Encore ② · The Tea Grandfather Brewed

Foreword:

I recall my past lives, countless eons ago.

The riot in Hedland lasted only thirty minutes. The Cult Leader's sentinels spread rumors, distributed weapons and keys to the prisoners, and the chaos and frustration caused by the breakout between the Prison Break gangs were resolved with a single sentence from several leaders.

"Staying at the battered and bruised Zero Platform, risking your life for the Madness Butterfly Religious order, is not as good as staying in the Grand Hotel."

Sometimes you can't help but marvel at the allure of video games.

Like other forms of entertainment, it not only erodes one's willpower, but can also transform any serious, terrifying, or intense hatred and desire into a peaceful and joyful life.

Almost immediately, the feud between the Tyrannosaurus Warrior Gang and the Falcon Gang was resolved in a brawl. Members of the Hung Mun Martial Arts Academy stepped in to mediate and ultimately sent the injured serious criminals for treatment.

The old butler Edward and Link went out together.

--The painting "Saturn Devours His Son" in the cloakroom has been replaced with a new painting called "Liberty Leading the People".

The white-bearded vampire chatted idly with the gatekeeper.

Edward said, "Lawrence Madison's six executives are almost all dead, like the six children that Saturn ate."

Link said, "There are still two serious criminals alive. They escaped from here."

Edward, looking lost and forlorn, gazed at the setting sun and walked out of the lobby porch. "Duran and Cici?"

Link nodded. "Will they come back to serve their sentences?"

Edward: "I'm afraid there won't be that chance. Most of the people associated with Lawrence will be sentenced to death."

Link: "What a pity."

Edward: "What? You're actually hoping to have a new wedding in our prison?"

Link: "Jielina and Jello made a delicious cake, I want to eat it again."

Edward: "Hehe."

Link: "What crime did you commit, old friend? I've been here for many, many years, flirting with people, connecting Hedland with the outside world—I'm curious, how could a blood-bearing monster your age be content to stay here?"

Edward: "It's very simple—do you want to hear it?"

Link: "I hope this doesn't offend you?"

Edward: "I'm old enough to be your Grandfather, little Link. Although you're also gray-bearded and bald—you won't even utter a proper 'you' (formal address) to me, which is offensive in itself."

Link feigned nonchalance. "I hope I haven't offended you."

Edward laughed loudly, revealing four fangs. "Hahahaha! Of course not!"

Link remained silent--

--Waiting for old friends to talk about their past, even though this is taboo in Hedland.

After all, when people go to prison, as long as they don't talk about what crimes they've committed, they can still earn respect from others. These scumbags will only ever show how ruthless, rampant, and violent they are towards their victims. If someone were actually sent to Hedland for possessing pornographic DVDs, people would feel a strange sense of embarrassment when they hear this hero recount his past.

"I lived in a small town in America. It was a desolate and backward place called Minstown. There are many places called Minstown, so you don't need to worry about where it is," Edward said. "When I was young, there were many bandits and bullies. The laws varied from state to state, and when sheriffs couldn't handle everything, they would put up bounties. The State Government would hire border arbitrators to specifically clear out bandits and robbers in the wilderness."

Link: "You used to be a policeman?"

Edward: "No, I'm just a border arbitrator, not a law-abiding police officer."

As he said this, old Edward gestured as if he were holding a heavy treasure chest, and said with a grin.

"There's a lot of money to be made, you know. Border arbitrators aren't like sheriffs; we can hunt freely and have licenses to kill."

Link suddenly realized. "Oh, oh, oh!"

Edward nodded. "If I encountered a skilled robber, I could just say a few nice words and get away with it, and then work with them. If I met a weak petty thief, I would immediately become a champion of justice and collect the reward for their head. If I came across a lone traveling merchant or gold prospector, they would become my meal—this was the job I used to make a living from. I think I did it pretty well, and I'm still alive to tell you this story."

Link: "How did you become a Bloodborne Monster?"

"Winter in Minstown is tough," Edward said, seizing the key point. "In Native American legend, when there isn't enough food for winter, man-eating demons appear—those antlered monsters that crave human flesh, actually cannibals driven mad by hunger, devouring their own kind."

Having returned to America more than a hundred years ago, Edward decides to start from the beginning.

"At that time, the county government wanted border arbitrators to go hunting in the mountains during the winter, offering rewards for wild boar meat and grizzly bear meat. I couldn't fight off these wild beasts, so I went back to my hometown to rest. At that time, I had been shot in the right knee and had a hidden injury, so I couldn't walk very far."

"When I went to the tavern to buy medicine, there was a twelve-year-old girl named Penny—the same name as the tattooed girl in Sweet Lake City, what a coincidence."

Link: "Hahaha. So you always bring Penny some candy when you see her?"

Edward started by smiling.

"Next time I'll bring Wangzai QQ candy. She suddenly likes Chinese snacks. She's also been researching Chinese character tattooing techniques lately, but her Chinese isn't very good—last time I saw the character for 'love' on a prisoner's forehead, I thought maybe she'd watched too much Naruto."

