You stealthily took the pacifier and, without anyone noticing, carried away the child who looked only three or four years old.
Looking at the child in your arms, blinking his big eyes, innocent and curious as he stared at you, you took him to a safe place.
Your intuition told you that this was Opal himself.
Of course…
"How did you find me?"
The child blinked, seemingly innocent, yet he was very sure that you were not there to harm him.
A hint of confusion appeared in your eyes. You wondered whether he was not afraid that you would run off with his beloved pacifier.
"You're not that kind of person…"
Opal said softly.
In an instant, your hair stood on end. Opal could truly see through people's hearts.
"Hmm, I already know your intentions, and the answer I will give will be very firm."
Opal did not seem to be in a hurry to retrieve his pacifier. He merely spoke indifferently.
"That is… no."
You were stunned. Opal's answer was that decisive?
"Are you saying that I'm destined to be unable to earn that money?"
You asked quietly, finding the spokesperson of Lord Amber before you utterly unfathomable.
"No. You are a born singer. If you are willing, you can become a phenomenal pan-galactic singer at any time. No matter how much money you have, it will only be a string of numbers to you."
You were very confused as to why Opal was so certain that you could become a phenomenal singer, yet had still answered no earlier.
"Not even Lord Amber possesses the ability to resurrect the dead…"
You froze in place. His "no" meant that your father's illness had no cure.
Not even the Interastral Peace Corporation.
A trace of dejection appeared in your eyes.
"If you want to try, go ahead. Although you are a born singer, as a businessman, I will not accept blank checks. The stage can be prepared for you, as a reward for saving me…"
You fell silent, yet you still chose to try. If you did not, you would regret it for the rest of your life.
…
Over the following months, you sang like a madman, desperately performing the songs in your mind one after another.
You truly were a born singer. Soon, the entire galaxy would know your legend.
Tickets to your galactic tour were impossible to obtain.
Even many wealthy people from frontier star systems would not hesitate to sell their family assets just to hear you sing a single song.
You quickly experienced what Opal had said.
To you, money was merely a string of numbers.
The tour route was planned by the Interastral Peace Corporation, with the final stop at the famous oceanic world, Pink K Star…
According to your original plan, you decided to hold your final show there. If the credit points were still not enough, you would ask Opal.
But…
Every song you brought became a phenomenal hit on Azure Star.
Your journey was barely one-third complete, and you had already earned half of your required credit points.
Xianzhou Yaoqing…
You stopped there to hold your tenth concert.
There was even a phenomenon of spacecraft congestion near the Immortal Vessel, because as time passed, your songs spread across the entire galaxy one by one, and the Interastral Peace Corporation certainly played a role in their promotion.
It was there that you received a letter from Herta.
[Stupid, I'm glad to hear from you. How have you been lately? I've been watching your concerts.
But I'm really happy, because every song you sing, you once sang it to me.
Dummy, I miss you. I organized Dad's things and discovered the research topic he was working on, and I also found other things.
I'll show them to you when you come back!
Stupid, seeing you so admired by everyone, you won't come back, will you? (crossed out)
Of course not. You said you'd be back soon, and I bet you will.
I've been following your tour. The last stop is Pink K., but I think with your current popularity, you could earn enough money before you even get there!
Dummy, I miss you, and Mom does too. Mom said you haven't become arrogant despite being young, and she's very happy for you.
I think Dad would be very happy too if he knew.
If we don't make it to the final stop, then for our eighteenth birthday, how about we go to Pink K. and celebrate together?
Dummy, your little Herta who misses you…]
You read Herta's letter word by word, and your heart gradually grew more and more restless.
You also wanted to cure your father as soon as possible and return to a normal life.
But then you remembered what Opal had said. Your father's illness could not be cured, not even by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Your heart could not help but turn cold. Yet looking at the longing in every line of little Herta's letter, you could not imagine her disappointment.
With that thought, you silently folded the letter that had traveled across the stars, put it into your backpack, and stepped onto your one and only stage…
Today, you sang with even greater devotion. Your tone, diction, and emotion were flawless. It was undoubtedly a perfect performance.
And midway through the performance, you also discovered something…
It seemed as if you had resonated with some strange energy in the starry sky…
You could feel those strange energies slowly guiding you toward an indescribable direction.
It felt as though, at the end of it, a supreme existence was waiting for you…
A Path…
In your heart, you understood that your Song had resonated with Harmony, and you had entered the Path of Harmony.
From that moment on, your Song would resonate with Harmony more clearly and more deeply in people's hearts.
In time, you might even draw Xipe's gaze and become a true Pathstrider of the Path of Harmony.
You did not feel much about this, only a slight happiness in your heart. After all, your Song had undergone a qualitative change, which would greatly shorten the time it took you to earn that money.
After leaving Xianzhou Yaoqing, your name became even more famous as the Immortal Vessel continued its voyage through the universe.
You became a sensation…
The journey continued, and you also began to feel somewhat exhausted. The constant mental strain was severely overburdening your body.
At only sixteen years old, you already had a few strands of gray hair on your head.
Yet your heart grew lighter and lighter. After all, that astronomical sum of credit points was almost within reach.
You returned to Pier Point, your final stop. First, to pay Opal, and second, because the convenient transportation would allow you to quickly return to Azure Star.
The final performance also ended swiftly. You had earned enough money, no more and no less, exactly five hundred billion credit points.
Accompanied by the medical team specially assigned by the Interastral Peace Corporation for your father, you embarked on your journey home.
Suddenly, your mood became complex and difficult to describe.
You did not know what the final outcome would be.
The two-day journey was nearing its end, and you looked even more haggard…
You gazed at the blue planet from afar. It was said that Azure Star had vast oceans. You thought that, if you ever had the chance, you would take your family to see the sea…