“Uh… well, um,” I stammered, momentarily at a loss for how to articulate my response.
“Spill the beans,” Lavishly Karafar said, leaning in until her face was right beside mine.
“Spill the beans—” Mifeier echoed, mimicking Lavishly’s expression perfectly as she too leaned closer.
“Ah… well, actually, I ventured into the labyrinth behind the temple,” I explained. “After making my way through it, I discovered this inside.”
I held out the wooden box.
Lavishly Karafar took the box, her curiosity piqued. “What is it? And this box, it’s so beautiful.”
After scrutinizing the pale blue wooden box for a moment, she looked up. “There’s no problem with opening it, is there?”
I nodded. “Of course not. It’s nothing illicit or shameful.”
Indeed, it was merely a few rather beautiful and unique instrument strings.
“Click—” Lavishly Karafar gently opened the wooden box. Upon seeing the silver strings nestled peacefully within, she couldn’t help but gasp aloud.
“Wow, they’re so beautiful!”
Even Mentor Leixar leaned in for a closer look, praising the craftsmanship. “This is truly exceptional work.”
She even walked over and picked up a single string, tugging at it, which made my heart pound with trepidation. “The strength is quite remarkable,” she continued. “I can’t immediately identify the material, but it’s certainly no ordinary stuff.”
Hearing this, a sudden unease settled over me. ‘Not ordinary stuff…’
Just then, a maid nearby was drawn over by the commotion. She glanced at the strings in the box, her eyes narrowing slightly, before she returned to her original position.
I keenly caught this subtle detail. Quickly, I trotted over to the maid’s side. “Um, do you happen to know the origin of this?”
“It has always belonged to you,” the maid replied simply, looking down at me.
“But I had no idea such a thing even existed! How could it possibly be mine?” I exclaimed.
Her words made me feel as though she was merely humoring me.
The maid tilted her head, seemingly pondering my words. “Is its origin truly important?”
“This must have been retrieved from the Zither Pavilion, which was originally your fiefdom. This ancient zither itself is an artifact from hundreds of millions of years ago. What could possibly be wrong with saying it belongs to you?”
‘Hmm… I have to admit, it sounds a bit far-fetched,’ I mused. ‘Yet, if one were to insist, it’s perfectly plausible.’
‘Moreover, if it were truly a valuable item, how could it have been left so carelessly on someone else’s land for hundreds of millions of years?’
After idly toying with the strings for a while, Mentor Leixar sighed. “It’s a shame, though. This material is far too precious to be used simply for instrument strings.”
Hearing this, I immediately stepped forward to refute her. “That’s not quite right!”
I had initially intended to explain, but then I realized a practical demonstration would be far more convincing.
[Divine Art: Projection]
I projected the shape of a zither from my mind. Then, I attached the strings one by one, exhaling softly as I placed my fingers upon them.
Indeed, I couldn’t play any musical instrument. However, I had firmly committed to memory every divine language symbol associated with each finger technique.
All I needed to do was systematically pluck them, one after another.
[Divine Art: Haste]
[Divine Art: Wind Control]
[Divine Art: Leap of Thought]
[Divine Art: Startle]
In mere seconds, four Divine Arts were unleashed. Amplified by two speed boosts, a thought enhancement, and an emotion-stabilizing divine art, my fingers flew across the strings with increasing velocity.
Leixar’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. Such casting speed, combined with strings capable of integrating divine language, represented a craftsmanship utterly unheard of.
“Dong—” The sound abruptly ceased.
The myriad divine arts that had been swirling around instantly settled into stillness.
A moment of profound silence followed. “I must say,” Leixar finally broke the quiet, “using this material for *this* purpose is absolutely not a waste.”
Her mind was now a whirlwind of complex thoughts. This incredible casting speed, while perhaps not rivaling that of the Archmages, was still astonishing. Moreover, every Linguistic Illusion God possessed the ability to wield magic of any attribute. And given my obvious lack of practice, she surmised, the speed would undoubtedly soar even higher once I gained proficiency.
I felt a pang of regret. This zither, crafted on the spot, felt vastly inferior to the one from the pavilion, possessing no comparable quality whatsoever.
“So, it seems the Linguistic Illusion Gods being called the representatives of all Illusion Gods wasn’t just an empty boast,” Lavishly Karafar sighed. “It appears our current Linguistic Illusion Gods have strayed, blindly pursuing simplification, which has, in turn, led to a regression in their abilities.”
“Not necessarily,” Xilinka, who had been largely silent until now, interjected. “Simplification can actually lead to the evolution of civilization.”
“I believe the true reason for their decline lies in the loss of their original techniques.”
I found myself agreeing with her perspective. I continued to watch Xilinka, awaiting her next words.
Noticing my eagerness to listen, she proceeded.
“The ancient zithers played by many deities today originated in Heavenly Capital,” Xilinka explained. “Legends suggest there were even precedents for using these zithers in warfare. I never understood how a mere instrument could participate in battle, but that mystery now seems to be unraveled.”
“The decline of the ancient zither began after the fall of Heavenly Capital. Once immensely popular throughout the Divine Realm, these zithers suddenly vanished as if into thin air, and now, few even know of their existence, let alone how to play them.”
‘How impressive,’ I thought. It was clear these weren’t official historical records, yet they fully showcased Xilinka’s terrifying breadth of knowledge.
“So, your implication is that the ancient zithers from Heavenly Capital were all like this?” I sought confirmation.
“Possibly similar,” Xilinka clarified, “but absolutely none could match this one’s intricacy and strength.”
“Alright, you lot, time to go,” Leixar announced, cutting short our conversation. “Qianyue, that young lady, has been waiting quite a while at the inn just outside this street.”
“Understood,” I replied. The illusory zither body dispersed, and I neatly arranged the strings one by one back into the wooden box.
For some inexplicable reason, my personal dimension couldn’t accommodate the box. Thus, I had no choice but to tie it with a rope and carry it by hand.
My luggage was already prepared, with all non-essential items left behind in my divine temple. And so, we set off for our destination of exchange: the “Realm of Disorder.”
A powerful-looking winged creature lay sprawled outside my divine temple. Its form bore a slight resemblance to a dragon, yet it appeared considerably larger and far more docile.
A small cabin was perched upon the colossal beast’s back. The creature, tens of meters tall, unfurled its magnificent wings and soared into the sky.
The anticipated turbulence never materialized. Instead, the journey was incredibly steady.
Truly, it lived up to its status as a divine mount; the ride was so comfortable, with barely any vibration, as if we were traversing solid ground.