007 A Bard for a Day

  The gathering of cultivators quickly lost its charm. Sure, watg them desd from the sky on flying swords, chariots, leaves, and even clouds had been impressive at first, but the y wore off fast. Their arrivals were met with awe and hushed whispers, but at the end of the day, they were just more p elites.

  I had no reason to care.

  So, I left.

  As I strolled through the lively streets, a thought struck me—money. I had yet to figure out this world’s ey, but I had no iion of staying broke. Gu Jie was supposed to hahering funds, but it wouldn’t hurt to make some myself. Besides, I needed something to eain myself.

  An idea formed. Something simple.

  I pulled a wooden crate and a bowl from my Item Box, setting them down in a retively open spot where foot traffic was heavy. Then, I hopped onto the crate, cleared my throat, and began attrag attention to my bowl.

  “Ladies alemen! May I gather your attention, please?!”

  I was going to moonlight as a bard.

  Music had always been a universal nguage. That was true in my old world, and I suspected it was the same here.

  Ba Lost Legends Online, pyers could take on both a main css and a sub-css. Sub-csses weren’t bat-focused but instead reted to trade and knowledge. And no, I am not a lore enthusiast, I had picked Linguist because I hated puzzles and it had the best all-rourade-off to making PvE and doing the mai easier.

  It was marketed as a css that let you prehend every nguage in the game’s vast lore, allowing for deep iion with aexts a dialogues. It also came with a speech bonus, making pyers eloquent speakers, though it was still inferior to the Diplomat css when it came to persuasion. On top of that, Linguists could solve puzzles more easily, though again, they weren’t as profit as Schors.

  It wasn’t the best sub-css, but it suited my is.

  More importantly, it had a Transtion skill—ohat allowed me to seamlessly vert words from one nguage to another.

  That meant I could take songs from Earth and transpose them into this world’s nguage without pause.

  I wasn’t a Bard, but thanks to my past life’s experieh karaoke, I could at least hold a tune. And with the Linguist’s speech bonus? I’d make it sound good.

  I took a deep breath, let the murmurs of the curious crowd settle, and then—

  I sang.

  The melody carried through the air, the words smooth and poetic, transposed effortlessly into this world’s to was a song from my old world—something from Freddie Mercury, because if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

  At first, my voice cut through the air like an ued breeze—soft but clear, drawing a few passing gazes. Then, as I carried the melody with fidence, my voice soared.

  “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”

  The words flowed smoothly, transposed effortlessly into this world’s nguage by my Linguist sub-css. The sylbles fit as if the song had been born here, as if it were meant to be sung in this world’s tongue.

  People stopped.

  First, a few. Then, more. Murmurs spread through the crowd as heads turned, eyes widening. A nobleaused mid-step, her silk robes swaying as she tilted her head in curiosity. A group of merts near a tea stall leaned in to listen. A child, barely older thaugged at his mother’s sleeve, pointing at me with bright-eyed wonder.

  I kept singing, my voice steady, my pag smooth.

  “Because I'm easy e, easy go, little high, little low…”

  The melody carried through the marketpce, its emotion resonating beyond the meaning of words. A man in a tattered robe—probably a wandering warrior—nodded along, his arms crossed, lips twitg in approval. A young woman, dressed in the flowing garb of a minor sect, swayed slightly to the tune, her expression soft.

  Then, the cheers began.

  At first, it was just a few cps, hesitant and unsure. But as I powered through the chorus, as my voice climbed with the iy of the song, the energy shifted. The crowd, caught up in the performance, responded with excitement. Some cpped along with the beat. riheir faces lit with delight.

  And then, the real proof of their appreciation—

  k.

  A nded in my bowl. Then another. And another.

  I stole a gnce mid-song and nearly smirked. My little wooden bowl, which had started out empty, was beginning to fill with silver and copper s. A generous ossed in a gold , his lips quirking in amusement. A grizzled merary followed suit, flipping a with practiced ease.

  “Now this is eai,” someone murmured.

  “Who is he?” another asked.

  “Some kind of wandering bard?”

  “I’ve never heard this song before…”

  “It’s incredible.”

  As I reached the climax of the song, I gave it everything I had. My Linguist speech bonus made sure my enunciation was crisp, my emotions evident in every note. And though I wasn’t a professional singer, my past-life karaoke experiensured that I hit the notes just right.

  I finished with a strong, lingering he final words echoed in the air, hanging for a moment before fading.

  Silence.

  Then, the crowd erupted.

  Cheers, appuse, and even a few whistles. People beamed at me, their eyes alight with excitement. Some nodded in approval, others chattered animatedly about the performance. My wooden bowl was now respectably full, proof that I had earned my keep through sheer performance alone.

  I exhaled, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. Then, with a slight bow, I raised a hand for silehe lingering murmurs quieted as the crowd leaned in, waiting to hear what I had to say.

  “Thank you for listening,” I said smoothly, my voice carrying over the gathered people. “But credit where credit is due—this song is not my own.”

  Murmurs of intrigue spread.

  “This piece was posed by a legendary bard from a distant nd—his name was Freddie Mercury.” I let the name hang in the air for dramatic effect. “Though he is no longer among us, his music lives on, transding time and space.”

  Some nodded, as if h the name of a fellow artist. Others simply cpped again, appreciating the se.

  I chuckled to myself. If only they knew just how distant a nd I meant.

  As the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving behind their generous donations, aruck me.

  Music was one way to captivate an audience, but it wasn’t the only way. ime, I wouldn’t just sing—I’d tell a story.