Link: "That definitely won't work—Japan and China are different."

Edward: "That won't work. Do you know how to provoke a Chinese person in the shortest amount of time?"

Link: "Would you like to hear more details?"

Edward: "Call him Japanese to his face."

Link: "Hahahahahahaha"

Edward continued, "Don't interrupt me, old man. I have to keep going. Where was I?"

Link reminded him, "Penny, Penny from over a hundred years ago, we've come this far."

"Oh right! Penny wanted me to buy her. Sixteen dollars, I'd buy her," Edward said jokingly. "A twelve-year-old girl, like a shy, budding rose."

Link: "My God. You can't."

Edward smiled and waved his hand, "I've committed murder, arson, and all sorts of evil deeds, but that's not my fault. I was just following orders from the State Government. If I didn't, I would starve to death—an arbitrator more capable than me would shatter my knees, steal the criminals I painstakingly captured, and take their bodies for the reward."

"But I can't handle this little girl, Link—you understand? I believe what makes us human is that we can take care of children, teach them to read and write, and help them survive. Remember how we live, and live better than we did."

Link took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the old vampire.

Edward continued.

I asked Penny--

"--Why do you want to sell yourself?"

Penny said—

"--My mother was seriously ill, my father went to San Francisco to pan for gold, and my Grandfather sold slaves in the Kansas Greenfields and never came back; perhaps he was killed by bandits. She didn't want to sell herself, but seeing that I was such a tall and strong young man with an injured leg, she knew I must need a woman to take care of me, so she thought of selling herself."

"I continued, 'You're only twelve years old; you can't be my bride.'"

"Penny was indignant, but all she could do was cry. If she couldn't find the money, she wouldn't be able to save her mother."

"I think this is a losing proposition. If I get stuck with this little wench, I'll never leave Minstown —this damned knee of mine will make me a pathetic wimp, unable to even do farm work properly."

"But I had no choice. It was as if my knees had a mind of their own. As I walked towards the tavern door, they became increasingly unruly. I went up to the second floor of the tavern, and as I climbed the stairs, they started to feel damp and hot, with blood seeping into the joints, until I pushed open the spring-loaded door on the second floor, carried Penny out, and went home with her. I carried her mother on my back and braved the wind and snow, hiring a carriage—I asked the driver to take us to the nearest Fox Market to find a doctor."

Link: "How is her mother?"

"It's almost hopeless. Modern medicine calls it tuberculosis, a terminal illness." Edward shook his head, pursing his lips. "My worries were justified. Sure enough, there's a roadblock waiting for us— the Winter Hunt has reduced the bandits' range of activity, and the border arbitrators and sheriffs have gone into the mountains, hoping to wipe out the bandits hiding in the valleys. They not only want to eat bear meat, but also need more money to buy turkeys for Christmas. With nowhere to escape, the bandits will have to leave the Dashan and look for food around the towns."

"I encountered two groups of robbers and fought them to the death. I think I must have gone mad. How could I do something so dangerous for this widow and her child? The coachman died first. I went to the carriage to get his snuff bottle, and when I turned around, he was gone—he was probably shot dead and fell into the mud by the roadside. I didn't hear a sound."

"I don't remember how many people I killed, but it couldn't have been more than sixteen, because I only had twenty-one bullets left—I sold my.303 caliber bullets to raise enough for sixteen knife wounds for Penny, and that was all the bullets I had on hand."

"They came one by one—seven people came first, and there should be more later."

"After it was all over, I don't remember if I was shot, maybe twice. My stomach and left eye were killing me. The coachman was gone, and I had to keep going."

"The snowstorm was too heavy. There's a big circus at Fox Market, and I remember that—follow the balloons and lights in the distance, and you'll definitely get there."

"I touched my forehead, and a lot of bright red ice shards came off. Maybe I'm going to die—that's the best outcome."

"I was thinking, I've done so many bad things and so many good things, like flipping a coin, maybe I'll die from both good and bad—maybe dying at Penny's hands in the end is lucky."

"I talked to this young girl for a long time, and pulled out a bunch of wanted posters from my pocket. I told her that I committed all these crimes, but the people in the county government didn't know. I secretly tore down the wanted posters because I was afraid that one day they would come out. Now they are useful. If you take my head to collect the reward, you can get a lot of money."

"Penny won't take it; all she does is cry."

"The corpse attracted the ogres. A monster followed us all the way, and when we were still more than two hundred feet from the Fox Market, it finally realized that I was weak and dead, and had no ability to resist. Perhaps the corpses of the robbers behind us were frozen stiffer than cured meat, so it couldn't bring itself to eat them and wanted a hot one."

"I rallied my spirits and fought it again. When I ran out of bullets, we tore at each other and wrestled. When I woke up, I had become a vampire."

Link: "And then what?"

Edward remained silent for a very long time before finally speaking.

