"This way, Sister Perry and Ms. Blackett are both related to the Randall Valley..."
Xia De looked at Mr. Leiman again. The heir of the small principality who came for a special purpose immediately understood what Xia De wanted to know:
"I am from the East Continent, as I told you when you first met me. I have never been to or heard of the places these two ladies are talking about."
He said it with certainty, and Xia De nodded, but he had more thoughts in his mind.
From past experience, there must be a meaning behind the Father Tree guiding him to an unfamiliar era, or at least it has a significant connection with the Sixth Era where he is. Originally, he thought that this time he was just providing him with a way to obtain the God Summoning Ceremony, but now it seems that it may not be that simple.
After asking what he wanted to know and confirming that there was nothing else to say, Shade said to the phantom-like god:
"God, we can offer you the songs of the banquet."
He could only stay for half an hour, and everyone had to sing a song, so he couldn't waste too much time.
The god with transparent butterfly wings behind him nodded slightly:
"You can arrange the order by yourselves. After everyone has sung a song, give a flower petal in your hand to the singer you think is the best. This is just a game at the banquet, not a solemn sacrificial occasion, so as a prize for this part of the banquet, I will give you a small gift."
Butterflies were flying all over the sky under the sunlight. If we didn't know that there were all kinds of insects around, this scene would have been quite dreamy.
Although there are four people here, the only ones who can make the decision are Shade and the middle-aged witch Blackett. The two looked at each other, and the latter wisely compromised:
"You decide."
She said while pinching the leaves.
"I'll be the last one, you guys decide the order for the others."
Xia De said easily, the witch nodded slightly, and then said to the other two:
"This gentleman is the fourth, so I'll be the third."
Sister Perry then looked at Mr. Lyman. Since the order didn't really matter, Mr. Lyman behaved like a gentleman in the end:
"Sister, it's up to you to decide."
He had great respect for the clergy, and though the wishes he had come to this place to fulfill were the most bizarre, at least he was of good character.
The nun hesitated:
"Then I'll be the second one."
"No problem, I'll be the first one."
Mr. Leman nodded, picked up the lyre that Shade had brought him, spent a few minutes tuning it, and then said to the god in a trembling voice:
"Great One, please allow me to present to you my ballad - "The Path to the Butterfly"."
Taking the initiative to talk to the gods at this moment probably drained away most of his courage in life.
Although his heart was trembling, he gradually calmed down when he began to pluck the strings. Even if he was a mortal, he came here for his dream and had to muster up the courage to dedicate his songs to the gods.
Xia De was sure that the song sung by Mr. Leiman was his own original creation, because it was the story of how he came to this cave. The lyre had a mellow tone, and Mr. Leiman's singing was vicissitudes and a little sad. Deep in this empty underground cave, butterflies fluttered due to the arrival of the gods, dancing to the sound of the lyre. The colorful sparkles fell in the white skylight above the round table as the butterflies flapped their wings. The scene was dreamy and a little weird.
Shade had heard many bards singing in taverns and inns, so he suspected that Mr. Lyman had also received bard training. The singing style and ballad narrative methods he displayed at this time were too similar to those of the bards.
The song expresses his worries and fears on the road, his confusion when spending the night alone by a bonfire, his joy and caution when meeting the gods, his inner loneliness and desire for companionship... If he hadn't specifically mentioned that he liked furry tails and soft ears, then this song would have been perfect.
However, although Mr. Leiman has a solid singing foundation, plays the lyre very well, and the lyrics and melody are quite admirable, this still cannot change the fact that this is just an excellent ballad.
Shade didn't know what Sister Perry and Witch Blachette would sing, but he was sure that Mr. Lyman's song was not even one-tenth of Miss Benanis's in the Sixth Epoch. Whether it was the content, the performance, or the singing itself, Mr. Lyman was far behind, and even Shade, who didn't know how to appreciate it, could tell.
"I wish my beloved girl could look at me,
Sweet kisses accompany me to sleep on the earth.
When we return to our hometown,
May this dream never end.”
Mr. Leiman ended his singing with a hoarse bass, nodded slightly to the gods, and put down the piano.
No one clapped, everyone was thinking about their own things. Only the butterflies in the sky were still flying with the lingering sound, as if they were reluctant to see the music end.
