Chapter 87: The Date at Avalon, Part Two

After what seemed like an hour or two, the sky, which should already have been pitch black, was only approaching dusk. The artificial sunset drifted slowly westward with uncanny realism, and the red clouds, together with the yellowing heavens, bathed the giant Ferris wheel—nearly as large as the London Eye—in bands of scarlet and gold, casting a vast shadow over the street below.

“How is it? Did you enjoy the afternoon?” On the Ferris wheel, Mingchuan and Wenxin were gazing at the almost lifelike sunset. He had not told her one secret of Avalon: that day and night still existed within it, only arranged according to equatorial time.

“Yes! I’ve been so happy today, like a bird with no cage, free and unbound...” The two sat facing each other. It was not that Mingchuan did not want to sit beside her, only that he wanted to leave her a little space. “No restraints. It’s a pity the war is still going on, and the Satan crisis has not been fully resolved. Fortunately, no new humans have turned into Satans. In the end, we will utterly annihilate them.”

Mingchuan looked out the window. The last thread of crimson sank beneath the horizon; night descended, and in an instant the streetlamps and the lights of the shops below, controlled by automatic sensors, began to illuminate their respective corners. At night, the beauty of the sleepless city would truly reveal itself here in Avalon.

“At the top already? Then it should be about time, shouldn’t it?” Just as they reached the highest point, Mingchuan could not help muttering to himself. Looking down at the scene of lights and shadows, Wenxin asked softly, “What is it?” It was as if he were counting down. His gaze fixed on a certain place below. The Ferris wheel’s summit was only a hundred meters high, while the canopy reached three hundred... “I want to show you one of Avalon’s performances, I should...” Before he could finish, a sound drew his attention: the launch of fireworks.

Boom!

A giant sphere of light bloomed above the Ferris wheel. This was one of Avalon’s signature spectacles, and in the night, those brilliant fireworks looked even more wondrous. “Do you like it? These are fireworks that only the Eastern Alliance releases on a large scale. Elsewhere, if you’re keeping them merely for fireworks, you might as well save the powder for ammunition instead.”

Inside the dim Ferris wheel carriage, a kaleidoscope quietly opened, and the space was instantly lit. Yet Wenxin’s attention remained fixed on the fireworks.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen them... maybe since I was a child...” Watching the dazzling display, Wenxin seemed even lovelier than before, while Mingchuan merely looked at her in silence.

“Give me a chance, will you?”

“Hm?” The sudden question caught Wenxin off guard, and she could only manage a single reply.

“I was too weak before. I couldn’t protect you, couldn’t be gentle with you. But now, I have the strength to take care of you. So, give me a chance, all right?” It was not a prepared speech, but a sincere confession. At times like this, whether it was Tracy or Cole, none of them liked drafting a polished declaration in advance. In moments like these, only true feeling mattered...

“Chu!” Taking advantage of Mingchuan’s nervous, awkward little-boy expression, Wenxin could not help teasing him. “All right then. From now on, protect me. If you leave me again just for revenge or whatever else, I’ll be very displeased...”

“I...” Before the faint flush on Mingchuan’s face—impossible to see in the dark carriage—could be answered, his wrist device seemed to receive some message. Realizing it, Mingchuan quickly shut it off. But what followed was a sudden tackle...

“Oh my, so Prince Tracy is the one being taken, while the princess is still as forward as ever. Well, from the very beginning, the image the princess designed for Mingchuan was ‘aggressive in public, submissive in private.’ Faced with the girl he likes, he’s practically a human pet.”

Watching everything through the surveillance feed, Roger could not help laughing. The wristwatch vibration had been his doing, and his purpose had indeed been to give Wenxin the chance to pin down her Prince Tracy.

“You there? Should I award you a Best Matchmaker of the Year medal? I even suspect you might drug the prince and then let the princess... oh? Better not get too imaginative, or I’ll be beaten to death by the prince.” Beside him, General Erman had already set down his Chinese chess pieces. Since Roger had taken care of things, he had fallen back into his old habit of playing cards and other games. Back in the day, the casino had still been under the prince...

“Better not. A man like the prince, unless you wait until he’s asleep...” But just as Roger was speaking seriously, another sound caught his attention. “Oh? Are the two from the Northern Union and the Eastern Alliance still unwilling to give up? Then again, one is the eleventh hacker, the Polar Goddess, and the other is the eighth hacker, Shadow. How could they possibly submit to me, a mere Doctor ranked seventh? Still, if they knew I’m using a Prince replica, they’d probably... Then let me see your true faces!”

“Come in! At least eat something. Otherwise, with just those snacks, you might end up with low blood sugar.” Leading Wenxin by the hand, Mingchuan brought her to a restaurant named after a Welsh legend. It was run by the most famous chef in the amusement park; even the former Tracy had only been his student.

