In the afternoon, Luke successfully got in touch with Ivo through an introduction.
Ivo had not expected Luke to seek him out personally. Flattered and overwhelmed, he immediately took a carriage to Luke's shop.
"May I ask what instructions Your Highness has for me?"
After entering the shop, Ivo bowed to Luke, then slowly sat down at Luke's gesture.
Not long after he sat, Yurna brought over a cup of hot tea.
Luke got straight to the point. "Mr. Ivo, I assume you have some connections in music circles?"
Ivo replied, "In Piltover's music scene, most people should at least know who I am."
Luke asked again, "And among the general public?"
"Among the general public…" Ivo thought for a moment, then said, "I wouldn't dare say everyone knows me, but I do have a modest reputation."
As he spoke, he caught the aroma of the tea on the table and could not help picking up the cup for a small sip.
When the tea entered his mouth, he could not help sighing inwardly. As expected of tea served to royalty, the taste was extraordinary.
"That's enough."
Luke could hear the modesty in Ivo's tone, so he said, "Right now, I've formed a band myself. We need to enter the public eye quickly, so I'd like to ask someone to help with promotion."
Only then did Ivo understand. "So that's what this is about. In that case, Your Highness came to the right person."
In Piltover's music circles, he was considered someone with strong credibility.
After all, he had personally organized many concerts and planned many outstanding performances. Most importantly, he also knew many well-known people in the same field.
After thinking for a moment, Ivo said, "Could Your Highness briefly describe the band's makeup?"
"There are five people in the band."
"Five?" Ivo thought for a moment. He had never seen a band with so few people before, so he could not help asking one more question. "Is Miss Sona also part of it?"
"Yes."
"I understand."
Ivo nodded and asked no further questions.
In his view, even if this prince had suddenly gotten interested and decided to put together a band for fun, as long as Sona was in it, the band's level would not be low.
So there was no need to ask more.
As for refusing, he had already decided before coming that no matter what, he should not lightly refuse this prince's request.
After all, he had received some rumors. The Council had apparently reached some kind of agreement with Demacia.
The two sides were currently in a period of rapidly deepening relations. At a time like this, if someone upset His Highness, they would not only be offending Demacia.
"Leave this matter to me," Ivo agreed. "I'll trouble Your Highness to give me the band's detailed information later. Once I return, I'll begin preparing the promotion."
After that, they had a detailed discussion for a while.
Having received the basic information, Ivo soon left by carriage.
Inside the carriage, he looked at the band information in his hands and thought it over.
Aside from Sona, the other four seemed like complete beginners. It looked exactly like one master carrying four rookies.
And the instruments they used were incredibly rare too, things like guitar, bass, and drums, all niche instruments across the board.
Clearly, His Highness was a man with very unusual ideas.
Based on Ivo's prediction, this band was most likely something the prince had put together on a whim for fun, and after a while, it might naturally quiet down.
But that did not matter. Even if it was only for the master in the group, he would absolutely give them this much face.
By evening, at the training base.
"Seraphine, it's okay. Just be like me and don't overthink it."
Lux noticed Seraphine's strange mood and walked forward to comfort her.
All afternoon, Seraphine had looked weighed down by her thoughts, but everyone knew she had surely become like this because of the pressure of being the lead singer.
Jinx said from the side, "Exactly. This girl doesn't have many good points, but you can learn from her good attitude."
Lux glanced at her and sneered. "My good points could be listed from now until tomorrow morning."
After hearing that, Jinx added, "I also suggest learning from that shameless confidence."
Lux revealed an emotionless smile, then reached out. "Looks to me like you don't want a face anymore."
She pressed both hands onto Jinx's face and carried out a bit of internal team bullying.
Yet the tragic thing was that even after everyone witnessed this cruel scene, no one paid any attention.
Miss Crownguard especially liked the feeling of suppressing the little blue-haired gremlin with force, and she never got tired of it.
Hearing the two of them bickering, Seraphine looked toward them and smiled softly. "Thank you. I'm fine."
She was only still thinking about the things Luke had said to her.
With the first performance about to arrive, she had only now realized that she actually did not have much time left to hesitate.
