Chapter 70: Lake Light and Mountain Hues

At the entrance of Danbular Restaurant, the waiter respectfully opened the car door, and Lei En got in.

Viola asked with a bright smile, "You came out so fast; aren't you going to talk a bit longer with your old lover?"

"She is only a classmate, not a lover," Lei En explained calmly, grasping Viola's hand and smiling, "I have only one lover, and that's you."

Viola nodded in satisfaction, keenly sensed that Lei En seemed troubled, approached, and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Daisy mentioned my brother; he entered the Transcendent Academy," Lei En said calmly. "My relationship with my father is strained, and I haven't seen my family in a long time. But it's just a small matter; I'll find a time to go back later and talk it out with my father."

"If you need help, just tell me," Viola said, her eyes caring.

Lei En smiled, "I will."

The car sped down the street; it was Viola's private seat, and Lei En asked the driver to take him to his apartment in Los District.

The car stopped beneath the apartment building, drawing the gaze of many workers just off shift.

Most residents of Koshem Street are outsider tenants, not financially well‑off; cars of the upper elite rarely come here, especially at night.

Viola looked out the window, shook her head, and said, "So you live on Koshem Street; it's my first time here."

There was no contempt in her words, just a sense of novelty.

Lei En laughed unbothered, "For a commoner, having a place to stay is already great. I used to be a poor student; would I go rent in Silver Star District?"

"Indeed," Viola, not ignorant of commoners' hardships, looked at Lei En, "You couldn't afford it before, now you have money, so you can, right? Shall I help you find a good house in Silver Star District?"

She knew Lei En had recently made a fortune following the Demonhunter Master, and had joined the Exorcism Squad, earning a decent salary; even expensive houses in Silver Star District were affordable.

If she weren't afraid of hurting Lei En's pride, she would have given him a house.

It's only a few hundred Gold Shields.

Compared with the song "Viola by the Lakeside" that Lei En gave her, it's negligible.

Lei En considered carefully; the apartment could indeed be given up, as he has been staying overnight at the Basil Inn for training, rarely returning.

A house in Silver Star District could also be rented, making future activities convenient.

"Then I'll trouble you," Lei En said without politeness, directly agreeing.

They lingered in the car for a while; having just confirmed their relationship a few hours ago, they suddenly felt reluctant to part.

Viola, not shy, immediately had an idea, saying, "Tomorrow is the weekend; let's go to Dong Ting Hu for a two‑day trip! Autumn is approaching, which is the most beautiful time of year at Dong Ting Hu. The inspiration for my piece 'Dance in the Lake' came from Dong Ting Hu; I go on autumn outings there several times a year. This time, you should come too?"

It is early September; the Empire's summer has ended, and autumn is about to begin.

Lei En had never been to Dong Ting Hu; hearing Viola's suggestion sparked his interest, and he laughed, "Alright, but how do we get there?"

"Of course we take a steam yacht; my family has several private yachts. I'll go back and have someone arrange it, and we'll set off tomorrow," Viola said, looking forward, adding, "You don't need to prepare anything; just board at Silver Star Pier tomorrow morning."

"Everything follows your arrangement."

Lei En stopped lingering, gave Viola a light kiss on the cheek, and said goodbye before getting out of the car.

The car sped away, and he noticed nearby pedestrians and the windows upstairs, many eyes staring at him, whispering.

"This place is too conspicuous to stay any longer," Lei En muttered, and entered the apartment.

The next day, before dawn, Lei En got up, washed, began meditation, and when it ended it was morning; he changed into fresh clothes and left for the Basil Inn.

Viola said the autumn trip would be thoroughly arranged, yet Lei En could not afford to let his guard down.

He arrived at the Basil Inn, packed his finely forged war hammer and shotgun into a cloth sack, and then boarded the carriage bound for the pier.

At the Silver Star District pier, Lei En instantly spotted the steam yacht.

A white vessel moored at the shore, about fifty meters long, with three decks from top to bottom; although steam‑powered, it still bore tall masts and sails, its overall shape resembling a large shuttle, sleek and artistically beautiful.

Each side of the hull bore a striking emblem: seven stars encircling a silver flame, the crest of the Silvire family.

Perhaps people elsewhere in the Empire don't recognize it, but in Longshande, no one dares to disrespect it.

People on the pier gazed at the yacht from afar, their eyes full of awe and envy.

At this moment, a middle‑aged man looking like a steward stood on the deck, directing a group of servants to outfit the yacht, moving many items from the pier onto the ship.

Lei En didn't see Viola; she was probably inside the cabin.

He walked toward the boarding ladder, where two armored guards stood; upon seeing Lei En, one stepped forward and asked politely, "May I ask if you are Mr. Lei En?"

"That's me," Lei En thought, noting that Viola had indeed arranged everything thoroughly, even sending someone at the pier to welcome him.

"Mr. Lei En, please come aboard," the guard said, immediately leading Lei En up.

The people on the ship turned their gazes toward him, each silently scrutinizing Lei En and whispering.

They are the Duke family's retainers, aware that today Miss Viola is going on an autumn outing with a friend, and that the companion is a young man invited alone.

This amounts to a public announcement that Miss Viola finally has a lover!

Everyone is speculating who the lucky man is; now that they see the True Person, their eyes light up—at least in appearance, this young gentleman seems worthy of Miss Viola.

Being stared at by so many, Lei En's expression remained unchanged; he had long anticipated such a day.

As soon as he entered the cabin, Viola appeared before him, naturally moving to loop her arm around Lei En's, smiling, "You're here—have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then you're just in time; I made a few wraps and some juice myself." Viola today wore a loose, casually elegant outfit; her golden hair was loosely tied at the back, revealing her petite pointed ears. Nothing concealed her beauty; instead it added a homely charm.

