Chapter 107 "Brothers" Ensemble
Ilio began to pluck the strings of his harp, and immediately, brisk music began to play. His skillful playing technique, rich syllables, and naturally transitioning melodies all showed that he was a skilled musician.
Shu Li had never heard this piece of music before, but that didn't stop him from following Ilio's beat. After listening to the prelude, he basically grasped the direction of the piece. At appropriate sections, he shook the handbells to add a sense of layering to the music.
Sim and the other members of the troupe all looked surprised.
Due to the urgency of the situation, Mary casually found an ordinary harp, which was usually used for beginners to practice and would definitely not be appreciated by formal musicians.
However, when the harp fell into the hands of the black-haired young man, it actually produced a unique sound quality, so beautiful that people thought it was a peerless harp.
A classic ancient song from the mainland, "The Beautiful Bakat River", sounded on the open grassland. It was lively, light and full of energy. Coupled with the crisp bell sound, it made people feel happy when listening to it, and it seemed as if a wide river appeared before their eyes.
The morning light shone golden on the rippling river surface. Water birds spread their wings, dancing gracefully, splashing water. A hardworking girl, carrying a washtub, walked briskly to the riverside, gazing at the beautiful Bakat River and singing a song of praise.
"Water from the Land of Snow
Flowing gently
Bypassing the mountains
Converging into the beautiful Bakat River
Flowing towards distant Cecilia
You are the goddess from the north
Nourishing the vast earth
Never ask for anything in return
The beautiful Bakat River
Flow gently
Take away my thoughts and sorrow..."
The slightly hoarse baritone sang this familiar song with a unique flavor.
When the handsome black-haired young man finished singing the last sentence, the piano music stopped and the handbells gradually died down, ending perfectly.
It was quiet all around.
Whether it was the people in the chorus or the knights high above, they all maintained an intoxicated look, immersed in the wonderful music and singing.
After a while, Sim led the applause and the others followed.
Ilio put down his harp, stood up, and saluted the leading knight. "Honorable knight, are you satisfied with the music we two brothers have played together?"
The knight captain looked at him coldly for a moment, then said, "Yes, you are indeed qualified to enter the Dialan Royal City."
"The Beautiful Bakat River" is a must-learn song for musicians. While it may sound simple, its performance requires exceptional skill. The dark-haired young man's slender fingers clearly reveal the hands of someone who frequently plays the piano. The wanted criminal he's pursuing possesses no musical talent, let alone the ability to play such beautiful music.
"Thank you for your affirmation, Mr. Knight." Ilio saluted again, his expression excited, showing the ambition of a young musician to the fullest.
The knight captain frowned, shouted, kicked his horse's belly with his legs, and was the first to leave the chorus' camp. The other knights received the order, raised their whips and slapped their horses' buttocks, and quickly followed the captain.
“Dedededede—”
More than twenty horses came and went like the wind, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
After the knights left, the members of the chorus surrounded Ilio and Shuli.
"Mr. Al, Little Amo, you guys are awesome!"
"For the first time, I realized that ordinary musical instruments, in the hands of excellent musicians, can produce heavenly sounds."
"Mr. Al is awesome!"
"Little Amo is also good. He and Mr. Al work in perfect harmony. The ringing and piano music blend perfectly into one."
"Mr. Al has such a beautiful voice, it makes my legs go weak."
"It seems like we musicians are going to be out of work."
Facing everyone's praise, Ilio took it calmly.
"Mr. Al, would you like to join our Milia Dance Troupe?" Simu's narrow brown eyes flashed with calculation as he enthusiastically invited the two brothers. "We're about to travel to the Royal City of Diyaran to participate in the Vientiane Festival's dance troupe competition. If we win, we'll have the opportunity to enter the royal palace and perform for the honored king and queen."
Ilio did not answer immediately, lost in thought amidst the many burning, expectant gazes.
