279: Tranquil Night

Xia Beiluo sighed.

So it turns out that a 'guitar' is just a musical instrument. What a disappointment!

Music, painting, and literature are areas strictly controlled by the church.

Ordinary people are exposed to either gospel hymns and eulogies spread by the church, or machine-generated electronic music that is cheap and repetitive, created solely to numb people's dull souls.

Only knowledgeable people, or rather, the sons and nobles of the upper class, would learn and appreciate elegant traditional music, as well as magnificent and romantic symphony orchestras.

Judging from any perspective, a guitar, which seems unsuitable for accompanying songs or performing for dignitaries, certainly wouldn't fetch a good price.

"However, even so..."

Xia Beiluo picked up the guitar and examined its razor-sharp, streamlined shape. It didn't feel like a musical instrument; it felt more like a weapon.

The silver chrome-plated piano surface looks very cool, with a roaring dragon painted in bold colors, as if it is venting its anger on the world.

Xia Beiluo glanced at the exorcism array, which seemed to have no effect, indicating that there were no evil spirits entangled with it.

Although her grades were average, she had an excellent understanding of the basics of psychic magic.

The teachings of Violet Star believe that all things have spirits. If an object has been with humans for a long time, it will also be influenced by its owner and have spiritual energy. It is normal for it to develop consciousness.

"... Thinking about it carefully, you're really pathetic."

Xia Beiluo gently stroked the surface of the guitar, comforting the instrument's soul. "How long have you been all alone underwater? Perhaps your owner died in a car accident, leaving you, a guitar, in the world."

"You must be lonely, right? It's okay, I'm the same. Let me tell you, I have no friends, no family, just like you, living all alone in this world. So please forgive me, I might have to rely on you to earn some money to eat, I'm sorry!"

As Xia Beiluo spoke, he began to inspect the condition of the instrument.

Surprisingly, the guitar showed almost no signs of wear or even use.

It's so pitiful. It was probably just meant to be a gift for someone, but it sank underwater for a long time because of a car accident.

"You must want to perform on stage, right? You want to share your music with the audience and have them cheer and praise you, right?"

Xia Beiluo comforted her, saying:

"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever encountered an instrument like you—I guess many people don't even know what a guitar is. It's not going to sell for a good price... But that's okay, I'll leave you with me for now. Maybe one day someone will take a liking to you and take you away, and then you'll have a chance to be played, and I'll be able to make money too."

Xia Beiluo was filled with curiosity about this novel musical instrument.

"Speaking of which, when I introduce it to someone, I need to understand how you're supposed to use it—like this, playing it with your hands?"

As Xia Beiluo spoke, he plucked the strings with his fingertips.

Ding—

As their glasses clinked, Li Aoz took a small sip. The sour taste made him frown slightly, a subtle gesture that startled the waiter nearby. The waiter quickly stepped forward to apologize. "We're so sorry! Our drinks were of poor quality, and we've made you suffer. Please forgive us; it wasn't intentional. It's just that the place is too small, and we couldn't find anything better..."

"Well, this isn't your problem; it's just that this body is too delicate."

Li Aoz put down his wine glass, then casually cut his steak with his silver cutlery, eating his food nonchalantly, while asking, "Is this Tranquil City under the jurisdiction of the [Lord of the Undead] parish?"

Because of the poor service, the waiter explained very kindly:

"Yes, our Tranquil City is only able to avoid being eroded by the ' Barren Sea ' because it is under the protection of the diocese."

What is the Barren Sea?

Caramel Snail took a bite of the lobster omelet, then drank a sip of warm corn juice, and asked curiously.

"Oh, sir, are you perhaps from the core area of Diocese Area?" the waiter asked, slightly surprised.

"Ah, this..."

"Where we come from is not important; it's no good for someone of your status to know too much."

Li Aoz wiped his mouth and explained, "It's normal that you haven't heard of the Barren Sea. After all, it's an unusual phenomenon that only happens once every ten years. If it were protected too well, people might even doubt Barren Sea existence."

"What you said makes perfect sense! Many people have never suffered any hardship or suffering in the world, so they say there is no suffering or torment in the world."

The waiter said with a smile:

"Then I will explain it to this gentleman."

"The so-called Barren Sea has a rather simple origin. Since ancient times, demon gods who died and were sealed away in the Outer Abyss War were suppressed deep in the core of Violet Star. Over time, their corpses rotted and decayed, breeding an evil corrosive power."

"As you all know, there are always large areas of abandoned cities between the cities of Violet Star that are uninhabited and deserted. That is the result of being cleansed by the demonic energy of the Barren Sea."

"Regardless of strength, even a legendary Zeta-rank pseudo-god descending to earth will perish under the onslaught of demonic energy."

"Fortunately, our three supreme deities, the Lord of the Undead, the Void Emperor, and the Source Abyss Celestial Lord, prevented us from being destroyed by the demons from beyond the abyss."

"Demon God?"

The Caramel Snail muttered something.

This was the first time he had heard this claim.

"Yes, think about it. There must be a reason why the church doesn't allow us to look up at the stars and forbids people from exploring the universe. The church must be doing this to protect us."

