[In the Terra Calendar year of 1011, in a border town in Leithanien, you were born into an ordinary family.]
[Your father was a middle school music teacher, and your mother was a factory worker. The couple was deeply in love.]
[Your parents saw you as the fruit of their love, caring for you deeply and doting on you endlessly.]
[At the age of 3, you unexpectedly displayed an artistic talent.]
[During one of your father's daily musical performances, while you were still babbling, you were already able to follow the rhythm of the music, keeping time and humming the correct tones.]
[This brought immense joy to your music-loving father.]
[Because of the talent you displayed, your father decided to nurture you from a young age, hoping you would grow up to become a great musician and fulfill his own unfinished dream.]
[At 4, you were not yet of school age, but after finishing his teaching for the day, your father would spend extra time teaching you the basics of music theory.]
[Your learning progress was exceptionally fast, far exceeding your father's expectations.]
[By the age of 6, you had already completed all the elementary school level music theory curriculum, leading your father to proclaim you a genius.]
[At 7, you did not disappoint your father's expectations, successfully passing the entrance exam and enrolling in the most renowned local private elementary school.]
[In Leithanien, Originium Arts are linked to music theory. The greater one's musical talent, the greater their future power.]
[Thanks to the trait "Master of the Arts," you are very talented in the field of music.]
[Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you are set to become a great singer or composer in the future.]
[But at this moment, you were a little puzzled. If you were to grow up following this step-by-step process, it seemed there would be no use for that golden talent. Could it be for conducting performances in the future?]
[However, you didn't mind. Influenced by your father during your early years, you had already grown to love music. You thought to yourself that this path seemed quite good as well.]
[Time flew by, and at 18, you graduated from middle school with excellent grades.]
[Although you were just a recent graduate, you had already become a musician of some renown within the small town.]
[Returning home, your parents held a grand welcome ceremony to celebrate your graduation. You took this opportunity to announce something—you were preparing to travel to Trullinczentyr, the capital of Leithanien, to pursue further studies at Leithanien's best music academy, the Trullinczentyr Academy of Arts.]
[Your mother was reluctant to see you go, but she did not object. Your father, however, readily agreed, knowing that this small town could not provide the stage you desired.]
[A month later, carrying your luggage and your parents' hopes, you boarded a land-runner bound for Trullinczentyr.]
...
As the land-runner passed through the final mountain pass, the entire city unfurled like a gilded scroll in the morning mist. Baroque domes were bathed in the glow of dawn, and between the scattered towers, golden musical notes driven by Originium Arts spiraled. They moved like living creatures, materializing the melody of the notes into a flowing river of light.
Trullinczentyr, as the capital of Leithanien and the center of music and art in this land, had an atmosphere that perfectly matched Lacey's expectations.
After returning the land-runner to the rental agency, Lacey dragged his suitcase along the cobblestone streets of the old city district.
He saw a street performer by the roadside draw an Originium-inlaid bow across a violin. The sound waves, carrying faint golden ripples, spread out, and the wilting roses in a nearby flowerbed instantly stood tall and bloomed.
He saw the fountain in the central square change its form according to the musical modes hummed by passing citizens.
"Truly worthy of being Trullinczentyr," Lacey couldn't help but exclaim.
Compared to the Kazdel of reality, which was waiting to be rebuilt, this place undoubtedly had the grandeur of a nation's capital.
Every brick and tile of this city revealed the nurturing touch of art.
Lacey took his luggage and found a cheap inn to rest, conserving his energy for the entrance exam the next day.
[For the upcoming entrance exam, you were fully prepared. You believed you would definitely pass.]
[And so it was. You successfully passed the art academy's entrance exam; you were not rejected.]
[It's a guy-with-a-mustache template, yet you didn't fail the art school exam? You found this a bit surprising, but didn't dwell on it.]
[However, while you were viewing the posted results, an administrator from the academy approached you, accompanied by a lavishly dressed young man.]
[The administrator informed you that the academy's examiners found an issue with your results, re-evaluated them, and the final verdict was a failure.]
[Upon hearing this news, you felt as if you'd been struck by lightning. You instinctively questioned the result.]
[But the administrator's tone left no room for argument, and the lavishly dressed young man directly sneered at you, "Stinking outlander, came to Trullinczentyr to beg, did you?"]
[You were overcome with rage, even considering resorting to violence right then and there.]
[Special Event Triggered!]
