Azure Star Sea Area, Dream Island

Azure Star Sea Area, Dream Island.

This once-abandoned island, now under the management of the Gold Coin Merchant Association, has become the most prosperous trading and entertainment center in the Azure Star Sea Area and even the surrounding waters.

The towering lighthouse shines day and night, Guidance merchant ships and passenger vessels from all seas to and fro.

The dock was bustling with activity; the shouts of unloading cargo, the clamor of bargaining, and the intermingling of various languages created a vibrant symphony of sounds.

All goods are tallied at the dock, and merchants from various ethnic groups only need to present vouchers to enter the island for purchasing and trading.

The prosperity of Dream Island today owes a great deal to the "siege of the island" a year ago.

When greedy raiders attempted to seize this place, all factions wondered how the Gold Coin Merchant Association would respond.

But when they saw the Black Tide and the Insect Race, these two forces crossing over to fight alongside the players, all the sea factions fell silent.

They realized that the Gold Coin Merchant Association was not someone they could afford to offend.

In this battle, the Gold Coin Merchant Association made a name for itself in more distant seas, repelled a powerful enemy, and established an unshakeable prestige.

Many deep-sea races and sky civilizations that had previously adopted a wait-and-see attitude, or even never set foot on Dream Island, began sending envoys to seek cooperation with the Gold Coin Merchant Association.

Once a partnership is established, the Gold Coin Merchant Association will be permanently bound to it.

Many groups are even willing to store their resources on Gold Coin Island for safety.

In addition to its trading center, Gold Coin Island also offers a deposit service similar to that of a bank.

However, the Gold Coin Merchant Association will not lend money to any faction, all stored resources are interest-free, and a storage fee must be paid annually.

With the ever-growing amount of resources stored, the Gold Coin Merchant Association has become a major consumer of space-related materials among Player Camp.

After all, building a humanoid warehouse is a considerable expense.

The surge in customer traffic to the Gold Coin Merchant Association has also boosted another of Dream Island's calling cards: the Fate City Casino.

Today, Dream Island has clearly defined functional areas.

The core area of the island is home to the Gold Coin Merchant Association's trading market, headquarters, and other facilities; it is the heart of the entire island.

The coastal area radiating outwards from the core area, facing Crescent Bay, has been transformed into a bustling entertainment district.

The Fate City Casino, with its dreamlike dome constructed from countless glowing runes and rare crystals, has become the most dazzling beacon in the night.

This place brings together all kinds of entertainment projects created by Life Throat.

In addition to the casino project, there are also song and dance troupes from different civilizations performing here in turn.

The food street is filled with hundreds of aromas, many of which are spirit food dishes made from secret recipes of the Lingxi Clan. There are also many Spiritual Chef players setting up stalls to prepare delicacies on the spot. The nearby taverns sell all kinds of fine wines. As long as you pay enough gold coins, all races can enjoy unprecedented excitement and pleasure here.

Many foreign merchants initially came for trade, but ended up frequenting entertainment districts.

Our gaze follows the seabirds across the trading market and the gambling city, finally landing in the relatively tranquil northeast corner of the island.

This is a secluded courtyard nestled against verdant cliffs and facing the inner bay.

It is also the temporary base for the "Phantom Poems" project team.

The environment here is tranquil, far from the hustle and bustle of the main pier and the neon lights of the entertainment area. The only sounds are the gentle lapping of the Sea Wave against the rocks and the occasional birdsong from the mountains.

The courtyard has a simple design, with white stone buildings scattered around. In the center is an open courtyard where a sand table has been set up for discussion, and the air is filled with the calming scent of incense.

At this moment, several figures were already in the courtyard.

One of the project's initiators, Detailed Study Faction player known as "Remnant Scroll," was hunched over a stone table, frowning and deep in thought as he looked at a scroll of blueprints and densely packed musical notes, occasionally sketching on it with his pen.

Beside him, another member of the Detailed Study Faction was adjusting a peculiar instrument, attempting to use it to simulate a specific musical passage.

As the liaison for the Gold Coin Merchant Association, Yuezhou stood aside without disturbing the Detailed Study Faction team's work.

"Remnant Scroll, are you sure the decay curve of the syllable 'Silent Melody' is like this? I feel the transition to the afterglow part is a bit abrupt—" the Detailed Study Faction musician, who was tuning his instrument, looked up and asked.

