Chapter 3000: Chapter 3001: Assignment
Indestructible Heart Mirror, Buffer Zone.
After leaving Jon, Angel went offline directly.
He stretched his body slightly, and Angel glanced at Laplace sitting on the sofa. Her whole being was enveloped by the soft sofa, eyes closed, evidently not yet left the Wilderness of Dreams.
Angel also knew this, because before he went offline, he had used Godâs View to look at Laplace and discovered she was still fishing on the boat, with a very serious expression, yet unfortunately, there was no catch in the basket beside her.
It is worth mentioning that beside the boat, there was a school of golden flying fish bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, seemingly ignoring Laplace as they carefree leaped past her.
If Laplace reached out, she could at least catch one flying fish. But she did not do so, instead focusing all her energy on the fixed fishing rod.
It seemed that only catching fish with the rod counted as true fishing.
Angel did not know what Laplace was thinking, but it was the first time Angel saw Laplace so focused, originally wanting to ask if she wanted to go offline together, but in the end, decided against it.
Angel had heard stories of some amateur anglers who loved to fish but rarely caught any, their excuses piling up when they failed to catch fish. If he disturbed her at this moment, perhaps Laplace would feel it was his interference that led to her failure to catch fish.
Although Laplace might not have evolved to this level yet, Angel still decided not to disturb her and went offline on his own.
However, due to going offline alone, Angel noticed something interesting.
Even though Laplaceâs consciousness was still fishing in the Wilderness of Dreams, her buffer zone self seemed not entirely defenseless.
The silver-white hair around her moved slowly, like silver-white snakes guarding her body, even without touching, Angel could sense the threat emanating from those fluttering strands.
Angel did not attempt to approach Laplace.
Regardless of whether Laplace had defenses, approaching someone while they are asleep is not proper etiquette.
Angel carefully bypassed the area where the hair moved, turned his head, and entered the Mirror Channel, his target was... Heart Space.
...
While Angel and Laplace went to the Wilderness of Dreams, Luigi was arranged to stay in Heart Space, operating limbs and the Physical Collector.
However, when Angel arrived, he found Luigi had not touched the Mysterious Concrete Object at all, instead leaning against the Heart Wall, idly plucking the harp strings.
His gaze was somewhat lost, even when Angel arrived, he did not notice immediately.
From the notes he plucked and the despondent aura emanating from him, Angel knew, Luigiâs mind was certainly still immersed in "Urielâs Choice".
Not until Angel stood in front of Luigi did he clumsily try to pose as if he was operating the limbs.
"Laplace asked you to operate the Heart Spaceâs power module just to distract you. But it seems the effect is minimal." Angel teased.
Luigi also knew his fluster was unconvincing to Angel, so he gave up controlling the limbs and sat despondently on the Heart Wall: "I just discovered I canât contact the avatar at all, thinking Laplace might enter the Wilderness of Dreams?"
Angel raised an eyebrow: "I havenât heard your poetic introduction for a while, I kind of miss it."
Luigi scratched his temple, his expression filled with depression: "Really... Iâm just not in the mood."
Angel was silent for a moment, then reached out his hand to Luigi.
In Luigiâs confused gaze, a thin booklet constructed with the Power of Nightmare Illusion slowly appeared on Angelâs palm.
"Then look at this, I wonder if it will improve your mood?"
Luigi hesitated for a moment and took the booklet.
The cover was simple, merely a line of cursive writing in the universal language of Wizardsâ Realm. Luigi, being a Temporal Body largely consisting of human memories, was naturally familiar with the universal language.
"âPiano Psychologyâ? Who wrote this book?" Luigi suspiciously looked at the title, feeling the title of this book was somewhat odd; is there really such a thing as piano psychology in this world?
Angel: "Letâs say my Mentor wrote it."
After a pause, Angel continued: "I told my Mentor about your situation, and he made a strategy collection aimed at your current difficulties. Here it is."
"As for the name, I chose it."
