NOVPUBAfter enjoying her breakfast leisurely, Ti Lan sat on the sofa and started reading. Today, she was perusing the "Anthology of Past Songstresses" exclusive to the school, which recounted the life experiences and deeds of various songstresses since the Federation's inception.
Although she did not shine as brightly as the two Color Level songstresses, throughout the thousand years since the Federation was established, there were still many songstresses who had a tremendous impact. They either propelled certain reforms or introduced particular concepts into people's lives.
'Sandalwood Rose' Sandra, an early Federation songstress, was born in year 86 of the Sixth Era, when Isenisha was still alive, and the young Sandra had spent some time with her.
After Isenisha's death, Sandra quickly grew up and gradually became the core of the Federation in place of Isenisha, a well-known Scorching Sun Level songstress ranking just below the Color Level.
Unlike Isenisha who favored nature and loved flowers and plants, 'Sandalwood Rose' Sandra was not much interested in ephemeral flora. Instead, she had a passion for things that could last for a long time.
Under her influence, there was a trend of building monumental structures in that era of the Federation.
These spectacular and grand buildings often did not use modern industrial materials, instead, they preferred the original natural stone materials. Engineers would cut and polish these stones or directly carve out grand halls on the mountain ranges made of solid rock.
Walking into these buildings felt like entering a giants' domain, with stairs often several meters high and massive pillars with diameters nearing a hundred meters soaring impressively.
Because they were made of stone, which is a natural material, these grand halls could withstand the erosion of wind and rain for hundreds of years without maintenance, offering those who had just experienced the chaotic and dark period of the Fifth Epoch a great sense of security.
Also due to the fear of the Fifth Epoch, and to warn and instruct future generations, these monumental buildings often had various inscriptions and murals depicting events from that era, hoping to pass down history as an instinctive response to the threat of death.
This trend indirectly influenced many aspects. If one is familiar with the history of the Federation, they'd know that the early architectural styles of the Federation were inclined towards grandeur and largeness, to counter the psychological shadow left by the Black Sun for a long time. It was only after two to three hundred years that this trend gradually cooled down, as people of that era, having grown up in a comforting social environment, no longer understood that fear and unease. They preferred appropriately sized, comfortable living spaces, no longer enamored with colossal architecture.
Having flipped through the life story of 'Sandalwood Rose' Sandra, Ti Lan reflected that this songstress was also a strong-willed ruler. Due to Isenisha's death, there was a massive power vacuum left in the Federation, along with the ensuing headless group statuses.
Fortunately, 'Sandalwood Rose' Sandra had enough courage and corresponding strength to stabilize the early Federation and established a stable system for succession, only then did the Federation's complete order truly take shape.
Temporarily closing the book, Ti Lan heard the sound of raindrops hitting the glass. Almost in an instant, a downpour descended, the dense sound of rain drowning the world.
"It's raining," she said softly, and then stood up.
Turning toward the mansion's entrance, Ti Lan gazed at the countless splashes of water on the open ground outside, as gusts of wind blew droplets into the hall, and a sensation of coolness rose on her skin.
"Lady Ti Lan, you'll get wet standing here," the maid behind her gently reminded.
"It's okay, I just want to enjoy the rain," the young girl replied with a smile, turning her head.
After all, this was the first time she was out in the rain outside of Jade Skirt, and unlike the slightly toxic and corrosive rain of Jade Skirt, the rain on this planet was exceptionally fresh, making one feel comfortable.
How nice, the young girl thought; there was no special reason, but her mood was very happy. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Asking the maid to move a wooden lounge chair, Ti Lan simply sat beside the entrance, watching the rain outside, feeling more tranquil and relaxed the more it rained.
Time passed quietly, and when Geyin came downstairs still sleepy, it was already half-past eleven.
"Good morning, Ti Lan~" She walked slowly to the young girl's side, greeting her and then stood still next to her, watching the scene of the rain outside together.
"Aren't you hungry?" the young girl eventually asked after a few minutes.
"A bit," she replied.
