The suona was entirely black, and its surface seemed to have intricate patterns which formed some sort of writing, but Lu Ban could not recognize it.
[Ruffian's Suona]
[Excellent]
[A suona weathered by the elements; simply holding it in your hands allows you to master the method of playing it]
[The suona only sounded among the artisans from the East in the Abandoned Capital]
[People believed this instrument originated from the worship of certain Divine Beings, its sound capable of calling forth the attention of great existences]
[Whether in joy or sorrow, its resonant sound always pierced through the heart]
["Stop playing, it's one of us!"]
[Price: 444 Silence Points]
Over four hundred Silence Points were relatively cheap for an item of Excellent quality.
The reason Lu Ban was interested in the suona was firstly that he found the suona to be festive; any kind of music could turn into a joyful song with the addition of the suona's piercing timbre.
Besides, the suona was also used in funerals and closely associated with the deceased; it also had the effect of warding off evil spirits.
Lastly, the description of this item seemed relatively safe; even an ordinary person could use it, and furthermore, the task instructions contained a phrase about not stopping the performance, which made Lu Ban guess that music might be key to completing the task.
He truly had no musical talent, the only instrument he could play was the recorder learned in elementary school, and perhaps the triangle could be barely counted as another.
Therefore, it was somewhat challenging for Lu Ban to learn to play an instrument in a short period.
This suona seemed as if it were tailor-made for Lu Ban.
With this thought in mind, he arrived at his subway stop, got off in a deserted area, and immediately clicked to purchase.
Lu Ban suddenly felt that his shoulder bag had gotten a bit heavier.
He opened the backpack and found a suona inside.
The patterns on the suona's surface actually looked to have a kind of complexity that made one's head ache upon closer inspection, but when touched by hand, they felt incredibly smooth. The glaze of the suona was different from ceramics or wooden articles, more like the bone structure of some living creature.
Holding it in his hands, Lu Ban felt as if certain knowledge was flowing into his brain. Unlike "Testament," this knowledge was like a kind of sticky cobweb scattered over the surface of the cerebral cortex, as if it could be drawn out at any moment.
Now, Lu Ban was able to master the playing method and techniques of the suona; he felt his skill level was roughly akin to that of a skilled worker.
After some thought, Lu Ban brought the suona to his lips and blew into it.
The piercing sound immediately cut through the air, resonating beside the street.
Lu Ban's fingers moved naturally; his hands and mouth seemed no longer his own, existing only to play this tune.
The winding sound of the suona echoed in the streets. As this area was suburban with few pedestrians, Lu Ban's actions were enough to attract attention.
Lu Ban felt his entire body tense up with the playing, his joints felt stiff, like an old man nearing the end of his life. Only his fingers grew more and more agile, playing short, intense melodies.
Lu Ban had never heard this piece before, but from the melody, it seemed to be some kind of ritual or ceremonial music, having an effect that settled the mind.
Unintentionally, the crowd around Lu Ban grew larger and larger.
Lu Ban glanced at an audience member nearby, noticing them to be as if their soul had been hooked away by something, with a vacant expression, lifeless eyes, just swaying slowly to the rise and fall of the suona's sound.
He discovered that all the listeners had become similar in state.
Those people were dazed, confused, vacant, slightly curling their bodies towards Lu Ban, who was playing, as if worshipping some supreme being.
The playing Lu Ban himself, on the other hand, was like a puppet on strings. He looked toward the sky over the low-rise buildings of the suburb; beyond the originally azure firmament was the profound, boundless universe and its stars.
Among the stars, one shone brilliantly, responding distantly to the melody of the suona.
"...!!!"
The moment Lu Ban set eyes on that star, his scalp tingled, and his brain, entangled by the cobweb-like knowledge, seemed to blow up with a buzz.
His vision pierced through the atmosphere, leaving the solar system, and sped towards that dark yellow star at an incredible rate.
In that instant, Lu Ban's body suddenly lost its restraints; he quickly moved the suona away from his mouth.
Everything vanished.
The people around Lu Ban came to their senses, looking somewhat bewildered. However, they soon thought they had been drawn by the sound of Lu Ban's suona. Many even took money from their wallets, placing it on the ground in front of Lu Ban.
Lu Ban, holding the suona, broke into a cold sweat, the early summer sun unable to dispel the gloom in his eyes.
"...This suona has some serious issues."
Lu Ban felt that he had nearly been taken away just now.
Compared to the friend under the bed, the experience just now seemed even more bizarre to Lu Ban.
"So that great being turns out to be an alien?"
For a moment, Lu Ban dared not look up at the sky, fearing he might see the moon grinning down at him.
At this point, Lu Ban saw the money on the ground, the faces on the bills twisted into the system's cold text.
[Name: Lu Ban]
[Profession: Director]
[Education: Bachelor's Degree]
...
[Will: 80]
[Education: 70]
[Luck: 20]
[Sanity: 71]
[Silence Points: 1666]
[Inherent Skill: All-In]
[Inherent Skill: "Testament"]
"My sanity has decreased again."
Lu Ban quickly noticed the difference in his stats panel.
The experience just now had cost Lu Ban five points of sanity.
It seems being frightened lowers sanity... But why? Although being scared can indeed cause confusion, one should return to normal afterward.
"What would happen if my sanity reaches zero...?"
The more Lu Ban thought about it, the bigger he realized the problem was.
He bent down to pick up the money, counted it, and it was almost a thousand. He wasn't sure if it was because everyone had really been affected by the suona, or due to some mysterious and unknowable reason.
"If I ever really can't make ends meet, I'll play the suona to make money."
Lu Ban joked to himself.
"So, are all these items actually fighting fire with fire?"
He pondered.
If he encountered any vengeful spirits or ghosts at the theater at night, playing the suona might summon even stranger things to suppress those lesser spirits.
At that thought, Lu Ban didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried.
"Forget it, what's done is done."
He consoled himself.
Even if he didn't play it, perhaps just hitting those odd creatures with the suona could be effective.
With over a thousand Silence Points left, Lu Ban decided to exchange them for a suitable weapon.
Firearms and other hot weapons were not for him, being likely to cause self-injury and possibly ineffective against ghosts and ghouls.
While boarding the bus heading towards the old theater, he continued to browse through the item catalog.
The view outside the window grew increasingly desolate, quickly transitioning from low-rise buildings to rural bungalows at the urban-rural fringe, and soon, Lu Ban saw paddy fields and irrigation streams.
By the time he arrived at his stop, Lu Ban had chosen his weapon.
It was the [Sword of Physics], listed at the bottom of the [Deadly Weapon] category.