Chapter 430 New Year
The two of them came to the Intis-style restaurant they had booked, and enjoyed the Intis meal that Angel had once eaten in Trier and had been thinking about. They also opened a bottle of Sonia blood wine on the waiter's recommendation.
After tasting the appetizers, main courses, and desserts, each of which was infused with the Rorsted Archipelago style and was somewhat overly sweet, Klein wiped his mouth with a napkin, took a sip of blood wine, and habitually began to comment:
"The Sonia lobster is delicious, but the spices are too many and too mixed, masking the flavor of the ingredients themselves. The foie gras sauce is a bit sweet. This is definitely not the authentic Intis style. It must have been adjusted to suit the tastes of the people of Loen. After all, most tourists here like this..."
Although his voice was not loud, it was still heard by the waiter passing by, so much so that when the waiter came to help pour the wine, his face looked a little unhappy.
"...but it's definitely different from what I had in Trier, and it's much more expensive. Well, maybe it's because of the price premium during this special period."
Angel drank the thick, sweet and sour blood wine in the glass in one gulp, and also commented on the restaurant, but focused on the price.
Noticing that the bottle of wine on the table was empty, Klein's eyelids twitched, as if he was recalling a night he couldn't bear to look back on. Seeing Angel trying to get the waiter to open another bottle of wine, he quickly said:
"Don't we have to go to the Town Hall Square later? Just finish this bottle."
"Are you worried that I'm drunk?"
Angel asked with a smile on his face, but he still put down his hand that was summoning the waiter.
No, I'm afraid I'll get drunk... Klein muttered to himself and took the opportunity to quickly pay the bill.
When the two left the restaurant, the crimson moon had risen and the streets were bustling with activity. In addition to tourists from various places dressed in various clothes, even the locals of the Rorsted Islands, who were rarely seen at night, joined in the celebration.
Klein burped secretly, feeling the aftereffects of Sonia's blood wine. Fortunately, although his Beyonder physique wasn't as strong as Angel's, he still had a strong tolerance for this little bit of alcohol. Apart from feeling a little excited, he didn't feel any more discomfort.
Following the crowd, they soon arrived at the main venue for Bayam's New Year celebrations—the Municipal Square. They were somewhat disappointed to find that the much-publicized and exciting New Year's Eve event had become incredibly chaotic due to the crowds. The float, modeled after the Backlund National Day parade, was stuck in the middle of the road before it could even take a few steps. The order of the celebratory fireworks was also affected, making the fireworks that were said to reveal the New Year's greetings as difficult to read as Emperor Roselle's diary.
Angel, whose expectations were dashed, was like a deflated balloon. He and Klein broke away from the crowded crowd, turned a few corners, and came to a wide street.
At the end of the road stood a building covering a large area. Its surface was painted in bright red and was brightly lit. The entrance was filled with carriages of different styles. Noisy shouts and seductive sounds could be faintly heard from inside the gate.
It was the Red Theater, the most famous brothel in Bayam, and even across the Five Seas...
Many sailors and pirates saved their money for months just to sleep here for one night, and countless tourists from Loen and Intis also came here to visit.
From time to time, pirates with high bounties on their heads are caught here, but these desperate criminals still continue to come here.
The two looked at each other awkwardly, then turned around in tacit understanding and changed direction.
"I heard that Danitz often comes here."
Klein suddenly said.
If he heard you say that... well, he didn't seem to dare to say anything.
Angel, having recovered from his disappointment, suppressed the upward curl of his lips. He glanced around and spotted a carriage surrounded by many people. Curiosity overwhelmed his desire to persecute Danitz, and he brought Klein closer to take a look.
One side of the carriage was completely open, and inside was a large round turntable with different numerical symbols painted on it. Whenever a tourist nearby bought a prize ticket, the host would turn the huge turntable. After it stopped completely, the position pointed by the pointer was the participant's reward. Of course, most of them were just simple prizes, far less than the ticket price of 2 soli per time.
"I've seen this street roulette game in Trier... Mr. Azik also mentioned that they should use Felgin instead of Soler to set the price..."
Angel whispered to Klein.
The latter watched with some interest as tourists paid for tickets at the instigation of their companions, and then got their own cheap prizes, with eager expressions on their faces.
After a moment, he turned his head and asked Angel:
"Want to try it? I've taken a look, and there doesn't seem to be any traps that would reduce the chances of winning."
"But didn't you just lose 30 pounds at Bayam's casino? Oh, and what about the one on the White Onyx..."
"So this time it's your turn."
"But my luck has always been bad..."
Angel no longer had any interest in this game of chance. She carried a "Lucky" pistol with her. Although she didn't seem to have encountered any strange misfortunes recently, she was still haunted by the experience of carriage breakdowns every time she traveled to Backlund. Klein, who was beside her, always lost at every bet. If she went up to buy a lottery ticket now, she would probably only get a matchbox with the Blue Mountain Island commemorative pattern printed on it.
