A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 178 The Pizza Girl's Arcane Festival Night (Part 2)

Celia held the ice cream cone and licked the tip of the ice cream in small sips.

Her movements were very small; she deliberately used the ice cream cone to block Quinn's view so that he could only see a tiny bit of her pink tongue.

But Quinn didn't look at her; the girl's carefully maintained image was like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. Quinn had been lost in thought ever since he sat down, looking very serious.

Celia slowly licked the ice cream cone until the tip shrank into a small oval shape, preventing it from overflowing as it melted. Then, she glanced at Quinn for a while, and seeing that his attention wasn't on her, she pouted and asked, "...What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm looking at the exhibits," Quinn replied casually.

The two sat on a bench in the museum lobby. There were no other tourists in the museum. He pointed to the display stand in front of him, where a piece of black coal was placed.

"Until the opening of the airship route to the Western Continent, Eswell relied on Britain for 80 percent of its industrial coal, and the city was forced to sign numerous unequal treaties, severely exploiting the interests of its businesses."

Celia read the introduction below the booth in a soft, clear, and energetic voice. Quinn thought that the girl would be very popular as a tour guide.

"Coal mines, you just brush them off and they're gone," Quinn said, spouting a strange tale.

Did Britain really force us to sign many unequal treaties?

"That happened decades ago, who knows?"

Celia's eyes darkened. "Was it done by the former King of Britain?"

"That's definitely not it."

Quinn, while seemingly explaining the facts, actually offered reassurance: "Other countries have to sign all sorts of outrageous treaties to buy our arcane machine tools. It's just that each country is maximizing the value of its superior resources. After all, if they don't buy British coal, they can only buy Imperial coal. Who can they blame for the Parliament's own poor choice?"

"Mr. Quinn knows a lot."

"That's why I'm a teacher."

Is it because teachers can't eat students' ice cream?

Celia stared intently at him.

"That tradition is probably something someone made up to pick up girls," Quinn said indignantly. "Spreading such false traditions outside of school is damaging the college's reputation. Don't get caught—"

"Okay."

The girl could only sullenly continue licking the melting ice cream cone.

Quinn, however, was still thinking about Pepe and Ancoua.

The blonde must be referring to Pepe.

Quinn was certain that the tradition of "two people sharing the same ice cream cone is proof of friendship" was 100% made up. There were indeed some strange customs created by the locals in this world, such as using cakes for marriage proposals and giving out lucky money during the New Year, but ice cream cones were definitely not among them.

But why would Peipei say that? Was it a coincidence?
Quinn categorically rejected this wishful thinking; there were no such coincidences. Pepe's astonishment when he mentioned this tradition before the time rewind was genuine; it was Ankuya who had helped him deceive her.

Does she have memories from before she could go back in time?

Is Pepe a hero?
She also played "Farewell".
After much deliberation, Quinn also rejected the idea.

The Demon King had explicitly told him that the Hero was in Axwell and had been there for many years; Piper, who arrived after Quinn, clearly didn't fit that description. Besides, if she were the Hero, she wouldn't have been completely unresponsive if he had used the superhero alias 'Strange' to deceive her.
Besides, Peipei is Amamiya Nene's half-sister, and the daughter of that time traveler from the same village who didn't leave a name in history. Could her memories be related to this?
Probably.

or.
Is Ankuya a hero?
The absurd idea had barely surfaced when Quinn immediately dismissed it. A spy within a spy?
If he were a hero, would he go to such lengths to amuse a fool?

The pub is located on a commercial street in East Wilshire, a predominantly residential old street that can't compare to Cloud Drive. Its most noteworthy feature is the Airship Shipyard at the back of the old street, wholly owned by the college, which produces one-fifth of the world's airships.

Because of its proximity to the shipyard, the surrounding area has developed quite well in recent years. Locals call this neighborhood "Ship Street." Although most of the houses are old residences from before the airship era, the ground floor facades of each building have been transformed into beautiful and fashionable shops for shipyard employees or arcane mages working in the area.

Hidden in the middle of Boat Street is an unassuming three-story building. It has no deliberately decorated storefront, but it doesn't look tacky either. It doesn't stand out from the surroundings and therefore doesn't attract attention. It opens at five o'clock in the afternoon and not only sells alcohol, but also serves dinner and late-night snacks. Its unique feature is that a band occasionally plays there. The shop has no name, but regular customers call it the "Piano Bar" because of the piano inside.

