Chapter 24 A Robbery-like Invitation on the Harvest Festival
Ancia closed the door, patted her cheeks to clear her mind, and opened the door again, only to find the same person outside.
"Something's not right, is it? Am I still dreaming?" Ancia muttered to herself, closing the door again, only to find Skalk still there when she opened it.
"Happy Harvest Festival, Ancia." Skark's amber eyes curved into crescents, gleaming like flowing honey in the sunlight.
He looked at the half-open door and asked kindly, "Is the door broken? Can I take a look? I can fix it."
“No, the door isn’t broken. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me,” Ancia said expressionlessly. “I remember turning down all the invitations to the Harvest Festival last night?”
“Yes, yes, but you didn’t say I couldn’t come to play during the day. Today is the Harvest Festival, and there will be many interesting activities in the Eternal City during the day. If you’re alone, you’ll miss some fun team games. Do you want to play with me?” Skalk’s voice was cheerful as he looked at Ancia expectantly.
Ancia shook her head. "The competition is tomorrow, and I want to practice for one more day."
Skalk's smile faded, and a hint of worry appeared in his expression.
“You may not have noticed it yourself,” he said, his voice softening, “but you’ve been frowning a lot lately and haven’t smiled much. The academy has given you a whole day off today, so why not take this opportunity to relax? You haven’t had a proper rest in a long time, and the competition is still long. Being too tense will affect your performance later on.”
Ancia hesitated. Her strong competitive spirit made the thought of second place feel like a thorn in her heart. According to her habit, she should focus on reviewing the day before any important exam.
Skalk squatted down, hugged Ancia's legs, and looked up at her. "Please, just let your teammate relax a bit. He's so nervous and anxious he's practically dying."
He didn't look nervous or anxious at all. Unable to resist Skulker's coaxing, Ancia nodded helplessly, "Okay."
“I knew Ancia was the best to me, she wouldn’t want me to suffer.” Skulk laughed triumphantly, his tail wrapping around Ancia’s ankle.
"Ancia, take some strawberry milk with you and your friend." Lulu used levitation magic to deliver two pink bottles of drinks to them. "The little fairy sends you her heartfelt blessings. Happy Harvest Festival!"
"Happy Harvest Festival." Ancia mimicked their blessings, feeling more relaxed and genuinely experiencing the excitement of celebrating a major holiday.
The Eternal City has transitioned from a deep green at the turn of summer and autumn to a golden yellow. The magical streetlights on both sides of the street are all decorated with golden ribbons, and fresh fruits and grains of wheat are hung on them. Free snacks and juices are placed on wooden tables in front of people's homes for people to take as they please. The more food and drinks consumed in front of a house, the greater the probability of being blessed by the god of autumn and harvest.
Each main street has different entertainment games, inviting passersby to participate.
The game on First Street took place on a tall stage, with a row of identical flowerpots containing grass with four leaves growing on its stems.
"A new round of registration is about to begin. Please gather in the audience if you are a pair. Our prize is screaming popcorn!" The host held a uniquely shaped net in his hand, and his voice was amplified by the prop.
“Scream popcorn is not only delicious, but it also has amazing effects. Ancia, let’s try it!” Skalla pulled Ancia off the stage, just in time for the last spot in this round.
"How do you play this game?" Ancia looked curiously at the flowerpots on the table. "Do we have to take care of the plants?"
The host, all smiles, announced, "The third round of the rock dance game is about to begin. Please take your positions, participating groups."
"What kind of dance?" Ancia was dumbfounded.
"There's no time to explain, Ancia. I'll sing, you dance." Skalk pushed Ancia to stand in front of the rocking root grass's flowerpot, then put a special headset on the rocking root grass. Heaven knows how such a small headset was able to fit so firmly on the head of a plant.
As the game began, Skark started whistling into the microphone, and Rock 'n' Roll Grass swayed to the rhythm, its four leaves forming corresponding shapes.
Anciya looked at the incredibly magical plant and her lips twitched. Was she going to have to dance along with the plant's movements?
The actions of those around her confirmed her guess; their movements were bold and expansive, full of confidence and energy.
Skalk had already started singing, his eyes slightly closed, immersed in the world of rock and roll.
"Wow...that's awful." Ancia couldn't help but laugh. Skark's singing had driven away all the audience members surrounding their side.
The audience covered their ears and ran away, but he kept singing and even winked at Anciya.
After laughing, Ancia started dancing to the rock band Xianggencao. However, due to her lack of coordination, she couldn't keep up with the rhythm, either missing a beat or not matching the movements of Xianggencao.
But she jumped up happily, and against the backdrop of Skalk's absurd and off-key singing, the heavy thoughts about winning and losing and rankings were temporarily cleared from her mind, and she freely enjoyed the moment of ease and joy.
"Congratulations on completing the game. Here are your prizes." The host handed out a small bag of screaming popcorn to them.
Ancia carefully picked up a few pieces and put them in her mouth. The caramel butter flavor melted in her mouth, and a strong aftertaste rushed to her scalp, making a small explosion sound.
The warmth from above made her touch her head, but the texture felt off. Ancia ran to a full-length mirror in the audience. "Why is my hair curly?"