"I woke up under the care of a voodoo doctor at Fox Market. Penny and her mother were gone; that bitch tricked me. I went to the county office to investigate and found out she went back to collect the robbers' corpses and made over five hundred dollars!"

Link exclaimed in surprise, "Where's her mother?!"

Edward: "That's a prostitute she paid for!"

Link: "Women are truly amazing."

Edward shrugged nonchalantly. "That's life. You always think you're the best, the smartest one, and then you get played like a fool."

Link: "Why didn't she cut off your head and sell it for money?"

Edward: "We're married."

Link: "That jump was a bit too big. What about the middle part?"

Edward: "Four years later, she came back with two little children. They were picked up from Snow City, and they took her in as their godmother. At that time, Penny said she couldn't take care of these children by herself. Now she's grown up and can be my bride."

Link: "You just agreed like that?"

"Otherwise?" Edward shrugged nonchalantly. "I was furious, seething with rage, but when I saw the kids, it was like Penny knew I had absolutely no resistance to these brats—that was her get-out-of-jail-free card! She used me, she knew my weaknesses, she practically had me completely under her thumb, and she even spouted nonsense, blaming everything on me! Because I didn't refuse her, this little girl, she followed suit and couldn't refuse these brats either!"

Link: "These reasons don't hold water! They're not reasons for you to marry this wicked woman!"

Edward reached out and cupped two unseen treasure chests. "She transformed from a budding flower into a blooming lotus."

Link: "Oh, that's all."

"Anyway," Edward pursed his lips, Grandfather took a pot of Worry-forgetting Tea from the front desk, "That's how Penny and I lived our whole lives, and she never lied to me again."

Link: "Are you sure?"

Edward: "I definitely lied, but I didn't know."

Link: "Hahahaha"

Edward: "I really like human blood. I don't know where this little angel came from—she brought me two little dolls, which made me give up this treat and never drink blood again. I'm trying to eat human food."

Link: "That's amazing."

Edward: "I could never kill and suck blood in front of children, Link, you know that. Just like men quit smoking for women, or become heroes for their children. They have to be role models."

Link: "That's amazing."

The two walked out.

--As Edward rode the tricycle, he handed the teapot to Link, who then sat in the cargo bed.

Edward: "I felt younger when she left."

Link: "What does 'leave' mean?"

Edward: "It's poetic! Don't you understand poetry, you bastard? Do you expect me to tell you that she smokes and drinks, she's over ninety years old, and her poop and pee stinks in bed! I have to change her diapers! I have to help her stretch her muscles! I have to repeat my name over and over again! So that she won't leave all my property to someone else when she signs her will!? I've entrusted almost all my property to her to manage! I love her! Even if she..."

Edward then made a gesture as if he were lifting the treasure chest.

Even if she no longer has the physical body of a lotus emerging from water—even if she is old.

The old butler pointed to his head.

"But I remember, I remember."

Link: "Oh oh oh oh!"

Edward: "I felt younger when she left."

Link: "Finally escaped their clutches?"

Edward shook his head.

"I went back to when I was eight years old. That year, a border arbitrator killed my parents in front of me, just because their skin was tanned dark by the scorching sun and they could be sold as Native Americans. I cried for a long, long time. The two little kids I raised are now gray-bearded, but they advised me not to act on my emotions—I looked no more than thirty years old at the time."

Link: "Penny made a deal that's guaranteed to make her rich."

Edward glared fiercely at Curry Link.

Link immediately fell silent.

Edward didn't continue the story, nor did he elaborate on how he arrived at the Blackland Royal Hotel.

They were bringing some gifts for the VIPs on this trip, namely the specialty of the designated tea room, "Worry-forgetting Tea," to replenish the mental energy depleted during their battles.

As we crossed the platform corridor of Yellow Bull Town and boarded the armed train—

The Big Sister gave Mr. Edward a friendly smile.

"Give me a hand, little angel." Edward brought over some tea.

Xue Ming was surprised. "You're not going to arrest me?"

Edward's eyes gleamed slyly, as if he had expected this all along.

No one can catch you.

Everyone in the carriage was on edge.

--The Star Realm Gang Lizardmen were trembling with fear.

--The Duran and Flavia sisters embraced each other, seemingly about to say the most important goodbye of their lives.

--The governor of the Forty-Eight District and his wife and daughters looked ashen-faced.

Lawrence had become a pile of rotten flesh, no longer recognizable as human.

These people and events tell another story of chivalry.

Hasben continued to press on with his questions.

"Big Sister! Please marry me!"

Edward stepped down the iron steps of the train and spoke to Link.

"Listen, this story isn't finished yet; someone will always continue it."

Link suddenly realized, and grinned from ear to ear. "Hahaha! Something bad is going to be in big trouble!"

A cup of hot tea was served to Consul Van Persie of the Forty-Eight District, who was told to be in top spirits and to explain everything clearly.

The Big Sister sat opposite the family of three, removed her laurel wreath, and her eyes turned icy.

"Go on, drink when you're thirsty."