"Hehe, I had them prepare something for you to eat, and since it's almost noon anyway, why not just have lunch together?"
"Hmm." Afterwards, Geyin continued to stand by Tilan's side, and it was unclear whether she was watching the rain or her brain had entered a dormant state again.
The lunch was prepared not long after, and it was quite lavish; there were Geyin's favored 'vegetable and beef stew,' 'roasted pancakes,' and Tilan's favorite 'pan-seared silver cod,' among other dishes. As for why Geyin favored these, she said that the roasted pancakes could be stored for a long time, were always ready to eat, and were very time-saving and convenient. The vegetable beef was because it was nutritionally balanced, and since she didn't go out much, she needed to supplement with vitamins and meat nutrients.
"Complete pragmatism." Tilan commented and decided to make some delicious and novel food for Geyin next time. She had also learned at Dream of Glazed Glass before, but she hadn't cooked much lately.
After lunch, when the rain was gradually lessening, Tilan had the maids move the chairs back inside, then went down to the underground training area to organize the skills she had recently learned and prepare for her next advancement.
First was the songstress aspect. Tilan picked up her flute, placed it to her lips, and began to play softly. The peaceful underground melody echoed, with jade-colored strands of light intertwining and tracing the outlines of green lotus flowers that blossomed on the ground. These magic power-woven flowers exuded a cool and serene aura.
The flute's tune then shifted, and droplets of rain formed in the underground training area before falling, feeling like a gentle breeze in March.
It was the Secret Technique of Rain Condensation into Silk of the Hong Hu Lineage which she had learned from Audrey (Feng Jianchang) some time ago, and she was already showing some promise with it.
Then, Tilan put down the flute, held it by the body as if it were a sword hilt, and gently turned it. The drifting rain strands instantly turned into fine ice crystals, and then, like a vortex, gathered towards her hand. The ice spread over the flute's body, forming a crystal-clear and translucent ice sword.
Without bubbles or impurities, the sword was colorless and transparent, yet as fluid as water, and made no sound as it sliced through the air.
After that, Tilan practiced each of the swordplay techniques she had learned. In the underground training area, there were times of thunderous roars, sudden gusts of wind, abrupt splitting of ice, layers of deep shadows, and finally returning to a gentle breeze and light rain.
After completing her training, Tilan lightly turned the flute in her hand; the condensed translucent ice sword scattered, turned into mist, and then dissipated into the air with the help of a gentle breeze.
In the area of swordsmanship, she had already learned a lot, so much so that sometimes she even faced the difficulty of making choices.
In the future, she would have to practice other categories of secret techniques and skills at the Academy, and not rely too much on what's called swordsmanship.
Thinking of this, Tilan opened her palm, and a blue flame rose up, exceptionally cold and clear. It drifted gently, frosting the ground wherever it passed, and the crisp sound of splitting ice could even be heard.
This semester, she would focus on practicing various spells for combat, but her main pursuit would still be as a songstress.
Speaking of being a songstress, some time ago Ailu Kelu gave her quite a few concert tickets, inviting her to sneak out to see them together.
In the planet Harp Crown, music-related industries were particularly abundant. Many bands famous across the federation debuted here, and within the Academy City area, various underground idols and bands were popping up constantly, with all kinds of styles. Many young people had the habit of going out to listen and experience; if one was talented and popular, their fame could quickly spread among the students.
Every year, singers from all over the federation would come here to chase their dreams, win over a crowd of fans with their talent, and then achieve fame.
Such an environment created fierce competition but also mutually promoted quality. It could be said that making a name here indicated that going to other remote star domains would result in a very impressive band or singer.
After coming out of the underground training area and returning to the study's side hall, Tilan counted the tickets in her hand. There was a concert tomorrow.
"Do you want to check it out, Geyin?" she asked the girl beside her.
Geyin did not respond, and Tilan knew what she was thinking.
"You can't hide at home, I know you won't sleep well even if you stay in your room."
As a roommate and friend, Tilan decided to take this 'homebody girl' out for a proper outing, even though she herself often enjoyed sleeping in at home.
