The concert proceeded smoothly, with Master Valtava's exceptional skills earning unanimous praise from the audience.
As the master's final disciple, Marco naturally took the stage to perform as well.
Marco didn't attempt anything overly elaborate—he simply played "Summer" by Kikujiro, bringing everyone a touch of genuine summer freshness.
The music brimmed with vitality like morning dew on a summer day, delivering a refreshing comfort akin to a cool evening breeze.
The entire piece was simple yet lively, fresh and natural, spirited and vibrant—listening to it evoked a sense of natural ease.
As the final note faded, every audience member in the concert hall seemed to have shed their worries, as though they had just returned from a warm and joyful journey, smiles blooming on every face.
"This disciple of mine is far more talented than I am."
Master Valtava spoke highly of Marco, showing no arrogance as he openly admitted that he paled in comparison to Marco's natural gifts—both in performance and composition.
Marco, of course, responded with repeated modesty.
In terms of performance, he had cheated by directly surpassing the Celestial Spirit Lyra, and in composition, he had leveraged an epic-level advantage by standing on the shoulders of a brilliant human civilization.
If they were already amazed now, Marco thought it was too soon—this was just the beginning, and he still had plenty more up his sleeve.
After this concert, Marco's fame would grow even greater, primarily because his reputation spanned such a wide range.
Those who admired powerful mages, those who loved handsome men, those who enjoyed reading and mystery, those who favored pop or classical music—his appeal wasn't quite universal, but it certainly covered a vast majority, which was why his fame had soared so high.
Media outlets rushed to report on the event, spreading word of the concert far and wide and bringing fame to Magnolia's concert hall.
More and more people learned that Magnolia now had a grand music venue where Marco occasionally performed.
Compared to Marco, Master Valtava's fame seemed almost negligible—the traffic they each generated wasn't even in the same league.
"It looks like tickets for our concert hall will be hard to come by from now on."
Jude Heartfilia was naturally delighted with this outcome.
After all, the newspapers all printed the hall's full name—the "Heartfilia Concert Hall"—effectively giving the Heartfilia Conglomerate free advertising.
He hadn't anticipated such a bonus when he first invested.
Now, the money he had spent felt incredibly worthwhile.
The advertising alone had already justified the cost of building the concert hall—Marco's influence wasn't something just anyone could tap into, let alone so openly.
"Still, if people are buying tickets just to see Marco, won't they be disappointed when they see an old man like me instead?" Master Valtava chuckled as he spoke, but his expression remained confident, as though he wasn't actually worried about it.
With Valtava's performance skills, even those uninterested in him or harp music would find themselves captivated once they sat down.
A true master can make even the uninitiated sit and appreciate the art.
"I believe more people will be influenced by the master's music. Who knows, maybe future lyre masters will emerge from among them," Marco said with a smile.
They weren't worried about this issue—even if they couldn't see him, no one would feel their trip was wasted.
"I hope so." Valtava shook his head with a smile.
If more people could come to love lyre music, and if he could attract audiences without even leaving his home, he would be more than satisfied.
After chatting a bit longer, Valtava, exhausted from his performance, left the concert hall to rest, leaving only Marco and Jude behind.
"Mr. Jude, let's discuss the Heartfilia Conglomerate's plans. I'll cooperate with your actions. The guild master has entrusted this matter entirely to me, so I trust you can rest assured?" Marco got straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"Of course. I have every confidence in you, young Marco. Out of everyone in the Fairy Tail guild, you're the one I trust the most," Jude replied immediately.
With Marco's reputation, how could he not trust him?
Marco's involvement fully represented Fairy Tail's support—of that, he had no doubt.
Who would dare question Fairy Tail's commitment after meeting Marco?
That would be downright disrespectful.
"That's too much praise. I don't carry that much weight—it's mostly the old man's reputation we're borrowing. We'll just use his influence to scare off any troublemakers," Marco chuckled, brushing off Jude's flattery.
Though he was well-known, he wasn't sure he could intimidate the southern noble factions.
Those people still feared the old man's name more.
"I'm sure they'll know better," Jude said, though deep down, he doubted they would.
Even with Fairy Tail's involvement, smooth sailing was unlikely.
The southern nobles were deeply entrenched, their networks far more complex than in the north.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have struggled so much to break into the southern market.
"If anyone dares to obstruct this for personal gain—something that benefits the nation and its people—then they'll have to answer to Fairy Tail's. Those southern nobles had better behave," Marco narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.
Fiore was, after all, a feudal kingdom resembling the Middle Ages.
It was only natural for such local powerhouses to exist.
To put it bluntly, some regions were essentially the private domains of these nobles.
They pledged allegiance to the Kingdom of Fiore, but that didn't mean they had to obey its every command.
That's why, despite Fiore's national policies strongly supporting railway development, the southern market remained stubbornly closed.
"Excellent! That's the spirit, young Marco!" Jude was invigorated by Marco's words.
Only with such determination could they succeed!
If Fairy Tail isn't willing to put in much effort and just pays lip service, then this cooperation will be hard to proceed with.
Those southern aristocrats might not even pay attention to a few words of nagging from Fairy Tail.
Without truly brandishing a knife to intimidate, those people won't back down!
"Got a target in mind? Where do we start?" Marco looked at Jude.
The Heartfilia conglomerate had been preparing for so long—surely everything was already arranged?
"We have a target. I've arranged a meeting with the southern nobles, several of whom are openly opposed to us." Jude nodded solemnly.
He'd been contacting many southern nobles during this time and had finally organized this gathering.
When the time came, Marco would make an appearance and give them a good scare!
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