Black Spirit Wood and the Prepared Stage
On the prepared stage, "This is... truly incredible."
To be honest, the workshop hadn't looked particularly striking from the outside. I wouldn't have even known it was the famous Baum Workshop if they hadn't told me beforehand. But the moment I stepped inside the warehouse, I was overwhelmed. Every single material stacked there was extraordinary, and both the quantity and quality were staggering.
"Alright, pick your materials as promised. Baum Workshop doesn't go back on its word lightly." The dwarf craftsman said boldly, arms crossed. The elf and human craftsmen who followed didn't object either, so they all seemed to feel the same. Even considering our bet, it was astonishing generosity with all this inside.
"May I take a closer look?"
"Of course. Touch them, smell them. Even wood of the same type varies from piece to piece."
"Then..."
With permission, I stepped closer and began examining the materials one by one.
"Whoa."
Up close, I was awestruck again. I'm fairly well-off. My family is wealthy, and I get a generous allowance regularly. But even so, I couldn't just buy materials like these on a whim. Everything here was top-grade, the absolute best.
That thought made me realize I'd have to work hard to earn money going forward. If I made a fortune, I could stock up on stuff like this.
"Snip."
But first, I had to decide what to pick. All these materials were more than suitable—perfect, even—as main components. But I already had something even more precious: the World Tree Branch I'd receive for performing on stage. No matter how excellent these were, they couldn't compare.
So, what I needed were materials to complement the World Tree Branch.
"Hmm."
I wandered the warehouse depths, pondering strength and density to match the branch, plus tonal balance. Then, my eyes caught a pile of black wood emitting an unusually deep sheen.
"Oh, you spotted that? Impressive eye you've got."
The dwarf approached, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"That's Black Spirit Wood grown under the eternal snows of the northern mountains. It's harder than average steel—takes a team of craftsmen to work it. But it grips the sound firmly in return."
And that wasn't all. The elf joined, adding from the side,
"Plus, Black Spirit Wood naturally absorbs and stores mana. Not a huge amount, but enough for some interesting applications."
Tap tap.
As she spoke, the elf tapped the black spirit wood with her fingertip, sending ripples of blue waves across it. This had to be insanely expensive and rare, yet instead of discouraging me, they just beamed with pride.
"Are you sure I can pick this?"
"A bet's a bet."
"And honestly, I think you could make something great with it. You've got the eye for it."
I gave an awkward smile at that. It felt like undue praise beyond my abilities. I just noticed it quickly due to a different perspective. My skills were nowhere near theirs.
"Let's see. For a full instrument, you'll need this much, I suppose."
The dwarf generously pulled a hefty amount from the shelf. More than enough for a violin-sized instrument—with leftovers for another.
Then the elf stepped up.
"As a bonus, here's material for strings that pairs perfectly with Black Spirit Wood. Ahem, in exchange, could you explain that bridge principle again in more detail?"
"Pardon? Oh, of course."
"Perfect! Baum! He's gonna explain it properly!"
"Really? Let's go!"
The human craftsman sidled up too. After receiving the Black Spirit Wood and bonus string materials, I explained the instrument adjustment principles in depth. Only then did they nod in satisfaction.
"Ah, that's it! We overlooked something so basic."
"Guess we got too fixated on the mana holes. They're just one element for better instruments, after all."
"We should research this properly."
As they discussed earnestly, I smiled and said,
"Well, I'll be off then."
"Sure! Come back anytime if you need instrument stuff!"
"You're VIP at our workshop now!"
"Haha, thank you."
Our conversation ended on a warm note.
"Whatcha gonna make with that?"
"Yeah, what?"
The moment we stepped out, Monica and Temi bombarded me with the questions they'd held back—out of respect for the others, apparently.
"Hmm. Good question. I thought about another violin, but I already promised Selenie one."
Making two violins in a row felt off. After pondering, an idea struck me.
"Cello."
"Huh?"
"Ah, well. I think an instrument to support the low end would be better."
"Like a Silveri?"
"Exactly."
Silveri. That was the instrument that came to mind when I first saw it. Collaborating with Selenie had reaffirmed its beauty. The current Silveri was already superb, but to realize the music in my head, a cello fit better.
If the violin handled high registers and melody, and piano covered full range and harmony, the cello would pillar everything from the bass foundation.
"Well, first I need to nail the stage with Selenie perfectly."
"Obviously."
Monica nodded immediately. The performance was just two days away—right around the corner.
Temi, listening in, chimed,
"You'll both crush it! Honestly, I was shocked last time! Your skills jumped so much since I last saw you. You'll have to stick around longer this time."
"Says the one hopping off next month."
"I bet she won't last till then."
"Hey! What kinda person do you think I am!"
Monica and I ignored the last bit. What kind? The wanderlust queen.
She'd said the same last time and left in a week.
Anyway.
"Let's get moving. Weren't we shopping for clothes?"
"Oh right! Hurry!"
"Yay!"
We resumed our sightseeing.
Two days later.
The morning of the long-awaited performance dawned.
Monica and I met early on the first floor of our inn as planned.
"Where's Temi?"
"Still sleeping. She'll arrive in time for the show."
I nodded. No need to drag her along early—we'd just practice nonstop anyway.
"Let's grab breakfast and go."
"Yeah."
We ate lightly at the inn's restaurant, then headed straight to Selenie's music hall.
It was business as usual: moderately crowded. This place always fills up early. The only difference? A more diverse mix of races, especially more humans.
"Still feels just right."
"Yeah."
Even with Selenie performing personally, the crowd was normal because she hadn't announced it. When I asked why, her answer was simple: pre-announcing would draw unmanageable crowds her venue couldn't handle. So only the exchange event was publicized—her performance known just to her, her staff, and us.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Yes."
We scoped the hall interior, then headed to the back. Knocking on the door there, it opened promptly.
"Monica, Master Arden. Please, come in."
It was an elf identical to the one I'd seen before—turns out, twins. The event worker had slightly darker hair, but otherwise indistinguishable.
Following her inside,
"You're here?"
Selenie greeted us warmly. We bowed politely.
She smiled, nodded, and said,
"Stage in two hours. All prepared?"
"Yes."
"We're ready."
"Good. Let's tune up here briefly—no rehearsals out front, or it'd cause a riot."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Right!"
Selenie grabbed her leaned Silveri. Monica dashed to the carillon. I took out my violin.
We rehearsed solidly for two hours in the back space.
Finally, the time came.
"Let's go."
Selenie stood first. I exchanged glances with Monica and followed.
She led us through a passage straight to the stage.
"We'll go up after that person finishes."
Selenie eyed the current performer with a mischievous smile—like a kid about to prank. Some prank. Massive scale. The guests inside would flip; regulars missing this would regret it deeply.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Soon, the prior performer bowed out. Selenie timed it perfectly, striding forward. We followed.
The bustling hall fell into heavy silence. All eyes widened at Selenie and her Silveri, baffled by the scene.
But only briefly.
"To celebrate the exchange, I'll play a light piece today."
The audience flushed with excitement—like stumbling on gold mid-walk.
Meanwhile, scanning them, I inwardly marveled. So many famous faces: musicians, artists, critics. From the stage, the proportion of notables felt higher. She'd invited a few close connections for the event, she'd said.
Makes sense. Friends of Selenie wouldn't be ordinary.
"These two here are remarkably talented young musicians."
Selenie introduced us, pointing. Monica and I stood awkwardly and bowed.
She chuckled softly.
"Then, let's begin. Today's piece is..."
Taking her cue, I raised my violin, thinking: After today, everything's going to change.