The soul of a team. A qualified lead singer.
With her current level, could she really reach that point?
"We just don't want you to feel too much pressure. Believe in yourself. You can do this."
Orianna also came over to comfort her.
"Mm. I understand." Seraphine felt their concern, and warmth appeared in her heart.
She looked toward Sona, and Sona also gave her a gentle smile, as though she believed in her at every moment.
Seraphine let out a soft breath. From the very beginning, it seemed like none of them had ever thought she could not do it.
Sona had also been silently encouraging her all along, giving her strength at every moment.
Seraphine felt that perhaps it was time for her to step out of her own world.
"I want to go home for a bit."
"Okay. Do you want us to come with you?"
"If that's all right, I'd like Sona to come with me."
Seraphine stood and looked toward Sona.
So Sona stood as well and nodded gently.
Soon, the two said goodbye to everyone and left the training base, heading toward Seraphine's home.
As they walked through street after street, listening to the conversations and all kinds of sounds falling into her ears, Seraphine moved forward in silence.
Sona quietly followed beside her.
"These days, His Highness has occasionally taken me out to sing on the streets. Every time I finish singing and hear the audience's applause, I feel a burst of joy in my heart."
Seraphine suddenly spoke softly. She slowly continued, "I like singing. I like letting everyone hear my voice. But now, if that's all it is, I can't be satisfied anymore."
As if she only wanted to pour out her thoughts, Seraphine did not stop speaking.
"Being chosen as the lead singer really has put a lot of pressure on me. Because I don't want to let everyone's expectations down. At first, I was thrown into the deep end, but now, the one I don't want to let down even more is myself."
"I want to sing more beautifully, more movingly. I want more people to remember my voice, and I want everyone to like it. Just like you."
As she listened to the pink-haired girl pour out her heart, Sona gently held her hand and sent her voice over.
"You can."
Listening to that gentle voice, Seraphine raised her head and looked at her. "Whether I can or not, I want to catch up to Miss Sona. At least, even if all I can do is try…"
Determination gradually flashed in her eyes. To her, Sona was like someone standing on the peak of a mountain. She did not ask to reach the same height as her.
She only hoped that she would not be left behind.
She hoped she could sing with a voice worthy of Sona's playing. And to do that, there was only one way.
Before they knew it, they had already stopped outside her home.
Looking at the familiar music workshop, they heard some sounds coming from inside.
Seraphine pushed the door open and walked in, seeing her parents adjusting the newly made sound system.
"The signal transmission is still a little unstable. To make the recording effect more perfect, should we remake the connecting cable?"
"That seems to be the only way!"
Briya nodded, then turned around and saw Seraphine and Sona standing at the door. She came over and said, "Why are you back today? Miss Sona, please have a seat."
She moved two chairs over and invited them to sit.
Sona nodded and sat down.
Seraphine looked at her parents and spoke directly. "Dad, Mom, there's something I want to talk to you about. I hope you can agree."
Looking at his daughter's solemn expression, Porter could not help asking, "What is it?"
"I want to take off the suppressors."
Seraphine said it clearly.
The moment her words fell, both Porter and Briya froze where they stood.
Briya was the first to recover. Looking at her daughter's serious face, she still asked, "Why… so suddenly? Have you thought this through?"
"I've thought it through." Seraphine nodded and said seriously, "I don't want to keep limiting it anymore. I want to try to understand it."
A few traces of worry appeared on Porter's face. He exchanged a glance with Briya, and both of them fell silent, seeming to think it over.
Seraphine did not continue speaking either. She only waited.
After a long silence, Briya said, "We know this isn't a careless decision from you, but I still want to hear more reasons."
Back when there had been no suppressors, they had seen Seraphine's pain with their own eyes, and it had hurt them deeply.
Now, with her suddenly wanting to take off the suppressors, as her parents, they naturally could not agree so easily.
The suppressors themselves were a small matter, even though those two small objects had cost them all their savings and a great deal of effort back then.
Compared to that, their daughter's safety was the most important thing.
Hearing that, Seraphine said, "Another reason is that I'm not the only one who has encountered this situation. Sona is the same. She has faced the same problem as me, and she came this time to help me."
