God of Love

In Aerenus, whenever people speak of their visions or ideals, anything involving higher-level matters is generally inseparable from the gods. Sometimes, it is even the doctrine of a particular Church.

Various doctrines profoundly influence believers' views of life, values, and the world, as well as every aspect of their daily lives.

What Viola said immediately made Rayne think of a certain deity.

Sure enough, Viola did not hide it and openly admitted, "Besides believing in the Goddess, I'm also a believer of Lady of Long Hair."

"I see." Rayne nodded in understanding.

Lady of Long Hair was another name for the God of Art and Love, whose true name was Freya.

This deity possessed the Divine Duties of "art," "love," "beauty," and "goodness," so people often respectfully called her the God of Love or the God of Beauty and Goodness.

Legend had it that she was the most beautiful being in the Aerenus World. She maintained good relationships with many gods, among whom there was no shortage of admirers.

Freya had a vast and diverse number of believers, including all kinds of artists, musicians, painters, dancers, actors, and more.

Almost everyone working in an art-related industry was her believer.

Because she also possessed the Divine Duties of beauty and love, Freya was greatly adored by people, especially young people in love and men and women of all ages who pursued beauty. Women made up the majority.

In the Empire, quite a few people openly believed in Freya, but no tightly organized Church had formed.

As believers grew older, gradually losing their beauty or love, growing old and frail, and becoming unable to continue working in the arts, their faith would waver, and they would ultimately turn to other gods.

All in all, she was a harmless and benevolent goddess.

Rayne had already discovered last time that Viola believed in another deity, and that her faith was even firmer than her belief in the Goddess of Magic. Now that he knew it was the God of Art and Love, he felt it was no big deal.

With Viola so beautiful, it was only natural for her to believe in Freya.

She almost perfectly fit Freya's doctrine. She possessed peerless beauty and outstanding musical talent, and could even serve as Freya's representative in the mortal world, becoming her Chosen One!

At this thought, Rayne found it easy to understand why Viola wanted more people to hear beautiful music.

Music was also a form of art. It was the art ordinary people could access most easily, and the art that could best express emotions and allow people to understand them.

Unlike painting, sculpture, or dance performances, it did not require an audience to possess a certain foundation or skill to understand what the artists wished to express.

Anyone with normal hearing could be moved by a melodious tune or captivated by a beautiful singing voice.

Even if people could not understand the lyrics, or were completely illiterate, they could still appreciate the beauty of music.

If beautiful music could be widely spread, allowing people to hear it whenever they wished, then Freya's number of believers would grow explosively, greatly increasing this deity's divine power!

However, in Aerenus, aside from live performances, people did not often hear music or singing.

Rayne immediately thought of an excellent method. If he could pull it off, he could not only win Viola's heart but also make a great deal of money.

However, this method was somewhat difficult, and he would have to verify it before putting it into practice.

He looked at Viola, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

After chatting for a while, Rayne deliberately steered the conversation toward music. Pretending to be curious, he asked about the sound-producing principle of the keyboard organ.

Viola opened the keyboard lid and patiently began explaining it to him.

As Rayne listened attentively, he compared it with the piano from his previous life. He had to admit that no matter which world humanity lived in, there were commonalities in music. At least, there was no difference when it came to instrument making.

This keyboard organ was essentially a grand piano. It was practically identical, down to the exact number of keys.

Seeing how interested he was, Viola asked, "Rayne, can you play the piano? I remember you enrolled in the arts department at Crayden Academy."

Rayne's expression grew slightly awkward.

Besides training Transcendents, Crayden Academy also offered many other courses, and every student had to choose one as their major.

The previous Rayne had apparently lost his mind or something and had actually enrolled in the arts department. Yet he had never attended a single class and knew nothing about art. If he could not become a Transcendent, he would never receive his graduation certificate from the academy.

This was also one of the reasons Bard was dissatisfied with Rayne.

Back then, Bard had wanted Rayne to enroll in law or accounting, obtain his graduation certificate, and find a good job in the city so he could become one of the upper class. Even if that failed, he could return to their hometown and be a cultured, respectable man.

Unfortunately, the previous Rayne had failed to live up to these hopes.

Rayne looked at Viola and found a teasing smile on her face. She had clearly sent people to investigate him at the academy and knew about these matters.

He gave a vague cough to conceal his embarrassment and said, "I've never studied music, and I can't play the piano. I've only heard my teacher sing a few songs."

In fact, he could play the piano. He had learned from elementary school onward. Although he was not particularly good, he was far better than the average person.

Of course, he could not reveal that now. He could only pretend not to understand.

Viola covered her mouth and chuckled. After thinking for a moment, she wondered whether teaching Rayne to play the piano might turn him into a believer of Lady of Long Hair as well. Thus, she asked enthusiastically, "Would you like to learn the keyboard organ? I can teach you."

"Really?" Rayne looked delighted.

