A song ended.
After several seconds of silence, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue, lasting for a long time.
Even after Sona had already left the stage, the audience still seemed reluctant to let the moment go.
If it had been before, they would never have believed that one person could elevate an entire music ceremony.
But now, they had seen it with their own eyes. A music festival had been elevated because of one person.
Sona was absolutely worthy of being the finale, absolutely worthy of being the finishing touch.
Soon, Ivo went onstage again. Excited, he announced the successful conclusion of the concert.
The audience left in an orderly manner. Quite a few wealthy and powerful people also wanted to rush backstage, hoping to seize the chance to get to know Sona.
However, after learning Sona's identity, they could only return in disappointment.
No matter how rich and powerful they were, they could not possibly compare to him.
"With this, the concert I spent a month preparing has ended perfectly. I sincerely thank Miss Sona for being willing to perform onstage."
Ivo once again came to the VIP room and expressed his solemn gratitude to Luke and Sona.
"If none of you mind, I have prepared a banquet at Moonlight Restaurant for noon and would like to invite everyone to honor me with your presence."
"That won't be necessary. This concert was indeed quite good. At the very least, it allowed me to experience music from different regions."
Luke smiled faintly and said.
"It is my honor to receive Your Highness's praise."
Ivo bowed slightly. He knew his status alone was still not enough to invite Luke and the others, so he did not insist any further.
Soon, Luke and the others left the Red Lion Opera House.
Sitting in the carriage, everyone headed to Luke's hotel.
The brewing process had already begun yesterday. It would still take some time for the first batch of wine to be finished, but Luke had also purchased some fine wines from Piltover.
At the very least, the cabinets in the shop no longer looked completely empty.
Sitting in a chair, he glanced at Sona, who was gently stroking the Etwahl.
Today's concert had made him realize something.
Although Sona's solo performance was already perfect, he wondered whether she might feel lonely on the road of exploring music alone.
Music, of course, became happier the more people there were.
Perhaps he should put together a band for Sona too. When the time came, it would no longer be only her solo performance, but a grand ensemble.
That way, her music would definitely become even richer.
Right now in Piltover, there happened to be a good candidate.
Luke pondered this and kept the matter in mind for now.
At this moment, on another street in Piltover.
A pink-haired girl walked along the street in a daze. Her mind was still filled with the final performance from the concert just now, and she could not forget it at all.
That perfect piece still lingered in her heart. Whenever she thought of it, her heart still went thump, thump.
That figure had been like a person glowing on the stage.
Just one performance alone had been able to stir her heart so much.
It was simply something from her fantasies, and also something she dared to imagine but never dared to do.
"Isn't this Seraphine? I haven't seen you in so long. Have you eaten? Want some fruit?"
At this moment, a kind voice from the roadside suddenly startled Seraphine out of her lingering thoughts. She looked toward the source of the voice in panic and said weakly, "Aunt Aneta, no, thank you."
The speaker was a middle-aged woman with a kind face and a warm smile. She ran a fruit shop with fairly good business and counted as a neighbor.
"You're still as timid as ever, girl. Take some. Bring it back for your parents too. A few days ago, my phonograph broke, and they were the ones who fixed it."
Seeing Seraphine's flustered look, Aneta could not help laughing. She walked over and forced a bag of fruit into Seraphine's hands.
"I, I..."
The timid Seraphine had no idea how to refuse tactfully. In the next second, Aneta began greeting her own customers, so Seraphine could only thank her in a small voice.
"Thank you..."
Carrying a bag of fruit, Seraphine could not help quickening her pace, as if afraid of running into the same kind of thing again. She ran all the way back home in one breath.
When she saw the large words "Porter Music Workshop," her whole body relaxed.
She pushed open the shop door, stepped inside, and said in a bright tone, "I'm back."
Inside the shop, a curly-haired middle-aged man was repairing a record phonograph. His technique was skilled and natural, clearly that of an old hand.
Hearing the movement, Porter raised his head and showed a smile. "Welcome back. Looks like our girl is in a pretty good mood today."
"Mm-hmm."
Seraphine nodded hard. First, she lifted the bag of fruit in her hand. "Aunt Aneta gave me this. Where should I put it?"
Porter said, "Just put it on the table for now. Did you thank her?"
"I did. I just don't know if she heard me."
Seraphine placed the fruit on the table while muttering.
