Old-time musicians

Fan Ning is not very good at studying the mysterious properties of surging matter, so he still has to rely on Qiong and the school's elixir master Cindia.

As time continued to pass into the night, it was often easier to determine the mysterious properties of pure and sufficient extraordinary substances. Qiong quickly determined that the flower-like substances and green crystals in the elixir did have the effect of assisting in the slow repair of the spirit body.

As for the isolated "candle", since it comes from the pigment found on the walls of underground buildings, everyone naturally speculates that it is a product of human body transmutation under strange sacrifices - a kind of "fountain in the painting" that can be depicted "Extraordinary dye of the image. Following this speculation, pigments of other colors may be able to separate extraordinary dyes of other phases.

What deserves most attention now is the "derived" phase components similar to radioactive substances in previous lives.

After a series of attempts by Joan and Cyndia, they discovered that this extraordinary component seemed to have the property of "softening" the spirit body and then "softening" the flesh and blood structure.

This world also has a history of nearly two hundred years of cultivating rat creatures for experiments in anatomy, natural science and related mysticism. Several rats were fed different doses, and the light and shadow outside their etheric bodies became loose and swaying. After strong emotional stimulation or exercise coercion is applied to them, their bodies begin to show symptoms similar to those of workers, such as internal and external bleeding, skin peeling, and facial features disintegration.

"So, why are there no abnormalities in the two principals?" Qiong asked on the carriage home in the early morning.

"If I'm not wrong, it's because they didn't use their extraordinary abilities during this period of recuperation." Fan Ning said, "Its function is to 'soften' rather than 'destroy'. It just makes the spirit body more susceptible to deformation or tearing." An unstable state, for ignorant people with weak souls, as long as they are overly emotional or overworked, it will immediately affect the flesh and blood level, causing devastating effects... The spirit and soul of a knowledgeable person are independent, and they will not be so fragile, but Once the extraordinary ability is used, some unexpected changes may occur as long as it exceeds a certain limit... So I just added another letter to Roy."

"Spiritual 'softening agent'... let's call it that. The source is found in the Rilatim Chemical Trading Company, the pigment factory of the Llangevni Almshouse, and also on the walls of the underground building of the Alchemist Association..." Fan Ning said to himself Thinking like this, "Either they are from the Harmony School, or they are the Transcendental Club that secretly has a benefit transfer relationship with them... What is their purpose? The huge profits of the watch factory are one of the reasonable motives, but what about the other ones?..."

"Caron, I remembered a detail." Sheeran said suddenly.

"Um?"

"Do you remember the smell we smelled when we first stepped through the door of the paint factory?"

"Smell..." Fan Ning recalled briefly, "Plant aromatherapy and steam fan ventilation? I remember I asked him, and his answer was very calm. I didn't think his emotional body expanded and radiated towards the astral body. The trend…”

It is difficult for the ignorant to hide their lies on major issues from the "candle"'s spiritual perception, even for those who have received professional anti-interrogation training.

They can control expressions, breathing and heartbeat, but they cannot control the spirit body and cannot perfectly cover up the fluctuations of the emotional body and the astral body.

Sheeran said: "Stanley explained the reason for the ventilation was because the paint manufacturing process smelled bad, and he didn't lie, so you didn't notice anything strange."

"You mean..." Fan Ning reacted, "The bad smell actually means..."

It's similar to the one behind the secret door. Could it be that the human body emits a stench after transmutation?

It makes sense logically. The spirits of those who served as sacrifices were first softened and then turned into paint.

Are there still people participating in the weird ritual that took place at the hospital where the museum was built more than 20 years ago?

"This may also have something to do with the door." Qiong said, "I suspect this is also a spiritual experiment conducted by the Harmony School."

"Spirit experiments related to doors? For example...the 'Gate of Seven Lights' that Benjamin said contains a lot of knowledge?" Sheeran asked.

"It's not just that." Qiong's eyes were filled with thoughts, "There are so many unknown doors in the Hui Tower. Since the key to the door held by each knowledgeable organization is its core hidden knowledge, then This means that seeking new keys is also one of the core goals of every organization..."

"One of the most common forms of a key is the 'self', which is to use various means to shape one's own spiritual body into the shape of a 'key' - this is a delicate and dangerous transformation that is slightly The deviation can range from turning into a lunatic to a violent death or turning into a pile of flesh and blood."

