It was shock instead.
Javier could see the astonishment in their eyes.
The three Vampire daughters, in particular, could not hide the interest in their expressions; these things were far too attractive to them.
One must realize,
that even a woman like Alexia,
after waking up from her cryogenic pod, fell into a period of internet addiction, and that was after a slumber of only a dozen or so years.
Boredom is a suffocating thing.
Lady Dimitrescu's three daughters had almost no other forms of entertainment
aside from brewing wine and torturing prisoners every day.
It was no wonder these three daughters had some mental issues.
If Javier himself were trapped in such a boring place for forty or fifty years, he would go a little crazy too.
But now,
seeing Javier bring out so much entertainment equipment, truth be told, the three Vampire daughters already had thoughts of wanting to accept the proposal in their mother's stead.
Of course,
the real reason Mother Miranda wanted to isolate the village from outside news wasn't actually because they lacked the living conditions,
but simply because she needed to stay hidden.
Because of the isolation and the remote location,
outsiders found it difficult to find the village, and the people in the village couldn't escape.
They lived on this land for generations like primitive natives, or like women kidnapped and sold into the deep mountains by human traffickers.
It wasn't that they didn't want to escape,
but the mountains were too vast; they had nowhere to run and simply couldn't get out.
Combined with signal jamming, even satellites couldn't locate the village.
In this way,
no one would come to destroy or disturb Mother Miranda's mold research. This was the true reason she cut off external information.
And now,
if Javier used some smart products to bribe the Dimitrescu Family, and they started playing with smartphones,
or even attempted to build some kind of signal tower, Mother Miranda would surely wipe the Dimitrescu Family out entirely if she found out.
After all, this was her bottom line.
She absolutely could not allow anyone to affect her resurrection ritual, not even her own subordinates.
"Incredible, truly surprising..."
"I didn't expect the Dimitrescu Family to have fallen so out of touch with the world. Javier... right?"
"You have shocked me beyond measure. The matter of the marriage alliance needs careful consideration. Since it is late, why don't you enter the castle first so we can discuss it?"
"The night is long; we have plenty of time to discuss the alliance, and I also have many areas where I wish to cooperate with you."
"My daughters, don't just stand there like fools..."
"Quickly, help Mr. Javier carry these precious betrothal gifts into the castle and entertain Mr. Javier well. This man may be your future husband or father. I shall go change my clothes and wait for your arrival in the castle's dining hall..."
"Yes, as you command, Mother!" x3
To Javier's surprise,
facing these smart electronic devices,
Lady Dimitrescu did indeed develop an interest, and this interest was even more intense than Javier had imagined.
Therefore, Lady Dimitrescu did not reject the absurd marriage alliance Javier proposed; instead, she was actually considering it seriously.
She then waved her hand,
intending for Javier to enter the castle for a detailed discussion.
As the lady of the house, Lady Dimitrescu intended to properly host Javier as a guest, so she chose the castle's dining hall for a banquet.
And to show respect,
as the hostess, Lady Dimitrescu needed to bathe and change her clothes.
Reappearing at the banquet table in a grand and beautiful manner was the only way to express her sincerity and was also basic noble etiquette...!
Volume 10: Resident Evil Village, Revenge: Chapter 6 The Monster Hunter
Castle Dimitrescu—
On the magnificent walls hung various artistic oil paintings and vase decorations, while warm light from crystal chandeliers poured down from above.
Intricately patterned carpets were softly laid over the floor. The dining table, seven or eight meters long, was large enough for a dozen people.
White ivory dining chairs with gold-thread edging,
white porcelain plates, and a full array of various knives, forks, and utensils were all present.
Golden candlesticks flickered with light. The romantic candlelight dinner paired with classical incense elevated the banquet's ritual to the height of elegance and perfection.
This was the strict standard for banquets among the nobility.
In the Middle Ages of Europe,
beyond one's dress, speech, and appearance, the standard of a banquet was also one of the ways to judge a family's status.
As mentioned before,
European Western cuisine
was often not about the taste, but about the standards, the ritual, and the atmosphere.
It needed to demonstrate one's status and strength to the guests rather than whether the cooking was delicious, so Western dishes were very exquisite, neat, and beautiful.
They gave a pleasing feeling at a single glance.
The food might not be tasty, but the superficial standards, ritual, and atmosphere were certainly maximized.
So even in modern times, when needing to host guests, many people's first choice is still high-end, atmospheric, and classy Western food.
