To be honest, while the Eden that Durandal had encountered wasn't quite like the one she knew—she wasn't nearly as detached or zen.
After all, at this point in time, Eden hadn't yet become the world's leading woman of wealth; she was merely on the climbing rungs of the ladder toward that status.
Still, this was the first time Durandal had ever seen her look so uncharacteristically intense.
When Eden finally spoke, it was with a question: "That song just now... why didn't it use the notes 'fa' or 'si' from beginning to end?"
Durandal blinked, a mental question mark hovering over her head.
Hearing Eden ask this, Durandal's first reaction was confusion, followed quickly by a flash of realization.
Although the song "Common Jasmine Orange" wasn't strictly "Chinese Style" in a traditional sense, it utilized the Gong mode—the pentatonic scale. It was a stark departure from the seven-tone scale used in conventional music, giving it a unique, lingering charm.
To a layperson, it might just sound novel, but to a professional like Eden, it sounded like the birth of an entirely new genre.
And so, Durandal began to explain the characteristics of this style of music to her.
After listening, Eden wore an expression that said her suspicions had been confirmed. "So, you have more songs like this, don't you?"
Seeing Eden grow increasingly excited, Durandal could only brace herself and say, "There are a few more, but..."
Before Durandal could finish, Eden had already reached out and grabbed her hands, her voice trembling with fervor.
"Leader, I truly had no idea you possessed such talent for composition. I'm going to start working on an album for you immediately. We'll use this style for every single track. What do you think?"
"No, I'm not..."
Durandal felt a headache coming on instantly.
She had absolutely no intention of being a "copycat." Her rewards came from completing Genius's tasks, not from something like fame or popularity points.
Unless Genius assigned her a mission to save the world by becoming an idol, she didn't want to scatter her focus too thin.
Besides, she knew her own limits.
Her knowledge of music theory was practically nonexistent. If she claimed to be the creator of those songs in front of a titan like Eden, wouldn't she be exposed in a heartbeat?
Rather than facing the embarrassment of being found out later, it was better to be clear from the start.
However, before Durandal could clarify, Elysia suddenly chimed in from the side.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!♪ Durandal often hums songs to me in private, and they're all so lovely. I've been suggesting she ask for your help with an album, Eden, but she's always lacked the confidence. But now that you've said it yourself..."
As she spoke, Elysia looked at Durandal, giving her a subtle signal that translated to "let's talk about this back in the room." She continued, "Durandal, surely you won't refuse because of a lack of confidence now, right?"
Though she didn't understand what Elysia was up to, Durandal followed her lead and stopped pressing the issue of the song's authorship.
"Eden, these few days are a rare vacation. You should put work aside and enjoy yourself. Once the holiday is over, I'll organize the song information and send it to your inbox!♪"
Hearing Elysia say this, Eden realized she had lost her composure.
Eden quickly let go of Durandal's hands, forcing herself to calm down before taking her leave.
Once Eden was gone, Durandal wanted to ask Elysia why she had said those things, but the other woman maintained her "we'll talk once we're inside" expression.
Seeing that, how could Durandal not understand what this elf-like girl was hinting at?
She grabbed Elysia and headed straight for the detached villa where they had been staying for the past seven days.
"My, Durandal, you're certainly in a hurry~♪"
Elysia began to flex her specialty—teasing.
This time, Durandal only flushed slightly.
Fine, she admitted that bringing her back so quickly might have carried a bit of that sentiment, but her main goal was still to find out why Elysia hadn't let her come clean with Eden.
Stepping into the villa, Durandal watched as Elysia shut the front door, flicked on all the lights in the living room, and drew the floor-to-ceiling curtains tight.
Why did this routine feel so strangely familiar?
"Alright, we can talk now~♪"
Elysia sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside her.
Durandal did as she was told, sitting close beside her.
"So, it was because we were in public that you didn't let me explain things to Eden?"
In truth, after seeing Elysia's obvious secrecy measures, Durandal had already guessed part of the reason.
But what were the deeper concerns?
"Exactly. I don't mind you revealing the origin of those songs to Eden, but that's not something to be discussed in the open. Sometimes, keeping a secret isn't a bad thing."
"Even among the members of Schicksal, they might not have ulterior motives when it comes to fighting the Honkai, but if they knew their Leader came from another world... there's no guarantee people wouldn't think 'if they aren't of our kind, their heart must be different.'"
"Mmm, that's an old saying from Shenzhou; I used it correctly here, didn't I?♪"
Elysia tilted her head, looking at Durandal.
"Close enough..."
Durandal sighed.
Hearing Elysia put it that way, Durandal realized the problem.
Taking Mei as an example—with her mindset that a human enemy might be lurking behind every shining star in the sky—if she knew Durandal wasn't just an alien, but from an entirely different parallel universe, who knew if she would still trust and follow her leadership as she did now?
Durandal had no way to prove she bore no ill will toward this world.
Thinking of this, Durandal couldn't help but glance at Elysia, who returned a puzzled look at just the right moment.
The reason she looked at Elysia now was because of the "Falling Star Incident."
While Fire Moth had officially categorized that event as a false alarm, Durandal felt that Elysia's origins were very likely tied to it.
If that could ever be confirmed, then the suspicion Elysia later faced from Fire Moth would have a clear source.
The possibility that Elysia wasn't originally from this planet.
In that case, her reasons for using various means to join Fire Moth would become very "interesting" in the eyes of the organization's leaders.
Pure love?
In the eyes of a leader who practiced absolute rationalism, such a reason would never be accepted!
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL