"Yes, Mother..." x3
Upon hearing Lady Dimitrescu's warning, the three daughters, who had been eager to act, immediately restrained their temperaments and hurriedly responded with obedient docility.
They also understood the importance of this matter.
If a steady stream of living people could be brought into the village, they would be able to taste fresh, delicious blood every day from then on.
As for the money from the trade... sorry,
this massive Middle Ages castle was filled with valuable antiques everywhere.
Selling any random item would fetch a lot of money, so they didn't lack funds; they only lacked a steady supply of goods.
Among them, the three daughters were Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela.
The three were very similar in dress and appearance, all wearing heavy makeup, black dresses, and veils, making it difficult to tell who was who.
However, they could still be distinguished with careful observation.
The eldest daughter, Bela, had long, blonde curly hair and a red gem at her neck.
The second daughter, Cassandra, had center-parted flaxen-black-brown hair and a yellow gem. The third daughter, Daniela, was the youngest, with long flaxen-brown hair swept to one side and a green gem at her neck.
This was how one could tell them apart.
Of course, if they took off their veils and heavy makeup,
they would likely be even easier to identify. But it couldn't be denied that all three daughters were very beautiful; choosing any of them would not be a loss.
As for their weakness, it was temperature variance.
Because they were composed of Mimetic Insects, they could not adapt to temperatures between -10°C and -50°C.
Low temperatures would easily cause the Mimetic Insects to die and enter a state of calcification. In the game, Ethan relied on breaking the walls of the Underground Armory,
allowing the cold wind to pour in,
disrupting Bela's thermal balance and eventually causing her to calcify. So, in a sense, the three were quite fragile...
And at this very moment—
*Click...!*
The gate outside the Middle Ages castle suddenly opened slowly.
A sound of footsteps approached, and before long, the castle's main doors were also opened.
A tall, voluptuous figure in white and three slender figures in black suddenly appeared before Javier Li, the Merchant.
Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters stood quietly at the door, sizing up Javier Li, this Merchant who had appeared out of nowhere.
The four did not rashly step out of the castle doors,
but simply watched the Merchant Javier Li in silence.
The freezing weather outside the castle made the three Vampire daughters somewhat resistant.
Although it hadn't reached the point of calcification yet, it made the three of them frown, unwilling to take even half a step out of the castle doors.
Seeing this,
Javier Li didn't say anything either.
Instead, he continued to brush the accumulated snow off his trench coat.
After tidying his appearance, he stepped forward slowly, took off his hat, and bowed politely in a gentlemanly manner, saying:
"Respected Lady Dimitrescu, hello. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. Please allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Van Helsing, a traveling Merchant. I have come here today out of long-standing admiration for you, Lady Dimitrescu."
"So I have made a special visit, while also wishing to conduct a transaction. No... calling it a transaction doesn't seem quite right; it should be called a marriage proposal."
He took off his hat,
revealing Javier Li's fairly clean-cut face. Though he couldn't be called extraordinarily handsome,
compared to the men in the village and that annoying monkey Heisenberg, Javier Li was quite outstanding.
Especially his mixed Asian features,
which made Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters' eyes light up.
They couldn't help but remark that this was a delicious-looking piece of blood-food. Although they hadn't tasted his blood yet, his appearance alone was quite appetizing.
"Van Helsing...?"
"Hehe, clever fellow. Outlander, though your calm and composed attitude surprises me, you take us for fools a bit too much."
"Though the castle and village are far from the outside world, it doesn't mean we are ill-informed. We have read Vampire novels like 'Dracula' and 'Carmilla'."
"In fact, the first editions of those books are in the castle's library. If you're interested, you can go take a look."
"But since you dare to call yourself Van Helsing, you must have some understanding of the village and this castle."
"Prepared outlander, you just said you intend to propose marriage. Well... which of my daughters have you recklessly set your sights on?"
"Speak up. I can forgive your rudeness just now, and I might even help you persuade my three excellent daughters."
Lady Dimitrescu was very intelligent.
Upon hearing Javier Li's self-introduction, she immediately narrowed her beautiful eyes and retorted bluntly.
Javier Li had wanted to play the role of Van Helsing in a bit of cosplay,
but unfortunately, she didn't buy it. Lady Dimitrescu was well-read; during her long years, she had read all sorts of books out of boredom,
especially novels about Vampires.
Therefore, the name of the Vampire hunter Van Helsing was not unfamiliar to her, which made Javier Li quite embarrassed.
He had wanted to act cool but ended up being exposed; it was truly humiliating.
Fortunately, his years of polished acting skills allowed Javier Li to maintain a steady state without blushing or a racing heart, so Lady Dimitrescu couldn't see even a hint of a flaw.
