by Feng Yue
For example, Mr. Haydn, the one who was permanently stationed in the Sacred City, secretly guarded the sheet music considered taboo, Genesis. The last time Genesis was played was forty years ago.
The phenomenal natural catastrophe called Holy White Storm, from the tip of the northern sea, invaded human countries. It had completely flattened half of the land and the population. This was followed by an invasion of beasts which completely destroyed one of the countries. Mr. Haydn had then led the holy choirs to the northern wall, where the power of Genesis took out all the aether within a thousand mile radius, completely defeating it in one swoop.
The power of the irresistible force was beyond any ordinary person’s imagination. It got into the fertile plains, turning them into burning lava. Mooen Mountain had been turned into a huge valley by the exhaustive power. With hundreds of millions of tons of water coming in, most of the plains had sunk into the ocean forever.
It was still a wetland. The wealthy city had completely vanished, only leaving skeletons under the sea.
The power was miraculous and could not be controlled by the call of humans. When the power of the weapons was too strong, it did not matter who won or lost, because it lead to extreme loss and tragedy on both sides.
Although there were two musicians who had inherited from Chopin and Brahms on the border of the Anglo Kingdom and the Burgundy Kingdom, they had never fought against each other before.
It was said that in the East, the musicians of the powerful Imperial Nine Musicians were so strong that they could not even control their own power. They could not stay in one place for a long time. Otherwise a disaster would follow known as Armageddon.
A well-deserved icon of the Western musicians named ‘King of Black—Bach, permanently lived in the Dark World, opening up the land for mankind. After inheriting the holy name, he never returned to the hinterland of the civilized world.
And the papal of the generation, in the succession of inheriting the name King of Red— Beethoven simply lived in seclusion in the Sacred City. All educational affairs were given to the Cardinals. Beethoven’s mind was devoted to the Guarding the Abyss mission.
As for The King of Yellow—Mozart, he had been missing for many years. No one knew where this genius was.
The twelve portraits represented the twelve giants. But four portraits were still missing, which meant that no one was entitled to those names yet.
Looking at those blank portraits, Ye Qingxuan felt a little bit sad. If that even did not happen, that man would probably be one of them.
-
“Your Royal Highness, Mary, I did not expect you to come. I am quite surprised.”
In the corner, an old white-haired man saluted the blonde girl in the front of him. The girl nodded back. She had a slender neck and looked dignified with soft beauty.
She wore a blue dress, with her hair in a simple bun behind her ear. She did not look like a girl going to a banquet, but more like a girl walking in the park.
“This is not a formal meeting. Please don’t be too serious, Mr. Principal.” The girl’s voice was very gentle. She looked around with admiration, “I came to handle other matters, but I saw this admission dinner and decided to attend, feeling that many students will be the pillars of the future.”
She was almost as old as these students, perhaps even younger, but she seemed superior when she spoke.
“Just a group of children, who knows what they’ll do in the future?” The old man shook his head emotionally, “But every time I see them, I always feel that I am getting old.” He sighed, “Honestly, I have been a scared three times already by a waiter today. I will go and ask the supervisor whether they recruited a Persian assassin to work in the school. “
“You are exaggerating.” Mary could not help but chuckle softly, “But I’d love to see the person who scared the Principal three times.”
At this point, the gentle band music gradually stopped. Most of the commotion in the hall had returned to silence, and everyone looked towards this corner, puzzled.
Based on the schedule, it was time for the Principal’s speech, but the Principal was not willing to step on stage. He stood in place, not moving and just sipping his champagne.
“Principal, your speech,” Sidney whispered to remind him.
“Sorry, I don’t feel well today. Let’s not have a speech today.” He looked at the stunned Sidney. “Maybe you can go up and say a few words?”
Sidney was surprised for a moment. “Maxwell, you initially wanted to…”
“Oh, don’t be too rigid. How could you take my random idea seriously? Plus, I hate advising people. What if I say something inappropriate?” Maxwell waved lightly. “Skip it, skip it, let’s move on. Did you say that there was a young man here praised by Master Schumann? Let’s request a piece. Music please! I like the sound of the piano.”
Sidney was speechless. He felt that the school board and himself had been played by this guy once again. It was like watching a strong enemy raise his palm, anticipating him to strike, then watching him gently put his hand down. Although there was no slap, it still made people upset.
But what could he do?
All the people who hated him so much had no way to deal with him because he was Maxwell, the guardian of the blood of Anglo, the ruler of the Royal Music Academy. He had shown off from a young age, never giving anyone respect, nor caring about other’s opinions.
He did whatever he wanted, not afraid of messing up. It was arbitrary chaos, he never cared about consequences too much.
For decades, he firmly occupied the seat in the Parliament and the supreme hegemony of the school, ignoring even the Queen’s order. Obviously he was from a noble family, but he had offended almost all of the families, and was even absent from three consecutive roundtable meetings…
Sidney sighed, “Next.”
This was the best solution. At least he did not need to worry that there was something wrong with Maxwell’s speech. Moreover, this was the committee’s special arrangement for Banner.
It was rather better without Maxwell’s involvement!