Her original straight black hair has now been transformed into large, curly waves, giving her a more mature air. Skulker was stunned and it took him a while to come to his senses.
"The effect of the Scream Popcorn can last all day. How about it, is it fun?" Skulk stood up next to him, his dark red short hair becoming slightly wavy.
Ancia grabbed a handful of popcorn and tried to stuff it into Skalk's mouth.
Skulk instinctively swayed, then abruptly stopped, his mouth agape.
Moments later, a head of explosive, fine curls was freshly created.
"That was fun!" Ancia smiled brightly as her prank succeeded.
"That's fun! Let's go play some other games!" Skalla took Ancia's hand and led her to run along the long street that had become a sea of joy.
As they passed a fishing platform, Ancia stopped.
"This prize is fiber paper, different colored fiber paper! Let's play this!" Ancia's eyes lit up as she looked at the stationery displayed on the wooden shelf.
“Okay.” Skulk studied the game rules carefully. “Two people participate. One person fishes out the ingredients, and the other person is responsible for making food with the ingredients and eating it. The prize is any three types of fiber paper.”
"Ancia, do you want to fish for food or cook?" Skark asked.
"Let's fish for food. I know a little about fishing," Ancia said confidently.
Picking up the specially made fishing rod provided, Ancia swung it at the small pot that was floating in the air, and it hooked the wire on it.
"What good luck! You caught meat on the first try. Vegetables with meat are never bad." Skulk took the ingredients from the pot, and the tall werewolf stood obediently beside Ancia, watching her continue fishing.
To ensure that all residents of the city could participate in the harvest festival, the difficulty level was not high, and the remaining ingredients were easily obtained. Skalk had already boiled water in the cooking pot.
"What are you looking at? This is the only stew I can make." Skulk rubbed his nose. "But it tastes good."
He actually carried various spices with him, and after sprinkling in a few, a strong and enticing aroma filled the bubbling pot.
“If you have the chance, I’ll invite you to the orc territory to eat the most authentic roast meat and stew. Eating these in winter will warm you up completely.” Skalk served Ancia a bowl of thick soup. “Try it.”
Ancia took a sip, and a warm feeling spread throughout her body; it was indeed very suitable to drink in winter.
The remaining stew broth was distributed to interested residents around the area, while Ancia focused intently on picking up fiber paper in front of the wooden table.
“Aren’t all these papers the same except for the color?” Skulk leaned closer and asked curiously.
“Of course there’s a difference. The texture and scent are different.” Ancia said without looking up, struggling with the two seemingly identical fiber papers.
Skalk still didn't understand, but he enjoyed watching Ancia struggle with choosing these trinkets; it was vivid and lively.
Ancia painstakingly picked out her three favorites from dozens of sheets of fiber paper, and when she turned around, she saw Skalk looking at her with a smile.
The lively and cheerful orc rarely has such a quiet moment; he seems to have inexhaustible energy, forever fighting and chasing after battles.
"Let's go, don't waste such good time, let's play a few more games." Skulk instantly snapped out of his quiet and gentle image, his fluffy ears twitching excitedly on his head.
"Wait... I'm tired..." Anciya had played two games in a row. Her body wasn't tired yet, but her mind was starting to feel exhausted.
“With Ancia’s personal mount, there’s no need to worry about getting tired.” Skulk picked Ancia up in his arms and carried her toward the next main street. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you.”
A smiling voice came from behind: "Ah, it's so good to be young..."
"I wonder how many people will confess their feelings to their crushes today..."
Ancia held up a piece of fiber paper to cover her face, "Put me down, I'm not tired anymore!"
"Protest denied. Today, you can just be happy and don't need to think about anything else." Skark's clear laughter rang out, and the vibration of his heartbeat transmitted to Ancia's ear.
Thump thump, strong and rapid, reaching its peak at a certain moment and then suddenly slowing down, repeating in a cycle.
Ancia moved aside the fiber paper and saw Skark's deep profile through the narrow gap. His sharp canines were revealed with a smile, and his deep red curly hair softened his wildness.
Under Skalk's guidance, Ancia played from morning till dusk, and her system inventory was filled with a bunch of exquisite and beautiful but useless little gifts.
Ancia breathed a sigh of relief. "Time to go back to the academy. I had a lot of fun today, thank you."
Skalk escorted Ancia back to Moon Lake. "Happy Harvest Festival, Ancia."
The direction she took back today was different from usual. When Ancia returned to her villa, she passed by Princess Eve's villa.
A drop of clear water landed on Ancia's face. She looked up and saw Princess Eve hurriedly retreating from the balcony.
"Don't go! You think you can just run away after you've spit on someone's face?" Ancia wiped the water off her face and called out to Princess Eve.
"Who drooled! That's slander!" Princess Eve's voice trembled with anger.
"What else could it be but saliva? Snot? If you run away now, I'll tell everyone that Princess Eve is drooling on my face." Ancia shouted, tilting her head back and looking at the balcony where no one could be seen.
"What do you want to do?" Princess Eve opened the door on the first floor, her gray eyes slightly moist.
"Let me in, and then apologize to me." Anciya's nonchalant demeanor made her seem like a school bully.
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