Jiang Qin suddenly remembered something.
She hadn't bought these two songs from the system, so they weren't covered by the automatic copyright application service that came with such purchases!
If someone took these two songs and copyrighted them in the meantime…
She just hadn't expected someone to actually record a video and post it to the Star Network.
Generally, no one would dare steal from a female, but it takes all sorts to make a world, and there were bound to be a few who'd try their luck.
To prevent any complications, Jiang Qin quickly used her Light Computer to enter the sheet music and apply for the copyrights.
As for recording the songs to upload, she planned to rent a recording studio on another day. She felt that recording on her Light Computer with software would distort the sound too much.
After all, it would automatically touch up some of the notes.
Jiang Qin disliked that kind of flawless sound, finding it too devoid of emotion.
However, she hadn't expected the copyright application to be approved so quickly.
Seeing that it was still a while before her shift started, she decided to just go out and do the recording.
***
Langor City was the capital city of Blue Star.
As such, you could find just about any kind of shop in the city center.
The recording studio was just two streets behind Tai Street. The area was very quiet, with only sanitation robots visible on the street.
Lining both sides of the street were a handful of entertainment companies.
There was also a production studio for rent in the vicinity.
Interstellar film sets were different from those on Earth. They weren't physical sets, but rather massive empty spaces. If you wanted a certain scene, you could design a template on a Light Computer and project it as a hologram.
This saved costs while allowing creators to perfectly manifest the scenes from their imagination.
Since there were plenty of films and shows on the Light Computer, Jiang Qin had taken the opportunity to get a general understanding of the process.
Once she understood how it worked, she made a mental note of it.
In the lobby of the recording studio, Rock was idly scrolling through his Light Computer, bored out of his mind.
Blue Star didn't have any famous singers; usually, only a few second-rate singers and some streamers would occasionally stop by to record a track.
More often than not, the recording studio was empty of customers.
So, he had grown accustomed to opening the doors each day, then sitting down to play on his Light Computer and read novels.
After all, people could record songs right on their Light Computers, which even automatically enhanced their voices. Everyone had plenty of other options.
"Hello, I was wondering how I can rent a recording studio?"
A gentle, ethereal voice rang out beside him. Rock, who had been annoyed at the interruption, felt his irritation instantly vanish.
He looked up and nearly fell out of his chair.
"A fe… female?"
The female before him was thin, pale, and petite. Dressed in a white dress, she looked particularly worthy of pity and affection.
No ears, no tail, and no fur, scales, or wings.
Rock sat back down in his chair, somewhat disappointed. 'So she's just a pure human female,' he thought.
'She looks sickly and won't live long. What a waste.'
'So pretty, too. I wonder which old bachelor is going to get lucky with her.'
There was a clause in the Interstellar Federation's laws: if a pure human female had not bonded with a Beastman male by the age of twenty-five, the Federation would match her with a partner.
And the males she would be matched with were almost always old ones who had rendered meritorious service to the Federation.
Pure human females possessed no spiritual power, so they naturally couldn't soothe a male. They were also frail, sickly, and didn't live long.
Thus, they were essentially treated as toys, used to reward males who had served the Federation but couldn't find partners of their own.
Although Half-beastman females also lacked the ability to soothe and weren't considered essential for procreation, their situation was somewhat better than that of pure human females.
After all, they inherited half-beast Genes; as long as they could endure hardship, they could live with some dignity.
Seeing Jiang Qin's frail and pale appearance, Rock had pegged her as a pure human female at a single glance.
After all, Beastman females not only received good benefits from the Federation but were also doted on by their families; there was no way one would be raised to look so ghastly.
Aside from the faint lipstick she wore, her face was completely devoid of color.
"It's 500 Star Coins an hour. You get a one-hundred-coin discount for three hours. How long do you want to rent it for?"
Sensing the shift in his attitude, Jiang Qin didn't say much. "Three hours, then," she said calmly.
"Scan it with your Light Computer."
Although he looked down on her pure human Genes, Rock couldn't bring himself to speak harshly to such a beautiful female. His attitude had just become more impatient.
After she paid, Rock remained in his chair, reopening his Light Computer to play a game.
He gestured vaguely toward the entrance on the right. "Just pick a room yourself. Make sure you come out on time, or you'll be charged extra."
Jiang Qin didn't reply and walked straight inside.
"Tch, what's a pure human female got to be so arrogant about?" Rock rolled his eyes and went back to his game.
***
Jiang Qin didn't hear his remark. She walked directly into the first recording studio and locked the door from the inside.
Then she opened the fragmented system interface and spent the entire 300,000 reputation value she had just accumulated.
She redeemed them for six songs and started recording.
She didn't want the hassle of coming here for every single song, so it was better to record a few in advance.
Then, after performing them at the bar, she could upload them to the platform to earn more reputation.
The three hours passed quickly.
However, Jiang Qin only managed to finish recording four songs, two of which were *As Wished* and *Anonymous Comfort*.
The other two were new songs. She didn't have enough time to record the remaining four.
It was mainly the new songs; she had to do many takes over and over before she was satisfied.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh internally. 'I guess this is what happens when you've never had proper training. I have so many weaknesses.'
Even though her songs were already much better than what was on the Federation's music charts, she understood perfectly well that she only had an edge because of her voice and the inherent quality of the songs themselves.
When it came to vocal technique, she was still far too inexperienced.
'Oh well,' she thought. 'I should get back to work for now.'
Thinking of the vocal lessons available in the system's shop, Jiang Qin silently cheered herself on. 'Work hard, earn more reputation value, and then buy the knowledge!'
'I need to earn a lot more money, too. Another day, I'll have to figure out how to take on those soothing jobs.'
She was terrified of being poor.
When she went out to get her deposit back, Rock didn't even raise his head. Jiang Qin silently scanned with her Light Computer and left.
She thought that she should just earn enough money to set up a recording studio at home. While she didn't really care about his attitude, she didn't want to be treated with contempt for no reason.
Later, when Rock discovered that his idol was actually the little female who had visited that day, he was sick with regret.
***
The last light of the setting sun gradually faded as night enveloped the sky.
Tai Street was much livelier tonight than it had been yesterday.
The owner of the Rose Bar spotted the Flying Cars of several regulars arriving at his entrance. He enthusiastically prepared to greet them, but the Flying Cars shot right past him.
The resulting gust of wind ruffled his short brown hair.
"Hey?! Mr. Moore? Mr. Zheng? You flew right past!"
A voice drifted back from the distance. "Sorry, Boss Du, we're going to the Moonlight Bar tonight!"
?? Du Kaide was completely baffled.
'What? That bar that's about to go out of business? That dump of a bar where only a single C-level female works?'