Chapter 1: Romantic Encounters in Dream City (Middle)_1

The green liquid in the crystal glass bubbled up, sending forth a rich aroma that assailed his nose. Sky Scar grasped the glass, slowly moving it towards himself. He stared blankly at the fragrant green liquid, thinking to himself that this drink would probably have a good taste, even though he had no idea how to drink it. He was indeed thirsty, so why not just give it a shot? Without further hesitation, he closed his eyes, tilted back his head, and gulled the large cup of green liquor all at once.

As the liquid went down his throat, apart from the mellow flavor, it also brought a fiery sensation, as if a blazing fire was burning within him. This scorching feeling turned Sky Scar's face beet red swiftly. This was his first time drinking alcohol and as the liquor slid down his throat, two shining tears welled up in his eyes. These were not tears of pain, but rather stinging tears caused by the spicy and hot sensation. His mind felt dizzy and his vision started blurring. Surprisingly, the pain in his heart didn't feel so acute anymore. "No wonder they all say alcohol is a good thing, it feels so good! Today, I'm finally having a good time. Let's have a blast!"

The veins in the hand that was holding the glass throbbed visibily as his hand turned pale from gripping too tight. The fiery liquid did not appear to thaw even a bit of the iceberg in his heart, yet everything in front of him started to blur. A wave of dizziness, increasing in severity, continuously invaded the depths of his mind.

The crystal glass was thin and in the end, it could not withstand Sky Scar's tight grip, and gave a light, crisp sound. The shards of crystal, accompanied by fresh blood, fell to the ground, making a tingling sound. "Damn, such bad luck, what is this glass made of? It must be a knock-off." Sky Scar grumbled indignantly. Actually, how many of the rich people who drank alcohol would do so like him?

"Sir, are you alright?" asked the waiter who had brought the drink earlier, bowing respectfully. He was not surprised at all by Sky Scar's behavior having seen much crazier antics before.

Sky Scar lifted his head, and his blurry eyes flashed a cold glare due to his melancholy, "It would be odd if I were alright! Leave me be, and bring more drinks. The same kind as before, keep them coming until I say stop."

The waiter furrowed his brows, "Sir, you'll get drunk if you keep going like this. That Dream Green has a strong kick."

Sky Scar forcefully slammed his hand onto the metal table in front of him, leaving behind a bright red handprint, "Isn't this place supposed to be paradise? Now you're refusing paradise's command?" His voice was full of anger, but also edged with a touch of bitterness. Being used to being looked down upon, he had decided to vent today, and naturally, he wanted to vent to his heart's content.

"Yes, sir, as you wish." The waiter, without any further ado, brought two more cups of the same green liquid in front of Sky Scar in just a few breaths.

Once again without the slightest hesitation, he threw back another cup. He didn't know if it was due to the blood loss or the impact of the drink called Dream Green, but his consciousness became even more blurry.

"What's the point in drinking alone? I'll keep you company, is that okay?" A cool and soft little hand grabbed Sky Scar's still bleeding right hand. The coolness numbed the pain, and the already fuzzy-minded Sky Scar did not realize that his right hand had stopped bleeding, and even the wound had healed a bit.

A pair of bright eyes appeared in front of him. "Will you let me keep you company as you drink?"

"Company...company me?" Sky Scar gazed at the bright eyes in a daze, that was the only thing he could distinguish clearly at the moment. "Alright. If you want to drink, then drink. But I don't have the money to pay for your drinks. If you're not afraid of being thrown out, go ahead." This was the last sentence he uttered coherently that day. The moment after, the heat from two more cups of Dream Green swallowed up most of his consciousness.

The bright eyes blinked, "No money? Interesting. Despite having no money, you dare to drink the most expensive Dream Green. It seems you're truly special. Since you have already fallen so low, you won't mind shouldering something more. Don't blame me."

The dutiful waiter, while clearing the empty glasses, served two more glasses of Dream Green. Sky Scar gulped down one, and the other disappeared from his sight.

The owner of the bright eyes stuck out her tongue naughtily and set the empty glass aside. Her action was much more graceful than Sky Scar's. "Such a strong kick, he actually managed to drink four glasses. Hey, I don't even know your name?"

"Name, I... I won't tell you. Or, answer a question for me, then I might tell you." Sky Scar's slurred speech was barely understandable due to his stiffened tongue. However, the bright-eyed lady still managed to understand. With a curious face, she asked, "What question?"

Sky Scar abruptly grasped her cold little hands, his eyes somewhat blank. "Tell me, am I impotent?" he asked.

"Im...impotent?" The girl with the bright eyes raised her voice an octave in surprise. She didn't know how to respond to the handsome young man in front of her who had brought up such an issue.

Sky Scar self-mockingly laughed. "Yeah, impotent. That's what you think too, right? But, I am not impotent, I — am — not — im — potent —" He roared in the loudest voice he could muster. The sound waves reverberated through the great hall and attracted all sorts of derisive and curious gazes. The noise in the hall grew even louder.

Having shouted out the words he most wanted to utter, the power of the dreamy green drink fully erupted, and Sky Scar slowly collapsed onto the soft couch. The girl with the bright eyes didn't seem to pay any attention to the strange looks around them. A strange smile played on her lips. "Why would he ask me such a thing? Is he impotent? I guess I'll find out soon. Waiter, check please."

"Of course, esteemed miss," the waiter responded, displaying no emotion as was probably dictated by his special training. He took the gold card from the girl's hand, bowed, and then said, "That will be five cups of Dreamy Green drink, totaling 3000 Galaxy Coins."

If Sky Scar had been conscious, his mouth would certainly have hung open in surprise. Three thousand Galaxy Coins was equivalent to the tuition for five years at Zhongting Academy; this was an amount that not many people could afford, even in the flourishing Planet Zhongting. After all, a hundred Galaxy Coins could comfortably sustain an average family for a month.

In a moment, the gold card was back in the hands of the girl with the bright eyes. She stood up, pulled Sky Scar's arm over her shoulder. He hung on her, but she didn't appear burdened in the slightest. She strode directly to the back of Dream City.

...

Groaning, Sky Scar slowly regained consciousness. The pounding headache left his mind a blur. His body was surrounded by a faint fragrance, wrapped in a soft warmth—it felt like being held in his mother's arms.

His experiences at the Academy had trained Sky Scar to quickly return to his senses. As he took in his surroundings, his immediate response was to leap from the soft bed.

Where was this? Why was he here? He checked his body, aside from some discomfort in his lower region, and saw no signs of having been beaten up. A heat rose in his chest. Could it be that the people at Dream City not only didn't come after him for his debt but even got him a beautiful woman to enjoy instead? Regret surged in his heart. He lost his first time just like that. He laughed and cried at the same moment, murmuring to himself, "You could have at least let me enjoy the moment! Why leave in such a hurry?"

Sky Scar had never seen a room so luxuriously decorated. The huge round bed, the pillows and quilt all pink, the room itself was a hundred square meters in space and had every facility he knew or did not know of. His Academy uniform was neatly folded on the side. He was naked.

The sight of a fresh red stain peeking out from the edge of the pink blanket caught his attention. He instinctively lifted the blanket. He froze because what he saw was a patch of blood, not a lot, but enough to suggest something. In the middle of the stain was a metallic, silver bead.

His misery from yesterday was now overshadowed by his surprise. He scooped up the still warm bead, looking at the bloodstain, he bitterly laughed, questioning himself, "Oh my god! What have I done?" He tried to search his memory, what remained of his memory was a pair of mysterious, bright eyes.

He examined the warm, metallic bead. He knew some people at the Academy who could afford to play with such items, they weren't anything advanced but they could be used to record sound and images. His heartbeat increased. Just who was that girl who was not only his first but whose first was also him? It appeared he hadn't fared too badly! At least the girl was also a first-timer. His regret deepened even more, and he kept thinking about how good it might've felt to enjoy that soul-destroying sensation. The girl had a pair of bright eyes, her looks wouldn't be any less. But it was too late, she was gone. He looked around and his head began to deswirl, he concluded that he has to slip out unnoticed. He proceeded to check the metallic bead.

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