Galaxy Harp
Chapter 307: Galaxy Harp
The first dance of the ball had an extraordinary symbolic meaning. Avril walked toward Xia Fei with a blushing face. It was a kind of courage. Even a fool could tell what Avril was thinking by inviting the unknown Xia Fei to dance with her in such a public setting.
This way, she and Xia Fei would be exposed to the entire Alliance. Although some people in the circle had already gotten the news, no one could be sure if the young lady of the Jian family had the intention to do so.
From tomorrow onward, the Alliance would be filled with gossip about Avril and Xia Fei. Due to the disparity in status between the two, the rumors and slanders would probably follow. Xia Fei was fine, but Avril was still a young girl. Would she be able to withstand the storm of rumors that would spread like wildfire?
Xia Fei shook his head and cleared his mind. What would come would come. Since Avril had made up her mind, all he could do was stay by her side and comfort her.
Xia Fei raised his head with that thought and smirked. He planned to face all the rumors in the world. As long as Avril was happy, Xia Fei could not care less about what others thought.
Avril's father, Newman, stopped Avril with a frown and whispered in her ear, "Have you really made up your mind? Grandpa asked you to dance with Li Mo. "
Avril glanced at the pale-faced Li Mo in the crowd and then at Xia Fei, who was smiling at her. She then walked to Xia Fei's side with light steps.
Avrils hand extended to Xia Fei. Her crystal clear fingers were like the most exquisite work of art. Her hand was trembling slightly, and Xia Fei gently supported her, giving her a standard gentleman's etiquette. The two of them walked onto the dance floor and danced to the melodious music.
The crowd was shocked that Avril's dance partner was a nobody. Many people asked Xia Fei about the gossip. They were still in shock from the secret conversation he had with Tai when he became Avril's dance partner. Many people could not help but be suspicious and make connections. Nicole had a complicated look in her eyes.
Nicole's expression was very complicated. She gripped the wine glass in her hand tightly and looked down at the pink scar on her wrist. She muttered to herself, "This isn't fair, this isn't fair …"
"Our A-list supplier seems to have a good relationship with the Jian family," Tai said with a frown.
Williams smiled. "That's a good thing. Weren't you worried that his company didn't have the ability to supply the military? Now, it looks like Xia Fei still has some connections, and developing connections in the Alliance is a necessary condition."
The head of the Adjudicator Union's Pursuit Department, Marta, was also shocked. He had long known about the relationship between Xia Fei and Qin Mangs. As one of Qin Mangs rivals in the Adjudicator Union, Marta had never had a good impression of Xia Fei. Now that he had personally witnessed the relationship between Xia Fei and Avrils, he was secretly upset.
Needless to say, there was no need to mention the young men who admired Avrils. Xia Fei did not belong to this circle, and seeing their beautiful dreams being shattered by the unknown Xia Fei, these people were filled with jealousy and envy to the point of no return.
Of course, the one who hated Xia Fei the most was undoubtedly Li Mo. Seeing Xia Fei and Avrils on the dance floor, Li Mo could only feel the blood in his chest churning. His vision went white, and he almost fainted.
The Golden Finger Cup that he was about to get his hands on had flown away because of Xia Fei, and even Avrils was getting closer and closer to Xia Fei. Li Mo could not stand it.
Ever since he was young, Li Mo had grown up surrounded by praises. He had a superior environment, a wealthy family, and all of these were things that Xia Fei did not have, yet such an elegant young master had actually lost to a nobody like Xia Fei? Li Mo would never accept such a humiliating ending.
Turning around, Li Mo was about to leave.
* Whoosh! *
A firm hand pulled him back.
Li Mo turned around and saw his father, Li Guan, staring at him coldly.
"Where are you going?"
"I-I don't want to stay here," Li Mo stammered.
Li Guan's lips curled into an evil smile as he said, "Are you afraid now? Are you going to admit defeat? "
Li Mo lowered his head in silence. What else could he say?
Li Mo, who had grown up in a luxurious house, was different from Xia Fei. His superior life had made him lose the most primitive human instinct, which was to fight.
Xia Fei was willing to put his life on the line for Avrils sake without hesitation.
Li Mo, on the other hand, only wanted to find comfort in a gentle place. He did not even dare to compete in drinking, let alone fight for his life.
It was like a weed growing in the wild and a frog growing in a greenhouse. The two were completely different in terms of temperament.
"Idiot! How are you going to achieve anything great in the future if you've already lost your soul from this blow? " Li Guan said angrily. He rarely scolded his precious son, but Li Mo's performance today had really disappointed him. How was he acting like a man?
"I've told you before that our Li family is a butcher. Our hands are stained with blood. If anyone dares to step on us, we'll do it back ten times over. That's the way of the Li family!"
Li Mo nodded mechanically. He was at the ball, yet his thoughts had already flown off.
"Stand here and watch. I'll show you what the Li family is capable of today!" Li Guan said.
Li Mo was stunned. Could it be that his father was going to personally make a move today?
He was like a helpless child who had just seen the sun in the midst of a dangerous jungle. He was instantly filled with hope.
