Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

As the potion was swallowed, the old man clenched his right hand, tapped the table, and closed his eyes to reveal an expression more terrifying than the one he had when he drank the blood of poisonous bugs. But at least the swelling trend of his body halted, and although he continued to seep blood, his expanded body also began to retract inward.

Clearly, he had endured once again. This meant that Shard and the old man had both survived the second round of the Divine Banquet hosted by the Vampire God, whereas the girls still needed to drink twice more, and the Witch once more.

"Thank you."

The old man, now back to normal and somewhat tired, thanked the girls. This time he did not offer the ring as a token of gratitude, but obviously, he would not forget those who had helped him.

"The ninth kind of Blood Wine, Aether Wine. This bottle of Blood Wine has a very interesting origin—its ingredients are some mythical creatures from another deity who has traded with me before. I cast the bottle into the Deep Sea Whirlpool where under the deep-sea pressure, it concentrated for tens of thousands of years, then I added some blood from a Deep Sea Monster for flavoring. In my view, this bottle qualifies as cherished mouthwash, after all, aside from having a unique taste, it only offers unimaginable vast Spirit to mortals."

"I would like to try it."

The Witch promptly said.

"Us too."

The girls also raised their hands to indicate their interest.

The tasting of the ninth kind of Blood Wine occurred without any accidents; Shard felt tempted but did not suggest trying it himself once more. The Witch digested the enormous Spirit, the cost of which appeared to have aged her by ten years.

This time, the twin girls did not drink the Blood Wine without a cost—after they drank it together, Shard actually saw their hearts being linked by a black chain phantom.

The enormous Spirit in the Blood Wine directly materialized the bond about "twins" from the family heritage contract. As the Spirit was digested, the chain connecting the hearts began to vibrate rapidly.

The girl in the white dress nearly bit through her lip, but kept silent, while the girl in the black dress began to cry out softly. Had it not been for the Witch who was kindly sitting next to them, instructing them how to dissipate the potentially lethal Spirit accumulated within their bodies to ordinary people, the girls would have had much difficulty maintaining normalcy.

But having endured the abundant Spirit in the Aether Wine and under the Witch's guidance learned how to use the power not their own, they were getting closer and closer to officially awakening as witches.

The time had now reached the 27th minute of Shard entering Night Manor, and in front of the Saint, nine out of the ten bottles of wine had already been opened. It seemed that this Vampire Deity was timing it so that Shard could just manage to leave in time.

"The last bottle of Blood Wine, Soul Wine. I went to the terminus of souls and took a bowl of Pure Water."

He nodded at Shard:

"Yes, the very place you just left from. I fused the blood of the now extinct Soul Drainers into it and stored the bottle with this liquid in the soul of the chosen human infant, allowing this wine to spend a lifetime with him, witnessing everything the soul experienced. After ninety-nine such cycles, this bottle of wine was created."

This Deity spared no trouble in quest for fine wine.

The cork popped open with a bang, and everyone at the table, including Shard, couldn't help but look at the mouth of the bottle. Without the need for introduction by the deity, they understood the function of this wine—

to strengthen the soul further.

No ordinary soul could resist such a temptation, even if Shard's soul could taint Divinity, he was also drawn to such an opportunity.

"Only an utterly strong soul can drink it. A river can withstand the rush of a stream, but an ant hole absolutely cannot."

The Deity said, looking at the twin girls:

"The medicine in your case has no effect on soul damage. So, do you want to share this last drink with me?"

The girls could hardly refuse, as this was the last bottle of Blood Wine. They looked at each other because clearly, even with the bond of the soul and the power of family heritage, they were by no means "strong of soul."

"Please wait a moment."

This time it was Shard who spoke. He looked at the girls:

"You said that I could use the third bottle of wine I brought to offset a chance of drinking Blood Wine. Now that I have shared three drinks with you, can I give this chance to these two young ladies?"

Although this meant that Shard would have to find another kind of blood next time, for him, this was merely a matter of time and Gold Pounds.

"Of course, but... there are two of them, and you can only offset one drink."

