The stoic little dragon devolved—into Silent Suffering: Trapped Heng~!
If I have sinned, Dan Heng thought, please let the Silvermane Guards punish me. Failing that, even let Blade come for me! Just don't make me listen to this bunch howl like banshees here.
His eardrums felt like they were about to shred, overflowing with the shrieks of tormented spirits. It was a sensation akin to his very soul being scoured by reverse-flowing blood. Dan Heng's entire head was buzzing.
However.
This was merely the beginning of his sentence.
Their first practice jam didn't last long. Serval was the first to stop playing. She then roused March 7th, who was completely lost in her own world, chaotically strumming nonsense, and Stelle, who had practically transformed into a mad dog just short of dancing on the drum kit. Even for Serval, who had honed her rock 'n' roll soul for over a decade, their combined performance seemed perhaps a bit too rock 'n' roll. If anyone lacking the true spirit of rock were to hear it, they might just pass out from the sheer sonic revelation overwhelming them.
"Well, it's our first time improvising together, so it's normal to lack a bit of synergy..." Serval began diplomatically. "So... perhaps you all should start by learning to read sheet music and basic techniques?"
The rush of passion ignited by Caelus receded back into her body, cooling her burning rock 'n' roll soul. After grasping the extent of everyone's musical knowledge, Serval was truly speechless. So basically, not a single one of them knew anything at all?
Caelus could maybe count as half-decent on bass; he certainly knew how to put on a show. But March 7th, Stelle, and White Seele... This band probably wouldn't manage to play "Haruhikage" even if they stayed together until disbandment!
"NO! I won't let that happen! Being unable to play 'Haruhikage'... Croak! I don't want that kind of thing!" Stelle shrieked, losing control.
March 7th also shot a sharp look towards Caelus, as if hoping for a hero to descend.
The savior under scrutiny considered for a moment, then nodded with a gratified smile before calling out: "Wise Teacher Dan Heng!"
I'm not bloody omnipotent! Though Dan Heng maintained his usual cool facade, his expression was incredibly stiff. Watched by those four pairs of eagerly anticipating eyes, he finally let out a heavy sigh. "I can only teach one... maybe two, max."
The burning gazes felt like they were about to set him alight, forcing Dan Heng to immediately amend his statement.
It seemed the soup of forgetfulness Meng Po served had been watered down, allowing him, a Vidyadhara, to retain parts of his past life's memories. Dan Feng had lived long enough to dabble in many things. However, his musical knowledge primarily came from this lifetime. After leaving the Xianzhou and joining the Express, aiming to start a new life, he'd tried things Dan Feng never would have. Dan Heng knew a little bit about most common instruments—enough to teach a few beginners, probably.
"Thank you! Dan Heng Ultraman!" In Caelus's eyes, Dan Heng's figure at that moment seemed as sturdy and imposing as the salted-egg superman himself, a towering mountain commanding respect, truly touching.
And thus, Dan Heng began serving his time. A double sentence, in fact, the kind where you wear through the prison floor! Teaching these two music theory was no less difficult than training a spazzy Husky to play the drums or teaching an overly energetic Samoyed the guitar. Caelus wouldn't have minded sentencing the 'Wise Teacher Dan Heng' to a quadruple prison cell, but he clearly didn't have the energy to teach four people. Seeing the cold sweat already beading frantically on Dan Heng's forehead, Caelus sighed inwardly. He was, after all, too soft-hearted.
"Qiong-gege, do... do we have to learn instruments too?" White Seele's soft, sweet voice piped up.
"Of course! Since we agreed to form a band for life, we absolutely have to successfully perform 'Haruhikage'!"
"Eh? But... but..." White Seele blinked blankly, her voice hesitant. "How do we learn?" She wasn't opposed to learning an instrument; forming a band, playing songs—all of it was entirely new and exciting for White Seele.
"Easy peasy. Leave finding teachers to me." Caelus smiled, ruffling the girl's soft, silky blue hair.
"Mm..." Perhaps because this body belonged to Caelus, combined with the mental link to Caelus's and Seele's consciousness, White Seele felt a natural sense of closeness to him. Being near Caelus felt safe and warm. Right now, White Seele resembled a little kitten getting tummy rubs from her human, eyes narrowed in bliss. So warm! (Imagine a happy skeleton holding a flower in the sun).
Caelus seized the opportunity, whipping out the top-tier phone gifted by a certain little plutocrat. Finding an angle with just the right lighting for composition, he quickly removed his hand from White Seele's head.
Click~!
He captured a 16K HD masterpiece of 'Seele-meow' squinting happily in the sunlight. A shame she lacked cat ears; maybe he could try putting some on her himself later when she was asleep.
"Qiong-gege?" White Seele tilted her head, blinking quizzically.
Caelus held up a finger and shook it, saying mysteriously, "It's magic to summon a music theory teacher!"
