Volume 7: Doing Business with the World Chapter 205 Protecting Our Villains
The last scene is an important finale that maximizes the audience's emotions. It is also the finishing touch that stuffs in "private goods" to win the recognition of the people of the Federation - how can the tragic hero persecuted by the priests of the Holy See make the audience cry and feel heartbroken if he doesn't scream a few words of injustice!
For example, in Guan Hanqing's "The Injustice of Dou E", the plot may not be remembered by people, but the three vows that Dou E made before her death are definitely impressive: blood splattered on white silk, snow in June, and drought for three years. Among them, "snow in June" has become a synonym for injustice~!
In short, if Cinderella's accusation before her death was interrupted, the tension of the whole play would be destroyed by at least half!
Not to mention that Edward was instantly upset, Isaac on the second floor jumped up in anxiety -
The critical moment - a pair of black hands stretched out from the audience, grabbed the legs of Alex who was rushing towards the stage with red eyes, and quickly dragged him down!
Ali only uttered a half-sound of "howl" before he disappeared...
As for the other audience members who tried to rush onto the stage - the hall was so crowded that all the gaps that people could pass through were stuffed with chairs and stools. Most people didn't have Alex's skills to step on other people's shoulders and perform light skills - this group of people could barely move forward a few rows and could only stay in the crowd, pointing at the priest, Cinderella's uncles, and stepsister actor on the stage and cursing.
The faces of the actors who were "criticized by thousands of people" turned pale with fear, especially the one who played the priest. This guy was not a professional actor, but a doctor hired by the Knights to treat the workers. Harris took a fancy to him because he was white, plump and round, and he was greedy for the silver coin salary for acting, so he came to do odd jobs...
Edward finally took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot.
Isaac staggered back into a sitting position, his hands clenched, his chest heaving.
Cinderella on the stage was blinded by the smoke, and she was tired and nervous, so she was unaware of the commotion happening in the audience. After singing with her stepmother, she dutifully sang the final curtain call in a hoarse and sad voice, tears streaming down her face:
"I walk through the silent, pale night."
"A wisp of fear entangled me, making me tremble and force me to kowtow in fear."
"Why do you have to kneel down and crawl?"
"Why do you regard the cold breath of darkness as the holy light of salvation?"
"Things of darkness will be born, and all will be silent."
"The noisy birds are fleeing, hiding, and silent."
"The footsteps of the dark realm are approaching this beautiful world."
"You fear the unknown, and you turn that fear into a flame of cowardice!"
"A proud lion will never yield to cowardice!"
In this world, whether it is the opera of the sea people or the drama of the human race, both focus more on artistic expression. Well... that is to say, they pay more attention to reserve, elegance, and literary and artistic taste. They wish that every word could sing out the charm of mountains and flowing water. The more high-brow and unpopular the song is, the better it is.
The play "Cinderella" is different from those plays that are pure and natural, and they are frank and direct, with clear expressions. It is obvious that the play aims to be a charming and slutty girl who is suitable for all ages - for example, in the closing song of Cinderella, even the most uneducated ordinary people can hear that this is Cinderella in despair pointing at the noses of the Vatican priests and cursing!
The Holy See is a poisonous cancer, and those who believe in it are idiots!
Even if I am burned to death or turned into ashes, I will never bow to you idiots!
It’s definitely not fragrant!
The audience in the hall on the first floor were filled with grief, sorrow and hatred, and countless pairs of eyes were filled with hatred.
In the VIP room on the second floor, every room was extremely quiet, and the human nobles looked particularly solemn.
The doctor who played the priest stepped forward tremblingly and added a bottle of combustion-enhancing liquid to the fire.
The fire grew fiercely, and Cinderella screamed miserably. The night staff squatting in the backstage crouched and trotted forward, helping Cinderella and the cross to slowly fall backwards...
"You are afraid of the unknown fear, and this burning flame is the evidence of your guilt!" The actor of the stepmother raised her hands and sang loudly, roaring like an angry lioness, "This silent and pale night cannot stop the stars in the sky, nor can it stop the rising sun. Foolish sinners, your cowardice will drag you into the abyss of darkness forever!"
