Chapter 528 : Blue-Level Mission Reward
Chapter 528: Blue-Level Mission Reward
“Hope lies hidden within despair———. What a perfect composition.”
Watching the now completely fallen 【Isabelle】, who had turned into a black angel upon the stage, Quentin-Lycente, seated among the audience, couldn’t help but let out a sincere sigh of admiration.
As the chief musician of the Dordogne Tulip Opera House, and also the top-tier composer known as the “Godfather of Music,” Quentin-Lycente, surprisingly enough, wasn’t in his own opera house—where a new opera was also being performed tonight—but had instead appeared, for the first time ever, at the Nightingale Opera Troupe’s performance.
By all logic, since there was a new performance at the Tulip Opera House, Quentin-Lycente, the chief conductor, should have remained there to lead the orchestra throughout the night, not leisurely visit a rival theatre to watch their opera.
However, the restless Quentin-Lycente, unable to calm his heart the entire day, had handed over his conducting duties to his deputy—the other person responsible for the composition of The Bridges of Madison County—and taken a short leave. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he had ended up at the Nightingale Opera House.
At first, Quentin-Lycente came with the simple thought of “watching for a short while before leaving.”
But as soon as Janna Roland began her first solo piece, Quentin-Lycente’s attention was completely captured—unable to look away, forgetting entirely his earlier intention to leave early.
“Ding-dong一—”
(Ad reading omitted in source)
Just as the audience’s emotions were still trapped in the sorrowful fall of the angel, the next segment—Act B—pushed the story forward with an urgent orchestral surge. Soon, the final movement of The Angel’s Symphony began to play at the moment when 【Isabelle】 defeated the Lord of Heaven【Augustine】.
Unlike the despair and suppression when 【Isabelle】 had fallen into darkness, the final movement of The Angel’s Symphony was a tender yet sorrowful melody.
Yes—sorrowful.
Even though it was the climactic moment when 【Isabelle】 struck down the main antagonist with her own hands, the emotion that swept through every member of the audience was none other than overwhelming grief.
“Father, I once gazed up at Your glory,
Crowned by stars, and ruled by eternity.
Now I wield a blade of frozen steel,
Piercing You—piercing my faith—”
With the start of the final movement, the black-feathered 【Isabelle】 began her last solo, her voice soft as a whisper.
And under the combined blessings of 【Voice of the Heavens】 and the 【Law of Beauty Fragment】, that grief surged like a tidal wave, crashing into the hearts of everyone present. The audience found themselves completely immersed in 【Isabelle】’s emotions—feeling her sorrow as their own, and her joy as their own.
“Wuuu——”
Below the stage, watching 【Isabelle】 seal away the great villain—the Lord of Heaven, 【Augustine】—Jenny felt no relief, only a heavy suffocation in her chest.
Especially when Janna sang the word “Father,” the emotions Jenny had been suppressing for so long finally broke loose. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, like a river bursting through a dam.
It wasn’t just Jenny. Throughout the grand Nightingale Opera House, the sound of sobbing echoed from all corners, wave after wave,
lingering endlessly—
“Ding-dong一—”
As 【Isabelle】’s final solo came to an end, the mournful melody ceased. Then, like a rainbow shining after a storm, a soft note drifted forth—signaling 【Isabelle】’s rebirth.
“Ah! That is—”
Below the stage, Celine, still wiping her tears, suddenly noticed the dazzling illusion blooming before her eyes.
The black feathers that had covered 【Isabelle】 were now ignited by golden flames.
Moments later, the black plumage faded, replaced by radiant white wings.
Before everyone’s astonished gaze, the fallen angel 【Isabelle】, who once bore six pairs of black wings, shed her darkness and, amidst the devout prayers of countless human believers, grew twelve sacred wings anew.
Even the dark violet gem between her brows and the violet markings by her eyes turned into shimmering gold during this glorious rebirth.
“To think it ends like this—I thought 【Isabelle】 could never return!—This is wonderful! Truly wonderful!”
Seeing 【Isabelle】, the newly ascended Lord of Heaven, Celine, momentarily forgetting her identity as a reporter, couldn’t help but cheer softly.
The same went for Jenny.
When Jenny saw 【Isabelle】 spread her wings once more, her sorrow was rekindled into light.
As Isabelle received the worship of thousands of faithful followers and a chorus of angels, Jenny felt her own heart surge with an emotion even more intense than Isabelle’s.
“Pa-pa—”
“Pa-pa-pa—...”
“Pa-pa-pa-pa———”
With the final scene of 【Isabelle】’s ascension concluded, the crimson curtain fell slowly, and a thunderous applause erupted through every corner of the theater.
Even after all the performers had retreated behind the curtain, the hearts of every audience member still burned with passion that refused to fade.
“Ding——”
At the same time, still steeped in 【Isabelle】’s powerful emotions, Janna Roland heard the sweet sound of the system’s completion chime ring in her ears.
【Today’s Quest: Emotional Resonance】
Complete a flawless performance and gain emotional resonance from the entire audience. (Completed)
Reward: +500 Talent EXP, +1500 Skill EXP, +1 Charisma, Character Talent “Mental Warning.”
“Mental Warning? Another new Character Talent?”
Reading the quest reward list on her Quest Panel, Janna’s immersion instantly dissolved, pulling her back into reality.
【Mental Warning: When one’s subconscious is interfered with by extraordinary forces, a warning will be triggered.】
As she read the description of this new talent, a glimmer of delight flashed across Janna’s eyes.
“That means... from now on, whenever I encounter ‘Mental Suggestion’–type witchcraft, I’ll be alerted beforehand?”
There were many forms of Mental-type Witchcraft, but one of the most insidious and hard-to-defend against was the ‘Mental Suggestion’ category.
This kind of spell ensnared the victim without their awareness, trapping them within the caster’s illusion. Oftentimes, the target might never even realize they had been affected.
“I wonder if this talent can also serve as a warning when facing the subconscious control of the 【Lord of Wisdom and Knowledge】...”