Oh right, I updated hastily last night and forgot to thank everyone. Last month we placed thirteenth on the overall monthly vote rankings — a great result! Thanks for all your support, especially considering I didn't do many bonus updates in July. Today there will still be three updates, so please cast your guaranteed monthly votes~
The graceful piano melody delicately revealed the complex emotions within Lucian's heart — sweet tenderness, moving melancholy, and unspeakable sorrow — like cool moonlight quietly spilling beneath the night sky and a serene lake surface shimmering with silver scales. It drew every listener into a beautiful, dreamlike world of tranquility, as resonant emotions slowly flowed through their hearts. Countless people forgot their restlessness and impatience at that moment; countless others became quiet and contemplative; and who knew how many suddenly found tears slipping involuntarily from the corners of their eyes...
The first movement slowly faded away within this tranquil atmosphere, but soon the lighthearted, lively second movement sounded forth, as if comforting every soul and offering them a gentle, joyful smile — perfectly expressing the shift in emotions.
The musicians, rousing themselves from the serene, melancholic atmosphere, exchanged glances of mild surprise. Perhaps the ordinary folk and nobles, thoroughly swept up in the music and unable to think of anything else, hadn't noticed — but the musicians keenly perceived that there was almost no pause between the two movements, an unusually tight transition, yet the effect was remarkably wonderful.
For now, they didn't probe too deeply into the reason, and continued listening with rapt attention. After all, one couldn't hear Mr. Lucian Evans personally perform the "Moonlight Sonata" just anytime, anywhere. The thing to do now was simply to enjoy it and not waste this concert opportunity.
The bright, brilliant second movement, lovely as flowers, gradually grew deeper — but just as everyone prepared to rest and adjust before the upcoming intense melody, Lucian didn't pause. He launched directly into the third movement.
The surging, rapidly boiling notes instantly seized the listeners' hearts, making them feel that irrepressible passion and abandon — along with the tension and urgency of picking flowers at the edge of a cliff. They watched Lucian's hands, leaping and dancing as though imbued with divine power, transforming one complex piano technique after another into a melody that was both beautiful and intense, his profile as he played utterly captivating. This was strikingly different from the melancholy prince-like elegance he'd displayed during the first movement, yet it delivered the same visual impact. A few signature high-pitched notes brought it to a close, and everyone's hearts settled back into place. Then they erupted into thunderous applause, surging and continuous like the tide.
Betty, her short bow slung across her back, said joyfully to her sister Joanna and brother-in-law Simon: "Compared to Mr. Evans's performance, every 'Moonlight' we've heard before was just ordinary. That unique blend of melancholy tranquility and sweet sorrow — the others simply couldn't capture it. And in the last two movements, Mr. Evans's playing hit even harder." Three years had apparently made her quite a bit more refined in her appreciation of music.
"Indeed, the gap between a great musician and an ordinary performer is enormous," Joanna agreed with a gentle smile, gazing at the crystal walls. "Betty, I recall Mr. Evans promised he'd play a piano piece for you privately?"
Betty's face flushed crimson instantly: "Sister, don't tease me. I know I'm still a long way from awakening my bloodline power, but I'll work hard for it. I will!" The prerequisite for that promise had been that she could become a full knight.
"The Vorlite Principality borders the Dark Mountains, which gives us plenty of opportunities for tempering. There's no place better than this for us to awaken our bloodline power through adventure." Simon felt that after the past two-plus years, his strength as a High-level Knight Squire had improved further, bringing him one step closer to awakening his bloodline power.
Betty nodded first, then gazed with a sweet expression at Lucian, who was resting briefly beside the piano and preparing for his second sonata: "Actually, I know Mr. Evans made that promise back then just to encourage me. I never truly expected him to play for me privately. Being able to experience his concert like this is already more than enough for me. Of course, I won't slack off in my efforts — I won't dishonor what is an incredibly important and beautiful encouragement and 'dream' to me."
Greenton, standing at the edge of the municipal plaza, clapped with satisfaction and enthusiasm while endlessly chattering to the people around him: "Mr. Evans's 'Moonlight' was simply the pinnacle of beauty. Having heard him play it with my own ears at least once, I have no regrets. But oh — will I ever be able to feel anything listening to others play it from now on? This is the difference between a master pianist and everyone else!"
Inside the VIP box of the Sacred Hymn Hall.
"So that's it — the movements of the 'Moonlight Sonata' need to be tight with no pauses between them, so that the emotional contrasts stand out clearly and the melodic groundwork builds into a cohesive whole, creating a perfect experience." Natasha emerged from the lovely atmosphere the Moonlight had conjured and discussed this distinctive technique. "No wonder when I played it before, I always felt something was missing... His letter never mentioned this point..."
"Perhaps Her Highness thought the Princess could grasp his vision on her own, and so forgot to write down some of the performance requirements," Christoph said with a half-joking tone.