"Then I'll have to savor it properly." Lei En set the cloth sack he was holding onto the cabin floor, producing a faint clatter.

Viola guessed the sack contained Lei En's weapons, but she ignored it, simply pulling Lei En up to the second deck.

Here was a set of small tables and chairs; a vase of fresh flowers sat on the table, and the surrounding railings were adorned with gauze, turning the deck into a balcony.

Looking up, the expansive upper deck displayed a luxurious sofa, beside it a keyboard organ, its presence on the ship a mystery.

Lei En could only sigh, "The rich really know how to indulge," and then sat down.

Viola served breakfast; Lei En was indeed a bit hungry, so he took it and ate.

One must admit, Viola's cooking was excellent; it was the most delicious breakfast Lei En had eaten since he crossed into Ai Lun E Si.

Moreover, it represented Viola's affection; he ate with relish.

Viola also sat down to eat, her posture elegant yet unpretentious, forming a sharp contrast to Lei En's ravenous gulping.

Not long after, the servants loaded everything needed for the autumn outing onto the yacht, then withdrew with the butler, leaving only three or four in the cabin to wait on them, along with two guards.

The yacht quickly started moving, leaving the dock and heading north along the Feileiglen River with the current.

The Feileiglen River was the largest river in the ducal domain, splitting Longshande in two. It flowed from south to north, from Longshande to Dong Ting Hu—a distance of only just over two hundred li.

The Oriense Empire's unit of distance, the "li," was also called the "bow li," based on the distance a legendary ranger could shoot an arrow at full strength. It was further divided into one thousand paces, each pace was three feet, and each foot was divided into ten inches.

Lei En had done the conversion: one li in the Empire was roughly equal to nine hundred meters on Diqiu.

Dong Ting Hu was not far from Longshande; at this steam yacht's speed, they could arrive in three or four hours.

The yacht soon sailed out of the city district. Many of the boats passing on the river cast curious glances at the yacht.

Lei En sat on the sofa on the top deck, idly plucking away at the key harp.

Viola did not want to draw too much attention, so she put on a straw hat and lowered a layer of fine white gauze from its brim to cover her face.

The sky today was a clear blue, and the sunlight was not blazing—comfortable and pleasant.

The Feileiglen River's waters were not turbulent. The banks had no very precipitous mountain ranges and were relatively flat. As far as the eye could see, there were endless fields and pastoral scenery. The fresh river breeze blew across their faces, lifting their spirits.

The yacht's pilot and servants all stayed in the lower cabin to rest, not coming up to disturb Lei En and Viola, letting them enjoy their time together.

Enjoying the riverside scenery along the way, eating fine food and fruit, accompanied by a beauty, Lei En felt thoroughly content.

Before they knew it, half a day had passed.

"Dong Ting Hu is here."

Viola pointed at the expanse of water stretching out ahead and said lightly.

The yacht continued forward and soon entered a vast lake whose shores could not be seen at all. If not for the clear, tranquil surface, the water's jade-green and blue hues, and the delicate islands and hills dotting the distance, one would have thought they had reached the sea.

"Where are we going?" Lei En admired the lake and mountain scenery, then turned back to ask.

"Not to Dong Ting City, in any case." Viola had been here many times and had long since made plans for the autumn outing. She said, "We'll go to the middle of the lake. There's a small island covered in red spruce trees—very beautiful, and not many people visit it."

Over an hour later, the yacht arrived at its destination, docking by the shore of an island.

Looking out, this small island rose and fell in elevation, covered with tens of thousands of tall red spruce trees, their leaves all dyed red by autumn.

As the autumn wind blew, the trees swayed, and vast expanses of red leaves rippled like ocean waves. The layers of forest were fully dyed, reflected on the lake's surface, leaving one marveling endlessly.

At this scene, Lei En very much wanted to recite a poem.

His personal library did have a few suitable poems he could copy, but he didn't know how to translate them into the Aurelien Language—translating classical poetry was too difficult.

After struggling for a long while, Lei En finally let out: "Ah, it's so beautiful!"

Viola nearly spat out the juice in her mouth, barely managing to keep her composure.

She suppressed her laughter and said, "Now that we've arrived at Dong Ting Hu, shouldn't you play 'Viola by the Lake' once to express yourself? I even brought the key harp."

"So that was your idea all along."

Lei En smiled helplessly but did not refuse. In such a beautiful lake, it was indeed very fitting to play this piece—a perfect match.

He sat down before the key harp, took a soft breath, and his ten fingers flew. A beautiful melody poured from his fingertips, rippling outward in circles over the lake's surface.

Viola watched Lei En without blinking, listening intently, her eyes filled with delight and joy.

When the piece ended, she applauded warmly: "That was wonderful. I love this piece so much. Lei En, thank you."

"You can come over and play it for me to hear too." Lei En vacated the seat.

"Alright." Viola stood up.

Lei En leaned against the railing, ready to enjoy her performance.

Just then, a maid came up holding a tray with both hands, on which were placed fruit and food. She lowered her head slightly and climbed the stairs, ascending to the top deck, preparing to set the tray on the table.

Lei En glanced at the maid and suddenly felt she was somewhat unfamiliar—the one who had brought food up before was not this maid. He instinctively activated his Soul Eye.

The maid's head became illusory, revealing a soul state.

"A Level Four Gunner!"

Lei En's expression changed drastically. Before he could call out a warning, this unidentified gunner swept away the tray, revealing a rune-covered soul gun, and fired at Viola.

In a flash, Lei En lunged forward without hesitation, shielding Viola with his body while simultaneously activating Iron Body at full power.

Bang!

A violent gunshot rang out across the lake.

(PS: Thank you all for your encouragement and support, thank you! There's one more chapter coming shortly, just a few hundred words to go.)

(End of this chapter)