DKIE CH53.2: Midnight Song

On the rainbow-like path in mid-air, an enduring song drifted. This scene, falling into the eyes of the just-arrived Elf King, had a particular natural beauty.

He had been praised for his beauty by countless people, but this was the first time the Elf King had felt a human beauty beyond nature.

Sensing a strange presence, Luka stopped singing. He turned his head and saw the Elf King with a tense face, clearly indicating that the negotiations with the Saint had not gone too smoothly.

The Elf King was only interested in the instrument. “This is?”

The setup of the black and white keys was very different from the string-based instruments on the market.

Luka took the initiative to introduce it. “A piano, a keyboard instrument. Unfortunately, it has been lost to time.”

He changed the subject. “But in the future, with the birth of the network, more and more creative things will emerge along with it.”

Seeing the Elf King’s calm-as-water appearance, it seemed he didn’t think much of it.

Luka patiently gave an example. “The masses are the source of creativity. For example, if someone writes a good song, in the past, it could only be appreciated on a small scale.”

“…In the future, he can share it online to gain a higher degree of circulation.”

As he spoke, he shook the terminal in his hand. “…Sooner or later, people will be able to receive praise by displaying various talents, rather than being defined by the traditional measure of strength.”

The Elf King finally showed some interest upon hearing this.

Doesn’t that mean he could enjoy music and dances from all over the continent without leaving his home?

“The terminal can also share feelings. The starry sky above our heads is beautiful right now. If the mood strikes, you can write a few lines at any time, and it can be used as creative inspiration in the future.”

The desire to share is a very high-level form of expression.

Thinking of this, Luka was eager to try. “There’s no day like the present. Why don’t we use tonight’s starry sky as a theme and compose a piece together? We can use it as the terminal’s startup music later.”

The Elf King pondered for a moment. “Quite interesting.”

Luka had a keen interest in songwriting and composition, otherwise he wouldn’t have half-stepped into the entertainment industry before.

Now, to be able to write a song with the Elf King, the thought alone was exciting.

In fact, the Elf King was also in a good mood.

Ever since he was cursed and became tone-deaf, he had not experienced the pure joy of music. His incessant playing and singing were merely to preserve his most basic musical abilities.

One of them was deeply influenced by modern pop music, the other had inherited the classical music of several eras. They quickly collided to create a special artistic style.

The Quill Pen had no creative talent, only the ability to appreciate. He perfectly played the role of the listener, occasionally offering a couple of opinions.

When the starry sky began to dim a little, the song was roughly composed.

Luka noticed from the corner of his eye that the Elf King was looking at the time and said, “Let’s leave the rest for tomorrow.”

“Alright.” He had an appointment to talk with the Saint later.

This time when he left, the Elf King’s expression was much more relaxed. When he reconnected with the Saint, the other also keenly noticed this.

The reason the negotiation had stopped halfway before was due to a discussion of important rights and interests, on which the two sides could not reach a consensus.

Not counting the Holy Court, the human race was practically the Saint’s one-man show. After a secret meeting, a concession was made:

“We’ll each have half of the control over information monitoring and blockade. I will leave a wisp of my consciousness within the Tree of Wisdom. In exchange, the mining rights for one thousand three hundred high-grade magic ore mines for the next thousand years will all belong to the elven race. At the same time, no matter which race has ill intentions towards the Tree of Wisdom, the human race will unconditionally send troops to support.”

The Elf King: “Sixty percent of the control, one thousand five hundred high-grade magic ore mines.”

In the projection of the special scroll, his appearance seemed unreal, but one could still clearly see the Saint frown. “That’s too much.”

“No, I plan to give twenty percent of it to Iliad.”

The Saint was surprised.

The Elf King said, “His participation in the Return Hunt shows that he has the ambition to compete for the position of Demon King.”

If the network could truly develop, this twenty percent would greatly help Iliad establish a firm footing in the future Demon King election.

The two races had been in conflict for a thousand years. The Saint naturally did not want the demon race to interfere, but Luka could be treated as a special case.

Without him, there would be no birth of the network. It was normal for the other party to demand rights and interests.

“So be it. I originally had another great treasure to give.”

The Saint thought for a moment, then still asked, “But I am very curious, what kind of transaction would make you give away twenty percent of the control?”

The Elf King: “We don’t talk about money.”

“He is different from you all. When we are together, we don’t talk about material things.”

For the first time, the Saint doubted his own ears.

If not material things, then what?

The always cool and indifferent Elf King’s tone was slightly different from usual. “We look at the stars, talk about art, discuss poetry and songs, and our life’s ideals.”

How noble.

The Saint, who had just paid over a thousand rare magic ore mines, suddenly looked up at him!

Different cultural attributes are rooted in different soils.

The Elf King asked, “Do you understand this feeling?”

The spiritual is always more important than the material.

