Chapter 2056: Chapter 2056: Old Friends at Moon Bay
Originally, Shard considered directly invading this house, but since the owner was a Vampire Kind with etiquette, he thought it best to be polite.
After some inquiries in the vicinity, he learned that Mr. Ptolemy Albert, the house’s owner, worked in a morgue which wasn’t in the Moon Bay City Police Department or a hospital, but rather in the Lower District. This area generally dealt with unclaimed corpses from the Lower District and bodies hauled from the Taton River; if the police department received too many bodies at once, they would also let them handle the examination and dissection.
Speaking of Vampire Kind Diviners, Shard immediately thought of Mr. Orlen Wilson, whom Mr. Benhart introduced during the Pantanal incident. The latter was pursued by the Pantanal Voodoo Society because he held a Relic Dagger.
While Mr. Benhart was taking Shard to meet him, they encountered Mr. Sean Asmon, the "Demonologist," at the tavern where he was hiding.
And the prophecy made by the Vampire Kind Diviner at that time is still fresh in Shard’s memory—
"I saw the angel with white wings flying over the lake, I saw the vines and tendrils wriggling thousands of years ago returning to the Material World, I saw the Sage holding a book, laughing wildly at the top of the Lighthouse, and I saw the crying purple-eyed Female Diviner watching all this lead to destruction. (Chapter 1085)"
Thus, there indeed exist some highly skilled diviners in the material world, though most of them are mentally unstable.
A morgue is not suitable to be placed in a conspicuous location, as even the coroner renting a house would face discrimination and criticism from neighbors. Mr. Ptolemy Albert’s workplace is at the end of Little Spider Alley in the Moon Bay City’s Lower District.
The street called "Alley" is not narrow at all; in the courtyard on the left side, fenced with wooden barriers, the chickens raised by the residents are roaming around, and on the right side is a wooden two-story building, the "Spider Hostel." A typical hostel in the slums fitting Shard’s impression, probably really has many spiders inside.
Little Spider Alley is an idea; its end features a high wall formed due to the city’s terrain, above which lies the area of middle-class activities. And at the place where the high wall ends like a sewer pipe entrance, is the morgue’s entrance. The entrance is a corridor-like stone wall without even a sign hanging. If Shard hadn’t inquired all the way, he probably wouldn’t have thought there would be a way in here.
At the stone corridor entrance, an iron gate blocks the way, though it is closed, it’s not locked. Standing here, Shard could rely on his keen sense of smell to catch the unique scent of corpses and preservatives from the depths of the corridor. Using "Echo of Blood," he could also see traces of dried blood remaining.
No guards were keeping watch, leaving Shard unsure how to proceed inside. He only wanted to talk to the Vampire Species Coroner to confirm whether the individual was a Diviner; barging in seemed quite rude.
"Is the guard of such places so lax, or is the Moon Bay’s social atmosphere so pure that there are no corpse-robber thieves?"
Reaching out to push open the gate, Shard did not use spellcasting to perceive the internal terrain, nor did he use "Heart of Stone" to sense heartbeats, but politely stood there and inquired into the corridor lit by gas lamps:
"Is Mr. Ptolemy Albert here?"
The special environment created an echo effect, but at least Shard could assure whoever was inside would hear if there was anyone.
Soon, footsteps sounded. Before Shard could clearly see what the black-haired man in a brown cloak looked like, he had already noticed the small blood-red bat symbol floating above his head.
"Seems I found the right person."
The cloak was to prevent contamination by unclean things during work, standard equipment included long boots, goggles, and gloves. The Vampire Kind with messy black hair was of medium build, appearing to be around forty years old, with a beard on his chin, but looked competent and astute.
He came to the gate, looking at Shard with curiosity:
"I am Ptolemy Albert. Sir, may I ask who you are..."
Seeing Shard’s Delarion appearance, he specially used the not-so-fluent Delarion language.
"Good morning, Mr. Albert."
Shard greeted in the Casenric language, and after the other nodded hesitantly, he cheerfully continued:
"You may call me John Watson, a writer traveling through the Old Continent. I have some matters I’d like to consult you on; can we speak inside?"
The latter hesitated a bit:
"Yes, but you may not enter the morgue."
He led Shard down the corridor deep enough for a carriage to pass, taking a downhill path, then through a crossroads in the sewer pipe, but both left and front were completely blocked. Turning around the right angle corner and continuing deeper, there were three iron doors ahead, left, and right after several more steps. Scented candles to disperse odors hung on the doors, retractable iron beds and metal tubes stood on the wall, and wilting flowers, due to a lack of sunlight, were in five or six pots on the floor.
