After the Dance

Klayr suggested that everyone find a quiet place to sit down and rest.

Seeing a temporary round table set up near the edge of the ship's gunwale, Klayr and Roy led their two female companions over and sat down.

The elven waiter courteously brought over the drinks.

Martina recommended a fruit wine with ice to Klayr and Roy.

Klayr and Roy decided to have a drink.

In fact, Roy was not used to drinking like this. Seeing that there were only four glasses on the round table, with a few pieces of ice floating in them, he went to the dining table, picked out some fruits, and made a fruit platter.

He returned with the fruit platter, just in time to hear Martina ask Klayr, "Klayr, what was the name of that piece you just played?"

Klayr has a very low alcohol tolerance; after just two sips, her cheeks flushed and her eyes started to shine.

Roy placed the fruit platter on the table, Klayr picked out a few pieces of apple from the platter and ate them before saying, "Hmm... I just finished writing this piece, and it doesn't have a name yet."

Martina blinked, her eyes practically overflowing with adoration.

She said to Klayr:

"Klayr, what name do you plan to give this piece?"

Klayr leaned back in her chair, turned to look at Roy beside her, and asked, "Roy, what are your thoughts?"

Roy really wanted to tell Klayr, "Whatever..."

Seeing the two Silver Moon Elf elves at the round table looking at him, he quickly changed his words: "Since it was written to commemorate Lady Bernice, at least the name should reflect that."

Klayr rubbed her forehead, thought about it seriously for a moment, and then said:

"... How about we call her ' Bernice '?"

Hearing Klayr casually name the piece, the two elven beauties' eyes revealed even more admiration.

At that moment, a beautiful melody drifted from the high platform at the bow of the ship once more...

The young Silver Moon Elf gathered once again in the deck's Dance Floor and danced gracefully.

A group of Silver Moon Elf took the opportunity to surround Klayr, wanting him to talk about the inspiration he drew for the song ' Bernice '.

Seeing everyone's expectant faces, Klayr could only bite the bullet and say:

"Actually, there's not much to say. Roy and I had this idea a few days ago. In fact, the melody for this piece came out three days ago Yoram.Hayel just happened to stumble upon it, hehe..."

Klayr then recounted how she and Roy were sitting on the Black Pearl, looking at the Seaside Castle in the night, when they naturally heard the melody of this piece...

"... Klayr, did you hear this melody by the sea?"

The Silver Moon Elf sitting to the side asked with a surprised look, but in fact, there was more envy in his eyes.

In Castleton City, artists and musicians are the most respected by the elves.

"It's me and Roy!"

Klayr emphasized it very seriously, but no Silver Moon Elf paid any attention to what he said.

"All right!"

The Silver Moon Elf replied very perfunctorily.

A group of Silver Moon Elf all found Klayr's experience quite unbelievable...

Some of the Silver Moon Elf secretly glanced at Roy, envying him for having a friend like Klayr.

As a cheerful tune began to play, the dancers on the Dance Floor started to come alive.

Everyone spontaneously lined up in two rows, with male elves and female elves in one row each.

The male and female elves faced each other, dancing lightly to the music. More Silver Moon Elf were attracted to them, and the procession stretched endlessly, even breaking out of the Dance Floor and extending from the deck near the rear of the Ship Building all the way to the bow.

Seeing the excited scene, Martina also suggested:

Let's go dancing!

Klayr was already quite tired from dealing with these Silver Moon Elf.

Hearing Martina say that, Klayr looked around apologetically, then stood up...

The surrounding Silver Moon Elf were clearly somewhat reluctant to see Klayr stop recounting her creative process and instead prepare to dance.

Klayr stood up and gestured to Martina in invitation.

Martina followed Klayr and stood up from her seat.

She lifted her skirt with one hand and curtsied to Klayr.

Under the helpless gaze of a group of Silver Moon Elf, the two walked hand in hand toward the Dance Floor.

Sherry turned to look at Roy, her innocent big eyes blinking.

Roy had no choice but to stand up and gesture an invitation to Sherry...

Roy held her smooth, soft little hand...

My first impression was that this kind of dance party was actually quite nice.

After dancing three dances in a row, everyone became more familiar with each other.

Roy and Martina danced again.

By the end of the ball, many of the young Silver Moon Elf were quite drunk...

Some young elves, male and female, accidentally ended up embracing each other.

Klayr prepared to return to her room and, as Roy had suggested, make some minor alterations to the piece.

He looked up at Roy and said, "It's getting late..."

Martina immediately put down her wine glass and interrupted Klayr, saying, "How about... we go to the observation deck on the Ship Building and enjoy the sea breeze!"

Martina quickly made a hand gesture to Sherry from behind...

Seeing the hand gesture her best friend made behind her back, Sherry couldn't help but sigh and could only muster her spirits to create opportunities for Martina.

"Great! I've heard the Outer Sea is different at night..."

