Chapter 1056. The Judges

“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.

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.