Well, at least he knew how to make an electric guitar and amp now.

Which, really, wasn’t all that useful when he actually thought about it. He was in a world of magic and magical items, devices, and magitech. It would actually be less conspicuous to just replicate the “electric” component of those instruments with enchantments.

Sound amplification settings were relatively easy to do, as were distortion effects along with all the other little things one could do with modern musical instruments.

But would they have time to mess around in a band? Joram wanted to get some questing done, but hadn’t yet gotten around to it. Which, honestly, was him just being lazy if he was being honest with himself. But, if he could get his quester’s Ranking higher, then it would certainly help things…. Well, he could earn more money, for one.

It might help him in schmoozing up any students from Zhizun Zhanshi… if he ever met any. He was surprised at how few there were. He hadn’t seen any amongst the first years, and had only spotted a few as he hurried about campus and the small city attached to it that helped support the Academy’s infrastructure.

Though, now that he thought about it, he suspected that one of the regulars that patroned the Starfall Café might be an international student. She certainly had the physical characteristics of that continent.

She had glossy black hair with natural violet highlights when the sun hit it, with deep blue eyes, fair skin, the same slender build as Bai Lian and Mo Yu, as well as their same relative height. OK, that last one was more than a stretch, because Mo Yu was considered very tall for a woman over there, while Bai Lian was just over average height.

That said, the international student was also one of the top beauties on the Goddess Ranking, just under Mo Yu, who in turn was just under Alicia.

Which was the problem.

He’d already formed a sort of anti-fan club- a hate club?- due to how close he was with Mo Yu and Alicia and even Bai Lian. If he approached the international student, who’s name he still hadn’t gotten, then he was sure that he’d have so much negative energy directed his way that he’d need to make a ward so that it wouldn’t negatively affect his health.

Or luck. That one was also a popular trope.

Joram would also need to determine her social status somehow, without coming across as a creep. He’d just ask Alicia.

‘Hey, Al.’

‘Yes, Joe?”

He grinned at that, remembering one of his favourite uncles.

‘That international student that frequents your café; what’s her name?’

‘Ohhhhh~,’ she teased. ‘Are you wanting to add another beauty to your harem?’

‘I’ll cut off your spending money,’ he replied flatly.

‘Ahem,’ she deliberately sent. ‘Her name in Sung Jae-Eun and she’s the third princess, sixth child, of her Plum Blossom Empire. Currently in her second year studying political sciences, strategy, and music. She’s also agreed to join my questing team in a support role as her combat rating is a bit low. She is also on the Goddess Ranking. Her measurements are-‘

Joram cut her off there, even though he knew that she’d started saying that to mess with him.

‘Unnecessary,’ he sent. ‘Would she be amenable to making a new friend? How is her political clout?’

‘Ah, right. I think that if you manage to impress her in some way that she might take an interest in getting to know you. Just don’t, you know, come off as wanting to get to know her for anything but her mind. She’s also fed up with the Goddess Ranking nonsense, especially since she came here to put off political marriages,’ Alicia sent seriously.

‘Ah,’ he sent, thinking. ‘Well, that last part won’t be a problem. What instrument does she specialize in?’

‘Harsh,’ she teased. ‘Standard stuff. She’s currently studying the guzheng and wood flute, though she’s expressed interest in Mo Yu’s guitar.’

‘Huh, well, I might be able to pique her interest then,’ he sent, then told her about his recent crafting projects, getting a laugh in response.

‘Well, I’m sure you’ll cause quite a stir,’ she sent with clear amusement. ‘In the meantime, I’ll suggest taking a few quests with Jae-Eun and see how it goes. If she takes to questing, then maybe I can suggest teaming up with your team to get more experience.’

‘Sounds good. Maybe I’ll see about playing a little number at 0700 this weekend,’ he sent, still a bit uncertain about that idea.

‘Oh, please do!’ Alicia sent excitedly. ‘It’ll certainly draw her attention, not to mention being good publicity for the new place!’

‘What’re you going to call it, anyway?’

