Chapter 186: EMIYA
For the first time, Bai Luo truly understood the meaning of utter helplessness.
The classes of Hei, Battousai, and the Black-Clad Swordsman—
Powerful? Absolutely.
With all the equipment he'd amassed, he even had the confidence to challenge gods.
But faced with the cold brutality of a mortal's heavy artillery, all three classes were rendered useless.
Sure, he could still rely on Hei's teleportation to blink to shore and cut down the crew manning the Kamuijima Cannons.
But no matter how skilled he was, killing them took time—
Time enough for the Shogunate's thunder cannons to reduce their ship to splinters.
'Come on, System! Give me some magic using class or something!'
Only now did Bai Luo realize it—Himura Kenshin's swordsmanship might be great for dueling, but when it came to crowd control? It just wasn't enough.
At least… at the very least, give me a mage. Please.
[Sy…stem…]
As if hearing his plea, the long-dormant system stirred at last—its voice garbled, distorted, like it was being jammed.
Or perhaps… it too needed to gather strength before it could assist him.
Right now, it clearly hadn't collected enough power to grant Bai Luo a fourth class.
"You don't want me to die here either, do you?! Pull yourself together!"
[...]
Perhaps his emotional blackmail had some effect.
The system—normally silent as a corpse—suddenly showed signs of life.
[New Quest Acquired: Soulmate of Sound]
[Quest Objective: Use the erhu to perform a piece so moving it wins over at least half the audience.]
[Reward: Random Character Trial Card]
[Young man, Teyvat's music scene is in peril. Go, conquer their hearts!]
If anyone else on the ship had seen that message, they would've instantly realized what it was—
A total scam from his ridiculous system.
Win over half the audience? Please.
Even making one person feel something was already a stretch.
Just look—when he pulled out his erhu, even Sveta, who had been standing behind him, instinctively took a step back.
But Bai Luo? He didn't think so.
Ever since he'd "sent off" his childhood erhu teacher, he'd believed himself to be a musical genius.
Those who couldn't appreciate his talent? They were simply fools.
With a swift kick, he knocked down a madman who tried to ambush him.
Bai Luo sat on the lunatic's back, gripping the erhu bow with practiced ease.
"Hummmm—"
The first note rang out.
In that instant, every sound on the ship fell silent.
Even those maddened by the presence of gods stopped dead in their tracks.
The whispers in their minds? Gone.
"Yes… this is it," Bai Luo whispered to himself.
That moment—where the world stilled for him alone—That was the greatest applause his music could ever receive.
'Hmm… let's go with The Moon Reflected in Second Spring.'
His hands moved instinctively. The bow danced across the strings, drawing forth a melody drenched in sorrow.
To Bai Luo, it felt as if he were sailing over moonlit waters, each note a ripple in the calm, even the ship's constant rocking felt like it belonged to the scene.
Though the vessel swayed perilously, threatening to sink at any moment, it didn't affect his playing in the slightest.
The mournful sound echoed across the sea, drowning out even the shakuhachi played by the old man.
This was the erhu.
No other instrument came close.
Others might be louder. Some might have a wider range.
But none could match its soul.
With the exception of those other two scoundrels in the "Three Street Thugs" of instruments, every other instrument had to call the erhu "big bro" in its presence.
Even the Shogunate forces paused.
Hearing the weeping melody across the waves, a momentary stillness fell over their ranks.
The cannons ceased firing.
(Though truth be told, the reason why it stopped firing is because they had been firing for too long, to the point where the barrels had overheated and needed to cool down.)
If Electro energy were to react with the superheated cannon barrels…
Bai Luo feared he wouldn't even need to lift a finger. The explosion would launch them all sky-high on its own.
Back on the ship, the scene had shifted entirely.
A burly man, freshly awakened from the influence of the accursed god, stood frozen on the deck—eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Bai Luo.
Then—thud—he dropped to his knees.
"Mercy, my lord! Please stop playing! I beg you!"
And just like that, his desperate act had a contagion more powerful than any god's curse.
One by one, the remaining refugees who could still move all dropped to their knees in a wave of rustling clothes and sobs.
"Please, great one! Enough with the divine music!"
"My child is still so young… please don't torment him like this!"
"My wife's three months pregnant! Show mercy, I beg you!"
The melody of Moon Reflected in Second Spring came to a soft, reverent halt.
Bai Luo surveyed the sea of refugees now kneeling before him. A long sigh escaped his lips.
Truly… this was the power of Master A Bing's magnum opus.
Even in a world like Teyvat, the sorrow it conveyed pierced through every heart.
Then again, it made sense. The original composer had created this masterpiece after experiencing the bitterest pains of mortal life.
Of course it would resonate with the suffering.
And that resonance—was exactly what Bai Luo needed.
The quest condition was to move at least half the crowd.
But as he looked around, aside from Sveta behind him, every single person on board had been swayed by his performance.
Just like that day in the woods behind his house, where he'd practiced and played for the birds and cats.
Except this time, the birds were people.
[...]
"Don't you dare try to weasel out of this," Bai Luo muttered under his breath, gripping his erhu tightly.
"You said half. I've basically charmed the whole ship!"
He could sense it—the system was trying to play dumb.
And then… he thought he heard it.
A sigh. Faint. As if someone from deep within the system let out a reluctant breath.
[Quest Complete: Soulmate of Sound]
[Random Character Trial Card Generating…]
[Generation Complete.]
[Obtained Character Trial Card: EMIYA ]
Ding
A single card appeared in front of Bai Luo, wreathed in crackling red lightning.
Even the system seemed strained—barely able to deliver the reward.
The red lightning effect sputtered weakly, as if it too were on the verge of collapse.
"You worked hard," Bai Luo said softly, smiling at the fading light. "I'll peel you a Sunsetia later—by hand."
He trembled. Not from exhaustion, but from excitement.
EMIYA.
It wasn't the mage class he'd asked for.
But it was far from a disappointment.
A character who fought like a swordsman, shot like an archer, and had an AoE deadlier than most spellcasters.
EMIYA was a true hybrid monster.
Just then, the Kamuijima Cannons—finally cooled—began charging for their next volley.
Without hesitation, Bai Luo crushed the trial card between his fingers.
BOOM—
Before the first blast could hit, it was stopped by something ethereal—seven glowing petals blossomed in front of the ship, forming a radiant shield.
Each petal represented a layer of protection.
Seven petals. Seven shields.
Each one rivaling even the Geo Archon's Jade Shield in durability.
"Rho Aias: The Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens!"
Behind the blooming shields, Bai Luo still wore crimson, but it was no longer the formal kimono of Inazuma.
Now, he stood cloaked in foreign attire that outlined his perfect form—flowing robes of a land beyond the seas.
The shields didn't last long.
In mere moments, they burst into motes of light and vanished into the ocean breeze.
Bai Luo glanced at the countdown ticking beside his temporary transformation.
His time was limited.
So, without making any speeches, without making any declarations, he extended his left hand and clenched the air.
A longbow, as tall as a man, appeared in his grip.
"Wanna know why this grumpy bastard qualified for the Archer Class?"
He smiled.
And on the distant shore, the Shogunate troops shivered.
. . . . .
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