Chapter 106: The Mysterious Music Shop
A new day arrived for the newcomers to Dracula's crew. They continued to go through transformations and were being treated as normal human beings, without the negative associations that often come with living in the Slum. Linda Lithén, who revealed she was the Duchess of the Kingdom, shattered the notion that everyone in the Slum was inherently bad.
While many people in the Slum struggled with vice and violence, Amadeus was proud of his involvement in street fights, which came as a shock to his mother. The curly-haired, handsome young man with a shower-fresh look gazed at a pink-haired girl who was relaxing in a luxurious premium room chair.
Eleine, who was lounging on a couch with Titania on her shoulder, playfully teased, "My, my, the young musician can actually punch?"
Amadeus, with a glint in his eye as he looked at the stunning Eleine who rivalled even his own mother, replied, "Actually, I can do far more. Want to hear it, beauty?"
Eleine, using a seductive tone, responded, "Delight me." This encouragement was all Amadeus needed. He got up from his seat, holding his violin, and began playing a piece he called "Wacky Dream Music NO.1." The performance was reminiscent of a successful concerto he had played for the man who had given him the biggest opportunity of his life, which he couldn't miss now that he had taken the Devil's hand for a dance.
Amadeus started playing the "Alla Turca" piece, showcasing his exceptional musical talent. After his performance, Eleine clapped and asked, "Pretty nice song. But can you sing with your voice?"
This question put the young man in a dilemma, as he had never seen himself singing with his voice in his dreams. Instead, he dreamed of beautiful women singing with joy to his music.
"I can try," Amadeus responded hesitantly.
As he started singing, using his voice to accompany the tune, the genius of the musician slowly diminished. It was clear that he was not a singer.
"Meh, as long as I can play this instrument and make you beauties sing for me, I'm fine," commented Amadeus, content with the idea that he didn't need to sing. His instruments were the medium for his talent and genius.
"Don't get discouraged, boy," said Vlad. "One learns how to use their voice with training. You continue playing the violin for the ladies."
"Got you, Lord Vlad," replied Amadeus.
He didn't change his repertoire and decided to play Mozart's Violin Sonata, a challenging piece that would test his resilience for 40 minutes. However, Amadeus only lasted 10 minutes into the sonata.
Next, Amadeus shifted to something he felt more confident in, Vivaldi's Seasons. As he practiced, his movements became smoother, and his ears became attuned to the sounds of the violin, creating music that only his dreams could produce.
The girls were pleased with the violin performance, but what caught their attention was when they saw Vlad adjust his seat, moving closer to the young musician. They could see his black eyes following Amadeus's hand movements, and Titania and Eleine understood what he was doing.
Eleine thought to herself, "So, he wants to learn to play that musical instrument? Doesn't he have enough on his plate?"
Even Bonney and the Duchess noticed that Vlad's expression was relaxed as he enjoyed the violin music. At times, he even wrinkled his eyebrow when Amadeus made a mistake, showing his knowledge of the expected sound.
Once the performance was over, Amadeus looked at his small audience and bowed. He then focused on the pink-haired beauty, Bonney, and asked her cheekily, "How was it, Bonney? I could have played the songs even faster, but I held back for the ladies."
Bonney smiled, amused by the young man's attempts to boast about his skills, but she was not interested in him. Her eyes were set on someone else.
Titania, who noticed Vlad getting up from his seat and walking towards Amadeus, thought to herself, "It's been a while since I've seen Vlad so calm."
"Good stuff, right, Lord?" asked Amadeus.
"Right, but you should learn new melodies if you want to impress me. Now pass me that instrument, I want to check something," replied Vlad.
"Sure, I promised to teach you," said Amadeus, handing over the violin.
Passing the violin to Vlad, it just so happened that it was the young musician's turn to be impressed. The tall man with long black hair cascading down his shoulders, who held the small violin in his large hands, left a spark of genius in the young musician.
"There's something missing, boy," Vlad said. "You need a cloth to protect your clavicle and shoulder. Or a gadget that can raise it slightly above."
"Oh, I think I know what you mean," Amadeus confirmed. "I've seen something like that in my dreams, but I didn't have the materials to build it."
"Small details," Vlad said, adjusting the violin in his hands and playing around with the bow. "It takes only a small amount of time to fix. Let's see if I get it right with the sounds."
Using his strong fingers, Vlad played a melody resembling a child's song with tenderness and calmness that made the girls see a new side to the layered Dracula.
After a few minutes of setting up and testing his thoughts, Amadeus offered some suggestions, but Vlad ignored them all.