The Saint said calmly.

"I am the elder sister, I will drink!"

The girl in the white dress said immediately, reaching out to grab the glass, but she was stopped by the always-appearing timid girl in the black dress:

"No, you have done enough, Grace."

She stared at her sister, showing a firmness she had never displayed before:

"It has always been you protecting me, ever since we were little. We promised to always be together, but does that mean only you can make sacrifices for me?"

"But I am the elder sister..."

"Girls, please quiet down."

Shard timely intervened, stopping what seemed like dialogue from a court drama, something Dorothy would probably be interested in, but he didn't have much time to listen to the sisters' conversation:

"I will drink on their behalf."

He looked up again at the deity by the table.

Without giving anyone else a chance to react, the Soul Wine had already been poured into the glasses at both ends of the long table.

Shard took a deep breath, picked up his glass, and stared at the deity:

"I must admit, this is indeed a fine banquet."

He said, his praise sparing no Gold Pounds.

"Thank you for the compliment, your taste is indeed fine."

The deity responded, and they both lifted their glasses, slightly touching them across the long table, and surprisingly, the sound of glass clinking really echoed through the air.

Shard drained the glass in one gulp and then indeed felt his spirit drawing power, but without any pain. The spirit, capable of harboring Divinity, was completely unaffected by the wine.

"Sir..."

The girls wanted to express their gratitude, but Shard no longer had the time.

"Then until we meet again, Vampire God, next time I will bring a finer gift."

He said, already standing and preparing to turn towards the door. Shard preferred to walk through the White Mist Gate rather than being forcefully dragged away by an unseen power.

The twin girls wanted to say thanks, but Shard, already at the door, heard the deity's voice.

Unknowingly, the double doors too had turned crimson red and swung open automatically before Shard, revealing the endless white fog beyond. Shard stood at the doorway, turned, and looked at the blood-drinking deity, who held the empty glass and softly spoke:

"I notice you've been helping the mortals here? Unexpected guest, do you wish to be a good person?"

This was in the Draleon language of the Sixth Era.

"No, I only wish to do what I desire."

The Saint said:

"I very much appreciate the kindness you've shown me."

Shard didn't speak, he only had a few seconds left before he could leave; these issues could wait until next time.

"But I am curious, if you possess the ability of vampirism, would you use it to empower yourself?"

Although not showing much cruelty, an Evil God is still an Evil God.

"God, please forgive my impertinence, but I refuse to become one of the Vampire Kind."

Shard said, and began counting down in his mind:

"Three."

The Evil God simply didn't have the time to force a Transformation, unless He dared to make a move as Shard was being pulled into the Mist Gate.

"No, no, I'm not interested in transforming you. I wonder, would you like to hear my story?"

The Saint clasped His hands together on the table, the crimson tapestry behind Him with its symbols slightly trembling. No, even the bizarrely shaped kerosene lamps on the walls, and the strings of teeth hanging from the red crystal chandeliers, all began to tremble.

"Two."

He began:

"I am sorry, but I must leave now."

"Then..."

The Vampire God seemed to be smiling, very pleased with Himself. Meanwhile, Shard was stepping backward, gradually enveloped by the white fog.

"One! Ha, I'm safe!"

"Earlier, the ten stories I told about brewing, what do you think of them?"

The last sentence reached his ears as the white fog completely blurred Shard's vision, leaving him only able to see the Saint's crimson eyes, which seemed capable of dragging any soul into a pool of blood, staring at him.

"So, that was His plan..."

[The blood-drinking deity looked down upon the Earth from the sky, using great power, desire, and bloody hands to brew endless Blood Brew. This is the frenzied desire of vampirism, the most perfect bizarre collection, and a chaotic story of blood and wine.]

[You have heard the story of the Old God "Vampire Duke Lowell," you learned one of the "Desecrations" of the Old God "Vampire Duke Lowell."]

"Wait, you're not saying that I'm going to become one of the Vampire Kind just because I listened to the story of the deity's brewing, are you?"

[Outlander, you have obtained the Sorcery—Blood Wine Brewing.]