Chapter 106 Chapter 106: Gold · Song of Radiance
Chapter 106: Gold · Song of Radiance
Just as Texas buried her head into the sofa, silently condemning these guys for their crimes, the passionate music gradually came to a stop.
"Boss Kevin, how was my singing?"
W, holding two glasses of wine as if seeking praise, was also covered in a fine sweat. It was the first time she felt that singing and dancing on stage could be so much fun.
You know, even Emperor, a professional musician on stage, praised her for being "full of emotion."
"Hmm—my appreciation level in this area is quite weak."
Kevin pondered for a moment before choosing a slightly more tactful way to put it.
"Hehe, W, don't give Kevin a hard time. He's not very articulate. You sang very well, very passionately, very fervently."
Fiammetta smiled, trying her best to highlight W's strengths. This wasn't exactly lying, was it?
She praised W so much that her tail was practically wagging up to the sky.
"Hehe, just you wait, want to join me next time?"
She smugly patted FrostNova's shoulder, earning herself a glare.
The teacher can't bear to criticize you, Sister Pozëmka only says nice things, and now you're really getting full of yourself?
"Oh? Your appreciation level is weak? Then you really need to practice more in this area. Music is simply a miraculous thing created by humanity! Not being able to appreciate it is the greatest loss in life!"
Emperor patted Kevin's shoulder with an expression that said, "You're missing out big time, kid."
"Loss? Hah, is that so?"
As if recalling something, a faint smile appeared on Kevin's face.
Indeed, if one had never listened to that moving heavenly melody, it would truly be a great loss in life.
Come to think of it, he hadn't shared it with Fiammetta yet. As Elysia would say,
"Kevin, those are all part of your youth~"
Wasn't that right? The only one who could make him skip school with Su, climb over walls, and take a plane to attend a concert was her.
And she could be called a pearl on the crown of music... no, she had completely transcended that level. She was a gift of the era, the radiant gold at the pinnacle of art!
Under everyone's astonished gazes, a vinyl record materialized out of thin air in Kevin's hand. Compared to Emperor's, it appeared more ancient and full of charm.
It even carried an elegant fragrance, and just by its material, it seemed far superior to Emperor's record.
"Oh, not bad looking. It's a material I haven't seen before. Come on, I can't wait to see what's recorded on this."
Although the material was different, just from its appearance alone, such a well-preserved record was definitely no ordinary item. Emperor keenly sensed that this record was extraordinary.
Music from another world?
How exciting for a penguin!
For some reason, the moment it saw that record, it had an intuition deep down that if it didn't listen to it, it would be the greatest loss in its glorious and exciting life.
This intuition made it tremble all over. It hurriedly removed its own record from the record player. Even its indistinct penguin face revealed an expression of excitement.
It couldn't be wrong. Since its birth, this intuition had never deceived it.
"Hurry, hurry!"
Under Emperor's expectant gaze, Kevin placed the record into the record player.
The stylus rested on the grooves on the record's surface. Under Emperor's expectant gaze, he pressed the start button.
"~"
No instruments were needed, nor any complex sounds.
Just a simple hum seemed to tug at everyone's heartstrings.
Texas's action of clutching the pillow froze. Her somewhat heroic little face lifted with disbelief, not even noticing the pillow falling to the floor.
The joy of budding new life, the stubbornness against conforming to vulgar trends, the resolve to break through the gloom...
Emperor had never imagined that such complex layers of emotion could be expressed through a simple hum.
The bar was utterly quiet, leaving only that graceful and beautiful voice. They were drawn by the humming into another world.
Not a bar, but a golden stage!
They seemed to follow that hum through a singer's entire life, experiencing every radiant moment of her existence.
"Golden wheat fields swaying in the wind~"
"Where is home for the traveler on horseback~"
Familiar yet unfamiliar singing echoed in Kevin's ears, bringing a complex look to his eyes.
Exquisitely beautiful, giving a feeling of pristine purity.
The singing gradually grew low, moving towards death, towards the end.
Just like the singer slowly walking towards the boundless ruins, letting yellow sand and broken walls obscure her figure.
"Oh~ my beloved, may we never part"
"Oh~ my beloved, may time forever stand still at this moment..."
An inexplicable sorrow welled up simultaneously in the hearts of all listeners present. The singing seemed to reveal to everyone what 【Annihilation】 truly meant.
"May the starlight never fade away, may your future be sung forevermore~"
Beneath the mist of sorrow lay hope entrusted with expectations.
At the moment the song ended, at the moment of fading away, the golden singer still wished to bestow blessings upon the unknown future and humanity.
In the song, everyone present seemed to see an exquisitely beautiful singer with wine-red long hair, holding a golden cup, offering them a toast from afar.
Especially "Kevin." When the singer's gaze shifted towards him, her indistinct face revealed a faint smile filled with blessings.
"This cup is for 'Kevin.' May your 'new life' blossom with a radiance even more dazzling than ours, my 'friend'..."
The song ended.
The entire bar fell into silence as if everyone was still immersed in that beautiful singing voice, unable to break free for a long time.
Tears fell drop by drop, dampening their clothes.
"Why... am I crying?"
Whether it was W, FrostNova, or Texas and the others—none were spared. They stared blankly, feeling the tears tracing down their faces.
"I am not her equal. Can you tell me her name?"
Emperor's tone was serious. The state of his eyes behind his sunglasses was unclear. He had completely shed his previous casual and nonchalant demeanor.
As if gazing at a treasure, he stared intently at the vinyl record on the record player.
"Eden."
"Good. Eden... Eden... A good name. I believe someone like her wouldn't be unknown even in your world, right?"
Emperor murmured repeatedly.
"On the contrary. She was the most radiant one in that era. Our one and only 【Gold】."
"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew it! If possible, I'd really like to meet her. Such music... I acknowledge it!"
Emperor laughed loudly, very happily—so much so that tears were about to fall from his eyes.
"Hahaha! Will you sell this record? No matter how much money—even half my savings—I'll pay."
"Not selling."
"Uh—"
As Kevin took back that record,
Emperor's laughter seemed to get stuck in his throat and abruptly stopped.
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【Gold · Song of Radiance】
Effect: Upon acquisition: Every 5s causes 3 random positions across the field to each spawn an SP energy sphere. Picking them up grants +10 SP. Every 60s: Generates a wave of ATK energy spheres. Picking them up increases ATK by +50% (lasts 70s; stacks).
Description: The singer's 【Annihilation】; the era's 【Finale】; performed for the last time in that world!
However, fortunately enough—aside from the singer—there was still one sole listener present. Even more fortunately: Her audio recording just happened to be turned on.
No one knew that such a record was hidden deep within Dr. Mobius's laboratory when she had always considered singing a form of "noise."
"Don't misunderstand me—little mouse—hehe. If no one recorded even her final song... Eden would be far too pitiful."
"You ask me why I engraved this onto a vinyl record? You!"
"Hmph! Just some insignificant processing—that's all! Consider it... my return gift for her Golden Courtyard—yes—nothing more than that!"
fuck WHY DO I KEEP CRYING