Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 688: Dream of the Golden Rose_4

"But Shami found his way, he no longer discarded the dust swept from the goldsmith’s shop, but brought it all back to his hovel, day after day, sifting through the dust in the night for those slivers of gold the Goldsmith had filed off. He succeeded when his temples turned grey, and he became a lame, ugly old man; he had gained his own Golden Rose."

"Selecting grains of gold from the gravel, he melted them into a Golden Rose that was supposed to bring happiness."

"Unfortunately, this gift could never be given to the one Shami held dear in his heart, as she had gone to a place his fingers could no longer reach."

"A gaunt old man gave me the Golden Rose and its story because I was the first person to pass by the hovel under the bridge that day, and I shared with everyone I met the joy of my impending voyage as a captain."

"Take her to a more beautiful place," the old man left those words behind and kept himself in the past."

"The unexpressed Golden Rose, that’s the name of this cursed treasure. It can sense the emotions of its bearer and attempts to find their beloved, but it will never reach the hands of that person."

"To me, the Golden Rose is a precious treasure that is all too easy to lose."

...

The tale of the Golden Rose received satisfying responses from the three women, Susanna stood up, ready to return the Golden Rose to the polite captain, just as he said, this Golden Rose would only fall into the wrong hands."

Irason squatted on the spot, hugging his knees and pondering while looking at Susanna’s retreating figure.

"Wait a moment," Princess grasped Susanna’s shoulder. She smiled at Captain Alexan, "We will return the Golden Rose to you, but first, we’d like to ask you for a small favor."

"Princess," Susanna gave her a look.

The White Dragon Priest continued, "Captain, you must have a large ship, right? What do you think about trading the Golden Rose for two tickets to board the deck? My two friends here would like to try the feeling of drifting on the high seas."

Princess slapped Susanna’s hand gently, "Originally, Bordelis was going to take you surfing, but taking a ship has more of that sailing the high seas feeling, I personally think."

After thinking it over, the Cursed Captain nodded, "I agree, but ladies, my ship..."

"What, is taking us for a ride too difficult?"

"No, it’s not that. My ship is a ghost ship. If you’re looking to have fun, boarding a haunted ship might ruin the atmosphere."

Susanna smiled, "A ghost ship, isn’t that even better?" Irason also nodded excitedly with sparkling eyes.

The White Dragon Priest shrugged and returned the Golden Rose to Alexan, who placed it carefully in a small wooden box wound with coral, then tucked it into a nook on the right side of his chest.

"Well, the Golden Rose is returned to you, Captain. Where is your ghost ship, has it docked yet?"

Alexan looked a bit embarrassed, "Actually, that’s the second reason I came to see you all. My ghost ship has been detained."

"Ah? You don’t mean to say..."

Alexan looked pained.

"My sailors and ship were dragged into deep water by a white long-legged sea serpent, the creature named Bordelis. I was thrown ashore by it. He demanded I consult with the Dragon Priest to decide what to do with my crew. Honorable Lady, I am deeply sorry for entering your waters uninvited, please forgive our ignorance and rudeness."

Irason looked at Susanna, who shyly stuck out her tongue.

"I did ask Little Bohr to help guard the beach, yeah."

Princess covered her cheeks, her face showing a contented smile,

"Bordelis has finally toughened up, truly my pupil!"

...

Princess and Alexan swam ahead, they were diving down, preparing to look for the White Dragon Bordelis and the detained ghost ship. Susanna and Irason swam hand in hand; both were beginners at swimming, Susanna had never even been in a lake, but she was calmer than Irason."

Irason tapped on his companion’s wooden armor and communicated within the diving hood that had been adapted from living seaweed.

"Why can wood sink down?"

"Wood floats because there are air pockets inside, it has less density. I can control the internal density of plants."

"You seem not to be afraid of water anymore, Susanna, you’ve never been in a pond before."

```

"I was never afraid of water, I was afraid of the things hidden within it, but this stretch of water lacks that indescribable feeling of closeness."

"Because this is the territory guarded by the White Dragon, the whispers of the sleepers cannot reach here."

Susanna poked the side of the Green Dragon Priest who, with a waist as lean as a lobster, twisted through the water.

"You found out what I was afraid of, I thought I hid it so well."

"No matter how well you hide it, after several decades together, it’s been exposed. Stop treating me like a fool, fool Susanna!"

"Alright, fool."

The two continued to fall toward the lightless depths, the beautiful coral silhouettes under the sunlight now forgotten, as the ice crystals left by the White Dragon Priest pointed the way in the empty ocean. They could feel the warmth from the touch of each other’s bodies, in the void, they found comfort only in each other.

"Meeting Susanna has been my happiness."

"You were with me when I was lost, supported me when I was discouraged."

"When I was nearly driven mad by the nightmares of the Evil God, it was you who saved me and helped me escape that nightmare."

"Susanna, you’re the best."

The tall wooden puppet held the elf in its arms.

"Fool, the one who was saved is me."

"Born amidst the nightmares with my father’s chaotic soul, wailing in confusion, tormenting and being tormented by my own kind."

"You have an endearing charm, Irason. You helped me find my humanity, made me realize what I really wanted. I wanted to be liked, depended on, embraced and adored by others, just like you, instead of fulfilling the stupid destiny my evil father bestowed upon me. You showed me that I am needed."

"Actually, you’re capable of doing all those things, aren’t you? Pretending to be a fool all day long, how can a fool become a Dragon Priest, the formidable foe of the Evil God."

Irason let out a light laugh.

"That’s right! I’m not a fool, it’s just that Susanna is too capable! I just need to eat, drink, and be merry! Please, Susanna, keep taking care of me!"

"Fool."

Their confessions seemed too much for even the sea to bear, as the undercurrent started to converge, giving them a sensation like seasickness deep underwater. The waters around them suddenly began to shake, a pity they didn’t have the mermaids’ sensory organs to hear what the White Dragon Priest was saying.

Fortunately, they didn’t need to hear. The turbulent tide tugged at their bodies like ropes, and a huge white phantom shape continuously materialized in the gloom of the deep sea, the White Dragon Bordelis churned up waves, his contracting wings slicing through the water, leaving spirals in his wake. On his dragon spine, a ghost ship shone a ghastly green, like a lantern returning from the netherworld.

Adjusting the currents, the ghost ship on the dragon’s back deftly caught the two women. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Hold on to the mast!" Alexan swallowed a bellyful of water, his ghost ship letting out worrying groans under the White Dragon’s acceleration; the only person cheering throughout was the White Dragon Priest, coiled around the dragon’s horn. She sang with excitement, repeatedly patting Bordelis’s head.

"Amazing! Faster, Bohr! Even faster!"

As the ram broke through the water’s surface, among the splashes, Irason and Susanna clutched the railing, watching their long hair float in the air, painting streaks of water against the clouds backlit by the sun.

...

After frolicking for a day, the Elf Executive returned to the Dream Forest and found herself again with a two-hour blitz of state affairs, gratefully farewelled by the Elf Queen Tiffany, back to her secluded treehouse.

She plunged into the Dreamland.

In Dreamland, all the joys and sorrows of sleep gather.

But today, it seemed there was an extra bit of joy.

A beautiful Golden Rose floated in front of her, and while most things in dreams are indistinct, the Golden Rose’s minute details were clearly evident, obviously the work of the Dreamwalker.

"Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I’ve always remembered this moment, the moment I met you, the day my sister Susanna was born."

"My Golden Rose has been conveyed."

"Happy Birthday, Susanna."

```