"So I'm wondering, would it take... a lot of trying to figure out a way to achieve the desired transformation? Maybe it would be violent, or exhaustive, given the chaos of the occult realm. "

"...It's a very high possibility." Fan Ning agreed with this.

The silver-white "derived" phase substance is a prerequisite "spiritual softener".

The purpose of the transmutation sacrifice may not be simply to please the "Fountain in the Painting", but also to use a large number of poor people and laborers to conduct spiritual experiments to screen out the correct way to shape the key... Of course, these two purposes may still be Of the same nature, the way to please Him is to pursue His knowledge.

The sacrifices that took place in the workhouses and underground buildings were radical and crazy. As for the factories... what the workers encountered may still be "mild doses of testing", with the purpose of obtaining some auxiliary data through their physical changes.

"This method of acquiring knowledge in an inhuman way is really in line with the characteristics of the School of Reconciliation..."

Even if the thought is a little darker

Are the organizations in this world that have done such things limited to the School of Reconciliation?

"I think what I just thought is too hasty." So Fanning said, "It is not a good idea to let the Guidance School dispatch the Police Security Bureau to seal up the Langevni Poorhouse tomorrow. At least it will be safer to wait until we return from the Imperial Capital and Monroe returns from vacation."

Thinking that the Special Patrol Office investigators were contaminated, and even high-ranking knowledgeable people like Sternike were conspired, Fanning is now more and more afraid of these lunatics.

"Take a good rest today. The train time tomorrow is 10:30, and you can still sleep in a little in the morning."

A few minutes later, the carriage stopped on the side of Lunwan Avenue. Fanning and the two girls said good night to each other and got off the carriage, watching the carriage disappear at the end of the street to the Lenya District.

After entering the apartment, taking off his clothes and changing his shoes, Fanning went straight up to the second floor in the dark, followed the raised metal pipe near the head of the bed, and turned the switch in the center of the grid on the bedside table.

The light of the gas lamp illuminated the entire bedroom, the dark wooden floor, the old upright piano, the worn and neat single bed, the piano was piled with messy music scores, and the walls were hung with portraits of musicians Gilles and Kashoich and two other landscape oil paintings.

Since Sheeran was promoted a few months ago, he has moved back to this apartment, but with the Guidance School Office and the Permanent Conductor Office of the Conservatory of Music, the utilization rate here is getting closer and closer to the dormitory in his student days.

After Fanning washed up, he first prepared to practice the piano for a while, but the broken piano soon made him feel bored, so he turned off the lights and lay on the bed.

"During the trip to the imperial capital, we don't seek merit, but we seek to avoid mistakes. We should complete the performance mission smoothly. It would be better if we can make more money from the pre-sale of the record."

During his sleep that night, Fanning dreamed of scenes that had appeared frequently recently:

The renovated Turner Art Hall opened, with a dazzling array of artworks and crowded galleries...

The steam train to Santaramburg hummed, the scenery outside the window passed by at high speed, and the carriage was full of passengers...

In the brightly lit concert hall, all the musicians of the symphony orchestra were ready, and the gentlemen and ladies in the audience sat attentively...

At a certain moment, he would step on an invisible thing like a "switch" or a "trigger", and then find that the eyes of everyone looking at him were as terrifying and ancient as the "snake of truth".

And when he floated into the next scene using the dream control method, the same thing would happen at a certain moment.

Because he felt too uncomfortable, he gave up exploring the migration tonight after repeating it three times, slowly controlling the scenery to become blurred, and gradually transitioned to a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

"Woo!——"

The body of the steam train bound for the imperial capital, Santaranburg, was covered with carbon slag and black ash, billowing smoke, and its huge and long steel body began to move inch by inch on the rails.

Lu directly booked the first four consecutive numbers of the train for everyone. No. 1 and 2 were first-class carriages, No. 3 and 4 were second-class carriages, and there was a small unnumbered storage area in the middle for large musical instruments.

The first-class carriage was brightly lit and luxuriously decorated. Eight large red leather sofas that could be reclined were divided into four groups, placed two by two, and snacks, drinks and playing cards were placed on the lacquered wooden table in the middle. The border of the sofa was a sliding thick woven algae pattern curtain, which was tied in the corner with a golden strap at this time.

The four groups of seats in carriage No. 1 were given to Fanning, Kapron, Sheeran and Lu himself, and carriage No. 2 was given to the vocal leaders.