Shu Li stood quietly and obediently beside him, her mind working rapidly.
They must have been blessed by the goddess of luck, as the dance troupe they met on the road turned out to be heading to the royal city of the Dalia Empire.
This ride was well worth it.
The troupe leader Sim is so ambitious that he wants to enter the palace to perform for the king and queen.
If they receive the approval of the King and Queen, the Milia Dance Troupe will upgrade its status, double its performance fees, and have unimpeded access to major cities.
Shuli and Ilio's destination is also the royal city. If they accept Ximu's invitation, they may be able to meet the queen smoothly.
The only thing that made him feel embarrassed was that half a month was too long.
He wanted to return to the Elf Kingdom as soon as possible.
The mother tree, fruit number two, and the dark elf are still waiting for him!
Elio finished his thoughts and looked at the gorgeous troupe leader with a beaming smile. "Thank you for the invitation, Captain Ximu. My brother and I are used to our freedom and prefer to travel the continent rather than pursue a career in the troupe. However..."
"But what?" Sim frowned, regretting his refusal.
It's a pity that such an excellent musician cannot stay in his own dance troupe.
She had lived for thirty years and had met countless excellent musicians, but none of them was as young as Al, with superb piano skills that had almost reached the pinnacle.
Ilio patted Shu Li's head, his face doting. "Little Amo has seen the prosperity of the Royal City of Dialan, so I took him out to travel. I am grateful to Captain Ximu for taking care of me. If you need me along the way, you can always send me."
"In that case... well!" Sim never liked to force anyone. Now that things had come to this, he could only let it go.
Shu Li looked up at Ilio's perfect profile.
What a cunning answer.
In order to refuse tactfully without offending others, make an insignificant verbal promise to ease the other party's dissatisfaction and find a reasonable reason for yourself to take a ride.
In fact, Ilio's piano skills were only at 40%. If you listen carefully to the piece he played, you can still find many flaws.
Even so, ordinary humans were amazed by his piano playing and singing and wanted to recruit him into the dance troupe.
After this incident, Ilio taught Shuri a lesson: when an elf or goblin goes out, he must conceal his incompetence.
After breakfast, the members of the chorus packed up their things neatly, got into their respective carriages, and continued on their journey.
Shu Li and Ilio returned to the carriage where the groceries were stored. The pungent smell nearly made him vomit his breakfast. He decisively opened the carriage curtains, letting in fresh air to counteract the foul smell.
Ilio sat lazily, yawned, and looked like he wanted to catch up on some sleep.
Shu Li admired his nose, as he could remain calm amidst all the strange smells.
"Argo, how long will it take us to reach the royal city?"
"Four days if it's fast," Ilio said with his eyes closed.
"Four days?" Shu Li hesitated. Just getting to the royal city would take four days, and with yesterday, five. The remaining two days wouldn't be enough time to sneak into the palace to see the queen, let alone return.
"We have plenty of time." Ilio raised his eyelids and looked at the sad-looking elf.
"But... in six days, I was supposed to go to the Elf Kingdom to study." Shu Li puffed out his cheeks.
Of course, the real reason could not be told to Ilio.
A smile flashed in Ilio's eyes.
He knew what the little goblin was worried about, but he couldn't point it out.
After all, the goblin didn't want the elves to know about his great achievements, so the elves went along with it and cooperated with his concealment.
"The king won't mind. The most urgent thing is to lift the curse for you." Ilio patted Shu Li's shoulder.
Shu Li lowered his head: "Okay!"
The curse is the most dangerous, so it is more important for him to save his life.
Otherwise, without life, everything is empty talk.
I hope the mother tree and the dark elves can understand his difficulties.
The carriage was moving very fast, shaking Shu Li's stomach so much that he felt stomach acid churning. He couldn't sit or lie down, and he couldn't adapt no matter what. He wished he could spread his wings and fly out.
On the other hand, Ilio was sleeping soundly against the wall of the carriage.
