Chapter 266: The Magic of Lucerne Port

Lia hadn’t slept well at all; her mind was a chaotic mess, filled with images of his wandering hands in the training room and the sight of him wearing that flower garland.

In the early morning, when she stepped out of her room, she found the garland woven from Moonlight Flowers resting quietly on the low cabinet by her door.

The silver glow on the petals remained, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

She hesitated for a moment but eventually picked it up and placed it back on her head.

In the dining room, Klein was already seated.

Today, he had changed into a set of deep blue casual clothes, with silver-threaded embroidery of wave patterns on the collar and cuffs, perfectly fitting the style of Lucerne Port.

When he saw the garland on Lia’s head, his gaze shifted slightly, but he said nothing, only pushing a plate of freshly baked seafood puff pastry toward her.

“The Harvest and Sea Festival officially begins today. The parade starts at noon, and there will be an elemental fireworks display tonight,” Klein introduced the day’s itinerary in his usual succinct manner.

Lia hummed in response and silently ate her pastry.

The atmosphere today was somewhat subtle; it no longer held the tension and confrontation of the previous few days, replaced instead by a sense of ordinary gentleness.

After finishing breakfast, the two walked out of the inn.

The streets were several times more crowded than they had been yesterday, and the air was thick with the scent of joy.

Many glowing jellyfish created with mana floated overhead, their translucent bodies pulsing as they trailed long, iridescent tentacles, drifting slowly through the air.

Water mages were performing in the fountains along the streets, manipulating water into the shapes of dolphins leaping from the sea and whales spouting water, drawing bursts of applause.

Klein naturally took Lia’s hand, shielding her by his side to prevent her from being separated by the dense crowd.

Lia felt the warmth from his broad palm spreading into her own.

She didn’t struggle; instead, she lowered her head slightly, pretending to be engrossed in the novelties by the roadside.

“Look at that!” Lia suddenly pointed to a stall, her eyes lighting up.

It was a stall selling small toys, and the owner was shouting enthusiastically, “Come and see! The latest alchemical wonder from the North! No mana required—just a simple press and it lights up and spins on its own!”

Many small objects were displayed on the stall: golden-winged butterflies that fluttered, owl ornaments with two glowing beads for eyes, and a small windmill whose blades spun rapidly even without wind, flickering with faint electrical sparks.

Lia recognized the core of these items at a glance; it was the most primitive principle of an electrochemical battery.

By placing two different metals into an acidic or alkaline paste, a weak electrical current could be generated.

This was a crude application of the voltaic pile she had mentioned in passing while explaining the principle of light bulbs to Fiona.

She hadn’t expected that in such a short time, the technology would have been commercialized and even spread to the Adriatic Federation in the south.

“Do you like it?” Klein’s voice sounded in her ear.

“No… I just find it a bit novel to see a creation of my theories here,” Lia denied it flatly.

However, Klein saw through her thoughts; he walked to the stall and picked up the spinning, flashing windmill. “How much for this?”

“The Master Mage has a good eye!” The stall owner beamed. “This is a ‘Sparkling Windmill,’ the latest style! Only five silver coins!”

Klein tossed a gold coin over and said, “Keep the change,” before the owner could even find his coins.

He returned to Lia’s side with the small windmill and tucked it into her hand.

“I don’t…” Even as Lia spoke, her hand instinctively touched the rotating blades, feeling the faint static electricity.

“Take it,” Klein said in a tone that brooked no refusal. “Consider it… an advance on your patent royalties.”

Lia was choked by his words, holding the small windmill with a mix of complex emotions in her heart.

Because of her arrival, this world was changing at a speed she couldn’t entirely control.

“Let’s go, the parade is about to start.” Klein led her toward the harbor’s largest central square.

The square was already a sea of people, and as the melodious sound of horns rang out, a grand parade procession slowly approached from the distance.

Leading the way was a squad of beautiful men and women dressed in sea-blue robes, singing hymns in praise of the harvest and the ocean.

Their voices seemed to carry magic, filling everyone who heard them with joy.

Following closely behind was a massive land-ship, its hull carved into the likeness of a sea monster, driven by ten water mages working in unison to glide across the cobblestone road as if truly sailing at sea.

Many performers stood on the ship, using illusion magic to create images of various marine creatures—giant octopuses waving their tentacles and schools of sharks forming fierce storms that circled above the procession.

“Their illusions seem different from those in the capital,” Lia whispered.