As for the fact that Lucian only contacted Natasha after leaving to travel and gather inspiration — that even his letters to Joel, John, and others were forwarded through her — while everyone understood this was the most convenient and efficient method, since he could make use of the Vorlite Principality's intelligence network and so on, most people still harbored certain suspicions, so the rumors brewed and spread, gradually lending weight to an earlier piece of gossip. This left many who knew the inside story feeling a mix of eager anticipation and amusement on one hand, and mild dissatisfaction, worry, and annoyance on the other.
Natasha paid no mind to Master Christoph's humorous teasing, instead earnestly discussing everyone's different approaches to musical interpretation.
Hearing their discussion, Duke Vaolet glanced at Natasha, rousing himself from the bittersweet memories the "Moonlight" had stirred up. His brow furrowed slightly, yet his expression carried a hint of satisfaction. The other musicians and performers who had played the "Moonlight" compared their own performances one by one, trying to find differences from the "original composer's" rendition for correction — but they wouldn't imitate him completely, since everyone's inner "moonlight" was different.
After a brief rest, Lucian continued building his emotions and began playing — the familiar "Pathétique" once more. It was the same familiar feeling, only this time, compared to when they'd first heard it, everyone understood better how to appreciate the emotions it contained. That power — sorrowful yet not despairing, grieving yet refusing to give up — struck their hearts even more deeply through the music.
After finishing the "Pathétique," Lucian clenched his right hand into a fist and brought it to his mouth, coughing rapidly a few times. Franz, Grace, and Fabbrini, who witnessed this scene backstage, felt their hearts clench with worry. Fortunately, they saw Lucian quickly regain his composure and rise to acknowledge the audience with flushed cheeks, acting as though nothing had happened. Then he sat back down on the piano bench.
"I wonder what kind of virtuosic piano passage it'll be?" Since this was a solo performance, Fabbrini had never heard Lucian's piano practice sessions, so he asked Franz and Grace with curiosity. In his mind, Franz was Lucian's "assistant" and Grace was his student, so they should know at least something.
Franz shook his head: "Mr. Evans always practices on his own after returning from rehearsals. Besides, for a great musician like him, nobody requires a mandatory dress rehearsal before a concert. So I haven't heard it either."
"Neither have I. But the teacher already stated clearly that this is a virtuosic passage, so it should be extremely difficult but perhaps slightly lacking in other aspects." Grace ventured her speculation.
At that moment, all sound in the Sacred Hymn Hall and the municipal plaza ceased, as they watched Lucian extend his hands and hover them above the keys. Then it was as though they heard countless giant hornets beating their wings in rapid flight — a buzzing, humming sound ringing right beside their ears. The speed grew faster and faster — "the hornets filled the sky in a swirling dance" — Greenton and the others stared in slack-jawed amazement as Lucian's hands played at a speed that seemed inhuman, racing along with an intense sense of rhythm and a surging, passionate melody that made everyone's hearts race and set their entire bodies burning with fervor!
"Flight of the Bumblebee" — one of the fastest and most virtuosic piano pieces there was! At this dizzying speed, the short few minutes of piano passage ended before anyone could even react. The ordinary people in the municipal plaza were left boiling with excitement, their applause crashing down like thunder! It was a musical charm they had never experienced before — as if beneath the seemingly normal melody lay something wilder, more uninhibited, and somehow closer to the hearts of ordinary people.
Christoph, Victor, Othello, and the other musicians nodded in satisfaction at the highly demanding technique they had witnessed, while simultaneously furrowing their brows slightly because this piece's expression somewhat exceeded their capacity for acceptance — it seemed rather peculiar and absurd. But as a purely virtuosic piano passage, it was hardly a problem.
Natasha let out a whistle: "What an absolutely brilliant, spirited little piano piece! I wonder just how fast it could go?!" She understood that speed wasn't the point. With her strength as a Sky Knight, she could play the piano as fast as she wanted — but maintaining a beautiful auditory experience while playing at such speed — that was the true test of a musician.
The solo portion had completely concluded, and the nobles and musicians inside the Sacred Hymn Hall, along with the ordinary folk in the municipal plaza, began relaxing themselves in various ways, since two lengthy symphonies still lay ahead. Some enthusiastically exchanged praises for the conducting and playing they had just witnessed, while others discussed with curious excitement that buzzing hornet piano passage, marveling at Lucian Evans's imaginative and pioneering style that set him apart from other musicians...
Fifteen minutes later, Lucian, dressed in a black tailcoat, took the stage once more. He gave a polite bow, then took his position before the orchestra.
"From the New World — what kind of symphony will it be?" Christoph sat upright, his heart brimming with anticipation, as did the other musicians. In the musical world of Altor, symphonies were the mainstream — the brightest, most precious gem in the crown of music.
Lucian's eyes half-closed, the baton in his right hand moved in slow, deliberate strokes. The melody that followed was soothing and expansive, as though narrating something, gazing toward something far away. This outstanding opening instantly drew satisfied nods from the musicians and brought complete calm to the other listeners. As expected of Lucian Evans! In the second half of the gentle introduction, the music suddenly became surging and turbulent, with impassioned horns seeming to herald a tense, bustling rhythm and a passionate, powerful melody. Yet the folk-inspired style and more freely structured themes of the first movement that followed left most musicians wearing expressions of deep thought and furrowed brows.
(To be continued.)