"Do you really want to go?"
Arthur turned his head, and Char was standing behind him, wearing a dark red coat and a pair of boots.
"Actually, it's not like I can't go," he said.
Hearing this, Arthur opened his eyes slightly, with some expectation on his face.
"Really?"
“There are a lot of people in cities and towns now. With more people, it becomes easier to fish in troubled waters,” said Xia Ya.
Joining in the fun comes from the racial instinct in his blood. How could he miss such a big festival.
jingle.
With the ringing of the four-color roulette wheel, the door opened, and Alicia walked in from the door of the imperial capital, carrying some vegetables and meat in her hand.
She complained, "The prices in the imperial capital are too expensive."
"Alicia!" Arthur said excitedly, "Char said we can go to the Dionysus Festival!"
Alicia looked at Char with some confusion, "But what about the Witch of the Wilderness?"
"So we have to disguise ourselves." Xia Ya raised her hand and patted her clothes. Her appearance began to change under the gaze of the two people.
His hair became longer and was simply tied back with a band, and he had a well-groomed mustache on his face. He looked like a middle-aged gentleman in his thirties.
Chara raised her hand and used magic power to click on Alicia. The clothes on her body began to change rapidly and turned into a long gray skirt.
Her hair became darker, and the wrinkles on her face became less numerous, turning into a woman of about forty years old who still retains her charm.
Seeing the two people who had completely changed their appearance, Arthur shouted excitedly.
"What about me?"
"The Witch of the Wilderness doesn't know you, why do you want to change?" Xia Ya said.
"ah...."
Arthur hunched his back, bent his neck, and responded in frustration.
"It's not a masquerade party. What are you doing in disguise?" Alicia said funny.
Xia smiled and turned the door handle, and the sound of crowds of people on the street came from outside.
"Let's go."
"You have to leave me a devil at home again." Calcifer seemed a little unhappy.
"After all, we can't take you away, can we?" Alicia said, "Don't worry, Calcifer, we will be back soon."
Calcifer hummed twice but didn't respond.
They can't participate in the float parade, and they can't squeeze in due to the huge crowds, but they can still participate in the carnival.
Fortunately, they have been here for a few days, so they are quite familiar with the roads here, and can directly cross the flow of people to the swamp.
They walked through the alleys, but it was already afternoon when the float parade took place, so night had already fallen.
They continued forward through the streets, the brightly lit town gradually leaving them behind.
The night is getting darker, and the swamp is cold and damp, exuding the smell of earth and salt.
Under the illumination of the moonlight and the Milky Way, the sea water flickers with light, and the sea water rushes back with a soft rustling sound.
The endless plain spread out in front of them. Xia Ya couldn't see clearly, it was more of a feeling.
He saw the pale white mist and the pale light on the puddles. The puddles were connected one after another to form a shallow skyline in the distance.
They were enveloped by a huge, vast sky, the Milky Way rising like a cloud of mist from the swamp, with stars twinkling inside.
Although the swamp is called a swamp, it is still safe close to the town. The real swamp that can swallow people is some distance away from here.
In a huge open space not far away, the lights were brightly lit, and many torches were stuck on the edge. The open space was covered with long cloths, and the cloths were filled with all kinds of food, mostly meat.
A banquet refers to a banquet that is seated on the ground.
In the open space in the middle, many pieces of wood were built into a small tower.
Box after box of fine wine was moved to this venue, and Xia Ya also saw Mr. Foster whom he met yesterday.
While he was moving the wine barrel to the designated place, he was chatting to the old man sitting on the cloth and resting not far away.
"Uncle Foster!"
Hearing the voice from behind, Foster turned his head and saw Arthur.
"Hey, Arthur, where is your family?"
"They didn't come," said Arthur.
"You come to the Dionysus Festival alone?" Foster frowned, "This is not a place where a child can come alone."
"I came with them." Arthur pointed at Char and Alicia, "They are my relatives, and they came here specially to participate in the Bacchus Festival."
Foster nodded to Charia and Licia, "Hello, my name is Foster."
"My name is Allen." Xia Ya said.
"My name is Sia." Alicia said.
Xia Ya looked at the piles of wine barrels behind him and said, "You are so lucky. I saw you moving yesterday."
"The owner of the winery here will pay us wages." Foster said with a simple smile, "After all, I am going to have a child soon, and I always have to make more money for him."
"Speaking of children." Foster pointed to the old man beside him, "His name is Hank. Are you from the Imperial Capital? Old Hank's son is also studying at your Imperial Capital Natural College."
"Natural College?" Alicia raised her eyes in surprise, "That is the school second only to the aristocratic school."
Hank didn't speak, just smiled happily, and he seemed very proud of his son.
He looked to be about sixty years old, with black hair, wearing a shabby white shirt, his body was covered in sweat, his face was tanned black by the sun, his grinning mouth had sparse yellowed teeth, and his smile was very simple.