"Shh, child," Vlad said. "If I don't try it myself, I won't understand how this instrument works."
Amadeus, silenced by Vlad, pouted while looking at his mom, who just smiled back at him warmly. He turned back to look at Vlad, who was still trying various things using his long fingers. Amadeus was impatient, wanting to hear Vlad play and then help him improve.
However, Vlad's aura changed soon enough with a serious expression. The violin came back to life with Vlad's smooth left hand, while the right hand danced with the notes, mimicking Amadeus' movements as he began with Vivaldi's "Winter."
"Oh, you started with that," Amadeus said. "What you need to focus on is playing by ear and fast."
"There's no need to rush things, child," Vlad replied. "Learn patience. Music can be played slow, too, and as you become confident in your movements, you'll pick up the pace."
Vlad's start was slow, disregarding Amadeus' advice to play by ear. Instead, he used his keen observations of each of the boy's hand movements with the violin. He just needed to figure out how each movement came together to form the music.
Starting slowly made Amadeus conflicted. He had never thought of learning a piece like this, slowly, but for some reason, it didn't click with what was in his mind. But eventually, Vlad let go of his step-by-step approach and began playing the violin similar to Amadeus.
Vlad was having a great time playing the violin, but there was only one problem – he didn't understand the science behind the instrument. Despite this, it only took him 40 minutes to master Vivaldi's "Winter" on his second try.
"Lord! You are crazy good! A genius just like me," said Amadeus, in awe of Vlad's musical talents.
"Boy, I think Master is better than you by a lot," added Eleine, wanting to tease Amadeus and highlight Vlad's abilities at the same time.
"No, I am lacking something. Hey, boy, do you know the science behind the instrument?" asked Vlad, directing his attention to Amadeus.
"Science? What's that?" replied Amadeus, bewildered by the technical questions Vlad was asking him.
Vlad continued to bombard Amadeus with questions, making the young man's brain feel overwhelmed. As both boys tried to wrap their heads around the technicalities of the violin, Bonney, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
"Vlad, I think I've seen an old shop that was selling music instruments like the one the boy has," said Bonney, her voice tinged with a hint of shyness.
"Mhmmm. Interesting. Dear, continue please. Tell me more about this shop," said Vlad, intrigued by what Bonney had to say.
Amadeus had a "NANII" expression on his face, and even Vlad was looking at Bonney with interest. Emboldened by their attention, Bonney smiled warmly and began to talk about her and the other girls' exploration.
"Ahem, ahem, while we were seriously, and I mean seriously, searching for information about the cave in each shop we entered, I couldn't help but notice the old shop and a sad old person resting his head on the counter of his shop," said Bonney.
"It's actually not far from Briss Royal, just some streets away in the Clothing Line Street, where all sorts of tailor shops and artisanal shops can be found. Yet ... we didn't explore around there," she added.
Vlad nodded, his tone full of sarcasm and irony. "I know, you were seriously, seriously trying to find information about the cave. How couldn't I believe my young ladies?"
This made Bonney blush, and she quickly looked to her fellow companions for support.
"Can you girls confirm what little Bonney told me just now? Or were you so focused on trying to find information about the cave that you missed that place?" asked Vlad, turning his attention to Titania and Eleine.
The girls were caught off guard, and their eyes widened as they tried to recall the previous night's events. It was Eleine who was saved by Titania, who quickly confirmed Bonney's information.
"Of course, what Bonney said is true. There was such a shop when we passed. I can confirm it. And, yes, we were actually looking for information ... even though it wasn't the biggest priority," said Titania.
"Shhh, don't tell him more," whispered Eleine to Titania, trying to keep their secret from Vlad.
With the information confirmed, Vlad decided to pay the "Music Shop" a visit to find some books about the science of music and teach himself how to play the violin correctly, no matter the cost.
"Why the long faces?" he said, giving the violin back to Amadeus. "I'll hold myself back this time and not double your heads in size, I wouldn't want to look bad in front of our guests."
Turning his attention back to the girls, Vlad began to discuss his plans for their quest to find the Mausoleum Key and the Tomb of Kings.
"Linda told me a lot about this cave," he said. "We need to search for the Mausoleum Key, which is located in the Tomb of Kings, where the Royals of this place are buried. I assume it's a protected location, right Linda?"
Linda, who had remained quiet until now, nodded and began to provide more information about the Tomb of Kings, giving the girls a new perspective on their quest.
The blonde mature beauty, Linda, rested in a comfortable chair, lost in memories of her privileged life as a noblewoman. She had disconnected from the life of a noble for a decade now, but she still had much information to share about the Tomb of Kings, the second most important place in the Briss Kingdom after the Royal Palace.