Instruments needed learning, teachers needed finding, but payment was out of the question. Not only would he not spend a single credit, but he'd also make the teacher pay him.
Elio, watch closely. This is how you use Silver Wolf!
Ignoring the even more confused White Seele, Caelus opened his phone's contact list and found the account saved as SingleHelixBoostDuck.
[RoofTileRemover]: [SeeleMeow.jpg]
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: !!!
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: Silver Wolf has initiated a transfer of 50000 Credits.
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: Bro, nice work~!
Caelus believed that as a super hacker, Silver Wolf could easily bypass the IPC's communication systems to add him and Stelle as friends. Since that was the case, he might as well create an opportunity to add her normally. Seele was a member of the Astral Express crew, so wasn't it reasonable for her to play games with her Express buddies? If they bumped into each other, forming a team was perfectly logical, right? Playing a few rounds together naturally led to familiarity.
Initially, Silver Wolf had been extremely annoyed when her gaming world with Seele was disturbed. Who wants a third wheel when trying to hit on a girl? Especially such a shiny, bright third wheel—Caelus wasn't bad at games... no, he was actually quite good, potentially stealing her spotlight! Helplessly, Silver Wolf could only 'forget to turn off her mic' frequently.
However, after teaming up for games for a few days, Silver Wolf suddenly discovered something. Caelus's presence not only didn't disrupt the gaming atmosphere between her and Seele but occasionally, he'd even inadvertently provide an assist. Perhaps Caelus had "noticed" her intentions towards Seele through her more obvious in-game actions. But he didn't try to stop her; instead, he even turned into a strategist, helping her devise plans.
In short, Silver Wolf's mental journey could be summarized in five stages:
A vicious, brainstem-deficient monster is threatening universal peace!
That damn psychopath is polluting the esports world.
Caelus is playing games.
The Nameless seems to be trailblazing in the gaming world.
The supreme cosmic hero, savior of myriad realms, the Trailblazer, is undertaking the world's greatest and most immortal cause!
Silver Wolf had a startling realization. This guy... he's a true bro!
From today onwards, you call me Auntie, I call you Big Bro!
And how could she let her respected Big Bro work for free? Every time Caelus snapped an adorable picture of Seele and sent it to Silver Wolf, she'd send Big Bro a red envelope. The credits were all hacked from the IPC anyway; they were just numbers to her. Still, she controlled the amount in each envelope—gotta make it last, right? What if she filled Caelus up too quickly and he stopped sending pics later?
[RoofTileRemover] (face-tanking an ult): [We're Trailblazing on a planet called Jarilo-VI. Seele's been running into some trouble recently.]
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: [Is she in danger!?]
Silver Wolf instantly hacked into the IPC's interstellar network to pinpoint Caelus's and Seele's location.
[RoofTileRemover]: [Ahem, calm down, no danger. It's like this...]
Caelus explained how they'd formed the band 'Crychic', with Seele as the keyboardist, and how she was now worried about learning the instrument. The underlying message was obvious: if Silver Wolf could make a heroic entrance now, she'd surely rack up massive affection points! The teaching process, if utilized cleverly, could also provide excellent private time for the two of them. Plus, the role of 'teacher' would further perfect the image of 'Big Sis Silver Wolf' in Seele's eyes.
Sucking in a sharp breath, Silver Wolf typed out a passage with utmost solemnity.
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: [This Wolf has drifted for half a lifetime, regretting not finding her lord. If Milord does not abandon me, this Wolf wishes to acknowledge you as Foster Father!]
Someone who could both capture cute photos of Seele for her and promptly inform her of Seele's troubles so she could make a timely heroic entrance? This wasn't just a Big Bro anymore, this was a Foster Father, damn right!
[RoofTileRemover] (face-tanking another ult): [Go on, show me your moves!]
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: [Just you watch!]
Silver Wolf was full of fighting spirit, like Lu Bu wielding his Fangtian Huaji halberd.
[SingleHelixBoostDuck]: [I am the Wolf King! I shall surely take the enemy general's head!]
She immediately dispatched her four heavenly kings (presumably subordinate programs or AI) to gather knowledge on keyboards and bass guitars, then began personally coding an Intelligent Tutoring AI System. Naturally, she wouldn't forget her Foster Father's great kindness; the bass guitar tutoring system was gifted to Caelus, while the keyboard system connected to herself, allowing her quantum projection to teach Seele personally.
Heh, simply perfect!
Meanwhile, Seele soon received a message from Silver Wolf. Starting with casual chat as usual, Seele suppressed the smile tugging at her lips, playing along as Silver Wolf gradually shifted the topic towards music, rock 'n' roll, and keyboards.
And then—she couldn't hold it back anymore, her smile was about to break free!
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I have a little challenge for you! For every 100 POWER STONES, I'll release ONE EXTRA CHAPTER!
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