However, when Dracula sat down and spoke his first carefully prepared "modern compliment," the style took a sharp turn for the worse.
He tried hard to recall Victor's words, looking at Erica with sincere eyes, attempting to praise her eyes.
"Captain Erica, your eyes... uh... are like... like two perfect circular nautical compasses! Very... very precise and directional!"
The smile on Captain Erica's face froze for a moment, and she subconsciously blinked: "Compasses?"
She had probably never heard anyone use nautical instruments as a metaphor for her eyes in her entire life.
Seeing the atmosphere wasn't right, Dracula panicked and quickly tried to change the subject to save it.
"The weather is quite nice today, isn't it?"
Captain Erica blinked, looked out the window at the starlit night sky, then at Dracula, who looked like he was "trying hard to chat," and gave a polite smile:
"Is it? It's indeed... okay?"
The following conversation was a disaster zone.
Erica talked about interesting sailing stories, and Dracula tried to join in, but ended up bringing up the plagues of medieval Europe;
Erica mentioned modern technology, and Dracula began to reminisce about the romantic times without electric lights... the whole thing was a massive cross-channel chat where nothing matched.
Hiding behind the pillar, Victor covered his face in pain: "Oh... my god..."
Isn't this what they call talking about the city gates while the other person talks about their hip joints?
Enid looked away, unable to bear it: "Uncle Dracula seems... even more nervous."
Wednesday summarized expressionlessly: "It's like trying to make a mummy dance ballet. The effort is there, but the direction is completely wrong."
Dracula himself was sweating with anxiety. The more he tried to use the "modern techniques" Victor taught him, the more he failed to convey his meaning. His original elegant poise was about to crumble in the awkward conversation.
"Hey, wait!"
Enid suddenly tugged on Victor's arm, her voice filled with irrepressible surprise.
"Captain Erica is feeding Uncle Dracula! With her own hands!"
Her blue eyes were wide as she pointed toward the corner of the bar.
Captain Erica was using a fork to pick up a small piece of golden corn tortilla, a gentle smile on her face as she held it to Dracula's lips.
A suspicious blush appeared on Dracula's pale face, and his eyes darted around, but he still slightly opened his mouth, looking both nervous and expectant.
"What?" Wednesday's brow furrowed immediately, a sharp light flashing in her eyes. "This isn't logical. With her experience, she shouldn't..."
Her gaze locked onto Captain Erica's hand, her tone suddenly turning cold.
"Wait! What is she adding to those corn tortillas?"
Hearing this, Victor also squinted to look closely.
He saw that before feeding him, Captain Erica seemed to naturally pick up a small bottle and lightly sprinkle some crystalline liquid onto the tortilla.
"Oh, it's fine." After seeing clearly, Victor waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's just garlic essence, for flavor."
"garlic essence?!"
Enid gasped, her voice changing pitch.
"Isn't that stuff lethal poison to vampires?! Uncle Dracula, he..."
"Uh... it's not that exaggerated. It's true for ordinary vampires, but for Uncle Dracula..."
Victor scratched his head and explained.
"Actually, Uncle Dracula quite likes eating garlic; it's just that he has a bit of 'garlic intolerance'."
"garlic intolerance?" Wednesday had just finished asking about the meaning of the term when—
"Pfft—"
A loud, long, and even somewhat melodious fart sound clearly drifted over from the direction of the elegant Vampire Count.
In the relatively quiet corner, the sound was exceptionally jarring.
The air froze instantly.
Victor slapped his face in pain.
"That's what happens. Uh-oh... this is definitely going to be awkward."
Dracula froze completely, his pale face instantly turning bright red, all the way to his ears.
He looked helplessly at Captain Erica, who was also stunned, a smile more awkward than crying tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he tried to explain in a dry voice:
"Was... was that you who farted?"
The gentle smile on Captain Erica's face vanished completely, replaced by a mix of shock, disbelief, and a hint of offended indignation.
She looked at Dracula as if she were truly seeing this legendary Vampire Count for the first time.
"Dammit!" Victor stomped his feet in frustration behind the pillar. "Uncle Dracula, do you not think before you speak?! How can you ask that kind of question at a time like this!"
This was practically a social suicide question!
However, amidst the chaos and embarrassment, only Wednesday remained absolutely calm.
With her arms crossed and her brow furrowed, her gaze scrutinized Captain Erica's every move like a hawk, and she whispered to Victor:
"Feeding concentrated garlic essence to someone she clearly knows is a vampire? No matter how you look at it, that doesn't seem like an act of goodwill. Why does it feel... like something's not right?"
Her intuition told her that this warm and capable female captain might not be as simple as she appeared on the surface.
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