The waiter said matter-of-factly, "The church has protected us, guided us to improve our living environment, and taught us to be servants of the Lord God. In that case, those God Samurai who tried to harm us in ancient times must have been demons."

Forbidden... Exploring space? Caramel Snail was taken aback, but this time he managed to control his expression and mouth.

"When did your diocese come under the control of the Church of the Lord of the Undead?"

Li Aoz asked.

"Forty years ago," the waiter said with a smile, "Before that, Tranquil City was always under the jurisdiction of the [Source Abyss Celestial Lord] Church."

Forty years...

Li Aoz estimated the time.

"Perfect."

Caramel Snail asked curiously, "Speaking of which, it seems like you guys don't object to the Lord of the Undead taking over?"

"Hmm, how should I put it?" The waiter thought for a moment, then said, "When the mediums and shamans of [Source Abyss Celestial Lord] were still around, we didn't have the freedom to marry or fall in love. Each person's marriage partner had to be strictly calculated and matched by the priest. But [Lord of the Undead] doesn't care about these things, although there are some strange taboos..."

"A strange taboo?"

"Like banning gambling, prohibiting the consumption of blood products, and forbidding listening to Rock and Roll..."

Rock and Roll! Caramel Snail immediately seized on this term.

"In that case, what do you know about Rock and Roll?"

"I'm sorry, I've only heard about this taboo."

"That's what the waiter said regretfully."

"Oh, that's a real pity."

Caramel Snail sighed.

"But,"

Li Aoz stood up:

"Since it's the parish of the Lord of the Undead, that makes things much more convenient."

"Are you two looking for something related to Rock and Roll?"

The waitress asked curiously, and when she saw that the two men's eyes were on her, she quickly said, "I won't reveal your information. According to the Asule Protocol, people of different doctrines and beliefs must not invade each other during peacetime."

"No, it's nothing. I am a follower of the Celestial Venerable, who admonished us to treat others with enthusiasm."

Li Aoz smiled slightly and honestly told a lie:

"We were indeed searching for news related to Rock and Roll, but not to listen to it; we were looking for a friend."

"Friend?"

"Igor Tsoi," Li Aoz said. "I'm looking for him and his guitar."

Ding——————

Xia Beiluo slowly raised his head.

The lights flickered, and a terrified scream came from the transformer next to them, as if some dangerous monster had appeared nearby.

The air in the garage seemed to grow colder, and she instinctively hunched her shoulders and shivered.

"This guitar needs to be plugged in to produce its full effect."

A slightly hoarse voice said.

"Oh, really? I'll try it later—"

Xia Beiluo stood up, about to look for a power outlet.

"Let me look for it, the charging socket... huh?"

She was immediately startled, and then quickly looked around for the source of the sound.

Hey? Where are you?

The man sighed:

"Damn! I'm really impressed—your psychic perception is worse than a snail's."

"Who is it? Who's insulting me?! I'm a high school-level aspiring medium, don't mess with me!"

Xia Beiluo faintly heard a sound being transmitted, but with her poor talent, she was not able to detect the exact location of the spirit.

"Lift your head and look ahead, little girl."

Xia Beiluo looked up and gazed ahead, but could only see the spare rearview mirror in the warehouse.

Is he here? No, he isn't.

Xia Beiluo stepped forward and looked in the mirror.

The mirror reflected a gaunt face. He wore Sunglasses, and his long black hair was casually tossed over his shoulders, giving him a carefree and unrestrained appearance.

"...Hello?"

Xia Beiluo politely raised his hand in greeting.

"My name is Xia Beiluo, I'm 17 years old, and I dropped out of high school. May I ask who you are?"

The next moment, the spirit in the mirror raised a fist, crossed the spirit world dimension, and smashed it into Xia Beiluo's face.

Clang!

Xia Beiluo took a few steps back and almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Uh... damn, this will have to do! It's all we can do."

She rubbed her head, picked up the guitar from the ground like a soldier picking up a rifle, opened the garage door, and walked out calmly.

'Wait! My dough, I need to knead it!'

Why are you so fixated on that pound of flour?

' Xia Beiluo ' muttered to herself. As she passed the shelf, she caught a glimpse of sunglasses and a half-pack of 'Long Live the Lord' cigarettes on it.

Fortunately, there was still a lighter.

"Hey, don't touch their things, those were left by the boss."

"Screw the boss, I'm in charge here from now on."

She swore without restraint, put on sunglasses, lit a cigarette, and stubbornly walked towards the city center with an electric guitar in her hand on the street, which was shimmering with sunlight.

"Hey, what are you doing? It's almost curfew. The church people will be very unhappy."

"What I want is for them to be unhappy."

'Don't ruin my reputation...'

"Don't worry, they didn't know you before, and they won't know you in the future."

Xia Beiluo, a cigarette dangling from his lips, grinned coldly.

'Hey... who are you? You just grabbed someone's body without saying a word.'

"Me? A poor kid, a boiler worker, a lousy rock musician."

The guitarist nimbly climbed to the top floor of an apartment building, overlooking the entire Tranquil City from above. He then took out his cigarette, and under the clear light of the purple moon, exhaled a smoke ring. "Violet Star, Igor Tsoi is back!"

The next moment, a blood-pumping, high-energy melody resounded throughout the city.