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Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 692 - Lucky Benhart
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Chapter 692: Chapter 692: Lucky Benhart
Chapter 692 -692: Lucky Benhart
Last time there was the “Blood Debt” incident involving Professor Higgins, Shard had a pretty good impression of Mr. Armand Benhart.
So, even though he knew the other party was of the Vampire Kind and knew they had settled in a local winery, he did not report them to the church. This time, the witches obviously wouldn’t pretend this person didn’t exist, and more evidently, even if the other party was a Vampire Kind of the Inner Ring, they absolutely wouldn’t stand a chance against any of the Grand Witches in the room.
“Good luck.”
That was all Shard could think as he walked towards the warehouse.
The photo didn’t show the size of the coffin, but its actual size was just that of a normal coffin, so clearly, Mr. Benhart couldn’t possibly carry it back himself. Normally, according to the auction procedure, such large, hard-to-transport items were to be transported by the trucks of the Cassandra Auction House the following day. However, Mr. Benhart clearly loved the antique coffin he had bought and insisted on having it taken away by carriage that very night.
Of course, buying something and leaving immediately would seem very suspicious, so Mr. Benhart still remained at the Fire Worship Festival banquet, while the pitch-black metal coffin stayed in the warehouse. As one of the hosts of the banquet, the Cassandra Auction House naturally had the keys to the warehouse and even the security company they hired belonged to the Cassandra Auction House.
The warehouse was located in the basement on the eastern side of the first floor of the Midshire Fort Mechanical Academy, which was originally a shelter for the frontline army camp and later became the academy’s storage room. Granny Cassandra’s maid, the lady with Second Ring Power, led Shard all the way to the basement. After verifying their identities and passing through multiple checks, they went through three doors and unlocked at least three big locks before Shard was allowed to see the coffin.
The basement was lit with gas lamps, and the metal coffin, after thousands of years, was utterly corroded. It was placed upright in a wooden crate filled with straw and cotton pads for cushioning. Soon, the lid of the crate would be closed and nailed shut for transportation.
As for whether this was a Relic, Shard didn’t know until he touched it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a Relic; it lacked even a trace of the Whisper Element. Unless the Relic had a Trait of “hiding the Whisper Element,” Shard was definitely not mistaken.
But upon further examination by reaching his hand inside, Shard interpreted some scratch-like marks on the inner wall of the coffin as ancient script of the Exotic Species:
[My love slumbers here.]
“Could it be that this was an antique used by previous Vampire Kind, and therefore Mr. Benhart wanted to buy it as a memento? Just like the Witch Council loves to collect items used by the Witch Empresses.”
Shard muttered to himself, pondering whether he should lick it to further confirm if the coffin was genuinely an ordinary item. However, he had just dismissed this disgusting thought when the guard outside clearly coughed.
This meant someone was coming, and Shard needed to leave immediately.
“Quick, let’s go!”
With a wave of his hand to the maid and the armed security company bodyguards, the group of four left the warehouse. The two burly bodyguards quickly closed and locked the door, then stood in front, looking very dutiful. Meanwhile, Shard and Miss Maid didn’t leave the basement but instead ducked behind the metal container at the warehouse entrance.
Miss Maid dropped two talismans to mask sounds and shadows, and they had just hidden themselves when sounds came from the staircase. It was Mr. Benhart leading several workers in; although he still had to attend the banquet, he wanted to have the coffin moved now.
“Is he in such a hurry?”
Having avoided Armand Benhart, Shard and the maid returned to the rest room on the east side of the first floor and reported what they had seen in the basement to the two witches. Hearing that the coffin was indeed not a Relic, the Grand Witches lost interest in the matter, and even when Shard mentioned that the person might be of the Vampire Kind, they did not regain their interest:
“Let the Vampire Kind be Vampire Kind. The affairs of the Vampire Kind, The Chosen, and the Interstice are unrelated; we need to focus on preparing for the investigation into the hole you mentioned tomorrow.”
Miss Aphrola said while holding a teacup, sizing up Shard:
“But you really act fast, no wonder Galina often says you’re very useful. Moreover, even Granny couldn’t tell he was of the Vampire Kind.”
Shard shook his head:
“I’ve dealt with Vampire Kind before in Tobesk, and they seemed quite confident in their ability to hide. However, I still don’t understand why they would buy an ordinary antique for five times the starting price at a fixed rate?”
“That’s simple.”
The experienced Old Witch said with a smile:
“They probably want to smuggle this antique to Carsonrick. The foreign antique dealer and Viscount Benhart are partners. By using the legal auction process, the antique is transferred from the name of a local to a foreigner, and then through Viscount Benhart’s identity at Carsonrick, they gain export conveniences. Although this increases the tax, it bypasses Draleon’s stringent antique export policies.”
“Is that so?”
Shard was still hesitant, but regardless, the coffin was indeed an ordinary item.
Lucky Mr. Benhart, he narrowly escaped a disaster at the hands of two Grand Witches.
After resolving the matter with the black coffin, there was only one hour left until the evening ball. Still concerned about seeing the local Roder Card Players, Shard stood up, preparing to bid farewell to the witches.
But before he could stand up, the door to the lounge was knocked on.
“Ms. Cassandra, Earl Dalark of Campbell is looking for you.”
“An earl with a landed estate?”
Shard looked surprised at Granny Cassandra, who nodded:
“A local noble, inheriting ancestral properties, now mostly retains the power to collect taxes in the village.”
Shard stood up, knowing it was inappropriate for him to be in this situation, looked around, and eyed the wardrobe in the corner, but Miss Aphrola pulled him:
“Stand behind me.”
Shard immediately circled the sofa, first ‘fishing’ out a narrow-rimmed black hat from his pocket and putting it on, then threw the formal coat meant for the party over the back of the sofa and ‘fished’ out an old black coat to wear over it. He didn’t button it up, revealing two pistols belted at his waist.
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He stood firmly against the wall behind the sofa, feet apart, hands together naturally hanging in front at his body, his face serious, as if ready to draw his guns at any moment.
“Very nice.”
Miss Aphrola was amused by his appearance, teased him a bit, then nodded at the Old Witch. The latter’s smile disappeared, her eyelids drooped, and in an aged voice, her tone very cold, she said:
“Come in.”
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