An Acquaintance from a Thousand Years Ago

On the stage, there were quite a few props for the performance.

The wooden balcony railing gleamed with a warm, dark brown luster under the illumination of magic devices. A door was set behind the balcony, and beyond it lay a simple, unadorned room.

Everything inside the room was laid bare under the watchful eyes of the audience, without any concealment... In truth, there wasn't much to see; the room was stripped down to just a bed and a set of table and chairs.

The plot gradually took a romantic and intimate turn.

The male lead, played by a female elf, wrapped her arm around the waist of the noble young lady, played by a human girl. The young lady leaned back with her arms spread wide like a Latin dancer, displaying an elegant curve.

The opera also incorporated dance, and the dramatic performances drew continuous gasps of amazement from the audience below.

Following that, the cross-dressing elven male lead and the young lady shared a kiss, falling onto the bed in a tight embrace.

It was clear that the two actresses were quite dedicated to their roles.

Down below, a few frivolous audience members even whistled.

However, this was a proper theatrical play, so naturally, there wouldn't be any explicit scenes. The pitch-black curtain slowly drew to a close, inch by inch swallowing the carved patterns of the balcony, the outline of the door, and the two figures embracing on the narrow bed.

A narrator's voice and singing rang out, signifying that this was a romantic night.

"Xia Lun... what do you think they're doing?" Aina's fingers interlocked with Xia Lun's, her fingertips gently teasing his palm.

Aina demanded it from him three or four times every night, yet she was still asking him about this? Xia Lun silently muttered in his heart.

Xia Lun replied, "I don't know."

"Is that so? I don't know either." Aina narrowed her eyes, smiling slyly.

"Perhaps we could ask Liyana."

For some reason, Xia Lun thought of the lesbian elf again. She would definitely love this play... because the male lead was played by a valiant and heroic female elf.

If Liyana were here, she might just sneak onto the stage, pull the elven actress aside, and declare, "Let me take it from here!"

Xia Lun chuckled; Liyana might actually do something like that.

Aina seemed a bit annoyed, as if her mood had been ruined by Xia Lun suddenly mentioning Liyana.

Aina lifted Xia Lun's hand and, with a soft growl, bit down on his wrist.

The little fangs of the vampire gently pierced Xia Lun's skin. Xia Lun only felt a tingling sensation, not pain.

"What's wrong?" Xia Lun was a bit puzzled as to why Aina would suddenly start sucking his blood at a time like this.

"Nothing, I just want to eat you." Aina put on a fierce look, which was actually quite adorable.

It was a rather terrible way of putting it, making it hard not to misunderstand.

"Save it for tonight," Xia Lun smiled. He knew Aina understood just as much as he did, and there was definitely an innuendo in her words.

The two of them had actually figured things out as they went along in the beginning, building up their experience bit by bit together.

"Hmph," Aina snorted softly, pretending not to understand as she continued to hold Xia Lun's wrist and gnaw on it.

But Xia Lun could feel that Aina's mood had improved a bit.

The curtain slowly opened. The original props had all been removed, and the stage now presented a completely different scene.

The scene shifted to a solemn courtroom. The judge sat at the long table in the center, striking his gavel, and then began to recite the protagonist's crimes in a dignified operatic tone.

As one finished singing, another took the stage. After the judge finished his piece, a group of young girls rushed onto the stage, gathering around the male lead and beginning to argue in his defense with a melodious and graceful singing tone.

Xia Lun suddenly felt that this plot was inexplicably familiar.

"What opera is this?" Xia Lun asked Aina in a low voice so as not to disturb the others.

"The Elven Phantom Thief," Aina replied.

Xia Lun's eyes widened, and he said in surprise, "This is still popular? And it's even been adapted into an opera?"

It was hard to imagine that this series had actually become a timeless classic.

"After all, it's been over a thousand years. This play was popular for quite a long time..." Aina explained slowly, then raised her eyebrows toward the center of the audience. "And right now... the audience of this play from a thousand years ago aren't even dead yet."

Xia Lun looked in the direction Aina had indicated and indeed noticed that among the audience, there were quite a few elderly elves... perhaps some even older than him and Aina.

Xia Lun was once again given a direct reminder of the incredibly long lifespans of the elven race.

"Moreover, The Elven Phantom Thief series is still being updated even now," Aina quietly added, revealing something that surprised Xia Lun quite a bit. "Although it's not as popular as it used to be, there are still nostalgic people who follow it."

"Is that so? I remember you really disliked this story." Xia Lun hadn't expected Aina to be so well-informed about these things.

Aina replied casually, "Well... I came here before and asked that author for a little favor."

Xia Lun thought for a long time before he finally recalled the name of that elven author. They had even caught her together in the past. At that time, just like the phantom thief in the story, she had been climbing a balcony to gather material: "Miss Marie?"

"That's right, to collect your memories regarding Miss Marie." Aina paused slightly. "I didn't delete all your memories of interacting with other women just because I was jealous. Miss Ankula was just an accident. If it weren't for that temporal rift earlier, I really wouldn't have been able to find your memories of her."

"Even if you really did that, I wouldn't blame you." Xia Lun gently held Aina's hand. "I would only think that your jealous look is very cute."

The corners of Aina's mouth lifted slightly.

Up ahead, the opera came to an end, and thunderous applause rang out through the theater. The actors on stage bowed to the audience in gratitude.

Xia Lun clapped symbolically, while Aina sat in her seat without moving an inch... It seemed she truly didn't like this story.

"Today, we have also invited the author of the Fairy Phantom Thief series, Miss Marie, to give a concluding speech for this perfect opera performance... Let's give her a round of applause!" the host announced loudly from the stage. Through simple sound transmission magic, it sounded as if he were speaking right in front of everyone.

Thunderous applause erupted once again from the audience. Among those who came to watch the opera today, there were likely quite a few of Marie's fans.

Marie slowly walked onto the stage.

"Ahem, I am very glad to be able to..."

In reality, she was just reciting a script. Marie had memorized what she was going to say before even stepping onto the stage.

Marie's gaze swept across the audience. From the vantage point of the stage, with most people gathered in the center, the two figures sitting in the far corner were rather conspicuous.

Hmm... those two looked a bit familiar...

"Ah!" Upon recognizing the two of them, Marie looked as if she had just seen a ghost, letting out a startled cry in fright.

"What's wrong, Miss Marie?" the host asked in confusion.

"N-Nothing!"

Even though her mind had gone completely blank, Marie bit the bullet, finished what she was supposed to say, and hurriedly rushed off the stage.