Seeing that Angel was reluctant, Klein thought for a moment and continued to persuade him:
"How about this, let's add some chips. If you do win the grand prize, I'll be the winner. If there's only a commemorative prize, you'll be the winner. The bet is a requirement."
This successfully piqued Angel's interest. Although she had already guessed what this so-called "request" was from Klein's meaningful smile, she still agreed out of trust in the magical item on her.
After another participant took his souvenir, Angel came forward, handed over two 1-sol bills, and got a chance to play the game.
“Can I turn it myself?”
She asked, and after getting consent, she vigorously spun the round turntable made of iron sheets, watching the symbols representing different rewards pass under the pointer, and finally stop at a pattern of two circular frames and a horizontal bar.
"Glasses... let me see." The host, who had been completely engrossed in the endless supply of cheap souvenirs, flipped through the booklet in front of him before finding the prize. "Congratulations to this lady, the second prize is a gold pen worth 5 pounds!"
Ah, did you really win the prize?
Angel looked at Klein in confusion, and the latter raised his eyebrows in surprise, but soon smiled.
This prize seemed to reignite the desire of the surrounding tourists to participate. They scrambled to buy the prize tickets. Angel returned to Klein with the beautifully designed pen, which was obviously not worth 5 pounds.
"Does second prize count?"
She stuffed the pen into the front pocket of Klein's windbreaker with some discouragement and confirmed it again unwillingly.
"Of course it counts. It's the 'Second Prize'."
Klein repeated the host's words, unable to conceal the smile on his face. This made Angel suspect that everything since he arrived at the street in front of the Red Theater was a conspiracy of this "fortune teller."
"So, what are your requests?"
She curled her lips and asked in a low voice.
————
It was already late at night when Angel returned to the luxurious suite of "Azure Wind" from the celebration. After changing out of his clothes and washing up, he returned to the living room, waiting for Klein with a feeling of trepidation and amusement.
She had originally thought that he would make some requests that, while embarrassing, were at least within her expectations. However, she didn't expect Klein to simply ask her to wait with him on the balcony for the church bells to ring at midnight.
"Bang--"
With only a few minutes left until midnight, the sound of a subtle flame bursting was heard, and Klein pushed open the bathroom door and walked out.
Could it be that he came back from outside using the "fire jump"? Angel did not expose him, but followed him to the balcony and waited in the cold night wind.
"Okay, there are only two minutes left. You should at least explain why you made me wait here, right?"
Angel asked with his arms folded across his chest, confused and expectant.
"At first, I just wanted you to try the roulette game, but after winning the request, I decided to use this opportunity to give you a little surprise."
In the half month after setting sail, Klein had been playing the role of the cold yet somewhat crazy adventurer Gehrman Sparrow. Even in front of Angel, he would return to his original personality, but he always found it difficult to do what he said, "just acting."
It was only at this moment that he completely transformed back into the awkward and shy boy he had met Angel for the first time in Tingen City and reunited with in Backlund, with a genuine smile on his face that wasn't tainted by any "acting."
"surprise?"
Angel subconsciously looked out of the balcony. Below him were deserted streets and stacked low buildings. In the distance, the calm sea reflected the crimson waning moon.
In the dark vision, a sneaky figure flashed by at the corner of the street.
It's "Flame" Danitz...
Angel had just recognized the short golden hair when Klein's light cough drew his attention back.
"Well, surprise means..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a "boom" behind Angel, and a red flame trailing black smoke shot up into the sky and exploded high up. Specks of light drifted away in the wind and scattered all around.
Boom, boom.
A series of explosions sounded, and beams of flames rose from the streets and rose higher, exploding colorful lights in her eyes, illuminating the streets that were deserted because they were attracted by the city's celebrations, and illuminating her raised face.
Compared to the grand yet chaotic celebration at the Town Hall Square, this simple private fireworks show made Angel's lips curl upwards into a beautiful arc. She took in the exploding and scattered points of light, then turned around and looked at Klein, who was muttering, "Why did it light up too early?"
"Happy New Year!"
Angel took the initiative to open her arms and embraced the "magician" who used "a request" to create another New Year's Eve fireworks for her who was disappointed with the celebration in the Town Square.
"I should have said this, how come you got there first..."
Klein smiled, hugged Angel with his backhand, and whispered in her ear:
"Happy New Year."
Boom——
The last firework was lit in the flames released by the somewhat impatient Danitz, soaring into the sky and blooming brilliantly.
At the same time, the heavy and dull bells of the Wave Church rang out in the distance.
The new year has arrived.
Provincial flow: 3/10 points, transition chapter, identified as industrial saccharin.
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