Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

High-profile and grand, yet understated and luxurious, Lyle could clearly feel his heart rate accelerating. He was now just one beautiful blow away from succumbing to its allure.

At the edge of the dim light, behind the wine-red curtains, came a soft, rustling sound.

That was the sound of a spoon stirring in the porcelain, a crisp sound that wasn't harsh, but it seemed out of place in this environment.

Lyle was very curious.

He lifted a corner of the curtain.

Behind the curtain is a semi-enclosed balcony. With the lights shut out, only the moonlight dances freely in this small area.

A stone table, a wooden chair, and a figure.

On the pale blue silk gown, pearls and lace trim are the best embellishments. They cling to the body's curves, and the parts that originally showed off fair skin are covered by light gauze, making them vaguely visible.

The long dress with its intricate embroidery was not restrained by the iron rings on the petticoat; the wide hem trailed casually on the ground, like a broken, withered flower.

A hat adorned with a bow and a brightly colored feather was draped with a veil that completely concealed her face, like a veil draped over a bride's head.

The moonlight falls like silver frost, this is the princess of the night.

The princess's slender arm directed the spoon to slide in the porcelain cup, and the aroma of tea overflowed as it was stirred.

Lyle instinctively held his breath so as not to disturb her tranquility.

"Oh, you're making tea again, Ariana." As if anticipating the situation, the gentleman walked over with a chair. The sound of the chair legs tapping on the ground pulled her back to reality from the beauty of the tea ceremony.

Mr. Gentleman is a fool.

I placed the spoon aside and watched the wisps of steam rising from the teacup.

Ariana sighed, "It feels like something's missing."

"How about trying some honey?" Lyle didn't know how to brew black tea; he simply didn't want to hear her sound disappointed.

Ariana seemed to finally realize that there was a third person around her.

The veil turned towards Lyle. Although he couldn't see the face behind the veil, Lyle straightened his back and tried his best to control his speaking speed and pronunciation.

"Honey and lemon slices, I don't think you'll refuse their taste."

Lyle regretted it as soon as she said it. What if she didn't like it? What if the taste was different?

Ariana didn't say much, but stood up lightly from her seat and left Lyle's side like a gentle breeze.

"I'll get it."

Lyle watched the direction she left in.

"Being captivated?" The gentleman, with an air of experience, slumped comfortably in his chair.

“She’s really beautiful.” Lyle found a chair and sat down. “It’s a bit hard to say, but even though I haven’t seen her face, I have a gut feeling that she’s very beautiful.”

"Yes, I understand. It's hard to resist Ariana's bewitching charm when you first meet her."

"A bewitching charm?"

"You can understand it as an extraordinary attraction; that's a talent."

Lyle fell silent.

"Actually, Ariana's true appearance is indeed very beautiful. Would you like to see it?" The gentleman spoke with an air of knowing what men meant.

Lyle nodded obsequiously.

"Actually, you've already seen it."

"?"

"You've seen the ghost in front of Andrei's tomb, haven't you? That's Ariana's face, a weakened version with one-tenth of her charm."

Lyle recalled that heavy beauty, "No wonder, that figure felt so familiar, but why does that ghost look exactly like her?"

"Isn't that simple?" the gentleman said matter-of-factly. "I designed that ghost. I used Ariana as inspiration when I was creating the character's face."

"Huh? Huh! That ghost is man-made?" I had thought it was a miracle of nature.

"That's a screening device that excludes uninvited people. How about that? That ecstatic feeling is pretty awesome, isn't it?"

Lyle recalled everything he had suffered back then, and realized that the culprit was right in front of him—you bastard! He barely managed to suppress the urge to throw the gentleman off the fourth-floor balcony.

"At that moment, I felt like my soul was about to leave my body."

"That's right, it's that feeling of dying again, isn't it? You're full of feelings for me."

Indeed, resentment and anger were about to consume Lyle's reason.

"I am back."

Ariana returned to the table carrying a dish of honey and lemon slices.

How kind Ariana is; she saved a life tonight.

"Newbie?"

"Yes, Ms. Ariana, I am the Plague Doctor."

"Just call me by my name, the Plague Doctor."

“Okay, Ariana.”

Stir a few slices of lemon and a small spoonful of honey into the tea. After making sure it is thoroughly stirred, the black tea is pushed in front of Lyle.

"Thank you, but I'm sorry, because of the mask, I'm afraid I'll have a hard time enjoying this delicious Earl Grey tea here."

“Earl Grey tea?” Ariana tilted her head.

"What a wonderful name! It's simple and easy to understand. The name 'Count's Tea,' referring to the black tea brewed by Count Ariana, is perfectly fitting," the gentleman exclaimed.

Looking at Ariana, who was staring intently at the newly named Earl Grey tea, Lyle had only one thought in his mind.