They stopped in the middle of the three doors, and Shard explained his purpose:
"I apologize for the disturbance; I know you are a Circle Sorcerer. Oh, please don’t be so surprised, I know my visit is abrupt, but I came because of the mark on your door."
This likely five rings or six rings man frowned, again scrutinizing Shard:
"But Mr. Watson, you don’t appear to be a Vampire Kind."
What he said was correct, even though Shard fought the God of the Vampire Race and absorbed the divinity of that Vampire Earl, he still wasn’t a Vampire Kind:
"I have a Vampire Kind friend... I don’t mean any offense, just wish to inquire about certain matters."
Saying so, he took out his wallet:
"Paying for information, I am very sincere."
Mr. Albert shook his head:
"Since you know that symbol, even though I don’t trust you, I won’t take your money. Just ask directly, and leave immediately after asking; we’ll both pretend we never met. But I still have to say, what you’re doing is really impolite, especially coming to my workplace to find me."
Shard didn’t insist:
"Are you a Diviner?"
"Of course not. I am skilled in Alchemy and Magic Potions. Although I am interested in Divination, unfortunately, I lack the talent. Otherwise, I’d consider taking the Registered Diviner’s license, maybe even hang out with the Prophet’s Society to earn a few Krones."
The Registered Diviner license requires passing six exams within five years to qualify. Once achieved, regardless of background, one can find work either at the Three Great Magics Academies or the Church of the Five Gods. Speaking of which, Luviya is still planning to take the ’Registered Diviner license’ subjects in this summer exam, and if she passes this time, she should be able to get the license.
"Not a Diviner... then do you know if there’s a hidden diviner centered around Herring Street in the Lower District?"
"That’s a very strange question."
The robed man shook his head again:
"Even if there were, I shouldn’t casually tell you. After all, I don’t know who you are, or if you’re good or bad. You wouldn’t want to use my identity to coerce me into answering your questions, would you?"
"Of course not, I’m a good person. Then, can you tell me how to contact the black market in this city? I’m new here, not very familiar with the local situation."
"You’re a strange person indeed. Who exactly told you how to recognize the Vampire Kind?"
"That, I cannot say either, that gentleman from Huntington City... who?"
Shard suddenly looked at the iron door at the deepest part of the corridor; earlier, he felt as though there was someone behind it, but since they didn’t interrupt the conversation, Shard didn’t mind. However, when he mentioned "Huntington City," the breathing sound on the other side of the door intensified.
"Behind the door is my friend, you interrupted our meeting just now."
Mr. Albert moved a step and stood in front of the door:
"Let’s continue our conversation at the Spider Inn outside. This is not a good place to talk."
He did not want to expose his friend’s identity. Shard nodded, but just as he was about to turn around, he hesitated for a moment and spoke to the tightly closed iron door:
"Midshire Fort?"
Two seconds of hesitation later, the door was pushed open from the inside. A gentleman in a black suit with a small bat symbol floating above his head and blonde hair looked pleasantly surprised to the outside:
"Han... Mr. John Watson! I thought the voice sounded familiar. It really is you! It’s been so long since we last met!"
Shard also smiled:
"Viscount Armand Bernhardt! Last winter in Huntington City, we parted ways; it’s been half a year, hasn’t it?"
The one appearing before him was a friend he met during his adventures in Milestone. In fact, not long ago, Shard had seen this Vampire Kind’s spirit in the "Bygone Era." Meeting the real person again this time was akin to encountering a past friend in a strange city and was indeed a pleasant surprise.
The two men warmly shook hands, and this Seventh Ring Vampire Kind seemed unchanged after half a year. The Moon Bay Region is a thousand miles away from Huntington City and even farther from the East Coast’s Midshire Fort, across the entire Old Continent. But just like Shard, he was delighted to unexpectedly meet a friend:
"I never thought I’d see you here! Come, let me introduce you. Ptolemy, no need to be so nervous. This is the impressive friend I mentioned, whom I met last year. John Watson, a writer traveling the Old Continent."
Shard smiled and nodded to the Coroner:
"Please allow me to apologize for my abrupt visit. It really was an intrusion."
The Coroner visibly let out a sigh of relief:
"A friend of Armand’s, hello, you really startled me just now."
Mr. Benhart continued with the introductions:
"Mr. Watson, this is Mr. Ptolemy Alay, my good friend in this area. We’ve had nearly thirty years of friendship. He’s been residing in Moon Bay City for many years and is very familiar with the local situation."
With Mr. Benhart as the intermediary, Shard and the Vampire Kind both lowered their guard.
So, Mr. Benhart proposed that the three of them go next door to the Spider Inn for a drink. However, Mr. Albert needed to tidy up the morgue and lock the door first, so he let Shard and Mr. Benhart go ahead.
Comments