Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 606 - The Second Cocktail Party
Chapter 606: Chapter 606: The Second Cocktail Party
Chapter 606: Chapter 606: The Second Cocktail Party
Maze Lock – “Kiss of the Tree”, the second Maze Lock that Shard wielded, its most important function was to seal and suppress. In the Dark Realm, using the divine cleansing of the Spirit Rune and the power gained from advancing in rings, Shard used this Maze Lock to seal most of Human Pus: Daknis’s power.
And on this deathly shoal, Shard used all the Spirit within him to completely seal the Gate of Death. His seal was certainly no match for the supervision by Priest Augustus, who was suspected to wield the power of the Primeval Angel, but at least it would ensure that the gate would absolutely not cause any issues in the short term.
Of course, the seal of the “Kiss of the Tree” had no effect on him; he hadn’t locked himself in here.
Even other Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers would probably not be able to do what he was doing right now. After all, coming here was tantamount to death, and Shard’s Maze Lock was itself filled with the story and power of a god who possessed the power of “gates”.
[Then, have you figured out how to leave?]
“She” whispered in his ear.
“Of course—Key of the Door!”
The crimson bonfire burned fiercely on the shoal, the roots of the great tree almost fused with the death scenes on the stone door. Because of the excessive use of power, Shard, his face pale, pressed one hand against the stone door, activating the Key of the Door within the Maze Lock.
The “Kiss of the Tree” was in fact the tale of the Old God “Blazar Gate,” who governed spatial power. Combined with the same Sorcery from Him and the enhancement of Divine Afterglow, Shard felt that he could barely move his arm to open the Gate of Death.
This also made him realize another function of the Maze Lock – “Kiss of the Tree”; within this Maze Lock, he could almost open any lock.
When Shard stumbled out from between the two giant stone doors into the white light, he barely had the energy to stand. Pushing himself to the limit had ensured the maximum power of the Maze Lock, and the act of opening the gate had drained what little stamina was left.
In the Interstice of Life and Death where the recovery speed of Spirit and stamina was greatly reduced, he nearly had no ability to fight any longer.
[Step through the Gate of Death into demise, unlock the shackles between life and death, and return to the narrow interstice on the edge.]
[Outlander, you have once again heard the “Whisper” from death.]
[You have gained the Arcane Technique – Gate of Death. Open a one-way passage to true death that only allows you and willing souls to enter. While the channel is open, it has no effect on the normal world as it is one-way.]
“Ha, what do I do with such a channel? If it could actively draw in my enemies, that would be great, but it’s only effective against spirits, and they must be willing to leave… Maybe this Arcane Technique is trying to make me die once more?”
He supported himself on the ground, panting heavily:
“Dawn is near.”
Shard was unaware of the abnormal phenomena in the Sicarl Mountain Region caused by his use of the Maze Lock. He only knew that he now had no strength left to traverse such a long distance through the Interstice back to the inner courtyard of the Russell Estate, to say nothing of the attacks by Evil Spirits on the way.
“Luckily, I came prepared.”
A smile appeared on his pale face, and as he lay prostrate in front of the Gate of Death, Shard reached out his hand and barely managed to take out a key, door, toy resembling tree branches, two vials of blood, and the Blood Vial left by the Priest, from the items he had previously placed in front of the stone door:
“May the World Tree bless me with time.”
Gulping for air, he inserted the key into the door and twisted it. The small door then filled with dense white fog, and not even the black wind blowing from behind him through the crack of the door could disturb the fog:
“Indeed, even here, the Time Key can be used.”
He extended his finger into the door, the metal pendant fell to the ground, and Shard vanished as well.
“Outlander, you have stepped into the ‘Time Corridor’.”
“Message from the Ancient God, ‘Father of the Infinite Tree’:”
“Year 3014 of the Fifth Era, spring, Eastern Continent, Night Manor.”
“Event: Banquet of the God of the Vampire Race.”
“Duration: Thirty minutes (2/3).”
“Extra information has been granted to you.”
“The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree continues to watch over you.”
“The challenge given by the Ancient God of Time will persist.”
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
“Participate in ‘Vampire Duke Lowell’s’ banquet with mortals until the end of the event.”
“The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: Arcane Technique – Silent Moonlight, a segment of true information – Elf.”
Entering the White Mist Space in a collapsed position, leaving the Interstice, his stamina rapidly recovered. It seemed as if Shard possessed a breathing healing ability; after only a few breaths, he stood up straight:
“Situation’s not bad.”
He replaced his clothes, soiled with the muddy grime from in front of the stone door, with a spare set transformed into toys. Shard moved his body a little, not wasting any time, he stepped forward as the corridor scene of Night Manor gradually unfolded.
Turning his head to look out of the window at the almost stationary, eerie courtyard in the night, he felt that his stamina and spirit were still recovering at a normal, if not faster, rate. Then, he saw that the three bottles he held in his hand were all still there:
“Good.”
He was very satisfied with the current situation.
Walking along the corridor and turning a corner, he entered a narrow passage. At its end, double doors opened automatically and Shard walked straight in.
The grand hall built for the stature of giants was still the same, but in front of the middle-aged witch, the Armored Elder, and the twin girls, the tabletops now bore sumptuous meals served on gold and silver plates, and it appeared that everyone had eaten somewhat.
While quiet, the atmosphere was better than Shard had anticipated; it seemed that in his absence, the Saint and mortals had partaken in other banquet activities, at least Shard saw a smile on the face of the old man with graying hair, who was gathering playing cards.
“Deity.”
As the doors behind him closed automatically, Shard greeted the figure in the red cloak at the other end of the long table. The skin crackage that had disappeared upon leaving the vicinity of the Gate of Death reappeared, and the Saint nodded at him:
“Please take your seat, the banquet will continue after a brief rest.”