"This is just the beginning. Anyone who dares to offend the Li family will not have a good ending!" Li Guan said viciously, his eyes glinting fiercely.
…
After the song ended, Avrils arm in arm with Xia Fei as they calmly walked off the dance floor.
The people around them were dumbfounded, so much so that they even forgot to applaud.
* Clap clap clap clap! *
Thuram was the first to laugh and applaud, followed by the military triumvirate.
Only then did the crowd come to their senses, and the crowd burst into applause.
"You danced pretty well," Avrils said.
"I've only learned to dance for a few days. I was afraid of stepping on your feet before I went on stage, but luckily, I managed to fool you."
Avrils placed her face on Xia Fei's arm in a very intimate manner.
Xia Fei knew that she was doing it on purpose for everyone to see. There was no doubt that Avrils had already made up her mind to let the whole city know about her relationship with Xia Fei. Considering how Ernst wanted Avrils to be with Li Mo, Avrils actions were more like a silent war.
"You should go over there," Avrils said.
Xia Fei followed Avrils gaze and saw that Ernst was surrounded by several dozen guests. These people were undoubtedly of higher status, such as the military triumvirate and the Adjudicator Union's Thurams.
"I'll keep you company. I'm not interested in their conversation," Xia Fei said.
Avrils blushed and said softly, "You've danced with me today, so you're already considered the most important guest of the Jian family, so you should stay by my grandfather's side. That's the rule. Father and I will have to entertain the other guests."
Xia Fei frowned. He already knew about the rules of the upper class, so he had no choice but to obey Avrils order.
Avrils reluctantly let go of Xia Fei's arm and walked into the crowd with Pang Xing, greeting every guest with a smile.
Xia Fei adjusted his bow tie and strode toward the largest and most prominent circle in the crowd.
Xia Fei did not recognize many of these people, but it was not hard to tell from their appearance and behavior that they were the most important people in the banquet. The others were very envious of this circle, so everyone consciously gathered around the outer perimeter and listened to their conversation, though very few people dared to interrupt.
The crowd very consciously made way for Xia Fei. After all, Xia Fei had danced with Avrils first, so it was only right for him to stand at the center of the crowd.
Thuram tugged at Xia Fei and gestured for him to stand beside him.
Xia Fei picked up a glass of champagne and stood there with a smile. They were discussing the recent hot topic of Eden, so Xia Fei listened casually, not planning to interrupt.
Nicole raised her glass at Xia Fei as if she was congratulating him, but Xia Fei could sense a hint of disappointment in her eyes that was hard to conceal.
"I wonder if the humans from the Garden of Eden have reached the Alliance?" An old man with a goatee asked. Xia Fei had seen him on the news before. He seemed to be the chairman of some securities company, but he could not recall who he was at the moment.
Tai smiled. "About that, I can only say that they haven't reached the capital ring yet."
It was a cunning answer. The Pan-human Alliance had a vast territory. Just because they had not reached the capital ring did not mean that they were still at the periphery of the Alliance. Perhaps the fleet was only a few hours away from the capital ring.
The conversation continued. Li Guan had been observing Xia Fei's expression from the other side. When he felt that it was about time, he gave a look to an old man with a goatee.
The old man got the hint and said loudly, "Why don't we play the galaxy piano according to tradition?"
Everyone agreed. Soon, someone carried over a huge ancient monster. From its appearance, this instrument looked like a meteorite that flew across the sky. However, this meteorite had been carved by someone. There were many irregular keys on it. Due to frequent playing, the keyboard was very smooth.
"What a fine zither. Could this be Grand Master Solo's final masterpiece, Genesis?" Williams asked, rubbing his hands together.
Sean chuckled and said proudly, "You've got a good eye, general. This instrument is Solo's final and proudest masterpiece, Genesis. It's been more than seven thousand years since he made it. I happened to find it in an art museum not long ago, so I invited it to Sunset Villa."
Sean used the word 'invite' when he mentioned buying the instrument, which clearly showed how much he respected the strange instrument.
Xia Fei pouted. He had never studied music, nor did he know anything about the galaxy piano. However, the instrument's strange appearance had piqued his curiosity.
"What's this galaxy piano for?" Xia Fei asked. Only then did he realize that Phantoms eyes were glued to the guqin, just like the majority of the people there. His eyes were shining brightly.
"Xia Fei! It's a real galaxy piano! "Phantom exclaimed in excitement.
"So what?"
"So what?" Phantom seemed to be complaining about Xia Fei's ignorance. He said angrily, "The galaxy piano is the oldest instrument in the Pan-Human Alliance. It's also the most complicated and difficult to learn. I heard that it takes a top craftsman more than fifty years to make a galaxy piano. Do you know how many galaxy pianos Solo, the master Sean mentioned, has made in his entire life?"
Xia Fei shook his head. The instrument had a strange appearance, so it made sense that it was difficult to make. However, Xia Fei did not expect it to take fifty years to make a galaxy piano. It was unbelievable.
