Gulp It Down!!!

"Do you really want to go?"

Arthur turned his head. Shaya stood behind him, wearing a dark red coat and boots.

"Actually, it's not impossible," he said.

Hearing this, Arthur's eyes widened slightly, a hint of expectation appearing on his face.

"Really?"

"The town is very crowded now. With more people, it'll be easier to cause trouble," Shaya said.

Joining in the excitement was a racial instinct ingrained in his blood. How could he possibly miss such a grand festival?

Jingle.

Accompanied by the ringing of the four-colored roulette, the door opened, and Alicia walked in from the Imperial Capital's gate, carrying some vegetables and meat.

She complained, "The prices in the Imperial Capital are too expensive."

"Alicia!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly, "Shaya said we can go to the God of Wine Festival!"

Alicia looked at Shaya with some confusion, "But what about the Wilderness Witch?"

"That's why we need to disguise ourselves." Shaya raised his hand and patted his clothes. His appearance began to change under their gaze.

His hair grew longer, tied simply at the back with a ribbon. A meticulously groomed mustache appeared on his face, making him look like a middle-aged gentleman in his thirties.

Shaya raised his hand and touched Alicia with his magic. Her clothes also began to change rapidly, transforming into a long gray dress.

Her hair turned black, and the wrinkles on her face lessened, making her appear as a charming woman in her forties.

Seeing the two completely transformed, Arthur excitedly shouted.

"What about me? What about me?"

"The Wilderness Witch doesn't know you, so why would you need to change?" Shaya said.

"Ah..."

Arthur hunched his back and lowered his neck, responding dejectedly.

"It's not a masquerade ball, why the disguise?" Alicia said with a chuckle.

Shaya smiled and turned the doorknob. The roar of the surging crowd from the street reached them from outside.

"Let's go."

"You're going to leave me, a demon, at home again," Cassifa seemed displeased.

"After all, we can't take you with us, can we?" Alicia said. "Don't worry, Cassifa, we'll be back soon."

Cassifa grunted twice, not responding.

They couldn't participate in the float parade; the surging crowds were too dense to push through, but they could still join the revelry.

Fortunately, they had been here for a few days, so they were quite familiar with the routes and could bypass the crowds to reach the marshlands.

They navigated through the alleys. Although the float parade was in the afternoon, night had already fallen.

They continued forward, passing through streets, and the brightly lit town was gradually left behind.

The night deepened, and the marshlands were cold and damp, emanating the scent of mud and salt.

Under the moonlight and the glow of the Milky Way, the sea shimmered with an intermittent light, its gentle sushing sound receding.

An endless plain unfolded before them. Shaya couldn't see clearly, but he felt it.

He saw pale white mist and the faint, pale glow over the pools. Water puddles, one after another, formed a shallow horizon in the distance.

They were enveloped by a vast and boundless sky. The Milky Way resembled a wisp of mist rising from the marshlands, with stars twinkling within it.

Although called marshlands, the areas closer to the town were safe. The truly treacherous swamps were some distance away.

Not far away, a large open space was brightly lit. Torches were planted around the edges, and long cloths were spread across the ground, covered with various foods, mostly meat.

A "banquet" referred to a feast held while sitting on the ground.

In the center of the open space, wooden logs were assembled into a small tower.

Crates and crates of fine wine were brought to the site. Shaya also spotted Mr. Foster, whom he had seen yesterday.

He was carrying wine barrels to their designated spots while chatting with an old man resting on a cloth nearby.

"Uncle Foster!"

Hearing the voice from behind, Foster turned his head and saw Arthur.

"Yo, Arthur, where are your family members?"

"They didn't come," Arthur said.

"You came to the God of Wine Festival alone?" Foster frowned. "This isn't a place for children to come alone."

"I came with them," Arthur pointed at Shaya and Alicia. "They are my relatives, and we came specifically to attend the God of Wine Festival."

Foster nodded at Shaya and Alicia. "Hello, my name is Foster."

"My name is Allen," Shaya said.

"My name is Sia," Alicia said.

Shaya looked at the pile of wine barrels behind them and said, "You've worked hard. I saw you moving them yesterday."

"The owner of the winery here pays us," Foster said with a simple, honest smile. "After all, I'm going to have a child soon, so I need to earn more money for him."

"Speaking of children," Foster pointed to the old man beside him. "This is Hank. Are you from the Imperial Capital? Old Hank's son is studying at your Natural Academy in the Imperial Capital."

"Natural Academy?" Alicia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's a school second only to the noble academies."

Hank didn't speak, just smiled happily. He seemed very proud of his son.

He looked to be around sixty years old, with black hair, wearing a worn-out white shirt, covered in sweat. His face was darkened by the sun, and the few sparse, yellow teeth in his grinning mouth were visible. He smiled genuinely.

"But, studying in the Imperial Capital isn't cheap, is it?" Alicia asked.

