"Don’t cry, Palr, this happens all the ti, doesn’t it?"
Bologue and Aimou hadn’t arrived yet, so Serey and Palr started drinking first. Palr was visibly distressed, while Serey kept trying to console him.
"No, I’m not crying, it’s just the drink. I just... I just never thought that an Alchemy Puppet would take everything away from ."
By the end, Palr’s voice was trembling, and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
Palr could understand why Bologue was attracted to Aimou; after all, his partner was quite a weirdo. He wouldn’t be surprised by any eccentricities, but he never expected Serey to be swayed too.
Looking up at the welco banner was utterly humiliating for Palr.
He’d only stayed at the Border Sanatorium for a few days, and everything changed upon his return.
"Serey, what’s wrong with you!"
Palr’s anger rose in his chest, but halfway through, he gave up. After all, the drinks were Serey’s private stash, and the Undying Club was Serey’s territory.
Most importantly, Serey is a Night Race Lord. Who knows how powerful he is? As a re Condenser, there’s no way Palr could take him on, not even in a drinking match against this undead boozehound.
The more Palr thought about it, the worse he felt. His chest tightened, and he clutched his heart as he collapsed.
"Hey, hey! Don’t die here!" Serey slapped Palr’s face repeatedly. "This is the Undying Club, you know what ’undying’ ans, right?"
Palr twitched a couple of tis, but hearing Serey’s bizarre joke made him laugh uncontrollably.
Wei’Er watched Palr as he cried and laughed, "This guy must be crazy, huh?"
"Or maybe he’s just plain dumb," Bode comnted from the side.
The protagonist hadn’t even made an entrance yet, but Palr was already too drunk. He had hoped to return to the Order Bureau and have a binge with Serey, but ended up with this outco.
Palr felt bitter inside, lying next to the bar as his snores gradually began.
"You two really get along," Wei’Er jumped onto the bar, her cat-like eyes roaming between Serey and Palr, "I haven’t seen you play so joyfully with soone in a long ti."
"Hmm? Don’t you find this guy interesting?"
Serey pulled out a Polaroid cara, put one foot on the bar, and crouched beside Palr, striking a thumbs-up pose.
The shutter closed, and a photo popped out. Serey shook it vigorously, and it looked pretty good. He imdiately pinned it to the wall.
"I’ve lived so long, yet I’ve never seen anyone quite like Palr," Serey leaned against Palr, "this guy lives... rather purely."
"Purely?"
Wei’Er walked over to Palr. His face was soaked, as if he would drown in alcohol; he didn’t look anything close to pure.
"Yes, forget the Undead, even for ordinary people, what do you think can make them happy?" Serey pondered. "It should be sothing complex, but for Palr, having a drink and working a few days less makes him incredibly happy."
"This guy’s happiness is ridiculously cheap, even his troubles are," Serey laughed constantly, pointing at the banner overhead, "he’s actually troubled by sothing like this, my goodness."
"More like idiocy than purity," Wei’Er comnted.
Serey thought of Wei’Er’s past, curiously asking, "Wei’Er, if it were you back then, how would you seduce Palr?"
Few knew of Wei’Er’s past, but Serey was one among them. This seductive witch manipulated many n and toyed with power.
"I don’t seduce idiots," Wei’Er replied bluntly.
"Palr, you’re just aweso!"
Serey vigorously slapped Palr’s back, but Palr was completely drunk, only managing to grunt.
At this mont, a knock sounded at the door; Serey turned his head and called out to Bode, "They’re here!"
Bode nodded. They had glorious or painful experiences, but since entering the Undying Club, it was all in the past. Now they’re just ordinary mbers, enjoying drinks and awaiting the arrival of fate’s end.
The door opened; as the visitors entered, confetti burst, strears cascaded, clothing was adorned, balloons were pushed aside, and the welco banner hung high.
The do jukebox began running, its chanical arm grasping a record, slowly turning as the song played.
"September’s joyous dance~ The golden, radiant dreamscapes~"
This was Serey’s favorite song.
"Ba-li-la~ Ba-li-la~"
Suddenly, the bar lights dimd, colorful disco balls spun endlessly overhead, and with dynamic dance tunes, Serey effortlessly leaped out from behind the bar.
Though he looked robust, his steps were surprisingly nimble. He grabbed the pole, swinging effortlessly in the air.
He gracefully spun several tis, skillfully took off his shirt, and flirtatiously winked at the incoming guests. Bologue stood at the door, expressionless.
After spinning several tis, Serey soared again, landing on a chair, then bounced several tis before scooping up Wei’Er.
This ti, Wei’Er surprisingly didn’t resist, allowing Serey to toss her like a ball to Bode, who caught her and turned her over to Bologue.
After a few graceful passes, Bologue steadily caught Wei’Er, who nestled comfortably in his arms, purring contentedly.
Serey then jumped off the bar, landing in a flourish, followed by exaggerated gestures. Bode also hurried over, standing behind Serey with hands raised high.
And that wasn’t the end; Sai Zong crawled swiftly on the ground, sliding to position under Serey as the lights ca on.
Like a concert’s ensemble entrance, they had rehearsed all morning to perfect such movents.
"Welco!"
"New friends!"
"Bow-wow-wow!"
As expected... Bologue sighed, knowing he shouldn’t have expected anything from this group.
With the welco show over, Serey grabbed the banner overhead and walked directly towards the woman near Bologue.
Serey had initially thought Aimou would be a tin can, but didn’t expect her to resemble a human, almost indistinguishable.
She was tall, her hair tied up high, and sowhat dazed by Serey’s performance. Before she could speak, Serey draped the banner over her.
"Welco! Welco!" Serey’s eyes sparkled, "You must be Aimou!"
Serey thought to himself, no wonder Bologue ignored Palr; how could Palr ever compete with such a lady?
Just like Bologue, she seed to have arrived straight from work without even changing clothes, still in her Order Bureau uniform. Yet this did not obscure her beauty; on the contrary, the normal attire accentuated it, even Serey had to admit, she was stunning.
Beautiful people look stunning in anything; a ragged dog remains a ragged dog no matter what it wears.
"You... Hello, I am Aimou."
Another voice spoke, and only then did Serey realize soone else had been there, hiding behind Bologue, finally peeking out.
"Oh, oh, you’re Aimou then."
Serey chuckled as he was about to hang the banner on Aimou, but as soon as he stepped forward, he suddenly realized sothing.
This lady was Aimou, so who was the previous one?
Serey turned abruptly, seeing the woman—unlike many first-ti visitors who were shocked and confused—after a brief surprise, she smiled and started curiously observing everyone present.
As a forr Night Race Lord, now an Undying Club bartender, Serey had lived for unknown ages, but when this gaze swept over him, he felt a pricking sensation as if he was being stabbed by needles.
"This is Aimou’s senior..." Bologue began introducing, but halfway through, Belli interrupted.
Belli extended her hand to Serey, completely unfazed by Serey’s odd appearance, and spoke.
"Hello, Belli Yiyeta, position: Sublimation Furnace Core Minister."
A silence washed over the room, leaving only the jukebox’s song playing on.
"Ba-li-la~ Ba-li-la~"
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