Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Can indulging in pleasure truly elevate one's status?

"Plague Doctor, what are your desires?"

"Wealth sufficient for survival."

"So, gold coins?" Ariana casually picked up a gold coin that was lying on the ground.

It was a beautifully crafted ancient gold coin, far more attractive than Cassandra's common currency, and many merchants would surely be willing to pay a high price to collect it.

“Yes.” Lyle realized that he wasn’t someone who pursued high-class things.

“What a strange pursuit,” Ariana said. As later generations would say, money is just a number to me. She probably couldn’t understand the common people’s yearning for such wealth. “But having desires is a good thing. Maybe you and the dragons will get along well.”

The treasure keeper who is mentioned repeatedly, Mr. Dragon, lives up to his name.

"And what about Mr. Dragon?"

"He's preparing for class tonight. Mr. Dragon is a professor recruited by Andrei through public recruitment. He's in charge of tomorrow night's open class, which should also be Mr. Epidemiologist's first class."

The lecturer seems to be a very capable person.

The sound of the wall clock came from inside the house, striking four times.

It's four o'clock.

The hustle and bustle of the night felt like a distant memory to Lyle, and before he knew it, dawn was approaching.

"I'll be leaving now." Ariana rose gracefully and left the Cup of Extravagance.

“Ariana is one of Andre’s most popular characters. She is a singer, and I used her as the template for the artificial ghost, not just because of her beauty.”

"She has a concert tonight, shall we go check it out?"

Ariana's voice is indeed beautiful, and Lyle is looking forward to her singing.

"Can I go?"

“Of course, this is a club perk. When we go to Ariana’s concert, we’ll have special seats where you can be embraced by Ariana’s singing.” The gentleman used a string of rhetorical devices.

“By the way, before you leave, set up the beacon of the Andrei Ring here,” the gentleman pointed to the marble floor in the center of the club, where the patterns formed a magic circle at his instruction. “The club usually keeps one person stationed there, and we will teleport you directly into the club.”

“Okay.” Lyle set the position according to the tutorial.

The opera house was a huge three-story building, which the two of them had to walk through a garden of night-blooming jasmine to get there after leaving the castle.

Entering the second-floor stands through a special passage, the band had already begun playing. Lyle glanced around the exhibition hall and saw it was already packed with people, which gave an idea of ​​how popular Ariana's singing was.

The central platform of the stage was empty, and brightly colored light bats folded their wings, focusing the light onto the curtain, which was about the height of a person.

The band's performance was far more beautiful than the funeral music played at the welcoming ceremony; they truly lived up to their reputation as a professional band.

But the audience didn't really support them.

They were just supporting characters.

The band's music was coming to an end.

That familiar voice came from behind the curtain, and Ariana began to sing.

Her voice was indeed very pleasant, with a hint of coldness, which pulled Lyle's thoughts back to the meadow at Andrei's mausoleum.

Lyle started feeling pain again.

It's starting to hurt again.

It hurts a little more now.

It hurts even more!

Lyle opened his tightly closed eyes due to the excruciating pain.

It's not my imagination!

My body is really in pain!

As Ariana's singing grew increasingly powerful, it felt as if her body was being torn apart by a swarm of insects, being gnawed away piece by piece.

The concert hall was now completely silent, everyone absorbed in Ariana's singing. The band members had stopped playing and were lying down in their seats.

They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Is it just me?

Lyle stared intently at the gentleman, whose body was twitching, yet he still seemed to be enjoying himself.

Are they broken? Or are they just the kind of people who enjoy self-harm?

Lyle's body began to convulse. He felt terrible, his blood was flowing erratically, and his skin pores felt clogged.

He felt his body was deteriorating step by step, as if he was about to lose control of his body and was about to lose control of his bladder.

However, this is only the first transition of the song, and the singing will continue for at least another minute and a half.

I'll give you the time it takes to sing a song, and take me to the end of my life.

"I can't wait any longer," Lyle patted the gentleman on the shoulder.

The gentleman's body was visibly convulsing violently, and Lyle could even hear his teeth chattering.

"What...what...what...what happened..."

“Sir… I’m feeling a little unwell, I think I ate something bad… I have to leave now.”

"...Okay...okay."