Without looking up, the Remnant Scroll said, "The library's 'Building Notes,' Volume 3, Section 7, contains only so much information about musical transitions. I've deduced it 17 times, and this is the curve that best fits the context—you feel something's wrong because the instrument you're using is wrong; you still need the Origin Source sound."

"That's true." The debugger nodded and continued working.

At this moment, Yuezhou spoke up, "This is precisely why we invited Mr. Wind Speech. He not only has outstanding listening skills, but also the ability to reproduce those voices in the way we need."

After speaking, he glanced at the communication interface. "He should be arriving soon."

The words had barely left his lips when a soft, Breaking the Void sound echoed from the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw seven elegant silver-blue figures, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, descending from the clouds and gliding towards this secluded courtyard.

On the back of the lead Sky Ray, a young man with light blue hair and flowing robes looked down at the gradually clearing outline of the island and this unique courtyard.

The people in the courtyard stopped what they were doing, and the sunlight focused on the sky.

Remnant Scroll straightened up, pushed up the non-existent Artificial Intelligence glasses on his nose, and looked on with anticipation.

The silver-blue goose formation descended, hovering lightly half a circle above the courtyard. Finally, the lead goose folded its wings, like a giant, soft feather, and landed smoothly on the reserved open space in the center of the courtyard.

The gentle breeze stirred by the membrane fluttered the blueprints on the stone table, carrying with it a peculiar, refreshing fragrance.

Wind Speech leaped lightly off the manta ray's back, his toes barely touching the ground. He looked around, his emerald eyes quickly sweeping over the dozen or so people in the courtyard before finally settling on Yuezhou, who was smiling as she approached.

"Poem of the Land Team, Wind Speech." Wind Speech proactively extended her right hand.

"Welcome to Dream Island, you must be tired from your journey." Yuezhou released her hand, turned to the side and gestured "please": "The main members of the project team are all here, let me introduce you first----"

Yuezhou introduced the Remnant Scroll, the Detailed Study Faction "Sa Huan" who was adjusting the instruments, and several other members responsible for data organization and energy analysis.

Wind Speech nodded in greeting, his attitude humble.

"You must have already learned about the specific project background and technical requirements from the letter." Yuezhou led Wind Speech to the stone table, where the drawings and symbols spread out immediately attracted Wind Speech's full attention. "These are the preliminary syllable diagrams of the Illusionary Sound Poem, reconstructed by the team that owns the Remnant Scroll, based on the information provided by the library and the Guidance."

Wind Speech bent down, her emerald eyes carefully scanning the intricate lines and runes, as well as the dense annotations beside them.

The closer he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

This is completely different from his understanding of "musical score".

Instead of musical notes, beats, and key signatures, there are countless twisted, wavy lines representing the energy fluctuations of musical rhythms. The markings next to the lines are not do, re, mi, etc., but rather abstract runes and energy units.

The nodes connecting the different lines are labeled with terms such as resonance harmonics and mental intervention points.

The entire diagram is more like an analytical representation of a spell model.

"This... is sheet music?" Wind Speech couldn't help but ask, his expression clearly showing confusion.

He considered himself quite knowledgeable in pitch Perception and natural sound collection, and also familiar with music theory, but the score in front of him was completely beyond his comprehension.

The Remnant Scroll looked up, pushed up the non-existent Artificial Intelligence glasses again, and explained, "To be precise, this is a mapping of Mental Energy. The Huan Yin Clan doesn't use physical sound melodies as we understand them. Their sounds are a kind of disturbance that can resonate with the world. These maps record the energy frequency and intensity generated by this disturbance under the influence of different Origin Source properties."

He pointed to a complex intersection of multiple lines on the diagram. "For example, here, it corresponds to the core syllable of the Origin Source the law, which is a rhythm of spiritual power release, O..."

The Wind Speech deeply moved me.

This was not singing or playing music; it was clearly using spiritual power and specific energy frequencies to play the sounds of the world itself. He looked at the diagrams again, trying to understand them using his experience of collecting the sounds of nature.

The sound of wind has frequency, the sound of water has rhythm, and the cries of beasts have emotional color—but these are essentially fluctuations at the physical or mental level, while the "sound" of the Huan Yin Clan skips the medium entirely.

