Chapter 39: The Competition Festival, Part 2

“The Grand Duke wants to see me?” Black Hair was puzzled and pointed at his nose. It wasn’t until the messenger confirmed it several times that he dared believe it. Turning his head, he saw Siget’s equally astonished gaze.
“I mean… why is the Grand Duke of Purple Rock looking for me now? Is it just because we’re too close to his fleet? After all, I’m just a guest—it’s not good to know too much.” Black Hair rubbed his nose, speaking anxiously.
“I don’t know. But if the Grand Duke calls for you, you must go immediately, no matter what. Brother Beck, let’s skip the tour today. We’ll head back right away, okay?” Siget frowned but didn’t answer Black Hair’s question.
But what did it matter if he didn’t answer? Could Black Hair really say no?
The massive Moorish ship awkwardly turned in the starry sky, heading back along the same route it had taken, swaying like an elephant. Perhaps due to this sudden order, both Black Hair and Siget were in low spirits and spoke little. Even by the time they reached the castle, there was no further meaningful conversation between them.

The Castle’s Reception Room
When Black Hair entered, he found the room seemingly just cleaned, so clean that it reflected one’s shadow. Despite its size, no one else was visible. Only an old man sat quietly in the largest chair in the room, his back to him, gazing blankly at the fireplace. Black Hair noticed that Siget hadn’t come in with him but had stopped at the door. So now, only he and the old man were in the room.

A one-on-one meeting? What did the Grand Duke of Purple Rock mean by this? Hadn’t he always treated him indifferently? Black Hair frowned inwardly, unable to figure out the Grand Duke’s intentions. Yet he sensed a somewhat oppressive atmosphere here. Such a large room, with only the two of them—quite empty, almost eerie.

“Grand Duke of Purple Rock?” he asked tentatively. Black Hair stopped about five meters away from the old man and gave a standard military salute.
No response. Black Hair noticed not even a hair on the old man’s body moving. The room’s lighting wasn’t strong, and the flickering firelight cast shadows on him, making him look like a ghost—suddenly unsettling.

Think about it: a vast, deserted room, an old man sitting with his back to you, dim lighting, flickering flames, plus the sound of the night wind outside the door. What comes to mind?

Black Hair didn’t know what others might think, but he himself remembered the vampire novels that were once very popular on Earth. Those noble, elegant creatures who fed on human blood often preferred to create an environment like this. It was said that in such an atmosphere, they felt particularly pleased.
Of course, in such scenes, there was usually also a naked, beautiful virgin. The graceful vampire would dance with her. In the dim dance floor, amid the elegant music and the woman’s drunken haze, they would quietly reveal their pale fangs.
But these stories didn’t quite fit the current situation. Black Hair also didn’t believe that Duke Ziyan was a vampire who only existed in legends. So he remained calm, his hands steady—just as steady as when holding the controls of a mech.
“Duke Ziyan, did you call for me?”
He asked in a soft voice, showing no sign of annoyance. Over and over again—five times in total—before he finally noticed the veins in the person before him’s neck pulsing slightly. Then, an old, lazy voice sounded in the living room.
“Oh, I’m getting old. Always sleepy. I fell asleep again in just a moment. I guess I should take a good bath soon. Ah, getting old is such a hassle…”
Muttering to himself, the old man seemed unaware of Black Hair’s presence in the room. After a long while, he suddenly turned around in surprise.
“Oh. It’s Beck. You’re here? When did you arrive? I had no idea.”
“Just now, seventeen minutes ago,” Black Hair replied with a smile, showing no sign of impatience, as if it were completely normal.
“Seventeen minutes, haha. So I made you wait quite a while. Boy, you’re quite patient. You didn’t even wake me up.” Duke Ziyan smiled and pressed something on the armrest of the chair. The chair immediately seemed to come to life, moving in a half-circle straight toward Black Hair.
But hearing his words, Black Hair could only force a bitter smile.
Didn’t wake him up? What do you mean I didn’t wake him up? I called out to you five times and you didn’t react. What else could I do as a guest? Should I have shaken you? But if I really did that, Black Hair was sure countless soldiers would appear in this empty living room and turn me to dust in an instant.
With such high status and power, it was impossible to believe that Duke Ziyan had no protectors. Even if Black Hair died, he wouldn’t believe it.

