Chapter 840

Chapter 840: The Past of the Azure Songstress

“Thank you for the meal~”

After finishing their dinner, Lolan Hill and Lanlier, along with others, thanked Penny for the grand feast and prepared to head to Lady Phyllis’s house.

“Will Feng Nai come along? Teacher has been speaking highly of her recently,” suggested Lanlier.

“Mm, I’ll come later. It feels like it might be too noisy for the teacher if we all go together,” Feng Nai shook her head slightly.

“That’s fine then. We’ll head off first.” With that, Lanlier, Lingxin, Lolan Hill, and the others waved goodbye and boarded the carriage, leaving Feng Nai’s residence. As for Ye Ling, she said she was feeling drowsy after the meal and wanted to take a good nap, so she decided not to join them.

The carriage moved forward, passing through long streets and turning several corners until they arrived at the ‘Blossom Beach’ cold drink shop, where Lady Phyllis usually spent her days.

Compared to before, the interior had undergone significant changes. It seemed to have been refurbished recently, making it appear cleaner and more bright. The store now featured numerous light white alchemical creations designed for making ice cream, cold drinks, pastries, and snacks.

After greeting the maids downstairs, the group ascended the stairs to the third floor amidst the guests’ surprised glances.

The second floor was used for dance training, while the third floor was Lady Phyllis’s personal writing space. There were also several changing rooms for costumes and preparations, and some musical instruments were placed around for Lady Phyllis to use frequently.

“We’re here, Lady Phyllis~”

With the sound of footsteps echoing up the stairs, Lanlier ran up as lively as ever, opening the door.

“Alright, I know.” Inside, Lady Phyllis responded nonchalantly, probably accustomed to Lanlier’s entrance method.

Lolan Hill and the others then entered the room on the third floor, which remained largely unchanged from before.

Lady Phyllis was still seated by the window, with scattered sheet music and scribbled notes in front of her. She wore a soft, deep purple dress today, with a silver necklace visible around her neck.

Despite nearly ten years having passed, Lady Phyllis showed no signs of aging, perhaps due to her partial elven lineage.

Noticing Lolan Hill’s delicate figure out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but look up, surprised.

“Has little Lacy returned?” she asked.

“Mm, hello, Lady Phyllis.” Approaching, Lolan Hill gently lifted her skirt hem and bowed. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, casting a few dust particles around the young lady.

“You’re still so beautiful, Lacy,” Lady Phyllis smiled at the girl.

“Come and sit down. I feel like I have many questions for you.”

“Ugh, Lady Phyllis is biased. Every time I come, you’re so cold, but now you’re so warm just because Lacy is here,” complained Lanlier, pouting unhappily.

“You come to bother me every day; I’m used to it. How can I compare to Lacy?” Lady Phyllis rolled her eyes at Lanlier before pulling Lolan Hill closer to examine her carefully.

“Just as I remember, no change at all,” she looked at Lolan Hill’s height compared to her own, then glanced at the girl’s still slender figure.

Feeling a slight embarrassment under Lady Phyllis’s professional gaze, Lolan Hill stood quietly, allowing the other to observe her.

“Where have you been all these years? I haven’t heard from you in a long time, and I was quite worried,” holding Lolan Hill’s hand, Lady Phyllis made her sit beside her and began chatting softly.

“After graduation, I went on a voyage to the East, but later the sea route was cut off, so I stayed there for a long time,” Lolan Hill explained briefly.

“I see. The East must be very exciting, though I’ve only heard about it. Unfortunately, I haven’t been there myself,” said Lady Phyllis.

“In fact, the former opera troupe leader once visited the Eastern Continent and shared some stories with me,” continued Lolan Hill.

“There, in the old lands of the Five Bluebird Kingdoms, there are many musical factions, including craftsmen who specialize in making instruments.”

“However, the music system in the East differs greatly from ours, and many instruments aren’t interchangeable,” Lady Phyllis recalled the words of the bearded old leader, explaining slowly.

“Oh, Uncle Homert even went that far?” Lanlier asked curiously, lying on the sofa and occasionally lifting her wrapped white calves.

“Yes, although I am more famous than Captain Homert, in terms of experience, he might surpass me,” Lady Phyllis shook her head.

Even though Lady Phyllis inherited the position of the director of the Flourishing Opera Troupe and was known as the Azure Songstress, she hadn’t traveled much in recent years due to her long tenure at Emanas.

