"Is this the wine cellar? It's already winter, so the wine cellar shouldn't have too many people. Moreover, I remember there are many wineries around Huntington City; this is a good sign."
Shard thought silently as he brightened the light at his fingertip for a closer look around.
This place isn't like Coldwater Port or Midshire Fort, where there's almost no one, but more like Saint Delan Square which has an owner. However, it seems the owner here has no idea about the hidden wall, let alone that someone might appear from here.
Out of caution, Shard used the Echo of the Past to scout, but despite multiple attempts, he found nothing. This means no one has spoken nearby in the past 48 hours.
Knowing this, Shard felt more at ease. The wineries around Huntington City are usually not far from the city. If this place is indeed near the City of Red Wine, although there's a risk of being discovered coming and going, at least he's sure he's not far from his destination:
"That Golden Lucky Rabbit Foot really brought me good luck. But, tonight I might dream of many rabbits... I wonder if they would like the Silvermoon in my dreams."
Thinking about this, he then calculated the possibility of buying this wine cellar and the building above it. But then, realizing he's a Draleon, buying property in Foreign Land is not easy. Even if he has enough cash and the owner is willing to sell, he'd need a trustworthy local agent.
Using the Key of the Door to unlock the chain on the gate, he carefully pushed the door open. Outside, he found a sloped corridor in the darkness. The room he had emerged from was at the deepest end, with only four rooms on either side of the corridor, meaning there were four wine cellars. Judging by the area and the number of wine barrels Shard saw earlier, this should be a small-scale winery.
Even though the Outlander wasn't very familiar with the wine industry of this world, he knew that if he was willing to spend all his savings of ten thousand pounds, he might have a chance to buy it:
"But, I still need to figure out exactly where I have ended up."
The sloped underground corridor was not long, with a dirt road covered in gravel for better grip, and the walls around were uneven as if they hadn't been smoothed out after being dug. But wine cellars don't need perfectly smooth walls anyway.
At the end of the dark corridor was a tightly sealed iron door. Shard held his breath, listening against the door for a while. Not hearing anything, he carefully applied Witch's Eyeshadow, then masked up, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
Outside wasn't the outdoors but another horizontal corridor. Unlike the dry wine cellar, it was a bit damp here. Opposite the iron door of the wine cellar was another wooden door, with sunlight seeping through the gaps, indicating it was an exit. The corridor extended to the left and right, seemingly leading to other warehouses.
There was still no one here; it looked more like a warehouse in a rural yard, somewhat dilapidated but showing signs of frequent use.
The gas lamps hanging on the walls were not lit, and beneath the dirty lamps, there was a posted paper. Shard used the sunlight from the door gap to read it, seeing it was written in Casenric:
[White Valley Vineyard Work Notices]
[Ensure you are dressed appropriately in all seasons]
[The wine cellar door must not be opened freely]
[Unauthorized entry to the warehouse is forbidden]
[All property of the vineyard belongs to the honorable Anjou Family]
"The wine cellar door must not be opened freely" was followed by a small note explaining how air circulation affects grape fermentation.
"White Valley Vineyard?"
Shard was sure he had never heard of this name, but "Anjou Family" meant Carsonrick Royalty, implying this vineyard was part of the King's estate. However, judging by its rural appearance, it likely wasn't a valued property.
Reading the Casenric language again, Shard thought about his poor foreign language skills, worried about communication issues if he encountered someone:
"Yes, once I get back to Tobesk, I need to find a qualified language teacher and systematically study Casenric."
He already knew some of the language, and his strong spiritual power enhanced his memory and comprehension, making learning it not too difficult.
Beyond the horizontal corridor was the outdoors. Shard still cautiously listened for any talking outside, but as he neared the wooden door that seemed easy to kick open, he heard some faint Casenric words drifting from afar:
"...kill... remember to wash off the blood... head and legs don't... still the same price as before..."
Shard frowned, wondering if he misheard, so he listened more carefully:
"Trash... yes, finish it all at once... don't let anyone see... winter... remember to save the blood... keep it to yourself..."
"What have I stumbled upon?"
He thought, as the conversation outside stopped. Then, he heard the sound of a whip and wheels approaching and stopping outside the door.
Shard had already returned behind the iron door leading to the wine cellar, and he heard the wooden door open. To prevent outside air from affecting the wine cellar, the iron door had no peephole, so Shard could only hear a man commanding others to move something heavy. From their conversation, it was clear that the hallway outside led to this vineyard's warehouses on either side.
The transport work quickly finished, and after everyone left, Shard emerged from the wine cellar again. He could already smell the blood in the air even without using Echo of Blood:
"Did I stumble upon a murder or a place where they dispose of bodies?"
He hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the warehouse at the end of the corridor to check what had been brought in. But just two steps in, the warehouse door opened, and an old man with a floating bat symbol above his head walked out with his hands behind his back.
The old man raised his head, and by the faint candlelight he held, saw Shard, and froze:
Before Shard could decide what to do next, the old man stepped back in terror, almost dropping his candle, breathing heavily and shouting in heavily accented Casenric:
"Someone come quickly! There's a thief in the warehouse!"
This was the first time Shard broke into someone's place and got caught, but there was no time for further thought as the door leading to the yard was pushed open. In the sunlight streaming into the gloomy, damp hallway, a middle-aged man dressed as a coachman appeared behind Shard. Like the old man, a bat symbol floated above his head.
"Why are there so many Vampire Kind here?"
The newly appeared Vampire Kind was equally shocked at the sight of a masked stranger. He looked very strong, but didn't pounce on Shard or use his vampire powers against him. Instead, he seemed scared and grabbed the door behind him, stepping back while shouting:
"Sir, come quickly, there's really a thief! A thief has broken into the warehouse!"
His Casenric was not as perfect as the foreigners Shard had met in Draleon, but it didn't have a strong accent either.
Seeing Shard looking at him, the stout man in the shirt immediately emphasized:
"Don't draw your gun! Think it over carefully, theft and robbery are not the same! You look young, don't go down the wrong path. If you have difficulties, speak up, but don't act rashly."