### Chapter 4: Harpist Academy (23)
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“Betty, why do I feel this faint sadness lingering in my heart, as if I’ve suddenly grasped the vastness of the universe, the bleakness and sorrow of the world?”
Brite’s mood was like a rollercoaster, mirroring the audience, as if he had just experienced the tragicomedy of life, suddenly feeling a complex array of emotions.
Betty struggled to respond, “This is also a type of group buff—probably a dark-style morale drop or an indiscriminate attack of negative emotions. But why have we never heard this somewhat bizarre piece before?”
“Are you saying it’s not part of the academy’s music repertoire?”
“Exactly! A harpist is supposed to master 248 pieces, and anything outside of those can’t be utilized through the harp—meaning they’re just music, not a medium for harpists to unleash their skills.”
Everyone, except Edith who was lost in her performance, looked as stunned as if they had just swallowed a whole egg, jaws dropped in disbelief.
Could it be that this was the first time since the academy’s founding that they heard a piece outside the 248 that could actually generate skill effects?
This was outrageous!
They could now be certain that the foreign woman named Lin Nan was no ordinary character.
If the previous ensemble could be attributed to exceptional talent and unusual circumstances, Lin Nan’s latest display of a piece with negative buff effects could not be described in those terms.
According to records, these 248 pieces were personally taught by one of the Four Warriors, Casey herself. Each piece produced corresponding skills, whether offensive or defensive, and various buffs could be found within that repertoire.
Strangely enough, even if famous musicians composed special pieces for harpists, regardless of how beautifully a harpist played, or how high their level was, those pieces would not produce any skill effects.
It was as if the 248 pieces had been enchanted by the God of Harmony itself—only through the exact reproduction of fixed notes could a harpist control the resulting effects.
Of course, there was also a legend within the empire that the Goddess of Destiny and the God of Harmony were actually the same person. When the Goddess appeared before the Four Warriors and granted them power, Casey faced the embodiment of the God of Harmony, which ultimately strengthened her skills even further.
Whether this legend was true or not, it was unquestionable that the 248 pieces had been blessed by a deity.
There’s even a building in the academy dedicated to housing the scores of these 248 pieces.
And yet, today, common sense was once again shattered.
Any harpist could tell that Lin Nan’s chaotic, stormy tones didn’t originate from any of the 248 pieces.
Logically, it shouldn’t have any effect.
But still, those relentless waves of negative emotions were crashing against the dam of people’s minds like a flood, and soon enough, someone would be swept away, unable to cope with this sudden tide.
If this was sorcery, Lin Nan was pulling it off with her harp.
All one could say was that her piece bore an uncanny sort of magic, hitting people like the bludgeon of truth; the moment they let their guard down, their mental dam would be breached, leaving them hopelessly overwhelmed.
At that moment, Edith appeared almost like an accomplice, seemingly eager to be driven by Lin Nan, playing this eerily enchanting piece over and over again.
“Dean, if this keeps up, people will go crazy! We have to stop those two from performing!” Sani said frantically.
Trissa furrowed her brow, clearly also struggling against the detrimental effects of the music.
But she knew that Lord Lin had more surprises in store for everyone beyond just this!
A mere sprinkle of negative buffs was only the appetizer; the real feast was yet to come. She just wondered whether these guys could handle it.
“They’re still in the middle of their duel, no need to rush,” Janet said, leaving Sani feeling rather deflated.
Could it be that the dean had gleaned deeper insights from their duel while she was just scratching the surface?
Just then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Originally, with that somewhat bizarre melody, Sani blinked and found herself in a devastated wasteland, utterly alone.
Panicked, she looked around.
Everything was obscured by a thick cloud of swirling yellow sand; the once bright and dazzling sun was now merely a pale hue.
In the blink of an eye, her mouth, slightly open, filled with bitterness; she quickly bent down and spat several times, managing to eject some sand.
Where was this? Why had she suddenly left the testing grounds to end up in this God-forsaken sandy wasteland?
Just a minute ago, she was accompanying the dean, listening to Edith and that foreign woman’s duet…
Wait a minute… Did Lin Nan’s performance contain some bizarre power that transported her soul to another place?
d*mn it!
How could that foreign girl possess such unfathomable abilities?
The cost of such long-distance teleportation was certainly not something ordinary folks could bear, and what on earth could be the purpose of purposely sending her here?
Sani took a deep breath, temporarily calming her nerves.
Regardless, she’d been in a high position for quite a while; if she couldn’t even manage this minor crisis, she would have been booted by the dean ages ago—there was no way she would’ve endured thus far!
In the midst of the yellow sand, she couldn’t tell which way was which.
She could only wade forward, one foot deep and the other shallow, relying on her instincts.
Perhaps her prior experiences were kicking in; after about five minutes of wandering, she stumbled upon a stretch of crumbled bricks and ruins.
Where was this?
Sani was puzzled.
But before she could take more than a few steps, she spotted a signature sculpture representing the Harpist Academy—a broken piece of a crescent-shaped harp.
It was said to be a relic from a thousand years ago, a miracle that had managed to survive into the present.
Yet, at this moment, it lay shattered amidst the desolate yellow sand.
Sani’s heart raced. No way! This couldn’t possibly be the ruins of the Harpist Academy, could it?
She dashed forward, trying to deny her suspicions.
But reality struck her hard; the debris mixed with sand beneath her feet kept reminding her,
Yes, this was indeed the Academy, only it had long been buried in the yellow sand.
