Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

“The Traveling Sound, Master Bard Garmin Del'Prado, “ she introduced a scrawny, wizened man with a long beard held in a thin strand by many brass beads. He wore the typical colorful but travel-worn garb of a minstrel. The crowd rose in cheers, especially the visitors who actually heard of him before, or watched his performances. A Small, friendly smile played around his lips as he waved at the crowd.

“The Century Scribe, Master Poet Enton Skice,” the tall, thin man was introduced. He had a long face and glasses that made him look strict, yet his fingers incessantly kept playing with a golden quill pen. He only gave the crowd a small smile and a nod.

“The one and only, the Witch of the Violin, Violet Viola,” she introduced an old hag. She was unruly sitting on her chair, completely ignoring the crowd, as she inspected the splotches on her dirty garb, as if she was deliberating whether to taste them or not. Yet, the applause for her was the biggest. She finally acknowledged the stadium's existence and her whole, wrinkly face deformed ad she looked like a leather boxing glove.

“Next we have a famous musician and songwriter of Urth, Keith RiJards, whose music has been enchanting Urth's people for decades!” the man at the center was called out. A man, looking old as time, but still filled with great vigor, waved at them with a confident smile.

“The dean of Urth's Demon Bard College, Dean Remington, “ the demon, second last to the right was introduced. The cheers and applause were polite, as Ember's grandfather stood up and gave a bow. He was not a very widely known face, but people respected his prestigious role. Demonic Bards were not unheard of across the worlds of the Pathworks.

“Last but not least, we have a guest from the mysterious Voracious Cloud Continent, Zither Saintess Lin Xiaoli,” a lady on the far right was introduced. She had a quiet and aristocratic air about her and received the crowd's cheers with a quiet smile. The applause was not as uproarious as the others, but this time many of the cultivators present joined in.

Minas Mar had spared no expenses in hiring a well-known and illustrious panel of judges that could be acknowledged by all of the audience, no matter their origin. it was a shame Seth wasn't among the judges, Polter and Caleb knew that he acted as a bard during the Evaluation, but he probably didn't have the reputation to make an impact as a judge.

“Since you all now know our judges, it's time to begin with our first content. As you all should know from the program, the first contest is for the solo musicians!” Umi Kaldrobs announced to the waiting crowd. The entrance made the solo acts, differentiated into singers and musicians.

“Applause for Hao Ying, known as the Fleeting Flute~” the presenter announced the first act. Especially the cultivators among the cloud cheered. It was a tall, slender man, his robes clearly identified him as a resident of the Cloud Continent. In his hands was a long silver flute, almost the length of his height. When he set it on his lips, a clear melancholic sound directly entered their ears and went to their heart.

Polter instantly thought of home, of his childhood, of the lost time of innocence. These were not amateurs. Of course, this was not an open audition, but the finale. The musicians had already been curated beforehand and every performer was a well-known figure of their respective origin. Announced were about twenty acts in each category of the arts segment

All musician had their very own style, often influenced by the place they came from. No matter what instrument they used, the Cultivators usually played very calm music. The people of the Pathworks were similar in a way, although they were slightly quicker on average. However, everything seemed slow compared to the demonic bard and members from Urth.

While their music almost seemed chaotic, the beat and rhythm were hard to resist, having the whole audience sway to the music. It touched them in a different way from the often calm songs of other artists. Polter found it crazy how much the music affected him. He had never thought himself very musical, but he constantly felt his emotions sway, or his feet bob up and down.

The dwarf had never expected that he would enjoy the prelude to the tournament this much. If he was honest, he had to admit that he was not overly excited about the artistic segment, but like many others, he was proven wrong.

It wasn't just the musical talent that convinced the audience, but also the effects they had. Polter had never expected the extent of a bard's ability. The first day consisted of 40 solo acts, singers, and instrumental musicians, giving their performances and being judged by the panel. Each act not just enraptured the audience, but also granted them a slew of buffs with their performance.

