“What's with you today, suddenly in such a good mood? Came all the way here just to drink with me?”

Clomis tipped Barrett Kingdom’s local lime liquor into their glasses as he took a cigarette from Ray.

“Those noble young masters and ladies at the Academy are all busy celebrating. I couldn’t stand watching it, so I snuck over here to balance my mood.”

Ray spoke while jiggling one leg, blowing out a smoke ring.

“Celebrating? Celebrating what?”

Cigarette between his lips, Clomis capped the bottle and asked, puzzled.

“They’re calling it Qixi, some festival from a mysterious land in the Far East. Supposedly it’s the Eastern Valentine’s Day.”

“Qixi? So the festival lasts seven nights? Tsk tsk. Gotta say, those young masters may look weak as kittens, but their stamina sounds impressive.”

Clomis thought for a moment, then raised his drink with a sigh.

“Clomis, can’t your mind be a little bit purer? There’s at least a beautiful story behind it.”

Ray shook his head helplessly. How did his one true friend end up like this?

“Oh please, like you’re pure. Every time we go peeping at Silver Sands Coast, aren’t you the most enthusiastic one?

Come on, tell me—what tragic love story is behind it? Since it’s worth commemorating and it’s the Eastern Valentine’s, I’m guessing it’s about their Holy See burning a few heretics, same as Saint Valentine’s Day.”

Clomis downed his drink in one go and poured himself another.

“Forget it, forget it, you’re way too shallow.

So, the tale goes: the Holy Spirit in the East had seven daughters, and one day they came down to the mortal world to bathe—”

“Hold up, hold up. Eastern Holy Spirits can get married? And pop out seven kids just like that?”

Clomis quickly stopped Ray, looking at him strangely.

“It’s a legend, don’t take it so literally. Might even be more than seven, who knows. Anyway, let me finish. One day they came down to bathe, and a bachelor named Niulang stole their clothes—”

“Oh! I got it. Then this bachelor Niulang gets tied to a stake and burned alive. But since there are seven daughters, the Holy Spirit burns him for seven nights straight before he finally dies, so the festival’s called Qixi, right?

Man, Eastern Holy Spirits are brutal.”

Clomis cut in halfway, analyzing it on his own, then nodded, oddly satisfied with himself, and emptied another glass.

“Damn it, are you even listening?”

Ray actually sounded mad this time, and Clomis hurriedly waved his hands.

“I’m listening, I’m listening, of course I am. I’ve never heard an Eastern myth before.”

“Exactly. Even though I think the story’s kind of ridiculous too. Anyway, that old bachelor Niulang stole a piece of clothing and somehow hooked up with the Holy Spirit’s youngest daughter, called Zhinu.

Don’t ask me how he pulled it off, I don’t know. Point is, he pulled it off.”

Ray took a heavy swig and went on.

“Then the Holy Spirit’s wife—Zhinu’s mother—came down to the mortal world. She decided her daughter was too naive and got tricked by some poor nobody, so she insisted on dragging her daughter back.

But Niulang wouldn’t give up. The two of them were living well, both willing, good life, sweet love, happy days. Why should the mother-in-law just show up and drag her away?

So he chased them all the way to the Eastern Holy Spirit Realm to demand an explanation from his father- and mother-in-law.”

“Oh, now that part actually sounds familiar.

Ray, did you also go to the Holy Spirit Realm at some point to demand an explanation? Maybe to get Lea back?”

Clomis scratched his ear as he listened. Ray froze for a second, stared at his troll of a friend, then took another deep drink and let out a boozy burp.

“Damn you, Clomis, you deserve to stay single like that Old Brat for your whole life.”

“Hey, hey, Ray, just because you’re not good-looking, your character sucks, and you’re so short you can’t get a girl, doesn’t mean you get to curse me.

I’m the distinguished regional bishop of Barrett, countless girls’ dream guy, the Holy See’s number one pretty boy, Clomis. Piles and piles of girls are dying to get close to me.”

He glanced at the slightly tipsy Ray and added,

“Whatever, I won’t argue with you. Go on, go on. So? He went to the Eastern Holy Spirit Realm to demand justice, and of course the mother-in-law refused, right?”

“I won’t stoop to your level.

Yeah, the mother-in-law refused, and she used magic to create a river and separate the two of them.”

“Wow, that mother-in-law’s ruthless. Doesn’t she care about her own daughter’s happiness? Then what?”

“Then, supposedly there’s a magical bird in the East called the magpie. Their love moved the magpies, so they gathered in flocks and flew to the river.

Tens of thousands of magpies used their own bodies to form a bridge so the couple could finally meet again.

After that, the mother-in-law felt she’d gone too far, so she agreed to let them meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Eastern calendar. That’s Qixi.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Clomis rested his chin on one hand, thinking for a moment.

“Then… what’s that got to do with you coming here to drink with me?”

“Well, I just thought I’d heard a pretty good story and came to share it with you.

Happy Qixi, Clomis. I hope you’ll one day have an earth-shattering love like Niulang and Zhinu.”

Ray raised his little glass as he spoke.

“Hmph. Same to you—happy Qixi, Ray.

But I still hope you end up like Saint Valentine: remembered forever by the world because of love.”

Clomis let out a cold little laugh.

“Cheers! We’re best bros, no need to be polite. Ray, we’re definitely spending the next Valentine’s together too.”

“Cheers! Of course, Clomis. We don’t even have to wait for Valentine’s—there’s Singles’ Day before that, we can make do with that too.”