"But studying in the imperial capital is not cheap, right?" Alicia said.
"Yes." Foster said, "Look at old Hank, he is only in his fifties this year. Just like people in their sixties, he gets up to work at six o'clock every morning and doesn't go back until twelve o'clock in the evening.
I don't want to eat well, and I don't change my clothes often. Whenever I have money, I ask someone to send it to my son. "
After a pause, he said, "But his son is back this year. Of course, those who graduate from school can at best work in the church, and then they won't have to worry about food and drink."
Alicia nodded, "It's finally the end of all the hardships."
"That's okay." Old Hank raised his eyebrows.
"Look how proud you are." Foster laughed and scolded, "My son or daughter will definitely be admitted to the College of Natural Science in the future."
"Then you have to save money earlier." Hank said, "You won't be as tired as me."
While they were chatting, a gray-haired old man walked through them with a torch and walked towards the center. That was Roget, the mayor of this town, and the woman following him was his wife.
She is also very old and has gained serious weight.
In other words, to use a crueler metaphor, an adult pig may not be as big as this one.
Xia Ya felt that Dionysus would not like to marry her.
Roget held the torch and threw it into the wooden tower in the middle, which had been sprinkled with oil in advance.
At that moment, a huge pillar of fire rose into the sky.
The fire lit up the swamp and illuminated the faces of the people coming from the towns.
The originally empty plain became crowded. The government had no choice but to choose the banquet venue here because there were too many people.
As the bonfire is lit, it also indicates that the carnival is about to begin.
Foster quickly pulled them to the seat he had already occupied and sat down. Although the cloth was large and people could sit wherever they wanted, there were more people, so if you didn’t want to sit in the swamp and get your butt dirty, grab one in advance. Good location is the best option.
Foster enthusiastically took a few large wooden wine glasses from one side, filled them with wine from the wine barrels placed at regular intervals, and handed them to Alicia and Xia.
Mrs. Foster obviously did not come. She was newly pregnant and was not suitable for such a place.
The party was quiet at first, with people enjoying the food and drinks provided by the town.
But then, sweet music came from all around, and the band that had just been on the float arrived here. The sounds of Scottish organ and Irish whistles were particularly obvious.
The group of men and women who had just been on the float, dressed like Spartan warriors and mountain women, came out amidst the cheers of the people and began to sing this year's Dionysian hymn.
The rhythm was very cheerful, they sang and danced, walked into the crowd, waved their hands to signal the people around to sing with them.
People had drunk a lot of wine, and under the stimulation of alcohol, they also danced and sang.
As the aroma of wine gradually overflowed, the banquet became increasingly restless.
"Just get drunk like Dionysus
In one hand is a wine glass, in the other hand is the rod of wine
In the transparent crystal wine glass, the sparkling water is art
Art is wine, drink it and get drunk
There is absolutely no sound of spitting out in one breath.
Until the sun rises!
Until sleepiness sets in! "
sing again
drink again
We are born again! "
The cheerful singing and the gradually boiling party infected Arthur and Alicia.
They also became excited, singing and jumping with the crowd.
The singing reached its climax.
The singer shouted excitedly and enthusiastically.
"The pain of life!"
The people living in this town raised their wine glasses in tacit agreement and shouted together.
"Drink it all in one gulp!"
Then he drank the wine in his hand.
The singer continued shouting loudly.
"The sadness of parting!"
This time, people from other places also learned the lesson and raised their wine glasses together and shouted excitedly.
"Drink it all in one gulp!"
"All suffering!"
Everyone raised their wine glasses, and amid the cheers, people shouted excitedly and enthusiastically.
"Drink it all!!!"
Xia Ya watched all this quietly. The banquet reached its climax at this moment. The music continued continuously. People twisted their bodies randomly and used their best dance steps to express their emotions wantonly.
The cheers came one after another, even overshadowing the music several times, but he liked this feeling of tranquility amidst the chaos.
He originally thought that the Dionysus Festival was just an ordinary celebration banquet, but he listened to the cheers of the people around him and the lyrics.
Char felt that the Dionysus Festival should have some special spiritual significance for the people in this town.
"You don't fit in with the rest."
Hearing the sound, Xia Ya turned his head and spoke to a thin, strange old man in his sixties or seventies. His clothes were shabbier than the porter Hank's, and he looked like a beggar.
He was sitting next to Xia Ya, leaning lazily against a large wine barrel. His face was reddish, and he looked slightly drunk, but his eyes were bright.
"I prefer to be alone and quiet." Xia Ya said.
But the old man shook his head, "No, no, your heart must be even more empty."
From Char's eagle-eye perspective, everyone around him was dim, but only the old man in front of him was an extremely bright golden color.
Mysterious light flowed around him, like stars on the ground.
Char has also seen a similar golden color on another being, his name is: Thanatos.
There was a glimmer of light in Xia Ya's eyes, but she didn't say anything...