‘I was thinking something along the lines of “The Dawn Star”, keeping the star theme.’

‘Well, you know how terrible I am at naming things, so have at it,’ he sent with a mental shrug.

With that conversation taken care of, Joram stored away the drum set and grand piano into his storage ring before shifting back to his office in the manor.

“Welcome back, young master,” Bai Lian said when he wandered into the parlour.

“Oh? You’re not working tonight?”

“I’m taking the night off,” she shrugged.

Joram stared at her until she looked away and mumbled.

“I’m just not feeling up to being around a lot of people right now.”

“I can appreciate that,” he said with an understanding nod. “Well, that’s convenient for me.”

Bai Lian gave him an odd look.

“Help me move some of the furniture out of the way,” he said, putting words to action and sliding a couch over to the side.

Bai Lian shrugged again and started clearing space with him. Soon enough, they had everything out of the way including the decorative carpets. She then looked at him in askance, obviously wondering what this was all about.

“I have two other instruments I want you to try,” he said, getting a pout combined with a sharp look in return.

He retrieved first the drum set, placing it to the side, then deposited the grand piano close to the window where its beautiful finish could catch the light. He’d made the wooden components from a red wood so dark that it was nearly back, sanded down so smoothly that it almost didn’t need a varnish to shine on its own. He’d still varnished it, though, bringing out an even greater lustrous glow.

The drum set, however, really just looked like a drum set. Sure, the bodies of the drums were black, with chrome latches and accents. The cymbals were made with standard bell bronze, though. It was still a nice set, if he did say so himself.

Bai Lian’s reaction was priceless. Her astonishment was clear as day, her eyes wide and bright.

“What are those?” She asked, obviously not recognizing the instruments.

“Well, that’s a drum set,” he said, pointing. “And that’s what is called a grand piano,” he said as he stepped over to it and lifted the lid and propping it up with the lid prop.

“I’m not proficient with the drums, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt for you to give them a try. As for the piano, I’m a bit familiar with it. I also have some sheet music for it, so that’ll help things.”

“They’re wonderful,” she said, still sounding a bit confused. “But why?”

Joram blinked at that.

“I thought you wanted to play an instrument?”

Bai Lian shook her head. “No, I’ve realized that I’m not musically gifted. I don’t mind, truly; and I thank you for your great consideration. Instead, I’ll concentrate on my love of arrays and work towards greater understanding of them,” she said with a smile to take away from any sting her words might cause.

“Huh, I read that completely wrong then,” he muttered to himself as he silently reprimanded himself for making assumptions instead of just asking. It would have saved him a lot of time and effort. Though, it did give him the option to work on his piano skills….

“Yes, you did. But I am truly grateful that you cared enough to go through the effort of making these instruments for me,” she said with such a warm and bright smile that it washed away his guilt.

“Well, then, would you like to at least hear what the piano sounds like?” He asked motioning towards the very large instrument with one hand as the other hand stretched out as he stored away the drums again.

“I’d like that,” she replied, still smiling.

So, he did.

- - - - -

The next morning found him at Starfall finishing up his tutoring session. They were at the back of the shop, furthest from where the most popular seats were. As nice as Alicia had been to agree to host his tutoring session, she wasn’t so nice that she’d give away the best seats to a study group that wasn’t likely to spend much.

Which was fair.

After the groups dispersed, Joram made his way to the patio for some fresh air. Spring was well upon them, the various show trees along the boulevard in full bloom. The added colour was more than welcome, as was the faint scent of the blossoms when a breeze came by.

The patio was packed with customers enjoying the day. Each had a small plate that held one dessert or another and a cup of something. He saw a variety of teas, juices, and even smelled coffee. Or something similar to it.

Thinking about it, there was a distinct possibility that it actually was coffee given that she could also use [Grow] to re-create the beans.

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Either way, the smell of the stuff still made him want to sneeze.

He glanced over at Mo Yu as she served a table, dressed in her maid uniform and couldn’t help but grin. Alicia had indeed made maid uniforms from Earth, with that silly frilly headband thing and all. They also wore short matching aprons, adding to the look.

Contrary to what you were likely to see in an anime or manga, these uniforms were tasteful. The skirt came down past the knee and the neckline was up to the clavicles- collar bones. They were, of course, about half white with a black bodice, sleeves, and trim. He was, quite frankly, impressed at how well Alicia had done in replicating the outfit, as well as getting them made.

Joram shook his head, ridding himself of any thoughts that came close to wanting any of his personal staff to adopt such attire, and made his way over to the stool set off to the side that Alicia reserved for Mo Yu to play on when she had the time.

He got a few looks as he walked over, mostly curious, though some just looked because someone passed by their table.

He retrieved his guitar from his ring then sat on the stool and took a few deep breaths. He could see everyone present through his sphere of perception- SoP for short- and was starting to have a hard time.

Alicia came out of the café to watch, engendering more interest in those sitting outside, as well as those waiting in line.

When he took a bit too long to start, Alicia came over and placed a narrow folding screen in front of him, blocking the audience’s view. Which he was partially glad for, because it blocked their view of his intensely blushing, and embarrassed face. She gave him a wink before stepping away again and speaking to the small audience.

“Even though he’s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,” she said with a large smile, getting a few laughs and chuckles from them. “Whenever you’re ready, Joram.”

He could still “see” everyone seated on the patio and those in line, but now that their eyes weren’t directly on him, he found that, weirdly, it made it easier on his nerves.

Joram took another breath, then started playing, plucking the strings with his fingers to get that softer sound that the piece would need. He went with a more relaxed opening, opting for the classic “Stairway to Heaven”, though with no vocal accompaniment. That would have been too much for him.

The further he got into the piece, the more murmurs he heard. Some expresses confusion, but others quickly hushed them, eager to hear more. When he finished, he was applauded, though in the reserved way people did when in polite company.

Ah, if they liked that, then let’s go with “Tears in Heaven” next, he thought with a smile, then proceeded to play that one.

That, too, was well received if the applause was anything to go by, even getting him a few quiet cheers.

He took a moment between songs, thinking of what to play next, then decided to switch guitars. It was another acoustic, though one of the new enchanted ones that allowed him to play with the sound a bit.

He quickly adjusted the settings to give a bit more resonance and reduced the high end a tad.

Then he started playing “Everything I Do”, deciding to sing the lyrics this time.

It wasn’t an easy decision, far from it. It was one of the hardest things he’d had to do, socially speaking that is. It was one thing to sing at home or in the back yard, another to do so in a café with scores of people watching.

He reassigned M3 to calm his nerves, and so when it was time to sing, he did so well enough that Altaea wouldn’t have kicked him into a snowbank afterwards.

When he finished, silence reigned. The only thing he could hear, besides his beating heart, were the birds singing in the trees above, now glad that the competition had stopped.

The silence stretched so long that he began sweating, then one person started clapping. Then another.

Soon, everyone was cheering, calling out their praises. There were even a few called-out inquiries as to whether-or-not he was dating, and a few offers to boot. He even heard a few comments that went along the lines of “As expected of the number 2 on the Hero Ranking!”.

Joram remained behind the folding screen, working with M3 to calm his now racing heart and to clear the raging blush that covered his face. He suddenly had a very profound feeling that the last song might have been a mistake.

He even thought he heard someone go “kyaa~~~”.

* * * * *

Lisette found that she really liked the new café that had opened up recently. Their desserts were varied and tasted like little slivers of heaven. It was expensive considering the portions, but she thought it was well worth it. Even the selection of beverages was wonderful, ranging from teas to juices to combinations of both that you could order with these little sweet and chewy balls in them.

Then there was the “coffee”, something she discovered there that had her wondering where that dark ambrosia had been all her life! Almost everything on the menu tasted good with it. Then she’d tried it with Starfall’s new product: chocolate.

It was so good that she’d let out a low moan of pleasure as the rich and silky-smooth confection had melted in her mouth, then combined to create the ultimate pleasure when she’d taken a sip of coffee to help wash it down. She hadn’t cared about the strange looks she’d gotten, as she’d been too caught up in the rapture of the moment to care about anything else.

After coming to her senses, she realized that she was already addicted to that supernal combination, and had vowed that she would only indulge in that pleasure once per week. Only partly because the combination cost four T1LGCs.

This morning, she was once again enjoying herself, slowly savouring each morsel of chocolate before taking a sip of coffee to complete the experience, when she spotted Joram walking by her table.

She hadn’t seen him since that ridiculous trial by honourable combat nonsense, and wondered what he was up to.

Lisette’s curiosity was sated when he produced one of those guitars that Moyra occasionally played for them, then sat down on the stool she normally used. She idly wondered what he would play, then realized that he looked very nervous.

She couldn’t help but smile at that, remembering how confident he’d been during his assessment. She almost laughed out loud then Alicia came over an placed a folding screen in front of him, completely hiding him from sight.

“Even though he’s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,” Alicia announced to those on the patio, smiling wide as a few laughs and chuckles rang out. “Whenever you’re ready, Joram.”

Alicia stepped away again, though she stayed outside, sitting at Ms Sung’s table to watch.

It took another few seconds for the first notes to come from behind the silk screen, drawing everyone’s attention.

The piece wasn’t in any style she’d heard before, but still found it compelling. It started soft, but gained energy as it went on until quickly quieting again. She enjoyed it so much that he even gave a few soft claps between small bites of chocolate.

The next song started off just as soft, but this time seemed to pluck at her heartstrings. The piece moved her to the point where she felt tear come to her eyes. When that piece finished, she didn’t hesitate to applaud his performance more vigorously than the first.

It took a bit longer for the third piece to start. The sound of the guitar had changed, giving the listener the illusion of being in a concert hall that provided perfect acoustics.

Then for the first time, he began to sing.

“Look into my eyes, you will see…”

Lisette didn’t notice her petite dessert fork falling to the table as she listened to the opening line, the memory of his stunning green eyes suddenly popping up in her mind.

As she continued to listen, she found her heart starting to race as the lyrics branded themselves onto her heart and into her mind with the power of his supernal voice accompanied by those impactful chords of music that filled the air.

She came back to the moment when the playing stopped, stunned at where her imagination had taken her. She looked around at the others in on the patio and saw their own stunned expressions. Those looks of awe didn’t stop there, for everyone in line had crowded up to the small partition around the patio, leaning forward.

There were actually many more people there than had been in line, likely those who’d been passing by when the playing had started. She did note with amusement, however, that almost all of those who’d joined the crowd were girls, young women, and even more mature women.

Lisette turned back to stare at the silk screen that hid Joram, wondering what he’d looked like when he was singing. Then the first person started clapping, soon joined by others until the sound thundered down the street, cheers rising above it to be heard.

She realized that she was one of those people as she called out her appreciation for the amazing performance.

If this was what she could expect every week, she’d be sure to be lined up before dawn so that she could get a table.

* * * * *

Alicia’s jaw dropped when Joram actually started to sing. Not because she’d never heard him sing before, but because of his chosen song.

In a world that basically just had bards to sing to the masses, she was reasonably sure that such a song would ignite the crowd. It wasn’t just the lyrics, which would get the imagination of any pure maiden running wild, but also the musical accompaniment in the form of a guitar. A modified guitar, if her ears weren’t deceiving her. It even sounded a bit like an electric guitar.

The crown went wild.

Even Jae-Eun did a standing ovation, if more reserved than most, so she joined them in their applause, adding in a loud whistle every now and then just for the heck of it.

Alicia watched as Mo Yu also clapped loudly, her eyes shining brightly as she stared at the folding screen. The question was: was it because she’d fallen for Joram or that she now wanted a guitar like his. Or was bit both?

She grinned, imagining how Joram must be kicking himself for going with that last song. But looking at how pleased Jae-Eun looked with the performance, maybe it had been worth it.

* * * * *

Joram glanced around, checking visibility around the screen.

