228. Wine vs Whiskey
📖 From this chapter onward, I'll be returning to the main storyline—the journey of John Kane.
đź’¬ If you've found Beno Alder's story intriguing and would like me to continue exploring his tale in depth, I'd love to hear from you. Drop a comment below and let me know.
đź”— Once there's enough interest, I'll begin writing a separate book dedicated entirely to Beno Alder.
H.A.R.M. General's Mansion, Vancouver.
Aisha Patani stood quietly in the courtyard for about ten minutes until a light breeze stirred outside the door.
She said gently, "You're back?"
I nodded slightly, somewhat curious: "Don't you need to practice?"
Aisha shook her head. "Just one thread away—it's a gradual process now."
"..."
I raised an eyebrow, feeling a distinct sense that comparisons are odious.
I had been running around tirelessly, from the Wave Realm vampires to those with newly awakened intelligence, searching throughout Vancouver and surrounding counties for over ten days. I climbed every mountain and crossed every river, only to harvest a mere two thousand years of vampire lifespan.
Now whenever I spotted a larger dog, I couldn't help but stare at it for a while, hoping it might speak.
[Remaining absorbed lifespan: 11,823 years]
"Where's Vernon Wells?" I asked.
"General Kane!" Hearing his name called, Vernon Wells hurried out, his face turning bitter. Without waiting for questions, he pleaded, "There really aren't any left! I've mobilized all our agents to search county by county... General Kane, they're not fools. In the current situation, none would dare remain anywhere near Vancouver, let alone show themselves..."
Vampires aren't like radishes in a field that can sprout whenever you want them to.
It's extremely difficult for creatures of heaven and earth to obtain awakened intelligence.
"It's fine, I was just asking casually." I sighed inwardly. Initially, Pinewood County alone had four nests of vampires, but in comparison, the counties of Vancouver were utterly destitute—often I couldn't find even one decent vampire after searching through four or five counties.
"Then I'll take my leave." Vernon Wells saluted, not wanting to stay a moment longer, and scurried away.
"You've been busy all day, let's eat," Aisha said with a hint of amusement, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward.
I nodded in agreement and walked toward the hall.
It must be said that the cook responsible for the old general's meals seemed to favor preparing rather bland dishes.
Aisha Patani didn't mind, but I, used to living in poverty, found it somewhat difficult to adjust.
Just then, a familiar voice called from outside.
"General Kane, look who I've brought for you." Skyler Grant strode into the mansion, looking extremely satisfied with his visit to his colleague, with smiles tucked into the corners of his eyes.
I looked back and saw behind General Grant's heavy black armor a beautiful young woman in a white dress, clutching her sleeves nervously as she looked toward us.
"Senior Sister Patani." Rose Hightower clearly hadn't expected to see her here and stole another glance at me.
"Come in." Aisha's voice softened a bit.
Hearing this, Rose secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Senior Sister seemed to have changed quite a bit from before, becoming less cold.
"We're all family here, no need for such formality." General Grant smacked his lips, then noticed me returning the enchanted silver cross to him. The old man immediately looked regretful. "Are you planning to leave? You could keep it, you know."
"Thank you, General, but I have no use for it anymore," I said simply, placing the silver cross back in his hand.
"Ah, that's true." Skyler Grant realized that someone with John's talent certainly wouldn't need to rely on shortcuts like the power of faith.
He held the silver cross in his hand, shaking his head with admiration.
Then, as if sensing something, confusion flickered in his eyes as he gazed blankly toward the sky.
"General Grant, what are you looking at?" Rose Hightower curiously followed his gaze, but apart from the somewhat dim night sky, there didn't seem to be anything unusual.
"Hmm." Skyler Grant shook the silver cross and tapped it a couple of times. "Nothing, this thing might be broken."
"It's not broken," I told him.
Before Skyler Grant could respond, Vernon Wells arrived and pulled him away.
"What are you doing?" The old man frowned as Vernon pulled him to a side courtyard and looked over.
"You'd better see for yourself." Vernon Wells pointed at the table inside the room covered with documents.
"Do you want me to kick you?" Skyler Grant snapped, having no patience to go through these documents.
Vernon's expression turned strange as he began counting on his fingers: "Stone Gate Cliff, Heartbreak Lake, Thousand Hand Cave..." He paused, then continued, "Well, let me put it this way—all the vampires, they are..."
"They are what?" Skyler frowned deeply. When it came to vampire matters, he was more cautious than about anything else.