Luigi doubted: "Really your Mentor wrote it? That quickly?"
Angel: "Youâll know once you look at it, thereâs no profound theory, just some strategies."
Luigi hesitated for a moment and opened the book cover.
Just after reading two pages, Luigiâs expression changed from doubt to contemplation, then from contemplation to enlightenment, as he was clearly engrossed in the book.
Angel didnât interrupt, this "Piano Psychology" was not thick, given Luigiâs reading speed, it wouldnât take long for him to finish.
As expected, it only took Luigi fifteen minutes to finish the entire booklet.
"What about the back? What about the back?!" Luigi was thoroughly captivated by the time he reached the last page.
The contents of the book werenât profound; calling it "Piano Psychology" wasnât accurate, it resembled strategies or guides more.
Moreover, they were entirely tailored to Luigiâs predicament.
Even recording how to respond with a harp when Uriel discusses a particular tonal piano piece. What are the ways to respond? When variations occur, what ways to respond are there?
Of course, this is merely a simple overview; going through the book thoroughly reveals various thought maps under different strategies, with each thought map containing more subcategories and corresponding countermeasures.
Seemingly simple yet actually complex.
And mastering it requires extremely high artistic talent. At least, Luigi finds it unattainable.
Itâs akin to playing instructional chess, guiding a novice strategically from a high vantage point.
Luigi is now being guided this way by Jonâs "instructional chess."
However, this instructional chessâs repertoire is limited to only a few kinds; Luigi took merely fifteen minutes to finish it, causing him to naturally exclaim for more.
Luigi yearns for more "chess guides."
So, after finishing it, he immediately looked at Angel with hopeful eyes.
Angel shrugged: "Thatâs all there is."
Luigi was stunned: "Thatâs all?"
Angel nodded.
Luigi furrowed his brows: "Thatâs nowhere near enough! Urielâs piano pieces vary each time; with only these few scenarios in the book, they might not be applicable."
After speaking, Luigi seemed to have thought of something and muttered to himself, "Could it be that your mentor is predicting the exam topics?"
Just like predicting exam topics before a test, seeing if you can predict Urielâs sonata?
"If itâs predicting topics, then I can understand. It means I have to keep trying, and eventually, Iâll encounter this situation?" Luigi murmured.
Seeing Luigiâs assumed understanding, Angel chuckled, "No, youâre mistaken."
"Huh?" Luigi was taken aback, staring blankly at Angel.
Angel: "Rather than predicting exam topics, itâs more like a âSea of Questions Tactic.â"
Luigi was puzzled: "Sea of Questions Tactic? What do you mean?"
Angel did not elaborate further but gently tapped the void, and an Illusion Node was generated.
In a split second, the surrounding environment changed. Luigi found himself sitting in the front row of a grand theater, surrounded by emptiness, with a spotlight on the stage shining on a piano.
With the sound of footsteps echoing, an elderly man stepped onto the stage.
The man glanced at the audience, seemingly noticing Luigi, nodded slightly, and then sat at the piano.
As the halo flickered, music flowed from the manâs fingertips...
This was a piano piece Luigi had never heard before, but the emotions it contained were varied and complex. In a daze, Luigi felt as if he were back in the "Urielâs Choice" instance, sitting under the attic, listening to Urielâs passionate performance above!
Just this sense of déjà vu was enough for Luigi to confirm that the pianist was absolutely on the same level as Uriel! Perhaps even slightly superior to Uriel.
But even so, Luigi still couldnât understand what this illusion was meant to convey?
Accompanied by Luigiâs thoughts, the music came to a close a few minutes later, and the stage curtains slowly closed.
Luigi vaguely saw the man say something, but before he could discern it, the illusion ended.
Immersed in the aftertaste for a while, Luigi finally spoke: "Is he your enlightenment mentor?"
Angel nodded: "Yes, his name is Jon, and he is... a human."
Luigi did not detect the peculiarity in Angelâs words. Still absorbed in the previous music, he marveled, "Your mentorâs mastery of the piano is unparalleled, extraordinary..."
