Chapter 1758: Chapter 1301: Rising Like the Sun, Everlasting Like the Moon (Part 1)
August 21st, 1669, Kingdom of Stars, Jiale City.
As night fell, traffic around Sword Flower University gradually became jam-packed. Even the parking lot a kilometer away was stuffed full of luxury sports cars. In order to ease the congestion, City Hall hurriedly applied to the Noble House and, as quickly as possible, lifted the "flight restriction" over the skies around Sword Flower University. And so, for the first time, many citizens realized that Jiale City actually had this many Two-winged Mages.
No one was surprised though, because as early as a week ago, Sword Flower University had already started advertising the "Sword and Dragon in Step" masquerade ball. Strictly speaking, this ball was just an intercollegiate student event that also welcomed people from outside the school, but for a bunch of rather complicated reasons, over the past two years it had rapidly risen in status and had now become Jiale City’s annual grand festival. Quite a few Mages had even rushed over from other places to attend.
Although the extreme weather caused by the shattering of the Heavenly Curtain had completely subsided, the perpetually comfortable climate that stayed at 22° year-round never returned. The Kingdom of Stars officially updated itself to a four-seasons cycle. However, as the capital of the Kingdom of Stars and the residential area of many high-ranking nobles, Jiale City naturally received special attention from Meteorological Mages both emotionally and logically. Even in the height of summer, nights in Jiale City weren’t the least bit sultry. The cool night breeze lifted the hems of the girls’ skirts, and the shining Starlight illuminated the boys’ budding crushes.
Benefiting from last year’s overwhelming success, this year Sword Flower University was well prepared. The principal, the "Painter," seemed determined to make "Sword and Dragon in Step" into Sword Flower University’s exclusive calling card. He resolutely decided to level three teaching buildings near the main field to free up more Space for the ball, dividing it into three main dance floors and seven smaller ones.
Even with all that preparation, Sword Flower University was still stunned when they registered the number of participants, and had no choice but to cap attendance and use a lottery to decide who would get in. But hot-blooded university students weren’t about to care about rules like that—if they didn’t win the draw, they just climbed over the walls. The entire Sword Flower University turned into a sea of merriment.
Of course, there was no shortage of brawls, drunkenness, quarrels, and conflict.
At the bar near the main stage, a young man wearing a red lion mask flirted with the female Bartender: "Hey beauty, give me a drink that’ll make me hopelessly obsessed with you and you alone."
The Bartender glanced at him, pulled out a bottle of 96° Water of Life from beneath the counter, and said, "I can’t guarantee you’ll fall for me, but I can guarantee you’ll only be able to focus on one thing—because you won’t have the capacity to think about anything else."
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No."
"Then are you interested in getting one?"
"My fiancé doesn’t support that kind of interest."
"It’s only fun if your fiancé doesn’t approve." When the Bartender slid the drink over, the red lion mask caught her hand. "Dance with me later?"
The Bartender tried to pull away but couldn’t, and narrowed her eyes. "Let go."
"And what if I don’t?" the red lion mask said with a grin.
"Then drink up!"
A hand clamped down on the back of the red lion mask’s head and smashed it hard toward the bar counter, shattering the glass cup in an instant! The red lion mask let out a wail, but even with his head pinned in an extremely disadvantageous position, he still decisively planted both hands on the counter and vaulted his whole body up. His legs whipped up razor-sharp Wind Blades, scissoring back at the attacker behind him like a pair of blades!
He was clearly a Combat Mage well-versed in Wind Skill and Fist Claw, able to unleash a Composite Miracle so effortlessly that he was probably a Two-winged Mage. In front of him, steel might not be much harder than paper!
Yet that scissors legs strike, capable of slicing steel, only managed to rip the clothes of the man behind him and leave a faint red mark on his skin. The young people nearby all quickly stepped back, watching with curiosity as the wolf-costumed youth held the red lion youth down. Some of them even started to egg things on.
"With that level of skill you dare to throw your weight around here?"