"Hahaha... Teeheehee..." +3
At the same time,
the three Vampire daughters couldn't help but let out a burst of Pristine-bell-like laughter,
as if marveling that while this blood-food was clean-cut, his head didn't seem to work very well.
Of course...
As the true master, Lady Dimitrescu did not immediately take action after exposing Javier Li's lie.
Instead, she watched Javier Li's performance with interest, intending to see which of her daughters he had set his sights on for the proposal.
After all, so many years had passed,
and there were no means of entertainment to pass the time. Now a Merchant pretending to be Van Helsing had suddenly popped up, even wanting to marry her daughter.
How could this not pique Lady Dimitrescu's interest?
After all...
she could crush this human, Javier Li, at any time. She might as well let him perform this interesting play before he died!
"My apologies..."
"Lady Dimitrescu, it is my fault. My true name is Javier Li; you may simply call me Javier."
"Forgive me, though I came specifically to propose marriage, it is not your three beautiful daughters I have set my sights on."
"The one I have truly set my sights on is you, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. I have heard that you are the mistress of this castle, and that you have no husband—a lonely, beautiful woman."
"I am untalented, but I am willing to become your husband. Of course... as for your three daughters, if they are willing to accept me, I am also willing to become their father and give them the paternal love they lack."
"After all, so much time has passed, and your life alone in this castle must be quite lonely and empty. You might as well consider me."
Facing Lady Dimitrescu's sarcasm and her three daughters' ridicule,
Javier Li did not show any unsightly behavior. Instead, he adjusted his emotions and immediately continued his speech.
The object of Javier Li's flirting and marriage proposal was naturally our eight-foot-tall Lady Dimitrescu. After all, who could refuse such a massive, voluptuous beauty?
Moreover, only children make choices; adults want it all.
If he won over the Lady, wouldn't the remaining three daughters be won over as well?
If the bride price for one daughter is thirty thousand, and it's ninety thousand for three, what do you mean by giving me a hundred and twenty thousand?
"..."
Undoubtedly,
after Javier Li finished saying this,
Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters fell into a deathly silence.
Their faces were full of surprise. They never expected that the object of this man's marriage proposal would actually be their mother.
This was simply too outrageous.
Moreover, the height difference between the two was so large; how could they possibly match? Was it like a toothpick stirring a giant vat?
It couldn't be helped that their mother had been lonely and empty for so many years. Where in the world was there a man who could match their mother's 3.9-meter height?
Even a T-103 Tyrant would only reach their mother's chest.
Besides, those things were too ugly. As an aristocrat, Lady Dimitrescu would never accept such a thing; she at least still had a human appearance!
However,
it had to be said,
Javier Li's behavior did indeed surprise Lady Dimitrescu herself.
Because she felt this man was a bit too bold. But seeing Javier Li's sincere tone and realistic look of admiration just now,
even Lady Dimitrescu herself
couldn't quite tell for a moment whether this man was truly lying and acting, or if he was truly stupid enough to admire her.
After all,
to tell the truth,
if it were possible, Lady Dimitrescu really did want to find a husband.
After all, seventy or eighty years had passed, and she really was a bit lonely and empty. She had debuted as a jazz singer in her youth,
and returned to the village in her forties.
Because she suffered from porphyria and feared passing the disease on to her children,
Lady Dimitrescu had never married and had no biological offspring; her three daughters were all adopted.
So, it seemed impossible for the over-fifty-year-old Lady Dimitrescu not to crave love. And as a woman from around the early twentieth century,
she seemed to prefer this kind of direct confession.
However, the Four Lords of the village were all hideous,
and the slightly better-looking Heisenberg was still that wild monkey she detested.
With no choices, it seemed quite normal for Lady Dimitrescu to seal away her century-long desire for love.
Of course,
it was completely impossible for Lady Dimitrescu to immediately turn into a love-struck fool. After all, she just found it interesting; how could she possibly agree to such a thing so hastily and recklessly?
"Oh...?"
"What a surprising answer. I didn't expect the one you set your sights on would be me, the mistress of this castle. It seems I still have my looks and charm."
"However... for a lowly Merchant wanting to marry a lady of noble descent, even if the nobility has fallen,"
"one must provide a quite expensive bride price to compensate for the gap in status between the two. I wonder, Mr. Javier, what kind of bride price have you prepared to marry this lady?"
She didn't refuse directly.
This play was becoming more and more interesting to Lady Dimitrescu.
So, after covering her mouth slightly, she suddenly stepped forward, her massive three-meter-plus body leaning down slightly.
The tips of her gloved fingers gently pinched Javier Li's fair chin, and she opened her mouth to ask with a playful, amused smile.