39 The Tawny Owl (1/2)

Chapter 39: The Tawny Owl

Translator: winniethepooh, Kris_LiuEditor: Vermillion

Mr. Victor passed a piece of notation to Lucien, which was written by himself for harpsichord beginners. The song did not require any expert skills, and thus, when it was played on a harpsichord, it was quite plain. However, after the improvement, the tone of the piano would definitely add some splendour to it.

With his diligent practice of meditation, Lucien had an even better memory now. It only took him a while to roughly go through the music several times. Before him, Mr. Victor only saw noble students, like Lott and Felicia, being able to do this, because they grew up under the nurture of music since they were born.

“All right, Lucien. I know you still feel you’re not prepared, but it’s time for you to start playing. Don’t be nervous and just pay attention to the keys you should press down. Take it easy.” Mr. Victor was quite looking forward to Lucien’s first play.

Putting his hands on the keyboard in a defined arch, Lucien pressed down the first key. It was not difficult for him to remember the song, but, as expected, playing it was a completely different story. Lucien felt his fingers were too clumsy to reach the right keys in time. Slow as he was, Lucien tried his best to focus on the keys to make sure they were the correct ones. Instead of a song, his first-time playing sounded more like a bunch of separated notes climbing out of the piano slowly one by one, or like a dying man exhaling with great effort.

However, no one there ever laughed at him, including the three noble students. Watching Lucien play reminded them of their own past struggle, which was even more terrible.

It was a short piece of melody, that should last around a minute, but it took Lucien more than three minutes to finish playing it. After he pressed down the last key, his forehead was oozing sweat. Lucien felt that even fighting with an aquatic zombie in the pipes could not be more exhausting.

Mr.Victor was the first person who started applauding Lucien, followed by Rhine and the other students.

“You did a good job, Lucien.” Victor comforted him, smiling, “I know how clumsy a person would feel when he or she first started playing. But you are the only student I’ve seen that managed to press every key correctly. It’s impressive.”

Rhine nodded, “Yes, you are very smart, Lucien. I’m sure you will improve quickly with more practice. But the coordination of your hands was for sure not your strong point, and later you will also need to use your feet for the pedals. It’ll be pretty challenging for you.”

“I agree,” said Mr. Victor, “But being more coordinate is just a matter of time. If you’re willing to work hard, you’ll be a qualified musician within ten years.”

“Ten years?” It seemed that even with the direction of a master musician, it still would take a long time for a person to make achieve something in music. However, Lucien was still expecting that, by becoming a qualified musician as soon as possible, his living expenses as well as the cost for his magic experiments could be fully covered.

“Is there any way to become a qualified musician faster?” Lucien asked.

“Yes, sure, if you’re a genius.” Felicia interjected, “But you are not, Lucien. Working hard is the only way to become a qualified musician, and of course it takes time. Don’t let Mr. Victor lose his face for having a student who couldn’t even play the piano decently.”

In Felicia’s eyes, Lucien’a question fully showed his shallowness.

Rhine responded in a more mild way, “I understand young people’s eagerness, but like Felicia said, my current small achievement in playing violin took me a long time, and it’s the same with other instruments.” Then he paused a bit, “Well, actually hard practice is not the only way to become a qualified musician. If you could awaken the Blessing in your blood, your ability of controlling your body would be increased by a large extent. With your smart little brain, you could probably become a piano musician within a few weeks.”

“But how long it would take you to awaken the Blessing?” Rhine shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe ten years, maybe twenty years, or forever… What do you think?”

“Becoming a genius sounds more practical, Lucien.” Lott laughed.

Victor turned to Lucien, “If you just want to master a relatively hard piece of melody, an intensive practice within a short period of time may be helpful, but this can never help you become a really good musician. Do not rush, but always work hard, Lucien.” Victor tapped Lucien on his shoulders to encourage him.

Lucien looked at Mr. Victor and nodded.