infodatos Chapter 81 Keeping the Appointment
Chapter 81 Keeping the Appointment
"Mrs. Cecilius? Bernice?"
Zag glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them.
The restaurant was large, with stained glass partitions and various decorations separating each table to ensure that conversations between guests were not easily eavesdropped on. However, Zag still lowered his voice and whispered to Liam for confirmation: "Is she the person on the business card I told you about? Viscount Cecilius's new wife?"
Liam replied, "We cannot conclude that these two people are definitely the same person until we confirm it, but I am indeed referring to Viscountess Cecilius."
"I brought my business card."
As he spoke, Zag pushed the business card he had taken from "Zag Liam" toward Liam.
Liam took the business card, examined it for a while, and then gently ran his other ring across the card to confirm, "Hmm... there is indeed a polluted smell on it."
Zag looked at the ring with curiosity. It was simple, but the gemstone was quite large, so it was probably another magical item.
He asked, "Like the pollution of the Black Earth?"
"They have the same origin, but it can't be confirmed that they are the same type of pollution. This needs to be studied and confirmed by the Golden Palace."
"So, is it this pollution that turned the victims into werewolves?" At this point, Zag finally remembered something he had been deliberately avoiding: "Were the previous victims... rescued?"
Liam said apologetically, "It's a pity they've all passed away."
"Why!?" Zag asked in shock, "Didn't the Golden Palace send anyone to investigate? Or is it that the higher-ups are simply avoiding trouble and therefore don't value human lives? Just because the victims were ordinary people, not nobles?"
He was having trouble controlling his emotions. After all, as an ordinary person who had lived in a peaceful society for more than 20 years, he simply could not accept that such heinous events, in which ten or more people died, were considered normal.
Liam, on the other hand, remained very calm. Even when questioned, he said calmly, "You may have some prejudice against the Golden Palace, which is normal. I have met many people with this kind of thinking."
"But allow me to defend myself, we did everything we could, but those victims were not simply cursed and corrupted like ordinary lesser werewolves, but in a very serious, soul-damaging way, the corruption was extremely exaggerated, and the mechanism is still unclear to us, but it is clear that the harm this method is causing them is escalating..."
"So the people from the Golden Palace only stayed for two days before the victims died one after another because they couldn't withstand the pollution."
Zag believed Liam's words, but he did not believe the Golden Palace.
He continued, "As the organization in the entire High Kingdom with the deepest and most advanced research in magic and mysticism, doesn't the Golden Palace have any effective means to slow down the contamination? Even the [Hand of Healing] can cure the contamination!"
Liam explained patiently, "The dispelling effect of [Hand of Healing] is only effective against mild corruption. Once the corruption has eroded the soul, even the Nine Holy Spirits are powerless to help."
Zag knew his anger was irrational and even baseless, so he tried to calm himself down and apologized, "Okay...sorry, I got a little too worked up, I..."
“I understand, Sentinel,” Liam nodded slightly, his tone sincere. “You are a true Sentinel, which is why you are so concerned about this matter… Please believe me, I have the utmost respect for your noble character, Sentinel.”
Zha Ge was stunned by the praise, and after a long while, he stammered, "Th-thank you?"
This praise made him feel guilty. He was actually a despicable person who liked to lie, take advantage of others, and was only interested in pursuing his own interests.
"Gentlemen, this is chilled Lunarinian liqueur, authentic Lunarinian liqueur, produced by the Royal Lunarinian Distillery. Please enjoy."
Just then, a waiter came over with a tray, placed two slender stemmed glasses in front of Zag and Liam respectively, and poured the nectar of the Root Bone Flower into the glasses.
The clear liquid condensed into tiny droplets on the outside of the glass the moment it flowed into the stemmed glass.
"Want to try it? I've only ever had Royal Lunalan in Holland, but I guess the stuff at this restaurant should be pretty good."
Liam extended the invitation.
It was as if the unpleasant incident had never happened.
Zha Ge readily agreed, picked up his glass, and took a small sip.
The dense foam contains a refreshing fruity aroma with a slight astringency, which is well neutralized by the sweetness, making the slightly astringent taste not unpleasant but rather creating a richer flavor.
Well, he had to admit, the real Lunaran Blend Blossom ...
Of course, the prices also vary greatly.
Soon, the appetizer was served—according to the waiter, this was a complimentary dish, a type of bread, or rather a biscuit, that was baked very dry and about the thickness of a finger, called "Garlic Roasted Thumb-Sized White Bread".
The outside is a crispy crust, and the inside is soft white bread, sprinkled with garlic powder and some spices that Zha Ge doesn't recognize. It has a rich flavor and is very appetizing.
Next came the main courses: black pepper beef margarita tartare and dragon pepper lamb margarita tartare.
Zag didn't know how Liam's black pepper beef tasted, but his dragon pepper lamb was so delicious that he could swallow his tongue.
Strictly speaking, tonight's dinner gave him a feeling of returning to modern society. Food seasoned with complex spices may be ridiculed by many netizens as tasting like industrial garbage, but its mainstream status must be due to its appeal to the tastes of most people.
Or rather, there's a reason why people have been pursuing a wealth of spices for thousands of years.
At least the dishes made by this restaurant, which is very generous with its spices, are indeed delicious.
Later in the evening, the restaurant became lively, but unfortunately, Bernice didn't come.
Of course, Liam brought Zag to this restaurant not entirely to stake out Bernice.
At least from his clean plate, one could glean that perhaps he really just wanted to enjoy the delicious food and then find an excuse to get reimbursed—he was familiar with this situation; a novel he read while slacking off at work had similar "experiences" shared in it.
After dinner, the two rested for a long time before leaving the restaurant just before sunset and heading to the appointment at the address on the business card.
The address was in the West End, with the zip code EP8 3WS. It was quite remote. Liam asked the waiter to prepare a horse-drawn carriage for them, and it took them a full 20 minutes to get to the address.
It is an old, simple, but very large detached house.
When the two arrived, there were already quite a few people there, and the courtyard was brightly lit, as if a cocktail party was being held.
A waiter-like man approached Liam and Zag warmly as they stopped at the door: "Excuse me, please forgive my intrusion, do you two have invitations or tokens of invitation? This is a private party."
"Do we need a keepsake?"
Zag glanced awkwardly at Liam, then, clutching the business card, asked hesitantly, "Does this business card count? It was given to me by 'Zag Liam'."
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【Lamb Margarita Tartare】: A dish made with pasta, cheese, and lamb sauce with chili peppers, it is a specialty of Margarita Island and belongs to Quen cuisine.