This is a continuation of "political correctness" and a smear campaign against the Holy See - the audience, who were so heartbroken by Cinderella's exit that they could not breathe, have been moved to the brink of bursting!
The doctor who played the priest swallowed his saliva and looked at the audience in fear. Thousands of angry and hateful eyes made his legs weak. But he still had a part in this last scene, so he could only bite the bullet and walk to the position corresponding to the stepmother actor, singing desperately: "Our Father always forgives his ignorant lambs... "
Before he sang half a sentence, the audience burst into shocking roars of curses that almost broke through the roof, and countless pairs of smelly shoes were thrown towards the stage.
"Hey, hey, I'm just an actor! I'm Doctor Bruno!!" Doctor Bruno, who played the priest, was angry, scared and aggrieved, and ran away in embarrassment with his head in his hands.
The actress who played the stepmother was so tired that she almost collapsed. She almost burst out laughing when she saw this scene...
The audience sitting in the front row had already been holding back their teeth, and since their shoes were broken, they simply picked up their stools and rushed to the stage...
"Calm down, everyone calm down!" The staff in black rushed out to rescue the actors.
"Hey, hey, don't smash the scenery. Whoever breaks it will have to pay for it!"
“Stop hitting me, stop hitting me. I’m Bruno, not a priest! I’m a doctor, ahhhhhh——!!”
"Put down the curtain quickly--"
After a lot of trouble, the adventurers rushed to the front of the stage to control the excited workers and their families, and let Cinderella, whose hair was intact, come out to take a bow, and the chaos was finally resolved...
Isaac ran down anxiously to check on the actors' injuries and the damage to the scenery. He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it would not affect the performance the next day. He reached out to grab Ali's ears, who almost ruined the curtain call song, and said, "What's wrong with you? I asked you to help keep an eye on it, but you actually took the lead in dismantling your own stage?! If the snake tribe hadn't held you back, would you have gone to heaven?"
Ali had calmed down and said with a bashful look: "It's not my fault. My performance was really irritating."
"Isn't that nonsense? How can we watch this show if the villain isn't annoying?!" Isaac shouted, "Edward, keep an eye on this guy for me. He's not allowed to enter the hall for tomorrow's performance!"
"No, Isaac..."
After scolding Alex, Isaac calmed down and turned to the actor who plays the stepmother and said, "Actors who play villain roles should not leave the theater during this period of time to avoid any accidents."
Stepmother Actor: “…Okay.”
Doctor Bruno, the only injured one, tried hard to squeeze over to Isaac and tried to quit his part-time job in the troupe. Isaac saw this plump and round fat man from the corner of his eye and immediately turned around and strode out: "I'm going to entertain the guests. Everyone pack up and go to bed early!"
"Wait, Knight Robbins--!" Dr. Bruno waved his hands quickly.
"Have a good rest! " Isaac jumped off the stage nimbly and walked out as fast as lightning.
"Knight Robbins--!" Dr. Bruno stretched out his round hand in despair.
The ordinary audience on the first floor were forced to leave because they were worried that they would continue to attack the stage. When Isaac went up to the second floor, the guests in various halls were still sitting in the VIP rooms without moving, as if they had not yet recovered from the shock of the drama.
"General Kleist, Earl Winston."
Isaac first entered the VIP room for the most important guests and looked at the two big guys nervously... The elves and the sea people, the two long-lived species, are the ancestors of art, and their evaluation is crucial.
The elf general, who was chubby but still handsome, and Earl Winston, who did not quite conform to the human aesthetic but had a noble and graceful temperament, all turned their heads and gave Isaac a smile of appreciation.
Isaac felt relieved, and then excited, this wave is really stable~!
Master Eddie slowly put down his wine glass, slowly stood up, smiled and apologized to the two dandies sitting next to him, then walked out of the VIP room with his butler and servants.
In addition to the three staircases leading to the theater, the second floor also has an external spiral staircase that leads directly to the parking lot outside the theater.