Shard reached the end of the long table to sit face to face with the Saint; the chair automatically pulled back for him to sit. He then looked at the other participants of the banquet, the middle-aged witch looked emotionless, the elder with graying hair smiled and nodded at Shard, and the twin girls were still astonished by the golden Light Trace appearing on Shard.
“The scent of death on you is quite dense indeed; I hope it won’t affect your taste for the wine.”
The Saint in the red cloak spoke softly, but it was merely a slight sigh before he went straight to the point:
“So, unexpected guest, have you brought blood that will satisfy me, in exchange for the privilege to continue attending this banquet?”
“I believe so.”
Shard placed the three small bottles from his pocket onto the table and pointed to the first vial of blood:
“Blood of the Abyssal Dragon Squid. It was hard to come by, I obtained it through trade with a mermaid.”
“Not bad, at least it’s much better than impure dragon blood.”
The Saint made a simple appraisal, suggesting that this bottle of blood was barely acceptable.
“Rhine Monster blood. Many people died for this one.”
Shard then pointed to the second vial of blood.
“Oh? A Rhine Monster? That is quite rare. These phantom monsters, which use bloodline relationships as curses, are absolute dangers to my followers.”
The Saint spoke, and Shard thought for a moment before he realized that the “Rhine Monster” was particularly lethal to the Vampire Clan.
“Although only two types of blood were needed this time, I still brought a third kind.”
Shard pointed to the last small bottle, the Priest had left in a hurry, so the blood there was scarce compared to the others for which Shard had paid a fortune.
“It looks like an interesting specimen.”
He waved His hand, and the three bottles next to Shard automatically floated to the other end of the long table.
The stopper of the third bottle was opened automatically, and the Vampire Deity sniffed slightly before narrowing His eyes.
Shard, enduring the tremendous mental pressure, watched His expression closely. As the Vampire God frowned, he tentatively said:
“This blood… may be related to the Primeval Angel, Jackal.”
Shard had convinced the Priest to leave his blood behind, thinking that Priest Augustus’s story was intriguing enough to possibly lend his blood some value. Plus, the Vampire Deity would not curse someone just for consuming the blood of a mortal, hence he had set his sights on the Priest.
But upon obtaining the Spirit Rune in the Land of Death and hearing about the “Primeval Angel,” Shard had a new idea. The “Primeval Angel” seemed to trace back to the earliest Deity, the Ancient Gods. Perhaps he could use the matter of the “Primeval Angel” to uncover more information regarding the Ancient Gods.
The Saint nodded slightly:
“Indeed, it is that Primeval Angel.”
Shard’s eyes widened slightly, displaying his inner excitement:
“So the Primeval Angel is…”
“The Primeval Angel, the Angel of Death, Death’s Herald. Mortals like using such names.”
The Deity said simply, then shifted the topic directly, not giving Shard the chance to ask:
“Very well, although this blood carries an overbearingly dense scent of death, it is nonetheless a fine brew. Unexpected guest, you may choose to keep this as your gift for your next visit, or you can use it right now to offset your upcoming wine-tasting requirements.”
After a crisp snap of His fingers, ten identical green wine bottles appeared before the Deity, while everyone’s dinner plates were cleared to make way for some seemingly delicious pastries. Simultaneously, brand-new glass goblets appeared with a thud in front of them:
“Now we enter the next phase of the banquet. Since we have tasted the exquisite blood you’ve brought, I can’t be stingy with my own collection. Here, I have ten items from my collection which I will taste one by one, and what you must do is to join me in this tasting.”
“Deity, do we need to taste all of this Blood Brew as well?”
Shard inquired, and the Saint shook His head slightly:
“Each of you needs only to share a drink with me three times. But if, after I have tasted all the Blood Brew here, someone still hasn’t done so three times, then I am afraid they would be unlucky, meeting the same fate as the mortal king who brought impure dragon blood.”
The rules of the banquet were straightforward, and all five individuals were quite comprehending, leaving no questions.
“Furthermore, you two.”
He suddenly looked towards the twin girls on Shard’s right, wearing black and white gauze dresses. Holding hands, the girls lowered their heads, even their breathing halted under the tremendous pressure of the Saint’s gaze.
“Since you two have brought the same blood, I will consider you as one. You must taste the same Blood Brew.”
“Yes, Deity,” the little girls said softly.
“You.”
He then looked at the Armored Elder, who by now had gathered up the playing cards and tucked them into his pocket.
“The card game earlier was entertaining. Perhaps during the next break, we can continue. Therefore, you only need to share a drink with me twice.”
“Thank You for Your Compassion, Deity,” the elder said, bowing his head, his psychological endurance being the worst among those still alive. Merely a glance from the Saint had turned his face instantly purple.
“Very well. Then, let the second part of the banquet—begin!”
The tightly bound curtains by the window turned blood-red in an instant. The bat-shaped kerosene lamps on the walls melted and deformed from their metal material, becoming the shape of children with sharp teeth and wings holding them up. The carpet turned the color of blood, and the chandelier above dangled strings of slender teeth. Even behind the Saint, where a tapestry simply used to hang, strange oil paintings now appeared.
The oil painting was a sea of blood-red; within the gaps of the uneven paint, it seemed as if creatures were swarming in groups, but a closer look only left one dizzy and with a headache, even a taste like rust inexplicably in one’s mouth.
The originally red carpet seemed to have blood flowing over it, with the dark liquid staining patterns resembling human blood vessels. On the old hall’s stone brick walls, large patches of black bloodstains emerged until the entire room was filled with a faint odor of blood.
The bizarre scenery of Night Manor remained the same outside the window, but the originally normal dining room, with the start of the second round of the banquet, began to transform into something more peculiar. Not only did Shard frown, but even the Witch felt uneasy.
