Chapter 63 Three Lovers, Four Dates (Part 2)

When he arrived at the arena, Skark's match had just ended. His eyes were sharp, his scimitar was stuck in his opponent's neck, and his arm was bleeding profusely from his opponent's dagger.

When his opponent surrendered, the audience cheered, and many people called for him to have another match.

Skalk shook his head, took the bag of gold coins handed to him by the referee, picked up the gauze next to him, and prepared to casually wrap the wound.

A golden magical energy descended upon him, healing his wounds. Skalk excitedly looked up, his eyes sparkling when he saw Ancia. In a few swift movements, he scaled the wall and climbed to the second floor. "You're here! I was just about to come pick you up. Sorry, this fight took a little longer than I expected."

Ancia bent her knuckles and tapped him on the forehead. "It's that life-or-death fighting style again."

Skalk made a pained expression, "Ouch, that hurts." He nuzzled against Ancia's neck, his fluffy ears and slightly stiff short hair making Ancia laugh.

Ancia pushed him away, "Come on, I didn't even use any force, how could it hurt like a dagger?"

Skalk chuckled, putting his arm around Ancia and leading her outside. "Oh, I'm just taking advantage of the time to earn some pocket money. My father taught me that when you go on a date with a girl, you can't let her pay. Come on, let's go buy some fiber paper first. I already inquired today, and all the papers you liked last year were purchased from 'Merlin's Spare Quills.' Didn't you only choose three kinds last time? Today we'll go and choose as much as we want!"

Merlin's spare quill pen shop is located on Third Avenue. As soon as Skalk entered, he smelled a complex blend of many scents and couldn't help but sneeze.

Ancia raised her hand and cast a small purification spell near his nose, which made him feel much better.

Skulker simply couldn't understand why ordinary paper became so much more expensive after being dyed and scented, and why quill pens with different decorations had no change in function.

But when he saw Ancia carefully selecting two identical pieces of paper in front of the display case, observing their subtle patterns under different lighting, with a hint of excitement in her expression, Skalk's expression softened. It seemed that these things existed for a reason, he thought.

Ancia only took three kinds, "Go pay."

Skulk took the paper and stood still. "Is that enough? You just picked up more than a dozen kinds." Ancia said calmly, "That's enough. If you buy me a few more, my happiness won't increase; it will decrease."

Unlike other male protagonists with privileged backgrounds, Skark did not live in a villa by Moon Lake, but in a four-person dormitory provided free of charge by Gracia. Although she didn't know why the young master of the orc race was living in such dire straits, Skark was cheerful by nature and didn't take it to heart, so Ancia didn't ask.

Accept his efforts and respect his intentions, but that doesn't mean squandering the gold coins he worked so hard to save.

Skalk didn't think much of it; he believed whatever Ancia said. "Okay, I'll take you to a really good tavern later."

Leaving the quill shop, Ancia followed Skark through the streets of the Eternal City, eventually stopping in front of a tavern that looked particularly familiar.

Ancia looked at the old, nameless tavern and her lips twitched. "This is the place you wanted to bring me here?"

Isn't this the Dark Night Guild's headquarters, the Nameless Tavern?

Skulk pushed open the door. "Yeah, don't let the shabby appearance fool you, few people know that the beer and barbecue here are absolutely amazing!"

It was still afternoon, and the tavern wasn't crowded. The taciturn bartender was still behind the bar wiping the endless stream of glasses. A few regular customers sat in small groups, and when they saw Skalk bring Ancia in, they immediately whistled, "Hey! Skalk, you've come here for a drink with your lover!"

Skalk chuckled and waved his hand. "Not yet, I'm still pursuing her." He turned to the bartender. "A glass of ale, a glass of juice, two skewers, and extra hot sauce on hers."

The two sat down in a corner, and the bartender quickly brought out the food. The portion that was handed to Ancia was obviously larger, and the meat looked more precious.

Skulker raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you mean? Murtrie is doing charity?"

Ancia feigned ignorance, "What Merri?"

Skark began cutting his steak, saying without thinking, "This is Mortley's tavern, the headquarters of their Night Elf guild."

Ancia: ...

Your honesty makes my pretense of ignorance seem utterly useless.

