356 Lord Hephas Coldharbour
The journey back to the town of Quintus took longer, just like the first time with the three adventurers from the guild. Arthur could not keep teleporting, as he had to go with the lizardmen.
Still, although it took more time, it all went smoothly without any hindrances along the way, like the attack of beasts or people with evil intentions.
When Arthur reached the city again, he looked for his wives first and found them in that restaurant with Shyvana! His wives were now friends with that vampire, especially Sybille, who was intrigued about her and could not wait to go and visit her territory to learn more about vampires.
“How can they make friends with everyone so easily? Most people I want to punch in the face…” thought Arthur, but the more he thought about it, the harder it became to find an answer.
“Look who is back!” Shyvana said the moment Arthur stepped inside the restaurant’s third floor.
She was there with his wives, talking about many things and eating all the delicious food the place had to offer.
“Yo. The lizardmen are outside and ready to leave whenever you want.”
“How many did you get to work for us?” Shyvana asked, smiling.
“If you plan on paying them well, then all of them will go, and there are 48. Now, if you don’t pay them well, then none will go.” Arthur said.
He was being honest there. The lizardmen spoke with Arthur before leaving, and they would only work for good money. They believed Arthur would be able to grant them a fair price.
“Absolutely. The lizardmen don’t need to worry about money, food, or a place to stay. We will pay them a fair amount, and they will not live with everyone else but on our island!” Shyvana said.
Arthur did not know what a fair price was, but Hattami indeed did, and he was there with the other lizards.
“I will bring their leader so you two can discuss the price and how the job will work.”
Hattami went in and spoke with Shyvana with Arthur present. They reached an astronomical price of 5000 gold coins and 200 mana stones per WEEK! Arthur did not care about the gold coins, but the number of mana stones was quite decent, and he was almost thinking of asking Hattami for a pickaxe and some swimming lessons…
After they were done with things, and Hattami and all the other lizardmen were okay with the price, they left the town of Quintus in carriages. Shyvana had her own carriage with the symbol of her family. Not only one but many of them. These carriages were once for the dwarves and were now for the lizardmen.
Arthur and his wives went on the same carriage as Shyvana. As for the two bodyguards, Shyvana insisted they use another carriage, saying she was okay without their protection. Ultimately, they had to listen to their boss, leaving her carriage and using another one.
“How long will it take for us to reach your hometown?” Arthur asked.
“Hum, a month. Don’t worry. It will be a pleasant journey for all of us.”
~~~~
Although Shyvana had said those words, the journey was not good. Arthur gave credit to the carriages, which were more comfortable than normal ones, making the trip less painful, but still, a whole month inside a carriage was a pain in the ass.
Well, it was terrible, but still way better than the time Arthur and his wives spent on a ship to get there, so they would live.
After one month, just like Shyvana told Arthur, they reached the area where her family lived, the Coldharbour family. It was strange to see such a drastic change in the weather. While Quintus was hot, Shyvana’s hometown was snowy the entire year.
It had a whole city near the sea and many other villages. Everyone respected territories in the demon continent, so everyone knew it was the territory of the Coldharbour family, and no one wanted to anger powerful vampires.
“This big city is called Andromeda. Most people who work for us live there, but anyone can live, as long as they follow my father’s pretty good rules! All we ask is a monthly blood donation, and all the other rules are similar to most other places,” Shyvana explained.
Arthur understood that. A family of vampires needed blood to keep them alive, and a monthly blood donation from the citizens was not a big deal, and no one would get hurt in the process. So based on what Shyvana told, some other vampire families had blood slaves, a tragic fate she did not wish for anyone.
“Good. This information made me think highly of your father. Maybe your family is falling because he is a good person?”
Shyvana was surprised and said, “how did you know our family is declining?”
“Well, it makes sense when you consider a ‘princess’ left’ her hometown to look for allies.”
Arthur did not see himself as intelligent because he understood what was happening and believed anyone who used their brains would realize such a thing.
“Yes, you are correct. The most powerful vampire families are fierce and act to their own benefit without caring how others feel, like tyrants. We are still in a decent position because of my father’s strength, which is at the peak of the rank three, only losing to the rank four mage of our race.”
They passed through the city of Andromeda, where everyone bowed when seeing Shyvana, and they wondered who the others were with her. Then, they went to the other side of the city, where a harbor with a long bridge led to the island not that far from the coast.
Arthur could see it from afar, an immense castle made of black stone, with towers at each corner, and other small buildings around it, looking exactly like he pictured a vampire castle.
It reminded him of a game he played back on Earth with a DLC about vampires.
When the carriages got close to the gate, a man, who was the person to make sure all the people who went inside the castle had authorization, yelled, “Shyvana has returned!”
All the carriages stopped outside the castle, and each one went inside. Shyvana led everyone to the main room, which her father often used. He was not there, but it did not take long for him to appear after getting the information about his daughter, who had just returned.
A pale, tall, and skinny man with long red hair and eyes. He was handsome, but when Arthur looked at him, he could only see a person with a strong character and worried about his following words.
The man prepared to speak, and his first words were, “Oh, my little Shy-Shy! Why took you so long? Father was worried.”
He said while grabbing Shyvana for a hug.
Arthur wanted to laugh but restrained himself. It would not look good for him.
“So, who are these strangers you brought to our hall?”
“This is Arthur, Jane, Wisa, and Sybille! We need to talk privately about him, but those are the lizardmen he found for us. They are even better than the dwarves!”
“Hahaha! My cutie never disappoints. I am Lord Count Hephas Coldharbour. Nice to meet you all!”