The tables and chairs originally on the ground slowly drew together and descended into the floor; then, a brand-new banquet hall emerged. Robots pushing trolleys entered the scene, and within minutes, they had arranged the hall into a lavish banquet setting. Then, light and soothing music began to play as six semicircular stages extended out from the walls halfway up the hall. Figures dressed in vintage black and red gowns, classic mechanical puppets, stepped out and began to dance.
The focus of this banquet was naturally the girl in the center, appearing like a black swan. However, the dignitaries present did not swarm her. Instead, they tacitly began conversing and catching up with one another.
Just when Tilan thought she might have been isolated, a lady with raven hair coiled up into a bun approached. She was dressed in a special and high-end satin fabric with a snow-white hem featuring a black plum blossom pattern. Although her face showed age, she still carried herself with grace and dignity.
"Hello Tilan, I am Lian Xin." Despite being much older than the young girl, the affluent lady greeted her politely.
"Hello Lady Lian Xin, I am Tilan." The girl also responded with a standard and proper greeting, after which the other woman invited her to sit at a round table to the side.
"Chairman Ode is a man; he was afraid of scaring you if he came over first, so he sent me to break the ice." Lady Lian Xin's accent was extremely standard, yet it carried a gentle warmth that unwittingly relaxed people.
"I am grateful for the care of my elders," Tilan expressed her gratitude, feeling some of the tension in her heart dissipate.
"Hehehe, up close, Tilan, you are indeed as pretty and adorable as described. No wonder Hayden mentioned you repeatedly in our communications." Lady Lian Xin began to talk about what she knew of Tilan's past.
"That would have been in October, not long after you entered the Academy. It was during an Aijeika conference across the Star Domains that Hayden first mentioned your name. At the time, I was in the Gravity Well Star Domain attending a corporate alliance meeting."
"After receiving the news, I was quite surprised and found it a bit hard to believe. After all, such good fortune is rare. For the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain to yield two songstresses over nearly forty years is already a rare occurrence. And now with you, that makes three," she spoke of the scarcity of songstresses being born.
"In the early days of the Federation, due to a poor understanding of the principles behind the songstress' talent and nearly nonexistent detection methods, unless one was interested in music or engaged in related occupations, such talent would not be revealed. Therefore, the number of songstresses within the Federation was usually in the single digits, extremely rare."
"Later, as understanding and research of songstresses' talents grew, along with the emergence of various detection methods, many overlooked songstresses were finally discovered."
"From that time on, the number of songstresses in the Federation has been maintained in a range of 40-80, distributed among the various Star Domains, making them even rarer."
"Currently, there are about 76 songstresses registered as alive in the Federation. Excluding those who have retired due to age, illness, and other reasons, there are still 63 active songstresses. Of these, only 11 have reached the standard of the Moon Class," explained Lady Lian Xin, introducing the current situation of the Federation and the value of the songstress identity to help Tilan gradually understand her own status and position.
"Two years ago, when 'Flame Sugar' Prin Coco made her debut, many Star Domains were envious. Although the songstress 'Emerald Serpent' Yulanduoja of the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain had retired, the arrival of a new songstress within a few years was surprising and envied, as the Federation currently comprises about 230 or so Star Domains, with most not having even one songstress."
"The actual distribution of probabilities is as lopsided as drought and flood, but it's an unavoidable situation."
"Your emergence this time will likely stir up news across the various Star Domains of the Federation, so you don't have to worry about fame. Surely, there will be plenty of media to promote you," Lady Lian Xin said with a laugh, her hand covering her face.
"Huh?" Actually, Tilan did not wish to become famous so quickly, but it seemed that reality did not allow her to remain as low-profile as she had been in the past.
"Get ready to embrace a new life, Tilan."
"If you encounter any issues or wish to do something, feel free to seek help from us elders. I think everyone would be quite willing."
"Almost forgot, this is my business card keycard. You can use it to contact me in the future, even for interstellar communication," she finished, sliding across a small and pristine card with a plum blossom design on one corner and a detailed electronic interface on the back. This type of card could be inserted into an Aijeika Immersion System for ultra-long-distance private communications, providing excellent confidentiality.
"Well, let's end our conversation for today here; otherwise, the people behind will become anxious, hehe~" With that, she stood up, said her goodbye to Tilan, and half a minute later, another director took the seat in front of Tilan.