In order to cultivate the younger generation, the Adrian family donated a large sum to the aristocracy committee. Just thinking of it, Sidney’s heart felt warmer, his fists clenched. It all depended on Banner now!
Under his expectant eyes, a blonde teen walked onto the stage quietly, standing in front of the piano.
In the public’s attention, he slightly bowed. His eyes swept across the whole audience, then sat down silently. His hands settled on the keys, and slowly pressed down.
It was like the sound of broken crystals. Crisp reverberation from the keys resounded in everybody’s ears.
Maxwell squinted his eyes and gazed up. He whispered, “Pretty good.”
－
In the quiet atmosphere, the notes echoed in the air. They rippled in all directions, colliding with each other, resonating in the air.
The gentle sound spread through the banquet hall, filling every inch of space in the big hall, like a soft wind blowing into every corner. The music gradually increased just as the proliferation of silk, intertwining with everybody’s breath.
It subtly lingered in everyone’s ears. The music became more intense, transforming into a loud echo. Suddenly the notes burst.
The deep piano sound pressed down on everyone’s heart, as if a flowing river had suddenly frozen and burst!
This was one of the many marches spread around the continent, but it was the favorite progressive format used by the School of Modifications, different from the fugue format. It could be gentle at the beginning, but the notes must be continuous. Like a gentle veil was thrown, it evolved into a frenzy of brazen bursts.
Only a few people could play a piece so dense. The notes jumped back and forth between each part like an urgent storm, giving people no time to breathe!
What was once soft music now brought strong shocking senses, making it impossible for anyone to gain their footing in the fren
zy. Thoughts and feelings were swept away in the waves, distancing themselves.
The last note abruptly ended. The perfect melody slowly disappeared into silence.
In the quiet banquet hall, there was only the candidates’ astonished gazes and heavy breaths.
Banner got up silently, bowed, and left the stage.
After a long time, applause erupted like a storm.
－
“Well done!” Sidney whispered happily, almost dancing. He readily pulled the young waiter next to him, grabbed the champagne bottle from his hand and slowly poured himself a glass, feeling relieved after finished it.
He wiped the sweat on his forehead, but felt something was wrong. With a puzzled expression, he looked at the waiter next to him, “Have I seen you before?”
Ye Qingxuan slightly shrugged, his white hair hidden in the hat.
Sidney looked away and put the champagne back into Ye’s hand. “Do not be lazy, work hard!”
Ye Qingxuan carried the plate away. If the bastard found out he had snuck in, he might ask the attendees to beat him. Then it would be impossible to get some sausages for Old Phil!
—
The kitchen was still filled with bangs and clangs. Ye Qingxuan returned, he was pulled to wash the bowls and dishes. Soon, he heard John and several busboys talking about the performance in the banquet hall.
“What an outstanding performance!” The waiter said, “I almost dropped the plate.”
“It was shocking!”
“I could not even breathe. I never heard a student play that well.”
“What a pity. I was busy at the time.” The cook wiped her hands on her apron and looked depressed. “That fat vice principal, the fat man just came to check how the fruit plates were arranged. I didn’t know what he was thinking. Otherwise I would have gone and listened to it too.”
Ye Qingxuan heard their discussion next to them. Puzzled, he asked, “It’s just playing the piano? What was the big deal?”
The cook and John looked at him, shaking their heads and sighing, “Kid, you will understand when you grow up.”
The cook ruffled his hair with her greasy hand and sighed, “Us commoners can only listen to the street band’s performance and the piano performance in the taverns. If I don’t work here, I would have no hope of listening to someone play the piano in my life. What a pity I could not listen to it, you guys!” The cook grumbled with regret, “Well, it was initially my turn to go inside the hall today.”
“Actually I can play the piano a little if you want to listen to it…” In front of the sink, Ye Qingxuan tapped the plates with his knuckles. “I can play it for you.”
25 Where Joy Is 1
In the hall, the song was over.
With a round of applause and cheers, the girl who had been listening quietly turned to look at the old man sitting beside her.
“What do you think, Principal?”
“Not bad.” Maxwell seemed quite pleased.
“Only not bad?” The girl blinked her eyes in surprise.
“Your Highness is putting me in a very difficult position.” Maxwell shook his head and smiled, “The music, good or bad, really depends on the performers and the audience’s heart. From what I heard, his performance was very skillful. This is a kid who’s worked very hard. He isn’t here just because of his family.”
“Why is it just not bad then?”
“Probably because…his performance was missing an element of joy?”
“Joy?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Joy is the essence of music. Life is painful without joy, not to mention as is music,” Maxwell explained.
“Isn’t music a serious matter?”
Maxwell laughed, “Forgive me, but have you ever been to a pub?”
Mary thought for a moment, then shook her head regretfully, “No.”
“That’s a pity, you should go,” Maxwell said. “I know a good pub. The decoration is okay, not many tables either, and the owner had a bad temper, but it had good wine.
“When he gets drunk, the owner would take the trichord, and jump on the stage to play. Once he gets to the exciting part, he’d sing and dance, even if he plays terribly. But nobody listens to him because all the guests are drunk by then. But even though they’re drunk and asleep, it’s still joyful to hear music like that.”