The wolf-costumed youth hauled the red lion youth up and slammed him viciously into the ground, smashing the mask to pieces and revealing a face smeared with blood and grime. The wolf-costumed youth let out an "aha": "I knew you looked familiar. So it’s you, Momota. You still haven’t learned your lesson after the beating I gave you three years ago? Do you just love asking for a thrashing that much?"
The red lion youth’s nose was busted, and he looked a complete mess. He opened his eyes and glared hatefully at the wolf-costumed youth, grinding out, "Lan Shile, I won’t let you get away with this!"
"That’s the attitude I like!" The wolf-costumed youth’s eyes flashed with ferocity as he smashed the red lion youth’s head into the ground three more times in quick succession, knocking out several of the latter’s teeth.
Just then, the gold-masked youth who’d been sitting at the bar the whole time without leaving suddenly said, "That’s enough. If you keep going, this won’t be the kind of small matter you can brush off with a fine from the Noble House."
"Hey, hey." The Bartender scrunched up her face in an adorably annoyed expression, clearly enjoying the show. "It’s one thing if you don’t jump in, but why are you calling it off? What kind of friend are you?"
"So we’re friends now?" The gold mask laughed. "I’m deeply honored."
The wolf-costumed youth grabbed the red lion youth by the head and hoisted him up, then looked at the Bartender. "Where do I dump him?"
"Sword Flower University won’t punish a noble brat over something this minor." The Bartender pointed not far away. "Just put him over there."
The wolf-costumed youth looked over and saw it was a big trash can, so he walked over, stuffed the red lion youth inside, closed the lid, then casually returned to the bar. "A glass of orange juice."
"This is a bar counter."
"Then a glass of water."
"Sure."
This little episode didn’t disturb the atmosphere of the ball. The bar quickly returned to normal. Everyone was so used to this kind of conflict that they even enjoyed seeing it. After all, with Medical Practitioners around, injuries at this level could be healed in no time. But for ordinary people, a Mage brawl was an extremely rare bit of excitement.
The wolf-costumed youth glanced at the gold mask beside him, his tone a little complicated. "You actually came too?"
"You’re here, why can’t I be?" The gold mask smiled. "Even though I’ve already graduated, you’re still a year older than me, you know."
"I’m just surprised you actually have any personal time." The wolf-costumed youth said, "I heard you’ve been devoted to the restoration of the agricultural towns these past few months, did in-depth surveys of eighteen Cities in a single month and even made the news... How does it feel, dedicating your Life to the nation, Your Grace the Duke?"
"It’s my duty, and also Vosloda’s mission." The gold mask said calmly. "I was prepared for that a long time ago."
"I hope the old man hangs on a few more years, at least until my little brother grows up." The wolf-costumed youth sighed. "I really don’t want to inherit that damned Viscount title. It’s the era of Five Kingdoms, and you still want to shut yourself up in the Kingdom of Stars? That’s just stupid."
"You want to go out there?"
"Of course. This is an unprecedented great era—how could I not go see the outside world, check out the scenery in other countries, and run into Mages from other lands?" The wolf-costumed youth said, "If I just stay in the Kingdom of Stars rotting away, I’ll never make it to Ruby Mountain in this lifetime."
"Ambitious. I like it." The gold mask laughed.
"Your water." The Bartender slid a glass of transparent, Colorless liquid over to the wolf-costumed youth. He took one sip and immediately spat it out, then eyed it for a moment, pulled out a lighter, and actually lit it. "This is water!?"
"I’m asking if it looks like it or not!" The Bartender planted her hands on her hips.
"How about a drink that looks like water and actually tastes like water too!" The wolf-costumed youth was speechless.
"That’s what you get for looking down on my Bartender skills, coming in here asking for orange juice or water." The Bartender huffed, then pulled out a glass of blood-red liquid. "Here, try this."
The wolf-costumed youth suspiciously sniffed the blood-red liquid, took a small sip, and his eyes lit up. He tilted his head back and downed the rest of it in one go. "Not bad at all. What’s it called?"
"Sword Flower University’s signature special—Meteor Red." The Bartender said with a grin.
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