Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Inside the Baron Bechig Square in Samara in Paphos County…
People were still dwelling in the song that seemed to have burst out from their souls. The whole square was quiet. Even the innocent kids were awed by the atmosphere and did not dare make any noises at all. The place seemed to have been caged in time.
They had never experienced the feelings that touched their souls before. For the operas in the past, music and plot were independent of each other and could not build up each other. Therefore, even though many classic arias had appeared in the history of opera, most of the audience found it impossible to resonate with the music when their emotion hadn’t been activated. Naturally, it was impossible for them to have a wonderful feeling that their soul was touched.
“Valkyrie” this time was an exception. The plot was built one step after another, and the melody that sounded like a whole orchestra was fully rendered. The effect when they were combined was much better than either of them could’ve achieved independently. As a result, the audience completely melted into the story and the music, feeling the same as the characters felt.
That was why when “Charge” was played, they felt that they were following the princess as she charged into the battlefield. That was why they could personally feel the sorrow, regret, and determination when the princess sang “Heroes’ Monument”, to the point that their blood was freezing.
Lucien dare not say that the story of the plot was perfect and better than any playwrights’ works, but he could announce proudly that its blast on the audience was unprecedented.
It was not until a long time later that low voices echoed in the square.
“Heroes never die;
“They will only wither in people’s memories.”
A girl couldn’t prevent herself from singing the aria in the end. Although she did not have the pleasant voice of the singer who played the princess, and her imitation was hardly accurate due to the high difficulties, she sang with such devotion and such love as if she had witnessed her comrades and friends collapsing next to her.
The vague song broke the silence in the square and raised a chain reaction. Banus, Ali, and the other members of the audience all opened their mouths and whistled.
“Bury my bones, but do not set any monument…
“… For this prosperous city is the best monument for us!”
The song echoed in the Baron Bechig Square again and again, as if the heroes’ souls were staring at their beloved home, reluctant to leave!
It was not until a long time later that the citizens finally got rid of the atmosphere and discussed passionately with each other about “Valkyrie”, about Master Evans’ changes on the opera, about the classical music pieces such as “Dawn” and “Charge”, about the exceptional arias such as “Heroes’ Monument”, about the state-of-the-art actors and actresses and the terrifying dragon, and about the visual and acoustic feast of “live stream”.
In the middle of their discussion, Ali changed his expression and suddenly turned around.
“Ali, where are you going?” Banus was sharing his feelings tonight with a stranger nearby in excitement when he noticed Ali’s action. He was puzzled. Did his friend not like liveliness most? Was there any place more lively than the square at present? Did he not feel any urge to share his feelings after listening to the opera?
Solemnly and somewhat excitedly, Ali replied, “I’m going home!”
“Going home for what?” Banus abandoned the communication with the stranger and caught up with Ali, before he asked in confusion.
Ali clenched his right hand subconsciously. “I’ll pack up and go to Rentato!”
“Huh? Rentato? Ali, have you lost your mind?” Banus thought that he was hallucinating. Why on earth was his friend going to Rentato? That was the capital of the kingdom, not a small rural town!
Ali shook his head. “My mind isn’t lost. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m going to Rentato instead of spending the rest of my life in such a small city like Samara.”
“But… But what’s bad about a small city?” Banus asked in shock.
Taking a deep breath, Ali pointed at the “curtain” in the square behind them. “Banus, do you see the alchemical item that can let us see and hear things far away? It allowed us to appreciate an opera that was performed in Rentato.”
“Yes. Why do you want to go to Rentato when we can appreciate it in our town?” Banus was even more confused.
Ali slowly sighed. “Banus, what does such an alchemical item represent? And what does the fact that a small city has such an alchemical item indicate?”
Then, he answered his own question, “It indicates that changes that have never been seen in the past hundreds of years are happening to our country and our age. New things are born and thriving every day.”
Banus nodded. He could sense it based on the changes around him even though he was in a small city.
“Such changes are unstoppable, just like a flood. The only thing we can do is adapt to it. However, I would rather not stagnate at such a great age. Banus, think about it. Aren’t such great changes full of opportunities? As long as we seize any of them, our life will be entirely different.
“I’m unwilling to live a dead life in the small city, where I will inherit my father’s position as the servant to the secretary, marry a girl of the same status as mine, have children, get busy, and grow old. I’m scared of a life that can be foreseen so clearly. Has my life been predestined? So, I’m going to Rentato to follow my dreams and find a place of mine in the great development that would change the world. I’ll do my best to move forward.”
