Old-time musicians

At four o'clock in the morning at the villa at No. 20 Walstein Street, the howling cold wind made the blinds of the bedroom tremble.

Roy sat quietly in front of the dressing table, watching the rough gray paper on the table quickly shrink like dry ice sublimating without any external force, turning into a swirling, knotted gray smoke.

In the complex lines of smoke that filled the room, she closed her eyes, extended her spiritual touch to the void beyond the astral body, and grasped the wonderful connection with a certain secret contract.

The next moment, when she opened her eyes again, a hanging object appeared out of thin air on the small desk lamp.

A small winged doll with a gray body and bandages on its ribs.

"I remember when I was very young, I first learned about the existence of messengers. I thought it was very cool to see this magical moving creature that could send whispers across oceans, and I immediately wanted to own one. My mother told me that when I grow up, You will have it if you become the 'mentor' of the school of thought."

"Why is this moment not as exciting as originally imagined? What is the problem?"

Roy's eyes lingered on the winged puppet for a while.

After the rough paper on the table was sublimated to the end, a transparent soft gel-like card remained, which seemed to be the sandwich inside the former.

The difficult and lengthy Noahic language was written on it in gray handwriting, and each letter turned into sand and peeled off in less than half a second after reading.

"Evolution" phase climbing path

The first door: the door of fantasy

Key: some state. Attuning to spirituality can be achieved through 7 special tribute sessions (the following notes are written in darker colors and different handwriting, the same below) (Note 1, session 1) (Note 2, session 2) () (Note 8, alternative session 1) (Note 9, alternative link 2)

The second door: the door of fireworks

Key: Some kind of feat. Consume an auxiliary elixir in several locations as far apart as possible in the shortest possible time (Note 1, historical records show that if you complete this key with the help of others, the success rate will be reduced to five 1 in 1, and there are rare cases of twisting) (Note 2, it is advisable to have three or more locations, the interval is more than a thousand miles, and the taking time must be controlled within 26 seconds) (Note 3, the elixir refining formula :Must be part variable part)

The third door: the door of coincidence

Key: Some kind of witness. Acting as a witness to a unique and slim-probability event in a highly publicized event (Note 1: Historical records show that the remains of the 'Calamity' in good containment conditions can be used to travel in place of the key. There were two successful cases, one failed case, and no one died. ) (Note 2, theoretical research believes that this method can also be used for the first and second doors, but no case remains) (Note 3, or, being involved in a large-scale accident and disaster, becoming the only survivor)

The fourth door: the wax statue door

Key:? ? , traveling through illusion and deception

The fifth door: the spiritual door

Key:? ? , traveling through the grand transformation of material energy and spiritual energy

The sixth door: the door of paradox

Key:? ? , with the help of? Antinomy? ? "

The transparency quickly became empty, and the core secret of the Bologna School that had been handed down for nine centuries turned into gray sand and spread a thin layer on the dressing table.

Roy reached out his right hand and ran it over them, then dropped them into the wastebasket.

In less than three minutes, she gained knowledge that an ordinary person might spend a lifetime exploring, or even risk his life. In the end, he might not even be able to infer a correct name.

"The Door of Fireworks, this is the name of the second door. It sounds like its gnosis means that fireworks are fleeting."

Under the soft desk lamp, Roy was playing with a black pen in his hand, biting his lip and thinking.

Yes, time waits for no one, let’s go straight to the preparations for the second promotion!

Regarding the timing of further crossing the door, all major organizations know a general rule: a healthy and energetic body, a stable spirituality, and clear knowledge.

It's just that saying this sentence is the same as not saying it. There are many climbers who have reached this threshold, but terrible failures will still happen. It only outlines the negative situations that absolutely need to be avoided, and is not a safe guarantee letter.

But when the occult theory developed into modern times, people gradually discovered that there is still a clearer correlation with one factor, and that is "lattice"!

In ancient times when the climbing path was not so collapsed, the six levels of "grids" under "Father" happened to correspond to the six doors under the "Dome Gate", which could more safely ensure that the climb was safe. But now, if you want to To ensure sufficient safety, the corresponding "grid" must be upgraded by at least 2-3 levels. As for the higher doors, you can only leave it to fate.

From a direction point of view, this point is consistent with the control logic of the Special Patrol Office, except that the Special Patrol Office has forced a matter of free exploration and self-payment of risks into its own hands.