He walked down the stairs at a steady and leisurely pace, and got into the carriage with the help of the servants. When the door closed and the only person who could be seen was Barrett, who followed him in timidly, Master Eddie's gentle face turned cold.
"Master...how about that, how about we find a way to kidnap the actors from the Robbins Troupe?" Barritt asked cautiously.
"Shut up you idiot!"
Young Master Eddie was still on someone else's territory, so he couldn't yell at them, so he lowered his voice and said, "What kind of actors are they? They're not even as good as the lowest third-rate actors. At least half of them are just making up the numbers! Their acting skills are terrible, and even the shrews who curse on the street can sing better than them!"
Barritt quickly lowered his head.
"Third-rate performances, inferior actors... Robbins' troupe has no mainstays at all. Even if you get rid of all the rubbish on the stage, Robbins can start a new troupe in a month at most." Master Eddie gritted his teeth and said angrily, "It's the script that's to blame... and the person who wrote it!"
Barrett lowered his head even lower. Isaac Robbins had never left his knight's territory in the past six months. If the young master asked him to find a way to kill Robbins, he might as well kill himself faster.
Master Eddie received a higher level of aristocratic education than Isaac did. One can keenly see this after watching the performance once - the only thing worth praising about the play "Cinderella" is the script!
The protagonist Cinderella, who is the eldest daughter of a noble family but suffers from harsh treatment and neglect by her family and lives a miserable life, is recognized by the nobles and gains sympathy from the people. With such a pleasing character, the heroine who is always at a disadvantage in the first and middle parts of the play but always manages to turn the tables with her wisdom, can win applause even if a sow with only a pretty face performs the performance!
In the second half, this always successful and likable protagonist is framed by supporting characters, rejected by the townspeople, and ultimately destroyed on the stage. Compared to a happy ending, such a tragic ending is naturally more unforgettable!
This is what makes Master Eddie angry the most. Isaac Robbins shamelessly uses this ending, which is full of tragic artistic colors, to please the audience. The Northern Federation established to resist the invasion of the Holy See is irreconcilable with the Holy See. He lets the audience put themselves in Cinderella's position, flatteringly praises the Federation members as lions, and uses the Federation members' hatred of the Holy See to gain reputation. It is simply shameless!
This is simply a blasphemy to the art of drama!
Master Eddie wanted to peel off the hypocritical mask hidden behind Robbins' humble smile and let everyone see that this guy was a shameless person who would do anything to achieve his goal - but he was very rational and knew that it was useless!
"Well... let this guy be in the spotlight." Master Eddie said coldly, "When he becomes famous enough and known by more people, I want to see whether he chooses to stand on the side of the Federation or the side of the grassland aliens!"
Barritt raised his head carefully: "Master, are we not going to deal with this wild knight?"
Master Eddie sneered, "At least 60% of the Federation nobles rely on Lamia for their livelihood. This guy is using the help of the grassland aliens to ruin Lamia's business, but he still wants to please the Federation and be recognized by the Federation. Don't you want to see how this idiot will fall when he climbs to a high place?"
Master Eddie's carriage drove into the darkness, and as the sound of the wheels faded away, the knight brothers walked out from the shadows in a corner of the theater parking lot.
"Finally they left." Edward exhaled softly, turned to his brother Wayne and said, "Okay, everything is fine here, let's go help Alex and the others evacuate the crowd."
The two brothers walked around to the front of the theater and saw that there were still hundreds of people gathered in the square in front of the theater. Although they were not making any noise, they were unwilling to leave.
"Everyone, don't stay here. Go back to sleep. We have work to do tomorrow!" Edward jumped onto the flower bed and replaced the thirsty Alex. "You can come tomorrow if you want to watch the show, but you have to pay tomorrow. Our internal ticket only costs one silver coin!"
The workers looked at each other, and a big man stepped forward and said, "Edward, today's show was too depressing. I can't sleep when I go back. Can you let the priest... Doctor Bruno come out and talk to us?"
"..." Edward stared at the worker who gritted his teeth when he mentioned Doctor Bruno's name. "What do you want to do? Bruno is a doctor. If our knighthood had a priest, Doctor Bruno would be the first one to be burned at the stake. He is just putting on a show for all of us!"
