Luigi plucked several strings on the harp and spoke in a soft voice.
"The road to the east, Heisen to the west."
"Play the wind of history, the song of dreams."
"Music from beyond time and space, from Luigi the Bard."
Luigi spoke very smoothly and elegantly. Coupled with the beautiful green harp and his handsome face, Luigi really felt like he just walked out of a novel.
Gulaimo was stunned as he listened to her.
His mind was already fragmented, and he didn't even think about what Luigi was trying to say. He only felt that Luigi's words were beautiful, but they didn't seem to contain any real meaning.
However, Gulaimo subconsciously ignored these flaws when looking at Luigi's handsome face.
Since Luigi called himself a bard, his poetic introduction must have a deeper meaning.
There was no need to think about it.
He only needed to know that this man was called Luigi, and that he was a bard.
Speaking of which, bards were rare in Dawn City. Or rather, there weren't many bards in the entire Western Continent.
They mostly appeared in fairy tales.
Luigi called himself a bard, and he said "music from beyond time and space". He didn't sound like someone from the Western Continent.
Could it be that he was from another world?
Gulaimo wanted to think deeper, but he couldn't do it in his current state.
His mind couldn't keep up.
Even the things he just came up with were slowly becoming blurry and hazy. It was like a sand painting that was slowly covered by yellow sand until it completely disappeared.
Outside the dungeon.
Angor also livestreamed what happened inside the dungeon.
"The road to the east, Heisen to the west. Play the wind of history, the song of dreams? "Angor muttered," What's that? "
Angor understood each word, but when put together, he couldn't make sense of it.
Laplace, who knew Luigi well, pondered for a moment and said, "It's his opening poem. I think he's saying that he's experienced a lot, like a witness to history …"
At this point, Laplace paused and sighed, "Forget it, I can't make it up anymore. I don't know the exact meaning, but he must think that saying something profound at this moment can help him improve his — "
"You're so cool."
Laplace: "???" She didn't understand.
"Something mysterious and unfathomable, I guess."
Laplace nodded. "Then he does want to use this as an excuse to … show off."
"As for the origin of this opening poem, I'm guessing that it came from the travels of a certain Magus."
The reason why Laplace could say that the book was "The Wizard's Travels" so accurately was because she had seen Luigi reading the Wizard's Travels while fishing.
At that time, he had thought that he was just trying to pass the time. Now, it seemed that he was just copying the words.
Angor was speechless.
"That fits Luigi's personality."
He was very ostentatious to the outside world, especially when he identified himself as a bard. This kind of ostentatiousness was even more unbearable.
While they were discussing Luigi's opening poem, Luigi had already issued a challenge to Gulaimo.
In the face of Luigi's challenge, Gulaimo didn't express his acceptance or rejection. He simply looked at Luigi and said, "Since you want to challenge me to a Star Climbing Challenge, you should know the rules."
Luigi nodded. "I know."
"Then get ready. I want to see if you have what it takes to challenge me," Gulaimo said.
As soon as Gulaimo finished speaking, a new round of notifications appeared in front of Luigi.
[Special Dream Scenario "Uriel's Choice" Main Quest 5: Challenge Letter will begin. ]
[Attention, please act as the challenger well. You will fail the main quest if you make a mistake.] ]
[Attention, please follow the rules of the challenge.] ]
[Please complete the second step in 20 minutes.] ]
[Countdown: 19: 59]
[Countdown: 19: 58]
The Star Climbing Challenge in Birmingham Eden Academy was very fair. You couldn't just challenge a "star" artist for no reason.
To do so, you had to prove that you were strong enough to do so.
Therefore, the second step of the main quest, "Proof of Qualification", required Luigi to perform a piece of music to prove that he was strong enough to challenge Gulaimo.
Only if Luigi's performance was approved by Gulaimo, would he be considered "Proof of Qualification".
In other words, Gulaimo was the one who gave him the "Proof of Qualification".
Outside the dungeon, Laplace asked curiously, "If Gulaimo thinks that Lu Yiji isn't qualified to challenge him, doesn't that mean he'll fail the quest?"
Angor nodded. "That's right."
Laplace said, "If Gulaimo is a little selfish and doesn't want to accept the challenge, doesn't that mean that no matter how Luigi performs, he won't be able to get a certificate from Gulaimo?"
"That's possible. So, there's a witness, right?"
Angor pointed at the old man inside the dungeon who called himself Mulloy.
"He's the witness of the Star Climbing Challenge. He will make the fairest decision from beginning to end."
"So if Mulloy thinks Luigi is strong enough to challenge him, then Gulaimo has to accept the challenge?" Laplace asked.
Angor shook his head. "No. Both Mulloy and Gulaimo must approve of Luigi's strength before he can get the" Proof of Qualification "."
Laplace: "Huh?"
If Mulloy's approval couldn't affect the result, then what was the point of this witness?
"He's here to protect the sanctity of art."
"What do you mean?"
Angor shrugged. "Literally."
He paused for a moment and gave an example.
If Mulloy approved of Luigi's strength, but Gulaimo didn't, Luigi wouldn't get the "Proof of Qualification".
Even if Luigi didn't get the "Proof of Qualification", people would start to question whether Gulaimo was deliberately giving Luigi a hard time because he didn't want to accept the challenge.
This would affect Gulaimo's reputation.
Most of the time, if a witness approved of a challenger's strength, the challenger wouldn't refuse the challenge. This was to prevent rumors from spreading in the future.
Of course, if Gulaimo could show proof that Luigi wasn't qualified, the "Proof" would point at the witness.
Although the "Proof" couldn't affect the "Proof of Qualification", it was a double-edged sword. It could protect the sanctity of art, and it could also be used as a basis to supervise each other.
