Surrounded by dwarves, Starlight and his companions were ushered to their seats. At the other end of the table, the Gold-Palm Patriarch clapped his thick hands, and a series of distinctive music began to play.
“Let us put yesterday's unpleasantness behind us for now. Let the feast begin!”
With that, a grand banquet commenced.
Starlight had never been particularly good at handling such rowdy occasions.
He picked up a plate of food from the table and instinctively shifted toward the edge, only to find Stark shrinking back as well, clearly feeling just as out of place.
“I say, Stark, you're a dwarf and a member of the Iron-Heart family. You shouldn't be getting stage fright on your own home turf, should you?” Starlight turned and teased him with a smile.
“Ahem... I’m not having stage fright. I just feel that this kind of noisy environment isn't suitable for my thinking!” Stark curled his lip, offering a somewhat flustered explanation.
“Alright, whatever you say~” Starlight shrugged slightly, not bothering to call him out. After all, it was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
He picked up a glass from the table and said to Stark, “Well, let's have a toast. We’ve been through life and death together; it's worth celebrating.”
“Yeah, absolutely! Without your help, Starlight, I probably would have died in that avalanche!” Stark nodded, raising his glass to clink it against Starlight’s.
Starlight intended to take a bold, hearty gulp like everyone else present, but as soon as the liquid touched his tongue, he realized something was very wrong.
It was incredibly spicy!
While Starlight wasn't fond of high-proof alcohol, he had been exposed to it enough through Po Kong that he could usually manage a few sips without issue.
But the alcohol content of the drink before him was so high it made him question his life choices.
The moment it entered his mouth, he felt as if he had swallowed a piece of burning iron. A fierce burning sensation traveled from his mouth down his esophagus, setting his entire stomach ablaze.
“Cough... cough, cough... What kind of alcohol is this!? Cough...”
Starlight felt as if someone had punched him hard in the gut, and he began to cough uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Moen quickly turned to him and gently patted his back, infusing her mana into his body. Only then did Starlight begin to feel a bit better.
“Good heavens... Thank you, Moen! How on earth do you dwarves drink such strong stuff? Do you not literally die of intoxication?”
Starlight shook his head, wiped his face, and looked at the amber liquid in his glass with a look of pure terror.
“It seems you really aren't suited for living among dwarves, Starlight~” Moen giggled, covering her mouth. “If I’m not mistaken, the drink you just had is only considered medium strength around here.”
“What?! That wasn't the strongest? Then what are Po Kong and the others drinking right now? Molten lava?” Starlight’s face twitched as he looked over at Po Kong, who was currently toasting with the Silver-Beard Patriarch.
Looking closely, the rims of their glasses were clearly emitting faint wisps of steam, as if they were holding cups of boiling water.
“You actually guessed right~ What they’re drinking is called ‘Lava Special.’ Although the alcohol content is extremely high, it's one of the finest drinks in our dwarven race. You won't find it outside of a banquet like this!” Stark added. “How about it? Want a taste? I’ll go get you a glass.”
“No thanks!!!” Starlight’s head immediately shook like a rattle-drum, and he grabbed Stark’s shoulder. “I’d like to live a few more years!”
Before he could finish his sentence, a cheer erupted from Po Kong’s direction. He drained his glass of high-proof liquor in one go, his skin suddenly flushing a deep red, and wisps of white steam actually drifted from the top of his head.
“Regardless, I am definitely not sitting at the same table as Po Kong when it comes to drinking!”
Starlight shook his head helplessly. Xia Duo noticed his predicament and smiled as she handed him a cup of hot tea.
“This is more your speed. Even I can't really handle this dwarven liquor. You should stick to tea or low-alcohol honey mead, Starlight~”
“Thanks then~” Starlight took the floral tea from Xia Duo and sniffed it cautiously. After confirming there was no scent of alcohol, he took a relieved sip. The warm fragrance of the tea instantly soothed his scorched throat.
At that moment, his eyes met Stark’s.
“Um... Mr. Starlight, if it's alright, could you come to my workshop later? I want to see if I can repair your... your book spirit friend.”
“Oh? You can wake Noah up?” Hearing this, Starlight’s spirits lifted immediately, and he asked eagerly.
“Well... I can't guarantee it, but since my pendant resonated with the gem on your book, it's certain they are of the same origin. With multiple samples, I can perform various comparisons. I might be able to find where the problem lies.” Stark nodded.
“Yes, great! That would be perfect!” Starlight accepted readily. “By the way, where’s Maela? I haven't seen her.”
Stark replied while sipping his drink, “She’s still busy helping repair the cracks everywhere. Although the nature of her magic isn't well-suited for large-scale operations, we have too few mages available in the clan right now. She has to just tough it out~”
“She’s really working hard. Let's bring her some food later.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!”
As the two chatted back and forth, the atmosphere of the banquet became increasingly lively.
The dwarven musicians struck up a traditional Subterranean Battle Song once more, the heavy drumbeats making the crystal chandeliers tremble slightly. A few dwarven girls even jumped onto the long tables, dancing to the joyful rhythm and splashing ale everywhere.
“Here, Little Shadow, try this!” A flushed Po Kong handed over an entire leg of mutton, clearly a bit tipsy.
Xia Duo wiped away the ale stains that had splashed onto her cloak with a look of disdain, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, Moen sat quietly at a corner of the long table, stroking a snow ferret that had snuck in at some point. She sliced off a small piece of meat and fed it to the clever little creature.
Starlight watched Moen’s beautiful profile. She was looking down, gently petting the snow ferret, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows under the firelight.
The girl seemed enveloped in a soft glow, standing apart from the clamor of the banquet hall yet strangely soothing the restless atmosphere around her.
An indescribable flutter rose in his chest, like moonlight piercing through the clouds to cast a pure white glow upon the softest corner of his heart.
Moen seemed to sense something and raised her eyes, meeting his gaze.
Those emerald-blue eyes shimmered with a moist luster under the firelight, making Starlight’s heart skip a beat. He hurriedly looked away, unable to hide the faint blush creeping up his ears.
Before he could steal another glance at Moen out of the corner of his eye, he felt a refined, elegant fragrance wash over him. Moen had already come to his side.
The distance was so close that he could count the fine shadows cast by her eyelashes and even feel the slight breeze from her breath.
“What is it? Why is your face red again? Did you drink too much? Do you need me to help you go rest?” Moen smiled, her unique, sweet scent lightly brushing past his ear.
“No, no, no! Not at all! I’ve only been drinking tea, haven't I? It's not that dramatic!” Starlight explained flusteredly. “Maybe it’s just too stuffy in this room... I’m going out for some fresh air!”
With that, he scrambled to his feet and hurried toward the hall exit.
However, he didn't notice Moen pouting slightly behind him, complaining in a voice barely audible to anyone.
“Honestly, couldn't you at least pretend to be drunk? But... he is quite cute like this, isn't he... Sigh~”
The latter half of her sentence turned into a faint sigh, yet it couldn't hide the mischievous curve of her lips.
Rate on N.U.