Hearing this, the couple froze again.
They looked toward Sona, and Sona gently nodded.
The two of them knew that Sona was the musician their daughter had once admired so deeply.
When they went to the training base, they had also listened to Sona practicing, and her playing had indeed been stunning.
Most importantly, this lady's status was also very noble. She was a young lady from one of Demacia's highest-ranking noble families.
Now, after hearing their daughter say this, they suddenly understood why Seraphine had been able to meet these important people.
With Sona present, the couple still made a concession.
"In that case, we might as well try."
"Mm!"
A smile appeared on Seraphine's face.
Soon, she lay sideways on a support frame, while Porter and Briya prepared some tools.
The suppressors Seraphine wore on her ears were mechanical devices they had carefully made, connected to her cochlea.
Only in this way could most of the sounds be isolated and eliminated.
Naturally, removing them had to be done very carefully.
However, this was not difficult for Porter and Briya. After all, they had installed these devices by hand back then.
Removing the suppressors did not take long. Both ears together only took about twenty minutes.
On the table, two deep-blue crystals shimmered with light. These were the crystals Porter and Briya had spent nearly all their savings to buy.
They still looked radiant.
"How do you feel?"
"Do you hear anything?"
"It seems… there's nothing."
Seraphine sat up, looked at her parents' concerned faces, and spoke while sensing the condition of her ears.
Perhaps because she had only just removed the suppressors, the sounds her ears heard seemed no different from usual.
Then, all the sound suddenly vanished, as if a tide had poured into her ears all at once.
The world became utterly silent. She could hear nothing at all.
After a brief moment of unease, in the next instant, every sound appeared again, and it was magnified several times over.
At the same time, even more chaotic noise came from every direction, frantically forcing its way into both of her ears.
Overwhelming dissonance, like a battlefield in the middle of slaughter amplified several times over, filled her mind.
Her expression changed, and she covered her ears, but it had little effect.
After being suppressed for so long, her ability seemed to have grown even stronger.
This was what she had once experienced. She could feel that these sounds came from many people, from countless people.
Without any harmony, they blended together in utter disorder, and she began to feel a headache.
Facing that shadow again, her heart began to tremble.
Porter and Briya noticed Seraphine's abnormal state at once, and they immediately knew that the situation still had not changed.
At this moment, they did not know what to do.
Sona reached out then and gently held Seraphine's hand.
Amid all the chaotic, unbearably noisy sounds, Seraphine felt a trace of softness drifting toward her, helping drive away her fear and unease.
"Calm down. I'm here. Don't be afraid."
Sona's voice reached her.
Like an exceedingly beautiful concerto, Seraphine could clearly hear the song coming from Sona's heart. That beautiful, gentle soul cleansed her.
Gradually, her frightened and uneasy heart calmed down. Even though those sounds were still noisy, Seraphine gained the courage to face them.
"I know you can hear too many chaotic sounds right now. But you can try imagining these sounds as a musical score, waiting for you to weave it."
"You are the harmonizer within this disorder. You are the one who brings order to chaos. You have that ability, so believe that you can do it."
Listening to Sona's voice, Seraphine closed her eyes and began trying hard to feel it as Sona had said.
In the darkness, she seemed to see sounds drifting over from every direction, like fine threads tangled together in a chaotic intersection.
She reached out and drew out one thread, then a second, then a third…
"At first, what you can do will be slow. But that's all right. This is only the beginning. From now on, you must learn to resonate with these sounds. These sounds need you, not the other way around."
"You must learn to sing together with these sounds. When you become their guide, you will see a different world."
Sona's voice faded.
Seraphine discovered that the chaos in her ears was growing less and less.
Harmonizing those dissonant sounds together was indeed something she could only do slowly, but she gradually discovered the joy in it.
Then she began carefully feeling every soul, resonating with those songs.
Song after song of the soul merged into a harmonious melody, ringing out like a grand chorus.
Seraphine opened her eyes, could not help standing, and ran outside the shop.
She widened her eyes, her blue gaze watching the passing crowds. Every person carried a different melody, as though bright colors were flickering over them.
At this moment, the world was bursting with color.
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