"No," Foster said. "Look at old Hank. He's only in his fifties, but he looks like he's in his sixties. He gets up at six every morning and works until midnight. He doesn't eat well himself and doesn't change his clothes often. Whenever he has money, he sends it to his son through someone."

He paused, then continued, "But his son is coming back this year. He's graduating from the Natural Academy, and at the very least, he can work for the church. Then they won't have to worry about food and drink anymore."

Alicia nodded. "It seems their hard times are over."

"It's alright, I suppose," Old Hank said, raising his eyebrows.

"Look at you, so proud," Foster said with a laugh. "My son or daughter will definitely be able to get into the Natural Academy too."

"Then you'd better start saving money soon," Hank said. "You won't be as tired as I am."

While they were chatting, a white-haired old man carrying a torch walked past them towards the center. That was the town mayor, Rogeret, and the woman beside him was his wife.

She was also very old and had gained a lot of weight.

Or, to put it more cruelly, an adult pig might not weigh as much as she did.

Shaya thought that the God of Wine probably wouldn't like to marry her.

Rogeret held the torch and threw it into the wooden tower built in the center. The wooden structure had been doused with oil beforehand.

In that instant, a massive pillar of fire shot into the sky.

The flames illuminated the swamp and the faces of the people who had come from the town.

The previously empty plain became crowded. The government had chosen this location for the banquet out of necessity; there were simply too many people.

As the bonfire was lit, it signaled the start of the revelry.

Foster quickly pulled them to the seats he had already secured. Although the grounds were large and people could sit anywhere, there were even more people, so if you didn't want to sit in the swamp and get your backside dirty, grabbing a spot in advance was the best option.

Foster enthusiastically fetched several large wooden wine cups and filled them with wine from the barrels placed at intervals, handing them to Alicia and Shaya.

Mrs. Foster was clearly not present. She was newly pregnant and it wasn't suitable for her to be in a place like this.

The banquet was quiet at first, with people enjoying the food and drinks provided by the town.

But then, pleasant music drifted from all around. The performance troupe from the earlier parade had arrived, with the sounds of the bagpipes and Irish flutes being particularly noticeable.

The men and women who had been on the parade float, dressed as Spartan warriors and forest nymphs, came out amidst the cheers of the crowd and began to sing this year's Dithyramb.

The rhythm was very lively. They sang and danced, moving into the crowd, waving their hands to signal the people around them to join in the singing.

The people had already had quite a bit to drink, and under the influence of alcohol, they started to dance and sing along.

With the aroma of wine gradually spreading, the banquet became increasingly boisterous.

"Drunk like this, like Dionysus

With a wine cup in one hand, and a thyrsus in the other

In a clear crystal goblet, the shimmering water is art

Art is wine, drink and be drunk

There is no sound of spitting out in one gulp

Until the sun rises!

Until sleepiness strikes!"

Sing again

Drink again

We are reborn!"

The cheerful singing and the increasingly lively banquet infected Arthur and Alicia.

They also started to get excited, singing and jumping along with the crowd.

The singing reached its climax.

The singers shouted excitedly and passionately.

"The suffering of life!"

The people living in this town, with a tacit understanding, raised their wine cups and shouted in unison.

"Drink it all down!"

He then drank the wine in his hand.

The singer continued to shout loudly.

"The sorrow of parting!"

This time, the outsiders had also learned, raising their wine glasses together and shouting excitedly.

"Drink it all down!"

"All suffering!"

Everyone raised their wine glasses, and amidst the cheers, they shouted excitedly and passionately together.

"Drink it all down!!!"

Shaya quietly watched it all. The feast had reached its climax at this moment, the music played incessantly, and people casually swayed their bodies, unleashing their emotions with their best dance moves.

The cheers rose one after another, even overpowering the music several times, but he enjoyed this feeling of finding quiet amidst the noise.

He had originally thought the God of Wine Festival was just an ordinary celebratory banquet, but listening to the cheers of the people around him and the lyrics.

Shaya felt that the God of Wine Festival must hold some special spiritual significance for the people of this town.

"You seem a bit out of place with the others."

Hearing this, Shaya turned his head. The speaker was a thin, unfamiliar old man in his sixties or seventies, his clothes even more tattered than Hank the porter's, making him look like a beggar.

He was sitting next to Shaya, leaning lazily against a large wine barrel, his face slightly flushed, appearing tipsy, but his eyes were very bright.

"I prefer to be alone and quiet," Shaya said.

But the old man shook his head. "No, that's not it. Your heart is more hollow."

In Shaya's Eagle Eye vision, everyone around him was dim, but only the old man before him was an incredibly brilliant gold.

Mysterious flowing light circulated around him, like stars on the ground.

Shaya had seen similar gold on another being, whose name was Thanatos.

A faint glint flashed in Shaya's eyes, but he said nothing