Chapter 193: Velas's Song
No wonder Sarah has been acting so mysterious these past few days. No wonder Lars and the others looked so mysterious when I asked them. Damn it, was I the only one kept in the dark?
However, I no longer had time for anger. Dressed in a pure white Robe, displaying a Holy and noble expression, her exquisite Appearance, Holy Aura, Sarah, more beautiful than an Angel, had completely captured my Eyeballs.
"What the... As expected, she was just chosen temporarily. Her posture is incorrect, and her Expression is too stiff. And what's with that gorgeous White Robe? As a Saintess, she doesn't need these vulgar adornments at all."
The Little Ghost's Tone was so sour it made my teeth ache.
*Sweatdrop* I wonder who was the one constantly envying that beautiful White Robe at the beginning, and complaining that the Monastery in her Era was too shabby, unwilling to even spend on a decent Robe. How did her tune change so quickly now?
I tightly hugged the Little Ghost to my chest and kissed her forehead. Only then did she quiet down, still sounding sour.
In the center of the Plaza, Little Sarah slowly began to sing. Amplified by Magic, a sweet and Holy melody softly echoed throughout the entire Rogue Encampment above. It was clearly audible even ten kilometers away.
I held my breath, letting the familiar and smooth melody linger in my ears. The song Sarah was singing was actually Alice's "Avellina's Redemption". Although it was far from as lively and natural as Alice's singing – no, I should say, Alice had already transcended the ordinary Realm. That was a Holy purity that pierced directly to the Soul, a realization of merging the song with oneself. It was simply not something the current Sarah could compare to.
After all, Alice had been singing for several thousand years, and her previous incarnation was a bona fide Candidate Saintess. Considering Sarah's current performance, if she had only just learned it recently, she was already doing quite well. At least there were no off-key parts, and her innate Angelic Temperament and Appearance also significantly enhanced the song.
Alice in my arms shifted slightly.
"Hmph, her singing is just so-so. It looks like she'll surpass me in the near future, boohoo~~"
She reluctantly raised her head, her large silver eyes blinking and locking onto me.
"Haha. She's still far from that," I said, smoothing the moonlight-colored hair of this willful Little Ghost.
"Wah!! You didn't deny it, you didn't deny what I said, right? Boohoo~~"
Alice sensitively detected the Loophole in my words, looking at me with a sinister Gaze. In One's Head, she was probably planning some Vengeance scheme again.
The graceful Avellina's Redemption finally ended with Sarah's soft murmuring. She excitedly raised her little pink Head, her crimson large Eyeballs rolling around. Driven by some invisible force, her Vision/Insight suddenly fell upon the Tree where I was hiding. She revealed a slight sweet Smile, then gracefully and slowly walked down.
What an amazing little girl. How did she find me? Regarding Sarah's seemingly telepathic glance, my heart naturally felt as sweet as if it were oozing honey.
The Ritual ended. However, many people did not disperse. Only the restless children and the vendors who needed to return to their Stalls to do business hurried away. About half of the gathered Crowd left. But the entire scene was still full of Excitement. A scorching atmosphere and turbid Air filled the entire Plaza. I began to feel wise for choosing to stay in the Tree; at least the Air here was fresher.
That's right, what followed was a performance lasting several hours, similar to New Year's Eve in the Original World. Some of the performers were prostitutes from Women's Street, and Sorceresses from the Mage Guild would also perform their specialty Magic. Besides that, some performers were from the Civilian population, for example, several amazing Aunties showcasing their masterful sewing Effort, and also – Velas!!
I knew it. With Sarah, this Little Angel, taking on the role of the Saintess, and thinking back to how mysterious those two had been, Velas, who possesses a good Singing Voice, definitely wouldn't be left out. They were probably busy with this these past few days. Thinking of this, while feeling relieved, I couldn't help but feel annoyed at their concealment. After the Divine Birth Day ends, I definitely need to teach them a good lesson.
As usual, these performances were like the Spring Festival Gala, holding absolutely no attraction for me, a Traveler from another world. If I hadn't wanted to see Velas perform, I would have gone browsing the Stalls long ago. However, Alice, this little girl, was watching with great interest. Thinking about how this little girl had stayed in that dry and boring ghost place for several thousand years, I couldn't help but look at her with pity, and in the Little Ghost's confused Gaze, I patted her soft little Head.