The Saint looked at him.

He understood that “While the rich let wine and meat rot, the poor freeze to death on the road.”

This was just a preliminary division of interests, so the conversation ended quickly.

Later that night, the ferret brought back news.

When Luka saw the characters it had written with one scratch of its paw, he was so shocked his sleepiness vanished.

Although they were very compatible in terms of creation, Luka, to be fair, would never give twenty percent of the shares to a kindred spirit just because they understood his music.

…At most, zero point two percent.

He asked a soul-searching question: “Did the Elf King not have friends in the past?”

The ferret shook its head.

Luka was even more confused. “Then what about the Saint?”

The Saint had a gentle personality, was knowledgeable, and very tolerant. Logically, he should be a good friend choice for the Elf King.

The ferret knew the answer to this one too.

The first time they met, the Saint invited the Elf King to play chess.

The second time they met, the Saint invited the Elf King to play chess.

The third time they met…

Chess.

The corner of Luka’s mouth twitched. What a familiar scene. Every time he went to the Holy Tower, that chessboard was very conspicuous.

“Twenty percent of the control…” Luka took a light breath.

Even if he didn’t work hard, after ten years when the network matured, the other royal heirs would have no competitiveness against him.

Luka didn’t sleep much that night. He woke up early the next day as usual and, in his anticipation for the future, studied the failed magical framework from yesterday.

In fact, he could have thrown these to the Quill Pen, but Luka didn’t take the easy way out, using it to consolidate his knowledge of magic.

He had a quick battle lunch, then revised the settings for the second part of “Three-and-a-half,” and began to cultivate his magic.

For afternoon tea, Luka returned the favor and took the initiative to go and exchange a lot of modern music theory knowledge with the Elf King. Both sides benefited greatly. In the evening, he continued to work on the birth of the communication software.

From the time they met until now, the Quill Pen had not seen him idle for long.

“Do you have to work so hard?”

Luka was surprised. “Do I?”

Under the Quill Pen’s gaze, he laughed and said, “That’s because you didn’t see me when I was slacking off.”

“For example?”

Luka: “For example, I’ve drifted off in the middle of things, a full two times.”

“…”

The Quill Pen did not know that Luka was nicknamed “Self-Curling” in his old circles.

After a busy day, the “King of Self-Curling” flew to the highlands to relax. Who would have thought that he and the Quill Pen would run into the Elf King there? This time, the other had brought his Flowing Horned Serpent Zither.

“Yesterday’s arrangement is not yet finished.”

Luka liked to see things through to the end and nodded.

As they discussed the arrangement, the Quill Pen listened with little interest, only saying midway through, “Use a suona.”

The Flowing Horned Serpent Zither was pleasant to the ear, but it sounded like fluffing cotton.

“Good idea!” Luka thought it was worth a try. A suona interlude in the middle, paired with a high-pitched voice, should be very impactful.

The sound of the song traveled through the air.

In a treehouse several hundred meters away, the High Priest was pacing restlessly.

Suddenly—

“Nà~”

Amidst the sound of the suona at three in the morning, muscle memory—no, hairstyle memory—a few hairs on the back of his head stood up on end.

The High Priest’s face turned black.

He opened the window, and when he discovered with his divine sense that one of them was the Elf King, his expression couldn’t help but turn grim.

Why is the Elf King singing on his roof?

“This is not good.”

If before he had only had a three-tenths suspicion, now the High Priest was almost certain that something had been exposed.

…

On the other side, they sang until the morning star appeared.

When Luka finally returned to his room to rest, he accidentally saw the house not far away and couldn’t help but be curious. “Why is there no movement from next door?”

The High Priest was too quiet, so quiet that he had almost forgotten about this character.

The Quill Pen never overlooked potential dangers in the surroundings. The number of elves nearby had increased these past two days. It was obvious that the Elf King was putting pressure on the High Priest.

“That day, you said to let the priest take a fake Wisdom Fruit back. The Elf King even laughed.”

Luka didn’t understand.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Elf King; the Quill Pen had also laughed at the time. “He was probably laughing at your foolish kindness.”

It wasn’t a nice thing to say, but when he said it, it wasn’t meant in a derogatory way.

Luka almost wanted to look up the dictionary on the spot to recheck the definition of this word.

The Quill Pen said meaningfully, “A guest from afar who comes with ulterior motives, how could he possibly be allowed to leave again?”

Luka’s Diary Guide:
The Elf King passed by, leaving behind an ink wash painting—”The Lotus Flower.”
Alec: What does he mean?
Luka: He’s praising me for emerging from the mud unstained, cleansed by the clear ripples but not seductive.
Alec: …
High Priest: Reading glasses, get the Elf King some reading glasses!
The Saint stayed up all night, unable to figure out how his magic ore mines weren’t as noble as music.

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