Half an hour ago, in the central observation room of the organizing committee.
"Did the cultivation base increase?"
Big Cousin sat in the chair behind the big screen and looked up at the data in front of him that no one other than the professionals could understand. "It doesn't sound like a good thing."
"Although it doesn't seem to have changed much, only about 1%, the problem is that this 1% is completely out of our expectations."
The data expert of Tomorrow News was a middle-aged man with a rigid expression. When he spoke, his tone was flat. "There may be many reasons. It may be a simple butterfly effect, or it may not be that simple."
"Can't we make changes in time?"
"We can, but it's very troublesome."
The expert's tone was calm. "Besides, this isn't a problem we should be concerned about. Mr. Zhu, you have to understand that Tomorrow News, as a neutral organization, shouldn't get involved in the matter between the Dongxia and Yingzhou pedigrees. This is already our limit. "
"This is the first time I've heard you say something so moral. It really scared me." Big Cousin glanced at them in surprise. "In short, you don't have enough money and want us to top up, right?"
The expert didn't speak.
Big Cousin asked again, "Can we double it?"
The expert coughed awkwardly and seemed to be moved, but then he saw Big Cousin shake his head. "Double is too expensive. Forget it, we can't afford it … Let's do it like this."
With that, he leaned back on the sofa leisurely and threw the expert's reminder to the back of his mind.
"Aren't you worried about where the 1% variable comes from?" the expert asked. "If we don't do anything about it, the situation may deteriorate rapidly."
"Of course I'm worried, but isn't this a game?"
Big Cousin asked back. "There's no such thing as a guaranteed win. We have to give the opponent a chance to turn the tables, right?"
"… This is the first time I've seen you have such competitive spirit."
Even the expert's serious expression couldn't help but twitch. They had already used so many hacks, but they still wanted to have a fair fight with the opponent … The great pedigrees were indeed thick-skinned.
"I can't say that they have competitive spirit, but they do have some gambler spirit."
Big Cousin took one last look at the screen and withdrew his gaze. "So be it. Since everyone has already placed their bets, don't play any tricks. Let's wait for the betting cup to be opened."
"Aren't you afraid of capsizing?"
"There is no boat in the first place, so how can there be a boat that can capsize?"
Eldest Cousin shook his head carelessly. "When the big wave comes, we'll rely on our own abilities. When the big wave is over, we'll see who's swimming naked."
That was the end of the topic.
Only on the screen, the 1% cultivation value was rapidly rising.
In an unknown corner of Yamatai City, changes were quietly brewing.
.
.
Half an hour later.
In the spotless reception room, the aroma of black tea rose in spirals from the cup.
"So that's how it is. A zither maker?"
After listening to Huai Shi's words, the skeleton slowly nodded.
It was just a skeleton without any expression, but its expression made people feel disappointed. "I thought you would hold a concert. What a pity."
"Ahem, to be honest … I only know how to play the cello. Even if I were to hold a concert, I wouldn't be able to play many songs, right?"
Huai Shi shrugged helplessly. "And my zither is broken."
"Oh, if it's a zither, we have some collections. They were all tasks assigned by the headquarters. But after so many years, they have always been in the storage room, and no one has come to collect them. They probably forgot about it. "
The skeleton pondered for a moment before suggesting. "With your status, it's not a problem to go in and pick a few. There are many treasures. Moreover, according to what you said, the zither you use is just an ordinary item, right? It's hard to match your noble status as a disaster musician … "
"Although I don't think my status is noble, it's better not to change the zither."
Huai Shi hesitated for a long time, scratching his head. "Up until now, there have been many opportunities to change the zither. But every time I seriously consider it, I give up in the end … How should I put it, we have accompanied each other for so many years. If I were to suddenly change it, it would feel like abandoning one another."
The skeleton was silent for a long time, then sighed softly. "Your Excellency is a sentimental person."
As he spoke, he slowly stood up with the support of the chair. His joints kept creaking, and he walked forward unsteadily. "Please follow me. I remember that forty years ago, a craftsman passed by and left a medium. Let me see where it is …"
The space in the art museum was unexpectedly large. It seemed to have once been quite a bustling place. Unfortunately, it had been empty for a long time. Even if it was spotless and clean, when walking inside, it felt empty.
Only the echoes of footsteps could be heard.
Against the constant roars and clamors in the distance, it felt more and more deserted.
"It's so lively."
Huai Shi stared at a pillar of fire rising from the clouds outside the window. He slowly shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and continued to follow behind the skeleton. He asked casually, "How long have you been working here?"
"I forgot. It seems that I have been here since the concert hall was built." The skeleton replied in a hoarse voice. "Even if it's long, it's just a waste of time. It's not worth mentioning."
It opened the door of the warehouse, and after indicating for Huai Shi to wait for a while, it walked in. Not long after, it carefully held a box and handed it to Huai Shi.