[Option A: So what if he's a noble? Does that give him the right to steal my admission spot? "Are kings and nobles destined to rule by birth?"—Charge forward and give the enemy a thorough beating.]
[Option B: Patience brings peace; taking a step back opens up a wider world. A true hero is one who can endure what others cannot—remain silent, leave in disgrace, and bide your time. For a gentleman, ten years is not too late for revenge.]
Lacey immediately declared: I'm a Sarkaz! You think I'm going to tolerate you?
Never mind in a simulation, if he encountered something like this in real life, he'd charge right in and land a couple of solid punches.
Choose A!
[Hearing the other party's taunt, you unhesitatingly rushed forward and laid into the lavishly dressed youth with your fists and feet.]
[The administrator promptly called security to throw you out. As you were leaving, he told you that you were in for a world of trouble; the young man's identity was that of an earl's son.]
[You understood completely. Your talent, your hard work—they were worthless in the face of power and privilege.]
[A young man who harbored a dream of music was reduced to a failure, wandering the streets.]
Lacey: "..."
Question: I want to get into the best art academy in the world, but for some reason, I failed. What should I do next?
Waiting online, it's pretty urgent.
[You failed to get into the academy, and you were too ashamed to return home, so you could only wander the streets of Trullinczentyr.]
[You seethed with anger at society's injustice, but you were powerless to change it.]
[What brought you some small peace of mind was that the retaliation from the earl's son never came.]
[At this moment, something unexpected happened.]
[August 1029. Previously, Gaul had made multiple diplomatic overtures to Leithanien, hoping to bring it into its sphere of influence, but was rejected by the Witch King. Thus, after completing its military preparations, Gaul formally declared war on Leithanien.]
[In the early stages of the war, the western defensive line of Leithanien's Tower Nobles was swiftly dismantled, and Gaul's Winged Hussar Legion opened a path deep into Leithanien.]
[December 1029. In just four short months, the Tower Nobles suffered successive defeats. Leithanien lost several important mobile cities and four electoral regions, and Gaul even captured several of its finest Arts towers intact.]
[However, at this moment, the situation took a sudden turn.]
[The Witch King, who had been missing for four months, finally appeared. Using tower resonance, he unleashed Originium Arts as powerful as a Catastrophe, directly tearing apart the vanguard of the Gaulish legion. Furthermore, the Electors still loyal to Leithanien, led by Grand Duke Leopold, launched a simultaneous counterattack, forcing the unstoppable Gaulish legion to a halt.]
[The war entered a stalemate. At this point, the Gaulish Empire's rivals finally stopped watching from the sidelines and chose to join the war. The Lion King of Victoria and the Emperor of Ursus simultaneously mobilized their armies, leading them personally, and the forces of both nations began to besiege Gaul's border strongholds.]
[The War of the Four Emperors had officially begun!]
[Although the Gaulish Empire was strong, it could not face three powerful opponents at once and immediately fell into a disadvantage.]
[Meanwhile, Leithanien began a new round of conscription.]
[You were within the eligible age range and were conscripted. Of course, you had no intention of refusing.]
[You thought to yourself that since you had nowhere else to go, you might as well join the army.]
[Besides, your father was a staunch supporter of the Witch King; you believed he would be happy to see you join the army.]
[You followed the main force to the battlefield. During this time, you befriended a group of new recruits just like yourself. You all got along well and held optimistic views about the war, believing that Leithanien would surely be victorious.]
[However, Gaul was Gaul. As the most powerful nation on the continent at the time, the strength of its army could not be underestimated.]
[On your very first day on the battlefield, your regiment was hit by a fierce assault from a Gaulish legion. Less than twenty percent of the soldiers in the entire regiment survived.]
[After this battle, due to your courageous performance, you were noticed by your superior officer and promoted to Shock Trooper.]
[The Shock Troopers, also known as the dare-to-die squad or the forerunners, was a military role with an extremely high mortality rate. But you were fearless and resolutely agreed to serve as one.]
[In the battles that followed, you were always at the very front the moment the charge horn sounded.]
[Perhaps it was due to your brave and fearless spirit in charging, or perhaps it was because of that golden talent, "United We Stand," but the soldiers in your regiment seemed to be infected by your courage. Fearing no death, they would launch fearless charges alongside you every time.]
[In the end, the war, which lasted nearly two years, concluded with the complete defeat of the Gaulish Empire.]
[And you could finally return to your hometown as a war hero to see your parents.]
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