"Great Butterfly God, please allow me to bring you the song of the earth."
Sister Ollie Perry also said respectfully, and then opened the Song of the Earth that Shade brought. Of course, it was all written in the Sixth Epoch, but since magic potions were provided here so that everyone could communicate with each other, magic potions could also be provided so that Sister Perry could understand these words.
The candles made of twisted white worm corpses glowed faintly on the tabletop of the huge round table. The candlelight flickered, and the middle-aged nun covered her chest below her neck with one hand, then closed her eyes, raised her head and began to sing.
Compared to Mr. Lehman's "bardic" singing style, Sister Perry undoubtedly used a "choir-style" singing style. In addition, she sang the hymns recorded in the Church of the Sun and the Earth, so the sacredness and solemnity made people feel like they were listening to a choir singing.
Mr. Lehman's voice just now was hoarse, but Sister Perry's voice was undoubtedly unusually mellow.
The poem she chose did not involve butterflies, but rather praised the earth and nature. Xia De had also read the book, so he knew that the poem described the early spring season, when the poet saw the ice spring breaking and all things sprouting while outing, and his heart was filled with praise for nature and the earth, so he wrote the poem. The poet was a clergyman who lived in the early Fifth Age, so the poem involved sentences praising the old man with a lantern, the god of justice.
Sister Perry certainly would not presumptuously change the praises to the old man with the lantern into praises to the Thousand-Eyed Butterfly. Instead, she changed the sentences in the ballad that praised the gods into praises to the earth itself.
The butterflies still fluttered their wings in the air to the sound of her singing, and the people who listened attentively watched the nun flipping through the books. Although she was no longer a young girl, her appearance and voice in her thirties could better sing out the heaviness of the earth.
From Shard's point of view, Sister Perry's singing was better than Mr. Lyman's, even though she had no instrumental accompaniment. She had been trained in the church, and her lyrics were better than those written in haste. Neither of them used any extraordinary means, so Sister Perry was the clear winner.
The phosphorus powder of the butterfly has hallucinogenic properties.
The nun's ballad was long, but her voice was beautiful, so no one was impatient. In the song, "her" voice suddenly appeared, and Shade realized that "her" voice was even more beautiful than the song.
"Is it hallucinogenic? Is it ordinary hallucinogenic powder, or is it extraordinary?"
Take a deep breath.
Out of trust in "her", Xia De immediately took a deep breath through his nose, and the inhalation of phosphorus powder also made "her" come to a conclusion:
The appearance of these butterflies itself is related to the old god, and the hallucinogenic colored powder has a miraculous element.
"What happens if you have prolonged contact?"
Your body is protected by the First Fire, so nothing will happen to you. But those three mortals, even witches, cannot bear such a dose of hallucinogenic powder. Without the help of other forces, none of them will be able to leave after the banquet, and they will all fall into an eternal dream until they turn into dry bones beside the table.
The nun was still singing, and Shade was silent for a moment:
"The god has promised that anyone who pleases her at the banquet can gain the favor of the scroll and leave here. So, at least one person can leave."
You want to save the other two people
she asked with a chuckle.
"Sister Perry is unlikely to die here. After all, Yin Luna has found out that she is still active in history. At least the name is still active. But no matter whether she wins or not, I will make sure they all leave alive."
Out of pity or sympathy
"Since we who live in different times can meet, this must be a wonderful fate. I have witnessed their stories, and naturally hope that the ending of the story is good. Of course, I can only do my best... At least this time, the companions seem to be very good."
Sister Perry’s song ended with “Praise the Earth” repeated three times, and after the song ended, Shad’s ears seemed to still hear her voice echoing in his ears.
Still no one applauded, but Xia De inexplicably felt that the atmosphere of the banquet had become more lively. This might be because the flying butterflies looked more "lively".
The next one was the witch Blackett, who specially asked Shad to bring fresh leaves. Naturally, like Shad, she planned to use her extraordinary powers to improve the quality of her singing.
However, unlike Shade who directly "copied" a song, Miss Blackett used fresh leaves as the material for the spell. After throwing the leaves into the soil at her feet, a slender sapling grew out in just half a minute.
The trunk was very straight, and there were only a few short branches, the highest point was almost as high as the witch's head. She took a deep breath, and twelve golden steps appeared behind her.