After taking an Afternoon Nap, the performance had unconsciously reached its end. It seemed Velas was being saved for the finale. I couldn't help but feel even more Expectation.
Finally, after six Aunties performed together, sewing decent outer garments for six lucky audience members on the spot within five minutes using a few scattered pieces of fabric, and receiving warm applause, a young female Sorceress in a black robe appeared. Hey? Her Appearance seemed a bit familiar. Wasn't she the plump female Sorceress who was holding a baby in the Tent during the last fundraising event, and was jokingly called "big chest, no milk" by the jealous old woman Kashya? Seeing her young and beautiful Beauty, and the surging, three-dimensional jiggling beneath her Mage Robe, I could certainly understand the indignation of the other women.
This busty female Sorceress was probably playing the role of the master of ceremonies. Under everyone's Gaze, she walked onto the stage, blushing, and said hesitantly.
"N-next is... the very last act of this Divine Birth Day performance. She is... um... an Apprentice from our Mage Guild, and also... also Lord Wu Fan's Ex-Exclusive Maid, from Vi-Vita Village, Velas."
Hey, hey, hey, I say, wasn't there a redundant sentence in there?
"Hmph... hmph... Exclusive Maid, huh!"
The Little Ghost in my arms raised her head, looking at me, puffed up with anger.
"Don't listen to her nonsense, Velas is just my Apprentice," I said righteously, making a slight slip of the tongue.
"Hmph... hmph... Our Lord Wu Fan, does he also need an Exclusive Saintess?"
The Little Ghost, who had recently developed a Witch-like tendency, used her tender little finger to draw circles on my chest. Her cherry lips slightly parted, she breathed near my ear, and her smooth soft tongue inadvertently slid lightly across my neck.
Had I disciplined this Little Ghost too much recently? My breathing suddenly became heavier. My entire Brain was occupied by the extremely charming Little Ghost. I was about to nod in a daze.
No, I quickly bit my tongue. In the Little Ghost's Head, there were Affirmative some cute little Conspiracies turning. I couldn't easily fall into her trap. At this moment, a burst of cheers came over. I quickly seized the opportunity to break free from the Little Ghost's charm and pretended to look over in confusion.
"Wah!! I was ignored." The Little Ghost pouted her mouth. Hmph hmph, you want to fight with me? Your skill is still far off.
My Gaze was already Attracted by the commotion. Why did the people in my eyes look so familiar? I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Oh my. Probably tens of thousands of Villagers from Vita Village had gathered there, including Velas's good friend, Ai'lula, famous in the Rogue Encampment for being "flat-chested". It really had been a long time since I last saw them.
And Velas's Grandpa, Elder Butu of Vita Village, was telling everyone he met, "Look, the next one to go on stage is my precious Granddaughter, Velas." Then he kept giggling happily and foolishly. *Sweatdrop* What a grand cheering squad.
A refreshing Cool Breeze from the Plains blew past. Gently rustling the green leaves on the Tree, it brushed past everyone's Faces. The turbid Air in the Plaza cleared up. The fragrance that penetrated deep into their lungs made everyone quiet down, peacefully enjoying the purification of body and mind brought by this Gentle Breeze.
Then, Velas, dressed in a White Robe, walked out slowly, like an Elf Race in the Gentle Breeze.
This was a Velas I had never seen before. All along, she had always worn a black Dress, paired with a snow-white Lace Apron outside, and tied a big Bowknot at the back. It is said that when Velas left, the Bar Owner of the tavern where she used to work tearfully gifted her 2 sets of Maid Outfits (What kind of boss is this?). Velas seemed to have gotten used to working while wearing such Clothes.
What she was wearing on her Body, however, was a snow-white Robe. The well-fitting cut perfectly highlighted the delicate and petite feminine curves of her Upper Body. The blue collar was high and wide, almost completely covering her fair-skinned and slender neck. Her waist was tied with a blue Ribbon, fastened tightly at the back with a cute bow knot, making her small waist look even more slender. The hem of the Robe was split on both sides, slightly separated in the middle, almost reaching her feet, and she was wearing a snow-white long skirt underneath.
