Chapter 56: Battle for the Composition
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
When some people heard the third movement, they felt that the music was cool and pleasing to the ear. Just as when Zaro heard it for the first time, he felt the music could heighten the scene’s atmosphere, complimenting him in the process.
However, when Old General Renault listened to it, the music did not lift him; rather, it stirred a sense of sorrow.
There was a saying: "Music only furnishes the ambience. Every listener only hears his own story."
This saying was exactly what Old General Renault was going through.
Regardless of what the composer was thinking about when he'd created this music, when Old General Renault listened to the music, all his past experiences came flowing back to him.
A long time ago, when Old General Renault was still young, he'd taken part in many military campaigns. These military campaigns were not known to the masses because they had taken place on another planet. The 100-Year Period of Destruction had left Earth bare and lacking resources. At the rate the New Era was developing, lots of resources were needed. The resources on Earth would have been exhausted before long, and that would have led to the real end of the world. Hence, there had been a need to look for resources and materials outside of the planet.
It was no easy task, but somebody had to do it. Few people knew the terrible price that was paid for all the glory of the thriving New Era.
How many lives had been lost in the unbounded universe, on foreign planets where the remains were never claimed?
Recently, he kept remembering his comrades who had traveled to a distant planet together with him. If they had not perished, they would certainly have a standing equal to his. Hearing the familiar sounds of guns and machinery unconsciously brought him back that period. The soundtrack directed his thoughts toward the desperate scenario he had wished to forget.
People loved exalted heroes. Movies and films had no shortage of sparkling superheros, but he rarely watched those. No matter what righteous mission they were given, no matter how valiant or great they were, in reality, heroes would bleed and heroes would die.
He had watched and read enough films and books regarding heroes and heard many songs praising heroes. But all of them were flawed. They might have depicted war, but they shied away from the true image of war. The cruelty and irrationality of war, the cost of lives, was all but neglected. Regardless of the glory or destruction, heroes were glorified while the normal man was swept aside. Heroes, whether in reel-life or real life, were just but a small part of humanity. The other end of the spectrum was overlooked. For every victory, there were always those that went through the sorrow of losing a family member. Because of these reasons, Old General Renault could not appreciate real art. Perhaps he was old and was unable to keep up with the times. Maybe the younger generation reveled in the a beautiful world without sorrow and anxiety.
Perhaps only those who had been on an actual battlefield would understand the implications of war and the cost of lives.
With a deep breath and another long sigh, the old master spoke. "You did well finding this soundtrack."
The kneeling Zaro widened his eyes, doubting his own hearing. Was the old master actually praising him?!
Zaro was astonished that the old master was interested in this piece of music. It was at this moment that he realised that it was upon hearing the soundtrack that the old master was so moved it triggered something.
That meant…
The old master’s tears were not from anger but rather because of the music?
He had gotten beat up for nothing?!
Still kneeling, Zaro glared at his father.
Upon making contact with Zaro’s barely recognizable and bruised face, Zaro’s father let out a light sigh and turned his head away.
The other elders in the room were also slightly awkward. Who would have thought that the old master’s condition was a result of him listening to a song? They had nearly hit Zaro themselves, but hearing that the old master’s condition was stable, they had controlled themselves. Luckily, they had saved themselves from an even more awkward situation.
"Who is the composer for 'Mission'?" the old master asked.
"Ah. I don’t know." Zaro felt the piercing stares of the few elders in the room after his reply. He winced and continued on. "R-really, I don’t know. The composer is someone in Yanzhou. Yanzhou’s Silver Wing Media. They didn’t tell me who the composer was. But that composer has two other works before 'Mission.' Great-grandfather, let me source them out for you to listen... Sss." At the end, he let out a little sound like a hiss.
Zaro’s father clenched his fist. He could tell right away what that little punk was trying to pull off!
As expected, hearing the "sss," the old master turned his chair around and saw the bruised face of Zaro. Startled, he asked, "What happened to you? Stand up. What are you kneeling down for." He had been deeply immersed in his memories and had not noticed his surroundings. Only now was he fully awake.
