Chapter 14: Even Singing Requires a Skill Book

It seems that before choosing a main profession, I can't equip any weapons. But where do I go to change to a main profession? No, I have to go out and take a look. Chen Yun put the Ant Soldier Sword back in his backpack and turned toward the hotel lobby.

In the lobby, Xi Jiu was listlessly watching TV. Having a master chef join the hotel should have been a good thing, but unfortunately, this little place couldn't accommodate such a big name.

"Alright, stop feeling down. We're just ordinary people; this is our fate. Better get to bed early. I bet someone will come knocking first thing tomorrow. I'm off to sleep." Hu Daniu stood up and was about to head to his room when he saw Chen Yun coming out from the back.

"Xiao Chen, you're awake?"

"Yes, Master. I can't sleep and want to go for a walk," Chen Yun said.

"Alright, a walk will do you good. Want me to come with you?"

"No need, Master. I'll just take a stroll nearby and be back soon."

"Alright then."

Chen Yun nodded to Xi Jiu and walked out of the hotel.

As he watched Chen Yun leave, in that instant Xi Jiu seemed to see a scene where Chen Yun walked out and never returned. Gritting his teeth, he took out the signboard he had already written, wiped off the old words, and wrote anew: All dishes in this hotel today are crafted by a master chef, limited to 100 servings. The starting price for vegetable dishes is 1 gold coin, meat dishes start at 5 gold coins! Limited quantity, first come, first served, no reservations!

Though it was already late at night, the streets were still bustling. Street vendors lined the roadside one after another. As Chen Yun walked along, he suddenly felt as if he were wandering through a night market back on Earth.

"Thank goodness the system showed some mercy and brought me to a world so similar to Earth. Otherwise, when I hit level 100 and go back, I might not even recognize a streetlamp," Chen Yun sighed.

Are you here?

I'm right here.

Why didn't you wait for me?

How lonely I am.

...

A deep yet melodious singing voice, accompanied by guitar, drifted over. Chen Yun looked and saw a woman in her thirties, with "NPC Advanced Singer Yuan Xin" displayed above her head, sitting on a stone bench by the roadside, cradling a guitar as she sang. A crowd of passersby had gathered to listen.

Chen Yun was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected there to be street performers in this world too. The similarity to Earth was uncanny! So far, the item names were the same, the building and facility names were the same—other than the planet, the countries, and the people, everything else seemed identical! In that moment, Chen Yun couldn't help but wonder if the system had tampered with this world as well. Otherwise, how could it be so similar?

Seeing someone singing, Chen Yun felt an itch. Back on Earth, he was something of a karaoke king; every time he went to a KTV with colleagues, belting out a dozen songs was a must. Humming along, he quickly got into the rhythm—only to be interrupted by a system notification.

"Player Chen Yun has not learned the Singing skill and cannot sing."

What? Chen Yun was dumbfounded—even singing was a skill now? System, have you no shame?

Unwilling to accept this, he opened his mouth to sing, but no matter how hard he tried, his face flushing red, he couldn't carry a tune. A passerby looked curiously at the flushed young man humming weirdly and kindly asked, "Young man, are you alright? Constipated?"

Chen Yun almost fainted at that—you're the one who's constipated in the middle of the street!

"I'm fine, just a sudden stomachache, but I'm okay now." Chen Yun laughed it off. Since singing was classified as a skill by the system, there had to be a way to learn it.

Looking at Yuan Xin, the singer, Chen Yun suddenly had an idea.

"Thank you, everyone, for listening. It's very late, so that's all for tonight." The woman named Yuan Xin stood up and bowed to the crowd, then bent down to pack her things. Seeing the few dozen copper coins in her wooden box, Yuan Xin smiled gently—she had enough for food for herself and her daughter tomorrow.

Just as she was about to put away the box, a young man stopped her, tossing ten gleaming silver coins into the box. Smiling, he said, "Auntie, could you teach me how to sing?"

Teach you to sing? Do you even need to be taught?

Yuan Xin looked at the young man in surprise, then realized what he meant. "You want to learn professional singing techniques, right?"

"Uh... I guess so?" Chen Yun replied uncertainly, not knowing how the system determined skill acquisition.

What do you mean, 'I guess so'... Yuan Xin was speechless, but looking at the silver coins in the box, a longing shone in her eyes. With this money, she could go to Blue Melody City to compete in the Youth Song Contest held once every five years. With her skills, as long as there was no foul play, she should have no problem making it into the top thirty. For her daughter's sake, and for her own, she couldn't keep singing on the streets forever.

"Young man, singing technique can't be mastered in a day or two—it takes a long time. Unfortunately, I’m about to leave for Blue Melody City to sign up for the Youth Song Contest and won’t have time to teach you. But here, this is a notebook of singing methods I've compiled over the years. Take it and have a look." Yuan Xin took out a slightly worn but intact notebook from her bag and handed it to Chen Yun.

Chen Yun was stunned when he saw the notebook.

"Advanced Singing Skill Book. Purple consumable item. Increases Intelligence by 10, Charisma by 5, grants Beginner–Advanced Singing skill. Current level: Beginner. Proficiency: 0/100. Upon reaching full proficiency, automatically advances to Intermediate Singing skill; full proficiency at Intermediate advances to Advanced Singing skill."

My goodness, this mere notebook was recognized by the system as a skill book—and a purple one at that! Incredible. In games, both items and equipment had quality grades, and though Chen Yun didn't yet know how the system classified things, a purple consumable had to be valuable.

"Thank you. I'll gladly accept it. I love singing, but I just can't seem to do it well. Now that I have your notebook, I feel confident." Chen Yun accepted the notebook and then asked, "Auntie, what is this Youth Song Contest you mentioned?"

"You don't know about the Youth Song Contest?" Yuan Xin asked in surprise.

"No, I don't," Chen Yun shook his head, though he thought to himself that there was a Youth Song Contest back on Earth too. Could this one be the same as the one he knew?

"Alright, let me explain." Yuan Xin moved a small stool over. "Sit down."

Once Chen Yun sat, Yuan Xin said, "The Youth Song Contest is the short name for the Empire’s Young Singers Competition. There are no barriers to entry; it's one of the rare contests open to all commoners in the empire."

"Anyone aged eighteen to thirty-eight can sign up. The top thirty contestants get the chance to study at the Imperial Academy of Music. Anyone who graduates is at least a Level 4 Singer, and if their results are outstanding, reaching Level 2 isn't out of the question."

"After graduation, you receive an official imperial position and a state stipend."

(Note: This is a comedic level-up story, not a celebrity entertainment novel. At most, there'll be a brief foray into the contest, so don't worry.)