Having traveled with the opera troupe to many places and performing everywhere,

Mrs. Phyllis recalled her younger days as she spoke.

“In those days, I was quite a beauty, hehe,” she recalled some amusing incidents and chuckled softly.

“Of course, Mrs. Phyllis is still very beautiful now,” Lanler praised her, and Lingxin nodded as she sat on the wooden chair.

“Now, I’m certainly not as good-looking as before,” Mrs. Phyllis gently shook her head, but there was no sadness; it seemed she had long been indifferent to such matters.

“At that time, I would attend banquets and gatherings at the level of princes and princesses. I even performed at Titania’s Silver Key Fairy Grand Theater,” she calmly recounted her astonishing past, and only then did Lanler gasp in surprise.

“The title of the Blue Songstress was not earned without reason; there were also many formidable competitors along the way.”

“I remember when I was in the Empire, I encountered two of them. One was the daughter of a viscount, with eyes so captivating they seemed to speak, her voice as enchanting as the sea breeze. The other was Miss Treiy, dressed in a black raven gown, her voice distant and mysterious, like the morning mist in the mountains, slowly enveloping you, causing you to lose yourself.”

“So how did the teacher defeat them?” Lanler and Lingxin asked curiously, and even Lolan Hill couldn’t help but perk up her ears.

“Well, this has to do with that grand celebration,” Mrs. Phyllis slowly began to recount her past story.

“It was the emperor’s birthday, and the eldest prince had just come of age and was not yet married. Many noble maidens hoped to showcase themselves at the banquet, and numerous opera troupes were invited to perform in the imperial capital as a celebration. At that time, I was part of a troupe that had gained some fame and was also invited.”

“At first, the troupe leader was worried that my outstanding performance might catch the attention of some unreasonable high nobility.”

“In the imperial capital, beautiful girls without power are easily preyed upon by certain people.”

“However, the inviting party was Count Seford, who oversaw palace affairs, and it was hard to refuse him. In the end, we reluctantly agreed.”

“After arriving in the imperial capital, we were amazed by its prosperity. We went shopping with many companions, and it was there that I met an elf maiden.”

“She showed great interest when she heard I was a songstress, and we exchanged many insights. It was clear that she too loved music.”

“Upon learning about my situation, she offered to help me, and soon after, I received an invitation from the Landsworth family.”

“The Landsworth family is one of the four dukes, the Unicorn Duke, with great power. I was invited to perform at their duke’s banquet first, which led to my sudden rise to fame, spreading among the noble circles.”

“Later, when I competed on stage against those two songstresses, I gained many fans, thus creating a fairer foundation.” Mrs. Phyllis gradually reminisced about her past.

“Afterward, that elf maiden said that she had some elven blood, which was why I initially had so much goodwill toward her.”

“On the day of the celebration, the three of us performed one after another and ultimately won, thus earning the title of the ‘Blue Songstress.'” Mrs. Phyllis slowly recounted this story from over 50 years ago.

“What was the name of that elf?” Lolan Hill spoke up.

“Aitexi, I later found out she was the princess of the forest elves.”

“So that’s how it is.” Lolan Hill pondered.

The elf princess who returned with her, Aitexi, was Aitexi’s sister, both being the twin princesses of the forest elves and strong candidates for the next Elven Queen.

It turned out that both elf princesses had come of age over 50 years ago. No wonder Aitexi refused to reveal her age; she claimed that age couldn’t be judged solely by years but also by physiology, and she was still in her adolescence.

Forest elves’ adolescence lasted a hundred years; only after reaching 100 years old did they enter maturity.

Thinking of this, the young lady shook her head. Indeed, one couldn’t judge an elf’s age by human standards.

“Well, that’s all the story. Other things were rather mundane, mostly traveling around with the opera troupe, performing, sightseeing, and so on.”

“Listening to it like this seems quite nice. I’m a bit envious,” Lanler propped her chin up, her eyes filled with imagined scenes.

“How about we do something like that in the future?”

As Lanler was lost in her thoughts, Mrs. Phyllis and Lolan Hill continued to exchange stories about the Eastern Region.

Thus, time slowly passed. When Mrs. Phyllis finished her tale with lingering regret, nearly an hour had gone by.

“From what I can see, it seems the East has taken classical music to another level,” she said with a hint of emotion, then slowly put down her thoughts, and Lolan sighed in relief. In fact, she hadn’t paid particular attention to music during her time in the East.