At this moment, a kind-looking woman walked out from the back door. She had short, pale-pink hair and wore the same work clothes as Porter. There were fine wrinkles between her brows and eyes, but one could still see how beautiful she had been when she was young.
She looked at her daughter and asked with a smile, "How was today's concert?"
"It was absolutely amazing!" At the mention of this, Seraphine immediately became excited, her eyes sparkling. "Today was definitely the most correct decision I've ever made in my life. It's such a pity you didn't come with me!"
Seeing her little face flushed from excitement, and the way she was practically waving her hands and feet around, Briya could not help laughing. "No matter how you put it, you're acting too exaggerated."
"It's not exaggerated at all!" Seraphine emphasized with a serious little face, then began talking nonstop. "Every performance today sounded wonderful, but if we're talking about true perfection, it has to be the final solo performance."
At this point, she paused for a second.
Porter cooperated and asked, "A solo? One person?"
"That's right!" Seraphine put her hands on her hips, as if the one performing onstage had been herself. "The finale was one person's solo! It was simply incredible. Every note she played was perfect and flawless. I'm certain there's no one in the world who can play better than her!"
"When you put it that way, I'm starting to regret not going."
Briya shook her head in regret.
Her daughter's love for music had reached the level of obsession. For someone to make her so excited and receive such high praise from her...
Briya really did want to know what kind of musical master that person was.
Having said this much, Seraphine sat down and sighed. "After the performance ended, I originally wanted to sneak a look at her. But there were too many people crowding toward the backstage area..."
Porter said, "I think a master like that definitely won't perform only once."
His words made Seraphine's eyes brighten again. "You're right! She'll definitely have other performances. If I go out often, maybe I'll run into her again."
At this moment, Porter and Briya both fell quiet and looked at each other.
They had to admit, this time, they truly felt that the master their daughter spoke of was especially incredible.
The fact that she could make their socially anxious daughter have this kind of thought was, on its own, already extraordinarily impressive.
One had to know that because of certain special reasons, Seraphine basically almost never left home all year round. Even if she stayed for too long on this street where she had grown up, she would still feel afraid.
It was only later, as she grew older, that she finally gathered some courage.
Even so, the number of times she stepped outside was still pitifully small.
If not for this concert being heavily advertised well in advance, tempting her over and over again, this girl would probably still be hiding in her room right now.
They had not expected that this concert seemed to have produced someone extraordinary.
Someone who could make their daughter keep thinking about her like this.
Soon, Seraphine returned to her room. It was an ordinary girl's bedroom, mostly pink, very clean and tidy. A large shark plush was placed by the head of the bed.
Walking to the phonograph, Seraphine pressed the switch. The machine immediately began to operate, and a stretch of melodious music spread from the horn.
Listening to the music, she sat by the window, resting one hand against her cheek. Her gaze looked through the window at the people coming and going on the street.
"Hm-hm... hm... hm-hm-hm..."
The solo piece came to mind, and she could not help humming along. A light melody flowed from her throat.
At that moment, she suddenly had the urge to write lyrics for that piece.
As soon as she thought of it, she immediately acted. Seraphine instantly stood up, found paper and a pen, and her small hand kept writing lyrics across the page.
Time passed without her noticing. Soon, an entire sheet of paper was filled with lyrics.
She picked it up and looked over it a few times. Seeing that the entire page was filled with a little girl's fantasies, her face slowly turned red. Then she yanked open a drawer, stuffed it inside, and covered her reddened face.
"Why does this feel so embarrassing... These lyrics aren't worthy of that piece at all..."
Seraphine's eyes flickered slightly. She could not help raising a hand and touching the device she wore on her ear.
If...
If she took this device off, would she be able to write better lyrics?
Just like her...
This impulse rose in her heart, but in the end, Seraphine still did not dare try. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
"Sigh..."
A soft sigh sounded in the room.
Luke's shop.
"You can't beat me in a duel, and you're no match for me at five-in-a-row either!"
Lux raised the corners of her little mouth and immediately began rubbing it in, looking at Jinx across from her with extreme provocation as the other girl swallowed her anger.
Jinx stared tightly at the board, looking at the several pieces connected in a line, and clenched her fist in frustration. "Damn it, I was just one step away. You clearly fell into the trap of my three-piece killing formation."
Lux sneered. "Too weak. The person who walked into a trap was actually you!"
"Something definitely went wrong somewhere! I don't accept this. Again!"
Jinx reviewed it in her head and concluded, "One of my previous moves was wrong. If I had placed it there, I definitely wouldn't have lost."
"Enough nonsense. Have you forgotten the wager? Bring your head over."
Lux curled her lip in disdain and crooked a finger.
Jinx took a deep breath, then still leaned her head over and closed her eyes, awaiting judgment.
Lux hooked her thumb against her middle finger, brought it to her mouth, breathed on it, then mercilessly aimed at Jinx's forehead and flicked hard. It even made a bang.
Jinx instantly fell backward as if she had been shot, clutching her forehead and drawing in sharp breaths from the pain, yet stubbornly refusing to make a sound.
Then she endured the pain, got up, and gritted her teeth. "One more game. This time I go first!"
At this moment, Lux was naturally unafraid. She chuckled. "You can go first. Just don't blame me if I flick you stupid by the end."
Right now, she was in an extremely good mood.
How the tables had turned!
Back then, the person sitting in Jinx's position had been her. Now it was finally her turn to bully someone else!
Perfect!
"I'll definitely win this time!" Jinx could not stand this kind of humiliation at all. After clearing the board, she picked up a white piece and placed it in the center.
As a beginner at five-in-a-row, she naturally could not beat the Crownguard, who specialized in bullying rookies, in such a short time.
Luke half-slumped in the chair behind the bar and yawned out of boredom.
Having witnessed the whole thing, he naturally knew that if anyone was to blame, it was this little blue-haired brat.
After only learning a few rounds, she had confidently declared that this was a game she could win with her eyes closed. Now, every heavy blow to her forehead was exactly what she deserved.
Compared to this noisy group, the match between Annie and Caitlyn on the other side seemed much quieter.
The two of them each played their own game, and lately, their five-in-a-row skill levels were also getting infinitely close.
Time slowly passed, and night quietly arrived.
Luke's estate.
As the bathtub in the bathroom was prepared, wisps of steam rose, adding a thin layer of mist to the room.
The girls slowly removed their clothes and soaked their bodies in the bath. As the warm feeling rose around them, their bodies and minds could not help relaxing. It was extremely comfortable.
Over the past two days, Caitlyn had also completely fallen in love with this feeling, as if soaking in a hot spring. Most importantly, every time she finished soaking, her body felt light and comfortable.
And after just these two days, she already felt that the quality of her skin had improved.
Caitlyn was immersed in the experience, her whole body bathed in the warm current, and a refreshing, carefree feeling rose within her.
At this moment, the sound of bare feet running suddenly rang out.
"I'm here!"
With an excited shout, a slender, completely bare figure charged in from outside the bath. Then, with a running leap, she jumped straight in and crashed into the pool with a splash.
Water instantly flew everywhere. Caitlyn and the others were fine, but most of the spray accurately rushed toward the Crownguard.
After getting a face full of water, the corner of Lux's mouth twitched slightly. She slowly inhaled, looked at Jinx as she poked her head out of the water, and immediately clenched her fist.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
She looked at Jinx through gritted teeth.
In response, Jinx blinked innocently. "What are you talking about? What do you mean on purpose?"
"Nothing."
Lux smiled faintly, then suddenly raised her hand hard. A wave of water immediately rushed toward Jinx and splashed across her face.
"You asked for this!"
Jinx refused to show weakness and "counterattacked."
"So what if I did?"
Lux dodged using her movement technique and began a fierce offensive.
This girl coming here to mooch food was one thing. Now she even had to come take a bath too!
Fine, she came. But she still could not behave!
Since that was the case, Lux had to take action and punish this little blue-haired brat!
For a time, the peaceful moment was shattered. Water splashed everywhere, the sound of rushing water rang throughout the room, and then the battlefield expanded, dragging more and more people into it.
Annie, Caitlyn, and Poppy also joined the battlefield.
As for Navis, Yurna, Quinn, and Sona, although they were all affected, they did not mind. They merely moved farther away and smiled helplessly.
Next door.
Leaning against the edge of the bath, head tilted slightly back, eyes closed as he enjoyed himself, Luke heard the commotion coming from over there and could not help sighing softly.
Then he picked up a cup of clear sake and took a light sip.
With those two around, it seemed things would be noisy for a while from now on.
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