  Songs and tales both had power. And with my Linguist css, I could weave them seamlessly into this world’s nguage.

  I stepped down from the crate, pocketing my hard-earned .

  “That was fun,” I murmured to myself, a satisfied grin tugging at my lips.

  I crouched down, scooped up the wooden bowl filled with s, and gave it a little shake. The satisfying k-k of silver and copper meeting each other was musiy ears. Not a bad haul for an impromptu street performance.

  With a fliy wrist, I stashed the bowl, crate, and earnings into my Item Box. It was nice having an iory system that let me carry things without w about weight. A reliy time in Lost Legends Ohat roving to be far more useful in real life than I’d ever expected.

  Now, I had money. And money meant I could finally eat properly.

  The marketpce was still buzzing with energy. Stalls lihe streets, their colorful banners fluttering in the wind. The st of roasted meats, spiced broths, and freshly baked buns filled the air, making my stomach growl in protest.

  I took my time walking past vendors, watg as they skillfully worked their craft. A dumpling stand had a steady stream of ers, the cook w deftly as he flipped steaming buns onto a tray. A noodle shop had a liretg out the door, bowls rant broth being passed to eager ers.

  Eventually, I found a more traditioery—a simple woodeablishment with an open-air dining area. The smell of sizzli and frying garlic drifted from within, a clear sign that I had made the right choice.

  Stepping inside, I found a seat by the window and waved over a server.

  The moment my order ced, I sat bad took imosphere. The eatery had a rustic charm—worn wooden tables, the chatter of travelers exging stories, the rhythmic cck of chopsticks against bowls.

  Soon, my food arrived.

  A steaming bowl of braised pork noodles, thick strands coated in a rich, savory broth. A side of pan-fried dumplings, their golden-broweriors crisp and glistening with oil. And to wash it all do of warm rice wis faint aroma carrying a subtle sweetness.

  I wasted no time.

  The first bite of noodles was divihe broth—deep and fvorful—coated my toh its plex blend of soy, spices, and slow-cooked meat. The pork practically melted in my mouth, its tenderness a testament to hours of careful preparation.

  The dumplings were just as satisfying. The moment I bit into one, hot juices burst forth, the bination of crispy exterior and savory filling sending a wave of satisfa through me.

  I took a sip of the rice wine, letting its warmth spread through my chest.

  A satisfied sigh escaped my lips.

  “Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “This is good.”

  It had been too long since I st enjoyed a meal like this.

  Ba my past life, food was often an afterthought—a y rather than an experience. In LLO, meals were nothing more than buffs, ed for stat boosts rather than enjoyment. But here? Here, food mattered.

  And right now, I was more than happy to indulge.

  Just as I was about to savor another bite of my perfectly braised pork noodles, a familiar voice rang out from across the table.

  “I finally found you!”

  I looked up, chopsticks frozen mid-air, just in time to see Gu Jie plopping herself onto the seat opposite me. She pulled off her bacva, revealing her sharp features and a grin that practically radiated pride.

  “I fihe task, Senior!” she announced, dragging two pouches onto the table. They nded with a k, heavy with s.

  I sighed. Of course.

  It wasn’t even dusk yet…

  Couldn’t I enjoy one meal in peace?

  I set my chopsticks down, leveling a ft look at her. “You know, there’s a time and pce for business, and this,” I gestured at my half-eaten meal, “is her.”

  Gu Jie’s grin faltered. “Ah—right. My apologies, Senior! I didn’t mean to disturb your meal.”

  She actually looked guilty.

  Well, at least she had some self-awareness.

  I sighed, leaning back. “Whatever. What’d you get?”

  She perked up instantly, pushing the pouches toward me. “As you instructed, I have succeeded oask you’ve given me. I mao exge the treasure you’ve entrusted to me with the local currency.” She puffed her chest out. “The people in the lower districts are surprisingly loose-lipped when given a few drinks. I’ve already picked up rumors about some underground dealings—”

  Her rambling was getting on my nerves.

  I held up a hand. “That’s great and all, but you at least let me eat first?”

  “ht! Of course, Senior!”

  She looked genuinely embarrassed this time, folding her hands in her p like a scolded child.

  I exhaled through my nose and waved over a server.

  “What does my friend here want?” I asked, my tone leaving no room fument. “Let’s eat first, and thealk.”

  Gu Jie immediately stiffened, shaking her head. “No need! I don’t want to impose—”

  “Not an option,” I cut in smoothly. “Either you eat with me, or I leave you to your devices.”

  She hesitated, clearly unfortable.

  I could tell that despite all her p, she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of generosity. It made sense—she was a starving street thief just this m. But if she really wao follow me, she’d have to get used to things like this.

  After a moment of visible internal struggle, she gave in. “...I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she mumbled.

  The server nodded and hurried off.

  “Seriously, it’s not been a day, since you tried to rob me,” I leaned ba my chair, watg Gu Jie as she awkwardly sat there, hands still ched together. “You wao bey follower so badly that you went out of your way to do this, huh?” I mused, tapping the table.

  Gu Jie looked down, fiddling with her sleeves. “I wasn’t lying when I said I’d do anything for you, Senior. If you’ll have me, I’ll prove my worth.”

  I didn’t respht away.

  Instead, I picked up my chopsticks and resumed eating, giviime to sit with her own thoughts.

  When her food arrived, she hesitated again, staring at the steaming bowl as if it were some kind of rare treasure. Eventually, she picked up her chopsticks and took a careful bite.

  Her eyes widened slightly.

  Yeah. Good food had that effect.

  I smirked. She’d get used to this soon enough.