Chapter 319: Death of Saint-Saens’s Swan

"'Quinn's Minotaur Hypothesis?' In a town called Quinn in the Brass Duchy, they found the rotting corpse of a minotaur. Are there really creatures like minotaurs?"

Liszt casually flipped through a few of the magic books Elkson brought and promptly paid without hesitation.

To encourage Elkson to pick useful books for him, he bought ordinary, valueless books by the crate while purchasing the more valuable ones individually.

There were indeed a few excellent books among this batch.

So, he ended up paying seven gold coins in total. Every month, he would spend ten to twenty gold coins just on books—with his newfound wealth, he didn’t mind the cost, much like subscribing to a few newspapers back home.

Most of the magic books weren’t worth his time; they simply didn’t offer much value.

Just like now, he didn’t want to read most knight novels anymore. His tastes had been spoiled by one bizarre story after another. Besides, *Dragons Battling in the Wilderness* had been indefinitely discontinued, and even his interest in searching for materials had vanished. The books on the shelf were increasing, but the ones he actually read were decreasing.

Meanwhile, Acheronides was engrossed in reading.

To her, those boring and tedious magic research journals were as enticing as gold and jewels. The once-innocent little mermaid was starting to turn into a bookworm.

To keep her from turning into a complete bookworm, he’d play the piano nearby and frequently take her out to sea, discussing magic to keep her from getting too reclusive.

"Brother, I’ve learned a new spell! Come check it out!" She stretched out her hand, and a water ball immediately formed, shooting it out the window. It exploded mid-air with a loud pop. "It’s called a Water Bullet. It works similarly to the Water Arrow spell but packs more punch while using less magic power."

"Hmm."

Liszt had already been impressed by her magical talent, so he nodded calmly. "Keep up the good work, and you’ll be a great magician one day."

"Yes, Acheron will work hard!"

Every time he talked to Acheron, it felt like therapy, helping him forget all the mess—desire, greed, passion, and ruthlessness—that happened in the castle with a name.

He brewed a cup of Biluochun.

It was just green tea with curled leaves, and they called it Biluochun. "Acheron, come and try my tea. I made it specially for you. I think you're the only one who can enjoy it besides me."

"Thank you, brother."

Acheron picked up the transparent crystal teacup and took a small sip, immediately changing her expression. "Brother, it's so bitter! I don't like it!"

"Give it another try. The bitterness turns into sweetness after a while."

But after two more sips, Acheron still found it bitter. "Nope, still too bitter. I don't want tea. I like juice better."

"Alright." Liszt sighed. His first time sharing tea with Acheron didn't go well, but he didn't mind. He finished the rest of the cup himself, not bothered by her saliva.

With only three tea trees, they had to be careful with every sip.

Acheron floated on the water inside the shell, lost in her book, completely oblivious to the world outside.

Liszt put down the teacup and walked to the piano. His heart swelled, as if a swan was dancing on the surface of his thoughts. Then another swan joined, followed by two more, all gliding together in perfect harmony.

Savoring the sensation, his fingers found the keys, and the music flowed out in a rhythmic beat.

One note after another blossomed and ascended from the upright piano, like fresh red roses in full bloom, forming four dancing swans.

Ake closed the book in her hands and looked at Liszt in surprise.

Unconsciously, Liszt was immersed in his piano performance, with the four swans dancing around him, composed of rhythmic notes. Suddenly, one of the swans let out a mournful cry, its wing breaking as it fell onto the piano, blood staining the keys, as if Liszt were playing with his own blood.

Then, another swan followed with a tragic scream, its wing breaking as well, the blood turning the entire piano red.

The last two swans flew away in terror, one to the left and one to the right. They left behind the bloodstained piano and its owner, Liszt, who continued to play the keys, making the notes dance with blood.

As the swans died or flew away, everything turned into nothingness.

The room was still that insect room.

Jie La was dozing off, Ake tilted her head to listen, and only Liszt sat before the upright piano, elegantly playing the black and white keys, his ten fingers leaping like ten little fairies.

Until the last note ended.

Liszt quickly grabbed the paper and pen on the piano, dipped them in ink, and used the most abstract and hasty symbols to record all the melodies in his mind.

Three short pages.

In a moment, they were filled. Comparing them to the melody still echoing in his ears, he corrected a few wrong notes, finally completing the new piece.

He wrote "Saint-Saëns - The Swan - Piano Solo" in the blank space as the title.

In 19th century Paris, France, there was a less famous musician named Saint-Saëns, who composed the symphonic suite "Carnival of the Animals" for fun. Many of the tunes within were unauthorized and malicious alterations of others' melodies, so it was never published.

Only "The Swan" was publicly performed, which became Saint-Saëns' representative work and a timeless classic. It depicts the elegant and noble posture of a swan gliding through water, its solitary and unique yet highly pure figure.

Liszt wasn't sure why.

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and without relying on the smoke mission, he recalled the melody on his own.

After thinking for a moment, he quickly crossed out "Saint-Saëns" in snake script and rewrote the title as *Liszt - Swan - Piano Solo*, carefully adding it to his collection of piano scores.

He already had *Liszt - Accompanying You* and *Liszt - Für Elise - Revision* in his collection.

Since *Für Elise* was originally attributed to someone else, he could only include it as a revised and edited version.

"Unexpectedly, I have become a piano master."

……

The next day after returning.

The *Flowers* had also returned, bringing good news: the main body of the lighthouse was completed and ready for the installation of the Crystal Lamp. The lamp was specially made, using a magic array to channel the magic power within the crystal and release it in the form of light.

Unfortunately, the light from the Crystal Lamp wasn't very bright.

It was uncertain if the light could reach two or three kilometers.

When he arrived at Black Horse Port, Jo Maya Hammer, who had been left unable to walk after a brutal whipping, could now hobble around with a cane.

"Lord, rubber is truly miraculous. By mixing a rubber solution with sand and gravel, the speed of building the lighthouse far exceeded expectations, and the solidity after it hardened was as strong as glutinous rice mortar. Thanks to the gray bricks you helped us fire, we saved a great deal of time on material selection, so we built it in just five days!"

He pointed to the ten-meter-tall lighthouse on the rocky beach, with a hint of pride in his voice. Once overshadowed by his teacher Mbappe, he could now construct buildings independently.

The lighthouse was neither large, tall, nor particularly sturdy.

The lower section is constructed primarily from stone, while the upper part is mainly built with bricks. The joints between the stones and bricks are not perfectly aligned, but the structure is complete.

"Master Marcus, this crystal lamp is entrusted to you. When the Flowers needs to return at night, have someone light it in the lighthouse. If there's no need for navigation, you can remove it."

"Understood, sir!"

The lighthouse has been completed.

Marcus soon began reviewing the smoke mission.

"After completing the mission, you will receive the following reward: the magic book *The Secret of Sea Serpent-like Water Monsters*."