“Adriatic mages focus more on commerce and performance; their illusions are mixed with mental suggestions to more easily stir the audience’s emotions,” Klein explained.

Lia nodded; indeed, she could feel an exciting mental fluctuation permeating the air.

The climax of the parade featured a Six-Circle mage standing on a high platform.

He raised his staff and began to chant an incantation.

The water level in the massive wishing well at the center of the square surged, and a colossal water element giant slowly stood up.

The giant was ten meters tall, its body composed entirely of clear seawater.

It began to patrol the square, and with every step, fine droplets of water sprayed from its fingertips onto the crowd, bringing a wave of coolness.

Children shrieked with excitement as they chased the giant.

Lia looked up at this massive magical creation, clearly sensing the delicate control the Six-Circle mage exerted over the water elements.

He wasn’t using brute force to bind it, but rather following the fluidity of the water, using a core magic model to maintain the giant’s form.

“A very clever structure,” Lia couldn’t help but comment.

“That is Master Marseille, the guardian mage of Lucerne Port; he is most skilled at large-scale water-construct spells,” Klein said. “It’s a staple performance of every festival.”

After making a circuit of the square, the water giant turned back into pool water amidst the cheers and returned to the fountain.

Once the parade ended, the crowd began to disperse, but the festive atmosphere only grew more fervent.

Klein led Lia through several small alleys to an outdoor restaurant that was relatively quiet.

From here, they could overlook the entire harbor; the sea breeze blew in, and the view was excellent.

“How are you so familiar with this place?” Lia couldn’t help but ask after sitting down.

“I came here a few times when I was younger,” Klein’s answer was simple, seemingly unwilling to say more.

Lia didn’t press him; she could guess that for a Ninth-Circle Archmage like him, traveling the continent in his youth was perfectly normal.

They ordered some local delicacies, such as fragrant grilled silver-scale fish and a “Heart of the Ocean” pie made with shrimp and cheese.

Lia ate very happily.

The sun gradually sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky and sea a magnificent shade of orange-red.

The magical lamps in the harbor lit up one by one, like scattered stars.

“The fireworks display is about to start,” Klein reminded her.

He led Lia to the pier by the sea, the best vantage point to watch the show.

With a distant toll of a bell, the first burst of fireworks rose into the night sky.

It wasn’t mundane gunpowder, but a cluster of fire elements compressed to the extreme.

It exploded in the air with a crisp ring, instantly transforming into countless dancing flame butterflies.

Immediately after, clusters of different colored elements rose into the sky one after another.

Blue water elements exploded into a brief meteor shower; green wind elements formed a massive, swirling tornado; and golden earth elements turned into countless shimmering golden sands that drifted slowly downward.

Lia watched with wide eyes; this was more shocking than any fireworks show she had seen in her past life.

This was art purely constructed from magic, the most magnificent dance of elements in the night sky.

The performance reached its peak as hundreds of elemental clusters rose simultaneously, weaving and colliding in the night to form a massive dynamic painting—a great sailing ship on a turbulent sea, battling a legendary sea serpent.

The sea was made of water elements, the ship of earth elements, and that lifelike sea serpent was a mixture of fire and wind elements.

The entire Lucerne Port was immersed in this grand magical spectacle, everyone looking up with their faces reflecting the shifting colors.

Lia was also entranced; her Moonlight Flower garland shimmered with a dreamlike luster under the light of the elements.

She felt her hand being held even tighter.

She turned her head and saw that Klein was also looking at her.

In his blue eyes, the sky full of elemental fireworks was reflected, along with her small figure.

In that moment, all the noise around them seemed to fade away.

Lia’s heart beat very fast; she opened her mouth, wanting to say something to break the atmosphere that made her feel a little overwhelmed, but she couldn’t say anything.

The fireworks display continued as a massive flower made of iridescent elements bloomed above them, lighting the night sky as bright as day.

Lia looked into Klein’s eyes and asked a question on a sudden whim:

“Klein, do you… like it here?”

“I don’t,” Klein’s answer was unexpected.

Lia was taken aback.

“It’s too noisy here.” He looked at her, his gaze focused. “But if you like it, I can bear to stay for a few days.”

Lia’s cheeks instantly heated up.

‘Can’t this guy just give a compliment properly? He always has to be so roundabout!’

She was about to retort, “Who asked you to bear it!” when a gentle smile curved on his lips.

That smile, framed by the sky full of fireworks, made her lose herself for a moment.

She suddenly felt that perhaps this place wasn’t boring at all.

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