It was almost 1 p.m.

On the streets of Chuanjie, the two stepped into the alley under the shade of the trees.

Quinn was carrying a bulging oil paper bag that looked like it contained a football. Celia walked ahead of him, carrying a bag of berries she had bought for her younger brother.

This reminded Quinn of his high school days.

Mi Yutong was also carrying a bag of plums she bought for her younger brother. He walked her home and listened to her complain that she loved eating such sour fruit and that it was causing her teeth to hurt as she got older.
"My brother really liked these berries. When he was little, he would secretly pick some and eat them, then get diarrhea and get a beating from our dad. Later we found out that the berries he picked weren't ripe, and the unripe ones were super sour."

Quinn watched the girl's soft-spoken figure disappear into the distance, and once again felt a sense of disorientation.

It really looks like it.

It's not about appearance, but the most essential part of the soul.

The two turned and twisted through the alleys until a beautiful grove of trees came into view. It wasn't the fiery red maple trees of the Cloud Avenue, but rather the lush, verdant locust trees found everywhere in the forests outside the city. A white-walled, wooden-beamed house came into view, without a sign, seemingly blending seamlessly into the surrounding trees and streets. If it weren't for the several large wine barrels piled up at the entrance, probably no one would have guessed that this was a tavern.

“This is my family’s tavern.” Celia turned to Quinn and said, “Thank you for bringing me back, teacher.”

Don't be late for school tomorrow.

Quinn paused, and Celia noticed his unusual behavior. She turned to look at him, then covered her mouth in surprise: "Eh, Dad?"

His voice sounded inexplicably nervous.

A tall, middle-aged man suddenly appeared at the tavern entrance. Quinn was certain he hadn't seen him at first glance; he seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if haunted.

Wearing a linen shirt like a coachman and faded jeans, he was tall but inexplicably had a refined, scholarly air about him. He was none other than Celia's adoptive father, whom Quinn had met at the dinner party the previous night.

The two had met briefly that morning, inside and outside the Eternal Cathedral. However, in the current timeline after the rewind, he shouldn't have noticed Quinn that morning.

"Dad, why are you awake at this hour?" Celia asked nervously, like a student caught having a crush by the homeroom teacher.

"Xiaoqian, aren't you going to introduce me?" The man's Mandarin had a strong retroflex accent, and with his attire, anyone would mistake him for a person from the Northern Continent.

"He is our teaching assistant in the Divination Department, Mr. Quinn."

Upon hearing this, he smiled awkwardly, like a commoner meeting an important person.
"So you are the arcanist from the academy. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. I've heard Xiaoxi mention you before. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Mr. Quinn. Are you feeling unwell?"

Quinn's face turned pale.

The instant he saw the man suddenly appear, he subconsciously activated his Demon King's Eye.

This unremarkable tavern, like the time-reversing barrier surrounding the academy's main castle, gave him the feeling that his mental energy would be drained if he looked at it for even a second longer!

Horus.

He is hailed as one of the three prodigies among the academy's current generation of graduates, the former chief court arcanist of Britain, the only human capable of using dragon arcane magic, and the number one person in the arcane world recognized below the five great archmages.
"I'm a little tired," Quinn said without denying it.

"Would you like to rest at our place for a while?" "I need to go back to the academy."

His attitude was neither too warm nor too cold, striking a perfect balance between the arrogance of an arcanist and the propriety of a teacher. He only needed to pretend it was their first meeting. Sure enough, the other party didn't continue the invitation, but instead exchanged pleasantries: "I heard from Xiaoqian that you teach her to play the piano. Oh dear, I never imagined that the academy's arcanist had such talent. I really don't know how to thank you."

"It's not about teaching, it's just a hobby."

"Do you have time to practice the piano besides studying arcane arts?" Horus scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed. "I am not very talented, but I did learn a little arcane arts when I was young—however, I am too embarrassed to call myself an arcane mage with such limited skills. I know that learning arcane arts is difficult. Just reciting a spell smoothly takes a lot of practice, let alone constructing spells."

Quinn nodded straightforwardly.

“If you can’t master arcane arts, then you really shouldn’t play the piano. Celia failed three subjects in her midterm exams. If she doesn’t pass the makeup exams next week, I don’t plan to teach her anymore this semester.”