Shu Li was extremely envious of his sleep quality.
However, thinking about it carefully, Ilio must not have slept well last night because he had to take care of him.
Shu Li felt guilty.
If it weren't for him, Ilio wouldn't have gone through all this trouble.
Patting his cheek, he calmed himself down and told himself not to be pretentious. He must learn to survive in different environments and lay the foundation for his future travels across the continent.
He adjusted his sitting position, leaned against the car window, admired the scenery along the way, and diverted his attention.
This is a bumpy dirt road that can only accommodate two carriages running side by side. There are dense woods on both sides of the road and hills in the distance, which are deserted.
Besides the chorus's carriage team, you'd occasionally see people walking on the road.
Most of them were dressed in rags, had hunched backs, and were pale and thin.
When Shu Li saw this, he sighed deeply.
The other world is more backward and poorer than imagined.
The carriage drove for the whole morning. Near noon, the road became flatter and the bumps were less severe. The woods on both sides were replaced by large fields.
The fields are full of crops.
Shu Li often helps the elves take care of the wheat fields, and can tell at a glance that the fields are planted with wheat.
However, this wheat was completely different from the wheat in the Elf Kingdom. It grew very poorly, was uneven, and had dry and flat grains, almost like weeds.
Shu Li frowned slightly.
The production level in the other world is too low!
One can imagine what kind of life the people live.
The song and dance troupe passed through a village and was warmly welcomed by the villagers.
Ximu got off the car to negotiate with the village chief. He wanted to rest in the village and have lunch at noon.
Before the village chief agreed, he made a small request.
The village hasn't been lively for a long time, and we hope the song and dance troupe will perform a show for the villagers.
Sim readily agreed.
It's just a performance, a piece of cake.
Ilio woke up at the right time, took Shu Li out of the carriage, and ate and drank without any psychological pressure.
After dinner, the song and dance troupe fulfilled their promise. The young girls put on brightly colored skirts and performed a wonderful group dance for the villagers with the musicians singing and playing.
The villagers clapped excitedly, as if it were New Year's Day.
Shu Li sat aside and observed. The half-dressed villagers formed a sharp contrast with the brightly dressed singing and dancing troupe.
After the performance, the troupe said goodbye to the reluctant villagers and continued on their journey.
Before dark, they must reach Otto City, one of the four major cities of the Dalia Empire.
The road to the big city became smoother and smoother, and the carriage was no longer bumpy. Shu Li finally had time to do what he wanted to do.
He pulled a thick notebook from Ilio's backpack.
This was "picked up" from the adventurers who were killing each other when I visited Mr. Orochi before. The notebook records the customs and folkways of various countries in the common language of the continent, which is very practical.
I was concentrating on studying some time ago and only read the beginning. Later, a series of things happened and I was too busy, so I didn't read it any further.
This time when he went out, he specially took out this book from the storage ring and put it in Ilio's backpack.
Now that I have some free time, it's a good time to cram.
The owner of the notebook should be a Virgo. The recorded contents are clearly organized, categorized, and easy to understand at a glance.
Shu Li easily found content related to the city of Daoto.
Seeing him reading intently, Ilio tapped his forehead. "Instead of reading, why not ask me?"
Although the carriage is no longer bumpy, it still sways from side to side, which can easily hurt your eyes if you read for a long time.
Shu Li said, "It's okay. I'll take a look first and ask you if I don't understand."
Elio relaxed back against the wall of the carriage, yawned, and closed his eyes to doze off.
Shu Li turned a page and silently wrote down the contents.
Suddenly, the carriage shook violently. He quickly closed his notebook and tried to steady his staggering body. Ilio stretched out his long arm and embraced him.
"What happened?" Shu Li asked in surprise.
Elio listened carefully and raised his eyebrows. "Someone's robbing."
"Ah? Robbery?"
Shu Li was dumbfounded.
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