God’s Descent: Chapter 19

Nightingale and The Rose

“I understand.” Dylan took a deep breath, his face turning red. He apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry for my inappropriate attitude; I’ve hurt you.”

“Regarding Sylviidae Valley Garden, I can tell you whatever you want to know, as long as you promise not to spread it to others outside the island,” Dylan spoke softly.

“I promise,” You Rongyi quickly replied.

Huang Jinghui, who had been observing You Rongyi’s conversation skills, was left in shock — too terrifying. Teacher You is not only intelligent but also adept at handling conversations!

Dylan sat at the dining table, contemplating for a while before slowly starting to explain, “Sylviidae Valley Garden was built by the Nightingale Kingdom’s king over two hundred years ago. It’s a large public garden with precious flowers and collection-grade nightingales from around the world, a place for the public to visit and enjoy.”

“Collection-grade nightingales?” You Rongyi caught the keyword, changing his previous gentle attitude, and quickly asked with a calm demeanor, “There are many nightingales in this garden?”

“Of course, why do you think it’s called Sylviidae Valley Garden?” Dylan explained with a smile. “It is said that the king at that time loved the sound of nightingales. To ensure he could hear them at all times, he employed a large number of birdcatchers nationwide. After screening, the most melodious nightingales were placed in the garden.”

—”And this garden is Sylviidae Valley Garden.”

Dylan continued, speaking softly, “It is said that at its peak, there were over ten thousand nightingales singing together under the moonlight in the garden. The scene was extremely breathtaking, and those who witnessed it found it unforgettable.”

“This is too extravagant.” Huang Jinghui was amazed, “Over ten thousand? Does the king love nightingales that much?!”

“He had a great love for nightingales, and what he did for them went beyond this.” Dylan paused. “You should all know that nightingales are birds that mostly sing at night, right?”

“Yes,” You Rongyi nodded.

“Although there were already ten thousand nightingales, the king was not satisfied with only hearing them at night. He wanted to hear such enchanting sounds during the day as well.” Dylan paused for a moment and murmured, “So, the king organized a singing competition.”

Huang Jinghui and You Rongyi instantly exchanged glances. They both quickly recalled the singing competition they witnessed in the opera house—the Nightingale Night Singing Competition!

“A singing competition?” You Rongyi softly questioned, “What does organizing a singing competition have to do with the king wanting to hear nightingale songs?”

Dylan paused for a long time before slowly speaking, “This singing competition is not the kind of singing competition you might think. Participants in this competition cannot use human voices to sing; they must imitate the singing of nightingales.”

“The more accurate the imitation, the better chance of winning the competition.”

Dylan slowly raised his head, and in his brown eyes, there was an indescribable darkness. “This singing competition is called the Nightingale Night, and the winner of the singing competition is called the Golden Nightingale.”

In the dim firelight, Huang Jinghui looked at Dylan’s dull face hidden beneath the Nightingale Feather Robe, thinking about the melody he heard today in the opera house, a mix of bird songs and the singing of the twin sisters. He felt an indescribable sense of horror.

“So, the Nightingale Night is not a singing competition for people at all,” Huang Jinghui said in shock. “It’s a competition for imitating bird calls?!”

“Yes,” Dylan nodded. “After each Nightingale Night, the king summons the winner of that year to Sylviidae Valley Garden, bestows upon them the title of Golden Nightingale, and allows them to live in the garden, singing for him during the day.”

“What’s the difference between them and the other nightingales in the garden…” Huang Jinghui asked incredulously, “Aren’t they all birds in the hands of the king?!”

“There is still a difference,” Dylan gently shook his head. “Other nightingales are precious collections of the king, but the Golden Nightingale is only a reluctant substitute.”

“The real nightingales can choose not to sing, but the Golden Nightingale has to sing continuously during the day, without stopping for a moment, until the nightingales start singing at night. Only then can they stop, providing the king with a continuous sound of nightingales.”

“The whole day, singing for over ten hours?” Huang Jinghui asked in shock. “Won’t their bodies have problems?!”

Dylan answered lightly, “Yes, there will be problems.”

“Because of singing all day, the excessive exhaustion leads most of the selected Golden Nightingales to die young in Sylviidae Valley Garden. Some say their bodies were casually buried by the guard in the depths of the garden.”

“Later, with the death of the old king and the ascent of a new one, it was said that in this garden you could hear singing at night that sounded like a mix of human and bird. There were also rumors of many wandering souls of Golden Nightingales here. Sylviidae Valley Garden gradually became deserted.”

Dylan said, “Until modern times, for the sake of ceremonies, we renovated this garden as a venue. Only then was Sylviidae Valley Garden put back into use.”

After listening, Huang Jinghui fell into silence. However, You Rongyi immediately asked, looking at Dylan with an unchanged expression, “Dylan, you know we are history students, and we have studied the relevant history of the Nightingale Kingdom.”

“In our Nightingale Kingdom-related research, it is said that the king of the Nightingale Kingdom had his prince marry the last generation of Golden Nightingales.”

You Rongyi asked, “Do you know the specific details?”