If I marry her, I'll hit the jackpot.

Chapter Nineteen: Ariana's Death Song

Put unrealistic ideas behind you.

The Middle Ages was an era in which the aristocratic class flourished, drawing sustenance from the collapsing Roman Empire, using wealth and power to win over knights, and managing other classes as rulers.

At that time, there were no convenient large-scale media channels, and people could only rely on their own eyes and ears to find out about the things around them.

An ordinary person's highest official position in their lifetime might be that of the town mayor, who holds a knighthood.

The title of knighthood is an honorary title without a fief; a knight is the lowest rank of noble.

Such a rigid class system inevitably led to a disconnect between nobles and commoners; they lived in two separate worlds, one where people toiled for survival, and the other where they indulged in pleasure.

Don't expect any relationship that transcends social class. Unless something unexpected happens, these two types of people will never even hear each other's names in their entire lives.

If Romeo and Juliet represent the rebellious spirit that noble ladies relish, then falling in love with a commoner is, unfortunately, a pipe dream that no one has ever even considered.

The gap between nobles and commoners, to use a 21st-century slang term, is that they are two species, resulting in reproductive isolation.

After calming the ripples in his heart, Lyle finally moved away from Ariana's gentle voice and turned his attention to her words.

"The Cup of Luxury is a mutual aid society. We will provide each other and the members of Andrei with the paid services they need. Our responsibility is to help them rediscover the part of themselves that they have forgotten."

"desire."

"Perhaps you have noticed, perhaps you haven't, but Andre lacks something spiritually. Yes, he has achieved unprecedented success in the field of intellectual pursuit, but this brilliance is merely a castle in the air without a foundation."

"The people of Andrei are actually flawed. When they come here, they are confused. They have no desires of their own and just drift along with the overall thirst for knowledge of the academy. Perhaps they find happiness in their studies, but more often they are just stuck in fixed thinking and work, without any goals."

"Perhaps this will last for a century, or two, but such a state will only lead to destruction."

"They need to know why they exist, not just as a continuation of knowledge about principles. In fact, losing one or two people in the knowledge transmission won't be a big deal. They need to find their own value, and first of all, they need to have needs. Humans exist to satisfy themselves."

"Just like they are aimlessly studying, but they are indeed studying diligently. Perhaps their minds haven't come to their senses yet, but their bodies have taken action automatically because their subconscious tells them that this is their value. But how long will this conditioned reflex last? One day, they will return to confusion."

"Then I recall that resentment that was left behind, forgotten by the world."

"Some people see the pursuit of desire as a form of depravity, but many more see it as a luxury, a long-lost and irretrievable longing. This is the origin of the cup of extravagance. The cup is the symbol of an ancient sect, a hedonistic sect that indulges in pleasure."

Lyle pondered these words. In that sense, the Andrei people were more like ascetics who restricted themselves, abandoning pleasure and devoting their energy to study. Lyle could understand the importance of balancing work and rest, but had this asceticism become so pathological that it necessitated the establishment of a society that pursued pleasure?

Lyle recalled what he had seen and heard in Andrei that night, remembering those figures who had nothing but the desire for knowledge. Perhaps there really was a need to seek out desires.

In this light, the Cup of Extravagance might be perfect for me, because as a time traveler, I am definitely more adept at enjoying life than anyone else here, although a sense of decadent guilt quietly arises.

"I want to join the cup of extravagance."

Ariana's veil was facing Lyle, and the gentleman beside her also sat back down solemnly.

"The test of the cup of extravagance is very simple: it is to judge whether you can accept the little things in the past, because we were filled with desires in the past, and imitating the past may be the fastest way to regain those desires."

"So, may the assessment begin?"

"The assessment is over."

"Ok?"

Ariana reached out a spoon and tapped it lightly on the rim of Lyle's teacup. "Appetite is a desire, and you don't reject it."

Lyle glanced at the teacup beside him and understood the gentleman's question about the vegetable soup; he had simply discovered his own appetite.

Has Andre become so engrossed in his work that he's even refusing to eat?

"So I passed?"

"Yes, Plague Doctor, you have become the fourth member of the Cup of Extravagance. Welcome to our team."

Ariana and the gentlemen applauded in welcome, their gestures revealing their intentions, but their tone remained unchanged in their joy, showing that they too were deeply influenced by Andrei.

Wait, the fourth one?

Excluding the dragon who owned the treasure the gentleman mentioned, gentleman, Ariana, and myself.

That's all?

"The Cup of Extravagance only has four members?"

"Yes, pursuing desires is just our slogan. Most people don't actually want to pursue desires. We are just a very special little group."

I must have been blinded by the abundance of jewelry, the lavish decor, and the beautiful Ariana to have joined this small club that seemed to have no future.