Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 848: White King Club

Chapter 848 -848: White King Club

Huntington City still has the streets lined with walls covered in steam pipes. The cityscape still includes horse-drawn carriages, gentlemen, and barefoot children. However, there are some cultural differences between the southern Kingdom of Carsonrick and the northern Kingdom of Draleon. Therefore, even though the cities are from the same era, there are still significant differences in scenery and style.

In the northern Kingdom of Draleon, cities pursue straight roads and symmetrical layouts; whereas, in Carsonrick’s cities, one can often encounter rare slanted streets, and neighborhoods are frequently divided by intersecting roads.

The similarities lie in the bustling and lively big city landscape, the mist swirling in the city center, the predominantly grey and black dressing style, and the alleys connecting the main streets in all directions.

Due to the terrain, Huntington City’s downtown often features sloped streets. On these streets, besides flower girls and newspaper boys, there are also children carrying small baskets selling grapes.

After all, not all grapes are used for winemaking, so Huntington City, located in the northern part of the United Kingdom, is also an important grape-producing area in Carsonrick.

Shard specifically asked the coachman to stop and bought some grapes, turning them into toys to put in his pocket, planning to take them back to Tobesk as gifts for the doctor and Priest Augustus.

Although Huntington City is located in the central plains of the Old Continent, the city itself is built on a small hill. The city as a whole is a bit undulating, and the roads leading to the city center are all uphill. The city center houses the City Hall, high-end clubs, restaurants, opera houses, and the residences of the nobles, while other functional areas of the city, such as large markets and public squares, are mostly concentrated on the relatively flat outskirts.

Looking out from the carriage window at the street scenes of the unfamiliar southern city, the carriage carrying Shard and Mr. Benhart traveled up a rather steep uphill, passed through an archway-like area between the towers, and stopped in front of the “White King Club” in the center of Huntington City.

This place is only a street away from Huntington City’s City Hall, with the Carsonrick Bank owned by the Royal Family on the left and the Huntington Garden Opera House on the right.

Those entering and exiting the club are all prominent southern nobles. After Mr. Benhart jumped off the carriage, he did not even need to show his membership badge; a steward came out to welcome the arrival of the Viscount.

He and Shard, who had a distinct Draleon appearance, were led by the steward into the understated, luxurious, and tasteful high-end club. Mr. Benhart had Shard sit in the club’s restaurant, prepared books to pass the time, and left his servant to attend to Shard.

Mr. Benhart temporarily left the club and asked Shard to wait for a moment.

The restaurant of the high-end club is often a place for private conversations. The restaurant is not decorated in a lavish manner but has its style and unique charm. The distance between each table is quite far, and people gather together to dine and talk quietly.

Mr. Benhart soon returned, holding a wooden box. After taking a seat, he opened the box, revealing a wine bottle nestled in straw, corked with an oak stopper.

“Look at this.”

He handed the wine bottle to Shard, who examined it in surprise, looking at the label on the bottle. It was a hand-drawn label with Casenric script and vineyard scenery:

“Midro Wine Estate, a cellar from 1803?”

“Yes, indeed, you have a good eye.”

Mr. Benhart revealed a somewhat proud expression:

“Moreover, this label was created by the late Casenric artist Mr. Vincent. Now, the label itself could be sold at an auction. It was a treasured wine collected by my father, and later passed on to me. I have never had the heart to open it. Though precious, wine is meant to be drunk, and today, with your visit to this city, it is a perfect occasion to celebrate with this bottle.”

Speaking of which, he skillfully called the club’s steward, handed the wine bottle to them for decanting, and said with a smile:

“Mr. Watson, compared to what you have done, I can offer very little in return. Today, please do not hold back. Since you are a guest in this city, you must let me have the opportunity to repay you.”

Mr. Benhart was pleased to see Shard again, and Shard was also glad to have encountered a familiar face in this unfamiliar city.

While waiting for the wine to decant, the two looked at the club’s menu to order food, and Mr. Benhart introduced Shard to Carsonrick’s specialty dishes. By the time the decanted wine, placed in an ice bucket, was brought back, the first main course, Huntington’s caramelized roast fish, was already on the table.

The steward poured red wine for the two of them, and another gentleman from Carsonrick, dressed in formal attire, approached:

“Benhart, long time no see, have you returned from Draleon?”

He casually greeted the Vampire Kind, but this gentleman with a Huntington accent was an ordinary human.