His gaze fell upon the few lines of text annotations beside the diagram; these were fragments of the Huan Yin Clan's interpretation of the essence of music:

[Sound is the vibration of the heartstrings, capable of connecting with the pulse of heaven and earth—when rhythms harmonize, all spirits respond; when they contradict, all sounds fall silent—the highest sound is not heard by the ear, but comprehended by the spirit—]

These descriptions immediately reminded him of the burning light in his grandfather's eyes when he was a child, as his grandfather stroked a leaf-shaped musical instrument.

Elders in the clan have also used similar terms when referring to their ancestors.

For example: the sound of the heart can guide spirits, the rhythm can resonate through mountains and rivers, and the music of silence can control all things, and so on.

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

He raised his head and looked at Yuezhou, his emerald eyes filled with curiosity. "Brother Yuezhou, if I may ask—is the civilization background of the Huan Yin Clan —inspired by our Light Spirit Clan?"

Upon hearing Yuezhou, Yuezhou's handsome face showed a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into contemplation.

Upon hearing Remnant Scroll, the other members of the Detailed Study Faction and the others also showed thoughtful expressions.

They hadn't really considered this point, and when they suddenly heard Wind Speech say this, they immediately felt that there were many coincidences between the two.

Prior to this, there had been news reports of the Greenwood Clan complaining about Star Network altering their history into Monster World setting.

"This—I'm not quite sure." Yuezhou slowly shook his head, his tone frank. "The civilization background setting of the Monster World originates from the highest-level Star Network. I'm just a normal player, so I have no way of knowing the specific design references, but—"

He paused, his gaze lingering on Wind Speech's long, pointed ears and pale blue hair. He then looked at the descriptions of the musical system on the blueprints and said thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, there are indeed similarities. The Huan Yin Clan also uses music as the core of their civilization, and they both possess a special talent for resonating with nature and even the rules of the universe. Their decline is related to the silence Definition —this is indeed very similar to the situation of your Light Spirit Clan losing power on Earth, in terms of narrative logic."

The Remnant Scroll added, "From a research perspective, we have indeed discovered that many of the music theory descriptions of the Huan Yin Clan are different from any known modern music system, but they do have similarities to the musical system of your Light Spirit Clan. Therefore, it is entirely possible that Star Network drew inspiration from Earth's civilization prototype when constructing the Monster World civilization."

A thought stirred in Wind Speech's heart.

If that's the case, then this breakthrough has a completely different meaning for him.

Although he knew that game settings were game settings and reality was reality.

However, it is no secret that many of the knowledge systems in the Monster World can be applied to reality.

Thinking of this, his heart skipped a beat.

Through this collaboration, he may very well touch upon traces of ancestral power; even if it's just a resemblance, it would still be of extraordinary significance.

"I understand." Wind Speech took a deep breath, her gaze returning to the complex musical notation, the confusion in her eyes gradually replaced by a sense of challenge. "Although I don't quite understand these musical scores, I have a lot of experience in reproducing sounds. What do you need me to do? Just tell me the specific task."

Just as Wind Speech finished speaking and was about to listen to the specific tasks, Yuezhou did not answer directly.

Yuezhou smiled slightly and tapped the air a few times with her hand.

Then, Challenger Prompt popped up in Wind Speech's mind:

[Challenger Prompt: Player Yuezhou has transferred 65,000,000 points of Sacrificial Power to you.]

Wind Speech almost thought he had misheard. He summoned his Spatial Inventory interface and scanned the balance column. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze on the spot, even his breath stopping for a moment.

A long string of zeros seemed to have a magical power, firmly locking his gaze.

"Brother Yuezhou, what's this...?"

"Don't be surprised. This is just the initial funding for the first phase of the Illusionary Poems project, fully funded by the Chamber of Commerce and directly transferred to your personal account for designated use."

Wind Speech:!!!

Over the next few days, the courtyard in the northeast corner of Dream Island became unusually busy.

Wind Speech has temporarily left the Poem of the Land team and is focusing her energy on in-depth study of the "Huan Yin Clan Music System".

The Remnant Scroll and his Detailed Study Faction team became his temporary mentors. The energy diagrams and rune annotations, which were originally like celestial books, gradually took shape in Wind Speech's mind with the fragmented explanations of the Remnant Scroll and the addition of a large amount of supplementary materials.

The "musical rhythm" of the Huan Yin Clan is essentially a highly condensed technique for applying spiritual power to achieve resonance with specific "frequency".

--

Each syllable of this illusory poem corresponds to a pattern of fluctuations emanating from a Primal Monster.