"Of course." Viola nodded, looking nothing like she was joking. She glanced at the clock on the wall and said seriously, "It's still early. We can start now."

As she spoke, she sat down in front of the keyboard organ and patted the chair, gesturing for Rayne to sit beside her.

Rayne sat down beside her as instructed. Since the chair was not particularly long and could barely fit two people, they inevitably had to sit closer together, their arms brushing against each other.

A sweet, delicate fragrance drifted into Rayne's nose, and he could not help feeling stirred inside.

The scent came from Viola. It was light without being strong, perfectly balanced, and faintly sweet. It reminded Rayne of the fragrance of violets. No wonder Viola named her shop Violet House. So it's a special preference of hers.

He turned his head and looked at Viola, who was close enough to touch. A pointed ear peeked through the gaps in her long golden hair, its tip faintly red and extremely alluring.

Through the Soul Eye, the color of her soul shifted between green and cyan, indicating that she was in a pleasant mood and somewhat bashful.

Through the Voice of All Things, he could clearly hear that her heartbeat had quickened, revealing a trace of nervousness.

Rayne immediately understood that Viola had a favorable impression of him.

Although this was only their third meeting, familiarity came with each encounter. Once was strange, twice was familiar, and by the third or fourth time, everything would fall into place!

He was a Perfect Soul Transformation rarely seen in a century, with limitless prospects. He was also incredibly handsome. Viola was a believer of the God of Love who pursued beauty and love. Wasn't it perfectly normal for her to fall for him?

Rayne secretly let out a delighted shout. His gaze grew bolder as he admired the beauty before him.

Noticing Rayne's gaze, Viola instinctively shifted slightly to the side, seeming somewhat flustered.

She took several light breaths to steady herself, picked up a music score from the keyboard organ, and said, "To learn to play, you first need to understand pitch and read music. This is the simplest kind of score..."

Viola quickly entered her teaching mode, starting from the basics and instructing Rayne in the fundamentals of music.

Rayne had understood these things long ago and did not want to progress too slowly, so he deliberately displayed his musical talent. He learned everything at once and understood it immediately, quickly mastering the basics of the keyboard organ.

When they began learning hand positions and finger techniques, as well as identifying the keys, their hands inevitably touched.

At first, Viola was still somewhat shy. But as Rayne revealed more of his talent, she was both surprised and delighted. She soon grew accustomed to teaching him to play hand in hand, and even their occasional close physical contact began to seem natural.

One taught while the other learned. The two became so immersed that no one disturbed them, and before they knew it, the entire afternoon had passed.

The sound of the keyboard organ rang out in the room.

Rayne played a simple piece with a straightforward rhythm. His performance was somewhat stiff, and the notes sounded slightly wooden, but it was coherent enough to count as a proper performance.

When the music stopped, Viola, sitting beside him, happily applauded several times.

Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Rayne and exclaimed, "The piece is still a little rough, but to go from knowing absolutely nothing to reaching this level within a few hours is already very impressive."

"Rayne, have you really never learned to play the keyboard organ before?"

Rayne shamelessly replied with some pride, "Today was my first time touching one."

In fact, he had discovered that his piano skills had improved greatly compared with his previous life. This was thanks to the precise control provided by his phone's gyroscope. Still, he could only pretend to be inexperienced.

Sometimes, pretending not to know was actually more difficult. He had nearly given himself away several times.

Viola still found it hard to believe. Rayne's musical talent was even greater than her own. At least in terms of playing, after some more practice, he would be almost as good as her.

She guessed that the Demon Soul Rayne had fused with might contain something that strengthened arm control, such as "Nimble Hands," but it did not quite seem that way.

The changes Rayne had undergone after fusing with the Demon Soul were clearly an overall enhancement. They had nothing to do with just his hands.

This must be the talent of a Perfect Soul Transformation!

Viola praised him inwardly, then smiled and said, "You've now reached the beginner level, but improving your skills will require more practice. Whenever you have time, you can come here to play. I'll continue teaching you some famous pieces."

"All right. I'll come often to learn, Teacher Viola." Rayne agreed without the slightest hesitation, adding a teasing remark.

How could he miss an opportunity to spend time with a beautiful woman?

Viola grew a little embarrassed at being addressed that way. Just then, an employee from the shop knocked and entered, reminding her, "Madam, the auction begins in an hour. Some guests have already arrived."

"I know. I'll be right there." Viola seemed to come back to herself. She looked at the clock on the wall and thought, Time has passed so quickly.

Rayne also stood up, finally remembering the real reason he had come that day.

He exchanged a glance with her and realized that they had both completely forgotten about the auction. They had spent several hours in the room without mentioning it even once, and had even forgotten to eat dinner.

Viola straightened her long dress and said calmly, "Rayne, I'll go down and receive the guests first. I'll come back and tell you about it later."

"Go ahead. I'll practice for a while longer." Rayne sat back down and placed his hands on the keys.