“Sit down and eat. This is my turf, after all. My privileges still work here.” On Welsh Party territory, whether as Tracy or as Cole, he was basically unstoppable. And it was time for them to learn his identity.

“Hey! Kid, this is my seat! If you know what’s good for you, get lost.”

So it came: an ignorant sergeant major and his two adjutants. Though Mingchuan had not known this at first, in many places there was an unspoken rule: certain seats belonged to regulars. Mingchuan had deliberately chosen this private room with Wenxin.

“That doesn’t say it’s your seat, Sergeant Major. Or are you planning to cause trouble in front of your superior?”

“Superior? You’re not even in uniform. Why should I listen to you?”

Mingchuan smiled. Uniform? Was he not always in uniform? He had only hidden it for the sake of their date.

“Want to see a uniform? Wenxin, take your time ordering. I’ll deal with this fellow.”

“Mm, be careful.”

As if trusting him completely, Wenxin said no more and lowered her eyes to the menu. At that moment, the plain clothes Mingchuan had been wearing began to transform into a black-and-red military outfit. Looking closely, the sergeant major understood at once: this was the uniform of the Welsh Guard. That was several ranks above the Welsh Party’s ordinary affiliated troops.

“So, Sergeant Major, when you see your superior, shouldn’t you say hello?”

Because he was himself a protected figure of the Welsh Guard, Mingchuan naturally carried himself with pride. Yet the sergeant major showed no sign of fear.

“So what? I’m not afraid. This isn’t the army, so—”

“Obedience is an order. Since you’re still a soldier, I’ll put today’s losses on my tab. But don’t let me catch you at it again. Go have a drink and sober up!”

With that, Mingchuan tossed out a Welsh coin. One of the adjutants, not understanding what was going on, caught it and instantly realized what it meant. The two of them hurriedly grabbed the sergeant major, apologizing as they backed away. “Our apologies, sir. He’s in a bad mood. We’ll take him away for a drink.” Ignoring the sergeant major’s shouting, the two adjutants dragged him over to the bar and sat him down.

“You two, what’s the meaning of this? If it weren’t for you, I’d have—”

“Sir, that guy is not someone you can provoke!”

The sergeant major, furious as he was after being pulled away, left his two adjutants pale with fear. Yet the adjutant who had caught the coin became even more frightened by the silver piece in his hand.

“Get me a drink, now! I’m not服—”

He snatched the coin from the adjutant and slammed it onto the bar. The bartender, having witnessed everything, simply smiled with composure.

“All right, all right. You’ve really picked the wrong person to cross. You’ve run into all three of the Welsh Party’s major taboos.”

Without another word, the bartender began mixing his best cocktail. Hearing that, the sergeant major was still dazed. “Three major taboos?”

“Doctor Cole, Captain Mingchuan, and Prince Tracy himself. Those three are now among the Welsh Party’s highest-priority protected figures. The prince is protected because of his status, Doctor Cole because of his intellect, and the Captain Mingchuan you just crossed because of his record. As for the other two, they’re both heavyweight members of the Welsh Party. For you to encounter even one of them here is already remarkable luck.”

The three taboos—the Welsh Party’s most heavily protected figures. Hearing the bartender, the sergeant major was immediately stunned senseless. He was Welsh Party too, after all. That fellow being in the Welsh Guard was already absurd enough, and now he was one of the so-called three taboos...

“Then... should I go apologize...?”

“Forget it. Look at those two. They’re obviously on a date. Don’t go being a third wheel and get yourself dealt with someday.”

At the bartender’s words, he placed the finished drink directly in front of the sergeant major.

“How enviable... Prince Tracy, Doctor Cole, Captain Mingchuan... their ages seem about the same...”

At 20:20, on the way back, Wenxin was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, while Mingchuan still looked full of energy.

“Did you enjoy your birthday?”

As if trying to perk Wenxin up, Mingchuan kept talking. “Birthday? Is today... my birthday?”

She was already half asleep, while Mingchuan kept walking behind her.

“Yes, your birthday...”

Before he could finish, Wenxin seemed too exhausted to stay upright and simply collapsed against him. Mingchuan caught her smoothly in his arms.

“Honestly, we’re almost home already!”

Carrying Wenxin princess-style, Mingchuan arrived at the door of the house next to theirs.

“Let’s go home.”

He opened the door but did not turn on the light right away. Instead, he said softly, “No need to make a fuss. She’s asleep.”

Hardly had he spoken when several masked figures emerged from all directions. Clearly, those masks hid members of Mingchuan’s squad.

Mingchuan carried Wenxin back to her room.

“Sorry. I couldn’t spend your whole birthday with you properly. Sleep well. In two days, the new war will begin. I hope both of us can stay safe.”

He gently covered Wenxin with the blanket and quietly left the room. Yet a pair of eyes slowly opened in the darkness.

“The three taboos... Mingchuan, you’re becoming more and more intriguing. Just what are you?”