“So that’s what joy means?” Mary seemed to have understood.
“Something like that,” said Maxwell. He started to laugh suddenly, “Sorry, I’m lecturing again. It comes with my job.”
“Not at all. If you, the Principal, would be willing to teach me, I would not mind studying at your school.” The girl grinned.
“Oh please, I do not have the strength to take on another apprentice.” Maxwell smiled wryly. “Now, Your Highness came so suddenly today, what exactly for? Just to make fun of this old man?”
“Well, it’s a long story…” With that, the girl’s expression became somewhat helpless. “Yesterday, Uncle sent me a letter from the North Wall ad it’s for you, Principal.”
“Your uncle?” Maxwell became serious, “Is he back?”
“He just wrote a letter and expedited it to you. He even used the wind tunnel. There was a loud noise last night and this letter was just thrown onto the table. The guards had thought that there was an assassin.”
“To be honest, I am very curious what is so important for that psycho to write me a letter.”
Maxwell took the letter from the girl and opened the letter. He was silent for a long time.
After a long time, he looked up and smiled, “Your Highness, your letter, came …a bit too late.”
“Too late?” Mary was shocked and uneasy, “Is it an urgent message?”
“No, no, it’s nothing urgent. But for some people…it’s probably more important than anything else.” Maxwell sighed and opened the letter, “- this is a letter of recommendation, Your Highness.”
The girl took the letter. Her expression turned to confusion, probably because she could not understand her uncle’s abstract logic and wording. There were only three short lines of writing, one for letterhead, one with the content, and one to end the letter. He had not even bothered with the date.
To Maxwell:
Soon there will be a white haired Eastern boy coming to you to take the exam, please accept.
- Johann Sebastian.
“I do not know how much money that bastard actually received to make him write this letter to me, but he has no concept of time. Your Highness, it is too late. That child might have been locked out already!”
The girl was silent for a moment. She lowered her head and pressed her lips together, “This is my fault.”
“It is that old bastard’s fault.” The Principal rubbed her hair, verging on being impolite, “Do not be sad.”
With that, he pulled over the fat guy who was passing by.
Mr. Sidney was so excited. He felt like he was walking on clouds and he looked like a penguin happily flying. When he saw the serious Principal, he was suddenly brought back into reality, instantly ready for duty. He first respectfully bowed to the girl, and then his eyes locked onto the Principal, unsure what game the old man wanted to play.
“How can I help you Principal?”
“Yes, Mr. Sidney, I want to ask you about someone.” Maxwell put down the glass, and gestured the height of a teenager. “Did you see a teenager while you were greeting the guests? He should have had no invitation.”
“Ah?” Sidney was surprised for a moment, but then a bad feeling slowly crept up on him.
“Well, he’s an Easterner with white hair. Have you seen him?”
“…Was he with a dog?”
“I do not know that. I guess you have seen him.” Maxwell nodded. He saw Sidney’s face and began to feel worse. “Hey, Mr. Sidney, you …drove him away?”
Sidney hesitated then nodded. He saw Maxwell’s and the young girl’s pitiful eyes.
“Haha, I can’t believe it really si like this.”
Maxwell laughed, and then put his hands on Sidney’s shoulders. He said seriously, “It seems that I have misunderstood you in the past. I have always thought you could not bear any responsibilities. But today, you have completed changed my mind… but since you have admitted to this, are you willing to take the responsibility?”
Before Sidney became furious, he was stunned by the second half of his words. What was the old man playing at? He suddenly regretted that he had not been careful enough.
“That’s my duty, sir!” Sidney looked gloomy, and swatted the Principal’s hand, “He did not have an invitation, nor was he on the list. Furthermore, he was dressed like a beggar. Did I do something wrong?” He paused, “Forgive me. I did see that little thug you asked about. That kind of trouble would only disrupt the banquet. I had to drive him away. I do not think that was a mistake.
“If you are dissatisfied with my work, you may report me to the committee, and I believe that the committee will make a fair judgment! But this is the Royal Academy of Music; it is not a place that anybody can just walk in! “
Sidney had thought that his last sentence was a stroke of genius. The Principal must now be completely impressed with him. It was definitely a rare occasion. Sidney’s eyes gleamed with pride.
“Haha,” Maxwell laughed. “You must be joking. Why would anyone go to the committee for this?”
After Maxwell had lost his last battle with the committee, he obviously did not dare to attack the committee again. Sidney sneered, “Then please be careful with your words.”
“No, no, no, you misunderstood me.” Maxwell’s sighed sympathetically, “I mean that the committee cannot protect you.”
“You!”
Before Sidney finished, Maxwell put the letter of recommendation in front of him.
“I hope you can still read, Mr. Sidney. After reading this, I hope you can still maintain your level of confidence.”
Sidney glanced at the letterhead, the name felt vaguely familiar, but he was not sure. Then his heart suddenly skipped a beat. “Johann Sebastian?” Sidney exclaimed in surprise.
Maxwell nodded, “Yes.”