"So, first of all, I must wait until I become a 'forged lion' before climbing up. This is a necessary guarantee for the success rate. The delay in time is also to eliminate my pollution. I may have accepted these hidden knowledge. , resulting in an unconscious impulse to pursue gnosis.”

"Secondly, the key to the 'Gate of Fireworks' is secondary to the preparation of the elixir. It only costs a few gold pounds. The main thing is to take it in at least three different places within seven seconds."

If it were anyone else, they would probably feel helpless about such a strange condition, or think it is nonsense after thinking about it.

But the magical items Roy carried or owned were not only valuable and numerous, but many of them were related to the school's knowledge system. Soon, she found an idea.

She focused on the bracelet on her wrist.

The shiny white bracelet has several raised carvings and is inlaid with small brown oval stones that resemble diamonds and jade.

There are seven carvings in total, and there are four stones left.

If you stare at them carefully, you will find that they seem to be shadowy and illusory objects, changing their "lying" direction in the blink of an eye.

These stones are called "Bologna Shadow Diamonds". They are a rare mysterious substance in the "Corridor of Sighs" in the Migrating Secret Realm. They can only be collected occasionally from the windows with dazzling scenery - the discontinuous zone at the border of the secret realm. Every day One dollar is enough to buy a small manor in the countryside of the Tioline Empire.

In fact, it is essentially the essence of "derivative" phase, but just like graphite and diamond, the arrangement of the fine structures is different, which leads to great changes in its mysterious properties.

With the cooperation of a simple secret ritual, you can turn a diamond into your own "shadow" and leave it somewhere, allowing your true body to travel there instantly when necessary - in fact, this is the same as the "shadow" of the later Harmony School. "Path Reappearance Method" has homology, but its effective range is only about 730 kilometers.

"I used to think that the 'Bologna Shadow Diamond' was just a beautiful, luxurious, magical escape item with a narrow application, but today I suddenly discovered that it can be used to complete the feat of crossing the 'Fireworks Gate'! Otherwise, you have to wait until Only those at the third level of Su Xiao are able to travel through space, which becomes a paradox."

"And I have wondered before, why does the gnosis of the third level of 'Gate of Coincidence', in addition to divination secrets and probability manipulation, also give the knower the invisible power to travel through space? This has nothing to do with the name. "

"Tonight I suddenly realized that it was not really traveling through space! It was just controlling myself to fall out of the shifting rift, and then directionally modifying the random landing point in the waking world to achieve teleportation over a certain distance. In essence, it was still Manipulating Probabilities”

After learning about the climbing path of "Evolution", Roy quickly learned more knowledge by analogy.

According to the travel safety regulations of the school, she has already left three shadows on the road, which can ensure that in the event of an unexpected incident, she can continuously shuttle back to the branch office of the school at the border of Tioleian.

However, Father Lavoisier later reminded himself that no place other than San Porto was safe.

"If I had known better, I would have used a diamond before setting off from San Porto, so that I wouldn't have to rush back uneasily on the way. However, it is the same now, and the three shadows that have been left behind will also be sent. use"

"Then next, I need to complete the upgrade as soon as possible, and at the same time spread out the remaining four 'Bologna Shadow Diamonds' one by one, so as to maximize the success rate of travel. It is best to combine the two aspects."

"Theoretically, the 'terrible thing' and 'a beneficial thing' predicted by Mr. Father are Aunt Hermosa's problems. Now the bomb around me has exploded, and I have also been promoted to the Knower to protect myself. There has been a qualitative change in my ability, but no matter where I go from now on, I still have to be prepared to use the 'Bologna Shadow Diamond' to return to the Holy City at any time."

"And the issue of corpse disposal"

"It is more normal to 'discover' the body after getting up at dawn. If other external circumstances remain unchanged, it will always require less explanation than running over to 'discover' it in the middle of the night."

In fact, Roy had just been promoted and his spirituality was still in a very unstable state. After finalizing various plans in his mind, he finally felt tired like a tide.

She gently rubbed her forehead, blew out the candles on the dressing table, and lay down to rest for nearly three hours.

When I opened my eyes again, the clock pointed to seven o'clock, and the sky was still dark in late winter and early spring.

Roy got up and dialed his assistant's number.

"Are you awake, Nicole?"

"Using breakfast, Miss Roy."

At No. 215, not far across Walstein Street, in one of the four-town apartments where the inspection team staff lived, the blond female assistant Nicole was wearing an unbuttoned shirt. He stepped on the blanket under the desk with his bare feet, leaning over the table with his hands to answer the phone.