Furthermore, looking closely, it turned out this White Robe was short-sleeved. Inside the White Robe, she was wearing a white inner garment. The inner garment's wide sleeves extended from within the White Robe, covering part of Velas's fair-skinned and slender arms. On the wide cuffs, the Edge/Rim of the White Robe, and the hem of the long skirt, beautiful red lace was embroidered. The exquisite and delicate craftsmanship of the entire piece of Clothes could make even the top-tier tailors marvel.
In my opinion, Velas's outfit had very obvious ethnic characteristics. This could be seen by comparing the stunned and curious Gaze of others with the Villagers from Vita Village, who were full of appreciation and exclamations but showed no surprise at all.
My eyes were completely unable to leave that snow-white beautiful figure. Judging solely by Appearance, Velas was indeed slightly inferior to the other girls I knew. But her purity, her gentleness, her simplicity, her elegance, her Strength... she was like the freesias adorning a Garden where exotic flowers bloomed profusely. Perhaps your Gaze would always be Attracted by other flowers, whether elegant or vibrant, but that didn't mean you ignored her. Rather, you had become accustomed to her Existence. Once you lost her, only then would you discover that the entire Garden had lost its color, lost its Soul.
Long after, the people of the Rogue Encampment would still refer to Velas as the "Flower of the Prairie". Only the residents living on the Great Grassland would understand the beauty of the flowers that could grow on the monotonous and harsh Plains. Even the roughest Barbarian would forcefully squeeze out a sentence like, "Snowflakes on Mount Arreat," or "When I saw her, I suddenly remembered the pure white snowy mountains of my Hometown," expressed a Barbarian with slightly red eyes, using clumsy language.
From the moment Velas walked out until she stood in the center of the high stage, the entire Plaza was very quiet. Hundreds of thousands of people only emitted slight breathing sounds; surprisingly, not a single person spoke. Carried by the gentle Gentle Breeze, Velas stood quietly in the center. Her Appearance looked a bit uneasy. She gently stroked the neat bundle of black hair hanging down in front of her chest with her right hand. The crisp bell sound emitted by the small Accessory hanging on it seemed to give her Strength. Her Expression suddenly became solemn.
Without the Support of musical instruments, without musical accompaniment, that moving melody, filled with Sorrow and confusion, seemed to penetrate people's Souls. It instantly brought me into a real Act ravaged by war.
Crying in the Blood Red night; Life that vanished in an instant; What exactly is it that you desire?
(Between the Distance of dreams and Reality; Between the Crevice of the past and the future; In this Act ravaged by war; I wander aimlessly)
Your wish that is difficult to achieve; Transformed into endless heartbeats; Your sigh, like Sorrow; Like a roaring Flame giving its all;
The Blood Red Moon, gradually approaching; The Sky also burned into a pool of blood; Even if it announced no Redemption;
Your eyes gave me Strength
Until I can control the future, I am willing to Battle ceaselessly in this life
(Only the words that have long since vanished; Will engrave the truth in my heart; Towards the fictional Paradise of days gone by; Softly say, goodbye)
The prayer of Kindness in your heart; Guided by moonlight, illuminated everywhere by the Glow; Your wish, like joy; Made me unable to help but have tears streaming down my face;
Emerging in the pitch black dark night; Even if that Blood Red Moon; Announced the end of the Act;
There is no other choice
The darkness buried deep in my heart; I will sever it completely with this Sword;
Souls resonating with each other; The truth seen in our eyes; In this ever-changing Act;
Your eyes gave me Strength
Facing the never-ending Tragedy;
Let me, make this life a Contribution;
Smiling in the Blood Red night.
Starting from a faint melody of Sorrow, on the Battlefield, beginning with the Sorrow and confusion towards War, then reaching Epiphany, the melody suddenly became impassioned. I seemed to see an epic Battle. Illuminated by the Blood Red moon, a Battlefield covered in Blood and Corpses, countless roaring Warriors, with fresh Blood flowing on their Faces, their crimson eyes full of scalding tears, stepping on the Corpses of their comrades and Enemies, charging forward wave upon wave towards the surging Enemies...
"It's over..."
Alice murmured softly.
"Yes, it's over..."