She had to ponder deeply, recalling many details.

“Having talked this much, you must be tired. Hehe.” Seeing Lolan Hill’s continued questioning, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Go down and have something to eat. Recently, the shop has prepared new taro juice, which tastes pretty good. You can give it a try.” As she spoke, she stood up, leading several people to sit at the first floor of the shop. Then she had the maids bring out the latest new products.

“You can also try this. I think girls would like it.” Saying that, Lady Phyllis pushed a small dish on the table towards her, containing several colorful and beautiful macarons. These cookies were round and slightly plump, with soft colors, giving off a cute feeling.

“Thank you.” Lolan Hill nodded and accepted the dessert.

She always felt that Lady Phyllis still treated her like a child, although by age she seemed to be one.

Lolan Hill took small bites of the dessert, then held the cold and refreshing juice, leaning back on a rattan chair. Gradually, her body relaxed.

The sweet and glutinous taste of taro slowly entered her mouth through the straw, gradually spreading, then entering her abdomen. A faint sense of happiness arose.

After a while, Lanlirer announced after finishing her juice.

“I’ve decided. I want to form an opera troupe, traveling and performing everywhere. This way, we can increase our fame and see scenery and travel!” The young lady shared a bold idea.

“This will require finding many people, and there are many miscellaneous matters. It may not be as wonderful as you think.” Lingxin immediately poured cold water on the idea. Unlike Lanlirer who grew up in the city, Lingxin, who had traveled with trade caravans since childhood, did not believe that was a comfortable life.

“This, we should at least give it a try. Although I know what you said is true, I still feel like trying it. This time, I’m serious.” Lanlirer rarely spoke in such a serious tone.

“Don’t rush. Let’s calm down first.” Lady Phyllis shook her head and then spoke.

“Why don’t you two stay in the Fenghua Opera Troupe for a while? They happen to have plans for a northern tour soon. First, adapt to it. Along the way, if you want to learn, you can ask the troupe managers how they usually interact with strangers, and how they manage team members and supplies.”

“Wah, it sounds really difficult,” Lanlirer immediately wanted to back down, raising both hands.

“Aren’t these the words you just said? Giving up so quickly is not good.” Lady Phyllis looked at Lanlirer with a smile.

“Uh, well, let me prepare more. Girls need a lot of things when traveling, right? Besides, I am an alchemist, so I need to bring some experimental equipment and alchemical tools, right?” Lanlirer looked aside, tapping her fingers, thinking about how to avoid being drafted by the teacher.

Unfortunately, under Lady Phyllis’ solid gaze, Lanlirer had nowhere to escape. In the end, she reluctantly agreed to the scheduled date and itinerary.

“Feels like today Lady Phyllis was setting a trap for me, luring me in. The teacher knows my personality too well, huhuhu.” Afterward, Lanlirer quietly complained to Lingxin, saying she was careless. At this point, Lingxin could only respond with a mix of laughter and tears.

Several people finished their cold drinks. Lanlirer and Lingxin left first.

Watching Lanlirer’s fleeing-like steps, Lady Phyllis shook her head slightly and smiled before turning to Lolan Hill beside her.

“Did it scare you too? I’ve been disturbed by Lanlirer recently and wanted to find her something to do.”

“She’s always full of energy and can’t settle down. Staying in one place for long might make her uncomfortable. But she is also someone who fears hardship and fatigue. She needs an interesting direction and goal to motivate her.”

“I hope that after traveling many places, this child will grow and mature.” Lady Phyllis, as a teacher at the academy, still maintained the idea of nurturing talent.

“Alright, now it’s just us two. Let’s continue chatting. I know, little Lacy is quite extraordinary.”

“Huh, alright.” Not knowing which identity had been exposed, the young lady helplessly nodded and continued talking with Lady Phyllis upstairs.

Sitting on the sofa again, the sky outside gradually darkened. Purple flames burned in the twilight sky, with faint afterglows of light red shining through the glass window into the room, and a few bird chirps flying past outside.

Lady Phyllis closed the door and sat opposite the young lady, her face somewhat blurred in the dim evening light.

“In fact, Lacy is Lolan Hill, the Star Witch of Clancia.”

Thank you all for your recent support and votes, 0 0/~

Tomorrow I will list the names.

I saw some familiar names in the voting records, which made me very happy. Thank you all for your continuous support.

(End of Chapter)