Of course,
this didn't mean Chinese cuisine couldn't reach that kind of high-end ritual and atmosphere; rather, luxury items in the Celestial Empire were expensive.
Even for Chinese food, to reach that kind of high-end, atmospheric, and classy standard, the amount of money spent would be even more immense.
After all, idioms like "Manchu Han Imperial Feast" and "delicacies from land and sea" weren't just for show.
So relatively speaking,
the cost-effectiveness of Western food was more in line with the choice of the majority.
Those without money eat Chinese food; those with a bit of money eat Western food to show off; those with real money go to eat high-standard Chinese food. That is the difference...
...
And at this very moment,
inside the massive castle dining hall,
an extremely bizarre scene appeared.
The usual simple Middle Ages style was gone, replaced by a bit more noise.
Because Javier was tinkering with a projector. After plugging in a battery and an SD card, he began playing a 21st-century style movie on the white screen hung on the dining hall wall.
The movie continuously played thrilling and exciting segments,
as well as the ambiguous relationship between the male and female leads and their scenes of adventuring together. This was a satisfying Western action movie.
Of course, it wasn't the kind where people shout "yes" repeatedly,
but the eponymous thriller-horror movie, "Van Helsing."
It featured the famous monster hunter Van Helsing, played by lead actor Hugh Jackman, and the female Vampire hunter Anna Valerious, played by lead actress Kate Beckinsale.
The story took place in the mid-to-late 19th century.
Van Helsing was a notorious monster hunter for the Order of the Knights Holy.
To uncover the mystery of his own origins and to help the souls of the Valerious Family ascend to heaven, Van Helsing accepted a commission to go to the ancient city of Transylvania to eliminate the Vampire progenitor, Dracula.
Many monsters appeared in the movie,
such as the classic Frankenstein's monster, the dual personalities Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
as well as the world's first Vampire Dracula and his three Vampire brides, along with werewolves and other elements all perfectly blended together to form a heart-pounding story.
This left the two young girls, Cassandra and Daniela, watching with great interest.
After all, they had never come into contact with such things before, having always lived an ancient Middle Ages lifestyle.
Their knowledge came from the books in the castle,
and their worldview was stuck around the 1980s. They felt very curious about something like a movie.
Especially Count Dracula and the three Vampire brides in the Van Helsing movie.
The setting was very similar to their mother, Lady Dimitrescu, and the three of them, so they were completely immersed.
Of course,
as for where the eldest daughter Bela had gone,
she was naturally off preparing dinner.
After a short while, the eldest daughter Bela, wearing a black dress and veil, slowly pushed a food cart into the massive dining hall.
She actually really wanted to watch the movie Javier set up, but because she had to prepare dinner,
she had no choice but to leave briefly.
After all, there wasn't a single servant in the castle.
With a guest suddenly visiting, the job of preparing dinner fell to her. Who else but the eldest of the three sisters?
Rattle rattle...!
The golden food cart was pushed in front of the seven or eight-meter-long dining table.
The metal cloches were opened, and beautifully colored steaks were slowly placed before everyone, accompanied by chicken and mushroom soup on the side.
Fragrant toasted bread and sizzling grilled sausages followed,
finally complemented by a standard plate of garden salad and a fruit platter. Of course... red wine was also an indispensable pairing for the banquet.
These foods were a very classic combination of delicacies from the Middle Ages.
In Western fantasy adventure novels set in the Middle Ages, many delicacies were roast meat, white bread, mushroom soup, sausages, and garden salad.
Red wine and beer were essential drinks on the table; the former suited high-end banquets, while the latter suited noisy taverns.
In the center, they even served a crispy, golden roasted suckling pig.
It was still steaming at this moment, making Javier sigh in admiration at the noble family's wealth; the banquet was far too lavish.
And what satisfied Javier the most was
that this food was meant for humans to eat, not made from humans.
The chef wasn't the cannibal Hannibal from next door.
To let Javier, this outsider, feel the castle's hospitality, this food was indeed genuine beef, pork, and chicken.
It wasn't made from various ground-up human organs.
This was what truly surprised Javier; it seemed Lady Dimitrescu valued him highly.
She didn't simply treat him as a delicacy that had walked through the door,
but as a distinguished guest worth cooperating with. This actually left Javier feeling quite flattered.
He had originally prepared himself to eat his own dry rations, but now it seemed that wouldn't be necessary; he could have a hot meal.