Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Chapter 250 Zither Challenge

The owner gave Hattie the music score, requesting her to review it.

Hattie noticed how thick the music score was and understood it contained over a hundred songs.

The owner then said, "I will choose a song at random for you to perform. If you can play it, | will judge you based

on how well you do. If you can't, you will be disqualified. The songs are also rated, the higher the score, the

better."

Hattie felt especially confident in her abilities.

"Go ahead, Sir."

The zither shop's owner was delighted.

At last, someone who could play the zither had come.

He browsed through the music score and stopped at a random page, which turned out to be "Sound of Lament".

"Perform the 'Sound of Lament'."

This was a zither composition with a difficulty rating of ten, demanding advanced skills and rapid changes in

melody, making it highly challenging.

Everyone focused on Hattie. She grinned confidently, put on the finger picks beside her, and started playing.

Each string she plucked was perfect, and she played flawlessly until the end.

The owner clapped and said, "Excellent job! At last, a genuine zither player is here. You performed this piece

wonderfully. I'll give you an eight out of ten."

The maximum score was ten.

Hattie felt a bit unhappy and asked, "Why only eight points?"

The owner responded, "Your technique and finger movements were flawless, but you lacked a bit of expression."

Spieces require more than just technical skill. They need to create a sense of unity between the player and

the music, evoking a feeling of presence. Hattie frowned, thinking the owner must have a problem with his

hearing.

But she kept her thoughts to herself and continued playing. She needed to gather more points to achieve the

highest score and earn extra credit. "Choose another piece. | assure you, | know every song in this music book,

and | won't make any mistakes."

The owner said, "Alright, since you're so confident, I'll pick another one."

The owner randomly flipped through the music book.

"Melody of the Battle."

Hattie hesitated briefly when she heard the title.

"What's wrong, don't you know it?" the owner asked.

"Of course, 1 do."

But Hattie secretly felt uneasy about this song.

She recalled struggling with "Melody of the Battle" during practice. In the end, she didn't achieve the highest

score in her exam, but she managed to pass. Hannah Leid was very disappointed in her.

"Let's start."

Hattie lowered her gaze, adjusted the finger picks on her fingers, and began to play.

But just then-

As her fingers were about to touch the strings, the distant sound of a zither reached her ears.

Everyone was amazed, believing that Hattie was playing.

The owner closed his eyes, looking ecstatic.

Only Hattie stood still, her hands above the strings.

However, the onlookers quickly realised the truth.

"The sound is coming from behind her, not from her playing. Who is playing the zither?"

The owner opened his eyes and looked back, suddenly recalling the two young girls the photographer had

brought in earlier.

He quickly walked into the shop and told a staff member to check the waterfall area at the back.

The staff hurried back and

confirmed, "Sir, it's the two girls that Roland brought playing the zither at the back, and he's recording a video of

them."

The owner was taken aback. "Really? | hear 'Melody of the Battle." Wait! Which zither is he using? Could it be my

Dawn zither?"

The staff thought for a moment and said, "Yes, it seems like it is."

"D*mn it!"

The owner dashed off like a whirlwind, disappearing instantly.

He hurried to the waterfall, cursing loudly.

"Roland Cyprus, you scoundrel! How dare you take my precious zither without permission! I'll get you for this!"

When he reached the scene, he abruptly stopped.

He stood motionless, his angry expression freezing on his face, gradually transforming into an expression of

admiration.

He observed a young lady dressed in

white seated on a massive boulder

by the pond, with a waterfall flowing behind her, the environment

harmonising with the scene

perfectly.

Moreover, the zither melody she performed, titled "Melody of the Battle", was truly mesmerizing!

Each musical note was impeccably managed, creating a delightful auditory experience.

The owner couldn't resist closing his eyes and immersing himself completely in the music until the piece

concluded.

The photographer switched off the camera.

He turned to the owner of the zither shop, "Darwin, why did you hurry over so quickly? Weren't you keeping an

eye on the shop?"

Ignoring the question, Darwin

strolled to the pond's edge and grinned, "Miss, your performance was exquisite. Are you a student at Toland

University? Why not cand compete in our zither challenge here?"

Violeta rested her hands on the zither.

The man facing her appeared familiar, as if she had glimpsed him while passing by the zither shop.

"Are you the owner of the zither shop?" Violeta asked.

"Yes, | am."

Darwin extended a sincere invitation to Violeta, saying, "Miss, | invite you to join our zither challenge!" Violeta

blinked and turned to the photographer next to her, asking, "Is the video finished?"

The photographer confirmed, "The video is complete."

With the video finished, she had fulfilled the promise she made earlier to the traditional outfit shop's owner.