"There aren't any left." Vernon spread his hands. "A few fled, the rest are dead. With such a reputation echoing like thunder, I doubt any vampire will dare set foot in our territory for a few centuries. General Kane has done all the work for you, so you can..."
Skyler Grant immediately recognized this old fellow's familiar expression.
During his recent visits to colleagues over the past few weeks, he too had developed a habit of leaving sentences half-finished just like this.
The old man gave him a pointed glance. "I can hand over the H.A.R.M. General position to you, is that it?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Vernon Wells hastily saluted, whispering, "But if you really want to entrust someone with these duties, I would stake my life on keeping Vancouver under control in its current state."
General Kane's demeanor made it clear he was planning to leave.
A minor position like H.A.R.M. General likely wasn't even worth his consideration.
...
Inside the building.
The table was laden with delicacies.
Rose Hightower glanced at the dishes, then looked at the young man's furrowed brows beside her and said softly, "Would you like me to prepare a few tapas for you?"
"No." I shook my head. No matter how much I yearned for her cooking, I wouldn't ask someone who had just arrived after a long journey to immediately serve as a cook.
Aisha quietly observed, noting that the two seemed more familiar with each other than she had initially thought.
Yet according to the dossier, they should have spent only half a month together in Pinewood County, after which Rose went to the capital, and upon returning had met just a few times.
She took out three bottles from her storage tool and distributed them.
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Rose pressed her lips together as she accepted the bottle of alcohol.
I casually knocked Aisha's hand away, then picked up a piece of fish with my fork and began chewing calmly.
Rose gently rubbed the back of her hand, blinking in confusion. "Huh?"
"..."
Aisha Patani studied the young man's face, her eyes revealing something unusual as she said softly, "It's not the same whiskey."
She wasn't particularly skilled at showing consideration, but that didn't mean she was blind to others' feelings.
Last time in the carriage, when John mentioned he had quit drinking, she had prepared some fine wine in her storage treasure instead of whiskey.
Rose Hightower used two fingers to grip the tip of the cork and effortlessly pulled it out. Crystal Realm Breaker required no corkscrew.
Indeed, what wafted out wasn't an unbearably pungent scent, but rather a mellow wine aroma.
"May I drink it?" Rose looked to the side, and only after receiving the young man's nod did she take a small sip.
The smooth wine glided down her throat effortlessly.
A smile appeared on her face, but soon it became slightly stiff.
Her gaze shifted between Senior Sister Patani and John, carefully studying their expressions.
Changed?
Why had she changed the wine?
Could it be that Senior Sister had specially prepared different wine for John?
… …
The night felt uncomfortably long for Rose. She knew exactly which room John was staying in—right next to her senior sister's room.
Did John hook up with Aisha? Or was he wooing her? Either way, she didn't want to complicate things for him.
She sat up and opened the curtain beside the large window next to her bed. Her room was dark and offered a clear view of the city. Rose gazed out at the night skyline and raised the bottle to her lips.
"What are you doing, John?" she murmured as her fingers lazily traced the outline of her pussy through the soft material of her panties. She sipped her wine, slowly stroking her fingers back and forth as she gazed through the glass.
Rose turned her head from the window a few minutes later to look at the bottle in her hand. John didn't drink much, so she ended up taking his bottle after finishing her own. Perhaps it was the wine, or the fact that she was horny as hell, but the long neck, the bulb at the end, reminded her of John's cock.
She raised the bottle to her mouth, her tongue circling the end before pushing it in. Rose licked and sucked the bottle as if it were a real cock while her hand slipped past the waistband of her panties. Over the soft triangle of blonde hair, her fingers moved. They traveled down past her throbbing clit and between her smooth wet lips, continuing until they reached their goal and slid deep inside her.
"Ahhhhhh..."
Rose's fingers moved in and out while her mouth worked the bottle. Above her soft moans, she could hear a faint squishy sound. The thought of John immediately made her redouble her efforts, the sound intensifying. Finding her panties too restrictive, she set the bottle down and, with her thumbs, slid them off. The soaked crotch stuck to her for a moment, then came free, trailing a long, thick string of her wetness behind.
Rose grabbed the bottle again, but instead of her mouth, she considered using it inside her wet pussy. Just then, the door squeaked as a familiar figure entered the room.
Rose blushed, instinctively pulling the curtain to cover herself. Then she saw John's smile as light from the street filtered through the window.
"The real thing feels much better than that," John teased.
Rose smiled, dropped the curtain, and opened her arms, waiting for John to come into her naked embrace.