High Above

"Walking through the bright red leaves of autumn, the warm wind of the setting sun caressing my skin~ The white birds flying across the dim sky, do you know where my heart wants to rest~"

Ian picked up the lute and improvised a piece according to the rhythm of the minstrel in his memory - the cheerful tavern tune dyed the entire study with warm colors.

Counting the lyrics, this is a country ballad with a bit of yellow content. It is very popular throughout Nanling. But counting the lyrics, it is just an ordinary ditty.

As for the yellow content... To be honest, there is nothing to look forward to. It is essentially no different from folk songs like "Pinch Your Big X". After all, it is a folk song from a rural place like Nanling, so don’t expect the lyrics to be too stylish—even the lyrics above are the result of Ian trying to beautify them as much as possible.

In fact, the version in the tavern is 'The maple leaves in autumn are so hot, the warm wind blows on your cheeks~The white birds in the sky are swaying, just like my heart when I saw you~'.

The maple leaves and white birds here have their own meanings.

The Viscount must have liked it very much.

Anyway, Ian couldn't sing that tune.

But I have to say that when I was in the pub, it felt very much like local life.

Isengard listened to Ian's performance. He originally wanted to praise Ian's skillful technique, but later he gradually raised his brows in confusion, showing a puzzled look.

"The performance is very good..." The blond boy said to himself in confusion: "But it feels a bit... um... different from what I heard in Harrison Port before? Ian, your performance is a bit less like a ballad, a bit like Too strict..."

"Understand."

Raising his hand and stopping playing, Ian looked at Isengard. He gently put the instrument back in its place: "The core of art lies in being different. Because of the mood, because of the state, because of the emotions and tiny impulses in the brain."

"Even the same movements are different in subtle ways. The person's demeanor, actions, chosen steps and positions, the passionate attitude, an infectious power, the bard's steps forward to approach the audience... …Those are hard to imitate.”

"If you want to imitate these things, there are really too many things to consider."

"But if it's human nature, you don't need to think too much, you just need to be yourself - so some people can heat up the atmosphere, and I just simply restore the process of his playing."

With that said, Ian looked out the study window with a smile: "Every song sung by different people is different - the world in everyone's eyes is completely different, everyone, even the same person at different times. , listening to the same song, the feelings rising in my heart are also different."

"So I like music very much and I like this difference."

Isengard listened in silence. He felt like he was seeing a more real Ian...in a way he'd never known.

"I was a little worried at first, afraid that my mother would see through your secret."

Isengard said softly, and then nodded reassuringly: "Now it seems that this is too much worry. You can hide such a completely different side of yourself so well, I'm afraid no one can see through your true face."

"It's not that bad. The main reason is that when we go on adventures together, we don't have much chance to talk about music."

The young man shook his head slightly: "Does Mrs. Ellen want to see me?"

Although Ian had known about this for a long time, he pretended not to know: "Morning or evening? Or noon?"

"Noon. Let's have lunch together."

Isengard arranged his clothes, packed up the documents, and nodded: "We will set off in a while... Miss Hua An and the others can also go if they want..."

"It's best not to involve them."

Ian answered decisively, he narrowed his eyes: "In such a hurry... Mrs. Ellen must have something to tell me. Maybe it has something to do with your second uncle Mikael... maybe it also has something to do with you. .”

"Ethan, has anything happened recently in the Imperial Capital regarding the Alchemy Association?"

Isengard was stunned for a moment, then searched for information from his memory: "Yes. A few days ago, after my teacher and I returned to the imperial capital, we found the master who engraved the inscription array on my bracelet... He was deprived After receiving the title of master, an old alchemist who had the ability but no title took his place."

"This is a disgraceful thing - a master alchemist actually does some murderous work for money. This will undoubtedly damage the reputation of the Alchemy Association, so the Alchemy Association held a free alchemist Qualification certificates, and additional rewards for the top few in the assessment..."

"You also know that in the past, to get the alchemist qualification certificate, you had to bring your own materials and potions, but this time the association paid for it, and there will be rewards for ranking at the top. When will there be such a generous thing?"

"I remember that it lasted for seven days and was free of charge. There seemed to be a limited number of people, but seven days was enough for all qualified people to participate."

"So, a lot of people came here specially this time. In their opinion, the first place should be determined by default, but if you can't get a reward, at most it will be treated as a free practice. Free things, don't use them in vain."

Isengard joked that he had no intention of participating. After all, he had already passed the test for the title of elite alchemist, and he was still far away from the master, and his family did not lack such a small amount of money for materials: "This is me. I said before that if I want you to show your performance, if you can get the top three, I will arrange a laboratory for you and no one will say anything."

"Furthermore, taking advantage of this fame, you can also make a name for yourself in the Alchemy Association. In the future, you will have an organization and it will be convenient for you to do anything."

"It seems that I'm just in time." Ian nodded slightly. He had probably guessed what Mrs. Ellen was going to say to him - it was nothing more than letting himself take part in this test, showing his strength, and then letting himself join. Platinum and Iridium Workshops, as Isengard's deputy.

How could Mrs. Ellen not think of things that Ethan could think of? It's just that the other party silently followed the current events, set the stage, and waited for them to come up.

Ian didn't think there was anything wrong with this - he just needed a shelf, and everyone else helped him set up the stage. Although it wasn't deliberately built for him, it really saved a lot of effort.

After he shows his alchemy prowess, no one will care if he exchanges the achievements of the Inspector Knight for materials from the Realm of the Pole.

Everything went very smoothly and all plans went according to plan.

However, it was different from what Ian imagined.

In addition to this stage, Mrs. Ellen also prepared a rather unexpected surprise for him.