how many times must each of us drink with you?”

Shard cautiously asked.

“No, no, no, if it’s just drinking together, wouldn’t that be too boring? Since the banquet has reached its end, let’s play an interesting game,”

the Saint said with a smile, then looked at Shard and announced the rules for this time:

“There are five of you, plus me, making six wine connoisseurs in total, and just so, we have six bottles of blood.”

A mist of blood diffused, covering the entire long table. The eerie blood fog was confined to the tabletop, but beneath the mist, it seemed as if terrifying things were squirming.

It disappeared quickly, and once the blood fog had cleared, the six bottles of blood in front of the Saint had vanished. Instead, many identical dark glass wine bottles appeared in the gaps between the sumptuous meals on the table.

The wine bottles had no labels or markings and were sealed with cork stoppers.

The Deity spread his arms, as if inviting the mortals to enjoy the last moments of the banquet:

“Since there are six types of blood, let’s each taste a different one. Now, the blood brought by the unexpected guest is hidden in these thirty containers on the table, and your task is to identify them. This is the last part of the banquet, and once all those alive have chosen their drink, the banquet will be over.”