This was the first time Bai Luo truly felt what it meant to be powerless.
Hei, Himura Battousai, Black Swordsman.
These three classes were undoubtedly strong. With all his equipment, he even had the confidence to challenge some deities.
But against these mortal cannons, these three classes were utterly ineffective.
Even if he used Hei's teleportation to reach the shore and kill the soldiers manning the Divine Kamujima Cannons—
No matter how skilled he was, killing those soldiers would take time.
And in that time, the Shogunate could reduce the ship to splinters.
"Come on, System! Give me a mage class!"
He finally realized—Himura Kenshin's AoE capabilities still weren't enough for most situations.
At the very least... at least give him a mage.
[Sy... System...]
Perhaps hearing his plea, the long-silent system actually responded.
But its voice was garbled, as if interfered with.
Or perhaps... it needed time to gather power to aid Bai Luo.
Right now, it clearly hadn't accumulated enough to grant him a fourth class.
"You don't want me to die here either, do you? Give me something!"
[...]
Maybe Bai Luo's threat worked. The system, which had been playing dead, finally stirred.
[New Quest: Kindred Spirit]
[Objective: Use the erhu to perform a piece that moves at least half the present audience.]
[Reward: Random Character Trial Card]
[Young one, Teyvat's music scene needs saving. Go conquer them!]
If anyone else on the ship saw this, they'd realize—the damn system was just messing with Bai Luo.
Move half the audience? Please. Moving even one person would be a miracle.
Hadn't they seen even Tatyana instinctively step back when Bai Luo took out his erhu?
But Bai Luo didn't think so. Ever since "retiring" his erhu teacher as a child, he'd considered himself a prodigy.
It was just that the masses failed to appreciate his genius.
"A song so moving it breaks the heart—
The scattered birds return to the empty mountains!"
Kicking away a madman trying to ambush him, Bai Luo sat right on the man's back and raised the erhu's bow.
"Waaang—"
The instant the first note sounded, all noise on the ship ceased.
Even the Tatarigami-afflicted madmen froze.
The whispers in their minds... had vanished.
"Yes, this is the feeling."
This silence born from his music was the highest praise.
Hmm... Erquan Yingyue (Moon Reflected on Second Spring) it is.
As the bow danced across the strings, Bai Luo felt as if the ship had instantly transported to a moonlit spring, the rocking waves feeling eerily real.
Though the ship seemed to be sinking—the swaying was getting intense.
But the minor turbulence didn't affect his performance. The mournful melody echoed across the sea, even drowning out the old man's shakuhachi.
This was the erhu.
No instrument louder than it could match its highs.
No instrument higher than it could match its volume.
Aside from the other two "rogue instruments," every other instrument had to call it "big bro."
Even the Shogunate forces seemed moved by the melancholy, halting their bombardment.
Actually, prolonged firing had overheated the cannons, requiring cooldown.
If Electro met scorching barrels, an Overload reaction might blow them up without Bai Luo lifting a finger.
Back on the ship, a burly man freed from the Tatarigami's influence gazed at Bai Luo with tear-filled eyes.
With a thud, he knelt.
"Spare us, my lord! Stop playing! I beg you!"
His actions proved more contagious than the Tatarigami.
In an instant, every able refugee dropped to their knees.
"My lord! Withdraw your divine powers!"
"The children are young! Don't torture them!"
"My wife is three months pregnant! Have mercy!"
"Erquan Yingyue" cut off abruptly. Bai Luo surveyed the kneeling refugees and sighed in admiration.
Truly a masterpiece by Blind Abing. Even in Teyvat, it could move so many.
Then again, this was a composition born from the master's suffering—it made sense these refugees resonated.
And this resonance was exactly what he needed.
The quest required moving half the audience, but aside from Tatyana behind him, every refugee had been conquered by his music.
Just like that day in the grove—
Only now, birds and cats had been replaced by humans.
[...]
"Don't you dare welch! You said half—I've moved nearly everyone!"
Gripping the erhu, Bai Luo muttered. He could sense the system's reluctance.
Was it his imagination, or did someone sigh?
[Quest Complete: Kindred Spirit]
[Random Character Trial Card drawing...]
[Draw complete.]
[Obtained Trial Card: Nuclear Sword Immortal] (Who? if someone know who this is please tell me.)
With a ding, a card wreathed in crimson lightning materialized before Bai Luo.
Clearly, delivering this card had strained the system.
The lightning effects flickered weakly.
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a hand-peeled sunsettia later."
Hearing the trial card's name, Bai Luo's hands trembled with excitement.
Nuclear Sword Immortal!
Not quite the mage he'd hoped for, but this class was just as good.
A marksman who fought like a warrior, with attack range putting mages to shame.
Just then, the cooled Divine Kamujima Cannons unleashed another volley.
Watching the approaching Electro orbs, Bai Luo crushed the trial card without hesitation.
BOOM—
Instantly, what seemed like blooming petals materialized before the ship.
Seven petals, representing seven shields.
Each rivaled Morax's Jade Shield.
"Rho Aias—Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens!"
Behind the barrier, Bai Luo still wore red—but no longer a kimono.
Instead, form-fitting foreign garments accentuated his physique.
The shields didn't last, soon dissolving into light particles over the sea.
Seeing the trial's countdown, Bai Luo knew time was limited. Without delay, he stretched out his left hand.
A longbow as tall as a person materialized.
"Know what a Nuclear Sword Immortal is?"
Grinning at the Shogunate forces ashore, he nocked an arrow.