A few days later, a news report about 'Mocodanta' Conglomerate dispatching corporate spies to sabotage the grand opening ceremony of 'Four Winds Hotel' was broadcasted. It is said that the legal department of 'Four Winds Deity' Company has filed a lawsuit with the Federal Court, accusing 'Mocodanta' of unfair competition and damaging hotel facilities, jeopardizing public safety, and other offenses, demanding an official public apology from 'Mocodanta' to 'Four Winds Deity' and the many guests who attended the opening ceremony.
The previous commercial litigation did not hurt much for a conglomerate like 'Mocodanta', but the subsequent public apology truly hit hard.
Because the hotels, resorts, and experiential venues they own are all in the service industry, which highly values reputation. Previously, 'Mocodanta' has consistently held the industry-leading position with its upscale, comfortable, and luxurious brand image, making it the preferred choice for many business travelers for accommodation and tourism.
If they publicly admit their wrongdoing, it would greatly damage the previously perfect and aloof brand setting, causing a significant decline in brand tone.
In response, 'Mocodanta' had their legal department go all out, while also sending representatives to negotiate and mediate with 'Four Winds Deity', hoping the other party would drop this demand.
Unfortunately, it seems that 'Four Winds Deity' was determined to take the matter to court, firmly refusing to mediate. Reluctantly, 'Mocodanta' could only send representatives for courtroom defense, but with the evidence, and the Court of Judgment's subtle bias, the court was clearly on the side of 'Four Winds Deity', imposing a strict punishment on 'Mocodanta'.
"Seeing the results, the 'Mocodanta' brand was severely damaged, and the official apology was viewed by every curious visitor who clicked on the hotel's official website. Many people who were unaware of the incident are now involuntarily informed," reported a maid to Tilan about the post-verdict situation in the study room.
"Besides the apology, 'Mocodanta' also paid a substantial amount of money to 'Four Winds Deity' Company, but compared to the previous brand damage, this amount of money is a trivial matter for both companies," she added.
"This is the lifetime VIP card sent by 'Four Winds Deity' Company. With this card, one can stay in any hotel under 'Four Winds Deity' for free and enjoy various discounts and benefits," the maid concluded, displaying the received card and letter on the desk.
The card is slightly black, with corners featuring the emblem of Four Winds Deity - four intertwined and rotating petals of different shapes. The accompanying letter paper is vintage yellow, beautifully written, with blue flora drawn on the blank side, showing elegant attention to detail.
In today's era, using such letter paper is mostly to show a certain etiquette and respect; its actual utility is secondary.
After sharing these details, the maid paused briefly before continuing.
"Miss Flora also seems to want to invite Tilan and Yianqing, as well as the other two Songstress ladies, to a dinner at the hotel, to apologize in person," she said.
"That won't be necessary," Tilan, feeling a bit tired, lightly covered her mouth and yawned.
Actually, Tilan understands the intentions of the 'Four Winds Deity' family that Flora represents; they probably want to use this incident to build a good relationship with the four Songstresses.
She does not dislike such business-minded thinking, but she is also not particularly interested in it.
After dismissing the maids from the study, Tilan sat on the sofa, turned on the sound system nearby, and began playing recently released songs. These songs, some by emerging stars and others by different Songstresses, varied in style—some were fantasy-oriented, others focused on reality, some retro and nostalgic, while others were avant-garde and bold. Listening to these songs felt like experiencing different lives and their respective views on life.
While showcasing a taste of everything, it also reflected a current scarcity—it seemed long since there had been music that could provoke a desire in everyone's heart and resonate universally.
Today's music was a celebration of various small communities. While there were many fine pieces, they lacked a universal appeal—an ability to convince everyone.
Perhaps this isn't a problem with the creators. If one genius doesn't work, but the Federation has millions of geniuses in this field, and none can create music like in the early days of the Federation, music that inspired countless people to generously sing and celebrate together, it only shows that the public's understanding and feelings have long diverged. People in different strata and positions can't empathize with each other, so music with broad universality no longer emerges.
Such was the case in reality too. When society still struggled with survival and hunger, these were everlasting themes, celebrated by humanity.
For survival, continuation, and resistance, related themes in songs always resonated with everyone.
But in times when everyone could fill their bellies and there were no severe survival crises, people's further desires were no longer unified or the same.
Some wished for merely peaceful days, some hoped for dramatic changes in reality, some longed for novel and exciting experiences, while others reminisced about the past. Unifying thoughts became a difficult task.
But to those in the past, this might seem like a fortunate dilemma.
Closing her eyes and leaning on the sofa, Tilan quietly listened until the songs ended and the study returned to silence. She then slowly opened her eyes.
By then, the lights in the study had already been turned off. In the darkness, she stood up and moved to the window.