In fact, each set of sofas can accommodate four people, but in carriage No. 1, each set only has one person, which seems a bit too spacious, so Joan ignored her ticket at the back and sat next to Hiran to enjoy snacks.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Mr. Fanning." "Good morning, Carloen."

Fanning, wearing a neat black dress, put his personal documents and belongings in his seat and greeted everyone.

"How did you sleep last night?" Then he sat down opposite the two girls and asked softly.

"I slept well, but I had some nightmares." Joan sucked the straw in the drink cup with a slurping sound.

"You had a full breakfast, but I'm a little hungry." Hiran deliberately imitated her words, and then answered seriously, "... But I also have some similar bad experiences, which are vague, with only some feelings and emotions. After waking up, the dream is forgotten at an unusually fast speed."

"Trigger feeling? Sense of gaze?" Fanning frowned and uttered two phrases.

The two girls nodded, and Xilan added: "… invisible trigger feeling, unintentional gaze feeling."

"After arriving at the imperial capital, be careful. I will go to count the number of people again."

Fanning got up from the sofa, moved to the side aisle, and walked to the back of the carriage.

Roy, who was sitting on the sofa at the door of carriage No. 2, was flipping through a thick book "How to Read Orchestral Scores". Seeing Fanning coming, his eyes were full of smiles, and he moved a little inside to make room for him.

"Professor Fanning, good morning." Sitting opposite was another girl with long golden hair.

"Edith, congratulations on being the real second violin principal now." Fanning sat down and responded with a smile.

She was one year younger than Roy and was one of Roy's previous recommended candidates. She played the same position in the premiere of Fanning's "First Symphony".

"Thank you." Her voice was a little shy.

The three chatted for a few minutes.

"Ms. Roy, how are the two principals?" In public, Fanning couldn't ask in detail.

"I received your work letter, two in a row." Roy said.

"You have changed a little." Fanning nodded, then stood up with a smile.

Roy, holding a coffee cup, blinked at him slyly and complacently, then recovered his expression and quietly looked around.

Fanning began to count the number of people.

The second-class carriage was covered with slightly dusty and old carpets, and there were narrow double sofas with armrests on both sides of the aisle, but only one musician or staff member sat in each row.

Kaplun had counted in the waiting room and before boarding the train. Fanning's purpose was mainly to communicate. He sat down and chatted with everyone from time to time to understand their personal thoughts and psychological dynamics.

As for Fanning, the permanent conductor and senior who is about the same age as them, everyone's understanding of him has undergone a very rich change during this period. This is not only reflected in the recognition of his outstanding musical ability, but also in his principled style of leading the group and striving to gain benefits for everyone.

People who only paint cakes are the object of secret ridicule in any world.

And although Fanning seems to be very strict in attendance, he never delays time. He has a clear rehearsal goal every day. As long as everyone starts on time and maintains a high degree of concentration in training, it is common to complete the task ahead of time and leave. Many musicians finally found that the overall time seems to be less than the "slow" rehearsal in previous years.

Moreover, Professor Fanning is still the same age, and there is no generation gap when communicating about various popular topics in the empire.

Many girls may also add that Professor Fanning, as a young and handsome gentleman, is the most impressive image among the conductors of major university orchestras!

Most musicians have already regarded him as an object of worship and following.

This is reflected in the fact that every time he sat down to chat with the musicians, everyone's expressions were very excited and active, and even the students who led the seats would turn around and look eager to join the chat.

"No abnormality has been found in everyone's mental state." Since the moment Fan Ning went out today, he has been very alert. He scanned the bodies of the musicians with his spiritual sense. After more than an hour of leisurely checking, he came to the end of carriage 4.

This is the last section of the chartered seats. From carriage 5, it is the public carriage where strangers are.

Although it is still a second-class seat, it is obviously not as spacious as the half-occupancy rate here. The hats of gentlemen and ladies are all high and low.

Fan Ning's conversation and inventory work naturally ended here, but just before he turned around at the end, he inadvertently glanced at a familiar face.

The gentleman sat in the middle of carriage 5, facing him, with half a pocket watch exposed in the upper pocket of his black thin jacket, and his facial features were slumped under the tall hat, and he looked depressed.

Special Patrol Investigator Joe Vasius?

Fanning's original intention was to pretend that nothing had happened and go back to inform his own people of the situation.

But the two sides' eyes had already met, and the corner of the other's mouth twitched slightly on his expressionless face.

So Fanning thought about it and walked over calmly.