Ancient Music Theory

When Karl returned, his arms were bulging.

He pushed open the door, peeked cautiously into the corridor, and only after confirming that no one was there did he slip inside and close the door behind him.

"Look what this is!"

Karl laid out the items as if presenting a treasure.

They are two curved flutes.

Pale yellow, translucent, like amber, it gleams with a warm luster in the light filtering through the window.

Lu Yuan glanced at it.

"Musical instruments?"

"This isn't an ordinary instrument!" Karl lowered his voice, his expression mysterious. "It's Sandworm Fang Flute!"

He handed one of them to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan took it; it was surprisingly light.

The flute's body is curved like a crescent moon, about a hand's length long.

Its surface has natural ring-shaped patterns, which are very similar to the patterns on the body of Sandworm.

The five holes are irregularly positioned, unlike the evenly spaced holes on a regular flute.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Detection Target: Sandworm Fang Flute (Imitation Version)]

[A unique musical instrument capable of playing Ancient Music Theory]

[It is said that when one reaches the pinnacle of Ancient Music Theory, playing it can summon unexpected beings.]

Lu Yuan's gaze lingered on the last line for a moment.

An unexpected existence.

It sounds dangerous, but it also means it's valuable.

"I took it secretly," Karl leaned closer, his voice even lower, "Don't tell my grandfather."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

That kid's got some nerve.

"You can play?"

"Of course!" Karl puffed out his chest. "I am the number one Song of the Sandworm singer among the younger generation in Sandworm Town!"

Lu Yuan's lips twitched slightly.

How many people are in the younger generation?

However, he didn't say anything, he just looked at Karl.

"Let me demonstrate."

Karl cleared his throat, raised the tooth flute, and brought it to his lips.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, the whistle blew.

The sound was strange.

Deep and lingering, with a certain ancient charm.

Unlike the sound of ordinary musical instruments, it sounded more like the whistling of the wind passing through the sand dunes, or like something whispering softly deep underground.

Lu Yuan noticed that the sand outside the window seemed to vibrate slightly in sync with the sound of the flute.

Karl put down his tooth flute, opened his eyes, and wore a smug look on his face.

"How about it?"

"It doesn't look difficult."

"Why don't you give it a try?"

Lu Yuan did not refuse.

He raised the tooth flute and, mimicking Karl's gesture, brought it to his lips.

Blow.

There was no sound.

Only the airflow passes through the flute holes, producing a slight whooshing sound.

"No, no," Karl shook his head, "You used too much force."

Lu Yuan adjusted his breathing and tried again.

This time there was sound.

But the sound was sharp and piercing, like sawing a bed leg with an old, worn-out saw.

Karl covered his ears, his expression pained.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Lu Yuan put down the ivory flute and looked at him.

What happened?

Karl rubbed his ears, his expression turning serious.

"It's not about blowing with your mouth," he said, "It's about blowing with your intention."

"?"

"Imagine yourself swimming beneath the sand," Karl famously gestured, "Feel the sand moving, feel the darkness beneath... and then express that feeling through the flute."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment.

Is this even conceivable? This is as good as saying nothing at all.

But he still closed his eyes.

Sand.

Flow.

The darkness underground.

He tried to imagine that feeling.

The desert wind, the dry air, the sand beneath my feet scorching hot in the sun.

Then it's underground.

Darkness, silence, and tiny grains of sand flowing slowly in the endless darkness.

Something was moving through the darkness, its enormous body pushing through the sand and swimming in a certain direction.

Lu Yuan raised the ivory flute again.

Blow.

This time, the voice was different.

The sound was low and intermittent, like something trying to awaken, or like the desert sighing softly.

Although it's still quite rough, it already has some of the charm that Karl used when he played it.

Outside the window, the sand on the ground trembled slightly once again.

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text flickers:

[Ancient Music Theory: +0.1...0.1/10]

Lu Yuan put down the tooth flute.

I actually unlocked a new skill, but the progress is slow.

But it does have an effect.

Karl watched with his eyes shining.

"Wow, that's amazing! You learn so fast!"

Lu Yuan didn't respond, only staring at the tooth flute in his hand. It seemed his learning speed had increased?

Just then, a noise came from outside.

The noise was deafening, and the footsteps were chaotic, as if many people were gathering in the same direction.

Karl's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"The Sandworm hunt is about to begin!"

He hurriedly hid the tooth flute back in his arms and pulled Lu Yuan to leave.

"Come on, hide the flute first, then I'll show you!"

Lu Yuan did not refuse, put the Sandworm Fang Flute into his pocket, and followed Karl out.

The Quarry located to the north of the town.

Lu Yuan followed Karl through several streets and arrived at an open space.

This place is different from the rest of the town.

A large circle of stones, about fifty meters in diameter, is formed.

The stones are scattered at varying heights, layer upon layer, with a flat sandy area in the middle.

There were torch troughs on the rocks at the edge of the sand, but they were not lit yet.

About thirty or forty townspeople stood in the outer circle, holding unlit torches, looking tense.

The sun was blazing, but everyone held their breath in anticipation.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the highest point of the rock.

The mayor stood there.

He held a Bone Flute in his hand, which was older and more exquisite than the ivory flute in Lu Yuan's hand. The bone was yellowish, and its surface was engraved with dense patterns, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

Lu Yuan noticed that the town mayor's face was even paler than it had been the night before.

The dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced, as if he hadn't slept all night, and his posture was somewhat stiff, as if he was enduring some kind of pain.

Herman stood not far away, looking at the mayor with a complicated expression.

Lu Yuan memorized that look.

"Begin preparations."

The mayor's voice came through, hoarse and low.

Several strong men carried a large wooden barrel to the center of the sandy area.

The wooden barrel contained some kind of viscous liquid, emitting a strange mineral smell mixed with a fishy odor.

"That's bait," Karl whispered, leaning closer. "It's a mixture of Ore powder and Sandworm Oil, which Sandworm love. Plus, it contains other things to calm Sandworm down."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan understood that the poison had been added to the Sandworm's food.

The bait was poured into the center of the sand, forming a sticky, round mound.

The mayor nodded.

A townsman walked up to the insect-attracting device and began turning the crank.

A deep humming sound came from underground.

The ground began to shake.

At first, it was just a slight tremor, as if a carriage was passing by in the distance. But soon, the tremors became more intense.

The sand beneath our feet began to churn.

Everyone gripped their torches tightly.

"They're here," Karl said in a low voice.

The sandy area exploded in the middle.

A figure rushed out, kicking up a cloud of dust.

But this Sandworm...

Lu Yuan frowned.

It is relatively small, only two-thirds the size of a common Sandworm.

The color is wrong too.

It wasn't the grayish-brown I saw last night, but a dark brown, as if it had been soaked in something.

Even more bizarrely, its body was covered in a large amount of pus.

Thick, disgusting, and with a sickly sheen in the sunlight, it slowly dripped down the insect's body.