307 The Whole City’s Sorrow (1/2)

Chapter 307: The Whole City’s Sorrow

Translator: Kris_LiuEditor: Vermillion

In a nice house, Purple Lily District.

Ryan walked to the dining table and noticed that there was a pile of newspaper on his right side, so he asked a bit confusedly, ”I thought we already had the latest issue of Aalto Weekly yesterday?”

Managing a trading business, Ryan needed to know what was going on in Aalto in different fields to decide what to buy and what to sell. Therefore, he subscribed to the most comprehensive newspaper—Aalto Weekly.

After making sure that their little son was sitting on the chair safely, the wife, Elena, answered in a pretty good manner, ”It's a supplementary issue, the delivery man told me.”

Elena could not read. She had no idea what was on the newspaper.

Then, she started humming the lyrics of Ode to Joy in the kitchen. The family was in a quite happy mood.

Picking up the newspaper, Ryan also hummed the melody together with Elena. He started his career as an apprentice in the trading business, and although he was not the smartest among the apprentices, he was definitely the most hard-working one. Because of his perseverance, he slowly got rid of poverty and also learned how to read. Right now he was managing the business and he had a lovely family that was relatively well-off.

Therefore, his heart was deeply touched when he first heard Symphony of Fate. He fell in love with Lucien Evans' music instantly, and soon his family members all became the followers of Lucien's music.

He unfolded Aalto Weekly, and saw the bold black letter in the headline—”Obituary”.

Ryan's first thought was that an important person's death was very likely to affect the price of many goods.

He continued to read, and the black typed letters looked rather depressing:

”Lucien Evans, the immortal music master, the great pianist and conductor, the innovator, the leader of the current trend of symphony, the founder, the finisher, the music genius loved by God, was recalled by God in the early morning on June 4th.”

Ryan did not get it at that moment. After a while, he realized that his ears were tingling. He just could not link the obituary to Mr. Lucien Evans, who was so young and so talented…

He though that Mr. Evans could lead the development of music in Aalto for at least another several decades!

Ryan continued to read with his vision slightly blurred. The lines on the newspaper hurt his heart:

”... Mr. Evans came from the slum and managed to play in the Psalm Hall as a music master. His life has shown us the spirit of perseverance and his great willpower. His life was a glorious legend!”

”… Let us use our most profound condolences to pray for the talented young musician, wishing him the bliss in Mountain Paradise. His song of praise shall always be with God. May God bless him.”

Elena walked out of the kitchen with the breakfast. She was so surprised when seeing the look on her husband's face that she almost dropped the plate.

”What happened, darling?” asked Elena hurriedly. ”Why are you crying?”

”Am I…?” Ryan did not even realize the fact that there were tears in his eyes. He only knew that his eyes felt swelled and he could not see very clearly.

A tear dropped on the newspaper and it was quickly absorbed. The letters nearby became blurred.

”I can't believe it. His leaving is the greatest loss of the field of music! — Christopher”

”Maybe God wants him to play in Mountain Paradise, so Evans had to leave earlier. — Othello”

”He brought us the joy and the spirit of perseverance, but he has left us without taking anything with him. I don't want to cry, but I can't help it. — Felicia”

”He has set off for Mountain Paradise, leaving us a peak in the world of symphony that is beyond hard to conquer. The treasure he left with us is equal for everyone—young or old, rich or poor. A grateful and unyielding heart is the most valuable thing in one's life. One day, when I die, I hope to be buried close to him. — Franz”

Ryan stared at the tear stain on the paper and murmured, ”I really… cried.”

...

Beside the gate of Aderon District that led to the market, sad people gathered together. Some were silent, while others were sobbing. Many young ladies hugged each other, shedding their tears.

Betty, Joanna and Simon saw these people on the street as soon as they stepped out of Copper Coronet. At the same time, they saw a notice on the city wall.

They could not read, but the color of the notice told them that this was an obituary.

”Which important figure passed away?” asked Betty curiously. In her mind, she saw no reason why these poor people in Aderon should cry for the death of an important person, say, a noble or a cardinal.