Celia immediately became anxious. When did you make this plan? Why didn't you tell me?

She instinctively glared fiercely at her father, but then, as if remembering something, her eyes dimmed again.

Horus's ingratiating smile remained unchanged as he continued, "I've heard that most of the academy's teachers are graduates of the academy. Are you also a graduate of the academy? Or..."

“Celia isn’t in a good mood today,” Quinn interrupted him coldly. “Instead of asking such trivial questions, you should pay more attention to your daughter.”

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Celia was startled by Quinn's sudden change in attitude, and Horus was also somewhat at a loss. But then his smile turned genuine, and he bowed and scraped, saying, "Arcanist, please take care. When Celia goes to the academy tomorrow, I'll have her bring you two homemade sausages—"

The father and daughter did not return to the house until Quinn had walked away.

Celia sat down on the piano bench in the tavern, while her father leaned against the old piano, silently watching her.

"Dad, is it because of me that you're acting like this?" Celia asked sullenly.

“I’m the owner of the tavern in Axwell, and he’s an arcanist from the academy. We’re worlds apart, so isn’t it normal to be respectful?”

"."

Celia lowered her head and remained silent.

“That’s a good teacher.” Dad looked out the window at the locust tree. “There aren’t many teachers like that in the academy. You’re very lucky.”

"I got into Grindelwald because of you, didn't I?"

"I don't have that kind of ability."

"Liar."

"In all your life, when have you ever lied to me, except when I took your New Year's money and said I'd hide it for you?"

"You've been lying to me all along."

The old man looked at the girl, who was staring at the piano keys like a little ostrich burying its head in the sand.

So he chuckled and patted his daughter on the shoulder.

"I told you, you can be Celia for life if you want. Dad may not have many other skills, but he can keep this tavern running."

“Someone once told me,” Celia said, almost to herself, “that hatred is like darkness, suffocating you. While dawn isn’t always better than darkness, people always strive for the light.”

A long silence enveloped the two of them.

The man's fist clenched and then slowly relaxed, like a frozen person slowly thawing by the fire of memory, finally revealing a helpless smile: "Who told you that?"

"."

"That Quinn?"

Celia acquiesced.

“No wonder he was recruited by Hermes, there’s a story behind it.” He reached out and pressed down on the piano keys, pressing them repeatedly. The piano suddenly burst out with unpleasant noises. Celia was disturbed and looked up in dissatisfaction, meeting her father’s gentle gaze.

"Xiaoqian, you look a lot like your mother."

Celia murmured, repeating, "Mommy?"

“She was the dragon priestess, and she could have had a better life if she hadn’t become queen,” the old man said calmly. “But she still married the king in the end because she wanted to give birth to you and give your child a normal family.”

“You are a good child. Even if you could give up this responsibility, you would not give up avenging your parents. But you should know that you are not the only one who wants revenge. Even if you do nothing, the night will pass.”

"Really? Is it possible?" Celia asked incredulously.

“You like that guy, don’t you, the one named Quinn?” Dad suddenly said.

"Eh?!!"

Celia panicked immediately and denied it: "No, no! He's a teacher, much older than me!"

The old man's expression became extremely complicated, and he began to sigh.

"What, what's wrong?" Celia's voice lacked confidence.

"When did this happen?"

"I've already said no!"

The two stared at each other for a while, and the daughter finally gave in.

"I don't know, but I keep having dreams about Mr. Quinn lately. Dad, isn't that embarrassing?"

"Dream?"

Dad patted her head.

"Alright, stop thinking about that. You don't like dreams. Go back to your room, get your textbooks, and I'll help you catch up on your studies."

Celia pouted and reluctantly went upstairs.

But a moment later, her voice came from the stairs again: "Dad, where's Uther? I brought him some berries—"

"He's not back from work yet. Leave him in his room; he's busy with the Arcane Festival today. You're not even as good as your brother. Uther learned basic arcane device repair just by flipping through a book; he could be earning a salary at an airship factory. And you, with Professor Grindelwald teaching you all the time, how could you fail your midterms? Embarrassing!"

"I won't listen!" The girl quickly ran away.

"Oh, right, the factory gave him three tickets to the Arcane Festival. Don't change your clothes, you'll be going out tonight."

(End of this chapter)