Inside the box was a soft velvet cloth, and wrapped in it was a small thing. After Huai Shi opened it, he saw a circular iron block that looked like a valve. It was only the size of a palm, and there was a smile engraved on it. It seemed to be the symbol of the zither master.
"How do I use this?"
"Yamatai City is now inaccessible, so it can't be used for the time being."
The skeleton explained. "When you go back to the Discovery Realm, or at any open border, just find a pipe and change the valve to this. Twist it three times, and the master will receive the news. He will then rush over as fast as he can."
"It's so convenient?"
Huai Shi was overjoyed. "It's actually a door-to-door service?"
"Because the master's whereabouts are uncertain all year round, in order to make it easier for customers to find him, we might as well set up this service." At this point, the skeleton seemed to hesitate. "But the master is a little …"
"Hard to talk to?"
Huai Shi instantly thought of the rumors about the master's strange temper. He waved his hand and said, "It's fine if the master has a bad temper. As long as he has the ability, I can understand."
The skeleton coughed dryly and explained awkwardly, "No, the master is actually quite easy to talk to. He treats people like a spring breeze, and his craftsmanship is excellent. He has never made any mistakes …"
Huai Shi was puzzled. "Isn't that even better?"
"It's expensive."
The skeleton glanced at him and added seriously, "Especially expensive."
"… …"
Huai Shi's face twitched, and the hand holding the valve trembled slightly. He held onto a thread of hope. "How expensive is it?"
The skeleton thought for a moment. "It's said that regardless of whether the job is accepted or not, he will charge an ounce of spirit crystal."
Huai Shi sucked in a breath of cold air and almost lost his footing.
What kind of damned master is this? I'm just going to visit him, and he's going to charge me over a million? And the maintenance fees are calculated separately?
If 2.1 ounces of Origin Substance was the standard for an adult, wouldn't this master be charging half of his life just to do some maintenance? If this were a normal customer, they probably wouldn't be able to wait for the master's third visit … …
"However, the master often gives discounts. You can try it out during the winter or summer," the skeleton suggested. "Although the price is expensive, the results are worth the price. I'm sure the final results won't disappoint you."
No matter if it worked or not, this was at least a way out.
Huai Shi thought for a moment, then carefully put away the token and nodded his thanks to the skeleton.
He had originally been prepared to come here empty-handed, but he hadn't expected the people here to be so easy to talk to. They had directly given him the reward and even skipped the process of running the mission.
"No need to thank me."
The skeleton shook its head. "This is one of the services that the Society provides to its members, and it is also my responsibility. It's a pity that Yamatai is only a small place. Other larger halls have artisans stationed there, so there's no need to go through so much trouble. "
"Although that's the case, I actually don't have a sense of belonging to the Infernal Music Society. The certification of a disaster musician was also somewhat inexplicable … …
Besides, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, right? "
Huai Shi thought for a moment, then asked seriously, "Is there anything you need help with? Although I look like this, I'm actually quite good at fighting. As long as it's not something particularly difficult, I can usually handle it. "
"… …"
The skeleton seemed to be stunned, staring at him in confusion, as if he had never heard anyone say that to him before.
After thinking for a long time, he seemed to have gathered his courage, and two will-o '-the-wisps jumped in his eye sockets. "Please forgive me for being presumptuous, but can I be so bold as to ask you to play a song for me?"
"Huh?" Huai Shi didn't understand.
"When I started to serve the Society, the Society promised that when this job was over, there would be a disaster musician to bring me to sleep." The skeleton sighed helplessly. "But it's been too long, Mr. Huai Shi. Although the Society has made arrangements for my next step, I feel that I can't do it anymore … … If it's possible, can you please set me free? "
"… …"
Huai Shi was silent for a long time, then scratched his head. "Although I don't know what's going on, if that's what you want, I won't refuse. But what exactly do I have to do? "
"You just have to do the work that a disaster musician should do."
The skeleton bowed gratefully, and took out a letter from the inner pocket of his dress with both hands. He handed it over with both hands. "This is the notice and permission that the Society issued when I reported it to them. If you're willing to help me carry it out, it would be best. "
Huai Shi took it doubtfully and saw a dismissal letter, as well as a stack of rather old manuscripts under the letter.
The paper had turned yellow, and there were still many traces of modification, but the line notation and symbols on it were still clear. It seemed to have incredible magic. After Huai Shi read the first two paragraphs, he actually felt that many of his understanding of music theory had become much clearer, and many new ideas and insights emerged from his heart.
Experience points UP!
His [Cello Performance] skill, which had entered LV12, had actually grown a little?
He noticed the abnormality and directly flipped to the last page. When he saw the signature at the end, the corners of his eyes couldn't help but twitch wildly. "Johann Sebastian Bach …"
Oh my god, a manuscript of Bach's movement!
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