Laplace nodded. "I think I get it. It's a kind of" Proof of Art "challenge.
"However, the situation you mentioned might be a deterrent in reality. But we're in a dungeon right now, and Gulaimo's disagreement with the "Proof" won't affect his reputation. "
"That's right."
Still, Angor believed that Graimo was a man of integrity since the dungeon arranged this way. He wouldn't deliberately give Luigi a hard time.
Of course, if Gulaimo really wanted to … Angor would just pretend he didn't say anything.
…
Back in the dungeon.
Unlike the chatter outside, the atmosphere inside the dungeon was quite serious.
"While we're giving out the" Proof of Qualification ", let's not forget about something else," Mulloy spoke.
"I understand. I'm ready. We can do it at any time."
Luigi was puzzled. "What is it?"
Mulloy smiled. "You're not from Eden Academy, so it's normal that you don't know. Don't worry, it's nothing important. It's just a simple oath ceremony.
"Just repeat after me. I'll say something, and you'll do it."
Oath? Luigi roughly understood and nodded.
Gulaimo gave Luigi a puzzled look. Wasn't this guy from the academy? If he wasn't, why was he qualified to take the challenge?
Gulaimo was just about to ask, but for some reason, before he could even speak, his thoughts froze and became disjointed again.
Several seconds later, Gulaimo regained his senses. But he had already forgotten what he wanted to ask. He just waited for the oath ceremony to begin.
"Now?" Luigi asked.
Mulloy shook his head. "Wait …"
Wait? Wait for what? Luigi really wanted to ask. There were only less than 18 minutes left for the second step of his main quest.
Time ticked away.
About two minutes later, when Luigi was about to lose his patience, Mulloy finally spoke. "He's here. You can start now."
He's here? Luigi froze for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. He turned around.
The door to the attic swung open, and Uriel, dressed in black, stepped out from within.
Uriel still looked as dispirited as ever, but his eyes were deeper than usual … Luigi knew at a glance that he had entered a state of "dreaming".
Speaking of which, Gulaimo's eyes were the same as Uriel's. He was probably in a "dream" state too.
Only Mulloy's eyes were clear. He didn't look like a "dream" NPC. He was probably a normal innate citizen.
Uriel walked into the courtyard and stood behind Luigi.
Gulaimo gave Uriel a deep look. "I knew it. You recommended him."
"I recommended him." Uriel looked at Gulaimo quietly. Several seconds later, he lowered his eyes and said sadly, "I'm sorry …"
An indescribable emotion flashed across Gulaimo's eyes. He wanted to say something, but in the next second, the indescribable emotion in both Gulaimo and Uriel's eyes disappeared.
It was as if their memories had been temporarily wiped clean.
They looked up and looked at each other in confusion.
"Let's talk later. Shouldn't we be taking the oath now?" Mulloy's voice entered their ears at the right time. Their confused and muddled thoughts immediately became much clearer.
Yes, it was time to take the oath.
The problem with Uriel and Gulaimo could be resolved later.
They quickly reconciled.
Seeing this, Luigi … and the two onlookers outside the instance dungeon were stunned.
What's going on? Why the sudden sadness? Why the sudden apology? Why the sudden confusion?
Luigi and Laplace had no idea what was going on. As for Angor … he also found it strange, but he could guess that it was because of the "dream" feature.
Gulaimo and Uriel must have had some sort of "conflict" in the real world. Now that they met each other in the Dream Crystal, their thoughts overlapped with their memories in the real world.
As for why they suddenly calmed down … Angor guessed that something was wrong with his "dream" state. Or maybe the authorities of the Immortal Realm took action.
Angor would have to wait until he learned more information about the authorities of the Immortal Realm in the future.
"Now, it's time to take the oath," Mulloy said with a smile.
The others nodded as well.
The oath before the Star Climbing Challenge was essential. It was both a rule and a ritual.
Mulloy, Gulaimo, Luigi, and Uriel gathered in the center of the yard. They each took a solemn pose and began to swear to the God of Art.
"God of Art" did not refer to a specific deity. It was a concept.
A pure concept of "art".
"I swear to uphold the purity of art."
"I swear to uphold the fairness of the challenge."
"I swear to uphold the noble name of Birmingham Eden Academy."
"…"
The oaths were uttered one after another. These oaths did not necessarily have the effect of "binding". However, if someone really broke the oath, it would be a betrayal of their "soul".
Those who lacked a soul would never reach the top of art.
Therefore, once the oaths were uttered, the challenge would most likely be fair.
After the oath ceremony, it was Luigi's turn to perform.
To perform, he needed a stage.
The yard was empty. There was nothing but a tree. The attic was a mess. There was not even a place to walk.
Luigi originally thought that the dungeon would evolve into a new map area as the venue for this "challenge".
However …
No.
"The stage for the performance will be in the yard," Mulloy said, "If there is a stage in your heart, anywhere is a stage."
As the witness and the only normal NPC in the current dungeon, Mulloy's words were the iron law.
Gulaimo, Uriel, and Mulloy sat down on the ground under the big tree in the yard.
After letting out a sigh, Luigi slowly made his way to the center of the courtyard.
This was his "stage" for the rest of his life.
Luigi closed his eyes and pondered for a minute. When his boiling thoughts slowly settled down, he slowly opened his eyes.
The information of the Immortal Realm in the lower left corner of his vision showed that there were 15 minutes left until the end of the second step of the main quest.
He had to gain Gulaimo's approval within these 15 minutes and earn the right to challenge him.
Because of this.
This first piece of music was very crucial. He had to bring out his peak strength.
Not only did he have to convince Gulaimo, but he also had to make Uriel and Mulloy lean towards him from the bottom of their hearts.
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