"Yeah, when we were recruiting supporting roles in the Knight Territory, we chose Bruno because he was the whitest and fattest one." Alex said from the side, "Cinderella's uncles, townspeople, etc., weren't they all chosen from the workers? They're all your co-workers!"
Well... the supporting roles are chosen from ordinary people, mainly because the dramatic art in this world is so special that it pursues beauty, and only handsome men and beautiful women can be actors. In order to enhance the sense of immersion in "Cinderella", the supporting roles that are not so handsome are selected on the spot.
"If I see those bastards again, I'll beat them to death!!" the big worker roared angrily.
"Yes, those bastards are up to no good!" The workers nearby were so angry that veins popped out of their foreheads. "I thought they were one of us before, they are so mean!"
"You didn't even know how to save Cinderella!"
"Ignorant wolf!!"
"..." Edward silently held his forehead with his hand.
He also listened to Isaac and Harris discussing how to enhance the sense of immersion in the play. He didn't think much of it before, but now he realizes that this sense of immersion is awesome, but also really fucked up...
Inside the theater, the villain actors who were leaning against the windows and looking down listened to the scolding from their co-workers. Their sense of accomplishment from the great success of the performance was completely wiped out, and they all burst into tears...
The next day, just as the Valentine Bards Guild branch opened its doors, it received three submissions of drama reviews with surprising signatures, from the forest elf General Crest, the sea clan Count Winston, and the forest elf Evelyn, the second disciple of the sage Ayun and one of the authors of the two travelogues.
"Cinderella? Isn't this the play that Harris bought actors to rehearse in the city before?" Branch Director Valentine looked at his deputy strangely.
"Yes, Harris helped Isaac Robbins prepare the actors. It is said that Robbins Knight Territory's internal premiere yesterday. Since Robbins is the disciple of the sage Ayun, the forest elves will naturally support him." The human deputy came over and casually took a play review. "What is written in this... It's too much praise! Appealing to both the elite and the masses? A new trend in drama? A genius playwright? Wow - even if you are supporting him, you don't have to be so shameless!"
The branch director looked at the signatures on the two reviews in his hand and said, "Uh... the one you have is Earl Winston's manuscript."
"Eh?!" The human deputy quickly turned back to look at the signature, his mouth wide open, "My God, what benefit did Robbins give to Earl Winston that even the sea people are willing to praise others in art?"
The branch director frowned and scanned the two reviews of the Forest Elves in his hand, then handed the one signed by Evelyn to his deputy: "Take a look at this first."
"I travel through the silent and pale night... uh." The human deputy said with a strange look, "Is this a singing segment? Although it's good... is it too straightforward?"
"I've never heard this style of lyrics in my hometown of Bradrick." Head Valentine did not judge his deputy's comments and put away the three reviews. "Since even the sea people are willing to praise Robbins' play, I think we need to go there and appreciate how praiseworthy this play is."
"Okay, I'll ask someone to rent a car right away." The human deputy nodded.
The Bards' Guild is extremely picky about the articles published in its monthly magazine, "Travels of the Continent". Take Xiao Yun's "Travels of a Gourmet Hunter" for example. Every time they receive a manuscript, the bards will first verify that the recipe is feasible and that it indeed has the flavor described in the travelogue before publishing it. Another example is "Travels of the Elf Ranger", the druids in the association will also be asked to identify whether it is feasible.
So, even though General Chryst and Evelyn were old acquaintances, and Earl Winston's signature was also very valuable, Valentine's person in charge still had to diligently investigate the authenticity of the review...
After a half-hour carriage ride, they arrived at Knight Robbins' Territory. When they got off the carriage, the two branch chiefs and deputy chiefs of the Bards' Guild exclaimed in amazement.
"I remember that the last time I came here, this area was still a wilderness. It took only half a year to build it into this size?" Looking at the stone-paved road and the houses and buildings extending on both sides of the road, the branch director couldn't help but sigh, "Can this still be called a knight's territory? Ordinary towns don't have this scale."