After all of them had their go and were judged the top 5 of each category contended against each other once again. But first, they had a break. While the people on the cheap seats had to do with food vendors, Polter, Caleb, and other people in the VIP lounges had access to a selection of full-course meals, cooked by the chefs of Minas Mar.

While eating a great meal, Polter had no idea when he was ever so excited about music. None of the people he knew at home could compare to the level of the contestants here. Would he ever be able to enjoy music again? Was this the level of music the people of Chrona usually enjoyed, or would they be as overwhelmed as him?

...

“How in the world did they manage to get the Violent Witch to be part of this?” Majdi Barr thought incredulously, looking at the scene before him. The manager of the Auction House in Delta was also given a VIP seat and now he was questioning his common sense.

It wasn't just the makeup of the panel, but also the assembly of contestants. The manager knew that there were powerful bards out there, spread across the many worlds of the Pathworks, however, the bard was not the most popular class.

To think they would be able to collect forty of such caliber, some of them even natives of Urth, was incredible. Especially, when these were just the solo acts. The tapping along of his foot slowed down when he realized the scope of the whole operation.

It was only the first day and the games were already on this level... and all of this was in honor of a single deity. Majdi Barr had no idea what Python's level was like, but judging from what he saw earlier, was this all an elaborate ruse to push it over the final threshold to godhood?

Didn't the people of Minas Mar know what would happen once a being of legendary or comparable rank appeared in a world? He had to warn them. If the system gods blockade for legendary existences fell, there was no telling what could happen. Especially when it happened so publicly.

Although the great empires had a treaty against the use of Legends in new worlds, not everyone had signed it. Independent legends or creatures from the Pathworks could see it as a chance for conquest... He invested quite a bit into Minas AM r and had made a good profit on the Tower Masters purchases and sales. It would have been a shame to lose them.

During the break, Majdi Barr tried to find his way to the booth of Minas Mar, but he was unable to make his way through the crowd. He was not the only one, trying to talk with the Tower Master. There were many nobles and ambassadors from Kingdoms and Empires on other worlds that tried to tie a connection or recruit the master blacksmith.

Yet, no matter their status or their request, none got past the pretty lady, wearing an intricate black lace dress. Majdi Barr had never seen her before, and he was quite sure he knew most of the guild's members. At least the core player.

Despite his confusion, he couldn't help but notice her absolute eloquence in dealing with the high-ranking figures who approached. With confidence and wisdom, she took only a few words to placate and send them away. When it was finally his turn-

“Mr.Majdi Barr, nice to meet you.” - he didn't even have a chance to introduce himself.

“it seems I'm at a disadvantage. You already know who I am, but I don't know yours,” Majdi Barr said a little flustered, but didn't forget his business smile. After all, he was the manager of the Auction House. He wouldn't falter that easily.

“I'm Luf, and I act as Lady Mary's bodyguard and assistant,” she said with a light bow.

“Nice to meet you,” Majdi Barr answered her light bow with one of his own. “ Would it be possible for me to meet the Tower Master? I have something important to warn him about. The games may be more dangerous than you imagine,” he whispered so only Luf could hear him.

The young woman's eyes glinted with a wisdom unfitting for her age before a knowing smile appeared.

“Minas Mar appreciates your worries. Currently, If you can't meet the Tower Master, but I will inform him of your intentions later. I can assure you, that Minas Mar is aware of the dangers. Lady Leana made ample preparations in that regard.”

It was her last sentence that convinced Majdi Barr, as he realized that the princess was involved in all of this. Any dangers he could warn them of, she would have known long before, if their decision was really to help Python ascend.

Although his worries were for nothing, he was convinced that his intentions were noticed. What the girl said, did not sound like an empty

“Mr. Majdi Barr, you should return to your seat now. The break is almost over and you might miss the first finale if you linger any longer,” she reminded him.

Seeing that his warning was unnecessary, he didn't want to miss the show. With a nod, he said his farewells and went back to his seat. With Lady Leana taking care of it, he doubted they would get to see Python ascend if it really happened.

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