Upon hearing You Rongyi’s question, Dylan paused for a moment, looking somewhat eerie. “How did you know that the last generation of Golden Nightingales became a queen?”

“We found it in some historical records,” You Rongyi glossed over, not elaborating. “Is it true?”

Dylan remained silent for a long time. He stood up, leaning on the table, and his attitude became noticeably resistant. “I don’t know about that kind of history. I haven’t studied it.”

“All the information I know about Sylviidae Valley Garden, I’ve told you.” Dylan’s tone carried a hint of warning. “I can sense that you’re very curious about Sylviidae Valley Garden, but I have to caution you. You absolutely cannot go there in the near future.”

“The islanders are preparing something for the ceremony there, and they don’t harbor the same friendliness toward outsiders as Angelina and I do.”

“Alright, we’ve talked for quite a while, and you must be tired today. Get some rest.”

Dylan looked at You Rongyi, seemingly realizing the harshness in his tone. He paused and softened it a bit, “Good night, Rongyi.”

You Rongyi replied equally gently, “Good night, Dylan.”

After bidding goodnight to Dylan, Huang Jinghui and You Rongyi went upstairs and headed straight to the end of the second-floor corridor—Angelina’s room.

“Dylan hasn’t slept yet; he’s downstairs packing up,” Huang Jinghui was a bit nervous. “Shouldn’t we wait a bit longer before talking to Angelina?”

“No,” You Rongyi decisively rejected. “We can’t waste time. The mission requires us to act at night. We need to quickly get clues and then infiltrate Sylviidae Valley Garden.”

“Huang Jinghui, wait outside and pay attention to Dylan’s movements.” You Rongyi calmly gave orders. “I’ll go in and ask.”

“Huh?!” Huang Jinghui exclaimed in surprise. “You’re going in to ask?”

“Do you have any objections?” You Rongyi asked.

“Well, not really objections…” Huang Jinghui scratched his head, hesitatingly spoke, “Although you said Angelina doesn’t have a tendency to attack us, she doesn’t seem like a normal NPC either. What if she suddenly turns into a monster? You only have level one…”

“It’s true that there’s a possibility she might suddenly attack me,” You Rongyi looked at Huang Jinghui with a raised eyebrow. “But compared to me, the likelihood of Angelina attacking you is higher, right? Her affinity towards you is lower than mine.”

Huang Jinghui: “…”

Thank you, Professor You, for reminding me of the fear of being dominated by this world obsessed with looks.

In Huang Jinghui’s mournful expression, You Rongyi turned and knocked on the door, saying, “Be cautious with Dylan; I’m going in.”

Immediately, Angelina’s vigilant voice came from inside the room, “Who?!”

You Rongyi calmly replied, “It’s me, You Rongyi.”

Angelina’s voice instantly tensed up, “What do you want with me?!”

“I have some questions about Sylviidae Valley Garden and the Golden Nightingale. Do you have time?”

After a brief silence behind the door, it creaked open, revealing Angelina’s guarded face. “How do you know about the Golden Nightingale? Did Dylan tell you?!”

“No,” You Rongyi gazed at Angelina, glancing towards the end of the corridor, and hinted with a soft voice, “Dylan is downstairs packing. If you don’t want your brother to find out that we’re discussing him behind his back, maybe I can come in and talk?”

“I’m a young girl. Why would I let a man into my room at night?” Angelina’s attitude was full of resistance, and she mocked, “Especially an outsider I particularly dislike.”

“Is that so?” Faced with Angelina’s hostile attitude, You Rongyi didn’t bat an eyelid. He calmly asked, “If you dislike me so much, why did you immediately open the door when you heard it was me knocking? Shouldn’t you have just told me to leave from behind the door?”

Angelina hesitated for a moment. Biting her lip, she finally opened the door. “…Come in.”

“Thank you.” You Rongyi politely bowed, “It’s indeed quite inappropriate to knock on a young lady’s door in the middle of the night. We do have reasons for doing so, but if I show any impoliteness, I am willing to bear any consequences, and you can take any punishment against me.”

Angelina’s face blushed slightly, and she scolded, “How dare you!”

Under Huang Jinghui’s astonished gaze, You Rongyi walked into Angelina’s room.

…Does this guy’s charm skill work on both genders?

“How do you know about the Golden Nightingale?” As soon as You Rongyi entered, Angelina strode forward, fiercely interrogating him, “This is something only the Nightingale Island residents know!”

“You must have tempted Dylan to tell you!”

“I’ve already said it wasn’t him,” You Rongyi quickly stepped back half a step, creating some distance between him and the approaching Angelina. “Since you’re willing to communicate with me, I hope you can believe what I say.”

You Rongyi handed a newspaper to Angelina. “We found this newspaper in the woods, and it contains information about this matter.”

Angelina, still suspicious, took the newspaper. After scanning the contents, her expression changed drastically. “Where did you find this newspaper?”

You Rongyi replied, “In an abandoned opera house.”

“…The Nightingale Opera House,” Angelina clenched the newspaper, staring at You Rongyi. “Why are you collecting all this, learning about Nightingale Country’s past? What exactly do you want to do?”

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