“Yes, I returned more than half a month ago. Look, this is my new friend from Draleon, the writer Mr. John Watson.”

He then introduced Shard:

“This is the local Baron Roland.”

The Baron politely shook hands with Shard, then smiled and asked:

“Mr. Watson, do you play Roder cards?”

“Of course, we can play together sometime.”

Shard replied politely, the smile on the Baron’s face immediately becoming more genuine, as he turned to Mr. Benhart:

“Look, you finally decided to take out this bottle of wine. Since you are entertaining guests, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Saying this, he patted Mr. Benhart’s shoulder, then pointed upstairs:

“That person is also here, upstairs right now. The local young men are all trying to get up there.”

“That person?”

After the baron left, Shard hesitatedly asked, holding a fork:

“Is there someone important in the club?”

Mr. Benhart hesitated for a moment, then said to his servant, a young vampire kind:

“Bring Mr. Watson today’s ‘Huntington Morning News’.”

Then he said to Shard:

“Check the front page.”

The servant quickly brought the newspaper, and the front page headline was “Princess Margaret Anjou and the Visiting Group Arrive in Huntington City Today.”

“Departing on Saturday by steam hover zeppelin, I didn’t expect it to be only Thursday and they have already arrived in Huntington.”

Shard suddenly realized.

“Mr. Watson, you are aware that this person will soon visit Tobesk, aren’t you?”

He pointed to the newspaper on the dining table, and Shard nodded:

“Yes, Tobesk has been preparing for this for a long time. My home can directly see Yordle Palace, which has also been undergoing renovations and cleaning recently.”

Mr. Benhart knew Shard’s true identity but did not know his specific address. Hearing this, he was quite surprised, not expecting that this young and powerful Northern Knight lived so luxuriously:

“Yes, the princess is currently upstairs in the club. No wonder when I came in earlier, those guards downstairs were clearly not locals; turns out they are royal guards.”

Shard showed a knowing expression, but his purpose for coming to this city was for the “Lake Goddess”. The matter concerning the princess could wait until he returned to Tobesk. He still cautiously touched the pendant on his chest; this witch detector pendant was not heating up, indicating that the princess’s accompanying mathematics teacher and personal doctor, Parliamentary Thirteen Seat Grand Witch Miss Sylvia, was not nearby.

The two chatted while eating, initially talking about Midshire Fort. Although many vampires were arrested by the church, Mr. Benhart was not saddened by this, as he did not know most of them personally, and few from his clan were unfortunate enough to be involved.

Mentioning the Vampire God, the middle-aged Vampire Viscount showed great reverence. He was reluctant to speak much on this topic, but he still lowered his voice and informed Shard that after the battle at Midshire Fort, the vampires received an oracle instructing all participating members not to investigate the truth of that night.

Shard understood this behavior, believing that the Vampire God strictly adhered to the duel witnessed by “Impermanence: Balance” before the fight at Sicarl Mountain. The vampires not pursuing the truth of that night was a good thing for him. The truth of the Divine War at Sicarl Mountain would eventually be buried in history.

Mr. Benhart was not a born vampire but was transformed later. This was something he admitted to Shard, appearing to have a strong sense of identity with it. There must be many unforgettable stories during his transformation ceremony. He candidly told Shard that he could command most of the vampires in Huntington City, so if Shard encountered any trouble in the city, he could seek his help at any time.

Surrounded by ordinary noblemen, the club’s atmosphere was quite harmonious. The outlander and the vampire kind discussed topics that must not be heard by others. Shard thought for a moment, then lowered his voice:

“Mr. Benhart, you must have realized by now.”

Shard put down the silver dining knife in his hand:

“I can perform conditional spatial leaps at different locations.”

Having learned Shard’s identity at Midshire Fort, it would not take much investigation to discover that in Tobesk City at the same time, the rumors about Shard and the duchess were still ongoing:

“The place I can appear in Huntington is White Valley Vineyard, so I hope…”

“No problem, White Valley Vineyard is managed by me. I will have an extra horse ready for you there. You can ride the horse into the city and leave it at Ferdinand’s Winery in the western part of the city, which is also my property.”

Mr. Benhart nodded and assured Shard that everyone who had seen him was very reliable:

“So, what brings you here? I believe I can help you.”

He raised his wine glass and gently swirled it, while Shard continued to lower his voice and ask:

“Have you heard the rumors about the Lake Fairy?”