Lyle scrambled out the door, falling onto the grass outside the theater. In the instant before leaving, Lyle glanced back at the theater, as if sensing something.

A chaotic dance ensued, the audience convulsed in their seats, and a white smoke rose from their heads, swirling around Ariana.

Is this what happens if I stay in my seat? Lyle understood.

Some people's singing is so powerful it could kill someone.

Having experienced a wonderful night, Lyle crawled toward the teleportation array outside the castle.

Chapter Twenty: The "Extremely" Friendly Dragon

The concert ended as the sun rose, and figures poured out of the gate like schools of fish. The gentleman found an open space to stretch his muscles. Ariana's singing was as torturous as ever.

The gentleman lifted his foot to check if there was any bone meal he had left behind on the grass.

"Where is the plague doctor?" Ariana asked as she walked out from backstage.

"You left before you even finished your first song."

"Left? Why?"

The gentleman squeezed his knuckles to make sure there was no excessive wear and tear.

He said his physical discomfort was caused by his diet, but of course, that was just an excuse. The real reason is probably hard to say.

"Did he discover something?" Ariana's veil gazed in the direction of the teleportation array. It was the time when the Andrei members were leaving, the rush hour.

"what?"

"The thing I did was to seduce him with my singing."

“Ariana, it’s not your fault. Making your every move charming is your talent. Since you can’t control this talent, don’t bear the guilt that comes with it. Of course, guilt is a good thing for us.”

"..." The gentleman looked at Ariana, who had her head down, and her dejected posture only enhanced her charm.

"Personally, I don't think the Plague Doctor's departure was your fault. The Plague Doctor was very special. Perhaps his life outside was very difficult, but his words and actions had the refinement of an aristocrat. Although he lacked etiquette, his existence was contradictory and interesting. His speech had the pride of an aristocrat, but what Andrei saw and heard also showed his own inadequacy and dejection."

“I’m more inclined to believe that the Plague Doctor is unwilling to accept your kindness for no reason, so he politely declined. After all, Ariana’s sweet singing voice is quite a gift. Believe me, once the Plague Doctor has demonstrated his skills and become a part of the Cup of Extravagance, he will gladly accept your singing voice.”

No, he won't.

"Why? I believe my analysis is reasonable enough."

"intuition."

"..." The gentleman looked at Ariana, who was full of confidence in her views, and felt as if he were meeting a strong queen. Women sometimes just can't be logical.

“You are right, Your Highness Queen Ariana.”

"Grumpy."

"Your Majesty, where are your suitors? In the past, shouldn't they be kneeling before you, holding nightshades in their hands? What reason did they give for rejecting you today?"

"I only like women who like men."

The gentleman stood there for a moment.

……

As the sun began to peek through the sky, Lyle finally returned home safely.

When I passed by the cemetery, I was on tenterhooks for a while, afraid that Ariana's ghost was still there, waiting for him as she said. My body, already ravaged by the original, might not be able to withstand the second blow from the piracy.

Lyle felt genuinely happy when he saw those rows of neat cross-shaped tombstones.

On the road, he evaded a hardworking dairy farmer, while a sheriff yawned and ignored him as he walked through the alley.

He locked the door, took off his medical uniform, and finally drowsiness defeated him.

In a half-asleep state, Lyle put the Andrei gloves directly on his finger—his future—and drifted off to sleep.

He didn't notice that the pale blue emblem on the Andrei Ring, which was touching his skin, had turned crimson with blood.

……

Lyle awoke again at noon, another new day beginning, driven by hunger.

The vegetable farmers who were calling out in the morning have left; now, the noise outside the door is the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps.

Lyle stirred his breadstick spoon, still looking listless.

This can't go on. If he continues to spend all night in Andrei, plus his daytime work as a sheriff, Lyle isn't an iron man, nor is he the research fanatic of Andrei.

It seems I need to plan my stay in Andreas carefully. Based on last night's experience, it should be relatively flexible.

It's clear that Andrei is the place I want to stay, but I have to restrain myself. That's the reality.

After a quick meal, Lyle decided to continue sleeping to recharge. He had already tossed the Ring of Andre aside while preparing the food, too confused to notice it at the time.

Fortunately, the light blue emblem was conspicuous enough. Lyle had seen the ring placed in a hidden compartment of the cabinet, along with the plague doctor's uniform.