"Solo was the most outstanding galaxy piano craftsman. He started learning how to make a galaxy piano when he was four and finished his apprenticeship when he was seventy-nine. He started trying to make a galaxy piano when he was a hundred, and he completed his first piece, Endless Darkness, when he was a hundred and ninety-one. He completed his second piece, Origin, when he was three hundred and fifteen.
"The second piece of work took a lot longer than the first, and it was of a higher quality. Solo was already three hundred and fifteen years old when he finished his masterpiece, [Origin]. However, he did not give up on his pursuit of the galaxy piano. He was looking for materials everywhere to craft his third piece of work.
"Unfortunately, he was infected with the deadly Domra virus. He lost all feeling in his right arm and couldn't even move his legs, so he had to ask his apprentice to carry him while he worked with his only arm.
"Solo was already six hundred and three years old when his last work, which is the 'Genesis' you see now, was completed. He spent almost three hundred years on it. Don't you feel any excitement when you're faced with such an unparalleled galaxy piano?"
Xia Fei shook his head. "It's a good story, and Solo is a very ambitious man. As expected of a master craftsman, but I still don't understand what's so special about this strange instrument. Why is it worth someone spending his entire life to make it?"
"Legend has it that the ancestor of mankind was a seed that was sleeping on a meteorite, traveling aimlessly in space. After countless years, the meteorite crashed into a planet in the Venal Galaxy, and the seed was forced to stop its journey.
"The seed found its partner on this planet, and after a long period of evolution, it eventually became the humans we know today. The galaxy piano's appearance is modeled after the meteorite that carried our ancestor."
Xia Fei took a closer look at the galaxy piano. "It does look similar to a meteorite, but the keys aren't arranged in a regular pattern. It's difficult for normal people to play the instrument, unlike the pianos on Earth, where the keys are arranged in a row."
Phantom chuckled. "It wouldn't be called a galaxy piano if it wasn't difficult to play. It's known for being difficult to learn, but the upper class of the Pan-human Alliance takes pride in being able to play the galaxy piano. It's also a tradition. I believe many of us here know how to play the galaxy piano. After all, they're the best people in the Alliance."
"Do you know how to play the galaxy piano?" Xia Fei asked.
Phantom patted his chest proudly. "My master has a galaxy piano, but it's not as expensive as this one. It's only natural for a talented person like me to learn a thing or two from my master. My master is undoubtedly an expert when it comes to playing the galaxy piano!"
Phantom was filled with pride. His master, Lunar Shadow, was an elegant man who was well-versed in everything and was known as the top talent of the Assassin Sect. Phantom had learned a lot from his master, too, or else he would not have been able to explain the galaxy piano so clearly.
The people were very excited. The galaxy piano named Genesis had caught everyone's attention. That was how humans were. Even the most vulgar people would not admit their ignorance, especially in the upper class, where they cared a lot about their reputation. There were not many people who really understood music, but there were plenty of people who could boast about it. Apart from showing off that they were well-educated, they were also trying to gain the recognition of the circle.
The crowd asked Ernst, the birthday boy, to play a song first. Ernst pretended to be humble, but he asked someone to bring him a chair and sat on it when he realized that he could not reject it.
Sean let out a deep breath and moved his fingers. A strange sound came from the galaxy piano. It was blurry, but it penetrated the night sky and silenced the whole world. Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Due to the unique structure of the galaxy piano, Ernst had to increase his range of movement to reach the keys further away. His movements looked like a prayer dance performed by ancient priests. It felt profound and difficult to understand.
The crowd applauded when the song was over. Ernst said proudly, "I'm getting old. I can't even play the galaxy piano anymore. The song is full of mistakes. Please don't laugh at me."
Li Guan said, "Your 'Meteor Recitation' is really pleasant to the ears. I feel as if I can already see a sky full of meteors flying past. This is the level of a master. You don't have to be modest anymore."
Everyone chimed in, praising Xiao En as if he was a god.
Xia Fei, on the other hand, rubbed his chin as if he had something on his mind. His expression was calm.
Phantom asked, "What do you think? Do you know how amazing the galaxy piano is now? It's the best instrument in the Pan-human Alliance. "
Xia Fei thought for a moment. "I feel like I'm in the dark sky when I'm playing the instrument, surrounded by countless stars. It attracts everyone's attention. It's truly a rare instrument."
Phantom said excitedly, "The galaxy piano is designed to listen to the sounds of the universe. The song I just played wasn't that difficult. If you're lucky enough to listen to a top galaxy piano concert in the White Dwarf Grand Theater, I'm afraid you'll forget everything."
Xia Fei frowned and said, "I still have some questions. There's a murderous intent in the music. It feels similar to something I've come across before."
Phantom looked at Xia Fei impatiently. "Aren't you being too sensitive? People say that the galaxy piano's sound is vast and mysterious, but why does it sound murderous when it reaches your ears? The origin of the universe is creation, not destruction. The galaxy piano is playing the sound of the universe, and it's also the sound of creation.
"I think the murderous intent in your chest is too strong, so you're misinterpreting the galaxy piano's music."
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