Zaro got up, massaging his knee and wincing as if in pain. "Father hit me. It hurts."
At his age, Old General Renault could have guessed. He laughingly said, "You deserve it! What similar to God of War, far from it!" He could tell from the look of it that Zaro was only suffering some bruises. A little discipline would be all right as a deterrent for the young punk.
Zaro gave a cheeky laugh. Acting coy and cheeky was what made him so endearing to his grandfather, the current governor of Leizhou.
Zaro’s father rolled his eyes. Of all the things to learn, this little brat had learned to act like this!
Zaro was an expert at currying favors with the elder generation, yet he knew when to draw the line. Too much flattery would make him annoying. Thus, he showed some restrain. "Great-grandfather, do you want to listen to them? I can get the other two pieces and the complete 'Mission' for you." With that, he glanced at the personal doctor beside the old master. He did not want the old master to lose himself and cause an incident again.
The personal doctor chuckled. "No objections."
For humans, releasing pent-up emotions was beneficial. The old master tended to bottle up his feelings and regrets, storing them in the deep recesses of his heart. After many long years, the scars and pains deep in his heart were a lot for him to bear. Crying it all out was as if letting his spirit finally relax.
Just that this had been a big scare for him. Anyone who had seen the old master in that state would have panicked.
Having received approval, the bruised and batter Zaro happily ran out of the room. Watching the scene, his mother thought that her child had suffered brain damage from the beatings.
"Its alright to be a little lively." The old master chuckled as Zaro went out. He meant the words for everyone in the room, and specifically for Zaro’s father, to hear.
What could Zaro’s father say? He could only flash a smile and nod. That child had already grown up this way, how much could he change? As long as Zaro refrained from outrageous activities, they also did not need to keep him on a tight leash.
In a short time, Zaro brought the full copies of "Divine Punishment," "Cocoon Breach," and the original "Mission" to the old master.
"It is even better when watching the music video. Let me help you set it up."
Although Zaro said he was helping to set up, he was actually directing the security personnel and the servants to do the work.
After all three music videos had been played, even though the old master was not as shaken as before, his eyes were all red and misty.
"An excellent piece of art!"
A few of those in the room gave their surprisingly good reviews.
Zaro’s father muttered, "How does this not belong to Leizhou?"
"Whichever continent’s composer, being able to produce this sort of music deserves respect," the old master said. Music like this that was capable of evoking emotions could transcend politics and time.
Having finished watching the music video, Zaro was chased out of the room by his father. The door was closed as the Renaults inside discussed important matters.
After Zaro exited the room, he did not bother to check on his friends who were still under the watchful eyes of the security personnel. Instead, he called his agent.
Receiving the call, Zaro’s agent immediately relayed the good news regarding the showing of "God of War" at the box office and its rave reviews. Before he could ask about what had caused Zaro to be uncontactable, he was interrupted by Zaro.
"I don’t give a f*ck about any of that! Contact Silver Wing Media right away. No matter how much it costs, purchase the copyright for 'Mission.' Remember, I want the full copyright."
Zaro’s agent was shocked. Although the soundtrack was great and gave the movie extra points, was it worth it to spend another large sum of money to buy it?
He wanted to ask what had happened within the Renault family, but before he could speak, Zaro had already hung up.
At the moment when Zaro’s agent contacted Silver Wing Media with the intent to purchase the copyrights, Duan Qianji received a call inside the headquarters of Silver Wing.
A rough voice came through the line. "Dear Wife!"
Hearing this, Duan Qianji wanted to sever the call. She knew that every time she heard this tone, there would be a troublesome request.
"The new song 'Mission' that your company just released, leave it for me! Don’t ever sell it!"
"What? Didn’t you have no interest in music?" Duan Qianji asked.
"Ah, I don’t have interest in other music. But I really like this series. Especially the third movement. Make sure to leave it. Yanzhou’s military is planning on expanding. We have shot a publicity film and are hoping to use the music alongside it."