To learn it, besides understanding the energy model, you also need to find a "feeling".

To the surprise of Remnant Scroll and the others, Wind Speech's progress in this area was astonishingly rapid.

Many frequency conversions that require a great deal of effort to master, Wind Speech often grasps the key points in just a few attempts after listening to theoretical explanations and reviewing simulation schemes, thanks to his keen Perception.

The musical affinity that exists in one's blood is fully activated in this process.

This is very similar to players of the Greenwood Clan, who are born with an affinity for plants and can Control plants in battle.

"Too fast." After a tutoring session, Remnant Scroll watched as Wind Speech successfully reproduced a difficult compound syllable and couldn't help but exclaim to Yuezhou, "His adaptability to these non-physical rhythms is like an innate instinct. It's as if Star Network really referenced the Light Spirit Clan when designing the Huan Yin Clan."

Yuezhou simply smiled and nodded, saying nothing more, knowing that she had found the right person.

At the same time, the power system of Wind Speech is also undergoing a radical reshaping.

A staggering 65 million in Sacrificial Power funds were used.

The Monster Soul that were originally in the nine Star Vein Slot were all decomposed, except for those that Control and Eat Qi.

Slots 10 through 17 can be unlocked directly through in-game purchases.

Fifteen Verity Series Monster Soul were inlaid in sequence.

Subsequent simulation tests will all be conducted in the Origin Source form.

This process is far more difficult than simply learning theory.

Switching to the Origin Source form means temporarily abandoning the human body and experiencing and speaking with the Origin Source body.

Each of the Origin Source forms of "vocal organs" is completely different. They are easy to Control, but trying to play a specific sound is like using an unfamiliar instrument.

The Wind Speech must quickly master the vocalization methods in each form to ensure that they meet the standards required by the musical score.

With Wind Speech's amazing adaptability and relentless practice, his voice gradually became stable, possessing the rhythm the team wanted.

By the sixth day, Wind Speech was able to switch quickly and smoothly between the fifteen Origin Source forms of the Verity Series system, and stably emit a consistent tone.

At this moment, Yuezhou brought the final piece of the puzzle to the team.

"These are the three Law Beasts captured from the Definition spine, as required by the project." Yuezhou pointed to the light cage in a corner of the courtyard.

Inside the cage, three Law Beasts, each with a different shape and surrounded by faint light of different attributes, paced restlessly.

One was a "Frost Law Beast" with an ice-blue body and exuding a chilling aura; another was a "Shadow Beast" with a blurred figure; and the last was a "Storm Law Beast" with surging air currents around its body.

Their life strength was weakened and adjusted to the same level by the Pharmacist Guild through specific potions, perfectly matching the syllable strength that Wind Speech needed to simulate.

"Of the 18 syllables in the Phantom Song, 15 come from the Origin Source, and 3 come from specific attribute-based Law Beasts." The Remnant Scroll pointed to the last three special nodes on the diagram. "Next, besides singing the Origin Source Control yourself, you also need to guide these three Law Beasts to emit their corresponding accompaniment sounds at specific times during the recitation of the poem. The three must perfectly blend with your main melody to form a complete Resonance Key."

Wind Speech walked to the light cage, her emerald eyes meeting those of the three law beasts.

He then reached out and released his Control power remotely, gently stroking the Law Beasts. The invisible power penetrated into the Law Beasts' bodies, and the three Law Beasts immediately began to tremble violently.

Before long, he had completed the Control of the three law beasts.

Wind Speech then threw them directly into the pet space and used his Sacrificial Power to Purification them.

"The final preparations are complete." Yuezhou's voice sounded from behind, "Wind Speech, when you can completely reproduce these 18 syllables in a specific order, duration, intensity, and their interrelationships, we can head to the Spine of Definition and attempt to open the long-sealed treasure vault of the Huan Yin Clan."

The courtyard fell silent, save for the gentle lapping of distant Sea Wave and the whisper of the mountain wind.

All eyes were on Wind Speech.

Wind Speech took a deep breath, feeling the Origin Source surging within the 17 Star Vein Slot in his body. He then looked at the three Law Beasts beside him that had been Purification, and finally his gaze fell on the musical score on the stone table—a burning fighting spirit ignited in his heart.

He turned to look at Yuezhou and Remnant Scroll, and solemnly nodded, saying, "I'm fine. Let's begin the final individual ensemble performance."