### Chapter 1: Harpist Academy (20)
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Although it was a bit regrettable that Edith and the enigmatic foreign woman didn’t take their harp duel to the Harpist Academy’s grand performance hall, fear not, for a true harpist doesn’t let the venue decide her fate!
Surrounding the testing ground, the audience was nearly in tears of joy—what a steal this was!
They thought they were in for a long, monotonous day of staring at boring wall-ball games, but little did they know, they were right at the thrilling climax of the event! As frontline witnesses, they were treated to a performance that could rival any popular story circulating around the Empire—twists and turns aplenty, pulse-pounding excitement, and absolutely no chance to look away!
And just when things couldn’t get any better, BAM! A twist!
Edith, representing the academy, threw down the gauntlet with the future policies of the academy hanging in the balance against the mysterious masked woman in white. To add fuel to the fire, the stunningly gorgeous Dean Janet also stepped in to back them up!
The audience was over the moon; they felt like walking history books, eager to remember every juicy detail. They could already envision themselves as neighborhood celebrities once they left the academy, regaling tales of their thrilling experiences, likely drawing in listeners for the coming month!
Oh, the delicious taste of fame was simply divine!
“Ding dong ding…”
Edith sat up straight, her front adorned by a harp that curved just like a perfect crescent moon.
This was her ultimate harp.
When the audience caught sight of its dazzling arrival, their surprise was palpable, as if Edith had just been supercharged with an electric jolt of power.
Her hands danced over the strings, smoother and quicker than a cat on a hot tin roof, and the majestic, rousing music seemed to seep into her very veins, energizing everyone around.
“This is the hardest piece from the Harpist’s repertoire, the legendary ‘Battle Overture’!”
Betty exclaimed, practically bouncing off the walls. “Honestly, Edith’s level is truly awe-inspiring! Even Trissa would only be half as good!
Our teacher told us, ‘Battle Overture’ is notorious for its difficulty because it’s designed to motivate soldiers before a fight.
Group buffs are always a challenge in harpist training.
Many B and C-level harpists go to their graves without ever mastering group buffs for more than ten people. They say casting for a group feels like someone’s slicing their head in half with a kn*fe, leaving them in agony!
And this ‘Battle Overture’? It can buff a thousand-strong army, enabling them to withstand at least 50% casualties without even thinking about running away. My record as an A-grade harpist is only achieving it for a hundred!
Am I bragging? Come on, didn’t everyone just feel that surge of excitement deep inside when they heard this? It’s like, for a split second, you forgot about fear and doubt, and all that was left was the unshakeable goal of victory!”
As soon as Betty said this, many in the crowd nodded vigorously.
“Right?! I was feeling all sorts of fired up, like I’m ready to fight tooth and nail until I reach my goal!”
“Wow, I think the ‘Battle Overture’ effect reaches way beyond a thousand! I mean, there are nearly twenty thousand of us just watching on the magic screen in the square!”
“Betty’s talking ancient history; back then, they didn’t have loudspeakers.
If it were now, just imagine a couple of speakers next to the harpist—the audience could easily be stretched to over ten thousand!”
“Not so fast! Remember, the magical power distributed to each person is still uniform; Edith may not have hit those crazy levels yet.”
Just as someone raised a doubt, it was as if Edith had heard them. The rhythm of her fingers flying over the strings quickened, her hands were practically dancing in front of her, and even without music, just watching her was a feast for the eyes.
Accompanied by increasingly intoxicating music, a golden glow spread out from her like ripples in a pond.
With every person touched by that light, it dimmed a little more, until, by the time it finally faded, it had completely enveloped the crowds in the square.
Vice Dean Sani, intently watching Edith, was practically bursting with joy, on the verge of shouting out loud.
The other female judges and Lisa were equally thrilled.
A genius, without a doubt, Edith is a genius!
No wonder the esteemed Dean would place her in the spotlight—confidence in her skills was clearly brimming!
Without a doubt, Edith had surpassed Trissa.
This ‘Battle Overture’ had reached a level of perfection; even if the Dean herself took the stage, she wouldn’t top what Edith had just accomplished.
“Dean, it seems we’ve got this in the bag!”
Sani couldn’t contain her excitement and leaned over to whisper to Janet.
Janet nodded, “Yes, I didn’t anticipate that Edith would evolve so dramatically today. Truly, if it weren’t for the earlier tension, Edith wouldn’t have reached this pinnacle of harpist excellence in such a short time.”
“The Dean is truly discerning. We are in awe!”
Janet chuckled, “Hold on, perhaps our surprises are far from done.”
Sani thought Janet meant Edith would shine even brighter or her future was boundless, and she nodded in agreement.
Her gaze turned toward Trissa—the once-promising harpist who was about to be left in the dust by her junior.
Trissa’s expression was one of worry; she perhaps realized that Edith’s flawless performance was nearly unbeatable.
Sigh. Perhaps it was a tragedy that she got tangled up with a foreigner who thought they had mastered harp skills and picked up their bizarre techniques.
All of this might drag her down an irretrievable path, wouldn’t you agree?
Let’s hope this failure wakes you up, and you stop being so obstinately blind to the truth!
Unnoticed by Trissa, Sani’s eyes, nor seeing what Lord Lin was up to, Trissa gazed past the glass above the testing ground, absorbed in the enchanting music that filled the air, as if she were immersed in a transcendent realm, feeling tremors and uplift in her very soul.
To the common folk, maybe they felt a mere surge of spirited ambition listening to Edith’s ‘Battle Overture’, but for the soldiers on duty around the venue, they experienced a joy and certainty they could only dream of in victory.
Every soldier preparing to head to battle felt a steadfast faith in victory igniting within them.
Even without enhancements in arms or defense, boosted morale was crucial—a cornerstone that absolutely cannot be overlooked!
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if they had an epic harpist like this with them on the front lines?