Ali’s regret was obvious.
“But Samara is also changing. Also, getting married, having children, getting busy, and growing old… Everybody will experience these. It will happen to you even if you find your dream.” Banus tried to calm him down.
“That’s truly a process that everybody will experience, but the process can be full of wonders too. Banus, it’s true that Samara is changing, but it is too slow. Only in Rentato can you feel the powerful pulse of our age and find an opportunity to change your life.
“Therefore, I’m going to Rentato. Whether to study in a generic school or a Lanxiang, or to find a job in the newly developed industry, I think I’ll pick up things that will change my life.”
Ali’s tone became peaceful but determined. He used the “pulse of the age” that he heard from “Arcana Voice” to describe the necessity to go to Rentato.
Looking at Ali’s eyes and sensing his insistence, Banus fell quiet. He then attempted the final persuasion. “Uncle Balsa will not agree. Although there are plenty of opportunities in Rentato, they are too tantalizing for ordinary people like us. It’s possible that you will die in a shabby house, poor and cold, without anybody knowing it.”
“I know that I may fail and return to Samara without achieving anything, but it is the most hilarious and meaningless thing to admit your failure without trying. Compared to the past and the future when the development stagnates, now is the time that the opportunities are closest to ordinary people like us. If we don’t fight for them now, are we going to wait for the future when it is even more difficult?”
His correspondences with his “pen pal” had allowed Ali to learn a lot of things and had a new understanding of the world. “As for my father, I will explain it to him. Even if he doesn’t support me, I will not change my mind. I’m already an adult. It’s my own responsibility to feed myself. Whatever becomes of me in the end, it will be my own choice. Banus, come with me. We’ll create a bright future together in Rentato!”
Banus felt that his heart was hot after hearing Ali’s words. Metropolis, capital, what beautiful worlds. It had the most prosperous boulevards, the greatest changes, the most numerous opportunities, and the brightest prospects. It was possible that he might be spotted by a sorcerer on the street and became his student, which was certainly not an impossible dream but a case reported by “Arcana Voice” before.
But very soon, he thought of himself, who had absolutely no advantages except for his physical strength. He thought of the strange city, strange streets, strange citizens, and strange maliciousness. His heart was immediately chilled. Looking at everything around that he was familiar with, he shook his head and said, “Ali, I prefer Samara. I think that I’m more suitable for a small town…”
Ali tried to convince him, but Banus was still scared of the unknown dangers and reluctant to leave Samara.
A few days later.
On the platform of Samara, Ali was wearing a black gown and a top hat that his father Balsa had specifically prepared for him. He had turned from a big boy into a vigorous young gentleman.
Holding his large suitcase, he said goodbye to his parents and strode toward the door of the magic steam train. He then looked back at the platform with mixed feelings. On one hand, he couldn’t bear to leave his hometown, and on the other hand, he was puzzled why Banus didn’t come to see him off.
“Did I hurt his feelings the other day?
“Or maybe, does he think that I’ve betrayed our friendship by not staying in the town?”
Ali felt complicated, worried that he had lost his best friend.
He looked back after every step, but Banus never showed up, so he grew more and more frustrated.
After boarding on the carriage and finding his own seat, Ali craned his head out of the window and waved his hands at his parents again. His eyes grew moist, as it was the first time that he had left his parents.
“Ali!” Banus’ voice suddenly came from far away. He waved his hands fast and ran over in a hurry, with a blue-and-purple fruit in his left hand.
Banus squeezed through the crowd to below the window and said loudly, “Damn it. I remembered the time wrong! Here, this is your favorite Samara Fruit. I don’t think you will get to enjoy them again after you reach Rentato.”
The Samara Fruit was a local specialty of the town, which matured at the end of October and the beginning of November every year.
Ali’s eyes became wet. Banus was truly as rash and careless as ever!
Wu!
He picked up the fruit. Before he was able to say anything, a deafening siren suddenly echoed.
Covering his eyes, Ali shouted, “Banus, I’ll bring you to Rentato after I succeed!”
Banus waved his hands. “Alright! Don’t forget Samara!”
Wu! Clang! Clang!
“I’ll come back after I am successful!” Ali secretly clenched his fists. The magic steam train was activated and became faster and faster, gradually getting away from the platform.
Ali’s eyes became misty, and he could barely see anything clearly. He kept waving his arms, but Banus and his parents were further and further away…
