Chapter 55: Soul Diva
Under everyone's attention, Baku began to tell a story.
Just as Levi remembered, he was an extrovert and a talkative person.
But this guy is a little too talkative.
Although it was a grievance-complaining activity, Baku became more and more engaged and cheerful as he spoke, almost turning the grievance-complaining meeting into a stand-up comedy performance:
"Like everyone else, I don't have a father."
"My mother said I have a father. I asked her who my father is. She said there are too many people and she can't tell them apart..."
“…”
"Do you know how I got enough money to come to Piltover?"
"Because I'm handsome... Hehe. When I was working at a store in a dark alley, the boss's wife's eyes turned red as soon as she saw me, and she couldn't even pull up her pants."
"There's nothing I can do. I can only put in some effort and earn some hard-earned money."
“…”
"It's even more troublesome after coming to Piltover."
"I just want to come here to work, but there are always women who delay my ability to make money."
"I have changed so many girlfriends in the past two years... Those Piltover foremen are jealous of me because of this and are always giving me trouble. Fuck!"
"They also said that the factory rules prohibit male and female workers from dating. Fuck you! Aren't you just afraid that I'm too handsome and will stop these bastards from Piltover from hooking up with the female workers from Zaun?"
“…”
After Baku finished speaking, everyone was laughing.
He did talk about a lot of bitter things. But these bitter things were not too bitter to the people of Zaun, and after being processed by his foul mouth, they became bitter melon-flavored candies.
"Is this really possible..." Lina, Victor, and the Zaun students all looked at Bluebird Janna helplessly.
How can you complain so hard that everyone in the audience laughs?
Li Wei has entrusted his trust to the wrong person!
"No." Levi said leisurely, "This is the best way to achieve the best effect."
"Do you really think... Baku was laughing in his heart when he recalled those things?"
"Huh?" Everyone was slightly stunned.
Levi didn't explain, but just asked Seraphine: "Seraphine, how are you preparing?"
“I…I…”
Seraphine's voice was choked with sobs, and she could hardly utter a complete sentence.
Only then did everyone finally realize that not everyone was laughing.
Seraphine was crying. Tears soaked her blue eyes, forming crystal tears that slowly slid down from the corners of her eyes.
"Mr. Levi, I'm ready..."
“Is the music on?”
"Well... I picked one that I felt was suitable." Seraphine raised her fingers and gently wiped away her tears.
But the tears continued to flow, soaking the white silk gloves wrapped around her fingers into a translucent color.
It was clear that she was moved by Baku’s story, as well as by her own work.
"It seems to be effective." Levi felt relieved.
"So, next——"
"Please invite Miss Seraphine to come on stage and sing a song for everyone."
"Huh?" Victor and the others were stunned:
Where is the grievance meeting that was promised?
Why did it become a concert again?
“Don’t underestimate the power of literary and artistic works.”
This was the publicity method that Levi finally thought of after he suffered a setback.
It is difficult to explain the truth and to express grievances clearly, so we can create an atmosphere and let people get emotionally involved through opera, drama, music and other literary and artistic works.
"Only by creating the right atmosphere and mobilizing their emotions can we draw out their 'original suffering'. Only by drawing out their original suffering can we help them 'dig out the root of suffering' and help them recognize the root cause of suffering."
"And suitable literary and artistic works are our best helpers in creating atmosphere and adjusting emotions."
Sometimes, telling a truth a hundred times may not be more effective than performing "White-Haired Girl" once.
Levi didn't know any story script suitable for Runeterra.
But he has Seraphine, the natural soul singer.
There are also countless stories about Zaun people, real stories.
When the two are combined, the power that emerges may be beyond imagination.
"Please, everyone, listen to me sing!"
Seraphine stepped onto the stage that belonged to her.
The stage was not gorgeous. There were no lights, no smoke, no cheering fans, and no applause. It was completely different from the idol stage she had once dreamed of.
But at this moment, Seraphine felt that this was her stage.
"La~"
The music started.
It's a sad song.
Seraphine's heavenly voice perfectly captures the emotion of this song.
Even without the use of magic, music itself has the ability to infect emotions.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many NetEase Cloud Music users at 12 o’clock midnight.
In the sound of this music, everyone present, whether they were Zaun students or apprentices, university professors or Piltover business owners... couldn't help but empathize with Seraphine, the protagonist of this story.
No, not just empathy.
Seraphine's singing is magical.
Different from before:
This time she was not using magic to brainwash the audience or forcibly distort their will.
She was just using the magical melody of music to share the stories she saw and analyze the images she saw from Baku's mind.
“La la la la la la la~”
The song echoed in everyone's ears.
After they were immersed in the music, they suddenly saw the following scene:
Zaun, in a dark alley, a narrow and dilapidated alley.
Young Baku squatted in the corner.
The children were smiling at him:
"Baku~Baku~Baku without a father~"
"I have a father! I do!"
"What's your father's name?"
“…”
"Haha, of course you don't know! Your mother was a prostitute. She has no idea how many fathers she found for you...Hahahaha!"
The music is still echoing.
Baku struggled and grew up in music and in the gray haze of Zaun.
The picture remained dark until that day.
"Baku, please, take me away... I know you have saved a lot of money, you can take me away from here and escape to Piltover together."
In a shop in a dark alley, a young woman grabbed Baku's hand.
Baku had never touched a woman's hand.
His face was slightly red: "I...I...but, you are the boss's woman."
"I am just a slave he bought!"
"Please... If he continues like this, he will definitely torture me to death..." The woman was crying: "Take me away. Let's go to Piltover to be apprentices and live together..."
"Okay." Baku said this somehow.
Then his whole world lit up.
The music gradually became cheerful.
No matter how much suffering he suffered in Piltover later, the melody was still warm, happy and full of hope.
Until that day:
"Sorry, Baku..." The woman took the arm of the factory foreman, a local uncle from Piltover, and appeared in front of him with an embarrassed look.
The Piltover foreman sneered at him: "There is a rule in the factory that male and female workers cannot fall in love."
“Old Zuan , I advise you not to be shameless. Otherwise, I will ask the boss to fire you and make you go back to the other side of the canal!”
“…”
The melody became rapid and angry, but gradually became dark and painful, with no sound or ups and downs.
Then the scene changed:
"Oh, I wish I were a woman!"
Baku lamented to Levi in the workshop last night.
"Huh?" Levi was shocked and confused.
But he said: "It would be great if she was a woman. She could just crawl into the bed of those old Piltover guys, get a certificate and become a Piltover citizen."
"Look at the female workers in our factory. They are now hanging out with team leaders and technicians... They are not having an easier life than us."
“…”
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Are you looking down on me? Levi..."
Baku is smiling in the picture.
In reality, Baku cried.
Not only him, almost everyone present was crying.
They saw the real Baku, and also saw their own shadows in Baku.
This story is actually not special to the people of Zaun.
Everyone has experienced similar things to a greater or lesser extent.
Finally, Seraphine stopped singing in tears.
The singing stopped.
But the anger of pain is burning silently.