But he wouldn’t show the slightest dissatisfaction over this. Being here meant being in danger—every tiny mistake could lead to unbearable consequences. Hei Ba didn’t want his carelessness to bring disaster upon his Death Star. So, despite the Duke of Zi Yan’s amusing words, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a smile on his face. He simply stood there quietly, without responding. Clearly, he was doing the right thing. The Duke of Zi Yan was a marshal who placed great emphasis on his subordinates’ appearance. Although Hei Ba’s behavior was somewhat rude, in his eyes, it was the most basic behavior of a competent officer—unostentatious, unexaggerated. One is one, two is two. Always maintaining a calm mind. The Duke nodded in satisfaction and didn’t press further on the matter. The Duke of Zi Yan chuckled and observed Hei Ba for a while longer before suddenly snapping his fingers. From the shadows in the living room, movement ensued, and a beautiful naked girl stepped forward. Her eyes sparkled—Hei Ba clearly hadn’t expected the duke to actually be like the vampire he had imagined, hiding such a girl in the living room. Moreover, this girl wasn’t some skeletal, emaciated Moorish woman; she was a true girl who met human aesthetic standards—slim thighs, a straight waist, firm breasts. Her fair skin stood out sharply under the dim light, and her golden hair shone. At that moment, she held a tray in her hands, with a fine bottle of red wine on it. “Sit down, young man. After all these years, you’re the first person who can stand firm in front of me. I’m very happy today. Come, have a few drinks with me.” While Hei Ba was observing the girl, the Duke of Zi Yan was also watching him. Seeing that Hei Ba showed no sign of surprise, he smiled in satisfaction and invited him. “Um…” Hei Ba hesitated. “No more hesitations. Siget must have told you—though I’m an old man, I like to spend time with young folks. Being with you reminds me of the past, those glorious days. Come on, Beck, if you don’t mind my chatter, accompany me for a few drinks.” The Duke of Zi Yan waved his hand impatiently, cutting off Hei Ba’s words, his gesture leaving no room for refusal.

Seeing this, Black Hair realized he couldn’t refuse. So he obediently sat across from the Grand Duke. He took the bottle of red wine from the naked girl’s tray, opened it, and filled a glass for both the Grand Duke and himself.
The red wine was rich and thick like juice, vivid as blood. In the transparent crystal glass, it looked especially enticing. Especially against the pale skin of the naked girl beside it, it appeared even more beautiful, almost like a red gemstone, adding a strange atmosphere to the deserted hall.
“This is a 300-year-aged wine from Mimirik Planet. You won’t find it anywhere else. I only have three bottles here—the rest were wasted by those wasteful brats. Beck, come on, let’s drink.”
Grand Duke Ziyan smiled proudly upon seeing Black Hair notice the uniqueness of the wine and raised his glass to invite him to drink. After the glasses gently touched, both of them drank it in one gulp.
“Uh!?” As soon as the wine entered his mouth, Black Hair’s expression changed instantly. His pupils contracted sharply, and his voice became much hoarser.
“This is…”
“Red wine, of course. Of course it’s red wine. Could Lord Beck, who loves red wine, not have tasted such a fine wine?” Grand Duke Ziyan replied with a smile.
“It is red wine. But…” Black Hair hesitated.
Of course he had tasted red wine—no, not just tasted it. Though he wasn’t particular about it, he could easily tell the quality, age, and some of the components of a red wine. Most of the wines stored on Death Star had become his personal collection, aside from those sold. But…
This was different!!
Black Hair was sure there was an indescribable difference between the red wines he had drunk and this one. Whether it was the taste or anything else, he had never tasted such a wine before. No, in fact, he couldn’t even tell if what he had just drunk was even red wine.
But that wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered was that in this wine, Black Hair detected a familiar taste. It was a very special and subtle taste, but he was certain of its existence. Because this taste had accompanied him almost his entire life!!

“The grapes from Mimirix Planet are among the finest in the Empire. The most perfect and freshest grapes are picked, de-stemmed, and crushed. Then all impurities are filtered out. It is fermented twice, after which the blood of virgins under the age of sixteen is mixed in, along with various precious herbs. It is stored in the ice-cold, unfrozen regions of the poles. After a hundred years, the liquid settles, and the blood merges with it. After being filtered five times to extract the essence, this red wine is created. But since the essence is only in small quantities, one bottle of this wine likely requires the materials from an entire vineyard and the blood of two girls. Its rarity—I suppose you understand even without me saying more.”

Duke Ziyan shook his wine glass, watching the surprise on the black-haired man’s face, and couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

“I think anyone would be satisfied with such a bottle of wine. Don’t you agree, Lord Baker… oh, no. Or should I say, Sir Blackhair?”