"Mister Dracul, I can't be sure if what I know about the Tomb of Kings is still accurate, since many changes have occurred since I've left the life of a noble. But as far as I know, the entrance to the Tomb can only be opened by a member of the Royal Family, and there are thousands of Royal Guards stationed there," Linda informed Vlad and the rest of the group.
Her son Amadeus was impressed by Linda's elegant and graceful demeanour as she spoke with Vlad. She was a true Duchess, and her noble background showed in her mannerisms.
"Thanks, Linda. You've been a great help in shortening our search time," Vlad said, admiring Linda's beautiful and mature body, which still looked elegant despite her stay in the Slum. "By tonight, I'll go on a reconnaissance mission to check on the Tomb of Kings and see how guarded it is."
Eleine, who just wanted to relax in Arcadia, replied, "Maybe you also try to get inside and take the Key. Hopefully, you don't need us to rescue you, Master."
"For those words, little Eleine, I'll make sure I get entangled hard with the Royals of Briss and let you be my savior," Vlad said with a smile.
"Well, it's better you don't get entangled with anyone, so we can move on to the next location after the 10 days are over," Eleine replied.
"I'll keep that in mind, but I can't make any promises," Vlad said. "If my reconnaissance mission fails, we might have to kidnap a Royal without causing too much trouble. Once we open the Cave, we'll have one of you send him back to his Palace."
Titania added, "Or use other tactics to get in the good graces of the Royals."
Eleine, who was confident and a little malicious in her expression, suggested, "What if we drop the Maggris Worms that Vlad still has in his cold room all around the Royal Palace and wait for a couple of days until the Royals get sick? Then Master can introduce himself as the Santly Healer and be labeled as the savior of the Royals, which could lead to benefits such as access to the Tomb of Kings."
"Interesting idea," Vlad said, contemplating Eleine's suggestion.
"No, we can't involve the innocent," Titania declared, her tone firm.
Eleine raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Titania?"
"I mean, there's no need to drag any more innocent people into this," Titania explained.
Bonney nodded in agreement. "I couldn't agree more."
Amadeus, who had been listening intently, spoke up. "What's the reason for searching this cave anyway? Isn't it supposed to be a graveyard for some royalty?"
"Not exactly," Titania replied. "We're not searching for a specific treasure. We're looking for something that's important to Vlad."
Amadeus pondered this for a moment before speaking again. "I don't think I can be of much help, but my mother might be able to assist. But I immediately reject the idea, I swore to protect her ever since that nightmarish day I ate the Devil Fruit."
Vlad clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Thank you all for your suggestions. But I will still go with my initial plan and check the ground myself. If I can retrieve the key on the first try, we'll be in great luck. If not, we'll move on to the secondary plans."
"Are we dismissed?" Eleine asked, clearly eager to get up and explore Arcadia.
"Yes, go ahead and enjoy yourselves," Vlad said. "But remember, no additional funds for you girls."
Eleine pouted. "What?! I spent 2 million last night!"
Vlad simply smirked. "Then you better learn to be more careful with your money."
With the plan set in motion, Vlad gave everyone the rest of the day to do as they pleased, while he took his young musician, Amadeus, for some personal investigation into the mysterious "Music Shop."
As they approached the Antique Music Shop, Amadeus couldn't help but express his skepticism. "It's quite the old shack, Lord. Reminds me of the Slums. Do you really think we'll find what we're looking for here?" he asked, looking like a dwarf or small elf next to Vlad's towering presence.
Vlad simply replied, "Never judge a book by its cover. This old saying applies to shops just as much as anything else. Now, come on and keep quiet."
Amadeus nodded and followed Vlad into the Antique Music Shop, which was confirmed to hold the instruments they were searching for. Inside, the duo was greeted by a small, cluttered room that was clearly in desperate need of a cleaning. The heavy dust in the air made Amadeus cough and curse. "What the hell is this place? A smoke-house? I can barely breathe!"
Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, Amadeus was struck by the sight of the multitude of musical instruments before him. To him, it was as if he were living in a dream, surrounded by the very instruments that would create a magnificent symphony. But before he could bask in the wonder for too long, Vlad noticed a dark-green aura enveloping Amadeus' body, and the young musician suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Vlad ignored the fallen Amadeus and instead turned his attention to the person who had spoken up during the commotion. "What's going on here? Why are medical problems happening in my shop? Do you want to bring trouble for me and have people accusing my music of being the work of the devil?" the shopkeeper demanded. "If you're here to intimidate me on behalf of the Royal Guards, get out!"