"What do you need me to arrange today?"

The eldest lady's work and rest were as diligent and self-disciplined as ever. It was such a cold weather. Nicole sighed in her heart and quickly adjusted to the state where her voice was not open, but her tone from answering to asking questions still revealed her guilty conscience.

In fact, she had just gotten out of bed and had just asked the good servants and the chef to prepare breakfast.

"There is a lot of workload. You can divide the tasks and give them to the administrators of the major public schools under the school, the comprehensive operations department of Turner Art Hall, and to contact Janus' music venues and artists."

Roy's voice on the other end of the phone was soft, but Nicole had already put the receiver on her shoulder and quickly dialed over the paper and pen.

"The first thing is that I am going to give a solo concert, tour, and premiere the six "Unaccompanied Cello Suites" in Janus."

"Make appointments with concert halls in various counties and cities, and enter into regular cooperation contracts in the name of artists signed by Turner Art Hall. Tickets will be set with reference to Janus's market price, and the publicity carrier will be produced by the backend."

"You can start with a schedule of 7-10 games. Each stop is about half a month apart. The first stop will be next month and the next month. Starting in April, I still need to refine it."

Miss Roy's solo tour? Brand new for the Janus people? What a big thing! ! Nicole said "Uh-huh" while quickly jotting down key points.

"The second thing is that the academy will have a large-scale conversation with musicians in the near future to come up with an overall work plan."

"Musician? Who? Which ones?" Nicole was a little confused.

"All, and mainly young, new generation composers, conductors or pianists."

"It's not limited to music, but other arts as well. If time permits, talk to them as much as possible."

The first thing Roy did after being promoted to the top was to launch a systematic investigation across the entire academy.

There is still more than a year left before the 40th Harvest Art Festival. It is important to grasp the current ideological trends, development plans and artistic concepts of these groups, and understand their achievements, demands and confusions. This will be helpful for the construction of the school's talent team and the grasp of future trends. , reasonable formulation of theater chain development plans, etc. are very necessary.

And for avant-garde artists, only by carefully understanding the source of their ideas and what opportunities led to their style changes can we distinguish which of them are normal innovative explorations and which may have factors related to the activities of the Divine Advent Society!

When Mr. Fan Ning comes back, if that day comes, he must also produce results that are worthy of his words.

"Let each public school arrange its own talking list. Our college sends its own outstanding young people, external churchmen and independent honorary artists, well-known musicians with a record of cooperation with the public school or Turner Art Hall, and of course, there are It would be better if 'Forging Lion' or 'Crescent Moon' are also willing to conduct interviews. Their opinions are more valuable. You can consider visiting in person."

"In this way, we will interview a group of people at the department level, a group of people at the school level, and a group of people at the general meeting of the school. I will be able to see the complete inspection report and interview materials before the end of this year. Of course, I will also go there myself. Talk about a part, and include me when making plans.”

“In the past two months, during my free time outside of piano practice, I welcome them to come to San Porto to find me. After that, the time and location will be synchronized with the cities where the tour arrives, so that in addition to local people, other people from Musicians who have performance, exchange, and study plans can take advantage of their schedule.”

"Okay, okay, I'll go make arrangements now."

Having the opportunity to meet with Miss Roy and talk about artistic ideas in person, even if she is not behind an academic group, and just the resources of Turner Art Hall, is already an invitation that young musicians, especially composers, cannot refuse. While Nicole was thinking like this, she asked and added details from time to time, and the pen tip on the other end of the phone made a swishing sound.

After hanging up the phone, Roy immediately took out a piece of letterhead from the drawer and wrote coherent and beautiful handwriting with a quill dipped in glitter ink:

"Miss Sheeran:

I have been promoted to the Knower and am now using a new messenger to contact you. You can summon it directly when you come to see me in the future. (A smaller version of the complex secret contract pattern is attached after the sentence)

When I write this letter, I am in San Pelto. The Janus expedition completed the first phase as scheduled, but encountered some other unexpected situations. The situation on both continents is now very unclear. There are a few things I need to do. Let me ventilate with you

"

Roy took the letter and got closer to the gray winged doll.

It was wrapped in bandages by the puppet and dragged into the void together.

Starting from the first round of tribute sessions more than two days ago, everything was finally arranged.

"It's almost time to go to 'accidental discovery'"

The clouds outside the blinds were already turning white. Roy took a deep breath and pushed the door open.