Upon hearing about the meat, Skalk's expression brightened. "I sometimes take on quests from the Dark Night Guild, or spar with the new recruits they're training. Could it be that Mortley has noticed I've been working too hard lately?"

Ancia suppressed a laugh, "It should be."

After leaving the tavern, Skalk and Ancia slowly walked back to Gracia. He stopped in front of Villa No. 11, took out a gift box, and said, "Happy Harvest Festival, Ancia."

Ancia took it. "What's inside?"

Skulker scratched his cheek, looking somewhat shy. "It's a dress, I don't know if you'll like it." As soon as he said it, he suddenly stammered, "Ah, I didn't mean for you to wear it to the party tonight. Of course, I'd be happy if you wore it, but just wear whatever you want. My taste isn't very good, I'll be happy if you accept it..."

Ancia opened the gift box, inside was a pure white long dress, and clicked on the item details.

[Item Description: Skulk spent a month choosing a dress, completely unsure which one to pick, and finally chose the most expensive one.]

Ancia couldn't help but smile. "I really like it. You have good taste. But..."

Skalk tensed up, his amber eyes fixed on her. "But what?"

Ansia tiptoed and kissed the corner of his lips, hinting, "My taste is better."

Before her lips had even parted, he could feel the skin on her cheek instantly warm up. When she stood still, her amber eyes shone brightly in the night.

Ancia entered the hall in her white dress. The party had just begun when she spotted Eve in the center of the dance floor, dancing expressionlessly with Connor.

Connor's expression was more than just unpleasant; despite their intimate actions, the two maintained a great deal of discretion.

Ancia stood to the side and watched for a while before being pulled into the dance floor by Erlan.

Airland scoffed, "Why are you looking at others? Are they as good-looking as me?"

Ancia stepped on his foot, "I'm not very good at dancing."

Aerlan twitched the corner of his mouth and hissed softly, "I feel it, so I'll still dance. Legend has it that only lovers who dance together on the night of the Harvest Festival will receive a blessing and stay together forever."

Ancia and he twirled on the dance floor, and just as they got close to Eve, Eve abruptly changed direction, swaying Connor to the other side.

Eve didn't want Ancia to see her embarrassing moments.

Ancia could only catch a glimpse of Eve's tense face in her peripheral vision. She sighed softly and led Erlan in another direction.

After a clumsy dance, before Ancia could even catch her breath, she discovered that her dance partner had been changed.

Heligalo: "Are you tired?"

Ancia was about to say it was alright when Heligalo continued, "Even if you're tired, you have to finish this dance. If you don't want to move, you can lean on me."

...So what are your questions?

Ancia couldn't help but ask, "You and Ellan don't seem like the kind of people who would believe in legends."

Heligalo chuckled, "I didn't believe it before, but now I'm so anxious and want to believe everything."

Ancia was starting to understand them. After the second song ended, as the prelude to the third song began, she and Skark glided onto the dance floor. Her dance steps were still clumsy, and she stepped on Skark's feet several times, saying awkwardly, "Sorry, I stepped on you."

Skulk looked utterly shocked. "What? He's really stepping on me, and not flirting?"

Ancia readily agreed, "Just kidding, it's flirting."

As the song ended, Skalk cautiously asked, "Ancia, what is our relationship now... Am I your lover now?"

Looking into those clear eyes, Anciya said softly, "What are you thinking? Of course it counts. If I didn't like you, why would I kiss you so many times?"

Skulk tried to keep a straight face and appear mature and composed, but he couldn't help but smile. "That's nice."

His heartbeat rose to its fastest frequency with overflowing joy, then suddenly calmed down.

Eve quickly separated from Connor after the first song ended and waited to the side. She wanted to talk to Ancia, but Ancia never left the dance floor. The second song... the third song...

"I just turned around to get two glasses of wheat juice, and now I'm gone again!" Eve stomped her foot, huffing and puffing.

Ancia wasn't in the auditorium. She left through a side door when there were fewer people, finally able to treat everyone fairly and breathe a sigh of relief.

The side door of the auditorium leads to a small garden, which is quiet and deserted at this time, except for a few moths attracted by the magic streetlights.

Ancia stopped in the garden, her gaze fixed on the shadow cast by the streetlamp. "Morley?"

The shadows lengthened, and a tall man dressed in black emerged from them.