"Not only that, look, they're still expanding over there." The human deputy pointed his finger into the distance.
"You really plan to turn the Knight Territory into a town." The branch chief laughed, "Well, Robbins has the support of the Fire Department, and the Fire Department has money."
The Knight Territory today is no longer as deserted as it was last year. The avenue running through the east and west is wide enough to accommodate four carriages running side by side, and most of the buildings on both sides have been turned into storefronts selling cheap daily necessities from the grasslands. Although it has not yet attracted the citizens of Valentine, the surrounding towns and villages have obviously regarded this place as a market.
When the branch chief and his deputy walked past a dry goods store, they saw a farmer in straw sandals carrying some fresh green vegetables and exchanging them with the store owner for a handful of vermicelli - even poor farmers with no money could barter here, and if they were lucky, they could do odd jobs and earn a few copper coins. This was the most popular place among the villagers in the Knight Territory.
The two men came in a cheap hired carriage, dressed very ordinary, and did not alarm the host of the Knights' Territory. They disguised themselves as ordinary people and came to the Robbins Theater Square.
"Haha, this is imitating the style of the Royal Cronin Theatre, right?" The branch director smiled at his deputy, "Harris hired Sue Gallagher, but asked Gallagher to use this common design. No wonder Gallagher disliked Harris for not understanding style."
The deputy also smiled and said, "I have to say something for Harris. Robbins requires a maximum of six months of construction time. If we don't use this most mature design, we won't be able to make it in time."
I walked to the ticket booth in front of the theater. There were still two hours before the show started, but there were already quite a few people queuing in front of the ticket window...
The two found the end of the line and lined up. They heard two male servants in front of them, dressed in the clothes of noble servants, talking in low voices: "Why are there so many poor people here? Can they afford the tickets?"
"They are the workers led by the knights. I heard that Knight Robbins gave his people a low ticket price of one silver coin. The poor guys can still afford it if they save money. This drama has not yet spread to the city. When more citizens come from the city, there will be no place for these poor guys."
"You went to see the play with Master Colin yesterday? How was the play? I only heard our young master scolding for a long time in the study after he went back...but he asked me to come and line up early this morning."
"Don't tell me, you've got a great deal. This play is really amazing! It's a far cry from the plays I watched with Master at the Lamia Theater in the upper city before... Yesterday, Master told me to get some hot water halfway through the show, so I missed a part. Luckily, Master let me come along today."
The branch chief turned around and unexpectedly exchanged glances with his deputy.
The nobles pursued art to show off their elegance, but the servants did not necessarily have much artistic talent... After all, art is just high-class art, and ordinary people don't know how to appreciate it!
It was not uncommon for a nobleman's servant to fall asleep during a play, or even for a nobleman to fall asleep during a play...
But according to the words of the noble servant in front, not only can they understand it, but they also feel unsatisfied after watching it once?
The theater didn't open until two in the afternoon, so the two left after buying the tickets and had a prairie-style lunch at a delicatessen next to the theater square. The food in the Knight Territory was also a major feature. Some families in the Midtown and Upper Town of Valentine would even send their grooms to buy lunch and dinner in advance.
"The food here is really good. Even if the theater is not open, it can still attract a lot of people with food as a selling point." After eating their fill and wiping their mouths with a handkerchief, the two of them smiled easily and walked towards the theater.
The cheapest tickets were for the back row and the seats on both sides of the first floor lobby, which only cost two silver coins. A front row ticket cost three silver coins, and the best viewing area in the middle row cost five. The two of them were not short of money, so they naturally bought the best viewing area. When they sat down, they smiled and greeted a couple of spectators who looked like father and son next to them.
Since the store is open for business and you have to charge money, the store is not as packed as it was yesterday. The second floor is not crowded, and the occupancy rate on the first floor is only a little over 50%. However, the best viewing areas are full of people - there are no restrictions on seat numbers for internal tickets, so you can sit where there is no one.
The two leaders and deputy leaders of the Bards Guild branch, who both had a high level of artistic appreciation, began to appreciate the art with a critical eye...
