The great vessel pressed steadily onward, the two colossal ships separated by several thousand meters.
Despite the distance, out on the open, unobstructed sea, they could still see each other clearly, silently keeping watch over one another.
The sky gradually darkened, the sunset's afterglow spilling across the water's surface in a magnificent scene all its own.
"Attention please, attention please." An announcement suddenly sounded through every cabin.
"Welcome aboard the Xingluo, our ocean liner. Tonight, we'll be holding a grand welcome reception, and we ask that everyone attend in formal dress. This is a friendship event meant to promote goodwill between our two continents, and there will be some fun little games arranged throughout. We hope everyone will join in enthusiastically."
A friendship mixer?
Arthur and Xu Lizhi exchanged a look.
The two of them had been discussing the progress of Xu Lizhi's Battle Armor.
By now, nearly all the first-years had finished forging their Battle Armor. The ones still unfinished were mostly the repair specialists coasting through on easy wins, and Xu Lizhi was one of them.
"Arthur, are you going?"
Xu Lizhi looked a bit eager. A mixer meant he could really pack away the food.
"Strange." Arthur rubbed his chin, a faint warning stirring from his intuition. "I keep feeling like something bad's going to happen at this event. My gut's telling me not to go."
"Huh?" Xu Lizhi was alarmed.
"Then I guess I won't go either?" he said reflexively. He trusted Arthur's judgment unconditionally.
Arthur just chuckled. "What are you so scared of? I'm just saying I've got a feeling something might happen, not that it definitely will. Besides, even if something does happen, with me around, are you really worried you won't get to eat?"
"And there's no way I'm skipping a free midnight snack."
He was curious to see what would actually happen. He, Arthur, was a young emperor among men! Fearless before any foe!
The Xingluo's grand banquet hall was located on the second floor, an enormous space easily large enough to seat over a thousand people at once.
By now the hall was already packed, buzzing with lively chatter.
To make mingling easier, all the tables and chairs had been cleared away, leaving only a scattering of tall standing tables around the hall, each laid out with elegant finger foods and an array of drinks.
The entire hall was decked out in gold and splendor, its lavish decorations gleaming under the lights.
Members of both nations' delegations arrived one after another in formal attire, quickly turning the once-quiet hall lively and boisterous.
The drinks served at the reception were all sparkling wine.
The Shrek Academy contingent began filing in one by one.
The most eye-catching among them was Wu Changkong, since the students were, after all, just a bunch of kids who couldn't compare to him in looks.
Wu Changkong deliberately sat himself beside Zhuo Shi. Thanks to Zhuo Shi's imposing presence, he was spared quite a few would-be admirers.
On the ladies' side, the most dazzling was without question Gu Yue.
A moon-white gown traced the delicate lines of her slender figure, her soft long hair falling loosely over her shoulders.
Her exquisite features looked as though carved from ice and snow under the light.
She stood quietly in a corner, yet like a cold, clear moon she drew countless eyes toward her.
In truth, Na'er's looks were no less than Gu Yue's, but the faint, hard-to-pin-down roughness about her put her miles behind Gu Yue in comparison.
Xu Xiaoyan knew full well she couldn't compete with Gu Yue on elegance, so she'd gone for a sweeter look instead.
A pink mini dress trimmed with white lace, its hem scattered with tiny silver sequins that swayed gently with every step, and with a touch of her Martial Soul's special effects layered on top, it looked as though she'd draped an entire galaxy over herself.
Her carefully styled blue twin-tails made her look all the more lively and adorable.
"Wow, Gu Yue looks amazing tonight." Xie Xie couldn't help murmuring under his breath. "I'm so jealous of Arthur. If I could land a girlfriend like that, it'd be worth living this whole life for."
Tang Wulin's expression changed drastically, and he hurried to clap a hand over his mouth. "Do you have a death wish!"
"If Na'er hears you say that, you're as good as dead."
If you complimented Arthur and Na'er as a couple, Na'er would be delighted, and Gu Yue wouldn't mind either way.
But compliment Arthur and Gu Yue as a couple, and while Gu Yue would take it as a given, Na'er would use her fists to test whose skull was harder.
Off to the side, Ye Xinglan watched the two of them and gave a cold snort. "Boring."
Her outfit was the same as always, since she'd always trained with her sword alone and had no interest in occasions like this.
Elsewhere, Yuanen Yehui, dressed elegantly, sat distracted the whole time, downing sparkling wine like mad in an attempt to numb herself.
The servers constantly passing by made her feel as though ants were crawling all over her skin.
The soul of a working woman screamed inside her, her instincts urging her to jump in and help carry trays.
The next to make his entrance was that show-off Yue Zhengyu. He'd been carefully grooming himself the moment he'd heard about the event, all the way up until now.
He puffed out his chest, a faint smile on his face, ready to bask in the cheers of the ladies.
Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention.
Because the true charmer had just made his entrance.
Same type as him, but one who utterly outclassed him: the golden-haired pretty boy, Arthur.
Dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, feet in slippers, Arthur strolled into the hall yawning. Trailing behind him in pajamas was Xu Lizhi.
Well, they were buddies after all.
The two of them had just finished discussing Battle Armor, taken a short nap together, and now, freshly woken, had come together for a midnight snack.
Now that was living.
"Huh?" Arthur's steps faltered.
His jarring outfit made him the single most conspicuous thing in the entire hall. Xu Lizhi, meanwhile, got automatically overlooked thanks to his looks.
In a sea of suits, tuxedos, and evening gowns, Arthur's shorts, t-shirt, and slippers had crashed straight into this elegant tableau like a foreign object.
"Who's that?"
"Looks like a Shrek Academy student, maybe?"
"Shrek's really that casual? Dressed like that for an occasion like this?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, plenty of the men's glances carrying surprise, curiosity, and even a touch of disdain.
Seeing this, Yue Zhengyu felt a little better balanced inside. Not bad, he thought.
But the very next moment, he watched several elegantly dressed noble ladies light up and start walking straight toward Arthur.
"Look at him, he's got such personality."
"Right, right, that whole couldn't-care-less vibe, it's so cool."
That was what they said, but they didn't spare so much as a glance at Xu Lizhi, dressed the exact same way.
Yue Zhengyu and the other men present: ...
They felt their entire worldview had just taken a massive hit.
Arthur these days, with the bearing and looks of a Holy Sword wielder, on top of the favor of the planes and the boost to his fortune...
He was practically the man among men!
And under ordinary circumstances, this would've been fine.
But this mixer had gotten the women's minds turning early toward finding a partner.
So the way they were looking at Arthur right now was like starving wolves spotting a little lamb.
And worst of all, hidden among this pack of starving wolves were a few full-grown dragons.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly. This wasn't good.
"Xu Lizhi, maybe we should skip the food and just head back... hello?"
Arthur turned around to find nothing but empty space behind him. Not a trace of Xu Lizhi anywhere.
Unhindered, Xu Lizhi had long since abandoned him to go eat.
Arthur now stood utterly alone, without a single ally.
"Come out here to hang, and not one loyal friend in the bunch."
Looked like the midnight snack was off the table. Arthur turned to leave, only to find Gu Yue had somehow appeared right behind him, her moon-white gown giving off a faint glow under the lights.
The first dragon had appeared!
Arthur turned slightly, meaning to slip around her.
A hand shot out from the crowd and grabbed him. Na'er beamed. "Arthur, where are you off to? Come play with me, look how lively it is!"
The second dragon struck!
Two ghosts knocking at the door!