Alicia had indeed covered him well, the corners of the screen keeping all lines of sight off him. He seriously considered shifting back to his workshop to escape, but hesitated because of the attention that was focussed on his little corner.

What if a Mentalist was in attendance and they felt it? That would cause many more problems than potentially being mobbed….

Though, given what he could perceive around him, quite a crowd had formed, so being mobbed might just be in the realm of possibility.

He had to think quickly, for he was sure that his time was running out before someone moved the screen to get at him.

No shifting away, which also means no [Teleport]ing away either. I could use an invisibility…. Wait, my bloody monk training!

Joram smiled, then shifted to his High Elan form and called upon his Ki, wrapping himself in it while pulling.

He entered the Ethereal Plane for the first time since Altaea had gone. He quickly got his bearings in the grey, washed-out version of the world, and booked it.

He was sure to slide around people as best he could, not wanting to risk bumping into someone with an active ward. Because that hurt. Him.

It didn’t take long before Alicia contacted him.

‘Oh, you bloody coward! Get back here or there’ll be a riot!’

‘Nope!’ He sent right back, finding a secluded corner where he could end the ability without freaking someone out.

‘You know that this’ll just add to the stories they’ll tell about you, right?’

Joram ground his teeth but didn’t give in.

‘Just so long as I don’t get mobbed, I’m fine with that.’

‘You’re going to get mobbed either way,’ she sent back dryly.

‘I’m going to study, don’t bother me,’ he sent petulantly.

‘*Pffft!!!*’

Joram blinked as the raspberry came through. He shook his head and decided that he would stay in his High Elan form for a while longer as it provided a great “disguise”.

As soon as he was through the front door, he quickly shut it again and shifted back to his Aneath self. His ears picked up someone plinking at the piano, causing him to frown.

A second later he saw that it was Wentian, of all people, tapping away at random keys, so he made his way over to speak with the guy.

“Hey,” he said by way of greeting, making Wentian jump, then spin to face him. “If you want to learn, I can teach you.”

Wentian glanced back at the grand piano, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Hmm, maybe in a bit. I want to focus a bit more on recovering my cultivation first,” Wentian said, shaking his head slightly.

“No worries. Just let me know. It’ll be good to have someone else for backup,” he said, waving as he headed to his office, though he didn’t miss the confused expression on Wentian’s face as he left the room.

Joram sat at his desk, then retrieved his student card. He activated the course planning function and began going through his options.

Once he passed the basic-tier courses, he would be able to take the standard level ones. That said, there were still a bunch of basic-tier courses he needed to take as qualifiers for higher level courses.

For instance, Standard Alchemy not only required the basic course; it also required him to take basic herbology and basic monstrous anatomy. Presumably to get him familiar with the ingredients of his trade.

And as the class became more advance, it started to span more than one term. Standard Alchemy spanned two terms, Advanced Alchemy spanned four terms, and the Master class took up not only all four terms, but also two timeslots per day.

Basic and Standard Alchemy could be taken in the first year if the student could keep up with the workload, but the Advanced and Master classes were full-year programs that were time hogs.

He was really starting to think that he really would only get to study two trades during his stay at the Academy.

Joram leaned back in his chair office chair, the back dropping so that he was almost laying down, and stared up at the ceiling in thought.

If Jae-Eun decided to only attend for three years, then he might have to leave early. Not an option that appealed to him, that’s for sure.

But most people seemed to stay for at least four years, some taking a decade to get in all that they wanted to before leaving. If they ever did. It hadn’t gotten past him that there was a decent-sized city attached to the Academy, which meant that there would inevitably be students who chose to stay after graduating.

Joram brought his student card up and held it with both hands over his face and he went through his options, planning out the next term, and the ones following that. It would be a race for some of the classes next year, but he was sure that his grades would get him in, as the Academy seemed to be partially run as a meritocracy.

Which meant that he’d also need to go out questing soon. Probably during the week break between terms.

“Yeah, that should work,” he said to himself, nodding slightly. “If Alicia isn’t too mad, maybe I should also invite her team along….”