Angel smiled, "After hearing it, thatâs all you have to say? Didnât you hear what my mentor said at the end?"
Luigi: "What?"
Angel shook his head and played the Illusion Node again, and Jonâs phantom appeared again. At this moment, Jon had just finished playing and stood up, speaking slowly in Luigiâs direction:
"This is your homework for today..."
"Homework?!" Luigi was stunned; was that what he understood it to mean?
Angel: "Thatâs right. This is the homework my mentor left for you, hmm... todayâs homework. There will be new assignments tomorrow, so youâll need to finish them quickly."
Luigi stammered, "Can, can you explain a bit more clearly?"
Angel shrugged: "Isnât it clear enough? The book âPiano Psychologyâ is the textbook, and the piece my mentor left for you is the homework."
"What you need to do is to respond to this assignment with a harp performance."
To put it bluntly, Jon simulated himself as Uriel, playing a Uriel-like piece. And Luigi is still the "player," needing to find a way to unravel the "emotional knots" within Jonâs piece.
It sounds similar to Luigi directly tackling the instance, but the essence is different.
If Luigi challenges the instance and fails, he wonât know where he went wrong, making it impossible to summarize. However, if he challenges Jon, then when he errs, Jon can guide him on where he went wrong.
So, despite similar methods, the results are fundamentally different.
And this is Jonâs method of teaching Luigi.
By using Angel as the go-between, assigning and reviewing assignments, Luigi is continually solving problems.
Jon understands that in a short period, itâs impossible for Luigi to grasp the essence of âPiano Psychology,â so he uses the "Sea of Questions Tactic" as a solution.
The more "questions" one does, the more likely they are to find the patterns.
After Angel explained Jonâs intention, he pointed to the Illusion Node in front of him: "This Illusion Node, if you activate it, will re-present the previous musical illusion. When solving, listen more."
After speaking, Angel took out a blank Photostone from his bracelet and handed it to Luigi: "Take this, and remember to record the process while you answer. You can answer in multiple ways, making it easier for my mentor to find any errors."
Luigi still hadnât fully reacted: "So, so I need to solve problems next? And your mentor will correct them?"
Angel nodded: "Thatâs right. What, do you think itâs a hassle?"
Luigi hastily shook his head. Understanding Jonâs intention, how could he find it troublesome? Itâs an absolute honor to have a piano master comparable to Uriel personally correct his assignments.
Angel muttered under his breath, "The real hassle is for me... I have to go back and forth every day to convey messages for you."
Luigi, somewhat abashed, said, "Sorry for the trouble."
Angel: "Itâs alright; it doesnât take much time. If you feel guilty, visit my mentor more often in the Wilderness of Dreams when you have the chance."
Luigi nodded repeatedly. Even if Angel hadnât said it, after passing "Urielâs Choice," he would have personally gone to see Jon.
Angel: "Iâll leave now. Study this well and answer diligently. Iâll come to collect the Photostone at this time tomorrow. Also, Iâll bring a copy of âPiano Psychologyâ each time I come. Today is the first one, and when you pass, then it ends. Understand?"
With that, Angel waved and left the Heart Space, leaving Luigi staring dazedly at the âPiano Psychologyâ in his hand, with a complex expression.
...
After returning to the Buffer Zone, Angel logged back into the Wilderness of Dreams.
This time, however, Angel didnât head to Originheart City but changed the location to where Ironclad Granny was.
Luigiâs situation was temporarily resolved; now, it depended on when the Sea of Questions tactic would be effective. Angel now needed to address his own issues.
Especially the current circumstances at the Starlight.
He found it hard to believe that encountering Buru after exiting The Gate of Void was a coincidence.
Yet, the Blood Night Shelter hadnât been triggered, and Buruâs master indeed didnât seem to recognize him...this left Angel puzzled.
He was thoroughly confused, so he could only see if Ironclad Granny knew anything about the situation.