Chapter 163: The Evening Party Begins

As the sky gradually darkened, the other people from the academy also came to the banquet hall of the reception house.

At this moment, the banquet hall was brightly lit, with light streaming from the surrounding lanterns, casting a fiery red glow over the entire grand hall.

At this time, the table was filled with dishes carefully prepared by Yixian, and all the shipgirls gathered around the table, waiting for the evening party to begin.

Finally, amid everyone's anticipation, the Prince of Wales stepped out from the erected stage.

"I feel this is the most attended gathering we've had besides meetings," the Prince of Wales said, smiling at the crowd below.

"Tonight is Donghuang's New Year's Eve; according to Donghuang tradition, there is a custom for families to reunite and eat the New Year's feast, staying up late. But since we each come from different factions, some customs are not uniformly observed.

"Usually, when celebrating the New Year, it's Yixian and her group who celebrate together, but because it's not a very formal holiday, many people are scattered, so this year I wanted to gather everyone together.

"Coincidentally, Qin Ge is quite familiar with this, so I entrusted him to organize this Spring Festival gala for everyone; seeing how everyone looks now, I feel it's turned out quite well.

"Therefore, I hope everyone can enjoy a happy New Year's Eve today, make wishes for the new year, and continue striving for our mission next year."

As the Prince of Wales finished speaking, thunderous applause rose from the audience.

Then, as Biyu appeared, the applause gradually faded, for everyone knew the main event of the day had arrived.

"Good day, instructors; I am Biyu of the Sakura Empire, and I am deeply honored to have been invited by my commander and the dean to host this Spring Festival gala.

"On this occasion of the Donghuang Spring Festival's arrival, I, on my own behalf, wish everyone smooth operations, successful sorties, and victorious returns!

"Next, let us begin the formal segment of tonight's Spring Festival gala. The cultural performances presented by the academy members will allow everyone to enjoy the New Year's feast while awaiting the arrival of spring, immersed in beautiful artistic displays.

After Biyu finished speaking, warm applause rose from below, for everyone had been waiting a long time for this moment—some clenched their fists, others felt anxious.

But regardless of the reason, everyone is eagerly anticipating this Spring Festival gala.

"Next, first to appear is our academy's dean, the Prince of Wales, who will bring us a ballroom dance; as a dance partner, you surely know her well—it is my commander's shipgirl, Guanghui. Please welcome them with applause," Biyu said to the crowd.

Immediately, thunderous applause rose from the audience, for the Prince of Wales usually appears before people with a dignified demeanor, as she is the dean of the Commander Academy and must uphold its dignity.

But today, here, we are all staff of the same academy, so there is no need to maintain such solemnity; therefore, as a Royal diplomatic officer, the Prince of Wales naturally chose a ballroom dance as her performance.

As for choosing Guanghui as her dance partner, that too was the result of much thought, for there are hardly any Royal shipgirls in the Commander Academy—it would be impossible to have the Prince of Wales dance with a female admiral, after all.

Thus, the Prince of Wales naturally settled on her old friend Guanghui as her target; however, Guanghui did not immediately agree, but after informing Qin Ge and obtaining his consent, she then agreed to the Prince of Wales's request.

This makes the Prince of Wales always wear a teasing smile whenever she sees Guanghui.

Biyu on stage descended with the applause, and at the first backstage area, the Prince of Wales took Guanghui's hand and walked out.

As the music gradually rose, the two began a ballroom dance on stage. Though the Prince of Wales is a shipgirl, she bears a heroic spirit, so standing beside the gracefully flowing white-clad Guanghui feels completely natural.

Even Qin Ge thought they danced quite well; he even felt a desire, if time allowed, to ask Guanghui for advice on how to dance better.

When the music stopped, the two ceased their splendid dance, smiled at the audience, performed a Royal salute, and the crowd below gave them warm applause.

Appreciating such an elegant ballroom dance is not easy in itself, and moreover, being performed by two Royal shipgirls makes it all the more a delight.

And as the Prince of Wales and Guanghui stepped down from the stage, Biyu once again walked to the front.

"Thank you very much, Dean Prince of Wales and Guanghui, for the splendid dance; next, please welcome Yixian, who will present us with a traditional Donghuang piece, 'Yangchun Baxue'."

As Biyu's announcement ended, Yixian, dressed in a cheongsam, carried a pipa onto the stage; with a wave of her hand, a round stool appeared in the center of the stage, she sat down, and began her performance.

As the notes sounded slowly, Qin Ge finally understood the feeling conveyed in Bai Juyi's "Pipa Xing": the loud strings clatter like sudden rain, the fine strings whisper like private talk, the loud and fine strings interlace in disordered plucking, large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.

When the piece "Yangchun Baxue" ended, the venue erupted in warm applause, for music, as a special language, is universal.

Although some shipgirls from other factions cannot feel the meaning embedded in "Yangchun Baxue," they can still comprehend it; it is a very refined piece, and with such a perfect rendition, the entire performance sounds like celestial music to the ears, leaving an endless aftertaste.

Right after Yixian's performance ended, Mikasa, the longest-serving instructor at the Commander Academy, took the stage to perform a song.

Next, A Furore of the instructor team, along with Lan Li and several others, went up to perform their respective acts; each performance received warm applause, for ordinarily everyone appears rather stern—of course, except A Furore.

However, a small disturbance occurred during the performance: a female admiral, wearing a banquet gown, accidentally stepped on her own cape while playing the orchestral music and nearly fell; of course, everyone just laughed it off.

Immediately after, Shuanghai and Anshan, four people each, brought their own pieces; each sang with great sincerity and sounded exceptionally pleasant, raising the atmosphere of the entire gala.

Besides these cultural performances, when Maryland took the stage she presented a martial arts demonstration; this idea was, of course, given to her by Qin Ge before the gala began.

During the performance, the fist wind was fierce; each punch thrown and each turn made carried waves of killing intent, letting the audience find it both novel and stimulating, with applause continuing unabated...