Sherry continued, picking up where her best friend left off.

She stood up first and turned to look at Roy sitting next to her.

Roy had no choice but to stand up and follow...

At least Sherry was nominally his date tonight.

Sherry and Roy walked hand in hand ahead and soon climbed the stairs on the side of the Ship Building.

At night, the sea became a bit rough, and the Nautilus rocked slightly. Walking up the narrow stairs in a dress and glass slippers was quite dangerous.

Roy reached out and touched Sherry's forearm; it was cool and soft.

Klayr and Martina, who followed behind, did not have such a smooth journey.

Martina lifted her skirt and stepped up the stairs. The stairs were narrow, and because Martina was holding up the loose hem of her skirt with one hand, she did not hold onto the handrail.

The ship rocked slightly as we went upstairs.

Martina's foot twisted slightly, and she fell down onto the stairs.

Klayr stood behind Martina, looking at Martina speechlessly...

That was such an obvious fake fall.

Klayr clearly had the opportunity to put his hands on Martina's slender waist, but he didn't.

After each ball, Klayr's sisters would gather together and chatter excitedly about how they had met such a handsome young elf at the ball the night before. They would then use this as a way to build rapport and take the opportunity to invite him into their rooms for fruit and tea...

This tactic has been used to death by Klayr's sisters.

Klayr stood still and blinked.

By the time Martina looked up and asked Klayr for help, Klayr had already extended her hand in front of Martina...

Roy and Sherry sat on the roof of the Ship Building, enjoying the sea breeze for a long time.

Perhaps because the wind picked up at sea, the Nautilus actually raised its sails, pulled up its anchor, and slowly began to move.

The captain stood in the wheelhouse, sticking his head out the window and constantly checking information with the crew on the Lookout Platform.

Once the sea breeze lifted the sails, the Nautilus continued sailing northwest.

The Nautilus did not lower its sails again until it reached the vicinity of a reef.

This reef is not an island; it's the kind of reef that only appears at low tide. When the tide comes in, this sea reef will immediately disappear into the vast ocean.

The Nautilus was moored right next to the reef.

Once the ship had come to a complete stop and the sails were lowered, the crew began to pack up their belongings on deck and prepare for rest...

Roy felt it was about time, so he suggested taking Sherry back to her room.

On the Nautilus, almost all the ladies were housed in the Ship Building above deck.

As she descended the narrow staircase to the second floor, the elven beauty Sherry stopped and turned to Roy, whispering:

"I have arrived!"

Roy stood at the entrance of the corridor and did not go any further.

Sherry walked into the hallway before he came down the stairs.

I plan to go back to my cabin and get a good night's sleep.

Alone in the hallway, Roy could always hear faint cat meows.

Now he just hopes he won't have to come back too soon.

In addition, Klayr would be better off keeping the cabin clean.

Standing at the cabin door, Roy hesitated for a moment, listened carefully for a while, and only after confirming that there were no strange noises in the cabin did he take a deep breath and knock on the door.

The door opened.

Klayr stood in front of the hatch.

A magic lamp was lit in the room, its soft light filtering through.

The wick is a moonstone the size of a date pit, encased in a trumpet-shaped crystal lampshade.

On the square table by the window, there was a sheet of music and a Quill Pen stuck in Ink Bottle.

Klayr was dressed neatly, except for two buttons undone at the collar of her shirt. She smiled and said to Roy, who was standing dumbfounded in the doorway:

"Roy, why did it take you so long to get back? Hurry up and take a look at it, how are the changes this time..."

Roy walked into the cabin, looked around, and asked Klayr:

"... You've been in the room revising the music the whole time?"

"Otherwise what?"

Roy plopped down on the bed and lay back against the wooden wall...

If he had known this would happen, he should have come back sooner.

Roy wasn't going to help Klayr look at the sheet music.

After a long day, all he wanted was to lie in bed and get a good night's sleep.

The cabin was rocking slightly.

Roy lay on the lower bunk, feeling dizzy from the constant shaking, and his sleep was very restless...

It seems I'm always hovering between sleep and wakefulness. When my eyes are closed, bizarre and fantastical images always appear before me. Countless lines are twisted together like balls of yarn, then instantly become chewed up like chewing gum, and finally turn into some filthy mud flowing all over the ground.

He then noticed a figure stuck in the mud. He went closer and discovered that the person struggling in the mud was himself.

The mud had submerged his mouth, and he strained to tilt his head back...

The mud seemed to have a life of its own, constantly crawling up his face.

Roy felt like he couldn't breathe, and he began to struggle, but it all seemed to be in vain.

Just as he was trapped in the mud, feeling lost and helpless, the Holy Light Sapling within his body appeared above his head. The seedling emitted a faint holy light, and its roots hung down like chains, wrapping around Roy's body and pulling him out of the mud little by little.

Roy wiped the mud off his face and was finally able to breathe freely...

Roy then woke up from his nightmare.