Seven days later, Duke left his cabin and, as before, headed to the dining lounge for a meal. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The dining lounge in the middle of the airship was located on the top floor of the hull, a spacious area surrounded on three sides by alchemical crystal walls.

Duke had seen this kind of design in upscale venues in Harbor City, expensive yet discreetly proclaiming the special status of this airship.

It was now afternoon, and sunlight poured through the crystal walls, casting large patches of flowing iridescent light on the polished dark oak floor.

The interior of the restaurant had a sparse and pleasing layout.

An off-white marble bar occupied a corner on the east side, displaying dozens of crystal decanters of various shapes, with amber, gem red, and emerald green liquor reflecting a warm texture in the light.

The scattered dining tables were arranged in a staggered manner, with the spacing between tables just right, neither too empty nor too cramped for private conversation.

The most marvelous were the living vines hanging from the dome. Duke couldn’t identify the specific species, only noting the slender silver-green leaves cascading from the alchemical chandelier bases, swaying gently in the magically warmed breeze, and the leaf edges occasionally exuded extremely fine droplets, sparkling like shattered diamonds in the light.

It was a type of alchemical plant that maintained air humidity and also served a decorative purpose.

Today, only one elven bard was present, sitting alone in the western corner, playing a variation of an ancient West Coast ballad on the harp.

Like a stream warmed by afternoon sun, the notes slowly flowed from the harp’s strings.

Duke chose a spot by the window.

The view here was excellent. Through the sloped crystal wall, you could see the boundless sea of clouds spreading out three hundred meters below, pure white, soft, and silent.

Occasionally, a distant airship grazed the edge of the clouds, its hull shimmering with fine rune glimmers in the sunlight, like the scales of a deep-sea fish.

He ordered a glass of elven vintage and a serving of grilled silver cod. The waiter, presumably highly trained, executed everything silently and placed the cups and plates with precision.

The cod on the white porcelain plate was grilled to a golden brown, slightly charred, accompanied by lemon slices and an unknown light green sauce.

The elven vintage refracted a pale golden halo in the crystal glass, with fine droplets condensation on the glass wall.

Duke was about to raise his glass—

"Lord Duke?"

A voice came from slightly ahead on the side, with a hint of hesitation as if afraid of mistaking him for someone else.

Duke looked up and saw the young witch who had sat next to him at the evening party standing in the middle of the aisle with a tray.

Today, she wore a simple gray-blue magic robe, modest in style, with only a small emblem of a flame, symbolizing the Tower of Ashes, embroidered at the neckline.

The magic robe wasn’t particularly well-fitting, with slightly long cuffs, seemingly taken from the bottom of her trunk for formal occasions.

She had tied her long dark chestnut hair into a neat bun, secured with an ordinary ebony hairpin, with several strands of loose hair not quite obediently falling by her ear.

Her facial features were regular but not stunning, her expression carrying the cautious softness commonly seen in those from minor backgrounds. At this moment, she stood there, fingers slightly tightening around the tray, with a constrained expression that mixed the desire to greet him with the fear of mistaken identity.

Duke nodded slightly: "Please, have a seat."

The witch visibly exhaled a sigh of relief, her brows relaxing.

She walked over quickly, gently placing the tray on the table and sitting opposite Duke.

The food on her tray was very simple and inexpensive, creating a subtle contrast with the exquisite silver utensils and white tablecloth of the air dining room.

"I am Lis." She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a somewhat awkward smile, "Lis Vera from the Tower of Ashes, sitting next to you at the evening party."

As she spoke, her gaze quickly swept over Duke’s face before quickly lowering again, landing on her excessively plain salad.

"I remember," Duke said.

Lis’s eyes immediately brightened, like amber set aflame by candlelight.

She appeared not to have expected him to remember, but in truth, Duke had to recall for a bit before remembering Lis’s name.

The two casually talked a bit, with Lis seeming particularly reserved.

Duke forked a piece of cod, chewing slowly.

Outside the window, a solitary cloud was slowly sliding below the airship.

In the thin spots of cloud, the deep blue sea below could faintly be seen, shimmering like scales.

Lis didn’t seem to mind his reticence; she took small bites of her salad, occasionally glancing at the cloud sea outside the window, then at Duke, several times opening her mouth as if to speak but then stopping.

The weak fruit tea was picked up and put down, repeatedly, the silver spoon making almost no sound as it stirred within the cup.

Eventually, she spoke.

"Last night..." Her voice lowered to an almost whisper, her body unconsciously leaning forward a few inches, "Miss Vera and others held a small party in the VIP lounge."

Duke looked up at her.

Lis bit the thin soft skin inside her lower lip. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the handle of the silver fork, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"They only invited about a dozen people," she said, "Lord Visenfels, Lord Leon, Sir Maurice... and a few others I didn’t quite recognize."

She paused, her throat moving slightly, with a hint of barely concealed bitterness in her voice:

"All the top talents from various places, with those of us from smaller backgrounds..." she lowered her eyes, "naturally not on the list."

She didn’t continue.

Outside the window, a cloud drifted past, briefly dimming the sunlight for a few seconds before it poured back in once the cloud moved away.

The light patches slowly crawled across the tablecloth, climbing onto the back of Lis’s hand where she tightly gripped the silver fork.