Ancia sighed and expertly extended her hand. "Want to dance?"

A hint of a smile flashed in Murtrie's eyes. He took Ancia's hand, turned it over, and placed a dark dagger in her palm. "This is for you."

Ancia looked at the dagger with suspicion, then clicked on the item details, "I already have the dagger you gave me before..."

[Item Description: The Night Elf Guild Relic - Embrace of Shadows, legend says it can sever all shackles, but cannot inflict any damage. Possessing it makes you the master of the Night Elf Guild.]

Attributes: None

The sacred relic, Embrace of the Night?!

Ancia's astonishment was too obvious. Murtrie took a step closer and said, "It seems you recognize it, so I won't introduce it."

Ancia: "Why are you giving this to me?"

Merri raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you join the Night Elf Guild for this reason?"

Ancia suddenly remembered brushing past Merritt in the secret passage when she first entered the tavern. She was horrified and took a step back. "You recognized me that night?"

Murtrie's dark red eyes were fixed on her. "Just as you can always spot me in a crowd, you are dazzling in my eyes as well."

Ancia's lips moved slightly, offering a weak rebuttal, "That might just be an illusion caused by full affinity with the Light element..." A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, "You have full affinity with the Dark element?!"

Murtrie nodded. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s an illusion. I’d rather call it destiny.”

Holding the Embrace of the Night, Ancia hesitated and said, "I joined the Dark Night Guild only to obtain some information, not for this."

Merri: "You can now view all intelligence at the B-rank adventurer level because I shared that access with you. If I'm not around, your access will be lost. I don't think you'll like this kind of power that requires you to be subordinate to someone else, but with it, you can use the resources of the Dark Night Guild at will."

His voice grew deeper, with a guiding tone, "Ancia, put aside all your concerns, do you want it?"

Ancia fell silent. After an unknown amount of time, she spoke softly and firmly, "Yes."

She wanted to take the initiative, seize the opportunity, and obtain firsthand information without any concealment.

Mortley chuckled silently. "Then, let's make a deal. Shadow Embrace is yours, on the condition that you look after the Night Guild for me while I'm away. You can do whatever you want with it."

Ancia's expression turned serious, and a series of questions flashed through her mind in an instant. "Why?"

Why her?

Why do this?

Murtrie: "Your abilities and character convince me that the Dark Night Guild will not become a sacrifice only if it is in your hands. Don't worry, I may only be away for a short while to deal with some troublesome matters."

He repeated, "Ancia, I only trust you."

Ancia gripped the dagger tightly in her hand; its hard texture gave her strength and courage, and she decisively agreed, "Okay."

After putting the dagger into her system inventory, her palm was free. Once again, Mortley stepped forward and gently pulled her hand. Ancia stared at him in a daze.

Murtrie gestured as if to dance, pulled Ancia into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Collect some interest."

The small garden was forgotten by the world. The music from the auditorium drifted faintly through the thick walls, leaving only a low and indistinct melody, intermittent and elusive. The magical streetlights stretched and shortened their ever-changing shadows, and their breaths mingled at such close range, clearer than the faint music.

Whether it was a hallucination caused by the fluttering of a moth or not, Ancia vaguely saw that Merritt's dark red eyes were slightly bright.

Ancia returned to Villa No. 11 and checked the relics in her backpack. She had already obtained three of the six relics, leaving only the Wild War Drum, the Eternal Codex, and the Mermaid's Heart unavailable.

Click.

The second, minute, and hour hands converge simultaneously, marking the arrival of midnight and the end of the harvest festival.

[Congratulations to the player for completing the main quest [Harvest Festival Dance - Son of Light].]

[Congratulations to the player for completing the main quest [Harvest Festival Dance - Mist Moon Elf].]

[Congratulations to the player for completing the main quest [Harvest Festival Dance - Orc Prince].]

Congratulations to the player for winning gold coins...

The system broadcast suddenly froze, and with a puzzled look on Ancia's face, she painstakingly added a settlement message.

Congratulations to the player for completing the main quest [Harvest Festival Dance - Night Walker].

Ansia: "..."

Does dancing with Murtrie in the little garden count? Is that considered exploiting a bug?

Warm currents surged through her, and with the experience rewards from four main quests, her level jumped to 52 in one go.